Options
How accurate are PDC timings?
Grumpy_Alan
Posts: 1,672
Forum Member
✭✭✭
Over the last week or so a lot of my PVR recordings, using the usual PDC signals via the EPG, have been finishing at odd times.
For example, a 1 hour program has been recorded variously as 1:15, 1:35 and even 2:00 hours.
Some 2 hour program have been recorded for 2:30 - 2:35 and as much as 4 hours in total.
The same general 'inaccuracy' occurs when recording either individual programs or making series recordings.
The odd thing is that some recordings are timed correctly at 1 hour, or whatever the scheduled length of the programme is.
All very odd.
For example, a 1 hour program has been recorded variously as 1:15, 1:35 and even 2:00 hours.
Some 2 hour program have been recorded for 2:30 - 2:35 and as much as 4 hours in total.
The same general 'inaccuracy' occurs when recording either individual programs or making series recordings.
The odd thing is that some recordings are timed correctly at 1 hour, or whatever the scheduled length of the programme is.
All very odd.
0
Comments
Digital systems tern to use the phrase "accurate recording " as thus is less if a mouthfuls than " recording by use of running status in EIT"
But what is accurate ?
The BBC as they did in PDC take great care to define and then to transmit signals directly linked to the playout system ... I.e AR is taken from the same schedule version ( not a copy) that is playing the programme ... And thus is very reliable and track things slipping.
Others just change the information at the billed time of the programme which may be when the programme start or finishes but may not. On the other hand the padding of adverts and other intersticials usually covers things...
But billed times are usually in increments of five minutes ... So you will miss things.
There is no connection at all with what is being played out. - it just works by clock work/times often set a week in advance and no one monitoring it ..
Never a problem with the odd 5-10 minutes being added as a buffer but just lately the timing seems to be hit or miss with the emphasis in 'miss'.
It is hard to envisage the recorder being at fault because in that case it seems logical that the 'added time' would be consistent, either in terms of actual time or as a percentage of the expected time, neither of which can be seen in my recent experience.
But some PVRs do get a bit confused ..and often rather irrationally unless you know why they do things !
Some programs on 5 and on ITV3.
May be imagination but all seemed to happen around the time of the last big update to the Freeview EPG a week or two ago.
Itv is usually quite good at being reasonably accurate .
So have you depower it wait say 30 secs and the re power it .. That may unconfuse it
But things may get simpler when the slates for the moved channels go away soon...
I had already done a soft reset, so might as well try the next step.
I'll then try another 1 hour prog off the EPG and see what happens.
No excuse on the UKTV channels as they all tend to be recordings with no live stuff.
And as COSTA is by clock hour not 60 min window , they need t cunningly schedule arround the hour .
When they did the Monty Python broadcast from the Dome, I seem to remember it ran late but only the original schedule timing was recorded.
In all cases the recording time seemed to match exactly the published times, although I haven't watched all of the programs to make sure that there is no end of story cut-off.
Looks like (a) my PVR is now behaving and (b) the providers are using accurate timings as well.
Good news all round - for me anyway.
On the whole the main broadcasters are working with accurate recording fairly accurately .. While others have so many interstitials it does not matter if they are in clock time
Regular ones are Plebs, The New Avengers and 8 out of Ten Cats Does Countdown. ALWAYS these programmes!
And this is a bad thing because? :p
Awww! Don't you like Plebs? I love it! It's The Inbetweeners in Roman times!