pyTivo Discussion Forum

dlfl · Joined: 04 Jan 2008 Posts: 40 Location: Ohio

For a new pyTivo user there usually are two major concerns:

1. Getting the best version of pyTivo for their needs.
2. Configuring it with pyTivo.conf

This thread aims at quickly providing useful information to the new user. Unfortunately it isn't at all clear to me that just downloading the latest release from the pyTivo Wiki gives a new user a good starting point. Whether this is true or not, new users will benefit from knowing about the other choices.

pyTivo is a volunteer project and it is undergoing rapid development with several developers distributing complete versions and even multiple versions per developer. The Wiki and this forum are the best available sources of information, along with the huge mainly historical pyTivo thread on the TivoCommunity forum.

The rapid and somewhat chaotic development of pyTivo is a natural result of a number of technical factors that emerged during the last year or so, including:

1. HD Tivo's, which complicated the video and audio format aspects and transcoding issues.
2. The "subfolders problem" starting with TiVo software version 8.3 and still not corrected.
3. pyTivo developers (primarily wmcbrine, I believe) have implemented/enhanced music and photo plugins.

Other factors, not new, include:
1. Bugs related to running pyTivo on both Windows and 'nix operating systems.
2. The desire for a Windows installer version.

The different developer's versions of pyTivo differ mostly in how they handle these issues both in code and for installation/configuration.

Although I am a pyTivo user, and have contributed minor coding changes, I confess I have trouble keeping up. I'm not going to attempt to delineate the details of the different versions here but I am going to give links to the ones I am aware of:

armooo --Original developer, Wiki supplier, "Current Releases"
wgw (at least two versions)
krkeegan (subfolders version, Windows installer version)
wmcbrine (two versions I think)

If I've missed a developer, I apologize.

Note: most links are to "git" repositories, where you click on "snapshot" to get a .tar.gz compressed download file. 'nix users are quite familiar with this but it may seem daunting to Windows users -- not so! Just download 7zip -- the windows 32-bit installer version (second on the list) will be the right one for most users. Then you can right-click on a tar.gz file in Explorer and it acts almost like a compressed (zip) file. You create an installation folder anywhere you want and extract the entire pyTivo folder tree into it.

Configuration has no simple solution because, well, configurations and usage differ so much. Some developers have attempted to ease the situation by (1) providing a pyTivo.conf.dist file that is as up to date as possible and (2) attempting to implement default code behavior that minimizes the need for custom configuration.

My hope is that each major developer will add a post to this thread in which he/she provides the information they want a new user to know about their version (especially what differentiates it from the current release and other versions, and configuration hints), and that they will continue to edit their post to keep the information current.

Edit -- 10 Feb 2008:
Start at this post later in this thread for useful current status information.

wgw · Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 262

To download latest release:

Click on this link, then click on the top most ''snapshot'' link.
(usually includes all updates by all developers)

Optional: Windows Installers can be found here but they may not contain the most recent version

Optional: alternate video templates can be found here

Optional: alternate ffmpeg builds can be found here, rdian06's version of ffmpeg fixes the ffmpegs handling of 5.1 ac3 audio so that the audio is heard through the right channel. However, there may be issues with early termination of video transfers of xvids. Recommended unless most of your videos do not contain 5.1 audio.

Limit shares which appear on certain TiVos.

fix that makes subfolders work 2 levels deep.

Transcode support for music plugin. Now plays music files other than mp3.

Extension-based video_file_filter - much faster file display.

Retains source resolution when transcoding to HD TiVo's.

Adds S2/S3 bitrate compatibility checks, retains 5.1 audio for HD Tivos

Code:

[Admin]
type=admin
[Server]
port=9032
ffmpeg=c:\Program Files\pyTivo\plugins\video\ffmpeg_mp2.exe
audio_lang=5.1, DTS, en
[MyMovies]
type=video
path=c:\Videos

Code:

[Admin]
type=admin
[Server]
port=9032
ffmpeg=c:\Program Files\pyTivo\plugins\video\ffmpeg_mp2.exe
video_br=20Mi
video_pct=125
width=1920
height=1080
audio_br=448k
audio_lang=5.1, DTS, en
[MyMovies]
type=video
path=c:\Videos

wmcbrine · Joined: 04 Jan 2008 Posts: 514

placeholder

krkeegan · Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:12 pm Post subject: My Version

Current Version: 2008.05.02

What is Different About My Version
This branch tracks the current pyTivo development. However, my version includes an option to enable the use of subfolders, an issue that has been broken since the TiVo 8.3 release. To use this feature add the following to your pyTivo.conf file:
hack83=true

Additionally I offer a windows installer for this version. The installer will check for a proper install of python and ask for a few quick settings to get the server running.

Downloads
The source distribution, suitable for linux, is available at git:
Source
And a windows installer available in exe format:
Windows Installer

Changelog: - A detailed list of changes is available here
2008.05.02

2008.04.10

2008.03.28

2008.03.26

2008.03.25

#424

2008.03.24 - Bug Fix for ToGo

2008.03.23 - New ToGo Feature

2008.03.02

2008.02.28 - New Admin Feature

2008.02.24

2008.02.21

2008.02.20 - Windows installer Major Bug Fix

video.ext

2008.02.19

2008.02.16 - Major windows installer updates

2008.02.11

Added new precache feature.
2008.02.07

tlc · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 13

I am not a new user. But I don't know who's fork to choose. I am using the SubFoldersBranch-01-04-08.zip. I think I got it from armooo.net, but the link is gone. It works fine for me except the latest stand-alone photo plugin I could find (0.15) didn't work for me.

I've seen git logs for three forks beyond the ones on armooo.net. Each of them is contributed to by at least one of the owners of one of the other forks! Are you guys converging or what?

What's best for video, subfolders & photos? I don't care about music on the TiVo.

tlc

wmcbrine · Joined: 04 Jan 2008 Posts: 514

wgw · Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 262

Sounds like we're reaching a major confluence. Watch out for the supernova as all paths converge into one and MegaPyTivo is born. Laughing

EDIT: Along those lines, I've merged all branches from all developers, including subfolders, into my master branch and deleted my other branches.

dlfl · Joined: 04 Jan 2008 Posts: 40 Location: Ohio

Gee... All this cooperation, and achieved entirely without coercion or a governing authority! (The American way, I'd like to think.)

And the configuration instructions in the Wiki are shaping up nicely too!

What are we going to do with all the spare time freed up by not having to hold new user's hands? Rolling Eyes

Nice work guys!

TreborPugly · Joined: 04 Jan 2008 Posts: 52

I've been using the same instance of pyTivo for a while now, and just thought I'd check in to see if there are any bells and whistles I'd like to have. Are you three (wgw, krkeegan, and wmcbrine) still merging with each other regularly?

If not, who's got the "best" one? Twisted Evil