Originally posted by BK EH
LedZep and all: here is my quick review of the 160/360 vs the HTL-HD.

HTL-HD vs. Samsung 160/360: A Quick Review (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=379462)

;)

Thanks for the information. I'm still waiting for #3.

Delivered and installed on Saturday. I have run it about 6-7 hours per day for the last 3 days. So far, no dropouts, no freezes no audio problems. It has a build date of 02/09 . (That is a date I have not seen on here yet.)
The only problem I have encountered is that the S-Video output looks kinda green and dark. Not horrible..but noticeable. And before you say "try a different cable" I tried the same cable hooked up to another receiver and it looked great.
If I am looking at just the component out directly to my X1 projector it looks great. HD is stunning and SD is good. But, if I click over to the S-Video it looks so-so. (I use s-video to connect to Tivo).
My OTA stuff looks good as I am using the Silver Sensor indoor ant. I live between Dallas and Ft. Worth and am getting 4 locals very good.
I think what I am going to do is use the old receiver for just SD and Tivo.
And use the new 360 for just watching HD.
All in all I am very pleased with the Samsung. Hope my luck holds up. It appears that if problems happen with the 360 they happen to most right of the box.

Hope this helps some of you

Just for the heck of it I called to check on the order of my 3rd receiver. I wasn't surprised when the person on the phone said, " We have no record of an order placed for another receiver." She also said there was no record of my last call which was about a 1.5 hour ordeal.

Well this time I went straight to the sup. Again I'm the only person with this problem. Are you sure it isn't a problem with your TV he says. How about we send out another technician to check the line.

I said how bout I box up this piece of crap and send it back to you, cancel my service and I'll call Dish. Needless to say another order was placed but I've heard that story before. The saga continues.

Replacement 360 is still going strong! I have even removed the fan I had on stanby :)

Now it's time to pick this thing apart........Anyone else think the remote sucks? This may be nit-picking for some, and I'm sure others have great universal and/or touch pad custom jobs, but I think the factory remote is very mediocre. I wasn't expecting much as far as universal application goes, and it can only perform so many fucntions on the sat receiver, but I think the directional capability is really limited. The thing has to be dead on to register a command. Sometimes I need to press a button twice to get a response.

The remote control is definitely awful. I have my 360 on a low shelf all by itself in an attempt to avoid heat issues, and it requires leaning wayyyy forward off the couch and PUSHING THE BUTTONS REALLY HARD to get any sort of response. Unfortunately my TV and receiver remotes don't seem to have a code to control it, so I'll probably end up buying one of the nice touchpad units just to avoid using the 360's remote.

I am pleased to report my replacement TS360 (build date 27feb) is free of all the problems my first unit had. I do find it needs a powerful remote -- most are wimpier than the one supplied, have poor range and require precise pointing. The Sony RM-VL700S seems stronger than the Sammy original, works great, and I could even train it to do the repeating volume commands required by my HLN DLP.

Originally posted by k2ue
I am pleased to report my replacement TS360 (build date 27feb) is free of all the problems my first unit had. I do find it needs a powerful remote -- most are wimpier than the one supplied, have poor range and require precise pointing. The Sony RM-VL700S seems stronger than the Sammy original, works great, and I could even train it to do the repeating volume commands required by my HLN DLP.

How far are you from your receiver? I didn't have any problems at about 17 feet, although I rarely use the remote that came with the 360. FWIW I use a Sony RM-AV3000 which seems to work well regardless of aim.

Originally posted by sotapoppy
How far are you from your receiver? I didn't have any problems at about 17 feet, although I rarely use the remote that came with the 360. FWIW I use a Sony RM-AV3000 which seems to work well regardless of aim.

I wanted to use the Tivo remotes, since I have an HD Tivo on order, but they don't learn and force you step the Sammy DLP Volume by hand. Next best bet was Philips/Magnavox remotes like those we have used in the Bedroom and my wife is familiar with -- those could do the volume but you had to point them at the TS360 like a rifle to get reliable operation. I should have known -- I've avoided remotes with AAA batteries in the past because they usually give you bad range or short battery life or or both compared to remotes with AA cells. As you noted, the Sonys appear to be real kickers -- our dining room table is 20+ feet from the TS360, and operation is quite solid from there.

Originally posted by k2ue
...but you had to point them at the TS360 like a rifle to get reliable operation.

LOL

I hope you didn't give any of this thread's early posters any ideas!:p

I agree the remote on the 360 is really awful, I am still trying to find info on the optional RF remote, if its a option, then someone should have it available,

Wow! Found the thread on the 2nd page this morning. Does that mean that the 360 "issues" have been addressed?

I had D* send me a replacement a week ago (unfortunately, it was a Hughes which is not compatible with my set, so I sent it back)...but to date...outside of the darker picture than my old DTC100....it hasn't dropped in a week (M/Date 1/29).

Maybe it needed a break-in period!

well, just got off the phone with directv and they have once again "lost" my order for a replacement samsung tuner. they lost the original order so my first install had to be re-scheduled. once the tuner did arrive it immediately had the 745/audio/video problems as discussed in this thread. (of course, the installer blamed them on "satellite maintenance", go figure). so i called directv today to see when the replacement was scheduled to arrive (it's been 9 days) and they gave me 15 different answers. i started with a phone jockey, went to their manager and finally to a supervisor. each had a different theory as to what went wrong. all of course denied ever having this kind of trouble before.

why lord, do i stay with this company? they are either the biggest bunch of liars on the planet or the dumbest.

my advice, if they tell you they are going to do a "manual" order, hang up, you're just wasting your breath.

<rant mode off>

Originally posted by RLinNewton
Thanks for all the responses. Sounds as though the S-video connect is my only option. Also sounds as though buying a 4:3 television (at least one that doesn't detect 4:3 programming more effectively) was a bad decision, even with the limited amount of 1080i programming available.

RL:

Just use the "Zoom 1" format for digital OTA signals and you'll get them full screen. You'll need to switch back to "Letterbox" format for any HD programming.

Jim

Well I would like to know if anyone is still experiencing quick drop outs with this receiver. I like the PQ and I'm using the DVI connection. Should I wait for them to send patches that will address this problem or send it back. I'm afraid they will send me a Hughes which of course has it's own problems but I heard does not have the same rich colors as the 360 using the DVI.

i've had the samsung 360 for over a week now and have had no success in fixing the drop out problem. i've tried the suggested "fixes" as discussed in this forum with no change. i'm very happy with the pq and design of the sammy and im hoping i get another "fixed" sammy 360 as a replacement, if directv ever gets it's act together.

Carlb7, i'll let post to this thread again when and if the replacement arrives, be it a sammy or hughes.

I wanted to add another problem I've discovered...

Not only does the VCR control seem to work on few VCR's. But if you put the receiver in standby mode when you have it set to record multiple shows in a row, it will turn the VCR OFF after the first recording and will still think it is recording shows. So you must leave the receiver on all the time if you're recording using the VCR control.

BTW 2nd receiver still has no drop outs after 2-3 weeks. But do get the tin can audio sometimes... BTW I'm not using a fan for cooling.

WOW I feel so lucky, I have not had any of the problems with my TS-360 that had been reported here. The only problem I have is all my OTA HD channels in the DFW area showing up in a 4:3 format instead of a 16:9 format.

quote:
Well I would like to know if anyone is still experiencing quick drop outs with this receiver.

YES, I just got my 360 yesterday (the build date is feb 27 2004)..and I get quick drop outs on audio/video on all sat. channels that last about a 1~2 seconds...seems to happen about every 10~15 minutes but is somewhat random.
Also got the tinny sound on non digital sat channels...did a reboot and it went away so far.
I dont know what to do...with a build date of 2-27 and still has problems..should I get a replacement or live with it ?

PS..I thought my rca dtc-100 had a better more vibrant picture on hd sources and the 360 seems washed out and darkish in comparision.

2 weeks now and no problems. This is a great receiver but when my HD-TiVo comes next month the Samsung 360 is going on EBAY or in storage.

Originally posted by gordonjones
well, just got off the phone with directv and they have once again "lost" my order for a replacement samsung tuner. they lost the original order so my first install had to be re-scheduled. once the tuner did arrive it immediately had the 745/audio/video problems as discussed in this thread. (of course, the installer blamed them on "satellite maintenance", go figure). so i called directv today to see when the replacement was scheduled to arrive (it's been 9 days) and they gave me 15 different answers. i started with a phone jockey, went to their manager and finally to a supervisor. each had a different theory as to what went wrong. all of course denied ever having this kind of trouble before.

why lord, do i stay with this company? they are either the biggest bunch of liars on the planet or the dumbest.

my advice, if they tell you they are going to do a "manual" order, hang up, you're just wasting your breath.

<rant mode off>


Yeah the ole I'm going to bypass the system and personally place the order manually to insure you get your replacement. You know the first time I was told that it seemed like I was getting personal service and they were really going to try and help me. When I called back to find there was no order placed, the supervisor I was talking to this time said almost the exact same thing word for word. I think its a canned response. I've been with Directv since the start but I am taking a hard look at my other options. If I ever get the 3rd receiver and it doesn't work I'm going to pull the plug on the whole deal.

This last guy told me he wanted to send a tech out to install the new receiver and make sure it works. He said the tech would bring the receiver. Well both times the tech was here each one told me they have no HD equipment on the truck or they would try another. I asked him how they were going to do that when they told me they are not allowed to stock the HD equipment. If I had not known that it would have resulted in further delay.

Don't trust these people. CHeck and double check your order. I might just start calling every day. I asked him for an order number and he said that because it was a manual order there was no number. Has anyone actually received equipment when given thes obvious canned statement? Almost seems to me they are stalling. They continue to tell me there are no known problems even after I tell them I know for a fact these problems are widespread. The continue to try to blame my TV. They don't even understand how the equipment works. As example on of them thought both the audio and video passed through the DVI cable. I am very dissappointed in all of this.

Originally posted by dcbag
I agree the remote on the 360 is really awful, I am still trying to find info on the optional RF remote, if its a option, then someone should have it available,

Interesting. Just received my 360 today for install tomorrow. Will be replacing a 7 yr old Sony D* receiver with the 360 and 2 Hughes SD minis. I read through the 360 manual and I swear it says the remote and unit are set up for both IR and RF. In fact it says the factory preset is for IR and RF operation. The build date on the 360 says 4 Mar 04. We'll see!

Bob

The RF remote is optional.

Originally posted by coreymcl
The RF remote is optional.
And, I believe, not yet available.
Sid

Originally posted by ridgefamus
I read through the 360 manual and I swear it says the remote and unit are set up for both IR and RF. In fact it says the factory preset is for IR and RF operation. Bob

The box is factory set to receive both in the setup. I changed mine to IR only when I got it. The 3 options are IR, RF, IR & RF.

But, you only get the IR remote, not the 2nd RF remote.

Ledzep

Call and ask for the fedex tracking number. They are just blowing smoke up you know where. D* is not placing any orders manual and when fedex picks up the package they are required to give a tracking number.

I was told my order was going to be placed manual and I responded NO!. They put it in the system and I received it in 2 business days.

One of the supervisors called me and I beleive caller id said it was a North Dakota call. (definitely up north) The units ship from Memphis. That would make a manual order impossible.

Ask them what the procedures are for a manual order. The units ship from Memphis and you are located.......where.

I have found that when you question there 'canned answers' it knocks them out of there routine and they cave in.

Originally posted by Darrin_R


I have found that when you question there 'canned answers' it knocks them out of there routine and they cave in.

LOL I noticed that too. Its kinda funny when you think about it. Its like they give you a canned statement and you dispute it but they have no rebutal. They just move on to the next canned statement.

I'm in North Central Illinois and the previous 2 shipments came from Tenn. Again they didn't give me an order number so I'm going to call again tonight to see if there is an order outstanding.

Does the dvi input on the Samsung have an advantage over component for an lcd projector like the Panasonic ae-500 ? (for sd or hd)

Also what resolution set on the Samsung do most people use with an lcd projector, 720p or 1080i ?

Originally posted by BK EH
The box is factory set to receive both in the setup. I changed mine to IR only when I got it. The 3 options are IR, RF, IR & RF.

But, you only get the IR remote, not the 2nd RF remote.

OK, got it - I read it wrong. After the previous posts I went back to the manual and saw how I was skimming in my first reading. The RF is a future. Sorry!

May I ask who you guys are calling for a replacement box? I'm still getting dropouts and I called D*'s tech support, and they had me unplug the power and plug it back in. They said if that doesn't fix it I should call 800-695-9251 (which they answered "Advanced Support"). Advanced Support was completely useless. The guy said he's never seen the problem but think "it's software related so they can send a new software". I pointed out others on here are having the same issue and he said "Well the manufacturer must know about it so you don't have to do anything, they'll send software upgrades to fix the problem. But we don't know when that will be."

The guy told me the box is not defective and DirecTV does not do any kind of replacements (I'm supposed to take that up with the manufacturer).

Any ideas on how I can bypass the idiots and get a replacement?

Can I use the serial cable connector on the back of the recevier to connect with my Replay 5040 for controlling the channels?

-jmmsumru

Originally posted by cornflakes
May I ask who you guys are calling for a replacement box? ........

The guy told me the box is not defective and DirecTV does not do any kind of replacements (I'm supposed to take that up with the manufacturer).

Any ideas on how I can bypass the idiots and get a replacement?

Man, I feel for you! They are the ones who can do it and did for me twice.

First, make sure you unplug the unit, remove the access card, plug it in again after ~30 seconds and then put the card back in after you get a pic on the TV saying 'insert a valid card.' That is DTV's ultimate reset and you want to make sure you can tell them you did that and you know what you are doing.

Then, before you call back, make notes on these things:
- where are the dropouts (DTV SD, DTV HD, OTA HD) and are they audio, video or both?
- how long after it's on do they start, and how often, after they start, do they occur.
- are you getting any total lockups requiring a reset.
- are you getting any x:745's.

Then embellish as you wish.

If you are getting everything but the 745's, be firm, tell them you did not contract for a defective box and ask to speak to his manager. If that does not work, ask to be transferred immediately to 'retention' so you can lodge a complaint and cancel this contract.

If you are also getting the x745's, which denote a disabled card, then ask him why the card can be enabled again by a simple reset? The box is bad, not the card!

Be firm, be polite, note their name and use it often when talking with them.

Tell them you can point them to a 27 page website about these issues and people have been getting replacement boxes since the 1st week of Feb for these very reasons. Tell them you will hold while he looks -- then start over again... Good luck and let us know.

That should do it.;)

I guess D* decided to take a firmer stand on this one. I remember when the receiver was just released (more than a month ago) and people started reporting the infamous problems, the replacement receivers were flyng off the warehouse's shelves like hot cakes. Many people tried 2-3 receievers. Now they probably realized that sending pepole replacements does not (did not) solve the problems and they don't want to do it anymore. I can accept this, but please let us (customers) know that you are aware of the issues and are working on resolution. And stop lying to people. I am really dissapointed in the way D* and Samsung are handling this situation. Where is that guy (David?) who said couple of weeks ago that Samsung's higher management is aware of the TS360 problem and they instructed their engineers to look into it? Any updates on the situation?



Originally posted by cornflakes
May I ask who you guys are calling for a replacement box? I'm still getting dropouts and I called D*'s tech support, and they had me unplug the power and plug it back in. They said if that doesn't fix it I should call 800-695-9251 (which they answered "Advanced Support"). Advanced Support was completely useless. The guy said he's never seen the problem but think "it's software related so they can send a new software". I pointed out others on here are having the same issue and he said "Well the manufacturer must know about it so you don't have to do anything, they'll send software upgrades to fix the problem. But we don't know when that will be."

The guy told me the box is not defective and DirecTV does not do any kind of replacements (I'm supposed to take that up with the manufacturer).

Any ideas on how I can bypass the idiots and get a replacement?

