you seem to know alot about Home Theaters. I'm stuck between 2

projectors the panny AX100U or the Sanyo PLV Z5 - any opinions?
Wrong thread for this topic. You've got a PM coming in a few minutes.

Just noticed keyword search on my 8300HD passport NYC TW. Has it been there long and i just didn't see it?
bruce

Yes, this (http://www.maxtor.com/portal/site/Maxtor/menuitem.ba88f6d7cf664718376049b291346068/?channelpath=%2Fen_us%2FProducts%2FConsumer+Electronics%2FQu ickView+Family%2FQuickView+Expander) can be purchased online. Google J08M300.Those appear to be in short supply (Yes I did Google it and found mostly "Out of Stock") one place that indicates that they do have these is: WeaKnees (http://www.weaknees.com/maxtor_qvx.php)

I posted this over in the local Orlando Brighthouse thread, but their advice to reboot did not work. I actually rebooted a number of times and also tried a digital coax and I'm back to square one. Thanks for any help you can provide.

"Just upgraded from a Pace to an 8300. Unfortunately, I can't get Dolby 5.1 from the 8300 when using the optical out. There is no HDMI involved so that's not the problem. When I go into "Advanced Settings", my choices are Dolby and two channel. Two channel works fine through the receiver, but I get no sound when the setting is Dolby.

Swapping out the Pace for the 8300 was the only change to the configuration and all was well (Dolby) with the Pace. Any thoughts or assistance would be appreciated."

I suspect you have a bad unit. I am assuming that you are tuning a station that is broadcasting 5.1. Your setup is correct. Have you tried the coaxial out? They should be the same but maybe there is a problem somewhere in the optical chain. If you look at the toslink cable end that plugs into your AVR you should see a red light. Do not look directly into it. If you do not then you have either a bad 8300 or a broken optical cable. All audio should come actoss that cable when the unit is set to dolby digital as the audio output format.

I suspect you have a bad unit. I am assuming that you are tuning a station that is broadcasting 5.1. Your setup is correct. Have you tried the coaxial out? They should be the same but maybe there is a problem somewhere in the optical chain. If you look at the toslink cable end that plugs into your AVR you should see a red light. Do not look directly into it. If you do not then you have either a bad 8300 or a broken optical cable. All audio should come actoss that cable when the unit is set to dolby digital as the audio output format.

I've tried coaxial out and same result. I ruled out a bad optical cable since 2.0 comes through fine (plus I see the red light).

Sounds like a bad unit. suggest you have cable co come in and swap and have tech make it right. Should work fine. I have used that setup in the past

I posted this over in the local Orlando Brighthouse thread, but their advice to reboot did not work. I actually rebooted a number of times and also tried a digital coax and I'm back to square one. Thanks for any help you can provide.

"Just upgraded from a Pace to an 8300. Unfortunately, I can't get Dolby 5.1 from the 8300 when using the optical out. There is no HDMI involved so that's not the problem. When I go into "Advanced Settings", my choices are Dolby and two channel. Two channel works fine through the receiver, but I get no sound when the setting is Dolby.

Swapping out the Pace for the 8300 was the only change to the configuration and all was well (Dolby) with the Pace. Any thoughts or assistance would be appreciated."

You've done the basics on the Receiver side, right? Like telling it the audio is from the 8300 (TV?) say vs CD, or DVD? Make sure it is looking for the correct source. Just a thought, but sometimes its silly things that get us....

You've done the basics on the Receiver side, right? Like telling it the audio is from the 8300 (TV?) say vs CD, or DVD? Make sure it is looking for the correct source. Just a thought, but sometimes its silly things that get us....


Went to Brighthouse, and got a new 8300. Still have the exact same problem. When I hook the old Pace box back up (with the exact same connections on both the cable box end and the receiver end) everything works perfectly. Hook the 8300 up, and silence when the box is set to output Dolby. Very confusing and frustrating. Thanks for your help.

Its the box. Got to be!

Yes, this (http://www.maxtor.com/portal/site/Maxtor/menuitem.ba88f6d7cf664718376049b291346068/?channelpath=%2Fen_us%2FProducts%2FConsumer+Electronics%2FQu ickView+Family%2FQuickView+Expander) can be purchased online. Google J08M300.

I read that the Maxtor only works with SARA - Is this true - do you know if

anyone has used it with Passport- (I read it at WeaKnees)

Well, If you swapped the box, it would seem it is not the box. Let the cable people figure it out. You are leasing the box, it does not work - ergo make it their problem.

Where are you located? Perhaps two heads may be better than one

Just noticed keyword search on my 8300HD passport NYC TW. Has it been there long and i just didn't see it?
bruce

I'm curious where you saw that. I remember once I was able to search by actor, but I can't seem to find that at all now. When I go to Search, it only gives me by Title. Has anyone been able to search by actor?

After you hit "c" for search, hit "c" again to get a menu of either title or keyword.

After you hit "c" for search, hit "c" again to get a menu of either title or keyword.

Thanks, that did the trick. I suffered through the AOD channel, where they did NOT mention that. Superbly hidden; thanks SA.
:mad:

After you hit "c" for search, hit "c" again to get a menu of either title or keyword.

I meant to mention it was months ago that I noticed that, but then of course never could find it again.

Well, If you swapped the box, it would seem it is not the box. Let the cable people figure it out. You are leasing the box, it does not work - ergo make it their problem.

Where are you located? Perhaps two heads may be better than one

A tech from Brighthouse is coming out tomorrow to check it out. I does seem extremely odd that two boxes would be bad, but I'm at a loss considering nothing has changed in the setup other than the box. One other oddity...As I was scrolling through the channels, I got audio from only one channel through the receiver...channel 1!

I'm in Orlando. I'll post his diagnosis and solution tomorrow.

A tech from Brighthouse is coming out tomorrow to check it out. I does seem extremely odd that two boxes would be bad, but I'm at a loss considering nothing has changed in the setup other than the box. One other oddity...As I was scrolling through the channels, I got audio from only one channel through the receiver...channel 1!

I'm in Orlando. I'll post his diagnosis and solution tomorrow.

No luck. They could not understand it either. Their final diagnosis is that there must be a compatibility issue between my B&K AVR507 and the SA8300. The tech's supervisor insisted my B&K wasn't up to the challenge of handling Dolby 5.1...which is complete nonsense. Perhaps there is a compatability issue, but certainly not that the receiver is incapable of handling Dolby or DTS 5.1. I'll contact B&K and see if this issue has been reported before. By the way, I'm on my third box now.

No luck. They could not understand it either. Their final diagnosis is that there must be a compatibility issue between my B&K AVR507 and the SA8300. The tech's supervisor insisted my B&K wasn't up to the challenge of handling Dolby 5.1...which is complete nonsense. Perhaps there is a compatability issue, but certainly not that the receiver is incapable of handling Dolby or DTS 5.1. I'll contact B&K and see if this issue has been reported before. By the way, I'm on my third box now.
Compatibility issue . . not our fault. "Yeah, that's the ticket."

If DD 5.1 works perfectly under 1.8.112 and then fails to work after the 2.5.066 update then it is not the fault of the AV receiver. I have had 3 other reports with the exact same issue where 2.0 works but 5.1 fails. The people affected had Denon receivers and a reboot fixed the problem. This is the first case I have read where it could not be resolved. Any others having this same problem under 2.5.066?

If DD 5.1 works perfectly under 1.8.112 and then fails to work after the 2.5.066 update then it is not the fault of the AV receiver. I have had 3 other reports with the exact same issue where 2.0 works but 5.1 fails. The people affected had Denon receivers and a reboot fixed the problem. This is the first case I have read where it could not be resolved. Any others having this same problem under 2.5.066?

I'm assuming 1.8.112 and 2.5.066 are version numbers of the software??? Just to be clear, I have the Pace DC550P which works (and has worked for a couple years), and obviously the 8300 that failed (that I just hooked up Thurs - three separate boxes).

Other than either holding the power button or uplugging and holding the power button, is there any other way to reboot these units?

I don't believe so, but I keep seeing different references as to how long to leave it off before plugging it back in. This may have something to do with how long it takes to lose contact with the cableco or something. I've seen instructions to leave it off anywhere from 30 seconds to as much as 30 minutes.

The urban myth of "powering down for 30 minutes" has some basis in fact.

What needs to happen is for the internal capacitors of the power supply to discharge so the unit actually does power down. That generally takes something in the low seconds. As an example, in many cases when I have a very short power glitch in my home (lights flash off) some of the on line PC's do not power down. Obviously the output caps of thier power supplys have sufficient "charge" to "Flywheel" through the power loss/dip. In fact the mechanical analogue of a capcitor is in many instances a flywheel. On my main machine I can hear the scanner power down and up but the PC goes on ticking.

Shutdown (pull the power cord) for 30 minutes, for 10 minutes, for 5 minutes, for 1 minute,? Same people who require oxygen free copper wire for their speakers. Pull the cord, count to ten, put it back in.

The point DoubleDAZ brought up is valid. I had not thought about the need to perhaps timeout something on a head end server, Although I would have thought that a reboot of the STB would cause the server connection to be re-initialized. BUT with the guys who write that software who knows?

Just so we understand, I am an electrical engineer, and was an Electrician during college so I have background in electronics and power.

Urban myths are such fun!

I've done that too many times in the last few days to count them all! I guess I was doing it correctly...just was hoping I was missing something. Thanks.

I've tried coaxial out and same result. I ruled out a bad optical cable since 2.0 comes through fine (plus I see the red light).I'll bet you don't see the red light when it's set to Dolby, do you? I don't know enough about Passport, but something has got to be turning off the audio when you switch to Dolby. It seems even more strange that you are the only one having a problem. Surely more folks would be complaining if they weren't getting Dolby. Sure sounds like something simple, like a SAP setting or something, once you find it.

I'll bet you don't see the red light when it's set to Dolby, do you? I don't know enough about Passport, but something has got to be turning off the audio when you switch to Dolby. It seems even more strange that you are the only one having a problem. Surely more folks would be complaining if they weren't getting Dolby. Sure sounds like something simple, like a SAP setting or something, once you find it.

As a matter of fact, I DO see the red light through the cable when Dolby is selected. All SAP settings are set to off.

Well, now that is just plain weird. I guess I was under the impression the light was only there if there was something being sent. I guess not, darn!

The light is always there when power is on, It is modulated but you will not see the modulation (too fast). Think of the light as the carrier (which it is). If power is on and the light is off, then something is broken!

I searched for this, but didn't find any threads with the same problem.

I have a SA Explorer 8300HD with Passport Ver. 2.5.066 with TWC in Milwaukee, WI. I have lost recorded programs at least three times now. The first two times I thought maybe my kids had deleted them by accident, this third time though, I know for sure that they didn't.

Tuesday, I went through my recordings list, and deleted all my recordings except two. Those two I had designated to "Save Until Manually Erased". Those two recordings were standard def, 1 hour in length. I then set up the recordings of six episodes of "Hero's" being shown on Sci-Fi in standard def on Wednesday. The shows recorded fine, and I watched all six Friday. I did not delete the episodes because my daughter wanted to watch them.

Today I went into start the first episode for my daughter, and all six episodes were gone. I addition all of the shows that I deleted on Tuesday were back!? Loosing shows is one thing, but shows I deleted suddenly reappearing is suggesting to me that some type of "backup/restore" took place. I deleted the shows I had deleted previously and then checked the amount of hard drive space being used. It is showing 21.8GB being used, which seems high for only having two 1 hour shows saved.

Has anybody had this problem or seen anything like this before? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

We just got a Sony 46" HD TV. I was wondering if there was a way (besides a cablecard) to make use of the TV's actual channels and remotes? Since we have TW and will be getting the DVR box, do we just leave the TV on channel 3 as our only option or does a connection like HDMI make the former possible? Thanks.

We just got a Sony 46" HD TV. I was wondering if there was a way (besides a cablecard) to make use of the TV's actual channels and remotes? Since we have TW and will be getting the DVR box, do we just leave the TV on channel 3 as our only option or does a connection like HDMI make the former possible? Thanks.

Referring to "channel 3" implies that you might use coax between the DVR and TV. You DEFINITELY don't want to do that. You couldn't have a worse picture. You'll want to use either HDMI or component (in that order of preference), and you'll simply select the appropriate input on the TV.

As far as the remote, the Sony remote probably won't control the DVR funtion of your cable box. You'll end up storing away the Sony remote until you need to (a) change inputs to DVD, Xbox, etc. or (b) tweak the settings. The DVR remote will control the power and volume of the TV.

BTW, depending on where you live and how easy an indoors or outdoors antenna is to set up, you should have an OTA (over the air) input for backup when TW fails. I live only 12 miles from all the local TV towers and I get PERFECT reception for the digital channels using a small indoors antenna.

Thanks, that did the trick. I suffered through the AOD channel, where they did NOT mention that. Superbly hidden; thanks SA.
:mad:

AOD, attention order deficient?

Seriously, I seem to see way too many places that over the years supply less and less real information about their products. I'm infamous among my friends for castigating various companies for having the marketing department write the documentation. Everywhere I see this, I see the hands of a lawyer justifying their often gargantuan salaries. As in "If you tell them exactly how it works, you are then responsible for making sure it works AND it works in the way you've documented it. Leave it ALL out and all you need to tell the customer is "See, we never said you could do that, so you can't expect that we'd have to do it."

</rant>

What needs to happen is for the internal capacitors of the power supply to discharge so the unit actually does power down. That generally takes something in the low seconds. As an example, in many cases when I have a very short power glitch in my home (lights flash off) some of the on line PC's do not power down. Obviously the output caps of thier power supplys have sufficient "charge" to "Flywheel" through the power loss/dip. In fact the mechanical analogue of a capcitor is in many instances a flywheel. On my main machine I can hear the scanner power down and up but the PC goes on ticking.

Oh then you'll appreciate this. About a gazillion years ago, I got this gizmo called a Demon Dialer. Stored hundreds of phone numbers and had a bunch of very nice features. The most tiny of mobos, there just was nothing in there. BUT, you could pull all A/C (yeah, it was D/C with a power brick) from it and it would keep everything from stored numbers to Prefs for 7 days! I guess it wasn't something like an EPROM because it seemed way too cheap for that (remember this is 30-35 years ago) AND it did have a 7 day time period. I always figured it was the residual power in the caps that allowed this.

Either the caps but that is a long time, or a small rechargable battery in the brick

Oh then you'll appreciate this. About a gazillion years ago, I got this gizmo called a Demon Dialer. Stored hundreds of phone numbers and had a bunch of very nice features..
Had one of those myself and I think about it every time I get a busy signal. :(

Regarding my compatibility issue with the B&K AVR507 and the 8300HD, I called B&K today and they informed me that there could actually be compatibility issues with some newer cable boxes! I'm running the original version of their software (1.0) and I will be sending the unit in for an upgrade to the most current version. Hopefully this solves the mystery. Thanks to all that tried to diagnose the problem.

Regarding my compatibility issue with the B&K AVR507 and the 8300HD, I called B&K today and they informed me that there could actually be compatibility issues with some newer cable boxes! I'm running the original version of their software (1.0) and I will be sending the unit in for an upgrade to the most current version. Hopefully this solves the mystery. Thanks to all that tried to diagnose the problem.
Did they give you any idea of the nature of the incompatibility?

Sorry, they did not...just that it had been reported that some newer boxes were having issues. Trust me, I'll believe it when I "hear" it. At the very least, I get a free upgrade to their latest version.

Sorry, they did not...just that it had been reported that some newer boxes were having issues. Trust me, I'll believe it when I "hear" it. At the very least, I get a free upgrade to their latest version.FWIW, this won't be the first time a unit other than the 8300 was at "fault", though that may not be the proper term. As has been pointed out in the past, some of the standards are so general it's a wonder there aren't more compatability problems. At least they appreared to know what you were talking about. Be sure to let us know the outcome. Good luck!

How did you check the amount of hard drive being used?

How did you check the amount of hard drive being used?
Been to the first post in this thread?

Either the caps but that is a long time, or a small rechargable battery in the brick

Doubt that, remember this is 35 years ago! Besides, I know I tested this once, and it involved pulling the cable from the transformer to the unit.

Got me to thinking as I see the damn thing hanging on the wall inside my coat closet... maybe I can get it to work again? Obviously, it's all in knowing how to address it through the phone, so it's all about documentation.

Hey papar, could it be you still have a manual???? Phone numbers are stored in the phone now, but it was the demon dialing thing that could be useful (for those who never heard, one trick this gizmo did was when it encountered a busy number, you would hit a keystroke and put the phone down. It would keeping banging away at the number until it didn't get a busy signal and then beep the phone to let you know it was now ringing).

