Have owned the Foxsat since day one (Nov) and until recently it has not missed any recordings (admittedly I only use it to record HD offerings and the odd overlap programme) but twice in the last week it has missed recordings. The most recent being All the Small Things from last night (which I was quite pleased about but Mrs Keicar was not so happy!).

I'm a little confused as the programme is still showing in the schedule. I have noticed in using the unit that occasionally the option to add channels comes up and if you run this just prior to a recording starting it misses the programme (although this was not the case last night) can this option be turned off?

Would welcome any comments.........

I had the same problem with All the small things so can only presume that the trigger signal (or whatever it is) on auto start wasn't sent. THe strange thing is that I also missed shameless on C4. Having setup again on C4+1, everything started ok, and Big Bang Theory started as normal.

It's almost like the box got stuck waiting for All the Small things and wouldn't record anything else, but not too sure.

Interestingly, your comment on channel search is interesting. I did a power cycle (not at the wall, just standby) and the box did want to rescan, but with 0 additions or changes)

Oh, and I was also secretly happy it had not recorded. It so rubbish, it makes me want to watch Brothers and Sisters..!

Dont think mine came out of standby in preparation to record,

Maybe their intuitive to detect a 'rubbish' programme!

I think you're entirely right. The box was waiting for a start signal for All The Small Things and failed to record the other programme.

On the day of an update to the EPG the box knows nothing about it when first powered up. However if you switch to standby and then reboot it recognises a difference in either the EPG data or a version variation and then others a re-scan

My HDR had its first missed recording (after faultless performance in 5 months) last night with Holby City. I checked the schedule and it was there, but the unit didn't record (stayed in standby)! Anyone else have this problem, its set to record with 5 min padding.

My box recorded All the Small Things fine on BBC HD; watched it later that evening, and all OK.

The box was on from early afternoon, so not in standby. Also, just switched the box on this morning, and got the rescan with 0 changes, so this didn't happen on mine yesterday (probably due to being brought out of standby before the changes happened).

So, this time, I don't think it was a broadcaster signal problem.

Rgds.

Les.

You may have a point there savvy.. Maybe it was the epg update that caused the problem. For those who had the box already turned on like yourself didn't get a fail. Those like myself who had already forced or allowed the rescan not a problem, but those whose box was in standby all day and waking up to record, failed recordings.

Not so sure, mine hadn't been switched on between it failing on All the Small Things and recording Later (Jools Holland) which was OK........

Yes GC, I agree that is the most likely explanation, in this instance.

Rgds.

Les

Having said that I am convinced that the EPG updates are the problem with this unit missing recordings, as previously I had switched the unit on to watch a programme I was going to record, at the same time the scan option appeared, which I continued with, but the programme failed to record.

Yes, maybe if the scan is within the T-15min that the box checks for a recording, it then fails for some reason.

I just checked, my box is recording This Morning on a Timer, but my scan was about an hour ago, so not within the T-15 for This Morning.

Don't forget, that whenever the scan is, it will disable ALL ITV HD Timers, so these will never record without resetting the Timers.

Rgds.

Les.
Last edited by savvy : 06-05-2009 at 10:38

The way I see it is that normally the EPG gets the occasional update on a tuesday morning and as mentioned previously when the box wakes for the first time on tuesday this isn't normally problematic and recordings set for that day work. However at 3 o'clock the following morning the box will wake up to do its 'housework' and it is on the wednesday that the next time the box boots up the EPG update is triggered and should this occasion that the box is waking happen to be to start recording this is when most of the failed recordings are reported. But with that said this weeks update appears, at present, to have different implications.

But as mentioned my unit is left in standby 90% of the time (use my 9300 for most non HD recordings), it hasn't missed any programmes until the last two weeks, surely if a channel update is the reason it can only be actioned when out of standby, so why would this affect programmes being recorded when left in standby??

not sure what your getting at here but the box isn't in standby when recording though it appears that way. If a recording is about to start and it is triggered to do a rescan the recording will more than likely fail as reported by many members in the past.

