Moxi ( Motorola BMC90xx ) Q&A and Discussion Thread [Text View] - Page 26

twitchee3

04-04-06, 06:24 PM

Well a Charter Tech looked at my Moxi box today. He said the signal checked out fine. So he replaced my box. He also said they have been having a lot of problems with the Moxi and informed me that if the Moxi messed up again to call them and they will get me a Scientific Atlanta HD DVR 8300 box. The Tech said that is what he has in his house. He did say though that Moxi is a good system but that it is an early entry into the DVR field and they need to work out the bugs in it. Scientific Atlanta has been in the running longer.

I don't care what box I get as long as it records HD content.
If they have the option of giving you the SA 8300, then you must have one of the Moxi Powerkey models. There are very few of these compared to the Moxi's designed to run on Motorola infrastructures (possibly called Limonite models??). The Powerkey models were developed with hardware that is compatible with cable systems that have Scientific Atlanta hardware/infrastructures. I don't know whether this could be at the source of the issue, but I wouldn't rule it out.

Resist

04-04-06, 06:59 PM

Not sure just know the box they replaced looks like the same thing. But if this one doesn't work then I'll just get the SA 8300 and done with it.

twitchee3

04-04-06, 08:03 PM

Not sure just know the box they replaced looks like the same thing. But if this one doesn't work then I'll just get the SA 8300 and done with it.
All moxis, Powerkey and otherwise, appear EXACTLY the same on the outside and function the same. The only difference is that they operate on Scientific Atlanta based cable systems as opposed to motorola based cable systems.

Resist

04-06-06, 07:43 PM

So far my replacement Moxi seems to be working correctly. :)

joe221

04-06-06, 08:09 PM

So far my replacement Moxi seems to be working correctly. :)

Glad to hear that! :)

twitchee3

04-06-06, 09:32 PM

So far my replacement Moxi seems to be working correctly. :)
SWEET :D

twitchee3

04-06-06, 09:33 PM

Still waiting for Adelphia to send us the software update that supports 480p......................could be a while i guess.......i hate Adelphia!!!!

MoxiGuy

04-07-06, 08:25 AM

Usual Moxi performance of my box not recording scheduled season programming. The usual stupidity: only having one program at a given time set to record but when you go to record another a conflict still comes up saying that if you record this program it conflicts with itself and the already scheduled program. Wow, this thing makes my brain hurt. Should I swap out my box for the heck of it? I've had enough bugs to the point where I've hired an exterminator but he didn't feel comfortable spraying my Moxi. I've never encountered this one. Can you supply more details? What programs, times, & channels did you try to record? We'd like to be able to reproduce this.

MoxiGuy

04-07-06, 08:27 AM

Still waiting for Adelphia to send us the software update that supports 480p......................could be a while i guess.......i hate Adelphia!!!! The patter on updates is typically this. The cable company will run it in the lab and with some employess at home. Then they'll deploy to a limited number of markets and watch to be sure that there are no unexpected problems. Then they deploy it more widely. I'm hopeful you won't have long to wait.

Tim Neuland

04-07-06, 02:29 PM

The patter on updates is typically this. The cable company will run it in the lab and with some employess at home. Then they'll deploy to a limited number of markets and watch to be sure that there are no unexpected problems. Then they deploy it more widely. I'm hopeful you won't have long to wait.

Is there any data that indicates the conversion from 480i to 480p will be any better than the poor conversions that happen from 480i to 720p? I am hoping to use the Belkin Razorvision toy on the 480p signals when we receive the updates. The Razorvision does work on the 720p now, but the conversion is so bad that the original 480i signal looks better than the 720p + Razorvision corrections.

I am still hoping to get some kind of an answer to the FSW2 (34) Adelphia, YL guide programming error? Any findings, MOXIGUY?

twitchee3

04-07-06, 06:54 PM

The patter on updates is typically this. The cable company will run it in the lab and with some employess at home. Then they'll deploy to a limited number of markets and watch to be sure that there are no unexpected problems. Then they deploy it more widely. I'm hopeful you won't have long to wait.
Maybe if you had Adelphia as your provider you wouldn't be so hopeful. We ordered 2 Moxi's from them and EACH time it took them over 3 weeks to send a technician to lug his a$$ over here to install them. Now that we got 'em it's great, but we had to wait SOOO LONG. SD on an HDTV is such a drag........... :eek: :cool:

jaywatts

04-07-06, 09:31 PM

Sorry Moxiguy, I've been in outer space lately. My area: Charter, Northern Michigan(Cadillac/Traverse City area to be precise) I had Beautiful People(the wife watches this) recording at 9 p.m on channel 30. on Monday night. I also have Monday night Raw scheduled at 9 p.m. on channel 22(USA)as a season program and haven't had a problem with this program before. Raw wasn't recording so I tried recording it from the program guide. Note, Raw was not in the scheduled to record programs. It came up with a warning stating that if you Record this program it conflicts with the program that is currently recording and it also conflicts with itself as a scheduled program. Situation: One program is currently recording. Scheduled season program is not recording. Experienced moxi user tries to record season program from guide but is presented with a message that if it is recorded it conflicts with currently recording program and with itself and that one set must be cancelled for the program to be recorded. This still makes my head hurt. Note: I cancelled both seasons of both shows and have rescheduled them and everything seems to be back to normal. Just an odd bug that was a pain in the rear. And I apologize for being a pain in the rear in the past, you are a great help and asset to this forum. Thanks

I've never encountered this one. Can you supply more details? What programs, times, & channels did you try to record? We'd like to be able to reproduce this.

Resist

04-07-06, 10:52 PM

I've noticed something that may be a bug. I would be watching a show and then pause to answer the phone. I'd come back later, say 25 minutes and continue to watch my show. I may or may not pause it several times again, for short replays. Then as I carry on watching my show and it is not over with, all of a sudden I'm brought to the begining of the currently scheduled TV show on the channel. I'd be like....what happened to the remainder of my show? The time tape even showed I had plenty of it remaining to watch. This has happened to me several times, on this replacement Moxi box and the old box.

bobafett86

04-08-06, 10:59 AM

Yes that is a glitch that many people have noticed also. The best solution for that is if you know you are going to pause it for a while, just hit the record button. That has worked for me a lot of times. It's not how the unit is supposed to work, but it is a working solution.

JPEG

04-08-06, 02:59 PM

twitchee3

04-08-06, 04:55 PM

I will be getting a Moxi tomorrow and I am a bit concerned about the heat produced by this thing.

I am not a heavy TV watcher (I mostly watch sports) so I don't really need the Moxi powered up 24/7. I plan to time-shift a few sporting events, watch "live" content "behind live" (so I can skip commercials) and pause and rewind live TV.

Does anyone routinely unplug their Moxi? (Or power it down at a power strip?)
If so, any negative side-effects, besides slow re-start?

I obviously understand that if I unplug my Moxi I will need to be diligent about plugging it back in to record shows for time shifting. :-)

TIA,
JPEG
I've never noticed any negatives to this. Does take a while to reboot, but it will do that no matter if you do a controlled restart with the Reset button or if you just unplug it. One time i was in the shower and the lights did one of those flickers and i thought, "hope my computer and Moxi are okay," but as this routinely happens in my house perhaps once every couple of weeks, especially when using the vacuum clenaer (wasn't using it this time though), i didn't think much of it and figured everything would be fine. Got back to my room, and my computer and clocks were all on and correct, but the front panel of the Moxi was going berzerk. Reset button wouldn't do anything so i quickly turned off the power strip. Turned it off for like 2-3 seconds and the Moxi didn't turn off. Turned the stip off again for a minute or so and finally the Moxi died down. Turned power back on and after a long reboot the box seemed to be fine, and still contained recorded shows, sechduled show, and settings. This has only happened once but i just thought it was odd.

darkeyes909

04-08-06, 06:53 PM

Well, my old, original, first model Philips Tivo died this week and I am replacing it with a Moxi next week. (Had to wait until after the funeral and for Charter Long Beach, CA. to be able to show up.)

My Tivo was the dual hard drive Philips model purchased from AVS for $1000 when they first came to market. It has served me well, but all good things come to an end. Tivo and I may be one of those good things. (I do wonder if the failure had anything to do with the many Tivo software update hard drive failures I have read about?)

I have been waiting for several years now for an hd/cable Tivo to be available to replace this original unit. That would appear to be the new series3, not yet available.
So mine died before the model with the functions I want/need is available. I will be trying the Moxi for now.

Here is what I will be looking at. Price, functionality, and picture quality.
Price wise the Moxi wins hands down. An overall $11 increase to my cable bill vs. the cost of the series3. Perhaps around $800 and up. The cost of the series 3 might be more competitive if Tivo allows me to transfer my lifetime service to it. (Having bought mine before the year 2000 cut off date, I have a one time transfer of my lifetime subscription coming to me, but will they permit this with the new series3 and with the end of lifetime subscriptions in general? If they don't allow me to transfer my lifetime subscripton, the monthly cost, not even counting the hardware costs, will be more for me than the Moxi in total. That is a strong consideration for me.

The Moxi, cost wise, is the better deal. Due to technology changes and hardware failure, Tivo has a limited lifespan. Yes, replacing worn hard drives is an option, but adds to the cost over time. If Moxi fails, just have the cable provider bring out another one. Much easier and cheaper than futzing with adding new hard drives etc.

This also depends on how soon Moxi can compete by offering extra hard drive functionality. The approximate 10 hours of hd Charter is offering me is almost useless to me. I could not live with that for long regardless of price.

The low amount of time available with HD recording will be a deal maker/breaker for me.

But price isn't everything. Ease of use and fucnctionality of the software can make or break a product. I don't see how Tivo can be beat here. It does what it is supposed to, reliably and easily. I am assuming a win for Tivo here. But only time with the Moxi and future software upgrades will tell if this is enough of an advantage to justify the purchase of the Tivo.

Then we have picture quality. Hard to put a price on this. If the Moxi can't consistantly and reliably provide a high quality recording it is useless to me. I did not spend all this money for hi def to see a recording with quality problems.

I will now be test driving Moxi and seeing if it is good enough for me to not have to purchase the Tivo unit.

Resist

04-08-06, 07:42 PM

Does anyone routinely unplug their Moxi? (Or power it down at a power strip?)
Moxi like any other Tivo like device is not designed to be shut down. You will end up doing more harm than good with all the reboot starts. Many electrical devices fail with lots of on/off cycles. Plus Moxi is a computer, nothing more. You wouldn't cycle your computer all day long. You either turn it on and leave it on all day or your leave it off all day.

dagware

04-08-06, 07:56 PM

Is there any data that indicates the conversion from 480i to 480p will be any better than the poor conversions that happen from 480i to 720p? I am hoping to use the Belkin Razorvision toy on the 480p signals when we receive the updates. The Razorvision does work on the 720p now, but the conversion is so bad that the original 480i signal looks better than the 720p + Razorvision corrections.

I am still hoping to get some kind of an answer to the FSW2 (34) Adelphia, YL guide programming error? Any findings, MOXIGUY?
I have the update that supports 480p. I have an InFocus SP4805 projector. On my PJ, the 480p upconversion of the Moxi isn't nearly as good as what the 4805 does on its own. The Moxi's 480p upconversion looks blurry and not nearly as sharp.

YMMV.

-Dan

twitchee3

04-08-06, 11:20 PM

This also depends on how soon Moxi can compete by offering extra hard drive functionality. The approximate 10 hours of hd Charter is offering me is almost useless to me. I could not live with that for long regardless of price.

The low amount of time available with HD recording will be a deal maker/breaker for me.
If your cable company said you will only have 10 hours of HD recording time, you must be receiving the BMC 9012 model with an 80 GB hard drive. If recording space is a big issue, you should request the newer BMC 9022D model of the box. This model has a 160 GB hard drive, double that of the 9012. Also, it supports an additional SD Moxi Mate which delivers all the features of the main box, minus the HD, to another TV in your house via your current coaxial cable system. The 9022D also incorporates a built in DVD/CD/media drive which is hidden behind the front panel of the unit. Other than these additions, the 9022D is the SAME unit as the 9012 and runs the same software. In our house we have both a 9012 and a 9022D which was ordered shortly after Adelphia received their first batch of the new units. The leasing for each box is the same, so you should contact your local cable company and see if any of the new BMC 9022D's are available in your area.

kodaker

04-09-06, 05:18 PM

Moxiguy: Do you know if the Moxi has plans for picture in picture like the Scientific Atlanta box already has?

twitchee3

04-09-06, 07:00 PM

Moxiguy: Do you know if the Moxi has plans for picture in picture like the Scientific Atlanta box already has?
Yeah, I mentioned that earlier and i would like to reiterate that this would be a great additional feature. Having to use my TV remote for the PIP is an extra step i could do without. Would be nice to enable this feature and then maybe switch out our remotes, or just assign a new remote command into a software update.

twitchee3

04-09-06, 08:06 PM

Hey MoxiGuy, any ETA on Moxi Mates for Adelphia SoCal? I have heard that as of yet, Adelphia in SoCal has not taken delivery of any Moxi Mate units, but that other Adelphia markets do have the mate available. Is this because Adelphia SoCal has not placed any orders or because their orders have not been filled yet? My area has both the BMC 9022D and the BMC 9012 available and it seems to be the DVR of choice for both HD and SD setups for Adelphia. Any idea of if/when Adelphia will take delivery of any Moxi Mate units here in beautiful southern California?

jasonvr

04-09-06, 09:56 PM

Well, when the external hard drive capability shows up, I think I have the solution to all of our storage woes. I don't think anyone could could complain about capacity when they add one of these (http://www.maxtor.com/_files/maxtor/en_us/documentation/data_sheets/onetouch_iii_turbo_datasheet.pdf)

joe221

04-09-06, 10:43 PM

jasonvr

04-10-06, 06:56 AM

Dream on! ;) :D Good idea though!

Besides the price, is there any reason you say dream on? At Moxipalooza, I inquired about something like this, not knowing if RAID actually existed as a USB drive, and MoxiGuy seemed to think (no firm commitment) that as long as it was seen as one logical volume, it "should" work. And with RAID0, I guarantee there wouldn't be any throughput issues.

Also, I did a little more huntion to inquire on price, and I found that LaCie has USB RAID drives that go up to 2TB......

gjlowe

04-10-06, 08:46 AM

There is no reason why it shouldn't show up as any USB hard drive if all the RAID is handled by the device itself. Buffalo Tech also makes some cool external storage solutions like this...

jevid

04-10-06, 10:56 AM

Re: Charter San Luis Obispo, CA channel 781, KKFX FOX HD

After over a month of dealing with this, I had a second Charter tech come to the house to swap out the box. The first tech that came out did not think it was the box: he thought it was programming on their end. I placed two subsequent calls to Charter tech support and they both thought it was the box, had me perform all kinds of resets, program guide downloads, etc. No go. Fox HD (KKFX) wich is channel 781 would not show up on the HD guide, and the MOXI thought it was an SD channel so all the recording got cut off early.

I finally just called last week and asked for a new box. Another very nice tech came out, swapped out the box and surprise surprise, the same thing: KKFX was not showing up on the HD guide. He called his dispatch center and had them try on a Moxi & TV they had there. They saw the exact same thing. So, I had him swap my old box back in so I wouldn't lose my recordings. He said he was going to see if he could get the ball rolling to fix this.

I'm glad we ruled out the box and confirmed that it was happening elsewhere. Maybe now it will get fixed? I have to say, I really like my Moxi, but I am starting to think about getting an SA 8300, mostly because of the HD recording issues.

JPEG

04-10-06, 11:08 AM

Just got my Moxi. I'm pleased with the PQ (on my SD CRT) and the usability.

However, this unit is very noisy. I know it is hard to talk about noise in a forum post, but here goes...

1) I can easily hear the unit from 14 feet away when program sound is muted.

2) When watching a DVD (via a separate, dedicated DVD player) the Moxi is so loud that it is quite distracting during the quiet portions of a movie.

3) Subjectively, it sounds like a low-end Dell desktop PC.

For comparison, I have a very quiet PC made with quiet components (End PC Noise design) and I also work with multiple computers all day long. So, I am pretty sure this is a noisy device, by design (hope not!!) or defect.

NOTE: The OSD says my unit is running at 50 degrees C. Is this hot? Does this unit have "smart fans" that slow down when possible?

Do I have a problem unit?

If so, any tips for convincing Charter that I have a problem?

TIA,
JPEG

definitely seems to be a problem with some of these boxes,...maybe even alot of these boxes, but I have 2, and don't hear either of them...and these are not large rooms or anything...box is at most 8 feet away in both rooms...with the tv off, complete silence in the room...not a peep out of mine...I'd definitely look into getting a new one if I were you...

baseddelmeyer

04-10-06, 11:39 AM

I noticed that my unit was getting noisier and noisier, so, I took a look at it and there was quite a bit of dust buildup around the fan. I cleaned the fan area with one of those cans of air and the noise level dropped fourfold. YMMV

Just got my Moxi. I'm pleased with the PQ (on my SD CRT) and the usability.

However, this unit is very noisy. I know it is hard to talk about noise in a forum post, but here goes...

...

TIA,
JPEG

joe221

04-10-06, 11:55 AM

Besides the price, is there any reason you say dream on? At Moxipalooza, I inquired about something like this, not knowing if RAID actually existed as a USB drive, and MoxiGuy seemed to think (no firm commitment) that as long as it was seen as one logical volume, it "should" work. And with RAID0, I guarantee there wouldn't be any throughput issues.

Also, I did a little more huntion to inquire on price, and I found that LaCie has USB RAID drives that go up to 2TB......

It's just things are slow to change... :(
If they ever do, the RAID prices will have time to drop so figure it'll cost about $200 for a few Terrabytes by then! :D We'll have a colony on Mars and there'll be peace on the Planet! ;)

Tim Neuland

04-10-06, 01:06 PM

I have been trying to unravel how to get Adelphia, Yorba Linda to fix a programming problem. I have been sending emails, etc. to describe the issue with FSW2 (34). This morning ZAP2IT listed channel 34 with good data! The channel designator was changed to FSNPT. I quickly looked at Anaheim and Fullerton and all of them had started calling the channel FSNPT. OUTSTANDING!!!

Five minutes later I check the Adelphia web site for So.Cal. and it still shows channel 34 as FSW2. Well, maybe it's just a timing issue and it will get changed soon. No such luck. I look at ZAP2IT again and 34 is now listed as FSW2 and has the bad data again. These YL people are determined to have it their way, even if it is wrong. :mad:

"You can lead a horse to water ..."

