I use 480p & my TV does the stretching.

From my understanding using either 480i or 480p will allow you to use your display for stretching. The only difference is whether the STB or the display does the deinterlacing. If you set it to "off" the STB outputs the resolution at whatever the DVI/Component is set for which means it puts black bars on the left and right of the 4:3 image and thus you can't use the displays stretch modes. The stretch mode from the STB looks horrible to me.

As far as how to set the HD you may have to look at both a 1080i and a 720p signal to determine if the STB or your display has a better scaler. Most fixed panel displays are 720p but most signals are 1080i (except ESPN, FOX, and ABC). If you set the STB to 720p it will scale most signals and leave the other three intact at your display and your display will not do any scaling. If set to 1080i then the STB will leave most signals intact and scale the other three which means your display will scale the 1080i signals. This also means 720p signals will be scaled to 1080i and then back to 720p in the display. I wish the STB had a native pass-though option but it doesn't. From what I have read most people set it to 1080i and let the display scale to 720p. Some people switch to 720p when viewing those programs. I guess the bottom line is you need to experiment for yourself with both settings making sure you test a 1080i and a 720p signal (i.e. CBS and ABC).

Originally posted by jspirate
Bobby94928 (and anyone else),

Which way is better?
1. Split coax and run one to 6412 and the other to coax input on DPD, or
2. USe two different inputs from the 6412 (ie component and s-video)

A couple valid pros/cons were already mentioned. I have both setups, but nearly always use #1, from an ease of use standpoint. The downfall is that I can only watch channels 1-99 and can't watch any recorded programs over #1.

ptchristensen,

About your apartment cable wiring. If it is typical it will be less than wonderful in design. (It would have been cheap to install however)
Disconnecting the wires from the un-used splitters/jacks may cause problems. "Capping" un-used jacks may help stop unwanted frequencies from sneaking into your system.

Your unit usually will start with what's call a "homerun" from the cable control box for your building. That's great, but it's all downhill from there.

The "homerun" usually is split immediately behind the first jack creating an immediate 3.5db loss to the first jack and the cable leading to the second splitter ( another 3.5db loss) and so on till it's done. On high (really high) end units the "homerun" may be split more efficiently or amplified, but were not talking 3 story walk-ups here.

What you "can" do is find your home run. You can do this by unscrewing the cable jack from the wall and carefully pull the splitter out of the wall and disconnect the "in" cable from the splitter. Now you can check your other jacks to see if you have a signal at them. If you still have a signal you know the first wire you removed was not the "homerun". Continue with this until you have no signal. The last wire has to be the home run.

Now connect your 6412 directly to the home run without any splitters. If you have an improvement in pq then you know you have something to work with. If there is no noticeable difference, then your 6412 was probably getting all the signal it needed in the first place.

OK, re-assemble everything. If you had an improvement connected straight to the "homerun" call your cable people and have them boost your signal at the box.

This can be a fun project. Be carefull not to overtighten the connectors. It is most helpful to have a 7/16 open-end wrench. When pushing the cables back into the walls be carefull not to kink the coax.

good luck

Lew

Has anyone been able to record something onto media or their hard drive off of the dvr? That drive gets small when you have HD content on there and I'd be interested to know what my options are. Thanks

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Anyone notice the i-Guide automatically corrected the time slot for Idol tonight. And it looks like it is going to correct it for tomorrow as well. Very cool!

Actually, I was going to complain about this "correction" not being integrated into the existing Series Recording.

Bug #1:

I have AmIdol setup as a Series Recording
Wed was scheduled for 30 minutes originally
Checked Wed @ 7pm and saw that they had "corrected" it to 60 minutes in the Guide
But when I returned from dinner, I discovered that it still only recorded the first 30 minutes

Bug #2:

Setup a Manual Recording for 60 minutes for Thu (tonight) not knowing how long this show will run
It wouldn't let me select for recording the TBA of either 30 minute slot at that hour
I-Guide only shows the Red Dot on the first 30 minute TBA
(Though the Scheduled Recordings gets it right)

Bug #1 is certainly more serious than Bug #2 (at least I assume my 60 minute recording will not - again! - be trimmed to 30 minutes).

Originally posted by edmc
Bug #1:

I have AmIdol setup as a Series Recording
Wed was scheduled for 30 minutes originally
Checked Wed @ 7pm and saw that they had "corrected" it to 60 minutes in the Guide
But when I returned from dinner, I discovered that it still only recorded the first 30 minutes

Bug #2:

Setup a Manual Recording for 60 minutes for Thu (tonight) not knowing how long this show will run
It wouldn't let me select for recording the TBA of either 30 minute slot at that hour
I-Guide only shows the Red Dot on the first 30 minute TBA
(Though the Scheduled Recordings gets it right) Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Yeah, I agree with Bug #1. I jumped the gun. Luckily I had the buffer so I hit record.

Bug #2 should have been fixed once the i-Guide went from TBA to Idol. It did for me anyway and picked up the Series Recording for tonight.

EDIT: I'm going to revise my comments.

I think a few of us suffer from being too proactive. If I didn't find out about the schedule change I/we would not have known but the i-Guide/6412 would have taken care of the change automatically.

And that is very cool!

I'm not looking for anymore F' ups for Idol or any other show I have set up as a Series Recording but it gives me a nice level of confidence that the 6412 will record it.

Now, with 60 million viewers it certainly was in everyones (Comcast, Fox, TV Guide) interest to get the guide data correct. I have to wonder about some show that doesn't have that viewership number. Will they update the guide as quickly?

Only time will tell. But I am very happy and impressed.

Originally posted by DirtRider
Has anyone been able to record something onto media or their hard drive off of the dvr? That drive gets small when you have HD content on there and I'd be interested to know what my options are. Thanks

I have archived recorded shows to DVHS off the 6412.

Originally posted by Rudy1
I have archived recorded shows to DVHS off the 6412.

Is there a way to do it to a computer HD?

Originally posted by DirtRider
Is there a way to do it to a computer HD?

Please check this thread out.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=403695

Peter

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Anyone notice the i-Guide automatically corrected the time slot for Idol tonight. And it looks like it is going to correct it for tomorrow as well. Very cool! It didn't correct it for last night in the twin cities. It only grabbed the first 30 minutes but I didn't care, I got to watch Carrie Underwood again so that was good enough for me ;)

Originally posted by tall1
It didn't correct it for last night in the twin cities. It only grabbed the first 30 minutes but I didn't care, I got to watch Carrie Underwood again so that was good enough for me ;) Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Total OT. Who cares.

I have seen Heart (Ann and Nancy) sing in person. Man can they sing. I agree, Carrie had a fantastic performance. :)

I reconnected my analog this evening, using a splitter and then direct to the TV's built in tuner. Also inserted signal boosters in the paths of both feeds (one to the 6412 and one to the TV). This of course eliminated the audio problem I was having with analog channels through the 6412, plus improved the picture about 100%, but it's inconvenient having to switch back and forth when you go from digital to analog, and vice versa. Hopefully the new 6412 that's being delivered tomorrow night will fix the problem!

P.S. I also tried the S-Video cable from the box o the TV, but this did not work well at all.

Originally posted by JBaumgart
Also inserted signal boosters in the paths of both feeds (one to the 6412 and one to the TV).
A booster tip...
This may have even been mentioned within the last couple pages. It is best to place your booster as close to the point where your raw cable line enters the house as possible. At a minimum, you should place one booster in front of the splitter instead of two behind.

The reasoning is that you are now boosting a signal that has already been degraded by 3.5db (at least) from the splitter. Your goal is to boost the signal before any interference/degredation hits the signal.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JBaumgart
[B]I reconnected my analog this evening, using a splitter and then direct to the TV's built in tuner. Also inserted signal boosters in the paths of both feeds (one to the 6412 and one to the TV).

Hi

What kind of signal boosters did you use and where did you purchase them? I would like to try the same solution as I have the identical problem.

Thanks,

Tony

I'm not looking for anymore F' ups for Idol or any other show I have set up as a Series Recording but it gives me a nice level of confidence that the 6412 will record it.

My guide had the corrected AmIdol, but pick it did not pick it up from my series recording. So I set it to record manually. It showed up in Scheduled Recordings. Then guess what, it didn't record. Huh? (The OC recording fine just before AmIdol, so I know it isn't the box). Well, record or not, I'm glad to hear the one that got voted off did!

Originally posted by tonyguy2000
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JBaumgart
[B]I reconnected my analog this evening, using a splitter and then direct to the TV's built in tuner. Also inserted signal boosters in the paths of both feeds (one to the 6412 and one to the TV).

Hi

What kind of signal boosters did you use and where did you purchase them? I would like to try the same solution as I have the identical problem.

Thanks,

Tony

I use the Motorola Signal Booster. I purchased three of them a couple of years ago, mainly because I have a very long cable line coming to the house and have a total of 5 TV's plus computer broadband connected. I don't remember where I got them (online someplace that had a good deal) but do a Google search and numerous vendors should come up.

I've had Comcast over many times over the years to try to boost the signal, but find that I still need these to get an acceptable picture. I temporarily took one of them off a different TV that we rarely watch and added it to the analog feed to our bedroom set with the new 6412 as described above. After I get my replacement 6412 I'll take another look and hopefully just use one of the boosters to this TV, ahead of the split (if a split is still necessary) as HD Rookie suggests.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JBaumgart
[B]I use the Motorola Signal Booster. I purchased three of them a couple of years ago, mainly because I have a very long cable line coming to the house and have a total of 5 TV's plus computer broadband connected. I don't remember where I got them (online someplace that had a good deal) but do a Google search and numerous vendors should come up.

Thanks,

I look around for them. I have a similar situation even afetr 4 6412's.

My initial set-up was cable line-2 way splitter-1 line to cable box (Moto 6412) and 1 line direct into back of tv. This worked great.

I recently decided to add my cable modem into the line by doing the following:
cable line-2 way splitter- 1 line to cable modem/1line to 2 way splitter- 1 line to tv /1 line into Moto 6412.

By doing this my internet is working fine and the cable tv works as well. However, it seems that the cable box has powered itself off twice in the last 2 hours and is making a "beeping" noise.

Anyone have any idea of what I can do to remedy this? Do I need to add in a CATV signal amp?

I believe you can get the Motorola Boosters from Amazon.;)

It also seems that the DVR functions arent working.

I just "cleared" the cable box as reported a few pages earlier and everything seems to be back to normal now.

Well, I had plus and minus results with the extra American Idol on Thursday. I have Idol set as a season record in HD:

1) Plus side: It recorded the show on Thursday, no problem.

2) Minus side: After the show ended, it decided to keep right on recording!

I didn't turn on the TV last night, but tonight I found that it had recorded American Idol for 1340 minutes, and the HD was 100% full. No problem with deleting it, but a pretty weird result.

Hi, I just had a quick question about the priority list on the 6412. I am going on vacation for a while and I have a bunch of series that I am recording, most likely a lot will be deleted. So I have the show that i don't want deleted which is set on the highest priority and set to delete when I delete. So I was wondering when I reach almost 100% will it just delete the lower priorities one and keep on recording the 1st priority show.

Let's say I have 24 as the first priority and CSI: Miami as the 2nd priority. 24 is set on keep until I delete. Its 90% full, will it just delete the CSI: Miami episodes and keep on recording 24. Will it ever stop recording 24 if there is still room left on the DVR? Thanks.

Originally posted by deessel
Anyone have any idea of what I can do to remedy this? Do I need to add in a CATV signal amp? If this happens again, you probably need a booster, and BTW you should also have a filter on the cable going to the cable modem to keep your modem activity from affecting your TV signal and box.

Originally posted by dailowai
Hi, I just had a quick question about the priority list on the 6412. I am going on vacation for a while and I have a bunch of series that I am recording, most likely a lot will be deleted. So I have the show that i don't want deleted which is set on the highest priority and set to delete when I delete. So I was wondering when I reach almost 100% will it just delete the lower priorities one and keep on recording the 1st priority show.

Let's say I have 24 as the first priority and CSI: Miami as the 2nd priority. 24 is set on keep until I delete. Its 90% full, will it just delete the CSI: Miami episodes and keep on recording 24. Will it ever stop recording 24 if there is still room left on the DVR? Thanks.

It deletes the oldest things that are set for "When space is needed." The priority has nothing to do with when things get deleted, only when they get recorded.

I don't know what happens when it's full and the only thing left are things marked "I Delete"

Comcast installed my replacement 6412 last night, and I'm happy to report that everything including the audio (no more dropouts, no more loud pops!) is working normally. Just as importantly, the SD picture is much improved, without having to split the cable direct to the TV. Everything is running direct through the new 6412, with one Motorola Signal Booster in the loop. The technician said that with the booster my signal is right at "0" with 0 to +5 being ideal. Without the booster, it would be -15 so I definitely need it. This is purely a function of the very long run to the house and the many TV's (5) that I have connected. The digital picture is still much better than analog 2-99, but it's much improved and very watchable.

So the initial box that they gave me was the source of the problem, it was just a defective unit. The tech said that Comcast was rolling them out so fast that there "bound to be issues" and he acknowledged that they were "having problems" with a good number of the 6412's. He also said they were still in high enough demand that the employees were still not allowed to get them.

P.S. He also said that at least here in Minneapolis-St. Paul that it was the goal of Comcast to simulcast all channels in digital "sometime this summer." As to when they will stop delivering analog channels, he said that although Comcast would like to do this "as soon as possible" to free up bandwith for their soon-to-launched upgraded phone system, it was not entirely within their control - they must first receive approval from the FCC, and who knows how long that would take. Not necessarily a bad thing for me, because I have 3 secondary analog TV's connected that all work fine without any box.

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Glad to see your new 6412 is working just fine!

Regarding the Digital Simulcast. The plan is to have all Analog channels Digitally Simulcasted this year.

As far as freeing up bandwidth... Well, actually Simulcasting takes away bandwidth. Comcast won't realize a bandwidth surplus until they as no longer required to carry Analog channels. And unfortunately that won't happen until at least 2006 (maybe longer).

For every Analog channel that is removed (not Simulcasted) they can recover bandwidth. They can fit as many as 12 Digital channels (QAM 256) in the space one Analog channel requires (6MHz). They can fit up to 3 HD channels in that same Analog space.

Removing 80 or so Analog channels can give us up to an incredible 960 more Digital channels or 240 more HD Channels. Now, don't expect that many channels. The current Digital STB's can't handle that capacity.

Bottom line is that when we are finally rid of Analog then we can see much more in the way of new Digital & HD channels and new Services.

BTW, Comcast VOIP is already being tested in 3 markets and will be deployed through out the next year (by end of 2006) to the rest of us.

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Glad to see your new 6412 is working just fine!

Regarding the Digital Simulcast. The plan is to have all Analog channels Digitally Simulcasted this year.

As far as freeing up bandwidth... Well, actually Simulcasting takes away bandwidth. Comcast won't realize a bandwidth surplus until they as no longer required to carry Analog channels. And unfortunately that won't happen until at least 2006 (maybe longer).

For every Analog channel that is removed (not Simulcasted) they can recover bandwidth. They can fit as many as 12 Digital channels (QAM 256)in the space one Analog channel requires (MHz). They can fit up to 3 HD channels in that same Analog space.

Removing 80 or so Analog channels can give us up to an incredible 960 more Digital channels or 240 more HD Channels. Now, don't expect that many channels. The current Digital STB's can't handle that capacity.

Bottom line is that when we are finally rid of Analog then we can see much more in the way of new Digital & HD channels and new Services.

BTW, Comcast VOIP is already being tested in 3 markets and will be deployed through out the next year (by end of 2006) to the rest of us.

Thanks for the update. If you read my "P.S." you will see that I was referring to Comcast's plan to stop simulcasting analog in order to free up bandwith. Sorry if this was not clear.

Originally posted by markjrenna
... For every Analog channel that is removed (not Simulcasted) they can recover bandwidth. They can fit as many as 12 Digital channels (QAM 256)in the space one Analog channel requires (MHz). They can fit up to 3 HD channels in that same Analog space.... I can give you a nice list of analog channels to axe immediately.

