# Why Can't DirecTV Make a DVR that Will Record Sports?



## islesfan (Oct 18, 2006)

Here we are, fourth game of the hockey season and already my HR21 is opting not to record hockey games. I get home last night to see no orange light for the Isles v. Pens game. I turn on the DVR, and after 30 sec of gray screen, the orange light comes on andthe game appears in the list. Today I try to watch and all I have is the "partial" recording from when I got home from work. I wish I could get a pro-rated NHLCI eefund from DirecTV for all the Islanders games I have missed since 2006 when they moved from TiVo to these crappy Random Video Recorders!


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

If you leave it on and not turn if off (standby) does it record normally? May just be a problem with standby with your unit. I never turned my DVRs off to standby and never had problems getting my Red Wings to record. When Tivo had all the problems with coming out of standby I learned a habit to just never do it, not worth it.

Sorry for the troubles.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Ranting or want help?


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

I'm pretty sure islesfan has been around the block on this one a few times. If he says it's not working right, this it's probably not working right.


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## islesfan (Oct 18, 2006)

A little bit of ranting here. I've tried everything over the years and I'm just a little sick of it.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

Does the history for the recording request say something like program nolonger available? I've seen that when I try to record something on the ESPN3D channel, looks like they remove the program from the guide and then readd it but the box doesn't know it was readded, just deleted. I've ended up just going the manual record route for any programs on that channel.


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## islesfan (Oct 18, 2006)

RAD said:


> Does the history for the recording request say something like program nolonger available? I've seen that when I try to record something on the ESPN3D channel, looks like they remove the program from the guide and then readd it but the box doesn't know it was readded, just deleted. I've ended up just going the manual record route for any programs on that channel.


Yeah, unfortunately it said "partial recording" and now, of course, it says "deleted by user."


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

Next time it happens look immediately in the History to see what it says about why it is not recording the game.

Also, how are you setting the recording for the game? Do you have an AutoRecord set or are you selecting the game manually from the Guide? As Rad mentioned, if they update the description or "remove" and "readd" the game to the Guide, your preset recording will not work then.

- Merg


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

I use the Manual Record when I record games on Center Ice channels. I haven't had a problem. I've done that because the schedule typically shows the games lasting 6 hours (i.e.7PM-1AM) and I don't want all the extra dead time. 

But I've never tried it on my HR21 either, so I'll try that tonight.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Doug Brott said:


> I'm pretty sure islesfan has been around the block on this one a few times. If he says it's not working right, this it's probably not working right.


I wasn't questioning if it didn't work. I was just curious if he needed more help or was ranting to feel better. A little rant can feel good. 

Advice: It's a pain, but every week sit down and set recordings for game nights. If on an alternate RSN, then set a manual timer. If on a RSN, then record the game plus the post game show.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

My dad has the same problem with his HR21 and Sunday Ticket games. If he isnt home, it records a gray screen. I havent figured out how to fix it, so I just told him he would have to watch it live.


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## E91 (Oct 7, 2008)

islesfan said:


> Here we are, fourth game of the hockey season and already my HR21 is opting not to record hockey games. I get home last night to see no orange light for the Isles v. Pens game. I turn on the DVR, and after 30 sec of gray screen, the orange light comes on andthe game appears in the list. Today I try to watch and all I have is the "partial" recording from when I got home from work. I wish I could get a pro-rated NHLCI eefund from DirecTV for all the Islanders games I have missed since 2006 when they moved from TiVo to these crappy Random Video Recorders!


I'm having a very similar problem with my HR24. I'm an Islanders fan myself (in fact, if not for the fact that DISH never showed the Isles in HD, I'd still be there now), with Center Ice. I used the "Smart Search" to set up an autorecord for "Islander - Sports (Hockey)." When I use it to search, it lists all the Islander games, but then I look in the to do list and they are not there.

So, I've had to manually search for the games every few games, and then go and check them off myself.

Its annoying but I had very similar issues last year with a VIP722 on Dish.

Interestingly, the season pass on my DirecTIVO boxes in the old days worked flawlessly. I told it to get all hockey games with the Isles, and it never failed even once.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

E91 said:


> Interestingly, the season pass on my DirecTIVO boxes in the old days worked flawlessly. I told it to get all hockey games with the Isles, and it never failed even once.


What's funny it's because my DirecTivo *wouldn't* properly record a Red Wings Wishlist I got into the habit of just running my Red Wings search every two week and selecting which games to record. This actually worked for me because 1) I could select which feed to record and 2) It reminded me of the upcoming schedule so I knew when games were on.

So I did the same habit when I got my first HR20 and found it was even better because with one touch record I could run that search and record all the games in less then a minute or two, if that.

Now, when the HR2x got boolean search terms I was able to create an autorecord search that did pick up all the games and I never had any trouble with it not recording the games. I had an HR21 on autorecord search and I still did the old way on an HR20 for a whole season. The ARsearch never missed a game so I then trusted it in future seasons.

Note, autorecords don't all show up in the ToDo list beyond a day or two. Key here is that Fox Sports Detroit has good and consistent guide data that they never changed and that is a HUGE thing. Many of these RSNs might put in "generic" guide data that changes to more specific a couple days before the game. This can really kill an autorecord search and you get the "canceled and readded" thing as someone mentioned above.

But my old trusty way of running the search and one touch record all games once every couple weeks never fails and only took me less then 5 minutes every two weeks. If an autorecord isn't working for you for whatever reason (bad guide data, bad HR2x, whatever) then to me I'd spend the whole 5 minutes a week or two and be sure to get every game and have no stress in your life in terms of missing games. Seems worth it to me. I don't care if it's *supposed* to work...5 minutes seems very little time to gain happiness. I don't know why more people don't do this.


