Lost progs. while on holiday.

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Plumie

New Member
First of all my thanks to Raydon for Foxy, a great piece of software!

I have had my HDR t2 for some while now and have twice been away for over 14 days. On each occasion series linked programs have failed to record at about the 2 week period after the t2 was last powered on. The first time I was not sure I believed what had happened and quickly forgot about it, but this time I am fairly certain it happened.

I am certain it was not due to lack of disc space or scheduling conflicts.

Has anyone else noticed this happening?
 
Are you using the known work-around for the broken series link after a week of not turning on the HDR?

Assuming you are not, what happens while you are on holiday is the HDR goes on holiday too. It records anything it has already got cued up in the Schedule listing, but only in an absent-minded way. It doesn't bother to check the EPG at the same time and update any series-linked recordings scheduled, so after the first week they don't happen at all. I refer to the wake-up-to-record state as "half awake".

What all we "in the know" did some time ago is to set a timed on/off or a scheduled daily REMINDER (both of which bring the HDR into the fully-awake state) for about 20 mins at some convenient time when nothing else is likely to be going on. This is sufficient to ensure the EPG is updated daily, and series linked recordings scheduled properly.
 
Do you use padding for your recordings? If so, then this is a known fault which is resolved by using AR or arranging for your box to power up for 15 minutes each day.
 
I didn't know AR solved it - I thought the AR boys need the power-up as well. 15 minutes is the absolute minimum time required, 20 mins to be on the safe side.
 
I have always used AR, and have not had this problem. As long as your box wakes up to make at least one recording per week, your series links should be kept up to date.
 
I think we must have had this discussion on The Other Place. Do we know why padding fails like this but AR doesn't? I can't see the logic.
 
Accurate recording wakes the box up 15 mins before a scheduled recording is due to start, and awaits the start signal, but also seems to update the EPG and scheduled timers during this period. Using padding does not seem to do this for some reason.
 
Oh yes, it's all coming back to me now.

The explanation might be that the lack of EPG update during a padding record cycle is simply a code error in the padding record path.

As Remote Scheduling provides yet another reason to wake the box up periodically, I recommend everyone (padding or AR) uses a periodic wake-up - then you're covered whatever you do.
 
My thanks to Black Hole for his excellent explanation and work-around for this issue, Brian and af123 too.

I always use AF, never pad the times, so I think Black Hole is right that AR needs a power-up as well. Have set a wake-up period and will see what happens next time I go away for a while.

I am bemused why the wake-up to record does not allow the EPG and schedule to refresh though, was this designed by someone who never goes on holiday perhaps??

Thanks again.
 
Interesting. Anybody using AR who is sure they have left the Hummy unattended for at least a week and not lost any series-link programmes? I set Friday Night is Music Night on to record regularly (with padding) and was mystified why some weeks didn't record. I've not lost a single one since the 20-minute wake-up (several months ago), although I have to say the number of times I have the Humax turned on has increased markedly in the same period.

Plumie said:
I am bemused why the wake-up to record does not allow the EPG and schedule to refresh though, was this designed by someone who never goes on holiday perhaps??
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Just a bug, we think.
 
Black Hole said:
Interesting. Anybody using AR who is sure they have left the Hummy unattended for at least a week and not lost any series-link programmes? I set Friday Night is Music Night on to record regularly (with padding) and was mystified why some weeks didn't record. I've not lost a single one since the 20-minute wake-up (several months ago), although I have to say the number of times I have the Humax turned on has increased markedly in the same period.

Just a bug, we think.
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Yes, I have left my HD-FOX T2 unattended for 10 days using AR, and did not lose any series linked programmes. I have also left my HDR-FOX T2 unattended for 9 days using AR, and did not lose any series linked programmes.

I will add that I Do Not have any wake up timers set on my boxes.

