Matrix and shared boxes

[oldtex]

I know traditionally the logic is 1 tv 1 cable box (how I would normally recommend it), however often times matrixes are sold with the understanding you can share cable boxes.

With 6 tvs and four boxes is there any programming logic I could use so all the the end user sees is watch dish and c4 knows which cable boxes are in use and which ones are not?

Just for example using the dish driver which 'seems' to be 2way?

[Cyknight]

What you'd do is hide all the cable boxes, and have them use the 'channels' to start watching - the system keeps track then on which boxes are in use and selects the next 'free' one automatically.

 

Better yet - get rid of the whole 1 on 1 concept, toss it out the window and stamp on it a few times  - get one box per user, name each after the user and have the user select his/her box in whatever room they happen to be in.

 

ie:

Mom's PVR

Dad's PVR

Son PVR

Daughter PVR

Guest PVR

[oldtex]

Thanks! I sometimes stay away from using the channel lineup because art and stuff can be hit or miss but I guess as long as they start the 'activity' by the channel I can add a couple of the favs and it should work out.

Is there any downside to this? say four cable boxes and then a 5th goes to select a channel?

[turls]

Taking the "channels" example and applying it to "movies" (I wish I could say for Netflix/Amazon Prime/Vudu streaming boxes but I know we are waiting on a new proxy to allow that according to a previous thread): will the same type of logic be smart enough to play on whatever device isn't already in use if you have multiple Dune/Popcorn Hour/Mede8er boxes and multiple people try to play different movies?

 

Or taking that even further would it be smart enough to cross drivers in an even more extreme manner and use Plex or Kodi if not already in use?

[Cyknight]

It's First in First out.

So if all 4 are in use - the 5th will grab the one that has been in use the longest.

 

Yes the logic applies to movies as well. It will also do it across different 'media players'. Indeed this can actually create grief in some cases if different boxes have different capabilities (for example mx a Dune and a C4 Media Player, and have BluRay ISO files) as the system doesn't 'know' which player is capable of which.

How that ends up panning out from for example a Dune to a Plex I'm unsure as these tend to be more complex drivers.

Example: if you use MyMovies for your database, then the 'EV' driver for the Dune is decoding a string in the network path to be able to play - if you have that C4 Media Player - it cannot decode that string and will not be able to play. Again, the system is not AWARE of that limitation though resulting in issues.

In base principal though - if both boxes have the ability to play a file and both boxes are called on by C4 to play a movie from a database known to C4 (and not using some form of additional encryption) it should work.

[Matt Lowe]

on some systems we have pushed the user back to the navigator screen with an error message that the source is in use. selecting it a second time will allow control just in case some one left it on in the other room.