[mythtv-users] Scheduling dilemma

[Dewey Smolka]

On 22 Jun 2006 12:18:16 -0400, Greg Stark <gsstark at mit.edu> wrote:
>
> I tried to program mythtv to record World Cup matches since I often don't wake
> up in time to catch the start of the games. (Those Europeans sure are morning
> people!)
>
> But I can't seem to find a way to indicate to mythtv that I really really want
> it to record the earliest possible showing of a game. Even if there's a later
> showing it could grab with the better capture card or that generates fewer
> conflicts with lower priority shows.
>

FWIW, I record all the games on Univision en Enspanol (and en vivo)
because 1) they're live, 2) they don't cover the field with news
tickers, factoid boxes and advertisements, and 3) because even though
I don't speak Spanish, the Univision commentators talk about the game
that's going on, and say who's got the ball, who passes to whom, and
are just really entertaining.

One of the worst things to happen to US sports broadcasting over the
last 10 years or so (maybe more) is the tendency to over analyze, and
the belief that meaningless statistics and tidbits of information
somehow give a game 'context'.

It used to be that there was one play-by-play guy and one 'color' guy.
Now it seems that both people in the booth (not to mention the
obligatory woman on the sidelines) do all color all the time, meaning
that they'll talk about any and every game that's ever been and ever
will be except the one that's going on in front of them (not to
mention every bodily ailment or personal misfortune that has ever
happened to any of the players or their families). This is especially
bad when it comes to sports that aren't traditionally major US games
-- like the World Cup or the Olympics.

I like the Spanish guys because they know the game very well, the
rhythm of their speech mirrors the rhythm of the game, and they
anticipate the action rather than reacting to it. Plus they go
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! GOL! GOL! GOL! GOL! GOL! GOL!
GOL! GOL! GOL! Habada babada dabadabada fantastico!

Anyway, it works for me by recording Copa Mundial at any time on this
channel (Univision) and setting priority higher than anything else I
have rules for. They only miss games that are played at the same time
as the games they carry, and those you can set up manually when
they're shown on other channels later. Plus, the only simultaneous
games this year were the third games of the opening round. Once
elimination play starts, every game will be live.

Good Luck.

And Go Black Stars!