noping
no route to host
Premium
join:2007-01-09
 ·Verizon FIOS
4 edits | FYI Television (guide provider) still sucks
dvr + bad guide data = fail |
I checked the DVR on Tuesday or Wednesday to get my daily fix - guess what? Nothing recent had recorded. I checked the "Scheduled" section of the DVR menu and no upcoming episodes of "MythBusters" were listed. Went through the channel guide and a show called "Myth Busters" is listed instead at 11AM and 4PM.
tl;dr: Guide data provider still sucks. Why are we paying $12.99/mo. to babysit the DVR, why won't anyone in management do something about this?
edit: spelling |
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bgtimber75
join:2006-06-23
Columbia, MD | I thought we all realized that we were paying $12.95 a month for a glorified VCR? All that we are missing is setting the clock. I still have to babysit mine everyday and even that doesn't help all the time. |
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jgantert
join:2004-06-02
Columbia, MD | reply to noping
No Mythbusters here either. Oh well. Atleast there's a cool coffee maker on selloff.woot.com today.  |
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mjwedeking
join:2006-02-26
Murrieta, CA
| reply to noping
I don't know what you are talking about. Didn't you see this quote from their website: "Never miss a show again with our dual-tuner HD/DVR box." (»www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv···ices.htm) It says NEVER
Get you $12.99 back for this month because you DVR does not work. |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to noping
Yeah I hit that one too. I noticed the same thing some time ago. And this isn't the only show affected by this. I've also hit it with a show my daughter watches - Backyardigans. Sometimes it's 'The Backyardigans' Sometimes 'Backyardigans'. Ditto for Future Weapons, which is either 'Future Weapons' or 'FutureWeapons'. I seem to remember another one that's like that too, but it's escaping me right now.
I have to ask, though - is this really the fault of the guide data provider? Well, the bad program names definitely are. But all guide data providers are fed by the actual channels themselves. Other DVRs don't seem to have this same issue. I know that DirecTV's DVR keys off of a unique identifier assigned to each series. Then again, their DVR, for some stupid reason, won't let you set up the same series on two separate channels. |
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annoyed
@verizon.net
| reply to noping
This problem seems MUCH worse since they "upgraded" the stb software last month. In fact, I called and yelled at them until they acknowledged they had broken something and refunded my DVR fees for August and September. (They claim they will have a fix in October). |
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Hooper
Premium
join:2001-10-22
Villanova, PA
2 edits | reply to noping
According to the guide tonight there was a Boise State game on channel 707 at 8pm ET.... the game is tomorrow night 9/15 at 8pm ET.
I have had just about enough. |
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noping
no route to host
Premium
join:2007-01-09
·Verizon FIOS
3 edits | reply to JPL
said by JPL  :I have to ask, though - is this really the fault of the guide data provider? [...] I seem to remember another one that's like that too, but it's escaping me right now. When other guide data providers (Tribune) are able to get things right and give accurate, non-generic descriptions to episodes, yes.
Another show that comes to mind is "How It's Made" and "How It's Made 3."
I'll think about calling in about getting a partial refund for the DVR. I'm surprised that they would actually do that. I'd half-expect a reply of "Why can't you set the device to record the 'Myth Busters' show as well? I don't see the problem here."
said by Hooper :I have had just about enough. Just wait for the inevitable "BUY A TIVO" or "GO FIND ANOTHER PROVIDER" posts. |
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Mark F
join:2007-08-01
Fort Wayne, IN
| Despite the anguish that Will Ryker shows above, I'm not that upset with FIOS. Maybe I'm too easy going, but I haven't had any DVR problems caused by bad guide info. But, the new TV season has yet to start. And, yes, the guide has problems, like poor program and movie descriptions, occasionally incomplete, inaccurate, and missing info. No search by channel, which is one feature I really miss. Now, Verizon FIOS listings are online at zap2it.com, titantv, and I have Verizon with MSN Premium, with MSN TV listings. I can't say that those online listings are any more accurate than the FIOS guide, but they may be worth checking out. We left cable because the PQ was poor and the cable box sometimes acted up and needed to be reset, and other issues. I'm hoping the FIOS guide gets fixed up, enhanced, better info, easier to use, and all that. Mark F. |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to noping
My point was that the DVR s/w, I believe, is partly to blame here. If every series has a unique identifier as part of the data stream, shouldn't the DVR key in on THAT when setting up a recording, instead of the title of the episode? I would think it should. |
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bgtimber75
join:2006-06-23
Columbia, MD
| I'm not sure there is any type of identifier. I know there is the New/rerun setting on the DVR but does that work with any kind of accuracy? I don't think the data provider is properly suppling that information. If they're not even suppling that basic info I don't think they're suppling unique identifiers for shows.
