Rant re. Series Recording on PVRs

I sympathize. However, here in Canada we get a lot of USA stations and recording things to a PVR is a similar experience to you. But we also get adverts in the lower third of the screen whilst the program is on, mostly that say "you are currently watching" and "coming up next..." also a few adverts for products which is unbelievable annoying. The adverts run 3 - 4 times during a 30 minute program and on a film for the last hour roughly every 7 minutes. OK with a PVR you can scroll through, but with so many distractions it really destroys what one os watching.

Recently I cut down the number of channels to only the basic few and rely on netflix for my viewing pleasure and if I'm desperate will buy a DVD i.e. season 4 of game of thrones.

One last thing, the news channels over here are so bad, one really does not know what's going on in ones own city! For Canada wide I still tune in to the BBC website so I know there is an outside world still.

Ah that's better :-)

Tim

I use a Humax box to record from Freesat to the point where I never watch tv "live" and I have to say that I never have this problem. I mostly record BBC4 and BBC2 but ITV and channels 4 and 5 are OK as well.

What PVR/service do you use?

I will admit to having 3 TV recording devices in my study (alas, most of the programs I like to watch seem to be on at 9.00pm, and clashes are frequent.   Hence not unusual to find that 3 things I want to watch are on simultaneously.  I never watch them live due to (1) hating adverts (2) ageing bladder/prostate (probably more info than you need!)

My devices are all FreeView (or FreeviewHD) :

1. Humax 2000 YouView PVR (twin tuners)

2. Sony 860 DVD/HDR

3. Sony 710 DVD/HDR  (this does not have the Serial recording feature, but you can set it to record at the same time daily/every weekday/weekends only)

SWMBO also has 3 recording devices in the living room : 

1. Sony (DVD/HDR) - can't recall model number, but it's 9** IIRC

2. Panasonic Freeview+ PVR (twin tuner)

3. Humax DT-1010 YouView PVR (twin tuner)

Yes, I have known her to be recording 5 things at the same time.

Every one of the recorders (except the Sony 710) exhibits the behaviour I describe.  It's not new - it's always been like that.  If you look on AVForums, you will find that this is a well-known problem behaviour.    As I said, almost all of the programs affected are broadcast by Channel 5 (or one of its sub-channels such as 5 USA)

Pev : perhaps you are not recording the problem programs (i.e. those which are frequently repeated, especially if you include previous episodes).   For instance, I like NCIS and its spinoffs, and I note that there are 2 episodes at present recorded on the Humax - one is this week's episode on Channel 5, and the other is the repeat of last week's (on 5USA, I think - can't be bothered to go and check ATM).  Needless to say, the program series timer is actually just set for the Friday Channel 5 episode.

I also use the Humax Freesat PVR like Pev and never have this issue.  I have the older Foxsat box which is superb, especially with the non standard firmware which allows me to stream recordings to other devices.

In fact I have the opposite problem which is the broadcasters fault whereby the wrong series get linked, Midsommer Murders is a classic example, I often find the daytime TV repeats are recorded alongside the main eposides.

Richard

trickydickie : I think you have misread my post.  What you describe is what happens to me (and SWMBO and others).   It's not just the repeat of the current episode that is erroneously recorded, but almost any episode of the same program.  e.g. serial timer set for current season (e.g. season 5), and season 1 repeats get recorded.   Funnily enough, the immediate repeats on the "+1" type channels (e.g. Channel 5+1) never get recorded.

As you are using Freesat, I wonder whether the problem is just Freeview.   I do know that my eldest daughter (using Sky) has never had a similar problem.  Neither did my youngest daughter when they were using Virgin Cable, although she is noticing this problem now that they are using Freeview following their house move.

I see what you mean.

This is a bit like the Misommer Murders situation I was describing.

As I understand it each program has an ID, I believe this is called a Crid and the broadcasters don't always get this right and set the repeats ti the same Crid.

Freeset does seem to be pretty good so maybe it varies between platforms.

I. usually record Midsomer Murders on the Sony 710, which. doesn't support series recording, so can't comment on that program.  However, it is one of those which doesn't appear to have the finish time info, so on several occasions I have found the recording lasts 6 hours, which seems to be the recorder's maximum time limit for a sigle program.

My biggest moan is when they cut off the end of a programme as it just fractionally overruns.