From 1f3258355aa65209bfe23bbc734f308858c67f27 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Manuel Reimer Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2023 16:48:02 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Created VDR manual (MANUAL) (asciidoc) --- VDR-manual-(MANUAL).asciidoc | 1335 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 1335 insertions(+) create mode 100644 VDR-manual-(MANUAL).asciidoc diff --git a/VDR-manual-(MANUAL).asciidoc b/VDR-manual-(MANUAL).asciidoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000..52cf140 --- /dev/null +++ b/VDR-manual-(MANUAL).asciidoc @@ -0,0 +1,1335 @@ +Video Disk Recorder User's Manual +--------------------------------- + +Version 2.6 +----------- + +* Remote Control Keys + + The following remote control keys are used to control the VDR + operation. To keep the number of different keys as small as + possible, several keys have different meanings in the various + modes: + + Key Normal VDR Channels Timers Edit/New Recordings Replay Audio + + Up Ch up Crsr up Crsr up Crsr up Crsr up Crsr up Play Sel. track + Down Ch down Crsr down Crsr down Crsr down Crsr down Crsr down Pause Sel. track + Left Prev group - Page up Page up Decrement Page up Search back Sel. channel + Right Next group - Page down Page down Increment Page down Search forward Sel. channel + Ok Ch display Select Switch Edit Accept Play Progress disp. Switch & Close + Menu Menu on Menu off Menu off Menu off Menu off Menu off Menu off Menu off + Back - Menu off VDR menu VDR menu Discard VDR menu Recordings menu Close + Red - Record Edit On/Off ABC/abc Play/Commands(1) Jump - + Green - Audio New New Ins/Ovr Rewind Skip -60s - + Yellow - Pause live Delete Delete Delete Delete Skip +60s - + Blue - Stop/Resume Mark Info - Info Stop - + 0..9 Ch select - Sort(2) Day(3) Numeric inp. Sort/Exec cmd(1) Editing - + + In a numerical input field (like the response to a CAM enquiry) the keys 0..9 + are used to enter the data, and the Left key can be used to delete the last + entered digit. + + In a text input field (like, e.g., the file name of a recording) the characters + can be entered by pressing the numeric keys, the same way as on a telephone + keypad. + + If your remote control provides additional keys, they can be used for the + following functions: + + Info display information on the currently viewed programme or recording, + or on the current item in a menu + Play/Pause combined key to resume or pause replay, or pause live video + Play resume normal replay + Pause pause replay or live video + Stop stop replay + Record instant recording + FastFwd fast forward + FastRew fast rewind + + Next Next/previous channel group (in live tv mode) + Prev or next/previous editing mark (in replay mode) + + Channel+ channel up + Channel- channel down + PrevChannel previous channel + + Power shutdown + + Volume+ volume up + Volume- volume down + Mute mute + + Audio select audio track + Subtitles select subtitles + + Schedule \ + Channels | + Timers | directly access the VDR + Recordings | main menu functions + Setup | + Commands / + + User1...9 additional user defined keys for macro functions + (defined in 'keymacros.conf') + + Note that in normal viewing mode (no OSD active) the color keys can have user + defined functionality, as configured in 'keymacros.conf'. + The default assignment is + + Red Recordings menu + Green Schedule menu + Yellow Info + Blue Timers menu + + (1) See "Sort Recordings" and "Processing Recordings" below. + (2) In the "Channels" menu the '0' key switches the sort mode through "by number", + "by name" and "by provider". Other numeric input positions the cursor to + the channel with the number entered so far. If there is no channel with that + number, nothing happens. While entering a channel number, the '0' key will + be treated as part of that number, not as a sort mode toggle. If no numeric + key has been pressed for more than one second, the number is reset and '0' + functions as sort mode toggle again. + (3) In the "Edit timer" menu, when on the "Day" item, the '0' key toggles between + a single shot and a repeating timer. If "Day" indicates a repeating timer, + the keys '1'...'7' can be used to toggle the individual days ('1' is Monday). + +* Navigating through the On Screen Menus + + The "VDR" menu can be called up with the "Menu" key of your remote + control unit. The "Up" and "Down" keys are used to select a specific + item. The "Left" and "Right" keys can be used to change options, and + the numeric keys allow direct input of numeric data. The "Ok" key + confirms any changes (or switches to a channel in the "Channels" menu). + The "Back" key goes back one level in the menu structure, discarding + any changes that might have been made in the current menu. + + In the "Timers" menu, the current timer can be enabled or disabled with + the "Red" key. Enabled timers are marked with '>', timers + that are currently recording are marked with '#'. If a timer has the + "First day" set so that it will start recording only on the given date, + it is marked with '!'. The "Red" key toggles through the "enabled" and + "disabled" states, and for repeating timers that are currently recording + also a state that ends this recording prematurely and sets the "First day" + date so that it will record again the next time the timer hits. + "Ok" here opens the "Edit timer" menu. + + Textual options, like channel names or recording file names, can be edited + by pressing the "Right" key (which puts brackets around the current + character as in "[R]TL"), selecting the desired character position with + "Left" and "Right", and changing the character with the "Up" and "Down" + keys. "Ok" then confirms the changes. The "Red" key toggles between + upper- and lowercase characters, while the "Green" key switches between + insert and overwrite mode. The "Yellow" key deletes the current character + (or the one to the right of the cursor in insert mode). + + The "Red", "Green", "Yellow" and "Blue" keys have special meanings + in various menus and are listed at the bottom of the on-screen-display. + + At any point in the menu system, pressing the "Menu" key again will + immediately leave the menu system (discarding any pending changes). + +* The "Schedule" Menu + + The "Schedule" menu implements VDR's "Electronic Program Guide" (EPG). + + Select "Schedule" from the "VDR" menu and you get a list of all upcoming + broadcasts on the current channel. + + "Up" and "Down" can be used to scroll through this list, and pressing "Ok" + displays detailed information about the selected programme. Pressing "Ok" + again (or pressing "Back") gets you back into the "Schedule" menu. + + From the "Schedule" menu, the "Green" key opens the "What's on now?" + menu, which displays all programmes that are currently running on all + channels that broadcast their programme information on the current + transponder, or from channels that have been current lately (VDR stores + all information it gathers in an internal list). The more channels you + have been switching through lately, the longer this list will be. + The "Yellow" key opens the "What's on next?" menu, which lists all + programmes that will start next on all channels. + + Inside the "What's on now/next?" menus the "Green" key toggles between + the "Now" and "Next" display, and the "Yellow" key takes you to the + "Schedule" menu of the current channel in the list. + + The "Red" key allows you to instantly program a timer to record the + selected programme. After pressing this key, the current event will + be marked with 'T', and the function of the "Red" key will change from + "Record" to "Timer". Pressing "Red" on an event marked with 'T' will open + the "Edit timer" menu for this timer, where you can make any modifications + you may want to apply. Note that the Start and Stop time are offset by the + MarginStart and MarginStop parameters (see Setup) in order to make sure the + entire programme is recorded in case it doesn't exactly adhere to its + published start/stop times. Of course, no guarantee can be given that the + default margin values will be sufficient, so in case this recording is + really important you may want to add an extra margin ;-). VPS recordings + will use the exact Start (or VPS) and Stop times