If I give back the MOXI and go to another STB, the problem goes away. How bad do I want HD+PVR? When is TIVO 3 coming out?

JPEG

04-10-06, 01:19 PM

I noticed that my unit was getting noisier and noisier, so, I took a look at it and there was quite a bit of dust buildup around the fan. I cleaned the fan area with one of those cans of air and the noise level dropped fourfold. YMMV

Thanks...but mine is brand new...the tech delivered it in a sealed box. No dust build up yet.

JPEG

chaismus

04-10-06, 01:41 PM

Tim Neuland

04-10-06, 01:43 PM

I was wondering if anybody has attempted programming and or upgrading the BMC 9012 themselves. I know the units are usually owned by the cable company, but if there is anybody out there who have purchased the units and attempted upgrading/programming them.

One user tried, but the set top box police came and took him to Iraq. We've never heard from him again.

Somebody labeled "Joebananas" [page 195] was going to try to change the internal HD. I think it was straight forward to replace a Linux drive, but he probably had no success in overcoming the the encryption algorithms employed by MOXI.

wunder

04-10-06, 03:56 PM

I have been waiting for several years now for an hd/cable Tivo to be available to replace this original unit. That would appear to be the new series3, not yet available.
So mine died before the model with the functions I want/need is available. I will be trying the Moxi for now.

Excuse a car analogy here, but the Moxi reminds me of the Turbocharged Dodge Neon that was available for a little bit. Monster engine but uncomfortable and unreliable.

The nice thing with the Moxi is for the price you can put up with it (lease it?) until Tivo (Honda?) comes out with a competitive model, which is supposed to be later this year.

black_macleod

04-10-06, 03:59 PM

Excuse a car analogy here, but the Moxi reminds me of the Turbocharged Dodge Neon that was available for a little bit. Monster engine but uncomfortable and unreliable.

The nice thing with the Moxi is for the price you can put up with it (lease it?) until Tivo (Honda?) comes out with a competitive model, which is supposed to be later this year.

Heh, too bad it needs that extra long Hyundai warranty!

wunder

04-10-06, 04:06 PM

Heh, too bad it needs that extra long Hyundai warranty!

Hey, it's still better than walking (TV-only) :D

joe221

04-10-06, 04:17 PM

Wouldn't you like to just give back that Neon and stop paying for it. With Moxi, you can. Chrysler, short of a class action, won't hear of it. (YMMV)

twitchee3

04-10-06, 04:25 PM

Just got my Moxi. I'm pleased with the PQ (on my SD CRT) and the usability.

However, this unit is very noisy. I know it is hard to talk about noise in a forum post, but here goes...

1) I can easily hear the unit from 14 feet away when program sound is muted.

2) When watching a DVD (via a separate, dedicated DVD player) the Moxi is so loud that it is quite distracting during the quiet portions of a movie.

3) Subjectively, it sounds like a low-end Dell desktop PC.

For comparison, I have a very quiet PC made with quiet components (End PC Noise design) and I also work with multiple computers all day long. So, I am pretty sure this is a noisy device, by design (hope not!!) or defect.

NOTE: The OSD says my unit is running at 50 degrees C. Is this hot? Does this unit have "smart fans" that slow down when possible?

Do I have a problem unit?

If so, any tips for convincing Charter that I have a problem?

TIA,
JPEG
That's pretty dern hot! We have 2 Moxi's, a 9012 which usually runs between 35* and 37* C and a 9022D which usually runs fairly hot at around 45* C or so. You may think of giving the Moxi more room to breathe or unplugging it for maybe 15 minutes or so to let it cool down. Otherwise, you may have a defective cooling unit in your box if it's brand new and already heating up like that. Perhaps call the cable company for a swap(if you don't currently have the 9022D version, i would request that one specifically-160 GB hard drive, DVD player, and Moxi Mate capability :D ).

Good luck :cool:

twitchee3

04-10-06, 04:30 PM

I was wondering if anybody has attempted programming and or upgrading the BMC 9012 themselves. I know the units are usually owned by the cable company, but is anybody out there who has purchased the unit and attempted upgrading/programming it.
As far as i know, ALL Moxi's are owned by cable companies and even MoxiGuy, the rep from Digeo, basically said that no Moxi STB's have or will be sold to the public in the near future. I remember someone in here posting that they DID in fact buy one and his post seemed kind of suspicious, possibly he had received a "hot" box that still belonged to a cable company. Or maybe an ignorant subscriber didn't realize he was "leasing" from a cable company, moved without notifying them, realized the Moxi didn't work at his new location, and sold it thinking he HAD bought it from the cable company. I can see this happening, and yes if you were to buy a "hot" Moxi or attempt to alter a leased Moxi, the cable police would be hot on your trail and you may find yourself in a gulag :D

splinke

04-10-06, 05:51 PM

...NOTE: The OSD says my unit is running at 50 degrees C. Is this hot? Does this unit have "smart fans" that slow down when possible?...
From the FAQ:

"Typical readings seem to be about 32-52˚C. The 'overheating' messages pop up when the CPU temperature value reaches about 65˚C, and the Moxi will automatically shut down if the temperature remains too high. According to Motorola, cabinet installations must have no doors or have open airflow. In addition, you are supposed to keep the Moxi away from other heat-generating components and have at least two inches of clearance on the top, sides, and back. Clearance in the back seems to be particularly important as both the fan input and output are located there. Make sure your unit has enough air flow to keep it cool. It may also help to occasionally dust or vacuum out the vents on the back."

You may be on the high side of "normal". I don't think the Moxi has variable fan speed speed. I think it just runs constantly, but I may be wrong. Mine is pretty quiet, though, unless you get close to it, so there may be something a bit wrong with yours to make it so loud (perhaps the fan is a bit off or the optical drive is noisy?).

chaismus

04-10-06, 06:20 PM

As far as i know, ALL Moxi's are owned by cable companies and even MoxiGuy, the rep from Digeo, basically said that no Moxi STB's have or will be sold to the public in the near future. I remember someone in here posting that they DID in fact buy one and his post seemed kind of suspicious, possibly he had received a "hot" box that still belonged to a cable company. Or maybe an ignorant subscriber didn't realize he was "leasing" from a cable company, moved without notifying them, realized the Moxi didn't work at his new location, and sold it thinking he HAD bought it from the cable company. I can see this happening, and yes if you were to buy a "hot" Moxi or attempt to alter a leased Moxi, the cable police would be hot on your trail and you may find yourself in a gulag :D

I know that in my city we can purchase a moxi for $400 (Fee for losing the unit or moving and stealing it), but was able to find one online for cheaper (Ebay). The guy is going to ship it this week, but as I understand you just have to pay an activation fee to get it installed on the charter network. If I get chased down then so be it, but I dont see why they would have any problem with it.

I am firmware / software programmer and have downloaded the open source software from the DIEGO website. I was just wondering if anybody has done any development on their own before? Or if anybody else knows the specs on how to program these units. The software was meant for the owners of the moxi unit. (Usually the cable company) I do not see why if I own the unit that I cannot attempt program/change it especially if the software is open sourced.

JPEG

04-10-06, 06:51 PM

Thanks.

I searched your FAQ for info on noise issues before posting here. Since I found none, I assume that most Moxis are quiet.

FWIW, I do not have an optical drive in my Moxi.

My current Moxi placement is very borderline on the "two-inch rule" and I am looking to move it. However, if the Moxi has a constant-speed fan then relocating to a better location won't make a difference WRT noise.

Thanks,
JPEG

From the FAQ:

"Typical readings seem to be about 32-52˚C. The 'overheating' messages pop up when the CPU temperature value reaches about 65˚C, and the Moxi will automatically shut down if the temperature remains too high. According to Motorola, cabinet installations must have no doors or have open airflow. In addition, you are supposed to keep the Moxi away from other heat-generating components and have at least two inches of clearance on the top, sides, and back. Clearance in the back seems to be particularly important as both the fan input and output are located there. Make sure your unit has enough air flow to keep it cool. It may also help to occasionally dust or vacuum out the vents on the back."

You may be on the high side of "normal". I don't think the Moxi has variable fan speed speed. I think it just runs constantly, but I may be wrong. Mine is pretty quiet, though, unless you get close to it, so there may be something a bit wrong with yours to make it so loud (perhaps the fan is a bit off or the optical drive is noisy?).

twitchee3

04-10-06, 07:22 PM

I know that in my city we can purchase a moxi for $400 (Fee for losing the unit or moving and stealing it), but was able to find one online for cheaper (Ebay). The guy is going to ship it this week, but as I understand you just have to pay an activation fee to get it installed on the charter network. If I get chased down then so be it, but I dont see why they would have any problem with it.

I am firmware / software programmer and have downloaded the open source software from the DIEGO website. I was just wondering if anybody has done any development on their own before? Or if anybody else knows the specs on how to program these units. The software was meant for the owners of the moxi unit. (Usually the cable company) I do not see why if I own the unit that I cannot attempt program/change it especially if the software is open sourced.
Interesting, who is your cable provider? Also, i know that DIGEO's software is linux based and supposedly incorporates a software lock that allows ONLY the owner (they were referring to the cable company) to alter the OS using their open source tools. Now, since you are essentially purchasing to own this Moxi, i don't know whether this lock exists on yours, it probably depends where it came from. Also, i sure hope that you went to all lengths to ensure that this Moxi will be compatible on your cable system, because there are two models, Powerkey for SA systems and the regular model (could be called Limonite, I'm not sure) for Motorola based cable systems. If you purchased the wrong model, there will be NO WAY to correct this compatibility issue. Also, software hardcoded into the OS must be compatible with your cable co.'s system for updating guide data, VOD, Pay per View, 5c encryption and other features. If this box does not have all the pre-programmed settings custom for your provider in your area, it probably will not function as it should or at all.

I hope you can get this to work, and if you are able to toy with the Moxi's system, please update us. :D

chaismus

04-10-06, 07:41 PM

I hope you can get this to work, and if you are able to toy with the Moxi's system, please update us. :D

Ill update once it arrives. Until then I will see what I can get out of deigo about personal software development.

twitchee3

04-10-06, 09:07 PM

Ill update once it arrives. Until then I will see what I can get out of deigo about personal software development.
Good luck, i don't know how helpful they'll be since they are pretty much in partnership with cable companies, and i don't really think they want this sort of thing to happen, but MoxiGuy may also be of some assistance, he seems like a nice enough guy. :cool:

JoePerches

04-11-06, 12:36 AM

I am firmware / software programmer and have downloaded the open source software from the DIEGO website.
Me too. I am also LK/embedded/licensing aware.

if I own the unit that I cannot attempt program/change it especially if the software is open sourced.
The linux kernel is licensed under the GPL (v2). The modifications to make the Digeo/Moxi variant of the linux kernel have been made available as the GPL requires.

Digeo's application software that uses the linux kernel is not required to be GPL'ed. Digeo's Moxi software is not licensed under the GPL. Digeo is not required to make public their application software.

You can of course reverse engineer for compatibility as you desire.

twitchee3

04-11-06, 02:31 AM

Tonight, surprisingly, was the first time we used either of our Moxi's to record 2 HD programs at the same time, and since so many users have reported pixelation issues while doing this, i thought i would report my findings.

With our Moxi BMC 9012 that we have downstairs, it recorded the 2x 1 hr long new episodes of "The Apprentice" which is a scheduled season recording. These were presented on NBC HD in 1080i but in a cropped 4x3 image, that is the image was 4x3 and both sides were filled with black strips. At the same time, we were recording "The Ten Commandments" on ABC HD presented in 720p in 16x9 widescreen. While i have not yet watched all the recorded content (both recordings were for my parents, and while i do like to watch The Apprentice, i was actually watching it live, so no need to watch the recordings), i did skim through both episodes of "The Apprentice" and "The Ten Commandments" to look for pixelation, audio dropouts, audio mis-synchronization, etc. I spent a good ten minutes looking through all of the recorded HD and noticed ABSOLUTELY NO pixelation or errors of any other sort. I am very pleased that the Moxi was able to perform as advertised on this point.

I believe it has been established in previous posts that dual HD recording errors, especially pixelation, were probably due to signal and or hardware issues. Signal in our house is very strong, we have the main cable line from the street split 3 ways in the service box on the side of the house, and those three lines are routed throughout the hosue. All three lines are additionally split many other ways to incorporate a variety of devices in different rooms. We have: 2 Moxi HD DVR STB's, 1 HD Plasma with QAM tuner, 3 PCI analog TV tuner cards (1 disconnected) for 3 different computers, cable modem, 3 SD TV's, and 1 HD LCD for PIP all connected to our cable and we still receive a VERY strong signal throughout the house. Wow i didn't realize we had all of 9 devices connected to our cable simultaneously, anyone else have their cable split this many ways? Any problems with that? I'd like to know if it's just that our signal is VERY strong. Actually though, digital and analog devices will not "suck" reception from each other. Digitial signals and analog signals will not interfere with each other.

dagware

04-11-06, 10:46 AM

These were presented on NBC HD in 1080i but in a cropped 4x3 image, that is the image was 4x3 and both sides were filled with black strips.
FWIW, when I was having pixelation problems with NBCHD, they only showed up when the program being broadcast was truly a high definition show. The ones that were cropped to 4:3 didn't exhibit the problem.

-Dan

twitchee3

04-11-06, 04:18 PM

FWIW, when I was having pixelation problems with NBCHD, they only showed up when the program being broadcast was truly a high definition show. The ones that were cropped to 4:3 didn't exhibit the problem.

-Dan
I see, i was wondering if that could have been partially responsible for the issue, although i will say that even if an HD feed is cropped, it's still TRUE HD, in full 1080i glory, it's just that the original taped show was not shot with widescreen cameras, that's all. It's really the same quality, just smaller. I bet it does cut down on the bandwidth though.

Resist

04-11-06, 06:37 PM

twitchee3

04-11-06, 06:44 PM

Last night I noticed a second or two of slight pixelation in one of my Moxi's recorded series shows. It wasn't bad enough to call call Charter about for a replacement. But it did have me worried for a second. I hope it doesn't get worse and Moxi can resolve this issue. If not then I will have no choice but to request that Charter Cable to replace my Moxi for the SA8300HD DVR. I also hope Moxi can speed up the guide interface. I know they supposedly already did this with the last update but it's still slow to me.
Are you sure you have received the latest update? I have NOT yet received the update which incorporates the imporoved 480p resolution.

slim79

04-11-06, 07:17 PM

dagware

04-11-06, 07:18 PM

Last night I noticed a second or two of slight pixelation in one of my Moxi's recorded series shows. It wasn't bad enough to call call Charter about for a replacement. But it did have me worried for a second. I hope it doesn't get worse and Moxi can resolve this issue. If not then I will have no choice but to request that Charter Cable to replace my Moxi for the SA8300HD DVR. I also hope Moxi can speed up the guide interface. I know they supposedly already did this with the last update but it's still slow to me.
I've noticed this happens every once in a while. I think of it like brief interference. But since they finally solved my problem with NBCHD, it's never been very bad. I have noticed that it seemed to happen a little more often two weeks ago, but it seems to be fine now.

Nothing is perfect. ;)

-Dan

dagware

04-11-06, 07:21 PM

I see, i was wondering if that could have been partially responsible for the issue, although i will say that even if an HD feed is cropped, it's still TRUE HD, in full 1080i glory, it's just that the original taped show was not shot with widescreen cameras, that's all. It's really the same quality, just smaller. I bet it does cut down on the bandwidth though.
I'd guess there's a pretty big difference in file size between a true HD program and one of those letterboxed ones...

-Dan

slim79

04-11-06, 07:42 PM

Actually I would say there is little difference between the bandwidth consumed while on an HD channel not currently broadcasting in HD and that same channel while broadcasting in HD(based on file size output and bitrate that I am seeing while watching in VLC). What can very a lot is the bitrate of different HD channels so maybe it could have to do with recording two channels with high bitrates. I notice that with 720p the bitrate does not vary nearly as much as 1080i though my 720p channel is only 12.9Mbps(stays steady at around 12) and some of the 1080i are 25Mbps(can vary from 8 - 20Mbps while streaming whether true HD or not).

twitchee3

04-11-06, 08:03 PM

slim79

04-11-06, 08:44 PM

Interesting, so perhaps there is a problem with recording two channels in 1080i at the same time, you may have come across something of value here...........

it could have to do with that...or it could have something to do with the moxi's sensitivity to signal level and the apparent difference in quality of signal between one tuner and the other.

twitchee3

04-11-06, 10:36 PM

it could have to do with that...or it could have something to do with the moxi's sensitivity to signal level and the apparent difference in quality of signal between one tuner and the other.
Probably so, but the sensitivity seems to only affect streams in 1080i.

Penton-Man

04-11-06, 10:44 PM

twitchee3

04-11-06, 11:20 PM

I plan on soon exchanging my Moxi 9012 for a 9022….simply for the added storage available.

Twitchee, and any other SoCal users out there, have you had any problems with the 9022 compared to the 9012 ?

My current 9012 works flawlessly and my signals are fine, so zee wife says. :D
Nope, it's the same system with an added DVD drive, bigger HDD, and support for the Moxi Mate. Interface is not different in ANY respect, and even hardware appears the same as the optical drive is hidden behind that front panel that says "Broadband Media Center."

wanderance

04-11-06, 11:53 PM

Has anyone experienced this:

1) The guide doesn't show one of the networks (FOX) as being in HD. I have to browse the listings to actually find a show.
2) 40 minutes into the show (on FOX), the MOXI will just stop recording. No reason, just stops. I can go back in and pick up the remaining 20 minutes if I do a manual recoding and everything is fine.

I also seem to be having the 1080i issue, where if 2 1080i programs are being recorded the MOXI just spazes. and can't handle it.

Penton-Man

04-12-06, 12:12 AM

Nope, it's the same system with an added DVD drive, bigger HDD, and support for the Moxi Mate.
Were you able to get your 9022 without the Moxi Mate for the same fee as thee ole regular 9012 that Adelphia has ?

slim79

04-12-06, 12:16 AM

Has anyone experienced this:

1) The guide doesn't show one of the networks (FOX) as being in HD. I have to browse the listings to actually find a show.
2) 40 minutes into the show (on FOX), the MOXI will just stop recording. No reason, just stops. I can go back in and pick up the remaining 20 minutes if I do a manual recoding and everything is fine.
I beleive this has come up before and I think it is becuase the moxi guide is not seeing it as an HD channel that the recording problem is happening.

wanderance

04-12-06, 12:34 AM

I beleive the this has come up before and I think it is becuase the moxi guide is not seeing it as an HD channel that the recording is problem is happening.

