[mythtv-users] Sports events, LiveTV or Watch Recording?

[Michael T. Dean]

On 01/28/2006 01:02 AM, Greg Woods wrote:
> On Fri, 2006-01-27 at 15:16 -0800, Bruce Markey wrote:
>> For any sort of algorithm proposed to second guess a specific
>> situation, there is an opposite example where that exceptional
>> decision would do exactly the wrong thing.
>>     
> The only "perfect" solution would be a way to tell the scheduler exactly
> what you want, so it doesn't have to read minds. Such as, an option on
> extensions that says, "allow other recordings to override time
> extensions". Or something in a record rule that says "extend time only
> if it doesn't conflict with another recording on the same channel". My
> point was not to criticize the present incarnation of the scheduler, so
> I hope you didn't take it that way. Only to point out that there is
> currently no way to resolve the type of conflict I run into other than
> manually.
>
>   
Or, we could have a page that lists upcoming recordings and shows when 
you have a conflict.  Then you could create a recording override to 
adjust the rules such that the conflict is resolved appropriately (for 
your desires)...

So, let's say we add an option on "recording extensions" to "allow other 
recordings to override time extensions."  If it's implemented globally, 
what happens when two programs--one set to record late and the next set 
to start early--are set to record?  Do we override one extension or both 
or ...  If implemented per recording rule, we could still have the same 
situation if both rules are created to allow recordings to override 
extensions.  What if the user has multiple capture cards?  Do we use 
both so we can have "extensions" on back-to-back "allow extension 
override" recordings?  What if one capture card's input has a higher 
preference than the other?  If using both cards, the user may end up 
with one high-quality recording with an extension and another 
low-quality recording with an extension when he/she may have preferred 
two high-quality recordings without extensions.  All of these issues 
were discussed in the thread about soft-padding (that was eventually 
tabled for various reasons).  See:
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/commits/146281#146281
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/dev/151647#151647

If we add the setting "extend time only if it doesn't conflict with 
another recording on the same channel," we're opening a 55-gal barrel of 
worms when you start to consider multiple capture cards, recording 
priorities, input preferences, and the mapping of recordings to card 
inputs.  Now, I could come up with a nice complicated example showing 
you one of the problems we might have here (OK, really I probably 
couldn't come up with a good one, but Bruce Markey could), but no matter 
what example I gave, I'm sure you'd be able to write back immediately 
with an answer as to what the scheduler should do...

And, _that_ is the key.  You know exactly what /you/ want to happen.  I 
know exactly what I want to happen.  He knows...  So, if the scheduler 
marks conflicts when there's a potential for problems, the user can 
easily adjust the schedule to get exactly the behavior she desires.

I don't want my computer to think for me--that's why I don't use 
Windows.  That's also why I'm significantly more productive with my 
computer than people I know who are constantly battling wizards (and I'm 
not talking about EverQuest or World of Warcraft) and "auto" tools (and 
I'm not talking about autoconf/automake).

Mike