Ummm, yes, highest on the erase list . . ."Erase list"? The list I and (I think) scsiraid are talking about is the "Saved Recordings" list. The items nearest the bottom of the list not marked "Save Until I Delete" will be automatically deleted when necessary to make space for new recordings.

"Erase list"? The list I and (I think) scsiraid are talking about is the "Saved Recordings" list. The items nearest the bottom of the list not marked "Save Until I Delete" will be automatically deleted when necessary to make space for new recordings.

yup, thats the list I was referring to.... my post neglected to mention/consider that you could alter the order of the list and that it isnt the age but the list order that determines what gets deleted which pepar set straight.

"Erase list"?
Loosely referred to . . very loosely . . by only me . . . :)

DanXP--I browsed your postings elsewhere in the forums and surmised that you are in Fort Lee, NJ. I took a look at the "TWC New York & New Jersey" site and, though I didn't find any online STB manuals, I did find a page on the interactive program guide (here (http://www.timewarnercable.com/nyandnj/products/cable/ipg.html)) and from that I can tell that you are using Passport Echo (Passport Echo is the version of Passport for DVRs). The version of the guide shown is antiquated but recognizable; mine looks like the ones in the Passport Echo Getting Started Guide (http://www.pioneerbroadband.com/pdf/passportecho1.6gettingstarted.pdf) (old--it's for 1.6.xxx and I haven't heard of anyone using anything older than 1.8.xxx at this time). Take a look at that guide and confirm that it's describing your interface. The main difference in the guides in Passport and SARA is the use of the A, B and C buttons--assignment of them to "Time", "Theme", "Search" (formerely "Title") functions is definitely Passport. (On the SARA program guide they're assigned to "Browse By", "Date" and "Go Back").

I can't explain the automatic timed deletions you seem to be seeing, but it isn't a normal feature of Passport Echo and I haven't heard anyone describe a DVR running Passport doing that before.

Can you determine what revision of Passport you're running? Get into the multi-page diagnostics; firmware revisions are located on one of the pages near the top. (To enable the diags, press and hold down and SEL and EXIT buttons on the STB--not the remote--until "dIAG" appears in the LEDs, then release the buttons and press EXIT once more to display the diagnostics. Use the up and down arrow buttons on the remote to flip through the diagnostic pages. To get out of the diags, just tune to another channel).

wow... you guys are great...

i have some projects here at work that i need help with... lemme email them to you so you could get started... :)

anyway, yeah lemme check the revision...

also, no one's been able to answer this question in the remotes forum, so......
is anyone familiar with the "upgrade link" procedure that is on Universal Remote, Inc's website for adding ir codes to the standard ur5-8400 remote that twc gives you? i'm trying to add the power switch on my samsung htib to the remote, but there is no code for that in either the manual or on the "remote setup channel"...

i downloaded the upgrade link software from their site and it has the codes for my system, but i don't have the additional hardware... i called time warner and they were clueless... they told me to go to that "remote setup channel"...

thanks again for the help...

wow... you guys are great...

i have some projects here at work that i need help with... lemme email them to you so you could get started... :)

anyway, yeah lemme check the revision...

also, no one's been able to answer this question in the remotes forum, so......
is anyone familiar with the "upgrade link" procedure that is on Universal Remote, Inc's website for adding ir codes to the standard ur5-8400 remote that twc gives you? i'm trying to add the power switch on my samsung htib to the remote, but there is no code for that in either the manual or on the "remote setup channel"...

i downloaded the upgrade link software from their site and it has the codes for my system, but i don't have the additional hardware...
What additional hardware?

On the most basic level, most (all?) "universal remotes" can learn commands. You know - point #1 at #2, put #2 in learn mode and press the command on #1 that you want #2 to learn.

What additional hardware?

On the most basic level, most (all?) "universal remotes" can learn commands. You know - point #1 at #2, put #2 in learn mode and press the command on #1 that you want #2 to learn.

i wish... the remote supplied by time warner cable is Universal Remote's ur5-8400... it doesn't have a learning function... you have to enter in the codes... there is however a connector underneath the battery cover, which is where i assume you'd connect a cable to hook up to your pc that has the loaded the following "upgrade link "software:

http://universalremote.com/sb/index.html

look for the upgrade link software under ur5-8400...

the supplied remote does everything i need it to do except turn on/off my audio... i don't need to buy another remote for that...

anyway, yeah lemme check the revision... Worst case, push "List" on your remote and take a picture and post it. I think that screen/menu is distinguishable between Passport and SARA. Or, how about "Settings", then "A" on the remote for the add'l settings. I know for sure that SARA has entries like "Upconvert 1, Upconvert 2" and so on for output formats whereas Passport uses different terms.

i wish... the remote supplied by time warner cable is Universal Remote's ur5-8400... it doesn't have a learning function... you have to enter in the codes... there is however a connector underneath the battery cover, which is where i assume you'd connect a cable to hook up to your pc that has the loaded the following "upgrade link "software:

http://universalremote.com/sb/index.html

look for the upgrade link software under ur5-8400...

the supplied remote does everything i need it to do except turn on/off my audio... i don't need to buy another remote for that...
OK, what about your other remotes? Perhaps one of them could be your "universal remote."

i wish... the remote supplied by time warner cable is Universal Remote's ur5-8400... it doesn't have a learning function... you have to enter in the codes... there is however a connector underneath the battery cover, which is where i assume you'd connect a cable to hook up to your pc that has the loaded the following "upgrade link "software:
you must have an odd version of that remote since I have the same model but do not have an upgrade link interface. The only device I know of is the PCL 300 that you can use on MX remotes.

http://www.universalremote.com/products/index.php?item=pcl300

OK, what about your other remotes? Perhaps one of them could be your "universal remote."
no need to buy yet another remote, when everything i want/need is on the one i already have... except for the ability to control my audio...

you must have an odd version of that remote since I have the same model but do not have an upgrade link interface. The only device I know of is the PCL 300 that you can use on MX remotes.

http://www.universalremote.com/products/index.php?item=pcl300

i have the remote that twc gives you standard with the sa8300hd... it has the connector pins behind the battery cover...

that pcl300 i'm assuming is only meant for those 2 mx models...

i emailed cust svc at universal remote and they said that twc should have it for me to upgrade, but when i called twc, they had no idea what i was talking about...

i may have to send it in to universal remote and have them do it...

anyway, yeah lemme check the revision...Did you get a chance to do that?

oh yeah... will get to it tonite... if i remember.

i have the remote that twc gives you standard with the sa8300hd... it has the connector pins behind the battery cover...


can you post a photo of that? I'm interested to see what it's like.

no need to buy yet another remote, when everything i want/need is on the one i already have... except for the ability to control my audio...
My reference to your "other" remotes was not a suggestion that you buy (yet) another remote. :)

Most of the remotes that came with my various components are universal or at least quasi-universal, and it was only a matter of me selecting which one to empower to do it all.

i have the remote that twc gives you standard with the sa8300hd... it has the connector pins behind the battery cover...

that pcl300 i'm assuming is only meant for those 2 mx models...

i emailed cust svc at universal remote and they said that twc should have it for me to upgrade, but when i called twc, they had no idea what i was talking about...

i may have to send it in to universal remote and have them do it...
Of course your cableco wouldn't have a clue. They barely have a clue on the 8300HD, much less its remote. Moreover, if you lease the remote like most of us do, you might find that UR won't touch it.

Of course your cableco wouldn't have a clue. They barely have a clue on the 8300HD, much less its remote. Moreover, if you lease the remote like most of us do, you might find that UR won't touch it.

actually, before i got the 8300hd, i had a regular cable box (not sure which model) and the standard UR remote which also was not able to operate my current audio setup... after a few emails to UR, they told me to send it in with the remote i wanted to copy the code from and two weeks later (free of charge), my "leased" remote was able to operate my audio system...

so now, in my current system, i use that old remote that i got from UR to power on my entire system, then i just use the ur5-8400 after that... and then to power off i use the old remote... it'd be nice to be able to do that again with this new remote, but i'd be without two remotes for a couple of weeks... hence my search for the 'upgrade link' solution...

can you post a photo of that? I'm interested to see what it's like. I've had my remote for a while now and it's a Universal Electric Inc. Can't recall the model # but it does have the typical "JP1" connector inside the battery compartment.

I believe that for Passport 8300HDs, going to channel "996" will yield a single screen listing the version number.

As for remotes, my audio (a Carver C-1000 AVR) also doesn't wqork with any of the possible codes (and they do have a bunch of them specifically for Carver). About a year ago I got a hold of someone at Universal Remote who made a good effort. Ultimately, he asked me to send in the Carver remote, they figure it out and return it along with a replacement for my 8300. Like an idiot, I didn't do that (well, it was because Carver was out of business and I had NO idea if I'd ever be able to replace the remote should it get lost in shipping... the Carver was an expensive, very powerful unit and I'd have a conniption if I had to junk it because I didn't have a working remote).

A month or so ago, I found a source for the Carver C-1000 remote, so I wrote Universal Remote, but heard nothing back. Maybe I should get on them again... having to reach for another remote to vary volume IS a pain.

As for the connector on that remote, I see something under the battery cover I've never seen before. The cut-out looks sorta like an Ethernet jack, but it has a number of pins running vertically. Odd...

I believe that for Passport 8300HDs, going to channel "996" will yield a single screen listing the version number.I would have suggested that, but the channel is different for every provider--on my system, it's 998 and others have reported it as being the the 1000s on systems elsewhere. Of course, he could poke around the 900s and low 1000s looking for it :). If you can find it, the single-page diags are also useful for quickly checking signal strength.

actually, before i got the 8300hd, i had a regular cable box (not sure which model) and the standard UR remote which also was not able to operate my current audio setup... after a few emails to UR, they told me to send it in with the remote i wanted to copy the code from and two weeks later (free of charge), my "leased" remote was able to operate my audio system...

so now, in my current system, i use that old remote that i got from UR to power on my entire system, then i just use the ur5-8400 after that... and then to power off i use the old remote... it'd be nice to be able to do that again with this new remote, but i'd be without two remotes for a couple of weeks... hence my search for the 'upgrade link' solution...
You are a pioneer, DanXP. Remember how to tell the pioneers? They're the ones with the arrows in their chests. :)

I would have suggested that, but the channel is different for every provider--on my system, it's 998 and others have reported it as being the the 1000s on systems elsewhere. Of course, he could poke around the 900s and low 1000s looking for it :). If you can find it, the single-page diags are also useful for quickly checking signal strength.
Single-page diags are different from the multi-page diags?

Single-page diags are different from the multi-page diags?Yes--there's no diddling around with buttons on the STB to enable it; you just tune to a particular channel, apparently determined by your provider. Mine is on channel 998 and reads: U-N Config Mode Interactive
DAVIC State Connected, 2-way
MAC Address xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
IP Address aa.aa.aa.aa
QAM SNR 37
FDC 106.000 MHz -1 dBmV
RDC 20.000 MHz 38 dBmV
BFS Yes (Jul 28, 3:10 pm)
SI Yes (Jul 28, 9:28 am)
IPPV YES (NO CHECK)
Passport Version PASSPORT Echo 2.5.051

I would have suggested that, but the channel is different for every provider--on my system, it's 998 and others have reported it as being the the 1000s on systems elsewhere. Of course, he could poke around the 900s and low 1000s looking for it :). If you can find it, the single-page diags are also useful for quickly checking signal strength.

I only noticed the other day that the diagnostic channel is actually listed in the settings menu. Going into options to set favorite channels and parental controls etc. lists the diagnostic and "test" channels.

I only noticed the other day that the diagnostic channel is actually listed in the settings menu. Going into options to set favorite channels and parental controls etc. lists the diagnostic and "test" channels.Interesting--not there on my box. What version of Passport are you running?

I was running 1.8.112 and it was on channel 1999 after holding EXIT on the box.

I now have 2.5.066 and I have to hold in EXIT and SELECT, then when "diag" appears, press EXIT.

(Version 2.5.006 only lasted 1 day. It must have been very bad)

Carol

Did you get a chance to do that?
ok mike...

my passport echo version is...
1.8.112
os version: powertv 6.14.43.3sp
driver version: 1

it doesn't look i have the latest version of passport echo... forgive my naivete, but how would i upgrade my passport echo version?

can you post a photo of that? I'm interested to see what it's like.

here's the pic of the connector pins...

not sure if my jpg upload worked here...

ok mike...

my passport echo version is...
1.8.112
os version: powertv 6.14.43.3sp
driver version: 1

it doesn't look i have the latest version of passport echo... forgive my naivete, but how would i upgrade my passport echo version?Sorry, but you would not upgrade your Passport Echo version. Your provider will "push" new revisions onto your box when and as they please (probably sometime in the middle of the night--the operation shuts the box down and reboots it). Don't feel too bad; 1.8.112 is probably the most common version in use and some of us who have later versions have had to be unwilling guinea pigs for intermediate ones that sucked big-time. As you can see above, I'm at 2.5.051, but my provider has pushed at least 4 earlier 2.5.xxx revisions over the past 8 months or so (2.5.022 was the first, and it was a nightmare).

The most recent revision I've heard of is 2.5.066. The only truly interesting feature of 2.5 so far has been that 2.5.048 and beyond have an unfinished implementation of external SATA drive support. People have added considerable amounts of storage by plugging an external HDD into their STB. The "unfunished" part is that, with a drive connected, trick-play functions (PAUSE, REW, FF, etc) stop working for live television (they work fine during playback of recordings).

Thanks for finding out what version you're running, but I'm afraid that I still don't know why you seem to be seeing automatic 14 day erasures of your recordings. No one running Passport has reported that before. If you had a previously unheard of advanced revision, it might have been a feature that they'd recently added.

BTW, I opened the battery cover on my remote and I also see the set of pins above the batteries.

I was running 1.8.112 and it was on channel 1999 after holding EXIT on the box.

I now have 2.5.066 and I have to hold in EXIT and SELECT, then when "diag" appears, press EXIT.

(Version 2.5.006 only lasted 1 day. It must have been very bad)

Carol
yes, with this new version they restored the "audio digital out" option on the advanced menu....after a ton of people bitched...now they just need to fix the 4:3 stretch mode and have it stop stretching ALL channels and just go back to stretching 4:3 only and leaving 16:9 alone...just like it used to in version 1.8.111.

now they just need to fix the 4:3 stretch mode and have it stop stretching ALL channels and just go back to stretching 4:3 only and leaving 16:9 alone...just like it used to in version 1.8.111.As I said before, I disagree--stretching and zooming 16x9 content can be useful when that 16:9 picture contains a 4:3 image with black bars on the side, particularly when that 4:3 image contains a letterboxed 16:9 one (a 16:9 picture with bars on all four sides). I'd like for it to keep a separate stretch/zoom state memory for 4:3 native images and 16:9 ones. It'd be fine by me if they just automatically turned stretch/zoom off when you changed channels or stopped or started playing a recording.

michael, youre missing the point. BEFORE they "upgraded", you could still strecth a 16:9 picture...but it was a different operation and the box differentiated 4:3 from 16:9 or hi def content. therefore, you could have one one way, and one another way, and it would stay that way. right now, regardless if what it says in the menu, it treats ALL content the same and stretches EVERY channel. previously it was independent and thats how i want it again.

I don't recall it ever working that way. Previously, it would not stretch/zoom 16:9 content at all, so if it contained 4:3 content, letterboxed or not, you were forced to watch it with black bars. This was true in some early 2.5.xxx releases.

well it worked that way on my version 1.8.111. i did it for over a year.

I'm in a quandry with my 8300HD:

I've got the tv connected to the receiver using a HDMI cable.

I use the Optical Output on the TV to send all digital audio to my receiver. When I watch OTA tv, it sends 5.1 just fine. However, when I watch tv using the 8300HD, it's only outputting Dolby Pro Logic 2.0 to the receiver.

I've got the audio setting set to 'HDMI' in the 8300HD settings. When I set it to 'Dolby Digital', the sound goes out on the tv.

Apparently, the 8300HD doesn't output 5.1 via HDMI. Anyone else had issues with this?

I'm in a quandry with my 8300HD:

I've got the tv connected to the receiver using a HDMI cable.

I use the Optical Output on the TV to send all digital audio to my receiver. When I watch OTA tv, it sends 5.1 just fine. However, when I watch tv using the 8300HD, it's only outputting Dolby Pro Logic 2.0 to the receiver.

I've got the audio setting set to 'HDMI' in the 8300HD settings. When I set it to 'Dolby Digital', the sound goes out on the tv.

Apparently, the 8300HD doesn't output 5.1 via HDMI. Anyone else had issues with this?

With all due respect, yage, and noting your post-count, this one's been covered way beyond nausea. A little reading will serve you well.

