BTV-Negociator
From Tallus LLC Wiki
Contents |
About
BTV-Negociator (cross between the French négociateur and English negotiator as both language files are included, feel free to send me yours...) is a little project that I started to teach myself C#. It is an add-on for Beyond TV 4.8+, originally created to help resolve recording conflicts. Since then, extra features such as changing the recording frequency, removing blocked/forced/recent recordings, performing permanent searches and performing Guide updates.
What BTV-Negociator does is to list:
- All the Rejected recordings due to a Conflict. The list of shows creating that conflict and alternate times/channels to record are also provided. It is possible to modify from record once to always, if that solves a conflict as well as to add the alternate recording or replace the conflict by it. - All the Blocked recordings. - All the Forced recordings. - All the Recent recordings. - All the Rejected recordings with the reason (can be filtered). - All the Upcoming recordings. - All the Recording jobs with the possibility of changing their frequency, to create a mass recording (record on any channel at any time), etc. -All the Recorded shows/movies with the possiblity of changing their "viewed" status, to reset the recording date to the first aired, to readd the missing descriptions, etc. - Results from searches by Keyword (regular or Advanced with extra filters), by Title or for a specific Episode in a Series. To search by Episode, the Serie must first be added from another list, then the format Series: episode (i.e. Lexx: The Giga Shadow) will add a new episode to that search. - All the TV-shows/movies on a specific Channel with the possibility of filtering the results... - Through the use of a context menu appropriate to the current list (accessed by right-clicking), it is possible to create/modify Recording jobs, add Searches, remove/force/block a specific recording, etc.
In addition, some tasks can be performed automatically like the Guide updates at times that will not impact your recording/LiveTV viewing, possibly followed by a reboot of the machine. Using the Expert mode, more advanced features like creating Recording jobs that match some search criteria, can be performed automatically when the program is launched or at a specific interval (such as when the Guide is updated). Make sure to set your unsubscribed channels, ppv channels, channels with parental lock and such as Hidden (through the web admin) if you plan on using the Expert mode features, otherwise you might end up recording multiple hours of your provider asking you to subscribe or enter a code...
Installation
The application does not come with an installer, so just unzip the file in the appropriate folder and run BTV-Negociator.exe from there or through a shortcut. If the BTV-Server is not located at http://localhost:8129 (how do you access the web admin from this machine?) with a blank password, BTV-Negociator will go to the Configuration tab, sub-tab Parameters so you can input the appropriate values (remember to save...).
I strongly recommend to set your unsubscribed channels as Hidden to avoid false alternatives/recordings... More information and some pictures can be found in the Instructions section or by consulting this forum thread.
Configuration tab
About
This sub-tab shows how to contact the author, the current version number and a log to monitor what is going on.
Parameters
From this sub-tab, you can load/save the configuration file. When using the Auto-launch feature, you can set a delay to make sure that BTV has time to load after a reboot (or switching on the PC). When the Auto-refresh is greater than 0, a reconnection to the server will be performed after that interval (in hour), to verify for updated lists (setting up a daily Guide update will disable this field). The maximum number of search results can be set. The Auto search (NetFlix) and Expert mode are described in another section. The log file is useful for debugging purposes and to keep track of what BTV-Negociator has done...
Appearance
With this sub-tab, you can chose the font type, font size and colors of the various texts and backgrounds.
Filters
This allows to personalize what you want or do not want to see. More details are given in other sections
Recording jobs tab
List
This sub-tab gives you access to all that you need, in order to micro-manage your recording schedule and insure that you don't miss anything. You can select between the list of Blocked/Conflict/Forced/Recent/Rejected/Upcoming recordings or even the list of Recording jobs itself. You can see an example of the list of Upcoming recordings with its context menu.
Library
This sub-tab allows you to consult the list of video files monitored by BTV. You can see and change if a recording is considered new or not by BTV. You can also re-add the movie/TV show descriptions that might have been missing at the time of the recording or have been lost while editing the file, assuming a copy still exist in one of the various lists (i.e. Library browser, Search result, etc.).
Max. shows
Want to prevent Beyond TV from recording new episodes when you already have reached the Maximum numbers of shows?
Browser tab
Channel
Want to know what is playing on your favorite channel, in order to schedule some recording jobs?
BlockBuster
Want to consult the New releases or various Top 25 at BlockBuster, for some suggestions of things to record?
NetFlix
Want to consult the Top 100 or various Top 25 at NetFlix, for some suggestions of things to record? If you have an account with NetFlix, you can even enter your ID and consult your list.
Internet Movie Database
Want to consult various Top 50/Bottom 10 at IMDb, for some suggestions of things to record?
Source
It can be used to monitor the LiveTV sessions or what Recordings are going on, as well as what is playing on any channel.
Searches tab
Searches can be added from most list or through the input text box. Results from the searches are presented in a TreeView and can be used to create a Recording job. Using the Expert mode, it is possible to automatically schedule recording jobs based on the results of the various searches.
Keyword
Episode
If you have missed a specific Episode of a Series and know its name, this is the best way to find it the next time it will be shown. (being reworked)
Title
You can search for Series/Movies with a Title matching your search term. This will not return the individual episodes/showings.
Internet Movie Database
This sub-tab actually presents a limited web browser, which allows you to navigate in case of ambiguous results.
Expert mode tab
General
Want to change some advanced settings that might not be available in the Web admin yet?
Guide
Want more controls over when the Guide updates should be happening?
Search
Want BTV-Negociator to automatically schedule recording jobs for the results of your searches?
Acknowledgments
Without the BeyondTV SDK I would not have tried to do this.
Thanks to DaWanderer for the BTVLibrary!
Thanks to LaMarvin for the ColorPicker!
Thanks to Martin Cook for the Managed Font Combobox!
Thanks to Nishant Sivakumar for the multi-line listbox!
Thanks to RodgerB for the MessageBox with a timeout!
Thanks to Alexander Lowe for the Shutdown Windows!
Thanks to Kilrsat for answering my frequent questions!
And finally thanks to the guinea pigs, er, I mean testers!
This application is freeware but I do accept donations.