Official Comcast 6412 w/ iGuide Discussion [Text View] - Page 18

Mike20878

05-13-05, 10:05 PM

Originally posted by ptchristensen
I do not know if it's the same across the country, but on the west coast Lost ends at 9:01 and Alias starts at 9:01 and ends at 10:01. This means that you can only record ONE other program at 8, 9 and 10. So if you schedule 2 other recordings at 8 or 9 manually or series, and they have higher priority than Lost, Lost is lost.

Blame ABC not the DVR software...!

But Lost and Alias are on the same network! ABC!

I'm now having the same problem for this coming Wednesday. I am trying to record Lost, Alias, and Smallville. Lost and Alias are on ABC and Smallville is on WB. That should not be a problem for a dual-tuner DVR. It should record Lost and Alias on one tuner and Smallville on the other. Instead, it is refusing to record Lost. If I tell it not to record Alias it then allows Lost and Smallville; don't record Smallville and Lost and Alias are recorded. It makes no friggin' sense.

Does anyone have a solution for this?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike20878

05-13-05, 10:28 PM

Originally posted by jmorton
Mine is a Motorola 484095-001-00 Signal Booster. I ordered from Amazon for a pretty good price.

From the product description I see that this is to be installed at the entry point to my home. So is this supposed to be superior to the amplifier Comcast installed?

Dennis Wilkinson

05-13-05, 10:44 PM

Originally posted by Mike20878
I'm now having the same problem for this coming Wednesday. I am trying to record Lost, Alias, and Smallville. Lost and Alias are on ABC and Smallville is on WB. That should not be a problem for a dual-tuner DVR. It should record Lost and Alias on one tuner and Smallville on the other. Instead, it is refusing to record Lost. If I tell it not to record Alias it then allows Lost and Smallville; don't record Smallville and Lost and Alias are recorded. It makes no friggin' sense.

Does anyone have a solution for this?

The only way I've ever been able to address this is to fiddle with the series recording priorities until they all end up scheduled.

scanpa

05-14-05, 12:23 AM

Originally posted by Mike20878
From the product description I see that this is to be installed at the entry point to my home. So is this supposed to be superior to the amplifier Comcast installed?

That is the one Comcast uses. But they charge over 75 bucks for it!

Buy it from Amazon.com. They do a good Job as long as your Coax & feed line are in good shape.

Couch Patato

05-14-05, 02:15 AM

andyross63

05-14-05, 08:45 AM

Originally posted by scanpa
That is the one Comcast uses. But they charge over 75 bucks for it!

Buy it from Amazon.com. They do a good Job as long as your Coax & feed line are in good shape.
I tried to buy one from Amazon last week. Yesterday, I got e-mail saying my money was being refunded. After asking, I found out it had been returned by UPS as 'undeliverable'. It's the EXACT same address I've used before from Amazon several times before. Worse, the price has now gone UP (only $0.50, but still....) I smell bait and switch. Checking the UPS tracking only shows they received billing/shipping info, no other tracking data. Amazon is not helpful. It's just canned answers.

markjrenna

05-14-05, 10:11 AM

Andy,

Just try the Radio Shack model. If it doesn't work as you hope... just return it. Dealing with Amazon for something like this is a royal PITA!

scanpa

05-14-05, 01:04 PM

Originally posted by markjrenna
Andy,

Just try the Radio Shack model. If it doesn't work as you hope... just return it. Dealing with Amazon for something like this is a royal PITA!

There are many other places on the internet to get the moto cable amp.

google is your friend.:)

JBaumgart

05-14-05, 04:10 PM

Originally posted by scanpa
There are many other places on the internet to get the moto cable amp.

google is your friend.:)

That's what I did last year when I got mine - ended up getting a total of 3 of them!

StuJac

05-14-05, 04:36 PM

Igot mine from Twister.com for a good price but i started with google who sent me to a price-matching site. I paid about 47 shipped. it's hooked up now to my brand new 6412 and it's powering a 4 way split in the living room alone and it works great-analog channels definitely watchable. HiDef is awesome.

Mike20878

05-14-05, 04:50 PM

An engineer friend at Comcast says this about the Motorola booster (I had sent him the Amazon.com link and that is what he references when he talks about the tech specs):

I find it almost comical that for the technical specs it says "PC : Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, IBM compatible PC with Pentium MMX equivalent or higher processor, 128MB RAM, 275MB free hard disk space, CD-ROM drive (4x or faster), 256 color display VGA monitor, USB port, mouse or other pointing device ", as this amplifier has nothing to do with whatever is behind the cable modem. It's OK to list this, but there are NO other specs to evaluate the amplifier at all... not even "gain", which would be the most basic spec.

Only if you are on the threshold of having enough signal will this amplifier make ANY difference. If there is interference because of loose or bad fittings, or too MUCH signal (which can happen too), adding an amp will not make a difference. If you've added several other outlets in the house, it can be beneficial. There is usually enough signal coming in the drop to feed 4-8 devices. If you've added other outlets, then an amp is a good idea. Having no specs, it is hard to evaluate this against any other, but I can tell you that typically a Radio Shack "booster" will NOT be good (lots of experience taking those out). You would think a branded one like Motorola would be good, but it's hard to say.

If you had constant pixelation on a number of channels, then you may be looking at signal strength issues. If it is intermittant and/or only happens on certain channels, it is much more likely a source issue or an interference issue (which could be as simple as a loose connector).

Mike20878

05-14-05, 04:53 PM

Originally posted by Dennis Wilkinson
The only way I've ever been able to address this is to fiddle with the series recording priorities until they all end up scheduled.

I tried doing that and it just kept making the lowest priority series not record. I instead set up a manual recording to begin at 9:02 for the Alias time block.

Thanks,
Mike

Mike20878

05-14-05, 04:55 PM

Oh, for those of you with various problems - have you ever tried plugging your DVR into a UPS? I've had mine on one ever since I got my TiVo and had recording problems. Slight power fluctuations likely caused many a partial recording. I haven't had a problem like that since.

JBaumgart

05-14-05, 05:00 PM

The last Comcast installer that was over at my house gave a strong "thumbs up" to the Motorola Signal Booster since it is made by the same company that supplies their boxes. I don't know if that makes any difference in itself, but from personal experience I can attest to how effective it is in my house. Without it, the picture on my analog channels are full of noise. With it, they are rendered very watchable - pretty good, actually. I fall into the camp of "adding several outlets in the house" after I originally got cable many years ago, so adding the Motorola's made a big difference for me.

StuJac

05-14-05, 05:02 PM

Well, I got my box today. I've posted under HDTV Recorders also. I think it's gonna be an adventure with this box. The cord is loose so if you just touch it, it reboots. I've only recorded one thing so I'm not ready to get into any priority list issues. I've got the Motorola cable booster amp sending a signal to a 4way splitter for the living room alone. The picture is awesome in HD, really good in SD and not bad in analog. I'm pleasantly surprised - I can actually watch the analog stations. It helps that I'm about 16 feet from the 32" Panny HD.

The thing is LOUD, LOUD, LOUD. It's comically loud, compared to my TiVo or my Panasonic E95.

StuJac

05-14-05, 05:56 PM

I will also add, I LOVE the ondemand stuff. I'm watching Comcast Sports Net's Daily News Live which I had NO idea was available on vod. So cool.

andyross63

05-15-05, 09:28 AM

Originally posted by markjrenna
Just try the Radio Shack model. If it doesn't work as you hope... just return it. Dealing with Amazon for something like this is a royal PITA!
I've re-ordered it from Amazon and will see what happens. This time, I 'edited' the address, and it did offer a change. It simply put a 'W' (for West) in front of the address, and added the +4 to the ZIP code.

As for the other post about the gain: It is 15db. I think I saw it somewhere. Basically, every 3db gain is a power of 2. so 15/3= 5, 2^5 = 32x. The computer specs are probably because it was originally markted as a cable modem booster, not cable box booster.

I tried the RatShack thing last year when I was trying to fix up some analog graininess issues. All it did was make things WORSE, with no decrease in grain, but a giant increase in interference. I didn't check digital channel signal AGC/SNR as I didn't know how to access the diagnostics menu at the time. A little 10db non-two-way I tested didn't noticeably increase interference, but did help out on digital signals. I'm just worried it will block the return signal too much. Right now, it's only used on a split that feeds two TV's directly.

Dave Harper

05-15-05, 10:00 AM

Originally posted by andyross63
...I tried the RatShack thing last year when I was trying to fix up some analog graininess issues. All it did was make things WORSE, with no decrease in grain, but a giant increase in interference. I didn't check digital channel signal AGC/SNR as I didn't know how to access the diagnostics menu at the time. A little 10db non-two-way I tested didn't noticeably increase interference, but did help out on digital signals. I'm just worried it will block the return signal too much. Right now, it's only used on a split that feeds two TV's directly.

That's because that's all an amplifier does, is amplify what comes in, noise and all. A good SNR is what you need to keep noise down. If it is excessive then an amp and some type of filter are needed, or track down the source (connection, wire, etc.) of the noise/interference and eliminate it.

QZ1

05-15-05, 06:13 PM

StuJac

05-15-05, 06:25 PM

Thanks QZ1-I sort of know how to put a cord in - been doing it for a long time. Its obviously a defective cord/power supply plug. In any event, I don't touch it and it's fine. If it reboots once more it'll go back.

marvincbr

05-15-05, 09:08 PM

Originally posted by scanpa
That is the one Comcast uses. But they charge over 75 bucks for it!

Buy it from Amazon.com. They do a good Job as long as your Coax & feed line are in good shape.

I thought that I read in here somewhere that Comcast gave this to the customer for free as it is their problem that the signal is not stong enough.

DSperber

05-15-05, 09:53 PM

Originally posted by markjrenna
30, 60, 90, 120 (and more) Second Skip

Create a 30 second skip using the following directions:

1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice
4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button
5) Type in the code 00173 for 30 second Skip.
6) Press whatever button you want to map the skip to.

Next, you create a macro using your new 30 second skip:

1) Press and hold down the "Setup" button until the light blinks twice.
2) Press 995.
3) Press the key you want to assign the X second skip to.
4) Press the button that you have used for the 30 second skip x times. (2 times for 60 seconds, 3 times for 90 seconds, and so on.)
5) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the light blinks twice to exit programming.

X = 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, etc. Although I have not tried it yet, if the 995 macro programming command and firmware functionality is reasonably robust, I wonder if this approach can be used to program ANY sequence of buttons. I would think so.

If this is the case then the sequence of buttons one currently must press to get "favorites" (or "HDTV", or "DVR scheduled recordings", etc.) to appear onscreen might be facilitated via a single macro-button push.

I realize this is not necessarily 100% guaranteed because the GUIDE button presents the main ("home") menu and the last-used selection is "sticky". Since the macros I'm now suggesting clearly depend on a particular main menu last-used selection to be in effect at that instant, it might be necessary to first "prepare" for macro-button use by ensuring through the GUIDE button that the proper main menu item required for the macro-button is currently selected. But once that state is guaranteed, you can now use the macro-button indefinitely and it should work properly without any further concern.

But it seems that the obvious value of setting up and facilitating a true, working single-click "favorites" (or "HDTV", or "DVR scheduled recordings") macro-button would easily justify any minor extra little concern to ensure that the item last-used on the main menu is indeed FAVORITES (or HDTV or DVR) before using the macro-button.

Of course the obvious key to assign to such a "favorites" macro would be the FAV button itself, which I've already mapped into my 30-second skip feature. And that means I'd need to pick another slightly less comfortable and slightly less convenient key to relocate the 30-second skip mapped function to... say some other currently unused key down in the PIP group.

But... small price to pay to get a true, working "favorites" button onto this remote.

Has anybody used this 995 macro-defining technique for something other than multiple 30-second skips?

DSperber

05-16-05, 08:00 AM

Originally posted by DSperber
Although I have not tried it yet, if the 995 macro programming command and firmware functionality is reasonably robust, I wonder if this approach can be used to program ANY sequence of buttons. I would think so.

If this is the case then the sequence of buttons one currently must press to get "favorites" (or "HDTV", or "DVR scheduled recordings", etc.) to appear onscreen might be facilitated via a single macro-button push. Yep... works just as expected.

I've now programmed my "PIP CH -" button to be (MENU, MENU, OK, OK) with my main menu pre-selected for HDTV or FAVORITES. My new macro button is now the single-click equivalent of four button pushes to get me into HDTV or FAVORITES, depending on my pre-select.

Judy Y

05-16-05, 08:36 AM

Does poor signal strength manifest itself on this box the same as on OTA............ with frequent macro blocking a digital pixelation? Is this how you know your signal strength is low? Or is this from something else? I get this from time to time but it seems to eventually fix itself. However, I did seem to see it on one tuner out of four, (two different boxes), for awhile then it went away???

TooLittleTimeZZZ

05-16-05, 09:03 AM

Originally posted by Judy Y
Does poor signal strength manifest itself on this box the same as on OTA............ with frequent macro blocking a digital pixelation? Is this how you know your signal strength is low?...

Yes, that's how it shows up. The STB measures the per-channel signal level and quality (good, poor, etc) on the diagnostic pages of the interface. Take a look at this web page describing how it works for Motorola STBs http://www.cjhengineering.com/hdtv/cablehdtv/dctdiag.htm

IFLYSWA

05-16-05, 09:12 AM

Originally posted by StuJac
Well, I got my box today. I've posted under HDTV Recorders also. I think it's gonna be an adventure with this box. The cord is loose so if you just touch it, it reboots. I've only recorded one thing so I'm not ready to get into any priority list issues. I've got the Motorola cable booster amp sending a signal to a 4way splitter for the living room alone. The picture is awesome in HD, really good in SD and not bad in analog. I'm pleasantly surprised - I can actually watch the analog stations. It helps that I'm about 16 feet from the 32" Panny HD.

The thing is LOUD, LOUD, LOUD. It's comically loud, compared to my TiVo or my Panasonic E95.

Seems to me you should get a new box. Mine is very quiet (more so than my ReplayTVs), and I've had no problems with it. It definitely doesn't have any power cord issues...that alone would lead me to swap it out.

I haven't had any real issues with the evil network timing issues that other folks have had. I record Lost, Alias, and was also recording Eyes, along with Law and Order on NBC, and never had a hiccup. I thought I was having an issue yesterday with Desperate Housewives/Grey's Anatomy and Law and Order:CI/Crossing Jordan, but it was because I had Survivor set up and it was higher in the priority list. Once I deleted Survivor (since I just watched it live), all was right with the world. And for the record, I have my TV, RTVs, and this box plugged into a Belkin UPS with AVR...that could be helping....

-Randy

Judy Y

05-16-05, 09:24 AM

Thanks, TooLittleTime,

I guess this is going to happen everytime there is an impending storm??? My analogue stations come in perfectly and my digital stations disappear or become unwatchable. This is worse than satellite- but satellite doesn't offer all these channels with a dvr that has a firewire out........

