SageTV picking the wrong source or and tranmist to the wrong STB

[TechBill]

Originally Posted by Opus4

You can set the tuner priority by looking for the mmc/encoders/<some number>/encoder_merit=0 properties & setting the one for your preferred tuner to a higher value. When all other scheduling decisions are equal for a show, it will use this setting to decide between 2 tuners.

- Andy

How do I set that either tuner have priority and both tuners channel setup are all visible in Program Guide and let me pick which tuner I want SageTV to record from?

Thank you
Bill

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by TechBill

How do I set that either tuner have priority and both tuners channel setup are all visible in Program Guide and let me pick which tuner I want SageTV to record from?

I think it was mentioned above that it doesn't work that way.

- Andy

[TechBill]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I think it was mentioned above that it doesn't work that way.

- Andy

Can it be coded to work this way then or added to SageTV?

Bill

[GKusnick]

What makes you so sure your problems can't be solved in the existing scheme?

If one of your tuners is malfunctioning, either fix it, or remove it from Sage so Sage doesn't try to use it.

If all tuners are working properly, but you prefer one for reasons of picture quality or whetever, give that one a higher merit figure and Sage will use it whenever possible.

If two channels have identical content, let Sage merge them in the EPG and let Sage decide which tuner to use, based on your tuner merit settings. The point of this is to be able to fall back automatically to a different tuner in case of scheduling conflicts.

If two channels have the same channel number and station ID but not the same content, e.g. one's in English and one's in Spanish, then remap one of the channels so Sage won't think they're the same. Then you can select which content you want to record, and Sage will choose a tuner that can receive that content.

If you have a lot of channels to remap in this way, and it's too tedious to do it using the remote, I'd suggest doing it from a PC interface using keyboard and mouse. If you don't have a keyboard on your Sage server, you could download a trial copy of SageTVClient or Placeshifter and use that on some other PC to do the remapping.

[TechBill]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

What makes you so sure your problems can't be solved in the existing scheme?

If one of your tuners is malfunctioning, either fix it, or remove it from Sage so Sage doesn't try to use it.

If all tuners are working properly, but you prefer one for reasons of picture quality or whetever, give that one a higher merit figure and Sage will use it whenever possible.

If two channels have identical content, let Sage merge them in the EPG and let Sage decide which tuner to use, based on your tuner merit settings. The point of this is to be able to fall back automatically to a different tuner in case of scheduling conflicts.

If two channels have the same channel number and station ID but not the same content, e.g. one's in English and one's in Spanish, then remap one of the channels so Sage won't think they're the same. Then you can select which content you want to record, and Sage will choose a tuner that can receive that content.

If you have a lot of channels to remap in this way, and it's too tedious to do it using the remote, I'd suggest doing it from a PC interface using keyboard and mouse. If you don't have a keyboard on your Sage server, you could download a trial copy of SageTVClient or Placeshifter and use that on some other PC to do the remapping.

What wrong with having it record the way you want or tell SageTV which tuner to record for which channel based on your channel setup for the tuners?

What I don't understand is that you have a Channel Setup for each tuner and SageTV deicdes that since both Channel setup that some of them have the same Network names but different channel number so it ok for Sage to omit one out of the Program Guide and pick one tuners it want to record the show from.

And remapping just breaks it as you can see I had to reinstall SageTV but the network were not on same channel to being with. They just happen to have the same wording in their network name so SageTV assume it the same network when both tuner have it on different provider and channel number that it merged both network into one of the tuner channel number.

I remapped the whole one tuner channel setup to the 1000's range but it just broke it when SageTV try to merge those remapped channels into another tuner channel setup as you can see in my earlier post. It even merged the tuner control from one tuner into another tuner control as well too.

Bill

[CollinR]

Because SageTV is smarter, quicker and more reliable then you are, you just haven't realized that yet. Quit moaning and set it up correctly or give up and go on.

If you set it up properly it would use the correct tuner for the correct source, you just haven't been following our directions.

Config each tuner lineup based on content.
Config each tuner control per instructions, I can help you through USB UIRT.
Setup favorites to specify channel number, this will insure your favorites get recorded in the desirable language.

Done, try it.

[TechBill]

Originally Posted by CollinR

Because SageTV is smarter, quicker and more reliable then you are, you just haven't realized that yet. Quit moaning and set it up correctly or give up and go on.

If you set it up properly it would use the correct tuner for the correct source, you just haven't been following our directions.

Config each tuner lineup based on content.
Config each tuner control per instructions, I can help you through USB UIRT.
Setup favorites to specify channel number, this will insure your favorites get recorded in the desirable language.

Done, try it.

