As the firmware for TViX M6620N matures, please post your comments/feedback and troubleshooting questions here.

The TViX M6620N (http://www.digitalconnection.com/products/video/tvixm6620np.asp) is an ATSC/QAM dual tuner and network media player.

Adding SATA hard disk enables a DVR function with scheduling capability and use of guide service provided by broadcasters. The hardware includes WiFi-N, 10/100 Ethernet, USB, and card reader. The M6620N outputs HDMI and Composite video, HDMI, Toslink, S/PDIF, and Stereo audio.

The M6620N combines dual ATSC/QAM tuner that allows you to record two channels while watching previously recorded or ripped file.

As a network media player, the functions are extensive, with 24Hz (23.978) support, as well as HD Audio from Blu-Ray files. TViX uses SMB or NFS allowing you to play almost all file types including BluRay ISO, DVD, H.264, .TS, and .flv across the network, internal HDD, or USB devices. TViX is supported by TViXiE (http://www.tvixie.com) for custom UI for movie info and cover art:

http://www.digitalconnection.com/images/tvixie_razor.jpg

TViX functions can be controlled by your PC or smart phone (iPhone or Android) with WebRemote browser.

Got mine today (thanks Kei!). I'll be setting it up tonight (with a Samsung 1.5 TB drive) and adding my comments. Quick question: Do the M6600N and the M6620N use the same firmware? I know the M6600N got some new beta firmware in the past few days that fixed the "YouTube lockup" issue (although apparently YouTube still isn't working) among other things. I wanted to update my firmware to the latest, but I'm not sure if the units use the same firmware.

Do the M6600N and the M6620N use the same firmware?

Yes, they use the same firmware.

I haven't tried YouTube with the latest version I have, I thought I read in the fix log that has not been fixed yet.

Everything else has been pretty stable, and the next firmware update, I'm told, will be based on a new SDK which will resolve some of the problems we've found.

Correct. YouTube no longer causes a reboot, but the videos don't play. It's a step forward....

New M-6600 does not have Component out. Is there a conversion cable or connection scenario from HDMI to component?

Randy, you may be interested to read this page (http://www.hdtvsupply.com/hdmi-to-component-cable.html).

aH Dr Peterson; One of the AVS greats who guided me, (as a reader only), into the fabulous MyHD. Is VGA out from a PC also analog? I neglected to mention that I have the old Audio Authority converter from 15 pin to Component, and of course the VGA to 15 pin dongle. Is there a (cheaper) cable solution for me for HDMI to VGA/15pin... or do I get to :) ha ha balance a nice $3k 50 inch new HDMI HDTV solution compared to one of those $150 converter boxes on that link? I like the nice dark background on my vintage 32 inch full screen Samsung CRT and we only have a 10 foot viewing distance ...and it is paid for ! r

Randy,

It is unfortuante that there are no HD/Analog outputs. Since you don't need HDMI audio and can use vGA, you can try one of these:

http://www.digitalconnection.com/products/video/dda.asp

Randy, Kei's suggestion is right on the mark. You'll also need a simple (cheap) HDMI to DVI cable to make this 3-piece conversion work, but it should work perfectly well for your CRT display.

BTW, I don't know where you'd find a 50-inch TV set that costs as much as $3k these days. ;) Most of the popular brands of LCD and plasma in that size range seem to be about 1/3 of that now.

Thanks for the excellent support. Unbelievable what work it takes to sell an excellent $500 dual tuner box !!

hmmm 50 inch for a $1K vs $150; but maybe I'd leap frog to the very best which could range $2200 or so.

The m-6600 does not have DVI out.

Wow check this out: Would this work?
http://www.mycablemart.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=1443

Alternately for $149 will this work: http://www.hdtvsupply.com/hdmi-to-rgb.html ??

Well at least I did buy the HTPC get up from Dig Conn for $3K three years ago!

r

Since you have the transcoder to go from VGA to YPbPr, you could use either of the two solutions that you linked. I have no experience with them, however, so I can't guarantee that either would work with your specific hw.

"Converting" from HDMI to DVI is simply a matter of using a cable with the appropriate connectors.

In contrasting "$150 v $1k" you're ignoring the enhanced experience of the bigger display--far from an apples-to-apples deal.

EDIT: Oops. Kei's right, that DisplayPort dingus won't do you any good--I mistook it for another HDMI synonym, but Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayPort) set me straight after Kei's post below:

DisplayPort is a competitor to the HDMI connector (with HDCP copy-protection), the de facto standard digital connection for high-definition consumer electronics devices.

Wow check this out: Would this work?
http://www.mycablemart.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=1443




That's a display port to VGA converter and will not work.

I just purchase the 6620 is there any way I can record my direct tv satellite shows on to here?

I just purchase the 6620 is there any way I can record my direct tv satellite shows on to here?No. If you have DirecTV, you need to get their HR2x DVR.

No. If you have DirecTV, you need to get their HR2x DVR.

To be clear, the M6620N records what it tunes. Currently, that would be OTA ATSC and unencrypted QAM from cable.

I personally use the R5000 to record from satellite and watch the recorded movies/files through the TVIX.

so can i record it

Hi,

this DVR stuff is still very much new to me. I am very much looking towards getting the M6620N. can I record DVD's onto the HDD of the Tvix as I am watching them? can I back up DVD's?

thanks

ashishaleti--

The TViX does not back up or record from DVD. You can use it to play back, from the TViX internal HDD or over LAN, DVD images that you have made on your PC.

Now that I've had the weekend to play with my new toy, I have a couple of questions for those that have owned the box longer than me. These questions/comments/observations are based on the latest firmware (1.9.1B5) and being connected to a 27" NTSC monitor.


On my box, using the IDS Weather option reboots the box. Specifically, I can select a city and a display will come up for about 1 second that covers only the upper-left quadrant of the screen, and then the box reboots. Can anyone confirm this behavior? I'd like to log a bug report, but I want to make sure it's not just me (I tried a couple of cities...Los Angeles definitely does it).
I can't get NFS working to my NAS box (a Buffalo Linkstation Live v2). It's configured for NFSv4, but I've tried reconfiguring for NFSv3. No joy. I have (wireless-N) network connectivity...I can FTP from the Linkstation to the TViX, but NFS just doesn't show any volumes. Can anyone else confirm that NFS works with other than DVICO's own Windows-based software?
I've also tried configuring MediaTomb (a UPnP server) on the Linkstation and attempted to access it from the TViX that way, without success. I've been successful connecting to a UPnP-enabled XBMC installation on my laptop, but that's it. Can anyone else confirm whether the M66x0N machines can connect with uPnP servers other than XBMC?
Is there any way to increase the size of the font for the OSD? Most menus are so small as to be unreadable on an NTSC display. Might be great for HD, but not NTSC. I know the font size on closed caption is adjustable, but I'm talking about in the setup menus.
Is there a way to get rid of the big red dot that appears on screen when one of the tuners is recording? Ideally, I'd like to see a red LED notification on the front panel, but nothing on the display.


Thus far I've been pretty favorably impressed with the unit. It works well for the main reason I bought it (to replace a VHS VCR for OTA recording of my wife's favorite shows). But it's really making me lust after a full HD screen...

Thanks in advance...

ahagge--

I just confirmed that the IMS weather for L.A. also crashes here. The whole IMS submenu appears to be a work in progress.

I haven't played with NFS or UPnP servers myself.

There's evidently no way to change the menu font or turn off the "red meatball". I suggest that you submit these two items as feature requests on the TViX MyQ&A Forum.

I just got my m-6620n in today. Do you guys get sdtv channels on yours? Also are any of you having a serious problem with the audio missing from the tv channels most of the time. The same hdtv channel will have no audio until I change the channel back and forth repeatedly across a span of 5 or more channels, and even then it doesn't always work. I am using cable for my input. I tried upgrading to 9.1 and i did notice dramatic performance increase in changing channels (less freezes) but still no sdtv or audio on hd channels most of the time.

I just got my m-6620n in today. Do you guys get sdtv channels on yours? Also are any of you having a serious problem with the audio missing from the tv channels most of the time. The same hdtv channel will have no audio until I change the channel back and forth repeatedly across a span of 5 or more channels, and even then it doesn't always work. I am using cable for my input. I tried upgrading to 9.1 and i did notice dramatic performance increase in changing channels (less freezes) but still no sdtv or audio on hd channels most of the time.

Which audio out are you using? I don't use cable so can't comment on the SD channels.

elliottn--

The problem with balky audio is a known issue that DViCo is addressing. If you mean by "sdtv" the Basic Cable digital channels then, yes, those are found in the channel scan here. Perhaps the channels that you're missing are encrypted (i.e., not Basic Cable).

Had no audio. Switched from HDMI cable which had worked with previous net player (Zensonic), to Divco supplied cable. This cured audio problem.

On (TW) cable channels, changing channels often causes freeze or reboot. Anyone else experience this? Any cures? Workarounds?

On (TW) cable channels, changing channels often causes freeze or reboot. Anyone else experience this? Any cures? Workarounds?Which firmware? If you've not updated to latest, that may cure the problem.

Hello i have a M-6620N but i see on the box exists one M-6640 which is the difference between M-6620N and M-6640N?
Thank you

The 6640 is for markets that use DVB-T instead of ATSC.

I tested a demo from Samsung.Demo.Oceanic.Life.x264.1080p.40Mbps.mkv and don´t work appears garbage and i have a TVIX 7000 (The cylinder player) and works perfect. Maybe exist incompatibilty issues?

I just got my m-6620n in today. Do you guys get sdtv channels on yours?

I am using cable for my input. .You won't receive analog SD channels (i.e. 1-82), because the TViX does not have an analog tuner. The TViX only has digital tuners; you should receive SD versions of local and public interest channels via QAM, but most cable companies encrypt the digital versions of their cable channels.

If you want to receive TNT, USA, AMC, SyFy, CNN, etc with most providers, then you bought the wrong box. For that, you would need the Moxi ($499 w/ no fees) or the TivoHD ($220 + fees or $600+ w/o fees).

I tried to connect wireles to my router and one time works perfect and when i tried to see a you tube video the tvix reset and i can´t connect to wireless again because if i go to settis network the tvix freeze and don´t let me configure again. Any suggestion?

Just received my 6620N Monday and have been trying to set it up and get things working correctly but have been having many issues.

Most of the isssues are with the PRV section and the unit rebooting itself and locking up.

First thing I did was upgrade the unit to the latest beta firmware so I can map the network drives as that seems to be the only way it will play .mkv files??? Not sure why it says unsupported file format when you try and play it using the UPnP browsing mode?

I am hoping the problems I am having are all firmware related issues.

I tried to connect wireles to my router and one time works perfect and when i tried to see a you tube video the tvix reset and i can´t connect to wireless again because if i go to settis network the tvix freeze and don´t let me configure again. Any suggestion?

The YouTube reset is a known issue that has been corrected with the current Beta, I highly recommend everyone go ahead and upgrade as this will likely resolve some of the "reboot" issues:

tFirmware 6600_ v1.9.1B5 (http://www.digitalconnection.com/downloads/tvix_6600_1.9.1_b5.zip)

If connecting to your PC using NFS, download the latest Netshare:

Netshare V2.12zip (http://www.digitalconnection.com/downloads/tvix_netshare_2.12.zip)

There is a new firmware in the pipeline using a new SDK which should correct some of the problems being reported.

First thing I did was upgrade the unit to the latest beta firmware so I can map the network drives as that seems to be the only way it will play .mkv files??? Not sure why it says unsupported file format when you try and play it using the UPnP browsing mode?

I am hoping the problems I am having are all firmware related issues.

I'm not sure why that would be necessary for playback of .mkv files, I think maybe you mean Netshare (for NFS)? Not every format is supported under UPnP and it is slow to connect.

That and the rebooting problems are most likely firmware related, as for the rebooting with the tuner, can you provide more information on what you are using for source (OTA or Cable)?

I'm not sure why that would be necessary for playback of .mkv files, I think maybe you mean Netshare (for NFS)? Not every format is supported under UPnP and it is slow to connect.

That and the rebooting problems are most likely firmware related, as for the rebooting with the tuner, can you provide more information on what you are using for source (OTA or Cable)?

I am using Comcast cable for the source.

One thing I found was that some channels have no sound after running the channel scan, but if I go into the audio settings and change the HDMI out to analog then I have sound again, and then I can go back and change it back to digital and I have 5.1 sound. That looks like a firmware bug.

Yes, the balky audio is a known firmware problem.

...Not every format is supported under UPnP and it is slow to connect.

Have you been successful in using a uPnP server to serve content to a M66x0N? if so, which media server software did you use (and what version #)? I've been working with MediaTomb with zero success. XBMC with uPnP server turned on will give me the folders, but no media (although one time it DID show media, but every file (.mp3, .vob) was unplayable on the M6620N (unrecognized media format)).

Have you been successful in using a uPnP server to serve content to a M66x0N? if so, which media server software did you use (and what version #)? I've been working with MediaTomb with zero success. XBMC with uPnP server turned on will give me the folders, but no media (although one time it DID show media, but every file (.mp3, .vob) was unplayable on the M6620N (unrecognized media format)).

The M6620N UPnP found my ReadyNAS but with limited results. It finds, displays, and plays MPEG-2 transport streams and .mkv files, but none of the H.264 and other videos formats even shows in the file list. It played my FLAC files but the lag was too long to be useful.

I've played with the UPnP function connected to my PC using TVersity that DVICO seems to recommend but didn't really test it as much of the IMS functions are not going to work until the next firmware version is released.

