I live in Central Oregon and subscribe to HDTV using a Pace TDC 775D HD DVR. The front has a clock display that I have no control over--the time signal comes from somewhere else and I cannot set or affect it. This signal/time does govern when shows I have set to record start their recording. Last week I noticed this clock time was ~28 seconds late.

I noticed this because a certain show I watch has a lead-in I watch to determine if it is a rerun or not and instead of this lead it jumped immediately to the host introduction. I new there was something off with the time. I also know the clock error by comparing to my GPSr and the WWV time signal of my radio controlled clock and my computer clock right after I have reset it. Two are to the second and the computer is only a second off. So when I measure the DVR clock off 49 seconds late that _is_ what it is off. This week the error grew to ~50 seconds late or slow.

My cable provider is so far in denial that there is any problem. Further, they have no control over this time signal. Further still, each tech I talk to cannot understand why I care that the recorder start within a second (I'm being reasonable in that no one knows what the tolerance is) of the actual program start time, i.e., why does the DVR clock have to agree with the real world actual time.

They say the time signal comes from TV-Guide and I can believe that but they cannot give me any contact information to TV-Guide and apparently TV-Guide has told them that they cannot fix the time signal. So far I have been unable to figure out how to call TV-Guide directly.

I am amazed that this problem and lack of skill understanding time exists--I am frustrated not finding any avenue of correction so far. I can't believe there is no interest in getting the time signal fixed. Even commercials are being lost by following the DVR clock 50 seconds slow (or late).:p

[Addition] I found a phone number for Pace in Boca Raton, Florida--I'll start there tomorrow morning.

Can anyone help me.

Interesting.... FiOS is also behind about the same amount of time as you note. I was going to get into it next week, but wondering if it REALLY is TV Guide screwing this up. I know on the Cable System using S/A equipment, the time is correct, where the FiOS boxes are off. I would think that PACE and S/A would use the same source on their systems, but will try and get more info from my contacts during the day.

Interesting.... FiOS is also behind about the same amount of time as you note. I was going to get into it next week, but wondering if it REALLY is TV Guide screwing this up. I know on the Cable System using S/A equipment, the time is correct, where the FiOS boxes are off. I would think that PACE and S/A would use the same source on their systems, but will try and get more info from my contacts during the day.
My cable company finally admitted late Thursday that there was a time signal problem largely because others have called in with the same issue. I suspect they don't have an accurate independent time signal to use themselves and were dead set against trusting only one person however knowlegeable I might have sounded on the subject.

I do not know what FiOS is nor what S/A equipment is. I am going to contact Pace myself tomorrow morning. I'd like to think this will now get quickly solved. There can't be that many idiots in this industry. But I have been very disappointed in my cable company's knowledge and reaction to this time signal issue.

At this point in time, since it appears certain entity(s) cannot be trusted to keep accurate time, I'm going to insist for what it is worth that Pace add a means for the end user to override and correct the clock when needed in all later boxes--that should be fun--whose going to care about that idea? Why anyone designs an automated system with no oversight possible if something goes wrong is an injustice to the technology.

While I'm at it with Pace, another industry stupidity is how reseting any device today involves either inserting a bent paper clip into a hidden hole you find on the back of a device and/or standing on your head or unplugging the unit. I say put the reset up front on the box and make it simple.

At this point in time, since it appears certain entity(s) cannot be trusted to keep accurate time, I'm going to insist for what it is worth that Pace add a means for the end user to override and correct the clock when needed in all later boxes--that should be fun--whose going to care about that idea? Why anyone designs an automated system with no oversight possible if something goes wrong is an injustice to the technology.

I dont believe you understand the timing issues associated with digital signals and equipment (and I am not talking about the clock on the front of the STB), but lots of luck with that. That will certainly show them who they are messing with! :rolleyes:

I dont believe you understand the timing issues associated with digital signals and equipment (and I am not talking about the clock on the front of the STB), but lots of luck with that. That will certainly show them who they are messing with! :rolleyes:
I do understand the timing issues. To give us a backup clock Pace would have to add adequate clock circuitry and the software option to use it. I talked to a Pace tech today and he assured me that the time signal does not come from TV-Guide. But TV-Guide probably subscribes to or uses the same time signal (National Bureau of Standards--WWV or the equivalent) that the cable company should be using too. I know it is quite likely that the current engineers at my cable company haven't experienced this problem before and do not know where the equipment is or how to use it or how to fix it--yet. Or perhaps, and this is likely, some component failed and that is why their clock signal lost sync with the time signal standard? I'm sure they will figure it out at some point and get it fixed or adjusted so it will once again be in sync with the time standard and we at home won't be able to measure the difference again as was the case before.

