Dreamplex not working with 16.1 major upgrade

[prl]

I'll have a look at streamlining that bit of the code. There may be other reasons for using the chain that I haven't seen.

[Rattus]

I noticed yesterday that my T4 menu had the Dreamplex plugin showing on the left column again and that my network shares had been lost and needed to be re-enabled. I wondered if perhaps there had been an auto update but it seems not as Dreamplex is still not working so I'm not sure what happened but I have backed up my settings now.

I look forward to the release that fixes Dreamplex

[MrQuade]

I noticed yesterday that my T4 menu had the Dreamplex plugin showing on the left column again and that my network shares had been lost and needed to be re-enabled.

Did it dissapear from the left column at some point? There isn't a reason for that to have happened AFAIK.

[prl]

... I wondered if perhaps there had been an auto update ...

There haven't been any online updates to the 20170310 firmware. But even if there had been, the T series boxes always ask you whether you want to install an online upgrade, they don't do it without notification.

[Rattus]

My understanding from reading the posts above is that the issue with Dreamplex and the 16.1 update has been fixed and a skin included to make it look acceptable and that has been submitted to Beyonwiz for evaluation and release? is that correct?

But now I have been waiting a month for Beyonwiz to give us an official release, seems they put much less of a priority on Dreamplex that I do.

If I am correct and you clever bug fixers here have been using your own home rolled 16.2 for the past month without issue then I would really appreciate it if someone could PM me a link to download the unofficial update.

[prl]

No such thing as 16.2. The most recent beta is 20170422, and that doesn't have the fix for Dreamplex in it.

peteru's machine where he does his Beyonwiz firmware builds had a motherboard fail recently. He's currently getting it back up and running.

[MrQuade]

Prl. Would you be able to post a patch script that can do a quick and dirty fix on the Plex skin? I think that will be sufficient for the time being and is very unlikely to cause any problems.

I think it is worth doing since I send it will be a very long time until the next official firmware update his public release. If I read PeterU's posts correctly, 17.1 is being shipped over in favour of 17.2 which indicates another fairly radical release which may entail another extended beta cycle.

I could post instructions on how to edit the skin file based on the information we posted earlier in the thread, but that might confuse the average punter.

[prl]

The main problem isn't the skin (that just prevents display of the date), it's the Beyonwiz code that prevents menus being used, but I could make a patch that does both.

Rattus: would you be willing to follow the sort of install steps outlined here?

[MrQuade]

The main problem isn't the skin (that just prevents display of the date), it's the Beyonwiz code that prevents menus being used, but I could make a patch that does both.

Other way round I think.
The fix for the navigation issues is the one that is fixed by editing the skin file to change the menu widget size in:
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/DreamPlex/skins/default/skin.xml

[prl]

The main problem isn't the skin (that just prevents display of the date), it's the Beyonwiz code that prevents menus being used, but I could make a patch that does both.

Other way round I think.
The fix for the navigation issues is the one that is fixed by editing the skin file to change the menu widget size in:
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/DreamPlex/skins/default/skin.xml

No, that's a horrible hack, not a fix. The fix is in changes to Components/Sources/List.py and Components/Converter/StringList.py in the Beyonwiz source.

Anyway, I have a patch ready to go (that uses the code fix) if you you like.

[MrQuade]

No, that's a horrible hack, not a fix

That's all it needs to be. It just needs to get things working in the quickest dirtiest and least intrusive way until the proper fix comes down the pipe.

If you have a proper patch thought, that will work fine of course . I just thought it would be preferable to have a patch that runs zero risk of breaking anything else.

[Rattus]

The main problem isn't the skin (that just prevents display of the date), it's the Beyonwiz code that prevents menus being used, but I could make a patch that does both.

Rattus: would you be willing to follow the sort of install steps outlined here?

Thanks for trying to help, I had a look at the link and tried to get my head around it, I enabled Telnet on my PC but I'm a bit lost with my cmd session and have NFI what I am doing so I guess I'm not nerdy enough for cmd

Then I found this thread http://beyonwiz.com.au/forum/viewtopic. ... b96d9865bd and I can now get into the root folder of my T4 through my PC explorer. Is it possible to appy the patch through explorer?

[MrQuade]

Is it possible to appy the patch through explorer?

No, not really. The Wiz has to execute the patch.
A quick and dirty patch that doesn't include an uninstaller could simply be called from the Wiz's File Commander interface and would be a lot easier to manage.

[Rattus]

Sounds great.......I'll have a quick and dirty one thanks

[prl]

Is it possible to appy the patch through explorer?

