30 minute pause

[newt]

I recently switched from Dishnetwork to DirecTV. I like DirecTV, but there is one feature I really miss (that I didn't even realize was so nice until it went away).

The Panasonic DVR advertises the 30 minute pause capability, but the Dishnetwork DVR (I had the buggy 501) had a much better feature: it would automatically store up to 2 hours of whatever program you were watching.

The 30 minute pause is obviously meant for things like getting a snack. But when this is extended to 2 hours, all kinds of new possibilities open up.

My wife's favorite is to just keep the DVR on a channel she is interested in. If she gets home too late to watch an Olympic event, for example, no problem--its on that channel, so she can back it up. We can give the kids a bath and come down and watch our show. 30 minute back up is really too short to be useful for anything but a bathroom break.

You might say: just record it. But this is really a different function than recording. First of all it is much simpler--just leave it on the channel. No need to erase anything afterwards. Also, you can catch things you might not even think about if you record. Sometimes you might want to see a replay of a whole show or event (often more than 30 minutes worth). Or you may decide to record it AFTER you have watched it. If you like live TV, it really gives you more leeway on the time you need to start watching. In summary, there are lots and lots of advantages to this that I now really miss.

Is there a way to extend the 30 minute pause 'feature'? Is there someone from TiVo listening to suggestions for improvements?

[Steve Mehs]

Welcome to DBSTalk, Newt :hi:

The 501 had a one hour buffer, not two hours. No there really is no solution, other then setting a one time recording on an event.

It should be noted however both tuners have a 30 minute buffer. If you press the Live TV button on the remote to take you to the other tuner you will be able to rewind or pause up to 30 minutes on that channel as well. You can also pause something on tuner 1 and watch something live on tuner 2, then go back to tuner 1 and resume from where you left off.

BTW- Not that it really matters, but Panasonic doesn't make DirecTV DVRs

[newt]

Welcome to DBSTalk, Newt :hi:

The 501 had a one hour buffer, not two hours. No there really is no solution, other then setting a one time recording on an event.

Maybe it just seemed like two hours.

BTW- Not that it really matters, but Panasonic doesn't make DirecTV DVRs

Oops. I meant Philips.

[ccwf]

Is there a way to extend the 30 minute pause 'feature'? A hack exists for extending the live buffer to an hour.

[newt]

A hack exists for extending the live buffer to an hour.

Hacking the box--that sounds interesting. I've found a .tcl file on the net that supposedly does this. Now I have to research how to get it to run on the box.

Still, it would be nice if TiVo just did this in their software for us. I've heard that some newer Dishnetwork boxes use lots of the free space on the disk for this function--potentially hours of backup capability.

Considering that this particular function is what made TiVo famous in the first place ("You can back up live TV!!") you would think that this would be a matter of pride for them. How can they let their competition beat them at their own game?

[jsheldon]

>...

Still, it would be nice if TiVo just did this in their software for us. I've heard that some newer Dishnetwork boxes use lots of the free space on the disk for this function--potentially hours of backup capability.

>...


newt,

I agree completely! The Dish 921 HD DVR buffers TWO hours of "live" video.

[DBSPaul]

Still, it would be nice if TiVo just did this in their software for us. I've heard that some newer Dishnetwork boxes use lots of the free space on the disk for this function--potentially hours of backup capability.

But there are two sides to that equation - more buffer time equals less time available for recordings. The TiVo model is recording-based .. not liveTV-based.

Considering that this particular function is what made TiVo famous in the first place ("You can back up live TV!!") you would think that this would be a matter of pride for them. How can they let their competition beat them at their own game?

Actually, TiVo was more famous for "never miss an episode of your favorite show" (ala Season Pass). It's just that conveying that in a 30 second commercial never was an easy thing to do.

Back when hard drive space (and cost) was at a premium, I agree that 30 minutes was about the right balance of buffer vs. recording space. Even now with the series 2 combo units, you have 2 30 minute buffers running. On a 40GB hard drive this is a tradeoff. But for anyone who has upgraded the drives in their units, a longer buffer is something that would be nice to have control of (setting the length).

I've done the "watch tuner 1, pause, watch tuner 2, pause, watch tuner 1, etc." (with fast forwards) and gotten two live shows (usually local news and something else) in the span of one, but I rarely do that anymore. Live TV to me is something of an antiquated concept.

[bonscott87]

I guess I will say just record it (even though you said not too). Hit the record button, confirm and you're done. No fuss, no muss, no missing anything.

