MovieLoader: HME meets MFS_FTP

[gfb107]

MovieLoader is a simple HME app (that means you need an HME enabled TiVo w/ mfs_ftp) to allow you to transfer recordings (.tmf, .ty, and .ty+ files ) between (to or from) your TiVo and your PC or other FTP servers directly from the TiVo UI, using your remote. The FTP servers could be other mfs_ftp enabled TiVos, even those that are not HME enabled.

For details and screen captures, see the Readme.html included in the .zip file.

v0.17 MovieLoader.v0.17.zip

• Add support for shows with # in the title or episode title

v0.16 MovieLoader.v0.16.zip

• Allow remapping of keys (see the Readme.html)
• Remove requirement for Java 1.6. It'll work with either 1.5 or 1.6

v0.15 MovieLoader.v0.15.zip

• Display the event queue with newest entries first
• Only keep the last 2 copies of the cache update log
• Fix exporting shows from a folder on the computer.

v0.14 MovieLoader.v0.14.zip

• Fix memory leak causing "java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space" messages

v0.13a MovieLoader.v0.13a.zip

• Set folder dates correctly

Updates for v0.13

• Add ability to transfer shows between any two defined sources, as explained here.
• A cache update in progress will be aborted if a transfer or delete is requested. Another cache update will be added to the queue after the cache update interval
• The cache update interval is configurable using the CacheUpdateInterval= line in MovieLoader.properties. It defaults to 15 (minutes)
• Work with ty-ffmpeg generated xml. Note that you should be using ty-ffmpeg v0.17 or later
• Shows that have a pending delete will not have the "Delete" choice available, and can not be deleted using the Clear key.
• Shows are removed from the cache once deleted (after any previously pending operations)

*** Updated 10/01/2006 for v0.12a ***

• Fixed issue with setting Title in MovieLoader.properties
• Enabled use of Clear key to delete shows
• Added support for WaitForFirstCacheUpdate=No property so MovieLoader will work under Galleon or as a Service.
• Fix parsing of file names with station named {}

*** Updated 9/29/2007 for v0.12 ***

• Improved documentation, see the Readme.html included in the .zip file.
• Add CoverArtFolder entry to MovieLoader.properties, which defines a fallback folder for cover art when no cover art is found at the same location as the shows.
• Add delete support
• Cosmetic fixes and improvements

*** Updated 3/5/2007 ***

• Return to show list after adding transfer
• Add checks to prevent accidentally adding duplicate transfers

*** Updated 3/2/2007 ***
Fixed disappearing text when re-entering MovieLoader, as reported here.

*** Updated 2/28/2007 ***
Uploaded new version with the following changes:

• Dates are now sorted in descending order
• Go directly to the transfer details screen when importing/exporting a show
• Return to the show listing screen when returning from the transfer details screen.
• Cancel inactive transfers (from the transfer queue screen or the transfer details screen) using the Clear button.
• Clean up layout of show listing screens.
• Clean up logs folder at startup.

*** Updated 2/21/2007 ***
Uploaded latest version since all attachments were lost when the thread was accidentally deleted.
There have been a number of changes, especially to how MovieLoader is launched, so make sure you read the Readme.html included in the zip file.

This version loads all show lists and show details rather than retrieving it on demand when the user interacts with MovieLoader. There is a 15 minute interval after an update completes and the next update begins. This causes 2 side-effects:

1. All folders and directories will appear to be empty until the first update completes.
2. Newly added shows won't appear until the following update completes.

These updates are performed as jobs on the transfer queue. They are included in the pending job count, but do not show a progress bar.

Displayed dates are now formatted is a more user-friendly manner.

Switched from my own FTP class to the one in Jakarta Commons Net

There are probably other changes as well, but that's all I can think of at the moment.

*** Updated 02/06/2007 ***

• Added pre-fetching and caching of show lists and details for FTP servers. It'll take a few minutes after first starting MovieLoader before you'll be able to see the shows on FTP servers, while MovieLoader pre-fetches.
  The cache is created in the working directory (or the directory specified on the command line).
  Each FTP server gets it's own sub-directory, with a name built from the host and port of the FTP server. The time between cache updates is 15 minutes.
• Added ability to export shows. If the IP address of the HME client (TiVo on which you are interacting with MovieLoader) matches the IP address of the FTP server containing the shows, you can export the show (rather than import, which wouldn't make any sense).
• Display the recorded date when listing shows (rather than original air date (OAD)), in a more user-friendly format. The OAD is still used for sorting (first sort by title, then OAD, then episode, then recorded date)
• Include both the OAD and the recorded date in the show details, again using a user-friendly format.

*** Updates 1/25/2007

• Put description in Readme.html
• Added a transfer queue
• Look for .xml/.txt detail file before looking for embedded xml
• Improve progress bar
• Allow re-entering MovieLoader while a transfer is in progress
• Added show grouping (by title, always enabled)
• Improved show listing to make it more readable. Show only titles (except in a group, in which case only the episode is shown).
• Improved support for FTP servers that aren't setup to replicate the mfs_ftp directory structure.

*** Updated 12/19/2006 ***

• Added command line parameter to specify the properties file or show directory

*** Updated 12/9/2006 ***

• Added a progress indicator to the transfer screen
• Updated screen captures to show progress indicator.

*** Updated 12/5/2006 ***

• Minor improvements to file name parsing
• Configuration via MovieLoader.properties
  • Customize the title
  • Multiple source directories, with optional custom name

[mr_zorg]

Originally Posted by gfb107

If you have multiple IP addresses, you can specify which one you want to use on the command line by adding

--intf <ipaddress>

Just to clarify (since HME may not be well understood by everyone yet), this is for setting the IP of your PC for the hosted app, not the IP of the TiVo -- correct?

