[mythtv-users] simultaneous viewing

[Simon Hobson]

Nick Rout wrote:
>tortise <tortise at paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>  >> ... and I pause my playback ... and havoc engulfs the multicast users (or
>  >> worse pause has no effect)
>  >
>  > If I was doing this one thing I'd design into this would be a web 
>page which
>>  pauses ALL linked frontends (expect android to display this page) however
>>  single remotes would ordinarily still be able to interfere....user
>  > discipline or more complex design are likely options....

I'd implement it in such a manner that one frontend (the master) 
would start watching as normal, then others could "join in". Whatever 
the master frontend did, the remotes would follow - just like remote 
TVs running off the back of a Sky box (but without the remote 
control).
Through whatever process, the master frontend keeps the others 
informed of what it's doing and where in the payback it is, so the 
others can keep themselves in sync. I can imagine it might take a few 
seconds after any pause/skip/whatever for the remotes to resync, but 
for the use cases I've seen talked about, this isn't likely to be an 
issue.


>I am struggling to see the use case here.
...
>These conversations come up regularly on this list, and I am yet to
>see a use case that really makes sense in the mythtv context.

One that comes up regularly is someone who moves around between rooms 
- eg popping into the kitchen to get snacks/drinks etc. They can have 
the TV on in the kitchen so they don't miss out while sorting out the 
'catering' for their guests.

Taking your example, you've a house full of guests to watch the 
rugby, and as a good host you'd be expected to keep them adequately 
supplied with food and drink. You **may** be able to just have a 
third telly on in the kitchen also showing live TV, but for many 
people, they don't get signals they can tune into with their telly 
(for example, satellite or cable where they need a provider supplied 
receiver for each device). Unless they've shelled out to pipe video 
around the house, they may be reliant on Myth to connect to the 
receiver and pipe it around via IP.

So the use case for your example is :
The rugby is only available on <pay TV, satellite, cable, whatever>.
You don't have enough receivers, or enough in the right places, or 
enough with the right subscriptions to show the game live on all the 
TVs you want to.
You don't want to miss out while in the kitchen being a good host.
You *do* have

I've heard this IP stuff is the way of the future, can't see it 
catching on myself :D

-- 
Simon Hobson

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