Question on setting up OTA as the DVR preference

[fjser1976]

Hi -

Was helping someone who is familiar with the 722 and OTA recording coudl answer a question. I recently added an OTA antenna to my 722 to gain the ability to record up to three shows at once. My desire is to setup the recording so that the OTA tuner is the first used to record the show if available, and only use the SAT tuners if there is already an OTA show recording in progress. I *thought* I could do this by setting up duplicate DVR passes for all my network shows, and placing the OTA passes above the SAT passes in the list. unfortunately after doing this, the to be recorded list still shows the DVR as choosing the sat tuner over the OTA tuner. Is there any way to change this? I know that I could delete the passes for the SAT based recordings, but this would run the risk that i would miss a show if the OTA tuner was already being recorded. My desire is to always use the OTA first, so that I have a free tuner of the SAT available whenever possible to watch any channel.

 

[Tech#344]

Other than contacting someone in the software design team at dish and suggesting the change I don't believe it can be done. I think said change would be a good one.

 

[DishSubLA]

I feel your pain. I, too wanted to set up my timers as you, and boy did I spend some time trying to make it happen. So, as the previous poster said, no, I don't think there is a way to do that either. I ended up having to just set it for my OTA, like a timer from the guide, which is not how we really want it.

I agree with your preference, as well. It would be great of Dish would fix the software to do this, but I would not hold my breath. I think it is completely logical for the software to be designed so that one can set the DishPass so that the OTA is the preferred, but then uses SAT tuner as a backup. Or in other words, in the timer even list, the OTA should be first, then SAT subsequent events for recording.

Sorry, but as Shirley Ghostlman would say, "I fell your pain, and I feel your shame, but you're not to blame." Google Shirley Ghostman or High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman to get the joke.

 

[oljim]

I do this all the time, why do you use dish pass? Only use dish pass if not in EPG.

 

[DishSubLA]

I do this all the time, why do you use dish pass? Only use dish pass if not in EPG.

First, DishPass may be used for programs on the EPG, as well. Select the program you want to record using the EPG. Now at the timer window, select DishPass. Now you can record The Golden Girls when they air on Lifetime and Hallmark (or WE or Oxygen on occasions, I think. At one time Golden Girls was like on 4 different channels) and use only one timer. Some new shows do span more than one channel, as well.

We need to use DishPass because it is the only feature, that I'm aware of, that will use ONE timer to record an episode if it is available on more than one channel. All the other timers record the program on that ONE channel only. The DishPass will record the broadcast show if, due to priority, it can not record it when it first airs on the LIL or even OTA, but will record it when it airs a few days later on Bravo or another "cable" channel the major network owns.

However, what we want is for the DVR to use the OTA tuners first, then, as a back-up, use the sat tuners. Right now, the sat tuners are first up, then OTA tuners. We want our sat tuners free to record sat channels whenever possible. We are trying to exploit what the DVR is designed to do: record subsequent airings or the same showing on another channel if priority prevents it being recorded from the primary tuners.

Say, I want to record The Office on NBC. I have The Office on a high priority because broadcast nets usually don't repeat the program 3 hours later or in coming days like the "cable" channels do. So, The Office, and another show on CBS, due to its high priority is going to make it impossible for the DVR to record a one-time showing (often a program aired a few months ago, but I haven't seen it yet, and it won't be repeated for a long time) anything else on the sat tuners that I want to record because recordings for locals is assigned to sat LIL first, then OTA as a bakck-up. When you find something to record, you aren't always aware that you have something else recording at the same time--NBC & CBS--so you don't put the one-time recording from the sat tuner on a higher priority to ensure recordings; you count on the DVR managing the huge number of timers.

What we want is for those NBC and CBS timers to use the OTA first. Now the sat tuner is free to record the one-time showing on the "cable" channel, and even a 2nd "cable," if necessary.

Now, if we set a timer that is not a DishPass but will use the one channel only, say the OTA, and we have a 3rd show to record at the same time that we must now set to record on the sat channel, then when the CBS show is a repeat and the DVR won't record it, the NBC show will record on the OTA, but the ABC show will still record on the sat tuner leaving me with only one sat tuner for TWO shows I want to record that are on sat tuners only. Notice we now have an unused OTA that we would like the DVR to have automatically assigned to record the ABC show on the unused OTA.