Originally posted by cornflakes
May I ask who you guys are calling for a replacement box? I'm still getting dropouts and I called D*'s tech support, and they had me unplug the power and plug it back in. They said if that doesn't fix it I should call 800-695-9251 (which they answered "Advanced Support"). Advanced Support was completely useless. The guy said he's never seen the problem but think "it's software related so they can send a new software". I pointed out others on here are having the same issue and he said "Well the manufacturer must know about it so you don't have to do anything, they'll send software upgrades to fix the problem. But we don't know when that will be."

The guy told me the box is not defective and DirecTV does not do any kind of replacements (I'm supposed to take that up with the manufacturer).

Any ideas on how I can bypass the idiots and get a replacement?


You have the right number to call. My advice is this. Call the number and demand to speak with a floor supervisor. When you get one explain your problem. Be patient, let them ask their stupid canned questions. Play the game. At a suitable point tell him you are tired of the crap and you wish to return the receiver and cancel your subscription since DISH has a deal where all equipment and installation is free. And the best part of the deal is that several of your friends got it and it works unlike this receiver. Then when he says he will personally see to it that a replacement will be sent via manual order, tell him you prefer the regular order method.

Best part about all this is DISH does have that deal and everyone I know who got it has had no problems. I on the other hand have spent several hours on the phone and in 6 weeks since I went HD have not had a receiver that works.

They also had me call Samsung and the tech there said to tell Directv to send another receiver. That was 2 weeks ago. The tech at Samsung said the problem would be refered to the next level and I would probably get a call back. I never got a call back from Samsung.

I just called and guess what, no record of my order for a replacement. (2nd time) I can say however that the person on the phone was very helpful. Without one single stupid question he placed an order for me and provided an order number. He said it was possible the other unit was ordered but he has no way to tell. (?) He just said if I get 2 to send it back. WHen I told him that the order was placed manually he kind of sighed and immediatly placed the new order.

While he was entering my information I could hear other people working on the phones. I could hear a woman talking to a customer and from what she was saying she was also talking to someone with the same problems on a 360. Maybe I will get lucky and get 2 of them. Might increase my odds of having one that works finally.

Now again, I wait.

I am having the hd install in a few weeks,anyone in S.F. Valley know which receiver they are sending. After reading all these posts getting a 360 sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

Originally posted by Darrin_R
I also had the 'tinny' sound. It was a very high pitched ringing during speech. When I switched to OTA it stopped.
This may have been addressed in the month since it was posted, but I haven't gotten through this whole thread yet. I'd rather watch HDTV! :)

I have had this problem wih every DirecTV DD/PCM-over-optical receiver I've ever hooked up to my Denon AVR5600. I believe it's caused by the Denon getting confused. This is easily proven because I only have to switch inputs on the Denon (even just selecting the same input) to fix it. Doing something on the DirecTV receiver that restarts the audio stream will often fix it too, because it gives the Denon another chance to resync.

I've had this w/ and old RCA receiver, a Hughes GXCEB0T DTiVo, and now a Samsung TS360.

I'm planning to replace the Denon RealSoonNow(tm), and I hope that will fix it!

Ugh. My problems have been becoming worse and worse with this box, so I finally broke down and called D* tonight. All I could get out of the phone myrmidons was a replacement access card. He was totally clueless because he even had to look up the x745 message. <sigh>

It is very interesting that this "firmware flash bug" is still an ongoing problem.

Still having problems, so I waited until I read here they were shipping 360s again (the Hughes is incompatible with my 4:3 set), and I called to "order" my replacement.

After explaining the situation to the Level 2 guy, he put me on hold. He came back after 3-4 minutes and explained that I would not get a replacement, that I got my 360 free (paid $99), and to go out to Circuit City and purchase another one. Needless to say, I got a supervisor to place the order.

Has anyone got that spiel yet?

Originally posted by peteranton
Still having problems, so I waited until I read here they were shipping 360s again (the Hughes is incompatible with my 4:3 set), and I called to "order" my replacement.

After explaining the situation to the Level 2 guy, he put me on hold. He came back after 3-4 minutes and explained that I would not get a replacement, that I got my 360 free (paid $99), and to go out to Circuit City and purchase another one. Needless to say, I got a supervisor to place the order.

Has anyone got that spiel yet?

Thats a good one. All I can say is that if the floor supervisor told you he would personally take care of your order then its pretty much a given it won't happen. My advise is wait 2 days then call and ask for the status of your order.

LedZep,

I called and got a tracking number...a Saturday (3/20) delivery. It looks like I'm getting the Sammy (12.9 shipping weight matches the label on my original box....the Hughes was 15 lbs)

Fingers crossed!

Solved my problem.

Originally posted by vvrok
Now they probably realized that sending pepole replacements does not (did not) solve the problems and they don't want to do it anymore.

I've been using the 360 for nearly 3 weeks - no problems at all. Have only been watching OTA, though, because I have been having problems getting the D* installer to show up when promised. Hopefully, installer comes today. Also, hopefully, I won't start having problems with the 360 after D* installer is done.

Originally posted by ColdBrew
Solved my problem.

And mine.

"The 360 is dead! Long live the 360!"

Well sports fans, in the last three days my 360 has gone from the channel 5-1 problem to the frequent video dropout problem to the dreaded ext745 message..........

D* is sending replacement (after the requisite "transfer me around to six different CSR's and put me on hold for far too long" and "I am not going to play the reset game with you people anymore" phone call.

This thread is too long to try to read through to find this out - but has anyone actually purchased a 360 at a B and M? Or are these box-o-bugs being brought to us exclusively by D*?

daniel

I got my 360 nine days ago. I got it on the $99 deal to replace an old SIR-T150. I haven't used it much yet (awaiting a DVI switch), but it seems to be working perfectly for me! It was made on 2-2-2004.

Is there a date of manufacture after which these are known to be okay?

Mine has a Feb. 04 build date, and so far no problems in 3 days of constant use. No dropout problems on video or audio, great picture on D* and OTA. The unit does not seem overly warm even when on for a day or two, and the specs (in the back of the manual) say that it should be ok up to over 120+ degrees anyway, so I have a hard time believing that heat is a problem with this box.

My signal meter is steady at between 85-95 on all sats, no problems whatsoever with the signal meter. Make sure your dish and cable blocks are grounded and make sure all of your connections are tight and waterproof. The new dish I got as part of the install is a little bit smaller than my old oval dish, but the LNB is now an integrated 3-unit one that hopefully will be ok in the rain in the summer.

Wish I could report on the quality of my new 360 with a build of 4 Mar 04 but the installer who came out yesterday couldn't lock onto all 3 sats.:( I am really bummed out as I had the same problem with a Dish 811 install a week ago and now this. My old Sony dish and receiver gets D* regular channels perfectly, so it looks like if I want non-OTA HD, I have to go with Comcast and that really bums me out!

Bob

Danhuff

The signal meter problem is regarding OTA. Not sat signal.

Darrin- I did not know that, and will check mine when I get home for OTA signal readings. Thanks!

Originally posted by ridgefamus
Wish I could report on the quality of my new 360 with a build of 4 Mar 04 but the installer who came out yesterday couldn't lock onto all 3 sats.:( I am really bummed out as I had the same problem with a Dish 811 install a week ago and now this. My old Sony dish and receiver gets D* regular channels perfectly, so it looks like if I want non-OTA HD, I have to go with Comcast and that really bums me out!

Bob

I'm not sure which E* birds you couldn't get signal on, but I think their HD is on 110, 119, and maybe 148. Anyways, my point is that if you have line of sight to the 61.5 E* bird, you could try VOOM.

daniel

p.s. just looked at your location on your post, 61.5 bird might be problematic from Oregon, dish would have to be pointed really low elevation and SSE I think.

danielhart: Thanks for your pursuit. I just have a poorly configured lot (lots of tall firs and maples and I'm not about to go into logging as we chose the spot for the trees/privacy) for clear Southern sky views that conspires with our very Northern lattitude. I have had D* for many years with no problems but when the D* installer tried various locations around the house, there was no one place that sats A, B, and C could be pulled in. If everything was on one sat or another, there would be no problem. The guy for E* had no luck at all in any position. The one saving grace for my location is I sit on a ridge that overlooks the array of transmitters our locals use so I get great OTA!

I'll have to say this, though, the local installers chosen by E* and D* (Ironwood?) for my projects were very knowledgeable, capable and patient guys. Guess we're lucky here in the Portland area in spite of the geographies that probably really challenge them.

Bob

Originally posted by BK EH

If you are also getting the x745's, which denote a disabled card, then ask him why the card can be enabled again by a simple reset? The box is bad, not the card!

.;)

Hello,

my friend just got this receiver and after watching for about 20 minutes it comes up x745. We called in to D* and they said push the reset. It works ..... then about 20-30 min later bam! its out again. The top of the box is really hot and a DVD player is on top of it with about a 1 " clearance between. We proped the DVD player up higher off the SAT box with 1" wood blocks so it can vent ----- still same issue!

is this a heat issue or worse??

Bernie

Bernie,

Ask your frind to move the receiver out of stack completely, somewhere where there are no other electronic equipment whatsover. This should help with the x745 issue a little bit (less frequent or, maybe, even infrequent x745 messages), but it might not solve problems dropout completely. (I am talking from my personal experience.) Alternatively, you can recommend your friend to buy a small fan and install it on top or on the side of the receiver. Many people here reported that the fan solution "eliminates" the issues completely.

Originally posted by ridgefamus
I have had D* for many years with no problems but when the D* installer tried various locations around the house, there was no one place that sats A, B, and C could be pulled in. If everything was on one sat or another, there would be no problem.
Bob

Will cost a bit more for install and may create WAF issues, but if you can hit each sat separately from different locations (or some combo of 2 from one and one from another) you could use separate dishes and a multiplexer.

daniel

Originally posted by Bernie R
Hello,

my friend just got this receiver and after watching for about 20 minutes it comes up x745. We called in to D* and they said push the reset. It works ..... then about 20-30 min later bam! its out again. The top of the box is really hot and a DVD player is on top of it with about a 1 " clearance between. We proped the DVD player up higher off the SAT box with 1" wood blocks so it can vent ----- still same issue!

is this a heat issue or worse??

Bernie

That unit is cooked, plain and simple. Yeah he can put a fan on it whenever it's running and it should clear up. It did for me and I had the same problem. But your friend didn't pay $399, $99, or whatever to jerry-rig the damn thing. He should demand a replacement. He dosen't need to be an a**hole, but right is right.

From a couple recent posts here it now appears that D*s new tactic in dealing with this issue is refusing replacement units. That is sad. It's pathetic that they place such a low value on their revenue base, i.e. the customer. However you can find people there who will work with you and solve the problem if they are treated like a person instead of a puching bag. Tell your buddy to be persistant yet respectful.

What's the latest sw version?

When I got my 2nd receiver I was getting the x745 along with the audio and video drops. They kept saying they wanted to send a new card and I'm like what about the other issues. I would in no way accept another card and my opinion if you add a fan you are just putting a bandaide on their problem and you will prolong the issue until you see a failure at a later date that will be harder to get replaced. Personally I'm sick of the crap and if the next one ever shows up and does not work I'm done.

I would demand a replacement or box everything up and send it back. Everytime I have said just give me the return authorization and shut off my service because I'm done, they cave and do it my way. Altho here I sit waiting for them to come thru on their promise.

They have also screwed up my bill by sending out a tech to check my line and then charging me the $70. It took a floor supervisor to remove that charge. I have also had (2) floor supervisors tell me they would personally see to it that I was sent a replacement and it wouldn't be another used unit like the second one I got. In both cases no order was ever placed for replacement. As I think about this I'm not really even sure why I am hanging on this long.

Originally posted by danielhart
Will cost a bit more for install and may create WAF issues, but if you can hit each sat separately from different locations (or some combo of 2 from one and one from another) you could use separate dishes and a multiplexer.

daniel

I proposed that to the installer (without first checking with the wife) but when we looked at the places a dish would have to sit, one was on the street end of the garage peak. Then I looked down the street (I'm on top of a hilly street) at the row of housefronts and there is nary an antenna or dish visible on any of them. My current dish hangs very unobtrusively outside a back bedroom window. I didn't feel comfortable being the "first on the block", especially when there is a cable alternative. I also thought about the web of cables, holes in walls, etc. I'd have as a result of combo dishes. Not pretty.

What we need is for someone to develop the technology to "look" at sats from inside attics. Now that would be something! Thanks again for your input.

Bob

Got my tracking number and confirmed the shipment of the next receiver. 12.9 ship weight tells me I have another Sammy coming. All I can do now is cross my fingers and say a prayer.

Originally posted by Jonesy09
That unit is cooked, plain and simple. Yeah he can put a fan on it whenever it's running and it should clear up. It did for me and I had the same problem. But your friend didn't pay $399, $99, or whatever to jerry-rig the damn thing. He should demand a replacement. He dosen't need to be an a**hole, but right is right.

From a couple recent posts here it now appears that D*s new tactic in dealing with this issue is refusing replacement units. That is sad. It's pathetic that they place such a low value on their revenue base, i.e. the customer. However you can find people there who will work with you and solve the problem if they are treated like a person instead of a puching bag. Tell your buddy to be persistant yet respectful.

Another tip, I paid for my D* supplied (may it RIP) 360 directly with my credit card, instead of having it put on my bill. This way, if the replacement box gives me problems as well, I'll just box it up and send it back and if they give me too much trouble on refund, I'll just do a chargeback on my credit card.

I'll tell ya, between the 3 different models I have (360, 160, and HTL-HD), I'm appreciating the 160 more all the time. Doesn't have the bells and whistles the others do with ez access rez settings and such, but the damn thing works and works well.

daniel

Originally posted by danielhart
I'll tell ya, between the 3 different models I have (360, 160, and HTL-HD), I'm appreciating the 160 more all the time. Doesn't have the bells and whistles the others do with ez access rez settings and such, but the damn thing works and works well.
Yeah, but when the 160 first came out. It was much like the 360 is now, with many people posting about all the problems they were having with them at that time. And in fact, they still are posting about problems with them. Although I myself, have never had any problems at all with mine.

Originally posted by Johnla
Yeah, but when the 160 first came out. It was much like the 360 is now, with many people posting about all the problems they were having with them at that time. And in fact, they still are posting about problems with them. Although I myself, have never had any problems at all with mine.

I haven't been on the 160 thread for awhile (prolly because I haven't had any problems with it) but haven't most of the complaints regarding the 160 had to do with the IR remote distance issue and audio dropouts (both problems which I really haven't experienced either)

Anyways, none of these boxes is without its problems, but my 160 has been the best behaved of the bunch.

daniel

Originally posted by Ledzep77
Got my tracking number and confirmed the shipment of the next receiver. 12.9 ship weight tells me I have another Sammy coming. All I can do now is cross my fingers and say a prayer.

Got my 360 replacement yesterday....and it has a 2/4 manufacturing date (my original has a 1/29 date)! Others reported receiving late February dates.

What in the heck is D* doing? Turning around the returns, and sending them out again?

They sent me a used one. Did the cord look like it had been unwound before and re wrapped sloppy? Also look at the layers of tape on the box to see how many times it has been retaped. If they do it to me again I won't even hook it up. I'll just call and cancel the whole deal.

Yes, LedZep, it appears to be "pre-owned." Although the tape on the box looks original, the unit had a sloppily wrapped cord, and the protective plastic for the display face was re-applied. I'm checking for finger-prints now......

"Those Bast^rds"

Anyone else getting old(er) units?

Got my $99 360 with a build date of 3 Mar. on Wed installed it my self but could get no signal on 110 or 119 no matter what I did. OTA was great I live in the ATL area and wee have lots of digital stations and alot of the prime time programming is HD. the D* installer showed up late (but did call to let me know he was running late) got here at 1:00. Had an 8-12 appointment time. Turned out that the 2x4 switch I was using isn't multi sat capable the tech added a 4x8 switch to my work order with no fuss and all is well. After lurking here for the last 2 weeks and seeing the heat problems i already had an 80mm fan ready and so far no audio or video hiccups. I didn't mind the fan band-aid be cause after all I got a $550-$600 system for $99. Hopefully things will continue to go well... (knock on wood)....

