Originally posted by frankz1
Hmmm...I was under the impression that you were talking about recording 24 in HD/Digital, not the analog. It's interesting. Some people are having issues recording/watching Analog SciFi, you Bay Area folks are having trouble recording analog Fox.

frankz1:
All my posts regarding recording/freeze problems have only applied to the analog channels (we only get analog Fox in the Bay Area right now). HD viewing and recording is flawless so far.

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

There is a known issue with Analog channels freezing. Supposedly there is a software fix coming. I know that a new version of the i-Guide is supposed to be on the way in Q2. When I get more details I will post them.

Hi folks,

The constant disk head seeks (i.e., that annoying noise) has me wondering...

Which is less likely to result in a worn-out disk drive: one that's turned on only when needed (thus spinning up and spinning down the disk frequently), or one that's left on all the time (thus constantly exercising the disk heads)?

Most of my viewing is of analog channels, for which I bypass the box in order to get a better signal. So I've been turning the box off a lot. But folks at work are telling me the spin up/down issue is more of a problem than the heads. What do you folks think?

Thanks,
--George

Originally posted by yefchak
Which is less likely to result in a worn-out disk drive: one that's turned on only when needed (thus spinning up and spinning down the disk frequently), or one that's left on all the time (thus constantly exercising the disk heads)?

The hard drives in DVR's are specially designed for the streaming/encoding of video. If you compare a desktop computer and how it deals with hard drives, it is usually accessing small files all over the platters, constantly having to move around due to fragmentation. DVR's write the drives much more sequentially then PC's (because they're large video files) so there's less wear and tear on the heads, platters, etc. I'm not too worried as my Tivo/Replay are still running strong (4 years and counting) and they use standard desktop hard drives.

Originally posted by markjrenna
I'm not so convinced that Comcast, Motorola, and Guide Works (i-Guide) are reading these posts. I am very convinced that at least one of the three is reading this thread, and I am not referring to Comcast or Motorola.

And to make sure there is no confusion, which a couple of posts indicated might exist, I do not work for, or have any relationship whatsoever, with any one of the three. I am just "one of you guys" who also happens to be a moderator.

Originally posted by cglenn
I recall somewhere (in every darn post, which I read. in this thread) a brief discussion about skipping ahead in a recording (e.g., skip the first hour of a movie).

I can't find any way to do this, but I'd like to ask if anyone has found a way to do this?

So far, the only thing you can do is skip ahead in 30 second increments.

This is great for commercials, but sux for a 2 hour movie. Since you really are stuck with the fast forward modes (ff1, ff2, etc.).

To skip ahead in 30 second increments, you need to program that into the remote (as Comcast apparently didn't want to make commercial advertisers mad, and supply a remote with that already programmed in).

Search this thread for how to program in the 30 second skip button.

My Hauppage MediaMVP player has a nice way of doing a long skip. A similar function could probably be worked into the firmware of the 6412 in conjunction with the 30-second skip (would probably require two or three keystrokes, tho' because it would have to distinguish the skip from a channel change.

On the Hauppage box, when you are watching a video, pressing the number keys 0-9 jumps you in 10% increments, so '0' moves you to the beginning (0%), '5' moves you to 50%, '9' moves you to 90% (right at the end), etc.

I have been having the same freezing issues as mentioned above. I had the box replaced about 1 week ago because my original 6412 was rebooting fairly regularly. This box recorded a number of movies over the weekend fine (Bond, James Bond - Marathon). Then on Monday, I set it to record Golden Globes red carpet fun (ummm - it's for my wife, really!) and when we (um she) went to watch it on Tuesday eve - same issue. It recorded about 27 mins of the 1 hr program and then just stopped. I reset it to record the program again and it froze while I was doing that.

Got the same delays - hit a button, wait 10 seconds, then it would respond. Finally, I unplugged the box completely. WHen it came back on, it was still giving me slow response times and it froze again. I shut it off and watched Ron Burgundy instead on DVD.

I am located in Philly. I had read about this happening early on Monday and when I got home that evening - I basically had the same issues as other posters here. I sure hope it's a s/w fix that gets resolved soon!

Originally posted by yefchak
Which is less likely to result in a worn-out disk drive: one that's turned on only when needed (thus spinning up and spinning down the disk frequently), or one that's left on all the time (thus constantly exercising the disk heads)? In the case of the 6412, even when you power down the unit, it goes into a "standby" mode, during which the hard drive keeps spinning, although the head seek activity ceases so it's much quieter. The only way to stop the hard drive from spinning is to pull the AC plug, which you definitely do not want to do on a regular basis since it forces the 6412 to re-download all its program data when you plug it back in.

Another way to cease the head seek activity is to set both tuners to Music Choice channels, since the 6412 does not buffer those.

Well, knock on wood, I've had pretty good luck with my 6412...only four glitches to report:

1) I have some kind of NASCAR program that's listed in scheduled recordings that I did not ask for, and it will not let me cancel the scheduled recording. IIRC that time slot was originally listed with something I did have a season recording for, but when that changed it stayed put and won't go away. Hopefully I'll be able to clobber it once it has been recorded.

2) When I have two season recording scheduled for the exact same time, it will only allow me to cancel one of them. If I try to cancel #2 after doing #1, #1 goes back to "will record". And no amount of back-and-forth will get past this...very annoying, if minor.

3) For some reason it didn't record my season recording schedule of Enterprise on Friday that I swear showed up as a scheduled recording just the day before. But it did thoughtfully record the repeat of Battlestar Galactica, even though that wasn't originally scheduled and I set it up for First Run Only (and it does show "New" in the program info.)

4) You'll love this...so based on #3 above, I set up the 6412 to pick up Enterprise the next day on the Saturday repeat. Well when I sat down to watch it Sunday my box was showing something like 75% full !! Turns out, it had recorded 600 minutes of UPN starting with Enterprise instead of the usual 60. I find it hard to imagine that the TV listings were that screwed up.

Whoever had a contact with the Comcast/iGuide folks: feel free to forward these on to them, and you/they are welcome to PM me for more details, examples, etc.

-John

I got my 6412 a while back and here are my impressions:
- love the two tuners
- wish there were more than 120mb
- series recording of new episodes on network channels works great
- series recording of non-network shows like Stargate SG1 on SciFi and Monk on USA needs some work. I setup Stargate and it identified all the Stargate programs for that week. Those episodes didn't have 'new' or 'repeat' in the description like the network shows, but, they did have the year which was not 2005.
- I don't think the series priority list doesn't work like I think it should. Try this on your 6412 and see if you get the same results:

setup a series program for 'Joan of Arcadia' for only new programs and make this priority 1
enter a series program for 'Enterprise' for only new episodes with a priority of 2
enter a series program for 'Stargate' for only new episodes with a priority of 3


What you will see is Stargate on a lot of days but it gets dicey on Friday if they all are new. Joan and Enterprise will be recorded at 8/7p and Stargate will be designated as not being recorded at 8/7p and this is fine because I want to get the repeat of the new episode at 11/10p. Even though numerous episodes were recorded during the week the 11/10p episode doesn't show up! Can anybody duplicate this?

Well my freezing problem is back so I have to dismiss the heat issue as not applicable in my case.

However I just had an interesting conversation with Comcast when I placed a service call on the problem.

The support analyst stated that they recieved a memo today that basically stated Motorola has admitted that their is a widespread problem with the firmware of the 6412's that is causing the freezing issue and a global firmware fix is being pushed nationwide on Friday January 21st that will eliminate the problem(s).

I've scheduled my service call for the 22nd in case the problem persists and will be noting my present firmware release next time I'm in front of the TV. I will check on the 21st to see if the firmware level does in fact change.

The analyst was unsure if it was a patch or new rev of firmware so I suppose the true test will come after the 21st when we can all report back and see if the problem(s) have in fact been addressed.

Just spoke with a comcast service rep. Said the problem is an issue at their "head end". It is a system wide issue (not sure if that means more areas are affected than just Philly).

She was lovely enough to credit my account $20 for my troubles. However, she didn't have an ETA on a fix.

We suffer and wait.

Originally posted by mds54
frankz1:
All my posts regarding recording/freeze problems have only applied to the analog channels (we only get analog Fox in the Bay Area right now). HD viewing and recording is flawless so far.

I have issues in the Philadelphia market with FOX breaking up/pixelizing/sound drops on only one of the tuners. And, if I identified it correctly, it is tuner 2. I had a Comcast technician here a couple days ago and he saw the problem. All my other channels work fine, with no signal issues.

Of course, I do not have an answer, but at least someone from Comcast actually saw that I am experiencing the problem.

I do not believe I need a signal booster (as the tech suggested for $35) because ALL other channels are good. And, FOX on tuner 1 has no issues.

Any ideas??

pete

I have had Alias set up for a while now as a series recording. For some reason tonight's episode didn't record(wife is notably unhappy). Anyone know what happened?

It looks like next weeks is slated to record. Should I be worried.

Additional info - I am scheduled on the 805 - the digital HD station, not the regular station. Didn something in the guide not trigger?

JS (from the doghouse)

if the tech was i your house, why didnt he give you new, working box?
or why didnt you insist on it?

Originally posted by caesar1
So far, the only thing you can do is skip ahead in 30 second increments.

This is great for commercials, but sux for a 2 hour movie. Since you really are stuck with the fast forward modes (ff1, ff2, etc.).

Search this thread for how to program in the 30 second skip button.

The absolutely best application for the 30-sec skip is, IMO, NFL football.

I watched one of last weekend's playoff games I'd recorded the other day and found that the 30-sec skip was dead-on for moving from the conclusion of the previous play to the snap of the next play (unless the offense ran a no-huddle). Probably takes a game from 3 hours down to almost an hour, w/o missing a single play. That alone, IMO, justifies a DVR.

I did try doing a search but couldn't find this specific topic.

Does anyone have the problem that if you set a program to start on time and end on time that it may start earlier or end later and you get something cut off. Then I get the 'look' from my wife!

My workaround has been to start one minute early and end one minute later but then you can't program an episode right after it.

Is the clock wrong in the headin? Can I change the clock?

I had a problem similar to a previous poster last night. I recorded American Idol in HD. When I sat down to watch it (after the recording was finished), I was unable to pause, FF, skip back, or skip forward. I got the little universal "no" symbol whenever I pressed one of the carriage control buttons on the remote.

I haven't had this problem on other HD recordings (that I know of) and I know I've never had the problem with SD. Alias was recording while I was watching and I thought that might have something to do with it, but the problem continued after Alias went off.

Originally posted by AVWH
The absolutely best application for the 30-sec skip is, IMO, NFL football.

I watched one of last weekend's playoff games I'd recorded the other day and found that the 30-sec skip was dead-on for moving from the conclusion of the previous play to the snap of the next play (unless the offense ran a no-huddle). Probably takes a game from 3 hours down to almost an hour, w/o missing a single play. That alone, IMO, justifies a DVR.

I have used this as well. Used it on the USC/OU game. With the 25 second play clock it works perfectly most of the time - except for no-huddle situations like you mentioned.

Originally posted by cmpalmer
I had a problem similar to a previous poster last night. I recorded American Idol in HD. When I sat down to watch it (after the recording was finished), I was unable to pause, FF, skip back, or skip forward. I got the little universal "no" symbol whenever I pressed one of the carriage control buttons on the remote.

I haven't had this problem on other HD recordings (that I know of) and I know I've never had the problem with SD. Alias was recording while I was watching and I thought that might have something to do with it, but the problem continued after Alias went off.

With all the problems with the 6412, I am glad I stayed with the 6208 until the bugs are worked out. Two tuners would be nice, and the larger hard drive would be great, but there is nothing worse than getting "the look" from the wife when a show fails to record. At least the 6208 has been reliable for that basic function.

Jack G

Well, that little problem with the FF and skip was no worse than watching it live. Just mute the sound and talk with your family during the commercials. It's probably something we need to get used to once the networks figure out how to send a "no skip or FF" code to DVRs. Then again, I have gotten hooked on watching Jeopardy. If I skip the opening credits, the commericals, the interviews with the contestants, and the closing credits, it takes less than 15 minutes to watch an entire episode.

I have had a PC-based DVR running for about 9 months with a Hauppage MediaMVP box connected to my TV to stream recorded shows from my computer upstairs to my TV downstairs. Overall, I'm much happier with my 6412 and I've relegated my PC DVR to my kids (unless the show they want to tape is on digital cable), but I will admit that I still make CYA recordings on the PC DVR if it's a "must see" show. I don't like getting those looks from my wife either.

Then again, I haven't had lockups, scheduled recordings not recording, 0 length shows that won't record, or any of the other real problems with my 6412. Once I programmed my remote with the skip and STB mute I was happy. I did have to unplug it once to get rid of the "no image until you play a DVRed show", but it's worked fine since then. Hopefully, this promised firmware fix will actually fix some of the annoyances and not just add a bunch of new ones.

Originally posted by Jacktheg
With all the problems with the 6412, I am glad I stayed with the 6208 until the bugs are worked out. Two tuners would be nice, and the larger hard drive would be great, but there is nothing worse than getting "the look" from the wife when a show fails to record. At least the 6208 has been reliable for that basic function.

Jack G
I'm with you Jack. I've had "order 6412" on my to-do list for at least two weeks. Even though a single-tuner is a real hassle when something is recording, I just can't bring myself to upgrade yet. Hopefully the new firmware upgrade that is being discussed will make everybody happy.

Originally posted by NovaCat91
I have issues in the Philadelphia market with FOX breaking up/pixelizing/sound drops on only one of the tuners. And, if I identified it correctly, it is tuner 2. I had a Comcast technician here a couple days ago and he saw the problem. All my other channels work fine, with no signal issues.

Of course, I do not have an answer, but at least someone from Comcast actually saw that I am experiencing the problem.

I do not believe I need a signal booster (as the tech suggested for $35) because ALL other channels are good. And, FOX on tuner 1 has no issues.

Any ideas??

pete

You can check to see if it is in fact a signal level problem. Tune both tuners to the Fox channel, turn the DVR off and hit "select" within 2 seconds. This will bring up the diagnostics screen. Go to d04 and you will see the signal levels. If either channel says "poor", you have a signal level problem.

Having break-up on one or two channels only (and only on one tuner) seems to be a tell of low signal levels on these boxes.

Originally posted by buzgz
You can check to see if it is in fact a signal level problem. Tune both tuners to the Fox channel, turn the DVR off and hit "select" within 2 seconds. This will bring up the diagnostics screen. Go to d04 and you will see the signal levels. If either channel says "poor", you have a signal level problem.

Having break-up on one or two channels only seems to be a tell of low signal levels on these boxes.

To be accurate, there is no signal level meter. What you'll see on d03 and d04 of the diagnostic screens are signal to noise ratio.

This is an important distinction because a low "signal level" would indicate you need an amplifier to correct the problem.

A low SNR, however, means you're having line problems. Time to check your cables and make sure you're using digital splitters (5/1000) that pass the entire frequency range. If your set up is not introducing the noise, it's then time to call Comcast to check the lines in your area.

If you put an amplifier on because you see a low signal to noise ratio on d03 or d04, you're going to amplify both the signal and the noise, which does nothing to help your problem and probably will only make it worse.

Diagnostic screen details can be found at this site. (http://cjhengineering.com/hdtv/cablehdtv/dctdiag.htm)

Originally posted by frankz1
To be accurate, there is no signal level meter. What you'll see on d03 and d04 of the diagnostic screens are signal to noise ratio.

This is an important distinction because a low "signal level" would indicate you need an amplifier to correct the problem.

A low SNR, however, means you're having line problems. Time to check your cables and make sure you're using digital splitters (5/1000) that pass the entire frequency range. If your set up is not introducing the noise, it's then time to call Comcast to check the lines in your area.

If you put an amplifier on because you see a low signal to noise ratio on d03 or d04, you're going to amplify both the signal and the noise, which does nothing to help your problem and probably will only make it worse.

Diagnostic screen details can be found at this site. (http://cjhengineering.com/hdtv/cablehdtv/dctdiag.htm)

He only has the problem on one tuner and not the other. I think that while you are correct in the general case, his tuner is the chief noise source in this case.

Usually, several splitters are involved when signal level is an issue. Any amp should be used as close to the source signal point as possible to prevent amplifying noise as you state.

Originally posted by buzgz
He only has the problem on one tuner and not the other. I think that while you are correct in the general case, his tuner is the chief noise source in this case.

Usually, several splitters are involved when signal level is an issue. Any amp should be used as close to the source signal point as possible to prevent amplifying noise as you state.

Sorry, but you're wrong. If it was an analog issue, you'd be closer to correct.

If there is steady and clean signal coming into the box for a digital signal the level of the signal doesn't really matter. That's why there's no signal strength meter; only signal to noise. If the signal is being interrupted, or there is line noise, or if there are frequencies that aren't making it to the box you're going to get breakups even if the signal level is good is 100% strong.

As the site I linked to in my previous post explains, it's all about quality of signal, not quantity.

Originally posted by frankz1
Sorry, but you're wrong. If it was an analog issue, you'd be closer to correct.

If there is steady and clean signal coming into the box for a digital signal the level of the signal doesn't really matter. That's why there's no signal strength meter; only signal to noise. If the signal is being interrupted, or there is line noise, or if there are frequencies that aren't making it to the box you're going to get breakups even if the signal level is good is 100% strong.

As the site I linked to in my previous post explains, it's all about quality of signal, not quantity.

Well, we don't agree. There is a "signal strength meter" called Automatic Gain Control in d04. The AGC number is part of the "poor", "fair", "good" diagnostics, with high AGC numbers indicating low signal strength. If the box is having to work harder at low signal levels, this yields high AGC levels.

I'm betting an amp fixes this issue. Been there, done that.

Originally posted by buzgz
Well, we don't agree. There is a "signal strength meter" called Automatic Gain Control in d04. The AGC number is part of the "poor", "fair", "good" diagnostics, with high AGC numbers indicating low signal strength. If the box is having to work harder at low signal levels, this yields high AGC levels.

I'm betting an amp fixes this issue. Been there, done that.

M'Kay, then. Good luck with that.

For the second time, I set up Desperate Housewives as a series recording, channel 707 only. The first time, it recorded on Channel 7 (non-HD), as I noted last week (and others confirmed). It recorded last Sunday just fine, but when I checked for next Sunday, it wasn't scheduled, and it turned out the series recording had been lost. All my other schedules season passes were fine.

Also, for the second time, in the middle of "swapping" tuners, I lost everything - all guide data, etc. I really don't know whether this was something I did (I doubt it) or a local Comcast problem (Burlingame, CA). Did this happen to anyone else, maybe around 8:30 last night?

Has anyone experienced this problem? If I set it to record a show at, for example, 7 pm, it actually comes on at about 7:00:25, missing the first half minute or so of the show. Sometimes it's important scene-setting stuff that's missed. I can't seem to find a way to adjust the 6412's clock to be in synch with network time. I called customer service and they say nobody's ever called about that, but they'll turn in the request at the headend (I love that term!) and see if there's anything that can be done on their end. I know it's possible to set it to come on a minute early, but that's a pain to make that setting each time. Plus, sometimes it causes conflicts if I'm already recording something the previous hour. Thanks for any input you may have.

