[Technicolour]

For The Record is a TV management program with an API and MediaPortal GUI plugin that currently runs along with MediaPortal, there is also a Web Access Interface available.

http://4therecord.eu/

It's a pretty brilliant piece of software with an IM Bot and Web Access allowing you to manage you recording schedules and the like from at home or abroad via any web browser, (similar to what you can do with TiVo and Slingbox web interfaces).

I reckon it would be a brilliant idea to bring this across to the XBMC platform as this would allow you to not only watch TV from XBMC but also have a pretty decent platform to manage all your recordings on.

Discussion with For The Record (4therecord.eu) site admin and developers about possible XBMC client can be found here:
http://4therecord.eu/forum/viewtopic.php...98820c655a

This would be a nice way to get TV into XBMC without having to write in the core TV service into XBMC as, as far as I am aware you would be able to run it off the already established MediaPortal TV Server.

http://4therecord.eu/?q=node/8

What is For The Record?

Overview

For The Record is an advanced rule-based scheduling system to record your favorite TV programs in a very intelligent way.

It has full support for running as a service with multiple clients (see example setup diagrams below). Access to the system is available ranging from a typical Windows application over plugins for living-room Media playback software to internet Web Access to give you the maximum possible reach.

Because the scheduling system is rule-based it offers unparalleled power to record exactly what you want. The examples below can be easily set up in a single schedule definition each.

• Record any "CSI" episode shown somewhere between 7PM and 11PM, but not the ones from "Miami", and don't record episodes that have been recorded before.
  
  
• Record "The Simpsons" every Monday and Wednesday on Channel Foo around 7PM (so also when it's shown at 7:15PM or 6:55PM).
  
  
• Record all movies with "Samuel Jackson" on BBC1 or BBC2 and don't record movies that have been recorded before.
  
  
• Record all documentaries on NGC or Discovery Channel that have "Global warming" in their description.

For The Record has conflict management built-in to help the scheduler record as many programs as it can, based on your available recording devices. It will let you intervene manually as well.

For The Record is very modular thanks to its Service Oriented Architecture. Recording is currently handled by external modules (services) that are called recorder/tuners. Currently recorder/tuners are available for DVB Dream, GB-PVR and MediaPortal TV Server.

Recorded shows are stored on your system's hard disk and can be played back manually, from the Management Console or from the For The Record MediaPortal GUI plugin.

Single-seat Setup


Multiseat Setup


You can setup the system even more modular if you like (add more clients, put Web Acces on a different machine,...). The only limitation right now is that you have to keep the Core Services and your recorder/tuner(s) on the same machine.



Screenshots

Web Access

More...

MediaPortal Client

More...

More screenshots at http://4therecord.eu/?q=node/20

[dot-i]

In followup to a posting on the For The Record forum I'd like to post this suggestion of the possibility to add TV support to XBMC through a plugin.

Perhaps first a quick explanation of For The Record: the advanced rule-based scheduling system to record and watch your favorite TV programs.


Features:

• Uses a Service Oriented Architecture to allow for great flexibility and extensibility, perfect for both single seat and multiseat.
  
• Supports streaming live TV (over RTSP and over UNC).
  
• Imports TV guide data from standard XMLTV guide files.
  
• Uses a rule-based scheduling engine to give you unparalleled control over your schedules (see the site for the full power).
  
• Full recordings conflict management built-in with support for schedule priorities and special support for handling consecutive programs.
  
• Supports running post-processing commands (like comskip) on your recordings, live or directly after the recording, or at a fixed time (at night e.g., ideal for transcoding to MP4).
  
• Web Access front-end to allow access to your system from over the internet.
  
• Management Console to give local and remote access to your For The Record system.
  
• IM-Bot service to enable your system to log into Windows Live Messenger so you can chat with your server.
  
• Server Status Notifier tray application to help you keep an eye on your server's status.
  
• Full standby support including Wake-on-LAN for multi-seat systems (your client will wake up your server).
  
• Will notify you by e-mail if your For The Record system requires your attention.
  
• Supports secure HTTPS communication for use over the internet.
  
• The For The Record services API is documented so third-party tools can easily talk to the system.
  

More details and the download can be found on the site: www.4therecord.eu

The API is exposed as a set of WCF services, and more importantly this includes industry-standard XML web services. As I understand it, it's very easy to consume an XML web service from Python.

So in that respect I think it should be quite feasible to create a For The Record frontend plugin in XBMC. Support for live TV will perhaps be tricky, but supporting recorded TV would be a great first step.

