"info" on programs - confusing.

[Jimbo]

Isn't zap2it owned or maintained by Tribune?

I don't know ....but I would think Not, seeing they do the same thing is some aspects would make them competitors.

edit:
After looking into it a bit, Zap2it is related to the Tribune.

Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, along with local television listings and movie showtimes for areas of the United States and Canada. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services (TMS), part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company. Zap2it affiliates include Cox, Dish Network, Disney, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

I notice DISH is listed, but Not D*.

I find this interesting as the Trib has always been mentioned as supplying data for D* ... maybe not.

 

[Aliens]

I just finished speaking with Tribune Media Services, and they service both D* and E*. They also send the same data to each provider. According to him, DirecTV does change some of the data that is sent to them. He took note of the local programming issue I have been posting about and said he would email me. He is going to pass this along to the person who deals directly with the guide and will see what they can do. We did discuss the importance of the first air date. Fingers crossed, but it does look like, as I thought, it is on the DirecTV end. I may need to call them.

 

[SpencerCat]

Thanks, Aliens.

Aliens, thanks for following through on this.

Since DTV and Dish receive the same information, and Dish displays the episode number and DTV doesn't, perhaps you could ask that DTV also display the episode number in the base program information, so that we don't have to drill down to the original air date when trying to determine the sequence of a large number of episodes of the same program .

 

[Jimbo]

Aliens, thanks for following through on this.

Since DTV and Dish receive the same information, and Dish displays the episode number and DTV doesn't, perhaps you could ask that DTV also display the episode number in the base program information, so that we don't have to drill down to the original air date when trying to determine the sequence of a large number of episodes of the same program .

Good idea .....
Eposode numbers would be the helpful, not sure why they aren't dons that way all the time.

That said, I dont find hitting a select button one more time for 1st aired date to be a problem.

 

[Aliens]

Aliens, thanks for following through on this.

My pleasure.

I’m heading out for a vacation break tomorrow, but when I return in a week I plan to be on D* like white on rice. I hope to have heard back from TMS by then as well. I’ll push them for an airdate and episode number and hope for the best. I really wouldn’t be so picky if I hadn’t come from E* where I didn’t encounter this problem. I’m just trying to bring them up to speed with their competition.

 

[ejb1980]

I have noticed that people who have been with Directv for a long time don't notice the little annoyances that Directv has. I have recently posted some less-than-nice things about Directv, but overall they are the best TV provider, IMO overall, out there. That being said, Dish's equipment seems to be better at the moment. After seeing my parents Dish system this spring and how fast, easy to use, customizeable, and "unbuggy" it is, I have to say that Directv isn't much better than cable when it comes to equipment. All the things that people say "I can press the right arrow to see more programming" or "It doesn't bother me that you have to press info twice" etc etc - you're just not used to it being easier. Other providers have surpassed Directv for ease of use. The black Directv guide is SO MUCH BETTER than the blue one - but it's still cluttered and hard to read. Dish Network's guide displays MORE information at the same time but it does it in the same amount of space and in a much more easy-to-read fashion. If you don't know what I am talking about, go to a friends house with Dish and look at it. After you change the channels to not be backwards, the Dish guide is SO MUCH better.

Is that a reason to leave Directv? No. (The recent xx740 software upgrade might be though - I can't deal with it. Recordings are now basically useless because they flutter like an incorrectly-aimed OTA antenna and it's sickening. I know that's off topic for this thread, but - wow, this is bad software.) Directv seems to be in a funk, like they were a few years ago about adding non-premium HD. They got out of that funk and I am hoping they QUICKLY get the HR34 to be a receiver that has useful bells and whistles. TV apps are really not that important. Does anyone actually use them? Probably not often. But a more intuitive, functioning, eye-appealing guide that gives customers relevant, useful, easy-to-navigate information would make the Directv experience a lot better.

My two cents.