Keep in mind this is the same provider that had the same episode of 'Studio 60' running for 3 weeks in a row. That seemingly changes the names of shows indiscriminately. For once I don't think I can blame the DVR on this one. |
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noping
no route to host
Premium
join:2007-01-09
·Verizon FIOS
| said by bgtimber75 :I know there is the New/rerun setting on the DVR but does that work with any kind of accuracy? I don't think the data provider is properly suppling that information. It seems to work when the guide data is correct/episodes are marked correctly. There was that whole issue a few months back with new episodes of Psych (or was it Monk?) being improperly marked as reruns.
While flipping through earlier, the shows on Boomerang were listed as "To Be Announced" or something to that effect. Tribune/Zap2it says it's something called "Boomeraction." |
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JeepMatt
Delaware Fios
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE
·Verizon FIOS
| Here is why having a Tivo is great.
I taped episodes of Top Chef while I was away.
On my VZ HD-DVR, all it gives for a description is "Watch What Happens". Are you f'ing kidding me?? The only program info is Bravo's tagline??
So, I check the Tivo, a complete description of the episode, what will be cooked, and what the challenge is.
This is a perfect example of how screwed up their guide provider is.
--
"ONE team - ONE city - ONE dream!!" |
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Rich
@verizon.net | reply to noping
My DVR SP has two Mythbusters episodes set to record. Today is 9/16 and it has 1 Wed at 9pm and another Thurs at 7pm.
Not sure if that is all of them but thats what my DVR is showing. |
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Rich
@verizon.net | reply to noping
I have noticed that the MTV HD channel does not have more than a day or so of guide date and hasnt for a while. |
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Rich
@verizon.net
| reply to noping
About my Mythbusters post above. For my SP for Mythbusters I have those 2 episodes.
I just went and did a search and added a SP for Myth (space) Busters and that has 8 shows coming up.
Looks like you need 2 SP's to make sure you keep up. |
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Hooper
Premium
join:2001-10-22
Villanova, PA
| reply to JeepMatt
said by JeepMatt :Here is why having a Tivo is great. I agree. But I refuse to shell out $300 bucks for accurate guide data or basic DVR functionality and possibly risk that the device will be a doorstop in a year or two when Verizon switches to IPTV.
Why did Verizon have to skimp here? Pay the extra money, get real guide data, and nobodoy will complain. |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
·Verizon FIOS
1 edit | reply to bgtimber75
said by bgtimber75 :I'm not sure there is any type of identifier. I know there is the New/rerun setting on the DVR but does that work with any kind of accuracy? I don't think the data provider is properly suppling that information. If they're not even suppling that basic info I don't think they're suppling unique identifiers for shows. Keep in mind this is the same provider that had the same episode of 'Studio 60' running for 3 weeks in a row. That seemingly changes the names of shows indiscriminately. For once I don't think I can blame the DVR on this one. There most definitely is a unique identifier, at least in most guide data streams. That's how DirecTV works with their DVR. Their R15 has one mother of a limitation that I don't understand - you can't set up the same series on two different channels. But you CAN set up two separate series that have the exact same name. So if there are two totally different series that use the exact same name (there are cases of this - there being a british version of a show that's also in the US), you can still set up both series, even though they share the same exact title.
The reason they're able to do all that is because they key their Series off of that unique ID. Someone on a DirecTV forum even posted the XML that's used to represent the guide data.
And I'm most definitely not trying to exhonerate the guide data provider here. I believe that Verizon is set to change data providers though. I was simply pointing out that all these types of mismatches may not be due exclusively to that guide data provider. All those providers get their data initially from the channels themselves, and then they repackage that data and ship it off to the TV service. |
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bgtimber75
join:2006-06-23
Columbia, MD
| What I mean is that I'm not sure that FYI is using an identifier or using it properly. I know that most DVR's record based on the identifier and not the episode title.
Point being that the Verizon DVR is set up to know repeats from new episodes (or that option wouldn't even be there) so they're obviously expecting to get that information. They just aren't getting the right information. And that goes back to FYI. |
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knarf829
join:2007-06-02
| reply to Hooper
said by Hooper :said by JeepMatt :Here is why having a Tivo is great. I agree. But I refuse to shell out $300 bucks for accurate guide data or basic DVR functionality and possibly risk that the device will be a doorstop in a year or two when Verizon switches to IPTV. Why did Verizon have to skimp here? Pay the extra money, get real guide data, and nobodoy will complain. TiVO releasing a cost-effective box at the same time Verizon is releasing a functionality obliterating new IMG AND maintaining a relationship with an inaccurate guide data provider is the DVR "perfect storm."
The more people that upgrade to a TiVo over the unreliable Verizon DVR, the louder a voice customers will have in getting get either Verizon to rethink IPTV or TiVo to find a way to support it. |
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