# All Seasons/Play Next function in latest National Release... your thoughts?



## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

You might have noticed two new features in the latest national release for Genie:

-"Play Next"... the solution for bingewatching. Like Netflix, this provides a seamless transition from episode to episode if you have more than one recorded.

-"All Seasons"... this is a complete revamping of the search/record process. You have the power to record "All Seasons" of a show on all channels. It's easier than ever to get caught up.

What do you think? Is it better? Is it worse? Let's have a good, helpful discussion... our friends at DIRECTV are watching.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Both great features!

Play next should give more time before it launches automatically into next ep, as sometimes people are not quite ready to do so. 

Haven't used "All Seasons" yet, but hope to soon when I set up a new DVR to replace an older one. Masterpiece Mystery, Contemporary, and Classic are all ones I want to record everything of, but it's on a local PBS, so don't know if that feature will work for non-national channels.


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

How does "Play Next" work? Does it gives you the option to play the next episode once the current one ends?


----------



## woj027 (Sep 3, 2007)

when you say this is available on the Genie, does that mean it works on the C31's and C41's? or just the HR34 and HR44's?


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

woj027 said:


> when you say this is available on the Genie, does that mean it works on the C31's and C41's? or just the HR34 and HR44's?


All genies and genie minis.... So it works on the clients as well.


----------



## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

I love these new features! But I agree with LAXguy about the next episode coming up too fast if you don't make a choice withing the set time limit.


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

Where do you see Play Next?


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

You'll need a folder with two or more episodes of a series. When the oldest one is through playing, it'll start to play the next one shortly unless you abort it. (It asks, then plays a few moments later.)


----------



## prushing (Feb 14, 2007)

I wish it would default to not showing the next one unless I pushed play or ok, not work like it does to automatically play unless I cancel it


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

I don't think this is an new feature because I've done this before, where it will play the next episode automatically. If you push play on the show folder (instead of opening the folder and choosing an episode), the Genie will play the oldest one and play the next one in line. It's nothing new. The feature has been there many months ago.


----------



## prushing (Feb 14, 2007)

toobs said:


> I don't think this is an new feature because I've done this before, where it will play the next episode automatically. If you push play on the show folder (instead of opening the folder and choosing an episode), the Genie will play the oldest one and play the next one in line. It's nothing new. The feature has been there many months ago.


This is new because it does it without you pressing play on the folder. There is a pop-up menu after you select delete or keep and it will start the next one in 4 seconds or something like that.

Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

prushing said:


> This is new because it does it without you pressing play on the folder. There is a pop-up menu after you select delete or keep and it will start the next one in 4 seconds or something like that.
> 
> Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk


Also it will do it even if the episodes are in different folders. . And yes it is possible to make that happen and not to hard to do either.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

toobs said:


> I don't think this is an new feature because I've done this before, where it will play the next episode automatically. If you push play on the show folder (instead of opening the folder and choosing an episode), the Genie will play the oldest one and play the next one in line. It's nothing new. The feature has been there many months ago.


In addition to what he said if you press play on an episode in a folder it still gives you the keep or delete at the end. Then whichever you chose it then asks if you want to watch the next episode.

By the way all this only works on shows that are recorded with the new firmware on genies. It won't work on old shows that are already on your genie or shows recorded on non genies.


----------



## dogbreath (Apr 26, 2006)

I like it and would like to see it come to HR-24.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

Both features are nice. :up:

I just tried All Seasons; there was a show which I thought I had previously recorded as a series but it turns out I only recorded one episode. So I went into Smart Search, found the show, and I liked how it displayed the shows by Season; very nice. Upon record, I also liked how it asked if I wanted to record that Season only or also future Seasons.

I've also been using the folder play to sequentially play the shows in that folder. Fire TV also has the Play Next feature and it definitely is a convenient feature in that you do not have to go back to any menu or screen, etc.; you can just continue to watch the next show automatically. However, there can be a downside to the automatic play: There have been occasions where I dozed off but it kept on playing into subsequent episodes and next thing I know is that I have woken up in the middle of some future episode! :eek2: So if I had to choose, I'd prefer that it wait for me to select Play Next.


----------



## adamson (Nov 9, 2007)

Need an option to turn this off. Not sure where Im at with this.


----------



## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

prushing said:


> I wish it would default to not showing the next one unless I pushed play or ok, not work like it does to automatically play unless I cancel it


I agree. In a perfect world, we would be able to set our default in one of the Settings screens. Like prushing, I would set this to not play automatically unless I chose to do so.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

The tendency seems to be conformity rather than choices. I think it'd be better just giving a dialog to choose to play or not, rather than automatically playing unless nixed.


----------



## keebler21 (Oct 22, 2011)

Been using the "all seasons" feature and seems to be working really well. Haven't used the play next feature yet but I agree with others that the time should be a bit longer or just wait for user input? I love being able to immediately tell what season and episode a show is. Overall much needed and great features!


----------



## discoliveson (Feb 4, 2012)

I like it.


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

Time Warner has the same thing on their 6 turner DVR.

•Binge watch select series easily by starting the next episode the moment your program ends


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Heh. If you're really binging, you'll FF through the ending credits/whatever (sometimes "what's coming next week"- which I never watch).


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

So, in order for it to work, do you have to play through the credits, until the end of the recording?


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

I believe that FF to the end would work, but cannot test right now.


----------



## mrknowitall526 (Nov 19, 2014)

My HR44-700 got this at 3:47 am today! Can't wait to check it out


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> I believe that FF to the end would work, but cannot test right now.


Yes it works when you ffwd to the end.


----------



## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

I haven't seen or used NEXT yet - seems like an OK feature but no big deal.

As I have stated on software update thread - new seasons search seems to have removed features I used. First I don't see what the difference between selecting an episode and saying record series - and this feature.
Also I can't do what I used to do in smart search - I want to watch episodes of Deadwood an HBO series of years ago. I used to be able to search and it would show on demand from the smart search. Now it only shows season 1, 2, 3 and I have to select a season and them setting which means I would have to wait until HBO decides to rebroadcast if ever and it would record all. I can still do this by searching on Demand and can, at the moment, select which I want - but the regular smart search doesn' show on demand anymore.

I haven't tried yet but can I still only get 1 episode of a current program - if it is scheduled or do I have to do an entire season?
So now I need to search in both smart search and on demand it find an episode if I don't know if currently scheduled or can only find on demand.

A step very far backwards DirecTv.


----------



## woj027 (Sep 3, 2007)

I'm still disappointed that I can't see the Season/Episode information either within the first list in the guide, or when I look at the information on the actual show. Its annoying playing catch up and you don't now what order to play in.

Does this resolve at least the playing in correct order concept?


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

CTJon said:


> I haven't seen or used NEXT yet - seems like an OK feature but no big deal.
> 
> As I have stated on software update thread - new seasons search seems to have removed features I used. First I don't see what the difference between selecting an episode and saying record series - and this feature.
> Also I can't do what I used to do in smart search - I want to watch episodes of Deadwood an HBO series of years ago. I used to be able to search and it would show on demand from the smart search. Now it only shows season 1, 2, 3 and I have to select a season and them setting which means I would have to wait until HBO decides to rebroadcast if ever and it would record all. I can still do this by searching on Demand and can, at the moment, select which I want - but the regular smart search doesn' show on demand anymore.
> ...


If you use the all seasons option to set the recording it will record the show on all channels you get rather than just the channel You set up the recording on if you simply chose it from the guide. Not to noticeable for a new show but massive difference for a show like friends that is on upwards of five channels.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

woj027 said:


> I'm still disappointed that I can't see the Season/Episode information either within the first list in the guide, or when I look at the information on the actual show. Its annoying playing catch up and you don't now what order to play in.
> 
> Does this resolve at least the playing in correct order concept?


IMDB.com is your friend!


----------



## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

I have found that if you select an episode it will just record that - it doesn't tell you that it is an on demand vs. an active show. I don't like it - so stuff that is on the air still - you don't necessary know what you are recording.
Great maybe if you want a season recording but how but if you want this season and next - does selecting this season continue to next? Still was better to select an episode and then select record series.

Not worth the extra effort and not a step forward.


----------



## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

CTJon said:


> I have found that if you select an episode it will just record that - it doesn't tell you that it is an on demand vs. an active show.


Isn't there a VOD icon next to any on demand episodes in the search results?


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

CTJon said:


> I have found that if you select an episode it will just record that - it doesn't tell you that it is an on demand vs. an active show. I don't like it - so stuff that is on the air still - you don't necessary know what you are recording.


The information is there. I always look at "Other Showings" to see if I can get a live repeat.


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

Even though you enable all seasons, it doesn't mean that it will record all seasons. Many networks doesn't rerun their older shows in order.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> You might have noticed two new features in the latest national release for Genie:
> 
> -"Play Next"... the solution for bingewatching. Like Netflix, this provides a seamless transition from episode to episode if you have more than one recorded.
> 
> ...


I'm honestly not a fan of the way Play Next is implemented. If I have a folder of recordings and want to play in Sequence, I'll press PLAY on the folder itself.

I also dislike that it has a such a short countdown to play the next episode - it's not even long enough to read the entire prompt and understand the choices before the next episode launches. In my humble opinion, the countdown should automatically stop when I press UP or DOWN to change the selection, which would give me more time to read the prompt and react, especially if I don't intend to play the next episode.

I also think there should be an option under Settings to allow customers to choose a default "Play Next" mode, something like this:

Default Play Next Mode; 
Choice 1 = Play Next Episode
Choice 2 = Don't Play Next Episode
Choice 3 = Disable Play Next

Choices 1 and 2 would show the prompt and the countdown, but would take the default action when the countdown runs out (play next, or do nothing). Choice 3 would prevent the prompt from even appearing...


----------



## woj027 (Sep 3, 2007)

Laxguy said:


> IMDB.com is your friend!


Indeed it is, except when I have 5-10 episodes in random order on my list. It should be easier.

Update... now seeing on newly recorded shows the Episode/Series in the title of the episode. YAY!


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

woj027 said:


> Indeed it is, except when I have 5-10 episodes in random order on my list. It should be easier.
> 
> Update... now seeing on newly recorded shows the Episode/Series in the title of the episode. YAY!


Cool. Excellent!

Not quite sure what programs get it and which ones do not, but it will sort out over time.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

toobs said:


> Even though you enable all seasons, it doesn't mean that it will record all seasons. Many networks doesn't rerun their older shows in order.


It will record all seasons from any and all channels the show is on and it will store them in episode order In the folder in your playlist not recorded order. Eventually it'll get them all depending on the rotation of episodes on the channels.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

woj027 said:


> Indeed it is, except when I have 5-10 episodes in random order on my list. It should be easier.
> 
> Update... now seeing on newly recorded shows the Episode/Series in the title of the episode. YAY!


You will see it on all new stuff. Just not old stuff already recorded in the past.


----------



## Blurayfan (Nov 16, 2005)

One cool part of the season and episode info included is that when that is combined with the play next feature. Play next will play the episodes in the correct order, no matter how they were recorded.


----------



## adamson (Nov 9, 2007)

Drew2k said:


> I'm honestly not a fan of the way Play Next is implemented. If I have a folder of recordings and want to play in Sequence, I'll press PLAY on the folder itself.
> 
> I also dislike that it has a such a short countdown to play the next episode - it's not even long enough to read the entire prompt and understand the choices before the next episode launches. In my humble opinion, the countdown should automatically stop when I press UP or DOWN to change the selection, which would give me more time to read the prompt and react, especially if I don't intend to play the next episode.
> 
> ...


Exactly!

I have ocd issues and when a recording has been touched prior to me selecting it to watch....I hate it. Also will confuse me period.


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

I can't get Play Next to work. Does the playlist has to be in certain order?


----------



## hasan (Sep 22, 2006)

So, if I'm 4 episodes behind and I select just the oldest to begin catching up, if I leave the room towards the end of this episode, the playback will proceed to play each newer episode automatically?

If this is how it works, I don't like it at all. Please give us an option to turn this off! The reason I don't like this is if I walk away or become otherwise occupied, all 4 episodes will be marked as played, and I have no idea where I really left off watching in the group of recordings.

With the old scenario, if I started watching the oldest episode and fell asleep, the only episode marked as played (gray instead of bright white in the list) would be the episode I started playing.

Since I can get the exact performance as play next by hitting play on the folder instead of an individual episode, I don't see the need for play next. If it has to exist, however,* please give us the option of turning this "feature" off. *

The other new "season" feature looks pretty interesting.


----------



## mrdobolina (Aug 28, 2006)

Blurayfan said:


> One cool part of the season and episode info included is that when that is combined with the play next feature. Play next will play the episodes in the correct order, no matter how they were recorded.


Now THAT is a great feature!!


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

+1.

I still can't get Play Next to work. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.


----------



## prushing (Feb 14, 2007)

toobs said:


> +1.
> 
> I still can't get Play Next to work. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.


Do you have any recordings with the S#|E# yet in 1 folder?

I think it only works then.


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

Yes, Pawn Stars. Last night I was watching them and nothing happened at the end of the first episode. It didn't go on at playing the next one.


----------



## Blurayfan (Nov 16, 2005)

toobs said:


> Yes, Pawn Stars. Last night I was watching them and nothing happened at the end of the first episode. It didn't go on at playing the next one.


There is a delay, and Play Next only kicks in if you don't respond to the Delete or Don't delete prompt.


----------



## mrdobolina (Aug 28, 2006)

Blurayfan said:


> There is a delay, and Play Next only kicks in if you don't respond to the Delete or Don't delete prompt.


Do you also need to have several/at least 2 episodes recorded with the new software in place that has the S#E# in the description? Perhaps that's toobs' problem?


----------



## Blurayfan (Nov 16, 2005)

mrdobolina said:


> Do you also need to have several/at least 2 episodes recorded with the new software in place that has the S#E# in the description? Perhaps that's toobs' problem?


I just tested this and that is correct. Play Next does require at least two recordings that include S#:E#.


----------



## mrdobolina (Aug 28, 2006)

Thought so. My anecdotal evidence was that it didn't work until I watched something that had recorded several episodes with the new software (@Midnight records 4 days a week and I just got the new software on Monday).


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

I should record some random shows like on the Food Network and test it out.


----------



## jagrim (Aug 26, 2006)

They need to have a way to disable this function or change the default to not play.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Blurayfan said:


> There is a delay, and Play Next only kicks in if you don't respond to the Delete or Don't delete prompt.


it will after you respond as well.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

toobs said:


> I should record some random shows like on the Food Network and test it out.


Try friends. It's on a million channels completely out of order and it's nice how it gets all warped up and organized neatly. And then record one episode by a different means like a people search for one of the stars so it falls in a different folder.


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

I wonder if Play Next will work on VOD. Like downloading something like The Wire.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

toobs said:


> I wonder if Play Next will work on VOD. Like downloading something like The Wire.


Yes


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

I think that I got Play Next to work. Not sure why you want to turn this off. Almost all of the time, I stop the playback with before the recording ends. I never wait until I get the message if I want to keep or delete the show. If you don't want to play the next episode, just stop the playback before you get "keep or delete" message.


----------



## hasan (Sep 22, 2006)

toobs said:


> I think that I got Play Next to work. Not sure why you want to turn this off. Almost all of the time, I stop the playback with before the recording ends. I never wait until I get the message if I want to keep or delete the show. If you don't want to play the next episode, just stop the playback before you get "keep or delete" message.


It's called falling asleep while watching. Happens every night for some of us, only to wake up and find all episodes marked played, when you only should have one episode marked played (the one you were watching when you fell asleep, or otherwise became distracted). That's why some of us want to turn this "feature" off.

Not only that, when an episode is marked "played" by this automatic runaway play feature, there is no way to unmark it as played. So even if you could remember when you dozed off, you can't go back an mark an episode as unplayed.

This "feature" has unintended consequences and should be redesigned to allow the user to choose how the DVR functions. The box works for us, not the other way around...or at least it should.