I´m with you Kei Clark need to wait a firmware to IMS and other functions because appears likes so much reboot this TVIX

Tried to connect the 6620n to the network today. Updated the newest Firmware and installed the newest Netshare. After I tried to connect PC said "Authentication Is Failed!!! First please connect TVIX into PC with USB cable to be authenicated" When I connect the usb cable PC either wont recongnize to gives a warning that the harware isnt supported. Any suggestions? I also tried to connect to my MSHome network I share media with all my other PC's but that connect connect either.

aerynray--

I'm not sure what went wrong, but I suggest that you try the firmware update again. If that still fails, then try the safe mode firmware update procedure.

elliottn--

The problem with balky audio is a known issue that DViCo is addressing. If you mean by "sdtv" the Basic Cable digital channels then, yes, those are found in the channel scan here. Perhaps the channels that you're missing are encrypted (i.e., not Basic Cable).
No the channels arn't encrypted. I watch the same SD basic cable channels with the cable feed directly to my tv. Those channels are only missing when i try to watch them on tvix box. The tvix box only scans and registers my HD channels. I'm pretty frustrated with this device at this point. Tvix had no business putting out this product in such a state. I would appreciate any further input from other users about my problem.

As a side note, a minor problem noticed was my ceiling fan (When running) will send enough of an IR reflection from some other source to the box that it will cause the menu to randomly and erratically go up and down. They really did a half ass job developing this.

You won't receive analog SD channels (i.e. 1-82), because the TViX does not have an analog tuner. The TViX only has digital tuners; you should receive SD versions of local and public interest channels via QAM, but most cable companies encrypt the digital versions of their cable channels.

If you want to receive TNT, USA, AMC, SyFy, CNN, etc with most providers, then you bought the wrong box. For that, you would need the Moxi ($499 w/ no fees) or the TivoHD ($220 + fees or $600+ w/o fees).
Thanks....I thought there was an analog/digital tuner not just a digital one. Most of my channels are still analog on my university provided cable. The several hd channels i have are complete garbage (no one watches these stupid channels). So thats frustrating but maybe it will work out later. They really need to fix the audio problem though. That is the most serious problem i see with it. How they released this in its current state i will never understand. Overall i am displeased with the quality of this device.

No the channels arn't encrypted. I watch the same SD basic cable channels with the cable feed directly to my tv.Are you sure that those are digital channels? What is your location and cable company?

Edit: Oops, I see that you answered that question finally in the post just above while I was typing....my ceiling fan (When running) will send enough of an IR reflection from some other source to the box that it will cause the menu to randomly and erratically go up and down.IR interferences happen. If you have enough different equipment in your HT, you're almost certain to encounter some.

I reinstalled the Firmware and Netshare. Still gives me the message "Authentication Is Failed!!! First please connect TVIX into PC with USB cable to be authenicated" Seems the only thing standing in the way of connecting to the network is my PC recognizing the 6620. Anyone else with this problem? Any patches or software to install to resolve this problem?

"...First please connect TVIX into PC with USB cable to be authenicated"I'm not sure what's going on, but did you do as the on-screen prompt says? Did you use the USB cable that came with the TViX? What happens when you do this?

Mine keeps locking up when on HDTV mode. I thought that maybe it was some kind of time shift issue so I pulled out the hard drive but it still is locking up. The picture just freezes but I can still change the channel number on the screen and the time seems to progress along but until I shut it off and them back on it just stays on the frozen video image of the tv station. It will not let me change to any other mode like movie or music, etc. I usually have to shut it off twice as it seems to lock up a second time after I power cycle it.

Does this sound like a beta firmware bug or a bad dual tuner card?

Do you mean that it freezes spontaneously during play? Or is it when you try to perform some action? If the former, I'd suspect a hardware issue, while the latter suggests firmware to me.

I've not seen this symptom myself. Are you using OTA or cable TV? What firmware version??

Do you mean that it freezes spontaneously during play? Or is it when you try to perform some action? If the former, I'd suspect a hardware issue, while the latter suggests firmware to me.

I've not seen this symptom myself. Are you using OTA or cable TV? What firmware version??

Just freezes during viewing of HDTV. I am using cable TV and have the latest beta version loaded.

Is the cable signal shown as 5 bars? And is the rf connection solid?

So far I have been rather disappointed with the unit's software. The time shifting features are not very well thought out. I paused a show, came back a half hour later accidentally hit the channel change button and lost everything that was recorded. Don't you think it should ask you what it should do? Like, Would you like to save the time shift to watch later or something. How hard would that be? Not very hard I'm sure. So I lost the last half of my show which defeats the whole purpose of getting it. Also I don't understand why you can't time shift and record at the same time. Other units I have used can why not this one?

The time shifting features are not very well thought out. I paused a show, came back a half hour later accidentally hit the channel change button and lost everything that was recorded.Actually, the feature is well thought out (and isn't designed to lose the buffered content upon a channel change) but it is rather buggy in this latest beta firmware. I'm finding that the pause/play function gets confused and sticks in the "pause" mode even though the OSD indicates it's playing. But when I change channels the previously buffered material is still present when I rewind over it.

As for the multi-tuner functions...I think that they're still working on getting those all functioning, but timeshifting while recording is a very demanding task that may be beyond the power of the Realtek CPU in the box.

Also I don't understand why you can't time shift and record at the same time. Other units I have used can why not this one?The ability to record one (or two channels) while playing another program in a low-cost product currently requires a specialized DVR CPU. The available DVR CPUs are much more limited in the video formats they support, so they aren't the best choice for dedicated media players.

Products like Moxi and TiVo are built around these dedicated DVR CPUs; they compromise on the media player functionality in order to provide superior DVR functionality. The TViX compromises on DVR functionality in order to provide superior media player functionality. You'll have to decide what is more important to you.

Is the cable signal shown as 5 bars? And is the rf connection solid?

5 bars on all channels, replaced the RG6 cable with a new one that had new ends on it.

It seems to lock up when the system is off as I leave the TIVX box on 24/7. Once I reboot the unit twice, as long as I am watching TV it does not seem to lock up again.

It has not locked up on movie streaming from my server. It seems to handle my .mkv HD files very nicely.

I recorded a show last night and it did not seem to lock up at all during the recording even though I had switched off of the TIVX box and watched another show on my OTA HD box. The TIVX box did shut down after the recording ended but I did not check to see if that is an option in the recording menu.

Why on earth do you leave the box on 24/7?? It's designed such that you can leave it in standby ("off") when not in use for viewing or recording and it will power up for scheduled captures as needed, saving you about 19 watts all the time that it's sleeping.

Why on earth do you leave the box on 24/7?? It's designed such that you can leave it in standby ("off") when not in use for viewing or recording and it will power up for scheduled captures as needed, saving you about 19 watts all the time that it's sleeping.

I have not had a chance to update my MX980 remote macro's and variables to shut it off and turn it back on when needed..... unless you know of some discrete power codes that work this unit??? ;)

Still the box should not lockup when left on should it?

Good to know that it will power up when time to record. Is there anyway to get good TV Guide information on it as Comcast does not seem to provide much except what is currently playing and they still have not fixed channel 6 and 10 in the Montgomery County (Pa) area as they are still at 8.1 for HD-6 and 8.2 for HD-10.

....you know of some discrete power codes that work this unit?I think that it has such, but I don't know them. I use a pseudo discrete pair with my Harmony remote: MOVIE = "on" and POWER = "off"Still the box should not lockup when left on should it?Neither should Windows, but it will crash if not rebooted from time to time. The MTBF has been growing, but even 20 years(?) after Windows 1.0, it's still not bullet proof.Is there anyway to get good TV Guide information on it {from cable}?Alas, no. The OTA EPG is getting better and better, but for cable it would really be nice to have some on-line EPG source. :(

Good to know that it will power up when time to record. Is there anyway to get good TV Guide information on it as Comcast does not seem to provide much except what is currently playing and they still have not fixed channel 6 and 10 in the Montgomery County (Pa) area as they are still at 8.1 for HD-6 and 8.2 for HD-10.
The traditional program guide showing multiple channels and timeslots is patented and requires expensive licensing fees.

Guide data is not free for use by commercial products. There are three guide data providers -- Rovi (TVGuide.com), Tribune (Zap2it.com), and FYI Television; all have sites with free guide data on the web, but none allow that guide data to be used in commercial products or services. Tribune's wholesale price of guide data for use in commercial products is around $1.50/mo per device, and that does not include the cost of the server(s) to deliver it.

Comcast already pays for this guide data, and it represents a small percentage of your cable bill, but the TViX has no way to access that proprietary datastream. Only the cable company's own boxes and tru2way STBs running the cable co software can access that datastream. Every other product has to pay for it, and that adds significant cost to third-party DVRs.

Comcast already pays for this guide data, and it represents a small percentage of your cable bill, but the TViX has no way to access that proprietary datastream. Only the cable company's own boxes and tru2way DVRs running the cable co software can access that datastream.While that is all true, it is also true that in my area Comcast passes along some of the broadcasters' EPG data in the PSIP stream for the HD locals. So there are 6-8 hours of EPG data available on those cable channels. (They don't pass along the synopsis info, just the times and program titles) These data are accessible to any QAM-capable device and it's possible to use them to set up the evening's recordings on the TViX. :)

Help
I just bought an TViX M6620N
and I realized I cant see or record channels.
well, after the search I can see a couple of them but not the good one.
I have a cable tv from atlantic broadband, any chance adding some hardware, software, or special setting i can be able to watch some channels and record them?
Otherwise my choice of buy this PVR product its useless
thanks

Since the TIVX is connected to the internet, wouldn't it be possible for it to go out and get the guide data as long as you entered in your zip code and what type of cable service you have?

Since the TIVX is connected to the internet, wouldn't it be possible for it to go out and get the guide data as long as you entered in your zip code and what type of cable service you have?Once again, commercial products (like the TViX) must pay to use this guide data. How do you think guide data providers make their money?

At public sites like like Zap2it.com, TVGuide.com, etc you'll find a disclaimer like this:

These Terms of Service govern your use of Zap2it.com. Your use of our site tells us you have read and agreed to these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. Zap2it.com reserves the right to deny access to the site to any person who violates these Terms of Service.

All information, content, services and software displayed on, transmitted through, or used in connection with Zap2it.com, with the exception of User Content as defined below, including for example news articles, reviews, directories, guides, text, photographs, images, illustrations, audio clips, video, html, source and object code, trademarks, logos, and the like (collectively, the "Content"), as well as its selection and arrangement, is owned by Tribune Media Services, Inc. ("TMS"), and/or its affiliated companies, licensors and suppliers. You may use the Content online only, and solely for your personal, non-commercial use, and you may download or print a single copy of any portion of the Content solely for your personal, non-commercial use, provided you do not remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from such Content.

You may not republish any portion of the Content on any Internet, Intranet or extranet site or incorporate the Content in any database, compilation, archive or cache. You may not distribute any Content to others, whether or not for payment or other consideration, and you may not archive, modify, copy, frame, cache, reproduce, sell, publish, transmit, display or otherwise use any portion of the Content. You may not scrape or otherwise copy our Content without permission. You agree not to decompile, reverse engineer or disassemble any software or other products or processes accessible through Zap2it.com, not to insert any code or product or manipulate the content of Zap2it.com in any way that affects the user's experience, and not to use any data mining, data gathering or extraction method.
Products that use or integrate online guide data without paying for a license are quickly sued for copyright infringement.

Once again, commercial products (like the TViX) must pay to use this guide data. How do you think guide data providers make their money?

At public sites like like Zap2it.com, TVGuide.com, etc you'll find a disclaimer like this:


Products that use or integrate online guide data without paying for a license are quickly sued for copyright infringement.

What about Comcast's TV listings?:

http://www.fancast.com/comcast-tv-listings

720P channels for some reason show as 720i on the TIVX? Anyone else notice this?

What about Comcast's TV listings?:

http://www.fancast.com/comcast-tv-listings

I think that they could implement a service such as Schedules Direct (http://www.schedulesdirect.org/), which is free to implement, but costs the user $20.00 per year. However, I don't think this is on DViCO's "to-do" list. It would also help the Open Source community as a whole. Maybe if enough of us turned in requests...

Schedules Direct's licensing also prohibits commercial products from using their service directly. If you look more carefully you'll see that all of the subcribers' software is non commercial.

As bfdtv says, DViCo would have to pay for a license to one of the services to use their data--or face a lawsuit in short order.

...I cant see or record channels...well,...I can see a couple of them but not the good one.....any chance adding some hardware, software, or special setting i can be able to watch some channels and record them?If the "good" one is not in your Limited Basic cable service, no. See previous posts in this thread about what can and cannot be viewed and recorded via the TViX.

It sounds as though you didn't do your homework before plunking down your plastic. ;)

I am having problems with setting the time and date of my appliance.
I have tried all options settings using manual, auto-tv and auto-network. However, after a while, the time changes to something ridiculous like a date in 2039. Does anyone else have this problem? As you can imagine, this makes it difficult to record tv.

rochae--

What does "after a while" mean? I've seen somewhat bad times (but not dates) caused by tuning to some DTV stations who aren't watching their PSIP data stream closely enough, but if you leave the unit set to auto-network I wouldn't expect the time/date to go bad spontaneously. Likewise, if on auto-TV it should not suddenly go awry...Hmm...unless this is a new feature of the background EPG loading when there's a bad PSIP clock on one station! What exactly are you seeing? And what firmware are you running?

So I guess people are not having this problem. I was hoping this was a firmware issue (having upgraded to the most recent beta version rather early).

The time changes after a random duration usually after several hours.
For example, one minute... it's November 24, 2009 11:30 AM... The next minute it is at <pick your date e.g.> at January 12, 2029 03:20 AM.

I would assume that auto-tv and auto-network (?ntp?) should have some skew mechanism to prevent drastic change to the system clock. If this problem is not the firmware, then could I possibly have a faulty cmos?

If it does it spontaneously with all three time-mode settings, I'd suspect a hw problem inside the box, yes.

So I guess people are not having this problem. I was hoping this was a firmware issue (having upgraded to the most recent beta version rather early).

