diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO-12.html')
| -rw-r--r-- | abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO-12.html | 1112 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 1112 deletions
diff --git a/abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO-12.html b/abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO-12.html deleted file mode 100644 index f9cf96e..0000000 --- a/abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO-12.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1112 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN"> -<HTML> -<HEAD> - <META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="LinuxDoc-Tools 0.9.21"> - <TITLE>Installing and using MythTV: Scheduling Recordings.</TITLE> - <LINK HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-13.html" REL=next> - <LINK HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-11.html" REL=previous> - <LINK HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12" REL=contents> -</HEAD> -<BODY> -<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-13.html">Next</A> -<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-11.html">Previous</A> -<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12">Contents</A> -<HR> -<H2><A NAME="s12">12.</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12">Scheduling Recordings.</A></H2> - -<P>The MythTV master backend is responsible for managing the schedule for -all TV tuner cards on the master and any slave. Its job is to search the TV -listing for the shows you have requested and assign recordings to the TV -tuner cards. If none of the shows that you've chosen overlap, it simply -records all of them. However, if there are shows where the beginning -and end times overlap, the scheduler follows rules that you've specified or -makes logical decisions about what would be best if you haven't expressed your -preference. Further, the "Upcoming Recordings" page allows you make specific -decisions about what you really do and don't want to record.</P> - -<H2><A NAME="ss12.1">12.1</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12.1">Record Types</A> -</H2> - -<P>When you choose a show that you would like to record from the -Options Page, there are eight different types of rules to help the -scheduler find which showings you would like to record.</P> -<P> -<UL> -<LI>Single Record -- record only this title at this specific time and -this station. This is the best way to be sure that a certain showing will -be recorded. However, if the TV listings change and the show is not broadcast -at that time, the show will not be recorded but will be marked as Not Listed -to let you know that you should investigate. -</LI> -<LI>Find One -- this will record a title once from any of the times -that appear in the TV listings. This is useful for recording a movie -or special that has multiple showings because it allows the scheduler -to choose one that doesn't conflict. It is not a good choice for -recording a single episode of a series because it records the first -available showing of the title without regard to the episode -information. -</LI> -<LI>Record Weekly -- this records a show whenever the title is listed -on the same channel, weekday and time. Note that if the TV station -changes the schedule for a special episode, it would not be -recorded. However, you can add a Single record for the special -episode. If there are no matching showings in the TV listings, -a Not Listed item will be added to your schedule for the next -time slot to let you know that you should investigate. -</LI> -<LI>Find Weekly -- this will record a title once per week from any -of the times that appear in the TV listings beginning from the time of -the showing that was selected when the rule was set. This is useful -for news, current events or other programs where the same episode is -shown several times each week but the listings may not include -descriptive information. This may not be a good choice if there are -different episodes shown during the week. -</LI> -<LI>Record Daily -- this records a show whenever the title is listed -for the time and station on any day of the week. Here again, a show -will not be recorded if the time was altered by the station. If there -are no matching showings in the TV listings, a Not Listed item will be -added to your schedule for the next time slot to let you know that you -should investigate. -</LI> -<LI>Find Daily -- this will record a title once per day from any -of the times that appear in the TV listings beginning from the time of -the showing that was selected when the rule was set. This is useful -for news, current events or other programs where the same episode is -shown several times each day but the listings may not include -descriptive information. This may not be a good choice if there are -different episodes shown during the day. -</LI> -<LI>Channel Record -- records one showing of each unique episode from -any of the times the title is listed on this station. This is perhaps -the most common rule to use for most shows. -</LI> -<LI>Record All -- records one showing of each unique episode from -any of the times this title is listed on any channel. This can be -useful if a station has sister stations where shows are rebroadcast -allowing the scheduler to record rebroadcasts on the other station -when the original airing cannot be recorded.</LI> -</UL> -</P> - -<H2><A NAME="ss12.2">12.2</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12.2">Scheduling Options</A> -</H2> - -<H3>Priority</H3> - -<P>By default, all shows you select have equal value to the -scheduler. There are a set of rules to make good choices when -two or more shows are in conflict. However, priority values let the -scheduler know what you prefer so that it can set the schedule based -on your preferences.</P> -<P>Initially, recording rule priority values are set to zero. You may choose -to leave everything at "0" and let the scheduler follow rules to guess -what you might prefer when there are conflicts. However, if you have -one or two favorite shows, you may want to increase the priority -value so the scheduler will know that you would prefer recording -these over other shows. You might use certain values to rate shows -so that all favorites are 2. good shows are 1 and extra 'filler' -shows are all -1 for example. You could sort each title on the "Set -Priorities" page to have a unique value so the scheduler can know -which show you'd prefer versus any other show. The choice and style -are entirely up to you. However, the more information you give to -the scheduler, the more likely it will make the choices you would -prefer in the first place.</P> -<P>The scheduler choices are based on the total priority for a showing by -adding up all priority factors that match the showing. By default, most -of these factors are "0" but you may use any combination to express your -likes and needs.</P> -<P> -<UL> -<LI>Per record rule -- this is the "priority" selection in the "Scheduling -Options" section of the options page and this value is included for any -showings that match the recording rule. You may choose to only use these -values and not use the other factors for the sake of simplicity and clarity.