Changing channels while recording

[gecko]

When recording, BuzzTV tells me the recording will stop if I change channels.  However, I have max 2 connections with my provider. The account info screen confirms this, and also says one active connection. Is it possible to change channels while recording and does this feature need to be enabled? 

[gecko]

I should add I have a U5 with latest updates. 

[dishuser]

I never had to change settings and I can watch a different channel while recording

[Ryu]

you using XC api option right? I just tried and working fine for me.

[gecko]

Yes xc api. Funny, restarted and tried it again.  Seems to work now. Must have been a glitch. 

[Emporium]

2 hours ago, gecko said:

Yes xc api. Funny, restarted and tried it again.  Seems to work now. Must have been a glitch. 

It does happen to me also from time to time.

IF the recording is a scheduled recording, no problem since it is spawned on a different thread.   If however I start the recording from the channel I am watching (using the red button) and then later I try to change channel, it will give me the same message (even though I have 2 connections) and no other box is streaming.  Have tried with and without one button record enabled, and no difference.  This is not specific to any box, it is Buzztv 5, even my older xrs4900 does the same.  Never figured out why, but I don't record too often so never really bothered me much.  Always meant to go back and do more testing, but never did.

 

[gecko]

That sounds like what happened to me.  Hopefully they can update that in a future release. 

[dishuser]

1 hour ago, Emporium said:

It does happen to me also from time to time.

IF the recording is a scheduled recording, no problem since it is spawned on a different thread.   If however I start the recording from the channel I am watching (using the red button) and then later I try to change channel, it will give me the same message (even though I have 2 connections) and no other box is streaming.  Have tried with and without one button record enabled, and no difference.  This is not specific to any box, it is Buzztv 5, even my older xrs4900 does the same.  Never figured out why, but I don't record too often so never really bothered me much.  Always meant to go back and do more testing, but never did.

 

I started a recording and then last channel button

it's still recording

[Emporium]

4 minutes ago, dishuser said:

I started a recording and then last channel button

it's still recording

Like I said, it doesn't happen all the time.  It is just from time to time.

When I have a sec, I want to try it, while monitoring my active connections on my panel, to see what is triggering it.  Just have not had time.

 

[dishuser]

1 minute ago, Emporium said:

Like I said, it doesn't happen all the time.  It is just from time to time.

When I have a sec, I want to try it, while monitoring my active connections on my panel, to see what is triggering it.  Just have not had time.

 

it shows 2 active connections

 

[allaboutbuzz]

2 hours ago, Emporium said:

It does happen to me also from time to time.

IF the recording is a scheduled recording, no problem since it is spawned on a different thread.   If however I start the recording from the channel I am watching (using the red button) and then later I try to change channel, it will give me the same message (even though I have 2 connections) and no other box is streaming.  Have tried with and without one button record enabled, and no difference.  This is not specific to any box, it is Buzztv 5, even my older xrs4900 does the same.  Never figured out why, but I don't record too often so never really bothered me much.  Always meant to go back and do more testing, but never did.

 

What stream format are you using in Configuration?

Auto, HLS or TS?

[Emporium]

10 minutes ago, dishuser said:

it shows 2 active connections

 

OK.. I "think" I figured it out. But I will do more testing on the weekend.

When changing channels, on the panel, I see the active connection, and the previous channel slowly go to idle, and then "-" before they vanish.  As long as there are still some connection (even if not active), my number of connections on the Buzz box show up as 2 available, 2 active.  If I start a recording while my active = number available, the buzz box will record the existing stream (and not start a new stream).  And if I wait long enough, the panel stabilized to a single connection.   Just like it would do if you only had a single connection available.  In these cases, since it is recording the same stream you are watching, it will NOT allow a channel change.

IF I switch to a channel, and wait till my panels drops all the previous channel connections completely, and check to see that my connections are listed as 1 of 2, then if I start a recording, it will SPAWN a new stream thread to do the recording (as expected).  When it does this, then I have no issues changing channels.

6 minutes ago, allaboutbuzz said:

What stream format are you using in Configuration?

Auto, HLS or TS?

I have it set to Auto, and when I check panel, it shows up as HLS on w*****

 

[allaboutbuzz]

9 minutes ago, Emporium said:

OK.. I "think" I figured it out. But I will do more testing on the weekend.

When changing channels, on the panel, I see the active connection, and the previous channel slowly go to idle, and then "-" before they vanish.  As long as there are still some connection (even if not active), my number of connections on the Buzz box show up as 2 available, 2 active.  If I start a recording while my active = number available, the buzz box will record the existing stream (and not start a new stream).  And if I wait long enough, the panel stabilized to a single connection.   Just like it would do if you only had a single connection available.  In these cases, since it is recording the same stream you are watching, it will NOT allow a channel change.

IF I switch to a channel, and wait till my panels drops all the previous channel connections completely, and check to see that my connections are listed as 1 of 2, then if I start a recording, it will SPAWN a new stream thread to do the recording (as expected).  When it does this, then I have no issues changing channels.

I have it set to Auto, and when I check panel, it shows up as HLS on w*****

 

Ok Auto uses HLS by default
Try recording with TS and see if the same issues appear

If not, then there is some testing we need to do with HLS

[dishuser]

I use hls on same server as it was needed for catchup to work

no issues recording

[Emporium]

OK.  I've been playing with it for a while now.   With TS, it is not as simple to reproduce.  I managed to reproduce the issue twice.

With HLS, it seems a lot easier. 

What I noticed (had panel open and watching the connections from my account):

When using TS, 95% of the time, when I switch from one channel to another, the previous channel I was watching goes "red" pretty instantaneous.  So when I launch a recording, I guess it sees that there is only 1 of 2 connections active, and spawns a second stream and all works as expected and I can change channels no problem.  the 2 times I managed to reproduce it, I was showing 2 TS active streams for a few seconds and triggering the recording during this condition, will yield same result as HLS does.

When using HLS, the previous channel does NOT change to red instantaneously.  I was using TSN for my tests.  tune to TSN1 and watch for 2 minutes, then very quickly press CH+ 2 or 3 times to switch to TSN4.  Guess what, for nearly 30 seconds (sometimes longer), my panel shows both TSN1 and TSN4 as green.  As if both streams are still going.  If I start a recording now, it starts, but not spawning another stream (guess since it thinks there are already 2 active streams).  So it records current stream, but if I try to change channel, it will not allow me.

So don't know if this is box side issue with HLS streams and possible handshaking (if there is any), or panel issue taking a while to recognize hls stream has stopped.  Also noticed that when using HLS, if I have single connection active and manage to do a "normal" recording which spawns another stream, it shows fine as 2 connection on panel.  But when I cancel/stop the recording, the stream takes close to a minute to close (go idle).  I suspect panel.  Because even though the spawned stream takes 30s to a minute to go idle, the "time online" column does not increment, like the active stream is. 

Anyhow, the HLS observations were done many times, and I can 100% reproduce it at will.

If you want me to try anything else, I can do so gladly.  BTW: Tests were done on my X5 128 AI, running 5.0.927  (But I am pretty sure results would be the same on my other boxes not on beta).  This is nothing new, I just never had time to investigate why.

I also prefer HLS, since I live off the catchup for most of my evening watching