Tivo Records On-Time, but changes channel LATER

This is the weirdest ever! And even weirder because it only happens
occasionally (once every week or two - and always on different old-new
channel switches).

The other night, while we were out, Tivo was set to record a 1-hour
program on channel 59 at 8:PM (part of a season pass that had been
working fine). When we got home, the recording had taken place at 8m
as scheduled, but it recorded the channel that it was set to when we
left (Ch. 4). OK, I know of lots of reasons why the channel might not
have been changed properly.

The kicker is that the channel HAD been changed, BUT an hour later
than the recording had started!

If this happened ALL the time, I'd figure that the Daylight Savings
Time changes had screwed things up, or there was a bad software
upgrade, etc.

This is on an old Phillips Series 1. Tivo won't talk about it, and
Phillips wants its pound of flesh pay-for-tech-support before they'll
even listen to the problem.

Does anybody out there have any ideas (short of getting a Series3)?

- Herb

On 2007-05-21 16:15:05 -0500, Herb said:


Does anybody out there have any ideas (short of getting a Series3)?

-----

I've seen this before. It is a bad IR operation.

Tivo changes the channel for a recording and then, for some reason,
does it again when it finishes a recording.

so, the first time, at 8PM, it failed and left the channel where it
was. After the hour, it changed again and worked this time.

It my case, it seems the Motorola cable box is SLOW and if it has other
issues (bad signal, etc.) it fails to accept the IR signals in a timely
fashion.

"Herb" wrote in message
. ..

This is the weirdest ever! And even weirder because it only happens
occasionally (once every week or two - and always on different old-new
channel switches).

The other night, while we were out, Tivo was set to record a 1-hour
program on channel 59 at 8:PM (part of a season pass that had been working
fine). When we got home, the recording had taken place at 8m as
scheduled, but it recorded the channel that it was set to when we left
(Ch. 4). OK, I know of lots of reasons why the channel might not have
been changed properly.

The kicker is that the channel HAD been changed, BUT an hour later than
the recording had started!

If this happened ALL the time, I'd figure that the Daylight Savings Time
changes had screwed things up, or there was a bad software upgrade, etc.

This is on an old Phillips Series 1. Tivo won't talk about it, and
Phillips wants its pound of flesh pay-for-tech-support before they'll even
listen to the problem.

Does anybody out there have any ideas (short of getting a Series3)?

- Herb

My Sony SVR2000 Series 1 used to do the same thing.

It may help is to make sure the sun doesn't reach IR receiver of your cable
or satellite box. When I had south-facing windows, I noticed that the
problem occurred more frequently in the morning and evening when the sun was
low in the sky.

Take a look at the following troubleshooting page:

http://tinyurl.com/25sr5v

I've found that the surest fix is to build an IR tent. Here's how:

http://tinyurl.com/yrvlku

I just use aluminum foil for the tent because it's easy to remove if you
want to use your CB remote for PPV or On Demand programming.

I agree with the previous posters is that it is likely to be an IR
problem. I've had a variety of TiVo boxes and cable boxes that have
had that problem. Sometimes, it is the IR message not getting through
like the posters suggested. However, there are other possible causes.

Do you ever change you channel other than via the TiVo? If so, the
TiVo can be confused about what channel you are on and then not send
the command to change channels, because it thinks it is on the right
one. Recently, the software seems to change even when it doesn't have
to, but I used to notice my old TiVo not changing unless it "had to".
So, if the TiVo thought you were on channel 59, it wouldn't have
bothered sending the IR sequence. If we had use our other "remote" to
change the channels ourselves, that would be a problem.

This also used to happen with a specific cable box that used to turn
itself off at night. If the box were turned off (or lost power and
reset). It could end up on a different channel than the one the TiVo
thought it was on (or have been off when a change channel request was
sent to it). That could cause the same effect.

Now, since you problem was at 8pm, I don't think either of the above
causes are likely, but neither is interference from the Sun. However,
perhaps the suggestions will cause you to realize something that might
lead you to the true cause.

Another cause of intermittent problems might be that your IR blaster is
slightly in the wrong place. When our cleaning people come, they did
that to it sometimes, until I taped the blaster right to where I
wanted it with killer-shipping (PVC) tape.

In article ,
says...

