How do I find out if I recorded a program or not?

[The Old Man]

When I clicked on my timer button on my V2 I noticed that it had recorded a program last night that I couldn't find. It wasn't in media folder.

After looking in the normal place in the movie folder I also looked in a few other folders that I infrequently use where I have stored a few old movies and some screen savers.

I ended up looking in all of the folders and their sub folders and still can't find it. It's possible that this folder layout has some flaw in it.

I tried opening my tablet and OpenWebIf but it doesn't want me to connect saying that this website isn't safe because it has no security. When it suggested to proceed without security it still won't make a connection. This has happened before.

Are there any other ways to really find out if the program was recorded or not and why this happened?

[prl]

When I clicked on my timer button on my V2 I noticed that it had recorded a program last night that I couldn't find.

Did you check the timer log to see whether there were any problems with the recording?

To do it, navigate to the timer in the timer list, then press the INFO button on the remote.

The log entries for a successful timer will look something like this (but will have time stamps):

Code: Select all

record time changed, start prepare is now: Tue Apr  4 13:31:40 2023
activating state 1
Found enough free space to record
Filename calculated as: '/media/hdd/movie/20230404 1332 - ABC TV - Shakespeare And Hathaway'
prepare ok, waiting for begin
activating state 2
start recording from: Tuner A
activating state 3
stop recording from: Tuner A

[The Old Man]

Here is a screen shot of Log which isn't very good because of transparency.

If the log doesn't detect a problem, is it possible to reset the V2 so that I keep all of the main choices it's already stored for me?

[The Old Man]

The log says that there wasn't enough space to record the program.

The file structure mentioned before even referred to locations that aren't being used but had been like when I had plugged into the other USB slot for recording or transferring a file on/off the V2.

Is it safe to just delete any folder or sub folder that reports being empty? I'm trying to get the files structure back to the way it was when the machine was first set up. If I can do this could all of my other settings like favorites, EPG layout etc be kept?

[prl]

The log says that there wasn't enough space to record the program.

I guess the question is whether that was a transitory problem (like the external HDD not being detected). What does the movie selection screen (MEDIA from live TV) say is the Available space at the bottom of the screen, just under the list of recordings?

The file structure mentioned before even referred to locations that aren't being used but had been like when I had plugged into the other USB slot for recording or transferring a file on/off the V2.

Do you mean the /media/hdd/movie folder listed in the timer log as the first part of the recording name (the LAW_&_ORDER_SPECIAL_VICTIMS is the base part of the name of the files that make up the recording (LAW_&_ORDER_SPECIAL_VICTIMS.ts, LAW_&_ORDER_SPECIAL_VICTIMS.eit, etc).

/media/hdd/movie is the default location for recording files. Is that what's shown in the top right of the media selection screen (as mentioned above) when you open it? If not, what's there?

Is it safe to just delete any folder or sub folder that reports being empty? I'm trying to get the files structure back to the way it was when the machine was first set up. If I can do this could all of my other settings like favorites, EPG layout etc be kept?

Settings and the saved EPG are stored separately from recordings, so deleting anything that's under /media/hdd/movie won't affect your settings. I'm not sure that removing any folders on the HDD will help your problem, but could you give some examples of what folders you're thinking of deleting, and why?

[The Old Man]

I find reference to things like using an old phone that I haven't used for a year or more and has been disposed of and some files that may have been used with an SD card.

As long as I only delete empty folders I would think that it might be OK?

[The Old Man]

If I press the move button it asks to choose movie path it offers me a choice of
/media/hdd/movie
/media/USB/movie
/blade 6 (back SD slot)
V2 (Back USB3 Slot)
Internal Flash
DLNA
(Other)

This last one takes me to things like parent directory,and bookmarks

I suppose that I am finding this all difficult is because so much jargon with the V2 is never defined or explained.

[prl]

If I press the move button it asks to choose movie path it offers me a choice of

That gives you is selection popup that asks where you want to move the recording (or folder) to.

