Tivo Updates again

[vginforum]

For some reason I couldn't add to my previous comments on this subject

But well done VM, another triumph. In from work and sat down to watch the latest news bulletin at 0300. Without warning Tivo restarted. Blank screen. 10 minutes later TV returns, bulletin over, no explanation, no rewind of live TV.

Is it really beyond the ability of VM to say 'In five minutes (or whatever) your Tivo box will be resetting'. and after tell us why it has reset.

[nodrogd]

These updates are usually synchronised with changes in the local network transmission. If the box does not update at the same time it results in box functionality loss & disruption in channel reception if the broadcast “map” on the local network has been changed.

All of this is automated & cascades from the local headend downwards. So boxes can reboot anytime from midnight onward.

The same thing happens on Freeview, but because TVs are not “on” all the time they cannot update in a synchronised way. So which would you rather have? The box automatically updating at the point the change is made, or your box suddenly going blank in the middle of a programme & prompting you to “retune” your box in order to continue watching the channel?

[nodrogd]

Having gone back to your previous thread, all of the above has already been explained to you. These updates are part of normal “housekeeping” across all digital TV platforms. You never get warnings on any of them. The TiVO system can carry announcements on a national basis. They cannot be inserted locally, & even then there is no set time the update would be received in your particular location.

[vginforum]

nodrogd wrote:

"So which would you rather have?...or your box suddenly going blank in the middle of a programme"

But that is exactly what happened and is what I am complaining about.

I am not sure you actually read my post or understood what I said.. I made no comment about the retune itself. Just the fact that my screen suddenly went blank with now warning and no explanation.

I am struggling to understand how you can drag Freeview into this. But we will carry on in the knowledge that VM is unable to to let us know when or why their service goes off air

PS Gratified that you found my earlier post but the answers to that were as helpful IIRC

[nodrogd]

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@vginforum wrote:

nodrogd wrote:

"So which would you rather have?...or your box suddenly going blank in the middle of a programme"

But that is exactly what happened and is what I am complaining about.

I am not sure you actually read my post or understood what I said.. I made no comment about the retune itself. Just the fact that my screen suddenly went blank with now warning and no explanation.

I am struggling to understand how you can drag Freeview into this. But we will carry on in the knowledge that VM is unable to to let us know when or why their service goes off air

PS Gratified that you found my earlier post but the answers to that were as helpful IIRC

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And you don't seem to be grasping the fact this is totally automated function where VM cannot predict when your box will update. Virgin operates over 50 headends, all with their own automated updating systems. Updates are cascaded down over a number of days or even weeks. These headends control thousands of boxes & street nodes, & in RFoG areas nodes in peoples homes as well, all of which are updated separately. If you have multiple boxes it may be several days between one box & another in the same house receiving the update.

As already described, the TiVO firmware can only make announcements to all customers. Having a constant daily reminder that your box "might update overnight in the next four weeks" will annoy a lot of people, most of whom don't watch TV overnight anyway.

Why the comparison with Freeview? I have one Freeview TV in the house. On a regular basis I will turn on to watch something, only to be told "This channel has been moved. You need to retune your TV to continue watching this channel". So for Freeview customers this frustration happens whatever time of day they turn the TV on, not just overnight.

Suffice to say, whatever time VM does these updates is going to inconvenience somebody. If everyone leaves their box in standby overnight the vast majority will never notice the update happen, apart from when they wake up to find a white light showing on the box instead of a red one, as one of mine did this morning.