[mythtv-users] is this possible (multiple tuners and sources)

[Bruce Markey]

Dylan Keon wrote:
>   My goal is to have 
> the two PVR-250s record analog cable (already working), and the PVR-150 
> record OTA broadcast signals via my rooftop antenna since the reception 
> of local channels stinks on our analog cable.
> 
> I set up a new video source called "antenna" and configured a new "local 
> broadcast" channel listing for my area at zap2it.  However, it's not 
> clear to me how this will get handled in the EPG.  For example, channel 
> 7 on analog cable is Discovery, while channel 7 on broadcast is PBS. 

The one marked "7 DSCP" and shows MythBusters is Discovery, the one
that says "7 PBS" and has Nova is PBS. Oddly, this is the second
time this has come up recently. If you schedule MythBusters, it won't
bust myth and record Nova by mistake =).

> After running mythfilldatabase these both appear in the EPG, but where 
> channels are the same (i.e., channel 9 is the same station on both cable 
> and OTA), there is only one entry in the EPG.

Correct. By design. If the channel number and callsign are the same,
it does not show both. I have NBC on 3 for analog and on 3 and 123
digital (chanids 1003, 2003 and 2123 respectively). The EPG shows
one line for NBC on 3 rather than two identical lines next to each
other but does have another line for 123. If another input had
station "KRAP" on 3 (3003), the EPG would include both channel
3 stations.

> I want local channels to be recorded on the PVR-150 by default, using 
> the local broadcast channel listing unless there is a conflict, in which 
> case they would get recorded on one of the PVR-250s.  Cable-only 
> channels would always get recorded on the PVR-250s.  Is all of this (or 
> any of this) possible?

This has all been solved long ago. You actually have some choices...

>   I could just delete the duplicate broadcast 
> channels from the cable lineup, but then that would eliminate the 
> possibility of using the cable as a backup to resolve conflicts.

Myth treats two channels with the same callsign as being the same
station and are interchangeable. Which channel is used for a show
on that station is deterministic. If all else is equal, by default
the scheduler will choose the lowest numbered input that has that
station available.

There is also an option on the mythtv-setup Input connections page
for "Input preference". If you set this one higher than the others,
that tells the scheduler that it is better to record from this input
whenever possible rather than to record from the other inputs.

There is a subtle difference with "Input preference" vs just relying
on the lowest input number winning. Say you have your "antenna"
input first (probably not right now because you added it last) 
and there is a high priority show at 7 and a lower priority show
at 7 and 10 on a channel that is available on both sources. If the
input preference is the same, the high priority show will record at
7 on "antenna" and the lower will record at 7 on the channel from
the other source. If you raise the input preference for the antenna
input, it would record the high priority show at 7 and the lower
priority show at 10 when it can fit it on the preferred input. If
there was another conflict at 10 then it would again use the other
source at 7.

So, you could redo your cards and inputs so that "antenna" is first
but if the signal is actually better, I'd suggest leaving your card
setup as is and just setting the input preference to "1" so that it
will always try to get the clearest recordings for you. Way too much 
info is at: http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-11.html#ss11.7

--  bjm