Originally posted by JuiceRocket
Has anyone else noticed the "ticking" or "clicking" sound their 6412 makes? The box on the whole is quieter than the 6208, but my wife and I can really hear a ticking sound when it accesses.


Various boxes vary, IMO. I've had 3 6208's and one 6412. The 6412 is the 2nd most quiet. I don't plan on studying a larger sample size. :-)

I have a home theater setup, and was trying to figure out how to get the volume and mute buttons on the remote to control my receiver when in Cable mode. The user guide explains how to unlock the volume controls so that they will control the receiver in Aux mode or to lock them so that they always control the TV. However, neither option is what I want. I want to leave the remote in Cable mode, not have to switch modes everytime I want to adjust the volume or mute it.

Well, it turns out, there is a way to do it, but it is not exactly intuitive, and is not explained in the user guide, although there is a subtle hint in Step 3. Basically, if you just follow the instructions for locking the volume control to TV mode, but instead of pressing TV in step 2 you press Aux, it locks the volume to Aux mode.

The procedure in full:

1. Press TV once. Then press and hold Setup until the TV key blinks twice, then release Setup.

2. Enter 9 - 9 - 3, ad then press Aux once. The Aux key will blink twice confirming global lock.

3. Now when you press VOL+, VOL-, or Mute, the volume of the selected device will be controlled regardless of the mode you have selected.

Originally posted by JimPeterson
Last week I stumbled on the fact that the navigation arrows mimic TiVo's transport controls. When viewing a program the > is fast forward, ^ is play, < is fast reverse, and the center button is pause.

With the 6412 silver remote, I find these buttons much more convenient than the identified transport controls located toward the top of the remote.

Does anyone know if Motorola or Comcast documents the features and functions of this remote? I received a two sided instruction page that described basic functionality. It seems a shame that a person has to learn what the 6412/remote can do by watching this thread to see what people have stumbled on. from what I undestand, they are menat for VOD applications..but the top trick play buttons work for VOD as well. VOD does not have multiple trick plays as it does for DVR.

jdbnh, glad u figured it out but the instructs i think are pretty clear. that's what volume lock is.

Sorry if this has been posted, but did a search and didn't see anything.

Is it possible to use both a 6412 and a Tivo at the same time? We have the Home Media Option on the Tivo that we use a lot and would like to retain, and we also have a bunch of saved programs to which we'd like to retain access. I also have a sneaking suspicion that my wife will be resistant to change.

Any thoughts or experiences with this would be appreciated. Thanks.

The 6412 I have has the sticker "Allston" on the back, right where the cable feeds into the box. This doesn't match my location, does this mean that the boxes all come from an Allston location, or this box was supposed to be allocated for distribution in Allston only?

-JR

Originally posted by DaMutha1
Sorry if this has been posted, but did a search and didn't see anything.

Is it possible to use both a 6412 and a Tivo at the same time? We have the Home Media Option on the Tivo that we use a lot and would like to retain, and we also have a bunch of saved programs to which we'd like to retain access. I also have a sneaking suspicion that my wife will be resistant to change.

Any thoughts or experiences with this would be appreciated. Thanks.

No I do not think there a method to do that. Everything in the 6412 is completey different from the TIVo.

Originally posted by acaoacao
No I do not think there a method to do that. Everything in the 6412 is completey different from the TIVo.

I guess what I'm asking is whether there is a simple passthrough where I can use the 6412 the same way I'm using my current non-DVR cable box. In other words, if we want to use the HMO on the Tivo, or my wife wants to use the Tivo interface while watching a particular program, can we just set up so that we can switch inputs and watch through the Tivo?

Originally posted by avic
jdbnh, glad u figured it out but the instructs i think are pretty clear. that's what volume lock is.

I understand what volume lock is. What was unclear was that you can lock to a mode other than TV. That is all the instructions talk about. Only indirectly does it imply you can lock to some other mode (when it says "e.g. TV"), and it doesn't explain how to do it.

Yes you can, thats exactly what I do right now.

The only thing I take care to do is if I see the Tivo recording something I check which tuner it is using before I start surfing/recording on the other tuner.

It works well and has brought much harmony to our house-hold.

The only thing I haven't figured out to do yet is if there is a way to have Tivo and the 6412 record things automatically and get on the right tuners. But I am happy with the compromise solution right now.

Colin

Originally posted by DaMutha1
I guess what I'm asking is whether there is a simple passthrough where I can use the 6412 the same way I'm using my current non-DVR cable box. In other words, if we want to use the HMO on the Tivo, or my wife wants to use the Tivo interface while watching a particular program, can we just set up so that we can switch inputs and watch through the Tivo?

Originally posted by DaMutha1
I guess what I'm asking is whether there is a simple passthrough where I can use the 6412 the same way I'm using my current non-DVR cable box. In other words, if we want to use the HMO on the Tivo, or my wife wants to use the Tivo interface while watching a particular program, can we just set up so that we can switch inputs and watch through the Tivo?


If you have digital channels....

The only way you can do this is use an IR Blaster on the Tivo.

Cable from the wall to the 6412

Component (RGB) of the 6412 to the Tivo. IR Blaster to 6412.

Tivo component to the TV.

It isn't a good solution but pretty much the only solution you got.

I did this using a TIVO with a cable box before.

Now, I just do this. I split the coax and one to the Tivo and one to the 6412. Tivo and 6412 on different inputs on the tv. Tivo for all the analog channels 6412 for all the digi channels.

West Orange(NJ) Comcast office rep told me today they have the dual tuner DVRs and expect distribution in few weeks after training is completed.

Originally posted by JuiceRocket
The 6412 I have has the sticker "Allston" on the back, right where the cable feeds into the box. This doesn't match my location, does this mean that the boxes all come from an Allston location, or this box was supposed to be allocated for distribution in Allston only? My box came out of Woburn, but I don't live there. When the tech installed mine, he said that boxes are pre-coded for each system. Boxes can be moved to a different system, but apparently they have to do something at the cable office to make the cable system recognize signals coming back from the box. In my case, the tech had to phone in a four digit number to someone at the office, then they reset the box remotely.

Originally posted by DaMutha1
I guess what I'm asking is whether there is a simple passthrough where I can use the 6412 the same way I'm using my current non-DVR cable box. In other words, if we want to use the HMO on the Tivo, or my wife wants to use the Tivo interface while watching a particular program, can we just set up so that we can switch inputs and watch through the Tivo? I don't think it's possible unless you don't set up ANY recordings on the 6412. Otherwise it could change the channel in the middle of something Tivo is recording. The best option is to get another non-DVR digital box and hook the Tivo up to that. The other option is to bring the cable directly into the Tivo, but then you only get unscrambled analog channels.

or why not get rid of tivo altogether? on top of the comcast dvr fee you're paying tivo an additional $12.95 for a single tuner box that can't time-shift hd. if u get another 6412 and you'd still be ahead. imo with the new iguide tivo has lost it's only edge, software. and as a former customer i have to say i actually think i like iguide better.

I would have to agree with avic. I use to have tivo also and I really can't see any major advantages of tivo over iguide.
FREAK!

Unless the 6412 has a hidden Home Media Option that no one has mentioned, that is the main reason I would be keep the Tivo. Also, is there a way to record from the Tivo to the 6412? It would be nice to save my Red Sox World Series Game 4 and the victory parade.

Originally posted by DaMutha1
Unless the 6412 has a hidden Home Media Option that no one has mentioned, that is the main reason I would be keep the Tivo. Also, is there a way to record from the Tivo to the 6412? It would be nice to save my Red Sox World Series Game 4 and the victory parade.
No function like that that I am aware of. As far as saving the game, got a DVD burner?
FREAK!

Originally posted by metallicafreak
No function like that that I am aware of. As far as saving the game, got a DVD burner?
FREAK!

Indeed I do.

Originally posted by DaMutha1
Also, is there a way to record from the Tivo to the 6412? It would be nice to save my Red Sox World Series Game 4 and the victory parade. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Oh I know how to do that!

But I live in the New York area so can't help you with that one.

Just kidding. :D

Decided to call Customer Service and ask about dual tuner DVR installation.Thought they might say no or make appointment in December.They are coming Tuesday to swap the single tuner for the dual unit.The roll out in Northern New jersey is starting.

Originally posted by DaMutha1
Also, is there a way to record from the Tivo to the 6412? It would be nice to save my Red Sox World Series Game 4 and the victory parade. you're OT, please post in the tivo forum/thread. you'll find your answers there. this is 6412 with iGuide country. ;)

Originally posted by Zack Allen
tallone wrote that he had to have his 6200 & 6208 swapped out several times due to bad firmware.

These things are connected via cable. I am surprised that the firmware can't just be flashed/upgraded. Flashable firmware is not a new innovation. Sorry, I didn't word my post well at all. I meant to say that I had several boxes swapped out. The firmware was the culprit but comcast would insist on swapping out the hardware. After reading enough about all the problems with pre-FW 7.15, I waited for the new FW to be upgraded to 7.15, then things worked fine.

Originally posted by sheakt
I am seeing the same thing. However when you record the program that broadcasts in DD5.1 it records properly with the DD5.1 (and passes the signal to the AMP) regardless of what the flipbar says... yeah i know it's not affecting audio output, i can see my receiver displaying correctly. and it had nothing to do with 5.1. the bar wont display any type of audio on the second tuner. just wanted to know if anyone else had noticed the now apparant minor software glitch. anyhoo it's been reported to tvguide.

Originally posted by avic
yeah i know it's not affecting audio output, i can see my receiver displaying correctly. and it had nothing to do with 5.1. the bar wont display any type of audio on the second tuner. just wanted to know if anyone else had noticed the now apparant minor software glitch. anyhoo it's been reported to tvguide.

Yes I just had a 6412 installed today and immediately saw that the second tuner doesn't display audio type. The installer said yes he knew it was a bug and had had the problem on his own 6412 but that the problem magically went away fairly soon for him. So maybe it will soon go away.

Alright, I am still getting pixelation with the Motorola 6412.

I think I am going to see if my splitting is giving me problems.

Line comes into my house.

-Goes directly into a 4 way splitter

-one line goes to Cable Modem
-one goes to a two way splitter to then a replaytv and the Comcast 6412 (I removed the two waysplitter before and it does not help the pixelation)
-Another goes a analog tv
-Finally one goes to a two way splitter to a tivo and analog tv.


Any idea on why I am pixelating so much?

If anyone knows how to add the 30-sec skip to the new dark grey/brown remotes please post! Thanks

Had my 6412 installed today. It reboots randomly upon pressing a few remote buttons.

This was reported early in this thread. For those who have seen this, does it eventually stop after "settling in" a day or so? Or should I replace the box?

Reply to tall1 re firmware: So they can install new firmware over the cable line?

Reply to acaoacao re the four-way splitter. Is the splitter a device that Comcast provides. Comcast I believe has a splitter/amp of recent vintage and if you or the previous owner of your residence paid Comcast to put in mulitple outlets (or had a free-install deal), then they should upgrade you to their latest w/o charge.

Swapped out my flaky box and everything is working great so far. Both tuners have guide data and the box doesn't reset itself. I have restored my original cabling/splits, signal strength was not problem.

Originally posted by spearse
Had my 6412 installed today. It reboots randomly upon pressing a few remote buttons.

This was reported early in this thread. For those who have seen this, does it eventually stop after "settling in" a day or so? Or should I replace the box?

I had that problem. Call the 800, speak with a HD tech and get a new box. Make sure the work order for the swap says you want another 6412. The tech that arrived today originally brought a 6208 :( I had to make additional arrangements for someone to be home after the tech went back to the warehouse to get the 6412.

Originally posted by stoli412
No, none of the Motorola STBs have discrete on/off codes. It's really a PITA for macros and automation. My solution is to just leave the box on all the time. By doing that you also avoid the "mute" bug.

Some will say it's not good to leave the power on all the time because the hard drive will be running/buffering constantly. However, Tivos are built this way (there is no power button), and they work fine. I'm sure the 6412 will be fine too. You Got IT! it is annoying though!!!

An observation...
I am sitting within 5 feet of the box as I type this and I do not even hear any noise from the HD. NOthing. My PC fan is very quiet and I can hear that slightly but not the box..
FREAK!

Originally posted by Zack Allen
Reply to tall1 re firmware: So they can install new firmware over the cable line? Yep.

Alright I came home today and guess what. NO MORE PIXELATION. I didn't do any different since yesterday. I stayed up until 1am just trying to tinker around with it. Now it is okay.