Time to get an antenna back up..........

Judy

HD Rookie

05-16-05, 09:49 AM

Originally posted by marvincbr
I thought that I read in here somewhere that Comcast gave this to the customer for free as it is their problem that the signal is not stong enough.
That is how I got mine. I told the installer my analog channels looked a little too "snowey" and he installed the booster for free, without me asking for one.

I think some of you are way over-analysing the cable booster thing. Do you honestly think the Motorola booster is the only booster in the world that will work with a Motorola cable box? Between cable and internet, upstairs and downstairs, I run a ton of outlets in my house. I've run three 2-way/digital boosters (2 different ratshack models and 1 comcast/motorola model) in my house. You know what? They all work. They all boost the incomming signal.

I also thought the following was funny about an "engineer friend"...
Having no specs, it is hard to evaluate this against any other, but I can tell you that typically a Radio Shack "booster" will NOT be good (lots of experience taking those out). You would think a branded one like Motorola would be good, but it's hard to say.
Sounds like he's an installer to me. This is the typical statement an installer will make as they proceed to wire my cable box improperly, even when the cables are color coded.

Mike20878

05-16-05, 10:49 AM

Originally posted by HD Rookie
That is how I got mine. I told the installer my analog channels looked a little too "snowey" and he installed the booster for free, without me asking for one.

I think some of you are way over-analysing the cable booster thing. Do you honestly think the Motorola booster is the only booster in the world that will work with a Motorola cable box? Between cable and internet, upstairs and downstairs, I run a ton of outlets in my house. I've run three 2-way/digital boosters (2 different ratshack models and 1 comcast/motorola model) in my house. You know what? They all work. They all boost the incomming signal.

I also thought the following was funny about an "engineer friend"...

Sounds like he's an installer to me. This is the typical statement an installer will make as they proceed to wire my cable box improperly, even when the cables are color coded.

Not quite. He's a director of engineering.

snidely

05-16-05, 11:30 AM

Yes, I did a search here<G>.

Set up: 6412 w. component connection to an HD 50" Panny plasma - monitor only, no built in tuner. It took me a while to figure out how to get to the "main menu" to "enable" cc. (You have to turn the box off.) The manual didn't state this. [The manual is almost useless. No mention is made of the remote at all and how to use it.]
I enabled cc. I then tuned to both analog, digital and HD channels. No cc.
I normally don't need cc - but we both have trouble understanding the kids on South Park. I know others that turn on cc for South Park as well. (The first time showing of an episode does not have cc, but repeats do.)
Should I have cc working w. my set up? BTW, I am in the S.F. Bay area if that makes a diff.

...mike

SilverHemi03

05-16-05, 12:33 PM

Originally posted by Mike20878
But Lost and Alias are on the same network! ABC!

I'm now having the same problem for this coming Wednesday. I am trying to record Lost, Alias, and Smallville. Lost and Alias are on ABC and Smallville is on WB. That should not be a problem for a dual-tuner DVR. It should record Lost and Alias on one tuner and Smallville on the other. Instead, it is refusing to record Lost. If I tell it not to record Alias it then allows Lost and Smallville; don't record Smallville and Lost and Alias are recorded. It makes no friggin' sense.

Does anyone have a solution for this?

Thanks,
Mike

I solved my problem this way. I deleted the Alias series and the opposing 9:00 start time series recording. I left the Lost series alone.

Then I added the 9:00PM Series. I believe this forces the 6412 to use the other tuner since there is an overlap of one minute from LOST.

Then, I added Alias as a series which makes it go back to the same tuner set up for the Lost series and since the end/start times aren't in conflict, they all show as set.

I did the same thing with Desperate Housewives/Grey's Anatomy and Crossing Jordon. Last night all 3 recorded without any errors.

Set up the show that goes over first, then the one that starts on the hour, then the one that starts a minute late.

Good Luck.

John Williams

05-16-05, 02:38 PM

Hey, has anyone seen a case where all live and recorded programs on a particular channel (in my case Discovery Science) don't work with the standard FF/REV controls?

The 6412 seems to be recording the programs, and once its finished I can watch them from end-to-end as long as I don't touch the FF/REV buttons. But as soon as I do, I get the "Do you want to delete this program?" message.

For live TV, it doesn't even seem to be buffering the channel...very odd.

Any suggestions? Comcast's tech support here in Nashville has been profoundly unhelpful ("Um, yeah, we'll have to schedule a service call for that...")

-John

StuJac

05-16-05, 03:38 PM

Um-here's a real stupid question; is your hard drive full? Almost full? If neither, you probably need a new box.

HD Rookie

05-16-05, 03:56 PM

Originally posted by John Williams
Hey, has anyone seen a case where all live and recorded programs on a particular channel (in my case Discovery Science) don't work with the standard FF/REV controls
Search through this thread. I do recall it being discussed, but don't remember what the problems was. It may have been an iguide issue???

mds54

05-16-05, 03:59 PM

I'm getting a very annoying high-pitched whirring sound which I assume is the fan.
I'm guessing that it's only being noticed now as the weather heats up and my TV room
temperature becomes much warmer, thus activating the fan for hours on end. Are all
6412 fans this noisy, or should I try my luck with a replacement DVR?

scooterboy

05-16-05, 04:03 PM

Originally posted by SilverHemi03
I solved my problem this way. I deleted the Alias series and the opposing 9:00 start time series recording. I left the Lost series alone.

Then I added the 9:00PM Series. I believe this forces the 6412 to use the other tuner since there is an overlap of one minute from LOST.

Then, I added Alias as a series which makes it go back to the same tuner set up for the Lost series and since the end/start times aren't in conflict, they all show as set.

I did the same thing with Desperate Housewives/Grey's Anatomy and Crossing Jordon. Last night all 3 recorded without any errors.

Set up the show that goes over first, then the one that starts on the hour, then the one that starts a minute late.

Good Luck.
I solved this dilemma the same way. Here's another way to explain the process:

Set up the Series recordings by time slot: the two that are on at 8pm, then the 2 that are on at 9pm, etc.

As soon as you get the "conflict" message for show "X": cancel out of that setup, delete the last series you successfully set up, then set up show "X", then set up the series you deleted.

If that doesn't work and the conflict is caused by the network scheduling a previous program to run a minute long (9:01pm instead of 9pm for example), then you'll have to set up a repeated-weekly recording starting at 9:01 for the conflicting series.

John Williams

05-16-05, 04:04 PM

Well, the % on my hard drive shows only about 35% so that's probably not it. And the DVR functions as perfectly as it ever does on every other channel I've tried. I just wasn't sure if this was something they might have set incorrectly at the head-end....

Very odd.

-John

StuJac

05-16-05, 04:14 PM

Definitely at the station or between the station's signal and comcasts. Never heard of that.

HD Rookie

05-16-05, 04:32 PM

Originally posted by StuJac
Definitely at the station or between the station's signal and comcasts. Never heard of that.

Here is a good a place as any to get some info on the problem:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5110257&highlight=cant+skip#post5110257

markemery

05-16-05, 04:59 PM

I've got a Motorola 6412 DVR and ran into the following problem last night:

I was recording one channel from 8pm - 9pm and watching another during that same time. It just so happened that I paused the live TV channel (the one that was not being recorded) at around 8:55pm. I was then going to resume watching the live channel at 9:05pm when I discovered that the DVR shut itself off once the recorded program was over at 9pm. Thus, I lost was the live channel that was being paused.

Is there any way to disable the "auto power off" function of the DVR?

Thanks,

Mark

Kaiser-Soze

05-16-05, 05:05 PM

mds54

05-16-05, 05:59 PM

Originally posted by Kaiser-Soze
I don't think I've read of a high-pitched whine in this or other boards. Do you have adequate ventilation around the box? If you look in the setup of the box, you can read the temperature.
Shut off the BOX (do not do ALL-On) Press OK/Select within 2 seconds. One of the selections here gives temperature. I'll edit later tonite if need be what option it is.

The DVR sits in a typical audio rack with the back side completely open, and no other components
sitting on top of the unit. I wasn't aware of a temperature read-out. I'll check into it tonight when I get home. Thanks!

QZ1

05-16-05, 05:59 PM

Originally posted by markemery
Is there any way to disable the "auto power off" function of the DVR?
Not per se, but this is one of the most compelling reasons to leave the box on all of the time.

The box is not smart enough to know if someone is watching TV, (ie. one pushes a button on the remote), so, if it powered on to record, it will power off when the recording is over.

thommy

05-16-05, 09:48 PM

I know I'm losing my mind. When I first got the box, I found a setup screen somewhere that let me select whether, when I turn the box on, I want it to show me the last channel I was watching when I turned it off, or go to a specific channel every time I turn it on.

At the time, I thought, "Oh, cool! I'll have it go to my favorite station whenever I turn it on!" Big mistake! Now I'd like to change that option, and I swear that I've looked on every menu I can find, but I can't find this option again!

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Can anyone tell me how to find it?

Mike20878

05-16-05, 10:13 PM

JBaumgart

05-16-05, 10:17 PM

markjrenna

05-17-05, 02:45 AM

At 2:25 am my 6412 received an update.

I now have the following:

i-Guide: 49.15 (from 49.13)
Firmware: 09.17 (from 09.15)
Bootloader: 04.01

markjrenna

05-17-05, 02:52 AM

The first thing I noticed is that both tuners properly indicate Dolby Digital.

markjrenna

05-17-05, 07:25 AM

Strangely, only one tuner indicates Dolby Digital now.

StuJac

05-17-05, 07:52 AM

I had a strange anomoly last night. I recorded Leno and Letterman. Letterman was fine but there was severe audio breakup on Leno - not so much breakup as garbled. It would come and go. Anyone experrience this with last night's Leno? Also, I gluess the Iguide can't figure out that Conan's 2:00 am showing (or whenever it is) is a repeat of the 12:30 showing.

jsheldon_us

05-17-05, 11:19 AM

Originally posted by markjrenna
At 2:25 am my 6412 received an update.

I now have the following:

i-Guide: 49.15 (from 49.13)
Firmware: 09.17 (from 09.15)
Bootloader: 04.01

I am eager to hear what the improvements are with 9.17 firmware (and when it will be deployed in MA).

John

RScogland

05-17-05, 11:19 AM

Is there still no way to eliminate the channels you don't get from showing up? I've set up the "favorites" but there should be a way to get rid of channels you don't want (or receive) from the guide.

JayMan007

05-17-05, 03:28 PM

cjv123

05-17-05, 03:31 PM

this may be inside this thread somewhere, but comcast told me today they will not enable the firewire port on this box in my area (northern new jersey).

bruintoo

05-17-05, 03:35 PM

I'm not receiving sounds from the optical/toslink port for channels below 23, with exception of channel 2 (CBS). Seems like these are the analog channels. All other channels including HD channels are fine. I am getting sounds through RCA jacks though. Is this a 6412 quirk? Or is it my service? I've already done a hard reset from the diagnostics menu and restore defaults from the user settings menu. Any helpe is appreciated.

Bruin

PS.
Comcast service in south east Los Angeles area.

andyross63

05-17-05, 05:34 PM

Originally posted by mds54
I'm getting a very annoying high-pitched whirring sound which I assume is the fan. I'm guessing that it's only being noticed now as the weather heats up and my TV room temperature becomes much warmer, thus activating the fan for hours on end. Are all 6412 fans this noisy, or should I try my luck with a replacement DVR?
As far as I can tell, there is NO fan in the 6412. At least mine doesn't appear to have one. I've looked through the slots and see nothing. The only thing that makes noise is the drive itself. It's possible if it gets too hot, it may start to get whiney.

I have mine in an enclosed cabinet, but put a fan in. I used to just have it open, and it wasn't bad, but decided to close in the back, but put in the fan. The fan is a 12V from a PC power supply. It's running off a multi-voltage supply (those cheap ones you can use to run any radio/whatever.) It's running at about 4.5V, and is relatively quiet, especially with the front door closed.
Picture here: http://home.att.net/~andyross/DCP_0734.JPG

The fan is just sitting on top of the box, aiming out an opening. The back cover is sitting on top of the wires at the back of the box, preventing air from being sucked in the back. This forces the airflow to be pulled in from the front, and over/through the box. The diagnostics show the drive can be as low as 102 when idle (box off), and goes up to about 113-115 during heavy use (2 HD tuned in, while playing HD recording.)

mds54

05-17-05, 09:14 PM

Originally posted by andyross63
As far as I can tell, there is NO fan in the 6412. At least mine doesn't appear to have one. I've looked through the slots and see nothing. The only thing that makes noise is the drive itself. It's possible if it gets too hot, it may start to get whiney.

I have mine in an enclosed cabinet, but put a fan in. I used to just have it open, and it wasn't bad, but decided to close in the back, but put in the fan. The fan is a 12V from a PC power supply. It's running off a multi-voltage supply (those cheap ones you can use to run any radio/whatever.) It's running at about 4.5V, and is relatively quiet, especially with the front door closed.
Picture here: http://home.att.net/~andyross/DCP_0734.JPG

The fan is just sitting on top of the box, aiming out an opening. The back cover is sitting on top of the wires at the back of the box, preventing air from being sucked in the back. This forces the airflow to be pulled in from the front, and over/through the box. The diagnostics show the drive can be as low as 102 when idle (box off), and goes up to about 113-115 during heavy use (2 HD tuned in, while playing HD recording.)

andyross63: Thanks for your response!
According to the official Moto 6412 Users Guide, there IS an internal fan for cooling.
It's speed may increase when adjusting for temperature changes around the DCT,
thus emitting a humming/whirring noise. (That's very near verbatim from the manual).
I may try to do something like you have done to help reduce the noise.

DaveFi

05-17-05, 09:47 PM

I need external storage desperately.

StuJac

05-18-05, 08:19 AM

Ok guys-I need help. This may have been covered but I can't search-I'm on the road all day. For the second straight night, all the hi-def recording with 5.1 sounds garbled. It will be ok for a second then for the next 10 minutes be so garbled you can't listen to it. This occurs just with 5.1, using optical connection. Any ideas?

Thanks

univibe88

05-18-05, 11:40 AM

Now that I have my 6412, I feel like I have joined an exclusive club of unpaid QA engineers/beta testers/early adoptors/high tech pioneers :)

My box resets itself 3 or 4 times a day. As it dumps the guide every time it does this, I can't stand it. My box is well ventilated and has nothing stacked on top of or around it.

I have read that a batch of these boxes had a faulty heat censor that falsely reports an overheat and causes the box to reset. In the diag menu (d14 hdd status) it says that my current temp is 109 and my max temp is 54660. Is the max temp field the highest reading that the box has recorded? Does this indicate that I have a faulty censor?

I am certainly taking this box back to comcast and getting another. But I hoping to determine that I have this sensor problem. Thefore giving me some hope that my next box will behave better.

