Multiple TV Cards Usage with TVE3 - Timeshift 2 channels & Record from TS (1 Viewer)

[GSteele]

Hi,

I'd like to know a few things about how TVE3 works with multiple cards and the Timeshift Buffer.

There are 2 scenarios I'd like help with:

1) Timeshifting 2 Channels on the same machine (TVServer or Client)

I want to be able to pause one channel then in a different stream on a different DVB-T card watch a bit of a different program pause that and switch back to the other channel and resume watching.

All sounds logical enough (to me) but pausing and changing channel doesn't work this way. The only way I seem to be able to get 2 streams on the same machine is to either record one channel and watch another, but then I can only watch the recording channel live I don't get the ability to timeshift. Or the other way is to Start a different stream on a client machine and then select that stream on my main/server machine.

Another nice side effect of timeshifting on 2 cards could be an "option" to create a virtual channel group when >=2 timeshift buffers are not live. Ie so you can flick between the 2 (or more) channels you are time shifting using Ch Up & Down buttons on a remote. Basically flicking between active streams instead of Channels (another way rather than a "virtual channel group" might be make an "action" or what ever is required so something like the MCE Remote Replacement Pluging could be used to map a button to flick streams).

Operations to create a 2nd stream on the one machine could be to ask if selected from EPG when 2 cards are present. ie Ask something like "Pause Current Channel and display selected Program: xyz". From live/Timeshifted TV if current channel is paused you could assume the user wants to timeshift on a second card. Otherwise to avoid TS buffers maybe if live TV just change channel ie require Paused TV to create 2nd (or nth) stream.


In the following quote from the master (Frodo) it could be implied that as the TVE3 client=UserX and a MediaPortal instance only runs one client then you can only start 1 stream per client, but in the Quote after that someone else explains a very plausible way for the TVServer to handle Channel changing on clients and server where there are either existing streams or free cards by testing for free cards, existing streams & number of users on a stream.

2) My other query is about Recording from Timeshift buffer.
Why after timeshifting a program for a while if I decide to record the current program the record doesn't the TV Server use the exisiting timeshift buffer as the starting point. ie I Watch 25min of a show then decide to record the show it just records the next 35min rather than using 25min (+prebuffer if available) as the intial start point for the file? Giving me a "normal" full show recording.

Suppose:
User1 is viewing skynews on card #1
Now User2 wants to view skynews as well
What happens:
1. the tvserver determines which cards are available
2. If there is an idle card available user2 will be assigned to the idle card
3. If no idle card is available, user2 will be assigned to card #1

Why is this?
Well suppose we assign user2 to card#1, he would see skynews
but now user1 zaps to a different transponder...
That would mean user2 needs to stop watching tv..
Current scheme implemented prevents this from happening

Frodo

Frodo

Hi frodo,

I have not the overview, how the switching works in detail:sorry:

But I have an idea, but I dont know, it can be realized.

Here my thought:

1. all cards are idle
2. user1 comes up and switch to skynews
3. card1 is assigned to user1

4. user2 comes up and switch to skynews
Here the Inquiry:
is channel present and on which card, then switch to this card, if not then idle card
He get card1
5. so card2 is idle

6. user3 comes up and switch to cnn
Here the Inquiry:
is channel present and on which card, then switch to this card, if not then idle card
He get card2

Both cards are busy.

Now user1 will switch to cnn:
is channel present and on which card, then switch to this card, if not then idle card
He get card2
But another Inquiry must proof: which users are on skynews (>1, then let skynews on card1)

sometimes it happened, that after switching the clients get the wrong point in ts-file. The client sees the complete timeshift-buffer and get not the actually program.

Because this, I thought its better to create for each possibilty a ts-file like this:

frodo, its heavy for me to reconstruct the thoughts of the devs. I could only work with "try and error" to see, how the tve works.
Perhaps you see a possibility to improve the switching-managment.

Both of these quotes are from a thread that seems to be dead.
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/problem_two_tv_cards_channel_changing-t15007p3.html


Lastly sorry this was so long.


Thanks in Advance for any Help you can provide.

Thanks to all the Great Developers & Testers that obviously put so much of their lives into this great program.

Greg

TV-Server Version: TVE3 (TVE 17/04)
MediaPortal Version: 2.2 (SVN 17/04)
MediaPortal Skin: Blue Two
Windows Version: Vista Ultimate
CPU Type: Intel E6600
HDD: Seagate 750GB + 500GB SATA
Memory: 2GB (2x1GB 800MHz)
Motherboard:
Motherboard Chipset: 965
Motherboard Bios:
Video Card: NVidia GS 7900
Video Card Driver: 100
Sound Card: SB X-Fi
Sound Card AC3: Optical Out
Sound Card Driver:
1. TV Card: DVico Fusion DVT-T
1. TV Card Type: DVB-T
1. TV Card Driver: 3.60
2. TV Card: Avermedia M779
2. TV Card Type: DVB-T
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec: NVidia Pure Video
MPEG2 Audio Codec: NVidia Pure Video
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case: Dell 9200
Cooling:
Power Supply: 375W
Remote: Microsoft MCE RC6
TV: Samsung 42"
TV - HTPC Connection: RGB

 

[mrkaras]

I agree that that is how it should be but that it does not appearer to be how it is presently. at no time should 2 tuners be tuned to the same channel, no matter how many users are watching that channel but their probably needs to be some priority of channel switching also such as console has first priority and first in users have higher control after that so that the 3rd user can't change channel and kick off the second user for example.

 

[krntea]

2) My other query is about Recording from Timeshift buffer.
Why after timeshifting a program for a while if I decide to record the current program the record doesn't the TV Server use the existing timeshift buffer as the starting point. ie I Watch 25min of a show then decide to record the show it just records the next 35min rather than using 25min (+prebuffer if available) as the intial start point for the file? Giving me a "normal" full show recording.

I have just begun to test out MP latest snapshots w/ TVserver, and noticed this behavior last night. After watching 15 minutes of a show, I decided to record it - but despite having 1 hour of timeshift buffer, the starting 15 minutes of the show did not appear in the recording. The main reason I was surprised at this was due to the working on the user interface: "current program".
If I change the recording format from "mpg" to "ts" in server settings, will this make a difference to the behavior?

 

[dareh]

Hi krntea, I use ts and have the same behaviour.
Saludos
Dareh.

 

[teladog01]

1) Timeshifting 2 Channels on the same machine (TVServer or Client)

I, too, would love to see this functionality.

I am currently using a dual tuner Directv/TiVo receiver in the US. My main method of watching live (unrecorded) tv on the TiVo is like this:

1) Zap to Channel A on Tuner1.
2) Watch Channel A until commercial starts, then pause Channel A.
3) Switch to Tuner2 and zap to Channel B on Tuner2.
4) Watch Channel B until commercial starts, then pause Channel B.
------
5) Switch to Tuner1 and fast forward through commercial in timeshift buffer.
6) Watch Channel A again until commercial starts, then pause Channel A.
6) Switch to Tuner2 and fast forward through commercial in timeshift buffer.
7) Watch Channel B again until commercial starts, then pause Channel B.
8) Loop back to 5)

I would love to be able to do this same process in MP. Anyone know if this is possible now or if it will be implemented in the future?

 

[mrkaras]

I don't think it works that way at the moment, I think if you pause a channel and then change it will still take your tuner off the channel it is paused on (killing your time shift buffer). but it probably will change.