X5 how to

[cyrowth]

Terry,

When you try some of these recordings, will you select at least one 2 hour show and shut your TV OFF prior to the start of the show to be recorded ??   Maybe also try starting a recording of an ongoing show, see the notice of recording started, and then shutoff the TV.  In both cases do nothing to the X5.

[Terry Knapper]

I recorded some shows last night.

I haven't had time to "analyze" my work yet.

All my recordings will be done "after hours' with all my components powered off.

When all my "stuff" is powered off this includes the X5 which has its powers light "red". 

Edited September 13, 2022 by Terry Knapper

[Emporium]

Well I just did 2 tests.   Scheduled 2 recordings yesterday (one for yesterday and one for this morning).  Then I turned off my monitor, which in turn switched the X5 off (red light).  And with monitor off, I can't turn the box power on with the remote (as we confirmed previously).

The first recording, was supposed to start 5 minutes later, so I stuck around to see what would happen.  It was uneventful and the box remained with RED LED, past the start time.  So I had very little hope for it.

Well this afternoon, I decided to power up my box and check if my 2 recording were there.  SUPRISINGLY enough , they are both there.  The box did not seem to power on (at least I did not see the Blue light), but the recording were done.

Right now, I have scheduled 2 more recordings, and I have scheduled them on 2 different channels, both starting at the same time, but 2 different durations.  Tomorrow I will check to see if they actually worked.  If they work, then this is pretty good news.

Tomorrow I'll do another test, but this time, I'll swap and use a USB key that has an LED on it when it is powered and used.  At least I'll be able to see the unit power up (even if X5 LED remains red).

 

 

 

[Terry Knapper]

"Emporium", I have always noticed that the X5 power lite stays red during recordings;

I should have mentioned that!

Tonite I will look at the four recordings I did last nite.

They were b to b 1/2 hour shows , two b to b on the same channel

then two more BTB on the same channel an hour later. 

I find myself taking a picture of my scheduled recordings,  because,  I don't see any where

to see the schedule I had set up once the recordings are done!.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Terry Knapper

[dishuser]

pretty sure scheduled would only show if you set it for multi days

[Terry Knapper]

"dishuser" you are right.

That's why I either write things down or take a picture, because I can't 

remember shit!

[dishuser]

40 minutes ago, Terry Knapper said:

"dishuser" you are right.

That's why I either write things down or take a picture, because I can't 

remember shit!

same issue here...lol

[Terry Knapper]

Well here is the results of my first TEST record session.

I am assuming that when the X5 "says" 59:29 recording time it means 59.29 min.

1st  recording was at 12:00 AM  until 12:30 AM for 1/2 hour. X5 recorded for 59.29 min

2nd recording was at 12:30 AM until 1:00 AM for 1/2 hour. X5 recorded for 29:55 min 

3rd recording was at 4:04 AM  for 1/2 hour (according to the scheduled time VIA  X5) until 4:36AM (again schedule time)

The X5 recorded for 1:02:04, again  assuming this to be 1 hour, 2 min & 4 sec

4th recording was at 4:36 AM until 5:07AM (again scheduled time) for 1/2 hour. X5 recorded for 31:04.

The scheduled record time were  all supplied by the X5.

I chose the recordings  and time according to the EPG, which showed all shows  exactly on the 1/2 hour

i.e. 12 till 12:30, 12:30 till 1:00 and so on.   

Edited September 14, 2022 by Terry Knapper

[Terry Knapper]

Correction on my previous post.

For some reason on my "Recordings" page, my 1st rec. now shows 30:19.

This came up as soon as I started to watch it.

2nd rec showing now showing 30:31 

3rd now showing 32:13

4th rec now showing as it did on the schedule.

The rec times changing (when they did) was after I started to watch them.

Interesting.

Keeping in mind that I am NOT adding any record time to my recordings.

[allaboutbuzz]

29 minutes ago, Terry Knapper said:

Correction on my previous post.

For some reason on my "Recordings" page, my 1st rec. now shows 30:19.

