[mythtv-users] Pilots and Premieres power search anyone?

[Michael T. Dean]

On 09/29/2015 11:35 AM, Jim wrote:
> On 9/29/2015 10:32 AM, Kenneth Emerson wrote:
>> I have used Doug's power search with a few more categories added, and
>> it is working fine for the new season.  My question is this: Once I've
>> decided I don't want to watch a particular series and I select the
>> Edit Recording Rule for that program and tell it to never record, does
>> that affect the power search rule or is there a separate rule created
>> for each match the power search finds?  I'm afraid that I'll affect
>> all of the other series that are being recorded.
>>
>> If it is the former, how do I change the rule under which the series I
>> want to keep is recorded? (i.e. remove it from the power search rule
>> and give it its own).
> That is only going to record the pilot shows.
> You have to watch it and decide if you want to continue recording that 
> show.
> If you do then you must create a rule for that specific show.
> If you don't like it - do nothing.
>

Alternatively, create the rule and set it to inactive.  Then, the rule 
will match first episodes, but won't record anything.  So, at the start 
of fall season, mid season, and summer season, you can go through your 
Upcoming Recordings list, find all of the matches (marked to not record 
because the rule is inactive) and, if you decide you want to record the 
series, create an any time/all channels rule for the series.  This way, 
you don't have to watch the premieres immediately (or risk missing 
episodes because you were behind) and when you get around to watching, 
you can either keep the rule/recordings or delete them if you decide 
it's not worth watching.  This approach notifies you of new shows to 
allow you to create new rules for the series.  Usually, it takes me a 
couple of times looking at Upcoming Recordings to create the rules for 
the new season/mid-season because they spread out the premieres over 
about a month, and I only have 2 weeks data.

With this approach, there's no reason to do a "Never Record", either.  
If you don't want to record the show, just don't make a rule for it and 
since the "First Episodes" rule is inactive, it won't even record the 
first episode.  This is actually good because all of those "Never 
Record" rules slow down scheduling a little bit each (where scheduling 
performance is related to the number of programs (often related to the 
number of channels), the number of "previously recorded" programs, and 
the number of recording rules (including Never Records, etc.)).  And if 
you'd like to clear out old/no-longer-necessary recording rules, use the 
frontend's Manage Recordings|Recording Rules interface, and to clear out 
old/no-longer-necessary recording history (i.e. you've already recorded 
and watched an entire series that has run to completion and deleted the 
recording rule for that series), use the frontend's Manage 
Recordings|Previously Recorded interface (which can either delete 
individual episodes or all episodes of a given series--use the MENU).  
And, FWIW, you can clear out programs by using mythtv-setup's Channel 
Editor to delete channels you don't want/need (i.e. all those shopping 
channels, etc.) or, if nothing else, just set the channel to not visible 
and remove its XMLTV ID and remove the channel from your XMLTV 
configuration or your Schedules Direct lineup and once your current 
listings for that channel expire, you'll no longer have programs for 
that channel.  (Make sure you remove the channel from your XMLTV 
config/SD lineup, even if you delete the whole channel from mythtv-setup 
so it doesn't cause problems, and so you don't waste resources pulling 
channel listings you don't need.)

Mike