Just making this thread because it seems like we really need to consolidate the threads that are out there. People keep asking the same questions and sharing the same info over and over when all 3 products are essentially the same. With the new firmware hopefully coming out next week I can just imagine the info having to be repeated over and over.

HD-300 Thread regarding first confirmed box with 1.10 firmware
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=388786

The Big HTL-HD thread (many issues relate to older 1.06/1.07 firmware
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=320364

The Big HD-300 thread (many issues relate to older 1.06/1.07 firmware
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=308340

The Big LG 3200A thread (many issues relate to older 1.06/1.07 firmware
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=316900

And add in the "what the heck is the serial protocol" issues as well, since it's not standard DirecTV codes for some stuff and I need to know what they are.

Hey, that was my eleven thousand, one hundred and eleventh post. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I probably won't live to see the twenty two thousand two hundred and twenty second one, at least I hope not.

Check out this post regarding the serial protocal. Seems like wmccain has it pretty well figured out.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3000174#post3000174

Good idea Chris. This thread should have lots more stuff on it next week, hopefully good ;)

According to the posts in the 1.10 thread the update is supposed to fix the audio drops (including the one going into the guide) as well as the custom guide defaulting to all.

I got a message from one of those Sony tech specialists dealing with the hd300 issues. He has been up front with me since last December and has never given me any bad info.

I don't want this info to get lost in the shuffle but this sounds real. Direct TV has approved the date for the firmware download and the software has been approved also. On May 10 expect to have your box updated with version 2.0 :) :) :)

Four days! I hope you're right!!! ....then we can all move on to complaining about the new bugs they have created :D

Check out this post regarding the serial protocal. Seems like wmccain has it pretty well figured out.


I'd already read that, but reading it again just now something struck me that I'd missed the first time. The devil is in the details. I'll check that and try again. Thanks.

I think May 15 at 2:00 a.m. (PT) is the latest tentative date. I hope I'm wrong and it's sooner. If you're watching at that time, look for a congratulatory note on getting a free upgrade and then a return to video.

Well, that extra info didn't help. Either my HD300 is hosed, or the documentation is incomplete, or I'm an idiot. I am often an idiot, but I have extensive experience in device control, so I don't think I'm missing anything obvious. It will not change channels no matter what I do, so clearly the documentation is incorrect on that particular command, or at least something is not being stated that would indicate why it shouldn't work in some circumstances.

I can get power on/off, remote keys, get date/time (though what that data means isn't clear),.

Get channel fails, not in a communciations sort of way, it just always puts out 0x20 0x00 0x00 0x01 F5, so it puts out 4 bytes, as expected, but they are junk and the F5 indicates the command failed.

Set channel just puts out an F0 (indicating it's waiting for something), no matter what I send it. If I subsequently send something else, that will get picked up as the rest of the message, and some huge channel number will get set. But if I put out anything else along with the message itself, any number of bytes, it will still just sit there and wait.

Ok, the response to the get channel occurs when it doesn't have a good lock on the channel, so that's figured out. But setting the channel still doesn't work.

And my other biggest issue is the DHCP compatibility thing. The HD300 and it's underlying LG design, evidentally don't play well with scalers. They work if you go straight to a display, else it would be worthless, but those of us taking HD into a scaler via DHCP have problems because it will encrypt the signal all the time (or at least periodically drop the signal causing the scaler to think it's encrypted.)

If this isn't going to get fixed in the theoretical upcoming firmware rollout, then I'll probably return mine because having that pure digital signal over to the scaler is very important.

And finally the channel change is working. It was lack of documentation so I had no idea I wasn't doing something I should have been doing.

Originally posted by Dean Roddey
Either my HD300 is hosed, or the documentation is incomplete, or I'm an idiot.

Well, its nice to hear that you are not an idiot :D

Don't count my braincells before they die.

Originally posted by Dean Roddey
And finally the channel change is working. It was lack of documentation so I had no idea I wasn't doing something I should have been doing.
The "FA protocol" was apparently developed jointly by RCA and Sony for their lines of DirecTV receivers, and they consider it to be "proprietary" (i.e., they refuse to publish their own documentation for us "common folk", although they do provide protocol documentation under "non-disclosure agreements" to "industry partners" such as TiVo).

The protocol was "reverse engineered" years ago by hobbyists, and the code lists for the original ("MPG") and current ("APG") versions of the protocol are published on two Web sites. (I have posted those URLs previously.) Unfortunately, the hobbyist documentation is unclear about the fact that all commands involving parameters are done in a "two-part transaction".

The way I figured it out was, I wrote a "serial sniffer" in Java. This uses two serial ports, and it simply copies the input on one port as output to the other, and vice versa. But it logs all data flows to the console. Then, with the hobbyist documentation in hand, I connected a TiVo to a Sony DBS receiver (an early "MPG" model, initially) via my "sniffer"and examined the log!

OK, has anybody got the next upgrade message on their box yet? The suspense is killing me.

Hopefully, your firmware watch will have some use.

I swear, watching Survivor last night I was getting audio drops like every 10 minutes. Really annoying!

So Chris, the audio drops have hit you:(

Chris, were you watching CBS OTA or on DirecTV?

Yes - strange that for me it didin't really have the problem in the beginning but has slowly gotten worse. I even tried a complete reset about a week ago - but that didn't help either.

When is the update 'supposed' to happen?

I had it on DirecTV to begin with and then later had it on OTA (hoping they would go away). But I was actually getting the drops on both. In the past however, I have noticed it much more on DirecTV channels.

I was told Monday but then others have been told Wed-Thurs. I have kind of been hoping maybe we would see the notification come through today for a Wed-Thurs release (kind of making both right).

Chris,

Without violating any confidences, where did you hear that this was coming Monday?

-S

Latest I heard was a "tentative" date of 05/15/04 at 2:00 a.m. (PT). That's from a well-placed, though not directly involved, D*TV source. We'll see.

Originally posted by s2silber
Latest I heard was a "tentative" date of 05/15/04 at 2:00 a.m. (PT). That's from a well-placed, though not directly involved, D*TV source. We'll see. Are you sure it wasn't 05/15/05? :D

ron

My guess is tonight at 4:01 EST. No reason. Just a guess

Originally posted by s2silber
Latest I heard was a "tentative" date of 05/15/04 at 2:00 a.m. (PT). That's from a well-placed, though not directly involved, D*TV source. We'll see.

To my knowledge D has never sent updates on weekends.

Rather than continue this speculation, why don't we nominate someone to hold vigil, staring at the Menu round-the-clock, and post news of the download the moment when -- and if -- the update notice appears?

I'll be the first to decline the nomination.:p

no update yet! maybe tomorrow. i can't watch this menu any longer. someone take the next watch so i can sleep :)

Just checked mine - no notification yet.

Originally posted by sonofjay
Chris,

Without violating any confidences, where did you hear that this was coming Monday?

-S

Chris, Unfortunately, your source was wrong. Too bad, but I am not very optimistic that we will see any update this week or in the near future, as we have given many dates going back to last Fall that have come and gone.

What a pile-o-crap this is!

nada - nothing - zippo - zilch

new guess thursday- I have faith in Chris

I just called directv and spoke to installation.After sifting through much paperwork the rep told me that they hope to have the issue(favorites menu) resolved by june 21st. :-(
bummer

I still have faith it will be this week. DirecTV has always been saying June.

Yes I was told that the AGP guide issues had been set for June.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3641296#post3641296
The did mis that dropout fix of April:mad:

Maybe more than 7 months of waiting, with numerous dates come and gone, has made me cynical, but I do not think we will see it in June either. Hope I'm wrong, but history is on my side.

You should all awake to a surprise... I heard.

Well, there is another option. A service rep at Sony told me that folks can send in their HD300's to the Sony Service Center to have 1.10 installed. That might alleviate some of the problems seen here. The only provision is that you must make sure that you clearly state that your box is not to be exchanged - you want the firmware installed and your original box retuned to you. You have to set this up in advance through their normal service channels on their web site. Of couse, if 2.0 comes down the bird soon, this is a waste of time - who knows how long Sony will have your box in the service center to get this done.

Originally posted by HDDJ
You should all awake to a surprise... I heard.

You better be right :p

YEAH . . . YOU BETTER BE RIGHT OR WELL JUST HAVE TO . . . wait another day.

Confirmed sighting of the upgrade. I came home for lunch and checked the system upgrade menu. Here is what it said:
Next Upgrade
(5/12/2004 01:14) HD3 2.00

My box is the HTL-HD. Guess I won't be setting the timer to record any late night shows tonight.

