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MediaPortal Manual

Chapter 1: Product introduction


1.1 About MediaPortal 1.2 Features

Chapter 2: Installation
2.1 Requirements 2.1.1 Supported TV-Cards 2.1.1 List of supported CAMs 2.2 Television 2.2.1 Capabilities 2.2.2 How it works 2.2 First time installation 2.3 Updating current MediaPortal installation 2.4 open Ports in Firewall (When using TV in Multiseat) 2.5 Manual Installation of Database Server for TV-Server (Installer can do that automatically) 2.4.1 SQL server 2005 Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express (additional but recommended) Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition 2.4.2 MySQL 5 MySQL 5 installation MySQL 5 GUI tools (additional but recommended) ?Configuring MySQL 5

Chapter 3: Configuration
3.1 MediaPortal Configuration 3.1.1 Project 3.1.2 General 3.1.3 DVD 3.1.4 Videos 3.1.5 Music 3.1.6 Pictures 3.1.7 Radio 3.1.8 Television 3.1.9 Remote 3.1.10 Directshow Filters 3.1.11 Weather 3.1.12 Plugins 3.2 MediaPortal TV-Server 3.2.1 TV-Server Configuration 3.2.2 MediaPortal My TV - first start (Multiseat only) 3.2.3 Using Hybrid TV Cards 3.3 TV and Radio Channel Logos 3.4 Electronic Program Guides 3.4.1 WebEPG - WAS REMOVED FROM MP! There is no TV-Server version yet!

Chapter 4:Using MediaPortal

4.1 Basic Navigation 4.2 My TV 4.4 My Pictures 4.5 My Radio 4.6 My Music 4.7 My Videos 4.8 MyVideo Editor 4.9 My Weather 4.10 Play DVD 4.11 My last.fm Radio 4.12 Wikipedia 4.13 My Sudoku 4.14 Settings 4.15 My Plugins

Chapter 5: Plugin/Skins Installation


5.1 MediaPortal Extensions Installer (MPEI)

Chapter 6: Troubleshooting
6.1 MediaPortal 1 6.1.1 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 6.2 TV-Server 6.2.1 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 6.2.1 Database 6.2.2 Streaming-Multiseat 6.2.3 Log files 6.2.4 Testing streaming with VLC or mplayer 6.2.5 DVBSub2.ax not registered

Chapter 7: Bugreporting
7.1 MediaPortal Log file Locations 7.2 MediaPortal Logs Collector (included in MediaPortal package) 7.3 Knowledge Base (List of known Windows, codecs, drivers, etc. Bugs which cause issues in MediaPortal.)

Chapter 8: Appendix
8.1 Keyboard Shortcuts 8.1.1 General 8.1.2 My TV 8.1.3 My Music 8.1.4 My Videos 8.1.5 My Pictures 8.1.6 Misc 8.2 Command line options 8.3 Description of Video Zoom Modes 8.4 General Glossary 8.5 Television Glossary 8.6 Customizing Windows and MediaPortal MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal_Manual_Index (last edited 2009-06-04 10:55:23 by infinityloop)

About MediaPortal
Introduction
MediaPortal is an Open Source application ideal for turning your PC in a very advanced Multi-Media Center or Home Theater PC. MediaPortal allows you to listen to your favorite music and radio, watch your videos and DVDs, view, schedule and record live TV and much more, from the comfort of your GNU/GPL couch using your TV and a remote. As Open Source software licensed under the agreement, you get MediaPortal for free. Open Source also means anyone can contribute to MediaPortal or extend it for their own needs! MediaPortal is built on the Microsoft .NET framework using C# and currently has a growing international community of over 10,000 users.

Features
MediaPortal has an extensive range of features already build into the product, and can be extended with many included plugins and user-contributed extensions.

History
MediaPortal's roots lie in the XBox Media Center (XBMC) project which goal was to build a media center application for the Microsoft XBox gaming console. The founder of XBMC, Erwin Beckers (also known as Frodo) concluded early in the XMBC project that there were notable limitations to the xbox platform, mainly that it is unable to support TV cards. XBox Platform limitations like these would ultimately hinder the vision of a feature rich media center application. In February 2004, Erwin left the Xbox Media Center project to start a new project, now known as MediaPortal that would run on the Microsoft Windows platform. Initially existing code was re-used from the XBMC project but after several releases and innumerable feature enhancements there has been almost a complete re-design. Today, MediaPortal continues as an open source project, has a core team of developers and a growing community of over 10,000 registered users.

Mission
The vision of the MediaPortal project is to create an open source media centre application. In reaching this goal MediaPortal: Promotes open source - MediaPortal is based on the ideas of open source, licensed under the GPL and builds on and supports other open source projects. Promotes the sharing of knowledge and collaboration - Through the use of information sharing tools and practices MediaPortal is a collaborative environment. Understands that development is a team effort - Treating our users as co-developers is proven to be the most effective option for rapid development. Applies the Law of Diminishing Return - The majority of the effort should be invested in implementing features which have the most benefit and widest general usage by the community. If you would like to know more about the future direction of features in MediaPortal you can have a look at the roadmap. MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal (last edited 2009-01-16 13:34:21 by flokel)

MediaPortal Features
Out of the box, MediaPortal contains an impressive range of features.

General Features
Create your own skins, or choose one of the available skins. MediaPortal can easily be extended with extra plugins. Internal support with custom keymapping for several remote controls ( Streamzap, MCE, Red-Eye, WinLIRC, Hauppauge, FireDTV). Windowed and fullscreen support.

My TV
The following is a partial list of features that are supported by MediaPortal's built-in TV-Engine. There are currently two seperate TV engines - the built-in engine which gets installed with MediaPortal automatically and the new stand-alone ?TV Server, which can be used to replace the built-in engine. For a full comparison list between the 2 TV engines, please read the TV Server Overview. Supports analog TV (both with ?software encoding and ?hardware encoding), ?DVB-C (cable), ?DVB-T (antenna), ?DVB-S (satelite) and ?ATSC. HDTV and AC3 support. Support for multiple tuners. Record, watch, and time shift live TV. Advanced recording scheduler: Record now, once, daily, weekly, on weekdays (Monday - Friday), every time a program appears on the selected TV channel, or every time a program appears on any TV channel. Advanced recording management: Handle conflicts, set recording priorities, and use custom quality settings. Transcode recordings to WMV, XviD, or MPEG format. Disk Management automatically deletes old and/or watched recordings. TV Guide: Grab DVB-EPG & MHW-EPG directly for DVB. Download program data from internet using one of the many available Built-in support for XMLTV. Data is searchable/sortable by a number of different fields and channels can be grouped. Supports over 10,000 channels. Automatic channel tuning. Normal on-screen display (during movies and TV) and special Zap OSD (shows description of what is currently playing). Support for Teletext. Standby control to put your HTPC to sleep. It will awake when there is a recording that needs to start. Support for Comskip to skip commercials in recordings. EPG Plugins.

My Videos / My DVD
Play any movie your computer has a codec installed for (DVD's, DivX, MPEG, Matroska, etc) All your movies will be stored in MediaPortal's video database View and sort your movies by title, actors, genre, release year, rating Automatically retrieves pictures and info from IMDB ?Stacking/unstacking if your movie consists of multiple files Internal DVD player with menu's (you can also use an external DVD playing application) On Screen Display (OSD) for pause, rewind, fast forward, stop, mute, bookmarks, switching audio

streams and subtitle languages Resume from playback on next play

My Radio
Listen to your favorite radio stations (FM, DVB or internet streams) Auto tuning (for FM radio) Logo's for each radio station (this is a manual process) Supply a friendly name for each radio station Receive streamed internet radio stations (ASX and Shoutcast) Support for external radio tuner applications Automatically start listening to your selected radio station when MediaPortal starts

My Music
View your music by artist, album, genre, rating or browse the music files Sort your music in many ways like track, genre, filesize, artist, album, etc. Use visualizations from ?Windows Media Player 10 and higher Load, create & save ?playlists (.m3u, .pls, .b4u) Automatically gets pictures and info for all of your artists and albums View as list, icons or big icons Shuffle, repeat, fast-forward, rewind, pause, etc. Music ratings Favorites Party shuffle mode Search music for specific songs Display all your favorite songs in one screen Utilize Winamp, Foobar or iTunes plugins for music playback

My Pictures
Watch your pictures and photos Slideshow support with nice transitions Zoom in and out, rotate pictures (the rotation is non-permanent, but remembered next time) Pause, previous/next picture Delete pictures Background music, either songs from My Music, or radio from My Radio Auto thumbnail generation Sort by name, date or size View as list, icons, big icons or filmstrip Ken Burns effect slideshow

My Weather
Show the latest weather information Support for multiple cities Current temperature, 3-day forecast Temperature (in C or F) UV index, humity (%), wind-speed (mph/kph), etc Support for live images from internet, like satellite, temperature, UV index, wind, humidity, precipation

More Features...
Launching external programs like Games Emulators E-mail application Internet Browser IRC client Burner let's you burn all type of files and folders directly to CD/DVD

from within the MediaPortal interface Showing RSS news feeds Read mail from within MediaPortal Monitor computer hardware: CPU temperature Motherboard Temperature Hard disk Temperature Used Memory Used Virtual Memory etc. Allows the PC to automatically go into standby/hibernation and wakes it when there is a scheduled recording, just like a real VCR Has different alarm features You can even play Tetris & Saduko! << Back to MediaPortal Manual MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortalIntroduction (last edited 2008-07-21 14:52:48 by localhost)

MediaPortal and TV-Server Requirements MediaPortal will run fine on recent Windows computers (see supported Windows versions below). However, make sure you have installed the software components decribed in the following list. Contents 1. Operating System 1. Supported operating systems 2. Unsupported operating systems 3. Operating System Components 4. Required updates and hotfixes 5. Filesystem 6. Drivers and Codecs 2. Hardware Requirements 1. Requirements for running MediaPortal and/or the TV-Server 2. Requirements for watching HDTV, Blue-ray or HD DVD content 3. TV-Server specific requirements 1. Database server requirements 2. Dependencies

Operating System Supported operating systems


Windows XP 32-bit Edition with service pack 3 Windows Media Center Edition 2005 with update rollup 2 Windows Vista 32- and 64-bit with service pack 1

Unsupported operating systems


Please note that the following operating systems are not officially supported. However, you will be able to run MediaPortal on some of them. Use the following overview as a guideline only. The MediaPortal installer won't run on the following versions: Windows 2000 and older editions Windows XP 32-bit Edition before service pack 2 Windows XP 64-bit Edition The MediaPortal installer will issue a warning, but will allow you to install on: Windows 7 Beta (Installer must be run in Vista compatibility mode) Windows Vista before service pack 1 Windows Server 2003 and 2008 (Microsoft does not release essential hotfixes for using TV cards) Windows XP and Vista with beta/release candidate service packs Please, do not submit bug reports when running an unsupported operating system! You will only burden the developers, and cause unnecessary frustration for both yourself and the MediaPortal developers.

Operating System Components


Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 DirectX 9.0c or later

Note: Using MP 1.0.0 or above the installer will automatically install latest DirectX if necessary. Note: In Vista it's also required to have November 2008 DirectX End User Runtime installed. Microsoft latest avaiable Windows Media Player Version

Note: Using MP 1.0.0 or above the installer will automatically prompt you for the download of latest WMP. Microsoft Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86) Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)

Note: Using MP 1.0.0 or above the installer will automatically install the Visual C++ Redist. packages.

Required updates and hotfixes


Common to all operating systems Run Windows Update to install all available updates

Only for XP / MCE2005 BDA/DVB hotfix This hotfix is essential for viewing digital TV broadcasts. It is already included in roll up 2 of Windows MCE 2005, for Windows XP you have to install it manually. [Updated psisdecd.dll] Firewire hotfix This hotfix is necessary if you have upgraded to Windows XP SP2 and use FireWire devices. It is already included in Windows XP SP3. videoplayback flicker hotfix This hotfix resolves a problem with flickering video playback. [Updated quartz.dll] It is already included in Windows XP SP3.

Filesystem
Depending on the bit rate of the transmission recordings TV can take up lots of hard disk space. Recording one channel for one hour you get a file size peaking from around 4GB for SDTV to about 8GB for HDTV. FAT16: maximum recording length is ~ 15 (HDTV) to 30 (SDTV) minutes FAT32: maximum recording lenght is ~ 30 (HDTV) to 60 (SDTV) minutes NTFS: maximum recording length is ~ 2000 (HDTV) to 4000 (SDTV) hours Obiviously choosing the NTFS filesystem is highly recommended.

Drivers and Codecs


Always use the most recent drivers for your video and audio card For information on video codecs, see the Codecs user guide MPEG-2 codec: The opensource MPV and MPA codecs are bundled with MediaPortal allwoing you to watch movies and TV out of the box. H.264 codec: If you plan to watch HD content, then you need to intall a 3rd party h.264 codec. Popular ones are from Cyberlink's PowerDVD, CoreAVC or ffdshow which is available for free.

Hardware Requirements Requirements for running MediaPortal and/or the TV-Server


CPU: Intel P4 with 2.0 GHz / AMD XP-2000+ or above Memory: 1024 MB HDD: 600 MB for MediaPortal HDD: 50 GB for TV recordings and timeshifting Note: recordings can take up to 8GB per hour and channel Video card: DirectX 9 compatible video card with at least 128 MB of video memory such as: ATI Radeon series (9600 and above or X300 and above) NVIDIA GeForce, GeForce FX (5200 or above) and NForce series Intel Extreme Graphics 2 (integrated i865G) Matrox Parhelia SiS Xabre series TV card:

Necessary if you want to watch and record TV with MediaPortal (?Supported TV cards) MediaPortal TV-Server out of the box supports all analog TV cards with hardware MPEG-2 encoder and all digital TV cards which use BDA-drivers.

Requirements for watching HDTV, Blue-ray or HD DVD content


CPU: Dual-core CPU with 2,0 GHz or above Memory: 1024 MB Video card: AMD: all cards that include the Nvidia: all cards that include Intel: boards that include the Universal Video Decoder PureVideo HD X 4500

Codecs: all codecs that support the hardware decoding capabilities of the above mentioned video cards this includes codecs from latest Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra, ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre, Corel WinDVD 9 and MediaPlayer Classic Home Cinema To check if the performance of your PC is sufficient for HD content, have a look a these trailers. DVD HD test films BlueRay test films

TV-Server specific requirements Database server requirements


It is necessary to install one of the following databases. Note: Since MediaPortal 1.0 the installer takes care about downloading and configuring the SQL server. MicroSoft SQL Server Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Management Studio Express Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Sun MySQL 5 MySQL 5 MySQL GUI Tools

Additional (but recommended) SQL Server

Dependencies
The Tv-Server depends on the RPC Locator service activation. This service should be automatically installed with the Client for Microsoft Network under the properties of your network card.

<< Back to MediaPortal Manual MediaPortal Wiki: GeneralRequirements (last edited 2009-06-15 20:35:24 by pbb)

Tv Cards Supported
In general the tvserver supports 1. any DVB/ATSC card which has BDA drivers 2. any analog card with h/w encoding onboard 3. some analog cards which use s/w encoding 4. the SkyStar-2/Airstar-2/!?CableStar-2 cards A full list of supported cards can be located here - ?MediaPortal Supported TV Cards. If your card is not located in this list, it may be worthwhile to search the forums. The following table shows which special features are supported for which card(s)

DVB-S(2) cards
Feature FireDTV-S FloppyDTV-S Multi CI/CAM CI menu LNB ?DisEqc DVB-S2 channel support support selection Positioner support decoding Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes FTA only Yes Remarks (driver >=1.2.3.8) (driver >=1.073) (driver >=1.9.812.2, requires VC2008 runtime Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package with optional WinTvCI USB module Not compatible with most Nvidia nForce4 chipset based motherboards

FloppyDTV-S2 Yes Twinhan Technotrend Yes Yes

KNC

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

YES

Hauppauge + WinTvCI Skystar-2

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

FTA only

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

FTA only

DVB-C cards
Feature FireDTV-C FloppyDTV-C Twinhan Technotrend KNC Hauppauge + WinTvCI Cablestar-2 HD CI/CAM support Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes YES Yes CI menu support Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Multi channel decoding Yes Yes FTA only Yes Yes FTA only FTA only Remarks (driver >=1.2.3.8) (driver >=1.073) requires VC2008 runtime Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package with optional WinTvCI USB module -

DVB-T cards
Feature CI/CAM CI menu Multi channel Remarks

support FireDTV-T FloppyDTV-T Twinhan Technotrend KNC Hauppauge + WinTvCI Airstar-2 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes YES No

support Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No

decoding Yes Yes FTA only Yes YES FTA only FTA only (driver >=1.2.3.8) (driver >=1.073) requires VC2008 runtime Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package with optional WinTvCI USB module -

ATSC / QAM cards


Feature ATSC (8VSB) QAM 64 QAM 256 Yes Yes Yes Yes Hauppauge HVR-1600/1800 Yes Airstar HD5000 Yes

Explanation of the features


CI/CAM
Some cards have a CI/CAM slot as you can see here

The CI/CAM slot allows you to insert a smartcard and watch paytv channels. Without a CI/CAM slot and smartcard it is not possible to watch encrypted (paytv) channels. Note that in many countries the 'normal' local tv channels are also encrypted and can only be watched if you have a smartcard and a card with a CI/CAM slot. For many supported cards (see tables above) there is also a CI menu available, to access CAM settings, parental control a.s.o.

LNB selection
When using DVB-S, your setup can contain 2 or more LNB's Each LNB can be tuned to a single satellite, so if you have more LNB's this allows you to receive 2 or more satellites. To make this work the tvserver has to select the correct LNB when tuning to a satellite This is done via DisEQC which is the standard protocol for selecting the correct LNB. Here is an example of a setup which uses 4 LNB's to tune to 4 different satellites:

DisEqc Positioner
Another option to tune to more then 1 satellite is by using 1 LNB and a diseqc positioner. A diseqc positioner is a small motor which drives the lnb and dish to the left/right to tune to the correct satellite as shown below

DVB-S2
DVB-S2 is the new generation of DVB and is used to transmit HDTV H.264 channels. Due to the better compression and new modulation methods the H.264 HDTV channels can be transmitted using the same bandwidth as a normal SDTV MPEG-2 channel. To receive DVB-S2 channels you'll need a card which has a DVB-S2 tuner like the Technotrend DVB-S2 3200 card.

Multi channel decoding


Multi channel decoding allows you to view/record multiple tv channels with just 1 tv card. The tv channels should be located on the same transponder offcourse since the card can only tune to 1 transponder at the same time.

QAM 64/256
64-QAM and 256-QAM are often used in digital cable television and cable modem applications. In the US, 64-QAM and 256-QAM are the mandated modulation schemes for digital cable as standardised by the SCTE in the standard ANSI/SCTE 07 2000. Note that many marketing people will refer to these as QAM-64 and QAM-256.