as given in the event. + If a timer is newly created from within the "Schedule" menu, and its event is + already running or has its start time within the next two minutes, it goes + directly into the "Edit timer" menu in order to allow the user to make further + changes to timer parameters before the actual recording starts. + + The "Blue" key can be pressed to switch to the channel with the selected + programme. + + The following markers in these menus give additional information about the + status of the events: + + t there is a timer defined for this event which covers only part of the event + T there is a timer defined for this event which covers the entire event + V this event has a VPS time that's different than its start time + * this event is currently running (the validity of this marker depends on + whether there is currently a DVB card receiving the transponder this channel + is on). + + Pressing '0' in the "Schedule" menu rotates through displaying "This event on + this channel", "This event on all channels" and "All events on all channels". + This can be used to find reruns of a given show, or the episodes of a series. + Note that if there are many channels in your channels.conf, displaying the + "All events on all channels" page may take a while. + +* Selecting a Channel + + There are four ways to select a channel: + + 1. With no On Screen Menu displayed press the "Up" or "Down" key to switch + to the next higher or lower channel. + 2. Press the "Menu" key to bring up the On Screen Menu, select "Channels" + and browse through the list with the "Up" and "Down" key; to switch to the + selected channel press "Ok". + 3. Directly type in the channel number with the numeric keys ('0'..'9'); + if no key is pressed for about one second, the digits collected so + far will define the channel number. + 4. From the "Now", "Next" and "Event" menus (accessible through the "Schedule" + menu) by pressing the "Blue" key. + + Pressing the '0' key in normal viewing mode toggles between the current and + the previous channel. A channel is considered "previous" if it has been + selected for at least 3 seconds. + + After switching to a different channel the channel number and name, as well + as the current time are displayed in the OSD. If available, the + 'current/next' information will be displayed below this line. This display + automatically goes away after about five seconds, or if any key is pressed. + To bring up the channel display without switching channels you can press + the "Ok" key. + +* Selecting audio tracks + + If the current channel or recording provides different audio tracks (for + different languages or Dolby Digital), the "Green" key in the "VDR" menu can + be pressed to bring up the "Audio" menu. Within this menu, the "Up" and "Down" + keys can be used to switch between the audio tracks. If your remote control has + a dedicated "Audio" key, the first press of that key brings up the "Audio" + menu, and every further press switches to the next available audio track. + + The "Left" and "Right" keys can be used to switch between "mono left", "stereo" + and "mono right" for channels that broadcast different audio tracks in the + left and right stereo channels. + + The "Ok" key explicitly switches to the selected track (in case the device + for some reason doesn't play it) and closes the "Audio" menu. + + The "Audio" menu will automatically disappear after 5 seconds of user inactivity, + or if any key other than the ones described above is pressed. + + Once a Dolby Digital track has been selected on any channel, further channel + switches will first search for a Dolby Digital track of one of the preferred + audio languages. If no such track can be found, a normal audio track will + be selected. Note that this only works if the broadcasters use actual language + codes in their PID data, not things like "dd" or "2ch". + +* Switching through channel groups + + If the 'channels.conf' file contains "group separators" you can switch + through these groups by pressing the "Left" and "Right" key while no + menu is being displayed. The channel display will show the name of the + group, and if you press the "Ok" key while the group name is being + displayed, you will switch to the first channel of that group. + + Channel groups can be whatever you decide them to be. You can either + group your channels by "Bouquet", by language, genre or whatever your + preferences may be. + +* Instant Recording + + You can start recording the current channel by pressing the "Red" key + in the "VDR" menu. This will create a timer event named "@channelname" that + starts at the current time and by default records for 3 hours. + If you want to modify the recording time you need to edit the timer. + Stop instant recording by pressing the "Menu" key and selecting + "Stop Recording", or by disabling the timer. The default priority, lifetime + and recording time can be defined in the "Setup/Recording" menu. + +* Pausing live video + + If you want to pause the live programme you are just watching, simply press + "Menu/Yellow" or "Pause" on your remote control. VDR will start an instant + recording of the current channel (just as if you had pressed "Menu/Red" or + "Record") and immediately begin replaying that recording. Replay will be + put into "pause" mode, so you can attend to whatever it was that disturbed + your live viewing session. Once you're back, simply press the "Up" or "Play" + key and you'll be watching the current channel in time shift mode, right + from the point where you left off. The instant recording VDR has started + will use the parameters for "Pause priority" and "Pause lifetime" as defined + in the "Setup/Recording" menu. Recording time will be the same as for + any other instant recording, so by default it will record 3 hours (which + should be enough for any normal broadcast). + Note that the timer that is created for recording the paused live video will + always record on the local VDR, even if an "SVDRP default host" has been + set for normal timer recordings. + +* Replaying a Recording + + All recordings are listed in the "Recordings" menu. Browse through the + list with the "Up" and "Down" key and press "Ok" (or the "Red" key) + to start playback. New recordings are marked with an '*'. + If the Setup parameter RecordingDirs has been set and there are recordings + from repeating timers organized in a subdirectory structure, only the + directory is displayed and it can be opened by pressing "Ok" (or the "Red" + key). A directory entry displays the total number of recordings within + that directory (and any possible subdirectory thereof) as well as the total + number of new recordings (as opposed to a recording's entry, which displays + the date and time of the recording). + + If the setup parameter "Use episode name" was turned on when a recording took place, + VDR adds the "Episode name" (which is usually the name of the episode in case of + a series) to the recording's name. The "Recordings" menu then displays all + recordings of a repeating timer in chronological order, since these are + usually the individual episodes of a series, which you may want to view in + the order in which they were broadcast. + + Playback can be stopped via the "VDR" menu by selecting "Stop replaying", + or by pressing the "Blue" key outside the menu. + A previously stopped playback session can be resumed by pressing the "Blue" + key in the "VDR" menu. + +* Sort Recordings + + Within the "Recordings" menu, pressing the '0' key toggles sorting between + "by time" and "by name". The selected sort mode is stored separately for each + folder (provided you have write access to that folder). + If a folder is newly created by a repeating timer, the sort mode for that + folder is initially set to "by time". + +* Processing Recordings + + The configuration file 'reccmds.conf' can be used to define system commands + that can be applied to the recording that is currently highlighted in the + "Recordings" menu. The "Red" key in the "Recordings" menu opens the "Recording + commands" menu if there are commands defined in the file 'reccmds.conf'. Pressing + one of the keys '1'..'9' in the "Recordings" menu executes the corresponding + command from 'reccmds.conf' (see also "Executing system