# Standby or no standby ???



## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

I dont always read 100% of everything here due to time but I think I recall someone doing some testing and saying that the R-15 actually does nothing when put in standby even though someone else said it should start housekeeping after 10 minutes in standby.

Is it really worth it to put it in standby being the findings ? I want to hook one of my R-15s to a TV in another room but the R-15 would have to be left on all the time. I turn the R-15 off as I thought it did something.


----------



## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

That was Wolffpack with the HD activity light on the HD. I don't know if he did ever see the light go on in standby but the last post that I remember said he hadn't seen it go on yet.

As far as standby or not it doesn't really matter if it's on or off. I've presonally had better luck with putting it in standby when not using it. The only thing you lose with it in standby is the live buffer (and that may change).


----------



## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

The only time I've seen the HD activity light blinking while in standby was when the R15 was recording. But, thinking about it, the guide data is in memory, the TDL is in memory, SLs are in memory so what housekeeping would it typically do requiring HD access? It could do a defrag but I doubt that's often.


----------



## Clint Lamor (Nov 15, 2005)

Thats exactly what I was thinking. If everything is in memory there should be no disk access happening.


----------



## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

Wolffpack said:


> The only time I've seen the HD activity light blinking while in standby was when the R15 was recording. But, thinking about it, the guide data is in memory, the TDL is in memory, SLs are in memory so what housekeeping would it typically do requiring HD access? It could do a defrag but I doubt that's often.


I was kind of hoping to see evidence of defraging.


----------



## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

Wolffpack said:


> The only time I've seen the HD activity light blinking while in standby was when the R15 was recording. But, thinking about it, the guide data is in memory, the TDL is in memory, SLs are in memory so what housekeeping would it typically do requiring HD access? It could do a defrag but I doubt that's often.


That makes alot of sense so I guess that means that the issues with the with it locking up are not HD related either. I too wish it did some sort of defrag or diskcheck during standby.


----------



## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

I can feel both my R15-300 and R15-500 vibrating slightly when in standby, and it is not the fans running. The hard drive must be doing something, but I have no idea what it is.


----------



## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

Wolffpack said:


> the guide data is in memory, the TDL is in memory, SLs are in memory so what housekeeping would it typically do requiring HD access?


They cant be completely in memory else wouldnt you lose them on a reset ? The SL's and TDL are always there after a reset, just the descriptions and guide data are lost.

The R-15 does not have enough memory from what I know to load all that or does it ?


----------



## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

Bobman said:


> They cant be completely in memory else wouldnt you lose them on a reset ? The SL's and TDL are always there after a reset, just the descriptions and guide data are lost.
> 
> The R-15 does not have enough memory from what I know to load all that or does it ?


If the housekeeping we're discussing is looking through the SLs and TDL and then searching the guide data to adjust the TDL I would guess the R15 is working completely from memory. You are correct there are files on the R15 for the TDL and SLs but once the R15 boots I cannot imagine it would be working with the HD version versus using a copy in memory. Each SL entry is about 60-70 bytes (*50 = 3,500 bytes) and the TDL is even shorter.

Should the R15 make a change to the TDL it "should" be written to the HD but that would be infrequent and hard to detect by watching a light blink.

In the end I haven't noticed any HD activity while the unit is in standby unless it's recording shows.


----------



## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

Wolffpack said:


> In the end I haven't noticed any HD activity while the unit is in standby unless it's recording shows.


Do you still put your R-15 in standby when not using it ?

I am just trying to figure out if it really matters as one of my R-15's, once I do the wiring, will need to be left on all the time. I would rather not do that unless I have a somewhat good feeling that it doesnt matter or doesnt matter that much.


----------



## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

I am surprised that I have the only two R15s with HD activity in standby...!

I would like for you folks to firmly (i.e., press down a little) place your hand on top of the unit while it is in standby, maybe first thing in the morning when it would not be warm from use.

