# Haven't Checked In For Some Time: HR10-250 DVR Scheduler?



## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

Anybody here of any update for when DirecTV's DVR Scheduler might be available for the HR10-250?

According to their FAQ, it is coming "soon." Which I think it said that five months ago.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/customer/faqPage.jsp?assetId=P4400098#category1

Sorry if I missed another thread on this. I did search.


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## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

I've heard no specific dates.


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## Citivas (Oct 12, 2000)

Typical of DirecTV. I'm not worked up about it because I don't really need this functionality -- I would rather have some of the newer TiVo stuff that they'll never put on this box like the ability to share content between rooms.

But I thought it was pretty ridiculous when they sent me out a letter about 9 months ago promoting how this "exciting" new functionality was coming to this box "by early next year." Vaporware. They are worse than Microsoft about annoucing things they haven't even full baked yet. I didn't expect otherwise given that they spent two years aggressively marketing and signin-up subscribers on the basis of the HD service before they actually launched it.

I seriously doubt these changes will ever see the light of day. By the time they would get around to launching them they will have reduced the user base of the 10-250 to virtually nothing ayway so what's the point?


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## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

Citavas:
I think it was actually Tivo that made the announcement of the "soon-to-be-released" DirecTV/Tivo features. I'll poke around and see if I can any schedule updates from my DirecTV contacts.


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## iaflyer (Oct 21, 2001)

litzdog911 said:


> Citavas:
> I think it was actually Tivo that made the announcement of the "soon-to-be-released" DirecTV/Tivo features. I'll poke around and see if I can any schedule updates from my DirecTV contacts.


I disagree - I got a postcard from DirecTV talking about the "exciting new features" coming soon. I think I got the postcard in the fall or early winter. Whatever Directv... I guess if I want innovation on the Tivo interface I'll go to cable.


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## Citivas (Oct 12, 2000)

litzdog911 said:


> Citavas:
> I think it was actually Tivo that made the announcement of the "soon-to-be-released" DirecTV/Tivo features. I'll poke around and see if I can any schedule updates from my DirecTV contacts.


Nope. I have it right here and it was mailed with my DirecTV monthly bill and has the DirecTV logo all over it.


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## tucsonbill (Aug 11, 2004)

SpankyInChicago said:


> Anybody here of any update for when DirecTV's DVR Scheduler might be available for the HR10-250?
> 
> According to their FAQ, it is coming "soon." Which I think it said that five months ago.
> 
> ...


Well, if it's going to work like the online scheduler for the HR20/21 I'll stick with tivoweb. (I do use the scheduler for my HR21, but only because it's all I've got.)


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## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

litzdog911 said:


> Citavas:
> I think it was actually Tivo that made the announcement of the "soon-to-be-released" DirecTV/Tivo features. I'll poke around and see if I can any schedule updates from my DirecTV contacts.


FYI: the "record" button is listed on the online DirecTV guide and I can click it. When I click it, it lists my three HR10-250s and asks me which one I want the show recorded onto. I can choose any of the three and it tells me that the recording request has been sent to my unit, but the unit never actually honors the request and nothing gets recorded.


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## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

The official timeframe was "early 2008" - whatever THAT means.


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## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

Looks like someone's spotted v6.4a in the stream ....
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=393867


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

litzdog911 said:


> Looks like someone's spotted v6.4a in the stream ....
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=393867


That's in a forum for DirecTivos other than the HR10. Are you sure THAT 6.4 would be something targeted for HR10's?

Regardless, if you early adopters want it, please go right ahead, force a download, whine when you don't get it immediately (I've seen that pattern too many times already), and report back. Pioneers get the arrows, but settlers get the land.

I'll be back here happily on 3.1 with my phone line unplugged patiently still waiting for an up rev that doesn't break more than it fixes. What are they, about 0 for 6 now?


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## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

TyroneShoes said:


> That's in a forum for DirecTivos other than the HR10. Are you sure THAT 6.4 would be something targeted for HR10's?
> 
> Regardless, if you early adopters want it, please go right ahead, force a download, whine when you don't get it immediately (I've seen that pattern too many times already), and report back. Pioneers get the arrows, but settlers get the land.
> 
> I'll be back here happily on 3.1 with my phone line unplugged patiently still waiting for an up rev that doesn't break more than it fixes. What are they, about 0 for 6 now?


