Turning off and on does nothing for me. Wish it did.

A little help?

Somewhere it was reported that if you used the STBs setup menu the change from 720p to 1080i (or visa-versa), view for a few seconds, then change it back, it will fix the problem.

It worked for me.

Greetings: Some RECORD shortcuts that I haven't seem mentioned anywhere:
-within the guide, highlight a show that isn't scheduled for RECORDING (ie no red dot) and press RECORD. Barring conflicts a red dot appears. To convert it to a SERIES RECORDING press RECORD again and answer the usual questions.
-when you reach the object of a SEARCH A-Z, pressing OK/SELECT gets you to the details (?) page. From any icon position you can press RECORD without having to first be on the RECORD icon and pressing OK/SELECT. That is handy when wishing to set up scheduled recordings of all or selected instances of the TITLE. From the CLOCK icon OK/SELECT lets you step through each instance in the list as you already know. But when you want to set an instance to RECORD you merely need to SELECT it and press RECORD. This is also handy when you wish to explicitly inhibit the recording of a show that will conflict with a lower priority program concurrently scheduled.

I did a Hard drive reformat and complete reset and It's gone for now. Instructions were found on the wikipedia website here:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Resets#DVR_Authorization_and_Factory_Full_Reset

Hope it sticks for a while.

Stuttering keeps returning. Pulling the plug and waiting a minute or so and reconnecting only works for a couple of hours or so.

This is so damn annoying! And I thought my Directv box was bad?

What the hell is Comcast's problem? Is the new series 3 dvr bad as well, or is there something wrong with the signal I'm receiving or what?

I'll give them another chance or 2 to fix this for me. If not, it's back to Directv with their crappy HD Lite.

Arrrrrrrghhhhhhh!

Is the new series 3 dvr bad as well, or is there something wrong with the signal I'm receiving or what?

Arrrrrrrghhhhhhh!

I'm not so sure it's the model as much as the firmware it is trying to cope with. I had the 6412 which was killed when Comcast sent us the 16.20 upgrade. I had no stuttering on HD channels. Then I got the 3416 and the stuttering began. It has been very sporadic so I am not (yet) inclined to turn it in. But, again, I'm not sure it's the box. YMMV. :D

Minor clarification - the 'SERIES 3' is a TiVo HD DVR. It's GOOD.

The 'PHASE III' is a Comcast/Motorola DVR. It's BAD.

[/public service announcement]

As for stuttering, my 6412 shows it as well, occasionally. A reboot sometimes fixes it, but then I run into the recordings made during the stuttering period, and they're full of stutters too. All this time my TiVo 3 has been recording shows (including on the same channel) flawlessly.

Fortunately, I only record less desirable shows on the 6412, and feel only minimal pain when I hit the delete key. Or in the 6412's case, hit stop, and navigate to the delete option (aargh)

If only the s3 weren't this pricey, I'd own a second by now, and completely dump the 6412. it really is turning into quite a joke (of a DVR).

Stuttering keeps returning. Pulling the plug and waiting a minute or so and reconnecting only works for a couple of hours or so. I would give it three tries -- three separate boxes, not three times trying to reboot the one box you have.

I'm not so sure it's the model as much as the firmware it is trying to cope with. I had the 6412 which was killed when Comcast sent us the 16.20 upgrade. I had no stuttering on HD channels. Then I got the 3416 and the stuttering began. It has been very sporadic so I am not (yet) inclined to turn it in. But, again, I'm not sure it's the box. YMMV. :D Well, I'm also in Tigard, and I'm about ready to strangle whoever release that 16.20 "upgrade". My box (Phase II 6412) had been working fine - except for the periodic lock-ups - for over a year, and now it's nearly unusable: stuttering during playback, even during live viewing. The playback stuttering often degrades into a complete stop and black screen. Hitting the play, skip, or fast foward key gives me a dialog box saying I can't press those buttons unless I'm in Play mode, code NSTP, NPLY, NSKP, etc.

Does anyone know if a software release will save us?

Now my box is working fine!?! Stuttering is gone for today.

Why you ask? I have no earthly idea. Maybe the reason is not of this earth?

As long as it stays away, I'm happy in my cushy lair.

Peace Out my fellow 6412'ers!

What's up? I just moved into a new house with a brand new Sony tv too. This is my first HDTV so I decided to get the 1080P and Comcast. Unfortunately, Comcast gave me a refurbished DCT64??. But its working pretty good. I've only had to reboot it twice in two weeks.

Couple of questions:
1. Will Comcast allow us to use the USB port for anything? I have a PSP and other things that would use it but I don't know if it would work.
2. Should I use the DCT box to upconvert the standard signal or turn the 4:3 to 480P and let the tv do it?

Thanks

Will Comcast allow us to use the USB port for anything?No. Should I use the DCT box to upconvert the standard signal or turn the 4:3 to 480P and let the tv do it?Whichever looks best on your display.

Quote:
Originally Posted by A-Dogg
Will Comcast allow us to use the USB port for anything?

No.

Not true! A few people have used it to power a cooling fan. :D

does the 6412 have HDMI output? If not whats the best output its got?

does the 6412 have HDMI output? If not whats the best output its got?
It depends on what version you have. Phase I and II have DVI. Phase III has HDMI. For picture quality, both are the same. HDMI just adds digital audio to the cable. You can use DVI from the box to HDMI on the TV with an adapter.

On the other hand, with all the HDCP (copy protection) issues with DVI/HDMI, it may be better to stick with component for now.

with all the HDCP (copy protection) issues with DVI/HDMIWhat issues??

I have been using the Moto boxes via DVI/HDMI for two years and have never had any HDCP "issues".

What issues??

I have been using the Moto boxes via DVI/HDMI for two years and have never had any HDCP "issues".

But gosh, you're in Canada................

But gosh, you're in Canada................ :confused:

Had the same problem, not due to a firmware update though. Check this Link (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#On_some_display_screens.2C_you_only_see_a_corner_of_the _video_instead_of_it_being_scaled_to_fit)
out, it worked for me.

I know this is a fairly old post I'm replying to, but your link helped me a lot, so I feel I should still say thanks!

I received the 6416 III last week and spent the last 7 days reading thru this thread. WHEW!!!!!!!

A quick THANKS to all that have posted here. I was able to learn everything I needed to know simply by reading thru the thread!!!

I've decided I like the Dual-tuner DVR much more than my 2 DVD-R's. The absence of media (tape or disc) makes having one of these a must for avid TV watchers. Easy to use and the picture quality is outstanding.

Again, thanks to all for posting great information.

to talk about plugging a computer into this DVR box to siphon the digital video off of it ? :confused:

I run Mac OS X :cool:

Is this the correct place to talk about plugging a computer into this DVR box to siphon the digital video off of it ? You want to be here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695).

Anyone have a cure for video stutter on HD channels on a series 3? Don't see it on the non HD channels. I'm on Comcast in Broward County, Fl.
Are you using an HDMI/DVI cable/adapter? Try switching the HDMI output mode (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup#Additional_HDMI_Settings) from "DVI" to "HDMI".

I just switched from a 6412-PII to a 3416-PI, and so I had to purchase an HDMI/DVI adapter for my DVI connection.

While I waited for my adapter to arrive, I used component video. I had no stutter issues there. When I swapped out the component cables for the DVI cable with the HDMI/DVI adapter, I got all kinds of video stutter with the HD channels. I switched the output mode to HDMI, and voila, video stutter was cured with magic.

On trusty old component.
Comcast is still trying to figure it out. I'm in deep trouble!

Ever since the 16.20 firmware upgrade a couple weeks ago I've had a bright blue line down the right side of the picture on analog channels on tuner 1. The box also completely locked up three times. It froze, even the clock, and wouldn't respond to any inputs. I had to yank the plug to get it working again.

So I went down to the local comcast office and exchanged my 6412. They said they had had several people with the blue line problem. They gave me another unit and when I got home it had the exact same problem. So I called Comcast and the service rep gave me a hard time quizzing me about my splitters and cables as if they could cause these problems, but she scheduled a tech to come out and take a look.

The tech took a quick look at the blue line problem and gave me another box. The replacement he gave me is a phase III box. No blue line. Better picture quality on analog and SD digital channels. A built in fan. The menus show up on the s-video output, and the box responds to the remote much faster - so I'm hoping the lock up problems are gone too.

So if you have the blue line problem get a phase III box. Many of the Comcast folks don't know what a phase III box is, so just ask for one with hdmi.

Unfortunately, it is as likely as not that the having the problem on those two boxes was a coincidence (a rather strange one, true), and switching to the 6412III wasn't what made the difference, but rather just switching to a third box.

The 'blue line' may have been an issue with the box shifting the picture to the left a bit. I've noticed slight position differences between different models.
As far as the S-video outputting menus, it's possible the other two were configured with 4:3 override NOT set to 480i, or your testing was on an SD channel. The composite/RF/S-Video outputs will NOT output menu information when the DVR is outputting HD on the DVI/HDMI/component outputs.
See the SETUP section of the Wikibook (link in my .sig below) for more information.

My four day old 6416III just developed a problem with the guide. It, for some strange reason, started displaying in 4:3 or not stretched. Consequently, the screen saver is "not stretched". The SD image from cable remains stretched.

Any ideas?

Also, the same unit upstairs, arbitrarily switched the 4:3 override and other user settings, but that was an easy fix.

I sort of knew this three day glitch free process would not last. :mad:

The 'blue line' may have been an issue with the box shifting the picture to the left a bit. I've noticed slight position differences between different models.

I tried shifting the picture both directions. No luck. When I shifted it right all it did was create the bug that when you are in the menus the small picture in the upper right corner was cropped, not shrunk.

As far as the S-video outputting menus, it's possible the other two were configured with 4:3 override NOT set to 480i, or your testing was on an SD channel. The composite/RF/S-Video outputs will NOT output menu information when the DVR is outputting HD on the DVI/HDMI/component outputs.
See the SETUP section of the Wikibook (link in my .sig below) for more information.

I don't use DVI/HDMI. I always set 4:3 override to OFF. The phase III box has menus on the s-video out even for HD programming. The old boxes never did. This is nice for letterboxed SD programs because that's the only way I can zoom them to use the full screen.

I tried shifting the picture both directions. No luck. When I shifted it right all it did was create the bug that when you are in the menus the small picture in the upper right corner was cropped, not shrunk.
The positioning options in the menu only adjust the menu position, not the picture position. The picture position is something you cannot change.

I've also noticed a slight vertical difference between analog and digital channels. With the recent change to ADS, it's no longer a problem.

In the Setup menu on the Motorola 6412 (Phase 3), one of the choices is Audio. In the Audio setup, you can choose Stereo or TV Speakers. I cannot find anything that describes the difference. Can anyone here explain or point me to an explanation?

The original installation was set to TV speakers. That was before I added a surround sound system. I've noticed that if I leave it in TV Speaker mode then sound comes out of the center speaker and the left and right front. If I set the 6412 I'm only getting sound to the left and right front speakers and not to the center speaker. Hard to tell if sound is ever being sent to the rear speakers or the woofer.

That is all with component video and analog audio connections. I'll convert to hdmi shortly and don't know if that will have any bearing on the 6412 audio setup.

Bernie

In the Setup menu on the Motorola 6412 (Phase 3), one of the choices is Audio. In the Audio setup, you can choose Stereo or TV Speakers. I cannot find anything that describes the difference. Can anyone here explain or point me to an explanation?

The original installation was set to TV speakers. That was before I added a surround sound system. I've noticed that if I leave it in TV Speaker mode then sound comes out of the center speaker and the left and right front. If I set the 6412 I'm only getting sound to the left and right front speakers and not to the center speaker. Hard to tell if sound is ever being sent to the rear speakers or the woofer.

That is all with component video and analog audio connections. I'll convert to hdmi shortly and don't know if that will have any bearing on the 6412 audio setup.

Bernie

If you want true 5.1 sound you need to use the digital SPDIF or optical SPDIF to your receiver.

If you want true 5.1 sound you need to use the digital SPDIF or optical SPDIF to your receiver.

Thanks. The HDMI cable that I will install should get digital sound to my audio system. But the question remains about what to tell the Audio Setup on the Motorola 6412.

Thanks. The HDMI cable that I will install should get digital sound to my audio system. But the question remains about what to tell the Audio Setup on the Motorola 6412.

You don't need to tell the 6412 anything. The Audio setup is for the analog output only. I hope your HDMI works well through the receiver to the TV. There are some issues with that out there.

As I was watching the Eagles beat the Cowboys, I got a call from my son. I paused the game on my 6412, and within 15 minutes it started by itself. Why did it do this?

I have a 6412 and run the audio out from the back to my surround when I want to listen to music without the TV. My Dad (84 yr. old) listens to music more than the TV. I want to run the audio on his like mine but his box doesn't have any audio out. Which Comcast box does he need that has audio out and no DVR.

As I was watching the Eagles beat the Cowboys, I got a call from my son. I paused the game on my 6412, and within 15 minutes it started by itself. Why did it do this?When you pause live television the DVR will stay paused until its live television buffer is full, and then continue. For HD, that could indeed be as little at 15 minutes.

When you pause live television the DVR will stay paused until its live television buffer is full, and then continue. For HD, that could indeed be as little at 15 minutes.

Best bet is to hit pause and then the record button so the program is saved to disc rather than just the buffer.

Best bet is to hit pause and then the record button so the program is saved to disc rather than just the buffer.

