Autorecs not working properly

butterkast

Hello,

I have HTS Tvheadend version 4.3-2471_g5fd594910 installed.
The issue I’m facing is that when I schedule a recording using autorecs and set it to continue recording for an additional 30 minutes after the program ends, it doesn’t actually extend the recording time.

Let me give an example:

According to the EPG, a program runs from 11:00 to 12:00, so I set the recording to continue for an extra 30 minutes, meaning it should finish at 12:30.

However, no matter how many extra minutes I add, the recording always stops exactly at 12:00, as if Tvheadend still follows the EPG duration strictly.

After reading online, I found that other users experienced the same issue. The suggested fix was to go to Digital Video Recorder Profiles and, in my case under Default Profile, uncheck the box “Use EPG running state.”
I also tried going to Configuration → Channel/EPG, then editing the channel options and setting “Use EPG running state” to Disabled.

To summarize:
Even after disabling “Use EPG running state” both in Digital Video Recorder Profiles and in the individual channel settings, autorecs still ignores the extra minutes I’ve added.

I’m not sure if there’s any actual fix for this, as I couldn’t find a working solution anywhere.

For context, I’m running Tvheadend on a Synology NAS using Docker.

Thanks for reading.

Best regards,

davep

butterkast "According to the EPG, a program runs from 11:00 to 12:00, so I set the recording to continue for an extra 30 minutes, meaning it should finish at 12:30."

Where did you make that setting - did you try to change the end time of an individual recording? I don't think that will work.

When Tvheadend tunes in to the channel to make the recording, it also starts to collect the EPG. It will see that the end time of the recording is different to the EPG and assumes that the programme has changed, so will update the recording times to match.

There is a global setting "Post-Recording Padding" in Configuration -> Recording -> General, but this applies to all recordings.

butterkast

davep
The extra 30 minutes I mentioned are set inside Autorecs, not on an individual recording.

Yes, I understand what you mean about the EPG, but I assumed that if I modify the extra stop time within Autorecs, it should respect that value instead of strictly following the EPG, right?

So, should I always use the Post-Recording Padding instead of adjusting it inside Autorecs? I don’t really like that option since it applies globally, but if there’s no other choice…

I guess there aren’t any other possible solutions, right? I thought it might be related to permissions or some misconfiguration in my Docker setup, since I’m running everything through Docker.

Thanks.

Best regards.

userxy79

Stupid Question because you may have done it, but after changeing Settings did you Restart TVHeadend to load the new Configuration File with your last changes?

I can remember that using “Use EPG running state” lead me to the same Problem you discovered but having it unticked solved the Problem. So it 100% works, for me, or/and should work 99,9% for you too.

I also use the "Pre-recording padding" and "Post-recording padding" under Configuration -> Recording -> Digital Video Recorder Profiles with 5 Minutes Pre and 15 Minutes Post and it also works 100% for every startet Record, both, Autorecords or manualy planned ones.

If i remember correctly, when i setup a Autorecord with "Extra start time 15 Minutes" and "Extra stop time 30 Minutes" instead of using "Not set (use channel or DVR configuration)" it will overwrite the Global Pre and Post Recording as explained before. You might have that in mind.

So you might have a second look at your Configuration and recheck them, and dont forget to restart TVHeadend or your Conatiner to take the changes to effect.

butterkast

userxy79
Yes, I always restart the container every time I make a change, so it’s definitely not a stupid question — sometimes the simplest things cause the biggest problems.

In my case, even after unchecking the “Use EPG running state” option and restarting the container, I still experience the same issue — it doesn’t respect the extra time I add in the Autorecs section.

If I configure it the way you mentioned, using the Post-recording padding option, then it does work. For example, adding 30 minutes works fine. It’s not exactly the solution I was looking for since it’s a global parameter, but for my use case it’s an acceptable workaround.

When I set values for Extra start time or Extra stop time inside Autorec, it still follows the EPG, so it doesn’t work as expected — I don’t understand why.

Now I’ve noticed something else: if I select a program directly from the EPG and click Record, it immediately starts recording (for example, from 18:00 to 19:00). If I then edit that recording while it’s running and change the end time to, say, 19:15, it actually respects that time and keeps recording until 19:15. I assume that’s because I disabled “Use EPG running state” in the global profile. Before disabling it, no matter what time I set, it would always stop when the EPG ended.

So, to summarize — the extra time options inside Autorec still don’t work for me, but setting Extra stop time in the Recording Profile settings does work, even though I don’t really like that it applies to all Autorecs globally. Still, if that’s the only option, that’s fine.
For individual recordings (not Autorecs), modifying the time also works properly.

I hope I explained everything clearly.

Thanks a lot for your replies and help.

Best regards.

userxy79

butterkast

Okay i double checked if Extra Start Time and Extra Stop Time for Autorecs works as it should just to be 100% sure.

