PiP/Preview - great for the World Cup!

[dvbrewer]

Just to let anyone who is not aware of this facility, DVBViewer allows you to watch one channel in a small box in the corner which is very useful for these simultaneous World Cup games! You can select the feature by:

 

using the mouse, right clicking the video, mouseover View, select Preview, then change to the 2nd channel, alternatively,

 

using the OSD, select Preview, (don't click OSD exit, click OSD) then change to the 2nd channel.

 

You can then use the number keys on the keyboard or remote as follows:

 

0 - switches audio between channels

5 - switches between channels

2 & 8 - move PiP window up and down

4 & 6 - move PiP window left and right

7 & 9 - decrease & increase size of PiP window

 

OSD Exit or right click to close the PiP window

 

Hope this is useful for someone

Edited June 22, 2010 by dvbrewer

[desweil]

yes

[avoidz]

As long as you have dual tuners

[dvbrewer]

As long as you have dual tuners

Actually I've only got one ATM (waiting to see if I need dual S2), luckily all the simultaneous matches occur on channels on the same sat transponder. Just to add to the info above you can also double click the preview window to switch channels as well as pressing 5.

[avoidz]

I only have an ASUS My Cinema-U3000Mini on my PC, and if I enable PiP and try to change channel it says 'No Hardware Available' -- which I'm guessing means my single tuner isn't PiP-capable.

Edited June 23, 2010 by avoidz

[dvbrewer]

I only have an ASUS My Cinema-U3000Mini on my PC, and if I enable PiP and try to change channel it says 'No Hardware Available' -- which I'm guessing means my single tuner isn't PiP-capable.

You will only be able to switch to a channel on the same transponder with one tuner- to see these channels, select Preview then open Mini EPG, go up or down to see the channels availiable (alternatively open the Channellist and group by Sat + Frequency).

[avoidz]

You will only be able to switch to a channel on the same transponder with one tuner- to see these channels, select Preview then open Mini EPG, go up or down to see the channels availiable (alternatively open the Channellist and group by Sat + Frequency).

 

Ah, I see now, thanks. I saw the other channels when I upped and downed.

 

Cheers

[avoidz]

Those numpad controls don't seem to work for me. I press them and nothing happens. Do I have to enable some option for that to work?

[dvbrewer]

Those numpad controls don't seem to work for me. I press them and nothing happens. Do I have to enable some option for that to work?

I think you need to be in normal mode, bring up Preview, then click OSD Blue (the button you use for recordings/subtitles) then click OK on Keys Move Mode, it should then switch to normal .

Edited June 23, 2010 by dvbrewer

[avoidz]

Sorry, I just can't get it to work like you explained. The numpad keys still don't do anything other than make the volume go up and down. I can't resize the PiP or swap audio from one to the other.

[uglyned]

It works differently for me. Once you have the PiP up on the screen, the 'OSD Green' button swaps audio and picture for me. Withe the default keyboard mappings that's the F6 key.

[avoidz]

It works differently for me. Once you have the PiP up on the screen, the 'OSD Green' button swaps audio and picture for me. Withe the default keyboard mappings that's the F6 key.

 

F6 brings up MyEPG. I haven't changed that default keyboard setting.

[uglyned]

It brings up MyEPG if the PiP preview isn't displayed. If the PiP is displayed, it switches. Can you see the small PiP in the top left corner of your screen before you press F6?

[avoidz]

Yes, I enable the preview and have different channels showing, but pressing F6 just brings up MyEPG. I'm using version 4.2.1.0.

 

EDIT: Okay, I got the Keys Move Mode enabled and I can swap the channels using F6. I can drag the PiP around with the mouse, but I can't resize it at all. Any suggestions?

 

Cheers.

Edited June 25, 2010 by avoidz

[dvbrewer]

Sorry, I just can't get it to work like you explained. The numpad keys still don't do anything other than make the volume go up and down. I can't resize the PiP or swap audio from one to the other.

The number pad keys won't work, you need to use the numbers below the F function keys on your keyboard, or the number keys on your remote.

[avoidz]

Just another question about this: Is there a shortcut key to reset the size of the PiP?

[dvbrewer]

Just another question about this: Is there a shortcut key to reset the size of the PiP?

Don't think so unfortunately.

[pankov]

HI

I've been using DVBViewer for a long time now but I wasn't able to use the PiP/Preview option because of this limitation:

It can't be used with a single DVB card and encrypted channels on same transponder even though I have a valid subscription and I know that my hardware (DVB-C card by Twinhan with integrated CI module + Conax CAM + official subscription card) is capable of simultaneously showing two encrypted channels with realtime decryption using another application. Is there any chance to have this fixed in DVBViewer?

 

If we leave this limitation aside there are a few more things that need to be improved so this feature can be called "user friendly"

1. The PiP/Preview window doesn't resize/move with the main window - this leads to two problems

a) if I have it the correct size for fullscreen viewing it will be too big for window mode viewing ... and even be bigger than the window itself. on the other hand if I have it in the correct size for window viewing it will be too small for fullscreen usage.

if retains it's position to the top-left corner of the window which is messes things up when going from fullscreen to window mode and back to fullscreen. This is big problem if I have the preview window in the bottom-right corner of the main window in fullscreen mode then when I go to window mode these coordinates are left outside of the visible area and the PiP window is moved so it's visible but now when I go to fullscreen the PiP window is not moved again and is left in the middle of the screen

Could this be fixed?

2. There is no way to change the channel in the preview window.

Can you add shortcuts (both for the keyboard and for the COM Interface) for changing channels directly in the PiP window? For example Shift+"key for changing channel in normal window". This could work both for Channel+/- and directly dialing to a channel through the number keys

3. Add dedicated shortcut for switching between main or PiP audio (not the current one which requires changing numbers mode). This will allow for very fast switching which is currently not possible because there are at least 3 button presses to achieve it.

4. Add dedicated shortcut for swapping/switching main and PiP channels

 

I hope the developers will find my requests useful and will implement them soon either as the default behavior or as an option.

Edited July 3, 2010 by pankov

[avoidz]

Good post, pankov ^^

 

I agree with all of your feedback and suggestions regarding the PiP.

 

 

[MomoBrut]

ad 3) red button (F5)

ad 4) green button (F6)

[pankov]

ad 3) red button (F5)

ad 4) green button (F6)

as I wrote before I'd like to see dedicated shortcuts "(not the current one which requires changing numbers mode)".

Which reminded me that I forgot one more request:

5) don't change the number keys mode when showing the preview. This makes it difficult to dial in a channel number in the main window - requires the user every time to first to change the key mode.

 

edit:

and one more problem - my shortcut for "mute" which I've set to the key "M" stops working when I show the preview/PiP window !?!?! If I select "Mute" from the popup menu it works so I guess only the shortcut get's broken.

First I thought that all shortcuts are disable but then I saw that the ones for EPG, Timer, Previous channel are working fine

any ideas why??

Edited July 5, 2010 by pankov

[themaster1]

That's strange on the last 4.5RC Beta the keys (0 (switch audio channels), 5 (switch channels) worked just fine and those were VERY handy !

Now with this new stable version they don't work !? Only F5 or F6 and i can't use these with my remote (not many buttons on it!!)

 

Someone enlighten me

[themaster1]

Hmm i think i found out, we need to use OSD blue (F8) and then "keys move mode" which enable the num keys (0,5 etc...)