Iowa network Services Quative User manual

Quative
Digital Video Recorder (DVR)
America’s Guide 
User Guide
Document reference
Date 2011-2-4
Status
Copyright © 2010, Iowa Network Services, Inc.
This document contains confidential and privileged information.
Reproduction of any part of this document is strictly prohibited
where not specifically permitted in the accompanying license.

3
Contents
1. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
2. Pause ll live or buffered programming. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .5
3. Rewind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
4. Fast Forwarda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
5.
Record live programming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
6. Schedule a recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6a -Schedule a recording using the Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6b –Set a Series Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6c -Schedule a recording using the Zap Browser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
7. Start recording early and/or late . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
8. View list of “Scheduled Recordings” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
9. Understanding 2 Stream DVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
10. Recording Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
10a – Viewing conflicts
11. Cancel scheduled recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
12. View list of “Recorded Programs” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
13. Watch recorded programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
14. Delete recorded programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
15. View “DVR Statistics” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
15a – Recording space detail on your STB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
16. Disk Full Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

4
1 - Introduction
This document describes the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) in the America's Guide. If you are not
familiar with the basics of how to navigate in the Guide and the Zap Browser, please refer
to that documentation before attempting to learn the processes outlined in this document.
In this documentation when the word “press” is used this refers to using a button on the remote control.
To highlight something means to use the arrow keys on the remote to select an item in the Electronic
Program Guide so that it is highlighted in yellow.
Symbols/words in this document with color represent buttons on the remote, such as OK for the “OK”
button.
DVRs make "time shift viewing” (watching a program at a time other than when it is shown by the
network) much more convenient, and also allow for "trick modes" such as pausing live TV, instant
replay, chasing playback (where a recording can be viewed before it has been completed), and
skip ahead or back.
DVR allows you to Pause, Rewind and Fast Forward “live” programming almost in the same way
you would a pre-recorded DVD or VHS tape. If you know how to use Pause, Rewind, and Fast
Forward with a VCR or DVD player then you already know how to use these functions with a
recorded program on a DVR. Using these functions during “buffered” recording is a little different.
The next few pages will explain how it works to Pause, Rewind, and Fast Forward with live or
buffered programming.
UNDERSTANDING BUFFERING
You can perform trick plays such as pause, rewind, or fast forward while watching TV, because
your DVR set-top box (STB) temporarily records or “buffers” a program as soon as you change to
the channel. The STB can buffer up to 2 hours of the channel you’re on to enable these functions.
If you change from one channel to another, the STB will empty the buffer and start filling it again
with the programming from the new channel. Using other applications on the STB, such as
accessing the Portal may also empty the buffer.
Understanding how buffering works will help you understand when you can fast forward or
rewind with your DVR. If a portion of the program has not yet run, of course you won’t be
able to fast forward through it!
TIP: After having DVR for a short time, many users will decide to watch very little actual live
programming. Instead they’ll set recordings for most of their shows.
Another technique is to watch “almost live” TV. This is done when viewers tune to a program at its
start time so that the buffer is recording the show. Then they’ll go do something else for about 20
minutes. When they return they’ll go back to the beginning of the show and start watching it. Then
when commercials come up, they have the option of fast forwarding through them. If they were
watching live, they wouldn’t be able to skip the commercials.
TIP: If the hard drive is getting very full with recorded programs, the amount of time that can be
buffered may be reduced.

5
2 - Pause ll live or buffered programming
When pausing live programming, a bar appears on the screen showing the current position in the
program you are watching.
Figure 1
To resume play from the paused position, press Play.
3 - Rewind
DVR allows you toRewind or Fast Forward through the buffered portion of a program.
The DVR does this by having your set-top box (STB) temporarily record or “buffer” a program as
soon as you change to the channel. The STB can buffer up to 2 hours of the tuned channel.
You may press Rewind with live, buffered, or recorded programs.
Figure 2
Remember, the buffer only contains the program starting from when you changed to the channel.
Rewind starts at 8x speed. (See Figure 2).
Pressing Rewind a second time increases to 16x speed.
Pressing Rewind a third time increases to 32x speed.
Pressing Rewind a fourth time will cycle back to 8x speed.
If the beginning of the buffered or recorded program is reached, rewinding stops and the program
plays.
Only a small portion of this program
has been buffered, which is shown in
green on the playbar. You’d only be
able to rewind to the beginning of the
buffered recording, not to the beginning
of the program.
The buffered portion of the program is
shown in green on this bar. The times
on the playbar show start and end time
of the
p
ro
g
ram.

