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PC channel change times will always be slower than TV's.  For one the TV's are hardware only so you get the speed.  No drivers to initialise, no codecs to set up etc etc.


There is a way around it but it would be a bit of work to implement.  Perhaps something for an addition to the new TV engine at some later point.


You would require 3 tuners.


When liveTV starts you construct 3 graphs (providing all tuners are free).  Tuner 1 starts on the default station (last used).  Tuner 2 tunes into the station prior in the list, tuner 3 tunes in to the next station in the list.  Time shifting could be enabled or not based on user configuration.


From then on any change in channel (via up/down type remote surfing), only requires switching the video to the primary display.  You then re-init 1 graph to the channel before/after dependant on which way you moved, that initialisation would happen in the background.  Assuming that you are going to watch the station you just flicked to for a perion of a few seconds, the graph initialisation should have completed in the background before you move on to the next station.


This would give you instantaneous surfing (to a point), but be far more resource hungry.  It's essentially picture in picture with 3 tuners.


It also wouldn't help if you jumped from 1 station to another farther away in the channel list (i.e. from the guide/miniguide).


In Australia though we only have 5 FTA stations and it's not impossible to envision a 5 tuner rig with all stations permanently tuned and timeshifting.


Cheers,


Arkay.


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