This came up as soon as I started to watch it.

2nd rec showing now showing 30:31 

3rd now showing 32:13

4th rec now showing as it did on the schedule.

The rec times changing (when they did) was after I started to watch them.

Interesting.

Keeping in mind that I am NOT adding any record time to my recordings.

Is this good or bad?

Sorry just confused by posting so many test results for recording.

[Terry Knapper]

All I am doing is TRYING to get the most out of my X5.

I believe ( maybe I'm being naive)) that there are other people who also would

like to get the most out of their X5's as well.

In my case I am mostly interested in recording with my X5.

If I can learn more ,and, maybe help one person learn more, that can't be a bad thing.

If you disagree , and want these tests to stop just say so .

Terry Knapper

 

[dishuser]

35 minutes ago, Terry Knapper said:

All I am doing is TRYING to get the most out of my X5.

I believe ( maybe I'm being naive)) that there are other people who also would

like to get the most out of their X5's as well.

In my case I am mostly interested in recording with my X5.

If I can learn more ,and, maybe help one person learn more, that can't be a bad thing.

If you disagree , and want these tests to stop just say so .

Terry Knapper

 

you need to relax

6 pages can be overwhelming to read

[Terry Knapper]

"dishuser", your right, I'm done.

TK

[cyrowth]

Terry,

I really appreciate the work and sharing that you and Emporium have contributed on this thread.  I have experienced uncertain recording performance with my X5 as well.  Correctly or mistakenly after weeks of experimenting, my concern was that the X5 power status EVEN WITH CEC OFF, was responding to the status of the TV (as Emporium also posted several times).  This may not be the cause of the unpredictability of recording ( I experienced recording durations of 2% to 95% of the show I was recording).  I have 2 other Android TV boxes, and neither responds automatically to the power status of other devices and record perfectly with TiviMate.  I have started leaving the TV on and muted when recording, and it has recorded perfectly.

Your recent postings seem to indicate successful recording with the X5, even when it goes into the "suspend" state (red light) which is encouraging.  Based on your experience, yesterday I set a recording for a 2 hour movie and turned my other system component OFF, and it recorded just fine.  There have been no OTAs since I previously was having issues, so hard to explain.  I had switched to using my KM2 for recording only and the X5 for everything else, but I'll use the X5 more for less important recordings to see how it goes.

Terry, please don't throw in the towel on this blog.  The X5 with Android TV 11 is relatively new and not without issues that I'm sure will be addressed in future updates.  Mike in Las Vegas and @allaboutbuzz are very knowledgeable and helpful when engaged.  dishuser  is not going to win any "Miss Congeniality Award", so don't overreact to his curtness.

My hope is that allaboutbuzz would address why the X5 with CEC OFF responds to the power status of other devices/TV.  I experimented with changing the power definition to "suspend" vs "shutdown" (with CEC still OFF) and when I turned off the TV the X5 light turned red and it become totally non-responsive (would not turn back on with the remote or when TV turned back on).  I had to unplug the power to get it to reboot and changed back to "shutdown".  Maybe this "codependency" of the x5 with CEC OFF is by design ?  I thought maybe it was just my box until I read your posts and those by Emporium.

[Emporium]

As I mentioned also in one of my previous posts

After a few tests, I seriously am doubting that the TV power off and the X5 powering off are related to CEC.  They are most probably related to the HDMI termination (ie: detecting a device connected or not).  If this behaviour can be overcome/bypassed in software, I have no clue, but I guess only time will tell.

 

[allaboutbuzz]

19 hours ago, Terry Knapper said:

All I am doing is TRYING to get the most out of my X5.

I believe ( maybe I'm being naive)) that there are other people who also would

like to get the most out of their X5's as well.

In my case I am mostly interested in recording with my X5.

If I can learn more ,and, maybe help one person learn more, that can't be a bad thing.

If you disagree , and want these tests to stop just say so .

