[mythtv-users] Live TV channel restrictions

[Mike Perkins]

Michael T. Dean wrote:
> 
> Really, I think the only new feature your code adds (though I haven't 
> had a chance to go through the code, yet--this just based on description 
> I've heard here) is the ability to go from a "later" tuner (i.e. virtual 
> tuner 2 on physical tuner 2) in use for Live TV back to an "earlier" 
> tuner (i.e. virtual tuner 2 on physical tuner 1) when changing to a 
> channel on an already-tuned-for-a-recording mux in LiveTV.  And this 
> would further complicate things, as the show you want to watch in LiveTV 
> may be a 1hr show ending in 45 minutes and the show that the scheduler 
> has tuned for a recording may be a half-hour show ending in 15 
> minutes--meaning that the scheduler may have already planned to change 
> the channel/mux tuned by that physical tuner in 15 minutes.  That would 
> mean that the user watching LiveTV would be interrupted in about 13 
> minutes with a dialog saying that the tuner is needed for a recording 
> and asking whether to cancel the recording, watch the same show as it 
> records, or exit Live TV.
> 
I think a lot of the conceptual difficulty that some of us have is this: all 
preselected recordings represent *scheduled* events, whereas by it's nature, 
LiveTV is an *unscheduled* event. I would even go so far as to say unschedule-able.

However, your point above, may be solved in a straightforward (note: does not 
say simple) way, that is, whenever a channel change is made in LiveTV why not 
force a reschedule? That would enable the scheduler to take notice of the fact 
that resource availability has changed, and allocate resources required for 
forthcoming recordings according to latest availability.

I note this would /not/ be optimal for your average channel-surfer, because 
you'd trigger a reschedule every few seconds. Perhaps a timer which delays a 
reschedule for perhaps 1 minute would suffice to ensure that the user was 
actually watching the channel. i.e.

LiveTV channel change --> start 1 minute timer
Timer completes --> Force reschedule

-- 

Mike Perkins