What do you guys see on your max temp field?

Thanks,
Karl

mattpattberg

05-18-05, 11:54 AM

Law & Order SVU:

I recorded this last night and all I hear out of the whole recording (except commercials) is the back ground noise. did anyone notice this, or was this some FREAK thing that happend?

Karl,

My box says the high temp is 120.... Sounds like a bad box to me...

bobby94928

05-18-05, 12:32 PM

Originally posted by univibe88
Now that I have my 6412, I feel like I have joined an exclusive club of unpaid QA engineers/beta testers/early adoptors/high tech pioneers :)

My box resets itself 3 or 4 times a day. As it dumps the guide every time it does this, I can't stand it. My box is well ventilated and has nothing stacked on top of or around it.

I have read that a batch of these boxes had a faulty heat censor that falsely reports an overheat and causes the box to reset. In the diag menu (d14 hdd status) it says that my current temp is 109 and my max temp is 54660. Is the max temp field the highest reading that the box has recorded? Does this indicate that I have a faulty censor?

I am certainly taking this box back to comcast and getting another. But I hoping to determine that I have this sensor problem. Thefore giving me some hope that my next box will behave better.

What do you guys see on your max temp field?

Thanks,
Karl

My temp shows 109. The max is also 54660. I haven't had any trouble like you are describing. I doubt that it indicates anything.

QZ1

05-18-05, 01:18 PM

Originally posted by StuJac
Ok guys-I need help. This may have been covered but I can't search-I'm on the road all day. For the second straight night, all the hi-def recording with 5.1 sounds garbled. It will be ok for a second then for the next 10 minutes be so garbled you can't listen to it. This occurs just with 5.1, using optical connection. Any ideas?

Thanks
Had it worked before?
Did you try Coaxial audio?
Did W.G. area get the new firmware 9.17? It could be related.
How is SNR and AGC?
How is temp?
If no issues with those, it sounds like the box went bad.

StuJac

05-18-05, 04:49 PM

Originally posted by QZ1
Had it worked before?
Did you try Coaxial audio?
Did W.G. area get the new firmware 9.17? It could be related.
How is SNR and AGC?
How is temp?
If no issues with those, it sounds like the box went bad.

Yes, it works off and on - mostly on and it seems to affect only hi-def shows at night. I was in a mediation today and there was a guy there (ok, a lawyer, not really a guy) and he had the same problem; intermitent audio breakup on 5.1 sources. I will try the coax. Pisses me off that I've got to drag the cabinet out again.

What is SNR?
What is AGC?
Unknown what the temp is - will check shortly.

I called Comcast today and they claimed they've never heard of it before (lie) and they would need to send out a tech.

Here's what tells me it might be on my end, my amp. When I had the DirecTivo which also fed a toslink digital audio to the amp, I also had this occasional breakup and/or distortion of the audio. Also, the sound plays fine out of the tv versus the amp.

If I didn't hear today that someone else had the same problem, I'd be positive it was my amp but now I'm not sure. I'm going to run analog outs from the tv to the amp so I have back-up sound. I can't use the tv's speakers on a regular basis because they are horrible.

andyross63

05-18-05, 05:21 PM

Originally posted by mds54
andyross63: Thanks for your response!
According to the official Moto 6412 Users Guide, there IS an internal fan for cooling.
It's speed may increase when adjusting for temperature changes around the DCT,
thus emitting a humming/whirring noise. (That's very near verbatim from the manual).
I may try to do something like you have done to help reduce the noise.
Hmm. I can't see it, unless it's hidden under the drive to cool the CPU or something.

Anybody bold enough to take the cover off to get a better look at the insides??

efball

05-18-05, 05:26 PM

What is SNR?

Signal to Noise Ratio. The higher the better.

What is AGC?

Automatic Gain Control. 50% is ideal, 40-60% is good. If it's up over 80% your signal is too weak, over 90% and you will be lucky if HD works at all.

ptchristensen

05-18-05, 05:48 PM

Originally posted by efball
Signal to Noise Ratio. The higher the better.

Automatic Gain Control. 50% is ideal, 40-60% is good. If it's up over 80% your signal is too weak, over 90% and you will be lucky if HD works at all.

Mine says:

SNR 20.8 dB GOOD
AGR 17% GOOD

I guess that's "good enough"...??

univibe88

05-18-05, 06:28 PM

Originally posted by jsheldon_us
I am eager to hear what the improvements are with 9.17 firmware (and when it will be deployed in MA).

John

I have 9.17 in Newton, MA. However, I just got my dvr, so I can't say what has changed from earlier firmware releases.

Karl

StuJac

05-18-05, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by StuJac
Yes, it works off and on - mostly on and it seems to affect only hi-def shows at night. I was in a mediation today and there was a guy there (ok, a lawyer, not really a guy) and he had the same problem; intermitent audio breakup on 5.1 sources. I will try the coax. Pisses me off that I've got to drag the cabinet out again.

What is SNR?
What is AGC?
Unknown what the temp is - will check shortly.

I called Comcast today and they claimed they've never heard of it before (lie) and they would need to send out a tech.

The problem actually had NOTHING to do with the 6412. It was on my end. Sorry for the temporary defamation of the box.

Kaiser-Soze

05-18-05, 09:09 PM

Originally posted by StuJac
The problem actually had NOTHING to do with the 6412. It was on my end. Sorry for the temporary defamation of the box.

well - its in the bank for when it IS the box. But C'Mon - now you gotta tell us what it was! :D :D :D

JBaumgart

05-18-05, 11:42 PM

I would guess either a loose Toslink connection or a bad cable (those things can be fragile).

aircasper

05-19-05, 02:15 AM

keenan

05-19-05, 02:38 AM

Originally posted by aircasper
I've noticed that KPIX (705 - CBS) here in the SF bay area is having some issues on my 6412 with the audio/video breaking up intermittently. It only seems to happen on this channel, where the audio will skip, and the video will momentarily get some noise. At one point while watching King of Queens tonight (live, not pre-recorded), the screen momentarily flashed a message saying it lost the input signal. I've never seen that message before, and it didn't appear as if it was the 6412 that was displaying the brief error message (the graphics looked different from normal 6412 menus/messages). Is anyone else having this problem?

That sounds like a low signal condition. You might check and see what your SNR and AGC readings are for that channel.

univibe88

05-19-05, 08:23 AM

Originally posted by univibe88
I have read that a batch of these boxes had a faulty heat censor that falsely reports an overheat and causes the box to reset. In the diag menu (d14 hdd status) it says that my current temp is 109 and my max temp is 54660. Is the max temp field the highest reading that the box has recorded? Does this indicate that I have a faulty censor?

I sent my wife to my local payment center yesterday to get a new box. They swapped it out with no questions asked. (So if you are having any problems - don't delay, swap it out!)

My hdd status now reads current temp = 100 and max temp = 110. So far it seems to be a much happier unit.

Karl

markjrenna

05-19-05, 09:08 AM

Originally posted by markjrenna
Strangely, only one tuner indicates Dolby Digital now. It's back... Both tuners indicate DD again. We'll see how long this lasts.

Edit: Anyone else with 9.17 seeing the Dolby Digital (DD, DD5.1) on both tuners. Seems dependant on that Firmware (Guessing) and the Audio settings in the i-Guide. It seems the Audio setting needs to be set to Advanced.

nielloeb

05-19-05, 03:18 PM

Originally posted by mattpattberg
Law & Order SVU: I recorded this last night and all I hear out of the whole recording (except commercials) is the back ground noise. did anyone notice this, or was this some FREAK thing that happend?

My SVU was fine. I had the same audio problem with CSI: Miami a few weeks ago. Different network, and I'm in a different city than you, so I figure it's just the nature of the new technology.

nielloeb

05-19-05, 03:28 PM

Anyone think the problem with intermittent audio dropouts is a firmware v9.15 thing?
I think the problem started when I was upgraded to 9.15 from 9.12.
Anyone with v9.17 notice if this is fixed?
And, of course, Comcast, please take note.

StuJac

05-19-05, 04:26 PM

Originally posted by Kaiser-Soze
well - its in the bank for when it IS the box. But C'Mon - now you gotta tell us what it was! :D :D :D

It's pretty embarassing but it was in the wireless headphones. I have no idea why but when my amp is set to "headphone" the sound is garbled. When it's set to "headphone 3-d" it's fine, doesn't break up but the sound is horrible - like you're listening in a trash can. I use wireless in the morning because I get up before my wife and watch tv. She stays up later so she uses it at night. Makes for a good marriage.

There are several work-arounds incluidng hooking the Senheiser wireless to the tv directly but that makes for an ugly cord hanging out. The second is to just use the "headphone 3d" but the sound sucks with that. The last is to save the offending material (that's another weird bit - it only breaks up on dd 5.1) for later in the day when I don't need the headphones.

markjrenna

05-19-05, 05:26 PM

Originally posted by nielloeb
Anyone think the problem with intermittent audio dropouts is a firmware v9.15 thing?
I think the problem started when I was upgraded to 9.15 from 9.12.
Anyone with v9.17 notice if this is fixed?
And, of course, Comcast, please take note. So far, I am not seeing any Audio drop outs. I am experiencing some Audio Level problems with the newly Simulcasted channels. Playing with the Audio Settings in the i-Guide has made it better. That is how I found out about the DD on both tuners.

andyross63

05-19-05, 05:30 PM

I don't know why they don't have it on their own site, but here are the full technical specs for the Motorola 484095-001-00 amp:
Forward specs (52-1000MHz):
Gain = 15dB
Input Return Loss = 25dB
Output Return Loss = 25dB
Noise Figure = 2.5dB max.
RFI Shielding = 100dB min.

Return Specs (5-40MHz):
Insertion Loss = 1dB
Input Return Loss = 25dB
Output Return Loss = 25dB

It's uses 12VDC/3W supply. It's a bit weird as the power brick (about 1.5"wide x 1.5" thick x 2" long, non-polarized plug) has an F-Connector on it instead of a cord. You then use a standard RG cable to run to the amp. This lets you put the amp most anywhere you want, not just within a few feet of an outlet. It comes with (2) 6ft, RG59 cables. There is also a small screw to let you connect a ground wire if you want.

It did make a bit of a difference, and actually reduced some of the noise on the analog channels. I have it installed after one split (the other half goes to my cable modem.) After the amp, the signal splits again, with one half going to the cable box, and the other splitting yet again to feed a TV + VCR and a second TV. I tried it before the first split, but the cable signal was TOO strong, and my uplink rose more than I felt comfortable with.

Kaiser-Soze

05-19-05, 06:42 PM

Originally posted by StuJac
It's pretty embarassing but it was in the wireless headphones.

That is very weird. Kind of scary as well that it is susceptible to that type of interference...

DaveFi

05-19-05, 11:27 PM

So I was watching a movie on INHD, about 1hr into it I needed to go out, hit record. I returned, and found that 30mins previous had been recorded, and 1hr more (movie was only 90mins total), so I got essentailly 30mins+ extraneous stuff (which could be INHD's fault).

Is it a known feature that the record buffer is much longer than the 15min rewind buffer? Before this I thought it was 15mins for everything.

Michael Grant

05-20-05, 01:24 AM

So I just received an MX800 today, and when setting it up for the cable box, all I could find from their database was the 6408. So, I went ahead and selected it, figuring that there is a lot of overlap (as there certainly is between the 6412 and the 5100).

Anyway, it sure seems to me that discrete on/off is working.

For some reason I was under the impression that other users were unable to get this to work. But there it was, right in URC's master IR database. If I've misread this thread and others have figured out how to get discrete power on/off, I apologize in advance; but if not, I hope this helps some folks.

aircasper

05-20-05, 01:36 AM

Originally posted by keenan
That sounds like a low signal condition. You might check and see what your SNR and AGC readings are for that channel.

thanks for the tip. how do i check the SNR and AGC reading?

keenan

05-20-05, 02:39 AM

Originally posted by aircasper
thanks for the tip. how do i check the SNR and AGC reading?

On the remote, press POWER then immediately press OK/SELECT, the diagnostic menu should come up. Arrow down to INBAND STATUS and press OK/SELECT.

You will see readings there for both tuners for whatever channel you are currently tuned to. The readings will be- SNR around 32% and AGC around 55%, these are rough estimates, it will vary some. If your SNR is lower and/or your AGC is higher than those estimates, then you probably will have a signal strength problem. You will also see a readout for uncorrectable error counts, if you have a reading there, that might give a indication of a signal problem as well.

In your case make sure you are on the channel that you were having problems with, before you go into the menu.

bobby94928

05-20-05, 12:35 PM

Originally posted by beanagee1
Could someone please explain how I go about reading SNR and AGC on 6412. Thanks.

Did you read the post just above yours, it explains how to go about reading SNR and AGC.......

andyross63

05-20-05, 05:20 PM

Originally posted by DaveFi
So I was watching a movie on INHD, about 1hr into it I needed to go out, hit record. I returned, and found that 30mins previous had been recorded, and 1hr more (movie was only 90mins total), so I got essentailly 30mins+ extraneous stuff (which could be INHD's fault).

Is it a known feature that the record buffer is much longer than the 15min rewind buffer? Before this I thought it was 15mins for everything.
I think the buffer length depends more on the amount of drive space allocated, and is not a fixed length of time. INHD/INHD2 seem to be highly compressed, especially in terms of contrast (blacks are more like dark gray.) The little manual that came with mine says digital channels hould be about 90 minutes, but 2 hours+ is more like it on many channels. Analog channels are a pretty consistent 45 minutes as it's a fixed MPEG encoding done on-the-fly. Digital channels will vary since they are recored as is, and compression depends on the original source and/or other compression done by the cable company.

bronowyn

05-21-05, 10:35 AM

I've been having major issues lately... i'll give an example... but keep in mind, I've been having NO issues before this with a new box.

I recorded a movie last night, it ran from 8-10. We were watching something on DVD, so I didn't turn it on. The guide data was correct, the time on my clock was correct... so it recorded from 9-11.... This happened with CSI this week, too... I'm hoping they'll do the finale again, as I don't want to look on ********** for it.

Has anyone just recently (like this week) been seeing these problems?

Zack Allen

05-21-05, 02:45 PM

I have a DLP TV set connected via DVI to a Comcast Moto 6412 box. When I first turn on the set, I often see a double image, which corrects itself immediately when the channel is changed

I just found out it's the box, not the TV set. I connected a different set to the box, and saw the same double image.

cjc84

05-21-05, 03:39 PM

I get the same thing when I turn on my CRT RPTV hooked up via DVI cables. Seems to happen when the box has been idle for a long period of time, several hours. I don't see it as much of an issue, as a channel change fixes it.

Couch Patato

05-21-05, 07:34 PM

Originally posted by nielloeb
This is caused by a bug when the box is turned on. Along with other problems caused by turning the box off, the solution is to keep the box on all the time.

