# Where Are These Stored on a DVR?



## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Where are the data for _PlayList_, _To Do List_ and _Series Manager List_ stored?


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I always figured it was on the hard drive in their reserved space, along with the posters.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Never assume.


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## DogLover (Mar 19, 2007)

The playlist and series manager are stored on the hard drive, because you can see them an a new machine when you move an external hard drive. I don't recall whether the To Do list moved over, or was recreated from the series manager.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

All the info is stored on the HDD. If you move the HDD to another DVR(HR2x line), all that data is retained, you just cant play the shows if they were recorded on another dvr.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

DogLover said:


> The playlist and series manager are stored on the hard drive, because you can see them an a new machine when you move an external hard drive. I don't recall whether the To Do list moved over, or was recreated from the series manager.


Well if PL & SM are handle in the same manner, then why is the PlayList the only Network List available to any DVR on a MRV Network and the Series Manager restricted to the DVR you at looking at?


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

"Drucifer" said:


> Well if PL & SM are handle in the same manner, then why is the PlayList the only Network List available to any DVR on a MRV Network and the Series Manager restricted to the DVR you at looking at?


Is that why you asked? They really have nothing to do with each other. It's a matter of what Directv thinks is easier for the average customer.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

inkahauts said:


> Is that why you asked? They really have nothing to do with each other. It's a matter of what *Directv thinks* is easier for the average customer.


That's a funny! :hurah: Really, only serious answers, please.


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## HoTat2 (Nov 16, 2005)

Drucifer said:


> That's a funny! :hurah: Really, only serious answers, please.


The point being though, that simply because the TDL and SM are stored on the HDD along with the PL has no relevance to the additional complexity and potential problems for DIRECTV to write the necessary firmware to distribute and remotely manipulate them via MRV.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

Drucifer said:


> That's a funny! :hurah: Really, only serious answers, please.


You were given the correct serious answer by several including me. Playlists, series manager, etc. are all stored on the HDD, the to-do list is recreated at each reboot based on the series manager.


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## Clemsole (Sep 8, 2005)

Drucifer said:


> Well if PL & SM are handle in the same manner, then why is the PlayList the only Network List available to any DVR on a MRV Network and the Series Manager restricted to the DVR you at looking at?


Because that is the way they are programed to work by *D.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

"Drucifer" said:


> That's a funny! :hurah: Really, only serious answers, please.


I don't think you understand. That is a serious answer. I think Directv feels, and I tend to agree they might be right in this one, that creating a unified sl and to do list for all dvrs on a home network would be a nightmare for most customers. Sure, you and I would have no issues' but the majority of people would have all kinds of problems. It's just not going to happen. I think the best we can hope for is access to each Dvrs prioritized and sl and such via the iPad app.

And that is al before the massive amount of work that would have to be done to integrate them all. It's first a philosophical discussion before it's ever a technical one a Directv on things like this, they have shown that in the past.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

CCarncross said:


> You were given the correct serious answer by several including me...


Apparently, the correct serious answer isn't what Drucifer wants. Tell him it's the little technicolor _hobbits_ in the processor that keep the lists updated.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

inkahauts said:


> I don't think you understand. That is a serious answer. I think Directv feels, and I tend to agree they might be right in this one, *that creating a unified sl and to do list for all dvrs on a home network would be a nightmare for most customers. * Sure, you and I would have no issues' but the majority of people would have all kinds of problems. It's just not going to happen. I think the best we can hope for is access to each DVRs prioritized and sl and such via the iPad app.
> 
> And that is al before the massive amount of work that would have to be done to integrate them all. It's first a philosophical discussion before it's ever a technical one a Directv on things like this, they have shown that in the past.


See, that is what happens when you let a company think for you.

How adding the same brackets we see in the _Playlist_ will somehow confuse people, because they're now also in the _Series Manager List_ and the _To Do List_, got to be deeply explain to me before I believe it.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Nick said:


> Apparently, the correct serious answer isn't what Drucifer wants. Tell him it's the little technicolor _hobbits_ in the processor that keep the lists updated.


