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PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:05 am 
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Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:56 pm
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Location: Arlington, VA, USA
I've searched around a bit, but haven't been able to find anything on this: is it possible to create an input with time restrictions? I.e., MythTV will only record from input X between, say, 11 PM and 11 AM?

The reason I ask is that I finally have "fancy" (i.e. digital) cable, where our cable box receives many more channels than our analog channels. Right now I have my box hooked up with a PVR-150 to analog input, so I can record the 70 or 80 analog channels. However, my girlfriend would love it if I could record some stuff from the digital channels that don't have analog counterparts.

I'm too cheap to buy something like the pcHDTV right now (plus, I'm not entirely sure that Comcast's QAM is unencrypted in the Arlington, VA area), so I was thinking about finally using the IR blaster that comes with the PVR-150. I thought about running a composite input from the cable box to the PVR-150, effectively giving me both analog and "digital" (converted to analog on the cable box obviously) inputs (only one of which can be used at a time).

Were I to do that, the idea would be that MythTV should record from the RF tuner input whenever it wants. However, it should only record from the composite input (cable box) when the cable box is not in use (so it doesn't interrupt the GF while she is watching something). The best way I can figure out how to do that would just be to tell MythTV not to record from the composite input during the hours when we are likely to be using the cable box.

Input groups seem to be the general direction one would take to accomplish this, but I don't see any way of specifying time restrictions on when an input can be used.

---EDIT---

I did find this: http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-12.html, which describes how to create a custom recording rule with limitations as to starting hour and ending hour.

That seems to be on the right track, but it would be a pain to do that for each individual show (not very girlfriend-friendly!). Also, it'd be ideal if I could set different restrictions for weekdays and weekends.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:30 am 
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Location: Virginia, USA
Sorry to not answer your question but here's another idea: rather than restricting record times, why not get a Comcast digital adapter and record from that?

I am pretty sure Comcast will give you the first two for free. The only question is whether it will receive all the digital channels... I know our FiOS freebie digital adapters don't do all the digital channels, just some of them.


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:27 am 
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Location: Arlington, VA, USA
Do you mean the "DTAs" (Digital Terminal Adapters), or a full-fledged set top box? Because I think I'd have to rent another set top box. When I called for installation, I specifically asked about the DTAs (I was moving from Connecticut, where they were rolling them out), but the person I talked to had never heard of them, which made me think they haven't come to this region yet. (Of course it's also possible the person was just clueless).

I suppose I can call again and see if they have DTAs here.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:06 am 
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Location: Virginia, USA
langelgjm wrote:
Do you mean the "DTAs" (Digital Terminal Adapters), or a full-fledged set top box?


Yeah, I mean the DTAs, since they'll charge you for a whole new STB. I was of the understanding that they were required to provide something like that for free to allow older TVs to keep receiving signal. So yeah, I'd try calling again and trying to find someone who knows what it is.


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:20 am 
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Location: Arlington, VA, USA
Just got off the phone with the Virginia Comcast call center... I had a hell of a time trying to explain to the person that I was NOT looking for a digital adapter for OTA television... ("you can get them at Wal-Mart...")

Anyway, short version is that DTAs are not available in the Arlington area yet. She told me that she had a memo saying they are planning on distributing them in Loudon county in August, or something... but none here or now.

So I guess I'm back to square one! Thanks for the thought, though.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:29 am 
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Location: Virginia, USA
Aha, maybe they only make them available when they shut off analog, and I think you said that you still have analog service. Now that kind of makes sense. Sorry for leading you down the wrong road.

Of course, another way that sidesteps the limited recording time option would be to watch EVERYTHING through MythTV via WatchTV. But again, that's not answering your question. I'll see if I can find out any info on limited recording times.


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 9:36 pm 
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Cheap firewire card a possibility? If you're not trying to record anything encrypted...

This setup worked great for me before I got cheap and handed back my digital cable box.


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:31 am 
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Location: Arlington, VA, USA
I think that instead of searching for this hack-job solution, I may just end up plunking down the $3 a month or whatever for another set-top box. It'll be cheaper in the short run than buying a QAM tuner (which may or may not work, and could change at any time).

Re: firewire, I've been thinking about it... I have no experience with it, but it seems technically superior to getting composite input from the box and using an IR blaster to change channels, and I'd be willing to spend $10 or $20 getting a firewire card for the LinHES box. However, I'm not sure I'll be able to get a firewire set-top box from Comcast - we don't have HD service, and from what I understand about the FCC mandate, operators are only required to provide you with a firewire box if you have HD service (though I'll bet there are enough confused reps at Comcast that I could convince one to give me a firewire box!).

Also I am assuming that these firewire boxes will give me SD output from all our digital channels... but this is becoming a topic for another thread.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:17 am 
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You should be able to use the built-in settings for "input groups" in mythtv-setup, Input Connections menu... this will allow you to tell your system that it can't record from both the Tuner and the composite input at the same time. It will also allow you to use a custom channel change script for your irblaster for one input (composite) and standard channel changing for the tuner.

This way, you can watch everything through MythTV.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 12:22 pm 
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Location: Arlington, VA, USA
Ok, so I have set up two inputs (tuner and composite) with two different data sources (analog lineup and digital lineup, respectively), in the same input group. For now, I have the composite input at a higher priority, but this may change.

Set up the IR blaster with my set top box (Scientific Atlanta 2100), and after some fiddling, got it working well enough to change channels (plus I can mute, adjust volume, power on/off manually from the command line). Everything seems to be working; currently recording a show from the composite input, and Myth changed the set top box channel correctly.

Naturally this means we can't use the set top box while we're recording something... so I think me and the GF will have a talk and either decide to get (rent) another box, or decide that being limited to one is fine.

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FE: R6, P4 2.0 GHz/1 GB, GeForce4 MX 420 64 MB, diskless netboot


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:36 pm 
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talk with your other options for cable and see if they can give you similar service with 2 boxes for the same price you're paying now or less then come back to comcast and say, "hey match it or I'm gone"

I did this to WOW about a year ago when comcast came around offering new price packages

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 6:04 am 
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Location: Arlington, VA, USA
I actually just got a notice yesterday that they will be installing fiber optic cabling in our apartments this Thursday and Friday... so FiOS is on the way, though not sure how long it will actually take to get here.

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FE: R6, P4 2.0 GHz/1 GB, GeForce4 MX 420 64 MB, diskless netboot


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