The time changes after a random duration usually after several hours.
For example, one minute... it's November 24, 2009 11:30 AM... The next minute it is at <pick your date e.g.> at January 12, 2029 03:20 AM.Many people had this problem with the DTVPal DVR prior to firmware F208.

A number of OTA products update their clocks to reflect the PSIP time reported by the last tuned channel. Unfortunately, many stations (especially smaller ones) don't maintain accurate time. The result is a clock that varies widely; that may not matter much in a CECB, but it's a big problem for a timer-based recorder.

Ideally, the M6620N should ignore PSIP time and use NTP (Internet) time exclusively when it has a network connection.

For a very vague timeline of events...

1. Received tvix. Set time to auto-tv.
2. Glaced through this thread, decided to upgrade to beta release (the October one I think?)
3. Used the tvix and was happy
4. Scheduled to record some tv
5. One show was fine. However, Noticed that the last show was interrupted. Began investigating, and noticed the system clock to be off. Reset time to auto-network
6. Checked clock after a few hours. Ok.
7. Checked clock the next day and problem again appeared.
8. Set clock to manual.
9. After some time... clock is goofed up again?

I set it to manual again, and the time is still good for over a day.

Otherwise, I am a pretty happy customer. Was really unhappy with my WD HD streamer, and this thing does pretty much everything my old htpc did but much quieter.

bfdtv--

Why don't you stop guessing at what the M6620 does, since you clearly don't have one, and go update your DTVpal FAQ to acknowledge that there's now another freestanding dual-tuner option for folks--and this one can do cable DTV! :D

bfdtv--

Why don't you stop guessing at what the M6620 does, since you clearly don't have one, and go update your DTVpal FAQ to acknowledge that there's now another freestanding dual-tuner option for folks--and this one can do cable DTV! :DI felt it was an educated guess, since people have seen the identical problem with other products (i.e. products allowing PSIP date/time information to override manual date/time settings).

As for the FAQ, few people have this product so there's not much information on it. You seem knowledgeable about it, so would you mind going down the list of items on the comparison table (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=17063966&postcount=2) to indicate what the TViX does and doesn't do? No need to comment on every item, just those that may not be obvious from the spec sheet. That would help.

Here ya go.

Here ya go.
Thanks. I'll add that in tonight.

Still having issues with the unit locking up on HDTV viewing. Have not tried with OTA antenna yet so it is still connected to Comcast cable.

Anyone else have this problem?

It will just freeze on a channel and will just show that image until the unit is powered cycled. It will not let me switch to movie or any other option or go into setup. The only remote button that will work is the Power button and then it just restarts.

Still having issues with the unit locking up on HDTV viewing. Have not tried with OTA antenna yet so it is still connected to Comcast cable. Anyone else have this problem?Yes, I've seen the problem. It seems to be an issue caused by the latest fw, which is not reliably distinguishing between encrypted and clear QAM channels and is doing a background EPG update on all channels using the idle tuner, leading to a crash.

I've found that you can avoid the problem by using the channel-scanning skipping control to allow it only to map the clear QAM channels. This is obviously not ideal but it does work. The alternative is to go back to earlier, non-beta fw for now.

There is allegedly an new beta coming down the pike relatively soon, but if you're using QAM I advise waiting on that until we've had a chance to confirm that it's fixed the channel scanning.

Yes, I've seen the problem. It seems to be an issue caused by the latest fw, which is not reliably distinguishing between encrypted and clear QAM channels and is doing a background EPG update on all channels using the idle tuner, leading to a crash.

I've found that you can avoid the problem by using the channel-scanning skipping control to allow it only to map the clear QAM channels. This is obviously not ideal but it does work. The alternative is to go back to earlier, non-beta fw for now.

There is allegedly an new beta coming down the pike relatively soon, but if you're using QAM I advise waiting on that until we've had a chance to confirm that it's fixed the channel scanning.

Well that is good to know as I was starting to worry I had a hardware issue.

Any chance T that you could shed more light on the "map clear QAM" trick as I would like to try that!

Thank you for all the help and info you provide here by the way.

Big THUMBS way up!

I just mean that if you know which channels have only clear QAM stations, you can use the new skipping feature during the channel scan to force the TViX not to map channels with encrypted stations that might cause crashing. It's a kluge and if you don't know the clear-QAM channels on your cable you can't do it.

Better to go back to the non-beta fw for the time being.

I added the TViX M6620N to DVR comparison chart (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=17063966&postcount=2). Now members can better compare available solutions.

At the bottom of the table, I also added a section for screenshots (work in progress).

I do need clarification on the following TViX M6620 features, since I've received conflicting information:

Does the M6620 support closed captions on (a) liveTV, (b) delayed programming from the buffer, and (c) recordings?
Is the liveTV buffer always enabled when the M6620 s on, or do you have to enable it with a button press?
If the liveTV buffer is not always on, how does one replay and rewind liveTV? Does pressing pause enable the buffer?
Can one save the liveTV buffer to a recording?
When recording one channel in the background and watching (but not recording) liveTV on the other tuner, are pause, replay, rewind available?
Does the M6620 show program information for multiple channels at the same time in the EPG, or only the currently selected/highlighted channel?
Does the M6620 allow one to skip 15+ minutes in a recorded program with a button press? What means are available to jump through a recorded program, besides FF?
When downloading recorded files, is each recording a single file? Or multiple files? And is it in TS, M2TS, or MPG format?
Are SD and HD outputs active simultaneously? Or must one switch between the two?
Can HD channels be output as anamorphic 16:9 widescreen through composite?

bfdtv--

1. The TViX supports subtitles of several types in recordings, but not DTVCC.
2. You start Timeshifting by pressing the Pause key.
3. See 2.
4. I don't think so, but I've not explored that.
5. No.
6. As of the latest beta fw, it shows EPG for all channels that contain PSIP EIT data without changing the currently tuned channel, but it only shows a list for one channel at at time.
7. You can skip directly to any time in a recording via the GoTo key.
8. Each TViX recording is a single file in TS format.
9. I think so, but I've never checked.
10. I don't know what that means and I doubt that I care. ;)

Any chance of Netflix being added?

Maybe. Post your request to DViCo by registering at the TViX MyQ&A Forum and submitting it there.

I just mean that if you know which channels have only clear QAM stations, you can use the new skipping feature during the channel scan to force the TViX not to map channels with encrypted stations.....

How do you access this feature? Right now, my 6620 thinks it gets about 90 stations from Time Warner when in reality it just gets four; the major network affiliates and PBS. I'm hoping this feature will allow me to have it ignore the encrypted stations and just flip through the four that give me real signals.

Possibly unrelated; PBS is coming in on 1008-0 which claims to have no channel number and to have eleven stations within 1008-0, each at a different frequency. Trying to work with this, I haven't been able to setup recordings on PBS. Any thoughts?

The scan skipping is new with the 1.9.1.b5 beta, which also has problems with U.S. QAM scanning. It sounds as though PBS is not being correctly detected. I suggest that you back down to the previous non-beta fw and see if that doesn't work better for your QAM channels.

The next fw should be better with QAM scanning.

Hi. Newbie Question... Besides wanting to use the M6620N as a clear QAM tuner for an older TV, I am considering purchasing it to wirelessly transport/play my many .mkv (720p/x264), .avi (divx/xvid), .flac, .mp3 media files from my PC to my TV and HT audio.

I have not owned a media server before. From reading the docs, it sounds like I can't simply connect the M6620N via WiFi and play the files sitting on my PC's shared hard-drive, like I would from another networked computer. Rather, do my media files need to be served from my PC? Is that where NAS comes in? Where can I go to learn more about this?

My PC runs WXP, sharing various folders via typical home WiFi router. Appreciate the help.

If the "good" one is not in your Limited Basic cable service, no. See previous posts in this thread about what can and cannot be viewed and recorded via the TViX.

It sounds as though you didn't do your homework before plunking down your plastic. ;)

I have read the previous posts, but am still a bit confused myself. My downstairs TV has a DTV tuner, and can tune in approx 170+ clear QAM channels from my Comcast cable service. But I am unsure what "res" these are - SD or HD. Most appear SD to me. Does that mean the TViX won't see most of them, even though my other built-in QAM tuners do?

Here's the QAM lineup for my neck of the woods:
http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineup_web/US:98059#lineup_1210808

burndawgz--

Yes, your PC can "serve" the files to the TViX over WiFi (if your rf link is good).

Yes, the TViX will tune all of the QAM channels that your DTV tunes. The confusion that you're having is unfortunately caused by people who sloppily refer to NTSC (analog TV) as "SD", which should simply refer to the resolution (i.e., "not HD").

P.S.: Most of those QAM channels will someday soon be encrypted, so don't get too fond of seeing them for "free".

Yes, your PC can "serve" the files to the TViX over WiFi (if your rf link is good).

My question is, do I need to setup anything software-wise on the PC side for the TViX to see/play the files, or can they simply sit on any of my shared HD folders as they are now, and be accessed? If there is more to "serving" them, where might I learn more about setting that up? (NAS?)

Thanks for the clarification on QAM - got it.

You can do whichever you like. TViX can use the same "SMB" shares that your other network devices access on the PC or you can run DViCo's NFS server on the PC or you can run a uPNP server such as Tversity or Twonky. The advantage of the uPNP servers is that they're automatically found by the TViX, whereas the SMB and NFS shares must be manually set up on the TViX, which some people find difficult.

I switched my 6620 over to OTA and it does not seem to lock up on stations anymore but it did reboot itself twice now, once as I was channel through all the OTA channels it got to one and just rebooted, the next time I was just switching from watching a .mkv file back to watching TV and it just rebooted. Is this also a glitch in the latest beta firmware?

Using OTA I do get all the guide info for all channels unlike some of the channels from Comcast in my area. I think I lost the ability to see what the resolution of the channels are using OTA though? On cable it would say 1080i or 720i (even though it is supposed to say 720p) but on OTA I do not see this info?

I will sign up on the TVIX forum and put in my Netflix request. That would be killer if they could add it in.

The scan skipping is new with the 1.9.1.b5 beta, which also has problems with U.S. QAM scanning. It sounds as though PBS is not being correctly detected. I suggest that you back down to the previous non-beta fw and see if that doesn't work better for your QAM channels....

Thanks for the suggestion. The previous fw isn't a viable option as it caused frequent lockups and reboots. The current beta in most ways works better.

Is "scan skipping" the ability to manually de-select stations from the active list? If so, how do you access this feature? I can't find it in setup.

Are there other 6620 owners here who have Time Warner service? If so, are you having the problem I'm having with PBS coming through on a 'non-numbered' channel at 1008-0?

Is "scan skipping" the ability to manually de-select stations from the active list?No, it's part of the scanning operation and is accessed via the |<< and >>| keys, as suggested on the scanning page.

The next firmware is supposed to be imminent, so I wouldn't invest a lot of effort in trying to solve the PBS station problem until you see whether or not that's fixed. (There's not really much that you can do anyway, unless you have other equipment that can capture a clip of the station's transport stream for DViCo analysis)

I just imported some video from my Video Camera and it won't play on my 6600n it is an AVI File from a sony DCR PC1 that has the Mini DV tapes. I am using Window 7 to import the video. When I go to play the file it just displays a black screen and zeros on the counter. Shouldn't this work? I'm still thinking of returning this thing and just getting a cheap PC instead.

Brian--

"AVI" is a wrapper that can hold very many different sorts of streams and it sounds as though the format inside yours isn't supported on the TViX. I can suggest two ideas before you return the box. 1) Try any of the other choices on the camera of download format if there are options. 2) Sign up on the TViX MyQ&A Forum and ask DViCo for suggestions about your specific case. They may ask for a clip to test.

I think my M6620N is starting to die a slow death....

It now is rebooting all on its own for no apparent reason. I will be watching TV and it was just reboot and come back to the Menu selection screen.

Also I have it setup to record a show everyday while I am at work and it lists the show but when I go to play it there is nothing recorded and the files size is right around 200kb give are take.

It seems to be fine if I leave it on Movie watching and just stream files to it for viewing as I have not had one reboot while watching HD .mkv files of BSG so I think the dual tuner section is what is causing all the issues and is going bad in my unit.

Anyone else have any of these types of issues?

-DK

DK--

I've not seen nor heard before of this problem with the 6620, but earlier TViXes sometimes had loose tuner connections that could cause problems. I suggest that you try reseating the tuner module in the unit in case it has become loose.

Will the warranty still be intact if I do that?

I have no problem doing it.. just want to make sure it will not void any warranty incase it is a bad tuner module, or unit.

-DK

I don't know. Check with your vendor.

DK,

Are you using the firmware the unit came with? Mine did as you describe or would sometimes freeze until I updated to the beta from the Dvico site.

Still not perfect but much more predictable.

DK--

OH, now I remember--you're using the latest beta fw. If you're seeing crashes (reboots) while watching QAM, I think that it's because of the background EPG scanning introduced in that fw combined with the QAM scanning bug in that fw that incorrectly maps encrypted channels into the available-channel list. You'll either have to back up to the previous firmware or make sure that you delete all of the encrypted channels from the GoTo list.

DK--

OH, now I remember--you're using the latest beta fw. If you're seeing crashes (reboots) while watching QAM, I think that it's because of the background EPG scanning introduced in that fw combined with the QAM scanning bug in that fw that incorrectly maps encrypted channels into the available-channel list. You'll either have to back up to the previous firmware or make sure that you delete all of the encrypted channels from the GoTo list.

I am using the latest beta fw but I switch my unit over to my OTA feed as I wanted to see if I still had reboot issues and it does.

The OTA also gives more guide data then what comcast is sending to me in my area.

Could it still be an issue with the beta firmware?

I'm not sure, I haven't seen rebooting during OTA viewing with the b5 firmware but it definitely has some DTV problems and my testing has been limited, so it could still be a beta issue. I suggest that you try an earlier fw version to see if the same reboots persist. If so, then I think that some sort of hw problem is more likely indicated.

