Is this a problem being discussed elsewhere?

[bicker]

I'm a bit confused today. I had thought that the problems we were having were being discussed here already, but the more I read those threads the more I realize that those aren't the same problem.

Let me explain what we're seeing, and then please point me towards the thread(s) where that specific problem is being discussed...

While watching a program, the playback appears to skip a second or so. Sometimes it happens as bad as 50 times an hour or more. Rewinding and playing back doesn't make a difference -- it is in the recording. This happens on OTA broadcasts, mostly, but we have also had it on recordings off cable (Motorola CableCARDs) as well. I believe it happens on playback of 1080i programs only (so far): It doesn't happen on Fox or CW (720p) at all, but it does happen on ABC (1080i here in the Boston area, despite ABC being 720p in general). It didn't happen on the Motorola DCT-3416.

So which problem is this?

[greg_burns]

When I had similar problem it was related my eSata drive. It was probably just a loose connection, but I will never know. I divorced it and readded it back and the problem went away. (Kinda drastic I know, but I had convinced myself the drive was dying and it turned out it was fine after testing.)

Are you using the original eSata cable or a replacement? If it is related to that, it may be something else to try.

Good luck

[bicker]

I'm using the original eSATA cable.

Would just re-seating the cable make a difference?

I really really would hate to lose the data on this drive.... I basically have half of what we're going to be watching this summer recorded there.

[greg_burns]

Would just re-seating the cable make a difference?

It might. Shut down the Tivo before messing with it or you'll guarantee yourself a reboot.

If it doesn't, $10 for the recommended cable (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BRQU0Q/ref=nosim/?tag=pricegrabbercpc16-20&creative=380333&creativeASIN=B000BRQU0Q&linkCode=asn)may be worth it just to be sure.

[wmcbrine]

It sounds like normal bad reception to me. (Recent versions of the TiVo software tend to skip over the bad parts in a recording rather than rendering them.)

[hmm52]

Could be a curse from someone on heated clear QAM mapping thread.

[bicker]

It might. Shut down the Tivo before messing with it or you'll guarantee yourself a reboot.Absolutely.

If it doesn't, $10 for the recommended cable (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BRQU0Q/ref=nosim/?tag=pricegrabbercpc16-20&creative=380333&creativeASIN=B000BRQU0Q&linkCode=asn)may be worth it just to be sure.I didn't even realize that there was a recommended cable other than the one that came with the recommended eSATA drive.

It sounds like normal bad reception to me. (Recent versions of the TiVo software tend to skip over the bad parts in a recording rather than rendering them.)That's why I haven't pursued this that vigorously: I had suspected that that was what it was. However, it did seem to be related to the time (10PM) and we haven't had any problems on 9PM shows on the same channel on other nights. Hmmm.

Could be a curse from someone on heated clear QAM mapping thread.Could be! I always knew those folks were evil!!!!!! :)

[bicker]

If it doesn't, $10 for the recommended cable (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BRQU0Q/ref=nosim/?tag=pricegrabbercpc16-20&creative=380333&creativeASIN=B000BRQU0Q&linkCode=asn)may be worth it just to be sure.Is this the same cable? (I really prefer monoprice.com -- better quality for the things I've used them for, and lower prices.)

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022603&p_id=3940&seq=1&format=2

[greg_burns]

Is this the same cable? (I really prefer monoprice.com -- better quality for the things I've used them for, and lower prices.)

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022603&p_id=3940&seq=1&format=2

The only reason the SIIG is recommended is because it has been known to work for a lot of forum members. I don't have that one and mine is (currently) working just fine.

(The issue here is how far out the end sticks. Apparently not all eSata cable are created equal.)

[bicker]

Hmmm... okay, I did a search on the SIIG cable. It seems to be recommended in cases where the TiVo freezes. I haven't had that at all. I think I'll try re-seating and see if I can determine any other patterns related to when and what is recorded. Thanks though!

[hmm52]

My problem is a kitten that races through everything. In through the back of audio/video cabinet, then out through the glass doors after pausing to stare at me for awhile from inside. Blanket all with plastering metal lath? Low tech but vexing nevertheless. The S3 & BluRay player have crappy fits on power cords; so a number of feline disconnects to date. Antec eSATA cable has held connection though not a great fit either.

A digital camera LCD should tell you if you're dealing with a curse, some stray infrared signals, or maybe a spook. Good luck

[bicker]

I never thought about the feline factor. I'll have to look into that.