Did you learn anything? Did you resolve the time error you thought you saw?

There is nothing more for me to learn about it now...just patience waiting for the cable company to figure it out.
[This line is in reference to what I learned from Pace and that I didn't need any more technical information on the problem. Some of you sound like you would like to tell me more but felt somehow stopped by honoring my request for no more information.]

I do understand the timing issues.

Did you learn anything?

There is nothing more for me to learn about it now...

Right - clearly digital signal processing is not your strong point - or even a basic concept of how it works.

There is a reason Scientific Atlanta, Motorola, Pace, DirecTV, Dish, ExpressVu, StarChoice and all the other program providers do not (and cannot) give you what you asked for - but then again, you understand that and have nothing else to learn - thus no need to explain it. :rolleyes:

Apparently the OP also understands the most of the time the program providers do not start and/or do not end their programs on the scheduled time. They like to start them early to catch people who are surfing for a program and then to end them late so you stay on their channel since the porgrams on other channels have already started. This practice of couse causes havoc with programs that are scheduled to start and end a recording according to the published program time slot.

Apparently the OP also understands the most of the time the program providers do not start and/or do not end their programs on the scheduled time. They like to start them early to catch people who are surfing for a program and then to end them late so you stay on their channel since the porgrams on other channels have already started. This practice of couse causes havoc with programs that are scheduled to start and end a recording according to the published program time slot.

The big 4 Networks go live at 8:00pm - you can bet that. If the DVR time is off, that is a sure bet to get clipped.

The process of starting programming a minute or two early (ER was famous for that when it could......) has all but gone away. These days it normally the lead in programming running a minute or two late to bring viewers over - and only in programming that really can move the masses.

That said, I have confirmed that the MSO has the ability to set time locally to a synced source. The OPs system just shifted blame (big surprise). Most every systems is using a GPS/Stratum 1 source.

As the OP knows everything (his words) and has nothing to learn (his words), I do not intend to persue anything further in this thread for his benefit (but I am working to find out why FiOS is off - of course, the OP doesn't know what FiOS is - but then again, he has nothing to learn either....)

Maybe the OP needs to understand that the "clock" is set at the MSO's head end, but then he already knows that.....

Apparently the OP also understands the most of the time the program providers do not start and/or do not end their programs on the scheduled time. They like to start them early to catch people who are surfing for a program and then to end them late so you stay on their channel since the porgrams on other channels have already started. This practice of course causes havoc with programs that are scheduled to start and end a recording according to the published program time slot.
This was not the clock time signal problem I described. I am aware of what you are interjecting though. Since I do multiple recordings and back to back sometimes I don't bother starting a record timer a minute early.

I dont believe you understand the timing issues associated with digital signals and equipment (and I am not talking about the clock on the front of the STB), but lots of luck with that. That will certainly show them who they are messing with! :rolleyes:
The engineer/tech I talked to at Pace handled my input a little better then you guys.:eek: I doubt they will take any interest in the overrides or customer friendly options I suggested. In fact he indicated that the next boxes may not have any buttons on them. He wasn't too responsive to a reset button on the front. A long time ago I learned to never ever hide the electrical plugs or tie something in so neat that I couldn't gain easy access to back connections--reset happens all to often.

Jesus, I missed another acronym it looks like? "STB"? Assuming you are referring to the clock on the front of the Pace HD DVR box this is/was the center of my interest.

I have confirmed that the MSO has the ability to set time locally to a synced source. The OPs system just shifted blame (big surprise). Most every systems is using a GPS/Stratum 1 source.

As the OP knows everything (his words) and has nothing to learn (his words), I do not intend to persue anything further in this thread for his benefit (but I am working to find out why FiOS is off - of course, the OP doesn't know what FiOS is - but then again, he has nothing to learn either....)I hope you are real happy making me feel real unhappy I ever posted here on AVS all because I was feeling so frustrated with my cable provider, the technology I knew existed somewhere controlling the DVR box clock, and maybe that one line being poorly written and misunderstood. We'll try to deal better with it all, including the acronyms, next time. I hope you solve your "FiOS" problem.

Uh...Thanks for nothing. ROTFLMAO:D