[thunter913]

NOTE: I realize that you can press the Exit button on the remote to remove the progress bar from the screen, however this solution is geared towards users like myself, who simply don't want to see the progress bar displayed at all no matter how quickly it can be removed from the screen.

I have a possible solution to the progress bar appearing each time the Advance button is pressed using DIRECTV universal remote on a HR34 DVR. However, the solution is applicable only if you meet the following criteria.

(1) The constant appearence of the progress bar really annoys you while you are playing your content
(2) You have at least one DVR that is not a HR34, for example a HR20.


If you meet the two requirements above, then my solution may work for you as a temporary workaround until DIRECTV fixes this bug. However, given the amount of time this bug has been present, and the number of people that have complained about this problem, I am beginning to believe that DIRECTV isn't going to fix this issue on the HR34.

The solution involves using Whole Home DVR Service. You need to set up the service so that your non HR34 DVR, for example, a HR20, can see the content on the HR34 DVR. In my case, the content I use this technique on is when viewing NFL games. Using the HR20 begin playing the NFL game that was recorded on the HR34. Now you can press the Advance button and progress bar will NOT be displayed.

There are a couple of disadvantages to using this solution. The first disadvantage is when you press the Advance button while playing the HR34 content on the HR20, it takes about a half a second longer for the the DVR to advance to the new position than it would if you pressed the Advance button while viewing the content natively on the HR34. The second disadvantage is that the Whole Home DVR service costs $3.00/month.

The decision on whether to use this solution comes down to this basic question: Is the appearence of the progress bar, each time you press the Advance button, more annoying than an extra half second delay required to wait for the content to skip 30 seconds. The answer for me, after trying my solution, is that the progess bar is far more annoying than the extra half second delay, which is hardly noticeable to me. Those of you who have the equipment can try the solution and determine if the delay and cost are acceptable to you.

 

[TomCat]

That's very interesting.

I don't have WH nor would I want it, so it does not apply to me, but kudos.

I will add that I consider the time bar really annoying. If I just pressed a button that takes me into FFWD or pause, for instance, I already know that; after all, I am the one that just pressed the button. I don't need the DVR to naggingly remind me what I have just done by obscuring what it is that I paused the video for in the first place. It really could not be more counter-intuitive, and it seems like the simplest no-brainer that it should not behave like that; I don't know what the designers could have been thinking. It really should be a user pref.

That said, I think an extra half-second delay would be even more annoying, especially on DVRs that are sluggish at best.

My workaround has been to press the play button a second time to clear the time bar, which works, but not when in pause. That to me is easier than pressing the exit button.

 

[Bill Broderick]

If you set your DVR to do a 30 second skip (which immediately advances the program 30 seconds) instead of the default 30 second slip (which fast scans the program 30 seconds), you will never see the progress bar when you press the advance button.

 

[JACKIEGAGA]

If you set your DVR to do a 30 second skip (which immediately advances the program 30 seconds) instead of the default 30 second slip (which fast scans the program 30 seconds), you will never see the progress bar when you press the advance button.

On the HR34-700 you see progress bar regardless if it is 30SKIP or 30SLIP

 

[Bill Broderick]

On the HR34-700 you see progress bar regardless if it is 30SKIP or 30SLIP

Oops. That seems like a silly thing to change between the HD DVR's and the HR-34.

 

[inkahauts]

NOTE: I realize that you can press the Exit button on the remote to remove the progress bar from the screen, however this solution is geared towards users like myself, who simply don't want to see the progress bar displayed at all no matter how quickly it can be removed from the screen.

I have a possible solution to the progress bar appearing each time the Advance button is pressed using DIRECTV universal remote on a HR34 DVR. However, the solution is applicable only if you meet the following criteria.

(1) The constant appearence of the progress bar really annoys you while you are playing your content
(2) You have at least one DVR that is not a HR34, for example a HR20.

If you meet the two requirements above, then my solution may work for you as a temporary workaround until DIRECTV fixes this bug. However, given the amount of time this bug has been present, and the number of people that have complained about this problem, I am beginning to believe that DIRECTV isn't going to fix this issue on the HR34.

The solution involves using Whole Home DVR Service. You need to set up the service so that your non HR34 DVR, for example, a HR20, can see the content on the HR34 DVR. In my case, the content I use this technique on is when viewing NFL games. Using the HR20 begin playing the NFL game that was recorded on the HR34. Now you can press the Advance button and progress bar will NOT be displayed.