[prl]

I suppose that I am finding this all difficult is because so much jargon with the V2 is never defined or explained.

I can understand that, but if you ask about terms you don't understand, you can get clarification.

[The Old Man]

I start by pressing tha Timer Button and choose the last item on the list and it says done. While in this position I press the Information button,then the the log which runs for about a dozen pages and it says that the recording failed.

I can't find this recording in any folder or subfolder.

I have no idea why.

As I understand it all recordings should be in a folder/media/usb/movie. All of my old recordings are in this folder but none of the new ones arrive in it.

As I have said before all of my folders and subfolders are all mixed up. 

To find them I have to push the yellow button for a location which give us me 10 different movie paths. 
Some of these paths I recognised as subfolders I had  made for different programs, like old family photos and screen savers.

Perhaps the best thing is to do the following.

Reset the entire machine, thus getting rid of all of the old data everywhere,transfer all the old programs that I wish to keep to another HDD  hard disk, take a photo of all of the pages that had a lot of my previous selections like favourites EPG layout etcetera. This should help in speeding up reenty of data.

Then eventually add all the data that I need as if this was a brand new machine?

If you agree that I could or should proceed I also realise that the replacement HDD would have to be formatted to the correct system. If I recall correctly the formatting can only be done in the V2 itself, correct?

[prl]

I start by pressing tha Timer Button and choose the last item on the list and it says done. While in this position I press the Information button,then the the log which runs for about a dozen pages and it says that the recording failed.

I can't find this recording in any folder or subfolder.

I have no idea why.

If the recording log indicates an error that would mean that the recording couldn't be started, than that would explain why there's no recording.

Given that the timer log says that the recording failed, perhaps posting OpenWebif screenshots or photos of the screen showing what's in the log file would help find the cause of the problem.

As I understand it all recordings should be in a folder/media/usb/movie. All of my old recordings are in this folder but none of the new ones arrive in it.

The default recording location is /media/hdd/movie. You would have had to change the settings for the default movie location (or the default timer recording location or set the recording location on individual timers, or AutoTimers, if you use them) for recordings to be made to /media/usb/movie.

As I have said before all of my folders and subfolders are all mixed up.

Yes, you've said that, but you haven't really described what you mean by it.

Do you normally have two USB drives connected when the V2 starts up? That configuration doesn't work well, and the assignment of the two drives to ?media/hdd and to /media/usb isn't guaranteed to always be done the same way.

To find them I have to push the yellow button for a location which give us me 10 different movie paths. 
Some of these paths I recognised as subfolders I had  made for different programs, like old family photos and screen savers.

Most of the time, the navigation provided by the media selection screen (MEDIA from live TV) will let you navigate wherever you want: highlight a folder and press OK to enter that folder. Highlight the ".." folder at the top of the list and press OK to go "up" to the folder that contains the one you're currently in.

Perhaps the best thing is to do the following.

Reset the entire machine, thus getting rid of all of the old data everywhere,transfer all the old programs that I wish to keep to another HDD  hard disk, take a photo of all of the pages that had a lot of my previous selections like favourites EPG layout etcetera. This should help in speeding up reenty of data.

Then eventually add all the data that I need as if this was a brand new machine?

Until it's clear what the problem is, it may be a waste of time because if the cause of the problem isn't found, you may well get back to your current situation quite quickly. And if you did go ahead, it's unclear to me where your recordings are stored anyway.

If you agree that I could or should proceed I also realise that the replacement HDD would have to be formatted to the correct system. If I recall correctly the formatting can only be done in the V2 itself, correct?

If you want to use a HDD on the V2 as a recording drive, it's best to format the drive on the V2. There are other ways of doing it correctly, but doing it on the V2 will make sure it's right.

But I don't advise that you do that before the problem that you're having is identified. It may not be necessary at all.

