Help me understand 508 buffer

[jeffcarp]

I am sure my confusion is from the fact that I have used a Tivo for the past 4 years. But I can't seem to accomplish something on my new 508 that I used quite often on my Tivo. Here is the scenario:

Friends, from 7pm to 7:30pm is set up as a recording event. There is no event scheduled for 7:30pm. As often happens, Friends actually ends a few seconds after 7:30. With the Tivo, at 7:30, the recording event stops and the Tivo continues on the same channel in "live" mode. Therefore, I can simply watch the "late" ending live. Or, since the Tivo live buffer started at 7:30 when the recorded event ended, I can rewind the live buffer and catch the "late" ending if I missed it.

Tonight, on the 508, when the Friends event reached its end at 7:30pm, the PVR screen came up? Therefore, I couldn't keep watching live until I cancelled out of the screen. Worse, for as long as the PVR screen was up, the buffer wasn't recording, so when I cancelled out of the PVR screen and went back to "live" mode there was no buffer to rewind to watch the late Friends ending.

Did something weird happen or is this standard operating procedure on the 508? Thank you!

[geneb11]

1st off: If you are going to watch it live. Why record it?
2nd: You can set a manual recording if you think it's going to overrun. These unit's don't think. You have to do the thinking. Works like a vcr.
3rd: When it's recording it's off the buffer. Same thing when watching a recorded event. I wish it would keep on recording in the buffer so that you could rewind back the program on that channel.

and the buffer is only good for an hour back.

[BobaBird]

Oh for the love of God, Priscilla, why aren't you watching Scrubs?:)

If you know it's likely to run over, pad the timer a few minutes. Find the timer (go to Menu, 7 or find the show on the EPG then press Select).
Choose Edit, then Set Date/Time.
Change 07:30 to 07:31. The cursor will be on "PM", press down-arrow to go straight to Create Timer.
Press Select. Revised timer is saved and you are returned to the timer list or EPG.

[jeffcarp]

Originally posted by geneb11
1st off: If you are going to watch it live. Why record it?
2nd: You can set a manual recording if you think it's going to overrun. These unit's don't think. You have to do the thinking. Works like a vcr.
3rd: When it's recording it's off the buffer. Same thing when watching a recorded event. I wish it would keep on recording in the buffer so that you could rewind back the program on that channel.

and the buffer is only good for an hour back. I record it because a) I never know if I will actually be home to watch it live or not - so it is on a reoccuring schedule, b) even if I am home, I never know if I will actually be able to sit down at that moment and watch it and c) I can almost guarantee that both my wife and I will not be able to watch it together live, so one of us will want it recorded for later. These devices CAN think, as TIVO has proved, it is just a matter of Dish writing the programs in an appropriate way.

[cnsf]

Originally posted by jeffcarp
I record it because a) I never know if I will actually be home to watch it live or not - so it is on a reoccuring schedule, b) even if I am home, I never know if I will actually be able to sit down at that moment and watch it and c) I can almost guarantee that both my wife and I will not be able to watch it together live, so one of us will want it recorded for later. These devices CAN think, as TIVO has proved, it is just a matter of Dish writing the programs in an appropriate way.

Both have a point. The PVRs could be much better, but you may just want to extend the recording time a couple of minutes until E* can come up with new, better, smarter software. They are WAY behind Tivos and UTV.

[geneb11]

Ah I see. What I would do is pad the timer and if you are home to watch it stop recording rewind to beginning press record and stop it manually so that your wife will see it later. (BTW) Tivo's are linux based. 501/508's are not. Which make them different. The 721 is linux based, but use different programming. So there might be more for that unit in the future.

[Nick]

"They are WAY behind Tivos and UTV."

Makes me appreciate the amazing features of my DP 7200s more and more every day, especially the continuous buffer and the elegant EPG. :D

[geneb11]

Hey Nick, Does your buffer keep on recording the channel you are on while watching a PVR event. My 501 doesn't. When I'm done watching a PVR event and go back to the channel and press rewind it stops right there. Nothing in the buffer.

[Nick]

"Hey Nick, Does your buffer keep on recording the channel you are on while watching a PVR event?"

On the DP, when the recording ends, the buffering of that channel seemlessly continues. The only thing the DP won't do is allow me to go back and 'capture' previously buffered content.

When I have a chance to sleep late, I catch my fav 'morning' show simply by 'rewinding' the buffer. Since I have one of my DPs set to switch to the channel at 7 a.m., the (up to) two-hour rewind stops at the 7 a.m. start time, pauses the program and waits for me to pour my first cup of coffee. :D

[TopCat99]

Originally posted by geneb11
Hey Nick, Does your buffer keep on recording the channel you are on while watching a PVR event. My 501 doesn't. When I'm done watching a PVR event and go back to the channel and press rewind it stops right there. Nothing in the buffer.

You asked Nick, but I'll butt in ;)

I think my 501 does. I'll check later, as it's recording a PPV at the moment and I'll be sure to screw something up. I do know that it'll let you watch the buffer and start a timer event (that is, you watch A but know you'll fall asleep during B, so you set it to record, but miss part of A so you rewind--it'll let you continue watching the buffer for A while it starts the record for B).

I've also learned that the more I try to see "I wonder what this button does..." the more I lock it up and have to yank the smart card :lol:

[geneb11]

I think I need to clarify. When your on a channel like say 105 and your done watching a PVR event and go back to that channel after hitting cancel. My buffer picks up right from that moment. Which meens that I can't rewind back an hour.

I am wondering why that channel does not keep on recording in the buffer when watching a PVR event. I could press record but that would be out of the buffer.

Sometimes when I'm done watching a movie there is a good show on that I didn't know was going to be on, but I have to keep on watching it live(no rewind). I think this is something they can fix in a software upgrade.

[TopCat99]

I knew what you meant. I just got off on a tangent (I do that :p)

I was mistaken, tho. I thought mine let me go back, but I just tried it and it won't. It just shows the arrow and goes back X seconds to when I stopped PVR playback. :(