[mythtv] RFE: Watch list - show oldest EPISODE for a given series

[John P Poet]

On 1/4/07, Bruce Markey <bjm at lvcm.com> wrote:
> Ross Campbell wrote:
> > The Watch list recording group in SVN is really growing on me. One
> > request I'd like to make is to change the behavior of how it handles
> > selection for series recordings.
> >
> > Currently, watch list shows the OLDEST RECORDING for a given series,
> > which is usually fine, but I would prefer to see it show the OLDEST
> > EPISODE so that I can "catch up" with recordings in the same order as
> > they originally aired - regardless of recording order.
>
> John Poet mentioned this too. While I'm no opposed to this
> it does raise some other issues and isn't as simple or
> obvious as it sounds.
>
> > Since the code is already there to provide sort by original airdate
> > for series listings, it shouldn't be too hard to use that for watch
> > list too.
>
> No problem finding and comparing original airdate if they exist
> but the selection of oldest showing is done as it's filling the
> whole All Programs list before any special sorting. That could
> change though...
>
> Here are some of the new issues this would raise:
>
> - It should suggest the recording most at risk to auto-expire.
> If you got a later air date followed by several earlier, the
> later air date may never be suggested as other episodes arrive
> and eventually auto-expire. In practice, this wouldn't happen
> to me, you or John would it?


Personally, I have never had anything auto expire.  I don't let my
disk get that full.


> - Original Air Date is not a required field in the listings.
> If a title has some with and some without air dates (this does
> happen) how should they be sorted? Should those without dates
> be first or last? If mixed, on what basis.


The original-air-date sorting algorithm used to sort the listings
falls back to record date, if the original-air-date is invalid.


> - Generic, unidentified episodes usually have a date from the
> beginning of the series. If you had a title with some generic
> and some specific episodes, it would suggest all the generics
> before getting around to the known episodes.


OT:   I would actually like to see an option (maybe as part of the
dupe check method selector?) which could be used to tell Myth never to
record a "generic" episode of a series.  I do this using custom
records now, but it would be convienient to be able to do it using the
normal record options.

USA Network, for example often has good guide data for the first time
a show is broadcast during a week, but then repeats the show half a
dozen times in the following week with "generic" data.


> - If an episode was recorded three weeks ago and an earlier
> air date was recorded yesterday, should the score be based
> on it aging one day or 21 days?
>
> I don't mean to be a total wet blanket but I'm not seeing a
> clean solution.
>
> I don't see this case very often but if I do see a title suggested
> and I know I want to watch a different episode (which may be
> for reasons other that just the air date(!)), I use the item
> on the Watch List as just a reminder then go the the All Programs
> list to find the episode that I decided to watch. After I watch
> and delete this other episode, last_delete is updated and the
> title is again blocked out of the Watch List for a couple days.


This is exactly how I have been using this feature.  To indicate which
series I should watch, but not the actual episode.


> I sometimes have to remind myself that just because it is making
> suggestions doesn't mean that I can't watch whatever I dang well
> feel like =).
>
> --  bjm


Thanks Bruce.

John