My 360 arrived on Friday. I already had a 3-LNB dish from an earlier installation, so I didn't need another install. The only problem was that I could never get a signal on any of the satellites. OTA worked fine though. I checked and tightened all of my cables, but still no luck. D* is sending me another unit, whatever it may be, so hopefully I'll get one working.

Could someone that has had both give me some help?

Is the OTA reception on the 360 better, bout the same or worse than the 160 in regards to locking onto OTA stations?

Thanks J C

JC West, I had both (for a while) sold my 160 on ebay (sorry I did that!) my 160 would lock in a low power dtv 60 miles away, but my 360 just pixelated constantly. I now have the hughes HTL HD and the samsung 360, The hughes was a replacement for the 360, but Directv says I can keep both of them, which is some what strange since I only paid for one Using the 99 dollar deal.

How quickly did you get the replacement and did you get a tracking number? I called this afternoon and they said they couldn't get a tracking number. Guess I'll try another CSR.

Originally posted by jfklennon
JC West, I had both (for a while) sold my 160 on ebay (sorry I did that!) my 160 would lock in a low power dtv 60 miles away, but my 360 just pixelated constantly. I now have the hughes HTL HD and the samsung 360, The hughes was a replacement for the 360, but Directv says I can keep both of them, which is some what strange since I only paid for one Using the 99 dollar deal.

Please explain how you made this happen. My 360 only screws up on Directv HD content and if I could somehow keep it for OTA and SD programming on another TV I would do that without a doubt.

Originally posted by JC West
Could someone that has had both give me some help?

Is the OTA reception on the 360 better, bout the same or worse than the 160 in regards to locking onto OTA stations?

Thanks J C

I've owned a 160 for over a year and gave up on two bad 360s.

They both pulled in the same OTA stations just fine, but since the 360s' suffered from audio/video drops all the time, I cannot say whether it was inherently the tuner (it's the same tuner and motherboard as the 160) or the software in the 360.

Originally posted by Ledzep77
Please explain how you made this happen. My 360 only screws up on Directv HD content and if I could somehow keep it for OTA and SD programming on another TV I would do that without a doubt.

Ledzep, I called directv today to say that I had not received a return shipping label for my samsung 360, the csr rep then contacted the 'cis' dept and said there was no need to ship the samsung back. I said 'are you sure' she put me on hold again and verified, I then asked for notes to be placed my account stating that I would not be charged for this unit, She agreed.


I never had the a/v droputs with my 360, just the crazy OTA meter, and the weak ota tuner could not receive a station that my old 160 would. I know its small in comparison to what other problems people are reporting..one last thing: My samsung 360 still sits in a rackmount right below a rackmounted fan, this is probably why I never had the a/v drop out problem...I still miss the 160, in my case it had a superior ota tuner, and also ran much hotter than my 360.

I was curious about this as I still have both my orginal and replacement 360's. About 10 days after I had the replacement I called D* to find out where the return label was. After being transfered several times they finally said they would send another one out. Been over a week now and no label. Have they just given up on these things or what?

so DirecTV installer is coming tomorrow to do the HD install. I got the Samsung. Has anyone had luck or am I 100% screwed? Kind of a bummer going into the install knowing I'm gonna have problems.

Originally posted by Brett Jason
so DirecTV installer is coming tomorrow to do the HD install. I got the Samsung. Has anyone had luck or am I 100% screwed? Kind of a bummer going into the install knowing I'm gonna have problems.

Many people have had good luck with this box, I have had mine about a month with no problems (other than the funky OTA meter).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=369178

Sid

I am very happy with my 360. Much better them my Dish 6000!

Originally posted by Jonesy09
I was curious about this as I still have both my orginal and replacement 360's. About 10 days after I had the replacement I called D* to find out where the return label was. After being transfered several times they finally said they would send another one out. Been over a week now and no label. Have they just given up on these things or what?

I had to call them for the return labels as well. They shipped me a box with all the packing material. It took much longer to get the box (about a week) than it took to get the receiver (1-2 days). I sent back only the receiver and kept everything else.

Add me to the list of a satisfied customer with the samsung 360. I have had it for about a month and I previously had a slow panasonic TU-HDS20 which has been moved to one of the bedrooms. I didn't put up the new dish that came I am using my terk triple LNB with the SAT C kit. I love this samsung box.

As another data point, I've had my 360 now for 2 weeks. This past weekend, the installer came out to put my other two non-HD units in. I wanted him to see the 360 in screw up mode, so I stuck it between the stereo receiver and DVD player. Within 1.5 hours time, I had 3 call ext. 745 errors, and audio/video drops so numerous it wasn't funny. Maybe 15-20 per hour. After he saw how it was acting up, I put the 360 on top of the DVD player so that nothing was above it. After it cooled down, no more 745s and I've not had a single audio/video drop in 3 days now.

The biggest gripe I have with the unit currently is that I get pixelization of both OTA and DirecTV signals with annoying regularity. It doesn't last but 1/2 second or so, but it's not something that I care to live with. Signal strength is not an issue. That, and I don't like the fact that the Caller ID screen pop remains displayed until you grab the remote and turn it off. And for some reason my 4-1, 2-1, and 5-1 channels do not display the guide whereas my Sony HD200 did. Not sure what that's about.

I should have one of the new Toshibas coming in the next week or so and will activate that one and make a decision on which one to keep after living with it for a week or two. Hopefully, it will be a keeper.

I just installed my 360 from directv yesterday, and have been pleased with the results so far. I watched about 2 hours worth of directv hd programming, and an hour of OTA hd programming last night with no drop outs.

Hopefully my luck continues.

I just got the Samsung 360 last week (build date 2/04) as part of the $99 special, and it works GREAT, no dropouts or any problems to speak of and its been on 24/7 on all channels (HD and OTA). I have a hard time believing that heat could ever be a issue with this box since mine is never more than warm to the touch. The owner's manual says that the unit should be good up to 105 degrees or something like that, so the issue is moot.

I also had the POS Panny TU-HDS20 and it did have a GREAT picture, but I had a ton of problems with it (drop-outs, SLLLLOOOOOWWWW menus etc...) so I sold on E-bay for more than I paid for it (go figure). Sell the Panny and make a profit!

Everybody reported that the TS360 units are barely warm to the touch, however a lot of people reported significant improvement in dropouts when moving the receiver away from other "heat-producing" devices (me included) and/or installing an external fan blowing inside the receiver. My guess is that the "heat problems" occur in one particular area, somewhere near the card reader. I am not a technician, but how else can you explain the fact that the receiver works fine with OTA signal but gives dropouts and invalid access card error messages when watching satellite channels?

Originally posted by vvrok
Everybody reported that the TS360 units are barely warm to the touch, however a lot of people reported significant improvement in dropouts when moving the receiver away from other "heat-producing" devices (me included) and/or installing an external fan blowing inside the receiver. My guess is that the "heat problems" occur in one particular area, somewhere near the card reader. I am not a technician, but how else can you explain the fact that the receiver works fine with OTA signal but gives dropouts and invalid access card error messages when watching satellite channels? My feeling exactly I you gotta know that D* and Samsung also know this...:D

Ditto here too! I ran a 360 and a 160 side by side. The 160 was waaaaaaaaay warmer than the 360, but the 360 had the issues.

Go figure... :rolleyes:

Originally posted by DanHuff
I just got the Samsung 360 last week (build date 2/04) as part of the $99 special, and it works GREAT, no dropouts or any problems to speak of and its been on 24/7 on all channels (HD and OTA). I have a hard time believing that heat could ever be a issue with this box since mine is never more than warm to the touch. The owner's manual says that the unit should be good up to 105 degrees or something like that, so the issue is moot.

I also had the POS Panny TU-HDS20 and it did have a GREAT picture, but I had a ton of problems with it (drop-outs, SLLLLOOOOOWWWW menus etc...) so I sold on E-bay for more than I paid for it (go figure). Sell the Panny and make a profit! So you sold the problem receiver and made a profit... only on flea-bay ! I guess you can sell anything there. You have to love this country:D

Got number 3 today. Jan 30th build date which kinda disappointed me. It appears to be unused tho so thats a plus. So far PQ is good and the sound seems so much better on this one. Only thing I notice so far is as a change channels and stop on a station, (both SD and HD) sometimes after a few seconds it drops both audio and video for a split second and then is ok. Maybe like it locked in or something.

So far no audio or video drop like before but it has only been activated for about an hour. I'm gonna hang onto the old one till Friday to prove out this one and then I'm gonna call and try to keep this one. I'd even be willing to pay something for it as an upgrade to one of my SD receivers since SD appears to work fine and OTA seems ok. Maybe its just me but the sound on this replacement is much better on DD broadcasts.

My 360 is working flawlessly after 3 weeks. All in all it is a great unit.

CD

Well I jinxed myself damnit. After that post yesterday a label and box showed up today :( Oh well, I really didn't need to spend another $2K on another HD monitor anyway (I kept all the cables and remote though :))

Can someone tell me if when you select the SCAN FOR DIGITAL CHANNELS ....how far does the 360 scan to the 160 only scans to channel 69....i need it to scan to at least channel 100 in order to pick up my locals.....

will someone be kind enough to select digital scan tuning and tell me how far the 360 scans too..please

all 3 of my 360s only scanned for digital signals up to 69.


Had something wierd happen tonight. I had both of the receivers next to each other. I still had the old one turned on but not hooked up. To organize my space I took the new 360 and sat it on top of the old 360 plugged in but turned off. As soon as I put it on top of the other I got constant audio drop. I could pick it up and it would stop. Set it back down and it would start again. I wonder if it was some kind of electrical interference. If that was the case maybe just the fact it sits near other components might be an issue. I just found it wierd. I unplugged the old one and moved it. I am still getting some drop of both audio and video at the same time every so often but there is heavy cloud cover tonight and my signal strength is much lower than normal. I'll give it a couple of days.

Originally posted by quickfire
i need it to scan to at least channel 100 in order to pick up my locals.....

What channels are your locals broadcasting on? I thought the UHF band no longer went above 69, and will stop even lower than that after the digital transition is complete.

Is anyone having any issues with the black level. I dont have any shadow detail with HD programs. I connected my dvd player to the component-in and had the 360 convert everything to 1080i so I could calibrate with avia. It didnt really help. It seems the IRE is way off.

Any ideas???

The only thing you accomplished with doing that, was calibrating for playback of a DVD. But not for anything else. That is used to calibrate a TV, basically for playback of a DVD. And if it happens to really improve any other input sources, it more or less is just a added bonus.

I am trying to program a Radio Shack 15-2133 remote to the SIR 360. Anyone have a code?

I used the learning functions of the remote to program the 360 but the guide button will only bring up the quick guide, not the regular guide.

Any suggestions?

Originally posted by Phil T
I am trying to program a Radio Shack 15-2133 remote to the SIR 360. Anyone have a code?

I used the learning functions of the remote to program the 360 but the guide button will only bring up the quick guide, not the regular guide.

Any suggestions?

I don't believe that the code for the 360 is any of the OFA based remotes (the RS 2133 is a OFA remote made by them for RS). There is a way to upgrade these remotes, though. If you know about using the "jp1" cable and software, I have a file which will upgrade your remote. PM me if you want it.

SMK

Greeted this morning with a call x745. Reset the unit and had another within 2 minutes. Drop out has increased on all channels including SD. This unit is another failure. This is most likely my last post here as I will be sending everything back and scheduling an appointment for a VOOM installation.

Johnla

Thats not exactly true. My TV, like most, a single component input can be calibrated for each source. i.e 480i/p, 720p, and 1080i via the service menu. I am not aware of any test patterns that are native HD. So this method seems to be my only resource.

I realize the 360 is passing an up-converted signal that is generated by the dvd. So no its not an exact science. However, there are 2 standards for black level 0 IRE and +7.5 IRE. The 360 doesnt seem to be either.

Thank you for pointing out that I was doing it wrong without offering any constructive comments.

The component input on the 360 only outputs 480P. It does not scale to 1080i.

ccrutch

Your right that it only accepts 480i/p.

But it will output 720p and 1080i. It will do the scaling per the owners manual. Additionally the service menu on the television verifies the the signal being received is 1080i. Of course this is only when the 360 is in 720p or 1080i mode and not in one of its native modes.

Originally posted by Darrin_R
I realize the 360 is passing an up-converted signal that is generated by the dvd. So no its not an exact science. However, there are 2 standards for black level 0 IRE and +7.5 IRE. The 360 doesnt seem to be either.


If you see Cheezmo's post here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3442076#post3442076 ...you can see where he compares the 360 to his reference Panny. So, I think we can safely assume that the 360 is pretty close to 0 IRE (BTW, he's an ISF tech).

Also, would the upscale/pass-through of a DVD source via the 360's 1080i output necessarily give you the same calibration-levels as the signal from its tuner? I don't know -- just speculating.

FWIW, HDNet has a test pattern on from time to time, but it's early in the morning and not regularly scheduled -- have not checked their site recently to see.

Thanks BK EH. I will look for test pattern. That is exacly what I need.

And your speculation is correct with color bars since the source is generated from the dvd. But I would think setting the dvd player to output 0 IRE would give me a pretty good calibration base for black level. I must be missing something.

A Hughes is now being shipped overnight. Again for a change, a friendly, knowledgable, and helpful response from the csr. The young lady even in a round about way said that it is controlled what they can say and not say. She said if I am reading a Home Theater Forum talking to others users than I probably know more about the issues than she does. I will say that my last 2 calls have seen a higher level of coperation and result from the csr.

A working Hughes is better than a non working Sammy. The saga continues. lol :o

Good luck with the HD-HTL. I bought one at CC over the weekend ($245 after 110% price match) and I prefer it to my $99 TS360. The stretch/zoom/squeeze modes work properly, and it has RF output which I need for remote TVs. The TS360 has some nice features, but I'll be using it for SD on an analog TV. I hope you have strong OTA signals because ATSC sensitivity isn't great on the HTL-HD. Today I was receiving a distant station at 35-40 on my built-in DTC-100's meter. The DTC100 locked it in with occasional dropouts. The TS360 received it poorly with constant freezups. The HTL-HD could not receive it at all!! It's surprising that these two new receivers are upstaged by a 1st generation design.

Originally posted by Darrin_R
Thats not exactly true.
Yes it is true, if you only use a calibration DVD to calibrate it.....
Because basically, when you get down to the nitty gritty of it, it is only calibrated for that DVD player and nothing else. Becase none of your other sources input or viewing sources of material is the same as what that DVD player is.
As you did not calibrate it with anything for off air use, SD or HD. And you did not use anything to calibrate it for cable or satellite use, SD or HD. You calibrated it with only a DVD source. Now granted, that alone for most people can make a major difference. But when you really have a TV calibrated by a ISF technician, he also uses a lot more than just a DVD to do it. Now I'm not saying the the 360 nay not be messes up in some way. But a quick home calibration, with just a calibration DVD is really not a way to prove it either.

Johnla you are missing the point

I have the panny rp82 which will send either 0 IRE or +7.5 IRE. The television automatically switches depending on the incoming source. i.e. 480i/p, 720p, and 1080i. My goal was to correct the black level for 1080i.

The dvd is sending black at 0 IRE and the 360 is sending black at 0 IRE. I then set the 360 to output 1080i. At that point the TV is using default setting for 1080i. I then should be able to go into the service menu and set the black level.

I hope you didnt think I was trying to do saturation - hue - and ...... I realize that would not be wise.

Anyway I am going to go play with it now.

VERY INTERESTING. The 360 just reboot as I was typing this.

My SIR-TS360 shipped by DirecTV has none of the problems described in this thread so far.

