# What is your top features?



## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Better late than never. Below is a compiled list of the features most people ask for in the "If I had one Feature thread". I excluded features that are technically not possible (i.e. TV2 HD output) and features that are not directly related to a VIP software upgrade. Please vote on your top 3 and let see what floats to the top. See below for more detail description of the features. Yes we have done this before, but always good to get a pulse of what as users we most want today. If you feel the receivers feature list meets your needs and you do not want any other features added Mark the last poll option. Enjoy and lets have fun with it.

*Native Resolution Pass-through*
Allows the user to set their VIP receiver to ouput SD content as 480i and HD content to 1080i or 720p. Allows user to either set it to Native Resolution 
mode or specify an output for each VIP input resolution.

*Expanded Discrete Controls*
The ability to use discrete remote control commands to operate some of the more common features like Closed Caption & Output Resolution. Includes a remote short cut to access the discrete controls if possible.

*Enhanced Recording/Recorded show buffer functionality (Sticky Recording Buffer)*
This is the feature that would allow a user that is watching something being recorded or that has been recorded to pause, PIP swap, and when they PIP swap back to have the show still paused. This also include when a user leaved a shows that is being recorded and returns they can resume from the spot they left.

*Enhanced Content sharing through network*
Ability to stream content between all VIP receiver in a household and to move recording from one receiver to another. DLNA support would be most welcome as part of this feature.

*Ability to Adjust Horizontal/Vertical Size*

*Web Access to Receiver*

*Enhanced EHD UI*
This would include better EHD integration into current UI and full folder support.

*Enhanced EHD Support*
Ability to use larger than 750GB drives and ability to use share content

*Enhanced Recorded History management* 
Longer history of shows already recorded. Solve the problem of "delete recorded show and not have it be recorded at some later date"

*Would love a bunch of minor usability features*
This would include the following. 
Ability to Undelete a recording
Indications of shows that have already been watched on drive.
Bookmarks
Trick modes available while on Menus and Guides

*More Comprehensive Search Engine *
Support for AND, OR, etc.

*More Tuner Timer Control*
Ability to force a particular show to a particular tuner. 
Ability to set a timer that says. Use OTA if available, if not use Sat.

*Enhanced Trick Plays*
1.5x Replay with audio and possibly some other speeds


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## clyde sauls (Nov 16, 2007)

Frankly there is a feature that I would like to get rid of. That is the screen saver that comes on after the receiver is inactive.


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## tedb3rd (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm pretty content with the 622's features now... Just give me a remote that will control TV1 _and_ TV2!!


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## TD22057 (May 24, 2007)

I wish I could stick 3 votes on sticky recording buffer...

How about FW and RR that actually work and don't suddenly jump minutes in advance when hitting play?


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## gregleg (Jan 4, 2004)

I can't believe that after all this time we still don't have native passthrough. Granted most HD channels are in 1080i so I just set my 622 and 722 to that, but I'm pretty confident my TVs would handle conversion better than the Dish receivers do.


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## jeffdb27 (Jul 13, 2007)

How about adding the ability to have multiple EHDs connected at the same time? The tech chat has mentioned that several times. But my most wanted feature is remote access to the receiver!


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## ebaltz (Nov 23, 2004)

How about just making it stable. 6.10 has caused numerous lockups and reboots for my 722. Everything was perfect before.


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## elbodude (Jul 13, 2006)

Contined buffering while in "stand-by" or while watching a recorded event.


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## zog1234 (Aug 11, 2008)

For HD channels, an icon indicating the specific show in the program guide grid is broadcasting in HD. That way, one can know if the show is HD or SD.


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

What I REALLY, REALLY want is for me to be able to tell the receiver, "Yes, I know my OTA reception sucks today so please stop telling me that you lost signal on the DVR...just show me what was recorded!"

I can't STAND that a gargatuan opaque warning comes up on the screen every little time there was a glitch in the recording because I have lots of leaves fluttering outside causing multi-path. ATSC isn't Dish's fault, but by God, please let me see the parts of the program I did manage to record without this FULL SCREEN "a portion of this program was not recorded" crap!

See ya
Tony


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## DishTSR3Mentor (Nov 3, 2006)

I think people will be VERY pleased once the SLING integration comes around. There's a lot of networking capabilities we should see coming around - especially if we're going to remain competitive in a world with Windows Media Center and Apple TV.... its going to get real awesome in the next 2 years.


