[mythtv] Video Sources - time to call them what they are?

Michael T. Dean mtdean at thirdcontact.com
Wed Nov 21 15:31:28 UTC 2007


On 11/21/2007 09:07 AM, Craig Treleaven wrote:
> At 8:21 AM -0500 11/21/07, R. G. Newbury wrote:
>   
>>> Would anybody object to this ['TV Guide data sources' or something similar]?
>>>       
>> Yes. 'TV Guide data sources' sounds like what Schedules Direct offers.
>>
>> Something like 'TV Channel Groups' might be more descriptive of the
>> things which are contained in that container. A 'Channel Group' is
>> clearly a collection of TV channels which, as it happens, can be
>> captured by one type of defined capture card.
>>     
> From a user perspective, this setup screen is how we tell Myth where to get guide data.  If there is a vote, I'd say it ought to be titled 'TV Listings source' or 'Guide data source'.  I don't know if one works better internationally than another.

How do you connect a TV listings source to an input on your capture card
(think Input Connections)?  Personally, I connected an RG-6 cable from
my antenna to the capture card.  This cable happens to be the source of
the video my capture cards capture.

Since the video source uses the US broadcast frequency table--which I
had previously configured as the default for my Myth setup--I also
specified that information in the video source configuration.  And, of
course, I gave it a nice descriptive name, "OTA", that I could use to
refer back to the video source when connecting inputs to my capture cards.

If I also had a cable TV subscription, I would have a separate video
source provided over a different RG-6 cable connected to the cable
company's network.  That video source would use the same listings
source, Schedules Direct, that's used by my OTA source.  However, I
would specify a different lineup within that listings source. 
Similarly, in other parts of the world, multiple video sources may need
to be configured to use the same listings source (XMLTV data provided
from whatever web site).

And, now that the Schedules Direct code supports using a single
Schedules Direct lineup with multiple video source, calling a "video
source" a "TV listings source" or whatever would be even farther from
reality.  The same cable from the cable company may carry analog
channels and unencrypted digital channels and channels that are only
accessible through an STB (via either firewire output or analog
output).  In that case, Myth requires the user create multiple video
sources--a fact that would be lost in calling the video source a "TV
listings source" since they all may use the same Schedules Direct
account and lineup (OK, this only applies in the US, but if someone were
to write some caching support into XMLTV and update mythfilldatabase to
support it...).

To me, the term "Video sources", seems to be about right.  The one case
where it's not necessarily accurate is when a cable company or satellite
company may provide audio only channels (i.e. "digital radio"). 
However, in most (if not all) cases I've seen, there is actually a video
signal, too--though recording it may be a waste.

Apologies to Bruce for any places where I may have butchered the true
meaning/reasoning behind these terms, but I think this view of a video
source is much truer than the "listings source" view.

Even "channel group" doesn't seem right (though, probably closer)--after
all, if I were to list my favorite channels, they would be a group of
channels, but it's meaningless in configuring Myth (i.e. "channel
groups" sounds more like something to be used to separate out channels
for various views--i.e. favorites, Science and History, News, etc.--on
the frontend)  Perhaps, "Groups of channels that are available through a
particular video source using a particular capture card input with a
particular frequency table and/or channel change command."  Maybe we
could find one or two words in that description to use to
shorten/approximate the meaning.  ;)

In other words, I think these terminology changes may be
over-simplifications.  But, that's just my $0.02 (which is less valuable
than it would have been a couple of years ago since the dollar is weak.

Mike


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