GO FIGURE

Is anybody having problems (Communication Error Messege) when trying to access ON-Demand with the 6412? I originally didn't but tonight when I got in I wanted to view some programming on there and I got the Error messege. Just curious cause my original black digital box in the bedroom was experiencing the same problem earlier but now OD is working on that box once again........

Still a no show on my new 6412 as of 10:41pm Thursday Evening

hmmmmmmmmmmm

I'm in the Philadelphia Area, actually in Delaware County

Guys, disregard that previous post I listed. I actually called the 800 number listed with the communication error on screen and reseted my 6412 all by myself through their automated system.

On-Demand works fine now after the reset..............

Works fine here.

Repost from the ">>> Summary of Comcast's Rollout of Motorola 6412 (and Moxi)-- All Areas <<<" (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4675511#post4675511) thread…

Question for those in the know:

Apparantly, those of us in Portland may be seeing a completely different remote than what I've seen/read reported in other areas. As detailed in this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4663614#post4663614) (and confirmed in a later post), the single-reported user (tester?) of a 6412 in the area has received an ICXGlobal ENT-6412 (http://icxglobal.com/en/products/cable/enterprise_family/dct_6412.php), which is black in color and only supports 4 devices, but is otherwise the same feature-wise as detailed there on the linked page. The problem is, this remote has neither 30-second-skip button (though the placement of the "Live TV" button would make it an ideal candidate) nor "Swap" button (except within the PIP area). Unfortunately, all previously posted methods for reconfiguring remotes don't apply to this one, as it doesn't even have a "Setup" button.

Might anyone have heard/read about this remote and know of any means to reprogram them for these functions?

RE Autoswitching/Remote Codes:

Getting my 6412 tomorrow. If the show you are watching is recording and you change the channel, does the 6412 automatically switch to the other tuner?

On programming for swap, 30 sec skip and mute - Does anyone know if the 6208 silver remote (with the My DVR button) will accept these codes/mapping? I have the 6208 remote in the closet and would like to map these and transfer to my Harmony tonight before Comcast comes tomorrow.

Thanks!

Larryjoe, yes the silver one is programmable. Personally, I wouldn't give up the silver one until PIP is available.

what does "hd zoom" on the remote do? i push it and it does nothing. is this a future feature to stretch hd programing not broadcasting in widescreen, like dishnetworks 811 reciever?

Originally posted by metallicafreak
An observation...
I am sitting within 5 feet of the box as I type this and I do not even hear any noise from the HD. NOthing. My PC fan is very quiet and I can hear that slightly but not the box..
FREAK!

Must be a box to box thing then, the sound of our cable box is noticeable at 5 feet. We had a friend over last night, and half way through the OC she asked what the sound was...it was the 6412. Not loud enough to be a real issue, just loud enough to keep reminding us it's there and working. ;)

-JR

Originally posted by one028
what does "hd zoom" on the remote do? i push it and it does nothing. is this a future feature to stretch hd programing not broadcasting in widescreen, like dishnetworks 811 reciever? no it does nothing on comcast systems.

Originally posted by LarryJoe
RE Autoswitching/Remote Codes:

Getting my 6412 tomorrow. If the show you are watching is recording and you change the channel, does the 6412 automatically switch to the other tuner? No you'd have to swap. But keep it mind that this would only be an issue when you manually press record, because a scheduled recording always uses the tuner currently not selected for viewing. so unless you press record on the tuner you're watching or have 2 programs recording at the same time you wont get the "recording in progress" channel-change warning.

just got off the phone with comcast
they're coming to install it sunday afternoon
i can't wait!!!
will i get the new iguide

Originally posted by RelDudeGOP
just got off the phone with comcast
they're coming to install it sunday afternoon
i can't wait!!!
will i get the new iguide the 6412 comes pre-loaded with iGuide. read some pages in the thread so you'll be ready.

Last night I had two programs recording at once but was unable to swap between tuners. Is this a feature :)

Originally posted by avic
No you'd have to swap. But keep it mind that this would only be an issue when you manually press record, because a scheduled recording always uses the tuner currently not selected for viewing. so unless you press record on the tuner you're watching or have 2 programs recording at the same time you wont get the "recording in progress" channel-change warning. Thanks for the clear explanation avic. Bear with me if this is off topic but I believe it is relavent to this post...is the show/tuner that is displaying the same data that is sent to the 1394 port? So whether I playback a recorded show or watch live tv and they are the current display, that is what is being sent to the 1394 port?

Originally posted by JuiceRocket
Must be a box to box thing then, the sound of our cable box is noticeable at 5 feet. We had a friend over last night, and half way through the OC she asked what the sound was...it was the 6412. Not loud enough to be a real issue, just loud enough to keep reminding us it's there and working. ;)

-JR

JR:

The sound from the 6412 is quite audible at 8-9 feet away. During shows with non-loud scenes (e.g., not loud action scenes), you'll hear a constant "click-click-whirr-grrr-clicka-clicka", and it is quite noticable. Sometimes, it is quite distracting.

I think I may call Comcast to mention the noise from the box and see if a swap is possible. I'd hate to have to be home during the work week *again* to have them do a simple 2 minute swap.

Originally posted by dozens
Last night I had two programs recording at once but was unable to swap between tuners. Is this a feature :)

No. I was able to swap between tuners with both recording.

Originally posted by LarryJoe
RE Autoswitching/Remote Codes:

Getting my 6412 tomorrow. If the show you are watching is recording and you change the channel, does the 6412 automatically switch to the other tuner?

It should...

On programming for swap, 30 sec skip and mute - Does anyone know if the 6208 silver remote (with the My DVR button) will accept these codes/mapping? I have the 6208 remote in the closet and would like to map these and transfer to my Harmony tonight before Comcast comes tomorrow.

Thanks!

Yes. I mapped the key (swap and the 30-sec skip) on the silver remote and then programmed it into my ProntoPro no problem.

Originally posted by LarryJoe
RE Autoswitching/Remote Codes:

Getting my 6412 tomorrow. If the show you are watching is recording and you change the channel, does the 6412 automatically switch to the other tuner?



No... you get the "change channel" warning just like on the 6208...You have to "swap" manually....

--K

Originally posted by sheakt
No... you get the "change channel" warning just like on the 6208...You have to "swap" manually....

--K please read posts more carefully, this was already answered (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4682332#post4682332)

Originally posted by avic
please read posts more carefully, this was already answered (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4682332#post4682332)

It was also answered INCORRECTLY in the post directly above mine. I was correcting misinformation.....

--K

Originally posted by metallicafreak
Ok, fixed the tuner problem. I switched tuners, then hit guide and changed channels from channel 1 that it was set at to any other station. Boom, programing there and all is well.
YEAH!!!
FREAK!

Channel 1 (001) is VOD - if it's available in your area.

Has anyone noticed audio sync problems with the 6412? On a number of my HD channels the video and audio are noticabely out of sync by a few seconds. it happens worse on some channels than others. Is that a defect with the box?

Originally posted by butlermd
Does everyone have a swap button? I just got a 6412 but my remote does not have a swap button. So, If I am watching a show and hit record, I don't seem to be able to switch to the other tuner to watch something else. Has anyone programmed this into a universal remote? I use a harmony but haven't set it up yet for this new box. Worse comes to worse I guess I'll have to back to comcast yet again! Juct call them up or go to the customer service location and pick up a remote control with swap button. They should be able to get it to you.

Originally posted by bob_vdi
OK I just got the 6412 a few hours ago (along with cable internet)
I have a silver remote and can't see a "swap" button.
How do I access the second tuner? they did not give you the correct remote. Try the button under #7....

or map it yourself on the remote.

How do I disable PPV?

I see 'IPPV' enabled by default in the Diagnostics menu, but it can't be changed.

There is no 'Purchase PIN' set, so, I assume PPV wouldn't work without it or would it?

Better yet, should I set a Purchase PIN, and then PPV wouldn't work, because nobody would enter the PIN?

Originally posted by QZ1
How do I disable PPV?
I see 'IPPV' enabled by default in the Diagnostics menu, but it can't be changed.
There is no 'Purchase PIN' set, so, I assume PPV wouldn't work without it or would it?
Better yet, should I set a Purchase PIN, and then PPV wouldn't work, because nobody would enter the PIN?

If you're worried about someone other than yourself ordering Movies n such without permission, set a PIN and dont tell anyone what it is. I'd also keep an eye on the bill online so that there are no big "suprises" when the paper bill comes.

Currently I'm using the RF coax output from my 6208 to feed an SD TV in another room.

As has been noted previously, the 6412 does not have this RF output.

So, after doing a little searching, I located the RCA CRF900 (http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/0,2588,PI700479,00.html?) and ordered one on-line for $10 plus $8 shipping.

It came in today and I hooked up three RCA cables from the 6208's RCA composite output to this little box and then connected the coax cable to the box's RF output.

Works just fine. So I'm ready for the 6412 as soon as I can get it.

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

These are all the links pertaining to the new i-Guide that I have found:

http://www.i-guide.tv/

http://www.comcast.com/MediaLibraryRoot/CM/VanityURL/documents/A23_QTC_MO_Dual_4468.pdf

http://www.comcast.com/tvgdvr/

http://www.comcast.com/newguide/

http://www.gemstartvguide.com/pressroom/display_pr.asp?prId=287

Just found these:

http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/downloads/Tan_Blue_iGuide.pdf

http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/downloads/URMD2.pdf

Hopefuly this will be helpful to some of you and to those new to this forum.

Mark

I was told by the wise CSR that I spoke to that ONDEMAND button is not supposed to work on the 6412, that if I wanted to watch a movie from on demand I would have to watch it on one of my other boxes. Right now the button on the remote doesn't do anything except go to channel one and say that channel will be available shortly and then nothing. This doesn't make sense to me. Is this the norm? Also does anyone know if they will eventually offer HD movies that way? Thanks

CSR is wrong on both accounts. I have a 6412 with OnDemand, and it works fine, and they recently added an HD on demand section as well. Have not tried an HD OnDemand movie yet. I am in a NW suburb of Chicago.

If OnDemand is available in your area of Chicago, they just need to enable it on your 6412 (a no charge account change), and then you will have a 20 minute download to update your box, and OnDemand should start working.

Keep calling till you get someone with a clue. Good luck. In my opinion the best people work during the regular work week. The weekend and evening CSRs are generally more clueless than the weekday ones.

Marc

Originally posted by tennberg
JR:

The sound from the 6412 is quite audible at 8-9 feet away. During shows with non-loud scenes (e.g., not loud action scenes), you'll hear a constant "click-click-whirr-grrr-clicka-clicka", and it is quite noticable. Sometimes, it is quite distracting.

I think I may call Comcast to mention the noise from the box and see if a swap is possible. I'd hate to have to be home during the work week *again* to have them do a simple 2 minute swap.

You should call and have them do a swap. Mine makes a little noise but is very quiet. The noise can be heard a couple of feet away with tv muted, but can't be heard at all with the volume on.
As far as waiting for them to come over during the work week, how about a Saturday or Sunday?

acaoacao, re not being able to see pixelation at 1 AM. Maybe your eyes aren't as sharp at 1AM :)

LarryJoe, on a 6412 you can record one show and watch another. Or you can record two shows that overlap but then you can't change channels.

Originally posted by Zack Allen
acaoacao, re not being able to see pixelation at 1 AM. Maybe your eyes aren't as sharp at 1AM :)


ha.. my eyes are so much weaker than before after watching so much tv. I swear, when I was having issues with the pixelation on the tv, when driving in the rain.. I must have seen it on the road as well.

Let me ask a stupid question (as in I could likely find it in the manual) ....

Should I turn off the box ever? I come from the Tivo way of doing things and of course I don't ever turn my Tivo's off. But since the cable box itself IS the PVR (I have the iGuide 6412) if I set it to record something and the box is off... will it automatically just turn on? What's the deal...

Also how long does it take to download all guide data, I have had mine for 3 hours and it still doesn't have all the data for the day but seems to have some data already for later dates. How much ahead does the guide download? 1 week? 2 weeks?

Thanks...

I was recently watching a show (live) while the other tuner in the 6412 was recording another channel. Quite oddly, when that recording finished, the 6412 powered off without any notice. I was watching the channel I was on before the other recording started.

Any idea why this happened? I would think that the 6412 would know that if I powered it on, it would stay on even if a recording finished. I'm also thinking it only powers down after a recording is done if it powered on automatically to record that show.

Originally posted by tennberg
...it only powers down after a recording is done if it powered on automatically to record that show. that's the deal. so it was probably off then powered up for recording before you started watching. maybe you didn't notice it. i've found that leaving the box Always ON is the best option. not only does it prevent what you described but also prevents the mute bug. if the HDD ever fails with time, comcast will gladly replace it for you at no extra charge, another nice thing about renting.