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## allargon (May 3, 2007)

Ron, this is a great poll. However, for enhanced horizontal/vertical control, perhaps you could add further clarification like UNSTRETCHING TBS, A&E, etc.

Thanks!


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## gregleg (Jan 4, 2004)

Will Sling integration require the SlingPlayer, though? If all I wanted to do was sign on to set up a timer, the full Sling client software is overkill (and not always readily available).


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## GiBi (Dec 10, 2007)

Definitely native resolution pass-through has been on the top of my list for quite some time.


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## Michael P (Oct 27, 2004)

> Enhanced Recording/Recorded show buffer functionality (Sticky Recording Buffer)
> This is the feature that would allow a user that is watching something being recorded or that has been recorded to pause, PIP swap, and when they PIP swap back to have the show still paused. This also include when a user leaved a shows that is being recorded and returns they can resume from the spot they left.


Mine does that now, sort of. I watch baseball and the 10 PM news at the same time. Just before 10 PM I PIP swap to make sure that the other tuner is tuned to the FOX station w/ 10 PM news and then switch back to the game. During commercial breaks I start watching the news from the beginning. I hit pause and return to the game. As long as the 1-hour buffer is not exceeded, the paused news stays paused.

Is that the jist of this "future" feature? If so we already have it.


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## DishTSR3Mentor (Nov 3, 2006)

The Sticky Buffer thing doesn't really make sense to me. I guess that's because, as Mike P says, the Dish Dual DVRs have the ability to hold a 2 hour pause on each tuner. So, if I wanted to watch OU kick the snot out of Texas but needed to also make sure the weather is going to be good for my evening stroll thru the park, I can pause the Sooners - swap to Weather - come back to the Sooners after I'm done --- that is assuming that the Weather isn't 2 hours long (and it never is... unless there's a tornado in the area) ---

So, what's so awesome about the Sticky Buffer??? I want the ability to be able to crop my previous recordings. Say, I recorded the entire 4 hours of the Olympics coverage to make sure I got a shot to watch Michael Phelps hit Gold Number 12. I'd like to be able to come back later and cut out that stuff I don't want (say 3 1/2 hours of stuff) so I can have that time back on my hard drive.... Now, THAT would be awesome.


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## lujan (Feb 10, 2004)

DishTSR3Mentor said:


> The Sticky Buffer thing doesn't really make sense to me. I guess that's because, as Mike P says, the Dish Dual DVRs have the ability to hold a 2 hour pause on each tuner. ...


I think the old 921 and 942's had a 2-hour buffer. The newer 622/722/612 only have a 1-hour buffer so you can only pause for up to one hour.


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## elbodude (Jul 13, 2006)

The ability to queue recorded shows to play one after the other.


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## Wroughtup (Aug 14, 2008)

I would like two things, a way to cut/split/edit my Recordings (sometimes I only want to save like five minutes in a two hour program), and the other is the USB storage menus to be a lot more like the regular My Recordings Menus, but I take it that's what Enhanced EHD UI means.


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## drmckenzie (Aug 28, 2007)

One thing that drives me crazy is not being able to "skip" all of the iterations of a particular episode that I don't want to record. Many shows have multiple repeats. The way things work now, I have to skip the first version, then the 2nd pops up, skip that, then the third, etc.. . What a pain!

Why not add a "skip this episode number" button?


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## lujan (Feb 10, 2004)

drmckenzie said:


> One thing that drives me crazy is not being able to "skip" all of the iterations of a particular episode that I don't want to record. Many shows have multiple repeats. The way things work now, I have to skip the first version, then the 2nd pops up, skip that, then the third, etc.. . What a pain!
> 
> Why not add a "skip this episode number" button?


One way to avoid this is to do all "manual" timers. That's what I do and I never have duplicate episodes.


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## jeffdb27 (Jul 13, 2007)

lujan said:


> One way to avoid this is to do all "manual" timers. That's what I do and I never have duplicate episodes.


Oh yeah, that's perfect. The whole point of automatic timers is to still find and records a show if it moves around or is "supersized" like NBC likes to do. How's that working out with your method?

Just abandon and extremely useful albeit slightly flawed feature and go back to the way it was in the late '90s? Not!