6
4 - Fast Forwarda
You may press Fast Forward with buffered or recorded programs.
(If you’re watching actual “live” programming as it’s being run, you can’t go forward because that
portion of the program has not run yet.)
Figure 3
Fast Forward starts at 8x speed.
Pressing Fast Forward a second time increases to 16x speed.
Pressing Fast Forward a third time increases to 32x speed.
Pressing Fast Forward a fourth time will cycle back to 8x speed.
When you catch up to the live program during buffered recording, play will resume.
You may press also Stop at anytime during fast forwarding to catch up to the live program.
This example shows fast forwarding
that is just about caught up to the live
program time. The green portion of the
playbar is what’s buffered.

7
5- 
Record live programming
To start recording the TV program you’re watching, press 
Record.
The Zap Browser will come up and indicate that the program is now being recorded.
Figure 4
If you press Pause ll or Play, the playbar will pop up.
Figure 5
You can pause, rewind, and fast forward through the recorded part of the program using Pause ll,
Play, Rewind and Fast Forward.
If you press Stop when you are not ”live”, you will be returned to live. If you press Stop when
you are live, the “Abort Recording” pop up window will appear.
Figure 6
Here you can see the program is being
recorded, because the title of the
program is red and the recording icon
displays after the time remaining.
Here you can see the red area of the
playbar displaying which portion of the
program has already been recorded.
If you do wish to abort recording, arrow
to “Confirm” and press OK. If you wish
to keep recording the program, stay on
“Cancel” and press OK.

8
6 - Schedule a recording
Recordings may be scheduled from either the Guide or the Zap Browser.
6a - Schedule a recording using the Guide
Navigate to and highlight the listing for the program you wish to record.
(If you’re not familiar with Guide Navigation, please refer to that documentation.)
After the program is highlighted, the shortest method of scheduling a recording is to press


Record. The recording icon will appear next to the program listing.
6b – Set a Series Recording
In the Guide, press OK after you’ve highlighted the program. This allows you to see the details
screen with the program information.
Figure 9
If the program is currently airing, arrow down to “Record” and Press OK. You will be given the
option to record either the “Episode” or the “Series”.
Figure 7
Arrow to “Series” and Press OK. You will then be returned to the Guide.
If the program is not a Series, the
recording will be scheduled without
bringing up the choice of “Episode” or
“Series”.
Note: If the program schedule
changes, this Series recording
will follow the program.
If the program is not currently airing,
by default, the Record option will be
highlighted. Press OK and you will be
given Series recording options.

9
Figure 8
6c - Schedule a recording using the Zap Browser
Navigate to and highlight the listing for the program you wish to record. Keep in mind that the Zap
Browser only allows you to look ahead to the next program. You cannot go ahead days like you
can in the Guide.
(If you’re not familiar with Zap Browser Navigation, please refer to that documentation.)
After the program is highlighted, press 

Record.
Figure 10
An alarm clock icon with an S will
appear next to the program(s)
showing it is now scheduled for
Series recording.
In the example to the left you can
see the 2 different recording
icons. The top disk icon is
programming that’s currently
being recorded. The alarm clock
icons are for future recordings.
A
n alarm clock icon will appear
next to the program showing it is
now scheduled for recording.
Note: The default option for
recording in the Zap Browser is
set to “Episode”. If you’d like to
use Series Recording, first cancel
the recording (section 9) and then
follow the instructions in Section
6b.

10
When a scheduled recording starts, the red RECORD light on the front panel of your set-top box
(STB) will light up.
If you go into the Guide and highlight the channel that is being recorded, the program being
recorded will be marked in red with a disk recording icon.
Figure 11
In this example “Superman: The
Movie is currently being
recorded.