I edited a old disabled Autorec Entry i actually dont use and renabled it with Extra Start Time 10 Minutes and Extra Stop Time 30 Minutes. After i enabled it, it starts planning the Records and adds +10 Minutes before the EPG Start Time and adds +30 Minutes after EPG Ending Time for all found EPG Entrys, right as it should.

I didnt checked if it really will work as it has planned the Recordings but why shouldnt it when it just adds the Extra Time in the planning i have Setup for it. It overwrites my Global 5 Minutes Pre and 15 Minutes Post recording right as it should. The Records are planned for this Weekend on Saturday and i can give Feedback on this. But i am very sure and optimistic it will Record as its planned with the extra Time.

Then i double checked the "Use EPG running state" Configuration on my side in the two locations where it can be setup. First the Main Configuration for it under Configuration -> Recording -> Digital Video Recorder Profiles and then my Default Profile and "Use EPG running state" is unticked. The Second location is in the Channel List it self under Configuration -> Channel/EPG -> Channels and then for every Channel i have. The Option "Use EPG running state" is set to "Not Set" and not to Disabled or Enabled for every Channel in my List.

Having "Use EPG running state" setup this way in both Locations works 100% for me on a Bare Metal Machine, no VM or Container. I dont think that it should make a difference for you inside a Conatiner, since Global Pre and Post Recording works for you too, but it should be noticed.

The Help Section for "Use EPG running state" says exactly the following:

Use EPG running state : _Use EITp/f to decide event start/stop. This is also known as "Accurate Recording". See Help for details. :

EITp/f (Event Information Table present/following) is broadcast alongside EPG data, it allows broadcasters to tell DVRs/STBs when a program starts, pauses or finishes.

It is recommended that you only enable this option if you're absolutely sure the flags are sent correctly and on time. Incorrect EITp/f flags can result in failed/broken recordings. You can set this option per channel or per DVR profile, enabling/disabling per channel overrides the DVR profile setting.

Per Channel Option Description
Not set - Use DVR profile setting.
Enabled - Enable running state (EITp/f) detection.
Disabled - Don't use running state (EITp/f) detection._

So, that means if "Use EPG running state" is Enabled or Disabled in the Channel List it will override what ever is setup in the DVR Profile. Since i have it setup to "Not Set" on all my Channels it will use the Setting in my DVR Profile where "Use EPG running state" is unticked, so its Disabled.

Because the Global Setup of Pre and Post Recording seems to Work for you the Problem "may" lays somewhere else. Maybe it really is a "Container/VM" thing, but then i would expect other Problems as well.

One last Idea i have is that you may check, just check, the File and Folder Permissions for the TVH Configuration Directory. It should be under /var/lib/tvheadend and all the Folders should be User and Group hts:video and have the permissions 0700. The Files inside the Folders it self should also be User and Group hts:video also but have the permissions 0600.

Just check it to be safe, dont start messing around if you dont know what you are doing 😉
And if you change things the Hard Way outside of the TVH Frontend, make a Backup to be safe to roll back if things go wrong.

userxy79

What happens if you setup a Global Pre and Post Recording of lets say 1 Minute for each and then Setup the Start and/or Stop Time for the Autorecord you need, like 30 Minutes for Stop Time as you sayed. Does this work? If Yes, then we found the Issue.

Flole

Maybe the recordings just didnt get updated after you changes the settings? The autorec rule creates individual recordings. If those were created after the autorec rule was changed those will not be updated.

userxy79

So here the Results of the renabled Autrecord i created as described in my last Post for Testing purposes.

It works 100% on my Side, the created Autorecord overwrites my Global +5 Minutes Pre and +15 Minutes Post recording with the setup +10 Minutes before the EPG Start Time and +30 Minutes after EPG Ending Time. Right as it should.

Please try my suggested Idea of setting up a Global Pre and Post Recording of lets say 1 Minute and then Setup/Edit the Start and/or Stop Time for the Autorecord you need, like 30 Minutes for Stop Time as you sayed. Just Editing the Autorecord should work fine, because thas the way i was doing it for testing. And if it wont work, try to delete and recreate the Autorecord Entry just to be safe.

butterkast

Hi guys!
Sorry for the inactivity — I couldn’t reply to the thread earlier.

In the end, I decided to delete everything and start from scratch, and with the same configuration I mentioned before, everything is now working fine.
I’m not sure if there was something wrong with the Docker compose or whatever, but now with the exact same settings, it correctly respects the individual recording times and all the Autorec settings.

So, thanks a lot for your help and for taking the time to assist me — everything’s working great now!

Best regards.

userxy79

No Problem, in the the End its running as it should.

Sometimes its better to Start again from Zero, especially if too much changes where going on. On the other Side the real Problem that caused the issue will not be found.

But in most of the Situations the real Problem sits 30-50cm in Front of the Screen/Monitor 😉