I see that there have been a few downloads of Version 4.4.0 and we've heard from tawill about one (now solved) issue with it. Has anyone else installed it yet? What are your reactions to it? Do you like the dark theme or did you switch back to the standard Windows one? How do you like the larger (90% of screen height) format?

I installed 4.4.0.3 on 11/4. I know the date because 11/3 is the last time CW_EPG emailed me. I've tried everything I can think of short of reinstalling the previous version or restoring an image backup. Is there any way to troubleshoot this other than to try everything to see if anything works? All recent stderr logs are empty and the only email-related message in stdout says "Tue Nov 05 23:34:58 EST 2019 Optional emailer data file not available. C:\ProgramData\CW_EPG\EmailerData.txt (The system cannot find the file specified)"

I tried the dark mode for a bit but switched back to standard. Easier to read, for me anyway.

The larger window extends below the Windows taskbar, so only the top edge of the Auto Settings' "Save Settings" and "Cancel" buttons are visible. I had to slide the window up to see what they said. If I move the taskbar to the right side the whole window is visible. It isn't 90% of screen height, it's 100%. My screen is set to its native resolution, 1366x768.

Otherwise, everything seems to work well. I particularly like the addition of the Capture Editor and the Configuration Page, although I haven't yet changed any of the configurations. Also the option to extend recordings in 10 minute segments, although I rarely need to. To think: this all started in order to make CW_EPG work with PremiumTV, which is long gone.

Thanks for the feedback! I suspect that you need to check that you have the appropriate security settings on the Auto Settings tab for your email server*. (The "email" stuff in stdout.txt is not relevant to CW_EPG's emails) You probably need to select TLS and maybe the default port for that isn't right in your case? If the security settings are not the problem, please pm me for debugging instructions.

I'm sorry to hear about the overscan! (I didn't think that anybody was using less than 1080p these days, but I thought I had 720p covered anyway. I'll go back and take another look to fix it)

EDIT: Yeah, I see that the format's a bit too big on a 720 (or 768) screen and I'll fix that in the next dot bump.

*EDIT2: Please see my next post below for further information on this issue.

If you have trouble with sending CW_EPG schedule-report emails, be aware that you may need to create an "application-specific password" for CW_EPG with your ISP. This turned out to be ebo's problem even though he was successfully sending emails with the old CW_EPG version. Presumably those were successful because that version had been in use on his ISP email server before it instituted the increased security measures. After he created the application-specific password with his ISP and entered that instead of his regular password, his CW_EPG email reports started working again.

The next posted version will have some more diagnostics to help folks identify such problems but the current version does work using application-specific passwords on ISP servers that require them (e.g., gmail, yahoo, aol, etc.).

Has anyone found useful the ability to expand the Listings or Matches lists to full size by double clicking the their titles or resize their split by dragging the handle between them? How about the hint over the Programs to Match items, showing how many times they've been used, and when?

I just keep thinking about getting my backup HTPC ready for the end of W7 in January, but have not, so I am still far from being able to comment on the former, but the latter is somewhat like my desire to hover on a Match window entry that shows "*** PREVIOUSLY VIEWED Will NOT Schedule!".

I quite often force a capture on entries like that, it took me Seven (7) viewings of "Doctor Zhivago" before I understood what it is about.

More and more new PBS programs are not viewed but my capture set keeps getting larger because KQED is repeating old programs I liked. Maybe they will include "tinker tailor soldier spy" and "sandbaggers" with Roy Marsden plus other programs he is in. Actually he has appeared in new series recently.

I may stop watching New MHzChoice programs and go back to programs I have seen Before like the original Maigret .

So I am for the latter but in a different list but just the watch window could be used but that would mean a search.

SHF

Nani, maybe it wasn't clear. I was asking about reactions to features already in the new version (and it does show the particulars in its Matches hover hint for all items, BTW). Just install the new version and be happy already!

P.S.: If you want to catch up with all things Roy Marsden, you can just put "+Roy Marsden" (without quotes) in the Add Match Item box and press enter.

Yes, if I just could.

"+Roy Marsden" is already in my matches list.

SHF

...and you "can't" because...? It's a very simple upgrade that retains all your settings. In your case, the only wrinkle is to use the instructions on p.16 of the new ReadMe to set your HDHRs to "traditional" tuning so that you can capture both KGODT/KGOLD and KTVUHD/KTVULD.