[Phantom Gremlin]

I never thought about the feline factor. I'll have to look into that.
Getting rid of your cat(s) could be a "win-win" situation. Here is a source for some ideas:

http://www.amazon.com/101-Uses-Dead-Simon-Bond/dp/0517545160

[bicker]

Yeah, we'll get rid of the TiVos and the televisions before we get rid of the cats. Living beings come before comparatively meaningless electronics.

[ZeoTiVo]

comparatively meaningless electronics.

Sorry- my TiVo DVRs do not fall into that catagory.

[hmm52]

Did I infect this thread by bringing up cats and clear QAM?

This kitten's definitely a member of the family no matter his antics. First weeks he was chewing on electrical wires, twistems & tie wraps. - mysterious death of cordless phones... Over that now. Personality of a good dog. If he manages to bring down Acoustat speakers or vases when grown, I'll be tempted to clink on link above nevertheless.

[lrhorer]

My theater and my bedroom butt up against each other, and all my video equipment is in a closet at the back of the theater. In order to make access to the equipment something close to reasonable, I cut out a large hole between the two rooms and put cabinet doors on the bedroom side to access the equipment.

Now enter the dog and the cat.

The two halves of my house are divided off by doors, and my roommate's dog (and my dog for that matter) is not allowed in the back half of the house. The problem is the cat. Her litter is in the front part of the house, and I could leave her shut in the front part of the house, but Her Majesty the Queen of the Universe wouldn't like that. You see, my roommate's dog refuses to leave her alone. He wants to play incessantly, and she is just not interested most of the time. Oddly enough, he is smaller than she is (he's a small Shi Tzu), and in an actual fight she could easily take him, so there's no real danger here. Well, not to the two of them, anyway. While in telling this story it sounds like I should just ignore her and keep her in the front of the house, one must remember that it is simply very unwise to thwart the whims and wishes of royalty. If I were to keep her in the front of the house against her wishes, then when I returned home from work, everything which used to be on top of some horizontal surface would now be on the floor, it's state of disarray and disrepair directly proportional to its frailty and price.

Of course I could just keep her in the back of the house, but the consequences of that would be obvious, bearing in mind her litter is in the front of the house. The fact the entire back of the house is carpeted bears additional relevance. I suppose I could move the litter to the back of the house, but litter boxes and carpeting really don't go very well together, not to mention my trepidation over the arguments about whose bedroom would get the litter box. Did I mention there's actually more than one Her Majesty the Queen of the Universe in my house?

Anyway, I came up with an alternate solution. I leave one of the doors to the A/V closet open, which means the cat can now run freely between the rooms while the dog is excluded by the height of the cabinet doors. Of course this means Her Majesty is constantly rummaging around behind my equipment. In all fairness, I'm sure she would do this anyway, because she has full access to the shelves in the A/V closet whether the doors are all shut or not. The funny (not to mention fortunate) thing is, she has never, not once, dislodged a cable. The A/V system is extensive, so there are lots and lots of cables to dislodge, too.

Anyway, so now when she has had more than enough of his pestering, she just pops through her secret access portal to the rear of the house. Of course it also means that now rather than admitting she wants to be near me by following me though the door, she can wait a good 40 seconds or so after I've moved from room to room to just happen to saunter into the room I entered a few moments before. Clearly the fact I am also in the room and the fact she was formerly in the room I just quit are both pure coincidence.

All in all, the situation is workable and relatively free of stress, so I'm not going to try tinkering with it.

Edit: Just for the record, my dog is an Irish Wolfhound. While she is easily more than ten times the size of the cat, her interaction with the feline is generally limited to occasionally sniffing her butt, an activity the cat seems not to mind in the least.

[richsadams]

My problem is a kitten that races through everything. In through the back of audio/video cabinet, then out through the glass doors after pausing to stare at me for awhile from inside. HA! That's great! I can picture it all! ROFLMAO!! Thanks for the smile of the day!! :up:

Oh, sorry...didn't mean to laugh at your, um, situation...but that's pretty good. :D

BTW, the caterwauling from everyone else is a treat as well. ;)

[hmm52]

... then when I returned home from work, everything which used to be on top of some horizontal surface would now be on the floor, it's state of disarray and disrepair directly proportional to its frailty and price...

