OverlayHD BER indicator problems 19.3.20210726

[unilaw]

Ian has got a fix ready for the BER indicator along the same lines as I was thinking. The problem is that it uses code that seems to be broken across all enigma2 distributions (including the Beyonwiz firmware).

It will also only appear in OverlayHD versions newer than 1.82E. The Beyonwiz code needs further work to be able to use that.

Where can I get the OverlayHD V1.82E? I can still only see v1.70 in the skins section.

[MrQuade]

Where can I get the OverlayHD V1.82E? I can still only see v1.70 in the skins section.

It's incompatible with the Beyonwiz firmware.
The latest OverlayHD relies on features that are not present in the Beyonwiz firmware.

IanSav ceased development of the Beyonwiz version when the Beyonwiz firmware drifted too far away from the upstream firmware updates from OpenATV and Vix.

[prl]

Why do you want to? It doesn't work properly on Beyonwiz.

[sub3R]

I’ve been sent the below details of a patch for OverlayHD 1.70 by the developer of OverlayHD. This fixes the recent continuous flashing BER discussed in this topic now that the underlying Python code in the Beyonwiz firmware has been fixed in 19.3.20210803 f/w.

Any future OverlayHD update for Beyonwiz will contain this fix. That is, this patch is only required for the current OverlayHD 1.70.

After doing an on-line update to 19.3.20210803 f/w with restore settings I patched /usr/share/enigma2/OverlayHD/skin.xml as below & it fixed this issue on our U4s. This should work on all T, U & V series Beyonwiz units using OverlayHD 1.70 & running at least 19.3.2020803 f/w.

If anyone wants to do this patch the details are as follows:

In /usr/share/enigma2/OverlayHD/skin.xml you should find on, or about, line 1716 the following code fragment:

Code: Select all

		<widget source="session.FrontendStatus" render="FixedLabel" text="BIT ERRORS DETECTED!              " position="0,2" size="160,28" backgroundColor="TunerBER" font="Regular;8" foregroundColor="Black" halign="center" valign="center">
			<convert type="FrontendInfo">BER</convert>
			<convert type="ConditionalShowHide">Blink,375</convert>
		</widget>

Please replace this small block with the following block:

Code: Select all

		<widget source="session.FrontendStatus" render="FixedLabel" text="        BIT ERRORS DETECTED!" position="0,2" size="160,28" backgroundColor="TunerBER" font="Regular;8" foregroundColor="Black" valign="center">
			<convert type="FrontendInfo">BER</convert>
			<convert type="ValueRange">0,0</convert>
			<convert type="ConditionalShowHide">Invert,Blink,375</convert>
		</widget>

This should resolve the issue and allow the BER alert to be displayed if there is in fact a BER problem.

The patched file should remain patched after every Beyonwiz firmware update. If OverlayHD needs to be re-installed for any reason then the patched skin.xml will be replaced and the patch will need to be re-applied again.

Thanks to Ian, Peter (prl) and anyone else involved.

There are probably various ways to go about installing the patch, but if it helps anyone the following method is what I did to install it on our U4s. Both our U4s & Windows Laptop are on a LAN & I used FileZilla & Notepad++ to install the patch. See the end of the below guide for another option & for some of my normal Notepad++ settings.

For a Beyonwiz connected to a LAN:

1. On the Beyonwiz, un-install any scripts/patches & re-boot.
2. In OverlayHD Skin Manager, in the 'Show panel and plugin colour settings' group > 'Tuner signal error colour’, change the colour from the selected background colour workaround back to the default ‘orange red’, then reboot the GUI.
3. Update on-line to 19.3.20210803 f/w or later with backup & restore settings.
4. Open FileZilla & find /usr/share/enigma2/OverlayHD/skin.xml on the Beyonwiz.
5. In FileZilla ’right click > download’ skin.xml to a previously created folder with an appropriate description on the Laptop/PC (this is only for a backup of the original skin.xml if ever needed).
6. In FileZilla ’right click > View/Edit’ skin.xml. This opens skin.xml in Notepad++ (my preferred editor) so the contents can be viewed/edited.
7. Click on ‘Code: Select all’ at the above posted second code block (the new patch) then ‘right click > Copy’.
8. In Notepad++ scroll down to line 1716 in skin.xml & highlight the selection as shown in the above posted first code block (in my case line 1716 to 1719 inclusive), then click ‘Edit > Paste’. This will replace the highlighted section with the new patch block. (Notepad++ can do a compare between the original & patched skin.xml if required under ‘Plugins > Compare’).
9. In Notepad++ save this patched skin.xml to a previously created folder with an appropriate description on the Laptop/PC (this may be required if OverlayHD ever needs to be re-installed).
10. In FileZilla locate the above patched skin.xml on the Laptop/PC & upload it to the Beyonwiz at /usr/share/enigma2/OverlayHD. This will replace the original skin.xml on the Beyonwiz.
11. On the Beyonwiz restart the GUI. The previous continuous flashing BER will now stop flashing.
12. Re-install any scripts/patches & reboot.

