# Your "GEM" Features of HR20/21



## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Over the past year... there have been a LOT of new features added to the system.

So many... that the "addendum" to the HR20/21 manual would be just as big as the original manual itself.

I am amazed at posts from people that find features... thinking they are new... that have been there for a long time.

So what features in the system are your hidden "GEMS"....

For me:
-) Mark & Delete
-) Date & Time Jump

These two features of the system.... I use constantly.....

What are yours?


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

My two favorites are the one-touch record for grabbing a show quickly and the best of all..the OFF button which allows me to spend more time with my family.


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

Time indicator ticker/bar in the GUIDE. 

I don't think I even noticed it for the first month or so. It's really handy on movie channels that don't start and stop programs at the top/bottom of the hour.

Oh yeah, that and the eSATA port!:biggthump


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## NR4P (Jan 16, 2007)

Searching for shows related to a subject area.
Then when they pop up, hitting Record.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

By far....same channel padding only using a single tuner.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

I am thinking more of items that you select and choose from the menus...
Something that someone might not notice because of where it is placed...

but all the others are GEMS none the less.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

bonscott87 said:


> By far....same channel padding only using a single tuner.


I love this one as well. Didn't work the first time I tried it (thanks HR10 ), but it has every time since. For a HIMYM, BBT, 2.5M and RoE junkie, this features allows me to delete a just watched show without having to worry that I might delete the beginning of the next show.


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

bonscott87 said:


> By far....same channel padding only using a single tuner.


That is my number 1 favorite too! Also like the Mark & Delete and Group Delete and Group Play.
I also like how easy it is to upgrade the INTERNAL hard drive compared to the Tivo!!!


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## cdizzy (Jul 29, 2007)

I have to agree with you Earl. Date and time jump. I was getting real tired of hitting the red and green buttons to jump 12 hours one way or another.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

To me, two "gems" were tremendous time savers: Learning that DASH-DASH and STOP would respectively delete and cancel recordings. These of course have been replaced with a more consistent use of RED with appropriate on-screen indicators, but when I first learned of these two shortcuts (DASH-DASH and STOP), I used them all the time.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

Another "gem" that could use quite a bit of polishing is going to the guide, arrowing LEFT to the channel number, and pressing INFO to display all upcoming programs on that channel.

It's a very convenient way to see what's up next on that channel, but it's also a tad slow. I like to use this to look at what's up on certain movie or edutainment channels (like Smithsonian or Science HD).


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## houskamp (Sep 14, 2006)

dash dash delete is the main one here.. music would be too if it would pull up list of songs  
Best feature of box? PIG/PIL and one touch record..


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## Runch Machine (Nov 20, 2005)

Best new feature is 30 second skip on HR20. Now that it's on the CE software I actually like the HR20 better than my Tivo series 3.


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## VicF (Sep 5, 2006)

Sorry but; the GEM feature for me is ability to record both D* HD and HD OTA.


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## NCMAT (Feb 13, 2007)

One of my favorites is hitting Guide Guide to get to the Channel Categories then choosing HDTV Channels. Of course this would be easier if the menus would cycle around, then you could just press up once instead of down 7 times.


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## Igor (Jan 3, 2005)

If this is about two features I use the most,

-) Filtering out non-HDTV channels

GUIDE-GUIDE-CH DN-SELECT​
-) Search
I include here all kinds of search, from category sort to keyword searches.
The new feature to search categories combined with bolean logic is great.​


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## samrs (May 30, 2004)

Two prong power cords. Just like Time Warners.


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## Michael D'Angelo (Oct 21, 2006)

Remember "My Playlist" sort.

I am surprised that this has not been added to the regular menu yet or when you change the order of your "My Playlist" it will remember it without even turning it on.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

Being able to set Record Defaults, makes one touch record way more powerful.

As stated above, using the Info button on the channel number in the guide. I use that on Premium Movie channels every couple of weeks to grab movies I otherwise wouldn't know were on or that I wanted.


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## sraider (Aug 6, 2006)

Dash Dash delete


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Yellow button from 'list' for to-do list.:sure:


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

NCMAT said:


> One of my favorites is hitting Guide Guide to get to the Channel Categories then choosing HDTV Channels. Of course this would be easier if the menus would cycle around, then you could just press up once instead of down 7 times.


Vitor already mentioned it, but instead of pressing DOWN on the Filter screen, press CHANNEL DOWN instead. In menus, CHANNEL UP/CHANNEL DOWN act as PAGE buttons, jumping a full screen UP or DOWN.


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## Throckmorton (Dec 7, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> -) Date & Time Jump


Um, how do you do that?


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

Throckmorton said:


> Um, how do you do that?


While in the Guide, hit MENU. Hit CHANNEL DOWN to page down in the menu. Select "Date and Time" and use the menu to select a different date, then select a different time.


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## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

Throckmorton said:


> Um, how do you do that?