Doubt that, remember this is 35 years ago! Besides, I know I tested this once, and it involved pulling the cable from the transformer to the unit.

Got me to thinking as I see the damn thing hanging on the wall inside my coat closet... maybe I can get it to work again? Obviously, it's all in knowing how to address it through the phone, so it's all about documentation.

Hey papar, could it be you still have a manual???? Phone numbers are stored in the phone now, but it was the demon dialing thing that could be useful (for those who never heard, one trick this gizmo did was when it encountered a busy number, you would hit a keystroke and put the phone down. It would keeping banging away at the number until it didn't get a busy signal and then beep the phone to let you know it was now ringing).
It's "pepar" and you've got a PM. :)

I posted this in the Pioneer 5070 forum but perhaps it really belongs here:

I am having difficulty getting my 8300HD box (Passport) and the 5070 to work together so that I get a full screen for SD channels automatically while still rendering HD correctly. If I set the 8300 to "16:9 widescreen, 4:3 stretch", the SD channels are automatically stretched but the HD channels do not look perfect (logos are partially off the screen). If I set the 8300 to "16:9 widescreen, 4:3 sidebar, the HD channels are correct but the SD channels are not automatically stretched and cannot be manually stretched by the 5070 remote. How are people here dealing with this? I must be doing something wrong.

Thanks...

Tuesday, I went through my recordings list, and deleted all my recordings except two. Those two I had designated to "Save Until Manually Erased". Those two recordings were standard def, 1 hour in length. I then set up the recordings of six episodes of "Hero's" being shown on Sci-Fi in standard def on Wednesday. The shows recorded fine, and I watched all six Friday. I did not delete the episodes because my daughter wanted to watch them.

Today I went into start the first episode for my daughter, and all six episodes were gone. I addition all of the shows that I deleted on Tuesday were back!? Loosing shows is one thing, but shows I deleted suddenly reappearing is suggesting to me that some type of "backup/restore" took place. I deleted the shows I had deleted previously and then checked the amount of hard drive space being used. It is showing 21.8GB being used, which seems high for only having two 1 hour shows saved.



I have had something similar occur (Time Warner, Columbus, Ohio):

The Setup:
My wife was listening to a Music Choice channel. The SA8300 was recording a sporting event. I wanted to watch a something I had recorded earlier.

The Event:
I selected the program I wished to watch and told the SA8300 to play. It hung. The screen went gray. After a few minutes, the box rebooted.

The Result:
The box did not start to record the sporting event it had been recording when it restarted, so I manually restarted the recording. As I did so I noticed that the first fifty minutes (or so) that it should have already recorded was not there. I also noticed that the list of recorded shows looked "wrong".

Further examination showed that the list of recorded shows had reverted to what had been there in TWO MONTHS EARLIER. Most of those shows had already been deleted, of course and attempts to play them resulted in the SA8300 displaying "Not Currently Available" messages. The "Record this show" list had likewise reverted to a two month old state. Everything recorded in the interim was gone.

I posted this in the Pioneer 5070 forum but perhaps it really belongs here:

I am having difficulty getting my 8300HD box (Passport) and the 5070 to work together so that I get a full screen for SD channels automatically while still rendering HD correctly. If I set the 8300 to "16:9 widescreen, 4:3 stretch", the SD channels are automatically stretched but the HD channels do not look perfect (logos are partially off the screen). If I set the 8300 to "16:9 widescreen, 4:3 sidebar, the HD channels are correct but the SD channels are not automatically stretched and cannot be manually stretched by the 5070 remote. How are people here dealing with this? I must be doing something wrong.

Thanks...
Many people prefer to never stretch (read: distort!) 4:3, so 16:9, 4:3 sidebar works perfectly. But if the network logos are chopped off the bottom (or top), it sounds more like a "zoom" is being applied. Did you know that the "#" scrolls through normal, stretch and zoom?

When I use 4:3 sidebar, HD renders perfectly. I never watch SD. My family does, however, and I have to either set it up so that SD stretches automatically or so that they can expand it using the 5070 wide stretch mode. I found that by only outputting 1080i and 720p (and setting it up with 4:3 sidebars), HD renders perfectly and SD can be manually stretched. When I set up the box to output 480i, I cannot manually stretch SD.

When I use 4:3 sidebar, HD renders perfectly. I never watch SD. My family does, however, and I have to either set it up so that SD stretches automatically or so that they can expand it using the 5070 wide stretch mode. I found that by only outputting 1080i and 720p (and setting it up with 4:3 sidebars), HD renders perfectly and SD can be manually stretched. When I set up the box to output 480i, I cannot manually stretch SD.
The 8300HD is able to stretch/zoom all output resolutions. (The "format" setting can only engage a 4:3 stretch.) My Sony TV has a "smart stretch" that I preferred (and used to use) over the (dumb) stretch applied by the 8300HD, but my TV would only apply it to 480i.

Follow the link in my sig. And read the LAST FOUR pages of this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=516559&page=1&pp=30).
Pepar, which drive enclosure did you end up going with being that the one you said you tried (which matched the case of the 8300 beautifully) was too loud and the blue light was too bright?

Pepar, which drive enclosure did you end up going with being that the one you said you tried (which matched the case of the 8300 beautifully) was too loud and the blue light was too bright?
Yep, that's it. In the serous theater, the gear is in the rear and the light and fan is not noticeable. In the bedroom, there's a match pack in front of the light and I ignore the whir of the fan. I did purchase a spare drive enclosure that I hope to try some fan mods on this winter. Follow the link in my sig and go to page 21 for the link to the enclosure.

Hi,
I am a newbie it this. Ihave an SA8300HD and a LCD HDTV with the capabilities of YPbPr or HDMI. I have no other sound system other than the TV. Which connection is better?

thanks,
Bruce

Hi,
I am a newbie it this. Ihave an SA8300HD and a LCD HDTV with the capabilities of YPbPr or HDMI. I have no other sound system other than the TV. Which connection is better?

thanks,
Bruce

Usually HDMI

Just don't spend a lot of money on an HDMI cable. I believe I've seen them mentioned here for as little as $5 on www.monoprice.com or something. If you buy one locally, it'll probably cost $30-$50, so make sure you can return it if you don't think the difference is worth it.

Just don't spend a lot of money on an HDMI cable. I believe I've seen them mentioned here for as little as $5 on www.monoprice.com or something. If you buy one locally, it'll probably cost $30-$50, so make sure you can return it if you don't think the difference is worth it.
And certainly avoid any HDMI cable with "monster" in the name if you want to avoid overpaying.

It's "pepar" and you've got a PM. :)

My thinking generally works, some times the fingers don't.

Maybe I'll put a "ted=pepar" in my sig and refer to you as "ted" <g>!

BTW, thanks so much for the info in the PM!

Lisa, something sounds odd there. I usually use "16:9 widescreen: 4:3 stretch" on the 8300 for one very specific purpose. I had a LOT of gray sidebars and found them hugely distracting. Got a tip here; I set my TV to 4:3 on SD channels. That horizontally compressed the whole thing, gray sidebars and all. Everything elongated vertically. So with "4:3 stretch" in the 8300, I got NO distortion AND no gray bars.

The 16:9 was fine; I think the cut-off graphics are things at times we all see. Up until someone woke up, Fox 5 NY ALWAYS had a logo cut-off. I think they corrected it recently. Sometimes I really wonder about the control room guys, the amount of totally dumb mistakes these guys make are unforgivable, considering these guys are not minimum wage workers, most are heavily unionized and trust me, make damn good money. I've seen football games when from one commercial break to another, they switch a widescreen picture to 4:3, I see TNT last night vertically squeezing a 16:9 image with black bars top and bottom (trust me, I've had actual conversations with Kyra Sedgwick, her face is not fat and squashed as she looked in that segment!).

Sorry for not being more explicit. The DVR Info screen in diags shows Storage Devices: 1
The DVR AVFS screen shows Storage ID: 1 and the AV Capacity: 361.8 GB which means it recognizes the external drive.

Is there a way to know how much storage is being used by each HD for recorded programs?

Passport Echo (2.5.066) Time Warner So. Cal.

Hi,
I am a newbie it this. Ihave an SA8300HD and a LCD HDTV with the capabilities of YPbPr or HDMI. I have no other sound system other than the TV. Which connection is better?

thanks,
Bruce
I have two 8300HD boxes. One is connected via component to a 50 inch RCA DLP. The other is connected via HDMI to a 32 inch Sony XBR LCD. They both look great and I find the PQ between the two indistinguishable. Further, I have done innumerable comparisons on both sets between the PQ of the images generated by the cable boxes and those from my OTA tuners and find that they look exactly the same. In short, for those of us who can’t benefit from HDMI’s audio capabilities, I think that component works just as well as HDMI.

Sorry for not being more explicit. The DVR Info screen in diags shows Storage Devices: 1
The DVR AVFS screen shows Storage ID: 1 and the AV Capacity: 361.8 GB which means it recognizes the external drive.

Is there a way to know how much storage is being used by each HD for recorded programs?

Passport Echo (2.5.066) Time Warner So. Cal.
Check DIAG for used/remaining before and after recording something.

I have two 8300HD boxes. One is connected via component to a 50 inch RCA DLP. The other is connected via HDMI to a 32 inch Sony XBR LCD. They both look great and I find the PQ between the two indistinguishable. Further, I have done innumerable comparisons on both sets between the PQ of the images generated by the cable boxes and those from my OTA tuners and find that they look exactly the same. In short, for those of us who can’t benefit from HDMI’s audio capabilities, I think that component works just as well as HDMI.
"Audio capabilities" and "audio realities" are different animals when it comes to HDMI. Even "adapting" HDMI to DVI removes the hassles. A digital interface between a digital source and a digital display just seems like The Way It Should Be, but improvements are usually only seen on larger, properly setup displays in light-controlled environments.

Just my $.02.

Check DIAG for used/remaining before and after recording something.Just so Whitey doesn't get the wrong idea, this will only tell him the space used for that specific program. Another program may or may not use the same amount of space, even on the same channel, etc. It all depends on the bit-rate for a given program and this varies by program and channel. If the goal is to try to predict how much space will be used, it's really a lost cause, though some generalities can be drawn after some amount of experience. The too, Passport uses some preset number to determine how much space is needed for upcoming recordings and whether or not it needs to delete soemthing, doesn't it?

Just so Whitey doesn't get the wrong idea, this will only tell him the space used for that specific program. Another program may or may not use the same amount of space, even on the same channel, etc. It all depends on the bit-rate for a given program and this varies by program and channel. If the goal is to try to predict how much space will be used, it's really a lost cause, though some generalities can be drawn after some amount of experience. The too, Passport uses some preset number to determine how much space is needed for upcoming recordings and whether or not it needs to delete soemthing, doesn't it?
Yes, my apologies to Whitey as I completely misread his question I thought he was interested in knowing how much space was used by each hi-def - "HD" - show. He meant "HD" to mean hard drive. All we know is that adding a drive adds capacity and the bigger the drive, the more space is added. With 1024 bytes being a kilobyte for some while others use 1000 bytes - and no one pre-defining their terms, it's impossible to know.

I will say, though, that it's always less than you think. :)

You are absolutely right. :)

At any rate, my diagnostics (SARA) shows 152G available from the internal 160G HD. Whitey, what size HD did you add to get to 361.8G?

FWIW, someone did a study once that showed the overhead was not a constant or even a constant percentage, it varied by HD size. Larger drives gave up a larger percentage of space for overhead than smaller drives, sometimes significantly skewing the price per useable gig. One would think a 500G HD for $500 would have the same price per gig as a 400G drive for $400, both $1/G, but that is not the case because of the different overhead requirements. The 500G HD still gives more storage space, but the price per gig is greater for those looking at it from that perspective. Of course, sale prices skew things even more. :)

I put in a 250GB Maxtor. My wife tells me that I never make myself clear and I guess she's right. What I was asking was can you tell how much space is being used individually on each hard drive (internal and external).

On another subject, I seemed to have lost the ability to go backwards on a live show. Is it a firmware or software problem?

I put in a 250GB Maxtor. My wife tells me that I never make myself clear and I guess she's right. What I was asking was can you tell how much space is being used individually on each hard drive (internal and external).

On another subject, I seemed to have lost the ability to go backwards on a live show. Is it a firmware or software problem?
The only info you can get is in DIAG. If the two drives are not listed separately, you can look at totals and do simple math. And then - disheartedly - compare to the manufacturer's capacity.

As I mentioned, my internal HD (with SARA) is 160G, but only 152G is useable. If Passport is the same (and I beleive it is), then simply subtract the 152 from your 361.8. You end up with 209.8G of useable space out of the original 250G.

As I also mentioned, you can see that the % of overhead is significantly different for the external HD and increases as drive size increases.

The other item that may interest you is that recordings go to whichever HD as the most space free, at least that's how I believe it works, someone will correct me if I my memory is faulty. :)

We can probably provide even more info if you'll let us know what you're really after, other than just info.

As far as live features, this is a known issue with Passport after adding an external drive. The easiest solution is to simply record eveything and watch the recordings.

I am a NOOB but appreciate any help.

I have only had the 8300HD from TWC-Austin for less than 2 weeks. I have had 4 recordings disappear from the list and they all have one thing in common. They were all shows where I selected record All Episodes, save All Episodes, and New, First Run only. I have the auto erase preference turned off and I have not exceeded 55% full yet. Shows where I selected 1 episode, save until I erase are fine and shows where I selected All Episodes and save 2 shows are also fine. Am I doing something wrong? I am assuming that Save All Episodes means it will not erase. Is that not true? In all 4 cases I actually saw the show on the list of recorded shows at one time and came back to them later when I was ready to watch and it was gone. And with 1 show I actually started watching the first few minutes and stopped it. When I came back a day later it was gone. I am not sure but they seem to be disappearing in about 48 hours. I have the preference set to default new recordings to 14 days, but I would not think that would affect save All Episodes (and I haven't made it close to that yet).

And you don't have to say it.... I am an old TiVo guy since 1999 who just made the leap to HDTV. I am probably going to get a Series 3, but I was hoping to save the $800 and the hassels related to Switched Video here in Austin. I figured I would try the 8300HD while I waited for the Switched Video issues to settle out and the Series 3 to come down some in price. But if my shows are going to keep disappearing, I might just take the plunge.

hey guys. what do you think of connecting this thing to 8300hd for hard drive space?

MobileRAID Series MR5CT1, up to 3.75 TB of total storage capacity

hey guys. what do you think of connecting this thing to 8300hd for hard drive space?

MobileRAID Series MR5CT1, up to 3.75 TB of total storage capacity
If you did some searching you'd find that the answer is no, you cannot attach an array. It must be an SATA drive.

I am a NOOB but appreciate any help.

I have only had the 8300HD from TWC-Austin for less than 2 weeks. I have had 4 recordings disappear from the list and they all have one thing in common. They were all shows where I selected record All Episodes, save All Episodes, and New, First Run only. I have the auto erase preference turned off and I have not exceeded 55% full yet. Shows where I selected 1 episode, save until I erase are fine and shows where I selected All Episodes and save 2 shows are also fine. Am I doing something wrong? I am assuming that Save All Episodes means it will not erase. Is that not true? In all 4 cases I actually saw the show on the list of recorded shows at one time and came back to them later when I was ready to watch and it was gone. And with 1 show I actually started watching the first few minutes and stopped it. When I came back a day later it was gone. I am not sure but they seem to be disappearing in about 48 hours. I have the preference set to default new recordings to 14 days, but I would not think that would affect save All Episodes (and I haven't made it close to that yet).
That is certainly not normal operation. Have you tried hard rebooting?

edit: Is your 8300HD running Passport? Or SARA? Version?

Pepar - thanks for the reply. I believe it is Passport.

I just recently tried a hard reboot and so far it has not happened again. I am hoping that resolved it but I am still in wait and see mode.

If you did some searching you'd find that the answer is no, you cannot attach an array. It must be an SATA drive.

Hey, forget the "single" in front of SATA?

And don't we "know" that there are some kit drives are actually ATA drives in cases that have SATA external connectors?

Besides, from what I've read from numerous folks here, there seems to be an issue with exactly how the 8300's software handles directories. As in it's possibly engineered to accommodate not much more than a single internal drive. We have some very anecdotal postings about larger external drives being more problematic than smaller ones.

