When Does A Restarting Series Add To My List Of Scheduled Recordings?

JEFF62JEFF62 Posts: 5,102
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Does anyone know when the next series feature updates? Ever since the software update on my 2tb box I don't think there have been any programmes that have finished and restarted. Now there is. The X Factor is on the next series list and that starts Saturday. But so far it has not automatically shown up on my scheduled recordings. When does it do this? On the day? One day before? Anyone know?

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  • NsewellNsewell Posts: 824
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    It depends entirely on when the relevant meta data is added to the EPG data. It could take until the day it's self to be added, but it won't happen more than 7.25 days before.
  • JEFF62JEFF62 Posts: 5,102
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    Nsewell wrote: »
    It depends entirely on when the relevant meta data is added to the EPG data. It could take until the day it's self to be added, but it won't happen more than 7.25 days before.

    Oh right. Thanks for that. I have a long list of next series on my scheduled list, some of which will never have another episode. But now there are titles coming up like X Factor and Doctor Who. Normally I book a recording as soon as it goes on the EPG or as soon as I remember. So I would have added X Factor by now. But I am determined to wait and see if this feature actually works properly.
  • Jaycee DoveJaycee Dove Posts: 18,762
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    I would not depend on it if I were you. It hasn't worked for me once. I have had to set every show, including one only off air for a month!

    Sadly this is one area where Virgin's TIVO is miles ahead. They have a better system and it works, picking up shows I had no idea were back after many months.

    So if it is data entry by the channels why is it supplied to Virgin properly and not Sky?
  • JEFF62JEFF62 Posts: 5,102
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    I would not depend on it if I were you. It hasn't worked for me once. I have had to set every show, including one only off air for a month!

    Sadly this is one area where Virgin's TIVO is miles ahead. They have a better system and it works, picking up shows I had no idea were back after many months.

    So if it is data entry by the channels why is it supplied to Virgin properly and not Sky?

    I had a feeling it might not be too reliable. I will wait for X Factor just to give it a test. But I will surprised if it works.
  • fmradiotuner1fmradiotuner1 Posts: 20,498
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    I found this did work for me With Sky At Night but its on each month.
  • dcopparddcoppard Posts: 172
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    I found this did work for me With Sky At Night but its on each month.

    Was about to post the same regarding the 'Sky at Night'. Only thing I noticed was that the July episode didn't appear until the day of transmission on my planner while the August one popped up about 3 days before. Seems a bit random but it appears to work.

    Mind you I'm still confused regarding series that have finished and won't appear again, (unless a repeat!). A good example is Foyles War on ITV which has finished forever but sits there patiently in the list waiting to spring into action. Do these ever disappear or will they stay there for ever? I know you can manually delete these but seems like a bit of a pain to have to trawl through the ever growing list as it builds over the next few months. :(
  • aerofly2aerofly2 Posts: 2,430
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    I don't rely on the "next series" feature on the epg as it's been too hit and miss. I back it up by using Sky's Never Miss service, which allows you to schedule email alerts for programmes you dont want to miss. You just need to tell it which programmes to inform you about. It's never missed one yet.
  • NsewellNsewell Posts: 824
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    Sky did build in the ability to tell the box there's no more series if they need to, effectively removing the already set PSL.

    The box doesn't just set a PSL for every series recording that ends. A PSL will be set when the program is in the never miss database and the last in series flag is set in the epg data .

    Its just schedulers air on the side of caution and unless explicitly told that there won't be any subsequent series they'll add the last in series flag. It also helps when cancelled series occasionally make a return.

    Having lots of "Next Series" entry's shouldn't cause you problems, I'd just leave them them be. You never know they might work.
  • pavierpavier Posts: 839
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    Same problem with the next series of Duck Quacks Don't Echo, which starts on Monday on Sky 1 but is still stuck in the Next Series section.
  • JEFF62JEFF62 Posts: 5,102
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    Well I waited until X Factor started last night and guess what? It didn't work! So much for that feature then. Loads of shows on my scheduled list which will be added when they return. And it doesn't work! What a useless feature.
  • Deacon1972Deacon1972 Posts: 8,171
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    JEFF62 wrote: »
    Well I waited until X Factor started last night and guess what? It didn't work! So much for that feature then. Loads of shows on my scheduled list which will be added when they return. And it doesn't work! What a useless feature.

    Pretty sure I read something along the lines that, only the shows added after the software update will be loaded/entered automatically - can anyone confirm this?

    My X Factor entry is still at the bottom of the Sheduled list, I entered it manually.
  • NsewellNsewell Posts: 824
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    Deacon1972 wrote: »
    Pretty sure I read something along the lines that, only the shows added after the software update will be loaded/entered automatically - can anyone confirm this?

    My X Factor entry is still at the bottom of the Sheduled list, I entered it manually.

    The box would need to be running the R010 software or newer when the last episode of the series was successfully recorded in order for the PSL to be set. When the SL was originally added is irrelevant. The fact that it is at the bottom of your list and shown as Next Series shows the PSL was set.
  • Deacon1972Deacon1972 Posts: 8,171
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    Nsewell wrote: »
    The box would need to be running the R010 software or newer when the last episode of the series was successfully recorded in order for the PSL to be set. When the SL was originally added is irrelevant. The fact that it is at the bottom of your list and shown as Next Series shows the PSL was set.
    I thought it was R11 that carried the new Sheduled tab? So series links should be picked up automatically by a box running R10 software?

    The last episode of the X Factor recorded (SL) was on the Dec 14th 2014, the box was running R10 software at the time, I wonder why it didn't pick this link up.
  • NsewellNsewell Posts: 824
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    Deacon1972 wrote: »
    I thought it was R11 that carried the new Sheduled tab? So series links should be picked up automatically by a box running R10 software?

    That's correct, the R011 update added the new Scheduled tab to the planner with the ability to see and manage PSL's. However "Smart Series Link" as a feature was actually added in the R010 update, you just couldn't see or manage them until receiving R011.
    So a box running R010 (except DRX780 Sky+HD boxes) will be setting PSL's and should schedule the next series to record.
    Deacon1972 wrote: »
    The last episode of the X Factor recorded (SL) was on the Dec 14th 2014, the box was running R10 software at the time, I wonder why it didn't pick this link up.

    As you've discovered it isn't, err, perfect. In fact i don't think there's much ours has picked up yet.
    There is work going on in Sky to investigate these issues, both looking into reports about individual programs not picking up, as well as looking at the feature as a whole.
    (BTW Internally at Sky R10 and R010 are actually different things.)
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