Softer!
Manual (version beta4)
This manual purposes is to accompany user to the use and configuration
of Softer!.
- Introduction (what is"Softer!"?)
- System requirements, hardware and software
- First installation
Configuration: external applications
Configuration: Softer!
- Using Softer!
1. Introduction (what
is "Softer!"?) |
Short answer
Softer! is a small application that allows ProgDVB
and budget DVB boards to finally have OSD impressed over the video,
with name (and logo) of the channel, titles of transmission currently
in progress and the next one, and a bunch of other informations,
even if you're using video board overlay, so without VMR, VMR9 or
ProgDVB renderer use.
Moreover Softer! doesn't "read" TV schedule informations
from satellites, but from a single XMLTV file: you've just
to download it (or update it with Softer! web parser) once a week;
in this way you can have schedules even of channels that usually
don't transmit EPG, and/or to use tables with complete TV programming,
currently running or future.
Softer! introduces itself with an interface studied and conceived
for the use in a "Home Theatre PC" system, with
large fonts, to watch TV programs (eventually) on a TV connected
to the PC and through use of remote control.
Long answer
Softer! is an application conceived to place side by side ProgDVB,
probably the most diffused and known program for the visualization
of digital TV (via satellite or terrestrial) on PCs.
It tries to exceed two limits: the first one is the impossibility
by ProgDVB to visualize TV informations through OSD with "budget"
DVB cards, (for example the Technisat
SkyStar2 (the one I own): they don't have any MPEG-2 decoder
on board, therefore they cannot manage impressions over video. ProgDVB
satisfies this limit demanding, in order to enable OSD, to use a
modality of rendering like VMR or VMR9 (in place of the overlay
of the video card), ma but this often involves elevated CPU charge,
some problem and/or minor quality of reproduction. Softer! it is
instead based on the simplest of ways: it appears like a normal
window, overlapped to the video (and without Windows-like border),
therefore it works also with overlay (Default renderer), even if,
for obvious reasons, it cannot have effects like transparency on
the video.
In addiction, Softer! is not based (as all the other, also "alternate",
OSD for DVB) on the programmations that come transmitted, channel
by channel, via satellite; it uses a single file as data source,
with the whole week programmation (therefore you've to update it
every 7 days) and that you can download via Internet (with Softer!
automatic web parser) or via satellite, with external free applications.
It's in XMLTV
format already in use by several TV-guide applications. So users
don't depend anymore by the choice (by single channels) to trasmit
or not instant programmation via satellite and also offers the function
to browse future transmissions (in fact, in the overwhelming majority
of the cases, TV channels transmits only EPG of the single program
in progress and the one that follows immediately after).
Softer! allows also piloting ProgDVB and programming future recordings
with a comfortable table interface: it's sufficient doing a visual
selection of the program(s) you want to record and Softer! will
set up the PC to launch ProgDVB at the right moment and to record
it.
Another totally new function is the possibility to set up a margin
of "security" (the "RecLag") of a custom
number of minutes, to make start recording before and to make it
finish it after, in the case of transmission begins in advance and/or
if it ends in later.
2. System requirements,
hardware and software |
Hardware requirements
- Whatever PC with some hundred
of Mhz of power it's ok (Softer! can work also on old PCs, but
ProgDVB or any other TV-viewing programs require a recent PC;
- Obviously, a card for the reception
of digital TV (DVB-S
or DVB-T) and an antenna
to connect it. I use a Technisat
Skystar2 , it's cost is a little more than 65 USD;
- A remote control is strongly
raccomended (whichever control... also the one of your old broken
TV!) and a small interface
to connect to the COM port of your PC, to receive signals of the
remote control. The interface is realizable with no more of 10
USD in electronic components, or it can be bought ready to use.
In this last case I suggest asking Paolo Sancono, the author of
ideegeniali.altervista.org, the website that publish also
the clear and useful guide for the self-construction of the interface
(I learned how to make it with his guide!): He sells ready interfaces
at honest prices (about 15 Euro).
- If you don't have a remote control,
from version 0.1.491 I added a keyboard shortcut (ALT+A) that
allows to show/hide Softer! window when you want, and so to use
PC keyboard to send commands to Softer!. In the last part of this
guide ("Using Softer!") you can discover the keyboard
correspondent for every function of Softer!.
Software requirements
- Microsoft Windows© :-)
- Softer! is devised in order to pilot and to work with ProgDVB,
MyTheatre or RitzDVB
(the first is free and downloadable from the
official web site of the application, the 2nd is not free,
anyway you can
download a version of MyTheatre with limited features, the
3rd is free: you can download it from the
official web site). Therefore, it requires one of these applications
installed on the PC.