If 6.4a is the release that provides Remote Scheduling and the other announced features, then it should also be coming to the HR10-250.


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## Budget_HT (Jan 2, 2001)

Am I recalling correctly that the scheduler sends the recording request out over the satellite path instead of using an internet connection?


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## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

Budget_HT said:


> Am I recalling correctly that the scheduler sends the recording request out over the satellite path instead of using an internet connection?


Yes. That's how it works with the newer non-Tivo DVRs. You make your request via your DirecTV web account and the information is sent via the satellite stream to your DVR.


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## tucsonbill (Aug 11, 2004)

TyroneShoes said:


> I'll be back here happily on 3.1,... ?


So the reboots aren't a problem anymore?


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## catfish john (Jul 14, 2004)

I noticed today that my HR10-250 is showing up in the scheduler.
So, I thought I would give it a try. Even though I received an email stating the shows would be recorded, they did not record!
Has any else had this experience.
I have used the HR20-700 for some time now with no problems!


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## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Does your HR10 have 6.4a on it?


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## EricG (Jan 31, 2002)

catfish john said:


> I noticed today that my HR10-250 is showing up in the scheduler.
> So, I thought I would give it a try. Even though I received an email stating the shows would be recorded, they did not record!
> Has any else had this experience.
> I have used the HR20-700 for some time now with no problems!


Same here. I do NOT have 6.4 yet on the HR10-250.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

tucsonbill said:


> So the reboots aren't a problem anymore?


When we last spoke, they sure were. I got like 4 in a period of 3 hours, 2 on one and 2 on another (plus another the night before and about 1 or 2 a week prior to that). I started recording Letterman on both HR10's about that time (since I desperately needed backup) and both rebooted (though at different times) in "Moonlight" (R.I.P) and LSWDLetterman that very night.

But since then (about 3-4 weeks have passed) I have not had one. They disappeared just as mysteriously as they first appeared. I am thinking that maybe CBS made a change that fixed this somehow (as virtually all of mine happened when one or the other tuner was on CBS, and folks have pointed to CBS as the possible culprit).

I have also not seen reports by anyone else since then, so maybe the storm has passed.


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## tucsonbill (Aug 11, 2004)

TyroneShoes said:


> I am thinking that maybe CBS made a change that fixed this somehow...


Not impossible. Although I don't know what their incentive would be. (Why would they care about causing a problem with TiVo?) But there's no question (in my mind, anyway -- small as it might be.) that CBS OTA was the issue.


> I have also not seen reports by anyone else since then, so maybe the storm has passed.


 Could be there's no one but you still clinging to 3.1..


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## STL (Feb 10, 2005)

TyroneShoes,
Why the heck are you still on 3.1? I've have various 6.3 versions and except for the one that sometimes caused audio dropouts I haven't had any issues. I'm currently on a hacked 6.3e just because I haven't had a reason to update to the newer f.


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## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

catfish john said:


> I noticed today that my HR10-250 is showing up in the scheduler.
> So, I thought I would give it a try. Even though I received an email stating the shows would be recorded, they did not record!
> Has any else had this experience.


Yes. This is the same experience I had.


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## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

stevel said:


> Does your HR10 have 6.4a on it?


6.3f

Well, last time I checked about a week ago.

Could be 6.4a by now.

Either way, it doesn't seem to work.


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## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

STL said:


> TyroneShoes,
> Why the heck are you still on 3.1? I've have various 6.3 versions and except for the one that sometimes caused audio dropouts I haven't had any issues. I'm currently on a hacked 6.3e just because I haven't had a reason to update to the newer f.


Yeah, the first couple 6.3 versions were a little messed up with all the guide issues (someone in your family cancelled the season pass). But e and f have been very stable.


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## Citivas (Oct 12, 2000)

SpankyInChicago said:


> Yeah, the first couple 6.3 versions were a little messed up with all the guide issues (someone in your family cancelled the season pass). But e and f have been very stable.