Hi all. If the 6620N is used to record a show to the internal hard drive, is it then possible (and easy) to copy it off to another drive, such as a USB drive plugged into the back?

I watch exactly two things ever on TV (all other video comes from files): the Daily Show, and NFL football. I am ignorant of television codecs and formats; can anyone comment on whether regular cable-tv broadcasts on Comedy Central and broadcast channels will record properly? I suspect that they will.

I watch exactly two things ever on TV (all other video comes from files): the Daily Show, and NFL football. I am ignorant of television codecs and formats; can anyone comment on whether regular cable-tv broadcasts on Comedy Central and broadcast channels will record properly? I suspect that they will.Comedy Central is usually delivered as an analog channel and/or encrypted digital channel. The TViX supports neither.

If you want options to record non-local cable channels, see the stickied HDTV recorder comparison chart (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17063966#post17063966).

Hi all. If the 6620N is used to record a show to the internal hard drive, is it then possible (and easy) to copy it off to another drive, such as a USB drive plugged into the back?Yes.

Comedy Central is usually delivered as an analog channel and/or encrypted digital channel. The TViX supports neither.

If you want options to record non-local cable channels, see the stickied HDTV recorder comparison chart.

Ah, yes I can see that (thank you). I had already reviewed the recorder comparison chart, but I don't have the underlying knowledge and understanding to compare them effectively. There are so many devices and so many options and so many constraints that I am overwhelmed and don't know what to buy.

I don't think the 6620 is the device that i need. Does this site have a forum where a newb can post stupid questions, or post needs, and get hardware recommendations? (I looked for "N00b FAQ" but didn't see one.) What I really need is an informed friend who can help me find the best device.

.....or make sure that you delete all of the encrypted channels from the GoTo list.

Could you please tell me where to find the GoTo list?

Um...you press the GoTo key? :D

I just got my 6620N today. It has the problem described by Elliot: more often than not, a station on cable comes in without audio, using the analog outputs. I just verified that a scheduled recording that is in progress is apparently not recording audio, so the problem probably has nothing to do with output used. Obviously, this would not be very useful. It's been almost a month since Elliot raised this issue here, will updating the firmware fix it at this point?

(I need to figure out how to do that).

It it does, I'll be fairly impressed. This is my third networked player. First was a MVIX MX760HD. Second was Popcorn Hour NMT A100. Both worked, after a fashion, but to my mind had serious limitations and were not ready for prime time.

This one got up and networked in short order. The Samba will probably work when I create an account with a password that doesn't have a character that appears impossible to enter ("="). The DLNA server just works (from a ReadyNas) and the hard drive installed in the 6620n is visible on the Samba network. (NFS is so frustrating to get working in any environment I won't try). So it works both ways, first time. (I can't remember whether the HD in the PH was visible on the network but it was so noisy I had to take it out).

And, it's quiet I had to squint at the fan to verify it's even running (assume it ramps up when needed). Unfortunately, too quiet most of the time tuning in to a cable channel. If that issue is fixed, I probably won't give up on the thing in disgust.

Leporello, I think that the balky audio has been addressed in the newer beta fw, but if you read above you'll see that it has worse problems with QAM tuning so I don't recommend that you jump to that one. What fw are you running? Updating it is similar to the process on the PCH, but much faster. There is supposed to be another beta "real soon now", but DViCo tell me that they've run into some delays caused by the latest Realtek SDK.

BTW, are you certain that the recording does not contain the audio PID? I'm very surprised at that!

Will the warranty still be intact if I do that?

I have no problem doing it.. just want to make sure it will not void any warranty incase it is a bad tuner module, or unit.

-DK

DK,

If you want to try this, go for it. If it does not work, just RMA and we'll exchange it for you.

Whether I use the Ethernet or Wireless N the HD videos wont stream off the server. Very choppy at best, any suggestions? A Gigabyte ethernet connection would have been nice. USB 2.0 streams ok, but my server doenst connect with USB only external my external HD's. Is there any way to upgrade the Ethernet or do I have to convert all my HD video back to a lower quality. In which case the ability to watch any Hd videos is limited to the size to the internal HD. What a waist of a good media player.

Leporello, I think that the balky audio has been addressed in the newer beta fw, but if you read above you'll see that it has worse problems with QAM tuning so I don't recommend that you jump to that one. What fw are you running? Updating it is similar to the process on the PCH, but much faster. There is supposed to be another beta "real soon now", but DViCo tell me that they've run into some delays caused by the latest Realtek SDK.

BTW, are you certain that the recording does not contain the audio PID? I'm very surprised at that!
Yes, I tried playing it back with the box, and with VLC, no audio. (while I was recording as I made my last post I was able to play the beginning of the file on my PC as it was recording. I just tried playing the complete file, same thing. A file I recorded by putting the box in "crash record" as I was watching and listening does have audio).

Is this a cable (QAM) problem only? I may just get an antenna.

I'm using FW 1.8.7. I just downloaded the official release from the company but it turns out to be what I'm running. I'm hesitant to try betas. There doesn't seem to be any orderly revision list with problems addressed. If every unit behaved like mine on my cable system I can't believe they'd be selling too many.

Whether I use the Ethernet or Wireless N the HD videos wont stream off the server. Very choppy at best, any suggestions?So, you got past the problems of establishing a network connection described in your previous two posts. Congratulations on the progress! :)

There's still something amiss on your LAN, however, since most have no trouble streaming regular HDTV files without any hiccups over a 100 Mbps connection. Troubleshooting LAN throughput problems is not easy. I don't know where to tell you to start, except perhaps by googling "LAN performance diagnostic tools".

Yes, I tried playing it back with the box, and with VLC, no audio.Thanks for the confirmation. I just checked and the problem is not fixed in the B5 beta (nor is it limited to QAM--Edit: Actually, it is limited to QAM! Operator error in my test. :o). :(

I have so far not seen a scheduled recording show up with no audio, however. Is that the type that you were making and that had no sound? I know that this issue was listed in release notes of a prior fw, so it's on the radar screen, but I'll report it again.

I have so far not seen a scheduled recording show up with no audio, however. Is that the type that you were making and that had no sound? I know that this issue was listed in release notes of a prior fw, so it's on the radar screen, but I'll report it again.

I scheduled it for M-F 18:30 - 19:30, so I'll see what happens tonight. I'll look again at yesterday's file to see if it ended up in some stream other than where I was listening. Maybe that's what's going on.

I take it this has no capability of capturing entire transport streams, unlike MyHD?

I take it this has no capability of capturing entire transport streams, unlike MyHD?Correct. There's no full-TS option. I imagine that it could be added, but there seems little point in doing so (provided the subchannel-only mode can be made to work correctly).

I look forward to your update on the scheduled-capture audio.

I installed Upip and the unit started to read my server. Though the unit does stream some HD, others it stutters horribly. One quote of many from another discussion board regarding this unit "While MPEG-2 files played flawlessly over Ethernet at rates of 25 Mbps and upwards, 20 Mbps H264 stuttered repeatedly over the network and even USB-2 external drive. However, on the internal drive, they played just fine. DViCO should really address this if they can, unless it is a hardware limitation of some kind." Apparently Im not alone except on this site. If anyone has the abilty to stream H264 with this unit and a server, please help.

"Upip"? Wazzat? Do you mean UPnP?

I have played H264 Blu-Ray streams via my SMB LAN shares without stuttering. I don't think there's a generic issue with that, although the maximum bitrate possible over LAN is lower than over USB or from the internal HDD. A 20-Mbps MPEG-4 stream is a pretty data-rich video!

I look forward to your update on the scheduled-capture audio.

TPeterson,

Last night's recording did have audio, though it was the wrong show. When I set up date/time I selected DST thinking that meant the correct offset was applied depending on calender date. Actually, I guess, it just applies whichever offset you have selected. As a result, when the clock synced up to the transmitted time it was an hour off. No problem, now that I understand how it works. Can't blame them for not wanting to need another firmware change on the whim of the US Congress.

I got a cheap passive antenna from Radio Shack, which pulls in all my local stations fine. Despite your information that the intermittent audio problem effects both cable and OTA, my experience so far is that OTA the audio is completely reliable.

My understanding is this has to be a software issue. No subcarriers to fail to lock. As far as the hardware goes, either the signal is there or it isn't (except in a narrow window where the error rate increases exponentially) and since the picture is flawless, it is. When they finally fix it I may switch back to cable.

Oh, I tried to open that silent recording in "Video Redo" which, I believe, can select different audio streams. It said "unable to open [path\name]. No Pids specified". It plays silently in VLC media player which, in my experience, plays anything that can be played. No hint of the missing audio, though.

{DST} just applies whichever offset you have selected....Can't blame them for not wanting to need another firmware change on the whim of the US Congress.Actually, DViCo's first attempt at this (there is no DST in Korea) was to use the DST flag that's supposed to be in the transport stream, but we discovered that many U.S. stations don't set that correctly--ergo, the user DST flag instead. :( Despite your information that the intermittent audio problem effects both cable and OTA, my experience so far is that OTA the audio is completely reliable.My bad. Thanks for the correction. I tested thinking that I was set for OTA, but the box was on cable. :oOh, I tried to open that silent recording in "Video Redo"....It said "unable to open [path\name]. No Pids specified".To edit in H2M or VRD files recorded on the 6620, you need to run them through a utility such as Streamclip. See this TViX FAQ (http://old.tvix.co.kr/eng/faq/PVR33103330.aspx?act=RD&id=303&pg=0&CATID=13&SCATID=26). (BTW, contrary to the FAQ, you don't need to install any of the Quicktime stuff unless you want to view the files in Streamclip also. You can "convert" them blind otherwise and view in H2M or VRD)

Edit: You can also edit the files without "converting" them first in Smart Cutter (http://www.fame-ring.com/smart_cutter.html), but that's a much more rudimentary editor (so far).

Anyone know how to remove the top cover? It looks for all the world like removing the two screws from the back should allow it to slide forward and/or lift up, but it won't budge. I peeled off the sticker on top to look for hidden screws, but there were none. In addition to satisfying my geek curiosity, I may need to remove it when the hard drive needs removal.

Mea culpa: due to my failure to RTFM before installing the SATA drive, I didn't first screw on the funny looking puller thing. I actually have a hard time believing I'm the only user to do this. I think there should be a warning about RTFM before installing the hard drive. That would be a lot more useful than warnings about no user serviceable parts inside, etc.

The case seems in part designed to thwart opening it without destroying it figuring out how, and that irritates me. I took off the rubber feet to reveal the hidden screws on the bottom and was able to remove the bottom cover, but that doesn't help much. The drive bay is above the circuit boards and is closed on the bottom. It did help me to replace the tuner module I had removed, which is difficult to guide back onto its connector otherwise.

Seeing the tuner card left me baffled about having one input for the two tuners. I was allowing that maybe the two tuners are on one chip with one rf input pin, but it's actually two identical tuner sections on the board. The increased production cost to having two inputs would therefore be the cost of one F connector, and the increased utility would be so much greater. I anticipate rarely if ever needing to record or record/watch simultaneous programs, but it would be very handy to be able to switch between OTA and cable quickly since they're not necessarily identical (and cable, for me, produces very unreliable audio). I hope other users complain loudly and they revise the tuner.

I echo the complaints here from others about HD video only available via HDMI. In my case, not because I lack a display capable of using it, but because it's a crappy connector prone to falling out (DVI is functionally equivalent video-wise, and far preferable), and because it takes us further down the road of "high definition content protection"--less freedom for the end user, even those not doing copyright violating activities.

I do very much appreciate having its own built-in power supply, instead of yet another wall wart. But, I expect the resulting exposed AC inside is the motivation for making the case so difficult to open.

Is there some trick to connecting the 6620N to a wireless LAN? Or a known issue that will be fixed in that new firmware that is coming "real soon now"?

I have spent two evenings trying to make wireless work, but so far no joy. Went so far as to place 6620N in the same (smallish) room as the router and disable all security on router. Still did not work.

When I search for wireless networks, the 6620N does see the SSID of my network. However, it will not acquire an IP address with or without security enabled.

At this point, my best guesses are:

1) Buggy firmware in 6620N. (Note -I am using the latest.)

2) Bad wireless adapter in 6620N.

3) The 6620N does not like my wimpy 802.11g router. (Note - I am planning to upgrade to 802.11n, but have not yet.)

Any suggestions?

Did you try connecting with WPA2 mode security enabled? That may be the "trick" that you're looking for. Since you're finding the SSID, I'm guessing that the WiFi adapter is OK.

When I tried to configure my router for WPA2, it insisted that I give it the IP address of a RADIUS server, which I don't have. Furthermore, the manual for the 6620N says, "RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Services) servers
are not supported."

I'm wondering if the 6620N has some funny limitation like it only supports certain wireless channels, or it requires 802.11n and is not compatible with 802.11g.

No, it will make G connections (but not stream HD video very well then even over a strong rf link!). However, it seems not to like open or WEP on some routers. Your router likely has two different kinds of WPA2, only one of which (corporate) requires RADIUS.

After a fews hours wasted waiting for a router restart after every configuration change, I finally found the trick...

My router has a parameter labeled "Mode" where the options are:

- Wireless-G only
- SuperG
- SuperG without Turbo
- Mixed
- Wireless-B only
- Disabled

As soon as I changed Mode from "Mixed" to "Wireless-G only", my 6620N hooked right up.

Grrr...technology!

Thank you TPeterson for the suggestions.

Thanks for the update. Maybe that trick will help someone else.

My guess is that one of the proprietary modes on your router was tripping things up somehow. So the lesson is to set the router up to use only "standard" 802.11 modes.