ATSC 8VSB
8VSB is the 8-level vestigial sideband modulation method adopted for terrestrial broadcast of the ATSC digital television standard in the United States, Canada, and other countries.

MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/tvcards (last edited 2009-06-15 17:27:40 by d90-136-6-72)

Conditial Access Modules


CAM Alphacrypt Alphacrypt Alphacrypt light Aston Aston aston crypt Aston aston crypt twin Firmware 2.03 3.09 1.09 1.03 1.05 1.07 2.03 2.09 Encryption systems Multi-decoding Tested YES no yes yes no no no no yes

Conax, Irdeto1+2, BetaCrypt, CryptoWorks. max 14 pids Conax, Irdeto1+2, BetaCrypt, CryptoWorks. max 14 pids ?BetaCrypt SECA/Mediaguard SECA/Mediaguard SECA/Mediaguard ViaAccess SECA/Mediaguard Conax max 14 pids 1 tv channel ? 1 tv channel ? 2 tv channels 2 tv channels 2 tv channels unknown

?TechniCrypt CX 26.1.5.0.6

?TechniCrypt CW 26.0.5.0.25 Cryptoworks

5 "sessions" (pids?) yes

Note
On many cams you have to enable multi-channel decryptions. Todo this you need to access the CAM / CI menu with either your DVB receiver or applications like ?MyTheathre. Enter the CI menu and set the multi-channel decryption to ON (or enabled) MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/listofcams (last edited 2009-04-23 18:52:01 by ?morpheus_xx)

Introduction
The ?TV-Server is an application which allows you to set up one central server with one or more TV cards. All TV related tasks are handled by the server and streamed over the network to one or more clients. Clients like MediaPortal can then use the TV-Server to watch live TV, recordings and EPG data over the network. The client plugin of the TV-Server replaces the default built-in TV Engine.

Capabilities
Feature TV-Engine is a windows service Analog support DVB-C support DVB-S support DVB-S2 support DVB-T support ATSC OTA support ATSC QAM support Automatically determines installed TV cards Support for TV cards has to be added manually Viewing/recording multiple channels per transponder Use timeshift with liveTV Watch encrypted TV channels (with valid smartcard) Record TV-Shows Record scheduled shows when MediaPortal is not running Play analog radio Play DVB radio Play encrypted DVB radio (with valid smartcard) Grab DVB-EPG Grab DVB-EPG when MediaPortal is not running Grab DVB-MHW Grab DVB-MHW when MediaPortal is not running LiveTV can be streamed to multiple clients Recorded shows can be streamed to multiple clients One or more front-ends (like MediaPortal) can connect to TV-Engine Record MPEG-2 transport stream (.ts) Timeshift buffer is added to a "Record now" recording MPEG-2 transport stream timeshifting H.264 transport stream support DVB AAC audio support Place shifting Multiple tuner support (even mixed) TV-Server/Client Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Hybrid tuner support Teletext viewer CI support for floppydtv CI support for firedtv CI support for twinhan CI support for technotrend CI support for KNC cards DVB-S generic BDA DisEqc support DVB-S DisEqc Motor control DVB bitmap subtitle support (live TV & recordings) DVB teletext subtitle support (live TV & recordings) DVB-S linkage scanner MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/overview (last edited 2009-06-04 10:51:31 by infinityloop)

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Server setup Single Seat Setup


In a single seat setup, the TV-Server application and MediaPortal are installed on the same PC. Requirements Microsoft SQL Server Express or MySQL 5 MediaPortal TV-Server MediaPortal MediaPortal TV-Server Client Plugin TV-Cards Plus all general MediaPortal requirements Single seat setup

Network Setup - one TV-Server


In this setup, there is one dedicated TV-Server and one or more MediaPortal clients. Requirements server PC Single server setup Microsoft SQL Server Express or MySQL 5 MediaPortal TV-Server TV-Cards Network card Requirements client HTPC(s) MediaPortal MediaPortal TV-Server Client Plugin Network card Plus all general MediaPortal requirements

Network Setup - multiple TV-Servers


NOTE: THIS HAS BEEN DISSABLED FOR 1.0 RELEASE BECAUSE OF TOO MANY ISSUES In this setup, there is one master TV-Server, one or more slave servers and one or more MediaPortal clients. Requirements primary server PC Microsoft SQL Server Express or MySQL 5 MediaPortal TV-Server TV-Cards Network card Requirements secondary server PC MediaPortal TV-Server TV-Cards Network card Requirements client HTPC(s)

Multiple server setup

MediaPortal MediaPortal TV-Server Client Plugin Network card Plus all general MediaPortal requirements MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/HowItWorks (last edited 2008-10-07 11:25:31 by pbb)

MediaPortal Installation
Introduction
The MediaPortal Installation Tool (also known as the Deploy Tool) allows you to download and install all necessary components for a complete MediaPortal install. It is included in every release of MediaPortal and handles among other things the choice of TV engine, installation of a database server if needed, Windows firewall configuration and missing core components required for MediaPortal.

Very Important! - Before you start


Please make sure your system meets the hardware and software requirements for MediaPortal. It is recommended to read the instructions how to make a possible operating system and software setup with Windows XP . If you have already installed MediaPortal and want to perform an update, please read Updating MediaPortal.

Choose your type of Installation


The MediaPortal Installation Tool allows you to make various choices during the installation depending on your requirement of MediaPortal. To assist you in making the correct choice and simplifing your installation, various guides have been written. Please select the guide from the following choices. Installation Guide - Download Components Only - If you are planing to use MediaPortal on a PC that does not have Internet Access, the installer has the ability to download the required components from the Internet and store in a folder which can then be copied across to your desired computer for installation later. Installation Guide - NO TV Option - If you are planning to only use MediaPortal for viewing Media files (i.e. Video, Pictures, Music), then this is the guide to follow. This guide will not install any of the TV functionality available within MediaPortal. Installation Guide - InBuilt TV Engine - It is suggested to follow the MediaPortal TV Engine comparison guide to evaluate whether the unique features of the Inbuilt TV Engine are required by your installation other wise use the later TV Server Installation Guides. Installation Guide - Single Seat with TV Server - If you are planning to install MediaPortal and the TV Server on the one machine only, then this is the guide for you. The computer has to contain a video capture card, and will be used for viewing your recordings. Note that you can still install a MediaPortal client on another computer also, a single seat installation can also function as a server for another computer. This Guide also includes the options to change the Database Engine type from the default Microsoft SQL Server Express to MySQL or use an existing Database Engine. Installation Guide - TV Server Installation Only - This guide is intended for installations of only the TV Server component to be isntalled on a dedicated computer that will stream the TV channels to the MediaPortal Clients. Following this guide will not install the main MediaPortal files on this computer and thus watching TV, Movies, Pictures or Music will not be possible on this computer. This Guide also includes the options to change the Database Engine type from the default Microsoft SQL Server Express to MySQL or use an existing Database Engine. Installation Guide - MediaPortal TV Client - This guide is to be used when using multiple computers to access the TV Server. Only complete this if the TV Server has been installed on another computer. << Back to MediaPortal Manual MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortalTools/Installation_Guides_Menu (last edited 2009-01-31 13:00:25 by dsl-lprbrasgw1-fe9ffa00-145)

Updating your MediaPortal installation


Please follow these instructions to update an existing MediaPortal installation. If you don't have MediaPortal installed yet, then instead read Installing MediaPortal.

Backup and cleanup Backup


Automatic backup system When updating MediaPortal, the installer will make backups of your configuration and installation folders. These backup folders are named MediaPortal or MediaPortal TV Server, followed by _BACKUP_ and the date and time the backup was made. Backups are made for both the program files and application data folders. Note: The uninstallers offer a Clean uninstall option. If you use that, then no backups will be made, everything will be deleted! If you want to ensure that all your old files get backed up, we suggest that you create a manual backup in addition to the automatic one. When making a backup yourself, you can also at a later point restore your previous MediaPortal version. To make a backup manually: Accessing Userfiles To be able to backup the files and folders located in the application data, you need to access this folder first. The easiest way to get to the UserFiles is to go to the: Windows Start Button -> Programs -> Team MediaPortal" -> MediaPortal" -> UserFiles This will then open a new explorer window, where you see all the userfiles from MediaPortal. If you press the folder up button, you will get one level up in the foldertree, where you can now see the TV-Server userfiles folder (if installed), and backup folders of old installations of MediaPortal and/or TV-Server. TV-Server (if installed) Export your TV channels, Radiostations and recording schedules list: open TV-Server Configuration, go to TV Channels, click the Export button on the bottom of the screen, and save the XML file in a safe location (preferably not within your MediaPortal folders). MediaPortal Make a copy of the Team MediaPortal program files folder, naming it Team MediaPortal Programs Backup or something like that. (Note that restricted users are not able to write to the program files folder, so you may have to place the copy in another folder.) Make a copy of the Team MediaPortal application data folder, naming it Team MediaPortal Data Backup or something like that.

Cleanup
In order to avoid problems during the installation process, uninstall both MediaPortal and the TV-Server, either through Control Panel or the uninstall shortcuts in the MediaPortal and TV-Server program groups. (This will not do anything to your backup.)

Upgrading Installation

1. Make sure your system still meets the requirements; these may have changed for the current version! 2. Download the latest release of MediaPortal. 3. Make sure that you already uninstalled MediaPortal and if present the TV-Server, as mentioned in the Backup and Cleanup stepo earlier. 4. Install MediaPortal. Detailed instructions can be found on the Installing MediaPortal page. Note: Always run the installer from your local harddisk, not from a networkshare. The Installer is a .net application which can not be started if they are located on a networkshare.

Restore configuration
Note: If possible, please do a clean installation, which means not to re-use old configuration files, plugins or skins. Re-using these files has a high chance to break your new installation of MediaPortal, because of the changes in the new release. You can restore the backup files you created manually, or use the backup folders which were created by the installer inside the program files and application data folders. Backup files which can be restored without risking to break the new installation MediaPortal The following folders and files, from your application data MediaPortal data backup folder: The Thumbs folder. TV-Server Import TV Channels, Radio Stations and recording schedules: Start TV-Server Configuration > TV-Channels > import button > select your exported xml file Import old recordings: TV-Server Configuration > Recording settings > Database import Note: You have to configure the recording path to point to the folder where your recordings are stored before you do the Database import. Backup files where restoring means to risk that your new installation will break MediaPortal The following folders and files, from your application data MediaPortal data backup folder: The InputDeviceMappings\custom folder. The Database folder. All XML files in the base folder. The following folders and files, from your program files MediaPortal Programs backup folder: Plugins Folder Skins Folder every other Folder MediaPortal Wiki: UpdateingMediaPortal (last edited 2008-12-23 01:38:02 by charli181)

Open Ports in Firewall for Multiseat


The first thing that can block a connection to SQL Server is a firewall. If you have any firewalls, make sure they are configured to allow connections to SQL Server.

Required open Ports for TV-Server


TCP Port 554: Used for RTSP UDP Ports 6970 - 9999: used for UDP streaming. Note: a smaller range of UDP ports can usually be used (typically 6970-6999).

Required open Ports when using Microsoft SQL Server:


TCP/IP 1433 UDP 1434

Required open Ports when using MySQL Server:


TCP/IP 3306

Windows Firewall Specify Applications that are allowed through the Windows Firewall
Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall > Exceptions tab > Add Program TVService = Can be found in your TV Server directory SQLServr = Can be found in "c:\program files\microsoft sql server\mssql.1\mssql\binn\" SQLBrowser = Can be found in "c:\program files\microsoft sql server\90\shared\"

How to open the port


Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall > Exceptions tab > Add Port

Other Firewalls
MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/Configuration/Firewall (last edited 2008-07-21 14:54:21 by localhost)

Installation Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition


Note: Using MediaPortal 1.0 or above the SQL server is automatically downloaded and configured by the installer. No user action is required. Download the SQL server setup and run it Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition ::Download::. The setup should begin and show the following screen. runing the setup ::Homepage::

Accept the licensing and press Next> Prerequisites

Press the install button to continue When its the prerequisites are installed the setup continues to install sql server itself. SQL-Server installation

Again press the next button System Configuration Check Setup will verify if all components are present and if so the following screen will be shown:

Press the next button, after a few seconds the setup asks for a registration name: Registration

Choose any name you like, its not important and press next Feature selection

Here you can select which features to install. The default options are fine, but if you want to install SQL server on another drive then you can do that here When done press next again Authentication mode The next screen is important!!! Choose mixed mode and fill in a password for the sql server administrator account Write down the password, we will need it later on!

Error and usage report settings The following screen we can skip since the default options are ok. Simply press next again

SQL-Server Database Services

Again a screen (does it ever end?) press the install button Setup Progress

Yes! finally the installer decided to shut up and start doing what its supposed to do. Sql server is being installed... time for a coffee At the end the following screen is shown and you guessed it already, press next

Completing SQl Server installation

Press finish and we're done. MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/install-SQL-Server (last edited 2009-01-30 10:55:04 by flokel)

Installation SQL Server Management Studio Express


Download and install SQL Server Management Studio Express ::Homepage:: ::Download:: MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/install-SQL-Management-Studio (last edited 2008-07-21 14:52:54 by localhost)

Configuration Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition


Allow other PC's to connect over LAN
ATTENTION!!! If you are running your SQL server on a dedicated Server and have Client HTPC's which must be able to connect to the SQL server, then you have to allow Remote Connections. 1. Open Surface Area Configuration under All Programs -> Microsoft SQL Server 2005 -> Configuration tools -> SQL Server Surface Area Configuration. 2. Select Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections

3. Select remote connections on the left.

4. Enable Local and remote connections and select Using both TCP/IP and named pipes. note: You may have to restart the SQL server. 5. Select SQL Server Browser and Service under that, and change the Startup Type to Automatic and Start it.

Required running SQL Service


ATTENTION!!! Make sure that the windows service SQL Server Browser is configured to be started automaticaly. If it is not, then clients in the LAN are unable to connect to your SQL-Server, which means that MyTV will not work! To check if this service is enabled go to Start -> run -> enter services.msc

Limit SQL Server 2005 memory usage


By default SQL Server decides itself how much memory it uses. But in some cases like a single-seat configuration you might want to limit the memory used by Sql Server You can configure the min/max amount by : 1. Open SQL Server Management Studio Express under All Programs -> Microsoft SQL Server 2005 -> SQL Server Management Studio Express. 2. Select Right click on the server and select properties

3. Click on memory in the left tree 4. Fill in the min/max values for the amount of memory

MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/Configuration/SQL-Server (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:53 by localhost)

Installation MySQL 5
Note: Using MediaPortal 1.0 or above the SQL server is automatically downloaded and configured by the installer. No user action is required. Download the MySQL 5server setup and run the setup.exe. Select Windows Essential (x86) runing the setup Press next: ::Download::. The setup should begin and show the following screen.

In the following screen choose Typical unless you have specific reasons not too. Then press next again

Press next again..

Wait while MySQL is installing

Skip the signup (you can signup if you want, but its not needed) and press next

Now its time to configure the MySQL server. Make sure the checkbox is checked and press Finish

Press Next again

I choose here the standard configuration. If you want you can also choose for the detailed configuration. Press next

The default options are ok, press next

Important!!! Here you select the password for the root user (the administrator). Make sure you write this password down since you will need it later. Also make sure the enable root access from remote machines is enabled. When done press next

Press execute to save the settings

And... voila, we're done. ?MySql is up & running

Notice: If you get an error ('side-by-side configuration is incorrect') on loading the configuration on Vista ::this:: link. please follow MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/install-MySql5 (last edited 2009-01-30 10:59:04 by flokel)

Installation MySQL GUI Tools


Download the MySQL GUI Tools and run the setup.exe ::Download::. MySQL GUI Tools contains the following applications which can be used to administer the MySQL server

MySQL Administrator
MySQL Administrator is a powerful visual administration tool that makes it easy to administer and monitor your MySQL environment and gain significantly better visibility into how your databases are operating. MySQL Administrator now integrates database management and maintenance into a single, seamless environment, with a clear and intuitive graphical user interface.

MySQL Query Browser


MySQL Query Browser is the easiest visual tool for creating, executing, and optimizing SQL queries for your MySQL Database Server. The MySQL Query Browser gives you a complete set of drag-and-drop tools to visually build, analyze and manage your queries.

MySQL Migration Toolkit


The MySQL Migration Toolkit is a powerful framework that enables you to quickly migrate your proprietary databases to MySQL. Using a Wizard-driven interface, the MySQL Migration Toolkit implements a proven methodology and walks you through the necessary steps to successfully complete a database migration project

MySQL Workbench
MySQL Workbench is a database modeling tool for MySQL. You can use it to design and create new database schemas, document existing databases and even perform complex migrations to MySQL.

Installation
Simply run the setup and follow the screenshots below..

MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/install-MySqlGuiTools (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:42 by localhost)

MediaPortal Configuration
The MediaPortal Configuration application is divided into a number of sections or 'pages', all relating to a different part of MediaPortal. Not all of these sections will necessarily apply to every user or need to be configured immediately. All settings can be changed at any time after installation so it is not necessary to configure each section initially.

MediaPortal Configuration pages


Project General DVD Videos Music Pictures Radio Television Remote Directshow Filter Control Weather Plugins

First Time you start MediaPortal Configuration


The first time you start MediaPortal Configuration, a box will appear asking for you to select "Normal Mode" or "Advanced Mode". This is to just setup the configuration with minimal setting available (Normal Mode) or to display every setting available (Advanced Mode). Please note that this can be changed within the control bar at any stage within MediaPortal Configuration so your choice here is not that critical. It is suggested that new users to MediaPortal, select standard mode until your system is running stable and the basics have been set properly.

Minimal configuration
After first installing MediaPortal, you should configure any section whose functions you plan to use immediately. Adding folders in the media sections (Movies/Music/Pictures) will allow you to interact with your media immediately and are generally a good place to start. If you plan to use the TV functions then you should also configure it's section. Finally, ensure that you have configured a remote if you plan to use one. Consult each section's page (listed above) for more detailed instructions on it's configuration.

Navigation controls

The top of the setup window has several navigation controls: User Config files: This opens the folder where various configuration files are stored. Open Thumbs directory: Opens the folder with all thumbnail images. Open Log directory Opens the folder with MediaPortal logs. Open Database directory: Opens the folder where MediaPortal databases are stored. Open Skins directory: Opens the skins folder. Switch to expert/standard mode: Toggles the interface mode of the configuration program. In Expert Mode, you will be able to perform a more detailed configuration. Help: Opens an online help page for the current screen. These help pages are actually the wiki pages you are reading now. Update Help: Finds the most recent location of the online help pages. Use this if you get an error page when trying to open Help.

