VirtualTV plugin

[VicMoore 735]

The VirtualTV plugin is fantastic. I use it everyday. My channels are built by tagging the Movies and TV Series for the respective channels. To do this easily, I have created a simple HTML tool for selecting (including viewing) and tagging content for channels. The tool (an HTML file) and a simple introduction (a word document) are included below. It's been tested on Chrome and Edge in a windows 10 environment. I don't know if it will work on other configurations. This code is free for anyone to use and modify. Use it at your own risk. I don't have much time to fix bugs, so all of the Javascript and jQuery are included within the HTML file. Let me know if this works for you as it does for me.  

 

Vic

VirtualTvTool.docx VirtualTvTool.html

[pünktchen 1350]

@PuffyToesToo @Spaceboy I'll pm you a test version this weekend with some extra logging about the max runtime option for MusicVideos.

@PuffyToesToo If you play something on your Roku (preferable a channel without bumpers), take a look at Emby's transcoding folder.
A text file "VirtualTV#_#######.txt" should be there. Please open it and tell me how many lines starting with "file" are there?

 

On 4/7/2021 at 1:19 PM, daedalus said:

are u using emby build-in "randomizer" for randomizing? cause i have the feeling you do, and the bulid-in function is broken for a very long time now, with no will to fix it

No i'm using a Fisher-Yates variant with a random number generated by System.Security.Cryptography:

public static void Shuffle<T>(this IList<T> list)
{
    int n = list.Count;
    while (n > 1)
    {
        n--;
        int k = RandomNumberGenerator.GetInt32(n + 1);
        T value = list[k];
        list[k] = list[n];
        list[n] = value;
    }
}

 

[daedalus 430]

12 hours ago, pünktchen said:

No i'm using a Fisher-Yates variant with a random number generated by System.Security.Cryptography:

oh thats "bad", cause i don't seem to be the only one, that sees a "random is not so random" behavior here too just like with emby itself

On 4/7/2021 at 10:31 PM, VicMoore said:

I have the same problem

 

[PuffyToesToo 341]

17 hours ago, pünktchen said:

@PuffyToesToo @Spaceboy I'll pm you a test version this weekend with some extra logging about the max runtime option for MusicVideos.

@PuffyToesToo If you play something on your Roku (preferable a channel without bumpers), take a look at Emby's transcoding folder.
A text file "VirtualTV#_#######.txt" should be there. Please open it and tell me how many lines starting with "file" are there?

 

No i'm using a Fisher-Yates variant with a random number generated by System.Security.Cryptography:

public static void Shuffle<T>(this IList<T> list)
{
    int n = list.Count;
    while (n > 1)
    {
        n--;
        int k = RandomNumberGenerator.GetInt32(n + 1);
        T value = list[k];
        list[k] = list[n];
        list[n] = value;
    }
}

 

Great! Thank you pünktchen!

 

[ebr 15670]

5 hours ago, daedalus said:

oh thats "bad", cause i don't seem to be the only one, that sees a "random is not so random" behavior here too just like with emby itself

As we've pointed out many times - computers simply are not designed to do random things.  In fact, they are designed to do precisely the opposite - only exactly what they are told.  So this is a complicated process for any computer system.  It can certainly be improved but it isn't easy or straightforward and, many times, you are hogtied by some of the other components in use (databases, computer language implementations, etc.).

[daedalus 430]

and as also pointed out before, we know that and we don't talk about "true" random or not

your implementation is just biased and its proofed (also stated a possible solution), u simply are not willing to fix it

[ebr 15670]

The point is, in most cases "we" don't have an implementation of this.  We rely on other components.  Customizing these is not always a straightforward (or even desired) thing to do for a number of reasons.

2 hours ago, ebr said:

many times, you are hogtied by some of the other components in use (databases, computer language implementations, etc.).

 

[daedalus 430]

solution suggestions in the "what dictates random" thread stated that u are not "hogtied" on this and could fix this for sure

but the fact, this behavior hasn't changed.