Sorry, but it is not when you turn the BOX on. It happens when we turn our TV sets on while using DVI inputs. It happens evey time. I NEVER turn my box off.

ptchristensen

05-21-05, 08:33 PM

Originally posted by Couch Patato
Sorry, but it is not when you turn the BOX on. It happens when we turn our TV sets on while using DVI inputs. It happens evey time. I NEVER turn my box off.

Agree, but it's not only when you turn the TV on, it also happens when you switch from component input to DVI input to the TV set, i. e. switching from watching DVD through component to watching the 6412 through DVI.

QZ1

05-22-05, 02:58 PM

Sorry, but it is not when you turn the BOX on. It happens when we turn our TV sets on while using DVI inputs. It happens evey time. I NEVER turn my box off.
I only see this problem when the box is on a 720p channel, eventhough the output of the box is set to 1080i. Maybe setting the box to 720p causes all channels to exihibit this problem.

M Diddy

05-22-05, 11:36 PM

elbig

05-23-05, 07:19 AM

Kaiser-Soze

05-23-05, 07:45 AM

Hey guys. I'm having a problem with my 6412. Box has been working flawlessly for the past 5 months, not giving us any problems (although it's the fourth 6412 we've had :D) Anyway, last week, it started acting up and being a PITA.

Now, everytime the box is turned off with the TV, and then turned on again, there is no picture or sound. The menus popup just fine and you can go through the channels normally, but with just a black screen. If we watch a DVR'd show or movie, and then stop it right after it's started, the shows come back right away. All is fine until the box is turned off again.

Any ideas as to what's wrong????

Happened to me the other day after a comporable period of behaving fine. Show the box who's boss and unplug it for a minute then plug it back in. you will not lose your recordings, however you will lose you guide data for awhile, so do it before you goto bed or to work, and the impact should be minimal.

Judy Y

05-23-05, 07:54 AM

Is this box HDCP compliant? I have tried the DVI output and do get a picture on my "monitor". I can find nothing anywhere that states my MONITOR is HDCP compliant so, using backwards logic, if the box is the tv is. This means I would be able to use an upconverting dvd player. Any info is appreciated!

Judy

markjrenna

05-23-05, 08:01 AM

Those problems plague all of us. Nothing new. These issues have been discussed over and over. So far there is no fix for the power off blank screen/no audio. Just play a recording. As far as the lag in 6412/remote response... The 6412 is woefully under powered from a processor point of view. Motorola privately admits this.

mattpattberg

05-23-05, 01:36 PM

Hey guys. I'm having a problem with my 6412. Box has been working flawlessly for the past 5 months, not giving us any problems (although it's the fourth 6412 we've had :D) Anyway, last week, it started acting up and being a PITA.

Now, everytime the box is turned off with the TV, and then turned on again, there is no picture or sound. The menus popup just fine and you can go through the channels normally, but with just a black screen. If we watch a DVR'd show or movie, and then stop it right after it's started, the shows come back right away. All is fine until the box is turned off again.

Any ideas as to what's wrong????

I have started having this issue as well... Though it has gone away... This is the first time it has happened to me, and I don't know if it's a coincidence, but I had just gotten a message. After I deleted the message, my problem went away the next time I turned on the unit.

I know some people here get around this problem by never turning the unit off... Awfully weird that this box has so many bugs you don't want to shut it off after you know it is working... :cool:

bronowyn

05-23-05, 01:45 PM

Here's another weird thing that just started for me with this box... I recorded Extreme home Makeover. It was 2 hours instead of 1... and starting at 7pm... It started recording fine, but (even though it said there were two recordings scheduled)... I got to the 8pm position in the first recording... but it kept going!

The marker was off the screen to the left, but it was the full 2 hour recording. I don't know if I've made it clear what the issue I found is.. it's just very strange.

abg

05-23-05, 04:07 PM

This question was also posted in the Sony GWIII Owner's thread; sorry for the duplication.

I had to replace the bulb in my projection TV yesterday. As part of that, I pulled the plug on all my components, including the 6420 cable box. Upon restoring power, I had a working bulb again, but I was missing the picture on the HD input on the set (via DVI cable). Sound was present on that input, just no picture. The set would display the input label and the 'muting' label, but nothing else. All other inputs were working just fine. I connected the box to the TV via component cables, and I got my picture back. HD channels and others looked just fine, but still no DVI signal. I had been using DVI for the input for the 4 months I've had the 6420 cable box.

My question is, would cutting off power to the cable box reset something such that there would be no DVI output upon restoring power? I can't think of a parameter that might shut off DVI, but then again I only did the setup procedure once for this.

Thanks in advance,
Alan

andyross63

05-23-05, 05:20 PM

I believe this had already been covered but this thread is rather long. Lately the system gets waaay behind on processing my remote commands. I am not even sure it got the signal so I try it again and again. Then all of a sudden it will catch up doing a bunch of commands quickly. What is going on? Is it a known problem? Is my unit defective? It is very annoying. I am on rev 9.15 for what its worth. Thanks.
It's an intermittent bug. My 6412 did that for about a month, then it cleared up on it's own. A 6200 I had before that did it occasionally, too. Rebooting or other quick fixes made no difference. I don't know if a full master clear would help.

abg

05-23-05, 10:48 PM

JBaumgart

05-24-05, 12:36 AM

A power cycle on the TV fixed my DVI issue. I didn't want to power cycle the TV when it first happened because of the new bulb, but that's all that was required. I had power cycled the box several times, but never the TV.

D'oh!

Alan

A little off topic, but how did you power cycle the TV? I may have this same issue when my bulb goes too...also have a Sony GWIII connected via DVI.

abg

05-24-05, 03:05 AM

> A little off topic, but how did you power cycle the TV?

Originally, I just unplugged the power strip that the TV and cable box were both plugged into. I changed the bulb, and then plugged the strip back in. I can't remember if the cable box was then in the off state or not (there is basically no difference between the two states for the 6412 unit; 'off' just turns off the channel LED).

When I noticed that there was no picture via DVI I tried turning off the cable box a couple of times but I don't think I ever power cycled it. I know I never turned off the TV as I didn't want to turn off the bulb right after starting it up. In the end, turning off the TV at the end of the day (but not unplugging it) was all that was necessary. When I fired it up this evening the DVI input worked flawlessly. Kinda strange, but at least it worked. My guess is that the TV has to have power (and maybe turned on) before the cable box. When the box was installed (and when I later replaced the component connection with DVI) the box was unpowered, but the TV was on.

Alan

Digital Gecko

05-24-05, 01:11 PM

Hey guys,

I have a question. I just got the 6412 box firmware 8.12. HD was just rolled out around here. Right now the 6412 is hooked up to a 27 inch sony wega. Tomorrow I am having my sammy 4674 dlp fixed. 3 blinking light issue. I do not see how to change the aspect ration to 16x9 or the sound to 5.1 on the 6412 for my dlp. Am i waiting for the 9. something firmware to do these things?

Thank you

aircasper

05-24-05, 01:36 PM

On the remote, press POWER then immediately press OK/SELECT, the diagnostic menu should come up. Arrow down to INBAND STATUS and press OK/SELECT.

You will see readings there for both tuners for whatever channel you are currently tuned to. The readings will be- SNR around 32% and AGC around 55%, these are rough estimates, it will vary some. If your SNR is lower and/or your AGC is higher than those estimates, then you probably will have a signal strength problem. You will also see a readout for uncorrectable error counts, if you have a reading there, that might give a indication of a signal problem as well.

In your case make sure you are on the channel that you were having problems with, before you go into the menu.

Thanks keenan for the helpful info. I will try it out tonight.

garypen

05-24-05, 04:55 PM

Hi Guys,

I just got a 6412 a couple of days ago from Comcast in San Jose. I have a couple of questions:

1. EDIT: Figured it out.

2. In the HW options menu (power off/menu), I have to click "menu" a number of times to get it to appear. Sometimes twice, sometimes 4 times, sometimes 6 times! Is this normal? ("16:9" appears on the display.)

3. It wouldn't let me add a third series recording in a row. (3 programs that occur consecutively on the same channel.) The option to record the series was not there in the 3rd program's recording options. Has this happened to anybody else?

4. Is there a way to turn on/off closed captions without having to power off the box and go to the HW setup menu?

5. EDIT: Figured it out.

6. EDIT: Figured it out.

aircasper

05-24-05, 11:24 PM

I've noticed that KPIX (705 - CBS) here in the SF bay area is having some issues on my 6412 with the audio/video breaking up intermittently. It only seems to happen on this channel, where the audio will skip, and the video will momentarily get some noise. At one point while watching King of Queens tonight (live, not pre-recorded), the screen momentarily flashed a message saying it lost the input signal. I've never seen that message before, and it didn't appear as if it was the 6412 that was displaying the brief error message (the graphics looked different from normal 6412 menus/messages). Is anyone else having this problem?

So I checked the SNR and AGC and got the following readings:

In-Band Tuner 1
SNR 35.2
AGC 52%

In-Band Tuner 2
SNR 34
AGC 45%

Both tuners were set for channel 705. These readings sound okay, but I still get the periodic vidoe and audio signal break-up. And I discovered it's not just channel 705 (CBS) after all. It's also 702, which is FOX. I guess I'll need to contact Comcast to come by and take a look. Any one have thoughts as to what could be causing the problem? Thanks.

Andy

keenan

05-25-05, 03:15 AM

So I checked the SNR and AGC and got the following readings:

In-Band Tuner 1
SNR 35.2
AGC 52%

In-Band Tuner 2
SNR 34
AGC 45%

Those numbers look fine to me, I would call Comcast out and have them check the signal with their equipment. They may see something that we can't.

BTW, in case you were not aware, there is a Comcast SF bay area thread here,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5670497#post5670497
San Francisco, CA - Comcast - AVS Forum

dayperson

05-25-05, 05:54 AM

recorded on 12/31/1989 how do you get rid of it

oleus

05-25-05, 06:02 AM

some people say unplugging the 6412 while both tuners are recording deletes the mystery 12/31/1989 recordings. that has never worked for me. i just wait for them to disappear...that takes anywhere from a day or two, to several months on my 6412's!

comcast has no idea what they are.

oleus

yangc

05-25-05, 11:21 AM

(I raised this issue in another thread not realizing there was this "Official Comcast 6412" thread, but this seems like the proper place for this.)

I recently installed my 6412 and it seems to work properly in all respects with the exception of the second tuner: When I hit "Swap" to go to the second tuner, the message "Please Wait/This channel should be available shortly" appears and the channels never come in. The only channels that tuner appears to pick up are the analog channels. (In case any of this is relavant, the box is running firmware 9.12 and no new firmware was downloaded after five days of use, and I'm using a DVI to HDMI cable for the connection.) I'm guessing I just got a bad box so I'm going to swap it for another one, but I wanted to ask if anyone else has experienced this same problem. Thanks much.

mr2828

05-25-05, 11:39 AM

Sometimes in my experience with the 1989 recordings it takes two, three, or even 4 sequential unplugs to get them to show up as the correct recording name and time. But they always eventually do it. Simply unplug the box, wait 5 seconds, replug. Then give it at least a couple of minutes to recover - if you can hear the drive seeking then listen to it and wait for it to go through a short period of furious seeking. After that check the My DVR listings to see if the 1989 is still there. If it is then repeat this process.

blackngold75

05-25-05, 12:28 PM

(I raised this issue in another thread not realizing there was this "Official Comcast 6412" thread, but this seems like the proper place for this.)

I recently installed my 6412 and it seems to work properly in all respects with the exception of the second tuner: When I hit "Swap" to go to the second tuner, the message "Please Wait/This channel should be available shortly" appears and the channels never come in. The only channels that tuner appears to pick up are the analog channels.
I had the exact same problem with my first 6412. Two things were done to correct the problem: 1) New cable drop to the house, since signal strength on the original run was pretty low, and 2) The box was swapped out for another. After step one but before step 2, I started getting the digital channels on tuner 2, but there were a lot of breakups.

yangc

05-25-05, 12:40 PM

I had the exact same problem with my first 6412. Two things were done to correct the problem: 1) New cable drop to the house, since signal strength on the original run was pretty low, and 2) The box was swapped out for another. After step one but before step 2, I started getting the digital channels on tuner 2, but there were a lot of breakups.

Thanks much for that reply. I'm glad I'm not alone! I hadn't considered the possibility that it might be a signal strength problem since Tuner 1 had been functioning perfectly.

Also, in case I don't get this problem resolved in a timely manner, does anyone know if the DVR defaults to Tuner 1 for recordings?

blackngold75

05-25-05, 12:55 PM

If the DVR is "off", it will record on Tuner 2. It it is "on", it will record on the tuner that is not currently being used.

aircasper

05-25-05, 12:58 PM

Those numbers look fine to me, I would call Comcast out and have them check the signal with their equipment. They may see something that we can't.

BTW, in case you were not aware, there is a Comcast SF bay area thread here,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5670497#post5670497
San Francisco, CA - Comcast - AVS Forum

Thanks. I'll have Comcast come out this weekend to take a look.

yangc

05-25-05, 01:15 PM

If the DVR is "off", it will record on Tuner 2. It it is "on", it will record on the tuner that is not currently being used.

Uh oh. That would make this an even bigger problem -- If that's the case, I won't be able to time-record anything off of a digital channel.

keenan

05-25-05, 03:59 PM

recorded on 12/31/1989 how do you get rid of it
Doing a factory re-set has been reported as working to get rid of those recordings,

Factory reset of the 6412

1. DCT6412 should be turned on
2. Press Cable, Power off, ok/Select, to bring up the Diagnostics Page
3. With diagnostics page showing press Replay (15-sec rewind), DVR, DVR, DVR, Live.
4. 6412 now should show "Clr" in the LED display.
5. Press ok/Select to proceed with the reset (and presumably Exit to cancel).
6. The 6412 should now reset and download Your account settings & Guide data from the Local headend

jazzcat

05-25-05, 03:59 PM

Anyone tried using the 480p component output for analog stations and just using DVI at 720p for digital stations? Just wondering if it would produce a watchable picture for analog stations.

StuJac

05-25-05, 04:07 PM

I have the signal going out of both the dvi and the component and it's still horrible. No getting around it - no amping it up - it sucks in analog. I actually stopped recording analog on the 6412 and record all analog on my Series 1 Tivo or the Panny E95. I only record hi-def on the 6412.

jazzcat

05-25-05, 04:31 PM

SMJ, thanks for saving me the time on trying this. It is a hassle to get behind the Sammy!

mattpattberg

05-25-05, 05:39 PM

Hey guys,

I just got this problem. The audio will 'skip' like a cd player will skip when bumped.

This happens when I change to a different channel. It is intermittent though. Not very consistent. Anyone have any ideas? It does eventually go away.