I don't recall it ever working that way. Previously, it would not stretch/zoom 16:9 content at all... The 8000HD behaved this way but as long as I've had the 8300HD, I've been able to stretch 16:9 programming. I don't, mind you, but can if I wanted to. :)

... and the box differentiated 4:3 from 16:9 or hi def content. therefore, you could have one one way, and one another way, and it would stay that way. right now, regardless if what it says in the menu, it treats ALL content the same and stretches EVERY channel. previously it was independent and thats how i want it again. I'm running 2.5.066 and I'm positive that the "Settings", "A" option for output format still works the same way. I would have thought that the settings for 16:9 programs and 4:3 programs and what the box does would apply to ALL channels, but it's still a per-channel setting. It does seem to remember that channel "x", in 4:3 format, I want stretched or channel "y", also in 4:3 format, to leave as-is.

I'm in a quandry with my 8300HD:

I've got the tv connected to the receiver using a HDMI cable.

I use the Optical Output on the TV to send all digital audio to my receiver. When I watch OTA tv, it sends 5.1 just fine. However, when I watch tv using the 8300HD, it's only outputting Dolby Pro Logic 2.0 to the receiver.

I've got the audio setting set to 'HDMI' in the 8300HD settings. When I set it to 'Dolby Digital', the sound goes out on the tv.

Apparently, the 8300HD doesn't output 5.1 via HDMI. Anyone else had issues with this?

You need to go from the optical or co-ax out on the 8300 to your AVR. One explanation I've read that sounds true is that HDMI is a 2-way kind of interface... as the HDMI hits the TV, it does NOT see decoding going on (i.e. the TV is pass-through) so it drops to PCM. Of course, it also "proves" to be a bug in the HDMI "system."

HDMI only sends audio that can be used by the TV. In the case of a 2-channel stereo TV, that is all that HDMI will send. Unfortunately, this does not take into consideration some HDTV's pass-through capabilities to send the audio to an AVR. The only workaround is to use a separate audio cable to the AVR and set the 8300 Audio: Digital Out to DD. That also presents problems because some cable subs don't have the option to set DD, so then the only option becomes using Component.

HDMI audio is not intended to "pass through" a television into an AVR; it's designed to pass through an AVR into a television. Why is it that people expect the former to be possible? It's not that a television couldn't do it, but I doubt that any television is actually designed to do it. If a television had an "HDMI audio pass through" mode, it would have to ask a downstream connected AVR what its audio capabilities were and reply with that when the question was posed to it by an upstream video source (like your cable DVR).

Riverside_Guy. the reason why an STB directly connected to a television only produces 2 or 2.1 channel audio is because it asks the television what audio it can do and the television truthfully replies "I can do stereo". The cable box complies by mixing the audio as stereo, unless you've overridden that in the setup.

I'm running 2.5.066 and I'm positive that the "Settings", "A" option for output format still works the same way. I would have thought that the settings for 16:9 programs and 4:3 programs and what the box does would apply to ALL channels, but it's still a per-channel setting. It does seem to remember that channel "x", in 4:3 format, I want stretched or channel "y", also in 4:3 format, to leave as-is.
output format is not the correct choice. thats what determines 480i 480p 720p or 1080i or all outputs. the correct option to discuss is aspect ratio, where if you set it to a tv type of "16:9", then pick the next option to the right of "stretch 4:3 channels"...it does that...but it also stretches 16:9 channels...it no longer differentiates what type of channel it is. on my 1.8.111 version it did. on 2.5.066 it doesnt. and i will keep letting them know that.

...where if you set it to a tv type of "16:9", then pick the next option to the right of "stretch 4:3 channels"...it does that...but it also stretches 16:9 channels...it no longer differentiates what type of channel it is. Let me check that in a bit

HDMI only sends audio that can be used by the TV. In the case of a 2-channel stereo TV, that is all that HDMI will send. Unfortunately, this does not take into consideration some HDTV's pass-through capabilities to send the audio to an AVR. The only workaround is to use a separate audio cable to the AVR and set the 8300 Audio: Digital Out to DD. That also presents problems because some cable subs don't have the option to set DD, so then the only option becomes using Component.
You'd thnk that the next gen A/V interface would be smarter than that, wouldn't you?

HDMI audio is not intended to "pass through" a television into an AVR; it's designed to pass through an AVR into a television. Why is it that people expect the former to be possible? It's not that a television couldn't do it, but I doubt that any television is actually designed to do it. If a television had an "HDMI audio pass through" mode, it would have to ask a downstream connected AVR what its audio capabilities were and reply with that when the question was posed to it by an upstream video source (like your cable DVR).

Riverside_Guy. the reason why an STB directly connected to a television only produces 2 or 2.1 channel audio is because it asks the television what audio it can do and the television truthfully replies "I can do stereo". The cable box complies by mixing the audio as stereo, unless you've overridden that in the setup.
If HDMI were *really* the whizbang thing it's hyped up to be, all HDMI components would be aware of any and all other connected HDMI components, know their respective capabilites and pass data around accordingly. It would be friggin' seamless.

All that really needs to be said to this question if RTFM.

SA8300HD User's Guide, pg 2, IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING THE HDMI INTERFACE ON THE SA8300HD.

All that really needs to be said to this question if RTFM.

SA8300HD User's Guide, pg 2, IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING THE HDMI INTERFACE ON THE SA8300HD.RTFM only applies if one is provided with the "M". I assume that you're talking about this (http://www.scientificatlanta.com/ExplorerClubGuides/getting_started/4003870.pdf) Scientific Atlanta guide for using the Explorer 8000HD and 8300HD? (The note that you mention is at the top of the page labelled "4" in that document, PDF page 8). Given that that guide explains how to use the DVR's feature through the SARA IPG, those of us using the Passport Echo IPG aren't often provided with it (the few Passport users I've heard of who did get it were greatly confused by it :)).

You're right though--the note succinctly says exactly what we've been talking about.

At the bottom of page 4 of this (http://www.hdmi.org/pdf/HDMIBrochure.pdf) consumer brochure (prepared by HDMI Licensing, LLC for distribution by retailers), there's a diagram showing two HDMI devices connected to an AVR with a connection going from the AVR to a television. This is the way it's intended to be used, either directly connected to a television or connected through an AVR. In either case, the thing that your device is directly connected to is expected to handle the audio (unless it's a "dumb" repeater of some sort).

RTFM only applies if one is provided with the "M". I assume that you're talking about this (http://www.scientificatlanta.com/ExplorerClubGuides/getting_started/4003870.pdf) Scientific Atlanta guide for using the Explorer 8000HD and 8300HD? (The note that you mention is at the top of the page labelled "4" in that document, PDF page 8). Given that that guide explains how to use the DVR's feature through the SARA IPG, those of us using the Passport Echo IPG aren't often provided with it (the few Passport users I've heard of who did get it were greatly confused by it :)).

You're right though--the note succinctly says exactly what we've been talking about.

At the bottom of page 4 of this (http://www.hdmi.org/pdf/HDMIBrochure.pdf) consumer brochure (prepared by HDMI Licensing, LLC for distribution by retailers), there's a diagram showing two HDMI devices connected to an AVR with a connection going from the AVR to a television. This is the way it's intended to be used, either directly connected to a television or connected through an AVR. In either case, the thing that your device is directly connected to is expected to handle the audio (unless it's a "dumb" repeater of some sort).
I'm leaning toward it being more like "assumed to be used" and that goes imediately to the adage on "assume." For HDMI, the one wire to rule them all, to be that myopic and inflexible is intolerable. Why aren't A/V journalistists all over this keeping the heat on whoever's involved and needed for the solution?

First of all I hate HDMI, or to be precise I hate the poor and often incorrect implementations of the HDMI interface. I do hate HDCP.

If a TV has an audio pass through mode, then that TV should not be acting as an HDMI sink (end of chain) but should act as a repeater, at least for the audio information. It should pass to the source information it has requested and gotten from the device it is connected to to handle the audio data, the AVR. Of course there are a lot of assumptions in the above. I am sure that there are AVR's out there that never heard of HDMI (mine never did and it cost $5000 new). It was built before HDMI was invented. I am sure the TV guys wanted to be helpful so they pass the audio out on pass through with no knowledge of the AVR's capabilities and no setting available to tell it what the capabilities of a Pre-HDMI AVR are.

After all the mfg's want to sell more stuff and most every improvement obsoletes something since it is in their intrest to do so.

Actually, my issue was that I made a bad assumption that when I plugged a cable into the documented pass-through connection, audio data that came down the HDMI cable would simply go on to my AVR. Obviously, it's a signal that is split between the pass-through connector and to the TVs 2 channel audio system.

The TV maker "know" this from the get-go and SHOULD have included some specific warnings with their documentation.

However, that doesn't change the fact that for a brand new connection standard that is SUPPOSED to have smarts, this is pretty damn dumb. I'm with pepar 100% here!

Mike,

I don't know of anyone who got a manual. All I got was a quick connect guide and that's why I started the Tips thread in the first place. I constantly download the latest ones off SA's website and, at Russ's encouragement, added page references to the Tips post where I could. I believe I also added a link to the latest User's Guide.

Even though we use different software, I read all the 8300 threads and find useful info in all of them. I encourage everyone to read the first post in the Tips thread even if they use Passport. If nothing else, it encourages experimentation and questions.

Riverside_Guy,

My commnets were not intended as a slight to you. I figured you made that assumption, most of us would or did too. :) There are others though that stubbornly want HDMI/DD audio and don't want to use their AVR all the time, usually the so-called and sexist "wife factor", and don't want to have to use an audio cable to the AVR. While I agree this shouldn't be the way it is, it is the way it is and I don't know if the behavior can be changed with software and still meet HDMI specs.

IMHO, the biggest single problem with the 8300 is that it's a work in progress. The first units were shipped with a Quick Connect guide and nothing more. If not for vegggas' SA8000HD guide, I doubt many of us would have figured all this out without a manual. Subsequent units were shipped with the first lame version of the User's Guide. I can only assume new units are shipped with the latest User's Guide. I only occassionally checked the SA website for updates, but I check more frequently now since someone here on AVS mentioned the latest guide and I was amazed at how much more info it now includes. I even toyed with the idea of deleting the Tips post because so much is now included in the guide, but Russ and vegggas talked me out of it. :)

I can only assume new units are shipped with the latest User's Guide.It may be that SA ships each unit with a manual, but that doesn't mean the manual actually makes it to the end-user. I have picked up 8 STBs over the years from TWC in Houston, TX and Shreveport, LA, and in seven of those cases, I was handed a bare STB (no box), a bundle of cables, and a TWC "quick start" pamphlet. My first DVR, an 8000HD, came in its original SA box and packing material and was clearly unused, but it had no user manual.

So I'm 0-for-8 in getting a user manual with a cableco-provided STB, even when the STB was "new". I'd suggest your assumption is probably overly optimistic, at least in certain markets.

Maybe they should put a sticker on the units to check their website for the latest User's Guide. :)

Youy are right though. I've seen more than one cableco open all boxes and just hand you the unit and whatever documentation they provide. The 8300 is even worse in that the User's Guide does not include complete connection instructions. I think there are actually 4-5 "guides" on SA's website. FWIW, many of the electronic components I've bought recently only come with a Quick Install guide with instructions to d/l the full guide from the website if desired.

Maybe they should put a sticker on the units to check their website for the latest User's Guide.Maybe.

Of course, I also think SA should make it easier for folks to GET the user manual off their website. From their home page, it takes six clicks before you think you're just about to get there, and then you get nailed with a sign up page for the Explorer eClub. What the heck?

After you successfully sign up and log in, it's two more clicks to the 8300HD page, where you're presented with eight different links to various 8300-family guides. Also, any guide that discusses the user interface assumes your box is running SARA. No mention is made that your box might be running a different UI (like Passport).

For a user like me, this isn't that big a deal. I'm used to ferreting out hard-to-find information from the Web. But my mom, my sister, my uncle, and most of my non-techy friends would never successfully complete the navigation of that obstacle course.

Even if they did, if they were running Passport, they'd have a seriously disappointing experience, since after all that whatever they found would only confuse them!

If you're not going to put a paper manual in the users' hands, then you oughta either make the interface so @#$% intuitive that there's literally zero need to have a manual, or else you ought to make the manual *very* easy to find online.

SA/cablecos have not taken either approach.

SA makes a lot of products, but I'll be the first to admit it's tedious at best the first time to get stuff. Once you sign up and understand the Explorer Club concept though, it is easier to go right to things. If it were up to me though, I'd redesign it (and Cox's website) to put much more on the pull-down menus. FWIW, it only takes me one click to get to the SA8300HD User's Guide, I use the link in the first post in the Tips thread. :)

SA makes the SA8300HD. SA distributes SARA. SA documents refer to SARA. Makes sense to me. :) Cableco's should get you the right documentation from Pioneer if they are going to throw out SARA and use something else. Surely it's not SA's responsibility to market Passport, a competing product. Perhaps that's why the unit doesn't come with a manual.

Just a minor nit-pick. IMHO, it's not SA at all, it's the cableco's only. SA makes a unit that runs multiple vendor's software. It's totally up to the cableco to get you the manuals for the software they use or direct you to where you can get them. SA also sells SARA and they provide links to that documentation, I assume Pioneer does the same. Cableco's are the major roadblock to all of this, not only documentation, but software error reporting and fixes. I think things would be a lot different if we got cable boxes directly from the vendor like the folks who use Tivo. If cableco's get in the way of the Tivo S3 like they do SA, Moto, and every other unit they proivide, I think Tivo is in for a rude awakening when it comes to customer support.

SA makes a lot of products, but I'll be the first to admit it's tedious at best the first time to get stuff. Once you sign up and understand the Explorer Club concept though, it is easier to go right to things. If it were up to me though, I'd redesign it (and Cox's website) to put much more on the pull-down menus. FWIW, it only takes me one click to get to the SA8300HD User's Guide, I use the link in the first post in the Tips thread. :)

SA makes the SA8300HD. SA distributes SARA. SA documents refer to SARA. Makes sense to me. :) Cableco's should get you the right documentation from Pioneer if they are going to throw out SARA and use something else. Surely it's not SA's responsibility to market Passport, a competing product. Perhaps that's why the unit doesn't come with a manual.

Just a minor nit-pick. IMHO, it's not SA at all, it's the cableco's only. SA makes a unit that runs multiple vendor's software. It's totally up to the cableco to get you the manuals for the software they use or direct you to where you can get them. SA also sells SARA and they provide links to that documentation, I assume Pioneer does the same. Cableco's are the major roadblock to all of this, not only documentation, but software error reporting and fixes. I think things would be a lot different if we got cable boxes directly from the vendor like the folks who use Tivo. If cableco's get in the way of the Tivo S3 like they do SA, Moto, and every other unit they proivide, I think Tivo is in for a rude awakening when it comes to customer support.
Other than hook this here and this here, has anyone considered that they - SA and cablecos - do not want us to to know too much - to have manuals that really tell us anything?

I'm running 2.5.066 and I'm positive that the "Settings", "A" option for output format still works the same way. I would have thought that the settings for 16:9 programs and 4:3 programs and what the box does would apply to ALL channels, but it's still a per-channel setting. It does seem to remember that channel "x", in 4:3 format, I want stretched or channel "y", also in 4:3 format, to leave as-is.I think that aspect ratio behavior is a setting with some dependency on the head-end (intentional or not). Your settings worked this way on the 8000HD way back when, when mine (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5207591&&#post5207591) broke before (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=2803239&&#post2803239) the 8000HD was out [locally]. While not the same problem dtrell is having, I think mine has always been a global setting. I don't have any of those boxes to play with anymore, but I remember it working 'right', and then not so much - a la dtrell.

dtrell, since the broken parts suited my setup (and increasing the resolution by compressing the scan-lines), I never pushed it past the CSR/first tech locally. Maybe you will have better luck.

v/r,
C-F w/a temp SARA 8300HD but no HD channels at all (Adelphia-Petersburg)

SA makes the SA8300HD. SA distributes SARA. SA documents refer to SARA. Makes sense to me. :)Of course. Makes sense to me, too.

But does it make sense to my mom, or a large percentage of other SA STB users who have no idea that their box is really a computer that can run multiple applications? No!

Would it kill SA to point that out to folks, perhaps on Page 1 of the various manuals/guides, and suggest they contact their cableco for more information? (Then, of course, the cablecos need to be ready to handle that redirect!)IMHO, it's not SA at all, it's the cableco's only. SA makes a unit that runs multiple vendor's software. It's totally up to the cableco to get you the manuals for the software they use or direct you to where you can get them.I disagree, mildly: SA should still do a little better. It's always their hardware, even when it's not their software, so they should expect to be contacted by any SA end-user--especially since (as I said above) it's not intuitively obvious to the end-user that their box might be running software that SA has nothing to do with. One of the things SA forces you to do when you register for the Explorer Club is identify your cableco. It would therefore be easy for SA to provide its Explorer Club users with cableco-specific support links, and maybe even highlight the importance of said links when they know that cableco uses a non-SARA UI.

Otherwise, though, we're singing the same hymn: Regardless of whether their customers come straight to them or get pointed back to them by SA, the cablecos need to have support sites that better support their customers' needs...

I experimented with the "Settings + A" options and flipped between Discovery HD Theatre and TNT-HD, which are always broadcasting in 16:9 format (regarding TNT-HD and whether it's "true HD" isn't for this thread). All I'll say is, it's screwy... I even tried telling it my TV was 4:3 format but those two channels still displayed the same between Normal, Stretch, and Zoom.