commands" below). + +* Replay Control + + The following keys have the listed meaning in Replay mode: + + - Up Resumes normal replay from any "pause", "forward" or "backward" + mode. + - Down Halts playback at the current position. Press again to continue + playback. + - Blue Stops playback and stores the current position, so that + playback can be resumed later at that point. + - Left + Right Runs playback forward or backward at a higher speed; press + again to resume normal speed. If in Pause mode, runs forward or + backward at a slower speed; press again to return to pause mode. + Pressing and holding down the key performs the function until + the key is released again. + If "Multi Speed Mode" has been enabled in the "Setup" menu, the + function of these keys changes in a way that gives you three + fast and slow speeds, through which you can switch by pressing + the respective key several times. + - Red Jump to a specific location. Enter the time you want to jump to + and then press "Left" or "Right" to jump relative to the current + position, "Up" to jump to an absolute position, and "Down" to + jump and pause at an absolute position. + - Green + Yellow Skips about 60 seconds back or forward. + Pressing and holding down the key performs the function until + the key is released again. + - Ok Brings up the replay progress display, which shows the date, + time and title of the recording, a progress bar and the + current and total time of the recording. + Press "Ok" again to turn off the progress display. + - Back Stops replaying and brings up the "Recordings" menu. This can be + used to easily delete a recording after watching it, or to switch + to a different recording. + +* Editing a Recording + + While in Replay mode, the following keys can be used to manipulate editing + marks: + + - 0 Toggles an editing mark. If the mark indicator shows a red triangle, + the current mark is deleted. Otherwise a new mark is set at the + current position. + - 1, 3 Move an editing mark back and forward in "adaptive" mode. Pressing + either of these keys for the first time moves the mark 120 seconds + in the given direction (configurable via "Setup/Replay/Initial + duration for adaptive skipping"). Further presses of the same key + keep moving the mark by the same value. Once the other key is + pressed, the value is divided by 2 (hence the name "adaptive") with + every further press of either key. Pressing '1' and '3' + alternatingly divides the distance all the way down to a single + I-frame. That way a particular place in a recording (for instance + the beginning or end of a commercial break) can be found very + quickly. If none of these two keys is pressed for a while + (configurable via "Setup/Replay/Reset timeout for adaptive + skipping") the distance falls back to the initial value. + If replay is not in Pause mode, or if there is no mark at the + current position, the skip is performed without moving any mark. + - 4, 6 Move an editing mark back and forward by one I-frame. You need to + first jump to an editing mark for this to work. + - 7, 9 Jump back and forward between editing marks. Replay goes into still + mode after jumping to a mark. If the current position is at the + first or last mark, or if there are no marks at all, these keys + jump to the very beginning or end, respectively, of the recording. + - 8 Positions replay at a point 3 seconds before the current or next + "begin" mark and starts replay. + - 2 Starts the actual cutting process. + + Editing marks are represented by black, vertical lines in the progress display. + A small black triangle at the top of the mark means that this is a "begin" + mark, and a triangle at the bottom means that this is an "end" mark. + The cutting process will save all video data between "begin" and "end" marks + into a new file (the original recording remains untouched). The new file will + have the same name as the original recording, preceded with a '%' character + (imagine the '%' somehow looking like a pair of scissors ;-). Red bars in the + progress display indicate which video sequences will be saved by the cutting + process. + + The video sequences to be saved by the cutting process are determined by an + "even/odd" algorithm. This means that every odd numbered editing mark (i.e. + 1, 3, 5,...) represents a "begin" mark, while every even numbered mark (2, 4, + 6,...) is an "end" mark. Inserting or toggling a mark on or off automatically + adjusts the sequence to the right side of that mark. + + Use the keys described under "Replay Control" to position to, e.g., the + beginning and end of commercial breaks and press the '0' key to set the + necessary editing marks. After that you may want to use the '7' and '9' + keys to jump to each mark and maybe use the '4' and '6' keys to fine tune + them. Once all marks are in place, press '2' to start the actual cutting + process, which will run as a background process. When replaying the edited + version of the recording you can use the '8' key to jump to a point just + before the next cut and have a look at the resulting sequence. + + Currently editing marks can only be set at I-frames, which typically appear + every half of a second to a second. A "begin" mark marks the first frame of + a resulting video sequence, and an "end" mark marks the last frame of that + sequence. Note that the actual frame indicated by the an "end" mark will + not be included in the edited version of the recording. That's because every + recording (and every sequence of an edited recording) begins with an I-frame + and ends right before the next I-frame. + An edited recording (indicated by the '%' character) will never be deleted + automatically in case the disk runs full (no matter what "lifetime" it has). + +* Programming the Timer + + Use the "Timer" menu to maintain your list of timer controlled recordings. + The parameters in the "Edit timer" menu have the following meanings: + + Active: Defines whether the timer will be processed (set it to 'no' to + temporarily disable a timer). + Channel: The channel to be recorded (as defined in the "Channels" list). + Any changes made in the "Channels" list (like renaming or + reordering channels) will be automatically reflected in the + timers settings. + Day: The day on which this timer shall start. This can be a + date (like 2005-03-19), which allows programming a "single shot" + timer that hits once and is deleted after it ends. + Another option here are "repeating timers" which are defined + by listing the days of the week on which they shall record. + For example, a timer that shall record every Monday and Wednesday + would have a Day setting of "M-W----". + The '0' key toggles between a single shot and a repeating timer. + If "Day" indicates a repeating timer, the keys '1'...'7' can be + used to toggle the individual days ('1' is Monday). + You can also switch to a set of predefined repeating timer settings + by pressing the "Left" key when the day is the present day. To return + to the single shot mode just press "Right" until a date is displayed. + Start: The start time of the timer in hh:mm as 24 hour ("military") time. + Stop: The stop time of the timer. + VPS: Defines whether the timer shall use VPS (if available). If this + option is set to 'yes', the start time must exactly match the + programme's VPS time, otherwise nothing will be recorded. If VPS + is used, the stop time has no real meaning. However, it must be + different than the start time, and should correspond to the actual + stop time of the programme, just in case there is no real VPS data + available at the time of recording, so VDR has to fall back to + normal timer recording. + Priority: The Priority (0..99) is used to decide which timer shall be + started in case there are two or more timers with the exact same + start time. The first timer in the list with the highest Priority + will be used. This value is also stored with the recording and is + later used to decide which recording to remove from disk in order + to free space for a new recording. If the disk is full and a new + recording needs more space, an existing recording with the lowest + Priority (and which has exceeded its guaranteed Lifetime) will be + removed. If all available DVB cards are currently occupied, a + timer with a higher