@Jetranger, yes every two hours, or the 3rd period of every hockey game!

roopster77, hilarious! (You raise a good point though but one would think the message would be different, like: 'tuner in use for recording', maybe?)

Reboot, that would be about 50 laps to go in a Nascar race for me.;)

One problem that really still needs to be addressed is the 'double glitching' that happens at the end of almost every recording. It's really annoying. I know I've complained about it before but I just want to say it again as it isn't something I have 'gotten used to', no matter how many times a day I see it.

Further to my old post that MetroVan dug up (thanks for that), at 9watts/hour and $0.08/KWhr, it works out to just under 2 cents per day; about $6.30/year. Now, there is a small amount of heat generated, yes, and over time and given the possible number of these units out there, it can 'add up'. However, what is being saved is virtually insignificant in the grand scheme of things if you are only talking about one unit.

The above should qualify as 'on topic' based on the fact it is with regard to the Portals in the Gateway system. Cheers!

Jet

I'm glad the reboot worked for you. I get it quite often, almost every week, with CSI on Wednesday nights but occasionally with other programs. I think it has something to do with overlapping recordings on the same channel but it isn't consistent enough to definitely nail down.

However, what is even more bizarre, is that on occasion instead of the 1 minute thing I will get a two hour version of CSI. That is two back to back versions of the same program. That should be a physical impossibility but I've had it occur numerous times. In this case though it is always CSI. I think somehow all those dead bodies must gum up the works and that the second version is the ghosts of all the characters repeating the same episode in order for their souls to be released from Gateway hell.

Never underestimate the power of the Gateway system to amaze and astound. Unfortunately, not always for the best.

Interesting. I haven't had that happen since early on with my system. After the update last fall, I can't say I have had it happen since. Talk about a 'ghost in the machine'.;)

So, I'm just over 3 hours along with my 'test' for the screen saver timeout but so far no message that there has been 'inactivity'. I'll check back later with another report. This is of course just my experience, YMMV.

Just checked on the bedroom TV and it has stopped playing regular TV and is now showing the 'recordings list'. It has been just under 4 hours since I turned it on and let it run so at some point it has 'gone to sleep'. So much for the 12 hour default it was supposed to have been changed to.

And some time later the 'Shaw' logo/screensaver comes on. So, it seems there are at least a couple of different timeouts for these as the first is a 'sleep' mode and the second is a 'screen saver' mode. I doubt there is any issue with the time between these two but there certainly is a problem with the initial timeout as 4 hours just isn't enough. I guess this needs to be the next complaint we talk about most so we can maybe get it to the top of the list?

I'd like to see the sleep time configurable, but also the reestablishment of HDMI connection knock it out of sleep. One less step for me when I turn the TV on, and a solution for those using their TVs as alarm clocks (if using HDMI).

On the flip side, it should NOT automatically go to sleep when losing HDMI sync. I often leave my STBs tuned to a music station with the TV off (receiver connected by RCA or spdif) and would like to be able to do this with the portal.

If we are going to nominate one or more issues to be the next ones to talk about most in hope of getting on the list for fixes, I would suggest other issues too. I was really hoping for a few more bug fixes in this latest release after such a long wait. The skip fwd/back is certainly much much better so that is nice but there were a fair number of complaints about these bugs too:

- Pauses in live/recorded playback.
- Missing rows in grid guide.
- Long delays while the grid guide.
- Delays in various menus.

As for adding some minor configuration options, I would love to see these added to the list in addition to the inactively timeout:

- Provide option to adjust next/back time from 15 min. to 5 min.
- Provide option to adjust skip fwd/back to 30sec. and 15 sec., respectively.

So I'm sad to report that once again my portal rebooting without warning tonight while watching a recorded show.

The image just suddenly froze and after a couple of seconds of just sitting there, it finally cut out and reboot.

I sure hope Shaw knows what's causing this problem and puts out a patch soon, this could get quite frustrating...

In addition to the bugs listed above, I'd like to have the pause+timeout bug addressed. If you pause a recorded show, then leave the portal alone for a while, you end up back on live tv with no path back to which show was being watched

Since there's no way to restrict where a recorded show can be displayed (yes, I know about ratings, they're useless), a simple way of seeing what the activity is on the other portals would be appreciated. I know I could get up and go down two floors to see what the kids are doing, but I'm lazy at times.

Having the ability to remove channels is good, broken guide issues aside. Control over the VOD would be good too. I'm happy to talk sex ed with my 11 year old daughter, but I'd prefer to not be able to read the guide details for pornos as the descriptions for all the porn is there regardless.

I'd also be much appreciative if Shaw could stop referring to basic PVR functions as 'trick mode'. It's like saying my 10 year old's trick is being potty trained, it's not a trick when it's presence and perfect operations is assumed. The gear is almost a year old and it's still not functioning to the level of Bell and TELUS's equipment, and it remains completely non-functional with VOD shows. Tell me Shaw, how is the tradeoff of pissing off your customers for the pennies made by force feeding us commercials working out for you?

GWNorth, There is already the option to skip forward 30 seconds(mine is set that way) as well as 3, 5 and 15min. It's just the skip back that is nonadjustable, currently set at a measly 7 seconds, I believe.

In any case, as has been previously suggested, these setting could be 'user definable' as far as time goes, that way we could all get what we want and be happy with our choices rather than have someone else tell us what is 'best for us'. The ability to enter any value from 0 to 999 seconds would cover just over 16 minutes worth of flexibility and would likely satisfy most users. For that matter, why not push it to a maximum of 9999 seconds and make it excessively flexible?

Oops, yes the skip fwd has the ability to adjust the time. I knew that but didn't get it right in my post. I should have said just the skip back that I would like to see have an adjustable time option.

I just wanted to be sure you knew you had at least that option in case you had missed it and were stuck on one of the other 'choices' that might not be so practical for you. Cheers.

I've definitely had more problems since the recent update than I had before.

I got home tonight from playing hockey, and was greeted with "That new system is junk" from my wife. Everything had frozen at some point, and she had been unable to watch anything live or recorded. I had to reboot the gateway and the portal to get it working again. Earlier in the evening we had gotten the "Cannot communicate with Gateway" message, but just changing channels cleared that up. A few days ago I had to reboot because everything was playing in slow motion and / or jerking along.

I've been tolerant, as has my wife, but, for the sake of domestic harmony, I think I need to go back to the old Motorola 3416. :(

All 3 portals and the gateway are now uodated, and all see each other and the gateway. Only 1 glitch so far, was watching a recording NCIS:LA I think when the portal froze then rebooted (worked fine after that). So now that we know the portals can see each other and the gateway, I think that definitely opens the future possibilities for certain software upgrades that have been promised since it launched. I know, I know 6 weeks and more updates possibly coming; but I can't be the only one who see's this connection now. :rolleyes:

As for VOD, glad to see a few shows are showing up as HD (2.0 not 5.1 and lots of pixellation - I'm guessing part if not all of that should disappear once the DNU is done.). The fact that I can find all primetime shows on the websites and even apps with the ability to fastforward/rewind and even skip chapters (albeit still with commercials) shows that VOD for TV still has room to improve. Fortunately there are only a few shows I use VOD for. The rest are PVR'd or caught online.

If certain shows or channels are a concern, can't they be locked with a passcode or does that still show the titles and details in VOD and the Guide?

For the first time this morning got a message on the Gateway, advertising a VOD.

Funny, unless you look you have no idea there are messages waiting :confused:. You think there would be an icon or other visual clue to twig you to the item?