So it could be that even if it DID support RAID, what's the point if, indeed, there really is a limitation on directory size? Still, I'd be REAL happy if they did support RAID and did not have any issues with large storage (and absolutely killed the "trick play" bug). I have been using RAID arrays on my computers for at least a dozen years now, truly.

If you did some searching you'd find that the answer is no, you cannot attach an array. It must be an SATA drive.

Of course you can attach an array. But it has to be an array with a SATA target as an interface, of course. The SA8300 has no idea what's behind the SATA target interface on the other end of the wire - whether it be a drive, an array, or a box of bits.

Hey, forget the "single" in front of SATA?
That's right. I doubt SATA muxes are not supported.

And don't we "know" that there are some kit drives are actually ATA drives in cases that have SATA external connectors?
That won't be a problem. The SA8300 won't know what's behind the SATA target on the other end of the wire.

Besides, from what I've read from numerous folks here, there seems to be an issue with exactly how the 8300's software handles directories. As in it's possibly engineered to accommodate not much more than a single internal drive. We have some very anecdotal postings about larger external drives being more problematic than smaller ones.

So it could be that even if it DID support RAID, what's the point if, indeed, there really is a limitation on directory size? Still, I'd be REAL happy if they did support RAID and did not have any issues with large storage (and absolutely killed the "trick play" bug). I have been using RAID arrays on my computers for at least a dozen years now, truly.
Yeah, that's a good point. If a large directory structure isn't supported, then a large drive or large array is pointless. But doesn't this box run Linux? I may be wrong. I could be thinking of the new open source code they'll eventually move to, which I believe is Linux. Anyway, if they're using a real OS I would have thought that there would be no problem with large disks or arrays, as long as they didn't exceed a 2TB size.

That's right. I doubt SATA muxes are not supported.


That won't be a problem. The SA8300 won't know what's behind the SATA target on the other end of the wire.


Yeah, that's a good point. If a large directory structure isn't supported, then a large drive or large array is pointless. But doesn't this box run Linux? I may be wrong. I could be thinking of the new open source code they'll eventually move to, which I believe is Linux. Anyway, if they're using a real OS I would have thought that there would be no problem with large disks or arrays, as long as they didn't exceed a 2TB size.

The Maxtor Quickview Extender enclosures actually contain a PATA drive with a converter.... and as we know.. they work fine.

Tivo is Linux and their drive size is limited to 1TB. I believe they may be using a unique filesystem. The 8300 on the other hand is PowerTV and I have no idea the lineage of that OS.... RTOS or othewise.

Of course you can attach an array. But it has to be an array with a SATA target as an interface, of course. The SA8300 has no idea what's behind the SATA target interface on the other end of the wire - whether it be a drive, an array, or a box of bits.
Rightfully taken to task by the gang here has made me aware of my imprecision. Sometimes the simple answer is not sufficient. The 8300HD's SATA host adapter needs to see a single volume. This does not preclude an array, but there are no - IMO - affordable ones available. Silicon Image has something they call Steelvine technlogy (http://www.siliconimage.com/products/productfamily.aspx?id=3) that does, so they say, make an array appear as a single volume, but it is well beyond what I'd pay for external storage when it is so ephemeral and could disappear in a heartbeat (or power outage/spike). There was a news release for this product in conjunction with SA, but I've never heard any more about it.

Hey, forget the "single" in front of SATA?

And don't we "know" that there are some kit drives are actually ATA drives in cases that have SATA external connectors?

Besides, from what I've read from numerous folks here, there seems to be an issue with exactly how the 8300's software handles directories. As in it's possibly engineered to accommodate not much more than a single internal drive. We have some very anecdotal postings about larger external drives being more problematic than smaller ones.
That anecdotal evidence of some sort of max file pointers (or whatever) seems to be more applicable to SARA. But then someone pointed out that an internal drive full of 1/2 hour SD programs would have a LOT more "files" than a huge external drive with 2 hour HD movies on it. We're all just guessing. Some members make more educated guesses, but we're all still just guessing.

The Maxtor Quickview Extender enclosures actually contain a PATA drive with a converter.... and as we know.. they work fine.

Tivo is Linux and their drive size is limited to 1TB. I believe they may be using a unique filesystem. The 8300 on the other hand is PowerTV and I have no idea the lineage of that OS.... RTOS or othewise.

I'm not familiar with PowerTV. My box says Aptiv during boot. Is PowerTV the OS for Aptiv?

Also, I was told that Time Warner is moving to MDN - Mystro Digital Network - which is apparently designed by TW. I'm not sure if that's good news or bad news. And that's about all I know about that.

Rightfully taken to task by the gang here has made me aware of my imprecision. Sometimes the simple answer is not sufficient. The 8300HD's SATA host adapter needs to see a single volume. This does not preclude an array, but there are no - IMO - affordable ones available. Silicon Image has something they call Steelvine technlogy (http://www.siliconimage.com/products/productfamily.aspx?id=3) that does, so they say, make an array appear as a single volume, but it is well beyond what I'd pay for external storage when it is so ephemeral and could disappear in a heartbeat (or power outage/spike). There was a news release for this product in conjunction with SA, but I've never heard any more about it.

Yeah, I couldn't justify any price given that I lose the trick play buffer, or whatever it's called. To me that's almost as important as the DVR capability.

I'm not familiar with PowerTV. My box says Aptiv during boot. Is PowerTV the OS for Aptiv?

Also, I was told that Time Warner is moving to MDN - Mystro Digital Network - which is apparently designed by TW. I'm not sure if that's good news or bad news. And that's about all I know about that.
If you turn it on during reboot just as the display shows the time you will see the PowerTV logo. You can also see info on it in DIAG.

I'm not familiar with PowerTV. My box says Aptiv during boot. Is PowerTV the OS for Aptiv?

Also, I was told that Time Warner is moving to MDN - Mystro Digital Network - which is apparently designed by TW. I'm not sure if that's good news or bad news. And that's about all I know about that.

PowerTV was the name prior to Pioneer being bought/divested/whatever to Aptiv Digital. Pioneer Passport was the EPG and Passport Echo the DVR.

Mystro will be interesting. My understand is that it is in support of OCAP.

Also, I was told that Time Warner is moving to MDN - Mystro Digital Network - which is apparently designed by TW. I'm not sure if that's good news or bad news. And that's about all I know about that.If you get it early - it is probably bad news. It is early in development and the test versions are not very good. Ultimately it will be good news.

This thread tracks it's progress. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=723830&page=1)

This thread asks for consumer input (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=733414&page=1). Currently the person who started the thread is relocating (at least that was the last we heard), so not much is going on there. She did mention in that thread that Passport will be replaced before SARA.

PowerTV was the name prior to Pioneer being bought/divested/whatever to Aptiv Digital. Pioneer Passport was the EPG and Passport Echo the DVR.

Mystro will be interesting. My understand is that it is in support of OCAP.
Aptiv Digital was named Pioneer Digital. PowerTV is a layer of software - the OS perhaps - on the 8300HD. Passport is the IPG.

I just purchased my Sony KDS A2000. The OTA HD channels look amazing. The 1080i signal is shown in full mode on my A2000 and fills up the entire screen pefectly in HD. The cable HD channels in full mode, on the other hand, don't fill up the entire screen perfectly in HD and frankly look just digital. My SA8300 box from TWC says its ouputting at 1080i, but when I watch the same show in HD on cable and OTA, the OTA looks 10x better. My question is, does OTA offer a better HD picture with the A2000 or is my cable HD not properly functioning?

I have tried holding down the info and guide buttons while the SA8300 box is off and the television is on, but it doesn't take me to the setup. Could this be the issue?

I just purchased my Sony KDS A2000.....My question is, does OTA offer a better HD picture with the A2000 or is my cable HD not properly functioning?

Congrats on new TV! I just picked up a 60A2000 myself and I also use TWC's SA8300 STB. Yes, over the air signals will have superior picture quality at 1080i than the box, simply because the cable signals have to be compressed for coaxial bandwidth reasons. OTA is completely uncompressed and makes for a much crisper picture. Of course, make sure your box is set up for pass-through mode, as the Sony will do a much better job of scaling than the SA!

Of course, make sure your box is set up for pass-through mode, as the Sony will do a much better job of scaling than the SA!

Where is this setting located at?

I just purchased my Sony KDS A2000. The OTA HD channels look amazing. The 1080i signal is shown in full mode on my A2000 and fills up the entire screen pefectly in HD. The cable HD channels in full mode, on the other hand, don't fill up the entire screen perfectly in HD and frankly look just digital. My SA8300 box from TWC says its ouputting at 1080i, but when I watch the same show in HD on cable and OTA, the OTA looks 10x better. My question is, does OTA offer a better HD picture with the A2000 or is my cable HD not properly functioning?

I have tried holding down the info and guide buttons while the SA8300 box is off and the television is on, but it doesn't take me to the setup. Could this be the issue?
For the reason _Avarice_ cited, OTA should/could look better than cable-born hi-def channels, but not "10x" better. With the 8300HD on, press and h-o-l-d SELECT and EXIT until you hear a "ding" and/or see "DIAG" on the display. Release the buttons and press SELECT momentarily and you will enter DIAG mode. You can use the up and down arrows on the box OR the remote now to page through the screens. For Settings, press the tall vertical button to the left of the up/down/left/right buttons. Then press "A" for General Settings.

If your box is displaying 1080i, then it is already outputting that format. Check, though, to make sure all formats are selected to have the 8300HD pass all channels as it received them allowing your NEW TV to do all the scaling/deinterlacing.

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...
i know it's been a while since i've posted, but i thought i'd report back that i finally sent my time warner cable remote back to universal remote and they were able to update my remote control with the necessary codes... it now controls my audio without a problem... just one remote to control everything now...

the upgrade link hardware was nowhere to be found at the time warner cable office... they never even heard of such a thing hence the remote being sent back to universal...

hope this helps others who want to upgrade their twc remotes...

For the reason _Avarice_ cited, OTA should/could look better than cable-born hi-def channels, but not "10x" better.Not all cableco's rate-shape their digital/HD channels. Cox here passes what they get (uncompressed, but QAM modulated for distribution via cable). So, the inherent differences between OTA/cable PQ is due mainly to the different chipsets used in OTA/cableco tuners. If OTA is 10x better, then IMHO something is wrong.

Not all cableco's rate-shape their digital/HD channels. Cox here passes what they get (uncompressed, but QAM modulated for distribution via cable). So, the inherent differences between OTA/cable PQ is due mainly to the different chipsets used in OTA/cableco tuners. If OTA is 10x better, then IMHO something is wrong.
That was/is my conclusion as well.

Not all cableco's rate-shape their digital/HD channels. Cox here passes what they get (uncompressed, but QAM modulated for distribution via cable). So, the inherent differences between OTA/cable PQ is due mainly to the different chipsets used in OTA/cableco tuners. If OTA is 10x better, then IMHO something is wrong.Actually, there are lots of cases where cable is BETTER than OTA: This is particularly true when stations have multiple sub channels (often the case with PBS) - yet feed the cable head end with fiber. In those cases the fiber signal is not compressed beyond the normal amount and is cablecasted at the bitrate received. A typical scenario is 3 subchannels with a bit rate of 2.5-3Mbps each leaving about 10-11Mbps for the HD. But the station here is sent the normal 18Mbps HD signal to cable via fiber which gets sent out that way. Here in Rochester, NY, two of our stations (the PBS & the ABC) feed cable full bandwidth with fiber, while the CBS & NBC stations are picked up OTA (so, in those cases, cable gets what is OTA).

The bottom line here is: don't make generalizations about cable vs OTA.

Also, I really doubt if there are differences in HD PQ due to chipsets in the tuners. Digital in/digital out. Other than dropping bits (which can be an issue), there is not much opportunity to degrade the PQ in a digital bit stream (or at least, they would have to go to some extra processing to do so).

Other than dropping bits (which can be an issue), there is not much opportunity to degrade the PQ in a digital bit stream (or at least, they would have to go to some extra processing to do so).

The MPEG decoder is the primary reason for PQ differences between STB's, Tivo's and TV's with ATSC/QAM tuners. Not all MPEG decoders are created equal.

Actually, there are lots of cases where cable is BETTER than OTA.............Totally agree with this, though it doesn't appear to be very widespread as yet.
The bottom line here is: don't make generalizations about cable vs OTA.Generalizations help folks determine if they are actually having a problem. In this case, 10x certainly seems out of whack.
Also, I really doubt if there are differences in HD PQ due to chipsets in the tuners. Digital in/digital out.Then please explain the different PQ from the SA3250HD, the SA8000HD, and the SA8300HD over the same cablewith the same HDTV if it doesn't have something to do with the tuner internals, chipsets was just an example for discussion.

The MPEG decoder is the primary reason for PQ differences between STB's, Tivo's and TV's with ATSC/QAM tuners. Not all MPEG decoders are created equal.It is my understanding that the decoders are indeed equal - it is the encoders (such as TiVo uses with analog input) that differ. The decoders are basically following the process established by the encoder. Now different devices could have differences if they alter the digital bit stream (change resolution, for example) or if the device puts out analog (component) - but as for the process of capturing a digital bit stream (from an 8VSB or QAM signal), and decrypting the MPEG-2 data, I understand that they are all the same.

Then please explain the different PQ from the SA3250HD, the SA8000HD, and the SA8300HD over the same cablewith the same HDTV if it doesn't have something to do with the tuner internals, chipsets was just an example for discussion. Is there a difference between these with the DIGITAL output (DVI/HDMI) and passthrough? Sure, there are differences with component - but that's a matter of the D>A converters and the analog circuitry.

Sure, there are differences with component - but that's a matter of the D>A converters and the analog circuitry.And those are all part of what I'm referring to when I say "chipsets", perhaps a more general "internal circuitry" would have been a better phrase. I was simply responding to this comment (which I consider incorrect, especially the words "have to be"):
Yes, over the air signals will have superior picture quality at 1080i than the box, simply because the cable signals have to be compressed for coaxial bandwidth reasons. OTA is completely uncompressed and makes for a much crisper picture.This may be true for TWC, but it is not true for Cox here. Too many people equate QAM modulation to compression.

I have had something similar occur (Time Warner, Columbus, Ohio):

The Setup:
My wife was listening to a Music Choice channel. The SA8300 was recording a sporting event. I wanted to watch a something I had recorded earlier.

The Event:
I selected the program I wished to watch and told the SA8300 to play. It hung. The screen went gray. After a few minutes, the box rebooted.

The Result:
The box did not start to record the sporting event it had been recording when it restarted, so I manually restarted the recording. As I did so I noticed that the first fifty minutes (or so) that it should have already recorded was not there. I also noticed that the list of recorded shows looked "wrong".

Further examination showed that the list of recorded shows had reverted to what had been there in TWO MONTHS EARLIER. Most of those shows had already been deleted, of course and attempts to play them resulted in the SA8300 displaying "Not Currently Available" messages. The "Record this show" list had likewise reverted to a two month old state. Everything recorded in the interim was gone.

I have had problems with shows being randomly and spontaneously erased (only shows without 'save until manually erased' ) in the past month or so. TWC is coming on Friday and I guess the only solution is to switch the box. Any recommendations on what I should say to them when they come? How about a year of free service?

Might be a good idea. I've seen where people have had the HDMI connected, but using another input on the display causing no handshake on HDMI. No handshake on HDMI, no video output - period. Try it.

Is there a way to get the Component out and HDMI to work simultaneously? As soon as I plug the HDMI in the Component out picture dissappears.

I have 2 TVs each using each output.

Thanks

Sure, there are differences with component - but that's a matter of the D>A converters and the analog circuitry.
And those are all part of what I'm referring to when I say "chipsets", perhaps a more general "internal circuitry" would have been a better phrase. I was simply responding to this comment (which I consider incorrect, especially the words "have to be"):

Yes, over the air signals will have superior picture quality at 1080i than the box, simply because the cable signals have to be compressed for coaxial bandwidth reasons. OTA is completely uncompressed and makes for a much crisper picture.
This may be true for TWC, but it is not true for Cox here. Too many people equate QAM modulation to compression.
Dave, I guess that our views on converging on the "chipset" issue, as long as we are talking about PQ differences in analog out. My argument is along the "bits is bits" line, and all bets are off when we are talking about analog outs (or additional processing of the digital signal).

I TOTALLY agree with your statement about the other quote in your post (which I wish you would have made clear it did not come from me) regarding the impression some have that equate cable with excess compression. The TRUTH is that ALL digital video has to be compressed to some degree. Without compression, digital representations of an analog signal take much more bandwidth than the analog signal takes itself. But, fortunately, compression allows considerable reduction in redundant data (known as compression), which ends up making digtial video practical. The statement made (by whomever) that OTA is not compressed is simply untrue.

