Is "Always Tune Channel" smart?

[stanger89]

This just occured to me with all the "pause" discussion, but is the Always Tune Channel flag "smart"? What I mean is does it just apply to back-to-back recordings on the same channel or globaly?

I was just thinking that since I have my Sat box in the utility room there's basically no risk of anyone/thing but Sage tuning it, so from that perspective I could easily turn Always Tune Channel off.

However the rub is that the box will go into screensaver overnight (which Dish disabled the switch for that) so basically any recording after that will need to be tuned for sure, so that Enter will be sent to wake the box.

So I was curious if, even if I turn off "Always Tune Channel" if Sage would be smart enough to tune again if there'd been a break in recordings.

Of course, it might not really matter, since IR usually keeps Sage busy enough changing channels anyway. Maybe it wouldn't be an issue.

[sleonard]

Always Tune cause Sage to send a channel change everytime it starts a recording even if the last recording was on the same channel. The time between recordings does not matter.

If it is false then if the new recording is on the same channel as the last one then Sage will assume the STB is still on the same channel and not send anything. The time between still does not matter.

S

[HelenWeathers]

I'm curious how the delay to wait after tuning (for my HD PVRs) is effected by the always tune channel set to no.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by sleonard

Always Tune cause Sage to send a channel change everytime it starts a recording even if the last recording was on the same channel. The time between recordings does not matter.

Understood.

If it is false then if the new recording is on the same channel as the last one then Sage will assume the STB is still on the same channel and not send anything. The time between still does not matter.

And this is my assumption. But I was/am kind of hoping it's a bit smarter than that. For instance, if you're recording shows back to back on the same channel, it's "relatively" safe to assume that the channel isn't getting changed. But if you record one thing on a channel, and the next recording is on the same channel but not til several hours later, I was thinking it would be cool if Sage would know it should retune anyway.

[HelenWeathers]

Originally Posted by stanger89

And this is my assumption. But I was/am kind of hoping it's a bit smarter than that. For instance, if you're recording shows back to back on the same channel, it's "relatively" safe to assume that the channel isn't getting changed. But if you record one thing on a channel, and the next recording is on the same channel but not til several hours later, I was thinking it would be cool if Sage would know it should retune anyway.

Well, I have this to report:

I shut down my entire system each morning from 4AM to 6AM, including my DirecTV receivers. Before shutting down last night I set the Always Tune to Off. The DirecTV receivers default to channel 100 after a restart. I had set up a recording for Noon today on the same channel I was recording from last night and ended up recording channel 100 instead. So SageTV doesn't retune the channel even after a system restart if it's not a different channel number.

I'm back to Always Tune ON.

[stanger89]

That's what I figured (though I'm surprised it remembers the last channel tuned before it was shut down). Thanks for the confirmation.

[paulbeers]

I used to use Tun Channel Always to No, but then I missed one channel change (my fault actually), and then ended up with several wrong recordings (I admit it was back to back South Park Episodes) because Sage thought it was tuned correctly. I decided from then on to use Always Tune set to Yes, just in case there was a tuning failure.

[sleonard]

There is a line for each tuner in the properties file that lists the last channel tuned. I'll bet Sage looks at that line before deciding whether or not to send a channel change if Always Tune is false. Search for "last_channel".

S

[HelenWeathers]

Originally Posted by sleonard

There is a line for each tuner in the properties file that lists the last channel tuned. I'll bet Sage looks at that line before deciding whether or not to send a channel change if Always Tune is false. Search for "last_channel".

Armed with this bit of info, I sat down and wrote an exe program to clear the "last_channel" lines in my Sage.properties file and wrote a batch file to run the exe and then start the SageTV service.

I created a shortcut for the batch file in my StartUp folder. I set the SageTV service to manual (with services.msc) but left the recovery settings alone and in SageTV I set the Always Tune Channel to NO.

I shut down my system for a few hours daily, so this guarantees that my DirecTV receivers always tune on first use each day.

It works like a charm on my system.

Thank You, sleonard.

EDIT: Almost forgot - now the pause while watching live TV is down to 1 second.

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by paulbeers

I used to use Tun Channel Always to No, but then I missed one channel change (my fault actually), and then ended up with several wrong recordings (I admit it was back to back South Park Episodes) because Sage thought it was tuned correctly. I decided from then on to use Always Tune set to Yes, just in case there was a tuning failure.

I also leave it to "Always Tune" for this reason. I think if you are using an external STB and an IR blaster (like the USB-UIRT or the Hauppauge IR Blaster), this small change is good insurance. I might have 1 messed up recording, but hopefully not several in a row.

If it is an internal tuner (ie no STB used), then the "Always Tune" option is probably just a waste.

[Graygeek]

Same here, I also have my cable box set to turn on by power button or number press. So if the box ends up in the off because of overnight updates etc. when Sage sends the channel change the box turns on and tunes to channel ..... no missing a recording because the box shut off. Always tune ensures the cable box and Sage stay in sync. Before the cable box I ran with it off, but once the box entered the equation it was evident early on that always tune was needed.

[browngoat0]

old thread but my DN stb shuts off every night at 3 am for updates, and one of my recordings are set before I wake to turn the DN stb back on, will sagetv realize that the box is off and atempt to power it up before tuning? I do not have the feature on the DN box to turn on with just a channel change, it has to be the power button. Is there some way for sage or my hauppauge card to make sure the DN box is on before recording?