Good info. This is what I will do next time. Thanks.

I would appreciate if someone would post the models of the Comcast STB along with the outputs. Originally I requested a 3416 and I was told that it didn't have HDMI. Is this true? I was given a used 6412 without a manual. Ideally I would like a STB with the 160 gig HD with HDMI and audio out (RCA) since my old Sony Surround (SA-VA1) only has RCA inputs.

Best bet is to hit pause and then the record button so the program is saved to disc rather than just the buffer.
However, when you do this, realize that the recording will end when the iGuide thinks the program is over. And for sporting events, that is not always when the game actually ends. So unless you know that you'll catch up to the live recording, it's good to add some padding to the end of the recording.

I would appreciate if someone would post the models of the Comcast STB along with the outputs. Originally I requested a 3416 and I was told that it didn't have HDMI. Is this true? I was given a used 6412 without a manual. Ideally I would like a STB with the 160 gig HD with HDMI and audio out (RCA) since my old Sony Surround (SA-VA1) only has RCA inputs.
See this link (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR) for answers to all your questions -- and much more useful info. :)

Maybe everyone else already knows it, but I just discovered that the buttons just above the Fast Forward and Rewind buttons on the Harmony 880 actually do a short backup (10 seconds?) and skip ahead (30 seconds?) on the Motorola 6412.

Those are the |<< and >>| buttons. I only discovered it when I hit one by mistake.

Bernie

Just this evening, I set two programs to record. One at 8 and one at 9 on the same tuner. So far, so good. Since I have the Harmony remote, I pressed Play a DVD and put in a movie. After the DVD was over, my wife pressed Watch TV and and I got the message about Recording in progress. This is when I did the swap, which it did, but it was muted. Why was the swapped tuner muted while the other tuner was recording? Did I do something wrong?

Just this evening, I set two programs to record. One at 8 and one at 9 on the same tuner. So far, so good. Since I have the Harmony remote, I pressed Play a DVD and put in a movie. After the DVD was over, my wife pressed Watch TV and and I got the message about Recording in progress. This is when I did the swap, which it did, but it was muted. Why was the swapped tuner muted while the other tuner was recording? Did I do something wrong?

If you normally have your DVR turned off when not in use, or if the Harmony turned it off when not in use, then you encountered the situation described at http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#Picture_but_no_sound_.28.22MUTE.22_may_be_superimposed_ over_top-center_of_picture_in_small_white_letters.29

Thanks for the info. When I use the Harmony remote to switch to Play A DVD, it does turn the STB off. I will map the Mute/Unmute function to my Harmony. This AVS Forum is great, especially when you are retired and can use a little help.

Thanks for the info. When I use the Harmony remote to switch to Play A DVD, it does turn the STB off. I will map the Mute/Unmute function to my Harmony. This AVS Forum is great, especially when you are retired and can use a little help.

Remember, you can set the Harmony up to where it leaves your STB alone no matter which activity you select...that's what I do. Just a thought...


Randy

Yes, I have my Harmony remote setup so that it the STB box is always on. I highly recommend that you do it this way also.

Remember, you can set the Harmony up to where it leaves your STB alone no matter which activity you select...that's what I do. Just a thought...


Randy

Ok, will do this. Someday all my problems will go away.

Someday all my problems will go away.
Wait, is that one of the features included with the Harmony?! Which button is that??? I knew I'd been waiting too long to pick one up.... :D

While I haven't posted enough times for this board to allow me to post links, I recommend everyone search WSJ for either Walt Mossberg or the story title "The HDTV Dilemma: Pay for TiVo's Recorder Or Settle for Cable's?" that just posted this (12/28) morning.

I think the article fairly reflects most of the sentiment of members of this board...

His final comment: "But, for now, the choice is tough. The Comcast high-definition DVR is a cheaper, but flawed product and the TiVo Series3 is an excellent, but overpriced one."

Happy New Year,

Is this a rerun?

ErikJD is running his post count up so that he can post the same message all over again in all four threads, this time with the link..... :)

While I haven't posted enough times for this board to allow me to post links, I recommend everyone search WSJ for either Walt Mossberg or the story title "The HDTV Dilemma: Pay for TiVo's Recorder Or Settle for Cable's?" that just posted this (12/28) morning.

I think the article fairly reflects most of the sentiment of members of this board...

His final comment: "But, for now, the choice is tough. The Comcast high-definition DVR is a cheaper, but flawed product and the TiVo Series3 is an excellent, but overpriced one."

Happy New Year,

The article is only available to subscribers.

While I haven't posted enough times for this board to allow me to post links, I recommend everyone search WSJ for either Walt Mossberg or the story title "The HDTV Dilemma: Pay for TiVo's Recorder Or Settle for Cable's?" that just posted this (12/28) morning.

I think the article fairly reflects most of the sentiment of members of this board...

His final comment: "But, for now, the choice is tough. The Comcast high-definition DVR is a cheaper, but flawed product and the TiVo Series3 is an excellent, but overpriced one."

Happy New Year,

The article is only available to WSJ subscribers.

Now we're getting reruns of the reruns.

The article is only available to WSJ subscribers.
http://ptech.wsj.com/ptech.html
Personal Technology -- Personal Technology from The Wall Street Journal.

While I haven't posted enough times for this board to allow me to post links, I recommend everyone search WSJ for either Walt Mossberg or the story title "The HDTV Dilemma: Pay for TiVo's Recorder Or Settle for Cable's?" that just posted this (12/28) morning.

I think the article fairly reflects most of the sentiment of members of this board...

His final comment: "But, for now, the choice is tough. The Comcast high-definition DVR is a cheaper, but flawed product and the TiVo Series3 is an excellent, but overpriced one."

Happy New Year,
http://ptech.wsj.com/ptech.html[/url]
Personal Technology -- Personal Technology from The Wall Street Journal.,
ErikJD -- Thanks for letting us know about that article and -- keenan -- thanks to for the link. I'd say Mossberg pretty well sums things up. :( :mad:

Just replaced my component cable hookup with HDMI cables -- and encountered a surprise. My intent was to go 6412 > hdmi cable > home theater system > hdmi cable > TV. (My audio system has hdmi in and out connections.)

When I tried the TV displayed the picture, but overlaid by a text message that said something like: "The set top box does not support HD HDMI repeater devices that include copy protection. Use component connections." After the message is displayed for several seconds the picture and the message disappear and are replaced by a solid green screen.

Time Warner has no information about this. Can anyone explain and is there a way to get past this behavior?

In the meantime I have connected the DVR directly to the TV via HDMI and connected the DVD player (which is part of the home theater system) to another HDMI port on the TV.

Thanks,
Bernie

Just replaced my component cable hookup with HDMI cables -- and encountered a surprise. My intent was to go 6412 > hdmi cable > home theater system > hdmi cable > TV. (My audio system has hdmi in and out connections.)

When I tried the TV displayed the picture, but overlaid by a text message that said something like: "The set top box does not support HD HDMI repeater devices that include copy protection. Use component connections." After the message is displayed for several seconds the picture and the message disappear and are replaced by a solid green screen.

Time Warner has no information about this. Can anyone explain and is there a way to get past this behavior?

In the meantime I have connected the DVR directly to the TV via HDMI and connected the DVD player (which is part of the home theater system) to another HDMI port on the TV.

Thanks,
Bernie

Do you have the "Phase III" version of the box? Probably, since you have HDMI. In that case, you need a firmware update. You probably have version 12.31, and you need version 12.35 or 16.20. You have no control as to when your local Time Warner office will deploy this to you and your neighbors.

Basically the Motorola thinks your HTS is a recorder and won't pass the signal through. The firmware update fixes this, but introduces some other bugs that you may or may not experience.

See this link for a lot of helpful information.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

ErikJD -- Thanks for letting us know about that article and -- keenan -- thanks to for the link. I'd say Mossberg pretty well sums things up. :( :mad:

Except (as I am wont to point out in every thread this gets reposted in) for the slight-to-substantial exaggeration and use of worst-case numbers for S3 ownership/subscription :)

Do you have the "Phase III" version of the box? Probably, since you have HDMI. In that case, you need a firmware update. You probably have version 12.31, and you need version 12.35 or 16.20. You have no control as to when your local Time Warner office will deploy this to you and your neighbors.

Basically the Motorola thinks your HTS is a recorder and won't pass the signal through. The firmware update fixes this, but introduces some other bugs that you may or may not experience.

See this link for a lot of helpful information.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

Thank you.

Yes, I have a 6412 Phase III, and yes it has firmware 12.31. I hadn't seen anything specific to this problem in the invaluable wikibook, but I'm sure that you're correct. Time Warner didn't know anything about the problem when I called them before posting, but I'll send them e-mail about the problem being corrected in a firmware update. When I did speak to a helpful person at TW he did say "the 6412 is the only HD DVR they have currently." I like to read meaning into that word "currently" but I'm not optimistic about anything changing anytime soon.

Thank you.

Yes, I have a 6412 Phase III, and yes it has firmware 12.31. I hadn't seen anything specific to this problem in the invaluable wikibook, but I'm sure that you're correct. Time Warner didn't know anything about the problem when I called them before posting, but I'll send them e-mail about the problem being corrected in a firmware update. When I did speak to a helpful person at TW he did say "the 6412 is the only HD DVR they have currently." I like to read meaning into that word "currently" but I'm not optimistic about anything changing anytime soon.
FWIW there are a couple of entire threads devoted to this topic. Here's one of them --
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=649941&goto=newpost

Just got a new DVD player and in the process of setting it up and deciding on inputs etc I made the mistake of briefly changing my 6412 from component to DVI. Now that I've switched back to component SD feed is all showing up as a little box in the middle of the screen as if it's an SD image in an HD feed. This never used to be the case. What the hell happened? I rebooted and it's still doing it.

Dammit, just when I'd gotten used to this stupid box and all its idiosyncracies!

Yes, I have a 6412 Phase III, and yes it has firmware 12.31. I hadn't seen anything specific to this problem in the invaluable wikibook, but I'm sure that you're correct.
I added a cause and remedy (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#When_turning_the_box_on.2C_it_may_not_display_a_picture .2C_the_picture_may_be_solid_green.2C_a_blue_box_may_appear_ displaying_an_HDCP_error.2C_or_multiple_images_may_appear_on _HD_channels) to the WB, and added the bugfix to the list for F/W 12.35 (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Firmware_and_Software#Version_12.35).

If anyone with F/W 12.35 or 16.20 still has issues with HDMI or DVI connections thru a home theater receiver, speak up.

Just got a new DVD player and in the process of setting it up and deciding on inputs etc I made the mistake of briefly changing my 6412 from component to DVI. Now that I've switched back to component SD feed is all showing up as a little box in the middle of the screen as if it's an SD image in an HD feed. This never used to be the case. What the hell happened? I rebooted and it's still doing it.
Double-check the 4:3 override setting. It was probably changed from 480i to OFF. See the information on the SETUP page on the Wikibook (see the .sig below for a link.)

I've noticed another quirk with a bug I mentioned earlier.

You know those channels where the graphic overlay (such as the info bar or Guide screen) doesn't go all the way to the right? At first, I thought it had something to do with the length of the channel number and name. Now, I'm not so sure.

While having the Guide on-screen while on one of those problem channels, I saw something weird. When a Comcast-inserted block of commercials started, the screen redrew to the full width!! When the insert finished, it shrank back! (Inserted commercials will probably only be on 'cable' channels, not locals. They will usually have one or two Comcastic commercials, and local ads.) You can also see it if you pop up the info bar. I tried looking for other things in common, such as broadcast frequency, but nothing really matches.

I wonder if there are two different horizontal resolutions being used for SD channels. Is there somebody out there that can verify it and also can try and see if grabbing it from FireWire and using some program to verify the resolution?

Andy,

Is this what you are referring to?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=775265

Very annoying.........

Andy,

Is this what you are referring to?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=775265

Very annoying.........
No. On some SD channels, the overlay for the Guide and other menus, along with the info bar, does not go all the way to the right edge of the screen. You may not notice it if your TV has more than about 5% overscan.

I wonder if there are two different horizontal resolutions being used for SD channels. Is there somebody out there that can verify it and also can try and see if grabbing it from FireWire and using some program to verify the resolution?
I know I've seen 720 and 704 horizontal resolutions. I'm not home right now to get more details.

Double-check the 4:3 override setting. It was probably changed from 480i to OFF. See the information on the SETUP page on the Wikibook (see the .sig below for a link.)

Thanks. I checked the wiki but I can't figure out where the override is in the menus. Maybe my software is too old? Where should I be looking?

Thanks. I checked the wiki but I can't figure out where the override is in the menus. Maybe my software is too old? Where should I be looking?

With your remote turn off the DVR and then press Menu. The override is the last entry you will see on your TV. Down arrow to that entry and then left or right arrow to change the override.

Wasn't sure to open a new thread on this or not... I recorded the Bulls game, when I first set it to record, the guide said 7:30 to 9:30 which isn't right; game is usually over at 10, so I said to record an extra hour to be safe.

When I started watching it, at about 1:50 into the recording (just into the 4th quarter) all of a sudden I was seeing the final score and the start of the postgame show. So somehow it lost about 20 minutes or so of recording although the recording time showed 180 minutes long on the "My Recordings" grid.

Anyone seen anything like this? Is it a recording glitch somehow related to maybe they changed the end time or something? Not sure if there was really 180 minutes recorded. ie 20 minutes later to make up for the missing 20 in the middle?