No, not really. The Wiz has to execute the patch.
A quick and dirty patch that doesn't include an uninstaller could simply be called from the Wiz's File Commander interface and would be a lot easier to manage.

Is it harder to run the uninstaller than the installer from FileCommander? I think I'd have to rename them so that FileCommander recognised them as scripts, but that's easy.

[MrQuade]

Is it harder to run the uninstaller than the installer from FileCommander? I think I'd have to rename them so that FileCommander recognised them as scripts, but that's easy.

Not at all, but all it would do would serve to overcomplicate the issue. If all it does is overwrite the Dreamplex skin file with a hacked working copy, then there is no reason to need a reversion script.

There should be zero reason why a user would want to uninstall it, and if it just a skin hack, then the user doesn't need to remember to uninstall it before applying online updates.

[prl]

I'd much rather that users use the changes that will be applied by the upcoming beta or official firmware updates. That allows for more testing of the changes.

[prl]

Here's an alpha patch of the fix for Bug #586: Horizontal menus in DreamPlex stuck, and for the time not being shown correctly in the top bar of Dreamplex screens.

The patch has been tested with firmware version 2017-04-22 (beta) and with the official 2017-03-10 release.

To apply the patch, download the attached .ZIP file, and extract it. It will create a new directory/folder called dreamplex-menu-installer, which contains two files, installer.sh and uninstaller.sh.

Copy the two files somewhere convenient on a T series box (like /home/root), then log into the box using telnet or ssh, change directory to the place you put the installer.sh/uninstaller.sh files. If you put the files in /home/root you'll be in the right place as soon as you log in.

The Dreamplex plugin must be installed before installing the patch and you must uninstall the patch before uninstalling or updating Dreamplex.

To install the patch run:

sh installer.sh

and restart the GUI (or reboot).

To uninstall the patch, log in to the box and go to the directory as you did to install, and run

sh uninstaller.sh

Make sure you uninstall before doing an upgrade or uninstalling the Dreamplex plugin. Don't run the installer if you've already installed & don't run the uninstaller if you've already uninstalled.

You can check whether the patch are installed by logging in and running this on the box:

find /usr/lib/enigma2/ -name \*.bak

It should print nothing if the patch isn't installed, and it should print

/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Components/Converter/StringList.pyo.bak
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Components/Sources/List.pyo.bak
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/DreamPlex/skins/default/skin.xml.bak
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/DreamPlex/skins/default_FHD/skin.xml.bak

if the patch is installed.

Comments welcome!

[prl]

...
No, not really. The Wiz has to execute the patch.
A quick and dirty patch that doesn't include an uninstaller could simply be called from the Wiz's File Commander interface and would be a lot easier to manage.

It still needs an uninstaller, but if you'd like to post instructions for installing & uninstalling the patch from, say, a USB stick, using the File Commander, then please go ahead.

The installer & uninstaller files have been renamed installer.sh and uninstaller.sh so that they will be recognised as shell scripts by the File Commander and can be run from it.

[Rattus]

Wow you guys are great thanks for your interest and enthusiasm

But as much as I like to keep up I have found it easier to install Plex on my Wifes tablet and stream our content from the PC to chromecast.


Are you hearing that BeyonwiZ ?

Your box is now less functional to us and we have become independent of you

[DaveR]

Thanks prl. Your script worked as advertised.

Here's an alpha patch of the fix for Bug #586: Horizontal menus in DreamPlex stuck, and for the time not being shown correctly in the top bar of Dreamplex screens.

Comments welcome!

It would have been nice if the v16.1 change to Explorer (SMB) login credentials was mentioned here to save me searching for why windoze explorer was no longer able to connect

To apply the patch, download the attached .ZIP file, and extract it. It will create a new directory/folder called dreamplex-menu-installer, which contains two files, installer.sh and uninstaller.sh.

The two files contained in the zip archive are actually called installer and uninstaller (unless my PC or winrar stripped the .sh extension off them).

To uninstall the patch, log in to the box and go to the directory as you did to install, and run
find /usr/lib/enigma2/ -name \*.bak

It should print nothing if the patch isn't installed, and it should print

/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Components/Converter/StringList.pyo.bak
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Components/Sources/List.pyo.bak
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/DreamPlex/skins/default/skin.xml.bak
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/DreamPlex/skins/default_FHD/skin.xml.bak


sh uninstaller.sh

Make sure you uninstall before doing an upgrade or uninstalling the Dreamplex plugin. Don't run the installer if you've already installed & don't run the uninstaller if you've already uninstalled.

You can check whether the patch are installed by logging in and running this on the box:

if the patch is installed.

