Feedback: Poor Experience When Upgrading from a P2 to a T4

[mister_bimbo]

Hi Folks,

I've shared my experience over on the BW forums, but it was suggested that the issue that I have identified isn't a BW problem but rather an IceTV one.

I've upgraded to the T4, replacing my BW P2 device (known as "Loungeroom" in my IceTV account). Unfortunately, during the process of setting up IceTV on the BW, you are no longer given the ability to select the name of the device from a drop down list - rather you enter the name of the device and it gets created on IceTV. Previously the P2 would query the IceTV server, and then provide a list of valid devices from which you could choose.

Concerned that I would loose all my scheduling information (this happened previously through a buggy rename process), I entered a new name but am now faced with manually updating all my P2 timer preferences in order to move them over to the T4.  Having been a very long term IceTV user, I have an extensive list (about 400 items), so its a very tedious process.

A few days prior to performing the upgrade, I deactivated IceTV updates on the P2 and manually changed the type of the device against "Loungeroom" from P1/P2 to T3 (T4 not yet being available) in anticipation of being able to just select from the drop down list as I had done previously. But the IceTV implementation on the T4 now lacks this ability and you have to enter the name and a new device is installed at the IceTV end.

I don't see the issue in having the T4 behave the same as the P2, and provide me with a list of valid devices..? Perhaps an explanation of how the IceTV wizard works on the BW could assist: for example, if I had named the T4 as "Loungeroom", what would the behaviour have been at the IceTV end when I ran the wizard? Would all the timers/preferences have been maintained, or would they have been erased when the wizard changed the device from P2 to T3?  And what would happen next time around should I have to perform a factory reset on my BW and configure IceTV again?

I love the IceTV service and am looking forward to many more years of service from it and my T4: I guess that the process of moving from the previous generation of devices (P1, P2, S1, L1 etc) to the new generation hasn't yet been completely ironed out...?

Happy to receive feedback here - maybe I'm on the wrong track..?  But it would be helpful if there was a means to make the process a little easier 

Cheers,
David

[Leon K]

Hi mister_bimbo,

Yes the T3 / T4 does this to streamline the Setup of new devices so that you don't have to first login into IceTV to add a new Recorder and then link that to the PVR during the Setup.

In your instance what you can do to transfer the timers is to create the device during the setup on the T4 that you wish to use eg. "Beyonwiz T4", then login to your Recorders page here : https://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/webmembers.cgi?op=editSubscription, and then:

A working example:

- 1st device in account is your old P2 named : "Beyonwiz P2".
- Create new device during T4 setup called "Beyonwiz T4". This will be the 2nd device in your account.
- Login to your account online here:  https://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/webmembers.cgi?op=editSubscription
- Rename the 1st device "Beyonwiz P2" to "Beyonwiz T4", and change the device type to T3.
- Rename the 2nd device ie. "Beyonwiz T4" to "Beyonwiz T4 delete"
- Click Save.
- Delete the device "Beyonwiz T4 delete".

All the timers and shows are now assigned to the new device name.

[Leon K]

Mister_Bimbo explicitly for your situation:

- Login to your account online here:  https://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/webmembers.cgi?op=editSubscription
- 1st device in account is your old P2 named : "Loungeroom" -> rename to "Loungeroom 2".
- Click Save.
- Create new device during T4 setup called "Loungeroom". This will be the 2nd device in your account.
- Login to your account online again here (or refresh the page to show the new device):  https://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/webmembers.cgi?op=editSubscription
- Rename the 1st device "Loungeroom 2" to "Loungeroom", and change the device type to T3.
- Rename the 2nd device ie. "Loungeroom" to "Loungeroom delete"
- Click Save.
- Delete the device "Loungeroom delete".

[prl]

Good to hear, but it gets a bit more complicated when you want to transfer all the recordings from two old PVRs to one new one...

[Leon K]

Hey prl,

Yeah - moving Series' between Devices has to been done manually, as in: under Manage Shows clicking each series one at a time and updating the Device name to the new Device..

[prl]

Hey prl,

Yeah - moving Series' between Devices has to been done manually, as in: under Manage Shows clicking each series one at a time and updating the Device name to the new Device..

I've been doing that for some months I copy, rather than transfer, because I'm running the DPs in parallel with a T4. That doesn't seem to be possible to do under Manage Shows, but it can be done in My Week, so I copy the recordings as series recommence.

With multiple devices, even if you want to transfer the shows rather than copy them, using My Week on the second old device is a good way to transfer current shows and having the ability to transfer the others at a more leisurely pace using Manage Shows.

[Leon K]

With multiple devices, even if you want to transfer the shows rather than copy them, using My Week on the second old device is a good way to transfer current shows and having the ability to transfer the others at a more leisurely pace using Manage Shows.

Yes that certainly makes it more manageable and leisurely - you could also change the Device name under Manage Shows to show only Series set for the Old Device and gradually update them from there - they will be removed from the Old Device list so that you're left with only the Series that are still on that Old device and still need to be moved of course.. But I think you knew that already!