It sounds like the box lost the signal. If it does it will stop recording & stay paused untill the box either gets the signal back or the rec. time ends.

I've had it happen before. It still said the rec. was the correct amount of time because that is was the amount of time it was set to record.

I am curious about the power requirements of the 6412. Comparing Off (unplugged) to Off/On (Standby). Has anybody used a watt meter to measure the power requirements. The reason I ask is because I use my 6412 mostly for backround music feeding my receiver through the audio output with the TV off.
I estimate that just listening to audio would require about 5 to 10 watts. Watching the Panny 50PX60U would use about 450 watts or 4 to 5 cents per hour. Do these numbers seem close to actual cost and power consumption.

Unplugged? Wouldn't the power consumption = 0 Watts?

And the video being displayed (or not) on your TV is your choice, I doubt anything the 6412 does affects tha power consumption of the TV.

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't understand the point of your question :)

I am curious about the power requirements of the 6412. Comparing Off (unplugged) to Off/On (Standby). Has anybody used a watt meter to measure the power requirements. The reason I ask is because I use my 6412 mostly for backround music feeding my receiver through the audio output with the TV off.
I estimate that just listening to audio would require about 5 to 10 watts. Watching the Panny 50PX60U would use about 450 watts or 4 to 5 cents per hour. Do these numbers seem close to actual cost and power consumption.

Turning the 6412 "off" stops the program buffering, so the hard drive heads stop clattering around.
And if you don't have the front panel LEDs in clock mode then it turns off the LEDs, other than that the box is always on. The video outputs are blanked (black), but not off - my TV is still syncing up to it. The 6412 uses 42 watts (measured and posted, found with google), and it doesn't change significantly when you turn it off. I don't know where you get your 5 to 10 watt estimate from.

Off topic here.. but just thought I'd share. Heck, might even be common knowledge I didn't know about. Also, did post it in the 34** series thread. So sorry to the mods for a double post. But some might not look over there ;-)

For those having "freezing remote syndrome":

Unplug your DVR. Press and hold Menu while plugging it back in. Look for "boot" to be displayed. Unplug the unit again. Wait 10 seconds. Plug it back in and wait a few more seconds. Front screen should now be off. Power the unit back on.

Seems to have worked for me so far.

Off topic here.. but just thought I'd share. Heck, might even be common knowledge I didn't know about. Also, did post it in the 34** series thread. So sorry to the mods for a double post. But some might not look over there ;-)

For those having "freezing remote syndrome":

Unplug your DVR. Press and hold Menu while plugging it back in. Look for "boot" to be displayed. Unplug the unit again. Wait 10 seconds. Plug it back in and wait a few more seconds. Front screen should now be off. Power the unit back on.

Seems to have worked for me so far.

Where did you come up with that workaround ? It doesn't sound like you just stumbled upon it.

Where did you come up with that workaround ? It doesn't sound like you just stumbled upon it.
It doesn't sound like you're really doing anything but unplugging the box twice in a row.

Getting into the boot menu, but not selecting any of the options, shouldn't really do anything. I'd bet unplugging the box twice in a row would have the same effect.

It doesn't sound like you're really doing anything but unplugging the box twice in a row.

Getting into the boot menu, but not selecting any of the options, shouldn't really do anything. I'd bet unplugging the box twice in a row would have the same effect.

This was straight from level 2 of Motorola's support desk. Not sure what the difference is between a standard "unplug" .... but I do know that unplugging the unit made no difference, this has.

And for those who I know will ask, no.. it doesn't erase your recordings ;-)

Turning the 6412 "off" stops the program buffering, so the hard drive heads stop clattering around.
And if you don't have the front panel LEDs in clock mode then it turns off the LEDs, other than that the box is always on. The video outputs are blanked (black), but not off - my TV is still syncing up to it. The 6412 uses 42 watts (measured and posted, found with google), and it doesn't change significantly when you turn it off. I don't know where you get your 5 to 10 watt estimate from.

If I turn the 6412 off but leave the TV on, the Samsung 5073 TV says "searching for signal". It does that with component and hdmi connections.

And for those who I know will ask, no.. it doesn't erase your recordings ;-)

Of course it doesn't. That one happens with NO button presses (and against the user's will!) :p

With your remote turn off the DVR and then press Menu. The override is the last entry you will see on your TV. Down arrow to that entry and then left or right arrow to change the override.

Spot on, old chap! Did the trick.

WELL ****. The Emergency Broadcast Signal just came on at 5:04 just as the Seahawks game was starting. At the end of the 30 second signal it changed my channel and locked up my box until 5:12. My box even still said 5:04 while the actual time was 5:12.

Does the I-Guide always lose the channel listings when the unit is unplugged or after a power outage. The power went out here for about an hour and the guide is completely populated with To Be Announced on every channel, even the scheduled recordings are listed as To Be Announced?

I'm sure this has been discussed, but this topic is over 300+ pages and the search isn't too great on the forum software.

Edit: This is a 6412 Series 2, with the latest firmware and software according to the wiki page.

Yes, when the 6412 (or any of the other Motorola boxes) loses power it always needs to reload all of the programming information.

Yes, when the 6412 (or any of the other Motorola boxes) loses power it always needs to reload all of the programming information.

Ok, thanks, is it instant? aka, does it happen if you just unplug it for a minute and then plug it back up, or does it retain it for a short time?

Ok, thanks, is it instant? aka, does it happen if you just unplug it for a minute and then plug it back up, or does it retain it for a short time?

Even if the power goes off for a fraction of a second, all the program schedule is lost and would take close to 24 hours to fully reload for all the days in the future.
Fortunately, any programs you've set for recording, are retained.

I have an on/off switch on the power line to my 6412 and after I set my next day's programs, I cut it off, until the next afternoon. I don't want that HDD running all the time, using up power and wearing itself out. After turning the power source back on, you must turn the box on for a minute or so, if you want the previously-scheduled programs to dependably start recording. Sometimes they will start recording without the full turn-on, but sometimes not.

WELL ****. The Emergency Broadcast Signal just came on at 5:04 just as the Seahawks game was starting. At the end of the 30 second signal it changed my channel and locked up my box until 5:12. My box even still said 5:04 while the actual time was 5:12.

The EBS can be annoying at best and may sabotage your recordings. I've had recordings completely dumped by it. Usually, they run it around 2:00 am, but sometimes it goes on in the evening. I guess they need to prove to the public that they are actually doing something for the tax dollars they spend. The DVRs should be programmed to not have their functions disrupted and canceled by it.
If you are watching an On Demand movie, it will be cut off and sometimes I've had to do that painfully slow "fast-forward" all the way from the beginning, to continue watching it.

Even if the power goes off for a fraction of a second, all the program schedule is lost and would take close to 24 hours to fully reload for all the days in the future.
Fortunately, any programs you've set for recording, are retained.

I have an on/off switch on the power line to my 6412 and after I set my next day's programs, I cut it off, until the next afternoon. I don't want that HDD running all the time, using up power and wearing itself out. After turning the power source back on, you must turn the box on for a minute or so, if you want the previously-scheduled programs to dependably start recording. Sometimes they will start recording without the full turn-on, but sometimes not.

Actually, I may got the direct opposite and put it on a UPS, it's a rental, and I'm in the camp that it doesn't hurt to have hard drives on all the time, I never turn my PC off and I've never had problems with hard drives that have been left on for 5+ years. Plus the fact, the box is actually a rental from the cable outfit, I don't really plan on long term storage on the unit, it doesn't really have enough storage, especially HD material.

Even if the power goes off for a fraction of a second, all the program schedule is lost and would take close to 24 hours to fully reload for all the days in the future.
Fortunately, any programs you've set for recording, are retained.

I have an on/off switch on the power line to my 6412 and after I set my next day's programs, I cut it off, until the next afternoon. I don't want that HDD running all the time, using up power and wearing itself out. After turning the power source back on, you must turn the box on for a minute or so, if you want the previously-scheduled programs to dependably start recording. Sometimes they will start recording without the full turn-on, but sometimes not.

Sir,

as a tech who works on the DVR's every day for a cable Co. I can tell you that you must keep the box plugged in at all times. The STB and the Headend need to be able to pass data back and forth at various times of the day. You will not hurt or harm the HDD by leaving the STB on, if you want to stop the buffering, place both tuners to one of the 45 various Digital Music only Channels. These channels are set not to buffer. But the HDD is always on even when you place the STB in Standby mode (off) There is no way around that. You are however more prone to causing damage to the HDD by plugging / unplugging the Power cord to the STB over and over.

As a Comcast customer I've got say - things had better improve this year. The STB they fostered upon us from Motorola is a HUGE pos. It has the worst A/D converter - analog channels look horrible. My TV hooked directly to the cable does far better, but of course I lose the DVR and it's a setup hassle.

Also, I'm tired of the STB going to 'sleep' for 30secs to a few minutes every once in a while for no apparent reason. Then when it decides to wake, it executes every command you entered trying to get it to wake up! (Kind of amusing at this point watching the poor thing catch up).

The always on nature of the STB is crazy. It's 40 watts, 100% of the time. Turning it 'off' only turns off the display - the power I measured is the same. That's almost $5 month in power costs (and that's a baseline rate!).

And why does one have to go to a setup menu to turn on CC? That's so 70's....!

And the rate increases.....for this??!

For me, I'm watching to see what happens with U-verse and if Dish/Direct get more birds in the air. The ONLY reason I'm not there now is the terrible HD signals from them due to bandwidth limitations.

Competition is grand!

-Dave

As a Comcast customer I've got say - things had better improve this year. The STB they fostered upon us from Motorola is a HUGE pos. It has the worst A/D converter - analog channels look horrible. My TV hooked directly to the cable does far better, but of course I lose the DVR and it's a setup hassle.

It is extremely easy to split the signal before it goes to the cable box and have it feed your TV also. Alternatively, the PIII boxes have a CABLE passthru on the back. You should be able to turn your box off and it will pass the signal through.

The always on nature of the STB is crazy. It's 40 watts, 100% of the time. Turning it 'off' only turns off the display - the power I measured is the same. That's almost $5 month in power costs (and that's a baseline rate!).

Your power rates are high. I calculated $2.98 a month. There are on average ~30.4 days in a month. So the KwH = 30.4*24*0.04 = 29.18 Kwh. I pay $0.05941 / KwH (surcharge power rate) + $0.04284 / KwH (delivery) for a total of $0.10225 / KwH (it varies from month to month). Therefore the total cost per month is 29.18 KwH * $0.10225 / KwH = $2.98. However, maybe that is to much too! :)

I don't want that HDD running all the time, using up power and wearing itself out.Turning the power to the disk drive on/off all the time can do a great deal more damage to it than running it 24hrs/day!!

In professional installations such as broadcast and computer centres, the equipment is never turned off.

It is extremely easy to split the signal before it goes to the cable box and have it feed your TV also. Alternatively, the PIII boxes have a CABLE passthru on the back. You should be able to turn your box off and it will pass the signal through.


Your power rates are high. I calculated $2.98 a month. There are on average ~30.4 days in a month. So the KwH = 30.4*24*0.04 = 29.18 Kwh. I pay $0.05941 / KwH (surcharge power rate) + $0.04284 / KwH (delivery) for a total of $0.10225 / KwH (it varies from month to month). Therefore the total cost per month is 29.18 KwH * $0.10225 / KwH = $2.98. However, maybe that is to much too! :)


I've got the A/V equip on one wall and the plasma on the other with wiring under the house. Yeah, I could do it, but I lose the DVR and the WAF in trying to explain to her that certain channels use the ANT input and others use the Denon. (I've got one HDMI cable from the Denon to the Plasma). I have to run component from the STB to the Denon because, well, everyone knows that one (another strike).

You're right on about the high power. I double checked, and did make an error - it would be $4/mo at our standard rate of $0.11430/Kwh. But we only get 390Kwh at that rate (hardly anyone uses that little!), so the average cost is much higher (it can go to $0.32227!!). And I measured 48 watts on mine (not 40).

I understand those that believe leaving something on is better - but as an engineer, I can tell you that's just not the case anymore. All you're doing is wasting energy. Failure rates of power cycle damage or long term 'always on' is probably a wash either way (anecdotal evidence notwithstanding). Besides, how good is it to just pull the plug on the STB (rather than a controlled shutdown) every so often because the darn thing locks up?

Discussions about TIVO running on this STB are humorous (if not sad). Can you imagine the bugs with THAT combo? IMO, it's time for Comcast to lose this box and start over. The tech for video processing, not to mention a better DVR, surely must be better than 4-5 years ago.

-Dave

I apologize if this has been asked and answered here a 100 times but my searches on this site and on google have not lead me to a definitve answer.

I have the DCT6412 (III), and I have the audio being output via Toslink optical cable to my Receiver (Onkyo TX-501SR). I've noticed that even though the volume on the receiver is set to a comfortable level when viewing HD content the volume is very loud and uncomfortable when switching to a non-HD channel, even though the volume level on the receiver is unchanged.

Is there a way to fix this, so the volume level being output by the DCT6412 is the same for both SD and HD channels? Changing the audio options didn't seem to have any effect. Is it the optical connector?

