Tvheadend

Until both DVB-S decoders are working, is there a way to configure TVH so it will record as first preference from DVB-S but if an overlapping programme is scheduled, that second programme will record from DVB-T. In the past I've solved the problem of two DVB-T decoders that share an EPG, such that one decoder will be used in preference to another, but how do you do it for satellite/terrestrial setup?

It's simple enough, though I think it has to be done manually (ie without using bouquets). I first mapped the DVB-T services to channels, then added the corresponding DVB-S service to each one. There is a priority setting for each tuner and one for each service, and the values are added to decide which combination to use - I left the tuner priorities at 0 and set +10 on each DVB-S service. EIT-based ("accurate") recording isn't completely reliable, but I haven't yet been able to bottom out the cause.

As a matter of interest, if there are overlapping programmes and insufficient decoders to handle them, is this detected yet at the time the overlapping programme is added to the list of scheduled programmes, when the user is around to make alternative arrangements, or is it still only detected at recording time. In other words, does TVH do a "what if" test, using the device priority rules that the user has defined - ie the self-same rules that it will use once the actual recording time arrives.

TVH doesn't have a 'strategy' module, it makes each decision based on the circumstances at the time.

Until both DVB-S decoders are working, is there a way to configure TVH so it will record as first preference from DVB-S but if an overlapping programme is scheduled, that second programme will record from DVB-T. In the past I've solved the problem of two DVB-T decoders that share an EPG, such that one decoder will be used in preference to another, but how do you do it for satellite/terrestrial setup?

It's simple enough, though I think it has to be done manually (ie without using bouquets). I first mapped the DVB-T services to channels, then added the corresponding DVB-S service to each one. There is a priority setting for each tuner and one for each service, and the values are added to decide which combination to use - I left the tuner priorities at 0 and set +10 on each DVB-S service. EIT-based ("accurate") recording isn't completely reliable, but I haven't yet been able to bottom out the cause.

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

As a matter of interest, if there are overlapping programmes and insufficient decoders to handle them, is this detected yet at the time the overlapping programme is added to the list of scheduled programmes, when the user is around to make alternative arrangements, or is it still only detected at recording time. In other words, does TVH do a "what if" test, using the device priority rules that the user has defined - ie the self-same rules that it will use once the actual recording time arrives.

TVH doesn't have a 'strategy' module, it makes each decision based on the circumstances at the time.

It really is a major deficiency of TVH compared with other PVR software such as NextPVR that is cannot detect clashes in recordings at the time that a conflicting recording is set. I agree that there are many conditions such as absence of decoder (eg because it's been unplugged) or absence of signal (eg due to lack of power to an amplifier) which can only be detected at the time of recording, but detecting clashes (more overlapping programmes - or more specifically, more overlapping multiplexes - set than there are decoders) should be a simple test to perform at the time of setting a recording. Other devices (dedicated hardware PVRs, or software such as NextPVR) seem to manage it fine, so I wonder why this very useful test has never been designed into TVH.

Detecting the problem at the time of recording is a bit late! By then, the person who set the recordings will be doing something else, which is why they set the programmes to be recorded in the first place.

How should I register this as an enhancement request?

How should I register this as an enhancement request?

It's been done, see for example https://tvheadend.org/issues/4566 and links, especially https://tvheadend.org/issues/3515.

The problem is the huge variety of sources which TVH can handle, each with their own restrictions. DVB-based tuners are perhaps fairly straightforward, but there are also SAT>IP devices, IPTV subscriptions with concurrency limits, as well as daisy-chained TVH servers. A simple one-box recorder doesn't have to deal with these complications.