Dear Comcast, Why Is My DVR So Dumb?
At the risk of sounding like an infomercial…”Has this ever happened to you?” You set your Comcast DVR to record only new episodes of your favorite TV series, but it winds up recording every…single…showing, including all repeats? The problem is especially bad with a show like Project Runway, which Bravo seems to run on a continuous loop, clogging my DVR and requiring constant deleting. So I called Comcast to find out what the problem is. Turns out there are two main reasons, and neither of them are really excusable.
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The first concerns the cable provider’s Interactive Programming Guide (IPG), the TV listing you interact with as a Comcast subscriber. It’s called the i-Guide and it was developed by Comcast and Gemstar-TV Guide.
Networks provide all the data about each show for the i-Guide to Gemstar-TV Guide — things like episode synopses and whether each airing is new or a repeat. But sometimes networks forget to provide this information, which means your DVR can’t differentiate between what’s new and what’s old. “[The networks] are not malicious, not irresponsible, they just haven’t provided this data historically,” Todd Walker, Comcast senior vice president of product management, told me. Walker said that when a network is alerted to the missing data, they are generally quick to fix it. (A Bravo spokesperson assured me that it provides all the correct data to its cable partners.)
For comparison, I talked with Clent Richardson, TiVo’s chief marketing officer, who said his company’s DVR does not experience the same recording repeats problem that Comcast does. TiVo gets its TV show information from Tribune Media Services, which TiVo claims has better data. But since I don’t have TiVo, I can’t independently confirm this (any NewTeeVee readers out there care to pipe in?).
Once Gemstar-TV Guide collects all the network information, it stores it in a database. The company recently switched to a new database system and in the process, according to Walker, the “original air date” field was dropped. With no air date associated with each program, DVRs were recording every showing. But the problem was apparently fixed on Feb. 21, so it’s not supposed to be affecting Comcast customers at this point.
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The key word there is “supposed.” Whether I’m still suffering from a database problem or incorrect data, the screen grabs embedded here show that while I have the proper settings, the DVR keeps recording repeats. So it looks like Comcast has more work to do.
According to Walker, Comcast is rolling out tweaks to its DVR over the coming year. He said that new functionality will include a recording history to keep track of the shows you recorded, advanced search, and remote DVR scheduling. Granted, if having multiple Heidi Klums stored on my cable box is the worst of my problems, life is pretty good. But I’ve had the Comcast DVR for two years now, so I’m getting weary of all the bugs. Speaking of which, Comcast still hasn’t fixed that pesky key queuing issue, either.
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i have TimeWarner here in SoCal and it’s the same story with my DVR. Not only will it record billions of episodes of a show, even though i set it to NEW only… it also has this bizarre freezing problem where the unit no longer responds to remote-control commands. Grrr… I love my DVR, but boy do I dream of going Office Space on it sometimes!
kamRA on February 29th, 2008 at 11:39 am - Permalink
Time Warner = Same story. The Daily Show and Colbert Report are the worst offenders. I get 4 or 5 of each per day. Very frustrating…
Paul McEnany on February 29th, 2008 at 11:46 am - Permalink
And…am I surprised? No…
Paul McEnany on February 29th, 2008 at 11:46 am - Permalink
Thank you for writing this up. It drives me absolutely crazy. It is, in fact, the worst of the Comcast box’s 3,000 bugs.
dean @ t.a.m.s.y. on February 29th, 2008 at 12:02 pm - Permalink
We switched to Tivo. Saved our sanity. You really don’t realize how much the Comcast box and software suck until you’ve experienced how this technology should work.
Spend the cash – get the Tivo
Tom on February 29th, 2008 at 12:03 pm - Permalink
Hey Paul,
Thanks for commenting on the Time-Warner. I don’t have that option here in the Bay Area, and when I contacted them, a spokesperson said he hadn’t heard of this problem with their system.
Chris Albrecht on February 29th, 2008 at 12:14 pm - Permalink
I have the same problem with my Comcast DVR, and did not have that problem with my previous ReplayTV DVRs although I don’t know where they get their program data.
It was particularly bad after Law&Order:CI switched to USA. Since reruns of L&O:CI play approximatly 127 times a week on USA, the inability of the DVR to pick out the single new episode a week was galling. I was forced to do a time period recording.
Bill G on February 29th, 2008 at 1:18 pm - Permalink
I love my Tivo, but its not perfect either. Let’s say that you are taping Jim Cramer’s show “Mad Money”. It runs live at one point in the evening, then the taped repeat airs later in the evening. It’s the same show, but it’s labeled as New each time. Now, it most certainly is a repeat, but since its targeted at the west coast, its “new to them”. Since it’s labeled as New, it gets recorded twice, wasting space.
But here’s the thing: A show like Mad Money rarely reruns, like a pre-taped show might. Instead, the only person or thing looking at the New and Repeat labels for shows like this (live broadcasts) are DVRs. So, the right thing to do is to label the live broadcast as New and the taped repeats as, well, repeats. Because I Tivo a collection of CNBC live shows, I wind up with multiples of each of them due to this mislabeling.
BTW, the simple use of the Show ID/ep # would eliminate this problem. Most every show broadcast has an ID of some kind which can be used to identify the episode, even live shows like news or sports. DVRs are computers; perhaps they should use the “metadata” the way other computers do.
Michael Wexler on February 29th, 2008 at 1:37 pm - Permalink
TiVo suffers the same problem, with different shows. Michael Wexler described what happens — I see this happen with the Daily Show. But with TiVo, you can limit the total number of episodes of a given show it can store, which keeps repeats from filling up your drive.
Dwight Silverman on February 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm - Permalink
I have Tivo, and suffered the same problem with The Daily Show and Colbert Report (multiple showings per day, all considered “new”).
I finally gave up and created a day-and-time subscription. In this manner, Monday thru Thursday, I record the 10PM hour on Comedy Central (I run into too many conflicts with the 8PM hour).
Reece Shiloh on February 29th, 2008 at 3:49 pm - Permalink
Even a TiVo will get clogged up with assorted duplicate programs when networks like TLC take two 30 min programs and make the program guide display the show as being an hour long.
I still think the TiVo is the quickest, easiest to use DVR around.
rob friedman on February 29th, 2008 at 4:37 pm - Permalink
Also just to add in, TV networks and cable companies have nothing to loose with the disparity of consumer electronics being as bad as it is, eg Cable cards vs a cable company provided DVR.
