Beta [radio-ss-off] Disable screensaver on radio channels

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/df

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These 2 screensaver behaviours were pointed out some time ago:
[summary :
  1. During playback of an audio-only recording, the music slide is replaced by the screensaver after a couple of minutes.
  2. During live play from a radio service, the screensaver kicks in even though the on-screen info is changing.
]
...

I proposed a shell script to address #2 based on the approach suggested by
...
With the new ir package, it would be possible to write something that kept pretending to press a remote control key every minute which would stop the screensaver kicking in. ...
and said
I suppose this could be packaged up with a WebIF settings plugin to enable and disable it.

So here it is: package radio-ss-off now in the beta repo.

The disabling behaviour is turned on when the package is installed. Subsequent upgrades are supposed to retain the setting applied in WebIF>Settings>radio-ss-off.

Please report anything not working as expected.

Also, should it be extended to audio playback (#1 above)?
 
Is it possible to make this stop the screensaver kicking in all together? I find it a pain to be in the Guide, working my way through the Radio Times programming up recordings for the following week, when it starts and I'm back at Now in the guide once again.
 
Is it possible to make this stop the screensaver kicking in all together? I find it a pain to be in the Guide, working my way through the Radio Times programming up recordings for the following week, when it starts and I'm back at Now in the guide once again.
How do you achieve the screen saver being initiated when in the guide?

Or are you referring to the guide/menu time out?
And if you are referring to the guide time out surely that occurs so infrequently that it doesn't really matter as it only takes a few seconds to zip through the guide to reach even 7 days ahead?
 
This needs to be clarified. It is certainly a pain for elderly/poor sighted that the menu system times out, but I don't think there is anything that can be done about it.
 
Is it possible to make this stop the screensaver kicking in all together? I find it a pain to be in the Guide, working my way through the Radio Times programming up recordings for the following week, when it starts and I'm back at Now in the guide once again.
After a bit of testing it seems that, when the Guide is up, a timer similar to (probably the same as) the one that would launch the screensaver cancels the Guide, without starting the screensaver. Presumably this is what you'd like to avoid. If you bring up the Guide while "tuned into" a radio channel the package does in fact do this, because it has no way of knowing about any modal UIs, like the Guide, that happen to have been invoked on top of the "watched" programme.

In principle my script that defeats the screensaver for radio channels could also do so in other contexts. As I describe below it is possible for TV channels, including delayed play (time-shift), but not as yet for media play. So apart from possible jibes about using the Radio Times to programme the device rather than the information in the actual guide or WebIf EPG page (dost thou mark it up with thy quill pen, etc), there are a few options to address your problem.
  • You can use the package as it is but make sure to be "watching" a radio channel when setting up your recording schedule - easy.
  • You can use the package but edit the file /mod/bin/radio_ss_off to change the constant 700 on line 7 to 1; then make sure not to be playing back a file when setting up your recording schedule - easy (at least for me).
  • I could tweak the package to allow for TV as well as radio: a persistent flag, some extra WebIf settings logic, modified script logic - doable but I'd prefer to see a wider demand and it still wouldn't help you with media play context.
  • Some genius identifies an IR code that can be used instead of Bookmark, so that the above tweak would work in all contexts - don't hold your breath.
  • Or, ideally, some genius who has decompiled the Humax binary finds the location where the timer delay is held, so allowing it to be patched to a very large value and avoiding the IR work-around - still don't hold your breath..
The script uses the IR package to send a meaningless command to simulate user activity. It identifies the UI context using the WebIf status command. The problem is to find an unused remote control operation for each context that can be distinguished in this way. The script uses the IR package to send Bookmark to simulate activity for "watching" a radio channel; the only observable effect of this is that you see a periodic "operation not allowed" (circle with diagonal forward slash) at the top right in certain contexts, such as the guide. This would work the same for watching TV channels, as well as with delayed play (time-shift). However in a media play context, the Bookmark command would cause play to skip to the next bookmark or just bring up a message if there were none; in fact I couldn't find any remote command that would work in media play context: up and down arrows and colour buttons may not affect the play UI but several modal UIs would be affected, again including the guide.
 
