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How reliable is your Freesat PVR at recording when using the Auto option? |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
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How reliable is your Freesat PVR at recording when using the Auto option?
hi all,
i was just wondering how reliable peoples freesat pvr's are at recording when using the auto option rather than the timed recording option where you can add padding to the beginning and end. after reading these forums i get the impression that most people use the timed option with padding because they don't trust the broadcasters to send out the correct information to stop and start recordings thats needed when using the auto option. would i be right in thinking that when using the timed option with a few minutes padding at the start and end, if say the formula one grand prix ran over by one hour that i would miss the end of it, whereas if i was using the auto option it would carry on recording providing the broadcaster sent out the correct info. the reason i ask this question is that i own the echostar hds-600rs and have been giving it a bit of a slagging off due to some failed recordings when using the auto option. most of the tests i did were during the night in the early hours of the morning, i would set up about eight recordings before i went to bed and check them in the morning and had quite a few failures. but now i am beginning to think that it might not all be down to the box and could be down to the broadcasters, how likely are the broadcasters to send out the correct recording info during the night on all the lesser channels and plus one channels. when i am just recording the the odd programme on prime time tv i don't seem to get any failures, just sometimes a few seconds missed off the beginning or end. so i am trying to work out if its all down to the box or is it the broadcasters as well, am i being unfair on echostar. i would be interested to hear from Humax and Panasonic owners as these boxes seem to be the benchmark in reliability. thanks |
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#2 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,089
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The only time I to have a problem is with Channel 4 and More 4.
They seem to be incapable of getting the end time correct. Other than that I find it almost 100% reliable. Offhand I can only remember missing the end few seconds of a couple of programmes over two and a half years. I mainly watch BBC and Film4. |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,622
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I never use padding and have had hardly any problems on my Humax PVR except on the odd occasion when I have missed a few seconds - I put this down to human error by the broadcasters. I have lost the odd couple of minutes here and there due to conflicts caused by late night overruns when I wasn't around to take action. Despite flagging these recordings with the 'failed recording' thumbnail the recordings were fully playable.
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,556
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The only problem Ive ever had is with football games going to ET and ITV not updating the timings, I was watching live but would have missed ET and pens.
C4 usually have 2-4 mins of ads before the program starts but apart from that, its been very, very reliable. More reliable than adding 5 mins at the start and end because a lot of programs overrun more than that. |
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
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cheers guys.
so it seems like the broadcasters do send out the correct recording info 99% of the time, so if people have failed recordings it must be due to the boxes. i have just loaded the latest software on to my echostar so hopefully no more recording failures, only time will tell. but from reading your answers it certainly seems like it was my box at fault rather than the broadcasters. |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Kent
Posts: 691
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Spot on to the first note of the theme tune usually!
E4 often a minute or two before. |
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Scouser in Chilterns
Posts: 711
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Never used padding once..as
The majority of mine are back to back for 4 programmes every night for nearly 2 years.. Once or twice a month i lose a minute or so but the Dinner hour ones are such that the wonderful Thumb is almost always the same picture.. I am building up a Portfolio of HD films on the Panny USB and have found in 2 months that i have to pad the start times by some 3 minutes to avoid losing the opening James Bond themes etc.. |
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,556
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Quote:
cheers guys.
so it seems like the broadcasters do send out the correct recording info 99% of the time, so if people have failed recordings it must be due to the boxes. i have just loaded the latest software on to my echostar so hopefully no more recording failures, only time will tell. but from reading your answers it certainly seems like it was my box at fault rather than the broadcasters. Apart from that, its been perfect for me for a long, long time. |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
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Quote:
The only time I to have a problem is with Channel 4 and More 4.
They seem to be incapable of getting the end time correct. Other than that I find it almost 100% reliable. Offhand I can only remember missing the end few seconds of a couple of programmes over two and a half years. I mainly watch BBC and Film4. |
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 96
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Quote:
i think you might be right about channel 4, i set up ten recordings last night to test my box and i had three failures where the end of the programme was missed off and were all from C4 and E4.
The problem is, this feels far too geeky for a hot Sunday morning! |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Buckingham
Posts: 28,537
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The main problem lies with the broadcasters not with the recorders.