If the DVR doesn’t function properly eg, skipping commercials and fast forwarding through boring parts of a show, the advertisers and networks based around the industry gain involuntary viewer ship further beating lame slogans into our heads.
rob friedman on February 29th, 2008 at 4:42 pm - Permalink
Comcast is full of it. The issue is that its DVR does not have a way to keep track of what has previously been captured, like TiVo does.
What this means is if your Comcast DVR records a new episode of The Wire, or Project Runway the first time it airs, and then you watch it and delete it from the hard drive, the Comcast DVR does not remember it recorded the episode already, and then records it the next time the episode appears in the program calendar.
I guarantee that for as long as you leave the “new” episode on the DVR, it won’t be recorded again. The second you delete it, you’ll get another copy recorded the next time it comes up on the program calendar.
With Bravo and VH1 and MTV in particular — networks that run the same episode a few times a week for a month after it airs — the DVR gets schizo and frustrates everyone!
It is infuriating!
Andrew S. on February 29th, 2008 at 4:44 pm - Permalink
Actually, the problem with TiVo isn’t as quite acute as some earlier commenters have said, at least with our setup (series 2 180GB dual-tuner). It’s gotten much better at picking out new airings of the Daily Show and Colbert, although it still barfs on some Mondays and whenever the shows go into repeats during regular airings (though not, oddly, during the writer’s strike reruns).
But the gripe about TiVo picking up every episode of the endless marathons on channels like Discovery and Bravo is spot-on. We ended up limiting the number of shows the TiVo would keep on these channels to five, which at least keeps the problem manageable.
David Hamilton on February 29th, 2008 at 4:49 pm - Permalink
I had MOXI back in the day… i’m going to see if TW still carries it… I loved that interface and I don’t recall having any issues recording shows.
kamRA on February 29th, 2008 at 5:35 pm - Permalink
These types of problems generally don’t exsist with Tivo. The only time I have come across this is with shows that are run as new and rerun the same day…possibly a few times…such as the mentioned above with CNBC…or in my case Larry King on CNN.
However, Tivo offers a qiuck fix to all of these kinds of issues. It just requires one to know the features and how to use them. I haven’t found Dish or Directv DVRs near as friendly and they don’t offer the “work arounds” that Tivo does. I have tried most DVRs out there and haven’t found any that compare to Tivo.
Bobby K on February 29th, 2008 at 7:13 pm - Permalink
I was going to write a long comment detailing my problems with my Comcast DVR, but decided this was all I needed to say.
AMEN
Paul on February 29th, 2008 at 8:56 pm - Permalink
The one common thread I think everyone is missing is that all the issues we are all having are the sole province of CABLE networks, not broadcast ones. Since cable networks repeat their shows upwards of 12 krillion times per day to fill the gaping 24-hour maw, the problem is more acute on the Bravos and Comedy Centrals of the world.
Coming from the cable industry, the Comcast explanation, while lame, is actually accurate. I have DirecTV and Tivo and I have to periodically check the “To Do” list to make sure that only the 11pm Eastern Daily Show gets recorded. It’s a flaw, but it will never get fixed because they have more important priorities. Like figuring out how to keep raising your rates for crappy channels.
Matthew Chamberlin on March 1st, 2008 at 10:11 am - Permalink
[...] Chris Albrecht asks, “Dear Comcast, Why Is My DVR So Dumb?” [...]
Comcast’s Mentally Challenged Technology | BY THE BAYOU on March 1st, 2008 at 1:17 pm - Permalink
I have a TiVo series 1 for analog channels and a Comcast DVR for digital. Plus it’s greater storage capacity. But on top of all the problems I have in common with other Comcast and TW posters here is:
When I go to “Scheduled Recordings” on the Comcast unit and tell it NOT to record a scheduled show, it records it anyway and deletes a stored show at the bottom of the storage pile I wanted to keep.
jnik on March 2nd, 2008 at 12:54 am - Permalink
The answer to your question is easy. They don’t care. DVRs are killing the existing model, even for Cable Companies who make a ton of cash selling advertising that they then play OVER THE TOP of time already sold to other advertisers.
Buy a TIVO, and send a REAL paper letter to your cable company, telling them that their business model will fail, eventually.
Micah Douglas on March 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 pm - Permalink
THE reason I switched to Dish Network, their DVR recordings are exactly as programmed. Still have the issue with late running sporting events running into recordable shows…
Jason on March 2nd, 2008 at 8:51 pm - Permalink
I have a Comcast box here in SoCal – even though it is now Time Warner.
I have the same problems as others have – multiple recordings, the box freezing up (mid ff – so annoying)…
I just moved so I am waiting to have my service hooked up…maybe I will get a newer cable box?
Bender on March 2nd, 2008 at 8:53 pm - Permalink
This is so true.
The comcast DVRs are WAY behind my first generation TiVo in pretty much every way.
A few more things for your list:
If you start a recording, then accidentally stop it, you can’t restart it again.
There is no way to skip ahead. You recorded 7 hours of tennis on USA and you want to skip ahead to the last match, it’s going to take you 20 minutes of FFing.
Lag… My parents is way worse than mine, but somehow all ours end up with this lag between clicking the buttons and anything happening. So you click FF… nothing happens… try it again, and again and again… nothing. 30 seconds later your 4 FF presses all hit at the same time and the thing zips forward while you frantically are hitting the play button to no avail.
FF?? Next time you are watching HD, try hitting the FF button and notice that the first spedd FF is actually the exact same speed as normal play, just choppy as if it were FF, but it isn’t.
These things suck.
Chris May on March 2nd, 2008 at 8:57 pm - Permalink
The DISH DVR rocks. Cable sucks anyway. Cnet rated the DISH DVR the best.
Dawson on March 2nd, 2008 at 8:59 pm - Permalink
Same here in MN with Mediacom. I get like 4 Daily Shows a day if I do a series recording of “only new episodes.” I’ve resorted to manually setting up the recordings for every day instead of a series recording.
chris on March 2nd, 2008 at 9:04 pm - Permalink
Hey Morons,
I don’t like comcast any more than you do but if you think ComCast either makes the DVR’s or the firmware they operate with… You should trade your DVRs for a more simple device like a VCR…
BTW they’re made by motorola…
Dustin on March 2nd, 2008 at 9:17 pm - Permalink
I have zero problems with my comcast dvr. no idea what your problem is.
whitney on March 2nd, 2008 at 9:22 pm - Permalink
My sister has Comcast (Sacramento, CA area). Their DVR sucks for this reason, as well as many others. I have Direct TV (San Francisco, CA) and do not experience any of the issues that Comcast users seem to have. Direct TV isn’t perfect, but it beats the heck out of Comcast, IMHO.
