Options
When will Someone keep the FREEVIEW EPG up to date???
:eek: When will the programmers realise that those of us who set our recorders also want to watch a programme!
The EPG on Freeview seems to be ignored when programmes are running late or changed at last moments.
For the latest example we had set the Sony 710 recorder for the film "Essex Boys" and due to (yes - you guessed it) football overrunning were experated to find that at 1h55m the recording stopped and cut off the end of the film!!! :mad:
It simply isn't good enough to provide an EPG and fail to bother to update it.
I hope someone out there will take note and perhaps get round to making sure programme information is kept current.
The EPG on Freeview seems to be ignored when programmes are running late or changed at last moments.
For the latest example we had set the Sony 710 recorder for the film "Essex Boys" and due to (yes - you guessed it) football overrunning were experated to find that at 1h55m the recording stopped and cut off the end of the film!!! :mad:
It simply isn't good enough to provide an EPG and fail to bother to update it.
I hope someone out there will take note and perhaps get round to making sure programme information is kept current.
0
Comments
The EPG was up-to-date when I checked it. The problem is that most of the boxes don't update their recording times (the Sonys definitely don't) a la PDC. When the TVAnytime EPG finally gets broadcast, this functionality should come back (even though it is possible to do this with the current EPG).
With the 4TV boxes you are screwed both ways, because the EPG only updates once a day.
Chris
I am not sure how effective this is with pre-programmed timers though?
Incidently has anyone had a software update since they installed a 710?
Yep. Due to the FA Cup Final overrunning, Doctor Who was put back from 7.00 to 7.20 & the change did occur on my EPG before the program started. Unfortunately I had to make the amendments myself in my PVR’s (Hummy 9200T) recording schedule.
Set a timer for 0800 - 0900
It will record 0758 - 0905
Set a timer for 0800 - 0900
and a timer for 0900 - 1000
and it will record 0758-0900 and 0900 - 1005
How neat is that?
That has caught the end of evey programme and the start of 99% - except Dr Who where it's cut the end three times now, dispite me adding 10 minutes to the run time last week - argh!
Last Saturday for example when the footie overran the EPG on my box did catch-up with the re-scheduling on BBC1. However I strongly suspect that had I set a timer for Doctor Who for example that the change in the EPG would not have been reflected in the timer list.
As far as I can see from using the device the timer list does not refer back to the EPG in anyway. When you select a programme to record or whatever in the EPG all it does is set a start time, end time and channel in the list. The list then stays with that data regardless of any subsequent changes to the EPG.
So it isn't that the EPG doesn't update but rather that the box does not have any link between the timer list and EPG. So that when the EPG changes it doesn't update the timer list to match.
I suspect that you may be right. However its seems that the EPG is not being updated AND those of us with Sony kit need a software update to link the recorder to the EPG.
So we have two problems!
I'm interested to hear Sagem can get aoubd the recorder problem, so come on SONY how about getting your kit put right?
As to the EPG it seems that the broadcasters need to treat FREEVIEW with the attention and service its deserves now it has become a success.
However, the BBC has come back with the attached response which I think is pretty encouraging.
Lets hope that the FREEVIEW EPG will be sorted soon.
"There is an operational member of staff who sits in the programme playout
suite, from 6.30am to midnight, seven days a week, next to the playout
editor. In the case of live events overrunning, as soon as it is decided
how the schedule will be affected, we make the change - literally within
seconds.
Having made the change to our schedules, however, we are totally at the
mercy of the technological chain that leads to the viewers' boxes.
The schedule revisions are sent to the Sky platform, Freeview and the
listings pages of bbc.co.uk. The time it takes for a change to reach each
destination varies considerably and is dependant on many factors outside
our control.
As a general rule we would expect changes to get through to Freeview within
a few minutes. Sky takes slightly longer - up to around 15 minutes. The BBC
web pages are unfortunately the slowest to update, usually taking a couple
of hours.
For an update that we make to reach the viewer's box, whatever the
platform, several different computer systems must talk to each other, and
it is here regrettably that most problems occur.
I arranged to have the EPG unit's operational handover for Saturday 24th
June examined and it seems that they were experiencing slower than usual
updates to the Sky and Freeview platforms that night, which was reported to
the technical support provider.
The issue of recordings being affected is further complicated by the fact
that each platform uses the information that we send differently, even once
they have received it.
Sky boxes do use programme 'triggers' to start and stop recordings that
have been set in advance. With Freeview, however, only the BBC channels
currently support these triggers and so the vast majority of box
manufacturers have not implemented the triggering functionality. This means
that for Freeview viewers, even if they receive our schedule updates, the
recording start/stop time will not be changed.
The Freeview technology is in the process of being updated to support
programme triggers across all channels and the hope is that, by this
Christmas, new Freeview boxes will appear that use the trigger feed the BBC
sends."
Hope that's of interest. WELL DONE the BBC
an EPG ready sticker may be useful
unless the dixocurrys lads start sticking them on every box
I am sure I had set the timer for Doctor Who on my Toppy. When I got home it hadn't recorded it . I suspect, as above, that the EPG changed but the Toppy could not cope with this change and so did not record. BTW I had the Myspace and eit2mei Taps installed.
If theyre just issued once at the beginning and end of programmes that's next to useless as that will be just the point that a bit of interference comes in.
If there's a continual repeated signal saying 'Doctor Who' through the programme which changes to 'continuity' 'Dads Army' 'continuity' etc then the PVR can just be set up to record as long as it sees 'Dads Army'.
The trigger they are referring to is the running status table. This specifies when a programme is running, and also gives a few seconds warning of the start of the next programme. The running status table is continually repeated.
If you want the specs in question refer to ETSI EN 300 468, but it's not light reading. The website is www.etsi.org
K
Sony have told me that the 710 is their first recorder to include the facility to change recording times when broadcasters change the EPG.
However it needs the triggers to be sent and of course the BBC is the only one doing this so far.
So come on Commercial Companies get your act together and catch up with the BBC!