an answer to" how can i stop my kids from creating dvr timers that fill my hdd?"

[okiekevn]

i have been getting this call 20 times a day, from a frustrated parent that has some kid that keeps creating timers to recrod every spongebob or what not that comes on. and they want to know how to put a pin on to block the ability to record. other then blocking the channel all together, how bout you tell your damn kid(s) not to do it. then if they do, take of your belt and whoop their ass. i know that once back in the day, i used a vhs tape of a football game my dad recorded while he was working the night shift to record cartoons. well, he had told me previously not to mess with the vcr, and when he went to watch his game, and saw tom and jerry, well, i got an ass whoopin. a well deserved one i might add. that was the last time i used the vcr to record without his permission.

 

[treiher]

I couldn't agree more with the idea that parents need to take more control over their kids when it comes to TV and I think you're right in that the concept of simply telling a kid not to do something or face the consequences without some kind of fancy technology to block the behavior seems to be missing among a lot of parents these days.

However . . . the Dish receivers are so user friendly that the potential to record by accident is real. As I have observed with my kids, when they reach that age where they can just barely read or recognize a few key words like "Sponge Bob", they know how to look for it in the guide, but have no idea whether its in the future or not or they can't read the confirming screen that comes up to set up the timer, so they just keep selecting until it goes away. We've been able to do a fair job of controlling that, but it still happens. One big difference between DVR recordings today and VCR recordings of old is recording on the VCR was a lot more involved, deliberate, and complicated. Setting up a VCR to record an event by accident was unimaginable. I remember failing to set them up correctly from time to time, and I've usually been pretty good with tech gadget stuff.

So before you get too frustrated with all the parents, remember how much easier technology has made certain tasks, so easy in fact, a kid could do it . . . by accident!

 

[air.jason]

My kid decided one day to record 'paid programming' I was wondering why both tuners were going constantly on my DVR. It was not until we lost all our Stargate SGI episodes that we realized we now had a dvr full of garbage that took a while to delete using the user-friendly dish interface.

 

[120inna55]

...how bout you tell your damn kid(s) not to do it. then if they do, take of your belt and whoop their ass...

AMEN!

And as to the "accidental" recording...I say, the kid's allowed one accident in this case. After the second time, the remote is off-limits.

As far as that goes, if the kid can't yet read or adequately navigate the menus, then I would say the kid is not yet ready to wield the remote.

I don't think I'm being harsh either. My parents didn't tolerate tantrums in grocery stores, talking in Church, or handling delicate breakable's in ours or someone else's home. I wasn't a model kid, mind you, but my parents were actually parents. I never felt oppressed or abused, but I knew my boundaries and they were enforced. If I ever wandered from those boundaries, I received a spanking. Period. It was simple cause and effect. It's hard work for the parents to be vigilant in the rearing of their children and teaching them respect for other's property. My parents had three children and they never had to be concerned with any of us touching delicate items in a store or at someone's home. And we certainly didn't mess with the TV and such before we were old enough to adequately operate it.

 

[8bitbytes]

When the parent is calling to ask how to control their children, the answer is very obvious and impossible to relay to the caller at the same time. The children are in charge of that home. What a disaster. No authority, no discipline, no responsibility. Amazingly, at the height of our technology, we are also bottoming out as a viable society.

 

[shaggyjb]

I have had multiple visitors to my house that accidentally create timers that fill up my HDD. They aren't kids either. The problem is that the Dish DVRs default to "all episodes". Thus, if you are in the future and don't know it, you hit select (the DVR menu pops up), you hit select again and the screen goes away (the create timer is also default here). They just created a timer to record all episodes of whatever. If the DVR defaulted to either "cancel" on that screen or at least "record one episode" then all episodes would not accidentally be recorded.

You don't have to beat your kids for what I consider a poor default selection in the DVR GUI. They just have to hit "select" twice to do this and be in the future in the guide. Maybe Dish should change this to prevent accidental recordings. It is REALLY common among those not familiar with Dish systems. This is my biggest annoyance with Dish.

 

[8bitbytes]

You don't have to beat your kids for what I consider a poor default selection in the DVR GUI. They just have to hit "select" twice to do this and be in the future in the guide. Maybe Dish should change this to prevent accidental recordings. It is REALLY common among those not familiar with Dish systems. This is my biggest annoyance with Dish.

Uh, yeah - you don't have to beat your kids, you have to raise your kids to respect authority and to ASK permission until the are TRAINED and trusted.

Too many uninterested, not-around parents who think government schools are responsible to teach their kids to think independently and to respect each other and to live as moral citizens. These parents have no authority or order in their own homes.

My kids know that they can be trusted to do things as soon as I train them, test them, and wtch them do it right. Until then, they don't touch it because they respect their parents decisions and the rules of the house. They are happy and much more capable children than their unruly, undisciplined, ignorant peers.