priority will interrupt the timer with the + lowest priority in order to start recording. + Lifetime: The number of days (0..99) a recording made through this timer is + guaranteed to remain on disk before it is automatically removed + to free up space for a new recording. Note that setting this + parameter to very high values for all recordings may soon fill up + the entire disk and cause new recordings to fail due to low disk + space. The special value 99 means that this recording will live + "forever", and a value of 0 means that this recording can be + deleted any time if a recording with a higher priority needs disk + space. + Pattern: The pattern to use for recordings matching events (only available + for pattern timers). See section "Pattern timers" below. + File: The name under which a recording created through this timer will + be stored on disk (the actual name will also contain the date and + time, so it is possible to have a "repeating timer" store all its + recordings under the same name; they will be distinguishable by + their date and time). + If the file name contains the special character '~', the recording + will be stored in a hierarchical directory structure. For instance, + a file name of "Sci-Fi~Star Trek~Voyager" will result in a directory + structure "/video/Sci-Fi/Star_Trek/Voyager". The '~' character has + been chosen for this since the file system's directory delimiter '/' + may be part of a regular programme name. + Repeating timers create recordings that contain the 'Episode name' + information from the EPG data in their file name. Typically (on tv + stations that care about their viewers) this contains the episode + title of a series. The episode name is appended to the timer's file name, + separated by a '~' character, so that it results in all recordings + of this timer being collected in a common subdirectory. + If this field is left blank, the channel name will be used to form + the name of the recording. + First day: The date of the first day when this timer shall start recording + (only available for repeating timers). + Record on: The name of the remote VDR this timer shall record on (only available + if there are any remote VDRs connected to this VDR). If this field + is empty, the timer will record on the local VDR. + + A timer can also be programmed by pressing the "Red" key on the "Schedule", + "Now", "Next" or "Event" menus. + + The "Red" key in the "Edit timer" menu opens a list of folders, which can be + used to define the file name in which the recording will be stored. + + The "Yellow" key in the "Edit timer" menu toggles the timer between "Pattern" + and "Regular". + + When editing the "File" field, the "Blue" key in can be used to insert useful + macros. + +* Pattern timers + +There are cases where it would make sense to have a more flexible kind of +recording timer. For instance, some channels that provide VPS don't always +use the exact same VPS time for a series, which is extremely annoying. +Or you might want to record all films that have a certain pattern in their +title, no matter when they are broadcast. In such cases, "pattern timers" +can help. + +In the "Edit timer" menu press the Yellow button to turn a regular timer into +a pattern timer. Pressing this button again switches back to regular. + +The following rules apply to pattern timers: + +- Pattern timers can only work for channels that provide EPG data. +- When using pattern timers, there should always be at least one free device that + can be used to regularly receive the EPG of the pattern timer's channel. +- A pattern timer records every matching event on the given channel that overlaps + with the given start/stop time. Overlapping events are recorded in full, + even if they extend outside the given start/stop interval. +- In order to actually record an event, a pattern timer "spawns" a separate timer + that does the recording. If there are matching events that would start while + the first spawned timer is still recording (due to the start/stop margins), timers + for those events are also spawned. +- Spawned timers are marked with the flag tfSpawned. +- Spawned timers take the Priority, Lifetime and VPS settings from the pattern timer. +- The special pattern "*" matches every event. So a timer with + a start/stop time of 00:00/23:59 will record every event of that day + into separate recordings. Note that when using this pattern there should + be no other timers for the same channel, because these might interfere. +- Once a timer has been spawned, it is treated like any other regular + timer. Any changes made to the corresponding pattern timer thereafter will have + no effect on spawned timers. Note that after deleting a spawned timer, + the corresponding pattern timer may respawn it. +- Recording is done according to the event's begin/end times, either + by adding the start/stop margins (for non-VPS timers) or by using the + event's running status (for VPS timers). +- If the start/stop margins of a spawned timer are reduced because the event + before and/or after that timer's event is shorter than the respective margin, + the actual recording still uses the full margins. +- If the times of the event change, a non-VPS pattern timer automatically adjusts + itself to the new times. This also happens if the start/stop margins are changed + in the setup. +- The recording of a pattern timer is stored under the given file name, just like + regular timers do. In addition to the "TITLE" and "EPISODE" macros the file + name of a pattern timer can also use "{<}" and "{>}" to reference the part of the + event's title before and after the pattern, respectively. For instance, + if the event's title is "Abc def ghi" and the pattern is "def ", "{<}" + would contain "Abc " and "{>}" would contain "ghi" (note the matching of the + blanks). For completeness, "{=}" can be used to reference the matching + pattern itself. +- In the "Timers" menu pressing the Red button on a pattern timer only toggles the + timer between "on" and "off", even if this is a repeating timer. +- In the "Timers" menu pattern timers are sorted alphabetically to the end of the + list of timers. +- A regular timer that is currently recording can't be changed into a pattern timer. +- In the "Edit timer" menu the file name and pattern are displayed as + separate items. The Yellow button can be used to toggle between a regular + timer and a pattern timer. When going from regular to pattern, the Pattern item will + be initialized with the base part of the file name. +- The characters '^' and '$' can be used at the very beginning and end of + the pattern to anchor the pattern to the begin or end of the title. + Using both of these will match only titles that consist of exactly the given pattern, + with nothing before and nothing after it. +- The Pattern field in the "Edit timer" menu allows blanks at the end of the string, + which may help to separate the text after the matching pattern. +- If the first character of the pattern is '@', an event that matches the + rest of the pattern is only recorded if the resulting recording's file + name (without any folders) is not contained in the donerecs.data file. + This avoids duplicate recordings of the same programme. Timers spawned from + such a pattern timer are marked with the flag tfAvoid. +- When editing the "File" field of a timer, the Blue button can be pressed to + insert one of the macros "TITLE", "EPISODE", "{<}", "{=}" or "{>}", + respectively. Pressing the Blue button repeatedly loops through the available + macros. The "{...