# Unified Playlist



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Ok, so many of you have had a chance to play with MRV now that haven't played with it before... I am curious if anyone else agrees with me on one simple thing... We need more options in how the unified playlist is organized...

Feel free to post ideas on what they could do, but most importantly, do there need to be more than either all or local?


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

I agree. I also think that if a show is recorded locally then the dupes recorded on another receiver need not be listed.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

hilmar2k said:


> I also think that if a show is recorded locally then the dupes recorded on another receiver need not be listed.


This I completely disagree with..  What is your reasoning?


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

I need more options. 

I have an eSATA drive and "All" is just too cumbersome. I know where the stuff is on each receiver but mash it all together and it’s a PITA to find what I want. I don't have to search if I can choose which PlayList to see.

Further, we don’t need to see my daughters HR23 in the living room but we want her to be able to watch what’s in the living room.

I would love to apply categories or folders or some way to consolidate a long list would make it a little easier to use.

All or nothing is bad Ju-Ju Bwana. My 2¢ FWIW. :grin:

Mike


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

hilmar2k said:


> I agree. I also think that if a show is recorded locally then the dupes recorded on another receiver need not be listed.


I understand your thinking behind this however in certain circumstances it's nice to be able to see the duplicates. I duplicate about 1/2 the shows in my bedroom, in my living room. After I verify the show in the bedroom is good, it's nice to be able delete the show in the living room, from the bedroom.

And I'd definitely like to be able to split the list up. Preferably by location name, but I'd go with just about ANY kind of organization over what we have now.


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> This I completely disagree with..  What is your reasoning?


I assume the smiley means you're kidding....


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## jdspencer (Nov 8, 2003)

I voted for more options, with the emphasis on OPTIONS.
An option would be to list only the shows on the remote.

I would also like to be able to see the free space on the remote DVR. And, the ability to schedule a recording on the remote.


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## RaceTripper (Sep 16, 2007)

I would like a playlist option that automatically filters out remote recordings if they are also recorded locally (I don't normally need to see 3 copies of the exact same thing). But it would need to be an option so one can still select to resume remote recordings that were partially played back..


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

long live UPL, it stays.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

There needs to be a "List-List" implementation. 

First click of the "List" button brings up a Unified list, a second click will bring up a List of all DVR's on the Network.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> I need more options.
> 
> I have an eSATA drive and "All" is just too cumbersome.
> 
> Mike


Try having 3 with space measured in TB. :eek2:


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

inkahauts said:


> but most importantly, do there need to be more than either all or local?


Was this really in question? Did you expect the poll results to be any less than 90% yes?


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

I agree with the LIST-LIST . . . second press has a folder for each dvr that can be viewed individually and with FREESPACE!

Remote scheduling would be nice but for now the iPhone suffices.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

Herdfan said:


> Try having 3 with space measured in TB. :eek2:


Dude, that's a massive Playlist. 

Mike


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## Scott Kocourek (Jun 13, 2009)

MicroBeta said:


> I need more options.
> 
> I have an eSATA drive and "All" is just too cumbersome. I know where the stuff is on each receiver but mash it all together and it's a PITA to find what I want. I don't have to search if I can choose which PlayList to see.
> 
> ...


Categories or folders would be the best way to go, and for the rest...



David MacLeod said:


> long live UPL, it stays.


This could be an option too. More options the better.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Want the ability to select a specific DVR.

Currently all four DVR's have 750GB-1TB each and are set to LOCAL, and then switched to ALL only when wanting to watch a remote recording. Much too cumbersome for the UPL to be the default 24x7.

Also, the receiver should not forget the "Filter by Playlist" setting at each restart.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Possible scenario ... 

LIST: the currently selected Playlist (from the Filter-by-Playlist setting).

LIST-LIST: list including LOCAL, ALL and each remote DVR, to enable the quick selection of a Playlist. This selection would not change the Filter-by-Playlist setting.

Filter-by-Playlist setting (accessed via yellow button): ability to change the default LIST Playlist setting to LOCAL, ALL, or a specific DVR.

Top line of Playlist (Left): Ordered by <current setting>
Top line of Playlist (Right): LOCAL, ALL, or DVR name

Bottom line of Playlist: Remaining space for the local DVR if LOCAL or ALL is displayed, remaining space for the remote DVR if a remote DVR has been selected.

The top line of the Playlist would always include LOCAL, ALL, or the DVR name on the right, to avoid any confusion as to which DVR Playlist is being displayed.

The Filter-by-Playlist setting would always be remembered across a restart or firmware upgrade.

If the Filter-by-Playlist setting has been changed to a remote DVR, and the remote DVR has become unavailable, when LIST is pressed a message would be displayed that the remote DVR has become unavailable and the user should change the Filter-by-Playlist setting or wait for the DVR to become available.


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## CliffV (Jan 24, 2006)

I voted that the current solution is adequate. Maybe that is because I only have two DVRs using MRV. If I have more, I might have voted differently.


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## stlmike (Aug 24, 2007)

We really need an HD list to put more lines on the screen at once...

I would also like the ability to choose which playlists get shared. I don't, for example, want to share the 25 or so kid's shows on one of my DVR's


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## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> Dude, that's a massive Playlist.
> 
> Mike


My playlist is approximately 50 "pages" long.


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## LiQiCE (Feb 14, 2006)

Would love more options. I have 3 HR23's and I can only imagine what the playlist will look like once the 3 DVRs get filled up.

It'd be great if you could filter by DVR, so you can have a "folder" with the DVR and each opens to show the list of programs on that DVR.

Make it an option between the Unified list and a filtered list as the default when you press List. Then pressing List -> List gets you the other one. Sort of how the Guide works.


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## dhines (Aug 16, 2006)

as is, the current all or nothing is a deal breaker for me. i mean, just because i want my HDDVR's networked together doesn't mean i want to see every show on every DVR. i mean heck, my view is now flooded with all the cartoons from the DVR in the kids room. considering most of those are 30 long and in SD . . . there are a ton of them. with this enabled, it takes forever to surf through and find the shows i am looking for.

this is a huge oversight on the part of the designers . . . d*, have fun selling this lemon. even if it was free i wouldn't keep it enabled.


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## drpjr (Nov 23, 2007)

hilmar2k said:


> I agree. I also think that if a show is recorded locally then the dupes recorded on another receiver need not be listed.


 I'm with inkahauts.



inkahauts said:


> This I completely disagree with..  What is your reasoning?


I would like to see dupes in sub-folders within the main episode folder. Sometimes when recording dupes I need another tuner and want easy access to stop a recording or more likely to do cleanup locally for more HD space. I do think with a properly working MRV the need/desire to record duplicates will decrease dramaticaly.


