Favorite scheduling question

[dleany]

I have a similar problem, using SageMC. I have a number of favorites set up to record first runs and re-runs, limited only by a specific channel and day. When I checked the guide for next week, about half the favorites, (different channels, different times, different days), didn't show the record icon. When I clicked on each individual show in the guide, the SageMC Favorites icon (ghosted "record" button) was there, but it was greyed out. Each one of these is a first-run show, in its normal time slot. Some of these shows are brand new this season, so there's no way I already have them recorded. Any ideas?

[Opus4]

Please use the default STV for testing and familiarizing yourself with the core capabilities of SageTV, as question containing references to SageMC will be moved to the SageMC forum. As this seems to be a scheduling question, I'll leave it here.

As a new user, please note that there is a PDF manual installed with SageTV. Chapter 2 has a section titled "SageTV Quick Start Guide" that you should check out. The rest of the manual covers just about every menu available & the PDF is searchable so you don't have to read it all the way through.

Regarding scheduling Favorites, see the "Recording Schedule" section of the PDF manual, starting on p. 57 of the v6.6-B manual, and/or see this FAQ.

- Andy

[Fuzzy]

to answer your current concern, realize that sage only schedules about 2 or 3 days out by default. This is why it doesn't show your favorites for next week as scheduled to record.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

to answer your current concern, realize that sage only schedules about 2 or 3 days out by default. This is why it doesn't show your favorites for next week as scheduled to record.

ahh . . . is that true? I read everything I could in the PDF manual but didn't see that. Is that info in the manual somewhere? If not, thanks for pointing that out, as many times, not all questions are answered by the sage manual.

PS - how many days out, in your opinion? And, this also wasn't covered in the manual: if you had two tuners installed with channel maps that didn't overlap, would Sage be smart enough to see scheduled favorties from opposing tuners and create a conflict list, or would Sage only be able to create a conflict list from channels from each individual tuner?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

Is that info in the manual somewhere?

It is on p. 60 of the PDF manual and in this FAQ:
How many days in advance does SageTV schedule its recordings?

(Note that this is the same section of the manual & the same FAQ referenced in my above post.)

- Andy

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Opus4

It is on p. 60 of the PDF manual and in this FAQ:
How many days in advance does SageTV schedule its recordings?

(Note that this is the same section of the manual & the same FAQ referenced in my above post.)

- Andy

did you have a chance to look at the PS part of my entry, regarding dual tuners?

thanks

[Fuzzy]

It doesn't matter how many tuners you have, or what channels are available on them. It's all a big 'pool' of available airings for it to choose from. If a show is available on both tuners, it will use the encoder_merit property to determine which tuner to use for it. One exception to this is if the lower merit tuner has the show in HD, but the higher merit tuner does not. Another exception is if there is a conflict with a show that is only available no the higher merit tuner. It will switch them around to ensure both get recorded. All in all, it really is quite smart.

[dleany]

Frequently, my favorites won't record, even as a first-run, and even though I have the settings to record "any." When I click on the individual show in the guide, I'll see that it's set as a favorite, that it's a first run, and that it hasn't been watched, but for some reason, the "record favorite" icon will be greyed out. I have to click the manual record button for the show to be recorded. This seems to happen almost exclusively on primetime shows, about 50% of the time, but not on daytime. It's really annoying! Does anyone know of a solution? This is the only thing I don't like about my Sage setup.

* merged *

[Fuzzy]

How far out are you looking at? Be default, I think sage only schedules recordings like 2 or 3 days out. So if you are looking further out, it won't show them as set to record. If you actually ARE missing recordings, are conflicts being shown?

[dleany]

Normally, I see the recordings set for as far up as the guide has data, (usually about two weeks ahead). When this problem occurs, though, I can be looking less than an hour ahead, (for instance, I can check at 7:30PM to see if an 8:00PM show is going to record). Using SageMC, I see no recording icon on the guide entry at all; if I click on the program to show its details, then I see the "Record Series" icon, but instead of being red, it's gray, as if it thinks I've already watched it. However, these are first-run shows, and there is no "watched" icon showing. Sometimes this problem shows up on almost every primetime show for an entire week, (it's never happened on a daytime show); other times, all shows record exactly as they should. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. No conflicts are shown, and I can set it to record manually. It seems to think there is some condition that means it shouldn't record.

[dleany]

I think I need to make a couple of clarifications: I've been using Sage for about 18 months; although I'm not an expert, I've read the manual, I know the core capabilities, and even some of the advanced ones. Yes, I'm new to the forum, but only because this is the first problem I've been unable to solve myself. As a software engineer, I know how important it is to read and understand how things work, and I did all of that before I posted this problem. So please don't treat me like a clueless newbie; I'm looking for a real answer to a real problem.

I originally posted this problem in the EPG section rather than the SageMC section, because, although I'm currently using SageMC, it doesn't matter which GUI I use -- Sage just doesn't record many of my favorites. It appears to me that the REASON it doesn't record is that something in the EPG data is making it appear to Sage that these shows should not be recorded. I don't know if it's an errant flag, a duplicate database entry that makes a new show appear as though it's not new, or what, but I don't think it's Sage just deciding not to record; I'm pretty sure it's the EPG making Sage think it shouldn't record.