11
7 – Start recording early and/or late
To ensure your whole program is recorded, you may add some extra recording time to the start
and/or end of a scheduled recording. This is done in “Options”. First bring up the “Manage
Recordings” page by pressing the Record-it button located on the bottom left of the remote or via
the “Main Menu.” Highlight “Scheduled Recordings”. Arrow to the program for which you’d like to
adjust recording and press OK. On the details screen arrow down to “Options” and press OK.
Figure 12
You may now set how many minutes to record before the published start time of the program
and/or after the published end time.
Figure 13
This helps to ensure if a network does not run its programming exactly when they say they’re
going to run it, that you still get all of your program recorded. It is not uncommon for programming
to run 1 or 2 minutes off of the actual schedule.
If you schedule two recordings close to each other, the DVR may not be able to record all of
these extra minutes. Instead, it will record as much as it can.
Ex. A recording is scheduled to start at noon and end at 1pm with 10 minutes extra set for before and after. Another
recording is set for 1:10pm – 3:00pm, also with 10 minutes extra for before and after. The DVR will manage this by
recording the first recording from 11:50 am until 1:05 pm, and the other from 1:05pm until 3:10pm. (Since the after
time of the first recording and the before time of the 2nd recording overlap, the DVR compromises between the two
recordings.)
In this example you may either
“Cancel Recording” or go into
“Options” to add record time to
the beginning or end of the
scheduled recording.
In this example recording is set
to start 2 minutes early and
finish 10 minutes late.
Recording may be adjusted up to
5 minutes BEFORE and
up to 90 minutes AFTER.

12
8 - View list of “Scheduled Recordings”
The “Scheduled Recordings” menu allows you to see which programs you have scheduled for
recording. To see the list of recordings you have scheduled, follow these steps:
1 Press Record-it to access the “Manage Recordings” menu. “Scheduled Recordings” is
highlighted by default so press OK.2
Figure 14
The left side displays different sorting options for the list of scheduled recordings. The two main
sorts are alphabetical by title and chronological by date/time of recording. Within these sorts you
can choose ascending or descending order. For alphabetical by title, ascending is “A to Z” and
descending is “Z to A”. For chronological by recording date/time, ascending is “Earliest to Latest”
and descending is “Latest to Earliest”. Use the arrow keys on the remote to highlight the
particular sort you’d like to use.
The right side lists all of your scheduled recordings according to the sort you’ve chosen on the left
side. You may use the arrow keys to highlight any of these programs. Then you can press OK to
see information about the selected scheduled recording.
Figure 15
In the example above the selected sort is by Date/Time ascending, so “Superman:The Movie” is
the earliest show scheduled to be recorded. In fact, it’s being recorded currently as indicated by
the red title and the recording icon.
If a recording is currently in
progress, it is shown in the
right menu as a red entry with
a special recording icon.

13
9 - Cancel scheduled recordings
You can cancel recordings from the “Scheduled Recordings” menu or via the Guide. Most users
will find it easier to cancel recordings from “Scheduled Recordings”, than to go searching through
the Guide for a recording you’d like to cancel.
Remember: To access the “Scheduled Recordings” list press Record-it This will bring up the “Manage
Recordings” page. “Scheduled Recordings” is highlighted by default so press OK.2
Highlight the scheduled recording you’d like to cancel using the arrow keys.
Figure 16
Press OK, “Cancel Recording” will be highlighted by default, so press OK. If the program is a
Series recording you will be given the option to cancel just the “Episode” or the whole “Series”. A
confirm screen will come up with “Cancel” highlighted, arrow to “Confirm” and press OK. The
“Episode” or “Series” will no longer be recorded. It may take a few seconds for the canceled
recording to drop off of the list.
Figure 17
You can also set a recording to start early or finish late from the above screen by selecting
“Options”. (see Section 7) You may also view programs that are currently recording via the
“Scheduled Recordings” menu. (see Section 8)
If a recording is currently in
progress, it is shown in the
right menu as a red entry with
a special recording icon.