SageTV certainly wasn't smart nor reliable when it crashed and I had to reinstall it and I don't think I am moaning here that you are flaming me that I out to be. If you can't provide any useful information other than being a SageTV fanboy then you are just wasting texts here.

I have no issues with urit-usb or any other ir control hardwares. I am running fine with Uirt + Usb Tv Translator + Firefly RF combo on 2 STBs but last night SageTV deicdes to merge the urit-usb ir file for one STB into the Usb Tv Translator which is a DirectTV Serial so nobody couldn't tell me where to fix it or where that wrong path was located at so I could fix it. It wasn't in the properties files either.

I am coming from MythTV and been using MythTV for a long time but switched to SageTV for one reason only becasue MythTV uses IVTV driver which the closed caption are not preserved in the standard dvd format in mpeg file while the SageTV uses the Happauage windows driver and the closed caption is preserved in the standard dvd mpeg format allowing me to take my mpeg recording and play back on other mpeg player that will display the Closed Captioning so I can take it with me on my travels. I travel for my work every week.

I posted this issue I was having because at first I thought it was a bug to begin with since MythTV does not merge network names together to 1 channel and give me total control to what I want it to be.

And now I learn that it is a "feature" of SageTV so I am asking if it possible to disable this "feature" maybe a hack or anything to bypass this "feature".

I have set it up properly and it does tune into the right network but not the source I wanted it to come from.

Here an example but my grammar is not that great so you'll have to excuse me for this.

I have 2 STBs from different provider STB-A and STB-B which both some same networks on it. Let use ABC network for an example ... on STB-A ABC Network on on Ch. 174 and on the STB-B ABC Network is on Ch. 298 since both are different providers. Both chanenl are enabled in the Channel Setup for on both tuners.

From my understanding how SageTV is suppose to work is that if it see same Network name it will omit one and display only one of the network from one of the tuner in the Program Guide.

So in my Program Guide I see only Ch. 174 (which is the channel for STB-A) and the Ch. 298 (which is the channel for STB-B) is omitted. Like I said from what I learn is a SageTV "feature" for ABC Network.

Now I select Ch. 174 which I assume will tune it to ABC Network on STB-A but instead it tune to Network Ch. 298 on STB-B which confuses the heck out of me becasue I knew I set Ch. 174 to be tuned into ABC Network on STB-A in the Channel Setup.
But an hour later of channels switching I go back to Ch. 174 again and this time it tune into ABC Network on STB-A

What make SageTV decide which tuner to use for the same network name on both tuners because it would pick one tuner then later on it would pick the other tuner.

I do understand that you can change the proirity of the tuner it select from for same network but does SageTV changes tuner proirity on it own for any reason becasue it certainly seem to be happening on mine.



Bill

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by TechBill

SageTV certainly wasn't smart nor reliable when it crashed and I had to reinstall it and I don't think I am moaning here that you are flaming me that I out to be. If you can't provide any useful information other than being a SageTV fanboy then you are just wasting texts here.

I don't think its a fanboy issue but more of "This is the way that Sage works and the quicker you get with the Sage way, the better." It may not be the best way to do it but it is the way that Sage does it.

I have no issues with urit-usb or any other ir control hardwares. I am running fine with Uirt + Usb Tv Translator + Firefly RF combo on 2 STBs but last night SageTV deicdes to merge the urit-usb ir file for one STB into the Usb Tv Translator which is a DirectTV Serial so nobody couldn't tell me where to fix it or where that wrong path was located at so I could fix it. It wasn't in the properties files either.

no idea about that.

I posted this issue I was having because at first I thought it was a bug to begin with since MythTV does not merge network names together to 1 channel and give me total control to what I want it to be.

And now I learn that it is a "feature" of SageTV so I am asking if it possible to disable this "feature" maybe a hack or anything to bypass this "feature".

This "feature" has been this way for years. Others have asked about disabling it in the past without success. So don't expect it to change. It is what it is.

I have set it up properly and it does tune into the right network but not the source I wanted it to come from.

If it tunes into the right network, does it matter what source it came from? If it is a problem with a network on one source coming in poorly, then fix it or disable it.

Here an example but my grammar is not that great so you'll have to excuse me for this.

I have 2 STBs from different provider STB-A and STB-B which both some same networks on it. Let use ABC network for an example ... on STB-A ABC Network on on Ch. 174 and on the STB-B ABC Network is on Ch. 298 since both are different providers. Both chanenl are enabled in the Channel Setup for on both tuners.

From my understanding how SageTV is suppose to work is that if it see same Network name it will omit one and display only one of the network from one of the tuner in the Program Guide.

So in my Program Guide I see only Ch. 174 (which is the channel for STB-A) and the Ch. 298 (which is the channel for STB-B) is omitted. Like I said from what I learn is a SageTV "feature" for ABC Network.