</LI> -<LI>Per record type -- Setup->TV Settings->Recording Priorities->General allows -you to add to the priority based on the type. It may make sense to increase -the value for "Single" so that by default they have an extra advantage over -other shows. The default is +1. You may want to decrease the value for Find -rules so that they will be less likely to interfere with regularly scheduled -shows and will be more likely to record in a non-conflicting time instead. -The default is -1.</LI> -<LI>Per channel -- Setup->TV Settings->Recording Priorities->Channel Priorities -can be useful if you believe that you prefer any of the shows on certain -channels. This would give all shows on a channel an advantage by default.</LI> -<LI>Input priority -- in the "mythtv-setup" program, the "Input Connections" -section allows you to add additional priority in the "Input priority". -This is simply another priority factor but has an interesting effect. If a -card input has a higher value than the other cards, the scheduler will see -that you would rather record showings of episodes on this input rather than a -showing on other inputs. If you have multiple cards of different quality, -you may want to set input priority to encourage the scheduler to record -shows on your best card(s) whenever possible. This can also be useful if you -have multiple video sources which include the same stations. For example, -with digital and analog cable you could increase the digital cable input -preference by 1 to tell the scheduler that you want to record from the -digital channel whenever possible but the channel on the analog input could -still be used when the digital input is busy.</LI> -<LI>Custom Priority -- this allows you to add any specialized factors you -would like in order to influence scheduling decisions. See the -<A HREF="#Custom Priority">Custom Priority</A> section below.</LI> -</UL> - -For any single showing of any show you've chosen to record, these factors -are added together to find the "total priority". This is the priority that -the scheduler uses to decide which showings are given the first choice when -filling in the schedule.</P> -<P>The scheduling priority of a show may also be used to determine -auto-expiration of recordings when disk space gets full (see -<A HREF="#Auto-Expire">Auto-Expire</A>, below).</P> - -<H3>Duplicates</H3> - -<P>Singles will record without regard to duplicate matching.</P> - -<P>The standard recurring methods of All, Channel, Weekly and Daily use the -descriptive information in the TV listings to try to record only one showing -of each unique episode. However, This goal is sometimes complicated by the -fact that the stations may not include a description for a specific episode -but use a generic description for the series instead. When there is a -generic description, the default behavior is to assume that it may be an -episode that you have not seen and to record it for you. One of the -duplicate matching options is "Record new episodes only". If this is -selected, listing that have an original air date of more than 14 days -earlier are considered repeats and are not eligible to record. Generally, -generic episodes will be marked as repeats also.</P> - -<P>Because of generic episodes and other situations, MythTV offers an -alternative approach where shows may be recorded by choosing from multiple -showings even when the descriptive information is not reliable. All of the -"Find" record types look for matching titles in the listings. If there is a -showing with specific episode information and that episode has recorded -before, that showing is marked as previously or currently recorded. The -scheduler will then choose to record the earliest non-conflicting showing -from any of other remaining showings regardless of the descriptive -information. Generally, Find One is most useful for movies or specials and -the Find Daily and Find Weekly rules are best for news or current events -shows that are repeated. However, these may be useful in other situations -where the standard recording rules may not work correctly.</P> - -<H3>Conflicts</H3> - -<P>As you add more shows that you would like to record, the scheduler -will eventually encounter conflicts. If there are two shows at the -same time and you have two or more TV tuner cards, both shows will -record. However, if there are more shows than cards, the scheduler -will have to decide what it thinks it should not record based on the -information you have given. If you see an unexpected situation you -are not "stuck" with the scheduler's choice. You can still tell the -scheduler exactly which shows you do want to record and/or don't -want to record in any situation.</P> - -<H3>Scheduling decisions</H3> - -<P>Here are the actual decisions made by the scheduler as it fills in the -schedule.</P> -<P> -<UL> -<LI>Currently recording beats not currently recording -- A recording -in progress can not be moved to another input or time so it "wins" -its current timeslot. -</LI> -<LI>Single, Daily, or Weekly rules with no match are marked Not Listed -- -If these or Overrides do not match the current listings because the -listings have changed, they are added to the schedule and marked to -indicate that they will not record. -</LI> -<LI>Rules that could record beat rules that can not record a showing -- -If two rules match the same showing of a program, a rule marked as inactive -or a showing marked as a repeat, for example, yield to the other rule. -</LI> -<LI>More specific record type is used in place of less specific -- If -two rules match the same showing of a program, preference is given to -Don't Record then Override, Single, Find One, Record Weekly, Find Weekly, -Record Daily, Find Daily, Channel and finally All. -</LI> -<LI>Higher total priority beats lower total priority -- This is the -core of the scheduling process. Episodes of the highest priority show -are placed on the first available input followed by the next highest -priority show and so on. -</LI> -<LI>Future start time beats past start time -- If there is an -episode in progress and also a later showing of the same episode, it -is better to record the complete episode. If there isn't another -showing, it will start recording immediately to record the remaining -portion. This should only happen if you add a new rule while the show -is in progress or if the master backend is started after the start time -of a scheduled show. -</LI> -<LI>More specific record type beats less specific record type -- If -two shows are on at the same time and have the same total priority but -different types they will be sorted by Single then Find One, Record -Weekly, Find Weekly, Record Daily, Find Daily, Channel and finally -All. This only applies if the priorities are the same. -</LI> -<LI>If both start times have passed, later start time beats earlier start -time -- This attempts to miss the least amount of time. -</LI> -<LI>If neither start time has passed, earlier start time beats later -start time -- This helps assure that the earliest showing of an episode -has the advantage. -</LI> -<LI>Lower input id beats higher input id -- The scheduler fills in -open time slots on the first available input for the video source. The -next input is used when there is another show already placed for the -card of the first input. -</LI> -<LI>Older record rule beats newer record rule -- If two shows are still -equal after all of these other checks, the show whose record rule was added -first is preferred over a more recent addition. -</LI> -<LI>Postpone showings to resolve conflicts -- If Reschedule Higher -Priorities is set or if a conflict has the same priority as a show -that was scheduled at the same time, the scheduler will check to see -if a scheduled show can be moved to another input or later matching -showing without creating a new conflict so that the conflicting show -can be scheduled to record. -</LI> -</UL> -</P> - -<H3>Reschedule Higher Priorities</H3> - -<P>Setup->TV Settings->Recording Priorities->General has a checkbox for -"Reschedule Higher Priorities" which tells the scheduler to try to be a -little smarter in certain situations. If this is checked, the scheduler will -look for situations where a show cannot record because all inputs for the -channel are used for higher priority shows. It will check to see if any of -the other shows could be recorded at another time so that the conflicting -show can be recorded in its place.