Yeah, the cat owners among us should be committed for allowing feline shenanigans while obsessing over the health of our computers and DVRs. I grew up around dogs and horses. My wife with cats. So as long as the litter box was kept in a sun room outside, I agreed to cats. They were always female before this male rescue kitten. Difference - Females would knock something down then burn rubber looking for cover; action/reaction catastrophe only piques the male's interest. He thrives on shock value. Jumping on my wife's back just after a bath. Leaping on my shoulders while I'm hunched over a wiring project. Always wants to be as high as possible so he travels a lot on shoulders generally. Since he spent so much time like an otter in front of the monitor trying to capture the cursor, I setup a butterfly/bird screensaver for him. It's an NEC MultiSync LCD that I really like, and NLA. Cats not declawed. Yup. Nuts.

As long as we're seriously off topic, any recommendations for an LCD replacement for bedroom TV? At the moment it's narrowed to the 32" 1080p Samsung & Sony. The XBR6 isn't out quite yet though it probably wouldn't matter for comparison. All in store level adjustments are furchtbar (German for dreadful). I've never owned a Samsung and have the sense that Sony's processing is more honest & natural, without the pop of a Samsung. Is that more or less correct?

Got a couple of DCT 700s from Verizon yesterday, for analog sets. No guide of course but not bad. Reasonably responsive, all the channels not just first 50, and definitely better picture than with ONT converted signal. Can't beat the price - $0. I'm pretty sure they'll give you as many as you ask for; these 2 delivered overnight. The asking wasn't easy as the system went down repeatedly. It's Verizon afterall.......

[lrhorer]

HA! That's great! I can picture it all! ROFLMAO!! Thanks for the smile of the day!! :up:

Oh, sorry...didn't mean to laugh at your, um, situation...but that's pretty good. :D
Oh, no, please laugh away. It was meant to elicit a chuckle or three.

BTW, the caterwauling from everyone else is a treat as well. ;)
Anyone who is owned by one or more felines and claims not to be besieged by catastrpohes is either a prevaricator, or else is so delusionally impaired they are on the verge of catalepsy. On the other hand, having felines around the house is in itself a complete category of lunacy on its own.

[lrhorer]

Yeah, the cat owners among us should be committed for allowing feline shenanigans while obsessing over the health of our computers and DVRs. I grew up around dogs and horses. My wife with cats.
Cats, dogs, horses, chickens, rabbits, lizards, snakes, fish, squirrels, skunks, nutria, frogs, turtles, alligators... You name it, we probably had (or have) it is a pet.

They were always female before this male rescue kitten. Difference - Females would knock something down then burn rubber looking for cover; action/reaction catastrophe only piques the male's interest.
While males do come with a set of different issues for their subjects, I assure you there are females who positively gleeful when knocking over objects in retribution for some offense on the part of their inferiors. My cat is one of these. We've also had a few very laid-back males, or even careful ones. We had one male who would race through a glassware display at top speed without so much as dislodging a single display piece.

Yup. Nuts.
I resemble that remark.

As long as we're seriously off topic, any recommendations for an LCD replacement for bedroom TV? At the moment it's narrowed to the 32" 1080p Samsung & Sony.
I know it's genrally a bit more expensive, but I recommend DLP.

I've never owned a Samsung and have the sense that Sony's processing is more honest & natural, without the pop of a Samsung. Is that more or less correct?
I like the Mitsubishis. I find their quality quite on a par with Sony, but with some significant additional features. They are also usually a little bit less expensive than the Sony of the same class. IMO, and YMMV, of course.

[bicker]

Argh. Okay, well Numb3rs was all messed up again last night, but Moonlight was fine.

Is there any logic about why divorcing the eSATA and re-attaching it would make a difference with regard to recording reliability -- something that we could use to do something less drastic (but more drastic than just replugging things back in, which I've already done)? It would pretty-much under-cut the whole point of having the eSATA drive if, every time, just before we're about to make use of its contents, we'd have to lose those contents and start over.

As it is, it is just another three weeks before we go all cable for the summer (and we don't have this problem on cable channels, at all), so it almost doesn't make sense to try that now. We'll do that in early September for sure, though.

[hmm52]

I know it's genrally a bit more expensive, but I recommend DLP.

I like the Mitsubishis. I find their quality quite on a par with Sony, but with some significant additional features. They are also usually a little bit less expensive than the Sony of the same class. IMO, and YMMV, of course.