It's the amount of time I would require if I messed up in replacing CW_EPG on my active HTPC to recover from. Five minutes to install, 40 hours in worse case to recover from a bare metal full install of the OS, install the applications, configure the applications and so on. I was able to do that in four hours a few years ago. But now.

You do know that COBOL programs are still being run today because the cost of lost business while they recover from an attempted upgrade blunder is so great it might put the business out of business. The programs run on emulators that also upgrading them threatens the business.

SHF

That's what MSFT created Restore Points to prevent. If you're so concerned that this trivial update will mess up your system, just make a Restore Point before installing it and you can recover in a few minutes if things go wrong (and they won't).

I have a backup HTPC which I plan to get ready before Jan 2020 cutoff of W7.

Why should I ever mess with a great running system to install alpha code. I even found MyHD's 2x video playback feature which starts sometimes after a file system glitch. That file system glitch is driving the active / backup HTPC switch. I am even going to look at W10 1909.

No, it's not something that a Restore point could help, the CW_EPG tuner setup is just way too labor intense. That's why I made the large post about how the user could take control of setting up CW_EPG. No comment was ever made.

I have spent 10 hours already trying to copy the SSD with W10 64 Bit system installed to a regular disk. Windows is fighting me every step of the way.

That may have been done, but how can it be booted without going into the BIOS and changing what could boot, W7 / W10 32 Bit OR W10 64 Bit. I had to do that BIOS change before, without changing it was one or the other, 32 Bit or 64 Bit W10.

After testing that the W10 64 Bit disk can boot again, with or without the previously needed BIOS change then the SSD will be erased (?????) and the W7 / W10 32 Bit boot disk can be copied to it.

The SSD was going to be wasted as I see no possibility of running W10 64 Bit on a HTPC ever.

W10 1909 is almost completely installed. It is too late in the day now, I have to go back to watching HDTV, that's what I am spending so must time on.

SHF

Nani, what "alpha" code are you contemplating? We're offering none such here. All CW_EPG posted codes have been thoroughly tested by our intrepid team over the past several months. Since it's impossible to test all corner cases of all hardware and ISP combinations we did find a couple of issues that affected a minority of users and they have been fixed (without anyone needing to reinstall any OS or configuration files).

The issue that you've pointed to regarding Silicondust's adoption of VC-only tuning for its newer tuners and software was solved for CW_EPG users many weeks ago and instructions for circumventing it are in the ReadMe (p.16). One can use the latest Silicondust sw and fw and still use RF.PID tuning without heroic measures.

As long as you're willing to give up MyHD, you can run W10-64 on an HTPC. I've been doing so ever since before the first W10 RTM. It's completely transparent for HDHR use (and nearly so for FusionHDTV). In fact, the Silicondust software has been available in 64-bit for quite a while.

It's been made a lot simpler in version 4.4. Indeed, simplifying that for users in the upcoming FCC repack was a major design consideration when planning the new version.

Beta code is to find users errors, not errors in the program. So IMHO beta has not started yet, the alpha group is just getting bigger.

For me to say that the program works the way I need it to is very far from the truth. But that never will change.

Perhaps I am too harsh, I have fighting MSFT all day and am losing badly, and I have just started 1909 which I will like even less and will likely ignore.

When the HTPC swap is done, only the wireless trackball and on screen keyboard will be used. Take the keyboard away from the testers to see my view.

And there will be another big fight with MSFT just for getting everything working in W7 again, saying nothing about CW_EPG and my setting up the tuners.

I hope to be declared incompetent soon and go back to re-reading paperbacks.

I just checked the price of Maigret, it's only $90. I might even give myself a Birthday / Christmas Present.

SHF

I don't know where you got your definition of "beta" and I don't agree with it. However, I do note that by your strange definition our (by my definition) release code is definitely not "alpha", as the issues that we've found* were not "program errors" but rather external factors. Specifically, we found a new variant of HDHR tuner firmware and one user needed to apply an application-specific password to CW_EPG because his ISP had switched to OAuth 2.0 login authorization. The program was "working as designed" in both cases and changes in user actions "fixed" the issues.

I believe that you may have been misreading this thread and I'd like you to back off from such harsh aspersions. I'm seeking feedback from folks who've used the new program and not criticisms from those who have no direct experience with it.

*Edit: I belatedly recalled that there was actually one "bug" found in 4.4.0.3 (no longer on the website). It bit one user who had a 4-character computer name thanks to a bit of overlooked code from an early test version that was not removed. Otherwise, the issues were beyond programmer control (and have been externally remedied, as I said).