# Setting up a default channel



## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

After recording the evenings shows, both dvrs end up on channels that, for the most part, are crappy during the day. So if I get home and turn on the tv, I have to change the channel to find something else. But then I become frustrated that I am half into a show or movie that is not buffered.

In my own personal wish list for the dvr, there would be a parking place for the primary receiver after recordings are finished.

I think I will get around this by setting up dvr#1 on 2 manual 1/2 hour records for Sun thru Sat on HBO at 10:00am or so, to trick it to be on that channel during the day. And set dvr #2 for TWC on 2 channels about the same time.

If someone has a better idea, please let me know.


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## armchair (Jul 27, 2009)

I think that may work for you but you may want to set the number of shows to keep to one so you don't have to keep deleting the partials in the DVR.

It kind of works like an autotune mode that way; works great for the news, if you consider it's not news the day after. The next day it records the news again.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

armophob said:


> If someone has a better idea, please let me know.


Record stuff you want to watch.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

armchair said:


> I think that may work for you but you may want to set the number of shows to keep to one so you don't have to keep deleting the partials in the DVR.
> 
> It kind of works like an autotune mode that way; works great for the news, if you consider it's not news the day after. The next day it records the news again.


very good idea. That will get the channel to change without too much housekeeping.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

spartanstew said:


> Record stuff you want to watch.


There is no way possible for me to keep up with all the available programming. But if the channel is set to a popular channel by default instead of where it was left off the night before on a network channel, I might get a glimpse of a show that I may want to record. Tonight was a perfect example. After watching a recorded program, I found that HBO was showing a documentary I never heard of and I hit record for later.


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## TomCat (Aug 31, 2002)

Maybe the "pick nine" feature would be something for you. You can set up nine favorites that take a couple button-pushes to get to. Go to a favorite channel and press the yellow button, and the menu there allows you to save the channel in a 3x3 grid.

I don't like the PIG feature at all, so I try to keep an unavailable channel in the center square, so that I can go to SILENCE! with no picture any time one tuner is free, with just two button-presses. Of course as soon as you record two shows at once you have to do this again, but it is as close to no PIG as you can get.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

TomCat said:


> Maybe the "pick nine" feature would be something for you.


What I am looking for is that when I am no longer watching my dvrs, when 2 programs are recording at night on one or the other, that the tuner resets to a default channel instead of the last one it was recording from.


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## adkinsjm (Mar 25, 2003)

armophob said:


> What I am looking for is that when I am no longer watching my dvrs, when 2 programs are recording at night on one or the other, that the tuner resets to a default channel instead of the last one it was recording from.


Why is it too much trouble to change a channel?


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

adkinsjm said:


> Why is it too much trouble to change a channel?


Because then there's no buffer.

One of the neat things about DirecTV DVRs is the 90 minute buffer. If you turn on the TV and find something interesting, it's likely that you can hit record and get it all....or just RW to the beginning of the buffer and start watching.

That is if I understand the OP correctly. :grin:

Mike


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> Because then there's no buffer.
> 
> One of the neat things about DirecTV DVRs is the 90 minute buffer. If you turn on the TV and find something interesting, it's likely that you can hit record and get it all....or just RW to the beginning of the buffer and start watching.
> 
> ...


Yep.
The channels that record at night, have pretty boring daytime tv. I just want to get the channels to default back to movie channels after all the evenings recordings.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

armchair said:


> I think that may work for you but you may want to set the number of shows to keep to one so you don't have to keep deleting the partials in the DVR.
> 
> It kind of works like an autotune mode that way; works great for the news, if you consider it's not news the day after. The next day it records the news again.


Just FYI. When you set up a manual record that does not work. The option is not available. So I will be deleting the manual records every now and then.

But so far it is working. I am tuned to a movie channel when I come home and not the last affiliate from the night before.


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## armchair (Jul 27, 2009)

armophob said:


> Just FYI. When you set up a manual record that does not work. The option is not available. So I will be deleting the manual records every now and then.
> 
> But so far it is working. I am tuned to a movie channel when I come home and not the last affiliate from the night before.


Sorry, I didn't verify that first. I used to use that option for the news which was a scheduled SL, not a manual. Wouldn't make any sense for you to use the autotune on a HD Receiver without a buffer or record buffer option.

Almost makes a good point for autotune feature added to DVRs but that always seems to get dismissed as not necessary and/or don't expect it.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

armophob said:


> After recording the evenings shows, both dvrs end up on channels that, for the most part, are crappy during the day. So if I get home and turn on the tv, I have to change the channel to find something else. But then I become frustrated that I am half into a show or movie that is not buffered.
> 
> In my own personal wish list for the dvr, there would be a parking place for the primary receiver after recordings are finished.
> 
> ...


Think it would be a hell of a lot easier on the viewer if DirecTV would add H's '_autotune_' to their HR's.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Drucifer said:


> Think it would be a hell of a lot easier on the viewer if DirecTV would add H's '_autotune_' to their HR's.


can't argue with that


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## armchair (Jul 27, 2009)

I checked the DVR wishlist yesterday and couldn't seem to find in there.

Definitely something I would vote for!


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

armophob said:


> [...] I think I will get around this by setting up dvr#1 on 2 manual 1/2 hour records for Sun thru Sat on HBO at 10:00am or so, to trick it to be on that channel during the day. And set dvr #2 for TWC on 2 channels about the same time.


We do have a long-standing Wish List request to offer a "Keep at Most" setting for recurring manual recordings, but no love on that one... at least so far. So for TWC, at least, why not set up a SL for "Day Planner", which is on at 11 AM each day? This way you can set the KAM to "1" and not clutter up your playlist with that channel.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Make your manual recordings last only 1 or 2 mins, so it won't take up any real hd space and also make them delete as needed, not keep until I delete. If you do that, we are talking about only 60 mins recording time each month if you don't delete the recordings and do it everyday for both tuners.

I prefer the auto tune feature than a sticky channel, if you will... But I guess the theory is, if they are going to tune to it, they want to watch it, sop you only need to be able to record it. I wonder how many people actually use autotune on a machine if they own a DVR somewhere in there house as well as a non dvr.


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## armchair (Jul 27, 2009)

inkahauts said:


> ...I wonder how many people actually use autotune on a machine if they own a DVR somewhere in there house as well as a non dvr.


Good point; I see the autotune feature on the Hx series useless unless you're actually watching the tuner ATM it's initiated. Otherwise, w/o the buffer, it's meaningless! The feature would be more useful on a DVR!


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> I wonder how many people actually use autotune on a machine if they own a DVR somewhere in there house as well as a non dvr.





armchair said:


> Good point; I see the autotune feature on the Hx series useless unless you're actually watching the tuner ATM it's initiated. Otherwise, w/o the buffer, it's meaningless! The feature would be more useful on a DVR!


There are some folks who want Autotune because they are caregivers for kids or individuals who watch LIVE TV that can't easily change the channel themselves. For those folks, a diskless "H" box is the only solution at this time.

At least now, thanks to MRV, that "H" box can also be a client to a DVR elsewhere in the home.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

update on idea.
It is not working yet.
When I set up 1 recording for 5 min at 5am. It is changing the background tuner. So now I need to set up 2 recordings at 5am set at the lowest priority in the off chance something else is recording.
I do hate to eat up 2 of my precious few 50 SL's, but anything for science.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Steve said:


> So for TWC, at least, why not set up a SL for "Day Planner", which is on at 11 AM each day? This way you can set the KAM to "1" and not clutter up your playlist with that channel.


I will have to try that when ABC and CBS start getting back into season. I have dvr#2 set to record their shows. I use that one to stay on TWC.


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