One size does not fit all, so give us a choice.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

hasan said:


> hasan, on 20 Dec 2014 - 03:36 AM, said:
> 
> It's called falling asleep while watching. Happens every night for some of us, only to wake up and find all episodes marked played, when you only should have one episode marked played (the one you were watching when you fell asleep, or otherwise became distracted). That's why some of us want to turn this "feature" off.
> 
> ...


That's exactly what happened to me with the Play Next feature on my Fire TV: I fall asleep and then I awake to some future episode already playing in progress! Then, in my less-than-fully-alert state, I have to scramble to tune out what I'm seeing/hearing, find the remote, and stop the playback.


----------



## GTS (Mar 4, 2007)

Blurayfan said:


> There is a delay, and Play Next only kicks in if you don't respond to the Delete or Don't delete prompt.


If I'm not there to reply, then I'm probably not there to watch. Don't Play unless I've told you to do so!

If we elect to watch the entire folder's content, we can hit play on the folder and then not only will all episodes play, but we're not bothered by the keep/delete pop up.

Better implementation:

Instead of the keep/dete first, change the pop up to "Play Next/Keep/Delete", then upon no reply continue as has been the norm - no reply - watch live TV.

Not a bad feature, just poorly prioritized. Whatever the outcome, please do not remove or change the original "Play Folder" option.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Actually I think not going to the playing next Pop up unless one choses either delete or keep would satisfy everyone. Just let it sit at the keep or delete pop up and go into screen saver mode. 

But I wonder how many people really would have this issue.


----------



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

I don't like either feature.

Play Next for many of the reasons others have listed:

1. If I want to binge watch, I'd just hit play on the folder
2. If I'm not paying attention, I don't want the next episode to start
3. Even if I am binge watching, it's much quicker for me to just pull up the list and start the next episode most of the time anyway.

Seasons:

99% of the recordings I set up are for new series, so previous seasons are useless (and don't exist). On the ones that do have previous seasons, it just seems confusing to me. For some reason I no longer had a series set up for Ax Men, so I went to set one up. The options show Season 8 and Season 1. I have no idea what season the current season is, so I didn't know if the season had already started, or if season 9 was about to start. Opening a few folders allowed me to determine this, but I prefer the way it was before where it just showed the next showing and I could just set up my Series from that.


----------



## GTS (Mar 4, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> Actually I think not going to the playing next Pop up unless one choses either delete or keep would satisfy everyone. Just let it sit at the keep or delete pop up and go into screen saver mode.
> 
> But I wonder how many people really would have this issue.


Please - No Screen Saver - while an actual program is on. When on a music channel, ok. Just go to live TV upon no user input.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

If you're away from the TV, hit Pause, select a live show, whatever; automatically playing the next ep. when you're not paying attention is no reason to scotch the feature. But double clicking on the folder works just fine; I imagine that relatively few folks know about it. (Yes, almost everyone here, but then we are all "special"!) 

For this: 


> The options show Season 8 and Season 1. I have no idea what season the current season is, so I didn't know if the season had already started, or if season 9 was about to start. Opening a few folders allowed me to determine this, but I prefer the way it was before where it just showed the next showing and I could just set up my Series from that.


IMDB will usually give just the right info.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

GTS said:


> Please - No Screen Saver - while an actual program is on. When on a music channel, ok. Just go to live TV upon no user input.


How often is this a problem? Mine comes on only after many hours (4?) of not hitting the remote. That never happens here. Is it about four hours for you?


----------



## GTS (Mar 4, 2007)

Laxguy said:


> If you're away from the TV, hit Pause, select a live show, whatever; automatically playing the next ep. when you're not paying attention is no reason to scotch the feature. But double clicking on the folder works just fine; I imagine that relatively few folks know about it. (Yes, almost everyone here, but then we are all "special"!)


Again - Change the 2 choice Keep/Delete option to the new "Improved" three choice option "Play Next/Keep/Delete" upon user input, perform the action. No user option, continue as has always been and should always be, go to live TV.

Done and done. Everyone should now be accommodated, no?


----------



## GTS (Mar 4, 2007)

Laxguy said:


> How often is this a problem? Mine comes on only after many hours (4?) of not hitting the remote. That never happens here. Is it about four hours for you?


I was just replying to inkahauts post - to go to screen saver after no reply timeout.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

GTS said:


> Again - Change the 2 choice Keep/Delete option to the new "Improved" three choice option "Play Next/Keep/Delete" upon user input, perform the action. No user option, continue as has always been and should always be, go to live TV.
> 
> Done and done. Everyone should now be accommodated, no?


Yes, and I like that solution.


----------



## toobs (Oct 10, 2012)

I think that we're nitpicking now.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

GTS said:


> Please - No Screen Saver - while an actual program is on. When on a music channel, ok. Just go to live TV upon no user input.


Why? You are not watching it! That's the only way it'd ever come up, if you wheren't there watching it. Otherwise you would have selected an option. This just makes it easier to sleep IMHO for those who didn't like the feature because they would otherwise sleep through many shows.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

GTS said:


> Again - Change the 2 choice Keep/Delete option to the new "Improved" three choice option "Play Next/Keep/Delete" upon user input, perform the action. No user option, continue as has always been and should always be, go to live TV.
> 
> Done and done. Everyone should now be accommodated, no?


No, not at all. I want to be able to delete the old episode I just watched then start the next. The only thing needed is for it not to every auto chose, and never just return to live tv... as that is what everyone is complaining about.


----------



## GTS (Mar 4, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> No, not at all. I want to be able to delete the old episode I just watched then start the next. The only thing needed is for it not to every auto chose, and never just return to live tv... as that is what everyone is complaining about.


Why wouldn't you be able to delete the watched and start the new? I assume by every you mean ever - and I agree, never auto choose. As for the rest, I missed the part where everyone was complaining about going to "live" TV. As for the no screen saver - I like the background "noise". Plus, this results in the least coding changes.


----------



## RadioactiveToy (Dec 23, 2014)

Has anyone found a way to turn this off? I can see this being useful for some things, but others its just annoying, at least to me.

Example, I have Castle setup on my DVR, I am fully caught up on this and I don't need to re-watch stuff that I don't have set to record. Monday was a repeat from a previous season. I watched the episode and didn't get to the delete at the end of the show and the next episode from that season started playing via VOD, why?

I can see if I am binge watching something I have recorded, but it shouldn't automatically go to VOD and start getting other episodes of the show. At least give us the option to turn off the feature if we don't want it. I am sure its going to be great for some people, but I just don't need or want it unless I tell it to do so.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

RadioactiveToy said:


> Has anyone found a way to turn this off?


There is none...


----------



## GTS (Mar 4, 2007)

RadioactiveToy said:


> Has anyone found a way to turn this off? I can see this being useful for some things, but others its just annoying, at least to me.
> 
> Example, I have Castle setup on my DVR, I am fully caught up on this and I don't need to re-watch stuff that I don't have set to record. Monday was a repeat from a previous season. I watched the episode and didn't get to the delete at the end of the show and the next episode from that season started playing via VOD, why?
> 
> I can see if I am binge watching something I have recorded, but it shouldn't automatically go to VOD and start getting other episodes of the show. At least give us the option to turn off the feature if we don't want it. I am sure its going to be great for some people, but I just don't need or want it unless I tell it to do so.


I think this is caused by the "All Seasons" record function rather than the "Play Next".

I guess this is just the beggining of the "advanced machine age" - Do (watch) what "we" tell you, not what "you" want to. That's why Directv changed the remotes - I hear they will eventually turn on the "feature" where they will deliver the user a shock if they try to select an option! (TIC)


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

RadioactiveToy said:


> Has anyone found a way to turn this off?


From what I can tell the nearest way to avoid this is to use a remote with a STOP button and end playback before you get to the true end of the recording. (Ex: Press STOP at the end credits.) You can then choose to delete from your Playlist, or not, and go to another program of your choosing, or not.

If you don't have a STOP button, you'd have to use your LEFT button to backtrack to the Playlist if you want to delete it, or press EXIT/LIST as needed to relocate the program.

All workarounds, unfortunately, but the best I can come up with until or unless DIRECTV offers an option to allow the feature to be controlled by users.


----------



## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

If it automatically starts streaming VOD for missing episodes that could be a problem for those with bandwidth caps


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

KyL416 said:


> If it automatically starts streaming VOD for missing episodes that could be a problem for those with bandwidth caps


I haven't seen this mentioned, but it could also be an issue for those running low on recording space. I'm assuming DIRECTV has some threshold for free space, where if it's under a specific percentage that the new On-Demand recordings will not be saved to the hard-drive, but we don't know it.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Drew2k said:


> From what I can tell the nearest way to avoid this is to use a remote with a STOP button and end playback before you get to the true end of the recording. (Ex: Press STOP at the end credits.) You can then choose to delete from your Playlist, or not, and go to another program of your choosing, or not.
> 
> If you don't have a STOP button, you'd have to use your LEFT button to backtrack to the Playlist if you want to delete it, or press EXIT/LIST as needed to relocate the program.


I find it easier to FF to the end, Delete, Yes, and go from there. Or, hit Info and then Delete from that list. I always delete shows we have watched. Way simpler.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

GTS said:


> Why wouldn't you be able to delete the watched and start the new? I assume by every you mean ever - and I agree, never auto choose. As for the rest, I missed the part where everyone was complaining about going to "live" TV. As for the no screen saver - I like the background "noise". Plus, this results in the least coding changes.


My point is I want to delete that episode then and not have to look for it in the folder latter. Especially if it's a big folder.

Background noise? Well then you are using the recording in the background already because if you aren't then you'd be present to say no to the option. Therefore you really don't care to much about it so what difference does it make to let it play another episode in the background?

I'm simply saying sit there and wait till someone makes a choice. Don't exit to live. Don't save and start the next episode. Just wait. It's the best compromise.

The only thing I know is that DIRECTV hates giving people choices so I don't ever expect them to give us an option to turn it on and off.

And really I don't see a need. I mean they simply expect you to be there and to be awake while you are watching shows. And if you miss something well then it didn't get deleted.


----------



## hasan (Sep 22, 2006)

"And really I don't see a need. I mean they simply expect you to be there and to be awake while you are watching shows. And if you miss something well then it didn't get deleted."

No, but it did get marked as played, and in a series with 50 episodes, you could have 16 marked played while you slept. How are you supposed to discover where you lost consciousness? 

There is no need to force us into this feature. Let us turn the damn thing off.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

hasan said:


> "And really I don't see a need. I mean they simply expect you to be there and to be awake while you are watching shows. And if you miss something well then it didn't get deleted."
> 
> No, but it did get marked as played, and in a series with 50 episodes, you could have 16 marked played while you slept. How are you supposed to discover where you lost consciousness?
> 
> There is no need to force us into this feature. Let us turn the damn thing off.


It doesn't bother me either way, but I agree, being able to disable it would be good.

As to discovering where you left off, take a guess, play it and delete it if seen. Repeat as often as needed.....


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

hasan said:


> "And really I don't see a need. I mean they simply expect you to be there and to be awake while you are watching shows. And if you miss something well then it didn't get deleted."
> 
> No, but it did get marked as played, and in a series with 50 episodes, you could have 16 marked played while you slept. How are you supposed to discover where you lost consciousness?
> 
> There is no need to force us into this feature. Let us turn the damn thing off.


Hopefully you can read the description and remember which episode then skip through till you find it. Maybe they need to add a beep between episodes.


----------



## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

You wonder about where the demand for this feature came from? As with a lot of software updates from a variety of vendors on a variety of devices - it is always a question of why? And why would you implement it this way? Maybe I'm the exception but most of my on demand is to get a lost episode or similar - I normally have no desire or need to watch multiple episodes in a row - let alone taking breaks in between.
As an option - this might be an OK feature - but as a non-option default it is a mistake. I assume with DirecTv programming resources are limited and if so why spend time on this option.

Why do we need this?


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

It's popular with many services like Netflix now. They have always had a version of it with folder play, they simply expanded its reach.

I truly think they implemented it figuring most people that are watching recordings, not having something just on in the background, are sitting right in front of their TVs and there for this new feature will not be an issue in this situation ever. It always asks simply select which you want to do. Only people not near their TVs or ones who have fallen asleep will have issues. I personally think they may have been better off with it defaulting to not playing the next, and giving a few more seconds to decide... But I don't think this should really be an issue.

And they know when we watch recorded stuff and how, so I bet they can see a vast majority of people even without using folder play simply play one episode after another when they watch recordings that have more than one episode recorded...


----------



## Butters66 (Aug 27, 2007)

hasan said:


> It's called falling asleep while watching. Happens every night for some of us, only to wake up and find all episodes marked played, when you only should have one episode marked played (the one you were watching when you fell asleep, or otherwise became distracted). That's why some of us want to turn this "feature" off.
> 
> Not only that, when an episode is marked "played" by this automatic runaway play feature, there is no way to unmark it as played. So even if you could remember when you dozed off, you can't go back an mark an episode as unplayed.
> 
> ...


Agree 100%. I don't like this feature on my Roku for this exact same reason and wish I could turn it off. At least that is like a 40 delay. Ok if I am awake but useless if I fall asleep which I like to with old shows on there.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

All Seasons: Great with Year and Episode designations especially. And especially for old series. 

Play Next: having tried it and thought about it more, it's a bigger pain than a plus. If I'm watching a series, I may hit Play on a folder, but more likely, I'll select the oldest ep and play it. When it gets past the end of the show, but not past closing credits, ads, "what's coming next", I will hit Info and delete it there. Or FF and delete. So the way Play Next is configured, it's not a good thing.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> All Seasons: Great with Year and Episode designations especially. And especially for old series.
> 
> Play Next: having tried it and thought about it more, it's a bigger pain than a plus. If I'm watching a series, I may hit Play on a folder, but more likely, I'll select the oldest ep and play it. When it gets past the end of the show, but not past closing credits, ads, "what's coming next", I will hit Info and delete it there. Or FF and delete. So the way Play Next is configured, it's not a good thing.


Why exactly is it an issue if you are deleting?

Personally I'm enjoying it a lot. Let's me delete shows as I watch them while doing group play. No longer have to go back and delete things from the playlist while watching the next show.

Just goes to show that you need options because some will love it and some will hate it. Why no choice is present is the direct result of excuses by upper management about making it easiest for support and the masses rather than fixing their bigger problem which is training the csrs etc...


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Laxguy said:


> Play Next: having tried it and thought about it more, it's a bigger pain than a plus. If I'm watching a series, I may hit Play on a folder, but more likely, I'll select the oldest ep and play it. When it gets past the end of the show, but not past closing credits, ads, "what's coming next", I will hit Info and delete it there. Or FF and delete. So the way Play Next is configured, it's not a good thing.


We're experiencing some of the same dislikes here. The feature seems nearly intrusive when one chooses to watch select programming among a group of series that have been recorded. If you simply want to watch and delete...it adds the notice at the end and provides nominal time to respond (unless you know its coming of course). Some further tweaking would be welcome, but overall, the concept is a good one.


----------



## JLester (Sep 24, 2007)

I would also like to see it not default to automatically playing the next episode. If not that, at least give a longer delay! 

Also, give a setting to select whether or not it is allowed to automatically download and start a VOD episode, we prefer to just watch stuff already recorded and hate those episodes where you can't fast forward.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

The other day I watched an episode of Shameless, liked it, then decided I wanted to get caught up and watch all episodes from the very beginning. Thanks to the All Seasons feature, it recorded all the past episodes from VOD. A total of 48 episodes in all. Great! It's also great to see the Season and Episode numbers in the program descriptions. :up:

I watched the first episode on my Genie in the living room and partially got through the second episode. Later that night when I went to resume watching in my bedroom on my HR24 (running Release 0x912), the first thing I noticed was that not only was the list of programs in the folder not in the same order as the Genie, but the Season and Episode numbers were also missing from the descriptions!!!!  Without either, how can I chronologically watch the episodes in my bedroom? I either have to watch them on my Genie or check the Genie to see the chronological order of the next couple of episodes and then I can manually select to watch in my bedroom. This is no good. :down:


----------



## juniormaj (Feb 9, 2009)

nuspieds said:


> Without either, how can I chronologically watch the episodes in my bedroom? I either have to watch them on my Genie or check the Genie to see the chronological order of the next couple of episodes and then I can manually select to watch in my bedroom. This is no good. :down:


One possible workaround : http://epguides.com/Shameless_US/
IMDB also works, but I like the simple list that Epguides supplies.

