Frequently Asked Questions

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Contents

General

In case of problems, where can I find the log files?

Low-level log files are located in C:\ProgramData\ARGUS TV\Logs on Windows Vista and above and C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ARGUS TV\Logs on Windows XP. Alternatively they can be found through the ARGUS TV Scheduler Console > View Log > Open Local Logs.

My ARGUS TV services sometimes don't start up properly

With loaded systems you may encounter the problem, that sometimes, the ARGUS TV services start up properly, sometimes they don't.
The reason may be, that at the time, ARGUS TV is started, required modules are not yet loaded/available, e.g. the SQL Server services. This especially happens, if you're using MS-SQL 2012, which fires many tasks/sub-services, and maybe additionally MS IIS (which is not required by ARGUS TV, but slows additionally down the startup sequence of maybe the SQL server).
Solution:

  • Open the "Services" with administrator's privileges on your ARGUS TV core/scheduler machine (Hit Win button, type in "services", wait a second, right-click on "Services" & select "Run as Administrator")
  • Search for
    • ARGUS TV Scheduler Service and
    • ARGUS TV Recorder Service (if present)
  • Select one after another, right-click and select "Properties"
    • Change Start Type from "Automatic" to "Automatic (delayed)"
  • Restart your ARGUS TV core/scheduler machine to check the result.

Remark: you basically only have to change ARGUS TV Scheduler Service, but it's even more safe to start the recorder service later, too, as ARGUS TV Scheduler Console services are not depending on the successful start of ARGUS TV Recorder Console services.

My (old) For The Record / ARGUS TV Installation suddenly stopped working

All FTR version and versions 2.01 and earlier of ARGUS TV have an implemented "limited working time" (ARGUS TV 2.01 works until March 2014) to move people to the use of newer versions, which are easier to support. At the time of writing, FTR 1.6.0 stopped its service.
Solution: please upgrade to the newest version of ARGUS TV


Installation & Configuration

Scan: I can't find my region, provider, satellite or terrestrial area in the scan drop-down list, what can I do?

Questions concerning

  • Download of the most recent tuning XML Files
  • General Purpose and Bruteforce scanning Lists for common Configurations
  • How can I manually edit or expand the tuning Presets for Cable, Satellite, ATSC or Terrestrial?
  • How can I contribute to provide extended Information also to other Users?

... are handled in our article ICN WIKI INLINE.PNG Scanning Parameters


A service moved frequencies, but ARGUS TV doesn't detect the change, now I can't watch that channel.

A service moved frequencies, but a scan in ARGUS TV Recorder Console shows no new or changed services.

In the ARGUS TV Recorder Console:

  1. Open the "Services" page and find the service in question.
  2. Hold the shift key and click hide. This will delete the service.
  3. Scan again to detect the service on it's new frequency.
  4. Open the Channels page and ensure the service is mapped to the appropriate channel

Recording

I have two tuner cards, but apparently three (or more) recordings are happening at once! What's going on?

This is quite normal, and a result of multiple channels being transmitted in one multiplex (also called transponders) over the air.

ARGUS TV can record all the channels on a given transponder using just one tuner. In some cases, this can be as many as six or more channels. So with two tuners you could potentially be recording twelve channels at once. It is important to note that in case the channels are encrypted you will need to be able to decode all of them as well of course (cfr. the CAM Limit of a card).

However, this should be taken as a free benefit when it happens, and not relied upon. Channels can move between transponders at the broadcaster's discretion, so suddenly you might revert to needing two tuners to record those two channels that previously only needed one.

How can I prioritize recording in HD before SD?

Just sort the "All Channels" Group in this order how you like to record. If you prefer HD-recordings, just put the HD-Channels prior the similar SD's in the list (using ARGUS TV Scheduler Console/Channel Administration/Channels). Be sure, that the group on top is selected to "All Channels". If you prefer SD-content, just swap the order and put the SD-Channels before the similar HD-Channels.

If you like a different order for live-tv or EPG-view on the clients, you're always able to add new channel-groups (and select them within the clients).

To get them work, please make sure that you have no or a passed channel-selection, within your schedule.