Press Guide,
press menu
scroll down to "date and time"
select the date you want
select the time you want. 
(Drew beat me to it)

One other one I like is the listing of all the episodes for a specific show. While watching a live or recorded show, hit the info button, then more info, then from the left side menu select episodes.

Seeing whats on a specific channel for the next 14 days, press guide, scroll over and highlight the channel number, press the info button.

Those are 3 of the many features I like, but there are too many other ones to list here.


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## davemayo (Nov 17, 2005)

theratpatrol said:


> One other one I like is the listing of all the episodes for a specific show. While watching a live or recorded show, hit the info button, then more info, then from the left side menu select episodes.
> 
> Seeing whats on a specific channel for the next 14 days, press guide, scroll over and highlight the channel number, press the info button.


These are my two favorites. Because of conflicts that often arise, I like to be able to quickly figure out the next airing of an episode and then one-button-push to record it.


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## Castlebill (Jul 25, 2006)

The much shorter CC on/off.


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## mcbeevee (Sep 18, 2006)

Date & Time Jump

Red button delete
:HappyGree


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## Throckmorton (Dec 7, 2007)

Thanks to both of you!


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

My "gems" are basically all the new "Colored button" features, especially the new yellow button and also the NFLST interactive button functionality.

I look forward to getting those in the HR21 series soon (I can hope, can't I... :lol: ).


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## LI-SVT (May 18, 2006)

Single tuner with overlap. Many of the cable networks have re-runs we record but the stations keep lousy time. I am able to record all of the shows with padding and still keep one tuner free for "flipping."


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## LI-SVT (May 18, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> I am thinking more of items that you select and choose from the menus...
> Something that someone might not notice because of where it is placed...
> 
> but all the others are GEMS none the less.


Guide sort. Once I discovered this and learned how to best use it I stopped using the grid guide. Once D* fixes the CIG issue it will be even better.


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## pprather (Nov 12, 2006)

Drew2k said:


> Another "gem" that could use quite a bit of polishing is going to the guide, arrowing LEFT to the channel number, and pressing INFO to display all upcoming programs on that channel.
> 
> It's a very convenient way to see what's up next on that channel, but it's also a tad slow. I like to use this to look at what's up on certain movie or edutainment channels (like Smithsonian or Science HD).


WOW! Perfect example of why this thread is a good thing. I didn't know about this.


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## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

Hide SD dulicates
One button guide


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

In the national release: 

LIST-YELLOW for To Do
INFO to look at all the guide data for one channel
DASH-DASH delete


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## PittCaleb (Nov 2, 2007)

Most of the above mentioned GEMS are things my HR10-250 used to do (i.e. 30-second skip, date & time jump in guide).

My GEM is something my HR21-700 does that my DirecTiVo HD never did. I have a "wislist" set to auto-record for all things that have "Pittsburgh" in their title or description. My HR21 auto-records everything - especially a bunch of shows on Fox Sports Pittsburgh, a recurring show on some spanish-language channel and all those NFL Sunday Ticket broadcasts - even though I don't subscribe to those channels.

What's great about this little GEM is that often it will record a Fox Sports or Sunday Ticket broadcast of a Steelers or Penguins game when I actually received it on a channel I subscribed to (CIST, not CIG, 'cause I 'get' all channels, just can't see anything on many of them).

What's even better is that it records these in high def, it records the later repeats and I see those Sunday Ticket games record for in something like 6-hour chunks. So the best part of this is my HR21-700 auto-deleting shows I actually recorded and had the ability to watch to make space for these unwatchable shows. This is truly a GEM that my HR10-250 could not do.

PittCaleb


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## richlife (Dec 4, 2006)

My "gem" is the obvious change to the yellow button for access to TV options and the resulting addition of "Manage Recordings" to the Menu. I'm a late adherent to the latter having originally opposed Earl's defense. But I now think it was well done.

Except (you knew there was an except, didn't you). I think the Menu button should display Manage Recordings first at the top. It is the one thing I want to access often. Playlist (now first) has a separate button for direct access -- why put it in my way? Swap "My Playlist" and "Manage Recordings" and you have a good Menu.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

PittCaleb said:


> Most of the above mentioned GEMS are things my HR10-250 used to do (i.e. 30-second skip, date & time jump in guide).
> 
> My GEM is something my HR21-700 does that my DirecTiVo HD never did. I have a "wislist" set to auto-record for all things that have "Pittsburgh" in their title or description. My HR21 auto-records everything - especially a bunch of shows on Fox Sports Pittsburgh, a recurring show on some spanish-language channel and all those NFL Sunday Ticket broadcasts - even though I don't subscribe to those channels.
> 
> ...


Nice contribution. Couldn't just ignore the thread could you? Couldn't just accept that some feel differently than you do? You know, you can turn it off and just use your legacy equipment if you prefer.  :nono:


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## Spanky_Partain (Dec 7, 2006)

Network Advanced setup test so you do not need to test the whole system, it only tests the network settings and connection.