At the bottom of the window, there are more navigation controls: Donate to MediaPortal: This link opens the MediaPortal donation page. To be able to support the newest hardware, MediaPortal needs your financial support! OK / Cancel: Apply or discard all changes, and close the configuration program. <<< Back to MediaPortal Manual --- Next To Project Page >>> MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration (last edited 2009-04-30 07:49:14 by d58-106-116-61)

Project
This page shows some general information about MediaPortal, and different ways to get in contact. Update help: This button download most recent information about where to find the help pages. If you get an error page when clicking the Help button, clicking this button will fix the problem.

MediaPortal Config Project General Movies DVD Television Radio Music Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

* Only in Expert mode

MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Project (last edited 2008-12-30 23:38:04 by charli181)

General

MediaPortal Config

This section contains all settings that control the look and feel of MediaPortal. Some - Project of these options can also be set from within the MediaPortal interface, in the General - General options of the Settings section. - Skin - Thumbnails - Volume settings - Keyboard shortcuts* - Keys and Sounds* - On-Screen Display* - Skip steps* - Startup delay* - Watchdog* - Daemon Tools* - File menu* - Refresh Rate* Movies DVD Television Radio Music Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

* Only in Expert mode

Start with basic homescreen (Default: off) This will cause MediaPortal to start with a simplified home screen, giving the menu options usually of !TV, Music, Video, Pictures and Weather. Note that the Skin has to support the Basic Homescreen (e.g. ProjectX). Start MediaPortal in fullscreen mode (Default: on) With this option you can configure MediaPortal to start in full-screen mode. If unselected MediaPortal will start in a window. Use alternate fullscreen Splashscreen (Default: on) With this option set, when in fullscreen mode, the splash screen on startup of MediaPortal will also cover the full screen instead of a small box in the middle of the desktop. NOTE:- This setting only takes effect when MediaPortal starts in fullscreen mode. Autosize window mode to skin (Default: off) Automatically sizes the window (if windowed mode is used) to the skin's designed size. Keep MediaPortal always on top (Default: off) Note that not only does this keep MediaPortal on top of other windows, it also prevents other windows from getting (keyboard) focus. With this setting on, you cannot control any other application until you've closed MediaPortal. Hide taskbar in fullscreen mode (Default: off) This will make sure you will not see the Windows taskbar when using MediaPortal in fullscreen mode. Autostart MediaPortal on Windows startup (Default: off) Automatically start MediaPortal when Windows starts. Minimize to tray on start up (Default: off) When starting MediaPortal, instead of showing the application, this hides it in the system tray. Useful if you have scheduled recordings with the classic inbuilt TV-Engine that requires MediaPortal to be running, or when you want to be able to quickly start MediaPortal. Minimize to tray on GUI exit (Default: off) When clicking the 'X' icon, MediaPortal will not close but will be minimized to the system tray. MediaPortal can be closed by choosing Exit from the File menu or Exit from the tray icon context menu. Enable this if you use the classic inbuilt TV-Engine. Show special mouse controls (scrollbars, etc.) (Default: on) Some pages show scrollbars etc, which only makes sense when you are using a mouse. If you are using a remote control, you can disable these controls. Hide file extensions like .mp3, .avi, .mpg, ... (Default: on) Hides file extensions when showing file lists. Enable skin sound effects (Default: on) Enable sound effects that are build into skins, for example the swooshing when selecting a menu item. Enable animations / transitions (Default: on) This will cause animations to be played in the skins transition to different screens. Switching from home to music for example wil play an animation to blend the transition into a fluent action. Disable tray area's balloon tips (Default: off) Hides the pop-up ?balloon tips that Windows shows on various events. Turn off monitor when blanking screen (Default: off) Turns off the monitor when MediaPortal is idle for more than 1 minute. Is only effective when a supported monitor/TV can handle the signals via the cable connection. This is an ideal setting if you are energy wise. Turn monitor/tv on when resuming from standby (Default: on) Some videocards and or monitors/televisions will not initiate when the PC wakes from resume. So the computer will resume but the screen stays on standby. Enable this if your TV or monitor will not wake up from standby Allow S3 standby although wake up devices are present (Default: on) Allow the computer to enter S3 standby mode even though USB devices are set to wake up the computer. (Normally, only S2 standby mode will be achieved with USB wake-up devices.) Restart MediaPortal on resume (Default: off) This will prevent stuttering playback with nVidia videocards. Show last active module when starting/resuming from standby (Default: off)

MediaPortal will automatically show the last module, or screen, that was in use prior to the computer going into standby mode or exited. Automatically skip commercials for videos with ?ComSkip data available (Default: off) This setting will allow MediaPortal to skip through commercials that have been detected by the 3rd Party Product Comskip. Note this is only for the video section only of MediaPortal. Use screenselector to choose on which screen MP should start (Default: off) When enabled, the screen chosen in the dropdown box below will be the screen that MediaPortal will start on by default. Enable this if you use multiple outputs on your video card and would like MediaPortal to start on the secondary screen. You must also specify which screen you want to use (see below). In addition, the following options are available: Log verbosity (Default: Information) Sets the detail level of the logfiles that are stored in the log folder underneath the MediaPortal application folder. Process priority (Default: Normal) Sets the priority of MediaPortal, higher gives MediaPortal more systems resources, too high can make the system unstable or crash when MediaPortal crashes. Start screen If Use screenselector to choose on which screen MP should start is enabled, this allows you to specify the screen you want MediaPortal to start on. MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/General (last edited 2009-05-04 18:21:29 by flokel)

DVD

MediaPortal Config

Some of these options can also be set from within the MediaPortal interface, in the My - Project DVD options of the Settings section. This information will be used within the Play DVD - General section of MediaPortal. - Movies - DVD - Codecs - Player* - Post Processing* Television Radio Music Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

* Only in Expert mode

Language Settings

Force Subtitles - Default: off Check this if you want to show subtitles. Preferred subtitle language - Default: English Select the subtitle language you want the player to use when playing a DVD. This subtitle language needs to be available on the DVD. Preferred audio language - Default: English Select the audio language you want the player to use when playing a DVD. This language needs to be available on the DVD. Aspect Ratio Use pixel ratio correction - Default: off Enable or disable check box to improve display of movies on your screen. Aspect ratio Correction Mode Crop Letterbox Stretch Follow Stream (recommended) Display Mode Default (recommended) 16:9 4:3 Letterbox 4:3 Pan-Scan Autoplay Autoplay DVD: Autoplay, never ask. Don`t autoplay, never ask. Ask every time a DVD is inserted (default). MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/DVD (last edited 2009-02-14 14:20:27 by 213)

Videos Configuration
This section lets you tell MediaPortal where it can find your video files, and set some video specific options. Subtitle and OSD settings are also adjusted here. Some of these options can also be set from within the MediaPortal interface, in the My Videos options of the Settings section. These settings will be used within the My Videos section of MediaPortal. General Tab

MediaPortal Config - Project - General - Movies Folders Database Player Extensions* Views* Post Processing*

DVD Television Radio Music Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

* Only in Expert mode

Setting the Default Zoom mode Default Zoom Mode - This allows you to specify which zoom mode will be used when opening media. Below is a list of the different possibilities Normal (default) Original Source Format Stretch Zoom 14:9 Zoom non-linear strech 4:3 Letterbox Note: More information about how each zoom mode manipulates the video, can be found on the related wiki page Specify the storage location for your video playlists Playlist Folder - Here you specify the folder you use to store your video playlists. Use the Browse button to select a location. Repeating Video Playlists Repeat/loop video playlists - Default: on When you want MediaPortal to play your playlist again when finished, check this option. Marking your Videos as Watched Mark every already watched file (deactivate for performance with many files) - Default: on If you have watched a video the status is set in the database, so you can sort by videos which are watched and unwatched Specifying Zoom Modes Allowed zoom modes Selecting these modes allows them to be used with MediaPortal MyVideo section. Normal - Default: on Original Source Format - Default: on Zoom - Default: on 14:9 Zoom - Default: on Stretch - Default: on 4:3 Letterbox - Default: on 4:3 Pan and Scan - Default: on Subtitles Tab

Turning Subtitles On/Off for Videos Show subtitles - Default: on With subtitled videos, you can enable their display here, or disable by removing the check against this option. Note: the appropriate codecs need to be installed in order for MediaPortal to be able to show subtitles. Changing Subtitle Font Type,Size and Style Display font: - Default: Arial 18, Bold If you choose to display subtitles, you can choose a font and size from this list. Only fonts installed in windows can be selected, or install new to have a wider choice. Adjusting the visibility of the Subtitles Drop shadow (pixels): - Default: 5 You can make the subtitles stand out from the background/video by adjusting the drop shadow for the subtitle. Increase the shadow by the appropriate number of pixels. Change the default Subtitle Language Default language: - Default: English Select the subtitles language that will be automatically chosen when multiple languages are

available. MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Movies (last edited 2009-04-30 00:36:16 by d58-106-116-61)

Music Configuration

MediaPortal Config

Some of these options can also be set from within the MediaPortal interface, in the My - Project Music options of the Settings section. This information will be used within the My Music - General section of MediaPortal. - Movies - DVD - Television - Radio - Music Folders Database Import Extensions* Views* Sort* DSP* ASIO*

Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

* Only in Expert mode

Player Settings
General settings Player BASS engine: - Default Internal dshow player Choose between BASS engine and Internal dshow player. BASS engine gives you better technology than DirectSound, and a lot of music formats are supported by default like FLAC and AAC. Sound Device Choose which soundcard you want to use when playing music, or Default Sound Device to follow the Windows settings. Use ID3 tags / autoadd music file to database (recommended) - Default: on When this option is selected MediaPortal will scan all files for ID3 tags. This will be done every time, which can take some time if there are a large number of music files. Select this option if your music collection changes a lot. see Organizing Your Music Collection for more information about the use of the music database. Playback settings (BASS player only) Playback settings (BASS player only) Upmix stereo to 5.1/7.1 - Default: Off Selecting this option will allow you to hear music on all of the speakers even if the music is only stereo. Output level - Default: 85 Change the maximum output level here. Lower the value if you hear any distortion. Fade-in on start / Fade-out on stop - Default: Off Selecting this will slowly start and stop the music volume. Gapless playback - Default: Off When selecting this option, no silence is heard between two tracks. Cross-fading: - Default: 4.00 Cross-fading mixes the next song into the current song. The amount of seconds changes the time the two songs are heard simultaneously Bufering: - Default: 5.00 Buffering is the amount of seconds MediaPortal reads ahead to avoid stuttering. Change if you experience any stuttering

Visualization

These settings are only valid with the BASS engine selected. Visualization - Default: None Visualizations are animated images created based on the music played. Everytime the a song is played different images appear on the screen. The kind of images can be selected here. Three kinds of visualizations are supported Windows Media Visualisations Winamp Visualisations including milkdrop Sonic Preset: Presets are default settings for each visualization Preview This window gives you an idea of what the visualization will look like Target FPS - Default: 25 The number of times per second the visualization is updated. The higher the number the more fluent the visualization will become. However, most visualizations require a lot of computer power so your fans can become loud or MediaPortal will respond slow to other commands. Enable status display in full screen mode (fast systems only) - Default: off show song info on track change - Default: On

Playlist settings

Playlist folder - Default: <My Documents folder>\My Playlists Here you specify the place to store your playlists. Repeat/loop music playlists (m3u. b4, pls) - Default: off When you want MediaPortal to continuously play your playlist, check this option. Auto shuffle playlists - Default: on When you want to shuffle the playlist after it loads check this option. Save playlist and position when leaving for another plugin - Default: on This option will save your playlist and show it as it was when you leave the playlist screen Resume last playlist when re-entering My Music - Default: on If you exit My music to do something else and after that re-enter My Music the last playlist is resumed

Now playing

Dynamic content Disable internet lookups for cover art - Default: off MediaPortal will not automatically look for CD covers on the internet Disable internet lookups for best album tracks - Default: off MediaPortal will not automatically look for the best album tracks on the internet Disable internet lookups for track suggestions - Default: off MediaPortal will not automatically look for track suggestions on the internet When adding files to the playlist - Default: Enqueue next When selected, adding a file to the playlist will make MediaPortal play the file as the next track Add to the end When selected, adding a file to the playlist will make MediaPortal add the file to the bottom of the playlist Visualization options Show lyrics - Default: never This setting is under development and can not be changed Show visualization - Default: off The enables or disables the visualization

Misc settings

AutoplayCD: This setting changes the behavior when inserting Audio CD's Autoplay, never ask - (Default) Selecting this option will always start playing a Audio CD when it is inserted Don`t autoplay, never ask Selecting this option will make MediaPortal do nothing if you insert an AudioCD. You will manually have to go to My Music to play the Audio CD Ask everytime a CD is inserted By selecting this option. MediaPortal will ask you each time if you want to play the Audio CD or not

"Jump on "Play now" This option will show you the options you have when pressing the big play button on the top of the Microsoft MCE remote (this is not the same button as the OK button) None Pressing play will: play song (this is the same action as the OK button on an MCE remote) Now Playing [always] Pressing play will: play the song and jump to the playing now screen Now Playing [if multiple items] Pressing play will: play the song and jump to the playing now screen if there are more songs in the playlist Current playlist [always] - (Default)

Pressing play will: Jump to the playing now screen Current playlist [if multiple items] Pressing play will: Jump to the playing now screen if there are more songs in the playlist Fullscreen [always] Pressing play will: Jump to the fullscreen showing the selected visualizations if enabled Fullscreen [if multiple items] Pressing play will: Jump to the fullscreen showing the selected visualizations if enabled if there are more songs in the playlist MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Music (last edited 2008-07-21 14:52:50 by localhost)

Pictures Setup

MediaPortal Config

Some of these options can also be set from within the MediaPortal interface, in the My - Project Pictures options of the Settings section. This information will be used within the My - General Pictures section of MediaPortal. - Movies - DVD Slideshow Transitions - Television - Radio Use Ken Burns effect - Music Use random transitions - Pictures Use X-fade transition (default) - Folders - Extensions* Slideshow Settings Picture visibility - Default: 3 sec Transition - Default: 20 frames Ken Burns speed - Default: 20 Repeat/loop slideshow - Default: off Auto shuffle slideshow - Default: off * Only in Expert mode Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Pictures (last edited 2008-07-21 14:52:54 by localhost)

Radio Setup
This information will be used within the My Radio section of MediaPortal. Note: After configuration, you may want to display channel logos in MediaPortal. Read TV and Radio Channel Logos to see how that works.

MediaPortal Config Project General Movies DVD Television Radio - Stations Music Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

Initial screen
Streams folder - Default: (empty)

Stations Radio Stations Add/Edit


Type Radio (default) Stream Name Frequency (only valid for Radio types) Genre Bitrate (only valid for Stream types) URL (only valid for Stream types) Search SHOUTcase (only valid for Stream types)

* Only in Expert mode

Radio Cards
Map stations to radio card MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Radio (last edited 2008-07-21 14:54:28 by localhost)

Television setup
Some of these options can also be set from within the MediaPortal interface, in the ?My TV options of the Settings section. This information will be used within the My TV section of MediaPortal. Note: Instead of using MediaPortal's default TV plugin, if you are feeling adventurous, you might want to try the new ?TV-Server. This provides a complete replacement for the My TV plugin, as a networked client-server solution. After configuration, you may want to display channel logos in MediaPortal. Read TV and Radio Channel Logos to see how that works. To get a program guide, configure either WebEPG (recommended) or the build-in XMLTV.

MediaPortal Config Project General Movies DVD Television TV Client# Capture Cards ?Channels ?Channel Groups ?Program Guide ?Recording Post Processing* Teletext*

Initial screen

Radio Music Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

* Only in Expert mode # Only for TV Server

Settings
Video codec - Default: MPV Decoder Filter

Audio codec - Default: MPA Decoder Filter Audio renderer - Default: Default DirectSound Device Deinterlace mode None (default) Bob Weave Best Default zoom mode Normal (default) Original source format Zoom Zoom 14:9 Stretch Non-linear Stretch 4:3 Letterbox

Auto on
Auto turn TV on when entering My TV - Default: off Directly show fullscreen TV - Default: off

Misc
Select channel by index (non US) - Default: on Show channel numbers - Default: off

Allowed Zoom Modes


Normal - Default: on Original Source Format - Default: on Zoom - Default: on 14:9 Zoom - Default: on Stretch - Default: on Non-linear Stretch - Default: on 4:3 Letterbox - Default: on

Add/Edit Capture Cards Capture Card


TV Capture Card Priority - Default: 1 Frame size 768x576 PAL square pixels 720x576 PAL/SECAM ITU-601 D1 (recommended) 720x480 NTSC ITU-601 D1 (recommended) 704x576 PAL/SECAM TV broadcast 704x480 NTSC TV broadcast 640x480 NTSC square pixels 352x288 PAL CIF 352x240 NTSC CIF 320x240 NTSC CIF square pixels Frame rate 29.97 fps (NTSC) 25 fps (PAL/SECAM) 15 fps Use this card for viewing TV - Default: on Use this card for recording TV - Default: on Recording folder - Default: <My Documents folder>\My Recordings Crop settings - Default: 0

Autotune
Country Input Source Antenna (default) Cable Scan Progress Signal strength Signal quality Channel list To edit a channel, double-click it or right-click and choose Edit Channel. To delete a channel, press delete on your keyboard or right-click and choose Delete Channel. To re-arrange, drag and drop the channel in the new location. Note: after re-arranging your channel list, do not go to the next tab but choose OK to save your settings so far. Channel Download Add/Edit Delete All Add/Edit Channel General Name Channel TV channel is encrypted Analog Frequency TV standard - Possible values: Default, NTSC M, NTSC M J, NTSC 433, PAL B, PAL D, PAL G, PAL H, PAL I, PAL M, PAL N, PAL 60, SECAM B, SECAM D, SECAM G, SECAM H, SECAM K, SECAM K1, SECAM L, SECAM L1, PAL N COMBO Country DVB-T / DVB-C / DVB-S / ATSC Network ID (DVB-T, DVB-C, DVB-S) Service ID (DVB-T, DVB-C, DVB-S) Physical channel number (ATSC) Major channel (ATSC) Minor channel (ATSC) Transport ID (all) Carrier Frequency (all) Symbolrate (DVB-C, DVB-S, ATSC) InnerFEC (DVB-C, DVB-S, ATSC): Max, Not Defined, Not Set, RS 204/188, ?ViterBi Modulation (DVB-C, ATSC) Polarisation (DVB-S): Horizontal, Vertical Provider (all) Audio PID (all) Video PID (all) Teletext PID (all) ECM PID (DVB-S) PMT PID (all) Bandwidth (DVB-T) PCR PID (all) Audio 1 PID (all) Audio 2 PID (all) Audio 3 PID (all) AC3 PID (all) Audio (all) Audio 1 (all) Audio 2 (all)

Audio 3 (all) External Type: Received by tv card, Received by external settop box Input via: CVBS#1, CVBS#2, SVHS, RGB Channel number on settop box

