[mythtv-users] Live TV playback frustration

[Paul Gardiner]

On 24/08/2012 17:07, Michael T. Dean wrote:
> On 08/24/2012 12:02 PM, Jim Oltman wrote:
>> On Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 10:47 AM, Paul Gardiner<lists at glidos.net>  wrote:
>>
>>> On 24/08/2012 11:50, Michael T. Dean wrote:
>>>
>>>> In MythTV, Live TV has an implied contract that the Live TV viewer is
>>>> the "owner" of the tuner.  If you were channel surfing and stumbled
>>>> across a channel on which a scheduled recording is occurring and MythTV
>>>> noticed and instead started playing back the scheduled recording, it
>>>> would presumably "release" the tuner you were using for Live TV.  And,
>>>> unlucky you, your wife just happened to start Live TV--and claim that
>>>> just-released tuner--right before you hit channel up, again.  Now
>>>> you've
>>>> lost your tuner, so what to do?
>>>>
>>> That would be ok, wouldn't it (I'm thinking after reading several of the
>>> follow up posts). Finding yourself restricted to watching what is
>>> currently recording or what your wife is watching on the other front
>>> end when all virtual tuners are in use, wouldn't be any more surprising
>>> than finding yourself restricted to certain multiplexes when all your
>>> real tuners are in use, but a virtual one is free.
>>
>> I think it would be OK.  Especially if the FE you were using told you
>> that
>> "The "INSERTFRONTENDNAMEHERE and the INSERTSHOWNAMEHERE are currently
>> consuming all tuners."
>
> Well, if someone wants to change Live TV, they'll need to write a
> patch.  But I /still/ think the right approach is to notify the user
> when they get to a show that's being/has been recorded and offer to take
> them to that recording (and exit Live TV).  This way it doesn't change
> the Live TV contract /and/ it tells the user exactly what's happening
> and allows them to decide whether they want to keep channel surfing or
> free up the tuner and watch the recording.

Ok, I see what you are saying. On the other hand it might be nice to
make Live TV less distinguished: attempting to watch a channel live
would be just:

     if that channel is not currently recording, start recording it, if
     possible. If that succeeds, start playing the recording from as
     near to its current end as possible. And when moving away from
     watching that channel, stop recording immediately if there are no
     other users.

It would then still be useful to inform the user if the program was
already recording, telling them they might be able to jump back to
an earlier part of it. That might happen either because of a recording
rule, or someone else watching live.