PVR scheduling app - what do you think?

daveg56

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How many times do you have to interrupt your TV viewing to setup a PVR to record a programme, or you're browsing the Radio Times app or see something in a TV listing and you think 'I must remember to record that..'

I think a great idea would be able to have some kind of remote control app on an iTouch/iPhone/iPad, smartphone or tablet that communicates wirelessly with your PVR, that allows you to look at the EPG and select programmes to record, without having to either turn the TV on or interrupt what you're currently viewing.

It could possibly be also done over the web, which your internet connected PVR can synchronize with. In fact, thinking even bigger, the service could be agnostic to hardware and use a common interface protocol designed to interface with any PVR that has the appropriate software.

Whoever the body is who manages the Freeview EPG could provide the functionality on that platform.

Something like this I think is now possible with Sky or Virgin, but I don't subscribe to those services.
 

The_Lhc

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Oct 16, 2008
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Yeah there's a Sky+ app for Android and Apple, works brilliantly, although changing which box will do the recording if you have multi-room requires a visit to the website, which is a little annoying.
 

professorhat

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It's a great idea and some PVRs do offer the facility like the Technika 8320HD - trouble is, it was such an unreliable PVR, Tesco eventually withdrew it from sale. You can pick one up from eBay probably, but not sure what the point of being able to remotely schedule recordings is if you can't be sure it will actually record the programme!

For all other devices, I'm not sure why there would be a will to implement this service, unless by the manufacturer or who wanted to give their own box an edge over the competition. As seen above though, implementing these sorts of services can lead to instability which renders the box unreliable and therefore not a very good PVR. I can't see any reason why the EPG provider would want to do this as it doesn't really gain them anything.

I guess Sky and Virgin are able to do this easier as they control the whole process of delivering services to their customers, whereas with Freeview, there a number of parties who would have to collaborate to get it up and running. I agree it would be useful, but I can't see it happening any time soon unfortunately (would love to be proved wrong though :) )
 

daveg56

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Yeah, I remember that, and the numeric VideoPlus/G-codes that used to appear in the tv listings! Actually that was quite an efficient little process at the time.

I just want to be able to set up a program to record when I'm not actually sitting in-front of the TV or PVR!
 

whiskywheels

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Yes, great idea. The only thing I miss about Sky (I'm freesat now) was the ability to log in to the internet site and programme my box. This would be very useful for me in June when I want to record the first few days of the Tour de France before I get home; unfortunately when I leave it's still over a week away to the start so I can't programme my Humax box, and there's no way I'm aware of that you can programme to record anything that's more than a week away, even if you know the date and time etc.
 

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