I, too, wish the Season and Episode numbers would appear on the HR2x receivers, but they don't and I'm getting the feeling they won't.
As others have pointed out, it seems DirecTV feels homes with a combination of HR2x and Genie systems are a dwindling minority and they have other priorities.

A system with one central Genie and Genie Mini clients (or RVU) in all other locations in the household seems to be their preferred model. The numbering and sorting work fine on those systems.

I'm still holding out hope that the HR2x will eventually play nice with the Series/Episode sorting, but not holding my breath, either.
I want to keep using HR2x in all of the secondary locations in my house, and will keep doing so as long as possible. Mini Clients don't really fit my needs, but I can see how it would be fine (or even better) for many other people.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

juniormaj said:


> One possible workaround : http://epguides.com/Shameless_US/
> IMDB also works, but I like the simple list that Epguides supplies.
> 
> I, too, wish the Season and Episode numbers would appear on the HR2x receivers, but they don't and I'm getting the feeling they won't.
> ...


Thanks for that Epguides site! I never heard of it before; I used IMDb in the past but, yes, I agree wit you about the simpler Epguides list.

When I upgraded to the Genie, I was initially going to ditch my HR24 to a Genie Mini client, until someone here informed me that a client, when in use, will use up a tuner from the Genie. As such, I kept my HR24.

Sorry, but especially in this day and age, even as a single person, a Genie with its 5 tuners is not enough. Change the maximum from one Genie per household to two and then I'd be okay with DirecTV focusing their efforts on Genie devices. Until then, I need my HR24 and it is a real shame that it can't even display--not record, just basic _display_--Season and Episode information in the program description.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

RadioactiveToy said:


> Has anyone found a way to turn this off? I can see this being useful for some things, but others its just annoying, at least to me.
> 
> [...]
> 
> At least give us the option to turn off the feature if we don't want it. I am sure its going to be great for some people, but I just don't need or want it unless I tell it to do so.





Drew2k said:


> From what I can tell the nearest way to avoid this is to use a remote with a STOP button and end playback before you get to the true end of the recording. (Ex: Press STOP at the end credits.) You can then choose to delete from your Playlist, or not, and go to another program of your choosing, or not.
> 
> If you don't have a STOP button, you'd have to use your LEFT button to backtrack to the Playlist if you want to delete it, or press EXIT/LIST as needed to relocate the program.
> 
> All workarounds, unfortunately, but the best I can come up with until or unless DIRECTV offers an option to allow the feature to be controlled by users.





Laxguy said:


> I find it easier to FF to the end, Delete, Yes, and go from there. Or, hit Info and then Delete from that list. I always delete shows we have watched. Way simpler.


I should have left more of Radioactive Toy's quote present in my earlier reply. My take was he didn't want to deal with this feature at all, and the only way to do that is to never get to the end of the recording, thus my response.

I like seeing the season and episode info, but intensely dislike the extra prompt after the Keep or Delete prompt, so if anyone else dislikes it as much and doesn't want to see it, what I posted will work...


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> It's popular with many services like Netflix now. They have always had a version of it with folder play, they simply expanded its reach.
> 
> I truly think they implemented it figuring most people that are watching recordings, not having something just on in the background, are sitting right in front of their TVs and there for this new feature will not be an issue in this situation ever. It always asks simply select which you want to do. Only people not near their TVs or ones who have fallen asleep will have issues. I personally think they may have been better off with it defaulting to not playing the next, and giving a few more seconds to decide... But I don't think this should really be an issue.
> 
> And they know when we watch recorded stuff and how, so I bet they can see a vast majority of people even without using folder play simply play one episode after another when they watch recordings that have more than one episode recorded...


Netflix at least has the option to disable "play next"... and here's how mine is set.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

nuspieds said:


> The other day I watched an episode of Shameless, liked it, then decided I wanted to get caught up and watch all episodes from the very beginning. Thanks to the All Seasons feature, it recorded all the past episodes from VOD. A total of 48 episodes in all. Great! It's also great to see the Season and Episode numbers in the program descriptions. :up:
> 
> I watched the first episode on my Genie in the living room and partially got through the second episode. Later that night when I went to resume watching in my bedroom on my HR24 (running Release 0x912), the first thing I noticed was that not only was the list of programs in the folder not in the same order as the Genie, but the Season and Episode numbers were also missing from the descriptions!!!!  Without either, how can I chronologically watch the episodes in my bedroom? I either have to watch them on my Genie or check the Genie to see the chronological order of the next couple of episodes and then I can manually select to watch in my bedroom. This is no good. :down:


OK, so you got bit by the difference between software versions on the Genie and the non-Genie DVRs, and we can only hope that the season/episode info will make it into the non-Genie software, but I wouldn't count on it.

Your post brings up another issue to me, though: after finishing S1e1, Genie downloaded 48 episodes. That's a lot of bandwidth and a lot of storage space getting consumed! And if your defaults are to "keep until I delete", those 48 extra episodes could prevent future programs scheduled from the To Do List to be skipped if you are running out of space.

It might actually be a better idea to download 2 additional episodes at the end of each episode watched, so there's always a couple ready to instantly play without the side affects...


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

Drew2k said:


> Drew2k, on 05 Jan 2015 - 3:57 PM, said:
> 
> OK, so you got bit by the difference between software versions on the Genie and the non-Genie DVRs, and we can only hope that the season/episode info will make it into the non-Genie software, but I wouldn't count on it.
> 
> ...


Actually, I foolishly made the VOD recordings based on the top-to-bottom list that my Genie presented; that is, Season 5, then 4, 3, 2, 1. :nono: To be honest, it was not a big deal as I had plenty of other things to do and watch and it is not as if this show was of any priority in the first place.

Regarding the number of downloaded episodes, I certainly hear you, but that's exactly why I have a 2TB external drive on both my DVRs and the fastest available speeds offered by ISP, so no issues here when it comes to bandwidth or storage...though I can always make the case for faster Internet speeds! :biggrin:


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

nuspieds said:


> ?....
> 
> When I upgraded to the Genie, I was initially going to ditch my HR24 to a Genie Mini client, until someone here informed me that a client, when in use, will use up a tuner from the Genie. As such, I kept my .....
> 
> .


Just a small clarification, it doesn't use any tuners from the genie unless you are wanting to watch live TV. And if you have two HR24 vs a genie and a genie mini for example, you are far better off strategically with a genie and genie mini than you are are with two hr2xs.... In fact that still requires less planning than a genies and a mini in some ways...

As for your issue with the out of order episodes... Do you have bandwidth caps? If not, I'd redownload them in the proper order. Then they will show up in order on your hr2 as well. Although if you downloaded them in order but simply in reverse you should still be able to watch them in order pretty easy, just have to do it in reverse or flop the sort order...

As for the other options mentioned, imdb app is so fast and easy to find episode names and orders...


----------



## mrknowitall526 (Nov 19, 2014)

nuspieds said:


> Actually, I foolishly made the VOD recordings based on the top-to-bottom list that my Genie presented; that is, Season 5, then 4, 3, 2, 1. :nono: To be honest, it was not a big deal as I had plenty of other things to do and watch and it is not as if this show was of any priority in the first place.
> 
> Regarding the number of downloaded episodes, I certainly hear you, but that's exactly why I have a 2TB external drive on both my DVRs and the fastest available speeds offered by ISP, so no issues here when it comes to bandwidth or storage...though I can always make the case for faster Internet speeds! :biggrin:


You can press more info and check the first aired date. I do that a lot.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> inkahauts, on 08 Jan 2015 - 2:08 PM, said:inkahauts, on 08 Jan 2015 - 2:08 PM, said:
> 
> Just a small clarification, it doesn't use any tuners from the genie unless you are wanting to watch live TV. And if you have two HR24 vs a genie and a genie mini for example, you are far better off strategically with a genie and genie mini than you are are with two hr2xs.... In fact that still requires less planning than a genies and a mini in some ways...
> 
> ...


Thanks for the clarification; in any case, watching live TV _is_ one of those things I would be doing, so I'd definitely be impacted. Strategically, my Genie and HR24 are working out perfectly for me: There are certain types of recordings I do on the HR24 and others I do on the HR44. For the latter, I know I can setup/make all those recordings without any conflicts and that gives much such a great peace of mind; something I never had when I had the HR24 and HR21 setup.

I don't have any bandwidth caps, so re-downloading is not an issue. However, the order in which I downloaded was Season 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. On the Genie, S1E1 is at the very bottom of the list in the folder; on the HR24 when I open the folder list, S4E1 is at the very bottom of the list!  (To be clear, _several _S4 episodes were below S1E1.) So you can see why I'm not optimistic about re-downloading.

It is very rare that I need to look up episode lists but when do, 99% of the time I'm using my PC so websites serve my needs. In this exceptional case, however, a phone app is much more functional when in bed, so it's definitely worth checking out. Thanks!


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

mrknowitall526 said:


> mrknowitall526, on 08 Jan 2015 - 4:49 PM, said:mrknowitall526, on 08 Jan 2015 - 4:49 PM, said:
> 
> You can press more info and check the first aired date. I do that a lot.


I had thought of doing that (i.e., chronologically checking by Sundays), but the "First Aired" date info does not display for any of these VOD episodes.


----------



## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

mrknowitall526 said:


> You can press more info and check the first aired date. I do that a lot.


It would nice not to have to do this. It should be displayed next to the S#/E# information.


----------



## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

mrknowitall526 said:


> You can press more info and check the first aired date. I do that a lot.


That's exactly what I do.


----------



## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

I am getting a bit flustered trying to set up series links and I am hoping this is the place to ask.
I cannot get the genie to just record a series on a channel.
I can get it to set up a series link on all channels but until I manually record each episode, it won't find them.
So I set up a series link on the same program for a specific series on a specific channel. But it says for that season only.
Does that mean that I will have to renew it next season?
I am making 2 series links per show now trying to find which will work and some do and some don't.

The only way I can seem to make it work is to find the program in the guide and then double click the record button.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

armophob said:


> I am getting a bit flustered trying to set up series links and I am hoping this is the place to ask.
> I cannot get the genie to just record a series on a channel.
> I can get it to set up a series link on all channels but until I manually record each episode, it won't find them.
> So I set up a series link on the same program for a specific series on a specific channel. But it says for that season only.
> ...


The best way I have found out to make it work with the new Genie menu is to go to the guide find the show and press R twice, or press SELECT on the show and select record series.


----------



## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Yes, I have to find them in the guide as well now.

I am also finding that it does not find my local channel's newer seasons on its own.
I have just set up a few links and did find that if I back over to upcoming episodes, it will list the local ones.
I had some luck with that.
But the Search function brings up old seasons and not the new ones.

With this thread open, is this an issue to report?
Or is this just another "improvement" to be tested?


peds48 said:


> The best way I have found out to make it work with the new Genie menu is to go to the guide find the show and press R twice, or press SELECT on the show and select record series.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Otherwise it almost seems liek you need to just keep drilling down till you are on one episodes info then set the recording.

The search pages are a mess as far as I am concerned.


----------



## grover517 (Sep 29, 2007)

I can see the usefulness of the latest "features" such as "Play Next", Watch from the beginning", etc. and it is nice to know that they are there if and when I decided to use them. With that being said, I should not be required to "opt out" of a feature numerous times a day either.

The "Watch from the beginning" option at least is just a prompt that requires a user action to enable and can simply be ignored. However, the "Play Next" feature is on by default AND gives you very limited time to "opt out". Anything that requires me to make an additional remote selection simply to avoid a feature, makes the Genie less useful to me, not more.

So to me they need to do the following:
1. Change the default to "cancel" instead of "play". That requires the user to "opt in" to the feature instead of the other way around.
2. Add an option to allow the user to adjust the countdown to a more reasonable timeframe such as 10 seconds or more. 
3. Add an option to "opt out" of the feature entirely. Maybe a color button toggle to turn the feature on and off?


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

grover517 said:


> I can see the usefulness of the latest "features" such as "Play Next", Watch from the beginning", etc. and it is nice to know that they are there if and when I decided to use them. With that being said, I should not be required to "opt out" of a feature numerous times a day either.
> 
> The "Watch from the beginning" option at least is just a prompt that requires a user action to enable and can simply be ignored. However, the "Play Next" feature is on by default AND gives you very limited time to "opt out". Anything that requires me to make an additional remote selection simply to avoid a feature, makes the Genie less useful to me, not more.
> 
> ...


How about just get rid of the timer and people will either chose one or get dumped to live tv after several minutes like they do now?


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

grover517 said:


> 3. Add an option to "opt out" of the feature entirely. Maybe a color button toggle to turn the feature on and off?


Color buttons are history, red is the only exception.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> How about just get rid of the timer and people will either chose one or get dumped to live tv after several minutes like they do now?


IMO that would defeat the purpose of this feature which is supposed to be for those that like to binge watch


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

peds48 said:


> IMO that would defeat the purpose of this feature which is supposed to be for those that like to binge watch


Well they still would be by not making you go back and start over in the playlist. You just have to hit a button that's already highlighted. Pretty nice if you ask me.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

Regarding Play Next (or Auto Play, not sure what the "marketing" team came up with!) ... 

The feature is actually a good one, but the implementation needs to be tweaked and I think everyone would be happy: All DIRECTV has to do is allow users to configure Auto Play by turning it off or selecting a timeout of let's say 3, 5, or 10 seconds. 

There's actually already *precedent for giving users this level of customization*: Under Display Settings users can control the duration of the Info Banner; and when turning on a receiver that was in standby due to Power Saving activation, we see an information prompt, "The receiver was in Power Saving mode due to 4 hours of inactivity", and have an option right there to "Change this setting".

So just combine the capabilities of these two existing features and out of the box at the end of playback show the "Play Next" prompt with a *default countdown of 10 seconds *with buttons for "OK", "Cancel", and "*Change this setting*". This gives users seeing it for the first time a change to react and to make a decision, and upon subsequent use to also make changes. Then under Settings users can choose to drop down to 3 or 5 seconds for auto play, or to even turn it off. Also let it be modified from the Settings menu, of course.

When the user opts to turn it off, either hide the "Play Next" prompt entirely or display it without an active countdown and the Cancel button highlighted, and give it the same timeout that we have for the Keep or Delete prompt. This way if someone falls asleep while watching a program with Play Next turned off, it will have timed out to live TV, just like it does with K-or-D now.

Simple. 

I think this covers every complaint about the feature, but I'm sure this group of smart people will point out something I missed... :lol:

So, please DIRECTV, help us out here ... pretty please make this change and let us configure Play Next/Auto Play? Thanks! :up:


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

The "problem" that I see with your suggestion drew, is that you are making the receiver very "personal" and for the most part, the Genie tends to be the "family" DVR where multiple folks with different "taste" might want to change this setting to their won liking. Your suggestion makes perfect sense on the minis which tends to be in bedrooms, but not on the "main" receiver


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

peds48 said:


> The "problem" that I see with your suggestion drew, is that you are making the receiver very "personal" and for the most part, the Genie tends to be the "family" DVR where multiple folks with different "taste" might want to change this setting to their won liking. Your suggestion makes perfect sense on the minis which tends to be in bedrooms, but not on the "main" receiver


:lol: I think we clearly look at things in a different way... 

The family sharing a Genie already has to agree on what the first press of GUIDE does, whether or not to show Recording Tips, the default recording settings, the default Info Banner timeout, whether or not do disable Power Saving, etc. To give them the option to configure Play Next/Auto Play is not going to cause Family Feud and is nothing that they haven't seen.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Drew2k said:


> :lol: I think we clearly look at things in a different way...


Sure, you as the "only" user and I as the one who install them and see multiple kinds of configurations. The other settings you refer to, the are not life altering settings, in fact, most folks do not know they are there.

