Over the last weeks, we have already tried to give you an overview about some new features of yaVDR 0.3 in our blog, so please browse our recent blog postings to get an overview.

We didn't find time yet to describe all new features in detail, so there will be hopefully more blog postings coming up when we find the time to write the stuff down. We might also update this blog posting a few times, so please have a look in here again.

For now, we can offer you a brief listing of the changes:

• Ships with currently latest VDR developer version 1.7.16 (including BIDI support)
• New VDR OSD default skin Anthra (PearlHD skin is also still available)
• dvbmon - a mechanism to automatically wait for all your DVB devices to be ready before VDR starts
• New Openbox based minimal desktop environment
  
  • If it makes sense, applications will run parallel to the VDR frontend. For example, if you open Firefox, the TV channel running will still be visible and audible behind the Firefox window.
  • Slide-In-Launcher menu on left side of the screen. An easy way to launch applications and addons if you have a mouse connected to your HTPC (This is an alternative to the applications menu item within the VDR OSD)
  • Optional task bar at bottom of screen. It can be enabled to easily switch between an amount of running applications. The task bar can be enabled fromout the Launcher menu.

• More ready-to-install yavdr-addons (pidgin, chromium, claws-mail, dvdrip, asunder, mediathek, performous, semsix, simfy, tuxracer, vlc, youtube)

• Redesign of applications submenu: vdr-plugin-menuorg replaces vdr-plugin-externalplayer
  • Fixes issues with DVB devices being unavailable within XBMC or crashes of VDR when a recording was about to start and XBMC, Firefox or other applications were open
  • Allows to customize menu items (see blog posting about menuorg for further details)
• Automatic extraction of edid.bin for primary and secondary display (no custom templates needed for the file xorg.conf.yavdr any more). The purpose of the edid.bin is to avoid black screens when you turn on the TV after the HTPC was turned on.
• Wakeup-by-USB-remote-control: Wakeup from S3 or S4 is possible, triggered by remote controls with USB receiver
• Easy-to-install DVB driver for Sundtek devices packaged in our PPA (see Sundtek blog posting for further details)
• S2RAM support
• Web-Frontend extended:
  
  • Additional VDR related packages (plugins, addons) can now be installed via a mouseclick within the Web frontend
  • Configurable Lifeguard settings to prevent/allow automatic shutdown based on tasks/programs running
  • File upload options for channels.conf etc. improved so that it can be used as a web based text editor
  • Improved channel list display with versatile grouping options: Channels can now be grouped by transponder or even SAT band (useful information when LNB sharing is needed).
  • Possibility to extend web-frontend with plugins (First existing plugin: Sundtek-Driver configuration page)
  • The web frontend will regularly check if the yaVDR box is still running and will warn you if it can't reach the box anymore. This prevents you from changing web frontend settings after the HTPC has shut down.
  • yaVDR welcome HTML page now moved to be the default page on port 80.
• PVR settings of XBMC-VNSI will be automatically pre-configured when installing yaVDR 0.3 from the ISO image
• New method used to hide the mouse cursor when it'presence is undesirable: unclutter is being replaced by hide-cursor patch.
• commands.conf was extended.
• Cut marks can now be deleted via reccmds.conf.
• Bugfixes:
  
  • Bug within headless mode was fixed.
  • Big within nvidia-overscan settings was fixed.
  • Bug within inputlirc was fixed (thanks to kris)
  • Bugs within NFS/automount handling were fixed.
• ...

For your entertainment, there are - as always - hidden bugs and problems in yaVDR 0.3 that want to be discovered. Enjoy!

If you have yaVDR 0.2 installed, you can upgrade to yaVDR 0.3 just by doing the usual package updates. Before updating, please remove any existing custom templates that you might have created below the folder /etc/yavdr/templates_custom. Some of the custom templates you might not need anymore, others have to be changed to match the updated template snippets of yaVDR 0.3. Afterwards, just do the usual sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get dist-upgrade on the command line.

Please download the brand new yaVDR 0.3 ISO image from our download page and install it to the harddisk of your HTPC. The installation steps haven't changed, so our short installation tutorial on this website is still valid.