[mythtv] SoC 2006: Configuration Revamp Information

[Michael T. Dean]

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On 06/02/2006 06:41 PM, f-myth-users wrote:
>  From: "Michael T. Dean"
> > On 06/02/2006 03:09 PM, Andy Poling wrote:
> >> On Fri, 2 Jun 2006, Justin M. Hunt wrote:
> >>
> >>> Time offset for thumbnail preview images: most users probably
> >>> don't change this since you cant get it perfectly right for all
> >>> programs anyways
> >>>
> >> I use this to offset my global pre-roll setting so that I get a
> >> preview of the target program instead of the pre-roll.  This
> >> wouldn't be necessary if global pre-roll were taken into account
> >> when calculating this time offset (or is it already, perhaps?).
> >>
> > Since Risto Treksler's patch
> > http://svn.mythtv.org/trac/changeset/6308</a> ), the commercial
> > flagging and cutlist information is taken into account when
> > generating previews.
> >
> > For those who use commflagging, it's a completely unnecessary
> > setting.
> >
> > Those who don't use commflagging can either specify a cutlist or
> > simply set a bookmark with the PreviewFromBookmark enabled...
> >
>  I use the thumbnails in Mythweb for shows that aren't commflagged
>  (because they're commercial-free).  It's a fast way to see if the
>  right thing was recorded.  If I had to manually set a bookmark first
>  (e.g., by turning on the TV and watching it), or manually set a
>  blind cutlist just so I could get a useful preview, it would lose all
>  its utility to me, especially in cases where I'm nowhere near the TV.
>

Oh, yeah.  I didn't even think about how often unchangeable default 
settings would cause the image to be taken out of a commercial on 
commercial free channels...  And, of course, setting a single number for 
/all/ recordings on /all/ channels to use will make it so you never get 
a bad preview.

I guess I really have to explicitly say what I thought was implied, 
"Those who don't use commflagging can either specify a cutlist or simply 
set a bookmark with the PreviewFromBookmark enabled [if they want/need a 
specific preview for a specific show]."

It's all a matter of having a good default, and regardless of how many 
say it is, providing a single time offset for all recordings is /not/ a 
good default.  A good default--as many have requested--implies taking 
into account RecordPreRoll (which, BTW, we /already/ do - 
http://svn.mythtv.org/trac/browser/trunk/mythtv/libs/libmythtv/previewgenerator.cpp?rev=9595#L275 
).  So, really, there's absolutely no reason for this setting--other 
than users' not wanting to let go of it.  And, IMHO, that's not a good 
enough reason to keep it.

> > Generate preview image from a bookmark if possible If enabled,
> > MythTV will ignore the above time offset, and use the bookmark
> > inside the recording as the offset for creating a thumbnail image.
> > As with the above, MythTV will honour cutlists and increase this
> > offset if necessary.
> >
> > And, BTW, is PreviewFromBookmark really necessary, anymore?  Why
> > not just make it always true?
> >
>
>  Because not all of us want the preview to reflect where the bookmark
>  happens to be pointing.  Frequently, mine is pointing just -after-
>  any useful program content if I've just watched a segment of
>  something with commercials, or if I've just watched the entire show.
>  In both cases, any preview image would be exactly wrong.

OK, always false works for me, too.  Really, the point is it's going to 
be completely unnecessary once Stuart finishes his multiple named 
bookmarks with previews patch, so Justin should at least put it on the 
list to consider...  (And, IMHO, should just pick a default and go with it.)

>  (And
>  besides, I'd rather not have the overhead of generating those
>  previews happen at random times, since sometimes they can lead to
>  problems of their own if, e.g., the backend & frontend/SBE have
>  managed to lose communication, which does happen occasionally.  But
>  that's a secondary issue.)

Yeah, a secondary issue (especially since "the overhead of generating 
those previews happen[s] at random times"--and has been for quite some 
time--regardless of your settings).  Keeping Myth static because some 
users haven't properly configured their systems is not a good idea.  
Keeping Myth static because of the placebo effect (because some people 
are comfortable with the way they /think/ it's working) is not even an 
option.

Mike