 

[linus259]

I am a recent transfer from Dish to DIRECTV. I like the DIRECTV programming packages, but I must say Dish's remote control and DVR features are light years better. For instance, I accessed the old mini-series North and South ON Demand, and unless I am doing something wrong or missing something (quite possible!), there's no way to tell which episode of the series I am about to view. I press the info button and it gives a brief description of the episode but it doesn't give the most obvious information I am seeking -- the episode number. If it would just say "Part 1 of 6" or just "Part 1," Part 2," etc. it would be easy to progress. The episodes aren't listed in the correct order when viewing the entire list, so that logic doesn't hold true, either.

If I am missing an element that would make it easier to decipher this stuff, I would love to know what it is. I am looking forward to the NFL Sunday Ticket and a lot of good programs to watch, but I have to turn back and salute Dish (my home for 14 years) for a high quality DVR and remote.

There is a way to view and record series so it will show episode numbers. You have to go to search on demand (not smart search) then go to the channel playing the series ( in your case 1535 Encore on Demand), then pick mini series and that should bring up a list of the mini series. Choose the series and it should bring up a list of the shows listed by episode numbers and descriptions that you can set to record. I had the same problem when my wife wanted to watch the Borgias on Showtime again and I couldn't figure which episode was which. This is a roundabout way to bring up a list by episode numbers but it works. Hopefully I didn't leave out a step since I am away from the receiver right now.

 

[SpencerCat]

I have noticed that people who have been with Directv for a long time don't notice the little annoyances that Directv has. I have recently posted some less-than-nice things about Directv, but overall they are the best TV provider, IMO overall, out there. That being said, Dish's equipment seems to be better at the moment. After seeing my parents Dish system this spring and how fast, easy to use, customizeable, and "unbuggy" it is, I have to say that Directv isn't much better than cable when it comes to equipment. All the things that people say "I can press the right arrow to see more programming" or "It doesn't bother me that you have to press info twice" etc etc - you're just not used to it being easier. Dish Network's guide displays MORE information at the same time but it does it in the same amount of space and in a much more easy-to-read fashion.

But a more intuitive, functioning, eye-appealing guide that gives customers relevant, useful, easy-to-navigate information would make the Directv experience a lot better.

As a current DTV and former Dish customer, all I can say is, 'Amen, brother'.

 

[dalyew]

Same here. Just switched from Dish and have D*'s new HR44 Genie receiver. Just had to cancel some "first run" recordings as it was recording everything, both new and old. Was about to call tech support and found this thread. Dish's Hopper was definitely more intuitive when it came to series recordings and better guide layout. However, Direct's pq, mobile apps and handling of sports channels are far superior over Dish. Just hope that Direct will fix this minor annoyance.

 

[Aliens]

?Back from vacation, and just spent a few minutes on the phone with DirecTV technical support. There was no way for me to speak with the people responsible for the guide/software updates (called Tier 2) because they don’t take phone calls, so they sent them a request form stating the problem I have been having with my local CSN sports programs recording the same program over and over again. I requested they include a first air-date and episode number in hopes that this would stop the repeats. They took my phone number but couldn’t say I would get a callback. Estimated time for the resolution, if they do one, is usually 72 hours, which if corrected, will show up in the guide. I told her I would give them a week. I also said if they couldn’t resolve the issue I would be calling Tribune Media Services to see if they would contact DirecTV in search of a resolution. I mentioned other subscribers to DirecTV were having multiple recordings of the same program (different channel) because they too were lacking an episode or first air-date. I’ll be back in touch as soon as I see something change in the guide or hear from them.

 

[ejb1980]

If they actually call you back, tell them to put OTA scanning back on the AM21!

 

[Jimbo]

If they actually call you back, tell them to put OTA scanning back on the AM21!

They never had scanning on the AM21's.
Your thinking of the scanning on the HR34/44's

Tell them to put OTA tuners back in the recvrs ...

 

[ejb1980]

haha, my bad. You wrote what I was trying to say. Thanks for fixing it!

 

[Jimbo]

haha, my bad. You wrote what I was trying to say. Thanks for fixing it!

NP !

 

[Aliens]

To make sure I had a complete understanding about the guide info being sent to the providers, I once again called Tribune Media Services and confirmed the providers are being sent the identical info, and that info includes the original air-date and episode number.