I guess that puts that - next upgrade screen comes a week in advance - to bed!

People are confirming - boxes are now showing version 2.0 coming tonight!

Its on my HD300 as well for 4:14am. Will it download automatically and does the box need to be on?

Who would know its the first download of its kind?

I won't say "told ya so" :D.

Does it feel a little bit like Christmas to anybody else?

ron

My HD300 says upgrade during sleepy time tonight.

I wonder if it'll do anything about the HDCP problem? Probably not, but I'll check it tomorrow and see.

My 3200A shows 4:14 tomorrow morning for the upgrade

My HTL-HD also shows version 2 upgade Wednesday at 4:14

Woohoo, my Hughes HTL-HD shows upgrade to 2.0 will happen tomorrow at 3:14 my time.

Chris

Wow. Great news. I just purchased a HTL-HD today to replace my E86 I sold at HTF and was worried about all the problems I've read about. Won't have to worry now maybe.

Ours show 1:14

nice that it's coming..

sure wish they would code in the one line menu dealy..
channel surfers dream tool. wife doesn't miss it at all, go figure!

Wondering if this update resets the NVRAM so we have to rescan, etc. No big issue but would want to do this myself so i can stop the scanning of ota analog channels and scan only the ota digitals. otherwise the guide gets a lot of useless channels

HD300 Scheduled for 5/12/04 3:16 AM HD3 2.0

5/12/2004 at 4:14 in NY!!!

Even the wife is excited!!!

This is sick. I feel like a kid on Christmas Morning.

Sounds like it is actually 4:14 eastern (then all the other time zones would be the difference being displayed)

showard594,

Remember - now we are going to be able to default to custom guide so you can remove all of the unwanted channels.

My download is scheduled tonight 5-12-04 414 for HD3 ver 2.0. My unit currently has 1.07 in it...

My Hughes is scheduled for download of HD3 ver 2.0 tonight 5-12 at 414. I currently have ver 1.07 in it..

Holy Cow Batman!! Just went I was losing faith!

NICE! NICE! NICE!!!

4:14 AM here too. I don't think I'll be able to sleep :D

I have two HD300's, both show to have the update arriving tonight.
I think I will only let one update and see if all goes well.
Nothing like finding some undesired ill effects.
Just a warning to all those that have the update due.
Be sure to check your local weather conditions prior to going to bed,
I'd hate to see failed updates because of power outages or other
related weather issues.
If your on target for some nasty weather, it may be best to unplug the
sat cable and wait for the next evening to take the update.

I've heard it's low carb, improves your sex life, dinimishes the effects of pattern baldness, helps fight terrorism, increases your likelihood of advancing in your career, makes your children smarter, and doubles the resolution of your display!

Don't know what happened but the announcement for the upgrade disappeared! Poof! Anyone else see the same thing? :\

Don't know what happened but the announcement for the upgrade disappeared! Poof! Anyone else see the same thing? :\

I still have it (LG 3200A)

It still shows on my HD-300

just got my notice
for LG3200

5/12/2004 at 4:14 in NJ


groovy:)

crossposted: I am still showing it. Man they had better NOT pull a stunt like removing the update!!! My receiver will be out on the street as will the rest of the D* equipment!!!!

Wooooohooooooo.

And I haven't even had my HD300 long enough to be bothered by any problems as the hometheater is still under construction.

Let's all cross our fingers.

here in san diego i see same thing but time of course shows 01:14

still wondering if the nvram gets reset and i have do the setup again. last time i did the nvram reset manually i had to call and have them send a signal to re-enable my locals.

My HD300 here in NY shows 5/12 @ 4:14. Finally!!

my htl-hd says 05/12/2004 1:14 2.0

East Coast 4:14 here... I thought these were usually staggered... ? Perhaps there aren't enough of the LG/Hughes/Sony platform out there to need that?

OK...I hate to start this here, but why doesn't my HD-200 get an update as well?

Originally posted by seldenpat
OK...I hate to start this here, but why doesn't my HD-200 get an update as well? Because only the 3rd Generation Boxes are getting the update. The HD-200 is a 2nd Generation IRD.

My HTL-HD I bought at BB has version 1.10 on it. Are there problems with it? Or am I up to date already?

Originally posted by HDDJ
Because only the 3rd Generation Boxes are getting the update. The HD-200 is a 2nd Generation IRD.

Thanks, but it doesn't answer my question...why can't my 200 get it's problems fixed?

Originally posted by spyfy
My HTL-HD I bought at BB has version 1.10 on it. Are there problems with it? Or am I up to date already?

spyfy - If you take a moment to read the thread and some of the links posted within, you will quickly learn that everyone is waiting on 2.0 - which is more current than 1.10. Not sure what the differences are between 1.10 and 2.0, but if your card is subscribed, you'll get the update soon enough.

as far as sony is concerned the hd100 and hd200 are done. no further updates will be applied. i am betting this 2.0 update will be the last one for the hd300 also considering how long it took to get it out.

starting tomorrow we will see what is fixed and what still needs to be worked on so we can start waiting again. however, i am just going with this is the best it is going to get.

I just got the message. It asked if I wanted to postpone and I said NO. Nothing has happened though. I checked the menu and it says that the next upgrade will happen at 1:14 on 5/12/2004. But it doesn't say what time zone or anything. I assumed it meant 1:15AM but its now 1:30AM and nothing.

Update complete, system works fine. Custom guide stays selected and no audio drop when entering or leaving guide.

I did not have to rescan or anything after the update so it seemed to not do a NVRAM reset.

So,.... time will tell for the other issues :)

Showard594 - Was your STB on or off? I'm just wondering since mine has not upgraded but I was watching show at the time when I received the message to upgrade.

Just got my version 2.0 update at 3:14 AM. Favorite's in guide now stays
on favorite! Audio drop out when going into guide is now gone!

Originally posted by badrich94
Showard594 - Was your STB on or off? I'm just wondering since mine has not upgraded but I was watching show at the time when I received the message to upgrade.

I was watching some recorded shows on my DirecTivo and had left the HD-300 off... I was completely unaware there was an update coming, but glanced up to see the box was turned on with the display scrolling "Download". So not sure about Showard594, but mine updated successfully with the box off.

Originally posted by xiskool
... if your card is subscribed, you'll get the update soon enough.
Not necessary to be subscribed. I once connected a Panasonic TU-HDS20 to my DirecTV dish just to get the firmware update, even though that unit was used by me for "terrestrial only" (never was subscribed to satellite).

As I write this message, both of my current HDTV units (a subscribed LG 3200A and a non-subscribed Sony HD300) have just successfully completed the download of the 2.00 firmware. (If I like the new firmware, I will subscribe the Sony, replacing an older Sony non-HD model.)

All that is necessary for the download is:

• The access card is inserted in the unit.

• The unit is connected to a correctly-installed dish.

• The DirecTV initial setup has been completed on the unit (you should be able to get barker channels such as 100 and 201).

• The unit is connected to AC power.

It does not matter if the unit is "on" or "off", and it does not have to be connected to a phone line.

On the 10th, no update was scheduled for my HTL-HD {the Hughes version}.

At 1:14 AM PDT, the HD3, Version 2.00.0, upgrade came through :D !!! Finally! I'll have to check it out tomorrow.

NOTE: Richard, you shouldn't have said "No" -- that tells them that you don't want it to upgrade.

On the 10th, no update was scheduled for my HTL-HD.

At 1:14 AM PDT (5-12-2004), the HD3, Version 2.00.0, upgrade came through :D !!! Finally! It surprised the heck out of me. I've been spending time building and installing 2 new computers and had not checked these threads in 4 days. That'll teach me :p .

I'll have to check it out the changes tomorrow.

I'm finally getting what I paid for last October. Thanks to whomever is responsible for fixing my HD300. Upgrade was successful and I have no issues now. The custom guide works great, no audio dropouts, and no pixelation issues.

James

Awoke this morning to a box asking if I wanted to upgrad. I said yes. For over an hour now there is a box at the bottom of my screen saying date version and on the second line upgrade will begin in 6893 seconds. This number changes a little counting up and down but, no upgrade yet. Can turn box off and on but, nothing else.


Now up to 10900 seconds. direct say to wait until 6 PM tonight and if it has not downloaded call them. Poor me.

