Motorola Tuner Swapping vs Comcast

[Weekender]

I recently switched to FiOS from Comcast and have a question regarding swapping tuners while watching live TV.  With Comcast, I could watch a program on Tuner A, pause it, swap to Tuner B, surf channels to my heart's content and then swap back to Tuner A and resume play from where I had paused.  FiOS appears to swap tuners with every channel change.  The Comcast functionality was nice when just wanting to jump around during a commercial on Tuner A (by swapping to Tuner B) but ensure nothing would be missed.  Is this functionality available with the FiOS Motorola dual tumer DVR or am I stuck with really just jumping back and forth between 2 channels?  Thanks.

[spacedebris]

No unfortunatly that is not available with the current verizon STB's. Its a feature that I used a LOT with Tivo, I miss it badly. but right now, the only sort of tuner switch that works with the verizon DVR is if you are recording on one tuner, pause the second tuner, you can use "last" to go between the "live" tuner and the "record" tuner. it is only sort of like what we were used to. not nearly enough but it is better than nothing (barely lol )

[CapnTrips]

The closest way to simulate that sort of functionality is to always return to your "primary" channel after looking briefly at an alternate one.  Of course that requires a lot of discipline, to remember to hit "last" every time before typing in a new channel number, but there's no other way to do that.

Also, no matter what you do, a tuner will not remain "paused" on a live channel if you switch to another channel and then return.  You'll have to rewind to get back to where you "departed" the program.

[Justin46]

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CapnTrips wrote:

Also, no matter what you do, a tuner will not remain "paused" on a live channel if you switch to another channel and then return.  You'll have to rewind to get back to where you "departed" the program.

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That is not true, at least on my Verizon QIP6416 DVR. If I pause a channel, switch to another channel, and then use the Last button to return to the original channel, that channel is still paused. And if I paused the second channel before returning, when I go back to it, it is still paused. I have not tested to see how long the channel(s) will remain paused, but I have done it for 15-20 minutes successfully. I suspect that whenever the program ends that the pause will be lost but again, I have not tested that.

I believe this functionality was added in the most recent IMG level, 1.6.2.

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

[CapnTrips]

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@Justin wrote:

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@CapnTrips wrote:

Also, no matter what you do, a tuner will not remain "paused" on a live channel if you switch to another channel and then return.  You'll have to rewind to get back to where you "departed" the program.

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That is not true, at least on my Verizon QIP6416 DVR. If I pause a channel, switch to another channel, and then use the Last button to return to the original channel, that channel is still paused. And if I paused the second channel before returning, when I go back to it, it is still paused. I have not tested to see how long the channel(s) will remain paused, but I have done it for 15-20 minutes successfully. I suspect that whenever the program ends that the pause will be lost but again, I have not tested that.

I believe this functionality was added in the most recent IMG level, 1.6.2.

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

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I have 1.6.2 and mine does NOT do that.  I guess you're one of the lucky ones, Justin.  Believe me, I have tried and try routinely to swap back and forth to a previously paused show.  It doesn't work on mine.

[Justin46]

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CapnTrips wrote:

I have 1.6.2 and mine does NOT do that.  I guess you're one of the lucky ones, Justin.  Believe me, I have tried and try routinely to swap back and forth to a previously paused show.  It doesn't work on mine.

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Interesting. I don't understand why mine would work and yours doesn't, same model DVR, same software. I can't think of any setting in the IMG that would affect this either. But mine does work, and I have seen posts from others who also say it works.

Strange..... 

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

[fscales]

Weekender wrote:

I recently switched to FiOS from Comcast and have a question regarding swapping tuners while watching live TV.  With Comcast, I could watch a program on Tuner A, pause it, swap to Tuner B, surf channels to my heart's content and then swap back to Tuner A and resume play from where I had paused.  FiOS appears to swap tuners with every channel change.  The Comcast functionality was nice when just wanting to jump around during a commercial on Tuner A (by swapping to Tuner B) but ensure nothing would be missed.  Is this functionality available with the FiOS Motorola dual tumer DVR or am I stuck with really just jumping back and forth between 2 channels?  Thanks.

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I would love to know if you get an answer to your question.  I posted the same frustration (though not as concise) in another board. 

This is may be a deal breaker for this household.

I have the 7216 series of Motorola DVRs.

[spacedebris]

I agree, I've never been able to get mine to even switch tuners. I was told that the Verizon stb's didnt have that ability. But on several occasions here on the forum I've been told that I'm wrong, that the stb's are able to do it. But even following the instructions given, none of my DVR's are able to do it. I've had DVR's from total of 4 sources. Direct TV, Tivo, Verizon, and Time Warner. The ONLY DVR that has ever been able to switch tuners was the TIVO. And I got spoiled with it. But neither of my Verizon DVR's will do it (I have one 6416 and a 7216), the DTV one never did and neither did the TW DVR's. The only way I can get to swap back and forth between two shows and be able to keep both in buffer is to record one of them. Others say that you can buffer two programs via the Motorola without recording, but I've never been able to do it.

[Justin46]

spacedebris,

If you can't tune to one channel, then hit the Channel Up or Channel Down button (or type in the address of another channel and display that channel), or go to the Guide and select another channel, and then hit the Last button, on either or both of your DVRs, and successfully switch back to the channel you were previously watching, then they are both broken or you are doing it wrong     I guarantee you that the Verizon DVRs are capable of switching between tuners, using the last button, I do it probably hundreds of times a day (I am retired so I have plenty of time, plus I hate to watch commercials). You absolutely, positively do not need to record one of the channels (or both).

Period.

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

[Keyboards]

I have also done what Justin said, however I do find that from time to time I have to do a power cycle on the STB because it stops functioning with the dual tuner buffering.  Just another of the little glitches with the Verizon DVR that power cycling (rebooting) seems to clear up (like the other day it said I had 1,114,649 hours of HD recorded and my DVR was only 12% full - I should be so lucky and would settle for 1% of that storage capacity instead of the meager 20 hours )