Comedians! The world would be one hell of dull place without 'em.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

"Drucifer" said:


> See, that is what happens when you let a company think for you.
> 
> How adding the same brackets we see in the Playlist will somehow confuse people, because they're now also in the Series Manager List and the To Do List, got to be deeply explain to me before I believe it.


They don't even let us set recordings remotely from one dvr to another because they feel it will be to confusing. That's ridiculous to me, but, creating a prioritized list that's say 300 items long from multiple units will cause all kinds of confusion. Here's one simple example of how it would really tick someone off. Say they have set their first four series as one from CBS, one form NBC, and one from abc and one from fox All on at the same time. If the prioritizer shows them as the top four programs, and they. Have three dvrs, they are likely to think that the dvrs will record all four shows, even if they are set on the same dvr. They will likely assume that the name of the dvr simply says where they where set from kind of like it is in the playlist now.

Add to that the difficulty and extra processing it would take to do this, which would likely slow the system, and it's not worth it IMHO. That's why they have the hr34 coming out.

Also consider how many people in the real world have multiple dvrs that are asking for this.

And this isn't letting a company think for me. This is what I perceive the company believing, and when they have 20plus million people they have to Handel, I can see wanting to keep as many things as possible as simple to operate as possible. There are many things I think they should allow for additional settings, but I don't even see a unified sl or to do list as being a smart move for them from a customer service standpoint.

If they where going to make this work I don't see them doing that without also enabling some sort of collaborative scheduling so that the issue I mention above wouldn't present itself. And again, why do that when you have the hr34 coming out.

The only way I think it would even be remotely considered to having any access to sl and to do lists at all dvrs is if you could choose which dvrs sl or to do list you where looking at and not have them all filtered into one giant list. And since they won't even let us do that with the playlist, I don't see that happening either.

I understand your thinking, but even I have to side with Directv on this one causing more confusion than it's worth. This has been debating even by the most techie people on this forum before, and no one here could agree on a way to implement it that would make sense for the masses, much less work the way they thought it should in general. And if a few people argue over how one way is more confusing than another, imagine how the overall field would feel.

And don't get me started with the conceptual issues with collaborative scheduling on multiple dvrs in houses that has a family with multiple people using dvrs.

Give me access to work the prioritizers and to do lists via iPad and android, and a web interface, and I'll be happy, and it would actually make more sense for the masses IMHO.


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## dsw2112 (Jun 13, 2009)

Drucifer said:


> That's a funny! :hurah: Really, only serious answers, please.


To be fair, there's only a select few folks that would really know. To put it simply; it's likely not a priority at D* (as others have noted.)

In any case it's something I wouldn't mind seeing introduced. I'd tend to agree that a unified option might cause some confusion, but it would be nice to be able to see the Todo list and Series Manager by DVR.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I figured it was on the hard drive simply because if you plug in an external drive, you have to redo series links etc. Unplug and reboot, you've got the old ones on the internal drive.


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## dsw2112 (Jun 13, 2009)

inkahauts said:


> Give me access to work the prioritizers and to do lists via iPad and android, and a web interface, and I'll be happy, and it would actually make more sense for the masses IMHO.


I might be one of the few that would rather do this on the receiver itself. I think the IPad/Android option would be great for many, but would like to see some similar kind of functionality built into the receivers themselves.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

The _PlayList_ allows viewing of just the DVR it is on. I would think setting up priorities for the _Series Manager List_ would only be done while viewing the DVR it is on. The _To Do List_ is just that - a simple list. Except for being able to cancel a schedule recording, it is just a list viewer. I seriously doubt deleting a network _PlayList_ recording would be less complicated than canceling a network _To Do_ scheduling event.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Drucifer said:


> The _PlayList_ allows viewing of just the DVR it is on. I would think setting up priorities for the _Series Manager List_ would only be done while viewing the DVR it is on. The _To Do List_ is just that - a simple list. Except for being able to cancel a schedule recording, it is just a list viewer. I seriously doubt deleting a network _PlayList_ recording would be less complicated than canceling a network _To Do_ scheduling event.