</P> -<P>Generally, this is a good strategy but there are tradeoffs. If a higher -priority show is postponed, you will not get to watch it until it is -recorded in the later timeslot. There is also a risk that the TV listings -may change and the later showing may go away. In this rare case the higher -priority show may never record. On the other hand, if you do not use this -option you will miss recording some lower priority shows unnecessarily -unless you manually make similar changes.</P> -<P>By using Reschedule Higher Priorities, the scheduler will do a better job of -recording as many of your shows as possible when left unattended. It will -also be easy to see that shows have been marked to record at a later time. -You can then decide for yourself when you would prefer to record the first -showing by clicking "Record anyway".</P> - -<H3>Controlling Your Schedule</H3> - -<P>The Manage Recordings->Upcoming Recordings page is your control center -for the MythTV scheduler. Unlike other DVR systems, this one page gives you -all of the information and tools you need to see all of your alternatives -and make whatever adjustments you desire.</P> -<P>The upper half of the screen has a scrollable box listing items that match -your record rules sorted by time. The lower half shows the details for the -highlighted item. There are two 'views' available. Press "1" to include all -of the items that match record rules even if they do not need to be -recorded. Press "2" to focus on just the things that will record and items -that may need your attention. The message in the upper right-hand corner -will remind you when there are conflicts that would prevent one or more -shows from being recorded.</P> -<P>The items in the list are colored in the record color for things that -will record, white for things that may need attention, gray for those -that do not need to record and yellow when there is a time conflict. -Items at the top of the list may also be highlighted indicating that the -recording is in progress.</P> -<P>Along with the channels, start times and titles, the right-hand column has -a status code. Numbers indicate which card number has been assigned to -record the show. Letters are used to indicate the reason that something -will not be recorded. Just below the box is a short status message for the -highlighted item that indicates the type of record rule that was matched, -the "total priority" for this showing and a one or two word explanation of -the status code. If you press SELECT, you will see more information about -the status.</P> -<P>There are a few status codes that may require your attention. "C" indicates -that there are more overlapping shows to record than there are TV tuners to -record them. "L" indicates that the scheduler found that it may be better to -record a later showing of this episode. These states happen as a result of -your choices and should normally reflect your preferences. However, you may -notice situations where you would like to modify the scheduler's initial -choices.</P> -<P>The first thing you can do is to highlight an item and press INFO to -see the recording options page. From this page you can change the -record rule type, the duplicate matching rules, or raise or lower the -priority to resolve whatever problem you noticed.</P> -<P>Additionally, you can treat any individual showing as an exception that you -do want to record or don't want to record. To use these "override" features, -highlight the item and press SELECT. You will see a message explaining the -current status and at least an "OK" button to exit without making changes.</P> -<P>For items scheduled to record, there will be a button for "Don't record" -which will prevent recording this showing but will still allow the same -episode to record in the future. If there is episode description -information, you may also see a button for "Never record". This prevents -recording this showing and tells MythTV to remember that this is an episode -that you've seen or don't need to see if it is ever in the TV listings -again.</P> -<P>For items that are not scheduled to record, the message will describe the -reason and in the case of "C" or "L" it will include a list of the shows -that are scheduled to record instead. For any item that could potentially be -recorded there will be buttons for "Edit Options" and "Add Override". "Edit -Options" will allow you to change the options for the existing record rule -such as raising the priority so that the show will record. These changes -would apply to this and all future showings that match this record rule. -"Add Override" will allow you to set options that apply to the specific -showing without affecting the recurring record rule.</P> -<P>If you return to an override page after an override has already been set, -you will also see a "Clear Override" to undo your changes. This option makes -it very easy to try out some "what if" attempts when deciding on your best -strategy in a difficult situation.</P> -<P>For a recording in progress, there will be a "Change Ending Time" button. -This will take you to the options page for a Single or Override or create -an Override if it is a recurring rule. Here you can go to the Recording -Options section to change the program end time offset. If you extend the -end time so that it overlaps upcoming recordings, the schedule will change -to accommodate the new end time. This may cause a conflict or later showing -even for a show with higher priority. Therefore, it is a good idea to -check your schedule after changing the end time of a recording in -progress.</P> - -<H2><A NAME="ss12.3">12.3</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12.3">Storage Options</A> -</H2> - -<H3>Recording Profile</H3> - -<P>Each recording rule can be configured with a different recording -profile. For example, colorful cinematography can be configured with a -"High Quality" profile, while 'talking heads' interviews shows can be -configured with a "Low Quality" profile. These recording profiles need to -be configured before using them (see -<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-10.html#Recording">Recording</A>, -above).</P> - -<H3><A NAME="Recording Group"></A> Recording Group </H3> - -<P>For organization of the "Watch Recordings" screen and the MythWeb -interface, recordings can be assigned into "recording groups".</P> - -<H3><A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-9.html#storagegroups">Storage Groups</A></H3> - -<P>This allows you to select any special "Storage Groups" you may have -created to determine where recordings from this rule should be stored -on your disks. The "Default" storage group is always available.