[mythtvnz] 0.21 multirec - why is one card inaccessible?

[Nick Rout]

On Mon, May 26, 2008 at 11:31 PM, Nick Rout <nick.rout at gmail.com> wrote:
> I have two skystar II devices which bth work fine using dvbstream/dvtune etc.
>
> I have set them both up for multirec in mythbuntu 8.04 with myth 0.21.
> Trouble is one card doesn't seem to be visible to myth:
>
> 1. pressing C during livetv is supposed to switch to the other card,
> but it doesn't.
>
> 2. although i can record three channels successfully on the same mux,
> anything scheduled at the same time on the other mux fails with
> "recorder failed" (according to the "Previously Recorded" screen in
> frontend.
>
> 3. if I am watching livetv on, say, tv1 on one fontend, I can watch
> the other frontend but it won't switch to any channel on the other
> mux.
>
> I have checked and rechecked the settings in myth-setup and nothing
> seems wrong, although I am unsure about:
>
> 1. what "input groups" really do and how they should be set. Why are
> two of them set per input connection and does it matter what the
> second one is?
>
> 2. whether it is correct to have only one video source (called
> freeview) which both cards map to in "input connections"
>
> Nick
> (confused)
>

Posting for posterity and for anyone else who might have these or
similar problems

Having checked and re-checked and then rebooted I now seem to be able
to record on both cards.

As far as moving to the other card is concerned, the functionality in
0.21 has changed.

I have two DVB cards, Card0 and Card1. Each can record up to 4
streams/channels, lets call them Card0:1, Card0:2 ... Card1:1 ...
Card1:4,

Scenario arises if, say, you are recording TV1 on Card0:1 and want to
watch live TV on TV3, which is on the other mux. If you go to live TV
it will choose the first available slot which is Card0:2, but Card0 is
locked to the TV1 mux by the background recording of TV1. So as you
browse the channels (with the up/down buttons) you can only watch
stuff on the TV1 mux unless you change to one of the Card1: inputs.
Apparently the solutions are:

1. put in the channel numbering manually and it will switch to the
other card if needed; or

2. map a key/button to the NEXTCARD function, which is new in 0.21.
See various threads on the main mythtv list, eg:

http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/326684
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/323717