How does Plex choose a channel for recording when the same show is on multiple channels at the same time? For example I have two Fox affiliates but they are not a re-broadcast of the same station. So I’d like both enabled to catch differing content.
Does Plex prefer the higher resolution content if there is a difference? It’d be nice if the signal strength were considered if the resolution is the same.
At worst I’ll need to restrict the channel in a recording I know is on both to the one I want. It’d be nice not to have to do that though.
A slightly different topic but what about if the tuner can’t tune due to signal loss on one channel? Will Plex try the other?
The DVR provides a few ways for you to configure which airing it choose to record. They’re all in the advanced section when you’re configuring the recording (click "Show Advanced):
Resolution. Your choices here are “Prefer HD” and “HD Only.” There’s also a check box beneath this setting which, if selected, allows the DVR to re-record items in a higher resolution at a later time.
Limit to Channel. If a series airs on multiple channels, you can select the one from which you’d like to record.
Limit to Airing Time. If a series airs in multiple time slots, you can select the one which should be used for recording.
If you’ve configured the DVR to record from a specific channel, definitely not. However, I’m not sure what the retry strategy is otherwise as I’ve never had the situation arise. I know that the DVR has some conflict resolution logic built in which allows it to re-schedule recordings for shows when there aren’t enough tuners available; it will attempt to find a future airing of the odd man out and record that. I would not be surprised if similar logic were used in this case. You may need to have the option to “Allow Partial Airings” enabled for this to work.
I’m most interested in the automatic selection logic. There must be something even if it’s “random”. I have quite a few episodic recordings and I’ve edited each one enough times I’d like to avoid that if possible. Knowing to select the channel when I create the recording isn’t so inconvenient.
Allowing partial recordings is interesting. I know Plex will retry a failed recording fairly soon after a failure. I’ll probably try a test of that. Thanks.