So you are only asking that they show all shows from all receivers in the to do list? Not the prioritizes as well? If they would show those grayed out, maybe, but then I still feel everyone here WAY over estimates how many people ever even go tot the to do list. I doubt one in 20 actually even look at it once a month.

I said this int he other thread... I would absolutely love to see a symbol added to the guide similar to the record icons we have now that would symbolize that a program is set to be recorded on another unit (and say which one) in the house somewhere. That would make life so much better. I also still feel tha they should let's us set a recoding form the guide on a dvr to any other dvr too.

That would be even better than the to do list anyway, because usually if you want to see if something is set to record somewhere, its probably because your looking at it in the guide now, so why make someone go to another screen?


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

For networks, the _To Do List_ is the most important.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Drucifer said:


> For networks, the _To Do List_ is the most important.


Hence me wanting the guide to denote remote recordings like it does local ones with a slightly different symbol. I don't see that being confusing to people.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Drucifer said:


> The _PlayList_ allows viewing of just the DVR it is on.


Not on my DVRs nor my iPad app.....[MRV]


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## dsw2112 (Jun 13, 2009)

Laxguy said:


> Not on my DVRs nor my iPad app.....[MRV]


You can view the local playlist by list -> "yellow button" -> filter by playlist -> local playlist


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

"Laxguy" said:


> Not on my DVRs nor my iPad app.....[MRV]


And the iPad app now let's you see any one dvr,any combination of the dvrs you have, or all the dvrs you have with the latest update.


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## racermd (Dec 18, 2006)

You know, a lot of this mess could have been avoided with the right planning a while back when MRV was still in beta, although it would have taken longer to get to market. This post may wander slightly off-topic, but I reassure you it is relevant.

My ideal setup would be a single box, much like the annouced HR34, that handles all the recording. Smaller, lighter boxes would be at the TVs to play recorded content and to view live content. Until D* dropped the axe on the USB tuners a few years ago, I had hopes of creating a full-fledged MythTV setup using D* as the primary video source and would be a PERFECT setup for me and the wife. In this setup, the number of tuners is effectively unlimited and is modular (they can be added/removed at any time without affecting the overall functionality of the whole setup). I would also be able to manage the entire thing, to-do lists included, from any location in my home.

With the way D* has set things up as of now (assuming no HR34 since it's not actually available to the public yet), you have these little groups of recordings on each HR2x box and can WATCH the recordings from any other connected box, but you must manage recordings on each DVR locally. Not ideal and I'm sure a PITA to program around (I could think of a few ways to do it at a conceptual level like putting the tuners on each DVRs in the MRV network into a pool). The HR34 appears to be aimed at progressing towards my ideal setup but has fixed the number of tuners at 4 per HR34 and still no good way of managing the one to-do list from any other location - iThing app excluded. If you want/need more than 4 tuners, adding another HR34 or HR2x box just puts you back in the same situation as having multiple HR2x boxes again.

I'll admit it's possible to set up a MythTV setup using D* as the primary video source by using a H2x receiver and a matching component video capture card for each tuner you want to put on your system. For a 4-tuner setup like that of the HR34, you're paying an additional $18/mo in mirroring fees ($6/ea x3 since the first one is "free") that you wouldn't have to pay with the HR34. Additionally, you're limited to component video capture as the only legal method of getting the picture into the MythTV setup. If the broadcasters wanted to, they can flip the Selective Output Control switch and disable those outputs at any time. HDMI capture cards, as far as I know, aren't exactly legal to sell to the public and would require someone to be in "the business" and would likely cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars each, so that's not an option (if I'm wrong, please let me know - I'm looking!). Also factor in the cost of acquiring the H2x boxes themselves and the extra electricity for running them as opposed to a single HR34 or a pair of dual-tuner USB modules. To get around the carefully-planned sandbox D* provides with their equipment, the costs are significantly and artificially higher than they need to be. This isn't all that different to how Apple does business.

For most subscribers, none of this matters. They get their TV and modifying their to-do list from a single location (or any location) is likely just a minor annoyance at worst, assuming they even know about MRV to begin with.

Please also don't confuse what I've said above as hating on D*. I've been a loyal subscriber for the last 5 years, and have been an on-again, off-again customer for about 7 years previous to that. I just wish things would be easier to customize for customers that know their way around computers and cabling.


