[mythtv-users] My scheduler problems are back again

[Stephen Worthington]

Mythbuntu 12.04.3
MythTV Version : v0.27-112-gba15be9
MythTV Branch : fixes/0.27
Network Protocol : 77
Library API : 0.27.20131107-1
QT Version : 4.8.1

I was having scheduler problems in 0.26 when recording from all three
of the New Zealand DVB-T multiplexes at once, and from multiple
channels on at least two of the multiplexes.  I was getting recordings
done from the SD plus 1 hour channels instead of the real-time HD
channels, and also occasional conflicts.

A workaround was suggested for this which was to put graduated
priorities on the DVB-T channels giving each a different priority,
with all the channels from one multiplex having higher priority than
those on the next multiplex.  The real-time HD versions of the
channels on a multiplex had higher priority than the SD plus 1 hour
versions of the channels.  That worked nicely in 0.26, but it looks
like the changes to the way the scheduler works in 0.27 have broken
it.  And now my lineup is causing the same problem to happen again. So
I am hoping that someone will be able to suggest a workaround that
will work with the 0.27 scheduler.

Here is the problem - I have three DVB-T tuners, each with five
multirec tuners.  I also have a PVR-500 dual analog tuner, two DVB-S
tuners and two DVBLOOPBACK virtual tuners attached to the DVB-S
tuners, but they are for my satellite pay TV channels and do not seem
to have any influence on the problem.  Since New Zealand only
currently has three DVB-T multiplexes broadcasting, in theory there
should be sufficient tuners that there will never be any clashes for
their use, let alone any conflicts.  But the scheduler does not seem
to be able to assign the multirec tuners so that it will use another
multirec tuner on the DVB-T tuner that is already tuned to the same
multiplex.  Instead, it often tunes another DVB-T tuner to the same
multiplex as an existing tuner that is already recording a channel,
and then runs out of DVB-T tuners.  When I am only recording from
channels on two of the multiplexes, that is not a problem, but the
lineup currently has several times a week where I need to record from
all three multiplexes at once.

I have tried using standard recpriority values for the channels (10
for all DVB-T channels except the plus one hour ones, which are set to
5), and also using the graduated priorities.  In 0.27, both priority
schemes produce the same results, so for now I am now using the
standard priority scheme.

At the moment, I am showing two DVB-T recordings that are going to
record a "later showing" because of this problem.  Both of those are
on the Choice TV channel which plays most episodes of its programs at
least two or three times in a week, so having it record a later
showing of those is only annoying and not a real problem.  It is when
it records from the SD plus one hour channel instead of a the HD
channel that it becomes a problem, but that is not happening this
week.  And I have had a conflict a couple of weeks ago.  I can
normally resolve the scheduling by manually assigning the tuners, so
that all programs using channels on the same multiplex are assigned to
the same DVB-T tuner.  I have found that if I just assign the tuners
manually for one DVB-T tuner, or even two DVB-T tuners, the scheduler
will still have problems and I need to actually manually assign all
the channels for all three DVB-T tuners.

I have put all the data I collected from today's problem here:

  http://www.jsw.gen.nz/mythtv/scheduling_problem_2013-12-5.zip
  (1,532,973 bytes)

The files in the zip file are:

  Screen grabs:
    after_overrides.jpg
    before_overrides.jpg
  Dumps of relevant bits of the database and notes on the channels:
    database.txt
  As the filename says:
    printsched_after_overrides_for_Kordia.txt
    printsched_after_overrides_for_Mediaworks.txt
    printsched_after_overrides_for_TVNZ.txt
    printsched_before_overrides.txt
    testsched_after_overrides_for_Kordia.txt
    testsched_after_overrides_for_Mediaworks.txt
    testsched_after_overrides_for_TVNZ.txt
    testsched_before_overrides.txt

In collecting this data, I first took the "before_overrides.jpg"
screen grab and saved the "before_overrides" printsched and testsched
listings.  Then I added override rules to "Prefer input" for the TVNZ
channels, and saved the "after_overrides_for_TVNZ" listings.  Then I
did the same for the Mediaworks channels.  And finally I added an
override rule for only the "Yard Crashers" program on "Choice TV"
(Kordia multiplex) and saved the "after_overrides_for_Kordia"
listings.  The "Restoration Home" recording from PRIME (Kordia
multiplex) at 19:30 did not need an override as the scheduler gave it
a good tuner assignment without one.  The "after_overrides.jpg" is
after all the overrides have been applied.

With all the overrides, today's problem programs are now recording,
but the printsched and testsched listings show another situation like
today's one is happening from 18:00 to 19:30 tomorrow.

So, does anyone have any suggestions about how I might tweak the
settings to get the scheduler to assign the tuners better?