[mythtv-users] Input priority

[Michael T. Dean]

On 01/20/2010 06:18 PM, Kevin Ross wrote:
> Okay thanks for clearing that up.  I guess the best way to give one input
> preference over another is just make sure it has a lower ID (i.e. is added
> first in mythtv-setup).
>   

Exactly.  That way you've given preference to the input /without/
affecting recording priority for any episodes of any shows you want to
record.

It all comes down to the order you connect inputs (you can create cards
in any order), and you should use "Delete all capture cards" to reorder
things.

> That's the way I have it now.  I have 4 tuners, 2 OTA and 2 HD-PVR's for
> FIOS.  Of course, nearly everything that's available OTA is also available
> via FIOS, but I prefer it to record from OTA when possible, then from FIOS
> as a backup.  My OTA tuners are first in mythtv-setup, and the HD-PVR's are
> last.  I've adjusted the callsigns and channel numbers to match.  But I also
> bumped the input priority for the OTA tuners, but I will probably now revert
> that.
>   

Remember, though, it's the input order that's important, not the card
order.  I.e. the backend status page shows you the card order, not the
input order.

I have 2 backends with 2 capture cards each (and /only/ local storage). 
When I created capture cards, I created those on the master backend
first, then the two on the remote backend last.  However, I connected
inputs on card 1, then 3, then 4, then 2.  Therefore, my system's
backend status page shows Encoder 1 through 4 in order, but it will
record first using encoder 1, then 3, then 4, then 2.  All my capture
cards are the same, so the reason I chose the order is to load-balance
my storage.  (Encoder 1 is always used first, so the MBE does the first
recording, but since additional encoders are only used when recording
multiple simultaneous recordings, I connected 3 and 4 to pick up the
next-most-frequent usage, then 2 for the least-frequent usage.)  I could
have added cards in any order (so I could add them in the same order as
I connected inputs), but I like having them organized by backend on my
status page, rather than by order of preference.

If you have set input preferences, the best way to ensure you go back to
a known state is the Delete all capture cards approach.

Mike