As I said, (and we know you and I are not the regular DIRECTV® users  ) most folks put the Genie in the LR where the FAM gathers to watch TV. I have my OWN Genie, my wife has her own, well lets call it DVR  . my son again has his own "DVR" as well  . So we can easily set our own options, very one with a Genie and minis shared system, not so much


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

peds48 said:


> Sure, you as the "only" user and I as the one who install them and see multiple kinds of configurations. The other settings you refer to, the are not life altering settings, in fact, most folks do not know they are there.
> 
> As I said, (and we know you and I are not the regular DIRECTV® users  ) most folks put the Genie in the LR where the FAM gathers to watch TV. I have my OWN Genie, my wife has her own, well lets call it DVR  . my son again has his own "DVR" as well  . So we can easily set our own options, very one with a Genie and minis shared system, not so much


I think you are seeing barriers to a proposed option where they don't exist. I see no problem with letting customers choose whether or not to Play Next should DIRECTV opt to give customers the choice to control it. Again, it offers no capabilities that don't already exist in features available to customers today.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Drew2k said:


> I think you are seeing barriers to a proposed option where they don't exist. I see no problem with letting customers choose whether or not to Play Next should DIRECTV opt to give customers the choice to control it. Again, it offers no capabilities that don't already exist in features available to customers today.


I guess the difference is that you see it as a "user" and I see as a "developer" (even tho I am far from it). What that means is that you only take "you" in to consideration and I take "every body" and their "feedback" (or general know how) into consideration. What you see here on this forums is NOT what you really get on the field.

Had to roll back today to a job because the customer did not know how to adjust the brightness of his TV.... Yeah it gets that dumb... If you were I'm my shoes, you would understand


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

peds48 said:


> I guess the difference is that you see it as a "user" and I see as a "developer" (even tho I am far from it). What that means is that you only take "you" in to consideration and I take "every body" and their "feedback" (or general know how) into consideration. What you see here on this forums is NOT what you really get on the field.
> 
> Had to roll back today to a job because the customer did not know how to adjust the brightness of his TV.... Yeah it gets that dumb... If you were I'm my shoes, you would understand


Actually, no. That's an incorrect assumption. I get that your experience in the field exposes you to a lot of technophobes but that shouldn't sway you from supporting an option that, once again, is nothing new under the sun as I proposed it. I am an applications developer so I look at this system change to playback that DIRECTV made purely from customer usability and interface design perspectives, and it fundamentally changes the user playback experience in a not wholly positive way. Adding an option for the customer to control the feature would only enhance usability and would give everyone, regardless of DBSTalk membership, the option to play back recordings the way they want, whether it's uninterrupted as it is now, or as it was before, one at a time.


----------



## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I think one of the issues is, where does it stop? Have an option to disable this feature, that feature etc etc, you end up with a very complex menu system.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

dpeters11 said:


> dpeters11, on 13 Jan 2015 - 09:55 AM, said:
> 
> I think one of the issues is, where does it stop? Have an option to disable this feature, that feature etc etc, you end up with a very complex menu system.


Drew is absolutely right on this and perhaps I'm in total agreement because I also have an app development background. 

The point is that right now--right this very minute--you can press Menu > Settings & Help > Settings and there's a plethora of settings there for the user to customize. So, as Drew stated, the devices already have settings customizations in the UI, so why not add another one or others for a feature such as Play Next or whatever?

I don't have a problem with DirecTV rolling out a feature with a customization that I don't like or doesn't work well for me; after all, they have to settle on some sort of default values. However, what I do have a problem with is when I am not able to customize the settings so that the feauture _does_ work well for me.

So, yes, as they have added options in the Settings menu over the years so, too, they can continue to add other options. Those who like the default settings for new features need not even visit the Settings screen--regardless of how many options are on it. But for those of us who would like to make such customizations in order to make use of the new features, it certainly would be reassuring to know that those customizations are available.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Is very easy to say, "push the eject button to release the disc", in reality is that much complicated. CSRs can relate to this. The simpler the better for customer support. DIRECTV® can't even get their CSRs trained properly, what a pain would be if the "blind leads the blind"


----------



## Malibu13 (Sep 12, 2004)

As someone who has been active here for 11 years or so and tested many new features on quite a number of receivers, My thoughts are that these features each have their benefits but..................

Let me choose whether to use them or not. Give us the option to TURN IT OFF.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

I don't buy the slippery slope argument. DIRECTV has already introduced a feature that resulted in calls to customer service. Adding an option to disable or customize the Play Next feature will satisfy the customers who complained, so balance is restored.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Drew2k said:


> I don't buy the slippery slope argument. DIRECTV has already introduced a feature that resulted in calls to customer service.


Only the ones "with the know how" are the ones to complain, every one else just "deals with it" or "adjust accordingly" been to lots of existing folks with DIRECTV® since this was added, so far 0 complains. What ever happens on these forums does not pain a picture of what really happens on the field.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

peds48 said:


> Only the ones "with the know how" are the ones to complain, every one else just "deals with it" or "adjust accordingly" been to lots of existing folks with DIRECTV® since this was added, so far 0 complains. What ever happens on these forums does not pain a picture of what really happens on the field.


I've seen that "argument" used here many times by folks who encounter views they disagree with, but a complaint posted here is not invalid simply because it's posted here. Nor does absence of complaints on recent house calls equate to universal acclaim.

I've seen posts here from new members who claimed they searched Google for a way to manage "play next" and ended up here. So those are "normal" people (who know how to Google at least) who don't like it, came here to post about it, and also shared that they called DIRECTV to complain. Not a "win" for DIRECTV...


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

My sample rate is bigger than that of this forum, about 200 customers daily. We discussed in meetings what is causing or likely to cause service issues and educate customers to prevent roll backs. When I brought this up last week, no one has heard anything regarding this "issue" and most folks where even surprised that I thought this was an issue, they got a good laugh on me...

Again, those folks who "google" and post on forums are considered to be in the "know how"


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

It's a disservice to insist DIRECTV only develop and support the lowest common denominator. In regards to "Play Next", what we're asking for at a minimum is a simple setting to turn Play Next on or off, which introduces no more complexity than is already present in the Power Saving feature, so arguments against it on the grounds of being confusing or causing confusion fall flat.


----------



## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

peds48 said:


> Again, those folks who "google" and post on forums are considered to be in the "know how"


Based on that type of argument DirecTV should have never implemented the "30SKIP" option because 99% of their customers don't know about it. Hell, I was the one who showed to the tech who installed my friend's system. While I was showing it to my friend, the tech did a double take and said "Wait a minute. Show me what you just did." He made notes in a little notebook that he carries so he could show it to other clients.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Explain smart phones if you think adding options to turn features on and off is a bad idea. How many of PEDS 200 customers a day have smart phones? Do you think having a ton of options they never mess with actually cause problems? Food for thought. 

Oh and there is only one answer. There should be options for this and most the features. Even 30 skip should be in the menu and it's an insult to all that it isn't.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Bill Broderick said:


> Based on that type of argument DirecTV should have never implemented the "30SKIP"


Why not, this is an undocumented feature. Only those "in the know" will find it.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Drew2k said:


> It's a disservice to insist DIRECTV only develop and support the lowest common denominator. In regards to "Play Next", what we're asking for at a minimum is a simple setting to turn Play Next on or off, which introduces no more complexity than is already present in the Power Saving feature, so arguments against it on the grounds of being confusing or causing confusion fall flat.


There are many things that can be done, but DIRECTV® like Apple, have choosen the "simplicity" approach. Some love this approach, and there are lots of haters!


----------



## mexican-bum (Feb 26, 2006)

peds48 said:


> There are many things that can be done, but DIRECTV like Apple, have choosen the "simplicity" approach. Some love this approach, and there are lots of haters!


I think that's a good analogy, Apple has always been guilty of "we know what's best for you approach" and as you say many people settle and many complain. That approach is a slippery one though, so far it's been very successful with their iPhones, but a lot of that is because people who like the iPhone interface (me)can always jailbreak, others just settle (I know many) or go with android(like my wife). Apples approach has been historically a failure in the computer market though, they are doing somewhat better now, but if it wasn't for the iPod the company would have probably went belly up years ago. (Steve jobs has said they where 90 days from bankruptcy)

Side note:
My wife ,which is very tech savvy, is probably one of the few Mac users that uses android devices.... I am just the opposite.... I guess we aren't the norm so maybe directv can never please us... ;-)


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

I truly find it hard to believe that based on what DirecTV provides in their *existing* Settings (take Display > Preferences, for example) that there's doubt as to whether DirecTV should provide a setting for Play Next.

Much as I can't fathom that if, when recording a series, the DVR--for simplicity's sake--can only and will always keep episodes until "Disk Is Full;" similarly, I'm having difficulty understanding how someone can engineer Play Next to always play the next episode unless you cancel within the extremely very few number of seconds you are provided. :scratch:


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

mexican-bum said:


> Apples approach has been historically a failure in the computer market though, they are doing somewhat better now, but if it wasn't for the iPod the company would have probably went belly up years ago. (Steve jobs has said they where 90 days from bankruptcy)


Not sure I called Apple approach a "failure" in the Desktop business. And to say they a re 'somewhat better" now is just and understatement

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

This ties is to the topic that this approach may be good as it has worked for a very successful company


----------



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

All I know is that setting up a new series has become a cumbersome experience.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

spartanstew said:


> All I know is that setting up a new series has become a cumbersome experience.


This s something I agree 100%


----------



## mexican-bum (Feb 26, 2006)

peds48 said:


> Not sure I called Apple approach a "failure" in the Desktop business. And to say they a re 'somewhat better" now is just and understatement
> 
> Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch
> 
> This ties is to the topic that this approach may be good as it has worked for a very successful company


The computer market as a whole has really slowed down, I know a bunch of people still on Windows XP. The entire city of tulsa here internally still uses windows XP :-o
So while I agree apple has done much better recently its mainly because the market is saturated with PC's. You can pick up a old windows laptop at a yard sale for $20 bucks...(my aunt just did) Tablets and phones are becoming the norm. I know people with no computer at all in their home, they do everything from their ipad or tablet.

I really enjoy the iphone, I also think apple makes a very quality product but I have always disliked the way apple seems to hinder customization/personalization. I understand why apple is usually late on new features, Samsung for example is the master of the latest and greatest but its always clunky, apple is usually a year or two behind but it's always so refined when released. I just don't understand why apple took years to let you do simple things as change a sms tone, email tone, etc Things like that don't require any refinement, there was no reason for it, just stubbornness i suppose.

Directv for years had that terrible category first guide which caused you to press guide twice to get to the normal guide, they finally..... gave us the option to turn that off or on. So its not like directv hasn't ever done it. Chances are probably not good though...


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

"saturation" has nothing to do with PC sales, because desktops & laptops are selling, they are not Windows driven, that is the difference.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Apple has always made superior computers, but they were seldom the fastest, and almost always more expensive than PCs. They did nothing to penetrate the corporate world, and so you have legacy IT departments whose main reason for being is supporting troublesome systems. Self perpetuating, no?!


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

So this is no longer a DIRECTV thread??


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

spartanstew said:


> All I know is that setting up a new series has become a cumbersome experience.


In search I agree. You have to drill all the way down to an individual episode to do it properly. Ridiculous.

Luckily I still generally just flip through the guide and hit record twice since its is faster than any other way usually anyway.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Laxguy said:


> Apple has always made superior computers, but they were seldom the fastest, and almost always more expensive than PCs. They did nothing to penetrate the corporate world, and so you have legacy IT departments whose main reason for being is supporting troublesome systems. Self perpetuating, no?!


Back then, yes. But it seem like things are changing a bit now. When Sony was hacked, they were able to keep working by using Macs and Blackberries & and told good old fax machines! But yes, IT had a vicious cycle


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

peds48 said:


> There are many things that can be done, but DIRECTV like Apple, have choosen the "simplicity" approach. Some love this approach, and there are lots of haters!


No. This is much further than apple. Much. Apple has tons more options and setting. Their limit is more about workflow direction and cross talk of apps which they have even loosened. Not about not giving you zero options to do anything but use it one way. DIRECTV is limiting far to severely and I don't by for one sec that is needed to dumb it down. Not one second.

How many people you think have a tv with more inputs than they need. Or actually use the "smart" in their smart tv? This entire argument for limits is hornswaggle.


----------



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

inkahauts said:


> In search I agree. You have to drill all the way down to an individual episode to do it properly. Ridiculous.
> 
> Luckily I still generally just flip through the guide and hit record twice since its is faster than any other way usually anyway.


Usually when I set up a series it's a few weeks away from airing, so the guide method doesn't work for me.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> No. This is much further than apple. Much. Apple has tons more options and setting. Their limit is more about workflow direction and cross talk of apps which they have even loosened. Not about not giving you zero options to do anything but use it one way. DIRECTV is limiting far to severely and I don't by for one sec that is needed to dumb it down. Not one second.
> 
> How many people you think have a tv with more inputs than they need. Or actually use the "smart" in their smart tv? This entire argument for limits is hornswaggle.


I guess you forgot when iOS1 or iPhone OS 1 (to be more accurate) where apple limited multi tasking, could not change wallpapers, could not change alert tones, etc.. Th list goes on and on and on, even tho it was possible and not a hardware limitation since I had those "features" by jailbraking. Apple is letting loose more lately but still they are holding tight on some, all in the name of simplicity.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

First gen? That's comparable to the first year of the HR20. Come on let's discuss the last five years of each. It's not a valid excuse to limit the receivers anymore. Period.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Well, Earth wasn't created in one day, neither was in seven.... !rolling

You got to start some where


----------



## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

spartanstew said:


> Usually when I set up a series it's a few weeks away from airing, so the guide method doesn't work for me.


Me too.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Why do that, then? In other words, isn't the trouble more than waiting until it's in the Guide?


----------



## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

Up until now it wasn't. With the new "improvements" it may be.

I use Futon Critic to keep track of the dates that shows are starting (and ending) and maintain a spreadsheet each season. Whenever I decide to use the spreadsheet to add or delete season passes, I like to add as many as possible so I don't forget, and miss the first few episodes of a new season (which I have done more than once).


----------



## mfmathis (Oct 5, 2007)

I hate the "Play Next" feature. If they are going to add this, there should be a way to disable it. I would also like to see the green button feature to place bookmarks on programs and pick a button to be able to see the progress bar like the old remotes had. I hate having to keep an older remote to be able to get these features. Also, please restore "Media Share" to the extras menu.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

I have created two Boolean searches, one that captures all season premieres and one for all series premiers, so I don't worry about missing premieres on any channel anymore.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

The more I see play next, the more I'm fine with it, I don't get why people hate it, it really doesn't take much to hit the arrow key after the select key when you do or do not delete something. I'm all for options, but even without, I don't get how it screws up that much from what you had before.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

spartanstew said:


> spartanstew, on 16 Jan 2015 - 07:14 AM, said:
> 
> All I know is that setting up a new series has become a cumbersome experience.


Unfortunately, I've lost faith in the All Seasons feature because I keep getting duplicate recordings. So I have since switched back to pressing Record twice while in the Guide to record my series.

If I am interested in watching previous seasons/episodes of a show, then I'll use All Seasons; otherwise, it is not worth using to have to deal with the duplicate recordings.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

nuspieds said:


> Unfortunately, I've lost faith in the All Seasons feature because I keep getting duplicate recordings. So I have since switched back to pressing Record twice while in the Guide to record my series.
> 
> If I am interested in watching previous seasons/episodes of a show, then I'll use All Seasons; otherwise, it is not worth using to have to deal with the duplicate recordings.


What show are you getting duplicate recordings on? That's the one thing I have never seen not work right with this new feature. :lol:


----------



## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

Several comments have been made that this only works if seveal episodes have been downloaded and already in a folder - this isn't true for me. It will download and start to play the next episode for me if I don't stop it. Seems to make no difference whether it is already downloaded or not. So if you do have WiFi cap it could cause issues with that. The only time I could see using it is when not downloaded - doing several episodes of an older series that is on demand.

Also I have had one instance of trying to go to the next episode of a current series where the next hasn't even been broadcast yet. It started to download something and then when I tried to cancel it deleted the scheduled (for next week) next episode.