Thanks, but it has to hang on a bedroom wall, and I'd rather it not be larger than 32". Not intending a home theater up there so even the built in audio is important. But the display qualities of a DLP or LcOS are my preference. Had a wood cabinet Mitsubishi that worked well for 27 years. Saw a large screen new one on wall at Tweeter last week - stingray looked more like eagle ray flipped on its back - "dynamic contrast" running amok; not a DLP though. Did Mitsy ever get their cablecard issues resolved?

[lrhorer]

Did Mitsy ever get their cablecard issues resolved?
I don't know. I have TiVos, so I'm not using the CableCard slot, and thus have little interest in the matter. I did have some problems prior to getting my S3 TiVo, but once I got the TiVo, I never looked back.

[Phantom Gremlin]

Argh. Okay, well Numb3rs was all messed up again last night, but Moonlight was fine.

Is there any logic about why divorcing the eSATA and re-attaching it would make a difference with regard to recording reliability
I may have an explanation for what happened to you. I'm not privy to the inner workings of the box, but here's what I think others have said:

1) a program will be recorded in its entirety on a single hard disk drive.

2) at the start of a recording the TiVo chooses the hard drive with the most free space

It's quite possible that your two programs were recorded on two different disks. Numb3rs was recorded on the bad drive.

[richsadams]

I may have an explanation for what happened to you. I'm not privy to the inner workings of the box, but here's what I think others have said:

1) a program will be recorded in its entirety on a single hard disk drive.

2) at the start of a recording the TiVo chooses the hard drive with the most free space

It's quite possible that your two programs were recorded on two different disks. Numb3rs was recorded on the bad drive.That's as good an explanation as any...makes sense.

However I wish we could get a definitive answer for this particular issue from TiVo. I've read quite a number of posts from folks (that seem to have the correct technical background) that claim that the dual-drive system is basically RAID 0, striping recordings across both drives. Then like you, others have postulated that the recordings are solely on one or the other drive. If that's the case there would have to be some sort of "tag" on the opposite drive that the recording exists to comply with the regulatory authority's wishes of course...seems easy enough. (Either way all recordings are lost from the point the expansion drive was added if/when it's removed.) But it would be handy to know which drive possibly has bad sectors or is failing, etc.

BTW, a number of CBS HD shows including Numb3rs are "glitchy" here...periodic macroblocking and/or audio dropouts and such. Sometimes the same show is perfect the following week. I chalk that up to the nature of the beast and our local broadcaster, but it may be more wide-spread I suppose. It sounds like bicker's problem is much bigger than the occasional data corruption though.

[greg_burns]

It would pretty-much under-cut the whole point of having the eSATA drive if, every time, just before we're about to make use of its contents, we'd have to lose those contents and start over.

I'm guessing off-loading your Tivo's contents to a PC is out of the question?

[Resist]

Yeah, we'll get rid of the TiVos and the televisions before we get rid of the cats. Living beings come before comparatively meaningless electronics.So you assume Tivo is not alive? My Tivo is my best friend. :)

[bicker]

I'm guessing off-loading your Tivo's contents to a PC is out of the question?It wouldn't be (I have a TB drive handy) except that returning the HD content back to the TiVo causes a different kind of video corruption, sort of like the skipping we're discussing in this thread, but instead of a cut-out it seems more like 1 second of video is presented in 1/4 second, and that's at about 80-90 incidents per hour.

However, to be honest, I haven't tried that since 9.3, so maybe they've fixed it?

[bicker]

So you assume Tivo is not alive? My Tivo is my best friend. :)My wife is my best friend. :) (Sorry -- I couldn't Resist! :D)

[bicker]

So Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters were perfect yesterday. It sure seems random.

[mike_camden]

Bicker,
I was having a similar issue after I connected the WD My DVR Expander to one of our Tivo HDs. Based on a post on the official Tivo forums, I flipped my e-Sata cable, and the problem hasn't happened in the two months since. I'm into computer repair work by trade and have been a computer geek for almost 20 years; I'm not sure why this fixed the issue (beyond maybe an issue with reliability of the terminators on the cable), but I'm happy it did. If I could only fix the issue of DD sound drop-out with the HD and an Onkyo receiver, I would be perfectly happy with the Tivo experience.

[lrhorer]

returning the HD content back to the TiVo causes a different kind of video corruption, sort of like the skipping we're discussing in this thread, but instead of a cut-out it seems more like 1 second of video is presented in 1/4 second, and that's at about 80-90 incidents per hour.

