XBOX UWP SMB
#1
Hello all.
A half year ago the first beta of Kodi on the Xbox One was released.
Since then I am trying to make SMB to work. I am using MediaPortal v1 as TV Backend and it uses SMB to connect with live streams and recordings. But i have no idea how or maybe if it is possible to use TsReader and view recordings via SMB. Can somebody help me or at least say if it is possible?

Thanks,
Dark
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#2
@margro Maybe you can help with my question?
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#3
No idea. I don't know anything about the Windows UWP implementation. What I would try first is to see if you can play a normal video from a Windows share using the "Video" section of Kodi. If this does not work, the PVR addon won't be able to access the recordings and live stream over SMB. The only option left then is RTSP streaming.
Developer of the MediaPortal PVR addon and retired developer of the Argus-TV PVR-addon.
http://www.scintilla.utwente.nl/~marcelg/xbmc
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#4
@margro Thanks for your reply. It is really funny because I asked in UWP forum and I have been told that I have to ask in this forum because they have no idea of TsReader. And now I ask here and you have no idea of UWP Big Grin Looks like we have a deadlock^^

Back to topic. I tried your suggestion with the Video section in Kodi. It works. I can connect to the folder and watch everything.
RTSP is no option for me because it plays every recording only from the beginning and it ist not possible to jump e.g. 10 minutes forward. However RTSP is working.

As far as I can read the UWP Guys use "libsmb". The introduction thread is here: https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=329177
I don't know how your addon works. Do u use the smb implementation/addon from Kodi or do u use your own library?

Thanks for your work!
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#5
(2018-08-22, 15:53)MC Darkmaster Wrote: @margro Thanks for your reply. It is really funny because I asked in UWP forum and I have been told that I have to ask in this forum because they have no idea of TsReader. And now I ask here and you have no idea of UWP Big Grin Looks like we have a deadlock^^

That was me I think.

I simply suggested you ask over here rather than the UWP forum as I thought you might get a better response, since I've no idea what TsReader is or how it fits with Mediaportal, the PVR addon, or Kodi so assumed it was something specific to Mediaportal use.
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#6
Yes you were the nice guy who pointed me to this direction. Sorry if I did not described it correctly.
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#7
@jjd-uk: TSReader is a component of the MediaPortal (and ArgusTV) pvr addons that reads the recordings and live tv stream directly from file.

@MC Darkmaster 
The PVR addon is using the Kodi file read functions. Since your Kodi is able to access SMB shares, the addon should be able to access them too (unless the SMB file access in the UWP version is different from the normal Windows or Linux route). On Linux/OSX/Android, Kodi uses libsmb to access the files. The only thing the PVR addon does is to translate a Windows network share like \\server\share\file.ts into smb://server/share/file.ts and use the Kodi file functions to access the file.

Next thing to try:
* Try playback of a recording from the recording file share using the Video section (so, not using the PVR addon). This should work first. Based on your previous message, this should be no problem.
* Check the PVR addon settings and make sure that the "Windows user account (SMB)" and "Windows password (SMB)" settings are empty. This means that the PVR addon relies on the stored username/password combination in Kodi itself.
* Try again to play a recording from the PVR section

If this does not work, please post a kodi debug log. Hopefully, this will learn us more...
Developer of the MediaPortal PVR addon and retired developer of the Argus-TV PVR-addon.
http://www.scintilla.utwente.nl/~marcelg/xbmc
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#8
I just read the linked thread about the SMB implementation for UWP and it is not using the standard Windows file access method. Instead it is using a vfs addon in Kodi. I'm not sure if the PVR addons can actually use this vfs addon to access files... Maybe @jjd-uk knows more...
Developer of the MediaPortal PVR addon and retired developer of the Argus-TV PVR-addon.
http://www.scintilla.utwente.nl/~marcelg/xbmc
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#9
(2018-08-23, 12:42)margro Wrote: @MC Darkmaster 
Next thing to try:
* Try playback of a recording from the recording file share using the Video section (so, not using the PVR addon). This should work first. Based on your previous message, this should be no problem.
* Check the PVR addon settings and make sure that the "Windows user account (SMB)" and "Windows password (SMB)" settings are empty. This means that the PVR addon relies on the stored username/password combination in Kodi itself.
* Try again to play a recording from the PVR section

