DVR cuts off end of shows

You're beef is with the networks. They'll run a popular show from, say, 8:00 to 8:31 followed usually by a new show they want you to stick around and watch. They definitely don't want you changing channels at 8:30 for something else.

Remember how a commercial break ran between shows in the old days. With so many viewing choices now broadcasters had to try something different. 

So now when one show ends the next one starts immediately. So if the network says the show will run from 8:00 to 8:31 that's what the DVR will record. However, that few seconds you're missing is 8:31 and those few seconds after 8:31.  This is common at the bottom of the hour.

Networks also know how DVR's work. They want you to have to record the next show too, hoping you'll watch it.

Either set the DVR for one minute longer or record the whole hour. If you need to record something else at 8:30 while watching a third show you're outta luck. You'll have to perform a TV watching triage of sorts.

It's poor programming, not network programming, but coding.  I've had multiple other dvr's that were able to record my shows properly, and I could set an overlap time so I was always sure to get all of a show.  With Cox you can have 2 shows set to record on the same channel back to back, and you will still lose some of the show, most annoying thing in the world. 

Overall just a horrible DVR and the people who developed it should be slapped for such developing such a poor machine.

Your complaints mean nothing if you don't specify which DVR (8240, 8300, 8642, Motorola?) and IPG (SARA, Passport Echo, TRIO, other?) I've used the Cisco/SA DVRs (8240/8300, 8642HDC) and three different IPGs and have never suffered the malady that you describe. Also, are you recording using that day's guide, series recordings or what?

Domino,

I must ask one question: Are you a moderator, a Cox employee or even qualified to answer questions addressed to Cox personnel?

If not, even though your help is appreciated, it is out of place and misleading at best.

- If you are a Cox employee, please state so.

- If you are not,  make it clear that your answers are just another customer's advice.

Based on your activity, http://forums.cox.com/members/domino/activities/default.aspx, it seems you have decided to moderate this forum. Your tone is often unpleasant and you seriously need to come down from the pedestal you have decided to put yourself on.

oat said:

Domino,

I must ask one question: Are you a moderator, a Cox employee or even qualified to answer questions addressed to Cox personnel?

If not, even though your help is appreciated, it is out of place and misleading at best.

- If you are a Cox employee, please state so.

- If you are not,  make it clear that your answers are just another customer's advice.

Based on your activity, http://forums.cox.com/members/domino/activities/default.aspx, it seems you have decided to moderate this forum. Your tone is often unpleasant and you seriously need to come down from the pedestal you have decided to put yourself on.

 

What makes you think these forums are for asking questions to Cox personnel? From the FORUM GUIDELINES:

Productive Posts and Discussions - The Support Forums are designed to provide a place for Cox customers to obtain help from and offer help to other Cox customers. If you are looking for direct support from Cox please visit Support.Cox.com

Moderators and other Cox personnel identify themselves when they post, and may/may not follow all threads on a daily basis.

If a person is having trouble with some equipment and is seeking help, giving the model number of the equipment and the IPG firmware used is needed to help with and answer, no?

As far as your statement "... it seems you have decided to moderate this forum...", your post seems much closer to that description, does it not?

I've used most of them... and its much more basic then the model since they all currently use 2 different versions of firmware.  From an HCI point of view the interaction sucks, feels like a bunch of kids on the back of the short bus put the software together

twear said:

I've used most of them... and its much more basic then the model since they all currently use 2 different versions of firmware.  From an HCI point of view the interaction sucks, feels like a bunch of kids on the back of the short bus put the software together

Being that I've been actively involved in the special Olympics, I'll ignore the last comment. And being that you can't/won't give specific model/firmware info, all I can say is that I've used the Cisco/SA 8240HDC/8300 with both SARA and Passport, and currently the Cisco 8642HDC with TRIO, and the only problem I have now is an occasional SDV access problem. The speed difference between the 8642 with its 512MB of RAM versus the 8240 and its 128MB of RAM is quite evident. Faster CPUs, too.

cause a faster cpu magically makes bad software designs good... thats some good logic there... Also because you are able to put up with an inferior product doesn't mean that it is good.

twear said:

cause a faster cpu magically makes bad software designs good... thats some good logic there... Also because you are able to put up with an inferior product doesn't mean that it is good.

