trying to keep switched digital Cox Communications from killing my feed

[tvmaster2]

Cox Communications uses switched digital, which often resets a HD channel to their default SD tier to reduce bandwidth (which is really irritating, but that's progress).

I ran some tests, and it looks like Cox leaves things be for about 5 1/2 hours, and then you get a three minute, visual warning generated on your video, and then boom - channel change.

To combat this, I went into "Detailed Setup/Customize", and turned ON "Always Tune Channel", with the idea every time a recording starts, the needed channel is freshly tuned in, thereby resetting Cox's set-top box's dwell time.

That doesn't seem to be happening. The only time the channel gets tuned in (and you can tell with Cox, as their guide throws up a three-second graphic when a tuning event happens) is for the FIRST recording for that channel.

So, for example, you wanted to record a Top Gear marathon, I should see the Cox Guide info pop up on my recordings at the head of each subsequently recorded episode. That's not happening, and therefore, the Cox system is changing my channel after about 5 1/2 hours to their default channel.

What DON'T I understand about "Always Tune Channel", or is it possibly malfunctioning. My understanding is the "Always Tune Channel" should refresh the cable/satellite set-top box at the top of every scheduled recording.

Also, I use 1394 Firewire tuning for the cable set-top box in question.

[jpwegas]

My experience has been what you expected - when I was using "always tune channel" with two external STBs (via IR), it would indeed re-tune the channel each time a recording started.

I wonder if the STB is being "helpful" and ignoring the Firewire change channel command because it's already on the "right" channel.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by jpwegas

My experience has been what you expected - when I was using "always tune channel" with two external STBs (via IR), it would indeed re-tune the channel each time a recording started.

I wonder if the STB is being "helpful" and ignoring the Firewire change channel command because it's already on the "right" channel.

yeah, that's what appears to be the situation. I suppose I'll just have to get used to programming channel changes to recordings I don't want to get the recordings I do want

[will]

I also use firewire to change channels and I believe their is a way to configure your firewire commands so you change the channel first to say channel 1 before SageTV sends the channel change. I haven't touched my firewire configuration though in 3 years and I could be imagining this...

[Ender]

With SDV on time Warner Cable I came across this issue some time back.
In order to get around it, I changed the channel change process a bit.
I now issue two channel changes, once to a known non SDV channel, then, to the Channel I wished to change to.

Now I have all the pertinent files associated with the firewire change in the folder C:\Firewire, so change any entry to this to correspond to where you have yours placed.

One needs to edit the registry setting to the following:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Frey Technologies\Common\EXEMultiTunerPlugin]
"command"="c:\\Firewire\\fwchange.bat %DEVICE% %CHANNEL%"

And the batch file named fwchange:

@echo off
c:\Firewire\channel -f -v -a6 %1 111
choice /T 5 /D y
c:\Firewire\channel -f -v -a6 %1 %2

Hope this helps with the mistune.

I do sometimes still get the wrong channel recorded, but it is rare, and seems to only happen when my Java heap gets too high, or the cable box was rebooted, and, or powered off.

Some "marathon" events still don't work well, and the box will go into standby mode. My research has concluded that yes the box ignores firewire channel changes, and as such, can be annoying.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Ender

With SDV on time Warner Cable I came across this issue some time back.
In order to get around it, I changed the channel change process a bit.
I now issue two channel changes, once to a known non SDV channel, then, to the Channel I wished to change to.

Now I have all the pertinent files associated with the firewire change in the folder C:\Firewire, so change any entry to this to correspond to where you have yours placed.

One needs to edit the registry setting to the following:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Frey Technologies\Common\EXEMultiTunerPlugin]
"command"="c:\\Firewire\\fwchange.bat %DEVICE% %CHANNEL%"

And the batch file named fwchange:

@echo off
c:\Firewire\channel -f -v -a6 %1 111
choice /T 5 /D y
c:\Firewire\channel -f -v -a6 %1 %2

Hope this helps with the mistune.

I do sometimes still get the wrong channel recorded, but it is rare, and seems to only happen when my Java heap gets too high, or the cable box was rebooted, and, or powered off.

Some "marathon" events still don't work well, and the box will go into standby mode. My research has concluded that yes the box ignores firewire channel changes, and as such, can be annoying.

do you mean "ignores them" if the channel is already sitting on the channel you are recording from NEXT?!

[Ender]

The channel will change, but, I don't think the cable box recognizes it (firewire channel change) as activity, thereby prompting the power saving mode.

Now I could be mistaken, Have not had a marathon recording session in a year or so, so, I am a bit fuzzy.

But the dual tune technique has eliminated 99% of all mistunes if the box is in standby mode to begin with.

The other wrinkle is I am on TWC, so possibly the software works a bit differently vs Cox.