HD-PVR, backup SD tuner

[TomXP411]

So I was thinking of ways to mitigate HD-PVR failures, and I came up with this: use an SD input to mirror the HD-PVR's input, capturing the same shows at the same time.

However, there's a flaw in my plan. Maybe someone can help me resolve it. Here's the general idea:

1. Leave the HD-PVR plugged in and working.
2. Plug my Diamond PVR-600 in to the cable box's line-out
3. Set the input to S-Video
4. Use a null tuner device (so BTV thinks it's changing channels, but it really just gets whatever the HD-PVR already set it to)
5. Use the digital cable lineup.

I will schedule a show to record twice, once on the HD-PVR and once on the diamond. The problem comes when I schedule 2 overlapping recordings that both rely on digital cable channels.

If just the HD-PVR was on that lineup, BTV would note the conflict and fix it (if possible.) But since the Diamond is available, it'll try to use it to record the second program - but the Diamond can't actually tune to the other channel, since it's sharing a cable box with the HD-PVR.

If it was just a 2-input system, that'd be an easy fix: schedule all my shows on just the HD-PVR. But I actually have 4 (soon to be 5) tuners, and I don't want to have to manually configure which tuner each show uses.

There are some workarounds for the problem: since Sci-FI HD is an East Coast feed (and I'm on the west coast), SFHD records 3 hours earlier. I could simply schedule the show to record on the Diamond separately. However, this still doesn't fix shows on digital-only channels. Since they're only on one channel, I can't pull the trick of recording on two separate channels (like I'm doing with Smallville and BSG.)

What I really need is a feature that doesn't exist in BTV:

1. Take a tuner out of the recording pool, only allowing BTV to use it when I explicitly set it.
   or
2. Allow one input to act as a backup for another input... mirroring its recordings.
   or
3. Allow BTV to fire off a command-line command whenever I start a recording. I could use that command line to start the recording from an external program using the extra tuner. Is this the kind of thing that Externinator does?

I'm thinking there might be a way to do it with the SDK, but since I haven't even cracked the manual yet, it's not something I could roll overnight. (I'm a strong coder, I've just never really worked with the BTV SDK.)

[R2JJS]

This interest me as I've been considering the same thing.

Question.... If you set up the SD tuner with non working (null) tuning abilitys in setup. That tuner can not mess with the cable box.. BTV doesn't know if the proper channel is inputting or not. Set your HD recording as normal. Then set a recording at the same time slot to be done on the SD tuner. Sure it will be named wrong... but you are just looking to back up your HD recording... But with 5 tuners I still see the need to go to that backup SD show and tell it to use that tuner, oyherwise BTV will pick one of the others. (next in line)

I've seet my son's cartoons to use the SD tuner first (why waste the HD-PVR) Buy going into the "recording settings and prioritys" and pick the tuner. A one time shot.

[R2JJS]

Hmmmm this also brings up a scenario.... users cannot pick a second choice of tuner for a show, only the first.

[Mistergq]

Tom: are you recording audio through SPDIF for the HD PVR?

[TomXP411]

No. I am using the analog jacks.

[Terminal]

I brought up the same question in the beta forum. I have put my HD-PVR as the lowest priority and I am doing most of my day to day recordings on a USB PVR. I can't depend on the HD-PVR. I wish, as you mentioned, I could attach a second null tuner to record each time the HD-PVR records. I am mainly using the HD-PVR for recording movies. It's really frustrating.

[Asmordean]

Interesting idea!

I had a sort of similar desire.

My STB has a HDD in it but the interface the cable company put on there looks like it is run by a NES and is as dumb as a classic VCR. I would love for the IR transmitter to send a record code to the STB after tuning it then transmit a stop code once done. It would act as a backup in the event the HD-PVR failed I could just play the video off the STB and capture on the HD-PVR again.