</P> - -<H3><A NAME="Playback Group"></A> Playback Group </H3> - -<P>This selects a set of pre-configured playback parameters which can be -created and edited in Setup->TV Settings->Playback Groups. When the -recording is played, the values from this playback group will be -used. This allows you to choose a default time stretch value, skip and -jump amounts appropriate for this type of television program.</P> - -<H3><A NAME="Auto-Expire"></A> Auto-Expire </H3> - -<P>MythTV will "autoexpire" old recordings to make room for new recordings -when disk space gets filled up. This option can be set to "Don't allow -auto expire" to prevent these recordings from being automatically deleted -when disk space fills up.</P> - -<P>The default setting is for all scheduled recordings to be eligible -for auto-expiration; this can be changed in the Settings->TV -Settings->General page by manipulating the "Auto Expire Default" -checkbox.</P> - -<P>The default auto-expire policy is "Oldest Show First"; the oldest -recordings are deleted first. The "Lowest Priority First" method -chooses to expire the lowest-priority recordings first.</P> - -<H3>Episode Limit</H3> - -<P>An episode limit can also be configured to limit the maximum number -of episodes recorded of a single series, to restrict that series' disk -usage. If this is set, you can further decide what to do when this -limit is reached; either stop recording that series, or to delete the -oldest episodes in favor of the new ones.</P> - -<H2><A NAME="ss12.4">12.4</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12.4">Post Recording Processing</A> -</H2> - -<H3>Commercial Flagging</H3> - -<P>Select whether or not to automatically flag commercials for these -recordings. Commercial Flagging parameters can be set in -Setup->TV Settings->General.</P> - -<H3>Transcoding</H3> - -<P>Select whether or not to automatically transcode recordings to save -disk space. Before using this, you must first enable auto-transcode in -the recording profile and configure the transcoding parameters; see -<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-10.html#Recording">Recording</A>, above.</P> - -<H3>User Jobs</H3> - -<P>User Jobs allow you to configure up to 4 custom commands to run on -recordings. They can be configured in mythtv-setup. The following -tokens have special meaning when used in the User Job commands:</P> -<P> -<UL> -<LI>%DIR% - the directory component of the recording's filename</LI> -<LI>%FILE% - the filename component of the recording's filename</LI> -<LI>%TITLE% - the title of the recording (e.g., name of the series)</LI> -<LI>%SUBTITLE% - the subtitle of the recording (e.g., name of the -episode)</LI> -<LI>%DESCRIPTION% - description text for the recording (from guide -data)</LI> -<LI>%HOSTNAME% - the backend making the recording</LI> -<LI>%CATEGORY% - the category of the recording (from guide data)</LI> -<LI>%RECGROUP% - the -<A HREF="#Recording Group">recording group</A></LI> -<LI>%CHANID% - the MythTV channel ID making the recording</LI> -<LI>%STARTTIME% - the recording start time (YYYYMMDDhhmmss)</LI> -<LI>%ENDTIME% - the recording end time (YYYYMMDDhhmmss)</LI> -<LI>%STARTTIMEISO% - the recording start time in ISO 8601 format -(YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS)</LI> -<LI>%ENDTIMEISO% - the recording end time in ISO 8601 format</LI> -<LI>%PROGSTART% - the recording's start time (from guide data; -YYYYMMDDhhmmss)</LI> -<LI>%PROGEND% - the recording's end time (from guide data)</LI> -<LI>%PROGSTARTISO%, %PROGENDISO% - the recording's start and end -time in ISO 8601 format.</LI> -</UL> -</P> - -<H2><A NAME="ss12.5">12.5</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12.5">Advanced Recording Options</A> -</H2> - -<H3>Creating Power Search rules with Custom Record</H3> - -<P>MythTV's "Custom Record" feature gives you unlimited control for creating -specialized search recording rules to meet your needs. It allows you to -choose your criteria to search for matching shows based on any of the -information in the program listings, channel information, time functions and -more. This goes beyond the capabilities of any other DVR system and it is -unlikely that this level of scheduling customization will ever be available -in any commercial DVR system.</P> - -<H3>Getting Started</H3> - -<P>Go to Schedule Recordings->Custom Record. This page, helps you build a -database search one clause at a time. Each added clause further limits -which showings will be matched in the TV listings. You can test the -search at any time and when you are done, you can save your search as a -recording rule.</P> -<P>To familiarize yourself with how you can create custom rules, create a -simple rule to record "Nova" only in primetime.</P> -<P>The first item at the top of the page allows you to edit an existing rule -or create a new rule. Leave it on "<New rule>". Arrow down to the -third item which says "Match an exact title". Right and left arrows would -allow you to select any of several prefabricated pieces or full examples -but leave it on the default for now. Arrow down to "Add this example -clause" and press SELECT (Enter or Space on a keyboard). The large text -box should now show: -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> - program.title = 'Nova' -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> - -As you have probably guessed, this says that we want to search for all -programs with the title "Nova" regardless of the time, day, channel, etc.</P> -<P>If you do not receive a PBS station that carries "Nova" or would like to use -another title, edit the title by pressing the down arrow to highlight the -text box and right arrow over the the word "Nova". If you are using a -keyboard you can simply delete the four letters and type a different title -between the quotes. With a remote control, you can do 'cell phone' style -text entry with the number pad. The delete key is the "X" in the grouping -for "1", zero is grouped with "9" and "0" acts as the "Caps Lock" key. You -can press ENTER in the text box to popup a virtual keyboard.</P> -<P>Note: the text box honors many familiar Emacs control keys. It is also -possible to cut and paste text into the text box so you can edit with a -favorite editor or insert a rule sent in email or from other sources.</P> -<P>In any case, choose a title that is shown both in primetime and late night -or daytime. Next, click the "Test" button. You should see a list of the -upcoming episodes for "Nova" just as if you had clicked the Upcoming -button for "Nova" elsewhere in MythTV.</P> -<P>Press ESC to go back to the Custom Record page. Move to the example -selector then press the right or left arrows until you find "Only in -primetime". Click "Add this example clause". You should now see: -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> - program.title = 'Nova' - AND HOUR(program.starttime) >= 19 - AND HOUR(program.starttime) < 23 -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> - -Click "Test". You should now see a shorter list with only the showings that -begin between 7PM and 11PM. To create a rule for this, press ESC to go back -to the custom page and move to "Rule Name:" then type "Nova" or anything -else you would like. This is only a label and will not affect the search -results. Once a name has been entered, the "Record" button will light up. -Click this to enter the recording options page. If you named it "Nova" the -title will say "Nova (Power Search)". Set whatever options you would like -then click "Save these settings". You now have a special rule to record -"Nova" but only when it is shown in primetime.