2013-07-15, 22:11
I'm guessing that most people who use XBMC as a PVR only have a single tuner, meaning they can only record and watch two channels simultaneously if they're on the same multiplex. In reality it's even worse - only technically minded folk know that you can watch all channels on one multiplex simultaneously. Most people believe you have to watch exactly what you're recording.
Currently when recording a channel in XBMC, a record icon shows up in the channel list, and when attempting to switch to a channel on a different mux you get a somewhat cryptic message that the adapter is in use (AFAIK the exact wording varies from addon to addon).
Here's what I propose:
When recording a channel, all channels not on the same mux should be greyed out in the channels list. This way the user can clearly see which channels he can watch simultaneously. Additionally, if attempting to switch to a channel on a different mux, a yes/no dialog should be displayed informing the user that if decides to go ahead and switch channels, his recording will stop.
Now, for those who have two tuners, the above scenario would kick in once two channels on two different muxes are recorded simultaneously.
I believe the correct way to determine whether or not a channel can be switched to would be to ask the backend if there's a free adapter. This way, if a household has three XBMC frontends but the PVR backend only has two tuners, it would immediately be obvious which channels can be watched or not (provided all three frontends are used simultaneously).
Currently when recording a channel in XBMC, a record icon shows up in the channel list, and when attempting to switch to a channel on a different mux you get a somewhat cryptic message that the adapter is in use (AFAIK the exact wording varies from addon to addon).
Here's what I propose:
When recording a channel, all channels not on the same mux should be greyed out in the channels list. This way the user can clearly see which channels he can watch simultaneously. Additionally, if attempting to switch to a channel on a different mux, a yes/no dialog should be displayed informing the user that if decides to go ahead and switch channels, his recording will stop.
Now, for those who have two tuners, the above scenario would kick in once two channels on two different muxes are recorded simultaneously.
I believe the correct way to determine whether or not a channel can be switched to would be to ask the backend if there's a free adapter. This way, if a household has three XBMC frontends but the PVR backend only has two tuners, it would immediately be obvious which channels can be watched or not (provided all three frontends are used simultaneously).
