Wish List of DVR Features - Next SW Upgrade

[jbenn]

Mods,

I searched, but did not find, a thread addressing this topic. Please merge it as appropriate.

Anyway, I have a few requests for new software features on the DVRs (I have a 722) that I hope will get incorporated into a software upgrade soon. Maybe someone else does too and maybe, just maybe, whoever programs those things reads this forum and will see this. So here we go:

1. Be able to select which tuner records a show - I know that you can go into preferences and select a preferred default tuner. If I have tuner #1 set as the default then whenver I decide to record an upcoming show it will record via tuner #1, unless tuner #1 is already in use for that time period and then it will record on tuner #2. However I would like the option, right at the point of commanding the record, to say "record this show on this tuner." That would be a nice feature.

2. Be able to hide adult or other shows from the playback list - There is a "hide adult" on the preferences menu. That hides the list of adult channels from the guide. However I would like to hide adult shows (not channels) from the list of recorded events as well. Also, not just adult, but based on ratings, or maybe individual titles. For example, I have a 12 year old babysitter coming over for the evening and I don't want her to know that I have the show "Sex in the City" recorded for later viewing. I can already lock it so that she can't view the show, but I'd feel better if she only sees the Disney stuff that's recorded.

3. A facelift would be nice - This DVR interface is about the best one going, but it is getting stale. It's looked the same for 10 years now. How about a new look? Don't go crazy with it, but a little jazzier appearance would be great.

 

[hedbert]

ONLINE SCHEDULING!!!!!

 

[whandy]

It would be nice to have the external HD be able to group shows in folders the same way the built in HD does

 

[Laddyboy]

It would be nice to have the external HD be able to group shows in folders the same way the built in HD does

ditto

 

[DISH_NC]

DITTO the Ditto as well as being able to move a "Folder" of shows between the Internal and EHD (and back again).

 

[clsherman]

Ditto again, and I would expand the request to include the ability to better sort and group the list of shows in both the DVR and the EHD. Ideally this should more closely resemble a more typical folder structure on a computer.

 

[jbenn]

Ditto again, and I would expand the request to include the ability to better sort and group the list of shows in both the DVR and the EHD. Ideally this should more closely resemble a more typical folder structure on a computer.

I concur...including being able to rename a file (show) or folder of shows. In some cases it would be help to include an episode number for recorded series of shows, or to maybe just straight rename the thing, overtype the existing, default name.

 

[MarkNelson]

While we're discussing EHD improvements, it would be nice if they would fix their code so it was compatible with Seagate FreeAgent drives.

The FreeAgents have a timeout feature that shuts down the drive after it has been idle for a preset period of time. With their current support, you either can't access the drive after the timeout, or you see a partial list of the shows contained on the drive.

(When you use one of these with a PC, the drive silently spins up if you access it after the timeout has expired.)

 

[btedford]

The one thing that TiVo does that I miss is the "Recently Deleted" folder...if you delete something it will go that folder for 24 hours then will delete, just in case you accidentally delete something.

 

[redsalmon]

A "start late" feature would be nice since here the locals don't necessarily end on the hour or half hour. They insert lots of local and political commercials and it throws off recording the whole show.

 

[VegasVoomer]

I'd like to be able to mark spots in recorded programs so I can jump to certain favorite scenes like you can on a DVD.

 

[clsherman]

The FreeAgents have a timeout feature that shuts down the drive after it has been idle for a preset period of time. With their current support, you either can't access the drive after the timeout, or you see a partial list of the shows contained on the drive.

This can be fixed. If you connect the FreeAgent drive to a PC with the Seagate software, and you can turn off the timeout. Worked fine for me, but if I remember correctly, this requires a reformat of the drive. My EHD is a 750GB FreeAgent, and once I did this, I have never had timeout issues.

 

[HDRoberts]

How about the ability to "clip" shows. I sometimes record an hour+ of HD for a 10 minute segment. It would be nice to say "delete everything before/after this point"

 

[nyvram]

I concur about the adult stuff. I would take it one step further and wish AO programming could be hidden on the guide itself. I have all the CINEMAX and HBO channels right now during the 'free 3 months' and my kids often tune the tv looking for stuff to record. I don't want to block the whole channel; there are appropriate shows on the CINEMAX channels during the day but not at night. If it would just put a gray area/no description for those events (yes, they're already locked) that way my kid won't have to see "kinky cheerleaders from mars" in the channel guide and wonder what that is.

 

[jbenn]

A "start late" feature would be nice since here the locals don't necessarily end on the hour or half hour. They insert lots of local and political commercials and it throws off recording the whole show.

Now if you're talking about what I think you're talking about then this can be done right now on the 722 and 622 at least. The default setting is to start one minute early and end three minutes late. But you can bump both of them in either direction. I have lots of shows recorded that are 1 hr and 4 minutes long.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

How about adding an option while setting a timer to have the recording go straight to the EHD (if enabled)?? Usually, I put movies I record off of HDNet Movies on the EHD until I'm ready to watch them. It would be nice to have the choice to send it there directly instead of having to do it later.

Are there limitations with USB 2.0??

 

[redsalmon]

Now if you're talking about what I think you're talking about then this can be done right now on the 722 and 622 at least. The default setting is to start one minute early and end three minutes late. But you can bump both of them in either direction. I have lots of shows recorded that are 1 hr and 4 minutes long.

I can do that too on my 622, but what I'm talking about is a "Start Late" setting along with the start early and end late boxes. An example would be when the show I am recording runs 1hr and 5mn long. There is no I know that you could start the next show recording at 5 minutes after the hour.

 

[eddieras]

i'm shocked that i even have to ask for this--

that when you're watching a currently recording show you have the ability to pause it and come back to it later - at the paused part. ridiculous that while its still recording your only choices when you return are VIEW or Start Over!

 

[CJPC]

How about the ability to "clip" shows. I sometimes record an hour+ of HD for a 10 minute segment. It would be nice to say "delete everything before/after this point"

I concur - can do this quite easily with a computer, but not with the DVR. We will never see it, but I hate having a 1hr recording for a 5 minute clip, such a waste!

 

[sm5574]

One thing that TiVo does that makes tons of sense: when you pull up the DVR menu, DON'T show live television. Period.

Consider: You are recording a murder mystery, and there's 10 minutes left in the show. You have just finished watching another recording and select Delete. For a few seconds, you have no control over the DVR, and it starts playing live TV through the menu, leaving you no choice but to watch the murder mystery show you're currently recording -- you can't even hit pause.

With TiVo, the menu is the menu. No split screen. No audio. Just the menu.