Your post appears to have had some major edits before or after posting as 2 lines are out of place, making the whole uninstall section hard to follow.

The "sh uninstaller.sh" line should be 2 paragraphs higher.

The "if the patch is installed" line should also be 2 paragraphs higher.

e.g.

To uninstall the patch, log in to the box and go to the directory as you did to install, and run
find /usr/lib/enigma2/ -name \*.bak
sh uninstaller.sh

It should print nothing if the patch isn't installed, and it should print

/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Components/Converter/StringList.pyo.bak
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Components/Sources/List.pyo.bak
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/DreamPlex/skins/default/skin.xml.bak
/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/DreamPlex/skins/default_FHD/skin.xml.bak

if the patch is installed.


Make sure you uninstall before doing an upgrade or uninstalling the Dreamplex plugin. Don't run the installer if you've already installed & don't run the uninstaller if you've already uninstalled.

You can check whether the patch are installed by logging in and running this on the box:

I'm surprised that after the requests for making the fixes simple and the length of this thread that nobody else has downloaded the install/uninstall scripts you provided.

[prl]

Thanks prl. Your script worked as advertised.
...

I'm glad you managed to install it despite the problems I put in your way

It would have been nice if the v16.1 change to Explorer (SMB) login credentials was mentioned here to save me searching for why windoze explorer was no longer able to connect

Details about how to copy the patch to the PVR are deliberately left out: it serves as a sort of pons asinorum. I don't use Windows, I do the copy using ssh.

To apply the patch, download the attached .ZIP file, and extract it. It will create a new directory/folder called dreamplex-menu-installer, which contains two files, installer.sh and uninstaller.sh.

The two files contained in the zip archive are actually called installer and uninstaller (unless my PC or winrar stripped the .sh extension off them).

I changed the names of the installer & uninstaller specifically for this patch (and future ones), and then uploaded a ZIP file that had the files with the old names.

I'll rectify that as soon as I post this reply.

Your post appears to have had some major edits before or after posting as 2 lines are out of place, making the whole uninstall section hard to follow.

The "sh uninstaller.sh" line should be 2 paragraphs higher.

The "if the patch is installed" line should also be 2 paragraphs higher.
...

Indeed. I'll also correct that.

I'm surprised that after the requests for making the fixes simple and the length of this thread that nobody else has downloaded the install/uninstall scripts you provided.

To be fair, only one person really asked for the patch to be supplied, and after I posted it, that person decided that the process was too complicated. The others discussing the way that the patch might be supplied already knew a simple hack they could apply themselves that worked around the main problem.

[gwl]

To be fair, only one person really asked for the patch to be supplied, and after I posted it, that person decided that the process was too complicated. The others discussing the way that the patch might be supplied already knew a simple hack they could apply themselves that worked around the main problem.

Thanks again prl and MrQuade (and board members too for that matter!) for your attention to this. Appreciate the time and effort to correct.
I had some time last night to put the hotfix through for Dreamplex after updating to 16.1 again.
Worked a treat, with no issues applying the patch or in accessing any of the Plex submenus.

Now I just have to solve the overscan issue through my TV. I'm just not sure if my television has the overscan option available through default setup menus...

cheers,
gwl

[MrQuade]

What brand/model TV? Do you have an "aspect" button on its remote?

[gwl]

What brand/model TV? Do you have an "aspect" button on its remote?

As it turns out, the setting I needed to play with was to have the picture mode set to "PC"....and NOT "Video". The aspect (setting it to auto or 16:9) didn't help resolve it either.

I couldn't find a service menu back door entry with the TV's remote for my 'BigW special' JVC set. So I played around a bit more this morning with the settings and discovered the PC mode now enabled the full picture to be displayed. I see the complete/full EPG now.
Makes obvious sense now when you think about the feed coming from the beyonwiz...

Happy viewing days ahead.

cheers,
gwl

[MrQuade]

As it turns out, the setting I needed to play with was to have the picture mode set to "PC"....and NOT "Video". The aspect (setting it to auto or 16:9) didn't help resolve it either.

Were those the only two settings available? On my old Samsung it is called "Just scan", but on my newer one it is called "Screen fit". There are normally 4 or 5 settings to choose from. It does depend entirely on the make/model though, so I am not sure about JVC.

Those options will sometimes not appear if you are only viewing the TV's internal tuner, you have to switch to the Beyonwiz's HDMI input before the additional screen scaling options become visible. The settings are often unique for each input as well, so you can set different aspects for each source device.

Switching to PC mode may not be ideal as many of the video processing features of the TV will be bypassed in favour of a lower latency display which is desirable when connecting to a PC.

