XBMC Live TV and Unofficial NextPVR Guide (targeted to Homerun Prime)

Frodo stable release has been available for a while now, so time to update this. I've been trying to weed through all the things that were problematic in the original experience with the beta software. A lot of my thoughts on this are listed under my 2/1/2013 Post

The original post used a different method of accessing the HDHR Prime through NextPVR, and some of the comments that follow these guide posts indicated it was no longer necessary. They were indeed correct, and since I used both methods I can honestly say that using the built-in tuner support is the faster method of tuning Live TV Channels in both NPVR and the XBMC NPVR addon

I pdf'd the original guide and attached for reference (but not really recommended)

The disclaimers from the first post are still mostly true, although now I've added a couple of screenshots at the end with the Aeon Nox skin. Each skin's EPG can look different, and of all the ones I've looked at the EPG looks the best in Aeon MQ4


Pre-read disclaimer: XBMC can look super nice, there are tons of threads showing how awesome it can look after customization. This is not one of those threads. I’m posting screenshots from a clean/stock installation of XBMC Frodo Beta to demonstrate that I’ve got live TV and recordings from Comcast working in XBMC on my main HTPC, and I’ve found that WMC can still watch and record live TV from the HDHomerun Prime

Second disclaimer: NO this will not work for any cable channels without the copy-free flag set. I don’t know what channels your cable company sets this way, but mine (Comcast) sets everything copy-free with the exception of movie channels (which I think are outrageously priced to begin with and don’t subscribe to anyway). The copy control information flag (CCI) is set by your cable company, but varies from region to region (and as Vladd mentioned can vary based on the content as dictated by the broadcaster, although I've not yet ever experienced any issue with this)

Now on to the fun . . .
Edited by Dark_Slayer - 2/8/13 at 8:27pm

The general steps

1. Install NPVR and prerequisites
2. Re-run HDHomerun Setup
3. Setup Schedules Direct trial
4. Configure NPVR
5. Configure NPVR addon in XBMC
6. Enjoy

To get started, use the latest NPVR release
http://forums.gbpvr.com/showthread.php?52722-2-5-9-available-(1-October-2012)

Their wiki is a great reference, and there are plenty of great guides already available there. I'm really just adding more pictures For NPVR, check their pre-requisite page
http://www.gbpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?n=QuickStart.Pre-requisites

The software requirements seem a little outdated. I like to keep my software installations "minimal" so I only installed these two from the list

• DirectX 9.0c runtimes
• Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Runtimes

I'm not sure the other ones are necessary, but everything is running fine for me without them installed

Next use all the latest patches from their forums
http://forums.gbpvr.com/showthread.php?52417-NPVR-2-5-9-Current-Patches-and-Getting-Started-info
Forgot to mention this the first time, but the NPVR installation folder (Program Files\NPVR) includes separate "Start/Stop the Network Recorder Service" exe files. You can also just use the typical Windows Services Manager and look for NextPVR Network Recorder. Use either method to stop the service before patching NPVR.

To patch just extract the patches zip file to a folder and copy all the included files. Then go to your Progam Files\NPVR folder and paste them in order to replace the existing files (Done patching )


Now go to the HD Homerun Setup software and change the Main Application (from the Application Tab) to NextPVR from WMC


I think that for now to get your channels all working in XBMC you'll need to use Schedules Direct. It'll give you a free trial to start. I only ask for guide data for the channels I actually receive, and if you do it this way you can easily edit your NPVR EPG later to only display these channels in XBMC. To do this go HERE and start a trial. I edited my listings by clicking each channel I don't subscribe to (I'm pretty fast with a mouse but this still sucked clicking everything one at a time)

Edited by Dark_Slayer - 2/8/13 at 12:55pm

Now to setting up NextPVR . . .

Start by opening NPVR and right click anywhere on the page, then choose settings (no keyboard shortcut I'm aware of)

On the devices tab, you should see something like this (but with zeros in the channels column until you setup each tuner)
You should setup the same three tuners I used in the picture (HDHR DCR-2650) Click one with your mouse and then click the "Device Setup" option. On the Device Setup page click the "Scan" button (the first time will pull in more channels than are shown in my screenshot) click ok and repeat for the other two tuners (I think it asks if you'd like to copy the setting to the others)



Now to the really fun part. Setting up channels
The channels section of the settings page should look similar to this (but with all blanks in the EPG section)

The way I started was by selecting a channel that I know for sure that I receive (you should now this from Schedules Direct setup) then select Details. You'll see a window like the following where you can choose your EPG source (Schedules Direct). You'll have to enter your username and password


Once you successfully add Schedules Direct to one channel you can click "Bulk Map" and you should get a window like the following


Notice you have pulldown for EPG source in the bulk map menu. Once you select "Schedules Direct" a couple times in a row it will ask if you'd like NextPVR to "have a go" at mapping your Schedules Direct lineup to your channels. It worked perfectly for me, if it never presents that option you'll have to select that for each channel you want guide data for

The reason I edit my Schedules Direct listing is now easy to see in the following screenshot

After they are "bulk-mapped" you can easily see the channels you aren't subscribed to. You can easily pick each group of stations with no "Schedules Direct" next to them (Shift select) and click "Delete"