Autotune Radio
Country Input Source Antenna (default) Cable Scan Sensitivity - Default: High Progress Signal strength Signal quality Radio Download Edit Radio Station Name Frequency Genre

Audio Mapping
CVBS #1/2/3, SVHS #1/2/3, RGB #1/2/3 Audio-in #1/2/3

Quality
Use quality control - Default: off Default quality: Portable, Low, Medium, High Audio quality: 192/224/256/384 Kbps Average bitrate Peak bitrate VBR

TV channels TV Channels
What does the checkmark do? Combine Combines the channel number and frequency of the first channel with all other info from the second channel. (First and second in sorting order, not in selection order.) Add Manually add a TV channel. Delete Delete the highlighted channel. Edit Edit the highlighted channel. Clear Delete all the channels. Up Move the highlighted channel(s) one place up in the preference order. Down Move the highlighted channel(s) one place down in the preference order. Lookup Import channel list from predefined city-based listings. Backup

Backup the channel list (and scheduled recordings) to an XML file. Restore Load the channel list from an XML file, completely replacing any existing channel set. Import from TV Guide Add CVBS/SVHS Delete scrambled

TV Cards
Map channels to TV card Available TV channels Assigned TV channels

TV channel groups TV Channel Groups


Add/Edit Group name PIN code Delete Up/Down

Map Channels
TV channel group Available TV channels TV channels in group Up/Down

Program guide General


XMLTV Path to tvguide.xml Use time zone information from XMLTV file Compensate timezone Update TV database DVB-EPG Grabber Grab EPG from DVB - Default: off Languages to grab All/None Miscellaneous Use colors for genres - Default: off Remove all programs

Scheduler
These settings configure XMLTV. I recommend skipping this section and instead running one of the alternative EPG solutions after the MediaPortal configuration, these are much more flexible than XMLTV. Grabber Settings Grabber Parameters List Basic multiday grab Advanced single day grabs

Days to keep in guide - Default: 7 Days to download - Default: 1,2,3,5 Run grabber with lower priority - Default: off Run grabber Windows Task Scheduler Settings Create task at - Default: off User account/Password Delete task

Recording Settings Custom Paths and Filenames Disk quota Post processing
MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Television (last edited 2009-04-02 20:14:30 by ?Pretoriano)

Remotes
Here is a list of all the different remotes supported by MediaPortal and how to configure them in MediaPortal

MediaPortal Config Project General Movies DVD Television Radio Music Pictures Remote ?USB-UIRT* ?SerialUIR* ?WinLIRC* ?Red-Eye* ?Direct Input*

Remote Control Documentation


MCE Remote ?General HID Device (Multimedia hotkeys on Keyboards) - also some generic MCE Remotes ?Remote (Centarea Master Remote II / Sunwave SMR-140) ?FireDTV/FloppyDTV Remotes X10 Remotes Hauppauge 45/34-Button Remotes IRTRans ?USBUIRT Device ?SerialUIR Device WINLIRC Device ?RedEye Device ?DirectInput Joysticks/Gamepads

- DirectShow Filter* - Weather - Plugins * Only in Expert mode

MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Remote (last edited 2009-04-30 07:47:53 by d58-106-116-61)

DirectShow Filter Control


MediaPortal is able to alter the settings of some of the codecs installed. Only the installed codecs are displayed when you enter this section in MediaPortal Setup.

MediaPortal Config Project General Movies DVD Television Radio Music Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

* Only in Expert mode

So this list will depend on which codecs you have installed and how many.

MPA Decoder
This audio decoder will be installed by default unless the tick box relating to it in the installer is unchecked. AC3 Decoder Settings DTS Decoder Settings AC3/AAC/DTS/LPCM Format AAC Decoder Settings

MPV Decoder
This video decoder will be installed by default unless the tick box relating to it in the installer is unchecked.

DScaler Audio Decoder

Dscaler Video Decoder

nVidia Purevideo Decoder


This is a popular decoder that can be purchased in three different versions (Bronze, Gold and Platinum) from nVidia. It seems to give good quality results for a large number of people. A disadvantage it that it does not decode high definiton material and development seems to have stalled at present.

PowerDVD 6 Decoder

PowerDVD 7 Decoder
The PowerDVD7 Decoder is installed if you install the PowerDVD product from Cyberlink. It is capable of decoding both standard and high definition video. In order to use hardware accelerated H.264 decoding on certain new video cards you will need to download and install the latest patches from the Cyberlink website.

Video Mixing Renderer 9


This contains the advanced settings for VMR9. You should have the "Use VMR9 Exclusive Mode checkbox ticked on for DirectX 9 cards or better for smoother video, especially fast motion scenes. DirectX Exclusive mode gives exactly that, exclusive rendering to the video file you're playing back. It avoids tearing of videos with a supported VMR9 capable graphics card. Note that this checkbox should not be ticked if you are using EVR.

Enhanced Video Renderer


Enhanced Video Renderer (EVR) is the new video renderer supplied with Windows Vista. One of the advantages is that tearing to the picture is less likely to occur than when VMR9 is used. Note that Windows Vista is required to use EVR with graphic card hardware acceleration.

MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Filters (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:29 by localhost)

Weather
This information will be used within the My Weather section of MediaPortal. Begin with the basic setting for Temp, Wind Speed and updating interval by using the rolldown menus and chose the alternative you want.

MediaPortal Config Project General Movies DVD Television Radio Music Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

* Only in Expert mode

After that you have to add at least one city to the list. To do this push the "Add" button, the window below will appear. Write the name of the city you want to have and press "Search".

When you press "Search", the window expands and shows a list of possible cities. Chose the correct one, you will then be able to look at the weather info for this city when you start MediaPortal.

If you want to have a satellite image, temperature image, etc. you have to add them separately. By visiting a weather-site, search for a proper image and then right-click and select "Copy link" on the image. Then, add the copied link to the correct image path and press "OK". The pictures will now appear when trying to watch them in the My Weather plug-in. Notice: The image paths have to be independent of which day it is. If the images do not display or show the wrong day after a day or two, then the link is wrong. The picture should always have the same path and name to work. Notice 2: Even though the instructions mention these images have to be online (on HTTP addresses), you can use downloaded images from your harddisk! This makes it possible to run scripts on your own computer that download more complicated images, and use these in MediaPortal. MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Weather (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:19 by localhost)

MediaPortal Setup Plugins


general
This section provides a list of all installed plugins.

MediaPortal Config Project General Movies DVD Television Radio Music Pictures Remote DirectShow Filter* Weather Plugins

* Only in Expert mode

You can quickly enable and disable plugins by double-clicking on their icon. By right-clicking the icon you can: enable and disable the plugins, choose whether it should appear in the Home screen or the My Plugins section and configure the plugin (if this possibility is offered). A gray icon is disabled, and in the upper right corner of each enabled icon you can see whether the plugin shows on the Home screen or the My Plugins section.

Available Plugins in MediaPortal release version Window Plugins

My Alarm ?My Burner Home My last.fm Radio MSN Messenger My Music My News My Pictures Play DVD My Radio ?Settings My Sudoku My Tetris Topbar My TV VideoEditor My Videos My Weather ?My Wikipedia

External Players
Foobar 2000 ?iTunes ?Winamp

Process Plugins
Audioscrobbler AutoCropper ?ComSkip Launcher ?DirecTV Serial Tuner External Display ?Hauppauge IR Blaster ?ISDN Caller-ID ?MAME Devices ?MPEx TuneCmd ?MusicDB Reorganisation Music Share Watcher PowerScheduler ?TV Diskspace ?TV Episodes Cleanup TV Movie Clickfinder ?TV Notifier ?TV Recordings Cleanup WebEPG Grabber YAC Caller-ID

Additional Plugins
Apart from the plugins included with your MediaPortal installation, there are many other plugins that can be downloaded separately. You will find these on the MediaPortal Extensions-Plugins page.

How to add/install Plugins


As first, you must differ between ?MediaPortal server plug-in and ?MediaPortal player plug-in. And on the Player side there are two ways, how to insert and enable new plugin: old method (unpack into proprietary folder) and new method (using MPI installer files). MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal/Configuration/Plugins (last edited 2009-05-09 14:15:15 by gsx)

Configuration TV-Server
Chapter1: First Start
First Time Configuration

Chapter2: TV-Server Management


TV Servers TV Channels Radio Channels ?Radio WebStreams Import and Export General settings Recording settings TV Schedules Streaming Server Manual Control

Chapter3: Plugins
ComSkipLauncher ConflictsManager PowerScheduler ServerBlaster TV Movie Clickfinder - EPG import plugin XmlTv

MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/Configuration (last edited 2009-06-16 14:07:33 by infinityloop)

Configuration MediaPortal Client Plugin


When starting MediaPortal the first time you won't see any difference. 1. Now goto My Tv and the following screen will be presented:

2. Click the change button and you will see the following:

3. Fill in the hostname or ipadress of the PC on which the master-tv server is running and press Done. 4. If all is ok, Mediaportal will present the following screen

5. Press esc to go back to My Tv. 6. From now on you can use My Tv just like before. MySQL users: Please make sure to install the same version of MediaPortal on both the server machine and the client machine in order to have it work. If you are using SVN versions of MediaPortal, make sure you are using the same SVN version of MediaPortal and the same SVN version of the TV Server Plugin. MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/Configuration/Client (last edited 2008-07-21 14:54:19 by localhost)

How to configure Hybrid Tv Cards Introduction


Today we see more and more hybrid TV cards on the market. A hybrid TV card (or stick) is a card which has 2 or more tuners but, where you can only use 1 tuner at the same time. An example of a hybrid card is a card which has an analog tv and a DVB-T tuner. You can use either one, but you can not use both at the same time. So if want to watch analog tv, then you can not use the DVB-T part. And if you watch DVB-T you can not use the analog part. Sadly under Windows a hybrid card is represented as 2 separate cards. In the above example this means you will see an analog card and dvb-t card. When you do nothing the TV-Server therefore detects 2 cards not knowing that in reality this is a hybrid card allowing you only to use 1 of the 2 tuners.

Configuration
When you have installed the TV-Server all cards will be shown in the setup. The picture gives an example of a system containing a FlyTv Express X1 MST-T2A2 TV-card:

The FlyTv Express is a dual hybrid card which contains 2 analog inputs 2 dvb-t inputs This card allows you to use 2 analog tuners at the same time or use 2 DVB-T tuners at the same time or use 1 DVB-T tuner and 1 analog tuner at the same time To make the TV-Server aware of this we select the first DVB-T and analog tuner which belong together with a right click and place them in a seperate group:

Since this is a dual-hybrid card, we do the same for the 2nd DVB-T and analog tuner.

Now that the tuners have been placed in a group, we should see the following picture:

Here we clearly see that we've now defined 2 hybrid cards. Each hybrid card contains 1 analog and 1 DVB-T tuner. Now the TV-Server knows that these cards are hybrid ones and will respect the limitations of the card(s) so that things should work fine.

MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/Configuration/TVServers/HybridCards (last edited 2009-05-09 06:36:00 by cust)

TV and Radio Channel logos


MediaPortal is able to display the logo for TV and radio channels in My TV and My Radio.

Getting the Logos


First you need to download the required images. Good sources are: The MediaPortal Forums: Canadian TV Logos thread Danish TV Logos thread (logos have been moved to Dutch TV Logos thread German TV Logos thread New Zealand TV Logos thread Spain TV Logos thread Swedish TV Logos thread Swiss TV Logos thread UK DVB-T Logos thread or Cyprus TV Logos download German TV and Radio logos French DTV (TNT) American TV logos thread from SageTV Remote Central's Logitech Harmony logo collection Wikipedia Lyngsat-logo (go to "Logotypes by Country") The Best Brands of the World (often old, but high quality eps) Mainly UK Logo thread authors homepage)

Image format and size

The logo images can be PNG, JPEG and GIF. PNG is preferred, since it features alpha-transparency and optimal compression for logo-type images. Animation in GIF images is also supported. TV logos are mainly used in the program guide, where the logos are displayed quite small and are resized to square dimensions. Therefore: Use the simplest variation of the logo, small text will not be readable. Add extra space to your picture files if they are not square. Radio logos are displayed much larger, and their aspect ratio is not adjusted.

Adding logos to MediaPortal


After you have downloaded or created the required logos, you need to put them in the correct folder for MediaPortal to find them. First find the Team MediaPortal application data folder. Inside this folder, there is a folder MediaPortal\Thumbs\TV\Logos where you put your TV logos, and MediaPortal\Thumbs\Radio for radio logos.

Matching filename
To make MediaPortal show the correct logos, you have to match the image filename to the corresponding channel name. 1. Open MediaPortal Setup. 2. Go to Television -> TV Channels or Radio -> Stations. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Note the channel names that you have downloaded the logos for. Open the folder where you have stored the downloaded channel images. Rename the image file so that the name matches that of the TV or radio channel. Repeat that for all channels you want to be shown with appropriate logo If the channel name contains characters which cannot be part of file names (/ : etc.), replace those characters with a underscore (_).

Clearing the cache


If you performed all previous steps, and MediaPortal still displays your old logos, then this is because of the cache. MP uses a cache to quicker load graphics and other resources, but a side-effect of this is that changes to the graphics files will not be immediately visible in MediaPortal. Clear the cache by closing down MP, and deleting the MediaPortal\Cache folder. After you restart MP, you will now be able to view the updated logos. MediaPortal Wiki: TVChannelLogos (last edited 2009-04-04 23:47:19 by ?PhilippeDePass)

Electronic Program Guides


How the Electronic Program Guide works
An Electronic Program Guide (EPG) is an overview of the television programs and showing times for each of your television channels. The listings are stored in a database and MediaPortal uses this information to display whats is on at a certain date/time, schedule recordings, label those recordings, etc.

The EPG consists of information about each program that will be shown. This includes base information such as: Title Start and end date/time Description Extra information sometimes available: Genre Director Actors Repeat / First run The amount of information available depends on the source of the information, and on the application used to retrieve the data. Not all sources provide all data, or in a usable form.

EPG Sources DVB


The DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) system has the ability to transmit EPG data with each channel, in most cases this is for the coming 48 hours. Not all DVB systems include EPG data, so you will need to check with your provider if this is available to you. MediaPortal has built in support for getting the EPG data form the DVB stream.

Internet

Many sites provide a human readable and searchable TV guide on the internet, in most cases for the coming week or even two weeks ahead. Most providers have an online guide for their stations and sometime other stations as well. Also the web sites of newspapers often contain a TV guide. There are many programs available that download these guide and format the data so that it can be imported into MediaPortal. For the storage of program information, MediaPortal uses the file format created by XMLTV. XMLTV is one of the first popular applications to retrieve program information from the internet. MediaPortal is provided with a system for getting EPG data from the internet called WebEPG, but we also provide a list of alternatives (by no means complete).

NexTView
NexTView EPG data is transmitted as part of the analog TV signal, mostly in Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland. This data can be decoded with a program called nxtvepg (nexTView EPG Decoder Software). nxtvepg also provides a list of supported channels and providers. MediaPortal Wiki: UserGuides/Country_based_EPG (last edited 2008-10-05 18:07:24 by pbb)

MediaPortal WebEPG
What is WebEPG
WebEPG is a Electronic Program Guide grabbing application. There are several other programs that do what WebEPG does, but not as easily and not as well integrated with MediaPortal.

WebEPG advantages
One of the big problems of a general EPG grabbing application, like XMLTV, in MediaPortal is that channel names don't match the names used in MediaPortal, causing the TV guide data not to be imported properly. This is what WebEPG aims to address. WebEPG uses the channels created by MediaPortal and with the user's input, maps that to the channel from the TV Guide site. It doesn't require the user to change any channel names. When downloading EPG data from DVB, you only get data for the next 48 hours. With online TV Guide grabbers like WebEPG you may get up to 14 days!

Using WebEPG Overview


There are three basic steps in using WebEPG: 1. Configure WebEPG to associate channels from your TV card with program data on the internet. 2. Download program data from the internet, either manually or scheduled using the WebEPG grabber plugin. 3. Open MediaPortal and the program data should be automatically imported into the program guide.

WebEPG Configuration
1. When using a TV card, make sure you have set the TV channels either in the original integrated TV engine (TVE2) or the newer stand-alone TV server (TVE3). 2. Open your MediaPortal program files folder and start WebEPG-conf.exe.

3. First, import the channel information from MediaPortal. Do this by selecting either MediaPortal or TV Server in the Source dropdown list in the Import Channel Data box. Then, click on the Import button. Note that the channels may not be in the order you defined in your TV setup, but this has no influence on the display order in your program guide inside MediaPortal.

4. If you don't want to receive program data for some of the channels, you can remove them by highlighting the channel and clicking the Remove button. You may be able to add additional channels manually using the New Channel box, but for me these don't show up in the program guide. 5. You can try the Auto Mapping feature to automatically configure your channels based on the channel names. Select your country in the Country dropdown list, and then click the Auto Map button. When several data sources are found for a channel, the first one will be used. 6. To manually assign data sources to a channel, select a channel to configure and click the ... (browse) button behind the Channel textbox on the right side of the window. A Selection dialog will show up now. Fold out the Web Sites item, and then fold out your country item.

Choose one of the available data sources, and select the channel from this list. If the channel is not available in the list, it may be available in one of the other data sources, or else underneath one of the other countries, if it is a foreign channel. If you still cannot find your channel listed, you may need to edit or create a new Site Configuration/Grabber File. See

customizing WebEPG for details. Click the Select button to assign the data source to the channel. You do not need to close the selection window yet. Just move it to the side a bit, and click one of the other channels in the underlying WebEPG Config window. Then repeat the previous procedure to assign a data source to this channel. After you've assign all channels, you can Close the window. 7. Some channels show more than one TV station, switching halfway the day from one station to the other. To configure these channels, click the Multiple (Merged) button. Then click the Add button to start defining the day sections. The Merged Channel Details window will show up now.

As with normal channels, click the ... (browse) button again to assign a data source. But now you also need to enter a starting and an ending time for the part of the day on which this station shows. Note: there is currently a bug in WebEPG which drops the first item that starts exactly at the switching time. To work around this bug, just set the starting time one minute earlier. If the switch happens as 19:00, just enter 18:59 as the starting time. You don't have to do this for the ending time.

Press Ok to close the window, and repeat this process for each TV station that shows on this channel. 8. Finally, you can define the number of days you want to download program data for. Specify this number in the Grab Days box. Be aware that you can not download more days than your data sources provide (you can see this amount in the Guide Days box for each channel), and that specifying more days means an increase in the amount of time it takes to download your whole guide. 9. Now click Save and close the application with the X button in the top right corner of the window. (There is not proper exit function.)

Downloading EPG Data Manual downloading


Open your MediaPortal program files folder and start WebEPG.exe. The WebEPG program has no interface. This means you will not see anything happening, and you will not get a notification when it's finished downloading. However you can have a look at the xmltv folder inside the MediaPortal application data folder. While WebEPG is downloading data you will see a TVguidewriting.XML file, when it's finished it will be renamed to TVguide.XML.

