What is the importance of the primary and secondary roles in an XtraView set-up?
In XtraView, the primary decoder is the one which sends the “heartbeat” to the secondary decoder(s).
When decoders are connected in XtraView, there is no difference in their functionality, ie the features remain the same regardless of whether primary or secondary.
When linking three decoders together, the primary decoder MUST be a DStv Explora.
If linking the SD PVR in XtraView, this decoder cannot be the primary decoder.
When linked in XtraView, the secondary decoder(s) will NOT work if the primary decoder is removed or switched off, or if the heartbeat is no longer received for any reason (the heartbeat can also be impacted by interference or cabling errors).
The primary decoder continues to work even if the secondary decoder is not working or if the link is broken.
If you regularly take one of your decoders on holiday, it’s recommended that you select that decoder as the primary.
As a break in heartbeat, for whatever reason, disables the secondary decoder(s), it’s best to make your HD PVR or DStv Explora the primary decoder to avoid losing recordings when you are not home (this applies to any XtraView set-up which includes either a DStv Explora or HD PVR.)
If you are only linking two decoders and your XtraView set-up includes a DStv Explora, we recommend making it the primary one. That will make it easier to add a third decoder at a later stage.
Customers normally prefer to have the primary decoder near the TV on which they do the most viewing.