Clipping (starts early, ends early)...yes, discussed much, but looking for new input

[ihatecommercials]

Yes, I searched - and found a LOT of posts on this topic - but most of them a year or more old.

I have a SII, and ALL of my programs - whether season pass or "TIVO suggestion" start recording about 2 minutes early, and end 2 minute early as well. Seems like there is an issue of clock synchronization.... I am on standard cable. Not sure how TIVO "sets" its' clock (assuming it takes place during the updates, but not certain).

Yes, I know (and do) pad my season passes and personally chosen shows with 5 minutes after scheduled end time. BUT, this doesn't help TIVO suggestions - which many times are worth watching.

After scanning ALL TIVO menus (I believe), I don't think there is a way to pad by 5 minutes across the board - regardless of "how" a program is "chosen" to be recorded. Nor do I see a way to "force" the setting of the TIVO clock 2 minutes backwards.

Any new input on this topic?

Thanks in advance!

[LifeIsABeach]

Is the time on your TiVo correct? There are websites which give you atomic clock time. Compare one of those against the time on your TiVo. If it is 2 minutes off then the problem is with your TiVo. Perhaps the battery is bad. If the TiVo has the correct time then it seems like your cable company is showing the programs at the wrong time. At least those are my best guesses.

[ihatecommercials]

OK - off on a mission to find my "TIVO Time" - but, not sure if I have seen that before, nor if there is a way to force the time 2 minutes early. BRB........

[ihatecommercials]

OK - "current time/date" is in system info....but, no way to change it.....

[ZikZak]

You can't change it. Is it correct?

[ihatecommercials]

Well...according to:

http://nist.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Central/d/-6/java

I am (my TIVO's "clock", in system information) is within a few seconds - at worst - of this particular atomic clock.

So, my next best guess is my cable company is not synchronized with this atomic clock.....any reason to think there is something else that could be causing this??

[ZikZak]

So, my next best guess is my cable company is not synchronized with this atomic clock.....any reason to think there is something else that could be causing this??

Not unless you actually observe the recordings starting/ending too early.

It would be unusual for an entire cable company to be off by two minutes; all they really do is receive the feeds and pass them on. Individual networks are sometimes bad about this; are the programs you're looking at all from one or two channels?

[ihatecommercials]

Nah, not particular to any specific channel/set of channels. It is pretty much across the board. I suppose if my right brain were more active, I could make up the endings.....but, I am right-brain challenged.

[Mike Farrington]

Prevent your TiVo from calling in for a few days, then check to see how aligned it is with the atomic clock. Perhaps it is drifting over the course of the day, and you happened to compare it just after a call to TiVo.

[ihatecommercials]

Yeah - I can do that (and will try), but thinkin the problem is more deeply rooted than that.

Since I cannot adjust the TIVO clock, it seems like the disconnect is between "Atomic" clock vs. Time Warner "clock" (to which TIVO is synchronized......as best I can tell) - which, if correct, results in a situation that I cannot control or influence.

OUCH!! Sounds like my ex!....and I found a way to squelch that issue.......

[Mike Farrington]

It could be getting out of sync quite quickly. Tivo generally makes its calls in the wee hours of the morning, while most recording is done in the late evening. You're clock could be getting 2 minutes out of sync by then (which obviously shouldn't be happening).

If it turns out that your clock is drifting, it could be an indication of bad power to your house. There's also a battery on the motherboard that could be dying and isn't too hard to replace, though I'm not sure if a drifting clock is an indication that the battery is dying.

What model of TiVo is it? How old is it?

[ZikZak]

Tivo is not synchronized to Time Warner. It is synchronized with the home computer at Tivo, Inc. every time it calls in. The clock at Tivo, Inc. is synchronized to the atomic clock.

However, if your tivo's battery is bad, it's possible that it will get unsynced between calls.

Again, there's no "Time Warner Clock" in the way you mean. Time Warner's job is to collect the feeds from the various networks and relay them to you. They do not determine when programs begin or end: the networks do.