- Girder,
a (shareware) application for the management of remote controls,
is indispensable: it can be downloaded from the official site.
In alternative, it's possible to use some similar program (you
can find a lot of them, one of the more famous is UICE).
I supply the already configurated group for Girder in the downloadable
installation of Softer!.
Get last version of "Softer!" from the download
area of this site; decompress the ZIP archive to a folder of
your choice (eg: on your desktop).
I't's presupposed that:
- ProgDVB or MyTheatre are already correctly installed in your
PC;
- Also Girder must be installed, configured and working in the
PC;
Configuration: external applications
- PROGDVB (if you want to use MyTheatre or RitzDVB, skip this
point)
Created a new "Favorite" channel list with... your preferred
TV channels, in the order that like (you can do it easy with copy/past
and then with drag'n'drop). Assign a number for every channel in
channel's "Property" windows, for example:
BBC World (1)
CNN (2)
CNBC (3)
Fox TV (4)
and so on...
Open keyboard shortcut configuration window ("Settings"
menu -> "Controls") and assign:
- Fullscreen mode switch: TAB key
- Escape from fullscreen mode: ESC key
- Exit: X
If you want to use Softer! to record (manually or with record
scheduling), go to the folder where you want to save your recordings
with "My Computer" (this folder can be on whatever hard
drive, partition, etc... we'll configure Softer! to know where this
folder is) and create a subfolder named "softer_rectemp".
Then open the ProgDVB record option window ("Service"
menu -> "Record options") and set the folder you've
just created as the record folder (eg: C:\documents\recordings\softer_rectemp).
Recordings in progress will be saved here, and when a record is
ended, Softer! will move it in the parent directory.
Now open a random channel from your Favorite list and close ProgDVB.
- MYTHEATRE (if you want to use ProgDVB or RitzDVB, skip
this point)
MyTheatre users have to download an addon: SendToGirder_plugin.zip:
this is a plugin, developed by Chixfuler
that "grabs" the opened channel in MyTheatre (and some
other data) when it changes (in fact, getting this information from
the outside the is not so easy as in ProgDVB).
Originally, as you can see by its name, this is released to send
data to Girder, but we'll use it to send data to Softer! with the
little addon "event.exe", that you can find in the archive.
Open MyTheatre main folder and put in qtintf70.dll
and event.exe. Then open "plugins"
subfolder and put in SendToGirder312.dll
and SendToGirder312.ini. Edit
this last file inserting after"GirderPath=" the installation
path of your MyTheatre folder (don't worry even if it's "GirderPath"
and not "MyTheatrePath" ;-).
Open MyTheatre and its settings (CTRL+ALT+S); open "EPG"
sheet and remove checks from: "Use DVBcore parser", "Serve
only favorites", "External EPG grabber", "Delete
events" and "Compact upon exiting".
Set a favorite channel list with your personal channels (it's better
if you delete every other favorite channel list) and assign a progressive
number to every channel (right mouse button on every channel ->
properties -> Channel number).
If you want to use Softer! to record (manually or with record
scheduling), go to the folder where you want to save your recordings
with "My Computer" (this folder can be on whatever hard
drive, partition, etc... we'll configure Softer! to know where this
folder is) and create a subfolder named "softer_rectemp".
Then open the MyTheatre record option window (CTRL+ALT+S-> "Recording")
and set the folder you've just created as the record folder (eg:
C:\documents\recordings\softer_rectemp). Recordings in progress
will be saved here, and when a record is ended, Softer! will move
it in the parent directory. "Name format" must be set
to the default: yymmdd_hhnnss [channel] [event]
Now close MyTheatre.
Rename "epg.mdb" file in MyTheatre folder with an another
name (eg: "epg.mytheatre"): this is because we will replace
it with epg.mdb of Softer!.
- RITZDVB (if you want to use ProgDVB or MyTheatre, skip
this point)
MyTheatre users have to move files in "RitzDVBplugin"
folder of Softer! to the "plugin" folder of RitzDVB: this
is a plugin, directly developed by Herby, the author of RitzDVB
(thank you!!!) that "grabs" the opened channel in RitzDVB
when it changes (in fact, getting this information from the outside
the is not so easy as in ProgDVB).
Open RitzDVB PLUGIN folder and put in the three files that you found
in those folder. Edit SofterCmd.ini file inserting the installation
path of your RitzDVB folder (that must contain also Softer.exe and
the other files of Softer!).
