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Since the HD GUI, my HR24 is worse & here's how:

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l727
3K views 33 replies 9 participants last post by  Jerry_K 
#1 ·
With the new GUI, many things have changed for the worst. Nothing is better (I don't consider the new Black UI to be impressive, sorry).

Here is what has happened to my once perfect HR24.

1. Now, when I pause a live show, then after a few seconds/minutes hit play, it jumps back a couple seconds and then plays. It used to just continue precisely from where paused. Is this a new "feature" or something wrong with my system.

2. When fast forwarding or rewinding at the slowest setting, and then when I hit play, sometimes it plays right where I hit play, other times it'll jump back a few seconds. So if I fast forward 4 seconds then hit play, it jumps me back 3 for a net gain of 1. These are rough approximations but you get the idea, and it happens most but not all of the time.

3. When watching TV, live or recorded, once every couple hours I'll get a 1-second audio glitch/cut-out. My box NEVER used to do that.

4. When I hit play on a saved show in my list, it would start instantly with the hold GUI. Now theres a 2-3 second delay from when you hit play to when the GUI switches to the beginning of the show.

Any one else with an HR24 noticed these changes?

Before this GUI, I gave the DVR a 10/10. Nows, it's a 7/10 for me. Very disappointing.
 
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#27 ·
Jerry_K said:
She hardly ever uses the TiVo dual buffer, and so she has no idea that Double Play just does not work. I am the dual buffer user in the family. I told her that if she wanted to switch back and forth among shows, not to pause them live. Hit record and use them that way.
What about DP does not work? Why would you tell her not to pause live TV?

Press the down arrow and start double play. Press it every time you want to switch. What's the issue?
 
#28 ·
mikeap,

The guide for us is only an aid in picking programs to record in the future. We used the guide in a TiVo which had about a dozen channels displayed on the left sort of like the DTV guide. And on the right was half the guide screen which displayed all the programming coming up (about 12 shows) which you could click over to and then scroll down through all two weeks of programming for that channel. When you were done surfing that one left hand button click and you were back on the left side ready to down one to the next channel to see the programming there. Many times when nothing was on our recordings we would scroll through the lists and pick something to watch or record.

You can see basically the same thing one channel at a time in the DTV guide by left clicking to the channel name and then hitting info. The future programming list then builds for a some seconds and displays.

What used to be a click click click click every second turns into a long operation as you navigate wait navigate out and click and wait etc.

Spartanstew,

Because we always leave the DVRs tuned to 360 Fox the likelihood of having 30 minutes of Fox buffer was very high. If a recording started it would be on the alternate channel. So my lovely wife who does not sleep well would get up at 3 am and Fox and Friends would be on out here in the west as we have east feeds. She woiuld pause that and tune to 202 CNN or HLN. She would pause that. Then down to Fox and rewind to start watching that. Once enough time had gone by to build a buffer on 202 she would then go back and forth pausing, watching, going out to have a cigarette etc. Very easy for her to do.

Now the two downs and then tuning etc will not be a series of button pushes she will care to learn. And she will not know which of the two Foxes displayed is the one with the buffer built. So it is as likely she will destroy the buffer tuning to a new channel as not. When I tell her to just record then she has no problem going to the list and finding the recorded shows.

When I was asking about TiVo vs the Rupert boxes before I had no idea that there were not two buffers going all the time. And I stated many many times, that my lovely wife is not fond of remotes in general and non intuitive remotes in particular.

Just a few minutes ago she asked me, "Why is the machine recording all those repeat programs? The old machine never did that? UHHHHHH it is the way it works, just delete the ones you don't want.
 
#29 ·
I don't think you're giving your wife enough credit.

All she'd need to do is hit the down arrow twice, tune to whatever other channel she wants, and then hit the down arrow every time she wants to switch. Here's the advantage: With Tivo's, when you switched buffers you had to hit play every time. With DLB's, you don't. Pause a show, switch tuners and the other show starts playing automatically, and it buffers for 90 minutes. IMO, a better implementation.

PS. If your series links are set up for just first run it should not be recording repeats (mine dont), unless there's an issue with the guide data that's being used (same guide data Tivo uses, I believe).
 
#30 ·
Switching buffers if not paused you never had to hit play on TiVo. Where did you get that info?

My lovely wife is extremely bright. I have no doubt of that. However, there are none so blind as those who refuse to see. Remotes are anathema to her. She hates them. That was the blessing of the TiVo to me. The peanut and the intuitive interface. And the glo remote really helped with lit buttons.

So far she is trying to accept the new machines because she knows I like HD. To her if it was ten blocks on the TV and you could discern that it was a cat it would be fine. If the sound came out of a tin can tied to a string on the back of the DVR that would be fine with her. As long as it was simple.