In case I haven't already, let me make this clear: I'm not talking about the "Next 48 Hours" display on SageMC -- I'm talking about the guide itself. Under normal circumstances, looking at the guide, I see the "Series Recording" icons posted on each favorite's listing for as far ahead as the guide has data, (up to two weeks). When this problem occurs, however, I can be looking just 1/2 hour ahead, (for instance, checking at 7:30PM to see if an 8:00PM show is going to record), and the show will have a grayed out record icon, even though it's a first-run show. Unless I do a manual record, the show will not be recorded.

So really, my question is, what flag(s) in the EPG data make it appear to Sage that a show should not be recorded? How can I find out WHY Sage thinks it shouldn't be recorded? Thank you for your help.

* merged *

[Fuzzy]

Most likely it is detecting that it has already been watched. Something to try the next time you see this would be to clear the watched status from all shows in that favorite. (Under Manage Favorites, I tink in the advanced or additional options there should be a set/clear watched status. Tell it to clear watched status, then go back and look to see if it is then scheduled to record. if so, then this is the cause.

[gplasky]

The reason you were referred to the SageMC forum is because SageMC acts differently and looks different in many resopects compared to the Default STV. For instance, in the EPG you are seeing icons (icons that are different in the default) that don't display the same way as in the default. The greyed out phenomenom does not occur in the default. It makes it easier to talk apples to apples when you are describing what occurs in the correct forum. People know what you mean when you say the red icon that looks like 3 circles. Default users wouldn't know what you are talking about.

This had happened to me before when I had run SageMC and the cable company had moved some channels. Because I specifically picked a channel for the favorite it couldn't record it because the actual frequency for the channel had moved. The grey out means it is recognized as a favorite but for some reason can't record it. AFAIK this could be the same EP (Episode ID) is being returned for the show as the same ID of a recording that you had watched previously. These are stored in the wiz.bin database. Or in my case the channle couldn't be tuned to.

With so few posts many of us will assume you may be a new user and address the issues as such. This tends to be the nature of the beast in forums until we are informed otherwise. And the join date doesn't help much because you coould have owned Sage for 5 years and joined the forum last week. No one is intentionally talking down to you. We are just trying to be thorough in our answers until we know your level of expertise.

Gerry

[Opus4]

I've merged your old & new threads on the same topic. As long as you are using & describing SageMC conditions, the posts should be in the SageMC forum.

The 2nd post of this merged topic has a link to the Favorite scheduling FAQ that I previously posted. That should describe most, if not all, of the conditions for a Fav not to be scheduled.

- Andy

[dleany]

Thank you for your help. I'll try to cover the "won't record" options listed in the Opus FAQ posting in order, using one particular show, which _should_ be recording tomorrow, but that won't, unless I set it to record manually.
- The listing is not outlined in white. It does fit one of my favorites.
- Currently, my queue of unwatched shows is completely empty, so it's not sitting there waiting to be watched.
- It is not set as watched; if I click on the listing in the guide, there is no "clear watched" option, but there IS a "set watched" option, (which seems to confirm that Sage doesn't think it's been watched)
- It IS a rebroadcast, but is set in the guide as a 1st run; in addition, I have this favorite set to record 1st runs and reruns
- The show IS set for a specific channel, the only channel on which it is available in my area. The channel has not changed; in fact, other recordings set on the same channel do record -- except when they occasionally exhibit this same problem.
- It is set for any time, any day; the ONLY restriction I have set is the channel
- It's set to keep as many as possible; since I have 4TB of space, and currently have NO recordings stored, this shouldn't be a factor
- In the case of this particular recording, it COULD be that it identifies another recorded time slot in the evening to fulfill the recording request; however, for most recordings that experience this problem, that is NOT the case.
- There are no conflicts

The above has been the case for every missed recording -- except that most of them have only one showing a week, rather than more than one showing a night. I'm still mystified.

Thanks to those of you who have helped. If I sound a little irritable, it's because I'm rather frustrated. As I mentioned, this is the first problem I've been unable to solve...and if Sage misses an important show, Mama ain't happy. And if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

[dleany]

I checked my favorites for this week. Of the ones I have set, only about a quarter of them are showing that they'll record; the remainder have the typical SageMC greyed-out favorites icon that is supposed to mean there's a reason for them not to record. However, in this case, everything in my previous post still applies, (including the first-run and re-run, any time, any day, with only the channel number limited), EXCEPT that none of them is a rebroadcast -- every single greyed-out favorite is a first-run. In fact, several of these shows are summer replacements, and so have only broadcast two or three epiosodes. As I mentioned before, I can't clear the "watched" property, because that's not an option; the only option offered is to SET the "watched" property. It's getting really old having to check every night's guide to make sure my shows are recording. I still am wondering if there is a way to find out WHY Sage thinks it shouldn't record. If I knew what the supposed reason was, I might be able to figure out a work-around.

[Fuzzy]

You switch to the default STV so we can help troubleshoot it better. That, and give specific examples of what SHOULD be recording, including your market and channel involved. Also, how far out are these that you are seeing not scheduled?