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Regarding the Digital Simulcast. The plan is to have all Analog channels Digitally Simulcasted this year.


I wish this were possible on 550MHz systems, we're stuck with what we have until new/different compression codecs are implemented, or until analog shuts down completely.

Plus you have the issue of the no-STB-required rule for current non-digital subs which will have to be resolved before we can have a full digital system.

Originally posted by markjrenna
And unfortunately that won't happen until at least 2006 (maybe longer).

Bottom line is that when we are finally rid of Analog then we can see much more in the way of new Digital & HD channels and new Services.

You seriously would like to see all analog channels removed? I hate cable boxes. The only reason I have one is for HD. The boxes screw you out of your tvs builtin functionality like pip/pop. I couldn't imagine having to put a box on every tv in my house. Not to mention that would allow the bastards to bill me at least a $150 month with my internet service.

On the other hand, to free up some bandwidth, they could remove about half the crappy analog channels without stirring up too much trouble.

I have encountered a problem I have not seen a previous post describing. This week when I go to modify the recording options for a program (typically to add extra time), about half the time when I hit o.k. (select) on the "Additional Recording Options" selection the DVR resets. We then, of course, lose our IGUide data for a few days. I know I can try swapping boxes, but I prefer not to because of the recorded programs we have on our current one. Any suggestions?

Mark S.

Most likely, they will start dropping premium analog channels first (HBO/Showtime, etc..) This has already happened in a few areas with limited bandwidth. This opens up 3-4 or more analog spaces (up to 48 SD/12 HD) channels. They'll then start dropping the least popular analog channels (my system has Oxygen and Golf channel on analog for some weird reason.)

The Cable Co. are winning the court battle and will probably be allowed to totally encrypt there cable system, requiring all users to have either a Type 2 cablecard or a STB to decode the cable signal.

Get used to having a STB & / or a Cablecard tuner device.

Cable theft is a very costly problem.

Originally posted by JonM in MN
Not a huge deal, but a bit annoying. Last night I fired up the HDTV to watch CSI Miami about 15 minutes after it had started--love that. (I have it as a series recording). Anyway. The box would NOT put out 5.1 surround, only PCM. Checked the receiver, checked the show OTA, all was fine. Couldn't turn the box off and on or check the user menu as it was still recording the show. As soon as the recording ended I turned the box on and off and it was back. Watched the show without a glitch at that point, 5.1 and all.



My 6412 never had this problem before being upgraded to the 9.15 firmware. It's now happened 3 times where I had to turn the box off & on to get it to output 5.1 audio.

Jeff

Originally posted by scanpa
The Cable Co. are winning the court battle and will probably be allowed to totally encrypt there cable system, requiring all users to have either a Type 2 cablecard or a STB to decode the cable signal.

Get used to having a STB & / or a Cablecard tuner device.

Cable theft is a very costly problem.

What court battle are you referring to?

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

A. Comcast CSR's are not as knowledgeable as the members of this forum. Try here first.

B. The 6412 is INCAPABLE of displaying two simultaneous video screens, other wise known as PIP. It can't do it. Maybe a successor DVR will, but not the 6412.

You're welcome stugove.

You have that right on the CSR's. She tried, but I could hear the pages flapping while she was trying to help me. I just downloaded the manual and printed it out (on the work printer of course :)) I will read it at home and figure out this new box.

As for the PIP I split mine off a while ago and use the Sony's (34510) other tuner and watch two screens. I like to compare HD with SD on the same show. I do like the new "guide". It has the show in the top right window while you scope out the guide. The "Arrow Keys" use to just flip to the guide so I can scan while watching. Now they turn on the recording "bar".
Hmm...maybe I'll learn in the manual. Also the volume control turns on the cable boxes volume bar, were as before it was in sync with my TV's volume bar. (That is what the CSR could not figure out.)

All in All, it is far better then the simple HD box I had before. I already set it to record the NCAA Tourney this Friday. I really wanted it to record the HBO shows. I get up to early on Monday morning and it will be nice to watch those shows at our own leisure.

Originally posted by Workindood
Also the volume control turns on the cable boxes volume bar, were as before it was in sync with my TV's volume bar. (That is what the CSR could not figure out.)

If you have a seperate receiver w/ surround, you'd probably want it so that the 6412 remote volume controls the volume of the receiver. Look in the remote manual for volume "lock"

I understand what you are saying and it makes sense. However, I want the cable remote to do all the TV functions so my Wife" can use it. I have a Sony MX-3000 that I use (for all my gear) and she HATES. :D I will read the manual this week. It is 50 pages. Glad I used the fast work printer.

Originally posted by scanpa
The Cable Co. are winning the court battle and will probably be allowed to totally encrypt there cable system, requiring all users to have either a Type 2 cablecard or a STB to decode the cable signal.

I'm not sure about the "Type 2" reference. Are you talking about the yet-to-be-standardized 2-way CableCards? I believe 1-way CableCards are sufficient and in wide-spread use for such "conditional-access" content decryption. Or did I confuse what "Type 2" refers to?

Originally posted by keenan
What court battle are you referring to?

keenan, scanpa is referring to the FCC hearings on the issue. My understanding is that the hearings were quite some time ago (last summer actually) but that a ruling has yet to be handed down. No doubt the departure of Powell from the SEC Chair position has put yet another bump in the road for getting this "final decision".

At issue are both the currently OTA available HD stations which are also carried on Cable as well as the other non-OTA but currently Analog SD stations Cable carries. We could see different rulings on these two classes of stations... or even a different "partitioning"... I'm predicting the OTA-available HD stations will be required to be carried in the clear as well as any Digitally-encoded Public Access Channels, but nothing else. But then I also was predicting a ruling by now :( ...

Originally posted by edmc
I'm not sure about the "Type 2" reference. Are you talking about the yet-to-be-standardized 2-way CableCards? I believe 1-way CableCards are sufficient and in wide-spread use for such "conditional-access" content decryption. Or did I confuse what "Type 2" refers to?



keenan, scanpa is referring to the FCC hearings on the issue. My understanding is that the hearings were quite some time ago (last summer actually) but that a ruling has yet to be handed down. No doubt the departure of Powell from the SEC Chair position has put yet another bump in the road for getting this "final decision".

At issue are both the currently OTA available HD stations which are also carried on Cable as well as the other non-OTA but currently Analog SD stations Cable carries. We could see different rulings on these two classes of stations... or even a different "partitioning"... I'm predicting the OTA-available HD stations will be required to be carried in the clear as well as any Digitally-encoded Public Access Channels, but nothing else. But then I also was predicting a ruling by now :( ...

Thanks..

Just noticed last night on my replacement 6412 the On Demand feature is not working. I can access the program and cursors (play, pause, etc) just fine which show up, but no programs start - just a blank screen.

Other than a possible defective box, any ideas on what might be the problem or how I can get this going? My previous 6200 was able to play these stored programs just fine.

Originally posted by edmc
I'm not sure about the "Type 2" reference. Are you talking about the yet-to-be-standardized 2-way CableCards? I believe 1-way CableCards are sufficient and in wide-spread use for such "conditional-access" content decryption. Or did I confuse what "Type 2" refers to?



keenan, scanpa is referring to the FCC hearings on the issue. My understanding is that the hearings were quite some time ago (last summer actually) but that a ruling has yet to be handed down. No doubt the departure of Powell from the SEC Chair position has put yet another bump in the road for getting this "final decision".

At issue are both the currently OTA available HD stations which are also carried on Cable as well as the other non-OTA but currently Analog SD stations Cable carries. We could see different rulings on these two classes of stations... or even a different "partitioning"... I'm predicting the OTA-available HD stations will be required to be carried in the clear as well as any Digitally-encoded Public Access Channels, but nothing else. But then I also was predicting a ruling by now :( ...

for more info read this thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=501035

Originally posted by JBaumgart
Just noticed last night on my replacement 6412 the On Demand feature is not working. I can access the program and cursors (play, pause, etc) just fine which show up, but no programs start - just a blank screen.

Other than a possible defective box, any ideas on what might be the problem or how I can get this going? My previous 6200 was able to play these stored programs just fine.

There seems to be an incompatibility between some boxes and the head end in regards to OnDemand. You probably do not get the preview running while in the menus, either? Mine did this too, but suddenly started working after about 2-3 months. If you send the box's mute command (hit setup [just press and release as normal], then 00141) twice, you will get audio.

Someone once posted that their original box worked fine. They had it replaced for some reason, and that box didn't work. It was replaced again, but that one also didn't work. A 4th box finally worked.

This has nothing to do with the firmware update, as mine is still at 9.12.

Originally posted by andyross63
You probably do not get the preview running while in the menus, either?

Guess not, because I didn't know they were there. I guess I'll call Comcast and see what they say. I would like to have OnDemand, especially since I'm already paying for it.

Originally posted by scanpa
for more info read this thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=501035

scanpa, thanks for the link to that thread. However, my question was what you meant by "Type 2" CableCard. The only reference I could find is in michaeltscott's post #12 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5075308#post5075308) in that thread where he references "CableCARD V2 slots" in his speculation about what will be included in future HD DVD Recorders. Did I miss it?

I merely suggest that the 1-way CableCards of today (my local Comcast will gladly give you one rather than a set-top box if you prefer) are more than sufficient to enable decrypting of any desired encrypted broadcasts. It's the 2-way functionality which will ultimately make things like PPV work in an "in-band" way. My understanding is that the current 1-way CableCards also limit the EPG availability significantly and that is also being addressed in "V2".

Could you kindly clarify your comment?

Is there a way to get channels to show up in the window while browsing the On demand offerings instead of 'the on-demand' channel ie on demand previews?

Here's an interesting bug: I was recording American Idol and paused it with a few min left to use the facilities. When I got back, it was after 9pm and the DVR went on to record Invasion Iowa on one tuner and Veronica Mars on the other recorder. For some reason (I can't remember why..perhaps it immediately asked me whether I wanted to delete or not after unpausing), I needed to go to the DVR menu to start playing American Idol again (and had to FF to the place where I left off). Once I finished the program and deleted it, I went to My DVR and selected Veronica Mars. When I had just about caught up with the live broadcast, I pressed Live. It asked me if I wanted to delete the recording!!! When I selected No, it deleted it anyway and took me to the DVR recordings list. What happened? Bugs :)

Originally posted by Night Hawk
Is there a way to get channels to show up in the window while browsing the On demand offerings instead of 'the on-demand' channel ie on demand previews?

Not that I am aware of. VoD is a interactive system setup outside the normal Cable setup.

Originally posted by edmc
scanpa, thanks for the link to that thread. However, my question was what you meant by "Type 2" CableCard. The only reference I could find is in michaeltscott's post #12 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5075308#post5075308) in that thread where he references "CableCARD V2 slots" in his speculation about what will be included in future HD DVD Recorders. Did I miss it?

I merely suggest that the 1-way CableCards of today (my local Comcast will gladly give you one rather than a set-top box if you prefer) are more than sufficient to enable decrypting of any desired encrypted broadcasts. It's the 2-way functionality which will ultimately make things like PPV work in an "in-band" way. My understanding is that the current 1-way CableCards also limit the EPG availability significantly and that is also being addressed in "V2".

Could you kindly clarify your comment?

All I know is it is the smart card type 2.

It could possibly be the 2 way, interactive card that was already mentiond.

I love this DVR. Has worked great for me since I got it installed on Tuesday. Dual tuner HD is amazing. One question, has anyone had problems with video and audio cutting out? I have only noticed it once. It happened while watching my recorder version of Lost last night. About half way through, I lost video and audio for 2-3 seconds and it repeated about once per minute. Is this a known problem with the DVR or something that happens with broadcasts. It did not happen on Tuesday when I recorded two HD shows at the same time...

If this is a dual post, I apologize, I've spent many hours reading through a lot of this thread and recall folks talking about problems with the second tuner (which I may have been using). Thanks for any in-site you can provide.

Tim

Originally posted by tstall2
I love this DVR. Has worked great for me since I got it installed on Tuesday. Dual tuner HD is amazing. One question, has anyone had problems with video and audio cutting out? I have only noticed it once. It happened while watching my recorder version of Lost last night. About half way through, I lost video and audio for 2-3 seconds and it repeated about once per minute. Is this a known problem with the DVR or something that happens with broadcasts. It did not happen on Tuesday when I recorded two HD shows at the same time...

If this is a dual post, I apologize, I've spent many hours reading through a lot of this thread and recall folks talking about problems with the second tuner (which I may have been using). Thanks for any in-site you can provide.

Tim

I had very similar symptoms during my recording of Lost.. was just fine until about the 40 minute mark.

I've had the unit for 2 months and this is the first time I've seen issues like this. Comcast/Chicago.

I am Comcast/Chicago as well. Must have had something to do with the storms. Thanks for your comments.

Definitely the storms -- I'm also on Comcast Chicago and had dropouts during Lost. Of course, that was on Tuner 1 -- Tuner 2 was completely unwatchable as usual.

Comcast is coming out again on Monday to try and fix it. The first tech who came over had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He never checked the signal strength or error counts -- according to my service menu, Tuner 2 is usually at a Fair signal strength, with AGP at poor. Tuner 1 isn't much better, but is at least watchable.

Two quick questions: 1) Is there a possibility that a new box would help? It doesn't seem logical to me, since everything else works (and even Tuner 2 is OK sometimes), but I have a feeling that is what they will suggest. 2) Does signal strength vary throughout the day? I can see HD on Tuner 2 on daytime television, but it goes to hell during primetime. Does it matter how many local people are watching at any given time?

Probably stupid questions, but any help is appreciated.

Originally posted by MJVanDam
Definitely the storms -- I'm also on Comcast Chicago and had dropouts during Lost. Of course, that was on Tuner 1 -- Tuner 2 was completely unwatchable as usual.

Comcast is coming out again on Monday to try and fix it. The first tech who came over had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He never checked the signal strength or error counts -- according to my service menu, Tuner 2 is usually at a Fair signal strength, with AGP at poor. Tuner 1 isn't much better, but is at least watchable.

Two quick questions: 1) Is there a possibility that a new box would help? It doesn't seem logical to me, since everything else works (and even Tuner 2 is OK sometimes), but I have a feeling that is what they will suggest. 2) Does signal strength vary throughout the day? I can see HD on Tuner 2 on daytime television, but it goes to hell during primetime. Does it matter how many local people are watching at any given time?

Probably stupid questions, but any help is appreciated.

Your signal is probably too low for the box to function properly. The signal level and AGC should both be "good". I think you want signal levels of 35 dB with AGC < 50%. You will have lots of signal dropouts with fair-poor signal. These will be most noticeable on HD due to the high bandwidth.

One tuner will be worse than the other due to the internal splitters for the (unused) cable modem. Usually my tuner 2 is about 3 dB lower than tuner 1. You either have too many splitters in line before your 6412 or low signal coming into your house. I would think that comcast could boost your signal and fix the problem.

I have been having similar intermittent HD signal problems in St. Paul, but I have good signal levels. I share your frustration with Comcast. Their tech support is somewhere between lousy and non-existent.

Thanks. I'm just worried that the next tech to come out will just try and replace the box without addressing the actual issue. My SO has given me a month to get this worked out or we're going back to Tivo! I'd miss HD and dual tuners too much (although our remaining Tivo has been a godsend as backup).

The last tech to come out tried to tell me that my television was at fault -- "Your TV needs a strong signal." Did NOT make me happy.

Originally posted by MJVanDam


The last tech to come out tried to tell me that my television was at fault -- "Your TV needs a strong signal." Did NOT make me happy.

That one should go in the hall of shame

I was playing catchup this afternoon. Watched 24 from Monday night - flawless. Then watched 'House' from Tuesday (also Fox) sound gaps of 2-4 seconds. 98.25% satisfied with the box. guess we'll live with the other 1.75%.

During the last week I have seen series recordings suddenly pick up different shows at their timeslot, instead of NOT recording, if the series program isn't showing.

Manual recordings for this Sunday were suddenly pushed 1 hour ahead.

I had to delete all the series and manual recordings to make the scheduled "shadow" programs go away.