The only issue I have had is, I have been unable to control this unit with my TiVo since the IR Blasted channel number seems to miss the 1st digit of the channel. So if my TiVo tries to tune to channel 502, it actually tunes to 02. Any one have any ideas?

If I cannot get this fixed, I'd have to send this back & have to go with the HTL-HD. Any known disadvantage with that unit?

Raj

The 360 does have an over the air signal meter. It is in a different menu than the satellite meter. I think it is cable antenna sub menu under set-up? I don't have the box in front of me to be sure though.

The 360 does have an OTA signal meter, but it's useless for fine tuning, at least on my box. No matter how strong or weak the signal is, it bounces all over the place.

I notice the same thing. Useless for fine tuning.

Where's the IR display on this thing? Is it on the display? I need to connect my ReplayTV via IR.

OK....I have both boxes at my house right now. I am trying to find the best Over the air receiver, and I am using both, switching back an forth to see which one I like the best. I do not have a dish and have no plans to get one in the near future. I should also mention that I am using a projector, so I do not have any type of tuner other than the box.

The 360 . I like the fact that it has an analog tuner, digital tuner and cable tuner. I plugged in my antenna and cable feed and the box quickly found every channel. The guide is much faster. The 351 guide would take forever to load and it would load every time you hit guide. The 360 is very fast.

The 360 will scale different video sources to 1080i or 720p. I was not sure if a DVD could be scaled (I know the LG box that is an HDTV tuner and DVD player has eliminated this from the component outs). The bad news is that the DVD signal going through the 360 seems to loose some color in the process. I need to play with this and use some better component cables to test it.

The 351 Well, all of the three 351's that I have had have the audio drop-out problem if the digital out is set to Dolby Digital. If it is set to PCM then it is fine. Of course, what's the point right?

The 351 will only tune digital channels, so the other over the air and cable channels are not available.

But here is the kicker. I think the HD picture is better out of the 351. Now, I had the 351 first, so perhaps my perception is skewed a bit, and I also have the projector tuned to the 351, so that could be throwing things a bit. But I swear that the 360's picture is a little softer, a little more muted, the black levels are not as strong, and the picture is just not as dynamic. (excuse me here, I don't know the technical terms and I am struggling for just the right adjectives.)

I would like to hear others opinions of the 360's HD picture from an antenna and especially if you have seen both the 351 and 360.

Did anyone get the VCR Remote Cable with the orginal packaging of the 360? If not does anyone know where to get one? I look at www.samsungparts.com to no avail.

I received my 360 yesterday afternoon, and along with all the other stuff, it included a DVI cable, and the VCR programming cable (plug into back of 360 and place IR head in front of VCR. I haven't checked yet to see if it works. Otherwise, setup was unenventful with an existing elliptical dish with sat-c kit upgrade. Both OTA and Sat work fine in my home theater setup, using optical audio connection, component video. It's been on for 15 hours and no hiccups yet, thank God!

You should have received both a DVI cable and the VCR IR cable, if yours is like mine. Mine came from Memphis, 02Feb build date, from the D* upgrade deal.

...hasan

Got my Sammy 360 2 days ago, set it up for D* and OTA digital/analog. Everything is working fine. Picking up all OTA channels very strongly. I've had no audio or video dropouts. Menu works great. I do miss the one line menu of my Hughes E86 and the little "logo" menu you could pop up.

How the hell do you tone down the display!!!? That thing is way too bright, especially in a dark room...it can damn near blind you.

mike

I didn't have that problem on my Toshiba 42H83 16x9. I actually had to turn the brightness up from 42 to 50 when I changed from the RCA DTC-100 to the Sammy 360. (component video).

They were nice enough to provide a DVI cable, so I may try that later today, although there is probably little to be gained using DVI on a conventional RPTV.

...hasan

To see the OTA signal meter as a non-greyed out selection, you have to be tuned to an OTA signal. (At least that's how it seemed to work for me last night). If I went to that menu while watching a sat channel, the option for the signal meter was greyed out. (Makes perfect sense...I only mention it in case someone gets stuck).

On two HD channels my signal meter was stable at 45 (which is way low...those stations have BIG signals), on Fox digital the signal meter bounced all over the place. In all cases the picture was perfect. I think there is an obvious firmware bug in the OTA signal meter. I do find it interesting that the true HD channels showed a stable, albeit low, signal reading, while the digital non-HD Fox station showed the "bouncing betty" syndrome. By "low" I mean compared to the 94 signal level those same stations showed on my RCA DTC-100.

...hasan, N0AN

I received my replacement for the HTL and it was the 360. I tried fighting with D*TV but to no avail in my wanting as promised HTL. The build date is 02Mar. Now I have to re-configure the MX-500 and my main receiver to accept coax audio.

Originally posted by Couchrack
Did anyone get the VCR Remote Cable with the orginal packaging of the 360? If not does anyone know where to get one? I look at www.samsungparts.com to no avail.
I got one. I'll trade you mine for your DVI cable. :) ;) :D

Originally posted by Flooper
How the hell do you tone down the display!!!? That thing is way too bright, especially in a dark room...it can damn near blind you.
Yeah, I had the same reaction, even behind smoked glass. I'm considering finding some dark cellophane to tape over it.

Originally posted by pyro383
I received my replacement for the HTL and it was the 360. I tried fighting with D*TV but to no avail in my wanting as promised HTL. The build date is 02Mar. Now I have to re-configure the MX-500 and my main receiver to accept coax audio.

I went to a 3rd level supervisor and was promised a Hughes replacement would be here today. We shall see. That means I will have 2 360s and a Hughes in my possesion at the same time. LOL

At least you got a more recent build date. 360 #3 that I got Tuesday still had a build date of Jan 30th. First 2 had a build date of Jan 23rd. I still have 360 #3 activated and it get constant call x745 errors and total drops of audio and video on all channels including OTA HD broadcasts.

i just my second replacement - the sammy 360. everything seems good so far, but i'm having trouble integrating the cable (analog) channels into the guide. i run through the setup, enter zip, choose cable company (for the prog info) and then the unit reboots to get the new guide info.

however, instead of adding the cable channels into the guide next to the existing sat channels, it replaces them if they conflict (ex. if there are two channel 4's, it will only show the cable channel 4 in the guide). on other boxes you are shown both and then presumably you would delete the one you don't want.

if anyone has accomplished on their sammy 360 i would appreciate a push in the right direction. thanks.

however, instead of adding the cable channels into the guide next to the existing sat channels, it replaces them if they conflict (ex. if there are two channel 4's, it will only show the cable channel 4 in the guide). on other boxes you are shown both and then presumably you would delete the one you don't want.

I would think if there were a "conflict", the box would display the Sat channel by default. Anyways, after doing the scan, have you tried going to: Menu>Setup>Antenna & Cable>Add/Remove Channels and then manually adding cable channels?

daniel

My replacement 360 arrived a few days ago, unfortunately (for me) it was an HTL-HD. I need the coax audio out the 160/360 provides. Plus, since this was not part of the famous 99 buck deal, I paid 399 for it, which is fine for a 360, but considering you can now get HTL-HD's for 249 from CC, why would I want to pay 399 for HTL from D*?

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

daniel

I set up the remote to control my Sony TV and the AUX to control my Sony receiver. They work OK, but when I have the remote in DirecTV mode and I want to adjust the volume, I want it to be the AV receiver that is controlled. Right now it controls the TV volume which is useless.

Does anyone know how to get the volume control to control the receiver volume while in DirecTV mode?

Originally posted by pyro383
I received my replacement for the HTL and it was the 360. I tried fighting with D*TV but to no avail in my wanting as promised HTL. The build date is 02Mar. Now I have to re-configure the MX-500 and my main receiver to accept coax audio.

The Samsung 360 has an Optical and coaxial digital output. I am using the optical output and I haven't had any problems in the 3.5 weeks I've had it.

Anyone have a code for the the 360 with a MX-700.
I have the 700 working but can not get the up,down,left and right keys to work. I have also tried to learn but it will only work when in the main screen although I programmed in the Sat screen.

Help !

Thanks

Craig:confused:

Craig - get yourself over to Remote Central and dip into the Pronto files here (http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/files/rcfiles.cgi?area=pronto&db=devices&br=samsung&dv=hdtvreceiver&fc=). There is a 360 file and several 160 files as well (those commands will work on the 360).

You will need to use the Universal Browser function of MX-Editor. It allows you to drag & drop commands from .ccf files. Works like a dream. Good luck with it.

Originally posted by Flooper
Got my Sammy 360 2 days ago, set it up for D* and OTA digital/analog. Everything is working fine. Picking up all OTA channels very strongly. I've had no audio or video dropouts. Menu works great. I do miss the one line menu of my Hughes E86 and the little "logo" menu you could pop up.

How the hell do you tone down the display!!!? That thing is way too bright, especially in a dark room...it can damn near blind you.

mike

Duh, I replied about the brightness of the pix, and you were talking about the brightness of the fluorescent front panel display on the Sammy...ur right it is really bright. I may take a piece of light blue translucent plastic and put it over it. A dimmer would be nice.

Otherwise, everything is working perfectly.
(OTA signal meter is fubar, but that's a well known problem)

...hasan

Sammy 360 now passed its first 36 hours with flying colors. No video/audio/reset or other problems. The OTA signal meter is fubar, but is a well known problem.

One question, one compatibility issue:

Is there a way to change the output format from the remote? Can I change from DVI/RGB to Component without using the front panel buttons?

My Sony RM-AV2000 learning remote doesn't work all that well with the 360. It takes multiple key presses for a lot of the commands for the 360 to "take" them. The Sammy remote works just fine. Any suggestions?

====================================

Since they provided me a DVI cable, I tried it last night and it works perfectly with my Tosh 42H83 (42" 16x9) TV. I like the pix with DVI better than component, but both are excellent. I had not expected to see any difference between DVI and Component since the Tosh is a conventional RPTV, but there IS a difference. Whether it is "better" or not is, I'm sure, quite subjective. I like it enough that this is the output format that I'm going to stick with.


...hasan, N0AN

I think I've read most of this gigantic thread, but don't recall seeing this particular version of the dropout problem. So forgive me if someone else posted a similar experience.

Anyway, when I set the 360 to Dolby Digital, I get all kinds of audio dropouts--no video drops, though. When I set the 360 to PCM, I get no dropouts. What gives? Build date is Jan 23 04...just got it a couple of days ago. For now, I'm leaving it set to PCM. Oh...and what's the difference between PCM and Dolby Digital (sorry for the stupid question). Is PCM (pulse code modulation?) just basic stereo digital, while DD is multi-channel? If there isn't a big difference, I'll probably just keep the 360 and leave it on PCM.

mike

Originally posted by Flooper
I think I've read most of this gigantic thread, but don't recall seeing this particular version of the dropout problem. So forgive me if someone else posted a similar experience.

Anyway, when I set the 360 to Dolby Digital, I get all kinds of audio dropouts--no video drops, though. When I set the 360 to PCM, I get no dropouts. What gives? Build date is Jan 23 04...just got it a couple of days ago. For now, I'm leaving it set to PCM. Oh...and what's the difference between PCM and Dolby Digital (sorry for the stupid question). Is PCM (pulse code modulation?) just basic stereo digital, while DD is multi-channel? If there isn't a big difference, I'll probably just keep the 360 and leave it on PCM.

mike

Hi Mike

I wrote you a long reply, hit the wrong button and lost the whole thing. I hate it when that happens. Let's try again.

I get no dropouts with DD on my Onkyo home theatre receiver. My build date is 02Feb2004 (Sammy).

PCM is digitally encoded audio, but not Dolby Digitally Encoded. For simplicity's sake, let's call it (PCM) digital stereo. There are only two discrete channels. Dolby Digital 5.1 has 5 discrete channels, each one encoded uniquely and fed to a DD home theatre receiver.

They are:

Front Right
Front Left
Center
Rear Right
Rear Left

Any source signal encoded with Dolby Digital 5.1 causes my Onkyo to say "Dolby Digital" on the front and the Sammy display will also say "Dolby Digital", even if the source is Dolby Digitial 2.0 (which is also used on the satellite on some stations).

If you are using PCM digital, you can still have surround sound, just not "dolby digital 5.1" surround. What you get is called "Dolby Pro-Logic" 3.1 It has 3 discrete channels.

They are:

Front Right: Ch1
Front Left:Ch2
Center (done with audio bandpass, not any encoding)
Rear:Ch3 (done with decoding the difference between the two stereo channels in the front).

With Dolby Pro Logic you have Left, Right, + (Difference between left and right) fed to the rear channel. The rear channel has two speakers, but they are being fed the exact same information, so the rear channel is mono. The separation, dynamic range and clarity of Dolby Digital is FAR superior to Dolby Pro Logic (which you can get easily with your PCM setting), but you still can have surround sound if you are stuck with PCM

Further, if you are watching a non-DD program on the Sammy, MSNBC for example, you will notice that the Sammy is no longer putting out a DD encoded signal...it is putting out PCM. If you switch to a channel that has DD encoding, HDnet for example, then the sammy will put out DD 5.1 (or 2.0 if they didn't encode the source in 5.1).

My Onkyo home theatre receiver always tells me what kind of audio is being fed to it, and the Sammy front panel display will switch to "Dolby Digital" if it detects the DD encoding on the signal for that channel. Otherwise, it will be blank in the upper right corner of the display where the DD usually shows up.

Now, on to your problem.

Most home theatre receivers have some settings associated with the bit stream that makes up the Dolby Digital signal. You might try going into the menu settings of the ht receiver and changing some of the settings. The data rate should be 48 khz as I recall, but you might try something else.

Secondly, if you are using an optical connection from the Sammy to your home theatre receiver, try chaning to the coaxial output from the Sammy and see if your home theatre receiver likes it better.

The one thing we know, is that it should work. I know it works here. The question is, does it work because I got a good one or does it work because my Onkyo likes the data stream coming in the optical input ...in other words, am I just lucky that there are no compatibility issues.

What you are experiencing could be:

1. A setup problem in the home theatre receiver (bit rate)
2. A compatibility issue between the Sammy and your h.t.r. (optical/coaxial)
3. A bad Sammy.

I hope some of my suggestions may prove helpful. Good luck.

...hasan, N0AN

Well guess what. My Hughes didn't show up so I called back today. It was never ordered. They specificly told me it would be over night shipped and be here by Friday. Then today I got a real bitch for a CSR. I lost my patience early and gave her a piece of my mind when she started the canned statement crap. Long and short of it is that after 1 hour on the phone I have again been told a Hughes is on the way.

The first CSR said and I quote, "I have never heard of anyone else ever having a problem with this receiver. The fact you have had 3 not work tells me you have a problem on your end." She also said they have done everything they could do for me and in fact this deal of getting the receiver for $99 is something she has never seen anyone else get. What a load of BS.

And to the guy who just got a build date of Jan 23rd, you probably got one of my old ones. I would bet money someone else had it. In fact one of these people told me the problem is with the access card and they have just put a new card with them and sent them back out thinking that was the only problem.

Originally posted by Craig540
Anyone have a code for the the 360 with a MX-700.
I have the 700 working but can not get the up,down,left and right keys to work. I have also tried to learn but it will only work when in the main screen although I programmed in the Sat screen.
If Ray's suggestion doesn't solve your problem (althopugh it should), PM me. I have my MX-800 working well with it and can extract an .mxd for you.