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## E91 (Oct 7, 2008)

bonscott87 said:


> What's funny it's because my DirecTivo *wouldn't* properly record a Red Wings Wishlist I got into the habit of just running my Red Wings search every two week and selecting which games to record. This actually worked for me because 1) I could select which feed to record and 2) It reminded me of the upcoming schedule so I knew when games were on.
> 
> So I did the same habit when I got my first HR20 and found it was even better because with one touch record I could run that search and record all the games in less then a minute or two, if that.
> 
> ...


The fact that there is a workaround doesn't mean that posters here should be pointing out and chatting about obvious programming flaws. And, there is absolutely no reason DirecTV can't implement this feature in a proper way. As I said, my DirecTIVO box, could do this FIVE YEARS ago. Five years is a long time in the world of electronics.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

I recorded 2 games last night on my HR21 (I normally watch hockey in another room with a HR20). Both games recorded fine without any problems. I recorded one from the guide and one using Manual Record.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

How do you set up the recordings for the games?


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## Satelliteracer (Dec 6, 2006)

islesfan said:


> Here we are, fourth game of the hockey season and already my HR21 is opting not to record hockey games. I get home last night to see no orange light for the Isles v. Pens game. I turn on the DVR, and after 30 sec of gray screen, the orange light comes on andthe game appears in the list. Today I try to watch and all I have is the "partial" recording from when I got home from work. I wish I could get a pro-rated NHLCI eefund from DirecTV for all the Islanders games I have missed since 2006 when they moved from TiVo to these crappy Random Video Recorders!


Can you illustrate exactly how you are doing this?

Does it happen on every DVR in your home? What model? What channel? NHL CI or via a RSN?

Etc, etc. Has it always been on the same DVR you are having this issue with?


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

E91 said:


> The fact that there is a workaround doesn't mean that posters here should be pointing out and chatting about obvious programming flaws.


Wasn't saying he shouldn't post about the problem he is having. I'm just saying there is a bonafide way to get them to record if he wanted to go that route which *I* had to use on my Tivo's...unlike you who seemed to have a perfect one. I had several and they weren't. Like I said, I came up with my workaround because the Tivo wouldn't record the games properly. So we all have different experiences.

To me I think it's probably guide data issues. But maybe since Satracer saw this perhaps some engineer can look at it. I know he's had this issue for a couple years now.


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## E91 (Oct 7, 2008)

bonscott87 said:


> Wasn't saying he shouldn't post about the problem he is having. I'm just saying there is a bonafide way to get them to record if he wanted to go that route which *I* had to use on my Tivo's...unlike you who seemed to have a perfect one. I had several and they weren't. Like I said, I came up with my workaround because the Tivo wouldn't record the games properly. So we all have different experiences.
> 
> To me I think it's probably guide data issues. But maybe since Satracer saw this perhaps some engineer can look at it. I know he's had this issue for a couple years now.


Were you using a DirecTIVO box (not a TIVO standalone unit)? I have no idea how the guide data differs, but my DirecTIVO box was absolutely flawless in picking up Islander games. In the three or four years that I had it, I don't think it missed a single game.

In fact, the only problem I had was that it kept recording "classic" games that I really wasn't all that interested in.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

E91 said:


> Were you using a DirecTIVO box (not a TIVO standalone unit)? I have no idea how the guide data differs, but my DirecTIVO box was absolutely flawless in picking up Islander games. In the three or four years that I had it, I don't think it missed a single game.
> 
> In fact, the only problem I had was that it kept recording "classic" games that I really wasn't all that interested in.


5 different DirecTivo's dating from 2001 thru 2007. None would ever record a sports wishlist correctly. It was a common complaint on the Tivo forums. Obviously doesn't mean everyone had the problem.

Thus why I and many others went with the "run search every 10 days and record games from results" method which was fool proof. This method was ever better on the HR2x's due to one touch record.
However when the HR2x introduced the boolean search terms the autorecord search for sports finally did something it never did on any DirecTivo of mine...it worked.

Perhaps the guide data the Islanders provide isn't liked by the HR2x. Most likely generic first, then more details. I don't know. The common theme here with both of you is the Islanders and not able to get all the games to record on the HR2x. If you both provide exact details to Satracer they may be able to get to the bottom of it.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

E91 said:


> Were you using a DirecTIVO box (not a TIVO standalone unit)? I have no idea how the guide data differs, but my DirecTIVO box was absolutely flawless in picking up Islander games. In the three or four years that I had it, I don't think it missed a single game.
> 
> In fact, the only problem I had was that it kept recording "classic" games that I really wasn't all that interested in.


I never had any of my tivos record more than 50% correctly on whish lists for sports for all my teams.. I haven;t missed a game in years with my hrs using ARSLs.... Its all in the set up of the ARSL..

With that said, I do NOT have any sports packs, so that might be a little different animal, but I need more info before I can start suggesting things to try.


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## E91 (Oct 7, 2008)

bonscott87 said:


> 5 different DirecTivo's dating from 2001 thru 2007. None would ever record a sports wishlist correctly. It was a common complaint on the Tivo forums. Obviously doesn't mean everyone had the problem.
> 
> Thus why I and many others went with the "run search every 10 days and record games from results" method which was fool proof. This method was ever better on the HR2x's due to one touch record.
> However when the HR2x introduced the boolean search terms the autorecord search for sports finally did something it never did on any DirecTivo of mine...it worked.
> ...


You and I are going back and forth on this and it seems clear our experiences with DirecTIVO were different. For me, it was flawless. For you it wasn't. So, I think we've established that and can move on.

As for the situation with my HR24, let me be clear, I really have no investment in figuring this out. I was just echoing the OP's complaints. I not found a reliable way of getting the HR24 to record all Islander games. I wasn't asking for help as much as I was just trying to document that the OP is not the only one having an issue.

At the end of the day though, I honestly don't care all that much. I just do it manually - as I did with my VIP 722. Its a minor annoyance, and I liked the way my TIVO handled things better, but really not a big deal at all.

