Timer Priority Settings

[Mike88]

I have always manually resolved conflicts just to be sure all the programs get recorded.

But how smart is the 722K?

Let’s say program A repeats several times during the day or week & it is set for priority 1. And it conflicts with programs B and C which have a lower priority. Is the DVR smart enough to realize that program A can be skipped for the first showing & recorded during a repeat, thus allowing both A & B to get recorded first even though they have a lower priority?

Or is there some way to set a Timer to always record the second showing of a new program or episode?

 

[TG2]

Priority trumps repeats. So the higher priority will record causing b&c not to record properly.

if you realize the issue ahead of time, you can manually adjust the timer priorities, thus freeing up the b & c to record, because you set A to the lower priority.

The only way B & C would fire otherwise, is if A wasn't a new episode ... presuming all of these timers were set for "new episodes"

 

[Tampa8]

Assuming we are talking about all shows being set for "new" I do not believe "A" will skip the first new showing even if "B" or "C" are only on once but "A" is repeated later. However, I have found the best way to work with this is to delete "A" if it indeed is available later, and make "B" or "C" etc. to be "A", then re enter what was "A." I then let it resolve automatically, and it is very reliable in looking ahead and recording a repeat, knowing it is "New" as far as the DVR is concerned. This works better than recording at a specific repeat time, because some channels do not always repeat at the same time every week.

But I do like what you are saying, would be convenient if there was an option to allow the program to record at a later time if other timers have no repeats in the 8 day schedule. But I guess that's why it's a priority, to record over other timers because, well, it's a priority!

 

[KAB]

I just this morning encountered a similar situation. A, a recurring NEW timer, conflicted with C, a one timer. I "skipped" the the initial airing of A, freeing up for C. The 722K then automatically scheduled recording for the next/later airing of A. Tampa, you may have been saying the same thing, but you used the word "delete", as in delete timer?

 

[TG2]

Or as both of you are saying ... the same thing I did ... Priority Trumps Repeats.

The "Delete" was I believe meant to say that you delete the timer and re-create it which should by normal defaults make the new timer *last* or lowest priority. You should also be able to simply change the timer's priority.. instead of timer for show A being priority 1 ... move it to priority 3, thus show B becomes the new priority 1, show C becomes the new priority 2, and show A's timer is now last.

 

[Mike88]

This is what’s happened in the past. I have the Timers all set up. Then along comes a new program, one of those seasonal fill in programs that runs for maybe only 9 weeks or episodes. Now I have to manually juggle several one time recordings in order to get everything I want.

I haven’t experienced this yet, but if I go on a 2 week vacation this becomes a bigger problem because the guide only goes out to 9 days, thus making it difficult to set one time recordings.

 

[TG2]

Ok.. but the moment you see the timer and some special show have an issue.. you (the human) have to take action.

Rather than work on an individual *instance* of the show .. you move the timer.

Hit the DVR button on your remote three times. You should be at the "Daily Schedule"

• ... right side menus arrow down (menu wraps) go get to Timers and select/enter ...
• arrow down (menu will wrap) to "Set Priority" and select/enter
• now arrow LEFT into your timer list,
• select the timer that you need to move ..
• once selected, the right menus should show "Move Up" "Move Down" etc..
• you select "Move Down" to set it to a lower priority
  
  (**note** depending on firmware revision, you may not need to use the *right side* menu to "Move Down" ... you may just be able to arrow down to move the "selected" event)

... move the timer for the event that does a repeat, so that its lower than the other two that are recording at the same time. When you finish moving the event, arrow right and up/down to DONE ... keep selecting DONE until you're back to your "My Recordings" screen then you can use cancel. Bring up your Guide, look to the next day that those three timers are to fire, and check the channels for the update to the timers to have occurred.

Note that you can also edit the timers via Dish Remote Access (note I said DRA not DO!) ... in Dish Remote Access ... go to the My DVR tab ... then on the left side select Timers .. then find the timer, show details, and then select a new priority. It would be helpful for you to know what the priorities of the other two shows are, so that your new priority for the one timer, is reset to a lower priority (higher number) than the other two.

(edit: please don't take my tone harshly if you read it that way ... kinda tired so may not be as pleasant)

 

[3HaloODST]

Agree with TG2. I had to teach a family member about the "set priority" menu once as oppose to skipping/restoring a bunch of things. DRA can help even more as with some things it is easier to manage via DRA than on the receiver itself. Makes me wonder why they are "removing" DRA for DO. I think they've heard our complaints about DO though, and hopefully they will at least make sure it works right in DO before merging DRA and DO.

But yeah, a higher priority timer with a single event will record, thus skipping the lower priority timer with the multiple events, now as to whether or not it will record the repeat, if the lower priority timer is set to "new episodes," that I am not sure of.

 

[Tampa8]

You are all correct, I should not have used "delete!" Either move it down the priority chain, or have it skip, if it is a one time conflict.

Mike88 - if all the shows are one time, either recording from the antenna (at times very useful) or time shifting if you have distants may work. But the trick is to make a show that repeats a lower priority as described above. It will then not record at the time it conflicts with higher priority shows, but will find that same show when it is repeated and record it. For channels like USA, TNT, History, etc. this works great. It will do that until or unless you change it back to be the priority show. I have purposely chosen to make a conflict just so that a show would record later, rather than tell the timer to record when a show repeats, because as I said it is not always reliable the repeat will be at the same time. But the priority way will seek out whenever the next available time is to record.

