[cwoody222]

Well, I never got a response from anyone here or from [email protected] about some questions I had a few weeks ago (return of Talk Shows, putting them in alpha order) but I figured they just couldn't comment.


Then I noticed that the NBC Zone is grossly outdated and that the there was one Zone missing...still haven't heard which one http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/frown.gif


Then I noticed the Sitcom Zone not picking up ANY shows (not that they've altered the "Replay Suggests in six months").


Now I noticed ANOTHER Zone is gone and now I have TWO TBS Zones - both completely identical except for one is "TBS Superstation" and one is just "TBS".


I really like the "monthly" Zones but what about a "Summer Picks" or something? Where does big summer hyped stuff like Survivor fit? What about new, original programs (Comedy Central has a ton)?


What about the Fox Zone (and some Replay Guide branding) the 5/1 SEC document speaks of.


I hope some stuff's in motion and/or will at least be corrected.


To their defense, it must be horrible to only have one window of opportunity a night to "fix" and/or "update" the entire network http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/frown.gif

 

[TWPaulus]

Cwoody222


I believe that replay did anwser some of your question maybe while you where on vacation. I can't remember it exactly but about why some show that are cancelled are still in the xones. I believe that answer was the thought they might be reruns of the show this summer. There where other answer but i don't remember them. But of course you ask so many and like you said they might not be able to anwser all of them. But they try. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif


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

Tom Paulus

a TV nut that's hard to crack.

 

[Marcus]

Yeah, I notice that the Sitcoms Zone shows nothing as well.


I also think that there is a need for another subgrouping for the Sitcom Zone that is not gender specific. Or at least a general Sitcom subgrouping.


Oh, and howdy TW!


Marc


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


Come on in, the Radiation's fine!

 

[cwoody222]

Even though I still can't find my original post I did get a very good email reply from ReplayTV today.

(I've asked permission to reprint it here)


But I'd still like to read Mike's response since I feel bad I missed it...and there were some other questions since.

 

[cwoody222]

Here is my email response from Jon Resnik (any releation to the Goo Goo Doll? http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif that he said I could post. I was pleasantly surprised at the frankness of the response!

(his answers preceeded by the arrows)



1) What order are the Zones in top-to-bottom? It

seems like there's no rhyme or reason. Can't they be

alphabetical?


==> They are currently in the order specified in our agreements with our

various content providers. This order is constantly changing as we strike

new deals with sponsors.


2) Any update on when, if ever, Replay Picks and/or

Talk Show Zone will ever return?


==> We are in the process of building an advanced programming database which

will include scheduling information reaching six to eight weeks out in the

future. Once this database is complete, we'll roll out Replay Picks and Talk

Show Guests. Expect to see these Zones by the end of the summer.


3) "Season Finalies" in More, More, More doesn't work.

I thought maybe all my null searches was due to TMS

not having that data but lately I've seen lots of

shows w/ the words "Season Finale" in the description

- but the More Zone found NONE of them. Maybe you can

change the Zone from searching for a specific "Season

Finale" field in the TMS data stream to just looking

for the text "season finale" in the description text?

Actually, I was suspised May Buffet didn't offer this

choice - which I assume would have meant you could

have manually programmed the searches w/ your Zone

Editors?


==> Excellent suggestion. I will have my editors make this adjustment

immediately.

 

[cwoody222]

Okay, maybe I'm crazy but I can't even location the original post w/ my questions!


I know they were about Replay Picks/Talk Shows coming back, putting them in Alpha order and I think my third and final question was regarding things like Season Finales not working EVER.


I was also wondering what Zone we lost a few weeks ago and now which one we lost for the duplicate TBS zone. (if you answered this already, sorry!)


Mike: I'd love to read your response but I can't find it! http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/frown.gif Maybe I'm the one asleep! http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif


You responded about NBC so thanks! And I see Sitcoms are fixed now. Cool!


Can anyone find my original post?

 

[cwoody222]

Copy going to [email protected] too.


Comedy Zones are wacky again.


Shows for Women displays two shows - Friends and Will & Grace. As I do a search on Sat. the only matches are Thursday's primetime W&G and Friends and my local syndicated Friends on Thursday and Friday. It completely misses Mon-Wed syndicated Friends and a six-episode W&G marathon that's on NBC on Tuesday.