There are a couple of disadvantages to using this solution. The first disadvantage is when you press the Advance button while playing the HR34 content on the HR20, it takes about a half a second longer for the the DVR to advance to the new position than it would if you pressed the Advance button while viewing the content natively on the HR34. The second disadvantage is that the Whole Home DVR service costs $3.00/month.

The decision on whether to use this solution comes down to this basic question: Is the appearence of the progress bar, each time you press the Advance button, more annoying than an extra half second delay required to wait for the content to skip 30 seconds. The answer for me, after trying my solution, is that the progess bar is far more annoying than the extra half second delay, which is hardly noticeable to me. Those of you who have the equipment can try the solution and determine if the delay and cost are acceptable to you.

You are assuming that the progress bar on the hr34 for skip is a bug. I'd say at the moment, its a debate in progress within directv. There are arguments to be made for having it and not having it, especially with the hr34, if you have ever seen the rx70 remote that rvu TV clients use with it.

Some people have always wanted it anyway...

Personally I hope they kill it. Slip users can have it, skip users don't need it.

 

[thunter913]

inkahauts, you make a fair point. It may not be a bug as you state because DIRECTV may have decided to make the progress bar appear every time the Advance button was pressed the default behavior on the HR34.

However, it still seems like a bug to me, because I would have thought that if DIRECTV wanted this as the default behavior, DIRECTV would have changed it on the other DRV models whenever an update was released for a particular model. I will concede the point that to include this behavior change in an update for the other DVR models may have been too much trouble for DIRECTV, and thus they decided to only change it on the HR34.

 

[Laxguy]

It may not be so much as a desired change that was made, but a small quirk in software that's being worked on weekly.

And the 30Skip has never been an officially supported command.

 

[Tom_S]

I hope they don't remove it. I like that alot. I thought it was an improvement.

 

[RBTO]

It would be nice if they would address both the progress bar and the station ID bar in a menu option (station ID display time is already in a menu option but no option for "NONE") so they could be individually turned off if desired. I get tired of the station ID bar popping up whenever I change a station (it sometimes hangs up and doesn't disappear until I hit the EXIT button), but I do like the progress bar. I sometimes use the latter to see when a movie is going to end (hit play and the bar shows the current position in the movie).

 

[Laxguy]

I hope they don't remove it. I like that alot. I thought it was an improvement.

Depends what you mean by "it".
Dunno of anyone that likes the progress bar when 30 SKIP is used.

Few want it gone entirely for FF or RW. [I'd prefer a way to toggle it on/off.]

 

[Tom_S]

I think anytime you do trick play of any kind a progress bar should be displayed. I want to know where I am in a recording.

 

[TomCat]

Yes, because it is very important to know exactly where you have paused rather than being able to actually see the screen.

 

[JACKIEGAGA]

I think anytime you do trick play of any kind a progress bar should be displayed. I want to know where I am in a recording.

I use 30SKIP to get through the commercials. I know where I am in the recordings.I don't want to see the progress bar. I want to hit 30SKIP 6 or 7 times and get back to programming.

As LAXGUY posted I also [prefer a way to toggle it on/off.]

 

[Tom_S]

Yes, because it is very important to know exactly where you have paused rather than being able to actually see the screen.

Yes! Why is this so difficult to understand. When you pause, or fast forward or anything why WOULDN'T you want to know where you are. Roll you eyes, really. I guess you have some clairvoyance of where you are in a program. Ridiculous.

 

[Laxguy]

Could we all not agree that sometimes the Progress bar is useful and at others it's merely a nuisance?
I've learned to hit Exit a tenth of a second after hitting FF or RW if I need/want to see the whole screen.
It should never appear with 30SKIP.

 

[Beerstalker]

Yes! Why is this so difficult to understand. When you pause, or fast forward or anything why WOULDN'T you want to know where you are. Roll you eyes, really. I guess you have some clairvoyance of where you are in a program. Ridiculous.

Because the vast majority of the time I don't care where I am at in a recording, I just want to watch the program I'm watching. The progress bar is just a distraction. If for some reason I do want to see where I'm at in a program it is pretty easy to just hit the play button to bring the progress bar up real quick to show me. No reason for it to be showing up all the time when I don't care about it.