I'm now using AR rather than padding, which I have tended to stick with for a long time. All seems generally good, but can seem to cause a problem.

Sometimes, when watching something on the T2, a box will come up saying that there is a conflict with the recordings currently underway (end of one/start of another at same time) and asking me which I want to give priority to. I have wondered what would happen if I wasn't there when the box came up.

Last week I had my answer. I had 2 programmes recorded at 8pm (on 5 and BBC2), both for one hour. Then at 9pm another 2 programmes set to record (on BBC1 and Ch4).

When I looked at the recording list next day, the BBC1 programme had recorded at 9pm, but the Ch4 programme had been dropped. There was a folder and a programme entry, but a message when trying to play it that it was for less than 30 sec's and had failed. This is presumably because one of the previous recordings was overrunning (the BBC2 one, I think) and so it dropped the subsequent recording in favour of finishing the previous one.

Is this always how the box will behave? In which case it makes scheduling 2 programmes followed by another 2 programmes a bit of a lottery unless you're there to respond to the box asking you which to give priority to. I know padding isn't ideal, but at least you would get 4 programmes recorded in this scenario, even if one were cut off a bit before it had finished.

Is there something else I should be doing - or am I missing something I'm not aware of? Any help appreciated!

The box will give priority to completing the first recording at the expense of losing a bit of the start of the beginning of the next. This is I imagine what most would want it to do. ITV are the worst offenders as they tend to include some of the ads after the actual programme finishes so the next one due for recording using the same tuner gets a bit trimmed of the start of the next. There are some occasions when the broadcaster screws up, a recent one was not signalled as completed until 15 minutes after it had finished.

If the box is recording follow up on the same channel then you should find the first of the second on the end of the first recording.

I thought I'd seen that somewhere in the past (i.e. it would start the new recording late so you get the end of a former one), but this missed the start of the ch4 programme and dropped it altogether - which I presume is not what should have happened?

If this is it's normal behaviour (i.e. finish one before starting another) why put up the box between recordings to ask you to choose what you want it to do?

Because it allows you to change the default behaviour if you so wish and happen to watching the TV at the time. In most cases the clash is resolved before you even get chance to push a button. Of course if the box is recording in sby you don't see any messages anyway. If the overrun is longer than 15 minutes then yes the box drops the second recording (or at least appears to on the rare occasion it's happened to me)

Thanks Graham. Seems odd then...the overrun was only a couple of minutes on BBC2, but it still dropped the ch4 programme altogether.

Did the channel 5 programme finish recording at or before 9pm?

Just before 9pm, which is presumably why the BBC1 programme recorded at 9pm.