T Shane on March 2nd, 2008 at 9:28 pm - Permalink
The exact reason I’m likely going to drop Comcast — that and the ongoing problems with lag. I’m SO tired of spending time deleting episodes and the DVR ruining shows when it plays catch up and fast forwards beyond a critical point in a show (something I don’t want to see).
jason on March 2nd, 2008 at 9:40 pm - Permalink
Perhaps the problem is the fact that you actually watch Project Runway.
Project Sucks on March 2nd, 2008 at 9:43 pm - Permalink
Cable companies are lazy about updating their equipment. I’ve given up hoping for “cool” features or even a dvr that won’t record the same episode twice.
They broke my spirit by continuously playing advertisements about how they are “bringing us the future”. I just can’t take it anymore! Game over man….gamer over…
Kikuchiyosesa on March 2nd, 2008 at 9:44 pm - Permalink
[...] read more | digg story [...]
Universe_JDJ’s Blog » Dear Comcast, Why Is My DVR So Dumb? on March 2nd, 2008 at 10:34 pm - Permalink
I have a Dish DVR. and I love it. But with The Daily Show, it ends up wanting to record every episode shown on Monday, and whenever Jon Stuart takes a week off. I’ve just gotten used to going through the record list while looking for conflicts, and stop it from recording the extra shows.
Leon on March 2nd, 2008 at 10:38 pm - Permalink
IDIOTS!!!!!
The DVR bases its decision on whether or not a show is new or not on the description of each show. Look at the description. If it says “new” then the DVR will only record new but if there is no description at all it will decide to record all the shows instead of none. IMHO this is a good thing, if the network is too lazy to submit a description at least the DVR compensates by getting them all so you don’t miss the important episodes. Go further into the DVR options and you will see an option to only record the show at specific times. This feature is to correct for the “problem” you’re having. RTFM!!!!!!!!
super smart guy on March 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm - Permalink
Dish Network has the same problem but mostly with “The Daily Show” and “Colbert Report”. Hate it!!!
brie on March 3rd, 2008 at 12:04 am - Permalink
I have a Tivo and 2 comcast boxes. Tivo works perfectly (but mine isn’t HD), comcast sucks donkey. The biggest problem is that once your box fills up with a marathon whatever you didn’t really want, you have to press about 700 buttons to delete it all which takes about 15 minutes. Comcast licensed the Tivo interface, they just don’t have it rolled out but to one place yet.
james on March 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 am - Permalink
All I can say is my brand new Comcast DVR is the biggest piece of crap I’ve ever seen. After a couple of months of usage, I had to call Comcast tech support because it filled up even though all of my recordings use the option for “Save Until Space Needed”! There was another time when I stopped getting basic cable stations like MTV and CNN. In order to “fix” the problems, their only solution was to “send a signal” to my box which pretty much erased all of my recorded shows and my recording options. Worst of all – I cannot tell it to record shows with the word “debate” in them. I’m therefore forced to download the presidential debates over Bit Torrent. Comcast is a great example of what happens when you’re a virtual monopoly … you’re services and products are terrible.
Jon on March 3rd, 2008 at 1:12 am - Permalink
[...] loop, clogging my DVR and requiring constant deleting. So what does Comcast say… wellread more | digg [...]
Jonathon Zone » Blog Archive » Dear Comcast, Why Is My DVR So Dumb? on March 3rd, 2008 at 2:09 am - Permalink
I just moved to a new city where Comcast is the main option available and have been having all the exact same issues with my DVR. I think it definitely has to do with Comcast knowing people have very few other options, so why bother with things like customer service or upgrades?
I was with a much smaller cable company in my last city (I think they are only in parts of Florida and maybe a few other states?) and their DVR was MILES ahead of this new Comcast one and I had that DVR for 4 years! When a 4 year old DVR is better than a NEW Comcast one that’s something right there. I NEVER had issues with it taping reruns. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but I think I’ve noticed more bugs in one month using the Comcast DVR than in 4 years of using my old one.
Emily on March 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 am - Permalink
It’s the same thing with the DirecTV DVR units. They don’t differentiate well, and pretty much any show I “series” record grabs every single episode regardless of airing. Like others I finally gave up and just set a scheduled recording.
Also, related but not so much is the lag these units seem to get. Deleting shows is also horribly painful.
Charlie on March 3rd, 2008 at 4:59 am - Permalink
You can get Tivo from Comcast now
http://www.comcast.com/tivo/
There is an extra $3 pm charge.
Dave on March 3rd, 2008 at 5:12 am - Permalink
The Comcast in the Puget Sound area used to have a different DVR box run on Microsoft software as recently as one year ago. It ended up being pretty buggy (surprise) but one thing that it offered that Comcast’s does not was the ability to say, “Only record shows at this time.”
That’s what I’d really like for shows like “The Daily Show.” They’re on 4 times a day, but I can guarantee that they’re repeats. I really, truly, only want one a day.
It’s interesting to read that a fix went through the last week of February, because I have noticed a new behavior. Now, instead of recording four episodes a day, it records… 1 – 3. The number depends on complex star alignments, and may change suddenly when a recording that wasn’t on my “Upcoming Recordings” list springs to life at the last second.
I desperately want to change to TiVo.
Sam on March 3rd, 2008 at 6:00 am - Permalink
This article is great. It captures all the frustrations I’ve had with the Comcast DVR since I signed up a year ago.
I think it’s just shitty software programming myself. Their developers shoud be ashamed at the quality of their product. I can think of so many ways that I would program the DVR to record that does not include the original airdate or looking for the word “Repeat”…or “New”.
I had Dish Netword DVR before this and it was a such a dream. It was 10 times better than the Comcast DVR. I also have a TiVo and it is better than both Dish and Comcast.
I would think if part of the problem is the company that provides your database info then you would look to either change or improve the service. sigh…I guess that’s just Comcast being Comcast…it’s one of the perks of being a monopoly.
Beantown Comcastomer on March 3rd, 2008 at 6:08 am - Permalink
I work for a independent cable TV company delivering IPTV service. We use Tribune for our EPG data. We have deployed our own variety of DVR’s to our customers and have not run into these issues. So far I am pleased with the reliability of Tribunes data.
Swiftfeet on March 3rd, 2008 at 6:22 am - Permalink
Daily Show and Colbert are huge offenders, on ANY DVR. Jon Stewart has actually apologized a few times on the air about their lack of good guide data. The ONLY way Ive seen to know if Daily Show is new is that the info about the show goes from “A humorous slant….” to “comedy, news, interview”, or something like that. The repeat/not repeat flag is not correct in ANY of the guide data providers.