However, to be honest, I haven't tried that since 9.3, so maybe they've fixed it?
They have. TTCB is flawless, now, at least as far as picture quality is concerned. It's still a bit slow, and the number of programs which won't transfer unless I go through some pains to fix them is much higher than I would like, but the skipping, jerking, and pixelization is gone, even on 20Mbps 1080i content.

[lrhorer]

My wife is my best friend. :)
Maybe so, but my TiVo does exactly what I tell it to do and it never, ever nags me.

[bicker]

They have. TTCB is flawless, now, at least as far as picture quality is concerned. It's still a bit slow, and the number of programs which won't transfer unless I go through some pains to fix them is much higher than I would like, but the skipping, jerking, and pixelization is gone, even on 20Mbps 1080i content.Okay, I'm going to try that this morning. My first approach will be as follows:

TiVo -> wired -> Router <- wired <- laptop -> 500GB USB Drive

Is there anything about that typography that would tend to cause trouble? Am I "better off" with wireless connections?

Maybe so, but my TiVo does exactly what I tell it to do and it never, ever nags me.That must be how my wife feels about me. :)

[jrm01]

Maybe so, but my TiVo does exactly what I tell it to do and it never, ever nags me.

Perhaps your wife needs a firmware update.:)

[greg_burns]

Am I "better off" with wireless connections?

No. Wired should be the best choice if possible.

[bicker]

The return trip from PC to TiVo has been unsuccessful. I'll continue to try.

[bizzy]

However I wish we could get a definitive answer for this particular issue from TiVo. I've read quite a number of posts from folks (that seem to have the correct technical background) that claim that the dual-drive system is basically RAID 0, striping recordings across both drives. Then like you, others have postulated that the recordings are solely on one or the other drive.

Raid 0 doesn't require striping. Raid 0 can also be concatenation of space on two or more drives.

If you look through the instructions for adding disk with the MFS tools, you'll see that there is no low-level RAID going on. Additional partitions are simply added to the pool that is available for the Tivo to use.

MFS was not designed for and does not support (to the best of my limited knowledge) 'striping' of an entity across two or more of these partitions.

There's no magic RAID striping going on, folks. The dissapearing programs on divorce are either because

* your program resided on the partition you divorced, or
* because of mandated DFAST DRM requirements

[bicker]

"This program was not transferred onto this DVR because of a transfer error. You may want to try this transfer again."

I've gotten that twice. Seems to me that TTG is still not working for me.

[greg_burns]

* your program resided on the partition you divorced, or
* because of mandated DFAST DRM requirements

It must be the latter (or lazy programming as suggested in another thread).

When I divorced my drive the only thing left was what I had recorded prior to the upgrade many months before.

[greg_burns]

"This program was not transferred onto this DVR because of a transfer error. You may want to try this transfer again."

I've gotten that twice. Seems to me that TTG is still not working for me.

You running 2.6.1 with the cert update?

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=390214

[bizzy]

It must be the latter (or lazy programming as suggested in another thread).

When I divorced my drive the only thing left was what I had recorded prior to the upgrade many months before.

Maintaining filesystem consistency while also supporting on-demand grow/shrink is pretty tricky; especially since I believe that MFS was not really designed to support shrinks.

I am sure someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that prior to Tivo offically supporting external storage, a divorce operation caused/required all programming to vanish. If so, they must have spent some time hacking on their storage allocation to even allow your 'old' recordings to stay.

[bicker]

You running 2.6.1 with the cert update?

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=390214

I am running 2.6.1; I assume it has the cert update.

[greg_burns]

I am running 2.6.1; I assume it has the cert update.

Yes it does. :(

[bicker]

Guess I'll call TiVo next time I have a chance (probably a week or two before then). So I'm stuck with the eSATA, and how it screws up many 1080i recordings. :mad:

[greg_burns]

Have you tried transferring shows back with pyTivo (http://pytivo.krkeegan.com/new-users-about-pytivo-versions-t86.html#578)?

[bicker]

I've never had the time to figure pyTiVo out... I'll play with it tonight.

BTW: I switched a lot of shows back to cable this week (instead of OTA), and am watching the first one; no skipping.

[greg_burns]

I am running Vista w/ pyTivo. For me, I find it best not to install as a service and just choose pyTivo - Terminal from start menu when I want to use.

The windows installer version I linked to makes it really easy to install.

YMMV

[bicker]

Does this look normal?

Checking to see if pyTivo is already running . . .