For a Beyonwiz not connected to a LAN:

For anyone who is running at least 19.3.20210803 f/w & OverlayHD 1.70 on their Beyonwiz but doesn’t have it connected to a LAN, the following procedure would work.

1. In OverlayHD Skin Manager, in the 'Show panel and plugin colour settings' group > 'Tuner signal error colour’, change the colour from the selected background colour workaround back to the default ‘orange red’, then reboot the GUI.
2. Use the Beyonwiz File Commander (‘Live TV > MENU > Sources/Files’) to copy the original skin.xml to a suitable USB flash drive plugged into a Beyonwiz USB port (tip: use MENU & HELP in File Commander).
3. Use ‘LiveTV > MENU > SimpleUmount’ to unmount the Flash drive before removing the drive.
4. Plug the USB flash drive into a PC & copy skin.xml to a previously created folder with an appropriate description on the PC (keep this as an original backup).
5. Click on ‘Code: Select all’ at the above posted second code block (the new patch) then ‘right click > Copy’.
6. Open the copied skin.xml with Notepad++ (in Windows File Explorer right click > Edit with Notepad++).
7. In Notepad++ scroll down to line 1716 in skin.xml & highlight the selection as shown in the above posted first code block (in my case line 1716 to 1719 inclusive), then click ‘Edit > Paste’. This will replace the highlighted section with the new patch block.
8. In Notepad++ save this patched skin.xml to a previously created folder with an appropriate description on the PC (this may be required if OverlayHD ever needs to be re-installed).
9. Copy the patched skin.xml onto the flash drive & remove the USB drive from the PC (Safely Remove Hardware & Eject Media).
10. Plug the flash drive into a Beyonwiz USB port & use File Commander to replace the original skin.xml on the Beyonwiz with the patched skin.xml from the flash drive (tip: use MENU & HELP in File Commander).
11. Use ‘LiveTV > MENU > SimpleUmount’ to unmount the Flash drive & remove the drive.
12. On the Beyonwiz restart the GUI. The previous continuous flashing BER will now stop flashing.

In Notepad++ I mainly use the following settings:

• ‘Settings > Preferences > New Document > Format Line Ending > Unix (LF)’.
• ‘Settings > Preferences > New Document > Encoding > UTF-8 applied to opened ANSI files’.
• ‘Edit > EOL conversion > Unix (LF)’.
• ‘Encoding > Encode in UTF-8’.
• ‘View > Show Symbol > Show End of Line, & Show Indent Guide’.

[paullings]

Thanks sub3R (and IanSav). Updated my U4 as per your instructions with no problems.

[prl]

The change in the BER display mechanism allows you to set a non-zero lower limit to display the indicator. For example, to change the indicator from showing "more than zero" to "more than 99" change the "0,0" in the ValueRange to "0,99".

[sub3R]

In my last post containing IanSav’s patch to skin.xml in OverlayHD 1.70 I’ve added a guide for users running at least 19.3.20210803 f/w & OverlayHD 1.70 but don’t have their Beyonwiz connected to a LAN.

I’ve also added the following information; Any future OverlayHD update for Beyonwiz will contain this fix. That is, this patch is only required for the current OverlayHD 1.70.

[Paul_oz53]

In my last post containing IanSav’s patch to skin.xml in OverlayHD 1.70 I’ve added a guide for users running at least 19.3.20210803 f/w & OverlayHD 1.70 but don’t have their Beyonwiz connected to a LAN.

I’ve also added the following information; Any future OverlayHD update for Beyonwiz will contain this fix. That is, this patch is only required for the current OverlayHD 1.70.

Hi Dennis,

Does this mean Ian has applied the patch to 1.70 on his server so when we download and reinstall OverlayHD after a USB update it will incorporate the patch?

If not, I plan on updating my backups to include skin.xml.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Does this mean Ian has applied the patch to 1.70 on his server so when we download and reinstall OverlayHD after a USB update it will incorporate the patch?

The enigma2-plugin-skins-OverlayHD_1.70_all.ipk file on his bitbucket repo is dated 2019-02-12.
So I think "no" is currently the answer.