I agree with the previous poster. Having to skip multiple identical episodes is annoying. This happens a lot on the BIO channel. But maybe instead of a skip all identical episodes button, the timer could check if there were any upcoming identical shows and then offer to cancel them as well.

Jeff


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## GiBi (Dec 10, 2007)

Once this poll is done, do you think it would be a good idea to forward the results to someone high up at Dish's technical development department?


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## lujan (Feb 10, 2004)

jeffdb27 said:


> Oh yeah, that's perfect. The whole point of automatic timers is to still find and records a show if it moves around or is "supersized" like NBC likes to do. How's that working out with your method?
> 
> ...
> 
> Jeff


I don't mind doing it and this method avoids all the problems that I hear people complaining about all the time on this forum. It only takes a minute or two and I never have these problems. I think it's worth it and that's what counts.


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## quasi888 (Jan 15, 2008)

Web scheduling for sure. It's the one feature that I miss from my hacked, 9-year old Series 1 Tivo, that I finally retired when I started with Dish.


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## hughh (Sep 22, 2006)

The ability to show the complete name of a network when in Guide. This is something I miss from the days when I used to be with DirectTV. Right now you have to guess what the heck those three letters represent.


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## ub1934 (Dec 30, 2005)

_* DLBs that thet took away from us with their DVR - *_


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

ub1934.. this is a Dish Poll not a DirecTV poll..


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

GiBi said:


> Once this poll is done, do you think it would be a good idea to forward the results to someone high up at Dish's technical development department?


I usually point the E* engineering group to this thread at some point and based on some of the features implemented overtime I do think they do listen to what people are asking for on the net. Of course this is just my opinion with no fact or evidence to back it up but I like doing these polls form time to time to keep bubbling up features our members would like to see added.

Another one I would like to see in terms of usability is when watching a recorded show there was some way to jump to 1/4, 1/2, 2/3 through the show quickly so you don't have to use the 300x to get there.


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## jeffdb27 (Jul 13, 2007)

Ron Barry said:


> Another one I would like to see in terms of usability is when watching a recorded show there was some way to jump to 1/4, 1/2, 2/3 through the show quickly so you don't have to use the 300x to get there.


This would be useful. Maybe it could be implemented as a "goto" feature where it pops up a place to enter the time to go to, i.e. 01:40 of a 2 hr recording. Or they could add something COX Motorola DVRs have which is when you are fast forwarding or rewinding, you can skip 30 minutes at a time forward or backward.

Jeff

Edit:
Oops. The COX (Motorola) box doesnt skip forward or backwards from where you are. IIRC, it jumps to the next even half hour or top of the hour in the program. Not quite as useful, but still lets you move around fairly quickly in a long recording. They also let you queue multiple programs to play as long as they were the same program (part of their grouping).

Jeff


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

I believe you can input the number of minutes you want to jump then press the right arrow.


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## BobaBird (Mar 31, 2002)

Doesn't work, but I like the idea. You're thinking of jumping a number of hours in the EPG.


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## FogCutter (Nov 6, 2006)

I'd love to see two more tuners. About 20% of the time a timer walks on our realtime viewing. Four tuners will take care of that. 
Secondly, two discrete independent HD outputs. If the future trend is for one DVR per TV, fine. Just let us know so I can move forward with upgrade plans. 

The best would be to put in AI that knows what I will enjoy before I do and fill the HD with prime programming with no effort. All 1080p of course.


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## AVJohnnie (Jul 27, 2004)

Assuming networked media sharing actually gets implemented some day, and for those of us with more than one network capable DVR receiver (i.e. 622s or 722s), how about taking the network feature one more step by adding collaborative timer management?

In other words: If a receiver sees a conflict with an upcoming event it automatically “asks” the other networked DVR receivers on your account if one of them can handle recording the event. With “network media sharing” it wouldn’t matter which receiver actually recorded the event since it would be viewable from any other receiver on the network.


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## Tylast (May 27, 2006)

A partnership with tv.yahoo.com would be right nice to satisfy the web enabled scheduling.


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## GiBi (Dec 10, 2007)

Ron Barry said:


> I usually point the E* engineering group to this thread at some point and based on some of the features implemented overtime I do think they do listen to what people are asking for on the net. Of course this is just my opinion with no fact or evidence to back it up but I like doing these polls form time to time to keep bubbling up features our members would like to see added.