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## lucky13 (Nov 27, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> I need more options.
> 
> I have an eSATA drive and "All" is just too cumbersome. I know where the stuff is on each receiver but mash it all together and it's a PITA to find what I want. I don't have to search if I can choose which PlayList to see.
> 
> ...


I'm with Mike on this.
Let us choose which DVR list we want to see.
Ideally, I'd like a checklist on yellow button, so we can select which DVRs we want to include on our playlist.

Once this is settled, let's work on seeing remote To-Do lists.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

dennisj00 said:


> I agree with the LIST-LIST . . . second press has a folder for each dvr that can be viewed individually and with FREESPACE!


I would be happy with LIST-LIST that just does the following:

List>Brings up local
List - List> Brings up Unified

While all those other options would be nice, we know that the code for separating the playlists this way is already in place. This just provides another way to access what is already there.

But I have to wonder if the decision has already been made to stay with the UPL as is no matter how much backlash there is against it.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

RunnerFL said:


> My playlist is approximately 50 "pages" long.


I hear ya....

I have 9 networked DVR's.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

Oh, the machines know which machine each program comes from. They are plainly listed in the descriptions, so it would be relatively easy to sort them by source DVR or put them in folders, etc.

I have to imagine this is a style choice. Perhaps not being able to settle on a GUI standard for the multiple DVRs. Or a choice in not seeing value to selecting individual DVRs to display. Either it is on the machine you are using or it is not.


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

I would like options personally.

I also would like it where you can pick which machine's playlist you want to see when you hit list as an option at least. This is how MRV was way back when if you remember, and I sorta liked it with LOTS in the playlist.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Herdfan said:


> Try having 3 with space measured in TB. :eek2:


Try having 6 DVRs with 8 TBs of Recording Capacity!!! :lol:

I spoke to the Directv Manger at CES and mentioned being able to Select DVRs Selectively at each DVR Location and he made note of it both times we talked and said that it made alot of sense especially after I mentioned why I needed it with 6 DVRs!!!


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## Getteau (Dec 20, 2007)

dhines said:


> ...
> i mean heck, my view is now flooded with all the cartoons from the DVR in the kids room. considering most of those are 30 long and in SD . . . there are a ton of them. with this enabled, it takes forever to surf through and find the shows i am looking for.
> ...


I agree. My son and daughter both have DVR's that pretty much record everything on Disney, Noggin, Sprout, Nick and Cartoon Network. Therefore, it's not unusual for me to have to go 2 or 3 pages down in the play list to get through all the kids stuff. When you add all the crime/investigation shows that the wife records on 2 other DVR's, I sometimes end up going 8 or 9 pages down before I find something that was recorded 2 days ago. I've actually stumbled across things 15 pages down in my UPL that I didn't realize I had recorded.


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## lugnutathome (Apr 13, 2009)

I stumbled across MRV some time back when with the "secret handshake" my H21 units would play content from my HR2{x} units (but not HR to HR). The list function would bring up the 4 DVR's as folders using their RIDs until I set up friendly names on the DVRs themselves. After that using list brought them up in folders using the friendly names.

Choosing a DVR folder would then also report that DVR's disk free which was sort of cool too. 

Then the next software download from DTV blasted this functionality away until this recent version. Now instead of these folders the content of all the DVR units is co mingled. I really liked the listing the units as folders with the disk free monitoring.

Having the ability to view DVRs as folders as an additional sort would be a really nice option.

Don "I'm just sayin" Bolton


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## pfp (Apr 28, 2009)

Grentz said:


> I would like options personally.
> 
> I also would like it where you can pick which machine's playlist you want to see when you hit list as an option at least. This is how MRV was way back when if you remember, and I sorta liked it with LOTS in the playlist.


Ah yeah! back in the Tivo days. How I loved those Tivo days.


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## dhines (Aug 16, 2006)

Getteau said:


> I agree. My son and daughter both have DVR's that pretty much record everything on Disney, Noggin, Sprout, Nick and Cartoon Network. Therefore, it's not unusual for me to have to go 2 or 3 pages down in the play list to get through all the kids stuff. When you add all the crime/investigation shows that the wife records on 2 other DVR's, I sometimes end up going 8 or 9 pages down before I find something that was recorded 2 days ago. I've actually stumbled across things 15 pages down in my UPL that I didn't realize I had recorded.


exactly . . . last night it took me so much time to find the show i wanted, i found it easier just to disable MRV and go find it on the DVR where it was located.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Getteau said:


> I agree. My son and daughter both have DVR's that pretty much record everything on Disney, Noggin, Sprout, Nick and Cartoon Network. Therefore, it's not unusual for me to have to go 2 or 3 pages down in the play list to get through all the kids stuff. When you add all the crime/investigation shows that the wife records on 2 other DVR's, I sometimes end up going 8 or 9 pages down before I find something that was recorded 2 days ago. I've actually stumbled across things 15 pages down in my UPL that I didn't realize I had recorded.


You do not have to share the playlist from every DVR .. That may be helpful in some situations.


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## Getteau (Dec 20, 2007)

Doug Brott said:


> You do not have to share the playlist from every DVR .. That may be helpful in some situations.


True. But then I would have to go upstairs and flip that bit on the kids DVR's every time they wanted to watch something in the living room downstairs. For their DVR's, I do exactly that. By default, they are set to local only; unless they want to watch something in each others room or something we have recorded in the game room or downstairs. When that happens, I'll flip the bit on their DVR so I can find the remote show.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

the UPL is all we need, its perfect in its simplicity.


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## dhines (Aug 16, 2006)

David MacLeod said:


> the UPL is all we need, its perfect in its simplicity.


perfect for who? the user that has over a half dozen HDDVR's networked? i think not. it may be perfect for you, but it is so far from perfect (for someone like me) that it renders MRV unusable.


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

Dave says it's perfect for him. I say it's not perfect for me.

Opinions are opinions.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

David MacLeod said:


> the UPL is all we need, its perfect in its simplicity.


Perfect for you. Post #17 would be perfect for me.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

accept it, worship it, life gets easier then.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

David MacLeod said:


> accept it, worship it, life gets easier then.


I'm really not trying to force my will on others as David's post might imply, but for me personally I kinda agree with this comment. Once I just accepted that that is the way it is, it really did get easier. I'm liking the integration more. I've updated recordings in various places and really don't care where they are now.

The only thing I might change (which has been suggested here) is to not show duplicates if there is a local .. but what if you want to delete all? Or watch the remote one? :shrug: I guess if they were to somehow hide the duplicates, then there would need to be an icon or some kind of flag to let you know where are multiple copies on the MRV "system" ..

