"TvGuide": a 2D EPG viewer plugin for the Video Disc Recorder¶
"TvGuide" is a highly customizable 2D EPG viewer plugin. The "Search & Recordings"
Menü provided by the red button allows to search in the EPG and manage timers,
search timers, series timers and switch timers in an convenient way.¶
Content
1. Requirements¶
- Clone Git Repository: git clone git://projects.vdr-developer.org/vdr-plugin-tvguide.git
- VDR version >= 2.0.0
- Installed ImageMagick for showing png/jpg Channel Logos, EPG Images and menu icons
- for scaling the video picture to fit into the VDR menu window please use
softhddevice plugin revision 87c1c7be (2013-01-01) or newer. - Installed epgsearch Plugin for extended search & recording features.
- Installed remotetimers Plugin for creating timers on a vdr server remotely from a
vdr client. - TvGuide supports the display of posters, banners and actor thumbs provided by
the TvScraper Plugin: http://projects.vdr-developer.org/projects/plg-tvscraper/wiki
2. Screenshots¶
Horizontal View (default theme):¶
Vertical View (theme darkred NG):¶
Detailed EPG View (default theme):¶
3. Installation¶
After "normal" Plugin installation you have to care about the paths for the
used Icons, the channel logos and epg images. The following paths can be set
at startup:
-l path, --logodir=path
Path to the logos (Default: <vdrconfdir>/plugins/tvguide/channellogos/).
-i path, --epgimages=path
Path to the epgimages (Default: <vdrconfdir>/plugins/tvguide/epgimages/).
-c path, --icons=path
Path to the icons directory (Default: <ressourcedir>/plugins/tvguide/epgimages/).
<ResourceDirectory> and <CacheDirectory> is taken from your VDR configuration
(make.config or vdr.pc).
During a "make install" the Icons are automatically copied from <PlgSourceDirectory>/icons/
to the default path. Included Theme files are also copied from <PlgSourceDirectory>/themes/
to <ConfigDirectory>/themes/
If directories for channel logos or icons are set via startup
parameters, images are searched first in these directories. If the image
is not available, an additional search in the according default directory
will be performed.
I recommend to use channel logos from https://github.com/3PO/Senderlogos
To download them just change in the directory you want to place the logos
and do a:
git clone https://github.com/3PO/Senderlogos.git logos
An update of the logos can then be done with a "git pull" just inside this
directory.
For S2-6400 Users: Disable High Level OSD, otherwise the plugin will not be
loaded because lack of true color support
For Xine-Plugin Users: Set "Blend scaled Auto" as OSD display mode to achieve
an suitable true color OSD.
For Xineliboutput Users: Start vdr-sxfe with the --hud option enabled
4. Usage¶
Remote Control Keys:¶
Up/Down/Left/Right: Navigation in the EPG grid
Ok: Detailed EPG View of the selected grid
2nd Ok closes the detailed view
Red: Search & Recording Menu
Green / Yellow: Jump (default) five channels back / forward
Blue: Depends on configured Mode:
Default: Favorites Menu, Switch to channel in
detailed EPG View
Optional: Switch to currently selected channel
Optional: Open detailed EPG view (OK switches
then to channel)
Numeric Keys: If Setup Option "Functionality of numeric Keys" is configured
to "Jump to specific channel", the numeric keys are used for channel number
input. If "Timely Jump" is configured, the keys are used as follows:
1 / 3: Big jump (default 3h) back / forward in time
4 / 6: huge jump (default 24h) back / forward in time
7 / 9: jump to previous / next prime time (8pm)
Exit: closes plugin
Search & Recording menu¶
- Instant Record: create a timer for the currently selected program. An
check for timer conflicts will be performed, if a timer conflict occurs,
the involved timers can be adapted to solve the conflict.
- With the spyglass a search for reruns can be performed to solve a timer conflict.
Alternatively the timer start and stop times can be adapted, or a timer can be
deleted.
- Delete / Edit Timer: if a timer already exists for the currently selected
broadcast, this timer can be deleted or edited.
- Timer Timeline: displays active timers per day. To switch between the
days just press left / right.
- Create Search Timer: create an search timer with epgsearch. The most
important options can be defined directly in the menu, expert options
are available via the "advanced options" button.
- Manage Search Timers: edit, delete and check results of search timers
- Create Series Timer: create a periodical timer for a dedicated time on
dedicated days.
- Create Switch Timer: create a switch timer for the currently selected
program.
- Search: search with epgsearch
- Search in Recordings: check if a recording already exists for the currently
selected program.
- Check for Timer Conflicts: check for timer conflicts with epgsearch.
The search & recordings menu is intended to present a convenient interface
to different VDR core recording features and additional epgsearch features.
The main goal is to reach better usability for "non expert users".