Originally posted by olathebob
Has anyone experienced this problem? If I set it to record a show at, for example, 7 pm, it actually comes on at about 7:00:25, missing the first half minute or so of the show. Sometimes it's important scene-setting stuff that's missed. I can't seem to find a way to adjust the 6412's clock to be in synch with network time. I called customer service and they say nobody's ever called about that, but they'll turn in the request at the headend (I love that term!) and see if there's anything that can be done on their end. I know it's possible to set it to come on a minute early, but that's a pain to make that setting each time. Plus, sometimes it causes conflicts if I'm already recording something the previous hour. Thanks for any input you may have. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

I had the same problem. You can read what I did here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=426107

Bob - are you sure that the box is coming on late, or is the show coming on early? The guide on my 6412 (Comcast in Denver) usually shows when a program is starting early (i.e., it will show 7:58 as a start time). NBC starts early, ABC sometimes starts late. You can read up on other people's issues with conflicts within this thread. It seems that the box should be smart enough to know to switch tuners, but it also seems like more than a few people have problems in this area.

Originally posted by frankz1
M'Kay, then. Good luck with that.

Frank, If we have both tuners tuned to the same channel, I think we have both tuners seeing the same signal. In this case, one tuner works fine while the other tuner shows break-up. The fact that one tuner is working fine makes me want to look someplace other than corruption of the incoming signal.

Now, it is a certainty that no two tuners will have EXACTLY the same base noise level. So, if the incoming signal level is low (pristine, but low), this sets up the potential for a SNR problem in the noisy tuner.

This turned out to be my problem with the same symptoms, and it was solved with an amp.

gakon, I know what you're saying...the networks love to monkey around with their start times by a minute or two..both before and after the top of the hour. But I've set my watch to network time to check, and even on the shows that start exactly at the top of the hour, the 6412 comes on about 25 seconds late. If the guide shows an early or late start time, the box shifts with it, but still is constantly about 25 seconds late in starting, whether the guide's start time is 7:59 or 8:02. It seems like the guide is doing its job by shifting properly, but the box still starts later than the scheduled time. I guess I'll keep calling Comcast until they're able to better synch the time.

Originally posted by buzgz
Frank, If we have both tuners tuned to the same channel, I think we have both tuners seeing the same signal. In this case, one tuner works fine while the other tuner shows break-up. The fact that one tuner is working fine makes me want to look someplace other than corruption of the incoming signal.

Now, it is a certainty that no two tuners will have EXACTLY the same base noise level. So, if the incoming signal level is low (pristine, but low), this sets up the potential for a SNR problem in the noisy tuner.

This turned out to be my problem with the same symptoms, and it was solved with an amp.

Like I said, glad to hear you've solved whatever problem you're having.

Your explanation makes perfect sense if you're talking about analog signal or if you had two input cables going in to the 6412.

However, I believe it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what's going on inside your 6412 with digital signals.

If your signal level was so low that your digital viewing could be obliterated by whatever electronic tuner noise is being introduced, your analog picture would be unviewable.

The more likely explanation is that there is a specific line problem with transmitting the frequency that carries the FOX signal. Because of poor tuner quality control, Tuner 1's error correction has an easier time doing the correction on it than Tuner 2. Same input signal, different tuner, different outcome.

Digital is not analog. It's either there or it's not. If you have 99% signal strength on a digital signal, you will get the same picture as if you had 50% signal strength provided the 50% is constant (not 0 then 75 then 5 then 60, etc). The difference is not in the quantity of signal. It's in the quality of the signal. Obviously, tuner 2 has a harder time dealing with poor quality signal than tuner 1 does.

Originally posted by buzgz
Well, we don't agree. There is a "signal strength meter" called Automatic Gain Control in d04. The AGC number is part of the "poor", "fair", "good" diagnostics, with high AGC numbers indicating low signal strength. If the box is having to work harder at low signal levels, this yields high AGC levels.

I'm betting an amp fixes this issue. Been there, done that.
Did you buy the amp from the Cable co. or did you buy your own?
What amp did you get?

Anybody else who bought an amp, please respond.

Originally posted by Stephenb
I just got my 6412 from Comcast today and I have spent alot of time going through this thread, but I have a question that I either missed the answer to or is not answered here.
I have always used Replay 5xxx DVR ( I ahve 4) but now I want to use the 6412 to record HDTV, but use the normal STB function to provide a signal to the replay for recording non-HDTV. I know that the 6412 has dual tuners and I have tested that the Replay IR blaster changes channels properly. But how can I assign the 6412 to record on one tuner and allow the other tuner to drive the RTV when I want to record an HDTV and non-HDTV program simultaneously? Any help would be greatly appreciated. It is unclear to me that if I use the swap button and choose to record on the 6412 then swap again the RTV can use the tuner that isn't in use for the 6412.

Stephen,

Did you ever get this configuration to work? I was thinking of doing the same thing with my TiVo. Use the 6412 as my pure HD only PVR, while using my TiVo to record SD channels off the 6412. The 6412 would record HD channels on the background tuner and I would use the TiVo to record and control top level tuner (via IR blaster channel control) for SD channels.

Very interested if you were successful at this with your ReplayTV.

Originally posted by rkhobbit
Stephen,

Did you ever get this configuration to work? I was thinking of doing the same thing with my TiVo. Use the 6412 as my pure HD only PVR, while using my TiVo to record SD channels off the 6412. The 6412 would record HD channels on the background tuner and I would use the TiVo to record and control top level tuner (via IR blaster channel control) for SD channels.

Very interested if you were successful at this with your ReplayTV.

Hi,

Is this just to save capacity on the 6412? Otherwise, I am guessing you would just record both shows on that box. What I do is split the cable before it goes into the 6412 and run cables direct into my ReplayTVs. Since I am on the dreaded A/B system, I can only run one cable in per RTV, but both sides have the major networks and most of my recording is on them, so it isn't that big of an issue....

-Randy

Originally posted by QZ1
Did you buy the amp from the Cable co. or did you buy your own?
What amp did you get?

Anybody else who bought an amp, please respond.

Comcast installed the amp, and as far as I know it's free, although I guess it could show up on a subsequent bill. It's called a drop amp. The one he used is EDA-UG-2802.

I got my DCT6412 delivered on Monday. The tech went outside to check to see if my cable was "properly grounded" from the outside. I waited in the house and momentarily lost my picture on the TV and got disconnected from my VPN session at work. No big deal. But I could swear that the analog channel PQ is worse than before on all my TVs. For those of you experiencing the good analog PQ quality, can you please tune to Channel 3 on your DCT6412 and go into the diagnostic screen and tell me what your SNR and AGC are for the d04 screen?

Could the tech have actually made the signal worse? All the digital and HD channels are fine but I watch many Analog channels so the PQ is important to me. Also, I have a 1 to 6 splitter/amplifier that was installed by Comcast and has been working fine since installation (PQ wise). What should I check for outside my house? I feel like opening the cable panel outside to see what the cable line coming in looks like. How will I know if it is properly/improperly grounded?

I do realize that there is a certain amount of "fuzziness" that results from the A/D conversion (I studied this my DSP course) but I don't understand how some posters can say their analog PQ is the best they have ever seen....

Any help would be appreciated.

Originally posted by IFLYSWA
Re: Dual Tuner & Dual PVR: 6412 HD PVR and TiVo/Replay for SD PVR

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by rkhobbit
Stephen,

Did you ever get this configuration to work? I was thinking of doing the same thing with my TiVo. Use the 6412 as my pure HD only PVR, while using my TiVo to record SD channels off the 6412. The 6412 would record HD channels on the background tuner and I would use the TiVo to record and control top level tuner (via IR blaster channel control) for SD channels.

Very interested if you were successful at this with your ReplayTV.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi,

Is this just to save capacity on the 6412? Otherwise, I am guessing you would just record both shows on that box. What I do is split the cable before it goes into the 6412 and run cables direct into my ReplayTVs. Since I am on the dreaded A/B system, I can only run one cable in per RTV, but both sides have the major networks and most of my recording is on them, so it isn't that big of an issue....

-Randy

Yes, I want my 6412 PVR to be strictly used for HD for storage capacity reasons, and want my 100 hr TiVo (Best Quality) in reserve in case I miss something on the 6412 as it gets recorded over. Also, there are several non-HD channels we record on our current TiVo and I don't want to use the HD-PVR space on the 6412 to record them.

When you say, you simply split the cable prior to the 6412, I assume this means your ReplayTV is only able to record what is on BASIC cable and can't record stuff on non-HD HBO, Showtime or channels like the SciFi or F/X channels?

BTW, I don't have Cable yet and am trying to decide what I want to use for HD (Cable, DirecTV or Voom). So far, cable seems to have the best lowest upfront cost HD-PVR option so I am working that angle as best I can while trying to keep my standalone 100hr TiVo usable.

While watching HDTV live via DVI out from the 6412 on an HDTV, does the 6412 also simultaneaously downconvert the live HD TV signal to 480i for output to either/both the S-Video or composite outputs?

Originally posted by frankz1
However, I believe it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what's going on inside your 6412 with digital signals.

If your signal level was so low that your digital viewing could be obliterated by whatever electronic tuner noise is being introduced, your analog picture would be unviewable.



This is counterintuitive and I just don't believe it. Do you have any references for making this statement ?

Remember, a digital signal that is "only" 1000 times as strong as the RMS noise level is pretty much the MINIMUM digital signal these boxes can decode without break-up. I would think an analog signal 1000 times the noise level would be very viewable, even pristine.

Originally posted by buzgz
This is counterintuitive and I just don't believe it. Do you have any references for making this statement ?

Remember, a digital signal that is "only" 1000 times as strong as the RMS noise level is pretty much the MINIMUM digital signal these boxes can decode without break-up. I would think an analog signal 1000 times the noise level would be very viewable, even pristine.

If anything is counterintuitive, it's that amplifying a dirty signal will somehow produce a cleaner signal.

I think you should take another look at what signal to noise ratio the 6412's own diagnostic screens consider good, fair and poor and the difference between noise and errors. Respectfully, it also wouldn't hurt to try and imagine the amount of electronic noise a tuner would have to inject into a signal for that to be the issue (and the chances it would happen only on one channel) and the likelihood that this - rather than bad cables or line noise - could be the problem.

If a tuner was that faulty and electronically noisy, you'd see it on everything.

Originally posted by frankz1
I think you should take another look at what signal to noise ratio the 6412's own diagnostic screens consider good, fair and poor and the difference between noise and errors.

Before I got the signal level increased, one of my tuners showed SNR=29.2dB, poor, AGC=83%. This tuner had occasional break-up. This is completely consistent with my statement that 1000 times the noise level (SNR=30dB) is pretty much the MINIMUM SNR these boxes can stand.

What's your point ?

Originally posted by rkhobbit
Yes, I want my 6412 PVR to be strictly used for HD for storage capacity reasons, and want my 100 hr TiVo (Best Quality) in reserve in case I miss something on the 6412 as it gets recorded over. Also, there are several non-HD channels we record on our current TiVo and I don't want to use the HD-PVR space on the 6412 to record them.

When you say, you simply split the cable prior to the 6412, I assume this means your ReplayTV is only able to record what is on BASIC cable and cab't record stuff on non-HD HBO, Showtime or channels like the SciFi or F/X channels?


You are correct. I don't have any premiums, and I don't guess I really ever have any occasion to record anything that is strictly digital cable. As I mentioned, the majority of my recordings are off the major networks, so I probably just have a little tunnel vision here. I can get F/X and SciFi, though, just nothing over channel 100...

I do pretty much what you are planning...whenever possible, I have a analog backup of what I am recording on my 6208. Luckily, I haven't had to fall back to those recordings very often...

-Randy

Originally posted by frankz1
Respectfully, it also wouldn't hurt to try and imagine the amount of electronic noise a tuner would have to inject into a signal for that to be the issue.

FRANK, You could run your own experiment to get a better feel for how much noise the tuner is introducing. If you have a splitter in your feed to your box, note the SNR on both tuners tuned to the same channel before and after removing the splitter. I'm betting the SNR goes up nearly 3dB with the splitter removed (it will actually go up slightly less than that).

What this means is that almost ALL of the noise is being introduced in the box. There is simply no other explanation, your intuition not withstanding.

Originally posted by buzgz
FRANK, You could run your own experiment to get a better feel for how much noise the tuner is introducing. If you have a splitter in your feed to your box, note the SNR on both tuners tuned to the same channel before and after removing the splitter. I'm betting the SNR goes up nearly 3dB with the splitter removed (it will actually go up slightly less than that).

What this means is that almost ALL of the noise is being introduced in the box. There is simply no other explanation, your intuition not withstanding.

Like I said, amplify your line noise to your heart's content. If it works for you, great.

My splitters say right on them that they attenuate the signal by 3dB, so the fact that removing a splitter would amp your signal by 3dB is hardly an experimental breakthrough.

What would be fairly scientific would be if - say - Comcast came out when you were having problems and hooked up a signal meter to measure your SNR at the line and then comparing that to what the box was reporting. Hmmm...let me see...oh, yes. That's exactly what happened here! And the fact, your unscientific and wholly pointless experiment "not withstanding," is that they both showed the same reading when connected to the same feeder line, nephew.

Originally posted by rkhobbit
Yes, I want my 6412 PVR to be strictly used for HD for storage capacity reasons, and want my 100 hr TiVo (Best Quality) in reserve in case I miss something on the 6412 as it gets recorded over. Also, there are several non-HD channels we record on our current TiVo and I don't want to use the HD-PVR space on the 6412 to record them.

When you say, you simply split the cable prior to the 6412, I assume this means your ReplayTV is only able to record what is on BASIC cable and can't record stuff on non-HD HBO, Showtime or channels like the SciFi or F/X channels?

BTW, I don't have Cable yet and am trying to decide what I want to use for HD (Cable, DirecTV or Voom). So far, cable seems to have the best lowest upfront cost HD-PVR option so I am working that angle as best I can while trying to keep my standalone 100hr TiVo usable.

Why don't you get the 6412 and use it for recording HD, and get a second standard digital cable box that the Tivo can then control to supply the signal to the Tivo box. Should only be a couple bucks extra per month, and you can split the cable before the two boxes, and have the best of all worlds, and then there is no chance the Tivo ever screws up your recordings on the 6412.

Just an idea.

Originally posted by frankz1
.

My splitters say right on them that they attenuate the signal by 3dB, so the fact that removing a splitter would amp your signal by 3dB is hardly an experimental breakthrough.[/QUOTE}

Whoa, Uncle

If you have noise on the line it will also be increased 3dB when you remove the splitter. Hence, if the noise level on the line is significant with respect to the noise introduced by the box, you simply won't see the 3dB increase in SNR. If you do see the 3dB increase, it means almost all the noise is introduced by the box. Get it now ?

[QUOTE]What would be fairly scientific would be if - say - Comcast came out when you were having problems and hooked up a signal meter to measure your SNR at the line and then comparing that to what the box was reporting. Hmmm...let me see...oh, yes. That's exactly what happened here! And the fact, your unscientific and wholly pointless experiment "not withstanding," is that they both showed the same reading when connected to the same feeder line, nephew.

This is exactly the outcome you would expect if the noise on the line is greater than the noise introduced by the box. Then the line SNR will equal the box SNR ( the noise introduced in the box is negligible compared to line noise. No wonder you were having problems). But, if the noise on the line is the negligible noise, the SNR will increase when you remove the splitter, and you will discover (perhaps to your horror) that it is the box introducing all the noise.

Originally posted by MarcL
Why don't you get the 6412 and use it for recording HD, and get a second standard digital cable box that the Tivo can then control to supply the signal to the Tivo box. Should only be a couple bucks extra per month, and you can split the cable before the two boxes, and have the best of all worlds, and then there is no chance the Tivo ever screws up your recordings on the 6412.

Just an idea.

Thanks! Yes that crossed my mind too. It's $5/month for an extra STB. I'll use it as a last resort...

I PM'd the AVS member who did this exact 6412 setup with a ReplayTV and he indicated it works great.

Originally posted by frankz1
My splitters say right on them that they attenuate the signal by 3dB, so the fact that removing a splitter would amp your signal by 3dB is hardly an experimental breakthrough.
I noted my SNR, removed a splitter right before my TV, and the SNR went to zero, re-connected the line, with just a barrel connector, to the line going to the DVR, and then the SNR was exactly the same; so what does this mean? (Because I am getting lost with this discussion.)

BTW, what splitters only attenuate 3db?
I have only seen 3.5db and 4db splitters.

Originally posted by QZ1
Did you buy the amp from the Cable co. or did you buy your own?
What amp did you get?

Anybody else who bought an amp, please respond.

I bought this ONE. (http://www.cabletvamps.com/Products/EDA-EQ3100.htm) I needed more amplification for higher stations and less for lower channels. These are the same line that the cable co uses.

Best,
jeff

Originally posted by greeno
I bought this ONE. (http://www.cabletvamps.com/Products/EDA-EQ3100.htm) I needed more amplification for higher stations and less for lower channels. These are the same line that the cable co uses.

Best,
jeff
Sounds like a that amp is pretty nice, but pricey. I've had very good results with ratshack models (I currently use two) like this one: http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=15-2505

Originally posted by QZ1
I noted my SNR, removed a splitter right before my TV, and the SNR went to zero, re-connected the line, with just a barrel connector, to the line going to the DVR, and then the SNR was exactly the same; so what does this mean? (Because I am getting lost with this discussion.)

BTW, what splitters only attenuate 3db?
I have only seen 3.5db and 4db splitters.

This would mean that you have noise on the line much greater than the noise introduced by the box. This would be unusual, as the "nominal" SNR of the incoming signal is 40dB. I suppose this is at the pole, and you certainly lose 3dB with each splitter (and perhaps introduce additional noise). In addition you lose signal in the cable runs and connectors in the house. Without knowing the actual SNR, it's hard to say if this would be a problem. If the SNR is well above 30dB, say 32+, I wouldn't worry about it.

I would tune both tuners to the same channel, and note the SNR and AGC numbers for each channel. Then I would remove the splitter and hook the splitter input line (not using the barrel connector) to the box if possible and note the readings again.

If you can post those readings, I'll be glad to give you my ideas on your situation, but I'll say right now that if you're not having any problems you are fine and will probably stay that way. After all, your tuners could be exceptionally quiet. in which case the line may very well be the noisy component.

Originally posted by dmlove51
For the second time, I set up Desperate Housewives as a series recording, channel 707 only. The first time, it recorded on Channel 7 (non-HD), as I noted last week (and others confirmed). It recorded last Sunday just fine, but when I checked for next Sunday, it wasn't scheduled, and it turned out the series recording had been lost. All my other schedules season passes were fine.

Also, for the second time, in the middle of "swapping" tuners, I lost everything - all guide data, etc. I really don't know whether this was something I did (I doubt it) or a local Comcast problem (Burlingame, CA). Did this happen to anyone else, maybe around 8:30 last night?

Hey, DM. I'm in Los Altos Hills and was programming my 6412 and similar to you, at 7:50pm last night, my box reset and lost all my guide data (it's pretty much all reloaded by now 2:30pm the next day). First time I've seen this.