Now, this is not an issue for a fair number of people, but it is for me and the OP, at least, but I suspect more people, as well. We do a lot of recording in this household and so it would be nice to have, when using DishPass, broadcast nets programming to first be assigned to OTA, then sats. It does make a big difference in our situations and currently requires us to mess around with the timers to make it work so we get all our show recorded, and we don't always have the time to mess with it.

Good question, though. I hope we don't seem to crazy.

 

[cditty]

Well, if you are recording new programs, I wouldn't use the pass, just a regular recurring name based timer.

That is how I do it. I only use pass when I want to record an older, syndicated show.

 

[DishSubLA]

Well, if you are recording new programs, I wouldn't use the pass, just a regular recurring name based timer.

That is how I do it. I only use pass when I want to record an older, syndicated show.

My friend, DishPass has the "New" or "All" episodes options. Suffice it to say, I think you don't quite understand how it all works, or how it is a problem and how your suggestion doesn't address our problem nor does it help our, admittedly, unique recording situations, but I appreciate your attempt to help. Certainly, not all people will grasp what the OP and I are trying to work with. There are arcane situations that others on this board have about which I haven't a clue, so it happens to us all. I can only refer you to the above posts for explanation. Thanks for the well-intentioned thought.

 

[KKlare]

(1) Might I suggest starting the OTA recording earlier than the satellite one. Use the OTA on its channel number and the LIL on its 5000 or higher number. Will one block the other? Is it that smart?

(2) Setting a manual timer would avoid the name conflict especially if started 2 or more minutes early it will likely be "named" for the prior programs. Either could be earlier.

-Ken

 

[DishSubLA]

(1) Might I suggest starting the OTA recording earlier than the satellite one. Use the OTA on its channel number and the LIL on its 5000 or higher number. Will one block the other? Is it that smart?

(2) Setting a manual timer would avoid the name conflict especially if started 2 or more minutes early it will likely be "named" for the prior programs. Either could be earlier.

-Ken

Suggestion 1 sounds like a work-around. I shall have to try it. Of course, I would love Dish to at least give us the option of setting OTA as first-up for locals rather then tying up my tuners because this is a solution I use for MTV and it is a pain when they take up BOTH tuners because of the necessary Start Early and End Late values to make it work.

Suggestion 2 isn't appealing to me as some of the shows may be repeats and many of the Sunday morning political shows air at a different time (my local KNBC News conference temporarily changed to Saturdays because of sports with no on-air mention of this change--the host did say they would be off the air for weeks, but they moved to Saturdays without telling us and my NON-manual timer caught this) and many others will not air for some weeks because of sports. A manual timer is insufficient and would not have caught the change to Saturday) However, it may be a solution for someone else.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[cditty]

My friend, DishPass has the "New" or "All" episodes options. Suffice it to say, I think you don't quite understand how it all works, or how it is a problem and how your suggestion doesn't address our problem nor does it help our, admittedly, unique recording situations, but I appreciate your attempt to help. Certainly, not all people will grasp what the OP and I are trying to work with. There are arcane situations that others on this board have about which I haven't a clue, so it happens to us all. I can only refer you to the above posts for explanation. Thanks for the well-intentioned thought.

I re-read the original post and I do understand what you are trying to do.

The reason I don't have the problem is that I 'moved' to get HD Locals on the satellite (they don't carry mine). I then installed an OTA antenna to get my HD Locals. Since I set my timers for my local channels for all network programming, my sat tuners are always free.

Sorry I don't have any more insight. You could move like I did...

Good luck in solving your problem.

 

[DishSubLA]

I re-read the original post and I do understand what you are trying to do.

The reason I don't have the problem is that I 'moved' to get HD Locals on the satellite (they don't carry mine). I then installed an OTA antenna to get my HD Locals. Since I set my timers for my local channels for all network programming, my sat tuners are always free.

Sorry I don't have any more insight. You could move like I did...

Good luck in solving your problem.

Thanks for trying to help. Appreciated. No bad feelings here. It was somewhat a complicated situation.

 

[whatchel1]

Don't understand

I don't understand why you want OTA instead of sat. They will take up more space on the HDD. There is very little PQ diff anymore.

 

[primetimeguy]

I don't understand why you want OTA instead of sat. They will take up more space on the HDD. There is very little PQ diff anymore.

May be little to some but for me the PQ difference is obvious. I'm in the camp as the OP in that I record everything OTA first, for PQ reasons and to still keep the other two tuners open....and I share your pain. Wish there was a better solution than manually trying to sort it all out.