I have a Comcast 6412 PIII Motorola, and have optical audio out to my Denon AVR. There is a noticable difference between the audio levels of a few channels, for instance, MSNBC and the IFC, both SD channels, one digital, and one analog, are both quite a bit louder than the others. But, I don't have a audio level difference between HD and SD channels specifically. I don't think there is a soultion to your problem. Changing audio options in the set up menu only affects the line outputs, not the digital ones.

Sir,

as a tech who works on the DVR's every day for a cable Co. I can tell you that you must keep the box plugged in at all times. The STB and the Headend need to be able to pass data back and forth at various times of the day. You will not hurt or harm the HDD by leaving the STB on, if you want to stop the buffering, place both tuners to one of the 45 various Digital Music only Channels. These channels are set not to buffer. But the HDD is always on even when you place the STB in Standby mode (off) There is no way around that. You are however more prone to causing damage to the HDD by plugging / unplugging the Power cord to the STB over and over.

That is what I have been doing with my DCT6412III but I am having one problem, audio gets out of sync with video once in a while, seems to be when near capacity, and I have been unplugging the DVR for a brief period to fix it.

Chris

Even if the power goes off for a fraction of a second, all the program schedule is lost and would take close to 24 hours to fully reload for all the days in the future.Actually, it could take a lot longer -- it depends on settings at the head-end. They tend to schedule program guide updates so stuff coming up in the next few hours is updated very frequently, stuff coming up in the next day a little less frequently, stuff coming up in the week a little less frequently, and stuff coming up next week very infrequently. For me, sometimes that last update only comes around once every two or three days.

As a Comcast customer I've got say - things had better improve this year. The STB they fostered upon us from Motorola is a HUGE pos.Compared to what, and at what cost?

Compared to what, and at what cost?

Compared to any piece of consumer electronic equipment. :D Heck, even WINXP is better than this! Expectations are high for this type of equipment (as it should be).

The best comparison is satellite - their boxes seem more robust (based on reports from this and other boards). But I'm sure they have kinks as well. The bandwidth problems they have on HD though are killer. I just can't fathom why the sat guys can't reduce bandwidth of such critical channels as, say, HSN (!) to make room for good HD.

-Dave

How can I disable the bright red led message light? This goes out after deleting all messages but is annoying as it keeps coming back with new messages and I don't want to have to continuously delete them. There is a setting in the STB that says something about disabling messages but that apparently has no affect. Any ideas?

How can I disable the bright red led message light? This goes out after deleting all messages but is annoying as it keeps coming back with new messages and I don't want to have to continuously delete them. There is a setting in the STB that says something about disabling messages but that apparently has no affect. Any ideas?

Main Menu
Setup Menu
Guide Setup
message notice - OFF / ON

The STB they fostered upon us from Motorola is a HUGE pos."fostered upon us"?! :confused:

Fostered??

Do you mean "foisted"?

Or 'forced' ;)

And a big fat SHEESH to all the Watt counters who want to turn their DVRs off. Just leave 'em on already!

The EBS can be annoying at best and may sabotage your recordings. I've had recordings completely dumped by it. Usually, they run it around 2:00 am, but sometimes it goes on in the evening. I guess they need to prove to the public that they are actually doing something for the tax dollars they spend. The DVRs should be programmed to not have their functions disrupted and canceled by it.

Unless, of course, there is an actual emergency, and they want to tell you to pack up and get out of town now, and you just started watching that "24" marathon that you recorded. Then it would be nice to have the EBS break in. :eek:

I continue to have problems with the phase 3 6412 box via Comcast here in Broward County, Fl.

I only see it on HD channels broadcasting in 1080i. Discovery HD is the worst by far and lately it's bad on Cinemax HD. I've had techs out trying to solve the problem, but no luck yet. This is making me mad as hell. I've tried the resets, unplugging, etc.

Has any body had similar problems and someone found the actual cause of this? I think the box is not right, but I'm no video engineer.

I could always take out my Louisville slugger, Pete Rose model, and crush it's annoying dome, but I'd prefer a real fix if possible!

Unless, of course, there is an actual emergency, and they want to tell you to pack up and get out of town now, and you just started watching that "24" marathon that you recorded. Then it would be nice to have the EBS break in. :eek:

Except that once the EBS message ends you can't actually find out what is happening because you can't change to a news channel until 15 minutes later when your box starts responding to commands again ;)

I continue to have problems with the phase 3 6412 box via Comcast here in Broward County, Fl.

I only see it on HD channels broadcasting in 1080i. Discovery HD is the worst by far and lately it's bad on Cinemax HD. I've had techs out trying to solve the problem, but no luck yet. This is making me mad as hell. I've tried the resets, unplugging, etc.

Has any body had similar problems and someone found the actual cause of this? I think the box is not right, but I'm no video engineer.

I could always take out my Louisville slugger, Pete Rose model, and crush it's annoying dome, but I'd prefer a real fix if possible!

You could always swap it out for a different one. I assume you have lots of recorded content you don't want to lose?

I continue to have problems with the phase 3 6412 box via Comcast here in Broward County, Fl.

I only see it on HD channels broadcasting in 1080i. Discovery HD is the worst by far and lately it's bad on Cinemax HD. I've had techs out trying to solve the problem, but no luck yet. This is making me mad as hell. I've tried the resets, unplugging, etc.

Has any body had similar problems and someone found the actual cause of this? I think the box is not right, but I'm no video engineer.

I could always take out my Louisville slugger, Pete Rose model, and crush it's annoying dome, but I'd prefer a real fix if possible!
Not sure what you mean by "stuttering/choppy video" but thought I would share my experience to see if it helps. For many months from the first day I upgraded to digital cable/HD I experienced numerous problems -- many channels that were in my subscription package came up with a message like "Channel not available. Will be available soon" (or something like that). Although I was able to receive the vast majority of channels )both SD and HD), the problem existed for quite a few SD channels and there were a also few HD channels that just didn't come in at all -- not even a message. I also experienced many channels that I could see but were "stuttering/choppy" in that they worked for a short while then intemittently became pixelated -- and then come in again only to cut out a few seconds/minutes later. I used the diagnotics menu to check the dignal strength and saw that it was "Poor" or "Fair" in many cases, so I suspected that the either the feed to my house had some problem or a signal amp in my immediate vicinity was bad and causing signal problem that affected only certain channels.

A Comcast tech came out and checked things over including the signal strength but he said it it al looked OK to him. He recommended switching out the STB (don't they all?!). But I had a lot of stuff recorded that I didn't want to lose, so I put it off. Eventually I went into the Comcast office and picked up a second STB to test out and/or run in parallel with the original one. I also picked up a signal amp to try to boost the signal. SAME PROBLEM. So obviously it wasn't the original STB -- and it also looked like the signal strength was OK since even and "amped up" signal behaved the same.

Eventually I had another tech come out and look further for the problem -- still thinking it was a problem with the basic feed from the street to my house. This guy was much better than the first one, and I made it clear (politely) that I wasn't going to put up with the same old lame ass "probably this/probaby that -- but who knows" problem solving (or lack thereof.) I certainly wasn't going to put up with an answer of "change out the STB and all will be OK." Been there, done that, have the T-shirt.

Well -- as it turned out -- it really was a signal strength/condition problem, but not related to the house feed from the street or a bad amp in the street box. Turns out that when they converted our neighborhood from analog to digital a few years ago, there was some kind of filter in the main feed box on the side of my house that should have been removed -- BUT IT WASN'T. So -- that basic flaw was the cause of all my problems -- once the old analog filter was removed everything started working just as it should.

Hopefully my situation was unique, but the lesson learned for me was that there are many possible problems with digital cable circuits/feeds and it takes persistent, thoughtful problem solving -- looking at the entire circuit from origin to display and all points in between by an experienced, knowledgeable tech. Unfortunately it also requires a customer who is persistent to try all options and continue escalating the issue until the problem is solved. (What a PIA). Anyway -- best of luck fixing your problem. I hope my experience helps in some way.

Compared to any piece of consumer electronic equipment. :D"Any piece of consumer electronic equipment" will not record and play back television programs in HD. Only HD DVRs will do that. So my question again to you is, "Compared to what?"

The best comparison is satellite - their boxes seem more robust (based on reports from this and other boards). But I'm sure they have kinks as well.Precisely. You cannot choose between reality and fantasy, in choosing a DVR -- you have to choose among the available options. Unremarkably, they're all pretty comparable, once you factor in all significant factors associated with each.

To clarify, the Hd video on certain HD stations looks like it's dropping frames. Like an old keystone kops film. There's no pixellation or blackouts. This is most apparent when there is onscreen panning or movement.

Regarding signal strength. I am positive that one of the best indicators of signal strength is (if no test equipment is available and you have high speed internet access) to run a speed test to test your download speed.

I complained to Comcast about the download speed and they verified a deterioated 25 year old underground cable. After the cable was replaced, everything improved dramatically. The tech. also remarked that most complaints about the signal strength come from people with internet connection.

The problem with using download speed as a signal strength indicator is that the frequency used for the internet modem isn't terribly high.

Make sure your cable tech is using a frequency scanner. It is a handheld device with a graphical display that shows signal strength as a function of frequency. Make sure the scan is run at the streetside pedestal, entry to the house then also at the location of your set to check for degradation. Ask to see the display results yourself.

Anything else is just guesswork. If they show up without such a meter send them home with a complaint.

jtm

How do I set-up or use the 30 second skip feature on this baby?

I have had the comcast DVR for several months now and never even knew it had one.

How do I set-up or use the 30 second skip feature on this baby?

I have had the comcast DVR for several months now and never even knew it had one.

You could use the search feature to find the answer. :rolleyes:

Or go to http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_30-Second_Skip

"Any piece of consumer electronic equipment" will not record and play back television programs in HD. Only HD DVRs will do that. So my question again to you is, "Compared to what?"

Precisely. You cannot choose between reality and fantasy, in choosing a DVR -- you have to choose among the available options. Unremarkably, they're all pretty comparable, once you factor in all significant factors associated with each.

I'm not sure how the Motorola 6412 compares to the HD-DVRs used by other cable companies, but it's not in the same league as a DirecTV HR10-250 (HD-Tivo). I used the HR10-250 for over a year; the Moto 6412 is a big pile of steaming doo doo compared to the HD-Tivo. I have used the 6412 for about a year; I am on my third 6412 in that year (one Phase 2 and two Phase IIIs); I also had another Phase III that was hooked up to my wife's TV for about four months (that means I've had experience with four Motorola 6412s in the past year). Here are some specific points of comparision:

1. My HD-Tivo never, ever locked up and crashed. I'm on my third 6412, each has had problems with locking up. I'm reluctant to swap devices because I have shows recorded that I don't want to lose.
2. My HD-Tivo never, ever missed a programmed recording. For some unfathomable reason, all three of the 6412s I have had have missed recordings on occasion.
3. Every single recording I made on my HD-Tivo worked. I have had several recordings made on two of the three 6412s that don't work for some reason (no audio, horrible lip synch issues, unwatchable pixelation, can't fast forward, get to a point and the recording just stops even though the My Recordings section told me that it recorded the whole program).
4. Some SD channels look really, really bad from the 6412. If I plug the coax directly into the TV, they look much better. I know that I can split the signal before it goes into the 6412 or use the RF bypass, but that requires me to explain to my wife that she needs to use different inputs to watch cable TV, which doesn't pass the wife acceptance factor test.
5. the responsiveness of the 6412 is horrible compared to that of the HD-Tivo. When I pressed a button on my HD-Tivo remote, the subsequent action happened... ALWAYS!!! With the 6412, I sometimes have nothing happen for 30 seconds, and then...booom a whole bunch of things happen.
6. The interface isn't as nice as Tivo. I can't objectively quantify this; however, I can tell you that the moto interface doesn't cut it.

I would still be with DTV if they offered locals in my area. I had to maintain a Comcast subscription for locals while subscribing to DTV. I live in an area that has a lot of hills and valleys. Using the DTV installed antenna, the only local I could get was a CBS station in SD. With Comcast, i get all of the networks in both SD and HD. Also, I became disappointed with DirecTV's HD signal quality around the fall of 2005 when they started moving to HD-Lite.

Comcast has its strengths (Locals in my area are only available via CCast, On Demand is pretty nice, cheaper for me than DTV); however this piece of crap DVR is not one of them. I got rid of one of the 6412s and bought my wife a stand alone Series 2 dual tuner Tivo because she despised the Motorola garbage. If it was cost prohibitive for me to so, I would buy a Tivo Series 3 and be rid of the 6412 for good. If the Tivo interface for the 6412 doesn't fix things, I'll probably mve to a Series 3 by the end of the year.

Edit: Oh, one more to add... the HR10-250 had a 250GB HDD; the Moto 6412 has 120GB. 120Gb is not enough space for a dedicated HD-DVR.

I foolishly limited my search to this site and got a bunch of TIVO responses.

Try cycling the stb output from 1080i to 720p to 480p and i and that may help. It did in my case. but its not a permanent solution and needs to be repeated. But its so annoying trying to watch a football game with quick pans and the screen is dropping frames etc.

How do I set-up or use the 30 second skip feature on this baby?