In the meantime, I'm extremely satisfied with just about everything else about the HR24, have been really happy with D* in general, and LOVE the PQ. So, for me at least, this is a pretty minor concern.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

E91 said:


> You and I are going back and forth on this and it seems clear our experiences with DirecTIVO were different. For me, it was flawless. For you it wasn't. So, I think we've established that and can move on.
> 
> As for the situation with my HR24, let me be clear, I really have no investment in figuring this out. I was just echoing the OP's complaints. I not found a reliable way of getting the HR24 to record all Islander games. I wasn't asking for help as much as I was just trying to document that the OP is not the only one having an issue.


No problem. But why wouldn't you want to try to help get this fixed (not only for you but others)? You may not know but Satelliteracer is a DirecTV employee with direct line to engineers and others that can actually get things fixed. That's why I've encouraged that perhaps between the two of you working with him since it's both an Islanders issues, he may be able to find a commonality that the engineers can work with. It's not often to get DirecTV's attention on something, so it's an opportunity. Just my suggestion.


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## E91 (Oct 7, 2008)

bonscott87 said:


> No problem. But why wouldn't you want to try to help get this fixed (not only for you but others)? You may not know but Satelliteracer is a DirecTV employee with direct line to engineers and others that can actually get things fixed. That's why I've encouraged that perhaps between the two of you working with him since it's both an Islanders issues, he may be able to find a commonality that the engineers can work with. It's not often to get DirecTV's attention on something, so it's an opportunity. Just my suggestion.


I think it is pretty obvious that you are going out of your way to be helpful, which I very much appreciate. Its just not an issue that concerns me much, partially because my experience is that this sort of situation requires some detailed observation to resolve. That is, you can't help programmers track down bugs by just saying that something doesn't work - you have to record the very specific circumstances under which there is a problem and which there isn't a problem. And, I would be lying if I said I had the energy for that.

Incidentally, last night I was doing my search to set up the games for the week and I simply could not get Smartsearch to list the Center Ice occurrence of the HD version of the Leafs game tonight. It listed the games on the Sportspak, as well as the SD games, but not the HD version. Yet, when I checked in the "To Do" list - the game was there. In other words, Autorecord gets it while "smartsearch" couldn't find it.

And, once final comment is that for this feature to really work, Smartsearch is going to have to be even smarter. Some nights, I get two HD versions of the games and two SD versions.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

E91 said:


> Incidentally, last night I was doing my search to set up the games for the week and I simply could not get Smartsearch to list the Center Ice occurrence of the HD version of the Leafs game tonight. It listed the games on the Sportspak, as well as the SD games, but not the HD version. Yet, when I checked in the "To Do" list - the game was there. In other words, Autorecord gets it while "smartsearch" couldn't find it.


Make sure you do a keyword search by hitting the red button. Autorecord relies on the latter algorithm, not the quick data populated by the initial smart search.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

bonscott87 said:


> Thus why I and many others went with the "run search every 10 days and record games from results" method which was fool proof. This method was ever better on the HR2x's due to one touch record.
> However when the HR2x introduced the boolean search terms the autorecord search for sports finally did something it never did on any DirecTivo of mine...it worked.


This is exactly what I do and I also Record my FSU Seminoles on 2 different DVRs in case of a Conflict I don't catch or a Power Outage (even though I have them on APC Battery Backups with Automatic Voltage Regulation to prevent Reboots).

I have 7 DVRs and I don't have any problems recording anything but I do Record Programs I definitely want (and want to keep forever) on 2 different DVRs in case one craps out.

However, I do believe in doing the Smart Search for those Events and then Selecting them to Record and this always seems to work flawlessly.

I have seen on several occasions when Autorecord did not seem to have enough time to properly Lock onto the Channel's Signal so it Recorded an Empty Recording Shell with Zero Audio and Video Packets in it. On one occasion I went into the room 5 minutes after it was supposed to be Recording and I turned on the Video Monitor and I had a Black or Blank Screen. The Red Light was on so I Channelled Up one channel and then Back Down and it Locked onto the channel's signal perfectly.

After it finished recording I went back into it and it had about 8 minutes of blank recording and then I got the Live Recording.


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## E91 (Oct 7, 2008)

Doug Brott said:


> Make sure you do a keyword search by hitting the red button. Autorecord relies on the latter algorithm, not the quick data populated by the initial smart search.


Thanks! That is exactly what I did wrong.


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## RoyGBiv (Jul 24, 2007)

I think the problem is in D* updating the guide data. So far I have tried to record all 3 Rangers games that have been on NHL CI. They are in the guide, and I record them from the guide (not a manual recording). Every one of them has disappeared from the to do list 24-36 hours prior to the game, and I have had to re set the recording, again from the guide list. This has happened with both HR20-700's and one HR22. It also happened at the beginning of last season, and it was finally fixed a few weeks in.

If I go into "history" it doesn't even show that they were ever there or canceled. There is just no record of them.

I am not certain this is what the OP is seeing, but it's been a PITA for me. I have to work late on Monday nights. Luckily, the Rangers are on Versus tonight as if the recording was canceled on CI I wouldn't know about it until after it was over.

SMK


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## islesfan (Oct 18, 2006)

Satelliteracer said:


> Can you illustrate exactly how you are doing this?
> 
> Does it happen on every DVR in your home? What model? What channel? NHL CI or via a RSN?
> 
> Etc, etc. Has it always been on the same DVR you are having this issue with?


This happens on the HR21, but it happened in the past with the HR20 as well. I just use the HR21 for Islanders games, and the HR20 for everything else, that way I have no conflicts. I use an autorecord of ISLANDERS-SPORTS-HOCKEY and record First Run only, ALL, and KEEP UNTIL I DELETE, with a 1hr pad at the end. Then I babysit the ToDo list to see what it will do. This is the habit I have gotten into since I moved off TiVo to HR's in 2006. I never had to babysit the TiVo, but that's another argument. Sometimes, when I see that it is planning to record an SD away feed and there is an HD home feed, I'll manually switch the recordings.

