Topic: Can't record TV from a client (Read 4254 times)

muzicman0 · « **on:** November 01, 2013, 05:37:03 pm »

I have a JRiver client up in my bedroom that I use to watch recorded TV, and Live TV...I always assumed you could record TV also (IE: press record in the guide, and it would record on the server that is downstairs)...this doesn't work for me...should it? It says it's recording in the Guide, but no files are written. I checked the local recorded TV location, and it isn't writing files there either.

Yaobing · « **Reply #1 on:** November 02, 2013, 10:24:12 am »

It should work. Make sure your server allows clients write access.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 02, 2013, 10:26:02 am »

not sure what you mean...is that a jriver setting, or are you talking a mapped drive

Yaobing · « **Reply #3 on:** November 02, 2013, 08:22:56 pm »

I guess I was talking in old terms.

On the server, make sure Authentication is turned on. On the client, make sure "Auto sync with server" is turned on. The changes you make on a client need to be synchronized with the server in order for them to take effect on the server.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 02, 2013, 11:47:48 pm »

It is...still not working.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 04, 2013, 11:40:23 am »

Is it possible that the drivers being installed on the client for the HDHomeRun Prime are messing with the client aspect?

In other words, because my Tuners are network accesible, the tuners are available on the client machine, so is that messing with the recordings...

The other symptom I am seeing, is that if I am watching TV on the client, the server can't tune any channels...I reorganized the order of the tuners, and that helped a bit, but I missed one recording last night because it couldn't find a tuner...is uninstalling the tuner drivers the only way to make them unavailable in MC19 so that live TV plays from the server?

JimH · « **Reply #6 on:** November 04, 2013, 11:50:33 am »

If your recording is done on the server, you don't need drivers on the client.

Yaobing · « **Reply #7 on:** November 04, 2013, 12:31:09 pm »

Quote from: muzicman0 on November 04, 2013, 11:40:23 am

Is it possible that the drivers being installed on the client for the HDHomeRun Prime are messing with the client aspect?

In other words, because my Tuners are network accesible, the tuners are available on the client machine, so is that messing with the recordings...

It shouldn't. We disable local recording on clients. After scheduling a recording (on a client), wait for a few minutes to let the info be sync'ed with the server. If you are unsure, you can do a manual sync on the client. Then go to the server and check if the scheduled recording show up on the server (in To Be Recorded list).

Quote

The other symptom I am seeing, is that if I am watching TV on the client, the server can't tune any channels...I reorganized the order of the tuners, and that helped a bit, but I missed one recording last night because it couldn't find a tuner...is uninstalling the tuner drivers the only way to make them unavailable in MC19 so that live TV plays from the server?

No. It should work as it is. On the server, make sure you go to TV Options... and select each tuner in the list, click Configure... button. On the resulting popup, make sure the Tuner type is OpenCable, and not "Disabled". When MC tries to load a tuner, it actually check to make sure the tuner is not being used by any application anywhere. So if you use one tuner on a client, the server should use the other two available tuners for recording. You will miss recordings only if you scheduled more recordings than you have tuners for. Remember using a tuner on client reduces the number of tuners available for the server.

One important thing you need to make sure about is no other applications are using the tuners anywhere on your network. Windows Media Center is known not to play nice when a tuner is being used in another process.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 05, 2013, 11:11:04 am »

Quote from: Yaobing on November 04, 2013, 12:31:09 pm

It shouldn't. We disable local recording on clients. After scheduling a recording (on a client), wait for a few minutes to let the info be sync'ed with the server. If you are unsure, you can do a manual sync on the client. Then go to the server and check if the scheduled recording show up on the server (in To Be Recorded list).

No. It should work as it is. On the server, make sure you go to TV Options... and select each tuner in the list, click Configure... button. On the resulting popup, make sure the Tuner type is OpenCable, and not "Disabled". When MC tries to load a tuner, it actually check to make sure the tuner is not being used by any application anywhere. So if you use one tuner on a client, the server should use the other two available tuners for recording. You will miss recordings only if you scheduled more recordings than you have tuners for. Remember using a tuner on client reduces the number of tuners available for the server.

One important thing you need to make sure about is no other applications are using the tuners anywhere on your network. Windows Media Center is known not to play nice when a tuner is being used in another process.

OK, so what you say makes a lot of sense, and I agree that this is the way it should work...but it doesn't seem to. If I was watching something on my client, and the tuners were in the same priority, then it never looked for a new tuner...

I disabled DLNA on my client PC (effectively disabling my Prime Tuner on the client), and now it doesn't interfere with recordings that are scheduled downstairs...

BUT

I tested this morning by trying to record something from the guide that was playing, as well as scheduling a recording that was starting in 10 minutes...neither started recording...how long should it take to sync with the server?