14
10 - Understanding 2 stream DVR
The Quative/Entone DVR Platform can utilize 2 streams at a time. The number of streams controls
how many simultaneous recordings can occur.
Activities that use a stream Activities that don't use a stream
-Recording a program -Watching a finished recorded program
-Watching a channel -Using other components with your home theater,
including game systems, VCRs, DVD players, etc.
-Watching Pay-Per-View -Cloverleaf
-Watching Video on Demand
FAQ
What utilizes a stream?
Recording uses a stream.
Watching a channel uses a stream.
When watching a channel, recording is taking place to allow the user access to functions like
“Pause Live TV”, “Rewind” and “Record from Buffer”. So in effect, you could just say that
recording uses a stream, but you must be aware that the very act of tuning a channel also utilizes
recording.
Can I watch a program while recording a different program?
Yes. Watching a program would use 1 stream and recording a program would use the other.
The user may record 2 channels and watch a finished recorded program all at the same time.
The user may not record 2 channels and watch a 3rd channel at the same time. Two streams are
already being used and watching a channel requires a stream.
Does watching a finished recorded program utilize a stream?
No. Finished recorded programs only use the hard drive. They do not use a stream.
If I’m recording 2 programs, what can I watch with my DVR?
You can watch either of the programs that are being recorded or you can watch a finished
recorded program.
What happens if I schedule several programs to record that all start at the same time?
The maximum # of streams available is 2. If you schedule more than 2 programs to record at the
same time you will encounter a “Recording Conflict”. A 3rd program cannot overlap even for a
minute. So, if you’re getting a recording conflict where you think there is none, you should check
your “Scheduled Recordings”, and then check the “Options” under those recordings to see if the
start and end time recording has been adjusted.

15
11 – Recording conflicts
If you attempt to schedule more than 2 recordings that overlap you will get a “Recording Conflict”.
“Done” is highlighted by default on the “Recording Conflict” page. Press OK and you will be
returned to the Guide, where the 3rd program will no longer show as being recorded.
Figure 16
Cancel one of the other recordings (see Section 9), if you wish to record the new program.
Keep in mind that even if 2 programs only overlap for 5 minutes, you’ll still be unable to schedule
a 3rd program that also overlaps. As mentioned in Section 7, the start and end time option will
compromise and each recording event will get a portion of the time that overlaps, but this is not
the case with the regular schedule for an event.
Ex. You have one recording on a premium movie channel that is set to record from 8:20am – 10am. You have no
extra time set in options for the start or end time, because you know this network runs their programming on time. You
have a second recording set for 9:30am to 10:30am. If you try to schedule a 3rd program that has any portion running
from 9:30am to 10am, you will receive a “Recording Conflict”.
11a – Viewing conflicts
If you are recording 2 channels and you attempt to view a 3rd channel, you will create a conflict,
because you’re trying to use too many streams. (see Section 10)
“Cancel” is highlighted by default on the “Abort Recording” page. Press OK if you want to keep
recording your 2 programs. If you want to abort one of them, arrow to highlight it and press OK.
In this example, 2
programs are already
scheduled for recording
between 2 and 3pm,
then the user attempts
to schedule a 3rd
program for recording.
This creates a conflict.
In this example, the
user has highlighted
“CSI: Miami” to abort
that recording, so that
they can watch another
channel.

16
12 - View list of “Recorded Programs”
The “Recorded Programs” menu allows you to see which programs you have recorded. To see
the list of recordings you have made, follow these steps:
1 Press the Media button located near the bottom right of the remote to access the “Recorded
Programs” menu. This is the shortest route. Alternatively, you may press the Record-it button
and then arrow down to “Recorded Programs” and press OK.
Figure 18
This menu is very similar to the “Scheduled Recordings” menu. The left side displays different
sorting options for the list of recorded programs. The two main sorts are alphabetical by title and
chronological by date/time of recording. Within these sorts you can choose ascending or
descending order. For alphabetical by title, ascending is “A to Z” and descending is “Z to A”. For
chronological by recording date/time, ascending is “Oldest to Newest” and descending is “Newest
to Oldest”. Use the arrow keys on the remote to highlight the particular sort you’d like to use.
The right side lists all of your recorded programs according to the sort you’ve chosen on the left
side. You may use the arrow keys to highlight any of these programs. Then you can press OK to
see information about the recorded program.
“Recorded Programs” lists recordings you have made from live programming (buffered
programming that you saved) and scheduled recordings that are completed.
3
In Section 8, “Superman:The Movie” also
appeared in “Scheduled Recordings”.
This is because part of the program had
been recorded, but another part was still
scheduled for recording. All programs
that are currently being recorded will
show in both lists.