I only noticed the other day that the diagnostic channel is actually listed in the settings menu. Going into options to set favorite channels and parental controls etc. lists the diagnostic and "test" channels. Doesn't work for me... The only add'l channel that appears is a "TW employee" channel. In my area, 611 is the diagnostic channel and it's only accessible after doing the SEL+EXIT, EXIT keypress on the front-panel. I can't simply tune to that channel until *after* I've done that key combination. Once in DIAG mode, there are add'l channels I can see, yet they still don't appear in the Favorites or Parental Control list under Settings, More Settings.

I have to agree with the DoubleDaz on this. Sa makes a device. Their only obligation for end user ducumentation is to provide a manual for what they make and provide to their customers. They make Sara. We are not their customers. It is clearly a Cableco issue. Do you get annoyed because you do not have the manual for the compressor inside your AC unit? I assume you have an operations manual for the AC unit (:-)? Even more germane are you annoyed because you do not have the manual for the ECM in your car? It is also a computer.

With regard to mom and the fact that the base box is a computer that is capable of multitasking - do you think she really cares? In fact, I, a computer professional, don't even care. I did not buy it as a computer, I obtained it as a DVR to perform a specific function. Unfortunately it does that function a bit weakly.

I experimented with the "Settings + A" options and flipped between Discovery HD Theatre and TNT-HD, which are always broadcasting in 16:9 format (regarding TNT-HD and whether it's "true HD" isn't for this thread). All I'll say is, it's screwy... I even tried telling it my TV was 4:3 format but those two channels still displayed the same between Normal, Stretch, and Zoom.I played with it and discovered that my STB was incorrectly set to "4:3 screen/16:9 letterboxed"--let's call it "setting (a)". When I set it to "16:9 screen/4:3 sidebars"--hereafter called "setting (b)"--I get almost the behavior that I want. With setting (b), if I zoom an SD 4:3 channels (using the "#" remote key) and then switch to a 16:9 one, the zoom mode has no effect on the 16:9 channel. If I then switch back to the same or another SD 4:3 channel, the zoom mode that I set before is still in effect. I can switch back and forth between the two types of formats and the 16:9 channels will not be zoomed and the 4:3 ones always will. However, if I set the mode on 4:3 channels back to normal and then tune a 16:9 channel and zoom it (which works fine) and then tune a 4:3 channel, it will be zoomed. If I then switch back to a 16:9 channel, the zoom mode will no longer effect it, and switching back and forth results in zoom still being in effect on the 4:3 channels.

Strange, but acceptable. I only use this feature to zoom widescreen content displayed letterboxed in a 4:3 area in the center of the screen (whether the channel's video format is 4:3 or 16:9). I'd rather be able to zoom 16:9 channels and not have it affect the 4:3 ones, but I'll take being able to zoom 4:3 channels and not have it affect the 16:9 ones, since I'm far more likely to have occasion to zoom letterboxed content on 4:3 channels than on 16:9 ones.

Doesn't work for me... The only add'l channel that appears is a "TW employee" channel. In my area, 611 is the diagnostic channel and it's only accessible after doing the SEL+EXIT, EXIT keypress on the front-panel. I can't simply tune to that channel until *after* I've done that key combination. Once in DIAG mode, there are add'l channels I can see, yet they still don't appear in the Favorites or Parental Control list under Settings, More Settings.The single-page diag channel 998 that I describe above is available whether the channel 611 diags are enabled or not (the channel for the multipage diags is 611 on my system too). I assume that VisionOn is saying that he sees the channel for the single-page diags (998, not 611) exposed in the DVR's settings somewhere (I don't see it in 2.5.051).

yes, i have passport...automatically deleted after 14 days even if there's plenty of space left...Did you ever sort this out? If not, maybe you inadvertently set the [# of episodes to keep] setting in the series recording...

v/r,
C-F

Other than hook this here and this here, has anyone considered that they - SA and cablecos - do not want us to to know too much - to have manuals that really tell us anything?Jeez Louise, are all your glasses half empty? :)

I disagree, mildly: SA should still do a little better. It's always their hardware, even when it's not their software, so they should expect to be contacted by any SA end-user--especially since (as I said above) it's not intuitively obvious to the end-user that their box might be running software that SA has nothing to do with.I'm glad it's only mildly. I know the point you are trying to make, but you got the unit from the cableco and that is where you go for support. If you had bought the unit from SA, that might be a different story, but even where they do buy them (Canada), they still get the software from the cableco and that is who they should go to for support. SA has absolutely no way to know what software is going to be used. The unit is not shipped with SARA, it only has the boot stuff, SARA and Passport both come from the head-end without any knowledge by SA.

The one thing I will agree on, although you didn't mention it specifically, is that the SA User's Guide should make some reference to and define SARA as the software the guide is discussing. There is no mention whatsoever that the guide applies to SARA and there should be, that is just good documentation protocol.

I suppose it amounts to the same thing, so maybe I'm guilty of just mincing words. :)

I know the point you are trying to make, but you got the unit from the cableco and that is where you go for support.And if I buy a Panasonic TV from Costco, should I expect to get user manuals for it from a Costco website?

You're response might be, "That's different." Yeah, you know that, and I know that, but my non-techy friends don't recognize that. My point is simply that this is a confusing arrangement for the average customer, and both SA and the cablecos have some ownership of the problem.

Your suggestion that the SA manual should point out that it's specifically for the SARA interface is a good one. If they did that, and also included an extra sentence that says, "If your 8300HD shows different displays than this manual describes, your cable company may have provided different software, and you should contact them for more information," that would be a good start.

SA has absolutely no way to know what software is going to be used.Sure they do. They know for sure if a cableco is using SARA, 'cause SA'll be getting some $$$ for it! Otherwise, SA will know they're not using SARA, and can at least spell that out to that cableco's customers who visit their website.

With regard to mom and the fact that the base box is a computer that is capable of multitasking - do you think she really cares? In fact, I, a computer professional, don't even care.I think you misunderstood me. My point was my mom would never realize that her STB is a computer that can run software created by a completely different company than the one whose name is stamped on the front of the box. As a result, she'd never even consider that an SA 8300HD user manual might not be applicable to *her* SA 8300HD.

The average user has been trained that the electonics manufacturer provides a user manual for their devices. His Panasonic TV came with a Panasonic user manual. His Pioneer AVR came with a Pioneer user manual. His Denon DVD player came with a Denon user manual. (He's also probably never seen two home theater devices with the same model number with completely different user interfaces, so doesn't realize that's even possible.)

But his SA 8300HD didn't come with a user manual, so he goes to the SA website and 12 mouse clicks later, manages to find one. So why do the screens it describes look completely different from the ones on his TV?! How is he supposed to know what's going on?

In the case of an SA STB, you *do* have to know that the software running on it might have been written by a completely different company. Unfortunately, a large number of users--like my mom--have absolutely no idea that's the case.

I think we've talked this to death and I think we're arguing semantics because I don't know a single non-techy friend who would go to anyone but their cableco with a problem. If they did, it would be to you or me. :)

SA does not know when they ship a specific unit whether or not it will use SARA. Sure, someone in SA might know that Cableco A uses SARA, but I think it's a stretch to expect that to filter to the shipping department. It gets even worse because not all versions being used are the same and many do not even correlate to the current User's Guide on their website.

Then too, I know a lot of units that were shipped to one cableco using SARA only to be redistributed to another using Passport due to spot shortages at the time. For all we know, some large cableco's may even have central distribition points to supply their markets and those markets, like TWC, may use either SARA or Passport.

I just don't think it's SA's responsibility to advertise Passport, even indirectly. As I said earlier, even simply stating that a given guide is for SARA may not really be enough because it might not be for the version you are using. AFAIK SA only keeps the latest version on their website.

But his SA 8300HD didn't come with a user manual, so he goes to the SA website...... Show me one non-techy who would not go back to the cableco and ask for a manual, just like I did when I first got my SA3250HD way back when. Now the first place I look is on a website for updates, but a non-techy is just that, a non-techy, and will contact the cableco for all things related to cable. Heck, many of them contact the cableco to find out how to hook up that Panasonic TV, Pioneer AVR, and Denon DVD player even though they all came with manuals. And what's more, many expect the cableco tech to be proficient is correctly connecting all that gear when they bring the cable box. :)

BTW, I'm done. This is really off-topic and I've made my arguments. :)

Show me one non-techy who would not go back to the cableco and ask for a manual...My mom, for one. She's 77 years old, and pokes around quite a bit on the Internet (if you haven't noticed that non-techies use the Internet these days, well...they do!). One day, she misplaced my handwritten directions for her DVR, and tried to find the instructions herself on the Internet. She finally called me after getting quite frustrated with the SA documentation. I later found a TWC-Shreveport page that might have helped, and when I showed it to her, she said, "I never thought to try looking there."

Too bad SA never suggested it to her, either.

Perhaps she's the only person in the entire world who's ever done that, but I doubt it.BTW, I'm done.Okay, me too.

HDMI audio is not intended to "pass through" a television into an AVR; it's designed to pass through an AVR into a television. Why is it that people expect the former to be possible? It's not that a television couldn't do it, but I doubt that any television is actually designed to do it. If a television had an "HDMI audio pass through" mode, it would have to ask a downstream connected AVR what its audio capabilities were and reply with that when the question was posed to it by an upstream video source (like your cable DVR).

Riverside_Guy. the reason why an STB directly connected to a television only produces 2 or 2.1 channel audio is because it asks the television what audio it can do and the television truthfully replies "I can do stereo". The cable box complies by mixing the audio as stereo, unless you've overridden that in the setup.
Many people don't want to power up their AVR every time they watch Cable--hence Cable STB/DVR gets connected directly to HDTV--resulting in only STEREO.

In order to connect the Cable STB/DVR to an HDTV via the AVR (so 5.1DD is correctly enabled), it requires at least the AVR's HDMI I/F section to ALWAYS be active when power is OFF....
BTW, the Federal/State Energy Star regulations for an AVR (1 watt when OFF) could make this difficult....

Anyone know if the HDMI I/F on their AVR remains active when power is OFF????
And if so, is it Energy Star rated???

Yet another oversight from the HDMI geeks....I still think some of these products (like an AVR with HDMI) are simply too expensive for the junior design engineers to own them....and hence they don't "learn by doing" on a daily basis---same could be said for cable techs and HDTV in general....

Jeez Louise, are all your glasses half empty? :)
Half of them, more or less. :)

I know for certain that channel 998 will NOT be a diagnostics channel, single or multi-page. That is an "Answers On Demand" page for me, in Spanish, as I recall (or is 999 the spanish version ??).

...are you annoyed because you do not have the manual for the ECM in your car?

Absolutely! I still haven't foiund how to release chaff and flares...

Absolutely! I still haven't foiund how to release chaff and flares...
A truly smart car would release them automatically. It would be friggin' seamless. :)

.

Strange, but acceptable. I only use this feature to zoom widescreen content displayed letterboxed in a 4:3 area in the center of the screen (whether the channel's video format is 4:3 or 16:9). I'd rather be able to zoom 16:9 channels and not have it affect the 4:3 ones, but I'll take being able to zoom 4:3 channels and not have it affect the 16:9 ones, since I'm far more likely to have occasion to zoom letterboxed content on 4:3 channels than on 16:9 ones.

which is exactly what i am saying. it no loner differentiates 16:9 from 4:3 CHANNELS..not CONTENT. if your local ABC digital affiliate was broadcasting a show in 4:3 with black bars, even version 1.8.111 would treat that as a 16:9 channel, whcih it technically is, even though the CONTENT is 4:3. what I WANT is to go back to where the SD digital channels such as ESPN NEWS could be stretched while NOT affecting channels broadcast in a 16:9 format...which again is how it WAS under 1.8.111 but not under 2.5.066.

Half of them, more or less. :)I knew I could count on you for my first smile of the day. :)

what I WANT is to go back to where the SD digital channels such as ESPN NEWS could be stretched while NOT affecting channels broadcast in a 16:9 format...which again is how it WAS under 1.8.111 but not under 2.5.066.What I was saying in that post was that I was able to achieve what you want by setting the Aspect Ratio extended setup (SETUP+A) option to "Widescreen (16:9), Sidebar 4:3 picture"; it'd previously been set to "Standard (4:3), Letterbox 16:9 picture", which may be the default. When the former setting is used, dynamically changing the stretch/zoom mode of an SD, "natively" 4:3 picture does not affect the HD, natively 16:9 channels. Changing the stretch/zoom mode on 16:9 channels still changes the mode of 4:3 channels.

This is really awkward to talk about--hopefully I've made myself understood :)).

Try changing your Aspect Ratio setup option to "Widescreen (16:9), Sidebar 4:3 picture"; if, after you do that, changing stretch/zoom on 4:3 channels affects the 16:9 channels, then the behavior has changed in 2.5.066 since 2.5.051. (hall, please check this also--thanks).

There's no reasonable way that the box could detect that 4:3 content was being shown on an HD channel, since it's still 16:9 1080i or 720p, with black sidebars encoded in the MPEG by the broadcaster.

That was the one thing I found difficult about Passport while I was in NC at my daughter's last month. She kept changing settings like that on me and I never did figure out whether the 8300 or the TV was doing the stretching, though I didn't tryvery hard. She had me totally confused though and I told her to leave it alone until we left for home. :)

What I was saying in that post was that I was able to achieve what you want by setting the Aspect Ratio extended setup (SETUP+A) option to "Widescreen (16:9), Sidebar 4:3 picture"; it'd previously been set to "Standard (4:3), Letterbox 16:9 picture", which may be the default. When the former setting is used, dynamically changing the stretch/zoom mode of an SD, "natively" 4:3 picture does not affect the HD, natively 16:9 channels. Changing the stretch/zoom mode on 16:9 channels still changes the mode of 4:3 channels.

This is really awkward to talk about--hopefully I've made myself understood :)).

Try changing your Aspect Ratio setup option to "Widescreen (16:9), Sidebar 4:3 picture"; if, after you do that, changing stretch/zoom on 4:3 channels affects the 16:9 channels, then the behavior has changed in 2.5.066 since 2.5.051. (hall, please check this also--thanks).

There's no reasonable way that the box could detect that 4:3 content was being shown on an HD channel, since it's still 16:9 1080i or 720p, with black sidebars encoded in the MPEG by the broadcaster.

i did try that and it works how i said. do you have 2.5.051? i wish i did. 2.5.066 works incorrectly.

i did try that and it works how i said. do you have 2.5.051? i wish i did. 2.5.066 works incorrectly.Yeah, I have 2.5.051. So the "bug" was added a lot more recently than 1.8.112. It doesn't work quite like I'd like it to; I'd prefer that changing the stretch/zoom mode of an HD 16:9 channel didn't affect the SD 4:3 channels, but changing 4:3 channels doesn't affect 16:9 ones, which I think is more important.

I asked hall to try it too because he also has 2.5.066.

michael, again when you stretch ANY channel, it stretches ALL channels...so whether you want it to work one way or the other, it does neither. it affects ALL channels at once. it sucks. the problem is there arent enough people bitching about it. they got tons of bitching about the "audio digital out" menu choice being gone in 2.5.006, and they pushed out in less than a week version 2.5.066 that corrected this. its all in how many people complain, so if you, and i and hall and others keep on bitching, they may feel it important enough to put it back how it was.

Hello,

I have an 8300HD DVR running PASSPORT Echo in Southeast Wisconsin with Time Warner. HDMI -> HDMI (Samsung HL-S6187)

Looking at a few of the Diag screens, can someone tell me if my signal strength is okay? Also, any comment on the auth failed for HDMI?

When tuned to an HD channel (like DiscoveryHD), the Tuner number is around 740 and while tuned to a normal SD channel (like Spike!), the Tuner number is around 420. Does this make sense? Is the HD number too low?

Here are my current readings;

Summary Menu
Tuner 1: 740.000MHz -3dBmV
Tuner 2: 420.000MHz -2dBmV
FDC: 73.000MHz -9dBmV
RDC: 16.500MHz 47 dBmV
QAM 256
QAM SNR: 34
QAM BER: 0

Versions Menu
PASSPORT Echo 2.5.066
OS: PowerTV 6.14.74.1sp

Copy Prot Menu
HDMI Port: Block HDMI - HDCP auth failed
HDMI Port: Always use HDCP

Thanks much for any thoughts on this. Jeff

FDC: 73.000MHz -9dBmV
RDC: 16.500MHz 47 dBmV
These two are the signal levels "forward" to your box and "return"-ing to the cableco's head end; they are the most important.

I've been told my levels are "excellent" and my FDC is -12dBmV (yours is higher - smaller negative number) and my RDC is 54dBmV (yours is a bit lower).

The "740" and "420" are channel frequencies and are neither too low or too high; they are what they are - frequencies.

I've been told my levels are "excellent" and my FDC is -12dBmV (yours is higher - smaller negative number) and my RDC is 54dBmV (yours is a bit lower).


Since my FDC is higher than yours, is that better? Should the RDC number matter too much?