Any thoughts? Great idea? Lousy idea? Comments?

[stefancrs]

I for one would love this, and I bet a lot of other both XBMC and MediaPortal users would. If utilizing just the web (XML) services for the XBMC client, it would be totally cross-platform and one would have access to ForTheRecords features on all XBMC setups in the house, getting to watch live tv, set up recording schemes and watch previous recordings, no matter which room one is in, as long as one has an XBMC setup there (and of course one could still set up recordings remotely using the web interface, I sometimes do from work)

No doubt, others here have a decent understanding in the underlying architecture of XBMC.

For instance, Live TV is using RTSP for its stream, is that hard to 'consume' from within an XBMC plugin?

[Skindred]

I've been using XBMC ever since it was still named XBMP (XBOX Media Player, fyi).

And this is one of the most awaited features ever since the day I got to work with this awesome mediaplayer.

I currently run XBMC on my XBOX, together with the Mediaportal plugin made by Evildude (nice work mate).
And am currently able to watch Live TV.

But it lacks some of the real goodness (EPG, Recording,...), the things you'd expect XBMC to deliver (you know; all those nice little extra's, that aren't really extra's, they are THAT good that they can be considered main features. And there are TONS of them.)

So I'm really hoping that one of the devs would take some interest in this ( after the bug bashing, ofcourse ).
And take XBMC to the next level (of many more to come probably).

Anyone know if the TV Vlaanderen EPG will also work with this?

[Skindred]

An interesting read has appeared on the ForTheRecord homepage (http://www.4therecord.eu/)

...
So we did, and simultaneously started the development of a recorder/tuner and a client, the client at first mainly intended for purely watching recordings.
...

So, this means that a totally new TV Recording Backend is being written,
and during this stage, it might be handy to have XBMC geared towards it,

I've seen some interest with the developers of ForTheRecord, into working with XBMC as a frontend before (they don't intend to write a frontend right now, possibly later).

So I hope that maybe you can discuss a possible co-operation, because it is the ideal time to work towards each other.

Full Details Here

[jonaskp]

I have been using ForTheRecord with MediaPortal (frontend and TVserver) for somewhere around 2 years now, and absolutely love it. The scheduling options are incredible.
Just before christmas i joined the alpha-testing of their new Tuner/Recorder and less than a month after this, i don't use MediaPortals TVserver anymore. THe recorder works very great.

Since dropping the MP TVserver, I have been thinking about switching the frontend of my HTPC as well, but it requires a plugin for accessing ForTheRecord. I have not used XBMC alot before (only tested it briefly a couple of times) because of the lack of TV support. Everything else seems to look nice enough.

So a plugin for ForTheRecord would be absolutely amazing. Another great thing is that the XBMC team could add a full-featured TV section to their application just by writing a plugin for ForTheRecord, since those guys have done all the backend work.

Only "issue" right now is that the ForTheRecord tuner does not currently support LiveTV (it is Alpha after all). I make up for this by simply starting a recording of the show I wanna watch live and then watch that recording right after. This actually works just the way you would expect watching LiveTV to do (although there are no channel switching).


I hope that there are someone out there that can also see the benefit of this and maybe even start making this plugin.

[AndreStarTrek]

I am bumping this thread up, because this thread need some attention again.

4 the record has for sometime there back-end TV recorder argus done and I would like to see a front-end for xbmc. I think this would be a killer combo.

So I like to ask, if someone is willing to make one and I would donate money for this. I also like to ask, if someone else is willing to donate money for this project.

[jonaskp]

And just to clarify, For The Record tuner/recorder Argus is no longer alpha and now supports LiveTV (has for some time actually).

[AndreStarTrek]

Lets bump this up again, because this is to good to let go .

[Schumi]

This thread is really need bumping.

[Steph]

hi,

Just wanted to meantion to the xbmc devs here, that we have recently expanded our Core Services with a REST API for easier access, and at the same time we are finalizing an RTSP service to stream recordings and Live-TV.

We can offer our support and assistance to xbmc plugin devs who would like to join forces to make the connection between xbmc and ForTheRecord happen.

[jca1981]

Great Steph

[Sardonis]

Please have some devs take a look into this great piece of software

[AndreStarTrek]

Yes this need some attention again.

The best frontend and the best backend, this should be joint/melt together for the most wonderful cocktail ever.

[AndreStarTrek]

Lets kick it again, still need attention