Beyond furious. They apparently deleted 10 of my saved HD recordings. Under Recording Log, it displays the show and says "deleted to make space for new recording", which is ridiculous because, as of last night, there was plenty of available space. In addition, in the Show List, there is a listing for Unknown 16 with a Star next to it. The idiot on the phone was useless. I am waiting for a supervisor but that will be useless too. Is there a space difference between Passport and Mystro such that it would delete 10 recordings???

I have had it. I am getting TiVo, which I can also use with Fios.

Don't blame ya! Look at the list of "to be recorded" programs. If, for some reason they added tons of them, that's why some recorded stuff got deleted. Also, of your recorded stuff, how much overall was there? And what was the mix of SD and HD? They say the drive holds 20 hrs. of HD, but I think in reality it's less. Then again, Passport had to hold onto a lot of disc space for 2 always running buffers, something MDN doesn't appear to do much of at all.

Did you try looking at that mystery recording? Wild chance, but COULD it be your 10 recordings lumped together?

I don’t have QAM...but i =do= continue having the 8300HD box...is there any point in me trading in the 8300 for the Sammy 3090? Are there improvements in PQ, something tangible like that? :confused:

My hard drive has acted up at times recently... I figured it was the right time (nothing unwatched on the DVR - already was going to need to re-schedule a bunch of my series recordings that aren't going right now)

There were 16 one hour HD recordings, of which the upgrade deleted 10. I can't get into the mystery recording; when I press select, it takes me to the live broadcast and starts recording it. There was 1 show which was mysteriously set to be recorded - the movie, Big, on HBO (and I cut my HBO service so who knows how it got there). The supervisor had no clue whether anything could be fixed but gave me 3 months of free dvr service and is sending a tech on Monday, who will be useless. Interestingly, I have 3 dvrs. The same thing happened to another dvr, which erased 8 SD programs. The 3rd dvr did not get the upgrade at all so programs recorded there are still intact.

I ordered 1 HD TiVo this morning and will install it next week. If it works well, I will buy another in anticipation of moving to Fios, which I am working to bring into my building now. The Fios dvr is not supposed to be great so a TiVo would probably be a good idea anyway - plus, this way I can take my programs over to Fios with me.

I just traded in my 8300HD box for a Sammy 3090.

Now that I can't manually tune into any QAM/Ch like I could on the old 8300 software, there was no point in keeping the box... since I'd have to set up about half of my series recordings anyways.

It was a great 4 years.

Thought you'd live with MDN for a while before going for a new box... did you call first or just hop on down to 23rd street? Did you insist on a 3090, or did they only have 3090s to give out? Time of day you got there?

I'm officially mystified... I still have not been MDNed. BUT after Lisa's horror about recordings being deleted, I at least got a chance to write down what I have (10 hrs of SD, about 7 of HD).

Thought you'd live with MDN for a while before going for a new box... did you call first or just hop on down to 23rd street? Did you insist on a 3090, or did they only have 3090s to give out? Time of day you got there?

I'm officially mystified... I still have not been MDNed. BUT after Lisa's horror about recordings being deleted, I at least got a chance to write down what I have (10 hrs of SD, about 7 of HD).

I was there around 11am - didn't wait long - they just gave me a brand new 3090 - didn't ask for it specifically. No need to call in advance. (I did call beforehand this morning for an unrelated reason and there was a message at the start warning people in Manhattan that their boxes may be unavailable between 10am and noon for a software upgrade)

You may want to write down your series recordings.... you're going to lose a bunch of those...

I think I found the answer for why my recordings were deleted. Buried deep in the new menus under Series Manager is "Save at Most" and the DEFAULT is "Last 7 episodes" instead of "All Episodes" or something similar. Since I was saving daily episodes of a soap opera, the operating system deleted all of the recordings but for the last 7 episodes. This was NOT the case with the Series Manager under Passport where the default was "Save until Manually Erased".

You may want to write down your series recordings.... you're going to lose a bunch of those...

Oh I did that the day I got the notice with last months bill! And updated it yesterday. It was actually quite a shock to see how many of them I have...

I wonder if you may give a whirl to swapping the internal 160 for a 320 on the 3090?

BTW, thanks for the 23rd street info.

I think I found the answer for why my recordings were deleted. Buried deep in the new menus under Series Manager is "Save at Most" and the DEFAULT is "Last 7 episodes" instead of "All Episodes" or something similar. Since I was saving daily episodes of a soap opera, the operating system deleted all of the recordings but for the last 7 episodes. This was NOT the case with the Series Manager under Passport where the default was "Save until Manually Erased".

That is likely it....

So there's the warning for those that haven't been MDNed yet and have more than 7 episodes saved on their DVR for a show

Oh I did that the day I got the notice with last months bill! And updated it yesterday. It was actually quite a shock to see how many of them I have...

I wonder if you may give a whirl to swapping the internal 160 for a 320 on the 3090?

BTW, thanks for the 23rd street info.

Over 1/3 of my old list was shows that have been canceled over the last 4 years...

Assuming that is the cause, I am not sure what someone could do to rectify this happening if your current Series Manager is set to "Save until Manually Erased". I still have one box which miraculously escaped the upgrade. I would like to figure out how to protect those recordings since I have more than 7 eps of Friday Night Lights which I have not yet watched.

Assuming that is the cause, I am not sure what someone could do to rectify this happening if your current Series Manager is set to "Save until Manually Erased". I still have one box which miraculously escaped the upgrade. I would like to figure out how to protect those recordings since I have more than 7 eps of Friday Night Lights which I have not yet watched.

since the new software installs in the default mode for everything that didn't have similar options in the old software - doesn't seem like you can do much.

Welcome to Sammy's World. Could you record an hour show on FOX and see if it segments the show into several recordings? I am curious if this is an isolated incident, a hardware issue, or even a software issue?

So You Think You Can Dance recorded in 10 segments last night....that made for fun viewing.

This happens to me, but only on Ch. 705.

I reported it and the phone rep rebooted my box and told me to call if it happened again. Of course, it did last night on SYTYCD. Interestingly, I was also watching live and the picture froze about 20 mins before the end during a commercial break. I switched to Ch.5, which was OK (but this show needs 16x9).

I'm wondering if it could be a low signal issue, but not sure why it affects only 705. As you suggested, it could be software related.

The new MDN software: one major plus, one minor minus, and one very minor minus.

The major plus is that the external drive works and so does rew, FF, etc. I'd gotten used to living without live rewind/FF, and I already love having it back.

The minor minus is that the guide seems to have a lot more shows marked "New". If a new show plays two or three times during the week, all are marked "New". I'm going to have to figure out how to adjust my series recording options.

The very minor minus - maybe it's just a "I'm used to it the old way."- is that when you press the List button on the remote, the list comes up, starting at the beginning date-wise. Under Passport, the list came up at the same position you last used. I prefer the same position approach, but it's no big deal.

I'm surprised to say it, but all in all, I'm quite happy with the conversion and the new system.

-barry

sooooooooooooooo,
got mdn'd this AM.
10am, to be precise.
almost exactly.
have the SA8300HD DVR

at any rate...the wife called me from the other room...
"uh, honey...something's going on w/ this box!!!"
i replied w/ horror and excitement..."cr@p! that must be the new software!"
few minutes later...it was all over.
i spent the next few minutes messing w/ it.
it's essentially exactly the same as my samsung hd non-dvr box.
the menu/guide is only 4:3. no big deal. same as passport.

1. didn't lose any recorded programming...fortunately.

2. too many false showings of a program titled 'NEW'

3. picture quality seemed to sharpen w/ this software. definitely an upgrade

4. as previously mentioned...keyboard is not as good as passport's

5. with passport i could watch in slow-motion by either pressing PLAY twice OR pressing PAUSE and clicking directionally to the right on my remote control's wheel. will miss this feature

6. as mentioned...the series recording manager wiped the majority of my shows. i've read it's because that particular show is not currently found in the guide. so, i'll have to add them as they come back on...

7. i will, without a doubt, miss having 2 live buffers [regardless of having the other tuner's PIP window open]. it's much more of a pain having to have PIP window open all the time just to save the other buffer. big minus for us

8. not a big deal...however, with passport the SD programming could be kept at ZOOM anytime you switched to SD programming. with this software, i'll have to manually zoom SD shows every single time

9. the black SD sidebars are nicer

10. front of the box display...the box doesn't shut "off." i'm not a fan

11. the software upgrade was really rather seamless

that's it for now. just some musings.

[B]QUESTION: all things being pretty equal [w/ the 8300hd dvr mdn and sammy dvr odn softwares] would you switch to the sammy dvr for the larger hard drive?

i mean...at this point...why not? or, are there differences i should be aware of before i consider swapping?


that's that. anything else i come across...i'll update.

-j

QUESTION: all things being pretty equal [w/ the 8300hd dvr mdn and sammy dvr odn softwares] would you switch to the sammy dvr for the larger hard drive?

i mean...at this point...why not? or, are there differences i should be aware of before i consider swapping?
-j

The Sammy box has the same size HD as the SA boxes...

I have now spent 1 evening with each system... I kinda liked the fade-in fade-out smoothness of the ODN software... and it had no delays on channel changing MDN on Sammy has some very small delays - but doing things on the guide and DVR are much faster on the Sammy/ODN.

EDIT - the ODN graphics are 4:3 - the MDN graphics are stretched to 16:9

Assuming that is the cause, I am not sure what someone could do to rectify this happening if your current Series Manager is set to "Save until Manually Erased". I still have one box which miraculously escaped the upgrade. I would like to figure out how to protect those recordings since I have more than 7 eps of Friday Night Lights which I have not yet watched.

If you hit select on a show you want to save then go to record options you can say save until manually erased and it puts a green emblem next to the show. Same thing if you go to record series options, you can say keep all episodes. If have an HDC so maybe mdn on HD does not have that option

The Sammy box has the same size HD as the SA boxes...

I have now spent 1 evening with each system... I kinda liked the fade-in fade-out smoothness of the ODN software... and it had no delays on channel changing MDN on Sammy has some very small delays - but doing things on the guide and DVR are much faster on the Sammy/ODN.

EDIT - the ODN graphics are 4:3 - the MDN graphics are stretched to 16:9

ODN on 8300HDC does not have fade menus, weird sounds kinda cool maybe the next update will have it. I would recommend to all HD users to get a new box. Those HD's are getting old and hard drive failure is more of a worry as these boxes age.

ah nuts... i cant even see the QAM ch info with the sammy box....

with ODM on the 8300HD box i could at least see the QAM freq (just not the ch)

EDIT: Nevermind... just read about vol+/select on the box.... wow... lots of stuff in this diagnostic menu

You can by pressing Vol+ and info on the box.

You can by pressing Vol+ and info on the box.

thank you! that is what the cable guy did

ah nuts... i cant even see the QAM ch info with the sammy box....

with ODM on the 8300HD box i could at least see the QAM freq (just not the ch)

EDIT: Nevermind... just read about vol+/select on the box.... wow... lots of stuff in this diagnostic menu

Is that the same as hold select until mail icon and arrow down on HDC? I tried vol+/select mail icon comes up but that is it. VOl+ and info did work however

so as far as i can tell - there really was no good reason why the old software on the 8300HD boxes couldn't get the HD on demand channels...

they use the same ch frequencies as the rest of the ondemand system...

Is that the same as hold select until mail icon and arrow down on HDC? I tried vol+/select mail icon comes up but that is it. VOl+ and info did work however

i meant info.... not select....

i meant info.... not select....

thanks, there is a lot of stuff there, did you find a way to tune in there?

thanks, there is a lot of stuff there, did you find a way to tune in there?

sadly no...

and no ch info on the freq.... just the QAM freq itself.... which i guess is enough for me to keep the spreadsheet going.

But it won't be as good as it used to be for any additional channels (or when things are moved) - and I won't be able to find anything hidden anymore....

How far north? Seems I did NOT get MDNed last night, and it still hasn't happened today (10:00 AM).

Very close to 90th and Lex.

How far north? Seems I did NOT get MDNed last night, and it still hasn't happened today (10:00 AM).

I'm on the south side of W 96th.

A friend right across the street on the north side of W 96th still has not gotten the update

very odd...
newly installed mystro [on my sa 8300 hd dvr] just reinitialised after only having been installed this AM.

hmm...

I'm on the south side of W 96th.

A friend right across the street on the north side of W 96th still has not gotten the update

Nor have I a scant 8 blocks north of you! Maybe during today's 10-noon??

Now I'm confused about getting to the multi-page diagnostics... is it the same for MDN on HD and ODN on HDC or 3090? I see 2 methods listed:

hold select until mail icon, hit down arrow (all on remote)
vol up, then info (still holding vol, remote or box itself??)

I just got updated to Navigator last night.
Here are my impressions/findings.

1. Lost 3 recordings. - for some reason these recordings got replaced with episodes of the Tonight Show with the label "Unknown"
2. Lots of shows in my season pass did not get transferred. I will need to add them again. but not a big deal
3. I used to press the play button to see how far I am in a program. This no longer works. Hitting the play button puts you in slow mo. any ideas how to do this with the new software?
4. the highest FF/RR is not as fast as passport
5. the 15 min skip is awkward to use. You have to hold down the FF/RR button.
6. The play list shows you shows that will soon get deleted but doesn't tell you when. Passport gives you a rough indication of when it will be deleted. I will miss this feature.
7. not having the 2 live buffers sucks.

I much prefer the older software.
i think i read that adding an external drive now works with the navigator software? anyone try it?

Nor have I a scant 8 blocks north of you! Maybe during today's 10-noon??

Now I'm confused about getting to the multi-page diagnostics... is it the same for MDN on HD and ODN on HDC or 3090? I see 2 methods listed:

hold select until mail icon, hit down arrow (all on remote)
vol up, then info (still holding vol, remote or box itself??)

First one works on both
Second one works on ODN (didn't test it when i had MDN)

The menus are very different.

I set up a power on/off timer every day that I can't seem to cancel now on the 8300HD with Navigator. Anyone have any suggestions besides tossing the box under a truck? :D

So, for those of you who have been Navigator-ed, do you recall how long of a lag was it between getting your notice in the mail and when it was pushed onto your DVR?

So, for those of you who have been Navigator-ed, do you recall how long of a lag was it between getting your notice in the mail and when it was pushed onto your DVR?

I got my notice on Monday. got switched sometime yesterday (Thursday).

So, for those of you who have been Navigator-ed, do you recall how long of a lag was it between getting your notice in the mail and when it was pushed onto your DVR?

I got my notice in the mail on Thursday (yesterday), and the upgrade was pushed to me on Wednesday - one day before I got the notice!

-barry

...
i think i read that adding an external drive now works with the navigator software? anyone try it?

My external drive is definitely working on the newly Navigatored 8300HD. I've read lots of reports that it generally doesn't work on the HDC or the 3090.

-barry

I got my notice on Monday. got switched sometime yesterday (Thursday).

OK, so I'll assume that it will come to my area at 10AM one day next week? Seems unlikely it would happen over the weekend, and it definitely didn't happen at 10AM today....

Dont know why they even updated what happen TWC no more HD add ons and still WHERE IS SPIKE HD!!!and the nfl network..


Manhattan, Brooklyn/Queens and Mount Vernon

August 7, 2009



Time Warner Cable’s agreements with programmers and broadcasters to carry their services and stations routinely expire from time to time. We are usually able to obtain renewals or extensions of such agreements, but in order to comply with applicable regulations, we must inform you when an agreement is about to expire. The following agreements are due to expire soon, and we may be required to cease carriage of one or more of these services/stations in the near future:



AAJ, BBC on Demand, Chinese Channel, Chinese Cinema, CV Network, E!, Fuel TV, Great American Country (GAC), Game Show Network, HITN, Lifetime, NBA TV, NHL Network, ShopNBC, Style, Supercanal, The Arabic Channel, RTVi, RAI, NGTV, TV Guide, TV Japan, TV Polonia, Weather Channel, and WPIX.



In addition, from time to time we make certain changes in the services that we offer in order to better serve our customers. The following changes are planned:



On or about August 19, 2009 in Mount Vernon we will launch Outdoor Channel HD on ch. 480.



The following changes previously scheduled for August 19, 2009 for customers with cable ready TV’s directly connected to cable without a cable box (“direct hookups”) will be postponed until further notice:

In Brooklyn, Woodside, Elmhurst and Maspeth we will not move NY1 (ch. 3) or WMBC (ch.69) at this time. In Queens, including Jamaica we will not move QVC (ch.57) at this time.



Please note these additional details concerning the previously announced services scheduled to launch on August 19, 2009: Big Ten On Demand will be offered as part of Sports Tier and Smithsonian HD On Demand will be offered as part of HD XTRA. In addition, each of these services is only available with the following set-top boxes: Samsung HD3050, Scientific-Atlanta 4250HDC and Scientific Atlanta 8300HDC.

The guide is from TV guide it is not an icon that does anything just a logo. Why would you set it to 4:3 if you have a 16:9 TV?

I see... just a logo. I've seen remotes with TV Guide buttons on them and had assumed that this "Logo" corresponded to a TV Guide specific button in some of the new TWC DVR remotes.

Setting the aspect ratio to 4:3 in my 8300 instead of 16:9, the Picture size to normal, and selecting all the output resolutions lets the TV reformat SD channels 4:3 picture to 16:9 automatically to fill the screen without having to use the # to stretch the picture. Only the HD channels transmitting a 4:3 SD picture get the sidebars. I like setting it up this way... your TV might act differently and this might not be the way you like it. Give it a try.

I see... just a logo. I've seen remotes with TV Guide buttons on them and had assumed that this "Logo" corresponded to a TV Guide specific button in some of the new TWC DVR remotes.

Setting the aspect ratio to 4:3 in my 8300 instead of 16:9, the Picture size to normal, and selecting all the output resolutions lets the TV reformat SD channels 4:3 picture to 16:9 automatically to fill the screen without having to use the # to stretch the picture. Only the HD channels transmitting a 4:3 SD picture get the sidebars. I like setting it up this way... your TV might act differently and this might not be the way you like it. Give it a try.