Scheduled downloading
With the WebEPG grabber plugin you can schedule automatic updates of WebEPG.

Customizing WebEPG
WebEPG can be customized by editing existing site configuration (to add new channels, remove old ones, get extra data, etc), or by creating new configuration files for sites not currently listed. For details see: Customizing WebEPG

Troubleshooting
When assigning data source to channels in WebEPG configuration, the data source does not list your channel. Not every data source has information on all channels. Try another data source, or even another country if it is a foreign channel. If you still cannot find your channel listed, you may need to edit or create a new Site Configuration/Grabber File.

See customizing WebEPG No program data is showing up. Make sure there is a TVguide.xml file in the xmltv folder inside the MediaPortal application data folder. Make sure that the path to the tvguide.xml file is correct in MediaPortal Configuration > Television > XMLTV (integrated TV engine v0.2) or TV-Server Configuration > Plugins > XMLTV (stand-alone TV server v0.3). Manually added channels don't show up in the program guide. Only channels whose name exactly matches a channel in your TV setup, will show up in the program guide. Some programs are missing on merged channels. This is a known bug; set the starting time of the station switch one minute earlier. No program data available after midnight on merged channels. No solution is known. Other Check webEPG.log inside the MediaPortal log files folder for details. Consult the forums.

Going further
To beef up your EPG, why not add some nice TV channel logos? Try customizing WebEPG MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortalSetup_WebEPG (last edited 2008-11-05 11:08:44 by chello089076174191)

MediaPortal Basic Navigation


Home Screen
After you have started MediaPortal you will see the Homescreen.

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

From the Home Screen you can access all features of MediaPortal. The scroll list shows you all available modules. If you have disabled scrolling menu items in Home Plugin, then only those items that you have selected will be displayed, or only those that fit in the menu space. On the top right you see 4 buttons: Power: Selecting this button will bring up a new menu with 4 options 1. Shutdown: your PC will shutdown 2. Restart: your PC will restart 3. Sleep: your PC will enter standby mode. 4. Hibernate: your PC will enter hibernation mode.

Background: This option allows you to display the currently selected TV-Station in the background of the home screen.

Switch: This switches to the Basic Homescreen.

Close: This option will close MediaPortal and brings you back to the Windows desktop.

Basic Homescreen

You can switch between the classic and basic homescreen using a switch button, which by default is "H". More information on the Basic Homescreen is needed.

Default key definitions


Command Fullcreen Navigate First/Last Keyboard Alt+Enter Up, Down, Left, Right Up, Down, Left, Right Home/End Channel up/down Back 0 .. 9 OK Info General remote

Prev/Next page Page Up/Down Previous menu Enter number Activate Context menu Maximize view Esc 0 .. 9 Enter F9 X

Volume down/up -/= Mute Play Pause Stop Rewind/FFrwd Skip prev/next M P Space B F5/F6 F7/F8

Volume down/up Mute Play Pause Stop Rewind/FFwrd Replay/Skip

Parent directory U, Esc File info Delete Switch home Screenshot F3 Del, 0 H F11 Start

Exit MP

Power

See also: keyboard shortcuts overview, Keys and Sounds section of MediaPortal Configuration, key definitions at My TV and My Videos.

Topbar
Introduction
If you enter a Module e.g. My Videos and you navigate to the top of the frame the Topbar will pop up.

Buttons: Back: this option brings you back to the screen you have come from Video Step Backward: if you are playing a video you can use this option to go one step backward Video Fast Backward: if you are playing a video you can use this option to go fast backward Video Play: you can use this option to start a video file or resume a paused Video Video Pause: if you are playing a video you can use this option to pause the playback Video Stop: if you are playing a video you can use this option to stop the playback Video Fast Forward: if you are playing a video you can use this option to go fast forward Video Step Forward: if you are playing a video you can use this option to go one step forward Maximize/Minimize: this option can be used to Maximize/Minimize MediaPortal Close: This option will close MediaPortal and bring you back to the WindowsXP Desktop MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortalBasicNavigation (last edited 2008-10-07 10:13:49 by pbb)

Using My TV
Features
Turn on/off TV Browse Channels Browse Electronic Program Guide Record Shows Compress Shows Search Shows Using My TV is simple once you have tuned in the correct channels. You will have these options: Electronic Program Guide The electronic program guide gives you a nice overview about your TV-Program. If you select a show you will get into the record screen. On the left side you will have multiple options for recording. On the right side you will see the description of the show and upcoming episodes (if available).

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

Groups: If you have predefined different channel-groups (bouquets, e.g. sports, news) you can select your favorite one, here. Channels: Here you can browse all available channels (of the selected group) and select one. TV on: Click TVon to turn TV on or off. Timeshift: Click Timeshift to turn timeshift on or off Timer: Here you can see your scheduled recordings and schedule a new manual recording. Recorded TV: Here you can see your recorded shows. Search: Here you can search for a show by name, artist, etc. You will see all upcoming shows and you can directly record a show. Teletext: Here you will see Teletext for the current channel.

Fullscreen Mode Timeline

The timeline shows your current position in time and in the "Timeshift Buffer". White Arrows = Your actual position in the timeline Red = The part of the show that is not covered by timeshift (from the moment on you switched to that channel or started timeshifting) Green = The part of the show that is covered by timeshift (meaning you could rewind until the spot where red and green meet each other) Orange = The part of the show ahead from your current position that is covered by timeshift (meaning you can forward til the end of the orange bar which is the live position of the current tv program when you e.g. hit pause and resume afterwards)

Default key definitions


Command Start TV Enter channel nr 0..9 Keyboard General remote TV 0..9 Channel down/up

Prev/Next channel F7/F8 Last channel Now playing Autozap Record Zoom Z Enter O,P R S

Record Aspect ratio

OSD Show Messenger

Y C

See also: keyboard shortcuts overview, Keys and Sounds section at Setup General, key definitions at Basic Navigation and My Videos.

View recorded TV Default key definitions


Recorded TV uses the same key definitions as fullscreen video.

TV Guide

Note: To display station logos in the TV Guide, check the TV and Radio Channel Logos guide.

Default key definitions


Command Start TV guide Current time Home Rewind/FFrwd Keyboard General remote TV Guide

Browse back/fwd F5/F6 Zoom in/out F7/F8

Prev/Next page Page Up/Down Skip/Replay

Setup
To setup My TV, go to the Television section in MediaPortal Setup. You can also change some settings from within MediaPortal, with the ?My TV section in Settings. MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMyTV (last edited 2009-02-06 04:26:45 by charger)

My Pictures

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

Features
Share and enjoy your pictures/photos with slide shows. Add fun to your slideshows with background music or radio. Easy management of photo albums all from the remote. Zoom, rotation and Ken burns effect of photos. The My Pictures Plugin has the following options:

Highlighting a picture in the list and right clicking the mouse or using F3 on the keyboard, an on screen display

will appear with the following options Properties

Rotate

Show Slideshow File Menu

View As

List (The image below) Icons Big Icons (an example is the first image on this page) Filmstrip (The image above)

Sort by

Name Date Size

Slideshow
"normal slideshow" ie just the pictures in that folder currently open will be shown as slideshow

R. Slideshow
"recursive slideshow" ie pictures in that folder currently open as well as pictures in "child" folders will be shown as slide show

Create Thumbs
MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMyPictures (last edited 2009-01-27 19:13:23 by 118-93-15-21)

My Radio

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

Features
Organize and listen to your favorite radio stations. Support for streaming, DVB and FM radio thru internal add on cards. Use the integrated player or use your favorite external application.

View

List (The image below) Icons (The image above) (Note: to display station logos, check the TV and Radio Channel Logos

guide.) Big Icons (an example is the first image on this page)

Sort by

Name Type Genre Bitrate Channel

Previous
Changes channel to the radio station/stream one above the current station in the list as sorted by name.

Next
Changes channel to the radio station/stream one below the current station in the list as sorted by name.

Guide

MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMyRadio (last edited 2008-10-07 10:14:22 by pbb)

Organizing Your Music Collection


Mediaportal has some very advanced features on how to organize and browse through your music collection. With these advanced features is it possible to change almost everything about how you view your music.

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

There are four different ways of how the information about your music collection can be displayed by MediaPortal. How you access your music collection How you browse through your music collection How this information is displayed in Mediaportal How big the icons are you click on and how they are sorted How you access your music collection share view database view How you browse through your music collection Music -> Artist -> Album -> Tracks Music -> A-Z -> A-> Artist -> Album -> Tracks How this information is displayed in Mediaportal 01 - OK Computer - Radiohead - Airbag.mp3 (04:44) 12-07-2006 01 - Airbag.mp3 (04:44)) How big the Icons are you click on and how they are sorted List: shows a list of small icons and text on the right side of the icon Icons: shows a group of medium sized icons with text underneath Big Icons: shows a group of big icons with text underneath Big Icon List: shows a list of big icons and text on the right side of the icon Filmstrip: shows one big icon and a small strip underneath MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMyMusic (last edited 2008-10-07 10:14:31 by pbb)

My Videos
Features

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

My Videos is the central point for all kinds of video data. It will play videos and DVDs. It will stack multipart movies and you can create playlists. ?IMDB support is built in to automatically get movie information

View
Clicking this button cycles through the various display modes for the videos view: Icons, Big Icons, Filmstrip & List. Right Clicking a video in the list will display a menu with the following choices: Add to playlist - adds the selected video to the current playlist Scan IMDB - downloads information from ?IMDB database and automatically adds it to the MediaPortal database. Delete this video File menu Copy Move Rename Delete New Folder Set as Destination Goto Destination Unstack - ?

Pressing F3 on a selected movie will display the ?IMDB information or will access ?IMDB to download the information and automatically adds it to the MediaPortal database.

Sort by:
This allows you to change the order of the files. Name, Date, Size, Year, DVD#

Switch Views
Provides the option to change View based on Shares, Genres, Actors, Titles or Years Note that the Views Genres, Actors, Titles or Years requires that the movie titles have been added to the database.

Playlist Play DVD


Plays the DVD disk inserted in the DVD drive.

Eject
Ejects the DVD disk in the DVD drive.

Configuration
The location for the files displayed in My Videos is established using Videos Setup.

Default My Videos key definitions


Command Playlist Add to playlist Keyboard General remote F1 Y

Movie Information F3

Default fullscreen video key definitions


Command Fast rwnd/frwd Skip back/frwd Big skip back/frwd Jump to timecode On-Screen Display MSN Chat Zoom/Aspect ratio Subtitles Keyboard General remote F5/F6 Left/Right Down/Up 0 .. 9 Y C S L

Switch audio stream A See also: keyboard shortcuts overview, Keys and Sounds section at Setup General, key definitions at Basic Navigation and My TV. MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMyVideos (last edited 2009-04-30 00:04:50 by d58-106-116-61)

My Video-Editor
Last time updated: 2007-01-30

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

Introduction Now you can edit and cut your files within MediaPortal just using your remote! This Plugin was created to help getting rid of commercials, pre- and post recordings or whatever you like. You can edit video files using dvr-ms and mpeg format. Just add the segments you would like to keep to Cutlist and a new file will be created and named as your original file was named. This is important to get all information, that are stored in MediaPortal's database like EPG-Description, when watching the video. Your original-file will get the phrase "_original" added. -

It took quite some time to get this work. Even MP's code needed to be changed for this. Special thanks to Kaybe and Brutus who did all the coding! I just brought them together and helped with the screens. If you have any suggestions or comments, please post here. And I think it may help to keep Kaybe and Brutus motivated to go on, if they get some positive feedback, too. :wink: Regards Ralph

Plugin Type
Window

Development Status
Describe the development status, like stable, alpha, beta, proof of concept, etc.

Requirements
Requires MediaPortal x.x.x.x Requires plugin ?xxx to be installed and activated. Requires ?certain hardware. Requires ?certain stand-alone software.

Download
Included in the main MediaPortal installation.

Configuration
See My Video-Editor config.

Usage Guide
Let's go: 1. In the first screen you can browse your computer and choose the file you would like to edit. 2. In the next screen you can use pause and play button on your remote. Use the slider for fast browsing through your file and the back and forward button to make 1 second steps. 3. Press start and end to mark the segment you would like to keep and press add. This segment will now be added to the Cutlist. You can repeat this several times to add multiple segments. 4. After that just hit the Cut-button and your file will be created and saved. You will get a pop-up message when the file has been saved. The Cancel button can be used to stop this saving procedure.

5. Just go back (ESC) and choose another file you would like to cut. That's it. Enjoy and have fun.

Change Log
Update 18.09.2006: New release of VideoEditor out now. New features added: convert dvr-ms files to mpeg message box will ask you to delete original file after converting or cutting MPs database will be updated after cutting a file Please notice that actually only dvr-ms files, (your standard recordings made with MediaPortal) will take full advantage of all features! Mpeg files actually only have limited features: no joining only the first entry (in and out) in cutlist will be used no progressbar We will try to get all features work with mpeg files, too.:) To get the latest release you need an SVN-Snapshot. Only recommend for advanced users!

Update 12.09.2006: Dvr-MpegCut now is called VideoEditor! Update 08.08.2006: New release of Dvr-MpegCut out now. new features added: when cutting/saving a file a progress-bar will show the status you can now join several files to one big file! -> only working for dvr-ms-files, right now. Just choose cut or join on the first screen to activate the feature you would like to use. The new big file will be named as the first file you choose. The first-file will get the phrase _joined added. cutlist entries can be edited Just choose the entry you would like to edit and hit the context-menu button (F9) You can choose delete or edit this entry select an entry in cutlist and press OK, and you will jump to the start and end point of this entry in explorer now your shares are shown, too bug fixes: current time issue has been fixed explorer issue after leaving cutscreen has been fixed

Known Problems / Troubleshooting


Smallest step is >1 second.

Todo list
List and briefly describe any items on the todo list for future version. Example: Fix feature XYZ in next version. Add new feature X.

Author(s)
?kaybe and ?brutus, skin by ?Ralph.

License
Describe the usage license for your plugin here.

See Also
You can supply extra links here.

Discussion / Support
Forum discussion

<< Back to Plugins. MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMyVideo-Editor (last edited 2008-10-07 10:14:57 by pbb)

My Weather
Features

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

Detailed weather conditions Multiple choices for units of measurement Toggle between multiple locations (configured in Weather Setup in the Mediaportal Configuration program) Four Day weather forecasts Multiple weather maps for each location The Weather Plugin has the following options:

Images

Displays the following types of weather maps: Satellite Temperature UV Index Winds Humidity Precipitation To toggle through the map choices, click the third button from the top ("View: Precipitation" in the above image) Please see the Weather Setup page for the weather image configuration instructions

Refresh
Updates the current screen with the most recent weather information

4 Day Forecast

Shows a detailed forecast for a single day. Clicking the Day button (the "Monday" button in the image above) will cycle through the four days shown in the initial screen of the plugin Clicking the Day button a fifth time will return you to the initial screen of the plugin

City

Brings up a OSD menu that allows user to choose the weather locations set up in the Weather Setup section in the MediaPortal Configuration program MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMyWeather (last edited 2008-10-07 10:15:07 by pbb)

Play DVD
This function plays the currently inserted DVD. If more than one DVD exists, MediaPortal will show a dialog box, with the possibility to choose which DVD to play.

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

Example

MediaPortal Wiki: UsingPlayDVD (last edited 2008-10-07 10:15:28 by pbb)

My last.fm Radio
MediaPortal interface
Start / Change stream Recommendation radio MediaPortal User's group radio Tune into chosen tag Personal radio of Loved tracks of My neighbour radio (Tags) (Friends)

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

System tray icon


Love Ban Skip MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMyLastFM-Radio (last edited 2008-10-07 10:15:46 by pbb)

My Wikipedia
Features

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

The Wikipedia plugin allows the user to search the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia from within MediaPortal. Using an on screen keyboard, the user can enter a search term and the plugin will display the related article. The plugin also allows the user to display images or follow links contained within the article. The Wikipedia plugin currently supports seven local Wikipedia sites.

Search

Clicking this button opens an on screen keyboard The keys can be selected by navigating to a key by remote control, clicking on a key with a mouse or by typing on the htpc keyboard Using the On Screen Keyboard, enter a search term Clicking "Done" searches for the exact phrase. If the plugin finds an article on the search term, it will be displayed in a textbox on the right side of the screen. Clicking "Contains" returns a list of articles which the search term appears in the title If the search returns no results, the message "Sorry, no article was found for your searchterm..."

Language

The plugin can access several local Wikipedia sites. For example: English German French Dutch Norwegian Swedish Italian Read the section "Hacking wikipedia.xml" on the bottom of this page to find out how you can customize the used languages.

Links

Selecting this button opens up an on screen menu with a list of related topics that are linked in the search term's Wikipedia entry. Selecting an item from the menu displays the Wikipedia article for the selected item.

Images

Clicking this button opens up an on screen menu with a list of images that are contained in the Wikipedia entry for the current search term. Selecting an item from menu replaces displays the associated image. The image replaces the text on the right side of the screen.

Back to the text

This button is only displayed when viewing and image. Allows the user to return to the text of the Wikipedia entry after viewing a related image.

"Hacking" wikipedia.xml
As of SVN revision 13052 (21.02.2007) there is a new configuration file for this plugin. Just look for wikipedia.xml in MediaPortal's root directory. The file starts with a section where all available sites are listed. You can change the order of the languages here (how they appear in the language selection control) and it is also your first startpoint for adding a new site. To do so just append the name of the new language to the list. The second step to add a new site is to add a new section like the following: <section name="Your language"> <entry name="url">URL to your local Export page</entry> <entry name="imagepattern">Term used in image URLs</entry> <entry name="imageurl">URL to image pages</entry> <entry name="string">The string ID of your new language (see below)</entry> </section> The last step would be to add a new language string to your MediaPortal language file. Strings 2600 and up are used for language translations. Good luck MediaPortal Wiki: UsingWikipedia (last edited 2008-10-07 10:16:18 by pbb)

My Sudoku
Features

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

Sudoku, also known as Number Place or Nanpure, is a logic-based placement puzzle. The aim of the puzzle is to enter the digits 1 through 9 in each cell of a 99 grid made up of 33 subgrids (called "regions") so that each row, column, and region contains exactly one instance of each digit. A set of clues, or "givens", constrain the puzzle such that there is only one way to correctly fill in the remainder. For more information on history, strategy and analysis of Sudoku, please visit the Sudoku page on Wikipedia.

New game

The New game button starts a new game. To fill in a square with a number, move the highlight to the square you want to fill in and select it. A list control will appear with the choices 1-9 (numbers to fill in) and 10 to clear the square of any previous value. The chosen number may not always appear in the square; see description of invalid moves button below.

Help once

The plugin will fill in one square at random with the correct number (shown in white above).