Got my update as well. It may be just too early in the morning - but I think my HD picture quality is improved. I also now get my ABC HD station which I have never been able to consistently get since moving to the LG box (as a matter of fact all of my OTA stations seem to have a better signal strength).

Audio drop going in to guide is gone . . . other audio drops we'll have to see.

Thanks LG!

Same thing happened to me Steven. What the hell.

Aigh when I got up this morning it said it was ready to update and do you want to update now or later Yes/No. I selected Yes. and it began a countdown. Unfortunately the countdown is progressing in negative numbers...the wrong way.

Should I restart the system? Cause it isn't fixing itself

At least you guys are getting an indication that the upgrade is going on... looks like 4:14 EST came and went without anything happening in my box (and I had the "Next Update" message yesterday). I wonder if I missed it because my box was tuned to an OTA channel. I'll leave it on a DirecTV channel for a while...

Did most people have theirs powered off overnight? I left mine on, hence I got the yes/no message and now the problem. Did anyone leave it on and the upgrade came through fine?

Has anybody that got the message yesterday NOT get the update? That's the boat that I am in... I wonder if I did not get it because I was tuned to an OTA channel... Hopefully I'll get it during the day today.

Originally posted by Phod
Did most people have theirs powered off overnight? I left mine on, hence I got the yes/no message and now the problem. Did anyone leave it on and the upgrade came through fine?

Mine was also on....still counting up the seconds till update

Can your receiver do anything while the countdown goes up? Like change channels or anything? Mine can't.

Mine was on...But I got the update with no problem. However, my TV was off. Since the HD300 seems to know every time the TV goes on (720p is displayed on the unit's display) maybe that is why it updated with no problems.

Originally posted by Phod
Can your receiver do anything while the countdown goes up? Like change channels or anything? Mine can't.

The only function that is operational is the power. Can turn off and on but, can not change channels or anything else.

StevensHS,

I'd try doing a ful NVRAM reset.

I have noticed another thing about v2.0...Is it my imagination or has the D* SD picture quality improved? I have made no adujustments to my Samsung DLP TV but I swear it looks better now that I have v2.0. When my wife gets home tonight I will ask her opinion. She was always very critical of the D* SD picture quality through the HD300.

Originally posted by Chris Loker
StevensHS,

I'd try doing a ful NVRAM reset.

Direct asked me not to do that. They want to wait until 6 PM eastern and gather more information B4 we try that.

As I said in the other 3 threads (I hate all of these threads on the exact same thing), I didn't compare SD but I thought the HD channels looked better. I think they did some things to improve PQ.

I also now am picking up the ABC station that the box previously would not lock on to (but my old Samsung T150 would). I am now getting higher OTA signal strenghts on all channels - unless it was just an atmosphere thing this morning. I live in a high multipath area (mountain sitting in my back yard) and I think it was over-rejecting before and now is able to use more of the signal.

I'd probably listen to them - since they are the one's who would have to send you a new one if the firmware did get corrupted.

Everything about this update is pleasing.

Now the final test will be to see if it fixed the annoying habit of certain (shopping, PPV, sports subscription) channels from unblocking themselves once a day.

I know it's been suggested that Directv unblocks these intentionally since they are important revenue streams for them... but my old Hughes SD box does NOT let them back into the custom channel list, so they can be stopped somehow.

I had the same results as StevenHS and Phod. I left my receiver on and tuned to a satellite channel with the tv off. I happened to wake up about 45 minutes after my scheduled download time. When I turned on the tv I was asked the question do I want to upgrade now or later. I also responded yes, and was in the negative countdown. I checked again about four hours later and it was still in the negative countdown. I did try the reset. Everything works, but looking at system information it shows I still have the 1.06 software, and no scheduled upgrade.

I called Pegasus technical support. I explained my results. They informed me that if the download didn't work this am it will try again. It sounds like I will probably have the same download message when I get home, and it will try again tonight. The tech person I talked to thinks it makes no difference if the sat receiver is on or off. It is just that the download works some times and sometimes it does not.

Alan

I left my box off like everyone recommended and I got the upgrade. At first glance, it fixes the audio drop going into and out of the guide and keeps the last viewed guide as default.

Is there any other noticable change I should be looking for?

Originally posted by josejrp
Has anybody that got the message yesterday NOT get the update? That's the boat that I am in... I wonder if I did not get it because I was tuned to an OTA channel... Hopefully I'll get it during the day today.

The updated didn't come through on mine, either! About four hours before the scheduled update my HD-300 rebooted while I was doing a keyword search of the guide. That made the "Next Update" info disappear from the menu. It hadn't returned as of one hour before the update when I turned in for the night!

I assumed that the box would be successfully "hit" anyway but I checked it this morning and it still shows v 1.06 and the Next Update date which has already passed!

Story of my life...

My LG box is now all better :)

seldenpat,

I guess the big fix that it's too early to comment on is repeating audio drops while watching programming.

I got mine... LG 3200a :D

Sony HD300 Box was on and TV off when I went to sleep last night.
Had upgrade screen this morning with today's date and 3:14 time.Hit yes and counter was moving up and was still going at over 19,000.When I first turned on the TV this morning the counter was at 18,000 something.
No channel functions worked and when powering off and on, it always returned back to same screen with numbers counting upwards.
Had to unplug for hard reboot to get box to function correctly.
I've got another one upstairs to check but no time today to do it.
I'm not sure if I got the upgrade or not.

I received the 2.0 upgrade on my hd-300 this morning at 3:14 this morning
cdst. No audio drop outs when viewing guide,haven't had time to see what elsehas changed.

Bleh, I didn't know to leave the box off and as I said, I got the "yes/no" message and the annoying backwards counter.

I reset my machine too and it fixed it but no upgrade. Will call Hughes today. I imagine I'll get the upgrade again in the next couple days and will power the machine off this time to prepare.

Annoying! I wanted my custom guide! :(

My box was on

Why leave the box on for the update.
This only calls for trouble, as the only difference from being off is that the video output is on, so the box thinks your viewing TV at the time.
The box is always ON when plugged into ac current.
The stb will continue to communicate with the dish as long as the cable
is connected while OFF.
By leaving your STB on you stand to risk a failed update, the stb will store
the update awaiting your response thinking you are viewing TV and needs to know if you don't mind the interruption. But if this wait is long, you stand the risk of this stored upgrade going corrupt while being held in memory.
Those that have been around D* and these firmware upgrades for any length of time understand that they are not failsafe.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3785449#post3785449
Just keep your box off overnight and let it update on its own.
This way there is Zero user interaction needed.

My box was on and tv off. Upgrade came thru with no problems. I didn't have to accept it or select yes. Was just up and running.

Yeah, I had no clue. When it comes through again I'll have it off.

I had my HD300 'off' last night and did not have an update this AM when I checked. Update screen did say that I should have received it last night.

I only had mine on because I never cut it off (never have found discrete on/off IR codes to use for the LG - although they are known to exist for the Hughes).

My TV screen has been saying 60% complete for several hours now :eek: . Wonder what wonderful thing that means for my HD300?

This is an excerpt from an actual real live D* type person

<--! Doctype DirecTV Speak

T2 CSR:How can I help you today?

Me:I have a Sony HD300 which was scheduled for a 4:13AM update to firmware v2.0. For the last 3 hours it has been frozen on 60%.

T2 CSR:Have you unplugged the receiver for 15 seconds yet?

Me:The instructions on the screen say specifically NOT to unplug the receiver. I was supposed to be connected to Tier 2 support, are you tier 2 support?

T2 CSR: Yes sir I am. Please hold.

musical interlude.....

T2 CSR: Are you able to view any of your channels?

Me: No, I told you that the box is locked up and the screen has been saying download 60% complete for several hours.

T2 CSR: May I put you on hold again?

more info about how great paying my bill online is......

T2 CSR: Ok sir, I found out that your receiver is receiving an upgrade which will take up to 24 hours.

Me: Yes I know I was receiving an upgrade, My receiver is locked up and has been for at least 3 hours. Waiting for tomorrow will not change that.

T2 CSR: Your receiver is not showing you channels because it is receiving data from the satellite.

Me: My receiver is locked up, if it is receiving anything, it cannot use the information. I need to speak to someone who can help me reset my receiver without killing it in the process.

T2 CSR: Sir the update will take at least 24 hours.

Me: That is not true. I know several people who have successfully received the update and it only took a few hours. My receiver has locked up and is not talking to the satellite, this receiver model always locks up. That is why you are sending it the firmware update in the first place. I feel that I have gotten all of the help from you that I can.