Yup that is the way it works.

Now I select Ch. 174 which I assume will tune it to ABC Network on STB-A but instead it tune to Network Ch. 298 on STB-B which confuses the heck out of me becasue I knew I set Ch. 174 to be tuned into ABC Network on STB-A in the Channel Setup.
But an hour later of channels switching I go back to Ch. 174 again and this time it tune into ABC Network on STB-A

What make SageTV decide which tuner to use for the same network name on both tuners because it would pick one tuner then later on it would pick the other tuner.

because both tuners have the same priority, Sage will pick from them semi-randomly.

I do understand that you can change the proirity of the tuner it select from for same network but does SageTV changes tuner proirity on it own for any reason becasue it certainly seem to be happening on mine.

If you ahve the the default encoder_merits, then there is no priority and it will choose from either. And even with encoder_merits set, it is only a preference, not a certainty that the encoders must be used in that order.

[CollinR]

Okay to fix your example all you should have to do is: Have Ch. 174 only available to one tuner then setup the other tuner to not have access to 174 but to have access to #298.


Now if only one tuner has access to #298 you know which tuner it will be.
If only one tuner has access to #174 you again know which one it will be.

Then setup your favorites to ONLY 298 and ONLY 174 and you should get both one from each language. Then you can choose which to watch later.

I'm not tring to flame but I'm getting tired of repeating myself.

EDIT:

Encoder merit will ice the cake but that should at least get it operating.

[TechBill]

Originally Posted by ke6guj

This "feature" has been this way for years. Others have asked about disabling it in the past without success. So don't expect it to change. It is what it is.

So others had been asking about the same thing and yet it was ignored?
I am suprised the developers didn't take those in account and add some toggle to enable/disable this "feature". I didn't think something like this would be hard to code in.

Originally Posted by ke6guj

If it tunes into the right network, does it matter what source it came from? If it is a problem with a network on one source coming in poorly, then fix it or disable it.

One example would be that one STB provider network might have their regular programming interrupted for a local programming etc. so I could switch to other provider which their network is running the regular programming without having to go back into Channel Setup and disable one source channel then go enable other source channel.


Bill

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by TechBill

One example would be that one STB provider network might have their regular programming interrupted for a local programming etc. so I could switch to other provider which their network is running the regular programming without having to go back into Channel Setup and disable one source channel then go enable other source channel.

You'd actually sit there and babysit it that closely? That's a tad obsessive.

IMHO, the point of a DVR/PVR is to set it up and leave it. Not to obsess over it. TV shows are generally aired more than once so if one recording gets screwed up just delete it and let it get it again at some later date. Nitpicking over the whole process just makes what should be entertaining a whole lot of work.

And let's put this in perspective, this is only TV. Would the world come to a screaching halt if you missed the latest Survivor? Probably not.

[TechBill]

Originally Posted by Opus4

You can set the tuner priority by looking for the mmc/encoders/<some number>/encoder_merit=0 properties & setting the one for your preferred tuner to a higher value. When all other scheduling decisions are equal for a show, it will use this setting to decide between 2 tuners.

- Andy

Ok so it seem my only choice is to set the my best STB to the highest priority which I understand it will always try to record the show from this STB unless it being used then it will switch to the second STB.

I wanted to make sure I did this right.
By looking at the tuning_plugin (each STB have different tuning plugin) I can see the STB I want to set highest priorty is 1642691032 and I found 2 string with "encoder_merit" in properties so on the string 1642691032I change the 0 to 1 and leave the other one at 0? Like this?

mmc/encoders/1642691032/encoder_merit=1
mmc/encoders/551195575/encoder_merit=0

This is correct?


Thank you
Bill

[GKusnick]

Assuming you've got the device numbers right, that should do it.

Of course you must shut down Sage completely before editing the properties file.

[TechBill]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

Assuming you've got the device numbers right, that should do it.

Of course you must shut down Sage completely before editing the properties file.

Thank you for replying.

Yes I did shut down Sage completely before editing it.

I need to do some more reading on SageTV because recently I did a test and select a show to record then select another show to watch which is available on both sources however I got a pop up box asking me if Don't Watch or cancel current recording.
I assume it would go to the other available source and tune into that network when other source is busy recording a show.

I probably got a setting configured wrong somewhere.

Thanks
Bill

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by TechBill

I need to do some more reading on SageTV because recently I did a test and select a show to record then select another show to watch which is available on both sources however I got a pop up box asking me if Don't Watch or cancel current recording.
I assume it would go to the other available source and tune into that network when other source is busy recording a show.

This used to be a side effect of using the merit setting because it would always try to use the higher merit tuner first, but I don't remember if that is still the case.

- Andy