DVR/Stb Functionality
HelluvaEngineer

I am new to this forum, so I don't if this has been discussed. I was with Comcast since Lord knows and have used their DVR for at least 4 years. One feature I got used to and loved was being able to pause live TV and "swap" to the other tuner to watch another show. I could then pause the other tuner (or not) and swap back to the first and continue watching from where it was paused. I have yet to figure out how to do this with the FIOS DVR. If i have something paused and change the channel and change it back it is live.

Another question I have is it seems like i can't keep something paused for more than an hour before it unpauses itself and returns live. If anything, I would prefer it to remain paused a little longer than one hour or resume from where it is paused. you have very little room for error.

One last question, how do I get to the settings of the STBs? I have an HDTV that use to switch from 4:3 to 16:9 accordingly with the channels with the STB. But when I got another one moved it to another TV, it now stretches 4:3 to widescreen and I can't stand it. My wife doesn't mind, but i have to change the display manually on the tv whenever we go from HD to SD.

0 Likes
Re: DVR/Stb Functionality
Keyboards
Master - Level 3

@HelluvaEngineer wrote:

I am new to this forum, so I don't if this has been discussed. I was with Comcast since Lord knows and have used their DVR for at least 4 years. One feature I got used to and loved was being able to pause live TV and "swap" to the other tuner to watch another show. I could then pause the other tuner (or not) and swap back to the first and continue watching from where it was paused. I have yet to figure out how to do this with the FIOS DVR. If i have something paused and change the channel and change it back it is live.

Another question I have is it seems like i can't keep something paused for more than an hour before it unpauses itself and returns live. If anything, I would prefer it to remain paused a little longer than one hour or resume from where it is paused. you have very little room for error.

One last question, how do I get to the settings of the STBs? I have an HDTV that use to switch from 4:3 to 16:9 accordingly with the channels with the STB. But when I got another one moved it to another TV, it now stretches 4:3 to widescreen and I can't stand it. My wife doesn't mind, but i have to change the display manually on the tv whenever we go from HD to SD.


  1. To swap paused tuners you need to use the LAST button on the remote. Pause the channel you are watching, select other channel you want to watch, pause the second channel, now hit LAST and you should return to the paused first channel.
  2. The 1 hour limitation is due to the buffer size on the DVR (which coincidentally is 1 hour).  It would make sense if the buffer is an hour it won't hold pause any longer than that.
  3. The last issues sounds like a setting in the TV.  If you have to go and "change the display manually on the TV" it is not the STB, but a setting in the TV.  The other possibility is that the 4:3 override in the STB has changed.  You can try playing with the different modes (OFF, 480i, 480p, or stretch).
0 Likes