Thanks!

yangc

05-26-05, 10:10 AM

I had the exact same problem with my first 6412. Two things were done to correct the problem: 1) New cable drop to the house, since signal strength on the original run was pretty low, and 2) The box was swapped out for another. After step one but before step 2, I started getting the digital channels on tuner 2, but there were a lot of breakups.

I'm happy to report that I swapped out my 6412 last night and the new one is working perfectly! Yipee! (With my first 6412, the second tuner was not receiving any of the digital channels.)

Also, I'm not sure the firmware was the problem, but I did notice that the new one was running 9.17 from the get-go, where as the old one (activated four days earlier) was running 9.12 for some reason and didn't download a newer version.

Skarpachi

05-26-05, 10:10 AM

When I recorded "Alias" last night, it showed up as a "12/31/1989" recording. However, this was not a "phantom recording" since "Alias" was actually recorded. I have not tried to delete it yet after watching it because I have read that it may delete other recordings as well.

mr2828

05-26-05, 11:40 AM

In my experience there is no such thing as a phantom recording. All 1989 recordings are actually something you meant to record, it got recorded, but then shows up wrong. To recover it and be able to watch it you must resort to the unplugging scheme I described previously. If you attempt to watch it as a 1989 version it will just mess up your 6412 and make you unplug it anyway.

By the way if there are any motorola engineers reading this, I recently saw a 1989 happen in realtime. It actually was already listed as a 1989 in the My DVR list even while the program was still recording. So I think the problem is something that occurs right as the program begins recording - probably a glitch at the beginning of the file.

SilverHemi03

05-26-05, 04:17 PM

Happened to me the other day after a comporable period of behaving fine. Show the box who's boss and unplug it for a minute then plug it back in. you will not lose your recordings, however you will lose you guide data for awhile, so do it before you goto bed or to work, and the impact should be minimal.
Covered here often. It's the design, don't turn the box off.

oleus

05-26-05, 10:10 PM

mr 2828 -

i haven't been able to account for my last few 12/31/1989 recordings. everything else is showing up fine, the phantom recording seems totally extra and random.

bmel

05-27-05, 10:29 AM

Is there any way to operate two 6412s in the same room independently with different remote addresses, as I can do with the tivos?

Brian

BJMoose

05-27-05, 12:42 PM

Is there any way to operate two 6412s in the same room independently with different remote addresses, as I can do with the tivos?
Brian
Several of the MX series Home Theater Master remotes come with RF capability that allows you to connect individual RF remote sensors to the remote sensor of your equipment. Then you can control which unit you want to operate via your RF remote and shut down the signal to the other. Works with multiple TVs, VCRs, and Satellite boxes. I see no reason why it would do the same with your 6412s.

mr2828

05-27-05, 01:51 PM

mr 2828 -

i haven't been able to account for my last few 12/31/1989 recordings. everything else is showing up fine, the phantom recording seems totally extra and random.

That's interesting, but have you tried unplugging it and recovering the recordings to see what they are? I mean, they have to be something, right? Mine have always been a scheduled recording... sometimes they are only part of a scheduled recording when the box crashes in the middle of recording.

oleus

05-27-05, 10:18 PM

mr282 -

i've NEVER been able to delete the 12/31/1989 recordings with the unplug method. I've probably tried 50 times! and i've had dozens of these things show up over the last 6 months or so. i have two 6412's, and for both of them the only way they go away is over time. they always eventually disappear but they are annoying because if you accidentally play one it wreaks havoc on the box, and deleting the phantom recording always deleted something else instead.

i definitely have all my regular recordings, so my latest phantom recordings are something else. i think they almost always happen when my recording space is running out. weird.

dailowai

05-27-05, 11:01 PM

I'm having with trying to record a series on a certain channel. For some reason only this one channel that I'm trying to set a series recording it doesn't give me the option! Normally it gives me an option of creating a series recording when I select a show, but for some reason when I try to set it on one of my local channels here it doesn't work. It used to work, but now the option isn't avaiable. Any ideas why this might be?

IFLYSWA

05-28-05, 12:58 AM

Hi,
Has anybody heard any updates on when/if we might see the thin client (remote video distribution, for lack of a better term) boxes available from Motorola? Or any further info on them, in general? Just curious...

Thanks,
Randy

markjrenna

05-28-05, 10:20 AM

IFLYSWA

05-28-05, 10:38 AM

Do you mean Multi Room capable STB's? If so, not till the end of this year at the earliest.

Yep..that's it. Thanks!

Randy

gmwedding

05-28-05, 01:01 PM

Well, this morning (May 28), I made all the usual local and national Web site searches (Titan TV, ABC-TV, Comcast, Sacramento's ABC affiliate, News 10) to try and discover if the 2005 Indy 500 will be broadcast in HD. The information was not available. Of course, this detective work is necessary because the Comcast's iGuide does not answer this critical, and most obvious question (By the way, I finally learned the 2005 Indy 500 is not in HD -- by calling one of the local ABC affiliate).

Instead, the iGuide only lists HD channels, not the programming format (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i). This creates a problem because much of the content on HD channels is SD programming, and not in fact, HD content.

Comcast could easily resolve the endless questions that its HD customers face for every special sporting event (and other programs) by simply publishing the program format at the end of each program description in the iGuide. I believe the Dish Network's programming guide does this, so why can't the iGuide? And why can't all these companies get their acts together and at least post the information about HD programming schedules on their Web sites? Why must HD customers seek out this information for every program?

So, I have a request for a call to action.

1. Does anyone know a contact name, number and/or e-mail address for appropriate Comcast and TV Guide/Gemstar managers that produce the iGuide? Of so, please share so that we all can write and request a change.

2. Also, the use of the gratuitous, in-your-face, Microsoft-style color schemes in the iGuide are atrocious and should be changed. Besides being based on a badly outdated, 1980's interface design, they are potentially destructive for plasma screen owners. Significantly, even with careful use, the over-saturated, red TV-Guide logo, white type and white separation lines create serious plasma burn-in problems with long-term use. Also, the rudimentary, comic book colors just draw attention to themselves and actually make the content less readable. I'd like to see the iGuide designers revamp their interface and use less saturated, neutral colors that translucently overlay the screen.

The sleek and modern Apple Macintosh OS X interface would be a good inspiration for iGuide. for instance, the new advanced image editing controls that are used for some tools in Apple's iPhoto are very nice, and not intrusive nor distracting to the eye (like the iGuide). Also, Dish Network's programming guide uses a similar approach. This interface design is far more elegant and useful for viewers, and it would not be as damaging to sensitive plasma screens.

The iGuide default colors can be changed, but the other options are all just subtle variations on the same flawed design and do not correct the problems I describe.

So, if anyone has it, please post the appropriate contact information and let's discuss this. I'd like to see this influential group bombard the companies with requests to fix the iGuide ASAP.

--
OUR HD SYSTEM
HDTV: Pioneer PDP-4304 43-inch Plasma
COMPUTER/CD-R/DVD-R: Apple PowerBook G4-1.2GHz/Matshita UJ-816 (Mac mini upgrade planned)
AV RECEIVER: Pioneer VSX-912K 6:1 A/V Receiver
STB/DVR: Motorola DCT 6412 Digital Video Recorder
DVD: Sony DVP-NS725P DVD/MP3 Player
VCR: Sony SLV-N900 Video Cassette Recorder/Player

MUSIC
Apple iTunes/AirTunes with iPods, networked Macs;
Airport & Airport Express Routers (Ethernet 10/100 and WiFi 802.11b/g);
Hard-wired to Pioneer A/V Receiver and 7:1 speaker system

SPEAKERS: 6:1 (7:1 Virtual) Surround
Monitor Audio Radius 225 (Center)
Boston CR77 (2-Mains)
Boston A60 Series II (2-Surrounds)
KLH HT9900 (2-Bookshelf Rears)
KLH HT9900 (Passive Subwoofer)

REMOTE CONTROLS
Pioneer XXD3056 A/V Receiver Remote
Comcast URC-1067ABG1 Remote (DCT-6412) GO45202
Comcast URC-1057BG1 Remote (DCT-6200) GO44901

HDTV/DVD SERVICE: Comcast, Blockbuster Online

CONNECTIONS
Fiber Optical (DVR to A/V-Receiver and DVD to AV-Receiver)
Mini D-Sub/DB15 (TV1 to Macintosh)
HDMI-DVI (TV2 to Motorola STB/DVR)
S-Video (TV3 to VCR)
Composite Video (TV4 to VCR/NTSC - Unused)
Component (TV5 to DVD)

QZ1

05-28-05, 02:37 PM

I am trying to help out my folks and get them a 6412 DVR. My mother is very ill, and can't hold an HTM Univ. Remote, like I have. The included Silver Univ. Remote is light enough for her, so I am looking to make the usage of it very simple for her.

The DVR will be left on at all all times. The most important thing is not to have to change modes constantly. So, I was wondering if it is possible to lock the Power function to TV mode, in addition to the Volume function?

If not, I will have to create ON and OFF macros and assign them to different buttons. If I could use 'All On' for ON and 'Power' for OFF, that would be ok.
But, can a button be a macro and have an underlying fuction? (like HTM)
Can those two particular buttons take macros?

bobby94928

05-28-05, 07:24 PM

Simply push the TV button on the remote. This will lock the remote to on-off of the TV. The cable channels will change in this format just fine. The 6412 will remain on all the time but that's ok. Be aware that, on occasion, the remote will change itself over to Cable for whatever reason. If, when you try to turn the TV off and the box goes off instead, simply hit power to turn the box back on and then hit the TV button and then power and you're all set.

keenan

05-28-05, 08:20 PM

Do you mean Multi Room capable STB's? If so, not till the end of this year at the earliest.

From Comcast? I wouldn't expect to see anything like that until maybe the end of 2006, it's June already and they are still rolling out 6412s by 10's of thousands.

05-29-05, 12:52 AM

I'd like to record all the baseball games of a particular team. I don't think there is any way to automate this on the 6412. Is that right?

On a Tivo its easy to do with a wishlist.

oleus

05-29-05, 02:59 AM

if you're a braves fan, recording every game in HD on the 6412 is easy :)

mooneydriver

05-29-05, 08:56 AM

Earlier today, I unplugged the 6412 for a few minutes while moving some stuff around. After reconnecting the box, I noticed that the DVI connection does not function anymore (the 6412 is connected to a Pioneer display via a DVI-to-HDMI cable). Specifically, I noticed that the DVI connection works for about 5-6 seconds upon changing the TV input to the DVR, and then it cuts off again. When it cuts off, there is no picture via DVI at all (the audio works OK, and component output also works OK). I also noticed that when I change the input to the DVI input of the TV, the 6412 LED display flashes "dUl" for a second (presumably during the handshake with the TV).

I tried both HDMI inputs on the TV, and the same behavior happens on both. I reset the box but that didn't help. At this point I cannot rule out a problem with HDMI inputs on the Pioneer, but given the reliability problems with the DVR, the DVR is more likely to be the culprit.

Has anyone seen this before?

andyross63

05-29-05, 09:34 AM

05-29-05, 12:48 PM

if you're a braves fan, recording every game in HD on the 6412 is easy :)

Actually that is EXACTLY what I want to do. I am a braves fan, and I can get the non-HD games on my Tivo (which works better for analog/sd anyway).

So what's the trick? The braves HD games are split between TBS (807) and TS (on 755), with an occassional Saturday Fox (804) or ESPNHD game.

Norcal Eng

05-29-05, 02:20 PM

markjrenna

05-29-05, 02:38 PM

From Comcast? I wouldn't expect to see anything like that until maybe the end of 2006, it's June already and they are still rolling out 6412s by 10's of thousands.It's hard to debate how slow Comcast is to roll something out. Rolling out the 6412 in mass is perfect for them. They just need Motorola and Liberate (Double CC) to get on the ball. Once they do, then they will have Multi Room capability. All they need to do is enable your current non DVR STB via a FW/SW upgrade.

At the moment Comcast is trying to roll out their "All Digital Network" by Simulcasting Analog channels Digitally. This is going well and may be complete within the next three months on most systems.

Comcast is also looking to deploy the DCT 700 "All Digital" STB. These STB's are much cheaper and smaller due to their lack of Analog capability. Comcast has also just signed a deal with Pace Micro Technology. They plan on deploying their STB's and they include a DVR and an "All Digital" STB also. The only question is where and when.

Multi Room is a nice feature (I want it) but Comcast really wants to up their Digital penetration from 40% to 60% sooner than later. Digital Simulcasting, the new AD STB's, the new i-Guide (version 2) "Mosaic", Multi Room DVR enabled STB's, and of course, ON Demand are all ways Comcast hopes to accomplish this.

Don't forget VoIP (although Comcast doesn't like to refer to it as that) which Comcast will offer over the next 18 months.

keenan

05-29-05, 03:47 PM

At the moment Comcast is trying to roll out their "All Digital Network" by Simulcasting Analog channels Digitally. This is going well and may be complete within the next three months on most systems.

In the SF bay area they haven't started any digital simulcasting but they have started a 64>256 QAM conversion on the non-HD digital channels that should be completed in August.

Comcast is also looking to deploy the DCT 700 "All Digital" STB. These STB's are much cheaper and smaller due to their lack of Analog capability. Comcast has also just signed a deal with Pace Micro Technology. They plan on deploying their STB's and they include a DVR and an "All Digital" STB also. The only question is where and when.

The "where and when" is here in Calaveras County, CA. The DCT-700 is probably what they are using in the community in this article, supposedly the first full digital in the country.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5664685#post5664685
San Francisco, CA - Comcast - AVS Forum

keenan

05-29-05, 03:54 PM

It's hard to debate how slow Comcast is to roll something out. Rolling out the 6412 in mass is perfect for them. They just need Motorola and Liberate (Double CC) to get on the ball. Once they do, then they will have Multi Room capability. All they need to do is enable your current non DVR STB via a FW/SW upgrade.

True, it hard to figure, and to add to it, the whole CableCARD issue is still being debated and progress stifled by the cablecos dragging their feet. I can't imagine Comcast would roll out a home media solution until the third party equipment issue is resolved, which could be another 18 mos.

mooneydriver

05-29-05, 05:00 PM

It sounds like the state machine for one of HDMI/DVI interfaces (DVR or TV) is stuck. I would guess that it's the TV since it sounds like you haven't power cycled the TV. Did you try to power cycled the TV?
Mystery solved: bad DVI-HDMI connector. Fortunately I had a spare. Lesson learned: don't blame it on the DVR every single time ;)

Barovelli

05-29-05, 05:57 PM

True, it hard to figure, and to add to it, the whole CableCARD issue is still being debated and progress stifled by the cablecos dragging their feet. I can't imagine Comcast would roll out a home media solution until the third party equipment issue is resolved, which could be another 18 mos.

