External Recordings Manager

[KingArgyle]

With sub taking a well deserved break, and since I have seen this requested a number of times, I'm fielding questions and suggestions on an External Recordings Manager. Basically, it'll be an XML file that contains a list of the Shows that you want to record. Within the file, will be the ability to specify the priority a show gets, and the channel that it airs. The main reason for this is to help with some of the conflicts that can occur. If two shows come on at the sametime and you only have one tuner, then you have a conflict. There will be the ability to specify which CaptureSource to use (i.e. if you have more than one Tuner, which tuner to use) If a tuner is not specified, it will default to tuner that doesn't have anything scheduled at that time.

This will be console based app, and probably should be run after the Episode Guide update occurs. This is a seperate application from the AddReOccuring utility that I wrote to search for Keywords in the episode guide. I know that Jorm is enhancing that utility to work with his Zap2It meta database.

Actual recordings, will still be handled by GBPVR. All entries will be entered in as ONCE recordings just as GBPVR currently does for all recordings. I will also add an interface to the Web Admin to manage the priority of the recordings. If somebody wants to write a plugin manager for this, that would be great.

Anyway, below is the sample XML file I'm thinking of using. Comments and feature requests are welcome. I have no specific time frame to completing this, but hope to have something before the end of the year.

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">
<GBPVR>
<Recording type="Season" priority="1">
<Channel>4</Channel>
<ProgramName>Days of Our Lives</ProgramName>
<RecordingType>All Episodes</RecordingType>
<CaptureSource>1</CaptureSource>
</Recording>
<Recording type="Season" priority="2">
<Channel>3</Channel>
<ProgramName>Star Trek: Enterprise</ProgramName>
<RecordingType>New Episodes</RecordingType>
<CaptureSource>1</CaptureSource>
</Recording>
<Recording type="Single" priority="3">
<Channel>37</Channel>
<ProgramName>West Wing</ProgramName>
<RecordingType>All Episodes</RecordingType>
<CaptureSource>1</CaptureSource>
<ScheduleTime>
<Start date="2004-04-10" time="14:00"/>
<End date="2004-10-10"/>
</ScheduleTime>
</Recording>
<Recording type="Season" priority="4">
<Channel>4</Channel>
<ProgramName>West Wing</ProgramName>
<RecordingType>All Episodes</RecordingType>
<CaptureSource>1</CaptureSource>
</Recording>
<Recording type="All" priority="5">
<ProgramName>Stargate: Atlantis</ProgramName>
<RecordingType>All Episodes</RecordingType>
<CaptureSource>1</CaptureSource>
</Recording>
<Recording type="Manual" priority="6">
<Channel>4</Channel>
<ProgramName>Manual</ProgramName>
<RecordingType>Daily/Weekly</RecordingType>
<CaptureSource>1</CaptureSource>
<ScheduleTime>
<Start date="2004-04-10" time="14:00"/>
<End date="2004-10-10"/>
</ScheduleTime>
</Recording>
</GBPVR>
[/QUOTE]

Yes, &quot;Days of Our Lives&quot; is on there for my wife. There is #### to pay if that is not recorded.

For the type attribute, the values are &quot;All&quot;, &quot;Season&quot;, &quot;Single&quot;. All - scans all channels for this Episode. Season specifies a season recording, and Single specifies a one time recording that is removed from the list. This can have a ScheduleTime element, that specifies when this program should start recording, and within there an EndDate if specified indicates that this program stops being scheduled on that date and is removed from the list.

The rest I think is fairly self explanatory.

[tschoo]

It would be great if you make this application, KingArgyle!

A few comments:
- please allow to specify also 'manual recordings' (with pre- and post-paddings) which are not present within the TV-guide database
- it would be great to allow to specify recordings on the command-line of the app too (by giving option arguments)
- if possible, add a way to delete recordings too

-tschoo

[reven]

tschoo i think KingArgyle is just implement prority of recordings, which you schedule recordings via that, and that schedules them into gbpvr (so if there is a conflict, it test which one is more important, and then schedules only that one). so its not a &quot;recordings&quot; plugin itself. correct me if im wrong but i think thats the idea.

[KingArgyle]

Basically, you have it Reven. In some ways it can be used to replace the existing Recording Scheduler that runs after the episode guide is updated. In fact, I may try it that way on my home system for a while.

I'm going to start working on this today, as I need this functionality if I'm going to fully move from BTV 3.5 to GBPVR. I have to have Priority scheduling as I have several programs that come on at the same time, and there are certain recordings that I want to happen, but if there is a conflict I want to still find another day where the conflicted program can try to be rescheduled.

