CinemaVision with remote NFS video repository doesn't work?

[mtrcycllvr 0]

Greatings!  I have been struggling with CinemaVision in my environment.

That environment is a group of RasberryPi media stations running LibreElec and using NFS to source video data and MYSQL to allow shared database between the livingroom, garage, etc..  Works fantastic for years now.

Then I discovered the old Cinema Experience, but I simply could never make that work for me at all and gave up for a year or more.  THEN, I stumbled upon CiniemaVision and signed up with a lifetime subscription right away.

This lead me down a path that was somewhat disappointing and confusing...

So, you MUST put cinema vision data in a working datasource, right?  (Why?)  Okay, I do that on my NFS server without issue, download some bumpers, and stuff and give it a try..  But SOME setup options point me at my NFS sources, and some only allow me to see the local FS, where this is no data at all..   Stuggled with this intermittently for weeks and finally decided I was at the same place as CinemaExperience - dead.

After a few months of stewing on my membership money, I decided to do another test and built ONE standalone "local disk" version of a media player.

Imagine my shock when everything just worked..

Soooooo....  Back to my actual living room, where I am NOT going to setup a needless redundant local copy of my video sources..  How to make it work?   I tried, just now to make a copy on my local /storage folder, then configure that as a DATA SOURCE, then light up CV to pick the default directory now located in that local data source.  It doesn't see the new source - it SEEMS to ONLY see the first "sources.xml" entry..  Okay, REARRANGE the sources so CV is at the top of the list?

<sources>
    <programs>
        <default pathversion="1"></default>
    </programs>
    <video>
        <default pathversion="1"></default>
        <source>
            <name>CinemaVision</name>
            <path pathversion="1">/storage/cv/</path>
            <allowsharing>false</allowsharing>
        </source>
        <source>
            <name>movies</name>
            <path pathversion="1">nfs://192.168.100.27/tank/media/movies/</path>
            <allowsharing>true</allowsharing>
        </source>
        <source>
            <name>movies_ldo</name>
            <path pathversion="1">nfs://192.168.100.27/tank/media/movies_ldo/</path>
            <allowsharing>true</allowsharing>
        </source>
....etc

Reboot, and....  No change - CinemaVision INSISTS on using the first NFS mount listed as "movies" and will not BUDGE to any other source, even though I have six of them configured, including the local FS copy of CV data.. 

When configuring ACTIONS, some action dialogs refer to the configured NFS source, but OTHER dialogs force me to view the local filesystem only.   This results in action files that can't be configured (can't see the files required) or simply hang at best, and wedge the entire system at worst..

Does anyone have any suggestions?  Is anyone else out there using a NAS/MYSQL solution like I am?  How do I get CV to use the source I WANT vs, well, I'm not sure HOW It's making the source selection at all at this point..  I certainly isn't paying any attention to sources.xml that I can see..

Help?

Sincerely,

-ET-

 

 

[OTA 78]

So, you're basically just wanting your CV directory structure on your NAS and to call that from multiple Kodi boxes?  Just want to make sure we're on the same page.

[mtrcycllvr 0]

Hi OTA!  Yes, that is exactly the goal..  Any given action file, having the SAME PATHS embedded in them (ie; to the NAS supplied "movies" share) would work identically on all systems regardless of physical location..   But mostly I just want to use that remote NFS share in my living room..   As noted, some action sequence modules allow me to configure using the "NFS://$IP/$PATH" but others seem to only allow me to see the local FS..   I'm not even clear how the NFS sources are handled, really - like I can't see a mount point anywhere even when I'm playing something from that source, so I can't, say, use the local FS mountpoint to  reference those file indirectly..  Anyway, thanks so very much for your response and I hope this clarifies my goal..

Sincerely,

-ET-

[OTA 78]

I have a similar configuration.  I run a SQL database for multiple users and host my media from my NAS, though it's a SMB share.  Unfortunately, I only have it running on a single device, so I'm not hosting my CV files from the NAS but the local file store.  I was planning on installing Kodi to the kids' firesticks so they could stream in their bedrooms, but I've never gotten that far.

Theoretically it should be fine either by manually setting the path in your sequence or possibly using symbolic links.  What version of KODI and CV are you running?  What device are you running it on?

I'm running CinemaVision version 1.1.1.a12 with Kodi 18.9 on an Odroid C2 with CoreELEC installed.

[MartinsVision 17]

ive been using Kodi from a nas  since the start on SMB all my stuff runs to my different rooms from may Nas never had a problem  

[mtrcycllvr 0]

On 6/16/2021 at 2:48 PM, MartinsVision said:

ive been using Kodi from a nas  since the start on SMB all my stuff runs to my different rooms from may Nas never had a problem  

I'm sorry - are you saying you are using a NAS for your media without issue, or that you can utilize all the features of Cinema Vision from your NAS share without issue?

I'm using LibreElec on RPi 3's.  When I attempt to configure actions in Cinema Vision, many of the actions force me to use the local file system vs. the NFS share where the data is located.  You are saying you do not suffer from this issue at all ever.

Mind if I ask what your hardware environment is like.   Do you ALSO use a central DB via mysql so every player has the same view of media content and played status?

Thanks for commenting!  Ever datum helps!

-ET-

[mtrcycllvr 0]

On 5/28/2021 at 5:30 AM, OTA said:

...  What version of KODI and CV are you running?  What device are you running it on?

Hi, Hey, I realize now I never responded to your query - my bad!

