# FROM MARK: Pressing STOP while watching DVR event stops timer recordings...



## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

I have done extensive testing on this over the last couple of weeks, and here are my results, as of software version L188. If you'd like to go though the exercise of testing all of this, I'd love to see if your results agree with mine.

The following are the 33 possible states that I have identified in which the 921 can be when you are watching a DVR event and have timers recording in the background. 

1. Timer recording one satellite HD program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
2. Timer recording one satellite HD program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
3. Timer recording one satellite HD program while watching a OTA DVR event.
4. Timer recording one satellite SD program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
5. Timer recording one satellite SD program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
6. Timer recording one satellite SD program while watching an OTA DVR event.
7. Timer recording one OTA program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
8. Timer recording one OTA program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
9. Timer recording one OTA program while watching an OTA DVR event.

10. Timer #1 recording satellite HD program, Timer #2 recording satellite HD program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
11. Timer #1 recording satellite HD program, Timer #2 recording satellite HD program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
12. Timer #1 recording satellite HD program, Timer #2 recording satellite HD program while watching a OTA DVR event.
13. Timer #1 recording satellite SD program, Timer #2 recording satellite SD program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
14. Timer #1 recording satellite SD program, Timer #2 recording satellite SD program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
15. Timer #1 recording satellite SD program, Timer #2 recording satellite SD program while watching an OTA DVR event.

16. Timer #1 recording satellite HD program, Timer #2 recording satellite SD program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
17. Timer #1 recording satellite HD program, Timer #2 recording satellite SD program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
18. Timer #1 recording satellite HD program, Timer #2 recording satellite SD program while watching a OTA DVR event.
19. Timer #1 recording satellite SD program, Timer #2 recording satellite HD program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
20. Timer #1 recording satellite SD program, Timer #2 recording satellite HD program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
21. Timer #1 recording satellite SD program, Timer #2 recording satellite HD program while watching an OTA DVR event.

22. Timer #1 recording satellite HD program, Timer #2 recording OTA program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
23. Timer #1 recording satellite HD program, Timer #2 recording OTA program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
24. Timer #1 recording satellite HD program, Timer #2 recording OTA program while watching a OTA DVR event.
25. Timer #1 recording satellite SD program, Timer #2 recording OTA program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
26. Timer #1 recording satellite SD program, Timer #2 recording OTA program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
27. Timer #1 recording satellite SD program, Timer #2 recording OTA program while watching an OTA DVR event.

28. Timer #1 recording OTA program, Timer #2 recording satellite HD program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
29. Timer #1 recording OTA program, Timer #2 recording satellite HD program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
30. Timer #1 recording OTA program, Timer #2 recording satellite HD program while watching a OTA DVR event.
31. Timer #1 recording OTA program, Timer #2 recording satellite SD program while watching a satellite HD DVR event.
32. Timer #1 recording OTA program, Timer #2 recording satellite SD program while watching a satellite SD DVR event.
33. Timer #1 recording OTA program, Timer #2 recording satellite SD program while watching an OTA DVR event.

In all cases above, Timer #1 fires before Timer #2. In the cases of two timers recording, both timers have fired before you start watching the DVR event. 

The 5 states that fail when you press STOP (according to my testing) are as follows:

State #5 - Pressing STOP while watching the SD DVR event stops the recording of the SD timer.

State #9 - Pressing STOP while watching the OTA DVR event stops the recording of the OTA timer.

State #20 - Pressing STOP while watching the SD DVR event stops the recording of Timer #2 (the satellite SD program). Timer #1 (the satellite HD program) continues recording.

State #26 - Pressing STOP while watching the SD DVR event stops the recording of Timer #1 (the satellite SD program). Timer #2 (the OTA program) continues recording.

State #32 - Pressing STOP while watching the SD DVR event stops the recording of Timer #2 (the satellite SD program). Timer #1 (the OTA program) continues recording.

In all other cases, if you press STOP while watching the DVR event, the timer recordings are not affected and continue recording as normal.


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## Mike123abc (Jul 19, 2002)

I have just learned to fast forward 300x to the end rather than press stop. I have stopped too many timers. Most of my 921 recording is SD and I almost never watch live TV, so am always watching an SD DVR event, so pressing stop for me will always stop the timer in the background (state #5) as you indicated above.


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Yeah Mike - that's what I do, too. Trouble is we are then exposed to the 'freeze' bug:
[thread=32017]921 Freezes On Fast Forward To End[/thread].


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

I use the DVR button too.


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Yeah - the safest thing to do is probably:
Pause, change channel to something else, DVR, find & select it, Delete.


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## Skates (Apr 15, 2004)

What annoys me is, the 501 used to do exactly the same thing and they fixed the problem. There is no reason why they shouldn't have fixed this bug a long time ago.

