[hughv]

I switched to FIOS a few months ago, and I'm sure there are things I don't understand yet.
Occasionally, I will set a program to record and get something entirely different in the now playing list. The title and channel are correct, but the content is not. I might select, for example, a movie and get a game show. The title and info are for the movie I selected, but the show is completely different.
What's up with that?

 

[NoCleverUsername]

Two possibilities:

• The channel change did not succeed (a fairly common problem when using IR blasters to control a cable or satellite box)
• The information in the guide data did not match what the channel actually broadcast. Possible reasons for this could include
  • Station or network did not provide the correct information
  • Last minute schedule change
  • Some cable companies "split" their channels, so during the day it's one thing, but late at night it's something else.

Neither of these necessarily has anything specifically to do with FIOS, although if they had to give you a new box, it would suggest the first possibility.

 

[pdhenry]

a fairly common problem when using IR blasters

FWIW, I've never had a channel change fail in 3 years of TiVo'ing. A sub-optimal blaster setup can cause this but I don't know that it's "common."

 

[hughv]

I managed to get rid of the blaster by emailing Verizon and having them enable the serial port. This was surprisingly easy, and I give credit to Verizon for doing so.
I think this has something to do with using two different devices to change channels. I haven't taken the time to thoroughly test this, but Tivo will report a different channel under some circumstances, and it seems to be when I use the FIOS remote, especially for on-demand.
I'm probably the only one who didn't know that the FIOS box has to be on for the Tivo to record. I lost a few days of recording due this error. Apparently my TV remote will turn off the FIOS box under some circumstances.
Somewhere there's a landfill that maxed out with used remotes.

 

[pdhenry]

it seems to be when I use the FIOS remote, especially for on-demand.

Yeah, that will cause incorrect channel recordings in many cases. If the TiVo thinks the box is tuned to channel 3 it won't "change" it to channel 3 to begin recording. At least it will tune explicitly when it knows it needs to change (e.g. to go from 3 to 4 it will always enter channel 4 rather than attempt a Channel-up command).

You can avoid problems in many or all cases by using the TiVo remote to perform a channel change when you're done with the programming that required the FIOS remote.

BTW, I'm not sure that enabling the serial cable will solve your problem unless the serial link is bidirectional.

 

[NoCleverUsername]

FWIW, I've never had a channel change fail in 3 years of TiVo'ing. A sub-optimal blaster setup can cause this but I don't know that it's "common."

Is that with multiple set-top boxes over those three years or the same one this whole time?

Yeah, that will cause incorrect channel recordings in many cases. If the TiVo thinks the box is tuned to channel 3 it won't "change" it to channel 3 to begin recording. At least it will tune explicitly when it knows it needs to change (e.g. to go from 3 to 4 it will always enter channel 4 rather than attempt a Channel-up command).

I'll take your word for it since it's been so long since I've dealt with the blasters, but I thought it was supposed to do a tune anyway specifically because the TiVo has no way of knowing what channel is currently tuned on the cable box.