QAM modulation is essentially twice as efficient as 8VSB (which is used for OTA). The digital video bit rate of 8VSB is about 19Mbps and 38Mbps for QAM (both are 6MHz wide). The major reason that QAM is twice as efficient is the need to make the OTA system more robust (more immune to ghosts, etc.). So we start out with QAM twice as capable as OTA.

It is my understanding that the decoders are indeed equal - it is the encoders (such as TiVo uses with analog input) that differ. The decoders are basically following the process established by the encoder. Now different devices could have differences if they alter the digital bit stream (change resolution, for example) or if the device puts out analog (component) - but as for the process of capturing a digital bit stream (from an 8VSB or QAM signal), and decrypting the MPEG-2 data, I understand that they are all the same.

My understand differs from yours. MPEG decoders are not 'all created equally'. For example... some MPEG decoders suffer from a problem called CUE (chroma upscaling error). others dont have this issue. It results in color streaking. I cannot locate the link right now.. but I had a link that showed actual frames generated by several different mpeg decoders. The difference was striking.

Yeah, that's a good point. If a large directory structure isn't supported, then a large drive or large array is pointless. But doesn't this box run Linux? I may be wrong. I could be thinking of the new open source code they'll eventually move to, which I believe is Linux. Anyway, if they're using a real OS I would have thought that there would be no problem with large disks or arrays, as long as they didn't exceed a 2TB size.

Boy do I ever wish it DID run a Linux OS! Only a guess, but I would not be surprised they didn't use it because they KNEW it would get cracked into. My guess would be that what we'd call the OS on an 8300 is very, very basic.

I have had problems with shows being randomly and spontaneously erased (only shows without 'save until manually erased' ) in the past month or so. TWC is coming on Friday and I guess the only solution is to switch the box. Any recommendations on what I should say to them when they come? How about a year of free service?

Well, it is POSSIBLE that with a new box, you'll get the "new box syndrome." THAT means that you COULD end up with a bunch of stuff you aren't paying for... and it will go away at some point. When I got the 8300, I got the HDXtra tier wide open (but 2 "free: channels were blocked). The BEST was when I got a 8000DVR (prior to the 8300). Oh boy, I got everything, I mean that box was wide open. Including ALL the PPV channels. Just tune to any channel and BOOM, whatever was supposed to be there was. Lasted 2 full weeks. I kinda always thought it was an intentional marketing kind of thing.

Dave, I guess that our views on converging on the "chipset" issue, as long as we are talking about PQ differences in analog out. My argument is along the "bits is bits" line, and all bets are off when we are talking about analog outs (or additional processing of the digital signal).

I TOTALLY agree with your statement about the other quote in your post (which I wish you would have made clear it did not come from me) regarding the impression some have that equate cable with excess compression. The TRUTH is that ALL digital video has to be compressed to some degree. Without compression, digital representations of an analog signal take much more bandwidth than the analog signal takes itself. But, fortunately, compression allows considerable reduction in redundant data (known as compression), which ends up making digtial video practical. The statement made (by whomever) that OTA is not compressed is simply untrue.

"Whomever" is me, by the way :rolleyes: Firstly, Dave, I've read your posts in various other threads on AVS and have found them extremely helpful. Thank You!

As is usually the case with posts in these technical forums, I could've chosen a more correct term to use. To the previous responder: this is the TWC forum, therefore I'm only referencing their signals through the 8300 STB, not Cox or QAM modulation. TWC does, indeed, seem to squash bandwidth in some of the HD channels in their lineup, causing their quality to be noticeably, but not hugely, inferior to their OTA counterparts. Obviously, both the OTA and STB signals are compressed (MPEG2). However, the OTA signals are not "compressed" by the bandwidth allocations in TWC's fiber optics.

For the reason _Avarice_ cited, OTA should/could look better than cable-born hi-def channels, but not "10x" better. With the 8300HD on, press and h-o-l-d SELECT and EXIT until you hear a "ding" and/or see "DIAG" on the display. Release the buttons and press SELECT momentarily and you will enter DIAG mode. You can use the up and down arrows on the box OR the remote now to page through the screens. For Settings, press the tall vertical button to the left of the up/down/left/right buttons. Then press "A" for General Settings.

If your box is displaying 1080i, then it is already outputting that format. Check, though, to make sure all formats are selected to have the 8300HD pass all channels as it received them allowing your NEW TV to do all the scaling/deinterlacing.
Must be SELECT and EXIT buttons on front panel of SA8300HD, not the remote.
After "DIAG" is displayed, I use EXIT to enter Extended Diagnostics menus....
which causes the diagnostic channel number to be displayed (CH611 on my system).

For me, "A" adjusts transparency of the diagnostic display so you can see the actual channel video.
You can also revert back to the tuned channel by pressing "BACK" on the remote control....
or CH UP/DN button....or punch in another channel number.

To display Extended Diagnostics again for whatever new channel you are on, punch in the diagnostic channel number (for me it's CH611).
You'll have to start over with the two finger salute whenever you turn the SA8300HD "OFF".

Must be SELECT and EXIT buttons on front panel of SA8300HD, not the remote.
After "DIAG" is displayed, I use EXIT to enter Extended Diagnostics menus....
which causes the diagnostic channel number to be displayed (CH611 on my system).
If one knows the channel number, one can enter it on the remote immediately upon seeing DIAG on the display. 'Tis 611 for me as well.

Yes, over the air signals will have superior picture quality at 1080i than the box, simply because the cable signals have to be compressed for coaxial bandwidth reasons. OTA is completely uncompressed and makes for a much crisper picture.This is not even vaguely true. For the forseeable future, digital video will not enter your home in any "uncompressed" form. (1080i at 24-bit color is a 1.8Gb/sec bitstream (224MB/sec)--a 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disk would hold 3 minutes, 42 seconds of it; of course, a BD drive couldn't read it at anything close to full speed :D).

QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, the modulation scheme used for digital data on cable) and 8 VSB (8 Vestigial Side-Band, used in the ATSC OTA standard) are merely ways of expressing digital bits on an analog waveform--they are not compression schemes and are expected to deliver the payload verbatim, if nothing goes wrong. QAM 256 actually holds twice as much information in a 6 MHz band as does 8 VSB; the latter spends considerably more bandwidth on noise rejection, since it's designed for use in the much-noisier-than-a-cable-backbone environment of air transmission. (8 VSB can contain a 19.39 Mbps stream, whereas 256 QAM can handle a 38.8 Mbps stream in the same space).

So, you can fit at least two maximum-OTA-bandwidth DTV channels in one analog channel's worth of bandwidth on cable, without any degradation whatsoever. Most broadcasters receive their network's content in 45 Mbps satellite feed which they transrate to suite their purposes. Few broadcasters use the full 19.39 Mbps for their primary channel; many try to make some extra cash with multicasting and datacasting. For instance, in many areas NBC broadcasts a 3+ Mbps subchannel called "Weather Plus". Locally in San Diego, KPBS simulcasts its HD content and a channel called "Create TV"; KSWB broadcasts the CW and what seems to be a music video channel called "The Tube". So if a broadcaster's only using, say, 13 Mbps for its main channel, that's all they have to put on the cable. If they arrange these carefully, cable providers can get 3 DTV channels at their full broadcast rate in a 6 MHz carrier without doing any "rate shaping".

Some cable providers do use "rate shaping" to pack even more digital channels into a single carrier, but I don't know how common that is. To me, it seems a violation of the FCC rule that prohibits them from modifying broadcast content without broadcaster permission, but maybe providers who use rate-shaping do it with broadcaster permission. There is no indication that either TWC or Cox uses "rate shaping" in my area.

In short, DTV rebroadcast by cable companies is often (if not usually) identical to what's on the air.

If one knows the channel number, one can enter it on the remote immediately upon seeing DIAG on the display.But, since one has to be at the cable STB to enable the multi-page diags anyway, hitting the EXIT button again is very convenient. Also, you can view the diags by hitting the STB's EXIT button even when both tuners are busy recording. Of course, under those circumstance getting rid of the diags can be tricky :).

My understand differs from yours. MPEG decoders are not 'all created equally'. For example... some MPEG decoders suffer from a problem called CUE (chroma upscaling error). others dont have this issue. It results in color streaking. I cannot locate the link right now.. but I had a link that showed actual frames generated by several different mpeg decoders. The difference was striking.That was a problem in early SD progressive DVD players - not one with current HD decoders.

"Whomever" is me, by the way :rolleyes: Firstly, Dave, I've read your posts in various other threads on AVS and have found them extremely helpful. Thank You!Thanks, I try to be helpful here to.
To the previous responder: this is the TWC forum, therefore I'm only referencing their signals through the 8300 STB, not Cox or QAM modulation.
Two points here:
1) Though TWC is in the thread title, in practice it is THE principal passport thread - so it really covers all cable companies (TWC uses both Passport and SARA - it just depends on the market you are in)
2) QAM (256AM to be more specific) is THE digital modulation system used in most all cable systems - so it does apply to the 8300.
TWC does, indeed, seem to squash bandwidth in some of the HD channels in their lineup, causing their quality to be noticeably, but not hugely, inferior to their OTA counterparts. As I posted earlier, this may or may not be true. In general, if they are putting 3HD channels on a QAM channel, then they probably "rate shaping" (effectively additional compression). But if they are only putting 2 HDs on a QAM then they are probably not doing any "rate shaping". I'm on SARA, so I am not familiar with how to determine this on a Passport box.

I'm hoping somebody can help me here.

I got the 8300 a couple weeks ago, and for the most part I like it just fine. But there is one this that is driving me absolutely crazy about it. At night, and maybe all the time, but night time is the only time when it's off and I'm in the room, it will for some reason beyond me make the rather loud start up sound, and run for 5-10 minutes, and then make the also loud sound it makes when it goes off. Then sometimes seconds later, sometimes a minute or so, it will come right back on, and make the same loud noises. Granted, they're its normal opperating noise, but when I'm trying to go to bed, it sounds loud as hell. And it's not that the DVR actually turns on. It's almost like the hard drive "wakes up" and runs aimlessly for 5-10 minutes.

Is this normal behavior for this DVR? I already have some stuff recorded that I'd like to hold onto, but if this is just a bum unit, I'll go ahead and switch it out.

2) QAM (256AM to be more specific) is THE digital modulation system used in most all cable systems - so it does apply to the 8300.Modulation of digital cable as 256- and 64-QAM is mandated by FCC regs--it is part of the "Digital Cable Ready" standard. DCR televisions have to be able to handle those two modulations for digital cable.

This is not even vaguely true. For the forseeable future, digital video will not enter your home in any "uncompressed" form. (1080i at 24-bit color is a 1.8Gb/sec bitstream (224MB/sec)--a 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disk would hold 3 minutes, 42 seconds of it; of course, a BD drive couldn't read it at anything close to full speed :D).

QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, the modulation scheme used for digital data on cable) and 8 VSB (8 Vestigial Side-Band, used in the ATSC OTA standard) are merely ways of expressing digital bits on an analog waveform--they are not compression schemes and are expected to deliver the payload verbatim, if nothing goes wrong. QAM 256 actually holds twice as much information in a 6 MHz band as does 8 VSB; the latter spends considerably more bandwidth on noise rejection, since it's designed for use in the much-noisier-than-a-cable-backbone environment of air transmission. (8 VSB can contain a 19.39 Mbps stream, whereas 256 QAM can handle a 38.8 Mbps stream in the same space).

So, you can fit at least two maximum-OTA-bandwidth DTV channels in one analog channel's worth of bandwidth on cable, without any degradation whatsoever. Most broadcasters receive their network's content in 45 Mbps satellite feed which they transrate to suite their purposes. Few broadcasters use the full 19.39 Mbps for their primary channel; many try to make some extra cash with multicasting and datacasting. For instance, in many areas NBC broadcasts a 3+ Mbps subchannel called "Weather Plus". Locally in San Diego, KPBS simulcasts its HD content and a channel called "Create TV"; KSWB broadcasts the CW and what seems to be a music video channel called "The Tube". So if a broadcaster's only using, say, 13 Mbps for its main channel, that's all they have to put on the cable. If they arrange these carefully, cable providers can get 3 DTV channels at their full broadcast rate in a 6 MHz carrier without doing any "rate shaping".

Some cable providers do use "rate shaping" to pack even more digital channels into a single carrier, but I don't know how common that is. To me, it seems a violation of the FCC rule that prohibits them from modifying broadcast content without broadcaster permission, but maybe providers who use rate-shaping do it with broadcaster permission. There is no indication that either TWC or Cox uses "rate shaping" in my area.

In short, DTV rebroadcast by cable companies is often (if not usually) identical to what's on the air.

That's probably the most informative and "air-clearing" post I've read on this forum. Nice job!

I TOTALLY agree with your statement about the other quote in your post (which I wish you would have made clear it did not come from me) regarding the impression some have that equate cable with excess compression.Everyone knows you'd never make such a statement, but point taken. :)

Dave, I guess that our views are converging on the "chipset" issue, as long as we are talking about PQ differences in analog out. My argument is along the "bits is bits" line, and all bets are off when we are talking about analog outs (or additional processing of the digital signal).
You won't get an argument from me on the "bits is bits" issue, but it seems like I've read posts that argue that the PQ on the Tivo S3, for example, is superior to the 8300, even with both using HDMI, or that the PQ using a CableCard in the TV is superior, albeit slightly, to the 8300 using HDMI. I'm not technically savy enough to know just what happens to the signal in those cases, perhaps the difference in encoders/decoders that's been mentioned.

To the previous responder: this is the TWC forum, therefore I'm only referencing their signals through the 8300 STB, not Cox or QAM modulation. TWC does, indeed, seem to squash bandwidth in some of the HD channels in their lineup, causing their quality to be noticeably, but not hugely, inferior to their OTA counterparts. Obviously, both the OTA and STB signals are compressed (MPEG2). However, the OTA signals are not "compressed" by the bandwidth allocations in TWC's fiber optics.Even though this is titled as a TWC thread (others commented on that), I guess I just have a slight problem with blanket statements in general.simply because the cable signals have to be compressed for coaxial bandwidth reasonsAlthough many TWC systems "rate-shape" (for lack of a better term), I don't know that they all do and they certainly don't have to. Not a big deal, just a minor clarification. :)

But, since one has to be at the cable STB to enable the multi-page diags anyway, hitting the EXIT button again is very convenient.
Hi Mike; long time, no read. :)

That is true. Some of us have our gear arranged so that it's difficult/awkward to see our displays when we are at our STB. In that case, we must back up and use the remote to flip DIAG pages. Whether one takes one last punch at the box before doing so might be more a matter of habit than conscious planning and execution.

I'm hoping somebody can help me here.

I got the 8300 a couple weeks ago, and for the most part I like it just fine. But there is one this that is driving me absolutely crazy about it. At night, and maybe all the time, but night time is the only time when it's off and I'm in the room, it will for some reason beyond me make the rather loud start up sound, and run for 5-10 minutes, and then make the also loud sound it makes when it goes off. Then sometimes seconds later, sometimes a minute or so, it will come right back on, and make the same loud noises. Granted, they're its normal opperating noise, but when I'm trying to go to bed, it sounds loud as hell. And it's not that the DVR actually turns on. It's almost like the hard drive "wakes up" and runs aimlessly for 5-10 minutes.

Is this normal behavior for this DVR? I already have some stuff recorded that I'd like to hold onto, but if this is just a bum unit, I'll go ahead and switch it out.
Is there anything appearing on the display when this is happening?

2) QAM (256AM to be more specific) is THE digital modulation system used in most all cable systems - so it does apply to the 8300.

Ah, so TWC uses QAM to go from their head end to the 8300? So the 8300 is basically QAM tuner, eh (obviously with some authentication system on top of it)?

So then a "cable card" would also be a QAM tuner with the authentication system?

Funny, the folks who have cable cards DO seem to consistently say they get a much better picture to a STB/DVR. I had thought there MIGHT be some credence to it because I think with a 8300DVR what we see is always that which comes off the drive, i.e. not 100% live.

No, mine does the same thing - except only for about 5-10 seconds. There is nothing on the display because the box is actually turned off. You hear the hard drive spin up and then it stops. I just assumed this was TWC doing some kind of ping.

Perhaps you might not realize that even when "off" the 8300 is constantly filling its buffers (well, I know it does one buffer, never tried the second one)? I have my 8300 set for "last channel" on startup. That means that I can turn it on, not change channels, and be able to rack back up to an hour!

