Prime Time recordings corrupted after several weeks.

[Suppafreak]

Hello,

Not sure if it happened to anyone else, but here is the problem I have with Prime Time recordings specifically with ABC recordings.

For the reference I will be using episode_wk1 and episode_wk2.

I record lots of Prime Time shows and sometimes cannot get to watch them for couple of weeks, hence the convenience of the DVR and be able to record the shows and watch them at any time. If I record the episode_wk1 and watch it within the first week after it was recorded or before the episode_wk2 is recorded, then everything plays OK. If I do not get to watch the episode_wk1 with in the first week and let DVD to record episode_wk2, the episode_wk2 with play fine, however, episode_wk1 recording will get some kind of time shift and once I start watching it, it will start almost at the end of the episode. I tried start from beginning option, but it would start at the end of the show and if the episode is 30 min, I would see end 5 min of the show I wanted to watch and 25 min of the next show. As I said earlier most of the time it happens with ABC recordings, but occasionally I have seen it with CBS and FOX.

I hope it is clear what I am trying to explain.

I use the Hopper 2.

Any ideas how to fix it?

 

[raysmith]

Hello,

Not sure if it happened to anyone else, but here is the problem I have with Prime Time recordings specifically with ABC recordings.

For the reference I will be using episode_wk1 and episode_wk2.

I record lots of Prime Time shows and sometimes cannot get to watch them for couple of weeks, hence the convenience of the DVR and be able to record the shows and watch them at any time. If I record the episode_wk1 and watch it within the first week after it was recorded or before the episode_wk2 is recorded, then everything plays OK. If I do not get to watch the episode_wk1 with in the first week and let DVD to record episode_wk2, the episode_wk2 with play fine, however, episode_wk1 recording will get some kind of time shift and once I start watching it, it will start almost at the end of the episode. I tried start from beginning option, but it would start at the end of the show and if the episode is 30 min, I would see end 5 min of the show I wanted to watch and 25 min of the next show. As I said earlier most of the time it happens with ABC recordings, but occasionally I have seen it with CBS and FOX.

I hope it is clear what I am trying to explain.

I use the Hopper 2.

Any ideas how to fix it?

I have seen the exact same problem on my Hopper with Sling - There was some discussion here: http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/strange-ptat-issue-only-on-abc.353957/#post-3753908

It was an intermittent problem, and only on ABC PTAT recordings after the 8-day window was over. The Autohop wouldn't work properly either. Some shows would be viewable and others (sometimes more than one) would start with only 3-5 minutes remaining and there was no way to get the missing part back.

I only recorded a few ABC shows on Wednesdays so I just turned off PTAT for Wednesday and used regular timers and haven't seen any problems since then, but since it was an intermittent problem, I can't say it was fixed.

Ray

 

[AbeK@DISH]

Hello,

Not sure if it happened to anyone else, but here is the problem I have with Prime Time recordings specifically with ABC recordings.

For the reference I will be using episode_wk1 and episode_wk2.

I record lots of Prime Time shows and sometimes cannot get to watch them for couple of weeks, hence the convenience of the DVR and be able to record the shows and watch them at any time. If I record the episode_wk1 and watch it within the first week after it was recorded or before the episode_wk2 is recorded, then everything plays OK. If I do not get to watch the episode_wk1 with in the first week and let DVD to record episode_wk2, the episode_wk2 with play fine, however, episode_wk1 recording will get some kind of time shift and once I start watching it, it will start almost at the end of the episode. I tried start from beginning option, but it would start at the end of the show and if the episode is 30 min, I would see end 5 min of the show I wanted to watch and 25 min of the next show. As I said earlier most of the time it happens with ABC recordings, but occasionally I have seen it with CBS and FOX.

I hope it is clear what I am trying to explain.

I use the Hopper 2.

Any ideas how to fix it?

The recording for some shows specifically for PTAT can occasionally have this occur when the previous programming is pushed forward due to a sporting event or breaking news typically. Depending the local provider this can interrupt your programming and or recording. The only thing you can do is speak with the local provider to see what they can do about the broadcast and or if they will rebroadcast the program. You can also go to www.Dishanywhere.com to view the programming and or the ABC website to view the programming for a alternative if the program does not record.

