Is there a way to merge recordings in Media Centre?

[csutak40]

I just realised that I can record HD on my PC  with Media Centre   (without having to convert anything, in order to watch it, like I would have to on the Toppy)  So, I set it up to record Smallville, with the appropriate padding.  Only one problem  It decided that the first episode clashes with the second.  The only way I can get it to record both is to remove the padding, but I don't really want to do that.  Is there another way I'm not seeing? 

[prl]

I just realised that I can record HD on my PC  with Media Centre   (without having to convert anything, in order to watch it, like I would have to on the Toppy)  So, I set it up to record Smallville, with the appropriate padding.  Only one problem  It decided that the first episode clashes with the second.  The only way I can get it to record both is to remove the padding, but I don't really want to do that.  Is there another way I'm not seeing? 

The way that most folk do this on the Topfield TF7000 HDPVR and the Beyonwiz PVRs, which also prevent overlapping recordings on the same service, even though they have two tuners, is to create a single padded timer for both (i.e. a 2-hour timer for 2 1-hour programs), and then edit into two recordings. Clumsy, but it works. Another workaround for those two is if the program is being simulcast on SD and HD, record one program from SD and one from HD. Probably less satisfactory than the first option, but easier to set up.

[Daniel Hall at IceTV]

On the Media Center it really depends on how the padding is setup. If you setup the "Stop later" option under advanced record (or the series record screen) it is what's called "Hard Padding" that will applied no matter what, and this can cause conflicts with any shows scheduled afterwards.

The other option is to use "Soft Padding" which will extend the recording up to the time set if there is a tuner available, so in the above example it wouldn't extend as it would cause a conflict. By default Media Center can only be set to 4 minutes of pre and post soft padding, but by using the IceTV Interactive software you can set this to have a higher (anything up to 60 minutes) amount of soft padding.

[csutak40]

I guess this means I can't set it to record the series, have to do it one at a time.  Most of the time they only show one ep at a time, so this wouldn't be a problem, but this week they decided (with this show and a few others, like "The Shield") they decided to double up.  These shows aren't showing on SD, which is why I chose to record it on the PC,  not the Toppy.  I suppose, I have been spoiled by TEDS on the Toppy. 

[Daniel Hall at IceTV]

You can definitely setup the recording as a series, it just means that you can't set the "Hard" padding option under the series settings, you would need to setup padding another way.