Plugin for group to record/share last 30 days of tv

[HappyTalk]

I always imagined that sometime in the future when all is well, that we would be able to scroll back through the last month or so of our EPG and just click on any program and watch it, i.e without needing to have recorded it first. Using the new remote tv server of mediaportal in combination with xvid encoding and bittorrent working behind the scenes in a plugin, peoples machines could co-operate as a tv-group with each dedicating say 30gb of local hard drive and a master controller would instruct the various machines what and when to record. Then the recordings could be auto-xvid compressed. When some other group member wants to watch that show it could be streamed (ideally) in real time using bittorrent or other p2p protocol (forced to work sequentially from random access points). They would then also be hosting it, so more popular shows could be streamed from multiple hosts and watchable in real time. Less popular ones could just show an ETA countdown as they are buffered until enough downloaded to begin playback. Redundancy could be built in by recording the same show on multiple machines at once, less popular p2p shares of same shows being deprecated.

The burden of recording /compressing/hosting the tv programs would be shared evenly among all machines with all the trickery hidden behind the scenes so the user just sees the regular EPG, clicks on any tv program (with 'remote recording available' icon) and gets to watch it. The users of the tv-group could shape the recordings made by marking shows yet to air on the EPG and in time it could learn the preferences of the group, or if possible just record all programs available on all channels. EG uk freeview with say 20 watchable channels = 480 hours a day say 240gb/day when xvid'd at ok quality (500mb/hour) so 240 members with 30 gb each could host a months shared tv. Given sky+ is aiming for 2.5 million users by 2010, 240 shouldn't be too many should it. Users could only subscribe to channels they can actually receive and ads wouldn't be stripped so there shouldn't be any copyright issues any different to recording them in the first place.

Under the hood it would be pretty complex to code but from the users p.o.v just an extra icon on the EPG.

[ASiDiE]

Interesting Idea... but what happens when a couple of the PC's crash... and that user is the only one with that show? The idea itself is pretty cool... but will it really work... how you want it too.

[styriaman]

Hi,

maybe it could work like a P2P program. If you select a show/film/recording in the past it will search on your HD and if not found it will search on TVEngine comunity, if someone has it already recorded (like you search for an specific file in an P2P program. This could happen in the background while selecting a EPG entry.

So you can get at least popular recordings from the past. I guess there is no need in the real to have every recording from a BC station, but I was often in the situation, that I missed a film/documentation etc - because someone told you about the interesting content - afterwards.

Regards

Joe

[graemef]

Out of interest, how much storage space would you need to record half a dozen channels or so for 6 hours a day (when the good programs are on).

If you could do this with a 700Gig drive then the EPG could highlight the shows for the period you recorded then it would be easy to set your TV server up. You would need the ability to auto delete recordings older than 2 days or so to prevent the HD from filling up. This would be very cool, I often miss a show and wish I could go back and watch it.

[frodo]

Its a nice idea, but there is a bigger problem besides all technical problems and things like harddisk storage

In (most) all countries its against to law to spread copies of tv-shows.
Tv-programs are copyrighted and if you are distributing them across the internet
then that is just as illegal as sharing warez with emule/bittorrent/...

Frodo

Update:
seems the MPAA is already taking measures against websites sharing tv-shows:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds21163.html

[HappyTalk]

I appreciate the legal issue, but where does the line get drawn?

If I use the future MP web interface on my work machine to cue up recordings and later stream them to watch on my work machine (as can be done in MythTV (if you were lucky) using vlc) is that OK?

What if my flatmate also logs on at his workplace and cues up some recordings and later streams them and maybe also watches some of the ones I have made. Has that now crossed the line? What if we co-own the machine having split the cost, giving us equel access to share the machine?

What If I set up a really powerfull machine cluster (20 servers, dedicating 1 per channel) that can record all UK TV for a month and allow people to co-own the system by buying shares which gives them passworded access to the machine.

Each of these examples gets ever closer to out and out illegal filesharing but still sitting on the 'personal TV recording' side of the fence (sort of). So I wonder at what point does it go from legal to illegal in the eyes of the law?

I did mention in the concept that only channels people can actually record anyway would be available and no ads stripped so in essence it would be no different to making the same recording at home (legally) on your sky+ box. Hmmmmmv

[Khris]

The only possible solution to this idea might be to allow the recorded shows on your MP box to be streamed to other MP users after they've searched for, and found something you had.

Of course that would definitely impact bandwidth.......but just an idea.

[frodo]

If I use the future MP web interface on my work machine to cue up recordings and later stream them to watch on my work machine (as can be done in MythTV (if you were lucky) using vlc) is that OK?

I'm not a lawyer, but i'm sure that streaming is allowed for personal use.

What if my flatmate also logs on at his workplace and cues up some recordings and later streams them and maybe also watches some of the ones I have made. Has that now crossed the line?

In most countries that would be illegal, but since you dont spread copies around (its just you and your buddy) i doubt that anyone would take legal actions against you.

What If I set up a really powerfull machine cluster (20 servers, dedicating 1 per channel) that can record all UK TV for a month and allow people to co-own the system by buying shares which gives them passworded access to the machine.

Now you definitely are a criminal;-)
The fact that they co-own the machine is nice, but irrelevant. The thing is the tv programs itself. They are copyrighted. You already pay to watch tv and so you're allowed to watch those programs. But you cannot tell for sure that all clients
are paying to watch these tv programs. (even if they are FTA)

In the end the law is different in every country, and so are any possible actions taken against crime.

Frodo