This is on a Charter system (forgot to mention that), and after a bit of testing, it appears any 2 HD channels tuned at the same time really goof the box up. Who can I contact regarding the guide issue?

Is there a way to force it to use 1 tuner only? I really don't need the dual tuners and a show we were in the middle of tonight just went crazy, so we had to stop watching...very disapointing.

twitchee3

04-12-06, 02:27 AM

This is on a Charter system (forgot to mention that), and after a bit of testing, it appears any 2 HD channels tuned at the same time really goof the box up. Who can I contact regarding the guide issue?

Is there a way to force it to use 1 tuner only? I really don't need the dual tuners and a show we were in the middle of tonight just went crazy, so we had to stop watching...very disapointing.
You should contact Charter to resolve the guide issue, although they may not be willing to work with you. The box needs to utilize both tuners if you wish to record one program while watching another, and there is no way to disable a tuner if you are only watching/recording one program because the internal feed is always split to each tuner. Also, the dual HD recording errors/pixelation are most likely due to weak signal strength as it seems people with strong signals do not have this problem with the box.

twitchee3

04-12-06, 02:29 AM

Were you able to get your 9022 without the Moxi Mate for the same fee as thee ole regular 9012 that Adelphia has ?
Yes, we are charged the same for both boxes. Actually, if you want to get technical about it, we pay slightly more for our 9022D because we added it after the 9012 and we are being charged an "Additional Digital Outlet Fee,"(which is basically just a fee for having a second box, it has nothing to do with the model of the DVR) but if you are swapping boxes, you will be charged the same amount for the new 9022D as the box you are replacing it with.

twitchee3

04-12-06, 03:05 AM

HD Recording Update:

For true testing, tonight i simultaneously recorded 2 HD shows on our BMC 9012 unit downstairs. I recorded the last few minutes of "Conviction" on NBC HD presented in 1080i 16x9 widescreen Dolby Digital. I also recorded the last few minutes of "CSI" on CBS HD presented in 1080i 16x9 widescreen. While playing back both, i noticed NO pixelation, streaks, audio dropouts or mis-synchronization, or video/audio problems of any other sort on either of the recorded programs. I take this to mean that signal strength in our house is quite strong, and or there are no hardware issues with this box. Take it for what it's worth, but i thought i would report one instance in which the Moxi is doing what it's supposed to.

By the way, for those reporting the dual HD recording pixelation issues, could you tell me if it happens on both programs, or only one of them, and throughout the entire recording, or only at certain points?

wanderance

04-12-06, 10:53 AM

You should contact Charter to resolve the guide issue, although they may not be willing to work with you. The box needs to utilize both tuners if you wish to record one program while watching another, and there is no way to disable a tuner if you are only watching/recording one program because the internal feed is always split to each tuner. Also, the dual HD recording errors/pixelation are most likely due to weak signal strength as it seems people with strong signals do not have this problem with the box.

Out of the blue last night, the FOX HD channel started showing up in searches, so maybe they fixed it.

I am not sure the pixelation issue is due to signal stenght. When the tech came out, he had to actually throttle my signal back because it was so strong, he said it would cause some serious issues. He put a tap on the line, I suppose I could remove it and see if the pixelation issues persist, but it looks to me like the hardware simply can't keep up with the bandwith.

brikin

04-12-06, 11:09 AM

Is anyone having problems getting channels to hide? I hid the showtime channels since I do not subscribe to them and everything was working fine. Then my power was out for 5 hours and when the MOXI came back on I saw all the hidden channels in the menu again. So I went to the setup\channels menu and unchecked the showtime channels and then clicked back. But when I go back to the menu they are all checked again. I am in St. Louis and have charter with the latest software update. Does anyone know how to fix this?

joe221

04-12-06, 01:17 PM

slim79

04-12-06, 01:23 PM

NBC-HD in my area appears to have the highest bitrate on average by quite a bit. the stream is 25Mbps and the video bitrate while whatching varies for the most part between 15-21Mbps depending on the colors on the screen and motion. I will post later what all HD channels I have are reporting for the bitrate of the mpeg2ts

slim79

04-12-06, 08:30 PM

Based on Captures from CapDVHS these are the bitrates I am seeing for these channels.
The bitrate has a lot to do with what is received from the network but can vary depending on how the cable company grooms the stream.

HDNet 25Mbps
HDNetM 25Mbps
TNTHD 17Mbps
ESPNHD 25Mbps
UnivHD 12.5Mbps
DiscHD 25Mbps
MaxHD 17Mbps
HBOHD 19Mbps
SHOHD 25Mbps
PBSHD 11.348Mbps
NBCHD 25Mbps
CBSHD 15Mbps
ABCHD 12.9Mbps

twitchee3

04-12-06, 11:39 PM

slim79

04-12-06, 11:56 PM

Did you use your Moxi to obtain these results?
no. i used the moto 6200. with analog channels the box converts to digital(mpeg ts) so the output resolution and rate can vary depending on the model of cable box but with digital channels firewire is just passing the mpeg data through.

wanderance

04-13-06, 01:32 AM

Well, FOX is still cutting off after 40 minutes, even though FOX HD is appearing in the guide. The other HD Networks have a litle "HD" logo next them. I doubt this has anything to do with it, but man this ticks me off!

I record a lot of shows on FOX and was really looking forward to seeing them in HD...back to analog now...

I will call Charter tomorrow, doubt it will do any good though. I have been doing some reading and it seems like everyone in my area is having the same issue, so I assume they are aware of it, they just don't know how to fix it.

splinke

04-13-06, 02:14 AM

Well, FOX is still cutting off after 40 minutes, even though FOX HD is appearing in the guide...
Based on past similar reports, your HD Fox channel is probably improperly programmed as an SD channel, and the Moxi apparently determines recording length by total data received. Therefore, since the total data length of an hour of SD is smaller than that for an hour of HD, the Moxi is shutting off the recording early. I assume that each channel's bit-rate must be programmed into each cable system's channel map, and I believe this is something that Digeo must change on their servers.

I think MoxiGuy or other Digeo employees who monitor this forum have been able to fix such problems in the past. Are any of you guys listening?

Alternatively, this information could be embedded in the electronic program guide information provided by TMS, but that seems more doubtful. In either case, a call to an informed Charter support person should get the update process started.

Resist

04-13-06, 07:11 AM

Are you sure you have received the latest update? I have NOT yet received the update which incorporates the imporoved 480p resolution.
My box does not have the 480p update either.

Tim Neuland

04-13-06, 12:17 PM

[QUOTE=slim79]Based on Captures from CapDVHS these are the bitrates I am seeing for these channels.
The bitrate has a lot to do with what is received from the network but can vary depending on how the cable company grooms the stream.

HDNet 25Mbps
HDNetM 25Mbps...
QUOTE]

Thank you for this data. This falls in the catagory of "I'll be damned", but it does explain why some channels have a softening effect to the edges of the pictures compared to the ones using 25MB/s. ABC picked 720p as its native resolution because it is supposed to be better for sports broadcasting. But, they damage the picture with the compromise of half the bitrate.

Thanks Slim

Rampage522

04-13-06, 08:23 PM

Moxiguy if your out there...
I am noticing a problem with digital music channels for some reason being output by the moxi in 720p.
Their actual resolution is 704x480 and aspect ratio is 1:1
If you only select 480i and 1080i in HDTV Setup they are then output in 480i.

3.2.171.12LR-P.113955
Charter in WI.I think I have this problem, too. I only have s standard-def TV, but the picture on all the digital music channels is distorted by black bars on the left and right -- the picture is "squished."

Sorry I can't think of a more eloquent term. :)

gwag

04-14-06, 05:44 AM

twitchee3

04-14-06, 06:17 AM

I think I have this problem, too. I only have s standard-def TV, but the picture on all the digital music channels is distorted by black bars on the left and right -- the picture is "squished."

Sorry I can't think of a more eloquent term. :)
Music channels are not "squished" they are broadcast in an aspect ratio of 1x1, instead of 4x3 or 16x9. Also, for some reason they are picked up by the Moxi at a resolution of 720p, and on most HDTV's this resolution disables the "stretch" feature. Normally, all your SD channels which are actually sent out of the Moxi in 4x3, are picked up by the HDTV and stretched to 16x9. The only way around this is to go to the HDTV settings and uncheck the 720p resolution. Then the Moxi should output the music channels in 480i.

Even if you have an SDTV, the music channels will appear "squished" because their aspect ratio is 1x1 instead of 4x3. Because you have an SDTV, the resolution issue will not be a problem for you as your TV only supports 480i, and that is all the Moxi should be allowed to output, so it will scale all content to 480i.

twitchee3

04-14-06, 06:19 AM

My Moxi (Charter, Saint Louis) has stopped update channels. I have called them and they said they need to send a tech out, any ideas? A tech can't come for a few weeks and they want me to be at home all day.
Also I read there is a DIMM slot for memory upgrade. can it be used?
If you are referring to an internal DIMM slot for system memory on the Moxi's motherboard, it is probable that an empty slot exists, but doubtful that it would be compatible with anything you could get your hands on, and also it would require that you open up the box for installtion, not a good idea considering that the box isn't yours to play around with, it belongs to the cable company. If you want to try and toy around with it, go ahead and try and post your results as we are all interested in what can be done, but just know that if you screw something up, you need to be ready to pay the cable company for the price of a new Moxi.

wanderance

04-14-06, 12:52 PM

Based on past similar reports, your HD Fox channel is probably improperly programmed as an SD channel, and the Moxi apparently determines recording length by total data received. Therefore, since the total data length of an hour of SD is smaller than that for an hour of HD, the Moxi is shutting off the recording early. I assume that each channel's bit-rate must be programmed into each cable system's channel map, and I believe this is something that Digeo must change on their servers.

Thanks for the response! That really does make sense. I am going to put a call and an email into Charter so they can at least be aware of the problem. I am ok recording in SD until I see FOX show up in the HD menu. The last time I really needed to get ahold of Charter (over one of their employees) I simply called corporate and the problem was resolved, maybe I should do that again?

twitchee3

04-14-06, 02:10 PM

Thanks for the response! That really does make sense. I am going to put a call and an email into Charter so they can at least be aware of the problem. I am ok recording in SD until I see FOX show up in the HD menu. The last time I really needed to get ahold of Charter (over one of their employees) I simply called corporate and the problem was resolved, maybe I should do that again?
Probably a good idea, i dobut a call to the local guys, or an email, will get the ball rolling, as cable companies are lazy SOB's. Also, i doubt whether or not it's the amount of data in the recording that is cutting it short, as the bit rates vary wildly depending on the specific program, commercials, etc. and will never be exact, but when the box works correctly, it starts and shuts off EXACTLY on time, on the dot, so this would lead me to believe it's a simple timer that controls the recording and the reason yours are being cut short is due to some other error, so i would mention this in your call as well. splinke may be correct, but it just seems a little farfetched to me, why would they transmit the amount of data the box needs to record until it shuts down for EACH program when they just have to tell it to watch its clock?

twmatthias

04-14-06, 10:30 PM

Clueless newbie here.

I'm in the Northeast (MA) Charter area and have just had an SA8300HD installed. It's UI looks nothing like the one shown in the September 2004 "Moxi Installation Guide" documents on Charter's website. I realize that Diego has made a version of Moxi for the SA stbs (Powerkey?) and that Moxiguy said that the interfaces should be the same. However, my UI does not seem to appear like anything in Charter's Moxi literature.

Could Charter be using something other than Moxi in my area?

Confused :confused:

Thanks,

Theo

UPDATE: I think I have SARA (based on diagnostic pages) but the title of diagnostic screen #6 says "Powerkey Status" and reports version 3.8.4.1. The software version information screen reports SARA 1.87.32.1 and PowerKey 3.8.4.1. Boy am I confused even more! :confused: :confused:

twitchee3

04-14-06, 11:00 PM

You don't have a Moxi. Powerkey is the name of Scientific Atlanta cable hardware, and the "Moxi Powerkey Model" is simply a version of the Moxi that works with Scientific Atlanta Powerkey hardware (the hardware used by the cable company to encrypt the digital cable signal). Powerkey has nothing to do with which box you have. The SA8300HD is a Scientific Atlanta box, not a Moxi, and it DOES use the SARA UI.

So far Digeo has only produced versions of the Moxi UI that will work with Moxi STB's. Only Motorola BMC (Broadband Media Center) models 9012 and 9022D will have the Moxi interface.

splinke

04-15-06, 02:33 AM

...splinke may be correct, but it just seems a little farfetched to me, why would they transmit the amount of data the box needs to record until it shuts down for EACH program when they just have to tell it to watch its clock?
It may seem far-fetched, but that's what Digeo employees have said on this forum.

twitchee3

04-15-06, 02:51 AM

It may seem far-fetched, but that's what Digeo employees have said on this forum.
Interesting, as i said you may be correct. Could be a combination of a timer and data meter. Perhaps it will shut off recording when it hits a certain time, OR when it reaches a certain amount of data? I don't know but this seems like a very inefficient way to record, maybe there's some deep, complex, technical reason for it that only the techies understand, but from my end it just seems like a way to fix something that isn't broken. :rolleyes:

Don't know if that was the right analogy :confused:

twmatthias

04-15-06, 07:26 AM

You don't have a Moxi...{snip}

Thanks twitchee3!

Theo

Rampage522

04-15-06, 08:47 PM

Even if you have an SDTV, the music channels will appear "squished" because their aspect ratio is 1x1 instead of 4x3. Because you have an SDTV, the resolution issue will not be a problem for you as your TV only supports 480i, and that is all the Moxi should be allowed to output, so it will scale all content to 480i.My head is spinning now.

All I know is that someone with a non-HD capable SA box sees these music channels filling the whole screen on a SD TV, but I don't. If it's relevant, the only resolution selected in the Moxi settings is 480i.

twitchee3

04-15-06, 09:50 PM

My head is spinning now.

All I know is that someone with a non-HD capable SA box sees these music channels filling the whole screen on a SD TV, but I don't. If it's relevant, the only resolution selected in the Moxi settings is 480i.
It's probably due to your TV's inability to stretch content to full screen, an option which is usually only available on 16x9 HDTV's. Because the music channels are 1x1 and not 4x3, they are not formatted to fill your screen and the Moxi is probably passing them through in the same resolution they are broadcast in.

slim79

04-15-06, 11:19 PM

All I know is that someone with a non-HD capable SA box sees these music channels filling the whole screen on a SD TV, but I don't.

the other boxes are not using native passthrough so they output it in a 4:3 aspect ratio.

twitchee3

04-16-06, 12:20 AM

the other boxes are not using native passthrough so they output it in a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Exactly, and their native aspect ratio is 1x1, so that is what the Moxi is "passing through" to the display.

JPEG

04-16-06, 03:36 AM

My Moxi (at least) appears to have variable-speed "smart fans".

As I reported earlier, my Moxi was REALLY noisy, and it was running at 50 degrees C.

It took me a while, but I re-organized my entertainment center so that I could place my Moxi in a place with better ventilation. It now runs at 40 degrees C and it is much quieter.

I ran another test with the Moxi sitting in the middle of the room on a small stool. (Short of hanging it from the ceiling and suspending it in mid air, it thought this would simulate the maximum practical cooling configuration.) During this test, I got a 34 degrees C temperature, and it was very quiet, too.

My room temperture was about 20 degrees C in all cases.

FYI,
JPEG

Rampage522

04-16-06, 08:48 AM

Exactly, and their native aspect ratio is 1x1, so that is what the Moxi is "passing through" to the display.
While I appreciate the technical explanation (really), my point was to point out what I perceive as a bug in the Moxi. :)

jaywatts

04-16-06, 09:03 AM

A funny bug I doubt anyone else has ever seen....While I was playing back WWE Friday Night Smackdown that recorded on ch 3.(Fox) from 12-2 a.m. a message pops up on the screen near the end.....Here's the message: Would you like to buy this showing of WWE Friday Night Smackdown for $0.00? Of course I replied no but I still thought it was pretty damn odd and funny. Every heard of this one Moxiguy or anyone else?

twitchee3

04-16-06, 02:26 PM

While I appreciate the technical explanation (really), my point was to point out what I perceive as a bug in the Moxi. :)
It's not a bug, native pass through was actually a VERY welcomed update, because before this, you would have to manually go into the settings and tell the Moxi to change resolutions when you switched from SD channels to HD channels. Although since you don't have an HDTV this would not have been an issue for you. If you had an HDTV, you would be able to stretch the 480i music channels coming from the Moxi to full screen, and since the Moxi was really intended for HDTV's, it was proabably assumed by the Digeo techs that all users would have the stretch ability on their TV to convert any 480i signals to the aspect ratio of their choice.

twitchee3

04-16-06, 02:27 PM

jaywatts

04-16-06, 03:28 PM

I've even had a couple Moxi-mate related errors and I don't even have a moxi mate or bmc9022!(This is the model for the box that goes with the mate correct?) I got a message that I couldn't watch or record this channel(don't remember which it was)because it was already being viewed on another tv. Close to something like that but it was a moxi mate related error without even having one. Maybe I just live in the twilight zone or something. Paying for Raw? Funny bug....Paying as much as wrestling fans like myself do for ppv's is bad enough.

That is a very strange incident, perhaps it could have been caused by not only the Moxi, but possibly a signal from the cable company could have helped to cause this.

twitchee3

04-16-06, 04:50 PM

I've even had a couple Moxi-mate related errors and I don't even have a moxi mate or bmc9022!(This is the model for the box that goes with the mate correct?) I got a message that I couldn't watch or record this channel(don't remember which it was)because it was already being viewed on another tv. Close to something like that but it was a moxi mate related error without even having one. Maybe I just live in the twilight zone or something. Paying for Raw? Funny bug....Paying as much as wrestling fans like myself do for ppv's is bad enough.
Wow, that Moxi Mate error sounds really weird. You are correct though, the Moxi mate only works with the BMC 9022D model, it is not compatible with the BMC 9012, which i suppose is what you have. They do use the EXACT same software and UI, which COULD be how you got that message, but still very strange. :confused:

jaywatts

04-16-06, 08:23 PM

What's next? My Moxi(9012) telling me I can record more than 10 hours of HD? Ah, I kill!