[The Old Man]

You asked if I normally have 2 USB drives connected when the V2 starts up and you say that it doesn't work well.  The answer is hardly ever.

The HDD plugged is 1TB.  I have 1 more empty HDD, that could be used as well as a 1TB SSD.

How would it go if I put one of these HDD and formatted it in the V2 as a first step. 

Would a PC be able to open them and as per normal or would this have to be done some other way?

Then if I  can have a PC open them would I be able to just cut and paste or move files from one folder to another, or even clone a drive?

Any other ideas?

[prl]

How would it go if I put one of these HDD and formatted it in the V2 as a first step. 

The HDD would be formatted as a single ext4 (Linux filesystem format) volume.

Would a PC be able to open them and as per normal or would this have to be done some other way?

Then if I  can have a PC open them would I be able to just cut and paste or move files from one folder to another, or even clone a drive?

Not if the one with the files on was also formatted on the Beyonwiz (as ext4). You can only open the files on a Linux system, or on Windows or MacOS with third-party software.

You might be able to clone one drive to the other on a Windows machine, but I have no experience in doing that. Some USB HDD docks also allow drives to be cloned without needing the computer.

But if you clone the drive, you'll just have another drive with the same problems on it, whatever they are.

Any other ideas?

Yes:

Given that the timer log says that the recording failed, perhaps posting OpenWebif screenshots or photos of the screen showing what's in the log file would help find the cause of the problem.

[The Old Man]

I wasn't able to use OpenWebif to reach the log files but I did manage to get this on from PC today.

From the PC you can also see some details about the network which I'm hoping to get working.

As you can see most files are very small but 2 are huge.The first file I have attached is a small file. I have added one of the larger ones just in case it's of any use.

You can see in one of the screenshots that you can see a little bit of the PC's files that includes the network and the Beyonwiz media files. I occasionaly have taken a file off the V2, edited it and returned it to the V2,but I have never seen any PC files available on the V2.

Will I do any harm if I try moving or deleting folders on the V2 from the PC? I was hoping to reduce the number of folders and subfolders because it be easier to have fewer files. Incidently I still have about 35 GB available free on the V2.

When I move a file on the V2 does it actually do a complete cut/paste of the folderor just change the directions to it?

[prl]

Those logs don't have all the information that's in the timer log. The size of the debug logs you were looking at will grow with how long the Beyonwiz was running before it was restarted.

I'm not sure why you can't use OpenWebif to connect to the Beyonwiz, because networking to it is obviously working. Depending on what network router you're using, you should be able to just enter "beyonwiz2" (without the quotes) into the address bar of your computer browser (the default name is beyonwizv2, but you appear to have changed the network name. If that doesn't work, try uso=ing "beyonwizv2", and if that doesn't work, try using the IP address for the Beyonwiz in MENU>Information>Network.

Otherwise, you could take a photo of the screen and post that here. It's not as clear as an OpenWebif screenshot, but it will probably do.

If you want to view PC files on the Beyonwiz, that requires the connection to Windows shares on the PC to be set up on the Beyonwiz.

If you moves files on the V2, it moves the files from one folder to another folder. I'm not sure what you mean by "change the directions to it". A Beyonwiz recording is actually a collection of up to 6 files. If a recording is moved using the media selection ccreen, all the files are moved together. If you move them using Windows Explorer, you have to make sure they are all moved together (though if the files are sorted by name, that isn't hard.

[The Old Man]

I think I'm finally working out ​some of ​what's gone wrong here that should give us a clue as to how to fix it​.

​​Programs that I've recorded should be I believe in folder media​/HDD/movie instead they are going into a location media​/USB/movie​.

When I go to the EPG select an item and press the buttons it seems to be setting them to the wrong folder.

I know I can override it and correct this one at a time from this position but much better solution would be to have it default to the correct one and not sure if I can reset things to make this occur​.

If I press the media button I'm given the choice of 10 different ​places that have been most recently used and the most recently used one seems to move to the top of the list every time​.

