New EPG & 1TB Hard Drive - Sky+ HD

306xsi · 10-11-2009, 08:54

Since the new EPG update, my Samsung box with 1TB (WD10EVDS) Drive, hangs for a painfully long time whilst entering and leaving the 'Planner' and 'Stacks'
It also hangs badly when returning to the planner after watching a recorded programme.
I have also got a Pace HD box with the standard Hard drive in, which works fine in this respect.
Last weekend I swapped the 1TB Hard Drive from the Samsung box and put it in the Pace box, hoping it would resolve this issue but the Pace now hangs in exactly the same way as the Samsung did.
I've tried 'Planner Rebuild' and 'Software Update' on both boxes which makes no difference to this problem at all.
Is anyone else experiencing this with an upgraded Hard Drive.

RobinP63 · 10-11-2009, 12:44

Hi

Sorry to say but my Samsung and WD drive is working almost perfectly. I was fearing the lag issues identified elsewhere as my drive is 75% full. But they have only minorly manifested themselves.

I have a 2-3 second delay in getting the correct number of minutes displayed when fast forwarding. It is as if the 'clock' hasn't updated since the last time it was accessed and has gone to sleep!!

Otherwise the whole remote control thing is a bit slow but some of that could come from my use of a Logitech Harmony rather than the Sky remote

bengunn · 10-11-2009, 12:49

I have a Seagate 750GB HDD in my Samsung, although it is only about 20% full at the moment, and it is fine.

306xsi · 10-11-2009, 14:33

Hmmm

Thanks for your replies.
I should add, that I first installed the 1tb Drive in the Samsung box last June, under the Old EPG after using Copy+ with the old hard drive.
It is 55% full and worked flawlessly until the new EPG arrived.
I was kinda hoping someone else would be experiencing the same problem as I really don't want to Format it. There's so many Prog's I want to keep and this would have to be a very last resort.

HDCriticalFan · 10-11-2009, 15:25

I have an early (component) Thomson and a 1Tb WD HDD.

I get the "on-screen time takes a second to catch up" when using FF/Rwd. I think that is "normal" for Sky+HD.

I get a laggy remote quite often. Sometimes it can take a second or more to respond and then you get a couple of stored key strokes coming back at you at once (be very careful when deleting !).

Planner Lag

i.e. the time to display the Planner when entering, either directly or when "backing in" from a stack or from a recording (having pressed Backup).

This seems (on my setup) to have a complicated relationship with the number of recordings and/or stacks and possibly disk space used. It doesn't get better after a Planner Rebuild, power cycle or even Forced Software Download.

My experience (with my set up) ...

I would estimate that a "lightly used" 1Tb HDD would seem just fine. That would be using only a couple of hundred Gig and a few dozen recordings.

Heavier usage (say over a hundred recordings and using about half the disk) creates a 4-6 second pause when entering the Planner.

Much heavier usage (closer to 200 recordings and 70%+ usage) has brought me to a pause which seems close to 10 seconds. That's a looooong time to be looking at a blank screen.

I've said it before (and I'll no doubt say it again) that this smacks of poor programming (and not what we may have hoped for from an EPG which was years in the gestation).

1. It shouldn't take that long to sort/create the Planner.
2. Once done, the results should be written to cache and re-used (if there have been no additions/deletions) or amended (if there have been a few) and only in the rare event that there have been a lot of changes should there need to be a complete re-sort.

It was just a teeny bit short-sighted not to consider "scalability" because the one predictable thing at the outset was that at some stage a larger HDD would be introduced (as indeed I believe is already underway with the newer model).

I work around this now by avoiding the Planner wherever possible. I use the excellent new search function to directly call up recordings I want ... it is much quicker.

My current bug bear is the "overrun" I get when in trick play. You can be rewinding a 2x and then press play ... the red light flashes, the screen indicator changes from "-2x" to "play" ... but the darned thing rewinds for a second or more before actually playing. It's a bit like the overrun on a VHS tape machine !

I'm also grumpy about bookmarks. Not only do they often not seem to "stick" to the frame they are put on, but when selecting playback from a bookmark you have to wait a second for the os to "catch up" with your request. If you just quickly select a bookmark and immediately choose play then you will find that playback will start from your last position. What a mess.

And of course slo-mo doesn't work properly for any HD channel that I've tried. Whilst it starts OK, it invariably "jams" on a frame after a few seconds. The problem frames are specific ones and are re-producable. i.e. no matter how often you go back and try slo-mo on a particular event it will always stick at the same place.

SciFiHD is worst of all (too compressed or bad encoders ?) because you can't even reliably FF and expect to be able to play afterwards !

battlezone · 10-11-2009, 16:24

Umph!

I've just ordered one of those to put in my Samsung.

I have the WD10EVCS currently installed in the Samsung at the moment.

The Thompson has a Spinpoint in it but lately has been painfully slow.

My plan (coz SWMBO) is to copy everything from the Spinpoint onto the EVDS and try that in the Thomson to see if it cures the responsiveness. If it doesn't then I'll try it in the Samsung.