Originally posted by SaabCaptain
..if I set it to record something and the box is off... will it automatically just turn on?

•YES, but then it will power off after recording is done even if you've started watching TV and want it to stay on. So I'd suggest an 'always on' mode.

Also how long does it take to download all guide data, I have had mine for 3 hours and it still doesn't have all the data for the day but seems to have some data already for later dates.

•About 24hrs

How much ahead does the guide download? 1 week? 2 weeks?

•2

I am not able to get the 30-second skip feature to work. I have the sliver remote (silver on top, black on the underside, has Swap button). I have attempted the procedure listed here. The LED on the box indicates that it is receiving some sort of signal, but does nothing. This is on both a recorded show, and on a show in the buffer.

The following are the steps I followed, cut and pasted from a previous post. My comments follow an asterisk (*) on each step. Perhaps someone here can tell me if I'm doing something wrong? Step 5 is where I think something is off.

1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
* Works fine.

2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
* Blinks on button press, then three seconds later blinks two times.

3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice
* Works fine.

4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button
* Blinks on button press, as expected.

5) Type in the code 00173 (for 30 second Skip).
* There are no blinks on the button presses for the zeros, only for the one, the seven, and the three.

6) Press whatever button you want to map the skip or swap function to.
* In this case I pressed HD Zoom (also tried TV/VCR another time) and the "Cable" button emits a single, long blink.

Originally posted by SaabCaptain
Let me ask a stupid question (as in I could likely find it in the manual) ....

Should I turn off the box ever? I come from the Tivo way of doing things and of course I don't ever turn my Tivo's off.

Hi,

I'm a TiVo owner as well, and I was surprised at all the talk about the mute bug. I never even considered turning the cable box/dvr off. Because of the bug, I'd just leave it on all the time. I dubt it consumes much power, and if the drive goes bad, it's Comcast's problem - not yours (except for lost recordings, of course).

In general, leaving a HDD running all the time is better than turning it off and on. That being said, the HDD is on all the time anyway, so it makes no difference. It must go into a low power standby mode when turned 'off', as it doesn't buffer the selected channel.

Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Just leave the 6412 STB on and you avoid the mute and the power off problems.

But, I don't have mine in a bedroom where it could be a bit noisy.

Originally posted by Kaiser-Soze
If you're worried about someone other than yourself ordering Movies n such without permission, set a PIN and dont tell anyone what it is. I'd also keep an eye on the bill online so that there are no big "suprises" when the paper bill comes.
No, its just that my folks come over sometimes, and they are technologically-challenged with the PC, so I wouldn't want them to mistakenly order a PPV.

I wasn't aware that one could check one's account online, that must be something new in the last two years. With a PPV PIN set, though, it is of little use.

Unless, one can make electronic changes to Digital service online or does it still require a call?

another iGuide software advantage:
time bar much smarter than tivo's!

•red=recording in progress
•green=buffer or recorded playback
•white=buffer from a program that ended
•black line=separates start or end of recorded program and pad you manually added (impressive!)

Just got the 6412 installed in Bucks County – Philly suburb

Comcast is out of the new remotes and I got the old silver one with no “My DVR”, “Live”, “Replay” or “Swap” buttons etc.

Added “Swap” with the 00492 code

Added “30 sec skip” with the 00173 code


Now for the good part – I downloaded the codes for the 6412 to my Harmony 659 remote and got “My DVR / List”, “Replay and “Live” buttons.

Also got new buttons not seen on the Comcast remote for “Discrete Power On”, Discrete Power Off”, “Day Up” and Day Down”. (page through the guide one day at a time)

I then used the learn function of the Harmony remote to transfer the “Swap” and “Skip” buttons from the Comcast remote.

After all is said and done, my Harmony remote has all of the functions of the newest Comcast remote and then some!

Originally posted by butvinik
I disagree, I can hear harddrive activity stop everytime I turn off the unit.Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Per the 6412 manual:

"Please note the hard drive will stay on even when the DCT* is turned off."

I believe that when you leave the power on on the 6412 it continues to write to the hard drive. When it's powered off, the hard drive keeps running but obviously it doesn't write any info from any channel since the main cpu is off and no channel is displayed......

30 second skip does work with the "HD ZOOM" button once you program it to do so. Got mine working and thanks guys for posting the info on how to do it...........................

I got it to work on the new PIP remote

Guys I need a favor. I just posted that I programmed the "HD ZOOM" button to the 30 second skip. For some odd reason the wife likes to hit "ENTER" on the remote after she punches in the channel number, so to make a long story short, she wants that key back to the original command. How do I go back to making that "HD ZOOM" button the "ENTER" command again?

Originally posted by DmbFan1
Guys I need a favor. I just posted that I programmed the "HD ZOOM" button to the 30 second skip. For some odd reason the wife likes to hit "ENTER" on the remote after she punches in the channel number, so to make a long story short, she wants that key back to the original command. How do I go back to making that "HD ZOOM" button the "ENTER" command again?

1. press the device key which has the button that was moved (for you the cable button)
2. hold setup until it blinks twice then let go
3. press 994 the light blinks twice
4. press the key that you remapped twice (for you the hd/enter button)

good luck!

Thank you so much for your help. I'll program the skip on the "TV/VCR" Input button.......

Thanks Again

BullittMustang,

I tried what you posted and it cleared the "30 Sec-Skip" function BUT the "HD-ZOOM" Enter key now does nothing. "ENTER" still won't work. I guess I need a code for it to default back to "ENTER"

Originally posted by DmbFan1
BullittMustang,

I tried what you posted and it cleared the "30 Sec-Skip" function BUT the "HD-ZOOM" Enter key now does nothing. "ENTER" still won't work. I guess I need a code for it to default back to "ENTER"

It is normal for it to do nothing..mine doesn't either.
The enter code is 00082 try to remap it with that and use the same steps you used to set up your 30 skip except use 00082 instead

BullittMustang,

Thanks for your help. Got it to work as the "ENTER" key once again...


Thanks Again......



antttttt

My enter/ hd zoom button doesn't do anything either from the factory setting. I think they were planning to use the hd zoom function of it but that isn't activated yet. Maybe I will remap mine with the enter code too.

I've tried to do an impromptu recording on my 6412 by simply holding down the "record" button, but it brings up a screen for me to enter the time I want to do a manual recording.

With the 6208 and previous guide, I could simply hold down the Record button to record something that caught my eye and wanted to save to disk. However, that does not seem possible with the 6412/iGuide combo. Am I doing something wrong here? I found this feature to be nice with the 6208/previous guide.

one-touch recording has not changed with the 6412, hitting record will begin recording current program immediately and any available buffer associated with it. maybe you're pressing it too long.

I called cs to ask for an install of the dual recorder, figured I wouldn't confuse them with model numbers. She said no problem and that someone would be out today. The installer comes and tells me that the dual tuner is not available in my town! Ugh! Comcast needs to get thier act together! I am gonna call again on Monday because they are poping up all over Massachusetts.
Disappointed in Walpole

The good news: got my 6412 yesterday replacing the 6208 and thanks to this thread I mapped the 30 sec, swap and mute commands to my Harmony before they got here using the 6208 remote. They did bring the new remote and it had swap, pip, etc. Thanks to the Harmony, the Comcast remote is in it's usual place, the closet with batteries removed.

The bad news is the box I got rebooted a lot during day one. The reboots always happened when I was clicking around in iGuide, causing a new fresh download to start. Rebooted at least 10 times in 4 hours of use. I called and have an appointment, but although I think this is a bug and should not be happening, I am guessing that the software crashes because the box is trying to download a large initial file and can not handle multitasking. Kind of like Windows, when trying to enode video (or something demanding like this) and the OS becomes fragile if you try to do something else. I left the box alone and watched DVD's the rest of the day to try to let it complete the iguide update. I think I have read where others had this problem on day 1 and all was fine on day 2. Can anyone comment on day 1 reboots? So far so good for my day 2, but it has only been an hour.

Another thing I tried to do was trace the settings I changed from default and the only thing I think could be a possible problem was with audio. With my prior boxes, I set audio to Advanced, Heavy Compression and Matrix. I have no idea was this does, but things sounded better in the past with these settings. I set it back to default TV Speaker, but does anyone know what the former settings do?

Don't get me worng, this should not be happening, but these suckers are getting to be similar to PC's in terms of hardware and OS and maybe they can't handle too much at once??

Originally posted by JCJ

Also got new buttons not seen on the Comcast remote for “Discrete Power On”, Discrete Power Off”,

This is the first I have heard of discrete codes for on and off. Can you post them in Pronto format?

Originally posted by CKarras
This is the first I have heard of discrete codes for on and off. Can you post them in Pronto format?

Sorry - the codes from Harmony's online database load directly to the remote so I don't have access to the files.

I have them downloaded onto my harmony as well. Not sure if they are actually discreet, they probably are both the same and act as a power toggle. Remember the harmony database can include user submitted codes and maps.

When I manually set a recording, I have problems advancing the "to" time. It stops a lot while I hold down the remote button and takes many tries before I can advance it several hours ahead.

Does anyone have this problem besides me?

Thanks,

Rich N.

Originally posted by tennberg
I've tried to do an impromptu recording on my 6412 by simply holding down the "record" button, but it brings up a screen for me to enter the time I want to do a manual recording.



tennberg

I've seen this issue a few times, the box did not get the proper software. Cll in and have them send you a Hit. That should take care of it.

Originally posted by LarryJoe
The bad news is the box I got rebooted a lot during day one. The reboots always happened when I was clicking around in iGuide, causing a new fresh download to start. Rebooted at least 10 times in 4 hours of use. I called and have an appointment, but although I think this is a bug and should not be happening, I am guessing that the software crashes because the box is trying to download a large initial file and can not handle multitasking. Kind of like Windows, when trying to enode video (or something demanding like this) and the OS becomes fragile if you try to do something else. I left the box alone and watched DVD's the rest of the day to try to let it complete the iguide update. I think I have read where others had this problem on day 1 and all was fine on day 2. Can anyone comment on day 1 reboots? So far so good for my day 2, but it has only been an hour.Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

My 6412/i-Guide combo has not rebooted at all. The only thing I can suggest is to keep it well ventilated and not in a closed cabinet. If it is well ventilated then you may want to schedule a swap with the appointment you made. It could be defective.

Hi,

I've got a Harmon Kardon AVR-525 reciever. I can't get any of the HK remote codes to work with the remote (6208 or 6412). I've also tried the code search command for about 20 nimutes with no success. Anybody have any solutions?

Originally posted by JCJ
Sorry - the codes from Harmony's online database load directly to the remote so I don't have access to the files. JCJ, I've had my Harmony remote for a while now. I see there are a number of 6412 options listed in their database. Have you tried them all? Do any of them have the 30sec skip option?

Anyone got the poop on external harddrive support? We need it badly.

On a few of the lower Digital SD channels, when selected, it will appear, but, sometimes the previous channel has a partial tiling effect over it, and disappears in a second.

On some, it is more likely when channel surfing quickly. And some always tile when surfing SD. It is only a slight annoyance. What is the cause of this?

When changing from HD to Digital SD (or HD to HD), none of them tile.

my box is still rebotting like crazy, must be a bad one. Now I face the possibility of a tech coming out and not bringing a 6412. I don't get that policy, I could make an appointment for a 6412, but with the upcoming service appointment tues, they "can't garrentee equipment".

Originally posted by DaveFi
JCJ, I've had my Harmony remote for a while now. I see there are a number of 6412 options listed in their database. Have you tried them all? Do any of them have the 30sec skip option? The 30-second Skip is called "Advance" in the harmony database. "List" is MY DVR.

Originally posted by BullittMustang
My enter/ hd zoom button doesn't do anything either from the factory setting. I think they were planning to use the hd zoom function of it but that isn't activated yet. Maybe I will remap mine with the enter code too.

does anyone know what this "hd zoom" button is for, or why they have it labled this? i hope this is a future update because i would love to stretch the hd channels not broadcasting in widescreen, with the bars on the side. i rather watch the digital hd channels with the bars than the local analog channels that look like crap, but i want the picture to fill the screen and not have a potential "burn in" problem from the bars on the sides. the 811 reciever from dishnetwork has the hd zoom button and it stretches hd channels. my hitachi tv only stretches sd channels not the hd channels.

Originally posted by tall1
The 30-second Skip is called "Advance" in the harmony database. "List" is MY DVR.