We still get the guide problems intermittantly to this date. We now check the to-do list nightly before turning off the TV and have to reinstate about 4 shows a week on average. It usually is in clusters -- everything is great for the better part of a week, then 2-3 problems in a row...


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## codespy (Jan 7, 2006)

The drop down scheduler at DirecTV.com shows all my HR10's and HR20's, but not my SD-DVR40/80 units. So maybe they only intend the 6.4a for the HR10's? 

In any regard, when the slices start coming down, I expect a lot of reboots, freezes, etc on all my TiVo's until all machines are updated. This has been past history over and over and over again.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

STL said:


> TyroneShoes,
> Why the heck are you still on 3.1?...


Here's one reason:



SpankyInChicago said:


> ...Either way, it [6.x] doesn't seem to work.


Here's a few more:

2) I have seen how F'ed up 6.x is, and every time a new up rev comes out, it seems not to fix anything, as there is always a flurry of complaints.

3) Usually when software is this bad, up revs can't fix it. Tivo has now tried 6 times.

4) 3.1 works. It's pokey, it doesn't have folders, but it records and plays back reliably, which is 99.9% of what I ask for in a DVR.

5) I own Macs, not PCs, so a back rev path is very impractical

6) Up revs risk the possibility that the partition being switched to is corrupted, and there is a chance of that wiping the HDD or boat-anchoring the DVR. That raises the spectre of having to abandon them for HR2x's. I'm happy with one HR20, but there are still things Tivo does better that I would miss, were that my future, so since time is on my side, I will coast along just fine on 3.1, thankyouverymuch.

7) "why the heck" not?

It will take the level of 6.x horror stories being exceptionally low for me to risk it (bird in the hand, and all). If things level off and my HDDs get empty, which will probably happen about July, then I might risk an up rev.



tucsonbill said:


> ...Although I don't know what their incentive would be. (Why would they care about causing a problem with TiVo?)...


Speaking as a broadcaster, I can't imagine them not wanting to respond to such as issue. Eyeballs are eyeballs, and you do what you have to to get and keep them.



tucsonbill said:


> ...Could be there's no one but you still clinging to 3.1..


I hope that's sarcasm rather than naivette. If not, it's a thin premise. I am pretty convinced after perusing the forums that there are a lot of us holdouts out here.  (even if we are beginning to resemble the old coots that stayed on the porch with a shotgun rather than move out of the shadow of Mt. St. Helens in 1980)


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## coachO (Nov 26, 2004)

I still have 3.1 (no letter) on one of my HR10-250s. Of all my DVRs, it is the most reliable and the one I use the most. It also is zippered which means it has fake call and connects to my computer.


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## STL (Feb 10, 2005)

TyroneShoes said:


> Here's one reason:
> 
> 
> SpankyInChicago said:
> ...


You do realize he's talking about DirecTV (online) DVR Scheduler, right? Does 3.1 work with it? If not, what the heck is your point?



TyroneShoes said:


> Here's a few more:
> 2) I have seen how F'ed up 6.x is, and every time a new up rev comes out, it seems not to fix anything, as there is always a flurry of complaints.


And I bet 95+% of those complaints have nothing to do with the new software release. Just because people think they've made a connection and choose to complain on a forum doesn't mean it's true.



TyroneShoes said:


> 3) Usually when software is this bad, up revs can't fix it. Tivo has now tried 6 times.


That statement is just plain bogus. I work in software (not for TiVo) and new revisions are not bad things at all. So just what have they not fixed (that they broke with 6.3)? I know mine is fine -- and it seems most people tend to have similar results.



TyroneShoes said:


> 4) 3.1 works. It's pokey, it doesn't have folders, but it records and plays back reliably, which is 99.9% of what I ask for in a DVR.


Well my 6.3e works just fine and sure seems reliable --- and it's less pokey and has folders. 