</P> -<P>You can make further modifications to this rule by returning to the Custom -Record page then press the right or left arrow keys on "Edit Rule:" until -you find "Nova". You can experiment and test but the saved rule will not -be updated until you click "Record" then "Save these settings".</P> -<P>To remove this, or any other rule, you can go to the "Recording Priorities" -page, arrow down to the title, press Enter and change the the recording type -to "Do not record this program" then "Save these settings".</P> - -<H3>How it Works</H3> - -<P>MythTV stores TV program information in a database and uses the Structured -Query Language (SQL) to access the data. Information about each TV program -is stored in the 'program' table and information about each TV station you -receive is stored in 'channel'. These two tables are used in the scheduler -queries and their columns are available to be used in your rules. The rules -you create are stored in 'record'.</P> -<P>Normal rules in MythTV simply match the title in the rule with the titles -in the 'program' table. MythTV also has search rules for "Titles", -"Keywords" and "People". These store the key phrase in the description -column of the rule and includes them in specialized SQL replacements for -the normal title check. There is also a type called "Power Search" which -takes the raw SQL in the description as the replacement for title -matching.</P> -<P>Custom Record is a tool to help you build valid SQL for Power Search rules. -You do not need to be a SQL expert to use Custom Record because the -examples are known to work correctly and are usually self-explanatory so you -can choose the pieces you need then modify them. Many powerful solutions to -unique problems are possible by combining the examples. With some creativity -and some knowledge of SQL, the possibilities are limitless.</P> - -<H3>Common Tricks and Tips</H3> - -<P>The example clauses marked "complete example" are actual rules that have -been used to address specific problems. You may find that some of these -are useful for you as-is or with slight modifications. These show off how -powerful custom rules can be but there are also several simple idioms that -you may find useful for many of the shows you would like to record.</P> -<P>Wait for a known title -- If there is a movie that you anticipate will be -televised in the coming months but is not yet in the listings, you can -select "Match an exact title", edit the movie title, click "Record" then -choose "Record one showing of this title". The rule will wait weeks, months -or years until this title shows up in your listings then it will record one -showing. These rules have no impact on the scheduler throughout the day and -only take a tiny fraction of a second when the master backend starts or when -the listings are updated.</P> -<P>Silence series out of season -- "Celebrity Poker Showdown", for example, -will have new episodes for a while then long periods where reruns are shown -dozens of times per week. By checking the previously shown flag you can -create a rule that will only match new episodes. Therefore, your schedule -won't be polluted with dozens of entries marked as "Repeat" or "Previously -Recorded". -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> - program.title = "Celebrity Poker Showdown" - AND program.previouslyshown = 0 -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> - -This allows you to keep rules for your favorite shows that are dormant while -out of season but will spring back to life when new episodes appear.</P> -<P>Choose showings on certain days -- Several cable stations will show their -highest rated shows a dozen on more times per week. However, the scheduler -only needs two or three choices to do a good job of making a flexible -choice. -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> - program.title LIKE "Celebrity Fit Club%" - AND DAYNAME(program.starttime) = "Sunday" -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> - -This says to choose any showing of an episode that hasn't been recorded -when it appears on Sunday. This prevents all the other showings during the -week from being listed in the schedule.</P> -<P>Notice the word "LIKE" and the "%" at the end. This does wildcard matching -so that this would match even if the title ended with "2". "III" or -":Revenge of the Snapple Lady". This can be useful where the title may -change from one season to the next like "Survivor: %", "Big Brother%" or -"The Amazing Race%".</P> - -<H3>Working with SQL</H3> - -<P>As you experiment, it is possible that you may misplace a quote or mistype a -word. If there is a mistake when you press "Test" or "Record" you will see -an error message returned from the database. This will usually give you a -good idea about what needs to be fixed. However, for more subtle MySQL -syntax errors, you can find more information in the documentation at -<A HREF="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/</A>. This contains a lot of -information that can be useful for Power Search rules such as the "Date and -Time Functions". There are many other good resources for SQL on the Web.</P> -<P>While the example clauses demonstrate how to use many of the data columns, -you can get a more complete list of all the columns that are available by -using a MySQL client program: -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> -$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -mysql> describe program; -mysql> describe channel; -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> - -This will show the names of all of the columns along with their type and -default value. Most are easy to understand but a few need some explanation -in order to use them effectively with Power Search. -<UL> -<LI>"program.category_type" holds one of these exact four strings: "movie", -"series", "sports" or "tvshow". -</LI> -<LI>"program.airdate" is a string representing the year of release for -movies and may have no meaning for other types of shows. -</LI> -<LI>"program.stars" is a floating point number from 0.0 to 1.0. On a -four star scale, 1.0 would be four stars, 0.75 would be three stars and so -on. -</LI> -<LI>"program.originalairdate" if provided is the date when a show -was, or will be, first televised. This may be useful for finding -episodes before or after a certain date such as finding just the -original series of "Battlestar Galactica". -</LI> -<LI>"program.previouslyshown" is a column created by MythTV to try to -determine if a showing is more than 14 days after its original air date or -if the show was marked as a repeat and did not have a date for the first -airing. If this is "0" it usually means that this is a brand new show or a -rebroadcast within the first two weeks. -</LI> -<LI>"program.generic" is a column created by MythTV to try mark -showings for a series where the specific episode information is not -included. When these generic showings appear, it is impossible for the -system to determine if they are repeats of the same episode(s) or if -they are all different episodes. -</LI> -<LI>"program.first" is a column created by MythTV to mark the first -showing in the current listings for each episode, movie or special. -Choosing to