I just want to make sure from someone other than Time Warner that my signal is okay.

Also, thanks for the education on the tuner frequencies. I did not know that.

Since my FDC is higher than yours, is that better? Should the RDC number matter too much?

I just want to make sure from someone other than Time Warner that my signal is okay.

Also, thanks for the education on the tuner frequencies. I did not know that.
Higher (more) signal = better

RDC does matter, but I don't think yours is that much lower than mine. Hopefully, someone who knows the range will chime in here.

I have a question pertaining to series recording on the 8300 HD (I have Comcast, for what it's worth).

If I have a, say, 9-9:30 series, the box will not allow me to change the time to 8:58-9:32. I go through all of the steps and accept them and everything appears to work normally, but then if I go back to check my scheduled recordings, it just says 9-9:30.

Anyone have any ideas here?

Thanks.

Higher (more) signal = better

RDC does matter, but I don't think yours is that much lower than mine. Hopefully, someone who knows the range will chime in here.

RDC gets cranked up and down by the head end to compensate for reverse loss. Splitters and line amps all represent return loss which is compensated for by head end adjusting STB's xmit power. So you cant really look at RDC value and say good or bad... it depends on your configuration.

Just noting: I think previous discussion about problematical RDC levels involved something about high RDC 'power' (to compensate - a la scsiraid) that was approaching the transmitter's threshold (?) output power and over-heat/tax-ing it -- thus creating communication problems with the head-end.

Not that these levels are problematical, YMMV, ICBW, DGYPIAT, etc...


v/r,
C-F

Just noting: I think previous discussion about problematical RDC levels involved something about high RDC 'power' (to compensate - a la scsiraid) that was approaching the transmitter's threshold (?) output power and over-heat/tax-ing it -- thus creating communication problems with the head-end.

Not that these levels are problematical, YMMV, ICBW, DGYPIAT, etc...


v/r,
C-F

There is a type of distribution amp called 'Active Return' which amplifies the low frequency return path which would reduce the xmitter power of the STB. However, from what I have read, they arent very accepted by the cablecos. No idea why though,,, perhaps posg could comment on that.

I have a question pertaining to series recording on the 8300 HD (I have Comcast, for what it's worth).

If I have a, say, 9-9:30 series, the box will not allow me to change the time to 8:58-9:32. I go through all of the steps and accept them and everything appears to work normally, but then if I go back to check my scheduled recordings, it just says 9-9:30.

Anyone have any ideas here?

Works fine for me. Adjusting the start and end times during the prompt shows scheduled recordings correctly and creating a manual recording using the settings menu for a non-specific time slot also appears correctly.

Are you definitely using Passport? What version is it?

I have TWC Columbus, OH. I've noticed when I switch between the two tuners, sometimes, when I switch, I don't get back to the other channel that has been recording live for a while, it get just changes the channel to channel 31 (ESPN). I have usually been pausing one of the channels before switching to the tuner. I have looked in options and not seen any indication of channel 31 been selected for default or start up channel. It's annoying to lose the unseen recorded "live show."

Any ideas what this is and how to fix it? The software is one of the latest versions, but since I am not at home, I can be specific.

Thanks :confused:

After a long while, if it hasn't been recorded or hasn't been switched to, the STB will stop buffering the other tuner. When you switch to that tuner, it will tune the same channel every time (after a long pause); for me, it's channel 5, which is KSWB. I have no idea why it chooses that channel since my startup channel is set to be the last channel tuned. I'm not sure how long it waits before it stops buffering--I think that it's at least two hours.

Since my FDC is higher than yours, is that better? Should the RDC number matter too much?
I just want to make sure from someone other than Time Warner that my signal is okay.

ANSI SCTE 40 2004 "Digital Cable Network Interface Standard" establishes "acceptable" levels:
Free download fm: http://www.scte.org/content/index.cfm?pID=59

Digital QAM carrier, STB Input Level: -12 to +15 dBmV for 256QAM and -15 to +15 dBmV for 64QAM.
Minimum SNR: 33 dB for 256QAM, 27 dB for 64 QAM and 43 dB for Analog. [Also known as C/(N+I).]

FDC QPSK carrier, STB Input Level: -15 to +15 dBmV. Minimum SNR: 20 dB for QPSK.

RDC QPSK reverse carrier, STB Output Level: +25 dBmV to +53 dBmV.
[+85 to +113 dBuV is specified in referenced ANSI SCTE 55-2 2002.]

Since the return loss back to the neighborhood node will vary depending on where you are in the power divider/amplifier chain, the RDC value will be adjusted for more or less equal strength as received at the neighborhood node.
If the RDC is at MAX, it may have run out of oomph....

When you switch to that tuner, it will tune the same channel every time (after a long pause); for me, it's channel 5, which is KSWB. I have no idea why it chooses that channel since my startup channel is set to be the last channel tuned. The "start-up channel" only appears to apply to one of the tuners and I've also no idea how it chooses the "start-up channel" for the 2nd tuner. In my case, it's channel "3", a home shopping channel.

At the risk of getting flamed, how do you flip to the other tuner? (Only way I can think to do that would be to turn on PIP, swap PIP/main screen, and turn off PIP again.)

Next question: Why do you do it?

Help Me Please

I'm trying to attach an HDMI cable from my cable box to my digital projector.
I have the cable box attached to a regular TV, and when I plug the HDMI cable from the pj to the box, it says I am not HDCP compliant.

I'm running a Panasonic AE900u

At the risk of getting flamed, how do you flip to the other tuner? (Only way I can think to do that would be to turn on PIP, swap PIP/main screen, and turn off PIP again.)

Next question: Why do you do it?

you don't need to turn on the PIP, just press PIP swap and it will jump to the other tuner in full screen mode.

I do it all the time. Tune in two channels you might want to see something on and it will buffer both. That way, say you only want to watch the weather but you are watching a 30 minute show, after the 30 minute show has finished bump tuners and rewind to the weather segment of the other tuner.

The "start-up channel" only appears to apply to one of the tuners and I've also no idea how it chooses the "start-up channel" for the 2nd tuner. In my case, it's channel "3", a home shopping channel.

For me the second tuner is always on the last channel the box was set to record from. Unless I've changed it manually since then.

Help Me Please

I'm trying to attach an HDMI cable from my cable box to my digital projector.
I have the cable box attached to a regular TV, and when I plug the HDMI cable from the pj to the box, it says I am not HDCP compliant.

I'm running a Panasonic AE900u

Try turning both off, and then the Cable box on first, followed by the TV. Also try the reverse (TV first, etc.). In my case I have to turn on the cable box first. I think others have the reverse situation.

Help Me Please Help those who help themselves....
I'm trying to attach an HDMI cable from my cable box to my digital projector.
I have the cable box attached to a regular TV, and when I plug the HDMI cable from the pj to the box, it says I am not HDCP compliant. Searching this thread alone turns up (25) hits for the phrase "hdcp compliant".

It's been about a couple of months since I hooked up an external SATA drive to my 8300HD (Cary, NC - TWC) and about a month since I checked on here to see if there had been any update to the issue about losing "trick play buffers" after hooking up an ext drive. Well I'm not exactly sure when things changed but about a week ago I noticed that the buffers had returned. I am now able to pause and rewind just like before. The first thing I checked was if I had received a firmware update and I was still at the same version (2.5.048).
The only thing I can guess is that the buffers came back about the time I finally "filled" up the second drive (320GB). I had been deleting stuff I knew I would never watch again but a couple weeks ago I decided to leave everything so I could see how much would fit. I noticed the green buffer line about the time the system started auto deleting (overwriting) the oldest stuff.

Has anybody else noticed this phenomenon?

Has anybody else noticed this phenomenon?Yes, it's been reported in this thread several times that the "trick play" buffer seems to work when the internal drive has the most free space (and the STB uses that drive for the trick play buffer), and stop working again when the external drive has the most free space (since the STB does not appear to be able to use the external drve to support trick-play features).

Once the free space on your drives equalizes, then assuming it stays roughly equal (i.e., you don't go on a massive deletion spree and clear out one drive while leaving the other mostly full), you should expect to see your trick play features come and go frequently as the STB goes back and forth between the two drives when it records new programs.

[QUOTE=jruhnke]Yes, it's been reported in this thread several times that the "trick play" buffer seems to work when the internal drive has the most free space ...

Thanks for the info! I searched through the thread but didn't find that info.

Yes, it's been reported in this thread several times that the "trick play" buffer seems to work when the internal drive has the most free space (and the STB uses that drive for the trick play buffer), and stop working again when the external drive has the most free space (since the STB does not appear to be able to use the external drve to support trick-play features).Interesting--I subscribe to this thread and read the updates religiously and I never read that. (Not that it wasn't reported; maybe I just missed it).

Interesting--I subscribe to this thread and read the updates religiously and I never read that. (Not that it wasn't reported; maybe I just missed it).
I know I've read that already. Perhaps it was on the "8300HD and External SATA - It Works!!." The loss of trick play features upon attachment of the external drive is the only bug I've reported to my cableco contact.

Thanks for the info! I searched through the thread but didn't find that info.Interesting--I subscribe to this thread and read the updates religiously and I never read that. (Not that it wasn't reported; maybe I just missed it).Whoops! It was apparently *not* in this thread that such behavior was explained, but rather in the 8300HD External SATA thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8096805&&#post8096805).

My sincere apologies!

Interesting--I subscribe to this thread and read the updates religiously and I never read that. (Not that it wasn't reported; maybe I just missed it).
Hmmm, most recently it was reported in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8097606&&#post8097606) by a "michaeltscott." :)

Err, I think he was referring to the [FF/REW works when the internal is the 'record-to' drive].

Just wondering, did PAUSE stop working? I could have swore that at one time the posts indicated that PAUSE did work on the buffer [external or internal], but without FF/REW was deemed to be borderline useless (not by me, I'm missing a DVR sorely in this move).

v/r,
C-F

Hmmm, most recently it was reported in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8097606&&#post8097606) by a "michaeltscott." :)

Doppleganger

My 2 cents worth (but Michael needs to speak for himself): I thought he was referring to the finding that "trick play" worked WHEN the recordings were being made on the internal drive (such as when the external drive was more full than the internal drive).

My 2 cents!

The "Cable Out" RF level on my SA8300HD/Passport seems to
be too high - when connected directly to my old Sony SDTV
it overdrives the video sync. Seprating the RG6 cable at a junction
and just leaving the 2 ends ~6" apart results in good audio and video,
although the color slowly varies.

Is there a control for the RF level out? Do I need an RF
attenuator (I've never seen such a beast)?

Thanks for any help you experts can offer a hacker.

Skip

here is what you are looking for
http://www.antennasdirect.com/attenuator.html

Hmmm, most recently it was reported in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8097606&&#post8097606) by a "michaeltscott." :)
What I hadn't heard before was the assertion that, with an external drive connected, the trick play functions start to work again once there's more free space on the internal drive than on the external. (I don't see where that post that you linked to implies anything about that :))

It does make some twisted sense, since we have, in this thread, discussed a passage from some Scientific-Atlanta document which explained that the drive with the most free space would always be used for recording; when you attach a large, empty external drive, it won't record on the internal drive again until the new drive has less free space on it. (I posted on the topic here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7990099&&#post7990099)). I can see where some quirk of the firmware's design might prevent it from using the buffers when its in a state where it can't allocate space on the drive containing them.

What I hadn't heard before was the assertion that, with an external drive connected, the trick play functions start to work again once there's more free space on the internal drive than on the external. (I don't see where that post that you linked to implies anything about that :))

It does make some twisted sense, since we have, in this thread, discussed a passage from some Scientific-Atlanta document which explained that the drive with the most free space would always be used for recording; when you attach a large, empty external drive, it won't record on the internal drive again until the new drive has less free space on it. (I posted on the topic here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7990099&&#post7990099)). I can see where some quirk of the firmware's design might prevent it from using the buffers when its in a state where it can't allocate space on the drive containing them.
I probably missed the context slightly. The "collective knowledge" of the regulars here is probably based on a thread (or two) beyond this one and after a while they all blend together. At least they do for me. I do remember, though, reading somewhere that trick play features return when the internal drive again does the recording.

The "Cable Out" RF level on my SA8300HD/Passport seems to
be too high - when connected directly to my old Sony SDTV
it overdrives the video sync. Seprating the RG6 cable at a junction
and just leaving the 2 ends ~6" apart results in good audio and video,
although the color slowly varies.

Is there a control for the RF level out? Do I need an RF
attenuator (I've never seen such a beast)?

Thanks for any help you experts can offer a hacker.

Skip
Radio Shack also makes one:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062022&cp=&origkw=attenuator&kw=attenuator&parentPage=search

Weird Box Problem

I have an 8300HD with Passport 1.8.112 (Time Warner NYC). For the most part the box is working fine. Live TV works fine. Recording a show (or two) works fine. But playback is really screwed up. If I reboot the box and immediately play back a show, it works fine too. However, if I wait some time after rebooting (an hour or so), then when I play a pre-recorded show, the screen goes grey, and the box completely freezes. After a few minutes it reboots itself, and everything is fine... for a while.

I called TW before I fully understood the problem, and they sent a reset, had me reboot, and everything worked fine. Later on it broke again.

I'm going to swap the box out on Monday, but I just thought I'd bounce this of your folks and see if anybody has any ideas.

Thanks,
-barry

The only thing I can add is that every now and then I also run into a "it shouldn't work that way" thing. Playback of recorded material... how about absolutely no FF or RW? Play is fine, but no matter what I do, FF just does not work.

I puzzled over that one for quite a while... but eventually realized that it's frequency was so small that a trip to TWC to swap was more of a waste.

Keep in mind that there is some very, very sophisticated stuff going on here. So I'm always trying to look not at one error, but to try and discern some form of pattern. In the past, I have also seen a pattern of "something not right" mystically fix itself.

If you are replying to me, you must have misunderstood the frequency of my problem. Basically the box locks up every time I play a recorded show. The only time it works correctly is if I reboot immediately before playing the show.

I don't think I'm willing to put up with rebooting the box every time I want to watch a recorded show.

-barry

The only thing I can add is that every now and then I also run into a "it shouldn't work that way" thing. Playback of recorded material... how about absolutely no FF or RW? Play is fine, but no matter what I do, FF just does not work.

I puzzled over that one for quite a while... but eventually realized that it's frequency was so small that a trip to TWC to swap was more of a waste.

Keep in mind that there is some very, very sophisticated stuff going on here. So I'm always trying to look not at one error, but to try and discern some form of pattern. In the past, I have also seen a pattern of "something not right" mystically fix itself.

I have time warner DTV-HDVR SA 8300, but I beleive there was a recent firmware update last tuesday. The guide and info resolution is all messed up.. I am using a 4:3 hi-def TV through component, is that the problem? It was full screen before, but now it is sqeezed. The guide, the Playback bar, and much more "digital screens) they are all as if my TV is wide screen they are pillar box'ed. All other broadcast and high def is all good.

Also the recording and programming selections and operation is buggy, it asks me twice if I want to delete a recording and doesnt even delete the scheduled ones, only puts a (/) on them. It is just very strange.

I restarted the box, and saw there was no more "PASSPORT" on it, so it seems like No more PASSPORT ????? :eek: This is really buggy...

The changes related to stretching/zooming/etc were just recently discussed in this thread. The confirm-twice to delete has been discussed (there's no way to avoid it). Finally, references to Pioneer have been removed and replaced with Aptiv, but Passport still applies.

Please try and at least read some of the pages in this thread.

Yesterday I played around a bit more with the "Normal", "Stretch", and "Zoom" settings. Previously, the setting seemed to be channel-specific, which one wouldn't assume when making the changes in the "Settings", "More Settings" menu.

I was on channel, let's say 49, which is analog and 4:3. I ch-up to 50, 51, 52, etc and they are all 4:3. If I push "Video Source" on my remote, I get the message something like this:

TV is set to widescreen (16:9), Press button to toggle between normal, stretch, and zoom.

It was on "normal", so there were sidebars. Ch-up again and all of those channels were 4:3 with sidebars. Go back to 49 and stretch it. Now ch-up and those same channels are being stretched.

I never thought to check a 16:9 channel like Discovery HD or TNT-HD to see if they were being stretched now. I suspect they were though. If I think about it this afternoon, I'll check again. If it is, I'll report this to my contact at TW.

The changes related to stretching/zooming/etc were just recently discussed in this thread. The confirm-twice to delete has been discussed (there's no way to avoid it). Finally, references to Pioneer have been removed and replaced with Aptiv, but Passport still applies.

Please try and at least read some of the pages in this thread.


I read this topic up to page 92 and later skipped to later posts to see if there was antying about this problem but come on thousands of posts in one topic that covers whole a lot of things? You might want to consider splitting this when you have a chance...

anyhow this something new and just started the other day when they changed the s/w anyway.. This site has a lot of good info but just not sorted in a way to spot unless you search for exactly what was posted otherwise you end up getting topics with thousands of topics..

anyway, thanks feel free to delete my post if you think it just adds too much to the pile you got going on

Yesterday I played around a bit more with the "Normal", "Stretch", and "Zoom" settings. Previously, the setting seemed to be channel-specific, which one wouldn't assume when making the changes in the "Settings", "More Settings" menu.