My DirecTV DVRs are getting almost as good as my Tivo at the first showing thing. Obviously its a lot better than the Comcast one. I think its more a matter of how willing Comcast is to help fix it. I know DirecTV is going to great lengths to work on their DVR, doesnt look like Comcast is joining that sentiment. Same goes for the only cable co. I could use around me (Optimum)….their DVRs need a LOT of improvement. They’ve been out for several years now, but still remain buggy.
ChrisH on March 3rd, 2008 at 6:36 am - Permalink
I have Time Warner in the Greensboro, NC market. My biggest problem is I will set my DVR to record a show and tell it to record every episode of something but only save 5 episodes. And it will save like every single episode. Last week I was skimming through my DVR looking for something to watch and noticed that one show that I set to record every episode but only save 5 had 27 episodes recorded. Good thing it was only a 30 minute show.
Michael Bennett on March 3rd, 2008 at 6:45 am - Permalink
its not comcast but the listing provider TV GUIDE
epic on March 3rd, 2008 at 6:59 am - Permalink
Not to defend Comcast here or anything (I hate them more than most people), but from your screen captures it could be that your DVR still has the old data. If the fix was only rolled out on the 21st, as you said, then your recording on the 27th may be because your device was still working from an old update. Not sure how Comcrap’s DVR operates but my Tivo generally holds about a week’s worth of IPG data until it updates so maybe your unit hasn’t gotten the fix yet. Just sayin.
screwcomcast on March 3rd, 2008 at 7:18 am - Permalink
[...] Anyone who has Comcast DVR knows that its automated recording program sucks, often recording dozens of repeat episodes, instead of only picking up new ones. Comcast addresses the issue – Newteevee [...]
Comcast Exlains why thier DVR Sucks | ZapNat on March 3rd, 2008 at 7:58 am - Permalink
Hate to defend Comcast as well, but honestly: Learn how to use the equipment before you complain about the company that provides it. “New” means “Marked NEW and in the SAME timeslot”. Anything other showing in an alternate timeslot (Daily Show, for example) or by another network is still going to be marked NEW for THAT TIMESLOT… If you want a time-slot recording, don’t pick series recording and then complain that the cable company sucks… that’s ignorant.
Also “lag” is unavoidable when sending real-time commands over the internet. The crappier your lines, the more people using those services in your area at the same time, etc, the more you’ll notice the lag. And this is not Comcast’s fault more often than you’d probably realize, especially in a newer neighborhood (CC sub-contractors do suck).
You all had the same chance I did to look at the available options and see what works best for you. If you chose a Comcast DVR and are unhappy with it, either learn to use it to your liking, or get rid of it. THERE’S NO CONTRACT. Whining just makes you look like a loser.
dut on March 3rd, 2008 at 8:09 am - Permalink
Anyone who defends the Comcast DVR is either a) retarded or b) lacks complete common sense. I had a tivo for many years and never had any of these scheduling issues. Also software updates on tivo are intelligent. That garbage Comcast box would reboot on the spot for new firmware, even if you are recording something. What’s that? Ghost hunters live halloween episode is recording? TOO BAD! NEW FIRMWARE TRAIN, COMING THROUGH! WOOOOWOOOOOO!
Bottom line, it’s garbage. I switch to DirecTV because that box is so f-king awful.
Stunod7 on March 3rd, 2008 at 8:32 am - Permalink
Well maybe it doesn’t want to record crappy reality television. Maybe it is telling you to go outside or read a book?
adam on March 3rd, 2008 at 8:32 am - Permalink
The TiVo upgrade from Comcast fixes these issues. I upgraded as soon as it was available in my area, and it’s a huge improvement over the existing DVR software.
Jay on March 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 am - Permalink
[...] Dear Comcast, Why Is My DVR So Dumb? « NewTeeVee At the risk of sounding like an infomercial…”Has this ever happened to you?” You set your Comcast DVR to record only new episodes of your favorite TV series, but it winds up recording every…single…showing, including all repeats? [...]
Trip Hop Clan » Blog Archive » Why TiVo stands out against all the other DVRs on March 3rd, 2008 at 11:33 am - Permalink
I have Time Warner DVR NYC and am not experiencing this problem, which is interesting. Plus I also record Project Runway new episodes only no problem. Didn’t know how grateful I should be for what I got!
Now if only DVR could account for delays for sporting events….
assortedg on March 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm - Permalink
The DVR is the lowermost, stupid face on the totem pole of problems with Comcast.
Ian on March 3rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm - Permalink
To Chris “Hey morons”…
Wring.
The DVR hardware and software are commissioned by Comcast. The manufactures make the product to the specifications (and budget) provided by Comcast.
The manufacturers have no interest in the consumer experience. We are not their customer: Comcast is.
The DVR sucks because Comcast to too stupid/incompetent/cheap to request a product that works well.
It's their business model on March 3rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm - Permalink
Dude, get a TiVo. My first DVR was a ReplayTV – which was good for analog cable.
Then I got digital cable. The digital cable box did not like the Replay IR blaster – neither I nor Replay support could get it working. It consistently missed signals no matter what we tried. The digital cable box had a serial port, but Replay would not talk to it.
The TiVo series 2, on the other hand, would talk to the digital cable box via serial. Exit ReplayTV really really quickly.
My TiVo has yet to miss an episode without warning me. Only on occasion – and apparently only with Top Gear on BBC America and Good Eats on Food TV Network – has it recorded an old episode.
Plus, let’s say a movie comes up and I’ve already recorded it and moved it to my home server (I’m on the TiVo American Film Institute’s top 100 list).
I periodically take a few minutes out of my week, go through the TiVo To Do List, and clear out the movies I don’t want to record. The To Do List usually goes out about 12 to 14 days.
I highly recommend getting a TiVo for these reasons and more. It’s not a perfect device, but it’s doing a great job.
Philip Schlesinger on March 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm - Permalink
the reason the dvr is taping repeats is because the guide on that dvr is showing repeats as new in the information of the show.
bob smith on March 3rd, 2008 at 4:42 pm - Permalink
I have never, EVER, had a problem with my TiVo
Kevin Zaker on March 3rd, 2008 at 5:09 pm - Permalink
Ah yes, I have the exact same problem with stupid Comcast’s DVR functionality.
They suck.
Josh on March 3rd, 2008 at 7:58 pm - Permalink
tivo, dude, the first and the best, holla
peter on March 4th, 2008 at 4:09 pm - Permalink
Hi,
I recently talekd with an executive from Comcast on a personal level. I explianed the issues I was having with my Comcast box, which I never have with my Tivo box.
