I have several different programs showing up on my DVR schedule to record that shouldn't be there. I have the timer set to only record NEW shows. These are not new when I pull up the show info screen. It is not just one show either. I am seeing at least 4 different shows with scheduled recordings over the next week that shouldn't happen. Anyone else seeing any problems?
Problem with recording "non-new" programs when set for "new" only
- Thread starter cpa4u
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I find this is a common issue. I also experienced it when I had a cable DVR. It seems to be related to the folks who run the program guide or whoever provides the guide information. If the guide doesn't properly identify a program as new or a repeat, your DVR has no way of knowing that the program is not new.
As an example, MSNBC doesn't seem to use the new/repeat flags and they often repeat a show several times during the night. As a result you can end up with several copies of the same program.
Back when I had a cable box, there was an option to only keep one copy of a program. The copy currently on the DVR would be replaced by each succeeding copy so when you woke up in the morning you would only have one copy of the show. The downside of that was MSNBS often listed one show but actually ran another, so the last episode of the show I actually wanted was replaced by something like Lockup that I didn't want. This got so bad I started setting up a single recording every night.
I'm currently running into a problem where I get a recording of the same show from two different channels. That is because the channels are mapped to more then one number. Example, MSNBC on channel 209 also appears as channel 9511. My 722 records the same show twice - once on each channel.
As an example, MSNBC doesn't seem to use the new/repeat flags and they often repeat a show several times during the night. As a result you can end up with several copies of the same program.
Back when I had a cable box, there was an option to only keep one copy of a program. The copy currently on the DVR would be replaced by each succeeding copy so when you woke up in the morning you would only have one copy of the show. The downside of that was MSNBS often listed one show but actually ran another, so the last episode of the show I actually wanted was replaced by something like Lockup that I didn't want. This got so bad I started setting up a single recording every night.
I'm currently running into a problem where I get a recording of the same show from two different channels. That is because the channels are mapped to more then one number. Example, MSNBC on channel 209 also appears as channel 9511. My 722 records the same show twice - once on each channel.
Unfortunately, this is an old issue as in a previous (almost 2 years ago?) Tech Forum, Dan M. did confirm that Dish adjusted the software to indeed record some repeats even if 'New Episodes" was selected on the timer. The reason was that too many people said that many of their NEW episodes weren't recording at all. So, Dish took a better safe than sorry approach: it would be better to be certain that all NEW episodes were recorded even at the expense of recording repeat episodes as the customer could always erase the repeat episode. Hardly the best solution as Dish should make their software work as advertised. This problem will occur even though Dish uses the Original Airdate as the key information, but it still won't work right 100% of the time. Every few days, I go into my Daily Schedule and "Skip" a fair number of events because they are repeats, especially The Real World or almost anything on MTV but sometimes History, Discovery, well you name it. It appears somewhat more related to the program, and remember, this occurs even though the Original Airdates are correct.
However, you will notice that some channels or some shows don't have this problem at all, while other channels or shows are just filled with recording repeat programs. This some channels work fine with "New Episodes" while other channels seem to have the repeat recording plague would seem to demonstrate the "intermittent" nature of this bug and why it seems that almost 2 years on, it is still a bug Dish seems unable to fix. Sorry, but at Walter Cronkite said, "That's the way it is." It still stinks.
However, you will notice that some channels or some shows don't have this problem at all, while other channels or shows are just filled with recording repeat programs. This some channels work fine with "New Episodes" while other channels seem to have the repeat recording plague would seem to demonstrate the "intermittent" nature of this bug and why it seems that almost 2 years on, it is still a bug Dish seems unable to fix. Sorry, but at Walter Cronkite said, "That's the way it is." It still stinks.
If you use your locks channels feature to lock out one of the mapped channels, you can eliminate that 2 channels for the same network problem and decrease the number of events taking up memory relating to your timers. Good Luck.
I had it happen a bunch a few weeks ago. We just deleted the shows and hoped for the best. The 625 we have is buggy as heck but we're waiting out the price hike to see what we'll do. We'll most likely go ota after all the funkyness of this dvr and such.
What really stinks to me is when Dan M. explained this decision to alter the software knowing that many customers were going to have a number of unnecessary, repeat recordings on their DVR, Dan just shrugged off the effort of having to erase those programs from the DVR, as if it were no big deal. The problems is, I, and I imagine others, are sometimes running close to capacity, and I can tell you that even AFTER I had skipped repeat airings of programs, the DVR later added them back into memory meaning that it consumed the remaining space, and kept my DVR busy recording skipping other "New" recording until later which meant that I never got the truly NEW shows recorded. There are times in the week when I cannot babysit my DVR, and so days go by before I discover this stupid result: a whole slew of previously aired Real Worlds or other shows (like a marathon) sucked up the remaining capacity. Yes, I have an external HDD. Point is, we should not be experiencing this. For the record: Deadliest Catch was among the programs that worked perfectly with "New Episodes" settings, and there were other programs, as well, but too many that don't work well with "New Episodes" selection.
In short, Dish should really try to figure this one out because hit and miss is not good enough.
