Scheduling Question

[jcole998]

I have a question about how NextPVR allocates tuners for recordings.

The picture below(an extract from the Scheduled_Recordings table) shows four shows to be recorded on 12/10/2018, two back-to-back shows on different channels. Specifically, while Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow share the same tuner, Bull and Magnum P.I. do not.

Is there some reason why not? The reason I ask is that a third tuner may be need for a third channel at the same time. Does priority have something to do with it?
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[sub]

It'll come down to the order they were scheduled, and the priority assigned to those recordings.

NextPVR works through the season recordings in priority order, looking for episodes that match the requirements of the recurring recording. For each recording that needs to be scheduled, it'll go through the capture sources (in priority order), looking for the first available capture source, that has the required channel, that is able to make the recording. If it finds one, then it is provisionally marked as the capture source that will perform the recording.

Note these capture sources listed above are only the provisionally allocated tuners. This forms part of the 'recording plan' to ensure it'll have enough tuners at recording time for all the required recordings. At recording time it may opt to move a recording to a different tuner for various reasons (like to give some a recording a chance to record padding, or maybe a tuner was being used for live tv forcing a plan change).

[jcole998]

I see in the logs for this situation(choosing different tuners for back-to-back programs) something like "About to start recording with pre-padding but tuner not available". May I suggest that when a show with pre-padding is about to begin recording that NextPVR first look for a tuner already tuned the needed channel and if found, share that tuner thus not using an additional resource.

Is there some situation that would disallow this logical choice?

[sub]

I see in the logs for this situation(choosing different tuners for back-to-back programs) something like "About to start recording with pre-padding but tuner not available". May I suggest that when a show with pre-padding is about to begin recording that NextPVR first look for a tuner already tuned the needed channel and if found, share that tuner thus not using an additional resource.

Is there some situation that would disallow this logical choice?

It will generally try to do that, but it wont move it to another device if that device is provisionally down to be used for something else later (before the end of post padding)

[jcole998]

Hello, sub.

I'm still not getting why a tuner is being ignored. Please see the schedule below:
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The DCR-3250 has three tuners marked as resources 21, 22 and 23. Why does NextPVR not pick unused resource 23 to schedule The Rookie? NextPVR is always logging that the when a pre-padding recording is to start, there is no tuner available. I've come to believe that the log entry actually means that the tuner originally selected for this recording is in use and a new assignment must be looked for. The recording schedule is filled with these situations with resource 23 never being selected. Has NextPVR somehow marked resource 23 as a spare? Why wait to assign a perfectly good resource?

(Sorry, sub, but my frustration is peeking through a little. Please forgive me.)

[Graham]

The recording schedule is filled with these situations with resource 23 never being selected.

Is "multi-record" a factor here?

NextPVR will use a single tuner to "multi-record" shows on two channels when both channels are broadcasting on the same frequency.

[mvallevand]

Is "multi-record" a factor here?

NextPVR will use a single tuner to "multi-record" shows on two channels when both channels are broadcasting on the same frequency.

@jcole998 has posted several related posts and he is getting a bit spammy. In any case in his last tests it seems multi-rec was inconsistent https://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.ph...ding-Issue so like I posted then sub needs to comment.

For the example just posted tuner 21 does seem to be the "first" tuner at 10pm so the pre-allocation is correct. Based on what sub has posted, and with no recordings scheduled after these, when checking at the pre-padding time the recording service should use tuner 23 to give the proper pre-padding. I guess we'd need need to see the logs tomorrow.

Martin

[sub]

Why does NextPVR not pick unused resource 23 to schedule The Rookie?

The short answer is - I don't know.

Yeah, the logs might help tell us something more about why it's happening.

[jcole998]

Thanks for being patient. Logs attached showing execution of above schedule.

[mvallevand]

Thanks for being patient. Logs attached showing execution of above schedule.

The Rockie started recording on 23 as expected with one minute of padding. Was there any problem wiith the file?

Martin