OT: U.K. VideoPlus+ Users

AlanC wrote on 9/1/2006, 5:38 AM

Sorry to ask here but I tried the usual methods without satisfaction.

I regularly use VideoPlus to programme my 2 DV recorders. Last night was no exception. I programmed one DVR to record two programmes and the other DVR to record two different programmes.

Strange this is, neither of the machines recorded either of the programmes. That's never happened before. So I went into the menus of both machines and sure enough, the start/end times, channel numbers and dates were still there and were correct.

So I checked the VideoPlus numbers in a different TV guide and yes, the numbers I had used were correct.

Just to prove that I wasn't going mad, I entered the VP numbers of a programme that was about to start into both DVR's. Then I waited for the start time (23:00) to come around. Guess what. Nothing. Absolutely sweet FA.

Has the Millennium Bug finally caught up with me!!!

Did any body else in the UK use their VideoPlus to record anything yesterday?
Did it work?

Alan

Comments

RBartlett wrote on 9/1/2006, 8:58 AM

Unfortunately I didn't and the issue may have just been in your region anyway.
However, I'm basing that on the assumption that you might have PDC turned on.

If the PVR reckons it is on a channel that supports PDC, or if the unit is a bit thick, it'll assume it needs it. There is the chance that the private business data that goes on the teletext channels has confused both decks so that they don't record as per the VideoPlus settings (that you confirmed were decoded from the cipher/algorithm correctly).

The other possiblity, a bit like when RDS traffic programmes leave you on the interruption station longer than the traffic news report, it that human error could have occured. If there was a sporting event or a change to scheduling, the intern/student that holds down the delay button may have fallen asleep on it (or left their tin sandwich box on it).

However, with PDC - you are not there to witness it and override it. So for next time, if you have this additional feature on both your decks, perhaps try changing it.

Were the channel mixes all ITV or all BBC (in the original sense, not the freeview newcomers that have dropped in from sat/cbl) ?

Other than that, all that was special about yesterday was that it was the last day of the month. Your programming possibly spanned two months but if it was more than 60mins, certainly it spanned a day boundary. I've had issues with that on a Thomson deck, although I put it down to human error or that my aerial was receiving the time of day clock poorly off the channel it chose to set it by.

The smart answer is "go find the youngest person in the house, if they are under 15 they can probably do it for you and accurately". ;-)

AlanC wrote on 9/1/2006, 9:26 AM

Thanks for the response.

In answer to some of your points: I am nominated as Chief Programmer in the home. I don't receive any extra pay or any special rewards but I am expected to account for every possibility including schedule over-runs, injury time in football which causes the following programme to be delayed, power cuts, lightening strikes and Uncle Tom Cobbly.

All of the programmes that should have recorded were on BBC or ITV or Channel 4. i.e. no satellite and no freeview channels.

None of the programmes spanned midnight. They all finished by 22:00.

Both decks are decent quality and normally reliable. One is a Panasonic, the other a Pioneer.

As for PDC, I don't normally set this. It's possible that one of the decks could have got PDC turned on accidentally but not both.

It's looking like the student falling asleep. I shall just have to experiment tonight when I get home. Thing is there's never anything worth recording on a Friday so I'll just have to record on of the soaps.

Thanks

Alan

RBartlett wrote on 9/1/2006, 12:48 PM

I had to try and help a fellow Digital Butler. I am he who frequents the advanced remote control modes in this establishment too. Until Digital Butler Jr comes of age.

I hope you don't get any stoppages in your pay packet you do receive.

We want the nice kit with the features whilst our other halves want no wires, no issues and none of our stuff showing on the screeny thing that you were asked to choose which one you thought gave the best picture in the shop..... Then she who must be obeyed wonders why we are downstairs in the night watching a war film or an old scifi that caught our attention during an R-Whites moment..... ;-)

I wouldn't change it for the world!..... < yawn >.

MarkWWW wrote on 9/1/2006, 12:59 PM

I find that VideoPlus+ isn't entirely reliable - every now and then (maybe once every couple of months) it will just competely fail to record a programme. And one of these glitches did occur for me yesterday - it missed recording "The Mark Steel Lectures" on BBC2 at 11.20-11.50. (I'm in the West London area and using a Panasonic DMR-E85H hard disc (& DVD) recorder, in case that's relevant.)

It seems to me that these recording failures occur more often on BBC1 and BBC2 than on CH4 or CH5, but I can't back it up with any proper evidence. I don't think I've ever had it happen on ITV but that's just because there's so little worth watching on ITV anyway that I wouldn't notice - apart from the Grand Prix I don't think I've watched anything on ITV at all this year.

Mark

AlanC wrote on 9/1/2006, 2:14 PM

Thanks for your input guys.

Despite the fact that there is nothing worth recording tonight, I have set a few programmes anyway. So far it's looking good but I shall provide a full report tomorrow.

I'm even more convinced that it was something to do with the date!

Alan

AlanC wrote on 9/2/2006, 2:14 AM

And the conclusion of my experiment is...

Panasonic DMR-E50. Two programmes entered via VideoPlus+. Two programmes recorded.

Pioneer DVR-420H. Two programmes entered via VideoPlus+. Two programmes recorded.

My conclusion: Something odd about 31st August that isn't handled by the VideoPlus+ algorithm.

Does anybody know if the algorithm includes the year. If so it's possible that the times and dates entered were for a year other than 2006.

There must be a logical explanation for this.

Alan