Since timers already have priorities it seems a simple solution to the overlap issue would be to offer a pre-emption option in the preferences or as a timer conflict resolution option. If enabled this feature would cause timers to be pre-empted or delayed based on their priorities.
For example, say you have the following timers waiting to go. All timers have 1/3 padding.
1) Starts at 09:00, ends at 10:00 and has priority 1.
2) Starts at 10:00, ends at 11:00 and has priority 3.
3) Starts at 10:30, ends at 12:00 and has priority 2.
Since 1 and 2 overlap the software will examine the priorities, see timer 1 is higher and continue recording it until completion. Once it finishes timer 2 will fire.
The overlap between 2 and 3 would be opposite. Since timer 3 has higher priority timer 2 would be ended early and timer 3 would be started. Timer 3 impends upon timer 2 with more than just padding, but with this feature the user doesn't have to decide which timer won't go at all, they just get as much of each as possible, based on priority.
This would only be used in cases where the other tuner isn't being used. If the other tuner is available the software should just use it.
This rather mimics the way a person would normally watch a single-tuner television. They make a decision whether to switch when the new show starts or wait until the current show ends based on which one is more important to them.
To make everyone happy there probably needs to be three choices on how to handle timer conflict resolution:
1) Honor established padding via tuner switching/stealing.
2) Remove padding (either automatically or manually.) It would be nice for the software to say, "These timers overlap, but if I remove the automatic padding they don't, so I'll record them without padding!"
3) Priority based timer preemption.
Option 3 also helps in the case where a live show runs long and there's no one around to tell the receiver what to do. It should just delay a subsequent timer until the live show completes. This assumes they begin supporting live show overruns.
I can guarantee I'll have the priority for the Superbowl set to 1.
"We now resume our regularly scheduled programming, already in progress."