TyroneShoes said:


> 6) Up revs risk the possibility that the partition being switched to is corrupted, and there is a chance of that wiping the HDD or boat-anchoring the DVR. That raises the spectre of having to abandon them for HR2x's. I'm happy with one HR20, but there are still things Tivo does better that I would miss, were that my future, so since time is on my side, I will coast along just fine on 3.1, thankyouverymuch.


I understand this arguement and agree with waiting until the "rerun season" when your TiVo shouldn't be as full. If you haven't upgraded the drive in your TiVo yet then you can do that before going to 6.3 then you'll have a copy of 3.1 to fall back on. You can get a suitable 500gig drive for less than $100 these days.



TyroneShoes said:


> 7) "why the heck" not?


Because 6.3 is faster and has folders.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

STL said:


> ...That statement is just plain bogus. I work in software (not for TiVo) and new revisions are not bad things at all...


It appears that the statement you quoted of mine which you find "just plain bogus" is this one...


> ...Usually when software is this bad, up revs can't fix it...


...which I stand behind completely and defend vigorously.

Your argument supporting your assertion of "just plain bogus" seems to be directed at new revisions in general. While I agree with you that new revisions in general are "not bad things at all" and are actually usually good things, the important distinction I made, which you seemed to have glossed over completely, was not about up revs in general, but was very specifically about the narrow scenario of bad software getting out there and the chances of it being fixed quickly and properly, if ever. Historically speaking, there are millions of horror stories on the forums alone that completely support my point regarding this, many which have nothing at all to even do with Tivo. All one has to do is the research to find this out. And anyone who ever owned a DISH PVR knows instantly what I am talking about.

One reason why I hold this opinion is that the reason bad software gets out at all is due to bad programming, and those assigned to mop up such a mess are usually those same bad programmers that wrote the software in the first place. IOW, if they were dumb enough to release it, they're probably also not smart enough to fix it.

For Tivo, who has historically had exceptionally-brilliant programmers, faltering this badly is definitely out of character, and with their prior track record I would have expected that this never could have happened. The sad reality is that it did, and as optimistic as I have been that they actually were bright enough to fix it, I am still out here twisting in the wind, some 18 months later. Their lack of ability to fix this mess is proof by itself of how true my statement is and how valid my opinion just might be. It might also be evidence enough to dismiss your "just plain bogus" assertion completely out of hand.

Also, the fact that you may "work in software" in no way elevates your standing as to whether making such a sweeping pronouncement holds any more validity than if you did not. History does not lie. If a "lightning expert" tells me it is impossible for lightning to strike twice in the same place, and I then see it happen with my own eyes, how much credence do you expect me to place in the "expert"?

Further, calling my opinion "just plain bogus" is about as arrogant an insult as I have had to endure in quite some time. Why can't you just say that you hold a different opinion, then support it somehow with something that actually means something that also pertains to why you might hold such a different opinion, and leave it at that, rather than attacking my opinion as if I don't have the right to form one in the first place, and then providing only weak and irrelevant support for why. I could have respect for a differing opinion were it supported, but I can have no respect for one that is poorly supported and is simply an attack, and I also quite frankly find it hard to dredge up any respect at all for the attacker. I am just as entitled to my opinion as you are to yours, and at least in my case I can back my opinion up.



STL said:


> ...So just what have they not fixed (that they broke with 6.3)? I know mine is fine -- and it seems most people tend to have similar results...


I am happy for you, but there are things that happened after 6.3 that did not happen in 3.1. The 8-second mute followed by pixellation is directly attributable to 6.3. I have seen no evidence that this has been fixed. The spontaneous rebooting seems to only have begun, both from reports on the forums as well as my own anecdotal experience, since 6.3. I actually do not think there is enough smoking-gun evidence regarding that, as rebooting can happen on 3.1 also either for the same or different reasons.

So I can't really answer that question any better than that because I just don't know. And how would I? No one seems to really know. What I do know is that every time there is a new up rev, I see lots of posts regarding problems that were either not fixed, or were brought on by the up rev itself.

Once I stop seeing the horror stories (and I will admit they have died down significantly) and start getting glowing reports of better up rev experiences, only then will I be able to assume that Tivo actually un-screwed the pooch.