I guess my bottom line is I've really grown to like the list showing up the way it does .. it works for me. The poll clearly states it doesn't work for everyone, but if you really try to embrace it, maybe you'll like it too.


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## houskamp (Sep 14, 2006)

I'm living with it..

Doesn't mean I like it or that I don't think it's a dumb idea tho..


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

As someone who lives alone and plans on using MRV to allow my 3 DVR's to essentially act as 1 giant DVR with 6 tuners, a 150 series limit and 1.5 TB's (I have a 1TB external drive connected to one), I plan on using the unified playlist exactly how DirecTV currently has it implemented. So, it's a non-issue for me.

However, after reading the reasons that other people want to be able to segregate the playlist, I think that it makes sense for there to be options.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

I've learned to live with it too, but I do keep MRV turned off on one of my DVR's (kids) most of the time. It has nothing but Disney/nick/Toons on it and it's always at around 10% free, so it really causes havoc with the list when it's activated.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Doug Brott said:


> Once I just accepted that that is the way it is, it really did get easier. I'm liking the integration more. I've updated recordings in various places and really don't care where they are now.
> 
> I guess my bottom line is I've really grown to like the list showing up the way it does .. it works for me.


But really, how hard would it be to do the following, for which the base is already in the code:

Allow the user to select which List they want on the first press of List. They then get the other option on the second press.

Remember how the Guide used to be with the list of options first? And how some people liked it, but others hated it.

By giving people a choice if you want the UPL or local displayed on the first press of List, you make the most people happy with the least amount of work.

Some of the other options would be nice, but this one is already there. Just need an easier way to change it.

But the tone of your post makes me think that it is not going to change no matter how much we ask. Or complain.

PS. I think I need to start to work on a bulletproof macro for my MX-980 to create a List-List option. It won't be nearly as easy as my ToDo Macro, but I think the right combination of logic, if/then and state variable will get it done.

I will then post it on RC for all to use. WE WILL NOT BE THWARTED!


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

David MacLeod said:


> accept it, worship it, life gets easier then.


Hey, when I was in College I had a car that had No Radio, No A/C, No Electric Heated Mirrors, No Cruise Control. Did I like the fact that I didn't have these conveniences, No but I did accept it because I didn't have a choice as I couldn't afford those luxuries that others who had more money took for granted. Doesn't mean you can't want something better, more functional which makes Life Easier.

I wish the posters who say Accept It as it is Perfect would tell us how many DVRs they have as that makes a difference. If I just had two DVRs or a DVR and a Receiver than I might not complain but those of us with 3 or more DVRs have a huge problem particularly if you have alot of recording capacity such as 1 TB or 2 TB Drives.

It is not that hard to change it to be Selectable by DVR List.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Sixto said:


> Possible scenario ...
> 
> LIST: the currently selected Playlist (from the Filter-by-Playlist setting).
> 
> ...


I like this Option but I would add a Selectable List of DVRs to be checked off if you want to see them in the UPL.

I might have 2 DVRs assigned to Sports and I don't know which one has a particular Golf Event so I choose both and then Scroll Down until I find the Golf Event I am looking to watch.

Or the wife might want to Select another pair of DVRs because these are assigned to her Programming tastes and she does not want to see all of my Sports Recordings so she can Select her 2 DVRs and then Scroll Down until she finds a recording she wants to watch.

There may be 2 DVRs upstairs for the kids that I don't normally want to see in my UPL but occasionally one of the kids might want to watch one of his recordings downstairs in the Den because he wants to show me something in the recording.

This gives us the Flexibility to choose what Recordings will be Displayed in the UPL simply by choosing or selecting those DVRs that contain those recordings.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

dhines said:


> as is, the current all or nothing is a deal breaker for me. i mean, just because i want my HDDVR's networked together doesn't mean i want to see every show on every DVR. i mean heck, my view is now flooded with all the cartoons from the DVR in the kids room. considering most of those are 30 long and in SD . . . there are a ton of them. with this enabled, it takes forever to surf through and find the shows i am looking for.
> 
> this is a huge oversight on the part of the designers . . . d*, have fun selling this lemon. even if it was free i wouldn't keep it enabled.


 I'd LOVE a separate folder for each remote DVR but that being said using the yellow button you can disable it and when you want to get something off another box just yellow button enable it again.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

David MacLeod said:


> long live UPL, it stays.


 No one is voting UPL should be removed, but it seems the "vote" is that 91% of the voters want at least another OPTION besides the UPL.

Looks like this is even more one sided than "Are you willing to pay for MRV." :lol: If we have to pay for it can't we at least have it "our way?"

There obviously is some other reason (performance?) why there is no other option since it is quite an obvious no-brainer OPTION to have available to MRV users.

Hmmm, maybe the reason is because MRV will ultimately only be available to those with ONLY the upcoming SERVER box and clients and not multiple DVR's? :eek2:


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

dunno why but for whatever reason the present incarnation was chosen and has not changed despite many heated arguments.
I grew tired of complaining about it, drank the kool-aid, and life got better.


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## MartyS (Dec 29, 2006)

David MacLeod said:


> dunno why but for whatever reason the present incarnation was chosen and has not changed despite many heated arguments.
> I grew tired of complaining about it, drank the kool-aid, and life got better.


WHile I agree that I would like more control of the playlist, I've pretty much gone the route that David has.

Personally, I'd rather have more control over the remote DVRs. I'd like to view the To Do list for those DVRs and be able to schedule a recording on any of the DVRs without having to fire up the iPHone app.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Directv is Aware of what we need. 

However, it took awhile before Directv got around to Fine Tuning the Software so our MRV is working quite nice right now as compared to a month ago. I believe it will be implemented along with some other suggestions but we just need to be Patient and voice our opinions as Directv is monitoring what we are saying, Believe It Or Not!!!

And I heard it from the Horse's Mouth so to Speak but Change Takes Time!!!


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## DrummerBoy523 (Jan 9, 2007)

Hey DirecTV, how about a tab for each DVR that is available for MRV? When we are upstairs and would like to watch a show we have on our downstairs DVR, it would be a lot nicer to click a tab and have the downstairs' DVR's list show up. I don't want to weed through my 7 yr old's playlist to try and find what we want to watch.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Sixto said:


> Possible scenario ...
> 
> LIST: the currently selected Playlist (from the Filter-by-Playlist setting).
> 
> ...





richierich said:


> I like this Option but I would add a Selectable List of DVRs to be checked off if you want to see them in the UPL.