I called D* and was sent higher up the chain and spoke with Katrina, a technical support supervisor, and she took all of my complaints (I told her lots of customers on the forum are complaining about the issues I was discussing with her): Incomplete guide data resulting in repeat recordings. Why was the OTA scanning on the 34 & 44 eliminated. Adding back the OTA tuner to the receivers. She is sending this to the Escalation Team and should hear back from them within a few hours and will call me when she gets answers. She did say she has heard about the missing episode # and first air-date several times within the past two weeks. Katrina was very helpful and expressed her concerns and said there was no question the guide info should be corrected. I explained to her I never had this problem with E* and gave her all of the record options available when recording to their DVR and the limited options provided by D*. She appreciated that info.

Later.

 

[Kaygirl]

One of the worst offenders is BBC America. Their dates are usually wrong.

 

[Aliens]

Round 2: Monday 16th

I spent 36 minutes with another supervisor, Mike, and pretty much went over everything I said to Katrina last week. Mike told me software reported back, even though Katrina didn’t call me to explain, that the recorder did what it was supposed to do and there wasn’t a problem. This is what happens when you can’t talk with them directly. I suspect the software team are in a hermetically sealed vault, 30 feet below the surface and are not allowed any contact with the human species. I drilled into Mike they NEED to include the original air-date, and if possible, include an episode number. I also give him the added options Dish has for their VIP722 DVR in hopes that they will add a few of those to the HR44. For those that are unfamiliar with the options Dish offers on the VIP722: All episodes, new episodes, once, daily, weekly, and M-F. DirecTV HR44: Both, first run, and repeats. No contest. Dish wins. Mike will pass along the suggestion for more recording options. He also expressed his doubt that D* was removing any info they were receiving from TMS. The more I think about it he’s probably right. Why spend any time editing all of that info? With technology what it is, it should be a pretty simple transfer of data from one source to another.

I called Tribune Media Services, again, the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] time is a charm, to make absolutely certain that they provide the same info to D* & E*. I spoke to Kelly and she said they did. When I explained the conflicting info I was getting from D* and asked if they provided a first air-date and episode number for EVERY program they supplied, she said she wasn’t sure. I told her I needed to be certain because I was complaining to D* and asked that she check CSN Mid-Atlantic to see if CSN was providing them the first air-date on the shows I have been complaining about. TMS only provides the information they receive to these satellite companies. She said she would check and call me back.

That was about 1:30, its now 5:30, so I called Kelly and she said it was on her list and she would call me tomorrow. She gave me her extension so I’m confident I will hear from her. My guess is that CSN is NOT supplying an air-date, and the reason I had zero problems recording these shows on the E*722 were the abundance of recording options. I believe that is where the pressure needs to be focused: Getting D* to add more recording options.

Back tomorrow.

 

[dalyew]

Aliens, I had the Hopper when I was with Dish and it too had the same recording options as the 722. Can't thank you enough for the work you're doing on this. Recording a series is so hit or miss on Direct and it's the only annoyance I've found on the Genie compared to the Hopper (of course not counting the absence of a Sling feature). Why Direct has overlooked such a minor thing is a mystery to me but I guess only ex Dish customers like us are noticing this flaw in their system. Keep up the good work and don't give up, there're a few of us out here wishing you success on this.

 

[Jimbo]

Aliens, I had the Hopper when I was with Dish and it too had the same recording options as the 722. Can't thank you enough for the work you're doing on this. Recording a series is so hit or miss on Direct and it's the only annoyance I've found on the Genie compared to the Hopper (of course not counting the absence of a Sling feature). Why Direct has overlooked such a minor thing is a mystery to me but I guess only ex Dish customers like us are noticing this flaw in their system. Keep up the good work and don't give up, there're a few of us out here wishing you success on this.

Interesting, your throwing ALL recvrs into this broad stroke of comment ...

I haven't missed a recording in many years now on D*.

 

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the input and determination your going thru to find an answer Alien.

It's always better to have More options than less ...

It's interesting that the provider of the show, says the same info is getting sent to TMS and the Provider of the service says everything is being passed along, yet the two have different info ...

Only thing I can think IF thats the case is that the software people at D* are not asking for the info that your requesting in thier software , thus this info may be coming to them, but is brushed aside because it doesn't ask for that particular bit of info.