Main and Pip in use: 721

[TomCat]

If I have two recordings set to go at the same time, I get a dialog saying "Main and Pip both in use", or something along those lines. Eventually both timers fire, but it looks like if the 721 is turned on and you don't dismiss the dialog, it waits an extra minute to begin the recording. Definitely not what any of us have in mind.

Is this really what's happening here? What's the workaround (assuming a fix may not be in the pipeline)?

If the unit is turned off, it seems to be just fine (assumes neither "main or pip" is in use, I guess). I'm not sure, but pausing the unit until it goes into screen saver mode seems to also keep this from happening, but I'm not yet sure about that.

Being a veteran 501 and DISH receiver user, I'm partial to leaving my units on all of the time...they seem to work better that way and you don't run the risk of it powering up and asking you if you want a new upgrade rather than recording the programs you had asked it to. But I don't like the idea of an extra minute being lopped off of certain recordings while it waits for someone, anyone, to dismiss a dialog. Rather presumptuous of it to think that just because the power is on I'm sitting there watching, remote in hand. Just record it already! Do what I already asked you to...idiot PVR!

[sjhill01]

Unfortunately, there's no way for it to know you're not sitting there.. and if something's being recorded on the PIP tuner, as far as it knows they're both in use. Personally, I think that's a valid assumption - it would be presumptuous to me if it changed the channel on me while I was watching another show. I don't know that the 721 has the same dialog for applying upgrades, so that might not be a problem for you if you power it off when you're done.

If you set the timer to 1 minute early, at least you'll get most shows in their entirety, although that setting complicates matters when multiple shows are scheduled back to back.

Yet another option could be to program an Auto Tune timer at the same time as the PVR event.. I'm not sure how it handles precedence when multiple events exist - maybe by order of entry? If you put in an Auto Tune timer first, then a PVR event, maybe it'd work for you..

[SteveinDanville]

TomCat,
If you're seeing that prompt, then you are obviously watching one of the two tuners. If you are trying to record two different channels at the same time IN ADDITION to the channel you're currently watching, that's three events; no can do. It wants to record the two timer events that you previously set up, hence the Main and PIP both in use message. It's asking you to stop watching the channel you're watching (the "third" tuner), kill a timer event, or just watch something off the PVR, since it sounds like you have 90 hours of stuff sitting there anyway. So far, it seems to me, it is not an "idiot PVR". If you asked it to fire two timers, it's letting you know that it's trying, but you have to relinquish one of the timers. This is definitely not a 501, and with two tuners, you should leave the unit off. Also, just default on upgrades to upgrade without permission, and you won't have to worry about the request. It will do it seamlessly in the background, like my 104 upgrade last week. Seriously, unless your unit is more buggy than most people's, just let it do it's thing.

[rmoore3d]

The problem with the 721 logic is that one of the shows set to record may be on the same channel that is currently being watched. I have witnessed several occasions where the 721 changed channels to record something only to have the other tuner change to the channel previously being watched to record another program. When the timer is set up it evidently is set for a particular tuner (turner 1 or 2) but we have no way of knowing which one. We also have no way of knowing which turner we are currently watching. It is not a big deal but allowing the receiver to change the channel to record and then having to use PIP and swap just to get back to where you were to start is a pain. I wish there was a way to know which turner is being watched as well as which turner a timer is set to record on.

[Mike123abc]

What the 721 should do is ignore the fact that it is turned on and do what the timers say to do. If both tuners are in use recording and you try to change the channel, then a warning screen should come up and ask if you want to cancel one of the two recordings, and which one you want to cancel.

[sjhill01]

What TomCat is referring to (I believe) is not when both tuners are in use recording, but when the PIP tuner is recording, the receiver is on, and the main tuner is tuned to a channel other than the one a new timer is set to record. Since the receiver is on, it must assume that you're using it; since you're watching a channel, it won't arbitrarily change the channel and start recording without giving you a chance to override it.

I don't think that a timer is setup for a particular tuner; what happens is if the receiver is on (therefore you're watching it, theoretically) AND you're not using the PIP AND nothing's recording AND a timer fires for a channel other than the channel on screen, it automatically uses the PIP tuner behind the scenes. This leads to TomCat's complaint, which is when (for example) 30 minutes later a second timer fires and the first is still recording and the receiver is still on and not on the channel for this timer, so it has to ask you what to do.

I have to defend E* on this one, 'cause there doesn't seem to be any better way around it. However, some sort of overlay or indication of which tuner you're watching would be nice.

[Mike123abc]

Well the 6000 unit will change channels automatically even if the reciever is on. What it does is flash a small transparent alarmclock in the lower left hand corner of the screen for 2 minutes before the timer starts.

Actually after listening to all the complaints about other recievers it makes the 6000 seem extreamly reliable. I have them on for months at a time without powering off (they are on UPSs). They never miss a timer and they do not cause problems.

[sjhill01]

I can only assume that's the difference between having one tuner and having two.. With the ability to do both types of events (PVR and Auto Tune), the fact that you selected PVR and not Auto Tune is telling the receiver you don't necessarily want to watch it. Since it has a second tuner that can (usually) pick up the job in the background, it tries to work with that logic.

However, here's the solution, E*: Make the AutoTune a checkbox option, not an event. Remove it from the radio button group, don't turn any on by default, and have a new checkbox for auto tune. That way, it can either be just auto tune or PVR AND auto tune. (OK, E*, now get to work! ;) )

[dbronstein]

This drives me crazy as well. I want it to change the channel and record the show I told it to. If I don't want it to, then I'll stop it myself. It's really annoying with the tuner is already on the channel it's programmed to record.

On ReplayTV (which is my reference point), it gives a warning a minute before the record starts, similar to the flashing clock, and then it changes the channel if you don't do anything, which is how it should work.

Dennis