Yes, while we've discussed SUBSET (in addition to LOCAL, ALL, and individual DVR), the option always led to a debate of possible confusion as to which DVRs are actually being displayed. Certainly possible and would be nice, but I tried to keep this latest proposal bullet proof, for everyone from the totally inexperienced to the most experienced, while also handling the error condition where the remote DVR is unavailable. The Playlist would always display LOCAL, ALL, or the DVR name.

It seemed like a good balance, where you could have a default of LOCAL, ALL, or individual DVR ... and also a quick path to all options as well (that didn't change the default).


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

hilmar2k said:


> I assume the smiley means you're kidding....


No, I really do not agree... Just trying to figure out why anyone would want this... I'm smiling cause I dont want you to take offense, just want to learn why.... but my wording was a wee bit short...


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

David MacLeod said:


> dunno why but for whatever reason the present incarnation was chosen and has not changed despite many heated arguments.
> I grew tired of complaining about it, drank the kool-aid, and life got better.


But if you remember, when the HR20 first came out, Guide brought up the Filter. People howled about it and the initial response was that you will get used to and you better because it is not going to change.

Well, it finally was made an option. So nothing is written in stone. We are barely a couple of weeks into this.



richierich said:


> I like this Option but I would add a Selectable List of DVRs to be checked off if you want to see them in the UPL.


While I would really like this as well, it might require more extensive programming, where using the List button to toggle between the 2 modes would not.

Right now to get to the local playlist:

List > Yellow > ChDn > Select > ChDn > Select.

At this point, how hard would it be to replace everything that comes after List with a second List command?

It would actually give the customer a more consistent interface because you need to Exit to leave the Guide, so you should need Exit to leave the list.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

richierich said:


> And I heard it from the Horse's Mouth so to Speak but Change Takes Time!!!


Since you were at CES, I will take your word for this.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

inkahauts said:


> No, I really do not agree...


Same here.

Always want to see the duplicates, as long as we have the UPL.

Each DVR is tailored to the person and/or room that it's in.

Each individual has their own viewing styles and each recording is handled by the DVR "owner". They watch/resume and delete at their leisure.

When in another room, each individual selects their copy of a recording from "their" DVR, and resumes where they left off, and deletes when they're done with their copy.

They'd much prefer to just select their DVR, but for now they switch to ALL and use the UPL when they want to watch a recording remotely. The default for each DVR is always LOCAL, and after each restart the Playlist-by-Filter option is always manually changed back to LOCAL.

For this household, having one copy of a recording that's shared would be a disaster. As an example, most everyone watches American Idol, but all at different times. Some same day. some not. Some several episodes behind, some not. Some like to have every episode on the harddisk, some delete after every viewing and keep a clean Playlist. All different.

Each DVR owner manages their own playlist, can resume in any room exactly where they left off, and deletes when they're done with "their" copy.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Herdfan said:


> Since you were at CES, I will take your word for this.


Witnessed.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

richierich said:


> Directv is Aware of what we need.
> 
> Directv is monitoring what we are saying, Believe It Or Not!!!
> 
> And I heard it from the Horse's Mouth so to Speak but Change Takes Time!!!


!!! That !!! would !!! be !!! great !!! if !!! they !!! really !!! pay !!! attention !!! to !!! what !!! we !!! discuss !!! here !!! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> But the tone of your post makes me think that it is not going to change no matter how much we ask. Or complain.


I do not think it will change .. But please continue to voice your opinions (nicely of course ).


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Sixto said:


> Same here.
> 
> Always want to see the duplicates, as long as we have the UPL.
> 
> ...


And in a world with LIST-LIST, each individual would just hit LIST-LIST, select their DVR, and watch remotely, just as if they were in the room with their DVR, with no need to ever scroll through everyone else's recordings. This would also avoid any chance of changing the resume point or accidentally deleting another's recordings.

It would work from any H2x or HR2x in the home, and would be perfect (for this household at least ).


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Sixto said:


> And in a world with LIST-LIST, each individual would just hit LIST-LIST, select their DVR, and watch remotely, just as if they were in the room with their DVR, with no need to ever scroll through everyone else's recordings. This would also avoid any chance of changing the resume point or accidentally deleting another's recordings.
> 
> It would work from any H2x or HR2x in the home, and would be perfect (for this household at least ).


What if I have 6 DVRs and just want to see Two Of Them In My PlayList for Sports or whatever. It would be nice to be able to Edit the UPL and Select Which DVRs We Want In The UPL!!!


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

its UPL (Unified PlayList) not SUPPLE (Selective Unified Personal Playlist-Enhanced) and I bet it won't change.
prior discussions lead me to believe its the simplest solution to work for the most people.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

richierich said:


> What if I have 6 DVRs and just want to see Two Of Them In My PlayList for Sports or whatever. It would be nice to be able to Edit the UPL and Select Which DVRs We Want In The UPL!!!


In that situation...it makes sense.

Then again...one could make a case that a 6 HD DVR situation is an exception, when compared to the vast installations out there, which likely average in the area of 1-2 HD DVRs and perhaps 1-2 additional HD DVRS.

So I can see both sides of the coin on this.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Well, I spoke to the Lead Manager for Directv at the Entropic Booth and he made a note of my suggestion for a Selectable UPL and he understood the need for it. We discussed it two days in a row and he said it would definitely be discussed and probably implemented soon!!!


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

David MacLeod said:


> prior discussions lead me to believe its the simplest solution to work for the most people.


And adding LIST-LIST or some similar capability would make it simple for families with multiple DVRs, "owned" by different individuals, in different age groups, with different viewing perferences, and different Playlist hygiene.

An additional option, with zero effect on UPL.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

Sixto said:


> And adding LIST-LIST or some similar capability would make it simple for families with multiple DVRs, "owned" by different individuals, in different age groups, with different viewing perferences, and different PLaylist hygiene.
> 
> An additional option, with zero effect on UPL.


deja-vu huh?


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

David MacLeod said:


> deja-vu huh?


Yep.

Now in public (outside CE-land).


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

David MacLeod said:


> deja-vu huh?


Was thinking the very same thing.

My vote was that its fine just as is now (since we were asked).

But if it was changed, no sweat here either.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

drink the kool aid, its been decided already and here it is 

life got so much easier after I accepted it, birds sung more often, so on and so forth....


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

richierich said:


> What if I have 6 DVRs and just want to see Two Of Them In My PlayList for Sports or whatever. It would be nice to be able to Edit the UPL and Select Which DVRs We Want In The UPL!!!


Each time the SUBSET view comes up, there's a big debate about complexity and confusion.

It's fairly obvious that UPL does not work well in a very heterogeneous environment. Was just trying to dream up a bullet proof solution, with very little (if any) downside.