Yea sorry, what I meant was that the box has to be out of standby to action the update, ie you have to confirm yes/no, but if the unit is in standby (I understand that technically when recording its is out of standby but the red light is still showing) the option to continue with scan obviously cannot be given, so I assume it does not take place? If not why should the recording fail?

Hope that made sense!

I had an episode of friends get missed last night. They're on a series link and that's the 1st one out of 76 episodes to go astray.

I strongly suspect the epg as there are 2 episodes back to back every night and the 2nd episode recorded perfectly.

I guest the obvious answer is we don't know when you turn the box on and a scan is actioned as you say the box offers a prompt to accept or decline but the default is to accept and after a short time span the box will continue to perform a scan. So assuming the scan went ahead the problem would then arise when normally with user interaction another prompt is offered to save the changes and in the case of scheduled recordings there is no one there to press the ok button and it would, imo, be at that point the recording would fail. OR possibly the fact that the scan has started the box fails to recognise a start signal sent by the broadcaster

Yes, we don't know for sure.

How about a bit of wild speculation/conjecture .... ?

SCENARIO 1
-------------
I'm not sure it does do the rescan in its "timer check wake-up mode", as when you next bring the box manually out of standby, you get the prompt.

When the box is in standby and checks for a recording at T-15, it knows there is an EPG change, but it does not know what the change is without a rescan. It does not do the scan, as it has not properly come out of standby to present the UI, only to check the recording timer. Its logic dictates that it cannot execute the timer as it does not know the materiality of the EPG change, and the impact on its timer.

This may explain why the recording fails, and why you still get the scan prompt when you next boot the box up.

SCENARIO 2
-------------
The box wakes up at T-15, but cannot check the EPG re its Timer as it knows there is a change, but wants to do the scan first before checking the updated EPG against its Timer. It waits for the prompt before defaulting to the rescan. By the time the scan has finished and saved, and it is now within the T-15 time, so the Timer is never checked.

This may explain why second or subsequent timers are successful.

Neither explanation is 100% satisfactory, and we may never know the underlying thruth, but offered up for discussion, nonetheless.

Rgds.

Les.

Depends what you mean by EPG change, as it turned out yesterdays scan revealed 0 channels added, 0 channels removed, so there was no change, but the recording still failed......

Yes, but there must have been some flag on the EPG to cause the box to think there had been a change, hence the rescan.

It may have been an incorrect flag, or an "invisible" change.

Rgds.

Les.

I also missed Shameless last night.... Very annoying!

I guess someone has picked up on this already, it seems there were a few failed recordings last night, would be interesting to note if all failings occured on the same day as an EPG update?

If this is the case, surely the next firmware update should be to set the default on the channel update to 'NO' until the user authorises?

Just a little concerned that I may have to back up 'must see' future recordings using my Freeview box - just in case!!

I also notice that my series link for Islands Of Britain on ITV HD has gone missing and have had to reset.

fyi:
I accepted the "rescan" within the T-15 period, and the recording (BBC HD, auto start) was fine.

I saw the box turn on to "active standby" at T-15, so turned it on fully, to ensure HDMI handshaking had completed (the HDR often completely locks up if I turn it on from "active standby" when I had an alternative HDMI input in use at "handshake time" - don't know why it does HDMI handshaking for recording, but it is an oft reported problem...).
Saw the rescan prompt, and allowed it to complete. (deleted channels stayed deleted btw)
I monitored the channel in case recording was b***ered, but it started at the correct time.

I mentioned this in post #11

It is, unfortunately, a fact of life due to ITV HD being only a Red Button stream. You'll have to reset these after each rescan, until ITV HD is implemented as a full channel.

Rgds.

Les.

Because you turned the box fully on, and it was still on when the timer kicked in to record.

This isn't the same as leaving it in active standby.

Rgds.

Les.