Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Jay Levitt]

I'm trying out Media Center for use with my TiVo.  I can play files on the same PC as Media Center with no problem.  I also have files on drive S:\, which is actually mapped to a drive on another PC via Windows Networking.  Media Server sees these files and broadcasts their ability to TiVo, but if I try to actually play them, the TiVo just sits waiting, and the Media Server log shows "could not open <S:\path\to\file.wav>".   Opening Windows Explorer and navigating to the S: drive magically cures Media Server's inability to open the file.

I'm using Media Center 9.1.316, Media Server 1.0.192.

[TimB]

If this is the Jay Levitt I think it is, WELCOME JAY!  Sorry I can't answer your question.

(You're welcome even if it isn't but I wanted to specially say 'Hi' if I did know you!)

-=Tim Barwick=-

[John Gateley]

What OS on the other PC?
Is the network drive protected by a password?

j

[Jay Levitt]

Hey, Tim!  Yep, it's me... long time no chat.  Though as I remember, it was on a TiVo board that we ran into each other last time too  Drop me an e-mail if you like...

John, sorry, I meant to include that - both PCs are running Windows XP SP1.  The share is not password-protected, but it is restricted to authenticated users only.   I never get prompted for a password or anything, because my user name and password is the same on both machines.  Could it be that Explorer knows how to authenticate and Media Server doesn't?  If so, is that fixable, or is it a limitation of Windows?  Media Server is running under my name.

[John Gateley]

Can you explain more what is "restricted to authenticated users", or tell how you share it?

j

[Jay Levitt]

Sure - it's a standard Windows thing.  First, if you have simple sharing turned on - and I think it may be turned on by default, at least on XP home - you need to turn it off under Tools / Folder Options / View / Use simple file sharing [last option in the list].

Now go to the "Sharing" option on any drive, and select "Permissions".  This normally lets you specify any user name or group name to give permissions to, but you can also type "Authenticated Users", which is a built-in group that includes ANY user who's logged in.  (This was more obvious in Windows 2000; in XP you sort of have to know that it's available.)  Basically, that means "everyone but 'guest'", so that someone who happens to get access to ports 137-139 won't automatically be able to access your files - they need to log in somehow.  

I imagine the same thing should happen even if you're specifying actual user names instead of "Authenticated Users"; my gut tells me the problem is that Explorer is authenticating but Media Server isn't/can't.

[John Gateley]

We don't handle this case yet. Maybe in the future.

j

[Jay Levitt]

Thanks.  I guess I could install Media Center on the computer in question, instead of accessing it as a network share; that is my audio editing PC, and so I try to keep installed software to a minimum, especially stuff that runs in the background.  

Any tips for ensuring that it doesn't take up significant CPU time or context switching except when I'm actually streaming audio?  Does it wake up every so often to check for directory changes, new tags, etc., and if so, can I limit the hours during which that happens?

[Jay Levitt]

F'rinstance, on my PC right now, the fourth thread (#3) of MediaServer is waking up 60 to 90 times a second, even though I'm not changing any files on my drive, and even though the TiVo isn't being used.  It's not taking up any significant CPU time - still zero seconds cumulative - but that sort of interrupt processing will kill audio performance.

Nothing is being written to the status log.   If I stop sharing, that thread stops all activity, and if I start sharing again, the thread starts up again.  My guess is it's trying to get woken up 60 times a second to do something;  the average context switches/second is hovering around 60.

[JimH]

Jay,
We'll take a look at it.

Jim

[John Gateley]

F'rinstance, on my PC right now, the fourth thread (#3) of MediaServer is waking up 60 to 90 times a second

Hi Jay,

Try un-checking "do not respond to auto detect requests".
Let me know if this keeps the thread that is waking up from running.

j

[Jay Levitt]

Yep, that stops it from waking up.  So now I'll have to add the server manually, I suppose?  Or will the TiVo Beacon take care of that?  

[John Gateley]

No, the autodetect thread is for Media Center clients to locate Media Server.
Shouldn't affect TiVo at all.

j