Is DVBViewer the correct replacement for WMC in my HTPC system?

[brianavid]

This posting (my first here) is to ask the community whether DVBViewer is a sensible way to go in my search for a replacement for Windows Media Center as the TV viewing/recording component of my long-established HTPC system. With the arrival soon of Windows 10, support for WMC is likely to be further eroded, and I think I may need a replacement that is actively being maintained. My concern today is to decide if I should spend the many days required, working with DVBViewer to try to get it working as I need. Or should I look elsewhere.

Avid4 (https://github.com/brianavid/Avid4G.Net) is the fourth iteration over ten years of my "Avid" (Audio Visual Integrated Delivery) software, which is my personal system that I use for watching, recording and playing TV, movies, music and photos. It integrates: Digital TV, Digital radio, TV time-shifting, On-disk TV & radio recording and playback, Integrated EPG for scheduled recordings, DVD, Audio jukebox, Photos, BBC iPlayer, Sky, Spotify.

In so far as anything is novel in this line, the novelty is in the way in which it is controlled. The significant point is that a single touch phone or tablet user interface controls everything, in a totally integrated fashion. The remote control is fully bidirectional and interactive. There are no conventional InfraRed controllers anywhere. It was very important that it all could be used by non-technical people. It also has to look right, and fit in to a living room environment. In addition, the TV screen is only used to view content. All "selection" activity (playing music, view EPG, etc) occurs on the hand-held device.

So I need a TV viewer and recorded that can be controlled remotely, with a rich API (HTTP, TCP, COM, or even command line) to support:

• View full screen live TV on main TV screen
  
• Get list of TV/Radio channels
  
• Change channel
  
• Pause, play, fast forward, rewind time-shifted live TV
  
• Get details of currently viewed channel and programme ("now and next")
  
• Get EPG for any channel
  
• Select programme to schedule to record
  
• Get list of scheduled recordings
  
• Delete scheduled recording
  
• Obtain path of existing recording files for playing externally, ideally with originally EPG description
  

Should I be able to do all these with a combination of DVBViewer and the Recording Service?

Thanks in advance

Brian

[blasgl]

Short answer: yes.

 

Bought DVBViewer 2007 and never looked back.

[brianavid]

Thanks for this short answer. It gave me enough confidence to pay for and download the full product and start working out how I might use it in my system.

 

My researches so far have suggested that the Recording Service's Web API ought to do all I need in order to manage the EPG and scheduled recordings.

 

But I also need limited management of live TV viewing on a DVBViewer. In particular I need (via external software) to be able to Change Channel, Pause, Play, Skip +/-10. And (ideally) I would like to determine the currently viewed channel.

 

I think I can to the actions be configured as additional keyboard shortcuts in the Options/Input screen, and then my software could send those keystrokes to the DVBViewer window.

 

But is there a better way? I see that there are lots of input plugins. And I have found "actions.ini", which looks relevant. Is there an input plugin that presents a remote API? Or is there even a remote API built in to the main application that I have yet to discover? And I have not yet found any documentation on how a plug-in is built (languages, headers, etc). Presumably if I had that, I could write my own remote interface??

 

I don't want to start serious development and migration from WMC before I find the best route - and I definitely want to "go with the flow" of how DVBViewer is designed to be used.

 

Thanks again

 

Brian

[blasgl]

I believe the viewer has a control interface. The only program I know using it is EventGhost. If you cannot get your program to directly interact with the viewer you can always use EventGhost as middleware.

[brianavid]

Thank you once more.

 

I had forgotten EventGhost - versions 1 and 2 of my system used Girder for the same purpose. But as EventGhost is GPL, I should be able to find the source of its DBViewer plugin and adapt it to my needs. And if that proves too tricky, as you suggest, I can simply use EventGhost as middleware.

 

Looking good ....

 

Brian

[Tjod]

You can send all commands in the actions.ini and command line parameters via RS API to DVBViewer clients.

http://en.DVBViewer.tv/wiki/Recording_Service_API#control_DVBViewer_clients

 

http://de.DVBViewer.tv/wiki/Kommandoparameter

(German)

[brianavid]

Thank you. That is perfect!

 

With a combination of -x and -c parameters to /api/dvbcommand.html, I can completely control the running viewer. And Recording Service's Web API will do all I need in order to manage the EPG and scheduled recordings. So I will not need to add EventGhost as yet another component.

 

DBViewer can now definitely replace WMC in my system, and I should then be working with up-to-date software that I am getting more and more confident about.

 

Now the real work begins in developing to this remote API and making it all elegant and robust in my system, but it should be fun. And I can consider upgrading to Windows 10 without feeling that Microsoft are going to cripple me!

