Ptat and spare tuners

smjbh5

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
May 3, 2007
414
5
SF Bay Area
So I dont use ptat. However, today i was recording 3 shows on nbc, cbs, and abc during the 10-11 pm time slot, i was also watching a movie on hbo. Isnt that using 4 tuners? When i pressed the red hot key, it showed that 2 of the 3 tuners were in use. Am i missing something? Thought that only save a tuner if you use ptat.
 
Any time you record any of the BIG four only one tuner will be used leaving two tuners free. Using PTAT is not required to use the single tuner. Ptat use is required at least on one night to be able use Autohop.
 
Anytime a big 4 network is tuned to, or recorded, the other 3 big 4 networks will be available on that same tuner for viewing by you or anyone else in the home. Try tuning to ABC and then hit the red hot key and you'll understand.
 
PTAT had to be turned on in order for your situation to occur in the past however the software was changed not quite a year ago. Once you either tune or record one of the big four nets, PTAT switches on automatically.

I don't think so. I'm currently recording two net shows (as a test) after having disabled PTAT. After recording started, I checked and PTAT is still disabled...including no autohop on my recorded shows. Also confirmed they are both recording from tuner 3.
 
I don't think so. I'm currently recording two net shows (as a test) after having disabled PTAT. After recording started, I checked and PTAT is still disabled...including no autohop on my recorded shows. Also confirmed they are both recording from tuner 3.

That is how it works now. When the hopper was first released it didn't work that way though. If you weren't using PTAT back then and set up a recording on two of the big four networks it would have used two tuners. If I was watching ABC on the Hopper and someone else turned on NBC on a Joey that used to take up two tuners too. Now if you do that the second person will just automatically jump onto the same tuner.
 
Anytime a big 4 network is tuned to, or recorded, the other 3 big 4 networks will be available on that same tuner for viewing by you or anyone else in the home. Try tuning to ABC and then hit the red hot key and you'll understand.

Is it like this anytime of the day? Or only during prime time
 
So the only benefit of ptat is the autohop feature? And you dont have to set your timers (in case you forget).

That's kind of the case now. When all of this was first released you needed PTAT for all 4 locals to record on one tuner. Now you can do that without PTAT but you lose autohop.

I leave it on anyways. I find myself watching stuff that PTAT picked up that I wouldn't have normally recorded. It's nice for those times when there's nothing good to watch on TV. I have also gotten hooked on a few series that I only watched because PTAT put them on my DVR.
 
I have PTAT turned on only for Saturday on NBC. This enabled Autohop on all prime time shows no matter which network the show was recorded on or which day of the week that the show was recorded.
 
If you really want to avoid PTAT, like have been doing, then twice a week or so change the day to the one before the current one. You cannot change it if you are in the PTAT zone already--wait it out. Don't know what I'll do on vacation--just have to accept 3 hours worth.
-Ken
 
If you really want to avoid PTAT, like have been doing, then twice a week or so change the day to the one before the current one. You cannot change it if you are in the PTAT zone already--wait it out. Don't know what I'll do on vacation--just have to accept 3 hours worth.
-Ken

Turn off PTAT? All it would disable is AutoHop.
 
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