I rolled back to the latest non-beta release version of 1.8.7 just to see what would and would not work as far as the PRV section of the 6620N. What I have found is, the tuner section seems to be much more stable. I have not had any reboot problems with the unit when changing channels or going into the guide info, etc.... but if I am recording two channels at the same time and I change channels it only lets me go between the two I am recording... which is fine since it is a dual tuner, but it did reboot after about 3 times of changing back and forth between the two stations.

The only other time I have seen the unit reboot is when I went into YouTube and tried to make it play a video. It then rebooted but I think I read that YouTube is not implemented yet???

I still do have time recording issues however.

When I setup a recording to occur every week day from 9:00am until 10:00am it will not record it. This morning (while I was at work) I was told that it came up with the 15 second count down timer and then changed to the station to record. When I came home it shows that it recorded a 60 minute show but when I play it back it plays about 5 minutes and then comes up with "Error" and an button to close that error window. There is no error number.

It seems to let me record just fine if I use the record button.

Anyone else running the non beta version 1.8.7 and have been able to do scheduled recordings with no issues?

Note: I have only tried firmware version 1.8.7 with ATO HD broadcast so far but I think tonight I will switch it over to QAM and see if it does the same.

Edit: I have just tested 1.8.7 firmware with QAM and I get lots of reboots when changing channels in the high numbers... eg: channeling down from 3.1 to 117.11

Also the channel numbers are not in order.

DK,

The new firmware should be out supposedly before Christmas, I have my fingers crossed. That will fix the YouTube problem which is already a known issue since their format was changed. I'm hoping they will fix much of the tuner problems. There are some nice features but I'll hold that thought for the firmware release.

I haven't had issues with scheduled recordings off the air save for one time--Friday of a M-F schedule, for no apparent reason. I'll see if it's the same this Friday, before changing any firmware. I stopped using QAM because of the audio locking in roughly 10% of the time (including with scheduled recordings) making it almost useless. I'll try QAM again after the new firmware comes out.

As far as I can see there is no reason for not being able to have both hooked up, other than the cost of installing another F connector (and terminating resistor) on the board. I really want to register my complaint about that.

I don't recall having any rebooting problems. But, I'm not much of a You Tube junkie. I did switch channels a lot on cable, trying to get the audio to lock in (usually still no audio, but definitely no rebooting).

Hello,

Probably a silly 'new guy' question, but can someone tell me the format the 6640N uses when it records Television? For example does it use a proprietery format?

I am considering purchasing a new unit and am doing some research, so apology for a dumb question...

Regards, Mark

Mark, it records (a subset of) the transport stream as it is received from the station. Nothing proprietary about it, so you can play it back either via the TViX or on any other device that supports TS (.TP) files, such as Media Center (or virtually any other video software) on your PC.

Dvico released another version of this device, the M6640N. So obviously does anyone know the difference from 6620 to 6640? Planning to pick one up myself.

Dvico released another version of this device, the M6640N. So obviously does anyone know the difference from 6620 to 6640? Planning to pick one up myself.

M6620N - ATSC/QAM (North America/Korea)
M6640N - DVB-T (Europe/Australia)

There is a new Beta for those who want to test linked at MPC:

http://www.mpcclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22364

There are new features for the Media Player like cover art and the YouTube fix, but I don't know how well the tuner section works yet. I'm away from home so the best I could do was test with my daughter's cable service and not getting audio in the channels it tunes. It does mention background recording which I won't test until I get home next week.

I did some quick testing of the 1.9.3B4 and it does seem to fix the QAM rebooting and YouTube playback problems of the previous beta. However, it still does not correctly sort all the QAM channels and it retains the balky audio behavior, as Kei mentioned.

Another good thing about this beta is that it retains the video setting from session to session even if the display device doesn't give it an EDID that it likes.

I had all working perfect but I tried to install the new firmware from here:
http://www.mpcclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22364
and on 74% frezes and after that suhtu down the tvix now when i´m tryin to turn on the tvix again appears the red letters of tvix and after that reset and still on that way on an endless loop anyone know how can i to make work my tvix? Thank you

coerrace--

I suggest that you re-download and unzip the .zip file. Then do a binary compare of the two copies you have to see if they're the same. If so, you likely have a complete and uncorrupt copy.

Then try the upgrade again by performing the safe-mode upgrade procedure from the manual.

It works on safe mode. Thank you

Thanks for the confirmation of the fix.

Folks,

I am now the proud owner of a 6640N (same as 6620N but for aussies) and I have been playing with connecting the 6640N to my NAS via a file share so I can access the content.

Having gone through all the locations I could find on here and the Tvix/Dvico websites, I'm yet to find a decent explanation on how I connect the 6640N to NAS.

As a footnote, the 6640N finds the Twonky media server running on my NAS which is great, but I am more interested in a windows style file share connection to the NAS.

Apology for another 'newbie' post, but I've found the people in this forum to be the most knowledagble, friendly, and willing to help on the net.

Any suggestions or links to content greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mark

Mark, the usual problem that new users have is in consistently defining the share names between the NAS and the TVIX. Think it through carefully and double check your typing and you'll probably find that it just works.

Mark, the usual problem that new users have is in consistently defining the share names between the NAS and the TVIX. Think it through carefully and double check your typing and you'll probably find that it just works.
Hi... updated to the pre-release firmware and the connection to my NAS box is all good.

Glad to hear that you've got it working. I don't think that the "fix" was actually related to anything new in the FW though....

Hello again,

Not sure if my expectations are too high here... but with my trusty Beyonwiz I can record 1 or 2 television programs whilst simultaneously watch either a previously recorded TV show, or better still watch a DVD or Divx movie.

I tried to do the same on my recently aquired 6640N and it politely told me it would stop the TV recording to watch previously recorded TV shows or movies etc. I tried several things but it appears not possible to simultaneously record TV and watch content like movies, DVD's, etc.

I must confess had I know about this 'feature' before purchasing I would most likely have not gone through with the sale. Is there something I'm missing, or this just the way things are with the TViX brand?

Thanks, Mark

Glad to hear that you've got it working. I don't think that the "fix" was actually related to anything new in the FW though....
Agreed. I suspect it was something wrong with my 'human' firmware.

Simultaneous record+playback is definitely on the wish list at DViCo, but so far it seems beyond the capabilities of the CPU in the TViX. :(

This is common to all of the HD streamer boxes, AFAIK. To get such features it seems that one needs more powerful processors (with, therefore, higher power demands) than are in the current crop of HD streamers. The good thing about them is that you can use more than one and they'll share all their media. But, of course, that increases complexity (and cost) of the HT system.

I tried to do the same on my recently aquired 6640N and it politely told me it would stop the TV recording to watch previously recorded TV shows or movies etc. I tried several things but it appears not possible to simultaneously record TV and watch content like movies, DVD's, etc.

I must confess had I know about this 'feature' before purchasing I would most likely have not gone through with the sale. Is there something I'm missing, or this just the way things are with the TViX brand?It pays to read the AVS HDTV DVR Comparison (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1204433) sticky before you buy.

This issue was also discussed earlier in the thread:

The ability to record one (or two channels) while playing another program in a low-cost product currently requires a specialized DVR CPU. The available DVR CPUs are much more limited in the video formats they support, so they aren't the best choice for dedicated media players.

Products like Moxi and TiVo are built around these dedicated DVR CPUs; they compromise on the media player functionality in order to provide superior DVR functionality. The TViX compromises on DVR functionality in order to provide superior media player functionality. You'll have to decide what is more important to you.

It seems that there's a new public beta firmware version (http://www.tvix.co.kr/ENG/boards/default.aspx?bserial=15&act=RD&pg=1&id=17029) now posted on the TViX site. This one has fixed the QAM tuning issues (crash caused by background EPG scan and balky audio) as well as adding the option to select a reliable DTV channel for setting the clock. Happy New Year! :)

EDIT: But I find that it does include some encrypted channels in the GoTo list, which can cause the unit to freeze when you attempt to tune to them.

Cool, they fixed the cover art problems in this version too. :)

For those not familiar with the media player portion of the M6620N and cover art, it's created with a third party program that can retrieve movie and music information for stored video that makes it easy to use for significant others. Photos below:

DVD menu
http://www.digitalconnection.com/images/M6600N_movies.jpg

Movie info
http://www.digitalconnection.com/images/M6600N_info.jpg

Albums menu
http://www.digitalconnection.com/images/M6600N_music.jpg

Above were created with TVixiE (http://www.tvixie.com/)

Update: New TViXiE v1.3.0 with Fan Art

http://www.digitalconnection.com/images/tvix.jpg

I'm looking to add a PVR unit to my system.

I've read over most of the previous threads and would like to ask questions specific to my needs.

In reading all that this device can do, my main focus is to record network TV shows in HD from charter communications cable system. At present, on my LCDTV, I can view all the network channels in HD so I'm getting clear QAM reception.

1) Does M6620N offers an EPG to select the show from, or does it give you a generic recording capability, like VCRs did where you just selected the channel and the time you wanted to start and stop the recording.

2) While the show is being recorded, does that take priority - meaning, say, if I have a show set to record at 8pm to 10pm - can I watch an mkv file while the show is being recorded ?

3) Is there a capability to set/program a button on the remote where I can skip 30secs at a time ?

thanks...

gadget--

1) Yes and yes. The EPG info is supplied by the broadcaster and may or may not be passed through by Charter. If they're not passing it through now, I expect that they will be doing so in the future. Lacking EPG info, you can also set up recordings (one-off and repetitive) by channel, date, and time.

2) You can watch a second TV channel during recordings, but not play back another recording.

3) Yes, the up/down arrow keys skip back/forward by a user-defined time jump in both file playback and timeshifting operation.

1) Does M6620N offers an EPG to select the show from, or does it give you a generic recording capability, like VCRs did where you just selected the channel and the time you wanted to start and stop the recording.To clarify what tpeterson said above, TViX itself does not provide any guide data. Local broadcasters themselves provide at least 12-24 hours of program titles, and many cable providers pass that through. When available, you would see those upcoming program titles on the TViX for the currently selected channel. You do not see program titles for multiple channels at once, nor can you access a schedule far in advance.

These limitations may not be obvious to those that are accustomed to cable, satellite, and TiVo/Moxi devices, all of which display 6-8 channels on the screen, with 90-180 minutes of information for each, and 10-14 days of information for every channel.

2) While the show is being recorded, does that take priority - meaning, say, if I have a show set to record at 8pm to 10pm - can I watch an mkv file while the show is being recorded ?No.

You can watch one live (not timeshifted or delayed) channel while you record a program.

You cannot watch a timeshifted (delayed) channel, recorded program, or video file while you record.

...TViX itself does not provide any guide data. Local broadcasters themselves provide at least 12-24 hours of program titles, and many cable providers pass that through. When available, you would see those upcoming program titles on the TViX for the currently selected channel. You do not see program titles for multiple channels at once, nor can you access a schedule far in advance.Sorry, but I think your amendment muddied some of my comment rather than clarifying.

Of course the TViX can only "provide" what is passed to it from the broadcaster or cable operator, as neither it nor any other device can manufacture the information. In principle, it could also provide the information from a service, such as TiVo or the cableco's STB do, but then you'd have to pay a subscription fee of some sort for that service.

With the current firmware, the 6620 displays ALL available EPG info from ALL channels, without changing the currently selected channel, by scrolling horizontally through the list.

TPeterson & bfdtv - Thank you both for the feedback.

At present, I have a Sony DVR (250gig hard drive based High definition recorder). I'm looking to add a 2nd PVR to the den. With Sony unit, it receives the EPG "TVGuide" that at one point was broadcasted over PBS (channel 28, in Southern California), it is now broadcasted over analog channel 2 (CBS).

In reading the previous posts, the TVIX tuners do not pick up analog channels, which leads to me think that I will not pick up the EPG

are my assumptions on the right track ?

Correct, the TViX does not tune NTSC channels and does not access the guide service (TVGos?) that the Sony DVR uses.

Sorry, but I think your amendment muddied some of my comment rather than clarifying.You need to keep in mind that many are looking to replace their cable or satellite box. When you use the term EPG, these users make certain assumptions about the way the interface works. These are fair assumptions, because EPG means one thing on 99% of cable and satellite STBs, and something else on the TViX.

Traditional

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm314/ilovehdtv/Other/DTVPalDVR/programguide_smalltext.png
Multiple timeslots for multiple channels with a program description

TViX

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/2375/tvix.jpg
Multiple timeslots for selected channel only, but you can select a different channel without changing channels

When many ask whether a box has the EPG, they are asking whether it has the functionality in the first shot, not the second. By simple stating that the TViX has an EPG, without further explanation, you imply functionality that it does not have. I know this is not your intention, but those buying the TViX with the expectation of a traditional EPG will be disappointed and may feel misled.

Take off the blinders. The functionality in the two is identical. Both allow you to select a program for recording from a list that you can browse by cursoring from box to box. The differences have to do with UI (i.e., the appearance of the boxes) and data time scope.

Thanks again for the further clarification - and you are absolutely right. The term EPG can certainly mean/deliver entirely different that what I'm use to seeing (in my case, on the Sony DVR)

As I read previous threads and understand that delivering schedules is a money making opportunity and its not free.

Apologies, if I'm asking this again as it may not have quite 'sunk' into my understanding ;-),

The two comparison screenshots represent excellent examples. At present, I'm accustomed to seeing what is similar to the 'dish tv' example.

...so, if TVIX device does not use what my Sony DVR uses to get its EPG, then just where does the EPG comes from when connected to a cable system ?

...so, if TVIX device does not use what my Sony DVR uses to get its EPG, then just where does the EPG comes from when connected to a cable system ?Local broadcasters provide limited program information via PSIP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_and_System_Information_Protocol) on their digital off-air broadcasts. This is part of the over-the-air broadcast signal for each channel. Some broadcast channels provide 12-48 hours of program titles and limited program descriptions, while others provide more days of program titles, but no program descriptions.