In the process I learned some things. One is that it didn't lose any shows I had recorded. Secondly, it didn't lose any of the recordings I had scheduled, it just listed them as "Wed 8-9 channel 7" rather than "Lost", similar to what I see for manual recording, and sure enough 10 minutes later it started recording. That show then showed up in the listing as "Wed 8-9 channel 7". But over time as the guide filled back in, subsequent scheduled recordings filled back in with show names and if so got recorded and listed by name. This suggests it relies on the guide to find and schedule recordings of shows and again when recordings are made, but ultimately recordings are scheduled by time and the guide is only used as available. The third thing I learned is that I could still set up recordings by time even if the guide was gone, which is good to know.

Originally posted by buzgz
This would mean that you have noise on the line much greater than the noise introduced by the box...

In other words, what I said. Of course, if in your world splitters, fittings and long cable runs are unlikely sources of line interference, YMMV.

Originally posted by frankz1
In other words, what I said. Of course, if in your world splitters, fittings and long cable runs are unlikely sources of line interference, YMMV.

Frank, I don't understand YMMV, but I'd bet it's not complementary. It is, of course, entirely possible that line noise exceeds box noise in some cases. I'd also bet that it is rare. We started this discussion for a situation where only one channel showed break-up. In those situations, the probabilities vastly favor box noise as the culprit. Otherwise, both channels would show break-up. I'd bet both of your channels showed break-up when you had the problem. That's because your problem was clearly noise on the line.

Do the experiment (removing the splitter), post the numbers before and after, and we'll discuss the results. I'm a rocket scientist, not a debater. I'll level with you if I'm wrong, and I expect the same from you. After all, we're here to help each other.

Originally posted by buzgz
Frank, I don't understand YMMV, but I'd bet it's not complementary. It is, of course, entirely possible that line noise exceeds box noise in some cases. I'd also bet that it is rare. We started this discussion for a situation where only one channel showed break-up. In those situations, the probabilities vastly favor box noise as the culprit. Otherwise, both channels would show break-up. I'd bet both of your channels showed break-up when you had the problem. That's because your problem was clearly noise on the line.

Do the experiment (removing the splitter), post the numbers before and after, and we'll discuss the results. I'm a rocket scientist, not a debater. I'll level with you if I'm wrong, and I expect the same from you. After all, we're here to help each other.

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary

I turn my box off for no man, but next time a crash requires it I will do said "experiment."

You're a rocket scientist? Funny, I'd have pegged you for a brain surgeon.

I've had most of the mentioned issues once or twice:

Freezing on a channel that is cleared by switching channels. Happened several times on one day on one channel. Happened again a couple days ago on a different channel.

One or two spontaneous reboots causing a gap in a recording (two items in My DVR).

HD picture breakup. Happened once just watching live. Happend again when recording 2 HD programs and watching a third previously recorded one (stress that puppy good). One of the recordings had a ton of breakup (Las Vegas) as well as 10 missing minutes near the beginning. The other recording (24) was flawless, as was viewing the pre-recorded program, so I'm leaning towards it being the station, not the box.

Series recording - bleah. I've figured out which ones work and which ones don't and the latter (about 30%) get done manually.

I tell ya - it's a good thing we don't watch that many shows, since I can't imagine recording our prime time shows in anything other than HD anymore - it's just too pretty.

Bob Scott

Originally posted by rkhobbit
Thanks! Yes that crossed my mind too. It's $5/month for an extra STB. I'll use it as a last resort...

I PM'd the AVS member who did this exact 6412 setup with a ReplayTV and he indicated it works great.

I don't see any need to use a second cable box to be able to record on a Replay/TiVo. I use my old Showstopper/Replay to record SD programs and mostly save the 6412 for HD. The setup required feeding the cable signal to both the 6412 and the Replay; I also run the cable feed into the antenna input of my TV. I run the s-video out from the 6412 into to Replay, and the DVI output of the 6412 to the TV. The Replay is setup to understand that it has separate inputs (it lists the direct cable inputs as 1002, 1003, etc. and the cable box inputs as 501, 502, etc., and automatically switches to the correct input when recording). I use an ir-blaster from the Replay to the 6412 for times when I record off the 6412, which is infrequent. Mostly we record analog channels on the Replay that are not broadcast in HD, and these recordings do not involve the 6412. If we do record from the 6412 on the Replay, I am careful that we are not recording on both 6412 tuners at the same time. The ir-blaster tunes the 6412 to the correct channel and records it. Instead of using too many splitters, I use a 1-to-4 bi-directional antenna amplifier, about $50 at Radio Shack. It allows signals through in both directions, so VOD still works.

Originally posted by cgw
I don't see any need to use a second cable box to be able to record on a Replay/TiVo. I use my old Showstopper/Replay to record SD programs and mostly save the 6412 for HD. The setup required feeding the cable signal to both the 6412 and the Replay; I also run the cable feed into the antenna input of my TV. I run the s-video out from the 6412 into to Replay, and the DVI output of the 6412 to the TV. The Replay is setup to understand that it has separate inputs (it lists the direct cable inputs as 1002, 1003, etc. and the cable box inputs as 501, 502, etc., and automatically switches to the correct input when recording). I use an ir-blaster from the Replay to the 6412 for times when I record off the 6412, which is infrequent. Mostly we record analog channels on the Replay that are not broadcast in HD, and these recordings do not involve the 6412. If we do record from the 6412 on the Replay, I am careful that we are not recording on both 6412 tuners at the same time. The ir-blaster tunes the 6412 to the correct channel and records it. Instead of using too many splitters, I use a 1-to-4 bi-directional antenna amplifier, about $50 at Radio Shack. It allows signals through in both directions, so VOD still works.

Thanks CGW!

I like the idea of using a RF splitter on the cable for non-digital channel recording on the Replay (TiVo in my case) and then using the 6412 via S-Video for recording non-HD digital channels greater than 100.

I'm getting closer to pulling the trigger and switching from DirecTV to Comcast cable.

Originally posted by rkhobbit
While watching HDTV live via DVI out from the 6412 on an HDTV, does the 6412 also simultaneaously downconvert the live HD TV signal to 480i for output to either/both the S-Video or composite outputs?

Yes, the composite out and S-v outs work concurrentlly with the HD output, but when the 6412 is set to output at HD resolution, the menus and the guide will not be seen on monitors receiving the SD pictiure via the composite or S-v. out from the 6412. So you get the same picture and audio via composite or S, just not the graphics (menus, guides, VOD menus, setup menu)

Originally posted by QZ1
Did you buy the amp from the Cable co. or did you buy your own?
What amp did you get?

Anybody else who bought an amp, please respond.

I bought one at SmartHome, a 1GHz RF Bi-Directional Amplifier, item # 7771 for $60. I actually have two of them. No problems so far.

Jack

Originally posted by rkhobbit
While watching HDTV live via DVI out from the 6412 on an HDTV, does the 6412 also simultaneaously downconvert the live HD TV signal to 480i for output to either/both the S-Video or composite outputs?

Yes, all outputs are active simultaneously.

Originally posted by kwkarth
Yes, all outputs are active simultaneously.

Thanks... That's good news since I may modulate the composite output from the 6412 for whole house distribution via a Channel Vision RF modulator.

Originally posted by rodneyremington
I have a samsung DLP too connected to a 6412 via component. (I also have a sony plasma connected to a 6412 via DVI).
I agree with the suggestion that you go into the service menu on the 6412 and make sure your aspect ratio is set at 16:9. I would set it at 1080i . Thanx, I will try to do that as soon as I get home. I was sorely disappointed when my brother slammed me for poor HD quality. Analog channels look so poor does anyone have any suggestions for fixing them? Just so darn grainy...my regular box paired with a crt sony trinitron look much better.

Originally posted by rkhobbit
Thanks... That's good news since I may modulate the composite output from the 6412 for whole house distribution via a Channel Vision RF modulator.
There is an RF output already on the 6412. You could just use that and feed it to a distribution amp.

Originally posted by Demianwulf
Thanx, I will try to do that as soon as I get home. I was sorely disappointed when my brother slammed me for poor HD quality. Analog channels look so poor does anyone have any suggestions for fixing them? Just so darn grainy...my regular box paired with a crt sony trinitron look much better.

You might try setting the DVI and Component outputs to 720p to see if that works better than 1080i. I think your Samsung uses 720 horizontal lines, so setting the 6412 to 1080 might cause an hd program broadcast in 720 to be upconverted to 1080, and then your set would just downconvert it to 720. Often, less processing is better. I don't know the native resolution on the Sony plasma; most of the Sony rear projection lcd sets use 788 lines. It is worth a little experimenting to see if it matters.

Re RF output - my 6412 does not have one.

Originally posted by cgw
You might try setting the DVI and Component outputs to 720p to see if that works better than 1080i. I think your Samsung uses 720 horizontal lines, so setting the 6412 to 1080 might cause an hd program broadcast in 720 to be upconverted to 1080, and then your set would just downconvert it to 720. Often, less processing is better. I don't know the native resolution on the Sony plasma; most of the Sony rear projection lcd sets use 788 lines. It is worth a little experimenting to see if it matters.

Re RF output - my 6412 does not have one.

Re trying different output resolutions: Good comments.
RE the RF output. I've never used it but did read that it was there. I will look on the back of mine to see...

...Just looked... Sure enough, no RF output. You're absolutely right. Sorry for the misinformation.

Originally posted by buzgz
Frank, I don't understand YMMV, but I'd bet it's not complementary. It is, of course, entirely possible that line noise exceeds box noise in some cases. I'd also bet that it is rare. We started this discussion for a situation where only one channel showed break-up. In those situations, the probabilities vastly favor box noise as the culprit. Otherwise, both channels would show break-up. I'd bet both of your channels showed break-up when you had the problem. That's because your problem was clearly noise on the line.

Do the experiment (removing the splitter), post the numbers before and after, and we'll discuss the results. I'm a rocket scientist, not a debater. I'll level with you if I'm wrong, and I expect the same from you. After all, we're here to help each other.

I could be wrong (I'm just an engineer, not a cable TV installer), but I think the goal for a line amplifier is to have the gain of the amp exceed the cable loss (dB) + the noise figure (also dB) of the receiver (i.e. your cable box). This will ensure that your final SNR is equal to the SNR at your feed (minus the noise figure of your amp - which is why you want a good low noise amp). Anybody know what the noise figure of the cable box is?

Originally posted by wackymann
I could be wrong (I'm just an engineer, not a cable TV installer), but I think the goal for a line amplifier is to have the gain of the amp exceed the cable loss (dB) + the noise figure (also dB) of the receiver (i.e. your cable box). This will ensure that your final SNR is equal to the SNR at your feed (minus the noise figure of your amp - which is why you want a good low noise amp). Anybody know what the noise figure of the cable box is?

Your understanding is correct, but like with many things, the devil is in the details. Usually, line losses are greater at higher frequencies than at lower frequencies, so any subsequent amplification needs to take this into consideration.

A better approach I think, and the one that seems to be favored by Comcast, is to replace passive splitters with active splitters. The latter are actually zero gain amps, or lossless splitters, but they compensate for the greater loss at higher frequencies. They also avoid too much signal, which can be an additional problem.

Remember, the cable company can (is required to) give you adequate signal strength at the residence. The goal then is to compensate for those losses created inside. While the cable runs can be lossy, I think most of the problems are generated by splitting the signal too many times. There is actually quite a bit of margin in the incoming signal, and you would have to attenuate it by up to 7-10dB to create a problem.

Yes I have had the same problem about 25sec slow no way to adjust the clock I have found. I think comcast is not paying attention to adjusting there time.

Comcast adjusts the clock, we don't have any control over that.

I am trying to set my 6412 to record the new season of THE OSBOURNES. I set a recording with "First Run Only", but it still records all old episodes too. How can I set the 6412 to record only the new season?

I have the problem with my cable box time drifting. It can be off by as much as 3minutes some months. Every now and then Comcast will reset it, but it continues to drift. That's a real pain when I'm missing the first few minutes when recording.

kwarth and cgw -

i have mine set to 1080i even though my projector is 720p native...i found the motorola very poor at downscaling 1080i material (most of the movies on the premium channels) to 720p.....

the only problem i have is if i know i want to watch HD on ESPN-HD or FOX, i reset the output to 720p for it to look really sharp since those 720 native HD shows would have to be scaled twice by the time the image hits my screen with my projector.

Originally posted by HDTVLovr
I am trying to set my 6412 to record the new season of THE OSBOURNES. I set a recording with "First Run Only", but it still records all old episodes too. How can I set the 6412 to record only the new season?

As with TiVo, the 6412 is at the mercy of the guide info. If the guide info does not indicate that the program is a rerun then it will think it is a first run

Originally posted by JohninLA
I have the problem with my cable box time drifting. It can be off by as much as 3minutes some months. Every now and then Comcast will reset it, but it continues to drift. That's a real pain when I'm missing the first few minutes when recording.

I've noticed that too. Both cell phones and two RF clocks I have all read the same time, but the STB can be off as much as 3 mins sometimes.

Recorded Desp. Housewives. Only the music from one of the channels played back. No dialogue. This didn't happen w/ other content on the same network (Alias recorded fine.)

Originally posted by buzgz
A better approach I think, and the one that seems to be favored by Comcast, is to replace passive splitters with active splitters. The latter are actually zero gain amps, or lossless splitters, but they compensate for the greater loss at higher frequencies. They also avoid too much signal, which can be an additional problem.
Can you give a link to an 'active splitter'?

Originally posted by Jons_HT
Recorded Desp. Housewives. Only the music from one of the channels played back. No dialogue. This didn't happen w/ other content on the same network (Alias recorded fine.)
That sounds similar to a problem I had with the local CBS affiliate when the network changed to 5.1 audio. I would have the "background" with no "foreground". After a while, they caught it, though.

Ken

The support analyst stated that they recieved a memo today that basically
stated Motorola has admitted that their is a widespread problem with the
firmware of the 6412's that is causing the freezing issue and a global
firmware fix is being pushed nationwide on Friday January 21st that will
eliminate the problem(s).


Does anyone know if this has occured yet, and if there are any noticeable improvements?
How can one tell if the firmware has been updated (what's the new version)? Thanks!

I have version 09.12 now. I cannot be sure what version was on it yesterday as I didn't write it down but I *think* it was version 9.11?.

Again not sure what previous rev was present but 09.12 is on it now and when I came home my STB was not frozen as it has been every day for the last four or five days.

If someone can confirm firmware levels as of yesterday it would be a great help in determining if a push did take place.

Originally posted by mds54
The support analyst stated that they recieved a memo today that basically
stated Motorola has admitted that their is a widespread problem with the
firmware of the 6412's that is causing the freezing issue and a global
firmware fix is being pushed nationwide on Friday January 21st that will
eliminate the problem(s).


Does anyone know if this has occured yet, and if there are any noticeable improvements?
How can one tell if the firmware has been updated (what's the new version)? Thanks!

Menu, Menu on remote to get to the user menus. In menus pick Setup, Cable Box Setup, Configuration. The software version is on the upper-left (71.44-1203 is what I have), and firmware in the lower right (09.12). Firmware is the hardware control of the box. Software is the iGuide.

I think mine has been 09.12 since I got it 3 weeks ago. I've had several lockups when the box tries to run two analog channels at the same time. I'll find out if it's still having problems (SciFi Friday + Enterprise and others.) I have my VCR set up, just in case. :rolleyes:

This post earlier in the thread seems to indicate version 9.11 was out there on 01/10/05.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4954289#post4954289

Does anyone have anything more recent or know of a push that took place in the interim?

Originally posted by Midranger4
I have version 09.12 now. I cannot be sure what version was on it yesterday as I didn't write it down but I *think* it was version 9.11?.

Again not sure what previous rev was present but 09.12 is on it now and when I came home my STB was not frozen as it has been every day for the last four or five days.

If someone can confirm firmware levels as of yesterday it would be a great help in determining if a push did take place.

There are postings on this thread back to 11/16/04 saying they had Firmware 9.12, SW 71.44 1203, which would suggest that there's been no upgrade today of firmware or software, nor any in the last 2 months.

This begs the question, does anyone on this board know for a fact that Comcast can remotely push a firmware and/or software upgrade?

Originally posted by mrzzmr
There are postings on this thread back to 11/16/04 saying they had Firmware 9.12, SW 71.44 1203, which would suggest that there's been no upgrade today of firmware or software, nor any in the last 2 months. This begs the question, does anyone on this board know for a fact that Comcast can remotely push a firmware and/or software upgrade?

That's the same Firmware/SW version that I have too (as of Thursday night). So I guess that if those numbers don't change, we haven't received an upgrade? I assumed this was going to be pushed through remotely, just like a "hit". It would be nice to get an official followup about this.....

FYI......

E Frank Ball posted this on a local newsgroup:
"Comcast can reload the firmware remotely. It should just
"happen", probably overnight. Each office probably has to
do it, so it may be a few days late. If it doesn't show up
soon I'll call them."

Has anyone fooled around with the Ethernet port lately to see see if any connectivity is there? My router registers the port as being on and occasionally sending out data.

Yes, I know it probably isn't doing much but I am curious to what it is doing.

Admittedly I'm not an expert at networking, but I was not able to connect to my 6412 from my Mac, either using the IP address from the diagnostic screen or from any addresses that my router may assign. My router also did not recognize the 6412 as an attached device either. So I don't think there's any connectivity there, if that's something that can be enabled via firmware upgrade (my 6412 is at 9.12).

Originally posted by gakon
I

Finally, it's been a year since I bought my DVI cables, but I spent $25 for a 1-m cable from Pacific Cables, including shipping. You don't have to buy "brand name" DVI cables.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

I have a Samsung HLN437W. I got the DVI cable from Pacific Cable. Specifically, a DVI-D dual link part # DVIDL-2. It cost $33.00 including shipping. The picture shape was all wrong when I first turned the TV on. The settings that I had for the component cables were different from the DVI cable. After playing around with the settings, I noticed, that although the native resolution of the Sammy is supposed to be 720p, when the TV was set at this resolution, the picture didn’t fill up the entire screen. There was always a black border around it. However, when I set it on 1080i, the border disappeared and the picture filled the whole screen. The best setting was

TV TYPE 16:9
DVI/YPbPr OUTPUT 1080i
4:3 OVERRIDE Off

I noticed a difference in the color make up of the picture with the DVI cable. It seemed more natural. It also has a sharper picture, especially on the digital channels. This, however could all be my imagination because my wife doesn’t see any difference.

Are the IEEE 1394 ports on the rear of the 6412 active and what can they be used for?

I called Comcast tech support and got the standard "HUH?"

My Mitsubishi HDTV has the same 1394 ports on it and I'm trying to find out if these can be used instead of the Component video connections. Maybe the IEEE 1394 provides a digital or higher quality signal.

If I'm totally off base on the use of these ports, please clue me in on their use.

On my new 6412 I find that the close captioning doesnt appear when
using the second tuner on analog channels, and using the close
captioning of the TV set. It's not recorded either. Works fine on the
first tuner.