T2 CSR: You will have to wait for the update to complete. Your sceen will say "congratulations" after the download has completed.

Me: (sounds of burning brain cells) Ummm, I think I will call back in couple of hours. Thank you for your help.

T2 CSR: You are welcome, it there anything else I can help you with today?

Me: No thank you, I think I will talk to someone else later today.

End Doctype DirecTV Speak -->

Originally posted by nchronis
My box was on and tv off. Upgrade came thru with no problems. I didn't have to accept it or select yes. Was just up and running.
You have a different setup from most, as your 43" Samsung DLP RPTV via DVI is always communicating with the stb.
The communications between the two are always on, although the video is not being sent.

Originally posted by seldenpat
Thanks, but it doesn't answer my question...why can't my 200 get it's problems fixed? You need to take that up with SONY

I was watching a show and dozed off about 12:30am. i awoke at 1:15 am and the tv screen was all green with text saying downloading. then the progress bar went from 0 to 100% in about 4 minutes. the box then reset, scanned the channels then came back to the channel i was watching. i never saw a box to say yes or no as it probably happened in the first minute at 1:14am and i was sleeping.

i hid all the channels i had hidden before and set the guide to custom and all is well. no new channels showed up and no audio drops for the first hour of watching.

now i am tired, but will get through the day with the help of starbucks. i will be watching D* HD and OTA HD tonight to see if the audio drops are gone and the blinking does not happen.

So all in all it seemed to work fine less than 10 minutes start to finish.

Originally posted by CT_Wiebe
On the 10th, no update was scheduled for my HTL-HD {the Hughes version}.

At 1:14 AM PDT, the HD3, Version 2.00.0, upgrade came through :D !!! Finally! I'll have to check it out tomorrow.

NOTE: Richard, you shouldn't have said "No" -- that tells them that you don't want it to upgrade.

I thought it was asking me if I wanted to postpone. That's what I get for being half asleep last night watcing "the scorpion." Anyone know if D* will send out the upgrade again?

I left the STB "ON" and tuned to Channel 202 (CNN) with the TV "OFF" last night to await the 4:14 a.m. (EDT) scheduled update.

Got up at 5:00 a.m. this morning to be at the office for a very early meeting. Turned on the TV before leaving and CNN showed up. Looked at the Menu and saw that the download had taken place. Default guide issue fixed, audio going into guide also fixed.

Picture quality on SD programming also seemed a little better, but that could be wish gratification thinking. I'll have to see tonight whether I get frequent audio loss on OTA digital stations, esp. CBS, as was occuring before.

Anyone notice any other improvements or changes?

Anyone else notice the new options under the System menu for testing OTA signal strength? Similar to the way the transponders are tested? It's kind of nice to know what percent the signal strength is. Only thing is that it shows the *real* channel number instead of the mapped channel number (i.e.. 2.1). Also, there is a stand alone signal meter tester like the one you get when you hit the signal button on the remote. I these were nice add-ons! Funny thing is a lot of my OTA channels that I do get show "74" as the signal strength. It could be coincidence as most of these towers are in the same location, but I find that kind of odd.


Also, I noticed that the transponder testing is now fixed. Before it would randomly show a blank space instead of a number for lower powered transponders on 101. I remember transponder 30,32 and one other would do this the most frequently.

And I am extremely happy to see the Custom guide work!!!! Nice! Nice! (and about time)

... apparently there was no money for presents at my house :rolleyes:. Checked first thing this morning and everything was exactly as it was when I went to bed last night. Santa didn't make it... Still have the update notice showing for last nights "event". Called D* to let them know and give them my zip code. Can't really say that I am surprised. But still disappointed... Of course the service company "consultants" have no idea as to when my present may arrive. Maybe if I leave cookies and milk out...

ron

There are a million threads regarding this issue. Can we try to start all posting in one place (everyone is repeating themselves).

I'm trying to herd everyone here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=398862

i think we should start 2 threads. One for "It worked, now how is it working for you" and "It did not work, what next"

Just my two cents.

True - how about it didn't works staying here in the Watching for thread! That way I won't have to hear you crying : )

I agree!!!!

Mods can we lock or merge these threads into one or two meaningful topics?

Originally posted by Chris Loker
True - how about it didn't works staying here in the Watching for thread! That way I won't have to hear you crying : ) Just get the heck out of our thread then you successful downloader you :D :p.

ron

I happened to be playing with HDTivo still this morning around 2:14, so I thought I would watch the HTL-HD fw download, left it on ch 2-1. (I still had 1.06)

At about 2:13 a screen appeared, do you want a free (it's free? yay!) software upgrade yes/no; I picked "Yes" and then it started counting down from 100 seconds in a gray banner overlay at the bottom, similar to the timer-is-going-to-change-channels-in-10-seconds banner. At zero, screen changed to a progress bar which stuck at 0% for a couple of minutes (and "do not unplug your reciever during this" message), front panel showed "DOWNLOAD". About the time I was getting worried, the progress bar started moving, got to 100%. Video shut off, front display said "WAIT" for a bit, then it came back with "building channel info" for a couple of minutes.

I now have v2.0, with:
ota/sat signal meter on pause button (yay!)
no more audio drop when going into guide (yay!)
guide remembers the mode in which it was last used (custom, surf, etc) (yay! - not that I use the guide all that much)

Didn't watch enough to notice any picture quality improvements. Despite the "building channel info" screen, my surf menu and timers were not affected by the fw upgrade.

Signal meter will come in handy for re-pointing antenna for HDTivo, which is only getting 2.5 of the 5 OTA channels that the HTL-HD is. :( Might have to buy bigger antenna/better preamp.

Got the 2.0 upgrade and ran some tests this morning. The DVI /HDMI cable into my Pioneer media box now works! The picture looks about the same as it did with the component cables. There are no audio dropouts so far. I have not experimented with the program guide yet. :)

Originally posted by h_a_h_3
Signal meter will come in handy for re-pointing antenna for HDTivo, which is only getting 2.5 of the 5 OTA channels that the HTL-HD is. :( Might have to buy bigger antenna/better preamp.

It's sad that you pay a grand for something and it doesn't even work as good.

Originally posted by HDDJ
Don't know what happened but the announcement for the upgrade disappeared! Poof! Anyone else see the same thing? :\ Even though the announcement disappeared, it worked great! I now have v2.00 :)

Originally posted by Ruffread
Got the 2.0 upgrade and ran some tests this morning. The DVI /HDMI cable into my Pioneer media box now works! The picture looks about the same as it did with the component cables. There are no audio dropouts so far. I have not experimented with the program guide yet. :)

Ruff, could you tell me which adapter, or if you bought a new cable, which one, for the DVI/HDMI into the media box, thanks.

I'm one that didn't get the upgrade yet. Hughes said it's sent out once a day so it should come again tonight. Here's hoping.

Is anybody else's receiver stuck at 61% and if so how did you get around it?

Originally posted by h_a_h_3
I happened to be playing with HDTivo still this morning around 2:14, so I thought I would watch the HTL-HD fw download, left it on ch 2-1. (I still had 1.06)

<..snip..>

Signal meter will come in handy for re-pointing antenna for HDTivo, which is only getting 2.5 of the 5 OTA channels that the HTL-HD is. :( Might have to buy bigger antenna/better preamp.

Congrats on getting the upgrade, but now I *really* wonder why I didn't get it. Your receiver was on an OTA channel, and you received it. I had the "Pending Update" message with yesterday's date, and did not get it while on an OTA channel. The only other thing I can think of is that I do not have it connected to a phone line, but I thought it didn't matter for upgrades. I should have woken up at 4:14 EST to watch what happened (if anything) :)

Hopefully I'll have it when I get home, otherwise I may try to do a NVRAM reset in preparation for tonight.

Sorry to hear about the issues with reception on your HD-TiVo. Even sorrier that I may be on the same boat! (my HDTiVo hasn't gotten here yet, but it'll replace the HTL-HD).

Originally posted by goodcableguy
Is anybody else's receiver stuck at 61% and if so how did you get around it?

One person had the same issue in one of the other threads (either the Hughes HTL-HD Thread or the Firmware 2.0 Watch thread). I don't remember what he did... Good luck!