[AboveUnrefined 8]

Hello all, I'm back and giving and update to my server -

First of all - I'm hoping I can go ahead and use this plugin with roku clients and not have hung up "loading" bars. I've been having an EPG where my son's channels are all just  blank at this point. Likely because the docker container updated and I've not updated the plugin...
As far as the random thing goes -- I think we need to have some sort of external service running for this to be appropriate, otherwise the whole thing goes bust. We can only go so random on a frequency on what this plugin can do and what the ecosystem can do. I think if you really want a "great EPG" to happen - we need to make at least a month's worth of EPG data available - probably longer.... I can see what the problem is given the situation. Unless we have some sort of microservice to manage a nice EPG to happen, it's just a matter of coming up with a tolerable length of time before you get repeats happening.

Either way, I'm hoping I can just get the roku client to work without getting stuck on loading screens in between content and having some sort of EPG that works on the roku client!

Hoping for the best!

[crusher11 978]

This is doing something weird with Continue Watching. If I have an episode of a show displayed in Continue Watching, and watch a previous episode of that show via VirtualTV, Continue Watching updates to the episode after the one that was previously displayed.

 

[pünktchen 1350]

2 hours ago, crusher11 said:

This is doing something weird with Continue Watching. If I have an episode of a show displayed in Continue Watching, and watch a previous episode of that show via VirtualTV, Continue Watching updates to the episode after the one that was previously displayed.

 

Is this a new behaviour with the latest beta server?

[crusher11 978]

No. I'm still on 0.35, and it's been happening for a while. 

[crusher11 978]

 @pünktchen? 

[pünktchen 1350]

See here: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/97187-hide-series-from-resume-in-net-plugin for some background information.

[LakersFan 2]

Any chance we can get an increase in the amount of channels? Is the reason for 30 because it becomes to bloated?

[pünktchen 1350]

8 hours ago, LakersFan said:

... Is the reason for 30 because it becomes to bloated?

That and my incompetency in Javascript.

[Guest]

  waiting for lightning to strike.. BUT.. ONE DAY we will be victorious.. LOL

SO uhhmm.. will we have more one day? ( Don't worry I have to buy a sub before this will work.. but your plugin is on the list at the top )

[LakersFan 2]

I honestly bought Emby Premier for this specific plugin. PseudoTV was the last thing keeping me on Kodi. Once I saw this, I signed up that night. That said, I had a hundred(ish) channels on my PseudoTV set up, so that's why I was asking for more. Nice to have a huge selection of something to watch.

It's all good though ... maybe in due time. Thanks @pünktchen

[hstamas 172]

Just curious all. Does not being able to pull up the guide during playback completely ruin the virtual TV experience for you or is it just me?

[Spaceboy 2565]

25 minutes ago, hstamas said:

Just curious all. Does not being able to pull up the guide during playback completely ruin the virtual TV experience for you or is it just me?

to be fair, its not just Virtual TV. I have long made the point that being able to pull up the guide to schedule recordings while watching recorded tv would be very helpful

[Carlo 4552]

Agree with Spaceboy, but need to ask, why would you need to record something playing back from Virtual TV plugin?

[hstamas 172]

If your asking about my use for it @cayars I would like to be able to see “what else is on” and choose a different channel if desired. As it is now I have to stop playback, pull up the guide and then chose something else. Just sort of pulls you out of the simulated tv watching scenario the virtual tv add-on is trying to achieve.

In @Spaceboycase my guess is that when he’s watching something, no matter live to, recorded live tv or something from his personal library, he would like to be able to pull up the guide and schedule a recording if he so desires. Right now he can only do that while watching true live tv only.

[Carlo 4552]

I get the typical "record" issue for Live TV but should we allow recording something already stored on your system being pushed out by Virtual TV?
I'm not sure we have control over this so it's more of a hypothetical question.

That was what I was getting at in my earlier comment.

 

[hstamas 172]

7 minutes ago, cayars said:

I get the typical "record" issue for Live TV but should we allow recording something already stored on your system being pushed out by Virtual TV?
I'm not sure we have control over this so it's more of a hypothetical question.

That was what I was getting at in my earlier comment.

 

I guess I’m not following. All I want to be able to do is tune into a different channel without having to stop playback of what I’m currently watching. I’m not looking to “record” anything.

[pünktchen 1350]

@cayars Nobody said he wants to record something from the VirtualTV channels, instead he said he wants to pull up the osd guide with every kind of video playing to see what else is going on or to create a schedule for his real live tv channels. This is completely independent to the VirtualTV plugin.

Edited April 30, 2021 by pünktchen