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## tfederov (Nov 18, 2005)

dash dash and anything to do with Music and Photos


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## code4code5 (Aug 29, 2006)

Drew2k said:


> Another "gem" that could use quite a bit of polishing is going to the guide, arrowing LEFT to the channel number, and pressing INFO to display all upcoming programs on that channel.
> 
> It's a very convenient way to see what's up next on that channel, but it's also a tad slow. I like to use this to look at what's up on certain movie or edutainment channels (like Smithsonian or Science HD).


By the same token, being able to select the channel and watch it in the PIG while looking for something better to watch.


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## lucky13 (Nov 27, 2006)

Not in the menu, but:

The BACK button, which will bring up, in order, the previous service screens you've visited (Guide, ToDo, Info, etc.), and bring you to the place in the list you last were. Great way to get BACK to CC controls under the national release.

EXIT, which will kill the info banner and the progress bar when in pause or trickplay. (Though I wish it would never exit from a playback to live TV.)


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

One touch record

Back button

30-second pseudo-skip. It's fast enough for me!

Time and date

Rewind -- when I didn't understand what a character just said


Bill


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

Mine are

-FF correction
-Date & Time jump

Mike


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## psweig (Feb 4, 2006)

Group play, I enjoy this every day. 30 skip.


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## lucky13 (Nov 27, 2006)

psweig said:


> Group play, I enjoy this every day. 30 skip.


Group play should have been on my list. Didn't think I'd use it or even like it when it was introduced, but it's now a family favorite.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

Xaa said:


> Nice contribution. Couldn't just ignore the thread could you? Couldn't just accept that some feel differently than you do? You know, you can turn it off and just use your legacy equipment if you prefer.  :nono:


Or instead of letting software mindlessly record crap just because the word Pittsburgh is somewhere in the data (something I wouldn't do with a Tivo either), actually use the search to PICK the shows you want to see.

It always blows my mind that people think a DVR is a mind reader and has more intelligence than they do.

My GEM? Bookmarks. Use them all the time because my local PBS station is horrible about starting programs on time and shows I repeatedly watch, I put a bookmark in where the show actually starts.


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## Steveknj (Nov 14, 2006)

Drew2k said:


> Another "gem" that could use quite a bit of polishing is going to the guide, arrowing LEFT to the channel number, and pressing INFO to display all upcoming programs on that channel.
> 
> It's a very convenient way to see what's up next on that channel, but it's also a tad slow. I like to use this to look at what's up on certain movie or edutainment channels (like Smithsonian or Science HD).


Wow, thanks for that!! I never knew that existed!! It was one of the things i loved on my old Tivo was the list shows on channel in the guide feature. Will have to try that one tonight when I get home!


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## Steveknj (Nov 14, 2006)

My fav is the blue button mini-guide. Yes it's on my SD non-DVR box too, but I used to love this feature on my old Hughes receiver but was missing from any other box I had until I got my HR20 (and subsequently, this was brought over the my SD receiver as well). I probably use that more than the guide.


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## TomF (Sep 20, 2006)

bonscott87 said:


> By far....same channel padding only using a single tuner.


Would you explain this a little further please?


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

TomF said:


> Would you explain this a little further please?


If you have two shows recording on the same channel and the first show is padded, the HR20 uses only one tuner and applies the padded portion to the end of the first show and the beginning of the second. The TiVo incarnation would use both tuners to accomplish that which made for more recording conflicts.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

TomF said:


> bonscott87 said:
> 
> 
> > By far....same channel padding only using a single tuner.
> ...


Since this is one of my favorite invisible gems, I'd be happy to explain. I pad all my shows by at least a minute (our local ABC gets a two minute early start!) on both ends. Tivos could not handle two shows that overlapped by a minute on the same channel on one tuner--they would schedule one for each tuner.

The HR2x family all can realize that they just need to copy data from one recording to the other for that portion of overlap, so you can appear to be reocording 4 things for a short time, two overlapped on each of the two tuners.  Big help on Tuesday nites in our house as we'd record _NCIS_ and _The Unit_ and then try to record or watch other things on the other tuner.

My visible gem is the recording defaults--truly making one touch record, two touch Series Link extremely useful. It is so easy to set my recording defaults then rely upon them for all the one touch recordings.

Happy Holidays!
Tom


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## PeeWee10 (Dec 13, 2006)

FF correction (which wasn't there a year ago) and the "other showings" feature. 

Here's one for the light sleepers.....if the HR20 is in the bedroom, tune to channel 121 before turning the unit off...doing so reduces a good bit of spindle noise associated with buffering


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## Steveknj (Nov 14, 2006)

Tom Robertson said:


> Since this is one of my favorite invisible gems, I'd be happy to explain. I pad all my shows by at least a minute (our local ABC gets a two minute early start!) on both ends. Tivos could not handle two shows that overlapped by a minute on the same channel on one tuner--they would schedule one for each tuner.
> 
> The HR2x family all can realize that they just need to copy data from one recording to the other for that portion of overlap, so you can appear to be reocording 4 things for a short time, two overlapped on each of the two tuners.  Big help on Tuesday nites in our house as we'd record _NCIS_ and _The Unit_ and then try to record or watch other things on the other tuner.
> 
> ...