It certainly could be enhanced to provide checklist capability for the DVR list.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Was thinking the very same thing.
> 
> My vote was that its fine just as is now (since we were asked).
> 
> But if it was changed, no sweat here either.





David MacLeod said:


> drink the kool aid, its been decided already and here it is
> 
> life got so much easier after I accepted it, birds sung more often, so on and so forth....


In my heart, I really believe that it will be changed.

I really do.

They'd just need to visit a few homes to understand the issue.

Dedicating a DVR to a particular person (Mom, Dad, Child, Grandma , ...), or user group (Parents, Kids, ...), or function (Movies, Sports, ...), is very natural.

Having those same people or group wanting to see just "their" DVR from a remote location (bedroom, kitchen, home theatre, ...) is also very natural.

Possibly may be addressed in some future GUI change or HD GUI.

Time will tell.

In the meantime, just wanted to clearly document (in public) the issue, and a possible solution.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Sixto said:


> In my heart, I really believe that it will be changed.
> 
> I really do.
> 
> They'd just need to visit a few homes to understand the issue.


They do understand it....as Richierich pointed out earlier....a couple of us had a discussion with a lead contact at the CES this year on this very topic.

A case was made on the value of additional playlist sort options, including a drop down list to select content by device.

That was taken back under advisement to the engineering team. So they know....now if they choose to do something with that information is another thing.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

David MacLeod said:


> its UPL (Unified PlayList) not SUPPLE (Selective Unified Personal Playlist-Enhanced) and I bet it won't change.
> prior discussions lead me to believe its the simplest solution to work for the most people.


Then why do they give you the option to display only the local playlist?

At this point, all I am asking for is an easier way to toggle between the two.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

What I am asking for is the same thing we have now with One Exception. That Exception or Addition is an Option somewhere where we can Select From A List Of Our MRV DVRs/Receivers Which DVRs We Want To Show Up In Our UPL!!!

Done!!!

Now we can Select Local or UPL and view it either way. If you want to modify the UPL then you just Highlight it and Hit the Yellow Button and you will be in Edit Mode where you can Select or Check each box next to the DVR to include or exclude that DVR in the UPL!!!


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Figured that I'd add one other little tidbit to this thread, and then I would have summarized every thought I've ever had on this topic. 

Take a family with a Mom and a Dad, or any two individuals with a different taste in shows.

Add in some youngsters or a teenager (or two), who certainly have a different taste in shows! 

All with different schedules, different storage needs, and different ideas on how to organize a Todo list and/or Playlist.

Then provide them with enough money to afford the best TV service on the planet and a few DVRs.

Add multiple TV's around the home, including in bedrooms and the kitchen. 

And maybe even a home theater type room, where the really nice TV is.

It all works well. 

They all record whatever they want, whenever they want. They can all resume every one of their recordings, and watch at their leisure. If they like to record every show known to man, fine. If they like a short Playlist or long Playlist, fine.

All is fine, and they all live in perfect harmony loving DirecTV. 

Then give them MRV!

And while they all love each other  ...

As soon as they discover that they can now watch their stuff in their bedroom, or while grabbing a snack in the kitchen, or when the home theater is free, or ... (the list goes on and on).

The first question that they may ALL ask is ... how do I see just MY stuff?

And the first item that the leader of the home will try to figure out is how to protect everybody's recordings so that no one tries to resume or accidentally delete anyone else's recordings, while at the same time allowing anywhere viewing/deleting.

The solution to-date has been 1) to set every DVR to LOCAL and reset to LOCAL after every restart, 2) educate everyone on how to switch to ALL when in another room and switch back before they leave the room, and 3) be extremely careful to only select a recording that is labeled as being from their DVR.

It's works ok, but they'd all do cartwheels if they got some ability to see just their recordings.

That's it ... all of my thoughts are now in this public thread.


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## lucky13 (Nov 27, 2006)

Sixto said:


> Figured that I'd add one other little tidbit to this thread, and then I would have summarized every thought I've ever had on this topic.
> 
> Take a family with a Mom and a Dad, or any two individuals with a different taste in shows.
> 
> ...


Amen.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

Herdfan said:


> Then why do they give you the option to display only the local playlist?


um..so you can see whats taking up space on that unit....


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

And that means you have to visit EVERY dvr to check freespace . . .

Give us the option for individual DVR playlist and freespace on that dvr.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

dennisj00 said:


> And that means you have to visit EVERY dvr to check freespace . . .
> 
> Give us the option for individual DVR playlist and freespace on that dvr.


Perhaps some folks need the exercise.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

dennisj00 said:


> And that means you have to visit EVERY dvr to check freespace . . .
> 
> Give us the option for individual DVR playlist and freespace on that dvr.


as said, its about the exercise. directv is concerned about your health and wants to make sure you don't have to deal with deep leg thrombosis.

also, if UPL sucked directv would not give it to us and make us pay for it.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

It's starting to get getting ugly in here....


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

truth angers people often


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## houskamp (Sep 14, 2006)

Don't worry the UPL will go away when the fees starts..





especialy the 200$ rip out your network and install ours setup fee :lol:


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

It's been cold in NC but that'll be a cold day!


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## JACKIEGAGA (Dec 11, 2006)

dave29 said:


> There needs to be a "List-List" implementation.
> 
> First click of the "List" button brings up a Unified list, a second click will bring up a List of all DVR's on the Network.


I also would like to see a list of all the DVRs


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

David MacLeod said:


> um..so you can see whats taking up space on that unit....


So why not make it even easier to do that? 



David MacLeod said:


> also, if UPL sucked directv would not give it to us and make us pay for it.


You haven't been around long enough to know that they gave us an HR20 that sucked and forced us to pay for it.

The HR20 has come a long, long way!


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

Herdfan said:


> So why not make it even easier to do that?


dunno, someone thought this is best and here we are. and here we stay.
drink deeply of the kool-aid, I promise you the skies will become brighter.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> In that situation...it makes sense.
> 
> Then again...one could make a case that a 6 HD DVR situation is an exception, when compared to the vast installations out there, which likely average in the area of 1-2 HD DVRs and perhaps 1-2 additional HD DVRS.
> 
> So I can see both sides of the coin on this.


And I'll say its not the number of dvr's, its the amount of recording space, which can be extremely large with just one dvr....

Which is why I think any implementation that is based on how many DVRs you have, like choose which dvr playlist to see, is a total waste of time and will never be considered.. I am looking for something more than that...


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> And I'll say its not the number of dvr's, its the amount of recording space, which can be extremely large with just one dvr....
> 
> Which is why I think any implementation that is based on how many DVRs you have, like choose which dvr playlist to see, is a total waste of time and will never be considered.. I am looking for something more than that...