[Tjod]

If you like to communicate directly with the DVBViewer the COM Interface could be interesting as well.

Members Section "DVBViewer COM Interface" and "DVBViewer Spy"

http://www.DVBViewer.tv/forum/forum/40-scripting-lounge-api-deen/

[brianavid]

Interesting. I shall certainly investigate that later. I skipped them because of the 2006/2007 dates, but I guess they may still be relevant.

 

First I would want to get my existing functionality working with DBViewer in place of WMC, which I can do with the HTTP API. And then I can see lots of scope for future enhancement.

 

And the reason I failed to find "dbvcommand" was I followed a link to "http://en.DVBViewer.tv/wiki/Recording_Service_Web_API" - which is an out-of-date copy of the info in "http://en.DVBViewer.tv/wiki/Recording_Service_API"! There are two different pages.

 

Thanks for all this help. These pointers make navigating the available information a lot easier, particularly as I don't read German.

[esackbauer]

There will be no WMC in WIndows 10 at all:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/rip-windows-media-center/

[brianavid]

There will be no WMC in WIndows 10 at all:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/rip-windows-media-center/

Thanks,

 

I suspected that might happen, which is why I am preparing to "jump ship" to DVBViewer. While my main domestic HTPC could remain on Windows 7 with WMC, the hardware is five years old and any replacement would probably require Windows 10. And I will want to upgrade my development machine which I use for testing.

 

So WMC has to go. And I'm looking forward to the exciting new prospects of a better solution

[SimonP]

You'll have no problem running Windows 7 on current, or foreseeable hardware so I wouldn't worry about that too much. I plan on sticking with it for the next 5 years and that's on current hardware.

 

Also, while DVBViewer is very good and I use it myself as my main TV viewing and recording software, if you're looking for a replacement for WMC you might want to look at MediaPortal which has a much more sophisticated GUI and looks and works more like WMC. If you just want to record and play back on the computer DVBv is simpler and easier to use but for family use and WAF, you might find MP better.

[brianavid]

Thanks Simon for this.

 

I may have a problem keeping Windows 7 if the HTPC hardware dies and has to be replaced. I may not be able to get any OEM Windows licence other than for Windows 10, as I suspect that they are unlikely this time to offer downgrade rights. I am just being prepared!

 

I have looked at MP (and it is very good). But it is not what I need for my system. My project is all about the handheld UI - I do nothing with a 10-foot view. So as far as possible I want the UI for the player applications to be invisible, and all control to be through remote APIs and displayed on my phone or tablet. I managed to achieve this control of WMC using RemotePotato. Similarly I have long used JRMC for music playing and Zoom Player for recorded TV and DVDs. And I even manage the same trick with an external Sky Box and with Spotify!

 

I plan to make a YouTube video illustrating what the HTPC does - as only a video lets you see it in action. But I always find more interesting new aspects to work on (like the move from WMC to DVBViewer).

[SimonP]

Ah, OK, I wasn't sure what you wanted from the WMC replacement. The main thing WMC has to offer is the nice interface so MP is a good replacement for it in that sense but if you want simple, easy to use and programmable (like me), DVBv is definitely the better choice.

 

In case you're not aware, there is a marvellous Android app (DVBViewer Controller) that works with the Recording Service, it lets you browse the listings, set up and watch recordings and even remote control DVBViewer. I use it daily as my main interface to the program.

[brianavid]

At the time I originally selected WMC, there were few options that were remotely controllable by software. I had to abandon use of my first choice - DigiTV. It was no longer an option as Nebula had gone bust. But I never really liked or trusted WMC - and tried very hard to hide its UI.

 

And yes - I have found and used the DVBViewer Controller app, and I like it. Though my plan is to incorporate its recording and control functionality within my own software, as I currently do for WMC, Sky and other players. This is basically the bulk of the effort in the migration from WMC to DVBViewer. So if I do it right, there will be little change to the user experience in swapping out the recording and live TV "engine".

[SimonP]

Ah, good old DigiTV, I still have one of their cards although it's useless now as they didn't release 64 bit drivers for it.

 

Good luck with your project, I hope you manage to get it all working and will let us know how you get on.

Edited May 8, 2015 by SimonP

[brianavid]

As promised, I have finally made a YouTube video of my HTPC control system in action. See it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSX-_iy29Pk

 

DVBViewer has now totally replaced WMC in my system and has brought me all the control capability I hoped for. Also, it has allowed me to advance the functionality well beyond what I could manage before.

 

But the big surprise to me is the huge increase in rendering quality for both live TV and recordings beyond what was previously available with WMC. I did not realize just how bad WMC was, in comparison to other options!

 

So the switch to DVBViewer has been a total success.

 

Brian