Your choice, I can't stand stretch-o-vision or zoom-o-vision for that matter. If it is SD i would rather have sidebars than fill the screen with a distorted picture. Not sure how this would affect the HD channels if you box is set to 4:3

OK, so I'll assume that it will come to my area at 10AM one day next week? Seems unlikely it would happen over the weekend, and it definitely didn't happen at 10AM today....

To your first question, I got a notice in last months bill (about 5 weeks ago) and STILL have my Passport. Which is OK as it gives me time to get through as much of my recorded stuff as I can. I had it pretty clean back when I got the notice, but that was a LONG time ago!

Most seem to happen 10AM-noon, but I recall a few got it during the overnight hours.

BTW, heard about some huge water main break downtown on West Broadway... hope it didn't affect you!

Please note these additional details concerning the previously announced services scheduled to launch on August 19, 2009: Big Ten On Demand will be offered as part of Sports Tier and Smithsonian HD On Demand will be offered as part of HD XTRA. In addition, each of these services is only available with the following set-top boxes: Samsung HD3050, Scientific-Atlanta 4250HDC and Scientific Atlanta 8300HDC.

This may be a typo but I expect the H3090s to get those On Demand channels as well. It would be odd that the other ODN boxes would get it and not the H3090s.

WTF? Is this their way of saying you need Navigator to get those channels? Or are they really creating content now only for ODN?

Those who got MDN'ed, do you get channels 699 and 700? If so, that notice maybe more for any box that hasn't been MDN'ed by August 19?

To your first question, I got a notice in last months bill (about 5 weeks ago) and STILL have my Passport. Which is OK as it gives me time to get through as much of my recorded stuff as I can. I had it pretty clean back when I got the notice, but that was a LONG time ago!

Most seem to happen 10AM-noon, but I recall a few got it during the overnight hours.

BTW, heard about some huge water main break downtown on West Broadway... hope it didn't affect you!

Yeah, there's no way I'm ever going to get thru all of my saved content (including external drive) by WHENEVER they Navigator me. But the it does seem that most people have have a successful transition, which gives me hope. AND their external drives continue to work and better than they did before. :) Until we get some new version of Navigaor, that is, after which we may be dead for a while.

Thanks -- West Broadway is totally off my radar......I'm between Bleecker & W4th so relatively north and pretty far west of where that was....

Those who got MDN'ed, do you get channels 699 and 700? If so, that notice maybe more for any box that hasn't been MDN'ed by August 19?

I just tried it on my newly converted 8300HD, and I get both 699 and 700. I didn't actually try to watch a show, but both channels come up and give me lists of shows to watch.

-barry

I just tried it on my newly converted 8300HD, and I get both 699 and 700. I didn't actually try to watch a show, but both channels come up and give me lists of shows to watch.

-barry

So I guess that is a carry over line for the remaining people who still need to be MDN'd.

Wonder why they wouldn't just say you need Navigator for this?

10:43 Friday, Fort Greene Brooklyn - every freakining channel has audio dropouts every other word of dialog - every channel. No channels are watchable. Anyone else?

just an fyi...

SA 8300HD dvr. newly navigatored.
on the software transition...i didn't lose any saved shows.
more importantly...w/ my dvr at 92% full i have 23.5 hours of high def content recorded.

so, seemingly...we're looking at anywhere from 24-25 hours of HD content that easily fits on the dvr?

Well I got the infamous "Quick Start Guide to Navigator" in a mailing yesterday (but no MDN just yet). Boy, what a total pack of lies in that brochure! It says Navigator gives you more HD channels (wrong). it says it will give you a taste of Start Over, Caller ID (WTF is a taste?). It scrolls 4 ways (uh, so does Passport since 4 years ago).

They keep talking about ease of use, but without having lived with it, it LOOKS to be not near as straightforward as Passport. Not to mention we will be losing features...

As for audio dropouts, they continue, mostly on one QAM (716, 717, 718) and on TNT. I get them on other channels, but infrequently (like once/twice per hour). Let's see what getting MDNed does for this, if it continues I may swap my HD for a 3090 (or if Berk tells us he successfully swapped out the 160 for a 320!!).

Well I got the infamous "Quick Start Guide to Navigator" in a mailing yesterday (but no MDN just yet). Boy, what a total pack of lies in that brochure! It says Navigator gives you more HD channels (wrong). it says it will give you a taste of Start Over, Caller ID (WTF is a taste?). It scrolls 4 ways (uh, so does Passport since 4 years ago).

They consider the HD OnDemand channels to be "more HD channels"

As for audio dropouts, they continue, mostly on one QAM (716, 717, 718) and on TNT. I get them on other channels, but infrequently (like once/twice per hour). Let's see what getting MDNed does for this, if it continues I may swap my HD for a 3090 (or if Berk tells us he successfully swapped out the 160 for a 320!!).

My gut feeling is that the audio dropout situation had improved with MDN. I feel like I'm getting fewer of them, although the one or two per show that do occur are somewhat longer (maybe 3 seconds each). I have not yet watched/recorded any new TNT shows on the MDN box. That will happen this week, and that will be the real test of whether the audio dropout situation has improved.

-barry

I hope someone will be a thorough guinea pig for the HDD swapout.

I hope someone will be a thorough guinea pig for the HDD swapout.

Not that I care what you do, but there is a seal on the box you are not supposed to break, they may give you trouble trying to return a box with a broken tamper seal. I have taken many things apart in my time not always successfully.

My gut feeling is that the audio dropout situation had improved with MDN. I feel like I'm getting fewer of them, although the one or two per show that do occur are somewhat longer (maybe 3 seconds each). I have not yet watched/recorded any new TNT shows on the MDN box. That will happen this week, and that will be the real test of whether the audio dropout situation has improved.

-barry


I'm replying to my own message, but there's good news. I just watched Psych, recorded on USAHD on Friday night on my recently upgraded MDN box, and there were no audio glitches whatsoever. Granted USA is not as bad as TNT, but to go an entire hour with no glitches is unusual. Maybe this problem is fixed (or at least better).

-barry

Other things I found that I don't like about MDN

Why are some channels in the MDN guide not in the right numerical order? The guide on my TV shows channels 21, 25, 26, 36,40, 45, 46, 52, 54, 55, 65, 66, 81, 82, 83, 88 and 101 after channel 1914 they are then followed by channels 651, 653... etc. Navigating the favorites does not work in the guide now having the channels not sorted in the right order makes navigating the guide using the arrows up down arrows and page up/down very inconvenient.

Switching channels in the guide by pressing the the specific #s for the channel takes about 4 seconds to react.

In Passport when I clicked search from a specific show highlighted in the guide... pressing search then displayed all the times that specific program was available for recording.

I don't like that when the box is off and displaying the clock the resolution of the channel it was last tuned is still displayed. This was not the case with Passport. This makes reading the time a bit more difficult after a certain distance from the box. Passport only turned on the red recording icon which contrasted with the clock when the DVR was recording something.

That blue font is kinda =painful=?:(

Sorry, Mike. I've used blue on multiple boards for years and you are the first to ever complain.

Or has TWC sucked over the past couple of weeks???
I havent had a chance to read past posts so I may not be up-to-date on whats going on but ive been having alot of problems as of late.

NY1 is constantly going out on my, NatGeo just went out and, I could get the UFC in HD on Sat night :mad:

Anyone else?

Not that I care what you do, but there is a seal on the box you are not supposed to break, they may give you trouble trying to return a box with a broken tamper seal. I have taken many things apart in my time not always successfully.

Well, yes, you might break the seal, but how would the TWC people know? I've returned many boxes in my time, but I've never had one of the customer service reps give a 2nd thought to any box I've returned. What's the chance that anyone will actually follow-up and open the box that you've brought back? And then if they do, how could they prove that you did it? (assuming that your DVR wasn't NEW out of the box)

Well, yes, you might break the seal, but how would the TWC people know? I've returned many boxes in my time, but I've never had one of the customer service reps give a 2nd thought to any box I've returned. What's the chance that anyone will actually follow-up and open the box that you've brought back? And then if they do, how could they prove that you did it? (assuming that your DVR wasn't NEW out of the box)

All the sammys are new out of the box....

what does the new samsung dvr have which the 8300HD does not have?
Does it have a bigger hard drive?

Well, yes, you might break the seal, but how would the TWC people know? I've returned many boxes in my time, but I've never had one of the customer service reps give a 2nd thought to any box I've returned. What's the chance that anyone will actually follow-up and open the box that you've brought back? And then if they do, how could they prove that you did it? (assuming that your DVR wasn't NEW out of the box)

As you probably know, they constantly "recycle" boxes. Which means they probably go through some level of testing... not sure if that does or doesn't include opening the box and checked any anti-tamper gizmos. I'm sure long after the fact, they know YOU had the box... just look up the serial (or they could be dumb and not keep such a record).

Have you read about Apple's latest patents? It sure looks like they are creating sensors that go way beyond the moisture patch the phone already has. It seems they are looking at ways to refuse warranty service "look, we know you dropped it," or "we know you shook it too hard, that isn't covered under warranty," or "you let another person handle it, they are not the original owner and thus we'll deny warranty coverage."

what does the new samsung dvr have which the 8300HD does not have?
Does it have a bigger hard drive?

Yes, I still don't have a clear handle on this- I still have the HD8300 with Passport, got the Navigator coming soon notice a few days ago-
Since Passport is inevitable, and my biggest 8300 problem has been the limited hard drive space, is there not any reason to hurry up and view my remaining stored recordings (just in case they are lost) and go to 23rd street for a Sammy 3090 with the 320 hard drive (it SEEMS to be the consensus that the new 3090s being given out have 320 increased from 160 hard drive?

Thanks-

Nah, you have it backwards. It appears the very first 3090s they gave out had 320s in them, but after a few, it was 160 all the way. Someone keeps talking about a "newer, better" 3270 that he claims will come with a 320. Seems odd a CE company would come out with an "old" and a "newer/better" model around the same time... when the "old" model isn't even in any sort of widespread distribution.

What we DO know is the HD boxes have (I think) about half the RAM as the HDC. I think the Sammie is twice again as the HDC. This is why there exists 2 versions of 'gator, MDN designed to run in lower RAM footprint, and ODN aimed at the HDC RAM footprint.

Sorry, Mike. I've used blue on multiple boards for years and you are the first to ever complain.

All i can tell you is, on my MAC screen, it's a blue blur. But when i highlight the text, THEN i can read it. But if it works for *you*, i'll deal with it.

All i can tell you is, on my MAC screen, it's a blue blur. But when i highlight the text, THEN i can read it. But if it works for *you*, i'll deal with it.You probably have AVS set up to either “Black” or “Retro” ;) (see very bottom left of page if you don’t understand).

I used to have the Retro setting for years but I find the Default setting to be the least straining on my eyes. In addition, when I had it set to Retro, it was easier for anyone in the room to see that purple blue screen-- and I’d get busted for “wasting time on that geek inter-nets again.” :p:D

You probably have AVS set up to either “Black” or “Retro” ;) (see very bottom left of page if you don’t understand).

I used to have the Retro setting for years but I find the Default setting to be the least straining on my eyes. In addition, when I had it set to Retro, it was easier for anyone in the room to see that purple blue screen-- and I’d get busted for “wasting time on that geek inter-nets again.” :p:D

OH yes. It's set up for "Black". I like it. To *me* this one is less strain on the eyes. OK, I'll try the other two again, it's been awhile...maybe i'll end up using one of the others.

What we DO know is the HD boxes have (I think) about half the RAM as the HDC. I think the Sammie is twice again as the HDC. This is why there exists 2 versions of 'gator, MDN designed to run in lower RAM footprint, and ODN aimed at the HDC RAM footprint.

What other features are found in the larger RAM boxes that run ODN? For a while there I thought the 8300HD boxes were not going to be able to get the StartOver or HD on demand, but based on what I see now (I have not order any HDOD, but I have used StartOver) the 8300HD boxes get both features. Does this mean that the boxes running MDM are <tru2way> ? Should I assume that with extra RAM these boxes perform a lot faster than the HD boxes? Are there any other hardware differences?

A bit off topic... One more thing that I don't like about MDN in the HD boxes is that the FF/FRW function. The progress bar does not show the time as the needle moves over the yellow bar.

http://consumerist.com/5334170/my-twc-dvr-is-possessed-by-the-ghost-of-someone-who-likes-tom--jerry-cartoons

Perhaps you'll recall reader Dave, who was told by Time Warner Cable that the reason he wasn't getting Fox in HD was that they had stopped broadcasting it in the New York City area (http://consumerist.com/5249932/time-warner-cable-youre-not-getting-hd-because-fox-stopped-broadcasting-it). We had hoped that publishing his letter would help resolve some of his issues, but sadly, that is not the case. Dave is back and this time his DVR is possessed by someone who likes "Tom & Jerry" cartoons.

Dave writes (to TWC):

I just wanted to give you an update as to TWC's continuing failure to deliver the TV services that I am paying for.

Apparently, TWC is just too inept to get this fixed. My TV picture continues to freeze up with audio cutting out on a regular basis. Last night my wife and I missed 17 minutes of a one hour show because I had to reboot the POS DVR that I PAY FOR, not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES to get the picture unstuck. That doesn't even count the other times when I only had to shut everything off and turn it back on to get my picture back. Once again, this is NOT a problem with any of the equipment in my home. I know this for a number of reasons:

You've had numerous technicians in my home who determined there was nothing wrong with my equipment
Your operations/maintenance head (Keith) has confirmed to me in the past the issues that TWC has had with the Scientific Altlantica DVRs and your signal coming from NYC
I have this problem, my neighbors in my development have this problem and, as evidenced on a town message board, others in my town have this problem

Then, this morning, I discover just how screwed up your DVR is. I was scrolling through the program guide when I saw that I had an upcoming recording of "Tom & Jerry" scheduled. I found that odd, as I know neither my wife or I set that recording and my 6 month old son hasn't quite mastered the use of the DVR yet. So, I went to delete the scheduled recording when I saw that the confirmation screen was asking me if I wanted to cancel recording FOR A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SHOW!!! Maybe that's got something to do with why my DVR keeps recording reruns, even though the recording options are set to capture first run shows only.

Once again, TWC = FAIL!!!

So, I called TWC Customer Service. They wanted to send out a technician, since, according to their records, the last technician to come out to my home was in April. I guess my correspondence with the Executive Response Center (in May) and the subsequent technician they sent out didn't count. Maybe you guys could, I dunno', actually communicate with one another so the left hand knows what the right is doing.

So, I've got an appointment set for tomorrow between 2-6pm. Yes, once again, I have to block off my afternoon so TWC can send a technician to not resolve my problem. If your technician comes, sees the problem and can't fix it I expect free service until such time as the problem has been resolved. Why should I continue to pay for a service that TWC is too inept to provide?

Oh yeah, I'm also planning to start capturing the video of your craptastic service. Once I make a nice compilation/mix tape of TWC's absurdly bad service I will be creating a new You Tube channel to post it all on. I'll also be sure to record your technician's visit tomorrow. Once the You Tube page is up I'll be sure to send you a link. I will also use it to actively lobby the neighbors in my development to ditch TWC for FIOS when it's available.

Honestly, TWC is the WORST service company that I have to deal with. Your products and services suck. Your customer service sucks. Your technicians suck.

When the day comes that FIOS becomes available not only am I going to shout it from the rooftops, but I am going to actively campaign to have each of my neighbors ditch your services for Verizon's.

Poor Dave.

BravoHD just flaked out in S. Manhattan.

Nah, you have it backwards. It appears the very first 3090s they gave out had 320s in them, but after a few, it was 160 all the way. Someone keeps talking about a "newer, better" 3270 that he claims will come with a 320. Seems odd a CE company would come out with an "old" and a "newer/better" model around the same time... when the "old" model isn't even in any sort of widespread distribution.

What we DO know is the HD boxes have (I think) about half the RAM as the HDC. I think the Sammie is twice again as the HDC. This is why there exists 2 versions of 'gator, MDN designed to run in lower RAM footprint, and ODN aimed at the HDC RAM footprint.

The 3270 has a BCM7405 CPU vs the 3090's BCM7400. The old model came out 2 years ago. The newer model came out late last year.

A bit off topic... One more thing that I don't like about MDN in the HD boxes is that the FF/FRW function. The progress bar does not show the time as the needle moves over the yellow bar.

It does show the elapsed time in the upper left hand corner of the progress bar. Unfortunately, it shows it in whole minutes, which is not anywhere near as useful as minutes and seconds.

-barry

Good news!

I just watched "Raising the Bar" which I recorded earlier tonight on my MDN 8300HD. This show is on TNT which has been having horrible problems with sound/video glitches for the last few months. One show does not prove too much, but this show was practically flawless. There was one very short (maybe a half second) audio glitch - more of a burp than a real glitch - and one short (1 second) video freeze, but during the video freeze the audio was perfect.

I'm really excited that maybe the new software has fixed the long term problems we've been having with glitches.

-barry

It does show the elapsed time in the upper left hand corner of the progress bar. Unfortunately, it shows it in whole minutes, which is not anywhere near as useful as minutes and seconds.

-barry

I see that now, but it only works with already recorded programs. It does not work within the buffer of the currently tuned channel even after pressing Rec. I miss this feature because I watch NY1 News in the morning and before I leave for work I can FRW to the last time the weather report On-The-Ones was shown.

http://consumerist.com/5334170/my-twc-dvr-is-possessed-by-the-ghost-of-someone-who-likes-tom--jerry-cartoons

sometimes you have to take matters in to your own hands, "dave" should take the box to a TWC center and swap it for a non SA dvr and be done with it. Am i missing something?

i live in S. Manhattan and we just got Navigator overnight. i'll have to play around with it and see if i like it or not.

i live in S. Manhattan and we just got Navigator overnight. i'll have to play around with it and see if i like it or not.

....hadn't hit me in the west village as of this morning.....What neighborhood are you in?