Create, if you don't have it, a channel list in RitzDVB with your
favorite channels, and assign a number to every channel ("Channellist"
menu -> "Channel editor").
If you want to use Softer! to record (manually or with record
scheduling), go to the folder where you want to save your recordings
with "My Computer" (this folder can be on whatever hard
drive, partition, etc... we'll configure Softer! to know where this
folder is) and create a subfolder named "softer_rectemp".
Open RitzDVB options ("Hardware" menu -> "Options")
and set the folder you've just created as the record folder (eg:
C:\documents\recordings\softer_rectemp). Recordings in progress
will be saved here, and when a record is ended, Softer! will move
it in the parent directory.
If you want RitzDVB to start in fullscreen mode, go to "options"
and select "TV fullscreen".
RitzDVB has an internal OSD that you can't deactivate,
that is shown when channel is changed; maybe you want to make it
less visible (eg: move it in a very low position, and/or resize
it to a smaller size).
- GIRDER
Import a new group ("File"->"Import group")
and choose the Softer.GML file (included in the installation of
Softer!, you'll find it in the folder where you decompressed it
before). This will create a new group in your Girder, with the keys
already configured for you in order to pilot Softer! and ProgDVB.
Now you have only to associate the keys of your remote control
to the imported functions (just select the various "Eventstring"
that are for every command, click on "Learn event" and
press the key of your choice on your remote control, so you'll replace
your code with mine :-D).
Please note that subgroups "Start" and "Exit"
presuppose that Girder plugin "XP OSD" is installed (this
is a really nice OSD that I chose to have an "immediate answer"
when pressing key on remote control, since ProgDVB employs a little
time to start and to close, and without having an immediate reply...
you could though that you didn't correctly pressed the button).
You can download XP OSD
from this page.
Configuration: Softer!
Move every other file from the archive you've decompressed into
your DVB app main folder; you've to move also "loghi",
"softer_lang" and "softer_epg" folders (this
is empty... and this is normal, don't worry :)
Inside of the "loghi" folder you can already find some
GIF file, with logos of some Italian channel. If you want to use
them in Softer! (they will appear contextually to the change of
channel) and if you want to add any others for the channels that
you have inserted in your favorite list, you can download them from
the SatLogo.com
web site... they have channel's logos from all the World :)
Open the configuration utility SofterConfig.exe, that must
be present in your DVB app's folder (because you moved it before,
together with the other files).
- Choose your preferred language, for the configurator and for
the final interface;
- Select the DVB application you want to use with Softer!;
- Select your ProgDVB.exe or (for MyTheatre MTStart.exe, or for
RitzDVB RitzDVB.exe) path;
- If you want to use Softer! to record, set the path of your record
folder in the right field (the same you set before);
- Save your settings.
Channel identification mode (only RitzDVB users)
If you use Softer! with RitzDVB, you've to choose the channel ident
modality: throught name (caption) of the channel, or throught its
SID and NID codes.
Herby's plugin ("SofterCmd") sends (for compatibilty and
future purposes reasons) only "original" named of the
running channel (then if you rename channels in RitzDVB, it will
send anyway their original captions), users in trouble because
they have a lot of channels with same name (eg: PPV channels of
some North America providers, every with same name) can use (since
version 2.00 of SofterCmd) SID and NID codes of channels; you will
see them in internal channel editor in RitzDVB.
This modality is anyway raccomended because Softer!, if
SID/NID codes of some channels in its list are missing, tries ident
throught channel caption. So, if you've problems only with some
channel, you can activate this mode and insert SID+NID codes of
only channels with same names, Softer! will recognize other channels
with their captions. But if you DON'T have problems, "Caption"
mode is raccomended because it should bring some more speed, because
SID/NID check is skipped.
The most important step is the configuration of the internal Softer!
channel list, that must be synchronized both with that one of ProgDVB/MyTheatre/RitzDVB
and with that one of the week EPG, since it works like an "interface
of connection" between these two.
Then open SofterList.exe utility: you'll see a table like
this, filled with example configuration you took from the installation
archive:

The first column, with simple and short numbers, indicates
the numeration that you have assigned to the channels in your DVB
application.
In the 2nd column you have to write names of channels of
your list in ProgDVB/MyTheatre/RitzDVB. They
must be EXACTLY as they are in ProgDVB, MyTheatre or RitzDVB.
The third column indicates the name of the channel, as it
written in the EPG file (only channels with available TV guide in
EPG.MDB);
4th and 5th columns must contains SID and NID codes of channels.