Starting pyTivo Server. Use ctrl+Break to exit.

(10013, 'Permission denied')
(10013, 'Permission denied')
pyTivo is ready.

[bicker]

Yeah, SAME problem with pyTiVo... it dies after about 20 minutes is transferred:
----------------------------------------
Exception happened during processing of request from ('192.168.1.2', 1900)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "C:\Python25\lib\SocketServer.py", line 464, in process_request_thread
self.finish_request(request, client_address)
File "C:\Python25\lib\SocketServer.py", line 254, in finish_request
self.RequestHandlerClass(request, client_address, self)
File "C:\Python25\lib\SocketServer.py", line 522, in __init__
self.handle()
File "C:\Python25\lib\BaseHTTPServer.py", line 316, in handle
self.handle_one_request()
File "C:\Python25\lib\BaseHTTPServer.py", line 310, in handle_one_request
method()
File "C:\Program Files\pyTivo\httpserver.py", line 55, in do_GET
plugin.send_file(self, container, name)
File "C:\Program Files\pyTivo\plugins\video\video.py", line 215, in send_file
handler.wfile, tsn)
File "C:\Program Files\pyTivo\plugins\video\transcode.py", line 29, in output_
video
shutil.copyfileobj(f, outFile)
File "C:\Python25\lib\shutil.py", line 24, in copyfileobj
fdst.write(buf)
File "C:\Python25\lib\socket.py", line 262, in write
self.flush()
File "C:\Python25\lib\socket.py", line 249, in flush
self._sock.sendall(buffer)
error: (10054, 'Connection reset by peer')
----------------------------------------
192.168.1.2 - - [10/May/2008 18:56:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&
Container=%2F HTTP/1.0" 200 -

[lrhorer]

"This program was not transferred onto this DVR because of a transfer error. You may want to try this transfer again."

I've gotten that twice. Seems to me that TTG is still not working for me.
When I said TTCB was perfect in terms of recording quality, I omitted other issues. It is definitely very picky about the source content. Any number of errors in the stream can casue problems with the transfer, even though the original file came off the TiVo. You may simply be experiencing this issue. Try this:

When you select a video to download back to the TiVo, start watching it immediately. If you can't get any program of any sort to transfer, then you have a problem with your setup. If most recordings at least start to transfer and then fail half-way through, you have content problems. It may be possible to fix the latter using VideoRedo's Quickfix utility, or perhaps by using TiVo Decoder.

I'm finding about 1 feature length HD program in 5 or so hs failed in the past. I'm now using a different setup with my TiVo HD, adn it seems to be considerably better, but even it has about 1 in 10 or so fail. I can usually fix the problems, most of the time merely by running Quickfix. Sometimes I have to go in and cut out a section by hand.

Edit: I should have read down further. You definitely have content problems. I would definitely give Quickfix a try.

[bicker]

When you select a video to download back to the TiVo, start watching it immediately. If you can't get any program of any sort to transfer, then you have a problem with your setup.I'm definitely able to start watching the transferred video. It gives up after 20 minutes or so.

If most recordings at least start to transfer and then fail half-way through, you have content problems. It may be possible to fix the latter using VideoRedo's Quickfix utility, or perhaps by using TiVo Decoder.I don't have either, and I'm not willing to buy them. I figure TTG should work, without paying for another product, or it essentially doesn't work.

BTW, what causes these content problems?

[richsadams]

There's no magic RAID striping going on, folks. The dissapearing programs on divorce are either because

* your program resided on the partition you divorced, or
* because of mandated DFAST DRM requirementsOkay, makes sense, but I've removed/divorced eSATA drives more than once and all of the programs recorded since the drive was installed were lost. AFAIK that's always the case based on numerous posts over the past year plus. The only reasonable explanation then would be the last one.

[hmm52]

The kitten I described the beginning of May has grown and matured. Well scratch the maturity part. Simply say his behavior has changed. Entering the AV cabinet midlevel backside and exiting through front glass doors isn't in his routine anymore. He still speeds around entire mass of AV stuff but the eSATA drive for S3 is safely off his race course by a few inches. He has developed one new daily favorite that is however of some concern and the reason for the post.

A hair short of forever I've had two Acoustat planar electrostatics as primary speakers. They're about 5' high, recovered with upholstery material 6 years ago by owner, and have substantial transformers at their base. They stand to the sides of a Sony SXRD at one end of the room. The kitten's new favorite is to gather speed by circling couch at far end then use 20' of carpet to attain terminal velocity. Once reached, he launches himself using David Letterman's velcroman spread eagle style into the speaker mid height, then claws his way to the summit.

