DVR TIMERS OUT OF SYNC WITH PROGRAMMING

[GARY811000]

I am having a problem watching prerecorded programs ending early on our 722k. The programs are stopping anywhere from a few seconds up to two minutes before the programs are over, thus I miss the endings of the shows. This seems to be mostly with HD programming, it appears the dvr timers and the program clocks are out of sync. The only response I get from dish tech support is add time to the end of the timer. This will work but it ties up the timer so it runs over, preventing you from starting another show. You will get a time conflict message. I record nearly everything we watch for later viewing, so much of the time both of the timers #1 and #2 are in use, preventing any extension of time. This has been an issue for a long time and I am wondering if anyone has any information on it. Have had the same problem on 722 and 622 models as well.

 

[jwill]

Most likely your timer is working ok but network programmers intentionally run programs slightly off schedule. Some programs start as much as 5 minutes late. Set your watch (or clock) to the exact time and watch when your programs start and stop. Programmers think this is a good idea but it drives end users nuts.

Jim

 

[KAB]

Most likely your timer is working ok but network programmers intentionally run programs slightly off schedule.

Jim

That's pretty much the long and the short of it, and nothing to be done about it.

 

[BigAl1961]

That's pretty much the long and the short of it, and nothing to be done about it.

But why is that? It's not a secret the networks no longer start and end their shows on the hour anymore. If you look at TV Guide and check the schedule for say next Wednesday for ABC , it shows Wipeout starting at 8:00 and is 62 minutes long, the next show starting at 9:02pm, The show after that at 10:01. This information is available so why can't the Dishguide have the correct times so the recording start and end correctly?

 

[KAB]

But why is that? It's not a secret the networks no longer start and end their shows on the hour anymore. If you look at TV Guide and check the schedule for say next Wednesday for ABC , it shows Wipeout starting at 8:00 and is 62 minutes long, the next show starting at 9:02pm, The show after that at 10:01. This information is available so why can't the Dishguide have the correct times so the recording start and end correctly?

The Dish guide usually does know the correct time. OP's problem is, consecutive timers that get fouled up do to one's overun, especially since he is using both timers, two or more hours in a row.

 

[Hall]

But why is that?

It's all about commercials, in my opinion. For the 8pm show, they can squeeze in a couple more commercials. Same with the 9pm show. Sure, for the 10pm show they likely have to have a few less though, but when do you think more people watch TV, 8pm or 10pm ?

Also, they know more and more people are using DVRs and skipping commercials, which they don't want us to do so they're making it a pain.

 

[whatchel1]

Keep you on their net

Really it is about keeping you tuned to their network. They know that large numbers of people no longer watch in real time. So they want you to have to set it so that you can't jump to a competing net. Also some nets have started the call in for or do something on line that will only work if you are watching"live". I really don't even know what "live" TV is anymore. Just don't do it; that's what having an HD DVR has done to me. I would say I only watch "live" about 1% anymore. Major reason I went with the 722k so I will be about to record 4 nets at once.

 

[KKlare]

The Dish guide is only in 5-minute increments and Tribune follows their wishes, I guess.
Starting early and finishing late for popular ($$) shows are both annoying especially for those to be archived or viewed out of sequence. Recording successive show often loses the most important 15 seconds. Kind of wish Dish would let you set negative offsets on start and end.
-Ken

 

[Hall]

Actually, contrary to the times shown in the guide, at least in the past, Dish's DVRs would record shows properly even when they started early or later than the top of the hour. ER used to start at 9:55 but the guide said 10-11pm. The DVR would still know about the 9:55 start and start at 9:54 (with the default 1-minute early start). Or, Grey's Anatomy would end 5-10 after the hour and the DVRs would know this and catch it.

 

[MLBurks]

I've had my 722k for nearly a month. I have noticed this issue as well on nearly everything I record. Coming from DirecTV, my HR21 NEVER had this issue. Shows would start and end right on the money. And my timers started and stopped at the same times the 722k does for the same shows. So it seems to me (though I could be wrong) that it's a 722k issue.

 

[KAB]

I have had my 722K for a month as well. I pad the time 1 minute to start and 3 minutes at end. ALL shows have recorded completely.

 

[Hall]

I didn't give it much thought until last night, but now that I'm paying attention ... ... we are seeing a lot of shows ending a minute or two too soon. The default padding of 1-min early and 3-min late is still set up but it's not being used. Half-hour recordings should be 34 min long and they're only 30 now. I realize too that if two recordings are set back-to-back on different channels that that padding is ignored but we don't have that many timers that there should be this conflict.