MRDVR Questions
snowman
Newbie

I have some questions about my new MRDVR that I haven't been able to find the answers to.  I'd appreciate any help, I'm a previous TiVo and DirecTV DVR user and trying to figure out if my equipment is working as designed or has problems.

1)  What is the buffer length for pausing a program?  Both the TiVo and DirecTV DVR were 30-60 minutes.  I'm lucky to get 15 minutes with the FiOS DVR.  Is this normal?

2)  The transport functions (Fast Forward/Rewind, Skip, etc) on the remote STB are slow to respond when viewing recorded programs.  It probably takes 1-2 seconds for them to respond which makes it impossible to stop where you want to.  Is this normal?

3)  Dual line buffer (DLB)  - Is this supported or not?  I seem to have various success using this feature.

4)  When fast forwarding a program it does not back up a few seconds when I hit the play button.  Is this normal?  Both my TiVo and DirecTV DVR had this feature which allowed you to actually stop at the beginning of a program without having to use the skip feature.

5)  Is there any way to hide the standard definition channels from the Guide menu?  I know you can do this from the Favorites menu.

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Re: MRDVR Questions
spacedebris
Master - Level 2

@snowman wrote:

I have some questions about my new MRDVR that I haven't been able to find the answers to.  I'd appreciate any help, I'm a previous TiVo and DirecTV DVR user and trying to figure out if my equipment is working as designed or has problems.

1)  What is the buffer length for pausing a program?  Both the TiVo and DirecTV DVR were 30-60 minutes.  I'm lucky to get 15 minutes with the FiOS DVR.  Is this normal?

2)  The transport functions (Fast Forward/Rewind, Skip, etc) on the remote STB are slow to respond when viewing recorded programs.  It probably takes 1-2 seconds for them to respond which makes it impossible to stop where you want to.  Is this normal?

3)  Dual line buffer (DLB)  - Is this supported or not?  I seem to have various success using this feature.

4)  When fast forwarding a program it does not back up a few seconds when I hit the play button.  Is this normal?  Both my TiVo and DirecTV DVR had this feature which allowed you to actually stop at the beginning of a program without having to use the skip feature.

5)  Is there any way to hide the standard definition channels from the Guide menu?  I know you can do this from the Favorites menu.


1. The buffer in the verizon dvr should be 90 minutes. The pause may not last that long because you dont want a frozen pic to stay on the screen for any lenght of time, this is so you dont get a "burn in" on plasma screens and such. But you should be able to rewind live tv for up to 90 minutes (or until the time you turned to that channel. which ever is shorter)

2.  This is an issue with some of the dvr's. being worked on by verizon

3.  Verizon DVR's do not have dual "live" buffers. So you cant buffer two live programs at the same time without recording one of the. Tivo will let you "switch tuners" so that you can switch between two live programs and rewind them. Without having to record one of them. With verizon, you have to record one.

4.  For verizon this is normal. Your right, DTV and Tivo both offer this but Verizons doesnt. This may change when/if verizon switches to the cisco dvr's next year

5.  Not from the Main guide. Only from the favorites

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Re: MRDVR Questions
matcarl
Master - Level 1
Spacedebris, you have two wrong answers. The buffer is 60 minutes, not 90. There are two live buffers. It constantly records the channel you are on, and the last one you are on even if they aren't set to record.
Message Edited by matcarl on 08-19-2009 05:16 PM
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Re: MRDVR Questions
Justin46
Legend

@snowman wrote:

5)  Is there any way to hide the standard definition channels from the Guide menu?  I know you can do this from the Favorites menu.


Yes you can do exactly that USING the Favorites capability. Have you looked into using Favorites in detail? If not, you may not be aware you can set your Favorites up so that hitting the Guide button will give you the Favorites list of your choice, NOT the default guide. So if you create a Favorites list without any SD channels, and make that the "default" list, then you won't see any SD channels. But whever you want you can change the list that the Guide button displays - the full Guide, Favorites 1, or Favorites 2; you do this by cycling through the choices using the Favorites button (the heart). 

For more information see this thread: Link

__________________________________
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
QIP6416, IMG 1.6.2, Build 08.58
Keller, TX 76248

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Re: MRDVR Questions
snowman
Newbie

Thanks for the info. 

Number 4 I can live with using the skip feature but number 2 makes the multi-room feature almost unusable for me.  A quick fix to number 1 is to use a screen saver but I'm assuming that with the new box coming out in 2010, updates for the current boxes is probably not going to happen.

1 more question, is there a quick way to jump to current time without changing channels?

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Re: MRDVR Questions
matcarl
Master - Level 1
The big Fios TV button is for Live TV
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Re: MRDVR Questions
snowman
Newbie
DOH!  I was wondering what that button did.  I've only used it when I was at real time.
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