I was on channel, let's say 49, which is analog and 4:3. I ch-up to 50, 51, 52, etc and they are all 4:3. If I push "Video Source" on my remote, I get the message something like this:

TV is set to widescreen (16:9), Press button to toggle between normal, stretch, and zoom.

It was on "normal", so there were sidebars. Ch-up again and all of those channels were 4:3 with sidebars. Go back to 49 and stretch it. Now ch-up and those same channels are being stretched.

I never thought to check a 16:9 channel like Discovery HD or TNT-HD to see if they were being stretched now. I suspect they were though. If I think about it this afternoon, I'll check again. If it is, I'll report this to my contact at TW.

you are correct...if you have 2.5.066 youll find that it does the same thing to ALL channels. please report this to your TW contact and maybe we can get a 2.5.070 that worksthe way its supposedto. but KUDOS on the ability to skip channels...gotta love that new feature that should have been there from DAY 1.

I have time warner DTV-HDVR SA 8300, . .

. . the recording and programming selections and operation is buggy, it asks me twice if I want to delete a recording and doesnt even delete the scheduled ones, only puts a (/) on them. It is just very strange.

I restarted the box, and saw there was no more "PASSPORT" on it, so it seems like No more PASSPORT ????? :eek: This is really buggy...
Asking twice - confirming the delete is normal. Why would that bug you? It's just an additional measure of safety. And changing your mind about recording something already scheduled, canceling the recording and seeing a circle with a line through it above "rec" is also normal. It wil disappear after that previously scheduled recording's time has come and gone.

I haven't a clue about your missing "Passport" but I do know that they would not have switched operation systems/IPGs on you. Perhap you mean, as hall mentioned, that Pioneer's name is gone.

Pablo,

AVS likes large threads with all the info accessible as long as the thread is active. Smaller, individual topic threads often scroll off just to get repeated several times. While searching large threads oftentimes returns a lot of hits, searching entire forums would get that many more hits and they would be spread throughout many, many threads making the search feature even more useless than it sometimes is.

The other problem is that even if you search, being new, you often don't know the terminology being used or the search term to use. But, since the zoom topic was recently being discussed, I'm not sure why you didn't see/catch it in the last few pages, unless you only read the last few posts.

Anyway, this has become a bit of a sore subject these days because it's been obvious some newbie's have not even attempted to read any of the thread, they just pop in with their question even though the topic was discusssed less the 2 pages ago, sometimes less than a couple of posts ago.

Don't let it discourage you though. Someone will almost always answer your questions. If someone says it's been discussed, don't take it personal, just read back several pages. If, after that, you still don't understand or can't find it, simply post again saying just that and someone will offer more help. :)

Skip channels ??

I will report this stretch-related issue.... Of course, he's still waiting to hear back from me regarding issues I had with my HDMI/DVI connection on previous releases and to know if .066 fixed them. :(

pablo123: I only started this thread, but otherwise, I have NO power. The people who run this site apparently like threads that are hundreds of pages long. Hell, you've done FAR BETTER than most if you in fact read the 1st 92 pages !!! I recommend people skim this thread backwards, actually. Some of the information from when this thread started doesn't apply anymore, but then again, some of it does.

hall,

I went round and round with the powers that be after I started the Phoenix and SA8300HD Tips & Tricks For SARA threads about the sheer size of the threads and the difficulty keeping information current and useful. I got basically the same response that I provided in my earlier post, though the response I got was way more rude. :)

That is why I decided to keep the first post in both threads reserved so I could summarize things and try to keep the info current. I believe somewhere in this thread someone also tried to maintain a summary type post for Passport, but I think it's been lost over time. I see you have a link to it, but it hasn't been updated since 6-19-05. I don't know how much time or interest you have, but I assume you know you could copy, update, and paste it into your first post. Even if you don't have the time and someone else does, they could put it together and feed it to you to simply replace your first post whenever there is an update. I have a few people helping me in both threads and all I often do is a simple cut&paste.

Sorry if I sounded unfriendly.

About my interface, I am %100 sure that the confirmation of deletion was never there. I know.
Secondly, I was able to delete a scheduled recording by simply deleting it once, and it used to disappear. Now it puts the ugly (/) next to it. Is that because it wants to keep it unless I change my mind and decide to record it?

What happens it, with already recorded stuff when it reaches the end it used to stop and say do you want to erase it, when I hit triangle it would erase it, the end. Now i hit triangle, and it stops and goes to Live TV then asks me once again if I want to erase it.. Same for when I STOP the recording, Stop, Triangle, delete.. then again.. Triangle Delete.. it surely feels like windows. When I hit delete I want to delete, i already thought about it.

About the stretch/tiny-ness of the interface, that also was always properly aligned before, but since tuesday it is messed up. The trackbar takes half of the screen as opposed to full before. I tried ALL possible combinations of formats, screen adjustments and others, it still would not cave..

When I turn on ON-Demand channels, same thing, the menu is sqeezed in the middle. I did not change anything and in the morning TV was in 1080 mode, and everychannel was forced as widescreen. Since then I cannot change it back to normal, if there is a simple answer as to what happened on last Tue night, pls let me know. I really hate it thi sway.

You are right about the delete-confirmation prompt. It was added in a recent s/w update. Some people saw it earlier than others since not all TW divisions roll out the same software at the same time.

you are correct...if you have 2.5.066 youll find that it does the same thing to ALL channels. Okay, I did finally verify this. I told it to stretch a 4:3 analog channel and then went to Discovery HD's channel and it was stretched now. Just to be clear, I had everything initally set to "Normal" so that the analog channels were sidebar'd and Discovery HD was "correct", i.e. in normal, 16:9 mode.

I guess it now appears that the Aspect Ratio setting under Settings, More Settings, doesn't seem to mean anything now.

correct hall..whereas in 1.8.111 it worked fine. please talk to your TWC contact.

Sorry if I sounded unfriendly.

About my interface, I am %100 sure that the confirmation of deletion was never there. I know.
Secondly, I was able to delete a scheduled recording by simply deleting it once, and it used to disappear. Now it puts the ugly (/) next to it. Is that because it wants to keep it unless I change my mind and decide to record it?

What happens it, with already recorded stuff when it reaches the end it used to stop and say do you want to erase it, when I hit triangle it would erase it, the end. Now i hit triangle, and it stops and goes to Live TV then asks me once again if I want to erase it.. Same for when I STOP the recording, Stop, Triangle, delete.. then again.. Triangle Delete.. it surely feels like windows. When I hit delete I want to delete, i already thought about it.
We hear you - you don't like it. :)

Not everyone is as sure-fingered as you. If you've ever accidentally deleted something you wanted to keep because you were rushing, you might appreciate being asked just one more time.

About the stretch/tiny-ness of the interface, that also was always properly aligned before, but since tuesday it is messed up. The trackbar takes half of the screen as opposed to full before. I tried ALL possible combinations of formats, screen adjustments and others, it still would not cave..

When I turn on ON-Demand channels, same thing, the menu is sqeezed in the middle. I did not change anything and in the morning TV was in 1080 mode, and everychannel was forced as widescreen. Since then I cannot change it back to normal, if there is a simple answer as to what happened on last Tue night, pls let me know. I really hate it thi sway.
This is just plain odd. You might have a defective box. Have you called your cable provider?

All channels act as expected, I don't think the box is defective. When I turn to Discovery HD, the TV stretches as programmed (I have sony 36' 4:3, which auto senses high def and adjusts the resolution and squeezes) and all channels look great. My only problem is the Guide, Playback, etc screens, which eventually affects the on-demand on-screen navigation.

I guess it now appears that the Aspect Ratio setting under Settings, More Settings, doesn't seem to mean anything now.

Totally right! It simply means nothing.

As for the delete and delete and delete confirmations.. At least it shouldn't ask if you want to delete for sure for the second time. What happens it, when you select a "Programmed Recording" and say Cancel Recording it asks you if you are really sure to cancel. THEN, it cancels it and puts a (/) next to it. Later when you are sure that you dont want it and want to delete the one with (/) on it, it asks you once again if you are sure. So that makes is 2 confirmations and 4 button presses to get rid of the darn thing. This started at the same time ratio was messed up.

All channels act as expected, I don't think the box is defective. When I turn to Discovery HD, the TV stretches as programmed (I have sony 36' 4:3, which auto senses high def and adjusts the resolution and squeezes) and all channels look great. My only problem is the Guide, Playback, etc screens, which eventually affects the on-demand on-screen navigation.
You seem to be concluding that because the tuner/decoder works fine, the circuitry that overlays the IPG and Settings is also working properly. My two 8300HD do not work like yours, nor have I read any other members posting that behavior.

So, what do you think about that sudden sqeeze (sideways) of the "digital" screens, which are produced by the box..

So, what do you think about that sudden sqeeze (sideways) of the "digital" screens, which are produced by the box..
I don't know because I haven't seen it and I can't quite grok what it looks like from your description. Can you snap a picture and post it?

Of course, please give me time until tonight, and I will post the picture or video of it for you.

When presented with huge long threads I would normally go back 5-8 pages and read forward from there. Plus look at the dates...

Not trying to single out anyone, but it seems very clear that a lot of issues do relate to specific software revs. Fer instance, if pablo said his rev was 1.8.112, I might have something to say (although it seems the issue might relate to the TV more than the STB) because that's the rev I currently am very familiar with.

Hail to riverside,

Actually I am %110 sure that my issue has nothing to do with the TV. This thing happened overnight. I went to sleep, TV is fine, the status bar & info, etc is properly adjusted on the screen... Woke up in the morning turned on wb11 morning news, and saw that it is in 1080i, and TV sqeezed the picture from top and bottom to make it fit to the screen. (Auto Sense input) Channel was not high-def, only the output was. I went into settings and noticed that only 1080 was selected for some reason, added all other res' and it was back full screen. Since then I cannot get full screen guide or interface. It has bars on left and right.. :(

Hail to riverside,

Actually I am %110 sure that my issue has nothing to do with the TV. This thing happened overnight. I went to sleep, TV is fine, the status bar & info, etc is properly adjusted on the screen... Woke up in the morning turned on wb11 morning news, and saw that it is in 1080i, ...... ( Up to this point in your post, the experience is not unusual. The reversion to 1080i (unfortunately) happens regularly, so get used to re-selecting the other output formats. At least this is the case for my HDMI source to my Sony RPTV.

At that point, the combination of TV settings and STB settings act together (in my circumstance). E.g., I have to set the STB to 4:3 aspect ratio (NOT 16:9) AND set my TV to "Wide Zoom" to get the desired look (screen completely covered). I don't use the STB normal/zoom/stretch - I let my TV do it, as it does a better job.

The one odd thing, is I have to set the STB to 4:3 and NOT 16:9 to accomplish this. My Passport version is 2.5.048 and was 1.8.11 (I think). When it was 1.8.11 I had to use the 16:9 aspect ratio (which seems more appropriate).

I hope this helps you research and correct the situation.

Here are my screen shots:

This is my screen with only status screen: *Notice that it used to take up full length of my TV's width, but not any more..
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/7383/normalviewqa0.jpg

$$ This is when I hit the DVR. Notice that there are black bars on both sides (which wasn't there until last week, this screen was full)
http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/5499/cabledvrscreen002tw1.th.jpg (http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/5499/cabledvrscreen002tw1.jpg)

This is a High Def channel, no problems at all, works as always.
http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/1384/cablehighdefchannel003rz8.th.jpg (http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/1384/cablehighdefchannel003rz8.jpg)

This is the Info then INFO screen, notice it is not taking full screen just like in ($$)
http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/1735/cablemoreinfomore004ay6.th.jpg (http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/1735/cablemoreinfomore004ay6.jpg)

Same as above.. not doing a full screen..
http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/3111/cablemoreinfo005xm4.th.jpg (http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/3111/cablemoreinfo005xm4.jpg)

This is channel changing to an on-demand channel, notice that this is the transition:
http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/544/cablechangingchannel001vg2.th.jpg (http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/544/cablechangingchannel001vg2.jpg)


CHannel changing to an on-demand..
http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/9463/cableondemandother006iy0.th.jpg (http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/9463/cableondemandother006iy0.jpg)

My setup, I have selected everything 480i under output formats to avoid res changed when I am changing channels. Even if I FORCE every channel to 480i menus are still not properly filling the screen. Only difference is that it flickers on 480i.
http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/8598/cabletvtype007tx4.th.jpg (http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/8598/cabletvtype007tx4.jpg)


:(

Here are my screen shots:

This is my screen with only status screen: *Notice that it used to take up full length of my TV's width, but not any more..(
Now I see. I can't address your "not any more", but my Guide, General Settings and DVR function screens (Saved Shows, Scheduled Recordings & Series Manager) are also 4:3 regardless of the underlying channel's aspect ratio/resolution. It has always been lke that. For reference, I've had the box nearly two years. The first Passport version was 2.2.020. Subsequent versions were 2.5.048 and 2.5.052.

My TV is 4:3... So those screens are like 3:3 . I agree that those screens should be 4:3 and with spaces on both sides when I am in high-def channels, but should not be (as it never was) while I am in sd channels..

This is really killing me. I will probably get used to it, but it looks odd. I forgot how to check the f/w version, was it exit, channel up+down and volume up+down on STB ? then tune to channel 1111 ? I did that before and posted somewhere on another topic in the past.

In "Settings/More Settings/Aspect Ratio", you've told it that you have a 16:9 screen (a lie) and to stretch a 4:3 picture (it looks like the dynamic setting for 4:3 pictures is to display sidebars). Why don't you tell it that you have a "standard" (4:3) screen and to display widescreen stuff letterboxed, also stating to always send 1080i?

Hello Mike,

Actually I am not lying to the STB. My TV is supposed to be identified as 16:9. Because I would need to receive all widescreen stuff as Full Screen, so my TV auto-adjusts itself and squeezes the picture. Simply it cancels all pixels on top and bottom of the screen, and sqeezes the picture and intensifies the output. It is the same way with my progressive DVD player. Connecting through component, I have told my DVD player that TV is widescreen. So the output from DVD is always full frame (basically vertically stretched letterbox without bars), therefore TV does the job and squeezes the image makes it back into letterbox. The advantage is that It is still using full pixels in the same area, and turns off the top and bottom, so I get a full black picture (actually no signal is being sent to that area)

By the way, I also tried the tell STB that my TV is 4:3, that way it adds side bars (left/right) and then there is that tiny black frame'ish image between bars and the picture in the center, it is worse that way.

Hello Mike,

Actually I am not lying to the STB. My TV is supposed to be identified as 16:9. Because I would need to receive all widescreen stuff as Full Screen, so my TV auto-adjusts itself and squeezes the picture. Simply it cancels all pixels on top and bottom of the screen, and sqeezes the picture and intensifies the output. It is the same way with my progressive DVD player. Connecting through component, I have told my DVD player that TV is widescreen. So the output from DVD is always full frame (basically vertically stretched letterbox without bars), therefore TV does the job and squeezes the image makes it back into letterbox. The advantage is that It is still using full pixels in the same area, and turns off the top and bottom, so I get a full black picture (actually no signal is being sent to that area)

By the way, I also tried the tell STB that my TV is 4:3, that way it adds side bars (left/right) and then there is that tiny black frame'ish image between bars and the picture in the center, it is worse that way.
Dumb suggestion if you've done it; a eureka moment if you've not. Does your display have any kind of stretching function and have you tried to defeat it?

Yes, it has AUTO 16:9 function. Which does what I mentioned above. But it workes vertically, not horizontally. Please notice that broadcast is always at correct ratio, BUT the digital/interface screens are the ones that are wrong.

You would think it is doing it because it thinks I have 16:9 TV, so that when the whole thing stretched it would be like proper dimentions, but no, it does not fix it anyway I tried.

I agree that the interface should be in the center and with spaces to left and right when I am in HD channels, but shouldn't be doing it when it is on SD channels. What I will try to do, connect it using Composite, see if it does the same thing, and I have Composite to USB adaptor, will try the same on my laptop to see if it shows exactly same as it does on TV.. Since it makes no difference of output format when Composite is used.
(Currently TV runs on Component)

OK--what you're saying is that everything's working fine until you look at the Navigator Guide or DVR menus? When you watch 4:3 content it fills the screen and when you watch a widescreen program it displays it the way that you want? What you're complaining about is that the STBs fullscreen GUIs are being displayed with sidebars?

If so, I think that's what you should expect with the AR settings that you have. You've told it to always send you a widescreen image; the STB cannot stretch those GUI elements so it presents them in a 16:9 frame with sidebars. After all, you've told it that your screen is shaped 16:9, so the 4:3 GUI screens won't fill that up.

Why do you consider this to be a "problem", anyway? Can you use the "squished" GUI screens easily enough?

Mike, exactly.