17
13 - Watch recorded programs
You can start watching recordings using the “Recorded Programs” menu.
Highlight the recorded program you’d like to watch using the arrow keys. If you press Play,the
program will start.
Figure 19
Alternatively, if you wish to see more information about the program before playing it, you can
press OK, and then press OK again when “View Now” is highlighted.
Figure 20
You can also delete a recorded program from the above screen by highlighting “Delete” and
pressing OK. This process is detailed next in Section 14.
Sections 2-4 detail your options for
Pause ll, Rewind,and Fast
Forward with live or buffered
programming. It is essentially the
same for finished recorded programs,
except you’ll always have the option
to Fast Forward, since the
program has run in its entirety.
If you press Stop when you are
watching a recorded program, you
will return to the “Recorded
Programs” list.

18
14 - Delete recorded programs
You can delete recorded programs from the “Recorded Programs” menu.
Remember: To access the “Recorded Programs” menu press the Media button located near the bottom
right of the remote.
Highlight the recorded program you’d like to delete using the arrow keys and press OK. Then
arrow down to highlight “Delete” and press OK.
Figure 21
When the next screen comes up, “Confirm” will be highlighted by default. Press OK to delete the
recorded program. If you’ve changed your mind, arrow down to “Cancel” and press OK.
Figure 22
It may take a few seconds for the deleted recording to drop off of the list.
This program was only partially
recorded as indicated by the yellow
and red warning triangle. There’s a
note detailing “Recording was
aborted by user.” There may be other
reasons for partial recordings, such
as power outages disabling your DVR.
WA
RNING
:
If a recording is
segmented into more than 1 entry
because of an interruption of some
sort, when you delete 1 entry for the
recorded program, all entries for that
same recording will be deleted.

19
15 - View “DVR Statistics”
To see information about the recording space on your device, follow these steps:
Press the Record-it button and then arrow down to “DVR Statistics” and press OK.
Figure 23
“Used Disk Space” displays the amount of recording space in gigabytes which is occupied by
recordings you have saved.
“Free Disk Space” displays the amount of recording space in gigabytes which you can use for new
recordings,
“Remaining Capacity” shows how many hours of programming you can expect to fit in the free
disk space. Different programs can take different amounts of space on your disk, even if they are
the same length and definition. The numbers in the “Remaining Capacity” box are meant as a
guideline only.
The number after SD estimates the capacity if you only record standard definition programs; the
number after HD estimates if you only record high definition programs. (Of course most users will
be recording in a combination of both standard definition and high definition.)
To the right of the boxes, the amount of recording space you have used is shown in a diagram
and as a percentage.

20
15a – Recording space detail on your STB
1 Press MENU to access the “Main Menu”. Arrow down to “System Settings” and press OK.
Arrow down to “Installation” and press OK. “System Information” will be highlighted by default.
Press OK. When “System Information 1” comes up, the down arrows on the screen will be
highlighted by default. Press OK 3 times until you cycle down to “System Information 4”.
Figure 24
3
“Hard Drive Total” displays the total amount of recording capacity in gigabytes on your device.
“Free Space” displays the amount of recording space in gigabytes which you can use for new
recordings.
“Buffers” displays the amount of recording space in gigabytes used by the temporary recording
(live-delay) buffer.
“Recordings” displays the amount of recording space in gigabytes which is occupied by recordings
you have saved.

21
16 – Disk Full Handling
Your hard drive may begin to fill up with recorded programs. If it gets too full, eventually the DVR
will stop recording programs. It’s a good idea to make room on your hard drive by deleting some
recorded programs when you get your first warning. (see Section 14)
There are a couple of different warnings you may receive at different frequency, depending on
how full it gets.
When your hard drive becomes greater than 80% full, if you try to schedule a recording, you’ll see
this warning below.
Figure 25
Once your hard drive becomes greater than 95% full, the warning will appear with almost any
action you take on the STB.
If you see the final warning, which you really want to avoid, it probably means you’ve already
missed getting some new recordings because your hard drive was too full of old recordings. This
message is displayed below.
Figure 26