Thanks Ron. Great work!


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## jeffdb27 (Jul 13, 2007)

I thought of another minor enhancement that I would really like to see. When setting a timer to start earlier or later, one can only choose from options they have (1, 2, 3 , 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 90 minutes) or something to that effect. I often want 20 or 45 (or 59 so as not to conflict with another timer). Why not just let the user type in the number of minutes?

Jeff


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## audiomaster (Jun 24, 2004)

I would like the timers and favorites lists to be kept in a file that could be moved or backed up to the external drive and reloaded onto a replacement receiver in case of a failure. My trusty 622 died a week ago (hdmi AND off air Tuner died). The replacement lasted three days and now seems to be having thermal problems so another replacement is coming. I am getting tired of resetting the lists!


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## HobbyTalk (Jul 14, 2007)

audiomaster said:


> I would like the timers and favorites lists to be kept in a file that could be moved or backed up to the external drive and reloaded onto a replacement receiver in case of a failure. My trusty 622 died a week ago (hdmi AND off air Tuner died). The replacement lasted three days and now seems to be having thermal problems so another replacement is coming. I am getting tired of resetting the lists!


They are coming out with a new remote that will store those settings.


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## HobbyTalk (Jul 14, 2007)

I'd like to see a small box that you could attach the to the EHD to view the programming on any TV. You could then take the viewerbox and your EHD any place to view the programming you have recorded.

Or at least make a player for your PC/laptop (like sling player) so you can view the EHD programming on your PC.


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## jclewter79 (Jan 8, 2008)

HobbyTalk said:


> They are coming out with a new remote that will store those settings.


This is great, it would be even better if it would work when someone upgrades to a new model like 625 to 722 or something like that.


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## hogwash (Sep 30, 2008)

Why isn't expanding the timer/event limit on the list of desired improvements? Or for that matter improved stability when running close to the max of these limits? 

A family of 4 with differing tastes can reach that max fairly quickly. Plus the obscene number of daily repeats of certain shows on some channels can add up the events crazy fast. Changing some to daily/weekly recordings can help, but it can also make scheduling conflicts much more of a hassle since the 722 won't automatically record the next showing.

I understand that many folks won't push even the existing limits, but I know I'm not alone here in periodically running into these limits. My 10 year old TiVo never reached any sort of limit, so I know that it is physically possible. I seriously doubt that my 722 is less powerful than that TiVo on the hardware side. So I have to believe that a software fix is possible.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Because it was not asked for in the thread below where the the poll was derived from.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=132561&highlight=If+you+had+one+feature


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## ZBoomer (Feb 21, 2008)

DishTSR3Mentor said:


> So, if I wanted to watch OU kick the snot out of Texas but needed to also make sure the weather is going to be good for my evening stroll thru the park, I can pause the Sooners - swap to Weather - come back to the Sooners after I'm done


Son, you're gonna need a bigger buffer for that at least a year's worth... :lol:


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## gilroykilroy (Oct 3, 2008)

A usability feature for me would be quick access to turn on and off closed captioning. Currently you have 3 menus (8-7-1), a setting change, then a confirmation. One or two button presses to toggle it would be nice.

We use it mostly either when one of us is sleeping or to figure out what dialog was said we we don't understand it.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Toggle CC on and Off is definitely something I would like them to make a one button access or a remote keystroke combo.


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

I would like an Interactive Icon to be displayed during commercials for upcoming new shows. Clicking on this Icon would allow a timer, likely a Dish Pass, to be created for the advertised show.

This would be great in August, for example, when new shows are being advertised, yet the show is not yet in the Guide. To really make this great, have a pop-up occur the first time a timer is created - this would allow a change in frequency from "Dish Pass" to "New" or whatever.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

I would like Dish to use the Household Key to develop software that allows us to download programs to your PC, like TiVo and DirecTV have or soon will have.


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## Lee Bailey (May 18, 2008)

Being able to adjust the correct black level and sharpness, etc from the DVR!


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## AVJohnnie (Jul 27, 2004)

That "rumored" HD SlingBox/Large HD version of the 722 would get me to upgrade my two 622s in a heartbeat...


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## SkipperTW (Jan 23, 2008)

Where is crashing daily and never working when I want it?


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

SkipperTW said:


> Where is crashing daily and never working when I want it?


That is a no-charge option on all models.