I considered that as a problem since last week, when all of the sudden it did that, so I thought the new firmware messed up something. I can use Squished GUI but it is really pain to know that it used to take up full screen and acted perfectly fine before. Just like the blind man's story.. If it was always like that, I could probably live with it.. But when it happened all of the sudden, I wanted it to go back.. Squished GUI seems to be a bit slower, since it has to work the "background" image, but yes, it works afterall.

I don't see how it could have worked before your firmware update. With the AR settings you tell it the shape of your screen; it will always send you images in that shape. If the content that it wants to send isn't the shape of your screen, it has to do something to it to make it fit, either stretching it, cropping it or adding gray bars at the sides or on the top and bottom. In the case of the 4:3 GUI screens, it cannot crop or stretch or them, so it always adds sidebars, if you've told it that you're displaying it on a 16:9 display. What you're seeing for those GUI screens is exactly what those of us using widescreen televisions are seeing, except that your television is squishing it to fit.

It just did.. GUI was always FULL screen..

I totally agree with you to that point.. BUT how come it is not squishing the broadcast image??? Also, even if I tell STB that I got 4:3 I get a squished GUI.. Only with first gray then black bars on sides, but it is still squished..

It just did.. GUI was always FULL screen..

I totally agree with you to that point.. BUT how come it is not squishing the broadcast image??? Also, even if I tell STB that I got 4:3 I get a squished GUI.. Only with first gray then black bars on sides, but it is still squished..
Would you *like* it to squish the broadcast image? ;) :)

Knock on wood! No.

That's what I don't get, so that tells me something is missing..
I am telling you guys, this thing happened after it changed to the new brand. I thought it was the heatwave we got last week.

I tend to think that you are dealing with a set-up that very few of us have... a 4:3 display that has "features of it's own" that can "accommodate" HD content. I've gotta think that the STB software is geared to HD being widescreen, period. AFAIK, it has to be 16:9 to be called HD. So it sure is possible that as the STB software gets debugged etc. something might "break" with your kind of display. IMO, the manufacturer of the display should have some accountability for a "not really" HD display they market as being HD.

Unfortunately, we are in the real world. I'd seriously doubt (I've never even heard any mention of..) a "firmware" upgrade may happen to the display to make it "play better" with changes in the STB arena. I wish I could offer more encouragement...

Would you *like* it to squish the broadcast image? ;) :)

You know, I still can not fathom why there are so many who seem to like/want to look at a "stretch" image (ha, vertical crush might be a good term<g>). They obviously exist... I've actually been spot checking movies on TNT and the last 3 or 4 I checked were clearly and obviously horizontally stretched.

Well, think this way. My TV is something like 30" / 32" HD or 36" SD.
As I said, It can turn off the top and bottom portions to act as if it was a 30" wide screen HD.
As long as it is capable of displaying 1080i, I wouldn't blame my TV in this case. ;)

If I turn on the 1080i forced output, I can watch my TV in a small 4:3, Inside 16:9 that is inside native 4:3 :) When Fox HD broadcasts reruns of old sitcoms like seinfeld.

Well, think this way. My TV is something like 30" / 32" HD or 36" SD.
As I said, It can turn off the top and bottom portions to act as if it was a 30" wide screen HD.
As long as it is capable of displaying 1080i, I wouldn't blame my TV in this case. ;)

If I turn on the 1080i forced output, I can watch my TV in a small 4:3, Inside 16:9 that is inside native 4:3 :) When Fox HD broadcasts reruns of old sitcoms like seinfeld.
I think Riverside_Guy is on to something; your smart display needs to be dumbed down a notch to get the guide etc to display at true 4:3. But as your display performs correctly on actual content, this should be considered only a nuisance - and one that can be ignored.

Riverside_Guy,

Not all zoomed/stretched images are"squished". My expanded mode expands the image top to bottom slightly, then gradually expands the sides leaving most of the center 1/4 to 1/3 intact. I find my eyes tend to watch the action in the center and I rarely notice the side expansion unless a car is moving off screen and I notice the hood, wheels, etc. get longer as it goes to the side. This is not near the same as all people looking short and fat with some of the more limited stretch modes. If that were all I had, I doubt I'd stretch anything either.

I think his only real question is what happened since TWC took over. Was there a firmware update that caused things to change for his setup or did TWC change some default options, etc.? It sounds like all he's looking for is come sort of explanation for the change and I must say I can't blame him for wondering.

I fixed it.

I set up Aspect Ratio to Standart 4:3, Letterbox 16:9 Picture
I set up Output Formats to 480p, 720p and 1080i, notice that I did not select 480i which causes gray/black bars on several channels.
Allow TV to "Enhanced 16:9 = Auto" (as it always was)
Now it seems to work fine.

When I turn to 708 HD Specials, Resolution changes, screen refreshes and TV senses the signal and does its job.

I don't know what happened last week, but there was apperantly some change to some settings.. It is all good now. Got my full screen GUI back. :)

Thanks for any suggestions or help you guys provided so far. Could someone refresh my memory regarding how to check the firmware or s/w version, so I can let you know what I got.

Indeed, zoom doesn't distort. I find it marginally useful with SD channels that show images in widescreen, i.e. black bars on all 4 sides. Yes, some stuff does get cut off (zoom isn't perfect; generally the network bug shows it's bottom half cut off), but that area is very small.

I'm only interested in "stretch" in that I use the "trick" of a combo setting between the STB and the TV to insure black pillars on most all SD content.

pablo, happy to hear that you've got your unique situation working better for you. Indeed, being able to tell the software rev is really critical, however, from what I've read, procedures can be all over the lot. All I could offer is that my TWC-NY 8300HD had Passport 1.8.112 and the simple screen that tells me this is channel 996. There is another way as well, it gets you to the service options of the box, it has much more information (the most useful being capacities, used and free space for the drives). This is the "press SELECT and EXIT buttons" method (I think you have to press them down and hold for a bit, then press them again while watching the box's display).

Thanks, will try and let you know what version I got.

Indeed, zoom doesn't distort. I find it marginally useful with SD channels that show images in widescreen, i.e. black bars on all 4 sides. Yes, some stuff does get cut off (zoom isn't perfect; generally the network bug shows it's bottom half cut off), but that area is very small.Usually the network bug descends into the lower letterbox bar, so that the lower half of it isn't in the actual picture. If it were, and half of it got cropped out, that'd terrible, since it'd mean that a total of the entire height of the bug had been cut out of the picture, which is a significant amount. Still, a small amount usually is lost on the top and bottom.

To get to the multi-page diagnostics, press and hold SEL+EXIT (on the box, not the remote) until "dIAG" appears in the LEDs, then release the buttons and press EXIT again. This will enable the diags until the box is put in the OFF state; to return to them, simply tune whatever channel they appear on (611 on my system). Flip through the pages with the UP and DOWN buttons on either the STB or the remote. To get out of them, just tune some other channel.

Indeed, zoom doesn't distort. I find it marginally useful with SD channels that show images in widescreen, i.e. black bars on all 4 sides. Yes, some stuff does get cut off (zoom isn't perfect; generally the network bug shows it's bottom half cut off), but that area is very small.
I do that for Rescue Me. I couldn't care less if I see a network bug.

I do that for Rescue Me. I couldn't care less if I see a network bug.

Totally agree... although I do notice that in regular old 16:9 view, Fux HD has their bug positioned so a bit of the bottom gets cut off. Probably they have it butted to the very edge (a typical dumb Fux thing) so part of it gets lost in that overscan area.

Usually the network bug descends into the lower letterbox bar, so that the lower half of it isn't in the actual picture. If it were, and half of it got cropped out, that'd terrible, since it'd mean that a total of the entire height of the bug had been cut out of the picture, which is a significant amount. Still, a small amount usually is lost on the top and bottom.

I kinda figure that what I lose in Zoom mode is probably very similar to what is lost in overscan. Eventually, most of the stuff I like that is SD will migrate anyway!

If anyone experienced serious, i.e. stopped working, issues with their HDMI outputs, even when converted to DVI at their TV, with Passport .051, has it been "fixed" if you're updated to .066 ?? I was asked for input on this by my contact at my local TWC.

A big fat resounding YES!!! Finally. What's it been... a year and a half?!?

I ran 8300HD HDMI to a Panny XR70 then out to a Hiatchi 50v500 TV (HDMI to DVI). No HDCP lockout!

I also played around with some recorded and live TV. The HDMI carries Dolby EX. (I was afraid that it may regress to stereo.)

JnC who's 8300 firmware was updated to .066 on 8/2.

ps. I'm also encountering the all channel zoom thing.
pps. The General Settings menu is very low res, even in HD and is heavily pixelated.

A big fat resounding YES!!! Finally. What's it been... a year and a half?!?

I ran 8300HD HDMI to a Panny XR70 then out to a Hiatchi 50v500 TV (HDMI to DVI). No HDCP lockout!

I also played around with some recorded and live TV. The HDMI carries Dolby EX. (I was afraid that it may regress to stereo.)

JnC who's 8300 firmware was updated to .066 on 8/2.

ps. I'm also encountering the all channel zoom thing.
pps. The General Settings menu is very low res, even in HD and is heavily pixelated.

Yes for me too... I used to have good operation via HDMI->DVI. The firmware update broke it completely.

Yes for me too... I used to have good operation via HDMI->DVI. The firmware update broke it completely.

Hall asked if the issues have been fixed. I answered yes. Previous firmware would not allow another HDMI device to sit between the 8300 and the HDTV. The new firmware fixed this problem for me.

Your answer sounds like no.

Hall asked if the issues have been fixed. I answered yes. Previous firmware would not allow another HDMI device to sit between the 8300 and the HDTV. The new firmware fixed this problem for me.

Your answer sounds like no.

You are correct... I misread it (early in the morning).

My problems have NOT been fixed....

I just ran a test. SA8300DVR HDMI to panasonic Plasma PDP 433 CMX using an Aurora A303-HDCP input card with DVI input. I started two recordings going. I left the DVR powered on and shut down the display several times (on-off, on-off, on-off...) At no time did I ever lose any of the recordings, nor did the SA8300 ever reboot. I am pretty sure we at BHN Central FL (Merritt Island) are on 1.8.112 passport software.

I need to try the same thing with the system in the Theater which is SA8300HD to iScan DVDO VP30 to BenqPE8700 projector. The VP30 is never turned "OFF" It does go to standby however. The same is true of the Projector. I wonder what the projector tells the VP30 (HDMI/DVI link) when it is in standby vs when it is powered up. Ideally it would always report as if it is powered up, or that it is in standby but is HDCP compliant, etc. The same question needs to be resolved for the VP30. What does it tell the SA8300 when it is powered vs. standby I assume it will pass the state of the PJ when it (the Vp30) is powered.

If you are replying to me, you must have misunderstood the frequency of my problem. Basically the box locks up every time I play a recorded show. The only time it works correctly is if I reboot immediately before playing the show.

I don't think I'm willing to put up with rebooting the box every time I want to watch a recorded show.

-barry
Sorry I'm coming to you late, and I know it sounds pedestrian, but have you tried a cold boot on the box? I know a soft boot (hold down the power button until it says "boot") will make it work for you, but sometimes what the box needs is to do a full power down, so it will spin the hard disc down and spin it back up again. A cold boot is when you pull the plug, let it sit for a few minutes, and then plug it back in.

I have found this to solve quite a number of hard-disc related issues.

But, if after a cold-boot you still have this problem, it sounds to me like you're going to need to take it in and exchange it for another box, since you have a problematic hard drive....

Scott

Sorry I'm coming to you late, and I know it sounds pedestrian, but have you tried a cold boot on the box? I know a soft boot (hold down the power button until it says "boot") will make it work for you, but sometimes what the box needs is to do a full power down, so it will spin the hard disc down and spin it back up again. A cold boot is when you pull the plug, let it sit for a few minutes, and then plug it back in.

I have found this to solve quite a number of hard-disc related issues.

But, if after a cold-boot you still have this problem, it sounds to me like you're going to need to take it in and exchange it for another box, since you have a problematic hard drive....
There's one more thing after cold reboot and before taking it back. The cableco can send a command that resets/refreshes/? the box. Occasionally I've had a problem that a cold reboot didn't fix, but them hitting it from the head end did.

TWC- Charlotte, NC- 8300 must have downloaded new firmware on 8/2. Using HDMI to Samsung DLP TV. Lost sound via the TV until I found the new setting and changed it to HDMI. Thanks for NO warning TWC!

The 8300 used to go into a sleep mode when the TV was turned off (actually when the cooling fan turned off several minutes after TV power button pushed). Now it doesn't 'sleep' (8300 display used to change to indicate still powered on, but not the full display). If I turn on TV first now and then remember to turn on the 8300 I get the HDCP warning. Is there some setting I've missed so I can regain the sleep mode? I thought it might be the Auto Power Off, but it only seems to turn the 8300 off in the middle of the night.

Thanks!

I've spent some time on the Charlotte thread and I'm pretty sure they're running Passport. :)

edit: Mike, no wonder I couldn't quote you, you deleted your post!

I definitely have Passport and have since early 2005- I confirmed the version before I posted (.066). When I first got an 8300 I never could find any sleep documentation and discovered it accidentally. Now with the HDCP headaches and possible lack of sleep feature I'm probably going to leave the 8300 on or switch to component cables.
I've spent some time on the Charlotte thread and I'm pretty sure they're running Passport. :)

edit: Mike, no wonder I couldn't quote you, you deleted your post!

I definitely have Passport and have since early 2005- I confirmed the version before I posted (.066). When I first got an 8300 I never could find any sleep documentation and discovered it accidentally. Now with the HDCP headaches and possible lack of sleep feature I'm probably going to leave the 8300 on or switch to component cables.
My experience is that the difference between HDMI/DVI and component is only noticeable on large displays and only obvious on really large displays.

pepar,

Just as a reference point how big does a display have to get before you consider it Large? Really Large?

well it appears that TWC in northeast ohio fixed the stretching problem in 2.5.066. i tried stretching regular espn, then i flipped over to discovery hd and it wasnt stretched. flipped to espn2 and it was then flipped to INHD and it wasnt. so it appears they fixed it however the black bar on the bottom still doesnt say "stretch 4:3 picture" anymore, it just says "stretch", but it seems to function the same way now.

pepar,

Just as a reference point how big does a display have to get before you consider it Large? Really Large?
It depends on one's visual acuity and seating distance, but here's what I know: I saw no difference between component and HDMI/DVI on an 8300HD connected to a Sony 29" XBR910 (hi-def CRT), and use component video switched by my Integra AVR. I saw a very noticeable difference between HDMI/DVI and component on 8300HD connected to a Sony HS20 firing at a 106" (diag) Firehawk. Admittedly, there are somewhat extreme size differences between the two displays, but that's my personal experience. I would bet that the dif between digital and analog video connections shows up at much smaller displays than my Firehawk, and I would probably wager that no difference would be seen on displays slightly larger than my 29" Sony.

In truth, it depends upon the display and the equipment connected to it. There have been devices which exhibited artifacts when connected via DVI or HDMI which did not manifest when viewed through a YPrPb connection. Of course, the majority of video sources have been observed to deliver superior results through DVI-or-HDMI in Home Theater and High Fidelity's DVD Benchmarks (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi); some have identical results for component and DVI-or-HDMI.

DVI and HDMI do have the potential to deliver superior results, particularly on displays with discrete display elements. That potential gets even higher with HDMI V1.3 with displays and video sources designed for it; it has higher throughput capable of carrying deeper color (and higher bitrate sound formats).

In truth, it depends upon the display and the equipment connected to it. There have been devices which exhibited artifacts when connected via DVI or HDMI which did not manifest when viewed through a YPrPb connection.
Roger that, Mike. I did not consider artifacts in my reply. (Probably due in large part to the fact that I've never had any.)

guys, lets try to keep the discussion on the 8300 please.

anyone else notice stretch now appears to be working?

guys, lets try to keep the discussion on the 8300 please.

anyone else notice stretch now appears to be working?
NCCharlie commented here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8190420&&#post8190420) that he might switch to component cables on his 8300HD, to which I replied he might only see a difference between HDMI/DVI and component on a very large display. Someone posted a follow-up question about display size needed to see a difference, and I replied to that, as did michaeltscott. As far as I'm concerned, this is all in the context of SA 8000HD & 8300HD w/ Passport software and is NOT off topic.

A different topic - I connected the 8300HD to my Pioneer DVD recorder using S-Video and the audio ports on OUT 2.

If I want to send the output from the composite ports of OUT 2 to a different piece of equipment, is there a way to split the sound RCA cables? I don't have a digital audio in.

Yes - I do that. You can buy RCA splitters.

Carol

I have TWC in Cincinnati, OH. I've had my 8300 probably about 1.5 yrs with no issues other than a few quirks.

Recently, it is doing 3 things.
1. I watch a show on the DVR. When I'm done, it asks if I want to SAVE or ERASE. I choose ERASE. Typically that is all I do. Now it does a quick flash and then throws up another screen that asked if I am sure. I usually only see this screen when deleting from my actual recorded shows list. I tell it to go ahead and ERASE. I go into the recorded list and sometimes it is gone and sometimes it is still there. So I still have to go in an manually erase it.