I also noticed that I can't rename/move files from the client...it says in the dialog that it is invalid under the 'new name'...not sure if that has anything to do with my issues or not.

I have all Windows Firewalls off, and no 3rd party firewalls (except hardware on my router).

I do have some stacked tuners as well (which weren't even available on the client)...again, not sure if that matters, just trying to give a clear picture of my setup.

Sorry it took so long to respond, for some reason, I didn't get a notification on this topic that a reply had been posted.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 05, 2013, 11:18:58 am »

Oh...I should also state that when I had the tuners enabled, and I was watching live TV on the client, but the file was being written to the local hard drive...now that I have the tuner disabled on the client, it is writing the files on the server.

Yaobing · « **Reply #10 on:** November 06, 2013, 01:24:57 pm »

Quote from: muzicman0 on November 05, 2013, 11:18:58 am

Oh...I should also state that when I had the tuners enabled, and I was watching live TV on the client, but the file was being written to the local hard drive...now that I have the tuner disabled on the client, it is writing the files on the server.

We do allow watching a channel live on a client if there is a tuner available on it. This is the case when you had a tuner enabled on the client. If you disable all tuners on the client, then there is no tuner available on it, and live playback will go to the server.

So what you described above is correct.

Recording is different. Recording is done only on the server.

I just tried it by running a client and scheduling a recording. It almost immediately took effect on the server.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #11 on:** November 06, 2013, 04:39:05 pm »

I must have something set up wrong then, as it still doesn't work for me...any thoughts? What can I check? I have authentication enabled on the server, and sync enabled on the client.

JimH · « **Reply #12 on:** November 06, 2013, 04:49:30 pm »

If the tuner on the client is virtual (HDHomerun, for example) and it's the same on the server, it's possible they're trying to use the same physical tuner.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #13 on:** November 06, 2013, 04:50:59 pm »

yes, they are HDHomeRun Prime tuners...but since I un-selected DLNA on the client, shouldn't that disable the tuners in MC19 client?

Yaobing · « **Reply #14 on:** November 06, 2013, 07:24:54 pm »

Take a look at the file C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 19\Library\tvrecording.xml, and check whether it is updated after a recording is scheduled on a client.

Wait, I just remember something. Did you enable TV recording on the client? I think you need to do that. It is not very intuitive, but that is the way it is.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 11, 2013, 07:01:40 pm »

I enabled TV Recording (had it disabled as a troubleshooting step), but that didn't fix it...

I checked that file on the Client, and no updates are made...should I check the server?

Also, I noticed if I look at the listing of TV shows in Standard View, it states that the show that I am trying to record is 'Scheduled to Record', not recording.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 11, 2013, 07:09:46 pm »

I also checked the server...no changes there either... ?

I also have a different client that I tried...never really use it, and it also didn't work.

all PC's involved are new v19 installs, not upgrades.

Yaobing · « **Reply #17 on:** November 11, 2013, 07:39:33 pm »

I meant for you to check the file on the server, because that path is specific to the server. For the client, check the file in C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 19\Connected Library\.

Is recording enabled on the server too?

muzicman0 · « **Reply #18 on:** November 11, 2013, 11:57:24 pm »

yes it is...does the authentication have to be an existing user account on the server?

Yaobing · « **Reply #19 on:** November 12, 2013, 09:37:01 am »

Is TV Feature turned on on the client? (Tools > Options > General > Features > TV)

muzicman0 · « **Reply #20 on:** November 12, 2013, 10:30:12 am »

yes it is...

I have an idea, so but I am uncomfortable offering it on a public forum, so I am going to PM you.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #21 on:** November 13, 2013, 11:17:04 am »

Here are the logs from the client and the server. I am also attaching some screen shots from the client and server.

Yaobing · « **Reply #22 on:** November 13, 2013, 03:14:33 pm »

Thanks for the logs. However, they contain too little info. Did you log the process of scheduling a recording on the client? I do not see any reference to "Let's make a deal" in either log.

Could you please retry?

Follow these steps:

1. Close MC on both machines, instead of just resetting the logs.
2. Start MC on server machine.
3. Start MC on client machine. Connect to server library if it does not automatically do so.
4. Schedule a recording on client.
5. Check server to see if it is updated.
6. Get logs from both machines.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #23 on:** November 14, 2013, 10:28:00 am »

That is almost exactly what I did, with the exception that instead of scheduling a recording, I just went to the guide, and selected a program, but instead of 'watching', I selected 'record'. I have, in the past, done a future program as well, instead of one that is currently playing, and that also did not reflect on the server. The screen shots show clearly that the client shows the program as 'scheduled' to record, but the server does not. I took the server screen shot after I took the client.

If you still want me to do this again, please let me know, and I will.