I have another plan (if there is any method in my madness) which I'll try should that fail.

It's all to do with where the OH watches programmes. Some she will only watch in bed and the rest downstairs.

306xsi · 11-11-2009, 00:50

Does anyone know if the new EPG will format a 1TB Drive or do you still have to use Copy+ as per the Old EPG.

Depul · 11-11-2009, 07:13

I have some lag issues with my samsung with a 1tb drive. It takes about 5-6 seconds to get into the planner and the same amount of time to sort into a-z. Also going into series stacks and backing up out of recordings back into the planner takes a lot longer than it used to in the old EPG. Hopefully this can be fixed with software updates.

battlezone · 11-11-2009, 07:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by 306xsi

Does anyone know if the new EPG will format a 1TB Drive or do you still have to use Copy+ as per the Old EPG.

The HD box (new EPG or not) will format a 1Tb HDD but only to approx. 500Gb.

You WILL have to use Copy+ to benefit from the full 1TB (minus 140Gb for Anytime).

306xsi · 11-11-2009, 22:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by battlezone

The HD box (new EPG or not) will format a 1Tb HDD but only to approx. 500Gb.

You WILL have to use Copy+ to benefit from the full 1TB (minus 140Gb for Anytime).

Ok thanks

If I disable Anytime in the EPG will that get me the 140gb back when its formatted with Copy+

davemurgatroyd · 11-11-2009, 22:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by 306xsi

Ok thanks

If I disable Anytime in the EPG will that get me the 140gb back when its formatted with Copy+

No......

306xsi · 17-11-2009, 22:18

Anybody with an upgraded Hard drive and the new EPG who has'nt got my 'op' problem?

mitchec1 · 18-11-2009, 09:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by 306xsi

Anybody with an upgraded Hard drive and the new EPG who has'nt got my 'op' problem?

I haven't got your problem. I've Samsung box with a 1TB Seagate Pipeline in and don't suffer from hanging or delays.

306xsi · 18-11-2009, 10:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchec1

I haven't got your problem. I've Samsung box with a 1TB Seagate Pipeline in and don't suffer from hanging or delays.

Thanks, How full is your drive?
Did you install it after the new EPG arrived.

chriscatt · 18-11-2009, 12:25

Hi, I have a WD 1tb drive which I installed after the new epg and no issues. However, from the symptoms you describe, as the problem moves from box to box, I would suggest there is something either wrong with the drive or some of the data is corrupt...
Chris

mitchec1 · 18-11-2009, 12:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by 306xsi

Thanks, How full is your drive?
Did you install it after the new EPG arrived.

It was installed with the old epg and hasn't been affected by the new epg.

It's been upto 80% full with no problems.

I'd agree with chriscatt's post

306xsi · 18-11-2009, 14:17

Ok guy's thanks for the info, that's a great help

I'd say its corrupt data, as it worked fine before the new EPG was installed. I'm gonna get it out and plug it into Copy+.

LondonKiwi · 18-11-2009, 17:32

If you do a reboot is it still slow? I have a samsung 1TB in my Thompson and when it starts going slow in the planner a reboot solves the problem.

306xsi · 18-11-2009, 20:00

Yep, I've tried everything bar Copy+ to fix the issue

10-11-2009, 08:54	#1
306xsi Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 52	New EPG & 1TB Hard Drive Since the new EPG update, my Samsung box with 1TB (WD10EVDS) Drive, hangs for a painfully long time whilst entering and leaving the 'Planner' and 'Stacks' It also hangs badly when returning to the planner after watching a recorded programme. I have also got a Pace HD box with the standard Hard drive in, which works fine in this respect. Last weekend I swapped the 1TB Hard Drive from the Samsung box and put it in the Pace box, hoping it would resolve this issue but the Pace now hangs in exactly the same way as the Samsung did. I've tried 'Planner Rebuild' and 'Software Update' on both boxes which makes no difference to this problem at all. Is anyone else experiencing this with an upgraded Hard Drive.

10-11-2009, 16:24	#6
battlezone Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oxford (formally Newcastle) Services: Thomson HD, Samsung HD, Pace PVR3, 46XV635DB, LE32A558, RD-XV48, BT Opt 1. Posts: 1,228	Wd10evds Umph! I've just ordered one of those to put in my Samsung. I have the WD10EVCS currently installed in the Samsung at the moment. The Thompson has a Spinpoint in it but lately has been painfully slow. My plan (coz SWMBO) is to copy everything from the Spinpoint onto the EVDS and try that in the Thomson to see if it cures the responsiveness. If it doesn't then I'll try it in the Samsung. I have another plan (if there is any method in my madness) which I'll try should that fail. It's all to do with where the OH watches programmes. Some she will only watch in bed and the rest downstairs.