}" macros are only available for pattern timers. +- In the "Schedule" and "What's on...?" menus the events that will be recorded + by a pattern timer are marked in the same way as regular timers. +- The TIMERS column in the LCARS skin doesn't show the basic definitions of + pattern timers, it only shows timers actually spawned from pattern timers. + +If the pattern is prepended with '@', the name of the resulting recording (everything +after the rightmost '~', or the entire file name, if there is no '~') will be stored +in the file donerecs.data, so that multiple recordings of the same programme can be +avoided. When using this feature, special care must be taken regarding the recording's +file name. For instance, with a combination of + + pattern file name + @Columbo Movies~TITLE + +if the event's title is just "Columbo", this pattern timer would only record once, +and ignore any future events with that title, even if the episode would be different. +So you may want to use the episode name, as in + + pattern file name + @Columbo Movies~TITLE - EPISODE + +to make the file name unique. If you have several pattern timers for the same show on +different channels, chances are that the broadcasters handle title and episode +differently, as for example in + + TITLE EPISODE pattern file name + Columbo Blueprint for Murder @^Columbo$ TITLE - EPISODE + Columbo - Blueprint for Murder @^Columbo TITLE + Columbo: Blueprint for Murder @^Columbo:_ Columbo - {>} + +(note the '_' in the pattern of the third example; this is just used to visualize +the blank at the end of the pattern) + +In order to have the same episode result in the same recording file name on all +channels, the file name needs to be generated differently for each channel. First +you need to decide on a proper combination of title and episode name, preferably +one that is already used by one of your channels (let's say the second one). +In the first case, title and episode name are correctly put in their respective +places, and "TITLE - EPISODE" as file name will do. The second case is our common +version, where everything is in the title, so TITLE is just fine. The third case +poses a problem, because everything is in the title, but with a different separator. +Here the special macro "{>}" can be used in the file name, which contains everything +following the matching pattern. There are three macros that can be used here: + + {<} everything before the matching pattern + {>} everything after the matching pattern + {=} the matching pattern itself (just for completeness) + +As of VDR version 2.5.2, the characters ' ' (blank), ':' and '-' are ignored +when checking whether a particular recording has already been made by a pattern +timer, making "TITLE - EPISODE" and "TITLE: EPISODE" the same. + +* Managing folders + + The "Select folder" menu, which can be accessed by pressing the "Red" key in + the "Edit timer" menu, offers a list of folders that can be used for storing + a recording. In this menu, the "Green" key allows you to define a new folder + within the current one; if the "Sub folder" option is set to "yes", this will + be a folder that contains other folders (indicated by "..." following the + folder name in the list). The "Yellow" key deletes the current folder (note + that this will merely delete the folder definition stored in 'folders.conf' + and has no effect on existing timers or recordings). The "Blue" key can be + used to edit an existing folder definition. The "Red" key opens a folder that + contains sub folders, while pressing Ok selects the current folder. Once a + folder has been selected, the entire path of the timer's file name will be + replaced with the selected folder. + + In the "Recordings" menu the folders of existing recordings can be renamed or + moved by pressing the "Blue" key ("Edit") while the cursor is positioned on + a folder. This will open a menu in which the folder's name and location (the + "parent" folder) can be edited. If such an operation will result in moving + more than one recording, you will be asked for confirmation. + The name, folder, priority and lifetime of an individual recording can be + changed by pressing the "Blue" key ("Info") while the cursor is positioned + on a recording, and in the resulting Info menu pressing the "Blue" key again + to bring up the "Edit recording" menu. + In the "Edit recording" menu the Red button ("Folder") allows you to select one + of your predefined folders. The Green button has multiple functions, depending + on what is currently going on with the recording. It can either stop or cancel + a cut, move or copy operation. If the button reads "Stop..." it means that the + respective operation is already happening, while "Cancel..." means that the + operation is still pending execution. If no operation is currently happening + and the recording has editing marks, the Button will read "Cut" and triggers + cutting the recording (same as pressing '2' while replaying the recording). + The Yellow button ("Delete marks") allows you to delete all editing marks from + the selected recording (if there are any and the recording is not currently + being cut). To directly edit the folder or name of the recording, position the + cursor to the respective line and press the Right key to start editing (press + Ok to confirm the edit, or Back to return to the previous value). If you want + to remove the name of the recording and make the folder name the actual + recording's name, you can position the cursor to the "Name:" field and press + the '0' key. This will take the last element of the recording's folder path + and make it the actual name of the recording. You can do this in turn until + the recording is moved all the way up to the root of the video directory. + Note that, in case you inadvertently pressed the '0' key, you can leave the + "Edit recording" menu with the "Back" key and any changes you have made so far + will not be applied. Once you are finished with editing the recording + properties, press Ok to confirm the changes. + +* Parameters in the "Setup" menu + + Select "Setup" from the "VDR" menu to enter the setup menu. From there you can + modify the following system parameters (note that "boolean" values will be + displayed as "no" and "yes" in the "Setup" menu, while in the setup file they + are stored as '0' and '1', respectively): + + OSD: + + Language = English Defines the language used to display the OSD texts. + + Skin = ST:TNG Panels Defines the "skin" used to display the OSD menus. + + Theme = Default Defines the "theme" to use with the current skin. + + Left = 8 The left and top offset of the OSD, in percent of the + Top = 8 total video display width and height, respectively. + The valid range is 0...50%. + + Width = 87 The width and height of the OSD, in percent of the + Height = 84 total video display width and height, respectively. + The valid range is 50...100%. + + Message time = 1 The time (in seconds) how long an informational + message shall be displayed on the OSD. The valid range + is 1...60. + + Use small font = 1 Defines whether the small font shall be used. 0 means never + use the small font, 1 means use the small font wherever the + current skin wants to, and 2 means always use the small + font. + + Anti-alias = 1 Controls whether the OSD uses "anti-aliasing" to improve + font rendering. To make this work, the OSD must support + at least 256 colors, and the skin in use has to + utilize these. If either of these conditions is not met, + rendering will be done without anti-aliasing. + + Default font = Sans Serif:Bold + Small font = Sans Serif + Fixed font = Courier:Bold + The names of the various fonts to use. + + Default font size = 3.8 + Small font size = 3.5 + Fixed font size = 3.1 + The sizes (in percent of the total video display height) + of the various fonts. The valid range is 1...10%, at + a resolution of 0.1%. + + Channel info position = bottom + The position of the channel info window in the OSD + (either 'bottom' or 'top'). + + Channel info time = 5 The time (in seconds) after which the channel info display + is removed if no key has been pressed. + + Info on channel switch = yes + Turns the display of the current/next information on + or off when switching the channel. The information is + always displayed when pressing the "Ok" key in + normal viewing mode. + + Timeout requested channel info = yes + Turns the automatic timeout of the channel display (when + invoked by a press of the "Ok" key) on or off. + + Scroll pages = yes no = when pressing the "Down" ("Up") key while the cursor + is on the last (first) line of a list page, the + list is scrolled down (up) a single line and the cursor will + remain at the bottom (top) of that page + yes = the list is scrolled down (up) a full page and the cursor + will be at the top (bottom) of that page (this mode allows + for faster scrolling through long lists). + + Scroll wraps = no no = when the end (beginning) of a list is reached while + moving the cursor through it, the