So you're saying a solution in which you could organize the playlist by DVR "Location" would be inadequate?
I can't think of another solution...


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

CJTE said:


> So you're saying a solution in which you could organize the playlist by DVR "Location" would be inadequate?
> I can't think of another solution...


There are several.. I'll post them in a couple days when i have time...


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> And I'll say its not the number of dvr's, its the amount of recording space, which can be extremely large with just one dvr....
> 
> Which is why I think any implementation that is based on how many DVRs you have, like choose which dvr playlist to see, is a total waste of time and will never be considered.. I am looking for something more than that...


Well, the Directv Manager I spoke to at CES considered my Suggestion and thought it was a Great Suggestion and understood after I explained my situation with 6 DVRs and lots of recording space each with at least 1 TB of recording capacity and he made note of it and said it would be discussed at the next Friday meeting.

It is not a Total Waste Of Time if I can Select my 2 DVRs that contain my Sports and then Scroll Down thru the Playlist to see what Sports Recording I want to watch.

Or to Select a couple other DVRs to see General Entertainment when I and my wife want to watch those kind of shows and she is not in the mood for Sports. It gives you Options by narrowing the Playlist to just the type of content you want to bring into the Playlist to Select From!!!

And be able to Ignore or Bypass the Kids Recordings on their DVRs but when they want to watch their stuff downstairs then we can Select just their DVRs and then scroll thru the Playlist and easily Select something that they want to watch!!!


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

calm down, the capitalization and exclamation points in your speeches show that you are getting all worked up over it.

accept the UPL (since it will not change) and a calming effect will soon overtake you.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

I am Calm but I think this is an Important Issue for those of us with Multiple DVR/Receivers with tons of recording capacity and needs to be addressed by Directv who may have not even thought of the problem.

For those with 2 or 3 DVRs they could probably care less about it but it is a Big Deal for those of us with pages and pages of recordings to scroll thru just to find a recording that may be on Page 7.

Eliminating Duplicates where the Original Recording is on the Local DVR would help also but there may be times when you want to view the recording that is on another DVR so there needs to be that option or ability.

And I just love to puntuate with multiple exclamation points as it underscores the importance of how I feel about this issue.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

David MacLeod said:


> Accept the UPL (since it will not change) and a calming effect will soon overtake you.


How do you know it will not change???

Did you speak to someone at Directv??? I did and he said he would take it under advisement and that it was indeed a Great Suggestion and something neither he nor his subordinates had thought of.

Alot of people said we would Never get DoublePlay and now we have it. So I am not giving up or giving in to just a Large UPL that can't be slimmed down by DVR Selectivity.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

richierich said:


> How do you know it will not change???
> 
> Did you speak to someone at Directv??? I did and he said he would take it under advisement and that it was indeed a Great Suggestion and something neither he nor his subordinates had thought of.


so would you have expected someone trying to show off the company to say anything else? you believe everything politicians say in speeches? same thing really, there is no way he or she would have said "No, we are never going to change it" to your face. you were fed a line and you bought it.

drink the kool-aid, enjoy the euphoric feeling that will envelop you.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

What an Optimist you are. 

I guess you would have been one of the Naysayers saying that Directv will Never Ever give us DLB or DoublePlay but it happened and the Naysayers slid away back to their dark cave, the Cave of Ignorance and Pessimism.

Why wouldn't they want to Implement something that will make MRV more User Friendly and Functional??? It is in their own best interest to do so, so they can say to their competition such as Dish how much better their MRV is compared to Dish.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

David MacLeod said:


> accept the UPL (since it will not change)


I could probably accept the UPL easier if DirecTV would allow us to use the number keys to jump to letters.

That way I could sort my list A-Z and press the "8" button to jump to shows that begin with "T".


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

I suspect we have not seen the last of UPL "enhancements".


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

richierich said:


> I did and he said he would take it under advisement and that it was indeed a Great Suggestion and something neither he nor his subordinates had thought of


 Puleeze! If he said that either he didn't know much (which I doubt) or he was blowing smoke up your butt. Probably the latter.

The VERY FIRST couple incarnations of MRV had the ability to select playlists by DVR from the yellow button menu then they quickly removed it. It wasn't the greatest implementation but it was there and was a start and was better then nothing. They obviously had thought about it and decided against taking it any further for the time being. There must be some "programming" reason why they went away from it for now.

I do think there is a good chance they will eventually add other options because they are so logical but not until MRV is out of beta and they start collecting their fees.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

CJTE said:


> So you're saying a solution in which you could organize the playlist by DVR "Location" would be inadequate?
> I can't think of another solution...


There have been other options discussed. One being personal folders / playlists.

Personally, implementing DVR selection (as proposed earlier), would be optimal for this household and require zero user training. Dedicating a DVR to a person (or group) has been an easy way to organize, and avoided any and all conflicts for several years, with each user having total control over their "own" environment. Their only request is to easily get to just their stuff remotely.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

richierich said:


> What an Optimist you are.
> 
> I guess you would have been one of the Naysayers saying that Directv will Never Ever give us DLB or DoublePlay but it happened and the Naysayers slid away back to their dark cave, the Cave of Ignorance and Pessimism.
> 
> Why wouldn't they want to Implement something that will make MRV more User Friendly and Functional??? It is in their own best interest to do so, so they can say to their competition such as Dish how much better their MRV is compared to Dish.


I am an optimist, I am positive it will stay like this and happily drink the kool-aid.
and I knew DP would happen, signs were there that it could happen.

How do you know it would be more functional? are you saying you know more about the programming of this function than the programmers that already tried a different variation? has it crossed anyones mind its like this to KEEP it working and other implementations failed? people seem to forget the previous attempts led to playlists that did not refresh correctly.
now possibly some sort of quick scroll might be implemented, but other than that its going to stay pretty much like it is. there will be no folders or tabs. 
the truth saddens people.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Further tweak to the proposal ... 

Had suggested that the Playlist screen have LOCAL, ALL, or the DVR name in the upper right, next to the "Ordered by" listing. This is avoid any confusion as to which Playlist is being displayed.

Now what if the name was selectable. Hmmm.

From the top line of the Playlist, you'd press UP, and it would highlight the Playlist name (LOCAL, ALL, or DVR name).

Then pressing SELECT would expand into the list of LOCAL, ALL, and every available remote DVR.

This might remove the need for LIST-LIST, or anything else for that matter.

Just a thought ...


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

So Dave, how long have you worked for Directv?

It seems like you know so much to be an outsider so you must be a Directv programmer.