[djimenez]

Firstly thank you to those people who are trying to resolve this.
Secondly most of what everyone is discussing re how to fix is above my understanding - sorry it gets too tech for me.
I understand the basics of what some members are trying to do but I would just like to know is there a way to fix this with a patch or otherwise anytime soon. Or should we just revert back to the prior upgrade.
One of the main features we use on the T4 is PLEX and so this has been frustrating as it is coming up to 2 months.
Again thanks for everyones work and time to resolve this.
kind regards
Dawn

[MrQuade]

I understand the basics of what some members are trying to do but I would just like to know is there a way to fix this with a patch or otherwise anytime soon. Or should we just revert back to the prior upgrade.

prl posted a patch a few posts back on this page here.

He has provided instructions on how to apply it, but there are a few technical steps such as copying the patch to the Wiz, and then opening a telnet/ssh command prompt which you may or may not be comfortable to do.

The most important thing to remember is that you should uninstall the patch before applying any official Beyonwiz updates, otherwise things may not work properly.

Unfortunately, the pace of official patches has slowed somewhat recently, so a few of these nice little fixes are floating around as unofficial patches at the moment.

[Rattus]

Hi Dawn, yeah I agree to learn what I need to know to apply that patch is beyon (hey nice pun) the effort I want to go to just to use Plex on the Wiz again especially considering quotes as such "Details about how to copy the patch to the PVR are deliberately left out: it serves as a sort of pons asinorum. I don't use Windows, I do the copy using ssh."

As a workaround we have installed Plex on our Android tablet and now stream files from the PC using that, much easier than learning how to do command prompts to the Wiz via telnet.

I would also be interested in rolling back to the firmware that worked before the 16.1 major disappointment.

Could someone please post a link to the previous firmware with instructions of how to roll our T4's back hopefully without losing all the settings?

[MrQuade]

I can see if I can write a very simple bodge script that can apply the "quick n dirty" fix if you like. The bodge patch will make the Dreamplex plugin work, but is not at all clean or comprehensive as prl's patch.

It will be easier to apply than prl's patch, and wouldn't need to be uninstalled after any official updates.

This was part of the reason why I was advocating for the quick and dirty patch earlier in the thread, as I knew that many folks would want something easy that just works rather than act as testers for the proper fix.

[IanSav]

Hi All,

The next version of Beyonwiz firmware has just gone into Alpha testing. This does NOT mean that an update is imminent but that the fixes upon which Plex users are awaiting are moving closer to a release. Some users may prefer to wait for the next firmware rather than reverting to earlier firmware and loosing features and/or fixes in the current firmware.

Regards,
Ian.

[MrQuade]

Keeping in mind that last time we went through such an alpha cycle, it took 6 months to reach public release status.

[Rattus]

If it was going to be a couple of weeks or even a month I would be happy to wait, but if it's going to be six months then I would probably prefer to roll back.

Anyway good to know that it is actually being worked on thanks, I suppose I will wait for now.

[IanSav]

Hi Rattus,

Alpha test firmware is usually an early part of the test cycle. If there aren't any show stoppers it usually moves quickly to beta. With the higher exposure of beta firmware some issues are usually found. Often they are fixed promptly. When the codes is considered stable it is then moved to a release.

At this time it is too early to tell how the 17.5 firmware is looking. I doubt we will see a release within four to six weeks.

Regards,
Ian.

[prl]

...
It will be easier to apply than prl's patch, and wouldn't need to be uninstalled after any official updates.
...

It what way would it be easier, apart from not needing uninstalling? The patch I posted can be installed just fine from a USB stick using File Commander, if people want to avoid the commandline interface.

[MrQuade]

It what way would it be easier, apart from not needing uninstalling?

Not needing to uninstall was the major part of it. That can be intimidating to novice users.
I'm certainly not criticising your decision to go for the full-patch, but I was just concerned that many users might be put off.

The patch I posted can be installed just fine from a USB stick using File Commander, if people want to avoid the commandline interface.

Which isn't immediately obvious to anyone reading the provided instructions.
Maybe a simple step-by-step guide for novices can be written for doing this via USB. I can prepare one for Windows users (which probably covers the majority of novices).

[peteru]

There won't be any updates in the 16.1 series, so uninstalling is not a major consideration. Going to 17.5 will require a USB reflash for a clean slate.

I expect 17.5 to go from alpha to beta in a week or so. Beta releases are usually good enough for everyday use, however they are likely to receive updates more often than the production releases. If having frequent updates doesn't bother you, then going beta is not a bad option.