I have had the comcast DVR for several months now and never even knew it had one.

its on wikipedia very self-explanatory

The problem with using download speed as a signal strength indicator is that the frequency used for the internet modem isn't terribly high.
This depends on your area. Mine is running at 711MHz. The highest frequency I know that is being used by me is 807MHz. It's possible OnDemand could be using higher ones. When they first started testing ADS here, they had a few of the public access channels on 825MHz. Once they went full ADS, they moved to a lower frequency.

just found this thread as i'm researching HDMI AVRs. i've got the comcast moto 6412, phase III and was wondering if the HDMI-out will send audio to the receiver? if so, is it stereo? 5.1 surround?

will i need to use optical for the audio to the receiver? hope not

just found this thread as i'm researching HDMI AVRs. i've got the comcast moto 6412, phase III and was wondering if the HDMI-out will send audio to the receiver? if so, is it stereo? 5.1 surround?

will i need to use optical for the audio to the receiver? hope not

Yes, but. . .

It will send 5.1 via HDMI and/or digital. BUT, there is a problem with the most common versions of the firmware in the box that will prevent it from feeding a TV signal from the 6412 to the AVR and then to the TV. See this link for the specifics. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#When_turning_the_box_on.2C_it_may_not_display_a_picture .2C_the_picture_may_be_solid_green.2C_a_blue_box_may_appear_ displaying_an_HDCP_error.2C_or_multiple_images_may_appear_on _HD_channels

While I try to get Time Warner to upgrade the firmware on my 6412 PIII I'm feeding the video to the 5073 via HDMI and audio to my audio system via an optical cable. Cables are available at minimal expense on ebay.

Bernie

I'm not sure how the Motorola 6412 compares to the HD-DVRs used by other cable companies, but it's not in the same league as a DirecTV HR10-250 (HD-Tivo).Correct: The 6412 is still in production, while the HR10 has been discontinued.

Compare the 6412 to the HR20... maybe then you've got an apples-to-apples comparison.

I would still be with DTV if they offered locals in my area.And that's the other problem. The HR10 doesn't work with cable. Not much good, then, is it? :)

Correct: The 6412 is still in production, while the HR10 has been discontinued.

Compare the 6412 to the HR20... maybe then you've got an apples-to-apples comparison.

And that's the other problem. The HR10 doesn't work with cable. Not much good, then, is it? :)

Bicker, now you're just bickering. :p

The HR10 is a TiVo. The HR20 is crud (DTV's own DVR).

I wonder how the 6412 will do with the Tivo software. Hopefully, it will perform better than with iguide.

It is extremely easy to split the signal before it goes to the cable box and have it feed your TV also. Alternatively, the PIII boxes have a CABLE passthru on the back. You should be able to turn your box off and it will pass the signal through.
Only if your cable provider has enabled the passthru. Mine, for example (Comcast in Somerville, MA), has not.

if you want to stop the buffering, place both tuners to one of the 45 various Digital Music only Channels. These channels are set not to buffer.

If they don't buffer, why do the DVR controls still function on them, just like any other channel? Seems like it'd have to be buffering them to allow that. Granted, the HDD does make a lot less noise when both tuners are set to Digital Music, which would suggest not buffering, but again, they certainly function as if they've been buffered. Maybe they buffer at a lower bitrate or something. I dunno.

What I do when I want to turn the buffers off is set both tuners to the On Demand channel but I don't activate the On Demand service. On Demand is channel 1, so to get the channel without the service, I go to channel 2, then hit channel down. Granted if you use the clock on the front of the box, this will wreck that, since it'll just say 1 instead of the time, but it definitely shuts down the buffer.

Could someone tell me the device code for a 42" Sylvania Plasma. My Dad wanted a spare remote which I got him. Now I would like to put the Sylvania code into the remote.

Could someone tell me the device code for a 42" Sylvania Plasma. My Dad wanted a spare remote which I got him. Now I would like to put the Sylvania code into the remote.

Try one of these: 0054, 0030, 0171

Just purchased an HDPC compliant DVI switcher to switch between a new mac mini and 6412 as inputs to a SP4805. This is my second switcher. The first was not HDPC compliant and wouldn't reliably switch sources -- black screen. This one will switch. However, it looks like when I switch from the Mac back to the 6412, it defaults all of my video settings to 480p and a 4:3 display. Even if the 6412 is off, the menu is set back to defaults. Any ideas for a workaround? I have component inputs available on the SP4805, but it doesn't look like it is easy to switch between DVI and component because of the digital to analog conversion.

I encountered the 4:20/4:50 bug recently. I'd had several of my recordings padded for quite some time. I don't know why it would act up all of a sudden. What a load of crap... I have to sacrifice control of my recordings because Comcrap can't get their act together and fix bugs that have been around for years? Does the new firmware some of us have been waiting for fix anything?

Hi, is there a way to recover a deleted program on a Comcast 6412. Thx

Hi, is there a way to recover a deleted program on a Comcast 6412. Thx

Nope

Hi, is there a way to recover a deleted program on a Comcast 6412. Thx

I bet the FBI could do it.

I bet the FBI could do it.

Only after they read your mail and listen to your phone calls. If you have good TV recorded they will watch that too... :)

I am aware that using a cable box in a different house has been discussed, and it just depends if you are in the same group as the place you are trying it. I was just wondering how big these groups are. I am thinking of bringing my box to church so we can watch the Super Bowl in HD. It's about 4-5 miles away. Should I even bother trying it, or is that way too far?

I have a 6412 III digital plus HD and they have basic digital.

I've got a Comcast 6412 that's a couple years old, with audio output running to my Yamaha RV 7.1 Surround receiver via optical audio out. The picture feed runs direct to my Sony 60" GWIII on a DVI cable (my model GWIII does not have HDMI, nor does my receiver)

In any event, lately I've been noticing increasingly choppy audio on a number of channels (especially ABC). There will be periods where the audio just dops out for a second or two. It does this on the tv broadcasts (or when I replay from DVR), but not when I play my DVD (which has a seperate audio out, direct from the DVD player).

Any ideas if this is a DVR problem ? Could it be the optical cable itself (which I think I had "pulled" the contact off of mistakenly one time) ? Is there some way to "defrag" the hard drive on my DVR (it seems to be lagging lately, with this audio problem and also problems with the remote "freezing" more and more frequently).

I'd prefer to avoid switching out the box because of all the programs I have saved, but that's something I may need to do, I'll do it.

Any help appreciated ... as I couldn't seem to find an answer to my own question searching the forum.

I am aware that using a cable box in a different house has been discussed, and it just depends if you are in the same group as the place you are trying it. I was just wondering how big these groups are. I am thinking of bringing my box to church so we can watch the Super Bowl in HD. It's about 4-5 miles away. Should I even bother trying it, or is that way too far?

I have a 6412 III digital plus HD and they have basic digital.

Is your church signed up for your cable provider's HD package? That's about the only way I could see it working.

The other alternative is to take a TV to church that has an ATSC or QAM tuner. You could get CBS OTA with an antenna using the ATSC tuner or in the clear from the cable company using the QAM tuner.

Is your church signed up for your cable provider's HD package?That is not necessary. As long as the church and the guy with the HD box/subscription are serviced from the same head-end, it will work. (Been there, done that!)

I was just wondering how big these groups are.Big.

Take it and try it. You have nothing to lose. I am certain that it will work (see my above message).

There will be periods where the audio just dops out for a second or two.This appears to be happening everywhere. The audio break seems to last for about 4 seconds. Probably a firmware glitch.

Big.

Take it and try it. You have nothing to lose. I am certain that it will work (see my above message).
Yes, if possible, try it before the day of the game. I am assuming (cavu, correct me if I'm wrong), if your box works at all at the church (even with a small TV), then you should get hi-def. If you and the church are not in the same head end, you won't get anything.

This should work, though comcast is working on new security that will prevent subscribers from using there modems and STB out of there local node & Area..

Hi, does anyone know how to use the video in connection on the front of the 6412. I can't seem to get it to work? Thx

Hi, does anyone know how to use the video in connection on the front of the 6412. I can't seem to get it to work? Thx


It's not enabled.

Well, I'm also in Tigard, and I'm about ready to strangle whoever release that 16.20 "upgrade". My box (Phase II 6412) had been working fine - except for the periodic lock-ups - for over a year, and now it's nearly unusable: stuttering during playback, even during live viewing. The playback stuttering often degrades into a complete stop and black screen. Hitting the play, skip, or fast foward key gives me a dialog box saying I can't press those buttons unless I'm in Play mode, code NSTP, NPLY, NSKP, etc.

Does anyone know if a software release will save us?

My first post, hopefully it isn't in vain. For those experiencing the "NPLY" issues, there may be a simple solution.

I started getting the same issue a few days ago. A few posts I read said that the program was corrupt once the NPLY error surfaced and should be deleted - PLEASE DON'T.

Well, here is my successful work around: the 30 second skip hack. Yep. Just forward to a few seconds before the lockup and hit the skip. It's worked everytime for me so far. Hopefully it works for you.

While I have your attention, thanks to everyone here on the AVSForums for all the help you have provided over the years.

SN

That is not necessary. As long as the church and the guy with the HD box/subscription are serviced from the same head-end, it will work. (Been there, done that!)


Does this assume the HD locals are being passed in the clear? I thought the available channels were controlled from the head-end.

Does this assume the HD locals are being passed in the clear? I thought the available channels were controlled from the head-end.
The FCC has mandated that HD locals must not be encrypted.

The FCC has mandated that HD locals must not be encrypted.

As discussed in other threads, despite the mandate some providers do in fact encrypt them.

As discussed in other threads, despite the mandate some providers do in fact encrypt them.

And as also discussed, I understand that the FCC does not mandate that. Which is why it isn't done. In some places local municipalities have, or have had, the ability to regulate their monopoly providers, but that isn't universal either, and at least in Texas has disappeared. T-W tells me that all of their digital signals are encrypted and I haven't seen anything to contradict that. But their analog signals for broadcast stations are not encrypted.

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, §76.630:

And of note within all of this verbiage…

* § 76.630(a) “Cable system operators shall not scramble or otherwise encrypt signals carried on the basic service tier.”
* § 76.901(a) “(a) Basic service. The basic service tier shall, at a minimum, include all signals of domestic television broadcast stations provided to any subscriber (except a signal secondarily transmitted by satellite carrier beyond the local service area of such station, regardless of how such signal is ultimately received by the cable system) any public, educational, and governmental programming required by the franchise to be carried on the basic tier, and any additional video programming signals a service added to the basic tier by the cable operator.”

link to the regulations (http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=496d138312e61018fd6db3404f2dde7d&rgn=div8&view=text&node=47:4.0.1.1.4.11.3.14&idno=47)

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, §76.630:

And of note within all of this verbiage…

* § 76.630(a) “Cable system operators shall not scramble or otherwise encrypt signals carried on the basic service tier.”
* § 76.901(a) “(a) Basic service. The basic service tier shall, at a minimum, include all signals of domestic television broadcast stations provided to any subscriber (except a signal secondarily transmitted by satellite carrier beyond the local service area of such station, regardless of how such signal is ultimately received by the cable system) any public, educational, and governmental programming required by the franchise to be carried on the basic tier, and any additional video programming signals a service added to the basic tier by the cable operator.”

link to the regulations (http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=496d138312e61018fd6db3404f2dde7d&rgn=div8&view=text&node=47:4.0.1.1.4.11.3.14&idno=47)

That's great. Thanks for sharing that.

I saw that it says that set top boxes must also be available that provide IEEE 1394 (Firewire) functionality too. But I think that a lot of the DVR's (6412 for example) do not have that enabled. And if it is enabled wouldn't that also permit copying?

The FCC has mandated that HD locals must not be encrypted.This is actually a myth. There is no requirement to carry HD locals on the basic tier.

This is actually a myth. There is no requirement to carry HD locals on the basic tier.

Never says that it must be on the basic tier huh?

Quote"* § 76.901(a) “(a) Basic service. The basic service tier shall, at a minimum, include all signals of domestic television broadcast stations provided to any subscriber"

HD is broadcast OTA by the domestic broadcast station. So how do you figure? Love the way you edited your original post Mr. Vigilante.

EDIT:

So you all know what I'm talking about:
Television broadcasts are licensed for private viewing in your home. Public projection, even in a church, requires a special license. mLet's keep discussion of actions like this off the public forum, please.

That's great. Thanks for sharing that.

I saw that it says that set top boxes must also be available that provide IEEE 1394 (Firewire) functionality too. But I think that a lot of the DVR's (6412 for example) do not have that enabled. And if it is enabled wouldn't that also permit copying?

My 1394 port works just fine.

I'm putting in a home theater; got the Denon AVR 2807, Toshiba HD DVD, PS3, and a Sharp 45 inch HDTV. I want to switch to VerizonFIOS and get their HD DVR (I believe it will be the Motorola 6216 or 6412). I want to connect the DVR directly to the AVR receiver using HDMI, and the AVR to the HDTV using HDMI. Here are my questions: (1) Is there a reason not to do this; (2) Are there compatibility issues using the HDMI connections between these AVRs and the Denon receiver that I should know about before ordering Verizon service; and (3) Any reason to use component cables or DVI instead?

Thanks for helping this newbie-

Justin

I'm putting in a home theater; got the Denon AVR 2807, Toshiba HD DVD, PS3, and a Sharp 45 inch HDTV. I want to switch to VerizonFIOS and get their HD DVR (I believe it will be the Motorola 6216 or 6412). I want to connect the DVR directly to the AVR receiver using HDMI, and the AVR to the HDTV using HDMI. Here are my questions: (1) Is there a reason not to do this; (2) Are there compatibility issues using the HDMI connections between these AVRs and the Denon receiver that I should know about before ordering Verizon service; and (3) Any reason to use component cables or DVI instead?