Originally posted by gzing2
Are the IEEE 1394 ports on the rear of the 6412 active and what can they be used for?

I called Comcast tech support and got the standard "HUH?"

My Mitsubishi HDTV has the same 1394 ports on it and I'm trying to find out if these can be used instead of the Component video connections. Maybe the IEEE 1394 provides a digital or higher quality signal.

If I'm totally off base on the use of these ports, please clue me in on their use.

I'm pretty sure that the ports on the 6412's are 1394 out - not in. You should be able to record to a D-VHS recorder or (I believe) a PC.

Hope that I'm not too far off-base - if I am - I'll delete this when someone posts a better answer! :-)

David

Originally posted by gzing2
My Mitsubishi HDTV has the same 1394 ports on it and I'm trying to find out if these can be used instead of the Component video connections. Maybe the IEEE 1394 provides a digital or higher quality signal.
[/B]Yes.

Lots of info all over the forum on Firewire. Do a search.

Originally posted by faceoff
I'm pretty sure that the ports on the 6412's are 1394 out - not in. You should be able to record to a D-VHS recorder or (I believe) a PC.

Hope that I'm not too far off-base - if I am - I'll delete this when someone posts a better answer! :-)

David

You can use the ports to hook to a TV that accepts firewire, but you'll get no menus or guide over that connection (it's meant to output to a recorder where you don't want menus and such on the recording).

Originally posted by eafenyes
I have a Samsung HLN437W. I got the DVI cable from Pacific Cable. Specifically, a DVI-D dual link part # DVIDL-2. It cost $33.00 including shipping. The picture shape was all wrong when I first turned the TV on. The settings that I had for the component cables were different from the DVI cable. After playing around with the settings, I noticed, that although the native resolution of the Sammy is supposed to be 720p, when the TV was set at this resolution, the picture didn’t fill up the entire screen. There was always a black border around it. However, when I set it on 1080i, the border disappeared and the picture filled the whole screen. The best setting was

TV TYPE 16:9
DVI/YPbPr OUTPUT 1080i
4:3 OVERRIDE Off

I noticed a difference in the color make up of the picture with the DVI cable. It seemed more natural. It also has a sharper picture, especially on the digital channels. This, however could all be my imagination because my wife doesn’t see any difference.
Be sure you're set to "TV-Wide" and not "PC-Wide" on the Samsung. I also have an HLN437W and get the right picture shape at both 720p and 1080i, however, I can't say either is better than the component inputs unfortunately.

Originally posted by Jons_HT
Recorded Desp. Housewives. Only the music from one of the channels played back. No dialogue. This didn't happen w/ other content on the same network (Alias recorded fine.)

WJLA was having trouble with their DD5.1 that night. Robert Forsyth, WJLA's Director of Ops & Engineering reported it over in the local DC/Balt forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5001196#post5001196).

Mike

Originally posted by Mike20878
WJLA was having trouble with their DD5.1 that night. Robert Forsyth, WJLA's Director of Ops & Engineering reported it over in the local DC/Balt forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5001196#post5001196).

Mike

How do we get that guy to move to Philadelphia? Over at the Philly HDTV thread, (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=182983) posters note that they've contacted Ops for their local stations re HDTV and have gotten "Nobody's watching anyway" responses.

Maybe PA-based Comcast needs to get down to Center City and tell them how many 6412s and 6208s have shipped locally.

I saw someone said something about the PIP button not working. When I was beta testing the dual-tuner DVR I was told they planned to enable it sometime this year. I would think it would require either a new remote or reprogramming as pressing the button doesn't even light the cable light.

Has anyone had strange programs record as series recordings that were not programmed? I found a series recording scheduled for a Jerry Falwell show I think but have nothing for it in my series priority listing. That's not the first time something like that has happened but it had gone away once I deleted and reinput all my series recordings.

Originally posted by Mike20878
I saw someone said something about the PIP button not working. When I was beta testing the dual-tuner DVR I was told they planned to enable it sometime this year. I would think it would require either a new remote or reprogramming as pressing the button doesn't even light the cable light.

Has anyone had strange programs record as series recordings that were not programmed? I found a series recording scheduled for a Jerry Falwell show I think but have nothing for it in my series priority listing. That's not the first time something like that has happened but it had gone away once I deleted and reinput all my series recordings.

Series recording is woefully broken. I think people should start posting if they've been able to get it to work perfectly. Having it not work right or at all seems to be the norm.

Originally posted by frankz1
Series recording is woefully broken. I think people should start posting if they've been able to get it to work perfectly. Having it not work right or at all seems to be the norm.

For the most part it's been ok. The STB reset once recently and cut a recording into two parts. I found out the hard way that if you tried to change a series priority and did not click the confirm priority button it would screw it up royally. I was seeing duplicate priority numbers and I was unable to move priorities above or below the point where a number was skipped. The only way to fix it was to delete and reinput everything.

It is certainly not TiVo, but the dual-tuner and HD is very nice.

Originally posted by Mike20878
For the most part it's been ok. The STB reset once recently and cut a recording into two parts. I found out the hard way that if you tried to change a series priority and did not click the confirm priority button it would screw it up royally. I was seeing duplicate priority numbers and I was unable to move priorities above or below the point where a number was skipped. The only way to fix it was to delete and reinput everything.

It is certainly not TiVo, but the dual-tuner and HD is very nice.

Don't get me wrong. I love my 6412, and my TiVo is now used primarily for SD backups of what I do on the 6412.

I never use series recording because (even with tivo, although to a lesser extent) I find it to be more trouble than it's worth. People who have been trying to use series recording regularly post the difficulties they've been having. I always advise to manually set up your recordings each week by going through the guide.

Originally posted by frankz1
Don't get me wrong. I love my 6412, and my TiVo is now used primarily for SD backups of what I do on the 6412.

I never use series recording because (even with tivo, although to a lesser extent) I find it to be more trouble than it's worth. People who have been trying to use series recording regularly post the difficulties they've been having. I always advise to manually set up your recordings each week by going through the guide.

What type of difficulties? It's been nearly perfect for me, save for that phantom recording. One of my major gripes is the way it handles shows that rerun frequently during the week. TiVo has a 28 day rule where it will remember that a show was already recorded and not record it again, period. The 6412 is pretty stupid in this regard - it forgets what was recorded as soon as the show has been deleted. They told me this is how it is supposed to work, but that's ridiculous. I would have The Wire recorded, watched, then deleted and it would record the same episode again the next time it aired.

But I have not had a show not recorded. Any problems I have had are due to local affiliates HD/DD5.1 problems.

Originally posted by Mike20878
What type of difficulties? It's been nearly perfect for me, save for that phantom recording. One of my major gripes is the way it handles shows that rerun frequently during the week. TiVo has a 28 day rule where it will remember that a show was already recorded and not record it again, period. The 6412 is pretty stupid in this regard - it forgets what was recorded as soon as the show has been deleted. They told me this is how it is supposed to work, but that's ridiculous. I would have The Wire recorded, watched, then deleted and it would record the same episode again the next time it aired.

But I have not had a show not recorded. Any problems I have had are due to local affiliates HD/DD5.1 problems.

The "stupid" factor is a big problem for some people who record off-network type series (Daily Show and Osbournes, etc). There are many reports that if you have two series scheduled for the same time you can cancel one but never both. If a show, like Alias, changes times by even a minute from what your series recording thinks, it doesn't record.

By the way, the Wire is on OnDemand for free to HBO subscribers, so you can save your disc space for other things! It's SD, so you won't be missing anything.

Originally posted by frankz1
The "stupid" factor is a big problem for some people who record off-network type series (Daily Show and Osbournes, etc). There are many reports that if you have two series scheduled for the same time you can cancel one but never both. If a show, like Alias, changes times by even a minute from what your series recording thinks, it doesn't record.

By the way, the Wire is on OnDemand for free to HBO subscribers, so you can save your disc space for other things! It's SD, so you won't be missing anything.

Is it in DD5.1 OnDemand as it is on HBO? It wasn't until recently that they allowed freebies to be saved for later viewing. That used to annoy me to no end when a paused freebie would time out and I had to fast forward to where I left off.

Originally posted by Mike20878
Is it in DD5.1 OnDemand as it is on HBO? It wasn't until recently that they allowed freebies to be saved for later viewing. That used to annoy me to no end when a paused freebie would time out and I had to fast forward to where I left off.

I never checked the DD5.1 on the Wire OnDemand, but I doubt it. What's more, Comcast's On Demand Guide (http://comcast.m0.net/m/p/com/mic/view_hbo.asp) indicates they've scrolled off the system as of last week.

Originally posted by frankz1
Series recording is woefully broken. I think people should start posting if they've been able to get it to work perfectly. Having it not work right or at all seems to be the norm.

Mine works perfect. I have 5 series set and have never had a problem. I have 2 of them set to record at the same time and have never had a problem with anything. I hope I didn't just jinx anything!

I know they were going to do a firmware update on and AFTER the 21st of January... I looked today, and it still said Firmware version 9.12...

Anyone have anything different, yet?

I stupidly always assume that since comcast is in Philly that we'll get the latest greatest things... *rolls eyes*... shows what I know.

Originally posted by Mike20878
I was seeing duplicate priority numbers and I was unable to move priorities above or below the point where a number was skipped. The only way to fix it was to delete and reinput everything.

I've had this problem too for quite a while. Does anyone know a fix or workaround for this? I've got a 1 and a 2 on my priority list then it skips to 4 and there's 2 5s and a number duplicates in the teens as well. I can't move any show past the "error" numbers. It's quite frustrating. Any ideas?

Despite prior references to the contrary, the Comcast CSR I just spoke to knew absolutely nothing about any F/W download due to start updating our boxes starting yesterday, Jan 21st. All she could confirm is the iGuide S/W upgrade due "sometime in Feb.". Most discouraging as it is apparently the F/W upgrade which is claimed to resolve the box freeze up issue affecting so many (including me).

I objected since they had previously CANCELED a service call because they announced this F/W upgrade would resolve my issue - and was due "in the next 7 to 10 days" (the 10 days being 10 days ago).

So I insisted on a box swap. I was informed that the various Comcast outlets in my area all have them in stock now (as of last week apparently) and she invited me to simply take my current box in and get a replacement. That's my next plan.

For reference, my versions are:

F/W: 09.12
S/W: 71.44 - 1203

As has been reported earlier, these have been seen on 6412s way back in Nov'04...

Originally posted by ohmyjosh
I've had this problem too for quite a while. Does anyone know a fix or workaround for this? I've got a 1 and a 2 on my priority list then it skips to 4 and there's 2 5s and a number duplicates in the teens as well. I can't move any show past the "error" numbers. It's quite frustrating. Any ideas?

Unfortunately, the only fix is to delete and reinput them all. Just write them down so you don't forget anything. It's pretty damn annoying that it even lets you out of the screen without confirming if that's what's required.

I have a Comcast technician coming out in a week to (presumably) swap out my defective 6412. I have a question about that, though. When I swap boxes I understand that I will lose any programs already recorded and stored on the DVR. However, will the new box automatically get my scheduled (upcoming) recordings restored to it? Just wondering if I need to write all those down before the boxes are swapped out. Thanks for any advice!

Originally posted by ewolf72
I have a Comcast technician coming out in a week to (presumably) swap out my defective 6412. I have a question about that, though. When I swap boxes I understand that I will lose any programs already recorded and stored on the DVR. However, will the new box automatically get my scheduled (upcoming) recordings restored to it? Just wondering if I need to write all those down before the boxes are swapped out. Thanks for any advice!

When the box is that smart, I bet we won't still be having problems like not being able to reprioritize series recordings. :)

The answer is "no." Everything personalized about the box leaves with the box.

Originally posted by frankz1
When the box is that smart, I bet we won't still be having problems like not being able to reprioritize series recordings. :)


http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/ROTFLMAO.gif

Originally posted by ewolf72
I have a Comcast technician coming out in a week to (presumably) swap out my defective 6412. I have a question about that, though. When I swap boxes I understand that I will lose any programs already recorded and stored on the DVR. However, will the new box automatically get my scheduled (upcoming) recordings restored to it? Just wondering if I need to write all those down before the boxes are swapped out. Thanks for any advice! Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

I had to have my box swapped out too. What I did was hit record on my VCR and recorded every show I wanted. I also recorded what was on my Scheduled Recordings and Priorities.

A long and painful task but hey.

This was easier than writing them down. At least for me anyway.

Good Luck.

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

I received confirmation yesterday that those at Comcast working directly with the i-Guide are reading these posts. So keep posting all your bugs, comments, concerns, and especialy feature requests here.

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

I received confirmation yesterday that those at Comcast working directly with the i-Guide are reading these posts. So keep posting all your bugs, comments, concerns, and especialy feature requests here.

Heard you the first time..:p

This is good news though, I was just wondering about that today, if they were aware of these problems.

Originally posted by edmc
For reference, my versions are:

F/W: 09.12
S/W: 71.44 - 1203

As has been reported earlier, these have been seen on 6412s way back in Nov'04...

I checked my configuration and it's the same as yours. I think it's been that way for a little while now.

On Demand was just activated about 2 weeks ago in my area. I can't get it to work. I press the button, it goes to the channel and I get an error message. It says communication error try again if this happens again call comcast. I called comcast 3 times tonight, first time the csr downloaded something to my box,seems like it added a new item in the menu to get to On demand from the full menu and quick menu which I didn't have before. That didn't work. I called back and the guy told me to unplug the box and wait 30 minutes after I plug it back in and that should do it....wrong! I call back again and the csr sends a few "hits" to the box and she says the box is showing a status of unresponsive. Says it may be a "bad" box. Then she says she heard ON Demand may not work with a DVR box??? So does anyone have any ideas about this? and do any of you have On Demand active with your DVR? I had one thought, I have 1 splitter in my basement that goes to my DVR that is about 4 years old, I think it is either a 900 or 1000 mhz splitter, it is the one that they installed when I first got digital cable, could that be causing this? I saw a Monster splitter at Circuit City maybe I'll try that before I get the box swaped, I have had no other problems with this DVR and really don't want to trade it for another. I think there must be something going on besides a "bad box".
Thanks for any replys!


__________________
Jim

Force a technician to come out to your place. I had the same problems, in the end Comcast ran a brand new line from the pole to my house. Now no problems with the internet or On Demand.

Originally posted by eafenyes
The picture shape was all wrong when I first turned the TV on. The settings that I had for the component cables were different from the DVI cable. After playing around with the settings, I noticed, that although the native resolution of the Sammy is supposed to be 720p, when the TV was set at this resolution, the picture didn't fill up the entire screen. There was always a black border around it. However, when I set it on 1080i, the border disappeared and the picture filled the whole screen.

Your settings are the same as mine. However, like flex727, I saw no difference in screen area on my HLN617 whether I selected 720p or 1080i. I did notice that the image definitely appeared brighter, so I had to play with the contrast and brightness to get back to what I was originally seeing on component. I didn't notice a big difference in PQ between component and DVI for HD content, so I continue to use my DVI for DVD's. I know there are now DVI switches available, but it would be more trouble than it's worth for me and my family.

I am on my second 6412 and am still having problems getting an analog signal out of the digital audio outputs on the analog channels 1-100. I now have picture and sound on all other channels and my premium channels are back to working. A tech from Comcast was scheduled to come out yesterday but had to reschedule for next weekend due to the snow.

Any thoughts on why I've got picture but no sound still on the analog channels? I may call and have the tech bring a 6208 back out just in case he can't find a solution. I never had any problems with that box.

Bill

Originally posted by BullittMustang
Then she says she heard ON Demand may not work with a DVR box??? So does anyone have any ideas about this? and do any of you have On Demand active with your DVR? I had one thought, I have 1 splitter in my basement that goes to my DVR that is about 4 years old, I think it is either a 900 or 1000 mhz splitter, it is the one that they installed when I first got digital cable, could that be causing this?
Jim
Here in Indy, On Demand works on my DVR. I do remember, however, when we first got digital with On Demand, (before DVR) that it was a while before it worked "consistently". As I recall, we had lots of communication error screens.

On your splitter, if it's only 900 Mhz, that could be questionable, maybe. However, I would think it would be causing other issues with the box other than just On Demand.

Ken

Series recording is woefully broken. I think people should start posting if they've been able to get it to work perfectly. Having it not work right or at all seems to be the norm."Woefully broken"? I think that's exaggerating a bit. 95% of the time it does what I expect it to. For your typical network primetime shows it's great. I have to delete some unwanted stuff (CSI syndicated reruns) once in a while, but that's better than having it miss shows.

Having had a TiVo, a mature PVR platform, Series Recording rarely works well on anything other than network shows anyway. The cable networks are just not good at reporting series data. TiVo's 28 day rule helps a lot, but I have come home to a marathon run of something that was set for First Run Only or a second recording of something I've already watched recently more times than I can count. Lots of times, the 28 day rule doesn't work because the show has no episode ID. There have been times where the 28 day rule has caused failures to record new shows due to last minute schedule changes by the network.

Microsoft Media Center has some interesting limits on season recordings that are clearly designed to help mitigate this issue. It has the ability to limit to an approximate tme frame. But I can't say that works really well, either.

I've had the box for a few months now, and only ran into my first true *bug* with the Series recording feature this Wednesday. I had it scheduled to record Lost, Alias, American Idol, and Point Plesant. The box should have been able to record all four (two channels, back to back). But due to Lost's 3 minute overscheduling, the box was unable to handle it. It failed to record both Alias and Point Plesant. The dual tuner logic seems to need a little work. The box was so confused that it left the two missing shows in "scheduled recordings" as unknown programs ... as if they were still going to be recorded after the fact. :)

Originally posted by KBandy
On your splitter, if it's only 900 Mhz, that could be questionable, maybe. However, I would think it would be causing other issues with the box other than just On Demand.
No, 900MHz splitter is fine, because digital systems are 750 or 860MHz at this time. Of course, it could be defective.

Originally posted by Bill_B4
I may call and have the tech bring a 6208 back out just in case he can't find a solution. I never had any problems with that box.
You almost certainly won't be able to get a 6208 again, because the tech. told me, that they were not installing them anymore, they are discontinued.

Originally posted by buzgz
you certainly lose 3dB with each splitter (and perhaps introduce additional noise).

If this is true, then the barrel connector is losing 3.5db as well, but that doesn't sound right.

In addition you lose signal in the cable runs and connectors in the house. Without knowing the actual SNR, it's hard to say if this would be a problem. If the SNR is well above 30dB, say 32+, I wouldn't worry about it.

Tuner 1 - SNR 33.5 to 34.5 'Good' (Occasionally below 33db, 'Fair')
/ AGC 'Good' ~43%

Tuner 2 SNR 31.5 to 32.5. Fair / AGC 'Good' ~52% (Occasionally 'Fair')

The SNR difference between the two tuners is always at least 1db.

If you can post those readings, I'll be glad to give you my ideas on your situation, but I'll say right now that if you're not having any problems you are fine and will probably stay that way.

As I said, once all the channels were pixelating. Moreover, just that both tuners should be at a minimum SNR of 33db (Good)/ and AGC 'Good', although I guess they don't have to be.

