[mythtv-users] Enabling multirec borks usability a bit.

[Tortise]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "mugginz" <feed.mugginz at internode.on.net>
To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 6:53 PM
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Enabling multirec borks usability a bit.


On Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:41:35 pm Michael T. Dean wrote:
> On 04/20/2010 02:27 AM, mugginz wrote:
> > Must disagree that LiveTV is never needed.  It's a bug in MythTV.
> > Nothing more.  This can be fixed.  No need for going through contortions
> > once it is fixed.
>
> And the best way to figure out just why it is like it is is for you to
> write a patch to "fix" the "bug" and then fix all the problems with your
> solution that are later brought to your attention.  We've never yet had
> anyone able to do so.  :)
>

>"And the best way to figure out just why it is like it is is for you to write a patch to "fix" the "bug"

> This is exactly what I intend to do as there's no-one else that I'm aware of interested in doing it at any point in the near 
> future.

mugginz (fwiw I think your name is really unfortunate here... or is it a comment on the NZ (Auckland) weather...in which case it 
ascends like a phoenix?)

There is a prior thread where I was advised on similar concerns, and I am told there are zillions before also.

I find that having one more tuner than the number of mux works fine when there is one user pulling livetv, using the "Solution B - 
Use the 'avoid conflicts between livetv and recordings' ".  When there are two users two extra tuners could be required for both to 
use full livetv, under the current design, however choosing the right tuner is again an issue for the second livetv user.  More 
elegant would be the same number of tuners for the number of available mux with a process that dynamically hopped tuners as 
required.  Variations come to mind.

I think there are some design issues with LiveTV, specifically that it seems to on the hour stop and restart recording.  This seems 
to be one major difference to a recording which starts and ends when its told to.  It seems to me (at best educated guess here) that 
LiveTV needs to tune the channel and then stay tuned for the duration, with the hour long recordings (or 30mins) seamlessly pulled 
off the continuous stream.   See http://svn.mythtv.org/trac/ticket/8296 which might be of interest to you.

One thing that occurs to me in reading the thread, is that new user uptake of mythtv might be enhanced if Livetv was a better 
experience.  That's is not to say the devs are wrong about the educated mythtv user not needing livetv, it is to observe that for a 
newb there is a transition process that can affect the views they form of mythtv.  If LiveTV is buggy, some people will gain the 
impression the remaining mythtv is also buggy and be turned off, whereas many will attest to the recording and recording playback 
abilities as largely being excellent.  (Not to mention the multinational panacea that mythtv represents (acknowledge Brian Wood 
here) )  The popularity of the topic also supports this notion.

Viewing Livetv as a good transitioning tool might be a good intermediate position in the debate whether or not to have livetv?