I got a long harangue yesterday because you have to use the switch on the top of the remote to turn on the TV and the AVR. There was a dedicated TV button on the peanut. And by programming Aspect to be the power for the AVR the button pushes were very simple.
 
#31 ·
Jerry_K said:
Switching buffers if not paused you never had to hit play on TiVo. Where did you get that info?
It's been a few years since we dumped TiVo, but I thought that when you paused a show and then switched tuners, you had to hit play when you returned.

So, in effect, watching two shows in their entirety, would be like this:

pause (tuner 1), down arrow, play (tuner 2), pause (tuner 2), down arrow, play (tuner 1), repeat.

With DLB, you never have to hit play.

Pause (tuner 1), down arrow, pause (tuner 2), down arrow, repeat.

Jerry_K said:
I got a long harangue yesterday because you have to use the switch on the top of the remote to turn on the TV and the AVR. There was a dedicated TV button on the peanut. And by programming Aspect to be the power for the AVR the button pushes were very simple.
I think a lot of your problems would be solved by getting a universal remote. Even my 6 year old has no issues controlling the equipment in the living room (TV, Blu Ray Player, WDTV, A/V Receiver, DVR) to full capacity (including DLB) with a universal remote.

Change is a constant, just because something is different doesn't make it inferior.
 
#32 ·
Yes if you pause TiVo you do have to hit play to start it again. Good thing.

I have tried every stripe of universal remote and it just makes things worse. Buttons never really match the original or the names of things on the TV screen.

I do have a couple that may work with the new DVRs. They will even do RF control of the DVRs native. So when I can get them programmed absolutely foolprrof I may be able to move her over to those. One for each system. And they are backlit so that will help a whole lot. They are the AR Touch models.

I used to use the MX850 for on and off only and the peanut for her for all else when we had a very complex system in our home. All she ever does is watch programming from the DVRs.

The best part of the new uniiversals is that they emulate the button layout of the old peanut much better than the DTV remotes. The very best part is that Active is not a button on them. Two minutes ago she pressed that by accident trying to get to guide. More lessons in backing out of the message that we have no connection.

Tried the Harmony remotes. YIKES what a programming nightmare and both went to remote heaven all on their own in the last two months. Never again with those. And the buttons are so small that they are hard to use.

As I find workarounds for her it will be better. At least the ARs are easily programmed. Very much like the MX850 but unfortunately you have to be connected to the web like the Harmony. BAD when there is no service in a campground. Unfortunately I now cannot use the MX850 because the software does not work on Window7 and my XP machine needs a lot of work. Momma blew that up two months ago. Had to get her a new laptop.
 
#33 ·
I've never had an active button on my remotes for that exact reason. As for the Harmony's, we love them. When the kids want to watch a movie off the WDTV Hard Drive, they just hit the watch movie button and everything's good. Netflix? Just hit the Watch Netflix button? DVR? Just hit the Watch TV button. There's various weird things about the programming, but once you get the hang of it you're good to go, and that's seamless to anyone but me (or whomever programs it). It also only needs to be done once, so even if it takes an hour or so, that should be a small price for a remote that will last a couple of years at least.

As for the buttons, there's many different Harmony's that have different button sizes.

Maybe the remote you have your eye on will work out.
 
#34 ·
I have been playing with the Double play. It is different but not unusable. If I can teach my lovely wife how to use it somehow. What I did notice is that the channel started to play on its own after being paused for a long period of time. Not where te buffer caught up but just on its own. mmmmmmmm that won't work. And if you turn the DVR off it starts up at the most recent part of the buffer not at the paused point on the visible channel. The other is still at the paused point. I will mess with it some more and then maybe show my lovely wife how to use it without any confusion.

I have the new universal programmed for simple activity on off and the buttons are perfect for controlling the HR34. I hate to switch her in midstream but I think in the end the universal will be better. If she learns it in the living room then the bedroom where it is always dark will be a huge improvement. Even I have to turn the overhead light on with the DTV remote to be sure I am pressing the correct buttons. Even though the Peanut was lit I had it down to braille for the location of the buttons.

While I am not a DTV Box fanboy, I appreciate your help Stew. As DVRs go, at least the Rupert Boxes stole enough from TiVo to be somewhat similar. The SA and Moto and Dish etc boxes are just plain arcane.

I have had the DirecTiVos running but not displaying for days now and so far my lovely wife has not had to wake me up in the middle of the night. I can hear the TV going so I know she is able to watch something or another.















Got the new universal remote programmed and it controls the HR34 very well.
 
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