I think I will wait with setting up the the manual recording and the series recordings till after daylight savings time has kicked in Sunday morning.

Could it be that the programmer was european since they changed to daylight savings time last weekend.

Originally posted by MJVanDam
[The last tech to come out tried to tell me that my television was at fault -- "Your TV needs a strong signal." Did NOT make me happy.

That is CRAP! You might need different splitters. Ones with higher MHZ. My Comcast Tech changed all mine in my house (And did not charge me either). He also re-ran all new cable from the pole to the inside of my house. Then changed the box.

I did not know that there were different MHZ splitters. But it made sense.
Higher bandwidth, higher MHZ. I had older 533 MHZ splitters. The ones he put in were 1000 MHZ. He told me with HD it runs around 800 MHZ.

I was having major breakups on ESPNHD so I called the cable guy out. He swapped some splitters around because the signals were getting split too many times between the pole and my TV.

It fixed the problem and then whammo I also got ondemand which I never had before. I asked the guy if comcast just launched ondemand today in my area but he said nope, my signal level was just too low to get it before.

Bonus.

But how can you tell if a show is HD in the ondemand menu? Hopefully they'll show the last season of six feet under in HD at some point because I totally missed that series.

Right now unless it says it's HD, or Widescreen (if you just don't want to see it 4:3)... that's the only way that it WOULD be HD or Widescreen. I haven't been seeing any series (even for the Premium channels) in HD or widescreen... Yet.

A Tech that came out to my house said that it will all be HD by 2006 (but since then I think that the FCC pushed back the date, but I think they are still on track for that).

EDIT: For clarification, I'm talking about ON DEMAND...

I live in Radnor, PA...Just this week, I noticed that I was no longer getting the pixelization on the second tuner on Fox. I wonder if Comcast updated something at the head-end.

However, also just this week, I have had two occurrences of ALL the HD channels freezing for at least 5 minutes. The latest was during CSI last night. I jumped to the analog channels to watch. Then, after a few minutes, flipped back and everythign was OK. This happened on Wednesday night as well.

Has anyone else experienced this?

pete

I got around to watching Lost last night, and had the same audio and video dropouts as you in the Chicago area. I'm in Denver and we had snow here, but it didn't affect the other channels I was watching real time. Although there was no mention of it on our OTA thread, most problems like this are primarily due to the local signal, not due to the box.

No problems watching last night's recording of CSI.

Originally posted by weldon
I reported this issue in a post on 1/28 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5076957) in this same thread. I still don't know how the issue is created but the solution is clear. You need to delete series from the bottom of the list until you get past the empty gap. Probably safest to delete all series and start over.

i'm beginning to really hate the 6412 box. i switched from directv (with the hughes directivo) to comcast about a month and a half ago when we upgraded our tv. i'm slowly realizing the 6412 is full of quirks and problems.

i'm experiencing the priority list problem described in previous posts, with the list skipping numbers (e.g., 1-4) and having multiple shows at the same number, which prevents me from adjusting the priority order just crazy. it sounds like i should just delete everything and start over?

on a separate note, i'm having problems getting 2 shows to record at the same time. for example, on wednesday nights, i have lost at 8 to 9:01 (or something like that) and alias (which is the same channel) at 9:01 to 10 (or something like that). since these two shows are on the same channel, i figure that takes up one tuner for the 8 to 10 time slot. but then i try recording king of queens at 9 to 9:30 and the 6412 says it can't because it conflicts with alias. i checked the scheduled recordings carefully and it is clear that there are no other shows scheduled to record during this time, so why can't the second tuner record king of queens???? it's almost like it's trying to use separate tuners to record lost and alias (even though same channel, one show right after the other) so that there never is a spare tuner available to record king of queens at 9pm. does this make any sense?

i know the 6412 can record 2 shows simultaneously, as it currently works for other programs (e.g., one show at 6 to 7, and one show at 6:30 to 7). is there any way to fix this problem (other than ripping the 6412 out of my entertainment center, smashing it on the ground, and pounding it with a hammer). :(

Originally posted by aircasper
i'm beginning to really hate the 6412 box. i switched from directv (with the hughes directivo) to comcast about a month and a half ago when we upgraded our tv. i'm slowly realizing the 6412 is full of quirks and problems.

i'm experiencing the priority list problem described in previous posts, with the list skipping numbers (e.g., 1-4) and having multiple shows at the same number, which prevents me from adjusting the priority order just crazy. it sounds like i should just delete everything and start over?

on a separate note, i'm having problems getting 2 shows to record at the same time. for example, on wednesday nights, i have lost at 8 to 9:01 (or something like that) and alias (which is the same channel) at 9:01 to 10 (or something like that). since these two shows are on the same channel, i figure that takes up one tuner for the 8 to 10 time slot. but then i try recording king of queens at 9 to 9:30 and the 6412 says it can't because it conflicts with alias. i checked the scheduled recordings carefully and it is clear that there are no other shows scheduled to record during this time, so why can't the second tuner record king of queens???? it's almost like it's trying to use separate tuners to record lost and alias (even though same channel, one show right after the other) so that there never is a spare tuner available to record king of queens at 9pm. does this make any sense?

i know the 6412 can record 2 shows simultaneously, as it currently works for other programs (e.g., one show at 6 to 7, and one show at 6:30 to 7). is there any way to fix this problem (other than ripping the 6412 out of my entertainment center, smashing it on the ground, and pounding it with a hammer). :(

1st. program Tuner A, 2nd. Program will be recorded on tuner B, as long as it is not already in use or paused. same with 3 rd. program Tuner A, unless that tuner is still recording or you have it paused. Ect...

What you described is normal.

I found that out when recording Sci-FI Friday nights...

hmm, is there any way to make this work? just to be clear, these are all series recordings that i've entered into my priority list (rather than individual programs that i'm trying to record while watching tv). it's just that the tuner a/b screwiness conflicts out king of queens even though the 6412 is never being asked to record (or watch) more than 2 shows at once. is there any way to control what tuner is used to record which program when programming the series recording so that this conflict doesn't occur?

A Tech that came out to my house said that it will all be HD by 2006.

The 2006 date is misunderstood.

You may have heard that all TVs will have to be HDTVs by 2006. That's not technically correct. The FCC has mandated that certain sizes of televisions on sale on certain dates have built-in digital -- not HDTV -- tuners. Here's a look at the FCC's proposed rollout as it stands as of February 2005:

July 1, 2005 All TVs 36 inches or larger; half of all TVs 25 inches or larger
July 1, 2006 All TVs 25 inches or larger
July 1, 2007 All TVs 13 inches or larger

*Note: Does not apply to monitors, such as many plasmas and front-projectors, that lack built-in standard (NTSC) tuners.

After a certain number of DTV-equipped sets are installed in peoples' homes, the FCC will then, in theory, "flip the switch" and change all TV broadcasts to digital. Nobody knows exactly when the transition will finally occur, and TV manufacturers are even now appealing the FCC to push back the dates above. Moreover, after the switch, there will still be set-top tuner boxes available that let you watch digital TV on your old analog set. But the quality will not be digital, since your old set will be analog.

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Analog will be here at least 4 more years.

But we have hope... I'm looking forward to the intermediate fix called Digital Simulcasting.

The 6412 definitely has some kind of bug when you want it to handle back to back shows that start one or two minutes later than exactly on the hour while simultaneously recording something else on the 2nd tuner. The Lost/Alias thing is the best example and I also have run into it once or twice on my 6412. Usually when it happens you can fix it by deleting one or more of the series recordings and then redoing them. Then make sure using the scheduled events screen that it looks all set to record everything you want. But even then on a couple of occasions I have seen it get confused. It will tell you that everything is set to record and then not record something.

Originally posted by nielloeb
The 2006 date is misunderstood.

Actually, I talked to him about the ON DEMAND feature and what format it was delivered in, and what sort of content was on there..

I remember me saying something to the extent of, I like DVR because I can record the shows in HD-HBO (for example) that I should be able to get in HD ON DEMAND... The amount of movies I can rent in HD on ON DEMAND is sort of pathetic.. and then I went on to tell him that getting "The Terminal" (The movie with Tom Hanks) in HD was great, and that I wish there would be more...

He said, there would be a lot more offerings in HD on ON DEMAND, and then he told me the 2006 date... Now, I know that Techs and CSRs don't know as much as they say they do, and they get facts wrong all the flippin' time (frustratingly), but he mentioned that I should be seeing an increase in HD offerings... that's when he mentioned the year, in reference to ON DEMAND. After that, I have noticed that HD offerings are increasing PAINFULLY slowly (one more movie or something than there used to be, but no HBO-HD ON DEMAND). I have heard, though, neilloeb, and have been following on my own (on the news and on here) news about what you have written about... but I don't think that's what I'm talking about. :)

For anything involving HD, don't forget about BANDWIDTH. I assume there is only so much space available in a particular area for people to watch OnDemand. I"ll bet some of the errors you occasionally get when trying to watch something may be due to no available bandwidth available for you. An HD program probably takes up 3 or more times the bandwidth of an SD program.

I noticed by me that the little preview that runs while going through the menus now appears to a continuous broadcast that is simply tapped into. Before, it used to always start from the beginning. On the other hand, it now takes longer to begin playing something than it used to.

I have been holding off ordering the 6412 until the bugs were worked out. I am a Comcast Bensalem, PA subscriber and I see an awful lot of complaints about this box on this forum. I seem to see an equal number of both hardware and software problems, but a technician returning three or four times to replace defective boxes is unacceptable.

My simple question is this. Is it time to switch to the 6412, or should I wait a bit longer, until quality problems are hopefully improved?

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

The 6412/i-Guide is certainly not perfect. But it is much better now with the 9.15 FW and the 49.13 SW/i-Guide.

I'd give it a try.

I agree, get one now...I can't see any major changes happening very soon..if the box is buggy keep exchanging them until you get a good one. I've had mine since Nov and can only think of one time where it's ever had a problem and a simple cold boot fixed it.

Does the 6412 have a way to assign different "remote ID's" to it like the D* Tivo boxes do? I'm thinking of giving Comcast a try but my setup has all my STB's down in the basement and I use IR extenders to control everything. But if the 6412 can have different remote ID's assisnged to it I can't do this. Thanks

Originally posted by cantz
My simple question is this. Is it time to switch to the 6412, or should I wait a bit longer, until quality problems are hopefully improved? When looking at these forums you should always keep in mind that the most noise is made by the people with problems. When everything's working fine, people don't generally post a message saying "hey - everything's working fine". The percentage of 6412's with problems may be (and probably is) artificially inflated here.

So we don't really know how many people are having no problems with their 6412. Personally I haven't had any of the problems that are complained about in this thread. No mute bug/feature (I keep mine on all the time), no series priority problems, no recordings from the 1800's, no second tuner reception problem, etc.

The one thing I do see is that one tuner might not indicate 5.1 when it is actually outputting 5.1, which is more of a curiosity to me than a problem.

Anyway, get one! If you have a real problem with it, go to the local office and exchange it yourself instead of scheduling a tech visit. Much more convenient IMO.

Originally posted by scooterboy
When looking at these forums you should always keep in mind that the most noise is made by the people with problems. When everything's working fine, people don't generally post a message saying "hey - everything's working fine"....


Hey, everything's working fine here in Portland. It's the "little things" I miss when I think back to my Tivo Series 2: better, smarter guide (that didn't record reruns as new programs as often); better, smarter fast forward (with auto correcting); better, smarter series recording and wish lists... But my silly friends at Tivo never felt HDTV DVR-ing in a stand alone unit was as important as the rest of us HDTV owners --- and I can't justify the $$$ of a D*HD Tivo DVR box...

But, for the cost, the 6412 does just about everything else I want it to. As far as technology goes, it actually does what it's supposed to. Hopefully iGuide will get better and some of the issues we all continue to complain about will be fixed over time. But I just had to chime in and say that I'm actually enjoying having this in my house.

Originally posted by sseres
Hey, everything's working fine here in Portland...

Same here in Boston Metro West! I've had the 6412 for several months with no problems so far. I love this box!

Originally posted by keenan
I...if the box is buggy keep exchanging them until you get a good one.

Third try is a charm. Tech exchanged our box today, and all is well. First one had audio problems, second one would not access OnDemand, third one works fine, except the SD picture is a tad worse than the second one. I can wait until they start simulcasting in digital, which should be within a matter of months according to the tech.

I have had my DVR for one week. So far it is working pretty well. I do notice that when I push the buttons on the remote at times it is sluggish.
Also it does not see repeated programs well. I get 4 Daily Shows a day. That could be the fact it does not state it is a "repeat" in the guide.

I was recording (I pre-set the recording) the MSU/UNC NCAA game Saturday night and it kicked off at 11pm. It saw that the Local news was on and it thought the NCAA game was over. I had to quickly hit the record button to get it started again.

Other than that it seems to work fine. Now I can watch Deadwood when I want too and not lose sleep over it.

I do regret NOT recording the Women's NCAA MSU/Tenn game Sunday night. I went to bed at half-time and it was a great come back for the MSU Women's team.

Does anybody know when the 9.15 upgrade will be coming to Montgomery Co., MD (Washington DC area)? I'm tired of the lock-ups.
Thanks.

Last night, I was watching an HD recording and recording something else in HD at the same time. About three-quarters through playback, the screen went to white noise, while the audio remained on. I though there had been a problem with the cable during recording. I stopped playback, but the video did not come back (not even the DVR control screen) until I switched to an analog channel. Then I restarted the DVR and rewound to the point where the video dropped, and the video was fine (!?)

Has anyone else encountered this?

Originally posted by Workindood
Also it does not see repeated programs well. I get 4 Daily Shows a day. That could be the fact it does not state it is a "repeat" in the guide.

I was recording (I pre-set the recording) the MSU/UNC NCAA game Saturday night and it kicked off at 11pm. It saw that the Local news was on and it thought the NCAA game was over. I had to quickly hit the record button to get it started again.


These are limitations in the guide data, not problems with the 6412. The DVR is working as intended. If the guide data does not state "repeat", then the software has no way of determining it is a repeat.

The problem with sports events running long is common to all DVR's. There is no way for the guide to predict time at which a live sporting event will end. You can manually pad the end of sports recordings if you are concerned about missing the conclusion of the game.

Originally posted by scooterboy
When looking at these forums you should always keep in mind that the most noise is made by the people with problems. When everything's working fine, people don't generally post a message saying "hey - everything's working fine". The percentage of 6412's with problems may be (and probably is) artificially inflated here.

So we don't really know how many people are having no problems with their 6412.


that's an important point.

For me, the 6412 has been pretty much perfect. A couple of freeze/reboots when first getting up and running, but other than that, not a single problem over the last 4 months. I love it and can't imagine going back to SD, or single-tuner Tivo.

I AGREE with Nick and Scooter - - - NO big complaints about my 6412, in fact, just the opposite - I LOVE it!:p

Did anyone else experience problems with DST. My DVR spent all of yesterday on the old time but recorded things correctly since the schedule was one hour off too. They adjusted the time last night and this morning it was set to record everything wrong, an hour early. I unplugged it before I left this a.m. to see if it will correct itself as the series recordings match the incoming guide data.

This is in Nashville, TN.

I've had mine since Dec. 2, and no problems to speak of. Very happy with it..........:D :D

As I mentioned in the SF Comcast thread, I am having problems due to the change to daylight savings time. I had several scheduled recordings for this week and when the DVR finally changed to PDT yesterday evening, my recording of Kill Bill Vol 1 became Open Range, the bad Disney animated film that had been scheduled in the time slot immediately earlier. But the main problem is that I CAN'T DELETE these incorrect scheduled recordings- I can't stop the 6412 from recording Open Range. And with my DVR mostly full, it will delete a prior recording I want to keep.

How do I delete a scheduled recording that refuses to die?

- Phil

I have the same problem, and brute force seems to be the only way to delete the recordings -- once they start you can stop them. There are going to be a lot of unnecessarily recorded programs causing me problems the next couple of weeks, and reprogramming to get what I want, but I'll manage. A couple of my scheduled recordings were able to be deleted, but I couldn't figure out why they were able to be accessed while the vast majority weren't. What's weird is that when looking at my DVR schedule, the red circle that indicates a program is going to be recorded isn't present for those programs affected by the time change. Programs i have scheduled since the time change work normally.

