# Why can't the "new" episode setting record only new broadcasts?



## erasmu (Nov 17, 2003)

The new setting seems to filter out all episodes that are not from the current calendar year. If this is correct, all summer reruns will be recorded on existing timers because they are the current year. Newspaper tv listings always identify new episodes (first occasion to be broadcast). Does not the guide info associated with tv programs? It would be nice to see this improved unless I am using it all wrong.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

I generally don't use the "New" setting because it does grab things from the past if the EPG isn't absolutely correct. For example, The Tonight Show has a second play very late at night - when I was using "New" it would consider the 11:35pm ET as well as the late night rerun as 'New'. (The EPG wasn't good for the later show.) It does ok on rerun weeks (like this week) as the EPG for 11:35 ET is correct.

I suppose one could consider it a 'feature' so if there are EPG errors one will get a show they can delete instead of miss a real 'new' show. The downside is if another recording is bumped by priority or the hard drive fills, plus the minor annoyance of thinking you have a new show to watch when there isn't one.

In general, "New" works. But as usual - all NBR based functions rely on an accurate EPG.

BTW: My "New" Smallville event worked fine and went on hiatus when the show ended at the end of the season. My "New" Monk event is also working fine.


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## LtMunst (Aug 24, 2005)

erasmu said:


> The new setting seems to filter out all episodes that are not from the current calendar year.


That is how it used to work. Now, the "New" function works as it should (based on airdate, not calendar year). Of course, as James said, it is dependent on the accuracy of the guide data.


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## wingnut1 (Nov 10, 2005)

I always check the daily schedule out a few days to see if there are conflicts or a show that I've already watched is scheduled to record. This has always worked well for me.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I can't remember anyone ever answering this... I don't have a ViP... but have wondered about the hypothetical situation where "new" is in the text of the guide for that program.

Like if I had a Smallville timer to record new episodes... would it also record any Smallville episode that said something like "Clark learns to adjust to a new power" in the description?

I wonder if it would trip on seeing "new" anywhere in the text. Anyone ran across this sort of thing?


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

I believe the 'new' it is looking for is more of a field than a context search. Also, generally speaking, when new the EPG text says "New." so if they did do a flat search for the word it wouldn't catch on the phrase you offered (no .) and if case sensitive would not catch on "Clark learns something new." either.

Pretty sure there is a field entry there.


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## zdman (May 26, 2006)

For what it is worth, my comcast dvr had this same problem. It appears that a lot of it has to do with specific channels and how they call their shows new vs. repeat. For example, I record a show on DIY that comes on at 7 pm on a certain night, the same new episode comes on at 11pm that night. Both say "new" in the description. My comcast box would always record them both. I chalked this up to the way the various networks list their shows. My daughter records stuff on MTV and they appear to do the same thing. I will say, that my 622 seems to have less of a problem with this than my comcast box did, but it is still not perfect.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

That's good... if it has some intelligence to its new search. I have never been completely clear on just how it decides what is and isn't new. Of course I also see lots of times in the EPG guide where there is little or no relevant information (bot Dish's fault) when they don't get correct/current info for the EPG.


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

A recent software update on the 942 added the display of Episode number and Original Air Date. Any show whose Original Air Date is within about a week of "now" is considered a New candidate. Once it has been recorded (need not be the first airing that MAY contain "New" in the description), all the other airings become "duplicates" and don't record. As mentioned, there are exceptions to getting the other airings to appear as duplicates. The 1st episode of Psych on USA is a example - it didn't contain an episode number. This made repeat showings of it record as New (but all appear with OAD of 7/7/06). Eventhough there was a recording of the show in the My Recordings and Daily Schedule list, it continued to list additional recordings of this "Episode zero" under the New timer. Normally, an entry in My Recordings or PAST Daily Schedule that isn't Skipped, canceled, ... will prevent additional recordings since they would duplicate a prior recording. Even deleting the Psych timer and recreating it still lists a show due to start in a little over an hour. It seems likely that the other examples posted about duplicate "New" recordings may also have a missing Episode number in the EPG.

Since they added the display of the hidden fields to the 942, I'd expect them on the 622 sometime soon.


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## philhu (Jun 19, 2006)

It is now more tivo like

It isn't using the word 'new' in the info, it is a flag in the guide data, that says new. There are about 16 flags.

Tivo use the flags and actually keep a history of all shows shown for 21 days as well as shows recorded and even deleted for 21 days.

It works pretty good, as long as the guide data is accurate. If you have bad data, nothing in the dvr will fix it.

I actually wrote a tivo guide data program that used zap2it xml guide data for a lineup I custom built so I could add modulated channels from a cable box to the tivo satellite lineup. I added 7 channels using modulators, and added the guide data to the tivo for those 7 channels. If you are interested, look for 'parsexmlguide'. The VB one, not the perl one.


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## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

HDMe said:


> ...
> 
> I wonder if it would trip on seeing "new" anywhere in the text. Anyone ran across this sort of thing?


The 622 and 942 do not rely on the text in the Info screen to determine what is "new." In fact, recently a change to the 942 causes the info screen to display the *Episode Number * and the *Date Originally Aired * for the program. I hope the 622 will also soon display this info.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

I think it has to do with the accuracy and quality of the source info.

My TiVo is very good at only recording an episode of any show only once. there must be a code in the info that is kept on the HD like the show and episode #.

I have never caught it recording an episode the second time unless I tell it to record all episodes.

Maybe Dish should copy TiVo's episode database - did I say that!!


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## Hunter Green (May 8, 2006)

Actually the database generally all comes from the same source, Tribune.

Even TiVo can fail at identifying unique episodes when the data is bogus, as it is too often. Everyone who watches the Daily Show on Comedy Central can tell you horror stories about that.

The Dish DVR also suffers from those, but in addition, it seems to have a few wrinkles still to be ironed out of its algorithms. Still, it does pretty good most of the time, and most of its failures are data, not code.


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