Wow, that Moxi Mate error sounds really weird. You are correct though, the Moxi mate only works with the BMC 9022D model, it is not compatible with the BMC 9012, which i suppose is what you have. They do use the EXACT same software and UI, which COULD be how you got that message, but still very strange. :confused:

Sketcha

04-17-06, 11:49 AM

I have Charter with Moxi in Grants Pass, OR. ABC HD has had a problem ever since it showed up. Every 15 minutes or so it lets out a horrible scratchy sound. It did that for the Super Bowl and it still does it on Lost and other shows I like on ABC. I did a bunch of searches here and all over the web and wasn't able to come up with anything that sounded remotely similar. I talked to a gal from Charter who was pretty clueless.

Then I saw a Charter guy working across the street. He confirmed that everyone has been having a problem with it. He said something about a rush to get it up and running before it was ready, maybe for the Super Bowl. I'm just happy it's not my system (H/K AVR-635). It's the only channel that does it. Hopefully they'll get a handle on it soon.

Has anyone here had a similar experience?

splinke

04-17-06, 05:37 PM

I have Charter with Moxi in Grants Pass, OR. ABC HD has had a problem ever since it showed up. Every 15 minutes or so it lets out a horrible scratchy sound...Then I saw a Charter guy working across the street. He confirmed that everyone has been having a problem with it. He said something about a rush to get it up and running before it was ready, maybe for the Super Bowl...
This sounds like a problem with your local ABC HD station or your local cable company's broadcast of that station, as opposed to the Moxi. If Charter was not helpful, you could try to contact the engineering people at your ABC affiliate. Perhaps they can fix the problem or are in a more powerful position to compel Charter to fix it, since it is such an annoying problem that everybody is experiencing.

Here is the closest thing I could find in my FAQ, but I doubt it applies to your situation:

Audio static on analog output (end-of-record, base-band audio problem)

There are reports of rhythmically pulsing static occurring on the analog audio outputs. It apparently sounds like the scratching sound a record player makes when it reaches the end groove, for those old enough to remember such devices. Supposedly, the issue does not occur on the digital outputs, but if you need/want to use the analog outputs, you will need to have your box replaced.

Sketcha

04-17-06, 06:13 PM

This sounds like a problem with your local ABC HD station or your local cable company's broadcast of that station, as opposed to the Moxi. If Charter was not helpful, you could try to contact the engineering people at your ABC affiliate. Perhaps they can fix the problem or are in a more powerful position to compel Charter to fix it, since it is such an annoying problem that everybody is experiencing.

Here is the closest thing I could find in my FAQ, but I doubt it applies to your situation:

Audio static on analog output (end-of-record, base-band audio problem)

There are reports of rhythmically pulsing static occurring on the analog audio outputs. It apparently sounds like the scratching sound a record player makes when it reaches the end groove, for those old enough to remember such devices. Supposedly, the issue does not occur on the digital outputs, but if you need/want to use the analog outputs, you will need to have your box replaced.

Carlsbad, eh? I lived in Vista for about 6 months back in '89-'90. I love Carlsbad. Until last year I was in Santa Cruz. Moved my wife and kid out of the rat race last year. I was trying to talk her into Carlsbad for years. Well, Hawaii first, but she couldn't be that far away from family. I look at Carlsbad as Santa Cruz with less losers and warm water.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. I'll call the affiliate.

As to the FAQ issue, the noise fits the description, but I'm running digital audio through the Coaxial output and getting DD with an H/K AVR635 so I don't know. I do have the analog inputs running also (Don't remember why, though. Is it because I need analog for non HD channels, or does the Motorla convert everything to digital?) so maybe there is some interference there. I'll try some experiments and report back.

Thanks again.

Sketcha

04-17-06, 06:36 PM

O.K., just tested the audio inputs on an analog channel. I did have both analog (L & R) and digital coax inputs running at the same time. The digital seemed to take precedent. When I pulled the coax, the receiver would take a few seconds to aquire the analog signal which yielded a much poorer quality sound. When I replaced the coax, the PCM signal was re-aquired. I have now disconnected the analogs. I don't have time to sit through a show that I don't like (as I said problem is intermittent, sometimes takes a half hour) so I'll have to test it tomorrow night on Boston Legal. Looks like a new one.

Thanks again

slim79

04-17-06, 08:54 PM

Exactly, and their native aspect ratio is 1x1, so that is what the Moxi is "passing through" to the display.

I was just trying to clarify the difference seen between other boxes. They are meant to be 4:3 they just aren't flagged properly by the source most likely. probably because of the fact it didn't really make a difference before native passthrough.

some tvs still can't stretch them fully even at 480i because your normal 16:9 stretch or Full... only stretches the 1:1 aspect of the source video to a 4:3 aspect ratio with borders.

twitchee3

04-17-06, 08:58 PM

they just aren't flagged properly by the source most likely.
This could also be the reason why the Moxi insists on displaying the music channels in 720p when that resolution is enabled.

slim79

04-17-06, 09:01 PM

This could also be the reason why the Moxi insists on displaying the music channels in 720p when that resolution is enabled.

I was also thinking that could have something to do with that ;)

with their actual resolution being 704x480 and aspect of 1:1 it would be displaying it in 704x704 lines which the vertical resolution is closer to 720 than 480

twitchee3

04-17-06, 10:52 PM

with their actual resolution being 704x480 and aspect of 1:1 it would be displaying it in 704x704 lines which the vertical resolution is closer to 720 than 480
You make a good point sir. ;)

dvbTV

04-18-06, 02:26 PM

I live in Medford, Or And the problem lies with local abc I called them and it will be fixed and summers end it was a patch to get this up and running for SBXL they need to put audio tranfer on rebrocast tower.

I have Charter with Moxi in Grants Pass, OR. ABC HD has had a problem ever since it showed up. Every 15 minutes or so it lets out a horrible scratchy sound. It did that for the Super Bowl and it still does it on Lost and other shows I like on ABC. I did a bunch of searches here and all over the web and wasn't able to come up with anything that sounded remotely similar. I talked to a gal from Charter who was pretty clueless.

Then I saw a Charter guy working across the street. He confirmed that everyone has been having a problem with it. He said something about a rush to get it up and running before it was ready, maybe for the Super Bowl. I'm just happy it's not my system (H/K AVR-635). It's the only channel that does it. Hopefully they'll get a handle on it soon.

Has anyone here had a similar experience?

splinke

04-18-06, 02:38 PM

...I look at Carlsbad as Santa Cruz with less losers and warm water...I do have the analog inputs running also (Don't remember why, though. Is it because I need analog for non HD channels, or does the Motorla convert everything to digital?)...
Less losers is good. We have one less loser here as of a few months ago. Our former Congressman is now in a federal prison for taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors.

Regarding your audio hookups, the Moxi always outputs both analog and digital simultaneously for all channels, regardless of whether the channel was originally analog or digital. Therefore, if you always use your digital receiver, you should not need the analog connection at all. If you sometimes just use your TV speakers, it could be convenient to hook up the analog cables to your TV's audio input for that purpose, though.

twitchee3

04-18-06, 05:52 PM

Less losers is good. We have one less loser here as of a few months ago. Our former Congressman is now in a federal prison for taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors.

Regarding your audio hookups, the Moxi always outputs both analog and digital simultaneously for all channels, regardless of whether the channel was originally analog or digital. Therefore, if you always use your digital receiver, you should not need the analog connection at all. If you sometimes just use your TV speakers, it could be convenient to hook up the analog cables to your TV's audio input for that purpose, though.
Yup, we have one of our Moxi's hooked up to the surround sound receiver via the optical connection, and it simultaneously outputs ALL audio digitally as well as through the analog connections for ALL programs. We have the analog hooked up to the TV, as casual viewing will sometimes find us not turning on the receiver.

Penton-Man

04-18-06, 07:43 PM

twitchee3

04-18-06, 09:20 PM

n-i-n-e, oh, t-w-o, t-w-o, dee………for those non-dyslexic readers out there – 9022D !

Swaped out my ole Moxi 9012 yesterday(Monday) for a brand spankin new 9022D which I think just about doubled? my GB storage on the hard drive.

It aint whoppin, but with what I was dealing with before, I’ll make do ! :D
The BMC 9022D has DOUBLE the hard drive space of the BMC 9012.

BMC 9012: 80 GB Hard Drive- roughly 11 hours of HD recording space.
BMC 9022D: 160 GB Hard Drive- roughly 22 hours of HD recording space.

joe221

04-18-06, 09:32 PM

n-i-n-e, oh, t-w-o, t-w-o, dee………for those non-dyslexic readers out there – 9022D !

Swaped out my ole Moxi 9012 yesterday(Monday) for a brand spankin new 9022D which I think just about doubled? my GB storage on the hard drive.

It aint whoppin, but with what I was dealing with before, I’ll make do ! :D

Congrats Penton! Now just wait until we can hook up an external HDD!!! At that point I'm retiring my ReplayTVs and Ebaying them while, hopefully, I still can get something for them!

Lifter

04-19-06, 04:33 AM

Less losers is good. We have one less loser here as of a few months ago. Our former Congressman is now in a federal prison for taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors.
.

The Dukester! Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun was based off him.

Sketcha

04-19-06, 04:28 PM

I live in Medford, Or And the problem lies with local abc I called them and it will be fixed and summers end it was a patch to get this up and running for SBXL they need to put audio tranfer on rebrocast tower.

Hey, looks like this is your first post, eh? Good timing. Thanks for the info.

Yeah, the noise occurred twice last night on Boston Legal and on both the Living Room (DD) and Bedroom (Analog Audio) TVs. I had unhooked the analog from the receiver in the living room, but that was moot since the problem aisle occurred in the Bedroom.

Thanks also to everyone else for the input. Looks like dvdTV has found the answer, I guess a local thing. That would jive with the Charter installer I talked to the other day. It's good to get some sort of resolution so now I don't have to waste more time investigating. Hopefully it will be resolved relatively soon.

wanderance

04-19-06, 05:41 PM

joe221

04-19-06, 05:53 PM

Any word on when we will be able to hook up an external HD?

I think it has something to do with Hell freezing over, but I'll leave the details to MoxiGuy. We just keep some extra SPF 30 around until then... :p

Rampage522

04-19-06, 06:15 PM

It's not a bug, native pass through was actually a VERY welcomed update, because before this, you would have to manually go into the settings and tell the Moxi to change resolutions when you switched from SD channels to HD channels. Although since you don't have an HDTV this would not have been an issue for you. If you had an HDTV, you would be able to stretch the 480i music channels coming from the Moxi to full screen, and since the Moxi was really intended for HDTV's, it was proabably assumed by the Digeo techs that all users would have the stretch ability on their TV to convert any 480i signals to the aspect ratio of their choice.Wait, so you're trying to tell me it's INTENDED that the music channels look distorted on a standard def. 480i screen?

If not, I call that a bug. Not a serious one, but a definite oversight. A rose by any other name...

twitchee3

04-19-06, 07:48 PM

Wait, so you're trying to tell me it's INTENDED that the music channels look distorted on a standard def. 480i screen?

If not, I call that a bug. Not a serious one, but a definite oversight. A rose by any other name...
THIS IS NOT A BUG, Moxi CANNOT stretch the content, because this feature, while helpful to SDTV's, would inhibit the use of HDTV's which the Moxi was primarily intended for. It's not the Moxi's fault, it's the fact that the music channels ARE BROADCAST by the CABLE COMPANY in 1x1, so they they are not 4x3, which would fill an SDTV. The Moxi was NOT intended for SDTV's, it is compatible, but the Digeo and Motorola designers intended it to be offered by cable companies as their HD DVR, not their SD DVR. Because it's cheaper for the cable companies to only carry and service one model box for both HD and SD DVR's, and the Moxi is compatible with SDTV's (for the most part), which it was not intended for, they use the Moxi despite what it was designed for. Any way you interpret the problem, it's all the cable company, not the Moxi.

Rampage522

04-19-06, 08:23 PM

No need to be shrill.

Call it whatever makes you feel better. Just try to be more civil when you do it.

twitchee3

04-19-06, 08:32 PM

No need to be shrill.

Call it whatever makes you feel better. Just try to be more civil when you do it.
Just correcting your analysis, no hard feelings, i promise. :)

splinke

04-19-06, 08:46 PM

THIS IS NOT A BUG, Moxi CANNOT stretch the content, because this feature, while helpful to SDTV's, would inhibit the use of HDTV's which the Moxi was primarily intended for...The Moxi was NOT intended for SDTV's, it is compatible, but the Digeo and Motorola designers intended it to be offered by cable companies as their HD DVR, not their SD DVR...
I don't think it is accurate to say that the Moxi was not designed for SDTV's. The vast majority of cable channels (in fact, almost all of them) are broadcast in SD. And, while there is a slow movement toward delivering them in digital format, most of them will likely continue to be SD for many years to come--far longer than the expected lifetime of the current Moxi units. The inclusion of HD tuners is certainly one of the Moxi's main "features," but I think even Digeo's viewpoint would be that the Moxi's integration of analog SD, digital SD, HD, and VOD channels into a single graphical user interface, along with other applications like the ticker, games, jukebox, etc. was the main thrust behind their engineering. (Incidentally, as I understand it, Motorola didn't really have much to do with the main engineering effort--they just produced the final hardware following Digeo's specifications.) The Moxi Mate, which only supports SD, and the associated ability of the Moxi to down-convert HD to SD are other indications that the Moxi was designed for substantial SD support.

I don't know much about the aspect problems of the music channels, but if other tuners display them correctly, I think I would consider a distorted picture coming out of the Moxi to be at least a minor bug.

twitchee3

04-19-06, 08:59 PM

I don't think it is accurate to say that the Moxi was not designed for SDTV's. The vast majority of cable channels (in fact, almost all of them) are broadcast in SD. And, while there is a slow movement toward delivering them in digital format, most of them will likely continue to be SD for many years to come--far longer than the expected lifetime of the current Moxi units. The inclusion of HD tuners is certainly one of the Moxi's main "features," but I think even Digeo's viewpoint would be that the Moxi's integration of analog SD, digital SD, HD, and VOD channels into a single graphical user interface, along with other applications like the ticker, games, jukebox, etc. was the main thrust behind their engineering. (Incidentally, as I understand it, Motorola didn't really have much to do with the main engineering effort--they just produced the final hardware following Digeo's specifications.) The Moxi Mate, which only supports SD, and the associated ability of the Moxi to down-convert HD to SD are other indications that the Moxi was designed for substantial SD support.

I don't know much about the aspect problems of the music channels, but if other tuners display them correctly, I think I would consider a distorted picture coming out of the Moxi to be at least a minor bug.
I see your point, but i believe the Moxi was intended to be PRIMARILY offered for use with HDTV, although Digeo did provide the capability for an SDTV setup. You are correct in your statement about Motorola's involvement in the design process, they simply manufactured Digeo's design, as Digeo is mostly a software based company and does not have the means to produce these units on a large scale. However, I would again have to disagree with referring to the music channel issue as a "bug" because this "bug" is due to a deliberately implemented setting (which many users begged for) which IMPROVES viewing for HDTV viewers, and Digeo may not even be aware of how cable companies transmit their digital music channels, and thus have no idea it was even an issue.

splinke

04-19-06, 09:00 PM

The Dukester! Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun was based off him.
Well, at least that's what Congressman Duke-stir liked to tell everybody. The makers of the film have indicated that the Cruise character did not represent any single pilot. Duke exploited his "war hero" status for years to win elections, but for his sentencing hearing he argued that his training and treatment by the Navy caused him to feel like he deserved whatever he wanted, apparently including $2.4 million+ in bribes--classy guy. Perhaps he will have a Moxi in his country club prison to help manage his TV recordings--is that a luxury or a further punishment, you make the call. :) I thought I better include that last sentence to help minimize the unavoidable conclusion that this post is way off-topic. ;)

Penton-Man

04-19-06, 09:01 PM

Congrats Penton! Now just wait until we can hook up an external HDD!!! At that point I'm retiring my ReplayTVs and Ebaying them while, hopefully, I still can get something for them!
Not only that joe, but I/we (the installer, zee wife, and moi) all noticed a slight but DEFINITE improvement in P/Q(with HD) via component compared to the old 9012 box as we were watching an HD program just before the switch-over and then flipped it back on immediately after the 9022D swap and it was rather easily evident.

I can’t say much about any change in P/Q(with HD) over DVI as I don’t think I could make a fair assessment.

Keep in mind this is on a 70” display that accepted the 1080i signal from Adelphia for this show and processed it into 1080p for viewing.

If any of you guys can actually procure one of these 9022D boxes, I highly recommend it.

I never had any problems with the 9012 box, just swaped it out for a box with a greater hard drive.

twitchee3

04-19-06, 09:03 PM

Well, at least that's what Congressman Duke-stir liked to tell everybody. The makers of the film have indicated that the Cruise character did not represent any single pilot. Duke exploited his "war hero" status for years to win elections, but for his sentencing hearing he argued that his training and treatment by the Navy caused him to feel like he deserved whatever he wanted, apparently including $2.4 million+ in bribes--classy guy. Perhaps he will have a Moxi in his country club prison to help manage his TV recordings--is that a luxury or a further punishment, you make the call. :) I thought I better include that last sentence to help minimize the unavoidable conclusion that this post is way off-topic. ;)
HAHA, love your reference. :rolleyes:

twitchee3

04-19-06, 09:04 PM

Not only that joe, but I/we (the installer, zee wife, and moi) all noticed a slight but DEFINITE improvement in P/Q(with HD) via component compared to the old 9012 box as we were watching an HD program just before the switch-over and then flipped it back on immediately after the 9022D swap and it was rather easily evident.

I can’t say much about any change in P/Q(with HD) over DVI as I don’t think I could make a fair assessment.

Keep in mind this is on a 70” display that accepted the 1080i signal from Adelphia for this show and processed it into 1080p for viewing.

If any of you guys can actually procure one of these 9022D boxes, I highly recommend it.

I never had any problems with the 9012 box, just swaped it out for a box with a greater hard drive.
Yeah, i LOVE the 9022D, and we may swap out our 9012 that we have downstairs for another 9022D sometime in the future.

Penton-Man

04-19-06, 09:04 PM

I thought I better include that last sentence to help minimize the unavoidable conclusion that this post is way off-topic. ;)
It's not.....because I invented the internet ! ;)

I hope that all these guys that live by the sword,......................by the sword as well as all the lobbyists that contribute to the problem.

slim79

04-20-06, 09:07 PM

Wait, so you're trying to tell me it's INTENDED that the music channels look distorted on a standard def. 480i screen?