Before the time change, my I-guide schedule had, for example, shows like next week's Deadwood an hour earlier, at 8 instead of 9. I figured when the time change occurred, the schedule would "spring forward" much like the clock. Instead, it seems that the DVR kept the timing (8-9 on HBOHD on Sunday) and assigned it to whatever program is on at that time, even if it's longer, etc. But there is seemingly no way to access these scheduled recordings until they happen.

Originally posted by leftjab
I have the same problem, and brute force seems to be the only way to delete the recordings -- once they start you can stop them. ...... A couple of my scheduled recordings were able to be deleted, but I couldn't figure out why they were able to be accessed while the vast majority weren't. .......... Programs i have scheduled since the time change work normally.

That is what I feared. Guess I will have to tell my wife to cancel the recordings when I am a work.

I have not been able to cancel any of the incorrect reservations (but I haven't tried them all). Newly scheduled can be added and deleted normally.

- Phil

Originally posted by mr2828
The 6412 definitely has some kind of bug when you want it to handle back to back shows that start one or two minutes later than exactly on the hour while simultaneously recording something else on the 2nd tuner. The Lost/Alias thing is the best example and I also have run into it once or twice on my 6412. Usually when it happens you can fix it by deleting one or more of the series recordings and then redoing them. Then make sure using the scheduled events screen that it looks all set to record everything you want. But even then on a couple of occasions I have seen it get confused. It will tell you that everything is set to record and then not record something.

I had that same problem. When I first discovered the strange conflict between lost/alias and king of queens, i manually cancelled alias, and then manually programmed the 6412 to record king of queens, and then programmed alias as well. it indicated that both programs would be recorded okay, but then it failed to record either show!

i know people are saying that 6412 is working fine for most purposes, but the quirks with this box can be aggravating. it has so many rough spots, especially compared to tivo. but like most others here, what choice do we have if we want to record hd without spending $$$ for hdtivo?

Originally posted by deathstroke
Here's an interesting bug: I was recording American Idol and paused it with a few min left to use the facilities. When I got back, it was after 9pm and the DVR went on to record Invasion Iowa on one tuner and Veronica Mars on the other recorder. For some reason (I can't remember why..perhaps it immediately asked me whether I wanted to delete or not after unpausing), I needed to go to the DVR menu to start playing American Idol again (and had to FF to the place where I left off). Once I finished the program and deleted it, I went to My DVR and selected Veronica Mars. When I had just about caught up with the live broadcast, I pressed Live. It asked me if I wanted to delete the recording!!! When I selected No, it deleted it anyway and took me to the DVR recordings list. What happened? Bugs :)
I didn't see a response, so here's my take. It's not a bug. You can record 2 programs and watch a previously recorded program simultaneously, right?
The tuners are recording 2 shows and you are watching one from the hard drive. When you hit the Live Button, you were telling the 6412 to switch to a tuner that is currently busy recording and it gives you the warning. (It doesn’t know it’s the same program). If you just continue watching the recording, even though you caught up, nothing is lost and if for some reason you pause and the recording ends and another scheduled program starts, you continue watching from where you paused it. If you were watching the actual recording (not from the listings menu) and another recording need that tuner to record, you would then have to go into the listings and hit play and it would start you from the beginning.

Some other things I’ve noticed. If watching a show from the listings, while it’s being recorded, and then hit the SWAP button – nothing happens. Why, because you are watching a listed recording and not a tuner. If you hit the LAST button it will automatically pause the listed hard drive program and take you to the last active tuner (which most likely is the same program, but now you are watching from the tuner or tuner cache.) Now you can swap to the other tuner. And swap back, hit LAST and continue watching from where you left off.

Now the deleting when you said no on the Veronica Mars may be a bug, and just might explain what happened to a LOST episode that I thought should have been there. I would like to avoid the Live button and wish it wasn’t here.

Hope this answered part of your question.

AAAAARGH: Just had my second service call on the 6412. My second tuner has been spotty since I got it, and recently hasn't worked at all. The first tech to come out was a total joke, and new basically nothing about the 6412.

Even after I was incredibly careful to tell the phone CSR exactly what was wrong when booking my second appointment, and that I suspected signal strength or a bad box, they sent this second tech without either a new box or a signal booster. Again, I had to get him into the service menu and explain that the 6412 had two tuners. After an hour and a half of trying to replace splitters, he ultimately decided that I needed either a signal booster or a new box -- neither of which he had.

So I'm stuck home again on Wednesday from 12-4 waiting for another tech.

Sorry -- I guess I just had to vent. This box is beginning to be more trouble than it's worth.

MJVanDam - if you are so inclined, you can try running a long coax out to the street to the back of the 6412 and see if both tuners work. If they don't you have at least eliminated your house wiring as the culprit. You said you have a splitter before the box..a less drastic test would be to bypass the splitter and see if things improve.

I had these same problems with a low signal and it took a lot of rewiring/splitters before I got both tuners working properly. Good luck.

"For storage-hungry consumers, the company is showing an add-on 400GB external hard drive"


Seagate queues up 400GB DVR (http://news.com.com/Seagate+queues+up+400-gig+DVR/2100-1041_3-5653830.html?tag=nefd.top)

I have searched through this forum a number of times, but could not find any real answers to the issues I am having with CC. We are in the Metro DC area and still have 9.12 firmware. We have 2 of the Motorola boxes and they each have different problems.

1) My wife was noticing that when she taped shows to the DVR there were no captions. This was a recent problem which I could not replicate when I was looking at it and taping things. I tried changing the menu settings (the one that you access when turn the power off and hit MENU) for the CC with no changes. What I noticed today was that on one tuner she had captions, but on the other tuner she did not. Can this be fixed? How can you tell which tuner you are using (my guess is that you cannot)?

2) On my receiver I notice that I only get captions if I am viewing the HD channels. They are actually really nice to look at in that you can change the backgrounds to be translucent and not interfere with the foreground, but its difficult not having them on any of the non HD channels

Does anyone have any suggestions? Does anyone know if Motorola/Comcast monitor these forums so that they might fix the problems? Will the updated firmware help my prob (I doubt it)?

TIA,
DAN

Originally posted by bruce24
"For storage-hungry consumers, the company is showing an add-on 400GB external hard drive"


Seagate queues up 400GB DVR (http://news.com.com/Seagate+queues+up+400-gig+DVR/2100-1041_3-5653830.html?tag=nefd.top)

That would be great! But sadly as Comcast customers we won't see anything like that far at least a year.:(

I am now on my 2nd 6412 with the same problem.

I get no audio through digital ouput on none DD channel through the first tuner.

Digital output works on all channels on the 2nd tuner.

Only DD2.0 shows on the Lexicon screen.

Any suggestions for a fix?

Originally posted by leftjab
I have the same problem, and brute force seems to be the only way to delete the recordings -- once they start you can stop them. There are going to be a lot of unnecessarily recorded programs causing me problems the next couple of weeks, and reprogramming to get what I want, but I'll manage. A couple of my scheduled recordings were able to be deleted, but I couldn't figure out why they were able to be accessed while the vast majority weren't. What's weird is that when looking at my DVR schedule, the red circle that indicates a program is going to be recorded isn't present for those programs affected by the time change. Programs i have scheduled since the time change work normally.

Before the time change, my I-guide schedule had, for example, shows like next week's Deadwood an hour earlier, at 8 instead of 9. I figured when the time change occurred, the schedule would "spring forward" much like the clock. Instead, it seems that the DVR kept the timing (8-9 on HBOHD on Sunday) and assigned it to whatever program is on at that time, even if it's longer, etc. But there is seemingly no way to access these scheduled recordings until they happen.

I called in this evening to get my clock to "spring forward". Now I'm experiencing the same problem noted above... for example, Leno has been usurped by Mork and Mindy, and I'm unable to delete it. I asked the CSR to fix all my Series Recordings, but she said it's a known issue and they don't know how to fix it yet. However she did at least credit my account $10 this month for the DVR fee. Looks like my DVR will be recording a bunch of garbage for the next two weeks. I hope this gets fixed in October...

I'm afraid to call in and have the "fix" it...

maybe I'll just leave it until October:rolleyes:

Has anyone heard that newly issued 6412's are incapable of having sending through DVI and component at the same time? A store rep warned me not to have the box changed if I can help it, because software in the newer boxes disable component if DVI is connected and vice versa. I would be surprised if Comcast would try to prevent this, since you're limited to watching the same channel on both sets.

Originally posted by maggiefan
I've had mine since Dec. 2, and no problems to speak of. Very happy with it..........:D :D

I have had 2 6412s now for a couple of months and 2 6208s before that. I am very pleased. During that time I have had two recordings not complete for unknown reasons (probably weak signal - see below) but other than that no problems at all. The PVR functions all work very well. I do have a weak signal that causes some occasional reception issues. I have a Motorola booster ready to install when I get the time which should solve that problem.

Anyone have any thoughts on the thread I started here?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=526878

Originally posted by Zack Allen
Has anyone heard that newly issued 6412's are incapable of having sending through DVI and component at the same time? A store rep warned me not to have the box changed if I can help it, because software in the newer boxes disable component if DVI is connected and vice versa. I would be surprised if Comcast would try to prevent this, since you're limited to watching the same channel on both sets.

Comcast is looking to have control, via software, of the HD outputs in general, for the purposes of being able to track HD users. Since the 6412 is HD ready, but is also made available to NON HD customers, Comcast needs a way to know who is a HD user and who isn't. So by shutting down all the HD ports, Comcast can get a true count of HD users. Those who do not call and say they can't see HD programming are NON HD customers, any that do call and say they have HD, it's a checkmark in the billing system(zero dollar in philly)and the DVI, Component connections go live, ALL TOGETHER.

Originally posted by tall1
MJVanDam - if you are so inclined, you can try running a long coax out to the street to the back of the 6412 and see if both tuners work. If they don't you have at least eliminated your house wiring as the culprit. You said you have a splitter before the box..a less drastic test would be to bypass the splitter and see if things improve.

I had these same problems with a low signal and it took a lot of rewiring/splitters before I got both tuners working properly. Good luck.

This is good if you don't have Electric poles in your neighborhood. Keep calling for service. Let the meter do the work.(The meter the cable guy has)

Does anyone know if the 9.15 firmware update has been sent out in Chicago yet? I got my unit installed on April 2nd, and it still has the 9.12 version. I was wondering if I missed an inital rollout time, or if it just didn't happen yet. Thanks.

-David

9.15 Update in Chicago

I still have 9.12 down here in Westmont.

Originally posted by davidbrenner1
Does anyone know if the 9.15 firmware update has been sent out in Chicago yet? I got my unit installed on April 2nd, and it still has the 9.12 version. I was wondering if I missed an inital rollout time, or if it just didn't happen yet. Thanks.

-David

Still on 9.12 here in Chicago/Wrigleyville.

Originally posted by Dannytheman
This is good if you don't have Electric poles in your neighborhood. Keep calling for service. Let the meter do the work.(The meter the cable guy has)

Thanks -- I definitely appreciate the advice to check it myself and would try it if I felt comfortable, but, as Danny said, my cable is on an electric pole in an alley behind our house, so it might be a bit dangerous. Tech #3 is coming this afternoon, and I told the CSR on the phone (who I've found to be more knowledgeable than the people they actually send to the house) to make sure he brings both a replacement box and a signal amp.

Time to deal with this is one side benefit of currently being between jobs -- If I were working and dealing with this, I think I would have chucked the whole thing by now...

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions. I'll let you know how it works out.

does someone know how to get rid of the time bar display during fast forward or rewind? pressing Clear/Exit on the remote will get rid of it but it will come back after a few seconds.
i normally fast-forward thru sports shows and just keep track of the score or time and resume normal play at an interesting point in the match. some channels have the score box on top, some below. the time bar will overlay over those score boxes that display on the bottom; hence, i couldn't see the score/time!

I don't think you can eliminate the bar but it sure is a pain when you use slow motion and the damn bar is covering up the part of the screen you want to see. It would be nice if the bar could be repositioned to the top of the screen at the very least.

Originally posted by tall1
I don't think you can eliminate the bar but it sure is a pain when you use slow motion and the damn bar is covering up the part of the screen you want to see. It would be nice if the bar could be repositioned to the top of the screen at the very least.

There is a way to do this. On your remote hit Menu and then Menu again. Next hit Guide Setup and the change Flip Bar to Top. It doesn't put it all the way to the top but it clears the lower area.

Originally posted by memnoch
does someone know how to get rid of the time bar display during fast forward or rewind? pressing Clear/Exit on the remote will get rid of it but it will come back after a few seconds.I agree it is very annoying. It comes back up for every one minute of program time (which is every few seconds if you are fast forwarding).

It seems that it "refreshes" (reappears) whenever the minute display below the progress bar would normally change to the next minute.

Does anyone know how to get the guide to stretch all the way across the screen? Mines is always in 4x3 mode, and my tv does not stretch anything in 720p or 1080i mode.

Also, does anyone know how to get the screen position back to the default? I messed around with it, and it's just a little bit off from its original position.

Originally posted by xeenman
Does anyone know how to get the guide to stretch all the way across the screen? Mines is always in 4x3 mode, and my tv does not stretch anything in 720p or 1080i mode.

Also, does anyone know how to get the screen position back to the default? I messed around with it, and it's just a little bit off from its original position.
When I view non-hd, my menu stretches 16x9. When I view hd, it is 4x3.
My mits doesn't stretch anything other than 480i. Do you have the cable box 480 override set to 480p?

The screen position is in the main menu under set up.

Originally posted by leftjab
I have the same problem, and brute force seems to be the only way to delete the recordings -- once they start you can stop them. There are going to be a lot of unnecessarily recorded programs causing me problems the next couple of weeks, and reprogramming to get what I want, but I'll manage. A couple of my scheduled recordings were able to be deleted, but I couldn't figure out why they were able to be accessed while the vast majority weren't. What's weird is that when looking at my DVR schedule, the red circle that indicates a program is going to be recorded isn't present for those programs affected by the time change. Programs i have scheduled since the time change work normally.

Before the time change, my I-guide schedule had, for example, shows like next week's Deadwood an hour earlier, at 8 instead of 9. I figured when the time change occurred, the schedule would "spring forward" much like the clock. Instead, it seems that the DVR kept the timing (8-9 on HBOHD on Sunday) and assigned it to whatever program is on at that time, even if it's longer, etc. But there is seemingly no way to access these scheduled recordings until they happen.

Iam in Indiana and that happened to me too, It recorded alot of junk and you just answered my Q.

Thanks

Originally posted by jmorton
I have had 2 6412s now for a couple of months and 2 6208s before that. I am very pleased. During that time I have had two recordings not complete for unknown reasons (probably weak signal - see below) but other than that no problems at all. The PVR functions all work very well. I do have a weak signal that causes some occasional reception issues. I have a Motorola booster ready to install when I get the time which should solve that problem.

I have had 7 6412 DVRs, with mostly the same problems (9.12 here). I had Comcast install VoIP and they had to rewired the whole house. I had them install a signal booster that fixed a very low AGC on both DVRs (was around 76, now it is 45). I thought my problems were fixed.
But the other day I was watching SciFi (I have 2 DVRs now) it locked up watching StarGate, so I unpluged/plug it back in and then switched to the 2nd DVR and it was also locked up on SciFi with the very same picture (frame) of Sam. Hmmm

That is a first time I have seen that. I am stumped, two DVRs both lock on the same channel same frame.

I'm one of the lucky ones who haven't had any trouble with the 6412, so I have no first hand knowledge of most of these problems. But, it seems awfully strange that the SciFi channel is mentioned so many times in this thread.

I apologize if this has been covered earlier, but I couldn't find anything useful using search and didn't feel up to scanning 130 pages of postings. If it has been covered I'd be grateful if someone just pointed out the relevant thread.

