MySky HDi Detecting start times now?

Forums › Sky, Neon, Lightbox › MySky HDi Detecting start times now?

Balchy

484 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#30085 28-Jan-2009 14:27

Just noticed this the other day - when replaying a recorded program and you select your starting point as "start" it now starts at the actual beginning of the program.

Eg if you pause as soon as it starts it will show +2 min, + 4 min etc.

I know for a fact that this didnt happen in the past as i was constantly having to fast forward miley cyrus to get to a movie my son likes, now i dont have to, which is great!

Interesting to see how they would do that however.....

For billions of years since the outset of time, every single one of your ancestors survived, every single person on your Mum and Dads side, successfully looked after and passed onto you life. What are the chances of that like?

hairy1

3352 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 644

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#192498 28-Jan-2009 14:40

Hi Balchy,
It was part of the latest firmware update. I like the live background sound when in planner and the add 20 minutes to a future recording.
The details are on this thread:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=106&TopicId=29878

Cheers,
Matt.

My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.

Balchy

484 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#192500 28-Jan-2009 14:44

hairy1: Hi Balchy,
It was part of the latest firmware update. I like the live background sound when in planner and the add 20 minutes to a future recording.
The details are on this thread:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=106&TopicId=29878

Cheers,
Matt.

Ah, fantastic, thanks Matt I hadnt noticed the live sound in the planner thing, Will have to go home and have a fiddle, and then check out myskys new features...

hazza87

352 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 7

#192695 29-Jan-2009 11:16

It is not actually detecting the start time, meerly starting playing the recording from the 2min point. Whilst slightly better it still very rarely actually is the start of the show, still have to do fast forwarding and even rewinding sometimes.

smarsden

118 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#192713 29-Jan-2009 14:03

Apologies if this potentially leads things off-topic, but I find it really interesting that this feature hasn't existed already.

About 10 years ago in the UK, I bought a top-of-the-line Sony VCR, that had this feature built in way back then - called PDC (Programme Delivery Control). The analogue TV broadcast included, on most channels (definitely the major ones like BBC and ITV), a signal to identify the start and end of programmes. When programming the VCR you had the option of using PDC or not, and if you chose to use it, should the programme start or finish either late or early, it would still be correctly recorded, even though you may have set the recording to start/stop on the hour. If you didn't use it, you'd have to do what we all do now and schedule your recording to start early and finish late in order to make sure you didn't miss anything.

It's astonishing to me that it's not been implemented over here, particularly for something like MySky (either normal or HDi).

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9996

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#192728 29-Jan-2009 15:07

This can easily be done with EIT since this is continually updated. I guess the problem is somebody already has a Patent which you can view here. No doubt if broadcasters tried to do something similair they would have to pay royalties!

rugrat

3142 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 944

Lifetime subscriber

#192779 29-Jan-2009 20:10

I think it's because they can't be bothered. They've done it for some some sports events, on sky sports so don't think patent is problem, where it has gone into extended time etc. They don't seem to do it for any other channels.

Also in instruction book says if program is moved by up to 6 hours recording time can be changed to new time. Bigger 6 hours recording lost. They seem to only impliment it on sky sport channels . Rare, but I haved missed 10 minutes end of program and tht's with +5 minutes at end of program. TVNZ is the only station where I've lost end of some stuff.

Don't wish to fill up drive space heaps just to make sure get end of program, shouldn't have to.

Geekzone

Want to support Geekzone and browse the site without the ads? Subscribe to Geekzone now (monthly, annual and lifetime options).

manaia

272 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 11

#192884 30-Jan-2009 11:02

The start time on playback defaults to the pre-record 'guard time' length you have set up. The default for this is 2 minutes - if you change it to 5 minutes, then the playback default time will move as well.

Most SKY channels are played out automatically (or retransmitted from overseas feeds) and so programmes begin and end on time. The main exception is Sports, and the EPG is updated manually when events over-run. The main problem SKY has is the FTAs, as they do frequently run programmes late, and SKY doesn't get updated EPG data. Without assigning people to watch the FTAs and adjust manually, recordings can miss their ends.

The problem with automated programme detection is that it is a hair away from ad detection, and this is contentious.

cyril7

9075 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2499

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#192889 30-Jan-2009 11:50

The problem with automated programme detection is that it is a hair away from ad detection, and this is contentious.

Sounds good to me, bring it on

Cyril

allstarnz

1720 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 24

Trusted

#192891 30-Jan-2009 12:21

Sky Sport is generally pretty good for not chopping stuff off, but something like the History Channel is chronic for running over the allotted time.

rugrat

3142 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 944

Lifetime subscriber

#193078 31-Jan-2009 13:29

With channels like discovery can't see problem with automated add chopping. Looks like to me most of breaks are so adds can be added in countries it's funded that way, here in NZ most of the adds are self promotional ones. oh well, just have to stick to fast forwarding.