I have tried two Harmony database profiles: "DCT-6412" and "DCT-6412/2005" and neither had Advance or List. There appear to be numerous other duplicate profiles using slight variations of the 6412's ID.

Can you please look up the name of the 6412 in your Harmony profile and post that, then I can get the right one to use the 30 second skip feature on my Harmony 680. Thanks!

Anyone had problems with just ONE of the tuners not displaying your HD channels?

I was without abc-hd + wgn-hd (187 + 192 - Kankakee County, IL) for 1/2 a week on BOTH tuners.
Came home today at noon, and 187 + 192 almost worked (some pixels and sound problems). Just before cable guy showed up only one tuner was acting up.
Cable guy replaced external connections and everything seemed fine.
A few hours later and 2nd tuner is all screwed up again. 187 + 192 lots of pixels and bad sound - ALL channels in-between NOT working at all! 1st tuner seems fine...
ARRRGHHH
Bad timing to schedule more cable guy trips (holiday and going out of town Wed).

Do I have a bad box? Cable guy said the gain was turned up way high for our part of the park we live in.
3 external splits.
DVR's cable is split to DVR and VCR using comcast spliter and one comcast cable to dvr...

Tips? Suggestions? Manual way to "reboot" my own box?

also I noticed an error here in Chicago on my new 6412 guide. it has all the inHD and inHD2 listings off by an hour, shows that begin at 9:30 am are listed at 8:30 in the guide and so forth. do errors like this get corrected on the fly when TV Guide catches their error and updates it, or do i need to "reset" the box or guide somehow? my old Tivo when it would check in daily would correct the guide if necessary including updating last minute time changes etc. Does the 6412 do this? anyone have my problem in Chicago?

No one responded to my message about not being able to program the 30 second skip into the remote. :(
I believe that the remote is defective. The zero button is dead on it, which is why I was not able to enter the code. Also, button presses of the seven key actually transmits 1. So pressing seven, seven sends me to channel 11.

Anyway, one of the tuners is having issues. It is the tuner that doesn't display the audio logo. It doesn't do buffer recording. I.E. pressing pause does not pause, even though the flip bar comes up and says I'm pausing.

Also, two programs where recorded, but when I tried to select them to view them the only option that came up was whether to delete them or not. :confused:

I currently have the 5100 cable box and pay 10$ a month for it to get local hdtv since all i subscribe to is hdtv basic 2 - 29. could i get the 6212 for the same price of 9.95 or do they require a digital package with the 6212

Originally posted by LarryJoe
The good news: got my 6412 yesterday replacing the 6208 and thanks to this thread I mapped the 30 sec, swap and mute commands to my Harmony before they got here using the 6208 remote. They did bring the new remote and it had swap, pip, etc. Thanks to the Harmony, the Comcast remote is in it's usual place, the closet with batteries removed.

The bad news is the box I got rebooted a lot during day one. The reboots always happened when I was clicking around in iGuide, causing a new fresh download to start. Rebooted at least 10 times in 4 hours of use. I called and have an appointment, but although I think this is a bug and should not be happening, I am guessing that the software crashes because the box is trying to download a large initial file and can not handle multitasking. Kind of like Windows, when trying to enode video (or something demanding like this) and the OS becomes fragile if you try to do something else. I left the box alone and watched DVD's the rest of the day to try to let it complete the iguide update. I think I have read where others had this problem on day 1 and all was fine on day 2. Can anyone comment on day 1 reboots? So far so good for my day 2, but it has only been an hour.

Another thing I tried to do was trace the settings I changed from default and the only thing I think could be a possible problem was with audio. With my prior boxes, I set audio to Advanced, Heavy Compression and Matrix. I have no idea was this does, but things sounded better in the past with these settings. I set it back to default TV Speaker, but does anyone know what the former settings do?

Don't get me worng, this should not be happening, but these suckers are getting to be similar to PC's in terms of hardware and OS and maybe they can't handle too much at once??

I have been getting the same problem, only seems to happen when I am scrolling around quickly in the iguide. Was much worse the first couple of days, only happened once today. I also have a Harmony remote.I don't have a clue what is causing this. I will be giving Comcast a call tomorrow when I can talk to the day shift to see what they think.

Originally posted by SaabCaptain
I have tried two Harmony database profiles: "DCT-6412" and "DCT-6412/2005" and neither had Advance or List. There appear to be numerous other duplicate profiles using slight variations of the 6412's ID.

Can you please look up the name of the 6412 in your Harmony profile and post that, then I can get the right one to use the 30 second skip feature on my Harmony 680. Thanks! I used 6412/2000

Originally posted by brotker
I have been getting the same problem, only seems to happen when I am scrolling around quickly in the iguide. Was much worse the first couple of days, only happened once today. I also have a Harmony remote.I don't have a clue what is causing this. I will be giving Comcast a call tomorrow when I can talk to the day shift to see what they think.

Yesterday was day two and it remained the same, if not worse. It actualy rebooted once when just changing channels. I hear you on the weekend staff. I called about 4 times over the weekend and one was more clueless than the next. The last person actually tried to flash the box, and called me back later in the day to see if it worked. She was actually decent.

Post back here if you hear anything. I am done calling and will wait for my service call tomorrow.

Originally posted by proudx
I currently have the 5100 cable box and pay 10$ a month for it to get local hdtv since all i subscribe to is hdtv basic 2 - 29. could i get the 6212 for the same price of 9.95 or do they require a digital package with the 6212

In most (if not all) areas, Comcast requires a subscription to a digital cable package in order to get the dvr..

EDIT: it's too early on a monday to make sense

Originally posted by DaveFi
JCJ, I've had my Harmony remote for a while now. I see there are a number of 6412 options listed in their database. Have you tried them all? Do any of them have the 30sec skip option?

Anyone got the poop on external harddrive support? We need it badly.

What is the deal with the harmony database ? I have two 659 remotes under two different accounts. I added 30-skip to one account and expect to see it as an option on the other account but did not. BTW - Both accounts have the device name, "dct-6412".

Ok - This one has me a bit perplexed. Any help would be appreciated.

I want to record the HD version of a show (i.e., Survivor). When do a lookup by title, it only shows Survivor on the non-HD station (CBS = 4 here in Boston, HD CBS = 804). How do I get it do record the HD version?

The one way I was able to figure this out is to sift through the grid listing and find Survivor on 804, then hit record.

I want to be able to use the other search features, but they rule out the ability to record HD. Suggestions?

John

What I do is hit OK on the non-HD version, then go to "Times" for other showings and the HD shows up there. I agree, this could be better done, but that's the easiest way I've found.

Originally posted by jsheldon_us
Ok - This one has me a bit perplexed. Any help would be appreciated.

I want to record the HD version of a show (i.e., Survivor). When do a lookup by title, it only shows Survivor on the non-HD station (CBS = 4 here in Boston, HD CBS = 804). How do I get it do record the HD version?

The one way I was able to figure this out is to sift through the grid listing and find Survivor on 804, then hit record.

I want to be able to use the other search features, but they rule out the ability to record HD. Suggestions?

John

FYI: Survivor MIGHT be shown on a HI-Def channel, but it was NOT recorded in Hi-Def (not yet anyways).

Originally posted by jsheldon_us
Ok - This one has me a bit perplexed. Any help would be appreciated.

I want to record the HD version of a show (i.e., Survivor). When do a lookup by title, it only shows Survivor on the non-HD station (CBS = 4 here in Boston, HD CBS = 804). How do I get it do record the HD version?

The one way I was able to figure this out is to sift through the grid listing and find Survivor on 804, then hit record.

I want to be able to use the other search features, but they rule out the ability to record HD. Suggestions?

John

FYI: Survivor MIGHT be shown on a HI-Def channel, but it was NOT recorded in Hi-Def (not yet anyways).

iGuide(nor any IPG that i know of) does not indicate whether a particular program will be broadcast in HD. for that info go to titantv or hdtvgalaxy or check the network's programming web page. all iGuide can show you is programming airing on an 'HD channel' but not whether a program itself is HD, and Survivor is good old 480i.

While many comcast reps tell you you must have digital cable for the dvrs, this is apparently incorrect. There are at least two people posting in the Nashville Comcast thread who have just limited basic service and are using the 6412 with no problems (I'm one of them). When I picked the 6412 up at the main Nashville service center I did get hassled about this, but they eventually gave it to me.

It seems like many of the comcast reps don't realize that there are multiple hdtv channels available to limited basic customers.

I'm basically using this as a stopgap measure to record hdtv while I see if Dish network ever comes up with a compelling hdtv product that is cheap and actually works. I already was "forced" to subscribe to limited basic to save $3 a month on my total comcast bill because of their annoying Internet pricing. So adding the DVR is a lot cheaper for me than buying hdtv service from Dish network.

Originally posted by MarcL
CSR is wrong on both accounts. I have a 6412 with OnDemand, and it works fine, and they recently added an HD on demand section as well. Have not tried an HD OnDemand movie yet. I am in a NW suburb of Chicago.

If OnDemand is available in your area of Chicago, they just need to enable it on your 6412 (a no charge account change), and then you will have a 20 minute download to update your box, and OnDemand should start working.

Keep calling till you get someone with a clue. Good luck. In my opinion the best people work during the regular work week. The weekend and evening CSRs are generally more clueless than the weekday ones.

Marc

CSR not necessarily wrong. I'm in Elk Grove Village and the VOD "expert" told me that there is a problem with the dual tuners and the signal coming out of Rolling Meadows that isn't allowing VOD to work. Motorolla is trying to come up with a "fix".

Just got the 6412 on Friday....after some initial problems getting it running, it works great so far. Love the new guide. One thing I have noticed though is that possibly the % of hard drive space used meter may be wrong? These units have a 120GB hard drive. The previous DVR had a 60GB drive. My understanding of the 60GB capacity was 7 hours of HD programming or 30 hours of SD. That would mean that the 6412 with thus hold 14 hours of HD and 60 hours of SD, right? Well, I recently recorded a 30 minute show in HD and on the MY DVR screen it showed that I'd used up 7% of the hard drive with that recording. Can that possibly be right? Following that logic a 1-hour show would eat up 14% of the drive which would mean that the new 120GB drives will only hold 7 hours of HD which is the same as the previous 60GB drives! What the?? Anyone else noticed this? Is it possibe that the "% Full" meter is not accurate?

I think there's somehthing wrong with that, too, Murphy...

I recorded, as a test about 2 minutes of a HD program on INHD... and it said it took up 4%. Then I recorded two different 1/2 hour shows, and that said 7% (they were digital, though it takes up less space)... but still the numbers aren't adding up.

the amount of space taken up has part to do with the type of program (480,720, 1080), part compression of the channel/program being delivered down the wire, part sound encoding of the channel, and part vodoo.

thus a 1 hour show on one channel may take up more space than a 1 hour show on another channel.

with a mix of channels and shows, I have achieved about 75% full with over 10 hours of saved programming. I delete 2 hours of Amazing race, 24% drops off, I delete a 2 hour movie, 19% drops off....hence the vodoo math being added into the equation above.

also, the hard drive is partitioned. 120G TOTAL space, 2 gigs for this, 4 gigs for that, DVR space is around 110G if i recall correctly....the status screen will tell you exactly how much space you have available for programming.

good answer hibs99.

The 6208 also had an 80 gig drive not 60.

6208 = 80 GB
6412 = 120 GB

Now lets get working on the 6425 = 250 GB

Originally posted by MarcL
...Now lets get working on the 6425 = 250 GB nah, baby steps. i'm ready for the planned external HDD option instead. ;)

I just got the Comcast DCT-6412 in the Philadelphia area yesterday. I got 2 boxes. One is hooked up to my HDTV, HT system, etc. and works like a charm. Just need to program in the 30-sec skip and Swap to my Harmony H688.

Here's my question: my other DCT-6412 is in my bedroom. It's connected to an older Zenith TV via the Red-White-Yellow RCA video input. I've connected my older Philips DVD player's Red-White-Yellow out to the Red-White-Yellow A/V In on the DCT-6412, however, when I turn on the DVD player the signal doesn't feed to the TV. Any thoughts on what I need to do for this to work. I'd prefere not to have to hook up my VCR to the TV since the purpose was to put the VCR's out of commission with the 6412's. I know I need a better TV in my bedroom, but I need a workaround for the time being. Any thoughts?

6412 crash/reboots:
Several people have said they have this issue. Every few remote keypresses causes my 6412 to reboot. I am using the DVI port.

Will returning it work, or are all 6412s nonfunctional with DVI??

Got my box today- Says 6412/2005 on the bottom.