match only the "first" showing can be useful for sports -that are brodcast live then repeated. -</LI> -<LI>"program.last" is a column created by MythTV to mark the last -showing in the current listings for each episode, movie or special. -If a showing is marked both "first" and "last" then it is the only -showing of that program in the current TV listings. -</LI> -<LI>"program.programid" is the Tribune Media Service database record -identifier for each program description. In general, these start with a two -letter prefix, MV, EP, SP or SH that correspond to the -"program.category_type". For most, the last four digits are "0000" except -EP where the last four digits are the episode number in the series. Note -that these are generated by TMS and not the show's producers but they are -usually in the same order as the original air dates for the episodes. -</LI> -<LI>"program.videoprop" also "audioprop" and "subtitletypes". -These columns contain bit flags for a variety of attributes that -may be associated with a program. These are filled with information -offered by the TV listings provider. However, your listings source -will not have information for all of the available flags. Therefore, -some of these may not be useful for your search rules. This information -is organized in "sets" and the MySQL function FIND_IN_SET() can be used -to test for any of these flags. For example: -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> -FIND_IN_SET('SURROUND', program.audioprop) > 0 -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> - -would be true for the programs where the surround sound bit is present. -To see all of the available attribute names: -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> -$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -mysql> SHOW COLUMNS FROM program LIKE '%prop'\G -mysql> SHOW COLUMNS FROM program LIKE 'subtitletypes'\G -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> -</LI> -</UL> - -Finally, if you are doing something very experimental and a column is not -giving you the results you had anticipated, you can always check the MythTV -source code to see exactly how a column is used. The open source for MythTV -is available from -<A HREF="http://www.mythtv.org/">http://www.mythtv.org/</A> .</P> - -<H2><A NAME="ss12.6">12.6</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12.6">Scheduling with more than one Input</A> -</H2> - - -<P>MythTV is designed to allow recording television programs from one or more -service providers, or video source, on one or more video input from each -provider. Some inputs may not be allowed to record at the same time as -each other while others may record simultaneously.</P> -<P>A television station may be broadcast on more than one channel from one -provider or may be available on channels from two or more providers. If a TV -station is available from more than one source, the video quality or type of -broadcast may differ. Therefore, MythTV allows you to control how you would -like the scheduler to select the best channel and input for a show which is -available on more than one input or more than one channel.</P> - -<H3>Mutually Exclusive Inputs</H3> - -<P>A single TV capture card may have video connections to more than -one of its inputs and each input may be from a different service. The card -may only be allowed to record from one of these inputs at one time because -there is only one encoder on the card that actually captures the content.</P> -<P> -<FIGURE> -<EPS FILE="BlockDiagramofavideocapturedevice.eps"> -<IMG SRC="BlockDiagramofavideocapturedevice.png"> -<CAPTION></CAPTION> -</FIGURE> -</P> -<P>These are mutually exclusive meaning that only one input or the other -may record at a given time but not both.</P> -<P>Usually, inputs on different cards can record at the same time -but two or more inputs on the same card cannot. However, there are cases -where inputs on different cards should not be allowed to record at the -same time, for example, a firewire card and s-video analog card connected -to the same set top cable box.</P> -<P> -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> -| -| coax +--------------+ firewire ------------------+ -| .-=|Cable Provider|=------------=| Card 1 input 1 | HDTV -| | |HD/Cable STB |=--. +-----|||||||||||| -| | +--------------+ | s-video ------------------+ -| | `---------=| input 2 | Digital -|wall | coax | Card 2 | -|=---=^=------------------------------=| input 3 | Cable -| +-----|||||||||||| -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> -</P> -<P>Input 1 and input 2 receive content from the same set top box and the -channels can not be tuned independently. Therefore only one of these two -inputs should be used at any given time. The solution is to create an "Input -Group" with <B>mythtv-setup</B> in "Input connections". Including these -two inputs in the same Input Group will tell the scheduler that these are -mutually exclusive and may not record at the same time. Inputs 2 and 3 are -automatically mutually exclusive because they are on the same card so there -is no need to create an Input Group for these inputs.</P> -<P>Cards such as the Hauppauge PVR-500 are able to record as two cards -simultaneously because it has two MPEG-2 encoders and each encoder appears -as a separate device. DVB cards may be allowed to capture content from more -than one channel at a time if the channels are in the same MUX.</P> - -<H3>Stations, Channels and Video Sources</H3> - -<P>Although we may be accustomed to thinking of a broadcast station and its -channel number as being synonymous, stations and channels are very different -things. A "station" is in a building with wires and employees. A "channel" -is a carrier frequency or digital ID that carries a broadcast stream. The -same TV station may be broadcast over different frequencies in different -cities or by different providers in the same city. The same frequency will -carry different stations in different cities. In the digital realm of DVB -and ATSC (HDTV), it is even possible for a single frequency to carry -multiple program streams but each of these streams of content are actually -different channels that the receiving devices can 'tune' to independently.</P> -<P> -<UL> -<LI>Station: building</LI> -<LI>Channel: frequency</LI> -</UL> -</P> -<P>In MythTV, a "video source" is a set of channels from a provider, or over -the air, that can be received by an input. The set defines the channels and -the broadcasters primarily associated with each of those channels. If you -have more than one device or cable from the same provider connected to more -than one card and input, you only need to create one video source in -mythtv-setup then associate that one source with each of these connected -inputs. This will let your MythTV system know that the same channels and -their TV listings are available to be recorded from any of these inputs.</P> -<P>For example. A MythTV system may have two capture cards. Both have a cable -connected to the coaxial connectors. These cables carry the local cable TV -service. In mythtv-setup, the user should create one "Video source" called -"Cable", for example. Under "Input connections", "Cable" should be -associated with each of the two tuner inputs. The scheduler will then know -that any program on one of the channels from the "Cable" source could be -recorded by either card from the card's tuner input.