[mythtv] RFE: Allowing backend to trigger S3 sleep while frontend is connected and idle

Marc MERLIN marc_mtv at merlins.org
Mon Sep 26 16:39:36 UTC 2011


Howdy,

After spending some time learning about the topic, I'll be updating
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/ACPI_Wakeup which is not quite up to date with
today's machines where S3 sleep is much preferable than shutting down and
rebooting.

The mythtv code is however still geared towards the olden days where the
backend was shutdown and rebooted, and as a result mythtbackend will not
trigger a sleep if a frontend is connected.
Then, you have the mythwelcome hack, and people who've done screensaver
hacking to physically kill mythfrontend when they're away.

I would like to propose (without code, sorry, but hopefully I'll inspire
someone), to do this:
- mythtvbackend keeps track if connected frontends are playing or idle
- if frontends are idle, a setting would allow the backend to go to sleep.

This shouldn't be a default, since it would break a frontend trying to
resume while the backend is sleeping (although a further hack could have the
frontend send a wake on lan packet to the backend if the backend is a
separate machine).

However, the common case is an HTPC that runs both the frontend and backend.
In that common case, if the frontend is paused, or not playing, the backend
would work as if mythwelcome was running and go to sleep after a certain
timeout.
When I come back, and hit my remote, one of several possible hacks would
resume the HTPC from sleep, resuming both the frontend and backend, and I
could resume playing my show from where I was paused.

Does that seem reasonable and worthwhile?

Did I inspire someone who knows the code more than me? :)

Thanks,
Marc
-- 
"A mouse is a device used to point at the xterm you want to type in" - A.S.R.
Microsoft is to operating systems ....
                                      .... what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking
Home page: http://marc.merlins.org/  


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