Release Notes
Recorded TV Manager Add-in for Windows Home Server
Build 3.9.2 Release Notes
Build 3.7.6 - May 24, 2009
What's New in this Build
- WTV File Support
- Improved Console error handling - Certain unhandled exceptions in
Version 3.4.3 could crash the Home Server Console. These conditions
have now been corrected. You may, however, still receive an error
message in a Message Box which identifies the error condition which was
handled, most likely a file access problem.
- Improved stability in the AutoCopy Service - Certain conditions in the
Version 3.4.3 AutoCopy service could cause the service to stop unexpectedly,
which necessitated the AutoCopy Restart Service to compensate and start the
service back up. These issues have been removed and the Restart
Service is no longer necessary.
- Improved Installer - Fixes the Uninstall issue and a few other small
Installer issues.
Back to Top
Installation
When upgrading from earlier builds, it is necessary to uninstall the add-in
first.
Important: Version 3.4.3 Uninstall Issue
The Version 3.4.3 Uninstaller incorrectly removes the required Home
Server system file
Microsoft.HomeServer.SDK.Interop.v1.dll
If this file is deleted, it can cause other WHS add-ins to break and cause
the Home Server Console to crash.
Developer's Note: My thanks to George Hayles and Alex
Kuretz of
MediaSmartServer.net for helping to identify and fix this problem.
Recommended procedure:
- Before Uninstalling Version 3.4.3
- Logon to the WHS using Remote Desktop.
- From the Start menu, select Windows Explorer.
- Locate the above named file at
C:\Program Files\Windows Home Server
- Make a copy of the file somewhere.
- Then uninstall using the Add-ins tab on the Windows
Home Server Console.
- Logon to the WHS using Remote Desktop.
- If the file was deleted during the uninstall, then replace
it with the copy made earlier.
If necessary, you can download a new copy of the SDK.Interop file
here.
(This uninstall problem is fixed in Version 3.9.2)
Update Instructions
Your data files and settings, including AutoCopy rules, will be
preserved.
- Right-click the Windows Home Server tray icon, and then click
Windows Home Server Console.
- Type the Windows Home Server password and then click Next.
- Click Settings on the console.
- On Windows Home Server Settings, click Add-ins.
- Click the Installed tab.
- Select Recorded TV Manager WHS and then click
Uninstall.
- Click OK on the Uninstallation Succeeded
dialog box and close the Console.
- Replace the existing msi file with the new build and then restart the console.
- Be sure to follow the
Installation Instructions.
Note: The file name of the Add-in is "RecordedTVManagerWHSAddin.msi",
which is the same as the earlier build. Make sure that you replace
the older version with the newer one.
Do not change the name of the file during or after
download because other components of Recorded TV Manager still expect that file
name.
Back to Installation Instructions
Back to Top
WTV File Support
May 10, 2010 - Updated
Windows 7 and Vista Media Center with TV Pack produce recorded TV files in
the WTV file format. Microsoft has not publicly released
the file format and/or metadata access details for WTV files. As a result,
the episode name and description, and all the other episode information in the
file are not accessible at this time.
Developer's Note: When Microsoft releases
those details and/or provides some other access to the metadata, Recorded TV
Manager Add-in for Windows Home Server will be updated.
Recorded TV Manager extracts the following information from the file name of
the WTV file:
- Series Name
- Channel name of recording
- Recorded date and time
- The original-air-date is set to the recorded date.
Differences with DVR-MS files:
- Episode details are not available. See example
here.
- Original-air-date is not necessarily correct because it cannot be
retrieved from the metadata.
- Duplicate episodes cannot be determined because the episode name is not
available.
Using AutoCopy rules (Collections) with WTV files:
- Collections work correctly for first-run content because the
original-air-date is usually the same as the recorded date.
- Mixed collections of DVR-MS files and WTV files will work, but may order
or select episodes incorrectly due to the lack of an episode title and
correct original-air-date.
- Multiple recordings of the same series on the same day (such as a
marathon) will look like duplicate recordings because they will all
have a blank episode name and the same original-air-date. Use caution
with the AutoDelete
options in this case.
Back to Top
Client Application
The Recorded TV Manager 3
client application should automatically locate the supporting data files on the
server and open directly into your Folder List. If the client application
does not locate the Folder List on your server, then it may be necessary to
Manually
Set The Path.
Recorded TV Manager 3 Program
Help.
Back to Top
Media Center Add-in
Recorded TV Manager 3 must be installed on the client computer, and the Media
Center Add-in will automatically use the same supporting data files as defined
by the Recorded TV Manager 3 PATH variable. You can also
Manually
Set The Path.
Back to Top
AutoCopy Restart Service
The AutoCopy Restart Service, which was designed to support Version 3.4.3, is
no longer required with Version 3.7.6. To Uninstall the Restart service:
- Logon to the WHS using Remote Desktop.
- From the Start menu select Control Panel
>> Add or Remove Programs
- Click on AutoCopy Restart Service and then click Remove
Note that the AutoCopy Off-Time functionality is no longer
supported.