The 8300 is constantly spinning it's hard drive. Mine is in my bedroom, and it's enough in the background it causes no sleep issues, but if I stand beside it, I can hear the telltale tick tick of a functioning hard disk.

Ah, so TWC uses QAM to go from their head end to the 8300? So the 8300 is basically QAM tuner, eh (obviously with some authentication system on top of it)?

So then a "cable card" would also be a QAM tuner with the authentication system?

Funny, the folks who have cable cards DO seem to consistently say they get a much better picture to a STB/DVR. I had thought there MIGHT be some credence to it because I think with a 8300DVR what we see is always that which comes off the drive, i.e. not 100% live.

Close, but not quite:

These days, the QAM modulation may take place in your neighborhood. The HD signal gets to that via fiber (if you have on demand, that is how your system is set up).

The QAM tuner is NOT in the cable card (a very common misunderstanding these days). It is in the TV (or STB). The CableCard is just authentication. What a lot of people do not realize (and the cable companies aren't particularly willing to tell them) is that if their TV has a QAM tuner (all CableCard sets do - but there are lots of sets with QAM tuners and NO CableCard slots) they can tune "in the clear" HD stations directly.

Probably the reason that people maintain that they get a better picture with a CableCard than they do with an STB (8300HD or whatever) is that the STBs are often connected with component, where the QAM tuner in the set is a direct digital connection. (Queue up Component vs HDMI/DVI debate). Another reason may be improper set-up of the STB (set to an inappropriate fixed resolution.

The bitstream to the 8300 HD is the same as what comes in on the cable (less-drop outs that at times occur because there is more data to the HD being written and read than the 8300 can support). There is no compression and encode/decode being done on digital signals (there is for analog SD).

I'm hoping somebody can help me here.

I got the 8300 a couple weeks ago, and for the most part I like it just fine. But there is one this that is driving me absolutely crazy about it. At night, and maybe all the time, but night time is the only time when it's off and I'm in the room, it will for some reason beyond me make the rather loud start up sound, and run for 5-10 minutes, and then make the also loud sound it makes when it goes off. Then sometimes seconds later, sometimes a minute or so, it will come right back on, and make the same loud noises. Granted, they're its normal opperating noise, but when I'm trying to go to bed, it sounds loud as hell. And it's not that the DVR actually turns on. It's almost like the hard drive "wakes up" and runs aimlessly for 5-10 minutes.

Is this normal behavior for this DVR? I already have some stuff recorded that I'd like to hold onto, but if this is just a bum unit, I'll go ahead and switch it out.If the sound you’re referring to is the normal continuous clanking of the hard drive spinning than there is a solution. A suggestion by helpful posters in these threads has been to set your “turn on” channel to one of the “in demand” stations. Also, when shutting off the box for the night, make sure to shut down with a “in demand” channel on both tuners. These channels don't have buffers.

This is easy to do by swapping them out. Some people have this process configured on a programmable remote. This simple procedure will certainly quiet your box and probably give it a longer life.

This will not solve your noise problem if the sound is from something else- power surges or outages.

Perhaps you might not realize that even when "off" the 8300 is constantly filling its buffers (well, I know it does one buffer, never tried the second one)? I have my 8300 set for "last channel" on startup. That means that I can turn it on, not change channels, and be able to rack back up to an hour!

The 8300 is constantly spinning it's hard drive. Mine is in my bedroom, and it's enough in the background it causes no sleep issues, but if I stand beside it, I can hear the telltale tick tick of a functioning hard disk.
I have setting in General Settings called "Power Manager" that turns the internal drive off when not in use.

I have setting in General Settings called "Power Manager" that turns the internal drive off when not in use. Sounds like a great feature. :p Pun intended.
We don’t have that feature here in TWNY.

If the sound you’re referring to is the normal continuous clanking of the hard drive spinning than there is a solution. A suggestion by helpful posters in these threads has been to set your “turn on” channel to one of the “in demand” stations. Also, when shutting off the box for the night, make sure to shut down with a “in demand” channel on both tuners. These channels don't have buffers.

This is easy to do by swapping them out. Some people have this process configured on a programmable remote. This simple procedure will certainly quiet your box and probably give it a longer life.

This will not solve your noise problem if the sound is from something else- power surges or outages.
Ya, that's exactly the situation. Thanks a lot, I'll try that out and see if it fixes the issue.

Probably the reason that people maintain that they get a better picture with a CableCard than they do with an STB (8300HD or whatever) is that the STBs are often connected with component, where the QAM tuner in the set is a direct digital connection.I thought about that, but then I figured some CRT-based RPTVs have CableCards too (don't they?), so isn't there still a D>A conversion involved? Aren't RPTVs, like my Hitachi 65TWX20B, still analog displays and isn't this some of the reason why HDMI/DVI connections don't make much, if any, difference in PQ? I'm learning here, so don't beat me up. :)

I thought about that, but then I figured some CRT-based RPTVs have CableCards too (don't they?), so isn't there still a D>A conversion involved? Aren't RPTVs, like my Hitachi 65TWX20B, still analog displays and isn't this some of the reason why HDMI/DVI connections don't make much, if any, difference in PQ? I'm learning here, so don't beat me up. :)
Are CRT RPTVs still in production?

Are CRT RPTVs still in production?Sure. Hitachi has their F59 and F701A series (http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/projection/16-9digital/16-9digital_int_index.shtml).

I thought about that, but then I figured some CRT-based RPTVs have CableCards too (don't they?), so isn't there still a D>A conversion involved? Aren't RPTVs, like my Hitachi 65TWX20B, still analog displays and isn't this some of the reason why HDMI/DVI connections don't make much, if any, difference in PQ? Good thought process there. Many CRT based displays (particularly the HD ones) had/have (yes, they still make them and some have CableCards) a digital chassis so analog inputs were/are converted to digital. Then, I've heard of some of these digital chassis that actually converted the digital inputs to analog because that was the easest way to add a digital input to an existing chassis. Then, after the input analog signals went through the selector switch, they would be converted to digital! Sound's stupid, doesn't it? :eek:
I'm learning here, so don't beat me up. :)Sorry that I tend that way. I'm trying to learn not to innocently do that.

Sound's stupid, doesn't it? :eek:Very.
Sorry that I tend that way. I'm trying to learn not to innocently do that.I didn't mean it that way, I was just joking. I always learn from you, Michael, and even pepar ;) . :)

Very.
I didn't mean it that way, I was just joking. I always learn from you, Michael, and even pepar ;) . :)
But mostly Dave and Mike! :D

Are CRT RPTVs still in production?Huh--I hadn't thought of this (and of course it's off-topic :)). These have largely gone out of production. Other than Hitachi, none of the big manufacturers who used to make CRT RPTVs (Panasonic, Pioneer, Toshiba, Mitsubishi) have one in their product line now. It's probably very hard to make one that's particularly price-competitive with a LCD, LCoS or DLP RPTV, and being much heavier, they cost at least twice as much to ship.

Cool. Still nothing has quite equaled the black-levels of CRTs yet, though they're coming close enough as nevermind :).

Me, I'm buying a 1080p LCD flatpanel soon. Prices have plummeted all around in the past year.

Still off-topic. ;)

Well, I figure I've got another 5 years left in my Hitachi, so it'll be awhile before I upgrade, or what the current DVR and software will be. Since I retire in 26 months, I don't even know how much TV I'll be watching by then. Everyone I know tells me they are busier in retirement than when they were working, so who knows? :)

Huh--I hadn't thought of this (and of course it's off-topic :)). These have largely gone out of production. Other than Hitachi, none of the big manufacturers who used to make CRT RPTVs (Panasonic, Pioneer, Toshiba, Mitsubishi) have one in their product line now. It's probably very hard to make one that's particularly price-competitive with a LCD, LCoS or DLP RPTV, and being much heavier, they cost at least twice as much to ship.

Cool. Still nothing has quite equaled the black-levels of CRTs yet, though they're coming close enough as nevermind :).

Me, I'm buying a 1080p LCD flatpanel soon. Prices have plummeted all around in the past year.Sony still makes their 34" Direct View 16:9 CRT set and Phillips and Samsung have 30" 16:9 CRTs. The Sony is STILL the Gold Standard for Picture Quality (but not size - sit close).

Perhaps you might not realize that even when "off" the 8300 is constantly filling its buffers (well, I know it does one buffer, never tried the second one)? I have my 8300 set for "last channel" on startup. That means that I can turn it on, not change channels, and be able to rack back up to an hour!

The 8300 is constantly spinning it's hard drive. Mine is in my bedroom, and it's enough in the background it causes no sleep issues, but if I stand beside it, I can hear the telltale tick tick of a functioning hard disk.
I did not know that, but thanks for the information. I figured it was something like this, but it's good to have it confirmed.

I have setting in General Settings called "Power Manager" that turns the internal drive off when not in use.
After going over the general setting for my 8300 a little more closely, there is a setting called "Set-up: A-C Outlet", the options for which are "Always On", and "On with Settop". So maybe this serves the same function? I changed it from always on to on with settop, so I'll see if that pertains to this issue.

After going over the general setting for my 8300 a little more closely, there is a setting called "Set-up: A-C Outlet", the options for which are "Always On", and "On with Settop". So maybe this serves the same function? I changed it from always on to on with settop, so I'll see if that pertains to this issue.

No. It means exactly what it says: it controls the AC outlet on the back of the DVR. It can be used for something that you want to run only when the DVR is turned on. In my setup, I use it for an auxiliary cabinet cooling fan.

No. It means exactly what it says: it controls the AC outlet on the back of the DVR. It can be used for something that you want to run only when the DVR is turned on. In my setup, I use it for an auxiliary cabinet cooling fan.
BASTARD!!! :D

Well so much for that. I guess I'll just have to change the channel to an "in demand" channel when I'm about to urn the thing off for the night. Thanks for blowing all my optimism. :rolleyes: :p

I have setting in General Settings called "Power Manager" that turns the internal drive off when not in use.

Holy smokes! We both have the same hardware and software... but I do NOT see such an item! There's a Power Off TIMER, but nothing like what you say.

So it would SEEM that Comcast & TWC have DIFFERENT 2.5.066 software on the 8300HD??? THAT really gives me pause.

Close, but not quite:

These days, the QAM modulation may take place in your neighborhood. The HD signal gets to that via fiber (if you have on demand, that is how your system is set up).

The QAM tuner is NOT in the cable card (a very common misunderstanding these days). It is in the TV (or STB). The CableCard is just authentication. What a lot of people do not realize (and the cable companies aren't particularly willing to tell them) is that if their TV has a QAM tuner (all CableCard sets do - but there are lots of sets with QAM tuners and NO CableCard slots) they can tune "in the clear" HD stations directly.

Ah, thanks Dave for clearing up my questions!

Still nothing has quite equaled the black-levels of CRTs yet, though they're coming close enough as nevermind :).

Well, I went from a top of the line XBR CRT to a 40" HD LCD. Initially, the thing that flummoxed me was what I thought was blocked up shadows, only to learn it was called black crush. While I was trying to really see where the issue was, I dragged my CRT next to my LCD. I KNOW it flies in the face of what everyone KNOWS, but the issue was more that the CRT had lousy blacks, it was very gray. Consequently, shadows WERE quite open. I later did have a chance to compare theatrical showings vs. HD for a few movies. AND discovered that my "blocked up shadows/black crush" was BY CHOICE. Right at the start of the films I remember thinking to myself "Hey, there's black crush."

After going over the general setting for my 8300 a little more closely, there is a setting called "Set-up: A-C Outlet", the options for which are "Always On", and "On with Settop". So maybe this serves the same function? I changed it from always on to on with settop, so I'll see if that pertains to this issue.

Actually, a good use for the extra A/C outlet is for your external drive. BUT you must set the 8300's outlet control to always on.

Holy smokes! We both have the same hardware and software... but I do NOT see such an item! There's a Power Off TIMER, but nothing like what you say.

So it would SEEM that Comcast & TWC have DIFFERENT 2.5.066 software on the 8300HD??? THAT really gives me pause.
The cable provider can turn some features on and off within any version of Passport. When Power Manager first appeared (on my boxes) I asked my cable contact and was told that it was put there to decrease internal drive failure. Sometime later, it disappeared - same version, so not due to a version change - and I complained. Poof, it was back the next day.

Actually, a good use for the extra A/C outlet is for your external drive. BUT you must set the 8300's outlet control to always on.
Honestly, I can't think of anything that I'd feel comfortable attaching to that AC outlet. Certainly not a TV or AVR, and most likely not my external drive either. I just don't trust it. But then I've got surge protected outlets to spare in my setups.

ok here's my situation.

I have two 8300hd boxes and I'm looking to attach as much storage space as possible. I'm planning on working a lot of overtime to bounce back from the holiday season and dont want to miss any of my shows, especially those in hi-def. After the heated debate over the raid array issue I'm open to any suggestions.

ok here's my situation.

I have two 8300hd boxes and I'm looking to attach as much storage space as possible. I'm planning on working a lot of overtime to bounce back from the holiday season and dont want to miss any of my shows, especially those in hi-def. After the heated debate over the raid array issue I'm open to any suggestions.
Then check out theExternal Drive Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=516559&page=1&pp=30). Read the first couple of pages, then the last few. Particularly check DoubleDAZ's thread on what works and what doesn't.

I have spent the last 2 weeks reading this entire thread. I certaining have learned a lot about the SA8300HD as well as how the TW cable system works. Actually a lot was verifying hunches that I had.

Thought a would try to give a little knowledge back.

Someone posted that they could never get an actively recording program to stop recording if they had passport .066. I assume that they were stopping the recording & then immediately deleting the recording, then within a few minutes, the 8300 would start recording again. Heres the workaround. Stop the recording, wait 5 minutes, then delete the recording. You may not have to actually wait 5 minutes, but I've never tried anything shorter.

Someone posted that they could never get an actively recording program to stop recording if they had passport .066. I assume that they were stopping the recording & then immediately deleting the recording, then within a few minutes, the 8300 would start recording again. Heres the workaround. Stop the recording, wait 5 minutes, then delete the recording. You may not have to actually wait 5 minutes, but I've never tried anything shorter.The cause of one variation of this is recording requests in the Series Manager. You can stop the recording, but the DVR still has a request to record the series, so it just starts up again. I can't see how waiting 5 minutes before deleting the recording would help this (unless 5 minutes was sometime after the end of the program). It'll start up again whether there's a copy of the recording already there or not--there'd just be two recordings with the same name. (I don't have access to a DVR right now or I'd play around with it).

The feature of restarting recording is actually helpful. If there's an interruption in the operation of the DVR (a power failure or a firmware push) you get two recordings, the first containing the program from the beginning up to the interruption and the second from the end of the interruption to the end of the program. Generally I'd rather miss a few minutes of most things that I record than miss the entire program. The problem is that it doesn't remember that you manually killed a Series Manager recording.

Honestly, I can't think of anything that I'd feel comfortable attaching to that AC outlet. Certainly not a TV or AVR, and most likely not my external drive either. I just don't trust it. But then I've got surge protected outlets to spare in my setups.

Oh you are WAY more cynical than I<g>! I have zero compunction about using the additional outlet, matter of fact I do use it.

The cause of one variation of this is recording requests in the Series Manager. You can stop the recording, but the DVR still has a request to record the series, so it just starts up again. I can't see how waiting 5 minutes before deleting the recording would help this (unless 5 minutes was sometime after the end of the program). It'll start up again whether there's a copy of the recording already there or not--there'd just be two recordings with the same name. (I don't have access to a DVR right now or I'd play around with it).

I don't understand the why of it either. But I have done this many times when the show was only 5-10 minutes into it and the recording has never restarted. My only guess it that the system is so busy doing other things that it puts the actual stop into some type of queue. Leaving it there a few minutes does something that keeps the recording from starting again.

Hello everyone,

I started having a big problem with my 8000HD box yesterday. For some reason, the primary network channels (2,4,5,7,9,11,13) as well as my HD channels (400+) and movie channels (500+) are all coming in as a grey screen with no audio. Also, recorded shows are showing up as a grey screen.

All other basic cable channels (3,6,12,10, and 14-200) work fine.

The fist time this happened, a reboot fixed the problem for a couple hours. Now nothing I try works. I hope I don't need to swap boxes causes I have lots of recorded shows I still need to watch.

Thanks for the help,

Dave

I don't understand the why of it either. But I have done this many times when the show was only 5-10 minutes into it and the recording has never restarted. My only guess it that the system is so busy doing other things that it puts the actual stop into some type of queue. Leaving it there a few minutes does something that keeps the recording from starting again.My point is that when I've had this problem, it started a new recording within a couple of seconds, whether I deleted the old one or not. If you stopped and came back in five minutes, you'd find the old recording and a new, active one.

