Klaus wrote:

The question is can the total PID count be reduced when VDR is idle, or
is there an assumption that a channel uses fewer than 4 PID's in
calculating how many to leave spare for recordings (if that's how it
works)?


VDR doesn't do any calculations regarding the number of PID filters.
It just assumes that there will be enough of them ;-)

You might want to try VDR 1.7.14, which saves a few PID filters.
Here's what you could try in VDR 1.6.0-2:

- in eit.c exchange the code after the line "// --- cEitFilter -----------"
  with that from VDR 1.7.14. You may need to leave out the "disable until" part.
  That saves two PID filters.

- disable setting the system time from the transponder (saves another
  filter in eit.c)

Klaus

Great work, thanks Klaus - I patched version 1.6 as you suggest, leaving out the "disable until" bit.
The Freecom USB receiver will now do at least 2 channels simultaneously, sometimes 3.
When idle, 6 PID's are now in use normally instead of 8 (I wasn't setting system time - using NTP).

Are you aware of anywhere the PID capacity of receivers is published - it's not in http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/DVB-T_USB_Devices for example?
- it would be good to publish, so buyers can select better hardware

cheers
Richard