# FF stops?



## Spiky (May 30, 2002)

Anybody else have FFx1 stop working? This started recently, I don't know if it coincided with the E software or what.

It simply does not FF, it acts like Pause.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

Mine is working fine.

Do a reboot.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

sorta related:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=286668

and more coming, i need to search:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=341246

and i personally have the issue on CW and cbs here. both stations are in the same building in philly so i guess they use the same (whatever is causing this)


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## mickywill (Mar 4, 2003)

Spiky, I am guessing you are having this problem with KARE 11.1 OTA. If so, then I think I have found the cause of the problem. I started seeing the ffx1 pause during NBC nfl football games, and KARE 11's directory of technology said they started testing a new Harris NetVX encoder at the same time. Check the link below for more infomation about KARE 11's encoder testing.

Micky

HDTV Twin Cities Forum


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

any idea if that encoder could prevent 30 second skip from working? Mine turns into like 5 second skip and sometimes even 1 second.


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## JeffTHX (Feb 25, 2004)

As another Twin Citian, I also am having the FF stop issue, but I haven't paid attention to see if it's limited to KARE-11. It's possible that that is the only channel where this has happened, because I've only noticed it on a few occasions. I don't use FFx1 often--typically just when I'm watching a football game and I go through the stuff in-between plays to compress the viewing time.

Jeff


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

newsposter said:


> any idea if that encoder could prevent 30 second skip from working? Mine turns into like 5 second skip and sometimes even 1 second.


This has been discussed before and it is now showing up more and more with me. This doesn't seem to be consistent during the whole recording. You will also notice that the 8s replay is more like .5s as well. Makes it somewhat difficult to use.


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## Spiky (May 30, 2002)

It (FF not working) happens on all recordings, not just NBC. I think. I will verify this weekend. I had seen that thread, but never opened it. I'll have to check it out.

As for poor skipping, that has been around on and off for quite some time. I haven't noticed it recently, though.


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## Syzygy (Aug 17, 2000)

Over the last few weeks I've noticed that FFx1 (the one FF speed at which CC is still visible) frequently freezes. At that point I have to press Play to unfreeze the picture. Freeze points are not necessarily associated with bad data: If I back up and do an FFx1 again, a freeze may happen at a different (later) point. I never used to get any freezing during FFx1. The onset did *not *coincide with a software update.

It's on some but not all channels; maybe more likely in HD recordings. I'm supposed to be **graded to an HR21 tomorrow, so I won't be adding any more input on this (I hope).


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

frequently or ALWAYS? I ask because my cbs and wb stations 100&#37; of the time freeze on 1x ff. This issue didnt occur with 3.5 software but when i updated my 3.5 machine, it started happening right away so it's definitely something in 6.x software that messed this up.


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## Syzygy (Aug 17, 2000)

newsposter said:


> frequently or ALWAYS?


Well, on some channels it seems inevitable that a freeze will occur after just a few seconds; definitely less than a minute. On The Daily Show (SD) it hasn't happened AFAIRecall.

You could be right about the onset. I may have disregarded the first few instances.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

well if the FF is working at all on those channels, maybe it's not what i have. Since every single time i press 1ff on those channels it freezes.

If you have an intermittent problem, i guess it could be the drive but i'm not sure. you said it happens after a few seconds and not right away. So that's definitely not my problem. 

i dont watch anything on the SD channel when it's avaliable on the digital channel so i cant say if SD vs HD does make a difference


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## Syzygy (Aug 17, 2000)

newsposter said:


> ...every single time i press 1ff on [my cbs and wb HD] channels it freezes...


Your problem seems unique to me. Maybe your last update was installed over a bad spot on your hard drive.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

Not unique. I have noticed this on certain NBC sports programs over the last two weeks, and I am in a different market. Whatever it is, my HR20 is not affected.


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## az_double_eagle (Aug 14, 2006)

I'm also having the FFx1 freezing problem. I don't have a phone line connected permanently (I got 6.4a about 1.5 months ago), but I did hook it up tonight on both of my units (see sig) to hopefully get rid of the problem where the last-left-off-watching pointer was getting reset to the beginning of the recording while timeshifting (very obnoxious). I read in another thread that it was fixed, so I gave that a try. 

Well, the software update 6.4a -> 6.4a (no number changes) did fix that problem (thank goodness), but it did NOT fix the freezing at FFx1 problem.

I've had the problem on CBS (5.1 in Phoenix) and NBC (12.1 in Phoenix).

I really like having the FFx1 speed (as most people do) for still watching the CC.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

Syzygy said:


> Your problem seems unique to me. Maybe your last update was installed over a bad spot on your hard drive.


which miraculously hopped over to my perfectly functioning 3.5 machine when i finally plugged into the wall and let it go to 6.4a? 

even if i had the tin foil hat on, that just isnt possible to affect my other machine the same way under the same circumstances. Unless both hard drives were separated at birth i guess


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## az_double_eagle (Aug 14, 2006)

az_double_eagle said:


> I'm also having the FFx1 freezing problem. I don't have a phone line connected permanently (I got 6.4a about 1.5 months ago), but I did hook it up tonight on both of my units (see sig) to hopefully get rid of the problem where the last-left-off-watching pointer was getting reset to the beginning of the recording while timeshifting (very obnoxious). I read in another thread that it was fixed, so I gave that a try.
> 
> Well, the software update 6.4a -> 6.4a (no number changes) did fix that problem (thank goodness), but it did NOT fix the freezing at FFx1 problem.
> 
> ...


