Forum Discussion

Jupiter852's avatar
Jupiter852
New Contributor II
3 years ago

Contour 1 Search and Save List issue .. and a surprise (to me)

Main issue:

The Search function produces the correct number of hits, but recently the function has become very erratic/hard to use when displaying the specific hits/matches associated with that number.  Ditto for the "Saved Searches" feature.

The Surprise (at least to me):

I was told to swap my current box (CISCO Explorer 8642HDC) for a replacement (CISCO Explorer 8742HDC).  As expected I was told that any recorded programs would be lost, as well as any series set up to record programs ... and that is what happened.  But the surprise was that my list of "Saved Searches" showed up when I installed the replacement box.  I thought that the "Saved Searches" were kept on the local box - but that is apparently not the case.  Main Cox (somewhere) keeps your "Saved Searches" and apparently that is where the Search activity actually occurs - not on your local box.

Background:

I've used the Search function for many, many years without issue.  But this past week I experienced the following.

Last Friday I noticed that the Search function would not consistently return the corresponding hits for that Search.  For example, if I searched ("Search by Title") for the show Diagnosis Murder, the result would say "30 matches found" (and I confirmed that number by manually scrolling through the Guide).  But when I go to scroll through the list of matches, sometimes  the first page would show "No results" - in which case I have to back up (using the hand-held controller) and bring up the list of matches again.  Sometimes, it would display 6 searches on the first page (which is ok), but when I go to the second page the "No results" phrase appears.  Backing up again and trying again, it would sometimes say "No results" on the first page .... but sometimes it would display 6 results on the first page and then 6 more results on the second page , but then the third page would display "No results"  ... way short of 30.  If I keep at it for a while I sometimes could get all 30 matches to display - but not always.  Sometimes it reverts back to "No results" on the first page.

I deleted all the Saved Searches (thinking maybe the Saved Search results were taking up too much space), added just one new Saved Search - and ran into the problem again.

I called Technical Support on Friday and was told to exchange my CISCO Explorer 8642HDC box at a nearby Cox Solutions Store.  I did so on Monday and received a CISCO Explorer 8742HDC.  Upon installation, there was no change or improvement to the Search function - same problem.  That was when I noticed that my "Saved Searches" that I had had on the 8642HDC box just showed up on the 8742HDC box without me having to do anything!  So I suspect all search activity occurs at Main Cox (somewhere) and the resulting hits/matches are downloaded to the local box every time a user looks for the matches (especially for a Saved Search).

I can think of several causes for this Search issue:  
1.  There is a programming problem with the Search function at Main Cox.
2.  The search computers at Main Cox are overloaded and they just can't return all the matches all the time.
3.  Somehow Main Cox looks at the line to your TV and determines there are too many line issues so they throttle how many results they will send you at a specific point in time.  (However, I have had no problems with watching regular TV - from that viewpoint, the line seems ok.)

After installing and testing the new CISCO box, I passed along the above information to Technical Support who said they would forward it to the technical staff.

Another search issue is that it use to be the case that when you entered the letters in the search, the number of hits kept getting smaller as you entered more letters.  But now, as you keep entering letters the number of hits might go from 30 to 28 to "No results" to 26 to "No results" - and just stop there - no matter how many letters you enter.  Similar to the above, you have to backtrack and try again.  I suspect this problem, together with the one above, are connected somehow.

Has anyone else experienced similar search issues recently?

If you have any suggestions I would appreciate hearing them.  Thanks.

Jupiter852

4 Replies

  • CurtB's avatar
    CurtB
    Valued Contributor III

    Thanks for that information.  You've done a considerable amount of research on the Search function.  On several occasions in the past, I experienced an issue with the box locking up after repeated use of Search.  I surmised it may have been due to Search not doing a good job of releasing memory.  I would suggest rebooting after you experience the issues you described and see if that makes a difference.  

    • Jupiter852's avatar
      Jupiter852
      New Contributor II

      I did lots of rebooting (by disconnecting the box from electrical power) while investigating the issue ... and had Technical Support do a download/reboot ... all to no avail.

  • CrystalS's avatar
    CrystalS
    Former Moderator
    Hello @Jupiter852,

    I am so very sorry to learn of your TV troubles and I'd like to help. We would definitely be able to assist you with this. Please reach us on Twitter at @CoxHelp, visit us on Facebook, or email us at cox.help@cox.com. Provide us the name on the account with the complete service address with a link to this thread so we can get started.

    Crystal S.
    Cox Support Forum Moderator