[925]

On my 2020, I always thought flipping through channels was a bit slow, but I could live with it. When we got the 4320, both my wife and I noticed that it took the 4320 about twice as long to change the channel as the 2020. For the sake of this discussion, both systems are communicating with the same Sony Sat B50 DirectTV box over the serial control line.


Over the months, we have often grumbled about it, but just assumed that it took the 4320 longer to change channels. Then I visited my friends place, and saw his 4320 in operation. He has his 4320 hooked to a ATT GI cable box over the IR port. The GI box has a channel display, and when the 4320 changes channels, I noticed the channel digits come in VERY slowly, just as if a human were punching them in over a remote control. It now occurs to me that Replay probably slowed down the digit transmission, probably because they weren't changing channels reliably enough in some extreme configuration. So all of us have to live with slow channel flipping due to some slow box out there.


Does anyone know how to speed up flipping between channels? I KNOW my D* box can handle it significantly faster since my 2020 works reliably all the time. Surely there must be a way to change the transmission speed parameter in the 4xxx. How do I speed up switching between channels on my 4xxx?

 

[925]

bump


Does ANYONE know how to speed up channel flipping on the Replay 4xxx?


jtl? jotter? anyone?

 

[jtl]

There's some timing fine-tuning you can do -- hit ZONE on the IR setup screen -- which includes both between-command times, I think between-button times, and the after-command time before it expects a good signal again. Which ones are changable depends on the code set. That's the only way I know of.


As for me, I'm happy to have finally found a setting that seems to be able to reliably change channels on my GI/Mot DCT2000s (ptui!) and I'm not gonna gripe about the speed.

 

[925]

I never knew that stuff was available in the IR screen. That type of information is EXACTLY what I want to tweak, EXCEPT that I am using the serial port and not the IR port. There isn't a zones option there.


So, it looks like they increased those delays for the serial port somewhere between the 2020 release and the 4320 release. Who knows (or cares) when. Now I want to tweak them back down, but can't find anywhere to tweak the serial port.


Does anyone has any more ideas?

 

[jtl]

Oh, oops, yeah. serial port. I knew there was a reason I hadn't answered the first time I saw the question.


No clue at all there.

 

[KenL]

And remember there will always be some difference anyway with the increased 4K buffer offset? Using the blaster and Dish, the 4K feels like it changes faster but I use longer delays on the old ones. Never timed it though and for "guide surfing" or recording it doesn't much matter.

 

[davahad]

I noticed the exact problem you descibed with the slow channel changing on the 4000 vs. 2000. The problem was reported to Replay but they never replied nor could come up with a reason for the longer delay.


For the above reason and the poor picture quality on DTV I returned the 4000 and went back to using my old box until the next generation comes out.

 

[t_tringle]

Why would you need to change channels quickly with a Replay, if your watching live TV your obviously using it wrong . I never watch live TV any more, I simply program in what I want to watch and I never start watching it until at least 15 minutes into the show, that way I never even watch the commercials. Take that Hollings!!!.


Later


TimT

 

[925]

Thanks, TimT!


While I certainly understand sentiments you express, my wife still has a hasn't completely overcome her nasty little habit of channel surfing. Late at night, she surfs to relax. Not to watch TV. Not to take in content. She actually surfs for pleasure.


Now I know this is wrong. Perhaps even immoral. But she does it never the less, and I am simply trying to accomodate her habit.


It sure would be nice to find a way so she could engage in this nasty habit more rapidly!

 

[hroeder]

Tim,

Sooner or later you catch up. Plus, things like sporting events have this habit of being live.


It is hard to adjust when I visit someone and say "I'm going to the bathroom". At home that means Pause it.

 

[jvidalny]

Don't know if you know this of if it helps, but you can browse the channel guide while watching live TV by pressing the up/down/left/right keys (similar to Dish, don't know if DirecTV has it).


It may not be channel surfing, but I guess you can call it channel guide surfing.

 

[925]

Now THAT is something I do. But it doesn't help her. She needs to actually surf channels, not surf channel guides. But thanks!

 

[dmccann]

Quote:

Originally posted by 925 ...my wife still has a hasn't completely overcome her nasty little habit of channel surfing. Late at night, she surfs to relax. Not to watch TV. Not to take in content. She actually surfs for pleasure.

Dude, your problem isn't surfing speed. I hate to tell you this, but I think your wife is a man!

 

[925]

Oh. Thanks! I'll check into it, and try to verify that conclusion.

 

[KenL]

Well if you don't know that one yet?


I'd have to concur it's not a surfing problem.

 

[KenL]

But perhaps that is why she stays up late channel surfing, and won't come to bed??

 

[925]

I've discovered the problem, and have a solution!


Dmccann is right! My wife is a man! But I've found out that I am a woman, and that is why my name is so obviously without gender reference. So, in the end, it will all work out!


Now, can someone tell me where to write what on my disk drive to reduce the interdigit delay times on the serial port so that my husband can finally be happy?

 

[KenL]

Damn... well then jtl might be the best hope.


Not for a gender change but in finding that setting!

 

[jtl]

Looking at the seral port code (it's the DSSControl class in ITuningManager, on the offchance someone else is looking for it), there's nothing obviously being done to slow things down.


There are, however, two completely separatel parallel implementations -- one's "blind", one's "full"; the "full" version reads responses to all the commands, and reports errors back up if something goes wrong. I haven't figured out where the flag that chooses between the two comes from. I'd expect the blind version to be faster but slightly more error-prone -- it may be that the older version only had that one, or that the choice fo which one to use is different now.

 

[Lee Thompson]

I'd rather slow and accurate over fast and sloppy.