Related story about letting cable cards expand the use of other items: http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000620044935/

. . problem is the broadcast industry, which is reluctant to let Microsoft add support for CableCARD to Windows Media Center because they don’t think a Media Center PC is a secure enough environment.

Lots of paranoia from the content companies and the service providers.
In the future next generation of conditional access there will not even be any hardware - the keys will be downloaded into memory built into the set.

oleus

05-29-05, 08:06 PM

05-29-05, 08:43 PM

km -

i guess there isn't a way for every braves HD game to automatically record, but i usually just look ahead on the guide to see which channel they're playing on any given week and set the recordings then.

Darn, I thought I had missed something you were on to.!

The 6412 needs wishlists. If we are lucky the Tivo software for the 6412 could be out before the end of the next baseball season.

toms26

05-29-05, 09:45 PM

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, so my apologizes if it's not.

OK, long story short... trying to catch up on Deadwood season 2 since they are in OnDemand. Problem is it that they will be pulled on 6/20 and I know I won't be able to watch them all before they are taken off. This afternoon I tried recording (6412 -> laptop via firewire) an episode and it doesn't work on playback. I get an error (can't remember what) upon playback about the stream. It's not creating the 0 byte file...it's actually creating a large file (about 1.5GB) as normal for that amount of time. I've been capturing other shows (live or DVR'ed) just fine. This is my first time trying to record something from OnDemand. Is this a known problem? Is OnDemand copy protected?

Thanks for any input.

Tom

Ken H

05-29-05, 10:54 PM

Well, this morning (May 28), I made all the usual local and national Web site searches (Titan TV, ABC-TV, Comcast, Sacramento's ABC affiliate, News 10) to try and discover if the 2005 Indy 500 will be broadcast in HD. The information was not available.Sure it was. You just have to know where to look. The HDTV Programming Forum has a 500 topic that I posted in back on 5/9, indicating no HD.

More to your point, no HD provider has guide info regarding what programs are in HD and which are not. Voom used to, but that's moot now.

Finally, representatives from Comcast, Motorola and TV Guide / Gemstar read these topics, so your concerns have been heard. Feel free to contact their corporate offices and websites to provide additional feedback.

keenan

05-29-05, 11:28 PM

stonecrd

05-30-05, 11:19 AM

I have searched the forum this thread and through Google but I don't see any responses in regards to programming the DRC800 (brown not silver) remote which does not have the setup button. I would like to change the power button on cable to turn off the TV leaving the DCT6412 on. This would allow my wife to easily control the system without needing to switch devices all of the time. Anyone have any ideas? You can lock the volume to a device but I have not found a way to do for power?

Thansk

deskjockey

05-30-05, 12:49 PM

05-30-05, 01:21 PM

Multi Room is a nice feature (I want it) but Comcast really wants to up their Digital penetration from 40% to 60% sooner than later. Digital Simulcasting, the new AD STB's, the new i-Guide (version 2) "Mosaic", Multi Room DVR enabled STB's, and of course, ON Demand are all ways Comcast hopes to accomplish this.

Don't forget VoIP (although Comcast doesn't like to refer to it as that) which Comcast will offer over the next 18 months.

Comcast has a lot of complex things on its plate. The one thing you don't mention is increased storage for the 64xx. Just deploying units with a larger internal hard disk (and a higher monthly fee) seems like an easy project that would be high on many customer's lists. I can see why external storage raises issues they may not want to solve now, but why no mention of bigger disks?

yangc

05-30-05, 02:46 PM

I've seen comments in this forum on both sides of the argument, but can anyone advise whether it's better to turn the 6412 off or leave it on when it's not in use.

StuJac

05-30-05, 02:59 PM

yangc

05-30-05, 03:39 PM

That depends on whether or not your machine acts up when turned off. Mine doesn't (yet) so I do turn it off occasionally. Some had problems when they turned it back on so they leave it on. Just your preferences.

Granted I'm on my second box, but I haven't had any problems when turning it off. Given that, is it best to power it off everyday?

jk5598224

05-30-05, 03:40 PM

Hello all recent 6412/iGuide addition. I am converting from Tivo, at least till Comcast supports Tivo.

Is their any way to configure iGuide to display future recordings in a single list format, vs. having to change the date with the date forward button?

Is their a iGuide FAQ or Sticky on this Forum?

StuJac

05-31-05, 08:39 AM

Granted I'm on my second box, but I haven't had any problems when turning it off. Given that, is it best to power it off everyday?

As stated, I do not believe there is an answer for that question. It doesn't really make a difference as the hard drive will continue to spin, buffering content. You might get a slight power reduction but I doubt it. Search - this topic has been covered extensively.

scanpa

05-31-05, 01:51 PM

Turning the STB off, only places the STB to standby mode! To stop the Hard Drive from Buffering, set both tuners to one of the digital audio music ch. These are not buffered.

QZ1

05-31-05, 08:45 PM

RE: Locking the Power button to TV mode.
Simply push the TV button on the remote. This will lock the remote to on-off of the TV. The cable channels will change in this format just fine. The 6412 will remain on all the time but that's ok. Be aware that, on occasion, the remote will change itself over to Cable for whatever reason. If, when you try to turn the TV off and the box goes off instead, simply hit power to turn the box back on and then hit the TV button and then power and you're all set.
What you say above does not work.

There is a procedure for locking the Volume to any Mode, I know what this is. So, if I could substitute 'Power' for 'Volume', this would accomplish what I want. But, I don't see a code to replace 993 (volume). Does anyone know?

Alternately, does anyone know if 'All On', can be reprogrammed for a different macro, seeing as macros are available?

RScogland

06-02-05, 12:14 PM

StuJac

06-02-05, 03:18 PM

Yes-I am running the same box to a Panasonic 32 (4:3). It's exactly the same as on your 16:9 except the left and right sides are cut off. All hi-def material is presented in the 16:9 format, regardless of whether your set is a 16:9 OR 4:3.

miimura

06-02-05, 03:50 PM

I currently have a 6412 on my 16:9 HDTV and I am planning to add another 6412 to my 4:3 HDTV (Sony Wega KV32XBR400). What are the options for a 4:3 set? Can I have all HDTV programming appear as 16:9 (with black bars on the top and bottom) and have all non-HDTV programming appear as 4:3 filling up the entire screen without any bars?I have an XBR400 but it's the 36. If you feed it 1080i signal it will automatically and forcibly compress the image to 16:9 aspect. There is no way to avoid this. So, I would recommend connecting both the component and S-vid/composite to the set. This way you can watch SD content full screen and HD content in WS just by changing TV inputs. Of couse, I don't have a 6412, but my understanding is that it outputs on S-vid/composite all the time - which is required for this to work without a huge hassle. If you don't hook up the SD outputs from the 6412 you will probably have either the hassle of changing the box's otuput to 480p, have black bars on all 4 sides of the picture, or have a vertically compressed image with letterboxing (which is forced by the TV).

- Mike

StuJac

06-02-05, 04:40 PM

Uh...it does compress it to a 16:9 image but, by way of comparison, the "shrinkage" is far less than I experienced with DirecTv's Samsung TS360. It doesn't seem compressed at all; it almost looks natural. It's about the same as watching a 1:85-1 image that you see on most DVD's. If your tv has a zoom feature it might actually fill the screen; mine doesn't so I can't stretch it at all.

I know we're all supposed to have 16:9 tv's but in my case, the Panny 32 will be the second tv some day and the first will be a 16:9 plasma. But for now, I'm extremely happy with the HD from Comcast and the 6412 as displayed on my 4:3 tv.

andyross63

06-02-05, 05:22 PM

I have an XBR400 but it's the 36. If you feed it 1080i signal it will automatically and forcibly compress the image to 16:9 aspect. There is no way to avoid this. So, I would recommend connecting both the component and S-vid/composite to the set. This way you can watch SD content full screen and HD content in WS just by changing TV inputs. Of couse, I don't have a 6412, but my understanding is that it outputs on S-vid/composite all the time - which is required for this to work without a huge hassle. If you don't hook up the SD outputs from the 6412 you will probably have either the hassle of changing the box's otuput to 480p, have black bars on all 4 sides of the picture, or have a vertically compressed image with letterboxing (which is forced by the TV).
Just set the 6412's 4:3 override to 480i or 480p. That way the TV will drop to 4:3 mode for SD material.
When HD is downconverted on the composite/S-Video outputs, the menus will NOT be visible. The only time it's visible is for SD material or if you lock HD output to 480i.

gmwedding

06-02-05, 09:41 PM

Could it be that the program format info (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i) already is included in the broadcast flag? Anyway, I'm pretty sure I saw this format info on my neighbor's Dish TV program guide (at the bottom, after each program description).

Sure it was. You just have to know where to look. The HDTV Programming Forum has a 500 topic that I posted in back on 5/9, indicating no HD.

More to your point, no HD provider has guide info regarding what programs are in HD and which are not. Voom used to, but that's moot now.

Finally, representatives from Comcast, Motorola and TV Guide / Gemstar read these topics, so your concerns have been heard. Feel free to contact their corporate offices and websites to provide additional feedback.

RScogland

06-03-05, 10:12 AM

Just set the 6412's 4:3 override to 480i or 480p. That way the TV will drop to 4:3 mode for SD material. When HD is downconverted on the composite/S-Video outputs, the menus will NOT be visible. The only time it's visible is for SD material or if you lock HD output to 480i.

I *think* this is what I wanted to hear ... I would like to ONLY use Component Video connections, but want the HDTV channels to be 16:9 (or OAR) and have all non-HDTV channels to completely fill the 4:3 screen (WITHOUT stretching, squashing, compressing, or altering the picture in any way). Am I reading correctly, in that all I need to do to achieve this is to set the 6412 to 1080i for HDTV, and set the 4:3 override to 480i or 480p? And, I assume I will still see all the menu's, because I'd only be using the Component Video connections, right?

Dave Harper

06-03-05, 10:36 AM

Yes, that is correct Rick.

QZ1

06-03-05, 12:51 PM

Am I reading correctly, in that all I need to do to achieve this is to set the 6412 to 1080i for HDTV, and set the 4:3 override to 480i or 480p? And, I assume I will still see all the menu's, because I'd only be using the Component Video connections, right?
IIRC, 480p setting makes the aspect ratio 16:9 on this DVR. 480i will be 4:3, as I use this setting.

chimchim5

06-03-05, 09:22 PM

@Rick,
Set the 4:3 Override according to the combined style of component input on your tv. I'm using an older Samsung 4:3 HD monitor which has two sets of component input. One input is for 480i/480p (I use this for p-scan DVD) and the other is for 480p/1080i. My 6412 is hooked up to the 480p/1080i input on my tv.

When you first get the 6412 the 4:3 override is set to 480i. If you are connecting to an input like mine (480p/1080i) you will have a hard time seeing the screen. You may need to hook the 6412 to a 480i input until you can find the menu to change to 480p override.

Once you have the 6412 set up for 1080i and 4:3 override setup to match your tv's 480 style, you will end up with the setup you are wishing for.

HTH,
Steve

Ken H

06-03-05, 11:22 PM

Could it be that the program format info (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i) already is included in the broadcast flag?Nope.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I saw this format info on my neighbor's Dish TV program guide (at the bottom, after each program description).Nope.

beachkid

06-03-05, 11:34 PM

I have both Comcast and Dish. It does say HD (if it is)on the bottom of the info page.
It doesn't say which version of HD

Bud-man

06-04-05, 08:58 AM

Few things i dont like about the 6412, noway to block/delete channels you dont want to scan thru, say between 700 and 200, older non dvr motorola box was fine.
Also there's noway to tell how much dvr recording time is left......WHY?
So if you schedule a program and it's longer than what will fit it wont record it!!!
And it has the WORSE sd channel reception!!!!
I have to run a splitter to my panny plaz so i can watch channels 2-100
$10 a month so i can watch 8 hd channels!! all it's good for.
I can fry a egg anytime on top, another poor design....i feel motorola screwed up big time on this....cant wait for the next model as i will call cox immediatly!!

StuJac

06-04-05, 09:06 AM

It gives you a percentage full. Can't you figure it out from that? I can. I like this box compared to anything offered by *D*. It's far better than the Samsung 360, as far as displaying a hi-def picture.

kc99

06-04-05, 12:33 PM

30, 60, 90, 120 (and more) Second Skip

Create a 30 second skip using the following directions:

1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice
4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button
5) Type in the code 00173 for 30 second Skip.
6) Press whatever button you want to map the skip to.

Next, you create a macro using your new 30 second skip:

1) Press and hold down the "Setup" button until the light blinks twice.
2) Press 995.
3) Press the key you want to assign the X second skip to.
4) Press the button that you have used for the 30 second skip x times. (2 times for 60 seconds, 3 times for 90 seconds, and so on.)
5) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the light blinks twice to exit programming.

X = 30, 60, 90, 180, etc.

You now have an extended Skip button.

Okay - this is awesome, but I can't get it to work! ?? So now I have my "Live", "Help", and "Fav" buttons programmed for 30 seconds skip. :)
I cannot get the 'x' button working. Any tips, other than what's above?

Also - I would love for the 'fav' button to be able to pull up the favorites menu. Same as pressing 'menu', 'home', 'favorites'. If there's no other way, maybe I'll set up a macro with the kameleon remote. I haven't had much luck learning buttons from the comast remote though (i.e. can't learn 30 second skip).

Good forum, more remote tips requested!

StuJac

06-04-05, 12:38 PM

Which key did you assign the second macro to? I used the + on the pip button and it works fine. It is NOT, however, a 60 second skip (or 90), it's just a macro that hits the 30 second button twice (or three times).

keenan

06-04-05, 12:43 PM

Few things i dont like about the 6412, noway to block/delete channels you dont want to scan thru, say between 700 and 200, older non dvr motorola box was fine.

Depending on whether you want to use a different remote there are ways to program favorites and just punch straight through to those stations. I have not done this myself as I only watch about 8 channels and generally just punch right to them, I rarely scan.

Also there's noway to tell how much dvr recording time is left......WHY?
So if you schedule a program and it's longer than what will fit it wont record it!!!

StuJac has mentioned that it tells you how full it is, plus, if you select to record a program and it will take up more space than you have, the box will indicate that to you and say something about low on space.

And it has the WORSE sd channel reception!!!!
I have to run a splitter to my panny plaz so i can watch channels 2-100

Yes, it's terrible for analog channels, and your solution is the one one most favored, but personally, I very rarely even watch any analog channels so it doesn't bother me.

Even with all it's issues, the 6412 at $10 a month is tough to beat. I've had mine since Nov and it's worked almost flawlessly. I'm happy with it.

kc99

06-04-05, 12:50 PM

Orignally I had the 30 sec skip programmed to the 'Live' button. Tried to assign the 'x' macro to the 'Fav' button, then to the 'Help' button. Those didn't work, but just now got it to work for the 'C' button (the day+ button). Thanks!

