[moman19]

Question:

Let's say I am watching a show from its beginning but I am not recording it. Halfway thru the show I decide I want to keep it for future viewing by hitting the RECORD button.

With my old SD TiVO I had the option to record from that point on or from the beginning of the show (which was still held in a buffer).

I seem unable to locate the option to record the show from the beginning with my 622. Is this true or am I simply missing something? I simply don't see an option giving me this choice.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

Couple of things to note... In order to record a program retroactively from the beginning with a ViP622, you must have been tuned to that channel when the program began. If the EPG says it begins at 4pm, then you must have already been tuned there before 4pm so that the buffer contains from the start of the program.

Next, there is a 60 minute buffer so if you are watching a program that goes on for more than an hour you would not be able to record from the beginning after the first hour has gone. In other words, if watching a movie from 4-6pm you would have to start the recording before 5pm or the beginning of the buffer would be lost.

Changing channels also would reset the buffer, so you must not have changed channels.

Assuming all that is in order... Pressing the Record button on the remote brings up a dialog that asks you to confirm you want to record. Select the Options button on that dialog and you get a screen with some options, one of which says something like "Record from beginning" or something like that. If you satisfied the earlier conditions I noted, then you can select this option and all is well. If the option is greyed out, then you must not have done one of the above things which will prevent it.

My suggestion is to try it out sometime when you know you satisfied the conditions but it isn't urgent that you record... that way you know how to work it when the real time comes.

 

[Ken Green]

You would need to rewind the program back to the beginning, and then record from that point. Had you renewed the buffer, other than using Tuner Swap, you will only be able to rewind and record from the last renew.

A good tip to know is, if you use Swap to look at another channel, the buffer remains intact on the swapped-from channel. You can actually pause the first tuner, hit Swap and view another channel, hit Swap again, and return to the paused point of the first channel.

EDIT: I see HDMe types way faster than I do!

 

[DAG]

EDIT: I see HDMe types way faster than I do!

And his answer is better too! :lol:

"Record from the beginning" is the correct choice. But, as you state, if you changed the channel, you lost the buffer and are SOL.

 

[Ken Green]

And his answer is better too! :lol:

"Record from the beginning" is the correct choice. But, as you state, if you changed the channel, you lost the buffer and are SOL.

IIRC, the "record from the beginning" option is not available when the software doesn't recognize the event has been buffered from its beginning.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

IIRC, the "record from the beginning" option is not available when the software doesn't recognize the event has been buffered from its beginning.

Generally speaking the buffer would only not recognize the beginning if the channel was not tuned at the actual beginning... in which case, all the rewinding in the world will not capture the beginning of the program since it wasn't in the buffer

But I haven't tested extensively... so I suppose there could be times when you were tuned to the channel at or before the beginning of the program, but the software does not think so. Perhaps for those programs that start/end at odd times like 4:01 or something?

I know that as long as I have been there a couple of minutes before the EPG guide says it is coming on, that has been safe... but the closer you are the more room for a glitch or something perhaps.

Of course the rewind and start recording would always record everything in the buffer... so if there are any doubts or the option is greyed out, that is a good fallback option too.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

EDIT: I see HDMe types way faster than I do!

I think I might also have gotten a couple of minutes head start on you

 

[Ken Green]

Generally speaking the buffer would only not recognize the beginning if the channel was not tuned at the actual beginning... in which case, all the rewinding in the world will not capture the beginning of the program since it wasn't in the buffer

But I haven't tested extensively... so I suppose there could be times when you were tuned to the channel at or before the beginning of the program, but the software does not think so. Perhaps for those programs that start/end at odd times like 4:01 or something?

I know that as long as I have been there a couple of minutes before the EPG guide says it is coming on, that has been safe... but the closer you are the more room for a glitch or something perhaps.

Of course the rewind and start recording would always record everything in the buffer... so if there are any doubts or the option is greyed out, that is a good fallback option too.

Do you think...at the moment the record button is pressed, the DVR software looks to the EPG to decide whether or not the "record from the beginning" option should be available? Something like comparing the current amount-of-time-in-buffer, with the time the EPG has the program beginning?

And, so you know....a sleeping dog types faster than I do :lol:

 

[Stewart Vernon]

Do you think...at the moment the record button is pressed, the DVR software looks to the EPG to decide whether or not the "record from the beginning" option should be available? Something like comparing the current amount-of-time-in-buffer, with the time the EPG has the program beginning?

That would be my guess... hence my follow-up post allowing for the possibility that programs that do not start on the hour could give mixed results as sometimes the EPG does not actually match when the program starts by the clock.

And, so you know....a sleeping dog types faster than I do :lol:

In the end, we are probably reading the replies at the same speed, so it balances out!

 

[Hall]

In my experience with the 522 a couple years ago and the 622 currently, "Record from beginning" is not always available, even in cases where it should be.

 

[Mojito05]

I was involved in a different thread that covered this topic last week. So, thought I'd put the link to it here if you wanted to check it out:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=71588

But basically, rewinding as far as you want (or can) and then hitting record is the way to do it.

 

[Charise]

And if you do rewind and record, you can then hit "view live tv" to come back to the current time with everything recorded. And I usually rewind to get the beginning. That way I can start the recording right at the beginning of the show/movie rather than having extra commercials before the show starts.

 

[moman19]

In my experience with the 522 a couple years ago and the 622 currently, "Record from beginning" is not always available, even in cases where it should be.

Guys,

Thanks to all of you for the xcellent feedback. While everything you suggest makes sense, I don't think I have ever seen the option to record from the brginning, even when all conditions needed to qualify have been met. I'll experiment and report back.