[mythtv-users] Merging recordings from 2 backends

[Stephen Worthington]

On Tue, 7 Nov 2023 15:42:10 +0000, you wrote:

>On 07/11/2023 15:33, Stephen Worthington wrote:
>> On Tue, 7 Nov 2023 09:41:06 -0500, you wrote:
>> 
>>> Just curious if this is possible...
>>>
>>> Let's say you have two mythboxes in different physical locations. Let's say
>>> a cottage or RV. At some point, you decide you'd like to have the
>>> recordings from box B on box A. Is it possible to import the recordings
>>> data into the database so that the recording info appears on box A?
>>>
>>> I realize that one could export the recordings as videos and just place
>>> them in the Video storage group, but if you want to import them into
>>> Recordings so you can easily edit them, is there a way to export/import
>>> their info from the database?
>> 
>> Yes, that is what mythexport/mythimport does.  Mythexport has a web
>> page that allows you to select the recordings to be exported, and
>> where to store the exported files.  Each recording file is accompanied
>> by a .sql file with all the metadata from the database.  Then
>> mythimport will read the .sql file and add it the destination
>> database, and move the recording file into a storage group directory.
>> I use this to export recordings from my main MythTV box to drives I
>> mount on my laptop, so I can take recordings away on holiday with me.
>> 
>> Mythimport is easy to set up - just put its python file into
>> /usr/local/bin.  Mythexport is rather more difficult now, as there are
>> no proper package files.  I have not done it for ages, but if it still
>> works, you would download the mythexport package and do an "apt
>> install ./<package>.deb" command.  Then you would need to download
>> some updated files and put them over the old files in the directories
>> they are installed in.  Let me know if you would like to try this, and
>> I will get together the updated files and put them on my web server.
>> 
>> I have also written a "mythsgu" program that has a command "mythsgu
>> exportdir" which creates all the export .sql files for mythimport to
>> use for an entire directory of recording files.  Then you can use
>> "mythsgu copydir" to copy that directory over the network to the
>> destination PC or just simply copy the entire directory to a portable
>> drive and attach that to the destination PC.  Then you can run
>> mythimport on the directory.
>> 
>> http://www.jsw.gen.nz/mythtv/mythimport/mythimport
>> http://www.jsw.gen.nz/mythtv/mythimport/mythexport_2.2.4-0ubuntu5-jsw3.deb
>> http://www.jsw.gen.nz/mythtv/mythsgu
>> 
>I would add that, since mythtv doesn't care which storage directory your recordings are in, it would 
>be possible to move them /out/ from among the countless other recordings and place them into a 
>separate directory before using mythsgu. Of course that new directory would have to be added as a 
>recording storage group, at least for the life of the export process.

Yes, that is a way I have looked at.  But the big problem with that
method is how you work out which recording file is which recording. So
it is easier to just use mythexport where you can select any number of
recordings from its web page and get them all copied (along with a
.sql file) to a different location.