Deleting them will only keep them out of your NextPVR/XBMC guides. I like to keep my EPG uncluttered, so it only shows the channels we pay for

Now go to the recording tab of the settings tab and setup your Default recording directory. I just use "Edit" to change it from my C drive to where I want it to keep recordings




EDIT: If you are only looking to use XBMC the following steps in this post are not necessary. When I began, I felt that I needed to "see" things working in NPVR before moving to XBMC. It's a personal preference of mine, but if you wish to use only XBMC you can move on to post #4

Now come the decoders tab. Interestingly, I can no longer use the Microsoft DTV-DVD Video Decoder for MPEG2 or H264 after upgrading to Windows 8. If you aren't upgraded to Windows 8 just use that (default for video) since it will tune your MPEG2 streams much faster than LAV video. If you're upgraded to W8, check the NPVR forums to obtain other video decoders and get Cyberlink's PDVD12 decoder. It's just as quick as Microsoft's for MPEG2 and comes well recommended. (None of this affects XBMC, but it is nice to verify things work in NPVR before moving to XBMC)

For Audio, I just use LAV for MPEG1 and AC3 with everything else disabled. If this doesn't match your broadcaster change accordingly, but if you assign a decoder to all 5 tuning a channel will take longer


Finally, move to the Misc tab of the Settings page and assign an appropriate location as your Live TV Buffer. I left everything else default


You should be able to click ok and go to the TV Guide on the main menu and tune a channel. If you want channel logos, you'll need to add individual images with the appropriate name to the channels directory. LINKYou can either edit their names in the channels section of settings or match the image names to whatever the channel shows up as in NPVR. It takes all kinds of sizes, but they need to be square if you want them to look consistent. The default skin and XBMC addon will both pull from the channels directory, which should be C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Media\Channels unless you're using XP

Edited by Dark_Slayer - 3/13/13 at 3:33pm

Now go to the Addons section of XBMC Frodo. There should be a PVR section under "Disabled Addons" Select the NextPVR addon and then "enable"


Afterwards, mine immediately moved to the "Enabled Addons Section." Go to the enabled addons -> PVR -> NextPVR and bring up the menu again, this time select "Configure"

You can leave the settings at default if XBMC is on the same machine as NPVR, otherwise enter the IP address of the NPVR "server." There is only one option on the Advanced tab, which is "Enable Time Shifting with Live TV." This means you can pause a live TV feed while you are watching it. This is experimental, but I've had success with it enabled


Afterwards, go back to the main Settings page in XBMC and navigate down to the Live TV Settings. This is where you'll "Enable Live TV" in XBMC. I select all channel related options on the General tab as shown the following screenshot


The following setting adjustments have improved stability for me. Under the Playback tab of the TV Settings leave "Start playback minimized" enabled. I get a lot of lockups with it disabled. Also, up the "Timeout when starting playback" number (I use 16 seconds). This setting is how long XBMC gives the NPVR addon/server/tuner to communicate and begin playback. It doesn't require this much time, just lets it run this long before giving you a "Tuner Not Available" message.


Scheduling a recording in advance is pretty easy by going back to the main menu -> Live TV -> EPG:Timeline -> then click on a time slot that is in the future. You'll get a menu like the one below. If you select add timer, you should be notified that your recording is successfully scheduled





Another note on usability

• If you start live TV from the "Channels" menu rather than the "Timeline" you can succesfully change channels before going "Fullscreen"
• I try not to start live TV from the Timeline since it leads to more lockups
• Make sure your deinterlace settings are appropriate or you'll either have jittery playback or stuttering

When a channel is playing bring up the "Video settings" from the OSD and set "Deinterlace video" to "Auto"

At first, I had deinterlace set to On because it was somehow off and 1080i channels looked very poor. However, some stations I receive are 720p, and the "On" setting causes very stuttery playback in this case. "Auto" works either way

Also, if you press "C" while watching a channel you'll get an On Screen guide, and I've found that using this to change channels has a much higher probability of success than quickly "Stopping" and attempting to tune a different channel. I've not had any success with PgDwn/PgUp, and very limited success with up and down arrows on the OSD


Edited by Dark_Slayer - 3/13/13 at 3:34pm

UPDATE: The slides before this have all been recently updated, but these images are still somewhat applicable if you just wanted a "feel" for different things that "should" happen

Also, if you don't see a screen like this

when you startup XBMC then you've done something wrong.

You can navigate to Settings -> Live TV -> EPG and choose "Reset the EPG database" if you feel like the channel logos you've chosen or channels you've deleted are out-of-sync with NPVR. It will warn and ask if you are sure, and if you click yes you should see a similar "Importing From clients" status bar in the top right













Edited by Dark_Slayer - 3/13/13 at 11:24pm

Still to do

• Schedules Direct Alternative
• Much prettier guides
• NextPVR "recording granularity"

NextPVR lets you flag recordings and send them to specific directories automatically. I haven't even used the much nicer guide add ons at this point

FWIW, this is a very actively developed community. I regret to say, but I see very little activity in WMC anymore. I like that I can keep it in place if something breaks, but it's not going to be as flexible in the long run unless Microsoft changes their direction with WMC

Old Guide - not recommended NPVR Network Recorder Guide.pdf 52k .pdf file
Edited by Dark_Slayer - 2/8/13 at 12:12pm

Also forgot to include default Frodo Beta Audio settings if anyone is interested

Removed image, surely everyone has seen the audio settings by now
Edited by Dark_Slayer - 2/8/13 at 12:14pm

That's what I did first run, and I had to start over. After setting up / scanning / configuring guide -> I went over to TV Guide and tried to play a channel.