I have had it just skip recordings in the past many times, but this time the behavior was new. As I mentioned, when I turned the DVR on at about 7:40 (so the game was already over) the orange light had been off, but it popped on when I turned on the DVR. The screen was gray, but after 30 sec or so, it popped on to MSG+. I thought all was well until I actually tried to watch the recording, only to find that the recording actually only started at 7:40 when I turned the DVR on. In other words, this doesn't seem to be the typical Autorecord bail out. In this case, I think the DVR just didn't start recording at 4:30 like it was supposed to. The next day, it recorded the Isles v. Avs no problem.

As for boolean searching, I gave up on that because it can be too narrow. For example, I lost a couple of Isles games last year because they moved the game to NHL Network at the last minute. If I had not been using the boolean search limiting it to the NHLCI channels, I probably would have gotten those.

This is a big deal to me because, being in the West, I don't get home until after the games are over, so watching live isn't an option. I usually don't find out that I don't have a game to watch until it is way too late. The last minute channel shifting is OK for people who can just change the channel, but I need the DVR to do that. That's what they were for anyway, not just to be a glorified VCR. So while I am ranting a bit here, I also really want a DVR that doesn't need babysitting anymore. That's it.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Why would anyone want to Turn Off their DVR?

It should still record but that may be the Glitch that is causing your problem so leave it on as it only turns off the lights and the outputs. Leave It On !!!


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## islesfan (Oct 18, 2006)

richierich said:


> Why would anyone want to Turn Off their DVR?
> 
> It should still record but that may be the Glitch that is causing your problem so leave it on as it only turns off the lights and the outputs. Leave It On !!!


Basically because it is tied to the TV power button on the remote. Sure, I can slide the switch back and forth every time I want to turn off the TV or change the channel, but I have a Wife and kids too. That would drive my Wife nuts, and my boys are 8 and 10, so they're just starting to be able to use the DVR themselves. Leaving it out of standby 24/7 is not practical for me.


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## RyanX (Aug 21, 2006)

islesfan said:


> I get home last night to see no orange light for the Isles v. Pens game. I turn on the DVR, and after 30 sec of gray screen, the orange light comes on andthe game appears in the list. Today I try to watch and all I have is the "partial" recording from when I got home from work.


My HR22/100 just dit the same thing when it was supposed to be recording Chuck and How I Met Your Mother. I get home and turn the tv and box on at 25 after 7. It has a black screen and a caller ID list from a 7:07, I hit EXIT and then the message that it is about to record two shows. I hit EXIT a couple of times and then the shows come on. It started the recording from here and both show as a partial on the list.

It had been in standby and I don't remember ever having this problem before. I am hoping this was a one time glitch...


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## wallybarthman (Feb 4, 2009)

My method is to do Boolean searches with auto record. Here's what I do:

Go to smart search (insert appropriate teams, channels and numbers)

Aall sabers cchan 638. At the next screen I select high-def and live
Aall sabres cchan 603. Same next screen - high def and live
Aall sabres cchan 215
Aall sabres cchan 11 (local NBC)
Aall sabres cchan 659 (local Pittsburgh broadcast for when the sabres and pens play and I have to watch the Pens feed)

The high def and live options eliminate the SD recording AND replays. 

For the Islanders you'd need something like this

Aall islanders cchan 635 high def and live
Aall islanders cchan 636 637 and live

This would also catch the games bumped to the overflow. It will double record though if the Islanders and playing either the rangers or the devils


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

islesfan said:


> Basically because it is tied to the TV power button on the remote. Sure, I can slide the switch back and forth every time I want to turn off the TV or change the channel, but I have a Wife and kids too. That would drive my Wife nuts, and my boys are 8 and 10, so they're just starting to be able to use the DVR themselves. Leaving it out of standby 24/7 is not practical for me.


 Can't you turn that feature off with a mute/select + code on the remote? None of my 4 remotes turn off the DVR, just the TV. I use the left/right arrow to turn of the "circle of lights" so the only thing lit (unless I get a reboot) is the power, record & res lights.


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## E91 (Oct 7, 2008)

islesfan said:


> This happens on the HR21, but it happened in the past with the HR20 as well. I just use the HR21 for Islanders games, and the HR20 for everything else, that way I have no conflicts. I use an autorecord of ISLANDERS-SPORTS-HOCKEY and record First Run only, ALL, and KEEP UNTIL I DELETE, with a 1hr pad at the end. Then I babysit the ToDo list to see what it will do. This is the habit I have gotten into since I moved off TiVo to HR's in 2006. I never had to babysit the TiVo, but that's another argument. Sometimes, when I see that it is planning to record an SD away feed and there is an HD home feed, I'll manually switch the recordings.
> 
> I have had it just skip recordings in the past many times, but this time the behavior was new. As I mentioned, when I turned the DVR on at about 7:40 (so the game was already over) the orange light had been off, but it popped on when I turned on the DVR. The screen was gray, but after 30 sec or so, it popped on to MSG+. I thought all was well until I actually tried to watch the recording, only to find that the recording actually only started at 7:40 when I turned the DVR on. In other words, this doesn't seem to be the typical Autorecord bail out. In this case, I think the DVR just didn't start recording at 4:30 like it was supposed to. The next day, it recorded the Isles v. Avs no problem.
> 
> ...


Dude, I wonder if you and I are the only two Islander fans on the westcoast. I have the exact same issue - I basically only own a TV because of the Isles and I'd be real annoyed if I missed a game because of a DVR snafu.


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## ddebrunner (Sep 7, 2009)

I seem to have similar problems recording the UEFA soccer games, always an adventure to come home and see what was recorded. Can be a couple of hours of the DTV logo, or a number of recordings of the same channel of various lengths. All this with a simple record from the guide, no searches etc.