I've had a problem a couple times in the last few weeks, where the dvr appears to be set to record a program, and when the program comes on, nothing happens. Tonight it happened with Lost and I didn't catch it until about 20 minutes in. This happened at least once before the whole daylight savings debacle, so I don't think it's related.

I think it's happened 3 times, although I think one of those may have been my error, and not the machine's. In 2 of the cases though, I am 100% sure that the recording was set, I confirmed it by checking scheduled recordings and verifying that the red circle was solid. In both cases, the show still appeared to be scheduled in the scheduled recordings after the show began and was not being recorded on either tuner. I'm not sure I'm remembering every details correctly, but here are a couple things both incidents may have had in common: I think in both cases the show that was skipped may have originally appeared in the schedule as something that would not record due to a conflict. I manually overrode it and in tonight's case, I even went into the series priority list and made "lost" my ranked show. I then double checked the scheduled recordings at about 7:30 (as I've noticed a tendency for them to change without my permission). I also think that in both cases, there may have been something else recording on one of the tuners when the skipped recording did not happen. When I noticed that lost was not recording this time, I checked the scheduled recordings again (it still had the solid dot), I then went to the right channel and hit rec. I was asked if I wanted to 1. record program as planned, 2. modify recording options, 3. don't record 4. modify series recording. I hit record program as planned and it did nothing. It only started to record when I selected to modify the recording, changed none of the options, and told it to "record with these options"

Has anyone else had this problem? It would be great if there was a workaround, but I think the most important thing is to get the word out, as they seem to be pretty good at eventually addressing known problems (and creating new ones) through the software updates

I am with you XEENMAN. I wish that I could stretch the guide to fit my widescreen display.

Also, I wish that the creators of the guide would tone down the the bright white logos in the picture. Those of us with plasma displays have to deal with IR (image retention) or even worse burn in.

Any suggestions/advice would be much appreciated.

Originally posted by maggiefan
The screen position is in the main menu under set up.

I know how to adjust the screen position, but I just want it back to its original location, smack right in the middle.

Originally posted by mdifabio
I am with you XEENMAN. I wish that I could stretch the guide to fit my widescreen display.

Also, I wish that the creators of the guide would tone down the the bright white logos in the picture. Those of us with plasma displays have to deal with IR (image retention) or even worse burn in.

Any suggestions/advice would be much appreciated.

You can change the color scheme of the menus: Menu/Menu/Setup/Guide Color Setup. I personally use Mountain Silver.

Originally posted by hudson99
I've had a problem a couple times in the last few weeks, where the dvr appears to be set to record a program, and when the program comes on, nothing happens.
I have seen this happen once. In my case there were 2 things scheduled to record, and I was watching something else live, possibly slightly time delayed. I assumed at the time that somehow the live recording got a higher priority than the scheduled recording, but it never gave me any warning messages. After the program was supposed to start recording, and didn't, I went back to the channel guide and the red dot had mysteriously disappeared.

Originally posted by bobby94928
There is a way to do this. On your remote hit Menu and then Menu again. Next hit Guide Setup and the change Flip Bar to Top. It doesn't put it all the way to the top but it clears the lower area.
i think i tried this and it only moved the Guide Information. Time bar for trick-play functions still remain at the bottom...

We need external storage badly damnit!

I have two 6412s, installed in Nov. with virtually no problems to speak of. Now one of the 6412s has the infamous 4pm/4am freeze up problem. Other than swapping out the box, has anyone been able to diagnose the cause of this weird problem? At 4:50pm for the past week, the box freezes. The same thing happens at exactly 4:20am. BTW, I am a "leave it on all the time" guy.

Originally posted by FlipFlop
I have seen this happen once. In my case there were 2 things scheduled to record, and I was watching something else live, possibly slightly time delayed. I assumed at the time that somehow the live recording got a higher priority than the scheduled recording, but it never gave me any warning messages. After the program was supposed to start recording, and didn't, I went back to the channel guide and the red dot had mysteriously disappeared.

This is also quite annoying, but I think it's a different problem. Normal behavior in this situation would be for a screen to pop up, asking if you wanted to keep watching what you're watching, or start the planned recording. There was a conflict, and the machine dealt with it inappropriately. In my case there should have been no conflict, I was watching recordings, not live tv. Also, the red dot did not disappear. It remained on the guide until the show was over, and also remained in the scheduled recordings until that screen advanced to the next day.

Anyway, both problems exist for at least some of us, and hopefully the programmers will be made aware and will fix them.

The next i-Guide...

Comcast Prepping New IPG

http://multichannel.com/article/CA516325.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP

Originally posted by markjrenna
The next i-Guide...

Comcast Prepping New IPG

http://multichannel.com/article/CA516325.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP


Wow! That sounds really f^(#ing horrible.

Originally posted by hudson99
Wow! That sounds really f^(#ing horrible.

Doesn't it though?..:D :D

Just never turn the box off and you won't have to worry about it..:)

Originally posted by keenan
Doesn't it though?..:D :D

Just never turn the box off and you won't have to worry about it..:)

Oh good, I didn't think of that. I never turn it off anyway. Unfortunately they'll probably find some other way to mess it up for us.

Originally posted by tall1
I have two 6412s, installed in Nov. with virtually no problems to speak of. Now one of the 6412s has the infamous 4pm/4am freeze up problem. Other than swapping out the box, has anyone been able to diagnose the cause of this weird problem? At 4:50pm for the past week, the box freezes. The same thing happens at exactly 4:20am. BTW, I am a "leave it on all the time" guy.

I've been reading this thread, and I had that problem, which my fiance attributed to me occasionally recording Oprah. I cancelled the series recording, and then it started happening at another time, eventually, I swapped out the box.

I might have other postings that talk about this on this forum. i don't know where they are, though.

Originally posted by hudson99
Oh good, I didn't think of that. I never turn it off anyway. Unfortunately they'll probably find some other way to mess it up for us.


I like this part:

Some Comcast systems that distribute regional channel CN8: The Comcast Network force-tune customers to CN8 when they turn on their digital set-tops.

that should answer the often asked question about why the 6412 starts on CN8 when the power is turned from standby to on.

So the 6412 can do

" a large video window that will promote VOD content and four smaller thumbnails that will contain live video from linear channels."

but can't do PIP?

----
PS: On further thought I realize now that the box itself wouldn't be doing the work. It's presumably composed at the headend and fed as a single channel to all boxes.

Originally posted by tall1
Now one of the 6412s has the infamous 4pm/4am freeze up problem. Other than swapping out the box, has anyone been able to diagnose the cause of this weird problem?I had this exact same twice-a-day problem a few weeks ago and it is sooooo frustrating! But now it has decreased to the point that it is only happening about once a week. And I wish I knew what made it go away.

The only thing I changed that seemed like maybe it was helping was when I unplugged the unit to reset it I started leaving it unplugged for like 5 minutes instead of 15 seconds. That seemed to start extending the period between lockups. I can't logically fathom how it could make a difference, but if you're as desperate as I was it might be worth a try. Or maybe it just fixes itself over a period of time and what I was doing didn't help at all.

Originally posted by keenan
Doesn't it though?..:D :D

Just never turn the box off and you won't have to worry about it..:)
Don't feel safe. They could always force the 'home page' after a certain number of hours of inactivity.

Originally posted by andyross63
Don't feel safe. They could always force the 'home page' after a certain number of hours of inactivity.

I suppose they could. The whole idea is hideous though...

Originally posted by andyross63
Don't feel safe. They could always force the 'home page' after a certain number of hours of inactivity.

I thought about that, but how do you suppose they would disringuish between inactivity and couch potato-ism? We channel surfers aren't their only customers.

Originally posted by markjrenna
The next i-Guide...

Comcast Prepping New IPG

http://multichannel.com/article/CA516325.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP I love this quote from the article..

“The whole idea for us was to make the best navigation possible to find the best products and services,” Silva said.

Does anyone believe this crap? I don't even think Silva believes it. The whole idea is to sell advertising and pay-per-view for chrissakes.

Originally posted by tall1
I love this quote from the article..

�The whole idea for us was to make the best navigation possible to find the best products and services,� Silva said.

Does anyone believe this crap? I don't even think Silva believes it. The whole idea is to sell advertising and pay-per-view for chrissakes.

With cable losing roughly 500,000 subs last year while sat added over 3,000,000, cable is doing everything it can to maximize and enhance it's products and revenue. We're likely to see more "funky" stuff from the wired guys in the future.

I haven't seen anything written about this, but I was searching through eBay, looking at the DVRs that are for sale. Now I know that Comcast won't activate anything that they're not getting money for, but I had an idea that I'm wondering if anyone else has considered.

Has anyone thought of buying one of these units, pulling the hard drive and popping it into a firewire drive case and connecting it to the firewire port in the 6412? Since the drive is formatted already with the necessary operating system, might there not be some way to make this work to gain more recording hours? It may not be the most cost effective method, but I'm more interested in the theory behind it.

I actually do not know if that will work.

On a similar note I have a computer nerd friend that took his TiVo apart. He took the hard drive out (it was 30 gig at the time) Ghosted the original drive took that ghosting and put it on another hard drive. He put the original away on a shelf somewhere. (So it stays in perfect condition)

Long story short he ended up with two 30 gig clone drives for his TiVo. It work pretty good too. Also he wired it all through his extensive home network system as well.

Now as for a DVR. I have no idea if that will work. TiVo and a DVR are both Linux I believe. I would assume it could work.

As for just plugging in another DVR's drive....Hmmm..seems there is something else that has to be done first.

Originally posted by BJMoose
I haven't seen anything written about this, but I was searching through eBay, looking at the DVRs that are for sale. Now I know that Comcast won't activate anything that they're not getting money for, but I had an idea that I'm wondering if anyone else has considered.

Has anyone thought of buying one of these units, pulling the hard drive and popping it into a firewire drive case and connecting it to the firewire port in the 6412? Since the drive is formatted already with the necessary operating system, might there not be some way to make this work to gain more recording hours? It may not be the most cost effective method, but I'm more interested in the theory behind it.

How would the 6412 know the drive was there? How would it know how to read from or write to it? Without specific instructions written into the software for support of external drives the 6412 has no sense of what to do with this.

The only thing I'm aware of that can be done with the Firewire port is to connect a computer for transferring the MPEGs to a computer hard drive. Doing this you can offload content to an external hard drive, but then you have to use your computer to play these rather than the 6412. There is no way to copy the videos back to the 6412 for playback. One difficulty is this isn't as simple as mounting the 6412 on your computer and copying the files. You actually have to copy the MPEGs to your hard drive in real time. By the way, I've done this on a Mac so don't ask me how to do it on a PC.

Pioneer's professional standalone DVD recorder ($4,000!) has the option to connect external USB 2 hard drives to copy videos from its internal 120 GB drive. It also allows you to copy them back to the internal drive when you're ready to work with them on the recorder. It does not, however, record directly to or play from an external drive. I only mention this as one approach that is taken to add external storage to a video-recording device.

Originally posted by technut Canada
I had this exact same twice-a-day problem a few weeks ago and it is sooooo frustrating! But now it has decreased to the point that it is only happening about once a week. And I wish I knew what made it go away.

The only thing I changed that seemed like maybe it was helping was when I unplugged the unit to reset it I started leaving it unplugged for like 5 minutes instead of 15 seconds. That seemed to start extending the period between lockups. I can't logically fathom how it could make a difference, but if you're as desperate as I was it might be worth a try. Or maybe it just fixes itself over a period of time and what I was doing didn't help at all. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

This problem happened to me for a day and a half earlier this week. I don't understand this. I have contacted everyone I can (Comcast Engineers, not CSR's, please) and no one seems to know.

Something has to be happening between 4 - 5 am and 4 - 5 pm, but what???

Has there been a solution to the 6412 locking up? I've had to unplug mine three times this week.

Put me on the list of people with the 4am-5am/4pm-5pm freeze problem. I noticed that if something is recording when it freezes, the recording does not shut off. My entire hard drive was full of the Masters last night when I returned home. I ran out of space to record anything else. Has anyone contacted someone from Comcast that is aware of this? When I called, they did not know anything about this, and just recommended I replace it with a new one. My daily routine now is to wake up, unplug the box, go to work, come home, unplug the box. Never knew watching tv was this much work.

I wonder if they do something like, sync with an atomic time server every day between 4-5.. or they do a backup of the system that time.. or something... I'm imagining it's a server thing cross comcast-land.

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast Prepping New IPG
http://multichannel.com/article/CA516325.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP I was out at the trade show where they demonstrated this. The Multichannel News article emphasizes one particular (disconcerting) aspect of the new IPG, but ignores several other interesting new features. For example, the new IPG will use a grid of letters for text entry in searches (similar to TiVo and others), and will search on all text in the title and description, not just the first letters of the title. Both of these are vast improvements over the current text entry search method.

Originally posted by stevehof
For example, the new IPG will use a grid of letters for text entry in searches (similar to TiVo and others), and will search on all text in the title and description, not just the first letters of the title. Both of these are vast improvements over the current text entry search method. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

The additional Search capability is welcomed news.

Any other features you saw?

Originally posted by markjrenna
Any other features you saw? Not that I can recall at the moment.

The people from both GuideWorks and Comcast were highlighting the video menus, which were nicely implemented. Of course, from the user's standpoint, we would want to be able to define for ourselves which channels appear there, as opposed to leaving it up to somebody's business arrangements with Comcast. And if Comcast force tunes the set top box to that channel, all of us AVS Forum users will probably just program macros into our remote controls to avoid it anyway.

OK, I think I may have found a new bug.

I've tried three times to record "Next Megaquake" (60 minutes) on the Science channel. (Yes, I know I'm a geek!)

First time it recorded ~29 minutes even though it listed 60 on the recordings list. When I went to watch it I could see the program and 0:29 on the play bar, but as soon as I tried to FF to the opening of the show it popped up the "Delete this Program?" box.

I tried watching about the first five minutes of it without touching the FF buttons, and that seemed to work.

So try #2, it recorded ~ 45 minutes of the program, same behavior as before.

Try # 3, it recorded all 60 minutes apparently, but I'm still unable to fast forward without being prompted to delete.

Any ideas? Has anyone seen anything like this before. None of the other shows I've ever recorded has done this...

-John

Nah, this box is buggy as hell. Incomplete recordings, recordings which are supposedly complete but prompts to "delete" as soon as you start.

Very, very annoying.

They need to work on reliability of this thing.

I may be totally naive, but I have to ask. Has anyone been able (or is it even possible) to use the 6412 with an antenna to receive OTA HD in addition to cable broadcasting?

Originally posted by mdifabio
I may be totally naive, but I have to ask. Has anyone been able (or is it even possible) to use the 6412 with an antenna to receive OTA HD in addition to cable broadcasting?

I don't believe you're gonna find an ATSC tuner in there, so it isn't gonna happen....

-Randy

Originally posted by mdifabio
I may be totally naive, but I have to ask. Has anyone been able (or is it even possible) to use the 6412 with an antenna to receive OTA HD in addition to cable broadcasting? Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

The 6412 requires direct communication with the HE (Comcast) and a valid account. OTA in any form isn't possible.

I got the firmware upgrade and now my 6412 doesn't appear to have the "locked up recording or viewing" problem (yay!), but, as of last night, it does still have the "my box got turned off, and now when I turn it on I get a black screen until I watch a bit of a recorded show". I know to hard power cycle the box to fix this, but am I correct in assuming that this bug was not addressed in the last firmware upgrade? Any news on a fix? I hate losing my program guide...

I tried to search for this but couldn't find anything so far...my 6412 box will record a very pixelated (unwatchable) signal on some HD channels. There doesn't seem to be any consistency to it. At first I thought it was only when I was recording 2 HD channels and one would be bad, but upon later review that didn't seem to be the issue. It started to look like maybe one of the tuners was bad. I could have one HD channel playing and then SWAP to the other tuner (another HD channel) and the other channel would be pixelated. I could then change channels on the 2nd tuner to another HD channel and it would play clearly. Then I could SWAP back to tuner 1 and I would have 2 good HD shows on different tuners. So that ruled out the tuners being bad. It seems that some HD channels will play clearly and others won't but it is only on tuner 2. Tuner 1 never seems to have a problem. I have missed several shows because while recording HD from (what I assume is) tuner 2 the signal pixelates so badly the recording is unwatchable.

