[PRMan]

I have noticed a couple minor things different on 3.0.


The first, a subtle one, but a particular favorite of mine is that when something records, Replay does not automatically tune to that channel, but instead shows the blue screen. This is great for my primary usage, which is watching Kings hockey delayed. Now I don't hear the game or see the score in the Fox Box before watching. Great job, guys! Thank you very much, this enabled me to switch Mute to Exit on my universal remote.


The second is a long-requested feature that I can't believe no one has noticed yet, unless it just happened for the first time last night. I don't know, because last night was the first dial-in with 3.0 on my ShowStopper. ABC announced yesterday that they were NOT going to show the USC-UCLA game on Saturday, opting instead for something with good teams. So, FOXW2 picked up the game and will be showing it right after Kings hockey. This was announced yesterday and this morning the Channel Guide has updated listings! It took me a minute to figure out why my hockey recording disappeared. It's because they changed it to 2.5 hours from 3 hours, in order to make it look like the football game was starting on time. Now, hockey generally only takes about 2:35 so it should be fine, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how it disappeared, because I thought a change in Saturday's listings was an impossibility. I thought I forgot to record it. But there it was.


Now here's the bug, a minor one, and I hope it doesn't keep us from getting updated listings. When I look at the football game, it goes until 5. Sort of like this:
Code:

3:30     4:00     4:30       |
37 FOXW2 College Football             |

But if I move to 4:00, it looks like this:
Code:

4:00     4:30     5:00       |
37 FOXW2 Hollywood Park    Goin' Deep |

So, there is a phantom listing of "Hollywood Park" underneath the new "College Football" listing, which only shows up if the beginning of the Channel Guide is at 4. If you move the beginning to 3:30 or earlier, College Football takes up the whole rest of the screen (presumably until 5 or longer).


Anyway, thanks for the two new subtle features. This is great.


------------------

PRMan

 

[karog]

Quote:

Originally posted by PRMan: This was announced yesterday and this morning the Channel Guide has updated listings

I thought the Channel Guide always got updated listings if the change was only a day, maybe 2 days away. I thought the problem for updated listings was for changes several days out that don't get updated until very late. No?

 

[cwoody222]

As a constant, er, complainer about the Channel Guide listing updating this is good news.


But...I've never complained about Replay not changing LAST MINUTE changes...they usually change last minute - even if the change is annouced days earlier.


I wonder if EVERYONE received this update since the World Series proved only SOME RTV's got updated while others (re: mine) showed the old listings.

 

[karog]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ryan: I sometimes try to leave the Replay on it's splash screen when I'm not watching TV, under the (possibly misguided) notion that if it doesn't have to decode the MPEG stream while I'm not there, it'll be using less of it's CPU horsepower. I don't know if this is helpful in any way, but I can't see how it could hurt.

I do the same thing but more to stop the MPEG encoding and writing to the disk. Processors don't wear out from use as much as disks do.

 

[karog]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman: I thought the channel guide stuff was kinda out of Replay's control, in other words, they just give you whatever TMS gives them, so it would up to TMS to make timely changes. Isn't that so?

This would be true if ReplayTV passed on the TMS data as soon as TMS changes it. But I think the claim is that there is a significant lag between when TMS changes it and when ReplayTV passes it on. And I believe some writings of Mark Nudelman (sorry for any misspelling) who I think works for Replay confirmed this.

 

[Ryan]

Quote:

Originally posted by karog: I do the same thing but more to stop the MPEG encoding and writing to the disk. Processors don't wear out from use as much as disks do.

Yeah, that too, I guess I was thinking about the recordings that they do while the TV is off. But when done, they stop encoding again. Good point.


------------------

Ryan

 

[cwoody222]

Quote:

Originally posted by rbienstock: You're both right: If you're watching live TV, the channels change. If you're watching anything else, the recording happens in the background. If you're on the splash screen, you'll stay on the splash screen.

I LOVE that Replay stays on the splash screen.


