[mythtv-users] NEW - BIG PROBLEM! Watching LiveTV is very slow !!!!!

[Brad Templeton]

On Tue, Dec 14, 2004 at 05:04:15PM -0800, Bruce Markey wrote:
> Even if you wanted to watch near real time, whatever that means
> or if it really mattered, you're still better off watching the
> recorded file in progress than relying on the ringbuffer. If

Indeed, but this is just advice because the ringbuffer needs some
design work.  It should be damn near impossible to lose the ringbuffer.
Even if you change channels, even if you kill the front end.  You
should be able to rewind back through channel changes (possibly with
a pause and warning as you go through them).

The Tivo also fails this test, and you can lose the ringbuffer by
accident by hitting a number button or channel change button.

The only way to lose the ringbuffer should be if space is needed
to record a program you have requested and can't be freed another
way.   Material more than 30 minutes prior to your watch point can
generally be considered ripe for release.

Of course, you can attain this by asking for a recording rather than
ring buffer.  However, a 4 hour sporting event in HD is going to be
almost 30 gigabytes, and you might not have the space to keep it when
all you want to do is watch 20 minutes behind.

A common trick for sports and other live items on Tivo is as follows:

    a) When the show begins, pause the viewing and watch a recording
    in your library for some buffer period, like 20 minutes.

    b) Switch to the live event.  Skip over commercials, pitching
    changes other boring stuff. 

    c) When you get to "live", pause again and watcy a show in your
    library for another 20 minutes.

This, I don't think, you can do easily with MythTV.  You must request
to record the show, which as noted may take 30gb of space for a big
sporting event or the Academy Awards or whatever in HD.  Yes, 30GB
is cheap but most people fill up their disks, so every attempt
to record 30GB punts something else.