If not, I call that a bug. Not a serious one, but a definite oversight. A rose by any other name...

what I was saying before is that the moxi is doing what it is programmed to do...pass the video through in its native aspect ratio...and the problem is with the video being flagged with a 1:1 aspect ratio either by the cable company or whoever distributes it to the cable companies.

slim79

04-20-06, 09:25 PM

well...I beleive after about a year and a half my MOXI's secondary tuner or some internal AGC is starting to fail...I got both my tuners sitting on different digital channels that are at the same frequency and while looking at the diagnostics I could watch tuner#1 lock and unlock as SNR varied from 17 to 30 while tuner#0 stayed locked on with SNR of 35. the problem so far mainly affects channels at 555MHz and 747MHz but at one point I had problems at 705MHz also. on top of that I notice I am experiencing the flip bar glitch again where it clears the number not the the flip bar, you can't scroll the flip bar, and recording by hitting the record button does not work. maybe my moxi is celebrating 4/20....lol

twitchee3

04-20-06, 11:09 PM

maybe my moxi is celebrating 4/20....lol
LOL..........4/20, what a wonderful holiday :cool: :cool:

twitchee3

04-20-06, 11:10 PM

what I was saying before is that the moxi is doing what it is programmed to do...pass the video through in its native aspect ratio...and the problem is with the video being flagged with a 1:1 aspect ratio either by the cable company or whoever distributes it to the cable companies.
EXACTLY.

zzo

04-21-06, 01:37 PM

Howdy,
Just got a moxi 9012 yesterday from Adelphia SoCal - am trying to kick the DirecTV habit.
Anyhoo the installers said if I used the DVI connector I c ouldn't view SD thru it so I'd have to switch inputs depending on what I was watching (HD vs. SD) - that sounded REALLY lame so I just hooked up the component, set the thing to 720p for my DLP and all was good.
They leave & I look thru the box they left that the moxi came in & lo-and-behold there's a sheet of paper in there saying the 3.2.252(?) release of the Moxi OS now supports SD resolutions thru the DVI output! (it also says using the DVI output shuts off all the other outputs (except the FireWire one)...
So GREAT! I plug in my DVI cable into my TV & Moxi & get nothing.
Poking around the menus (bizarro menu systems vs. my Tivo BTW) I can't find a way to 'enable' the DVI output. I can only choose resolution & Widescreen or not...
Can someone please clue me in how I can turn on the DVI output???
Oh the Adelphia rep on the fone told me I could use the ethernet jack on the back to copy stuff I've recorded on my PC - of course the installer said 'no way' - & sure enough I can't - bummer. That same rep also told me they're doing an 'internal employee-only test' with Moxi Mates (which I REALLY want) & said no way I could get in on the test & had no idea when they would be available to the public - bummer * 2.
Am not yet cancelling my DirectTV to see how this thing works out.
THANKS for any help,
Mark

splinke

04-21-06, 01:51 PM

...Can someone please clue me in how I can turn on the DVI output???...
(1) Make sure you have the 3.2.252 update by going into the On-Screen Diagnostics menu. Simultaneously press and hold the Menu and OK buttons directly on the Moxi unit. Use the arrow keys and OK button to navigate through the menus. Select "Main Overview" to see your software version. Press the Moxi button to exit.

(2) Make sure your display has an HDCP-compatible digital input (most newer models should have this, but you may want to check your manual).

(3) Try unplugging your Moxi, connecting the DVI cable without any other video cables attached, and then plugging the Moxi back in. If it still does not work after the reboot, try rebooting a second time by pressing and holding the Reset button on the front of the Moxi for about 5 seconds.

zzo

04-21-06, 01:56 PM

yah it HDCP compliant - I'll try to reboot & check my version tonight - if it's not 252 does the update get downloaded automatically or do I gotta take evasive action myself? THANKS!
Mark

splinke

04-21-06, 02:00 PM

yah it HDCP compliant - I'll try to reboot & check my version tonight - if it's not 252 does the update get downloaded automatically or do I gotta take evasive action myself?...
If it's not 252, then you will just have to be patient. There is nothing you can do. Waiting for software updates has become a painful past-time for many Moxi users. Check the FAQ for more information.

Rampage522

04-21-06, 03:39 PM

black_macleod

04-21-06, 03:49 PM

That's not what he said.

bailorg

04-21-06, 03:58 PM

So it IS a bug, just not Moxi's bug. What? You say Charter is at fault? I'm *shocked*. :)

I'm pretty sure Music Choice channels are supposed to be viewed in a 1x1 aspect ratio. I think they want to creat the impression you're looking at a record/CD cover

wanderance

04-21-06, 05:49 PM

Does anyone know if Charter is using the 9022? or just the 9012? The small hard drive is KILLING ME. I am so used to just racking up a bunch of shows on my TiVo and watching like 4 of them at once. With the MOXI, it seems like once I get 2 HD shows it starts deleting stuff, and FAST.

Also, the analog portion looks terrible on my box. Not just grain and artifacts, but it looks like I am getting serious interferance on the signal, waves / lines / rolling bars, etc. When I go straight into the TV, the signal looks perfect!

primetimeguy

04-21-06, 06:02 PM

twitchee3

04-21-06, 07:56 PM

Also, the analog portion looks terrible on my box. Not just grain and artifacts, but it looks like I am getting serious interferance on the signal, waves / lines / rolling bars, etc. When I go straight into the TV, the signal looks perfect!
Make sure you are using an SD compliant video interface (component, s-video, or composite) and make sure 480i is enabled in the HDTV setup menu. SD will look very bad if the Moxi is allowed to upconvert it to HD resolutions (720p or 1080i). Also, the Moxi is notorious for signal strength sensitivity, although usually this is only a problem with HD viewing and or recording. Perhaps call the cable company and have them check your signal strength.

primetimeguy

04-21-06, 08:05 PM

Make sure you are using an SD compliant video interface (component, s-video, or composite) and make sure 480i is enabled in the HDTV setup menu. SD will look very bad if the Moxi is allowed to upconvert it to HD resolutions (720p or 1080i). Also, the Moxi is notorious for signal strength sensitivity, although usually this is only a problem with HD viewing and or recording. Perhaps call the cable company and have them check your signal strength.

The SD analog channels will still not look as good as they would if you had your cable TV running directly into your TV since the Moxi needs to convert the analog to digital to buffer/record it and then convert it back to output the signal. For this reason I have my Moxi on one TV input and the coax from the wall running directly to my TV as well. This way if I'm watching a analog channel and want better picture quality I switch to this input.

twitchee3

04-21-06, 11:04 PM

The SD analog channels will still not look as good as they would if you had your cable TV running directly into your TV since the Moxi needs to convert the analog to digital to buffer/record it and then convert it back to output the signal. For this reason I have my Moxi on one TV input and the coax from the wall running directly to my TV as well. This way if I'm watching a analog channel and want better picture quality I switch to this input.
Yes, this is correct. I too have the coaxial split, 3 ways actually. 1 for my Moxi, one for my ATI PCI TV Tuner card in my PC, and the last straight to my HDTV's NTSC tuner for better PQ on analog channels and the PIP function.

msloane

04-22-06, 04:41 AM

black_macleod

04-22-06, 10:48 AM

Well, most of your list has to do with the cable companies, NOT the Moxi.

msloane

04-22-06, 01:12 PM

Well, most of your list has to do with the cable companies, NOT the Moxi.

Even though that was an easy and flippant remark, I'm glad someone brought that up.

Not most of my list.

Not half my list.

One item...maybe.

It's very easy to blame the cable company. Most of the front-line cable company people you talk to on the phone (sales, tech support, etc.) are ill-trained at best and blithering idiots at worst. Several of the installation techs that I've dealt with were pretty clueless as well.

Now, I'll concede that the fact that I could never successfully record two HD streams MIGHT be the fault of the cable company.

Lord knows, when I brought it up with them, they pointed fingers at Digeo, and told me that Digeo was pointing fingers at them. No one seemed to want to take responsibility for actually SOLVING the problem, which drove me up a wall.

Charter came out, measured the signal strength, the signal-to-noise ratio...they thought it was too low, and boosted it. Then they thought it was too high, and they put in splitters.

Still, I couldn't record.

But as soon as they replaced the Moxis with SA boxes, the problem COMPLETELY WENT AWAY. I can easily and perfectly record two HD streams, watch a prerecorded third, without a single hiccup.

Someone who hasn't drunk the Moxi Kool-Aid please explain THAT.

As to the rest of the list:

-- Small hard drive? How's that the cable company's fault?

-- Heat and fan noise? The cable company's fault? Seriously?

-- No ON/OFF switch? You wanna blame THAT on the cable company?

-- No program grid? Long title display? That's the cable company's fault too?

-- There are multiple posts on this board from Moxiguy talking about how they're still readying the external HDD feature, so THAT can't be the cable company's fault.

Clearly, some of you have no problems with your Moxis. You LIKE the fan noise, it keeps you company. You LIKE the heat it puts off, it keeps you warm. Eleven hours is QUITE enough HD recording time for you. And you're psychic, so you can GUESS the names of programs beyond the 10th letter.

And the lack of an ON/OFF switch? That's not a bug...that's a FEATURE.

But please, be HONEST and spare us from blaming the cable company for everything.

If the cable company was doing everything wrong, then NOTHING would work....

...not even my new SA boxes.

black_macleod

04-22-06, 01:25 PM

Not until Digeo works out a few kinks:

- 11 hours of HD recording? Come on! You've gotta be kidding! 200GB should be the MINIMUM HDD size for a box like the Moxi.

- Sure, it's got two ATSC tuners, but if you try to actually record two HD programs, they macroblock/pixelate each other to the point of unwatchability.

- What's with the HEAT?! And the fan noise?! Does Digeo realize that some people have cable in their bedrooms? You know, where you sleep?

- ON/OFF switch. Hellooooo? ON/OFF switch. There has to be an ON/OFF switch. Yeah, I know it's a computer...and a slow one at that, which explains the 5-minute reboots. But having to run the thing 24/7/365 is wrong and stupid and unacceptable. You're smart guys over there at Digeo -- I'm sure you can figure something out....

- Program grid. Program grid goooood. Program grid niiiiiice. Moxi WANT program grid, yesssssss.....

- How about a longer program name display. I don't think they charge you by the letter....

- Activate the external hard drive feature.

- And while you're at it, activate some of those nifty ports -- the RJ-45, for example.

In the meantime, I'm deleriously happy with my SA boxes. I strongly urge any others who have similar concerns and complaints to consider asking for a swap.

So...I might be back.

But not until there's an ON/OFF switch....

-Ok Hard Drive - Moxis Fault

-HDD Recording - Many of us have no problems (wash, nobody's fault)

-My Moxi's fan isnt that loud. Yes I can hear it in a totally silent room. Heat? No problem in my setup. But I'll blame Moxi for that anyhow.

-On/Off switch. I dunno, I guess we could use one of these. I never shut my computers down either, so it doesnt bother me. Blame Moxi.

-Program grid - as addressed way early in this thread, its a licensing thing. Nobody's fault unless somebody wants to pay the copyright fees.

-Longer program names? That's being picky either way :)

-The other two, external HD's and port activation are all controlled by the cable systems to keep us from archiving / ripping material. The ports on my Moxi are ACTIVE, I just can't actually DO anything with them ;)

But yes, you are correct, it wasn't 1/2 your list.

dagware

04-22-06, 01:27 PM

11 hours of HD recording? Come on! You've gotta be kidding! 200GB should be the MINIMUM HDD size for a box like the Moxi.
Can't argue with this. Hear, hear!

Sure, it's got two ATSC tuners, but if you try to actually record two HD programs, they macroblock/pixelate each other to the point of unwatchability.
If you read back through this topic, you'll see that some people have had this problem, and that it can be corrected. I've always been able to do this.

ON/OFF switch. Hellooooo? ON/OFF switch. There has to be an ON/OFF switch. Yeah, I know it's a computer...and a slow one at that, which explains the 5-minute reboots. But having to run the thing 24/7/365 is wrong and stupid and unacceptable. You're smart guys over there at Digeo -- I'm sure you can figure something out....
I agree with this. Also, it would be nice if there was a way to shut it down gracefully. If I need to unplug it for some reason, I hate just unplugging it. I'd like to be able to shut it down first.

Program grid. Program grid goooood. Program grid niiiiiice. Moxi WANT program grid, yesssssss.....
Agreed.

How about a longer program name display. I don't think they charge you by the letter....
YES!

Activate the external hard drive feature.
Agreed.

-Dan

kelliot

04-22-06, 01:34 PM

Sometimes thing's never change. These complaints were heard over a year ago.

egads

04-22-06, 01:40 PM

joe221

04-22-06, 03:10 PM

How do you spell relief?

Certainly not M-O-X-I.

I spell it "SA 8300HD."

- And while you're at it, activate some of those nifty ports --
...

They are active as I pointed out last year in this post. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6675151&&#post6675151)

It really never gets old! :p :eek: ;)

Pye in LA

04-22-06, 04:02 PM

...

[Re: pixilation while recording two HD shows simulateously]

If you read back through this topic, you'll see that some people have had this problem, and that it can be corrected.
...

Over time, I've read every message in this thread. I subscribe to keep current and I've seen this issue often lamented but never "corrected." It occurs only occasionally with me but if there's a fix, I'd love to know what it is.

Also, I called Adelphia last week to plead with them to change out my 9012 for a 9022 (I'm in West Hollywood). The operator/techician read me an email (in her dulcet, come-hither IT voice) that had apparently been composed for reading to people like me.

It said there ARE NO 9022's available in "Southern California" nor WILL THERE BE for the forseeable future!! It was that emphatic. Maybe they meant "no LONGER available" as I know many of you have the 9022 in So Cal. Are any of you in WeHo specifically?

dagware

04-22-06, 05:19 PM

Over time, I've read every message in this thread. I subscribe to keep current and I've seen this issue often lamented but never "corrected." It occurs only occasionally with me but if there's a fix, I'd love to know what it is.
Back on April 4th, someone with the name "Resist" got his Moxi replaced, and last I heard, it solved the problem. I'd link to the post, but I don't know how to do that :confused: But just go back to the 4th and you'll see where he finally got the Moxi replaced, and on the 6th he said it was working OK. I assume it still is.

-Dan

twitchee3

04-22-06, 07:13 PM

How do you spell relief?

Certainly not M-O-X-I.

I spell it "SA 8300HD."

I gave up. Called Charter and had them come out and take the Moxis back and give me the standard-issue Scientific-Atlanta HD DVR boxes.

Begged them to, as a matter of fact.

This was PAINFUL, considering how hard I had to fight just to get the Moxis, and have them installed...and then slowly burn as I came to realize the breadth of the gap between expectation and reality.

Not only do I breathe easier now...I CAN ACTUALLY WATCH AND RECORD HI-DEF!! Two channels at a time, while watching a prerecorded third program!! Something I was NEVER able to do with the Moxi!

Imagine that...a product that actually works as advertised!

All cynical sniping aside, I think the Moxi has the potential to be a great addition to a home theater...it's just (sadly) not quite ready for prime time.

Not until Digeo works out a few kinks:

- 11 hours of HD recording? Come on! You've gotta be kidding! 200GB should be the MINIMUM HDD size for a box like the Moxi.

- Sure, it's got two ATSC tuners, but if you try to actually record two HD programs, they macroblock/pixelate each other to the point of unwatchability.

- What's with the HEAT?! And the fan noise?! Does Digeo realize that some people have cable in their bedrooms? You know, where you sleep?

- ON/OFF switch. Hellooooo? ON/OFF switch. There has to be an ON/OFF switch. Yeah, I know it's a computer...and a slow one at that, which explains the 5-minute reboots. But having to run the thing 24/7/365 is wrong and stupid and unacceptable. You're smart guys over there at Digeo -- I'm sure you can figure something out....

- Program grid. Program grid goooood. Program grid niiiiiice. Moxi WANT program grid, yesssssss.....

- How about a longer program name display. I don't think they charge you by the letter....

- Activate the external hard drive feature.

- And while you're at it, activate some of those nifty ports -- the RJ-45, for example.

In the meantime, I'm deleriously happy with my SA boxes. I strongly urge any others who have similar concerns and complaints to consider asking for a swap.

So...I might be back.

But not until there's an ON/OFF switch....
First of all, I as well as many other users, CAN record 2 HD programs at the same time while watching a 3rd with NO issues, perhaps this is a powerkey issue, as you had the powerkey model.

The Moxi has NO ATSC tuners, it has 2 QAM tuners, ATSC are for OTA content, which the Moxi does not support, although i wish it did.

I have not noticed the heat coming from my Moxi, nor the sound, you just have to keep it ventilated (a little) and keep it cool. Mine is not in an ideal spot and my computer fan, which i do not consider loud in the least, overpowers any sound might be coming from my Moxi.

I have the 9022D which has a 160 GB hard drive, granted it's still weak, the Moxi does not only offer 80 GB, you just have to beg for the 9022D.

And about the On/Off switch. Your SA box does not have it EITHER!!! Yes, it does have a button that says On/Off, however it does NOT power the box on and off, it simply turns off the front display and shuts off the video outputs, hardly giving any benefit compared to the Moxi's staying on all the time.

I agree when it comes to adding a grid feature, although i would still like the Moxi interface to be an option, and i agree that they need to fit the entire program name in the listings. They also need to activate the external HDD option soon.

However, the ports on the back of the Moxi ARE active, but it's the cable company that gets to decide what to use them for and whether or not to allow a device to utilize these ports. Believe it or not, it's actually the cable company that designs the software that's in the Moxi. Diego came up with the basic design, but the cable company modifies it and customizes the version of the software and firmware that are in your box.

I just had to point out that most of your beef with the Moxi is not it's fault or are just isolated incidents. Most of your problems are with the cable company's implementation of the Moxi system, not the box itself.

twitchee3

04-22-06, 07:16 PM

Gee, I wonder if Charter here in Long Beach has the SA 8300HD boxes. I'm with you on most of your complaints. After several months I just cannot get used to the whole MOXI interface. I cannot figure out what's on. To get to anything you have to do it MOXI's way. Press the button,wait, press it again, wait, hello I'm trying to change channels here! I don't think any of us would put up with a computer this slow. I thought most of my frustration is having just moved from a Time Warner area to third world Charter. But perhaps the MOXI is coloring my experience. Thanks for the heads up that this may not be the only way to record and watch HDTV.
You can only get a Moxi switched out for an SA box if your cable market uses the SA Powerkey hardware. If you have the limited production Powerkey model of the Moxi, then an SA box may be available in your area, but if you use the widely prduced Moxi designed for Motorola systems, then the only thing available in your area would be other Motorola DVR's, like the 6412, or the Moxi.

