Tutor

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6 Messages

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018 7:38 PM

How to start dvr recordings on time, not early

All of my U-verse recordings start about 90 seconds before the program starts.  The record options do not have any setting for early start time.  So how can I start recording a show at 9pm that charts at 9:00pm instead of it starting at 8:58:30 pm?  

 

This is is a problem for multiple reasons, 1 it uses up an extra “stream” before it needs to and causes conflicts with recordings.  And 2, I have to fast forward before watching every tv recording.

 

can this be fixed?  Anyone else have this issue!

Expert

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3.6K Messages

7 years ago

 And 2, I have to fast forward before watching every tv recording.

Which is the correct technique to do.   The padding is called "soft padding", 1 minute before and 2 minutes after.  It's built into the recording schedule and cannot be overridden.  It's done in case a program starts early or runs over a bit.

 

Note, I don't recall the padding causing scheduling conflicts due to stream limitations (4HD in my case).  What does cause problems is all these networks deliberately running their shows a few minutes long cutting into the start time of other shows on other networks.

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

7 years ago

What I can say is if the DVR is maxed out because of the overlap, for those few minutes I may be locked out of watching live TV on a satellite receiver.  I've seen it happen more than once and I end up in a rage fit and start cancelling recordings (not mine of course  Man Wink  )

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Tutor

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6 Messages

7 years ago

If true, it’s a terrible design. The cure here has the opposite effect as
it’s prevents recordings from happening when there is overlap and you are
out of streams.

Tutor

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6 Messages

7 years ago

Spoiler
When I had Comcast, Comcast knew the networks schedule down to the minute.  Recordings were started on time. Usually, there were no issues.  But you had the ability to pad at the beginning or ending if you wanted to by show.  I did this for a few fox shows, pad the beginning.  The point is that Comcast software engineers were smart enough to let the customer decide.  They didn’t try to make things better for us and force something down our throats we did not want.  Att is literally causing more problems by auto padding at both ends than it prevents.  To this I say they are just DUMB

The padding on both ends doesn’t cause a problem when you are recording back to back on the same channel.  At least they were smart enough to figure that out.  But this is likely why some power users have not seen the issue of going beyond their max streams and causing recordings conflicts.


ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

7 years ago

Personally I'm not against the padding.  The number of times it's caused an issue is very minute.

 

Also remember most cable setups do not allow for a shared DVR.  Uverse is quite superior in this regard.

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ACE - Expert

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28.3K Messages

7 years ago

Put me down as a fan of the soft padding.

Don't mess with old people.  The older we get, the less "Life in Prison" is a deterrent.

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Tutor

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6 Messages

7 years ago

I’m not against padding either, I’m against forced padding against my will!  First off, I’ve had U-verse since July.  I’m fairly certain pre padding has not helped once, not even once.  I’m less certain about post padding.  I can provide example after example of how it’s caused problems, yet the two of you are all for forced padding on both ends?  I haven’t even mentioned the other reasons why padding can cause problems.  What’s really wrong with this being a setup option.  I’d even be fine if the default is padding, as long as I can change it.  Yet you guys are all for what we are forced with now because it doesn’t bother you?  If this is the way everyone and att thinks, I guess I’ll just go back to Comcast who who does let me control this.

 

yesterday, I missed the last 15 seconds of a down to the wire basketball game because of forced padding. And I ended up canceling a recording due to padding.  Tonight, I had three separate issues due to padding. Even when padding doesn’t cause you to miss a live broadcast or a recording, I often have the issue where Im forced to see the last 60 seconds of a show I haven’t watched yet.  Yes, I can fast forward to try and prevent that.  But why should I be forced to do so or watch the ending of a show I haven’t started yet?  This happens probably 50 times a month to me.  Yet we have folks here are all for forced padding because it doesn’t bother them.  It why should it bother these folks to have the option?  That’s all I’m asking.  Comcast can do it.  Why can’t att?


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