Sigh...I noted that the additional RAM and faster CPU make the DVR faster. As for the "software" (firmware) being good or bad, you again don't mention if you're referring to SARA, Passport, or TRIO (which were developed by three different companies, BTW), and you don't mention any specific faults, so I'll just attribute it to demeanor.

I have in my COX Whole Home DVR Network CISCO Explorer 8642HDC DVRs, which I believe have the most CPU power, largest RAM, and most HDD space of any DVR provided by COX.  I too experience the ends of shows being cut off. 

Jim W said:

I have in my COX Whole Home DVR Network CISCO Explorer 8642HDC DVRs, which I believe have the most CPU power, largest RAM, and most HDD space of any DVR provided by COX.  I too experience the ends of shows being cut off. 

Assuming TRIO EPG and DVR is being used as HOST:

1. Does guide indicate the truncated show ending at xx:00 or does it end at xx:01?

2. Is program actually ending at time indicated in the guide? [Is guide correct?]

3. Is the DVR's time correct? [Lower right in INFO bar; upper left in GUIDE or DVR LIST mode.]

My 8642's time is within 2 seconds of Atomic Time.

[BTW, the faster CPU and larger amount of RAM make the 8642 faster, but doesn't improve other IPG faults.]

give up man, COX DVR's ***, end of story.  I've had multiple others from cable and satellite providers that are all better, significantly better...  its too bad I'm stuck with cox because of my location.

Also even if you set a recording to record for longer, you lose the beginning of the next show, even if its on the same station... please try to explain to me how that works...

and just so you don't *** yet again, i have used 4 different dvr setups with cox, since you seem to think the different dvr's actually are different even though the firmware is the same...

Domino,

We use the Cox provided Guide on our Cox Provided DVR to schedule program recording.  The result is that some programs are cutoff early.  If we have the next program on the same channel scheduled to record we see what was truncated from the first program.   I have been programming computers for 48+ years.  Writing the same data to two files is something that is well within the current state of the art.

twear said:

give up man, COX DVR's ***, end of story.  I've had multiple others from cable and satellite providers that are all better, significantly better...  its too bad I'm stuck with cox because of my location.

Also even if you set a recording to record for longer, you lose the beginning of the next show, even if its on the same station... please try to explain to me how that works...

and just so you don't *** yet again, i have used 4 different dvr setups with cox, since you seem to think the different dvr's actually are different even though the firmware is the same...

Sigh...if you think that all of the DVSs use the same firmware, then that's just ignorance. Nothing I can do about that. The 8240/8300 DVRs use Passport, while the 8642 uses TRIO. In some areas, some 8642s use Passport, but a far different version.

As for your first (in this post) complaint, if your schedule a program to record from 8:00 to 9:15, you will get the 8:00-9:00 program, plus the first 15 minutes of the 9:00 program. It's ludicrous to complain that you don't.

Jim W said:

Domino,

We use the Cox provided Guide on our Cox Provided DVR to schedule program recording.  The result is that some programs are cutoff early.  If we have the next program on the same channel scheduled to record we see what was truncated from the first program.   I have been programming computers for 48+ years.  Writing the same data to two files is something that is well within the current state of the art.

I'll ask the same three questions I asked earlier:

1. Does guide indicate the truncated show ending at xx:00 or does it end at xx:01?

2. Is program actually ending at time indicated in the guide? [Is guide correct?]

3. Is the DVR's time correct? [Lower right in INFO bar; upper left in GUIDE or DVR LIST mode with the TRIO guide.]