How do you change recording defaults? What I'd like to do is set my defaults up to pad, like you do, but since in the out of the box mode it doesn't pad, I find the dual touch recording useless.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

Go into the scheduler and choose Record Defaults and you can set it there.


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## ATARI (May 10, 2007)

FF autocorrection!!


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## TomF (Sep 20, 2006)

Tom Robertson said:


> Since this is one of my favorite invisible gems, I'd be happy to explain. I pad all my shows by at least a minute (our local ABC gets a two minute early start!) on both ends. Tivos could not handle two shows that overlapped by a minute on the same channel on one tuner--they would schedule one for each tuner.
> 
> The HR2x family all can realize that they just need to copy data from one recording to the other for that portion of overlap, so you can appear to be reocording 4 things for a short time, two overlapped on each of the two tuners.  Big help on Tuesday nites in our house as we'd record _NCIS_ and _The Unit_ and then try to record or watch other things on the other tuner.
> 
> ...


Tom, thanks for the detailed explanation and thanks to the others who posted an explanation. Funny that I really never noticed this on my TiVos, but I don't generally pad programs.

It doesn't appear that this will help me solve my Thursday night dilemma anyway. At 9:00 PM we record Grey's Anatomy (ABC), CSI, and Supernatural across three DVRs with slight differences in the priorities so that each program will get recorded on at least two DVRs. At 10:00 PM we record Without A Trace (CBS) and ER (NBC) on each DVR, again with different priorities. The problem is that Grey's Anatomy is always 1:00 plus a minute or two, so that the lower priority program scheduled for 10:00 PM never gets recorded because of that extra minute or two. Since neither program at 10:00 PM is on ABC, it appears that the padding wouldn't work anyway. Anyone have a workaround for this situation?


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

lucky13 said:


> Not in the menu, but:
> 
> The BACK button, which will bring up, in order, the previous service screens you've visited (Guide, ToDo, Info, etc.), and bring you to the place in the list you last were. Great way to get BACK to CC controls under the national release.
> 
> EXIT, which will kill the info banner and the progress bar when in pause or trickplay. *(Though I wish it would never exit from a playback to live TV.)*


You're not alone in that. See my signature for a link. Jeremy and I have been banging the drum for a long time seeking a change ...


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## rotohead (Nov 29, 2007)

Menu> 
*Previous Ch's >*
shows last 4 channels viewed, not including current one
scroll/select channels other then the last viewed...very handy when you spaced out that channel half hr ago that you wanted to check back on. 
Menu stays on screen until exit which I find helpful too. 
Maybe not a 'Gem' but handy for me none the less.


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## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

Tom, 

I want to clarify padding. If I'm recording two shows on the same channel back to back, say one from 7 to 801, and the other from 8 to 901, both padded by 1 minute, it will record both shows on the same tuner without a conflict, even while there are other shows recording at the same times on a different channel?

Thanks!


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## jbn (May 24, 2007)

rotohead said:


> Menu>
> *Previous Ch's >*
> shows last 4 channels viewed, not including current one
> scroll/select channels other then the last viewed...very handy when you spaced out that channel half hr ago that you wanted to check back on.
> ...


Totally agree!! I like how the Prev Ch's shows what's currently showing on each of the Prev Chs, not just the channel.

Nice thread


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## MeSue (Oct 7, 2007)

Couple which I didn't see mentioned yet:
Being able to set bookmarks to return to a specific spot in a show later.
Single button press to mark as keep.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

theratpatrol said:


> Tom,
> 
> I want to clarify padding. If I'm recording two shows on the same channel back to back, say one from 7 to 801, and the other from 8 to 901, both padded by 1 minute, it will record both shows on the same tuner without a conflict, even while there are other shows recording at the same times on a different channel?
> 
> Thanks!


That is correct.


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## hasan (Sep 22, 2006)

My Favorite since I plan a lot of recordings:

While in Guide, cursor all the way to the left until the channel number and name are highlighted. Then hit "Info". You get a listing of all the upcoming programs (scrollable), for the entire two week Guide period. Simply hitting the (R) button, marks the selected program for recording, and returns you to the list. This is a quick way of setting up movie recordings, and for reviewing a favorite channel's offerings for the entire two weeks.

I use this feature at least once a week on channels like MGM, to select movies that I want to record.


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## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

Lord Vader said:


> I find it a bit easier just to press the yellow button while in guide, then the "jump to date and time" option pops right up.


That must be only in the CE release then, it doesn't work for me in the NR.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

Oops. CE's have become so second nature for me that I think I forgot it *WAS * a CE. Dummy me. I deleted that post. The jury will disregard that last post.