StuJac

06-04-05, 12:59 PM

Also, on the subject of achieving a watchable analog picture, I've amped my 4-way split so that a seperate, pre-box line goes to both the Panny E95 and the Tivo. Both machines do an excellent job of cleaning the signal so it's watchable. In fact, I only record hi-def on the 6412 and all other, non hi-def gets recorded on either the Panny or the TiVo.

I'm about a month into the switch back from DirecTiVo (and the Samsung 360 hi-def receiver) to Comcast and EVERYTHING works better. The picture is far better from the 6412 than it was from the 360 in hi-def, and all other equipment runs easier because it's now fed it's own dedicated line.

cptshamrock

06-04-05, 09:18 PM

Is there an FAQ to summarize this thread at all? I've read a great deal just some smaller things/features are still unclear.

StuJac

06-05-05, 08:59 AM

There is no faq for each thread but you could search the thread or you could post your questions and let us have a whack at it.

mooneydriver

06-05-05, 01:33 PM

Is there an FAQ to summarize this thread at all? I've read a great deal just some smaller things/features are still unclear.
Well, I was trying to point you at another forum that focuses exclusively on the 6412, but the AVS forum appears to have a macro to automatically censor out the name of that competitor forum. Very curious! Anyway, do a Google search for "6412 DVR forum" and it comes up towards the bottom of the first page. There's a lot of useful information on the 6412 broken out into multiple threads.

I go agree that a FAQ would be useful. This thread already has 200+ pages and it would take days to sift through.

QZ1

06-05-05, 05:27 PM

Can anyone recommend a Universal Remote, as light weight as, (and no bigger than), the 6412 DVR silver remote?

StuJac

06-05-05, 05:51 PM

Home Theater Master MX-500. About as light, shorter and much, much better. You can combine every remote you have on this easily.

keenan

06-05-05, 06:36 PM

The Harmony line of remotes are good ones too, easy as heck to set up and their customer service is first rate, I've had them respond to a setup issue on the weekend!

Joe Linn

06-06-05, 10:54 AM

I've had the 6412 for about a week now. I've noticed what looks like a ground loop (faint, slowly rolling darker and lighter bars). The unit is plugged into a Monster Cable home theater power conditioner. The power conditioner also has coaxial connectors to condition satellite, antenna, and cable. I hooked the cable to the "cable in" jack on the conditioner and hooked another coax from "cable out" to the 6412. The ground loop went away. So did INHD and INHD2. The other HD channels seemed fine. Those two channels kept disappearing into macroblocking and I would loose audio. I unhooked the cable from the power conditioner and hooked it back directly into the 6412. Both channels returned. So did the ground loop.

Does anyone have thoughts about why the conditioner would cause trouble for those two channels but not others? I didn't spend a large amount of time checking each HD channel, so it is possible that others may have been corrupted and I just didn't notice yet.

Is there another filter or anything I could put on the cable to try and get rid of the ground loop without getting rid of channels?

Thanks

Joe

mooneydriver

06-06-05, 11:13 AM

Very curious. I had a similar problem with INHD1 and INHD2 over the weekend. My signal is similarly routed through a Panamax power conditioner. Initially, INHD2 started macroblocking on one of the two tuners. The following day, it got bad on both tuners, and INHD1 joined the fray. At that point, I was still able to receive both through the built-in QAM tuner on the TV. The following day, INHD2 disappeared completely from all tuners (but all tuners continued to indicate a strong signal level). Yesterday, both INHD channels returned to normal on all tuners with no modifications to the signal path! I'll keep monitoring and keeping my fingers crossed.

I now realize why cable costs so much. Customer Service must cost them a great deal (especially on the 6412!)

VCline

06-06-05, 11:16 AM

micktravis

06-06-05, 01:27 PM

Possibly a dumb question. I just got the 6412 and, despite the well-known glitches and guide issues, I really like it. My pioneer plasma has an HDMI input, and I wanted to go dvi-hdmi, but I'm not sure whether I need dvi-d or dvi-i on the 6412 end.

Can anybody help?

(edit)

Looking at the closeup of the pinout on the motorola site it appears that the 6412 uses dvi-d. Am I correct in assuming that a garden variety dvi-d to hdmi cable (like the one I can get for about 7 bucks on the net) will work fine? Is there any advantage to paying up for better quality cable when my run is less than 4 feet?

MarkStega

06-06-05, 01:34 PM

Garden variety dvi-d to hdmi will do just fine (Of course, there are people who believe that $2,000 on a 6' power cord improves the sound of an amplifier :-) )

micktravis

06-06-05, 01:41 PM

Thanks. Anyone have any bad experiences with Monoprice? They have a dvi-d to hdmi 6 foot run for about 7 bucks. Sounds too good to be true, but, in many cases, a cable is a cable, right?

Joe Linn

06-06-05, 01:45 PM

Very curious. I had a similar problem with INHD1 and INHD2 over the weekend. My signal is similarly routed through a Panamax power conditioner. Initially, INHD2 started macroblocking on one of the two tuners. The following day, it got bad on both tuners, and INHD1 joined the fray. At that point, I was still able to receive both through the built-in QAM tuner on the TV. The following day, INHD2 disappeared completely from all tuners (but all tuners continued to indicate a strong signal level). Yesterday, both INHD channels returned to normal on all tuners with no modifications to the signal path! I'll keep monitoring and keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks. That's very interesting! I'm wondering if perhaps my problems were unrelated to my hardware changes. Perhaps there were problems with INHD and INHD2 over the weekend and they just happened to coincide with the changes I made. Does anyone know if there were system-wide problems with those two channels over the weekend?

Thanks!

Joe

Kipper717

06-06-05, 04:16 PM

I saw a couple of posts on the DVD recorder threads Link (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=544417&highlight=CyberHome#goto_threadsearch)
but thought I would ask on this thread. If now that the CyberHome CH-DVR 1600 is only $99, if this will let you record from the 6412 via firewire directly to a DVD? (One person said yes, another no.)This seems like it would be a lot less complicated than copying to a PC and then writing a DVD.

Anybody have any luck trying this?

I plan on picking up a couple of the DVD recorders as they have gotten somewhat decent reviews (whether the 6412 firewire connection works or not).

oleus

06-06-05, 04:28 PM

for anyone who thinks they are seeeing ground loop scrolling, try using a DVI cable. that can really help eliminate ground loop hum/scroll.

otherwise i would suggest a ground loop isolator. it almost looks like a little water filter. i have one screwed directly onto the coax input of one of my 6412's, and the coax cable going directly into the filter. works like a charm. do a google search for "ground loop isolator:, don't pay more than $30 for one (a home theater store here in ATL sells them for $75).

QZ1

06-06-05, 04:28 PM

"Can anyone recommend a Universal Remote, as light weight as, (and no bigger than), the 6412 DVR silver remote?"

Home Theater Master MX-500. About as light, shorter and much, much better. You can combine every remote you have on this easily.
I have a HTM MX-350 and I love it. This question is for my mother who is very ill and cannot hold anything more than the silver remote; if need be, it will suffice. But, I was looking for something better. The MX-500 will be just as heavy as the MX-350, I assume.

The Harmony line of remotes are good ones too, easy as heck to set up and their customer service is first rate, I've had them respond to a setup issue on the weekend!
Is the Harmony really just as light?

ridgefamus

06-06-05, 05:21 PM

Thanks. That's very interesting! I'm wondering if perhaps my problems were unrelated to my hardware changes. Perhaps there were problems with INHD and INHD2 over the weekend and they just happened to coincide with the changes I made. Does anyone know if there were system-wide problems with those two channels over the weekend?

Thanks!

Joe

We watched a number of things (Wild Alaska, Tribute to Muddy Waters, baseball, etc.) on both INHD and INHD 2 over the weekend and I don't recall any transmission problems. They both looked fine to me.

ridgefamus

06-06-05, 05:25 PM

"Can anyone recommend a Universal Remote, as light weight as, (and no bigger than), the 6412 DVR silver remote?"

I have a HTM MX-350 and I love it. This question is for my mother who is very ill and cannot hold anything more than the silver remote; if need be, it will suffice. But, I was looking for something better. The MX-500 will be just as heavy as the MX-350, I assume.

Is the Harmony really just as light?

I weighed both the 6412 silver remote and my Harmony 680 and both come in at exactly the same: 6.05 oz., with batteries. I love the 680 and Keenan is right, their CS is fantastic!

RScogland

06-06-05, 07:09 PM

Thats what I did...set up all the channels I wanted as favorites. When using the full or mini Guide, I will use the favorites button to move to my next favorite within the guide...By using menu - menu - favorites (i created a macro on help button) that will just show the guide with favorites.

(The above was in response to my question of whether or not it was now possible to filter things so only the channels you receive show, like is possible with TiVo.)

I finally got around to trying the above macro, and it doesn't work for me (or, I misunderstood the sequence). Menu-Menu-Favorites does not filter the guide to just show my favorites (which I think would be a great feature) ... am I missing something?

StuJac

06-07-05, 07:40 AM

There is NO WAY to filter your stations - you get them all whether you like it or not. Major flaw in the 6412. All a macro can do is take you to your favorites - it won't work unless you are at a certain place when you start the macro. I've given up - we'll never get the ability to filter channels like TiVo. Providers don't want to give that right to Comcast and/or Comcast won't allow it, now at least.

RScogland

06-07-05, 09:28 AM

There is NO WAY to filter your stations

Bummer ... I can usually get creative and make a macro do anything. I already changed my "channel up" button to "favorites" and figured that I could change my "guide" button to a macro that goes directly to my favorites, that it would work. However, if there is no way to sort the guide using a sequence of button presses to only show the favorites, then I guess it won't work. Maybe I was thinking of DirecTV, but isn't there a layer in the menu somewhere to show the guide for favorites only?

StuJac

06-07-05, 11:35 AM

RScogland

06-07-05, 02:55 PM

Rick;

There are solutions but they will cost some money. I use the MX500, a universal remote that has 25 favorite channels built in (you program and label them) which I use ALL the time. In addition to giving you direct access to your favorite channels it'll run every facet of every remote you have.

I have a good remote ... the URC-200, which is very similar to the MX-500, which I once owned (it was "spiked" by a family member). What I want is a menu option in the 6412 ... however deep into it doesn't matter ... that will allow me to take advantage of my remote, so I don't need to press all kinds of buttons just to see what should be a standard option.

I programmed in the favorite channels and even took the time to lable them ... but I never use them. What I want is a guide that will show the channels I get, without all the music channels, foreign channels, PPV channels, etc.

tall1

06-07-05, 03:17 PM

There is NO WAY to filter your stations - you get them all whether you like it or not. Major flaw in the 6412.
Hardly a flaw. It is by design you see all the music channels (ads to buy CDs), PPV channels($3.95/movie), and Premium Channels (Hey, look LOTR TT EE is on Starz!, I gotta subscribe NOW! for $14.99/month). The MSOs want you to see these channels to generate more revenue. Dream on if you think they will ever correct this "flaw".

wareagle

06-07-05, 03:58 PM

Hardly a flaw. It is by design you see all the music channels (ads to buy CDs), PPV channels($3.95/movie), and Premium Channels (Hey, look LOTR TT EE is on Starz!, I gotta subscribe NOW! for $14.99/month). The MSOs want you to see these channels to generate more revenue. Dream on if you think they will ever correct this "flaw".

It's a function of the guide software. MSFT guide s/w for the 6412 (only available in Washington State) allows you to select the channels you wish to have displayed on the guide pages. Also, only those channels will appear in the "up/down" remote selection (although any channel may be selected for viewing by number). I have a single music channel in my list, and only the HD versions of the locals and premiums which have SD equivalents.

Perhaps this is to make up for the fact that we don't have a 30-second skip!

tall1

06-07-05, 04:06 PM

It's a function of the guide software. MSFT guide s/w for the 6412 (only available in Washington State) allows you to select the channels you wish to have displayed on the guide pages. Also, only those channels will appear in the "up/down" remote selection (although any channel may be selected for viewing by number). I have a single music channel in my list, and only the HD versions of the locals and premiums which have SD equivalents.

Perhaps this is to make up for the fact that we don't have a 30-second skip! To be honest, I'd give up the hacked 30-second skip to be able to hide the channels. The button I had assigned to 30-second skip failed so being to lazy to reprogram it I began using the FF, hit Replay when the program begins and I like it alot more. The 30-second skip is clunky compared to Tivo.

StuJac

06-07-05, 04:48 PM

Hardly a flaw. It is by design you see all the music channels (ads to buy CDs), PPV channels($3.95/movie), and Premium Channels (Hey, look LOTR TT EE is on Starz!, I gotta subscribe NOW! for $14.99/month). The MSOs want you to see these channels to generate more revenue. Dream on if you think they will ever correct this "flaw".

A flaw in my book. That was my point - they won't eliminiate any channels for a multitude of reasons. I consider it a flaw as does the OP who raised the question. Not too different from my DTivo (when I had it) - you could spend all day deleting channels from the guide only to have *D* dump 'em back in later that night.

QZ1

06-07-05, 05:12 PM

I weighed both the 6412 silver remote and my Harmony 680 and both come in at exactly the same: 6.05 oz., with batteries. I love the 680 and Keenan is right, their CS is fantastic!
Cool. :cool: Thanks. I was expecting it would be, since people said it seemed too flimsy for the price; in this case that is a good thing. :)

Are the width and length similar to 6412 remote?

I hope the 676 and 680 weigh the same, as I don't know which button type and layout she would prefer. I think 680 is better for this DVR, but I'm not choosing.

Another question: We would like to keep the DVR always On. So, in the 'Watch TV' macro that is set up, through the Test Drive, has anyone successfully eliminated the DVR Power On function?

keenan

06-07-05, 08:28 PM

Cool. :cool: Thanks. I was expecting it would be, since people said it seemed too flimsy for the price; in this case that is a good thing. :)

Are the width and length similar to 6412 remote?

I hope the 676 and 680 weigh the same, as I don't know which button type and layout she would prefer. I think 680 is better for this DVR, but I'm not choosing.

Another question: We would like to keep the DVR always On. So, in the 'Watch TV' macro that is set up, through the Test Drive, has anyone successfully eliminated the DVR Power On function?
I'm using a 659 and it's about 1" shorter that the silver Comcast remote and about the same width.

I've always turned my DVR on and off and not had any issues but I'm pretty sure there is a setup function with the Harmony to bypass an on/off command.

FlipFlop

06-07-05, 11:07 PM

There is NO WAY to filter your stations - you get them all whether you like it or not.
This is not true! Or at least not true for everyone. On my 6412, firmware 09.15, I can go to the "TV Guide Main Menu" (press menu, menu on the remote) and select "Favorites" from that menu, and the 6412 will display the channel guide filtered to display only the channels marked as Favorites. Granted, it would be nice if they automatically defined an "All subscribed channels" filter like Dish does, so you don't have to manually mark each channel, but it is functional. Also, the "fav" button on the remote works like Ch-Up, except only jumping through the list of Favorite channels.

