Given that most serials are broadcast at around the same time , every seven days , could it not be possible to set one recording , select a 'Record all programmes with this name' option , and then the recorder look for a programme with a similar name , at a similar time to the original ( just in case they called it Planet Earth Part 1 , Planet Earth Part 2 , Planet Earth Pt3 etc. ) and set this automatically for recording ?

It might be possible to ask for confirmation shortly before recordings set in this way were due to take place , something along the lines of 'Cancel multiple recording of ... ?' where pressing OK cancelled all future recordings of this programme , but doing nothing allowed the programmes to continue to be recorded . This would enable recordings to be set before leaving on an extended holiday without needing anybody to press buttons to carry on with the recordings .

Just in case this is a new idea , I'll sell the rights to Humax for a small percentage of the sales of any PVR's including this feature . Now all I need is a snappy title for it ...

Automatic Recording Search Extension ?

I only hope you don't try to turn it into an acronym !

Too late! By publishing your idea in this newsgroup, your idea is now public domain. You need to patent your idea before you publicise it.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

What something along these lines: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...d.php?t=401690


I tell you what, that was something that was seriously considered. Even went through details with them which went along the lines of this: set up a manual timer, name field and enter a name of a programme or keyword, next field select channel to narrow it down or select 'All' in the channel list, use start and end time to arrow down or choose any/leave blank. Depending on your criteria any time the machine see's your programme or keyword crop up in its EPG it will record it - and take into account your criteria if specified in the timer entry.

There were some reasons why Humax were talking about this. Humax were going to implement the top 10 users wishlists and series link was one of them. Unfortunately series link wasnt possible because there wasnt enough meta data to be able to do it. I guess they know how this works because they do the Tivo in States. So the programme name/keyword thing would go some way towards that. The other thing was the 20 timer limit. Adding weekday and weekend repeat timers was one way to help but the autorecord by keyword was also a way of getting lots of recordings using one timer entry slot.

After discussions about this started Freeview got in contact with Humax about Freeview Playback. This included series link and that became the way to go. Still, autorecord by programme name or keyword would have been a welcome additon some may use and I dont think it would have been that hard to do given the machine can already search the whole EPG for programme names or keywords. Just that you have to manually press one button on any of the matches it finds for recording. We're getting additional timers (at least 50) now as well as series link so I'm happy.
Last edited by marcdavis : 09-11-2006 at 21:09

Au contraire. The patent of an invention goes to the first think of it, proved by publication, according to UK patent law. That's for inventions, at any rate. I don't know about 'ideas', as that's rather a vague notion.

Try 'intellectual property': http://www.intellectual-property.gov.uk/

Max Demian said: "Au contraire. The patent of an invention goes to the first think of it, proved by publication, according to UK patent law."

Sorry Max, but that is not what the UK IP web site says; look here:

http://www.intellectual-property.gov.../question2.htm

which says: "You will not be granted the patent or registered design protection if you have already disclosed it to the public."

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

They may have changed the law on patents then, as I think publishing details used to be a way of establishing that you thought up the idea first.

Actually , I reckon sd00 ( post under yours ) seemed to be thinking along the same lines as I was . Ah well ... my dreams of riches dashed again !

I suppose if I had bought the Topfield , this would be possible to add in using a custom TAP .

I don't find I have that much need for this myself , I simply set a seven day timer . The times it would be useful would be for Deal or No Deal ( it is not on daily , and the Saturday/Sunday edition is not on the same time each week ) and for Top Of The Pops 2 ( never on at the same time any week ) .

Actually I was the first Humax user to suggest this idea of setting recordings using the name of the programme as the criteria rather than the time. As Humax is the only manufacturer to include a 'word' based search facility in it's PVR's, I felt that there would be no need to then set padding to recordings as the PVR would only start to record when it flagged the name of the recording, and would then stop when that name was no longer broadcast. I suggested this when the 9200 came out. (Can't be bothered to trawl through my posts to find it, although I might do if no one believes me.) I have never understood why any manufacturer of any recording device bases setting the recordings on time as this is so unreliable, makes far more sense to base the criteria on the name of the program, and I suggested it on the Humax thread, as I felt that it could be easy to implement this feature with the search by word criteria that the Humax already employs.

GG See my posthttp://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=9084364&postcount=19
Last edited by Grannygrunt : 11-11-2006 at 07:46