Scott

....hadn't hit me in the west village as of this morning.....What neighborhood are you in?

Scott

I'm on the Lower East Side. A few blocks away from the South Street Seaport

Just got the navigator "upgrade" a few hours ago.

30th and 9th Ave.

Just got the navigator "upgrade" a few hours ago.

30th and 9th Ave.

OK, being that I'm somewhere between the lower east side and 30th and 9th, I would assume that either my DVR is sitting at home with my programs migrated and external drive humming along happily, stuck in some reboot limbo, or dead as a doornail. ;)

Going to be a few hours before I get home to find out...

Nah, you have it backwards. It appears the very first 3090s they gave out had 320s in them, but after a few, it was 160 all the way. Someone keeps talking about a "newer, better" 3270 that he claims will come with a 320. Seems odd a CE company would come out with an "old" and a "newer/better" model around the same time... when the "old" model isn't even in any sort of widespread distribution.

What we DO know is the HD boxes have (I think) about half the RAM as the HDC. I think the Sammie is twice again as the HDC. This is why there exists 2 versions of 'gator, MDN designed to run in lower RAM footprint, and ODN aimed at the HDC RAM footprint.

My 3260 runs software v4.2.2.1 and ODN v3.1.1_3. I don't know what the 3270 runs though it should run ODN v3.1.1_3. I hope it has the larger 320 GB HDD.

A bit off topic... One more thing that I don't like about MDN in the HD boxes is that the FF/FRW function. The progress bar does not show the time as the needle moves over the yellow bar.

Yup, hate that you don't have the quarter hour or whatever the markers were that indicated where you were in the show.

Also, is it just me, or did the FF used to go x2 -> x3 ->4 and now it only goes up to x3? Seems like the max FF is a lot slower.

And I'm really having trouble (granted I only played around with it briefly) setting recordings. Seems a lot more complicated than it used to be. If you set a record series from the channel guide and then want to adjust some of the settings (perhaps record only new episodes) I don't see how you can do this from within the channel guide. Or at least it's not as straightforward as it used to be.

And why does it have to put a message on the screen after I set a series recording that is it calculating stuff...but that I can press A to watch TV? What is the point of that?

Also, is it just me, or did the FF used to go x2 -> x3 ->4 and now it only goes up to x3? Seems like the max FF is a lot slower.
Yeah, it blows.

Here’s a tip, to speed up fast forwarding, press on x 2 (>>) and hold, this gives a multi minute jump. It works for reverse too.

Another thing I despise, is when you hit play after fast forwarding or rewinding and it “backs up” about 10 (?) seconds. That’s truly annoying.

TWC is working in my building tomorrow. They say the cable will be out for a few hours. Not sure what they are doing but hopefully this will fix the audio droputs

TWC is working in my building tomorrow. They say the cable will be out for a few hours. Not sure what they are doing but hopefully this will fix the audio droputsThey're probably not sure either ;) :p

http://www.multichannel.com/articles/blog/100000410/20080910/FiOS_NYC_Ad.JPG


If you're lucky, he'll be followed by the FIOS guy...

http://medialink.vo.llnwd.net/o21/live/2009-6-19/36771_06NY09-0004_FiOS_Guy_Ad_tmb.jpg

;)

Yeah, it blows.

Here’s a tip, to speed up fast forwarding, press on x 2 (>>) and hold, this gives a multi minute jump. It works for reverse too.

Another thing I despise, is when you hit play after fast forwarding or rewinding and it “backs up” about 10 (?) seconds. That’s truly annoying.

Thanks. I'll give it a shot. I also heard there is a 15 minute advance...do you know what I press for that?

As for the 10 second "back up" I hate that too. I think they made that specifically for less technically inclined users (with slower reflexes) who would always miss the first few seconds after the break if not for this feature. I have trained myself to hold off for long enough after the show comes back on before hitting play to avoid this annoyance. The only downside is when catching up to live sporting events you are forced to see what happened before it backs up. How hard would it be for them to make an on/off toggle for this feature so that we could decide whether to use it?

Looks like my 8300HD got navigatored 10:30AM. So far, it seems to have been an unqualified success -- all of my recordings got transferred (though any recording that was originally made as a "timed" recording, which was set up to record a specific channel for a specific time lost its title and is now an "unknown" recording which I'm going to have to keep a manual list on paper of), most of my series recordings got transferred, and best of all, my external drive is working seamlessly -- no more lost buffer!

Back to the well-known negatives -- there is that strange problem of me setting it to tape only "NEW" episodes of The Daily Show, and the 11pm showing is the new episode, but the it also decided that the one in the middle of the afternoon is new too. :( Same with Entourage, Nurse Jackie, Weeds, etc. etc., so I need to go and remove future recordings of stuff I've already watched. What a pain!

On the MAJOR positive side:
Also, it has seemingly resurrected many many programs I'd already watched and deleted months and months ago. Which means they must've been "deleted" but still taking up space on my drive (internal? external?) and why it always seemed that the amount of shows I could fit on my drives before they got full was constantly shrinking.

Also:
As reported, the picture quality seems to have majorly improved. Not sure exactly how, but everything seems just that much sharper and brighter.

...I also heard there is a 15 minute advance...do you know what I press for that? This might actually be it. As you mentioned earlier, without the time stamp. it's hard to see how far it moves.

As for the 10 second "back up" I hate that too. I think they made that specifically for less technically inclined users (with slower reflexes) who would always miss the first few seconds after the break if not for this feature. :cool: exactly.

FWIW, I love the 10 sec "back up." My reflexes aren't perfect, and so it makes sure I don't have to guess when the show is going to restart--I can actually tell.

I believe for the FF 15 minute advance:

In DVR playback mode of a recorded show, hold down the right arrow key. You may have to hold it down for a longer period of time than Passport. The show than advances 15 minutes, but some users have reported this feature to jump in to only about 10 minutes. This may depend on model/version of both box type and Navigator build.

Jack

Another thing I despise, is when you hit play after fast forwarding or rewinding and it “backs up” about 10 (?) seconds. That’s truly annoying.

Wow, always thought that was an excellent feature that Passport has. When doing FF to skip commercials, you'll always go beyond the spot the program re-starts... so hitting play and going back a bit take you MUCH close to the start of the show than if it started exactly at the spot you stopped it.

I'd be very annoyed if MDN did NOT do this... but don't really know since I'm not MDNed yet...

Hey, wonder if anyone else saw what I saw... we're talking the weekend series with the BoSox. The final game was on ESPN HD, the others on Fox & YES. I found the general PQ to be excellent on Fox & YES, but not so hot on ESPN. Yes, ESPN looked HD, but I found it sightly softer, more grainy and just lacking in pop.

Curious if anyone else saw what I saw.

Just checked my box, doesn't look like a MDN update is happening, so I'm still on Passport.

Wow, always thought that was an excellent feature that Passport has. When doing FF to skip commercials, you'll always go beyond the spot the program re-starts... so hitting play and going back a bit take you MUCH close to the start of the show than if it started exactly at the spot you stopped it.

I'd be very annoyed if MDN did NOT do this... but don't really know since I'm not MDNed yet...

Yeah, this feature did exist on Passport, it's just more extreme on Navigator -- it goes back quite a bit more than Passport did. And, paradoxically, it does the same exact thing when you're rewinding (but NOT in the opposite direction!) so you rewind, press play, and you're sometimes back at the exact spot your started at if you've only rewound a short time!

Realized another big feature missing in Navigator that nobody's brought up -- the "HDTV" logo for HD programs. The guide no longer tells you which programs are being broadcast in HD or not. :( But apparently it knows which ones are in HD, because in the "category" search, Hi-Def programs are a category. Lame!

On the other hand, my little exercise of cleaning up amazingly "resurrected" programs on my system (some dating back more than a year! -- John From Cincinatti? Old episodes of Weeds? Letterman? Really old Daily Shows? Oprah Winfrey [that's my wife's pick!]? South Park? Bill Maher?) has gotten me down from 99% full to 68% full, giving me TONS of space for new stuff. Clearly this was a major Passport bug that never surfaced itself! :)

Hey, wonder if anyone else saw what I saw... we're talking the weekend series with the BoSox. The final game was on ESPN HD, the others on Fox & YES. I found the general PQ to be excellent on Fox & YES, but not so hot on ESPN. Yes, ESPN looked HD, but I found it sightly softer, more grainy and just lacking in pop.

Curious if anyone else saw what I saw.

Just checked my box, doesn't look like a MDN update is happening, so I'm still on Passport.

just wanted to let you know i noticed the grainer espn images, as well.
i've been navigatored...so, my pq has increased somewhat since passport.
given the pq increase overall, it made espn's grainy quality ever the more obvious.

Is it possible that the "skippage" has gone away? I haven't seen any of it thus far with Navigator. Admittedly I only watched "live TV" for an hour or 2 last night.

Also, noticed that the audio (using the coaxial digital output) seems quite a bit lower with Navigator than Passport.

Lastly -- has anyone been able to discern any difference between the audio settings "Wide", "Narrow", and "Normal"? I've tried switching between them and really cannot tell any difference (and I'm usually very attuned to audio issues/changes).

I've been having the same issue since picking my Sammy up in Queens Center. Hell's Kitchen and SYTYC Dance have been recording erratically - seems that the recording stops/starts at each commercial so you get 6-10+ different recordings.

I swapped my Sammy out last week and sure enough, SYTYC Dance recorded 8 times.

My assumption is that this only occurs on FOX.

I need to call TWC to have my Caller ID on TV turned back on and will mention the problem to the CSR. I doubt that will help.....

When I called to report this issue with my new 3090 box, the CSR arranged for an on-site tech visit. The technician tested signal strength etc. - no problems. He'd not heard of this happening to anyone else. Suggested I try recording again that evening.

I DVRd progs on 703 and 705. The Fox show recorded in 6 segments, and The Closer on TNT recorded only the first minute - nice tease, but now I have to wait for the repeats.

I decided to go to 23rd St and exchange the box. No 3090s available, so I was given a SA8300HDC. I DVRd both 703 and 705 last night. No problems.

Encountered my third complete service cutoff (~11:30 am to 12:30 pm today, midtown, E 40s) since Navigator conversion last week. Extra irritating since I can no longer call TWC anymore, having started TWC's phone service recently, to confirm. C.S's. number, apparently 'reading' my phone, automatically confirmed an area outage. Maybe just the heat.

Regarding Navigator PQ on vintage 8300HDs, I mentioned earlier above my HDNet test patterns carried from Passport to Navigator on my DVR, read just the same (~1424 lines max) regardless of operating system.

May have missed it earlier here, but do the newer STBs offer special advantages over the 8300HDs, such as the ability to buffer programs from both tuners simultaneously? Haven't tried recording both with PIP on yet. -- John

Regarding Navigator PQ on vintage 8300HDs, I mentioned earlier above my HDNet test patterns carried from Passport to Navigator on my DVR, read just the same (~1424 lines max) regardless of operating system.
Is this over HDMI or component cables? I'm seeing what seems to be a pic quality improvement over HDMI. Haven't tested via component.

May have missed it earlier here, but do the newer STBs offer special advantages over the 8300HDs, such as the ability to buffer programs from both tuners simultaneously? -- John
My 8300HD seems to be OK for buffering programs from 2 tuners. It works as long as you keep the PIP window open, though.

ON FF/REWIND AND STOPPING:

Yeah, this feature did exist on Passport, it's just more extreme on Navigator -- it goes back quite a bit more than Passport did. And, paradoxically, it does the same exact thing when you're rewinding (but NOT in the opposite direction!) so you rewind, press play, and you're sometimes back at the exact spot your started at if you've only rewound a short time!

I actually like the ability that Navigator does jump back about 8 seconds so those with slower reflexes may have better success with this feature. If you want to stop "on a dime" for RR'ing or FF'img something, just hit the Pause button. Than when you hit Play, you should be right back to where you originally stopped, or very close to it.

Jack

If you want to stop "on a dime" for RR'ing or FF'img something, just hit the Pause button. Than when you hit Play, you should be right back to where you originally stopped, or very close to it.
Great tip, thanks Satch Man!

When I called to report this issue with my new 3090 box, the CSR arranged for an on-site tech visit. The technician tested signal strength etc. - no problems. He'd not heard of this happening to anyone else. Suggested I try recording again that evening.

I DVRd progs on 703 and 705. The Fox show recorded in 6 segments, and The Closer on TNT recorded only the first minute - nice tease, but now I have to wait for the repeats.

I decided to go to 23rd St and exchange the box. No 3090s available, so I was given a SA8300HDC. I DVRd both 703 and 705 last night. No problems.

I have heard of this bug in other division's with new Samsung and the recording of those programs. Users with this issue should report this so that the information can be logged. It sounds like a bug with the Samsung boxes and those specific programs. What TWC is trying to find out is are their any patterns of strange behavior that they can reproduce with Hell's Kitchen's multiple recordings and a few other programs that the Samsungs act strangely with recording.

I wonder if this is a problem with the head-end communicating with the Samsung box during the times of these shows? How many others get this bug? Several years ago, I had issues on my SA-8300HD (MDN) where often Food Network or TV Land would record the first 10 minutes of a show and stop, or sometimes it would break up the show into segments. And I am not sure about this, but it would always seem to happen between a 6-6:30 PM time slot. This issue has been fixed.

Does the Samsung do this for ALL instances of the shows in question? Just episodes marked as "New?" When this happens, are you recording through the Series Manager or just individual recordings? When you call in with this or similar problems, have this information and request that it be sent to TWC local engineering.

Jack

Originally Posted by John Mason
Regarding Navigator PQ on vintage 8300HDs, I mentioned earlier above my HDNet test patterns carried from Passport to Navigator on my DVR, read just the same (~1424 lines max) regardless of operating system.
Is this over HDMI or component cables? I'm seeing what seems to be a pic quality improvement over HDMI. Haven't tested via component.

The 1424 lines is with YPbPr cables. Reading earlier, before Navigator, was ~1335 lines max with a high-end 9' HDMI, which I assumed, especially with an all-digital 1080p plasma setup, should be better than YPbPr. The plasma, a new Panny TH-65VX100U, does resolve 1920X1080, reviews say, given a full-1080p test pattern source. -- John

Is it possible that the "skippage" has gone away? I haven't seen any of it thus far with Navigator. Admittedly I only watched "live TV" for an hour or 2 last night.

Also, noticed that the audio (using the coaxial digital output) seems quite a bit lower with Navigator than Passport.

Lastly -- has anyone been able to discern any difference between the audio settings "Wide", "Narrow", and "Normal"? I've tried switching between them and really cannot tell any difference (and I'm usually very attuned to audio issues/changes).

Try 703, 705, or 716, 717, 718. I've noticed it worse on these channels than others, although other channel do get skippage (and shouldn't you be putting adding a "tm" on that term, I think you invented it)...

I could swear I'm finding the disparity in audio level between program and commercial to be getting much worse than before. I'm about to start noting which so I can never ever buy what they are trying to sell. Oddly enough, I've been noting which one for a while now and in every case, it's a product I never buy anyway. It's like I'm being targeted.

Try 703, 705, or 716, 717, 718. I've noticed it worse on these channels than others, although other channel do get skippage (and shouldn't you be putting adding a "tm" on that term, I think you invented it)...
Ah, well, go figure -- I never ever watch any of those channels! I pretty much stick to 701, 702, 704, 710, 713, 720, 691, and the HBO/Cinemax/Showtime/Starz multiplexes.....

I could swear I'm finding the disparity in audio level between program and commercial to be getting much worse than before. I'm about to start noting which so I can never ever buy what they are trying to sell. Oddly enough, I've been noting which one for a while now and in every case, it's a product I never buy anyway. It's like I'm being targeted.
Pretty sure that depends on the channel. Read up on the "dialnorm" that the network programs set their base audio volume to. The commercials (which are often inserted locally or even worse, by TWC on cable channels) have their own volume settings. Really is a problem for me too! Some preamps now have settings which attempt to compensate for this issue if you select a certain mode. My wife complains constantly about this.

Of course you can avoid the issue entirely by never watching anything "live", and keeping your remote at the ready! :)

On Audio issues and skipping:

1.) Press Settings on your remote and go to Audio making sure that your connections selected match up to your equipment. Change those that do not. Audio Level should be set to Variable for sound through the STB and Fixed for Audio system. Make sure the cable Audio output settings match on the screen to what you have installed. (I have HDMI cable as selected for my audio.)

2.) Is your TV sound too low? Turn up the volume on your STB as high as it will go.

Audio Settings: Go to Settings, and Audio:

"Narrow": tries to create a balance between listening levels when changing channels and balancing out commercial volume so you don't get blasted out of the room. I use this setting, IN ADDITION to having the Volume stabilization on my TV turned on and it works great.

"Normal:" Offers a full dynamic range of sounds with no restrictions on high/low filtering. But if you use this, you might get a fuller range, but a cost of louder commercials.

"Wide:" Is supposed to compensate Navigator to work with multiple speaker units and sound systems. Primarily for sound system audio settings, used in conjunction with audio equipment. In these cases, in sound settings, you would want to set your STB range to Fixed. (At least that's what it says on my Settings Guide.) If you don't have a separate sound system, wide is not recommended.

Finally, if you are still having drop-out problems, try my audio settings recommendations and than do a reboot. Many people have had audio synchronization and sound levels fixed this way.

Jack

TWC is working in my building tomorrow. They say the cable will be out for a few hours. Not sure what they are doing but hopefully this will fix the audio droputs

Well whatever they did signal is way better, they are both in the green for the first time ever I think. RDC is 41 and FDC is -5. Lets hope those audio dropouts stop now

Swapped my 8300 for the Samsung 3090 today at 23rd st. Came with a 320gb drive.

So far the performance of the new dvr is better when navigating through menus and channels. Much quicker.

I have heard of this bug in other division's with new Samsung and the recording of those programs. Users with this issue should report this so that the information can be logged. It sounds like a bug with the Samsung boxes and those specific programs. What TWC is trying to find out is are their any patterns of strange behavior that they can reproduce with Hell's Kitchen's multiple recordings and a few other programs that the Samsungs act strangely with recording.