As for neighbors and friends recording stuff on my DVR - I have the same rules for them. You don't touch the stuff until you are trained and tested. They actually appreciate that since they know how to use the stuff and are not worried about screwing something up.


Funny how some people think discipline means hitting. Jesus had Disciples - I don't recall them being hit by Jesus. Spanking, in the proper context and use, has a small place in the proper raising and training of children.

 

[8bitbytes]

It is REALLY common among those not familiar with Dish systems.

Shouldn't be a problem for anyone who can read.

 

[Hall]

The problem is that the Dish DVRs default to "all episodes".

You don't have to beat your kids for what I consider a poor default selection in the DVR GUI.

Yeah, instead of tech support thinking they have any business telling people how to raise their kids, they should pass along the request/suggestion to engineering to change the default or at least let the customer choose which behavior is the default.

 

[shaggyjb]

As for neighbors and friends recording stuff on my DVR - I have the same rules for them. You don't touch the stuff until you are trained and tested.

I hope you are kidding because I can't imagine telling my friends "don't touch the TV until you are trained how to use it, there will be a quiz afterwards."

 

[jessshaun]

i have been getting this call 20 times a day, from a frustrated parent that has some kid that keeps creating timers to recrod every spongebob or what not that comes on. and they want to know how to put a pin on to block the ability to record. other then blocking the channel all together, how bout you tell your damn kid(s) not to do it. then if they do, take of your belt and whoop their ass. i know that once back in the day, i used a vhs tape of a football game my dad recorded while he was working the night shift to record cartoons. well, he had told me previously not to mess with the vcr, and when he went to watch his game, and saw tom and jerry, well, i got an ass whoopin. a well deserved one i might add. that was the last time i used the vcr to record without his permission.

Oh gee... yea... what a good idea, resorting to child abuse over a timer.....

You sir need to take a chill pill. I personally think the idea of a pin is a good idea.

 

[iwc5893]

So before you get too frustrated with all the parents, remember how much easier technology has made certain tasks, so easy in fact, a kid could do it . . . by accident!

And yet, there are adults that can't do it.

I personally think the idea of a pin is a good idea.

Until you have to enter the PIN every time you want to record something.

 

[Hall]

Dish's PIN or parental control system sucks. If you lock out channels from the kids with a PIN and you want to watch TV, you may as well completely unlock the receiver for the time being. The receiver doesn't remember the PIN you entered and requires it for EVERY channel that's normally locked. It should be intelligent enough to understand a "session". When I unlock it, leave everything unlocked until I turn the receiver off. Then re-lock everything.

 

[Claude Greiner]

If that was me, I would simply "Remove" the channel from the guide using the hide locked channels feature and that would be the last time the kids watched sponge Bob.

The other option might be to give the kids a remote that comes with a 301 and then there are no DVR features unless they are accessed through the main menu.

 

[webbydude]

The other option might be to give the kids a remote that comes with a 301 and then there are no DVR features unless they are accessed through the main menu.

No dice, unfortunately. You can still schedule a recording simply by jumping into the Guide...browse ahead...and then hit SELECT.

 

[royd]

No dice, unfortunately. You can still schedule a recording simply by jumping into the Guide...browse ahead...and then hit SELECT.

With the default of record all Episodes
I think if the default was new Episodes only
It would help a lot

 

[8bitbytes]

Yeah, instead of tech support thinking they have any business telling people how to raise their kids, they should pass along the request/suggestion to engineering to change the default or at least let the customer choose which behavior is the default.

Tech support is now responsible to assist adults who refuse to raise their kids. Interesting. And stupid. DVR - Dishes problem. Irresponsible parents and unraised children - your problem.

Even if Dish made it possible to set your preference, the children will find a new way for you to blame Dish for their lack of training and discipline.

 

[8bitbytes]

I hope you are kidding because I can't imagine telling my friends "don't touch the TV until you are trained how to use it, there will be a quiz afterwards."

I can't imagine having "friends" that think they can come in and screw around with stuff that isn't theirs.

I have a friend who loaned his van to someone to move some stuff. The guy who borrowed the van did not know what an emergency brake was and drove around ALL DAY with it set. He gave my friend his van back and said, "It's smelling really bad. Something must be dead under the hood or something".

But of course, as you said, You can't imagine.... Neither did Dish when they thought people were smarter than your average guest on Rikki Lake.

 

[patmurphey]

Just lock your recordings. The kids stuff will then be what disappears when the drive fills.

 

[shaggyjb]

But of course, as you said, You can't imagine.... Neither did Dish when they thought people were smarter than your average guest on Rikki Lake.

Pick a theme, either your friends need to be trained or they can just "read" to figure it out.