Slow TiVo - TiVo transfers

Advertisements

We recently added a Premiere to our network of two existing Series 2 TiVos. The Permiere updated the TiVo software when I did the initial setup, so I suspect it has the latest version, although I didn't check to see what the version was.

Transferring programs from the Series 2 TiVos is extremely slow... 6+ hours to transfer a 2 hour movie.

All three systems are hard wired to a 1Gb/Sec switch. Transfers between the two Series 2 systems are normal, and typically transfer at about 2x (i.e., a 1 hour program will transfer in 30-ish minutes).

When the Premiere connects to the TiVo service for updates, it seems like those sessions complete in a reasonable amount of time.

Any ideas what could be causing the slow transfer speeds? Does the Premiere perhaps transcode programs from one format to another?

 

None of my TiVos are on wireless... they're all hard wired. They don't hit the router either, they're connected to a 1Gb/sec switch.

Transfers between the S2 units continue to proceed at a normal pace.

 

Advertisements

Each program has a PS and a TS file, apparently it is transcoding the files. I wonder if that feature can be turned off? It takes a danged long time to transfer programs!

 

All I know is that it takes more than an hour to transfer a 30 minute program from s2-->premiere, and about 15 minutes to transfer the same program from s2-->s2.

 

Ugh.... I emailed TiVo support about this problem. The first response suggested I turn off HD menus. HD menus have never been enabled.

I absolutely can't believe that the second response included the following:

I can't believe that the support person would blame the switch

They wanted me to disconnect the switch and hook the TiVos up directly to the router

My response included the fact that my router has only a single port, and if it had more than one, that would mean that it had an Ethernet switch inside. Sheesh! I also reminded them that switches have been standard in the network industry for decades.

It almost felt like I was talking to AT&T tech support

I hope my response wasn't too snarky, but it's just silly to say that they don't support Ethernet switches.

 

Some additional information from some testing I did tonight:

The two S2 units are a Humax DRT800 and a TCD649080 (dual tuner S2)... and of course the Premier. Here are transfer times for a 30 minute program between the units:

TCD ==> Premier: 11 minutes
TCD ==> DRT: 12 minutes
DRT ==> TCD: 28 minutes
DRT ==> Premier: > 60 minutes

So this confirms that it's probably not a network issue, since the TCD ==> DRT transfer took only 11 minutes. It's roughly twice that time to transfer the other way, and more than 4 times longer to transfer from the DRT to the Premiere. The DRT unit is the oldest of the three, and easily the slowest. It's also a DVD burner model, which means it records in a different format than the other S2. I'm guessing that's the root of this issue.

 

I didn't test transfers from the Premiere because I don't really plan on doing that. The Premiere is on our main TV, the other TiVos are uses as additional tuners to record shows when scheduling conflicts occur.

I don't think it's a network issue, since I can transfer programs *to* the DTR800 at reasonable speeds, and from the DTR800 to the other S2 Tivo in less than real time. The only real issue is from the DTR800 to the Premiere, which is worse than twice real time.

 

So the latest message from TiVo support is suggesting that the reason for the slow transfers is that my TiVos are too far apart. Sigh.

 

Check post #10 above. I can transfer programs into the DRT at about 1/2 real time (< 15 minutes for a 30 minute program), so I know that the network is functioning properly. The only real problem is from the DRT800 to the Premier. The Premier is plugged into the same network port that another TiVo used for years with no issues.

It sure would be nice to be able to log into the TiVo and check the error logs and network interface statistics!

But whatever the issue is, I can guarantee you that it's not because the TiVos are too far apart

 

If Premiere has the ability to report transfer speed, I don't know how to get to that information. Is that available via the menus?