It would lock the tuner (green light on the prime) but I couldn't get any playback. I had all the same configurations I mentioned above, but I couldn't get it to play.

That would have been way easier, so if you get it to work that way don't keep it a secret

It's pretty easy to start over in NPVR

When you started did Network Recorder or something like 1314C495-0 show up under devices?

If the latter, you had already scanned devices prior to configuring the network recorder plugin

Weird that it plays this way, but I'll give it another shot sometime. Does WMC still work for livetv? Did you un-install the HDHomerun software before setting up NPVR?

Are you trying Schedules Direct or a web-grabber for your EPG?

Thanks for clarifying, I still need to see it for myself I still have the software installed and running on the bedroom HTPC, which is still using WMC/MediaBrowser since I haven't gotten around to completing the "transition." With both of you saying NextPVR works without the SageDCT workaround, I'll give it a shot. Probably won't happen for another week, but I'll update/amend

So I'd definitely call WMC's PVR features polished and refined

In comparison, I'd call the NPVR backend in XBMC flexible and beta

I enabled the experimental timeshift feature, and it has been working fine. I used it on my main HTPC running W7 pro w/ XBMC Frodo Beta 2 (which is the server) and a separate HTPC running OpenElec 3.0 beta 2.

I like that I can extend the EPG, LiveTV buffer, and Recording storage from my "server" to builds running Openelec or extend them to any typical build of windows running XBMC. Similar to the idea of extenders without relying on SoC hardware, which of course opens the door for full audio/video decoding support with hardware of your choosing.

The negatives . . . Some might be that I used the SageDCT setup, and I will go back and re-setup later with HDHomerun and NPVR alone, but . . .

• Changing channels without exiting back to the guide does not work at all
• Tuner locking is not completely sorted out (it will on the same HTPC if I start a recording and tune a live channel)
• To continue the tuner problems, if both HTPCs are trying watch live tv it sometimes locks up (as if they are reaching for the same tuner) this is without anything recording
• The EPG appearance is largely controlled by XBMC, and repeat scrolling (holding right arrow key to go multiple days) doesn't show the day like it does in WMC (turbo scroll, picture LINK)

Also, I tried Mediaportal

Currently only supports W7 32bit (I still tried it on 64 bit just for kicks, and couldn't get it going)

I didn't have any 32 bit installations lying around, but it looks like another solid backend if you do

I'll be improving this walkthrough over the weekend if setup and testing goes well

Some general thoughts . . .

• What others confirmed about the un-necessity of Network Recorder and SageDCT is correct (in fact, pretty much anything vladd says about NPVR is correct )
• Channel change buffering and time to tune channels is not a NPVR problem
• I reinstalled NPVR, removed SageDCT, and launched the NPVR app. Channel changes are quick and consistent (no crashes)
• Move over to XBMC NPVR addon, and first channel takes longer than NPVR app to tune. Channel changes after that lock system up
• Sub is a good responsive dev, and he's mentioned a few times that NPVR is getting info to XBMC in under a second
• Accordingly, the problem is now thought to be with the internal player's handling of .ts video
• I'll be resetting this over the weekend and testing with MPC-HC (supposedly better with .ts) as an external player
• Fingers crossed

Some other thoughts . . .

• What vladd mentioned about using an XMLTV source for guide data appears to have led to a lot of the "XBMC crashes at EPG" threads
• I never experienced this using SchedulesDirect
• On my quest to find Guide alternatives, there appears to be a zap2it2xmltv project that can use your Windows provided zap2it guide data for this purpose (haven't tried yet)
• To make the guides prettier, Sub mentioned over in the XBMC forums where to load channel icons (by channel name i.e. cnn.png) and have them pulled with all other guide information to all xbmc instances. I'll try this out and add it in
• I never had a problem with pausing live tv after adding Sub's nshared patch, nor did I have the odd problem of a "Growing" video file that some in the NPVR forums experienced.
• Looking forward to testing and making XBMC my only frontend

Things are now updated

To follow up on the above list, I installed MPC-HC with LAV and used a playercorefactory.xml file to change the default player of XBMC to MPC-HC. This indeed, played back recordings made by NPVR (.ts files) faster than default. However, nothing from LiveTV would playback. Everything stopped at the splash screen. All other videos played back perfectly with this configuration (even recordings) so it had nothing to do with the external player configuration or xml file.

Something within the default player and addon has notably improved since the first time I wrote this up and started using it. Since I like having the full OSD menu functionality I have no desire to find an "external player" solution for livetv, but I thought I would mention my experience and save others the trouble