The navigation through the search & recording menu can be done easily with
up/down, left/right and the ok key. In scrolling lists, with left/right
(after the first/last option of the displayed list element is selected) you
jump to the next page of the list. Pressing up on the first / down on the
last list item jumpps to the end / start of the list.
choose three alternatives for the option "Folder for instant Recordings":
- "Always use root video folder": the recording will always be placed in the
video root folder - "Select from folder list": before creating a timer, you'll get asked in which
directory the recording should be placed. If the epgsearch plugin is not
available, the entries from VDRs <VDRCONFIG>/folders.conf will be used. If
the epgsearch plugin is available, the more sophisticated epgsearch mechanism
will be used to identify the possible folders (folders from
<VDRCONFIG>/folders.conf and epgsearchfolders.conf and all already existing
folders in the video directory). - "Use fixed folder": the configured folder will always be used. If this string
is a epgsearch variable ("%variable%"), epgsearch will be used to replace
the variable with a concrete folder. All values defined in the epgsearch config
file "epgsearchuservars.conf" can be used. These variables use the definitions
from "epgsearchcats.conf". For a detailed description see the epgsearch Manual.
With that and a with an EPG with detailed information about movies and series
it is possible to create sophisticated paths for timers automatically (for
instance with series season and episode in the filename).
For a search timer also all folders and the defined dedicated folder can be used.
Favorites Menu¶
If configured, the blue key provides a favorite menu. In this menu the current
scheduling ("What's on now") and the next upcomming Shows ("What's on next")
can be listed.
Via the Plugin Setup Menu up to four user defined times can be configured with
a dedicated description (for instance "Primetime" for 8:15 pm). These user
defined times are also shown as options in the favorites menu. Finally all search
timers with the option "use as favorite" enabled are displayed in the favorites
menu. By selecting this entry, all hits for this search timer are shown.
5. Customizing, Setup Options¶
General Settings:¶
- Show Main Menu Entry
Display "tvguide" in main menu - Replace VDR Schedules Menu
If set to "yes", the original VDR schedules menu will be replaced by tvguide - Use appropriate nOpacity Theme: if nOpacity is configured as VDR skin, you can
configure TVGuide to select the choosen nOpacity theme automatically also as
TVGuide theme. If the appropriate theme is not avaiable, the default theme
will be used. If set to "no", you can configure the theme independend of
nOpacity- Theme: nOpacity independent theme to use
- Time to display in minutes: period of time to display in main EPG view
- Rounded Corners
Use rounded corners for displayed boxes - Channel Jump Mode (Keys Green / Yellow)
select between jumping x channels back/forward or to the previous / next
channel group - Keys Blue and OK
- Blue: Favorites in normal view, channel switch in det. EPG View, Ok: det. EPG View
- Blue: Channel Switch, Ok: Detailed EPG
- Blue: Detailed EPG, Ok: Channel Switch
- Close TVGuide after channel switch: If set to "no", tvguide will not be closed
after a channel switch. - Functionality of numeric Keys: see chapter Usage / Remote Control Keys
- Hide last Channel Group
If set to yes, the channels of the last channel group will not be displayed - Big Step (Keys 1 / 3) in hours
Hours to jump vertically with keys 1 / 3 - Huge Step (Keys 4 / 6) in hours
Hours to jump vertically with keys 4 / 6 - Time Format (12h/24h)
- Display Reruns in detailed EPG View
Screen Presentation:¶
- Display Mode
Choose between horizontal or vertical display of the channels. All further
width / height settings are dependend of this setting - Width/Height of Channel Header (% of osd width/height)
- Width/Height of Timeline (% of osd width/height)
- Number of Channels to display
- Height of Headers (Status Header and EPG View Header, % of osd height)
- Height of Footer
- Display status header
- Scale video to upper right corner
- Rounded corners around video frame
- Display Channel Names in Header
- Display channel groups
- Width/Height of channel groups (% of osd width/height)
- Display current time baseline
- Show Channel Logos
show / hide channel logos, if logos are shown:- Logo Extension jpg / png
- Logo width in Pixel
- Logo height in Pixel
- Show EPG Images
show / hide EPG images, if images are shown:- EPG Image width in Pixel
- EPG Image height in Pixel
Fonts and Fontsizes:¶
- Font:
Used Font, all Fonts installed on your system are shown - adjust various font sizes:
the defined value is added to / subtracted from the default font size
Recording Menus and Favorites¶
- Folder for instant Recordings: (see chapter "Usage" for detailed description)
- Always use root video folder
- Select from folder list
- Use fixed folder
- Use Remotetimers: Timers are handled not locally but on a VDR Server defined
with the remotetimers plugin. - Use "What's on now" in favorites
- Use "What's on next" in favorites
- Use user defined time 1 (to 4) in favorites
- Description (1 - 4)
- Time (1 - 4)
- Limit channels in favorites: if set to yes, only the configured channel range
is used to display favorite results (except for search timer favorites)- start channel
- stop channel
Image Caching¶
- Create Log Messages for image loading: enable debug messages for image loading
- Limit Logo Cache: if set to "no", every channel logo is cached. if set to "yes",
only the amount configured for "Maximal number of logos to cache" is cached, all
other logos are always loaded "on the fly"- Maximal number of logos to cache
- Number of logos to cache at start: number of logos to pre cache at plugin startup
(a too large number causes a slower VDR start) - Information about image cache sizes