[mythtv-users] Recordings start & end 10 seconds too soon, on all channels

[Stephen Worthington]

On Tue, 22 Mar 2016 14:26:44 -0400, you wrote:

>On 3/22/2016 1:37 PM, Michael T. Dean wrote:
>> On 03/22/2016 01:00 PM, Jim wrote:
>>> On 3/22/2016 7:25 AM, Michael T. Dean wrote:
>>>> For example, modifying your listings grabber such that you can 
>>>> pre-process the listings before insertion into the database 
>>>
>>> Can anyone provide an example of such a hack?
>>>
>>> I would like to do this to blank out channels that are hidden. Hiding 
>>> them keeps them out of the guide but they still populate the db where 
>>> Program Finder and other searches list them.
>>
>> Why not just delete the channels, and if you have a non-scannable 
>> input type (i.e. OCUR/CableCARD tuner or Firewire or analog (HD-PVR or 
>> ivtv or ...) or ...), add to "Guide data arguments" (in mythtv-setup) 
>> the --remove-new-channels argument so that mythfilldatabase doesn't 
>> add the channels.  And, regardless of your input type, removing the 
>> unwanted channels from your Schedules Direct lineup or XMLTV 
>> configuration would mean they wouldn't be re-added, anyway.
>>
>> Why have the channels (and, potentially their data) in your database, 
>> slowing things (scheduling, searching, ...) down if you don't want them?
>>
>> Mike 
>
>My apologies for veering this thread off on a tangent.
>
>My specific use case is with Dish TV where we get free weekends of some 
>premium channels every couple of months. Currently I have those channels 
>selected on Schedules Direct and hidden in Mythtv. It is too much 
>trouble to add them for a weekend and then delete them. When Dish 
>announces a free weekend I just un-hide them in the channel editor and 
>setup recording rules. One drawback of this is that sometimes myth will 
>choose a later showing that is outside the free weekend window 
>preferring another show on a another channel that I get all the time. 
>Another drawback is that all those channels shows are in the db and show 
>up in the finder and in searches.
>
>I want to be able to define a window for certain channels and then all 
>programming outside that window will be removed from the SD file and 
>never make into the db. Then Myth will only display and can only choose 
>to record those shows that are actually available. Dish has recently 
>started notifying us a week in advance of these free weekends. Currently 
>I have to wait until late Friday to un-hide the channels, review the 
>upcoming shows and setup recording rules. Then remember Monday morning 
>to go hide those channels again and anything still scheduled on those 
>channels just gets missed. If I can do what I want then when Dish 
>announces a free weekend then I just edit a script with the start and 
>end date and times for certain channels and after the next mfdb run I'll 
>be able to schedule recordings at my leisure.
>
>
>Jim

Take a look at the tv_split and tv_merge commands.  In Mythbuntu,
these and other XMLTV file manipulation commands are in the xmltv-util
package.  A command like "tv_split --output %channel-%Y%m%d.xml" will
create individual files for the EPG for each day of each channel. Then
you can delete all the unwanted days from the channels and use
tv_merge to merge all the remaining day files back into one large
file.