I'll repost this here as hopefully this will become/is the defacto "Offical firmware thread"


Anyone else notice the new options under the System menu for testing OTA signal strength? Similar to the way the transponders are tested? It's kind of nice to know what percent the signal strength is. Only thing is that it shows the *real* channel number instead of the mapped channel number (i.e.. 2.1). Also, there is a stand alone signal meter tester like the one you get when you hit the signal button on the remote. I these were nice add-ons! Funny thing is a lot of my OTA channels that I do get show "74" as the signal strength. It could be coincidence as most of these towers are in the same location, but I find that kind of odd.


Also, I noticed that the transponder testing is now fixed. Before it would randomly show a blank space instead of a number for lower powered transponders on 101. I remember transponder 30,32 and one other would do this the most frequently.

And I am extremely happy to see the Custom guide work!!!! Nice! Nice! (and about time)

I just checked and I've got 2.0.0, and that really cute girl from upstairs just came down and asked to borrow a cup of sugar.

Good timing. After you two get cozy watching the new version 2.0, you can show her your Firmware.;)

Originally posted by blackmax2k1
It's sad that you pay a grand for something and it doesn't even work as good.

But it does have 2 tuners...and I did pay $500 for my HTL-HD...so that math works out to half the channels on both tuners? I actually don't have both tuners working right now, one sat cable still going to the HTL-HD until the Giro is over.

Now that I have a signal meter on the HTL-HD, I can see that the channels the HDTivo doesn't like are in the "poor/normal" range, the ones it does like are in the "normal/good" range. Possibly related to the HDTivo's internal splitter, but I am using a crappy RCA splitter (no change without it going direct to HDTivo from wall though) along with crappy Radio Shack preamp and crappy Terk antenna on the chimney. Antenna upgrades ahoy!

My brand new LG 3200A, (after my Zenith HDTV1080i got toasted) only first day on sub, but I noticed when I scroll through the program guide quickly with the channel pageup/down key the unit shuts off. Yesterday afternoon the firmware was 1.08.00, I'll check tonight to see if I received the update. Hopefully the update will fix the minor but annoying problem. It has no problem if I pause briefly before hitting the key again. Picture and sound hopefully will get better once it is broken in.

ESPN HD last night had flashes and other artifacts, could be as as result of my attempt at reterminating the RG6 cable. New Tributaries cable will arrive soon, so I am hopeful this unit will perform better than the Zenith 1080i.

but I noticed when I scroll through the program guide quickly with the channel pageup/down key the unit shuts off.


That's a safety feature, to prevent exposure to excessive product satisfaction.

Originally posted by h_a_h_3
...At zero, screen changed to a progress bar which stuck at 0% for a couple of minutes (and "do not unplug your reciever during this" message), front panel showed "DOWNLOAD"...

I may be wrong, but I believe that delay was due to the receiver's NVRAM being flushed of the old firmware prior to taking the update. Rather an Achilles Heel situation - a power failure before completion of the update would have been catastrophic. Too bad there wasn't an onscreen explanation of whatever was going on, since as a group, we are obsessive worry-warts.

Hi!

Well, I'm one of the unlucky ones who has the update scheduled for the past but it didn't come. Mine *still* says "Next upgrade: 05/12/2004 01:13". Very, very weird.

Suffice to say that the HD300 was properly connected and on and all (watching an OTA channel) at 01:13.

I hope it gets it today...

It seems from a variety of posts that having the STB on an OTA channel during the download is a fatal error.

Originally posted by josejrp
One person had the same issue in one of the other threads (either the Hughes HTL-HD Thread or the Firmware 2.0 Watch thread). I don't remember what he did... Good luck!

Probably me. After a few calls D* finally told me to unplug it for 30 sec. I had resisted this earlier as it seemed like a bad idea, but as it has been @ 60% since 4:30AM EST, I figured what the hell. Now the screen says "sofware version check" please unplug for 30sec.....blah blah."

After unpluging it several times with the card in, out, hitting the reset button, in all combinations, the sceen still is telling me to unplug for 30 seconds. I am in the process of unplugging it for a couple of hours and will try later. Methinks my box is FUBAR.

September build, Revision B Sony HD 300 was shut off at time of D/L

I would hope they would have some kind of recoverable loader that would allow them to hit the box again with the firmware.

Another report of better SD picture quality was posted on the HTL-HD thread.

Originally posted by thepicman
Probably me. After a few calls D* finally told me to unplug it for 30 sec. I had resisted this earlier as it seemed like a bad idea, but as it has been @ 60% since 4:30AM EST, I figured what the hell. Now the screen says "sofware version check" please unplug for 30sec.....blah blah."

After unpluging it several times with the card in, out, hitting the reset button, in all combinations, the sceen still is telling me to unplug for 30 seconds. I am in the process of unplugging it for a couple of hours and will try later. Methinks my box is FUBAR.

September build, Revision B Sony HD 300 was shut off at time of D/L

I am having the same problem w/ my HD300. D* customer service had me unplug it this morning which I resisted at first but finally did as I was told. Now I have the same blah..blah screen as you. I spoke with the next level of CS this afternoon and was told they are being flooded with calls form HD300 owners having the same problem. They gave me no assurance that tonights hit is going to make our boxes work again.

Update: My upgrade attempt failed last night and after a reset disappeared.. but now 5/13 4:14am is now in my next upgrade box.

whew! This time the box will be powered off :)

Yeah, mine is saying 05/13/04 1:14 now too (I'm on PDT, so EDT people will obviously see 4:14)

Lets see how it goes this time...

Power off is no panacea. It didn't work for me. But it's one less step that the box has to deal with since it requires no input from the user that way. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for tonight. Maybe just for superstitions sake I'll tune it to a non-OTA channel and knock on wood three times before shutting it down for the night ;).

ron

Originally posted by Phod
Update: My upgrade attempt failed last night and after a reset disappeared.. but now 5/13 4:14am is now in my next upgrade box.

whew! This time the box will be powered off :)

Same here I had gotten up to some 40000 sec until upgrade b4 doing reset. My box will also be off tonight and my fingers crossed. My last conversation with D they stated the failed boxes had one of three problems:

No update performed at all.

Box at bottom of screen with increasing seconds until upgrade.

System stuck a 60% upgrade.

I asked if upgrade would be sent again tonight and they did not know. Now as our boxes are reading upgrade for tomorrow morning I just hope it takes. Just wondering if we should do a ram reset b4 turning off for the night?

i am scheduled to receive the update in 8 hours, but i cant change channels!!!! What do i have to do, just leave it on??? I dont understand why it cant do the update right now..

please help i cant watch madtv all night!!!

reset it?

phod, but will this disallow my update from occuring?

Does the new firmware have a memory for aspect ratio for HD stations? My main disappointment with the box is that if I'm using expand on a 1080i station broadcasting 4:3 content and I change to another channel, I have to toggle the ratio button when I return to the original station.

To Spike:
I bought a cable from Panasonic. Part #TY-SCH03HD. It is a DVI-HDMI conversion cable.
It cost $50.53 including tax and shipping. It has the DVI plug on one end and the HDMI small plug on the other. My audio is going through a separate digital connection. I am experimenting still with the DVI out setting. Not sure whether I should set it on auto DVI or another setting.

As an update to my earlier post,2nd box upstairs was turned off and received the upgrade just fine according to the system screen showing that I had gotten it.TV was off and box was also,I know it never really turns off but you know what I mean.
I turned off bedroom box and TV to see if this one upgrades as well.
Both of these HD 300's were purchased less than a month ago at CC to replace two Mits HD5's that were dying.I don't know when they were manufactured so maybe they didn't really need this upgrade?

John's Sat,

Does not memorize stretch on 1080i - although I don't think I would want it to since the channel could switch to HD programming.

For some reason I did think when I used the Shrink mode watching Fox ED broadcasts last footballo season, that it would remember that mode.

Originally posted by s2silber
It seems from a variety of posts that having the STB on an OTA channel during the download is a fatal error.

Mine worked just fine, it was on an OTA channel (2-1 in my case) as I watched it do its little dance.

I think I know why my download to the HD300 didn't happen like is was supposed to. I had the box tuned to a channel that wasn't on the 101 slot. When I got home today and checked it still said that the upgrade would happen last night. As soon as I tuned to a channel on 101 the update got rescheduled for tonight.

If I purchase a new HTL-HD this weekend will I get the 2.0 update?

Any chance it enables the QAM tuner???? I know the 3200 has a QAM tuner, would be huge if the others do as well.

chkelly, you can still get the update.