cursor stays at the + last (first) line of the list + yes = the cursor "wraps around" and moves from the last + (first) line of the list directly to the first (last) + one. + + Menu key closes = no + If set to "yes", pressing the "Menu" key while there is + anything displayed on the OSD will close the OSD. If set + to "no", the "Menu" key will open the main menu after + closing a temporary display, like, for instance, the channel + display. + + Recording directories = yes + Turns displaying the Recordings menu as a hierarchical + directory structure on or off. + + Folders in timer menu = yes + Controls whether the full folder path is shown in the + "Timers" menu, or just the basic recording name. + + Always sort folders first = yes + In the "Recordings" menu folders are always listed before + plain recordings. Set this option to "no" if you want folders + to be interspersed with recordings when sorted alphabetically. + + Default sort mode for recordings = by time + Controls whether recordings are sorted by time or by name. + If a particular sort mode has been selected for a folder by + pressing '0', the default no longer applies to that folder. + + Sorting direction for recordings = ascending + When recordings are sorted "by time", they appear in ascending + order (i.e. "oldest" to "newest"). If this parameter is set to + "descending", they will be presented "newest" to "oldest. + Note that in the latter case, if "Always sort folders first" + is "yes", folders will appear in reverse alphabetical order. + + Number keys for characters = yes + Controls whether the number keys can be used to enter + characters in a text input field. You may want to set this + to "no" if you are using an actual keyboard to control VDR. + + Color key 0 = 0 By default, VDR assumes that the sequence of the color + Color key 1 = 1 keys on the remote control is red-green-yellow-blue. If + Color key 2 = 2 your remote control has these keys in a different sequence, + Color key 3 = 3 you can adjust these parameters to reorder the corresponding + color buttons in the menus accordingly. Note that this does + not change the functionality of the individual keys; it only + changes the sequence in which the color buttons are displayed. + + EPG: + + EPG scan timeout = 5 The time (in hours) of user inactivity after which the + DVB card in a single card system starts scanning channels + to keep the EPG up-to-date. + A value of '0' completely turns off scanning on both single + and multiple card systems. + + EPG bugfix level = 3 Some tv stations transmit weirdly formatted EPG data. + VDR attempts to fix these bugs up to the given level: + 0 = no EPG fixing + 1 = basic fixing of text location (Title, Episode and + Extended Description) + 2 = removal of excess whitespace and hyphens, mapping of + wrongly used characters + 3 = fix stream component descriptions + Default is '3'. + Note that after changing the setting of this parameter + any EPG data that has already been received will remain + in its existing format - only newly received data will + be fixed accordingly. Restart VDR if you want to make sure + all data is fixed. + + EPG linger time = 0 The time (in minutes) within which old EPG information + shall still be displayed in the "Schedule" menu. + + Set system time = no Defines whether the system time will be set according to + the time received from the DVB data stream. + Note that this works only if VDR is running under a user + id that has permission to set the system time. You also + need to set the option "Use time from transponder" to a + channel that you trust to transmit a reliable time base + (not all channels seem to have access to a correct time + base...). + + Use time from transponder = 0 + The frequency of the transponder that shall be used to + set the system time. The Setup menu will offer the full + list of channels, even if several of them are on the + same transponder. Also, when selecting a channel, saving + the Setup and opening the Setup menu again, there may be + a different channel listed here, since the first one + in 'channels.conf' that is on the given transponder will + be taken. Note that in order to set the system time from + the transponder data the option "Set system time" must also + be enabled. + + Preferred languages = 0 + Some tv stations broadcast their EPG data in various + different languages. This option allows you to define + which language(s) you prefer in such cases. By default, + or if none of the preferred languages is broadcast, any + language will be accepted and the EPG data will be + displayed in the first language received from the data + stream. If this option is set to a non-zero value, the + menu page will contain that many "Preferred language" + options which allow you to select the individual preferred + languages. If an actual EPG data record is received in + different languages, the preferred languages are checked + in the given order to decide which one to take. + + Scan The "Red" key in the "Setup/EPG" menu can be used to + force an EPG scan on a single DVB card system. If pressed, + and the primary DVB device is currently not recording or + replaying, it will loop through the transponders once and + then switch back to the original channel. Any user activity + during the EPG scan will also stop the scan and bring back + the original channel. + + DVB: + + Primary DVB interface = 1 + Defines the primary DVB interface (i.e. the one that + will display the menus and will react on input through + the remote control). Valid values range from '1' to the + number of installed DVB cards. If more than one DVB card + is installed and a recording is to be started, the + program will try to use a free DVB card that is different + from the primary DVB interface, so that the viewer will + be disturbed as little as possible. + + Standard Compliance = 0 + Defines the standard compliance mode: + 0 = DVB + 1 = ANSI/SCTE + 2 = NORDIG + + Video format = 4:3 The video format (or aspect ratio) of the tv set in use + (4:3 or 16:9). Applies only to SD output devices. + + Video display format = letterbox + The display format to use for playing wide screen video on + a 4:3 tv set ("pan & scan", "letterbox" or "center cut out"). + This option is only available if "Video format" is set to + 4:3. Applies only to SD output devices. + + Use Dolby Digital = yes + Controls whether Dolby Digital tracks appear in the "Audio" + menu. This is useful if you don't have the equipment to + replay Dolby Digital audio. + + Update channels = 5 Controls the automatic channel update function. '0' means + no update, '1' will only update channel names, '2' will + only update PIDs, '3' will update channel names and PIDs, + '4' will perform all updates and also add newly found channels, + and '5' will also add newly found transponders. + Note that adding new transponders only works if the "EPG scan" + is active. + + Audio languages = 0 Some tv stations broadcast various audio tracks in different + languages. This option allows you to define which language(s) + you prefer in such cases. By default, or if none of the + preferred languages is broadcast, the first audio track will + be selected when switching to such a channel. If this option + is set to a non-zero value, the menu page will contain that + many "Audio language" options which allow you to select the + individual preferred languages. + + Display subtitles = no If set to 'yes', the first available subtitles in the list + of preferred subtitle languages will be turned on when + switching to a channel that provides subtitles. + + Subtitle languages = 0 Some tv stations broadcast various subtitle tracks in different + languages. This option allows you to define which language(s) + you prefer in such cases. By default, or if none of the + preferred languages is broadcast, no subtitles will + be selected when switching to such a channel. If this option + is set to a non-zero value, the menu page will contain that + many "Subtitle language" options which allow you to select the + individual preferred languages. + + Subtitle offset = 0 Allows you to shift the location of the subtitles in the + vertical direction. The valid range is -100...100. This option + is only available if "Display subtitles" is set to 'yes'. + + Subtitle foreground