There's obviously too many of these in this list ​& ​I don't know ​h​ow​ to delete​ ​several of them. I​f there is a solution for ​this how to go about it without losing the programs I've got recorded​? ​ I can move them across one ​at a time but that's not a very good solution​. I​ want ​to cut down the number of options available

As for my internet connections and why I can't open ​O​pen​Web​If, I have recorded what the settings are from the setup menu and when I put in either the IP address or the primary gateway address they never take me to the program rather to the ​router network details​.

I also realise now that the reason ​that I may of lost recording a few programs is because I have had other devices plugged in they were smaller in capacity and the system started put or try to put the new recordings into driver partition that was just too small​.​

Am I on the right track at last?

[prl]

I think I'm finally working out ​some of ​what's gone wrong here that should give us a clue as to how to fix it​.

​​Programs that I've recorded should be I believe in folder media​/HDD/movie instead they are going into a location media​/USB/movie​.

When I go to the EPG select an item and press the buttons it seems to be setting them to the wrong folder.

I know I can override it and correct this one at a time from this position but much better solution would be to have it default to the correct one and not sure if I can reset things to make this occur​.

What is MENU>Setup>TV>Recording settings, Default movie location set to? If you want to record to /media/hdd/movie, it should be set to /media/hdd/movie/. Timer recording location and Instant recording location should both be set to "<Default movie location>". You can switch between values in the three settings using LEFT and RIGHT. You can select a file system location for the settings by pressing OK on the setting, and then navigating in the file system using the top panel in the Select Location screen. If /media/hdd/movie/ isn't in the Bookmarks list, navigate to it (.. takes you up one level in the folder hierarchy), then once you can see "movie" in the list, scroll down to it and press BLUE Add bookmark. Once /media/hdd/movie/ is in the Bookmarks list, press CH- to move to the bookmark list, move to the /media/hdd/movie/ entry, and press GREEN OK. That will then set the setting to /media/hdd/movie/.

The ext4 file system that would have been put on the V2 if you formatted the drive using the V2 is case sensitive, so /media/hdd/movie and /media/HDD/movie are different file paths, and /media/HDD/movie normally won't exist. Also, /media/hdd/movie and media/hdd/movie strictly speaking mean different things, though it's clear from the context that you actually mean /media/... not media/...

If I press the media button I'm given the choice of 10 different ​places that have been most recently used and the most recently used one seems to move to the top of the list every time​.

There's obviously too many of these in this list ​& ​I don't know ​h​ow​ to delete​ ​several of them. I​f there is a solution for ​this how to go about it without losing the programs I've got recorded​? ​ I can move them across one ​at a time but that's not a very good solution​. I​ want ​to cut down the number of options available

They are just remembered places in the filesystem. They can be deleted without deleting any recording data. You delete them by using MEDIA to enter the media selection screen from live TV, then YELLOW Location>(Other...). In that screen, you can press CH- to switch to the Bookmarks list. Once the menu highlight is in the Bookmarks list, you can use BLUE Remove bookmark to remove bookmarks. Then leave the screen with GREEN OK (if you leave with RED Exit, or EXIT, the deletion of the bookmark will be undone). The bookmark will then disappear from the list you get from YELLOW Location.

As for my internet connections and why I can't open ​O​pen​Web​If, I have recorded what the settings are from the setup menu and when I put in either the IP address or the primary gateway address they never take me to the program rather to the ​router network details​.

I'd expect that if you gave the IP address of the gateway to your PC browser, that it would take you to your router. Using the IP address should take you to the OpenWebif screen on the HTTP server on the V2.

I also realise now that the reason ​that I may of lost recording a few programs is because I have had other devices plugged in they were smaller in capacity and the system started put or try to put the new recordings into driver partition that was just too small​.​

Am I on the right track at last?