[jdspencer]

You might want to look at the Underground forum of the TiVo Community for info on extending the buffer. http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=8

[newt]

I guess I will say just record it (even though you said not too). Hit the record button, confirm and you're done. No fuss, no muss, no missing anything.

I guess it depends on how you like to watch.
Examples:
Typically we leave the television on a kids channel. Then when we get home, if it is time to feed our 2yr old (who is VERY picky about eating), we turn on the television and see if there was anything on this channel in the last hour we could back-up to watch--and distract him while we feed him.

TiVo--can't do it.

Or if I'm watching by myself (I can't do this if my wife is watching too--it drives her crazy) I like to take advantage of all the channels available at once. In short, I'm a channel changer. With two tuners I could put one channel on something interesting, then surf with the other tuner, then go back and back up if there was something interesting going on I missed.
The two tuners could change any time--so hitting the record button to do the same thing is really a pain in the you-know-what.

The 30 minute pause forces you into the 'TiVo-Borg' way of watching: either record everything you want before hand (no channel surfing on two tuners allowed!) or if you like live TV, then only 30 minute breaks! And no last minute changing your mind and deciding to record the 1hr show you just watched!

I'd prefer to have more options. I had it and now I miss it. I may put in the hack if I can find the time and my wife doesn't go crazy about me hacking our box.

I'd prefer it if TiVo could expand their vision a little and make it a new feature.

[bonscott87]

Typically we leave the television on a kids channel. Then when we get home, if it is time to feed our 2yr old (who is VERY picky about eating), we turn on the television and see if there was anything on this channel in the last hour we could back-up to watch--and distract him while we feed him.

TiVo--can't do it.


I guess all I can say is setup season passes to several children shows. When this feeding time occures simply hit the Now Playing list, select Spongue Bob and hit play. Instant child distraction. Who cares what is actually on right *now*. Gotta get out of that mode.

But whatever...

[DBSPaul]

Who cares what is actually on right *now*. Gotta get out of that mode.

Exactly. I don't understand why this is soo difficult for some people to grasp.

TiVo is in essence a "personal service agent" that scours the program listings and based upon criteria you give it, records shows for you. You never have to worry about rushing home by a certain time to catch your favorite show, etc. - when in the course of your day you sit down in front of the TV, the shows are on the hard drive waiting for you, when you want to watch them. Not when some network exec decided to slot the show. This is what people mean when they say that "TiVo totally changes my way of watching television".

So rather than forcing an antiquated concept on TiVo, why don't you get creative and think of new ways to accomplish things that take less of your time? I don't have to be a channel surfer - but I can watch more stuff in less time than ever before, and I almost always have things waiting for me to watch them (hard drive upgrades help alot in that regard).

[newt]

... You never have to worry about rushing home by a certain time to catch your favorite show... I don't have to be a channel surfer -

I guess we are in different worlds, never to come to an understanding, but I'll try:

I don't have any favorite shows. Period. What the heck am I going to record?

My ideal box would record all 200+ channels all day long. Man, that would be great! Channel surfing is a way of life! My sister was even better at it than me--she could watch 6 shows at once from the beginning to the end. Maybe when they have true Video on Demand for all television shows rather than the handful of 'already on DVD for the past month' movies. I don't think that will come for a while and it won't be over satellite.

So you see, I'm not antiquated. Technology hasn't caught up with me yet.

[SnowFade]

Then do what I do for my two toddlers...give three thumbs up to all the shows they like (and are suitable)...Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, Clifford, etc. TiVo will record these whenever it's idle. I'm never at a loss for kid's programming. And Noggin (ch. 298) offers this kind of programming from 6AM-6PM with no need to back up or record.

[benn5325]

[QUOTE=newt]I guess we are in different worlds, never to come to an understanding, but I'll try:

I don't have any favorite shows. Period. What the heck am I going to record?
QUOTE]
You may not have any favorite shows, but it sounds like your wife does.
Why not just record her shows then she can watch them whenever she wants.
If all you do is channel surf then it really doesn't matter if the thing buffers for 2 days, you keep changing channel.

[bonscott87]

And to be honest, a DirecTivo is *not* meant as a channel surfing device. If you don't ever record any programs then what's the use really? Should just get a plain old receiver which will be must better suited for channel surfing (like multiple favorite lists, faster guide, etc.)

