[mythtv-users] How to make "Record this program in This Timeslot every ..." more tolerant to late arrival EPG changes ?

[blind_Pete]

On Fri, 9 Sep 2011, E. Westbrook wrote:
> On Sep 8, 2011 8:50 AM, "Ronald Frazier" <ron at ronfrazier.net> wrote:
> >
> > You mean a dumb recorder, like a VCR, just recording a specific time
> > regardless of what's actually airing? That option already exists. I
> > believe it's call a manual recording or manual schedule (something
> > like that).

Dumb recording!  That is a good name.  It is actually what I expected 
with the description "timeslot".  To my mind a timeslot has a start and 
a duration.  I know that there is a manual option but, it is not on the 
menu of choices when you click on a show, files recorded do not get 
named with the show that it (mostly) coincides with, and it does not 
make itself visible on the TV Guide.  

It seems that trying to chase a moving schedule is logically and 
computationally difficult, so that is not an option.  

> True!  But I don't think the expectation is to record the timeslot stupidly.
> 
> I just informally asked a handful of non-technical tv fans what they would
> expect.

Ask them what they would expect to happen if the program was rescheduled 
by a second, or a punctuation error was corrected in the title.  

> All agreed that they would want "record in this timeslot" to select an
> entire show from its scheduled start to finish, if any part of the show's
> schedule fell within the timeslot.  

Yes that is exactly what I want, but MythTV does not do that.  If anything 
changes then its failure mode is to record nothing.  

> Can't do that with a dumb recorder.

A dumb VCR set to record from five minutes before the scheduled start time 
until the tape runs out does record the show.  MythTV's record timeslot does not.  

The failure mode is what I am interested in here - not what happens when 
when the EPG is correct and unchanging.  When it is correct and unchanging 
things work well.  When it is wrong and unchanging things work adequately.  

> They all also agreed they would be surprised ("upset" was the word one used)
> to miss a "timeslot" show simply because of a few minutes offset.

That is fair.  I have been upset to miss shows, apparently because of very 
minor schedule changes.  

> Not a scientific survey, but an illuminating result (I thought, anyway).
> Take it for what you will.
> 
> $0.02,
> Eric

I think that we are in agreement.  

Add a default configuration of a soft lead in time of a minute, a soft 
lead out time of five minutes and there might be fewer surprises.  

blind Pete