I'd like to see - at least a lot longer time before it starts to download. And maybe both options with the default being settable. 1) don't play the next, 2) play the next. but certainly at least 15 seconds before the set option takes effect.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> inkahauts, on 17 Jan 2015 - 10:31 AM, said:
> 
> What show are you getting duplicate recordings on? That's the one thing I have never seen not work right with this new feature. :lol:


Remember that other thread where I tried All Seasons for ATH and PTI using Advanced Search? But, as I stated there, those shows are not seasonal/episodic, so I can grin and bear such exceptions. But it happened on Shameless, too (but certainly not to the extent of that issue I had with ATH and PTI): S4E1 and S5E1 were duplicated. I've caught up to S3 now and the previous ones are deleted, so I can't recall if any from S1 or S2 were also duplicated, but I don't think so.

When the issue reappeared for Shameless, that's when I decided to fall back to using the Guide for recording series. Once I'm fully caught up on Shameless, I will recreate the series recording using the Guide.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

nuspieds said:


> Remember that other thread where I tried All Seasons for ATH and PTI using Advanced Search? But, as I stated there, those shows are not seasonal/episodic, so I can grin and bear such exceptions. But it happened on Shameless, too (but certainly not to the extent of that issue I had with ATH and PTI): S4E1 and S5E1 were duplicated. I've caught up to S3 now and the previous ones are deleted, so I can't recall if any from S1 or S2 were also duplicated, but I don't think so.
> 
> When the issue reappeared for Shameless, that's when I decided to fall back to using the Guide for recording series. Once I'm fully caught up on Shameless, I will recreate the series recording using the Guide.


With shameless, I wonder if this is some offshoot of when you select the first episode in the guide to record it will record that one regardless of if it meets the normal criteria because its what you used to select it. Still a bit odd though.

I also wonder, did both of the duplicate episodes show the season episode info? And where they identical in guide data. I know sometimes shows do some weird things for the first and second airing of their season premieres, but usually that son regular stations with and without commercials etc...

Yeah the other thing you mentioned just is a guide data issue in general.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> With shameless, I wonder if this is some offshoot of when you select the first episode in the guide to record it will record that one regardless of if it meets the normal criteria because its what you used to select it. Still a bit odd though.
> 
> I also wonder, did both of the duplicate episodes show the season episode info? And where they identical in guide data. I know sometimes shows do some weird things for the first and second airing of their season premieres, but usually that son regular stations with and without commercials etc...
> 
> Yeah the other thing you mentioned just is a guide data issue in general.


I think the Shameless issue might have something to do with when it records VODs. In both cases, the duplicate episode was an actual airing of the show (S4E1 on 545 and S5E1 on 101).

S5 actually begins tonight (Jan. 18th), so the two recordings I have are early previews. I'm still not yet caught up, so it will be interesting to see how things play out tonight and over the next week or two. Maybe once it starts to record actual airings instead of VODs the problem might disappear. I'll be sure to post an update.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Ok thanks. It has to be something that's just weird.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

nuspieds said:


> I think the Shameless issue might have something to do with when it records VODs. In both cases, the duplicate episode was an actual airing of the show (S4E1 on 545 and S5E1 on 101).
> 
> S5 actually begins tonight (Jan. 18th), so the two recordings I have are early previews. I'm still not yet caught up, so it will be interesting to see how things play out tonight and over the next week or two. Maybe once it starts to record actual airings instead of VODs the problem might disappear. I'll be sure to post an update.


Season 5 of Shameless actually began last week, on Sunday 1/11, so tonight is Episode s5e2. I was unable to locate Shameless s5e2 via on demand, so I have no choice but to record tonight. If you somehow found it early, your DVR may not record it if it's still in your playlist... will be interesting to see what happens for you.


----------



## mrknowitall526 (Nov 19, 2014)

I watched an episode of Sister Wives I had on my DVR today, and I also had the next episode recorded. when I got to the end of the first, I chose Play Next, and it started to load the next episode from VOD, even though I had it in my playlist! Weird...


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

Drew2k said:


> Drew2k, on 18 Jan 2015 - 5:32 PM, said:
> 
> Season 5 of Shameless actually began last week, on Sunday 1/11, so tonight is Episode s5e2. I was unable to locate Shameless s5e2 via on demand, so I have no choice but to record tonight. If you somehow found it early, your DVR may not record it if it's still in your playlist... will be interesting to see what happens for you.


When I checked my Playlist this morning and I saw what was recorded for Shameless, a little further investigation made me realize I was wrong and that, yes, the premiere was on the 11th. The reason I thought it was last night was because the S5E1 episodes that were recorded were from VOD and 101; my expectations were that the premiere of the new season would surely be first aired on 545, but obviously I was wrong.

As for last night's episode, S5E2, I have it in my Playlist only once (recorded on 545), so that's good news.


----------



## augisdad (Sep 29, 2011)

Neither Revenge nor Resurrection were tagged with the Sx |Ex for last night's episodes. In scanning through my upcoming shows to record, very few were. Conan, Justified and American Horror Story were among the few that had this showing on episodes to record.


----------



## keebler21 (Oct 22, 2011)

augisdad said:


> Neither Revenge nor Resurrection were tagged with the Sx |Ex for last night's episodes. In scanning through my upcoming shows to record, very few were. Conan, Justified and American Horror Story were among the few that had this showing on episodes to record.


I've been having this problem also with random shows - one week, no Sx | Ex information and then the next week it's working, etc. - no patern or anythign just sometimes work, sometimes doesn't, no specific show or anything either.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Are you seeing that some shows have it and some don't, or that at times one show has it and others it doesn't? Which are the biggest offenders?


----------



## Malibu13 (Sep 12, 2004)

Not really liking the "Play Next" feature but the "All Seasons" I can live with if I can figure some of it out. Example.........

3 days ago I set "Friends" Season 7 to record on Nickelodeon which I believe has 24 episodes. As of today, only 5 or so are showing in the TDL as being set to record. Something i'm not getting right or some steps in this feature are broken already.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Malibu13 said:


> Not really liking the "Play Next" feature but the "All Seasons" I can live with if I can figure some of it out. Example.........
> 
> 3 days ago I set "Friends" Season 7 to record on Nickelodeon which I believe has 24 episodes. As of today, only 5 or so are showing in the TDL as being set to record. Something i'm not getting right or some steps in this feature are broken already.


If the whole season doesn't record, then it's broken. Not showing all forward eps as marked to record has been typical of the system for some time.


----------



## Malibu13 (Sep 12, 2004)

Laxguy said:


> If the whole season doesn't record, then it's broken. Not showing all forward eps as marked to record has been typical of the system for some time.


Definitely broken then. I can go in an manually record each episode within the season listing and they will show up. I can see the advantages of "All Season" if it works correctly and so far, i'm not seeing that.


----------



## keebler21 (Oct 22, 2011)

Laxguy said:


> Are you seeing that some shows have it and some don't, or that at times one show has it and others it doesn't? Which are the biggest offenders?


I noticed it both ways I believe... very random but in the past week seems like there has been more with out the season \ episode information. So slowly getting worse? I love this new feature so much, I miss it when it's not showing!


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Malibu13 said:


> Definitely broken then. I can go in an manually record each episode within the season listing and they will show up. I can see the advantages of "All Season" if it works correctly and so far, i'm not seeing that.


Just because each ep isn't marked for recording doesn't mean it won't record. There's always been some lag with slapping on the R tag for future shows. YMMV.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

keebler21 said:


> I noticed it both ways I believe... very random but in the past week seems like there has been more with out the season \ episode information. So slowly getting worse? I love this new feature so much, I miss it when it's not showing!


I think it's more a question of the right tags being entered by the original content provider- some do and some don't, and some within a network will have em and others not. Over time, I bet that it will get mostly straightened out. Sure hope so!

Don't know whether TMS has a hand in this or relies solely on network info.


----------



## augisdad (Sep 29, 2011)

Weird. Set up 'Man Seeking Woman' to record on FXX. It was designated with the S1 | E2 on the Traib episode. However, once it was set up, the S1 | E2 designation went away, and only the title of the episode showed. Looking at other showings, same thing shows for next weeks episode - all have S1 | E3, except the episode set to record. Setting an additional showing of one of the 2 episodes currently in the guide to record causes the Sx | Ex to disappear as well. Once the show for last night recorded, there was no Sx | Ex associated with the episode anywhere to be found.


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

Quite an interesting thing happened the other day with my All Seasons recording for Shameless: All past 4 seasons were recorded from VOD. I made it to near the end of S3 and then the S4 episodes all became expired.

Of course, I had known this was going to happen if I didn't get caught up in time and I figured that I would just re-download, that's all. Anyway, much to my surprise, guess what? It re-downloaded S4 from VOD! I didn't have to do a thing!

It was a complete freakish surprise...but definitely a good one, in this case. :righton:


----------



## unixguru (Jul 9, 2007)

Play Next sucks. Half the time it ignores that I cancelled before the timer expired. The countdown is too short.

PLEASE give us an option to disable this feature! I don't want to binge and if I don't stop it in time it gets marked as viewed and then I can't tell in the future whether I've looked at something (this also goes back to ancient request to be able to reset the viewed indication).


----------



## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

nuspieds said:


> nuspieds, on 24 Jan 2015 - 1:13 PM, said:
> 
> Quite an interesting thing happened the other day with my All Seasons recording for Shameless: All past 4 seasons were recorded from VOD. I made it to near the end of S3 and then the S4 episodes all became expired.
> 
> ...


I take back the praise. It turns out I was *very* wrong!

It re-downloaded *all* the VODs, not just S4; it just happened to start with S4. I'm finally caught up to the end of last season (S4) and now I will be deleting my All Seasons Series recording and re-creating it as a Series recording while in the Guide. With this tried and trusted method, I know for sure I won't be getting any extraneous or VOD downloads.


----------



## gtbuzz (Jan 31, 2008)

Absolutely hate the way the play next feature is implemented. I get they're trying to do what Netflix does, but at least with Netflix, you have a much longer window to decide and you can also disable it. I can also see others liking it... bottom line, they've got to add an option to disable it.

I end up falling asleep watching TV a lot and when I wake up, I just find out that another dozen episodes have played. If I go to work without looking at the TV again, pretty much everything has played. What was wrong with only doing this when hitting play on the folder? Made much more sense back then. If I want to drill down to a specific episode, it means I want to watch that specific episode. I could be wrong about this one, but I feel like the Netflix implementation also stopped autoplaying after a certain number of episodes, or at the very least, at the end of a season. Who on earth binge watches for 18 hours? There should be some smarts in there to tell that nobody's watching...


----------



## Clemsole (Sep 8, 2005)

adamson said:


> Need an option to turn this off. Not sure where Im at with this.


I agree I need to turn it off. It is a big pain in the ass. Another dumb added so called feature. But that does show how dumb DTV programers are.


----------



## jones_hdtv (Oct 4, 2011)

We need to have an option to turn this off. I just fell asleep and woke up and it was playing the next episode which I don't need to have it do without me telling it to. The DVR should only do what is requested by the user not some automatic function without the ability to turn off.
Needless to say, I think the implementation of this feature needs to be rethought.


----------



## Kojo62 (Aug 9, 2007)

I have come to totally hate the "Play Next" feature. I feel like I'm being ambushed every time it runs.

I could live with it if both a longer countdown _and_ a global user settings option to disable it are included. With those changes, I'd have no problem keeping it, for the sake of those who do like it, but defintely not as currently implemented.


----------



## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

I can't believe the games I have to play now to set up a series link.
Why is this still a thing?


----------



## sbelmont (Aug 5, 2007)

Don't like the Play Next defaulting to Play Next. I'd rather it be a selection. Now please fix the sort order of the folders, that is what I want.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

I've decided I think they should ask if you want play next feature to activate at the beginning of the program when you first hit play from the playlist, instead of at the end. That I believe would fix all the complaints about the feature.

If you chose yes, (or heck let it be a small onscreen option that will default to yes after 10 seconds even similar to how it is now), then when it bumps to the next episode, it could have a splash screen saying starting next episode with a cancel option. If you chose no then it could behave like it used to and dump you to live if you never respond. And avoids a setting in the system.


----------



## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

Or they could just go back to the way it was and if you wanted to binge watch you hit play on the folder and it would play them all in a row. All they needed to do was tell people about that feature, no need to force a new feature on everyone that doesn't work very well and angers people.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> I've decided I think they should ask if you want play next feature to activate at the beginning of the program when you first hit play from the playlist, instead of at the end. That I believe would fix all the complaints about the feature.
> 
> If you chose yes, (or heck let it be a small onscreen option that will default to yes after 10 seconds even similar to how it is now), then when it bumps to the next episode, it could have a splash screen saying starting next episode with a cancel option. If you chose no then it could behave like it used to and dump you to live if you never respond. And avoids a setting in the system.


Unfortunately for those who don't want to auto-play, it still requires an extra step to disable auto-play each time playback starts on a program in any folder. If I ever did want to playback all available episodes, I'd just press PLAY on the whole folder, as that option already exists.

I have confidence in the DIRECTV programmers that they can come up with a good a user-defined setting to manage this. I've already posted at least three types of current screen/menu settings that DIRECTV could easily adapt and merge into a new Play Next setting, so it's just a matter of them being willing to do it. Honestly, having a way to turn it off is really the only way to satisfy everyone, because then everyone can make it do what they want... either let it "play next" or turn it off and we get the same behavior we had before the feature was introduced.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Drew2k said:


> Unfortunately for those who don't want to auto-play, it still requires an extra step to disable auto-play each time playback starts on a program in any folder. If I ever did want to playback all available episodes, I'd just press PLAY on the whole folder, as that option already exists.
> 
> I have confidence in the DIRECTV programmers that they can come up with a good a user-defined setting to manage this. I've already posted at least three types of current screen/menu settings that DIRECTV could easily adapt and merge into a new Play Next setting, so it's just a matter of them being willing to do it. Honestly, having a way to turn it off is really the only way to satisfy everyone, because then everyone can make it do what they want... either let it "play next" or turn it off and we get the same behavior we had before the feature was introduced.


Devils advocate.... Of course what if one person in the house loves the feature and one hates it. Then a setting is not useful if it's buried in the menu.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> Devils advocate.... Of course what if one person in the house loves the feature and one hates it. Then a setting is not useful if it's buried in the menu.


Cool, an easy one! The person who wants to play them all can just hit "PLAY" on the folder.

Thinking about it, that's really the easiest solution and I'm not sure why DIRECTV deviated from a feature that was built-in already and forced auto-play on all users.

Users who want to play episodes in sequence can just press PLAY on the folder and with the new season/episode info, all DIRECTV needs to do is make sure the playback goes in the proper episode order. Done.


----------



## grover517 (Sep 29, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> I've decided I think they should ask if you want play next feature to activate at the beginning of the program when you first hit play from the playlist, instead of at the end. That I believe would fix all the complaints about the feature.
> 
> If you chose yes, (or heck let it be a small onscreen option that will default to yes after 10 seconds even similar to how it is now), then when it bumps to the next episode, it could have a splash screen saying starting next episode with a cancel option. If you chose no then it could behave like it used to and dump you to live if you never respond. And avoids a setting in the system.


If they can't, or simply refuse to offer a setting where one can simply disable the feature all together, I can see where asking at the beginning instead of the end would mitigate some of my angst towards this feature. However, that doesn't go far enough in my opinion. To address the rest of my issues with this current implementation, maybe changing it to be more like the "watch this from the beginning" banner would be appropriate?. That way, if I do nothing, then things work like they always have and the only change for anyone is a banner on the screen for 5-10 seconds that not only makes them aware that this feature is available, but requires the user to "opt in" instead of the other way around.


----------



## GTS (Mar 4, 2007)

I think the DVR coding team was making UTH improvements and adding a great new feature to D10 - Went as well as the actual DVR implementations - TIC


----------



## augisdad (Sep 29, 2011)

Last night decided to get caught up on Agent Carter, of which I had 2 showings unwatched on my HR34. I watched the oldest episode, then it went to the next episode and I watched it while the next episode of Agent Carter was recording. I was surprised that it did _not_ go ahead to this episode when I was done with the 2nd episode. Last night's episode had completed recording and it did have the Sx | Ex in the listing. No option was given to go to the next episode whatsoever.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> What do you think? Is it better? Is it worse? Let's have a good, helpful discussion... our friends at DIRECTV are watching.