</P> -<P>You need to create a different video source for each provider or service -that has a different set of channels. Each input with a connection to that -service should be associated with the video source for that service so the -system will know which set of channels are available for each of your active -inputs.</P> -<P>Let's say that this user also has one digital cable set top box. The digital -cable service carries channels that are not available over basic cable. The -user would create another source called "Digital". This set top box is -connected to the second card by S-Video so under "Input connections", -"Digital" is associated with the S-Video input of card 2. The system would -then know that programs on channels from the Digital source can only be -recorded from this input. Further, the scheduler understands that it can -only record one show at a time from card 2 so it can assign Cable or Digital -shows to the card but not both at the same time.</P> -<P>Some TV stations may be broadcast over a channel from the Cable source and -also broadcast over a channel from the Digital source. Note that two -channels carrying the same primary station may not have the same TV listings -due to carrying the primary station part time, including local programming -exclusive to one of the channels, the channels may be in different -timezones, etc. Listings information must be associated with each channel -even if two or more channels report that they carry the same station.</P> - -<H3>Order of Inputs</H3> - -<P>By default the scheduler chooses the first (lowest numbered) input which has -a showing of the scheduled program as it fills the schedule. If a lower -priority show is on at the same time as a higher priority show that has been -assigned to input 1, then input 2 will be used next and so on. Therefore, -configure your best card and input first and next best card and input -second. There may be differences in the type or brand of capture card, -signal quality from the cable, system resources such as disk space, CPU, -etc. By configuring your best input first, more recordings, and your highest -priority recordings, will use that input.</P> -<P>A common situation is that a newer and better card is added last. For -example, you may initially setup your system with two analog cable cards and -then add a HDTV card. If NBC is on a cable channel and "The Apprentice" is -shown in HDTV on an NBC HD channel, the scheduler would still prefer analog -inputs 1 and 2 over the new HD input 3.</P> -<P>So, if you'd like the scheduler to prefer a new source, the simplest thing -is to run <B>mythtv-setup</B> and "Delete all capture cards" then enter -your cards and inputs in your preferred order. This will not remove your -sources and channels - you want to keep those and only renumber your cards -and inputs. In this example, once the changes have been made and the Master -Backend is restarted, the scheduler would then choose "The Apprentice" in HD -on the new input 1 and only use the analog inputs (now numbered 2 and 3) -when the HDTV input was occupied with another show.</P> - -<H3>Matching Callsigns</H3> - -<P>If a recording rule is a type that can record from any channel, "The -Apprentice" would match for any channel that shows episodes which may -include CNBC or BRAVO. However, for Single, Timeslot, Weekslot or Channel -rules, "The Apprentice" would only match showings on the selected station as -identified by the "callsign". For example, KVBC is an NBC affiliate on -channel 3. Channel 733 is KVBCDT which is HDTV over cable from the same -station. If a Single record rule was set for "The Apprentice" on KVBC -channel 3, it could not record this showing from KVBCDT on 733. If 733 was -chosen when the rule was saved, channel 3 could not be used to record.</P> -<P>However, the "Channel Editor" in mythtv-setup can be used to change the -Callsign for channel 733 to "KVBC". MythTV would then understand that both -of these channels are from the same broadcast station. Assuming the HDTV -input was input number "1", "The Apprentice" would record on 733. If, -however, this HDTV input already had a higher priority show assigned to it -in that time slot, "The Apprentice" would be assigned to KVBC channel 3 on -input 2.</P> -<P>Having two channels with the same callsign may affect how program -information is shown in mythfrontend. If two sources have the same callsign -and channel number, the program guide and program lists will only show one -instance of the channel number and callsign. If the same callsign is on two -different channel numbers, both will be shown and if two sources have -different callsigns with the same channel number, both of those will be -shown.</P> -<P>Continuing with the example above, the Electronic Program Guide would -include rows for both "3 KVBC" and "733 KVBC". If channel 3 KVBC was also -included in the Digital cable source, the EPG would still include just one -line for "3 KVBC" even though there are two different channels, Cable and -Digital, with this identification. Regardless of how these are displayed and -which "KVBC" channel you select to add a rule to record "The Apprentice", -the scheduler will pick the best channel, source and input to record "The -Apprentice" on "KVBC".</P> - -<H3>Using Priorities to Prefer an Input</H3> - -<P>The fundamental concept to keep in mind is that the MythTV scheduler will -choose the lowest numbered input available when showings have the same -priority. If there are factors that cause two showings of the same show to -have different priorities then the higher priority showing will be -considered before the showings with lower priority.</P> - -<H3>Input Priority</H3> - -<P>"Input Connections" in mythtv-setup includes a box to set "Input priority" -which defaults to "0". If a value is set, that amount will be added to the -"total priority" for showings on that input. This can be used to influence -using favored cards or not using less favored cards unless necessary.</P> -<P>Let's say the "The Apprentice" is on at 8:00pm with a priority of 3. "Who -Cares" is -2 and an episode is shown at 8:00pm then repeated at 11:00pm. The -scheduler would assign "The Apprentice" to card 1 and "Who Cares" to card 2 -at 8:00pm. If the input priority for the input on card 2 was changed to -1, -"Who Cares" would have a total priority of -2 for showings on card 1 and -3 -for showings on card 2. The scheduler would assign "The Apprentice" to card -1 at 8:00pm and "Who Cares" to card 1 at 11:00pm when the better card is -available. If there was another higher priority show at 11pm, the next best -choice for "Who Cares" would be card 2 at 8pm with the priority -3.