Bootloader 04.01
Firmware 9.12
S/W Ver- 71.44.1203

I already got it to reboot- some issues with Firewire I think. Swaping tuners with firewire to my JVC 30K DVHS got it to reboot.

Originally posted by spearse
6412 crash/reboots:
Several people have said they have this issue. Every few remote keypresses causes my 6412 to reboot. I am using the DVI port.

Will returning it work, or are all 6412s nonfunctional with DVI??

When I had this issue, I had to return it. There appears to be little they can do remotely.

John

Originally posted by bob_vdi
FYI: Survivor MIGHT be shown on a HI-Def channel, but it was NOT recorded in Hi-Def (not yet anyways).

Ok, so I picked a bad example, but the issue is not... how do I find HD programming (in general), it is how do I get the iGuide to let me find the HD stations when I search for programs that are on multiple stations like CBS-5 and CBS-805.

John

Originally posted by jsheldon_us
Ok, so I picked a bad example, but the issue is not... how do I find HD programming (in general), it is how do I get the iGuide to let me find the HD stations when I search for programs that are on multiple stations like CBS-5 and CBS-805.

John

Guide, Guide, Arrow over to HD icon, select by channel or time.
These appear to be the shows LISTED as high def.
I haven't done much "show searching" by title so my help is limited.

Originally posted by bob_vdi
Anyone had problems with just ONE of the tuners not displaying your HD channels?

I was without abc-hd + wgn-hd (187 + 192 - Kankakee County, IL) for 1/2 a week on BOTH tuners.
Came home today at noon, and 187 + 192 almost worked (some pixels and sound problems). Just before cable guy showed up only one tuner was acting up.
Cable guy replaced external connections and everything seemed fine.
A few hours later and 2nd tuner is all screwed up again. 187 + 192 lots of pixels and bad sound - ALL channels in-between NOT working at all! 1st tuner seems fine...
ARRRGHHH
Bad timing to schedule more cable guy trips (holiday and going out of town Wed).

Do I have a bad box? Cable guy said the gain was turned up way high for our part of the park we live in.
3 external splits.
DVR's cable is split to DVR and VCR using comcast spliter and one comcast cable to dvr...

Tips? Suggestions? Manual way to "reboot" my own box?

Anyone?

Is there a better topic/forum to post specific problems that might be related to the box/cable company and not the software used?

Originally posted by bob_vdi
Anyone?

Is there a better topic/forum to post specific problems that might be related to the box/cable company and not the software used? Try here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=455705&perpage=20&pagenumber=1)

I just got the 6412 installed, and fear I have the wrong remote. I was given a new remote with a "My DVR" button on it, but I don't see a swap button. Is that the old remote?

The tech. displayed a menu with the signal strength listed, but I can't find it now; it is not in the diagnostics menu, AFAICT. Where is this menu?

To anybody who knows:

1. Is the hard drive in a 6412 the same type that is used in a desktop PC?

2. In what format is the data saved?

Originally posted by jimb408
CSR not necessarily wrong. I'm in Elk Grove Village and the VOD "expert" told me that there is a problem with the dual tuners and the signal coming out of Rolling Meadows that isn't allowing VOD to work. Motorolla is trying to come up with a "fix".

That would explain why I can get ONDEMAND on the other boxes in the house but not the 6412. Today the CSR told me that it wasn't available in my area and that's why I cant get it on the 6412 and that I am lucky that I can get it on the other boxes. I've been here just over a year and used the ONDEMAND more than a few time before I got the 6412, maybe I should be able to order movies without paying for them if it's not available in my area yet.

Originally posted by kevev99
I've connected my older Philips DVD player's Red-White-Yellow out to the Red-White-Yellow A/V In on the DCT-6412, however, when I turn on the DVD player the signal doesn't feed to the TV.

I do not believe the RCA inputs on the STB are active.

Originally posted by avic
nah, baby steps. i'm ready for the planned external HDD option instead. ;)

Avic: Agree. What about the Maxtor Quickview Expander mentioned here several months ago and described at http://www4.maxtor.com/en/products/ata/consumer_electronics/forms/quickview_info_req.cfm ?

In addition, note that Maxtor currently has a 300 GB hard drive.

Originally posted by one028
i would love to stretch the hd channels not broadcasting in widescreen, with the bars on the side. i rather watch the digital hd channels with the bars than the local analog channels that look like crap, but i want the picture to fill the screen and not have a potential "burn in" problem from the bars on the sides. my hitachi tv only stretches sd channels not the hd channels. Two comments:
1) The 6412 box has a 4:3 override "stretch" mode that will automatically stretch standard definition programs to widescreen. Unfortunately, the stretch is just a linear expansion, rather than the more intelligent style of expansion built into most HDTVs, where the central portion of the screen remains normal and only the edges are streatch. The 6208 did not have such a stretch feature.

2) On my JVC HDTV (native 720p), if I set the 6412's output to 720p, the TV cannot stretch HD channel programs that are broadcast in 4:3, so I'm stuck with the side bars. However, if I set the 6412's output to 1080i, the TV set can stretch it. Not sure why, but it works. You might try making a similar change.

Both of these settings are accessed by pressing Menu when the 6412's power is OFF.

Originally posted by spearse
6412 crash/reboots:
Several people have said they have this issue. Every few remote keypresses causes my 6412 to reboot. I am using the DVI port.

Will returning it work, or are all 6412s nonfunctional with DVI??

The same thing happened to me twice on the first day my 6412 was installed. I believe the box was busy downloading programming and just couldn't handle all the other activity. My box has been installed for almost 4 weeks and no more reboots :p

Originally posted by Jimbo Moran
I do not believe the RCA inputs on the STB are active.

Is there any way to activate the inputs if they are disabled? If not, I'm going to have to reconnect my VCR.

How loud should the harddrive be? It's louder than my PC fan, which is pretty loud.

The scritch, scritch, scritch will be louder than my late night audio level.

Originally posted by DaveFi
How loud should the harddrive be? It's louder than my PC fan, which is pretty loud. Mine is much quieter than my PC fan, and even quieter than my PC's hard drive alone. I still wish, though, that there was a way to get it to stop buffering 24/7/365. Turning the power off won't work for me unless I have discrete on/off power codes for remote control.

I think I got a bad one. Every so often I get pixelation, like the harddrive is trying to catch up.

I guess I'll wait a while and see.

Originally posted by stevehof
Turning the power off won't work for me unless I have discrete on/off power codes for remote control. By the way, I forgot to mention that with a macro-capable remote, you can actually program sequences that will emulate discrete on/off.

Because the Moto boxes go into a special settings mode when you press Menu if the unit is off, a discrete off sequence is simply Menu, Power. Thus, a discrete on sequence is Menu, Power, Power. This subjects the box to many more on/off cycles than it needs to go through, but it works. And I don't know if the box rewrites flash memory every time you go out of the settings mode. Who knows what that would do after a few thousand cycles. On the other hand, if the box dies, Comcast gives you a new one...:)

Originally posted by DaveFi
How loud should the harddrive be? It's louder than my PC fan, which is pretty loud.

The scritch, scritch, scritch will be louder than my late night audio level.

DaveFi:

Medford, MA here.

The 6412 I got seems to have finally resolved the SERIOUS pixelation problems I was having across all HD channels. Since I got it about a week ago, I have not had any pixelation beyond 1-2 squares on a program.

As for the noise, you and I must have gotten ours from the same batch. When watching TV at night, the click-grr-whirr-click of the hard drive is louder than the TV audio and alltogether distracting. I'm going to set up a time for Comcast to swap it with another 6412 to see if that resolves the issue. Many people have noted how much quiter the 6412 is than the 6208 or even their own computer's HD (and mine is very quiet).

Originally posted by Murphy5156
One thing I have noticed though is that possibly the % of hard drive space used meter may be wrong? These units have a 120GB hard drive. … Well, I recently recorded a 30 minute show in HD and on the MY DVR screen it showed that I'd used up 7% of the hard drive with that recording. Can that possibly be right? Following that logic a 1-hour show would eat up 14% of the drive which would mean that the new 120GB drives will only hold 7 hours of HD… What the?? Anyone else noticed this? Is it possibe that the "% Full" meter is not accurate?This has been noticed in the "Portland, OR - Comcast" (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4644585#post4644585) thread, though numbers there seemed to indicate even less storage - about 5 hours - closer to 40 gigs. Now we know that can't possibly be right… right? *shrug*

Originally posted by hibs99
the amount of space taken up has part to do with the type of program (480,720, 1080), part compression of the channel/program being delivered down the wire, part sound encoding of the channel, and part vodoo.

thus a 1 hour show on one channel may take up more space than a 1 hour show on another channel.But with the numbers thus far quoted, those recordings would be well in excess of the ATSC spec, assuming again a 120 billion-byte (about 114.45-gig) hard drive. At 19.363mbps, that'd be ~8.5 gigs per hour. That's close to 13.5 hours, bare minimum (ignoring whatever OS/database files are stored, which should be relatively insignificant).

I only see two possibilities with this… 1. The % figure is all wrong, which I find exceedingly difficult to believe, unless the file system is completely incompetant at keeping track of free space… or 2. a rather sizable chunk of the drive has been reserved for push content. This has been a known possibility for some time, but if they're truly taking ½ or more of the drive, the quoted "available recording space" estimate should be classified as false advertising.

Originally posted by Moorebid
[B..."estimate should be classified as false advertising. [/B]

Additional explanations might be: 1) the space required to buffer live broadcasts; 2) hard drives that are in constant use adding and deleting content become fragmented and are not 100% efficent for storage, there just may be a required overhead to deal with this; 3) program data and software may be on the disc also; 4) the operating system may be using disc space to operate the device.

Originally posted by spearse
6412 crash/reboots:
Several people have said they have this issue. Every few remote keypresses causes my 6412 to reboot. I am using the DVI port.

Will returning it work, or are all 6412s nonfunctional with DVI??

I have mine hooked up DVi as well and it is rebooting constantly. Going on Day four and they replacing it today. Curious on the relationship between DVI and this, if any. 6208 worke fine for me. Keep you posted.

Originally posted by LarryJoe
I have mine hooked up DVi as well and it is rebooting constantly. Going on Day four and they replacing it today. Curious on the relationship between DVI and this, if any. 6208 worke fine for me. Keep you posted.

I have DVI set up & do not have a problem. I AM getting the mute bug though. Turning on my TV while the box is recording seems to do it every time. Has anyone heard of planned fixes to known bugs?

I did not have prior experience with a 6208 but agree the 6412 is fairly noisy when left in an open space. I had Tivo for years and the thing did not make a peep.

Originally posted by DaveFi
How loud should the harddrive be? It's louder than my PC fan, which is pretty loud.

The scritch, scritch, scritch will be louder than my late night audio level.

I got my 6412 yesterday. There must be a wide variation in these drives as mine is extremely quiet. I have to snuggle up and put my ear on it to hear any noise at all. I will count myself as lucky.:)

Originally posted by kevev99
Is there any way to activate the inputs if they are disabled? If not, I'm going to have to reconnect my VCR. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

All the inputs and outputs (functional or not) are controlled by the Firmware on the STB. Currently the FW version is 9.12 and in that version the front RCA inputs are disabled.

Originally posted by DaveFi
How loud should the harddrive be? It's louder than my PC fan, which is pretty loud.

The scritch, scritch, scritch will be louder than my late night audio level. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Mine is pretty quiet. I'd swap it out for a new one.

Originally posted by spearse
6412 crash/reboots:
Several people have said they have this issue. Every few remote keypresses causes my 6412 to reboot. I am using the DVI port.

Will returning it work, or are all 6412s nonfunctional with DVI??

I only use DVI and my box rebooted often. I called and described the problem and had it swapped out and have had no problems since.

Originally posted by kevev99
Is there any way to activate the inputs if they are disabled? If not, I'm going to have to reconnect my VCR.

you could just pick up one of these until you get a new tv...
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F003%5F010%5F011%5F000&product%5Fid=15%2D1982

assuming the inputs are not active or "activateable"

Originally posted by butlermd
you could just pick up one of these until you get a new tv...
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F003%5F010%5F011%5F000&product%5Fid=15%2D1982

assuming the inputs are not active or "activateable" Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Personally, I'd go with this one (I have it).

http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=sonsbv55a

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

All the inputs and outputs (functional or not) are controlled by the Firmware on the STB. Currently the FW version is 9.12 and in that version the front RCA inputs are disabled.

If the front RCA inputs are disabled does that mean the rear are as well? I have the DVD connected to the rear RCA inputs. Just curious.

Also, where do you find out the details on what is/isn't active based on the FW versions?