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## Eben (Sep 10, 2007)

ddebrunner said:


> I seem to have similar problems recording the UEFA soccer games, always an adventure to come home and see what was recorded. Can be a couple of hours of the DTV logo, or a number of recordings of the same channel of various lengths. All this with a simple record from the guide, no searches etc.


I get those too. My solution: FSC has a UEFA highlights show each night of game days, so I stopped trying to record the games and just watch the highlight show.


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## bnwrx (Dec 29, 2007)

wallybarthman said:


> My method is to do Boolean searches with auto record. Here's what I do:
> 
> Go to smart search (insert appropriate teams, channels and numbers)
> 
> ...


Tried using this for the "Avalanche" games. Had 2 problems. I don't get a choice for "LIVE" option, none, just "ALL". 2nd problem,several other shows (Avalanche All Access, and Avalanche PreGame) also are included.
Any ideas?


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

bnwrx said:


> wallybarthman said:
> 
> 
> > My method is to do Boolean searches with auto record. Here's what I do:
> ...


You might try *AALL avalanche events CCHAN XXX & High Def* or *AALL avalanche live CCHAN XXX & High Def*.

I'm not sure you'll need the *& High Def* if you have your preferences set to hide SD duplicates. I believe the scheduler takes that into account when it decides which showing to record, but I'm not home to test. Others who do this a lot may know better.


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## RACJ2 (Aug 2, 2008)

islesfan said:


> Here we are, fourth game of the hockey season and already my HR21 is opting not to record hockey games. I get home last night to see no orange light for the Isles v. Pens game. I turn on the DVR, and after 30 sec of gray screen, the orange light comes on andthe game appears in the list. Today I try to watch and all I have is the "partial" recording from when I got home from work. I wish I could get a pro-rated NHLCI eefund from DirecTV for all the Islanders games I have missed since 2006 when they moved from TiVo to these crappy Random Video Recorders!


As others have mentioned, you can get this to work using the "Smart Search" feature to record. I use a variation of what wallybarthman shows below to record the Sabres and it hasn't failed. It gives priority to the first entry and works it way down the list. Live helps so you don't pick up repeats on RSN, VS or NHLN. Here is what I would have for the Islanders:



> AALL HDTV ISLANDERS CCHAN 635 Press "red button" and select "Show Type" then "Live"
> AALL HDTV ISLANDERS CCHAN 636 637 "Show Type" then "Live"
> AALL HDTV ISLANDERS CCHAN 215 "Show Type" then "Live"
> AALL HDTV ISLANDERS CCHAN 603 "Show Type" then "Live"





wallybarthman said:


> ...For the Islanders you'd need something like this
> 
> Aall islanders cchan 635 high def and live
> Aall islanders cchan 636 637 and live
> ...


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## prospero63 (Aug 31, 2008)

I'm wondering if this is a bigger issue, potentially with the software. I've noticed that in the last two days recordings during the day haven't occurred. When I just checked, sure enough nothing is recording (no orange light). Turn the DVR and TV on and bloop, up pops the orange light and the recording starts. It's acting like it's not coming out of standby for recordings...


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

That is why I tell everyone Not to put their DVR into Standby.

What do you accomplish by doing so???


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## bnwrx (Dec 29, 2007)

richierich said:


> That is why I tell everyone Not to put their DVR into Standby.
> 
> What do you accomplish by doing so???


Mine is in Standby unless I am using it and it has never missed a recording in 5 years. So Standby or not, it might be something else.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

richierich said:


> That is why I tell everyone Not to put their DVR into Standby.
> 
> What do you accomplish by doing so???


No kidding.

I used to always ask "don't put it in standby and see if the problem goes away" but a lot people were always stubborn that wouldn't even try it. Not accusing anyone of that here in this thread but to me it's logical to think that if the problem occurs when using standby to test it by not using standby and see if things record fine. If they do, then don't use standby because as you say, it's does nothing. I guess some people feel better by pushing the power button and thinking they are actually doing something...or something.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

bnwrx said:


> Mine is in Standby unless I am using it and it has never missed a recording in 5 years. So Standby or not, it might be something else.


Many people don't have issues using Standby. Many do but don't like to admit it. These same issues littered the Tivo forums back in the day. Some people had problems with standby, other didn't.

To those that do, it's like going to the doctor and saying "when I do this it hurts" to which the doc says "then don't do that".


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Why do you feel the need to put it in Standby?

To save a very little bit of electricity?

The drive is still spinning so the only thing you accomplish is turning off the LED Lights which use very little energy and you deactivate the outputs which saves you nothing so why do it???


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

bonscott87 said:


> To those that do, it's like going to the doctor and saying "when I do this it hurts" to which the doc says "then don't do that".


EXACTLY!!!

I would just like to know why they feel a need to do it.


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## prospero63 (Aug 31, 2008)

Well, maybe I'm using the wrong term. When I hit the power buttom, the DVR and TV either power on or power off accordingly. That's just the way it's always been.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Well, you must have your remote coded that way because when my Harmony 1000 or Harmony 1 turns off the TV and the Denon Amp it leaves the Directv DVR alone.

If I want to turn it off which I would never do unless the lights are bothering me then I use the Directv Remote.


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## bnwrx (Dec 29, 2007)

Can the standard remote be programmed to not turn of the DVR when pressing OFF? Sorry if its been answered before.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

richierich said:


> *Why do you feel the need to put it in Standby?
> *
> To save a very little bit of electricity?


That's one reason, especially for those of us who have 5-6 boxes.



> The drive is still spinning *so the only thing you accomplish is turning off the LED Lights which use very little energy and you deactivate the outputs which saves you nothing so why do it???*


Not entirely true. The DVR performs its background "housekeeping" functions _more quickly_ when it's in standby. Things like indexing new guide data and unpacking and sorting cast & crew photos and show thumbnails.