2. My preferences is set to always go to the last watched channel when booted up. Now about 50-75% of the time it goes to the Movies-On-Demand channel with previews. If I go watch something recorded, it will typically then jump to my last watched channel after that. This used happen occassionally. Now it happens all the time.

3. My audio is set to "Dolby Digital". It will go back to analog on its own. I then have to go into the preferences, where it says "DD", but I have to change it to something else and then put it back on "DD" to get it to reset itself.

My box has worked great for 1.5 years and now has all these annoying little things. I tried unplugging it but that didn't help. Is there a way to reset it a different way that is better? I'm concerned about resetting it because I remember first getting it and having a small ordeal to get the HDMI to work and didn't want to go through that again. I'm afraid it won't recognize my HDMI connection anymore.

Anyone have these issues? Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike, indeed I've seen all of what you are experiencing... and I suspect most here have as well. The thing that I look for it frequency... i.e. if these things happen very frequently, it's time to try a newer box. For me, these (and there are others as well) "glitches" don't happen with too much regularity.

And I do realize that what I may consider "infrequent" others may get upset about. I've seen folks get very upset but after some give and take it turns out the "bad thing" happened exactly once.

Generally speaking, I think these are all software issues. What I find very amusing is that it seems to work very consistently to record from 2 tuners while playing back from the HD... that means three freaking streams from the HD. That is way, way tricky stuff. Yet, we still see a lot of petty annoyances that from a software prospective I think are not that hard to fix.

Mike, I don't know as much as these other guys, but I'm pretty sure my 8300 downloaded a new version recently and yours probably did also based on the extra confirmation screen when deleting programs. The audio setting was new to me and I had to find it and set mine to HDMI to get any audio after the firmware update. I'm not sure how the updates work, but I wonder if your local cable is sending the update commands multiple times causing your 8300 to revert to some default settings. Might want to give it some time to see if it really continues.

Unlike a PC when you can choose when to upgrade firmware/software we are at the mercy of TWC.

Now that the new software version for the 8300 (Passport Echo 2.5.066) has enabled the firewire (IEEE 1394) ports, is anyone trying to dump off content onto a JVC 40k D-VHS tape deck? I'm having some issues with it - I get clean reception, meaning I can watch HD content thru the tape deck via firewire just fine, but I get all kinds of macroblocking and dropouts on the tape when I try to record it.

My deck never did this before, and is exhibiting the same behavior with my other firewire-enabled STB, the SA3250HD which also had a software upgrade at the same time as the 8300. I don't think they've turned on the 5C flags yet, but can't be sure (can you find that out in the diagnostic screens somewhere?).

My 8300 hd dvr died and replaced it with a new one. NY NY time warner cable. the new box seems to zoom the picture in a bout 1/2. I have adjusted the aspect ratios in the advanced settings. Anyone have any suggestions? The only difference between the two boxes is this one will not output via hdmi so i switched over to component.
Thanks

Now that the new software version for the 8300 (Passport Echo 2.5.066) has enabled the firewire (IEEE 1394) ports, is anyone trying to dump off content onto a JVC 40k D-VHS tape deck? I'm having some issues with it - I get clean reception, meaning I can watch HD content thru the tape deck via firewire just fine, but I get all kinds of macroblocking and dropouts on the tape when I try to record it.


I'm in NY City on 1.8.112 with enabled Firewire and I have the same problem with the JVC D-VHS.
I also have a Mits HDTV / Mits D-VHS setup that doesn't work at all.

This is bad news for people like me who are waiting for TWC to upgrade their software. It looks like Firewire hasn't been fixed between 1.8.112 and 2.5.066.

Is there anyone doing better with this equipment?

Mike

Mike, I don't know as much as these other guys, but I'm pretty sure my 8300 downloaded a new version recently and yours probably did also based on the extra confirmation screen when deleting programs.
Mine got that feature at 048.

Unlike a PC when you can choose when to upgrade firmware/software we are at the mercy of TWC.
Unlike your PC, TWC owns the boxes.

I noticed with 066 the 8300 doesn't turn on automatically anymore when the HDMI connected TV turns on. (This is a good thing)

Unlike your PC, TWC owns the boxes.

One COULD present an argument that your PC is actually "owned" by the Redmondites who have thoughtfully provided ample opportunity for a large number of miscreants to play with it when you're not watching!

One COULD present an argument that your PC is actually "owned" by the Redmondites who have thoughtfully provided ample opportunity for a large number of miscreants to play with it when you're not watching!
Yeah, and depending on who was arguing the other side, I might just join you. :D

This is a follow up with more detail to my post yesterday. Newbie here and i apologize is this is not the best forum for this post but would appreicate any suggestions or referrals to other forums.

Im in NYC with a sammy hlp 467AN Dlp with a SA HD DVR. Hooked up via HDMI. The box died last week (3x in a year but thats another story).

I now feel there is about an extra 1" zoom in the picture via the new box, particuarly on HD channels. E.g., the top of heads are cropped and the station logos look a bit high and to the center. It's driving me nuts. I have adjusted the aspect ratios via the advanced menu settings in the box to no avail.

It is hard to diagnose this issue. Is it the box or the TV. The TV was definatley "reset" because i had to disable power to swtich boxes. The only other thought is the box's output setting. I believe on the first box I only set the output 1080 but now its set to output all formats. I have experimented with changing the outputs but it does not seem to solve the problem.

I found the software page. Its passport echo 1.8112. Maybe my prior box had updated software?

I have got the new box to work also via hdmi. Same zoom problem. Should i just go and get a new box from time warner. If so, is there a production date for the box i need to ask for?

This is a follow up with more detail to my post yesterday. Newbie here and i apologize is this is not the best forum for this post but would appreicate any suggestions or referrals to other forums.

Im in NYC with a sammy hlp 467AN Dlp with a SA HD DVR. Hooked up via HDMI. The box died last week (3x in a year but thats another story).

I now feel there is about an extra 1" zoom in the picture via the new box, particuarly on HD channels. E.g., the top of heads are cropped and the station logos look a bit high and to the center. ......
Have you checked your TV's overscan capabilities, or vertical adjustment features?
I've had to tweak both to get the result I prefer, where most channels have the bottom bug/scroll showing, yet one or two channels are still problematic.

kbuzz3, just to be sure, all the stuff that you're trying to zoom is 16:9 letterboxed in a 4:3 format (i.e., black--on HD channels--or gray bars on the sides and black bars on the bottom)? If it's either 16:9 on an HD channel (filling a 16:9 screen w/o stretch or zoom) or fullscreen 4:3 (16:9 screen filled top to bottom with gray bars on the sides), there will be severe cropping, 16x9 on both the sides, top and bottom and pillarboxed 4:3 on the top and bottom.

I have had this box for a while (8300) and It works fine. It was no problem on my RPCRT. Yesterday I got a sony 46e2000 RP LCD and noticed that through this box you can see every little compression block now. Is there anything I can do about this? The other thing I noticed that I am puzzled by is that with the HDMI hooked up the picture will flash black some times. I can't figure out why. Also can you get HDMI audio and 5.1?

Have you checked your TV's overscan capabilities, or vertical adjustment features?
I've had to tweak both to get the result I prefer, where most channels have the bottom bug/scroll showing, yet one or two channels are still problematic.

thanks for the suggestion. Dont know how to adjust the overscan on the sammy hln dlp. Ill have to call sammy to try. anyone know how a novice can adjust a sammy for overscan?

Futher info on the issue as follows.

I got the hdmi to work last night, same zoom/overscan problem via either hdmi or component. Actually a bit worse with hdmi.

i tried a hard boot as well. No luck.

To clarify. This problem is most profound on 16:9 hd programming. I have the box set to widescreen 16:9, letter box 4:3. This shows gray bars. I also noticed last night that on 4;3 programming there is a black line that seperates the gray bars from the picture on some programming, running vertically. Interestingly the right line is about 1/4 wider then the left line. I had neither line with the last box.


Was wondering if I should just swap out boxes? if so which box to obtain to avoid this problem.

Lazy alternative: would hiring someone to claiblrate the sammy also help fix this. there a few recommended folks in the nyc area , they charge about 400 i think. A lot of money, ....

kbuzz3, just to be sure, all the stuff that you're trying to zoom is 16:9 letterboxed in a 4:3 format (i.e., black--on HD channels--or gray bars on the sides and black bars on the bottom)? If it's either 16:9 on an HD channel (filling a 16:9 screen w/o stretch or zoom) or fullscreen 4:3 (16:9 screen filled top to bottom with gray bars on the sides), there will be severe cropping, 16x9 on both the sides, top and bottom and pillarboxed 4:3 on the top and bottom.

Miike thanks for the reply.

No this issue is on all programming, most acute on 16:9 hd full screen. I am not zooming manually. It seems to be an automatic thing when the new 8300 was installed.

On 4:3 programming, i have grey side bars (which i prefer actually then balck) seperatted by a vertical black line at the edge of the picture. the right line is wider then the left.

Another issue, for eg, last night i watched fx, rescue me. I dont thinks its hd, but not only did i have vertical black bars, but also had a letterbox on the top and bottom. First time i saw this...

Miike thanks for the reply.

No this issue is on all programming, most acute on 16:9 hd full screen. I am not zooming manually. It seems to be an automatic thing when the new 8300 was installed.

On 4:3 programming, i have grey side bars (which i prefer actually then balck) seperatted by a vertical black line at the edge of the picture. the right line is wider then the left.

Another issue, for eg, last night i watched fx, rescue me. I dont thinks its hd, but not only did i have vertical black bars, but also had a letterbox on the top and bottom. First time i saw this...
Dunno about your other issue, but Rescue Me is letterboxed standard definition, which is always 4:3. For this show, I manually zoom the 8300HD with the pound button. Proportionally, Rescue Me is 16:9 and "zoom" is a proportional thing - no stretching.

Rescue Me is an example of a "pillars on all 4 sides" that does work with the zoom function... but for some reason I have to use the TVs zoom, not the 8300 (next time I'll figure out exactly why). It is NOT a perfect zoom, there is an amount of picture that is cut off, but I find it minimal. The same is true for some of the SciFi channels shows I enjoy (SG-1 and Atlantis). BUT, this is all SD content, I have no clue why anyone would want to do any of this to a HD channel.

Rescue Me is an example of a "pillars on all 4 sides" that does work with the zoom function... but for some reason I have to use the TVs zoom, not the 8300 (next time I'll figure out exactly why). It is NOT a perfect zoom, there is an amount of picture that is cut off, but I find it minimal. The same is true for some of the SciFi channels shows I enjoy (SG-1 and Atlantis). BUT, this is all SD content, I have no clue why anyone would want to do any of this to a HD channel.
Hmmm, the 8300HD's zoom function works perfectly for me. And the only thing I lose is the bug.

Curiously, I seem to be losing more than I thought, though nearly all of it off the bottom. I was zooming a recording of something on SciFi yesterday, and the bug did not descend into the letterbox, but I lost half of it anyway, but nearly nothing off the top of the picture; a few scan lines at most. The amount lost off the bottom was significant, but being on the bottom, I've never noticed it before. No big.

I have the SA8300 box and am using TWC in Kansas City. I noticed over the last week or so that the box asks twice when I tell it to erase a program after I'm done viewing it. It also seems to powerdown overnight and when I'm at work. Third, it seems to have a new "reminder" feature if you want to remember to watch a certain show...did I receive a new version of the software or something?

Thanks

I have the SA8300 box and am using TWC in Kansas City. I noticed over the last week or so that the box asks twice when I tell it to erase a program after I'm done viewing it. It also seems to powerdown overnight and when I'm at work. Third, it seems to have a new "reminder" feature if you want to remember to watch a certain show...did I receive a new version of the software or something?

Thanks
Sounds like it. Read the last few pages of this thread.

Either you were running very ancient firmware on your box, or you just missed tje reminder feature. I've had my STB for two years and the version of Passport Echo it started with had that (1.5.xxx). The double deletion confirmation came in with some 2.5.xxx release.

The double deletion confirmation is consistent with the same confirmation that's requested when you delete an item from the Saved Recordings list (it's the same GUI dialog). In one case, you request deletion and in the other, you're asked whether you want to delete, when the program finishes playing or you use the STOP button. In either case, your choice to delete the recording might have been a mistake).

Either you were running very ancient firmware on your box, or you just missed tje reminder feature. I've had my STB for two years and the version of Passport Echo it started with (1.5.xxx) had that.
The Power Manager appeared in my preferences with 048, as did, I believe, the confirmation of delete. As for the Reminder Timer, I relatively sure it only appeared (on my boxes) recently.

My version history: 2.2.022, 2.5.048, 2.5.052

Sometime after Power Manager appeared, it disappeared. I complained and several days later it was back. There were no version changes over this period.

As for the Reminder Timer, I relatively sure it only appeared (on my boxes) recently.I am absolutely, positively certain that it was in the version of Passport that my box started with 2 years ago. Heck, it was in the Passport for non-DVRs that I used before I got the DVRs. (Where it's a lot more useful).

I am absolutely, positively certain that it was in the version of Passport that my box started with 2 years ago. Heck, it was in the Passport for non-DVRs that I used before I got the DVRs. (Where it's a lot more useful).
I'm no where as sure as you about my Reminder Timer, but I'm absolutely certain about the Power Manager coming, going and returning again without a version change. That stongly suggests (to me) that individual features can be "turned on and off" by the system operator giving more credence to someone having a recent version, but not all the features that someone else had in a much earlier version.

I've been following this thread for while now. I just got my JVC LT40FH97 and TWC 8300HD DVR in Manhattan. I've connected them using HDMI, although I use the optical out for audio from the 8300 directly to my receiver. I have the latest firmware.

My JVC has excellent signal processing, noise reduction, etc. I'm not interested in using any of the 8300HD's zoom functions.

My question is: How can I ensure that my JVC is getting the most pure, direct signal from the 8300HD? I'm not interested in having grey bars on the sides of my 4:3 programs. The JVCFH97 has a 1080p native resolution. (It does a beautiful job converting all input singles to 1080p.) I'd like to take advantage of that by feeding it a signal that has not already been zoomed or manipulated.

As I understand it from this thread, many of you have found you can do this by actually setting the menu options for the 8300HD as:

"TV Type"=4:3 TV (even though it really is 16:9)
"picture setting"= letter box
"output formats" = 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i

Is that a good summary? The best way to get a pure signal and let my JVC do all the heavy lifting?

Thanks,
A

I set my box to widescreen 16:9 format and make sure my TV stays in 16:9 100% of the time when using my SA8300 HD DVR. When I was running 4:3 letterbox on the cable box, I was getting some of the picture cut off at the bottom of my screen.

I have mine set to:

TV Type: 16x9
Picture Setting: Stretch 4x3 content
Output Formats: 480i, 720p, 1080i

Please note that "Stretch 4x3" actually passes 480i through unmolested in this scenario. If you want to watch SD in 4x3, change the setting on the JVC to 4x3. Most sets are smart enough to remember aspect selection/scanrate.

I'm no where as sure as you about my Reminder Timer, but I'm absolutely certain about the Power Manager coming, going and returning again without a version change. That stongly suggests (to me) that individual features can be "turned on and off" by the system operator giving more credence to someone having a recent version, but not all the features that someone else had in a much earlier version.I never made any claims about when the Power Manager (whatever that is) appeared :); I just said that I've had the reminder timer for a long time. See page 178 (PDF page 184) of the "Passport Echo Customer Service Guide (http://www.entouch.net/pdf/Dual-Tuner-Customer-Service-Guide.pdf)"; it explains about setting a reminder timer from the guide. It's a Pioneer Broadband (now "Aptiv") publication for Passport Echo 1.6, copyrighted 2004.

At 224 pages, it's definitely the thickest manual for Passport Echo that I've yet seen. Though it's not for the most recent versions, it's worth downloading. Most of the GUI is exactly the same in the latest revs. (It took a lot of crafty googling to dig that guide up :D).

For "Power Manager", are you talking about the Power Off and Power On timers in setup? If so, those are described in that guide starting on pages 90-95 (PDF pages 96-101). Maybe you're describing the recent feature of spinning down the drive when the system is in the "OFF" standby state for a while.

EDIT: I asked hall to add a link to that guide to the top post, and he's graciously complied. He doesn't subscribe to this thread anymore because he's defected to E* and their 611 DVR (the traitor :)).

The "reminder timer" I recall was a function on a non-DVR SA box. I've love to see it's specific functionality on the 8300HD DVR!

The 8300 in zoom mode does provide some small adjustment... but it's snarky. As SOON as you hit the zoom function, you CAN use the up/down buttons to slightly shift the picture. Too late and nothing happens.

Adamman, one trick I've learned is to tune to SD or HD when tweaking 8300 settings, they will generally stay that way. The "gray pillars" trick is to set the 8300 to stretch AND set the TV to 4:3. Bingo, black bars. I KNOW this works for Sony and Samsung, but not sure about JVC.

The "reminder timer" I recall was a function on a non-DVR SA box. I've love to see it's specific functionality on the 8300HD DVR!As I said, it should be there; it's always been there on my box. Select a future program on the guide and see if it's in the option list--you might have to scroll the options to see it.

