I had to rebuild my HTPC (home theater personal computer), and I'd been using GBPVR. This is my info and notes for my needs and to share with friends.

Version: 1.4.7 | Website: Forums : Documentation

Update in progress - 2009-09-20

GBPVR is a free media software for your HTPC. I started working with it since before version 1 and this document covers what I've needed to remember and other found information since I started using it. I recently upgraded the video graphics card as the old one melted with the cooling fan failure on the card. Note to self: buy a better fan (and quieter). I decided to reload it all from scratch since I hadn't much to otherwise archive or save.

My HTPC:

• AMD Athlon XP 2800+ 2.08 GHz CPU
• 1G RAM
• Radeon X1300Pro (now replaced with GeForce 6700 GT)
• Huge hard drive
• Hauppauge PVR-500 (2 analog PVR-150s and FM tuner)
• AutumnWave OnAir GT USB HDTV (analog and ATSC/QAM tuner)

I have several other programs on it, but mainly use it for the entertainment room and those related activities, so I don't need much. I originally built the PC in 2006 with a board that was in my old system. You don't need a major computer for your machine, and keep it lean and mean. I run Windows XP and haven't yet moved my setup to Linux. Maybe some day.

My GB-PVR Setup:

• GB-PVR
  • Visual C++ Redistributable (GBPVR Archive
  • Microsoft dotNet 2.0 Runtime (and updates)
  • GB-PVR 1.0.8 (requires a couple of runtimes)
• Skins
  • Community 3.0 Pre-Release 2007-07-29
• Plugins
  • Weather Beta 20070719
  • SearchWiz 1.0.3
  • Cinema 5.0.1
  • GameZone (MAME, etc)
  • UbuRadio (future)
• Utlities
  • Enhanced Web Admin 0.64
  • VLC 0.8.6
  • SlimmGBPVR 1.6 beta
  • ComSkip 76.69 (future)
  • EPG Extra 1.1 (future)
  • Channel Logos (future)
  • CommonGBPVRUtilities 2005-08-09
  • GBPVR User Interface Elements Library 0.6.1

Install

Make sure you have your supported tuner cards installed and the drivers loaded. Then install the VisualC and dotNet runtimes, directX and then GBPVR.

GBPVR is two programs -- the configuration software, and the application. You configure it, then run the application.

Upgrade

The best thing you can do before upgrading any install is to backup (copy somewhere else) the database (gbpvr.db3) and config (config.xml) files.

Configuration Options

Run the config program to configure options and setup the tuner cards (in the capture sources area). Here are the changes that I made (by tab):

• General
• Playback
  • Software MPEG-2 Playback
    • Video Decoder:
    • Audio Decoder: NVIDIA Audio Decoder
    • Audio Renderer: DirectSound: NVIDIA nForce
    • Video Renderer: VMR9 (You must have DirectX 9 loaded)
  • Volume Control
    • Local Volume
  • Skip Control
• Capture Sources
  • Analog Cable - 1
    • Analog Recording Plugin
      • Hauppauge PVR500
      • Capture Device #1
      • Medium Quality
    • Schedules Direct (you can use another if you want)
  • Analog Cable - 2
    • Analog Recoding Plugin
      • Hauppauge PVR500 with FM Tuner
      • Capture Device #2
      • Medium Quality
  • Digital Cable
    
    • Digital Recording Plung
      • OnAir USB HDTV-GT (QAM)
      • Device Number 1
• MVP
• Directories
  • Recordings: D:\Recordings
  • LiveTV Buffer: C:\Temp\GB-PVR
  • Video Libraries
    • Movies: D:\Movies
    • Kids: D:\Kids
  • Music Libraries
    • Music: D:\Music
  • Photo LIbraries
• Processing
• DVD & Remote
  • DVD Playback
    • Navigator: NVIDIA Navigator
    • Video Decoder: NVIDIA Video Decoder
    • Audio Decoder: NVIDIA Audio Decoder
    • Audio Renderer: DirectSound: NVIDIA nForce
  • ISO File Playback
    • Drive: G
• Plugins
  • TV Guide
  • Recordings
  • Search Guide (to be replaced by SearchWiz)
  • LiveTV
  • FM Radio
  • Net Radio
  • Exit
• Channels (Not listed, but local Cable and QAM unencrypted)
• Misc
  • Live Preview Mode
    • Use Live Preview mode if possible
    • Return from timeshift mode on channel change
    • Deinterlacing: pass-through
  • Web Scheduling
    • Enabled on port: 7647

Skins

There are many skins. However, the Community Skin seemed to be the most comprehensive and the one I used in the past (I'd tried Plain Jane, too). And, since it was the only skin listed that worked with the new 1.0.8, it's what I installed.

Plugins

Plugins are downloaded and installed in the plugins directory.

Weather

Before this works, you must setup an "area code" (zip code for us) in the Plugins settings in the configurator.

Cinemas

Before this works, you must setup the cinemas you wish to have and then go into GB-PVR and refresh them (launches separate utility).

SearchWiz

Install. In the configurator, under the Plugins tab, this should show up. But I didn't find it.

Utilities

Web Streaming / Administration

The latest 1.0.x GB-PVR series bundles the Enhanced Web Admin (EWA) utility that allows web-based access and RSS-feeds to the application. GB-PVR also can can act as a server in other ways. The file-streaming aspects via the main server didn't work well for me. I'll may it again, but the capabilities in EWA also includes web streaming. You have to install VLC (cross-platform media player/server).

SlimmGBPVR

The SlimmGBPVR utility provides an enhanced system tray utility, and safer recorder restart (actually telling you whether or not recordings are happening or not) among many other useful tools and it's command-line interface (CLI) in case you run your own scripts. A must IMHO.