I wonder if this is a problem with the head-end communicating with the Samsung box during the times of these shows? How many others get this bug? Several years ago, I had issues on my SA-8300HD (MDN) where often Food Network or TV Land would record the first 10 minutes of a show and stop, or sometimes it would break up the show into segments. And I am not sure about this, but it would always seem to happen between a 6-6:30 PM time slot. This issue has been fixed.

Does the Samsung do this for ALL instances of the shows in question? Just episodes marked as "New?" When this happens, are you recording through the Series Manager or just individual recordings? When you call in with this or similar problems, have this information and request that it be sent to TWC local engineering.

Jack

I called TWC-NYC last week to report the problem fully knowing that they would not have a solution to fix the problem. I was "satisified" that they logged the problem so that the tech's can push the issue up to IT for a potential fix.

I swapped my 3090 out for a new one and continue to experience the same problems. For me, it has only occurred on FOX (Hell's Kitchen & So you think you can dance). Both shows are on the series manager and happens for each recording of these shows.

I'll try other methods of recording Hell's to see if the problem continues.

Swapped my 8300 for the Samsung 3090 today at 23rd st. Came with a 320gb drive.


woah woah woah - you sure it has a 320gb HD?

Yes. You can read the drive label through the vents on the top of the box.

woah woah woah - you sure it has a 320gb HD?

Lets hope that is true

It's true according to the drive label. Is there any way to tell from the within the software?

It's true according to the drive label. Is there any way to tell from the within the software?

Yea, I have HDC but I think it is the same on the sammy. Hold down select on remote until mail icon shows on the box and then press down arrow. On page 11 on mine it tells you the hard drive size. It should be a little less than 320GB.

Yea, I have HDC but I think it is the same on the sammy. Hold down select on remote until mail icon shows on the box and then press down arrow. On page 11 on mine it tells you the hard drive size. It should be a little less than 320GB.

VERY cool.
held down the 'select' button...as instructed...worked as advertised.
thanks.
mine is a western digital 1600BB drive. that hdd was manufactured prior to 2007!!!!
hmm...as soon as i finish some shows on the dvr i think i'll head down and swap for the 320 sammy, then.

currently driving an mdn sa8300hd dvr.

i'd LOVE a larger capacity hdd.
less worry about shows disappearing, eh?

anyone have issues w/ their sammy hd dvr they'd like to share?

lee...thanks for the tip!

Yea, I have HDC but I think it is the same on the sammy. Hold down select on remote until mail icon shows on the box and then press down arrow. On page 11 on mine it tells you the hard drive size. It should be a little less than 320GB.

Just had a chance to try this now. It shows total size as 292.94GB (this should be the formatted size) with 241.26GB available. I haven't recorded anything yet, so just the buffer should be in use.

Just had a chance to try this now. It shows total size as 292.94GB (this should be the formatted size) with 241.26GB available. I haven't recorded anything yet, so just the buffer should be in use.

omfg... i''m not going back there again....

i cant believe i was just a week off from getting one with a big hard drive...

Do you have to have a reason when you bring in your old box, they will just swap it out for you for a Sammy (with hopefully a 320GB drive) with no problem?

woah woah woah - you sure it has a 320gb HD?

Think I caught another post about someone saying they got as 320... I wonder if there's any way other than going into diagnostics to tell it IS a 320?

Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense for them to hand out an occasional 320, they have GOT to know all the geeks would be endlessly hassling them knowing 320s are getting handed out!

omfg... i''m not going back there again....

i cant believe i was just a week off from getting one with a big hard drive...

The guy getting a 292 capacity sure seems correct. Something tells me this is of the "one got through" type of thing. I'd guess the CSRs at 23rd street will totally disavow they have 320G models and say there no way for them to tell if it is or isn't... although the "looking through the vents" could be a way toi tell without bringing the damn thing all the way home.

The guy getting a 292 capacity sure seems correct. Something tells me this is of the "one got through" type of thing. I'd guess the CSRs at 23rd street will totally disavow they have 320G models and say there no way for them to tell if it is or isn't... although the "looking through the vents" could be a way toi tell without bringing the damn thing all the way home.

I can vouch for the fact that it is very easy to see the hard drive inside the box...

The guy getting a 292 capacity sure seems correct. Something tells me this is of the "one got through" type of thing. I'd guess the CSRs at 23rd street will totally disavow they have 320G models and say there no way for them to tell if it is or isn't... although the "looking through the vents" could be a way toi tell without bringing the damn thing all the way home.

This will be tough if they are handing out both randomly. I don't think they are gonna sit there while we peer though the vents lol and keep asking for a box until we get a 320GB. Hopefully some more people will get new boxes and they will be 320's, then I will go down there to get the sammy

Do you have to have a reason when you bring in your old box, they will just swap it out for you for a Sammy (with hopefully a 320GB drive) with no problem?

You do not need a reason, but just say it does not work they are not gonna test it

When you call in with this or similar problems, have this information and request that it be sent to TWC local engineering. Jack

Oh yeah... I'm sure they'll get right on it! :rolleyes:

Forgive my skepticism, but many of TWC's problems stem from extremely poor to nonexistent internal communication.

The right hand never seems to know what the left hand is doing. Accordingly, I'd have no faith whatsoever that such a request would get properly handled.

A_C

Unfortunately, I am not having a smooth update from Passport to Navigator, my 8300HD is stuck on the converting recordings screen, at least 45 minutes and counting.

Question: if I have to swap out my DVR for a 8300HDC or a Samsung, will my external drive be wiped clean when I attach it to the new DVR? Or will the new DVR recognize what's on there and play it?

And in a similar vein, if I let the 8300HD update without the external drive attached - under the theory that the recordings on the external drive is the reason my update is freezing - and then reattach my external drive, will my 8300HD with Navigator recognize the recordings on the external drive automatically or will it reformat the external drive?

Got the Navigator upgrade sometime between last night and now (30th and 2nd). Seems like it went smooth.

I am surprised that there's still no option to run the guide at 16x9. Am I missing something?

Got the Navigator upgrade sometime between last night and now (30th and 2nd). Seems like it went smooth.

I am surprised that there's still no option to run the guide at 16x9. Am I missing something?

8300HD box is not capable of having the guide at 16x9

Unfortunately, I am not having a smooth update from Passport to Navigator, my 8300HD is stuck on the converting recordings screen, at least 45 minutes and counting.

Question: if I have to swap out my DVR for a 8300HDC or a Samsung, will my external drive be wiped clean when I attach it to the new DVR? Or will the new DVR recognize what's on there and play it?

And in a similar vein, if I let the 8300HD update without the external drive attached - under the theory that the recordings on the external drive is the reason my update is freezing - and then reattach my external drive, will my 8300HD with Navigator recognize the recordings on the external drive automatically or will it reformat the external drive?

Hi Peter,

Try giving Navigator another good hour to see if it finishes. (With the external drive attached.) Do you have another TV that you can watch in the house? If so, you might want to just turn off the TV ONLY on the box where Navigator is being updated. (But leave the cable box turned on.) After another hour, with the TV off, unplug the external drive and just let it sit like that til tonight When the clock shows up in the display you should have Navigator. When that happens, turn on the TV and box to see if the transfer was OK. (Whether or not you choose to reconnect the external drive will be your decision. However, there is no guarantee that the external recordings will survive or transfer as your initial update got stuck in a loop.)


If you have another TV and you do not have Navigator on the box within 12 hours or so, you'll probably want to swap your box. Unfortunately, you'll get an ODN C-model if that happens, and there are reports that those don't work well with external drives. Let us know what happens.

Jack

The good news: my update finally went through.

The bad news: Navigator is as terrible as advertised.

TWC gets rid of perfectly good, fine-tuned software like Passport and replaces it with this mediocre crap just to avoid paying the licensing fee.:(

edited to add:

Hi Satch Man:

Thanks for your helpful response, you must have been writing it at the same time I posted that my box finally updated. I found your response to another user 10-15 pages back who had similar issues to mine. Thanks again for responding.

Peter-

I'm having the same issues you were today. When yours finally resolved, was it because you followed Satch's instructions or did it finally just "take"

The good news: my update finally went through.

The bad news: Navigator is as terrible as advertised.

TWC gets rid of perfectly good, fine-tuned software like Passport and replaces it with this mediocre crap just to avoid paying the licensing fee.:(

edited to add:

Hi Satch Man:

Thanks for your helpful response, you must have been writing it at the same time I posted that my box finally updated. I found your response to another user 10-15 pages back who had similar issues to mine. Thanks again for responding.

Peter,

When you say terrible, do you mean that your box is slow or that it's that the interface sucks or both! You have the SA-8300, right?

When my division was changed over, it went well and the box was pretty fast. I was more upset about the loss of features such as Keyword Search and Manual Recording, two HUGE Navigator transition loses coming from Passport. If they could bring back those features, I would be happy with Navigator. The extended search option I think can be both a blessing and a curse. I like searching by Theme the best, and being able to search for Movies with the subcategories, I like that. But searching for Sports sucks, because search results say the same category. So if you search for Football, under Theme/subcategory Sports/Subcategory Football, you have to press Select to open EACH instance of Football in the tier. That is B.S!

As Keyboard Search only goes by Title at this time, it makes using the Football category searching that I illustrated above useless.

(A Search Results Tip is that if you are looking for something with a lot of results returned say Sports and Football, the most recent games showing are always at the top of the list.)

Here's what they are working on for updates: (Who knows when they will be released?)

1.) Keyword Search on Keyboard: (They are trying to make it better than Passport....I'll believe it when I see it!)

2.) Remote DVR Management

3.) More Customized Favorite Channel options

4.) Longer program guide descriptions.

Jack

I just got Navigator here on Staten Island. The good news is that all my programs on my internal and external drives seem to have survived. All my scheduled recordings seem to be there too. The software is what it is, and I'll deal with it for now. I have one problem though. When I turn my TV and surround sound system on, I get a message about my TV not supporting DVI or something like that, and to choose another input source. If I hit "A" to continue, everything works as it should. I'm connected via HDMI to a Samsung 1080P TV, and the old 8300HD. Is there any way to get rid of this message without switching to component input? Obviously I never got this stupid message with Passport.

i just got " navigatored" today (west 16th St-Manhattan) and have 2 problems. I can't get closed captions. In the settings section it shows closed caption on and cc1 is selected. However no cc shows up on any channels. It was working when I first used the new Navigator. Also stretch mode is enabled for shows in SD on HD channesl, but I have to unselect it and select it again every time. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I just got Navigator here on Staten Island. The good news is that all my programs on my internal and external drives seem to have survived. All my scheduled recordings seem to be there too. The software is what it is, and I'll deal with it for now. I have one problem though. When I turn my TV and surround sound system on, I get a message about my TV not supporting DVI or something like that, and to choose another input source. If I hit "A" to continue, everything works as it should. I'm connected via HDMI to a Samsung 1080P TV, and the old 8300HD. Is there any way to get rid of this message without switching to component input? Obviously I never got this stupid message with Passport.

If the message is something like "Your TV does not support HDCP" I used to get that all the time using HDMI and Passport. It happens when the TV turns on before the cable box and they cannot handshake. It drove me nuts to the point I just went to component to save the hassle.

I just got Navigator here on Staten Island. The good news is that all my programs on my internal and external drives seem to have survived. All my scheduled recordings seem to be there too. The software is what it is, and I'll deal with it for now. I have one problem though. When I turn my TV and surround sound system on, I get a message about my TV not supporting DVI or something like that, and to choose another input source. If I hit "A" to continue, everything works as it should. I'm connected via HDMI to a Samsung 1080P TV, and the old 8300HD. Is there any way to get rid of this message without switching to component input? Obviously I never got this stupid message with Passport.

Lou,

Check your Video Settings and make sure that the box says you are connected through HDMI cable. Than under Audio Settings check to see that your source is HDMI. Also under Audio Settings, switch your Audio output to Fixed. (instead of Variable for sound systems.) Follow the prompts to make the changes. Give Navigator 30 seconds to update to these changes. If you still get an error message after this, unplug the box for about a minute, plug it back in and allow the system to reboot. If the error message is gone the problem should be solved, if not schedule a service call and they should be able to get rid of the message.

Jack

PS. Did not see the solution listed above mine, that would be a good option as well, a switch to Component Cable would be another option.

i just got " navigatored" today (west 16th St-Manhattan) and have 2 problems. I can't get closed captions. In the settings section it shows closed caption on and cc1 is selected. However no cc shows up on any channels. It was working when I first used the new Navigator. Also stretch mode is enabled for shows in SD on HD channels, but I have to unselect it and select it again every time. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

First, if you don't want shows in SD to be Stretched:

1.) Press Settings, Select Picture Size, Select "Normal." Press Exit to Save.

Than.

2.) If your CC was working before, but not now and you have not changed the setting, just reboot the box

After the reboot, the box should be back to normal.

Jack

Thanks for the suggestions/settings. I will try/check them. It's not saying the HDCP error. It's saying DVI. My TV even has a separate HMDI/DVI input which I tried, but still get a message that my TV doesn't support DVI.

Tried the suggestions and I still get that my TV doesn't support the DVI input and to choose another input source, despite the fact the picture is on the screen as it's telling me this. This may be the final straw that gets me to turn on my FiOS TV. I'm already wired for it, but kept TWC for MSGHD.

First, if you don't want shows in SD to be Stretched:

1.) Press Settings, Select Picture Size, Select "Normal." Press Exit to Save.

Than.

2.) If your CC was working before, but not now and you have not changed the setting, just reboot the box

After the reboot, the box should be back to normal.

Jack

Thanks very much for your help. It worked.

Tried the suggestions and I still get that my TV doesn't support the DVI input and to choose another input source, despite the fact the picture is on the screen as it's telling me this. This may be the final straw that gets me to turn on my FiOS TV. I'm already wired for it, but kept TWC for MSGHD.

I think it might have something to do with the order that you turn your box/TV on. I can't recall the details, but if you're turning the box on 1st and then the TV, try turning the TV on and then the box. Or the other way around....can't exactly remember which.

I've got my TV plugged into the AC outlet on the back of the box and have the outlet set to "on with cable box". This causes the TV to go off when I turn the box off and turn on automatically when the box is on, all with 1 touch. So my TV always comes on just after the cable box does. (This also helps keep the TV from sucking up "vampire" power -- i.e. drawing wattage when it's off).

Peter-

I'm having the same issues you were today. When yours finally resolved, was it because you followed Satch's instructions or did it finally just "take"

It finally just updated after multiple unplugs. I spoke to customer service who was no help - they wanted to schedule a tech call for next Tuesday! - but the guy did mention that some areas were having problems with the update being pushed through. I think that may be what happened with me and my box finally succeeded in receiving the update. I don't know if it was coincidence or not but I think I did power off my external hard drive and unplugged its HDMI connection right before the final, ultimately successful reboot of my DVR. Don't know if you have an external hard drive.

Peter,

When you say terrible, do you mean that your box is slow or that it's that the interface sucks or both! You have the SA-8300, right?

Both but more the former. Interface changes, I can learn to deal with eventually. I don't like the interface but I'm sure much of my dislike of it is due to being so used to Passport. But what is inexcusable is the slow responsiveness of the new software. I for one am not seeing the quick responsiveness that you and others are reporting with their updated 8300HD. Simple things like entering a channel, the most basic function imaginable, has a delay. What kind of quality control department approves DVR software which has a channel entry lag? Pure mediocrity.

Even worst is the deletion of scheduled programs. I literally have to delete a 100+ programs because the software has marked all repeats as new (and I noticed, also failed to mark new programs as new. There were a couple upcoming recordings that Passport correctly identified as new that does not show up as new on Navigator). And almost every time I delete a program, after being asked to confirm that I really want to delete it, a second screen pops up that tells me there may be a delay before the change appears on the schedule and I am required AGAIN to push the A button to make this useless and uninformative notification disappear. Because the software forces me to go through two screens while being incredibly slow, it must take me a good 90 seconds to delete a single scheduled entry. I figure it will take me 3-4 hours to finish deleting all my new/repeat programs. Absolutely ridiculous.

There's also a lag in scrolling from program to program. And even when you have moved to the next program, the program description from the last program still persists. It can take a good 10 seconds before the description refreshes.

I am sure much of the lag in the Navigator software is due to the fact I have a 1TB external hard drive with many programs on it. But somehow, Passport was able handle the external hard drive without ANY slowdown in responsiveness, proving that the hardware of the 8300HD, when coupled with good programming, is more than capable of handling an external drive with a lot of recordings without suffering a performance hit. Only subpar Navigator coding hobbles the box.

I think it might have something to do with the order that you turn your box/TV on. I can't recall the details, but if you're turning the box on 1st and then the TV, try turning the TV on and then the box. Or the other way around....can't exactly remember which.

I've got my TV plugged into the AC outlet on the back of the box and have the outlet set to "on with cable box". This causes the TV to go off when I turn the box off and turn on automatically when the box is on, all with 1 touch. So my TV always comes on just after the cable box does. (This also helps keep the TV from sucking up "vampire" power -- i.e. drawing wattage when it's off).

My TV will not come back automatically if I turn it off with the outlet. I'd have to turn it back on manually anyway. Ironically, it seems that if I shut the box off when I shut the TV off, I don't get the message when I turn it and the TV back on. I'm not 100% sure this works, but I tried it several times and it did. I've had my 8300HD for years now, and have never shut it off ever. I always just turn the TV off and on. So, it looks like either it turn both off, or get the message and hit the "A" button to clear it.

Thanks for the suggestions/settings. I will try/check them. It's not saying the HDCP error. It's saying DVI. My TV even has a separate HMDI/DVI input which I tried, but still get a message that my TV doesn't support DVI.I’ve been getting that same screen prompt since I was Navigatored, never had it before. I just press “A” and it goes away.