Do you feel a slight vibration, or am I losing my mind???


----------



## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

Bobman said:


> Do you still put your R-15 in standby when not using it ?
> 
> I am just trying to figure out if it really matters as one of my R-15's, once I do the wiring, will need to be left on all the time. I would rather not do that unless I have a somewhat good feeling that it doesnt matter or doesnt matter that much.


Yes, mine goes in standby whenever I turn the TV off.


----------



## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

paulman182 said:


> I am surprised that I have the only two R15s with HD activity in standby...!


By HD activity I'm referring to read/writes to the drive. Every R15 leaves it's HD spinning when in standby which is the vibration you're seeing. I pulled my HD from the R15 and placed it in an external enclosure with it's own activity LED. When mine is in standby I have not seen any blinking of the activity light.


----------



## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

OK, that's a relief.

I'm no more crazy than I was yesterday!


----------



## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

Bobman said:


> I am just trying to figure out if it really matters as one of my R-15's, once I do the wiring, will need to be left on all the time.


What kind of setup are you going to have that you can't put it in standby? As long as you can get a remote singal to it you should be able to put it in standby by hitting the power button on the remote. Just wondering.


----------



## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

cabanaboy1977 said:


> What kind of setup


I canceled the NFLST, I want to deactivate my R-10 or maybe R-15 if it doesn't get better quick , as I don't need 3 DVR's now.

The R-15 will be connected to 3 TV's and the one in the bedroom I would need it to be on all night so it would be active in the morning just for something to wake up to. My TV is my alarm clock, it has an on timer that wakes me.


----------



## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

Bobman said:


> I canceled the NFLST, I want to deactivate my R-10 or maybe R-15 if it doesn't get better quick , as I don't need 3 DVR's now.
> 
> The R-15 will be connected to 3 TV's and the one in the bedroom I would need it to be on all night so it would be active in the morning just for something to wake up to. My TV is my alarm clock, it has an on timer that wakes me.


Ok, I got you. You could, if you wanted to, turn off the R15 in the mornings and turn it on before you go to sleep. That way it's going into standby sometimes. I can't say one way or another if you should or shouldn't put it into standby, but I've just had more luck with it in standby. To be honest since it started working better in standby (months ago) I've never really left them out of standby (expect for watching them) so I don't know how well they do out of standby. But my roommate usally keeps his on all the time and he says his has been ok. It could be that he has about 20sl's and my other 2 r15's have 43 or so each. I don't think anyone really knows.


----------



## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

I've been keeping mine in standby also. Bottom line is you shouldn't have to put the unit in standby.


----------



## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

Wolffpack said:


> Bottom line is you shouldn't have to put the unit in standby.


Very much agreed. I think I just do it because I feel safer that way.


----------



## wohlfie (Dec 28, 2005)

Wolffpack said:


> I've been keeping mine in standby also. Bottom line is you shouldn't have to put the unit in standby.


Not trying to start an arguement, but if Standby truly did NOTHING except cut the video feed as some have said, why on earth would they have bothered with it?

Just because consumers are lemmings and a device without an "off" would unnerve many people? (maybe)

But whether its true or not, it makes sense that it tells the unit you are not using the active tuner, and doesn't need to prompt you for a change, etc. This may be more important with the unit starting to look for available 'tuner time' for showcases.
And maybe it does help with housekeeping. There seems to have been anecdotal evidence that the unit is happier being in Standby occassionally.

Anyway....I will continue to put mine in Standay (especially since I am one of the lucky ones whose remote does both without switching the slider...

So while maybe "you shouldn't need to"....unless there is a pressing need to leave it on, Standby seems like the prudent choice to me!


----------



## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

wohlfie said:


> if Standby truly did NOTHING except cut the video feed as some have said, why on earth would they have bothered with it?


I think one point was the DirecTiVos work well with out having to be put in standby so the R-15 should too.


----------

