[mythtv-users] Re: Schedule Recording from PVR-350 S-Video In

[Mercury Morris]

Again, thank you for responding.

First, about the 4DTV receiver being remotely controlled by an IR blaster:
I guess it is possible in theory, but in practice it would come close to a
Rube-Goldberg invention.  Scheduling the receiver to tune to a program
is a multi-multi-keystroke operation.

I spent the day experimenting with different ideas.  In fact, one of the ideas
was to sign up for the 4DTV listings to see if that was why MythTV always
chose the local Antenna.  MythTV seems to consider the Guide listings as
absolutely required - something I have never counted on in 25+ years of
using VCRs.  I have always programmed both the 4DTV and VCRs manually
because then I have only myself to blame for incomplete recordings.

In the latest experiment, still set up on the machine, I cleared out
the database
by running  mythtvsetup and answering  yes,  yes,  to the two questions.  Then
I defined a SINGLE VIDEO SOURCE - Video_In, DID NOT get any Guide Data,
added a single channel called 4DTV for the video source, and started up mythtv
back and front ends.

Of course, there is no Guide Data - a weird sight when you punch up Schedule
Recordings.  BUT BUT BUT - Manual Scheduling is PERFECT!  The correct
channel is always listed and the recording is always the correct one.

In another experiment today, I reversed everything, just the opposite from my
earlier message.  Again, which ever choice I scheduled to be recorded from,
the other source was used as input.  From this, I was tempted to jump to the
conclusion that MythTV, or one of its dependents, has bugs/problems/etc.
But, that's too easy, it has to be USER ERROR.

One solution comes to mind after gathering all the evidence.  Get a PVR-250,
do not connect the antenna to it.  Instead, connect only the
Video/Audio from the
4DTV receiver, and manually schedule programs.  This will almost duplicate the
capability of a VCR.  What's missing is the feature of most VCRs to schedule
recordings for weekdays(Mon-Fri) and weekly.  I think MythTV should at least
have the features of Telly, which is another Linux-based Media-Server product.
Telly allows the usual (VCR) options for recording - Once, WD (weekdays),
WK (weekly), etc.

Adding a second PVR-x50 card was always planned anyway, both as backup to
the first card, and of course as a way to record both NYPDBlue and SVU at the
same time.  It just seems like it should be possible to tell a single
PVR-x50 card
which of its inputs to select when its time to manually record a program.
But up to this point I haven't found out how to do that.