Feature Wishlist (Backend Addons)

This articles represents a subsection of the Feature Wishlist.

Backend Addons

General

• Have MythTV emulate a standard uPnP "Media Server" to take advantage of "media center extender" hardware- See thread - one example: CyberMedia Gate
• Use RendezVous to let frontend and backend autodiscover each other
• Be able to change channels in the program guide. When selecting a channel you are only able to set the recording priorities (I know of the option to just change the channel). There should also be a "Turn to this channel immediately" menu item in the record menu. This way you can use both features in one, without having to switch the guide behavior in the setup.
• Ability to save the stream from a single capture card to more than one file, and awareness of this capability by the scheduler. This would allow scheduling two "overlapping" recordings (because one or both had a preroll or postroll, and they aired consecutively on the same channel) to each have their prerolls and postrolls preserved, without requiring using a second tuner just because there was an overlap of a few minutes. This potentially doubles traffic to the disk during that interval, but disk bandwidth is relatively cheap, and adding extra tuners to deal with this problem is not (and maybe even be impossible for machines with few PCI slots). [Consider especially the case of an episode marathon, all of which will eventually get saved to DVD. Without prerolling/postrolling, any scheduling offset is guaranteed to chop off the beginning/end of each episode if there's the slightest clock skew, the missing pieces may wind up on different DVDs, and there may still be missing pieces due to the dropped seconds while the tuner reininitalizes itself at the beginning of each capture. Avoiding this with pre/postrolls currently doubles the number of tuners required, but writing the overlap intervals simultaneously would not.] This would be of significant benefit in Australia, where pretty much everything starts/ends many minutes early/late (5-10 minutes is quite common). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
• Add Support to view multiple Channels from one Transponder with DVB. So that you can use more recordings, PIP as if you have two cards if you only have one. Handle multiple DVB channels simultaneously from a single multiplex
• Provide some way for users with multiple available tv cards to switch channels, while keeping the ringbuffer for the previous channel until system runs out of tv cards. This would allow flipping between two shows and keeping the ringbuffer for both
• Similar to previous idea, add support for "idle priority" recordings. This is perhaps a way to minimise channel change time in LiveTV. Unused cards in the BE could be tuned and recording preset channel(s) in case of a channel change. These recordings can be overridden by any scheduled recording, unless the user presses "R" to record them. Naturally, these recordings will be auto-expired preferentially. The channels that are being recorded can be changed to follow the users channel surfing habit. Combined with the multiple channels from single multiplex idea this could generate seamless channel surfing.
• Add Support to use Internet TV from the backend, so that it could be use like a normal Channel (Record, Skip Back, ...) --Anaerin Also known as IPTV
• A better Plugin interface, so that Plugins are not only Extra Applications, they should also be able to interact directly with backend functions...
• Use Matroska (*.mkv) in mtd. Matroska is an envelope for which there can be many audio, video and subtitles streams, allowing the user to store a complete movie or CD in a single file.

• Provide a transcode to divx or xvid while recording option. Save a ringbuffer that is transcoded to divx and store in database as a TV Recording after processing to divx
• After an initial transcode from mpeg2 to mpeg4, I would like to be able to do a mega-sqeeze using nuvexport for archival purposes but still keep the file in mythtv records -- not in videos. Can .nuv be used as a container for xvid? I.E. initial PVR250 recording for an hour takes up 2gb. Transcode to mpeg4 brings this down to 1gb. Nuvexport "transcode" to xvid brings it down to ~400mb and keeps the recording and program info in mythtv.
• Have mythbackend back up the mythconverg database on a flexible schedule.
• support for secondary storage via NFS - when primary storage is full on a backend, go to secondary storage -- like a storage heirarchy
• provide arbitrary encapsulation of ANY UNIX application started fullscreen inside of a VNC session and assign to a Channel - I.E - start a vnc session with xterm in fullscreen, assign to channel 100, start xchat logging into #mythtv-users and assign to channel 101, etc.
• more tightly integrate mythfilldatabase into mythtv-setup...the setup tool should be able to know if you're the backend or not and know when you last ran mythfilldatabase...and it should let you run it from the gui.
• Allow manual setting of DVB video/audio PIDs rather than always using on-air information - this would allow watching BBC Parliament / News Multiscreen video in UK
• email notification when Recording conflict (might as well include the option for AIM/Jabber notifications )
• including support for SQLite (or PostgresSQL) might make configuration simpler for machines that are only running MySQL for MythTV anyways - MySQL configuration is a common source of problems for new users
• Add option to limit the time length or filesize of recordings. Long length MythTV recordings would automatically span multiple files similar to film rolls. Allows TV marathons, sporting events, etc to be broken up into manageable pieces.

Hardware support

• Per-card audio level controls, to compensate for potentially double-digit dB differences in capture levels across differing revisions, models, and even brands of capture cards. (Extra credit while working there: per-input and per-channel controls as well.) Discussion and potential design can be found at Why is my 350's audio so much l-l-louder! than the 250's? and No per-individual line-level adjust: bug or missing feature? and (inadvertently broken thread) here.
• ATI AIW support, this is a difficult one. (I don't expect this ever to work but who knows HenkPoley) Not going to happen the AIW card is a horrible capture card (from a driver standpoint).
• A solution to allow MythTV to watch and record encrypted digital cable broadcasts that the user has licensed. This is an EXTREME pipe dream as it would require 1) cooperation, or at least noninterference, from the cable companies; 2) digital receiver cards that can accept CAMs from the cable provider; 3) volunteers to code the drivers.