I’ve been getting that same screen prompt since I was Navigatored, never had it before. I just press “A” and it goes away.

Sorry to say that I'm a little happy that I'm not the only one. :(
This sucks. I already have Fios Internet and phone, and I only keep TWC for MSGHD and the programs I already had recorded.

It finally just updated after multiple unplugs. I spoke to customer service who was no help - they wanted to schedule a tech call for next Tuesday! - but the guy did mention that some areas were having problems with the update being pushed through. I think that may be what happened with me and my box finally succeeded in receiving the update. I don't know if it was coincidence or not but I think I did power off my external hard drive and unplugged its HDMI connection right before the final, ultimately successful reboot of my DVR. Don't know if you have an external hard drive.



Both but more the former. Interface changes, I can learn to deal with eventually. I don't like the interface but I'm sure much of my dislike of it is due to being so used to Passport. But what is inexcusable is the slow responsiveness of the new software. I for one am not seeing the quick responsiveness that you and others are reporting with their updated 8300HD. Simple things like entering a channel, the most basic function imaginable, has a delay. What kind of quality control department approves DVR software which has a channel entry lag? Pure mediocrity.

Even worst is the deletion of scheduled programs. I literally have to delete a 100+ programs because the software has marked all repeats as new (and I noticed, also failed to mark new programs as new. There were a couple upcoming recordings that Passport correctly identified as new that does not show up as new on Navigator). And almost every time I delete a program, after being asked to confirm that I really want to delete it, a second screen pops up that tells me there may be a delay before the change appears on the schedule and I am required AGAIN to push the A button to make this useless and uninformative notification disappear. Because the software forces me to go through two screens while being incredibly slow, it must take me a good 90 seconds to delete a single scheduled entry. I figure it will take me 3-4 hours to finish deleting all my new/repeat programs. Absolutely ridiculous.

There's also a lag in scrolling from program to program. And even when you have moved to the next program, the program description from the last program still persists. It can take a good 10 seconds before the description refreshes.

I am sure much of the lag in the Navigator software is due to the fact I have a 1TB external hard drive with many programs on it. But somehow, Passport was able handle the external hard drive without ANY slowdown in responsiveness, proving that the hardware of the 8300HD, when coupled with good programming, is more than capable of handling an external drive with a lot of recordings without suffering a performance hit. Only sub-par Navigator coding hobbles the box.

Peter,

Those delays seems incredible long and appear to be more related to the early releases of Navigator three years ago that were hideously bad and slow. I was going to suggest that you might want to try a service call to get your wiring and signal strength checked out, because weak signal strength and wiring can slow down the box. Navigator is very picky about that stuff.

A service call to have your line/signal strength checked couldn't hurt because those time delays you are describing indicate that something is wrong. What sucks is that TWC is most likely gonna say, "Oh well, you're external drive is the problem....ummmm we don't support that." But I know of several MDN Navigator boxes with the drives connected and they don't have anywhere near those delays. Couldn't hurt to have your wiring and signal strength checked out. I'd call anyway. It's free and could only help.

Their are reports that the new Samsung boxes are faster, but ODN boxes, (The Samsung's and the HDC's) do not work well with external drives. However, the feedback you have provided on your MDN Navigator box indicates that it is way too slow. If your signal strength is bad or wiring is bad, that's what has to be fixed first. If I had your issues with Navigator, I'd be on the phone tomorrow.

And if you call for service, you should REQUEST a call for an IN-HOUSE TECHNICIAN. If you just say I want a service call, you might get an independent contractor, and most of the IC's are really inept. the IHT's do a much better job. You should get this resolved. You might also have a splitter either in your cable or in your configuration that is causing the slowdown. Let us know what you decide to do.

Jack

Sorry to say that I'm a little happy that I'm not the only one. :(
This sucks. I already have Fios Internet and phone, and I only keep TWC for MSGHD and the programs I already had recorded.As soon as they have FIOS available for my home, I’m in. And I’m a big Knicks Fan, so no MSGHD is a big bummer, but if that’s the only thing I have to bitch about with FIOS, then so be it. I guess it’s easy for me to say that now, that it’s not basketball season. :D

As soon as they have FIOS available for my home, I’m in. And I’m a big Knicks Fan, so no MSGHD is a big bummer, but if that’s the only thing I have to bitch about with FIOS, then so be it. I guess it’s easy for me to say that now that it’s not basketball season. :D

I'm a big Rangers fan and can't imagine going back to watching hockey in SD.
I love FiOS Internet. I've had it for almost 2 years and haven't had a single problem. Not a single outage.

One further update on my "upgrade": it appears that none of the programs recorded on my external hard drive transferred properly. All of them lost their name and info and got turned into UNKNOWN XXX and marked as being recorded on 12/31. I now have 200+ programs that I have no way to identify except by playing them.

Thanks, Time Warner. Does the former head of FEMA work at your company?

One further update on my "upgrade": it appears that none of the programs recorded on my external hard drive transferred properly. All of them lost their name and info and got turned into UNKNOWN XXX and marked as being recorded on 12/31. I now have 200+ programs that I have no way to identify except by playing them.

Thanks, Time Warner.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised/shocked that all my programs on my internal and external drives work, and kept their names.

My TV will not come back automatically if I turn it off with the outlet. I'd have to turn it back on manually anyway. Ironically, it seems that if I shut the box off when I shut the TV off, I don't get the message when I turn it and the TV back on. I'm not 100% sure this works, but I tried it several times and it did. I've had my 8300HD for years now, and have never shut it off ever. I always just turn the TV off and on. So, it looks like either it turn both off, or get the message and hit the "A" button to clear it.

I actually have my TV plugged into a surge protector. The same with my cable box and have the AC Outlet in the back with nothing going to it. I also have the AC Outlet on the box set to "Always Off." I heard this can save some money on the electric bill. The DVR cable box is also plugged into a surge protector.

I also have my Remote Control programed to turn the TV and Cable Box on at the same time through the Power button. Perhaps you might want to try plugging the TV and cable box into a serge protector? Here is a list of how to program your remote control if you need it. The files are in PDF format and require Adobe Reader or a compatible viewer. If the print is too small, use the Zoom % feature to enlarge the text. Than you can find the information for how to turn your TV and Cable box on/off with the Power button. If you have a DVR, you probably have a Synergy remote. Check the exact model number for your remote and match it to the list. Hope this helps! (It's listed after the modems on the list.)

http://www.timewarnercable.com/Wisconsin/site.faqs/Equipmenta

Jack

8300HD box is not capable of having the guide at 16x9

Do the new Sammy's actually do 16x9, or are they just able to do so if the software is upgraded in the future? I can't stand all the wasted space...and yet the font size is so large only one or two words of the titles fit in the box.

One other negative I just noticed. When you reach the end of a recorded program the screen that asks you if you want to delete your show or watch it again or whatever appears. But it stays on the screen for like 5 minutes! The old one would turn off after a minute at most and return to live television. Very annoying.

Do the new Sammy's actually do 16x9, or are they just able to do so if the software is upgraded in the future? I can't stand all the wasted space...and yet the font size is so large only one or two words of the titles fit in the box.

the guide/graphics are just stretched (for now)

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised/shocked that all my programs on my internal and external drives work, and kept their names.

On the whole, mine did as well (both on the internal and external hard drive). The only ones that lost their titles were ones that that were manually programmed timed recordings. Those got a title of "Manual Recording" or something similar.

Scott

Just got new software for my 8300HD (43rd and 9th). Man, it is UGLY! That's the worst looking interface I've seen in a while - although the On Demand pages look better than the previous software..

Luckily, I have a Tivo HD and only am using the TWC box for backup and OD HD movies. All my programs on int and ext drives were retained. I'll check it out more soon...but compared to the Tivo interface (with better PQ), I could not go back to this.

As soon as they have FIOS available for my home, I’m in. And I’m a big Knicks Fan, so no MSGHD is a big bummer, but if that’s the only thing I have to bitch about with FIOS, then so be it. I guess it’s easy for me to say that now, that it’s not basketball season. :D

Unless the Knicks play like they did the past 2 seaasons! Don't forget the Rangers, Devils and don't some Nets games get on MSG HD? Plus the occasional concert.

Then again, FiOS does HDNet.

I think this is one of various lock-outs that happen in the industry that has Congress mulling what to do.

One further update on my "upgrade": it appears that none of the programs recorded on my external hard drive transferred properly. All of them lost their name and info and got turned into UNKNOWN XXX and marked as being recorded on 12/31. I now have 200+ programs that I have no way to identify except by playing them.

Thanks, Time Warner. Does the former head of FEMA work at your company?

Too bad he doesn't, that would be an upgrade over who they have running the show now.

Is Fios that good? or is it wishful thinking??or what??

One further update on my "upgrade": it appears that none of the programs recorded on my external hard drive transferred properly. All of them lost their name and info and got turned into UNKNOWN XXX and marked as being recorded on 12/31. I now have 200+ programs that I have no way to identify except by playing them.

Thanks, Time Warner. Does the former head of FEMA work at your company?

TWC never supported external hard drives; its not their equipment and there are multiple manufacturers, with varying degrees of compatibility in the mix. Accordingly, I don't think it's reasonable to complain about programs not translating properly.

You were always using it at your own risk.

A_C

TWC never supported external hard drives; its not their equipment and there are multiple manufacturers, with varying degrees of compatibility in the mix. Accordingly, I don't think it's reasonable to complain about programs not translating properly.

You were always using it at your own risk.

A_C

Malarkey. Companies support and test reasonable and expected uses of their devices and it's perfectly reasonable for people to expect that companies do so. Time Warner may not provide tech or warranty support for your Linksys or Belkin router but they certainly test and design their cable modem hardware and software to work with third party routers. If Time Warner released a cable modem firmware upgrade that disabled all Linksys routers, would you nonchalantly shrug your shoulders and say, "it's not Time Warner's job to test for Linksys routers, they don't make them, you gotta buy a new router"?

Time Warner obviously did take external hard drives into account because many folks with external drives are reporting their recordings transferred without problems. Clearly, Time Warner knows, expects and did design their upgrade to work with external drives. They just did a half-ass job, which is the heart of my criticism and the real problem with the company, its "good enough" approach to pretty much everything. Their philosophy seems to be never reach for the gold when settling for fourth place will do.

Next time, post something useful and sensible.

Malarkey. Companies support and test reasonable and expected uses of their devices. They may disclaim explicit support for non-tested department for liability reasons but companies do take into consideration third party devices that are can be expected to be used with their software/hardware. Time Warner may not provide tech or warranty support for your Linksys or Belkin router but they certainly test and design their cable modem hardware and software to work with third party routers. If Time Warner released a cable modem firmware upgrade that disabled all Linksys routers, would you shrug your shoulders and say, "it's not Time Warner's job to test for Linksys routers, they don't make them, it's your fault"? What a stupid thing to suggest.

Making sure their DVR upgrades works external hard drives is the same thing. My WD DVR Expander was sold and advertised as being certified to work with the 8300HD so there was plainly a testing procedure underpinning that certification between the hardware and software makers. Besides, hard drives are commodity devices, the circuits and mechanism in all drives literally come from two or three companies. The only difference between most is the box they come in. You test for one hard drive, you test for pretty much all of them. And Time Warner obviously did take external hard drives into account because many folks with external drives are reporting their recordings transferred without problems. They just did a half-ass job, which is the heart of my criticism and the real problem with the company, its "good enough" approach to pretty much everything. Their philosophy seems to be never reach for their gold when settling for fourth place will do.

Next time, post something useful and accurate.

Your cable modem example is very different.

Routers are expected to work. (and even those can be hit-or-miss sometimes)

They never ever ever claimed that external drives would work - as A C said - you were always using one at your own risk.

<snip>
Next time, post something useful and accurate.

Next time keep your sour grapes to yourself.

A_C

TWC never supported external hard drives; its not their equipment and there are multiple manufacturers, with varying degrees of compatibility in the mix. Accordingly, I don't think it's reasonable to complain about programs not translating properly.

You were always using it at your own risk.

Agree with Agent_C -- we all knew that using the external drives with the 8300/HD/HDC was a risky prospect at best -- they were never supported by TWC (in fact TWC would tell you flat out that they don't support them if you asked), and especially based upon the fact that you never had a buffer when the external drive had more free space than the internal is an indication that basic DVR functionality was CRIPPLED with external drives hooked up. Now the fact that it worked is pretty awesome to us.

My external drive did transfer most of its programs 100%. So clearly they have tested the software and its functionality. If I am reading correctly in this thread, it seems to me that you aborted the migration process (slow as it was), unhooked your external drive, and then rebooted WITHOUT the drive, and the migration was successful. By unhooking your drive during the migration, you lost the ability to get the names of the programs that you had stored on it. If you had eventually let it complete its migration with the drive hooked up (if it was eventually successful), it seems to me like it would have transferred the names of all of your shows.

In my case, I had maybe 20 programs on the external drive. I wasn't home when the migration took place, but in the diag mode, mine seems to have come back up at around 10:40AM. Assuming that the migration started around 10AM, it seemingly took over 30 minutes to transfer 20 or so programs! Imagine if it had to transfer over 200 programs.....So by removing your drive during this process you eliminated your one chance of saving the info about your shows.....That's the breaks, I guess.

Look on the bright side -- you didn't LOSE any of your programs during the switch-over, which we all considered to be a likely possiblity!!! So I would consider it a success. Somewhat limited, but a success nonetheless -- your external drive CONTINUES TO FUNCTION, and it HAS ALL OF YOUR SAVED PROGRAMS....

Scott

I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised with the outcome. All my recorded programs translated properly and there was only one anomaly with a daily recording, which I simply had to redefine.

Contrary to what many report, menu and channel changes are quite responsive. PQ may be a hair better as well.

It sounds like the software has come quite a ways since its initial release.

A_C

Next time keep your sour grapes to yourself.

A_C

You're kidding? Have you looked at the forums? People complain, they report problems, they get helpful feedback. Only cranks like you tell others to shut up. Don't know what bug crawled up your ass but take a pill. It's nice you didn't have a problem but I did and I posted about it. Frak off if you don't care. No one's forcing you to read it or respond to it.

My external drive did transfer most of its programs 100%. So clearly they have tested the software and its functionality. If I am reading correctly in this thread, it seems to me that you aborted the migration process (slow as it was), unhooked your external drive, and then rebooted WITHOUT the drive, and the migration was successful.

No, that was a little bit confusing in my post but I never booted the DVR without the external drive also plugged in and turned on. The procedure I was trying to describe was simply that I powered off both the DVR and external drive, unplugged and replugged the HDMI cord, plugged and powered on the external drive first and THEN plugged and turned on the DVR. The migration ultimately took hold for some reason but it was with the external drive attached and powered. I never booted the DVR by itself and I never booted it before I booted the external drive.

The fact that they did test the software with external drives is what moots the notion that Time Warner doesn't "support" external drives. They purposefully designed the software to seek and transfer external hard drive programs. When they choose to do something they don't have to - and they could have easily designed the update to simply ignore everything that wasn't located completely on the internal drive - we're entitled to expect they do so competently. The "we don't support external drives" doesn't wash when they obviously programmed the software to look for and migrate external drives.

Look on the bright side -- you didn't LOSE any of your programs during the switch-over, which we all considered to be a likely possiblity!!! So I would consider it a success. Somewhat limited, but a success nonetheless -- your external drive CONTINUES TO FUNCTION, and it HAS ALL OF YOUR SAVED PROGRAMS....

Scott

Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case. After actually working through the programs and trying to play them, I found out none of my programs transferred properly. Each time I tried to play, I got the strange error message "Program X is not available at this time - try again later." I had to erase everything.

any one know if they still have Samsung 3090 with 320 HDD at 23st?? Let us know

You're kidding? Have you looked at the forums? People complain, they report problems, they get helpful feedback. Only cranks like you tell others to shut up. Don't know what bug crawled up your ass but take a pill. It's nice you didn't have a problem but I did and I posted about it. Frak off if you don't care. No one's forcing you to read it or respond to it.

There are 2 ways to complain.... the right way and the wrong way

Wrong way = blaming Time Warner for a problem that isn't their fault....

Right way = asking for help from people here...

You're kidding? Have you looked at the forums? People complain, they report problems, they get helpful feedback. Only cranks like you tell others to shut up. Don't know what bug crawled up your ass but take a pill. It's nice you didn't have a problem but I did and I posted about it. Frak off if you don't care. No one's forcing you to read it or respond to it.

Dude, it's really time for one of these;

http://www.2000greetings.com/chill_pill.jpg

Has any one know if they still have Samsung 3090 with 320 HDD at 23st?? Let us know

So far we have 1 confirmed - and this was a day or 2 after someone else went in and was given an 8300HDC since they said they were out of Sammys

It may be a good sign that they are now giving out Sammys with bigger hard drives.... if anyone else wants to try going in...

There are 2 ways to complain.... the right way and the wrong way

Wrong way = blaming Time Warner for a problem that isn't their fault....

Right way = asking for help from people here...

I didn't ask for help because I knew there was none; I dealt with it by erasing my external hard drive. End of story. Or it would have been until Agent_C got out of the wrong side of the bed and decided to take a whack at me for complaining.

Right way to react to post that doesn't apply to you and which you have nothing to contribute: don't reply.

Wrong way: reply and tell poster to keep his "sour grapes" to him/herself.

And although Agent_C didn't like my post, one forum member PM'ed me because he was having similar issues and concerns. That PM alone tells me it was appropriate and helpful to post.

Dude, it's really time for one of these

Nice to see you have one handy. Be sure to take it with lots of water.

Nice to see you have one handy. Be sure to take it with lots of water.

I'd be happy to share???

A_C

I'd be happy to share???

A_C

You first. You need it more.

Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case. After actually working through the programs and trying to play them, I found out none of my programs transferred properly. Each time I tried to play, I got the strange error message "Program X is not available at this time - try again later." I had to erase everything.
Now that is bad news. I would say that this message was telling you that you needed to "hot" unplug and replug in your external drive and it would have recognized your programs and that for some reason at the time it wasn't recognizing your external drive, and that if you tried the "hot" plug and replug it would possibly have worked. But that's just a guess.....

