[mythtv] Default duplicate check method

[Peter Schachte]

Chris Pinkham wrote:
> The 'settings' could be as simple as a new 'fake' recording type that we ignore
> for Scheduling, but use for the scheduled recording editor.    So, we'd have
> a new 'kDefaultRecSettings' RecordingType equal to -2.  This would be ignored
> by the scheduler, but there would be an entry in the record table with this
> -1 type and that would provide the scheduled recording editor with the defaults
> to use for a new scheduled recording.  We could even get fancy and have
> multiples samples in the future, with the title indicating the sample name.
> The 'Sports' sample could be put in Dad's recgroup with a +2 priority and
> and ending 30 minutes late, while 'Cartoons' would go in the kids group with
> a -1 priority and UserJob1 turned on by default.  By storing these samples in
> the record table, we can use the existing Scheduled Recording editor to edit
> them and don't end up with 5 new pages in the settings area.

Michael T. Dean wrote:
> Not to speak for Martin, but I think (and please correct me if I'm
> wrong) he was talking about a sort of "Rule Groups" (to keep the
> "Groups" terminology going ;), which--like Playback Groups--allows you
> to specify a "group" of default recording rule settings with a name. 
> With that approach, on creation of a new recording rule, one could
> either specify individual settings for the rule (i.e. record on any
> channel at any time with the Default recording profile at +5 priority
> using subtitle then description duplicate matching in the whatever
> Recording Group to be stored in the whatever Storage Group and starting
> 1 minute early and ending 1 minute late and ...) or could simply choose
> the "default" or "Parents" or ... Rule Group (which automatically fills
> in the values for all the individual recording rule settings and allows
> "overriding" any settings through the normal UI).

These are great ideas!  Most of my scheduled recordings have one of a few
different sets of settings.  It would be very convenient to set up "canned"
recording settings templates (should they be called setting groups?) and then
reuse them when scheduling a new recording, much like the way playback groups work.

A couple of things would make this even more useful.  Firstly it would be nice
to be able to specify patterns of program names, categories, channels, etc for
each canned recording settings to automatically apply to, much as you can do
with playback groups.  Eg, you could specify that particular settings apply to
all sporting programs with "football" in the title, or anything broadcast on
ABC, NBC, or CBS between 7pm and 11pm.  Of course, you'd still want to be able
to explicitly specify a template to apply.

The second thing that would be nice would be to allow *multiple* settings to be
applied to a particular newly scheduled recording.  For example, I record a
different number of minutes late for programs on different channels, but that's
orthogonal to issues of whether or not I want to transcode the recording, which
is orthogonal to issues of whether to autoexpire, how many episodes to keep,
and what to do when there are too many episodes.  To allow multiple templates
to be applied, it would have to be possible for each setting to be left
unspecified, so it doesn't replace the existing setting when it's applied.
Eg, a template could specify just start early and end late settings, but leave
everything else unspecified (defaulted).

I know these suggestions complicate things a bit, but together they'd get Myth
close to being able to just hit the record button when looking at a program
listing, choose whether you want a single or recurring recording, and have Myth
automagically do the right thing according to your preconfigured preferences.

-- 
Peter Schachte              Re graphics: A picture is worth 10K words -- but
schachte at cs.mu.OZ.AU        only those to describe the picture. Hardly any
www.cs.mu.oz.au/~schachte/  sets of 10K words can be adequately described
Phone: +61 3 8344 1338      with pictures.