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I don't wish to appear facetious here and I appreciate the talents of the OP for his dedicated work in achieving his aim, but do many Humax subscribers listen to radio channels through poor TV speakers?
If you have an amp with speakers or a soundbar then radio channels can be listened to with the TV turned off, obviating the need to eliminate the screensaver.
 
but do many Humax subscribers listen to radio channels through poor TV speakers?
I have asked myself that as well, but I suppose it's better than no speakers if you just want a bit of 'noise' in the room. And don't modern TVs have a video off option if that's the way you really want to go?
 
Me for one, but it's not often I have "radio" on in the house at all (it's mainly a car thing). When I do, that I can at all trumps any issues over sound quality (which really ain't that bad).

And don't modern TVs have a video off option if that's the way you really want to go?
Yes, and I use it particularly if I want background overnight. But it's also nice to have the live on-screen track details, which the screensaver kicks in over.
 
... [Trev: ... And don't modern TVs have a video off option...?] Yes, and I use it particularly if I want background overnight. But it's also nice to have the live on-screen track details, which the screensaver kicks in over.
The MHEG-5 programme information displays on BBC Freeview radio channels can be hidden with 0 or Green, but of course the untweaked Humax screensaver stomps on that too.

As to quality, at transmission Freeview is better than DAB (but ignore the 2nd comment in the link). If you want Radio 3, I understand that the VHF/FM broadcast signal is very good, but turning that into hiss-, click- and warble-free reception in an urban environment can be tricky.

For reproduction, in a listening/viewing room you'd have the TV connected to the hi-fi/home cinema audio; otherwise the comparison should be TV speakers vs portable radio speakers, where the TV speakers would not be obviously worse.
 
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If you have an amp with speakers or a soundbar then radio channels can be listened to with the TV turned off, obviating the need to eliminate the screensaver.
My amp. is connected to the TV's optical out. It therefore follows whichever source I have selected on the TV (cunning, eh?), so obviously needs to be on even if I want sound only (e.g. 5LspX).
 
There are no flies on you!

In my case, my "cinema" sound system (actually a pair of powered bookshelf speakers) is connect to the phono output from my HDMI matrix switch - so I get HDMI sound from whatever source is routed to the Qumi. The annoying thing is that the speakers are controlled by their own IR handset, and produce nothing from power-up until I select the input (a choice of two), and have to turn their volume up!
 
My amp. is connected to the TV's optical out. It therefore follows whichever source I have selected on the TV (cunning, eh?), so obviously needs to be on even if I want sound only (e.g. 5LspX).

My TV, FoxT2 & Bluray are individually connected to the amp to have as much choice as I wish.

@BH - Sound quality is a must for me, if I've got to listen to crap, at least it sounds better. This time of year, I'd like auto mute for Slade, Wizard, Springstein...........etc.
 
I don't wish to appear facetious here and I appreciate the talents of the OP for his dedicated work in achieving his aim, but do many Humax subscribers listen to radio channels through poor TV speakers?
What is the problem with that if you are listening to the news or other speech radio? Not all radio listening is music.
 
I have an el cheapo 2.1 PC system plugged into the earphone socket on my TV. Had to modify the bass speaker drive as it had toooo much bass. Got one of those mains master/slave thingies (this is a non technical discussion after all) that switches off the 2.1 when the TV switches off. Normal remote vol control still works OK thankfully. As when I connect my BT headphones, the RC ceases to change the vol.
 
What is the problem with that if you are listening to the news or other speech radio? Not all radio listening is music.
Indeed.

Returning closer to the thread topic, are you able to live with either of my first two options to disable the automatic Guide timeout?
 
I doubt the stipulations would work for somebody who can't currently complete menu operations before it times out.
 
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