I think it's SO annoying that TiVo jumps off the TiVo Menu all by itself after a while. *I* LEFT TiVo on that menu because I WANTED! Nothing I hate more than being in the other room and suddenly having TiVo SPRING to life! Thanksfully Replay stays quiet on it's clam, blue screen. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

 

[cwoody222]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman: I thought the channel guide stuff was kinda out of Replay's control, in other words, they just give you whatever TMS gives them, so it would up to TMS to make timely changes. Isn't that so?

Yes...but often Replay is, how shall I say this nicely?...not as timely as one would hope.


This ONE example shows that *at times* Replay updates with the most current information very promptly.


Ohter times, they don't http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/frown.gif

 

[cwoody222]

D'oh! I spoke too soon.


I was watching a Replay Show and Stopped it. I then when to the Replay Guide and deleted it. I kept the Replay on the Guide and left the room.


8pm hit and Replay started recording...the Guide stayed onscreen but the SOUND of the recording show came on in the background.


Very annoying. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/frown.gif

 

[The Robman]

I thought the channel guide stuff was kinda out of Replay's control, in other words, they just give you whatever TMS gives them, so it would up to TMS to make timely changes. Isn't that so?


------------------

Later,

Rob.
http://www.hifi-remote.com/

 

[Jon J]

Quote:

Originally posted by PRMan: when something records, Replay does not automatically tune to that channel, but instead shows the blue screen.

There must be more than one version of the software out there, because my SS does tune to the channel to be recorded.


Can this be right??

 

[rbienstock]

Quote:

There must be more than one version of the software out there, because my SS does tune to the channel to be recorded.

You're both right: If you're watching live TV, the channels change. If you're watching anything else, the recording happens in the background. If you're on the splash screen, you'll stay on the splash screen.

 

[Jon J]



Here's something new, I believe...


I have half hour shows programmed to record at 6 and 6:30 PM. I normally start watching the 6 PM recording about 6:20 and by QSing the commercials I have normally watched both by 7 PM.


Starting with ver 3.0, a banner appears across the bottom of the screen while I'm watching the first recorded program announcing the second recording is about to start.


I don't recall this before 3.0 and it's actually quite distracting. Wonder if there is a way to stop the banner from appearing???

 

[Ryan]

I sometimes try to leave the Replay on it's splash screen when I'm not watching TV, under the (possibly misguided) notion that if it doesn't have to decode the MPEG stream while I'm not there, it'll be using less of it's CPU horsepower. I don't know if this is helpful in any way, but I can't see how it could hurt.


------------------

Ryan

 

[jnairb]

Quote:

This was done on purpose, and was indeed a change from 2.x (returning to a 1.x behavior). The notion is this: let's say you're watching "Friends" as it's recording, and you're caught up to live. They show a promo during one of the commercial breaks or at the closing credits talking about what's coming up next, and you think "great, I want to watch that". Unfortunately, the ReplayTV is scheduled to record something else right after Friends ends, so without the little countdown, you'd get an unexpected channel change. [/b]

I can see the reasoning for the countdown if you've caught up to live, but when I'm watching delayed, I don't think the countdown should be shown based on how ReplayTV currently works when there isn't a following recording:


If I'm watching a show as it's recording and am caught up to live, at the end of the show/recording, ReplayTV continues to show live TV on the same channel. But if I'm watching a show as it's recording, but delayed from live, when I get to the end of the show, ReplayTV gives me the blue screen and option to delete the show -- it does not switch to live TV.


I see the purpose of the countdown as a warning that it will switch away from what's on. But in the case of watching an active recording, delayed, a following recording doesn't cause a switch away from what's on, because ReplayTV wouldn't show what's on that channel anyway.


I guess I just find the countdown irritating except when I'm watching live TV.


Brian

 

[RandyL712]

For the record, I like the countdown. I like knowing what my replay is doing http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif I'd RATHER have a darn list of recordings though. We all would!

 

[Jon J]



Thanks for the explanation, Mike. Complete and to the point, as always.