For "Power Manager", are you talking about the Power Off and Power On timers in setup? If so, those are described in that guide starting on pages 90-95 (PDF pages 96-101). Maybe you're describing the recent feature of spinning down the drive when the system is in the "OFF" standby state for a while.
It is a two part setting in General Preferences. The first is to select between manually turning the box off and having it turn off automatically. And the second gives a choice between spinning down the internal drive with box power-down (It turns on when needed for a scheduled recording) and having it spinning constantly.

The 8300 in zoom mode does provide some small adjustment... but it's snarky. As SOON as you hit the zoom function, you CAN use the up/down buttons to slightly shift the picture. Too late and nothing happens.
I did not know that.

As I said, it should be there; it's always been there on my box. Select a future program on the guide and see if it's in the option list--you might have to scroll the options to see it.Yes, you do have to scroll--it's the fourth of five options in a 4 line box where the second line is the selected one. Since the initial selection is the first option (Record This Show), the first line of the menu is empty when you open it.

......As I understand it from this thread, many of you have found you can do this by actually setting the menu options for the 8300HD as:

"TV Type"=4:3 TV (even though it really is 16:9)
"picture setting"= letter box
"output formats" = 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i

Is that a good summary? The best way to get a pure signal and let my JVC do all the heavy lifting?

Thanks,
A

That is an excellent summary....and thanks for doing a little research first :)

I use those settings and they work fine for me. Note my provider (TWC) and Passport Ver. 2.5.048.

You should factor provider and SW version into your considerations.

As I said, it should be there; it's always been there on my box. Select a future program on the guide and see if it's in the option list--you might have to scroll the options to see it.

I do not have this option on my 8300HD (TWCNYC, Passport 1.8.112). When I select a future program, I have only three choices: Record this show, Record Entire Series, and View this channel now. I have tried scrolling, but there's nothing else to choose.

I do not have this option on my 8300HD (TWCNYC, Passport 1.8.112). When I select a future program, I have only three choices: Record this show, Record Entire Series, and View this channel now. I have tried scrolling, but there's nothing else to choose.Hmmm--very strange. As that Pioneer Broadband manual I linked to above shows, it was in rev 1.6.xxx--why they would drop it in 1.8 and put it back in 2.5 I don't know.

I've only had two dot releases of 1.5 and 4 of 2.5 with nothing in between. The feature was in both 1.5 and 2.5 and in the non-DVR version of Passport running on my old SA 3250HD. Maybe it's something that they can disable and enable by hitting the box from the CO. though I can't imagine why a provider would disable it.

Is it in the General Setup menus? It also appears there in every version of Passport and Passport Echo I've used. You select the Reminder Timer option and it shows you a list of the ones that exist and lets you create new ones.

I do not have this option on my 8300HD (TWCNYC, Passport 1.8.112). When I select a future program, I have only three choices: Record this show, Record Entire Series, and View this channel now. I have tried scrolling, but there's nothing else to choose.
If the time for the future program is near, I do not get that option either. Otherwise, it's there. This reminder is accessed in the IPG.

However, the "reminder" that I was referring to - and I believe the "reminder" that got this all started - is under General Preferences under Timers and is called Reminder Timer. This timer flashes a reminder for a channel & time for a specific date or repeating day, i.e. Thursdays, weekdays, weekdays, etc.

Hmmm--very strange. As that Pioneer Broadband manual I linked to above shows, it was in rev 1.6.xxx--why they would drop it in 1.8 and put it back in 2.5 I don't know.

I've only had two dot releases of 1.5 and 4 of 2.5 with nothing in between. The feature was in both 1.5 and 2.5 and in the non-DVR version of Passport running on my old SA 3250HD. Maybe it's something that they can disable and enable by hitting the box from the CO. though I can't imagine why a provider would disable it.

Is it in the General Setup menus? It also appears there in every version of Passport and Passport Echo I've used. You select the Reminder Timer option and it shows you a list of the ones that exist and lets you create new ones.

No, it is not in the General Setup menus either. There's a selection called "Messages" which can be Enabled or Disabled, and there are various Timers (Sleep, Power-On, Power-Off), but there is nothing about reminders.

If the time for the future program is near, I do not get that option either. Otherwise, it's there. This reminder is accessed in the IPG.

However, the "reminder" that I was referring to - and I believe the "reminder" that got this all started - is under General Preferences under Timers and is called Reminder Timer. This timer flashes a reminder for a channel & time for a specific date or repeating day, i.e. Thursdays, weekdays, weekdays, etc.

In response to your post, I went out a couple of days in the guide and tried to set up a reminder. I still have no such menu choice.

Nor do I have the Reminder Timer under General Preferences in the Timers section.

Reminder timer seems to be software release specific...maybe one of the things added in the 2.5.x series.

I just got installed SA 8300HD (TWC, formerly Adelphia) I can't help asking several dumb questions.

1. Does External SATA Hard Drive work only when I have DVR 8300HD? (I am not getting DVR service, so I believe my box is non-DVR)

2. Can you tell me other options for installing same functions (such as "pause in broadcast" or HD recording from guide, optionally DVD recording from recorded HD) (I think $13-$15 per month is too much for DVR for me)

However, the "reminder" that I was referring to - and I believe the "reminder" that got this all started - is under General Preferences under Timers and is called Reminder Timer. This timer flashes a reminder for a channel & time for a specific date or repeating day, i.e. Thursdays, weekdays, weekdays, etc.I assume that bphisig was talking about the Reminder Timer in the guide; unless he went sorting through General Settings and had all the old ones memorized. In any case, the Reminder Timer option in General Settings does exactly the same thing as choosing "Remind me about this show" from the guide. It is to "Remind me about this show" as "Create a manual recording..." is to "Record this show". It's in some ways more powerful than "Remind me about this show" since you can set it to repeat and for a range of days"; there's no "Remind me about this Series" in the guide menu, but you can get the same effect using the General Settings Reminder Timer option.

See page 96, PDF page 103 in the Passport Echo Customer Service Guide (http://www.entouch.net/pdf/Dual-Tuner-Customer-Service-Guide.pdf) to see how this works. (Acrobat 7 seems to have problems with the document through this section; you might try sneaking up on it by going to PDF page 99 and advancing forward one page at a time).

I just got installed SA 8300HD (TWC, formerly Adelphia) I can't help asking several dumb questions.

1. Does External SATA Hard Drive work only when I have DVR 8300HD? (I am not getting DVR service, so I believe my box is non-DVR)

2. Can you tell me other options for installing same functions (such as "pause in broadcast" or HD recording from guide, optionally DVD recording from recorded HD) (I think $13-$15 per month is too much for DVR for me)Sorry, but the things that you're talking about are DVR functions which require DVR service. It's strange that your local SO gave you a DVR when you didn't sign up for the service; probably a mistake (there is no non-DVR Explorer 8300HD). On my local system, the service cost $7/month for an SD DVR an $10/month for an HD one; there was originally only the $7/month price and I'm grandfathered in under that).

I have mine set to:

TV Type: 16x9
Picture Setting: Stretch 4x3 content
Output Formats: 480i, 720p, 1080i

Please note that "Stretch 4x3" actually passes 480i through unmolested in this scenario. If you want to watch SD in 4x3, change the setting on the JVC to 4x3. Most sets are smart enough to remember aspect selection/scanrate.

I've tried this and I'm having trouble getting it to work. The SD is stretched on my tv. Are you doing this through HDMI? Everything works fine when I set the DVR to TV=4:3 and picture setting-16:9. The only issue I have is slight cutoff of bottom of screen when I use the TV to zoom into SD when I'm watching a program that is formatted for 16:9.

My software is Passport Echo 1.8.112

Starting at 7:00 tonight I have no more programming on my guide on my SA 8300HD.

Is there any chance this is the cable box? My bets are on my service provider. Of course they do not have customer service on the weekend.

My service provider is McLeod in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Did you try rebooting? That often straightens out my guide.

-barry

Did you try rebooting? That often straightens out my guide.

-barry

Yes. I forgot to mention that. I unplugged the unit for 2+ minutes and powered back on. Right now I still have service, but nothing is listed in the guide. I didn't try a "soft" reboot since the removal of power reboot did not work.

I'm just glad that it's summer and I don't have a lot of recordings that I count on each week, but I'm sure there are a few movies on HDNet movies that I am missing.

I know these are part of the Tips thread for SARA users, but you might want to give the "hard" reboot a try since you've got nothing to lose:

Reboot. Unplug power cord for 5 or more seconds and then plug it back in.

Forced (Soft) Reboot (without unplugging unit). On the front of the box, press and hold both the VOL+ and VOL- buttons, then press the INFO button.

Hard Reboot. A Hard Reboot will refresh all available software and modules on the system, as well as clear out the memory cache. The IPG and other data may take up to 30 minutes or more to fully download.
Turn off the 8300 and wait 5 or more seconds.
Unplug the power cord from the 8300 and wait 5 or more seconds.
If you are resetting an external drive too, unplug it's power cord at this point and wait 5 or more seconds, then plug the power cord back into the external drive and wait 5 or more seconds.
Press and hold the power button on the 8300's front panel. While the power button is depressed, plug the 8300 power cord back in. Continue to hold the power button until the 8300 display says "boot" and/or begins to cycle a few times (usually about 15 seconds).
NOTE: A Hard Reboot will resolve MANY issues with not only external drives, but memory issues too. You should WAIT until the reboot is completely finished before powering up. It usually takes about 5 - 10 min, depending on your application and IPG data. The best way to determine when the download is finished is to watch the front panel indicators. On the front panel, where the : (colon) seperates the hours and minutes, the bottom " . " dot will appear after all the OS firmware has been loaded. An STB getting a download or initializing will be blank. Leave the STB alone until the dot appears.

Hard Reboot. A Hard Reboot will refresh all available software and modules on the system, as well as clear out the memory cache. The IPG and other data may take up to 30 minutes or more to fully download.


Well, this morning it seemed to have fixed itself. Very odd.

A question about the hard reboot - Do the recordings still stay on the hard drive? I have quite a few recordings that I don't want to lose, but it would be nice to get the latest firmware and software loaded on the machine.

Sorry, but the things that you're talking about are DVR functions which require DVR service. It's strange that your local SO gave you a DVR when you didn't sign up for the service; probably a mistake (there is no non-DVR Explorer 8300HD). On my local system, the service cost $7/month for an SD DVR an $10/month for an HD one; there was originally only the $7/month price and I'm grandfathered in under that).

Mike, It's unfortunate that people won't include their location in their profile. It's hard to help akkou without that information.

I have seen cases in Buffalo, NY (a SARA system by the way) where Adelphia (now TW) provided SA8300HDs as their standard HD box. Of course the DVR function was disabled (and they could tell you "for only $XX/month we can instantly give you DVR service"). I've kind of had the thought that it could be that Adelphia as "packing their asset base" to raise their price in the TW/Comcast takeover. Don't know where akkou is, but I wouldn't surprise me if Adelphia was doing that on all systems.

Mike, It's unfortunate that people won't include their location in their profile. It's hard to help akkou without that information.

I have seen cases in Buffalo, NY (a SARA system by the way) where Adelphia (now TW) provided SA8300HDs as their standard HD box. Of course the DVR function was disabled (and they could tell you "for only $XX/month we can instantly give you DVR service"). I've kind of had the thought that it could be that Adelphia as "packing their asset base" to raise their price in the TW/Comcast takeover. Don't know where akkou is, but I wouldn't surprise me if Adelphia was doing that on all systems.Here, the small independent towns on the coast north of the San Diego border were all Adelphia. I'm a mile and a half due east of the shore at Del Mar and I've always had TWC; the Village of Del Mar had Adelphia. Adelphia's DVR service involved Moxi on Motorola boxes and for the moment TWC somehow is keeping them going. I'd be surprised if they started providing everyone here a DVR.

Here, the small independent towns on the coast north of the San Diego border were all Adelphia. I'm a mile and a half due east of the shore at Del Mar and I've always had TWC; the Village of Del Mar had Adelphia. Adelphia's DVR service involved Moxi on Motorola boxes and for the moment TWC somehow is keeping them going. I'd be surprised if they started providing everyone here a DVR.

I was amazed too - but they did in Buffalo (at least for HD customers).

I just got installed SA 8300HD (TWC, formerly Adelphia) I can't help asking several dumb questions.

1. Does External SATA Hard Drive work only when I have DVR 8300HD? (I am not getting DVR service, so I believe my box is non-DVR)

2. Can you tell me other options for installing same functions (such as "pause in broadcast" or HD recording from guide, optionally DVD recording from recorded HD) (I think $13-$15 per month is too much for DVR for me)

Pause etc. means it has a hard drive, but I have no clue if some functions might be turned off locally by TW. External SATA working is debateable anyway, it sort of works when you have DVR functionality.

Personally I am totally hooked on the seamless operation of the cable supplied box. There are other options like Tivo, but nothing seems either better quality or a better value. Primary downside of the cable supplied boxes is that all recording are locked to your box, if you move or need to have the box repaired the saved programs are all lost. Secondary issues are the software quirks, expansion drive quirks, and digital transfers to other storage.

If the guide worked better, I don't think I would watch anything live, but the guide sucks so I still do a lot of channel surfing to see what stuff really is about, or to catch stuff that was too far off to notice the last time I roamed the guide.

If the guide worked better, I don't think I would watch anything live, but the guide sucks so I still do a lot of channel surfing to see what stuff really is about, or to catch stuff that was too far off to notice the last time I roamed the guide.What's your complaint about the guide?

If the guide worked better, I don't think I would watch anything live, but the guide sucks so I still do a lot of channel surfing to see what stuff really is about, or to catch stuff that was too far off to notice the last time I roamed the guide.
Not "too far off to notice", but rather too far off to load. The IPG displays only the next six days of programming - if you "push" it. A freshly installed box, or one whose guide hasn't been looked at for a while, may only download a few days ahead. Scanning ahead to "no data" will cause it to download that info - up to six days ahead.

What's your complaint about the guide?

Let me count the ways ...

Noise to signal ratio way too high, I see maybe 400 channels, with maybe 15 that frequently enough for me to plough through the list have programming I want to see, with maybe another 35 I surf around on to see whats on or coming up.

Way too slow to use, my SD tv shows title info for I think 5 channels with more complete info for 1 channel, and about a 2 hour time span. My little block of 10 movie channels takes 5 or 10 minutes per day, so its REAL unusual for me to go more than 36 hours ahead.

Weak information, *** in Guide is often ** or "tv" in a good reference book. Descriptions are very brief, and many times lately pressing info doesn't give the two or three lines of more info its supposed to.

Too short, the paper guide I used to get with my bill had all the new movies for that month for each of the movie channels.

Thats what comes to mind for the moment.

Let me count the ways ...

Noise to signal ratio way too high, I see maybe 400 channels, with maybe 15 that frequently enough for me to plough through the list have programming I want to see, with maybe another 35 I surf around on to see whats on or coming up.
This has been a universal complaint since Springsteen's "57 Channels (and Nothing's On)" and is not unique to the Passport IPG, which is the subject of this thread. (And your complaint.)

Way too slow to use, my SD tv shows title info for I think 5 channels with more complete info for 1 channel, and about a 2 hour time span. My little block of 10 movie channels takes 5 or 10 minutes per day, so its REAL unusual for me to go more than 36 hours ahead.
I'm sure that's the way everyone's works. Mine does, but holding down the right or left arrows scans quickly for three or four time periods. After that, it blacks the guide and really zips ahead. You can't read the programming, but it does get one further down the line. I scan HBOHD, SHOHD, MAXHD, HDNet and HDNet Movies every few days. It takes me about five minutes each session. It's not unreasonable for it to take you that long for ten movie channels.

Weak information, *** in Guide is often ** or "tv" in a good reference book. Descriptions are very brief, and many times lately pressing info doesn't give the two or three lines of more info its supposed to.

Too short, the paper guide I used to get with my bill had all the new movies for that month for each of the movie channels.
If the details were like this, it would take you 15 or 20 minutes to scan. It's a trade-off; you can't have it both ways. More info is available on the internet.

I find the guide very useful though I have some recommendations for improvements. The guide is not perfect, but they do tweak it every now and then. You should hear the squawking when they do. Some people hate change, even when it's for the better. So, they change it and people complain. They keep it the same and people complain. I think the takeaway is that people complain.

Another trick for the guide is I set each premium primary channel, plus HBO HD, SHO HD and the start of the HDXtra tier (InHD) as favorites. Very quick to get to each section... BUT if you set 201 for HBO, it adds 80, etc.

Oh, there is a LOT of stuff they could do to make the guide actually good (having to manually load in days and only having 6 days when they promise 2 weeks is my main peeve). But it's at least usable.

Oh, there is a LOT of stuff they could do to make the guide actually good (having to manually load in days and only having 6 days when they promise 2 weeks is my main peeve). But it's at least usable.
I think it's probably a matter of memory allocation. If the box held more future listings, it would consume more memory. But I hear ya. I tend to visit HBO, CineMAX, Showtime and HDNet sites once or twice per month to get a deeper look into the future.