I just had an idea that could - in theory - reduce dvb channel changing times while zapping up or down considerably in situations with more than 1 available tuner cards. In short it would work like this (2 tuner example):
Channel list: C1, C2, C3, C4,...
1. user watches C1
2. user hits Channel Up
3. tuner 1 tunes to C2, tuner 1 is shown
4. at the same time tuner 2 tunes to C3
5. user watches C2 for a few secs.
6. user hits Channel up again
7. tuner 2 is already tuned to C3 and display simply switches to it, which will most likely be faster then tuning in a new channel on the first tuner.
8. at the time tuner 1 tunes to C4
9. user watches C3 for a few secs.
10. user hits Channel up again
11. tuner 1 is already tuned to C4 and display simply switches to it.
12. at the time tuner 2 tunes to C5
13. user watches C4 for a few secs.
14. user hits Channel up again
15. tuner 2 is already tuned to C5 and display simply switches to it.
and so on...
Basically this would mean that the second (or in a mildly more complex scenario a third or fourth) tuner would be used to "pre-tune" the channel that the user most likely will zap to next. Since most people will watch a channel for at least 4-5 secs. before they zap to the next one, in theory this algorithm could deliver a more or less "analog" zapping experience for dvb-signals with next to zero delay.
Channel list: C1, C2, C3, C4,...
1. user watches C1
2. user hits Channel Up
3. tuner 1 tunes to C2, tuner 1 is shown
4. at the same time tuner 2 tunes to C3
5. user watches C2 for a few secs.
6. user hits Channel up again
7. tuner 2 is already tuned to C3 and display simply switches to it, which will most likely be faster then tuning in a new channel on the first tuner.
8. at the time tuner 1 tunes to C4
9. user watches C3 for a few secs.
10. user hits Channel up again
11. tuner 1 is already tuned to C4 and display simply switches to it.
12. at the time tuner 2 tunes to C5
13. user watches C4 for a few secs.
14. user hits Channel up again
15. tuner 2 is already tuned to C5 and display simply switches to it.
and so on...
Basically this would mean that the second (or in a mildly more complex scenario a third or fourth) tuner would be used to "pre-tune" the channel that the user most likely will zap to next. Since most people will watch a channel for at least 4-5 secs. before they zap to the next one, in theory this algorithm could deliver a more or less "analog" zapping experience for dvb-signals with next to zero delay.