Has anyone else experienced this and/or have a fix? Let me know.

thx

Originally posted by edyohome
I tried to search for this but couldn't find anything so far...my 6412 box will record a very pixelated (unwatchable) signal on some HD channels. There doesn't seem to be any consistency to it. At first I thought it was only when I was recording 2 HD channels and one would be bad, but upon later review that didn't seem to be the issue. It started to look like maybe one of the tuners was bad. I could have one HD channel playing and then SWAP to the other tuner (another HD channel) and the other channel would be pixelated. I could then change channels on the 2nd tuner to another HD channel and it would play clearly. Then I could SWAP back to tuner 1 and I would have 2 good HD shows on different tuners. So that ruled out the tuners being bad. It seems that some HD channels will play clearly and others won't but it is only on tuner 2. Tuner 1 never seems to have a problem. I have missed several shows because while recording HD from (what I assume is) tuner 2 the signal pixelates so badly the recording is unwatchable.

Has anyone else experienced this and/or have a fix? Let me know.

thx

sounds like poor signal to the STB. There is a motorola signal booster available that could fix this problem.

Originally posted by mdifabio
I may be totally naive, but I have to ask. Has anyone been able (or is it even possible) to use the 6412 with an antenna to receive OTA HD in addition to cable broadcasting?
I don't think it will receive OTA HD. It WILL receive analog SD, though, although probably only the 'channels' (frequencies) it is configured for. You do need to know the conversion from broadcast frequency channel to cable (2-13 are the same, but 14+ are different). I once did an experiment of passing a test pattern from my DVD, through my VCR, output on channel 3, into the box, with output locked to 1080i. Interesting experiment, but ultimately useless.

Originally posted by edyohome
I tried to search for this but couldn't find anything so far...my 6412 box will record a very pixelated (unwatchable) signal on some HD channels. There doesn't seem to be any consistency to it. At first I thought it was only when I was recording 2 HD channels and one would be bad, but upon later review that didn't seem to be the issue. It started to look like maybe one of the tuners was bad. I could have one HD channel playing and then SWAP to the other tuner (another HD channel) and the other channel would be pixelated. I could then change channels on the 2nd tuner to another HD channel and it would play clearly. Then I could SWAP back to tuner 1 and I would have 2 good HD shows on different tuners. So that ruled out the tuners being bad. It seems that some HD channels will play clearly and others won't but it is only on tuner 2. Tuner 1 never seems to have a problem. I have missed several shows because while recording HD from (what I assume is) tuner 2 the signal pixelates so badly the recording is unwatchable.

Has anyone else experienced this and/or have a fix? Let me know.

thx

I had exactly the same problem, and, three Comcast service calls later, it's finally fixed. Although it was confirmed that I had weak signal strength, the problem was actually fixed with a new box. I was skeptical, but when the third Comcast engineer installed the new box, the second tuner signal strength improved to the point where the pixelization was gone. They also boosted my signal strength the next day, but the new box took care of the problem even before the line technicians got there.

I would suggest calling Comcast, but make sure they send a technician with a replacement box and signal booster (the first two they sent for me brought neither). It was a frustrating process, but I'm now SO glad I can actually rely on my 6412.

I must have been lucky. I had a similar problem but with pixellation on all digital channels on the 2nd tuner. During the first tech visit, they swapped the box, which resolved the problem. In addition, they also went an extra step to run a new cable to my house, since the tech said I was losing a lot of signal between the street and my house.

Originally posted by blackngold75
I must have been lucky. I had a similar problem but with pixellation on all digital channels on the 2nd tuner. During the first tech visit, they swapped the box, which resolved the problem. In addition, they also went an extra step to run a new cable to my house, since the tech said I was losing a lot of signal between the street and my house.
B&G75, are you still having 2nd tuner problems or have they disappeared too? Most of us in the DE area who were experiencing the HD 2nd tuner breakups are still doing so...even after box swaps and new cabling from the line and throughout the house. It would be interesting to hear that someone who had this problem no longer had it.

I ordered an additional 6412 box for our household and the sales rep told me that starting tomorrow there will be a $75 deposit for new DVR boxes. I am not sure on the details of this, like when they will give your deposit back.

I once did an experiment of passing a test pattern from my DVD, through my VCR, output on channel 3, into the box, with output locked to 1080i. Interesting experiment, but ultimately useless.

Not useless at all. I've been trying to figure out how to get a 1080i test pattern on my TV to fix some geometry problems from the service menu (Toshiba 34HF81). I'll be doing this this weekend. It won't be high resolution, but I can fix a few things.

Thanks,

Originally posted by BJMoose
B&G75, are you still having 2nd tuner problems or have they disappeared too? Most of us in the DE area who were experiencing the HD 2nd tuner breakups are still doing so...even after box swaps and new cabling from the line and throughout the house. It would be interesting to hear that someone who had this problem no longer had it.
I have had the 6412 for five months, with rare problems. Last night, four out of 12 HD channels started to pixelate and drop out, only on Tuner 2.

I checked the SNR and AGC on a number of them, and they were all 'Good'. In fact, the numbers were higher than ever. I used to have Tuner 2 SNRs of 31.2 to 32.5 ('Fair'). Now, they are 33.9 to 34.8 ('Good'). Tuner 1 is also better.

It is ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS. It was showing Uncorrectable errors, yesterday, but today it shows no errors, yet the problems persist. The first three are next to each other, PBS is not.

One would think this is a bad tuner, but I read about the problems in DE, so I wonder what is up.

What exactly has been going on there?
How can a system-wide problem only affect Tuner 2 with Good SNR?

BTW, we are on the Willow Grove, PA system.

Originally posted by BJMoose
B&G75, are you still having 2nd tuner problems or have they disappeared too? Most of us in the DE area who were experiencing the HD 2nd tuner breakups are still doing so...even after box swaps and new cabling from the line and throughout the house. It would be interesting to hear that someone who had this problem no longer had it.

The box swap only fixed the breakups that I was getting on ALL digital channels. I still see some breakups here and there on the HD locals, 2nd tuner only. I haven't watched much in the past week, so I don't know how bad it has been the past week.

I have been noticing that the clock on the 6412 freezes at times.

I believe it has something to do with recording? Any ideas on this one?

Originally posted by efball
Not useless at all. I've been trying to figure out how to get a 1080i test pattern on my TV to fix some geometry problems from the service menu (Toshiba 34HF81). I'll be doing this this weekend. It won't be high resolution, but I can fix a few things.

Thanks, If you have INHD they have a show called tune-up on Saturday mornings at, I believe, 7:00 AM EST with some calibration screens and one of them is a convergence. My understanding is HDNET has something similar on Tuesday mornings.

We had a very weird experience last night with one of our two 6412's. We were watching a recorded program. Suddenly the pictured changed to one of the community information channels then after a moment the screen went garbled, then it changed to a channel that we have programmed to record.

Going back into My DVR permitted us to resume playing the saved program where it had been interrupted. This happened at least six times during the remaining 40 minutes of the show.

After watching the show I found that there were recorded programs in the list varying in length from 1 to 16 minutes for each program that seemed to correspond to the times the recorded show was interrupted.

Is this an anomaly are have others had a similar experience?

David

Originally posted by edyohome
It seems that some HD channels will play clearly and others won't but it is only on tuner 2. Tuner 1 never seems to have a problem. I have missed several shows because while recording HD from (what I assume is) tuner 2 the signal pixelates so badly the recording is unwatchable.

Has anyone else experienced this and/or have a fix? Let me know.

thx

I upgraded to a 6412 from a 6208 about three weeks ago. The first two weeks everything was fine. This last week most of the HD channels on the second tuner are unwatchable because of pixelation and dropouts. Everything on the first tuner is fine. Also, the box has completely frozen-up at 4:20 AM every day this week. It has also completely frozen-up at 4:50 PM a couple times. I called Comcast while the unit was frozen and they sent a signal to my box that is supposed to completely reprogram the software. The CSR said that it will take two hours for the process to complete, but that this should fix my problem. I'm not very optimistic that this will work, but I will let you know what happens.

Update: Turns out that my pixelation problems were caused by too strong of a signal. The tech said it was one of the strongest signals he had ever seen. After removing the powered amplifier that I was using, the pixelation problems went away. As far as the 4:20 AM freeze every morning, the tech was convinced that the problem was caused by a defective box and swapped it out with a new one.

David,

I had the same problem that you're describing. I was watching a recorded show, the screen went funck, looked like a cable access channel for a second, and then went to a hi-def station. I was also recording southpark at the time which turned into 5 recordings ov varying lengh 1-9 minutes each. Never experienced anything like that before (i've only had the unit for 2 weeks). Good to know I was the only one. DOes anyone have any guesses as to what caused it? Thanks,

-David

Originally posted by davidbrenner1
David,

I had the same problem that you're describing. I was watching a recorded show, the screen went funck, looked like a cable access channel for a second, and then went to a hi-def station. I was also recording southpark at the time which turned into 5 recordings ov varying lengh 1-9 minutes each. Never experienced anything like that before (i've only had the unit for 2 weeks). Good to know I was the only one. DOes anyone have any guesses as to what caused it? Thanks,

-David


I've seen this happen before when Comcast activates the Emergency Broadcasting System. A couple weeks ago, we had a thunderstorm warning in my area and they did this several times during primetime. Same behavior you describe and all the shows that I was recording were broken up into two or three recordings.

Originally posted by efball
Not useless at all. I've been trying to figure out how to get a 1080i test pattern on my TV to fix some geometry problems from the service menu (Toshiba 34HF81). I'll be doing this this weekend. It won't be high resolution, but I can fix a few things.

It's ultimately useless. By going through the VCR and then the box, it gets shifted out of position (if you are trying to set overscan or size/position) and reduced to letterboxed. It MIGHT be semi-useful for basic geometry, but I would still be careful.

I recorded "Tuneup" recently off INHD or INHD2. This seems like an excellent program source for setting for overscan, etc. on a 1080i source. Anyone see a problem with that?

Well, I just unplugged the DVR for about 5 minutes and that seemed to fix the problem. I figured a reboot can't hurt. I am still perplexed as to why it locks up on the clock. I have Comcast coming out Saturday to set me up with a cable modem (Their "special deal") and I will ask the tech then.

Originally posted by Workindood
Well, I just unplugged the DVR for about 5 minutes and that seemed to fix the problem. I figured a reboot can't hurt. I am still perplexed as to why it locks up on the clock. I have Comcast coming out Saturday to set me up with a cable modem (Their "special deal") and I will ask the tech then. Get the STB replaced..things will only get worse. I have 2 6412s that worked perfectly for 4 months. Suddenly, the clock began freezing on one of them at 4am/4pm everyday. Shortly before that I had other problems that others have reported and I had never experienced (12/31/99 recording and the blank screen when turning off and on to enter service menu to name a couple). Having 2 boxes made it easy to eliminate all the other possibilities (weak signal, power issues) as they sit in the same cabinet, connected to the same cable outlet and plugged into the same UPS. One worked great, the other would freeze up. Had it replaced on Monday and life is good once again.

Originally posted by scanpa
I like this part:

Some Comcast systems that distribute regional channel CN8: The Comcast Network force-tune customers to CN8 when they turn on their digital set-tops.

that should answer the often asked question about why the 6412 starts on CN8 when the power is turned from standby to on.

What is CN8? My 6412s always turns on right where I left them.

Originally posted by keenan
With cable losing roughly 500,000 subs last year while sat added over 3,000,000, cable is doing everything it can to maximize and enhance it's products and revenue. We're likely to see more "funky" stuff from the wired guys in the future.

They could start by getting rid of 'ALL GOOD FOR NOTHING' channels and adding something worth watching.

All Comcast is doing is SOAKING all of us for every penny they can get out of us and giving all of us ZERO in return.

PS. I am sorry they give us the DCT-6412 = Call FTC and get them (FTC) on Comcast for ( Deceptive sales Practices ) for renting ALL of US, a piece of good for nothing junk! they are calling a DVR.

Originally posted by 5*General
They could start by getting rid of 'ALL GOOD FOR NOTHING' channels and adding something worth watching.

All Comcast is doing is SOAKING all of us for every penny they can get out of us and giving all of us ZERO in return.

PS. I am sorry they give us the DCT-6412 = Call FTC and get them (FTC) on Comcast for ( Deceptive sales Practices ) for renting ALL of US, a piece of good for nothing junk! they are calling a DVR.

LOL. Your freedom is but a cancellation phone call away (since they don't have term contracts, at least here in Chiacgo).

sheesh..

Wow.... Someone's a little bitter today.

Comcast very likely has contracts with content providers that say they have to take the "GOOD FOR NOTHING" channels along with the "GOOD FOR SOMETHING" channels, or get nothing at all. Something along the lines of "if you want ABC programming, you'll also have to take ABC Family".

Comcast is giving me more than DirecTV did over the last three years I was there. More HD. An HD DVR. Broadband. Less video compression.

If you'd like, you can switch to DirecTV and get a $1000 near-obsolete HD TiVo.

Originally posted by Paul Simoneau
Wow.... Someone's a little bitter today.

Comcast very likely has contracts with content providers that say they have to take the "GOOD FOR NOTHING" channels along with the "GOOD FOR SOMETHING" channels, or get nothing at all. Something along the lines of "if you want ABC programming, you'll also have to take ABC Family".

Comcast is giving me more than DirecTV did over the last three years I was there. More HD. An HD DVR. Broadband. Less video compression.

If you'd like, you can switch to DirecTV and get a $1000 near-obsolete HD TiVo.

I was taking about lesser channels than ABC/ABC Family. I only have Comcast for one reason 'The Internet at 6Mbps or Bust', ( by the way, I here that it is going up again this fall ) HD channels are a Plus, all others channels bit.

Originally posted by 5*General
They could start by getting rid of 'ALL GOOD FOR NOTHING' channels and adding something worth watching.

All Comcast is doing is SOAKING all of us for every penny they can get out of us and giving all of us ZERO in return.

PS. I am sorry they give us the DCT-6412 = Call FTC and get them (FTC) on Comcast for ( Deceptive sales Practices ) for renting ALL of US, a piece of good for nothing junk! they are calling a DVR.
Some areas have close to no problems with the box, including mine. Its a shame that some comcast regions run a totally different setup than others. Our version is only 7.12 and we are still pretty solid most of the time.

Originally posted by jwingstrom
LOL. Your freedom is but a cancellation phone call away (since they don't have term contracts, at least here in Chiacgo).

sheesh..

What does this ---> (cancellation phone call away) have to do with using your freedom to protest by Complaining to the FTC=Federal Trade Commission about a bad product. The DCT-6412 is not even a good STB let alone a DVR.

My DCT-5100 was a great STB=Zero problems.

I have had 7 DCT-6412s, ALL with the same problems, I have had my whole house from the pole to my 2 DVRs rewired. And even a Signel Booster. I still have the SAME problems I did with the 1st one.

I even have had both DVRs lockup at the sametime on the same channel (same frame).

Every DVR Comcast send out the door, they are sending out a DVR that does not work as it was designed too. THEY ARE ALL BROKEN.

I've had mine since Nov and I haven't had but one problem with it, and a unplug-replug re-boot fixed it. It's been very dependable for me. It's only been used to record HD though, which may or may not make a difference.

Originally posted by keenan
I've had mine since Nov and I haven't had but one problem with it, and a unplug-replug re-boot fixed it. It's been very dependable for me. It's only been used to record HD though, which may or may not make a difference.

OK maybe one got out the door OK LOL

Originally posted by 5*General
OK maybe one got out the door OK LOL

Maybe I have the other good one...

Not a problem since installed in November. I love it. They would have to pry it out of my cold dead hands to get it back.

My whole way of watching TV has changed and freed it up my life to do other things. Can't see this ever gong back.

This isn't to deny the maddening problems you and others have faced with this piece of equipment. It appears that there are real differences with Comcast in different parts of the US.

