INFplus

[macfan]

@DeltaMikeCharlie:
I found out that you store two files "epg-genre-descriptions.lng" and "epg-parental.lng" in the Settings folder. Please use a subfolder named "INFplus" for these files like the other TAPs do. Thanks!

Gruß, Horst

[DeltaMikeCharlie]

Hi macfan,

These 2 files are intentionally placed in the "Settings" directory so that they can be used by other TAPs. For example, a new (unreleased) version of TMSTimer will also use these files for genre and parental descriptions.

[DeltaMikeCharlie]

I discovered a bug today with INFplus that is difficult to recreate.

If you have a recording that starts with no event, that is, a gap between the start of the recording and the start of the first reported EPG event, and you try to jump to the first event, the PVR may reboot.

One of my PVRs reboots, but the other one does not with exactly the same files copied from the other PVR. Perhaps there may be differences in firmware versions that influence this behaviour.

I have already created a workaround, but it needs some more refinement. I will post an update on TAPtoDate when this refinement is complete. I also want to add support for TMA1 into INFplus, so I may do both in a single update.

If you have also seen this issue, please report it.

[Woodman]

Hi DeltaMikeCharlie,

INFplus is great
Where do you store the additional Infos? With other words: Are these Infos available for external use?

[Woodman]

Weiß sonst jemand eine Antwort auf die Frage:

Kann man die Infos aus INFplus auch extern verwerten und wo finde ich die?

[jkIT]

kann man die Infos aus INFplus auch extern verwerten und wo finde ich die?

hi woodman,
durchsuche mal den Settings Ordner mit einem FTP Programm. Ich tippe auf den Infplus Unterordner ;-)
An die Daten kommst du wohl am ehesten damit:
viewtopic.php?p=975399#p975399

[Twilight]

soweit ich weiß werden die inf plus daten in die inf geschrieben...

twilight

[Woodman]

hi woodman,
durchsuche mal den Settings Ordner mit einem FTP Programm. Ich tippe auf den Infplus Unterordner ;-)
An die Daten kommst du wohl am ehesten damit:
viewtopic.php?p=975399#p975399

soweit ich weiß werden die inf plus daten in die inf geschrieben...

twilight

Ich danke Euch für Eure Antworten, da hab' ich doch schon mal eine Spur und TMA1 muss ich mir mal näher ansehen.

[FireBird]

Da ich vor einiger Zeit gemeinsam mit DMC ein paar Funktionen für die FBLib entwickelt habe und diese zufälligerweise infData... heißen, sind die Daten auch in der inf abgelegt.

[macfan]

Und es wäre toll, wenn die Funktionen absichtlich in SE benutzt würden .

Gruß, Horst

[DeltaMikeCharlie]

Hi DeltaMikeCharlie,

INFplus is great
Where do you store the additional Infos? With other words: Are these Infos available for external use?

Thanks Woodman.

Sorry for the delay in answering, I have been watching the TMA1 thread.

The INFplus data is stored in an INF+ file for each recording in /ProgramFiles/Settings/INFplus.

In that directory, there are 2 files per recording. The file name is the iNode number of the original INF.

So, if /DataFiles/Recording.inf has an iNode number of 1234, you will find /ProgramFiles/Settings/INFplus/0000001234.INF and 0000001234.INF+. The INF is simply a hard link to the original INF file and the INF+ file contains the extended EPG information.

There is a housekeeping routine that checks for the number of "links" on the INF file. If the original INF still exists, then the link count is 2. If the original INF has been deleted then the link count is 1 and the INF/INF+ are deleted.

INFplus also has the ability to "prepare for archive". This is so that a recording can be copied to an external media and still retain the INF+ data. When this is done, I use a FireBirdLib function to append the INF+ data to the INF.

INFplus can be called remotely. iBox and TMSArchive can do this already. If you are in TMSArchive, for example, if the recording has INF+ data, then TMSArchive bypasses its internal INF routine and calls INFplus instead.

An early alpha version of INFplus has already been adapted to communicate with TMA1, enabling INFplus data to be presented via a web browser.

I'm happy to release the INF+ data file format to anyone who needs it. I also have a sample TAP available that illustrates how to call INFplus from another TAP.

As for direct integration with SE, I think that direct integration with SmartFiler_TMS may be more appropriate.

Regards,
DMC.

[Woodman]

@DeltaMikeCharlie,

thanks for your detailed answer.
What I´v learned:

1. There is no easy way to get the several EPG entries.
2. I have to save the INF+ file before I move the recordings to an external disk.