Now, since you problem was at 8pm, I don't think either of the above
causes are likely, but neither is interference from the Sun. However,
perhaps the suggestions will cause you to realize something that might
lead you to the true cause.

Another cause of intermittent problems might be that your IR blaster is
slightly in the wrong place. When our cleaning people come, they did
that to it sometimes, until I taped the blaster right to where I
wanted it with killer-shipping (PVC) tape.


One more thing to rule out. I used to use an X10 RF-to-IR remote
repeater (one of those pyramid things). Some times it would pick up RF
noise and the light would flicker--while it was doing that the IR
blasters had problems. Finally switched to a wired repeater system and
all the blaster problems cleared up.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

On Tue, 22 May 2007 14:08:43 GMT, Jud Hardcastle
wrote:

In article ,
says...

Now, since you problem was at 8pm, I don't think either of the above
causes are likely, but neither is interference from the Sun. However,
perhaps the suggestions will cause you to realize something that might
lead you to the true cause.

Another cause of intermittent problems might be that your IR blaster is
slightly in the wrong place. When our cleaning people come, they did
that to it sometimes, until I taped the blaster right to where I
wanted it with killer-shipping (PVC) tape.


One more thing to rule out. I used to use an X10 RF-to-IR remote
repeater (one of those pyramid things). Some times it would pick up RF
noise and the light would flicker--while it was doing that the IR
blasters had problems. Finally switched to a wired repeater system and
all the blaster problems cleared up.

I used to have a bunch of those things (pyramids). I really got tired
of trying to get them to work by repositioning them several times a
day.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"How could you ask me to believe in God when there's
absolutely no evidence that I can see?" -- Jodie Foster

"Chris F Clark" wrote in message
...
Now, since you problem was at 8pm, I don't think either of the above
causes are likely, but neither is interference from the Sun.

I respectfully disagree. Sunlight can blind the vision of an IR receiver.
It's happened not only with my TiVo but also with the safety mechanism of my
automatic garage door.

And sunset in my area is currently at 8:52PM, which may have put the sun at
window level at 8:00PM when his TiVo failed to change channels and safely
below the horizon at 9:00PM when his TiVo *did* change channels.

I tend to agree with you, though, that even if sunlight exacerbates the
problem it more than likely isn't the only cause.

On Tue, 22 May 2007 14:08:43 GMT, Jud Hardcastle wrote:

One more thing to rule out. I used to use an X10 RF-to-IR remote
repeater (one of those pyramid things). Some times it would pick up RF
noise and the light would flicker--while it was doing that the IR
blasters had problems. Finally switched to a wired repeater system and
all the blaster problems cleared up.

What are you using for a wired repeater system? I want to upgrade my
"pyramid" system.

Karl

"Jerry Boyle" writes:

"Chris F Clark" wrote in message
...
Now, since you problem was at 8pm, I don't think either of the above
causes are likely, but neither is interference from the Sun.

I respectfully disagree. Sunlight can blind the vision of an IR receiver.
It's happened not only with my TiVo but also with the safety mechanism of my
automatic garage door.

And sunset in my area is currently at 8:52PM, which may have put the sun at
window level at 8:00PM when his TiVo failed to change channels and safely
below the horizon at 9:00PM when his TiVo *did* change channels.

I tend to agree with you, though, that even if sunlight exacerbates the
problem it more than likely isn't the only cause.

I'm sorry, my fault. Since the fact that the sun sets prior to 8pm in
Boston and it is the latest I have ever experienced, I assumed that it
was around the latest anyone would *likely* experience. That was my
mistaken assumption. I don't think sunset was ever later than 8pm in
either Denvver, or KS. Perhaps my memory is faulty.

You live either farther N than I do or in a different part of a TZ
where sunset is later--I'm not sure whether that would be relative E
or W within the TZ. I am curious where do you like that the sun stays
out to ~9pm?

In article
Chris F Clark writes:

or W within the TZ. I am curious where do you like that the sun stays
out to ~9pm?

Peeking at intellicast, it seems that here in Dayton, Ohio, the sun
rose at 6:16am and will set at 8:52pm.

--
Drew Lawson http://www.furrfu.com/

I only came in search of answers, never planned to sell my soul
I only came in search of something left that I could call my own