Terry Knapper

 

I appreciate the testing
I was only asking if you were posting this because you were having an issue or not so we could help

The feedback is great as well
 

[Tato]

X5  v20220624
Buzz TV 5  v5.0.727
Powerkey set to Suspend
Samsung 4K TV
HDMI CEC set to off in X5 and TV

Schedule recording, leave X5 on, turn TV off.  X5 power LED turns red.  Recording occurs as scheduled.
Works in both Buzz TV 5 and Tivimate.

I run a VPN on the X5.  
When X5 and TV are on, VPN dashboard shows active connection.
When TV off for scheduled recording and X5 power LED turns red. the VPN connection is not terminated but maintained until the TV is powered back on and then X5 turned off.

Is this the way scheduled recordings were designed, to maintain an active connection?  
 

[dishuser]

1 minute ago, Tato said:

X5  v20220624
Buzz TV 5  v5.0.727
Powerkey set to Suspend
Samsung 4K TV
HDMI CEC set to off in X5 and TV

Schedule recording, leave X5 on, turn TV off.  X5 power LED turns red.  Recording occurs as scheduled.
Works in both Buzz TV 5 and Tivimate.

I run a VPN on the X5.  
When X5 and TV are on, VPN dashboard shows active connection.
When TV off for scheduled recording and X5 power LED turns red. the VPN connection is not terminated but maintained until the TV is powered back on and then X5 turned off.

Is this the way scheduled recordings were designed, to maintain an active connection?  
 

I wouldn't say it's the recordings

when I turn my tv on the x5 goes right to home screen even though it's set to shut down

I select live tv and it comes on instantly

I'm going with Emporium's theory about hdmi

[Tato]

I hadn't considered an open connection was always active if the TV was turned off first.  Out of habit, I shut off my streaming device first.

Hopefully the Buzz team will clarify how their product is designed to function.

[allaboutbuzz]

13 hours ago, Tato said:

X5  v20220624
Buzz TV 5  v5.0.727
Powerkey set to Suspend
Samsung 4K TV
HDMI CEC set to off in X5 and TV

Schedule recording, leave X5 on, turn TV off.  X5 power LED turns red.  Recording occurs as scheduled.
Works in both Buzz TV 5 and Tivimate.

I run a VPN on the X5.  
When X5 and TV are on, VPN dashboard shows active connection.
When TV off for scheduled recording and X5 power LED turns red. the VPN connection is not terminated but maintained until the TV is powered back on and then X5 turned off.

Is this the way scheduled recordings were designed, to maintain an active connection?  
 

Yes this is how its designed now

Its to ensure recordings work even when the box is in Standby.  This also works on the HD5.

However....

On the X5 and U5
If you have it set to Shutdown for Power Off
And you have scheduled recordings, the box will wake up to do those recordings
It wakes up 2 minutes before the scheduled recording, as those models have an RTC battery inside them

The 4500s and 4900s also have the RTC Battery in them for this same feature.

[Tato]

Quote

Yes this is how its designed now

Thank you for the quick response and further explanation on scheduled recordings.  

[cyrowth]

allaboutbuzz,

Do you recommend that we set the Powerkey definition to "Suspend" or "Shutdown" for the most reliable recording -- or does it matter ??  Is there any "user" setting that would enable me to keep the X5 powered on -- blue light (vs going into standby) when the TV is powered OFF ??

[Emporium]

@cyrowth, I have one of these cheap HDMI switches and when I connect the X5 using the switch, it will NOT power off even if I turn my monitor off.  

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07QZ46SLH

My monitor is only 1080p, so if you are using 2K or 4K, you would need to get a switch that supports the required resolution.

Maybe something like this:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09BDT2XM6

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Emporium

[allaboutbuzz]

On 9/16/2022 at 4:24 PM, cyrowth said:

allaboutbuzz,

Do you recommend that we set the Powerkey definition to "Suspend" or "Shutdown" for the most reliable recording -- or does it matter ??  Is there any "user" setting that would enable me to keep the X5 powered on -- blue light (vs going into standby) when the TV is powered OFF ??

Suspend I think works best.

Right now, when TV is powered off
The box goes off.  There is no other way at the moment.