He honestly told me that it was the switch from Tribune Media Services Data to TV Guide Listings data. In the past, TV Guide did not resell their data, but now, they are practically giving it away to gain market share.
Unfortunately their database is geared towards their print guides and not set-top or digital devices.
Everyone here, should complain to TV Guide – not Comcast and tell them to get their data act together…
BDC on March 5th, 2008 at 7:47 pm - Permalink
The Daily Show and The Colbert Report does this way too much. I stopped recording them and just download them from illegally.
Bobby on March 6th, 2008 at 11:34 am - Permalink
I just got a TiVO HD, running it side by side with my Comcast DVR. Both have problems with repeats albeit sometimes with different shows, But the TiVo has a really bad way to deal with successive recordings, record one from 5:00-6:00 and another from 6:00 to 7:00. If you are watching live TV at 6:00 it will change channels on you and you have to switch to the other tuner to watch live TV. This is because they have a “feature” to record an extra minute in case a show runs over. I found this so annoying I am returning the TiVo! I guess I am stuck with this dreadful comcast DVR. Sucks.
baba on March 7th, 2008 at 10:12 am - Permalink
DirecTV works great. Has NFL Sunday Ticket too. :-)
Mad Hatter on March 10th, 2008 at 1:11 pm - Permalink
I have the Comcast DVR and one problem I’ve had is that if if there three shows that are scheduled at the same time (my local news repeats at 1:30am but isn’t listed as a repeat ) the DVR will of course cancel one recording. If I go to cancel the second recording (many times also a repeat that I don’t want), it will start to record the originally canceled third recording. If I cancel that recording it automatically toggles back to the first show I canceled. If I’m trying to watch live TV it wont let me because both tuners are trying to record a show even though I only want to record one show. I’ve actually gone back and forth several times trying keep the second show from recording but it just keeps switching to the previously canceled show. Eventually, it seems the DVR figures out that I only want to record one show but it is one giant P.I.T. A.
Chris Mas on March 13th, 2008 at 9:50 am - Permalink
As someone who was an early adopter of Comcast DVR’s, I too had the same complaint. While the DVR’s are revolutionary in theory, Comcast’s sucked!
I never quite realized how bad they were until I switched from Comcast to Dish Network and got set up with a 722 DVR from them. I was blown away from the differences between the two. It is so much better in every regard.
Darth Tater on March 13th, 2008 at 1:08 pm - Permalink
[...] Guide: Our Data is Good Last month, I lamented that my Comcast DVR was dumb because it repeatedly recorded the same episodes of shows that I liked. Comcast said the problem [...]
Gemstar-TV Guide: Our Data is Good « NewTeeVee on March 14th, 2008 at 7:52 am - Permalink
First to the guy who is calling everyone morons, please do your research next time before opening your big mouth.
You are right that Comcast doesn’t manufacture the physical cable box, but they DO make the guide AND the firmware. They also get their cable boxes through a bidding process and as such know exactly what they are giving you.
Now lets get to the firmware and guide. It was designed by TV Guide in conjunction with Comcast and a few other cable companies. However the Comcast one is slightly different from other cable companies’ I-Guides. Now, the “firmware” and the I-Guide are actually one in the same. You see the Motorola boxes come from the factory with Motorola’s custom software, which is actually quite amazing and I wish comcast used it. However, Comcast overrides this data with their own effectively gimping the cable boxes.
I have a DCH3416 which is pretty much a top of the line cable box with a whole host of amazing features including the ability to be a media server for PCs. All of this works great with Motorola’s stock guide but to get Comcast digital cable on these boxes you need to use their special card. This Cable Card overrides everything on the box and essentially turns it into a 10 year old POS digital cable box. So all the technology is completely wasted.
Dan on April 29th, 2008 at 8:21 pm - Permalink
There may be good news for us Comcast digital cable customers! A few months ago they rolled out the result of their partnership with TiVO in New England. It’s Comcast Cable but it uses a TiVO guide and DVR instead of the crappy i-guide! If it’s successful they may roll it out in more regions nationwide. I live in Philly, Comcast’s headquarters so I am hoping I will be one of the first people in the next roll out.
I don’t hate Comcast the company as so many people seem to do, I have never had a problem with them. However I do hate their I-Guide. It’s HORRIBLE, the DVR part isn’t so bad I really don’t mind it, it’s the rest of it. The horrible lag between button presses, the freezing in fast forward or rewind and having to end up spending 15 minutes to fast forward through one commercial.
The fact that the I-Guide ignores pretty much every single feature on modern cable boxes drives me nuts. I have a top of the line Motorola box that has every feature under the sun, including the ability to attach external HDDs to expand your DVR space. Do ANY of these amazing features work with Comcast? Of course not! I don’t get why they keep buying more modern boxes anyway when they all run the same 10 year old software. The lag issues do NOT come from the hardware they come from the piss poor programing of the I-Guide and the fact that the I-Guide was not designed to run all of the features that were duct taped on to it. It’s an inefficient piece of garbage and if Comcast doesn’t change it soon I may have to think about going to Satellite or ditching my cable box for a TiVO box with a cablecard.
Laz on April 29th, 2008 at 8:29 pm - Permalink
[...] DVR: Still Dumb But Doing Better A few months back I complained that my Comcast DVR was dumb as it didn’t understand the difference between new and repeat episodes for some shows, which [...]
Comcast’s DVR: Still Dumb But Doing Better « NewTeeVee on May 17th, 2008 at 12:40 am - Permalink
[...] cable. It’s all right there at literally the touch of a button. It always works (well, almost always), I have a DVR built-in and on-demand movies to rent. All the channels I want are available, and [...]
Why I Can’t Break Up With Cable « NewTeeVee on May 27th, 2008 at 6:43 am - Permalink
Just don’t ask Comcast Support about this. I ask tonight and they acted like they never heard of this problem and that I was too stupid to program a dumb dvr. The support sucks :P
john on May 30th, 2008 at 9:48 pm - Permalink
[...] The only saving grace? Knowing Comcast, if it does introduce these new devices — they’ll probably suck. [...]
Potent Portables: Comcast Going Beyond Boxes? « NewTeeVee on June 6th, 2008 at 6:08 pm - Permalink
The problem is not the DVR – it’s the guide. TV Guide’s guide just plain SUCKS. It’s incorrect about 5% of the time (shows information for the incorrect show), can’t tell new from reruns, misses season premieres and more.
My old TIVO NEVER did that!