Hm, is this thread now for all 2.0 issues? Ambiguous title... :)

Anyway, riddle me this: The new ATSC signal tester seems to be strange: We (Washington DC) have UPN/20 (on ch 35) that puts out at lightbulb strength. Never had a glimmer on 20.1 when you press the 'signal meter' (under 1.6 or 2.0). Total black picture and meter bar. However, the new ATSC test page under channel 35 says 89. WTF? According to other channels there (goes from 2 to 69), these are all the broadcast channels, and should (and seem to) correspond to what's in the 'meter'. The help seems to agree.

Anyone else see any strangeness on this ATSC test?

Thanks Ruff, that's what I was looking for.

If I purchase a new HTL-HD this weekend will I get the 2.0 update?

Now this is not confirmed but I asked that very question from the Sony tech rep that first told me of the confirmed date for the firmware download and what version to expect. He said that if a unit had an older version software than what had been previously implemented for such model it would be automatically updated as ours had overnight. I did not ask him what time-frame it would take tho.

I had a PM from someone this AM who purchased one recently and was scheduled for download on 5/14. So, it is being staggered a bit, and most of us have had it for months. I suspect a brand new box could take a week, but who knows.

Hope you guys stuck at whatever percent completion finish your download tonight. If I'm right about your only having a partial software install in your receivers, it would be like trying to boot your computer with a partial install of the OS kernel. This was exactly what took a few DTC100s out of commission permanently several years ago during some firmware updates. Hint: since you were told by DirecTV's brainiac CSRs to unplug your receivers, and since DirecTV logs or otherwise records calls, if you can confirm through a call center supervisor that you were "following orders", that may be enough to obligate DirecTV to replace or repair (if possible) your receivers.

Well I don't know...

My box locked up and rebooted tonight (yes I'm on 2.0). I was channeling up between OTA stations when if froze. And you guessed it, as I'm sure you have all experienced, it would not accept any inputs. Since I knew what was happening, I just waited the minute until I got the wait screen and the "building channel list" screen came up. :mad:

Really weird thing was that only a portion of my hidden channels returned to the guide. All that did return were OTA, but not all the OTAs returned (if that makes sense). So it would seen that not all issues with this box have been resolved.

On a side note, the jury is still out for me on whether PQ is any better. I think in some cases, especially for OTA, it may actually be worse. One thing I did find however, is that the sound seems much crisper and cleaner.

Well, one reboot so far....back to update my hidden channels list (again). :(

For folks that didn't get the upgrade last but even though it was schedule, di dyou leave the receiver tuned to a channel that's on the 101 satellite or was it tuned to something else? My HD300 said it was to get the upgrade last night but no joy, the upgrade screen this afternoon even still said it should have happened on 5/12 at 4:14. Up to that time it was tuned to a HD channel on 119, as soon as I tuned to a channel on 101 the upgrade box changed to say I would get he upgrade tonight. I'm hoping that not being on 101 was the problem and I'll get the upgrade tonight.

Originally posted by chkelly
i am scheduled to receive the update in 8 hours, but i cant change channels!!!! What do i have to do, just leave it on??? I dont understand why it cant do the update right now..

Because the updated code isn't being transmitted through the data stream "right now". DirecTV reserves the transmissions to the time compatible with all time zones that'll least affect viewing. When the process starts, if a user doesn't answer "no" to the update query, it occurs automatically. If, for example, an owner was experiencing severe weather anywhere within 20 miles, it would be prudent NOT to take the update on that particular "evening".

It shouldn't hurt to turn the receiver "off", though I'm personally skeptical that it makes any difference. (The only thing different when the box is cycled "off" by the remote or on-box buttons is to suppress the video and audio outputs, and extinguish the flourescent display. Otherwise all circuits remain powered up and processing as usual. However, for those with boxes stuck at a partial download, I definitely wouldn't suggest doing a hard reboot. (That could be asking for additional trouble.) If it's stuck on one channel, OTA or satellite, leave the box alone. If any of you with functional receivers ARE scheduled for tonight's download, it might be prudent to tune a satellite channel, though, again, it shouldn't matter.

To recap:

If your box is stuck on a partial download, and you're thinking of a hard reboot, have your spouse or significant other tie you down for your own protection. (This might end up more entertaining than TV anyway...)

If your box is scheduled for tonight's download and is functioning normally, either turn if off or on as you desire. But if the weather at the appointed time in your zone is flakey, decline tonight's download to another day.

In all cases, explore the option of prayer.

What is a channel that is on 101 so that I may tune to it to see if my download comes back?

Originally posted by chrisj1
What is a channel that is on 101 so that I may tune to it to see if my download comes back?

Basically any of the 'core' channels, CNN's, ESPN (non-HD), etc.

Originally posted by Ray H
Hope you guys stuck at whatever percent completion finish your download tonight. If I'm right about your only having a partial software install in your receivers, it would be like trying to boot your computer with a partial install of the OS kernel. This was exactly what took a few DTC100s out of commission permanently several years ago during some firmware updates. Hint: since you were told by DirecTV's brainiac CSRs to unplug your receivers, and since DirecTV logs or otherwise records calls, if you can confirm through a call center supervisor that you were "following orders", that may be enough to obligate DirecTV to replace or repair (if possible) your receivers.
Yep I have a feeling we may be hosed.
We'll see what happens tomorrow.
On the bright side all of the other annoying problems like audio drops are gone. NOW THAT MY BOX IS LOCKED-UP.:mad:

Am I hosed? I've been out of town the last couple of days. My HTL-HD was left on channel 88. I had the message box asking if I wanted to update the software update. I said yes, of course. Then it says the update will occur in something like 58000 seconds and the time keeps increasing. Should I just leave it alone, unplug it for 30 seconds, or what?

I would leave it alone and see what happens with the next download in the AM.

Originally posted by Montezuma58
Am I hosed? I've been out of town the last couple of days. My HTL-HD was left on channel 88. I had the message box asking if I wanted to update the software update. I said yes, of course. Then it says the update will occur in something like 58000 seconds and the time keeps increasing. Should I just leave it alone, unplug it for 30 seconds, or what?

Mine was doing the same. Both Sony and Direct said to reset it and wait and see what happens tomorrow.

I have a Sony SAT-HD300. I'm out of town and will be for several days. I have the unit powered off, but plugged in. I checked the software version screen before I left, and it showed that Version 2.0 was scheduled for the next morning. I don't remember for sure what channel I left it on, but I think it was 301.

With all this discussion, I'm wondering what I'm going to find when I get home. A successfully updated unit, a message asking if I want to update, a partial download that quit, or ???

Thanks STEVENSHS. That was my suspicion. I think resetting it is probably the way to go. I'm sure what happened was that the software people did not anticipate what would happen when somebody acknowledges the update after the update has been sent. As it is now, my gut feeling is that it will wait indefinitely for something that has already happened. It's in a goofy, unanticipated state I don't think will fix itself.

My Sony is getting blackouts/audio dropouts every 25 secs or less, comes and goes. This is with 2.0! :mad:

Originally posted by Montezuma58
Am I hosed? I've been out of town the last couple of days. My HTL-HD was left on channel 88. I had the message box asking if I wanted to update the software update. I said yes, of course. Then it says the update will occur in something like 58000 seconds and the time keeps increasing. Should I just leave it alone, unplug it for 30 seconds, or what?

That's what mine says too. What's the verdict--wait till morning and see what happens or reset. I'm not sure I like the counting up thing.

Dave

I had mine tuned to a local cable channel, I did not even know the update was coming yet and the update worked flawlessly, between the custom guide working, scrolling thru the locals channels #2-73 now works properly, (before you would have to page down or it would not go), also it would only scroll maybe 3 channels at a time, now its like a brand new receiver. Boy am I glad I overcame my temper to not destroy this thing months ago!

Reset it Dave.. I did and now the upgrade is scheduled again for tonight.

Originally posted by Phod
Reset it Dave.. I did and now the upgrade is scheduled again for tonight.

I reset, but I don't see the upgrade sceduled anyplace. What should I be looking for?

Dave

Go to the menu, system, then system upgrade. It should say in the next upgrade box. Even if nothing is there, you will probably still get the upgrade tonight at 4:14 eastern.

I'm crossing fingers for myself too.

I am still getting dropouts in SFO on OTA, listening to NBC.
DD 2.0. Dropouts every five minutes or so

My box was off and I was out when the upgrade happened. I didn't even know it was coming. I noticed was the audio not dropping out between switching to and from the guide and checked the menu and 2.00 was there.

