External Drive Feature Wish List

[voripteth]

This thread is to collect a list of features to enhance how external drives are used.

Here are my requests:

* Consistent functionality between main and external recordings. Anything you can do with a recording on the main screen should work the same way on the external drive. This includes:
- Alphabetic sorting of recordings
- Option to "Group" recordings into folders
- Option to protect recordings
- Option to rename recordings

* Make the DVR perform automatic retry on external disk operations to give units time to wake up.

* Fix bug where external drives that have woken up cannot be written to. (This may be a Seagate only problem.)

* If an operation fails do not remove the selections. It is so frustrating with the above bug to select several recordings to transfer only to have the operation fail and all my selections get removed.

* Make the "Copy to external drive" function operate as a queue.
- Add to the queue while items as being copied
- Pause the queue to allow viewing of a recording on the external drive
- Change the order of items in the queue

 

[odbrv]

In addition to Voropteth'sI would like to Have "delete" be added to the page when you stop viewing a program on the EHD. Now you have to go back to the manage page to delete.

 

[Jolard]

I agree that the sort functionality needs to be added.

The one other thing I would like is the ability to automatically archive recordings. I know we cannot record directly to the external drive, but I would love to be able to setup something like DishPass that would allow me to set up archiving once the recording is over. So if I want to record all Planet Earth's to auto archive, then I would set my timer, it would record, and then after it finishes recording (maybe at set time each night) it would move it to the archive drive.

 

[voripteth]

After watching several movies off the external drive this weekend I certainly agree that the Delete button needs to be put on the same screen with the Play/Resume buttons. It should work just like programs on the main drive.

If the transfer mechanism is implemented as a queue I think it should be fairly easy to mark a recording to automatically move it to the archive after it finishes recording. Good idea!

 

[zikdaman]

How about the ability to move my usb drive between the two 622's on my account without the 3 move limit. That way I can record something in the living room and watch it in the bedroom or vice versa.

 

[voripteth]

How about the ability to move my usb drive between the two 622's on my account without the 3 move limit. That way I can record something in the living room and watch it in the bedroom or vice versa.

I thought that the external drive was associated with an account, not a DVR. If all you're doing is connecting a drive to another DVR on the same account I wouldn't think it should be considered a move. I only have one DVR so I can't try this out.

After looking at a few other threads I'm reading that the three move limit between DVRs is only temporary. They plan to allow unlimited moves in the future as long as they are all on the same account. (No taking your drive to a friend's house.)

 

[Dishpointer]

How about the ability to view and watch contents on TV2.

 

[zikdaman]

After looking at a few other threads I'm reading that the three move limit between DVRs is only temporary. They plan to allow unlimited moves in the future as long as they are all on the same account. (No taking your drive to a friend's house.)

Sure...but temporary could mean that feature won't be available for the next 5 years. There is no time limit on temporary.

 

[Jolard]

Yes!!! I would love to be able to watch the HD contents on TV 2. That is a must have request.

 

[snissen]

I have a request I tried to call into Tech Chat last month. When I record a sports program, I appreciate that my DVR records an extra hour in case the match runs long. However, by the time I want to move the recording to my external drive, I've watched it and I know, for example, the soccer match was exactly 2 hours 15 minutes long, not the 3 hours I recorded.

When I select a program to move to my external drive, I'd like to be able to specify the length to copy. In other words, I want to say, truncate this recording at the 2 hour 15 minute mark, discarding the last 45 minutes. I'm not asking for real video editing, just a simple time-based truncate function, to save space on my external hard drive.

Anyone else out there interested in this?

 

[voripteth]

Sure...but temporary could mean that feature won't be available for the next 5 years. There is no time limit on temporary.

I didn't look up the quote but I was under the impression that the limit will be removed by the end of the year.

 

[long_time_DNC]

I'd like to see USB hub support added soon.

 

[KAB]

I'd like to see USB hub support added soon.

It's sorta supported if you only have one drive powered up at a time.

 

[long_time_DNC]

It's sorta supported if you only have one drive powered up at a time.

True...but I'd like to be able to have a pair of external drives powered up at the same time and be able to move programming between them.

 

[KAB]

True...but I'd like to be able to have a pair of external drives powered up at the same time and be able to move programming between them.

I do not believe that will ever happen.

 

[long_time_DNC]

Probably not, but hey, it's a wish.

 

[voripteth]

Any chance we can get this list sticky'd so the Dish folk know what to include in a future update?

 

[FitzAusTex]

I have a request I tried to call into Tech Chat last month. When I record a sports program, I appreciate that my DVR records an extra hour in case the match runs long. However, by the time I want to move the recording to my external drive, I've watched it and I know, for example, the soccer match was exactly 2 hours 15 minutes long, not the 3 hours I recorded.

When I select a program to move to my external drive, I'd like to be able to specify the length to copy. In other words, I want to say, truncate this recording at the 2 hour 15 minute mark, discarding the last 45 minutes. I'm not asking for real video editing, just a simple time-based truncate function, to save space on my external hard drive.

Anyone else out there interested in this?

me!

 

[SarKen]

Along with all the other items I would like to add an auto overflow to the USB.

So if you go on vacation and your DVR gets full have the older shows auto move to the USB drive. OTA shows take up a lot of space.

Also have the USB drive archive listed in the "my recordings" list along with the other recordings. So if I have three episodes of The Unit to watch and two are on the USB drive and one on the DVR all three would be listed under the "my recordings" in "The Unit" folder.

Ken

 

[B_Kranski]

Yes!!! I would love to be able to watch the HD contents on TV 2. That is a must have request.

Only problem with that is what would you HD feed be? If running through your in house cable, like I am sure alot of people are your TV would not take the HD feed off of that would it? Would need a seperate box to take that feed and convert it into HD feed. Maybe the newer t.v.'s have something to read HD but I am sure alot of t.v.'s out there do not have a HD ability right out of the cable outlet. If I am wrong correct me, but I thought all of that was decrypted and the reasoning why your cable/sat providers made you rent the box's (DVR's, HD recievers, etc.)