These columns are useful only for RitzDVB users that chose SID+NID
ident mode in SofterConfig.exe (see above);
6th column indicates the name of the logo file that you want
to associate to the channel, and it's optional. If you do not want
to use them, or for the channels for which you haven't found any
logos, just leave it blank.
Last column contains the web address web from which the Softer!
web parser must read in order to download TV programming, and in
future releases it will be configurable. For the moment, don't touch
it.
It's important, once filled up the list with the names and the
numbers of "preselection" that you have chosen in ProgDVB,
is to check that in the first column, for every channel, there is
the right code, correspondent to the channel of the line. Browsing
with a database editor (compatible with MDB file format, eg: Microsoft
Access®) the epg.mdb file and looking to the programs you will
understand which code corresponds to which program, for example
if you see:
"00000002";"20041216025500
+0100";"20041216031000 +0100";"News";"Fox
News 1/2 hour";"Half an hour with News from Fox
news, the leader news channel";""
you will understand that 00000002
corresponds to the Fox News TV channel, and so you've to
write it down in the right channelnames.csv line ;)
I think that, in future releases of the Configuration utility, I'll
add a small manual browser to read and edit the EPG.mdb file, so
user without a compliant database application will be able to have
access to the file.
The channelnames.mdb file that you've found in the installation
already includes the right Softer! web parser configuration
(see below), in addition to other channels without EPG; included
codes are right ("EPG CODE" in the config utility), so
if you want to use the internal web parser to update the EPG, you
haven't to change the "channel name -->> EPG code"
correspondence; if you prefer another way to get your EPG.csv file
(and if you're not italian this is probable, since (for the moment)
Softer! web parser is able to automatically download EPG of italian
channels only, in addiction to BBC World and CNN international),
just change codes with yours.
Depending from the application that you used to get the TV guide,
codes could correspond to the alphanumeric names of the channels,
so don't worry if you'll not see only numeric codes.
Last operation is to download the week EPG, for your selected channels
(this is the only operation that you'll have to repeat every week,
all the others are at-once, unless that you change your channel
list).
To download it you've several ways:
a) you can download it manually, via satellite, and then convert
it to the MDB format that Softer! uses (see box below);
b) you can download it from the Internet and then convert it in
the same way, with the Softer! configuration utility (see box below);
c) Since version 0.1.491 of Softer!, it's possible to get
an automatic update, with the
Web parser of the application (for the moment, only italian channels
+ BBC World and CNN). If you prefer this last choice you've only
to delete from the folder the epg.csv file (extracted from the archive
you've download) and start (finally!) Softer! (double click on its
icon, or start with your remote control button). You DVB app will
start and Softer! will automatically update for the first time the
whole EPG of the week, for the following channels:
- Rai 1, 2 e 3
- Rete 4, Canale 5 and Italia1;
- La7 ed MTV
- CNN and BBC World
- SkyTG 24
- Odeon
In Softer! future version it will be possible to select how many
and which channel you want to get the weekly EPG, but for the moment
the web parser is totally experimental, and it has these limitations.
If you want to get more personalized TV-guides, you have to download
them manually :)
If you prefer this last choice you've only to delete from ProgDVB
folder the epg.csv file (extracted from the archive you've download)
and start (finally!) Softer! (double click on its icon, or start
with your remote control button). ProgDVB will start and Softer!
will automatically update for the first time the whole EPG of the
week, for the following channels:
- Rai 1, 2 e 3
- Rete 4, Canale 5 and Italia1;
- La7 ed MTV
- CNN and BBC World
- SkyTG 24
- Odeon
In Softer! future version it will be possible to select how many
and which channel you want to get the weekly EPG, but for the moment
the web parser is totally experimental, and it has these limitations.
If you want to get more personalized TV-guides, you have to download
them manually :)
If you want to download the TV guide manually
via satellite:
(this works only with Canal+ format TV listings "Media
Highway")
- Download the EPG4Cplus plugin (for example from Scaistar.com
web site) and insert it in your ProgDVB folder;
- Open ProgDVB and open the channel that transmits the EPG.
It depends from the TV provider you want, for example for
Sky Italia the channel is:
Ecco i dati del canale:
Frequency: 11881000 Mhz
Polarity: Vertical
SR: 27500
- Open EPG4Cplus (Plugins->EPG4cplus->Show window):
its window will appair;
- Click on "Scan". If it's everything ok, you'll
see in the lowest part of the window "Programmes:"
followed by numbers that quicky change. When scan will be
completed you'll see the programming guide for the week, for
every channel offered from the provider.