Thanks for helping this newbie-

Justin

Check entry 9124 and others in this forum for the potential problem. It will depend on the firmware in the DVR that you receive.

I'm putting in a home theater; got the Denon AVR 2807, Toshiba HD DVD, PS3, and a Sharp 45 inch HDTV. I want to switch to VerizonFIOS and get their HD DVR (I believe it will be the Motorola 6216 or 6412). I want to connect the DVR directly to the AVR receiver using HDMI, and the AVR to the HDTV using HDMI. Here are my questions: (1) Is there a reason not to do this; (2) Are there compatibility issues using the HDMI connections between these AVRs and the Denon receiver that I should know about before ordering Verizon service; and (3) Any reason to use component cables or DVI instead?
You will need firmware V12.35 or V16.20 in the Moto STB to do what you want. Many areas already have it. :) Others are still waiting. :mad: Also check this extensive thread for much more info on this topic.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=649941

Well, I'm also in Tigard, and I'm about ready to strangle whoever release that 16.20 "upgrade". My box (Phase II 6412) had been working fine - except for the periodic lock-ups - for over a year, and now it's nearly unusable: stuttering during playback, even during live viewing. The playback stuttering often degrades into a complete stop and black screen. Hitting the play, skip, or fast foward key gives me a dialog box saying I can't press those buttons unless I'm in Play mode, code NSTP, NPLY, NSKP, etc.

Does anyone know if a software release will save us?
My first post, hopefully it isn't in vain. For those experiencing the "NPLY" issues, there may be a simple solution.

I started getting the same issue a few days ago. A few posts I read said that the program was corrupt once the NPLY error surfaced and should be deleted - PLEASE DON'T.

Well, here is my successful work around: the 30 second skip hack. Yep. Just forward to a few seconds before the lockup and hit the skip. It's worked everytime for me so far. Hopefully it works for you.

I am remiss in not following up with my experience.

I followed the advice of rebooting the box with the (i think) menu and power buttons held down while plugging the box back in to force a download of the firmware. This dramatically improved the behavior of the DVR; a great deal fewer momentary pauses, no locking up and no NPLY errors. See the 6412 wiki for the actual procedure. I've got it printed out and sitting near my DVR in case I need it again.

However, I will say that the momentary pauses are still there and do break the spell while viewing. I really hope for a software or hardware upgrade to solve these problems. Too bad a Series 3 TIVO is so expensive :(

Never says that it must be on the basic tier huh?I don't want to get into this again, so I'm going to turn it around: If what you think is true, why is it that some cable companies are allowed to continue charging extra for HD locals?

Comcast here in Baltimore doesn't charge extra. The HD stuff is in the clear and although not easy to find, my Mitsu HD TV eventually finds them and adds them to the channel list without a CableCard.

My TV got here before the HD cable box and I was watching HD channels before the HD/DVR showed up for a few days.

jtm

With the FCC mandate that the cable companies separate their security by July 1, 07, I'm wondering what will happen to our 6412s?

Is it CC2.0 capable? If not then it will become a single stream box and without OnDemand capability. OnDemand is no big deal for us but loss of multiple tuner capability would be unpleasant.

Do CableCard2.0 cards even exist? Are any of the Comcast CPE and headends CC2.0 capable?

jim

With the FCC mandate that the cable companies separate their security by July 1, 07, I'm wondering what will happen to our 6412s?
I don't think it affects us at all. I understand the requirement to be that the cable MSO must provide a box with CableCard after that date to new customers or on request by existing customers. Existing boxes will continue to work as they always have.

I think the only real reason for the order was to force economies of scale to cablecard based STB's because that's what the MSO's will be ordering. That should create a reasonable consumer market for cablecard STB's because the R&D and manufacturing setup will already be paid for to supply the MSO's.

I don't want to get into this again, so I'm going to turn it around: If what you think is true, why is it that some cable companies are allowed to continue charging extra for HD locals?

I'm not totally familiar with the mandate, but does it say that companies can't charge for HD locals (say via their set top boxes)? And charging for it doesn't necessarily preclude the fact that they are actually transmitted 'in the clear.' If you don't have a QAM tuner, you can't get them without a set top box...and then they could charge you extra for the service. Just a theory...don't know if it holds water or not...

Randy

So if you're right then how will Comcast service new customers? Will they use their existing stock of STB/DVRs? They have a long history of keeping their CPE/headends uniform within a service area. Here they will have a discontinuity.

There is still the question of how they will do multiple stream and OnDemand. Will the new equipment be CC2.0 compliant to make that possible?

I agree the economy of scale issues were a part of this but perhaps a bigger issue is forcing the cable companies to finally actually support cable cards as full compatible members including interactivity rather than dragging their feet.

jim

So if you're right then how will Comcast service new customers? Will they use their existing stock of STB/DVRs? They have a long history of keeping their CPE/headends uniform within a service area. Here they will have a discontinuity.

There is still the question of how they will do multiple stream and OnDemand. Will the new equipment be CC2.0 compliant to make that possible?

I agree the economy of scale issues were a part of this but perhaps a bigger issue is forcing the cable companies to finally actually support cable cards as full compatible members including interactivity rather than dragging their feet.

jim

Comcast has signed a deal with Motorola to begin purchasing the new line of STB based on the DCT platforms. The new series allows the use of 2 cable cards for security. the new series will be:

DCH 6400 & DCH 3400 Series

Comcast has signed a deal with Motorola to begin purchasing the new line of STB based on the DCT platforms. The new series allows the use of 2 cable cards for security. the new series will be:

DCH 6400 & DCH 3400 Series

Two one way cards? How will it do On Demand?

So if you're right then how will Comcast service new customers?
My understanding is that they are not allowed to hand out STB's w/o cablecard after July 1. Comcast filed a petition for an exemption to this order and they were denied.

I don't know how the two-way features will work. The FCC order only says that they have to separate security (by using cablecard). Is it possible that the Motorola boxes will still use a "closed" system for OnDemand that is not accessible to a Series 3 TiVo (no 2-way cablecard) while still separating security with the cablecard? Maybe someone who knows the hardware better can comment on this.

Two one way cards? How will it do On Demand?

The 2 cc slots will only be for security. The STB will still do VOD, but the built in Security will be handled by CC.

With these STB, if there lost or stolen, they will never work unless you have a working Security Cable card to decode the signal.

. These cable cards will not be tuner cards like you would get for a CC tv or a Tivo S3, these cards only deal with security.

The Cablecard 1's for TV's and third party boxes are not tuner cards either. They just decrypt.

The intent of the FCC regulation is build a market for the Cablecard 1's by forcing the Cable providers to supply them on their own boxes. It would seem odd if Comcast used a different card.

So if you're right then how will Comcast service new customers? Will they use their existing stock of STB/DVRs? They have a long history of keeping their CPE/headends uniform within a service area. Here they will have a discontinuity.

There is still the question of how they will do multiple stream and OnDemand. Will the new equipment be CC2.0 compliant to make that possible?

I agree the economy of scale issues were a part of this but perhaps a bigger issue is forcing the cable companies to finally actually support cable cards as full compatible members including interactivity rather than dragging their feet.

jim

My take on all of this is a bit different from what has been posted so far -

Once all analog goes away, just what will a "basic tier" consist of?

Since many people will be upgrading to "cable ready" (ie, QAM tuner equipped) HDTVs, to remain competitive with OTA in the low end market, the basic tier must certainly include the local HDTV offerings, FCC requirements aside.

Cable companies will offer additional HDTV channels (INHD, TNT, etc.) at additional cost, but a CableCard or STB will be required.

As far as the STBs currently in the field, the many (most?) are already DTV compatible and will continue to function just fine. (I wasn't aware of the July 1 requirement for CC equipped boxes. How will this effect malfunctioning boxes being swapped out after July 1?)

Until CC2.0 cards (and compatible TVs) are available, a STB will be required for OnDemand, PPV, etc.. Anyone have any idea when CC2.0 will become a reality?

I'm not totally familiar with the mandate, but does it say that companies can't charge for HD locals (say via their set top boxes)? And charging for it doesn't necessarily preclude the fact that they are actually transmitted 'in the clear.' If you don't have a QAM tuner, you can't get them without a set top box...and then they could charge you extra for the service. Just a theory...don't know if it holds water or not...

Randy


Where does it say that? If you could point it out I would appreciate it.

ajwees41

I'm not totally familiar with the mandate, but does it say that companies can't charge for HD locals (say via their set top boxes)?
No. It says they have to include OTA in the basic tier (which they charge for) and that they can't encrypt those channels. They're still free to cut the cable or install a filter trap to prevent you from getting the basic tier if you don't pay for it.

Where does it say that? If you could point it out I would appreciate it.

ajwees41

I have no idea that it does...that is why I phrased it the way I did...this was pure, unadulterated speculation on my part. Even as to the actual content of the mandate. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that...

Randy

Comcast has signed a deal with Motorola to begin purchasing the new line of STB based on the DCT platforms. The new series allows the use of 2 cable cards for security. the new series will be:

DCH 6400 & DCH 3400 Series
scanpa -- are they going with Moto DCT boxes instead of the much discussed and eagerly anticipated STB/DVR's from Panasonic? Or will they offer both Moto and Panny boxes?

scanpa -- are they going with Moto DCT boxes instead of the much discussed and eagerly anticipated STB/DVR's from Panasonic? Or will they offer both Moto and Panny boxes?

Both.

The DCH STB will more then likely not be seen till 2008.

Is there any way to look at all the programs that are set up as series recordings?

Is there any way to look at all the programs that are set up as series recordings?

Menu > DVR > Series Priority

When Comcast installed my 6412 STB, he said that if I have to change the batteries in the remote, I would have to input the codes for the STB and the Panasonic Plasma. So I thought I should write down what the codes are. I used the "Search for a Code" from the CJH web site. The code I got for the STB is 1376 and for the Panasonic is 0250. Does all this seem correct. Thanks.

When Comcast installed my 6412 STB, he said that if I have to change the batteries in the remote, I would have to input the codes for the STB and the Panasonic Plasma. So I thought I should write down what the codes are. I used the "Search for a Code" from the CJH web site. The code I got for the STB is 1376 and for the Panasonic is 0250. Does all this seem correct. Thanks.

If I remember correctly, I've changed batteries a couple of times and didn't need to input the codes that were preinstalled.

So, what you are saying is that the codes I have in the remote for my TV and DVD player should remain after a battery change.

Yes, and to prove it I just changed the batteries in my remote and it retained the codes.

Don't push any buttons while you have the batteries out or the capacitor that is maintaining the state may be discharged. The data is probably in non-volatile ram (eeprom) but a complete discharge might trigger a factory reset.

Question: We're think of upgrading our DCT5100 (non-DVR box) to a 6412/6416. Is there an FAQ anywhere that summarizes the performance/issues of these DVRs. I sure the info is scattered throughout this thread, but...

Edit: Nevermind, I found the Wikibooks link, which I think is what I'm looking for.

Once all analog goes away, just what will a "basic tier" consist of? Analog won't necessarily go away, for cable. That regulation pertains only to OTA broadcasts.

Since many people will be upgrading to "cable ready" (ie, QAM tuner equipped) HDTVs, to remain competitive with OTA in the low end market, the basic tier must certainly include the local HDTV offerings, FCC requirements aside. Not necessarily. My HDTV is hooked up to the STB via video cables, not coax. It delivers signal to my HDTV which, if necessary, is upconverted. There is no need for this to change.

In my area, the HD locals are in the clear, accessible via QAM, as a matter of corporate policy. What's interesting is that the ADS versions of the SD locals are encrypted. There's no reason that some cable companies might not handle this in the opposite way: With the ADS versions of the SD locals in the clear and the HD locals encrypted.

In my area, the HD locals are in the clear, accessible via QAM, as a matter of corporate policy. What's interesting is that the ADS versions of the SD locals are encrypted. There's no reason that some cable companies might not handle this in the opposite way: With the ADS versions of the SD locals in the clear and the HD locals encrypted.
If it's available OTA, then it has to remain unencrypted in the basic tier. Federal regulations say so, it's not just corporate policy. This should apply equally to digital or analog OTA broadcasts.

If it's available OTA, then it has to remain unencrypted in the basic tier. Federal regulations say so, it's not just corporate policy. This should apply equally to digital or analog OTA broadcasts.

*Should* might be the key word here. Locally here in part of the Dallas area (not my area, thankfully), Charter Cable has dropped the local ABC affiliate's HD channel because the station (owned by Belo - no shock there) wanted to be paid for it. Their contention is that the HD signal is above and beyond what is required, and they want to be compensated for it. Here's a link to the story in the Dallas Morning News (also a Belo company): link (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-cable_05bus.ART.State.Edition1.3104a76.html).

Randy

Analog won't necessarily go away, for cable. That regulation pertains only to OTA broadcasts.

Not necessarily. My HDTV is hooked up to the STB via video cables, not coax. It delivers signal to my HDTV which, if necessary, is upconverted. There is no need for this to change.

In my area, the HD locals are in the clear, accessible via QAM, as a matter of corporate policy. What's interesting is that the ADS versions of the SD locals are encrypted. There's no reason that some cable companies might not handle this in the opposite way: With the ADS versions of the SD locals in the clear and the HD locals encrypted.

Item #1 - The demise of analog cable channels:

All the cable companies are just chomping at the bit to get rid of analog - they can put two HDTV and one SDTV broadcast in a single channel (6mb b/w) that now carries only a single analog broadcast. (This is also true for OTA stations.)