What you're saying is that when you stop a recording and leave the partial recording there, it actually stops recording. In cases where it's a Series Recording, I've never seen that.

ok here's my situation.

I have two 8300hd boxes and I'm looking to attach as much storage space as possible. I'm planning on working a lot of overtime to bounce back from the holiday season and dont want to miss any of my shows, especially those in hi-def. After the heated debate over the raid array issue I'm open to any suggestions.
With Passport it doesn't appear that a capacity limit has been reached. I would look at drive reviews and consider noise and heat generation, the latter in conjunction with enclosure specs.

What's your location and Passport version?

What you're saying is that when you stop a recording and leave the partial recording there, it actually stops recording. In cases where it's a Series Recording, I've never seen that.

Tonight I was watching the football game in HD. At 10:10 I noticed the DVR's record light was on. Hit list button, sure enough it was recording Desparate Housewives in HD (it is set to record 1st run & repeats, the HD channel only, any time - I assume that is what you refer to as Series Recording). I stopped the recording, immediately deleted the partial recording & resumed watching the game. Withing minutes the record light was back on. Hit list, Desparate Housewives recording again, just as expected. Stopped the recording, did NOT deleted the partial & resumed watching the game. 5 minutes later, the record light was still NOT on. Hit list, deleted the partial recording and went back to watching the game. The record light never came on again.

Earlier in the day I stopped a recording, waited only 1 minute, then deleted the partial. It never started again.

All I can say it works for me & maybe it will work for others. I know this work around might not seem logical, but the fact that it resumes recording when I said "stop that" is not logical either. I can see if the power had gone off or something interrupted the recording, that it would start recording again. I've had a situation where I had 3 shows to be recorded at the same time, 2 one hour shows & 1 half hour. 1 of the one hour shows & the 1/2 hour recorded, then the second 1/2 of the 1 hour recorded.

I guess sometimes 2 wrongs do make a right

I stopped the recording, immediately deleted the partial recording & resumed watching the game. Withing minutes the record light was back on. Hit list, Desparate Housewives recording again, just as expected. Stopped the recording, did NOT deleted the partial & resumed watching the game. 5 minutes later, the record light was still NOT on. Hit list, deleted the partial recording and went back to watching the game. The record light never came on again.When you stop an individual series recording you have to perform the no record function twice. At least that's the way it is on TWCNYC

When you stop an individual series recording you have to perform the no record function twice. At least that's the way it is on TWCNYC

That is ture if you are stopping=canceling a a future recording, is that that you are referring to?

I'm referring to stopping a scheduled recording that is in progrress.

That is true if you are stopping=canceling a future recording,
is that (what) you are referring to? Yes

I'm referring to stopping a scheduled recording that is in progrress. No, I’ve cancelled recordings in progress that are in my series recording menu and have only had to do the stop recording once.

I, too, have been bedeviled by killed recordings that won't stay dead; a minute or so after being canceled, they spring back to life. Other times, canceled is canceled. The former has happened only rarely enough that I did not investigate further.

heres my info pepar

newburgh ny
2.5.066

time warner cable of newburgh

heres my info pepar

newburgh ny
2.5.066
There's much less to pay attention when adding an external drive to a Passport box. I lean toward hard drives that are (still cringing R_G? ;) ) optimized for streaming video. Most manufacturers market models with this, though there's some disagreement on whether those drives are different than drives for computer usage and/or justify more $$ over drives for computer usage. I like 'em. In any event, get an SATA drive that spins at 7200RPM with large cache.

There's disagreement on cases, too. I prefer active cooling - a FAN, while others like quieter enclosures and feel that the passively cooled enclosures are just fine. Especially if you go passive, do not place the enclosure near anything that generates heat. And the more ventilation - airflow around the enclosure, the better.

Read the first page - follow all the links, too - and the last several pages of the "8300HD and External SATA (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5277957&&#post5277957)" thread. This thread is a mix of members with 8300HDs running both SARA software and Passport software, but it seems to be the place to go for advice on attaching an external drive.

Hope this helps!

(still cringing R_G? ;) )

Totally my friend! But you redeemed yourself somewhat talking about the enclosure; this really is more about common sense than any specific technical knowledge (I've seen way too many equipment collections that stack the most heat producing units BELOW ones that generate little or no heat; or using cabinets with closed doors).

Hey does anyone know if TWC in New York City offer the National Geographic Channel in HD and HGTV in HD for the SA8300HD DVR?

Hey does anyone know if TWC in New York City offer the National Geographic Channel in HD and HGTV in HD for the SA8300HD DVR?
Did you know they have a website with the channel line-up?

Hey does anyone know if TWC in New York City offer the National Geographic Channel in HD and HGTV in HD for the SA8300HD DVR? No they are not on TWCNYC.

Go to these two links for more info.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/CustomerService/CLU/TWCCLUs.ashx?ChannelFilter=HDTV&Zip=11358&CLUID=510

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=297592&page=473&pp=20

I've got a 8300HD STB that has to be rebooted alot. I am thinking of swapping them out, but would then lose my recordings. Anyone know a way to transfer from one box to another? Thanks.

Swap the hard drives when you swap boxes? (Granted, getting your local TW office to actually do that could be a bit of a challenge...)

The recordings are encoded to that specific box. If you swap boxes, the recordings are lost, period. You could copy them to VCR/DVD, but at a lower resolution.

I've got a 8300HD STB that has to be rebooted alot. I am thinking of swapping them out, but would then lose my recordings. Anyone know a way to transfer from one box to another? Thanks.

Do you have your box set to start on the last used channel? Changing that to start on the default channel (2 for me) stopped all the crashing for me. Saw this suggestion earlier in the thread and it worked.

i have a 8300hd dvr, my old box had a pass-thru setting, this doesnt from what i can see?? is auto dvi/hdmi the defacto output on this box? my provider is cablevision thanks!

i have a 8300hd dvr, my old box had a pass-thru setting, this doesnt from what i can see?? is auto dvi/hdmi the defacto output on this box? my provider is cablevision thanks!
They are basically the same. It was "Pass-Through" with component and Auto DVI/HDMI with either DVI or HDMI.

i have a 8300hd dvr, my old box had a pass-thru setting, this doesnt from what i can see?? is auto dvi/hdmi the defacto output on this box? my provider is cablevision thanks!
Read the first page of this post and learn how to determine the software and version your box is running. Nearly all of the answers you will likely be seeking will depend on that information. You might even be in the wrong thread if you are running SARA.

I have a question, i have SA HD8300 and i dont have that pass thru option for my hdmi. I called TWCNYC and they gave me a lame excuse that they dont support HDMI...hehehe i said but your box has HDMI output. She was like: well we didnt give you that cable right? You bought it and you have to call the company that makes that cable and your tv....hehehe.

I dont want my cheap cable box to decode hdtv but my tv.

How can i pass thru my box (passport)......thanks.

I have a question, i have SA HD8300 and i dont have that pass thru option for my hdmi. I called TWCNYC and they gave me a lame excuse that they dont support HDMI...hehehe i said but your box has HDMI output. She was like: well we didnt give you that cable right? You bought it and you have to call the company that makes that cable and your tv....hehehe.

I dont want my cheap cable box to decode hdtv but my tv.

How can i pass thru my box (passport)......thanks.
Go to Settings|General Settings and ENABLE all output resolutions. Then the 8300HD will pass all channels as i receives them. "Decode" is not quite the correct term; upscaling/deinterlacing is.

I have a question, i have SA HD8300 and i dont have that pass thru option for my hdmi. I called TWCNYC and they gave me a lame excuse that they dont support HDMI...hehehe i said but your box has HDMI output. thanks.They don't have a choice--Code of Federal Regulation Title 47 §76.640 (http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=a016275a2b33ea01ca413908afd47491&rgn=div8&view=text&node=47:4.0.1.1.4.11.3.15&idno=47)(b)(4)(ii) reads:(ii) Effective July 1, 2005, include both a DVI or HDMI interface and an IEEE 1394 interface on all high definition set-top boxes acquired by a cable operator for distribution to customers.Now, the esteemed davehancock and I go round and round on this; he claims that, since the preceding paragraph establishing an earlier requirement that, upon customer request, cable providers replace STBs with ones that have "working" 1394 connections and the word "working" doesn't appear in this paragraph, the HDMI connections don't ever have to be made to work.

Even if you think, as I do, that the regulation implicitly requires functional DVI-or-HDMI connections on STBs, it only requires them on new boxes purchased after 1 July 2005. It unfortunately doesn't require that they give you one of these new boxes with working HDMI, but it does require that they support HDMI on those new boxes.

Mike,

I agree with the caveat that the cableco has no control over TV's that may or may not work correctly. The problem is determining which device is at fault and I'd be hard pressed to be a cableco and take on the responsibiity of troubleshooting the myriad of devices. This is not to say the problems are not the 8300's, especially since other devices may work with the same TVs, etc., but how can anyone expect a cableco to be able to deal with that?

The cableco also has no control over the software that is needed to make it all work. The FCC can certainly require ports, but they have little say over the software end of the business. They can't make a programmer spit out working code simply by writing a regulation and they'd be hard pressed to take my 8300 away from me simply because fireware doesn't work for someone to archive content. :)

Mike,

I agree with the caveat that the cableco has no control over TV's that may or may not work correctly. The problem is determining which device is at fault and I'd be hard pressed to be a cableco and take on the responsibiity of troubleshooting the myriad of devices. This is not to say the problems are not the 8300's, especially since other devices may work with the same TVs, etc., but how can anyone expect a cableco to be able to deal with that?

The cableco also has no control over the software that is needed to make it all work. The FCC can certainly require ports, but they have little say over the software end of the business. They can't make a programmer spit out working code simply by writing a regulation and they'd be hard pressed to take my 8300 away from me simply because fireware doesn't work for someone to archive content. :)
Merry Christmas again Dave and also to Mike.

While Mike Scott & I do periodically go around on this (in particular the IEEE 1394 part) - I do believe that cable can not deploy a STB that does not have the capability (or functionality) of...........(whatever). In fact, they have. As of Aug 1 2007 (is it Aug Mike?) they cannot deploy STBs with internal security (commonly interpreted as meaning the STBs have to have CableCards). I suspect that if this ruling is not waived (again) that many STBs will be in short supply (in fact, I suspect that is happening now in some places)

But my stand on the HDMI issue would be raise bloody hell with cable and demand that they explain exactly why they do not need to comply - (in other words - throw the ball in their court).

Thanks a lot to the people that replied. I did that already i enables 480p, 720p and 1080i ( i left out 480i because it makes my regular non-hd chanells look like crap).

I dont know if now my tv is doing upscaling/interlacing (thanks to whoever corrected me) :D ?

But sometimes when i am flipping thru hd chanells (only when hd) the picture is going back and forth between the black screen and regular pic for about second and then back to black. Picture, then black the only way to stop it is to shutdown cable box (sa 8300hd) and turn it back on. Then all is good. Anyone experiencing this as well?

Perhaps you might not realize that even when "off" the 8300 is constantly filling its buffers (well, I know it does one buffer, never tried the second one)? I have my 8300 set for "last channel" on startup. That means that I can turn it on, not change channels, and be able to rack back up to an hour!

The 8300 is constantly spinning it's hard drive. Mine is in my bedroom, and it's enough in the background it causes no sleep issues, but if I stand beside it, I can hear the telltale tick tick of a functioning hard disk.

I realize that the HD is running for some people, however mine is set to spin down when the stb is powered off and it does this - it is completely silent when the box is turned off. The noise I hear is the drive spinning up for 5-10 seconds and then going quiet again. Again I assume this is some ping from TWC.

I realize that the HD is running for some people, however mine is set to spin down when the stb is powered off and it does this - it is completely silent when the box is turned off. The noise I hear is the drive spinning up for 5-10 seconds and then going quiet again. Again I assume this is some ping from TWC.
Not everybody - heck, very few it seems - have the "Power Manager" general setting you just described.

The cableco also has no control over the software that is needed to make it all work. The FCC can certainly require ports, but they have little say over the software end of the business. They can't make a programmer spit out working code simply by writing a regulation and they'd be hard pressed to take my 8300 away from me simply because fireware doesn't work for someone to archive content. :)

Not exactly. We are not "paying" the OEMs for the hardware, nor the software, we ARE paying TWC. Thus TWC is responsible. As I understand it, the software part doesn't even originate with the hardware provider.

Obviously, TWC does have control over it's sub-contractors. For a host of complex reasons, AND as part of their negotiations, TWC may not insist that certain features be implemented. And that IS their call, so they DO have control but may strategically elect not to enforce it.

Not exactly. We are not "paying" the OEMs for the hardware, nor the software, we ARE paying TWC. Thus TWC is responsible. As I understand it, the software part doesn't even originate with the hardware provider.

Obviously, TWC does have control over it's sub-contractors. For a host of complex reasons, AND as part of their negotiations, TWC may not insist that certain features be implemented. And that IS their call, so they DO have control but may strategically elect not to enforce it.
I think it's calculated. The overwhelming majority of their customers won't ask. And the ones that do ask, demonstrating a higher degree of technical knowledge, will be so frustrated with the lame response that they will not ask again. This keeps the tech support dept free for rolling out new profit-reaping features and fixing basic things like "my cable isn't working" and other problems that might interrupt the revenue stream.

Hopefully someone can help me out with this. I just switched from the 8000HD to the 8300HD and am trying to record some of the programs on my DVD Recorder. I've got the TV connected through HDMI and the DVD Recorder through composite. Now, anytime I turn the DVD Recorder on, it gives me the message "your hdtv does not support hdcp please use yprpb component connection to watch television." I've read that this can be bypassed by adding a HDMI switch to the HDMI cable and basically "turning off" the hdmi output but was wondering if there was an easier way. Sorry if this has been discussed earlier but I read through the first few pages and the most recent few but couldn't read through the entire thread.

Not exactly.My butt. :) You simply can't squeeze code out of a programmer. You can make all the rules you want, but until the programmer is able to get the code to work correctly, all the rules are just that. Neither cableco's nor the FCC nor anyone else has ANY control over that and that is where we are at. The boxes have the hardware, but they simply don't yet have consistent and compatible software. You can argue that we (you actually) pay TWC all you want, but I stand by my statement that they have little control. The FCC has some control in that they can effectively shutdown cable HD by not allowing the use of any box that doesn't meet the requirements, but even they know that sometimes rules simply get ahead of the technology and that is precisely why enforcement is lax or non-existent.

Sorry, but it actually shocks me that you seem to totally absolve TWC by saying "they have no control over..." No different from a home owner hiring a general contractor to perfom some repair, the contractor hires a sub-contractor to do the reapair, the repair is screwed up and you DON'T hold the contractor responsible because he has "no control" over the sub-contractor?

Sorry, but it actually shocks me that you seem to totally absolve TWC by saying "they have no control over..." No different from a home owner hiring a general contractor to perfom some repair, the contractor hires a sub-contractor to do the reapair, the repair is screwed up and you DON'T hold the contractor responsible because he has "no control" over the sub-contractor?
The phrase - Nixonian, wasn't it? - "plausible denial" comes to mind. But it's only plausible if no one challenges them on the absurdity of it.

I did some fooling around yesterday and thought I'd pass on what I found.

I wanted to check HDMI vs. component once again, so I unhooked the component cables from my DVD player and hooked them to my 8300HD DR. I thought I could then switch between HDMI and component on the display... but I kept getting "no signal" from the component input. Very odd as those cables worked just fine with my DVD player.

On a hunch, I pulled the HDMI cable at the TV and bingo, I get image over component now. Plug the HDMI back in and component goes way. Maybe others already know this, but it seems the 8300 does NOT provide HDMI and component simultaneously.

So after I made sure the TV was working via HDMI, I switched the component cables back to the DVD player and **** everything down. Comes the news hour, I power everything up. Oh NOOOO, I'm getting "No Signal" on the TV! Fooey, here I've said many times that I never see any handshaking issues with HDMI. I try the usual voodoo things (reset, reboot) but get nowhere. I pull and replug the TV's HDMI connector, no change. I pull and reconnect that same cable at the 8300 side and bingo, I now get a picture.

That "connection" was not any "looser" than normal. I am very careful with wiring, everything is very neat and well run back there. The connector WAS solidly in the 8300. AND was functioning fine when I last switched everything off.