[prl]

I don't think that there will be a new release of OverlayHD for Beyonwiz until the European version of VirtualKeyboard is implemented in the Beyonwiz firmware.

[sub3R]

Hi Dennis,

Does this mean Ian has applied the patch to 1.70 on his server so when we download and reinstall OverlayHD after a USB update it will incorporate the patch?

If not, I plan on updating my backups to include skin.xml.

No Paul. Geoff & Peter are right. Ian informed me that until the Beyonwiz firmware is updated he can't offer any new versions of OverlayHD for the Beyonwiz. When the Beyonwiz firmware is more acceptable and he can update OverlayHD then the next OverlayHD update we get will already have the update.

So my understanding is OverlayHD version 1.70 (the latest we have for the Beyonwiz) won’t be updated.

In the mean time I agree about updating your backups which is what I’ve done. That is, patching skin.xml & saving it on the PC & somewhere on the Beyonwiz HDD so whenever OverlayHD has to be reinstalled (for example after a USB f/w update) just replace the original skin.xml with the patched skin.xml & restart the GUI.

[MrQuade]

In the mean time I agree about updating your backups which is what I’ve done. That is, patching skin.xml & saving it on the PC & somewhere on the Beyonwiz HDD so whenever OverlayHD has to be reinstalled (for example after a USB f/w update) just replace the original skin.xml with the patched skin.xml & restart the GUI.

Not quite. Paul is talking about adding skins.xml to the Beyonwiz backup configuration so that it automatically gets backed up and restored when you perform those functions from the Wiz GUI.

Mind you, you'd probably have to add a step to your normal restore routine doing it this way. Because after a fresh USB installation, you'd restore settings, and then install the OverlayHD plugin, at which point, the patched skins.xml file would be overwritten with the old version. You'd then need to restore settings again to get the new file back.

Or you could save the initial restore settings step if you wanted, though that doesn't save a lot of time/effort.

Possibly easier to write a little patcher script and save that on the Wiz and just run that as a last-step.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Mind you, you'd probably have to add a step to your normal restore routine doing it this way. Because after a fresh USB installation, you'd restore settings, and then install the OverlayHD plugin, at which point, the patched skins.xml file would be overwritten with the old version. You'd then need to restore settings again to get the new file back.

Another option would be to exit the initial setup wizard, install OverlayHD, then restore settings.

[MrQuade]

Another option would be to exit the initial setup wizard, install OverlayHD, then restore settings.

That's more or less what I meant here:

Or you could save the initial restore settings step if you wanted, though that doesn't save a lot of time/effort.

[sub3R]

Not quite. Paul is talking about adding skins.xml to the Beyonwiz backup configuration so that it automatically gets backed up and restored when you perform those functions from the Wiz GUI.

Ah yes, I misunderstood what Paul meant.

Possibly easier to write a little patcher script and save that on the Wiz and just run that as a last-step.

That would be the quickest. But it's pretty easy to just do a copy in File Commander - just have to remember where the original skin.xml lives.

[Paul_oz53]

Mind you, you'd probably have to add a step to your normal restore routine doing it this way. Because after a fresh USB installation, you'd restore settings, and then install the OverlayHD plugin, at which point, the patched skins.xml file would be overwritten with the old version. You'd then need to restore settings again to get the new file back.

Another option would be to exit the initial setup wizard, install OverlayHD, then restore settings.

Sorry to have set you running guys. As MrQuade notes, that's what I initially planned to do - add it to the backup - but then I quickly realized OverlayHD has to be installed for the backup to work properly, necessitating two cycles.

On each HDD there is a software directory in which I keep things like S2F, Adoxa's IceTv descriptions, etc. This now includes skin.xml. So I will be probably be taking Dennis' approach mostly but good to have the option of doing the skin.xml restore either way.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

On each HDD there is a software directory in which I keep things like S2F, Adoxa's IceTv descriptions, etc. This now includes skin.xml. So I will be probably be taking Dennis' approach mostly but good to have the option of doing the skin.xml restore either way.

That's where you could keep a local copy of the below to install after the USB update -
enigma2-plugin-systemplugins-IanSavBeyonwizFeed_1.10_all.ipk
enigma2-plugin-skins-OverlayHD_1.70_all.ipk
(if you currently don't have them, the skin can be fetched from https://bitbucket.org/IanSav/overlayhd/downloads/, and if you use the feed server plugin then it can be fetched from https://bitbucket.org/IanSav/easy-ui-4/downloads/ but I'm not sure what value it currently adds).