</P> -<P>Card 1 and 2 have input priority "0":</P> -<P> -<FIGURE> -<EPS FILE="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri 0.eps"> -<IMG SRC="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri 0.png"> -<CAPTION></CAPTION> -</FIGURE> -</P> -<P> -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> - Time Title Priority Card Status - 8:00 The Apprentice +3 1 Will Record - 8:00 Who Cares -2 2 Will Record -11:00 Who Cares -2 1 Earlier Showing -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> -</P> -<P>Card 2 with input priority "-1":</P> -<P> -<FIGURE> -<EPS FILE="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri -1.eps"> -<IMG SRC="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri -1.png"> -<CAPTION></CAPTION> -</FIGURE> -</P> -<P> -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> - Time Title Priority Card Status - 8:00 The Apprentice +3 1 Will Record - 8:00 Who Cares -3 2 Later Showing -11:00 Who Cares -2 1 Will Record -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> -</P> -<P>Card 2 at "-1" but higher priority shows at both 8 P.M. and 11 P.M.:</P> -<P> -<FIGURE> -<EPS FILE="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri -1-TDS.eps"> -<IMG SRC="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri -1-TDS.png"> -<CAPTION></CAPTION> -</FIGURE> -</P> -<P> -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> - Time Title Priority Card Status - 8:00 The Apprentice +3 1 Will Record - 8:00 Who Cares -3 2 Will Record -11:00 The Daily Show +1 1 Will Record -11:00 Who Cares -3 2 Earlier Showing -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> -</P> -<P>Note the two different effects, each of which may be what you desire -depending on circumstance. If input priorities are equal, shows will record -at the earliest time if any input is available. If input priorities differ, -shows may be postponed to a later time in order to record on the best input.</P> - -<H3>Channel Priority</H3> - -<P>Priority can be added for individual channels (remember, frequencies from a -video source, not stations). This can be used to tell the system that you -generally prefer the content of the station on a channel over the formats of -other stations. You may want to raise the priority for ESPN, SciFi, Comedy -Central or lower the priority for CSPAN, CourtTV, etc. If the same station -is on two different channels, you can use channel priority to have the same -effect for these channels as input priority would have for whole inputs.</P> -<P>For example, say CNN is on analog channel 20 and there is an HD CNN on 750. -You may not want to tie up the HD input for news originating in standard -definition. Under TV Settings->Recording Priorities->Channel Priorities you -could set channel 750 to -1. The scheduler would then prefer to record CNN -shows on any analog channel 20 before considering using 750 only when there -are no analog inputs available.</P> - -<H3>Preferred Input</H3> - -<P>For an even finer grain of control, there is a per rule option to specify -which input should be preferred for showings that match the rule. By -default, this adds +2 to the priority for showings on the specified input.</P> -<P>For illustration, let's say there will be a Space Shuttle launch on CNN that -will be broadcast in high definition. Adding a rule to record the launch -with priority "0" should default to channel 20 on input 2. Channel 750 would -have this at -1 due to the channel priority set in the previous example. If -on the recording options page for this rule, the "Scheduling Options" had -the input set to prefer the HD input on card 1, then the showing on channel -750 for this input would be increased in value by +2 for a total of +1 and -would be the best choice for this launch coverage. While this one rule -would prefer the HD input with channel 750, all other rules that match shows -on CNN would still prefer channel 20.</P> -<P>Note that this will not work properly if the preferred input priority does -not out weigh differences in input and channel priorities. The value of the -priority boost when this option is chosen defaults to +2 but can be modified -in TV Settings->Recording Priorities->Set Recording Priorities.</P> - -<H3>HDTV Priority</H3> - -<P>In the preceeding fictious example, the Space Shuttle launch is broadcast in -high definition and a preferred input is selected to give preference to the -HD input. However, TV listings from zap2it.com through the DataDirect -service may allow this to work without having to use this per rule option.</P> -<P>In Settings->Recording Priorities->Set Recording Priorities there is an -option for "HDTV Recording Priority". This value will be added automatically -if the listings for the show have the "hdtv" flag set. DataDirect will set -this flag for shows known to be broadcast in HDTV on HD channels. However, -the flag is not set for standard definition channels. This is another -example of the listings being different for the same station on a different -channel. If the HDTV priority is set to "+2", the shuttle launch would -automatically have a total priority of +1 so that channel 750 would be -preferred over channel 20 for this HDTV broadcast.</P> -<P>Channel "750 CNN" at priority "-1" and HDTV broadcast priority at "+2":</P> -<P> -<FIGURE> -<EPS FILE="Card1 HDTV Card2 Cable.eps"> -<IMG SRC="Card1 HDTV Card2 Cable.png"> -<CAPTION></CAPTION> -</FIGURE> -</P> - -<H3><A NAME="Custom Priority"></A> Custom Priority </H3> - -<P> -<FIGURE> -<EPS FILE="add.eps"> -<IMG SRC="add.png"> -<CAPTION>New for MythTV 0.21</CAPTION> -</FIGURE> -</P> -<P>While Input, Channel, and HDTV Priority can be used for indicating a -preference for certain programs and inputs, there may be circumstances that -cannot be resolved easily with these standard features. MythTV version 0.21 -includes a feature for "power priority". The Custom Priority editor in -mythfrontend's "TV Settings" screen is similar to Custom Record, however, -Custom Priority allows you to create specialized power priority factors to -influence scheduling decisions.</P> -<P>For example, the 'program.closecaptioned' flag can be used in a -similar way as the 'program.hdtv' flag.</P> -<P> -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> -Priority Rule Name: Closed Captioned priority -Priority Value: 2 -program.closecaptioned > 0 -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> -</P> -<P>This will raise the priority of shows marked with "CC" over those that are -not by applying the "Priority Value" whenever the SQL fragment evaluates to -true. If the expression evaluates to false for a showing, the "Priority -Value" is not applied.</P> -<P> -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> -Priority Rule Name: Priority when shown once -Priority Value: 1 -program.first > 0 AND program.last > 0 -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> -</P> -<P>The "first" and "last" flags for an episode will only be set for the -same showing when there is only one showing of that episode in the -current TV listings. This rule would raise the priority in these cases -so that these shows would have an advantage to record in their only -available time slot.</P> -<P> -<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> -<PRE> -Priority Rule Name: Input 1 signal quality -Priority Value: -1 -cardinput.cardinputid = 1 AND -channel.channum IN (3, 5, 39, 66) -</PRE> -</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> -</P> -<P>A common issue with two or more analog capture cards is that one of -the cards may have more interference on some channels than the same -channels on other cards. This example gives a disadvantage to the -channels in this list but only for the first input. Therefore, a show -on channel 39 would choose input 2 or 3 if possible but for channels -not in this list, input 1 is still the first choice.</P> -<P>The Custom Priority editor includes many example fragments and complete -examples that can be used or you can create your own to suit your needs.</P> - -<HR> -<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-13.html">Next</A> -<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-11.html">Previous</A> -<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc12">Contents</A> -</BODY> -</HTML> |