So it sure SEEMS to indicate that some handshaking issues did hit me, fortunately one that I managed to quickly solve. Still, the fact that un and replugging the TV side didn't effect the issue, but un and replugging the other end of the cable did fix it sure doesn't make a lot of sense to me... so it looks like fooling with the cable voodoo MAY fix some "HDMI not working" issues!

I did some fooling around yesterday and thought I'd pass on what I found . . .

. . .it sure SEEMS to indicate that some handshaking issues did hit me, fortunately one that I managed to quickly solve. Still, the fact that un and replugging the TV side didn't effect the issue, but un and replugging the other end of the cable did fix it sure doesn't make a lot of sense to me... so it looks like fooling with the cable voodoo MAY fix some "HDMI not working" issues!
And let that be a lesson to ya! If it's working, don't fool around. :)

I'm trying to hook my DVD recorder up to my SA8300HD and I'm just about ready to pull my hair out! The DVD recorder is a Sony RDR-GX330. I have the STB hooked up to my TV via HDMI and to the DVD recorder via S-Video. The problem is that the 8300 is framing the output to the DVD recorder with grey bars. When watching 4:3 material, the bars go all the way around the screen, when watching 16:9 material, the bars on the side go away, but not the ones on the top and bottom, and it stretches the material out. I have the 8300 set to output 16:9 and when I'm using the recorder I disable all modes except 480i. I do get 480i in 16:9 on the TV. And yes, when I'm ready to record I turn off the 8300, unplug the HDMI cable, and turn it back on.

I guess the root of the question is, will the 8300HD output 16:9 over S-Video? If not, will it output 16:9 through any of the other outputs excpet HDMI and component?

I guess the root of the question is, will the 8300HD output 16:9 over S-Video? If not, will it output 16:9 through any of the other outputs excpet HDMI and component?If you had SARA I would say yes - and tell you how. But since this is a Passport thread I just don't know - Sorry :(

Sorry, but it actually shocks me that you seem to totally absolve TWC by saying "they have no control over..." No different from a home owner hiring a general contractor to perfom some repair, the contractor hires a sub-contractor to do the reapair, the repair is screwed up and you DON'T hold the contractor responsible because he has "no control" over the sub-contractor?Why is it you never seem to get the point? Do you not understand anything about programming? Or do you just not read anything I write? I don't absolve anyone of anything, but you simply can't MAKE a programmer write code just because you make up a rule. Code (hardware or software) doesn't just fall out of the sky or get picked off trees. You can fire a programmer that can't figure it out eventually, but then you start all over with a new programmer, just like you can fire a contractor. The difference is that code is an unknown entity until the programmer figures it out. Add to that the myriad of devices besides the cable STBs that have to be compatible and TWC has even less control. You can make up a rule that all cars have to go 300 mph and get 200 mpg, but that doesn't mean it will ever happen.

If you had SARA I would say yes - and tell you how. But since this is a Passport thread I just don't know - Sorry :(

D'oh! Darn you Brighthouse and your Passport software! That's okay, even with this shortcoming, I still like it better than SARA (at least the Adelphia incarnation of it that my buddy has at his place)

Just out of curiosity, how do you make it work with SARA? We tend to record a lot of the same stuff, I could just cart my DVD recorder over to his place if need be.

D'oh! Darn you Brighthouse and your Passport software! That's okay, even with this shortcoming, I still like it better than SARA (at least the Adelphia incarnation of it that my buddy has at his place)

Just out of curiosity, how do you make it work with SARA? We tend to record a lot of the same stuff, I could just cart my DVD recorder over to his place if need be.The short version of the process (for SARA) is to run the set-up wizard for SD. Once in the SD mode you can press the "#" key on the remote for Zoom - and the first zoom position is "480i Stretch" - actually it is 480i squeeze. the 16:9 HD image will anamorphically squeezed. I record a couple of DVDs on a similar Sony DVD recorder a week for our Son who doesn't get all the HD stuff that we do. I've never seen anyone post a similar process for Passport (doesn't mean that it isn't possible).

The short version of the process (for SARA) is to run the set-up wizard for SD. Once in the SD mode you can press the "#" key on the remote for Zoom - and the first zoom position is "480i Stretch" - actually it is 480i squeeze. the 16:9 HD image will anamorphically squeezed. I record a couple of DVDs on a similar Sony DVD recorder a week for our Son who doesn't get all the HD stuff that we do. I've never seen anyone post a similar process for Passport (doesn't mean that it isn't possible).

You don't happen to have the GX315 do you? I had borrowed one and never had this problem with it. That's actually what convinced me to get my GX330. Oh well, thanks for the tip, I may have to give that a shot some night when I have a little time.

You don't happen to have the GX315 do you?Mine is a GX300.

Sorry, but it actually shocks me that you seem to totally absolve TWC by saying "they have no control over..." No different from a home owner hiring a general contractor to perfom some repair, the contractor hires a sub-contractor to do the reapair, the repair is screwed up and you DON'T hold the contractor responsible because he has "no control" over the sub-contractor?And yet they don't have much control over it. The FCC can write requirements all day long for them to provide their customers with whatever they want to, but if it doesn't exist, their hands are tied. If their STB supplier can't make this work, what do you expect them to do? Changing boxes would probably require that they dump their headend software and switch out all of the boxes in the field, which would cost them a great deal of money. Even if the new boxes did fix the HDMI issues, they'd probably have some other grevious defect or defects.

It's not just the cable industry which has this problem--it's endemic. Apparently some "major national retailer" is requiring that products with HDMI pass some third-party interoperability certification, like Silicon Image's Simplay HD Labs (http://www.simplayhd.com/about/factsheet.aspx) (see this (http://www.twice.com/article/CA6398917.html?nid=2402) news item). I'm guessing that they're tired of people returning merchandise because its HDMI connections don't play nicely with others.

EDIT: Ooops! Sorry--I replied before reading the next post, in which DoubleDAZ expressed the same sentiment.

Why is it you never seem to get the point? Do you not understand anything about programming? Or do you just not read anything I write? I don't absolve anyone of anything, but you simply can't MAKE a programmer write code just because you make up a rule. Code (hardware or software) doesn't just fall out of the sky or get picked off trees. You can fire a programmer that can't figure it out eventually, but then you start all over with a new programmer, just like you can fire a contractor. The difference is that code is an unknown entity until the programmer figures it out. Add to that the myriad of devices besides the cable STBs that have to be compatible and TWC has even less control. You can make up a rule that all cars have to go 300 mph and get 200 mpg, but that doesn't mean it will ever happen.

I dare say I know a bit about programming, I have managed software development and have "programmers" be a part of my staff. As a manager, I AM responsible for the work they do. If certain functionality is wanted in the software from MY management, I was responsible to get it done. I was actually very successful, partly because I recognized good programmers from hacks.

Throwing up my hands and claiming I had no control just wouldn't cut it. Indeed, sometimes it wasn't easy and absolutely sometimes I had to revise my management's expectations on the when side, but I always got what "they" were after. And believe me, sometimes it meant that my programming staff and I had to be very creative.

So no matter how much you slam me, I will always stick to my principles. All I will acknowledge is that my standards may be higher than others. I doubt I would have been able to deliver what I have delivered if I lowered those standards. And that's the last thing I will say on this subject.

Chill out - the both of ya. I don't like seeing two of my favorite AVSers at each others' throats. Makes it difficult to know who to kick. :D

... will the 8300HD output 16:9 over S-Video? If not, will it output 16:9 through any of the other outputs except HDMI and component? I believe I saw a workaround for it that works on PASSPORT as well. It may have been me mixing up the set-up bit mentioned, but there used to be one for PASSPORT -- and I think it also involved setting the box into [FULL SD] mode though. Try a search for anamorphic and 8300. (I am already late to meet my daughter, or I would try to find it for you)...

v/r,
C-F

I recently moved to TWC country in NC from comcast country. My Moto comcast box allowed for simultaneous HD-DVI and SD-svideo, composite, etc. The SA 8000HD TWC provided me last week aparently doesn't allow simultaneous HD & SD, but by poking around on this thread it appears that the newer 8300HD might.

What's the best way to call TWC & ask them for an 8300 instead? I'm afraid that if I call their call center & tell them I want to use two outputs simultaneously, they'll tell me to go pound sand since that violates some TWC practice or something.

Since these 8000HD boxes have been around since at least 2004 based on the message traffic on this thread, I would have hoped they would have mostly been retired by now by the cablecos (at least to give to a new customer), but apparently that's not the case.

I recently moved to TWC country in NC from comcast country. My Moto comcast box allowed for simultaneous HD-DVI and SD-svideo, composite, etc. The SA 8000HD TWC provided me last week aparently doesn't allow simultaneous HD & SD, but by poking around on this thread it appears that the newer 8300HD might.

What's the best way to call TWC & ask them for an 8300 instead? I'm afraid that if I call their call center & tell them I want to use two outputs simultaneously, they'll tell me to go pound sand since that violates some TWC practice or something.

Since these 8000HD boxes have been around since at least 2004 based on the message traffic on this thread, I would have hoped they would have mostly been retired by now by the cablecos (at least to give to a new customer), but apparently that's not the case.

Just tell them you want an 8300.... Its a better box with better picture quality. That is all you should have to say... That is what I did.

Hi all,

I've posted about this in the past, and now on this lovely first day of the New Year we're discovering our problem is recurring even with a new box. After having a DVR box for over a year, suddenly last fall it started erasing shows that weren't set to 'save till manually erased'. This happened even when the drive wasn't close to full. Has anybody else had this problem?

We switched out the box in December, and now we see that many shows that we set to record this past week have been erased. We now have another TWC rep coming to switch out the box. My question is: is there something else besides the box that could be at issue? Software? TWC is, needless to say, clueless.

My husband suggests that it might be the new 'add extra time' feature to sports events that we never used in the past. When we try to record HD football games with an hour added to the game, maybe the algorithm gets screwed up and adds a multiple of time to the drive so it seems full? Shows seem to get erased after we tape games with that option. At any rate this never happened before the firmware update that gave us that option.

TWC's answer -- a free month of DVR. That doesn't work as it should -- oh boy. :(

Just tell them you want an 8300.... Its a better box with better picture quality. That is all you should have to say... That is what I did.

You're right. That's just what I did too.

... and now we see that many shows that we set to record this past week have been erased.(You say-- set to record-- does this mean that future recordings, and or stored recordings-- got cancelled or erased?

Regardless, the cancellation or erasing occurs because your hard drive is “full”. Being “full” means the total of your stored recordings plus the future scheduled recordings.

Also, when you set up the “manual record” feature, or the “extend” a live event feature, be sure that the ending time is set correctly for AM or PM. This could add an extra 12 hours on a recording and zap away current or future recordings.

You say-- set to record-- does this mean that future recordings, and or stored recordings-- got cancelled or erased?

Regardless, the cancellation or erasing occurs because your hard drive is “full”. Being “full” means the total of your stored recordings plus the future scheduled recordings.

Also, when you set up the “manual record” feature, or the “extend” a live event feature, be sure that the ending time is set correctly for AM or PM. This could add an extra 12 hours on a recording and zap away current or future recordings.

Hi LL3HD -- yes, non of this was an issue. This is some quirk that has suddenly happened since last fall. There is hardly anything set to record for the future, and hardly anything on the drive and still I'm getting shows erased. And the extend live event feature was set for 4 or 5 hours, not 12 -- I checked.

I posted about this a month or so ago and nobody can figure it out. It's very strange.

Hi LL3HD -- yes, non of this was an issue. This is some quirk that has suddenly happened since last fall. There is hardly anything set to record for the future, and hardly anything on the drive and still I'm getting shows erased. And the extend live event feature was set for 4 or 5 hours, not 12 -- I checked.

I posted about this a month or so ago and nobody can figure it out. It's very strange.
Have you done a cold reboot? If so, have you contacted your cable provider about the problem? They can "hit" the box from the headend that will sometimes fix anomalies that remain after cold rebooting. Beyond that, a swap would be next. This in NOT normal operation.

Have you done a cold reboot? If so, have you contacted your cable provider about the problem? They can "hit" the box from the headend that will sometimes fix anomalies that remain after cold rebooting. Beyond that, a swap would be next. This in NOT normal operation.

Yes to all. We tried all that a month ago, and switched the box when all failed. By cold reboot do you mean reset, and/or unplugging the box? At any rate, I've tried both. Thanks!

Yes to all. We tried all that a month ago, and switched the box when all failed. By cold reboot do you mean reset, and/or unplugging the box? At any rate, I've tried both. Thanks!
Yes, I do mean pulling the plug. Even with a different box, the same thing is occurring? If so, request another swap. From my reading of your problem and my understanding - or at least suspicion - of what happens to boxes that are returned to the cableco, it seems more likely to me that you've gotten a second bad box than anything else.

Anybody else have any thoughts on this?

Yes, I do mean pulling the plug. Even with a different box, the same thing is occurring? If so, request another swap. From my reading of your problem and my understanding - or at least suspicion - of what happens to boxes that are returned to the cableco, it seems more likely to me that you've gotten a second bad box than anything else.

Anybody else have any thoughts on this?

I have another box coming. I think I'll call and make sure it's not a refurbished box that's coming.

But why would this happen to two boxes in a row, besides the alignment of the Fates? My first box was working fine for a year until the sudden erasing of shows. That's why I'm suspecting firmware, but waiting for anybody else to chime in with similar problems.

While at times I think that the 8300 is slightly inaccurate in it's calculations, I have not lost anything like you have.

Don't you see a series of hourglasses in the list of recorded programs? My experience is that typically, when one firsts spots and hourglass, it will say "2 days remaining." Shows without the hourglass will show the calculated days left, but typically they will be 3,4 or even 5.

Something else you said might be the issue. You said you added " 4 or 5" hours of extension to things like football games. That could mean a 7-8 hour recording. If you did that, say Sunday morning, and had say a dozen hours of HD already recorded, yes I can see some stuff possibly getting wiped out. If you set 2 games on a Sunday like that, I can easily see most everything else also getting discarded.

I know it's no comfort, but neither the box nor the current software seem to pose any issues like this for me.

Another thing to try is to set each recording you make to NOT be erased ever. This SHOULD mean that when scheduling anything else, the box WILL tell you that you can't by refusing to indicate the show you just set would be recorded. BTW, it does take a few minutes for the box to get itself set once you do something. In this scenario, it might LOOK like everything is OK, but 2 minutes later, you should see the problem.

BTW, I'd doubt you'd get anywhere with the "no refurbished" thing. I have bought refurbs and in many cases, a refurb generally means that the equipment may have passed more stringent testing than it typically may do off the production line. When I first got my 8300, I got my panties in a bunch because it was not packed in a box and had visible marks of rubber feet on it's top. BUT I also noticed that it carried a manufactured date barley a month prior to when I picked it up.

While at times I think that the 8300 is slightly inaccurate in it's calculations, I have not lost anything like you have.

Don't you see a series of hourglasses in the list of recorded programs? My experience is that typically, when one firsts spots and hourglass, it will say "2 days remaining." Shows without the hourglass will show the calculated days left, but typically they will be 3,4 or even 5.

Something else you said might be the issue. You said you added " 4 or 5" hours of extension to things like football games. That could mean a 7-8 hour recording. If you did that, say Sunday morning, and had say a dozen hours of HD already recorded, yes I can see some stuff possibly getting wiped out. If you set 2 games on a Sunday like that, I can easily see most everything else also getting discarded.

I know it's no comfort, but neither the box nor the current software seem to pose any issues like this for me.

Another thing to try is to set each recording you make to NOT be erased ever. This SHOULD mean that when scheduling anything else, the box WILL tell you that you can't by refusing to indicate the show you just set would be recorded. BTW, it does take a few minutes for the box to get itself set once you do something. In this scenario, it might LOOK like everything is OK, but 2 minutes later, you should see the problem.

BTW, I'd doubt you'd get anywhere with the "no refurbished" thing. I have bought refurbs and in many cases, a refurb generally means that the equipment may have passed more stringent testing than it typically may do off the production line. When I first got my 8300, I got my panties in a bunch because it was not packed in a box and had visible marks of rubber feet on it's top. BUT I also noticed that it carried a manufactured date barley a month prior to when I picked it up.

The thing is, we got no indication of 'hourglasses' anywhere. And our total time for the two games was 10 hours. When this happened in the past, the same thing happened: no hourglass indication.

I will make sure to do the 'set until manually erased' thing moving forward, but i'm also going to keep a test show unprotected to see what happens.

The thing is, we got no indication of 'hourglasses' anywhere. And our total time for the two games was 10 hours. When this happened in the past, the same thing happened: no hourglass indication.