Originally posted by butlermd
you could just pick up one of these until you get a new tv...

assuming the inputs are not active or "activateable"

Thanks for the suggestion, but in that instance I'd rather reconnect the VCR than spend money on an A/B switch.

Originally posted by kevev99
If the front RCA inputs are disabled does that mean the rear are as well? I have the DVD connected to the rear RCA inputs. Just curious.

Also, where do you find out the details on what is/isn't active based on the FW versions? Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Sorry for the confusion. Check this link http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/downloads/URMD2.pdf and see page 8 of the document.

Had the new 6412 installed by Comcast in Atlanta on Saturday. Had a problem with receiving the premium channels until I called Comcast support and had the serial number of the 6412 entered into my account. (evidently the installer did not do this.)

Now everything works fine. Love the 6412 and the new software.

I have a question about the new i-Guide software.

If you look at the inside i-Guide User's Reference Manual on page 12 of the manual "Your Access to Digital Cable" at the bottom graphic it shows the "Favorites" icon on the "Quick Access" menu.

When I access this menu, mine says "Quick Access Menu" and does not have the icon for the "Favorites" shown. I have already selected my Favorites in the setup program and want to add the icon to this menu. Does anyone know how to do this? Is it even possible or do I have a different version of the software? According to the Review Configuration screen in the Cable Box Setup Menu, I have S/W Ver:71.44-1203 and Firmware:09.12.

Originally posted by billo4357
I have a question about the new i-Guide software.

If you look at the inside i-Guide User's Reference Manual on page 12 of the manual "Your Access to Digital Cable" at the bottom graphic it shows the "Favorites" icon on the "Quick Access" menu.

When I access this menu, mine says "Quick Access Menu" and does not have the icon for the "Favorites" shown. I have already selected my Favorites in the setup program and want to add the icon to this menu. Does anyone know how to do this? Is it even possible or do I have a different version of the software? According to the Review Configuration screen in the Cable Box Setup Menu, I have S/W Ver:71.44-1203 and Firmware:09.12. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

The i-Guide's icons are completely customizable by your local MSO only. The icons (such as Favorites) can be added or deleted. They can also change the order from left to right as they appear.

Unfortunately, there is no user ability to change this. Maybe a call to your local office to offer a suggestion. ;)

The "i-Guide User's Reference Manual" should be used as more of an overview and not what you should see, exactly.

Well, they came to replace my rebooting 6412 and did not bring another one. How frustrating! Comcast is either really good at customer service or they really suck. I must have called 5 times telling them to make sure the tech brings a 6412.

Got a 6412 from Comcast here in Atlanta last week. Had the sporadic reboot problem upon pressing random keys on remote or unit itself. They came out to replace the unit, bringing only a unit and no cables or remote, which is good practice. Unfortunately, the new unit shows video for only a second if the DVI is hooked up before going to black (but keeps audio). The guy didn't have another unit, but said he would bring one by first thing in the morning without me having to make another appointment. I said he should bring more than one unit each time. He agreed, but apparently isn't allowed.

Have any of you noticed any pq improvement on non-hdtv channels, including the digital channels that are not hdtv?

Originally posted by jayfoster
Have any of you noticed any pq improvement on non-hdtv channels, including the digital channels that are not hdtv? None. In fact, the analog stuff looks even worse because it's being passed through the mpeg encoder. Didn't think it could look much worse, but it does.

Without having to go back through this long thread, any way to display the program guide full screen? I don't like the little video window on top.

Also, I'm hoping they implement the guide for 16:9 display. There is no reason why they couldn't.

Originally posted by DaveFi
None. In fact, the analog stuff looks even worse because it's being passed through the mpeg encoder. Didn't think it could look much worse, but it does.

Without having to go back through this long thread, any way to display the program guide full screen? I don't like the little video window on top.

Also, I'm hoping they implement the guide for 16:9 display. There is no reason why they couldn't.

Re: the video window: I guess you're the odd one out on this one. I think everyone else likes seeing the channel currently tuned to while surfing the guide. In fact that is being touted as one of the major upgrades.

tim

I don't like the video window because I want to see more program info. If it used the whole 16:9 real-estate it would make things better.

I usually like seeing the little video window, except when the 6412 is recording a show for me on the current channel that I don't want to watch yet. I hate seeing spoilers for something I haven't seen yet. It is actually nice on my Dish Network DVR508 model that when you go to the screen listing your recorded shows that the video window goes away. That way you can pick something to watch without having to see spoilers for whatever it is currently recording.

Originally posted by mr2828
I usually like seeing the little video window, except when the 6412 is recording a show for me on the current channel that I don't want to watch yet. I hate seeing spoilers for something I haven't seen yet. It is actually nice on my Dish Network DVR508 model that when you go to the screen listing your recorded shows that the video window goes away. That way you can pick something to watch without having to see spoilers for whatever it is currently recording. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Great feature. Maybe we can contact TV Guide and let them know our i-Guide suggestions.

Gemstar-TV Guide
(212) 626-2564

Worth a try, right?

Originally posted by nielloeb
Got a 6412 from Comcast here in Atlanta last week. Had the sporadic reboot problem upon pressing random keys on remote or unit itself. They came out to replace the unit, bringing only a unit and no cables or remote, which is good practice.
I had the same problem, the second tech told me to just let it sit there for a bit if it turns off, it's "taking a hit" from Comcast, and turning it back on stops this process. It happened quite a few times, and he said if it takes too many "hits" it could fry the box. That should be something the CSR and first install tech should tell everyone, given the cost of these units.

Has anyone figured out how to set the reminders? I don't always want to record something, and I usually set quite a few reminders during the week (or I did with the old HD box). Thanks! :)

Originally posted by mck024
I programmed the code 141 to an unused button my JP1 remote. This is the code for MUTE on the 6412. This way I am able to "un-mute" the box until they fix this bug. This was the first thing I noticed when I observed my first experiment tonight for my newly installed 6412 which appeared today. I didn't know if the box had to be left powered on to operate in "timer mode" (as the 6200 did) or if it was now smart enough to turn itself on and off when needed.

Sure enough, it can now turn itself on. Interestingly, the last station tuned to is what appears, even while the recording of a second channel is going on in the background.

However I, too, was baffled to see the word "mute" across the top of the screen when I checked to see what was happening. So I was watching the last station tuned to, with no sound, while the recorder was quietly chugging along doing what it was supposed to do from the second tuner.

I couldn't figure out how to get rid of "mute" so I had to cancel the recording (it was just a test anyway). But your tip is of great value.

Of course, the easiest solution is just never to turn the box off (at least not until they fix the software bug).

Davefi,

Thanks for the info. Can anyone explain how they keep doing this to us? Most cable channels (at least in my area) are still analog. I have about 7 HDTV channels, several channels that my cable company calls digital, and the rest are analog. Yet, we are going to get a box that is supposed to be an upgrade but the video stinks.

(1) Took a long time to read this entire thread, but I don't see any discussion of the following problem: it appears impossible to set a manual timer for any frequency other than one-time. The dialog contains no entry variable to set every day, M-F or "every ...". Am I missing something?

Can this be true, that it's impossible to set a manual timer for anything other than one-time? Bad enough they also omitted the channel number entry variable from the dialog so that you actually have to be tuned to that channel in order to build a manual timer for it. But not being able to manually set up M-F, every Thursday, every day for a manual built timer... just ridiculous!


(2) Also, when setting up a "series" for recording, even if I indicate "one channel only" and "first-run only" subsequent repeat occurrences of that "first-run" show later in the week also show up in the resulting schedule of recordings (on that same channel). For example, "The Wire" on HBO, "CSI" on CBS, "Apprentice" on NBC,... all have multiple "first-run" showings in one week (even though the later ones are obviously repeats).

I can work around this by going through the week's scheduled recordins and editing the later events as "do not record this show", but this seems like a real PITA as an ongoing solution. Kind of defeats the idea of automating the "record a series" concept. I understand that this is probably due to guide data deficiencies, but has anybody actually come up with a better workaround solution?

Note that at first I thought I would use a manually created timer to overcome this (I know, it won't track schedule changes, avoid true repeats, etc., but at least I won't have to edit my weekly recording schedule manually). But the inability to set "every [Thursday]" on a manual timer makes that impossible.


(3) Also, I still find it ridiculous that they've still perpetuated the gross deficiency (from 6200) in "fast advance" through the guide info which does not provide a way to conveniently skip forward at least one day at a time if not a specific number of days or to a specific date.

Holding the right-arrow key down to fast-forward 30 minutes at a time through a 14-day guide is just plain silly.


(4) Finally, I can't imagine why they can't just make the guide format (selected from the men as by channel, by time, or by favorites only) "sticky". Then the next time you push the Guide button on the remote it would still be what you last selected... until you change it again.

Didn't they realize that "favorites" has a user-friendly reason for existing? Why make it several clicks and multiple buttons away... always!

To markjrenna, thank you for posting the 6412 manual.

Originally posted by DSperber
(3) Also, I still find it ridiculous that they've still perpetuated the gross deficiency (from 6200) in "fast advance" through the guide info which does not provide a way to conveniently skip forward at least one day at a time if not a specific number of days or to a specific date.

Holding the right-arrow key down to fast-forward 30 minutes at a time through a 14-day guide is just plain silly.

I agree. However on my 6208 silver/black remote, In the middle there are ABC buttons with different colors/shapes printed on then and above the B & C is Day- and Day+ to easily navigate the 14 menus. I hope to tell you that my 6412 remote has the similiar features in a few hours.

Has anyone found a work around for the closed captioning in HD?

What I'm referring to is the fact that you need to turn the 6412 off then hit menu to enable or disable closed captioning. Is there some way to "enable" the closed captioning but hide it until you want to use it?

Thanks for any replies

-Ed

Originally posted by DSperber
(3) Also, I still find it ridiculous that they've still perpetuated the gross deficiency (from 6200) in "fast advance" through the guide info which does not provide a way to conveniently skip forward at least one day at a time if not a specific number of days or to a specific date. Holding the right-arrow key down to fast-forward 30 minutes at a time through a 14-day guide is just plain silly. Suggestion for improvement: it would be nice if the "day of the week" would display next to the calendar date once you slide out beyond 7 days.

When you've held the ">" key down because you want to look at the guide for sometime next week, you really do lose all track of what day you're at in terms of what you see once you release your finger from the ">" button. Unless you have a calendar in front of you or you know what specific date you were shooting for or you recognize a familiar program in the guide cells currently onscreen, having just the date on the top line is not very helpful. Showing day and date would be much more friendly.

Originally posted by DaveFi
[Also, I'm hoping they implement the guide for 16:9 display. There is no reason why they couldn't. [/B]

I STRONGLY agree with this!! Do others here have part of menu missing on their 16x9 displays?? Yes, I'm using a stretch mode on my Pio plasma, but the mode I'm using does not have a problem with those scrolling tickers at the bottom of channels like ESPN or CNN.

Another question: SD looks terrible on the 6412. Does the Tivo HD images suffer on SD as well?

Carl Jones:

I thought it was just me. SD is definitely worse when going from 6208 to 6412!

Originally posted by Kaiser-Soze
I agree. However on my 6208 silver/black remote, In the middle there are ABC buttons with different colors/shapes printed on then and above the B & C is Day- and Day+ to easily navigate the 14 menus. I hope to tell you that my 6412 remote has the similiar features in a few hours.

The 6412 remote has the same day skip buttons as the 6208. Also, if you read through these threads, a link (http://www.hifi-remote.com/cgi-bin2/ueic.cgi?cbl_0476) containing the codes to program day skip has been posted several times.

The PQ of SD channels on my 6412 is significantly better than it was on the 6208. I have no problems with the guide on my 16x9 Zenith system. I could go on and on about how great this new box is and the iGuide on top of it. Any issues are miniscule at this point in comparison to the 6208.

On another issue. When my box was installed by my tech with no clue, everything seemed to work well with the exception of my subscription channels. Mark indicated that this was probable due to the Tech not calling in my box serial number.

This turned out to be exactally the problem. I called Comcast and spoke to one of the CSRs and he checked my info. Sure enough the serial number was blank. I gave him the serial number, he sent a signal to my box and, literally, after a minute all of my subscription channels worked.

I am blown away with this thing. Who would have thought that we can have this for $9.95 month. Between On Demand and the DVR I am in heaven. I can watch what I want when I want it. It is a whole new world.

