Avicaps Timertable
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docu by: Alexander Rawass (alexannika@users.sourceforge.net)
if anyone can write a better documentation - please do it and tell
me
This timertable window implements a programable VCR-like mode into avicap.
In the timertable window, you can edit/control the recordings which
avicap will do automatically.
Start the timertable mode
When you start avicap with 'avicap', the timertable window will be inactive.
To use the timertable, you have to click on 'Timertable' in the menu.
After you've started the timertable, it will remain active, even if you
close the timertable window.
At first startup, you'll see an empty table at the top of the window,
below you'll find buttons labeled 'new', 'modify' and 'remove'
'new' will create a new entry in the timertable and show the editing
controls.
Editing Controls
With the editing controls, you can set:
- When to record (only once or every day/weekday)
- Date and Time when to start the recording
- the Time when to end the recording
- the channel used for recording
- the filename to save your recording into
- a description of your recording
If you set the 'when' combobox to 'every', you can select in the 'day' combobox
which days (every day or every weekday) - the date is ignored with 'every'
If you select 'once', you have to enter the correct date.
At present, it is not possible to select a different codec for each recording,
they all use the codec specified in the avicap configuration.
I hope I can change that in the future.
When you've set the correct parameters, press the 'modify' button to
commit it actually in the table at the top.
Be aware that you have to click 'modify' to accept the parameters.
When using 'every', the date you might have entered will be ignored, instead
the next correct date is entered in the table.
If you click another table-entry instead, your modifications for the old
will be lost.
Press 'remove' if you want to remove an entry.
Enable and disable per checkboxes
You have to activate the checkbox to the left of an entry to enable it
for recording.
A disabled checkbox means, that this entry will not be recorded.
This is useful, for daily or weekly recording, etc
If you see that a daily recording clashes with another, you can temporarily
disable it for the next day/week, and turn it back on later.
Start the timer
Press 'Start Timer' to start the timer in recording mode.
You cannot start the timer if there are no pending recordings.
If there are pending recordings, the label on the button will show 'Stop
Timer'.
Press to stop the timer.
The timer can only be disabled in-between different recordings, but
not while a recording is running? <question: is this sane?>
If you have started a recording with 'Capture AVI' from the main menu
directly, this recording will be aborted if a recording programmed with
the timertable needs to be done.
Sanity Check
Avicap will do 'Sanity Check' on your recordings.
If two recordings conflict with each other, Avicap will display this conflict
in the status display.
Avicap will display only the first conflict found - there may be more, be
warned!
If Avicap reports a sanity check, better modify the times or disable one
of the conflicting recordings.
If you don't correct these insane recording settings, Avicap will stop the
first recording brutally to start the second (conflicting) one.
It's your own fault them, if you don't care about the sanity of your recordings
;-)
Shutdown mode
If you activate the 'shutdown' checkbox, your system will go to shutdown
after a recording has been done.
This behaviour can be disabled completely by configuring avicap to 'never
shut down system' in the general avicap configuration dialog.
Avicap can also shutdown/poweroff your system after a recording and
resume/reboot it just before the next recording, implementing a real power-saving
VCR like mode, where your computer is off in-between recordings.
Logout with Avicap
If you want to enable this resume/shutdown, you HAVE to 'quit' per Avicaps
shutdown routine.
Don't log out of X and shutdown the normal way anymore.
Use this way:
1. Edit the timertable settings for the next recording, and start the
timer.
2. As long as you want to work with your computer, leave Avicap in background
running.
3. If you want to power-off your computer (maybe because you've got to
go to bed after a long programming session, just like me right now ;-)),
close all other applications, get Avicap in the foreground, and set the
'shutdown' checkbox.
4. If your recording is more than <boottime>+<gracetime>
in the future, Avicap will pop a requester telling you that it will shut
down, counting down.
Ignore it.
5. After some time, Avicap will set the nvram and call the shutdown-script
6. Your system will be sent into shutdown
7. It will re-boot again
8. And get's powered down soon after booting
9. and then, some time, the RTC alarm will power-on again and your system
will reboot, starting X and avicap in timermode, waiting for your recording
Read here about Avicaps shutdown&resume
capabilities.
How I use the timertable along with the shutdown
& resume mode
I've programmed my timertable for the next two weeks with all the stuff
I wanna see, Avicap will be running on my computer in background while I
am working with it, and when I do a power-off I am sure that Avicap will
power-on itself when it feels the need to watch TV itself ;-)
It's like sort of an external brain, I don't have to think about TV for
the next two weeks, cause Avicap will do that for me if I am awake or asleep
:-)))
<Humor>
And if I don't have time to watch the session that Avicap has recorded,
why worry?
Avicap has watched it, so why should I watch it again?
I think it is just neccessary that anyone watches TV, and it's probably
also a good education for my computer if he can watch TV for himself ;-))))
</Humor>