[mythtv-users] Does multirec actually work ?

[Michael T. Dean]

On 02/05/2009 05:50 PM, Kevin Kuphal wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 5, 2009 at 4:36 PM, Jean-Yves Avenard wrote:
>   
>> 2009/2/6 James Stembridge:
>>     
>>> Without switching tuners how could you view a channel on a different
>>> multiplex? Live tv unfortunately won't switch tuners to give you the
>>> channel you want.
>>>       
>> I thought about it a bit more while trying to fall asleep last night.
>>
>> I think I understand where the problem come from.
>>
>> I have 3 DVB-T cards, I created them allowing 2 recordings on each.
>> MythTV then creates 6 encoders.
>>
>> Encoder 1 and 2: card 1
>> Encoder 3 and 4: card 2
>> Encoder 5 and 6: card 3
>>
>> Say I start watching LiveTV ; myth uses encoder 1. Start recording
>> Exit LiveTV go back into livetv.
>> myth uses the next available free encoder : encoder 2
>>
>> Problem is that next free encoder can only tune to a channel on the
>> same multiplex.
>>
>> That's where the problem lies: it shouldn't have used encoder 2 but
>> encoder 3 ; or the information that say channel X is not available on
>> encoder 2 needs to be available somewhere for the new feature allowing
>> to browse across all encoders to pick the right tuner...
>> Would be great is someone could test with trunk and see if the
>> behaviour is the same ; I expect that it is
>>
>> Hope that makes sense
>>
>> I don't know that mythtv code enough to know precisely what is going on...
>>     
> I think the short summary of Michael's post is that LiveTV picks the "next
> encoder" starting with Encoder 1 and working it's way down.  If you
> delete/add your encoders so that Encoder 1, 2, and 3 are the physical
> encoders *then* go back and configure them for multirec, you'll have 4, 5,
> and 6 as virtual encoders.  Thus, when LiveTV picks the next encoder after
> Encoder 1 is in use, it will actually be physical encoder 2, not virtual
> encoder 2 and you won't have a multiplex limit until you exhaust your
> physical encoders which is, actually, expected behavior.

And the end says to (try the untested configuration where you) create 
capture cards with, say 3 recordings allowed, then connect inputs, then 
go through and bump up the max recordings by one on each capture card to 
get 1,2,3,10 and 4,5,6,11 and 7,8,9,12 and then mark "Avoid conflicts 
between LiveTV and scheduled recordings" to avoid the issue of multiple 
scheduled recordings on the same mux using different physical capture 
cards (where that issue would create conflicts that need not occur).

You'll still need to map the NEXTCARD key or use the menu to change 
cards to allow you to "escape" if, for example, a recording on mux "A" 
using input 7 (on card 3) is in progress and you start LiveTV and get 
input 12 (also on card 3), but how often will that actually occur?

Mike