[gfb107]

Correct, this allows you to specify which IP on your PC (if you have more than one) to use for communicating with HME-enabled TiVos.

[Prof. Honeydew]

Originally Posted by gfb107

Correct, this allows you to specify which IP on your PC (if you have more than one) to use for communicating with HME-enabled TiVos.

Cool. I can't wait to try this out. (Well I do have to wait for the HME to be enabled)

In the meantime...

It seems that there are two XML formats (see my post in the Newbie forum.) Are you only supporting the Tivo/mfs_ftp one? Or are you handling the alternate format that tivoserver can use, too?

[gfb107]

MovieLoader supports the mfs_ftp format only.

Maybe I should remove support for external .xml and .txt files, because it might give the impression that those details are transferred to the TiVo. They are not. The external .xml and .txt files are used only for the details screen in MovieLoader, to help the user before initiating a transfer to the TiVo.

When the XML is embedded in the .ty/.ty+/.tmf file, the details are shown on the MovieLoader details screen and are also transferred to the TiVo.

All the real work, which is the actual insertion of the file, is done by mfs_ftp.
MovieLoader is just a front end that lets you initiate an ftp put of a .ty/.ty+/.tmf file to your TiVo.

As is true for mfs_ftp in general, the preferred format for insertion is .tmf. Not only is it the easiest format for extracting the xml information, it is also the format that is most reliable for insertion.

[mr_zorg]

Originally Posted by gfb107

Maybe I should remove support for external .xml and .txt files, because it might give the impression that those details are transferred to the TiVo. They are not. The external .xml and .txt files are used only for the details screen in MovieLoader, to help the user before initiating a transfer to the TiVo.

I like it, so I vote to keep the feature... Though that does sound like a good FAQ question.

[usa11usa]

does this work on a DircTV tivo

[mr_zorg]

Originally Posted by usa11usa

does this work on a DircTV tivo

It does if you're lucky enough to know the tricks to enable HME on those boxes. It can be done, and one day (hopefully) soon, that information will be released publicly.

[cheer]

Originally Posted by mr_zorg

It does if you're lucky enough to know the tricks to enable HME on those boxes. It can be done, and one day (hopefully) soon, that information will be released publicly.

Notice, though, that his sig says he has 5 DTivos running 6.2...6.2 doesn't have the HME code, so this will likely never work with them. (But then you don't need it with 6.2 boxes; just run Tivoserver.)

[SpoonsJTD]

Originally Posted by mr_zorg

It does if you're lucky enough to know the tricks to enable HME on those boxes. It can be done, and one day (hopefully) soon, that information will be released publicly.

Based on his sig (5 DTivo's running 6.2), I am guessing he was more curious about the SD DTivo's.

HME doesn't currently and very likely won't ever run on the SD DTivo's (unless someone does some actual code insertion patching that goes far beyond the typical 'superpatching') which means this neat new app can't be used with them. They have HMO, the less functional predecessor to HME, but they are capable of having MRV turned on which is what this app is a substitute for on the HR10-250.

[Update: Yeah, what cheer said. Sometimes I don't know why I bother. ]

[Prof. Honeydew]

Originally Posted by mr_zorg

I like it, so I vote to keep the feature... Though that does sound like a good FAQ question.

I agree leave it. I just wanted a confirmation.

And yes it would be a good FAQ for others like me that got into this backwards, starting with tivoserver first and just recently picking up mfs_ftp.

[gfb107]

18 downloads and no feedback?

[SpoonsJTD]

How about on option to specify a set of directories to use as show directories?

That combined with one of the many map-ftp-as-network-drive utilities would let me map a network drive to the mfs_ftp directories of other tivos and expose them through MovieLoader.

Copying some files now to try exposing local files to try it out ...

[mr_zorg]

Originally Posted by SpoonsJTD

That combined with one of the many map-ftp-as-network-drive utilities would let me map a network drive to the mfs_ftp directories of other tivos and expose them through MovieLoader.

An interesting idea, but from what I've seen retrieving the directory listing from mfs_ftp is pretty slow. If it had to scan those file listings everytime you fired it up I should think it would be real slow... Not to mention trying to extract the xml out of a tmf file would be a disaster...

But an option to add ftp sources could be useful with multiple tivos. It would have to show them as a directory that you drill down into before it goes to fetch the listings, and would have to skip loading the details.

[SpoonsJTD]

Originally Posted by mr_zorg

An interesting idea, but from what I've seen retrieving the directory listing from mfs_ftp is pretty slow. If it had to scan those file listings everytime you fired it up I should think it would be real slow... Not to mention trying to extract the xml out of a tmf file would be a disaster...

First off, the app looks really good. I downloaded a file locally so I could serve up something from it and the interface is slick.

Back to the feature request: let the ftp mounting utility worry about the ftp. My suggestion to let you specify alternate directories is just to facilitate that, but the feature would be nice regardless. I don't know about other people's home systems, but I have at least three different apps (off the top of my head -- tivoserver, media center pc, and xbmc) that serve up and\or consume media content. This one would make four. I (and others I am guessing) need to be able to separate where the content is stored from the apps that are serving it up and consuming it. The ftp example is just one scenario. Media can be on NAS's, shares, etc. where java and movieloader can't be installed, so it'd be nice to be able to tell it where to look for files.

As an aside, the ftp drive mounting utility I am using does it's own caching. I'm having mixed results with it, but the caching works great. It doesn't hit the ftp server every time the mount is queried and you can specify the cache timeout.