The only additional things I would like is to add an external drive to the box and add a DVD recorder to capture shows for archiving that I want to keep. I am reasonably sure that these will come. I can wait. :D

Originally posted by Carl Jones
I STRONGLY agree with this!! Do others here have part of menu missing on their 16x9 displays?? Yes, I'm using a stretch mode on my Pio plasma, but the mode I'm using does not have a problem with those scrolling tickers at the bottom of channels like ESPN or CNN.


Hello,

My menu and guide are in 16:9. when I was connecting via composite it was 4:3. after I connected with DVI cable, it went to 16:9

You sure the guide is actually 16:9 or is it just that your display is stretching it out? On my monitor over component cables the program guide is most definitely 4:3.

As for analog PQ, as I stated before, it's going to suffer because it's being passed through the realtime encoder. What I find a bit odd about this is the 6200's analog passed through Firewire looked perfect, yet here it doesn't look so good.

Oh well, analog is pretty much dead to me anyways.

A few questions about the favorites option:

1. What is the limit on the number of channels you can identify as favorites? I believe on the 6208 it was 15.

2. Is there a code I can program to my JP1 remote to jump right to the favorites listing? I'm tired of scrolling through all the music channels, sports subscription channels and everything else I don't subscribe to or want to see. I'd like to set the guide button to access my "favorites" if I can assign 50 or more.

3. If the STB loses power, will I lose all of the favorites I have assigned? If so, this isn't worth the effort.

I know the MSTV software allows you to remove channels from your guide listing. Unfortunately iGuide does not allow this, so I thought the favorites option might be a solution.

Just got the 6412 :) Love the IGuide!! I can hear the Hard drive clicking as I change channels, but doesn't seem too loud. Time will tell on that. Got the new remote control and the swap button is working fine. Changed channels alot and could not get it to reboot as others have posted.

for those still complaining about analog PQ: help is on the way! digital simulcast is coming soon to ALL comcast systems, NO MORE ANALOG!

Originally posted by avic
for those still complaining about analog PQ: help is on the way! digital simulcast is coming soon to ALL comcast systems, NO MORE ANALOG!

So channels 2-99 will also be on 700-799? (making up alternate channel #s here)

Kaiser, they'll probably be numbered the same.

Originally posted by avic
for those still complaining about analog PQ: help is on the way! digital simulcast is coming soon to ALL comcast systems, NO MORE ANALOG!

soon is a relative term (especially when it comes from comcast)...

Originally posted by avic
for those still complaining about analog PQ: help is on the way! digital simulcast is coming soon to ALL comcast systems, NO MORE ANALOG!

avic:

My question may be a bit off-topic, I suppose, for this thread, but are we talking 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years? I am assuming this applies to channels 2 through 96 (or whatever it is in my area). I am thinking they would be mapped to either the 900s or the 100s since those have the room.

Would Comcast be able to differentiate between those with digital boxes and those with analog boxes, and prevent 2-96 from even coming in on digital boxes?

Thanks for the heads-up. I think I read in another post an article about this.

Originally posted by avic
for those still complaining about analog PQ: help is on the way! digital simulcast is coming soon to ALL comcast systems, NO MORE ANALOG!

Is there a press release or quote by the Comcast CEO to this effect? If its from a CSR, I wouldn't get too excited.

That issue aside, I'm still mystified why the analog PQ is so much worse on the 6412 than on a 2244. I still have both and there is such an obvious difference.

I don't believe it. Not yet. I am wondering what your sources are, avic.

Originally posted by avic
for those still complaining about analog PQ: help is on the way! digital simulcast is coming soon to ALL comcast systems, NO MORE ANALOG! I got bitch slapped for posting a similar comment about digital simulcast in the MSTV thread because I wasn't from Seattle. But SonomaSearcher said here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=467203&perpage=20&pagenumber=9.) this would not happen for at least 6 months. In the twin cities, comcast has been replacing the old analog boxes with the newer digiital STBs for quite some time now. I believe the industry rags have been discussing this quite a bit. I am hoping it will be sooner than later.

Originally posted by km
Is there a press release or quote by the Comcast CEO to this effect? If its from a CSR, I wouldn't get too excited.

That issue aside, I'm still mystified why the analog PQ is so much worse on the 6412 than on a 2244. I still have both and there is such an obvious difference.

Comcast execs have been quoted as saying it will happen over the next 6 months...there's no scoop here, it's published in magazines that interviewed comcast recently...

all this is doing is duplicating all of the Analog programming (ch 1-80) on digital channels...it will not get rid of analog...and it will take up alot of bandwidth (and there's some doubt if all systems have the bandwidth to do this)...the benefit is improved picture quality for subscribers with Digital Cable Boxes. Really just a baby step to all digital conversion..which is even further off in most regions.

The reason the Analog picture is so bad on the 6xxx is they are digital cable boxes and must do an A/D conversion (which is not very good)....The 2244 uses the straight analog signal (like a regular TV tuner)

it will happen within 6 months in all systems. in the new england area maybe sooner than u want to believe. all i'm sayin' for now. and no i don't get my scoop from CSR's, how dare u! off to grandma's, happy turkey day all. ;)

avic,
what about the nj area?

Originally posted by davisdog

The reason the Analog picture is os bad on the 6xxx is they are digital cable boxes and must do an A/D conversion (which is not very good)....The 2244 uses the straight analog signal (like a regular TV tuner)

I have a 2244 hooked to a Tivo, and a 6412 along side of it connected to the same TV.The Tivo recordings of the analog channels are much better than the 6412's. Same amount of A/D conversion and one would hope the signal path inside the 6412 was more direct than the two box setup.

Originally posted by km
I have a 2244 hooked to a Tivo, and a 6412 along side of it connected to the same TV.The Tivo recordings of the analog channels are much better than the 6412's. Same amount of A/D conversion and one would hope the signal path inside the 6412 was more direct than the two box setup.

km...its not the same A/D conversion

anyway, this probably isnt the thread to go into details (needless to say Analog quality sucks on the 6xxx..dont expect it to get much better, but that's really not what the box is for.

I had 2 6412/2005's installed on Sunday. The one hookep up to my HDTV works with no problems for DVR or accessing OnDemand. However, my second box is giving me a "Communications error" box on the screen when I try to access OnDemand through it. I'm not having any DVR problems on this box. I've tried having a signal sent to the box over the phone, as well as unplugging it and letting it recycle and it hasn't made any difference. Any thoughts on the problem? I'm thinkning that the box wasn't entered in the system. Got any clues?

I posted a similar complaint here (or maybe it was in the Nashville Comcast thread) regarding the complete lack of manual recording frequency options. Completely stupifying that they left that out.

For now I've given up on manual recordings and just make everything a series recording even if I know the box is going to record the show 12 times a week because it is too brain dead (or is receiving brain dead listing info) to know the difference between reruns and first run. I record enough series that if I don't do a "daily delete fest" to remove all the crud, the box will very quickly hit 100% space filled. You also have to very carefully tweak your series priority list so that all these multiple rerun series don't interfere with what you really want recorded.

Also regarding the guide and menus not being 16:9 I agree. I am hooked via component cables to my widescreen and the menu/guide is stupidly 4:3.

Another smaller problem I have found is that there is apparently no way to tweak a recording to end EARLY. You can extend the length but there is no option to end 1 minute early.

Originally posted by kevev99
I had 2 6412/2005's installed on Sunday. The one hookep up to my HDTV works with no problems for DVR or accessing OnDemand. However, my second box is giving me a "Communications error" box on the screen when I try to access OnDemand through it. I'm not having any DVR problems on this box. I've tried having a signal sent to the box over the phone, as well as unplugging it and letting it recycle and it hasn't made any difference. Any thoughts on the problem? I'm thinkning that the box wasn't entered in the system. Got any clues?

There aren't any 1-way amps or splitters on the line for the 2nd box?

What happens when you swap the location of the two boxes (does the same one still work (ie issue with 2nd box) or does either box only work on the 1st line (ie Coax issue)

Originally posted by kevev99
I had 2 6412/2005's installed on Sunday. The one hookep up to my HDTV works with no problems for DVR or accessing OnDemand. However, my second box is giving me a "Communications error" box on the screen when I try to access OnDemand through it. I'm not having any DVR problems on this box. I've tried having a signal sent to the box over the phone, as well as unplugging it and letting it recycle and it hasn't made any difference. Any thoughts on the problem? I'm thinkning that the box wasn't entered in the system. Got any clues?

Check the serial numbers of the two boxes and call Comcast to see if they have the numbers recorded correctly in thier system. This was my problem and within moments of correcting the serial number everything was working.

Originally posted by kevev99
I had 2 6412/2005's installed on Sunday. The one hookep up to my HDTV works with no problems for DVR or accessing OnDemand. However, my second box is giving me a "Communications error" box on the screen when I try to access OnDemand through it. I'm not having any DVR problems on this box. I've tried having a signal sent to the box over the phone, as well as unplugging it and letting it recycle and it hasn't made any difference. Any thoughts on the problem? I'm thinkning that the box wasn't entered in the system. Got any clues?

I had similar problem. I had a signal booster hooked up to one of them and that's what the problem was. It wasn't a Comcast booster. They swapped it with one from Comcast and everythig worked.

Originally posted by Bruce Blakeslee
The only additional things I would like is to add an external drive to the box and add a DVD recorder to capture shows for archiving that I want to keep. I am reasonably sure that these will come. I can wait. :D Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

I'd like to see the DVR be allowed to record VOD.

Even though it is "Video On Demand" it is only available for 24 hours. I'd like to order a VOD at an inconvenient time and just record it to my DVR then watch some or all of it when I want.

Plus, the DVR gives me more control. Such as; variable REW and FF speeds, skip, replay, and the time line bar when I pause.

Am I spoiled, crazy, or does this make sense?

Spoiled, crazy, and yes it does make sense...however, the motion picture industry isn't going to make it that easy. Especially once the HD on Demand option is fully available...I'm sure that Comcast, Motorola and anyone else in the entertainment delivery business are having their technology scrutinized to ensure that high quality material is not open for the taking. Thats why all of the new upscaling DVD players only deliver 720P and 1980I via HDMI or DVI...copy protection!

Originally posted by DSperber
(1) Took a long time to read this entire thread, but I don't see any discussion of the following problem: it appears impossible to set a manual timer for any frequency other than one-time. The dialog contains no entry variable to set every day, M-F or "every ...". Am I missing something?

Can this be true, that it's impossible to set a manual timer for anything other than one-time? Bad enough they also omitted the channel number entry variable from the dialog so that you actually have to be tuned to that channel in order to build a manual timer for it. But not being able to manually set up M-F, every Thursday, every day for a manual built timer... just ridiculous!

(2) Also, when setting up a "series" for recording, even if I indicate "one channel only" and "first-run only" subsequent repeat occurrences of that "first-run" show later in the week also show up in the resulting schedule of recordings (on that same channel). For example, "The Wire" on HBO, "CSI" on CBS, "Apprentice" on NBC,... all have multiple "first-run" showings in one week (even though the later ones are obviously repeats).

I can work around this by going through the week's scheduled recordins and editing the later events as "do not record this show", but this seems like a real PITA as an ongoing solution. Kind of defeats the idea of automating the "record a series" concept. I understand that this is probably due to guide data deficiencies, but has anybody actually come up with a better workaround solution?

Note that at first I thought I would use a manually created timer to overcome this (I know, it won't track schedule changes, avoid true repeats, etc., but at least I won't have to edit my weekly recording schedule manually). But the inability to set "every [Thursday]" on a manual timer makes that impossible.


(3) Also, I still find it ridiculous that they've still perpetuated the gross deficiency (from 6200) in "fast advance" through the guide info which does not provide a way to conveniently skip forward at least one day at a time if not a specific number of days or to a specific date.

Holding the right-arrow key down to fast-forward 30 minutes at a time through a 14-day guide is just plain silly.


(4) Finally, I can't imagine why they can't just make the guide format (selected from the men as by channel, by time, or by favorites only) "sticky". Then the next time you push the Guide button on the remote it would still be what you last selected... until you change it again.

Didn't they realize that "favorites" has a user-friendly reason for existing? Why make it several clicks and multiple buttons away... always! Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

(1) That functionality is still there. Once you select your channel then you can go into options and select the frequency in which to record.

(2) The i-Guide is only as good as the data that it receives from the 3rd party provider. I hope in time this gets better.

(3) You can advance 24 hours with the C button and reverse with the B button located on the 6412 remote.

(4) I agree, one feature the 6208 had with the Blue Guide is that it let me see all listings on the channel by simply hitting the Guide button again.

Looks the i-Guide adds some excellent features but it removes some as well.

Back to calling TV Guide to offer my suggestions...