My question is this: I have reasonable confidance in the material and its appilcation but I've also taken notice of high voltage warnings on the speakers. The positive and negative fields have some separation of course but not to this cat. So what kinds of volts and amps are we talking about here? Or in feline terms, would it be a barbecue or just a buzz to the fuzz?

[richsadams]

Ha! That's a good one!! :D Insane cat stories crack me up. Ours look longingly behind our A/V setup, but everything is just a little too close to the wall to allow them access...or they'd be professional HDMI cable uninstallers and pulling equipment down left and right if they could. They even try to squeeze under our LCD flat panel now and then to get access, but to no avail.

I know the juice coming out of speaker wires even when the volume level is set to 11 (Spinal Tap reference), is not that much...not enough to do more than make the cat's hair stand up for a moment. The transformers on the other hand might be a worry depending on how much juice is "exposed" and how. I'm assuming the transformers are reducing volts/amps, not increasing them so I don't think it's something to fret about. Even cats and dogs that are curiously fond of chewing on lamp cords just get a good jolt and they usually learn to leave them be eventually. It doesn't seem like it's something to worry about, but smarter minds may have other opinions.

If you get time, post a video of their activity on YouTube...I for one love watching those kinds of crazy activities. (I know, I need to get out more often.) :)

[hmm52]

Will do. Or at least a photo in post launch velcro form.

Never have seen a cat with such thrill for speed and heights. He can't get enough of either. BTW the bottle fed lamb is doing well. Gumming feed and blades of grass to conform with pals now. Not bright. Conforming in that way also.

[lrhorer]

I know the juice coming out of speaker wires even when the volume level is set to 11 (Spinal Tap reference), is not that much...not enough to do more than make the cat's hair stand up for a moment.
Assuming an "ordinary" (not electrostatic) speaker with an 8 ohm impedance, a 200 watt signal will be 40 volts. Even at fairly high audio frequencies this is not considered hazardous according to the National Electrical Code. What's more, a continuous 200 watt sound will blast one's ears to bits. I wouldn't stick my tongue on it, but even if one is sweating a bit it would ordinarily barely tingle if held in both hands.

The transformers on the other hand might be a worry depending on how much juice is "exposed" and how. I'm assuming the transformers are reducing volts/amps, not increasing them
They cannot do both. A passive transformer will either increase the voltage and decrease the current or it will decrease the voltage and increase the current. In the case of the electrostatic speakers, the voltage is being increased greatly. The rub is, the impedance of the amplifier is usually a fraction of an ohm, and while ordinarily the output of the transformer drives a very high impedance, the cat could represent a comparatively much lower impedance. This means that a signal which would ordinarily dump far less than 200W into the cat could now potentially dump that or more. The short of it is, it could be really bad for kitty - or the OP. The high voltage terminals, however, should not be exposed, or if they are they should be well insulated. There also may well be current limiting resistors built into the transformer, which should prevent a serious shock.

so I don't think it's something to fret about. Even cats and dogs that are curiously fond of chewing on lamp cords just get a good jolt and they usually learn to leave them be eventually.
Even a 120V lamp cord can be seriously dangerous to a child or pet. More people are killed every year by simple 120 VAC lines than any other. I suspect the ES speaker is less dangerous, however.

[hmm52]

Thanks both for the thorough analysis. Speaking from experience the largest threat factor is your own potential grounding status. I still wince when I see people with bare feet on grass attend to a pool pump.

I'll throw another curve for you to explain. Over the years I've done a lot of wiring as it's not much of a challenge for quick benefit - plaster and lath construction excepted. I draw the line at the meter panel however. After configuring an off peak setup. I called a Latvian electrician in to wire breaker to meter panel and rewire existing meter panel. I followed him with a Fluke multimeter at the ready. He was wearing regular shoes. When he pulled off the main meter, I offered the Fluke. He declined it and told me he had never used them. He then licked both thumbs and put them on the two giant meter base spades. I'm sure I was more shocked than he was. My only guess is that he was born in Latvia without potassium. What am I missing?

[steve614]

http://i25.tinypic.com/t9i7hi.jpg


If so, when the meter is pulled, only 2 of the blade slots will be *hot* being fed from the *line*.
He was most likely touching the *load* side blade slots.

