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TV 360 - A Step Backwards

Libanese
Dialled in

I've now had the TV 360 for a week and a half and, although there are a couple of good things, such as voice control, too many things are just a step backwards from Tivo 6 -

1. No quick TV guide available, just the full guide or single channel display at the bottom of the screen
2. Features that used to be one or two button presses away now need 4 or 5 presses. Accessing recordings being a case in point
3. Not being able to specify new recordings only. After 10 days, my hard drive (single, see next point) is 23% full, mainly with repeats I didn't want after setting up series links
4. On that note, my storage space has been reduced by half, thanks to there being no drive in the mini box
5. Not being able to pause live TV on the mini box for more than 2 minutes. Then, once it starts playing, you can't pause again until you've caught up to Live TV. I mean, what is the point of that?
6. No quick access to programme info. Even when you do access it, you get a full screen promo image which completely covers what it is you're watching
7. With Tivo 6, after rewinding it was easy to go straight back to Live TV by pressing the Stop button. With 360, you have to fast forward until it tells you you're watching Live TV
8. Speaking of the remote, the shapes and textures for main buttons are nowhere near pronounced enough. It's almost impossible to use without looking directly at it

Before answering, assuming you are so inclined, please consider this. I do not accept "it's early days" as an excuse. The software is v4.26, which implies it's been through 3 major revisions and dozens of sub-versions. Basically, it should be much better than it is. I don't see Virgin reducing my monthly cost if they are considering me a beta tester. I also don't see them reducing the cost after giving me a botch job of a second box when I had 2 fully functioning Tivo 6 boxes up to last week.

I suppose I should expect Virgin to have made a pig's ear of it, just like they always do, but I thought that, maybe this time, they had it right. I should have known better

185 REPLIES 185

Still no option to just record New, though.

A half-**bleep** solution


@Libanese wrote:
Still no option to just record New, though.

A half-**bleep** solution

...but surely selecting the 'From this episode and onwards' is the same as selecting 'New' on the V6?

For example, if you are watching a  new series on ITV1 HD, and you select the 'From this episode and onwards', it will ONLY then record all future episodes from that specific episode and onwards on that specific channel ONLY, so, in other words, it will capture all new episodes (repeats are not normally shown on the same channels and are put on different channels - ITV repeats are shown on ITV 2 or 3 and not usually again on ITV 1), no?!

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Ernie_C
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

@deans6571 

You’re absolutely right but there are those who want to be critical. You do have to know that the series is new to take this approach but it is what I do as someone who only watch new series.

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Exactly this.

You cannot just record New, when setting a series link, unless you do so on the first episode of the new season. Because of that, there is no way to plan ahead.

You have to also record the old season as well, in order to get new ones. It's just a bizarre UI decision


@Libanese wrote:
Exactly this.

You cannot just record New, when setting a series link, unless you do so on the first episode of the new season. Because of that, there is no way to plan ahead.

You have to also record the old season as well, in order to get new ones. It's just a bizarre UI decision

...do you?

From my understanding, lets say you are watching ep 4 of series 2 on ITV1 and then you decide you want to record the rest of the season - you then just select the 'From this episode and onwards' and then the 360 will just record every new episode from ep 4 and onwards on that specific channel ONLY.

I don't think it will  record the old seasons  as well (series 1 doesn't get recorded).....

 

__________________________________________________________
Husband, Dad, Gamer, Gadget Lover......
Twitter: @deans6571

You're misunderstanding the issue. Your reply assumes you are watching new episodes. But what if the current available seasons/episodes aren't new?

If a show has had 5 seasons, and you have seen them all, with season 6 not yet scheduled, there is no way to set a series link for season 6 only.

You have to set the series link from somewhere in season 5, in order to guarantee getting season 6.This means you will get all the reruns of the shows in season 5 after the point you set the link.

There is no way just to start recording from season 6 or, when season 6 has been done, just season 7 and so on.

There just needs to be a "Record new" option, like we had on Tivo


@Libanese wrote:

You're misunderstanding the issue. Your reply assumes you are watching new episodes. But what if the current available seasons/episodes aren't new?

If a show has had 5 seasons, and you have seen them all, with season 6 not yet scheduled, there is no way to set a series link for season 6 only.

Yes there is. You just locate the last episode of season 5 and choose the 'From this episode and onwards' - it will then record the final episode of season 5 and also the new episodes of season 6.

You have to set the series link from somewhere in season 5, in order to guarantee getting season 6.This means you will get all the reruns of the shows in season 5 after the point you set the link.

As above - you will NOT get all the reruns of season 5 (other than the final episode). If you set it from the final episode of season 5.

There is no way just to start recording from season 6 or, when season 6 has been done, just season 7 and so on.

There just needs to be a "Record new" option, like we had on Tivo

Granted, a 'Record new' option would improve things but at least there is a workaround.


...see above in red.

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Husband, Dad, Gamer, Gadget Lover......
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Ernie_C
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

I agree a New setting is needed and we all have to wait for it to come.

In the meanwhile, we have to use what we have to best suit our needs.

In your scenario, I would set up the series link for series 5 and onwards with keep at most set to 3.

This would catch series 6 when it comes along and only waste at most three episodes of space. Of course, when 6 does come along, change the series link to 6 and onwards and keep at most all.

Not ideal but better than nothing.

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You're really not getting it.

When season 7 turns up, you'll still get any reruns of season 6 plus the last of season 5 unless you go in and edit the link. So, no, there is no workaround. And why should anybody need to find a workaround for a service that is expensive enough that it should be right first time?

I can't go round in circles any more with this

On the V6 you could also list all your series links, and had the ability to prioritise them if you wanted, and delete them, but the thing I miss is that now there is no way to know what series links you have set without looking at your planned recordings or TV guide, that is if they are any episodes still scheduled to view.

Just before the upgrade the 360 started recording a series I had previously watched and deleted but the link must be stored, so unless you remember to delete the series link before you have watched the last episode it would record it again.

I don't know if the new options in 4.29 will change this.