On 05/18/05 21:07, Fedor Pikus wrote:
On 5/18/05, Dan H Orlic <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Does TiVo actually push data? I thought TiVo got its data via a dial-up connection that it makes once per day. Or, are you talking about DirectTiVo--which probably gets data off the satellite feed.
Tivo is only as smart as the programming data, ... Tivo does seem to pushJust thought I should let you know... I own a tivo and the same exact thing happened to me. The last moment of Gilmore Girls was cut off. So she can say that!
updates a little faster *sometimes*, but again, this is an issue with
schedule provider, not myth itself.
...
OK. So I decided to answer the question myself. It seems TiVo has new "Series 2" DVR's to which you can attach a USB network adapter (not provided) to allow the DVR to make use of your network. If the network has a shared broadband connection, the DVR can be configured to use it to connect to the TiVo service. If configured to use broadband, the DVR will connect to the TiVo service every hour ( http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv2056.htm ). If you do not have a TiVo series 2 or your Series 2 is not configured to use broadband, your DVR makes a connection via dial-up--which can take as much as 36 hours.
So, at this point, it started to look like TiVo with broadband access would in fact receive updates every hour. Then, I found http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv1521.htm , which says that DVR's using broadband to connect to the TiVo servers will check for remotely-scheduled programs every 15 minutes and DVR's using dial-up will check at a random time once every 24 to 48 hours. (With TiVo, you tell the TiVo service to record a program and the service tells your DVR, instead of telling your DVR directly as with Myth.) During these scheduled-program-checking connections, the DVR only checks for remotely-scheduled programs--it does *not* download any program guide data. Program guide data is only retrieved at a randomly-selected time every 24 to 48 hours regardless of how the DVR connects to the TiVo service.
I couldn't find anything definitive on the DIRECTV DVR (DirecTiVo), but it seems that it uses dial-up to get the full guide data, but in the absense of a dial-up connection will use the 2-3 days of guide data available via the satellite. Therefore, it seems plausible that in the event that schedules changed at the last minute and DIRECTV updated the guide data being broadcast via satellite, the DirecTiVo could receive and respond to the update. Whether it actually happens that way (i.e. whether DIRECTV actually updates the data and whether the DVR can respond to changes) is a whole other question.
Therefore, it would seem that TiVo does not get updates any quicker or more reliably than Myth. The DirecTiVo, OTOH, may in fact receive updates that are "pushed" out via satellite.
Mike
Oh, and here's my favorite (from http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv1521.htm? ):
For 4 to 8 hours after making your connection to the TiVo service, your Program Guide Data may show "TBA" with descriptions that read "Program titles and descriptions available soon." This means that your DVR is indexing. During this time, you can watch any channels and use any play features (fast forward, rewind, and pause). You cannot record until the indexing is finished.
So, at a randomly-selected time every 24-48 hours it makes a connection to TiVo service and then can only be used to watch TV--and not to record--for 4-8 hours while indexing. Therefore, it seems that a TiVo is 5/6 DVR and 1/6 DVP (since for approximately 1/6 of the time, it can only be use to play--not to record--programs).
BTW, what could they possibly be doing during indexing that takes 4-8 hours? An 8088 should be able to prep guide data in less than 4-8 hours...
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