Why did I dump my TIVO. Well, the Comcast DVR can record two shows at one time and has a lote more storage. Plus it’s $10 a month. The TIVO was around the same price, plus you had to buy the darn thing – and they are POORLY mads. I had them for five years, and they never lasted more than a year. 90 day warranty.
Rick on July 22nd, 2008 at 4:18 am - Permalink
I just moved from a COX area to COMCAST. The hardware is identical, but the COMCAST menus are the worst. I have TiVO as well, but it’s old-school and only records one show at a time. COMCAST needs to check out the competition and reverse engineer their menus and options.
Elizabeth on August 2nd, 2008 at 6:10 pm - Permalink
I just moved from Rhode Island to Massachusttes and got Comcast. The DVR box is a nightmare. It is so slow and when you set a series recording to 1 episode and only new episodes and keeps recording the same show over and over once you you have watched your show and deleted it. You record a show thats on a 1st run monday night watch it tuesday morning then delete it after you watch it just records same show again next time its on. I had COX Cable in RI and their DVR box was awesome quick and only recorded a new episode 1 time if you tell it to, not like Comcast where it recods same episode time and time again until the week is over. Comcast sucks they need to wake up a get some new technology. Once Verizon Fios hits all of Massachusetts Comcast will be in trouble.
Scott on August 19th, 2008 at 7:00 am - Permalink
For Comcast HD/DVR… this is not a solution, but will leave you a little less frustrated. Once the program is recorded, watch it and then just leave it in there (don’t delete) until the next week’s episode records. As long as it is in your recorded programs, it will not record any duplicate episodes. You’ll still be taking up space with an episode, but at least it won’t be recording it over and over again.
Yve1919 on August 22nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm - Permalink
Must be nice to even have DVR with that option. I’m not allowed to have the nice Motorola DVR by comcast, only the shitty Scientific Atlanta one. The guide doesn’t even mention if a show is new or a repeat, let alone the DVR figuring it out.
Jason w on August 23rd, 2008 at 12:21 pm - Permalink
I recently got a Comcast digital DVR. While it’s nice to have HD recording… I have the same problems you outlined and this INSANE LAG. It seems random… doesn’t matter if the drive is full or nearly empty. I’m tempted to buy a Tivo since my old one doesn’t do HD.
Lance A. on August 29th, 2008 at 12:54 am - Permalink
TWC’s DVR does not let you record specific air times of shows, i.,e, daily at 8 PM. Just new or repeat only so I get Nancy Grace on Headline News 3 times a night. I set it up to keep only 3 shows but still have to constantly delete the repeats. I have an Scientific Atlanta 8300 box. I had it replaced the other day because the box was unable to properly record HD although this is my 3rd box so I think it is wiring related not box related. Anyway, with my old box I could narrow down to 8 pm only of a series recording to get around this repeat problem (or whenever I new for certain when the new show aired.) My new box does not have the air time recording feature for series like my old box, both were 8300 series. I am so frustrated. Is UVerse any better with all this dvr stuff? Some people have told me that Uverse does not even have the little thing that tells you what % your hard drive is full and that it does not let select whether to keep 3, 5, 7 shows, etc. on a series recording so you have to wait until box is full or just constantly delete individual shows. As much as I hate TW’s DVR, if UVerse does not have the same features, at least, then I am not switching yet. I want UVerse to have the same features of TWC’s Dvr plus more hopefully but if it has fewer then that I am staying with TWC for now. I just want to basically set up my series recordings and forget about it. I want to not have multiple recordings of daily cable shows in my dvr list, I want to know my % of being full, I want to easily delete individual shows, I want to set up a series recording to record 30 minutes past on shows that follow sports games that always run long, etc. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Leslie on September 2nd, 2008 at 1:58 pm - Permalink
Just to add, my guide is from TV Guide that has partnered with TWC. This guide is often wrong especially with Bravo channel & Project Runway. Often gives synopsis for next week’s show on current show. Shows mid-afternoon repeat as the New show that is actually scheduled later this week, etc. Horrible! For some reason, Bravo has the most inaccurate show descriptions. Always is mixing up last week or next week show with current/new one. This happened a lot with show info. being wrong on another Bravo Show with Life on the D list. Always was 1 week behind on the show description. Would always show last week or next week’s description for the current week. They never did get it right the whole season.
Leslie on September 2nd, 2008 at 2:06 pm - Permalink
[...] a fair amount of non-work related youtube, a need to brush up on my Perl skills, a largely empty DVR, and boredom. Oh the [...]
Web 4.0 Beta » 2 + 2 = 5 on September 5th, 2008 at 9:15 am - Permalink
[...] Backing up a previous study from NDS, LRG found that people really like their DVRs, with 87 percent saying they’d recommend their DVR service to a friend (they must not be Comcast subscribers). [...]
Study: DVRs in 27 Percent of TV Homes « NewTeeVee on September 15th, 2008 at 2:01 pm - Permalink
So have this issue been solved? Im actually happy that i found this blog, I’ve been suffering with exactly the same issue for past two years thinking that I am an idiot who cant figure this out
architectural renderings on October 4th, 2008 at 8:42 am - Permalink
I don’t think the issue has been resolved! I just got Comcast today, and have been pulling my meager amounts of hair out over this redundant recording thing. I took great care to select the New program option, and can see clearly that most programs have New indicated in the listing (when they’re new). Yet the box is recording all episodes, as reported above.
I called Comcast to get “technical support”, and was told that the DVRs were “picky”. Jeez.
I dropped WOW cable (Wide Open West) to get Comcast because the prices were lower, and they offer MANY more HD channels. Guess what? WOW’s DVR did not have this problem. They appeared to go strictly by the “New” indicator in the TV listings, which does mean they messed up sometimes (like last week, the Daily Show was on the air with unscheduled new episodes, so I missed them, because they weren’t flagged as New). But generally WOW would only record programs as specified.
I think this is a deal-breaker, and I’ll probably go back to WOW. At least I have a choice.