In short, Dish should really try to figure this one out because hit and miss is not good enough.
When I had cable (left dish for a triple plan) There was shows I would set to record only new then next week I had to make the timer again. It wasn't set to record. Then set it to record all. Then next week I had to set the timer again. Had a tech come out can't find a problem. Changed dvrs and it does it still. After putting up with it for a little I got tired of it so I canceled cable and back to dish. So when old shows record for me I'd rather have that then what I went through with cable.
I didn't know that this was fairly common on Cable, etc. I do have to say that my while my TiVo Series 3 also has this problem, it is significantly LESS than what I experience on Dish, but it could be the difference in programming that I use for the Series 3, which is OTA, and Dish "New Episodes" seems to work pretty well with OTA and LIL. TiVo also uses Tribune for guide data and it, too, has the Original Airdate listed, really buried in the menus. It's nice to know everyone from cable to whatever, to satellite are all in the same boat on this issue, but could some genius software person please fix this? 
Dish though makes it easy to record any program at a certain time in many different ways including Monday - Friday. I use the Monday - Friday option with shows like Glenn Beck or The O'Reilly Factor.
I would rather record 5 wrong events than miss the show I really want........
with external hard drives and a one week guide its not a issue for me
with external hard drives and a one week guide its not a issue for me
That's exactly the reason Dan M. said Dish altered the software, and I agree. However, the point is that Dish and others crow about such DVR features, and they don't work as advertised too often. I have a VERY high number of events that I must "Skip" because they are repeats that are clogging up my event memory. Quite a bit of time to do it.
Mon-Fri makes sense for Match Game, etc, but such timers won't be able to record the show when it airs on different days (5 new episodes of The Verminators premiered on Sunday morning at 8AM Pacific and never aired again--and 5 new episodes of Ancients Behaving Badly premiered on Saturday at 7AM Pacific to be aired only one more time at various days and times. This happens a lot) or be able to record the subsequent airing of an episode due to priority.
So, in other words, this really needs to be fixed.
I got all hot and mad about it too but I also knew Dish wasn't going to do jack squat about it except tell me to delete and redo the timers or swap the box for another bugged box. My blood pressure has enough problems without letting Dish get to me and bump it up any more than it already is.
I think you misunderstand: my blood pressure is not the least bit higher because of it nor ever 'hot" or 'mad", and I have learned to live with it for a very long time. The point is that Dish does monitors this forum, and it is perhaps the only place where they really listen to customer complaints or concerns and gauge how annoying a bug is to the customer and, perhaps, move something up--or down--the priority list. That is part of the reason for the existence of these forums. I appreciate your having found inner peace regarding this bug, but let others discover it on their own. Thanks.
Some here seem to have missed features of Dish Pass and Options.
In Dish Pass's Options you can specify the channel number, so you wont get HBO-W HBOLT HBOSG HBOZ etc. but just HBO 300 but do select HD if needed. You can also force only HD to not see any SD copies and New versus All. Sorry, you cannot specify multiple channels as HBO or HBO-W.
In regular or Pass Options you can specify a maximum number of recordings. Note, recordings that get marked Save are not included in the count. Did not try auto save marking and a maximum. And Save does not prevent a manual deletion nor is that info carried to the EHD. I often use the Save flag to mark recordings that I have verified are complete. They all come back from the EHD as Save to prevent overwrite on restore.
[Wish there were more user flags and maybe an accessible text field--altering the recording name is not a good alternative as the title becomes lower case except the initial letter and cannot be made to sort with others of the same original name.]
-Ken
In Dish Pass's Options you can specify the channel number, so you wont get HBO-W HBOLT HBOSG HBOZ etc. but just HBO 300 but do select HD if needed. You can also force only HD to not see any SD copies and New versus All. Sorry, you cannot specify multiple channels as HBO or HBO-W.
In regular or Pass Options you can specify a maximum number of recordings. Note, recordings that get marked Save are not included in the count. Did not try auto save marking and a maximum. And Save does not prevent a manual deletion nor is that info carried to the EHD. I often use the Save flag to mark recordings that I have verified are complete. They all come back from the EHD as Save to prevent overwrite on restore.
[Wish there were more user flags and maybe an accessible text field--altering the recording name is not a good alternative as the title becomes lower case except the initial letter and cannot be made to sort with others of the same original name.]
-Ken
The problem, technically speaking, isn't at Dish, but at Tribune.
However, I don't know why Dish isn't raising hell with Tribune over giving them inadequate data. If I wasn't getting what I was paying for, I certainly would be!
Actually I do understand, and quite well. I also understand, though, that Dish isn't going to do jack about anything. They are like any other company now these days. They release half finished equipment and software and charge a mint for it. Until people actually get fed up enough and stop buying half-arsed products nothing will change. I don't really think complaining about anything in here will change a thing either. Case in point is the whole jacked up price increase deal. Do you really think if everyone that had an issue with the price increases changed their avatars and signature lines, emailed the company, and started 60+ topics in here about how unfair and illegal the fee structure is for Dish Notwork they would change anything?
Nope.
Nope.
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