Add Timer not always red

[Grumpy_Geoff]

But a recording set from Live TV can capture the start of the already broadcasting event from timeshift. That would be the reason you'd do it from there.

Blot doesn't run with timeshift enabled.
But even if he did, from live TV, REC>>1/Create instant recording... doesn't save the current contents of any existing timeshift segment, it simply starts a recording from that point onwards (plus post-padding).

And yes, doing it that way will not shade the event red since the timer part of the recording will only start from the point where the recording was set, and the pre-existing timeshift buffer gets welded on after the timer completes.

I think you're referring to REC>>2/Select an event to save..., but that's saving the timeshift buffer's current segment. It doesn't fire off a timer (unless you zap away and choose to do so), it just starts an action to save the timeshift segment at the end of the broadcast event, and a timer is subsequently fired at event end to capture the post-padding. The two recordings are then "welded" at conclusion of the post-padding timer.

You could probably get the desired behaviour if the "save whole event" action was to set the timer from the start of the event instead of "now".

Which wouldn't necessarily give the desired behaviour if the event started after the stated EPG event begin time.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Also, timer start times are set differently between pressing REC while in the EPG (which was what I thought had been done in the OP), and pressing REC while watching live TV. Because I thought that REC had been pressed in the EPG, that's what I tested in my earlier posts.

Yes, initially it was described that way -
"With the record button when in the epg,"
"I was doing it from the epg"
"They are being set by clicking on shows that are currently running."

[prl]

It is more useful having it red. Then it is easier to see something is recording.

I have considered changing the EPG so that it just shows a coloured overlay block for the exact time span for each timer, but it's harder to do that than it might appear.

[prl]

Which wouldn't necessarily give the desired behaviour if the event started after the stated EPG event begin time.

Or if the timeshift buffer only started on the channel after the current program started.

[MrQuade]

though it could try to get the program start time from the EPG.

Yes, that is what I am suggesting would produce a more desirable result in terms of the EPG recording indication.

[MrQuade]

Blot doesn't run with timeshift enabled.

Good point. The thread has been open long enough that I'd forgotten that bit.


I must not have been reading the whole thread closely enough, but if this is simply a case of starting an instant timer in the middle of an event, then it sounds like the EPG shading is behaving exactly as intended. If the *whole* event isn't being captured, then the highlight is no applied.

As for omitting pre-padding, I am not sure why you'd bother doing that with a V2 seeing as there is practically no penalty and you reduce the chance of missing the start of an event in the off-chance that programming changes at the last minute.

Unlike some other PVRs, padding will not interfere with adjacent recordings on the same service.
The real start of the event is automatically bookmarked, so you can simply skip over the padding when playing back the recording.
The padding can be trimmed off easily afterwards if the recording is "a keeper".


Downsides are a slight increase in file size, and perhaps potentially slightly increasing the risk of running out of tuners if there are enough simultaneous recordings on multiple channels.

.

[prl]

though it could try to get the program start time from the EPG.

Yes, that is what I am suggesting would produce a more desirable result in terms of the EPG recording indication.

Maybe, but that may well not be when the recording started.

The accurate measure would be the start time that's held in the timeshift code's internal data. That's what ends up as the start time for the completed recording. That might actually be fairly easy to do, but it will give an indication of the actual timeshift start time, not when the program being recorded started. They can differ when the switch in the program now/next data doesn't align with the actual program start time, or if the channel was changed to (and timeshift of it was started) after the program started.

[MrQuade]

Maybe, but that may well not be when the recording started.

Yea, you could fuss around with finding the timestamp of the start of the timeshift buffer and which would give you a more accurate result.
My thought process was that by setting the timer at the start of the event would capture the "intent" of the user ("I want the whole episode!") in spite of what was actually captured in the recording (for better or worse).

[Blot]

Also, timer start times are set differently between pressing REC while in the EPG (which was what I thought had been done in the OP), and pressing REC while watching live TV. Because I thought that REC had been pressed in the EPG, that's what I tested in my earlier posts.

Yes, initially it was described that way -
"With the record button when in the epg,"
"I was doing it from the epg"
"They are being set by clicking on shows that are currently running."

and that is still true. Originally I hit record in the epg and it did not matter which running show I picked none turned red.

Recently I hit record and it was red, but then I went out of the epg and went in a few seconds later and it was no longer red.

Yesterday I discovered if I hit rec outside the epg it never goes red (at least I am assuming never because I tried it a fair few times yesterday)

[prl]

Yea, you could fuss around with finding the timestamp of the start of the timeshift buffer

It's right there in the code, as InfoBarTimeshift.pts_starttime.

[Blot]

Grumpy, in your screenshot on the previous page. How do you get grey for highlight current events?

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Grumpy, in your screenshot on the previous page. How do you get grey for highlight current events?

Possibly this -

I use the the Full-Metal-Wizard skin, with the non-PiG Graphical EPG

I don't think the "non-PiG" is relevant though.

[prl]

I don't think the "non-PiG" is relevant though.

Correct. The relevant setting is EPG, MENU - View mode: Graphics/Text. Graphics for Grumpy_Geoff look, Text for Blot look.

[Blot]

Thanks. I swear I tried that, maybe I am imagining it b/c graphics is graphics.

I think I prefer text. 21 lines would be cool so I could fit channel 31.

[prl]

Thanks. I swear I tried that, maybe I am imagining it b/c graphics is graphics.

There are two uses of "graphics" here with confusingly different meanings.

"Graphical EPG" is an EPG layout in a grid form (the other choices are Infobar EPG, Multi EPG and Single EPG, which you can choose using long-EPG in live TV mode).

"View mode" is one of a choice of two ways of displaying the background of the grid: "Text" with flat colour fill (which you use), and "Graphical" using pixmap backgrounds to give a 3d look to the rows of the grid (which Grumpy_Geoff uses).

[Blot]

I notice often stuff just disappears, which can get annoying. Compare my last image to this…

[Blot]

I installed epgrefresh. Hopefully this will fix things up a bit.