transparency = 0 + Subtitle background transparency = 0 + These define an additional level of transparency for the + foreground and background color of subtitles. Valid ranges + are 0...9 for foreground transparency, and 0...10 for + background transparency. By default the values as broadcast + are used. + + LNB: + + Use DiSEqC = no Generally turns DiSEqC support on or off. + + SLOF = 11700 The switching frequency (in MHz) between low and + high LOF + Low LNB frequency = 9750 The LNB's low and high local oscillator frequencies + High LNB frequency = 10600 (in MHz, these have no meaning for DVB-C receivers) + + Device n connected to sat cable = own + Defines whether DVB-S device n has its own satellite cable, + or is "bonded" with another device. All DVB-S devices that + are connected to the same sat cable must be set to the same + number here. + + Use dish positioner = no + By default, the 'P' command code in DiSEqC command sequences + is ignored. Set this parameter to 'yes' if you are using a + satellite dish positioner. + + Site latitude (degrees) = 0 + Site longitude (degrees) = 0 + Set these to the latitude and longitude of your dish's + location if you use a satellite dish positioner. Use the + "Green" key to switch between north/south and east/west, + respectively. + + Max. positioner swing (degrees) = 65 + Defines the maximum angle by which the positioner can move + the dish away from due south (or north) in either direction. + The valid range is 0...90. + + Positioner speed (degrees/s) = 1.5 + Defines the speed at which the positioner moves the dish. + The valid range is 0.1...180. This value is used to calculate + how long it takes the positioner to reach the target position. + + CAM: + + n CAM Name Shows the CAM slots that are present in this system, where + 'n' is the number of the slot, followed by the name of the + CAM. If a CAM slot is empty, '-' is displayed as name, and + if it is in the process of being reset, its current status + is displayed. The "Red" key can be pressed to enter the CAM + menu, and the "Green" key triggers a reset of the selected + slot. The "Ok" key also opens the CAM menu. The "Yellow" key + assigns the selected CAM to a device and switches it to the + current channel. The CAM/device combination remains tuned to + the current channel until the smart card in the CAM has been + activated and thus starts to descramble, or until a recording + needs this device. Pressing the "Yellow" key while a CAM is + in activation mode cancels the activation. The activation mode + remains in effect even if you switch to a different channel + (provided there is more than one device in the system) or + watch a recording. To activate your smart card simply switch + to the channel you want to watch, open the "Setup/CAM" menu, + select the CAM that contains the smart card (in case you + have more than one CAM) and press the "Yellow" key. + + Recording: + + Margin at start = 2 Defines how many minutes before the official start time + Margin at stop = 10 of a broadcast VDR shall start recording, and how long + after the official end time it shall stop recording. + These margins are added automatically to timers that + are created from the EPG data. + Note that the actual margins used may be smaller than the + given values, if the event before and/or after the event + to be recorded is shorter than the respective margin. + + Default priority = 50 The default Priority and Lifetime values used when + Default lifetime = 99 creating a new timer event. A Lifetime value of 99 + means that this recording will never be deleted + automatically. + + Record key handling = 2 + Defines what happens if the Record key on the remote control + is pressed during live tv. + 0 = no instant recording + 1 = confirm instant recording + 2 = record instantly + The default is 2. + + Pause key handling = 2 Defines what happens if the Pause key on the remote control + is pressed during live tv. + 0 = do not pause live video + 1 = confirm pause live video + 2 = pause live video + The default is 2. + + Pause priority = 10 The Priority and Lifetime values used when pausing live + Pause lifetime = 1 video. + + Use episode name = yes Repeating timers use the EPG's 'Episode name' information + to create recording file names in a hierarchical structure + (for instance to gather all episodes of a series in a + common subdirectory). This parameter can be used to + control this. + no = don't use the 'Episode name' + yes = use it (and create subdirectories) + + Use VPS = 0 Defines whether a timer that is created from an EPG entry + (by pressing the "Record" (red) key in the "Schedules" + or "What's on now/next?" menu) will automatically use VPS + if the event it is created for has a VPS time. + + VPS margin = 120 Defines how many seconds before a VPS controlled timer is + scheduled to start, VDR will make sure that one of the DVB + devices is tuned to the transponder that timer shall record + from. This is necessary for the "Running Status" information + that is broadcast in the EPG data to be seen by VDR. + + Mark instant recording = yes + Defines whether an "instant recording" (started by + pressing the "Red" key in the "VDR" menu) will be + marked with a '@' character to make it distinguishable + from timer recordings in the "Recordings" menu. + + Name instant recording = TITLE EPISODE + Defines how to name an instant recording. If the keywords + TITLE and/or EPISODE are present, they will be replaced + with the title and episode information from the EPG data + at the time of recording (if that data is available). + If this parameter is empty, the channel name will be used + by default. + + Instant rec. time = 180 + Defines the duration of an instant recording in minutes. + Default is 180 minutes (3 hours). The stop time of an + instant recording can be modified at any time by editing + the respective timer in the "Timers" menu. + If this parameter is set to 0 ("present event"), only the + currently running event will be recorded, using the stop + margin and VPS setting as configured. + Note that this parameter is also used when pausing live + video! + + Max. video file size = 2000 + The maximum size of a single recorded video file in MB. + The valid range is 100...1048570. Default is 2000, but + you may want to use smaller values if you are planning + on archiving a recording to CD. + + Split edited files = no + During the actual editing process VDR writes the result + into files that may grow up to MaxVideoFileSize. If you + prefer to have each marked sequence stored in a separate + file (named 00001.ts, 00002.ts, ...) you can set this + option to 'yes'. + + Delete timeshift recording = 0 + Controls whether a timeshift recording is deleted after + viewing it. + 0 = no + 1 = confirm + 2 = yes + The default is 0. + + Replay: + + Multi speed mode = no Defines the function of the "Left" and "Right" keys in + replay mode. If set to 'no', one speed will be used, while + if set to 'yes' there will be three speeds for fast and slow + search, respectively. + + Show replay mode = no Turns displaying the current replay mode on or off. + + Show remaining time = no + Defines whether the replay progress display shows the + remaining time or the total length of the recording. + + Progress display time (s) = 0 + Defines how long (in seconds) the progress display is shown + when replay of a recording is started. The default value of 0 + means that it will not be shown. + + Pause replay when setting mark = no + Defines whether the player automatically goes into Pause + mode when setting an editing mark. + + Pause replay when jumping to a mark = yes + By default replay is automatically paused whenever you jump + to an editing mark with the '7' or '9' key in order to allow + you to easily adjust those marks. If this option is set to + 'no', the '9' key will not pause if you are in Play mode and + the mark you jump to is not within 3 seconds of the end of + the recording. + + Skip edited parts = no Defines whether the edited parts of a recording are + automatically skipped during replay. This includes jumping + to the first mark if replay starts at the beginning of the + recording, and stopping at the last mark. + + Pause replay at last mark = no + If enabled, replay of a recording will go into Pause