LibreELEC (official): 9.2.6 (RPi2.arm)  running on PRi3 via NFS mounts to FreeBSD NAS backend

Using a jail on same FreeBSD NAS to ALSO supply MySQL host that coordinates shared content database.

Kodi 18.9 Kodi 19 Matrix

Cinema Vision 1.1.1

 

When I get a few moments, I'll sift through the modules and report which ones lock me into the local FS only and which seem to be okay with the NAS share..

 

Thanks!

[mtrcycllvr 0]

Hi All!

Okay, I sat down just now and took a harder look at things and have a perhaps more specific "this is where I'm getting stuck"..

So far, I have configured Cinema Vision to use a "Content Path" that is in my main videos Kodi data source.  I cannot change this - somehow the script will ONLY see this one particular NFS share and not other.  I cannot CD up out of it to the root file system.  LIbreElec does not mount the shares in a fashion I can see, so concepts like symbolic links don't fly - link to what?   But, I can point CV to a content path, tell it to inventory the path and it does this without complaint and appears to see everthing I have collected up..  Moving out of the configuration screen,  I can correctly create and save sequences in this same content path.   I have been working my way through the various options by creating a dual action sequence (trivia, feature)..  This works.  Well, no, it actually doesn't.  The feature object has options for one video bumper, the MPAA rating.  If that is selected, the feature object hangs. 

ANY AND ALL video bumpers can be configured, can see the data files, have permissions to READ the data files, but for some reason, they just hang vs. playing?

If I configure a sequence with trivia and feature (with rating disabled), this actually works..  If plays X amount of trivia, then starts the feature.

If I attempt any sort of video bumper the result is just a hang..

If I enable a Trailers sequence object, it ALSO seems to hang..

The common denominator being, it can't seem to play video file from selected Cinema Vision root directory, even though I can see and play those files just fine from the Kodi Videos/Files interface..  (because it's in my main video NFS source path..)

So the problem appears to be that I can see and configure files from a CV Content Path, but when it comes to playing a video from this path, the script hangs..   The only thing unique about this would be that it is and NFS share that is, under LibreElec not mounted as a visible file system.

I haven't tried every single possible type of object, but the common theme here is that trivia can read jpgs and the like, but VIDEO bumpers all hang..

I said earlier that certain objects would force me to the local filesystem -that appears to be an error on my part - I think that was when I thought a LOCAL copy on the RPi file system might be at issue, but then discovered that wasn't THE valid data source for movies and I had the "you can't get there from here" issue with selecting content for various objects.  My bad for such poor articulation..  I was trying an awful lot of configurations at the time..  The remote driven household and the fixed config travel trailer that works so nicely now..  Anyway, it's clear I was confused - sorry about that..

Okay, so I can see these video paths and files in the config dialogs, but when it comes to running the sequence, any time I get to a video that IS NOT the main feature, the script just hangs...

Thanks SO MUCH all!

-ET-

[OTA 78]

On 6/18/2021 at 10:16 AM, mtrcycllvr said:

Kodi 18.9 Kodi 19 Matrix

Cinema Vision 1.1.1

So, I'm presuming you are running 18.9 on one pi and 19 on another?  Just FYI, CV does not yet work with Kodi 19.  This may open a whole new can of worms, but I believe the database versions are different between 18 and 19 as well, so I'm not sure how you are sharing a DB between the two versions of Kodi, but I digress.

Try installing your the below version of CV on your Kodi 18.9 pi and see if it makes a difference.
 

https://cinemavision.tv/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=2857

[MartinsVision 17]

On 6/18/2021 at 11:16 AM, mtrcycllvr said:

Hi, Hey, I realize now I never responded to your query - my bad!

LibreELEC (official): 9.2.6 (RPi2.arm)  running on PRi3 via NFS mounts to FreeBSD NAS backend

Using a jail on same FreeBSD NAS to ALSO supply MySQL host that coordinates shared content database.

Kodi 18.9 Kodi 19 Matrix

Cinema Vision 1.1.1

 

When I get a few moments, I'll sift through the modules and report which ones lock me into the local FS only and which seem to be okay with the NAS share..

 

Thanks!

 I have several different Kodi boxes all getting bumpers , trivia , the movie and everything  else from my NAS ,   My boxes are old t95z plus boxes my Nas is an old TeraStation server.. I did ( still do ) have an issue with my boxes sometimes seeing my NAS .. If i let my windows 7 machines boot  first it would become the Domain master and my boxes wouldn't see the NAS . I have to make sure my Nas is up and running first it then becomes the domain host and they all see everything fine . even found a dos lanScan to find out what CP is the host . When my sever wasn't the host i could see any source i added before when the NAS was the host but no new sources ... Also are you ReScanning your library after every change to you folder structure ? after every time you add a video bumper or trivia file ? Because if CinemaVision is looking for something that isnt there or has moved she will just hang up and freeze, (it scans every file in the folder directory it doesnt just link to the folder source )  and also if you have one video bumper that has something wrong with it it will lock up every time because it next in line to be called because it hasnt be marked watched and will continue to bring that video bumper up when its time for that section of the sequence. I had trouble awhile back where i had a set of rating bumpers that where bad (never figured out why ) but my player would play them but cinemavision didnt like them for some reason . The only reason i found out was i pulled Everything out my folders and added one thing at a time ( re-scanning  directories each time) till i found what was causing my problem was a set Uk rating bumpers ..

LANscan_v1.68.zip