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Strange Behaviour After a Re-Tune

L

lancer

Member
After an automatic full search re-tune, or a default setting resulting in a re-tune, I have noticed that my box (is it only mine?!) does something strange.

For the first recording set on BBC4 (SD, don't have the newer COM's from Sudbury) after the re-tune, the box appears to record the programme and the correct length of recording appears. But when you watch it, the length of the recording is just black screen with the 'picture scrambled...etc' message in front.

All subsequent BBC 4 recordings OK, and it doesn't happen to any other channel. What is annoying is that I forget it's going to do this given the time elapsed between re-tunes, so always miss the first recorded BBC4 prog!

Why does it do this? And why only BBC4 SD - and is it only my box, or does it happen to everyone else?!
 
This is an old problem. Search the forum. Are you on the latest firmware - 1.03.12 ?
 
Is it? The old problem could affect any recording from BBC FOUR, not specifically the first one and no other (except by pure coincidence). Worth checking the firmware though.
 
I've been on the 1.03.12 firmware longer than I care to remember! Sorry, this version has been out so long I didn't think it needed mentioning!
 
Often when people do mention it, they are using well out of date firmware/Custom Firmware.
Always worth mentioning here as the version numbers are sometimes a bit dynamic.
 
The problem I think prpr was referring to affected BBC THREE HD and BBC FOUR HD, and resulted in recordings made with "bad nts" sidecar files so that the Humax wouldn't play them (reporting a zero length recording) but playable by other means. For all the ins and outs see https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/failed-recording-of-new-bbc-four-hd-channel.4309/, but I don't think this problem has been current since early 2014 (and I don't remember whether the problem just went away, or was cured by a firmware release).

In any case, it wasn't BBC FOUR SD.

Nobody else has reported anything like the OP, so I doubt it is anything more than a glitch.
 
Looks like you're saying this might be unique to me, oddly.

Strange. I don't remember always having the issue (though I have had it for some while now), so perhaps it appeared after that long ago update to 1.03.12. But what is for sure is that it still persists to this day...last occurrence on the recent need to re-tune last week.
 
lancer said:
Looks like you're saying this might be unique to me, oddly.
Click to expand...
That's how it looks, but it is more likely a problem that no one else has both come across and reported here, and due to a specific permutation of factors. You may not be unique. (Sorry)

Now that BBC Four HD seems to be on a less generally available (lower power) mux others may be forced back to the SD version and other instances of this may find their way here.
 
I've never had any problem recording from BBC FOUR (SD), and have never bothered with BBC FOUR HD. Not that I do retunes very often. Neither can I think of a mechanism that would cause the first recording from that service alone to fail and no other.
 
Speaking as the OP(!), I am definitely not mistaken as it has now happened several times following a re-tune. Only ever the first recording on BBC4 SD is missed, and always with the 'picture is scrambled or unavailable' message on black background - even though recorded programme length is right. And it misses it even if it is not the first recording to be made following the re-tune, which seems even more odd (i.e. it is singling out this channel only - and will do it however long it takes!).

Whilst I'm happy to accept MikeSh's view that I may not be unique (no apology necessary!), there hasn't exactly been a rush of other posters joining me to report similar bizarre behaviour! And I find it hard to think why it should be unique to my machine only...
 
lancer said:
I am definitely not mistaken as it has now happened several times following a re-tune.
Click to expand...
Don't retune then!
Only ever the first recording on BBC4 SD is missed, and always with the 'picture is scrambled or unavailable' message on black background
Click to expand...
I wonder if it's a funny with the flags in the .hmt file. Are you not running the Customised Firmware?
there hasn't exactly been a rush of other posters joining me to report similar bizarre behaviour! And I find it hard to think why it should be unique to my machine only...
Click to expand...
It probably isn't your machine only. Perhaps most people either don't record from BBC4 at all, or use the HD version.
 
When there were problems with bbc4hd recordings following a retune in 2014, one workaround was to start a recording while watching the channel live. Such recordings usually worked and subsequent scheduled recordings executed correctly. It all went wrong again though at the next retune and the process had to be repeated. A combination of a firmware upgrade and badnts seemed to have made it a thing of the past.
 
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