Ledzep77 - i feel yoour pain. i am on my 3rd hd replacement - another sammy 360. i've been on the phone with dtv so many times and been told so much bs it's almost comical (if it weren't so sad). i'm convinced the support crew are told to straight out lie to us, there's no way one company could employ so many natural liars. i've been told on every occasion that my replacements were ordered, only to be told the next day they have no record... not once, not twice, but all three times. they've lost the tracking numbers (conveniently) and only one box has come with a return slip. one rep told me she was going to credit my account for all my troubles. guess what, that was lost too. and so it goes...

i guess all i can say is hang in there, all you can really do is take a deep breath and be thankful dtv isn't in charge of anything more important, like the government (ha). and how's this for a laugh - i just received a 4th sammy today... and i didn't even request it... guess they're just being pro-active ;)

LOL. I have a feeling things are so screwed up there that they don't even know whats coming or going. In fact based on the final part of the conversation today I don't think they even know I have 2 receivers right now. The CSR I had today was the worst. I yelled at her at the top of my voice and told her I do not like the fact she was telling me lies.

If and when I get a receiver that works, I'm going to call them and tell them to restart the clock on the programming I was given as part of the deal. I am almost 2 months into this deal and have not been able to fully utilize the subscription. We will see how far I get with that. But then again I forgot, I'm the only person in the world that got the $99 deal and the only one with a problem with this Sammy STB. Boy don't I feel special.

Originally posted by hasan
Hi Mike

I wrote you a long reply, hit the wrong button and lost the whole thing. I hate it when that happens. Let's try again.

I get no dropouts with DD on my Onkyo home theatre receiver. My build date is 02Feb2004 (Sammy).

PCM is digitally encoded audio, but not Dolby Digitally Encoded. For simplicity's sake, let's call it (PCM) digital stereo. There are only two discrete channels. Dolby Digital 5.1 has 5 discrete channels, each one encoded uniquely and fed to a DD home theatre receiver.

They are:

Front Right
Front Left
Center
Rear Right
Rear Left

Any source signal encoded with Dolby Digital 5.1 causes my Onkyo to say "Dolby Digital" on the front and the Sammy display will also say "Dolby Digital", even if the source is Dolby Digitial 2.0 (which is also used on the satellite on some stations).

If you are using PCM digital, you can still have surround sound, just not "dolby digital 5.1" surround. What you get is called "Dolby Pro-Logic" 3.1 It has 3 discrete channels.

They are:

Front Right: Ch1
Front Left:Ch2
Center (done with audio bandpass, not any encoding)
Rear:Ch3 (done with decoding the difference between the two stereo channels in the front).

With Dolby Pro Logic you have Left, Right, + (Difference between left and right) fed to the rear channel. The rear channel has two speakers, but they are being fed the exact same information, so the rear channel is mono. The separation, dynamic range and clarity of Dolby Digital is FAR superior to Dolby Pro Logic (which you can get easily with your PCM setting), but you still can have surround sound if you are stuck with PCM

Further, if you are watching a non-DD program on the Sammy, MSNBC for example, you will notice that the Sammy is no longer putting out a DD encoded signal...it is putting out PCM. If you switch to a channel that has DD encoding, HDnet for example, then the sammy will put out DD 5.1 (or 2.0 if they didn't encode the source in 5.1).

My Onkyo home theatre receiver always tells me what kind of audio is being fed to it, and the Sammy front panel display will switch to "Dolby Digital" if it detects the DD encoding on the signal for that channel. Otherwise, it will be blank in the upper right corner of the display where the DD usually shows up.

Now, on to your problem.

Most home theatre receivers have some settings associated with the bit stream that makes up the Dolby Digital signal. You might try going into the menu settings of the ht receiver and changing some of the settings. The data rate should be 48 khz as I recall, but you might try something else.

Secondly, if you are using an optical connection from the Sammy to your home theatre receiver, try chaning to the coaxial output from the Sammy and see if your home theatre receiver likes it better.

The one thing we know, is that it should work. I know it works here. The question is, does it work because I got a good one or does it work because my Onkyo likes the data stream coming in the optical input ...in other words, am I just lucky that there are no compatibility issues.

What you are experiencing could be:

1. A setup problem in the home theatre receiver (bit rate)
2. A compatibility issue between the Sammy and your h.t.r. (optical/coaxial)
3. A bad Sammy.

I hope some of my suggestions may prove helpful. Good luck.

...hasan, N0AN

Hasan,
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to answer my question!! What a great answer! I always kinda knew what DD and 5.1 was, but I never really had a clue what PCM was...just some other weird setting on my receiver I never used! Now I know what it is. Thanks again...what a great post. You gotta love the people on this forum!! I'll dig out the manual on my Yammy and see about bit rates, etc. If that doesn't work, I'll try a coax instead of optical connect. :) :) :)

mike

Does anyone with a 360 have a properly functioning OTA signal meter? Or has anyone heard if, when and how this will be corrected?

Called Samsung and asked about this amoung other things and I was told that is the way it is suppose to work. In their eyes there is nothing wrong with it so I wouldn't expect a fix.

Originally posted by Flooper
I think I've read most of this gigantic thread, but don't recall seeing this particular version of the dropout problem. So forgive me if someone else posted a similar experience.

Anyway, when I set the 360 to Dolby Digital, I get all kinds of audio dropouts--no video drops, though. When I set the 360 to PCM, I get no dropouts. What gives? Build date is Jan 23 04...just got it a couple of days ago. For now, I'm leaving it set to PCM. Oh...and what's the difference between PCM and Dolby Digital (sorry for the stupid question). Is PCM (pulse code modulation?) just basic stereo digital, while DD is multi-channel? If there isn't a big difference, I'll probably just keep the 360 and leave it on PCM.

mike

Hasan gave you some great info in his post. Just a couple things to throw in:

1. Do not settle for setting output to PCM digital with Dolby Prologic. The sound experience with DD 5.1 is far superior. You have a problem that you should fix, or you will be seriously shortchanging yourself.

2. If the "yammy" you mentioned refers to a Yamaha receiver, what model is it? If it's a 440, 540, 640 or similar, then I guarantee in your case there is no "bitrate" adjustment for you to do, and this is not the cause of your problem.

3. As you said you only had the 360 for a couple of days, did you find that you were getting audio dropouts all the time and on all channels? Or was it only on say, HBO when they were doing a DD 5.1 broadcast? becuase it's not uncommon for some 5.1 broadcasts to intermittenly have "problems" from the source. You may have been experiencing that. If so, just set the output on the 360 back to Dolby Digital, and see what happens.

4. You could have a bad optical cable.

5. If you have another DD 5.1 source component (e.g. DVD player) then it would be pretty easy to troubleshoot and eliminate the receiver and/or cable as the cause. Connect your DVD player to the same output on the back of your receiver that you currently have the 360 hooked up to, using the same optical cable as well. Make sure your DSP input settings on the Yamaha are configured to "Auto". Pop a DD 5.1 encoded DVD into your DVD player, and make sure you choose 5.1 in the DVD menu if applicable. Play the DVD, and if you have clean 5.1 with no dropouts, then you have eliminated the Yamaha and the cable as potential causes.

If none of the above fixes your problem, then you have a bad Sammy (which would be my first guess anyways) and you should exchange it.

daniel

The Britney Spears concert on Showtime tonight was an audio glitch fest on my TS-360, using the Dolby Digital audio out. I tried the analog output for a bit and had a glitch or two but it seemed better. The concert thankfully ended before I thought to try PCM. I did stick my fan on it but only for the last couple of minutes so I couldn't tell if that made a difference.

Switched to Rusted Root concert on HDNet and no problems.

Originally posted by danielhart
Hasan gave you some great info in his post. Just a couple things to throw in:
daniel

Daniel,
Thanks for the great info. My Yammy is a 5460...and you're right, there are no bitrate adjustments. I have it set to Auto. On the Sammy, I went back to DD instead of PCM, and for the last day or so, have not had dropouts on any channels, and am receiving 5.1 when it is broadcast. I checked it with OTA CBS, ABC, & NBC HD programming, plus HDNet, HDNet Movies, and Discovery HD. So far, so good. When I had the original dropouts, it was on HDNet...so maybe it was an isolated problem on their end, or with that particular program. But since those first dropouts, I haven't had any others. Keeping my fingers crossed. Again, thanks for the great advice. If it starts happening again, I will try the DVD test you suggested.

mike

The audio dropout problems I've had seem to be show specific. I had them during Dinosaur Planet (every time I've ever watched it) on DiscoveryHD and during the Britney Spears Concert on Showtime (I hope I get another good example so I can stop mentioning I watched that garbage).

But, I know I've watched entire programs on those channels with no dropout problems at all.

Originally posted by Flooper
Daniel,
Thanks for the great info. My Yammy is a 5460...and you're right, there are no bitrate adjustments. I have it set to Auto. On the Sammy, I went back to DD instead of PCM, and for the last day or so, have not had dropouts on any channels, and am receiving 5.1 when it is broadcast. I checked it with OTA CBS, ABC, & NBC HD programming, plus HDNet, HDNet Movies, and Discovery HD. So far, so good. When I had the original dropouts, it was on HDNet...so maybe it was an isolated problem on their end, or with that particular program. But since those first dropouts, I haven't had any others. Keeping my fingers crossed. Again, thanks for the great advice. If it starts happening again, I will try the DVD test you suggested.

mike

I'm glad it's working for you. One other tip - this is a preference thing, YMMV, regarding the whole Surround Sound deal. I often find that to my ears, setting the receiver's DSP to 6-channel stereo (I think the 5460 has that option) when the broadcast material is non-DD provides a better listening experience then Prologic does depending on the source material. But of course when the source is DD 5.1, I always go with that.

daniel

Originally posted by danielhart
I'm glad it's working for you. One other tip - this is a preference thing, YMMV, regarding the whole Surround Sound deal. I often find that to my ears, setting the receiver's DSP to 6-channel stereo (I think the 5460 has that option) when the broadcast material is non-DD provides a better listening experience then Prologic does depending on the source material. But of course when the source is DD 5.1, I always go with that.

daniel

That is a terrific suggestion and I have been using that approach for a long time. If a station is not in DD, I ALWAYS use "All Channel Stereo" on the Onkyo. Very clear sound and a spacious experience. This is basically normal stereo on the front left and right, with synthesized center and rear channels. I am VERY pleased with this setting or anything but DD. I do not like the sound/feel of Prologic at all compared to All Channel Stereo.

...hasan, N0AN

I called today to verify my order was placed for the Hughes. Guess what? No record of an order being placed. The CSR placed an order but can't say what I will get. Looks like another Sammy on the way. This is almost fun now. Lets review.

I have had 3 receivers.

First one, which has been the best one and was just reactivated again, has rare video drop but frequent audio drop but only on HD. Both independant of each other. Never x745.

Second one had frequent audio and video drop independant of each other on all HD and SD. PQ was very bad. Constant x745 error.

Third had good PQ but frequent Audio and video drop together on all channels HD and SD and some OTA. Frequent x745 errors. Drops are so bad its unwatchable and can last 3 or 4 seconds.

I have been told 4 times that a manual order was placed for a replacement and each time an order was never placed. Last Wednesday I was told a Hughes would be sent over night and be here by Friday. On Saturday I called and there was no record of an order. I again was told that a Hughes would be shipped and was given a manual order number and a number to call today for a tracking number. When I called this evening there was no record of an order placed.

I now have an order in the regular system and should see Number 4 at my front door by Thursday.

i went through exactly the same thing with directv. apparently the "manual order" line is simply a way to get those pesky customers off the line so they can go back to playing solitare. wish i'd known you wanted a hughes - i just sent back one that was working - i actually prefer the sammy, though any functioning receiver these days is a blessing. if it's any consolation, i doubt dtv has a clue of how many units you have, so you might just make a few bucks on ebay.

Help needed...having the Sammy 360 for one month (build date feb 12 or 14) i have incounted two problems,the first was a video dropout ,tv went to a blank black screen, the fix was to reboot the 360,this happend on saturday and then sunday...is this the same video problem people are having... do i call direct tv on this.Second problem is kinda hard to describe so here i go. every 10 to 30 minutes i notice a horizontal line that goes up the screen,its the same color as the picture and only happens as described, you have to looking for it, or most likly you would not notice it,i would say,its kind of a ripple effect going up the screen,but only one line,ihave noticed it also with my dvd playing thru the 360, i know this is a problem with the 360 because my hughes never did have the above problems,can fellow members give some feedback.thankyou john leavold..

Is anyone using a ReplayTV (I have a 3030) with the Sammy 360? There is no IR code available that works for me and the serial cable is not an option with the 360.

john do you have a Toshiba RPTV it sounds like the white line issue that they are known to have.

Got a note on the door from FedEx today that they have a package for me. They have been leaving them without a sig but they probably wonder why they keep bringing so many.

My Guess this is the Hughes that was promised last Wednesday. If that is the case I could also be getting the one ordered Saturday. And of course the one ordered yesterday. Its comical that they have no record of these orders. I sent one back today just because it was so bad it was worthless anyway.

I guess I will be doing some testing this week. LOL

Man, I feel for you! They are the ones who can do it and did for me twice.

First, make sure you unplug the unit, remove the access card, plug it in again after ~30 seconds and then put the card back in after you get a pic on the TV saying 'insert a valid card.' That is DTV's ultimate reset and you want to make sure you can tell them you did that and you know what you are doing.

Then, before you call back, make notes on these things:
- where are the dropouts (DTV SD, DTV HD, OTA HD) and are they audio, video or both?
- how long after it's on do they start, and how often, after they start, do they occur.
- are you getting any total lockups requiring a reset.
- are you getting any x:745's.

Then embellish as you wish.

If you are getting everything but the 745's, be firm, tell them you did not contract for a defective box and ask to speak to his manager. If that does not work, ask to be transferred immediately to 'retention' so you can lodge a complaint and cancel this contract.

If you are also getting the x745's, which denote a disabled card, then ask him why the card can be enabled again by a simple reset? The box is bad, not the card!

Be firm, be polite, note their name and use it often when talking with them.

Tell them you can point them to a 27 page website about these issues and people have been getting replacement boxes since the 1st week of Feb for these very reasons. Tell them you will hold while he looks -- then start over again... Good luck and let us know.

this is great advice! so far it has worked for me. 2 days into the sammy 360 and 4oo dropouts later i have a new rteceiver coming and a D* order # to boot.

we shall see....

i have the 360 hooked up to a Dell W1700 ,the Hughes stb did not do this and is this blackout that i had twice over the weekend the same as the video dropout that other members are talking about.

I have had the Samsung 360 for about 2 weeks now and it's connected to my Sony 30" Hi-Scan 4:3 set via the DVI connection. I have noticed that during HD broadcasts especially when there's a dark scene that there's a approx. 3" wide light vertical "line" that scans across the screen horizontally about every 1-2 seconds. It almost seems that once the first line gets across the screen another one is right behind it. It's certainly not noticeable all the time but it's really annoying when I see it. Is this an issue with my TV or is it a problem with the Samsung? I have checked to see if my AC lines for plugs pass near any of the video cables but that didn't turn up anything. Please help...

I have had the Samsung 360 for about 2 weeks now and it's connected to my Sony 30" Hi-Scan 4:3 set via the DVI connection. I have noticed that during HD broadcasts especially when there's a dark scene that there's a approx. 3" wide light vertical "line" that scans across the screen horizontally about every 1-2 seconds. It almost seems that once the first line gets across the screen another one is right behind it. It's certainly not noticeable all the time but it's really annoying when I see it. Is this an issue with my TV or is it a problem with the Samsung? I have checked to see if my AC lines for plugs pass near any of the video cables but that didn't turn up anything. Please help...

Originally posted by jheltz27
I have had the Samsung 360 for about 2 weeks now and it's connected to my Sony 30" Hi-Scan 4:3 set via the DVI connection. I have noticed that during HD broadcasts especially when there's a dark scene that there's a approx. 3" wide light vertical "line" that scans across the screen horizontally about every 1-2 seconds. It almost seems that once the first line gets across the screen another one is right behind it. It's certainly not noticeable all the time but it's really annoying when I see it. Is this an issue with my TV or is it a problem with the Samsung? I have checked to see if my AC lines for plugs pass near any of the video cables but that didn't turn up anything. Please help...