This will allow then to add much more HDTV programming while still having b/w on the cable for On Demand and Pay-for-view.

Item #2 - Cable ready sets:

By "low end market" I was referring to those people who only subscribe to basic tier and don't want to rent a STB or DVR. For those people, an ATSC tuner w/QAM should be able to get all the channels offered in the basic tier thru the antenna input, just like a "cable ready" set did in the analog era.

That was the point I was trying to make.

If it's available OTA, then it has to remain unencrypted in the basic tier. Federal regulations say so, it's not just corporate policy. This should apply equally to digital or analog OTA broadcasts.That depends on the interpretation of the law, and apparently reasonable people disagree about that, so effectively it is not currently the case.

Item #1 - The demise of analog cable channels: All the cable companies are just chomping at the bit to get rid of analogYes, but they have to manage the backlash they'd get if the suddenly required every customer to have a cable box (or other digital decoder) on every television. We have four analog televisions and one HDTV in our home -- we won't think kindly of the cable company if our bill goes up even just $20 per month to ensure continued service to all our televisions (nor will we appreciate the fact that every room will now have two remotes).

That depends on the interpretation of the law, and apparently reasonable people disagree about that, so effectively it is not currently the case.
The regulations are pretty clear - did you read the links I provided earlier?

The only argument I could see is that there is no direct need to carry both SD and HD versions of the same programming. But when HD is the only version, it would seem that wiggle room would be gone.

Of course, I don't own a cable MSO or a TV station and I'm not going to be the one to litigate a case to figure out if the courts agree with me or not.

Yes, but they have to manage the backlash they'd get if the suddenly required every customer to have a cable box (or other digital decoder) on every television. We have four analog televisions and one HDTV in our home -- we won't think kindly of the cable company if our bill goes up even just $20 per month to ensure continued service to all our televisions (nor will we appreciate the fact that every room will now have two remotes).

We have had over ten years warning that analog TV was going the way of the model T. I think we are already past the original "end of analog" date and are on borrowed time.

I'm thinking that the cable companies may provide the small STB thats in use today(don't know its model#),it's's not much bigger than a pack of cards, has no display and no buttons. Everything is controlled from the remote. The remote that comes with the STB can also be used to control your TV, so you won't need two remotes.

I predict the first one will be free of charge - any beyond the first will be subject to a monthly "additional outlet" charge.

Right now they are drastically hampered by the lack of available bandwidth on the cable. People are demanding more HDTV but the companies can't provide it because of the b/w limitations.

The regulations are pretty clear - did you read the links I provided earlier?I read it, and so have a whole host of lawyers, many of whom agree with you and many of whom disagree with you.

We have had over ten years warning that analog TV was going the way of the model T. I think we are already past the original "end of analog" date and are on borrowed time.You're trying to make a logical argument and apply it to the behavior of the general public. That's a pretty pointless gesture. The general public is renowned for acting illogically.

I'm thinking that the cable companies may provide the small STB thats in use todayThe cost of providing a small STB with QAM tuner for every, currently-operating (as analog) analog television set in the country is estimated in the Billions of dollars. The cable companies won't foot that bill, alone, so you're basically talking about, at least to some extent, that cost being spread around to include taxpayers and customers themselves. The latter causes the effect I alluded to in my earlier message.

I predict the first one will be free of charge - any beyond the first will be subject to a monthly "additional outlet" charge.I think the first one will be $60 (minus $40 rebate) and additional ones will be $60 each. I don't think these will be rented boxes (given their low price, and lack of need for decryption capability).

Right now they are drastically hampered by the lack of available bandwidth on the cable.Not so much, really. High-end users are demanding more HD, but most of the general public will be substantially satisfied with the currently available bandwidth, plus gains made through other means over the next few years. I suspect we'll see the number of analog channels supported decrease over time, from 100 to 60 to 30, but those last 30 channels will probably be supported well into the middle of the next decade, and perhaps beyond.

I just got a Comcast Motorola DCT3416I with dual tuners and 80 gb DVR. This sounds very similar to the specks of the Comcast 6412. I have question about attaching Motorola to a Harmon/Kardon AVR 310. I tried connecting 3416 with digital optical audio output jacks to AVR310 and got no sound. I tried to adjust setting to stereo. I was able to connect analog audio cables with sound but no surround sound signal. Does anyone one know if it is possible to get digital output. The instruction manual for the AVR310 states that "some future digital sources may not be compatible with the AVR310." This receiver is about 6 years old.

You're trying to make a logical argument and apply it to the behavior of the general public. That's a pretty pointless gesture. The general public is renowned for acting illogically......

The cost of providing a small STB with QAM tuner for every, currently-operating (as analog) analog television set in the country is estimated in the Billions of dollars. The cable companies won't foot that bill, alone, so you're basically talking about, at least to some extent, that cost being spread around to include taxpayers and customers themselves. The latter causes the effect I alluded to in my earlier message.

I think the first one will be $60 (minus $40 rebate) and additional ones will be $60 each. I don't think these will be rented boxes (given their low price, and lack of need for decryption capability).

Not so much, really. High-end users are demanding more HD, but most of the general public will be substantially satisfied with the currently available bandwidth, plus gains made through other means over the next few years. I suspect we'll see the number of analog channels supported decrease over time, from 100 to 60 to 30, but those last 30 channels will probably be supported well into the middle of the next decade, and perhaps beyond.

From your message:"I think the first one will be $60 (minus $40 rebate) and additional ones will be $60 each. I don't think these will be rented boxes (given their low price, and lack of need for decryption capability)."

These little STBs are already being provided free if you subscribe to basic digital in an area that has ADS. A second one rents for $5 a month or less.

From your message:
"Not so much, really. High-end users are demanding more HD, but most of the general public will be substantially satisfied with the currently available bandwidth, plus gains made through other means over the next few years. I suspect we'll see the number of analog channels supported decrease over time, from 100 to 60 to 30, but those last 30 channels will probably be supported well into the middle of the next decade, and perhaps beyond."

Why then are the newer STBs digital only? Why has Comcast bothered to incorporate ADS? Here's some of what the FCC says about OTA b/w:

"Converting to DTV will also free up parts of the scarce and valuable broadcast airwaves. Those portions of the airwaves can then be used for other important services, such as advanced wireless and public safety services (for example, police, fire departments, and rescue squads)."

Converting to digital will allow the FCC to sell by auction the b/w reclaimed from channels 52 thru 69 for entirely new uses.

(Much info can be found on the FCC's HDTV site for consumers: http://www.dtv.gov/index.html )

Believe me, cable companies want to reclaim that b/w, too!

All this aside, just where will the cable companies get the analog signals you think they will continue to provide after the OTA conversion date????

Edit: I've really got to give one possible answer to the above question before someone else provides it:

Old VCR tapes?

All this aside, just where will the cable companies get the analog signals you think they will continue to provide after the OTA conversion date????
I totally agree with you that the big MSO's are chomping at the bit to move to all digital because it frees up bandwidth for Internet, OnDemand, PPV, Voice, etc. However, it's not reasonable to think that ALL MSO's in every market are going to be ready to move to all digital. Many smaller markets are going to keep analog service for some time.

How will they do that? Simple... they will do the D/A conversion at their offices instead of in the STB at your house. It's not that complicated really and it's sort of silly to ask where they will get the analog signals since most of their content is delivered digitally today and they don't seem to have a problem converting it to analog now. Your little STB in your house doesn't seem to have a problem doing it either. What would make you think they couldn't do that at their end?

I totally agree with you that the big MSO's are chomping at the bit to move to all digital because it frees up bandwidth for Internet, OnDemand, PPV, Voice, etc. However, it's not reasonable to think that ALL MSO's in every market are going to be ready to move to all digital. Many smaller markets are going to keep analog service for some time.

How will they do that? Simple... they will do the D/A conversion at their offices instead of in the STB at your house. It's not that complicated really and it's sort of silly to ask where they will get the analog signals since most of their content is delivered digitally today and they don't seem to have a problem converting it to analog now. Your little STB in your house doesn't seem to have a problem doing it either. What would make you think they couldn't do that at their end?

True, but if they do it at their end, it will still require the same b/w on the cable it now uses. If they do it in people's homes, if frees up the cable b/w.

I just got a Comcast Motorola DCT3416I with dual tuners and 80 gb DVR. 160 GB, I believe.

These little STBs are already being provided free if you subscribe to basic digital in an area that has ADS. A second one rents for $5 a month or less. The "free" (included) STBs are, as you indicated, for folks with the basic digital package (what Comcast calls Digital Starter, here), which runs about $50-$55 per month here. I was referring to for folks only with basic cable, which runs about $30 per month here. No STB is included in that package.

Note that $5 per month is MORE than $60 (up-front), after one year.

Why then are the newer STBs digital only?For starters, federal law is mandating it. Also, it supports the 100 -> 60 -> 30 approach I outlined in my earlier message. By very very slowly reducing the number of channels available analog over the coax, Comcast can eventually switch to all digital. Again, I suspect this will happen sometime in the middle of the next decade.

Here's some of what the FCC says about OTA b/w:OTA has nothing to do with what we're talking about.

Believe me, cable companies want to reclaim that b/w, too!However, unlike the government, they have other options (SDV, for example).

All this aside, just where will the cable companies get the analog signals you think they will continue to provide after the OTA conversion date????Downconverting.

I just got a Comcast Motorola DCT3416I with dual tuners and 80 gb DVR. This sounds very similar to the specks of the Comcast 6412. I have question about attaching Motorola to a Harmon/Kardon AVR 310. I tried connecting 3416 with digital optical audio output jacks to AVR310 and got no sound. I tried to adjust setting to stereo. I was able to connect analog audio cables with sound but no surround sound signal. Does anyone one know if it is possible to get digital output. The instruction manual for the AVR310 states that "some future digital sources may not be compatible with the AVR310." This receiver is about 6 years old.
I have a DCT6412, but from other posts in various thread I have learned the primary (perhaps only) difference between the 3416 and 6412 is the 34XX series is all digital, whereas the 64XX series is both analog and digital. The XX16 models in either series have a 160 GB hard drive whereas XX12 models have a 120GB hard drive.

I have my 6412 connected to a Pio Elite 72 AVR via both optical digital and HDMI and am not having the problem you report with either of these digital audio signals -- so the answer to your question is YES, full DD 5.1 audio output is available via the optical audio output. The audio settings in the Cable Box Setup menu only affect the audio out of the standard 2 channel analog RCA jacks. The digital out should stream directly w/o any additional processing by the STB.

Is your AVR able to decode DD 5.1 from other sources (e.g., DVD) via the digital optical input? If so, then the problem is not with your AVR since the digital audio from the STB would be exactly the same kind of signal.

For starters, federal law is mandating it. Also, it supports the 100 -> 60 -> 30 approach I outlined in my earlier message. By very very slowly reducing the number of channels available analog over the coax, Comcast can eventually switch to all digital. Again, I suspect this will happen sometime in the middle of the next decade.

OTA has nothing to do with what we're talking about.

However, unlike the government, they have other options (SDV, for example).

Downconverting.

Does the federal law really preclude dual tuner (analog/digital) STBs? I see no point in that, it should be up to the cable companies.

In my area, Comcast provides only 70 analog channels - I don't think they ever provided any more than that. The "limited basic" (ie, "basic tier") lists 25 analog channels and three digital channels. A STB is already required to get these three digital channels.

(By default, an additional six HDTV channels are available as part of the "basic tier", these being the local OTA HDTV channels. Of course, it requires an HDTV-capable STB or a QAM tuner to get these stations.)

As far as SDV goes, it would open up mucho b/w but it is incompatible with QAM tuners and would render current generation CableCards (which the FCC requires the cable companies to supply) useless. So it would not only obsolete all analog TVs, but QAM tuners and CableCards as well. Not a very good solution - Time Warner is pushing this approach and is already under heavy attack.

Putting aside for the moment the legacy TV sets (ie, analog only sets), how do you envision the "cable ready" sets of the future being equipped? By this I mean both SDTV and HDTV sets with a coax input for both cable and OTA reception. My take on this is that they will have an ATSC/QAM tuner and perhaps a CableCard slot.

I have read all the activation methods but i have one question. Does the cable company needs to have any number of your box in their system in order for the self activation to work? I ask that i got a 6412 from Ebay and trying to get it to work on my existing account. Any information will be greatly appreciated

I have read all the activation methods but i have one question. Does the cable company needs to have any number of your box in their system in order for the self activation to work? I ask that i got a 6412 from Ebay and trying to get it to work on my existing account. Any information will be greatly appreciated

It will not work. Comcast does not sell the dvr's only rents them.

ajwees41

It will not work. Comcast does not sell the dvr's only rents them.

ajwees41

I have seen so many forums and this one..... Are the activation process here in this forum are not for comcast dvrs?

I have seen so many forums and this one..... Are the activation process here in this forum are not for comcast dvrs?


If it was bought off of Ebay it will not work. What don't you get?


If it's not registered with Comcast there is nothing that you can do.


ajwees41

I have read all the activation methods but i have one question. Does the cable company needs to have any number of your box in their system in order for the self activation to work? I ask that i got a 6412 from Ebay and trying to get it to work on my existing account. Any information will be greatly appreciated

The Motorola DCT 64xx & 34xx series STB are not sold to the end users. Only to MSO's (Cable Companies).