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## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

Lord Vader said:


> Oops. CE's have become so second nature for me that I think I forgot it *WAS * a CE. Dummy me. I deleted that post. The jury will disregard that last post.


Its cool, I figured that is was a CE. 

"At your command Lord Vader."


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## Wilhite (May 5, 2004)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Over the past year... there have been a LOT of new features added to the system.
> 
> So many... that the "addendum" to the HR20/21 manual would be just as big as the original manual itself.
> 
> I am amazed at posts from people that find features... thinking they are new... that have been there for a long time.


Many of us don't live and breathe DVRs and, since there isn't any "addendum" that is published or maintained by Directv (that I am aware of), don't ever find out about these features. Sure, they may be pointed out here on this forum, but life intervenes for many of us and we don't have the time to read and digest each and every message/thread that's posted.

So, having said that - is there an "addendum" published where all of these great new features to our DVRs are pointed out? Or is it our responsibility to search out this information in bits and pieces?

Earl - Perhaps you can use your paths at D* to bring up the fact that the manual is vastly outdated and even refers to features and functionality that doesn't exist in the current hardware/software platform.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

There have been two forms of "updates" sent out. One was the "Spring Update" message that announced the new GUI when one first went to the playlist. 

DIRECTV has also sent out mailers with updated channel lists or remote control usage from time to time.

Back to our gems. 
Tom


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## Wilhite (May 5, 2004)

Tom Robertson said:


> There have been two forms of "updates" sent out. One was the "Spring Update" message that announced the new GUI when one first went to the playlist.
> 
> DIRECTV has also sent out mailers with updated channel lists or remote control usage from time to time.
> 
> ...


Not to derail the discussion too much, but for those of us who moved from the old platform to the new in the past 4-6 months (which would be quite a few people based on the initiatives that D* has taken in that timeframe), I'm guessing that we didn't get the "Spring Update" message and, therefore, didn't get all of the wonderful information that it contained. And, updated channel listings don't really give you information about these "gems".

In this thread so far (70 messages or so), there have been three things that have been brought up that people have asked for more information about:


Padding
Date and Time Jump
Program listing by channel

It would seem that I'm not the only person who is ignorant of these great features and could benefit from an updated manual or feature list.


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## willwonka (Aug 2, 2006)

Castlebill said:


> The much shorter CC on/off.


Is there something faster than hitting menu...display..cc


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

willwonka said:


> Is there something faster than hitting menu...display..cc


You must have a magic remote control. On mine, hitting Menu, Up, HELP& Settings, down, Setup down, down....DISPLAY, Green, On... is just not very fast at all.

The fastest way to turn CC _that is in a national release_ is still about 14 steps.

This will change soon, but isn't out yet.

Happy Holidays!
Tom


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## willwonka (Aug 2, 2006)

Tom Robertson said:


> You must have a magic remote control. On mine, hitting Menu, Up, HELP& Settings, down, Setup down, down....DISPLAY, Green, On... is just not very fast at all.
> 
> The fastest way to turn CC _that is in a national release_ is still about 14 steps.
> 
> ...


I agree it is a long process. I'm sorry I missed some steps as I'm not at home. It is a pain that I was curious to see if there was a faster way as someone mentioned.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

willwonka said:


> I agree it is a long process. I'm sorry I missed some steps as I'm not at home. It is a pain that I was curious to see if there was a faster way as someone mentioned.


LOL, ok, my bad, I misread your question.

Yes, a much faster way is in the works, is in test right now, and should be coming to HR20s fairly soon, depending on how the holidays affect things.

Happy Holidays!
Tom


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

Wilhite said:


> Padding
> Date and Time Jump
> Program listing by channel
> 
> It would seem that I'm not the only person who is ignorant of these great features and could benefit from an updated manual or feature list.


Sounds like you're not the only person who hasn't read the manual that exists either.

The padding, well that's not something the user initiates, it's there and there is no need to describe this feature.

Date and Time jump is listed on page 32:
_
Date & Time
This option gives you a convenient way to jump several days ahead in the Guide, without having to scroll through pages of programs._

Programs by channel on page 18:

_Press INFO when you've highlighted a show in the Guide to view a more in-depth description and options. Pressing INFO when you've highlighted the channel name displays the channel's listing for up to 14 days._

Here's a link to the manual.

http://www.directv.com/see/pdf/060508HR20UserGuidev1_0b.pdf

Now why should we, or DirecTv think that you'll read an addendum any more thoroughly than you read the original?


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Tom Robertson said:


> LOL, ok, my bad, I misread your question.
> 
> Yes, a much faster way is in the works, is in test right now, and should be coming to HR20s fairly soon, depending on how the holidays affect things.
> 
> ...


