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[hoyt]

Hello,

I have a few generic subscriptions to record NFL and MLB.  I have the option set to start the recording early by a minute, and run late by 60 (to try to catch long running games).  I'd like to be able to have this option ignored if I'm already recording on the channel.  For example:

MLB on FOX Pregame kicks off my rule, started recording at 929 AM PDT.  It's a 30 minute program, so the recording rule sets it to run for 91 minutes.  But, immediately after the pregame is the actual game.  So I end up with two programs recording the same thing for 61 minutes.  Technically, I'm sure I could reword by rules to exempt the Pregame broadcast, but the same thing happens on Sundays with NFL.  The early game ends up with an hour of the later game at the end of the recording. 

Hopefully that makes sense.  Thanks!

[RoderickGI]

Can I ask why you want to have this? Is it just because it is annoying (I find it a bit annoying sometimes), or are you trying to save disk space?

If you are using the JTV recording format, both programs will be saved in the same unique sub-directory, which will be created for the Pregame. MC will then share the JTV file set components between the two recordings, so there is no extra disk space used. MC will also use the one tuner for both recordings. The two programs will be correctly and separately identified in MC, and you can easily delete one or the other with affecting the second program.

If it is just the annoyance factor, then setting one rule for the Pregames and one for the Actual Game so you can set different padding for each is probably the best solution.

Otherwise you would need rules-based Padding Times, which might be as complex as the Recording Rules themselves. Also, if you reduce the end padding on an earlier program because you are going to record the one immediately following, then the earlier program starts late, you could end up with the situation where the end of the first recording is lost, but it is at the beginning of the next recording. That is the situation padding is trying to avoid with consecutive programs.

I just go for overkill, with padding on each recording. But then if I want to keep the program for a while I'll convert my JTV to TS and trim the beginning and the end of the recording to free up disk space. It works for me.

[hoyt]

Can I ask why you want to have this? Is it just because it is annoying (I find it a bit annoying sometimes), or are you trying to save disk space?

Both really.  I have my TV recording going to a drive with about 50 gb free.  I could increase that I suppose, but in almost all cases, that's enough for me to get through.  This time of the year is an exception.  I have two MLB games from Saturday and 3 NFL games on Sunday queued up.  So I have to pay attention and actively compress them.  I'd love it if there were auto-compression routines in MC so that I could take a JTV recording and after the show is finished, automatically create a compressed format.  That would make the drive space question null.  I do have JTVtoTS setup, but that's a manual process that I have to remember to do.

The annoying factor has proven itself to me a few times.  I believe (I haven't checked this too much), if I delete a TV show from a client after watching it, the folder and files are left on my drive on the server.  So I routinely check the server for deserted recordings.  I have mistakenly deleted programs before because I watched the first one and the second one ended up in the folder for the first one.  That's my mistake, but having MC put two shows into one folder sometimes is confusing.

I wasn't really thinking rules for the pre/post.  Just a more simplistic checkbox that says "Ignore pre/post roll if another program on the same channel overlaps."

[RoderickGI]

A bunch of stuff doesn't work from a Client, but I'm pretty sure deleting a recording does. Even if there are two recordings in a folder, deleting one of them should delete the JTV component files correctly, for just that recording. That is why it is best to do file management from within MC. It sounds like you deleted files using Explorer, deleting the whole directory. Not advisable, unless MC doesn't know about the files anymore. Also use the Cleanup Tool first if i doubt.

I wasn't really thinking rules for the pre/post.  Just a more simplistic checkbox that says "Ignore pre/post roll if another program on the same channel overlaps."

I guess that would work for people using the JTV format like us, but not for people using the TS format, as they would end up with the end of one show at the beginning of the files for the next show. Hence, two rules is a more universal solution.