[Paul_oz53]

On each HDD there is a software directory in which I keep things like S2F, Adoxa's IceTv descriptions, etc. This now includes skin.xml. So I will be probably be taking Dennis' approach mostly but good to have the option of doing the skin.xml restore either way.

That's where you could keep a local copy of the below to install after the USB update -
enigma2-plugin-systemplugins-IanSavBeyonwizFeed_1.10_all.ipk
enigma2-plugin-skins-OverlayHD_1.70_all.ipk
(if you currently don't have them, the skin can be fetched from https://bitbucket.org/IanSav/overlayhd/downloads/, and if you use the feed server plugin then it can be fetched from https://bitbucket.org/IanSav/easy-ui-4/downloads/ but I'm not sure what value it currently adds).

Thanks GG.

Where I said "etc" it was short for enigma2-plugin-systemplugins-IanSavBeyonwizFeed_1.10_all.ipk.

I used to have the skin there too but nuked it by accident. Then lived in hope of an update that, like Godot, will arrive maybe tomorrow. So I took to downloading it each time in the forlorn hope it would miraculously be updated one day.

[prl]

Where does the OverlayHD skins.xml live? If it can be picked up from, say, /etc/enigma2 by OverlayHD, then it will be saved in a backup if placed there, though if it is, that's not really an appropriate kind of filename for it to use.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Where does the OverlayHD skins.xml live?

As per Dennis' post on patching it -

In /usr/share/enigma2/OverlayHD/skin.xml you should find on, or about, line 1716 the following code fragment:

[sub3R]

Where does the OverlayHD skins.xml live?

Do you mean skin.xml ?
If so here: /usr/share/enigma2/OverlayHD/skin.xml

Edit: Beaten by Geoff.

[prl]

Where does the OverlayHD skins.xml live?

Do you mean skin.xml ?
If so here: /usr/share/enigma2/OverlayHD/skin.xml

Yes. Thanks.

[adoxa]

Here's an updated plugin, incorporating this change, the previous change (adjusting the text of the message) and another tweak for the header in the VirtualKeyboard (to display the full message when editing a timer description). I took this from the commit before he says doesn't support Beyonwiz anymore (which I believe was soon after 1.70 was released, so not much had changed).

[Paul_oz53]

Here's an updated plugin, incorporating this change, the previous change (adjusting the text of the message) and another tweak for the header in the VirtualKeyboard (to display the full message when editing a timer description). I took this from the commit before he says doesn't support Beyonwiz anymore (which I believe was soon after 1.70 was released, so not much had changed).

Thanks Adoxa,

I did the patch by hand but the plugin idea is a better solution.

[prl]

I've had a look at moving the Euro enigma2 VirtualKeyboard to Beyonwiz (specifically the OpenVision one, which is the one IanSav recommends as a base). It will need a bit of skin adaptation in the pre-loaded skins, but probably not an excessive amount. If it's OK with IanSav, I can use most of the pixmaps for VirtualKeyboard in the OverlayHD skin in the Beyonwiz skins. There would only be 3 simple pixmaps that I'd need to create myself.

It will need a couple of new keymap.xml contexts.

The current code for the new VirtualKeyboard will also probably work better with code that I developed for IanSav to use in other firmware images that allows native key mappings to be disabled (that's real firmware voodoo stuff), though I may be able to hack around that.

It uses a new optional parameter to Screen that allows a screen to avoid creating warning messages if some code widgets don't have screen definitions. That's easy to remove from VirtualKeyboard, though it may not be hard to implement in the Beyonwiz firmware. The idea of this code is to allow screens to essentially tell the skin engine that it's OK if there isn't a skin definition for a widget, because the widget isn't essential.

There may be more that I'm not yet aware of. I can't do much more testing of it until I've done the skin stuff and the keymap contexts, because in its current state the environment that it runs in is too broken (from the point of view of VirtualKeyboard).

Perhaps discussion of this would be best moved to Developers Community. It's a bit OT here, and perhaps a bit esoteric for the general taste

[sub3R]

Thanks for the update Peter. Your work is appreciated.

[sub3R]

Here's an updated plugin, incorporating this change, ...

I’m wondering why your updated OverlayHD 1.70.1 plugin is 7,546,880 bytes & the original OverlayHD 1.70 is 9,318,206 bytes? A slimmed down version, or is what you did more efficient?

[MrQuade]

I’m wondering why your updated OverlayHD 1.70.1 plugin is 7,546,880 bytes & the original OverlayHD 1.70 is 9,318,206 bytes? A slimmed down version, or is what you did more efficient?