Well, I stand corrected about the latest download fixing the last-left-off-watching pointer. I know this is a bit off-thread, but I did want to say that if you catch up to LIVE while watching, then you still have the problem (the recording starts over at the beginning).

I've found that if you leave yourself more than about 5 minutes before LIVE on the recording, and then exit, when you return to the recording you are where you left off.

This is a good workaround, but nonetheless still pretty lame.


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## Joe Jensen (Jul 7, 2003)

Mine is not working now on NBC (delay play of a recording, but still recording). It works on CBS. 2nd Tivo is working fine. First Tivo with issue has not worked (FF freeze) since the Olympics starter...joe


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## Syzygy (Aug 17, 2000)

az_double_eagle said:


> I'm also having the FFx1 freezing problem. I don't have a phone line connected permanently (I got 6.4a about 1.5 months ago), but I did hook it up tonight on both of my units (see sig) to hopefully get rid of the problem where the last-left-off-watching pointer was getting reset to the beginning of the recording while timeshifting (very obnoxious). *I read in another thread that it was fixed*, so I gave that a try.
> 
> Well, the software update 6.4a -> 6.4a (no number changes) did fix that problem (thank goodness), but it did NOT fix the freezing at FFx1 problem...


I'm not surprised that this post was quickly followed with "I stand corrected about the latest download fixing the last-left-off-watching pointer... I still have the problem." I agree completely with calling this software regression "very obnoxious".

However, I'm really posting to ask what exactly you read in another thread about it being fixed. I don't suppose you remember any details about that, like what kind of thread? (Anyone who thought the problem had gone away might have been testing in a live buffer without recording it and without going to the menu system. The bug doesn't show up then.)

To reproduce the bug in an old recording (accessed from Now Playing) is simple and straightforward.

To reproduce the bug in live TV:
1. Press Record while viewing a buffer -- unless the buffer is already being recorded.
2. Position yourself 1 to 4 minutes behind real time and Pause.
(Steps 1 and 2 can be reversed.)
3. Press TiVo to go the the menu system.
4. Press LiveTV to go back to where you left off -- you will have lost your paused position.

(Once when I did step 4, the screen went black until I pressed LiveTV again! And yes, I know that, usually, pressing LiveTV again is just like pressing DownArrow. But this time the second press returned me to the buffer I had just abandoned.)

My testing today was done on an RCA DVR40 (Series2). My HR10 is retired, replaced 4 days ago by an HR21.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

Now that there is a lot more spontaneous rebooting, I am double-recording some programs. In the process of doing that I discovered that recordings from NBC OTA sometimes have the FF stop problem on my HR10 that is running 6.4a, while the one still on 3.1.5 does not have the problem at all, even on the very same recording.

This sort of indicates that the problem is in the newer software rather than due to something new in the content itself.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

i'm still reporting hdtivo stopping on cbs and philly 57....will have to try the hr20 over satellite to see if it's the same


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

newsposter said:


> i'm still reporting hdtivo stopping on cbs and philly 57....will have to try the hr20 over satellite to see if it's the same


I can already tell you the HR2x doesn't share this problem. It appears only to be Tivo under 6.x.


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## Rich Peterson (Jan 7, 2000)

I'm getting frustrated with the freezing problem also. I only notice it here in the TwinCities on KARE11.1 which others earlier in this thread mentioned. I wonder if I should talk to them about making a change to fix it or maybe I should talk to TIVO or maybe even DIRECTV? Any ideas?


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

Rich Peterson said:


> I'm getting frustrated with the freezing problem also. I only notice it here in the TwinCities on KARE11.1 which others earlier in this thread mentioned. I wonder if I should talk to them about making a change to fix it or maybe I should talk to TIVO or maybe even DIRECTV? Any ideas?


I'm fairly pessimistic that we will see a fix. I'm not really sure its even on anyone's radar, first of all, but I guess it could never hurt to PLACE it there.

The reason I posted the discovery that when recording the same show it does it ONLY on 6.x was as an indicator that somthing Tivo changed is at the root of this problem, as I can predict a lot of fingerpointing otherwise. IMHO, this is Tivo's pooch screwing alone, and they should be the ones to work to fix it. And now, rather than later, especially if they want to keep a good reputation going into 2009 when the new Tivo will be available.


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## SoonerDoc (Sep 2, 2002)

definitely a real problem

have had this for about 1-2 years on the local ABC affiliate HD OTA programming. same thing with my dad and my buddy all on the local ABC OTA. About a month ago it started with the local CBS affiliate HD OTA programming. Again same thing with my dad and my buddy.

FF 1x speed fast forwards for about 1-2 seconds then freezes as if you hit the pause button. hit play and it plays normally from that point. 

with it affecting everyone in town that i know with this unit, it has to be an issue with the local stations. live in oklahoma city


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

SoonerDoc said:


> ...with it affecting everyone in town that i know with this unit, it has to be an issue with the local stations...


While it is obvious that some content does it and some does not (even from the same station), I think it is safe to say that it is the responsibility of the DVR to comply to what is broadcast, rather than the responsibility of broadcasters (who live in compliance, typically) to comply to how one brand of DVR reacts to what they transmit. IOW, it's a Tivo problem, and not a broadcaster problem, and Tivo should fix it. Again, earlier software does not have this problem, only 6.x


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