Originally posted by 5*General
What does this ---> (cancellation phone call away) have to do with using your freedom to protest by Complaining to the FTC=Federal Trade Commission about a bad product. The DCT-6412 is not even a good STB let alone a DVR.

My DCT-5100 was a great STB=Zero problems.

I have had 7 DCT-6412s, ALL with the same problems, I have had my whole house from the pole to my 2 DVRs rewired. And even a Signel Booster. I still have the SAME problems I did with the 1st one.

I even have had both DVRs lockup at the sametime on the same channel (same frame).

Every DVR Comcast send out the door, they are sending out a DVR that does not work as it was designed too. THEY ARE ALL BROKEN.


You're right.. don't cancel, call the government. Continue paying Comcast to soak your wallet and give you nothing, for a worthless piece of junk DVR, for programming you don't want anyway (just 6 Mbps 'net, right?)

Originally posted by jwingstrom
You're right.. don't cancel, call the government. Continue paying Comcast to soak your wallet and give you nothing, for a worthless piece of junk DVR, for programming you don't want anyway (just 6 Mbps 'net, right?)


Where is comcast providing 6MB/Sec net connectivity? I'll sell my house and move there. We're up to 3MB/Sec in Jersey but I have yet to hear about locations with 6MB/Sec and another upgrade soon? Damn, I'd take a broken DVR and crappy programming just to get that...:D

Originally posted by Bruce Blakeslee
Where is comcast providing 6MB/Sec net connectivity? I'll sell my house and move there. We're up to 3MB/Sec in Jersey but I have yet to hear about locations with 6MB/Sec and another upgrade soon? Damn, I'd take a broken DVR and crappy programming just to get that...:D

I think you CAN pay extra for that. They supposedly upgraded Boston area to 4, but provide no test sites or other tools to measure the speed. the dowload is as fast as the server spooning out the data, traffic, the transmission lines and every computer between you and your data.

Sorry to get OT, but I had an evil back and forth with Comcast when they started patting themselves on the back for the update.

Wait a minute! I just ran verizon's speed test and I AM at 4 - woohoo! Links on my webpage in signature.

Back to our regularly scheduled 6412 Rant :)

Originally posted by Bruce Blakeslee
Where is comcast providing 6MB/Sec net connectivity? I'll sell my house and move there. We're up to 3MB/Sec in Jersey but I have yet to hear about locations with 6MB/Sec and another upgrade soon? Damn, I'd take a broken DVR and crappy programming just to get that...:D

They offered 4.0/384 and 6.0/768 here in Chicago when I dumped D* for their ditch-the-dish promo. 6.0 inbound is pretty nice.. had this speed via speakeasy ADSL as well.

Originally posted by jwingstrom
They offered 4.0/384 and 6.0/768 here in Chicago when I dumped D* for their ditch-the-dish promo. 6.0 inbound is pretty nice.. had this speed via speakeasy ADSL as well.

It most Comcast Areas they will provide you the "Pro" Service which is 6M/768K for an extra $10/mth...although they dont advertise it much.

and by the way, I must have the 3rd (or is it the 4th) good 6412 that came out of the factory...Mine has worked great ever since they installed it many months ago. ;)

I didn't have any problems with the 6408 HD box. Seems this 6412 has some software issues. I know they are running different software/set-ups in other areas of the country. I believe they are seeing which is the best one by using us as guinea pigs. I am going add a little fan behind my 6412 box and see if that helps. I have sneaky feeling that HEAT is one big issue with these newer boxes. Mine was pretty warm when I unplugged it.

All in All it is still pretty cool to have one of these instead of investing in a TiVo. As for the Internet from Comcast I am getting the service this Saturday. I ordered it Wednesday. It is a 4m/256K download for $19.95/month. That is fast enough for me (NOW) at this time. Way better then my 650K/128K DSL that cost me $49.95. Now watch SBC call me up and offer me a "Deal". That would be like them to wait till it bleeds them for a change. Not that many people in my neighborhood have cable modems, so my speed should be consistent.

As for the DVR I'll keep returning it until I get one that works well. This technology today is still way better then what I had just a few years ago. I'll put up with the lows because the highs are worth it.

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Comcast should be at 4Mbps everyplace and 6Mbps for their higher tier service. You can do a speed check here http://speedcheck2.optonline.net/speedcheck/speedcheck.html

Now, enough OT. Back to the 6412 with the illustrious i-Guide :)

Originally posted by Workindood As for the Internet from Comcast I am getting the service this Saturday. I ordered it Wednesday. It is a 4m/256K download for $19.95/month. That is fast enough for me (NOW) at this time. Way better then my 650K/128K DSL that cost me $49.95. [/B]
I assume that $19.95 is a special deal for only a few months. According to their web site, the current deal is actually 4 free months in your first year (1st, 4th, 7th and 10th month free). Otherwise, it's $43/month (plus $3 for modem rental), or $58 if you are not a TV subscriber.

Originally posted by andyross63
I assume that $19.95 is a special deal for only a few months. According to their web site, the current deal is actually 4 free months in your first year (1st, 4th, 7th and 10th month free). Otherwise, it's $43/month (plus $3 for modem rental), or $58 if you are not a TV subscriber.

Yes...it is a 6 month deal at that rate. Then it goes to $42...which is really $45. Compared to my DSL at $49 I can't refuse this one.

Originally posted by scanpa
I like this part:

Some Comcast systems that distribute regional channel CN8: The Comcast Network force-tune customers to CN8 when they turn on their digital set-tops.

that should answer the often asked question about why the 6412 starts on CN8 when the power is turned from standby to on.


The weird thing about this is that I have 2 6412 boxes. One will always power up on CN8 (channel 16 here in Comcast Trenton), the other with the last channel watched (or recorded). Perhaps a techie out there can provide a patch?

This is my first post, but I have been reading for some time, and I want to thank all the users of this forum for your insight and knowledge.
I have a non-HDTV. My cable line (in the living room) is split, one line direct into the TV and one into the 6412. Of course, my analog channels on the DVR had terrible PQ. In the diagnostic menu, under OOB status, my SNR has been between 18-19, FAIR. AGC is good. Inband status for digital channels has been GOOD for both SNR and AGC, although AGC had been reading at 70%. I get very few correctable errors, no uncorrectable.
I installed an Electroline EDA 2100 bi-directional amplifier in the basement. The incoming signal goes directly into the amplifier, then split 3 ways - Living Room, Bedroom, Office HSI. Now that the amp has been installed the digital channel inband AGC has improved to about 20%. The analog PQ has improved, but is still not as good as the analog channels bypassing the DVR. The OOB SNR has not improved at all - still 19 and FAIR. Even when I bypass my splitter in the basement, and only hook up the line to the living room, I can't get an SNR better tha 19.
My question: Is there anything else I can do to get my SNR up to a "GOOD" level? Is there anything else I can do to get better PQ analog channels? Or is this a problem with the Comcast incoming signal? Comcast is coming to check it out on Friday.
I have read about 60% of this massive thread over the past 2 months, but I want to make sure I haven't missed anything. Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

Have Comcast come and check your incoming signal. Those numbers you posted would seem to indicate a less than desirable signal strength. Your AGC number is too high, the higher the number means the tuner is working harder to get a good signal.

Originally posted by Bruce Blakeslee
Maybe I have the other good one... Make that three - Mine's been working great since I got it in November.

My 6412 DVR was working near flawlessly for five months, as I mentioned a few days ago. But now that they have increased their digital simulcasting, it is causing the same problems here in Willow Grove, PA area (and Center City Phila, I hear), as they have in Delaware.

Tuner 2 ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS have break-ups and drop-outs. It is because they moved around QAMs.

Just wait, unless and until they fix this, many areas will have these problems. Word is, they want to try a few things to confirm the problem, after that, they will send it to Motorola for a fix; hopefully they do.

Originally posted by Bruce Blakeslee
Where is comcast providing 6MB/Sec net connectivity? I'll sell my house and move there. We're up to 3MB/Sec in Jersey but I have yet to hear about locations with 6MB/Sec and another upgrade soon? Damn, I'd take a broken DVR and crappy programming just to get that...:D

Indianapolis - home of the Indy 500

The base speed here is 4Mbps $42.95. But they have a second tier speed called High Speed Internet: Faster speed at $52.95

with basic cable or higher or it costs more

I have also been told that we are going to be going even faster by this fall

I used to be able to get into the system menu by powering off and then pushing "select". This no longer works. Anybody know how to get into the system menu.

I tried to set a series recording for the "Daily Show" on the comedy channel for 11:00 at night. It is on M-F. I set it for "first runs", but it set the recording for all the shows all day long (there are about 7 repeats per day).

This appears to be bad data from I-Guide. Who do you notify that the data is bad?

David

Originally posted by Wayne1
I am now on my 2nd 6412 with the same problem.

I get no audio through digital ouput on none DD channel through the first tuner.

Digital output works on all channels on the 2nd tuner.

Only DD2.0 shows on the Lexicon screen.

Any suggestions for a fix?

How does one know which tuner (first or second) your are on? I have not seen any on-screen indication of this. I would like to know so I could do some tests? (I have occasional hesitations on playback, little hiccups every 10 seconds or so, SOMETIMES, and it would be nice to know if it was isolated to one of the tuners).

Thanks,

Steve

Originally posted by Zack Allen
Has anyone heard that newly issued 6412's are incapable of having sending through DVI and component at the same time? A store rep warned me not to have the box changed if I can help it, because software in the newer boxes disable component if DVI is connected and vice versa. I would be surprised if Comcast would try to prevent this, since you're limited to watching the same channel on both sets.

Wouldn't you probably get the latest software (firmware) anyways eventually via an automatic download?

Steve

Originally posted by demenas
How does one know which tuner (first or second) your are on? I have not seen any on-screen indication of this. I would like to know so I could do some tests? (I have occasional hesitations on playback, little hiccups every 10 seconds or so, SOMETIMES, and it would be nice to know if it was isolated to one of the tuners).

Thanks,

Steve Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Detailed instructions can be found here...
http://cjhengineering.com/hdtv/cablehdtv/dctdiag.htm

Originally posted by demenas
How does one know which tuner (first or second) your are on? I have not seen any on-screen indication of this. I would like to know so I could do some tests? (I have occasional hesitations on playback, little hiccups every 10 seconds or so, SOMETIMES, and it would be nice to know if it was isolated to one of the tuners).
In addition to markjrenna's comments, the 6412 always turns on to the 1st tuner. Using the swap button, you can change it to the 2nd tuner. If your unit is turned on to the 1st tuner and you record something, it records on the unused tuner (in this case, tuner 2). If you are having problems with recordings on tuner 2, you can leave your 6412 turned on (swapped to tuner 2) and when it's time to record, the unit will think you're watching something on tuner 2 and record on tuner 1.

In the Delaware area, there are several reports of problems with the 2nd tuner. Hope this makes some sense.

Have there been reports of an occasional inability to play back a recording? It's happened to me twice now. Program shows a 60 minute recording but when I go to play, the delete (or not) this recording pops up. My DVR is also getting slower....hmmm sounds like I will need to trade out my box yet again.

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Detailed instructions can be found here...
http://cjhengineering.com/hdtv/cablehdtv/dctdiag.htm

That's a good link for explaining the Diagnostics menus, but I didn't see anything there that answered my question.

Thanks.

Steve

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Detailed instructions can be found here...
http://cjhengineering.com/hdtv/cablehdtv/dctdiag.htm

That's a good link for explaining the Diagnostics menus, but I didn't see anything there that answered my question.

Thanks.

Steve

Carl,

Same thing's been happening to me recently, but only with programs on the Science channel. Which programs are you having issues with?

-John

Also be aware that the 6412 will remain on the tuner it recorded from, after recording is complete. Thus, if you are on tuner 1 and record something, it will be recorded on tuner 2. After done, you will be on tuner 2 and the next recording will take place on tuner 1 unless you do a swap.

I know this because I use closed captions a lot and my box will not get closed captions on SD channels on tuner 1. Therefore if I want to get captions I have to record on tuner 2 which happens when I am already on tuner 1. It's best for me to have the machine off before the time for recording comes up. That way I know it turns on to tuner 1 and will record captions on tuner 2. Whew!

(Also gives me a dodge for detecting which tuner I am on without going to the diagnostic screens -- If I see captions on a SD channel (those below 100), aka analog, then I know I am on tuner 2.)

Both my tuners get the closed caption signal stream on all digital channels. Reckon it's a bandwidth thing.

Originally posted by dezzard
Also be aware that the 6412 will remain on the tuner it recorded from, after recording is complete. Thus, if you are on tuner 1 and record something, it will be recorded on tuner 2. After done, you will be on tuner 2 and the next recording will take place on tuner 1 unless you do a swap.

I know this because I use closed captions a lot and my box will not get closed captions on SD channels on tuner 1. Therefore if I want to get captions I have to record on tuner 2 which happens when I am already on tuner 1. It's best for me to have the machine off before the time for recording comes up. That way I know it turns on to tuner 1 and will record captions on tuner 2. Whew!

(Also gives me a dodge for detecting which tuner I am on without going to the diagnostic screens -- If I see captions on a SD channel (those below 100), aka analog, then I know I am on tuner 2.)

Both my tuners get the closed caption signal stream on all digital channels. Reckon it's a bandwidth thing.
I've not played with the CC much, but on my two 6412s, they have never switched to the tuner that did the recording while the box is on. I simply watch the red light go off and continue watching whatever I was watching while the recording was happening. Are you certain this is happening with your 6412? I've recorded several things back to back to back on one tuner and it has always used the same tuner to record--whether it was 1 or 2.

Originally posted by demenas
That's a good link for explaining the Diagnostics menus, but I didn't see anything there that answered my question.

Thanks.

Steve Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Check the d04 menu. It will give you all the information you need regarding each tuner and the signal makeup and quality of each. This will point you in a direction of where your problem may originate.

Originally posted by edyohome
I tried to search for this but couldn't find anything so far...my 6412 box will record a very pixelated (unwatchable) signal on some HD channels. There doesn't seem to be any consistency to it. At first I thought it was only when I was recording 2 HD channels and one would be bad, but upon later review that didn't seem to be the issue. It started to look like maybe one of the tuners was bad. I could have one HD channel playing and then SWAP to the other tuner (another HD channel) and the other channel would be pixelated. I could then change channels on the 2nd tuner to another HD channel and it would play clearly. Then I could SWAP back to tuner 1 and I would have 2 good HD shows on different tuners. So that ruled out the tuners being bad. It seems that some HD channels will play clearly and others won't but it is only on tuner 2. Tuner 1 never seems to have a problem. I have missed several shows because while recording HD from (what I assume is) tuner 2 the signal pixelates so badly the recording is unwatchable.

Has anyone else experienced this and/or have a fix? Let me know.

thx

Thanx to all that answered WRT the above post. On advice from someone that posted I did check to see if my in-line amplifier was causing the Tuner 2 problem. I was using a 10db in-line amp to try and help the PQ of those terrible analog channels (below 100). I took the amp out of the loop and so far have not had any more problems with my Tuner 2 breakup on HD channels. Analog channels look like total crap again but alas as the saying goes "you gotta give some to get some". I suppose the issue was too much signal as opposed to not enough signal or maybe the overall noise level got to high as a result of the in-line amp. In any case it is what I did and so far has seemed to fix my problem. It may help someone else with similar issues.

thx again

Originally posted by edyohome
Thanx to all that answered WRT the above post. On advice from someone that posted I did check to see if my in-line amplifier was causing the Tuner 2 problem. I was using a 10db in-line amp to try and help the PQ of those terrible analog channels (below 100). I took the amp out of the loop and so far have not had any more problems with my Tuner 2 breakup on HD channels. Analog channels look like total crap again but alas as the saying goes "you gotta give some to get some". I suppose the issue was too much signal as opposed to not enough signal or maybe the overall noise level got to high as a result of the in-line amp. In any case it is what I did and so far has seemed to fix my problem. It may help someone else with similar issues.

thx again

If no one else has jprovide this to you you need a Motorola amp to do the job. All others seem to cause problems:

You need a Motorola Bi-Directional Cable Amp w/ low signal to noise ratio.

