This happens on my 8642HD practically every day, has been an ongoing issue for so long I don't remember a time when it wasn't an issue. I call the issue a "phantom gap" in the listings. Phantom gaps are introduced following the deletion of a recording.
More specifically, I seem to be able to get the condition to present itself if:
1) multiple episodes of a single Title exist - ie: there is a folder present for a Title.
2) one of the episodes in a folder has been played and then during playback has been deleted via STOP -> Delete
3) the box has not been rebooted since #2 occurred.
It is my experience that if the recording is allowed to continue to play until it reaches its natural end (the onscreen menu opens automatically without user having initiated it), then when the recording is deleted, no phantom gap will occur.
I currently have 4 folders present on my PVR that are affected by the phantom gap bug - and can attest that the behaviour of the phantom gaps is NOT consistent:
- my folder for "CTV Toronto News" is missing from the "By Title" list; a phantom gap exists below "CTV National News".
- my folder for "Eastenders" *is* displayed in the "By Title" list, however a phantom gap is present in the episode listing within the folder - only 3 episodes are currently displayed but the "By Title" screen indicates "(4)", the correct # of episodes. The oldest episode (at the bottom) is represented as a phantom gap and is therefore not accessible. The phantom 4th episode can however be found and played by using either the "By Date" or "By Channel" screens.
- my folder for "The Amazing Race 25" is missing from the "By Title" list; it is represented by a phantom gap below "Schitt's Creek".
- my folder for "Top Gear" is missing from the "By Title" list; it is represented by a phantom gap below "The Rick Mercer Report".
An interesting observation:
Although it doesn't always enable you to access a Title that is affected by the phantom gap bug, the phantom gaps can be made to temporarily move to ("infect") another Title via the following trick:
- use "DOWN"/"UP" or "PAGE -"/"PAGE+" to move the highlight to a folder that can be accessed.
- press "OK/SELECT" to enter the folder.
- press "UP" to move to the on-screen 'BACK' icon followed by "OK/SELECT" to return to the "By Title" screen.
For example:
- right now, if I hit LIST on my remote, and I'm on "By Title", my 1st page of listings contains 5 Titles followed by a phantom gap (where "CTV Toronto News" should be). I happen to have a folder for another Title as my 4th item, and as I'm able to navigate to it using the "DOWN" key, if I do that and then follow Steps #2 & #3 above, I am returned to the "By Title" screen, but now "CTV News Toronto" *is* visible. However, the item above it ("CTV National News") has become a phantom gap. If I then press "PAGE -", I see that my "The Amazing Race 25" is now also present, but the item above it ("Schitt's Creek") has become a phantom gap.
- If I repeat the "trick" by using "PAGE -" to first navigate my "By Title" list until I can find and move the red highlight bar again and move it to a different folder (perhaps below the desired phantom Title this time), I can now see AND ACCESS both "Schitt's Creek" AND "The Amazing Race 25". However, I still can't access "Top Gear", because "Rick Mercer Report" above it has become a phantom gap that can't be moved past.
- Repeating the "trick" numerous times using different combinations of button presses and different folders that I can reach and enter, I've restored "The Rick Mercer Report" AND "Top Gear" but still can't navigate to "Top Gear" because I can't get the red highlight bar to work when that page is visible. Unless I reboot, I will have to access it from the "By Date" or "By Channel" screen - which is inconvenient as the episode(s) I may wish to play may be buried deep in the listings.
Like so many times before, this usability bug leaves me wondering if Rogers execs even use their products. It's so frustrating, and has been around so long I simply cannot believe anyone in a position to do something about it would just let it be.
