| Let me add that those who are saying that the 3 minute late end pad causing timer conflicts and will not drop the pad are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! I know because I set my MTV timers at 3 min late specifically to get all the program as MTV is horrendous with early and late starts and finish. If a recording is in progress with a 3 min late pad with an ending of, say, 3:03, and another timer is set to fire at 3:00 on another channel, the end late pad will NOT be dropped and the MTV recording continues, but the 2nd tuner now fires and tunes to the other channel. Now, I have 2 tuners recording 2 channels and can't watch any other live programming until the recording ends at 3 min late or manually stop recording. However, if this same situation occurs with programs back to back on the same channel, then the pad may be dropped IF the start early pad is no greater than 1 minute. At 2 minutes or more start early pad, the 2nd tuner will also tune to the same channel (MTV, for example) and no pads will be dropped. In fact a pad of 2 minutes early and 3 minutes late is the ONLY way to ensure that back to back programs on MTV are recorded in their entirety. Of course, the only problem with such timers is that you will get timer conflicts warnings--I get them all the time because of my pad timers for MTV--because both tuners will be in use for those padded 5 minutes (2 early + 3 late). It has caused some heartache for me as I have either had to not record my additional show or risk not recording the MTV show in its entirety. I either have to change my pads or live with not recording my other show not on MTV.
In other words the 3 min late pad is ABSOLUTE. and will not be dropped. 1 or 2 min end pads are soft. 2 Min early + 3 Min late pads for one timer are ABSOLUTE, hard pads and will never be dropped and may cause timer conflict warnings.
My aunt was having the same problem as the OP, and I had her change the late pad time, and now she doesn't get the timer conflicts--or really the fact that 2 tuners are in use for a few minutes meaning she can't set a timer for the other program that is scheduled to begin during that 5 minute twilight zone pad time when both tuners are in use and one won't be free until 3:03, say.
KKlare is correct about the exception being if the 2 shows are back to back on the same channel. One will be cut short of the pad to record the following show using the same tuner, UNLESS the start early pad for that next show is at least 2 minutes. Then both tuners will be tuned to the same channel at the same time for those 5 minutes.
I hope that helps.
Last edited by DishSubLA; 12-15-2009 at 11:28 PM.
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