For more details, visit our Cutting Edge forum.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

TomF said:


> Tom, thanks for the detailed explanation and thanks to the others who posted an explanation. Funny that I really never noticed this on my TiVos, but I don't generally pad programs.
> 
> It doesn't appear that this will help me solve my Thursday night dilemma anyway. At 9:00 PM we record Grey's Anatomy (ABC), CSI, and Supernatural across three DVRs with slight differences in the priorities so that each program will get recorded on at least two DVRs. At 10:00 PM we record Without A Trace (CBS) and ER (NBC) on each DVR, again with different priorities. The problem is that Grey's Anatomy is always 1:00 plus a minute or two, so that the lower priority program scheduled for 10:00 PM never gets recorded because of that extra minute or two. Since neither program at 10:00 PM is on ABC, it appears that the padding wouldn't work anyway. Anyone have a workaround for this situation?


One approach might be to record each program just once. Are you really having that many problems with missed recordings that you have to record the same program on different DVR's? In the past year I have only missed one recorded program.


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> I am thinking more of items that you select and choose from the menus...
> Something that someone might not notice because of where it is placed...
> 
> but all the others are GEMS none the less.


No question - recording defaults. It was a real pain changing them for each and every recording.


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

Tom Robertson said:


> Since this is one of my favorite invisible gems, I'd be happy to explain. I pad all my shows by at least a minute (our local ABC gets a two minute early start!) on both ends. Tivos could not handle two shows that overlapped by a minute on the same channel on one tuner--they would schedule one for each tuner.
> 
> The HR2x family all can realize that they just need to copy data from one recording to the other for that portion of overlap, so you can appear to be reocording 4 things for a short time, two overlapped on each of the two tuners.  Big help on Tuesday nites in our house as we'd record _NCIS_ and _The Unit_ and then try to record or watch other things on the other tuner.
> 
> ...


Does it ALWAYS pad or only when it can? I would like all my shows padded by 1-2 minutes on each end when possible. However if the padding would cause another show to not be recorded I could do without it. Is this possible?


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

hasan said:


> My Favorite since I plan a lot of recordings:
> 
> While in Guide, cursor all the way to the left until the channel number and name are highlighted. Then hit "Info". You get a listing of all the upcoming programs (scrollable), for the entire two week Guide period. Simply hitting the (R) button, marks the selected program for recording, and returns you to the list. This is a quick way of setting up movie recordings, and for reviewing a favorite channel's offerings for the entire two weeks.
> 
> I use this feature at least once a week on channels like MGM, to select movies that I want to record.


This is the closet thing we have to the TiVo list guide and I use it often, but it's just too darn slow on the HR20 wih the "please wait" all the time.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

Sirshagg said:


> Does it ALWAYS pad or only when it can? I would like all my shows padded by 1-2 minutes on each end when possible. However if the padding would cause another show to not be recorded I could do without it. Is this possible?


It doesn't automatically pad like the old TiVo hack "Endpad Plus". What it does is utilize only one tuner if you've padded a show and the next show is on the same channel effectively using one tuner where the TiVo incarnations would use 2.

Endpad Plus was the most awesome hack out there and I cannot believe that no DVR maker has added it as a stock feature. What it did was allow a user configurable amount of padding to the beginning and end of the show(each was configurable), and applied it to every show UNLESS it would result in a conflict. In those cases it didn't add it. Incredible hack that really should be a feature of EVERY DVR.


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

Xaa said:


> It doesn't automatically pad like the old TiVo hack "Endpad Plus". What it does is utilize only one tuner if you've padded a show and the next show is on the same channel effectively using one tuner where the TiVo incarnations would use 2.
> 
> Endpad Plus was the most awesome hack out there and I cannot believe that no DVR maker has added it as a stock feature. What it did was allow a user configurable amount of padding to the beginning and end of the show(each was configurable), and applied it to every show UNLESS it would result in a conflict. In those cases it didn't add it. Incredible hack that really should be a feature of EVERY DVR.


Yep. That's what I want on the HR20. Can we have it for next weeks CE please


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## pfueri (Jan 22, 2007)

So what features in the system are your hidden "GEMS"....

For me:
-) Mark & Delete
-) Date & Time Jump

These two features of the system.... I use constantly.....

How do you do date and time jump so I don't have to use the red and green button's? If this is the wrong place to ask i"m sorry. Thanks Paul


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

pfueri said:


> How do you do date and time jump so I don't have to use the red and green button's? If this is the wrong place to ask i"m sorry. Thanks Paul


When you're in the guide press menu and choose Date and Time. That's it.

I understand that process gets even easier in the current CE release.


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## Game Fan (Sep 8, 2007)

30 skip and on certain Friday's & Saturdays, about 10 PM cst, 02468.


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## TigerDriver (Jul 27, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Over the past year... there have been a LOT of new features added to the system.
> 
> So many... that the "addendum" to the HR20/21 manual would be just as big as the original manual itself.
> 
> ...


Is anyone documenting these "gems" as they're added?


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

They're documented in the manual Joe.