I also have the 30-second skip feature, so it is possible to have both features at the same time.

JBaumgart

06-08-05, 12:34 AM

I'm using a 659 and it's about 1" shorter that the silver Comcast remote and about the same width.

I've always turned my DVR on and off and not had any issues but I'm pretty sure there is a setup function with the Harmony to bypass an on/off command.

I also have a 659 (thinking about also adding a 880) and it's easy to use Harmony's programming to set it to always leave the 6412 on. The same applies to any other component you don't want turned off.

jmorton

06-08-05, 09:02 AM

Another question: We would like to keep the DVR always On. So, in the 'Watch TV' macro that is set up, through the Test Drive, has anyone successfully eliminated the DVR Power On function?

I have the Harmony 680 and the 6412. During setup you can set up any device to be "always on". That is the way I have mine set up. The 680 works very well with the 6412.

RScogland

06-08-05, 09:33 AM

On my 6412, firmware 09.15, I can go to the "TV Guide Main Menu" (press menu, menu on the remote) and select "Favorites" from that menu, and the 6412 will display the channel guide filtered to display only the channels marked as Favorites. Granted, it would be nice if they automatically defined an "All subscribed channels" filter like Dish does, so you don't have to manually mark each channel, but it is functional. Also, the "fav" button on the remote works like Ch-Up, except only jumping through the list of Favorite channels.

Thanks ... this was exactly what I was looking for. Only problem is, my Menu-Menu-Favorites macro still doesn't work because for some reason, the 6412 sometimes responds the first time "menu" is pressed, and sometimes doesn't. I'll work on it.

frachel

06-08-05, 09:44 AM

Scotch Plains, NJ (Union County) - I just got my 6412 installed yesterday. So far so good. It has 9.17 firmware, and I like the interface (coming from DirecTiVo). I haven't done much with the DVR aspect yet, but as far as normal tv and cable, the InDemand stuff is *great* (especially for the kids - I no longer have to use the DVR to record all that stuff since InDemand is loaded with the same shows). HDTV looks great, SD upconverted to 480p looks better than I remember (from my long ago DTC-100 days). All in all I'm pleased so far.

I did schedule 1 recording (Entourage in HBOHD) and the options for recording a series are pretty much the same as a TiVo - this channel only/all channels, first run or repeats, save how many episodes, start early, end late, etc. I just hope it actually works.

-Frank

Renagade

06-08-05, 11:40 AM

frachel you may have a problem with the first run or repeats option. From my experience it can't tell the difference between a repeat and a new showing on a lot of shows but that probably has to do with the guide Comcast uses.

stevehof

06-08-05, 11:42 AM

I received my 50PHD7UY last week. Works great with DVD. Comcast hooked up a 6200 HD cable box. In HD broadcast there is intermittent breakup of pixels and/or delay (pause). I replaced their component wires with Mosters and this made no difference. Techs at Comcast worthless. The installer did not understand why I only wanted video cables into tv and audio (via optical cable) to receiver. Any Ideas. Non HD and dvd works fine. ThanksI've got a Panny 42PHD7UY hooked up to a Comcast/Moto 6412 via component input. On occasion I notice a problem similar to what you describe. In my case, the picture on the screen pixelates for a moment, then the screen freezes. I haven't been able to identify the exact circumstances under which it happens, and it doesn't happen consistently, but it seems to be when the Moto box is changing channels or modes (like exiting from the DVR menu). To unfreeze the screen, I have to change channels on the Moto box. My prior monitor, a JVC LCD never did this, and it was hooked up to the same Moto box. Therefore, in my case I suspect it's something in the Panny circuitry that hangs.

However, regarding your problem, whenever anyone says they're experiencing pixel breakup on a digital cable TV signal, the first thing to check is the signal strength. I had to add a signal booster to the line. After that, pixel breakup vanished (when using the LCD). THE signal booster to get is this one from Motorola, which fully supports two-way communications needed for digital cable: http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/signal_booster. To check signal strength, tune into a digitally broadcast channel, then, on the front panel of the Moto box, press Power, then immediately press Menu. This puts you in the diagnostic menus. Scroll down to item d04 (Inband Status), and press Select. If the SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) is less than about 30 dB, your signal is too weak. When I added the Moto Signal Booster to the incoming cable TV line, my SNR readings went from about 29 dB to about 36 dB.

QZ1

06-08-05, 01:34 PM

Thanks to all regarding Harmony.

I have another Q; my mother has a Mitsubishi 27" CRT from Jan. 1991, I guess that would be a Fall 1990 model.

I was wondering if the Harmony would have the codes for that?
If not, can it learn?
I think it just needs the Power command, in our case.

From what I understand the 'Watch TV' button is effectively a macro, that in our case, will just power on the TV, and switch to DVR mode.
And the 'Off' button will turn off the TV. Do I have it right?

JBaumgart

06-08-05, 02:58 PM

QZ1

06-08-05, 06:26 PM

QZ1, Just go to the Harmony web site and take their "Test Drive" and there will be a huge list of all of the Mitsubishi TV's in there. You will need to know your exact model number. I suspect you will find it, but if not I would bet that for simple commands like power, volume, channel changing, etc the commands for another similar Mitsubishi model will be the same amd will work. If all else fails then yes you also can teach the Harmony any commands from the original Mitsubishi remote.
Thanks, I will do that. I have the model number from the booklet (it is on the back of the TV, anyway.) I will take the test drive.

I remember reading that there are different profiles for the 6412 DVR on the 680 (or 676, for that matter).

If I don't like the button mapping, can I move buttons around to create my own button profile?

For instance, on the 676, I would switch around Skip and Repeat with RW and FF, making the former two next to one another, and thereby conveniant.

BJMoose

06-08-05, 06:49 PM

Thanks, I will do that. I have the model number from the booklet (it is on the back of the TV, anyway.) I will take the test drive.

I remember reading that there are different profiles for the 6412 DVR on the 680 (or 676, for that matter).

If I don't like the button mapping, can I move buttons around to create my own button profile?

For instance, on the 676, I would switch around Skip and Repeat with RW and FF, making the former two next to one another, and thereby conveniant.
Yes, you will have the capability of swapping almost any of the buttons except for the device buttons and help etc.

QZ1

06-09-05, 01:47 PM

Yes, you will have the capability of swapping almost any of the buttons except for the device buttons and help etc.
Great, thanks. :cool:

rodneyremington

06-09-05, 06:36 PM

Is there an FAQ to summarize this thread at all? I've read a great deal just some smaller things/features are still unclear.

As a previous poster alluded to, there is a website devoted exclusively to the 6412 which makes a lot more sense than a 4000+ post thread but AVSforum censors the name (as is their right, it's their sandbox). PM me if you want the web address.

snidely

06-10-05, 12:49 AM

A flaw in my book. That was my point - they won't eliminiate any channels for a multitude of reasons. I consider it a flaw as does the OP who raised the question. Not too different from my DTivo (when I had it) - you could spend all day deleting channels from the guide only to have *D* dump 'em back in later that night.

Our years old D* box (2nd gen. RCA) lets you create several favorite lists so you only see on the guide the channels you want. (We only created one list.)
Our BEV (identical to DISH's) 6000 also allows for that.

...mike (who is temporairly using Comcast w. the 6412 until either (1) D* adds more HD or (2) BEV comes out w. the new HD DVR that DISH now has. We will dump Comcast because it is much more expensive than sat. BEV, right now, has the most HD offerings of any North American system)

snidely

06-10-05, 12:53 AM

Perhaps this is to make up for the fact that we don't have a 30-second skip!

Do you mean to say you can't even "self program" in the 30 second skip function onto your remote. It gets the most use of any button on ours - I did the self program thing I found back on this thread.

...mike

wareagle

06-10-05, 03:03 AM

Do you mean to say you can't even "self program" in the 30 second skip function onto your remote. It gets the most use of any button on ours - I did the self program thing I found back on this thread.

...mike

According to the sticky FAQ posted by MSFT person Shannonv (who initiated our 6412 thread as well as this one)=>

"30 second skip is supported by the core FE platform but most MSOs do not enable it and there is no hidden code to enable it."

No one in Seattle has been able to get a 30 second skip to work with the MSFT guide s/w.

azmodien

06-11-05, 04:39 AM

So are there no methods of replacing the internal hard drive?

Im sure some computer techs could figure out some sort of bios mod or something. Then we can throw in a 300 gb cheetah and beef things up a little.

DaveFi

06-12-05, 10:14 AM

gmwedding

06-13-05, 11:59 AM

Improving the awful iGuide interface -- Help!

I've posted this mixed in the body of other messages, but seen no response, so I'll try again. Does anyone know a contact name, number and/or e-mail address for appropriate Comcast and TV Guide/Gemstar managers for the iGuide? If so, please share so that I can provide feedback to the developers.

I'm very disappointed with the gratuitous, in-your-face, Microsoft-style color schemes in the iGuide. Besides being based on a badly outdated, 1980's interface design, the iGuide graphics potentially are destructive for plasma screen owners. Significantly, even with careful use, the over-saturated, red TV-Guide logo, white type and white separation lines create serious plasma burn-in problems with long-term use. Also, the rudimentary design and the overly dark, comic book-like colors draw attention to themselves as much as they aid navigation, and actually make the content less readable.

I'd like to see the iGuide designers revamp their interface with a more modern look and use less saturated, neutral colors, or perhaps even a translucent overlay. For instance, the new advanced image editing controls that are used for some tools in Apple's iPhoto are very nice, and not intrusive nor distracting to the eye (like the iGuide). Also, Dish Network's programming guide uses a similar approach. This interface approach would be far more elegant and useful for viewers, and it would not be as damaging to sensitive plasma screens. Alternatively, even the aesthetics of Apple's Macintosh OS X itself would be a better inspiration for iGuide, althouch I acknowledge that adjustments and refinements still would be needed.

Currently, the iGuide default colors can be changed, but the options available are all just subtle variations on the same flawed design and do not correct the problems I describe.

So, if anyone has it, please post the appropriate contact information and let's discuss this. I'd like to see this influential group bombard the companies with requests to fix the iGuide ASAP.

Bruce Blakeslee

06-13-05, 12:12 PM

As I understand it both Comcast and the iGuide people stay on top of this site. They are due to roll out a new version of the iGuide later this summer and hopefully it will contain enhancements to the functionality. I am far more interested in functionality enhancements than color schemes how pretty this looks. I have been able to modify the colors to my liking using the choices built into the iGuide already.

markjrenna listed all the phone numbers for Comcast and iGuide a while back. You might want to try searching on his name to get that posting.

davisdog

06-13-05, 12:13 PM

All of the contact info is listed here...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4963844#post4963844

gmwedding

06-13-05, 12:49 PM

Thanks for the iGuide contact info. I hope the developers are reading this. Color schemes in a user-interface ARE a critical element of functionality, but I realize many computer users and TV viewers may not appreciate or even perceive this as important. No matter -- the long term effects that bright whites and over-saturated colors can have on plasma screens clearly demonstrates that a debate about the choice of iGuide colors isn't merely about looks.

That said, I do admit that the iGuide interface and colors offend my sense of aesthetics and diminish the television viewing experience for me.

I don't want to turn this into a Mac versus PC debate, but the extraordinary attention to detail in the overall user experience of interacting with a machine is one of the reasons I choose to use Macintosh computers over PC's equipped with Microsoft Windows. The Microsoft approach to user interface design has never been artistic or intuitive, and the lack of sensitivity to subtle details (like color choices) contributes to what some people see as functionality shortcomings. To be sure, the fundamental Microsoft design influence is all too apparent in the iGuide, and it certainly is not appealing, nor ideally functional, for everyone.

IFLYSWA

06-13-05, 12:49 PM

gmwedding

06-13-05, 01:00 PM

Compared to the old interface, iGuide is a God-send...

And I am not in any way arguing here, but trying to further my understanding of the burn-in problem on plasmas...wouldn't you have to leave the logo up for quite some time to risk burn-in, and isn't this primarily a major issue during the first 100 hours or so of use? Again, I am just speaking from what I have read on this forum and how I interpreted it...I have no direct experience with plasmas and am interested in hearing more about the problem.

I don't mean to hijack the thread...I hoping the Q&A within this context is relevant enough to keep it on topic...

Thanks,
Randy

Are you suggesting that repeated, short term firing of the same plasma pixels with overstaurated colors will not shorten the life of those pixels? I believe the long term effects of displaying the over-saturated colors in the iGuide over and over (again and again) ultimately would have a similar effect as leaving it up for an extended (but finite) period of time. Suffice it to say, I am concerned about this effect over time (months or years of use) and would prefer not to risk our investment just so that TV Guide can precisely display a specific red logo color.

rad

06-13-05, 01:06 PM

Compared to the old interface, iGuide is a God-send...

AMEM!!!

My biggest wish is to be able to create favorite lists (multiple versions) and to be able to block out channels that you don't receive (along with thousands of others that want this).

I'd also like to see the capability to set up different ID's for the box and remote so that multiple 6412's placed in the same location all don't respond to a single remote command. I have my DBS STB's all in a central spot and control them via R extenders from all over the house. This is the MAJOR thing that's preventing me from dumping DBS completly for Comcast.

IFLYSWA

06-13-05, 01:18 PM

Are you suggesting that repeated, short term firing of the same plasma pixels with overstaurated colors will not shorten the life of those pixels? I believe the long term effects of displaying the over-saturated colors in the iGuide over and over (again and again) ultimately would have a similar effect as leaving it up for an extended (but finite) period of time. Suffice it to say, I am concerned about this effect over time (months or years of use) and would prefer not to risk our investment just so that TV Guide can precisely display a specific red logo color.

Okay...I thought I made it pretty clear that I wasn't suggesting anything, but merely asking a question. I would hope that repeated short-term firing of the pixels would be considerably different that extended firing of the same pixels. But what do I know? I have a DLP that doesn't suffer from burn-in and have and like MS-based PCs....oversaturated colors and all! :)

RH

gmwedding

06-13-05, 01:19 PM

I'm sure the latest iGuide interface is an improvement when compared to the original, something that by all accounts, wasn't very good to begin with. But you never achieve excellence in any endeavor by looking back and using comparisons to what has been discarded and surpassed. Rather, excellence is only achieved by looking ahead, thinking outside the box, and constantly evaluating what still needs improvement. The designers of the current iGuide are to be commended for forging ahead, but they also must be able to recognize iGuide's failures and their own myopia, and then make more changes.

I hope they will evolve what currently is at best a pedestrian, dated interface. I'm not trying to be critical or negative here. I'm simply trying to point out that the iGuide interface designers need to pay more attention to aesthetics, and that this will help improve the functionality of a machine that has great potential.