I will add Manual recordings, to the priority list though. However, if it is a manual recording, and there is a conflict, there is not going to be a way to automaticly resolve the manual recording.

A Manual Recording Entry would look something like this:
<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">
<Recording type="Manual" priority="6">
<Channel>4</Channel>
<ProgramName>Manual</ProgramName>
<RecordingType>Daily</RecordingType>
<CaptureSource>1</CaptureSource>
<ScheduleTime>
<Start date="2004-04-10" time="14:00" duration="60"/>
<End date="2004-10-10"/>
</ScheduleTime>
</Recording>
[/QUOTE]

Options for recording Type could be Daily, Weekly, Weekdays, Weekends. Duration would be in minutes.

I'll also look at adding padding to individual recordings.
<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">
<Padding>
<PrePadding>1</PrePadding>
<PostPadding>2</PostPadding>
</Padding>
[/QUOTE]

[jrockintuitive]

In the &quot;RecordingType&quot; element are we capturing the ability to distinguish between first airings of a episode as well as first time I will record this episode? I know the later might be more difficult because it would require you to store a unique ID for a show. This eposide ID can only be stored after that show has been recorded.

I think it would be great if you can colloborate with Jorm on this. If I can us xrecord as a front end to add/edit these additional fields, I would be a very happy camper.

Although my time is extremely limited right now, if I can help in anyway, please do not hesitate to ask.


JRock

[KingArgyle]

The values for RecordingType are:

All Episodes - Record all Episodes (includes repeats)
New Episodes- Record only new Episodes

If a manual recording is scheduled then:
Daily,
Weekly
Weekends
Weekdays

[jrockintuitive]

In my cryptic way I was asking for another Recording Type:

Never Recorded Episodes - Record all episodes that I have never recorded

Whatcha think?

[KingArgyle]

Quote[/b] (jrockintuitive @ Dec. 20 2004,12:45)]In my cryptic way I was asking for another Recording Type:

Never Recorded Episodes - Record all episodes that I have never recorded

Whatcha think?

Short answer: maybe:

That is sorta how I want the scheduler to work by default. However, I might have to keep track of these files myself in an external table or database. Something that keeps track of episodes that have been recorded, along with subtitle information (if it is available). If the subtitle information isn't available it'll record the episode regardless if it has been recorded or not. If the subtitle information is available, it records it only if they don't match for that Episode.

So if we were recording Star Trek: Enterprise, and we had previously recorded an episode called &quot;A&quot;, and another airing of it is coming up, then &quot;A&quot; will not get added to the list. However, &quot;B&quot; would be added to the list, and then added to the previously recorded list.

The problem comes when maintenance of this has to occur. I delete most of my recordings after I watch them, so this would leave uncessary files in the new table. I know BTV has a couple of services that constantly run and update the XML files it uses to store previously recorded show information. I might have to develop something similar for managing these episodes that were previously recorded.

This funcationality will be one of the last things I implement. I have the main functions coded, just need to write the prioritization code and test a few recordings.

[KingArgyle]

Brief Status Update:

I have most of the functions that are needed coded. I'm having to code some direct reads to the database, but I'm making them using the OleDB.NET connections, and getting the provider information from the GBPVR config.xml file so they should be database independent (I'm trying to avoid database specific functions in the SQL).

One of the items, I had happen the other night using the standard GBPVR recording manager was that Bravo Apparently changed it's lineup since I had scheduled a recording. So when I went to watch the show that should have recorded, I didn't get what I expected. I'm going to add a verification item to the External Recording Manager, so that it can verify if a show is truely still scheduled at that time. If it isn't still airing according to the program guide, it'll cancel the recording, and try to reschedule the show.

Code is in place to check the listing of Known Good recordings (i.e. ones that have made it through the verification process), and check it's priority. If a show has a higher priority than the one that is schedule, it'll cancel it, and try to reschedule it later when it's priority shows back up.

I'm hoping to have a beta release ready by the beginning of the year.

[KingArgyle]

Status Update:

1. Finished verification against program guide, and scheduled programs. If the episode is no longer in the guide, then the show is canceled. It will try to be rescheduled later in the process.

2. Code is in place to check the current scheduled recordings, and those to be scheduled. If their is a higher priority program at the same time, the current recording is canceled, and the higher priority recording added.

3. checkConflict method coded. Basically checks all the possibilities that can occur that will put a show in conflict with another show. If a conflict is found, returns the priority Recording that is in conflict with the current scheduled program.

I should be on track for an end of year beta of the program.