Many cable companies take this information and pass it through. The TViX uses its inactive tuner (i.e. the one you aren't watching) to scan through these local channels and collect the program titles. That way, you can move the cursor to see what's on and upcoming for a different channel.

Being a much older product, your Sony does not support this PSIP information. The Sony relies on Rovi's TVGOS service, which sends a database of 8-days of program information (titles, descriptions, ratings, other details) via CBS datacast at several intervals throughout the day, which some cable companies convert and re-deliver via the VBI on an analog channel. Rovi charges CE manufacturers an upfront fee to use this service.

excellent reply - Thank you !! I now understand.

I'm looking to add a PVR unit to my system.An addition to the EPG in the M-6620N I would suggest using TitanTV, click here (http://www.titantv.com/) for site. Titan can be customized to your liking , it is free but you will need to setup an account. It has programing listed out to 14 days. For me, one of the better features is the ability to setup several “Channel Lineups”, setup and name customized searches. Also, if you have a compatible app (like that used by the MIT MDP-120/130 tuner cards) then just click the record button in Titan to enter the recording into your record schedule.

A sample shot of TitanTV:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2719/4248903505_1103cbafb7_b.jpg

A sample shot of TitanTV:

[screenshot] (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2719/4248903505_1103cbafb7_b.jpg)
That's known as a grid EPG. It's the same interface you get on 99% of cable and satellite STBs, as well as some other OTA recorders like the Sony DHD and TiVo. Some provide the genre highlighting and the ability to setup several channel lists, while others do not.

On these boxes, you typically hit 30sec skip to jump 24 hours ahead and replay to jump 24 hours back; you hit two other buttons to jump forward or back in 90-180 minute increments; some other button allows you to jump to a specific day and time.

Moxi, TiVo, FiOS, U-Verse, DirecTV, Dish Network, and a number of cable companies also provide a web guide and give you the option to schedule a DVR recording by clicking the "record" button in your web browser. Web guides like Zap2it.com and TVGuide.com also provide that option for compatible products.

Web guides like Zap2it.com and TVGuide.com also provide that option for compatible products.For me TitanTV is much more customizable than Zap2it or TVGuide. For example, look at the first line in the sample shot. That line represents HD programming from PBS via AMC 21 satellite (http://www.lyngsat.com/amc21.html), transponder 22, Program 3. I had to search for that inside TitanTV, add it to the channel list then I assigned it Channel 1 (it really does not have a physical channel).

For Terry or Kei

Have you used the M-6620N to play recordings made with the MIT MDP-120/130? As before but edited with HDTVtoMPEG? If true, was there any problems? Used the MIT MDP-120/130 to play recordings made with the M-6620N? Used HDTVtoMPEG to edit recordings made with the M-6620N?

If anyone else has done this then feel free to post your results.

I tried to connect wireles to my router and one time works perfect and when i tried to see a you tube video the tvix reset and i can´t connect to wireless again because if i go to settis network the tvix freeze and don´t let me configure again. Any suggestion?

Are you running the stock firmware, or did you update to the latest Beta posted by TPeterson above?

For Terry or Kei

Have you used the M-6620N to play recordings made with the MIT MDP-120/130? As before but edited with HDTVtoMPEG? If true, was there any problems? Used the MIT MDP-120/130 to play recordings made with the M-6620N? Used HDTVtoMPEG to edit recordings made with the M-6620N?

If anyone else has done this then feel free to post your results.Wendell--

Yes, yes, yes! It's all good. :)

There's one issue in all of this: H2M can't edit the .TP files from the Realtek-based PVRs (6620 or R-2210/3310) without filtering them first. See this DViCo FAQ (http://www.tvix.co.kr/ENG/faq/default.aspx?bserial=0&act=RD&pg=1&gText=TViX%20PVR&pSerial=31&id=303) for info on the free utility, StreamClip, needed to do the filtering (but note that you really don't need to install the Quicktime accessory unless you want to view the files in that filtering tool, which is unnecessary for the H2M editing).

A (hopefully) simple question for TPeterson...

You said, "Yes, the up/down arrow keys skip back/forward by a user-defined time jump in both file playback and timeshifting operation."

How does this user define the time jump amount?

I did RTFM, but could not find any description of how to change the skip interval. Similarly, I wandered through every menu I could find with no luck.

Since I will only use this feature to skip through multi-minute commercial breaks, I find the default value of 15 seconds to be ridiculously small.

kcurrier--

The ability to adjust the skip interval was added in the most recent firmware and its setup is documented in the release notes for that.

Basically, you increase/decrease the skip interval by pressing the right/left arrow keys while the OSD is on, indicting that the skip function is active. You'll see the OSD change to show the currently set skip value.

An addition to the EPG in the M-6620N I would suggest using TitanTV, click here (http://www.titantv.com/) for site. Titan can be customized to your liking , it is free but you will need to setup an account. It has programing listed out to 14 days. For me, one of the better features is the ability to setup several “Channel Lineups”, setup and name customized searches. Also, if you have a compatible app (like that used by the MIT MDP-120/130 tuner cards) then just click the record button in Titan to enter the recording into your record schedule.

Wendell - Question: Based on what you wrote, is my understading correct that I can use TitanTV listing to integrate with the TVIX unit - in other words, can I use it (TitanTV listing) to set my recordings on the TVIX unit ??

Thanks...

Wendell - Question: Based on what you wrote, is my understading correct that I can use TitanTV listing to integrate with the TVIX unit - in other words, can I use it (TitanTV listing) to set my recordings on the TVIX unit ??

Thanks...

No, you cannot. As it was explained earlier, the guide has to be licensed and become a pay service. TitanTV is proprietary and cannot be easily ported to a commercial device aside from the PC.

Well...hmm...you'll have to define "can use". You can certainly use TitanTV on your PC to discover what programs you want to record and then manually enter those on the TViX, which is IIUC what Wendell had in mind. But I suspect that you had in mind a more direct "use" in your question to Wendell.

Well...hmm...you'll have to define "can use". You can certainly use TitanTV on your PC to discover what programs you want to record and then manually enter those on the TViX, which is IIUC what Wendell had in mind. But I suspect that you had in mind a more direct "use" in your question to Wendell.

Thanks for that clarification.

For a moment, I thought it was somehow possible to leverage the TitanTV guide to record programs on TVIX.

In further understanding, the Reference to TitanTV was only made as a "lookup" tool to see what is available for recording, then to manually set the schedule via TVIX's EPG.

Actually, you would set up a manual recording, which doesn't involve any EPG.

In further understanding, the Reference to TitanTV was only made as a "lookup" tool to see what is available for recording, then to manually set the schedule via TVIX's EPG.That is correct, TitanTV was only mentioned because of the amount of information that it makes available.

If you are into OTA recordings you may want to enhance your options with a ATSC tuner card. My choice is the MIT MDP-120 or MDP-130, unfortunately they have been discontinued. They can still be found at some outlets. Kei Clark (Digital Connection) has the MDP-130 for $89.00 (that is a great price, I paid more than $250.00 for each of my MDP-120s), there is a daughter card available but I do not see it listed at DC. The daughter card has a DVI output that can be used with video devices that has a DVI and/or HDMI input(s). Click here (http://www.digitalconnection.com/products/video/mdp130.asp) for info. If you are interested there are some threads on these devices in the HTPC section.

On average I record about 7 hours worth of shows weekly, this I do on my office PC. These shows are edited with HDTV2MPEG, saved to a USB 160GB pocket drive (2.5") and played back on the HTPC which is connected to the JVC projector. The MDP has a TitanTV helper app, I just select the program in TitanTV and click the Record button which pops up the app (see below). I may add to the program name to include the episode title or if two shows are back-to-back I will set the record length to 2 hours (I usually start recording 1 minute till the hour and set the duration for 1 hour and 2 minutes for a 1 hour show).

I am looking into getting a M-6620N for the better half so she can record her daytime shows on it. She could also use it to playback shows from the pocket drive or from the other 2TB worth of hard drives we have.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2797/4256914596_63bcac7d9d_o.png

On average I record about 7 hours worth of shows weekly, this I do on my office PC. These shows are edited with HDTV2MPEG, saved to a USB 160GB pocket drive (2.5") and played back on the HTPC which is connected to the JVC projector. The MDP has a TitanTV helper app, I just select the program in TitanTV and click the Record button which pops up the app (see below). I may add to the program name to include the episode title or if two shows are back-to-back I will set the record length to 2 hours (I usually start recording 1 minute till the hour and set the duration for 1 hour and 2 minutes for a 1 hour show).You just took a time warp back to 2005-2006. ;) PC recording functionality has improved dramatically since record solutions like that were released.

If one were adding a PC tuner card now, they would do well to run Windows7, SageTV, or BeyondTV. Every copy of Windows7 Home Premium includes a license to the Tribune guide data -- more accurate than TitanTV -- as well as DVR software comparable in functionality to a TiVo (without the fees). In other aspects of media center functionality, such as PC video and music playback, this software is superior to TiVo.

These solutions provide the name-based recording (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1099071#namebased) popularized by TiVo, which largely eliminates the need for traditional timers. They offer "season passes" as well as a more limited implementation of wishlists (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=879469#wishlist_tips). You can see a brief video demo of the DVR software in Windows7 here (http://www.viddler.com/explore/engadget/videos/503/0.836). One feature you'll get with Windows Media Center, but not with any commercial product like TiVo, is automatic commercial skip. This works on recordings, as well as recordings-in-progress viewed as they record. Automatic commercial skip is provided with a third-party add-on; setup instructions here (http://hd.engadget.com/2009/10/22/how-to-automatically-skip-commercials-in-windows-7-media-center/).

There are many that don't want a PC in their living room, or don't want a PC running 24/7 with a remote extender in their living room. Others don't want the hassle of initial setup. That's why standalone products like the TViX exist.

There are many that don't want a PC in their living room, or don't want a PC running 24/7 with a remote extender in their living room. Others don't want the hassle of initial setup. That's why standalone products like the TViX exist.

...and I agree with Wendell that a PC based recording can offer greater flexibility in term of scheduling tools such as TitanTV or SageTV, or that fact Windows7 itself. Given that, ultimately, the biggest reason for my consideration of TVIX is exactly what you stated... the thought of running a PC 24/7.

That being said, I do have an HTPC setup in my room, which at present, serves as my media/jukebox machine. I am ripping all my CDs onto it. In addition, I use it to stream various TV shows as it is connected to my 52" LCD screen. In addition, it allows me to use VLC to play various files (AVI, MKV, ISO etc). By adding a TV Tuner to it, I can certainly do my recordings on it but the biggest downfall (in my opinion) of using a PC as a PVR is having the to keep it running all the time.

By adding a TV Tuner to it, I can certainly do my recordings on it but the biggest downfall (in my opinion) of using a PC as a PVR is having the to keep it running all the time.With a modern PC, Windows 7 will "sleep" and wakeup for scheduled recordings. This wasn't always reliable under Vista, but it seems to work much better under Windows 7. If you have a relatively new HTPC in your living room, with the appropriate graphics card to view HD, then I see no reason not to go that route for OTA.

Media Center's sleep may not have been reliable in WinV, but Windows ACPI support has been reliable enough since at least Windows 2000 to support HTPC operation of other HT software, including the MyHD that Wendell mentioned as well as several other options. So there's absolutely no need to run an HTPC 24/7 for PVR duties. There are also numerous options for TiVo-like recording scheduling. (I'll put in a plug here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659993) for the one that I'm involved with, which supports MyHD, FusionHDTV, and HD Homerun tuners. :))

However, in terms of optimal HT experience, there's a lot to be said for a solution such as the 6620, which is easier to setup and operate than a PC, consumes less power than any PC when running, and is quieter than all but the most-carefully built of "silent" PCs. The 6620 can be used by anyone for one-off recordings or simple daily/weekly scheduled recordings and it does a superb job of playing back TV shows (via LAN or Wendell's sneaker-net USB HDD) captured via any of the PC tuner options (except Media Center's stupid DRM-inspired format, which needs translation first).

You just took a time warp back to 2005-2006. ;) PC recording functionality has improved dramatically since record solutions like that were released.Speaking of time warps I procured (at work 1999?) a Hauppauge Computer Works ATSC tuner card when they first hit the market (no recording functions). When the MIT MDP-100 made the scene (2001?) I procured 12 at work and one personally. I used to upgrade my computers when new hardware came along but in the last few years I have not been inclined to do so. So yes, I am using old hardware (based on ASUS P4P800–E Deluxe motherboards) and Windows XP.

It is pretty rare that I miss a scheduled recording because MyIRC fails to wake-up the computer from Standby.

The OTA recording process really is easy compared to recording from satellite. To do that requires one set setup batch files, an example looks like this:

MD E:\PBS\Nova\Building_Pharaoh's_Ship.TP
START TSReader -R 9216 3 E:\PBS\Building_Pharaoh's_Ship\Building_Pharaoh's_Ship.TP 3720 12140 0 30000 10750 1 {1}

Then you have to use Windows Task Scheduler to schedule your recordings. Its not too much trouble to do scheduled satellite recordings after you create all your batch files and fix Shortcuts to them for easy editing

With a modern PC, Windows 7 will "sleep" and wakeup for scheduled recordings. This wasn't always reliable under Vista, but it seems to work much better under Windows 7. If you have a relatively new HTPC in your living room, with the appropriate graphics card to view HD, then I see no reason not to go that route for OTA.

Thanks for that tip about Windows 7 sleep mode and 'waking' up for the recording. That may change my direction.

Yes, I have all the right gear installed in my HTPC, including an HDMI output video card. I have another PC with windows 7 in my office, and a happauge digital tuner card which I use to watch TV occasionally. I'm hooked up to my charter communications cable and able to pick up the HD broadcast channels. I can only do all that in the 'media center' mode. Previously, I had never thought of using Win7 as a PVR....I'll have to think this through more carefully and see my options. As stated above, the biggest concern had been to keep that PC running but if windows 7 brings better 'wakeup' capability - then I should look to leverage that.

