How It's Made reruns marked as new!

 I got a reply from the Science channel:

​Dear Viewer,

Thank you for contacting Science Channel.

We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to write us and for bringing
this matter to our attention. Please know that we will take your
comments under advisement.

Thank you for expressing your interest in our programming.

Sincerely,

Viewer Relations
Science Channel 

Looks like a generic response to me.  Oh well, it was worth a shot.

---

@Me wrote:

Having to individually schedule every program is inconvenient.  What's the point of having series record if you shouldn't use it?

 

As for OAD, just as a reminder sites like TitanTV and zap2it also have problems with those Sci channel "marathons".  TitanTV doesn't show original air date for those either and zap2it doesn't even list the shows but instead usea a placeholder marked "To Be Announced".  These are why I was suspecting the Sci channel as being at fault.

---

Inconvenient?  That way you'll get the ones you want, not 100s of them using Series Recording and have to wade thru them.

The ones that have no OAD also have a generic description, does not list the items involved like those w/an OAD.  New How It's Made are Thu 9pm EDT 1258.

Chris
__________________________________________________________

Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
Need Help? PM ATT Uverse Care (all service problems)
ATT Customer Care(billing and all other problems)
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

That's not a solution, that's a workaround for a flaw. And it is inconvenient. If guide data was correct in the first place, the series record feature would work as intended. Individually marking episodes to record completely defeats the point of having a DVR. And, since the guide only goes out 2 weeks, you have to remember to set new episodes to record every week or two. I pay AT&T $200+ every month exactly for these kinds of conveniences. If the "solution" is to put up with flaws and just deal, I have no incentive to pay a premium price to AT&T, and every incentive to go with another provider or roll my own OTA + Netflix like so many others.

The guide data is provided by the program provider to a guide data provider that AT&T (and others) use.  If you want that program provider to provide accurate information, telling other AT&T users about your displeasure hardly seems likely to make that happen.

I'm confused as to your point. This is a forum run by AT&T for U-verse issues, is watched by AT&T employees and customers, yet you're suggesting it's not appropriate to complain here about issues with the service we're paying for? Since the guide data is provided by a third party (that AT&T pays for), that I should just what...drop it? I have no way to contact the guide data provider and ask them to fix it. Only AT&T can do that. I don't understand is why this forum seemingly populated with "experts" whose solutions are to put up with problems.

I have messaged AT&T employee @Fox Mulder, but haven't heard back yet. I'm sure he's busy but hopefully he can provide some insight into why this keeps happening.

It is somewhat watched over by AT&T employees.  However, what you're complaining about is not realistically within the bounds of anything these employees are going to change.

The purpose of this forum is, to quote, " to help [AT&T's users and customers] exchange ideas, tips, information, and techniques related to our products and services."  So, another user sharing a work around is well within the purposes of this forum.

The fault with the system likes in the bad data.  No one reading this forum generates this bad data.  No one reading this forum can fix this bad data.  I'm just suggesting that you take the complaints to someone who can fix the bad data.

I have tried with support. It was enough of a challenge to get the support person to understand the actual issue, that I don't expect anything to come of it. So that's most likely a dead end. Where do you suggest I go? You're basically telling me to pound sand. Saying that the employees that browse this forum can't solve it is saying they pass the buck. Why can't they kick it up the chain to get it to the right person? Is AT&T that disfunctional? Giving workarounds is not a solution. What has been suggested so far is to not use a DVR function for what it is literally meant for.

To suggest that this forum is "just for tips" is disingenous. I look at the front page of Total Home DVR and see the following topics:

• HBO Go, Watch ESPN, and other TV apps error message
• Problems with DVR setbox
• network problems stopped the stream
• DVR erased all recordings
• Freezing (recorded) picture on all settop boxes

I don't see why my topic wouldn't be appropriate here.

I just explained it.  The problem is with the data coming from the channel.  The channel is responsible for it being correct.  AT&T Employees are not responsible for knowing whether X show on Y channel at Z time is a first-run or not.

The reason I replied to your post was the "that's no solution" comment.  You can sit here and write reply after reply if you want.  Knock yourself out.

I was attempting to offer constructive criticism to help you work towards a solution.

To elaborate a little more on what I think is happening, 3rd party guide data providers (including guide data from friends' competing services) show these time slots at TBA - in other words, Science channel hasn't announced programming for these time slots. I am speculating that AT&T's guide data provider, for whatever reason, instead of passing along the TBA, fills it in with marathons of Science channel shows that may or may not be correct. For example, previously my DVR was scheduled to record a marathon run yesterday, 10/5 and some more today. Instead it appears to be a marathon of How the Universe Works. There are still 137 reruns in the schedule over the next 2 weeks, during times that other guide data providers are showing TBAs.

Funny that you feel the need to continue posting unhelpful replies in my thread. It is something, but it's sure not constructive criticism.

I understand the problem and I'm trying to bring it to AT&T's attention. It IS an AT&T problem, even if it is caused by a third party AT&T vendor. Science channel is issuing TBAs for those time slots. The third party is filling them in with whatever they think it's supposed to be. And maybe Science Channel is being flaky about their scheduling, but my friends on competing services don't seem to be having these issues. They see TBAs and a few episodes -actual First Runs on Thursday @8, the previous week's repeat and a few other misc episodes not marked as new. So this problem is pretty much exclusive to U-verse, at least in my market.

Basically though, I've been told to live with it, and not use the series record feature. What great constructive ideas! I'll mark this as the solution so other customers can cut to the chase and see what AT&T thinks of their problems.