[prl]

...
Yes that certainly makes it more manageable and leisurely - you could also change the Device name under Manage Shows to show only Series set for the Old Device and gradually update them from there - they will be removed from the Old Device list so that you're left with only the Series that are still on that Old device and still need to be moved of course.

The advantage of using My Week (or Coming Soon) is that it lets you concentrate on the shows that are actually currently being used. You can't differentiate them so easily in Manage Shows.

Of course, eventually you have to move all the shows from Manage Shows on the old device to the new one, but if you do it alongside using My Week/Coming soon, you can keep the new recorder recording all the current shows while you take your time to move the rest.

[mister_bimbo]

 Thank you for the suggestions Leon,

Mister_Bimbo explicitly for your situation:

- Login to your account online here:  https://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/webmembers.cgi?op=editSubscription
- 1st device in account is your old P2 named : "Loungeroom" -> rename to "Loungeroom 2".
- Click Save.
- Create new device during T4 setup called "Loungeroom". This will be the 2nd device in your account.
- Login to your account online again here (or refresh the page to show the new device):  https://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/webmembers.cgi?op=editSubscription
- Rename the 1st device "Loungeroom 2" to "Loungeroom", and change the device type to T3.
- Rename the 2nd device ie. "Loungeroom" to "Loungeroom delete"
- Click Save.
- Delete the device "Loungeroom delete".

Unfortunately I don't believe that this would work in my situation as I still have a P1 on my home network (it is called "Bedroom") and as I've hinted at before, there are issues with the manner in which the BW/IceTV number devices.  In short, this was my configuration before the T4 arrived:
Device 1: dummy
Device 2: Loungeroom
Device 3: Bedroom

The device "dummy" was created when I previously had IceTV issues with one of the devices accepting series recordings: its been several years, and while I can't recall the exact logic, my recollection is that "dummy" was created by IceTV Support in order to combat a problem with how the BW's were "numbered" within the IceTV logic.

If I start fiddling around with the naming as you have suggested, then I think that the "Bedroom" device will get renumbered and will no longer accept recordings. I know that IceTV is moving to a different interface, and so maybe the way forward here is just to bite the bullet and tediously accept having to update stuff manually ... at least until I replace the P1.

One further question: you've answered with a suggested process, but implied in your answer is that creating (or recreating) a device as would happen during a setup (or resetup) process does not erase the series recordings that are attached to that device.  Is this correct..? I'm expecting that at some point I will have to resetup the T4 and I'm curious as to how the attached recordings would behave when the device is "reinitialized" with the T4 widget (I am keeping in mind that with the P1/P2, I was prompted for which device I was using from a drop down menu).

Cheers,
David

[Leon K]

Hi Mister_Bimbo,

If I start fiddling around with the naming as you have suggested, then I think that the "Bedroom" device will get renumbered and will no longer accept recordings. I know that IceTV is moving to a different interface, and so maybe the way forward here is just to bite the bullet and tediously accept having to update stuff manually ... at least until I replace the P1.

If you follow the steps I listed above it will preserve the numbering of the devices, so the issue with the P1/P2 sometimes taking "device 1" timers and having to assign a blank device to prevent that, will persist too.

One further question: you've answered with a suggested process, but implied in your answer is that creating (or recreating) a device as would happen during a setup (or resetup) process does not erase the series recordings that are attached to that device.  Is this correct..? I'm expecting that at some point I will have to resetup the T4 and I'm curious as to how the attached recordings would behave when the device is "reinitialized" with the T4 widget (I am keeping in mind that with the P1/P2, I was prompted for which device I was using from a drop down menu).

I've pulled this from the setup page: http://support.icetv.com.au/entries/55717374-How-to-setup-IceTV-from-your-Beyonwiz-T3-s-Plugin-Menu

The setup wizard will automatically assign the device Label of "Beyonwiz T4" or "Beyonwiz T3". Changing the device label is optional and can be changed later. If you are replacing an existing device from My Recorders with the Beyonwiz you can press OK on Label and use the on-screen keyboard to replace the name "Beyonwiz T4" or “Beyonwiz T3” with your device’s name as the Label. If you make a typo the system will create a new device in your account so make sure that you enter your existing device's name exactly as it is in your IceTV account under My Recorders. When done, use the green button to save the change.

This way you can preserve recordings for that device (you can also use this process to simplify the process I listed above).

[grampus]

The device "dummy" was created when I previously had IceTV issues with one of the devices accepting series recordings: its been several years, and while I can't recall the exact logic, my recollection is that "dummy" was created by IceTV Support in order to combat a problem with how the BW's were "numbered" within the IceTV logic.

You needed to do this to get over a problem when the older BW devices would occasionally erroneously receive timers for device 0 in your list.  Even though the device was numbered something else.
The insertion of a dummy device at 0 alleviated this problem, so that even though a request went to "0" you had no shows scheduled, no erroneous data was sent, and probably the next "pull" would get the correct device.

I think there was a lot of toing and froing about who's problem it was, but that was the logic I came up with, and never had recordings set in the wrong device after that.