Have you read This Thread on My Humax Forum?
 
brian said:
Have you read This Thread on My Humax Forum?
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I hadn't, no, because I'm not on My Humax (only AVForums). I have now though! :cool:

Similar to the discussion already on AVForums (some of the same names!), but the question of DSO is new.

Plumie is reporting loss of series recordings with AR. Are you hypothesising it was DSO which caused it on both occasions? Remarkable coincidence, and one would think he would have had to do a retune when he got home and therefore twigged what the problem was. DSO certainly was not responsible for my losses of FNiMN a few months ago (non-AR).

The whole situation is confused. I would like to experiment, but it would be a long commitment and I would only be inclined to do it with my HD-FOX - and the results would be worthless.

My recommendation remains to keep a 20-minute wake-up regardless of AR/non-AR.
 
Is it just me, or has anyone else found that setting an additional wake up/sleep cycle means that the box reverts to the generic 'TV' group in the EPG, instead of retaining its Favourites setting?
 
@fenlander - what is the wake up channel set as in the on screen menus? I recall someone saying that power cycles take their default from here whether set via these menus or through the webif. If the default channel is not in your favourite list then that might set the epg back to all channels. I could be wrong about this - but it just sounded like something I'd read on one of the threads somewhere.
 
oijonesey said:
@fenlander - what is the wake up channel set as in the on screen menus? I recall someone saying that power cycles take their default from here whether set via these menus or through the webif. If the default channel is not in your favourite list then that might set the epg back to all channels. I could be wrong about this - but it just sounded like something I'd read on one of the threads somewhere.
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No, the wake-up channel is set to BBC News, which is in my Favourites.
 
I have set a power-on and I too have noticed the reverting to “TV” group away from my “Favourite”, I was using BBC 1 HD as the power-on channel, annoying! I think I’ll only set it when I go away.

With regard to my loss of series linked programs, I am fairly sure that the loss only happened after 14 days had elapsed. I set the HDR on Wednesday and went away on Thursday, all the losses appear to have occurred at least after the Wednesday fortnight of going away.

Too long to run a test for me!
 
I think the empty EPG problem can be summed up with the following rules :-
1) The Humax does not update the EPG when it wakes at 4:30am to look for OTAs
2) The Humax does not update the EPG in Standby
3) The Humax does not update the EPG while it is recording
4) The Humax does not update the EPG prior to recording in Padding Mode
5) The Humax will update the EPG prior to recording in AR mode
6) The Humax will update the EPG during a >15Min Auto On / Off or schedulled reminder
7) The Humax will update the EPG while in viewing mode

So if you leave the Humax un-attended and only have series recordings schedulled they will stop after 7 days unless you do '6' in the list above and the fix that Humax should give us is to update the EPG during the 4:30am wake-up
 
Plumie said:
With regard to my loss of series linked programs, I am fairly sure that the loss only happened after 14 days had elapsed. I set the HDR on Wednesday and went away on Thursday, all the losses appear to have occurred at least after the Wednesday fortnight of going away.
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Can I just check that under Menu>Settings>Preferences>Recording you have Start and End padding time set to off?
 
Ezra Pound said:
I think the empty EPG problem can be summed up with the following rules :-
1) The Humax does not update the EPG when it wakes at 4:30am to look for OTAs
2) The Humax does not update the EPG in Standby
3) The Humax does not update the EPG while it is recording
4) The Humax does not update the EPG prior to recording in Padding Mode
5) The Humax will update the EPG prior to recording in AR mode
6) The Humax will update the EPG during a >15Min Auto On / Off or schedulled reminder
7) The Humax will update the EPG while in viewing mode

So if you leave the Humax un-attended and only have series recordings schedulled they will stop after 7 days unless you do '6' in the list above and the fix that Humax should give us is to update the EPG during the 4:30am wake-up
Click to expand...
According to your list, 5) will also work fine, provided you have series recordings set that occur at least once a week. I have always used this method on my boxes, and have left them unattended for 9-10 days without losing any scheduled series recordings.
 
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