 

[Suppafreak]

The recording for some shows specifically for PTAT can occasionally have this occur when the previous programming is pushed forward due to a sporting event or breaking news typically. Depending the local provider this can interrupt your programming and or recording. The only thing you can do is speak with the local provider to see what they can do about the broadcast and or if they will rebroadcast the program. You can also go to www.Dishanywhere.com to view the programming and or the ABC website to view the programming for a alternative if the program does not record.

Yeah, I do not think that is the problem. It happens almost every week and only during prime time. There isn't that much breaking news and all shows start on time.

 

[raysmith]

Yeah, I do not think that is the problem. It happens almost every week and only during prime time. There isn't that much breaking news and all shows start on time.

I totally agree. I know there can be issues when the certain real time programming like sports causes problems and shifts the starting and ending times on subsequent programs. I have managed that with Sunday night programs for years. That is definitely not the case here. For me it was Wednesday nights with the normal Prime time starting times. As I understand it, the PTAT programs are stored in a single file and markers are generated that denote where each show starts and stops within that file. I believe the Autohop data is generated the same way. . I suspect that data is not correct for these ABC shows and so they are not saved correctly.

I am in the Chicago market. I wonder if anyone else who experienced this problem is also in Chicago or some other market.

Ray

 

[mgs24]

I have seen this on ABC's Shark Tank the last 3 episodes. I have also had this happen on New Girl (Fox) and Quantico not sure what network that is. It has really become a pain in the butt.

-Mike

 

[Suppafreak]

Yesterday I wanted to watch a 2 weeks old show recorded on FOX network and same thing happened again. It started with about 3 min left. I decided to transfer the show to a mobile device. To my surprise it transferred and played correctly from the start. So it looks like the workaround here, if you have this option, is to transfer to mobile device and watch it on the mobile device. Not an optimal way, but it least it works.

But seriously Dish, FIX IT.

 

[dontpanic]

I have this same problem and it's been doing this for many months (I noticed it near the beginning of the fall television season). I have two Hoppers and am in the Los Angeles market. The first Hopper (2K) has PTAT recording all four networks every day and keeping 8 days of recordings. This hopper exhibits this problem for several ABC shows, such as Castle, Quantico, Marvel's Agent Carter, and Blackish. It hasn't happened on Marvel's Agents of Shield or Grey's Anatomy for me. I don't watch any other ABC shows.

When it happens, it's just normal programming on that particular day (no sports causing time shifts and no breaking news). It happens almost every week for Castle and Quantico. When it happens it usually only keeps the last 3-5 minutes and the size of the recording is 0.170 GB or less for a 1-hour show. For example, an episode of Castle that does not have this problem should be around 1.982 GB, but one that does exhibit this problem might be 0.157 GB. Right now I have the 4/4 episode of Castle that is 0.457 GB and is 14 min 15 seconds long (that's atypical as it's usually 3-5 minutes).

The second Hopper (2K) has PTAT recording only one network on Saturdays. I don't watch anything that is on Saturdays and it is only turned on so that the shows recorded on other days have autohop. I have all of the ABC shows mentioned above recording on the second Hopper outside of PTAT, and none of the recordings exhibit this behavior.

This tells me that this is definitely a bug in the process that copies the data from the PTAT recordings at the end of the 8 days and has nothing to do with sports or breaking news. Besides, how would the Hopper know that sports programming or breaking news pushed subsequent shows forward?

Yes Dish, you need to fix this.

 

[loubon]

I can second, third and fourth what everyone else has said. I posted in the link provided above as well as a thread I previously started before that. No response either time that addressed the problem. Nothing to do with sports or other overruns. For me it has only happened on ABC (although I have a backlog on some other channels so who knows what is there. Just haven't come across it anywhere else yet).. Happened with my HWS and now H3 so it isn't on my side. Until recently I didn't mind much because the episodes were On Demand. But now I've learned that ABC On Demand doesn't keep the whole season available so if you get too far behind the episodes drop off.

Amazing that no one from Dish has at least acknowledged this is a problem.

 

[loubon]

Just realized the link above was actually the one I started. Here is the other one I commented on: http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/thr...ecording-program-problem.359228/#post-3861800