Aarrghh! TiVo dumped our live TV viewing... missed part of Master's!

[TiVoEvan74]

So, is this how it is supposed to work?

We were watching the Master's via Live TV, pausing every now and then to do some chores, fix supper, etc. We also had decided to record it in case we later wanted to watch some part of it again-- or in case we ran out of the 30 minute live buffer.

Here's what happened: We were in the *middle* of the 30 minute buffer watching live TV, when suddenly the picture momentarily froze, skipped, and it was suddenly a hole or two later!

After some exploration and discussion, we figured out that the recording must have stopped (the Master's was scheduled to only go to 7 pm), and at that point, it cleared the 30 minute live TV buffer and reset it!

What a drag! Fortunately, Michelson was already well ahead, but we missed some shots by Clark, would have liked to have seen the 17th, etc.

It's pretty clear that one should not record a show they are watching live!

Or are there some work arounds?

[arc6th]

So, you were recording the scheduled broadcast?

The live buffer begins rebuilding after a recording ends. After the recording ended you were able to back up to the beginning of the buffer. If you missed any part of the broadcast, then it's because you were more than 30 minutes behind Live when you reached the end of the recording.

To recap: it's pretty clear you should record shows you are watching live, if they are important. If you're not recording the show, all it takes is an accidental tap to a number button and/or the Enter key <poof!> the buffer is gone.

Also, it's always been clear one should pad live sporting events, especially those that are known to be weather-delayed to start the day.

G'luck, with everything.

[Stanley Rohner]

Didn't know there were people that actually recorded golf.
:)

[TiVoEvan74]

Stan, well, we normally don't record golf (not that there's anything wrong with that!) :) , but this time we wanted to be sure that we had it, in case we ran out of the live TV buffer! So, instead our "insurance policy" destroyed the live TV buffer!

Alan, yes, you've confirmed what we concluded. What's the logic behind TiVo's resetting the live buffer? I can understand it when one changes the channel. But when it's the same channel as the one being recorded, why not just continue with the one that's there--at least until another recording starts or the channel is changed? Seems like a glitch in how it operates!

We must have lost 5-10 minutes! Which seems strange, doesn't it? I mean the part we missed wasn't on the recorded show either. Let's see... how would that happen?

Is it possible to be 30 minutes behind live with the buffer? We were watching at the time and just a few moments before I had checked and we were about half way in the green bar!

Any ideas of what caused the loss?

[Moebius]

Stan, well, we normally don't record golf (not that there's anything wrong with that!) :) , but this time we wanted to be sure that we had it, in case we ran out of the live TV buffer! So, instead our "insurance policy" destroyed the live TV buffer!

Alan, yes, you've confirmed what we concluded. What's the logic behind TiVo's resetting the live buffer? I can understand it when one changes the channel. But when it's the same channel as the one being recorded, why not just continue with the one that's there--at least until another recording starts or the channel is changed? Seems like a glitch in how it operates!

We must have lost 5-10 minutes! Which seems strange, doesn't it? I mean the part we missed wasn't on the recorded show either. Let's see... how would that happen?

Is it possible to be 30 minutes behind live with the buffer? We were watching at the time and just a few moments before I had checked and we were about half way in the green bar!

Any ideas of what caused the loss?

Is there any chance, you were in buffer, then chose to record after the scheduled end of the program? I've made that mistake in the past where I was say 20 minutes behind live, like a program scheduled to end at 7:00, I was at about 6:45 and the current time was 7:05. I decided to hit record to save what I had, but because the schedule in realtime was now on the next program, TiVo dumped the buffer and started recording the new program.

The Golf ran over by nearly an hour, so I was thinking that might be the case. If the time was past the scheduled end when you hit record that might have happened. Or, on the other note, if you were recording and behind a bit, once you got to the scheduled end of the recording (7:00 I think) TiVo would have just zapped forward to Live TV. The rest wouldn't have been recorded because the recording stopped at 7:00, and when you reached 7:00 (the end of the recording) you would have skipped ahead to realtime.

EDIT: I just re-read this and it's a bit convoluted, so I'll list an example of what happened to me in the past and see if this is what you encountered.

I was recording a football game that I had forgotten to pad. I started about an hour late. The game was scheduled from 1:00 - 4:00. By 4:00 I was probably at 3:15 in the recording. The scheduled recording ended at 4:00, but I didn't really notice this. So, I kept happily watching. At 4:45 pm, I hit the end of the recording. At that point, the TiVo zapped forward to live TV. The game ended about 4:15, but this was of course past the 30 minute live buffer, so I missed the end of the game. Does this sound anything like what you experienced?

[TiVoEvan74]

Actually your post was well written! Still, the example did help. While we didn't have another show being recorded at 7 pm, I'm wondering whether we could have inadvertently been watching the recorded show. (I don't think so because the Play button was bringing up a time indicator (actual time of day) and not the time of recording.

Let me ask a question about this. Could it jump from the recording to live TV without returning to the now playing list or giving the viewer the usual "Do you want to delete this show?" We certainly didn't get that which reinforces my feeling, memory we were in live TV.

This could drive me batty enough to perform an actual test and see what happens!

[Moebius]

Actually your post was well written! Still, the example did help. While we didn't have another show being recorded at 7 pm, I'm wondering whether we could have inadvertently been watching the recorded show. (I don't think so because the Play button was bringing up a time indicator (actual time of day) and not the time of recording.

Let me ask a question about this. Could it jump from the recording to live TV without returning to the now playing list or giving the viewer the usual "Do you want to delete this show?" We certainly didn't get that which reinforces my feeling, memory we were in live TV.

This could drive me batty enough to perform an actual test and see what happens!

Yes, in a rare case. If you're watching a recording live (ie, you didn't select it from NPL), then pause or rewind till you're well behind a 30 minute buffer, the program ends, and you hit live tv, or fast forward to the end of the program, TiVo would jump at that point, and not ask you to save or delete. It's a bit weird, and this is the only case I've seen it happen in, but it does.

Also, it wouldn't matter if there was another show being recorded at 7. If it went past 7:30 before you finished the recorded program (that went to 7) you'd still get the funky jump.