ICN INFO.PNG Remark:
if you have different receiving types (DVB-T/-C/-S), the cardorder may play a rule too. Also, if you have merged services or limited tuner-resources.


After a certain time of recording, I get glitches, bad blocks and asynchronous sound

If you get the glitches at nearly the same elapsed time of the recording (compare SD to SD and HD to HD, this could be caused by the "switch" to the next timeshift buffer file.
A solution may be to change those settings:

  • Open ARGUS TV Recorder Console.
  • Select Settings.
  • Under "Advanced", you find the timeshift buffer files' settings which default to 4 files 750 MB each. Although they're called "Live TV timeshift", they're used for recordings, too.
    • If you increased those values previously, reset the to default.
    • If the problem persists, select smaller files size.


Watching

Every time, I play my recording it starts at (x) minutes and not at the beginning - what's wrong?

Nothing is wrong, this is a very great feature of ARGUS TV. Shedules are planned with the Airing-Times from your EPG-Provider. Everybody knows, that some times a show start some seconds before or end many minutes after the provided EPG-Time. If this happen, you miss some important content within the recording. To prevent this issue, you can define a global pre/post-Recordtime and also a specific for each shedule too. The pre-record-time means, how many minutes prior the original Airingtime the record starts, the post-record-time means how many minutes after Airingtime the record ends. ARGUS TV think as default, that the show is aired as known through the EPG-Data, so it starts the recordingplay - without consideration of pre-recording-time - at the point of original airingtime. So, if you have setup a pre-record of 3 minutes - play recording is started at this point of timeline /+3 minutes). If you miss something, you can Rewind or SkipBack down to 0.

If you have a shedule on a channel, where you know of unreliable or floating Airingtimes you can overwrite the global settings within each shedule.

ICN INFO.PNG Remark:
pre-/post-record could be broken, if ARGUS TV need this tuner for another shedule.


Watching live TV and changing channel, the switching time or delay seems to take too long?

A word about switching times... many users remark, that it takes considerably long to switch channels.
We have to consider, that we have to look not only at ARGUS TV Recorder but even more - as the following numbers show - at the front-ends:

A little benchmark of opening streams and switching channels (as per August 2012) on a regular HTPC with FireDTV DVB-C vs. a Samsung TV D-Series:

  • TV Set (Samsung D-Series; benchmark):
    • Opening not relevant (means turning on TV Set, approx. 5-7 secs., depending on the peripherals connected), switching: 2.8 to 3.8 secs. (!), HD approx. 0.3 secs. longer
  • DVBViewer (comes with Fire-/FloppyDTV) with direct driver / deactivated ARGUS TV:
    • Opening stream 1.8 to 2.5 secs, switching channel 1.5 to 2.2 secs, same for HD, stopping stream 1.2 to 2 .1 secs
  • XBMC Frodo ALPHA with ARGUS TV prior to timeshift support (core + tuners on same machine):
    • Opening stream 1.7 to 2.3 secs, switching channel 1.4 to 2.2 secs, same for HD, stopping stream 0.7 secs.
  • XBMC Frodo RC2 with ARGUS TV and timeshift support (core + tuners on same machine):
    • Opening stream 6 to 6.5 secs, switching channel 5.5 to 5.8 secs, same for HD, stopping stream 0.7 secs.
  • Now attention: ARGUS TV Scheduler Console plus VLC (RTSP, VLC already pre-opened, controlled through ARGUS TV Scheduler Console Live TV page):
    • Opening stream 3.4 to 4.5 secs, switching channel 10.5 to 14.5 secs (!), stopping stream 8.5 to 10.3 secs

Interesting: using VLC, ARGUS TV Scheduler Console shows its stream stopped latest after 0.8 secs, but VLC continues to play (from its buffer) for another 7-9 Seconds. XBMC in its current Eden Beta-PVR phase does not support buffering (within XBMC) or timeshift.

Analyzing this, we come to the conclusion, that we're not talking about an issue of ARGUS TV but of the client. It seems that the application-side handling of buffering has the most significant impact.


Channel Logos

  1. Where should I put channel logos?
  2. I have a channel with funny characters in, like a * or a /. How do I name the logos for those channels?

These points are all answered in the section ICN WIKI INLINE.PNG Configure some channel logo icons for your EPG

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