[mythtv-users] MythFrontend 0.21: What is a watch list?

Bruce Markey bjm at lvcm.com
Mon Mar 10 22:46:50 UTC 2008


Nick Morrott wrote:
> On 10/03/2008, David Kramer<david at thekramers.net>  wrote:
>>   I'm sorry if this is obvious, or if I've missed the documentation, but
>>   what is a watch list?  The release notes mention the new feature ("Added
>>   Watch List feature to Watch Recordings listing programs most useful to
>>   watch in order to catch up on series and shows you have fallen behind in
>>   watching." just doesn't mean anything to me), but not what it is and how
>>   to use it, and a search on the wiki came up blank.
>
> There is a better description by the feature's creator, Bruce Markey,
> on the changeset which introduced the Watch List feature:
> http://cvs.mythtv.org/trac/changeset/11310.

There was a better description in a thread after this was added:

http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/user/236138

It has evolved since then and I haven't commented for awhile, so...

> It really is a straightforward feature (using some complicated scoring
> techniques), which tracks the oldest episodes of series and one-off
> recordings you have recorded and should watch first in order to catch
> up on your TV viewing. Whether you browse your recordings list in full
> (which can take time if you have many recordings) or check each title

Exactly.

> in turn, the Watch List can quickly show in a single listing which
> recordings have been hanging around longest and should be watched
> first.

Correct, however, it now also accounts for how soon you usually
watch episodes for a series after they record and how appropriate
the show is for the current time of day amongst other factors but
generally the longer they sit the higher the score.

"...what it is..."?

The Watch List is another grouping or view on the Watch Recordings
page listed in the left hand column. While other lists sort by
time, group by title, recording group, category, etc. this one
is sorted to suggest which recordings you may want to watch soon.

"...how to use it..."?

On the Watch Recordings page, press End or left arrow then down
to select "Watch List" in the left column (TV Settings->Playback
has an option to make this the default view). You will see seven
different titles that may seem random but may make you think
'oh, I forgot about that' or 'opps, I haven't watched last weeks
episode yet'. Choose one and watch it. Delete it when you're done
and the list will be updated with at least one new title and
possibly a different order. Choose one that appeals to you,
watch, delete, rinse, repeat.

"...what problem it solves..."?

Okay, you didn't ask that but play along ;-). Most experienced
DVR users record all the shows they believe they would like to
see and spend their time watching recordings rather than channel
surfing. Recording more shows than you can watch on the same day
as they record results in a backlog of recordings waiting to be
seen.

I watch sports and some favorite shows on the same day that they
record and other things that record on the same night I can keep
for later. When there isn't a favorite show recording right now,
then it's time to watch one of the things I set aside. If there
were five or six, this wouldn't be a problem but if there are fifty
or sixty or more I could waste at least as much time as Nick trying
to decide what to watch next. I could look at the All Programs list
and choose the first thing that sounds good but I may not notice
something further down the list that I really wanted to see that
has now 'fallen through the cracks'.

I evolved rules and little games over the years to try to find
the best candidates and kept mental notes on what I'd found for
the next time I searched through the list. But, ...but, ...I'm
sitting in front of a computer! It should figure this out for me!

[Unlike the commercial DVRs I've used in the past, we have the
source code for MythTV so now it figures this out for me because
...I want it to =). I assume that other people will find this
useful while more will just scratch their heads but I don't care
either way; I use it.]

The Watch List uses the kinds of criteria that I'd used in the
past to now add up scores for individual recordings. High scores
at the top of the list are things that I would want to watch soon.
Lower scores may be shows that I really like but aren't urgent
(yet) and can wait while I watch other things.

This list reminds me to watch last night's SportsCenter before
tonight's games or if an episode of a show I like is recording
soon it reminds me that I haven't watched last week's episode
or if it's late at night and I haven't fallen asleep yet I still
have Leno's Headlines from last Monday.

The All Programs list keeps track of when things recorded. The
Watch List keeps track of when it recorded, how soon the next
series episode will record, how often it records (daily, weekly,
non-recurring) how many series episodes I currently have, when
was a previous episode most recently watched, how soon after
recording do I usually watch this title, how close was the record
time to the current time of day, and a few other factors.

In the middle of the week, I may record a lot of shows but only
watch a few. On the weekend I may watch a lot of shows but only
record a few. Either way, at any given time the top of this list
has good choices for things to watch. In a way, this makes using
a DVR almost as mindless as channel surfing except that these are
all shows that I actually look forward to seeing. I turn on the
boob tube, pick from the top of the list, watch, delete, pick the
next thing, and so on. I don't worry that I've forgotten something
because everything will eventually work its way to the top.

I may also look further down the list a choose something that I
really want to see. Watching that show sooner than others also
tells the system to give that title a little more boost for future
episodes. In 0.22 with automatic prioritization, this would also
tell the scheduler that this is a title that I like to watch soon
after recording and should be given preference for recording in
the earliest available time slot.

Note that the statistics are kept for your rules and recordings
no matter which list you choose when you watch your recordings.
Therefore, the Watch List is up to date even if you usually use
other lists. You can check the Watch List at any time to see if
there are things you've been neglecting.

--  bjm





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