Yaobing · « **Reply #24 on:** November 14, 2013, 12:52:51 pm »

This is really puzzling.

Please do try again.

Recording in Theater should be fine, except it seems to log fewer info. So to make it easier, please do recording in Standard view. It should not matter whether you record a currently showing program or a future program.

Also please make sure you do not reset the logs, so we can have the max amount of info. That was why I asked you to restart MC on both machines. Another thing to note is that after doing all the testing steps, do not restart MC. Just go directly to Help > Logging... to get the logs. If the log files are too large to be posted on the forum, email me the zip files. yaobing at jriver dot com

After you do a recording on client, wait for a minute or so for library merging to complete. Check on the client, there should be a folder at C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 19\Connected Library\Delta\. Inside the Delta folder there should be a file tvrecording.xml, in which there should be one entry, specifying the recording you just made.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #25 on:** November 14, 2013, 12:58:30 pm »

OK. I am in the middle of converting a bunch of files...as soon as that is done, I will do this again.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #26 on:** November 14, 2013, 03:19:20 pm »

OK, this is interesting...if I record from Standard view, everything works like it should...if I do it from Theater view, then it doesn't work at all.

Do you still want the new logs? (I was doing it via VNC, but my daughter started watching something, so I didn't get clean logs like you want) If you still want them, then I will have to repeat the steps.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #27 on:** November 14, 2013, 03:36:28 pm »

Also, the XML file was updated with the 2 shows I did in Standard view, but not the one I did from theater view.

after running a few more tests, it consistently records correctly if I do this from Standard View, but fails if I do it from Theater view.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #28 on:** November 14, 2013, 03:54:45 pm »

more info...

I shut down my client, and restarted the software. I then scheduled a show from theater view. The 'Delta' directory did not even exist. I gave it a few minutes to see if it would be created, and it was not.

I then scheduled a show from Standard View, and almost immediately the directory was created. The original program I tried to record from theater view was in the XML, but with a lot less info in it...here is the contents of the CML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes" ?>
<Rules Version="1.3">
<Rule ID="311667109" ParentID="0" Name="Cari & Rebecca">
<Item Name="Program Database Key">112958</Item>
<Item Name="Extend After Milliseconds">60000</Item>
<Item Name="Extend Before Milliseconds">60000</Item>
<Item Name="Type">1</Item>
<Item Name="Priority">50</Item>
</Rule>
<Rule ID="639436875" ParentID="0" Name="Green Lantern">
<Item Name="Subscription Search Time Mode">1</Item>
<Item Name="Subscription Channels">2123</Item>
<Item Name="Program Database Key">113102</Item>
<Item Name="Extend After Milliseconds">60000</Item>
<Item Name="Extend Before Milliseconds">60000</Item>
<Item Name="Type">1</Item>
<Item Name="Subscription Search Time Anchor">41592.5625</Item>
<Item Name="Subscription Time Start Time">0.5625</Item>
<Item Name="Subscription Search Query">Green Lantern</Item>
<Item Name="Subscription Time Duration Milliseconds">8999999</Item>
<Item Name="Subscription Resumption Date"/>
<Item Name="Subscription Time Days">5</Item>
<Item Name="Priority">50</Item>
<Item Name="Cleanup Mode"/>
<Item Name="Apply Tags">(1:1)(1:0)</Item>
<Item Name="Subscription Suspension Date"/>
</Rule>
</Rules>

You can see the first show is missing a bunch of info that the 2nd has. It does appear that both shows are recording now, but I had to schedule a show from Standard View to get it to start.

I hope all this info helps.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #29 on:** November 15, 2013, 03:22:27 pm »

just checking in...any updates?

Yaobing · « **Reply #30 on:** November 15, 2013, 03:42:42 pm »

Not yet. I will take a closer look at Theater view. If I still can not reproduce the problem, I will come back asking for logs again.

Yaobing · « **Reply #31 on:** November 15, 2013, 06:00:19 pm »

OK. I figured out what is going on. But I was not fast enough to fix it yet. This will be fixed on Monday.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #32 on:** November 15, 2013, 06:12:42 pm »

AWESOME! Thanks! Monday is fine.

I appreciate all the help...I work for a software company, so I know it can be frustrating trying to track down something when you are not sitting in front of the PC that is having the issue.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #33 on:** November 20, 2013, 03:50:03 pm »

any updates? I assume this will be in the next build...do you know when that will be?

Yaobing · « **Reply #34 on:** November 20, 2013, 05:04:26 pm »

The fix has been submitted. A build will be made soon, but will not be available to the public immediately.

muzicman0 · « **Reply #35 on:** November 28, 2013, 08:49:48 am »

The latest build seems to work now...thanks!

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Author Topic: Can't record TV from a client (Read 4254 times)