mode + when it has reached the last "end" mark (if any). Note that + the actual position at which the pause occurs may be a couple + of frames before the last "end" mark, depending on how much + data is buffered by your output device. + + Initial duration for adaptive skipping (s) = 120 + Defines the number of seconds to jump from the current replay + position in either direction, when pressing the '1' or '3' + key for the first time after the "Reset timeout for adaptive + skipping". + The valid range is 10...600. + + Reset timeout for adaptive skipping (s) = 3 + Defines the number of seconds after which pressing the + '1' or '3' key falls back to the "Initial duration for adaptive + skipping". + The valid range is 0...10. Setting the timeout to 0 disables + the adaptive mode and makes '1' and '3' always skip the number + of seconds configured as the initial duration. + + Alternate behavior for adaptive skipping = no + When skipping in adaptive mode with the '1' and '3' keys, the + distance of the skip is halved with every key press after the + first change of direction. While this allows for locating a + particular position in a recording very fast, once you make + one step too many in the current direction you have no chance + of ever reaching the desired point any more. You will have to + wait for the timeout to occur and start adaptive skipping anew. + If this option is set to 'yes', the skip distance will only be + halved if the direction actually changes. That way, even if + you missed the target point, you can still back up to it. + + Use Prev/Next keys for adaptive skipping = no + Normally the Prev/Next keys jump between editing marks (or + the beginning/end of the recording). You can set this option + to 'yes' if you want to use these keys for adaptive skipping + instead. + + Skip distance with Green/Yellow keys (s) = 60 + Defines the number of seconds to skip in either direction + when pressing the "Green" or "Yellow" key, respectively. + The valid range is 5...600. + + Skip distance with Green/Yellow keys in repeat (s) = 60 + Defines the number of seconds to skip in either direction + when pressing and holding the "Green" or "Yellow" key, + respectively. + The valid range is 5...600. + + Resume ID = 0 Defines an additional ID that can be used in a multi user + environment, so that every user has his/her own resume + files for each recording. The valid range is 0...99, with + 0 resulting in a file named 'resume', and any other + value resulting in 'resume.n'. + + Miscellaneous: + + Min. event timeout = 30 + Min. user inactivity = 300 + If the command line option '-s' has been set, VDR will + automatically shutdown the computer if the next timer + event is at least MinEventTimeout minutes in the future, + and the user has been inactive for at least + MinUserInactivity minutes. Setting MinUserInactivity + to 0 disables the automatic shutdown, while still + retaining the possibility to manually shutdown the + computer. + + SVDRP timeout = 300 The time (in seconds) of inactivity on an open SVDRP + connection after which the connection is automatically + closed. Default is 300, a value of 0 means no timeout. + + SVDRP peering = off Activates automatic connections between VDRs in the same + network. If set to "any hosts" this VDR will establish + connections with any available hosts. If set to "only + default host" this VDR will only connect to the VDR with + the name defined in "SVDRP default host". If no default + host has been defined, the behavior is the same as with + "any hosts". To switch from "off" to "only default host", + you may need to select "any hosts" first and confirm the + dialog by pressing "Ok" in order to be able to select a + default host. + + SVDRP host name The name of this VDR, which is used when connecting VDRs + via SVDRP. By default, the machine's host name is used. + + SVDRP default host The name of the VDR to be used by default when creating a + new timer. + + Zap timeout = 3 The time (in seconds) until a channel counts as "previous" + for switching with '0' + + Channel entry timeout = 1000 + The time (in milliseconds) after the last keypress until + a numerically entered channel number is considered + complete, and the channel is switched. Default is 1000, + a value of 0 turns this off, so a numerically entered + channel number then needs to be confirmed with the "Ok" + key. Note that the total maximum is also limited by + the "OSD/Channel info time" parameter. + + Remote control repeat delay = 300 + The earliest time (in milliseconds) after which the repeat + function of the remote control kicks in if a key is held + pressed down for a while. If the remote control in use + has a repeat delay that is longer than that given in this + parameter, that longer delay will prevail. + Remote control repeat delta = 100 + The time (in milliseconds) between two subsequent key + presses generated by the remote control's repeat function. + If the remote control in use has a repeat delta that is + longer than that given in this parameter, that longer delta + will prevail. + Initial channel = The channel ID of the channel that shall be tuned to when + VDR starts. Default is empty, which means that it will + tune to the channel that was on before VDR was stopped. + + Initial volume = -1 The volume that shall be set when VDR starts. Default + is -1, which means that the same volume as before + VDR was stopped will be used. The valid range is from + 0 (silent) to 255 (loudest). + + Volume steps = 51 The number of steps the volume will use when moving from + the lowest to the highest value. The valid range is from + 5 to 255. + + Volume linearize = 0 How to linearize the volume control. The valid range is + from -20 to 20. A value of 0 results in no linearization. + The higher this value is, the more fine grained the control + of the volume is for low sound levels. Lower values do the + same for high sound levels. This allows you to adjust the + more or less linear volume control of your sound card. + + Channels wrap = no During zapping with the "Up" and "Down" keys (or the + "Channel+" and "Channel-" keys) the current channel will + wrap around the beginning or end of the channel list if + this parameter is set to 'yes'. + + Show channel names with source = off + If this option is turned on, channel names will be displayed + with the source appended to them, as in "ZDF (S)" (if the + option is set to "type), or "ZDF (S19.2E)" (if it is set to + "full"), where 'S' stands for "Satellite". + + Emergency exit = yes If, for some reason, a recording fails because the video + data stream is broken, or the CAM doesn't decrypt etc., + VDR automatically exits in order to allow the surrounding + wrapper script to reload the DVB drivers. If this option + is set to 'no', the "emergency exit" will be ignored, + hoping that the problem will go away by itself (as, for + instance, with bad weather conditions). + +* Executing system commands + + The "VDR" menu option "Commands" allows you to execute any system commands + defined in the configuration file 'commands.conf' (see vdr(5) for details). + The "Commands" option will only be present in the "VDR" menu if a valid + 'commands.conf' file containing at least one command definition has been + found at program start. + + This feature can be used to do virtually anything, like checking for new + mail, displaying the CPU temperature - you name it! All you need to do is + enter the necessary command definition into 'commands.conf' and implement + the actual command that will be called. Such a command can typically be a + shell script or a Perl program. Anything that command writes to stdout will + be displayed on a result screen after executing the command. This screen will + use a 'fixed' font so that you can generate formatted output. In order to + avoid error messages going to stderr, command definitions should redirect + stderr to stdout (see vdr(5)). + + WARNING: THE COMMANDS DEFINED IN 'commands.conf' WILL BE EXECUTED UNDER THE + ======= SAME USER ID THAT VDR IS RUNNING WITH. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN + DEFINING THESE COMMANDS AND MAKE SURE THEY DON'T HARM YOUR SYSTEM, + ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE RUNNING VDR UNDER A HIGH PRIVILEGED USER ID + (LIKE 'root').