[mythtv-users] HD-5500 and HDHomeRun on same source (U.S. OTA ATSC)

[Stephen Worthington]

On Mon, 12 Dec 2016 15:09:09 -0500, you wrote:

>I record U.S, OTA ATSC channels only. My current backend is using
>three pcHDTV HD-5500 cards. One of them just died. I'm waiting for an
>email reply from the folks at pchdtv.com, but I'm not sure if they
>even sell those any more. Currently their shopping cart is down.
>
>I might end up going with an HDHomeRun Connect rather than trying to
>replace that third HD-5500. If I do here are a few things I'm not
>totally clear on:
>
>I'd of course be using all the tuners for the same channels, again all
>OTA ATSC, all on the same frequencies. As I understand it, this means
>I should be able to use the two new tuners on an HDHomeRun assigned to
>my existing "Antenna" source. What I'm not clear on is whether it will
>be necessary to scan channels.
>
>I'm really hoping rescanning isn't needed for several reasons. I pick
>up New York OTA, but also have a rotor and occasionally (though
>rarely) turn to Philly to pick up an NFL game. I leave those channels
>invisible most of the time. This means scanning channels twice. I
>absolutely dread scanning channels to begin with as it always gives me
>heart attacks, as I'm just never clear what it's going to actually
>change. I only scanned once for all three of my HD-5500 cards, and I'm
>hoping this will just be a matter of associating the two new tuners
>with that source.
>
>Another thing I'd like to be clear on is in regard to the way these
>will be identified once the new tuners are entered. I see that the
>existing three HD-5500 cards currently have the "displayname" set to
>DVB 1, DVB 2, and DVB 3 respectively. This is the (apparently
>optional) displayname that used to be on the obsolete cardinput table,
>which is now on the capturecard table itself.
>
>I'd definitely want to be able to tell them apart. Also if possible
>I'd like to have the HD-5500 cards take priority over the HDHomeRun
>tuners, and I'm unclear as to how or if that's possible.
>
>Thanks in advance!
>Tom

If the HDHR tuners use the same sourceid as existing tuners, then
there should be no need to do a new scan.  However, I can not say that
conclusively as I do not have any HDHR tuners.  But changing USB or
PCI/PCIe tuners on an existing source for me does not require any
scanning.

The displayname field can be set from mythtv-setup when you install a
new tuner (mythtv-setup > Input Connections > select a tuner > Display
name).  When using multirec tuners, all of the multirec tuners for a
single physical tuner are given the same displayname.  I normally go
into the database using SQL and add a .1, .2. ... on the end of the
displayname field for each of the multirec tuners so that I can
distinguish them all properly.

To control the order tuners are used in, you set the
capturecard.schedorder field (mythtv-setup > Input Connections >
select a tuner > page 2 > Schedule Order).  There is also the
capturecard.livetvorder field to control the order tuners are used for
Live TV.