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## jeffdb27 (Jul 13, 2007)

In single user mode, show each tuner on the seperate TV2 channels. Instead of just showing what the main TV is watching on both modulated TV2 channels. Even better would be to have a 3rd channel on the remote TV to view the OTA-tuner.
Would greatley enhacne Single mode for TV 2. Retains the ability to PIP and swap on TV1 giving access to both tuners to TV2.

Jeff


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## drmckenzie (Aug 28, 2007)

lujan said:


> One way to avoid this is to do all "manual" timers. That's what I do and I never have duplicate episodes.


Thanks for the suggestion, but I would spend more time setting up manual timers for every show my family is interested than I'd save.

I think it's better to fix the software so it does what it should be doing, instead of throwing up one's hands and going back to VCR-like behavior.


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## koji68 (Jun 21, 2004)

Definitely not what I expected. I was going to say my nose.


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## JS_racer (Aug 25, 2007)

late to the discussion here, but i still cant believe there is no delete after watching a show on the EHD. i have to scroll through the listings again, find the episode i just watched then delete it.


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## BarryG (Jun 25, 2006)

A few more:

1. when you skip fwd in a recording, flash the elapsed timescale momentarily on screen so you know where the heck you are in the program

2. option to suppress ALL advisories that yada signal has been lost - or at least just flash it quickly on screen instead of totally interrupting viewing (seriously DUMB design)

3. when you highlight a recording and press the play button, make the default action "resume" instead of start over

4. stop thinking that the program now playing on HBOLT that I previously recorded on HBO is somehow a new program that needs to be recorded (hola)

5. if you press skip fwd when in ffwd mode, jump ahead 15min

6. improve the MT2 tuner module's poor sensitivity


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## ChuckA (Feb 7, 2006)

I would vote against number 1. The skip forward button is the most used button in my house. It is pressed 5-6 times very quickly to skip past commercials. If the progress scale was displayed on each button press the screen would be flashing more and perhaps it would be slower in responding. I don't want anything to slow down that process.

If you want to see the scale just press the Pause button.


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## jeffdb27 (Jul 13, 2007)

BarryG said:


> 1. when you skip fwd in a recording, flash the elapsed timescale momentarily on screen so you know where the heck you are in the program


I also would disagree with this one. I don't need more stuff covering up what I'm watching (or trying to skip over).

What's more, I think they need a way to move or turn off the progress bar during fast forward and fast rewind. Sometimes I am speeding through a sporting event and just want to see the score, time left, or the inning, and that progress bar lands right on that information (which, nowadays is constantly left on the screen by broadcasters). So make it so we can move it, turn it off (at least briefly), or make it very translucent!

Jeff


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## mdewitt (Sep 21, 2006)

One thing I would like to see is the ability to add a timer for a program that is being advertised in a commercial space. For example, they show an advertisement for a Discovery Channel Special coming on Sunday at 8:00PM. You should have the ability to just hit a button to add that program to your schedule without having to find it in the guide, or it could take you to that spot in the guide instantly so you can schedule it. They already have commercials where the "Press Info for Information" balloon pops up. I don't see why they couldn't use the same feature for this.


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## jeffdb27 (Jul 13, 2007)

Oh, I thought of another one too, that's probably already been mentioned:

It would be nice to be able to edit a timer and change the channel that it records on. As they added a lot of HD channels, I had to delete the timers that would record on the SD channel and recreate them on the HD channel. This is especially difficult if the show you're editing isn't on in the next ten days or so (it can't be done). There is no way to "move" a timer to another channel. This seems like a pretty obvious thing that one may want to "edit".

Jeff


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

mdewitt said:


> One thing I would like to see is the ability to add a timer for a program that is being advertised in a commercial space. For example, they show an advertisement for a Discovery Channel Special coming on Sunday at 8:00PM. You should have the ability to just hit a button to add that program to your schedule without having to find it in the guide, or it could take you to that spot in the guide instantly so you can schedule it. They already have commercials where the "Press Info for Information" balloon pops up. I don't see why they couldn't use the same feature for this.


I also would like this feature! It would allow scheduling that show that the Promo says is "Coming in September."


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## BobaBird (Mar 31, 2002)

jeffdb27 said:


> It would be nice to be able to edit a timer and change the channel that it records on.


Absolutely! Their earliest DVRs could do this, why not the current ones?


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