[add on] PVR Utilities (January 12 Update)

[SSDNAdmin]

Author: milestogo (http://forums.snapstream.com/vb/private.php?do=newpm&userid=14821)

Short Description: Email-Weather-Power Utilities
Long Description:

Updated January 12, 2007
Version 1.1
Added SSL support to the Email utility for Gmail users.
Added extended forecast info to the Weather utility.
Added radar looping to the Weather utility.
Added five additional radar image types to the Weather utility.

Version 1.2

Added Power Saver feature to the power control utility. This feature provides idle timed hibernate or standby and besides monitoring the standard mouse/keyboard activity, it also monitors the Viewscape video modes, current/upcoming recordings and batch file status to determine power saver execution.

Version Number: 1.2
Status: Released
Last Updated: NA
Homepage:
Installation Instructions: Installer included
Release Notes: None
License: Freeware
Requirements: Firefly Remote


Download pvrutil.exe (http://www.snapstream.com/ssdn/submissions/milestogo/pvrutil.exe)

[cfaslave]

This sounds interesting. Any details on what this does and how it works with BTV?

[CricketFace]

Yeah this does sound interesting, could you be a little more discriptive or post screen shots of what this does?

[ClamsTheCat]

I will take a look when I get home.

[milestogo]

The following is a more detailed description of PVR Utilities with screenshots. PVR Utilities is an add on type program designed to integrate into the BTV environment as seamlessly as possible. The program consists of the following three utilities. 1. The email utility enables the user to manually or automatically check for new email messages and then display them in a text only format with a font size readable on lower resolution TV type displays. The user is alerted of new incoming messages by displaying a less intrusive ticker tape type message at the bottom of the screen. 2. The weather utility enables users to display current weather conditions, forecast data, Doppler radar images and satellite images from multiple selected sites. 3. The power utility enables the user to manually or automatically at a preset time shutdown, hibernate, standby or reboot the Windows OS. Also included in the program is a slideshow function which enables users to display local or Web images such as traffic cams, etc. The main menu is activated by using one of the A-D Firefly remote buttons. A HTML type help manual is included which covers setup and operation of the utility.

http://www.sheaware.com/ss1.jpg

http://www.sheaware.com/ss2.jpg

http://www.sheaware.com/ss3.jpg

http://www.sheaware.com/ss4.jpg

http://www.sheaware.com/ss5.jpg

[cfaslave]

Thanks for the info.

[riftek]

Pop3 email function not working for my gmail account which requires SSL on port 995.

I probably won't use the power options, but the weather part of this plugin is fantastic!

Thank you!

[milestogo]

Thank you for your comments and the problem report with Gmail. We have added SSL capabilities to the POP3 client and are currently evaluating the code, however because the Gmail server is a (read once) type format we will need to re-work our code. We will also be adding radar looping and a few other options to the weather app in the next update.

[ZetaVu]

Animated doppler is a must, as well as multiple day forcast and multiple cities. Looks like you wiped out the BM weather, their email plugin as well.

For the power plugin, sounds like a replacement for scheduler (currently use that to reboot once a week) and I use Standby in between, however, standby (st3) won't kick in if viewscape is open, can you use the plugin to have the computer go into standby after a certain time of inactivity (say 30 min or an hour) while viewscape is open? Alternatively, can you hav it close viewscape after say 30 minutes inactivity (so windows standby can kick in under power options)?

I see this as a good trend towards moving BM plugins into BTV. Question is, can the other plugin developers move their plugins to BTV as well (push SS into integrating BM functions into BTV)?

[ZetaVu]

Also, is there a keyboard shortcut that is used to get the popup, I don't have a firefly but can program girder to respond from my remote.

[obonaventure]

It'd be really nice if the modules could be added to the viewscape menu.

[Fonceur]

It'd be really nice if the modules could be added to the viewscape menu.
Unfortunately, BTV's API is not opened to that or we would have been using that a long time ago, and the BTV/BM integration discussions would be even more pointless... ;) I had hoped with the DVD plugin that developers would gain such access, but was told early on that it wasn't so.

[milestogo]

If you do not use the Firefly remote you can display the main menu by executing the following command line as shown

PVR Utilities.exe /menu

[psionic]

Unfortunately, BTV's API is not opened to that or we would have been using that a long time ago, and the BTV/BM integration discussions would be even more pointless... ;) I had hoped with the DVD plugin that developers would gain such access, but was told early on that it wasn't so.

The "Send Video to iPod" plugin adds an entry to one of the menus...

[scottt732]

psionic: I think it just changes one of the existing menu items.

[cfaslave]

The "Send Video to iPod" plugin adds an entry to one of the menus...

psionic: I think it just changes one of the existing menu items.
Yeah, I thought it added a menu item also, but discovered it overwrites the burn menu item. This was o.k. before 4.5 and the burning plugin, but it messes things up if you have and use the new, SS dvd burning plugin.

SS needs a new UI for BTV so plugins are able to "attach" to BTV. This would open up the whole "integration" thing that is talked about much on these forums. Rakesh has mentioned a new UI in the past, but who knows when that might happen...

[Lifegod]

Just wondering if anyone has gotten it to size correctly at 800 x 600. Looks great at 1024 x 768 but since that's not what my resolution is...

[milestogo]

Have you setup the display window using the EIA test pattern as described in the help manual?

[ZetaVu]

Another question, can the power options be setup to have it perform a reboot in response to an event?

[milestogo]

The answer is no, the auto power functions are triggered upon a preset activation time only.

[milestogo]

Updated January 12, 2007

Version 1.1

Added SSL support to the Email utility for Gmail users.
Added extended forecast info to the Weather utility.
Added radar looping to the Weather utility.
Added five additional radar image types to the Weather utility.

Version 1.2

Added Power Saver feature to the power control utility.

This feature provides idle timed hibernate or standby and besides
monitoring the standard mouse/keyboard activity, it also monitors the
Viewscape video modes, current/upcoming recordings and batch file
status to determine power saver execution.

[Kilrsat]

Updated

[srdiamond]

great program but I cannot figure out where the HTML help file is? any ideas?

[milestogo]

It's located in the installation directory which by default is:

C:\Program Files\PVR Utilities

File name is PVRHelp.htm

[srdiamond]

great - found it and it helped a lot - is there a way to turn off the email and power choices or maybe just to get an older version? I dont need the email or power features and thus would love to be able to just use this for the weather features.

[milestogo]

There are no display options for the main menu, however I will look into a command-line option that will active the weather utility directly.

[kjf]

How am I supposed to access the options menu of this thing? It was there and accessible for a while on the Firefly's Menu button but now when I click that, PVR Utilities crashes. I rebooted, uninstalled PVR Utils, re-installed it, and it still does the same thing.

Now I'm left with a working version but can never change the options for it! This is a bit sucky I'd say!

... and this thing adds a custom button and a menu option to Beyond Media Basic, so why is it called a Beyoind TV addon. Seems to me it belongs in Beyond Media (after it get fixed).

The concept is there, but it has to be more solid.