I realize we're working with dual-tuners, but it isn't too hard to bring up a screen that says "pressing stop will end the current recording - do you want to continue?", or something of that nature.


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## joebird (Sep 15, 2003)

Yeah, I usually just change the channel (even w/o pausing) -- that way, I can come back later and resume from precisely where I left off. Even if I want to watch something else in the DVR section, then I'll change the channel, hit the DVR key again, and then pick the new program.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Unless something goes wrong, this isn't going to be a problem for much longer...


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Thank you for the update Mark!

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.


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## tm22721 (Nov 8, 2002)

I just change the channel...avoids the issue...


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## Flasshe (Aug 17, 2004)

I've had my PVR 921 for a month and a half (got L188 a week or two ago), and this has never happened to me, even though I frequently hit "Stop" during a recorded program while other programs are being recorded (yes, I like to tempt fate). And I'm sure I must've been in one or more of the bad states that Mark lists above at one time or another. I watch and record a lot of material.

Now watch, this will finally happen to me tonight...

Could it have something to do with watching a program that was recorded from the same channel that you are currently recording on? I notice that in those cases, the previously recorded program will show the "Rec" indicator when I hit "Cancel" to get the time remaining, even though it's not actually recording the program I'm watching (though it is recording another program from that same channel). I've never tried hitting "Stop" when that happens. That would be tempting fate a bit too much.


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

Grr. This happened to me last night. I was watching a recorded Dead Like Me from last week on SHO HD, while the new episode was recording on SHO-HD. Pressed stop when the credits rolled on last weeks episode. Started watching last night's episode on about a 20 minute delay. After 22 minutes the recording stops and says "OVER" in the box on the info screen. Grr.

Luckily, I was able to rerecord off of SHO-W. C'mon E*, fix this one already.... we're coming up on the one year anniversary of the thing being released.......


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## Mike D-CO5 (Mar 12, 2003)

BobMurdoch said:


> Grr. This happened to me last night. I was watching a recorded Dead Like Me from last week on SHO HD, while the new episode was recording on SHO-HD. Pressed stop when the credits rolled on last weeks episode. Started watching last night's episode on about a 20 minute delay. After 22 minutes the recording stops and says "OVER" in the box on the info screen. Grr.
> 
> Luckily, I was able to rerecord off of SHO-W. C'mon E*, fix this one already.... we're coming up on the one year anniversary of the thing being released.......


 That's right. And if you do believe that 18 months is how long it takes them to get a receiver stable like the 721 , then we have about 9 months left till it works great. I am still waiting for the red /blue/green line to go away on sd material over the hd outputs like 720p or 1080i.

I am watching most of my sd stuff at 480p so I don't have to see that line. I see it really bad on my locals with Dish . I don't see it much over the premium channels like hbo,showtime, etc. I wonder if it only happens on bad compressed stations like locals. We all know that they give more bandwith to pay per views and then premiums and LAST to the locals. :eek2:


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

Flasshe said:


> I've had my PVR 921 for a month and a half (got L188 a week or two ago), and this has never happened to me, even though I frequently hit "Stop" during a recorded program while other programs are being recorded (yes, I like to tempt fate). And I'm sure I must've been in one or more of the bad states that Mark lists above at one time or another. I watch and record a lot of material.
> 
> Now watch, this will finally happen to me tonight...
> 
> Could it have something to do with watching a program that was recorded from the same channel that you are currently recording on? I notice that in those cases, the previously recorded program will show the "Rec" indicator when I hit "Cancel" to get the time remaining, even though it's not actually recording the program I'm watching (though it is recording another program from that same channel). I've never tried hitting "Stop" when that happens. That would be tempting fate a bit too much.


OK, this is something that can easily be corrected by the software engineers. All they need to do is make it so you get a splash screen with options to stop the recording, "YES or NO". Simple. When I first got my 721 if you were watching DVR event and selected a recorded program the second window appeared that gives the options to, "resume, erase, start over, protect, cancel, and help." If you accidentally hit, "erase," that is exactly what it would do. The program would get erased; it was gone! This was an easy fix, after several phone in complaints. I'm quite confidant that they can do the same thing for when we hit our stop button, when there is a recording in progress. Maybe we need to post a, "AskDBSTalk-Stop Recording Feature?"


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## BobaBird (Mar 31, 2002)

Mark, you've identified a lot of states but I'm not sure HD or SD is a factor. The only times I've had it occur to me is when the already recorded DVR event is from the same channel as what is being recorded. Pressing Browse (R arrow) during DVR playback of a completely recorded show correctly shows the title of the recorded show but also has the Rec indicator.

SW: L188HECD-N
Boot: 140B
Flash: F052


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## bytre (Sep 10, 2003)

One other dimension for your state matrix - watching or recording a music channel. I don't know how it differs from SD, but I know the bit rate is certainly much much lower and the receiver does treat them somewhat differently.


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