This is not a problem with the 360, but rather an issue with the Sony TV. If you change the 360 to output 720p I bet the lines will disappear. More than you ever wanted to know about the problem can be found in this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?&threadid=190083

If you just want to fix it without reading through the entire thread, post #277 on Page 14 details the procedure to follow in the Service Menu.

Hope this helps!

What is the build date of 360 is ok now?

Receiver #4 was another Samsung shipped the day after they promised to overnight ship a Hughes of which their system shows not record of order. Within an hour of activation constant drops and x745 errors. Oh well. I expect I'll receive another or maybe 2 this week. This one also had no return paperwork.

To be fair to Samsung I think most of the issues I have had on the last 2 units are Directv issues and not issues with the Samsung receiver. They have worked flawlessly on OTA. I think Samsung is getting a bad wrap here and if I were them I would step up to the plate and make Directv accountable.

Originally posted by Ledzep77
To be fair to Samsung I think most of the issues I have had on the last 2 units are Directv issues and not issues with the Samsung receiver. They have worked flawlessly on OTA. I think Samsung is getting a bad wrap here and if I were them I would step up to the plate and make Directv accountable.

But the Samsungs do have a bad habit of dropping OTA signals off the active list for no good reason, and that needs a Firmware fix by Samsung, which hasn't happened.

Originally posted by k2ue
But the Samsungs do have a bad habit of dropping OTA signals off the active list for no good reason, and that needs a Firmware fix by Samsung, which hasn't happened.

I agree there are issues that need to be fixed but thats true of any new product release of this nature. I just wanted to say that my current problems are more Directv problems than Samsung problems I think.

Ledzep77:
Have you gotten the replacement(s) yet? Do let us know how it goes. I just scanned this entire thread and you seem to have been incredibly patient with DirecTV and Samsung. I had been thinking about getting the Samsung via DirecTV's deal, but now I'm not sure. I think I'll wait to see what they ship you and how it works.

Do folks here think that the more recent build dates have solved the dropout issues?

Has anyone here decided to the Sony instead? What does one give up by getting the Sony, other than it's more expensive?

Thanks!

Originally posted by litzdog911

Do folks here think that the more recent build dates have solved the dropout issues?



Thanks!

I have a TS360 with a February 6, 2004 build. Great receiver thus far.
No problem with Audio nor Video.

Thanks PDPnNJ:
Seems that several folks here with boxes built after February seem to have no problems. And people without problems usually don't post in these forums, so it's tough to extrapolate just what percentage of buyers really have problems. But the fact that Samsung acknowledged issues with these receivers and has now gone silent doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

Of course, the Sony's seems to have issues, too, and cost more. But I'm willing to pay more if it's truly a better and more reliable receiver.

i received my new samsung today ( build date feb24) hooked it up and activated. has been running for 1 hour no dropouts, knocking on wood!

my 1st receiver had a build date of feb4.

Mine (built in Feb) has been rock-solid. It's only gotten a few hours of use though.

Originally posted by litzdog911
Ledzep77:
Have you gotten the replacement(s) yet? Do let us know how it goes. I just scanned this entire thread and you seem to have been incredibly patient with DirecTV and Samsung. I had been thinking about getting the Samsung via DirecTV's deal, but now I'm not sure. I think I'll wait to see what they ship you and how it works.

Do folks here think that the more recent build dates have solved the dropout issues?

Has anyone here decided to the Sony instead? What does one give up by getting the Sony, other than it's more expensive?

Thanks!

My 360 build date 2 feb has been running 24/7 since a week ago last thursday (8+days). Not a single problem similar to the most notable. No dropouts, dolby digital problems, pixellation, etc etc...all fine. The OTA signal meter doesn't work properly...it has a bad bug in firmware. The sat signal meter works fine.

I love this unit so far. Not a single significant"glitch" common to the threads I've been following for a few weeks to months.

Caller ID appears to work. Phone company turned it on at no charge so I could test for a few weeks (love these local phone companies!!!) I have yet to see anything from Caller ID except phone number...no names yet.

Overall, I couldn't be happier. Installer coming tomorrow p.m. to put the elliptical dish on my garage for an older receiver. It's gonna be a short job for him...cables and old dish already there, the new rx is already installed and working...nothing for him to do but put the new dish up for the old and make sure the old non-HD rx still works.

...hasan, N0AN

Well, this is certainly encouraging news. Thanks, guys!

mine has a build datw of feb 14 and had its first two audio dropouts last weekend had to do a reboot,plus mine has a scaning problem,every 10-20 minutes it sends a slight but noticable kinda ripple effect across the screen horizontally,what do i do.

I have a March 4th build date and activated it on March 17th. No problems at all! :)

Got the trible LNB dish and 360 installed yesterday with a 3/3 build date. Started getting audio dropouts soon after the installers left. Video dropouts started soon after and then the 745 issue. Dropouts are happening almost every 30 seconds. Problem only happens on the satellite channels, not on off air channels. Signal on all 3 dishes is 90+. After 2 calls yesterday and 3rd one today where every rep I spoke to claims that this is the first they've heard of an issue with the 360, they're gonna send me a new one. I'm not very optomistic considering the build date is so recent. Hopefully they'll get this issue fixed soon. It''s unwatchable.

I called directv about 10 days ago re: dropouts and component input failing on one of my Sammy's. CSR did the "manual" order tap dance, acknowledging fully that the Samsung has a history of "issues." Promised to send a Hughes within 7 - 10 days. Within 5 days I had another Samsung from Memphis, obviously a re-pack job with a virgin card and a Feb 4 build date.
I have two Samsung 360's from directv now, both working flawlessly. I see no correlation re: build date or heat or anything else save pure dumb chance. Maybe a glitch in communication between individual cards and directv is the only thing that makes even the slightest sense.
Having said the above, I hesitate sending this as it may jinx my setup.

Its a crap shoot. Number #4 is activated right now and geting an x745 within every hour. I have #5 here but have not even opened the box. I have been promised a Hughes several times but its always a Sammy. I think the x745 issues are Directv's problem not Samsungs. This one drops audio too besides the total loss of video and audio before the x745 comes.

Every time they told me they were placing a manual order it never came. I still think I might get another one tomorrow. If not I'll try #5. I'm trying to find someone close by with an oval dish so I could bring this one over to hookup and verify it has nothing to do with my setup. So far my closest option is an hour away.

the 1 difference i have noticed between my working and non-working sammy is the heat. although i too, also believe it is a crap shoot, this is just an observation: my non-working sammy was extremely HOT to the touch; VERY HOT! my working sammy is barely warm to the touch. makes no sense to me.

I've had my second 360 for about 4 weeks and I had a fan on it from the first day (not taking chances) and it has just started the video and audio dropouts. Called D* and told them all the resets were done and they scheduled a tech to come out and check it. Will meet with him on Monday,
no fans and he will see the problem. Signal is at 85 to 100 on the three
birds.

I want an HD tuner for OTA only (my cable is great, many HD stations available OTA). I am considering an SIRTS360 for this use only, because price is reasonable, D* possible in future, other features. Any problems with this approach? (e.g., I have heard that updating the guide may require satellite hookup.) Any other suggestions? experiences?

Originally posted by litzdog911
Seems that several folks here with boxes built after February seem to have no problems. And people without problems usually don't post in these forums, so it's tough to extrapolate just what percentage of buyers really have problems.
This thread might give you an idea of how many are having prroblems.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=369178

Wondering if you guys can help me out...I cannot for the life of me get the DVI out working with my Samsung HLN5065W. Component works great, but no signal comes through the DVI. The TV can see that the box is connected but when I switch to it it just sits there "searching for Signals" then it craps out. Help?

-DTF

Arrgh, I am a dumbass...."Output mode" fixed it for me.

-DTF

Well, looks like some folks ARE still having issues, including Ledzep77.

Has anyone here who got fed up with their Samsung switched to the Sony and found it to be any better?

Hi, new postie here!! Been lurkin for a few weeks. Just want to add my 2 cents and 2 (bad)receivers to the thread.!! Well I got a Sony 34" xbr910 2 weeks ago so I can watch the Champ Cars live on HDNET...got the 99$ deal(Samsung 360) thanks to you guys.!! Got it hooked up and had a problem within an hour after the installer left. I was switvhing placement of the receiver with my Tivo unit and after the swtich, no pic. I called support and blah blah blah, they send me a new Samsung 360. The problem was the output mode. I figured that 10mins after I talked to them. Well with in 2 days the audio started droping. I have 5.1 SS with a sony A/V receiver. Then 3 days later, I am total having both audio and video problems. I get the new box yesterday and the old box is now work ok but I switch anyways. With in 2 hrs I get a x745 message and ton of a/v drops. It is on all channels as where before it was just on hd channels. So I will watch today and then call if it continues. My first box was a early feb date on it and the new one is early jan. Well thats my story. What is a good receiver? :)

Just spoke to a retention specialist who says she has received quite a few calls about problems with the 360 and she can't understand why the support people would say that they're not aware of any problems. She mentioned that they had an internal memo circulate yesterday specifically about problems with the 360. She claims they have engineers currently working on it and they will do whatever they can to get it resolved. I'm still not very optomistic.

I am getting the Samsung HDTV receiver (360 model) and the Sammy 61 DLP projector soon (today).

In terms of hookup, I will connect the 360 receiver to the TV via DVI. My question is in connection other sources such as DVD (component) or Tivo (s-Video)...

Is it preferred to connect these devices to the TV directly or to the 360 receiver and then one output for all sources via DVI ?

Thanks

SAM 360 still has audio drop-outs but not more than 3 or 4 per day.

I am now getting a 14-15KHz ringing with the audio. It started last night.
I do not know if it is from the DirecTV Sat or the Sam360. It is on all channels SD & HD, it follows the audio.

The 360 runs cool. Since I get it on more than one Sat I assume it is the Sam360.

I swapped over to the Cable line & it goes away, back to the Sat line & it returns.

It is too annoying to watch TV as it is right at the edge of my pain frequency.

Anyone else notice this high pitched whistle?

Red

I was encouraged to hear that they admitted it. SO I called and asked and was again told they are not aware of any problems similar to mine. I activated #5 and on the bright side it has not had a problem in 3 hours. Its early tho. Build date Feb 28th.

Originally posted by Ledzep77
I was encouraged to hear that they admitted it. SO I called and asked and was again told they are not aware of any problems similar to mine. I activated #5 and on the bright side it has not had a problem in 3 hours. Its early tho. Build date Feb 28th.

Let's all keep our collective fingers crossed for Ledzep77!! :cool:
Sid

It's been about two weeks since I called D* about my problem and I pretty much got blown off. I thought I could live with the occasional audio dropouts but I'm watching the Britney concert, with both audio and video dropouts... Paying good money for this I shouldn't have to put up with this! This is defeating the purpose of HD!

Those that are experiencing dropouts, what channels are you getting them on? Seems like mine only happen on satellite HD channels (OTA is fine).

I'm going to give them another call, taking advice from some of the posters here on how to deal with the customer reps there!

Originally posted by labmansid
Let's all keep our collective fingers crossed for Ledzep77!! :cool:
Sid

LOL Thanks Sid. Still not one single problem yet. Might have a winner here! This is a heck of a unit when it works.

Cornflakes, of my 4 bad ones I have seen audio drops only on HD on one. Audio and video drops only on HD on one. One had Audio and video on all HD and SD. And one had Audio and video drops on SD, HD, and OTA with very poor PQ on all. x745 error on 3 of them.

Don't let them push you around man. You got to play hardball. Make sure you call extended customer support @ 1-800-695-9251. If they give you the run around demand to speak with a floor sup. If you still don't get anywhere tell them you want to send it back and cancel. Tell them you have friends that got the DISH deal and all their stuff works and that you can get that deal for free too instead of paying for something that does not work. Also if the say anything about a manual order, tell them you want the order to be placed through the regular system and get an order number. Even if you get an order number for a manual order its worthless. Don't be afraid to yell. I mean really yell at them. They will cave and give you whatever you want if you push it.

Good luck.

I hope I solved my high pitched audio ringing problem. I remember that someone had posted that some problems with the Sam360 could be solved by unplugging the 360 for a minute & then powering it back.

It worked so far, the ringing is gone. I do not know about the dropouts, I hope they are also gone.

Red

Thanks Ledzep! I talked to a really nice rep at D* and I told him about this forum and how a bunch of others are having the same problem. He put me on hold and when he came back, he placed a replacement order for me! All right!! Let's hope this replacement one will put an end to my troubles!

I've had the 360 for 4 weeks & everything worked fine until I just changed cabling & totally lost analog audio. Going back to the original cables didn't help. Dolby Digital coax works fine. I'm feeding it to a Mits 73713, which won't display video unless it sees audio-in this case it displays the video but doesn't play the audio, so apparently it sees the connection but no signal.

I received my 360 last Thursday (10 days ago). It has run perfectly, no dropouts either video or audio, dd or otherwise.

I had installed it myself, so when the installer showed up I had him replace an old Sony dish on the garage roof which I use on my non-HD setup. He did it with a smile. (knowing Ihad done all the hard and time consuming stuff. He also nearly had a stroke when he saw my home theatre rack with its 150+ connections....he was very glad I had taken care of it myself!

Whoever suggested that you couldn't install the rx on an existing antenna while waiting for the installer, either got a pretty persnickity installer, or just wasn't clear...or got a completely unnecessary run-around from the D* CSR.

Anywho, all is well here.

...hasan, N0AN

No problems at all with my 360, been running for 2 weeks now.

I'm a very long time lurker here. I think I may have even had an old account here a long time ago.

Anyway, I have had DirecTV for over 6 years and when asked they offered me the $99 HDTV STB offer. Last Thursday the installer came out and installed a new phase III dish and Sammy 360 receiver. Later that night I started getting video and audio drop outs as have been described in this thread. Despite a recent install, my STB was manufactured in January.

At first I tweaked my dish and gained a couple points, but as one would suspect it didn't make any difference. Then I ran across this thread and read it one sitting. I jotted down the direct number to DirecTV technical support to supposedly skip the CSR's, and gave them a call this morning.

Man was that frustrating. I had to just hang up on the lady. I shouldn't even call her a lady. First she had me go into setup and verify that my system was set to English. :confused: Then asked me if that helped. :confused: :confused: I reminded her that I didn't call complaining that my menu's were not in English, my video and audio would periodically drop out for about a second. She then asked me if I had my audio going through my TV or through a stereo. I knew where this was going.

"Through my receiver.", I replied.

"Is that Dolby Digital?", she asks.

"Yeah.", I offfer reluctantly.

"Oh, well you'll have to disconnect it and hook it up straight to your TV. Your Stereo probably isn't compatible.", she offers.

"I don't think so. The receiver is more than compatible and plays my other digital sources just fine, including my other DirecTV box if I bring it out here.", I explain.

"Well sir, this is an HDTV receiver and it's not compatible you'll have to hook it up straight."

"How does that explain the video going out?", I question.

"Dolby Digital can affect your picture quality sir."

:mad: CLICK :mad: Unbelievable...

I think I'll call customer retention back and tell them I am not receiving the level of service we agreed upon and try that route...

Its amazing but I have talked to many reps. Some are as nice and understanding as can be. Some are total out right aholes. Don't take the crap. Just yell I want to talk to your supervisor. Tell them you know the problems are widespread and don't take the canned list of questions that have nothing to do with your problem. They will cave if you push the issue I promise.

Ledzep77: is your Feb-28 (#5) receiver still working without any a/v dropouts? Anybody with receivers manufactured after Feb-28 have a/v dropout issues? (Mine is #2, built on Feb-11, with periodic a/v dropouts but not severe enough to cause x745 message.)

I just got mine Friday. If I remember right it has manuf. date of Feb. 8 but I'd have to check again to be sure. I used it all weekend with over the air and sat., with hdtv, analog and digital broadcasts and it has worked flawlessly. No drops or errors of any kind (knock on wood). Picture quality seems excellent to me although I have no other other hdtv receiver to compare it to.