I lost abilty to time shift with 1.9.34.b4. I can still record shows with no problem as long as I leave the Tivx box on but if I try and pause or rewind I get "No Space" message???

What gives?

DK--

Try running the check disk utility in Setup.

DK--

Try running the check disk utility in Setup.

That is the first thing I ran... is it supposed to show some kind of results at the end of the check?

There's no summary report, but there is an "OK" notice that it completed successfully.

From your symptoms, it sounds as though the HDD is not happy so if the internal HDD check doesn't fix it, I'd then try connecting the box to a PC as an external USB drive and running Windows' Chkdsk on it too.

I lost abilty to time shift with 1.9.34.b4. I can still record shows with no problem as long as I leave the Tivx box on but if I try and pause or rewind I get "No Space" message???

What gives?Is the hard drive full from previous recordings?

There's no summary report, but there is an "OK" notice that it completed successfully.

From your symptoms, it sounds as though the HDD is not happy so if the internal HDD check doesn't fix it, I'd then try connecting the box to a PC as an external USB drive and running Windows' Chkdsk on it too.

I will give that a shot. I take it NTSF is the best format for the drive? That is what mine is currently formatted at.

Is the hard drive full from previous recordings?

Not at all. It is a 500GB drive (brand new) with only one show on it.

I can start manual recording with no problem and it will start recording it and I can go back and watch them with out any problem what so ever. It is only giving me problems when I try and time shift.

It is only giving me problems when I try and time shift.Did you try setting the Timeshift buffer to a smaller size (shorter max time)?

I lost abilty to time shift with 1.9.34.b4. I can still record shows with no problem as long as I leave the Tivx box on but if I try and pause or rewind I get "No Space" message???

What gives?

You should change to Beta 1.9.4B4 that Terry linked. From 1.9.3B4 you can use the automatic beta update, the instructions are at the link.

(I see I probably mistook which version you are using).

The version he says he's using doesn't exist. ;)

Did you try setting the Timeshift buffer to a smaller size (shorter max time)?

30 min is the smallest that I see which is what I tried. but no go.

You should change to Beta 1.9.4B4 that Terry linked. From 1.9.3B4 you can use the automatic beta update, the instructions are at the link.

(I see I probably mistook which version you are using).

Ahh.. I see I am not up to date and missed that 1.9.4 version. I was indeed running 1.9.3

Downloading the 1.9.4 now and will report back.....

DK--

If you should still have the problem with the new fw, try setting the Timeshift buffer to other sizes. (I don't know what's going on, but the error message that you mention indicates a problem with HDD free space and it's possible that changing the buffer size--not necessarily decreasing it--will correct a bogus value and get you unstuck)

DK--

If you should still have the problem with the new fw, try setting the Timeshift buffer to other sizes. (I don't know what's going on, but the error message that you mention indicates a problem with HDD free space and it's possible that changing the buffer size--not necessarily decreasing it--will correct a bogus value and get you unstuck)

I do not see a Timeshift buffer size. If you mean TimesShift Duration, I have tried all of them and it still does not let me pause live TV. I can record, and now since I have upgraded I can record two channels at once (before it would only let me record one station) and I can play them back fine. But it will not let me pause or rewind live Tv... like it just will not buffer anything.

It is also rebooting on me alot again since I updated to 1.9.4. when I go from being in the setup menu and then try to go back to HDTV it will just power off and I then have to turn it back on with either the power button or HDTV button.

Also the only way I can get it to record once it reboots is to delete one of my test recordings and then it will let me record again.

Perhaps I should format the drive again???

It says Disk check completed "OK" (that you click on) when I run the "Check Internal Drive"

Yes, Timeshift Duration == Timeshift buffer size.

It does sound as though the HDD formatting is messed up. I suggest that you examine it by connecting to a PC and trying Chkdsk. Otherwise, you could reformat and see if that fixes the problem.

Yes, Timeshift Duration == Timeshift buffer size.

It does sound as though the HDD formatting is messed up. I suggest that you examine it by connecting to a PC and trying Chkdsk. Otherwise, you could reformat and see if that fixes the problem.

Pulled the drive and connected to PC. Formatting as we speak. Just NTSF should work fine right?

I did look at it before I formatted and it did have some strange things on it. Like I did find a file called timeshiftbuffer??? It had a date on it from last month so it was not accessing it that is for sure.

You didn't have to "pull" the drive. You can simply connect the TViX to your PC via USB!

After you finish formatting on the PC, delete all the partitions before you put it back into the TViX and then let the TViX format it again (which won't take so long as the PC's formatting, since I gather from your post that you didn't choose Quick Format there) and install the default folders.

There is no format called "NTSF" AFAIK. Perhaps you mean "NTFS"? That is the preferred format (although I understand that EXT also works well on these Linux boxes).

You didn't have to "pull" the drive. You can simply connect the TViX to your PC via USB!

After you finish formatting on the PC, delete all the partitions before you put it back into the TViX and then let the TViX format it again (which won't take so long as the PC's formatting, since I gather from your post that you didn't choose Quick Format there) and install the default folders.

There is no format called "NTSF" AFAIK. Perhaps you mean "NTFS"? That is the preferred format (although I understand that EXT also works well on these Linux boxes).

NTFS... yes.. was typing to fast... ;-)

I did what you said... I deleted all partitions and put it back into the TVIX to let it format it. It put a 200MB partition on it that is protected but left the rest of the drive unpartitioned??? (I pulled it back out to look at it to see what the TVIX did to it. Anyway it still lets me record to the drive but will not let me time shift?

What do you mean "protected"? The TViX should have formatted the entire drive. Something must be wrong with that drive.

What do you mean "protected"? The TViX should have formatted the entire drive. Something must be wrong with that drive.

Well T, you were right. I was using a 500GB drive that I had used connected to my iMac for a short while. I just tried a 2TB drive and it came up and actually asked if I wanted to format it when I when into the TViX menu for recorded shows and then it formatted the entire drive and then I could pause live TV.

Good call. :o

Thanks for the update.

For those not familiar with the media player portion of the M6620N and cover art, it's created with a third party program that can retrieve movie and music information for stored video that makes it easy to use for significant others. Photos below:

DVD menu
http://www.digitalconnection.com/images/M6600N_movies.jpg

Movie info
http://www.digitalconnection.com/images/M6600N_info.jpg

Albums menu
http://www.digitalconnection.com/images/M6600N_music.jpg

Above were created with TVixiE (http://www.tvixie.com/)

Now how do I get my 6620 to do cover art like that??? VERY COOL!

What do you mean "protected"? The TViX should have formatted the entire drive. Something must be wrong with that drive.

Just wanted to give another update on what I found out about that protected partition on the 500GB drive I was having troubles with.

I did some google'ing and found : http://blog.paulgu.com/2008/01/06/how-to-delete-gpt-protective-partition/

So once I followed the instructions to get that GPT partition out of there and then put the drive back into the TViX I had zero issues with time shifting, after off course the TViX did a proper formatting of the drive.

I am not sure how that GPT protected partition got on the drive but I would imagine that it had something to do with when I was using it connected to my iMac and possibly Time Machine backup.

Now how do I get my 6620 to do cover art like that??? VERY COOL!

You have to download TVIXIE and install on the PC. It puts the actual art/data in a folder where your movie is located (if your movies are all in one folder, you'll have to create individual folders). It's easy to use, but feel free to PM me if you have question.

You have to download TVIXIE and install on the PC. It puts the actual art/data in a folder where your movie is located (if your movies are all in one folder, you'll have to create individual folders). It's easy to use, but feel free to PM me if you have question.

Thanks Kei that worked very nicely. Takes a bit of time to setup but once you have them all loaded it looks very nice and the synopsis it a great touch.

I am having some issues with streaming BD rips from the server to the TViX. They start playing just fine but after a few minutes they start to break up/ Stutter. Anyone else have streaming issues with BD .m2ts files?

Thanks Kei that worked very nicely. Takes a bit of time to setup but once you have them all loaded it looks very nice and the synopsis it a great touch.

I am having some issues with streaming BD rips from the server to the TViX. They start playing just fine but after a few minutes they start to break up/ Stutter. Anyone else have streaming issues with BD .m2ts files?

What are you streaming from, and are you using SMB or NFS?

You won't receive analog SD channels (i.e. 1-82), because the TViX does not have an analog tuner. The TViX only has digital tuners; you should receive SD versions of local and public interest channels via QAM, but most cable companies encrypt the digital versions of their cable channels.

If you want to receive TNT, USA, AMC, SyFy, CNN, etc with most providers, then you bought the wrong box. For that, you would need the Moxi ($499 w/ no fees) or the TivoHD ($220 + fees or $600+ w/o fees).

Why do you suggest the moxi or tivohd? Because they support a cable card to do the decription? In the SF bay area (comcast), those station are all unencrypted. I haven't got a 6620 yet, but it should be able to tune unencrypted QAM just fine, right?

Right!

I haven't got a 6620 yet, but it should be able to tune unencrypted QAM just fine, right?Comcast plans to encrypt all non-local cable channels in the SF Bay area later this year, potentially within the next two months.

At that point, you'll receive only the locals and public interest channels (ex: CSPAN) via unencrypted QAM.

That's what one is legally entitled to receive when subscribing to Basic Cable anyway. It's all I expect for my $15/mo.

What are you streaming from, and are you using SMB or NFS?

Samba.

ISTR that jerkiness of BD streaming over SMB is a known issue in the DViCo release notes. They recommend using their NFS server on your PC.

Samba.

As commented by Terry above, NFS is recommended for BD playback. You can download and install Netshare from DVICO's site to use NFS. If using NAS or something other than a PC, see if it supports NFS.

Hello. I have the TVIX PVR R-2210 and use it primarily as a DVR recording my fave shows OTA. The EPG Guide, display and overall performance of the machine is excellent!

However the R-2210 only has one tuner and am hoping to upgrade to the TVIX M6620N with dual tuners so I can record two shows when they are on at the same time. Does anyone know where I can buy this online?

I bought the R-2210 on ebay for a steal but finding the M6620N is impossible.

Thanks if anyone could help!

1138s, try clicking on the link to Digital Connection one post above yours. :D

Wow! Thanks TPeterson!

Is Digital Connection the only place that sells these machines here in the U.S.?

It's the only one that regularly supports us here on AVS Forum. :D

Thanks if anyone could help!Normally I would suggest someone do research and purchase from a vendor they feel comfortable with. In the case of Digital Connection I have no problem in recommending them to you. I have purchased several items from Kei for personal use and quite a few items, via the agency, for use at the broadcast and production center. Some of these items were purchased quite a few years ago which means Digital Connection has been here for sometime now.

Please note, I do not yet own a M6620N so I will not comment on it.

As commented by Terry above, NFS is recommended for BD playback. You can download and install Netshare from DVICO's site to use NFS. If using NAS or something other than a PC, see if it supports NFS.

Kei and TP,

Thank you both, NFS seems to have fix it as I am having no hickup's with Bluray playback now.

So... the big question is...... When do we get DTS MA, Dolby True HD and PCM Lossless audio thru this TViX????

Also, thank you Kei for the info on the Cover Art program.. I have it all setup and it looks very cool on the 130" screen and now everyone can just read the synopsis about the movie and decide which one they want to watch.

So... the big question is...... When do we get DTS MA, Dolby True HD and PCM Lossless audio thru this TViX????

Also, thank you Kei for the info on the Cover Art program.. I have it all setup and it looks very cool on the 130" screen and now everyone can just read the synopsis about the movie and decide which one they want to watch.

HD Audio is work in progress, but it's unlikely to ever do bitstreaming...maybe LPCM.

Did you get the latest TViXiE 1.3.0 with fan art?

HD Audio is work in progress, but it's unlikely to ever do bitstreaming...maybe LPCM.

Did you get the latest TViXiE 1.3.0 with fan art?

Yes, 1.3.0 is the version I downloaded. Works very well. Thank you again.

-Mark

I've been using Divco and Sigma USB tuners for a few years now and had good results. I'd like a dedicated record device but not sure whether to go with a dedicated PC or a device like this. Obviously there are advantages to both, but I have a few questions. Sorry if they have already been addressed.

On the Divco site it says that two channels can be recorded simultaneously, but on Direct Connection's site it mentions recording one channel while watching another. Can it record two programs simultaneously, and if so can both be recorded with separate timers? Also if it has this capability how reliable are the recording? Does recording two streams load the processing excessively?

How stable is the firmware now? If set to do a recording how reliable is it (short of external problems like power or reception issues) to make the recording(s)? I've read about reset problems, but they seem to occur when changing menus or channels. If there is a momentary reception problem during the recording, will it just pick up when the errors are cleared?

RSF_LA--

Yes, the 6620N has two completely independent tuners and recording schedules. Simultaneous recording of two channels is not a problem for the processor.

I'd like to say that the firmware is stable, but there is a nasty, random reset bug in the current beta version's DTV section, so I can't make that claim yet. That bug is alleged to be fixed in the next firmware, so I'm hopeful that it will be gone but I'll hold final judgment until I've seen it for myself. Aside from that one issue, the PVR performance seems to me to be reliable (and DViCo's past claims about fixing bugs have also been pretty reliable).

RSF_LA--

Yes, the 6620N has two completely independent tuners and recording schedules. Simultaneous recording of two channels is not a problem for the processor.

I'd like to say that the firmware is stable, but there is a nasty, random reset bug in the current beta version's DTV section, so I can't make that claim yet. That bug is alleged to be fixed in the next firmware, so I'm hopeful that it will be gone but I'll hold final judgment until I've seen it for myself. Aside from that one issue, the PVR performance seems to me to be reliable (and DViCo's past claims about fixing bugs have also been pretty reliable).