My 6412 has worked flawlessly since I got it a month ago, except for a single recording the other night (Leno) where the video was OK, but there was no sound. Even odder was that hitting the fast forward button would show FF on the box, but it didn't forward the recording (same with reverse & 30 second skip). Anyone have any ideas on this one?

Originally posted by DJRobX
"Woefully broken"? I think that's exaggerating a bit. 95% of the time it does what I expect it to. For your typical network primetime shows it's great. I have to delete some unwanted stuff (CSI syndicated reruns) once in a while, but that's better than having it miss shows.

...which is fine until you have a DVR full of "Delete When Space Needed" programs and your DVR starts deleting shows you actually want in favor of recording a few CSI episodes from 2001 on SpikeTV.

I've had the box for a few months now, and only ran into my first true *bug* with the Series recording feature this Wednesday. I had it scheduled to record Lost, Alias, American Idol, and Point Plesant. The box should have been able to record all four (two channels, back to back). But due to Lost's 3 minute overscheduling, the box was unable to handle it. It failed to record both Alias and Point Plesant. The dual tuner logic seems to need a little work. The box was so confused that it left the two missing shows in "scheduled recordings" as unknown programs ... as if they were still going to be recorded after the fact. :)

Hence the non-exaggerating use of the term "woeful." I'd be filled with woe if I missed an episode of Alias or Lost because the network changed times by 3 minutes and my DVR series recording couldn't handle it.

By the way, the only way to deal with the Wednesday night issue that I've found is to manually add the shows one network at a time. Lost ---> Alias --> AI --> PP in that order.

...just started this week, is anyone else experiencing this:

I have 2 6412s. Just this week, on one of them, when I hit Pause, Replay, Rewind on live TV nothing happens...it just keeps playing live TV. It happens on both Tuners. As I said, this was not happening prior to this week. I am not exactly sure when it started, as I just noticed it on Friday.

My other 6412 is not experiencing this problem.

Anyone have this problem?

pete

Originally posted by NovaCat91
...just started this week, is anyone else experiencing this:

I have 2 6412s. Just this week, on one of them, when I hit Pause, Replay, Rewind on live TV nothing happens...it just keeps playing live TV. It happens on both Tuners. As I said, this was not happening prior to this week. I am not exactly sure when it started, as I just noticed it on Friday.

My other 6412 is not experiencing this problem.

Anyone have this problem?

pete

I've had this. The only resolution I've found is to yank the plug. You'll need to wait a pretty long while after you plug it back in before the guide data and all the functionality is restored, so if you can live with it the best time is overnight.

Is there a way to trim the list of channels displayed in the guide? I don't want to list any channels that I have not subscribed to as it makes navigating through the guide a pain in the ass.

Originally posted by DJRobX
"Woefully broken"? I think that's exaggerating a bit. 95% of the time it does what I expect it to.

If your series recording is of an HD channel, and the box constantly
reverts back to recording the std def analog channel, then yes, it
is woefully broken. To put it mildly.

It's so bad, that several times now I've caught it recording the non HD
channel, killed the currently recording show, tuned to the HD channel
and hit the record button to get things back on track, only to find it
later recording _both_ the analog and HD channel. Not ready
for prime time, IMHO.

Thankfully, I have 3 Replays backing the 6412 up for when it does go
brain dead. And, the Replay's medium compression recordings are far
better than the encoder in the Moto box. That's why many people I see
posting here only use the 6412 for HD, and use a Replay or Tivo for
analog channels. It's not HD, but it's better than missing the show.

While the dual tuner and HD recording are nice, the limited disk space
and flawed software makes it less than an ideal solution. Hopefully both
will be resolved soon...

-Joe

Update on my box and a few new problems.

1) I finally had a lockup (2 in fact) and, for whatever weird reason, they both evidently happened with Sci-Fi!. Friday night, I set the box to tape Monk and Battlestar Galactica while I watched a DVD. Recording light stayed on until both shows were off. After the DVD, I went to watch Monk and only 38 minutes were recorded. The "Info" screen showed 60 minutes, but the skip/FF bar showed 38 total and it was indeed cut off a 38. Started BG and it was also cut off a 38. So, I set them to record again later in the night (this time not concurrently). Monk (at 11:00) taped the entire show -- 60 minutes, BG (at 12:00) taped 42 minutes. Aaargh. I'll try again on the BG repeat on Monday, but this time I'll also tape it with my PC-based DVR and try to watch it to see if it really locks up.

2) On Demand stopped working. I suspect this is my local Comcast's fault, but I'm posting it here because I find it incredibly annoying that when it doesn't work, the STB essentially locks up for 3-4 minutes. You get a "One moment please" black screen for a while, then an error message, then the "One moment please" again for a few minutes, then another error message. Until the second error message, you can't do anything -- turn the box off, change channels, swap tuners, access any menus, nothing.

What the heck is wrong with Sci-Fi? Why, of all the cable networks, does this channel seem to screw things up? Are they encoding their signals strangely? Sending some odd DRM code? Or is it just coincidence?

Originally posted by EuroKRN
Is there a way to trim the list of channels displayed in the guide? I don't want to list any channels that I have not subscribed to as it makes navigating through the guide a pain in the ass.

I wonder if this isn't some "Feature" that appeals to the cable companies? I am happier now that I found I can obscure the PPV adult shows with "Adult Programming" (don't want my kids asking about "Snoop Dogg's Girls Gone Wild"), but I am a cheapskate and don't have any pay channels and rarely, if ever, buy PPV (although when more of them are DTS and widescreen, I might -- until then, I'll buy or rent DVDs).

I think it might be a "feature" for two reasons:

1) the cable companies *want* you to see what's on HBO, Cinemax, PPV, etc. so that you are tempted to buy them.

2) if the box allows you to hide channels from the listing, Joe Sixpack is going to screw up his listing then call the cable company and ask why they dropped some channel from their lineup. Therefore, it makes it easier on the CC's CSRs.

It would be nice if you could just toggle between "All Channels" and "Favorites". I did set up my favorites, but I rarely remember to scroll through them with the favorites button -- I usually just pop up the guide and page through it.

Finally, since we are listing and voting on "wish list" type features -- the search for programs feature is really annoying. I know remotes are limited, but there are much better schemes for inputting show names and doing wildcard type searches. Beyond TV for the PC has a nice remote friendly search screen.

Question re the Audio Setup on the 6412: In experimenting with various options, I set the "Optimum Stereo" (the second line in the Audio Setup list) to "Yes". But I think I liked it better when it was "Off", but I can't seem to find anyway to set it back to "Off". Can anyone tell me how to do it?

Thanks much!

thinking about getting a dvhs to save the eagles post season.

ca anyone point me to what connect i would need to send the feed from the 6412 to JVC HM-DH5U

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-M3PpaBKxzNZ/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=56000&I=257HMDH5US

Hello, all. I have had my box for about a week now. I'm just getting familiar with it and how to operate it. I have noticed one thing that has me a little puzzled. The "Record" indicator in the upper right corner of the display is always on when the unit is turned off. I don't hear the drive accessing or anything, and it is not when it is set to record anything un-attended.

I have checked the little "mini-manual" that was left with the unit, but haven't found anything to address this. I guess it's normal, but I am just wondering. Anyone have any insight on this?

Thanks,
Ken

Originally posted by KBandy
Hello, all. I have had my box for about a week now. I'm just getting familiar with it and how to operate it. I have noticed one thing that has me a little puzzled. The "Record" indicator in the upper right corner of the display is always on when the unit is turned off. I don't hear the drive accessing or anything, and it is not when it is set to record anything un-attended.

I have checked the little "mini-manual" that was left with the unit, but haven't found anything to address this. I guess it's normal, but I am just wondering. Anyone have any insight on this?

Thanks,
Ken

I don't usually turn mine off, so I haven't noticed that. Maybe that means it's in a ready state to record? It does turn itself on with the next scheduled recording. That's one nice thing it's got over TiVo.

Originally posted by KBandy
Hello, all. I have had my box for about a week now. I'm just getting familiar with it and how to operate it. I have noticed one thing that has me a little puzzled. The "Record" indicator in the upper right corner of the display is always on when the unit is turned off. I don't hear the drive accessing or anything, and it is not when it is set to record anything un-attended.

I have checked the little "mini-manual" that was left with the unit, but haven't found anything to address this. I guess it's normal, but I am just wondering. Anyone have any insight on this?

Thanks,
Ken Try this. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/printpost.php?postid=4947332) Good luck.

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

I think I found another bug.

I was away from my TV and I had FOX News on the whole time when I noticed War Stories was on. I was about 15 minutes into it so I wanted to record it for viewing a bit later. All 15 minutes prior plus 30 of the prior show was in buffer so I was happy that I could record the whole show. I hit record and I lost the first 15 minutes. It just started to record from the point I hit record.

So much for recording the buffer. This has happened to me twice now and I have not seen it mentioned here so I figured I post it.

Anyone else experience this?

Originally posted by whotony
thinking about getting a dvhs to save the eagles post season.

ca anyone point me to what connect i would need to send the feed from the 6412 to JVC HM-DH5U

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-M3PpaBKxzNZ/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=56000&I=257HMDH5US Use one of the AVS Forum Alliance Members at the top of the page and order a Firewire IEEE 1394 Cable 6 to 4 PIN cable. Anything longer than 15 feet requires powered hub. Good luck.

Originally posted by tall1
Try this. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/printpost.php?postid=4947332) Good luck.
That did it! Thanks a lot. What does "RF Bypass" do, anyway?

Thanks again.

Ken

Originally posted by BullittMustang
On Demand was just activated about 2 weeks ago in my area. I can't get it to work. I press the button, it goes to the channel and I get an error message. It says communication error try again if this happens again call comcast. I called comcast 3 times tonight, first time the csr downloaded something to my box,seems like it added a new item in the menu to get to On demand from the full menu and quick menu which I didn't have before. That didn't work. I called back and the guy told me to unplug the box and wait 30 minutes after I plug it back in and that should do it....wrong! I call back again and the csr sends a few "hits" to the box and she says the box is showing a status of unresponsive. Says it may be a "bad" box. Then she says she heard ON Demand may not work with a DVR box??? So does anyone have any ideas about this? and do any of you have On Demand active with your DVR? I had one thought, I have 1 splitter in my basement that goes to my DVR that is about 4 years old, I think it is either a 900 or 1000 mhz splitter, it is the one that they installed when I first got digital cable, could that be causing this? I saw a Monster splitter at Circuit City maybe I'll try that before I get the box swaped, I have had no other problems with this DVR and really don't want to trade it for another. I think there must be something going on besides a "bad box".
Thanks for any replys!


__________________
Jim

I changed the splitter today and it did not help. I did have a 1000MHz splitter on there but I figured it would be worth a shot to change it. Does anyone have any other ideas of what maybe causing this? What could cause a cable box to be unresponsive? I have ordered pay per view movies and that worked fine. Maybe the In Demand isn't fine tuned for my area yet? Any suggestions would be welcome.

I just got my box yesterday, and I notice that the list of HDTV channels under the "HDTV Services" menu is incomplete. Specifically, the NBC, ABC, and CBS HD channels are missing.

Is there any way to tell the box which HDTV channels I have, or is this something Comcast needs to do on their end?

(I'm in the SF Bay area, if it makes a difference)

Originally posted by petersw
I just got my box yesterday, and I notice that the list of HDTV channels under the "HDTV Services" menu is incomplete. Specifically, the NBC, ABC, and CBS HD channels are missing.

Is there any way to tell the box which HDTV channels I have, or is this something Comcast needs to do on their end?

(I'm in the SF Bay area, if it makes a difference)

Maybe it hasn't fully downloaded all of the data? Does your local Comcast definitely carry all of the local HD channels?

Originally posted by Mike20878
Maybe it hasn't fully downloaded all of the data? Does your local Comcast definitely carry all of the local HD channels?

It seems like 36 hours would be enough time for the download, but maybe not.

And Comcast does carry the local HD channels. I have no problem tuning these in directly. (Right now, for example, "Desperate Housewives" is on channel 707 in HDTV, but it does not show up as an HDTV program in the guide).

Somewhere way back in this enormous thread, this topic has been talked about. In short, it's a "known problem". You should, however, see *all* of the HD stations in the Full Channel Guide (700s in the SF Bay Area on Comcast). Annoying - maybe the next S/W download (sometime in Feb?) will address this issue.

Ok guys, I'm getting REALLY fed up with Comcast right now. I'm on my third, soon to be my 4th 6412....

The first one had the audio problem with the second tuner. Got that replaced and the second box started freezing up on me. Dunno why it would do this, but I would be watching a channel, the picture and audio would freeze, and I'd have to change channels to get the box to work again.

Had the second box replaced for a third last week, and all was well for about 3 days. Now the third box is doing the damn freezing thing again. The Comcast tech said this was a new one and he hadn't heard of it before. Is anyone else having this problem?? Is there a fix? I really need some help here guys!

Thanks!

Originally posted by M Diddy
Ok guys, I'm getting REALLY fed up with Comcast right now. I'm on my third, soon to be my 4th 6412....

The first one had the audio problem with the second tuner. Got that replaced and the second box started freezing up on me. Dunno why it would do this, but I would be watching a channel, the picture and audio would freeze, and I'd have to change channels to get the box to work again.

Had the second box replaced for a third last week, and all was well for about 3 days. Now the third box is doing the damn freezing thing again. The Comcast tech said this was a new one and he hadn't heard of it before. Is anyone else having this problem?? Is there a fix? I really need some help here guys!

Thanks!

I've had the same 6412 since early November and have, for the most part, been more than satisfied with it. But I also have been experiencing some sporadic freezing on HD channels only. I had a rep come out over a month ago and it wouldn't do it while he was here and he suggested it could either be a signal problem from the source or to the set. He strengthened my 'to the set' signal and my analog channels got noticibly worse through the box. And I am noticing less freezing on HD.

Yesterday I watched HD nearly all day (snow storm combined with NFL playoffs) and it never froze at all. However, I did notice that during the Patriots/Steelers game, there was an annoying amount of flickering going on when the camera was zoomed way out, but it disappeared 100% of the time when the camera zoomed in. When I switched to analog, this flickering was not happening. It did occur on both tuners in HD though.

Since I didn't notice this on any other channels, I chalked it up to an error on the originator's end and the fact that HD technology is still in its infancy. But then, what do I know?

(This is really for the iGuide people watching this thread. Although some applies to Comcast and Motorola.)

The V-chip signal does not get through the Motorola box. So my TV's V-chip settings don't work anymore. Unfortunately, the Motorola box's parental controls are not as good as the V-chip.

The iGuide shows only original film ratings even if the movie has been edited for TV and given a TV rating. Here is why this is a problem. Say you tell the box to block movies rated "R" but not shows rated "TV-G." If a movie that was "R" in theaters is cut to "TV-G," it will be blocked anyway. That's because the iGuide thinks it's still rated "R."

Both the Motorola box and iGuide fail to use content label controls. These are the additions to the TV ratings (V, S, L, D, FV). So, for example, if I want to allow a show that is rated "TV-PG," but not if it contains sexual situations (S), I can't.

Noticed this question was asked before but couldn't find an answer...

Is there anyway to set the 6412 so that it passes through the native resolution of a program leaving the TV to do the upscaling?

My HDTV tends to work best with a pass through.

Thanks in advance!

Originally posted by Hoopnoop
Noticed this question was asked before but couldn't find an answer...

Is there anyway to set the 6412 so that it passes through the native resolution of a program leaving the TV to do the upscaling?

My HDTV tends to work best with a pass through.

Thanks in advance!

For HD, you are limited to being locked at the selected resolution. For SD, you can set the 4:3 override to 480i.

Turn box off, then hit MENU
Use the arrow keys to move up and down, and use left-right to make changes.
Hit power again to turn off, then power back on as normal.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by QZ1
Tuner 1 - SNR 33.5 to 34.5 'Good' (Occasionally below 33db, 'Fair')
/ AGC 'Good' ~43%

Tuner 2 SNR 31.5 to 32.5. Fair / AGC 'Good' ~52% (Occasionally 'Fair')



These readings are certainly better than mine, and I am having no problems.

Thanks AndryRoss!

I will experiment with 1080i versus 720p. I think I read elsewhere in this thread that some were not impressed with how the 6412 downscaled the 1080i picture to 720p. So, I think I'll most likely go with 1080i and change to 720p if I have a particular interest in something on Fox, ABC or Espn.

Yes, Comcast (Central NJ) is now mailing out popcorn to us DVR customers. Also, coupons for free INDEMAND. Well, maybe one coupon rather then the two coupons that the cover letter indicated. These people have difficulty getting things right. Still waiting for the new remote which was promised three months ago. Hang in there.

Originally posted by ThePerfectViewe
Yes, Comcast (Central NJ) is now mailing out popcorn to us DVR customers. Also, coupons for free INDEMAND. Well, maybe one coupon rather then the two coupons that the cover letter indicated. These people have difficulty getting things right. Still waiting for the new remote which was promised three months ago. Hang in there. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

No free popcorn here but they do have the remotes with the actual "swap" and useless "PIP" buttons on them. I have one.

In a break from all the 'I have a problem' posts....;)

Has anyone changed their guide colors? If you had no idea that you could do that: Hit Menu twice to get to the user menus. Then scroll to Setup, then Guide Colors Setup. There are at least 13 choices (scroll down for the last 3.)

I currently am using 'Mountain Silver.'

hoopnooop -

that is exactly what i do (leave the box in 1080i, unless i am watching espn-hd or Fox, then i change the output to 720p).

the 6412 does in fact pass the native resolution through the firewire port, but you can't see any of the guide graphics that way. sometimes if i can't change the output resolution of the box (like if it's recording something) i will watch 720p shows through my dvhs deck. it always displays the native resolution of the programming via firewire regardless of how you have the output resolution set.

Originally posted by andyross63
In a break from all the 'I have a problem' posts....;)

Has anyone changed their guide colors? If you had no idea that you could do that: Hit Menu twice to get to the user menus. Then scroll to Setup, then Guide Colors Setup. There are at least 13 choices (scroll down for the last 3.)

I currently am using 'Mountain Silver.' Right now I am on burgandy, but I change it every couple of weeks. Nice after years of the dreaded "tan guide".

While the dual tuner and HD recording are nice, the limited disk space and flawed software makes it less than an ideal solution. Hopefully both will be resolved soon...

-Joe

Joe;

Glad to read that someone locally even had HD from Comcast. I live up the road, in Glenside and for the past 2 weeks I've been told by email that Comcast-Willow Grove couldn't get it to me. I finally called and confirmed that I can get it.

Here's my problem. I've been a *D* customer, with the DVR40, dual tuner, analog TiVo for the past year. My commitment is up and I'm getting an HDTV this week or next. I can't decide whether to stay with *D* and get the HDTivo or go to Comcast. We still have cable in the house (for SportsNet) I'm really leary of all the software problems with this box. I'm spoiled with tivo; got a Series 1 also, all upgraded.

I really don't want to spend a grand on the TiVo box, even though *D* is offering $200 in credits. I still don't want to pay $700-800 when I can get the Comcast box for next to nothing.

