[HoTat2]

Say folks;

Brother complained to me the other day about a problem with stopping a recording of a sporting event which he chose to add an extension to.

Not a bug, but unless I'm missing something here its perhaps a design oversight in the SD-DVR's software. Is there an "easy way" to stop a recording which has entered an extension appended to its ending time?

It seems once a program moves into the extension period and its original program block with the recording "dot" therefore moves off the program guide screen I can't find any easy way to stop and save the recording if the extension isn't necessary and I want to stop it. I'm almost forced to let it record the entire extension.

Going into "Manage Recordings" ----> "ToDo" list doesn't give me the option to stop and save when I select the program in the list like it did when the original program block with the recording "dot" was visible in the guide. Only to delete the recording.

The only (and very awkward) work-around I can find is to start another recording on the other tuner, then tune to the channel you're trying to stop the extended recording on and try to change channels. Then I get the screen giving me the option to cancel and save the recording.

Totally ridiculous ...

I checked the HD receivers and they don't have this problem. Even in the extended portion of a recording I still can get the screen with the option to stop and save a recording via the Todo list.

Thanks;

 

[carl6]

Can you go into LIST, select the active recording, and get a "Recording..." option? Selecting that gives me three options, keep recording, stop & keep, and stop and delete (on an HD DVR).

I don't have an active R16 to play with here (have an inactive one, but not going to activate it to test this).

 

[Shades228]

You can just press stop then choose cancel recording and then keep recording while watching it.

 

[HoTat2]

Can you go into LIST, select the active recording, and get a "Recording..." option? Selecting that gives me three options, keep recording, stop & keep, and stop and delete (on an HD DVR).

I don't have an active R16 to play with here (have an inactive one, but not going to activate it to test this).

Nah ... unlike with the HD-DVRs once the original recording block leaves the guide on the SD-DVRs and enters the extension period, I can't "yet: find a way to bring up the menu option to quit the recording and keep it.

You can just press stop then choose cancel recording and then keep recording while watching it.

Thanks, I'll give it a try. Running a test on this solution now ...

 

[HoTat2]

Nope, no good ...

Pressing "STOP" while on the channel being used by an extended recording I set up does nothing once the recordings enter the extended period and recording block moves off the screen.

No option to stop and save.

Tried using the simple "DELETE" path of the program anyway selected in the Todo list and it indeed stops it, but then deletes the entire recording as I feared.

Oh well ....

 

[The Merg]

Nope, no good ...

Pressing "STOP" while on the channel being used by an extended recording I set up does nothing once the recordings enter the extended period and recording block moves off the screen.

No option to stop and save.

Tried using the simple "DELETE" path of the program anyway selected in the Todo list and it indeed stops it, but then deletes the entire recording as I feared.

Oh well ....

You shouldn't need to be in the Guide.

Go into the PlayList and hit Select on the show that is still recording. The menu on the left should have the options that Carl mentioned.

The other option is that while in the PlayList, highlight the show that is still recording and then hit Stop. You should be prompted about canceling the recording and whether you want to keep it or not.

- Merg

 

[HoTat2]

You shouldn't need to be in the Guide.

Go into the PlayList and hit Select on the show that is still recording. The menu on the left should have the options that Carl mentioned.

The other option is that while in the PlayList, highlight the show that is still recording and then hit Stop. You should be prompted about canceling the recording and whether you want to keep it or not.

- Merg

OK thanks;

Finally got it to work with the second method I highlighted in boldface. The first method does not work at least on the SD-DVR.

 

[carl6]

Glad you found a method to do it, and thanks to Merg for offering the suggestions.

 

[ThomasM]

What you want to do is possible...if your sporting event is using the "live" tuner. I know

Let me explain. The R15/R16 series of course have two tuners. One is considered the "live" tuner, the other one the "background" tuner (my terminology for this explanation). To determine if the show being recorded is using the "live" or "background" tuner, examine the progress bar. If it shows REAL TIME representations of the beginning/end, it is the LIVE tuner. If it shows just times (IE: 1:00 for an hour show) it is using the BACKGROUND tuner. If your recording is using the LIVE tuner, YOU CAN'T GET THE "STOP AND KEEP/STOP AND DELETE" prompt BECAUSE YOUR RECORDING IS STILL IN THE LIVE BUFFER AND HASN'T BEEN INDEXED ON THE HDD AS A RECORDING!

This is GOOD! Just bring up the guide, select the NEXT SHOW after your sporting event and hit the RECORD button. If you think the sporting event will continue longer, RECORD THE NEXT TWO SHOWS. You will end up with a seamless recording of your event (but, of course, when each segment ends you have to choose the next "segment" from the playlist)

Now, what if your event was recorded on the BACKGROUND tuner? (Not likely from your description) If this is the case you will get the "STOP AND KEEP, etc.) prompt if you press EXIT when playing it back. If you do this, simply choose "STOP AND KEEP" and then go to the program guide, select the event (which is still in the guide) SELECT it and choose recording options to extend it. If the show has disappeared from the guide it's too late and all you can do is choose to record the next show which may still be your event but there will be a "hole" in the show between when the guide says it ends and you take this action.

Now, here is a final trick. If you indeed have a recording in progress and it is on the LIVE tuner (EXIT key is ignored) and you want to FORCE the DVR to take this recording out of the live buffer and index it on the HDD as a recording, ENTER A DIFFERENT CHANNEL NUMBER. The DVR opens a NEW live buffer, activates the BACKGROUND tuner and tunes to your new channel. Now you can access your recording from the playlist (still in progress) and hit EXIT to bring up the recording menu (STOP AND KEEP/STOP AND DELETE etc.)

I know it's goofy but when you've lived with two R15's for five years you learn all the tricks!! I'm just happy DirecTV isn't screwing up all the commands like they are doing with their so-called "advanced" DVR's.

 

[HoTat2]

Thanks ThomasM;

For the somewhat complex guidance on this. :sure:

Having exclusively used the HD receiver and DVRs for so long, I admit to being somewhat rusty on these sorts of tips and tricks of the SD-DVRs when my brother complained about this latest issue.

The problem now is however that just as I refresh my memory to get the hang of all this again with help from you and the others in this thread. My brother makes it all academic now by deciding to scrap the old tube TV he was using there for a new HDTV and deactivate the R16 for an HD receiver (H21-200) connected through WH for DVR functionality.

Guess I can't really blame him for dropping the R16 though if he upgrades to an HDTV. Its a small LCD (only 19 in.), but he still doesn't want to live with a pillar-box display on it all the time and hates "stretch-o-vision" as a solution.

Plus SD receivers are a bit of a waste here since we have the Premiere package and a number of the newer HD premiums are only on the MPEG-4/Ka-band and have no SD versions. Not to mention DIRECTV's occasional movement of SD channels there due to the pretty much bandwidth max'ed out Ku-band.