[ET10x00] Is there a limit to the number of Autotimers that can be set?

[bmitie]

Recently a few items have failed to record even though they are appearing in AUTOTIMERS, the example is " I'm a Celebrity etc" Recorded a few nights but failed on 3 more. Its not my box but I checked tonight and it has numerous autotimers and I mean a lot, soaps, the voice, loose women, ant and dec and many others.

Is there an actual limit on the number of autotimers that can be set? And can this cause a failure?

 

[adm]

Recently a few items have failed to record even though they are appearing in AUTOTIMERS, the example is " I'm a Celebrity etc" Recorded a few nights but failed on 3 more. Its not my box but I checked tonight and it has numerous autotimers and I mean a lot, soaps, the voice, loose women, ant and dec and many others.

Is there an actual limit on the number of autotimers that can be set? And can this cause a failure?

An autotimer only checks the EPG for whatever search criteria you have set-up in that autotimer. For instance, the program title on a certain channel on a certain day of the week. Once the search criteria have been met a timer is set.

Are the timers (menu/timers/timers) being set? In the list there should also be list of completed timers with the indication "done". Do the missing recordings have one of these "done" timers in the list? All competed timers (done timers) will each have a log associated with them. Highlight the "done" timer and press the info button on the remote and you should see the log information. This log may give an indication why the timer failed.

An autotimer may fail to set a timer if there is a conflict - if you are trying to record too many programs at the same time but you don't have enough tuners to do so. Remember also that recordings have padding by default and maybe a lot more padding at the beginning/end if you use the VPS plugin. Say one program ends at 8.05pm (with end padding) and another starts at 7:55pm with start padding then you need two tuners for these recordings if the programs are on different terrestrial MUXs or satellite transponders.

Previously you were missing recordings because one autotimer was looking for an exact title match and the broadcaster was changing the title some weeks. "Strictly Come Dancing" is not the same as "Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool Special". Have you got the same problem with the settings of some of your other autotimers?

Reference:
https://www.world-of-satellite.com/...that-it-records-strictly-without-fail-Stumped

I don't know if there is a limit but I have around 30 autotimers and haven't seen any problems, However, I tend not to record more than two programs on any one day and where a conflict is likely I select either terrestrial or satellite for my autotimer. I have 4 tuners split between terrestrial and satellite to use.

 

[bmitie]

I can’t get access to box as easily as I would like but I will on Wednesday in the pm. It has 2 sat tuners and 2 terrestrial but user not switched on to check conflicts. I am getting a new box with an FBC tuner and that may solve a few items. I don’t get to know the dam thing has failed until a few days after the event. I will crack this.

 

[cactikid]

Maybe of use as if i use my Autotimer say on BBC one i press my red button which brings up my 7 day epg and select from what program i want to record on that channel only and not worrying on all the other variations.

Unable to upload a screenshot from this laptop for some reason.

 

[cactikid]

On Desktop now and files loads and this is how i use my auto timers.

 

[adm]

Maybe of use as if i use my Autotimer say on BBC one i press my red button which brings up my 7 day epg and select from what program i want to record on that channel only and not worrying on all the other variations.

But perhaps that is the original poster's problem. Sometimes you have to edit the program title and select a partial match search in order to record a series or an ongoing weekly program with an autotimer. If you set an exact match for a program called "xxxxxx" the autotimer will not find "xxxxxx : Xmas special" AND an exact match for "xxxxxx : Xmas special" will not find "xxxxxx". If the autotimer is restricted to only searching the program on a Monday between 7 and 8pm it will not find it, say, on a bank holiday week when the broadcaster changes it to 6pm to 7pm or changes it to a Tuesday night. Consider what normally happens when a sporting event overruns.

A few years back one that caught me out was Dr Who. Someone decided that in the EPG some episodes had the title "Dr Who" and in other episodes it was "Doctor Who". In this case a partial search for just "who" in the title (case insensitive search) could have brought up too many finds so I had 2 autotimers, one searching for Dr Who and the other for Doctor Who.

There are quite a few reasons why the original poster is missing recording based on autotimer searches of the EPG
A few may be
Incorrect configuration of the search criteria
Conflicting programs due to insufficient tuners to record*
EPG missing.

* Even with terrestrial and satellite tuners BBC Two HD terrestrial is NOT the same as BBC Two HD on satellite. The box knows the difference - it doesn't use the channel name but the broadcast service reference (menu/information/service/press yellow/service reference) Unless you configure the autotimer to search on both versions of BBC Two HD it will only search with the tuner(s) used when setting the autsearch via the EPG..

My method for initially setting a autotimer is to go to the (grig) epg, highlight the program and to press blue (set autotimer). On the first screen I then de-select the options I don't want such as restricting the day of the week and time slot. On the second screen I may edit the title to remove items such as "Xmas Special" etc. I have already configured the defaults in the autotimer settings menu for a partial match and case insensitive search so in most cases I just then press green to save.

Autotimer default settings
menu/timers/autotimers/menu (again)/Edit new timer default

 

[cactikid]

Yes my thoughts exactly and i was recordinga series of New Yellowstone series 1 episode 1 and it gave me 4 episodes in my list.
Next i knew no more episodes of it as just changed to Yellowstone and confirmed as browsing through my A -Z listing on my harddrive and at the bottom of my lists.
Funny never used the grid epg as like to check for days in advance if something i might record.