Any thoughts on this?

Much thanks,

Stu

Originally posted by StuJac
Glad to read that someone locally even had HD from Comcast. I live up the road, in Glenside and for the past 2 weeks I've been told by email that Comcast-Willow Grove couldn't get it to me. I finally called and confirmed that I can get it.

Since I've only had Comcast, I can't really compare. I've had their HD only
box for ~1.5 years, and rarely watched HD live as we time shift most
everything with Replays. Down converted HD to a Replay, while not HD, was acceptable, okay, great. But no 5.1 and HD was something we just
dealt with.

With the 6412, that's all changed. Software problems and all. It reminds
me of the S/W problems no doubt all PVR's have early on. I know Replay
had their share. Don't know about Tivo. I hate commercials and love
out of the box networking. End of Replay plug. :D

Having had the 6412 for a few weeks now, there's no going back. It
will no doubt get better; Replay S/W did. Working around the warts is
not that bad, and beats watching down converted HD on a Replay. I
still double record on the Replays, just in case the 6412 burps, but it's
not an issue lately with giving up series recording. The biggest thing
for me (now) is the limited disk space, and crappy analog encoding. I
sometimes find where I need to record more than 3 analog channels at
a time, and the 6412 just doesn't cut it. Fortunately, some things are
broadcast more than once, and that usually is okay.

If I didn't have the Replay's, I'd have second thoughts about just using
the 6412 as my only PVR, unless all I recorded was digital content. But
that's me. Someone else might not have a problem with PQ with the
poor analog encoding quality of the 6412. To give you a feel for it, check
out the quality of a local channel, 3, 6 or 10 on Comcast. Then, if you
have one, check it over the air with an antenna. No comparison. There's
so much crap with Comcast analog that I think we've all just learned to
live with over the years that we're not even aware how bad analog
cable is. I've had cable for about 25 years, and was shocked when I put
up an antenna to pull OTA HD (and non-HD). That was before I got the
HD box from Comcast. Non HD had saturated colors, no co channel noise,
no noise from too many line amps along the way, etc...

For HD, dual tuner, Comcast recordings, the 6412 is the only thing
available for $9.95 a month. If you don't have a critical eye, it might
even suffice for analog. The S/W has to get better; it might take time
though. Worst case is you cancel it if it does not fit your needs. I
doubt you will though, esp after you get an HD TV...

Good luck with your decision,
Joe

Once again, my 6412 locked up trying to tape the Sci-Fi channel. Obviously, I don't watch or tape but about 20 of my nearly 100 channels, but, so far, Sci-Fi is the *only* channel that I have lockups on.

I set a manual recording of Battlestar Galactica last night and only got 32 minutes. When I turned on the tv an hour and half after the show went off, it was frozen on a scene from BG. A little later, I watched part of a Twilight Zone episode on Sci-Fi and it froze twice (had to change channels to go back to it). What is sci-fi's problem?

Are there any other repeat offenders out there?

I've recorded quite a bit of HD content and I've never had a lockup on them...

Thanks Joe;

The above post, cmpalmer, is a good example of why this decision is so difficult, in addition to the fact that comcast's analog channels (I watch more locals than almost anything else) are horrible. *D*'s HDTV Tivo has 2 tuners capable of both recording hidef but they are in such a flux....they are changing the mpeg coding from 2 to 4 which renders each and every box a door stop.

I stopped in Circuit City again today to look at my new tv and the comcast picture being displayed wasn't too bad. I swear, if *D* would agree ahead of time to give breaks to people spending 1k on the TiVo box when they need the new one, I'd stay but I know they want to sever their relationship with TiVo, so they can make more money, I guess.

Thanks again,,

if I go to Comcast I'm sure I'll have additional questions.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by oleus
[B]hoopnooop -

that is exactly what i do (leave the box in 1080i, unless i am watching espn-hd or Fox, then i change the output to 720p).

Thanks for the info! It would be nice if you could at least change the resolution with the remote. I used to have an SA box and could change resolution with the remote and do native resolution. Oh well!

Stuart,
Does Comcast not carry your local digital stations? Can you use an antenna?
Remember, no contracts with cable. Try it until the MPEG4 transition goes down. You have nothing to lose!

Chuck;

That's probably what I'll do. Comcast does have locals in HD but isn't it true that if no HD is being broadcast on the 200 series HD local channels, there is no signal? If that is incorrect, is the signal better than the analog?

Originally posted by StuJac
Comcast does have locals in HD but isn't it true that if no HD is being broadcast on the 200 series HD local channels, there is no signal?
No.
If that is incorrect, is the signal better than the analog?
Yes.

when my dvr is recording, i can't get any sound while watching another program, which makes it all pretty worthless.

any suggestions? i have unplugged the box and it sometimes (not always) restores the audio, but then i've messed up my recording.

apologies if this has been addressed already, feel free to point to me to previous discussions.

thanks for any ideas.

san jose comcast customer

SanJoseJA - Look Up MUTE.

Originally posted by SanJoseJA
when my dvr is recording, i can't get any sound while watching another program, which makes it all pretty worthless.

any suggestions? i have unplugged the box and it sometimes (not always) restores the audio, but then i've messed up my recording.

apologies if this has been addressed already, feel free to point to me to previous discussions.

thanks for any ideas.

san jose comcast customer

Never turn your box off.

oh, two more things since i got the dvr about two weeks ago:

1. i have several series recordings set up and they seemed to work fine, then the other night it simply didnt record one of them. then went on to record another later the same evening.

2. dvr is supposed to record 60 hours (i don't have hdtv). i have about 25 hours of material recorded, and it's showing 70% full.

any ideas what could be going on?

thanks again for your help, and thanks on my other question. much appreciated.

Originally posted by StuJac
Chuck;

That's probably what I'll do. Comcast does have locals in HD but isn't it true that if no HD is being broadcast on the 200 series HD local channels, there is no signal? If that is incorrect, is the signal better than the analog?

Stuart -
To expand on the answers above -
For local networks, Comcast offers the digital channel version as well as analog. The Digital channel is where HD is broadcast. When a show is not HD, it sends a digital version in SD. Picture quality of SD programs is excellent, night and day difference vs the analog.

As a former D* Tivo owner, I understand your dilemma. The Tivo interface is so good, it makes everything else pale by comparison. The 6412 is not a Tivo interface and you should be prepared for that. However, the new guide is a vast improvement over the old and is perhaps 80% as good as Tivo. It has most of the functionality, just not quite as slick. The ability to timeshift HD without laying down a grand (and dealing with OTA HD locals) makes it a good tradeoff in my book.

I have had a few of the occasional little quirks others have mentioned (picture split upon power on, no channels until recorded programs are accessed), but nothing that wasn't fixed with a few button pushes - and these are rare. Overall, my two 6412s have performed very well - and I hardly miss my Tivo!

I suggest you give it a try, I think the functionality of incorporating HD and DVR in one box will outweigh the small step backwards in the guide.

Good luck.

I've been having the problem of recording "24" and getting it cut off. I had set up a series record, and the first Saturday 2 hour episode, I watched the record light on the whole time. But when I later watched the show, it had only saved the first 47 minutes. The Sunday 2 hour episode I moved the series record to start one minute early. That time it only saved the first minute. So then I erased and reprogrammed the series record, but the following Monday 1 hour episode it only saved the first 25 minutes.

OK, so after hearing everyone's suggestions here, I tried a manual recording for last night's one hour episode. Actually I still had the series record, plus I did a manual record from 8:59 to 10:01. Well, it recorded both, but as saved both versions were cut off at the same exact time, i.e. 34 minutes into the one hour series record and 35 minutes into the manual record. This is the first time I've heard on this board of a manual record not saving the whole time. Next Monday I'll try manual record only and see what happens.

In contrast, many hours of ER, West Wing, Lost, Amazing Race, NYPD Blue, etc. all record and save OK. I know other people here have had similar problems with "24" or Fox generally as well as SciFi. For now we're relying on VCR recording as a backup.

FYI, we're running about 50-60% full so that's not the problem. Also, we're still on FW 9.12, SW 71.44 1203. That supposed "firmware push" people talked about scheduled for last Friday didn't happen from what I can see.

I haven't had trouble recording 24, or any other show so far (aout 1 month of use). Series recording seems to be working in general.

I have been double recording with my old modified Showstopper ReplayTV box, just in case. But really haven't had the need to use any of those recordings.

So, overall I have been pretty satisfied with my 6412, but since someone with the ability to make things better may be reading, here is my list of things that might do just that.

1. I have seen the short term freezing problem other folks have mentioned.

2. The VOD menu has no obvious way of backing up a level, once the movie list has been reached. The only way I found to back up is to exit completely and start over. If I missed how to do this, please enlighten me.

3. The unit sometimes gets lost and won't let me skip, instant replay, FF, or RW until I change channels. Do that and BOOM the buffer is gone.

4. I also have the brief pausing problem, where the box will not respond to any commands, and then runs through the bunch of queued up commands when it comes back to life. This is very frustrating at times.

5. The big problem I have with digital cable boxes in general is the channel surfing speed. I'm a surfaholic. I like to channel surf, even though I'm trying to live in the guide. Even though it's faster than most, the 6412 is still too slow at changing channels. Nothing frustrates a true channel surfer more.

6. Since these boxes are bidirectional, and individually addressed, a better "MyReplayTV" like Internet programming function would be huge. Imagine scheduling something to be recorded that same night, right from your office. "MyReplayTV" allowed me to schedule a day in advance via the Internet. It would be huge if Comcast could figure out how to do this via the Internet, but allow programming in near real time.

7. HD buffering is way too short. Pausing an HD program gives me roughly 1/2 hour of buffer time. If I need to pause more than once, I risk losing something. The workaround is to start recording, and then pause. SD and analog aren't much better, but do allow more buffer time. Many times I simply don't depend upon the live buffer at all. This should be easy to fix, and certainly should be fixed.

8. And last (at least for now) but not least, we need more hard disk space. Either with an internal HD upgrade, or the ability to add external space via USB, Firewire, or NAS over the ethernet port. This wonderful HD recorder with dual tuners is saddled with a bare minimum of disk space. Someway, somehow, we need MUCH more storage space.

Thanks for listening.

PG

Just got my 6412 on Saturday and I experienced the freeze on "24" last night while recording it. I had to swap and change channels and it kept freezing. After a few swaps and channel changes it went back to normal. My wife noticed it freezing today a few times on random different channels and had to change the channel to recover. I was able to record Desperate Housewives with no problem on Sunday.

I don't know if this was mentioned before in the 122 pages of this thread, but it seems the freeze is causing the cut off recordings. I wonder if the hard drive is actually freezing causing the program being shown/recorded(whether through a scheduled recording or through the buffer) to freeze.

I might have to plug that tivo back in until this gets all squared away!!

Originally posted by mrzzmr
OK, so after hearing everyone's suggestions here, I tried a manual recording for last night's one hour episode. Actually I still had the series record, plus I did a manual record from 8:59 to 10:01. Well, it recorded both, but as saved both versions were cut off at the same exact time, i.e. 34 minutes into the one hour series record and 35 minutes into the manual record. This is the first time I've heard on this board of a manual record not saving the whole time. Next Monday I'll try manual record only and see what happens. In my experience, when one tuner freezes, the other one freezes simultaneously or shortly thereafter.

Last night I recorded 24 on series record on my 6412
recorded 24 on an SVHS VCR
had my wife record 24 on her TiVo
watched 24 live After all those precautions, nothing went wrong! Surprisingly enough, 24 recorded perfectly on my 6412.

On the other hand, I did experience the 49-minute freeze when recording Numbers the other night with no backup at all, so I don't know how that show ended.

So my new theory is that the 6412 knows whether you're recording backups... and only misbehaves when you aren't... :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Genovese
2. The VOD menu has no obvious way of backing up a level, once the movie list has been reached. The only way I found to back up is to exit completely and start over. If I missed how to do this, please enlighten me.

PG

Try the "Last" button.

Originally posted by bweissman

On the other hand, I did experience the 49-minute freeze when recording Numbers the other night with no backup at all, so I don't know how that show ended.


Surprise, surprise. They caught the bad guy and the mathematical formula they designed to pinpoint the location where he lived was accurate.

"Got that replaced and the second box started freezing up on me. Dunno why it would do this, but I would be watching a channel, the picture and audio would freeze, and I'd have to change channels to get the box to work again.

Had the second box replaced for a third last week, and all was well for about 3 days. Now the third box is doing the damn freezing thing again. The Comcast tech said this was a new one and he hadn't heard of it before. Is anyone else having this problem?? Is there a fix? I really need some help here guys!"

I have had this happen about 25 times since getting this heaping pile of junk yesterday.

It goes back to Comcast tomorrow as I continue to waste time with it.

I'm on a two-strikes policy.

While I see some limited merit in this box vs. other, how do you say, good DVRs, it is obvious from this thread that there is no QC at Motorola. The failure rate is obviously well into the double digits (and I should've known better as when I picked mine up there were 3 people in line returning theirs due to various defects / malfunctions / whatnot).

I'm very happy for those of you who can't get DirecTV and I agree that $10 / month beats $900 once +$5 by a wide swath. But the truth is that for us here, DirecTV is cheaper than Comcast by a lot and, well, DirecTV's DVR is better than this thing -- even if working -- by a lot.

That said, I found some features that are better than the DirecTV / Tivo / HD DVR already so I hope we can get a better bucket of bolts the next time around. Otherwise, Comcast can add us to the ex-customer list.

Originally posted by Keller
Try the "Last" button.

Keller,

Thanks, that obviously does work. Somehow I missed that button when I programmed my universal remote with what I though were all of the 6214's commands. That makes things much easier.

Hopefully that oversight doesn't discredit the rest of my post. Or if you have other suggestions that resolve the other points raised.

Thanks again,

PG

Just added a 6412 yesterday, only had enough time to learn and add mute, skip and swap functions to my remote. This may already be reported if so I apologize for not able to go through all the posts.

I apparently have two-tuner only partially working. I can schedule one, then watch another channel or start recording it when the schduled channel was also recording, but can not schedule two recordings when there is conflict. I also don't see anything when pressing my "swap" key. The cable DVR has some catching-up to do with DBS DVRs obviously.

My firmware version is 9.12 I think. Thank you in advance.

Originally posted by rogo
"Got that replaced and the second box started freezing up on me. Dunno why it would do this, but I would be watching a channel, the picture and audio would freeze, and I'd have to change channels to get the box to work again.

Had the second box replaced for a third last week, and all was well for about 3 days. Now the third box is doing the damn freezing thing again. The Comcast tech said this was a new one and he hadn't heard of it before. Is anyone else having this problem?? Is there a fix? I really need some help here guys!"

I have had this happen about 25 times since getting this heaping pile of junk yesterday.

It goes back to Comcast tomorrow as I continue to waste time with it.

I'm on a two-strikes policy.

While I see some limited merit in this box vs. other, how do you say, good DVRs, it is obvious from this thread that there is no QC at Motorola. The failure rate is obviously well into the double digits (and I should've known better as when I picked mine up there were 3 people in line returning theirs due to various defects / malfunctions / whatnot).

I'm very happy for those of you who can't get DirecTV and I agree that $10 / month beats $900 once +$5 by a wide swath. But the truth is that for us here, DirecTV is cheaper than Comcast by a lot and, well, DirecTV's DVR is better than this thing -- even if working -- by a lot.

That said, I found some features that are better than the DirecTV / Tivo / HD DVR already so I hope we can get a better bucket of bolts the next time around. Otherwise, Comcast can add us to the ex-customer list. Have them check signal strength when they come out. Old splitters and such can really have a big impact on these overly sensitive boxes. Good luck! I still like mine!

Originally posted by Keller
Stuart -
To expand on the answers above -
For local networks, Comcast offers the digital channel version as well as analog. The Digital channel is where HD is broadcast. When a show is not HD, it sends a digital version in SD. Picture quality of SD programs is excellent, night and day difference vs the analog.


In my opinion, the quality of SD when broadcast on an HD channel varies. In particular, I was watching the Buick Open golf tournament last Sunday on my HD ABC channel and the quality was terrible. The best I can describe it is that there was lots of ghosting, that is, multiple edges of the images. It was so bad that I literally could not read the displayed text (leader board, etc). Then, when the tournament went long, the broadcast switched over to ESPN and the quality was terrific. Same cameras, same announcers, amazing difference in quality. When I called Comcast, they said that ESPN broadcasts a 1080i signal 24 hours a day, even when SD material is shown. However, my ABC channel (and other networks too) only broadcasts a 1080i signal during prime time (or when specifically airing an HD event). Although the image on my ABC HD channel was "smoother" than on the SD channel, the "artifacting" made the viewing experience much worse.

Originally posted by crossbeaux
In my opinion, the quality of SD when broadcast on an HD channel varies. In particular, I was watching the Buick Open golf tournament last Sunday on my HD ABC channel and the quality was terrible. The best I can describe it is that there was lots of ghosting, that is, multiple edges of the images. It was so bad that I literally could not read the displayed text (leader board, etc). Then, when the tournament went long, the broadcast switched over to ESPN and the quality was terrific. Same cameras, same announcers, amazing difference in quality. When I called Comcast, they said that ESPN broadcasts a 1080i signal 24 hours a day, even when SD material is shown. However, my ABC channel (and other networks too) only broadcasts a 1080i signal during prime time (or when specifically airing an HD event). Although the image on my ABC HD channel was "smoother" than on the SD channel, the "artifacting" made the viewing experience much worse.

This is inaccurate. ABC never broadcasts in 1080i anywhere in the country, and the broadcast of 720p is consistent regardless of the source material here. That's why the 4:3 override doesn't work on the digital channel.

I know here ABC carries 2 subchannels, and there is a debate whether the bitrate split causes a change in picture quality.

I don't know how to account for the ABC/ESPN differential in quality you saw, but who ever you talked to gave you some bum info.

Originally posted Rogo
Had the second box replaced for a third last week, and all was well for about 3 days. Now the third box is doing the damn freezing thing again. The Comcast tech said this was a new one and he hadn't heard of it before. Is anyone else having this problem?? Is there a fix? I really need some help here guys!"


Originally posted by Chuck Mullen
Have them check signal strength when they come out. Old splitters and such can really have a big impact on these overly sensitive boxes. Good luck! I still like mine!

That's just what I was going to mention as well. These boxes seem very susceptible to marginal signal strength. If you go into the diagnostics-menu you'll see that even each tuner within the STB will have different SNR and AGC readings for a given channel.

Is the Palo Alto system a recent rebuild? 750-860MHz? I'm on a 550MHz system and as I mentioned in the Comcast-SF thread it has worked very well, with the caveat that I have nothing to do with any sd-analog channels.

Originally posted by frankz1
This is inaccurate. ABC never broadcasts in 1080i anywhere in the country <snip>

Actually, *this* is inaccurate. WFAA, the DFW-area ABC affiliate, broadcasts 1080i. This is due to them being owned by Belo. The majority of Belo's stations are affiliated with the 1080i networks and they did not want to have multiple platforms within their corporate holdings. It is rare, but it can/does happen in some markets....at least one, anyway.