SA boxes will not work on Motorola systems. Moxi's are the only STB's that can work on both systems, although you need different versions of the box for each system.

twitchee3

04-22-06, 07:22 PM

Over time, I've read every message in this thread. I subscribe to keep current and I've seen this issue often lamented but never "corrected." It occurs only occasionally with me but if there's a fix, I'd love to know what it is.

Also, I called Adelphia last week to plead with them to change out my 9012 for a 9022 (I'm in West Hollywood). The operator/techician read me an email (in her dulcet, come-hither IT voice) that had apparently been composed for reading to people like me.

It said there ARE NO 9022's available in "Southern California" nor WILL THERE BE for the forseeable future!! It was that emphatic. Maybe they meant "no LONGER available" as I know many of you have the 9022 in So Cal. Are any of you in WeHo specifically?
I'm also with Adelphia in SoCal, Camarillo in Ventura County to be exact, and we have 2 Moxi's in our house, a BMC 9012, and a BMC 9022D, so Adelphia is lying when they say no BMC 9022D's are in SoCal, because i have one in my room, in fact i'm looking at it right now. They also told me that there are no Moxi Mates in SoCal, and i recently heard Adelphia SoCal is doing limited employee testing with these Moxi Mate units, so again, they are lying. When we had our second HD DVR installed at the beginning of March (the 4th to be exact), we had made no specific demands for which unit to be installed, but when the technician showed up, he showed me the cool new BMC 9022D unit that they had apparently just received. He showed me the cool new feature of the hidden media drive and said that it had a bigger HDD, so i was one happy camper.

I would try to contact higher ups at Adelphia, or perhaps the 9022D is just not being carried by your local market. OR, you are in an area serviced by Powerkey models, and there are just no Powerkey versions of the 9022D here in SoCal. I know that we do not have the Powerkey versions because we are on a Motorola system.

What other HD DVR's are available in your area, do you know? If it's SA boxes, then you are on the Powerkey system.

Penton-Man

04-22-06, 08:51 PM

Also, I called Adelphia last week to plead with them to change out my 9012 for a 9022 (I'm in West Hollywood). The operator/techician read me an email (in her dulcet, come-hither IT voice) that had apparently been composed for reading to people like me.

It said there ARE NO 9022's available in "Southern California" nor WILL THERE BE for the forseeable future!! It was that emphatic. Maybe they meant "no LONGER available" as I know many of you have the 9022 in So Cal. Are any of you in WeHo specifically?
It is my belief that the way Adelphia SoCal currently has the situation configured is that not until your particular locale in SoCal is runnin MIGHTY low on 9012 stock will they put in an order for 9022 boxes.

At this point in time, there appears to be few locales that have reached the red zone in 9012 stock which necessitated Adelphia ordering Moxi’s latest and greatest the 9022D. :)

Exposing my particular hub or headend would be meaningless as my area also has/had zero 9022D boxes until a special order was put into Colorado on my behalf as I am simply lucky to have a backchannel source with Adelphia at the current time.

msloane

04-23-06, 03:05 AM

Gee, I wonder if Charter here in Long Beach has the SA 8300HD boxes. I'm with you on most of your complaints. After several months I just cannot get used to the whole MOXI interface. I cannot figure out what's on. To get to anything you have to do it MOXI's way. Press the button,wait, press it again, wait, hello I'm trying to change channels here! I don't think any of us would put up with a computer this slow. I thought most of my frustration is having just moved from a Time Warner area to third world Charter. But perhaps the MOXI is coloring my experience. Thanks for the heads up that this may not be the only way to record and watch HDTV.

Gotta tell you, my SA box works brilliantly.

BRILLIANTLY.

Mind you, I FOUGHT to get the Moxi. I did the research as to what was out there and I switched from Dish to Charter Glendale (rather than DirecTV, my only other option) SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF MOXI.

I wanted Moxi. I craved Moxi.

TWICE installers came out with SA boxes. TWICE I sent them away, telling them I had specifically ordered Moxis.

Then - FINALLY - I got my Moxis.

The rest you already know if you read my earlier post.

If you want to see your Moxi headache miraculously disappear, replace it with something that JUST WORKS.

The SA box is nothing fancy.

But it just works.

twitchee3

04-23-06, 03:10 AM

Gotta tell you, my SA box works brilliantly.

BRILLIANTLY.

Mind you, I FOUGHT to get the Moxi. I did the research as to what was out there and I switched from Dish to Charter Glendale (rather than DirecTV, my only other option) SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF MOXI.

I wanted Moxi. I craved Moxi.

TWICE installers came out with SA boxes. TWICE I sent them away, telling them I had specifically ordered Moxis.

Then - FINALLY - I got my Moxis.

The rest you already know if you read my earlier post.

If you want to see your Moxi headache miraculously disappear, replace it with something that JUST WORKS.

The SA box is nothing fancy.

But it just works.
I'm still wondering if some of your issues with the Moxi had to do with the fact that you had the Powerkey model. For instance, there are MANY other users, including myself (with 2 Moxis) that do not have the HD pixelation issue when recording 2 HD programs at the same time (even while watching a 3rd from the DVR). I guess we can never be sure if it's the Powerkey models fault, but i know this was a limited production model, and i know that you had it, and i also know that ther are many other satisfied Moxi users who have the Motorola based box.

msloane

04-23-06, 03:22 AM

First of all, I as well as many other users, CAN record 2 HD programs at the same time while watching a 3rd with NO issues, perhaps this is a powerkey issue, as you had the powerkey model.

The Moxi has NO ATSC tuners, it has 2 QAM tuners, ATSC are for OTA content, which the Moxi does not support, although i wish it did.

I have not noticed the heat coming from my Moxi, nor the sound, you just have to keep it ventilated (a little) and keep it cool. Mine is not in an ideal spot and my computer fan, which i do not consider loud in the least, overpowers any sound might be coming from my Moxi.

I have the 9022D which has a 160 GB hard drive, granted it's still weak, the Moxi does not only offer 80 GB, you just have to beg for the 9022D.

And about the On/Off switch. Your SA box does not have it EITHER!!! Yes, it does have a button that says On/Off, however it does NOT power the box on and off, it simply turns off the front display and shuts off the video outputs, hardly giving any benefit compared to the Moxi's staying on all the time.

I agree when it comes to adding a grid feature, although i would still like the Moxi interface to be an option, and i agree that they need to fit the entire program name in the listings. They also need to activate the external HDD option soon.

However, the ports on the back of the Moxi ARE active, but it's the cable company that gets to decide what to use them for and whether or not to allow a device to utilize these ports. Believe it or not, it's actually the cable company that designs the software that's in the Moxi. Diego came up with the basic design, but the cable company modifies it and customizes the version of the software and firmware that are in your box.

I just had to point out that most of your beef with the Moxi is not it's fault or are just isolated incidents. Most of your problems are with the cable company's implementation of the Moxi system, not the box itself.

I stand corrected as to QAM vs. ATSC. Thanks for pointing out the error...though I think everyone knew what I was talking about.

As to HDD size..."beg for the 9022D?" I'll have what YOU'RE smoking. I have 160Gb now on the SA box, and I didn't have to beg for it. Besides, even if I DID get the 9022D, I'd just have a bigger HDD on a useless machine.

As for the ON/OFF switch, I beg to differ. When I power off the SA box, it goes virtually silent. There seems to be a motor sound somewhere in there, but when it's off, I can only hear it by literally putting my ear next to it. I'd say it's easily 10 times quieter than the Moxi -- which I could hear from outside the room when it was OFF.

twitchee3

04-23-06, 04:13 AM

I stand corrected as to QAM vs. ATSC. Thanks for pointing out the error...though I think everyone knew what I was talking about.

As to HDD size..."beg for the 9022D?" I'll have what YOU'RE smoking. I have 160Gb now on the SA box, and I didn't have to beg for it. Besides, even if I DID get the 9022D, I'd just have a bigger HDD on a useless machine.

As for the ON/OFF switch, I beg to differ. When I power off the SA box, it goes virtually silent. There seems to be a motor sound somewhere in there, but when it's off, I can only hear it by literally putting my ear next to it. I'd say it's easily 10 times quieter than the Moxi -- which I could hear from outside the room when it was OFF.
Well, i may have been exaggerating a bit with the "beg" as i got my 9022D without even asking for a Moxi. As to the noise, something must have been wrong with your unit, because we have 2 Moxis, and i cannot even hear anything when the room is quiet and i'm about a foot from the thing. This is not just a quiet unit either, neither of the Moxi's are very loud. Someone mentioned they thought the Moxi had a variable speed fan, so perhaps your Moxi was running very hot, and thus needed to amp up the fan speed.

Anyway, i'm sorry the Moxi didn't work out for you, and i'm glad you're finally happy with the SA box. Hope things continue to work out with that.

slim79

04-23-06, 10:50 AM

I'm pretty sure Music Choice channels are supposed to be viewed in a 1x1 aspect ratio. I think they want to creat the impression you're looking at a record/CD cover

most likely it is music choice who is flagging it this way either intentionally or unintentionally. I really can't see why they would do it that way as they were around long before any cable box would be outputting the video in its native aspect ratio. also the video resolution is 704x480 which is closer to 4:3 than 1:1

slim79

04-23-06, 10:53 AM

So it IS a bug, just not Moxi's bug. What? You say Charter is at fault? I'm *shocked*. :)
well there is a seprate moxi bug that causes them to be ouput in 720p rather than 480i when 720p is selected in HDTV Setup

zzo

04-23-06, 10:57 AM

(1) Make sure you have the 3.2.252 update by going into the On-Screen Diagnostics menu. Simultaneously press and hold the Menu and OK buttons directly on the Moxi unit. Use the arrow keys and OK button to navigate through the menus. Select "Main Overview" to see your software version. Press the Moxi button to exit.

(2) Make sure your display has an HDCP-compatible digital input (most newer models should have this, but you may want to check your manual).

(3) Try unplugging your Moxi, connecting the DVI cable without any other video cables attached, and then plugging the Moxi back in. If it still does not work after the reboot, try rebooting a second time by pressing and holding the Reset button on the front of the Moxi for about 5 seconds.

So it is indeed 3.2.252 - did all of the unplugging & rebooting - & best I can get is when it's around '4000' while rebooting the Moxi splash screen shows up via the DVI output for a couple of seconds & then goes blank again.
After waiting for it to get fully booted I plug back in the component outputs & sure enough that's where the signal is.
Have tried this process several times by both pulling the power cord & holding down the 'reset' button & get the exact same behavior. The ONLY cords plugged into the moxi are the power, DVI, & RCA audio jacks....
Bummer.

twitchee3

04-23-06, 04:37 PM

So it is indeed 3.2.252 - did all of the unplugging & rebooting - & best I can get is when it's around '4000' while rebooting the Moxi splash screen shows up via the DVI output for a couple of seconds & then goes blank again.
After waiting for it to get fully booted I plug back in the component outputs & sure enough that's where the signal is.
Have tried this process several times by both pulling the power cord & holding down the 'reset' button & get the exact same behavior. The ONLY cords plugged into the moxi are the power, DVI, & RCA audio jacks....
Bummer.
Regardless of whether or not your TV supports HDCP, this DEFINATELY sounds like a digital handshake issue to me, as it usually takes a few seconds for HDCP to initialize, so that's why the splash screen shows briefly, and then the image via DVI dies.

twitchee3

04-24-06, 03:35 AM

Has anyone attempted to capture the transport stream from a firewire (IEEE 1394) enabled Moxi to a PC? I just ordered a firewire cable tonight (should be here by tuesday) and i plan on using it to connect my BMC 9022D that's up in my room to my PC. I have an old system, P4 1.6 GHZ XP Home SP2, 512 MB total system ram (2x 256), 2x 80 GB ATA HDD's with an upgraded Sapphire 256 MB 128 bit AGP 8x graphics card (in a 4x AGP socket though). I'm really not looking to playback any material through the PC i have in my room, but simply capture it with CapDVHS or a similar program. I also will not be hearbroken if 5c is enabled here with some of the premium channels, but i would like to be able to capture at least some content. I actually have a firewire PCI card that came installed on my computer when i got it (over 4 years ago, wow), and i know it's functional because i use it to sync my iPod.

The documentation that came with the box appears to claim that the firewire ports ARE active, and that they will work with a DVHS recorder or a firewire enabled TV for viewing, so if this is correct, i don't see why i couldn't capture the transport stream of non-5c flagged content. Perhaps the incompetence of my local cable company will finally pay off if they have forgotten to enforce 5c. :p

Now, i heard from someone that they were able to get the channel changing aspect to work, but were not able to capture the transport stream. I guess i will have to see how it works out for me, and i will not be dissappointed if i can only change channels with the PC, but capturing any HD would be a nice additon to my total system.

I have also heard that it is best to connect the firewire cable to the right hand firewire port when viewing the back panel straight on, is there any merit in this for the Moxi?

I would just like to know if anyone has any thoughts about this before i start the install and tweaking process.

Anyway, thanks for any help or advice.

zzo

04-24-06, 02:37 PM

Regardless of whether or not your TV supports HDCP, this DEFINATELY sounds like a digital handshake issue to me, as it usually takes a few seconds for HDCP to initialize, so that's why the splash screen shows briefly, and then the image via DVI dies.

Hm it's a 2-year old Samsung DLP that allegedly supports HDCP but what you're saying makes sense - I think the only resolution I have checked in 720p - wonder if that has anything to do w/it.
Don't suppose there's a list of 'supported' HDCP/DVI TV's this thing works with?

Oh the SD channels look HORRIBLE compared to running the cable staight to my TV off a splitter - if I 'updgrade' to digital cable will the SD signal look better thru the box (as it would have to go thru the box)???

Thanks! Mark

dwis67

04-24-06, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by zzo.
Hm it's a 2-year old Samsung DLP that allegedly supports HDCP but what you're saying makes sense - I think the only resolution I have checked in 720p - wonder if that has anything to do w/it.
Don't suppose there's a list of 'supported' HDCP/DVI TV's this thing works with?

Oh the SD channels look HORRIBLE compared to running the cable staight to my TV off a splitter - if I 'updgrade' to digital cable will the SD signal look better thru the box (as it would have to go thru the box)???

Thanks! Mark

Mark,
I had the same issue getting the DVI to work on my Samsung TV (HL-P5085) with the Moxi. I had my cable company come out and fix it. I wasn't home, but my wife said the tech physically unplugged all of my cables except the DVI, powered off/on the Moxi box and it started working. The strange part about all of this is that once it was fixed the problem hasn't re-occurred. I can power down or reset the Moxi with all of my cables attached to it and the DVI comes back up every time. In any case, if you can't get it working make the cable company come out and fix it.

Resist

04-24-06, 06:50 PM

Back on April 4th, someone with the name "Resist" got his Moxi replaced, and last I heard, it solved the problem. I'd link to the post, but I don't know how to do that :confused: But just go back to the 4th and you'll see where he finally got the Moxi replaced, and on the 6th he said it was working OK. I assume it still is.
Yes our replacement Moxi is still working fine.

I do wish Moxi responded faster to its remote inputs though. And yes it would be great if the Hard Drive was bigger, it's really lame to have such a small drive in an HD DVR. I don't however, see the need for an On/Off switch. Heck Tivo stand alone units don't even have them and don't need them. You don't want to turn the unit off to begin with.

twitchee3

04-24-06, 07:28 PM

Yes our replacement Moxi is still working fine.

I do wish Moxi responded faster to its remote inputs though. And yes it would be great if the Hard Drive was bigger, it's really lame to have such a small drive in an HD DVR. I don't however, see the need for an On/Off switch. Heck Tivo stand alone units don't even have them and don't need them. You don't want to turn the unit off to begin with.
Agreed on all points.

Hey, does anyone know if the Moxi does or can support MPEG-4 (H.264) HD? I'm not even sure if cable companies transmit MPEG-4 yet, but i was wondering if, perhaps with a firmware/software upgrade, the Moxi could support MPEG-4.

tjcavins

04-24-06, 08:22 PM

jlachanc

04-24-06, 08:36 PM

Has anyone attempted to capture the transport stream from a firewire (IEEE 1394) enabled Moxi to a PC? .
I've never heard of anyone being able to do this. I'm only using DVHS and it works, but the results have been imperfect, (block data errors, etc). Not sure if it's the Moxi, the DVHS, or a combo of the two. I originally had a Moxi w/o firewire and changed it out to one with it so I could record HD. It took a lot of effort to get the cable company CSR to even understand what I was asking for. Regardless, when I found someone who understood, they read me some canned 'disclaimer message' that the Moxi could not and should not be used with a HTPC, only DVHS recording was allowed. They even included some documentation with the new Moxi to that same effect.
Anyway, give it a shot and let us know how you do...

twitchee3

04-24-06, 08:43 PM

Just got Charter cable and Moxi v2 the other day. I'm in SE Michigan.

I have component cables but they gave me High Def cables to use with the Moxi. Would component cables provide a better picture?

Also, they said the HDMI option is deactivated. Does anyone know if this is true and if so why?

Is there a way to tell how the picture is coming in(1080i, 720p, or 480p)? My tv supports all and I have all 3 selected in the HD setup for Moxi.

Thanks,

Tim
What do you mean by "high def" cables? Component video can deliver ALL high definition and ALL SD resolutions to a display. Component is the ONLY connection on the Moxi that supports all applicable resolutions: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i. The Moxi does not have HDMI, but instead it has DVI. Here with Adelphia in SoCal, our DVI ports ARE activated, although we do not use them and some have reported problems, but others use DVI without incident. The only way you can tell which resolution is being output is to either select only one resolution for the Moxi to output, or if your TV will tell you which resolution it is currently displaying. Of course, if you're watching an HD channel, it will be either 720p or 1080i and an SD channel will be 480i, unless you're using the DVI connection or the Moxi must upscale SD for some other reason. Just a note, but Moxi does not support the 480p resolution at this time, UNLESS you have the new update which supports it. We have not yet received this new update, so we have only 480i, 720p, and 1080i available.

Andrew Sabin

04-24-06, 08:54 PM

I recently purchased the 1080p capable Westinghouse LVM-37w3 and have my Moxi connected via DVI. For background, I have Charter in St. Louis with an all digital lineup. The SD digital quality is decent, much better than analog with the Moxi. After extensive A/B testing, I prefer SD channels upconverted to 720p by the Moxi. Motion blur and artifacting is noticeably reduced viewing SD at 720p vs. 1080i. Clearly, the Westinghouse peforms better when fed a progressive signal for SD.

