Where to for XBMC/Kodi & Argus?

[logifuse]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to start a thread about where the XBMC/Kodi Argus plugin may be heading.

I've only ever been a casual user of XBMC (using MediaPortal as my frontends), but I've been having a closer look at it because Openelec is so good for lower end hardware, meaning it is a good option for fanless frontends.

My initial thoughts are that it's usable (once you get the passwords for the Argus shares sorted out), but it still lacks quite a lot of extended functionality (e.g. I still can't see a way to create a series recording from within XBMC - unless I'm missing something?). This seems to be down to the fundamental structure of XBMC where it is effectively a cached version of the info about your media - i.e. it grabs a periodic snapshot of Argus' recording schedule, EPG, etc. just as it grabs a periodic snapshot of your video library, meaning that a refresh needs to be done to get the latest changes.

By contrast, MediaPortal is more of a live window in to your media/Argus, meaning real time interactivity & updates to changes.

I guess the cached style is OK if it is updated often enough, & channel change speed is actually pretty good now, but are there any moves to bridge the functionality gap? Obviously Argus has benefited from having such high compatibility with MediaPortal where it's the only alternative to MP's TV Service, but under XBMC, there are so many different backends that need to be accommodated, so this seems to restrict how deeply XBMC & Argus can interact. Will it stay this way? I seem to recall that before the unified PVR structure in XBMC, there was a more pure Argus client being developed - is that not an option any more? I haven't tried it, but it seems that DVBLink has gone in that direction - presumably against the will of the XBMC dev team?

I've been trying many different ecosystems lately & it seems to me that the best option going forward is still Argus, & if you want/need cross-platform clients, then XBMC/Kodi is the best option, but it's still not good enough if you really want to use Argus headless (meaning use a 10 foot interface rather than the scheduler console).

I've been in to HTPCs for around 9 years now & what I find most frustrating is that there still isn't a complete client-server system out there. With MediaPortal & XBMC (with Argus as a TV backend), they come close, but you still need to hack in the ability to have a shared database for other media. With other solutions that work the other way like MediaBrowser & Plex (where they're based around a centralized database), PVR functionality is poor to non-existent. MediaPortal 2 seems to be the promised land, but it seems as far away today as the day it was announced, & there's been pretty much zero talk about it on this forum, so I'm not filled with hope.

Where does the future lie?

[banhuk]

Just a quick reply to say that I share your thoughts and I've been using argus tv backend and openelec front end for quite a while.

I currently record series from the Web browser on my mobile phone (web access - log on).

It's easy enough, but an xbmc/openelec series record option would be great.

[bluc]

First post here would also like to see series record from both within xbmc and the web gui. I realise there is a record any time function but it tends to also record repeats, am I missing something simple in regards to series record? Argus is extremely stable am using the argus recorder and I have marginal signal quality but i have not any issues regarding picture breakup in recordings.

[meep]

OP, I could have written that post! We're peas in a pod, I think.

As a fan of the Plex client/server model but as someone who really needs liveTV capabilities, I've ended up with my server running MediaBrowser and ArgusTV. This then allows me use multiple client types with plug-ins (MediaPortal on Windows, Kodi on OSX/Linux).

I find this really flexible as all media management is centralised and there's flexibility with client choice.

However, recent problems with the MediaPortal plug-in for MediaBrowser are causing problems and forcing me to look away from MediaPortal. But the Kodi ArgusTV is not so good, as you point out, so it's a quandary.

I too would love to see more features, but especially series record and file management (delete episodes/folders) implemented in the Kodi ArtguTV plug-in. Then I'd move to Kodi altogether on client systems but continue using Argus and MediaBrowser as back-ends.

Here's hoping...

[i0zjh02]

I've been playing with Kodi v15 nightly build recently (Isengard) and notice this doesnt seem to support the Argus TV plug in at all Is a new version that supports the new code in Kodi 15 being developed ? I'd hate to have to look for some other PVR solution as it took me ages finding something that came close to my previous system (SageTV)

[wileecoyote]

I've been playing with Kodi v15 nightly build recently (Isengard) and notice this doesnt seem to support the Argus TV plug in at all Is a new version that supports the new code in Kodi 15 being developed ? I'd hate to have to look for some other PVR solution as it took me ages finding something that came close to my previous system (SageTV)

Can you define "doesn't seem to support the Argus-TV addon at all", because that is a completely inaccurate statement. I have Kodi 15 Beta 1 running just fine on my windows laptop. Which OS are you running? Are you aware the nightly builds can be very unstable? Maybe the build you are running doesn't work with any PVR addons?

Be careful pointing blame....

[i0zjh02]

?? Strange reply - I wasn't "pointing blame", just stating my experience and asking a question, sorry if that is discouraged on this forum dont think I will bother to post again

[wileecoyote]

Please don't take my post to heart, it just really bothers me when people come to the forums and say "it's not working" but don't offer an explanation as to "why" it's not working. Then go on to say if it's not fixed you'll have to resort to another PVR solution?

And as to pointing blame, I have a Kodi 15 Beta 1 solution that works great. The nightly builds can be very unstable, so it's likely that it is not an argus addon issue. That's all I was trying to say.

Have you tried the Kodi 15 Beta 1? If it works for you then it's probably the nightly build. If it doesn't work please post a log file along with supporting information and I'm sure someone will be happy to help. With no information as to why it's broken it is impossible for anyone to assist.

[c128]

Chipping in with much the same...

I use Mediaportal mostly, but the OpenElec builds have lead me to use it on a separate client more and more.

The main issue with Kodi/OpenElec for me is the lack of integrated series record - that's a real pain.

The other issue is a general Kodi thing though - no matter how you seem to have your remote mapped, the operation is nonsensical. For example, no real "home" option that truly takes you to the root screen, the way that "back" and the arrow keys operate differently depending on whether you're watching video or live TV. Those aren't Argus issues, of course, but they are another thing that stops me using Kodi as my primary client. I mostly remember what does what now, but explaining it to someone else is another matter. Mediaportal, on the other hand, is very WMC-ish in that it's mostly intuitive.

Series record is the main thing though .

[ams123]

Chipping in with much the same...

I use Mediaportal mostly, but the OpenElec builds have lead me to use it on a separate client more and more.

The main issue with Kodi/OpenElec for me is the lack of integrated series record - that's a real pain.

The other issue is a general Kodi thing though - no matter how you seem to have your remote mapped, the operation is nonsensical. For example, no real "home" option that truly takes you to the root screen, the way that "back" and the arrow keys operate differently depending on whether you're watching video or live TV. Those aren't Argus issues, of course, but they are another thing that stops me using Kodi as my primary client. I mostly remember what does what now, but explaining it to someone else is another matter. Mediaportal, on the other hand, is very WMC-ish in that it's mostly intuitive.

Series record is the main thing though .

Cannot fix the main issue, I just you the web interface for series recordings but I can fix the home issue for the remote. Edit remote.xml and map this to the button you want to use for home, ActivateWindow(Home), you may need to do it in a few places to make sure it's universal but works for me.