My mother hates this "feature". So much that she has asked me to look into getting her DISH. She is 86 years old and spends about $180/mo on DirecTV, but she hates the change.

It is not so much the auto-play part of it, but that the unit automatically records more episodes from OnDemand. I told her I could fix that part by removing her internet connection, but that she would lose her ability to get PPV's.

Just need a way to turn it off for those who don't want it. Otherwise I am afraid she will be a DISH customer by summer.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> The more I see play next, the more I'm fine with it, I don't get why people hate it, it really doesn't take much to hit the arrow key after the select key when you do or do not delete something. I'm all for options, but even without, I don't get how it screws up that much from what you had before.


Because my 86 year old mom can't react that fast. TV is a big part of her day and this aggravates her for no good reason.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Herdfan said:


> My mother hates this "feature". So much that she has asked me to look into getting her DISH. She is 86 years old and spends about $180/mo on DirecTV, but she hates the change.
> 
> It is not so much the auto-play part of it, but that the unit automatically records more episodes from OnDemand. I told her I could fix that part by removing her internet connection, but that she would lose her ability to get PPV's.
> 
> Just need a way to turn it off for those who don't want it. Otherwise I am afraid she will be a DISH customer by summer.


you can connect a phone line isntead of internet to order PPVs

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

Herdfan said:


> My mother hates this "feature". So much that she has asked me to look into getting her DISH. She is 86 years old and spends about $180/mo on DirecTV, but she hates the change.
> 
> It is not so much the auto-play part of it, but that the unit automatically records more episodes from OnDemand. I told her I could fix that part by removing her internet connection, but that she would lose her ability to get PPV's.
> 
> Just need a way to turn it off for those who don't want it. Otherwise I am afraid she will be a DISH customer by summer.


You can fix the problem of it downloading VOD episodes by changing the series link to only record new episodes on the channel it actually airs on, instead of selecting all episodes.


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

Also throwing in my $.02 about how much I *hate this feature*. Every single time, it aggravates me, and I try to be pretty fast with my remote. By the time the end box appears, I have to quite literally drop whatever I'm holding, scramble for the remote, then mash the buttons for a chance to cancel the Play Next feature. If I'm not fast enough (and the window quite literally seems to be about 3 seconds regardless of what the timer shows you), it starts playing the next episode, thus marking it as Played. Then a day or a week later I look at my list of shows and I see oh, S3 EP11 is Played, I must have finished that one, lemme go onto S3 EP12 and bammo, if the show starts with a spoiler from the previous episode, that episode is now partly ruined for me.

I just want the option to disable it. Usually I'm pretty happy with DirecTV and their software upgrades but this one is driving my family nuts.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Wait you should get the keep or delete option at the end to chose and then after that it should be asking about playing the next episode. The remote should in theory already be sitting in your hand with your thumb next to the select button. Are you not getting to chose keep or delete at the end of the episode first?


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Beerstalker said:


> You can fix the problem of it downloading VOD episodes by changing the series link to only record new episodes on the channel it actually airs on, instead of selecting all episodes.


The problem is that my mom wants to see some of the reruns, but only the ones she selects. I killed the VOD issue by disconnecting the internet from her DirecTV system. No more PPV but she has an AppleTV so she can just use it.

She still is not happy about it going on to the next episode. I told her to give it at least 2 more software upgrades to give them a chance to allow it to be turned off and then we can decide how to proceed.

It would be a shame though for DirecTV to lose a 20-year customer with a high monthly bill over this, but it is possible.


----------



## Joke (Jun 15, 2011)

My thoughts? My wife and I hate the Play Next feature. DirecTV, please please let us turn it off. We "binge" watch Daily Show, Nightly Show and @ Midnight, catching up on a week or two over the course of a weekend. 

We're perfectly capable of managing this watching ourselves (cycling through the three programs, so that we catch up day by day) ... except if the DVR is auto-plays the next day's episode of the same program. 

If I don't respond to the delete/keep question in roughly 10 seconds, the auto-play thing kicks in. Which means focus on the end of the program needs to be treated as the most important thing going at that time. Not, say, pulling food out of the oven, finishing up that dish I'm cleaning, writing an email, walking upstairs to check the laundry...

As far as my wife and I are concerned, this features puts the priorities backwards. And is a major annoyance.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

You biggie watch all three in cycles? Interesting.... 

And ten seconds? I'll have to see but mine was well over 30 last time I checked. Makes me wonder if something has changed. I use the feature often but I don't see the timeout because I never wait for it...

Are you always watching these in the background then? Personally when I'm at the end of the show I immediately hit ffwd once then skip to get to the end immediately and get the keep or delete pop up. No wasting time with commercials and am already paying attention to what's happening.


----------



## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

Mine is only 5 seconds until the next starts.

You really have to wonder about features like this one - ok to offer as an option and give you a variable amount of time to set - but to set that you can't turn off and can't vary - bad idea. Does anyone actually USE these functions before rolling out - not testing if it works but using in a day to day non-technical person's environment.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

I agree that any feature that changes the way a person uses a DVR should be able to be turned off. My mom is still considering leaving DirecTV after almost 20 years over this.


----------



## grover517 (Sep 29, 2007)

I am so fed up with the Play Next "feature" that I finally implemented my own "disable" option by blocking all of my receivers at my router's firewall. And with no landline in our house any longer, they are not connected to DirecTV at all.

The Play Next function, and the way it was implemented by forcing me to "opt out" multiple times a day has for the first time in over 13 years, made me consider leaving DirecTV behind. I keep hoping they will implement an option to disable it but for the time being, I have just abandoned any and all internet related "features" on my DVR's. If I want to watch a previous episode at some point, why in the world would I want to watch in SD with no FF/RW functionality? And although I realize that those restrictions are dictated by content providers, I find it unacceptable to watch and so why should I consistently have to tell my Genie that I don't want to? I just watch PPV now thru my smart TV apps like VUDU, Hulu Plus, Amazon, Netflix, etc.

Once my contract is up in a few months, I will have a decision to make on whether I want to continue to pay for a service where I have to go to such means just to tailor MY viewing habits to MY needs without having to continuously deal with a "nag screen". Sorry, but this implementation did absolutely nothing to enhance my viewing, but rather just the opposite.


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

grover517 said:


> I am so fed up with the Play Next "feature" that I finally implemented my own "disable" option by blocking all of my receivers at my router's firewall. And with no landline in our house any longer, they are not connected to DirecTV at all.


That's actually a pretty good idea. I don't use any of the internet features on my DVRs anyway, but they do need to talk to each other for the whole home bit. I'll try doing this as well. Any customer care advocate from DirecTV checking this thread?


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

CTJon said:


> Mine is only 5 seconds until the next starts.
> 
> You really have to wonder about features like this one - ok to offer as an option and give you a variable amount of time to set - but to set that you can't turn off and can't vary - bad idea. Does anyone actually USE these functions before rolling out - not testing if it works but using in a day to day non-technical person's environment.


I'm talking about the keep or delete Pop up. Not how long it gives you after you make that choice before it starts the next show.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

grover517 said:


> I am so fed up with the Play Next "feature" that I finally implemented my own "disable" option by blocking all of my receivers at my router's firewall. And with no landline in our house any longer, they are not connected to DirecTV at all.
> 
> The Play Next function, and the way it was implemented by forcing me to "opt out" multiple times a day has for the first time in over 13 years, made me consider leaving DirecTV behind. I keep hoping they will implement an option to disable it but for the time being, I have just abandoned any and all internet related "features" on my DVR's. If I want to watch a previous episode at some point, why in the world would I want to watch in SD with no FF/RW functionality? And although I realize that those restrictions are dictated by content providers, I find it unacceptable to watch and so why should I consistently have to tell my Genie that I don't want to? I just watch PPV now thru my smart TV apps like VUDU, Hulu Plus, Amazon, Netflix, etc.
> 
> Once my contract is up in a few months, I will have a decision to make on whether I want to continue to pay for a service where I have to go to such means just to tailor MY viewing habits to MY needs without having to continuously deal with a "nag screen". Sorry, but this implementation did absolutely nothing to enhance my viewing, but rather just the opposite.


It only starts streaming an episode if its newer than the episode you just finished. So are you watching old shows that are in reruns or something? Because it doesn't stream it if it's recorded on your hard drive.

And I would have just unplugged the Ethernet cable rather than setting up firewalls personally. 

I have a new idea.

Allow us to use the enter key on the actual folder to activate or deactivate this feature per series.

Example. Highlight a folder that has several episodes in it. Have an icon for the play next feature next to the folder (think like the return arrow for start over or record icon in the guide). Press enter and the icon goes away and it won't play next. Press enter again and the icon comes back and it'll do play next for that series.


----------



## grover517 (Sep 29, 2007)

Yes, I do watch some reruns of classic series and some current series, but ONLY if I record them by choosing to record all episodes. And even though I can see where the play next feature has some merit, I have a big problem with ANY feature, option, enhancement, or whatever analogy you care to choose, "requiring" me to opt out on a continual basis. I can already do the "play next" function by just selecting play on the folder WITHOUT MORE PROMPTS!!! So at the very least, there should be an option available that allows you to either turn the prompt on or off while leaving the previous folder play functionality alone. Whether that is a global option, or a folder one like you are proposing, really doesn't matter to me. I just don't like being "nagged" to constantly opt out. 

But on top of that, at no time do I have any interest in watching a SD version of a show that originally was shown in HD and where ff/rw has been disabled as well. This is where I have a much bigger bug about the play next feature. I have also never used the "play from beginning" feature simply because ff/rw has been disabled. I refuse to watch anything that is less than the "original" resolution and without full control. To do otherwise, defeats the basic purpose of having a VCR/DVR. If I am paying to lease a DVR and pay for content, I simply want to watch it how I want to, when I want to and not have to constantly be interrupted by nag screens, prompts, or other unnecessary "features" that cannot be disabled and do nothing to enhance, in MY opinion, my viewing pleasure. I also somewhat resent that DirecTV makes the assumption that MY internet connection is there to use at THEIR discretion. What if I had data caps? If many ISP's have their way, that will be the norm instead of the exception in the very near future.

I had a TIVO that constantly wanted to start recording things on it's own just because it thought I might like them based on what I already watched. Guess how long that setting stayed turned on? I turned off the "Genie Recommends" feature as well. I refuse to go to Dish because of their so called Hopper feature where it automatically records all the broadcast networks during prime time "just in case" I want to watch something. As far as I know, that can't be disabled either. Do I want a dumb DVR? Not necessarily, I just want to feel like I am in control and can tailor it's functionality to MY liking and not have to conform to the way DirecTV or the broadcast providers dictate. To this point, all of the features that have been implemented have had the option to turn off or otherwise make invisible if I so wished. The Play Next feature broke that pattern and if that is the new direction that DirecTV is going to take, then changes on my end may also be necessary. If that means I eventually go back to a roof antenna (I had one re-installed last year) and an OTA Tivo or even back to a multi tuner HTPC then so be it.

In regards to my connectivity, I disabled everything at the firewall by IP (all my DVR's are static) mainly so that the DirecTV app still works to control the DVR's (I have 4) within the home network and the couple of instances of DirecTV2PC installed can work as well. I am also playing with ports/protocols to try and just disable VOD while allowing other functions such as remote scheduling and PPV. Couldn't do any of that if I just unplugged the Ethernet cable from the CCK.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

grover517 said:


> In regards to my connectivity, I disabled everything at the firewall by IP (all my DVR's are static) mainly so that the DirecTV app still works to control the DVR's (I have 4) within the home network and the couple of instances of DirecTV2PC installed can work as well. I am also playing with ports/protocols to try and just disable VOD while allowing other functions such as *remote scheduling* and PPV. Couldn't do any of that if I just unplugged the Ethernet cable from the CCK.


Remote scheduling works via sat, unless you are using an iPad while in your home. Every other device uses the sat every time to send the command to the appropriate DVR.


----------



## grover517 (Sep 29, 2007)

peds48 said:


> Remote scheduling works via sat, unless you are using an iPad while in your home. Every other device uses the sat every time to send the command to the appropriate DVR.


Good to know Peds. Thanks!


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

grover517 said:


> Good to know Peds. Thanks!


And to add, even if you are sing an iPad, if the DIRECTV® app does not find the receiver it will default to send the command via sat.


----------



## gtbuzz (Jan 31, 2008)

I called DTV Tech Support about this and they said there's no way to turn it off (not surprising, I knew that going in) but they also said that this is the first time anyone has complained about it (I doubt that) and it's very unlikely the software is going to change.

Two months left in my contract... I'm gone after that. I can't stress enough how much I hate this feature - so much so that I'm willing to jump ship to Comcast.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Really? There's no other factor at all: None!??

There are ways around this incredibly debilitating inconvenience.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Actually for my mom it is the only factor. She is 86 years old and absolutely hates this "feature". 

The first step will be to move the Genie out of her main viewing area. 

But if this feature comes to the regular HR line, she will be done. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## rtdreep (Dec 24, 2012)

I want an option to shut off the Play Next function. If I then choose to enable it and DirecTV goes to the on-demand channels to play the next episode, then show me the HD version of the episode, and let me fast forward. This is basic stuff, DirecTV. Other than this, I love your service and solution.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Well, I talked to my mom today. She is done with DirecTV. 

A loyal customer since 1995 she just hates the new "feature." And she got a card from DISH telling her she would save money so she wants to make the jump. 

I hate this as there is no good reason to force this feature on customers. An option sure, a forced feature, no. 

I won't be going anywhere, but it doesn't affect me. Well it does because now I am going to have to learn a bunch of DISH stuff.

I did convince her to hold off until I sent Ellen an email, but I don't expect anything to come from it.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Herdfan said:


> I did convince her to hold off until I sent Ellen an email, but I don't expect anything to come from it.


Ellen Fillipiank? She was removed/step away from OOF. Now is someone else...


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> Well, I talked to my mom today. She is done with DirecTV.
> 
> A loyal customer since 1995 she just hates the new "feature." And she got a card from DISH telling her she would save money so she wants to make the jump.
> 
> ...


I truly can't understand how that one feature would drive anyone to or away from any company. Its mind boggling... I hope she is happy with Dish...


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> I truly can't understand how that one feature would drive anyone to or away from any company. Its mind boggling... I hope she is happy with Dish...


And it is to me also, but TV is really the only entertainment option she has. She only records shows she wants to watch. She won't even use the Season Pass.

So she watches and deletes each show individually. But if she falls asleep towards the end of one and it goes to the next or even the next, next while she sleeps, when she wakes up, she now has to not only find the place where she was, but now also the episode. Before if she fell asleep, it just bounced out to Live TV. It just frustrates her and why be frustrated when you are 86 if you don't have to be.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Could she learn to have only one ep of each series? 

I agree that when I get to my mid 80's, you'd better get off my lawn and not introduce features on my TV that I don't like.....

Best of luck.


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

I'm not in my 80's and I have no excuse other than I simply hate the feature and want the option to disable it. While this particular thing won't necessarily drive me away from DirecTV, it will be something I'll mention to non-customers who ask me if I'm happy with DirecTV. "Service is generally good, hardware is fine, pricing is decent, but there's this one thing about their receivers that drives me nuts and even though you complain about it, they won't change it..."

I'm going to explore the option to adjusting the firewall for my DVR's IP address in an effort to block this feature, but I don't expect other people to have the know-how to do this with their router. Just a real shame that DirecTV rolls out these features without giving you the option to disable them, something which has been pretty rare in the past 12 years I've had DTV.

For some people it's this Play Next thing isn't a big deal, but for me, it is, and it's frustrating to know I'm simply stuck with it.

I'm also concerned that since they went ahead and added this "feature" which I can't disable, in a future release they'll make another "improvement" and change another feature I do use, like how the 30 second skip works. I've been generally happy with each new software release. Now because of this one thing that I despise, I'm dreading whatever's next in the pipeline.