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## Tiger Tony (Dec 16, 2006)

The HD Channel filter is my gem. No need for me to see the SD channels listed in the guide.


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## pfueri (Jan 22, 2007)

Xaa said:


> When you're in the guide press menu and choose Date and Time. That's it.
> 
> I have tried that but it don't work .I have the latest software download.maybe thats why I could'nt find it before .I have tried it on both of my HR 20 700's


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

pfueri said:


> Xaa said:
> 
> 
> > When you're in the guide press menu and choose Date and Time. That's it.
> ...


Hmmmm, it's a feature that's been there since the beginning.

Press guide to pull it up.
Then press the menu button.
Scroll down to Date and Time. You may need to scroll past the bottom as there are a lot of items in that menu and not all are on screen.

As mentioned in the latest CE's this gets even easier and will make it out to everyone once the beta is over.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

Here is one I bet many people don't know about.

* Mark and delete saved/recent searches

If you go into Search and pick "Recent Searches" this list can get pretty messy if you use it often. If you press Menu you get the same mark and delete option you have in the Playlist. This allows quick deletion of saved searches you no longer want.


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## kevinwmsn (Aug 19, 2006)

My favorites:

30 Sec Skip
1 Button Record
New DLB workaround
Video Sharing from PC
Double Dash Delete


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## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

Xaa said:


> It doesn't automatically pad like the old TiVo hack "Endpad Plus". What it does is utilize only one tuner if you've padded a show and the next show is on the same channel effectively using one tuner where the TiVo incarnations would use 2.
> 
> Endpad Plus was the most awesome hack out there and I* cannot believe that no DVR maker has added it as a stock feature.* What it did was allow a user configurable amount of padding to the beginning and end of the show(each was configurable), and applied it to every show UNLESS it would result in a conflict. In those cases it didn't add it. Incredible hack that really should be a feature of EVERY DVR.


Actually, Ultimate TV had it stocked. It would start 1 minute early and end 5 minutes late (30 minutes late for sports) unless there was a conflict, then it would start and end on time.


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## pfueri (Jan 22, 2007)

bonscott87 said:


> Hmmmm, it's a feature that's been there since the beginning.
> 
> Press guide to pull it up.
> Then press the menu button.
> ...


It just don't work.I hit guide one time then menu one time it it shows menu with everything shown on one page.I don't see a date and time on the menu


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## John in Georgia (Sep 24, 2006)

One of my "gems" is still the bookmarking feature.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

pfueri said:


> It just don't work.I hit guide one time then menu one time it it shows menu with everything shown on one page.I don't see a date and time on the menu


Do us a favor man. Hit Guide, then hit menu, then scroll down. For me it shows on the second page. There just has not been any version of software that didn't have it. It's there.

Edit to add: Hey, you have to actually be in the grid of the guide. If you still have that set to access the categories on the first push of guide and the actual grid guide on the second push, then you need to push guide twice. From the category page it is not a menu option. It is from within the grid itself.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

pfueri said:


> It just don't work.I hit guide one time then menu one time it it shows menu with everything shown on one page.I don't see a date and time on the menu


Like I said, you need to arrow down to the bottom and keep going, there is more that you don't see.  In fact many of the menus have more options that aren't displayed on the first "page", arrow down and find more goodies.


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## pfueri (Jan 22, 2007)

Xaa said:


> Do us a favor man. Hit Guide, then hit menu, then scroll down. For me it shows on the second page. There just has not been any version of software that didn't have it. It's there.
> 
> Edit to add: Hey, you have to actually be in the grid of the guide. If you still have that set to access the categories on the first push of guide and the actual grid guide on the second push, then you need to push guide twice. From the category page it is not a menu option. It is from within the grid itself.


look i now what i'm doing it's not there it is not there. this is fhe problem if it was there i would have found it


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

pfueri said:


> look i now what i'm doing it's not there it is not there. this is fhe problem if it was there i would have found it


I'm not trying to insult man, just help out. Any chance you can take a digital picture of the screens you're seeing? I believe you're not seeing it yet at the same time I'm certain it exists on your machine.


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## pfueri (Jan 22, 2007)

Xaa said:


> I'm not trying to insult man, just help out. Any chance you can take a digital picture of the screens you're seeing? I believe you're not seeing it yet at the same time I'm certain it exists on your machine.


This is what I have to do to get to the time and date option.guide 2 times then the yellow button that is when I see the guide option menu.At no time did any body tell me I had to hit the yellow button.I should have seen the yellow button on the grid but i was just trying what every body was telling me to do instead of looking closly to the grid and when you told me that it is in the grid I saw the yellow button .


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## TigerDriver (Jul 27, 2007)

Xaa said:


> They're documented in the manual Joe.


Ah, so all the stuff mentioned here are just to bring the HR20 functionality up the published manual?


