Setting a manual timer to record!

Well, I think I've lost the skill of setting a manual timer to record a programme - like we all would have done once upon a time on our VCRs... It was an experience a bit like writing a letter with a pen... The skill was long forgotten, as I am so used to using an EPG to schedule a record timer, and hence I got it all wrong! :(

Well, with Star Wars: A New Hope showing on ITV HD over the weekend, I decided to get my HTPC to record it... I had a paper guide with me and looked up when it was on and set a manual timer in MediaPortal accordingly... I managed to put the HTPC in S1 sleep mode, set WinOff to turn off accordingly and went out for the evening...

I returned and looked at the HTPC to see if it had recorded, and fair enough it had. However, I checked the recording and it turned out the programme had started late and the recording end midway through! I was puzzled to why it ended so early, and checked the guide again, and noticed Star Wars was in two parts! If I had used my Humax FOXSAT-HDR it would have setup the 'split event' recording and recorded both parts without trouble - and also would have coped with the late running of the film - both features are part of the Freesat+ specs.

There's more to this sad tale... As I have recently returned to Windows XP as my prefer choice of OS for a HTPC, I have not managed to set up the TV viewing and recording properly. For some unknown reason, I am unable to view BBC or ITV HD (using PDVD8 or 9). This is with the new install of MediaPortal 1.0.2. I am able to record the HD channels (as above) and view the recordings in PDVD9, but I can not view the live channel in MP! MP just freezes, and on BBC HD, I just have sound... I think another re-install of MP is needed!