[hmm52]

The layout in your picture is the only one that makes sense if you're managing 2 out of phase 120s. And it is the meter base layout for the off peak. Not what I remember from 1995 though - 2 vertical massive copper spade terminals. A small part of the house dates to late 1700s but I can't imagine how 2 out of phase lines could ever be drawn from one feed. There is no UPS for whole house so I'll excuse myself for not jumping to pull main meter. For the time being I'll have to chalk it off to data corruption in memory.

If what you suggest is true - the load side only, then the electrician was showing off his Latvian humor. I did have a counterperson at a rambling old time hardware store nearby who always declined to cut coiled wire for me. - She feared that she'd get a shock.

[bicker]

Well, I haven't had the skipping problem recently, but attributed that to the fact that we're not recording two 1080i broadcast channel programs at the same time due to the fact that it is the summer. And I just did two TTG -> TTCB tests that went perfectly. I didn't change anything (except upgrade to TiVo Desktop 2.6.2, from 2.6.1).

I'll test a lot of dual 1080i recordings this week I don't understand why, though, these problems seem to be coming clear months later.

(No, I don't have 9.4.)

[schmegs]

I had this same problem a couple of Sundays ago... Every HD program that night from 8pm on had the "skipping." They were all reported as partial recordings. The shows were on ABC, Fox, HBO, and Showtime, so it wasn't just one station. Also, I have the TiVo HD XL with no expander.

I was taping 2 HD programs at once for a lot of the time, but I've done that almost every single day I've had the TiVo for the past 5 months. I was also taping a couple of SD programs at times that night, and all the SD programs during that time came out fine.

I restarted the TiVo the next day, and haven't seen that happen since.

Not sure what happened, but most of the advice in this thread doesn't seem to apply to my situation (no cats here, either!).

Anyway, Hulu.com eased the pain a bit... :)

[richsadams]

I was also taping a couple of SD programs at times that night, and all the SD programs during that time came out fine.
VHS or Beta? :p

[schmegs]

VHS or Beta? :p

3/4'' U-Matic :)

[bicker]

I had this same problem a couple of Sundays ago... Every HD program that night from 8pm on had the "skipping." They were all reported as partial recordings. The shows were on ABC, Fox, HBO, and Showtime, so it wasn't just one station. Also, I have the TiVo HD XL with no expander. As I mentioned earlier, that's why I upgraded my internal drive to 1TB and got rid of my expander; if that's not the scenario causing this I'm going to be disappointed. :(

One thing that concerns me about this recent spell of partials: They were all Fox.

Maybe rebooting routinely (full power cycles -- which aren't necessarily that good for the power supply, but ... ) is the answer.

[richsadams]

3/4'' U-Matic :)Ha! Touche! :D

[30340guy]

I had this same problem a couple of Sundays ago... Every HD program that night from 8pm on had the "skipping." They were all reported as partial recordings. The shows were on ABC, Fox, HBO, and Showtime, so it wasn't just one station. Also, I have the TiVo HD XL with no expander.

I was taping 2 HD programs at once for a lot of the time, but I've done that almost every single day I've had the TiVo for the past 5 months. I was also taping a couple of SD programs at times that night, and all the SD programs during that time came out fine.

I restarted the TiVo the next day, and haven't seen that happen since.

Not sure what happened, but most of the advice in this thread doesn't seem to apply to my situation (no cats here, either!).

Anyway, Hulu.com eased the pain a bit... :)

When it skips, does it stop recording the rest of the show?

[netringer]

.... Of course it also means that now rather than admitting she wants to be near me by following me though the door, she can wait a good 40 seconds or so after I've moved from room to room to just happen to saunter into the room I entered a few moments before. Clearly the fact I am also in the room and the fact she was formerly in the room I just quit are both pure coincidence.
....

As opposed to a dog. My bulldog will snore soundly in any room I'm in. If she wakes her self up from the racket. she looks to see if I'm still there and if not relocates to serenade me in whatever room I moved to.

Her background is unknown to me, but something in there made her cranky and not affectionate other than resting her big head on my leg or on whatever chair I'm in. I think she thinks the chair is part of me. She'll freeze there until I reach down to pet her and which point she lifts her head and her reaction is more like, "Why you wanna mess up the system?"

[netringer]

...One thing that concerns me about this recent spell of partials: They were all Fox.


I'd blame Obama. :D