Not to mention the fact that the unit was _designed_ to enter standby when you press OFF on the DirecTV remote. As you know, doing so not only powers off the TV, but the DVR as well. If DirecTV thought it would be better to leave the unit on, they wouldn't have hard-coded the remote to work that way. Instead, they would have programmed the remotes so OFF only turned off our TV's, and forced us to use the remote PWR button to initiate standby. But they didn't do that. Just my .02.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Well, I leave all of my 7 DVRs on and I have Never had a problem with Recording anything other than a Conflict which I should have checked for and now I do.

Maybe I am just lucky but all of my DVRs are on APC Battery Backup Units and perform Flawlessly and I Never put them into Standby unless the Lights are bothering me and normally I place a towel over the front and leave it on.

I can't believe that the Housekeeping Functions are that much Faster because the LED Lights are off and the Outputs are Disabled so putting it in Standby Mode must disable alot of other functions that Directv isn't telling us about.

With 6 DVRs running in Standby I might save $.50 a day according to someone here who did a study about placing it in Standby Mode so I decided to leave mine up and running ready to go.


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## prospero63 (Aug 31, 2008)

Yeah, I don't have a harmony anything. It's the directv remote as AFAIK it's the way it works. Feel free to ship me one of your harmony remotes and I'll be sure to not turn the DVR off anymore. :lol:


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Do you have a TV Remote???

Just use that to Turn Off the TV!!!

Very Simple!!!


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## prospero63 (Aug 31, 2008)

richierich said:


> Do you have a TV Remote???
> 
> Just use that to Turn Off the TV!!!
> 
> Very Simple!!!


Defeats the purpose of having one remote. I'm sure there's a TV remote in a drawer somewhere.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

richierich said:


> Well, I leave all of my 7 DVRs on and I have Never had a problem with Recording anything other than a Conflict which I should have checked for and now I do [...]


In the 9+ years I've been with DirecTV, I've _always_ put my SAT T60's, HDVR2's, HR10-250's, and HR2x's in stand-by, so if there was a correlation between missed recordings and standby, I think I would have noticed it by now.  Because we're always recording TNT, USA and TBS re-runs of crime shows, I've probably made (but not watched ) 5-6 recordings a day per DVR for over 9 years, so well over 65,000 recordings for 4 DVR's, the vast majority of them while the box is in standby.

Put simply, the HR2x's are designed to record just fine when in standby. IMHO, what *prospero *experienced is definitely a bug that should be reported in the appropriate issues thread.

Or if no one else is seeing similar behavior, it's possible he simply needs a replacement DVR. Just my .02.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

prospero63 said:


> Defeats the purpose of having one remote. I'm sure there's a TV remote in a drawer somewhere.


Yes it does but if that solves your problem then so be it.

I Turn Off my TV when I leave so the dogs can listen to the TV without me using electricity because the TV is on but they can still listen to it thru the Denon Amp and it calms them down.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Steve said:


> The HR2x's are designed to record just fine when in standby. IMHO, what *prospero *experienced is definitely a bug that should be reported in the appropriate issues thread.
> 
> Or if no one else is seeing similar behavior, it's possible he needs a replacement DVR. Just my .02.


I agree but it would be nice to isolate and pinpoint the problem so he could also report the solution so they could understand that it is related (or not) to the Standby Mode.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

bnwrx said:


> Can the standard remote be programmed to not turn of the DVR when pressing OFF?


No, and that's because, as I mentioned above, the HR's are _designed _to operate correctly when in standby.

Besides faster downloading and unpacking and indexing of GUIDE data and images, there's at least one other good reason not to advise _some_ folks to leave their HR's on all the time.

If they like on-demand movies and have limited internet access or metered bandwidth from their ISP's, keeping the boxes in standby allows DirecTV to satellite download and keep fresh a selection of popular movies, on the "reserved" partition on our hard drives. These movies are immediately accessible for viewing as part of _DirecTV Cinema_. I'm not saying this won't happen if the unit is on, but probably not until some period of "inactivity" is sensed. I'm guessing that would be about 2 hours, like the DoublePlay automatic timeout.


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## Church AV Guy (Jul 9, 2007)

So as I understand it, the problem is:



prospero63 said:


> ...I've noticed that in the last two days recordings during the day haven't occurred. When I just checked, sure enough nothing is recording (no orange light). Turn the DVR and TV on and bloop, up pops the orange light and the recording starts. It's acting like it's not coming out of standby for recordings...


The "fix" for this is to get DirecTV to analyze the problem, code a fix for it, and download it with the next update. Knowing how likely that is to happen soon, the workaround is:



richierich said:


> That is why I tell everyone *NOT* to put their DVR into Standby...


There are some here who strongly object to using this workaround. If you don't have this problem, don't worry about it, use standby all you want. If you DO have this problem and don't use this workaround, you can expect to lose recordings. This is a value decision on your part: If using standby is more important than actually recording your programs, that's your decision. Yes, it would be preferable to have the HR's software fixed so the problem disappears, but until that happens, the decision is yours.

Clearly not everyone has this problem. In fact, it seems to be pretty rare. Programming glitches of this type are hard to find, and expensive to fix because they involve a lot of man-hours to track down. Since there appears to be a perfectly good workaround for the issue, how likely do you think DirecTV is to spend the money to deal with this? The have much bigger issues on the table.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Steve said:


> No, and that's because, as I mentioned above, the HR's are _designed _to operate correctly when in standby.
> 
> Besides faster downloading and unpacking and indexing of GUIDE data and images, there's at least one other good reason not to advise _some_ folks to leave their HR's on all the time.
> 
> If they like on-demand movies and have limited INTERNET access or metered bandwidth from their ISP's, keeping the boxes in standby allows DirecTV to satellite download and keep fresh a selection of popular movies, on the "reserved" partition on our hard drives. These movies are immediately accessible for viewing as part of _DirecTV Cinema_. I'm not saying this won't happen if the unit is on, but probably not until some period of "inactivity" is sensed. I'm guessing that would be about 2 hours, like the DoublePlay automatic timeout.