Motorola 484095-001-00 TV Cable Signal Booster

I searched the forum to get this info.

Originally posted by Bruce Blakeslee
All others seem to cause problems:
I don't believe that to be true. I've heard a lot of people talking well about the motorola amp, but dont recall hearing that its the only game in town. I've been using two different ratshack bidirectional amps for a couple years without a problem.

Originally posted by dabhome
I tried to set a series recording for the "Daily Show" on the comedy channel for 11:00 at night. It is on M-F. I set it for "first runs", but it set the recording for all the shows all day long (there are about 7 repeats per day).

This appears to be bad data from I-Guide. Who do you notify that the data is bad?
I've been having the same problem with my Tivo recently. Most of the Daily Show episodes had no description or new/rerun flag, so it recorded all of them. I finally gave up and set a manual recording for the time and channel so it only records once per day. The guide data is only as good as what Comedy central provides, maybe the problem is with them.

Same thing here with my DVR. You have to just do it once a day to get only one recording. It is no biggie...so you have to push more buttons on a daily basis. :D

Originally posted by Workindood
Same thing here with my DVR. You have to just do it once a day to get only one recording. It is no biggie...so you have to push more buttons on a daily basis. :D

If a show is on at the same time every day, why not just create a manual recording? It may not look as pretty in the recorded program list (just date and time), but it saves alot of work.

I have been using DVI connection for about a month, no problems. Last night it was working fine. Tonight I came home and turned it on, no picture. I haven't changed anything since last night. I disconnected the DVI and switched to Component, works fine. I switched back to DVI, still no picture.

Has this happened to anyone else? I searched the thread and found some discussion of DVI, but did not see any reports that it just quit working for no reason. Any ideas?

We were watching the April 17 episode of Desperate Housewives recorded in HD. About half way through, the screen split down the middle with the left and right sides switched. After about 10 minutes it went back to normal. This is the recording, we can play it back and it happens everytime at exactly the same spots. We can switch to live TV and it goes away. Did this happen to anyone else?

I've only had the 6412 for about a month, but this is the first time I have seen this on a recording. I have seen some weird stuff like this happen, but usually toggling the power on the TV or cable box would clear it so I assumed it was a connection issue.

Originally posted by jschefdog
We were watching the April 17 episode of Desperate Housewives recorded in HD. About half way through, the screen split down the middle with the left and right sides switched. After about 10 minutes it went back to normal. This is the recording, we can play it back and it happens everytime at exactly the same spots. We can switch to live TV and it goes away. Did this happen to anyone else?

I've only had the 6412 for about a month, but this is the first time I have seen this on a recording. I have seen some weird stuff like this happen, but usually toggling the power on the TV or cable box would clear it so I assumed it was a connection issue.

This was an local problem during this specific Show..nothing to do with the 6412. Its talked about in the SF Bay Area Comcast forum by others that saw the same thing during last nights show (that forums is a good place to look for issues local to your area)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5497612#post5497612

Originally posted by jschefdog
I have been using DVI connection for about a month, no problems. Last night it was working fine. Tonight I came home and turned it on, no picture. I haven't changed anything since last night. I disconnected the DVI and switched to Component, works fine. I switched back to DVI, still no picture.

Has this happened to anyone else? I searched the thread and found some discussion of DVI, but did not see any reports that it just quit working for no reason. Any ideas?

Have you tried switching the output to componant yet? If not this sounds like a diiferent problem. With it turned on. Hit my DVR & play a recording. It should be ok after that. If not & it's the DVI I can't really hepl ya.:)

Originally posted by jschefdog
I have been using DVI connection for about a month, no problems. Last night it was working fine. Tonight I came home and turned it on, no picture. I haven't changed anything since last night. I disconnected the DVI and switched to Component, works fine. I switched back to DVI, still no picture.

Has this happened to anyone else? I searched the thread and found some discussion of DVI, but did not see any reports that it just quit working for no reason. Any ideas? I have a DVI>HDMI connection and occasionally the display and STB will get out of sync if I am using the ANT input and switch back to the HDMI. When this happens I get either a split screen, blue cast in the picture or no picture. The first two can be usually resolved by using the up or down channel button and then back to the original channel. The blank picture can only be resolved by powering down the set and turning it back on. You can also try unplugging the cable with both the STB and TV turned on. From my understanding there is handshaking that goes on when two HDCP devices are connected. Once this is successful periodically the handshaking is repeated. This is to prevent someone making a connection with a HDCP compliant device and then switching it out to bypass the copy protection. If the periodic handshake fails the device does not permit the output. I always leave my STB on and if the display is left on the HDMI input and turned off I don't have an issue. It only seems to happen if I am watching the ANT input for a period of time and then switch back to the HDMI.

For those who are using the 6412's remote, how are you using the Auxiliary button on the remote? I currently have this programmed to a DVD player but will be adding a receiver to the mix and think that would be a better option, since it will be used constantly to control the volume. Also along the same lines, for those who use their 6412 with a receiver, are you connecting the two with a Toslink audio cable, digital coax or RCA? (I'm not at home right now and can't even remember if the 6412 has audio-out options for all three). Anyway, is there a consensus as to which works best? Also if you have a receiver is there any reason to connect any audio to the TV if you never use the TV's built in tuner and just use it as a display?

Originally posted by JBaumgart
For those who are using the 6412's remote, how are you using the Auxiliary button on the remote? I currently have this programmed to a DVD player but will be adding a receiver to the mix and think that would be a better option, since it will be used constantly to control the volume. Also along the same lines, for those who use their 6412 with a receiver, are you connecting the two with a Toslink audio cable, digital coax or RCA? (I'm not at home right now and can't even remember if the 6412 has audio-out options for all three). Anyway, is there a consensus as to which works best? Also if you have a receiver is there any reason to connect any audio to the TV if you never use the TV's built in tuner and just use it as a display?

I am not using the Auxiliary button, however the remote is setup so that when I use the Up/Down Volume buttons this controls my RECEIVER volume. (I don't even have speakers connected to my TV).

Steve

Originally posted by JBaumgart
For those who are using the 6412's remote, how are you using the Auxiliary button on the remote? I currently have this programmed to a DVD player but will be adding a receiver to the mix and think that would be a better option, since it will be used constantly to control the volume. Also along the same lines, for those who use their 6412 with a receiver, are you connecting the two with a Toslink audio cable, digital coax or RCA? (I'm not at home right now and can't even remember if the 6412 has audio-out options for all three). Anyway, is there a consensus as to which works best? Also if you have a receiver is there any reason to connect any audio to the TV if you never use the TV's built in tuner and just use it as a display?

I too use it to control my reciever and put all other equipment with audio output through the receiver as well. That way it can control the volume on a DVD or VCR player as well as other systems.

I have a Motorola 6412 from Comcast in an area where Comcast does not yet offer HD. My new Samsung HL-P5067 will arrive in a few days. I plan on hooking it up via an HDMI-DVI cable.

Should I set the output format on the 6412 to 480i, 480p, or 720p ? I was thinking I should probably use 480 (i or p) since I have no HD yet, and just let the set do the conversion to 720P.

Does this sound right ? I know that the analog channels will look best if I split the cable and run it right into the TV, but I also want the best possible setup coming from the 6412.

I've been wading through this thread, but haven't found anything like this problem yet:

Yesterday, one tuner spontaneously lost the ability to encode analog audio to DD. If I tune a digital channel on both tuners, all is fine. If I tune an analog channel on both tuners, one tuner will output an SPDIF DD stream, and the other produces no DD audio output (but DOES produce analog audio out).

I've tried simple on/off cycling and hard power cycling (pulling the plug), but this has had no effect.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Gary

Originally posted by jschefdog
I have been using DVI connection for about a month, no problems. Last night it was working fine...
Thanks to those who replied. I did try using component and it works fine, the problem only seems to occur with DVI. I tried several combinations of powering on/off, plugging and unplugging but it never came back. It usually just worked before. Once in a while I would get nothing but static, but usually turning the TV off/on would clear it.

I called Comcast and they suggested changing some of the output settings (aspect ratio, 1080i/720p/480p, etc) but nothing helped. The guy was not aware of any changes that they had pushed out that day.

After some more testing I'm beginning to suspect the problem is with my TV and not the 6412. I tried hooking up a DVD player with HDMI output to the DVI input and still got nothing. I need to run some more tests to determine for sure whether the problem is the TV or the 6412.

What is your display device??? Is it HDCP compliant??? Maybe your cable system just implemented HDCP copy protection from the DVI output and now that's why it isn't working? This would also explain why the DVD player with HDMI didn't work either, unless of course you've used it with this display before?

jschefdog, sounds to me like the DVI/HDMI cable is bad. I tore my hair out resolving a DVI issue blaming 6412 then the TV. On close inspection of the DVI cable on one end a pin was bent and twisted. After fixing that the problems went away. If you don't see any visible damage in the DVI cable it still could be bad too in which case buying a new cable may solve the problem.

Hello ALL: I'm not sure if this is the correct place...but this is my problem. I have an Integra 6.5 receiver connect to an Integra 5 disc CD changer and Comcast DVR 6412 cable box. All has worked fine. I recently added a pair of outdoor speakers to the zone 2 of the receiver. When I play the CD.....and/or AM/FM radio via zone 2 the volume is fine.....HOWEVER, when I select the video 1 input to outupt Comcast Digital music channel outdoors the volume drops by about 1/2....even though the volume was not adjusted. Does anyone know why and what I can do to have the volume remain constant accross Cable, CD, and Radio? Thank you !!!

Are you using the same type of audio connection (RCA or digital coax or Toslink optical) between your receiver and the DVD/CD player vs the 6412? Also have you tried using your 6412's remote to increase the volume being output to the receiver? The manual says to set the 6412's volume level to approximately 3/4 maximum and then use the receiver's volume control to adjust from there.

Originally posted by Gary Stevens
Yesterday, one tuner spontaneously lost the ability to encode analog audio to DD. If I tune a digital channel on both tuners, all is fine. If I tune an analog channel on both tuners, one tuner will output an SPDIF DD stream, and the other produces no DD audio output (but DOES produce analog audio out).If you record the program with no DD output, when you play it back do you get DD audio output? If you do, then it's an output issue and not an encoding problem. In either case, I suspect you'll need a new 6412 to fix it.

Originally posted by WMCLAREN
Hello ALL: I'm not sure if this is the correct place...but this is my problem. I have an Integra 6.5 receiver connect to an Integra 5 disc CD changer and Comcast DVR 6412 cable box. All has worked fine. I recently added a pair of outdoor speakers to the zone 2 of the receiver. When I play the CD.....and/or AM/FM radio via zone 2 the volume is fine.....HOWEVER, when I select the video 1 input to outupt Comcast Digital music channel outdoors the volume drops by about 1/2....even though the volume was not adjusted. Does anyone know why and what I can do to have the volume remain constant accross Cable, CD, and Radio? Thank you !!! In the 6412's Setup menu, go to Audio Setup, and make sure the Audio Output is set to TV Speaker. It doesn't matter that you aren't using the TV's speaker. That's the setting that gives maximum analog output. Any other setting there and the analog output volume drops considerably.

Thanks for your reply. I am using digital connections between Rec. and CD changer. According to the Integra manual....I have to use analog Red/White cables from the Audio Out on the DVR box to the Video 1 input on the Rec. I'm not sure I follow you about setting the volume on the 6412. Right now the volume is fine when using the CD and AM/FM...but when I switch to Cable Box to output Digital Music outdoors the volume is lower? I am using Monster audio cables from DVR to Receiver. Thanks again.
Outdoor Speaker are Niles OS10 and I'm using a Niles volume control as well.

Originally posted by DHarp193
What is your display device??? Is it HDCP compliant??? Maybe your cable system just implemented HDCP copy protection from the DVI output and now that's why it isn't working? This would also explain why the DVD player with HDMI didn't work either, unless of course you've used it with this display before?
My TV (JVC AV34WP84) is supposed to be HDCP compliant, at least that is what the manual says. But it's certainly possible HDCP doesn't work right even though it is supposed to.

I also tried hooking up a JVC D-VHS deck using HDMI. The HDMI light on the deck lit up indicating a connection, but still no picture. Of course it also has HDCP, so that still doesn't rule it out.

Last night I verified that the 6412 is NOT the problem. I hooked up the 6412 DVI out to the HDMI input on a Sony PJ and it worked fine.

At moyekj's suggestion I checked the DVI cable. No bent pins. I used a Volt meter to check if all the pins on each end of the cable are connecting. There is one pin that does not connect, but I don't know if it is necessary. I don't have another DVI cable right now, but will pick one up.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, but now I'm sure its not a problem with the 6412, so will discontinue discussion of it in this thread. I have started a new thread in the TV forum to see if anyone else has problems with DVI on this model TV.

Gary,

How old is your receiver/processor? Can it decode a digital signal at 32 kHz?

I had a similar problem when I tried to upgrade to a 6412.

I was using a Lexicon DC-1 v4. It turns out that now Comcast in Littleton, CO is using a digital stream at 32 kHz for the non Dolby digital channels. The Lexicon's D/A convertors cannot work at that frequency.

I put in a Panasonic SA-XR70 receiver and now all the digital audio works.

I'm finding that the image quality on my 1280x720 projector is not as sharp with the 6412 component outputs as it was on my old D* Sony HD200 HD receiver. It's like the bandwidth is limited severely, but I'm not sure if this is in the San Carlos, CA comcast signal or just in the box outputs themselves. If anything I would assume that comcast would devote more bandwidth to the channels since they have the "big pipe" coax cable bandwidth.

Anyone else using high resolution displays seeing soft output from the 6412 in comparison with other devices?

I have read through A LOT of pages in this thread and havn't come across the way to get the 30 second skip to work. Can someone point me in the right direction with this issue?

Thanks

AudioNoob

Originally posted by AudioNoob
I have read through A LOT of pages in this thread and havn't come across the way to get the 30 second skip to work. Can someone point me in the right direction with this issue?

Thanks

AudioNoob


You have GOT to be kidding....!
I'm all for sharing but this is a little too much.

I put "30 seconds" into the "Search this Forum" at the top, and I got 221 hits...!!!

Q: How do I program the 30 second skip?
A:
1. Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3. Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button again blinks twice.
4. Hit (Do Not Hold) the "Setup" button
5. Enter in 00173 (for 30 second Skip)
6. Press whatever button you want “30 Second Skip� to be.

Thanks for the responses, stevehof and Wayne1.

In answer to your questions, whether I'm watching a program "live" or replaying a previously recorded program, the behavior is the same. An analog channel which did not have digital audio out persists in not having digital audio out. Wayne, I'm using a Lexicon MC-8, so I should be in good shape on the decoding side. Also, this problem applies to only one of the tuners. On the "good" tuner, I still get digital audio out for an analog channel. Also, I originally DID get digital audio on analog channels, independent of which tuner was used.

I think a new box is probably in order. Now I just have to decide how much I REALLY want to save those programs I've recorded! On the other hand, the work-around for the problem is to just bring the stereo audio from the STB to the MC-8 in parallel with the SPDIF and let the MC-8 pick the best available option. I'm not really losing anything by the STB's refusal to encode analog surround sound to PCM data so the Lexicon can reverse the process.

BTW, I have found a couple of other posts so far (starting around page 44!) where folks do not have digital audio for analog channels at all, but I still haven't found any resolution posted.

-Gary

Originally posted by Gary Stevens
Yesterday, one tuner spontaneously lost the ability to encode analog audio to DD. If I tune a digital channel on both tuners, all is fine. If I tune an analog channel on both tuners, one tuner will output an SPDIF DD stream, and the other produces no DD audio output (but DOES produce analog audio out).

We recently got a second 6412 for one of our analog TVs with yellow-red-white RCA cables. I noticed a bug that if you turn off the cable box and then turn it back on (maybe wait a little because I looked in the setup menu / diagnostic menu to change TV type etc), the audio does not output thru the RCA cables, but the video outputs fine.

Any ideas?

If set to 480i, does the 6412 output 480i through DVI? I was under the impression DVI does not support 480i, so I assume the 6412 ends up putting 480p out.