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## lucky13 (Nov 27, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> ... I would absolutely love to see a symbol added to the guide similar to the record icons we have now that would symbolize that a program is set to be recorded on another unit (and say which one) in the house somewhere. That would make life so much better. I also still feel tha they should let's us set a recoding form the guide on a dvr to any other dvr too.
> 
> That would be even better than the to do list anyway, because usually if you want to see if something is set to record somewhere, its probably because your looking at it in the guide now, so why make someone go to another screen?


Call me crazy, but if I want to check my upcoming recordings (which I do at least once a day), I prefer to do it from the ToDo list, where the recordings are in a neat package, and not from the guide, where I would have to scroll around to see what's scheduled.

A unified TD list would be a tremendous benefit to those who use and like the TD list. Even if we could only check the list and not manipulate the entries from networked DVRs, it would be better than what we have now. Recordings scheduled from other DVRs could be noted by using the recorder nickname, as is done on the playlist.

If you have more than 2 DVRs, a whole-home set-up with only four tuners is a step down, not an improvement.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

lucky13 said:


> Call me crazy, but if I want to check my upcoming recordings (which I do at least once a day), I prefer to do it from the ToDo list, where the recordings are in a neat package, and not from the guide, where I would have to scroll around to see what's scheduled.
> 
> A unified TD list would be a tremendous benefit to those who use and like the TD list. Even if we could only check the list and not manipulate the entries from networked DVRs, it would be better than what we have now. Recordings scheduled from other DVRs could be noted by using the recorder nickname, as is done on the playlist.
> 
> If you have more than 2 DVRs, a whole-home set-up with only four tuners is a step down, not an improvement.


Don't think he was looking at the Guide Icon as an or, but as an addition to the MRV Network To Do.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

"lucky13" said:


> Call me crazy, but if I want to check my upcoming recordings (which I do at least once a day), I prefer to do it from the ToDo list, where the recordings are in a neat package, and not from the guide, where I would have to scroll around to see what's scheduled.
> 
> A unified TD list would be a tremendous benefit to those who use and like the TD list. Even if we could only check the list and not manipulate the entries from networked DVRs, it would be better than what we have now. Recordings scheduled from other DVRs could be noted by using the recorder nickname, as is done on the playlist.
> 
> If you have more than 2 DVRs, a whole-home set-up with only four tuners is a step down, not an improvement.





"Drucifer" said:


> Don't think he was looking at the Guide Icon as an or, but as an addition to the MRV Network To Do.


I feel its better in the guide, because i just don't see many people ever using the to do list. I know everyone thinks im crazy saying that, but ill bet its not used by more than 5 percent of the people who have a hd dvr more than say once every other month, if that. I see lots of people like my folks, that simply look through the guide and that's why you need an indicator there. I don't know anyone who i have met that has directv that looks at the to do list. Not one.

And the to do list doesn't tell you what you haven't set to be recorded. The guide does. That way when you are looking for things to record, you will see if it's already set to be recorded somewhere else or been set by someone else so you wont set it again on a second dvr.

Now, I don't at all understand why you even check your to do list either, especially so regularly. It doesn't tell you what you is ready to be recorded, and you can't add more things to be recorded there.

With all that said, as long as it doesn't slow down the system, I am absolutely fine with a unified to do list with all the remote stuff grey out and on each line with the name of the show and channel, it would also have to denote which dvr. Can't be in the info banner, would have to be on the same line so you could see them all. I really don't care either way, so sure, give us that too, but that's not really going to provide a benefit to the masses, and I don't know if Directv will spend the time on that, especially with the hr34 coming out. But the notation in the guide, yeah, everyone could benefit from that. Hopefully they will go hand in hand and everyone we will get both.

I guess it boils down to purpose. I don't want it so I know what's going to be recorded tonight, I want it so I can know when I am looking for things to record if I already have something I want to record set to be recorded. I think that's how it would be useful to most people, not the small amount that use the to do list. Generally, people set things to be recorded and move on to something else, they don't keep checking to see if it's still going to recorded.


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