William Asher on October 21st, 2008 at 7:56 pm - Permalink
i just switched from Directv to Comcast, entirely because I wanted faster internet access than the DSL that I had, and so was able to save $ by having a bundle including internet and cable. But the difference between the TiVo service I had with DirecTv and Comcast’s DVR is NIGHT and DAY. And the most irritating aspect of Comcast’s DVR is that it records every single episode of the Daily Show and Colbert Report and several other shows, even though I indicate “record new shows only.” It’s obviously not impossible, because TiVO never, ever recorded repeats when it wasn’t supposed to — and I had TiVO for 5 years. Is Comcast listening? Is there any hope? Otherwise when my year contract runs out I’m definitely “un”bundling and going back to a system that will allow me to use TiVo.
steven on November 10th, 2008 at 7:39 am - Permalink
I too moved from RI to MA where I had to switch from Cox to Comcast. It is terrible. Cox had one of the best DVRs I’ve seen so this was a major disappointment. My favorite part was when Comcast sent me a letter telling me they were raising the monthly fee for the DVR because they offered such superior quality. Ha! This latest upgrade they did finally improved the search function but the recording of multiple eps or not having a description for shows is worse than ever. That never happened with Cox. Other than the lag, my other gripe is that if two shows are recording at the same time and you determine they are repeats and decide you don’t want to record either – it won’t let you cancel both of them. Huh?
I pray that FIOS comes to Boston soon.
A Smith on December 4th, 2008 at 3:28 pm - Permalink
Just moved from Dish to Comcast because the bundled price with Internet was enticing but sure wish I had seen the comments posted here first. In summary, my experience:
* Box is unresponsive – hit ff then stop and you never know when it will stop.
* Sometime it doesn’t record (it will show the ‘record’ icon with slash) but you can’t tell why – (duplicate, old episode?). This was a nice feature on the Dish system.
* Doesn’t show episode number on recorded episodes (or on Comcast guide). If you have recorded lots of episodes and want to watch them in the order they were initially broadcast there is no way to do that.
* If you start to watch a program then stop and delete it – it takes you all the way out of the DVR menu rather than back where you were.
* Not enough disk space/memory with HD.
* Haven’t had the experience of losing power and recordings yet – guess if I keep this should have a backup power supply.
All are features on the Dish network DVR. Interesting that the Comcast system appears to me to be the same one as described from the Nov 2006 comments. So what happened to the ‘new, improved’ DVR?
Marty on December 14th, 2008 at 9:46 pm - Permalink
I have the same issue, but what I have noticed in the shows description is that they do not indicate if the show is a repeat or “new”. I thinking since it is not descriped as new or repeat it records. due to not enough facts being sent by airing network such as TNT
Al on January 8th, 2009 at 3:21 am - Permalink
I swapped from DISH due to the price and due to DISH not having a local HD channel because of a stupid contract dispute. The DVR from Dish is light years better and I never had an issue with it not figuring out if a show was a repeat or not even on TNT. The Closer and now Leverage were always recorded properly with no repeats. And on top of that the no 30 sec skip ahead or 10 sec skip behind button is really annoying.
LWT on January 22nd, 2009 at 6:05 am - Permalink
I’m in the same boat as LWT — in the Seattle market Dish and the ABC affiliate, KOMO Channel 4, got into a pissing contest and since I couldn’t live without ABC (I mean am I gonna stop watching Lost? I don’t think so…), I was forced to switch back to Comcast. The reason I left them over a year ago was because of the stupid-ass new software on the Comcast box — they in turn had gotten into their own pissing contest with Microsoft and lost the rights to the old software. Before that happened, we didn’t have the issues with recording every episode (the Daily Show being a prime example: you could set the recorder to record it once only at 1:30 AM and NOT get all five or six or whatever episodes recorded every day) — and since Comcast was unable — NO, UNWILLING — to make the necessary changes I left them in the dust and went with Dish. And it’s so needless, since it’s a fairly simple programming fix to make the box more responsive to customer needs.
I’m looking forward to going back to Dish once they resolve their issues. The Dish DVR was, in every conceivable way, superior to the Comcast DVR.
Farnsworth on January 29th, 2009 at 5:06 pm - Permalink
I have two homes and have used Comcast, DirecTV, TiVo and DISH extensively. Here is my experience:
TiVo has most features and can easily be programmed to get “new” shows. No other service monitors what I watch and records other suggested programs that are on similar subjects. Also, TiVo has an advanced Wish List feature that allows me to program it to record shows by actor, director, theme, name, etc. Once this is set, it will record that show at any point in the future. In other words it is NOT restricted to the next 2-3 weeks as DirecTV and Comcast are. Also, for me TiVo has a far superior user interface.
For me DISH is second best by a wide margin. I can record new programs with 100% accuracy and it has a limited but effective Wish List-type ability.
Let give just one example of TiVo & DISH’s superiority in program selection. I can record all upcoming film noirs from the 1940’s at any point in the future by selecting movies/mystery or drama/key word 194* (TiVo) or 194 (DISH).
For those who don’t want to buy TiVo, here are the DISH advantages:
The new 722 DVR can record 350 hours of standard or 150 hours of HD. I never have to worry about new shows knocking off older recordings because of this tremendous volume. It allows me to record more episodes of each particular show and to record far more HD sports.
This best of class DVR also allows second room viewing of all 350 hours WITHOUT a second DVR in the second room. I never have to program a second set of shows for the bedroom TV. This service does not work if the 2nd TV is HD. The remote for the 2nd set contacts the 722 in the living room through the walls.
The last time that I looked, to duplicate this on a TiVo would have cost me an extra $1000+. DISH provides the 722 FREE.
DISH allows a one-click 30-second advance. I can’t overestimate how nice that is. I keep tapping the button and stop immediately when the show begins (after one minute of commercials or two minutes or three minutes, etc.). Some who use this feel that this feature alone is worth moving to DISH.
DISH does not have the Comcast lag. I push buttons at the same speed on my DISH remote without the frustrating and primitive lag, then spurt, etc.
DISH defines new as meaning that the program must show that the original air date listing is the same as today’s date OR has no date (most shows have the original air date listed). A program that has an original air date of yesterday is not be recorded today as a New program on my receiver. It not only matters how “new” is defined but also does the customer know with certainty what the definition is. Few Comcast users know either.
DISH does lack the buffer that allows me to record an entire show after turning on my TV is the middle of the show. With DISH, that only works if no other show was being recorded on that set during the first part of the show.
As stated earlier, DISH allows me to record, for example, a movie or all movies staring John Wayne WHENEVER they come on in the future and many more future options. Neither DirecTV nor Comcast can do this. For me, that makes both non-starters.
DISH allows me to toggle a list of all upcoming programs so that I can see what will be recorded or that plus those skipped and the reason they are skipped: duplicate, not new, etc. It then allows me to “restore” a skipped show. Everything is transparent, not unknown and hidden.
All sporting events have an automatic one hour later recording end time.