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## tucsonbill (Aug 11, 2004)

coachO said:


> I still have 3.1 (no letter) on one of my HR10-250s. Of all my DVRs, it is the most reliable and the one I use the most. It also is zippered which means it has fake call and connects to my computer.


Couple of questions:

1. Are any of the other "DVRs" HR10-250s running 6.3e? 
2. Do you or did you watch a lot of CBS OTA and experience no reboot problem.

A comment for fairness -- I was on 3.1.5f when the reboot storm hit, so I can't honestly say that earlier revs didn't have a problem.


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## tucsonbill (Aug 11, 2004)

TyroneShoes said:


> Here's one reason:
> 
> Speaking as a broadcaster, I can't imagine them not wanting to respond to such as issue. Eyeballs are eyeballs, and you do what you have to to get and keep them.


 Speaking as a single local broadcaster. The problem doesn't appear to be anything the local station could do anything about. (Evidenced by the fact that it was widespread -- or as ZZTOP would have said "nationwide") OTOH, I do believe you're speaking your convictions and your ethics. From some of the things I see local broadcasters do I sometimes wonder whether they care about my eyeballs.

For example, although my local CBS affiliate broadcast all the primetime stuff in HD, they don't have the ability to do HD crawls or overgraphics (wrong term I'm sure, but hope you'll know what I mean.) My primetime viewing of CBS is constantly switched to SD so that theycan run a fifteen or twenty second graphic touting their 10 o'clock news broadcast. The SD broadcast of course is a couple of seconds out of sync with the HD so I sometimes also miss acrucial word of dialog in the transition.


> I hope that's sarcasm ....)


Sarcasm it was. OTOH, I'm still here on the porch with you. BTW, I think "don't fix it if it ain't broken" is a very good rationale for not upgrading. For me it was so broken that I had not choice.


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## phox_mulder (Feb 23, 2006)

Just an FYI.

I logged into DirecTV today to schedule an upcoming show.

In the drop down menu for DVR choices, both my HR21 and my HR10 were there.
(even though USAHD isn't available on my HR10)

Don't know if that means DVR Scheduling is active for DirecTiVo's or not (as my R10 wasn't a choice, but it isn't connected to a phone line, so hasn't downloaded the latest software)


phox


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## joed32 (Jul 9, 2005)

I tried scheduling a couple of shows yesterday on the HR10. The site accepted the input and sent me the E-mails but the programs did not record. When they set it up for the HR2Xs the same kind of teething problems existed so hopefully soon.


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## STL (Feb 10, 2005)

TyroneShoes,
Being that I work in software, perhaps I took your seemingly general statement about software revisions too personally. So let me apologize if I offended you with my comment because that was not my attempt. 

That said, as a general statement I still must say it is incorrect. I very often see "bad" software (meaning software with a defect) get fixed with revision releases. I would say that most revision releases are done precisely to fix defects; yes sometimes revisions might add functionality, but most often that is done in new releases and not revisions. If you are talking about DISH PVR software then you very well might be correct about revisions. If you are talking about the HR10's 6.3x software then I still disagree with your statement. I had the audio mute followed by pixellation issue, and I can say it was indeed fixed in the next rev I believe (and many others reported the same). As for reboots, I haven't had any more frequent spontaneous middle-of-a-show reboots with 6.3 than I did with 3.1 (maybe one every few years). When the 6.3 revs were coming down fairly frequently I would get reboots in the middle of the night when the machine was updating the software (or preparing for the update). I also think the HR10 will start doing periodic reboots (at night) if it goes too long without a successful call. Since I don't quite have fakecall setup properly (to make periodic "calls"), I have seen that a few times. So again let me ask you just what was broken with 6.3 that has not been fixed?

As for your general statements about "bad programming" and "bad programmers" you seem to be making some rather brash statements yourself! You sure sound like someone who's never made a mistake in his/her life. Must be nice... 

Furthermore, the fact I work in the field of software means I get to see many more software experiences and from several perspectives -- so yes I would save I have at least a little better picture than someone who mostly forms their "history" on information from forums. Don't get we wrong though, I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I do feel I have a better picture than most.


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