[mythtv-users] My experience with channel, tuner priorities, and "Record One Showing"

[Yeechang Lee]

(This is part of an occasional series on how I've successfully [or
unsuccessfully] accomplished something in MythTV on my Fedora Core
4-based frontend/backend system using the ATrpms packages. I will
assume that readers can do basic Linux tasks, such as install RPMs,
edit /etc files, and generate xorg.conf. I hope to cover the mystery
areas where others may most often fall astray in.) 

John P Poet <jppoet at gmail.com> says:
> I assumed that if I asked myth to to record one episode a week of
> "NFL Live", and told it to prefer my firewire input, that it would
> record off of ESPNHD (channel 252).  However, it still chooses to
> record it from channel 8, which is the non HD version of ESPN.

HOW (AND WHY) TO SET CHANNEL AND INPUT PRIORITIES
1. In Setup|TV Settings|Recording Priorities|Set Channel Recording
   Priorities, give extra points to higher-quality channels. I give
   all HD channels a score of +2, their non-HD counterparts -2, and
   everything else 0.
2. Step 1 can also be done in MythWeb|Settings|MythTV channel info,
   which is also a good place for making sure that identical channels
   have identical callsigns. For example, my local FOX affiliate's
   high-definition channel is available through both my ATSC card and
   my two FireWire-connected cable boxes, so I make sure the two
   sources' channels are each labeled with the KTVUDT callsign. (Note
   that callsign does not equal name; the latter is completely
   arbitrary.)  By making sure that both channels share the same
   KTVUDT callsign, MythTV knows that the two channels are identical
   and that it can choose to record from whichever one happens to be
   free at the time. (This also means that in Manage
   Recordings|Upcoming Recordings, there will appear to be two
   simultaneous scheduled recordings. This is the normal and correct
   behavior, as I'll explain below.
3. Since I have both FireWire and ATSC, in mythtv-setup, under Input
   Connections I give the ATSC card the Input Preference of 2 and the
   two FireWire boxes 0. This way, all else being equal, the ATSC card
   will be used first. For example, since both sources' KTVUDT
   channels have the same recording priority, the ATSC's higher input
   preference will break the tie.

EXAMPLES (TORN FROM THE HEADLINES)
1. "Yeah, baby, yeah!"
* I assign the channels with the KTVUDT callsign (the high-definition
  version of KTVU, my local FOX affiliate) the score of +2, and KTVU
  (the non-HD version) -2. While browsing the program guide for KTVU I
  see that FOX will air _Austin Powers: Goldmember_. I tell MythTV to
  "Record One Showing of This Title." MythTV notices that the movie is
  also available on the higher-priority KTVUDT, and plans to record
  from that. Under Manage Recordings|Upcoming Recordings, _Goldmember_
  will be set to record under both 21 (the ATSC version of KTVUDT) and
  161 (the cable boxes' version).
* The time for recording _Goldmember_'s airing arrives. Normally,
  MythTV would record from the ATSC card's KTVUDT, as opposed to the
  cable boxes' KTVUDT, since it knows that the two are identical and
  the ATSC card carries a higher input preference. However, the ATSC
  card happens to be busy recording _The Simpsons_ on KBHKDT. Thus,
  MythTV will switch to a cable box.

2. The Greatest Generation (of video quality)
* I assign HBOHDP (the Pacific time zone feed of HBO in HD) +2 and the
  other HBO channels, all non-HD, 0. I tell MythTV to "Record One
  Showing" of _Memphis Belle_. MythTV sees that in the next two weeks
  _Memphis Belle_ will air several times on various channels,
  including twice on HBOHDP. Since HBOHDP has a higher score than the
  other channels carrying the movie, MythTV will schedule to record
  one of the showings on it first.
* I tell MythTV to "Record One Showing" of _Memphis Belle_. MythTV
  notices that, during both of the airings on HBOHDP, both cable boxes
  are already set to record other programs. However, a box will be
  free during one of the non-HD channel airings; thus, MythTV
  schedules to record that airing. Two days later, I make a change to
  the list of upcoming recordings, and a cable box becomes available
  during one of the HBOHDP airings. MythTV switches to that airing.
* I tell MythTV to "Record One Showing" of _Memphis Belle_. MythTV
  schedules to record a non-HD airing. Two days later, the newest
  batch of program listings from DataDirect contains a new airing of
  the movie on HBOHDP. MythTV switches to that airing.

MORALS OF THE STORY
* "Record One Showing" is *fantastic*. This is a function I badly
  wanted on my old TiVo.
* With the right setup, MythTV's scheduler can handle pretty much any
  situation seamlessly and without further user intervention, if you
  let it.
* However, I agree with Dan Christensen and Matt
  (<URL:http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/119471#119471>)
  in thinking that there is a need for a "Record One Showing of This
  Episode." I neither need most of TVWish's functionality nor do I
  want to use an external application, and going through the list of
  upcoming episodes for a show in mythfrontend and cutting out the
  episodes I don't want to see is more manual labor than I'd like.

-- 
Yeechang Lee <ylee at pobox.com> | +1 650 776 7763 | San Francisco CA US