10-11-2009, 12:44	#2
RobinP63 Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Berkhamsted Services: Sky HD, Sky +, Pioneer 436XDE Posts: 70	Hi Sorry to say but my Samsung and WD drive is working almost perfectly. I was fearing the lag issues identified elsewhere as my drive is 75% full. But they have only minorly manifested themselves. I have a 2-3 second delay in getting the correct number of minutes displayed when fast forwarding. It is as if the 'clock' hasn't updated since the last time it was accessed and has gone to sleep!! Otherwise the whole remote control thing is a bit slow but some of that could come from my use of a Logitech Harmony rather than the Sky remote

10-11-2009, 12:49	#3
bengunn Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 139	I have a Seagate 750GB HDD in my Samsung, although it is only about 20% full at the moment, and it is fine.

10-11-2009, 14:33	#4
306xsi Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 52	Hmmm Thanks for your replies. I should add, that I first installed the 1tb Drive in the Samsung box last June, under the Old EPG after using Copy+ with the old hard drive. It is 55% full and worked flawlessly until the new EPG arrived. I was kinda hoping someone else would be experiencing the same problem as I really don't want to Format it. There's so many Prog's I want to keep and this would have to be a very last resort.

10-11-2009, 15:25	#5
HDCriticalFan Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 560	I have an early (component) Thomson and a 1Tb WD HDD. I get the "on-screen time takes a second to catch up" when using FF/Rwd. I think that is "normal" for Sky+HD. I get a laggy remote quite often. Sometimes it can take a second or more to respond and then you get a couple of stored key strokes coming back at you at once (be very careful when deleting !). Planner Lag i.e. the time to display the Planner when entering, either directly or when "backing in" from a stack or from a recording (having pressed Backup). This seems (on my setup) to have a complicated relationship with the number of recordings and/or stacks and possibly disk space used. It doesn't get better after a Planner Rebuild, power cycle or even Forced Software Download. My experience (with my set up) ... I would estimate that a "lightly used" 1Tb HDD would seem just fine. That would be using only a couple of hundred Gig and a few dozen recordings. Heavier usage (say over a hundred recordings and using about half the disk) creates a 4-6 second pause when entering the Planner. Much heavier usage (closer to 200 recordings and 70%+ usage) has brought me to a pause which seems close to 10 seconds. That's a looooong time to be looking at a blank screen. I've said it before (and I'll no doubt say it again) that this smacks of poor programming (and not what we may have hoped for from an EPG which was years in the gestation). 1. It shouldn't take that long to sort/create the Planner. 2. Once done, the results should be written to cache and re-used (if there have been no additions/deletions) or amended (if there have been a few) and only in the rare event that there have been a lot of changes should there need to be a complete re-sort. It was just a teeny bit short-sighted not to consider "scalability" because the one predictable thing at the outset was that at some stage a larger HDD would be introduced (as indeed I believe is already underway with the newer model). I work around this now by avoiding the Planner wherever possible. I use the excellent new search function to directly call up recordings I want ... it is much quicker. My current bug bear is the "overrun" I get when in trick play. You can be rewinding a 2x and then press play ... the red light flashes, the screen indicator changes from "-2x" to "play" ... but the darned thing rewinds for a second or more before actually playing. It's a bit like the overrun on a VHS tape machine ! I'm also grumpy about bookmarks. Not only do they often not seem to "stick" to the frame they are put on, but when selecting playback from a bookmark you have to wait a second for the os to "catch up" with your request. If you just quickly select a bookmark and immediately choose play then you will find that playback will start from your last position. What a mess. And of course slo-mo doesn't work properly for any HD channel that I've tried. Whilst it starts OK, it invariably "jams" on a frame after a few seconds. The problem frames are specific ones and are re-producable. i.e. no matter how often you go back and try slo-mo on a particular event it will always stick at the same place. SciFiHD is worst of all (too compressed or bad encoders ?) because you can't even reliably FF and expect to be able to play afterwards !

11-11-2009, 00:50	#7
306xsi Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 52	Does anyone know if the new EPG will format a 1TB Drive or do you still have to use Copy+ as per the Old EPG.

11-11-2009, 07:13	#8
Depul Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 65	I have some lag issues with my samsung with a 1tb drive. It takes about 5-6 seconds to get into the planner and the same amount of time to sort into a-z. Also going into series stacks and backing up out of recordings back into the planner takes a lot longer than it used to in the old EPG. Hopefully this can be fixed with software updates.

17-11-2009, 22:18	#12
306xsi Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 52	Anybody with an upgraded Hard drive and the new EPG who has'nt got my 'op' problem?

18-11-2009, 12:25	#15
chriscatt Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 113	Hi, I have a WD 1tb drive which I installed after the new epg and no issues. However, from the symptoms you describe, as the problem moves from box to box, I would suggest there is something either wrong with the drive or some of the data is corrupt... Chris

18-11-2009, 14:17	#17
306xsi Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 52	Ok guy's thanks for the info, that's a great help I'd say its corrupt data, as it worked fine before the new EPG was installed. I'm gonna get it out and plug it into Copy+.

18-11-2009, 17:32	#18
LondonKiwi Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: London Services: Sky HD Posts: 122	If you do a reboot is it still slow? I have a samsung 1TB in my Thompson and when it starts going slow in the planner a reboot solves the problem.

18-11-2009, 20:00	#19
306xsi Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 52	Yep, I've tried everything bar Copy+ to fix the issue