Reset Game
Clears the grid of all numbers entered by the user. The squares that were filled as clues to start the game remain (shown in black).

Solve

Shows the solution to the puzzle. The numbers black are the clues to start the game; numbers in red are the squares that were empty at the start.

Block invalid moves


When the user tries to select a number that does not belong in the square, the plugin will not display the choice in the grid. Block invalid moves can not be selected at the same time as Show invalid moves.

Show invalid moves


When the user tries to select a number that does not belong in the square, the plugin will display the choice in the grid. Show invalid moves can not be selected at the same time as Block invalid moves.

Level:
Choose the level of difficulty: kids easy medium difficult

Clear
Removes all numbers from the grid. MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMySudoku (last edited 2008-10-07 10:16:51 by pbb)

Settings plugin

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

The Settings plugin allows you to change certain aspects of MediaPortal from within the MediaPortal interface, as an alternative to the various other locations outside of MediaPortal. Please note that the external setup program allows for more option and settings than this internal settings plugin.

Settings Features
?Setup Wizard ?General ?Screen Calib (Screen Calibration) ?My TV My Pictures My Videos My DVD My Music MediaPortal Wiki: UsingSettings (last edited 2008-10-07 10:17:03 by pbb)

My Plugins
My Plugins collects all the enabled window plugins that are not shown in the Home screen. See included plugins and community plugins for an overview of MediaPortal plugins. MediaPortal Wiki: UsingMyPlugins (last edited 2008-10-07 10:17:30 by pbb)

Using MediaPortal Basic Navigation My TV My Pictures My Radio My Music My Videos MyVideo Editor My Weather Play DVD My last.fm Radio Wikipedia My Sudoku Settings My Plugins

MediaPortal Extension Installer (MPEI)


General

The MPEI was developed to help our users to find, install and update MediaPortal Extensions such as plugins, skins and others. This is possible by browsing a list of extensions which is available on our online repository. But it also allows you to manually install extensions on PC's without an internet connection. Creating new Extension packages is also included in MPEI

Manual
Create a new Extension Install and uninstall Extensions MediaPortal Wiki: MPEI (last edited 2009-01-15 12:33:56 by infinityloop)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


Contents 1. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 1. General 1. Why should I use MediaPortal? 2. Does MediaPortal run on linux? 3. Does MediaPortal run on Windows MCE2005? 4. Does MediaPortal run on Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)? 5. Does MediaPortal run on Windows 2000, Windows XP (Pre Service Pack 2)32 bit version or Windows XP 64 bit Version? 6. Does MediaPortal run on Windows Vista (pre Service Pack 1) , Windows Server 2003 , Windows Server 2008 or Windows XP/Vista with Beta Service Pack versions? 7. I am using a stripped down or streamlined version of XP. Why does MediaPortal run so badly on it? 8. MediaPortal Freezes/Locks Up within seconds of the GUI showing on Windows XP ONLY. 9. I can't run Microsoft Media Center after installing MediaPortal 10. I would like to help out, what can I do? 11. Where can I post a bug-report? 12. Where can I post a feature request? 2. Hardware 1. Does MediaPortal support my tv tuner? 2. How many TV-Cards can i use properly with MediaPortal? 3. How many LNBs can i use with MediaPortal? 4. Can I run MediaPortal properly with my old DirectX7/8 VGA-Card? 5. If I have a dual tuner card, how many shows can I record/watch at the same time? 6. Can I run MediaPortal properly on a secondary display? 7. Does MediaPortal support media extenders like the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3? 8. Does my remote control work with MediaPortal? 3. My TV 1. What is the default recording format and how can I change this? 2. Where will my recordings be saved by default and how can I change this? 3. Is it required to start MediaPortal to record a scheduled TV Show? 4. Can I watch encrypted channels with MediaPortal? 5. The playback of TV is horizontally cut into halfs, what is that? 6. 'Shift'+'1' -> What does the displayed info mean? 7. How do I add TV Logos to the EPG? 8. How are the zoom modes working? 4. My Videos 1. Can I watch VCDs or SVCDs with MediaPortal? 2. How can I play files with multiple audio streams? 3. Some .mkv files fail to start playback? 4. The playback of the video is horizont cut into halfs, what is that? 5. What can I do against "Tearing"? 6. How do I play Quicktime movies in Mediaportal 7. Why am I getting no sound when playing DVDs or videos with AC3 audio? 8. How are the zoom modes working? 5. DVD playback 1. Why do i just get a blackscreen instead of a menu on some DVDs? 2. How are the zoom modes working? 6. My Music 1. How do I switch to a fullscreen visualisation when playing a song in MediaPortal? 2. I saw nice album pictures on some screenshots, where can I add them? 3. My music files have different volume levels, how can I avoid adjusting volume on every song change? 7. My Radio

1. How do I add Radio Logos? 8. General Development 1. I would like to compile MediaPortal by my own. 2. Where can I find the MediaPortal source code? 3. How do I download the MediaPortal source code? 4. What's the size of MediaPortal source code? 5. I have changed some code, how can I make it available to the public? 6. I have coded a plugin/skin/whatever. How can I make it available to the public? 7. Do I have to keep some formatting or coding style when coding for MediaPortal? 9. Skin Development 1. Is there any documentation for the skin XML files? 2. I have changed graphics or skin XML files but don't see a change in MediaPortal. 10. Performance 1. Why doesn't MediaPortal perform as well as the application provided with my TV card? 2. Why does MediaPortal use DirectX9 Video Mixing Renderer (VMR9) for Video Playback? 3. Would a stripped-down version of MediaPortal be faster?

General Why should I use MediaPortal?


Review the software. MediaPortalFeatures to see why you should use MediaPortal over other Mediacenter

Does MediaPortal run on linux?


MediaPortal has been designed for Windows and will not run on linux. designed specifically for Linux. Myth TV is a similar project

Does MediaPortal run on Windows MCE2005?


Yes, it does out of the box. As Windows MCE is basically an XP, all XP-requirements also apply for MCE. The MCE services are stopped by MediaPortal as well automatically.

Does MediaPortal run on Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)?


Yes, it does provided User Account Control is turned off in the Windows Control Panel (click on User Accounts).

Does MediaPortal run on Windows 2000, Windows XP (Pre Service Pack 2)32 bit version or Windows XP 64 bit Version?
MediaPortal will NOT install on Windows 2000, Windows XP 32 bit version (pre Service Pack 2) or Windows XP 64 bit version . More informtion can be found on the Supported Operating Systems page

Does MediaPortal run on Windows Vista (pre Service Pack 1) , Windows Server 2003 , Windows Server 2008 or Windows XP/Vista with Beta Service Pack versions?
These versions of windows are not officially supported by the MediaPortal Team. Especially Windows 2000 and the server versions of Windows lack of the Stream Buffer Engine (SBE) by Microsoft which MediaPortal relies on for watching TV. More informtion can be found on the Supported Operating Systems page

I am using a stripped down or streamlined version of XP. Why does MediaPortal run so badly on it?
Stripped down Windows versions mostly lack of some basic services and settings MediaPortal uses. We cannot supply a list of services that have to be installed, as some plugins need services that others don't. In general we recommend not to used a stripped version of Windows, you might experience some very weird things and unexpected crashes with it. The same applies if you disable some Windows services by hand. You cannot predict what plugin component is going to need what service.

MediaPortal Freezes/Locks Up within seconds of the GUI showing on Windows XP ONLY.


A current problem with 690G chipset / x1250 GPU has the inability to perform a certain standard .NET 2 function called reflections ("FLIPX" or "FLIPY"). MediaPortal uses this standard function frequently throughout its skins. The desktop appears to freeze or lockup but navigation through the GUI is still occuring only noticible through sounds events only. Changing between fullscreen on windowed mode (by pressing ALT & ENTER) will refresh the GUI to the navigation key strokes pressed after the freeze/lockup but will freeze/lockup again within seconds.. NOTE:- This only occurs on operating systems with Windows XP (all Service Packs). To resolve this issue, drivers of Catalyst Control Center (CCC) 7.2 or lower must be used. Alternatively, if the later drivers are used/required, modified skin files can be used which do not use this standard .NET 2 feature and will eliminate the freeze/lockup http://forum.team-mediaportal.com issue. These can be found in the following forum thread, /general-support-51/ati-690g-x1250-problems-29894/ This is not an issue with MediaPortal but with the chipset itself as Windows Vista users do not suffer this issue.

I can't run Microsoft Media Center after installing MediaPortal


After installing MediaPortal, if you try and run Microsoft Media Center (MCE) the TV Section won't work. This is because by default, MediaPortal marks the MCE services as disabled in the services control panel within windows. This is done to ensure there are no conflicts between MCE and MediaPortal. A patch on the MediaPortal forum can be installed to configure your preferences and can be found

I would like to help out, what can I do?


Please review the ContributorsGuide which explains the different ways you can help on the MediaPortal project.

Where can I post a bug-report?


First of all, please check if a bug has not already been reported on the team forum or at the bugtracker. normal forums, on the test

If your bug is not reported there, please read the bug template thoroughly and post your bug to the normal forums or, even better, to the test team forum. bug section on the Posting to the test team forum ensures that the test team will try to reproduce your bug and hand the necessary information over to the developers to fix the problem.

Where can I post a feature request?


First of all, please check if your request has not already been implemented or is listed on the request section on the forums. feature

If it's not, you're welcome to describe your feature with as many details as you can and post it onto forum section. Those details help the developers to get an idea on how the feature should look that like at the end and helps other users to give some input and enhancements on your idea. Please note: Requesting a feature does not necessarily mean it will be implemented as soon as possible or that it will get implemented at all. Please refrain from asking questions like: "I have posted a feature request, but still I don't find it in MediaPortal. When will someone put that in?" Feature requests should be an inspiration for the team, bugging does not help there. But as many users know, there are a lot of requests that already came to life and made MediaPortal even better than it was before. The team always had open ears for new features and ideas.

Hardware Does MediaPortal support my tv tuner?


Please review our ?Supported TV-Cards List to determine if your tv tuner is currently compatible with MediaPortal.

How many TV-Cards can i use properly with MediaPortal?


Generally speaking as much as you can install into your PC. But there is a limitation caused by a bug in WindowsXP. With Windows XP you can only use 1 DVB-Card without issues. You can still use multiple analog cards and one DVB-Card. But because of the bug in Windows XP you can't use more than one DVB-Card out of the box. This bug may be fixed with Service Pack 3 for WindowsXP. The only exception is the Skystar2 which doesn't use a BDA-driver and is supported by MediaPortal. You can use one or two Skystar 2 TV-Cards along with one other DVB-TV-Card and multiple analog cards with WindowsXP. With "MCE Rollup 2" Microsoft updated the files "mpeg2data.ax" and "PsisDecd.dll" to fix this bug for Windows MCE 2005. Thats why you can use as many DVB-Cards as you can install into your PC with this operation system. To fix the bug in Windows XP it would be necessary to replace & register those files located in Windows/System32 with the fixed MCE versions. See this forum thread for details how to work around this problem. Please note that those files can't and aren't distributed by Team MediaPortal, as they are copyrighted by Microsoft.

How many LNBs can i use with MediaPortal?


Generally speaking MediaPortal can adress 4 LNBs. But at the moment switching between LNBs is only supported with Skystar2, firedtv/floppydtv and Technotrend TV-Cards.

Can I run MediaPortal properly with my old DirectX7/8 VGA-Card?


NO. Since MediaPortal uses VMR9 a DirectX 9 compatible videocard is required and older cards are not supported. It is possible that older VGA-cards may also work, but you will have to accept a higher CPU load. You will find more information on the MediaPortal Requirements page.

If I have a dual tuner card, how many shows can I record/watch at the same time?
You can record two shows simultaneously with a dual tuner card. While recording, you can only view those channels since they are being used by the tuners. If you are recording with only one tuner, you can scan and watch any other channel with the second available tuner.

Can I run MediaPortal properly on a secondary display?


MediaPortal can in most cases run properly on a secondary display. This can be configured in the "MediaPortal Configuration" program where in the "General" part screen selection can be enabled by selecting "use screenselector" and setting the appropriate screen in the selection box afterwards. The video card does need to support accelerating the content of the secondary screen tho.

Does MediaPortal support media extenders like the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3?
At the moment there are no media extenders that work with MediaPortal. As a developer you are more than welcome to add support for those.

Does my remote control work with MediaPortal?


This depends on your remote control. Currently the following remotes are natively supported by MediaPortal: Microsoft MCE remotes & keyboard with a certified receiver (no out of the box support for XP Home) Hauppauge 34- & 45-button remote ATI & Medion X10 remote (other X10 remote types can be added)

FireDTV basic support for HID devices (multimedia keys on keyboards, uncertified MCE remote clones) DirectInput gamepads MAME gamepads (as supplied plugin) All other remotes need some 3rd party applications to send keystrokes or HID commands to MediaPortal (sometimes supplied with your remote).

My TV What is the default recording format and how can I change this?
MediaPortal uses DVR-MS by default and this cannot be changed. DVR-MS is just a wrapper for the MPEG stream recorded by MediaPortal. You can get the pure MPEG/AC-3 streams using the convert feature in MediaPortal without any loss or recompression.

Where will my recordings be saved by default and how can I change this?
The default path is: My Documents\My Recordings To change this open MediaPortal configuration and goto: --> Television --> Capture Cards --> Select (your) Capture Card from the list --> Edit --> On the Tab "Capture card" you can determine the recording folder (if the card is activated for recordings)

Is it required to start MediaPortal to record a scheduled TV Show?


Yes, it is required that MediaPortal is running to record a scheduled TV Show. MediaPortal is not designed to run as a service.

Can I watch encrypted channels with MediaPortal?


Yes, you can watch encrypted channels, if you have a valid subscription card for the channels you want to watch. MediaPortal does NOT support softcams and will never support them! See some more details. this thread for

Furthermore you need a TV card with CI that is properly supported. Currently only 2 kinds of cards are confirmed to be working with CI. Others might also work but that still needs to be tested thorougly. See ?Supported TV-Cards to find out which cards support a common interface for channel decryption.

The playback of TV is horizontally cut into halfs, what is that?


This is called "Tearing".

'Shift'+'1' -> What does the displayed info mean?


Example: 0.00fps (1280x720), 100 backbuf X8R8G8B8, adaptor X8R8G8B8 (D16) False VMR9 49.69 fps 47.41 sync: 0 drawn: 19083 dropped: 19 jitter: 18 0.00fps: These are the frames drawn per sec for the GUI. When you are watching tv/video/dvd with VMR9 then this should be 0.00fps since the GUI is then drawn by VMR9 and not by MediaPortal. If you are using overlay (or you are not watching tv/video/dvd) then this represents how fast the GUI gets drawn. Note you can specify the max. fps in MediaPortals settings screen. (1280x720): Current resolution MP is working in 100: Is a debug number, ignore it backbuf X8R8G8B8, adaptor X8R8G8B8 (D16): This tells you which !DirectX screen format is being used. Again you can safely ignore it. False: You can ignore this VMR9 49.69: Indicates VMR9 is active and that its drawing 49.69 video frames/sec

fps 47.41: The average frame rate since playback has been started sync: 0: The average time difference between when the video frames should have been displayed and when they actually were displayed drawn: 19083: The number of video frames actually drawn since playback has been started dropped: 19: The number of video frames dropped by the video renderer jitter: 18: The average time between successive video frames delivered to the video renderer And what about the white line moving from left to right? It will display any "tearing" or other breaks in the video "smoothness" - the line should be continuous and move smoothly.

How do I add TV Logos to the EPG?


The TV & Radio Channel Logos Page on the MediaPortal Wiki provides details how to obtain the logo's and add the logos to the EPG.

How are the zoom modes working?


A description of all available Video Zoom Modes can ve found on the related wiki page.

My Videos Can I watch VCDs or SVCDs with MediaPortal?


Yes, you can. You will have to install the CDXA reader filter for this. You can download it here.

How can I play files with multiple audio streams?


You have to install the Button. Haali Media Splitter. The stream can be switched with the A-Key or Green-

Don't forget to tick every supported-format checkbox (e.g. "AVI", "MKV", etc) when you install Haali's Splitter.

Some .mkv files fail to start playback?


Goto Start.. Programs.. Haali Media Splitter and choose "Media Splitter Settings". Under Options-tab Compatibility choose "Autoload VSFilter" to "yes". In some Haali versions it's "Preload". Also make sure you have VSFilter/Direct ?VobSub installed

The playback of the video is horizont cut into halfs, what is that?
This is called "Tearing".

What can I do against "Tearing"?


Tearing can be prevented by enabling Exclusive DirectX mode. This setting can be found in Configure->General. Also try setting the VSynch of your graphics card to a multiple of the video FPS. Eg. PAL 25FPS -> 50 / 75 / 100 Hz.

How do I play Quicktime movies in Mediaportal


Quicktime Alternative Tutotial

Why am I getting no sound when playing DVDs or videos with AC3 audio?
Your AC-3 codec may be configured to output to SPDIF instead of your speakers. Open Windows Media Player. Click Tools -> Options. Select DVD tab and press Advanced, and ensure the AC3 and DTS decoder settings are set to decode to speakers and not to SPDIF.

How are the zoom modes working?

A description of all available Video Zoom Modes can ve found on the related wiki page.

DVD playback Why do i just get a blackscreen instead of a menu on some DVDs?
This is a codec related problem. We strongly recommend that you always use DVD-Navigator, video and audiocodec from the same brand. In example PowerDVD, or the Vista inbuilt. If you try to combine DVD Navigartor and audio/video codecs from different manufatuers, then you will encounter problems with menus of some dvd's

How are the zoom modes working?


A description of all available Video Zoom Modes can ve found on the related wiki page.

My Music How do I switch to a fullscreen visualisation when playing a song in MediaPortal?


Hit X or your fullscreen keyboard shortcut. On some remotes the red button is mapped to fullscreen as well.

I saw nice album pictures on some screenshots, where can I add them?
Album art is added for all songs in a folder by putting a file in the folder named folder.jpg. If such a file is detected by Media Portal, it will be displayed as the album art when any song in the folder is playing. To use an image for a single track, name the image file the same as the audio file but with a .tbn extension. This acts as a thumbnail image that will be displayed when the file is playing. For example, given a song called songOne.mp3, name the image for this file songOne.tbn. You can also grab automatically (from Amazon.com) an album cover by browsing to "My Music", switching to "Share View" and bringing the context-menu on an album folder and then select the "Find Coverart " button. Then follow the on screen indications.

My music files have different volume levels, how can I avoid adjusting volume on every song change?
You could try foobar2000 as external player. It has an option called "Replay Gain". Scan your collection once, activate it in foobar's config and enjoy seamless track changes. Hint: Change the default settings from ape tags to ID3v2.

My Radio How do I add Radio Logos?


The TV & Radio Channel Logos Page on the MediaPortal Wiki provides details how to obtain the logo's and add the logos to the EPG.