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

I think there are a few things not in the manual, but most of this stuff is already in there. Alot can be found in the tips and tricks thread that's been being cataloged for awhile.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=747592


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

pfueri said:


> This is what I have to do to get to the time and date option.guide 2 times then the yellow button that is when I see the guide option menu.At no time did any body tell me I had to hit the yellow button.I should have seen the yellow button on the grid but i was just trying what every body was telling me to do instead of looking closly to the grid and when you told me that it is in the grid I saw the yellow button .


Ah, sounds like you're on a CE release because the yellow button feature is not national yet. From the grid if you hit menu instead of yellow, do you see it still on the second page? I'm not running CE so I don't know, but I would be surprised if they took it out. As I re-read the things you posted, I started to think you still had your guide set to 2 pushes to get to the grid and thought that was our failing point.

Did you know that you can make it so the grid comes up on the first guide press by changing the setting in the Display area of the setup menu?

Glad you found it man. I look forward to the yellow button going national as it will be even easier than today.


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## TigerDriver (Jul 27, 2007)

Favorites:

1. Left Arrow to back out of menus. Just like the HR10.

2. Eliminate Duplicate HD/SD guide option

3. HD-only Guide (although I'd like all options on this page to be "sticky," that is, the last choice is remembered and becomes the default. (Stickiness would be good for many menus, especially context-sensitive ones.)


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## TigerDriver (Jul 27, 2007)

Xaa said:


> I think there are a few things not in the manual, but most of this stuff is already in there. Alot can be found in the tips and tricks thread that's been being cataloged for awhile.
> 
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=747592


If most of this stuff is in the manual, why is the file entitled,

"Over 150 *Undocumented* HD DVR PLUS Tips & Tricks."

I'm not trying to be a SA, just trying to make certain I'm reading the most recent document. What I downloaded is Version 3.6.

Any reason why the version number can't to be included in text portion of the Anchor tag?


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## TigerDriver (Jul 27, 2007)

richlife said:


> My "gem" is the obvious change to the yellow button for access to TV options and the resulting addition of "Manage Recordings" to the Menu. I'm a late adherent to the latter having originally opposed Earl's defense. But I now think it was well done.
> 
> Except (you knew there was an except, didn't you). I think the Menu button should display Manage Recordings first at the top. It is the one thing I want to access often. Playlist (now first) has a separate button for direct access -- why put it in my way? Swap "My Playlist" and "Manage Recordings" and you have a good Menu.


Which menu are you talking about?


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

TigerDriver said:


> Which menu are you talking about?


It's in the latest CE cycle, not national release. Those on CE's shouldn't be posting CE only new features in this thread.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

TigerDriver said:


> If most of this stuff is in the manual, why is the file entitled,
> 
> "Over 150 *Undocumented* HD DVR PLUS Tips & Tricks."
> 
> ...


I just meant most of the things mentioned in this thread.

I can't answer the rest of your post and I don't even know what an SA is, so I sure wouldn't acuse you of being it.


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## jefirdjr (Feb 20, 2006)

pfueri said:


> Xaa said:
> 
> 
> > When you're in the guide press menu and choose Date and Time. That's it.
> ...


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

pfueri said:


> This is what I have to do to get to the time and date option.guide 2 times then the yellow button that is when I see the guide option menu.At no time did any body tell me I had to hit the yellow button.I should have seen the yellow button on the grid but i was just trying what every body was telling me to do instead of looking closly to the grid and when you told me that it is in the grid I saw the yellow button .





bonscott87 said:


> It's in the latest CE cycle, not national release. Those on CE's shouldn't be posting CE only new features in this thread.


bonscott87 is 100% correct ... Because this thread is located in the HR20/HR21 Q&A forum, the discussion should be limited to only features available in the National Release software. In the National Release software, the Quick Menu still has the context sensitive options, but eventually when the NR software is updated, that will change.

To anyone interested in learning more about the CE Process, including risks associated with using test software, please visit the Cutting Edge forum for more information.


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

Xaa said:


> ...and I don't even know what an SA is, so I sure wouldn't acuse you of being it.


Typically used to refer to "smart" in association with a portion of a persons anatomy.:eek2:

But then the poster may have also meant subliminal assocation.

Carl


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## JimmyK (Dec 16, 2007)

My GEMs for my HR21-700 are listed below. Since this is my first DVR, I don't know if these are unqiue or new to HR21.

1. 30-sec Skip during DVR playback.
2. Program listing by channel.
3. Favorites filtered by Channel Category (selected channel type in my Favorite list only).

On the other hand, my wish lists:



Castlebill said:


> The much shorter CC on/off.


1. I ditto faster CC on/off; maybe 1-button.
2. Favorites filtered by Category Sort. Right now, the Category Sort does not combine with (filter from) my Favorites channel list. Instead, Category Sort shows all channels, including PPV.
3. Under Showings (other show times of same program), mark the showings where I scheduled another recording. This way, I can pick 1st show time to record with least conflict.


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## Bizarroterl (Oct 20, 2006)

My favorite feature is CIG. Who needs to pay for extra channels?


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