Glad you mentioned the reset bug. Mine also will reset.. or it is just powering itself off... can not remember now... but it only seems to do it when in the DTV section. I was able to watch an entire BR stream from server with no issues so at least that section seems to be stable.

New beta 1.9.6b7 has been released, for those who are able to perform the upgrade via the TVIX, be sure to go to the beta firmware page (by pressing remote keys 2, 3, 8, 2, and "function"), or you can download it here:

http://demod.dvico.com/PreRelease/tvix_6600_1.9.6_B7.zip

I've only tested the OTA HDTV mode for the last hour so it's too early to comment. Below is the change log:

[Changes]
[ Multimedia Player/ System]
Supports MP3 album art
Supports image contained at ID3 tag
If an image exists on the folder where MP3 file resides, it will show as a album art.
Enhances Device Selection Pop-up window (This dialog will pop-up when you press “GOTO” button on file browser)
You can select variable USB devices, not as a fixed form
At device selection dialog-box, you can select device category by “left” and “right” button, you can select partition or USB devices by “up” and “down” button
Up-to 6 USB devices can be selectable.
Supports TERRET USB device
Up to 6 USB devices can be detected. (It was 2 devices before)
You can use USB2.0 to eSATA cable when you’re using eSATA terret.
Supports Swedish and Greek language at setup.
Fixes cyclic rebooting problem after power off.
Fixes reverse ordered ID3 tag information problem.
Fixes MKV internal subtitle abnormal tinting problem
Fixes the aspect-ratio update problem of setup.

[PVR PART]
Supports recorded stream cut-editing function for transport stream
This function can be run at background ( You can still use DTV or file playback while editing function running)
Only supports .tp / .ts / .m2ts file extension
To use “editing function”
Press “GOTO” button to enter editing mode when playback transport stream file You can notice “EDIT” button enabled on the right-bottom side
Press “Previous” or “VOL +/-“ remote button to MARK-IN or press “Next” or “CH +/-“ to MARK-OUT, then select “SAVE” button on window.
The file will be saved as <<original_filename>>_tvix1.tp
For the detailed usage, please refer the below link:
http://www.tvix.co.kr/ENG/faq/default.aspx?bserial=0&act=RD&pg=1&gText=TViX%20PVR&pSerial=38&id=399

Fixes cyclic scheduled recording problem. (Sometimes, it’s missing)
Fixes Czech’s ETT information problem

[ Network/ UPnP]
Supports Wi-Fi 11n USB dongle based on Ralink RT3070 chipset.
(We only supports WPA setting at this moment)

[Known Issues]
[Limitations & Known issues of current firmware Rev 1.8.5]

[Player part]

[PVR part]
Dual recording will stop on ATSC if recording time is more than 2 hours each. (DVB-T is O.K.

Comment on Beta software:

Please note that this is beta. I am specifically seeking input on how the OTA and QAM functions and whether users are seeing any problems with the HDTV section.

While the software seems to have fixed some issues, I have found that it has broken Blu-Ray playback, so if you are using it to playback ripped files, you may want to stay with the previous firmware.

I'm just wading in to this product forum now. (I've had DVICO USB HD tuners for years, though.) One problem I see is that there is only one RF connection, so recording from both sources could be a problem. Has anyone paired this unit with something like an HDHomeRun to increase the tuner and source count?

Hi,

1)
I still encounter some instability problems when using the Record List and from this list is trying to play a record.

2) HDTV is still not running without some pixelations, and drop outs in sound on HD TV. Besides I find the sensivity of the two tuners to low compared to internal TV tuners.
There are still some "dumps" in picture frames, during HD TV.

I guess Dvico has a lot of home work to do on the tuner section, before performance is acceptable.

3)
Time Shift on HDTV sometimes still results in gray screen.

4)
I am still missing AC-3 from HDTV channels.

5) Blu-ray from folder-structure can still be played, but horisontal panning on the video results stille in some small hacks in picture.
Playing BD from NAS server (ReadyNAS) works still very well, no glicthces.

6) Subtitles from DBT is still not supported. In Denmark this means that the channel TV2 broadcasts are without subtitles. Soon also all the other channels....

7) Replay possibility during record is still a huge missing point...

Regards
Kim K

Revision3 gives a brief mention of this product. Check out the video segment entitled "Take 2: OTA HDTV Without A PC" on HD Nation.
http://revision3.com/hdnation/coenbros#rev3Player

Show says that this is very rare product -it is one of only 2 or 3 current set-top DVRs with OTA tuners that does not require a sub from cable, phone, tivo, or satellite. Reading this thread, there seems to be some kinks that need to be worked out, unit's cpu may be underpowered, no cable card option, limited internet sites, and support for linux is nonexistent. Still, I salute the effort and will be watching software and hardware updates to see how product progresses. The do all set top box is evolving, albeit at a painfully slow pace.

I got my M-6620N from Digital Connection delivered last Tuesday and have been tweaking with it since. I'm a repeat customer of Digital Connection, having bought an M-5000A from them a long time ago that I'm still using on another TV.

Here are my thoughts and concerns on the M-6620N thus far just in case anyone's thinking about making this leap:

1. Overall impression: Very pleased. There are still a few quirks that may bug some non-technical folks but if you understand some of the things this box is trying to do, I think you'd appreciate it more. My main goal in going this route is that I wanted to stop giving money to my cable company (Cox in San Diego). Although it's been pretty decent, I must say I can't see the value in it anymore. I had their bundle service for TV, high speed internet, and basic digital phone. With an HD DVR and renting two tuner boxes, my bill was roughly $165 a month. The cable channels I would watch included NFL Network, Food Network and some cable news (CNN). But now I'm paying only $81 a month (up to $89 come March 16th) for the basic broadcast HD channels (Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, WB, C-Span and a local independent) and I find I don't really miss the other channels... especially when I'm saving about $80 a month. The savings will pay for the M-6620N and hard drive in about 6-7 months max.

2. My configuration: Very basic Cox Cable in San Diego to provide the HD feeds of the local channels. I may move to OTA antenna at some point and save myself the $17 a month ($2 increase begins on March 16th). Panasonic 50" plasma and Sony 57" LCD. The M-6620N has a 2TB Hitachi drive installed, formatted as NTFS.

3. Firmware: I've ran both the shipped released firmware (for like a day while I was testing it) and both beta versions (1.9.4 B4 and 1.9.6 B7). Right now I'm on the 1.9.6 B7 version. What I find a little annoying is that every time you change firmware version, your recordings are erased and you have to re-scan your HDTV channels. I wish the device would save that info to the hard drive to make it a bit easier. It's an annoyance but I can live with that.

4. Jukebox function: Seems fine, for the most part. The machine will shutdown though on a large media library in anything but list mode (icon mode, preview or cover art mode). This happens for sure in both beta firmware versions. I'm not sure about the released shipping firmware. I may flash it back to that version and try it. My library is pretty large (about 360 HD movies, mostly in 720p format and I have more on two 2TB archive hard drives that I can shuffle to the machine if I wanted to). As far as I can tell, only the Movie function will cause the shutdown since I don't have photo folders or music folders with that many items in them. I didn't have this problem with icon mode on my M-5000A (still running). Hopefully they'll address this as I've submitted a note to Dvico on this. There are other minor things in the jukebox UI such as some functions will return you to the hard drive folder view rather than the slick UI that I really like for the most part.

5. Tuner port runs hot: I'm not sure if I'm the only one with this issue or if other M-6620N owners can verify this, but the tuner coaxial IN port (where you connect your cable TV line or the coaxial from your antenna) runs very hot after a few hours of use (like 4 hours). Hot enough that I was very concerned about it when I went to unscrew the coaxial cable just now. I don't think running that hot is good for the device long term.

6. Sparse instruction manual: The paper manual is thick and heavy. But it doesn't tell you that much information since most of it is actually translations into other languages. The paper manual just tells you how to basically get the unit up and running. Other things like how to actually use the device is in the PDF manual located on the included CD (so don't throw it away!). I wish I knew to consult that initially when doing an HDTV channel scan. I couldn't figure out how to make it delete channels I didn't want from the lineup until I read the manual on the CD (Tip: Press GoTo to get your channel list, then the up/down/left/right navigation control to the channel you want to add/delete and then press the Add/Delete key). It was easy after I read what the steps were but I wouldn't have necessarily thought of that at first glance.

7. PVR functions: From my week of use, seems to work well enough. EPG for Fox-HD in San Diego seems to come in Chinese but that's not a biggie. I've been able to take recordings off of it and transcode them to a 720p format in a MKV container for later use and reducing storage requirements down to 16% of the original .TP 1080p file size. I wish it saved it in a .TS container since it would work easier in my current workflow but it's not too bad compared to what I had to do to make an MKV out of HD recordings from my cable box PVR. So all in all a positive.

Anyways, I'm sure I'll have more feedback after I've lived with it a while but so far so good. I'd love to hear what other owners think of their box.

Hi,

I’m planning to buy TViX 6620N but after reading all the post I’m still in doubt. What I want to do with the TViX is to record from cable, I have basic cable with Comcast. I bought a HDTV (Samsung LN32B640, ASTC and QAM tuners) and I’m connecting the cable directly to the HDTV, with this I’m getting the open channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS) in High Definition, also I’m able to see CNN, FX, Food Network, among others some in HD.
Basically I want to be able to record all the channels, schedule recordings during the day or night, watch TV while recording a channel. Record in HD with the sound quality the program is broadcasted.
Additionally I will like to watch videos that are in my computer


In a lot of post it is mentioned that the TViX doesn’t pick “Analog Channels” I’m confuse because since last year in the US we have only digital channels, is there an explanation for this? How can I know which are “Analog Channels”

Something I noticed is that there is only one tuner input I guess for the cable, then you connect the TViX to the HDTV via hdmi, is this correct?

capf--

The M6620N will record all of the channels that your HDTV is showing you now. When the premium channels disappear from your HDTV (and they will eventually) the TViX will no longer be able to record them also. It supports all the modes that you describe. But I should caution, even though you didn't explicitly mention this, that it doesn't do timeshifting of live TV while it's recording something.

Analog channels are still present on many cable TV feeds today, which is why folks are asking about such. (BTW, the R3310 TViX does have an NTSC tuner and can record from analog as well as QAM channels)

Regarding hookup, yes, you connect your cable directly to both TViX and your HDTV (using an ordinary cable splitter) and then also connect the TViX HDMI output to the TV's (or AVR's) HDMI input.

Hi to everyone is reading that therad :)
I'm a new user and my name is Stefano.
Recently I bought a DVICO Tvix 6600N plus its double HD DVB-T tuner.

My question is: Why this device is so slow when connected with any 11g AP?

Thanks for any reply.
Stefano

The speed of the TViX over WiFi depends critically on the quality of the rf link. In any case, I would not expect acceptable performance of HD video streaming over 11g. You really need to have an 11N link for that. 11g is OK only for DVD-quality streams.

well...typically a good 11g Wi-Fi connection can easily reach 18-20 Mbps that is the very same average speed that the M-6600 can have with respect to an 11n AP.
Don't you think that there is something wrong with its F/W??

No, I don't think that the issue is with the firmware. "Average" speed is just that--an average. For video streaming, the important number is the minimum speed during the session. WiFi links often suffer a lot from intermittent RFI that lowers their instantaneous transport speeds.

As a follow up to my initial comments and observations of my M-6620N, I put together a video review of most of the major features of this device so you can see it for yourself. I had to hook it up to my Hauppauge HD-PVR but alas with only the analog video output. So the video you see here is 1) lower resolution and 2) may display interlacing in certain parts. Rest assure the actual unit displays full 1080p resolution if your display supports it. In other words, it looks awesome.

I hope this helps you guys doing research on this product to decide if it would work for you.

http://vimeo.com/9404577

As a follow up to my initial comments and observations of my M-6620N, I put together a video review of most of the major features of this device so you can see it for yourself. I had to hook it up to my Hauppauge HD-PVR but alas with only the analog video output. So the video you see here is 1) lower resolution and 2) may display interlacing in certain parts. Rest assure the actual unit displays full 1080p resolution if your display supports it. In other words, it looks awesome.

I hope this helps you guys doing research on this product to decide if it would work for you.

http://vimeo.com/9404577

Hey, that was very cool of you to provide that! I did not know we had subtitle shift ability on this unit!!! Where were you when I was watching The The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons on my 2.35:1 projection system in my theater... I could not read most of the captions during both movies which made it a little harder to follow! Looks like I will be watching both again! ;)

Thanks for the hard work, and the good over view of features. My favorite is the cover art for all my HD movies with the synopsis added in there for good measure!

I'm with DK: Nice work Phuoc! That video gives a good feel for using the device to those who've not seen it. Thanks a lot!

I'm with DK: Nice work Phuoc! That video gives a good feel for using the device to those who've not seen it. Thanks a lot!

You're all very welcome!

Is it possible to add discrete on and discrete off commands (for use with a Harmony remote, or similar)? If so, I request it in a future firmware update.

Leporello, I believe that the codes are already supported (but not well documented). I know that they already existed in the M4100 firmware and I expect that they have been retained in all subsequent ones. Google is your friend. Check, for example, this thread (http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-discrete/thread.cgi?4866) for some discussion of the subject.

Alternatively, you can take the coward's way out that I do with the Harmony and simply use the MOVIE key as "on" and the powertoggle key for "off".

Hello,

I have been trying to figure out who to change the menu language on my 6620. I just received it in the mail from Korea and the setting to change the language is greyed out. I tried reseting the device by selecting "load default settings" but have had no luck. The manual says I should be prompted with a screen asking me to select a language after resetting but it just loads the menu screen (still showing in Korean).

I also tried updating the firmware to 1.9.6B7_Beta from the website but still have had no luck.

I am hoping there is some way to do a hard reset so that I can actually read the device in English rather than Korean :(

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Tony