[mythtv-users] Recording rankings bug...?

[Axium Computer Services]

Tony Maro wrote:

>>Disclaimer:  I have not looked at the code or even installed myth yet 
>>(waiting for hardware), so the conflict resolution may 
>>already work the 
>>way I am about to describe.
>>
>>Here is a possible solution to improve the quality of 
>>conflict resolution.
>>
>>Lets take the example that Tony posted:
>>12/21 7-9PM Charmed   rank +1
>>12/21 7-7:30PM Simpsons rank -1
>>12/21 8-8:30PM Malcom rank -1
>>12/21 8-10PM Christmas Shoes rank +2 (one time recording)
>>
>>Run one pass of the scheduler as it is currently designed to 
>>determine 
>>what should be recorded,  then proceed to create a "table" 
>>(database or 
>>otherwise) containing a list of the times the tuner still has open.
>>
>>   7-7:30   |   7:30-8   |   8-8:30   |   8:30-9   |   9-9:30   |   
>>9:30-10   |
>>     open    |    open    |   used       |   used      |   
>>used      |   
>>used        |
>>
>>Then re-evaluate which shows not already set to record will 
>>fit in the 
>>free space:
>>
>>Will Charmed Fit?    No.
>>Will Simpons Fit?     Yes.
>>Will Malcom Fit?      No.
>>
>>    
>>
>
>This sounds tough when you think of how many channels there are, but
>considering you only have to do this for just scheduled recordings for a
>given day, it wouldn't be that bad with a recursive function.  Keep in
>mind though, that it intelligently looks to see if the same episode is
>playing at a different time so it can record it then instead... Which
>makes things even more complex.  Plus the rankings...  You'd need to
>re-evalue sorted by rankings I think, so that the next lower ranking
>gets first crack at available space.
>
>I'm a Linux Pascal programmer (Lazarus...
>http://www.lazarus.freepascal.org) so me looking at the C code wouldn't
>do much good. ;-)
>
>-Tony
>

You are abolutly correct that it is more complicated than my first post 
had presumed.  I have been spending some time reading threads on the dev 
group pertaining to such complications.  But the real key to my idea is 
that instead of finding which shows have the highest rank and then 
looking for a tuner with avalible time, it should be looked at the other 
way around, which tuners have avalible time, and which shows will fit 
into that time.  More precisely it would have to be a combination of 
both methods.   I have also determined that it would not take an 
excessive ammount of storage to keep a table for each tuner inticating 
what chanel it will be on every minute of every day.

Now of course the thing that really can throw all of this out of wack is 
if the user is watching live tv via the myth box, while a show is 
sheduled to record.  Now I can't say for sure as I don't have my box 
setup yet, but I susspect users are far more likely to be watching a 
recording at any given time than to be watching live tv.  Personally I 
think I will rarly if ever use the live tv functionality.

Anyway I am interested in more information on strange annomolies that 
affect scheduler.


Steven Potter