Cruel DVRs Miss Final Minutes of "Idol" Finale

Thu May 24, 2007 4:43PM EDT

See Comments (63)

Did you set your TiVo or DVR to record the "American Idol" finale? If so, you probably got a rude surprise as the recording switched off just minutes before the impish Ryan Seacrest crowned Jordin Sparks. Brutal!

Turns out you're not alone—untold thousands of time-shifting Idol viewers suffered through the interminable two-hour finale (OK, what was up with that Sgt. Pepper's "tribute"?), only to miss the end when the live show ran several minutes long. I was lucky—I happened to start watching my Idol recording about 45 minutes into the actual show, so while my DVR stopped taping at 10 p.m. on the dot, the digital cache caught the final minutes.

Naturally, message boards immediately lit up with posts from incensed American Idol fans. A reporter at the San Jose Mercury News went so far as to contact a Fox spokesman, who dutifully apologized but added, "with any live broadcast—the Oscars, the Emmys, a football game—there is no guarantee it will end on time and this was a live broadcast."

So, who should we get mad at here? Hmmmm… I hate to say it, but in this case, I find myself agreeing with the Fox exec. If you're setting your TiVo or DVR to record a live show (particularly a sporting event), make sure to add a generous time cushion at the end—say an hour or so, at the very least. And if you're taping a show that's running after a live event—in my case, the last season of "The Amazing Race" on CBS, which was regularly shoved back an hour or more (along with "60 Minutes") because of NFL football—you might want to add extra recording time on the end as well.

That said, in the case of those ridiculous "super-sized" episodes (which always feel padded to me anyways), the electronic programming guide on your DVR should catch that. (I'm using the DVR provided by Time Warner Cable here in New York, and I haven't had any trouble this year.) If your recording of, say, the needlessly long "Office" finale ended early, by all means—call your cable company or the folks at TiVo to complain.

Related:
Irate 'American Idol' fans shocked as DVR recordings miss ending [San Jose Mercury News]

Comments on Cruel DVRs Miss Final Minutes of "Idol" Finale

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  • 26 Posted by dez_1906 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    I got the whole show on my DVR! I remember last year when Taylor Hicks won, my DVR cut off the recording during the final song. This year I set my DVR 10 minutes past the end of American Idol so I wouldn't get caught like I did last year. Hooray for me!!

  • 27 Posted by richpidaniy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    THE DISH DVR VIP 622 IS THE BEST PRODUCT OUT THERE!!!

  • 28 Posted by angdehn on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    I WANTED BLAKE TO WIN!!!! I AM FIBE IF YOU DO NOT LIKE MY THOUGHTS BUT ITS TRUE! SO I HATE AMIRICAN IDOL NOW. BLAKE WAS BETTER, OR I HAVE A BAD TASTE.

  • 29 Posted by booboo61592 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    EVERYBODY NEEDS TO STOP WHINING, GET OVER YOUSELFS THAT YOU DIDNT KNOW THAT THE SHOW WAS GOING TO RUN OVER 5-6 MINUTES...PRACTICALLY EVER AMER. IDOL I WATCH ALWAYS RUNS OVER A COUPLE MINS. YOU STUPID PEOPLE COMPLAINING ARE DUMB FOR NOT TAPING IT AND EXTRA COUPLE MINS. DONT BLAME IT ON THE DVR OR FOX NETWORK. YOU PEOPLE DONT NEED TO RELAY ON DVR'S ANYWAY!!! GET A LIFE.

  • 30 Posted by laurasabath on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    With all the complaints, maybe Fox will air it again.

  • 31 Posted by smylekids on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    TiVo does give you and ask you if you want to extend "live showings". This makes TiVo stand out from other DVR's.

  • 32 Posted by whee5@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    Unfortunately, on the west coast our programming is seldom "live" so we just get our information from the internet 3 hours earlier and decide if we want to watch the program.

  • 34 Posted by jaguar922006 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    the only comment that i have is she didnot seem to surprised to me and that she was more focused on her dress in pulling it up than excited about being the winner, i thought at the end it was rather boreing, so it didn't matter to me. it was nothing like last year. and how can you enjoy a show when simon and paula are to busy playing and not focusing on the contestant's, that is what make people not want to watch this show until it comes down to the final 12. so hopefully next year it will be better. and it is getting to be boreing.nothing like it was when it was reuben,fantasia,clay,taylor,and more.it needs more life to it.my husband and i use to watch it from start to finish but now it is closer to the finals now, so liven it up a little. signed-need new judges

  • 35 Posted by teheteha on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    I was so crazed when I realized the DVR was going to miss the end of "Idol!" I was like, "I can't believe I watched two hours and now I have to watch the local news to see the ending!!"

  • 36 Posted by pfbassett@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm actually a dead man now, because my dvr missed the end of the show and my wife was very upset about it. Thanks guys, for screwing up the final show.

  • 37 Posted by yhen_802 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    i am just kinda mad!!! not really because we saw it, but we didn't record the last part though. boo cox

  • 38 Posted by usmarinecpl2001 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    I was watching when the DVR stopped so I just pressed record. Then stopped it when Idol stopped. And I got the song on my pc. most of my NBA games stop short.

  • 39 Posted by tawnangel on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    "needlessly long Office finale?" Looks like you could use a little love from Karen, which she is free to give now that Jim is moving in another direction. You are insinuating that American Idol is not only in the realm of the Office but better than it. Lame.

  • 40 Posted by jaguar922006 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    i thought it was rather boreing myself, so it didn't matter.

  • 41 Posted by chatty3232 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    it's totally PATHETIC to watch a program through it's entire season and ......miss the final ending !!!!!It SUCKED

  • 42 Posted by jimtheduck1962 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:35PM EDT Report Abuse

    It is very common to miss the end of shows on DVR; Two and a half men is constantly longer than the recorder thinks

  • 43 Posted by pinkanjel19 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    I love American Idol soooooo much.Go American Idol:)

  • 44 Posted by fantasy_dreamer26 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    Hey guys, my DVR got the whole thing. It cut off in the middle of Jordin singing her song but I did get to see her crowned the New American Idol. I hate I didnt get to hear the whole song. She really makes that song.

  • 45 Posted by mikes_groove on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    One great solution: use BitTorrent to download the TV show to your home computer and watch it. Pretty much everything is available within hours of airing. I'm not sure what the legal situation is with this, but I do not feel any moral qualms about downloading something that was sent out over public airwaves that I tried to watch. It's my job to tape stuff and now I never have to suffer the pain of the wife's stare when something screws up for whatever reason. If you don't know how to use BitTorrent, go Google "Azureus" and get it and use the instructions to get set up and going. Then just use Google or a site like TorrentPortal.com to search and find a show and download it to watch.

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