Stumbled across my 2.0 upgrade today (5/12 Wed) when D* screwed up my local channels. They couldn't restore my original local channels, and had accidentally moved them to Georgia. Short story, I volunteered to do a NVRAM setup to reset the box to factory settings (they were going to send me a new card instead).

New locals were successfully pushed, and I immediately saw the new results. Some observations:

- no audio drop out when selecting guide
- guide stays to what was chosen - e.g., custom, all - THANK GOD for this!
- did not notice any improvement in PQ
- did not notice any increases in signal strength - my test on this, is that I only get a single channel with my OTA antenna, and it sometimes goes in/out. After having scanned channels, it only picked up this single channel and no other OTA channels (which is what I had previously) - and yes, I do get intermittent outages on this single channel

What I would love:
- be able to control my receiver with the volume buttons on the outside instead of flipping up the cover and using those buttons (keep dreaming I guess)
- CID on the TV?

Thanks guys

Originally posted by tivoboy
I am still getting dropouts in SFO on OTA, listening to NBC.
DD 2.0. Dropouts every five minutes or so

tivoboy - If you haven't already done so, you may want to try posting in the "Local HDTV Info and Reception" forum to see if others are having problems with dropouts on that specific channel. They you can narrow it down to the source or the receiver.

I don't spend a lot of time in that forum, but I remember seeing a lot of helpful threads regarding local reception - especially for those in the SF bay area.

Good luck!


-chris

My htl took the update last night. For what it's worth, the box was off and the last channel it was on was 206, espn. I'd have to say though, both sd and hd channels look a little crisper, but then again it could have been a good night for directv.

Well, 2.0 didn't do anything to deal with the HDCP problems (the Sony and it's underlying LG implementation won't work correctly with an HDCP/DVI enabled scaler, because it always enables encryption even when it shouldn't.) I didn't expect it really, but one can always hope. Now I have to consider whether to send this box back and try for something else.

My box was off, front display said download. When display went blank I checked. It had 2.0.

Hi!

OK, nothing again. This time I left it on channel 101 and then turned it off before the scheduled time. I checked now and nothing happened. Currently it's still saying 1.06 and that the upgrade is scheduled for the past (about 30 minutes ago, 1:14).

I'm at a complete loss as to why it didn't get it this time. Tomorrow I'll try again with it on, but I wonder if it will make any difference.

It took today! Yesterday all I got was the coundown clock today I am at 2.0

Yesterday all I got was the countdown clock today I have 2.0

Well, over 24 hours later, my HD300 still says download on the front screen and is still asking me to unplug for 30 seconds on the TV :(

Gee, I guess the T2 CSR was wrong, the D* fairies did not descend from the heavens and fix my locked up box.......

Originally posted by thepicman
Well, over 24 hours later, my HD300 still says download on the front screen and is still asking me to unplug for 30 seconds on the TV :(

Gee, I guess the T2 CSR was wrong, the D* fairies did not descend from the heavens and fix my locked up box.......
Yep, Same with mine. When I turned on the TV this morning I had a screen full of green blocks. Did yours look the same?
I spoke with D* extended tech support today. They offered no help other than to "wait for a few more downloads and maybe call Sony". Great advice thanks.
Anyone interested in a $700.00 door stop?

I actually woke up at 4:13AM by luck, and ran downstairs to find my unit downloading the code at 4:14AM. So, it was a day late, but I received 2.0 - the only difference yesterday vs. the day before was that I was tuned to a DirecTV channel instead of an OTA channel. Then again, since at least one person received it while tuned OTA, maybe DTV is staggering these updates but not the messages.:p

My download was also successful this morning. Yesterday all I got was the countdown clock. I reset the receiver and waited for a new download message. I received the new message during the day, and the download took place at 3:14 AM as scheduled. I left the tv and the HD-300 off for the download.

Alan

Hello, all my HD300 took the update and has been stuck @ 60% since yesterday, (>24hours) should I reset or unplug the hd300?

Please advise

DTV was no help

John

It does not matter if your tuned to ota or sat, the stb box is always in communications with the sat and the update will come either way.
While tunned on ota the box just has fewer things to handle such
as process the decryption seeds within the stream for video/audio.

Mine is also stuck @ 60% since yesterday,

What do I do? Unplug or reset

DTV was no help

John

I got the 2.0 upgrade this morning. Have not had a chance to do an exhaustive check, but they did address two annoyances I have seen. I can now select "Custom" as my default program guide and I didn't notice the audio "hiccup" when I hit the guide button.

Originally posted by jmorgis
Hello, all my HD300 took the update and has been stuck @ 60% since yesterday, (>24hours) should I reset or unplug the hd300?

Please advise

DTV was no help

John

John,
I'm having the same problem as well as others.
Maybe you can move over to this thread and we can share our findings.
So far it looks terminal.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=398862&perpage=20&pagenumber=6

My box was off as well & the upgrade had come in fine when I checked last night. Even though the upgrade installed fine for people who left their boxes on, it appears to be 'safer' to leave if off & turn it on well after it's done. Firmware upgrades can be tricky (I know from doing many upgrades to DVD drives); they can fry the unit if it isn't done properly. Why take chances with a box on?

Originally posted by bbm3
Yep, Same with mine. When I turned on the TV this morning I had a screen full of green blocks. Did yours look the same?

No mine says "software check, please unplug for 30 seconds. If this does not work please go buy another receiver"

Originally posted by jmorgis
Mine is also stuck @ 60% since yesterday,

What do I do? Unplug or reset

DTV was no help

John

Was in same boat, so I finally did both. Did not help at all. Actually might be worse than leaving the 60% screen. I think they have killed our receivers and they will have to be sent away. I would NOT reset it for now as you cannot go back. I did and now have a screen telling me to unplug, but no joy afterwards. As soon as Sony/D* decide what to do then I would worry about resetting/unpluging.

At least on my HTL-HD the audio drop out issue does not seem to be totally resolved by the upgrade to 2.0. So far, though, no more lock ups of the box when I change channels. The drop outs I guess I can live with. The lock ups are most annoying. I will continue to watch it to see if it locks up again.

Originally posted by thepicman
No mine says "software check, please unplug for 30 seconds. If this does not work please go buy another receiver"
LOL
I can kick myself for not buying an extended warranty to protect myself from Sony and D*.

I reset mine last night. I didn't get any new messages, but when I checked the version this morning I had 1.10 that had been updated at 4:14 am last night. I left the receiver on the entire time (I always do, so my TIVO burner can do it's thing when I'm not around). The only other piece of info I can think of to share is that I'm not hooked up via a telephone line, I've got the HMO and am hooked up via the USB port.

Dave

What the heck is 1.10?!

I will leave it alone for now. But if it turns out that DTV damaged my box with this F/w update, this is going to get very ugly.

John

Stuck @ 60% download

1.10 is a version that was put out previously before being called 2.0. What I don't understand is why he is talking about Tivo and USB port.

BBM3, did you unplug for a couple hours? Did you talk to DTV and or Sony?

This sucks

JM

Stuck @ 60%

Originally posted by badgerdms
I reset mine last night. I didn't get any new messages, but when I checked the version this morning I had 1.10 that had been updated at 4:14 am last night. I left the receiver on the entire time (I always do, so my TIVO burner can do it's thing when I'm not around). The only other piece of info I can think of to share is that I'm not hooked up via a telephone line, I've got the HMO and am hooked up via the USB port.

Dave

Your TiVo and how it is hooked up has nothing do with this firmware upgrade to your DirecTV receiver. The upgrade comes completely from the satellite directly do your LG built receiver. Apparently a very few have a problem with this upgrade taking, it might be something was going on with the receiver at the time of the upgrade and caused a conflict but it would all be speculation at this time. My upgrade took without problems and all seems good so far.

Chris

Originally posted by thepicman
Was in same boat, so I finally did both. Did not help at all. Actually might be worse than leaving the 60% screen. I think they have killed our receivers and they will have to be sent away. I would NOT reset it for now as you cannot go back. I did and now have a screen telling me to unplug, but no joy afterwards. As soon as Sony/D* decide what to do then I would worry about resetting/unpluging.

I am on the phone with Sony as I type. They are wanting to charge me $62 in labor to fix the box !!!!:mad:

They have got to be kidding

Alright then, I vote we gang together and refuse to send to Sony and make D* trade the HD300's in for HD-Tivos :cool: Like that will happen....

