Program Start Times

[Nem]

Im sure that the networks are up to their old games running late start times at the moment. Is there anywhere we can complain so they might get a good foot in the hind quarters and told to pull their heads back into line? Im sure a program started nearly 15 minutes late last night and it wouldnt have been the only program to kick off > 10 minutes behind schedule in the last week.  >:(

[prl]

ACMA is the regulator, but I wasn't able to find anything on their website about broadcasters having to adhere strictly to their published timetables when I looked a few weeks ago.

Even if they did, any discrepancy between the PVR's clock and the broadcaster's clock will mean that you're likely to lose a bit of the start or end of any program if you don't use some padding, simply because there is typically no "filler" between the titles of one program and the start of the next.

[Nem]

A few minutes might be an expected delay for a scheduled program. > 10 minutes when the program itself runs between 30 to 60 minutes is unacceptable. Ideally (IMHO) it should be no greater than 5 minutes.

[prl]

A few minutes might be an expected delay for a scheduled program. > 10 minutes when the program itself runs between 30 to 60 minutes is unacceptable. Ideally (IMHO) it should be no greater than 5 minutes.

But given the fact that most commercial programs flow straight from the closing credits of one program to the start of the next, this 5 minutes off schedule means that padding is required and that there can still be cases where consecutive timers on different services miss either the end of the first show or the start of the next.

To make consecutive timers work properly, the broadcasters must keep quite tightly to their schedule, and the PVR has to have its time closely synchronised with the broadcaster.