Always make sure the "An external drive has been found, press A to continue" message comes up when/if you reboot.

Scott

Now that is bad news. I would say that this message was telling you that you needed to "hot" unplug and replug in your external drive and it would have recognized your programs and that for some reason at the time it wasn't recognizing your external drive, and that if you tried the "hot" plug and replug it would possibly have worked. But that's just a guess.....

Always make sure the "An external drive has been found, press A to continue" message comes up when/if you reboot.

Scott

I always got that "external drive has been found..." message, the DVR recognizing the external drive was never a problem, just that was migrated on the external drive was all screwed up. At this point, the exact cause will never be identified and it's beside the point since it's all erased. I am tempted to trade out my 8300HD for the Samsung because the interface slowness remains - along with constant crashes and reboots, I've had 5 since the update downloaded - but hesitate because of Satch Man's reports that the Samsung is spotty with external drives, although if I get a 320GB internal drive, that alleviates the problem.

With all the talk about what's available at 23rd Street, does anybody know what DVR they're giving out at Queens Center Mall? I already have an HDC but would like a Samsung. Is that mostly what they're giving out at this point or are the HDC's still the majority? If I have to go to 23rd Street, I will... I'd just hate to schlep my box back just to get the same one.

Thanks!

With all the talk about what's available at 23rd Street, does anybody know what DVR they're giving out at Queens Center Mall? I already have an HDC but would like a Samsung. Is that mostly what they're giving out at this point or are the HDC's still the majority? If I have to go to 23rd Street, I will... I'd just hate to schlep my box back just to get the same one.

Thanks!

Ditto; anyone know what's available at their Brooklyn 5th Av Center?

With all the talk about what's available at 23rd Street, does anybody know what DVR they're giving out at Queens Center Mall? I already have an HDC but would like a Samsung. Is that mostly what they're giving out at this point or are the HDC's still the majority? If I have to go to 23rd Street, I will... I'd just hate to schlep my box back just to get the same one.

Thanks!

I recall some discussions a while back regarding whether boxes procured from Queens Center would work in Manhattan and vice-versa re. 23rd Street.

Make sure you clarify that in advance; and don't rely solely on what a rep at 23rd Street tells you. They're typically very ill-informed about stuff like this.

A_C

I'm happy with the upgrade, the 8300HD is as snappy as before with the added bonus of having back "trick play" using the external drive. I need to check resolution with the HDNET test pattern but I think PQ is definitely better.
All my shows transferred OK plus it recovered hundreds of deleted shows by renaming them as "unknown". I need to get used to the new menu and functions but so far so good.

Got switched to Navigator several days back on both our 8300HD boxes formerly running Passport. Interestingly enough they were updated 2 days apart rather than same day but whatever. All programs retained amazingly enough.

First and most important, several programs we have recorded in the last 2 days have begun late - one apparently at least 1 1/2 minute in. Interestingly enough one of them we started watching 10 minutes or so after it started airing and had Start-Over available to it. In the S.O. version we saw the beginning whereas in the DVR'ed version it began late! Anyone else seeing this? I'd hate to have to start setting everything to begin recording 1 minute early!

Second is there any way around the buffer issue other than keeping PIP up?

Third other than space what other advantages are there to the Samsung boxes?

Fourth in the old search it was simple to see other airings of the same program by switching to search in the guide while the program is highlighted. Is there any way to do this now or is it gone?

Thanks.

Got switched to Navigator several days back on both our 8300HD boxes formerly running Passport. Interestingly enough they were updated 2 days apart rather than same day but whatever. All programs retained amazingly enough.

First and most important, several programs we have recorded in the last 2 days have begun late - one apparently at least 1 1/2 minute in. Interestingly enough one of them we started watching 10 minutes or so after it started airing and had Start-Over available to it. In the S.O. version we saw the beginning whereas in the DVR'ed version it began late! Anyone else seeing this? I'd hate to have to start setting everything to begin recording 1 minute early!

Second is there any way around the buffer issue other than keeping PIP up?

Third other than space what other advantages are there to the Samsung boxes?

Fourth in the old search it was simple to see other airings of the same program by switching to search in the guide while the program is highlighted. Is there any way to do this now or is it gone?

Thanks.

1) I have also noticed all recordings start a bit late. the old software normally started 30 seconds early automatically, so that may be playing a roll in that. As for start over, that is just an 'instant' on demand service - has nothing to do with the dvr

2) nope (unfortunately)

3) space - additional memory (smoother operation) - better performance on future potential upgrades

4) it's gone... another annoying change... (however the current search does include on demand programs - a nice addition)

I recall some discussions a while back regarding whether boxes procured from Queens Center would work in Manhattan and vice-versa re. 23rd Street.

Make sure you clarify that in advance; and don't rely solely on what a rep at 23rd Street tells you. They're typically very ill-informed about stuff like this.

A_C

If you live Queens you can not use a box from Manhattan :( I think you can not get samsung 3090 in Queens yet.:rolleyes:

Is there any way to do slow motion or frame by frame advance on this Navigator system?

-barry

Is there any way to do slow motion or frame by frame advance on this Navigator system?

-barry

pressing play while watching the show initiates slow motion. haven't tried to do frame by frame advance yet.

If you live Queens you can not use a box from Manhattan :( I think you can not get samsung 3090 in Queens yet.:rolleyes:

The Samsungs have been available in Queens Center Mall for a month now.

pressing play while watching the show initiates slow motion. haven't tried to do frame by frame advance yet.

Thanks. That fills the bill.

-barry

First and most important, several programs we have recorded in the last 2 days have begun late - one apparently at least 1 1/2 minute in.

I would like to see a software update that actually kicks in the box on a pre-recorded show about 1 min-30 seconds before start time. If I have a recorded show or movie that is a big deal to me, I always start the recording at least one minute early or more.

To do this on Navigator:

1.) Find the show in the Time Grid or through a Category Search.

2) Press Select to bring up a list of options for that show.

3.) With arrow keys, highlight, Record Show With Options, Press Select.

4.) Highlight Adjust Start Time. Use the horizontal arrows to select an earlier start time.

5.) If you want, scroll down to adjust end time and make the end time later.

6.) Press Exit to save the changes.

1.) To confirm your show time, Press List on your DVR remote

2.) Scroll left/right to Scheduled Recordings.

3.) Scroll up/down to find the recording you just entered

4.) You should be able to see the new start and stop times for the show. If you don't, try pressing Info when you are on a scheduled highlighted show either in the Time Grid or in the Record List. You should see the start times and stop times as you scheduled them.

What I don't like is that if you have a show recorded from say 7 PM to 7:30 PM and you have another show that you want to record at 7:30 on the same channel, and you try to change channels at 7:30, it will say that the tuner is busy. (Because the 7:00 show is finishing at the time the 7:30 show is starting.) You have to wait until 7:31 to change channels. (Even though the DVR will still record both shows.) Let's say you have two shows running on the same channel that you want to record from 7PM to 8PM and they are each a half hour long.

Instead of setting up like this:

7PM-7:30 Food Network Record This Show and

7:30 to 8 PM Food Network Record This Show,

Go to the 7PM Show and Select Record Options. Select, Adjust End Time to say end 30 minutes later. (This extends the first show to 8 PM and you don't have to set up the second show.) This way the DVR just knows the 7PM show runs overtime until 8:00 and you can record both programs on the same channel.

Using the method above, you won't have a break in the action that you might get if you tried to record each show in its own separate time-slot on the same channel back-to-back.

Jack

If you live Queens you can not use a box from Manhattan :( I think you can not get samsung 3090 in Queens yet.:rolleyes:

When did that start? When I worked in Chelsea I always swapped my boxes at 23rd Street to use in Queens.

The Samsungs have been available in Queens Center Mall for a month now.

Do they have ample stock of the Samsungs or is it just a couple and mostly HDC's?

Here's my idea for general everyday recording (Time Warner are you listening?): The record options page should have a "Smart Extend" option which starts the recording a minute or two early and ends the recording 5-10 minutes late, BUT it only does this if you have a tuner to spare.

So, if you are "smart extend"-ing a recording from 9-10, and then recording two shows at 10, no smart extending takes place.

-barry

I would like to see a software update that actually kicks in the box on a pre-recorded show about 1 min-30 seconds before start time. If I have a recorded show or movie that is a big deal to me, I always start the recording at least one minute early or more.

To this on Navigator:

1.) Find the show in the Time Grid or through a Category Search.

2) Press Select to bring up a list of options for that show.

3.) With arrow keys, highlight, Record Show With Options, Press Select.

4.) Highlight Adjust Start Time. Use the horizontal arrows to select an earlier start time.

5.) If you want, scroll down to adjust end time and make the end time later.

6.) Press Exit to save the changes.

1.) To confirm your show time, Press List on your DVR remote

2.) Scroll left/right to Scheduled Recordings.

3.) Scroll up/down to find the recording you just entered

4.) You should be able to see the new start and stop times for the show. If you don't, try pressing Info when you are on a scheduled highlighted show either in the Time Grid or in the Record List. You should see the start times and stop times as you scheduled them.

What I don't like is that if you have a show recorded from say 7 PM to 7:30 PM and you have another show that you want to record at 7:30 on the same channel, and you try to change channels at 7:30, it will say that the tuner is busy. (Because the 7:00 show is finishing at the time the 7:30 show is starting.) You have to wait until 7:31 to change channels. (Even though the DVR will still record both shows.) Let's say you have two shows running on the same channel that you want to record from 7PM to 8PM and they are each a half hour long.

Instead of setting up like this:

7PM-7:30 Food Network Record This Show and

7:30 to 8 PM Food Network Record This Show,

Go to the 7PM Show and Select Record Options. Select, Adjust End Time to say end 30 minutes later. (This extends the first show to 8 PM and you don't have to set up the second show.) This way the DVR just knows the 7PM show runs overtime until 8:00 and you can record both programs on the same channel.

Using the method above, you won't have a break in the action that you might get if you tried to record each show in its own separate time-slot on the same channel back-to-back.

Jack

Do they have ample stock of the Samsungs or is it just a couple and mostly HDC's?

Got my first 3090 in Queens about a month ago. It was not in a box, but I was offered a HDC.

2 weeks ago I swapped out the 3090 due to poor performance - received a brand new 3090 in the box, and the CSR told me that the HDC was not available. Plenty of 3090's(all in boxes) were stacked up in the back room.

Got my first 3090 in Queens about a month ago. It was not in a box, but I was offered a HDC.

2 weeks ago I swapped out the 3090 due to poor performance - received a brand new 3090 in the box, and the CSR told me that the HDC was not available. Plenty of 3090's(all in boxes) were stacked up in the back room.How big is the hard drive?

Has anyone gotten "start over" to work with their 8300HD box since the Navigator update in Queens? Other than this problem and the attenuated text in the program guide descriptions for the programs, I am a happy camper.Thank you for any input.

Has anyone gotten "start over" to work with their 8300HD box since the Navigator update in Queens? Other than this problem and the attenuated text in the program guide descriptions for the programs, I am a happy camper.Thank you for any input.

When you say Start Over doesn't work, do you mean you see the prompt when tuning to a channel for Start Over you press Select and it doesn't work? Or a channel that says it is supposed to have Start Over does not have it when you tune to the channel or inside the Quick Menu options?

One customer got a line of BS from Customer Service that said, "Start Over only works on the C boxes." That is crap. Start Over has nothing to do with the integrated cable cards of the new Samsung or HDC boxes. It is activated by the head-end making the show available for the duration of a show as long as the station agrees to it.

The problems were that some stations had TWC pulling Start Over because they thought that this would allow customers to skip commercials. Start Over does require seeing the commercials, so when that red tape cleared, they stated adding Start Over to the stations that approved it.

Several MDN users have Start Over already. As the change over is so new, it might take a couple of weeks before they turn it on for your area. All you can do with this feature is be patient. But you will get it eventually, as long as TWC and the channel in question agree to it. I understand that there are (depending on TWC market) about 20-40 channels that have agreements with TWC for Start Over service. It might take a couple of weeks, maybe less. But rest assured you DO NOT need a new box to get it.

Jack

My 8300HD has been rebooting in a loop for almost two days now thanks to the Mystro update. I've lost two years worth of recordings including everything on my 1TB external. Thanks Time Warner.

My 8300HD has been rebooting in a loop for almost two days now thanks to the Mystro update. I've lost two years worth of recordings including everything on my 1TB external. Thanks Time Warner.

Uggggg!

Unplug the external drive and the box for at least half an hour. Than disconnect the Component or HDMI cable. After 30 minutes, reconnect everything EXCEPT the external drive. Leave the TV off for about 1 hour or until you see the time clock on your display. (And the clock stays in the LCD readout.) If you see the time clock on the display, turn your TV back on, you should have Navigator at that time. If you do, you will have to make the decision whether or not to have the external drive reconnected. But at least you will have a better chance on the external drive working with a successful Navigator carry over first.

If you do not see the clock within an hour after reconnecting the cables and plugging the box back in, you will need to swap out your box.

OR

If you see the clock within an hour of reconnecting the box and cables, turn your TV back on. You should have Navigator.

A normal Navigator transition with no external drives connected can take about 20-30 minutes. With an external drive about an hour depending on the capacity of the hard drive. With problems and no external drive, can still be about an hour.

Jack

The Samsungs have been available in Queens Center Mall for a month now.

is that hd 300 gigs?

My 8300HD looks like it has a bad HDD. Will I get a Samsung 3090 at 23rd Street if I trade in?

If you live Queens you can not use a box from Manhattan :( I think you can not get samsung 3090 in Queens yet.:rolleyes:

Is this what they specifically told you? AFAIK, the only thing the "pick-up center" does is note the boxes MAC number in your customer record. Which is all they should need...

Is this what they specifically told you? AFAIK, the only thing the "pick-up center" does is note the boxes MAC number in your customer record. Which is all they should need...

Looks like im wrong about Queens not having samsung 3090:o I was not told about man. box not working in Queens. there were a lot of posts about this a while back I could not see what the out come was.

My 8300HD has been rebooting in a loop for almost two days now thanks to the Mystro update. I've lost two years worth of recordings including everything on my 1TB external. Thanks Time Warner.

Shhh, don't you know you're not allowed to air your sour grapes on this thread?

Sorry to hear, the same thing happened to me. I lost everything on my 1TB external drive and even though my 8300HD was finally updated, it has been flaky. I am watching Ugly Betty HD from last night and it has audio dropouts every 5-10 minutes. I may have to give up this DVR+external drive combo and get a Samsung 3090 that doesn't work with an external drive. It's too bad because I have liked not having to worry about running out of hard drive space. Even with a 320gb hard drive, all the HD recordings will fill it up pretty quickly.

Got my first 3090 in Queens about a month ago. It was not in a box, but I was offered a HDC.

2 weeks ago I swapped out the 3090 due to poor performance - received a brand new 3090 in the box, and the CSR told me that the HDC was not available. Plenty of 3090's(all in boxes) were stacked up in the back room.

I just unhooked my HDC and lugged it on the bus. I got to Queens Center and waited 10 minutes for my number to be called. I asked the girl at the counter if they had any 3090s. She said she'd check, walked into the stock room and spoke to some guy. I saw her come out of the stock room empty handed. She told me that they gave out the last one they had this morning, and all they had were HDCs. She offered to switch it for another HDC, but I left with my old box.

So, no 3090s at Queens Center Mall...

I got Navigatored a few days ago in Tribeca. Getting used to it, but I still preferred the the Passport software that hadn't been updated in 3 years. Oh well. Hopefully Navigator will continue to improve.
I have an SA8300hd DVR box. The consensus seems to be to stick with this for now, correct?

Just left the 23rd st TWC. They are out of Samsung DVRs right now. They expect more on Tuesday morning. She also said they've been told the boxes are coming with bigger hard drives now.

I got Navigatored a few days ago in Tribeca. Getting used to it, but I still preferred the the Passport software that hadn't been updated in 3 years. Oh well. Hopefully Navigator will continue to improve.
I have an SA8300hd DVR box. The consensus seems to be to stick with this for now, correct?

I would say yea,

If whatever box you have is working for you and whatever software guide you have is working for you, keep what you have. Others may disagree with this, but I come from an "If it's not broken, don't fix it." philosophy. Only if you are having repeated issues with your box should you swap it out.

Now if you NEED something like a bigger hard drive space and your external drive is not doing well with the box or the Navigator update, see if you can get a Samsung box with the bigger hard drive. But if you don't have a lot of things recorded or you even do a lot of recording, and your box is fine, keep it. The differences between the downloaded MDN Navigator versions to legacy boxes and the newer ODN boxes are very subtle. As anything could change with updates to either version at any time, if what you have is working for you, I'd keep it.

Jack

Just left the 23rd st TWC. They are out of Samsung DVRs right now. They expect more on Tuesday morning. She also said they've been told the boxes are coming with bigger hard drives now.

Yeah was just there myself to replace my ailing 8300HD. Got a replacement 8300 that seems worse than the old one (really slow). Going back Tuesday to try can cop a Sammy.

Just left the 23rd st TWC. They are out of Samsung DVRs right now. They expect more on Tuesday morning. She also said they've been told the boxes are coming with bigger hard drives now.

VERY interesting. If I could call and put a hold on a 320 3090, I'd do that in a flash.

I really disliked the trick play Passport w/external drive bug and the work-around didn't go so smoothly so I adapted to the small HDD space by... watching what I recorded and not piling it up. I got used to the HDD as a time shifter, not an archival storage mechanism that some desire.

That being said, a 320G drive means I don't have to be as careful... and I can easily tape 2 football games with extra time for fifth quarters without having to have a mostly empty drive to do that.

