DVR Idiocy

[Small White Car]

If you had a printer that randomly printed out pages from your local newspaper, you'd return it.

If you had a car that turned itself on in the middle of the night, you'd get it fixed.

So why, oh why, does my DVR suddenly start playing TV if I've left it sitting alone for too long?

Yes, I get it...it belongs to the cable company and they want to force-feed me media. If I'm not CONSTANTLY watching TV I might get used to it and cancel my service! Oh no! Better make sure he watches as much TV as possible!

Gah. Freak'n annoying.

 

[auntiehill]

Have you called your cable company and asked for a replacement DVR?

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Be afraid, be very afraid.

 

[Chaos Descending]

Probably just a poltergeist.

Nothing to worry about.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

So why, oh why, does my DVR suddenly start playing TV if I've left it sitting alone for too long?

Why shouldn't it be doing that? A DVR is essentially a cable box with added bits. It should always be playing some channel.

 

[Trekker4747]

If I'm not CONSTANTLY watching TV I might get used to it and cancel my service! Oh no! Better make sure he watches as much TV as possible!

Gah. Freak'n annoying.

Is your DVR turning itself (and the TV) on or is it simply "unpausing" itself? Because the pause-buffer on those things are only like 20-30 minutes long, maybe an hour.

 

[Crusher Disciple]

Lemmie guess- Time Warner?

 

[Outpost4]

Even TiVo has had a lot of problems with their DVRs lately, and they are undoubtably the best on the market.

Look at it this way. It didn't cost you anything to get it. You don't own it. It's the cable company's box. In other words, beyond a $10 to $20 monthly fee you pay your cable company to lease it, the DVR costs you nothing.

What do you expect for free, anyway?

Call the cable company and get a replacement. Life's too short to get frustrated over defective electronics.

 

[Brolan]

Tivo does this too unless you have it paused in the middle of a program. I always assumed it was their version of a screen saver.

 

[1001001]

On Tivo you can pause a recording as long as you want.

Otherwise, the buffer has 30 minutes in it. If you pause longer, it will start automatically.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

On Tivo you can pause a recording as long as you want.

Most DVRs will. On mine (a cable company DVR), if you leave it on pause long enough, the screen saver will kick in, but you can pause as long as the buffer will allow.

 

[Trekker4747]

On Tivo you can pause a recording as long as you want.

Most DVRs will. On mine (a cable company DVR), if you leave it on pause long enough, the screen saver will kick in, but you can pause as long as the buffer will allow.

Yes, but he pointed out a recording a recording should be able to be paused forever since the "buffer" isn't needed. It's a recording.

Pausing "live" TV, however, brings the buffer into play which is probably only going to be around 30 minutes after that 30 minutes the buffer is used up and the DVR will unpause itself.

 

[Small White Car]

Is your DVR turning itself (and the TV) on or is it simply "unpausing" itself? Because the pause-buffer on those things are only like 20-30 minutes long, maybe an hour.

Un-pausing while it's on, but I'm not talking about live TV. I'm talking about stuff I recorded earlier so the buffer has nothing to do with it.

Also, I can finish a show and erase it and it goes back to the list of recorded programs. I should be able to just leave it on that list, right? WRONG. It switches out of the pre-recorded list and turns on channel 4, live. THAT's the annoying part. 15 minutes after I watch something, I'm at my computer ignoring it. Suddenly, Bam!! LIVE TV!!

Have you called your cable company and asked for a replacement DVR?

Call the cable company and get a replacement. Life's too short to get frustrated over defective electronics.

No, it's DESIGNED this way, if you can believe it.

Lemmie guess- Time Warner?

Cox

 

[Trekker4747]

Is your DVR turning itself (and the TV) on or is it simply "unpausing" itself? Because the pause-buffer on those things are only like 20-30 minutes long, maybe an hour.

Un-pausing while it's on, but I'm not talking about live TV. I'm talking about stuff I recorded earlier so the buffer has nothing to do with it.