General Development I would like to compile MediaPortal by my own.


Because MediaPortal is open source you can get all sources and compile it on your own. See ?this tutorial to get instructions.

Where can I find the MediaPortal source code?


The MediaPortal source code is stored in a SVN repository on It can be browsed using the SourceForge repository viewer. sourceforge.net.

How do I download the MediaPortal source code?


The MediaPortal source code is stored in a SVN repository on sourceforge.net. See this tutorial to get instructions.

What's the size of MediaPortal source code?


The MediaPortal source code is about 160MB. However, SVN uses compression so only 66MB need to be downloaded, if you download the needed main trunk only. All other branches should not be downloaded.

I have changed some code, how can I make it available to the public?
If you have patches or additions to MediaPortal, upload WHOLE files (no diffs) to the SourceForge patches section. Please note that you need an account for that, we cannot accept anonymous submissions. As soon as the patch is checked, tested and approved, it will be added to the SVN repository by a team developer. This way we can make sure that your patch does not break MediaPortal for other users.

I have coded a plugin/skin/whatever. How can I make it available to the public?


Just zip/rar it, including the source code and upload it to our download repository. Please use a 'release' and 'source' folder. Please note that you need an account for that, you can easily get one here. Please be sure to choose the correct category and fill in as many fields as you can, as this helps users who are going to download your stuff. The upload will be approved by our administrators shortly after your upload.

Do I have to keep some formatting or coding style when coding for MediaPortal?
All stuff we put into SVN should follow the Microsoft C# coding style guidlines. IMPORTANT: Read this document to follow our adoption of those guidelines, especially the paragraphs about formatting, identation and commenting. Primary goal for the coding style guidelines (no matter if our own or Microsoft's) is to keep the code most readable for everyone. Please also add comments to your code to make it transparent for other devs. This practice attracts other devs to give some input and fixes for your code. You wouldn't want to read spaghetti code either, would you?

Skin Development Is there any documentation for the skin XML files?
Yes, you can find information on it on ?this wiki page.

I have changed graphics or skin XML files but don't see a change in MediaPortal.
Skin graphics and XML files are cached, just delete the packedgfx*.* files in the %?ProgramData%\MediaPortal\cache\skin folder . They will be rebuilt on the next MediaPortal start. Or remove the whole %?ProgramData%\MediaPortal\cache\skin folder, this will ensure graphics and fonts are rebuilt.

Performance

Why doesn't MediaPortal perform as well as the application provided with my TV card?
MediaPortal needs to support a large range of TV cards. For this it uses the Windows DirectShow API. The applications provided with most TV cards will communicate directly with the card and therefore can perform better in certain conditions. They can do this because they only need to support a very limited set of hardware and the provided applications typically have a limited feature set compared to MediaPortal.

Why does MediaPortal use DirectX9 Video Mixing Renderer (VMR9) for Video Playback?
VMR9 mode is used for TV and video playback for a number of reasons. The most important ones are: Drawing GUI on top of the video doesn't flicker. This enables on-screen displays to be drawn over the live TV images. DXVA can be used in hardware if codec & HW supports it Better image quality Better scaling quality VMR9 has improved timing code It can work in Direct3D exclusive mode which means the entire machine is set to fullscreen and no background application are allowed access to the video hardware. Under Direct3D Exclusive Mode, less CPU is required to play videos and depending on the resolution of the video, playback may be smoother. Exclusive mode is also required to stop tearing.

Would a stripped-down version of MediaPortal be faster?


No. MediaPortal is already modular and modules which are not used can be disabled in settings. However, removing code for those parts which you do not want to use will not improve the performance of MediaPortal or its basic hardware requirements.

MediaPortal Wiki: FrequentlyAskedQuestions (last edited 2009-04-14 14:00:31 by high)

TV-Server - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


Contents 1. General 1. Watch a current recording from the start 2. Common Errors & Problems 1. Error Message - DVBSub2.ax not registered 2. Unable to Configure MySQL in Vista 3. Error Message When running TV Setup - "Failed to Create Database" 3. Hardware 1. Question? 4. What do the green/red icons mean in setup tv ? 5. My tv card is not working or recognized 6. How do i get the EPG for analog tv channels ? 7. My hybrid TV card does not work ? 8. Things work when using good old MP, but not with tvserver 9. How can I sort the epg-channels ?

1. General 1.1. Watch a current recording from the start


TV Server offers the ability to watch a recording that is still currently in progress. This feature also allows you to watch it from the beginning (very much like time shifting). To access this feature, from the full TV Guide, select the program which is desired to be watched. If it is still recording, a pop up question will ask if you would like to watch from the beginning of the recording or from the live point of the recording. If you select from the beginning, you will also have the ability to skip forward (eg. skip the commercials) using the right arrow or up arrow of the keyboard, even up to the live point of the recording if desired. NOTE:- this feature will not be available from the miniEPG (miniEPG is when the TV picture is fullscreen and 'ENTER' key is pressed).

2. Common Errors & Problems 2.1. Error Message - DVBSub2.ax not registered
When receiving this error message, it will be due to the fact that the Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86) has not been installed onto the machine. To resolve this issue, please uninstall the software Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86) and install. that raised the error and then go to Once the C++ 2005 Reditributable Package installation is complete re-install the software which caused the error and everthing should be fine.

2.2. Unable to Configure MySQL in Vista


If you are receiving an error message in the likes of "This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel" when trying to run the MySQL wizard, then this post from Neowin.net forums may offer the solution.

2.3. Error Message When running TV Setup - "Failed to Create Database"


If when doing a re-installation of MSSQL or TV server you receive the error "Failed to Create Database", it may be due to the MSSQL database files were not deleted from the hard drive. To resolve this issue please follow the steps below :1. Ensure the TVLIBRARY database is deleted in the SQL management GUI 2. Browse to C:\program files\microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\DATA\ and ensure there are fo files that start with TvLibrary. If so, either rename or delete these files. 3. Now you should be able to run TVSetup.exe and it should create the new database.

3. Hardware 3.1. Question?


Answer

4. What do the green/red icons mean in setup tv ?

. .

This indicates a TV channel which is free-to-air. You can view this tv channel without a subscription This indicates a TV channel which is encrypted. To view this tv channel you will need 1. A tv card with a CI interface 2. A CAM 3. A valid subscription + smartcard

. .

This indicates a Radio channel which is free-to-air. You can listen to this channel without a subscription This indicates a Radio channel which is encrypted. Tolisten to this channel you will need 1. A tv card with a CI interface 2. A CAM 3. A valid subscription + smartcard

5. My tv card is not working or recognized


At the moment the ?TvServer supports the following types of cards 1. Analog tv card. 2. DVB / ATSC tv cards with BDA drivers 3. SkyStar 2 tv card 4. AirStar 2 tv card 5. CableStar 2 tv card 'Old' analog cards which don't have an onboard mpeg-2 encoder (often called S/W cards) supported at this moment However we know that a few s/w card brands are not working yet

6. How do i get the EPG for analog tv channels ?


In case of DVB cards, the EPG is automaticly grabbed from the broadcaster. For analog TV no EPG is present. To get an EPG you can use the WebEPG from Mediaportal. This application allows you to generate a XMLTV file which can be imported by the tvserver using the xml-tv importer plugin

7. My hybrid TV card does not work ?


Today we see more and more hybrid tv cards on the market. A hybrid tv card is a card which has 2 tuners, mostly those are for analog tv and dvb-t. The sad thing is that although it has 2 tuners, you can only use one of them at the same time. So if watch analog tv, then you cannot use the dvb-t part. And if you watch dvb-t you cannot use the analog part. The tvserver doesn't know about it. It thinks that there are 2 cards installed and that both can be used simultanously. To get it to work, you should tell the ?TvServer about these limitations. Here's how to do it: Configure Hybrid Cards

8. Things work when using good old MP, but not with tvserver
Make sure: 1. things work ok in setuptv (scanning works and timeshifting) 2. that there are no tvcards configurated in mediaportal itself. Check this with configuration.exe and remove any card configured under television

9. How can I sort the epg-channels ?


You can sort the channels in setuptv. Note that each tv-group can have a different sorting. The default group seen in mediaportal is called 'All Channels'. So:[[BR]] In TVServer Setup -> TV Channels. You have on the right, Channnels, Analog Channel and All the Channels (analog channels or other, depends your tv card) Choose "all the Channels" and order it as you want. .

MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/faq (last edited 2008-07-21 14:54:24 by localhost)

Troubleshooting Database
Sql server configuration
When you have problems connecting to the Sql Server database then open the Sql Server Configuration Manager and verify if: SQL Browser service is running

TCP/IP is enabled

Firewalls
The first thing that can block a connection to SQL Server is a firewall. If you have any firewalls, make sure they are configured to allow connections to SQL Server. Please check your Firewall Configuration

Use diffrent database


Call setuptv.exe with --configure-db to make it ask for database details. Then just give diffrent database name and setuptv.exe will create new one for you or use old one depending on your usage. MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/troubleshooting-Database (last edited 2008-07-21 14:52:49 by localhost)

Troubleshooting Streaming
Verify ip adress used for streaming
If everything works ok in a single-seat environment but not in a server environment then open setuptv and check if the ip adress assigned to each server is correct. This ip adress will determine on which network the video/audio will be streamed:

Firewalls
The streaming server uses the IETF RTSP/RTP protocols. RTSP runs on top of TCP, while RTP runs on UDP. Many firewalls are configured to restrict TCP packets by port number, and are very restrictive on UDP. Open the appropriate ports on the firewall. This allows the streaming server to be accessed via RTSP/RTP on the default ports and provides better use of network resources, lower speeds for client connections and less load on the server. Firewalls include ?McAfee, Norton, Windows Firewall which ships with Windows XP SP2, and Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) which ships with Windows 2000. Please check your Firewall Configuration MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/troubleshooting-Streaming-Multiseat (last edited 2008-07-21 14:52:47 by localhost)

TV Server log file locations


Please note that all log files are stored in the all user\application data folder

Windows 2000/2003/XP
Normally on an english XP this is the following folder:

Windows Vista
Normally on an english Vista this is the following folder:

MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/troubleshooting-logfiles (last edited 2008-07-21 14:52:47 by localhost)

Testing with VLC or MPlayer


If you have troubles getting streaming to work, then it might be helpfull to first try VLC or Mplayer Both are media players which can play live tv over RTSP.

Using SetupTv to start timeshifting manually


First install vlc and/or mplayer next start ?SetupTv and goto the Manual Control page:

Next select a channel and press the 'Start Times' button. Now if you look in the streaming server.log which is located in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MediaPortal TV Server\log you'll see the following:

Opening a stream in VLC


Start vlc, choose open file and fill in the rtsp adress as mentioned in the streaming server.log

Press ok and VLC should start playing the stream

Opening a stream in mplayer


open a command prompt cd to the mplayer folder type in: > mplayer tsp://192.168.1.58/stream1.0 where you replace the rtsp://xxxx stream with the one mentioned in the log file

MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/troubleshooting-streamtest (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:28 by localhost)

DVBSub2.ax Not Registered


When receiving this error message, it will be due to the fact that the Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86) has not been installed onto the machine. To resolve this issue, please uninstall the software that raised the error and then go to Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86) and install. Once the C++ 2005 Reditributable Package installation is complete re-install the software which caused the error and everthing should be fine. MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/troubleshooting-dvbsub2 (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:17 by localhost)

System Folders used by MediaPortal


MediaPortal uses various system folders (directories) for program files, application data and temporary files. The precise location of these folders is dependent on various factors, among which are Windows version, system language and user configuration. This document serves as a guide to find the right folders on your computer. The folders displayed for Windows XP and Vista are for a default configuration of the English-language version of Windows. The variables are configuration- and language-independent, and can be entered in the Start -> Run dialog, or in the address bar of an open Explorer window.

Program files
By default, the MediaPortal and TV Server applications are stored within a folder Team MediaPortal underneath your Program Files folder. However, this may have been changed by the user during installation. The most secure way to determine the actual location is by reading the registry key. Windows XP/Vista Variable C:\Program Files\Team MediaPortal\ %ProgramFiles%\Team MediaPortal\ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall Registry \MediaPortal\InstallPath HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall \MediaPortal TV Server\InstallPath

Application data
Configuration files for MediaPortal and TV Server are stored underneath the Team MediaPortal folder inside the All Users profile folder. The easiest way to open this folder is by using the User Files shortcut that is placed in your MediaPortal program group (in the Start menu), this will open the MediaPortal folder underneath the application data folder. Windows XP C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\

Windows Vista C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\ Variable %AllUsersProfile%\Team MediaPortal\

Log files
The information contained in these log files will assist in troubleshooting your problems. When troubleshooting, please ensure to increase the log verbosity through the MediaPortal Configuration application. For bug reporting it is recommended to run the MediaPortal Test Tool log-exporter application which contains more information on the system (i.e. Operating System, Event & System Logs, Codec connections.)

MediaPortal log files


Windows XP Windows Vista Variable C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal \MediaPortal\log\ C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\log\ %AllUsersProfile%\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal\log\

TV-Server log files


For easy access, a shortcut TV-Server Log-Files has been installed in your TV Server program group.

Windows XP Windows Vista Variable

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal \MediaPortal TV Server\log\ C:\ProgramData\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal TV Server\log\ %AllUsersProfile%\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal TV Server\log\

Temporary files
The MediaPortal Installer (DeployTool) and various other applications store extracted files in the Temporary Files folder. Windows XP C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Local Settings\Temp\

Windows Vista C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Temp\ Variable %temp%

MediaPortal Wiki: SystemFolders (last edited 2008-09-05 20:56:53 by pbb)

MediaPortal TestTool Contents 1. What it is 1. Information 2. Features: 2. MediaPortal - Debug Mode Shortcut 1. When do you use it 2. How does it work 3. Manually starting TestTool 1. When do you use it 2. How does it work 4. After a crash 5. What to do with the exported logfiles 6. Additional Information 1. Command-line parameters 2. DirectShow Graph capturing

What it is Information
This tool was designed to make testing and error reporting as easy as possible for you. The TestTool is included in your MediaPortal installation (MPTestTool2.exe). With the MediaPortal TestTool you will be able to export all necessary log files and system informations with only a few mouse clicks. Alternatively you can still manually attach all log files to support and bug report threads, or upload them to our pastebin and attach the links to your report.

Features:
Clears all log files before the test. Starts MediaPortal in "debug-mode" (enables debug logging for this test run). Exports Windows event logs, DXdiag info, list of installed Microsoft hotfixes and all MediaPortal log files. Exports all TV-Server log files (if installed on the same PC; single seat setup). Saves all log files as one zip file to a configurable destination. (Default is Desktop.) Automatically starts when MediaPortal crashes and allows you to export all logs. Captures all created DirectShow graphs and creates JPEG's of them. (This requires the Vista SDK on Windows Vista.)

MediaPortal - Debug Mode Shortcut When do you use it


When you want to reproduce an issue and create clean log files for your report, you start MediaPortal with the MediaPortal Debug Mode shortcut.

How does it work


The MediaPortal Debug Mode shortcut will start MPTestTool2.exe with the parameter -auto. (Auto means that the Test Tool will perform all actions automatically.) 1. All log files get cleared/deleted 2. MediaPortal is started with log level set to debug for this test-run 3. After you successfully reproduced the error and closed MediaPortal, the TestTool will export all your logs to a zip file. (Default export location is your desktop.)

Manually starting TestTool When do you use it


If you want to press the buttons on your own in contrast to the automatic version started with the "MediaPortal Debug Mode" shortcut then this is your way.

How does it work


1. Settings: Here you can set the export location of the zip file containing the logs. Default is the Windows desktop. 2. All log files get cleared/deleted. 3. MediaPortal is started with log level set to debug for this test-run. 4. After you successfully reproduced the error and closed MediaPortal, the TestTool will export all your logs to a zip file. (Default export location is your desktop.)

After a crash
When MediaPortal crashes, then this will instantly trigger the TestTool to show up. All your log files will then be exported to the configured location. (Default export location is your desktop.)

What to do with the exported logfiles


If you are posting a support thread, please use the template posted in the support thread announcement. If you are posting a bug report, please use the template posted in the announcement. HowTo: start an

HowTo: report bugs HowTo: Use the

If you post test results based on a test plan, please use the template posted in the Testplan and Post the Results announcement.

1. To attach your zip file click on the Manage Attachments button under Additional Options

2. Head to your exported zip file and select it

3. Now click Upload

4. After that, your file has been uploaded to the server

Additional Information Command-line parameters


The following command-line parameters can be used: -auto: all actions will be performed automatically. -crashed: a crash of MediaPortal is simulated. -zipfile <path+filename>: specifies the location of the exported zip file.

DirectShow Graph capturing


TestTool is able to capture all created DirectShow graphs, and create a JPEG image of it. This works out of the box on Windows XP. On Windows Vista it does not work out of the box, the reason is that Microsoft has (re)moved some resources. To get the graph capturing working, you will have to install the Vista SDK (1185.7 MB). (We are not allowed to distribute the required Vista SDK files with MediaPortal). This means that if you encounter some video/audio issues when playing media in MediaPortal, you no longer GraphEdit or DSGraphEdit to connect to the graph and find out which filters are used. have to download You only have to start MediaPortal with the MediaPortal Debug shortcut from your start menu and play the media file which causes troubles. After that the TestTool automatically creates a zip file which contains all logs and the JPEGs of the created graphs. This zip file can then be attached to your support thread in the forums, so other team and community members can have a look and help you with your problem. MediaPortal Wiki: MediaPortal-TestTool (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:54 by localhost)

3rd party bugs Knowledge Base


This page contains all known bugs from drivers, codecs, Windows, etc. which cause issues in MediaPortal. Contents 1. 3rd party bugs Knowledge Base 1. Display Issues 1. MediaPortal GUI gets black after video playback stops 2. DVD Menus are black 3. Video Playback is black 4. Aspect Ratio is wrong when using MPV 2. Audio Issues 1. No audio on some channels 2. No audio for some seconds when using skip steps / fast forward 3. Storage Issues 1. Networkdrive is not reachable and therefore MediaPortal does not display any Media

Display Issues MediaPortal GUI gets black after video playback stops
Reason: This problem occurs in some cases when you use MPV or ffdshow as video codec, in combination with the Enhanced Video Renderer (EVR). Solution: You can solve this problem by using an updated version of the Mpeg2DecFilter from home cinema or another codec, such as from PowerDVD or WinDVD. MPC

DVD Menus are black


Reason: The DVD Navigation filters are very sensitive to the video and audio filters (codecs) you use. If these filters are "incompatible", then you might encounter none working DVD menues. Solution: The only solution for this issue is to use a working combination of "DVD Navigator" and audio/video codecs. It's known that the inbuild DVD Navigator and audio/video codec of Windows Vista are working well together. The DVD Navigator and audio/video codec from PowerDVD 7 are working very well too.