All I am asking for is a Simple Filter by DVR and that information is already there or they couldn't display the DVR in the Playlist next to the Recording Info.

I was a computer programmer/analyst/Consultant for 35 years and it ain't that hard to implement this code.

It can happen but only if Directv sees a need to make it happen.

I don't drink KoolAid (not since Jim Jones said it was a good idea) but I do love Wine and I think I will have a glass later and ponder over what it will be like when Directv implements this UPL Change.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

What if it worked as it does now and when you Select the Yellow Button you get a List of Local or UPL. Then you Highlight All and Press the Yellow Button again to take you into Edit Mode where you see a List of All DVR/Receivers and you then Select Each DVR you want in the UPL and then Exit out where it saves that DVR Filter.

Then when you Select UPL it looks at the DVR Filter List and just brings in those Recordings from those DVRs. All it has to do is Ignore any Recordings that come from DVRs not checked on the DVR Filter List.

It Ain't Rocket Science!!! Right SIXTO!!! :lol:


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

I'm not an employee, I just know how to read the handwriting on the wall.
I'm just not sugar coating it, I do not want anyone spiraling into depression when their dreams are finally quashed. I am trying to prevent multiple medical disasters to the customer base that affect the mrv fee.
drink Richie, drink deeply and relax.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

David MacLeod said:


> Drink Richie, drink deeply and relax.


I don't need to Drink Your KoolAid Dave because I am happy and relaxed, happier than you could ever imagine especially since I have MRV and it is working as well as it is and should get even better as Directv Fine Tunes it.

You are the one who seems to like to have a Crutch such as KoolAid to help you get thru the day being as Negative about everything as you are.

So Dave get yourself a Big Ole Pitcher of KoolAid and Relax and Enjoy Your MRV and when you get an Enhanced UPL I promise I will not say "I Told You So!!!".


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

richierich said:


> I don't need to Drink Your KoolAid Dave because I am happy and relaxed, happier than you could ever imagine especially since I have MRV and it is working as well as it is and should get even better as Directv Fine Tunes it.
> 
> You are the one who seems to like to have a Crutch such as KoolAid to help you get thru the day being as Negative about everything as you are.
> 
> So Dave get yourself a Big Ole Pitcher of KoolAid and Relax and Enjoy Your MRV and when you get an Enhanced UPL I promise I will not say "I Told You So!!!".


how is speaking the truth negative? there is no negative or positive factor involved here. Only truth and wish lists.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

I'm psychic, no crystal ball needed. theres no emotions involved (here at least) just the blunt truth. whether people have the ability to accept that is beyond my control unfortunately.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Let's try to stay professional and on topic. 

Would hate for DirecTV to lose interest in this thread.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

As TBlazer said, a while ago MRV had the option to select which DVR you wanted to see the list of recordings from. Actually that was the only way it worked. You hit the list button and it brought up a list of the DVRs active, you selected the DVR you wanted and it showed you the recordings and %free on that DVR. At that time MRV had many issues with playback.

They then went a new direction with MRV and came up with the unified playlist. MRV started working much better. A lot of people complained and said that they preferred the old way of selecting the DVR first. We were told that was no longer an option, and we should not bother asking for it to be added back.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Sixto said:


> Further tweak to the proposal ...
> 
> Had suggested that the Playlist screen have LOCAL, ALL, or the DVR name in the upper right, next to the "Ordered by" listing. This is avoid any confusion as to which Playlist is being displayed.
> 
> ...


THis makes perfect sense and is more or less what I proposed a while back as well, as long as they keep the tab based UI they have now.

THey could also do it with the yellow button pretty easily as well, IMO.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

yeah, it would be nice...but.... well you know


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

inkahauts said:


> There are several.. I'll post them in a couple days when i have time...


If it's not based on each DVR, wouldn't any other solution be something that could be done without MRV too? So, it wouldn't really pertain, would it?


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Having given this all some thought.....

...and with the advent of the HMC30 (Home Media Cetner with client boxes instead of HD DVRs connected - although it supports those as clients too)...

I suspect the UPL would likely have to allow a user to create their own names/categories somehow, or else, the HMC30 would have no way to distinguish which client to segment any list upon. 

Assuming the HMC30 also supports MRV, and there's no reason to assume it wouldn't....that would seem a universal solution that also fits the HD DVR world.

Just one idea.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Having given this all some thought.....
> 
> ...and with the advent of the HMC30 (Home Media Cetner with client boxes instead of HD DVRs connected - although it supports those as clients too)...
> 
> ...


1) Ability to dedicate a minimum number of tuners, hard-drive space, and series/recording/todo-list management to a person/group/function. For tuner/space conflicts, always at least get the minimum.
2) Ability to limit the Playlist to just the person/group/function.
3) Ability to remotely access the exact same Playlist.
4) Easy to setup and use.

#1 and #2 today are handled by dedicating a DVR.

All other "easy" creative options welcome. 

The more heterogeneous the environment, the more the need.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Right now Directv Filters the PlayList by either allowing All DVRs to Populate it or just the Local DVR. 

So how hard is it to add Code that logically says just allow entries from the Selected DVR List instead of just One or All DVRs??? I'm telling you it Ain't Rocket Science and shouldn't cause any problems Refreshing the Playlist. In fact if you have fewer DVRs in the mix as in a Selective List then it should be even Faster to be able to Refresh the Playlist.

What Am I Missing???


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

richierich said:


> Right now Directv Filters the PlayList by either allowing All DVRs to Populate it or just the Local DVR.
> 
> So how hard is it to add Code that logically says just allow entries from the Selected DVR List instead of just One or All DVRs??? I'm telling you it Ain't Rocket Science and shouldn't cause any problems Refreshing the Playlist. In fact if you have fewer DVRs in the mix as in a Selective List then it should be even Faster to be able to Refresh the Playlist.
> 
> What Am I Missing???


been wondering about that. all supposition here.
do you not display the non-selected ones or do you not even poll them. if not polling you have to "block" (for lack of better term) the ip of the non-selected dvr. don't think this is very feasible unless all dvr's have manual ip entries that never change.
so then you are having to use the just not display method. so you then have to use databse functions that not show it at that particular time, although it is actually being refreshed in background. so there is a bit more work for the database to do which MIGHT cause issues.
there is finite memory and processor for the database, might be an inherent hardware issue on present hr-2x series causing this.
this might explain why we saw so many issues with incorrect listings when the list by dvr method was used.

again, pure supposition here.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

richierich said:


> Right now Directv Filters the PlayList by either allowing All DVRs to Populate it or just the Local DVR.
> 
> So how hard is it to add Code that logically says just allow entries from the Selected DVR List instead of just One or All DVRs??? I'm telling you it Ain't Rocket Science and shouldn't cause any problems Refreshing the Playlist. In fact if you have fewer DVRs in the mix as in a Selective List then it should be even Faster to be able to Refresh the Playlist.
> 
> What Am I Missing???