An other way to get the several EPG entries is to use TFInfo from FilmFan.
With TFInfo you can scan the whole .rec file for EPG and Teletext entries.

[macfan]

Da ich vor einiger Zeit gemeinsam mit DMC ein paar Funktionen für die FBLib entwickelt habe und diese zufälligerweise infData... heißen, sind die Daten auch in der inf abgelegt.

So the INFplus data is included in the .inf file.

The INFplus data is stored in an INF+ file for each recording in /ProgramFiles/Settings/INFplus.

So the INFplus data is not included in the .inf file.

As for direct integration with SE, I think that direct integration with SmartFiler_TMS may be more appropriate.

I think both, SF and SE should integrate INFplus. SE displays its own info box that should display the INFplus data.

Gruß, Horst

[FireBird]

So the INFplus data is not included in the .inf file.

Then I guess my inf(o) is outdated.

[DeltaMikeCharlie]

@Woodman,

1. What are you trying to achieve?
2. That is correct.

Unfortunately, in Australia our MPG recordings do not contain EPG data, only audio, video and subtitles. It may be possible to write a TAP that reads a European REC to extract the EPG data and write an INF+ file.

@macfan,

By default INF+ data is not stored in the INF, you need to put it there using "prepare for archive".

The reason for this is that 1) I did not want to risk INFplus somehow corrupting the INF whilst the recording was in progress. 2) It makes INFplus an add-on rather than a modification. If "prepare for archive" were to damage an INF in some future firmware release, then once that was discovered users could stop archiving INF+ data until the issue was resolved. However, if INFplus modified the INF directly as recording progresses, then the INF would always be corrupted immediately and the user would have to stop using INFplus completely. 3) Most people will probably not want to archive.

[FilmFan]

[quote="DeltaMikeCharlie"]It may be possible to write a TAP that reads a European REC to extract the EPG data and write an INF+ file.[/quote]
If I would know the INF+ structure my TFInfo (on a PC) could do so.

[macfan]

The reason for this is that 1) I did not want to risk INFplus somehow corrupting the INF whilst the recording was in progress. 2) It makes INFplus an add-on rather than a modification. If "prepare for archive" were to damage an INF in some future firmware release, then once that was discovered users could stop archiving INF+ data until the issue was resolved. However, if INFplus modified the INF directly as recording progresses, then the INF would always be corrupted immediately and the user would have to stop using INFplus completely. 3) Most people will probably not want to archive.

I understand your first two aspects. But I archive often recordings using the great BackgroundCopy TAP. And I'm sure that I'm not the only one . So I'd lose all INFplus information archiving. So could it be possible to configure INFplus what method is used to store its information?

Gruß, Horst

[DeltaMikeCharlie]

@macfan,

I can think of three possible solutions to your situation.

1. Manually "Prepare for Archive" / "Archivieren vorb." prior to archiving. Using TMSArchive, it is possible to batch a number of INF+ archives into 1 operation.
2. Modify BackgroundCopy to interact with INFplus and request that it performs an archive before BackgroundCopy processes the recording.
3. Add an option in INFplus to "Auto-Archive on stop".

I personally use the INF+ archive feature several times a week to move recordings between my 2 TMS PVRs, so for me personally, the auto-archive option would be the most useful.

I have my hands full with TMA1 at the moment, but some of the development work does touch INFplus. I will look into the auto-archive function over the coming weeks.

I will make the English configuration name "Auto-Archive on Stop". Can someone please provide a suitable German translation? This option will default to "No" so that it has to be deliberately enabled.

[macfan]

I don't yet understand what the "Auto-Archive on Stop" option means. Is the INFplus information included into the normal ".inf" then?

Gruß, Horst

[DeltaMikeCharlie]

Under normal operations, the INFplus data is stored only in the INF+ file. If you press the yellow key (Prepare for Archive) whilst INFplus on displayed on the screen, INFplus will copy the INF+ data to the end of the INF using one of FireBird's new functions.

Once this has been done, and the MPG(REC)/NAV/INF have been copied, the INFplus data is also copied because it is now embedded within the INF. You still need INFplus to read the data because it is positioned in the INF beyond where the PVR normally looks for data.

So, "Auto-Archive on Stop" would perform the same function as pressing the yellow button, that is, copy the INFplus data from the INF+ file into the INF file as described above. It would do this automatically when it detects that a recording has finished. You can then copy the recording to external media and retain the INFplus data too.