----------



## augisdad (Sep 29, 2011)

They did the same thing when they disabled Trick play from the PIG and then made the pause button function the same as the play button. I still push pause when I'm in the list to try and get the PIG to stop playing, and then it selects the next item in my list to start playing. I don't think I'll ever get over doing that, as it's been several years now that this feature was taken away. It doesn't seem to matter much what we might _want_.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> And it is to me also, but TV is really the only entertainment option she has. She only records shows she wants to watch. She won't even use the Season Pass.
> 
> So she watches and deletes each show individually. But if she falls asleep towards the end of one and it goes to the next or even the next, next while she sleeps, when she wakes up, she now has to not only find the place where she was, but now also the episode. Before if she fell asleep, it just bounced out to Live TV. It just frustrates her and why be frustrated when you are 86 if you don't have to be.


Does she have any other tvs / receivers in the house?

Maybe use a h25 on the tv she falls asleep at and put the genie on the other TV. If she has others. The h25 won't do the feature.

Yeah she's funny if she won't even use the season records. I have a relative like that too. Not much you can do when they refuse to make it easier on themselves.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

decker12 said:


> I'm not in my 80's and I have no excuse other than I simply hate the feature and want the option to disable it. While this particular thing won't necessarily drive me away from DirecTV, it will be something I'll mention to non-customers who ask me if I'm happy with DirecTV. "Service is generally good, hardware is fine, pricing is decent, but there's this one thing about their receivers that drives me nuts and even though you complain about it, they won't change it..."
> 
> I'm going to explore the option to adjusting the firewall for my DVR's IP address in an effort to block this feature, but I don't expect other people to have the know-how to do this with their router. Just a real shame that DirecTV rolls out these features without giving you the option to disable them, something which has been pretty rare in the past 12 years I've had DTV.
> 
> ...


Firewall doesn't kill the feature. It just keeps it from filling in the blanks with on demand episodes if you are short an episode. But it does nothing if all the shows are recorded on the DVR which I think is the real issue most people have. It's pretty easy to just unplug from the internet if you really need to.

But if you are paying attention to the program you are watching it's pretty easy to just select cancel and not let it even try and play the next episode.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> Does she have any other tvs / receivers in the house?


Yes, she has 3 other HR2x's. I have mentioned it to her to move the Genie, but in reality how long will it be until this "feature" comes to the HR's? Then I'm back where I started.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

There's a fair amount of speculation that little if any new features will be added to Hx2x or earlier units.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Herdfan said:


> Yes, she has 3 other HR2x's. I have mentioned it to her to move the Genie, but in reality how long will it be until this "feature" comes to the HR's? Then I'm back where I started.


There is little chance this feature will hit the HR2x platform


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> Yes, she has 3 other HR2x's. I have mentioned it to her to move the Genie, but in reality how long will it be until this "feature" comes to the HR's? Then I'm back where I started.


It's never coming to them IMHO. It'd be here already if that where true. I'd make the swap and see if that solves her issues for now.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

I'm not in my 80's and I still hate the new "feature" to automatically play the next episode. There needs to be an option to disable this. If I want to play all programs automatically I'll press PLAY on the folder. That feature has existed for years and put the choice in the customers' hands; the new feature takes that choice away and is pointless.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Drew2k said:


> I'm not in my 80's and I still hate the new "feature" to automatically play the next episode. There needs to be an option to disable this. If I want to play all programs automatically I'll press PLAY on the folder. That feature has existed for years and put the choice in the customers' hands; the new feature takes that choice away and is pointless.


This feature is a little different as it looks for the "missing" episodes in other places like VOD even other channels.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

ItS also a lot different in that it plays episodes in order or episode not of when it was recorded.


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

Again I think the point is that this is a feature that many people would like the option to disable. What's the best way to communicate this to DirecTV?


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

decker12 said:


> What's the best way to communicate this to DirecTV?


e-mail


----------



## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Drew2k said:


> I'm not in my 80's and I still hate the new "feature" to automatically play the next episode. There needs to be an option to disable this. If I want to play all programs automatically I'll press PLAY on the folder. That feature has existed for years and put the choice in the customers' hands; the new feature takes that choice away and is pointless.


I run into this feature so infrequently, I usually forget about it.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

peds48 said:


> This feature is a little different as it looks for the "missing" episodes in other places like VOD even other channels.


Good point, I forgot about the attempt to download, which for me is another negative. It's a convenience for some, but a nuisance for others (like me).



inkahauts said:


> ItS also a lot different in that it plays episodes in order or episode not of when it was recorded.


Not always though, depending on the guide data showing or missing Sn | En info. You could have 5 items in a folder for M-F recordings but Tuesday didn't have the episode info, so if someone plays Monday's program then Wednesday's episode auto-plays next. That can be very confusing if someone didn't notice it in their list. (Pressing PLAY on the folder would work flawlessly in this case, though, since it plays back by date recorded.)

Again makes me say this should be an optional feature.


----------



## Mountain Bob (May 27, 2015)

I'm new here. I just found this Forum because I am fed up with the problem many have previously described..if I fall asleep watching TV I wake up two or three episodes later; the next morning I have to figure out where I was. 

I never watch just one episode of any series...I like to be able to watch several episodes back-to-back AT MY DISCRETION. (Sorry for the yelling, I know no one here can resolve this issue,) Like most adults I can figure out how to watch the next episode even when "binge-watching."

Would someone suggest where/how to contact DirecTV?

Thanks


----------



## Mountain Bob (May 27, 2015)

inkahauts said:


> I've decided I think they should ask if you want play next feature to activate at the beginning of the program when you first hit play from the playlist, instead of at the end. That I believe would fix all the complaints about the feature.
> 
> If you chose yes, (or heck let it be a small onscreen option that will default to yes after 10 seconds even similar to how it is now), then when it bumps to the next episode, it could have a splash screen saying starting next episode with a cancel option. If you chose no then it could behave like it used to and dump you to live if you never respond. And avoids a setting in the system.


I like your first idea, I disagree about the default! The default should be NO, not yes. If a viewer falls asleep the player should not keep playing, but revert to live TV at the end of the episode playing.


----------



## 549 (Dec 8, 2007)

I'm another average user who doesn't like how the feature works. The default should not be to automatically play the next episode. If a user is not making a choice then they are not actively watching. I may have left the room because of a different distraction (kids, phone call, cooking food, bathroom, fell asleep, etc) where I didn't stop the show but don't want watch future episodes. If I do want to watch the next episode I can make that choice by pressing play.


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

I have emailed DirecTV about this issue and received this reponse. I'd suggest emailing them as well and hopefully with enough people asking, they'll push the effort towards a resolution.



> If I have a Genie DVR that as of the latest software patch, does this thing where it Auto Plays the next unwatched episode unless I hit Cancel within 5 seconds of the current episode ending. I want this feature disabled.
> 
> There is a huge forum of people at DBS talk all complaining about the same thing at:
> 
> ...


And their response:



> Thank you for writing. My name is Neil from DIRECTV's Email Department and I understand your concern about the AutoPlay feature with your Genie's latest software patch. I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your email today.
> 
> While we do not have the capacity to disable this feature as of this time, this would be a great addition to our services and thank you for bringing this to our attention. Mr. Decker, I have forwarded your suggestion to DIRECTV management. This will be subject to discussion until a formal announcement is made.


Their response isn't quite as canned as I thought it would be, but here's hoping they actually do something about it in the future.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

decker12 said:


> It doesn't look like disabling this is possible. I'm about ready to cancel my DirecTV service unless you can give me an ETA as to when DirecTV will make this an option for me to disable


Threatening to cancel does nothing, unfortunately the vote that counts are the ones that ACTUALLY left. Once folks start leaving in droves, DIRECTV® will react, until then threat falls on deaf ears.


----------



## pearkel (Feb 1, 2007)

Really interesting thing happened tonight. While watching the 6/10 episode of Bullseye (don't judge my kids like) tonight on Fox, after the previews for next weeks episode genie went to the on demand screen of loading and started downloading the next episode. When it started playing it was actually next weeks episode with an original air date of 6/17. So the All seasons next feature is actually showing in this instance an episode that hasn't even aired yet. 
Just thought I'd share my experience.
KRM


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Yeah there are several shows this summer that have put their entire season or even several ahead of time on demand before they air on the linear channel. Kind of nice and actually that allows then to make sure you don't skip their ads so rather evil too... :lol:


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

pearkel said:


> Really interesting thing happened tonight. While watching the 6/10 episode of Bullseye (don't judge my kids like) tonight on Fox, after the previews for next weeks episode genie went to the on demand screen of loading and started downloading the next episode. When it started playing it was actually next weeks episode with an original air date of 6/17. So the All seasons next feature is actually showing in this instance an episode that hasn't even aired yet.
> Just thought I'd share my experience.
> KRM


Right, I was able to grab an episode of 12 Monkeys as well ahead of its airing.


----------



## prushing (Feb 14, 2007)

Yeah happened with Aquarius even though I only had one episode recorded so wasn't prepared for the menu to pop up.


----------



## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

> I'm not in my 80's and I still hate the new "feature" to automatically play the next episode. There needs to be an option to disable this. If I want to play all programs automatically I'll press PLAY on the folder. That feature has existed for years and put the choice in the customers' hands; the new feature takes that choice away and is pointless.


+1


----------



## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

It is pretty obvious from this board that a large majority of people don't like this feature at all. The question is will DirecTv make this an option, etc.
To me this is one of those changes that makes you wonder if anyone really uses a feature before it is released to the world.


----------



## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

Put me in the camp who say the Play Next needs to be adjusted. I don't like how it just starts playing the next episode in the folder without me telling it to by selecting OK. Instead of me having to tell it to stop I should instead have to tell it to start. Same with it downloading OD episodes. I just got my first HR44 a couple weeks ago and thought the kids were playing around with it and that's where all the OD episodes were coming from on my List. I'd like to see a setting where these features could be disabled entirely or they at least need to be changed so the user has to give an affirmative action for playback/download to start.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

peds48 said:


> This feature is a little different as it looks for the "missing" episodes in other places like VOD even other channels.


And this part of the "feature" would be fine if there were an option to exclude episodes already recorded and watched, regardless of the time frame. Actually I wish this were part of the software anyway.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

decker12 said:


> I have emailed DirecTV about this issue and received this reponse. I'd suggest emailing them as well and hopefully with enough people asking, they'll push the effort towards a resolution.


It appears that DIRECTV® loves this feature so much that they have now roll the same feature to their Co-Pilot mobile apps.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> And this part of the "feature" would be fine if there were an option to exclude episodes already recorded and watched, regardless of the time frame. Actually I wish this were part of the software anyway.


I have never seen it try to download an episode already recorded on the unit. What show did that happen with?


----------



## prushing (Feb 14, 2007)

I've seen it but only where the S#|E# was missing from the already recorded episode.

Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> I have never seen it try to download an episode already recorded on the unit. What show did that happen with?


What I meant was an episode that was previously recorded, watched and deleted outside the 28/30 day period. Since it has been watched, I don't want to to redownload it via VOD.

Just needs to be a flag to not download episodes that fall into that category.


----------



## Blackfoot_Bandit (Sep 8, 2007)

Drew2k said:


> I'm not in my 80's and I still hate the new "feature" to automatically play the next episode. There needs to be an option to disable this. If I want to play all programs automatically I'll press PLAY on the folder. That feature has existed for years and put the choice in the customers' hands; the new feature takes that choice away and is pointless.


+1 - Really sucks when I call asleep to the first episode and wake up to all of them now in a watched state.

When the end of the show comes up and the delete or don't delete option comes up. If you do absolutely nothing it times out to not delete and starts the next show.

Hey DTV, if you will not make it an option to disable this, make it default to cancel instead.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

I've been around this forum long enough to know that DirecTV seems to have reasons for the things they do, even if we don't agree with them.

Can anyone think of a legitimate reason for DirecTV not allowing this "feature" to be turned off? What do they get by forcing it on customers? 

I would not think it would be a programming issue, but I could be wrong.


----------



## Brandito (Sep 29, 2008)

Because they don't care. They called me today to randomly ask how I felt about my service and I told them I've been underwhelmed by the speed of their interface since I bought their first hd DVR and the lady claimed she'd never gotten a complaint like that before. 

They just don't care. They'll continue churning out under powered hardware, poorly optimized software, and features that annoy people. 

They get away with it because in spite of all their short comings, they're still the best of the worst.


----------



## Jasqid (Oct 26, 2008)

I just had my first good experience with this... I think. ONe of the things I noticed in the last year was the VOD was nto very good. There was only 1,2 or 3 episodes available of a show if I missed one. Just this week I notice Extant was back on... EPISODE 3. I watched Season 1 last summer. I was able to go back and download S2-E1+2 while #3 was recording live. (I must have deleted the recording from the task list.)

I guess that's my only complaint so far is the quality of the VOD libraries. Missing episodes or none available. I know some of this is the programmers but Ive noticed when I go online and log in to the site (looking at you history channel) more episodes are available there than in my genie VOD folder.


----------



## 50+ (May 1, 2008)

I am on the I do not like it side of the fence. It has been said by others this was an option before, just select by playing the folder. The operator had control. The difference now is you must make it stop. I often fall asleep while watching a recording, wake up and all are blacked out like I watched. Then you must go back and find your spot. I understand why some would like this. I do think there should be an option to turn it off


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Eliminating its timer and just having it sit on that screen till you give it feedback would likely solve the entire problem.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> Eliminating its timer and just having it sit on that screen till you give it feedback would likely solve the entire problem.


Or the simple ability to turn it off. But your suggestion would be 99% better than what we have.

Why can't you make them understand this?


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

My head smashing into a wall evidently isn't loud enough for them to hear.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> Or the simple ability to turn it off. But your suggestion would be 99% better than what we have.
> 
> Why can't you make them understand this?


I've always thought they should give you an option to turn it on or off every time you start playback fresh from the playlist of a show so you are choosing it for that show for this viewing experience. Just let the option sit on screen till you make a choice so everyone will have to make a choice.


----------



## Kojo62 (Aug 9, 2007)

Is there any word on this "feature" possibly being modified? I still hate it with the fire of 1000 suns. It seems ridiculous that there has been not even a simple option to disable it introduced by now. Someone _please_ tell me a change is at least in the works.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Kojo62 said:


> Is there any word on this "feature" possibly being modified? I still hate it with the fire of 1000 suns. It seems ridiculous that there has been not even a simple option to disable it introduced by now. Someone _please_ tell me a change is at least in the works.


nope, no change in the works....

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

peds48 said:


> nope, no change in the works....


I really don't understand why DirecTV likes to force these things on us. Even Apple is going to allow the deletion of some of its own apps in iOS 10.


----------



## Delroy E Walleye (Jun 9, 2012)

I'd all but forgotten about this stupid feature. What I got in the habit of doing is rewinding as soon as the keep or delete nag appears. Rewind first, then pause and exit or choose another program to watch. Most times I don't even wait for the nag.

Using the keep/delete method of deleting seems to take longer to get back to the playlist in all HRs I've used, anyway.

(Of course, this rewinding method doesn't help if you fall asleep...)


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

I don't get why it's so hard to simply hit select and then down arrow and select again to take you back to the playlist after you delete a program if you are in front of the tv.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Herdfan said:


> I really don't understand why DirecTV likes to force these things on us. Even Apple is going to allow the deletion of some of its own apps in iOS 10.


well, kind of. And even they are not completed gone, more like they are hidden as the libraries will remain.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> I don't get why it's so hard to simply hit select and then down arrow and select again to take you back to the playlist after you delete a program if you are in front of the tv.


For one it happens too fast. By the time you even see it you have 3-4 seconds to react. Second, you only have those 3-4 seconds if you are paying close attention.

So I don't see why it's so hard to allow the "feature" to be turned off.