We "know" that the past few versions of ODN have issues with external drives, and I am simply not sure they ever will really address this problem. I mean, it's really very simple from a programming perspective, there's no voodoo involved. So I have to conclude this is what they actually intend... to not allow us to have expanded recording capacity. I'd even go so far as to suggest this MAY very well be a talking point when they are negotiating carriage agreements... that they make sure customers can NOT archive that much content without paying additional "viewing fees." That "HT junkie Frank" can't have all 6 Star Wars movies in HD stored and show them at parties he may have.

No I don't know this for fact, it's educated speculation. But I'd almost put money on it because it simply works as policy.

VERY interesting. If I could call and put a hold on a 320 3090, I'd do that in a flash.

I really disliked the trick play Passport w/external drive bug and the work-around didn't go so smoothly so I adapted to the small HDD space by... watching what I recorded and not piling it up. I got used to the HDD as a time shifter, not an archival storage mechanism that some desire.

That being said, a 320G drive means I don't have to be as careful... and I can easily tape 2 football games with extra time for fifth quarters without having to have a mostly empty drive to do that.

We "know" that the past few versions of ODN have issues with external drives, and I am simply not sure they ever will really address this problem. I mean, it's really very simple from a programming perspective, there's no voodoo involved. So I have to conclude this is what they actually intend... to not allow us to have expanded recording capacity. I'd even go so far as to suggest this MAY very well be a talking point when they are negotiating carriage agreements... that they make sure customers can NOT archive that much content without paying additional "viewing fees." That "HT junkie Frank" can't have all 6 Star Wars movies in HD stored and show them at parties he may have.

No I don't know this for fact, it's educated speculation. But I'd almost put money on it because it simply works as policy.

I agree with your theory Riverside,

And the reason why TWC does not want to support external drives is also because they can't CONTROL and MONOPOLIZE what customers do with them. In order for TWC to intentionally support external drives, they would have to reach a carriage agreement with a company, say Western Digital, charge $5.00 more per month for customers to get the make/model that they control, than they would make sure that the SA and Samsung boxes work with the external drive they support. (And only the drive that they support.)

By having an equipment agreement with Samsung and having Samsung put the hard drives with more storage in the newer boxes, TWC has control over the storage, the company providing the storage, and can trickle down information about what they have control of to customers easier. The Sammy box with the bigger hard drive helps the customer with more storage, and potentially better results with Navigator updates.

To get TWC or any of these big companies to care, they have to see the money flowing into their pockets. An outside distributor of external drive devices doesn't give TWC an incentive to care without them having a contract with the company.

I believe that the reason why some external drives work and some don't is because SA/Cisco may have tested some models with the boxes before they left the factory and not other drive models. That's why whether or not they work is often a crap-shoot. SARA/Passport have more embedded "life experience" inside these boxes because of their widespread uses from cable company to cable company. Maybe the reason why MDN works with most external drives could be more due to "luck." I heard the Western Digital Expander drive seems to provide the best results with MDN boxes.

Jack

i got navigator a few days ago and have a question. with passport, they would tell you how long you had before a show at the bottom of your DVR list would get deleted and now it just shows a red triangle with an exclamation point in it. it says that i have 28% of the hard drive full so does anyone that has had navigator for a while know about how long before they erase the shows with the red warning next to them?

While my 8300HD seems to work fine with the new software and external drive, I would recommend switching to a Tivo HD and give up on these TWC boxes. I've been a lot happier since i got the Tivo a couple of months ago. The interface is extremely versatile and executed beautifully, the PQ is superior, and it works as a streaming device on a home network. I can watch Amazon HD movies, Youtube videos, countless others on my big screen. It streams music and Hi rez photos from my computer or photo web site. I can also program the Tivo remotely, from any computer or cell phone!

And, the 30-second-click advance is worth the price of admission alone. :)

That "HT junkie Frank" can't have all 6 Star Wars movies in HD stored and show them at parties he may have.


I actually did have all 6 Star Wars movies recorded in HD last year on my 320G external drive! They broadcast them for some marathon, was it HD-Net?

Showing them at parties? Maybe a kid's party - not one for adults. I erased the movies when I realized that neither I or my 13-year-old son found them interesting.

I am the last person to defend Time Warner, which I believe provides mediocre service and only provides new services or features when it is threatened. However, in this case, I don't think there's anything behind Time Warner's lack of support for external drives except the usual corporate inertia that is characteristic of its culture. In my mind, the idea that Time Warner feels threatened by external drives doesn't hold up because you still need a Time Warner DVR & monthly subscription to play what's on the external drive. The DRM is pretty tight and to my knowledge hasn't been broken. If anything, people with external drives may well be more likely to stay with Time Warner because they are likely to have lots of programs that they would lose if they ever switched providers. Supporting external drives would seem to tighten Time Warner's control on subscribers, not loosen it.

Nor do I see how one can wave away the support for external drives in Time Warner's 8300HD models by giving all the credit to the hardware makers or by saying those DVRs slipped through the cracks. The support depends on both hardware and software and if it's easy to program the DVR to support external drives, it's equally easy to disable the support. Time Warner could have and still can issue an firmware update at any time to disable external drive support in the 8300HD model. Yet, far from disabling support, it actually programmed the latest Passport -> Navigator update to search for and migrate programs on external drives. If Time Warner was really out to kill external drive compatibility, this was the golden opportunity to do it but it didn't. Instead, it continues to support external drives on now Navigator-based 8300HD. As someone who was unlucky enough to lose 200+ programs on my external drive during the migration, I still recognize that at least I can still use my external drive. That's no small thing.

As for why the internal hard drives are getting bigger: (1) there's enough HD programming now that the company regularly hears from customers that they're running out of room too fast (it's no longer a niche or enthusiast-only complaint, which Time Warner ignores) and perhaps more importantly; (2) 320GB drives are now cheaper than 160GB drives. I don't think this is the first time the internal drives have increased in size, I think they used to come with 80GB drives? When 160GB drives became the sweet spot in cost, they replaced the 80GB models. We're going through the same transition, it's cheaper now for drive makers to make 320GB drives and that has trickled down to the DVR OEMs. Driving down costs is what's most important to Time Warner. The fact that it benefits us is a nice but incidental to its motive.

But these are just my two cents.

I would recommend switching to a Tivo HD and give up on these TWC boxes.

I am going to look into Tivo. I've considered it in the past but never bothered to pull the trigger. But this is the third or fourth time in four years that I've lost all my programs on Time Warner DVRs. It's not the end of the world - after a week or two, I can't even remember what I lost - but it's exasperating. And it seems almost inevitable that it will happen again.

Do you know if you can pick up the Cablecards at the 23rd St center or do you have to schedule an appointment? And does TWC give you a multistream card or two singlestream cards? I assume that any technical difference between the two setups is invisible to the Tivo user? Thanks for any clarification you can offer.

I am the last person to defend Time Warner, which I believe provides mediocre service and only provides new services or features when it is threatened. However, in this case, I don't think there's anything behind Time Warner's lack of support for external drives except the usual corporate inertia that is characteristic of its culture. In my mind, the idea that Time Warner feels threatened by external drives doesn't hold up because you still need a Time Warner DVR & monthly subscription to play what's on the external drive. The DRM is pretty tight and to my knowledge hasn't been broken. If anything, people with external drives may well be more likely to stay with Time Warner because they are likely to have lots of programs that they would lose if they ever switched providers. Supporting external drives would seem to tighten Time Warner's control on subscribers, not loosen it.

Nor do I see how one can wave away the support for external drives in Time Warner's 8300HD models by giving all the credit to the hardware makers or by saying those DVRs slipped through the cracks.
Agree with Peter on these points -- my theory over why the support for external drives keeps coming and going -- TWC is (or was? until it got stable) under intense pressure to get Navigator stable, add new features, make it faster, etc. As a software developer/development manager myself, timelines are tight in development cycles, and it's tough to get in all of the features that people are screaming for as well as squash old bugs. Things slip by, and things get broken that don't get fixed -- especially features that are not "officially" supported by the people calling the shots.

My personal suspicion is that the lower-level DVR OS that both Passport and Navigator (and SARA for that matter) are built on top of supports the SATA drives natively. But the higher level software has to be build to properly interoperate with it (I believe it was some "sleep" feature that TWC had built into one verson of Navigator that broke it for some people). So this is a new feature that TWC built, but it wasn't fully tested with some functionality that TWC doesn't officially support, and broke external drives. I don't think it's any larger consipracy than that.

Scott

So my box got stuck in the endless reboot and I took it to 23rd street to have it switched out. I got a new box, a SA 8300HDC.

For some reason, I am now getting several channels I did not get before. But for some reason, I can't get NY1 in HD. It says to call in order to get the channel. I'm afraid if I call they will get rid of all the extra channels I have now, any suggestions?

So my box got stuck in the endless reboot and I took it to 23rd street to have it switched out. I got a new box, a SA 8300HDC.

For some reason, I am now getting several channels I did not get before. But for some reason, I can't get NY1 in HD. It says to call in order to get the channel. I'm afraid if I call they will get rid of all the extra channels I have now, any suggestions?

you will lose those extra channels if you call - new boxes almost always need to have a signal sent out to get the full account info.

(it'll update eventually on its own anyways)

So my box got stuck in the endless reboot and I took it to 23rd street to have it switched out. I got a new box, a SA 8300HDC.

For some reason, I am now getting several channels I did not get before. But for some reason, I can't get NY1 in HD. It says to call in order to get the channel. I'm afraid if I call they will get rid of all the extra channels I have now, any suggestions?

I had the same problem with NY1 HD when I got a new 3090 box. After calling TW support, and baffling them, a supervisor said I should wait 24 hours and call back. I was sure he was just bullsh*tting me, but after 24 hours, NY1 HD just started to work.

Give it a day.

-barry

While my 8300HD seems to work fine with the new software and external drive, I would recommend switching to a Tivo HD and give up on these TWC boxes. I've been a lot happier since i got the Tivo a couple of months ago. The interface is extremely versatile and executed beautifully, the PQ is superior, and it works as a streaming device on a home network. I can watch Amazon HD movies, Youtube videos, countless others on my big screen. It streams music and Hi rez photos from my computer or photo web site. I can also program the Tivo remotely, from any computer or cell phone!

And, the 30-second-click advance is worth the price of admission alone. :)

OK, you've piqued my interest. I looked into this once before, and as I recall the two main negatives of the Tivo are:

1. No on demand programming
2. No easy path to SDV if and when TW ever implements it.

Are these still a problem? Actually, I already know that #2 is not much of a problem because TW seems to have no plans for SDV in NYC.

Also, which Tivo do you have?

Thanks,

-barry

While my 8300HD seems to work fine with the new software and external drive, I would recommend switching to a Tivo HD and give up on these TWC boxes. I've been a lot happier since i got the Tivo a couple of months ago. The interface is extremely versatile and executed beautifully, the PQ is superior, and it works as a streaming device on a home network. I can watch Amazon HD movies, Youtube videos, countless others on my big screen. It streams music and Hi rez photos from my computer or photo web site. I can also program the Tivo remotely, from any computer or cell phone!

And, the 30-second-click advance is worth the price of admission alone. :)

On a completely different note, your posting reminded me to recommend the Roku box to anybody out there without a Tivo. It is not a full fledged network streaming device, but it does allow you to watch Amazon HD movies, and it allows you to watch FREE Netflix movies if you have an unlimited account (sadly, the collection of Netflix online movies is pretty slim). It's only $99.

-barry

I am going to look into Tivo. I've considered it in the past but never bothered to pull the trigger. But this is the third or fourth time in four years that I've lost all my programs on Time Warner DVRs. It's not the end of the world - after a week or two, I can't even remember what I lost - but it's exasperating. And it seems almost inevitable that it will happen again.

Do you know if you can pick up the Cablecards at the 23rd St center or do you have to schedule an appointment? And does TWC give you a multistream card or two singlestream cards? I assume that any technical difference between the two setups is invisible to the Tivo user? Thanks for any clarification you can offer.

You must schedule an appt. for 35 bucks. TWC installs one multistream card (simpler, works the same). There was a glitch after the first month, all channels above 13 went away, they had to come to fix it by "re-pairing" the card by making a few calls (no charge). Since then it's worked flawlessly.

Since I had an older SD Tivo (for many years), Tivo upgraded me to a Tivo HD for only $99. It's worth $200 easily.

OK, you've piqued my interest. I looked into this once before, and as I recall the two main negatives of the Tivo are:

1. No on demand programming
2. No easy path to SDV if and when TW ever implements it.

Are these still a problem? Actually, I already know that #2 is not much of a problem because TW seems to have no plans for SDV in NYC.

Also, which Tivo do you have?

Thanks,

-barry

I have a Tivo HD. Tivo HD cannot access OD programming, but since it's not HD, I don't really care. Future Tivos might. For the time being, I kept my 8300 HD for a backup, (4 tuners!) and to receive HD OD movies - though Amazon HD movies work fine on Tivo - they are just not instant as you need to download part of the movie first. Netflix? Forget it - pathetic selection of HD movies.

I'm still deciding whether it's worth the 15/mo to keep the TWC box - I might give it back if it doesn't get much use.

For $200 bucks (refurb?) you get a superior DVR, and a fine streaming device. Many other advantages, like Tivo To Go, remote programming. Not bad! :)

i got navigator a few days ago and have a question. with passport, they would tell you how long you had before a show at the bottom of your DVR list would get deleted and now it just shows a red triangle with an exclamation point in it. it says that i have 28% of the hard drive full so does anyone that has had navigator for a while know about how long before they erase the shows with the red warning next to them?

If you hit the info button, it will give you a brief description and also show how many hours until the show will be erased.

As for why the internal hard drives are getting bigger: (1) there's enough HD programming now that the company regularly hears from customers that they're running out of room too fast (it's no longer a niche or enthusiast-only complaint, which Time Warner ignores) and perhaps more importantly; (2) 320GB drives are now cheaper than 160GB drives. I don't think this is the first time the internal drives have increased in size, I think they used to come with 80GB drives? When 160GB drives became the sweet spot in cost, they replaced the 80GB models. We're going through the same transition, it's cheaper now for drive makers to make 320GB drives and that has trickled down to the DVR OEMs. Driving down costs is what's most important to Time Warner. The fact that it benefits us is a nice but incidental to its motive.

But these are just my two cents.

My recollection is that 80g drives were in the SD only days... the 160's came about when they started doing more HD channels.

The irony is that an 80G drive holds twice as much as a 160g holds in HD! So essentially, our capacity to time shift shows was cut in half.

For some reason, I am now getting several channels I did not get before. But for some reason, I can't get NY1 in HD. It says to call in order to get the channel. I'm afraid if I call they will get rid of all the extra channels I have now, any suggestions?

DO NOT CALL! Enjoy the extra stuff while it lasts.

Usually with a new box, they don't have the exact services you're paying for. My BEST box swap occurred many years ago, but when I got the new box home, I had every, and I mean every service they had. Including the PPVs that I could access with selecting one to pay for it. Even all the soft-core channels they charge an arm and a leg for. That one last almost 2 full weeks. Then one day, boom, back to only what I was paying for.

Don't expect this, I think on the next box swap I had a few channels I didn't pay for, BUT there were a few that I did pay for that I didn't get. I decided to let it slid and 3-4-5 days later, boom, only what I had contracted for.

OK, you've piqued my interest. I looked into this once before, and as I recall the two main negatives of the Tivo are:

1. No on demand programming
2. No easy path to SDV if and when TW ever implements it.

Are these still a problem? Actually, I already know that #2 is not much of a problem because TW seems to have no plans for SDV in NYC.

Also, which Tivo do you have?

Thanks,

-barry

TWC still has I believe about 30-35 analog channels remaining. That can represent another 100 or so HD channels, and I doubt seriously that many channels will be available even 5 years out.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the issue is the correct 2 way "conversation" with the head end... for the OnDemand/PPV stuff. In other markets, TiVO is supplying something called a "tuning adapter" to solve the issue. But I've seen no data about such a device in the NYC market.

Not even sure if TiVO can use a multi-stream card, nor do I know the status of TWC handing them out (I think they are used in HDCs and 3090). Add in that I think <tru2way> is supposed to eliminate all such issues. Don't recall TiVO making any statements, but I recall users are anticipating that in a Series 4 machine.

On a completely different note, your posting reminded me to recommend the Roku box to anybody out there without a Tivo. It is not a full fledged network streaming device, but it does allow you to watch Amazon HD movies, and it allows you to watch FREE Netflix movies if you have an unlimited account (sadly, the collection of Netflix online movies is pretty slim). It's only $99.

-barry

Aren't all Netflix accounts "unlimited" except the cheapest $5/mo which restricts one to 2 movies per month?

You must schedule an appt. for 35 bucks. TWC installs one multistream card (simpler, works the same). There was a glitch after the first month, all channels above 13 went away, they had to come to fix it by "re-pairing" the card by making a few calls (no charge). Since then it's worked flawlessly.

Since I had an older SD Tivo (for many years), Tivo upgraded me to a Tivo HD for only $99. It's worth $200 easily.

Ah, good to hear they are using multi-stream cards! I think the rental cost is less than 2 single stream cards...

I have a Tivo HD. Tivo HD cannot access OD programming, but since it's not HD, I don't really care. Future Tivos might. For the time being, I kept my 8300 HD for a backup, (4 tuners!) and to receive HD OD movies - though Amazon HD movies work fine on Tivo - they are just not instant as you need to download part of the movie first. Netflix? Forget it - pathetic selection of HD movies.

I'm still deciding whether it's worth the 15/mo to keep the TWC box - I might give it back if it doesn't get much use.

For $200 bucks (refurb?) you get a superior DVR, and a fine streaming device. Many other advantages, like Tivo To Go, remote programming. Not bad! :)

I think one pays 11/mo for DVR service, but there's also a few bucks in the triple play for a STB... is that how you arrived at 15?

Uh, TiVO also does monthly charges, to get the lowest cost you have to sign up for 3 years. I think they also have a one time payment of 300 or 400 bucks that gives you a lifetime license...

I would get a TiVo if there service charges weren't highway robbery. If I could get the unit plus a lifetime subscription for less than $200, I'd bite.