The only thing I wish it had was a coax out, so I could feed that to the kid's room, cable is already in place. Otherwise, no complaints.

I'm very satisfied so far.

Originally posted by JB426
The only thing I wish it had was a coax out, so I could feed that to the kid's room, cable is already in place. Otherwise, no complaints.

I'm very satisfied so far.

Since the composite and S-video outputs are always outputting 480i you can just add a modulator to feed another room.

Thanks for the advice LedZep. I called Cust. Ret. before I saw your post and talked to what sounded like an older lady named faith. Man she was so nice and wanted to be helpful, but unfortunately all she could do was transfer me back to technical support.

This time I spoke to a gentlemen that was a polar opposite of the woman I spoke to earlier. He was obsessed with the fact that I was using a DVI connection. He wanted me to try the component cables to see if it duplicated the problem. I explained to him that it did not explain the simultaneous audio dropout, nor would I be satisfied even if it did work as I wanted to use the DVI connection. He insisted that he just wanted to verify the DVI cable wasn't the issue before sending out a technician or authorizing a replacement receiver.

My ears perked up a little bit and I stated again that I wasn't sure how this affected the obviously related audio problem, but I would try it if it made him feel better before replacing the receiver and got off the phone.

I merely called back an hour later after trying nothing, and I swear it was the first woman I talked to, and told her that I spoke to a gentleman earlier about problems with my HDTV receiver and he had me try a few things before he was going to send out a replacement receiver and they didn't work. She said okay and verified my address and account information and said it should be out in 1-2 business days. Finally her ignorance paid off! :eek: :D

Originally posted by k2ue
Since the composite and S-video outputs are always outputting 480i you can just add a modulator to feed another room.

I just figured that out before you posted, thanks. I think what I will try to do is run the composite out from the 360 to a VCR, and then coax out from the VCR to the kid's room. This should work, right?

So far mine is working ok. Last night I had a few audio drops but maybe I'm just paranoid. Sometimes when I change a channel it will drop within a few seconds but then its ok. PQ is excellent and no video drops or x745. Based on what I have seen so far I could live with this one. I need to see a couple weeks of operation before I can say for sure.

The DVI cable thing is kinda funny. One time they tried to blame the DVI cable on my audio and video drops. I said well maybe that might be the problem with the video but what about the audio. The person told me the audio and video both go through the DVI cable. LOL. Kinda gives you a warm feeling to know the people helping you know what they are talking about. Not.

Let's face it, the 360 is a piece of s*#@. I'm on my 3rd unit after a bad 160. My neighbor is on his 2nd unit and another neighbors 1st unit is having problems, too. All are having bad audio drop-outs when using digital audio out-puts. I'm having none of these problems on my Sony HD200. I finally switched to the analog out-puts so I could watch something all the way through without the drop-outs. It's on my bedroom tv so I can get by. D* gave me full credit for the unit because of all the problems, but I will pitch this thing in the trash when the HD Tivo comes out. I'm betting D* will give it to me just to shut me up. They seem to solve Thur problems with credits or free product if you are a long term customer and have a large monthly bill. I would rather have a product that works and no hassles given the choice. Can't believe these problems can't be fixed with a patch.

Mike

I'm glad my 360 has been working flawlessly. I've had it for around 4 weeks. It's a great interim receiver that will hold me until my HD-TiVo arrives later this month.

Originally posted by aaronwt
I'm glad my 360 has been working flawlessly. I've had it for around 4 weeks. It's a great interim receiver that will hold me until my HD-TiVo arrives later this month.
I have the same good experience and same future plans too.

Originally posted by Big Mike
Let's face it, the 360 is a piece of s*#@. I'm on my 3rd unit after a bad 160. My neighbor is on his 2nd unit and another neighbors 1st unit is having problems, too. All are having bad audio drop-outs when using digital audio out-puts. I'm having none of these problems on my Sony HD200. I finally switched to the analog out-puts so I could watch something all the way through without the drop-outs. It's on my bedroom tv so I can get by. D* gave me full credit for the unit because of all the problems, but I will pitch this thing in the trash when the HD Tivo comes out. I'm betting D* will give it to me just to shut me up. They seem to solve Thur problems with credits or free product if you are a long term customer and have a large monthly bill. I would rather have a product that works and no hassles given the choice. Can't believe these problems can't be fixed with a patch.

Mike

They gave me full credit on mine as well, and told me I can keep the box, they do not want it back.

daniel

Originally posted by chad_cincy
I'm a very long time lurker here. I think I may have even had an old account here a long time ago.

Anyway, I have had DirecTV for over 6 years and when asked they offered me the $99 HDTV STB offer. Last Thursday the installer came out and installed a new phase III dish and Sammy 360 receiver. Later that night I started getting video and audio drop outs as have been described in this thread. Despite a recent install, my STB was manufactured in January.

At first I tweaked my dish and gained a couple points, but as one would suspect it didn't make any difference. Then I ran across this thread and read it one sitting. I jotted down the direct number to DirecTV technical support to supposedly skip the CSR's, and gave them a call this morning.

Man was that frustrating. I had to just hang up on the lady. I shouldn't even call her a lady. First she had me go into setup and verify that my system was set to English. :confused: Then asked me if that helped. :confused: :confused: I reminded her that I didn't call complaining that my menu's were not in English, my video and audio would periodically drop out for about a second. She then asked me if I had my audio going through my TV or through a stereo. I knew where this was going.

"Through my receiver.", I replied.

"Is that Dolby Digital?", she asks.

"Yeah.", I offfer reluctantly.

"Oh, well you'll have to disconnect it and hook it up straight to your TV. Your Stereo probably isn't compatible.", she offers.

"I don't think so. The receiver is more than compatible and plays my other digital sources just fine, including my other DirecTV box if I bring it out here.", I explain.

"Well sir, this is an HDTV receiver and it's not compatible you'll have to hook it up straight."

"How does that explain the video going out?", I question.

"Dolby Digital can affect your picture quality sir."

:mad: CLICK :mad: Unbelievable...

I think I'll call customer retention back and tell them I am not receiving the level of service we agreed upon and try that route...


Thanks for the post! I needed a reason to come to work today. That post was just great. I wonder if it works the other way to? Does an HD signal affect the DD signal to? I guess all of the home theater world has been doing wrong all this time! Man are we stupid.

Well after much trouble trying to get a replacement for my 360 with a/v dropout and x745 issues, I received a refurbed 160 this morning. Seems to be fine for the satellite channels but I can't get any off air channels that I was getting with the 360. I'm also pretty pissed that they would send a refurbed 160 to replace a defective new 360. I called to demand a new 360 and they promised to send one out. I'll have to check the new 360 that I get to make sure it doesn't have problems before I send back the 160. Would you guys settle for a functional 160 or keep trying to get a good 360. The features seem to be comparable but there are a few features of the 360 that I would like to have but having a functional box is the most important thing.

I have had my 360 for 3 weeks and have encountered 2 problems.

1) Audio dropouts(digital only) ... but only every once in a when switching channels. I don't experience dropouts while watching 1 program. To get the audio back I switch channels again and the audio comes back. This problem is only slighlty annoying. Have not discovered any consistency to when it occurs.

2) Tinny/Ringing sounding audio ... When it occurs I have to reboot to fix. Occurs occassionally when switching from a HD to an SD channel. The "tinny" sound only occurs on the SD channels. If I switch back to an HD channel all is normal. I have seen this problem eported by others.

I guess my real question is will D* and Samsung fix these issues(along with the others)?

I love the upgrade in quality using the DVI output.

What is the better unit the Samsung 360 or Hughes HTL-HD???????Pros & cons anyone??????

There was a Hughes on my doorstep yesterday. Maybe those manual orders are finally coming thru. Noticed a few more audio drops last night. Still not as bad as the others. I'm not sure if I will try the Hughes or not. Didn't even open the box yet.

My SIR-TS360 was manufactured on March 3, 2004. I have frequent dropouts, the picture goes black an average of once a minute and it lasts for maybe a second. Picture quality, OTA and satellite reception are all excellent otherwise. I really want this thing to work as I like the design, features and picture quality for about 59 seconds every minute. What a pain. The dropouts happen with DVI and component hookup. It all has the appearance of something that a firmware upgrade can fix, I hope. I haven't read every post in this massive thread but would like to know who to call to cut through all the nonsense and get a real answer. Should I call Samsung or DirecTV and any specific number?

Chris

URGH!!!!

Now D* has finally outsourced their CSRs to India! Imagie LedZepp hollering to people that do not speak "A-merr-i-can!"

Well, it finally happened. DirecTV has outsourced their "Entertainment Consultants" to India. At least on the off-hours..... from my experience. I called this morning (7am EST) and got a person with an obvious heavy Indian accent. It was so difficult to understand her, and she repeated her scripted responses many times.....it got so annoying that I stopped responding to them!

No, I am not making an opinion on the wave of call centers going outsourced to India. That's not my point. I started noticing it with D*s customer service via email a while back (staffed by CSRs in India). Absolutely a waste of time. Now it appears that "live" is just as frustrating!

WORD: Call in the "normal" time frame!

Originally posted by litzdog911
Well, looks like some folks ARE still having issues, including Ledzep77.

Has anyone here who got fed up with their Samsung switched to the Sony and found it to be any better?

FWIW I bought the Sony HD300 for ~$600 back in January at BB. Then I heard about the $99 deal and got the Samsung 360. The Sony HD300 was a great receiver and I had no problems with it. However, I returned it within the 30 days to save a net ~$500.

I have not had any problems to speak of (other than the OTA signal meter) with the 360. After using both receivers I prefer the 360 over the Sony 300. I like the guide on the 360 better and the PQ seems a little better also, despite the fact that my TV is a Sony.

Chris:
Look for Ledzep77's posts in this thread. He's done the loop several times with DirecTV and has eventually gotten several TS360's that work fine. I've been on the fence myself, and hoped that units with a build date as late as yours would no longer have these problems. I assume you took advantage of the $99 DirecTV deal?

sotapoppy:
Good to hear. I just wish that so that many folks here were not still getting flakey 360's. The Sony HD300 seems much more stable now. But I can't bring myself to spend $300 more, so I'm still on the fence.

Originally posted by litzdog911
sotapoppy:
Good to hear. I just wish that so that many folks here were not still getting flakey 360's. The Sony HD300 seems much more stable now. But I can't bring myself to spend $300 more, so I'm still on the fence.

My 360's build date is 1/16/04. I color myself lucky.

I was also lucky with the Sony 300 as they also had their share of problems as discussed in other threads. Mine was problem free.

I'd take the chance on the 360 if I were you if you can get it for $99. You can probably sell it on ebay for a lot more than $99. ;)

My 360's build date is 2/16/04 and I have had no problems now for 4 weeks. I really like the quick menu and the caller id, the picture quality is great and I had a HD 200 it replaced. But it will be sold when the HDtivo gets here.

Craig

LItzdog:

Yes I got the $99 deal from DirecTV. I went back through the thread and found the direct number for technical problems 800-695-9251 and it indicated to ask for a floor supervisor if receiving the runaround. Thanks. Years ago I had a problem with a Hughes receiver which was corrected by a firmware upgrade and it worked great afterward. Since I love this receiver other than the horrific dropout problem I am going to see if fixes by that method are a possibility. It sounds like the probability of getting a good one is slim and I am skeptical that ones that are working ok now will really be ok for the long run anyway. This is my first HDTV receiver and I really didn't think I would be able to get OTA reception since I must be 60 or 70 miles from the towers but it pulls in all the stations I could hope for. The antennaweb predicted I would not get any digital OTA signal out here so I am happy about that. I have not noticed any dropouts on the OTA channels yet, just DirecTV HDTV. I haven't had it tuned in to any SD DirecTV channels long enough to determine if the dropouts happen on those channels.

I will call Samsung and DirecTV tomorrow and try to get someone that will acknowledge the problem and try to find out what is being done about it. A friend had the old RCA DTC100 years ago and I recall he was able to get various problems acknowledged and fixed by software upgrades downloaded from the satellite. These dropout problems are so widespread, something is terribly wrong here. It may just be bad hardware but maybe not. So maybe there is hope for a fix by that method which I would prefer to shipping bad receivers back and forth until I get one that works which really might not work very long. Oh well, at least it appears I am part of a big group.

Chris

Tonight a couple times after channel surfing and settling back on ESPN-HD I would get a couple of audio drops. Again nothing as bad as the previous and I could live with it. I still won't feel comfortable with it for a couple of weeks.

From what I have read I would prefer to hang onto the Samsung over the Hughes. Still havn't even opened the box on the Hughes. This weekend I might hook it up and try some OTA reception to compare the 2.

Some comments in reply to some of the recent posts........

1. The Sony HD300 is the same exact box as the Hughes HTL-HD with a different faceplate and a much higher price.

2. Both the HTL-HD/HD300 and Sammy 160 are far less prone to major problems than the 360, IMO. The issues with the HTL-HD are more annoying (e.g., frustratingly stupid channel guide that overpopulates OTA channels that have no signal) than anything else. The 160 seems to be the least prone to major problems, but it doesn't have the bells and whistles of the 360, and it is less versatile with changing rez settings than either the HTL or 360.

3. D* is not one's only recourse in dealing with a bad Sammy. I have had good personal experience in getting service on Samsung's products directly from Samsung. YMMV. In the case of a bad 160 or 360, they will send you a reconditioned replacement.

4. D* appears to be losing patience with the 360. An upper level supervisor (the one who gave me full credit AND let me keep my 360) admitted to me that they have been having nothing but probs with this box and they are not selling them anymore (I don't think that is completely true, but I do believe they are moving in that direction)

5. IMO, if I only were only going to have one box, and I got it for 99 bucks, at this point I'd go with the 160 or the HTL-HD and wait to see what the future brings. If I paid 399 and got a faulty 360, and then then D* replaced it with an HTL-HD that can be had for 249 now at CC, I'd keep fighting the good fight to return the HTL unactivated and get a good 360 (if there is such a thing) or demand a refund on the 399 bucks. D*s policy is to not give refunds on returns of activated boxes, but that is not etched in stone if you are willing to keep fighting.

6. The prices on all of these boxes (except the Sony) are dropping like flies at the B and M retailers. I just saw both the 160 and 360 at BB this weekend for 299. I got an openbox 160 for 199, with a no questions asked 30 day return policy (doesn't matter if access card has been activated or not). The point is, unless you are getting a 99 dollar deal from D*, it's prolly better idea now to get these boxes from a B and M with a liberal return policy (GG, BB, and CC all fit this category. Fry's will not take return if card is activated). It's a bit of an effort, but I have actually purchased and returned a few boxes after 28, 29 days. It's been an effective way of not paying 600 and getting stuck with buggy boxes that now cost a third of what they did 2-3 months ago.

5. I'm personally just biding time with these STB's until the HDTivo's arrive. I have 2 on preorder. At that point I will have a firesale on ebay. I have 3 HD setups, so I will be keeping one non-Tivo HD box. At this point, it will prolly be one of my 160's, unless I end up getting a clean replacement 360 through Samsung (haven't gotten around to dealing with that yet, I will post results on that experience when i do it).

respectfully

daniel

My 360 has been activated since 3-17 with a 3-4 build date. No problems at all.

Question: If you run another video source through the 360 inputs (DVD player or DirecTivo) will caller ID info appear on the screen?

I tried the hughes on OTA.

I like:

The remote is better but both suck.
I can pickup an OTA channel I can't get with the sammy. (Better tuner)
It has a coax output to go to another TV.
Scan time is faster and more user friendly.
Audio sounds good.

I don't like:

Menu and guides suck.
PQ is less than the Sammy.
Less inputs/outputs
No Coax out for digital audio
No inputs (Not important to me because stuff passed thru the Sammy looked like crap to me)
Seems slower channel to channel
Not as many options to manage OTA channels.