Which brings me to my question: Is there a way to have the Moxi uponvert all SD channels to 720p when I have 1080i and 720p selected? Currently, when both are selected the Moxi upconverts all SD to 1080i--this upconversion results in much more motion blur and artifacting. I definitely want 1080i selected for the best picture on native 1080i broadcasts (the 1080p resolution really shines for 1080i). If a 720p upconversion isn't possible with 1080i also selected, I'm hoping that the new update with 480p will produce better results than 1080i for SD. Something about upconverting 480i to 1080p is producting this motion blur...it must be a shortcoming of the line doubler in my Westinghouse (it doesn't like low resolution interlaced signals). I know it takes alot of processing power to upconvert to 1080p. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

twitchee3

04-24-06, 09:08 PM

dagware

04-24-06, 09:24 PM

I've heard by people who have this update, however, that it's not all that great.
True. I have it here in Placentia, and it doesn't look nearly as good as the upconversion my InFocus 4805 does on it's own. It looks blurry.

-Dan

twitchee3

04-24-06, 10:29 PM

True. I have it here in Placentia, and it doesn't look nearly as good as the upconversion my InFocus 4805 does on it's own. It looks blurry.

-Dan
Yeah, i thought you had pointed that out before. Man i'm really fed up with my local Adelphia, i think they're incompetent. I'm betting they have this new update, but they have no idea how to implement it and may not even know what the he!! to do with it. SEND IT TO ME!!!!!!

Andrew Sabin

04-24-06, 10:54 PM

True. I have it here in Placentia, and it doesn't look nearly as good as the upconversion my InFocus 4805 does on it's own. It looks blurry.

dagware,

I'm hoping that the results using 480p on my setup will just be an incremental improvement. Whether it be 480i, 720p, or 1080i (Moxi or my HDTV upconverting), I think it all looks blurry and dull compared to HD. Actually, I think direct 480i looks worst (using the Westinghouse upconversion). However, sending interlaced signals to my 1080p LCD results in noticealbe motion blur. Since, I can't conveniently use 720p to upconvet, I hope 480p is a decent solution.

dvbTV

04-24-06, 11:18 PM

[QUOTE=twitchee3]Has anyone attempted to capture the transport stream from a firewire (IEEE 1394) enabled Moxi to a PC?

I have tried with the BMC9012, My pc see's the stb but not stream when pushing rec on capdvhs I have tried both 1394 ports on stb but still have not got it to work. If i use capture from a/v panel it says cannot capture sample grabber, and when using a/v tuner it says cannot start capture. not giving up hope and still trying good luck twitchee.

twitchee3

04-25-06, 12:38 AM

Thanks, but you know i bet Digeo built something into their Linux OS (that's what the Moxi interface is basically, a Linux computer) to shutoff output of the transport stream over firewire when it recognized another PC on the end. Pretty sharp those Digeo techs, B@$T@RD$ outsmarted us this time i suppose. I have the second edition of the media center (BMC 9022D) in my room and this is what i will try it with, so i guess we'll see how it goes and i'll be sure to post my results, hopefully tomorrow, firewire cable delivery pending.

gjlowe

04-25-06, 12:43 AM

MoxiGuy..do you know when Charter customers will get the update that includes 480p as an option?

twitchee3

04-25-06, 01:47 AM

MoxiGuy..do you know when Charter customers will get the update that includes 480p as an option?
MoxiGuy would have no idea, as it depends when your local cable company head end actually pushes the update out to you. They may even have the update, they just aren't in a hurry to get it out to you.

Also, MoxiGuy, i would love for some functionality to be given to all these neat-o ports on the Moxi. I tried using the front USB (1.1 right?) ports for a keyboard and tried to enter search titles, and alas it's completely disfunctional. The ethernet port on the back is also inactive (although this is, i'm sure, the cable company's fault as there IS an internal DOCSIS cable modem- is the ethernet port connected to this internally?). And, we are still waiting for the USB 2.0 ports on the back to enable external HDD support. I would love for these USB ports to be functional for something other than charging my iPod ;)

Also, MoxiGuy, if you read my posts above about firewire recording, was i correct in assuming Digeo has put in some kind of block that disables the A/V output over the firewire ports when it recognizes a PC at the other end? Because judging from the symptoms others have reported when attemtping to capture transport streams from the firewire ports using CapDVHS, it seems that the ports are still "active" as some people have been able to control the panel via this connection, but were not able to capture the .ts stream. Thoughts? MoxiGuy where have you been anyway, haven't heard from you in ages. :confused: :confused: :confused:

Oh, and just some thought for future functionality, i think many of us would like to see an HDMI port instead of the DVI, preferably one that DOES NOT disable other A/V outputs, and also does not disable the optical audio output, so that DD 5.1 can be sent to the display AND an external surround receiver. Also, an eSATA port would be nice to support external storage, as i believe it would be a bit more functional than USB 2.0. Just some thoughts to pass on to the techies working on the "Moxi 3" or whatever it is they're cooking up. Oh, and PLEASE speed up the box and add a GRID guide, and allow us to jump to a specific time in a recording, ie hit a button and then enter in numbers for a time.

THANKS

WE MISS YOU!!!!!

splinke

04-25-06, 03:03 AM

twitchee3

04-25-06, 03:16 AM

A few notes from the FAQ. Many other interesting facts can also be found there.

FireWire:

The IEEE 1394 output reportedly delivers standard MPEG-2 video/audio of live TV in the resolution of the default video output to a display or recording device. Currently, it does not deliver any of the Moxi interface graphics, and it does not support external hard drives. The Moxi uses 5C Digital Transmission Content Protection (DTCP) technology, so the recording device must be DTCP-compatible, preventing further copying of programs that have been labeled "do not copy".

USB ports:

Although the USB ports are apparently "active" in that they could power and/or charge the batteries of USB devices plugged into them, they are only "functional" on units with the Photos application activated under software v3.2. Note: Adelphia does not offer the Photos application.

HDMI:

The upcoming Samsung Moxi Media Center (Moxi II) units will contain HDMI ports rather than DVI.
Yeah, i knew the Moxi enforced 5c, but is its use of 5c any different from other STB's such as the Motorola DCT 6412 that would not allow copying to a PC? Because i know the 6412 allows limited recording to a PC using CapDVHS if there is content marked "copy freely" with the 5c flags, or if 5c is not enforced, so i don't see why the Moxi would be any different.

Also, yeah i had forgotten that the USB ports had that "limited" photo import option, but yeah here with Adelphia we don't get that app., but it does charge my iPod quite nicely.

So Samsung is manufacturing the next generation of Moxi's? I think the next generation may be called "Moxi III" as it states on their website that the "Moxi Mate" is only compatible with the 2 Media Center, which refers to the BMC 9022D model, and i would assume they use this interchangebly with "Moxi II" although i could be mistaken.

Can't wait till this new Samsung box comes out, any timeframe available yet?

BeeCee

04-25-06, 08:10 AM

Hi all.

Our MOXI now has VOD.

It did not fully function over the weekend but yesterday
evening we watched a nice Fly Fishing clip (free).
In SD but a nice change.

Did not have time to check out all the content.

Keep up all the hard work and discussion on this list.

It is very informative, helpful and FUN!

BeeCee

IfixitBIG

04-25-06, 08:55 AM

A couple of weeks ago, I started using my DVI output on the Moxi. I saw a little difference in the picture, so I kept the setting and all was fine. Then, last Wednesday night, the Moxi started acting "sluggish". Hitting button, and seconds later, the channel would change, or the Moxi menu would come up. Then, without warning, the machine rebooted!

This has happened about three times since Wednesday. Is this a sign of a pending disaster? Anyone else has this problem? Is this the end of my Moxi's life? There is no way the recent change to the DVI connection causes this... could it?

Thanks,

splinke

04-25-06, 03:40 PM

Yeah, i knew the Moxi enforced 5c, but is its use of 5c any different from other STB's such as the Motorola DCT 6412 that would not allow copying to a PC?
Various people have reported that they are able to record to D-VHS recorders, as well as Mac OS X and Linux based computers, but not Windows based computers. At least one Windows person, however, was able to record from another STB, and there are not many reports on any platform, so it is all a bit of a mystery. The problems may or may not be related to 5c. They may be hardware-specific. Have you tried it? Another data point would be very valuable.

So Samsung is manufacturing the next generation of Moxi's? I think the next generation may be called "Moxi III" as it states on their website that the "Moxi Mate" is only compatible with the 2 Media Center, which refers to the BMC 9022D model, and i would assume they use this interchangebly with "Moxi II" although i could be mistaken.
I think the Digeo web site must say that the Moxi Mate is only compatible with the "2-TV" Media Center, referring to the first-generation 9022D. The third number in the model number is the number of TVs it can serve, and the fourth number is the number of tuners it has. So, the 9012 has two tuners, but it can only serve one TV, and the 9022D has two tuners that can serve up to two TVs with a Moxi Mate (the "D" is for the optical disk).

Initially, Digeo was calling the upcoming Samsung products "the next-generation Moxi™ II Media Center product family." More recently, they have been calling it the "Samsung Home Media Center with Moxi." So, technically, I think the Samsung's are considered the second-generation, but this is all a bit nit-picky, and, after all, what's in a name? Call it whatever you'd like, and it's still a Moxi. :) The last thing I saw is that it was due for release sometime in 2006. Originally, I think they were due to be out around now, but things never seem to be on schedule.

todbnla

04-25-06, 07:25 PM

Moxi Problem (maybe?) In the last few weeks when I get home from work the digital readout (clock dsiplay)on the front of my Moxi is flickering in an unreadable manner, the only thing that allows it to return to normal is to reboot the unit. Is this just a power hit in my area?? Or, is my unit on its way out? :confused:

PLMK-Thanks! :cool:

splinke

04-25-06, 07:37 PM

...Then, last Wednesday night, the Moxi started acting "sluggish". Hitting button, and seconds later, the channel would change, or the Moxi menu would come up. Then, without warning, the machine rebooted!...

Moxi Problem (maybe?) In the last few weeks when I get home from work the digital readout (clock dsiplay)on the front of my Moxi is flickering in an unreadable manner, the only thing that allows it to return to normal is to reboot the unit. Is this just a power hit in my area?? Or, is my unit on its way out?...

In both of these cases, I would speculate that something is seriously wrong that probably requires a replacement box. Probably the only things you can do are to make sure that it is not overheating, and that it is plugged into a surge suppressor. I would call tech support.

By the way, I also support the campaign to save Arrested Development!

Resist

04-25-06, 08:12 PM

todbnla

04-25-06, 08:43 PM

No way its overheating, mine is setup on a wire ventilated shelving unit, totally open on all sides... I'll watch it a while longer than call for a replacement if the problem persists, my unit is a rental :)

slim79

04-25-06, 09:15 PM

i know the 6412 allows limited recording to a PC using CapDVHS if there is content marked "copy freely" with the 5c flags, or if 5c is not enforced, so i don't see why the Moxi would be any different.

but it is unfortunately...I know of 3 other people from forums who have tried and failed with the moxi...not to discourage you but I wouldn't get my hopes up.
for me the moto 6200, firewire.zip, MCE and over 500GB storage was my holy grail.

twitchee3

04-25-06, 10:14 PM

In both of these cases, I would speculate that something is seriously wrong that probably requires a replacement box. Probably the only things you can do are to make sure that it is not overheating, and that it is plugged into a surge suppressor. I would call tech support.

By the way, I also support the campaign to save Arrested Development!
I would attribute the sluggishness to overheating and or being on too long, so try a reboot for that.

As for the display errors, i get that sometimes too. I believe its a power problem, as the first time it happened to me the lights flickered in the bathroom, and when i got back to my Moxi, the display was TRIPPING out. Just unplug and reboot and it will be fine. Neither of these cases should warrant a new Moxi unless the problems constantly persist after reboots. The flickering for me has only happened twice in a 2 month period, so if it happens quite often, call for a replacement.

Yeah, i'm aware of the product code: 90- model number 12-1 room 2 tuners 22- 2 rooms 2 tuners and the D-either "Disc" or "DVD," i'm not quite sure which it stands for, but close enough. And yes, i agree, a MOXI by any name is still a MOXI. Adelphia DVR w/ Moxi=MOXI!!

Ok, i feel REALLLLY STUPID now. First of all, we FIRST had a BMC 9012 installed downstairs in early February, and it DOES have active firewire ports. Now, when the tech installed my BMC 9022D in my room in early March, it was the BRAND box of the brand new model, and i just assumed it had firewire ports, but never actually took a peek. So, my firewire cable arrives today, i route it from my computer into the cabinet where my Moxi is, then pull out the Moxi, and long and behold, NO FIREWIRE PORTS!!!!

Now, i was mad, so i gave Adelphia a ring, not really expecting much from their end. Once i was finally connected to someone who knew a bit about the Moxi hardware, he informed me that the BMC 9022D's were being deployed by Adelphia in SoCal as an "overflow box" to handle the increased demand for DVR's when no 9012's were available. He said the availability of 9022's around here was very limited, and he was not aware of any 9022's with firewire ports, although he also insisted the 9022 had an 80 GB HDD, and of course i told him he was wrong and he said he could be mistaken. My firewire cable is too short to connect the 9012 that is downstairs to the PC that's down there, so for now, my testing of the Moxi in this manner will have to be postponed. There's no way i'm trading in 9022 for a 9012, because an 80 GB hard drive is wayyyy too small, and the 160 GB i currently have is still under-par, but sufficient.

I believe Adelphia is not following the FCC mandate, because this 9022 is BRAND NEW, and must have been recently purchased by them, almost DEFINATELY after the date following which all STB's purchased by cable companies in the US must be firewire enabled.

jasonvr

04-26-06, 01:05 AM

I would attribute the sluggishness to overheating and or being on too long, so try a reboot for that.

As for the display errors, i get that sometimes too. I believe its a power problem, as the first time it happened to me the lights flickered in the bathroom, and when i got back to my Moxi, the display was TRIPPING out. Just unplug and reboot and it will be fine. Neither of these cases should warrant a new Moxi unless the problems constantly persist after reboots. The flickering for me has only happened twice in a 2 month period, so if it happens quite often, call for a replacement.

Yeah, i'm aware of the product code: 90- model number 12-1 room 2 tuners 22- 2 rooms 2 tuners and the D-either "Disc" or "DVD," i'm not quite sure which it stands for, but close enough. And yes, i agree, a MOXI by any name is still a MOXI. Adelphia DVR w/ Moxi=MOXI!!

Ok, i feel REALLLLY STUPID now. First of all, we FIRST had a BMC 9012 installed downstairs in early February, and it DOES have active firewire ports. Now, when the tech installed my BMC 9022D in my room in early March, it was the BRAND box of the brand new model, and i just assumed it had firewire ports, but never actually took a peek. So, my firewire cable arrives today, i route it from my computer into the cabinet where my Moxi is, then pull out the Moxi, and long and behold, NO FIREWIRE PORTS!!!!

Now, i was mad, so i gave Adelphia a ring, not really expecting much from their end. Once i was finally connected to someone who knew a bit about the Moxi hardware, he informed me that the BMC 9022D's were being deployed by Adelphia in SoCal as an "overflow box" to handle the increased demand for DVR's when no 9012's were available. He said the availability of 9022's around here was very limited, and he was not aware of any 9022's with firewire ports, although he also insisted the 9022 had an 80 GB HDD, and of course i told him he was wrong and he said he could be mistaken. My firewire cable is too short to connect the 9012 that is downstairs to the PC that's down there, so for now, my testing of the Moxi in this manner will have to be postponed. There's no way i'm trading in 9022 for a 9012, because an 80 GB hard drive is wayyyy too small, and the 160 GB i currently have is still under-par, but sufficient.

I believe Adelphia is not following the FCC mandate, because this 9022 is BRAND NEW, and must have been recently purchased by them, almost DEFINATELY after the date following which all STB's purchased by cable companies in the US must be firewire enabled.

I didn't think the law states that every cable box has to provide Firewire. I thought it was a little more general and stated that the cable companies must provide a box with Firewire if the customer requests it. I doubt that every box is required to have Firewire. That would mean that even SD boxes would be mandated to have it.

twitchee3

04-26-06, 01:38 AM

I didn't think the law states that every cable box has to provide Firewire. I thought it was a little more general and stated that the cable companies must provide a box with Firewire if the customer requests it. I doubt that every box is required to have Firewire. That would mean that even SD boxes would be mandated to have it.
You are half correct. They only have to provide a firewire enabled box to customers who request it, but another section of the FCC mandate requires that ALL STB's purchased after a certain date (i think in July of 2005) by any US cable company MUST have active firewire ports. This may actually only apply to DVR's or HD STB's, i'm not sure, but it doesn't matter because either way it applies to the Moxi.

dagware

04-26-06, 03:07 PM

Well I spoke to soon about the replacement Moxi working great with no issues, because today my Moxi started doing the pixelating issues all over again with recorded HD content. I guess I'll contact Charter and get the SA8300 box instead.
Damn! I *knew* I shouldn't have mentioned you. :p

I'm reminded of a scene from "Forget Paris" where Billy Crystal talks about never saying anything that could become "famous last words." I should have listened.

-Dan

rwinner

04-26-06, 04:46 PM

Is there a list of what cable systems and areas are known to have 9022D's available? In particular, does anyone in the Asheville, NC, area have one?

gjlowe

04-26-06, 05:12 PM

Well I am in Asheville, and I asked in late January/early February, and they told me they did not even have an ETA as they were being sent to other regions first. I hope we can get the 9022D soon! Maybe I will check again this week!

gjlowe

04-26-06, 05:18 PM

for me the moto 6200, firewire.zip, MCE and over 500GB storage was my holy grail.

Slim79-- Does MCE do the scheduling and use IR Blaster to control the Moto? How does it handle the FW input? I have an MCE with even more storage (don't ask...I am a hard drive junkie), and would love to look at your solution as an option.

twitchee3

04-26-06, 06:57 PM

Slim79-- Does MCE do the scheduling and use IR Blaster to control the Moto? How does it handle the FW input? I have an MCE with even more storage (don't ask...I am a hard drive junkie), and would love to look at your solution as an option.
Check out the Firewire to PC recording sticky at the top of this forum. Should have everything you need.

jaywatts

04-26-06, 07:49 PM

My Moxi is just magically losing programs that are sheduled to record and having issues recording certain programs when I set them to season and there are no conflicts anywhere! I'm glad I caught the 2nd part of a movie that was set to record even though I had already set it to record. I went back into scheduled to record and it wasn't there. It's been pretty unreliable as of late when it comes to season programs. This thing is having problems conflicting with itself. What's up with that? Or is it just Moxi performance as usual?

gjlowe

04-26-06, 08:03 PM

Check out the Firewire to PC recording sticky at the top of this forum. Should have everything you need.