Good explanation Steve.

P.S....I have yet to see one Sports event in 4 1/2 years (hundreds of them) ever *NOT* record correctly here as planned on my multiple HD DVRs...


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

It may be that he just needs another download of the software as it is corrupted or his DVR needs to be Replaced but I am just trying to say ISOLATE THE PROBLEM by determining if NOT placing it in Standby corrects the Problem.

Now you have ISOLATED THE PROBLEM which will HELP DIRECTV solve the problem.

I am not advocating everyone never putting their DVR into Standby Mode but I never do it and I don't have this problem but neither do others so it must be something related to his environmental package that is causing this.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> P.S....I have yet to see one Sports event in 4 1/2 years (hundreds of them) ever *NOT* record correctly here as planned on my multiple HD DVRs...


Bully for you, but that's not helpful to this thread at all. Unlike others who say they have no issues, you've provided no guidance on how *Islesfan *can solve his particular problem.

A simple forum search will show he has been reporting issues recording Islander games on an HR2x since late 2006. I've followed his posts each season for three years as the HR2x failed to record games that, up until last year, his DirecTiVo had no issues recording, IIRC.

In spite of his numerous issues posts over the years, the problem appears to still be unresolved. If DirecTV "owes" _anyone _here comp'd programming, I'd vote for *Islesfan*. Just my .02.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Steve said:


> Bully for you, but that's not helpful to this thread at all. Unlike others who say they have no issues, you provide no guidance on how *Islesfan *can solve his problem.


But then...your previous statement about "standby or no standby" and it's speed difference is totally irrelevant to the original post as to what Islsfan is experiencing. 

Pot meet kettle...move on please...

My suggestion is that based on the information provided by the OP...the problem appears isolated to his specific unit, and he should consider getting it replaced.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> But then...your previous statement about "standby or no standby" and it's speed difference is totally irrelevant to the original post as to what Islsfan is experiencing.


That certainly wasn't post padding... just a response to what I felt was bad advice being posted in this thread.

If you took the time to read the thread through, it was suggested that not putting the unit in standby might solve a "missed recording" issue. That led to a relevant side discussion on the pros and cons. I jumped in *because I thought that advice that might do more harm than good*, and took the time to explain why I think the HR's should be put in standby [...]



> Pot meet kettle...move on please...


 [...] so please don't lecture me about gratuitous posting.



> My suggestion is that based on the information provided by the OP...the problem appears isolated to his specific unit, and he should consider getting it replaced.


Had you posted that originally, at least it would have been an _attempt _on your part to helpful. That said, *Islesfan's *had this problem on different model HR2x's. And *E91*, also an Islanders fan, is having a related issue.

My apologies to all for partially veering off-topic.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Steve said:


> *I've followed his posts each season for three years *as the HR2x failed to record games that, up until last year, his DirecTiVo had no issues recording, IIRC.


OK....sure......right....


Steve said:


> If you took the time to read the thread through....Had you posted that originally, at least *it would have been *an _attempt _on your part to helpful.


*Your* opinion...the thread was read...good grief....stop making this personal...

As for *Islesfan*....yes...recordings are important, and he should have a good recording and viewing experience like anyone else.

Fact is I've had 2 HR20-700's, several HR21's, an HR23, and HR24's....not seeing those issues with *any *of those devices IS important, as for comparisons...it would seem to substantiate the problem is isolated to his location. Others have concurred NOT seeing those symptoms either -- its relevant...whether you agree or don't.

Enough said....apology accepted.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

I leave mine unplugged most of the time and never miss anything. pure friggin magik..


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

David MacLeod said:


> I leave mine unplugged most of the time and never miss anything. pure friggin magik..


!rolling

I suspect that's won't work in the case of the OP to resolve his symptoms though...


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

Look, my suggestion was this: We have two (maybe 3 or 4?) reports in this thread of missing recordings and the common statement in all/most of them was that the unit was in standby.

Thus the troubleshooter in me says....hmmmm, we have a trend here. So to eliminate that standby *isn't* a problem *DON'T* put the DVR in standby for say 2 weeks or a month and see if the recording problem goes away.

If it does then we know the problem is probably with the unit not recording properly when in standby. By which you can then create a bug report and upload your bug logs to DirecTV and post that here. DirecTV may be able to find something finally. IN the meantime just don't turn the DVR off/standby so you don't have recording problems. Simple.

If the problem still persists then the unit in standby is a red herring and it's something else so then let's now look to see if these people have something else in common.

Just common troubleshooting. But if people want to insist the problem isn't standby despite the fact they have the recording problem when in standby...well, then I guess nobody can help you.

Now the Islanders is a common theme with a couple people. Could even be something crazy like the certain channel the Islanders games are on have a recording issue when the unit is in standby due to some weird guide data or something. Now wouldn't this be a great coloration to make and something very specific Satracer could take back to the engineers? But we can't make that leap if nobody is willing to try not putting their units in standby for a couple/three weeks.

Good luck all. Since I no longer even have DirecTV I should really just step aside and let you all work it out. Sorry I butted in.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> OK....sure......right....


As you can see from reading this thread, I'm not the only one remembers *Islesfan's *past difficulties recording Islander games, mainly due to the fact that in the past, it concerned the ability to successfully  use Boolean AUTORECORDS, a largely undocumented feature that a few of us have tried to help others use more effectively in the past.


Doug Brott said:


> I'm pretty sure islesfan has been around the block on this one a few times. If he says it's not working right, this it's probably not working right.





HDTVFan0001 said:


> Enough said....apology accepted.