It's still unclear to me exactly what the original cause of the problem is. If (as mentioned above) Default movie location or Timer recording location are set to /media/usb/movie/, then timer recordings will fail if you only have one USB drive connected at boot time.

[The Old Man]

I had thought that things were finally getting better but then I had the spiky wheel appear a few times and there was some programs that hadn't been recorded so I finally bit the bullet and reset the machine,

I took the precaution of taking photographs of a list of timers and auto timers and then downloaded the software, made station selection and worked on the favourite list and got that mostly correct but there are still a few things that I can't understand.

I can compare my timer list with the red panels in the EPG and they don't always agree. Some may come about by program changes but others I can't work out why the difference.

Some of the programs on the EPG show in the top right corner as a transparent circle. What is it there for? I have noticed that many things on this site doesn't appear to be defined a simple example what id the differenc between record or zap and record.

I can compare the red entry on EPG to the timer list. I can't see anything that we had scheduled. As for the favourite list I've got nearly all of that back and looking OK except for the fact that every time I turn on the machine I'm asked to select from the 3 choices it offers.

it's a pity that the TV stations don't try to make things easier, a simple example is just the channel name; some of the station names don't even say that a program is in HD. If anyone ever broadcasts 4k it will get even worse.

Well off to try a few more things.

[prl]

As for the favourite list I've got nearly all of that back and looking OK except for the fact that every time I turn on the machine I'm asked to select from the 3 choices it offers.

I'm not quite sure what you mean there, because I can't find any settings that cause the list of bouquets (including the Favourites bouquet) to display on startup.

However, if MENU>Setup>TV>Channel selection>Always show bouquets is enabled, you will be taken to the list of bouquets instead of the list of channels in the current bouquet every time you press FAV while watching live TV. But that will happen every time you press FAV, not just the first time you press it after startup, and it won't make that list appear immediately after startup.

You can change that back to the default behaviour of showing the list of channels in the current bouquet by disabling MENU>Setup>TV>Channel selection>Always show bouquets.

If that's not the problem you're seeing, can you describe in more detail what the problem is?

[prl]

some of the station names don't even say that a program is in HD. If anyone ever broadcasts 4k it will get even worse.

You can see whether a channel is HD or not by pressing the OK button while in live TV. If the HD icon on the far top right of the infobar is lit, the channel is HD, if not, it's SD.

[prl]

Some of the programs on the EPG show in the top right corner as a transparent circle. What is it there for?

There are never any icons on the top right of entries in the graphical (default grid-based) EPG. The circles (and half-circles) at the bottom right indicate whether the whole of the item in the EPG will be recorded, or only part of it (e.g. as padding). If you have reasonably long post-padding set, sometimes following programs will be fully recorded for some children's programming, because several of the short programs fit within the intended recording's padding.

have noticed that many things on this site doesn't appear to be defined a simple example what id the differenc between record or zap and record.

"Zap" means "change channel". On a timer, "record" means make a recording, but don't change channel to do it unless it's not possible to do so. "Record and zap" means make a recording, and always change channel to the program being recorded. I'm not sure why anyone would want to do that, but if you do, that's what it's for.

[prl]

I can compare my timer list with the red panels in the EPG and they don't always agree. Some may come about by program changes but others I can't work out why the difference.

I'm not sure what you mean by "don't always agree". Can you give some concrete examples?

I can compare the red entry on EPG to the timer list. I can't see anything that we had scheduled.

In the case where there is a timer list entry for a recording, but it doesn't show highlighted in red in the EPG, is it for a timer generated by an autotimer (having a green circle icon with a broad vertical double-headed arrow in the timer list entry), or a normal timer set up by you, for example from the EPG? If it's a normal timer, is it a repeating (e.g. daily or weekly) timer? There is a bug that means that once the first run of a repeating timer has been made, future recordings by that timer won't be highlighted in red in the EPG.

I explained about this bug about a week ago, in reply to one of your posts in another topic.
Here: viewtopic.php?f=50&t=15319&p=201743#p201749