I put it back in the box and not even going to try and activate it. The PQ on the SD preview channels was less than the Sammy. My guess is that since the PQ on the HD OTA is sub par I would see the same result on the Directv channels if activated. I'll send it back.

Kinda sux the extra channel I get is a UPN from about 50 miles away. Its a strong signal because I can pick it through most of the rotation of the antenna but the sammy has never grabbed it on a scan.

Overall the Sammy is still running strong. It is possible to get a good one. I would keep trying.

Glad to hear you may finally have a keeper!!
Sid

Got one last week. So far I have had two hard lockups. I think its heat related....its sitting on top of my Dtivo. Don't ahve sound tonight on one of my OTA stations.

-D

Mine is in the open and very cool to the touch and I am having problems so heat isn't the issue in my case. The dropouts are down to an average of one every 5 minutes on DirecTV HDTV channels, still terrible of course. I have yet to leave it tuned into any standard definition DirecTV channels long enough to determine if dropouts happen on SD channels. OTA is fine and in fact I consider it very good with no dropouts noticed yet.

A call to Samsung left me on hold for about an hour so I will have to try again.

Chris

Originally posted by DavidTigerFan
Got one last week. So far I have had two hard lockups. I think its heat related....its sitting on top of my Dtivo. Don't ahve sound tonight on one of my OTA stations.

-D

A hard lock up does sound as if it could be heat related. Try keeping it cooler. No sound on only one OTA station is possibly technical difficulties with the station. Yours may or may not be a lemon, we can't tell at this point.

Chris

I spoke to someone at Tier 2 support at DirecTV last night as my 360 started having those "745" messages and some dropouts. She told me that they are now aware of the problem (she said it was brought to their attention 2 weeks ago!) and that they expect to have a fix shortly. She said it's a software glitch and that changing the access card or box is not the solution (she also said they are only shipping 360's now -- no Hughes).

She was very helpful and said she would send another note to their engineering people to see how soon the software upgrade would be available to download. I'm crossing my fingers.

Originally posted by Gary16
I spoke to someone at Tier 2 support at DirecTV last night as my 360 started having those "745" messages and some dropouts. She told me that they are now aware of the problem (she said it was brought to their attention 2 weeks ago!) and that they expect to have a fix shortly. She said it's a software glitch and that changing the access card or box is not the solution (she also said they are only shipping 360's now -- no Hughes).

She was very helpful and said she would send another note to their engineering people to see how soon the software upgrade would be available to download. I'm crossing my fingers.

That is good news and I hope a fix is forthcoming. The box is great otherwise in my opinion. Hopefully the fix takes care of the dropouts and not just the 745 error since I believe the cause is the same.

Chris

That doesn't make me feel any better. Two weeks ago? They knew about it way before then. And replacing the box doesn't fix it??? Ahhh yeah it does (eventually).

One thing I've learned dealing with DirecTV (as have many others on this forum) is that the people you talk to when you call in (even in the product replacement department) do not necessarily communicate issues to the Tier 2 people. The Tier 2 people are the only ones authorized to do anything beyond sending a replacement access card. I can believe that they only determined this was a true "360" problem 2 weeks ago because it's likely the volume of calls with this problem did not come together with the right people. This is verified by the fact that I was sent the new access card by the product replacement people even though the Tier 2 person already knew that wouldn't fix anything (and it didn't).

At this point they know they have to fix this and in fact, she told me that (I haven't tried it yet) they have determined that this problem only affects the component, RGB, and DVI outputs of the 360. Supposedly, (and she called this a temporary workaround) if you use the S-Video or composite out (once you've rebooted) you will not lose the picture! Of course you also will not be able to watch anything in hi-def.

She was convincing (at least to me) that they will have a download that will fix the problem very soon. Just because it's a software glitch, it doesn't mean every box will necessarily react the same way in the same amount of time. My box was more than a month old before the "745" blackouts started whereas other people have had them from the beginning.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for at least a couple of weeks.

I am certainly convinced from evidence of others and from evidence of my own that the issue plaguing the 360 are certainly heat related and I think it would be difficult to fix via software.

I know mine gradually got worse the longer the unit was left on, congruent with a component gradually overheating. Mine also was getting much worse with age. After about a week, the frequency was more than quadruple, I now had x745 errors that I didn't have before, and I was starting to experience extended audio only drop outs. I think this is in line with the problem component breaking down due to the heat.

I also got my replacement 360 today. The good news is, it was manufactured on March 2, 2004 and appears new in every way. The bad news is, when my Digital Audio Preference is set to DD, I cannot get it to pass a Dolby Digital Stream for anything. And what makes it even more odd is, about half the channels broadcasting in stereo won't play any sound either. If I set it to PCM, everything is fine.

Anyone else have this issue?

I can report that the dropouts do occur on S-Video and Composite video. I believe this is a card reader problem that could also be heat related. Whatever the fix i hope it comes soon. Other than the dropouts and x745 errors this really is a nice receiver.

What's really funny to me is that I read these forums a lot lately... and despite that, I bought a GWIII, and also got a Sammy 360. I think I was lucky to get a GWIII that works fine (though it's only been 2 weeks...) But, the 360 I got four days ago, March build, has the dropout/x745 probs. Only on DTV channels, not on OTA, like most here. Guess I'll wait it out for a few weeks to see if a fix really comes. <sigh>

I wouldn't wait. Turn up the pressure to make sure they fix it.

I went ahead and asked for my third one today. It went through much easier this time. However, the first one they said would be out in 1-2 business days and this one they said would be 7-10 business days. I asked why, but they couldn't tell me. The first one also had a 7 digit confirmation number and this one has a freakin 18 one! I hope they aren't screwing anything up!

UPDATE: And now the new one locks up every 5 minuntes. 7-10 days won't cut it!

Originally posted by Ledzep77
I wouldn't wait. Turn up the pressure to make sure they fix it.

I am going to wait it out and not continually exchange for the same model since without a fix, I doubt any of them will work long term. If no fix materializes I will try something else and return this one and refuse another 360. It is much to expensive to keep on sending receivers back and forth. I don't spend others money any different than I would spend my own.

Chris

Originally posted by Cheep
What's really funny to me is that I read these forums a lot lately... and despite that, I bought a GWIII, and also got a Sammy 360. I think I was lucky to get a GWIII that works fine (though it's only been 2 weeks...) But, the 360 I got four days ago, March build, has the dropout/x745 probs. Only on DTV channels, not on OTA, like most here. Guess I'll wait it out for a few weeks to see if a fix really comes. <sigh>

I must have missed something, what is a GWIII?

Chris

To test the heat related theory, I just powered mine on and it was very cool to the touch. Dropout number one took about 3 minutes, I felt it and then felt my DirecTV DVR with TiVo and Hughes HIRD-D45, both of which have been powered on for days. The 360 was much cooler than the DTiVo and a little cooler than the D45. The problem may be temperature related but I sure could not say it is heat related since the component doesn't get very hot compared to any other DirecTV receiver I have owned and I have owned a bunch of them. If it is temperature related, there will be no fix because it will be hard to keep them any cooler than mine is with no other components even close to it. It sits on my KV-30XBR910 stand about 2 feet below the TV all by itself in the open with good ventilation and the room is very cool now as well.

Chris

I'm convinced it's not heat related as my 360 has sat on an open shelf with nothing directly above it or below it since it was new. The doors of the cabinet are always open when it is on and it never feels hot (unlike the Hughes 86). Despite this, the 745 messages (and dropouts) have started. I still believe DirecTV's current opinion that it's a software issue -- at least that's how they're approaching the fix at this time.

Originally posted by chad_cincy
I went ahead and asked for my third one today. It went through much easier this time. However, the first one they said would be out in 1-2 business days and this one they said would be 7-10 business days. I asked why, but they couldn't tell me. The first one also had a 7 digit confirmation number and this one has a freakin 18 one! I hope they aren't screwing anything up!

UPDATE: And now the new one locks up every 5 minuntes. 7-10 days won't cut it!

What you got yourself is a manual order with no way to verify your order is on the way. Out of 4 of this type of an order I got 1. Not a good batting average.

Originally posted by Chris Gerhard
I am going to wait it out and not continually exchange for the same model since without a fix, I doubt any of them will work long term. If no fix materializes I will try something else and return this one and refuse another 360. It is much to expensive to keep on sending receivers back and forth. I don't spend others money any different than I would spend my own.

Chris

It took 6 for me to get one that works and this one works great compared to the others. Its their dime to ship it so who cares if they ship you 20 of them. Again it will only encouage them to fix the problem.

Originally posted by Ledzep77
It took 6 for me to get one that works and this one works great compared to the others. Its their dime to ship it so who cares if they ship you 20 of them. Again it will only encouage them to fix the problem.

I think if thousands are waiting for a fix to be downloaded which would avoid the horrendous shipping costs associated with everybody returning them, that would be a great motivation to get a fix out and save the fortune. If nothing will avoid taking a financial bath, to hurry to fix it might not be as important. I hope for your case that this receiver really has been manufactured to such a low quality standard that one of six will work right. I very seriously doubt you have one that will be working correctly this time next year without the same fix all the others need.

You certainly have the right to expect a receiver that works and have every right to ship 5 back in hopes the 6th will be good. I rarely return anything except as a last resort and usually then because I don't want it back. I can live with the dropouts and hope a fix will soon be real. That approach has worked for me previously. Whether it is their dime or my dime, my approach to a problem like this is always the same. Tell me what you are doing and how can I help? DirecTV and Samsung are both companies I trust and both have provided quality and value to me in the past.

Chris

Originally posted by Chris Gerhard
You certainly have the right to expect a receiver that works and have every right to ship 5 back in hopes the 6th will be good. I rarely return anything except as a last resort and usually then because I don't want it back. I can live with the dropouts and hope a fix will soon be real. That approach has worked for me previously. Whether it is their dime or my dime, my approach to a problem like this is always the same. Tell me what you are doing and how can I help? DirecTV and Samsung are both companies I trust and both have provided quality and value to me in the past.

Chris

I have said before, If Directv told me on the very first receiver, "Sir we are aware of the problem and we are working to fix it. If you would please understand and bare with us until the problem is fixed, we will make sure you get a working unit."

If they said that I would have said no problem. But what they told me was a pack of lies and went out of their way to avoid my problem. They told me I was the only one with a problem. They sent a tech out to my house to find nothing wrong and charged my account $70. I had to fight to get the charge taken off. Then they wanted to send another tech.

3 times they said a replacement was on the way and an order was never placed. They told me to call Samsung and gave me a number. Samsung questioned me for 5 minutes, took my name and number, and told me a higher level tech would call me back. I never got a call.

Nothing is perfect and I understand that. What is lacking here is Directv admitting to the problem so we can hunker down and wait for the fix. The reason they won't is because the competition is giving away equipment and it works.

So if I am the only one with a problem as they tell me. They can keep sending me receivers until I get one working. After all they are not aware of any problems right? Not only are they wasting their money and our time by continuing to ship units with known problems, they are not being up front about it. If you call that a company you can rely on well you have low standards.

Ledzep:

I am not arguing with you or suggesting you should do anything any different than you see fit in your circumstance. My experiences with DirecTV have been consistently good in the 7 years I have been a subscriber. This receiver is horribly buggy and I am going to give DirecTV and Samsung a chance to fix it. It may be fixable or it may not. I never get upset when I talk to a CSR that is mistaken, I try to explain reality and if I am not successful, I thank the person for their time and call back and try somebody else. DirecTV personnel have been way above average in my opinion and without fail have been polite and considerate. Certainly some have been mistaken and nobody can know everything about the services and receivers DirecTV offers. Most really can't be expected to know as much as I do since I have been using the service for so long and have owned several receivers. Your experience has not been as pleasant as mine obviously. It may be a result of an inexperienced or poorly trained CSR you had the misfortune of contacting, I just don't know. Meanwhile if you have a properly working 360 you are way ahead of average right now for this product.

Chris

Well I guess I'll count myself lucky. I have no video drop outs and the only major problem I have is station related, not receiver related. However, this is the quirkiest piece of hardware I have seen.

I have a Silver Sensor on loan to me and I can pick up CBS, ABC, NBC, and 3 stations of PBS. However, in trying to fix another problem I found that if I get the receiver to scan for channels, I'll lose all my OTA stations except for the 2-4 it finds even though I just had them 2 min earlier. The only way to bring them back I found was to auto scan for the dish type. I do that and everything comes back in fine. No freaking clue as to why that is required.

-DTF

Originally posted by Chris Gerhard
I must have missed something, what is a GWIII?

Chris

GWIII is Sony Grand Wega. Prolly referring to the LCD RPTV line that has had a lot of problems with lamps going kapoof.

daniel

I got a second 360 yesterday, build date march 14 or 4 ,i had 2 video dropouts with it within 1/2 hour,when i watch a hd channel i get a scan line that runs across the bottom to top seems to be on the hd channels,the first 360 ,build date feb14 did this also, the march build date sammy seems to be having video drop out problem how would direct tv or samsung fix these dropouts. a software update or are we all stuck with these 99.00 losers.

Originally posted by Ledzep77
What you got yourself is a manual order with no way to verify your order is on the way. Out of 4 of this type of an order I got 1. Not a good batting average.

Yeah, I called them back and asked some one else what the deal was. I told them that wasn't going to fly. This replacement one locks up in HD signals only, oddly enough, every 5-10 minutes. This person who was actually well spoken and articulate :eek: , understood and changed my order.

Originally posted by john leavold
I got a second 360 yesterday, build date march 14 or 4 ,i had 2 video dropouts with it within 1/2 hour,when i watch a hd channel i get a scan line that runs across the bottom to top seems to be on the hd channels,the first 360 ,build date feb14 did this also, the march build date sammy seems to be having video drop out problem how would direct tv or samsung fix these dropouts. a software update or are we all stuck with these 99.00 losers.

I don't know what causes the scan line. I don't have that problem and don't know if it is a separate issue or not. The theory that the dropouts are software related is just that, a theory at this point. My 360 is beautiful except for the dropout problem and therefore I am going to see if Samsung/DirecTV can fix it with a software update. I have seen as many others have, software upgrades fix problems with DirecTV receivers. It may be that this receiver can't be fixed, I have no prediction one way or the other. Since I think it has the potential of being very good and mine already has been great for OTA, I am willing to wait. Others are demanding something that works properly now. In the worst case, I am going to ship mine back for a refund or a swap to another model if no fix becomes a reality. Software problems with my original DirecTV DVR with TiVo took a couple of months back in late 2000, early 2001 to be fixed but fixes did come. That great product had the left and right audio reversed when using digital audio out. Have an auto moving across the screen from right to left and the sound moved from left to right. It also had other minor software problems. I chose to hold on to it, listen to what TiVo and DirecTV were telling me and eventually the problems were fixed. I also had issues with D-VHS standard definition receivers and Hughes worked those out to my satisfaction as well. This would be a great $99 receiver if fixed in my opinion.

Chris

I'm glad mine is still working great after 5 weeks. Especially since the HD-TiVo shipping date keeps getting pushed back. No problems at all with the Samsung 360.
Build date of 12FEB2004.

I really hope it is software, but I just don't see any indication that it is. Every sign points to an internal component over heating and breaking down with time.

People who have used fans to cool theres have reported there no further problems (but they shouldn't have to rig ugly fans sitting on top of their boxes). There is no consistency with the issue; it's very random who has it and who does not. That's more consistent with a manufacturing QC issue than a software problem everyone should technically share. The problem gets worse with time. My first box went from a one A/V glitch per movie (on average) when I first got it, to wanting to throw it out the door within a few days (an A/V glitch every 5 minutes or so after it had warmed up for 30 minutes), to x745 errors after a week. I'm sure whatever is overheating starts breaking down and keeps getting worse. Software should remain the same experience, short of any updates which we'd hope would improve it.

Whatever the issue, they need to do something. I haven't been able to reliable watch television for a few weeks now.