In the left part of the window, where names of channels will
appair, click with left mouse button to select every channel
you've inserted in your personal favorite channel list, in
ProgDVB, and then with right button, and select "Favorites
Ins".
If you can't find some channel that you inserted in ProgDVB
channels list, don't worry, it will means simply that Softer!
will not show the EPG for this channels (it will show only
the name (and maybe the logo) of the channel.
When you finish to insert channels, click on "Favorites",
in "View" menu: EPG4Cplus will show you only the
channels you've selected. Click on Save -> CSV and save
the list in ProgDVB folder, over-writing the example "epg.csv"
file.
- You can now shut down ProgDVB. If you experience errors
or crashes don't worry: EPG4Cplus often has problems when
closing.
- Convert the .XML file to EPG.MDB with the Softer! configuration
utility (see below)
via Internet:
Several applications can download XMLTV programming files,
you've only to surf the Net to get the one you most like (one
of the most popular is XMLTV automate). When you'll get your
.XML file with TV guide of your favorite channels, go to file
conversion.
XML -> MDB CONVERSION
Open SofterConfig.exe and choose "Import an external
XMLTV file in Softer!". Si aprirà questa finestrella:
Choose the folder where you downloaded the XMLTV
file before (via Internet or via satellite) and click on "Import!".
In a few seconds your EPG.MDB file will be filled with every
TV listing data contained in the selected XML file.
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- If you don't have a remote control: I specify in
green the correspondant keyboard shortcut for every function.
- Softer! is currently available only in italian language (in
the future multi-language versions will be available). Anyway localized
phrases are really rare.
Press on you remote control the button you've chosen for "Start"
command in Girder. After some seconds ProgDVB/MyTheatre/RitzDVB
will start in fullscreen mode, and it will show the first channel
of your favorite channel list, Over the video, if everything was
correctly configured, you'll see the Softer! window looking like:
Channel name, current time (from
Windows date/time properties), channel logo (if previously
configured), start and end times of the transmission
currently in progress and times of the following one (if
available in EPG file). In addiction, a progress bat that
graphically shows you the advance of the tranmission now on air.
The
window will hide itself after a bunch of seconds, it will unhide
only if you change channel (with commands you've configured on
your remote control as CH+, CH- or numeric buttons), or if you
press (on your remote) the command to hide/unhide Softer! (ALT+A),
or if you click once with left mouse button on the little icon
in the systray (near the Windows clock):
Otherwise, if you click with right mouse button
on the little systrat icon, you'll get a window with some quick
features:
- "OSD" ... shows main Softer! window;
- "Exit" ... closes Softer! without quitting
TV.
If you press the RC button you configured for "Update
EPG" (W) you will start
the internet update of the week EPG, throught the internal web
parser. The operation can take from 5 to 10 minutes.
If you press your "record" button (R),
Softer! will start immediatly a new recording, saving video (temporarly)
in the folder you created during configuration. Softer! window
will show you something like this:
... when you'll press same button a 2nd time, Softer! will stop
recording and will move the file in the parent folder.
Now press the button you've associated to "Timeline"
(G) .
You'll see something like this:

It shows you programmation from now (in this example
it's 22.34, so it starts from 22 o'clock) to the (maximum) next
7 transmissons, for the first 7 channels configured in the channel
list. With your arrow button on RC you can move the cursor on
the time line, or up and down to move it between channels. Try
to move to some channel and press ENTER (E):
>> Commands and texts are different
depending the language you selected in
configuration tool,anyway commands positions are always the
same <<
With arrow buttons you can choose an option (ARROW
KEYBOARD BUTTONS): "Vai al canale selezionato"
closes the time line and move ProgDVB to the selected channel;
"Annulla e torna alla griglia" closes the white
window and come back to time line, "Programma questa
registrazione" opens this screen:

"Annulla" closes everything and
come back to ProgDVB, "Conferma" schedules the
PC to record the transmission, "Aggiungi RecLag"
opens this little sub-window:

Here you can use Left/Right buttons to adjust
the RecLag. For example, a 5 minutes RecLag on the transmission
of the screenshot will make recording start at 23 o'clock and
it will stop it at midnight.
1 minute before the beginning of scheduled recording, Softer!
switches to the right channel and e doesn't allow any user action
(of course you can quit Softer! to block the scheduled actions),
until the end of recording.
This is Softer!. I hope it will be useful for as
it is for me :)
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