[mythtv-users] Watchlist

[Bruce Markey]

Kevin Kuphal wrote:
> Lisa Wilson wrote:
>> I have noticed on the newer svn version that there is now a watchlist 
>> in the listing of recorded shows. I can't make sense of this list and 
>> was wondering what it is supposed to be used for. I am sure there is a 
>> discussion of it somewhere I just couldn't find it after a quick 
>> search. Thanks

http://cvs.mythtv.org/trac/changeset/11310

> It lists the shows you "should" watch to catch up to series that you 
> might be behind.  For example, I regularly watch Amazing Race but I have 
> all the episodes of Friday Night Lights unwatched.  My regular "All 
> Programs" shows AR at the top and all my FNL below.  My Watch List will 
> show me one of each and only the first recorded episode of FNL because I 
> haven't watched it yet.   Makes it much easier to find which episode I'm 
> at.  Especially since I've also watched half of the aired Heroes 
> episodes and have them there as well.

Thank you, Kevin. I struggle to find a concise way to describe
this and you've done a good job here.

Lisa, the list is sorted by a scoring system that tries to point
out the shows that may be falling through the cracks. Choosing
shows from the top of this list should help you get caught up
efficiently. The score can be seen on the Program Details page
("U") and is based mostly on when things were recorded and when
the next episode is scheduled to record.

I've used DVRs for several years and what normally happens for me
is that I watch my favorite shows the same day and leave other
things for later. These other shows move progressively down the
list over time. After I watch the shows I want to see right away,
I then scroll down pages and pages looking for things I want to
or need to watch next. Sometimes I notice in my schedule that a
new episode is about to record and realize that I hadn't watched
last week's episode yet. 

The Watch List automates how I used to search for these overlooked
episodes and pushes them to the top. I can simply choose things
from the first page and know that I'm not forgetting something,

The list only includes the one oldest episode for each record
rule but the number of current recordings is a big part of the
score. Kevin's "Friday Night Lights" should be at or near the
top of his list. After he deletes one (or marks auto-expire,
watched or preserved) the list will not include FNL again for
the next few days so that it won't suggest the same show over
and over again. For the recordings that remain in the list,
the total score is affected by:

- how many recordings are there for the recording rule

- how many days old is the recording

- how frequently does it appear to record (daily, weekly, not
recurring)

- how soon will the next episode record

- how recently did it record (put new recordings near the top
temporarily)

- how close is the recording time of day to the current time of day

--  bjm