Timings,timings,timings.....

m.stephens

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Do you think some TV companies are deliberately adjusting programme start times to frustrate Tivo etc users ?

So....

Set up a series link for TV Burp. For some reason, Tivo insists on recording it on ITV2 (or maybe ITV2+1) instead of ITV1. The ITV shows are generally missing the end. It also finds some early TV Burps on Comedy Channel (? or something). These always miss the beginning.

Family Guy on BBC3 is a suggestion on our Tivo. But Tivo has always stopped recording well before the end of an episode. So suggestions aren't padded ?

The other day, there was a travel programme on Channel 5 we wanted. The programme was scheduled to start at 1900. I flicked onto 105 at 1858 (Tivo time) and it had already started so I hit the record this show button. Of course Tivo thought it was recording whatever was on before the programme we wanted and we came back to find around 6 minutes of actual recording. Dohhhhhhh!
 
Do you think some TV companies are deliberately adjusting programme start times to frustrate Tivo etc users ?
Not us specifically, no. But to annoy people in general, maybe :)

Set up a series link for TV Burp. For some reason, Tivo insists on recording it on ITV2 (or maybe ITV2+1) instead of ITV1.
No it won't. Series Links are channel-specific so will only ever record off the channel you set it up on. What you describe is either a Suggestion or a Wishlist item.

This is why I actually (mostly) like the 'default padding' of 1 min before and 4 mins after. I only switch it off on channels where I know it won't be needed; or, at least, rarely.


The other day, there was a travel programme on Channel 5 we wanted. The programme was scheduled to start at 1900. I flicked onto 105 at 1858 (Tivo time) and it had already started so I hit the record this show button. Of course Tivo thought it was recording whatever was on before the programme we wanted and we came back to find around 6 minutes of actual recording. Dohhhhhhh!
That was you're fault though :D
 
That was you're fault though :D

Not really, there is a flaw with the TiVo in relation to instantaneous recording. You cannot record with the TiVo using the EPG for guidance on what it is supposed to be recording, so if you press record it will only record what the EPG says is currently airing and/or what the TiVo has buffered, again determined by the EPG. You can't actually override this. Say if you want to record a snippet from the news, you end up recording the entire news broadcast if buffered or if the EPG is incorrect, you get the previous programme rather than the snippet you wanted.
 
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Not really.
Yes, really. If you press 'record' at 9:59pm (for example) how does it know you want the next hour rather than the last hour? :confused:

there is a flaw with the TiVo in relation to instantaneous recording.
No. There probably isn't.

You cannot record with the TiVo using the EPG for guidance on what it is supposed to be recording..
That makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever :confused: I do that every single day and it's not often been wrong yet.

so if you press record it will only record what the EPG says is currently airing and/or what the TiVo has buffered, again determined by the EPG.
So it works exactly as intended then. Told you there wasn't a flaw :rolleyes:

You can't actually override this. Say if you want to record a snippet from the news, you end up recording the entire news broadcast if buffered or if the EPG is incorrect, you get the previous programme rather than the snippet you wanted.
So what? You want the EPG to minute-by-minute data on the off-chance there's a 30-second clip of something you want? :eek::confused::rolleyes:

I do agree that the unit should work more like the original Series 1 which, when you pressed "record" would lop-off the buffer anything before start time of current programme. But, as there's no much disk space available these days that's not really an issue in most cases.
 
Yes, there is a problem with instantaneous recording, mainly that there is no such facility on a TiVo :)

If I press record, I want it to record what I see there and then, not what it thinks should be playing according to the EPG. If I wanted to record via the EPG then I'd use the EPG to set the recording up!

Try getting it to record the start of a programme (or a snippet from anywhere else) if the EPG is incorrect and still showing the previous programme. It will start recording the previous program, not what you want to record and it then stops when the EPG catches up! The EPG should have no influence over instantaneous recording. If the TiVo is supposed to have AI then it has brain damage. If I want to record a snippet of something then why would I record the entire programme? Who cares how big the HD is, who wants to have to skip back and forth trying to find the snippet you attempted to record in the first place?

When you use a camera carl, does it take a picture of what is behind you because it doesn't like what you were trying to take a picture of? But of cause, this would make you happy and you'd be telling everyone that it was an advanced feature governed by artificial intelligence. I guess it would also need a huge memory card too it order to store all those pictures of strangers following you that you never knew you wanted. Is your family album full of pictures of people you don't know, some with their heads out of shot? I wonder why Nikkon or Pentax haven't cottoned onto this concept, maybe because TiVo own the rights to it? Maybe Sony will bring out an AI video camera that doesn't record what you want, but records what was happening ten minutes previously?
 
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Yes, there is a problem with instantaneous recording, mainly that there is no such facility on a TiVo :)
You press record and you get whatever you see on-screen, plus up to the last hour or so

If I press record, I want it to record what I see there and then...
Which it does.

...not what it thinks should be playing according to the EPG.
Whatever is on-screen is, usually (assuming the EPG is correct; which it is most of the time for the major channels) what is in the EPG.

Again, please try making some sense.

If I wanted to record via the EPG then I'd use the EPG to set the recording up!
No sh!t, Sherlock :rolleyes:

Try getting it to record the start of a programme (or a snippet from anywhere else) if the EPG is incorrect and still showing the previous programme.
There is an error in your logic. The EPG is not "incorrect" just because it may be showing the previous programme details. If it is doing so then it assumes (correctly) that you are still watching that programme in delay.

What you seem to want is an old-style VCR which will start and stop recording when you want it to. Well, you can still get DVD Recorders, which do just that, if you really want to. That's what I do on the very rare occasions when I want to archive a snippet of a show.

It will start recording the previous program, not what you want to record and it then stops when the EPG catches up!
You didn't answer my previous question. It does not come as any surprise because you never do. So I'll ask it again.

If you press 'record' at 9:59pm (for example) how does it know you want the next hour rather than the last hour? :confused:

The EPG should have no influence over instantaneous recording.
Tivo is designed to record whole programmes only and, as such, does exactly what it is designed to do.

That you want it to do something it was not designed for is not any kind of "flaw".
 
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How about a TiVo car that takes you where you don't want to go?
 
Pointless and useless analogy. :( Just accept the fact that, just because it doesn't work precisely as you would like it does not mean it is flawed and move on.
 

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