I will make sure to do the 'set until manually erased' thing moving forward, but i'm also going to keep a test show unprotected to see what happens.
If you are losing shows that are marked manual erase only, there is a problem with the box. Weird as it is with two in a row, try another.

I recently moved to TWC country in NC from comcast country. My Moto comcast box allowed for simultaneous HD-DVI and SD-svideo, composite, etc. The SA 8000HD TWC provided me last week aparently doesn't allow simultaneous HD & SD, but by poking around on this thread it appears that the newer 8300HD might.

What's the best way to call TWC & ask them for an 8300 instead? I'm afraid that if I call their call center & tell them I want to use two outputs simultaneously, they'll tell me to go pound sand since that violates some TWC practice or something.

Since these 8000HD boxes have been around since at least 2004 based on the message traffic on this thread, I would have hoped they would have mostly been retired by now by the cablecos (at least to give to a new customer), but apparently that's not the case.

I just went to the Garner warehouse and asked them for an exchange. The 8300's are in short supply right now in the Triangle but this location is the one that receives the shipments and distributes them to the other area locations and will be more likely to have them in stock.

Hopefully someone can help me out with this. I just switched from the 8000HD to the 8300HD and am trying to record some of the programs on my DVD Recorder. I've got the TV connected through HDMI and the DVD Recorder through composite. Now, anytime I turn the DVD Recorder on, it gives me the message "your hdtv does not support hdcp please use yprpb component connection to watch television." I've read that this can be bypassed by adding a HDMI switch to the HDMI cable and basically "turning off" the hdmi output but was wondering if there was an easier way. Sorry if this has been discussed earlier but I read through the first few pages and the most recent few but couldn't read through the entire thread.

Anybody?

Anybody?
I'd use the s-video connection to the recorder and disconnect the HDMI until I was done dumping. If you need to see what you're recording, hook your display to the recorder's s-video output. As retro as s-video is, it'll be head and shoulders better than composite.

Question for ya'll...

I recently installed a DirecTV HD reciever at my farm in SC. I live in Raleigh, NC and recieve local HD channels via TWC (SA8300).

In Green Sea, SC the local HD channels are not on DirecTV and thus I recieve them OTA. (the ones I can get) I do get SD locals via DTV Here comes the cool part....

The reciever for DTV scans the OTA HD and Annalog channels and then incorporates them into the on screen user interface. This gives us the pure HD OTA AND convience of having it integrated into the UI.

WHY CANT TWC (SA8300 running Passport) do this???? It really is a great feature.

Question for ya'll...

I recently installed a DirecTV HD reciever at my farm in SC. I live in Raleigh, NC and recieve local HD channels via TWC (SA8300).

In Green Sea, SC the local HD channels are not on DirecTV and thus I recieve them OTA. (the ones I can get) I do get SD locals via DTV Here comes the cool part....

The reciever for DTV scans the OTA HD and Annalog channels and then incorporates them into the on screen user interface. This gives us the pure HD OTA AND convience of having it integrated into the UI.

WHY CANT TWC (SA8300 running Passport) do this???? It really is a great feature.
Excuse me, but how many times and different threads are you going to post this in? I know I've seen it two other times. And you have already received an answer.

This is the first time I posted it in this thread.

I should be done posting it now. Thanks for your concern

I recently purchased a sony 40xbr2 and have the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR with Time Warner Cable. I have a question about Dolby Digital 5.1 setup. Can I get sound from my tv and my 5.1 av receiver at the same time, or will this box not all that. I mean if I am watching a show, can I choose from either the tv or the receiver from where I want to hear my sound by just increasing or lowering the volume. Please advise will this work, is it my tv (at present time I cant get this to work) or is it the box.

If I am doing something wrong, can someone please assist me.

I recently purchased a sony 40xbr2 and have the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR with Time Warner Cable. I have a question about Dolby Digital 5.1 setup. Can I get sound from my tv and my 5.1 av receiver at the same time, or will this box not all that. I mean if I am watching a show, can I choose from either the tv or the receiver from where I want to hear my sound by just increasing or lowering the volume. Please advise will this work, is it my tv (at present time I cant get this to work) or is it the box.

If I am doing something wrong, can someone please assist me.

HDMI or component???

If HDMI then no.. 8300 has to output the same format over optical/coax as it does over HDMI. Unless your tv supports 5.1 then no. 8300 has to be set to HDMI to get audio from display. You could change the setting between DD and HDMI to get whichever device you chose to output audio but you might get a message on the screen with DD selected saying incorrect audio format.

If Component... yes. Set 8300 to DD and use analog to tv and optical/coax to av receiver.

HDMI or component???

If HDMI then no.. 8300 has to output the same format over optical/coax as it does over HDMI. Unless your tv supports 5.1 then no. 8300 has to be set to HDMI to get audio from display. You could change the setting between DD and HDMI to get whichever device you chose to output audio but you might get a message on the screen with DD selected saying incorrect audio format.

If Component... yes. Set 8300 to DD and use analog to tv and optical/coax to av receiver.

You don't list what software rev you are using... mine is in my sig and 100% if I set Dolby Digital for output, NO audio passes via HDMI to my TV. ONLY when I set "HDMI" as the audio out do I get audio to the TV. AND while set to HDMI, audio WILL go out both HDMI and via the optical/co-ax connections. AND with the previous 1.8.x release, audio passed on any connection all the time.

This "new way" is actually convenient to me. Makes for slightly less work. I normally do HDMI to the TV, optical to my AVR. The 8300 set to Dolby Digital and I get audio from the AVR without the TV speakers going. Late night, I shut off my AVR and change the 8300 to HDMI and NOW I get audio from the TV speakers.

so did they get rid of the old way, because I could get audio from both the tv and receiver at the same time. Now it is either one or the other. Was this because of the new software release.

I like the old way better. because I didnt have to go to settings and change the audio output from HDMI to Dolby Digital each time depending where I wanted the sound coming from.

Is there anyway to go back to the old way.

so did they get rid of the old way, because I could get audio from both the tv and receiver at the same time. Now it is either one or the other. Was this because of the new software release.

I like the old way better. because I didnt have to go to settings and change the audio output from HDMI to Dolby Digital each time depending where I wanted the sound coming from.

Is there anyway to go back to the old way.
Nope.

So basically everyone with Time Warner now has to get there sound either from the tv or receiver, not both at the same time.

I can no longer get audio from my tv and receiver at the same time. I think this is stupid. Just my two cents (now sound has to either come from the tv or receiver, not both. The client should be able to make the decision where they want there sound coming from.)


Another question, with my 1080p tv what should I set the STB resolution to:
a) 1080i for HD and 480p for regular
b) 1080i & 720p for HD and 480p for regular
c) 1080i for HD and 480i for regular
d) 1080i & 720p for HD and 480u for regular

So basically everyone with Time Warner now has to get there sound either from the tv or receiver, not both at the same time.

I can no longer get audio from my tv and receiver at the same time. I think this is stupid. Just my two cents (now sound has to either come from the tv or receiver, not both. The client should be able to make the decision where they want there sound coming from.)

You can get audio from both at the same time.... Stereo audio.... Not 5.1.

Setting the audio setting to HDMI should give you 2 channel pcm out the HDMI and optical/coaxial ports. Your receiver should be in its 'auto' mode to accept PCM instead of DD though.

The way it SHOULD work is that the outputs should be able to carry different formats. This way the HDMI could negotiate for what it wants (2 channel PCM usually) and let you specify via the settings what you want out the opt/coax output (DD or 5.1 PCM or Stereo PCM).

why would I want PCM, I wanted dolby digital specifically coming from the receiver just dont want to have to change the STB audio output from HDMI to Dolby Digital each time I want use it.

I guess there is no hope in my quest here. Damn firmware upgrade by TWC

Another question, with my 1080p tv what should I set the STB resolution to:
a) 1080i for HD and 480p for regular
b) 1080i & 720p for HD and 480p for regular
c) 1080i for HD and 480i for regular
d) 1080i & 720p for HD and 480u for regular
There's been some disagreement on this, but my opinion is that the 8300HD should be set to pass all resolutions letting the display handle all scaling/deinterlacing.

why would I want PCM, I wanted dolby digital specifically coming from the receiver just dont want to have to change the STB audio output from HDMI to Dolby Digital each time I want use it.

I guess there is no hope in my quest here. Damn firmware upgrade by TWC
I hate HDMI and do not use it on one of my systems. On the other, I convert the HDMI output to DVI going to my FPTV. On both systems, I use digital coaxial for audio.

I dont think its fair. :(


I like how it was before.

I dont think its fair. :(


I like how it was before.Maybe I don't understand your situation correctly, but aren't you having this problem as a result of changing displays and going with a HDMI connection? If this is the case, what you are seeing is the display is signaling the 8300 (via HDMI connection) that it wants 2 channel.

This is not to say that you don't have a problem - it's just that the real cause may not be obvious.

Just tell them you want an 8300.... Its a better box with better picture quality. That is all you should have to say... That is what I did.

Well, I got TWC to give me an 8300 since my 8000 died about 2 days after they installed it with the "HAL2" error. Unfortunately, when I try connecting to the composite, S-video or cable out jacks, all I get is a message that says, "Your TV does not support HDCP, please use the component out jacks". Unfortunately, the device I'm trying to connect doesn't have component in, only s-video, composite or cable-in.

I don't know if this is a by-product of the fact that my HD monitor is connected to the 8300 via an HDMI-DVI converter (since the monitor doesn't have an HDMI input) and hence doesn't support HDCP, or not. Is there any way to get the box to allow me to use any of those non-HD outputs simultaneously with the HDMI?

Well, I got TWC to give me an 8300 since my 8000 died about 2 days after they installed it with the "HAL2" error. Unfortunately, when I try connecting to the composite, S-video or cable out jacks, all I get is a message that says, "Your TV does not support HDCP, please use the component out jacks". Unfortunately, the device I'm trying to connect doesn't have component in, only s-video, composite or cable-in.

I don't know if this is a by-product of the fact that my HD monitor is connected to the 8300 via an HDMI-DVI converter (since the monitor doesn't have an HDMI input) and hence doesn't support HDCP, or not. Is there any way to get the box to allow me to use any of those non-HD outputs simultaneously with the HDMI?
More recent displays with DVI do support HDCP. Without HDCP, you will not be able to use HDMI whether converted to DVI or not.

davehancock, all I wanted to do was to be able to watch a show (say a movie on HD) and have the choice if I wanted to hear the audio via the tv's speakers or in 5.1 surround sound just by increasing or decreasing the volume at the same time.

More recent displays with DVI do support HDCP. Without HDCP, you will not be able to use HDMI whether converted to DVI or not.I didn't think that any displays with DVI inputs didn't support HDCP, except some older front projectors. It was designed as a computer monitors connection and those are only now starting to support HDCP (for Vista). The front projectors had DVI connections w/o HDCP because they were commonly used for business presentations in conference rooms and auditorium, hooked up to a computer.

rmbracalente, what is the make and model of your monitor? If it doesn't support HDCP, you probably won't be able to use it to display HD channel through an SA8300HD.

I didn't think that any displays with DVI inputs didn't support HDCP, except some older front projectors. It was designed as a computer monitors connection and those are only now starting to support HDCP (for Vista). The front projectors had DVI connections w/o HDCP because they were commonly used for business presentations in conference rooms and auditorium, hooked up to a computer.

rmbracalente, what is the make and model of your monitor? If it doesn't support HDCP, you probably won't be able to use it to display HD channel through an SA8300HD.


It is a Fujitsu P42HHA30WS, about three years old now. I have no problems connecting it to the 8300HD via a DVI cable and an DVI-HDMI adapter...the display on the monitor looks great. It's just the SD outputs that have the HDCP issue.

davehancock, all I wanted to do was to be able to watch a show (say a movie on HD) and have the choice if I wanted to hear the audio via the tv's speakers or in 5.1 surround sound just by increasing or decreasing the volume at the same time.This is the simple way I do it, hope it helps you…

I have the digital (optical) audio cable going from the Set Top Box into my receiver. With the digital audio selected on my receiver, I listen to the best broadcast audio- Dolby 5.1, when available, through my receiver and home theatre speakers.

I also have the RCA red and white analog audio cables going from the Set Top Box into my receiver and then into my display. I can select analog on my receiver and listen to the audio through my receiver in analog, or lower my receiver, or shut it off. I now can control the audio through my display via analog. This can also be achieved by going directly from the STB into the display but going through the receiver (with the analog set up) gives me the ability to utilize my HT. This comes in handy when watching something on ABC (usually an NBA game) that is indicated as in DD but is actually 2 channel.

I hope I explained this properly. There are other audio options but this is dependent on your display, receiver and other cables.


Edit: By the way, my video is connected with component cables.

davehancock, all I wanted to do was to be able to watch a show (say a movie on HD) and have the choice if I wanted to hear the audio via the tv's speakers or in 5.1 surround sound just by increasing or decreasing the volume at the same time.I understood that - what I was suspecting was that you got a new TV and hooked it up via HDMI. If this is what happened then the problem is not due to something cable changed, but rather that your new display is telling the 8300 that it wants 2 channel stereo - and the 8300 is complying with that request.

Hopefully LL3D's suggestions will help.

PS: What you want is what I have (similar set-up that LL3D suggests) - so I do understand. I have display connected via component, so the HDMI signaling is not an issue with me.

It is a Fujitsu P42HHA30WS, about three years old now. I have no problems connecting it to the 8300HD via a DVI cable and an DVI-HDMI adapter...the display on the monitor looks great. It's just the SD outputs that have the HDCP issue.So, you're trying to simultaneously view the box using both HDMI and one of the SD outputs?

with componenet its not an issue at all

davehancock, all I wanted to do was to be able to watch a show (say a movie on HD) and have the choice if I wanted to hear the audio via the tv's speakers or in 5.1 surround sound just by increasing or decreasing the volume at the same time.

Increasing the volume where? TV? Receiver? It won't be both simply by using the Cable remote. As others have said, you CAN have both, but not DD5.1 if your Audio Out setting is set to HDMI.

This is an interesting discussion as I am working with a friend of mine and I can't find anywhere in the 8300 to set the audio output to HDMI. My only options are

two channel or DD

Where do I select HDMI audio output from?

This is an interesting discussion as I am working with a friend of mine and I can't find anywhere in the 8300 to set the audio output to HDMI. My only options are

two channel or DD

Where do I select HDMI audio output from?

You must have a different version of the code. I have all three choices: 2 channel, DD and HDMI.

Interesting...I am in Raleigh, NC...

Does an HDMI cable need to be detected in order for me to get the third option?

Interesting...I am in Raleigh, NC...

Does an HDMI cable need to be detected in order for me to get the third option?Bingo!
Actually, I’m not 100% sure, :o (just wanted to say bingo :) ) but-- TWC subscribers in my neighborhood have that option visible to them with the HDMI cable in place. I don’t see this option on my screen, perhaps because I’m using component. :cool:

This is an interesting discussion as I am working with a friend of mine and I can't find anywhere in the 8300 to set the audio output to HDMI. My only options are

two channel or DD

Where do I select HDMI audio output from?

well it should be there if you're using Passport 2.5.066. If you're using an 8300 it should be running that out of the box, it was an update from last June.

hdmi does not appear as a choice in the audio output menu if no hdmi connection is detected by the 8300.

It is a Fujitsu P42HHA30WS, about three years old now. I have no problems connecting it to the 8300HD via a DVI cable and an DVI-HDMI adapter...the display on the monitor looks great. It's just the SD outputs that have the HDCP issue.

I assume you are connecting the SD output to a VCR, DVD recorder or similar device. If there is a HMDI cable connected to the 8300, the the device on the other end of the cable (TV in your case) has to be powered on to establish the HDCP handshake. So if you are just wanting to "watch" the output on the SD connection, you still have to have the TV powered on.

I'm running Passport Echo version 2.5.066, and have 88 Gig free on the HD. In the last 2 days. the 8300HD has erased 4 recordings that were set to "save until manually erased". In going back thru earlier posts with similar problems, I haven't run into anyone that has reported a sucessful fix even after swapping the box. Has anyone ever solved this problem?

Brighthouse just suggests replacing the box. Do they just swap boxes until the customer gets tired of complaining?

What is the problem on this forum, there is a 36 hour lag between post 5747 and post 5748. Some days there are 20+ posts.

What is the problem on this forum, there is a 36 hour lag between post 5747 and post 5748. Some days there are 20+ posts.

Slackers post 20+ on weekdays and have better things to do on weekends.