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
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Quote:
The main problem lies with the broadcasters not with the recorders.
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
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Quote:
I guess it would be an easy test to list, say, 10 recordings to be carried out overnight a couple of nights in advance and see what results users get on the different hardware. I guess the local channels would need to be excluded but, other than that, should be a fair comparison.
The problem is, this feels far too geeky for a hot Sunday morning! you never know other people might join in. |
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,289
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Quote:
sounds like a good idea to me as you own the humax. post a list of the recordings you think we should set up (as many as you like) and we shall compare notes afterwards. i wont be able to check mine till the evening though after i finish work.
you never know other people might join in. |
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#15 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Buckingham
Posts: 28,537
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What may be interesting is if you pick recordings which back to back on different channels and which many overrun or start early, This will sort the men out from the boys as to how they handle that situation by rescheduling an alternate showing, starting the new recording late (if at all) or cutting off the current recording.
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
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Quote:
I'm game, I can also record same from Freeview (single tuner only for freeview+). Trouble with overnight with Humax boxes is it messes with the housekeeping which might influence the results.
graham, you are obviously very knowledgeable on these matters, do you want to make up a list of the recordings you think we should set up and would be a fair test. |
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Portsmouth
Posts: 1,019
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Very.
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#18 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,289
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Quote:
ok we could do day time recordings as well, i was just doing it overnight so it didn't interfere with my daytime and evening viewing. but im back at work tomorrow so it doesn't matter now.
graham, you are obviously very knowledgeable on these matters, do you want to make up a list of the recordings you think we should set up and would be a fair test. I would also suggest setting things up so that a tuner is required to follow up an ITV recording with an another channel. On the hdr at least recording on ITV terminates with AR after the ads after the programme finishes. This often results in the follow up recording being slightly truncated at the beginning. Interesting to see how other pvrs cope. |
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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 96
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Quote:
Trouble with overnight with Humax boxes is it messes with the housekeeping which might influence the results.
I'm not best qualified to say what would be the most exacting tests but I'm happy to carry them out at pretty much any time of day ( except for peak viewing hours ).
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
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ok i will make a list later today, i will start the list from about midnight tonight and spread the recordings through till about 4pm tomorrow, then we can post our results tomorrow evening, how does that sound.
what times should i avoid to avoid the humax houskeeping. i will not just pick loads of worst case scenarios to try to confuse the boxes but i will try back to back recordings on one channel while recording another channel. the main objective of this exercise is to find out if the broadcasters are sending out the correct recording info not the push the boxes to their limit and try and force errors so i will keep it a fairly simple test. we can always try some further test later. i am not very technical and sometimes cant fully understand the scenarios you come up with so i am keeping it fairly simple. |
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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 96
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Quote:
what times should i avoid to avoid the humax houskeeping. |
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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
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ok will include some around 3am, i will put the list up this evening around 7pm.
i was going to make the list up mainly of the bbc, itv, C4 group and C5 channels, are there any other channels you want me to include. |
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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Darn Sarf
Posts: 28,730
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I haven't had any recordings this year when Freesat on Auto failed to correct for a delayed programme end, but I have had a failure on the Sky EPG - Eurovision Song Contest if I recall correctly. Freesat corrected but Sky did not (both on Auto).
Weird! |
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,289
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Quote:
ok i will make a list later today, i will start the list from about midnight tonight and spread the recordings through till about 4pm tomorrow, then we can post our results tomorrow evening, how does that sound.
what times should i avoid to avoid the humax houskeeping. i will not just pick loads of worst case scenarios to try to confuse the boxes but i will try back to back recordings on one channel while recording another channel. the main objective of this exercise is to find out if the broadcasters are sending out the correct recording info not the push the boxes to their limit and try and force errors so i will keep it a fairly simple test. we can always try some further test later. i am not very technical and sometimes cant fully understand the scenarios you come up with so i am keeping it fairly simple.
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
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Quote:
OK here if you include C5 lunchtime neighbours and home and away (already on series link) to keep the better half happy
![]() anyone else, i am going out now will be back about seven. |
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