 

[dwarren2]

If a program that conflicts is being repeated, you can press the DVR button 3 times and you will see a list of all scheduled recordings. You can then left arrow over to the show that is being repeated later. Select options and then go up to the "Skip" button. Select that and it will change to restore and the later repeat will change to record. The program skipped by priority will then be recorded.

 

[Hall]

Let’s say program A repeats several times during the day or week & it is set for priority 1. And it conflicts with programs B and C which have a lower priority. Is the DVR smart enough to realize that program A can be skipped for the first showing & recorded during a repeat, thus allowing both A & B to get recorded first even though they have a lower priority?

If it were to do what you want, that is, "be smart enough" and skip "A" in order to record "B" and/or "C", then there's no point in having "Priorities". If you want it to record "B" and/or "C" first in this instance, it requires manual intervention, either "Skip" event "A" and let it catch it the next time or change the priority of "B" and/or "C" (at least temporarily).

We use SKIP all the time ! Plenty of the shows we record get repeated, typically in the middle of the night, that by the time we want to watch a 'new' episode of whatever program it is, it's there ready for us.

 

[Mike88]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I’ve changed Timers & Priorities, but sometimes it is a real PITA. There was a several week period when I wanted to record 4 cable channels at the same time. So I’m pushing one of them back 2 days & another 4 days.

Or the program changes from one day of the week to another.

I get it all done, but have to be careful not to miss something. I was just hoping for an automatic or fool proof way to record a repeat showing of a new program.

 

[Hall]

I get it all done, but have to be careful not to miss something. I was just hoping for an automatic or fool proof way to record a repeat showing of a new program.

I told you, as did others, I think. "New" isn't restricted to the first-run of a program. If a "new" episode is on tonight at 10pm and you SKIP it, if there's a repeat of this same episode (episode # and first-run date), it will record it.. In this case, how it determines that the episode is new is simply by the episode not being currently on the hard drive.

 

[Tampa8]

I told you, as did others, I think. "New" isn't restricted to the first-run of a program. If a "new" episode is on tonight at 10pm and you SKIP it, if there's a repeat of this same episode (episode # and first-run date), it will record it.. In this case, how it determines that the episode is new is simply by the episode not being currently on the hard drive.

I then let it resolve automatically, and it is very reliable in looking ahead and recording a repeat, knowing it is "New" as far as the DVR is concerned. This works better than recording at a specific repeat time, because some channels do not always repeat at the same time every week."

Mike88 that is exactly what our suggestions do, it is automatic, just let the DVR do an automatic priority....

 

[Mike88]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

I did not realize “New” meant not being currently on the hard drive. The only time I ever see “New” listed in the guide is for the first showing, so I presumed that is what the DVR went by. I’ll re-arrange my timers accordingly.

As a side note, I almost missed an episode of a USA program. The guide listed the same program title & description 2 weeks in a row. Since I was recording only new episodes the second week’s episode would have been skipped. I noticed this when looking through my upcoming scheduling. Turns out the first week had the wrong guide information, therefore telling the DVR to skip the second week because it was a repeat. Obviously I made adjustments.

 

[dwarren2]

I told you, as did others, I think. "New" isn't restricted to the first-run of a program. If a "new" episode is on tonight at 10pm and you SKIP it, if there's a repeat of this same episode (episode # and first-run date), it will record it.. In this case, how it determines that the episode is new is simply by the episode not being currently on the hard drive.

I think you are wrong. When "New" is selected, the program will only record if it has a new flag in the EPG or had no flag as as to new/old in the EPG. I have set many timers to "New" and repeats that I have never recorded or have recorded and deleted that are flagged as "Not a New Episode" It all depends on how Tribune flags a program.

 

[KAB]

I think you are wrong. When "New" is selected, the program will only record if it has a new flag in the EPG or had no flag as as to new/old in the EPG. I have set many timers to "New" and repeats that I have never recorded or have recorded and deleted that are flagged as "Not a New Episode" It all depends on how Tribune flags a program.

Sorry, but you are incorrect, as I and others have stated before. I have seen it happen three times in the last two days. It will take the next one of the same NEW episode # if it is skipped over.

 

[dwarren2]

After rereading your post, I agree about the skipping by priority and recording a later showing. I thought that Hall was saying that a program is "New" if it isn't on the HD. My mistake.

 

[KAB]

It's OK. Just takes a few skips before you realize how well it works.

 

[TG2]

... how well it works...??

that would be, if the data is accurate enough *then* it works well

There was an episode of Hell's Kitchen on Fox that got nixed by Pres. Obama's State of the Debt chat ... in which, the guide never updated ... and so it was recorded by my DVR.. then passed over the next week when that previous weeks' episode was shown as new, and because I left the old one (Obama) on the drive to watch again .. my damned brain forgot to look for it ... and so the DVR skipped thinking it *was* recorded and exists on the drive

Though a few days later ... out comes the news that DishOnline (if / when it works) will be getting access to Fox shows the next day.. rather than 8 days later like on hulu directly..