[mythtv-users] tv programs that run long

Fedor Pikus fpikus at gmail.com
Thu May 19 04:29:14 UTC 2005


On 5/18/05, Michael T. Dean <mtdean at thirdcontact.com> wrote:
> On 05/18/05 21:07, Fedor Pikus wrote:
> 
> >On 5/18/05, Dan H Orlic <dan.orlic at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Just thought I should let you know... I own a tivo and the same exact
> >>thing happened to me.  The last moment of Gilmore Girls was cut off.  So
> >>she can say that!
> >>
> >Tivo is only as smart as the programming data, ... Tivo does seem to push
> >updates a little faster *sometimes*, but again, this is an issue with
> >schedule provider, not myth itself.
> >
> >
> Does TiVo actually push data?  I thought TiVo got its data via a dial-up
> connection that it makes once per day.  Or, are you talking about
> DirectTiVo--which probably gets data off the satellite feed.

I don't think Tivo service can initiate connection, but they push
updated schedules (and messages that some schedules were updated or
might be off) every time Tivo connects.


> 
> ...
> 
> OK.  So I decided to answer the question myself.  It seems TiVo has new
> "Series 2" DVR's to which you can attach a USB network adapter (not
> provided) to allow the DVR to make use of your network.  If the network
> has a shared broadband connection, the DVR can be configured to use it
> to connect to the TiVo service.  If configured to use broadband, the DVR
> will connect to the TiVo service every hour (
> http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv2056.htm ).  If
> you do not have a TiVo series 2 or your Series 2 is not configured to
> use broadband, your DVR makes a connection via dial-up--which can take
> as much as 36 hours.
> 
> So, at this point, it started to look like TiVo with broadband access
> would in fact receive updates every hour.  Then, I found
> http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv1521.htm , which
> says that DVR's using broadband to connect to the TiVo servers will
> check for remotely-scheduled programs every 15 minutes and DVR's using
> dial-up will check at a random time once every 24 to 48 hours.  (With
> TiVo, you tell the TiVo service to record a program and the service
> tells your DVR, instead of telling your DVR directly as with Myth.)
> During these scheduled-program-checking connections, the DVR only checks
> for remotely-scheduled programs--it does *not* download any program
> guide data.  Program guide data is only retrieved at a randomly-selected
> time every 24 to 48 hours regardless of how the DVR connects to the TiVo
> service.
> 
> I couldn't find anything definitive on the DIRECTV DVR (DirecTiVo), but
> it seems that it uses dial-up to get the full guide data, but in the
> absense of a dial-up connection will use the 2-3 days of guide data
> available via the satellite.  Therefore, it seems plausible that in the
> event that schedules changed at the last minute and DIRECTV updated the
> guide data being broadcast via satellite, the DirecTiVo could receive
> and respond to the update.  Whether it actually happens that way (i.e.
> whether DIRECTV actually updates the data and whether the DVR can
> respond to changes) is a whole other question.
> 
> Therefore, it would seem that TiVo does not get updates any quicker or
> more reliably than Myth.  The DirecTiVo, OTOH, may in fact receive
> updates that are "pushed" out via satellite.
> 
> Mike
> 
> Oh, and here's my favorite (from
> http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv1521.htm? ):
> 
> For 4 to 8 hours after making your connection to the TiVo service, your
> Program Guide Data may show "TBA" with descriptions that read "Program
> titles and descriptions available soon." This means that your DVR is
> indexing. During this time, you can watch any channels and use any play
> features (fast forward, rewind, and pause). You cannot record until the
> indexing is finished.
> 
> So, at a randomly-selected time every 24-48 hours it makes a connection
> to TiVo service and then can only be used to watch TV--and not to
> record--for 4-8 hours while indexing.  Therefore, it seems that a TiVo
> is 5/6 DVR and 1/6 DVP (since for approximately 1/6 of the time, it can
> only be use to play--not to record--programs).
> 
> BTW, what could they possibly be doing during indexing that takes 4-8
> hours?  An 8088 should be able to prep guide data in less than 4-8 hours...
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-- 
Fedor G Pikus (fpikus at gmail.com)
http://www.pikus.net
http://wild-light.com


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