DISH offers a Themes & Search function while allows me to search, for example, by movies & western & title (exact title or some title words in case I can’t remember the exact title) or, instead of title, I can use key words and instruct the search to look at the title AND all text in the info section (which is substantially more than the pitiful Comcast effort). For example, a search for “Hour of” or “the Gun”or “Jason Robards” or “formed a posse” will all find the movie “Hour of the Gun” and it will find this movie if the movie doesn’t show up for six months. I could also record all future sports/football/USC games.
DISH provides more options when setting up a series recording and will give immediate feedback when I change the priority of a recording (Comcast does not do that). For example, when changing the priority of a series, it gives immediate feedback on the effect this will have and gives me more options as to how I want to handle conflicts. Comcasts user interface in this example is primitive and limited.
DISH’s user interface is much superior to Comcast and is easier to navigate in my opinion. The Comcast Series Priority lising is a good example. It only shows four at a time and the navigational controls are again primitive.
There are many more examples of DISH’s superiority to DirecTV and Comcast. Just as there are many examples of TiVo’s overall superiority. On a scale of 1-10, here is how I rate them from my experinece (assuming we use TiVo as the Gold Standard):
10 TiVo
7 DISH
3 DirecTV
1 Comcast
One man’s opinion.
RoyofSF on February 12th, 2009 at 4:38 am - Permalink
Correction: 350 hours standard recording and 55 hours of HD (not 150).
RoyofSF on February 12th, 2009 at 4:51 am - Permalink
This month’s Comcast DVR issue (in addition to EVERY single one that you all mention above) is random reminders popping up for shows/movies that I did not set and that have I absolutely ZERO interest in watching. Are they trying to make recommendations on shows that could be of interest to me? If yes, they got that all wrong too! Of course, they know nothing about this “problem” (I could actually hear the CS person do the finger quotes when he dismissed me and my “problem”). Arghhh!!!!
The problem really became an issue when I wanted to set a reminder and I got a msg saying I had too many reminders set up – please delete some. Ok, it would be great to have a screen I could go to to see all of these reminders – especially since I am maxed out b/c of the random reminders they are pushing out to my DVR!
WTF!?
Also, my DVR telling me I am at 100% and nothing else records. I delete a 30 minute show not recorded in HD and it drops to 39%…
Again, WTF!?
GLfr on April 19th, 2009 at 4:54 pm - Permalink
I have never used tivo, and frankly I have not found it difficult to adapt to the… ah… idiosyncrasies of the Comcast DVR.
However, recently I have developed a problem that a bit of tinkering will not solve: I have a recording that will not delete! When I try to delete it the screen just freezes a little bit and it will still be there.
Shoot.
ABitOfATVAddict on April 28th, 2009 at 6:39 pm - Permalink
Luckily your blog comes up #1 when I Googled dvr new repeat. For the DTV transition, I just switched from my analog cable box to digital dvr with Time Warner in So Cal. I felt like such a dinosaur using a VCR since everyone seems to have DVR nowadays. Of course, everyone I know has a different provider, so no horror stories like these of Comcast/Time Warner. I’d return this crappy Motorola DCH3416 and go back to VCR if the DTV transition wasn’t happening. No worries about VCRs becoming obsolete, I have enough to last a lifetime since everyone who went DVR gave me their VCRs.
First off, it sucks that the only thing customer service knows is to tell you to reboot the box, i.e. unplug it. Then it takes 4 hrs. for all the TV Guide info to reload. I’ve had to do this now 3 times in 1 week!
For anybody who wants 30 sec skip/15 sec back, you can program this into various remotes, mainly if it’s a Universal Electronics:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote
I already have a Back “Replay” button next to the Play Button, but I also programmed it into the B button located under the Navigation Arrow keys. Then next to B, I programmed the C button with 30-sec skip. You can reprogram any dead button not in use, so I chose 2 next to each other, centered and easy to find by thumb.
Now the dreaded “new only” series programming recording all episodes. After the initial boot and authorization, I programmed by day/time/weekly since the friggin’ TV Guide had not loaded. After the 1st night of recording, the box needed a reboot since it was not receiving channels. 5 days later, the box seems to work fine, so I decide to go with series recording since day/time/weekly does not file by the TV show name, rendering useless that sort option in the menu. I delete all the day/time/weekly entries and go with series – then check the future recording schedule and find the problem with repeats. I had a feeling I should Google the problem, but instead called customer service, who again told me to reboot – ughh. So here I am, LOL.
Note: the problem really does not hinge on network vs. cable channel. Why? Because networks don’t tend to repeat shows like cable (this is the reason why we tend to prioritize network shows over cable). The only times I see networks repeat shows is on Saturday nights where it’s common to see CBS rerun Criminal Minds, NBC rerun Law and Order, and ABC rerun Castle.
Indeed, the problem lies with Comcast/Time Warner using the inferior Gemstar-TV Guide which lacks the original airdate which Zap2it-Tribune Media includes. Michael Wexler correctly notes that unique production numbers should be used:
http://newteevee.com/2008/02/29/dear-comcast-why-is-my-dvr-so-dumb/#comment-232857
I’m sure the reason why this isn’t happening is because then the studios have to provide this info, bringing yet another party into the mix of the mess.
So, customer service “pretended” to not know of this problem, and said if the reboot doesn’t work, I’ll need to go to the Time Warner office to switch boxes. Yeah, and they’ll tell me to call customer service. Looks like I’m stuck with this box for a little while since I get a discount for cable/internet, and don’t really want a standup dish sitting on the balcony of my apt.
Oh, and one other note: the Motorola boxes have a spec menu. With power to TV on and DVR box off, hit menu. It shows the software and firmware version installed. References to upgrades and bug fixes here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Firmware_and_Software
Turns out my DVR’s versions are 2-3 yrs old. Unlike my Philips DVD player which allows firmware downloads via their website and user installs via CD-R, according to one poster at avsforum, Motorola DVR firmware cannot be upgraded by the user, only the cable company.
Customer service said they don’t have the capability to upgrade over the line, but that Time Warner offices should be able to service. I’m not holding my breath since the rep who signed out my box said she had no technical knowledge and to call customer service. But at least I’ll ask them before disconnecting the box and bringing it in, which would require another 4 hr wait for the useless TV Guide to load, LOL.
Something is definitely wrong when the inferior VCR technology is more reliable. Adam posted that maybe the DVRs are telling us to get outside or read a book. He might be on to something there.
visitor on May 4th, 2009 at 6:21 am - Permalink
I have same problem with comcast and gave up to record.
Max on May 12th, 2009 at 5:38 pm - Permalink
I love Dish and can’t live without my DVR.
I pre record everything and watch commercial free later.
Paul Parker on June 27th, 2009 at 8:52 pm - Permalink