The tech who installed my 6412 was very technically knowledgeable. (He said they only send out Comcast installers for DVR installs here, not contracted installers.) He said that Digital simulcasting will start here in Q1 '05, probably February.

Originally posted by markjrenna
Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

I'd like to see the DVR be allowed to record VOD.

Even though it is "Video On Demand" it is only available for 24 hours. I'd like to order a VOD at an inconvenient time and just record it to my DVR then watch some or all of it when I want.

Plus, the DVR gives me more control. Such as; variable REW and FF speeds, skip, replay, and the time line bar when I pause.

Am I spoiled, crazy, or does this make sense?

I think that is what is being referred to here in this post below, although you'll note that I have asked what it is they are talking about so I can't be sure...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4707243#post4707243
HDNet will not be on Comcast anytime soon.... - AVS Forum

Originally posted by Kaiser-Soze
I agree. However on my 6208 silver/black remote, In the middle there are ABC buttons with different colors/shapes printed on then and above the B & C is Day- and Day+ to easily navigate the 14 menus. I hope to tell you that my 6412 remote has the similiar features in a few hours. Indeed... you are correct!

I did not notice those keys on the remote, but they do exactly what you describe, namely going forward or backward one complete day at a time when the guide is displayed. My oversight.

Of course I then looked at the little pamphlet from Comcast describing the DVR and the page showing the photo of and describing each button on the remote has nothing pointing to or describing these buttons. Obviously what I need to locate is a more complete document.

Many thanks! I should have looked closer. Now all I want is a software upgrade to display day and date once you move out 7 days, so that you know ONSCREEN what day of the week you're looking at... not just its date.

We desperately need that external storage option. 12Hrs of HD is not even close to being enough. 250Gb should be the minimum. Now I have to quickly watch stuff before new shows come around.

I also would like to have the option to turn the display off when recording unattended. That way at night I won't see the bright channel display. The "Record" indicator alone is more than adequate.

Originally posted by DSperber
(1) Took a long time to read this entire thread, but I don't see any discussion of the following problem: it appears impossible to set a manual timer for any frequency other than one-time. The dialog contains no entry variable to set every day, M-F or "every ...". Am I missing something?


Enter times and date, confirm, pick channel #, then go into 'recording options' and then you can pick every day, once a week, or m-f.

The only thing that annoys me is that after you do a manual recording, the entry in the list of recordings doesn't have a nice title.

Originally posted by DaveFi
We desperately need that external storage option. 12Hrs of HD is not even close to being enough. 250Gb should be the minimum. Now I have to quickly watch stuff before new shows come around.

I agree Dave, we need additional storage. I use these workarounds to address the meager 120gig storage: 1) Get another 6412. Having 2 is quite cool because you rarely have any channel conflicts with 4 HD tuners. 2) Buy a DVHS and connect via firewire..it's nice the 6412 has this option. I have about 200 HD movies that I have "timeshifted" ;) 3) Offload to a PC. The non-5C channels record with very little CPU overhead. 4) Leave everything at delete when "Space is needed" and never miss recording current stuff. 5) Don't watch everything you record. You don't have to do it.

Finally got mine today, One thing I like besides the others mentioned here is now it shows what audio is going through, D or 5.1 ect. The 5100 did that but he 6208 did not. After 2 "bad" boxes during install, working fine. The tech today actually knew about the box. Also, no new remotes here, the code posted earlier for the swap works though.

Someone started a new thread on this, but it appears that external USB harddrive support might be active.

http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2003/12/comcast_set_to_.html

According to the config page in my box the USB ports are active.

But I thought it was only USB 1.1? Even if you could get it to work somewhow, that's not fast enough for HD.

You know, I could be wrong. Looking at the Hard Drive Status menu it does seem like external storage might be active.

My internal drive is a Seagate ST3120025ACE. Anyone have an external Seagate USB drive or enclosure to test?

Originally posted by DaveFi
Someone started a new thread on this, but it appears that external USB harddrive support might be active.

http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2003/12/comcast_set_to_.html

According to the config page in my box the USB ports are active.

But I thought it was only USB 1.1? Even if you could get it to work somehow, that's not fast enough for HD.

You know, I could be wrong. Looking at the Hard Drive Status menu it does seem like external storage might be active.

My internal drive is a Seagate ST3120025ACE. Anyone have an external Seagate USB drive or enclosure to test?

Yea, my USB said active, I plugged a camera into it, no action, It may be active for other devices but not with newer devices such as portable Hard Drives.

Why would you expect a camera to evoke a reaction from your 6412?:confused:

I would think to use USB devices to view photos and videos, ect, I really didn't think it would be active, Just dreaming.

Originally posted by DaveFi
Someone started a new thread on this, but it appears that external USB harddrive support might be active.

http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2003/12/comcast_set_to_.html

According to the config page in my box the USB ports are active.

But I thought it was only USB 1.1? Even if you could get it to work somewhow, that's not fast enough for HD.

You know, I could be wrong. Looking at the Hard Drive Status menu it does seem like external storage might be active.

My internal drive is a Seagate ST3120025ACE. Anyone have an external Seagate USB drive or enclosure to test?

I saw the blog post. I have two Maxtor 250GB FireWire/USB external drives. I am very tempted to try it. I would have to move data off the test external HDD as a precaution. We have to be getting close to external HDD capability since I know I can't play 5C encrypted files, FWIW.

Replaced my 6412 today (it was rebooting constantly upon keypresses with DVI port). New one hasn't rebooted yet so far. They must have a rash of bad 6412s with this bug, must be hardware based.

Spearse, I have the 9.12 firmware which I think is the latest.

You might need to format the drives with Linux. Could be NTFS, but I suspect it's the former.

Originally posted by WagGag
Enter times and date, confirm, pick channel #, then go into 'recording options' and then you can pick every day, once a week, or m-f. Well I'll be! You are 100% correct. Just press "confirm" after entering date and times, and the rest of the dialog magically appears which now allows you to select an arbitrary channel and arbitrary recording frequency. In the short time I've had the box I never actually took that final "confirm" step (which would have revealed the rest of the dialog) because I didn't really want to set a one-time timer, I wanted an every-week timer, so in frustration I just canceled out.

Now the real question is why the designer of this dialog would not think to simply add two more rows onto the first page of the dialog... to pick a channel, and to pick a frequency at the same visual time you pick the date and start/end times. "Confirm" should be the LAST thing you do to set the timer, not an intermediate step that leads you into the second level of the dialog for entering the second half of the information.

Nevertheless, you are a hero. A gentleman and a scholar.

This is now one more "problem" that's quickly become a non-problem.

If only there was a proper user manual with the instructions on how to do this. We actually might be able to learn for ourselves before-the-fact instead of learning by experimenting. The little brochure says "follow the prompts on the screen". Barf!

Oh well. Case closed. Many thanks.

Originally posted by spearse
Replaced my 6412 today (it was rebooting constantly upon keypresses with DVI port). New one hasn't rebooted yet so far. They must have a rash of bad 6412s with this bug, must be hardware based.

I was told by a knowledgable tech that these type of reboots are related to the power supply or power relay to be exact. Clicking around requires a power call and when the power is not sufficient, the box crashes. Very much like a PC with an overloaded or failing ps.

Makes total sense to me. I have to wonder what moto's QC policies are. This seems to be an easy catch at off the production line and many have rec'd boxes with power issues.

Originally posted by jayfoster
Have any of you noticed any pq improvement on non-hdtv channels, including the digital channels that are not hdtv?

I just recieved my 6412 yesterday and the first thing I noticed was that the non-HD digital channels looked better.

PLEASE NOTE IF your 6412's 4th-6th digits of the serial number are 437 or 438, there is a known issue with that series of boxes that causes them to shut off and or reboot. The box needs to be replaced in that case. If it doesn't match that exactly, you should still call, but it could be a different issue.

Originally posted by avic
PLEASE NOTE IF your 6412's 4th-6th digits of the serial number are 437 or 438, there is a known issue with that series of boxes that causes them to shut off and or reboot. The box needs to be replaced in that case. If it doesn't match that exactly, you should still call, but it could be a different issue.

Rut-Roh! I just got a 437 yesterday. However, It has not rebooted at all, so I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Mine hasn't rebooted either..
and I have one of those sets of serial numbers.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
I saw the blog post. I have two Maxtor 250GB FireWire/USB external drives. I am very tempted to try it. I would have to move data off the test external HDD as a precaution. We have to be getting close to external HDD capability since I know I can't play 5C encrypted files, FWIW.

I have connected a 250 MB external disk by both firewire and USB and rebooted by unplugging the system for on minute each time. in both cases the externaldrive was not recognized. At least the % disk utilization remained at 29%.

Any ideas?

How do you get to the hard drive status menu or any other menus I may want to look at? I only know of the one when you press menu with the power off. Is there anything to be carefull of not to do when looking at menus so I don't mess anything up?
Thanks

Originally posted by Bruce Blakeslee
I have connected a 250 MB external disk by both firewire and USB and rebooted by unplugging the system for on minute each time. in both cases the externaldrive was not recognized. At least the % disk utilization remained at 29%.

Any ideas?

After moving the data around, I connected a clean FAT32 formatted Maxtor external drive via USB. Nothing. I am now reformatting the drive to NTFS. After the turkey extravaganza, I will test again. I bet the drive needs to be specially formatted, assuming the 6412 would recognize the USB device.

Originally posted by DaMutha1
I guess what I'm asking is whether there is a simple passthrough where I can use the 6412 the same way I'm using my current non-DVR cable box. In other words, if we want to use the HMO on the Tivo, or my wife wants to use the Tivo interface while watching a particular program, can we just set up so that we can switch inputs and watch through the Tivo?

Damutha1, I just wanted to concur. You can do this. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4711711#post4711711

I have a Sony GX700 DVD recorder hooked up to the 6412 via SVideo. I want to record off of the STB but it appears that the STB only outputs 4:3 over the SVideo cable. Is this true?

Originally posted by DSperber
Now the real question is why the designer of this dialog would not think to simply add two more rows onto the first page of the dialog.

Probably because they expected people to read the manual first. ;)

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
After moving the data around, I connected a clean FAT32 formatted Maxtor external drive via USB. Nothing. I am now reformatting the drive to NTFS. After the turkey extravaganza, I will test again. I bet the drive needs to be specially formatted, assuming the 6412 would recognize the USB device. I think posting Firmware versions would be helpful.

It is possible only certain brands of harddrives would work as well.

Try formatting under Linux.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
After moving the data around, I connected a clean FAT32 formatted Maxtor external drive via USB. Nothing. I am now reformatting the drive to NTFS. After the turkey extravaganza, I will test again. I bet the drive needs to be specially formatted, assuming the 6412 would recognize the USB device.

I just took a look at the menu by powering off and hitting menu and all I can see are User Settings. Is there a way I can see more system settings?

Enjoy the turkey!

Bruce, "Power+OK/Select"

Originally posted by DSperber
If only there was a proper user manual with the instructions on how to do this. We actually might be able to learn for ourselves before-the-fact instead of learning by experimenting. The little brochure says "follow the prompts on the screen". Barf!

Oh well. Case closed. Many thanks. Comcast NJ - Union/Verona

Check this link... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=449214

and specifically this PDF from this link... http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/downloads/URMD2.pdf

Mark

Originally posted by BullittMustang
How do you get to the hard drive status menu or any other menus I may want to look at? I only know of the one when you press menu with the power off. Is there anything to be carefull of not to do when looking at menus so I don't mess anything up?
Thanks

Any help on this? Thanks

Originally posted by DaveFi
Bruce, "Power+OK/Select"

It appears that while the firewire and USB ports are installed neither recognizes that i have a hare disk attached. Keep me up to date with ant other experiments you do. I'll do the same.

Originally posted by BullittMustang
Any help on this? Thanks

press power and then OK on your remote.

Originally posted by DaveFi
I think posting Firmware versions would be helpful.

It is possible only certain brands of harddrives would work as well.

Try formatting under Linux.

My 6412 has the 9.12 firmware. If GPFS is the ticket and it's Linux, then I have to track down a Linux box to reformat the drive.

The guy from the blog spot posted again (http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2003/12/comcast_set_to_.html#c2900993) . I tried with Maxtor 5000XT 250 GB external. I do have the Maxtor One Touch to test.

Optimally, there would be a native mode, but since we have to choose 1080i or 720p, what do you think looks better, for LCDs and DLPs?

I know the TV has a better scaler than the STB. Of course, the STB must scale sometimes.

So far, I have only used 1080i on my 768p Sony LCD. It is silly that one needs to power cycle the STB to change this, I will leave it at one of the other.