Also, I can finish a show and erase it and it goes back to the list of recorded programs. I should be able to just leave it on that list, right? WRONG. It switches out of the pre-recorded list and turns on channel 4, live. THAT's the annoying part. 15 minutes after I watch something, I'm at my computer ignoring it. Suddenly, Bam!! LIVE TV!!

Time Warner, Comcast or DISH Network?

It seems to me that, maybe, your DVR might be functioning properly. It might be un-pausing prerecorded programing for a number of reasons -to save burn in on your TV, to prevent it from burning some component out, something like that.

Now, IIRC my parents' TW DVR will stay paused for quite some time and even go to a "screen saver" after a few minutes. My Comcast DVR I'm not sure, never left it paused that long.

My guesses are as follows:

1. Your DVR, whatever model it is from whatever cable/satellite service is working properly allbeit not to your liking.

2. Your DVR, whatever model it is from whatever cable/satellite service is working properly, allbeit not to your liking, based on some user-controlled settings in it you are unaware of.

3. Your DVR, whatever model it is from whatever cable/satellite service is not working properly and you should contact your provider to get it replaced.

4. Your DVR, whatever model it is from whatever cable/satellite service is not working properly possilby due to a form of "user error" like maybe its vents on the top and/or back are blocked, obstructed or covered by the cabinetry it is in, components sitting on top of it, or something else. (Mine acted up all of the time until I put the DVD player sitting on it up on "chocks" giving it better airflow.

In short, I'd call your provider and see what they have to say.

 

[Small White Car]

1. Your DVR, whatever model it is from whatever cable/satellite service is working properly allbeit not to your liking.

Well, I know this is it, but thank you for the other 3 guesses.

There's not anything I can DO about it, I'm just complaining 'cause I can!

Grahh!

 

[Squiggy]

Is your DVR turning itself (and the TV) on or is it simply "unpausing" itself? Because the pause-buffer on those things are only like 20-30 minutes long, maybe an hour.

Un-pausing while it's on, but I'm not talking about live TV. I'm talking about stuff I recorded earlier so the buffer has nothing to do with it.

Also, I can finish a show and erase it and it goes back to the list of recorded programs. I should be able to just leave it on that list, right? WRONG. It switches out of the pre-recorded list and turns on channel 4, live. THAT's the annoying part. 15 minutes after I watch something, I'm at my computer ignoring it. Suddenly, Bam!! LIVE TV!!

Have you called your cable company and asked for a replacement DVR?

Call the cable company and get a replacement. Life's too short to get frustrated over defective electronics.

No, it's DESIGNED this way, if you can believe it.

Lemmie guess- Time Warner?

Cox

Fucking COX!!!!

 

[Small White Car]

It might be un-pausing prerecorded programing for a number of reasons -to save burn in on your TV

I am certain this is the reason they will TELL me if I ask. But why doesn't it just turn off then? I'll tell you why: My first guess was right. They figure that if it starts up you'll just start watching it again, thus getting more addicted to TV in general.

My daughter has toys like this. They make noise when you play with them, then, 3-5 minutes after you've put it down it makes some kind of "play with me!" noise or sound effect. One last-ditch effort to be the kid's favorite toy, thus spurring more sales.

Same principle with the DVR, I just KNOW it.

 

[Trekker4747]

It might be un-pausing prerecorded programing for a number of reasons -to save burn in on your TV

I am certain this is the reason they will TELL me if I ask. But why doesn't it just turn off then? I'll tell you why: My first guess was right. They figure that if it starts up you'll just start watching it again, thus getting more addicted to TV in general.

My daughter has toys like this. They make noise when you play with them, then, 3-5 minutes after you've put it down it makes some kind of "play with me!" noise or sound effect. One last-ditch effort to be the kid's favorite toy, thus spurring more sales.

Same principle with the DVR, I just KNOW it.

Ahh. You have a Furbvo.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Cox doesn't use the same DVR in all of its markets. Here, they use Motorola boxes. In other areas, they use Scientific Atlanta boxes, which seem to have most of the problems I've heard about (such as SWC's).

 

[The Borg Queen]

Does it have an "off" switch?