Video Playback is black


Reason: There is a bug inside DirectX which causes a problem that as soon as you increase the DPI for the fonts in Windows, the video playback in MediaPortal becomes black. Solution: The only way to avoid the display problem in MediaPortal is to set the DPI setting to Windows default.

Aspect Ratio is wrong when using MPV


Reason: It is a known bug inside MPV that it is not able to detect the aspect ratio (AR) of a video. Codecs like Cyberlink or Nvidia Purevideo do not have this problem. Solution:

There is no known fix for this bug.

Audio Issues No audio on some channels


Reason 1: Sometimes this happens when you selected "S/PDIF passthrough" in the codec configuration and connect your TV with analog stereo to the HTPC. This means that on channels which broadcast AC3 audio, you won't hear anything from your TV speakers, because "S/PDIF passthrough" is selected. Solution: Either choose "decode to speakers" in the filter configuration, or connect the SPDIF of your HTPC to your Dolby Digital-capable receiver. Reason 2: If the TV channel where this issue occurs contains an MPEG1 mono audio channel, then you will have to choose an audio codec which is able to process this audio stream. NOTE: This can happen on stereo channels as well, goes hand in hand with a random chance on a still picture (Ziggo NL) aka Discovery Channels fix. Solution 1: Choose ffdshow as audio codec. Open ffdshow audio decoder configuration -> codecs -> MP1,MP2 to mp3lib + Apply & OK Solution 2 (for Vista users): Choose Microsoft DD decoder as audio codec.

No audio for some seconds when using skip steps / fast forward
Reason: This is a specific issue with some codecs like Cyberlink. You watch an movie or TV and after you used the skip steps or FF/FR the video plays but there is no audio for ~10 seconds. Solution 1: Select a different audio codec like MPA.

Storage Issues Networkdrive is not reachable and therefore MediaPortal does not display any Media
Reason: There can be many different reason why a networkdrive is not reachable, until you click at it once in the explorer, after you started your pc. Could be that your networkcard was not ready fast enought or some other networkrelated problem. Solution: You just need to use UNC Paths when you add shares inside MediaPortal configuration.

Easiest way to do so is to select the "network" instead of the networkdrive, then your server pc and then the folder you want to use. MediaPortal Wiki: KnowledgeBase (last edited 2009-05-26 13:49:21 by infinityloop)

MediaPortal Keyboard Shotcuts


Here you can find the list of shortcuts used by MediaPortal: General My TV My Music My Videos My Pictures Misc

MediaPortal Wiki: KeyboardShortcuts (last edited 2008-07-21 14:52:47 by localhost)

General Shortcuts
. . Use cursor to Navigate

Select first item

Select last item

Previous item page

Next item page

Perform action

Pause/Resume

Switch between GUI/Fullscreen

Record current TV-program

Start playing

Stop playing

Parent folder

Show info about selected item

Rewind

Fast Forward

Play Previous

Play Next

Show context menu

Volume -

Previous window

Volume +

Mute

Screenshot

Home Screen

MediaPortal Wiki: KeyboardShortcuts_General (last edited 2009-01-18 08:56:08 by e177175046)

Fullscreen TV

Switch Zoom mode/AR

Show/Hide OSD

Step backward

Step forward

Big step backward

Big step forward

Previous TV-channel

Next TV-channel

Mini EPG

Show/Hide MSN chat window

Enter channel number

Last Channel

Record Current Programme

Recorded TV
Delete selected Recording

TV Guide
Decrease time interval Increase time interval

Move time window backward

Move time window forward

Goto current time

Default time interval

MediaPortal Wiki: KeyboardShortcuts_My_TV (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:05 by localhost)

My Music
Switch between Playlist/GUI Add song/folder to Playlist

MediaPortal Wiki: KeyboardShortcuts_My_Music (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:14 by localhost)

My Videos
Switch To/From Video Playlist Add selected item to Video Playlist

Delete selected Movie

Fullscreen Video
Zoom A/R mode Show/Hide OSD

Step backward

Step forward

Big step backward

Big step forward

Toggle MSN chat window

Enter time

Toggle Subtitles

Cycle Audio Tracks

Stop

Pause

Movie Calibration
Swap arrows Reset Calibration

DVD
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Show DVD menu

MediaPortal Wiki: KeyboardShortcuts_My_Videos (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:17 by localhost)

My Pictures
Delete selected Picture

Slideshow

Show Picture details

Pause/Resume Slideshow

Previous Picture/Left in Zoom mode

Next Picture/Right in Zoom mode

Zoom out

Zoom in

Zoom level 1-9

Rotate Picture

Move Up in Zoom mode

Move Down in Zoom mode

MediaPortal Wiki: KeyboardShortcuts_My_Pictures (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:31 by localhost)

GUI Calibration
Reset Calibration

OSD
Value plus (+) Value min (-)

MediaPortal Wiki: KeyboardShortcuts_Misc (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:48 by localhost)

Startup Commandline Options


MediaPortal has a set of commandline options that allow you to specify a set of shortcuts with different options other then to that are specified to use by default. This way its possible for different users to start MP with there own personal skin or on a other screen then they otherwise do without needing to set and revert settings made to these personal preferences. Most of these options can be used together, such a commandline could look like this:

Here follows a list of all available commandline options: /fullscreen or /fullscreen=yes Forces MP to start in fullscreen /windowed or /fullscreen=no Forces MP to start in windowed mode /screen=X Forces MP to start in screen number X Please note that /screen=1 will result in starting MP on the secondary screen and /screen=0 will start MP on the primary screen. It can be used like this: MediaPortal.exe /screen=1 (this will start mp on the secondary screen) /crashtest Simulates MP crashing /skin=XX Forces MP to use skin named XX It can be used like this: MediaPortal.exe /skin="Xface" (this will start MP with the Xface skin) MediaPortal Wiki: UserGuides/commandline_options (last edited 2008-07-21 14:54:28 by localhost)

Video Zoom Modes


MediaPortal allows you to choose between various zoom modes which manipulate the video in order to fit the format of your screen. Every mode has pro's and con's, and might need to be choosen based on the videosource. The following description is based on viewing a 4:3 PAL video on a 16:9 display using 720p.

Original Source Format


The video is displayed in its original resolution without any zoom applied.

Pro: + no distortion + no quality loss through resizing Con: - black borders if video resolution is lower then display resolution - cropped image if video resolution is higher then display resolution

Normal
The 4:3 image gets zoomed until it matches along the vertical axis.

Pro: + maximum video size without cropping + aspect ratio is correct (no fat people) Con: - black borders

Stretch
The 4:3 image gets streched along the vertical and horizontal axis until it fits the screen.

Pro: + no black borders Con: - no correct aspect ratio (people might look fat)

Non-linear stretch
The 4:3 image is zoomed until it is a bit larger then the visible screen. Then it is stretched along the horizontal axis to fill the screen. Contrarily to the stretch zoom mode the center of the image is not stretched.

Pro: + no black borders + no distortion in the center of the image Con: - top and bottom area slightly cropped - left and right areas of the image distorted - may look disturbing on pans or tickers

Zoom
The smaller side of the image gets zoomed to fill the screen. The larger side will be cropped

Pro: + no black borders + no distortion Con: - if black borders are small then parts of the picture might be cropped - decreased image quality of low resolution content

14:9 Zoom
Usually movies are shot in 21:9 (cinemascope), which results in very big black bars on 4:3 screens. Some broadcasters try to make all their viewers happy by cutting the 21:9 source video to 14:9. As result you see only small borders on the top and lower section on a 4:3 screen. On a 16:9 screen however, you will also see black borders on the left and the right side of your screen. The 14:9 zoom is meant to remove these borders on 16:9 screens by zooming the image with a fixed value. Pro: + no distortion Con: - depending on the broadcaster there could still be some black bars left

4:3 Letterbox
This zoom mode is only useful on 4:3 screens! Watching a 16:9 video on your 4:3 TV this zoom mode adds letterboxes in order to display the image with the correct aspect ratio. Pro: + corrects distortion Con: - only useful on 4:3 TV's when watching 16:9 videos MediaPortal Wiki: VideoZoomModes (last edited 2009-01-22 18:09:35 by infinityloop)

Glossary
Welcome to MediaPortal's wiki glossary. Here you will find detailed explanations of the terminology used when configuring and using this great software. If there is an expression which isn't listed, but you think would help other users, then please add a page. Additionally, you can add to, correct or just simplify the explanations . The Glossary is also useful when writing other pages in the wiki. If you use any of the words listed below, simply use an internal link referencing the description. That way, when a user is reading your page, they can easily lookup an explanation to the terms. This means you can write about the topic rather than worrying about confusing some users with the terminology. 1080i/p 16:9 3ivX 4:3 480i 480p 5.1 Audio 720p AA - Anti-aliasing AAC - Advanced Audio Coding ?AACS - Advanced Access Content System AC-3 AC3 Filter AC'97 Add-ons (plugins) ?Advanced Access Content System Advanced Streaming Format Advanced Stream Redirector Advanced Television Systems Committee AFAIK - As Far As I Know Aliasing ?Analog Anamorphic widescreen Anti-aliasing Artifact ASF Aspect ratio ASX ATSC Audio taper Audio Codec '97 Audio Video Interleaved AVI Back buffer format ?Balloon tips BASS Audio Library BDA Bitrate ?Blu-ray bps

Broadcast Driver Architecture ?C# Capturecard CBR CDDB CFRC Cinematic Frame Rate Conversion Coax Codec ?Codec pack Common Interface Component video Composite video ?Compositing Compression Content recording ?Concurring Versioning System Constant Bit Rate Content Scrambling System ?CRT ?C-Sharp CSS ?CVS Daemon Tools DD - Dolby Digital Deinterlace ?Stencil Buffer Format Digital Visual Interface DirectShow ?DirectX DivX ?DTS DVB ?DVB-C ?DVB-S DVB-T DVD DVI DVR ?DVR-MR DxVA ?EDTV Electronic Programme Guide ?Enhanced Definition TV EPG Extensions (plugins) ?External player plugins FFDshow Filter FireWire ?Forum Framesize

Framerate ?Freedb ?Frontend FPS GUI ?GUI plugins ?HDCP ?HD DVD ?HDMI HDTV - High Definition Television HTPC - Home Theatre PC Huffyuv Hwmc Hybernate ID3 IMDb IMHO ?Infrared Interlace Internet Movie Database ?Interpolation ?Intervideo ?IR ?IR Blaster ?kbps ?Ken Burns Effect ?Letterbox ?Matroska ?Mbps ?MCE ?MP3 ?MPEG ?MPEG-1 ?MPEG-2 ?MPEG-4 ?MPG ?Multicast ?Multisample type ?Multisample quality ?.NET Framework ?NTSC On-Screen Display ?Open Source OSD ?OSM ?OTA ?Overlay ?Overscan ?Over The Air PAT ?PAL ?Party Shuffle

?PCM ?Personal Video Recorder ?Phase Alternating Line ?Picture-In-Picture ?PIP ?Pixel Correction Ratio ?Playlist Plugins ?PMP ?Portable Media Player ?Process plugins ?PVR ?Progressive scan ?Pro-logic ?Post Processing Powersaving ?QAM Tuner QuickTime ?Radlight filter manager ?RDS ?ReClock ?Renderer ?Reference Recording ?Resolution ?RBG S3 Standby (Suspend to RAM) S4 Hybernate (Suspend to Disk) ?SBE ?SCART ?SDTV ?SECAM ?Set top box ?Shoutcast Skin ?Smoothing ?Sony/Philips Digital Interface ?S/P-DIF ?Stacking ?Standard Definition TV ?SIF Single Seat ?Source Interchange Format Standby STD STR ?Streaming radio Suspend to Disk ?/S3 Suspend to RAM ?Super Video-CD ?SVCD ?S-Video ?Tag reader plugins

Taper ?Taskbar ?Teletext ?TFT Timeline ?Timeshifting ?TOSLINK ?Transcoding ?Tuner TV-Engine TV-Server ?Variable Bit Rate ?VCD ?VCR ?Vertex processing ?VfW ?Video Cassette Recorder ?Video-CD ?Video for Windows ?VideoMixerRenderer ?VMR ?VMR9 Windowless ?VMR9 Renderless ?VOB ?VOBSUB Volume taper ?WAF ?Wake-on-LAN ?Wake up device ?WDM Widescreen ?Wife Acceptance Factor ?Window plugins ?Windows Driver Model ?Windows Media Player ?Windows XP Media Center Edition ?WinDVD ?WMA ?WMF ?WMP ?WMV ?WOL ?USBUIRT XMLTV ?XviD ?YUF Zap-OSD MediaPortal Wiki: glossary (last edited 2008-07-21 14:54:21 by localhost)

What is DVB?
DVB stands for Digital Video Broadcasting The DVB Group was started in the early 1990s to develop standards for digital TV for Europe. Every digital TV system in Europe - and in many other territories - uses DVB. DVB is the European standard for digital TV and, as such, provides a very high-speed, robust transmission chain capable of the many Megabits per second needed for each of several hundred MPEG-2 digital TV channels.

Transponder
In the old days, a typical satellite transponder had about enough bandwidth (40 MBPs) for a single analogue PAL colour TV channel. So if your satellite had 22 transponders, you could transmit 22 TV channels. Today using standards like MPEG. A typical TV channel can be compressed by DVB MPEG-2 to around 4 Megabits per second. Channels can be mixed - or multiplexed - in the same transponder giving a rule-of-thumb of 10 TV channels (each around 4Mb/s) in a typical (40Mb/s) transponder. Today we see that a single transponder (40MBps) transmits up ~10 TV channels and radio channels The core system is the same for digital satellite, cable and terrestrial TV with different modulation methods for each mode. In the UK, for some reason, Cable companies have chosen not to adopt the DVB standard.

Transmission
DVB systems distribute data by: satellite (DVB-S, DVB-S2 and DVB-SH; also DVB-SMATV for distribution via SMATV) cable (DVB-C) terrestrial television (DVB-T) terrestrial television for handhelds (DVB-H) microwave using DTT (DVB-MT), the MMDS (DVB-MC), and/or MVDS standards (DVB-MS) These standards define the physical layer and data link layer of a distribution system. Devices interact with the physical layer via a synchronous parallel interface (SPI), synchronous serial interface (SSI), or asynchronous serial interface (ASI). All data is transmitted in MPEG-2 transport streams with some additional constraints (DVB-MPEG). A standard for temporally compressed distribution to mobile devices (DVB-H) has been published in November 2004. These distribution systems differ mainly in the modulation schemes used, due to the different technical constraints: DVB-S (SHF) uses QPSK, 8PSK or 16-QAM o DVB-S2 uses QPSK, 8PSK, 16APSK or 32APSK, at the broadcasters decision. QPSK and 8PSK are the only versions regularly used. DVB-C (VHF/UHF) uses QAM: 16-QAM, 32-QAM, 64-QAM, 128-QAM or 256-QAM DVB-T (VHF/UHF) uses 16-QAM or 64-QAM (or QPSK) in combination with COFDM and hierarchical modulation

Content
Besides audio and video transmission, DVB also defines data connections (DVB-DATA - EN 301 192) with return channels (DVB-RC) for several media (DECT, GSM, PSTN/ISDN, satellite etc.) and protocols (DVB-IPI: Internet Protocol; DVB-NPI: network protocol independent). Older technologies like teletext (DVB-TXT) and vertical blanking interval data (DVB-VBI) are also supported by the standards to ease conversion. However for many applications more advanced alternatives like DVB-SUB for sub-titling are available.

Encryption and Meta Data


The conditional access system (DVB-CA) defines a common scrambling algorithm (DVB-CSA) and a common interface (DVB-CI) for accessing scrambled content. DVB system providers develop their proprietary conditional access systems within these specifications.

DVB is also developing a Content Protection and Copy Management system for protecting content after it has been received (DVB-CPCM), which is intended to allow flexible use of recorded content on a home network or beyond, while preventing unconstrained sharing on the Internet. DVB-CPCM has been the source of much controversy in the popular press and it's said that CPCM is the DVB's answer to the failed American Broadcast Flag [1] DVB transports include metadata called Service Information (DVB-SI, ETSI EN 300468, ETSI TS 101211) that links the various elementary streams into coherent programs and provides human-readable descriptions for electronic program guides as well as for automatic searching and filtering. Recently, DVB has adopted a profile of the metadata defined by the TV-Anytime Forum [2] (DVB-TVA, ETSI TS 102323). This is an XML Schema based technology and the DVB profile is tailored for enhanced Personal Digital Recorders. DVB lately also started an activity to develop a solution for IPTV (DVB-IPI, ETSI TR 102033, ETSI TS 102034, ETSI TS 102814) which also includes metadata definitions for a broadband content guide (DVB-BCG, ETSI publication expected December 2006).

Conditional access module


A conditional access module (CAM) is an electronic device, usually incorporating a slot for a smart card, which equips a DVB television or set-top box with the appropriate hardware facility to view conditional access content that has been encrypted using a conditional access system. They are normally used with direct broadcast satellite services, although the UK digital terrestrial pay TV supplier Top Up TV also uses CAMs. Some encryption systems for which CAMs are available are Nagravision, Viaccess, Mediaguard, Irdeto and ?KeyFly. NDS Videoguard encryption, the preferred choice of Sky Digital can only be externally emulated by a Dragon brand cam. The NDS cam which the Sky viewing card ordinarily uses is built into the Sky Digibox thus not visible. Dragon and Matrix, two popular cams with satellite television enthusiasts are multicrypt meaning each is capable of handling more than one encryption system. Matrix is more likely to be used by a novice as it can be upgraded via the PC card port in a laptop personal computer whereas a Dragon cam update is done via separate programmer hardware. The standard format for a CAM is a PC card which takes a smart card to authenticate, although CAMs with the 'smart card' burnt into memory can be found. In addition, CAM emulators exist for many systems, either providing an interface to allow the use of more than one type of card, or a card not designed for that receiver. MediaPortal Wiki: TV-Server/Termsused (last edited 2008-07-21 14:53:50 by localhost)

Tips and Tricks


Advanced User Guides
How to test SVN nightly builds How to easily switch between different MediaPortal versions (including v2,v3 TV-engine) Startup commandline options How to View or Modify the MediaPortal databases How to setup a Central Database for MediaPortal Multiple Clients A guide on how to automatically backup your MediaPortal Installation

Emulation Set-up
Multi Arcade Machine Emulator

My TV
How to get Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) for my country How to get a software encoding TV-Card up and running

My Videos
Codecs and Containers Guide Change Font Size Keyboard Shortcuts Overview Postprocessing with ffdshow

Removing TV commercials
Ad Removal DVRMS Toolbox Ad Removal Comskip Ad Removal with 4 The Record and Comskip

Silence
Set up a ramdisk for your Timeshift Buffer MediaPortal Wiki: UserGuides (last edited 2009-06-04 10:58:07 by infinityloop)

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