If this does not work, please post a kodi debug log. Hopefully, this will learn us more...
I already tried accessing the recording file share. That is working. I entered my Username / Password combination for that.
In the PVR addon i removd user account and password. That was interessting because with these settings set it stopped at 75% and didn't finished. Now it loads completly as with RTSP for example. But it does not work to play a file. I try to figure out how to post the debug log. I need to Transfer it from Xbox HDD first Smile
 "I'm not sure if the PVR addons can actually use this vfs addon to access files…" Yeah that is the point. Maybe it is possible to feature detect if this vfs addon is present and use it in that case. Or maybe this is something that Kodi itself can do if the "standard Windows file access method" is something from Kodi.
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#10
(2018-08-23, 12:47)margro Wrote: I just read the linked thread about the SMB implementation for UWP and it is not using the standard Windows file access method. Instead it is using a vfs addon in Kodi. I'm not sure if the PVR addons can actually use this vfs addon to access files... Maybe @jjd-uk knows more...

Sorry I know nothing about PVR, but I'd have thought the PVR addons go through the VFS layer.

Do either of you or MC Darkmaster have Win 10 PC's? if so you can use UWP builds on Win 10 by following https://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Ko...s_Platform to do testing. Perhaps MC Darkmaster could try this first to confirm its not a problem specific to Xbox.
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#11
(2018-08-23, 12:42)margro Wrote: @jjd-uk: TSReader is a component of the MediaPortal (and ArgusTV) pvr addons that reads the recordings and live tv stream directly from file.

How does it do that bit in bold? does it use Kodi to create the smb connection? or does TSReader attempt to make it's own smb connection? if it tries to make it's own then yes that probably won't work as the Xbox OS does not include smb support for apps.
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#12
Ok I have tested the things you told me. First I have to say that I had Kodi from Windows Store installed on my Windows 10 device. So I uninstalled it so that it does not interfere (I hope this is the right word for it. English is not my mother tongue) with the Kodi UWP Version (Offtopic Question for @jjd-uk : Will the UWP version replace the Version in the Windows Store when it's done?)
@margro Here is the debug log file pasted: https://paste.ubuntu.com/p/m6gzspZjpq/ 
Relevent lines I think are at 15:03:05.940.
Unfortunately Kodi hangs after trying to start to playback a file with debug mode enabled. Without it refuses to work like the Xbox UWP version.
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#13
@MC Darkmaster Thanks for testing. The log file indeed shows around 15:03 that the PVR addon tried to access a recording using a correctly translated share name (\\server\share\file.ts => smb://server/share/file.ts), so that seems correct. However it also indicates that it cannot find/open the file, so this might indeed indicate that a PVR addon somehow cannot use the SMB vfs plugin.

I will need to build and debug the UWP version for this, to figure out how to fix this. I will be abroad for the coming 2 weeks, so it will take a while before there is something to test.

@jjd-uk
I am using the PVR API functions as declared in libXBMC_addon.h: e.g. OpenFile(), ReadFile() FileExists().
These redirect to AddonCallbacksAddon.cpp which uses the standard Kodi CFile class.
Developer of the MediaPortal PVR addon and retired developer of the Argus-TV PVR-addon.
http://www.scintilla.utwente.nl/~marcelg/xbmc
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#14
Maybe @afedchin can see something in that log.
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#15
I too have been seeing this issue.  I'm currently using a HTPC running Libreelec with the Mediaportal PVR addon, which is working flawlessly.  I just got an XBox One and am interested in switching over to it as my standard hardware, as it will give me the flexibility of Netflix streaming also in the same device, but I'm seeing identical issue as MC Darkmaster.  I will be keeping an eye on this thread, hopefully margro will be able to work his magic!
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