GBPVR timed recording logic puzzle

[rscheller]

GBPVR has four recording options as follows,

Record Once
Record Season (All episodes on this channel)
Record Season (All in this weekly timeslot, this channel)
Record Season (All in this daily timeslot, this channel)

I almost always use Record Season (All episodes on this channel). I've learned to use only this option because US broadcasters may also air extra new episodes of a show during a given week.

The problem with using Record Season (All episodes on this channel) with US broadcasters is they'll often replay multiple airings of a particular new episode of a TV show in a given week which leads to duplicate recordings.

Along with those broadcasting practice randomness, I typically record a show and watch it within the same week it was recorded and then immediately delete it to save on HDD space.

I don’t have any real suggestions to make this work any better, but I sure wish there was a way to more precisely eliminate the duplicates while still recording the random extra shows.

Someone want to solve the logic puzzle?

[kayak4ever]

I've been trying to puzzle out what it is that I want in this area.
If you check "don't record duplicates" in the config panel, you will activate the program's logic which is simply to not record the same show that the machine has already recorded that is still in your directories (assuming you are in a location that uses zap2it for scheduling). See http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?t=23117

Various plugins also eliminate repeats, including TV Guide Supercharger,Video Archive and EPGextra. The TVGuideSupercharger plugin downloads additional information from zap2it in I-XMLtv that will indicate an "*" wherever the show is scheduled to be a new show. If you have this plugin active, a season's recordings of "smallville*" is different from a season's recordings of "smallville". If you select Record Season (all episodes on this channel) for a show with a * at the end, you will only get all the new episodes. This doesn't help if you missed an episode or two and want to catch the missing shows that are no longer "new episodes". For this you would have to also record an "all episodes in this particular timeslot" for an episode without an * at the end of its name. However, and I haven't checked this out yet, you might get the same show conflicting with itself.

In Video Archive, I found that the "don't record duplicate" feature has an option in the settings part of the config file to create exceptions to the don't record duplicates which could be my answer to recording mostly only new episodes (except when I think I have missed an episode). However, I'm guessing that VidoeArchive and TV SuperCharger don't interact together so the exceptions will only apply to duplicates as understood by VideoArchive, and not necessarily TV Supercharger.

However, for me, this is still work in progress, so you may want to check out my logic based on other replies.

[rscheller]

I didn't mention it specifically but I do use zap2it (US user) and I do have the "don't record duplicates" checked. Perhaps an explanation of the four recording types as I understand them is needed. Someone correct me if I have this wrong.

Record Once
any single recording of a date and timeslot on a specific channel

Record Season (All episodes on this channel)
record any/all occurrences of a show title on any one channel any day any timeslot

Record Season (All in this weekly timeslot, this channel)
record whatever is on in a particular weekday in a particular timeslot on the selected channel

Record Season (All in this daily timeslot, this channel)
record whatever is on each and everyday in a particular timeslot on the selected channel

As I see it, only Record Season (All episodes on this channel) is specific to the show title and even it can fail if a show is time shifted by the networks. Any other recording type is only day, time and channel specific because I know from experience if 'my show' gets rescheduled or time shifted even slightly using any of these three, GBPVR will record something unintended and I'll miss part or all of the intended show. I know that's not a GBPVR problem but... I'm brain-storming here.

kayal4ever, your comments about TVGuideSupercharger and the * are interesting. I've looked at that plugin several times in the past but I tend to stay away from most plugins for concern over breaking GBPVR... especially during an update.

[rbelisle]

I think your logic is right on all counts. Since you use zap2it, you can check 'Don't record duplicates'. In that case, if the recording already exists on the system, it will not record it again, regardless of what channel it is show on. (ie. you get two ABC feeds one east coast time, one west coast. You set the programs to record all episodes on each channel. It will only record the east coast one (being aired earlier) and not the west coast one.)

I too have tried to stay away from too many plugins, however I do use TV guide supercharger and it does everything "outside" of gbpvr. The only thing you change is the location for your guide updates from 'Zap2It' to the XML file that the supercharger creates. There is really no way to have an update break this and I have been using through 3 or 4 updates now and have never had a problem.

Good Luck.

[rscheller]

If a show title is set to 'Record Season (All episodes on this channel)' what exactly does GBPVR look at to determine if a pending recording is or isn't a duplicate?

[stefan]

"show id" in the zap2it data.

[rscheller]

I don't believe it's as simple as that stefan. I may be wrong?

Perhaps if someone can provide a full explanation of exactly what happens in GBPVR when a show title is set to be 'Record Season (All episodes on this channel)' all the way through to the individual show titles being deleted.

I know it's a database thing but the details may help immeasurably.

I guess what I'm really getting at is some kind of marker left behind when a show title is deleted so that watched show title will never be recorded again.

[stefan]

Read my signature

[kayak4ever]

from the various posts that I have read, I think "record season" in all its varients only records the show specified. The program even has a way to deal with networks moving shows around a bit, that is, if the showtime is moved forward or back by 90 minutes or less, GB_pvr will record it (yes, I know it doesn't always seem to be the case) and, if you use Showsearch, you can change the 90 minute window to something bigger or smaller.

My guess as to why the 90 minute shifting does always work can best be explained by example. I have a season record, this time, day and channel only for both How I met my mother (normally on a 8p.m.) and The Class (normally on at 8:30p.m., different channel). I don't know enough about computer logic but when the network moved "how I met my mother" forward to 8:30, a conflict arose and it didn't record. Likewise, when the network with the Class moved back 1/2 hour for the same week, it too didn't record, same reason. Computer likely didn't realize that the two changes could be accommodated because they balance each other out; proving that people are still intuitively smarter than machines (lol).

With respect to getting unwanted shows, on the rare times that it has occurred, I have been assuming that the network maded the change too late to reach the zap2it update.

[stefan]

if you use Showsearch, you can change the 90 minute window to something bigger or smaller.

You can change this in config.xml without using showsearch. It's called allowabletimeslotvariance.