What are MP2's PVR Capabilities? (1 Viewer)

[millerbrad]

I currently use MP1 TV Service + ArgusTV Scheduler with my HDHomerun tuners (USA OTA ATSC). I like it a lot, but I'm interested in MP2.

What exactly are MP2's capabilities when it comes to PVR? I'm having a hard time finding any documentation or screenshots of the live TV functions.

1. Can I use my SchedulesDirect subscription to pull in the EPG?
   • If so, does it use the SD JSON service (i.e. can I view additional info like season/episode number, associated art for TV shows in the EPG?)
2. Can I create a series recording schedule that records only NEW episodes of a given TV show?
3. Can I use Comskip to automatically skip commercials in recorded TV shows?
4. Are there capabilities to schedule recordings via a web interface?

 

[dfraga]

OK since no one else has answered yet, I'll try to answer what I can based on what I think I know. Take it all with a grain of salt, because I'm no where near one of the experts around here.

1. The TV server is essentially the same as MP1, so Schedules Direct should work. I don't know anything about the JSON question though.

2. It should be possible in the same way as you did with MP1 Schedules Direct. I know it works for me, but I use MC2XML.

3. I'm not too sure on this one, but I think so.

4. I don't think there are currently, but I could very well be wrong.

Sorry I can't be more help than that. Hopefully someone else will chime in. Maybe it will help you at least get started. You can always try it out and see how it works for you while still keeping your existing set up. Good luck.

 

[david_31262]

Just installed MP2 with my freshly installed Windows 10 machine.

I don't see any sign of commercial skipping (comskip support). Maybe I'm missing something, or there's an add-in I need.

I found this thread from 2 years back:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...mmercial-skipping-support.117012/#post-970933

Seems like back in 2013 this wasn't yet supported.

 

[wayloncovil]

To david_31262: I just installed MP2 and followed this guide to use the NativeTV 3.5 Engine. I see a ComSkip plugin in the TV setup.
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Like the OP, I'm interested in Schedules Direct & JSON capability with MediaPortal 2.
As mentioned above, I installed NativeTV 3.5. I scanned for channels and the TV works. It looks like the only thing I'm missing at this point is attaching my Schedules Direct subscription.
I looked in the setup for both TV and in MP2 but it's not jumping out at me.
Any suggestions?
Also, I'm interested in using the JSON feed since it displays channel logos, cover art and all the other goodies that come with the JSON feed.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[wayloncovil]

Last night I switched back to the TV version 3 engine for MP2.
I also installed MP1.
In MP1 TV Configuration, I setup my channels and added the Schedules Direct plug in.
In MP1, I see the guide date showing up for my channels.
I do not see the guide data in MP2, however, which leads me to believe that even though MP1 & MP2 use the same "engine" there is a bunch of stuff that is different. I'm guessing the Guide is different.
So... how do I get Schedules Direct guide data to show up for MP2?
Thanks!

 

[david_31262]

To david_31262: I just installed MP2 and followed this guide to use the NativeTV 3.5 Engine. I see a ComSkip plugin in the TV setup.

My problem with commercial skipping is not on the TV Engine side, it's that the MP2 player does not seem to support commercial skipping. I need to play around with it some more.

Another thing missing in MP2 seems to be the ability to edit the early/late padding on an existing timer. I see that I can delete a scheduled event, but can't make any adjustments to it.

 

[david_31262]

Last night I switched back to the TV version 3 engine for MP2.
I also installed MP1.
In MP1 TV Configuration, I setup my channels and added the Schedules Direct plug in.
In MP1, I see the guide date showing up for my channels.
I do not see the guide data in MP2, however, which leads me to believe that even though MP1 & MP2 use the same "engine" there is a bunch of stuff that is different. I'm guessing the Guide is different.
So... how do I get Schedules Direct guide data to show up for MP2?
Thanks!

I believe the databases are different between MP1 and MP2 (even when using the same TV Engine). You'll also notice that MP1 and MP2 run different versions of the "TV Service".
That's also why an MP1 client can't connect to an MP2 server.

I seem to remember reading that if you have both MP1 and MP2 TV servers installed you must disable on of the services.

 

[Jeffro77]

I installed MP2 last night and enabled the comskip plugin, but ads are not being skipped when playing the recorded program (either automatically, or when pressing F8). I completely removed MP1 first. I downloaded the latest version of Comskip, and it is correctly configured. It generates the .txt file indicating the boundaries for the commercials, but the player seems to ignore them. Am I doing something wrong? Is F8 still the correct hotkey in MP2? Or does it just not work?

 

[david_31262]

I installed MP2 last night and enabled the comskip plugin, but ads are not being skipped when playing the recorded program (either automatically, or when pressing F8). I completely removed MP1 first. I downloaded the latest version of Comskip, and it is correctly configured. It generates the .txt file indicating the boundaries for the commercials, but the player seems to ignore them. Am I doing something wrong? Is F8 still the correct hotkey in MP2? Or does it just not work?

I don't think you're missing anything. Thanks for the update, I tried this a few months back and had the same results. I ended up reverting back to MP1 (because of this and a few other missing features like editing the pads on existing timers).

 

[mrj]

Another thing missing in MP2 seems to be the ability to edit the early/late padding on an existing timer.

If you are talking starting the recording before the program starts and/or stopping the recording after the program ends it can be done in the TV configuration.

http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...guration/TV-Server_Configuration/07_Recording
mrj