[mythtv-users] TV Tuners, backend PC, etc

[Michael T. Dean]

On 12/23/2011 11:47 AM, Phil Bridges wrote:
> On Dec 23, 2011 11:32 AM, "Simon Hobson" wrote:
>> Diego Rivera wrote:
>>
>>> I'd like to be able to freely tune each TV set (via its frontend PC)
>>> independently to a live TV stream (obviously coming from any of the
>>> available TV tuners, on the *backend* PC).  If possible, I'd like to
>>> be able to independently initiate recording on the stream being
>>> watched from the frontend box (i.e. to be recorded/encoded in the
>>> backend).
>> You can watch live TV, but it's not going to be as user friendly as
>> you might want.
>>
>> AIUI, when a user selects Live TV, the system will pick a tuner for
>> them to use. At this point, the user can only select channels
>> available on that tuner. If they want channels from another tuner,
>> then they must manually switch card and then select a channel.
>> Ie, you CANNOT just select a channel number and have the system
>> select a tuner that can provide it and is free.
>>
>> You really meed to educate people to not want to watch live TV ! I
>> rarely do these days.
> When I'm watching live TV on a QAM tuner and select a channel that is only
> available on one of my firewire tuners, Myth automatically switches tuners
> for me.

Yes.  What Simon says only holds true if a) you're using digital capture 
on a multi-rec tuner and b) someone else (either a recording or other 
Live TV instance) has locked the physical tuner on a multiplex, thereby 
trapping you since you don't have a "real" (physical) tuner for Live TV.

> I prefer channel-hopping during football season. There's no way I'm
> dedicating a tuner to each channel that has a game.

My thoughts (and a post that will probably help Diego see the true idea 
behind MythTV's design--and why few developers have much interest in 
Live TV):

http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/387302#387302

Tuners are cheap.  My time is not--especially when you're talking about 
my free time.

Mike