Clipped shows....Have we always had this capability????

BGLeduc · 09-09-2007, 03:14 PM

I have had my HR10-250 for a couple years, from back when it was $1K(!), and noticed for the first time a recorded show in the NP list with a note indicating that it was a partial recording (clipped) and that another show overlapped. Actually, my 9 year old daughter noticed it first!

I did find lots of discussion (searched for the word "clipped") in other forums, but nothing recent, and nothing in the HDTivo area.

So, have we always had this capability? I have frequently attempted to create SP's and gotten messages advising that there were conflicts, but never observed this behavior before.

I assume that the priority of the SP would dictate which show was clipped, and which was complete. I looked at the online manual, and did not find the word "clip" or "clipped". I did find this by searching "overlap":

Season Pass Manager
With dual tuner, you can record two programs at the same time. Conflicts will occur only if you try to schedule a third recording that overlaps the other two. By default, the oldest Season Pass has the greatest priority. If some Season Pass programs are not recording, you may need to change their priority with the Season Pass Manager. To do this, go to DIRECTV Central, then select Pick Programs to Record, then Season Pass Manager.

So, have we always had this functionality (clipping shows based on priority), or did they sneak it in with 6.3e?

Brian

stevel · 09-09-2007, 06:39 PM

Always? No. That was a 7.x feature that made its way into 6.3e.

BGLeduc · 09-09-2007, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevel

Always? No. That was a 7.x feature that made its way into 6.3e.

Thanks....I knew we recently got 6.3e, but must have missed the memo about this feature being in there.

Brian

tucsonbill · 09-09-2007, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BGLeduc

Thanks....I knew we recently got 6.3e, but must have missed the memo about this feature being in there.

Brian

Yeah, I read about it in a letter from D*. doesn't sound like a "feature" to me. If I can't get the whole thing, why would I want the first 90%?

stevel · 09-09-2007, 08:01 PM

Because the alternative is that one of the shows doesn't record at all.

TyroneShoes · 09-09-2007, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tucsonbill

Yeah, I read about it in a letter from D*. doesn't sound like a "feature" to me. If I can't get the whole thing, why would I want the first 90%?

So if the first show overlaps by a minute (which is what the majority of overlaps turn out to be), instead of getting the entire "Late Night with David Letterman" show, or getting no recording at all, you get Letterman just as the applause is dying down and just before he speaks the first word of his monologue. I think I prefer that over the entire show (who needs to hear the annoying theme song for the 8000th time, lame promo for CBS prime, tail-end of local commercial, announcer voice-over, tired and boring graphic open, 30 seconds of gratuitous applause, etc.?). It just saved me two 30-skips to where the show actually begins.

If that's not a feature, then just what would you call it?

tucsonbill · 09-10-2007, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TyroneShoes

If that's not a feature, then just what would you call it?

I suppose you're right. I'll cede that it's a feature. Maybe I should have said a feature of dubious value to me. But you raised a good point. Most of the overlap issues I have are about a minute -- however these aren't scheduled this way, it's just the way the network/local station runs them. IOW one network always runs over the scheduled time or always starts earlier than the scheduled time. I'm going to assume (I know, I know) that the feature relies on schedule information for its operation and if it isn't told there's an overlap it won't know. Most of the Scheduled overlaps that occur are the result of a show moving or some special length episode of a show. Most of these overlaps are much more than one minute, perhaps complete overlaps. My current choice as you pointed out is to miss all of the lower priority scheduled recording. I'm not sure how recording only the first or last half a show is a better deal than missing it altogether.

However, a couple of questions come to mind. Getting back to the 1 minute overlaps, will 6.3e allow me to schedule an overlap. IOW will it let me schedule a recording to start 1 minute early even though it causes a conflict? If this is allowed then I might be able to use the overlap feature to resolve the kind of annoyance caused by progamming that doesn't quite start or stop on time. (Although it would be a little cumbersome, involving creating scheduled overlaps and priority orders such that the desired program is truncated.) Failing that, do any of the releases after 6.3b allow me to start a recording late? A feature that would simply allow me to shift the entire recording +/- a minute or two coupled with the overlap feature might be something.

tucsonbill · 10-16-2007, 12:10 AM

Okay, now I'm going nuts for sure. Went to watch Heroes tonight and found that I only had the first 32 minutes. My box informed me that the show was clipped due to an overlap. Problem is a) there was only one other thing scheduled to record and b) my box is still running 6.3b.

Any ideas?