I'm hoping for a fairly brief beta cycle on the 17.5 series. I'd like to get it to production release quality before end of August. Of course, this will depend on how well it works and how many curve ball updates come from upstream.

[peteru]

Oh, forgot to mention...

17.5 should be good for the Dreamplex plugin and it should also have the DVRPlex plugin available for anyone wanting to test.

[MrQuade]

and it should also have the DVRPlex plugin available for anyone wanting to test.

Oh brilliant news! I'll be sure to give that one a go as well

[Rattus]

It what way would it be easier, apart from not needing uninstalling?

Not needing to uninstall was the major part of it. That can be intimidating to novice users.
I'm certainly not criticising your decision to go for the full-patch, but I was just concerned that many users might be put off.

The patch I posted can be installed just fine from a USB stick using File Commander, if people want to avoid the commandline interface.

Which isn't immediately obvious to anyone reading the provided instructions.
Maybe a simple step-by-step guide for novices can be written for doing this via USB. I can prepare one for Windows users (which probably covers the majority of novices).

A simple guide to installing the patch from a USB stick using File Commander would be much appreciated thanks especially as I now know that the impending update will not require me to uninstall the patch.

[MrQuade]

A simple guide to installing the patch from a USB stick using File Commander would be much appreciated thanks especially as I now know that the impending update will not require me to uninstall the patch.

No problems, and sorry for not getting to this earlier.

The procedure is really quite straightforward.

First, download the patch file that prl attached to this post.
Please read the whole post as well, and be mindful of the warnings there.

Assuming that you are using WIndows, and the DreamPlex plugin is already installed on your Beyonwiz unit, then:

Plug in your USB disk or thumbstick into your PC and wait for it to be fully detected and given a drive letter.
Open up WIndows Explorer and navigate to the directory that you downloaded the "dreamplex-menu-installer.zip" file to.
Find the "dreamplex-menu-installer.zip" file and double click on it to open it up.
In the "dreamplex-menu-installer.zip" file, you will see a "dreamplex-menu-installer" directory.
Right click the "dreamplex-menu-installer" directory, and select the "Copy" option from the popup menu.
Still in Windows Explorer, navigate to and click on your recently plugged-in thumbstick.
Right click the thumbstick drive letter, or anywhere within the root directory of the thumbstick, and select the "Paste" option.
This will copy the patch files onto the thumbstick.
Click on the USB device icon in your Windows System Tray, and select the "Eject" option against your USB thumbstick device to safely unmount the thumbstick. You can then unplug the thumbstick safely.
Make sure your Beyonwiz unit is running, and is showing Live TV.
Plug the USB thumbstick into the front USB port on the Beyonwiz unit.
There will be a popup saying that there are no playable media files. You can press OK or EXIT to dismiss the popup.
Press MENU, then select "Sources / Files" and note that you should be able to see all of your mounted filesystems, including the newly plugged in USB thumbstick.
Navigate to the thumbstick device (just using the UP and DOWN buttons) and open it with OK. Note that you should see the "dreamplex-menu-installer" directory there.
Navigate to the "dreamplex-menu-installer" directory and press OK.
Navigate to the file called "installer.sh", and press OK.
A popup will be displayed. Navigate to the option "Run script." and press OK.
A series of messages will be displayed on the screen, and the installation will complete.
Press EXIT repeatedly until you are back at the Beyonwiz main MENU screen.
Select Power, and press OK.
Select "Restart GIU" and press OK. Then just wait for the Beyonwiz GUI to restart itself.

All done. Your Dreamplex plugin is now working.

You probably won't have to worry about uninstalling the patch at any time, as the 16.1 series of firmware is very unlikely to receive any more updates from now on.

When you move to the 17.5 firmware, this patch is unnecessary as it has been fixed.

[Rattus]

Thanks very much MrQuade and PRL for your help in resolving this bug I have applied the patch and I am happily using Plex on the Wiz again

I hope that Dawn and others also benefit from this.

I had to update my Plex server on the PC and put my username and password back in DreamPlex on the Wiz and reload the file database but then it was all good.

[mikehere]

Thanks everyone for all the work on the patch fixing this. I've also just tried it on my T3 and DreamPlex is working as expected.

[djimenez]

Sorry I have not been back on the forum to check for updates for awhile and after seeing this post and everyone's success we have installed the patch and all working well.

To both PRL and MrQuade a huge thank you for your time and patience.

Love having our Plex back

Cheers
Dawn

[prl]

... To both PRL and MrQuade a huge thank you for your time and patience. ...

No problem. The bug that caused this issue was my doing, after all.