Videos very slow to start (1 Viewer)

[enchant]

My mini computer HTPC was doing a fine job running mediaportal, but the internal fan is starting to get very loud. I'd like to simply replace the fan, but I don't think that it's the sort of thing that I can buy on Amazon. So I bought a newer and faster mini computer. It came pre-loaded with Windows 11.

I installed mediaportal and then copied

Program Files (x86)\Team Mediaportal
Program Data\Team Mediaportal

...from the old computer to the new. This worked just fine and mediaportal came up running exactly as it did on the old computer.

The problem is that when I try to start a video (.mkv), it takes about 30 seconds before it starts playing. During that time, the computer is unresponsive. I tried moving the mouse around, but there was nothing.

I'm thinking that I'd like to try uninstalling everything that I possibly can just in case something is interfering. I've already uninstalled malwarebytes. But maybe there's a codec that I need to install first?

EDIT: I timed it and no matter the length of the video, the delay in starting is exactly 60 seconds. Not 59. Not 61. This sure sounds suspicious, but I haven't found anything via google.

 

[doskabouter]

without logs its hard to predict what's happening.
At first glance this sounds like a timeout of some unavailable resource...

 

[enchant]

without logs its hard to predict what's happening.
At first glance this sounds like a timeout of some unavailable resource...

I've done some looking around, but I can't find any instructions of where the logs are. I did find one link, but it just took me to the main page of the mediaportal wiki.

 

[doskabouter]

edit again:
here's a starting poing for generic logfile gathering: Post Log Files

 

[enchant]

Thanks for that info. I followed the directions and when in MP, started up a video. After 60 seconds passed, the following error box popped up:

Unable to play: Cheers S02E04 [...]
Video codec: Mpeg4IsoAvc
Audio codec: Avc

I closed out of that and closed down MP. Once I did that, the following error dialog box popped up:

The host name is empty
[ok]

Once I OK'd out of that this error appeared:

Cannot create channel sink to connect to URL ''. An
appropriate channel has probably not been registered.
[ok]

I OK'd out of that and the watchdog finished saving the log file, which I've attached to this message.

 

[doskabouter]

the timeout comes from the sqliteclient, that is encountering some serious errors...

[2024-05-18 13:52:02,420] [Error ] [MPMain ] [ERROR] - [MediaInfoDatabaseSqlLite][Get] ExceptionQLiteClient: MediaInfoDatabaseV1.db3 cmd:sqlite3_finalize err:READONLY/READONLY detailed:attempt to write a readonly database query:INSERT INTO files (id, created, accessLast, fullPath, type, serial, size, format, formatVersion, isStreamable, writingApplication, writingLibrary, attachments, profile, codec, scanType, aspectRatio, duration) VALUES(null, 638516514623532870,638516514623532870,'Z:\Misc TV\y_comedy\Cheers\Cheers S02E05 - (Sumner''s Return).mkv','Video','5b67ca250947080c',2126362112,'Matroska','Version 4',1,'mkvmerge v57.0.0 (''Till The End'') 64-bit','libebml v1.4.2 + libmatroska v1.6.4','','','','progressive','fullscreen',1447405) stack: at SQLite.NET.SQLiteClient.ThrowError(String statement, String sqlQuery, SqliteError err)

could it be that the current user doesn't have writeaccess to those databases?
Also I see

[2024-05-18 13:52:02,527] [Error ] [MPMain ] [ERROR] - VMR9 AddVMR9: Unable to load DLL 'dshowhelper.dll': The specified module could not be found. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8007007E)

and

[2024-05-18 13:52:02,548] [Error ] [MPMain ] [ERROR] - VideoPlayer9: Exception while cleanuping DShow graph - Unable to load DLL 'mpcSubs.dll': The specified module could not be found. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8007007E) at MediaPortal.Player.Subtitles.MpcEngine.MpcSubtitles.FreeSubtitles()

those 2 lines point to a broken Mediaportal installation...
I would suggest a reinstall (after a full cleanup) and not copying over that old Program Files (x86)\Team Mediaportal folder
You can still try copying that programdata folder from your old pc and hope that doesn't break anything, but I don't have a clue on how safe that is...

 

[enchant]

the timeout co

those 2 lines point to a broken Mediaportal installation...
I would suggest a reinstall (after a full cleanup) and not copying over that old Program Files (x86)\Team Mediaportal folder

Well that's a little embarrassing. Such an obvious thing to try. Don't know why I didn't think of that.

After doing the original install, I renamed those directories to
Team Mediaportal - orig
...so it was a simple matter of just moving the originals back into place.

This immediately fixed the delay problem, but I'm still getting the "Unable to play ... codec ..." problem.

I think I'm going to do a complete uninstall and reinstall using the 64-bit version. I was dreading this a little since I've done extensive work getting the remote to do exactly what I want. I'd hate to have to go through all of that again.

I have to head out for a while shortly, so I think I'm going to put off the reinstall until later tonight.

Thanks for all the help on this. I'll update when I see more results.

 

[enchant]

TL;DR: After the reinstall, I was able to properly display videos just fine. But can't get my preferred skin to work, so I'm abandoning Win11 and I'm sticking with my old computer - for now.

With a fresh reinstall, everything worked fairly perfectly. I was even able to copy over a Configured Inputs directory (forget the exact name) and my remote worked perfectly.

However, when I tried to install my preferred skin, Amped, it came up with a terse error box. Something like "Wrong platform". I see that it hasn't been updated in 10 years, so it probably doesn't work on Win11. I like it because it's fairly simple and spartan. All of the skins that I've seen seem heavily geared toward flashy backgrounds with the working bits (menus, etc.) relegated to a small window in the corner. What I really want and need is for that menu to fill the screen, giving me more entries from that long list and maybe in a larger font. I'm sure that with sufficient skills one could modify the skin to make it do what I want, but I don't have those skills, nor do I know where this might be documented (if at all).

So I'm giving up on the Win11 pc and I'm going to build a soundproof-ish box to put the original computer in. Since the internal fan is making noise, that could be a harbinger of a total failure at some point in the future, so in the meanwhile, I might see if I can get overwrite the Win11 operating system with Win10.

I hate hate hate hate Microsoft.

So thanks again for the help. Couldna done it without you.

 

[CyberSimian]

when I tried to install my preferred skin, Amped, it came up with a terse error box. Something like "Wrong platform".

I don't have Windows 11 on any of my systems, but I do have "Amped" on my Windows 10 laptop, and on my Windows 7 HTPC. I used "Amped" when I first started with MP, but these days I use my own "Clarity" skin.

Although "Amped" has not been updated in many years, and may therefore lack some capabilities, I would be really surprised if "Amped" did not run on Windows 11. Simply copy the "Amped" folder from your old system to your new Windows 11 system; this is the relevant folder:

"C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\Skin\Amped\"

The error that you have encountered may be due to the "Amped" installer, but if you already have a working system with "Amped", you don't need to use the installer -- simply copy the folder.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[enchant]

Although "Amped" has not been updated in many years, and may therefore lack some capabilities, I would be really surprised if "Amped" did not run on Windows 11. Simply copy the "Amped" folder from your old system to your new Windows 11 system; this is the relevant folder:

I did try doing that, but for MP to use that skin, you have to select that from the list within the config program, and if it's not installed normally, that isn't in the list. When I first tried doing this, I copied the entirety of the Team Mediaportal directories from Program Files and Program Data and the Amped skin appeared to be functioning properly. But at that point, I had my original problem of the 60 second delay plus the codec error when the video started.