You're right since they ALREADY HAD THAT in the first few releases of MRV so the foundation is/was there. Then they removed it. At that time (I think) it was either ALL boxes or just any ONE, or maybe it was ANY ONE box or NONE. Don't remember.

It must have been removed for some reason. Hopefully it was a development timing issue and not just a stupid marketing decision. I also rememeber someone saying "fugetaboutit it's not coming back." I think it was Doug.

!!!


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

David MacLeod said:


> been wondering about that. all supposition here.
> do you not display the non-selected ones or do you not even poll them. if not polling you have to "block" (for lack of better term) the ip of the non-selected dvr. don't think this is very feasible unless all dvr's have manual ip entries that never change.
> so then you are having to use the just not display method. so you then have to use databse functions that not show it at that particular time, although it is actually being refreshed in background. so there is a bit more work for the database to do which MIGHT cause issues.
> there is finite memory and processor for the database, might be an inherent hardware issue on present hr-2x series causing this.
> ...


Or you could simply have the software query the data, sort it, and present in a list as a dropdown selection.

Its not that tough...done all the time in other software applications.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Or you could simply have the software query the data, sort it, and present in a list as a dropdown selection.
> 
> Its not that tough...done all the time in other software applications.


Exactly!!! You already have a Filter so just introduced code that would only Include those Recordings from those DVRs. The data is coming in or they couldn't display the Recordings and the DVR Name that it comes from so the information is there, it just needs Selective Code that looks at the DVR List and says Exclude these Recordings whose DVR Name is not on the UPL DVR LIST!!!


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

pretty much like was done at first..which failed...
so...guess what... it ain't changing


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

David MacLeod said:


> pretty much like was done at first..which failed...
> so...guess what... it ain't changing


Sorry to respectfully disagree - but that perspective won't hold up - the same could be said for MRV. I'm guessing it will continue to "evolve", and likely be improved going forward as well.

I suspect we have also not seen the last of attempts at improving the UPL functionality either.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Sorry to respectfully disagree - but that perspective won't hold up - the same could be said for MRV. I'm guessing it will continue to "evolve", and likely be improved going forward as well.
> 
> I suspect we have also not seen the last of attempts at improving the UPL functionality either.


It's in Directv's Best Interest to do so!!!

Also, maybe they disabled the Selectable UPL because it was causing problems and they had enough problems already so why muddy up the water, so they took it out and maybe will reintroduce it later on if needed after the problems have been solved.

Who knows, maybe they have figured out what the problem was so it is not longer a problem to have a Selectable DVR UPL.

We'll just have to wait and see. Alot of people for months said that DLB or DoublePlay would Never Ever come to fruition and it did so I am holding out hope while someone else drinkes the KoolAid.


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## breevesdc (Aug 14, 2007)

My suggestion is for D* to "steal" a portion of the ReplayTV interface which handled multiple playlists for MRV very well (and was doing it nearly 10 years ago). They purchased ReplayTV years ago and already own the patents. So there would be no legal problems in adopting their approach.

The playlist screen included a small DVR Selector toggle at the upper-right (where the PIG is now). If you are viewing the current playlist, it reads "This DVR". If you are viewing a remote playlist, then it would use the friendly name for that unit ("Bedroom", "Den", etc.).

If your cursor is on the DVR selector, you could move through your list of DVRs by pressing the right toggle button (on the remote) or the left toggle button. This would result in you moving forward or backwards through the list of DVRs on your network. And the list is circular. So once you reach the end of your list of DVRs, selecting the right toggle button would result in you coming back to the first DVR in your list.

You only saw the shows that were resident to the DVR shown in the DVR selector. I know that some people like the UPL. In that case, it would be fairly simple to make one of the options in the DVR toggle "All DVRs".

Additionally, there were a few shortcut buttons to help navigate between DVRs while in the playlist screen. IIRC, PrevChan would jump the cursor up to the DVR selector from where ever the cursor was in the playlist. And QuickSkip would automatically toggle to the next DVR in the list (without you having to use the DVR selector). Of course, these buttons are currently functional in the list screen to jump to the previous program and skip/slip 30 seconds forward for whatever is playing in the PIG. But I would gladly accept those buttons being re-mapped as shortcut keys for the PlayList screen.

I find the UPL cumbersome and would really like an easy to use alternative to the playlist filter to show 'all shows' or 'only shows on the local DVR'.

Brian


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

breevesdc said:


> My suggestion is for D* to "steal" a portion of the ReplayTV interface which handled multiple playlists for MRV very well (and was doing it nearly 10 years ago). They purchased ReplayTV years ago and already own the patents. So there would be no legal problems in adopting their approach.
> 
> The playlist screen included a small DVR Selector toggle at the upper-right (where the PIG is now). If you are viewing the current playlist, it reads "This DVR". If you are viewing a remote playlist, then it would use the friendly name for that unit ("Bedroom", "Den", etc.).
> 
> ...


Sounds great, and similar to what we've been discussing here.

An onscreen indicator of which DVR Playlist is being displayed, and and easy way to switch.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

If you are talking about tabs there is no chance whatsoever. We were told that D* is getting rid of the tabs in the GUI altogether. (That was one way we suggested accessing different DVRs in the early stages of MRV).


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

The removal of tabs has opened up a nice space for the DVR name.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Hadn't looked at the poll results in a while.

Wow, over 200 voted and 91% would like some flexibility.

Nice to see this isn't an isolated unique need.

Who knows, this might already be covered in some HD GUI or GUI re-design that we haven't seen yet.

There was a mention during the Wachovia Investor Presentation on 6/24/2009, chart-9,"Coming Soon: New User Interface in 2010".


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

Sixto said:


> Hadn't looked at the poll results in a while.
> 
> Wow, over 200 voted and 91% would like some flexibility.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I may even consider paying for MRV if we get this flexibility.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Ok folks! Since MRV is now out of beta, I think its time to bump this thread up and have those who are for the first time using the UPL vote in it.. 

I still believe we need additional options!


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

I want a Selectable Unified Playlist so I can choose which DVRs that I want to Populate the UPL!!!


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

and we're back.
long live UPL....might as well get used to it.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

David MacLeod said:


> and we're back.
> long live UPL....might as well get used to it.


Well, I can Wish For My Selectable UPL, can't I???


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

can wish all you want, thats free


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

You Never Know!!!


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