Can someone explain to me how PTA works?!?! Please...I have looked everywhere.

gislands

SatelliteGuys Guru
Original poster
Apr 29, 2013
125
18
California
Okay, so I just got the Hopper for my living room and one joey for my garage. I live by myself so that is perfect. So I have a total of 3 tuners. And...I added an OTA module as well mainly because I like the digital sub channels and have an antenna in my attic anyways. So can someone please explain to me how Prime Time Anytime works? So I get the one tuner for each sat show. But even before I had the OTA tuner I think one of those tuners could have done PTA on it's own right? How is that even possible for one tuner to record 4 networks simultaneously? I still don't understand how that is possible. Also I want to know how it knows how to delete the commercials out. Does it search for black frames followed by more than 30 sec or a min of video, meaning a show and not another commercial? So confused yet so amazed at the same time!
GIslands
 
Basically, the hopper has the ability to record all of the stations on a single transponder with a single tuner. Since the locals are on the same transponder, presto, you have tuner magic.
 
It's all been explained in other threads but the four network channels are transmitted on the same satellite transponder so the Hopper is able to record them all because it is receiving them all on the single tuner.
The autohop works because DISH has employee's that are actually watching the network shows and timing when the commercial breaks begin and end. The times are then put in a file that is downloaded to your Hopper in the early morning hours.
 
You can activate PTAT for as many nights and as many of the 4 Networks that you want to, even if you only want to do 1 night on 1 network you can do it. AutoHop is not available until the next day. Soon ABC programming is slated to have AutoHop be available on the THIRD day due to the recent contract settlement Dish signed with Disney. When you set PTAT to record, it will place the recordings in the PTAT folder in your recordings. These recordings stay there for 8 days and then auto delete. You may set anything in your PTAT folder to "save" (saves 1 episode) or "save series" (saves all episodes) which will move those programs into your "My Recordings" folder and they will not auto delete. Most programs in PTAT will get the AutoHop kangaroo icon on them letting you know they have AutoHop (next day). When you play that recording a popup will come up on screen asking you if you want to use AutoHop. You have to move the cursor to "yes" and hit select to use it. Using AutoHop, once the recording starts it will advance automagically to the beginning of the program and will fast forward at the start of commercials and come back just before the show starts back up. It is marvelous to behold. That is a brief overview, but there is a lot of info about it in this forum if you do a search.
 
Got it. The one tuner is looking at one transponder.
This is also why it's currently restricted to our local channels too. In theory, it could record ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and so on or Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet and so on the same way if/when Dish puts those channels on the same transponder.
 
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