-Randy

Originally posted by IFLYSWA
Actually, *this* is inaccurate. WFAA, the DFW-area ABC affiliate, broadcasts 1080i. This is due to them being owned by Belo. The majority of Belo's stations are affiliated with the 1080i networks and they did not want to have multiple platforms within their corporate holdings. It is rare, but it can/does happen in some markets....at least one, anyway.

-Randy

OK, you got me. One errant ABC station in the country broadcasts in 1080i according to ABC.com (http://abc.go.com/site/hdtvfaq.html)
ABC broadcasts all of its programming using the 720p format except in Dallas, where the ABC station broadcasts in 1080i.

Shoulda done a web search before saying "never," as I am clearly out of touch with the goings on in important media markets like DFW and Omaha. My bad. ;)

I think I have the oddest 6412 problem and I beleive my box was swapped out for a new one the last time Comcast came out (I wasn't there). Anyway, my Fox and WB HDs come in perfectly fine on one tuner, but then stutter on the other tuner, whether it's live, cached or recorded. It's only those two channels out of all the HDs.

OK, so I think we've determined that it isn't just Sci-Fi causing lockups :-)

Second question, for the users experiencing lockups, is there any other patterns that might be useful to know. For example, analog vs. digital, SD vs. HD, etc.

It does appear, in my case, that a freeze-up on one tuner will also freeze up taping/viewing on the other tuner. In my case, the "Info" for both shows showed 60 minutes, but the time bar when FF or skipping showed a maximum of 36 minutes (where the freeze occurred).

Originally posted by frankz1

Shoulda done a web search before saying "never," as I am clearly out of touch with the goings on in important media markets like DFW and Omaha. My bad. ;)

Omaha? Not sure about that! Hey, we might not be the 4th ranked DMA like Philly, but 7th is still pretty respectable!!!! ;)

-Randy

Just a thought.

To all of you that have had your 6412's swapped out:

How do you know that you got a new box?

A Comcast service guy goes to house A and takes A's STB and makes a stop at B where he picks up B' STB and gives B what? A's or is it new?

I'm not convinced that the STB's are all that bad, maybe a batch had some bad components in them. Do they go bach to a repair facility and run through some diagnostic tests?

I have been fortunate to have had only the known problems with mute etc. and leave the box on 24/7 now. I have had Firmware 9.12 most of January and only one freeze ever. The freeze came while ABC was pixelating a lot on CSI NY and I was being the happy channel surfer swaping back and forth between tuners, recording and pausing etc. Basically pushing all the buttons and doing everything the box is advertised to do.

Maybe keeping a list of Serial Numbers for your boxes would help us figure out some basic information.

I had several freeze ups with the 6200/6208 boxes. I had them swapped a few times before I decided to just live with it. The freeze ups eventually went away. The freeze ups occurred about 2 minutes after I powered on my receiver and display...then it was unplug/plug to unfreeze.

I have not experienced any freeze ups with my 6412's (2 boxes). One thing that may have been causing it was routing the cable through a surge protector. The comcast guy told me to stop doing that because some surge protectors and power conditioners have a difficult time passing data back to the headend. Something to check on if you have freeze ups.

Originally posted by Mike3
I think I have the oddest 6412 problem and I beleive my box was swapped out for a new one the last time Comcast came out (I wasn't there). Anyway, my Fox and WB HDs come in perfectly fine on one tuner, but then stutter on the other tuner, whether it's live, cached or recorded. It's only those two channels out of all the HDs.

thats exaclty what i said too, back in post #2098

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4984381#post4984381

Had a few more freezes myself. MTV, FOX (channel 2), and one of those TLC channels. I also leave the box on and when I came home for lunch fox was frozen. I did check and the hard drive (or what I assume is the hard drive that makes all the click sounds) is not on when frozen. You can only hear the fan and not the clicks when in a freeze.

I'm having an odd issue with our 6412, thought I'd post it here before I call Comcast.

When we turn on the box, there is no picture coming to our TV. We can see the menu bar, but nothing above the bar, just black. If we go into the guide, again, the upper right hand spot (where the picture usually minimizes) is just black.

The only way for us to get the picture to show is to go into our DVR area, play a show that has been recorded, and then exit out of that back to the regular viewing. That brings the regular feed back.

This doesn't work if we just go into the DVR area, or the OnDemand area. It only works if we actually play an old recorded section and then exit out of it.

Has anyone else had this issue?

-JR

Originally posted by JKM
Yes, the composite out and S-v outs work concurrentlly with the HD output, but when the 6412 is set to output at HD resolution, the menus and the guide will not be seen on monitors receiving the SD pictiure via the composite or S-v. out from the 6412. So you get the same picture and audio via composite or S, just not the graphics (menus, guides, VOD menus, setup menu)

Is there anyway to get menu/guide/etc while set to output HD ? I thinking of getting a small LCD display and connecting it via svideo for DVR programming so I can avoid turning on my FP.

Is the lack of SD menus/guide a missing by design or is it a bug ?

Originally posted by dozens
Is there anyway to get menu/guide/etc while set to output HD ? I thinking of getting a small LCD display and connecting it via svideo for DVR programming so I can avoid turning on my FP.

Is the lack of SD menus/guide a missing by design or is it a bug ?

It's missing because those outputs are intended for recording to a VCR or stand-alone DVD burner where people don't want menus showing up on their recordings.

Originally posted by JuiceRocket
I'm having an odd issue with our 6412, thought I'd post it here before I call Comcast.

When we turn on the box, there is no picture coming to our TV. We can see the menu bar, but nothing above the bar, just black. If we go into the guide, again, the upper right hand spot (where the picture usually minimizes) is just black.

The only way for us to get the picture to show is to go into our DVR area, play a show that has been recorded, and then exit out of that back to the regular viewing. That brings the regular feed back.

This doesn't work if we just go into the DVR area, or the OnDemand area. It only works if we actually play an old recorded section and then exit out of it.

Has anyone else had this issue?

-JR

It's a known behavior (bug or feature, depends on your perspective :) )

Fix for now: Leave the box on, don't turn it off. The HDD keeps spinning anyway, so the only benefit you get by turning off is a bit less head-seek noise, and fewer LEDs on :)

Originally posted by frankz1
It's missing because those outputs are intended for recording to a VCR or stand-alone DVD burner where people don't want menus showing up on their recordings.

Not necessarily... the menus show up if the program you are watching, is 480i (eg, regular SD digital or analog channels.)

I think it's more an issue that the box can only render the graphics in one standard/res- if your primary display res (eg Component/DVI) is different than SVideo (480i), it would have to render 2 different menus simultaneously.

My main complaint re SVideo, is that I can't get the aspect ratio right - it's always letterboxed, or pan/scan, eg it assumes 480i is always 4:3, even if I set my TV component display to 16:9 1080i.
I guess you could call that a feature, it's converting it for "other" TVs & 480i standard-
well, my DVD-R and VCR are still connected to the 16:9 TV, so stop letterboxing it and squishing my pristine video! :(
(yes, I've tried tweaking the power-off menu settings, the component out sizing/res just changes betw 4:3 letterbox, 4:3 letterbox, and 4:3 pan/scan(zoom.)
My Samsung HD-OTA STB was nice enough to output 480i 16:9 anamorphic :(

Originally posted by frankz1
This is inaccurate. ABC never broadcasts in 1080i anywhere in the country, and the broadcast of 720p is consistent regardless of the source material here. That's why the 4:3 override doesn't work on the digital channel.

OK, my bad on the 1080i for ABC. What I meant to say (or how I interpreted the tech's remarks) is that the ABC signal sent out on the HD channel isn't actually hi-def unless it's prime time or the network is broadcasting some other HD program (like sports). Does that make sense? Because I'm not sure I really understand the difference either. I do know absolutely, positively that there was a night and day difference when the feed switched from ABC to ESPN.

Originally posted by crossbeaux
OK, my bad on the 1080i for ABC. What I meant to say (or how I interpreted the tech's remarks) is that the ABC signal sent out on the HD channel isn't actually hi-def unless it's prime time or the network is broadcasting some other HD program (like sports). Does that make sense? Because I'm not sure I really understand the difference either. I do know absolutely, positively that there was a night and day difference when the feed switched from ABC to ESPN.

I think they're wrong. It think the signal the station sends out is always 720p (unless you're in Dallas :)), and SD material gets upconverted to 720p (unless you're in Dallas :)) for broadcast.

It sounds like ESPN has an easier time upconverting the 480i material than your local ABC does - or better equipment to do it. In any event, it's not a Comcast issue. At this point, they don't touch the local digital signal at all (from what I've read).

Originally posted by jacmyoung
Just added a 6412 yesterday, only had enough time to learn and add mute, skip and swap functions to my remote. This may already be reported if so I apologize for not able to go through all the posts.

I apparently have two-tuner only partially working. I can schedule one, then watch another channel or start recording it when the schduled channel was also recording, but can not schedule two recordings when there is conflict. I also don't see anything when pressing my "swap" key. The cable DVR has some catching-up to do with DBS DVRs obviously.

My firmware version is 9.12 I think. Thank you in advance.

Anyone? Are you all able to schedule two different future recordings even if they are in conflict of each other?

Originally posted by jacmyoung
Anyone? Are you all able to schedule two different future recordings even if they are in conflict of each other?

Nope. All of our dual-tuner DVRs are totally useless, and boy are we steamed about it. :)

Originally posted by SilverHemi03
... I'm not convinced that the STB's are all that bad, maybe a batch had some bad components in them. Do they go bach to a repair facility and run through some diagnostic tests?

I read here in the San Francisco Comcast thread the following: "Look at the serial number of the box... if the 4th to 6th digits is 436 or 437, you have a bad power supply and need the box swapped."

My first two 6412's were bad and fell into the above s/n range. The third box had a higher serial number and has been bulletproof. Take it for what it's worth. ;)

Originally posted by frankz1
Nope. All of our dual-tuner DVRs are totally useless, and boy are we steamed about it. :)

Funny, funny..:D

I just got my 6412 last week, and I've finally got everything set up the way I like it. Came over from DirecTV and TiVo mainly cuz I wanted to DVR HD, and didn't want to shel out $900 for the HDTiVo. The interface is a little more clunky than the TiVo, but it's servicable for now. We'll see what DirecTV unveils when the new HD birds go up....

My box has the audio problem on the 2nd tuner with analog channels. However, I'm not going to swap the box out until after the SuperBowl, or perhaps after the new firmware load comes, since it seems relatively stable in comparison to other reports I've seen around here (no resets, no freezes, etc). It kinda stinks that the guide data isn't quite up to snuff with respect to repeats and new episodes, but it's not too much of a hassle to manually delete stuff in the future that I don't want to see...

BUG REPORT 1 :
I had three recordings ready to go tonight :
1) Lost (series recording, rec 1 min early, rec 1 min late) : 8PM to 9PM
2) MythBusters (series recording) : 9PM to 10PM
3) Carnivale (series recording) : 9PM to 10PM
All three were listed in the Scheduled Recordings as being recorded. I'd already seen both Carnivale and MythBusters, so I first set MythBusters to not record. I then set Carnivale to not record. After doing so, I noticed that Mythbusters had been reschedule to record. So, I deleted it. Which, in turn, reactivated Carnivale. Back and forth, like a game of Whack-a-Mole. I could never get them both to not record at the same time. One would always reschedule itself.

BUG REPORT 2 :
So, getting a little desperate to resolve this, I deleted the MythBusters series recording with the intent of adding it back in later. After I had done this, I browsed all of my other Scheduled Recordings for the next two weeks, and noticed that all the future recordings I had set to NOT record (repeats) had been automatically reactivated. Every single recording was back on the schedule to record. So, I went and manually deactivated them. I then added back MythBusters series recording. Checked the Scheduled Recordings, and noticed that all the recordings were automatically reactivated again.

So, it appears that whenever I make an adjustment to any series recording, all the future recordings get reactivated and rescheduled to be recorded.


Any one else see either of these behaviors ?

Originally posted by JuiceRocket
I'm having an odd issue with our 6412, thought I'd post it here before I call Comcast.

When we turn on the box, there is no picture coming to our TV. We can see the menu bar, but nothing above the bar, just black. If we go into the guide, again, the upper right hand spot (where the picture usually minimizes) is just black.

The only way for us to get the picture to show is to go into our DVR area, play a show that has been recorded, and then exit out of that back to the regular viewing. That brings the regular feed back.

This doesn't work if we just go into the DVR area, or the OnDemand area. It only works if we actually play an old recorded section and then exit out of it.

Has anyone else had this issue?

-JR

Unplug it for 30 seconds and then plug it back in. I had it happen once and that will fix your problem. I turn the box off after I use it every time and have never had any other problems with it.

[i]BUG REPORT 1 :
I had three recordings ready to go tonight :
1) Lost (series recording, rec 1 min early, rec 1 min late) : 8PM to 9PM
2) MythBusters (series recording) : 9PM to 10PM
3) Carnivale (series recording) : 9PM to 10PM
All three were listed in the Scheduled Recordings as being recorded. I'd already seen both Carnivale and MythBusters, so I first set MythBusters to not record. I then set Carnivale to not record. After doing so, I noticed that Mythbusters had been reschedule to record. So, I deleted it. Which, in turn, reactivated Carnivale. Back and forth, like a game of Whack-a-Mole. I could never get them both to not record at the same time. One would always reschedule itself.

BUG REPORT 2 :
So, getting a little desperate to resolve this, I deleted the MythBusters series recording with the intent of adding it back in later. After I had done this, I browsed all of my other Scheduled Recordings for the next two weeks, and noticed that all the future recordings I had set to NOT record (repeats) had been automatically reactivated. Every single recording was back on the schedule to record. So, I went and manually deactivated them. I then added back MythBusters series recording. Checked the Scheduled Recordings, and noticed that all the recordings were automatically reactivated again.

So, it appears that whenever I make an adjustment to any series recording, all the future recordings get reactivated and rescheduled to be recorded.


Any one else see either of these behaviors ? [/B]

Yeah, I have seen both. The Whack-a-Mole game just happened to me with Carnivale and a late nih=ght rerun of CSI. I finally just let one of them record and deleted it later.

I hope Series Record gets the bugs squashed soon. The accuracy of determining which shows are repeats leaves something to be desired. For now, I wish you could just set weekly recordings like the 6208. Less hassle.

Originally posted by frankz1
Nope. All of our dual-tuner DVRs are totally useless, and boy are we steamed about it. :)

What the F&*% was that. I was trying to get a short and easy answer without having to go through the hundred so pages, why did you even bother to respond if you don't care to help?

HAS COMCAST HEARD OUR COMPLAINTS??

Today I noticed that when fast-forwarding or rewinding, there is now a FIFTH faster setting rather than (I think) what used to be only 4 speeds.

In other words, it seems like previously when you FF you could press the forward mutiple times until 4 forward arrows were showing, and it would FF fairly quickly, like 1 minute every 3 seconds or so.

Now there are 5 arrows maximum for moving forward and back, and it moves through quite quickly, like 1 minute per second.

It is possible that this was always the case and I just didn't notice, but it may be a software upgrade from Comcast.

Anyone else notice this or am I going crazy?

Originally posted by rodneyremington
Now there are 5 arrows maximum for moving forward and back, and it moves through quite quickly, like 1 minute per second.

It is possible that this was always the case and I just didn't notice, but it may be a software upgrade from Comcast.
Look at the box details to see if you got an upgrade... but I'm wondering more specifically when you FF, what does the box say.. it's got a number...

So, imagine this, though... play is one arrow... ff1 is two... etc... so if you see 5 arrows, it's only ff4... That's what I'm thinking.


Anyone else notice this or am I going crazy?

I am afraid, rodney, that it's not crazy, yet.. but comcast will yet turn you MAD.. MAD I tell you... MWHAHAHAHA!!!

I'm in Sunnyvale, California and have certainly experienced Bug #1 (deselected series recordings turning themselves on when another at the same time is turned off...) and probably #2 as well.

Is it my imagination, or in the last few days did our boxes displaying an icon about the sound output (Dolby 5.1 or Dolby stereo) when one switches channels. I could swear such info was shown as recently as January 20 or so, but it seems to be gone now. I guess maybe there was a software update? Too bad it didn't fix our bugs!

SI

FYI--

I've been using the Harmony 659 remote control for a year or so and it's wonderfuil, but since getting my 6412's I've been looking for something with more hard buttons that map precisely to the motorola remote. I just bought a harmony 680 from surf remote on the net and it's perfect for the 6412, it has hard buttons for 30 sec skip and backwards, right in the perfect spot, as well as hard buttons for MyDVR, Live TV, etc.

I recommend it as the best universal remote for the 6412, and surf remote, where I have been a repeat buyer.

Thanks for the tips guys, giving that a shot now and watching it reload everything.

Another thing I had not noticed (my wife uses the DVR far more than I do) is that we can't record a show and watch another, unless we set up a "manual recording" through the DVR screen.

In the past, if we were watching a show, we could hit record on the remote, and mid-show change the channel. If we try that now, it will prompt us with the old school "if you change the channel, you still stop recording" info.

Same goes for if we go into the regular by hour iGuide, select a show, and press the record button and are on a different channel when that show begins. It will kick us back to the show to be recorded and not let us switch away.

The only way we can get around this is by using the "set manual recording" feature going through the DVR menu. Any ideas?

Thanks!

-JR

Originally posted by Paul Simoneau
Back and forth, like a game of Whack-a-Mole. I could never get them both to not record at the same time. One would always reschedule itself.
I've had the same problem, no workaround but the whack-a-mole comment made me laugh my a$$ off...thanks :)) :)) :))

Originally posted by jacmyoung
What the F&*% was that. I was trying to get a short and easy answer without having to go through the hundred so pages, why did you even bother to respond if you don't care to help?

You don't think "Can anyone get this to record two shows at once" is a ridiculous question? When your car is broken, do you walk into a parking lot and shout "Hey, is anyone able to start their car?"

It's a dual-tuner DVR. Of course we can get it to record two shows at once.

Originally posted by JuiceRocket
Thanks for the tips guys, giving that a shot now and watching it reload everything.

Another thing I had not noticed (my wife uses the DVR far more than I do) is that we can't record a show and watch another, unless we set up a "manual recording" through the DVR screen.

In the past, if we were watching a show, we could hit record on the remote, and mid-show change the channel. If we try that now, it will prompt us with the old school "if you change the channel, you still stop recording" info.

Same goes for if we go into the regular by hour iGuide, select a show, and press the record button and are on a different channel when that show begins. It will kick us back to the show to be recorded and not let us switch away.

The only way we can get around this is by using the "set manual recording" feature going through the DVR menu. Any ideas?

Thanks!

-JR

The scheduled recording issue sounds like your functionality is not fully restored after your plug-pulling reboot. Had the same thing for the first 18 hours or so I had mine.

On the record and change channel issue...you do have to swap tuners before changing the channel on a recording. 6412 has always been that way.

Originally posted by frankz1
You don't think "Can anyone get this to record two shows at once" is a ridiculous question? When your car is broken, do you walk into a parking lot and shout "Hey, is anyone able to start their car?"

