Multi Tuner support

[Kasper]

Hi all
I have two tuners. Can anyone confirm what the normal operation of GBPVR should be when recording 1 programme 6 to 7 on Channel 1 and then a second programme 7 to 7:30 on channel 2. I would have expected the system to use the second available tuner for the second programme but it did not it stopped the first recording at 7 and then used the same tuner to start the next recording slightly later than 7. Both recordings had 3 mins pre padding and 5 mins post.

[stefan]

If you open config.xml and have a look in it, there are two settings. I can't remember both of them now... one is <preferalternatingcapturesources>, and I think the other one lives just below or above it. Play around with them until you get the correct behavior. Someone on here might be able to give you the exact meaning of them. I used to know, but have forgotten.

[Kasper]

If you open config.xml and have a look in it, there are two settings. I can't remember both of them now... one is <preferalternatingcapturesources>, and I think the other one lives just below or above it. Play around with them until you get the correct behavior. Someone on here might be able to give you the exact meaning of them. I used to know, but have forgotten.

Hi Stefan

Thanks very much for your reply however been there done that. Preferalternating was set to false but changing to true made no difference. The other setting I suspect is honourpadding. That didn't seem to help either. If I do manual recordings with an overlap time there is no problem. However I seem to remember reading something about it working more logically with more than two tuners so I am about to throw another one in and try that. Why can't these things be straightforward. I don't think my definition of logic is that far wrong.

Regards
Wayne

[sub]

If you have two capture devices, and <PreferAlternatingCaptureSources> is set to true, then (for example) schedule a recording from 9-10pm and another from 10-11pm, then these will be scheduled on different devices.

[Kasper]

If you have two capture devices, and <PreferAlternatingCaptureSources> is set to true, then (for example) schedule a recording from 9-10pm and another from 10-11pm, then these will be scheduled on different devices.

Thanks Sub

That was the way I started out but to no avail. However I have now changed TryToHonourPadding to false and it seems over the 4 tests I have done to be working correctly. GO figure.

About to throw a third tuner into the mix so we will see what happens then. Final box will have 4 DVB-s tuners.

Oops spoke too soon. It seems to work fine for recordings on different channels but for sequential recordings on the one channel it still insists on using the one tuner. Looks like its back to manual scheduling where I can set the start time to be earlier than I get from the EPG cause overlapping recordings allways seems to work

Regards
Wayne

[nia]

Oops spoke too soon. It seems to work fine for recordings on different channels but for sequential recordings on the one channel it still insists on using the one tuner.

I actually see the same behaviour i my setup. :confused:

Haven't gotten around to actually do the "tripple-cross-check-and-document-everything-and-catch-logs" type of debugging to give to the forum/sub for best chances of having it fixed and elimination of self-induced errors. I kind of get by, as I'm usually able to glue the ends together using mpg2cut2 as the recordings are virtually gapless.

I will take a closer look at the config-settings for the two parameters and see if I can confirm your observations in my environment.

/Niels

[Kasper]

Hi Nia

Thanks for that. Glad to see that it is not just me that has problems with the logic. I know that manually scheduling recordings with a start time earlier than the end time of the first recording works, but that kinda defeats the purpose of having an EPG.

If the programme logic is going to be flaky with this (I would of thought the simple philosophy of if 2 sequential recordings have padding use separate tuners if they don't use the same one would be logical to implement) I will have to go to manual scheduling.

Will try tomorrow with 3 tuners and see what that does.

Regards
Wayne

[stefan]

It should work with the correct settings of preferalternating... and honourpadding... However, I'd also guess that if the recordings were scheduled before you changed the values, then they will still be scheduled the same way. That is, only recordings scheduled after the change of settings will be affected by the changed settings. I think.

[Kasper]

It should work with the correct settings of preferalternating... and honourpadding... However, I'd also guess that if the recordings were scheduled before you changed the values, then they will still be scheduled the same way. That is, only recordings scheduled after the change of settings will be affected by the changed settings. I think.

Hi Stefan

Just been trolling through the database and discovered that the record source is stored with the entry as it is made so yes you are right.

Also I am not sure that if you add additional recordings in around the same time later whether it changes the sources for previously entered recordings. That's my next line of investigation.

Wayne

[stefan]

If you do an "empty EPG" and an "update EPG" you should be ok. I think it should reschedule all recordings then.