----------



## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

No one else on this forum understands why it would be hard to turn off but we aren't the people at AT&T who make those discussions.
I wonder if they, and most other technical companies, actually survey real users and test things out before implementing. I'm not talking about the people who do beta testing but real "normal" users - non technical, different age groups(not that this one is age related), etc.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

CTJon said:


> not that this one is age related


This one IS age related as my 87 year old mother is about to leave DirecTV over it. She dozes off when she is watching TV. Normally this is not a problem as she just rewinds and goes on. But this "feature" will put her into the next episode and she has a hard time getting back to where she was.


----------



## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

What I meant by not age was that even "younger" people hate it


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> For one it happens too fast. By the time you even see it you have 3-4 seconds to react. Second, you only have those 3-4 seconds if you are paying close attention.
> 
> So I don't see why it's so hard to allow the "feature" to be turned off.


I've said before I think they should increase the time by 2 more seconds but if you already have you finger on the remote and hit the select button for delete or not then you are already in position. There's no big delay grabbing the remote. I don't get the pay attention part. You are already paying attention when you are choosing to delete or not the program before this pops up.

Or you are in another room or asleep and then we'll, you aren't watching anyway... that's an entirely different issue.

Maybe they should set it up like Netflix does and have it ask the question at the time the show is supposed to end and give you the extra 90 seconds to choose...

Ive said before asking at the beginning of a program what you'll want to do might be the best solution though...


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

This situation that I run into is that either the remote isn't close at hand when the show is over, so you have to scramble to grab the remote in the scant 4-ish seconds you have to stop the countdown (it's actually not 5 seconds, the counter starts at 5 and then immediately ticks down to 4). If it's dark and you grab the remote upside down, you may have to fumble to find the right button to push as well.

Or this all too common scenario: The show is over and the credits run. You watch the first few seconds of the credits, then you get up and go to the bathroom or let the dog out, because it's just the credits, right? Meanwhile in the 30 seconds that have elapsed while you perform your duties, the recording is over, the counter has already appeared and gone, and the next episode has already started regardless if you actually wanted to watch it or not.

You can tell DirecTV is trying to be "helpful" with this feature but it's poorly implemented and should be a toggled option.


----------



## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

It annoys me on Netflix too. I'll get into bed and start watching a series and fall asleep in the middle of an episode. I'll wake up later and shut everything off, but then the next night when I want to watch the series again I will have to go back through 3-5 episodes reading the synopsis to try to figure out which one I was watching when I fell asleep, and then start playing it and fast forward to find the place where I fell asleep. I'm fine with the pop up window selection defaulting to play the next episode, but I should have to click OK/Select/Play/etc in order for it to start doing that. If the player gets no feedback from me it should just sit there, or exit out to live TV / the menu etc. That way all I have to do is go back to the last episode that shows as watched and play it, then fast forward to the spot. I don't have to try to figure out which episode anymore.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> Maybe they should set it up like Netflix does and have it ask the question at the time the show is supposed to end and give you the extra 90 seconds to choose...
> 
> Ive said before asking at the beginning of a program what you'll want to do might be the best solution though...


Actually a simple box that makes the user choose from 3 options:

1) Delete Recording
2) Play Next Episode
3) Exit

With the default on delete. If the user does nothing, after a time-out period it defaults to #3.

This is really no different that the current implementation except that the user must act if they want the next episode vs acting if they don't.

And has been pointed out previously, hitting Play on the folder does the same thing, so why have 2 ways to do it.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

decker12 said:


> This situation that I run into is that either the remote isn't close at hand when the show is over, so you have to scramble to grab the remote in the scant 4-ish seconds you have to stop the countdown (it's actually not 5 seconds, the counter starts at 5 and then immediately ticks down to 4). If it's dark and you grab the remote upside down, you may have to fumble to find the right button to push as well.
> 
> Or this all too common scenario: The show is over and the credits run. You watch the first few seconds of the credits, then you get up and go to the bathroom or let the dog out, because it's just the credits, right? Meanwhile in the 30 seconds that have elapsed while you perform your duties, the recording is over, the counter has already appeared and gone, and the next episode has already started regardless if you actually wanted to watch it or not.
> 
> You can tell DirecTV is trying to be "helpful" with this feature but it's poorly implemented and should be a toggled option.


Ok this confuses me for one simple reason. My unit pulls up the keep or delete screen and it sits there for a LONG time giving me plenty of time to get the remote and answer before it just skips on its own to the next episode. I'll have to time it but I think it's at least a min maybe two or three.

And when I leave my tv I hit pause no matter where I am in the show. I've been doing that forever. That's an easy fix for leaving the room. You never know if the phone is going to ring or whatever...


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Beerstalker said:


> It annoys me on Netflix too. I'll get into bed and start watching a series and fall asleep in the middle of an episode. I'll wake up later and shut everything off, but then the next night when I want to watch the series again I will have to go back through 3-5 episodes reading the synopsis to try to figure out which one I was watching when I fell asleep, and then start playing it and fast forward to find the place where I fell asleep. I'm fine with the pop up window selection defaulting to play the next episode, but I should have to click OK/Select/Play/etc in order for it to start doing that. If the player gets no feedback from me it should just sit there, or exit out to live TV / the menu etc. That way all I have to do is go back to the last episode that shows as watched and play it, then fast forward to the spot. I don't have to try to figure out which episode anymore.


Yeah I agree. Simply stalling at the choice and going to screen saver till You make a choice really would Fix this issue for those have have problems with it as well I think.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> Actually a simple box that makes the user choose from 3 options:
> 
> 1) Delete Recording
> 2) Play Next Episode
> ...


But if you chose next does it delete the old one or leave it?


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> Ok this confuses me for one simple reason. My unit pulls up the keep or delete screen and it sits there for a LONG time giving me plenty of time to get the remote and answer before it just skips on its own to the next episode. I'll have to time it but I think it's at least a min maybe two or three.
> 
> And when I leave my tv I hit pause no matter where I am in the show. I've been doing that forever. That's an easy fix for leaving the room. You never know if the phone is going to ring or whatever...


is definitely not 3 minutes, no way, more like 5 seconds as mentioned before. But this does not bother me. I am not here or there with this feature.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

peds48 said:


> is definitely not 3 minutes, no way, more like 5 seconds as mentioned before. But this does not bother me. I am not here or there with this feature.
> 
> Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


No it's not. I think you misunderstand what I was getting at. If you let a show play to the end it pops up a keep or delete question. That lasts a long time. It's after you answer that when you already have the remote in your hand and your thumb hovering over the keys that the play next question pops up.


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> No it's not. I think you misunderstand what I was getting at. If you let a show play to the end it pops up a keep or delete question. That lasts a long time. It's after you answer that when you already have the remote in your hand and your thumb hovering over the keys that the play next question pops up.


Sorry, but that is not the functionality at all, and it's not what this topic is referring to. I'll try to make a video of the behavior, but in general, imagine this:

You have 4 weeks of recorded shows, let's say it's the latest season of South Park. Your List looks like this:

S15E01 This Funny Title
S15E02 Another Title
S15E03 Some Third Title

You watch S15E01 of South Park. It goes all the way to the end of the show. At this point, instead of the usual "Save" or "Delete" box, instead a box pops up that says "Play Next Episode?" and that box has a 4 second timer (yes, the timer shows 5 seconds, but that first second disappears immediately, so it's really only 4 seconds) with the default option being "Play Next Episode" and the option below it saying "Don't Play".

If you do nothing, or if you can't reach the remote quickly enough to change the option down to "Don't Play", it will start to play the next episode. That's the problem and that's what we don't want. If you fell asleep or walked away from your DVR, it will gladly play every episode in order until it reaches the end of all your episodes. At that point, while it won't delete the episodes, all of them are marked Played.

This is different then the usual "Play" or "Delete" box that you see when you finish a recording that doesn't have "the next" episode already recorded in your List.

The ideal solution is to either make this Automatically Play Next Episode feature an option you can disable, or let it sit there for more than 4 seconds, or make the default option to "Stop playing episodes" instead of "Play next episode".


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

I've never seen that. Mine always asks to delete first then after that asks for play next. What DVR do you have? This is bizzare. 

And how exactly did you start playback? Was it from more info or play strait from the playlist?

So bizzare...


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> But if you chose next does it delete the old one or leave it?


What ever it does now with the timer. I don't know if it keeps or deletes it.



inkahauts said:


> I've never seen that. Mine always asks to delete first then after that asks for play next. What DVR do you have? This is bizzare.
> 
> And how exactly did you start playback? Was it from more info or play strait from the playlist?
> 
> So bizzare...


That seems to be what mine does as well. I have a 54.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Herdfan said:


> What ever it does now with the timer. I don't know if it keeps or deletes it.
> 
> That seems to be what mine does as well. I have a 54.


keeps it.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> No it's not. I think you misunderstand what I was getting at. If you let a show play to the end it pops up a keep or delete question. .


not it does not. You are not understanding what this thread is about. What you describe is not how it functions. This one can't be spin around.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> I've never seen that. Mine always asks to delete first then after that asks for play next. What DVR do you have? This is bizzare.
> 
> And how exactly did you start playback? Was it from more info or play strait from the playlist?
> 
> So bizzare...


The thing is that this only happens on NEW shows that are being recorded via a Season Pass week after week.

So if you have a Season Pass that's recording the new episodes of Game of Thrones every week, and you don't watch a single one week after week, after you watch the first one, it'll bring up the prompt to play the next one, which is what we don't like.
If you have a Season Pass that's recording old episodes of Big Bang Theory on syndication, it won't pop up the "play the next one" box, because they're not sequential and they're not new episodes. However once the new TBBT start in the Fall, and it starts recording the new ones, AND you don't watch them for several weeks (allowing them to stack up in your List), it will do this "Play next episode" behavior.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

decker12 said:


> The thing is that this only happens on NEW shows that are being recorded via a Season Pass week after week.


Don't think that is correct as it happens to my mom and she won't use Season Pass (I can't get an answer from her as to why not) and it happens with reruns as well. Pretty much anything with S/E info it seems to work for.


----------



## GTS (Mar 4, 2007)

Herdfan said:


> I've been around this forum long enough to know that DirecTV seems to have reasons for the things they do, even if we don't agree with them.
> 
> Can anyone think of a legitimate reason for DirecTV not allowing this "feature" to be turned off? What do they get by forcing it on customers?
> 
> I would not think it would be a programming issue, but I could be wrong.


If there were a way to keep track of what programs were watched, I wonder if it would be beneficial to count each program at least twice. Once while it plays back when you are let's say - _sleeping_ - and therefore not being able to FF through the commercials and once again when you *choose *to play back the program. Anyone know if there's a way to keep track of this? Might it be useful in any ratings calculations? Does anyone know how those ratings might influence - let's say revenue. TIC

No one is this crappy at coding or this ignorant of their consumers.


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

GTS said:


> If there were a way to keep track of what programs were watched, I wonder if it would be beneficial to count each program at least twice. Once while it plays back when you are let's say - _sleeping_ - and therefore not being able to FF through the commercials and once again when you *choose *to play back the program. Anyone know if there's a way to keep track of this? Might it be useful in any ratings calculations? Does anyone know how those ratings might influence - let's say revenue. TIC
> 
> No one is this crappy at coding or this ignorant of their consumers.


I actually think they mean well with this feature. They're trying to be helpful with the whole "binge watching" thing that Netflix has recently let people do. It's just poorly executed on DirecTV's software.

They're done crap like this before - for instance if you want to tune into a channel, it's all too easy to select a channel on the far left of the timeline, hit Select (instead of Play), and then be taken to the crappy Active TV Channel that takes a while to load instead of tuning into the channel. The PiP feature is a pain to configure as well, and several interface options that should be checkboxes are instead scrolling bars, which just smells like poor GUI design.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

decker12 said:


> I actually think they mean well with this feature. They're trying to be helpful with the whole "binge watching" thing that Netflix has recently let people do. It's just poorly executed on DirecTV's software.
> 
> and then be taken to the crappy Active TV Channel


But they had it before. You just had to read the manual. Pressing PLAY when on the folder did this already.

As for the Active channel, I use a URC remote so no Active channel for me. :joy:


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

peds48 said:


> not it does not. You are not understanding what this thread is about. What you describe is not how it functions. This one can't be spin around.
> 
> Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


I'll see if I have time to video it. What I said is what mine does every time without fail.

This is not up for debate or misunderstanding of how it works. It's how mine works. Period.

If yours never asks that question of keep or delete first then there's a massive glitch in either mine or yours. But that's what's happening. Don't disagree with what I am seeing. Agree that it's bizzare we see such different behavior.

If you say yours works different and others also don't see that screen first then that is truly bizzare and explains some of the reason some of us don't see this as nearly as big an issue as others do.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> But they had it before. You just had to read the manual. Pressing PLAY when on the folder did this already.
> 
> As for the Active channel, I use a URC remote so no Active channel for me. :joy:


But the folder way still works and you get no prompts for anything. It just goes from one to the next.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> I'll see if I have time to video it. What I said is what mine does every time without fail.
> 
> This is not up for debate or misunderstanding of how it works. It's how mine works. Period.
> 
> .


and what we said is what happens without fail, period. It is not up for debate. However you seem to want to debate this a lot.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## decker12 (Jan 10, 2008)

I am not sure what there is to debate? There are 12 pages of discussion from many, many users about how this Play Next Episode issue is something we hate and would like to see it removed. It's not a question of if it's happening, because we're all reporting it.

I think the problem is that one user is reporting the issue that this 12 pages is about, and the other user is reporting something similar, but not the same issue. The key is that from what I can tell, *ONLY the Genie HR34-700 and the newer model seem to do this*. My non-Genie HD DVR up in the bedroom DOES NOT do this "Play Next Episode" behavior and neither does my mini-receiver that's hooked up to Whole Home.

So maybe that's the confusion with the two users reporting different results?


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

decker12 said:


> I am not sure what there is to debate? There are 12 pages of discussion from many, many users about how this Play Next Episode issue is something we hate and would like to see it removed. It's not a question of if it's happening, because we're all reporting it.
> 
> I think the problem is that one user is reporting the issue that this 12 pages is about, and the other user is reporting something similar, but not the same issue. The key is that from what I can tell, *ONLY the Genie HR34-700 and the newer model seem to do this*. My non-Genie HD DVR up in the bedroom DOES NOT do this "Play Next Episode" behavior and neither does my mini-receiver that's hooked up to Whole Home.
> 
> So maybe that's the confusion with the two users reporting different results?


Thats not the issue. This has always been a genie thing. The issue is I am seeing it work completely differently than others. And that wasn't clear till a few posts ago.

Many have complained they can't get the remote fast enough to respond. That made zero sense to me. My next post explains why... it's not five seconds to find your remote.. not for me anyway. Seems others may work differently.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

peds48 said:


> and what we said is what happens without fail, period. It is not up for debate. However you seem to want to debate this a lot.
> 
> Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


I've never debated how it actually works because until a little while ago I figured my sampling of it working on several genies and minis was the same experience as everyone else's. Now you and others seem to have a different experience. Well here's a video of how mine works. At the end of a show it always asks for keep or delete then asks if I want to play next. None of mine ever get to the end and just ask for play next.

So to clarify what do people see? What my video shows or no keep or delete choice first?

And I did two shows, first letting it play regularly to the end, the second skipping to the end.






The debate I've always had was the remotes already in your hand and you just chose keep or delete so picking up the remote and orienting it before the five seconds isn't a problem IMHO. If you are seeing different then that would be a problem...

Oh and when the keep dialogue pops up it lasts 30 seconds. So you have 30 seconds to get your remote before it decides to keep your recording and go to the play next dialogue box.

Oh and I checked. This is for new or old shows. Syndicated or not. One episode on one channel and the next episode on another. Doesn't matter.


----------



## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

Hmmm.. mine also goes straight to playing next episode. Inky, you have stumped us!


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Maybe a poll is in order...


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

I started a poll at the CE site with a video. Seems my video has disappeared from here. It will be interesting to see the results and how many people see keep or delete first or never.


----------



## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

Well since I posted that I don't see what you do, I started monitoring more carefully. I DO get the same as you on many programs, but not all. I didn't on whatever I tested on last week. But over the weekend, almost all the programs asked for keep/delete first. So I am stymied, stumped and confuzzled!


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

So weird.


----------