It's a dual-tuner DVR. Of course we can get it to record two shows at once.

But then you have not read my question carefully. Of course I know what two-tuner means. If my car is broken and I don't know why, why can't I walk into a mechanic shop and ask if anyone is able to start the car?

On the issue of not able to switch the channel while it is recording, I don't know why we need to use swap key. The box should know to swap itself. But at least you answered that question so thank you.

Originally posted by jacmyoung
But then you have not read my question carefully. Of course I know what two-tuner means. If my car is broken and I don't know why, why can't I walk into a mechanic shop and ask if anyone is able to start the car?

On the issue of not able to switch the channel while it is recording, I don't know why we need to use swap key. The box should know to swap itself. But at least you answered that question so thank you.

Did I not read this carefully? This is what I quoted and responded to:
Are you all able to schedule two different future recordings even if they are in conflict of each other?

I understand you don't want to read all of the thread. Did you read any of it? If you had, you'd have read that you can turn the box off and on again, unplug the box and plug it back in again, or call Comcast to swap it out. Those are pretty much the troubleshooting steps when the box isn't doing it's most basic functions.

The sarcasm...well sometimes it's just fun to make fun on someone in front of other people when they say something unfortunate. I guess it's a character flaw.

Originally posted by JuiceRocket
Thanks for the tips guys, giving that a shot now and watching it reload everything.

Another thing I had not noticed (my wife uses the DVR far more than I do) is that we can't record a show and watch another, unless we set up a "manual recording" through the DVR screen.


-JR

Yeah like the other guy said, use the swap key. I agree that it's counter-intuitive that it doesn't automatically swap tuners for you. Maybe that will be addressed in future upgrades.

I think the sarcasm from the other guy comes from the fact that most questions asked here could be answered with a 2 minute search function on the thread, but hey, we're here to help. I've been there.

Originally posted by rodneyremington
I think the sarcasm from the other guy comes from the fact that most questions asked here could be answered with a 2 minute search function on the thread, but hey, we're here to help. I've been there.

Just to be clear, I either sit out or answer questions that have been answered here or are in the manual. Sometimes I provide a link to the previous answer, sometimes a link to the manual, sometimes I just retype the answer. It's part of the deal, and I know that if I hit something tough and ask it here my efforts will be repaid in full.

When someone asks "Can anyone record two shows at once," and he asks it in a way that shows he's annoyed that no one answered it when he asked it the day before, that's when I break out the sarcasm.

I, for what it's worth, couldn't figure out the idiocy of this thing's handling of two tuners, especially because my remote lacked the Swap key the manual refers to.

It took about half an hour with this thread to learn the secret combination of keys to invoke my Swap key and only then did the functionality of the box begin to reveal itself.

Oh, and one more thing:

I appreciate all the help here. I think it's ludicrous that an unsplittered install could be causing signal strength problems. It's more ludicrous that signal strength essentially hangs the box. So I'm sticking with "huge defect rate."

I will note that this box was at my girlfriend's in Cupertino, not at my place in Palo Alto.

And I did some math today: DirecTV is $20 cheaper per month than Comcast + DVR. While the $900 to buy an HD Tivo there is a lot of money, it's a short-enough payback cycle in my mind that I'm done. While some of you value Firewire, I value a big hard drive and it's 2x as large on the Tivo (and upgradeable, to boot). I don't have the time to keep going back and forth to Comcast and fighting with this thing and its quirks. I suspect this technology will eventually become stable, but it just isn't right now.

Are here any plans or rumors to add native resolution pass-thru to this boxes? I found out just few days ago by using OTA, my TV does a better job of converting 780p to 1080i than 6412.

Originally posted by rogo
Oh, and one more thing:
And I did some math today: DirecTV is $20 cheaper per month than Comcast + DVR. While the $900 to buy an HD Tivo there is a lot of money, it's a short-enough payback cycle in my mind that I'm done. While some of you value Firewire, I value a big hard drive and it's 2x as large on the Tivo (and upgradeable, to boot). I don't have the time to keep going back and forth to Comcast and fighting with this thing and its quirks. I suspect this technology will eventually become stable, but it just isn't right now.

Unless you come to Comcast as a DirecTV defector, in which case the monthly costs are equivalent and you don't have to spring $900 for a potentially limited lifetime set top box.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVED my DirecTV TiVo. Best thing since sliced bread, bar none. It just seems that TiVo's been sitting on their butts while the rest of the DVR world is starting to catch up. To me, a slick GUI, WishLists and slightly better guide data don't offset the $900 cost of the HDTiVo.

Originally posted by rogo
And I did some math today: DirecTV is $20 cheaper per month than Comcast + DVR. While the $900 to buy an HD Tivo there is a lot of money, it's a short-enough payback cycle in my mind that I'm done.
What type of grades did you get in math? 45 months is a huge payback cycle, especially for this type of electronics.

Originally posted by rogo
I, for what it's worth, couldn't figure out the idiocy of this thing's handling of two tuners, especially because my remote lacked the Swap key the manual refers to.

It took about half an hour with this thread to learn the secret combination of keys to invoke my Swap key and only then did the functionality of the box begin to reveal itself.

If you received the wrong remote from the installer, you can go to the nearest Comcast office and swap it out for the correct one that has the tuner buttons. They have plenty of 6412 remotes at the San Jose office.

Thanks again for the info, time to make love to that "swap" key! :)

-JR

Originally posted by HD Rookie
What type of grades did you get in math? 45 months is a huge payback cycle, especially for this type of electronics. Does anyone doubt that Comcast will offer a DVR with a larger hard drive and additional features long before the 45 month payback occurs on a DirecTiVo? The 6408 lasted less than six months before being replaced. The 6412 will probably last a year, maybe a year and a half.

Originally posted by frankz1
Did I not read this carefully? This is what I quoted and responded to:

...

...

No this was not the full text you responded to, the correct one was:


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by jacmyoung
Just added a 6412 yesterday, only had enough time to learn and add mute, skip and swap functions to my remote. This may already be reported if so I apologize for not able to go through all the posts.

I apparently have two-tuner only partially working. I can schedule one, then watch another channel or start recording it when the schduled channel was also recording, but can not schedule two recordings when there is conflict. I also don't see anything when pressing my "swap" key. The cable DVR has some catching-up to do with DBS DVRs obviously.

My firmware version is 9.12 I think. Thank you in advance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone? Are you all able to schedule two different future recordings even if they are in conflict of each other?



Which was why I did not say you did not read, just not reading it carefully. I knew you meant to humor, but there is a rule about being able to be funny, make sure you know everything about the subject first, not just a statement out of context.

One should be careful also trying to make fun at someone who has over 3,000 posts under his belt, thinking he did not know what the rules are (search, sarcasm and all), don't you think?

Originally posted by Garrett Adams
I read here in the San Francisco Comcast thread the following: "Look at the serial number of the box... if the 4th to 6th digits is 436 or 437, you have a bad power supply and need the box swapped."

My first two 6412's were bad and fell into the above s/n range. The third box had a higher serial number and has been bulletproof. Take it for what it's worth. ;) For what it's worth, my 6412 has a 437 serial number, and has not exhibited any power supply problems so far. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed.)

I would really like a "skip-to-tick" feature. Am I missing it, or am I right that it doesn't exist (yet)? Also, is there a way to return to the beginning of a recording other than Rewind?

Originally posted by rogo
Oh, and one more thing:

I appreciate all the help here. I think it's ludicrous that an unsplittered install could be causing signal strength problems. It's more ludicrous that signal strength essentially hangs the box. So I'm sticking with "huge defect rate."

I will note that this box was at my girlfriend's in Cupertino, not at my place in Palo Alto.

And I did some math today: DirecTV is $20 cheaper per month than Comcast + DVR. While the $900 to buy an HD Tivo there is a lot of money, it's a short-enough payback cycle in my mind that I'm done. While some of you value Firewire, I value a big hard drive and it's 2x as large on the Tivo (and upgradeable, to boot). I don't have the time to keep going back and forth to Comcast and fighting with this thing and its quirks. I suspect this technology will eventually become stable, but it just isn't right now.

When you switch from D* to Comcast you will get $25/mo. additional discount for 16 months, making you $5 ahead of D* in monthly cost.

BTW rogo, did you ever get a chance to see the 2wire E* whole house solution DVR at CES?

Originally posted by rogo
And I did some math today: DirecTV is $20 cheaper per month than Comcast + DVR. While the $900 to buy an HD Tivo there is a lot of money, it's a short-enough payback cycle in my mind that I'm done. While some of you value Firewire, I value a big hard drive and it's 2x as large on the Tivo (and upgradeable, to boot). I don't have the time to keep going back and forth to Comcast and fighting with this thing and its quirks. I suspect this technology will eventually become stable, but it just isn't right now.

Get another box from Comcast.

The above argument falls apart rather quickly if you consider that DirecTV will be going with a different codec for LiL HD, one that will not work on the current HD-DVR. Plus, AFAIK, DirecTV has not announced any firm plan on whether these boxes will/can be upgraded and at what cost to the consumer.

I myself was hours away from pulling the trigger on the DirecTV HD-DVR when the announcement about LiL-HD transmission came out. But I'm not about to dump $750-1000 on a box I may not be able to use for local HD. If one already owns the TiVo box and gets the 4 network DNS feeds, then I would stay with it, but I wouldn't be looking to buy one now.

I've been pretty lucky most of this time, my 6412 has been working well so far, comparatively- despite the "bad power supply" serial number, I have no crashes/reboots, or hangs (though I don't do much analog watching/rec on 6412- I have Tivo for that)...

However, there are still several critical problems with this box, that Comcast & iGuide should have fixed months ago. It is asinine they have not yet. Is anyone from iGuide reading these posts?
Anyone have a contact email for iGuide team? Some heads need to roll. Anyone at my software company took a month to fix multiple P1 bugs, they'd be fired.

Three times now I have had to redo all my scheduled Series recordings,
because the dumba$$ box changed the set channel, all on its own, from 70x (HD) to x (analog) mirrored channel. The analog picture looks horrible.
What is the point of having a HD-DVR, if it refuses to record the HD channels you programmed?!? How fricking hard is that for iGuide developers to program and test?
I have the series set to "only record this channel", etc.- I am not doing anything wrong I can tell.

People have said "have patience, we are early adopters, new technology" etc.-
well, I can tell you as a first Tivo subscriber, the Tivo never had these kind of critical failure bugs. It was stable. I had 2 crashes the first 6mos. All features worked, the next versions of s/w were adding new features, more than correcting bugs. That was bleeding edge since they were first w/ the tech!
How long has the 6412 been out in other markets? Couldn't they test w/ the 6208 earlier? I thought the Bay Area was among the last for the rollout.. haven't they tested & fixed it in other areas first? Why haven't they fixed any of these critical failure problems since the weeks/month we've reported them? No s/w or firmware update yet to date. These boxes need a recall.

I'm this ticked off, and I'm mostly hitting this one failure...
Luckily so far it seems to be doing better re "new" vs repeat episodes (for network shows at least)... I'd be much more ticked off if the box erased all my old recordings, to record new wasted multiple reruns/copies, especially if I didn't have Tivo backup recordings. I also haven't happened to hit the "conflicting dual recording/series priority" glitches, luckily.
And it the box kept crashing/hanging and aborting recordings... I'd throw it through a window!

The entire point of a DVR, is "set and forget", don't worry, it's recorded for you. You're not supposed to babysit the thing as it's recording!

I can only imagine the howls of everyone who has the Superbowl set to record, invites the friends over, starts watching a little while in so they can ffwd past ads/huddles... and discovers the stupid box has recorded the analog Fox channel instead!

Comcast better act quickly to resolve these problems w/ iGuide and/or Motorola, or they're going to find a lot of their "newbie users" quickly getting turned off re this new "DVR" concept. If us advanced/early adopter users are getting this tweaked, how frustrated do you think poor grandmas and "newbie" users are with this confounded thing?

Sorry, end of rant...
but, before you say "fine, if you don't like it leave"...
I'm stuck with the box, because I have no other way to record HD, my OTA was too spotty, and I hate satellite STB-lockin vs CATV everywhere...
I'm just very frustrated Motorola/iGuide have seen fit to release an obviously defective box & software, and have not been fixing the multiple problems promptly at all. That is very poor professional performance.

For most of the country the cable DVRs are still new, not like Tivo being out there for years. Even the E* DVRs are working fine most times now, even though back then their DVRs were way worse than 6412 now.

I would give the 6412 some more time. I am hoping now it is available to the mass HD market, they will not be able to ignore the large amount of negative feedbacks.

Aside from the above recording issues, adding a meanful favorite channel lists and related guide functions should not be too difficult.

Here's the post link for Comcast Corp. & iGuide company contacts:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4963844#post4963844


Comcast Corp Office - (215) 665-1700 - Call them, it will help up if we all pick up the phone and provide feedback. I recommend calling Comcast Corporate. They will route your call to a local Comcast engineer. From this point on you will have someone that is knowledgeable and can help.

I have gone this route and have a bunch of contacts and have been very successful.

Gemstar-TV Guide/i-Guide - (212) 852-7564 - A complete waste of time. I have tried over and over and although they seem nice when you finally get to speak with someone. They are not helpful nor do they care to help.

***** Important*****

The company Comcast and Gemstar-TV Guide created is called Guide Works. Guide Works is the company that created the i-Guide. This is the company we need to call. They have two locations and two phone numbers:

Denver CO:
(303) 267-6800

Radnor PA:
(610) 293-8500

Their website:

http://www.guideworkstv.com/

I hope everyone will call them with comments, concerns, and problems.

Last edited by markjrenna on 01-10-05 at 06:22 PM



I'll be calling them for sure...

I'm comparing this to old Tivo, not the current one after years of debugging.

More time?
How long does it take them to fix critical, obvious issues? A month is horrendous, and that's just since I finally got one. The 6412 has been out longer. This thread itself is 3mos old...

It's not like these are subtle, hard-to-reproduce problems. Lots of users seem to be having them.

Originally posted by stevehof
Does anyone doubt that Comcast will offer a DVR with a larger hard drive and additional features long before the 45 month payback occurs on a DirecTiVo? The 6408 lasted less than six months before being replaced. The 6412 will probably last a year, maybe a year and a half.
As soon as this thread dies down (hopefully after the next firmware release), I plan to order the 6412. It will by my 3rd comcast hd upgrade in about 2 years. That is $2-3k worth of equipment that I never had to purchase.

Instead of calling Guideworks with your comments, it would be a lot easier and quicker, and probably more effective, to just post them in this thread.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
As soon as this thread dies down (hopefully after the next firmware release), I plan to order the 6412. It will by my 3rd comcast hd upgrade in about 2 years. That is $2-3k worth of equipment that I never had to purchase.

Go order and order it now. The Chicago market seems to be one of the few markets without problems. I've had mine since it was launched here and haven't had a single problem.

For more info check out the Chicago Comcast thread at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=255885&perpage=20&pagenumber=141

tim

Originally posted by timdgibson
Go order and order it now. The Chicago market seems to be one of the few markets without problems. I've had mine since it was launched here and haven't had a single problem.

For more info check out the Chicago Comcast thread at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=255885&perpage=20&pagenumber=141

tim
Thanks for the tip Tim. I follow that thread, but didn't realize our 6412 service worked better.

Originally posted by cgould
Three times now I have had to redo all my scheduled Series recordings,
because the dumba$$ box changed the set channel, all on its own, from 70x (HD) to x (analog) mirrored channel. The analog picture looks horrible.
What is the point of having a HD-DVR, if it refuses to record the HD channels you programmed?!? How fricking hard is that for iGuide developers to program and test?
I have the series set to "only record this channel", etc.- I am not doing anything wrong I can tell.


Well I now add this to my list of bugs as well. Comcast is getting a call today! I reset all the series back to the HD channels, but this time I put in the passsword lock just for fun!! I had a new bug pop up with sound too. Watching Alias on 707 (hd) the volume was real low, so I turned it way up and heard this crackle every few seconds througt the speakers. I switch to the SD channel and it was gone, but volume was twice as loud. It went away away after a while on the HD, but came back during Wifeswap. Is this a broadcast or a box problem?

So my current bug list is:
Chronic Freez-itis
acute audio crackle
IBS (iguide bullsh#t syndrome)

maybe my 6412 needs some antibiotics

Originally posted by jayjay06
Well I now add this to my list of bugs as well. Comcast is getting a call today! I reset all the series back to the HD channels, but this time I put in the passsword lock just for fun!! I had a new bug pop up with sound too. Watching Alias on 707 (hd) the volume was real low, so I turned it way up and heard this crackle every few seconds througt the speakers. I switch to the SD channel and it was gone, but volume was twice as loud. It went away away after a while on the HD, but came back during Wifeswap. Is this a broadcast or a box problem?

So my current bug list is:
Chronic Freez-itis
acute audio crackle
IBS (iguide bullsh#t syndrome)

maybe my 6412 needs some antibiotics

For the audio, what is your compression setting?
I have it set to "Heavy", to make HD & analog sound levels even. (out the analog RCA jacks.)
It's in Main Menu, Cable Box settings, Audio... may need to set Audio Output to Advanced before you see the options...
might want to verify stereo output is Matrix, also (eg DD5.1 on digital etc.)

Edit: PS I tried the "lock" pin thing too, to see if that would help (not sure how it works), but it seemed very flaky- "enter pin" dialog popped up almost randomly, doing various operations (ffwd/rvs, channel change, browse MyDVR/guide etc.) sometimes I think even not when on that channel or program. I undid it.

Originally posted by timdgibson
Go order and order it now. The Chicago market seems to be one of the few markets without problems. I've had mine since it was launched here and haven't had a single problem.

tim

Agreed, I've had the 6412 for almost 3 weeks and I haven't had any of the no doubt annoying issues described here. I live in Bartlett, outside Chicago. Everything I've asked it to record has recorded fine, multiple shows at a time, analog, hd, whatever. Both tuners work fine, sound is fine, etc... even got the right remote!

One problem I have had that I don't know if tivo has: If I record a show that is run twice in one day, the same episode, I get both, when I just want one. If I could do a manual recording for a specific time/channel, and then do a series recording on that, that would help out a lot.

Originally posted by cgould
For the audio, what is your compression setting?
I have it set to "Heavy", to make HD & analog sound levels even. (out the analog RCA jacks.)
It's in Main Menu, Cable Box settings, Audio... may need to set Audio Output to Advanced before you see the options...
might want to verify stereo output is Matrix, also (eg DD5.1 on digital etc.)

Edit: PS I tried the "lock" pin thing too, to see if that would help (not sure how it works), but it seemed very flaky- "enter pin" dialog popped up almost randomly, doing various operations (ffwd/rvs, channel change, browse MyDVR/guide etc.) sometimes I think even not when on that channel or program. I undid it.

I can't remember the compression setting, but I did pick the one that equialized the analog and HD the best, so probably heavy. I haven't had much time to mess with it, considering my wife goes nuts with my incessent (sp?) tinkering. She just wants the tivo hooked back up already. I keep telling her, "this will record HD and has a dual tuner" - but somehow the box seems to enjoy tormenting me. And I've only had it for half a week!