:scratchin You seriously think you were _included _in that? You were the cause of it! :lol:


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

RichieRich said:


> It may be that he just needs another download of the software as it is corrupted or his DVR needs to be Replaced but I am just trying to say ISOLATE THE PROBLEM by determining if NOT placing it in Standby corrects the Problem.
> 
> Now you have ISOLATED THE PROBLEM which will HELP DIRECTV solve the problem.





bonscott87 said:


> [...] If the problem still persists then the unit in standby is a red herring and it's something else so then let's now look to see if these people have something else in common [...]


To be clear, I'm not saying folks shouldn't try to debug their recording issues by temporarily keeping their HR "on" all the time. Sure, if *prospero *(and others) can document the HR in question records when "on", and doesn't record when in "standby", then he should absolutely report that issue both here, in the appropriate thread for that s/w release. And to a CSR, in case it's just a flaky unit.

I was reacting to what I perceived to be suggestions that, _in general,_ there was no downside to keeping the units "on" all the time. To that, I respectfully disagree, for the reasons I mentioned above.


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## Mark L (Oct 23, 2006)

islesfan said:


> Here we are, fourth game of the hockey season and already my HR21 is opting not to record hockey games. I get home last night to see no orange light for the Isles v. Pens game. I turn on the DVR, and after 30 sec of gray screen, the orange light comes on andthe game appears in the list. Today I try to watch and all I have is the "partial" recording from when I got home from work. I wish I could get a pro-rated NHLCI eefund from DirecTV for all the Islanders games I have missed since 2006 when they moved from TiVo to these crappy Random Video Recorders!


Get rid of that piece of crap HR21

I just got rid of mine and got it replaced with an HR24-500, I had to work for that to happen

But let me tell you, it's been heaven! It is 100x the box the HR21 series is. Food tastes better, the air smells clean, life is good


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Steve said:


> You seriously think you were _included _in that? You were the cause of it! :lol:


Yankees Fans... 


Mark L said:


> Get rid of that piece of crap HR21
> 
> I just got rid of mine and got it replaced with an HR24-500, I had to work for that to happen
> 
> But let me tell you, it's been heaven! It is 100x the box the HR21 series is. Food tastes better, the air smells clean, life is good


That's a bit more dramatic...but was kinda my same point.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Steve said:


> That certainly wasn't post padding... just a response to what I felt was bad advice being posted in this thread.


I did not Post Bad Advice as most Users will probably leave their DVRs on as they do not know better and still they will perform as intended.

Directv has Never stated that I or anyone else should Turn Off their DVR after using it as in going to sleep.

However, I am trying to help this poster out by recommending that he keep it out of Standby Mode until Directv can Resolve his problem.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

richierich said:


> [...] Directv has Never stated that I or anyone else should Turn Off their DVR after using it as in going to sleep.


I haven't heard it explicitly from DirecTV, but second-hand through the mods, who have hinted that the units perform background tasks more efficiently when in stand-by.

And as I mentioned before, the supplied DirecTV remotes are designed to power off the HR's at the same time you power off your TV's. I could be wrong, but I believe they are programmed that way to encourage folks to use standby.



> However, I am trying to help this poster out by recommending that he keep it out of Standby Mode until Directv can Resolve his problem.


I have no doubt you're trying to help and I agree that it might be a helpful diagnostic step.

I'm just not crazy about it as a long-term solution, because I think the older, slower boxes especially need all the help they can get to achieve peak performance, so anything that speeds-up housekeeping functions is a good thing, IMHO.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Steve said:


> I'm just not crazy about it as a long-term solution, because I think the older, slower boxes especially need all the help they can get to achieve peak performance, so anything that speeds-up housekeeping functions is a good thing, IMHO.


Now you are Understanding what I am trying to Convey!!!

Try keeping it out of Standby Mode and let's see if that solves the problem and the let's alert Directv about this situation.

I Understand that the older units running on an inadequate CPU without enough RAM can Cause alot of Problems!!!

Especially with Slow Responsiveness to Remote Commands, etc.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Steve said:


> I'm just not crazy about it as a long-term solution, because I think the older, slower boxes especially need all the help they can get to achieve peak performance, so anything that speeds-up housekeeping functions is a good thing, IMHO.


Well, Directv needs to let us know that we need to do this to help the inferior units deal with the overloading of tasks that these units were not designed to deal with!!!

But as we know that will never happen!!!

I have stated many many times that the CPU needed to be Upgraded and we needed more RAM and guess what finally happened???

We got the HR24 Series which Addresses the Shortcomings of the other HR2X DVRs and now we have Fast Guides, etc.

Go Back And Read My Posts From The Past and you will see what I recommended and stated would lead to a better DVR!!!


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Um, I have NEVER seen any real difference in recording (cause I never have recording issues across my 6 boxes with 200 SLs in total) by leaving the machine on or off.. SO I usually leave them OFF unless I am watching it. Now, please, Back To TOPIC!


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Inky, wouldn't that be 300 Series Links???


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## finaldiet (Jun 13, 2006)

My HR24 records the best hockey team in the NHL, the BLACKHAWKS, without any problems.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

finaldiet said:


> My HR24 records the best hockey team in the NHL, the BLACKHAWKS, without any problems.


Using what method?


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## E91 (Oct 7, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> Um, I have NEVER seen any real difference in recording (cause I never have recording issues across my 6 boxes with 200 SLs in total) by leaving the machine on or off.. SO I usually leave them OFF unless I am watching it. Now, please, Back To TOPIC!


Yeah. I don't even know where this idea comes from. All of my D* DVRs over the year did fine in standby.


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## reggie (Jul 9, 2007)

islesfan said:


> I turn on the DVR, and after 30 sec of gray screen, the orange light comes on andthe game appears in the list.


I had something similar along with numerous hangs when coming out of standby recently. Unplugged the network cable and haven't had a problem a couple weaks. Not a real solution (and maybe just coincidence), but good enough for now....


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