They're just zip files. You can extract them and compare.
If I was to guess without seeing them, the original may have been created without compression.

[sub3R]

They're just zip files. You can extract them and compare.
If I was to guess without seeing them, the original may have been created without compression.

They are both in the same format on my Laptop:

enigma2-plugin-skins-OverlayHD_1.70_all.ipk which WIndows File Explorer > properties shows it as 9,318,206 bytes.
&
enigma2-plugin-skins-OverlayHD_1.70.1_all.ipk which WIndows File Explorer > properties shows it as 7,546,880 bytes.

They both install from that format on my U4.

[prl]

.ipk files can be compressed with, and compress their main components with, either ZIP or tar compression, and with any of various compression settings for both, so .ipk files with the same (or nearly the same) contents won't necessarily have the same, or close, size if they've been compressed in different ways.

Here are some examples of the sizes (wc -c is "count characters") of various tar compression options on tar (the first is "no compression":

Code: Select all

prl@Xerxes usr % tar c . | wc -c 
 15370240
prl@Xerxes usr % tar cz . | wc -c
 10362880
prl@Xerxes usr % tar cj . | wc -c
 10301440
prl@Xerxes usr % tar cJ . | wc -c
 8581120
prl@Xerxes usr %

This is for the current (or near-current) version of OverlayHD, not 1.70. The compression is a bit disappointing, but the skin contains a lot of images, most of which are already compressed, and they will compress poorly (or not at all) in a second compression.

[adoxa]

I’m wondering why your updated OverlayHD 1.70.1 plugin is 7,546,880 bytes & the original OverlayHD 1.70 is 9,318,206 bytes? A slimmed down version, or is what you did more efficient?

More efficient: 1.70 is gzip (z in prl's tar command), 1.70.1 is xz (J).

[sub3R]

.ipk files can be compressed with, and compress their main components with, either ZIP or tar compression, and with any of various compression settings for both, so .ipk files with the same (or nearly the same) contents won't necessarily have the same, or close, size if they've been compressed in different ways.

Here are some examples of the sizes (wc -c is "count characters") of various tar compression options on tar (the first is "no compression":
...

I didn’t know that, but it makes sense. Thanks for the detailed explanation Peter.

More efficient: 1.70 is gzip (z in prl's tar command), 1.70.1 is xz (J).

Thanks.

[prl]

I've had a look at moving the Euro enigma2 VirtualKeyboard to Beyonwiz (specifically the OpenVision one, which is the one IanSav recommends as a base). It will need a bit of skin adaptation in the pre-loaded skins, but probably not an excessive amount. If it's OK with IanSav, I can use most of the pixmaps for VirtualKeyboard in the OverlayHD skin in the Beyonwiz skins. There would only be 3 simple pixmaps that I'd need to create myself.

I have IanSav's version of VirtualKeyboard working in the Beyonwiz code.

If anyone would like to try an alpha version of it, I can make it available, but because it includes the enigma2 binary, I'll probably do that by making a link to it available on DropBox (the zipped installer/uninstaller is about 3MB).

I can only build the version I want to submit for the V2. I can make versions available that will work on all models, but they won't be exactly what I want to submit. But if people who don't have a V2 to test it on would like to try that version, I'm happy to make a cut-down version that will work on any system.

The new VirtualKeyboard alpha will work in the easy-skin-aus-hd, Full-Metal-Wizard skins and in the current version of OverlayHD for the Beyonwiz.

[prl]

ironically, not in the current version of OverlayHD for the Beyonwiz.

I now have a working patch for OverlayHD.

I'll amend my post.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

If anyone would like to try an alpha version of it, I can make it available, but because it includes the enigma2 binary, I'll probably do that by making a link to it available on DropBox (the zipped installer/uninstaller is about 3MB).

I'm happy to give it a burl on the V2 I picked up for $100, it's just a spare at the moment, so no biggie if anything breaks.

[prl]

Thanks. I'll get it set up tomorrow.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Thanks. I'll get it set up tomorrow.

Don't rush for me, as I'll be at the WAFL tomorrow, returning home with a bellyful of beer so I'll be in no fit state to install anything, hic!

[peteru]

Go on, rub it in while most of us are not even allowed to leave the house without a mask!

[Paul_oz53]

ironically, not in the current version of OverlayHD for the Beyonwiz.

I now have a working patch for OverlayHD.

I'll amend my post.

For my birthday! You shouldn't have...

Thanks Peter.

[prl]

Sorry for the delay getting it done, but I've just posted an alpha test for the VirtualKeyboard changes in IanSav's reworking of VirtualKeyboard.

It will only work on a V2.