My HTL-HD 2.0 upgrade also succeeded last night. Has anyone compiled a list of all the changes anywhere? (Beyond the much need custom guide fix).

Sorry to here about all the folks who now have non-functional boxes (and there seem to be many), I know I would be really pissed. Please keep us informed on your progress.

That is crazy - maybe you have to get it fixed through DirecTV.

I got the 2.0 upgrade on Wed morning. i was hoping it would fix the dropouts i have been getting on HDNet, but it did NOT.

During a 30min show of Smart Travels (HDNet) last night at 5pm PST, there were at least 5 one second video dropouts, no audio dropouts, and once where the bottom had the "solid green color section coming up from the bottom of the screen. looks like a spectograph" which was mentioned by another poster. is an HD300 problem or a DirecTV problem.

fwiw---my OTA signal strength is the same as it was before--locks and then unlocks.

ron

rondi,
Be sure to check your Dish. I had a problem with that channel as well. When I check the signal strength on Sat A # transponder either 19 or 18 (one or the other) it had dropped off from 100 to 95. After the weather broke I was able to and check the dish. I found the installer when remounting it on my original round dish mount did a crappy job & did not lock it down properly. He had stuck a piece of cable between the mount and the dish bracket. I will need to fix it during the nice weather. But for now just re-aimed the dish & sig strength back to 100. HD net now good no drop outs. It seams that that channel along with RFD is very sensitive to proper signal strength.

100->95 shouldn't mean anything at all... it's when you get to 75 or 70 that problems start! I've never heard of any problems in the 90s.

(As for my 1.10 comment, I thought he meant he had gotten 1.10. I didn't know any boxes came with 1.10. I thought I'd seen the highest OOB rev was 1.08 or something. Nevermind on that one, then!)

Apparently a very few have a problem with this upgrade taking,I think "a very few" may be a major understatement from what the D* service providers have said to a number of people. At any rate, mine came through last night without fault after being skipped over the previous night. As soon as I turned on the system this morning I hit the guide button and knew instantly that it had taken as there was clear audio as the guide came up :).

It sounds to me like the problems some people are having (not the upgrade probs) are not with the receiver, but are really due to issues with OTA broadcasters (bad feeds being sent out and reception issues) and satellite reception (dish aiming or multiswitch/combiner/cabling bugs).

ron

Was this upgrade only for the HD300 (I have the HD200)?

Yeah, this was buried somewhere in one of the threads.... no upgrades for the 200.

Got the update last night. I already had 1.07, so the OTA signal meter is not new to me. I dig the lack of audio droupout when going to the guide. Also noticed where you can change the channel of the little picture while looking at the guide-- don't remember that one before.

BUT, the bad thing here is that I'm getting little video dropouts every few minutes. Didn't have that before. Yuck. This is why I got rid of the Samsung 360 in the first place.

Had anyone received a resolution for the "Downloading 60%" stuck issue

This is incredible, that DTV cannot fix, or resend the download.

There will be hell to pay, if I have to send my HD300 back to Sony for "fix" the 2.0 download

I did not reset or unplug, and >24 hours my HD300 still says "downloading ,"

Does anyone have a update, from Sony or DTV on what to do in this case?

John
"DEAD HD300"

Had anyone received a resolution for the "Downloading 60%" stuck issue

This is incredible, that DTV cannot fix, or resend the download.

There will be hell to pay, if I have to send my HD300 back to Sony for "fix" the 2.0 download

I did not reset or unplug, and >24 hours my HD300 still says "downloading ,"

Does anyone have a update, from Sony or DTV on what to do in this case?

John
"DEAD HD300"

For those that are new to these firmware updates, I would suggest you to search the archives of AVS for failed updates.
Failed updates are part of the risks you take and you really have no choice to take them or not if you’re connected to the dish short of hacks to your stb box to reject updates.
This is not the first update to knock out many stb boxes to the point they need to be replaced. These are the risks involved with ANY O/S & firmware updates. I'm sure the affected boxes are under 3-5% or less. imo
I have seen these problems for the past 4-5 years or so and they will continue.
Hence my reason to only let one of my two HD300's to update at a time.
Both now have been updated just fine.
These boxes are just like mini computers without the means of a floppy drive. So when the O/S is bad you are sol for the most part, as you have no means to reload the O/S.
Anyone that finds that their stb took an update and is awaiting your input yes or no,
Just SAY NO and wait for the next attempt.
Leave the stb off so it has no reason for your interaction, this way the update is not stored for any long durations.
Why risk an update with firmware that has been stored in memory for hours at risk of becoming corrupted.
In the past many people had to pay out of the pocket to get these units fixed. The Sony HD300 has a 12/12 warranty and if your past that point check your merchant card services if you paid via credit card, many offer an additional double the warranty up to one additional year.

Edit: Many of these failed updates are usually caused by power problems within your own residence "dirty/low/outages" and this is out of the control of any providers.
I'm not suggesting this is the only reason for failed updates, it is a huge problem, as is the impatient end user that decides to reboot prior to the completion.

Originally posted by Chris Loker
1.10 is a version that was put out previously before being called 2.0. What I don't understand is why he is talking about Tivo and USB port.

Simply to be complete. If the update comes completely over the satellite, then no big deal. If it has anything to do with the telephone hook up, then I was merely pointing out I'm hooked up via the internet and not over phone lines.

Does not need a phone line

hey rondi,

good to hear i am not the only one with the video drop and the green color coming up from the bottom. i got it last night again on the hbo hd and other hd channels in the past so it is not unique to hdnet. the dish pointing and signal strength suggestion is not valid as far as i am concerned because i have very good signal on all transponders of all satellites. i also saw some very small patches or lines if pixelization during the movie, looked like a little noise.

i really noticed on espn's sunday night baseball during fast video transitions. may not be related but it is annoying. the 2.0 firmware definately did not fix this but i can live with it .

i started a thread to track the fixes or not fixed items we wanted with the 2.0 upgrade. this update/fix mix is getting long. i was hoping to see others with the same problems and what got fixed with 2.0. there is at least one other user than us withe same video blinking problem, but now i know i am not the only one with this green spectograph.

Originally posted by Chris Loker
That is crazy - maybe you have to get it fixed through DirecTV.

I was on a 3 way conference call with D* high level support and Sony. Only Sony can fix it. Sony said that I had to pay for labor ($62). I very politely told her if that was the case, I would be the last $ I spent on a Sony product. When Sony put me on hold, D* rep said he would credit my account for any repair costs and the shipping.

That sounds reasonable enough

Originally posted by jmorgis
Had anyone received a resolution for the "Downloading 60%" stuck issue

This is incredible, that DTV cannot fix, or resend the download.

There will be hell to pay, if I have to send my HD300 back to Sony for "fix" the 2.0 download

I did not reset or unplug, and >24 hours my HD300 still says "downloading ,"

Does anyone have a update, from Sony or DTV on what to do in this case?

John
"DEAD HD300"

Yep, read my post in the other thread. :mad: Not good news

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=398862&perpage=60&pagenumber=3

thepicman, who were you dealing with at Sony?

How long is the turnaround? Why should the customer have to be inconvenienced, when Sony/DTV destroyed the box

John

jmorgis,

If a person didn't want the upgrade and their box got hosed - then maybe you would have a valid complaint. But if a person wants the upgrade and by accident it ended up not taking properly that is not exactly Sony/DTV destroyed my box. As long as they do a fairly decent turnaround, I don't see what there is to complain about (other than just bad luck).

I disagree. Though I am generally one who dislikes the militant anti-business ranting that often goes on in these forums, I believe that a company that makes a change to your box that you cannot reasonably prevent, or believe is required to make the box perform correctly as originally advertised, is responsible for insuring that it doesn't break the box, and for dealing with the cost of fixing it if it does. If it only happens to a very small number of people, then the cost to them is trivial compared to the ill will it will create if they don't. If it happens to enough people that it would be a burden to them, then obviously the process is fundamentally flawed and they are again responsible and should take the hit for dealing with the results.

Chris, I am upset because I have delt with Sony in the past, they had my old HD100 for 10 weeks, I know how long their repair facility in Bristol takes. They bounced me around on a technical issue between DTV and their backline techs. Nobody from Sony or DTV took ownership of my problem.

In the end, they did not fix it and I had to drop $699 for the HD300

I was very disappointed with Sony. and DTV are a bunch of monkeys
I did not ask for this update, nor did i approve it by saying yes.!
I will be without any TV for weeks to come, and added expence of shipping and Sony repair charge.

John