Well, TWC finally upgraded my third box over the weekend and, just like the other two, managed to lose some recorded programs - because of the built in default which saves only the last 7 programs of a series. Interestingly, this only happened with my HD saved programs and not with the SD ones.

I bought a TiVo last week and, while I haven't had much time to play with it, I already like it much better than the TWC dvr. I still have 2 remaining TWC boxes and am getting ready to switch another one to TiVo too. I really liked the Passport software and do not like the Mystro nearly as much. Passport worked great; they should have left it alone.

I am now sitting on hold with TWC billing for 26 minutes waiting for a supervisor to straighten out my bill. Obviously, my time is not nearly as important as theirs.

I am the head of my condo and am in the process of bringing Fios into the building. As soon as it is ready, I am so there.

TWC still has I believe about 30-35 analog channels remaining. That can represent another 100 or so HD channels, and I doubt seriously that many channels will be available even 5 years out.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the issue is the correct 2 way "conversation" with the head end... for the OnDemand/PPV stuff. In other markets, TiVO is supplying something called a "tuning adapter" to solve the issue. But I've seen no data about such a device in the NYC market.

Not even sure if TiVO can use a multi-stream card, nor do I know the status of TWC handing them out (I think they are used in HDCs and 3090). Add in that I think <tru2way> is supposed to eliminate all such issues. Don't recall TiVO making any statements, but I recall users are anticipating that in a Series 4 machine.
TiVo Series 3 units (now discontinued) require two single-stream CableCARDs to function; they do not support multi-stream CableCARDs.

TiVO HD and HD XL units support multi-stream CableCARDs.

TiVo does not support two-way communication with the headend, which is required for on-demand access. For SDV, the cable company will supply a "tuning adapter" which attaches to the TiVo via USB and handles channel-change requests. Tuning Adapters are generally free of charge.

As far as I know, TWCNYC has no plans to implement SDV, nor does it need to as it has plenty of capacity to deliver HD channels for the time being.

One thing I'd like to mention... you guys complain a lot about Navigator, but I'm on the Cablevision side of the fence, and from where I'm standing, Navigator is many, many times better than what we have on our 8300HDs.

Not even sure if TiVO can use a multi-stream card, nor do I know the status of TWC handing them out (I think they are used in HDCs and 3090). Add in that I think <tru2way> is supposed to eliminate all such issues. Don't recall TiVO making any statements, but I recall users are anticipating that in a Series 4 machine.

Tivo HDs can use multi-stream, older Series 3 cannot. I have heard that a future generation Tivo will support 2-way in some form. They won't hand them out, you need to schedule and pay for an appointment to install.

I think one pays 11/mo for DVR service, but there's also a few bucks in the triple play for a STB... is that how you arrived at 15?

Uh, TiVO also does monthly charges, to get the lowest cost you have to sign up for 3 years. I think they also have a one time payment of 300 or 400 bucks that gives you a lifetime license...

I don't have a bill handy - I'm not sure. I was thinking 11 + 2 for STB + tax. I pay $1.75/mo for multi-stream card in Tivo, $13.95/mo for Tivo service.

Tivo costs a bit more than TWC box, but in versatility, reliability, and pure elegance it's worth it - IMHO.

My transition went relatively smoothly, except any recording from pre-March became Unknown XX so it was annoying (I have a 1TB external drive and I like to save some movies)

However, one thing has been really annoying, for some reason some recording are ending prematurely. On the DVR list, it does not show that the recording was interrupted in the middle, but when I play it, the yellow indicator bar ends in the middle of the show (usually about 15-20 minutes in) and the recording ends when it reaches that point!

I thought it may be that I am close to capacity on my DVR, so I cleaned it up and is now 43% and it still occurs. This is terrible for crime shows. I was watching monk and it died just as he is about to solve the case....

anyone knows if this is a bad box or is there a way to fix it?

Aren't all Netflix accounts "unlimited" except the cheapest $5/mo which restricts one to 2 movies per month?

Yes, that's the current setup with Netflix, but they used to have several "limited" plans, and one never knows what next week's plans will be. :-)

-barry

I don't have a bill handy - I'm not sure. I was thinking 11 + 2 for STB + tax. I pay $1.75/mo for multi-stream card in Tivo, $13.95/mo for Tivo service.

Tivo costs a bit more than TWC box, but in versatility, reliability, and pure elegance it's worth it - IMHO.

Anyone have an opinion on Tivo HD vs. Tivo HD XL? At first glance, it looks like the XL just has a (much) bigger internal drive.

-barry

Anyone have an opinion on Tivo HD vs. Tivo HD XL? At first glance, it looks like the XL just has a (much) bigger internal drive.

-barry

Just bigger HD. replace drive yourself, or use external eSATA. Specs andi nstructions at http://tivocommunity.com/

or www.tivo.com

Just bigger HD. replace drive yourself, or use external eSATA. Specs andi nstructions at http://tivocommunity.com/

or www.tivo.com

Thanks. I'll probably do as you suggest. It kind of pisses me off, though. I'm a lazy kind of guy, and ordinarily, I'd just buy the XL and pay for somebody else to do the work, but $300 for a 1TB drive is pretty greedy, and I am hard pressed to go along with that.

-barry

Thanks. I'll probably do as you suggest. It kind of pisses me off, though. I'm a lazy kind of guy, and ordinarily, I'd just buy the XL and pay for somebody else to do the work, but $300 for a 1TB drive is pretty greedy, and I am hard pressed to go along with that.

-barry

If you're technical, you can install HD yourself but you'd need to hook it to your computer and put software on it (explained on Tivo forum). You will, however, void the warranty. I opted for the 1T eSATA, about $160, no hassle.

My transition went relatively smoothly, except any recording from pre-March became Unknown XX so it was annoying (I have a 1TB external drive and I like to save some movies)

However, one thing has been really annoying, for some reason some recording are ending prematurely. On the DVR list, it does not show that the recording was interrupted in the middle, but when I play it, the yellow indicator bar ends in the middle of the show (usually about 15-20 minutes in) and the recording ends when it reaches that point!

I thought it may be that I am close to capacity on my DVR, so I cleaned it up and is now 43% and it still occurs. This is terrible for crime shows. I was watching monk and it died just as he is about to solve the case....

anyone knows if this is a bad box or is there a way to fix it?

Those recordings that stop halfway through, did you record those from the old Passport software and they carried over to Navigator? Or did you create them fresh with Navigator? Also did you record them through the Series Manager or individually?

My advice is to create the same recordings on the same channels at the same start times with Navigator as you did with Passport if you can. Than check to see if they recorded and played back OK. I would also temporarily disconnect the external hard drive when you make the new recordings.

With the drive still disconnected, If the new recordings created with Navigator play back well, than the problem was with the carry-over of the old Passport recordings or your external drive. (Or both.) You should delete any recordings that did not record properly to save space.

With the drive still disconnected, if the new recordings with Navigator DO NOT PLAY back well or stop in the middle of the recording, do a cold boot of the box. Turn off the box and unplug the box for 30 seconds. Leave the external drive disconnected and reboot. If the recordings created with Navigator stop intermittently after a cold boot, you will need a box swap. See in this case if you can get a Samsung with the 320 GB hard drive. That should give you the extra storage you need, and you won't have to worry about problems with external drives in future Navigator updates.

Jack

I am now an owner of a Tivo HD unit. The Cablecard installation appointment is Wednesday and - knock on wood - the tech will bring the proper multistream dual tuner card. In the meantime, program data for the next couple days have been downloaded and even without the Cablecard, I can watch and record over-the-air broadcasts. I'm getting used to the Tivo software and it seems stable and responsive, on par with Passport and certainly MUCH faster than Navigator. As far as I can tell, it does not seem to have the standard time/channel grid layout, which seems to me a negative. The grid pattern has its flaws but for me, it's still the easiest way to quickly search through channels when you don't have a specific program in mind.

Maybe I just had a bad 8300HD but Navigator on the box is a nightmare. It has crashed and rebooted 10 - yes, 10 - times since it was updated three days ago, usually while I am searching for a program or make a scheduling change. The processor simply seems to get overwhelmed by even a single change to a scheduled program - like recording a minute earlier or later - and crashes. But it's also crashed when it was doing nothing but recording; twice in two days, I came home or woke up to discover a single program recorded in two separate pieces with a recording gap between them. That happened occasionally on Passport but every couple months, never two times in as many days.

I will swap out the 8300HD for a Samsung this week when they're back in stock just to see how Navigator works on a box that can handle it. Maybe it will be adequate enough and I will return the Tivo, though the ability to use my 1TB external drive is a strong incentive for me to keep the Tivo. I really didn't want to spent 300 bucks for the Tivo but the Navigator 8300HD was unacceptable. I simply have no faith that it will record programs. I won't bore anyone with a list of the shortcomings I've come across. And to be fair, there are a couple things about Navigator that are better than Passport such as its ability to record overlapping programs on the same channel (Passport would simply identify it as a scheduling conflict and refuse to record). But overall, I really do miss Passport. It really had a lot of thoughtful little touches and details that weren't headline features but showed the attention to detail of the programmers and designers.

I am now an owner of a Tivo HD unit. The Cablecard installation appointment is Wednesday and - knock on wood - the tech will bring the proper multistream dual tuner card. In the meantime, program data for the next couple days have been downloaded and even without the Cablecard, I can watch and record over-the-air broadcasts. I'm getting used to the Tivo software and it seems stable and responsive, on par with Passport and certainly MUCH faster than Navigator. As far as I can tell, it does not seem to have the standard time/channel grid layout, which seems to me a negative. The grid pattern has its flaws but for me, it's still the easiest way to quickly search through channels when you don't have a specific program in mind.


You have two choices: Live Guide and Grid. Grid is similar to Passport, but I've come to like the Live Guide much better. Or, program it from a remote computer! :) You'll find that Tivo has many more options for conflicts, season passes (series), etc. Connect it to your home network (HMO) and start having fun! I doubt you will return Tivo - once you get used to the superior hardware and software, it's hard to go back. The last TWC cable guy who was here said Tivo is far superior as it was made to be a DVR, while TWC boxes were designed as cable boxes, with DVR features added on after the fact. He also said that the PQ was definitely superior on Tivo.

Having said that, I miss a few Passport features, missing from Tivo: play from beginning option when in the middle of a recording, pressing C in the guide to see other broadcasts of a program, and seeing live picture while on the now playing screen. Otherwise, Tivo is much better and certainly more reliable and elegant.

Maybe it will be adequate enough and I will return the Tivo, though the ability to use my 1TB external drive is a strong incentive for me to keep the Tivo. .

Is your eSATA a WD My DVR? That is the only one that is authorized to work with Tivo HD.

Is your eSATA a WD My DVR? That is the only one that is authorized to work with Tivo HD.

Yes it is so I'm good there.

Thanks for telling me about the grid listing, I will look to see how to turn it on. I'll certainly give the Tivo a workout in the next 30 days. The biggest thing for me is whether it is responsive and stable. It has a lot more bells-and-whistles than Passport or Navigator which I would be fine without. I don't mind them because they don't seem to get in the way of doing stuff but I'd happy with a barebones interface as long as it's logical and accessible. I was happy with Passport, which seemed like DOS: not pretty and limited in some ways but highly functional. Navigator is Windows Me and Tivo is Mac OS, glossy and polished yet still pretty well designed. Just my first impressions of course.

Having said that, I miss a few Passport features, missing from Tivo: play from beginning option when in the middle of a recording, pressing C in the guide to see other broadcasts of a program,

Yes, I used those feature often. Also dearly missed is the ability to cancel a scheduled recording while still retaining it on the schedule so that it could be turned on later. I used that feature ALL the time.

Oh, the Time Warner installation fee has been raised from $35 to $40. Time Warner never passes up an opportunity to nickel and dime you. Lovely.

Thanks for the info about the TiVo grid guide. Is there a way to see multiple days on it similar to Passport?

Have only had the TiVo for a few days and already I really like it better than the new TWC software. I definitely think that the PQ is better too.

Yes it is so I'm good there.

Thanks for telling me about the grid listing, I will look to see how to turn it on.

Look at the bottom of the guide page. It says "press ENTER for guide options".
There you can toggle between the two displays.

I'll certainly give the Tivo a workout in the next 30 days. The biggest thing for me is whether it is responsive and stable. It has a lot more bells-and-whistles than Passport or Navigator which I would be fine without. I don't mind them because they don't seem to get in the way of doing stuff but I'd happy with a barebones interface as long as it's logical and accessible. I was happy with Passport, which seemed like DOS: not pretty and limited in some ways but highly functional. Navigator is Windows Me and Tivo is Mac OS, glossy and polished yet still pretty well designed. Just my first impressions of course.

The bells and whistles give you more options than Passport. You don't have to use them, but you probably will once you know about them. Definitely read the manual.



Yes, I used those feature often. Also dearly missed is the ability to cancel a scheduled recording while still retaining it on the schedule so that it could be turned on later. I used that feature ALL the time.

Not sure what you mean here. Are you talking about a series (season pass) recording?

Oh, the Time Warner installation fee has been raised from $35 to $40. Time Warner never passes up an opportunity to nickel and dime you. Lovely.

Well, the guy never showed up for my first installation. I ended up getting a free month's service, AND a free installation, due to the heads up of someone here. Maybe you'll get lucky! :) I'm leaving town tomorrow, so probably won't answer any more questions...

Thanks for the info about the TiVo grid guide. Is there a way to see multiple days on it similar to Passport?

Sure. Just press the FORWARD button.

Have only had the TiVo for a few days and already I really like it better than the new TWC software. I definitely think that the PQ is better too.

I've had a SD Tivo for many years. I didn't want to spend the money on a new HD Tivo when I got a HD display (they were $800), so I used TWC box and didn't think it was bad (once I expanded with eSATA). It worked fine.

Then Tivo offered me an upgrade to Tivo HD for $99 and I couldn't refuse. I haven't looked back, though I still have my SA 8300HD. I had forgotten just how much better Tivo is. I rarely use the 8300 now, might give it back.

If you haven' enabled the infamous 30-second skip - one of the great Tivo features (but backdoor as it let's you skip commercials), here's how:



1 Start playing any recording.

2 During playback press:

Select - Play - Select - 3 - 0 - Select

3 You should hear three bongs (if you don't have the TiVo sounds disabled), and you're done.

Your "skip to beginning/end" button (the arrow pointing to a line) is now a 30 second skip button. During fast-forwarding or rewinding, the button will still "skip to tick."

To turn the feature off, repeat the three steps.

Important note: this feature is set to "off" at default on restarts. So if your TiVo restarts or loses power, the feature will be turned back off. Just enter the code again while watching a recording to re-enable it.

Go to Tivo Forum for more info...

http://tivocommunity.com

The bells and whistles give you more options than Passport. You don't have to use them, but you probably will once you know about them. Definitely read the manual.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a thick, extensive manual in the box. It's rare to see an electronic product whose manual isn't a slip of paper with the website address printed on it.

Not sure what you mean here. Are you talking about a series (season pass) recording?

I was referring to Passport and how when you cancel a recording, it was canceled but Passport still kept it on the recording schedule as a ghosted out entry. Practically speaking, it's fully canceled; it won't record and once the time passes, it is completely removed from the recording schedule list (you could also completely remove it from the schedule by manually canceling the ghosted out entry but the only reason to do that was aesthetics). The big advantage with keeping a canceled recording on the list is that if you change your mind later and decide to record it, you just go straight to the recording schedule and enable it with one click instead of having to keyword search for it, find it on the weekly grid, etc. I used it if I wasn't sure which airing of a program to record or if I found a program that I wasn't sure I was going to record. I put it on the record list then immediately canceled it but it was still there so I could see it and decide later if I wanted to record it. Before I got the external drive, it was an invaluable tool to manage space on my internal drive. I would cancel upcoming programs, which removed it from Passport's calculation for when space would run out, and then, by the time the programs were airing and I had cleared enough space, I could quickly and easily re-enable the canceled programs since they were still on the upcoming recordings schedule. A small thing but exceedingly thoughtful and useful.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a thick, extensive manual in the box. It's rare to see an electronic product whose manual isn't a slip of paper with the website address printed on it.



I was referring to Passport, not Tivo, and how when you cancel a recording, it was canceled but Passport still kept it on the recording schedule as a ghosted out entry. Practically speaking, it's fully canceled; it won't record and once the time passes, it is completely removed from the recording schedule list (you could also completely remove it from the schedule by manually canceling the ghosted out entry but the only reason to do that was aesthetics since all those ghosted out entries could clutter up the list). The big advantage with keeping a canceled recording on the list is that if you change your mind later and decide to record it, you just go straight to the recording schedule and enable it with one click instead of having to search for it, finding it on the weekly grid, etc. I used it if I wasn't sure which airing of a program to record or if I found a program that I wasn't sure I was going to record. I put it on the record list then immediately canceled it but it was still there so I could see it and decide later if I wanted to record it. A small thing but exceedingly thoughtful.

I don't think I ever used that feature.

Much more important - with Tivo you can recover deleted programs if you make a mistake. And, the ability to GROUP your recordings of the same series in folders, instead of multiple recordings all over the place on Passport, is essential. Without groups, any software is amateurish - huge difference.

I don't think I ever used that feature.

Much more important - with Tivo you can recover deleted programs if you make a mistake. And, the ability to GROUP your recordings of the same series in folders, instead of multiple recordings all over the place on Passport, is essential. Without groups, any software is amateurish - huge difference.

Recovery is certainly a plus. While Passport doesn't have automatic grouping, I liked how you could manually reorder the programs. This was useful because when I was archiving all the episodes of a show, I often would miss an episode only to record it later after subsequent episodes had aired. I wanted to list episodes in their episode order and Passport let me do that. Navigator doesn't let you manually reorder and Navigator only orders by date and title and title uses the date as a secondary order list. So there was no way for me to put Episode 3 of a show after Episode 2 if I recorded Episode 3 after Episode 4. Navigator always shows Episode 3 after Episode 4.