I kinda hoped that when this Zone started working again that they'd add some shows. Ally McBeal should be in Women; Titus in Men...and a LOT more. "Let Us Suggest" still only shows (me, with only 70 or so channels) three titles (South Park, Seinfeld, Futurama).


(A thank you to TiVoTakes for telling me about the W&G marathon! http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif


Oh, one more semi-related thing - how come after 3 1/2 hours the Theme properties won't let you pick 1/2 hour intervals?

 

[cwoody222]

Now the Primetime for Women in Sitcoms is picking up the Sunday and Monday syndicated Friends, in addition to everything up above - but still missing Monday and Tuesday's eps and all of the Tues W&G marathon.


Curiouser and curiouser...

 

[cwoody222]

Talk Show Zone and Replay Picks Zone were said to be delivered by "end of the summer".


Still not there.


Any hints, Replay employees???

 

[cwoody222]

Just bringing this back to the top...can I take it this is a No Comment about my post above???


It's November...summer is past...

 

[JustDoug]

My guess is they still haven't figured out how to do those zones without a ton of manpower/leadtime. 3.0 did not change the thing that makes those zones a pain in the ass to make.





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

-JustDoug

 

[The Robman]

Has anyone ever tried any of those "Cool Flicks" zones? I have one set up for cool 50's movies, but it's never actually recorded anything, even though there have been several films on the AMC channel that qualified.


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

Later,

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

 

[cwoody222]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman: Has anyone ever tried any of those "Cool Flicks" zones? I have one set up for cool 50's movies, but it's never actually recorded anything, even though there have been several films on the AMC channel that qualified.

What's a "Cool Flicks" Zones? I don't have that!


Please describe...what is the exact title of it?...do they give different areas of the country different Zones?

 

[cwoody222]

Quote:

Originally posted by JustDoug: My guess is they still haven't figured out how to do those zones without a ton of manpower/leadtime. 3.0 did not change the thing that makes those zones a pain in the ass to make.

TiVo manages to do it (frequent updates, editorial content). Why can't Replay?


Plus, then it shouldn't have been "promised" to us by now.


I was *hoping* that Coca-Cola would be the way that Replay paid for an editorial zone (Re: Picks) but that was due "mid Oct) and haven't seen it yet...


Still hoping...

 

[ReplayBen]

Hey there cwoody...


Inventing the future isn't exactly an easy job... results tend to be hard to predict accurately, and there is often quite a bit of trial and error and fine tuning... which can take time.


I think you might feel a little better if you adjusted your expectations... We're not doing the same things that our friends up the road are doing, so comparing us to them is a bit like comparing apples and pineapples. Enjoy (or ignore) what is there now... Who knows when it might just radically change into something totally new.


Your pal,


Ben. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif


(and yes, it is theoretically possible to target zone content)

 

[cwoody222]

Okay, fine, maybe my expectations are too high.


I expect if I select "Season Premieres" I'll see new, upcoming shows, not Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno (a bug early in that Zone that ReplayMike admitted to).


I expect if I follow the instructions given to me that I'll record ReplayTV Presents. I followed them and got nothing.


I expect the Zones to be updated semi-frequently. Right now my Replay still shows me World Series, October, Season Premiers (although I can't go into that Zone since it says it's "unavailable"), and the Emmys. And the NBC Zones kept cancelled shows on for a while in the summer (although I'm glad to see Tucker gone so quickly).


I would hope (not expect) that they were able to fix problems that didn't allow them editorial-Zones (re: Replay Picks). These problems range from getting us timely updates and also the problems such as certain shows would only appear in "Find All" about two-days before their airing (search for posts back in the Spring about Indiana Jones for full explaination). I would also hope if an exec promises end of summer that that would at least *partly* be met.


I would hope (not expect) that if a major advertiser (Coca-Cola) is saying to be starting to sponsor an editorial Zone in mid-Oct, that it would happen.


Yea, I guess I'm just expecting to much from them. I mean, Zones have only been around since Feb...

 

[The Robman]

Quote:

Originally posted by cwoody222: What's a "Cool Flicks" Zones? I don't have that! Please describe...what is the exact title of it?...do they give different areas of the country different Zones?

I had to wait until I came home to bring up Zones so I could tell you exactly what I was talking about. There's a zone called FLIX, when you select it it gives you certain categories of "cool" movies. You used to have the ability to set up a flix zone based on the decade (I know this for a fact as i still have a FLIX:1950's zone set up, but you can't select this kinda zone anymore, I guess they figured out that it doesn't work.




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

Later,

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