Note that this isn't *quite* as far fetched as it sounds. It *may* prove possible to receive unencrypted (non-pay) digital cable channels in the US with the pcHDTV3000 card. The encrypted ones would require a card compatible with a CableCard decryption card -- which cable companies *are* required to provide if you ask for one... but we're unlikely to see such a card ship *before* the July 1 2004 advent of the broadcast flag. So support EFF in getting it thrown out.  :-) -- BayLink

That was old commentary, but CableCard-capable HDTV tuner cards are actually expected in 2006 or early 07; see the news page. --Baylink 05:50, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

Arstechnica wrote about news from CES that says we shouldn't get our hopes up.

• Support HD hardware decoder card(s). The Sigma Designs HD decoder can do MPEG2 and MPEG4 decoding, making the CPU requirements on the frontend extremely low. There is a project to reverse engineer Linux drivers for the MyHD line of cards, based on the Teralogic Janus design, which includes an HD MPEG2 decoder. Theoretically, it would behave just like a PVR-350, but with full HD support.
• Automatic record/playback tweaking - trade-offs between

CPU usage and disk size?

Initial setup

• Channel icons when using DataDirect for new users (See Official Docs - WikiMyth)
• Provide an option under setup that will gather system/mythtv config and info and allow a user to send an email to mythtv-users mail lists after careful prompting to ensure that new users can file useful bug reports or ask for help while including as much required information to provide a solution (Something similar to bug-buddy )
• Add default MythTV setup options for ALSA : default for alsa devices and mixer. Provide documentation on how to have all ALSA output go though mixer (so that two sounds can play at the same time)
• suggestion that would require some v4l support... autodetect / enumerate all cards (and then of course allow deletion of individual sources via mythtv-setup).
• When no channels are found during the channel scan it would be less confusing to have a message indicating this.

Parental controls / User permissions

• Channel lock,or just 'lock'. Users can receive a warning when attempting to change the channel while not caught up to real time, so the original purpose behind this is moot.. Might (still) be handy for parents with little kids.
• Add ability for mythtv to log all shows watched (live or recorded) during a day and store in a unique log file per day to store tv watching history. Add ability to put parental controls on mythtv to only allow a given number of hours of tv watching during the day, only allow certain channels during certain times on certain days of the week.
• How about a feature that would allow you to 'markup' DVD's to skip unwanted scenes for parental control or even look at the subtitles and mute when there are bad words? DVD subtitles are images, so that last part would require significant OCR'ing...
• The ability to lock out specific frontends from specific channels (still tuneable, just not watchable. 4-digit PIN code to override). Maybe you have one frontend in the living room, one in the bedroom and one in the kids' room. It would be nice to be able to only send Cartoon Network, etc. into the kids' room while sending Playboy TV, etc. only to the bedroom... I imagine setting up a "standard package" and then registering the frontends somehow and customizing their channels. I guess this sounds awfully broadcasterish, which is not the original intention, but apparently a positive sideeffect ;-)

Intelligent recording / Commercial detection

• Recording suggestions, 2, 3}, á la TiVo
• Configurable "max_commercial_length", override recordedmarkup and skip max_commercial_length where appropriate. (sometimes I hit skip and jump 13 minutes, etc).
• More precise time offset for guide listings (My clock is spot on using NTP, but my provider's clock seems fast by 30-60 seconds). Or, allow "End Late" to be a negative value, could be used in combination with "Start Early" to accomplish same goal. This could also be used to compensate for any scheduler "lag".
• Speculatively record shows that the user *might* want to watch, even though the user hasn't manually asked for them. (But, of course, never let these take priority over shows the user says he definitely *does* want to be recorded). See http://www.templetons.com/brad/myth/tvwish.html
• Use Bayesian prediction (just like SpamAssassin) to get better at predicting which shows the user *might* want to watch. See http://www.whynot.net/view_idea?id=1236
• Have mythfilldatabase grab the additional "cast" data and insert it into the database, allowing searches for favorite actors or directors
• Allow selection on additional fields, e.g. only record a movie if it's being broadcast in widescreen.
• Conflict resolution: if two shows overlap a few minutes, don't NOT record one of them, but cut the minutes from the first or second show.
  • If two shows on the same channel overlap a few minutes, stream to two files during the overlap period. Then neither show will get cut off. Really useful in regions where the broadcasters slip the schedule a lot.
• Record/don't record on certain channels. Add the ability to have a channel include/exclude list that lets the scheduler consider certain channels or bars it from considering certain channels. This will allow me to record Lost on any FOX affiliate, but keep MythTV from mistaking the Lost reality show on FOX Reality for the drama series.

Under mythtv-setup you can assign priorities for channels and out-right remove them. For example, I have two ABC affiliates and I prefer to record form WABC vs. the local, so I have WABC higher priority.

• Allow backend to change tuner selection for recording on the fly if a user is watching live TV. (I have three tuner cards, and while I'm watching live TV, the backend often takes over the tuner I'm using, despite two other tuners being available.) <This is available "Utilities/Setup -> Setup -> General -> Avoid conflicts between live TV and scheduled shows">
• Commercial flag sharing: mythcommflag is replicating the same work on many devices. If I'm scanning "Lost" for commercials, it would be nice if others could benefit from that and greatly decrease the work needed to be done on other systems recording the same show.
• Commercial flagging profiles: A US broadcast TV show often uses the same basic commercial layout for all expisodes. Knowing that the show will have 5 commercial breaks, of durations "3min,3min,5min,3min,3min" with gaps of no less than 6 minutes between them, could be used to optimize flagging.
• Partial recordings flag — my gf loves American Idol, but I want to record a 30 min show during its two hour show. So, I want MythTV to record the first 60 min then stop and record the last 30 min (she just wants as much as possible).