[newt]

And to be honest, a DirecTivo is *not* meant as a channel surfing device. If you don't ever record any programs then what's the use really? Should just get a plain old receiver which will be must better suited for channel surfing (like multiple favorite lists, faster guide, etc.)

This brings us full circle to my original post. DirecTivo would be a great channel surfing device if it had a longer pause! Switch one tuner to something interesting, surf around on the other tuner--maybe find something interesting there too. Then when it gets boring, switch back--uh oh I missed some great plays--but I can only back up 30 minutes--darn! And that is only one of many, many applications for a longer pause capability. Actually the most useful is to watch an interesting show and then afterwards realize that it would be great to record it.

Yes Tivo has a great model. I'm not questioning it in the slightest. I'm just saying that the model can be extended to make it even better--to support more types of viewing. I just don't understand the resistance here. You're not losing anything (assuming you can program how much pause you want), you're gaining something.

[bonscott87]

Honestly I don't think anyone is saying a longer pause is bad or that it isn't wanted. Just saying it isn't going to happen so get used to 30 minutes. :D

[newt]

Honestly I don't think anyone is saying a longer pause is bad or that it isn't wanted. Just saying it isn't going to happen so get used to 30 minutes. :D

There's an interesting article on CNET:
http://news.com.com/Five+tech+firms+face+crossroads/2100-1041_3-5349579.html?tag=nefd.lede

TiVo should adapt and improve or it might get left behind. The latest consumer reports compares DirecTV TiVo and Dishnetwork's HD units and says exactly what everyone here is saying: Dishnetwork is better for channel surfing (have they been reading our discussion?) The new unit can pause up to two hours. (Note: with two tuners, I can leave one on something interesting, channel surf with the other, then go back and backup if it looks good).

I almost feel like I've stumbled into a cult. It is not just that the TiVo is good for recording programs for later viewing, but that you 'MUST' record shows for later viewing. No other way of viewing is allowed!

Is this why Murdoch is looking for a replacement for TiVo for DirecTV (or is this just a bad rumour)?

[spanishannouncetable]

TiVo software is designed from the ground up to record and temporarily store TV programs for people who don't want to feel shackled to a programmer's schedule. Taken to its logical extreme, you do wind up trusting it to record almost everything you're interested in so you can watch it later. I know I do.

The thing is you'd like to get TiVo to work in a way it's not designed to. It's not supposed to stay on a channel and buffer it - the buffer is almost an afterthought, to ease channel surfers into the idea of recording everything. It's supposed to change channels in the background all day while you (A) watch recorded shows from the hard drive or (B) record shows while you're away from the TV entirely.

If you have your heart set on clinging to the outdated channel surfer mindset that ruled everyone for the first 50 years of TV history, then TiVo is never going to make you happy. I for one refuse to go back to the old way of keeping track of 125 channels every night. My upgraded DirecTiVos still have first-run episodes of CSI, Law & Order and a half-dozen other series from this past season patiently waiting for me to watch when I get ready. I don't even get excited about the start of the new season any more, as a brief glance at the new show lineup followed by a short visit to my SP manager & Wishlist menu takes care of my viewing for weeks ahead of time.

Excuse me, I am off to ignore the network TV schedule again and play some videogames while my 2 DirecTiVos take care of the grunt work. I'm sure they will sort the wheat from the chaff just fine. Enjoy fighting the channel-surfing battle Bruce Springsteen summed up in his song "57 channels and Nothin" on" -

--------------------------------------------------------------------
I bought a bourgeois house in the Hollywood hills
With a truckload of hundred thousand dollar bills
Man came by to hook up my cable TV
We settled in for the night my baby and me
We switched 'round and 'round 'til half-past dawn
There was fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Well now home entertainment was my baby's wish
So I hopped into town for a satellite dish
I tied it to the top of my Japanese car
I came home and I pointed it out into the stars
A message came back from the great beyond
There's fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Well we might'a made some friends with some billionaires
We might'a got all nice and friendly if we'd made it upstairs
All I got was a note that said "Bye-bye John
Our love is fifty-seven channels and nothin' on"

So I bought a .44 magnum it was solid steel cast
And in the blessed name of Elvis well I just let it blast
'Til my TV lay in pieces there at my feet
And they busted me for disturbing the almighty peace
Judge said "What you got in your defense son?"
"Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on"

I can see by your eyes friend you're just about gone
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on...
--------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe he shoulda bought a TiVo too :)