Contiguous EPG slots, two capable capture cards but one set-top-box. How?

[GoodGuys]

Hi,

I have 2 capture cards. One set-top-box. Some shows that air 2 or more episodes in a row, with zero time between shows. I also need padding because of the inaccuracies of my EPG, PC clock and actual air-times (which are not always accurate).

When the show is on tuner-accessible channels, there is no problem.

For shows coming off the STB, I currently have only one of the cards connected, because there is only one STB and thus only one "real" capture source.

However, I have 2 cards, and have no problem to split the signal so that the other card's composite input will see the same STB output. I can't configure this as a separate capture source because that would cause conflicts over the single STB.

Right now, what is many times one episode will end a few seconds before teh first recording ends, and I will get a few seconds of the second episode in the first file. This is annoying, not to mention that I get a few seconds shaved off because GBPVR is "changing channels" to the same channel again, and not recording in between.

I could solve the problem by scheduling a manual recording over the entire timeslots for all episodes. But this is quite annoying because then I lose the guide info and the ability to watch one episode, and delete it when I done to free the space. I must watch all episodes in the chunk before I can delete it.

Any sugegstions?

Thanks,
GGF

P.S. Maybe this is a Wishlist item - to have a way to tell GBPVR that a capture source (other card's composite) is a "secondary" for some other, and that could allow GBPVR to add padding to consecutive shows on the same channel from the same STB.

[Pioneer4x4]

If I understand your problem, could you just remove the channels from the other card so it cannot record the STB channels?

[GoodGuys]

Hi Pioneer4x4,

I already removed the channels. The problem is that I want to have 2 capture sources defined, both seeing all channels, and I want GBPVR to know that there is only one STB, so if I am recording contiguous shows on the same channel, it will be able to give me both the post-padding one show and pre-padding for the other...

Right now, I only have one capture card configured to record from the STB, but both configured to record analog channels (which is good because I have the same issue with contiguous shows on analog channels, but 2 tuners means I am all set). With the digital channels (off the STB) I can't do this, although I do have 2 cards, and both can see the STB, and if both shows are on the same channel, there is no problem for one card to record (with padding) one show (or episode) and the other card recording the other.

In fact, having this kind of "secondary" could solve an unrelated problem:
Say I have an analog show scheduled to record at 8:00-11:00. The recording starts on capture-card A's tuner (same card that is configured to see the STB channels). Now At 8:30 I notice there is something nice to record off the STB at 9:00-10:30'ish. But this capture card is already occupied. If the other card was "secondary", GBPVR would understand that it can control the STB to set the channel and use the other card to record this channel.

In fact to solve this, all I need is to define both capture cards as seeing the STB's channels, and have Sub add logic to GBPVR that makes it understand the notion of "single STB". Kind of "link the capture sources' channel changer". And generate a conflict if a "linked" capture source wants to change channel on a linked channel changer during a scheduled show.

How's that sound?

GGF

[Pioneer4x4]

I understand better now. And I agree that what you like would be nice. I guess for that to work, you would also need 2 independant channel changers, or I guess they could both use the same girder setup.

What do you have for a channel chaner on your cable box?

I would setup them both up to use it if possible, and manually remove conflicts that you know can't work in the mean time.

[GoodGuys]

I understand better now. And I agree that what you like would be nice. I guess for that to work, you would also need 2 independant channel changers, or I guess they could both use the same girder setup.

What do you have for a channel chaner on your cable box?

I would setup them both up to use it if possible, and manually remove conflicts that you know can't work in the mean time.

Now, I just have one STB, so only one physical channel changer. I don't use Girder. I use a single USB-UIRT with an IR blaster LED on a wire.
Fixing conflicts manually is fine for me, not for my wife. As long as she can make a mistake, I must ensure to avoid it.
Sub? Any comments?

Thanks,
GGF

[sub]

To be quite honest, I dont want to build logic for coping with multiple physical capture devices needing to share one set top box. I dont think its all common (having had no requests for it in the past), and really complicates the scheduling logic. Sorry.