[mythtv-users] MythTV channel buffer

Dean Wilson dean.k.wilson at gmail.com
Fri Apr 14 18:47:58 UTC 2006


> I don't think there's a problem.  If you disagree, patches are accepted here:
> http://cvs.mythtv.org/trac/

First, I'd like to say thanks to the developers who've spent their
time on this issue -- threads like these have a tendency to sound like
people are never content.  In my case, I'm very happy with what we
have -- but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement. 
I'm a fledgling programmer (Lots of perl experience, not so much with
C++), but as my skills improve, I'd be happy to help.

Just out of curiousity:  from several of the posts in this thread, it
would appear that the developers have decided that they like the way
that MythTV currently changes channels, and aren't willing to accept
modifications.  Your post, however, indicates that you'd be willing to
entertain alternatives.  What is the current mindset of the
developers, and those who would be integrating potentical patches for
this issue?

I'm mainly curious because I agree that watching TV would be much
easier if it were possible to flip quickly from channel to channel. 
Personally, I record all my shows ahead of time, so it isn't an issue
for me.  But my roommates prefer to turn on the TV and flip channels
to see what's currently on -- not just what shows they record every
week.  I have the browse mode configured, but it seems more like a
work-around to me.  Tivo, for example, didn't have the channel delay
when flipping channels -- and we all know that it's a bona-fide DVR. 
People have said that if you want to flip channels, use the TV tuner. 
The problem with that is that the idea of MythTV is that it integrates
every entertainment-oriented activity into one unit.  Having to use
another unit for something as seemingly simple as watching TV would
seem, then, to go against the idea behind MythTV.  (And in my case
it's more involved than just using the TV tuner -- my "TV" is a
projector with no built-in tuner, so I have to change the projector
input, switch remotes, and use a VCR.)

I guess my main concern is that the first thing people do when they
first see MythTV is "play with it."  When they do that, they want to
see live TV, so they flip channels.  If they have to wait to see each
new channel, it's a turn-off.  That being the case, this may well turn
people away from MythTV.  I don't want to see that happen -- I like
MythTV, and I think that the more people that use it, the better.

So back to my initial question:  if we could find a way to
simultaneously buffer content while viewing it (and thus reduce the
wait time when flipping channels) would the developers be willing to
integrate it?  (I'm not saying it'd be easy, or even possible, but if
it were?)

Again, thanks for all the work!
~Dean Wilson


More information about the mythtv-users mailing list