Thank you slim79! Sometimes I have so many thread subscriptions that I don't visit the forum main pages for long intervals!

slim79

04-26-06, 08:19 PM

Slim79-- Does MCE do the scheduling and use IR Blaster to control the Moto? How does it handle the FW input? I have an MCE with even more storage (don't ask...I am a hard drive junkie), and would love to look at your solution as an option.

scheduling is done from MCE. IR BLaster is required but channel changes are done via firewire. MCE PC also has to have a tuner in it. live tv via firewire is still in the works apparently but you can start a recording then play the firewire file back while still recording. I am actually about due for some more storage...you can never have enough it seems when recording HD.

check out the link below to download the app which includes a readme with more detail on the workings
http://www.accidentsworld.com/tgb/firestb.zip

Bradduh

04-27-06, 10:47 AM

jaywatts---

I have the exact same issue. Often my recordings, especially HD recordings, drop form the scheduled to record and canceled and deleted lists (space). I end up rebooting the MOXI and they list then becomes updated. I also find this quite annoying, but have learned to live with it.

Sorry could not be of any help except to confirm your issue.

Brad

twitchee3

04-27-06, 06:54 PM

itbgary

04-28-06, 01:00 AM

I've waited for a week or so before posting this. I've had my Moxi box since Nov. 2004. Like others, I've experienced some of the annoying problems, like slow reponse to the remote. But the pixelation of the HD channels....that's just been unacceptable. I've had Charter out 6, maybe 8 times over the past year plus. They always hooked up meters and ran checks (at the pole, at my house, at the box), but they never solved the problem. Why? Well, the HD was always showing up perfectly when they came by. It seems that most of the time, I would only experience loss of signal during prime time. A couple of weeks ago, they switched out the box. The problem on the HD channels worsened in the sense that they would only occasionally show an image. Most of the time, the HD channels just showed that I didn't subscribe to them.

Fortunately, when they came out a week ago, I got lucky and wasn't receiving any HD channels. The technician happened to be a guy I went to school with 20 years ago, and he was also pretty knowledgable. He ran a new cable from the pole to my house. This cable is pretty thick, about the diameter size of a dime! The result? Excellent picture quality! I can watch HD channels any time I want without even a hint of a problem. I can record two HD channels at the same time, and they both replay crystal clear. What's even more amazing is the quality of the analog channels. Before, they were horrible. Viewable, but horrible. Now, the image quality on the analog channels rival the digital channels! Even the response time to the remote is now everything a reasonable consumer like me would expect.

As I have read on several of the 200+ posts in this discussion thread, many users have had the same problem with HD picture quality. I pretty much have blamed the Moxi folks because the problem seemed so prominent all around the country. I kept the box because I didn't really have any options as a consumer. Clearly, the problem is untrained technicians. But you know, that can still put the Moxi folks out of business one day. I'm sure they wouldn't put out a product that they expect to fail in the field. Based on those previous posts, though, things aren't quite right when the boxes end up in homes. It's a shame that it took 16 months to figure out I needed a new cable. If I had other real options, I would have taken them. Maybe somethinge else would have worked or maybe not. I don't know.

I'll be a champion for this DVR now. It does everything it's supposed to do! The difference is amazing. Now, if I could just get that fix to add more storage capacity!

twitchee3

04-28-06, 02:43 AM

Justintime

04-28-06, 10:49 AM

What itbgary is referring to is referred to by the cable companies as "replacing the drop". There is a cable, usually underground from the pedestal somewhere nearby to the house. These runs are usually problems - since they're underground, they corrode faster. Sometimes they are spliced underground - if not sealed properly they become succeptible to moisture. While you see it as "only happening during primetime", it is usually related to a temperature drop, or to moisture (rain, underground sprinklers). Shame on your cable company for not replacing it sooner. Usually when a tech is out twice and can't find the issue, he should automatically replace the drop, as it's usually the culprit of intermittent problems.

jaywatts

04-28-06, 10:52 AM

Well it's about time somebody else around here has some sense! I think your situation will give me the courage to be the ahole that I should have been to charter along time ago. I have ratty looking 13 freakin' year old coax coming from pole to house and am having all the problems that you have. I have gotten the local tech out here time and time again and he does something small just to make it look like he accomplished something. It's time to give Charter the riot act. I don't give Charter $150 + every month just to have a product that doesn't work that well. I was watching the Unit in HD last night and had horrible audio dropouts and tiling. I will admit that it could have been a local station channel problem but the sd channel was coming in just fine at the same time. Time to call Charter! Thank you for your post......!!!!!!!

I've waited for a week or so before posting this. I've had my Moxi box since Nov. 2004. Like others, I've experienced some of the annoying problems, like slow reponse to the remote. But the pixelation of the HD channels....that's just been unacceptable. I've had Charter out 6, maybe 8 times over the past year plus. They always hooked up meters and ran checks (at the pole, at my house, at the box), but they never solved the problem. Why? Well, the HD was always showing up perfectly when they came by. It seems that most of the time, I would only experience loss of signal during prime time. A couple of weeks ago, they switched out the box. The problem on the HD channels worsened in the sense that they would only occasionally show an image. Most of the time, the HD channels just showed that I didn't subscribe to them.

Fortunately, when they came out a week ago, I got lucky and wasn't receiving any HD channels. The technician happened to be a guy I went to school with 20 years ago, and he was also pretty knowledgable. He ran a new cable from the pole to my house. This cable is pretty thick, about the diameter size of a dime! The result? Excellent picture quality! I can watch HD channels any time I want without even a hint of a problem. I can record two HD channels at the same time, and they both replay crystal clear. What's even more amazing is the quality of the analog channels. Before, they were horrible. Viewable, but horrible. Now, the image quality on the analog channels rival the digital channels! Even the response time to the remote is now everything a reasonable consumer like me would expect.

As I have read on several of the 200+ posts in this discussion thread, many users have had the same problem with HD picture quality. I pretty much have blamed the Moxi folks because the problem seemed so prominent all around the country. I kept the box because I didn't really have any options as a consumer. Clearly, the problem is untrained technicians. But you know, that can still put the Moxi folks out of business one day. I'm sure they wouldn't put out a product that they expect to fail in the field. Based on those previous posts, though, things aren't quite right when the boxes end up in homes. It's a shame that it took 16 months to figure out I needed a new cable. If I had other real options, I would have taken them. Maybe somethinge else would have worked or maybe not. I don't know.

I'll be a champion for this DVR now. It does everything it's supposed to do! The difference is amazing. Now, if I could just get that fix to add more storage capacity!

jaywatts

04-28-06, 10:56 AM

My local tech has been all talk about replacing the drop near here. We live in a town of a 1000 people so he's not that busy. Isn't it a shame the guy brushed me off as much as he could leading up to winter so he didn't have to deal with me until the spring? So what do you think about my 13 year old cable coming from pole to house Justintime? I'm steaming now!

What itbgary is referring to is referred to by the cable companies as "replacing the drop". There is a cable, usually underground from the pedestal somewhere nearby to the house. These runs are usually problems - since they're underground, they corrode faster. Sometimes they are spliced underground - if not sealed properly they become succeptible to moisture. While you see it as "only happening during primetime", it is usually related to a temperature drop, or to moisture (rain, underground sprinklers). Shame on your cable company for not replacing it sooner. Usually when a tech is out twice and can't find the issue, he should automatically replace the drop, as it's usually the culprit of intermittent problems.

Justintime

04-28-06, 11:03 AM

There's no guarantees, but it most certainly isn't going to hurt anything except for the length of your local tech's coffee break :-)

Seriously, just tell him he can't leave until it's done. If he won't do it, then call the CSR's and explain all the problems you've had, and the fact that you pay $150/month, and that the new dish ad sure is attractive.

It costs them less to replace the drop than it does to swap out a Moxi.

jaywatts

04-28-06, 11:58 AM

I just called Charter and it wasn't too hard for them to understand that the Tech was more of a problem than my issues. Luckily I got a guy that had some sense and understood the problem. The customer service guy jumped when I said something about switching to dish. I'll be honest: it's really hard for me to be a jerk but I don't think I will have a problem in this situation since it's been going on for over a year.

There's no guarantees, but it most certainly isn't going to hurt anything except for the length of your local tech's coffee break :-)

Seriously, just tell him he can't leave until it's done. If he won't do it, then call the CSR's and explain all the problems you've had, and the fact that you pay $150/month, and that the new dish ad sure is attractive.

It costs them less to replace the drop than it does to swap out a Moxi.

Justintime

04-28-06, 12:46 PM

While in my sysadmin/technical support manager position at a cable company in my previous life, there were no shortage of jerks that called in. Many people threatened to have guns ready if we went out to collect our equipment that the customer hadn't paid for. Bringing out a sheriff with the tech cooled them off pretty quickly :-)

While no one likes being chewed out, my guys never spoke badly about a customer that was upset because we had dropped the ball - they understood the frustration. It was the ones who got upset because we disconnected them for not paying their bill for 3 months that got to the CSR's.

StockInv

04-28-06, 01:14 PM

primetimeguy

04-28-06, 02:28 PM

wanderance

04-28-06, 08:14 PM

Can anyone tell me what they are paying per month for a Moxibox and Moximate?
My bill with Charter is $35.00 per month to lease this service. I think it's a huge ripoff. Charter insists the bill is correct.

You should give them a call and see what sort of package deals they have. I always stayed away from MOXI and HD, because when Charter first came out with them in my area, they didn't qualify for any package deals. So it was the digital fee + hd fee + moxi fee, which ended up being around $35 a month. For that amount I just stuck with TiVo and its SD. However when I called recently, I get a package deal with all the HD stuff (HBO and Showtime as well), for CHEAPER than I was paying for just analog cable. After 3 months, it goes up by $15, which is totally worth the HBO, Showtime, MOXI and HD.

wanderance

04-28-06, 08:21 PM

slim79

04-28-06, 08:23 PM

This cable is pretty thick, about the diameter size of a dime! The result?

As I have read on several of the 200+ posts in this discussion thread, many users have had the same problem with HD picture quality. I pretty much have blamed the Moxi folks because the problem seemed so prominent all around the country. I kept the box because I didn't really have any options as a consumer. Clearly, the problem is untrained technicians. But you know, that can still put the Moxi folks out of business one day. I'm sure they wouldn't put out a product that they expect to fail in the field. Based on those previous posts, though, things aren't quite right when the boxes end up in homes. It's a shame that it took 16 months to figure out I needed a new cable. If I had other real options, I would have taken them. Maybe somethinge else would have worked or maybe not. I don't know.

the new cable must be RG-11 it would have less signal attenuation than the previous(over the same distance) and from the sounds of it there was likely other problems with the prior cable drop. This would significantly increase your signal level and quality. there are real problems though with at least some moxi's sensitivity to moderately high signal levels on 256QAM channels even when signal level and quality should not be a problem. and many technicians miss the fact that the problem may only be affecting one of the tuners. i agree fully it is sad that it took this long to get some one who knows or cares enough to do the right thing.

jvinsepa

04-28-06, 09:32 PM

I just noticed something on my Moxi box a week or two ago, but now it is getting annoying:

I am unable to DEselect any channels from the channel list... EVERYTHING is selected, even the music channels and premium channels in which I don't subscribe to.

This is an annoyance because, when I get to the top of the list of SD channels I DO receive when scrolling through, I have to manually type in the next highest channel to get to the HD channels (say, when i reach 131 or whatever the highest SD channel I have is, I have to type in 603 to get to the HD range... otherwise, I am endlessly scrolling through unsubscribed channels to get to what I want).

I forsee this as becoming a problem instead of an annoyance, since it might try to record a show in my list on a channel that I don't have.

twitchee3

04-28-06, 10:06 PM

jvinsepa

04-28-06, 10:12 PM

What happens when you go to Settings>Channel List and then DEselect these channels? Does it re-add them upon initializing the guide again, or after a reboot, or what?

It doesn't save the changes at all.

I know that I have to scroll to the left and click OK - I have always done it this way...

So, it unchecks them in the channel setup, but it never saves when hitting OK out of the menu.

I noticed all the channels were selected one day after my power went out and it rebooted itself. I have restarted several times since then to try and fix it.

Also, I just noticed tonight after watching a saved show and pressing "live tv" to watch something that all the channels DISAPPEARED - as if there were no channels.... not that they were simply unchecked, but the channel guide said "no data available". It took restarting two times to fix that... and now they are all selected with no way to unselect them again.

twitchee3

04-28-06, 10:24 PM

It doesn't save the changes at all.

I know that I have to scroll to the left and click OK - I have always done it this way...

So, it unchecks them in the channel setup, but it never saves when hitting OK out of the menu.

I noticed all the channels were selected one day after my power went out and it rebooted itself. I have restarted several times since then to try and fix it.

Also, I just noticed tonight after watching a saved show and pressing "live tv" to watch something that all the channels DISAPPEARED - as if there were no channels.... not that they were simply unchecked, but the channel guide said "no data available". It took restarting two times to fix that... and now they are all selected with no way to unselect them again.
What do you mean by "no way to unselect them again," do you mean that the channel list settings menu is no longer accessable, or do you mean you are experiencing the same "not saving" issues as in the past? By the way, to "save" your changes to the channel list, you do not selet OK. You press the OK button to unselect or select a channel in the list, but to "save" the changes, you scroll to the left and hit the "OK" button on the "BACK" tab.

Edit: Re-read your post, you are doing it correctly, sorry.

If you continue to have these issues, call the cable company and have them bring out a new Moxi, free of charge of course, becaue your is most likely defective.

jvinsepa

04-28-06, 10:29 PM

What do you mean by "no way to unselect them again," do you mean that the channel list settings menu is no longer accessable, or do you mean you are experiencing the same "not saving" issues as in the past? By the way, to "save" your changes to the channel list, you do not selet OK. You press the OK button to unselect or select a channel in the list, but to "save" the changes, you scroll to the left and hit the "OK" button on the "BACK" tab.

If you continue to have these issues, call the cable company and have them bring out a new Moxi, free of charge of course, becaue your is most likely defective.

I mean the same issue as before - sorry.

It does let me into the channel settings menu, and it lets me uncheck them with the OK button, but it does not save when I scroll to the left and press OK on the back menu, and they are all checked wehn I go back into the settings menu.

twitchee3

04-28-06, 10:34 PM

I mean the same issue as before - sorry.

It does let me into the channel settings menu, and it lets me uncheck them with the OK button, but it does not save when I scroll to the left and press OK on the back menu, and they are all checked wehn I go back into the settings menu.
How are your saved recordings, are there any "odd" things happening? Since your settings are not being saved, it COULD be a hard drive issue, although i'm not sure whether settings are saved on the HDD or system ram. Either way, sounds like you have a defective unit, i would contact the cable company and request immediate replacement free of charge at your convenience. And the key is, you must not ASK them for this, you must DEMAND IT. You are not paiying them $$$/mo for a defective unit and spotty customer service.

Good luck, hope you are able to resolve this issue.

slim79

04-29-06, 12:15 AM

I am unable to DEselect any channels from the channel list...

I can't say I have ever heard of that problem before. do you know what software ver. you are on? a new box is probablly a good idea.

...one thing I noted the other day though is that if you do have a channel unselcted in the channel list and you manually enter the number to go to the unselected channel there is either no upcoming program info or it carries over the info from the previous channel onto the flipbar... i don't see this as a likely problem for anyone though i guess

jvinsepa

04-29-06, 12:19 AM

How are your saved recordings, are there any "odd" things happening? Since your settings are not being saved, it COULD be a hard drive issue, although i'm not sure whether settings are saved on the HDD or system ram. Either way, sounds like you have a defective unit, i would contact the cable company and request immediate replacement free of charge at your convenience. And the key is, you must not ASK them for this, you must DEMAND IT. You are not paiying them $$$/mo for a defective unit and spotty customer service.

Good luck, hope you are able to resolve this issue.

I did notice one time when a scheduled recording never showed up in the "recorded shows" list until after it was done recording.. almost as if it didn't realize it was recording that show until it was done recording it (if that makes any sense).

I had to go to the channel the show was on, and rewind it to start watching it from the beginning.

twitchee3

04-29-06, 02:49 AM

I did notice one time when a scheduled recording never showed up in the "recorded shows" list until after it was done recording.. almost as if it didn't realize it was recording that show until it was done recording it (if that makes any sense).

I had to go to the channel the show was on, and rewind it to start watching it from the beginning.
Yeah, it makes perfect sense, i don't think that's ever happened on either of my Moxi's, but it sounds like it could be a simple error, something the Moxi has become quite good at :rolleyes: .

I was looking more for tell-tale recording errors like huge blocks of programs missing or inability to access recorded content list or inability to playback shows, as this may indicate hardware failure, hard drive failure specifically.

At this point, i would definately recommend getting your cable company on the phone and getting your money's worth out of them.

Again, good luck, you'll need it when dealing with ANY TV service provider. Remember, you're ALWAYS RIGHT.

jvinsepa

04-29-06, 11:18 AM

Again, good luck, you'll need it when dealing with ANY TV service provider. Remember, you're ALWAYS RIGHT.

It sounds like you have had bad experiences with cable companies before.

mkconley

04-29-06, 03:49 PM

twitchee3

04-29-06, 04:14 PM

It sounds like you have had bad experiences with cable companies before.
Has anyone ever had a "GOOD" experience with any TV provider, satellite or cable? Actually, they aren't bad all the time, the thing is that when you have a problem or technical question, you have to wati FOREVER to talk to someone, and then usually they have NO IDEA what you're talking about. It makes me incredibly angry when i know ten time more about the cable company's hardware and systems than THEY DO!!! I understnd that CSR's are supposed to SELL us service and when we call they are to sell us MORE features, but they really need to train their employees better. Granted, i do frequent these boards and that is where i gain my knowlege, but i would think that ALL information here is coming from specs given by the hardware manufacturer and the cable company, so they should know better than the customer, not the other way around. I think it's ridiculous that when i have a major problem, i have to PAY them to TRY and fix it, and in the end i spend hours researching the problem online and fixing it myself. The worst is when they have NO IDEA what you're talking about when you explain a problem, they charge you $25 for a tech to come and take a look around, he does literally nothing but reset the box or something like that, and then leaves telling you it's fixed when in fact it's either worse or in the same condition. TV providers are MUCH more focused on getting new customers rather than keeping the ones they already have. Once you're paying them $100+/month, they could care less about how happy you are with their service.