95% of the STB found on EBAY are units stolen from various cable companies or Ones sold from Canada, where they are available to consumers in places like Best Buy.


The seriel number of the unit must be listed in your Comcast account and activated at the local headend / Hub.

You have a very large door stop. Hope you did not spend to much $$$$$$.

The Motorola DCT 64xx & 34xx series STB are not sold to the end users. Only to MSO's (Cable Companies).

95% of the STB found on EBAY are units stolen from various cable companies or Ones sold from Canada, where they are available to consumers in places like Best Buy.


The seriel number of the unit must be listed in your Comcast account and activated at the local headend / Hub.

You have a very large door stop. Hope you did not spend to much $$$$$$.

Thanks.....i didn't pay alot like i see many have paid on there close to 400 bucks. I paid none the less but the bite was't severe....200 bucks

Wish i can sweet talk a rep into adding the box....lol :)

Thanks.....i didn't pay alot like i see many have paid on there close to 400 bucks. I paid none the less but the bite was't severe....200 bucks

Wish i can sweet talk a rep into adding the box....lol :)

If it still has a Cable Co. Sticker on it, give them a call and see if they can tell if it is a stolen one or not. If it is, there might be some reward $$ in it for it being returned.

Good Luck.

Wow, there are a bunch of them being sold on eBay. The one I looked at did say that the buyer should check to be sure their cable system allows them to purchase their own box.

Wow, there are a bunch of them being sold on eBay. The one I looked at did say that the buyer should check to be sure their cable system allows them to purchase their own box.

It would almost be worth $200 or $300 if you could use it to play back .ts files and could attach external drives and or network it.

Edit: Could this box actually work without being authorized? I know it won't get the encrypted stuff, but would it not work on the clear QAM stuff? I don't know how you program the box, but if you could map the QAM to the channels, would it not work? My TV has a guide in it, which it gets over the cable, it's actually better in some ways than the guide on the 6412.

Could this box actually work without being authorized?No!

What I'd like to know is: Why would anybody want to actually BUY a DCT64xx/34xx?? They are so buggy and problematic. Also, the payback time is so high. Even at the new $11.99/month, you are under $144/year. With technology changing so fast in this area, renting is better off right now if you are willing to put up with the bugs. Otherwise, shell out the $800 for a Tivo S3.

No!
Do you know that for a fact? I'm not advocating stealing or hacking anything, I know when I got my 6412, that it got all the analog channels on the cable, and I found a few HD locals, I didn't try any of the recording features, etc... the guide was starting to populate, it was out of whack, it thought certain channels were in different places, but the listings matched up to what the box thought the channels were. I assumed the box wasn't authorized, I finally after waiting several hours called the cable co, and they did their thing over the phone and all my channels started working, the listings showed up in the correct place, all that good stuff. I assumed they authorized the box, but I am very ignorant concerning all this stuff, so I'm probably way off base.


What I'd like to know is: Why would anybody want to actually BUY a DCT64xx/34xx?? They are so buggy and problematic. Also, the payback time is so high. Even at the new $11.99/month, you are under $144/year. With technology changing so fast in this area, renting is better off right now if you are willing to put up with the bugs. Otherwise, shell out the $800 for a Tivo S3.


Well, I paid 200+ for an OnAir USB HDTV device to record my clear QAM stuff, and other similar PC solutions are in the $200 range, this unit has dual tuners, has a lot of things going for it, some are buggy, but so are all the other HDTV recording solutions(everyone doesn't experience bugs, but neither do all the owners of the 6412 either) If it would record analog and clear QAM and it was your box and you could upgrade the firmware and map the QAM channels, the 6412 would be worth 200 or 300 dollars in my opinion. It has firewire, component, hdmi(or DVI), optical audio, it's standalone, etc....

[QUOTE=rebkell]Do you know that for a fact? I'm not advocating stealing or hacking anything, I know when I got my 6412, that it got all the analog channels on the cable, and I found a few HD locals, I didn't try any of the recording features, etc... the guide was starting to populate, it was out of whack, it thought certain channels were in different places, but the listings matched up to what the box thought the channels were. I assumed the box wasn't authorized, I finally after waiting several hours called the cable co, and they did their thing over the phone and all my channels started working, the listings showed up in the correct place, all that good stuff. I assumed they authorized the box, but I am very ignorant concerning all this stuff, so I'm probably way off base.



It might work for a day until the local headend requests a poll of the PPV if any or something like that.


Where did you 6412 come from? Unless you get the box on your account it will not work after a day.



ajwees41

I'm having a problem with reported space available on my my 6412 (phase III). On top of the other annoying particulars with this unit, over the past week, it seems like it has started to lose space. This morning when I went to record a kid's show for my daughter, I saw that 95% of the space on my unit was being used. The problem is that I don't have that much recorded -- I only had 5 hours of HD content and 6 hours of SD (all from digital channels, so if I understand it correctly, these take up less space than analog SD) recorded on the box. There's no way that this should take up 95% of my HDD capacity.

I rebooted the unit (unplugged it for a minute and plugged it back in). When I went to the My Recordings, it still showed 95% as being used. I deleted 4 hours of the SD content and 2 hours of the HD content, it went down to 80% being used (I wasn't a math major, but that should have taken me down to 50 - 60% being used if the first set of numbers was accurate). I rebooted again, and it now shows 70% being used, which is better, but it still seems like way too much given that the HDD now only has 3 hours of HD and 2 hours of SD on it.

This box is disappointing for so many reasons, but this is particularly frustrating because it's unlikely that I will be able to watch a lot of the programming before needing to delete it if my drive is actually "losing space". Anyone know if it's possible that there are some "hidden programs" on my drive that aren't being shown in the My Recordings screen? if so, how would I recover the missing space short of formatting?

How does SAP work on the Motorola DVR's? Does it record both sound tracks, and let you choose on playback?

How do you choose? It couldn't be from the TV side if you are using the dvr's audio outputs.

It might work for a day until the local headend requests a poll of the PPV if any or something like that.


Where did you 6412 come from? Unless you get the box on your account it will not work after a day.



ajwees41

I got it from my local Comcast, I just picked up the box at the cable office to avoid the installation fee, the lady at the office told me the box would start working after I hooked it up, it wouldn't be instant, but that the listings and such would start filtering in and it probably wouldn't take too long for it to be fully functional, just judging from the channel listings and the location of some of the stations in the guide, I figure the box was probably in use in another comcast area, I just assumed the box would probably pick up the analog and clear QAM without needing any type of authorization. Like I said, I'm totally ignorant as to the workings, I was just going on how the box worked when I brought it home.
But, yes the box was on my account.

Does the federal law really preclude dual tuner (analog/digital) STBs?That's not what I meant. Federal law is mandating OTA conversion from analog to digital, so that will provide cable systems with backup for their own (phased) conversions to digital (which is not mandated).

As far as SDV goes, it would open up mucho b/w but it is incompatible with QAM tunersWhat do you mean by "incompatible with QAM tuners"?

and would render current generation CableCards (which the FCC requires the cable companies to supply) useless.The FCC does NOT require cable companies to supply any specific generation of CableCards.

So it would not only obsolete all analog TVs, but QAM tuners and CableCards as well.SDV is won't obsolete existing CableCards. It just requires an upstream communication, which many STBs are already cable of handling on their own. The CableCard is only needed for decryption. This is how On Demand will work with the new Motorola DCH STBs; SDV is nothing more than a creative reimagining of On Demand. As you mentioned, TWC is already using SDV, no problem. People who want to dictate to TWC how they should be delivering their service don't like it, but they don't make the laws.

My Comcast office said they don't supply HDMI cables. WTF???
If you're gonna be in the HD Digital box biz, how can you cannot supply the digital cable??

Anyone get HDMI cables from their Comcast?

Very few franchises, if any, will offer HDMI cables. You MAY get a set of component cables (I did).

Just buy your own at monoprice.com (click the banner link above as your way of 'giving back' to avsforum!) :) I have a plethora of HDMI, DVI, audio cables and HDMI switches, KVM switches and connectors/devices from monoprice - every one of them works flawlessly!

comcast gives out only component cables here.

I'm having a problem with reported space available on my my 6412 (phase III). On top of the other annoying particulars with this unit, over the past week, it seems like it has started to lose space. This morning when I went to record a kid's show for my daughter, I saw that 95% of the space on my unit was being used. The problem is that I don't have that much recorded -- I only had 5 hours of HD content and 6 hours of SD (all from digital channels, so if I understand it correctly, these take up less space than analog SD) recorded on the box. There's no way that this should take up 95% of my HDD capacity.

I rebooted the unit (unplugged it for a minute and plugged it back in). When I went to the My Recordings, it still showed 95% as being used. I deleted 4 hours of the SD content and 2 hours of the HD content, it went down to 80% being used (I wasn't a math major, but that should have taken me down to 50 - 60% being used if the first set of numbers was accurate). I rebooted again, and it now shows 70% being used, which is better, but it still seems like way too much given that the HDD now only has 3 hours of HD and 2 hours of SD on it.

This box is disappointing for so many reasons, but this is particularly frustrating because it's unlikely that I will be able to watch a lot of the programming before needing to delete it if my drive is actually "losing space". Anyone know if it's possible that there are some "hidden programs" on my drive that aren't being shown in the My Recordings screen? if so, how would I recover the missing space short of formatting?

I have had similar problems with an older 6412. I ended up reformatting the hard drive. That seemed to cure the problems. I found the procedure on the internet. I've got it at home and can provide it if necessary.

My Comcast office said they don't supply HDMI cables. WTF???
If you're gonna be in the HD Digital box biz, how can you cannot supply the digital cable??

Anyone get HDMI cables from their Comcast?

I was offered one for $30. Turns out they didn't have any PIIIs in stock, so I went home with a PII and a set of (free) component cables. Took the PII back two days later due to numerous issues and they had PIIIs in stock so I got one of them. Got a free HDMI cable for my troubles :)

Looks pretty cheap, but it's worked well so far.

I have had similar problems with an older 6412. I ended up reformatting the hard drive. That seemed to cure the problems. I found the procedure on the internet. I've got it at home and can provide it if necessary.
I've got the procedure for formatting at home also. ScanPA, who works at CCast, provided it to me last summer on this board when my last box was having problems. I would hate to format it because I have a couple of movies stored on it that I'm saving (which is why I don't want to swap it out and lose everything -- been down that road too many times already with the 6412). I guess I'm just going to have to hurry up and watch what's stored on there and not record anything new on it until I can swap the box for a newer one :mad:

I'm starting to think that with as buggy as this Moto hardware is the Panasonic box might end up being a better choice than the Comcast Tivo.

Thanks for the offer, APaulDev

Does anyone know how the 6412/6416 handle 1080i to 720p conversion? Do they deinterlace 1080i and then scale to 720p, or do they convert it to 540p and then scale to 720p?

The reason I'm asking is that we have a Panasonic 50" plasma (768p) and I've set the Comcast tuner to output HD at 720p, mostly because we watch a lot of sports on ABC, Fox, ESPN, etc. These networks look great, but, the 1080i networks (CBS, NBC, etc.) look a bit soft at times. The picture for these channels seems to improve a bit if I switch to 1080i output, but switching back-and-forth is a PITA. I wish the Motorola boxes had a pass-through mode.

-Steve

Anybody who has a Moto DVR should have the Wikibook bookmarked for handy reference. It keeps a nice list of all the known issues and tips for resets, programming the remote, etc. Always check there first.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

Anybody who has a Moto DVR should have the Wikibook bookmarked for handy reference. It keeps a nice list of all the known issues and tips for resets, programming the remote, etc. Always check there first.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR
Anybody who has the Moto DCT-6412 should have a bottle of aspirin available and a lot of patience!

On top of all of the other bugs with this beast, they just started pushing ads to my guide last night taking up one line of the already limited space. When I emailed CCast to complain this morning, they responded that the ads were the fault of TV Guide and not them:

Please allow me to apologize for any inconvenience this matter has caused you.

I understand you do not like the advertisements that appear at the bottom of the Guide.

This was a recent upgrade made by the TV Guide channel which is the company that supplies the information from the guide.

Interesting....

My guide never seems to go out more than maybe 4 days, my new TV has a TV guide built in it and it goes out well over a week, why is the listings span of the 6412 so limited?

My guide never seems to go out more than maybe 4 days, my new TV has a TV guide built in it and it goes out well over a week, why is the listings span of the 6412 so limited?

I would call and ask your cable company. I am with Brighthouse Networks (used to be TimeWarner) and my guide usually goes out 2 weeks.

My guide never seems to go out more than maybe 4 days, my new TV has a TV guide built in it and it goes out well over a week, why is the listings span of the 6412 so limited?
My 6412 has listings going out about 14-16 days.

My 6412 has listings going out about 14-16 days.

Are you on Comcast?

Mines also goes out about two weeks and I'm with comcast.

Are you on Comcast?
Yep

I recently got the Comcast DVR after using a cablecard for about two years. The DVR works great, but when I first plugged in the DVR, I was getting all of the premium channels. They all worked for about 2 days and now it says subscription needed. I got spoiled. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and if they just do this to sucker you into buying all the premium channels (i'm thinking about it now)

I recently got the Comcast DVR after using a cablecard for about two years. The DVR works great, but when I first plugged in the DVR, I was getting all of the premium channels. They all worked for about 2 days and now it says subscription needed. I got spoiled. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and if they just do this to sucker you into buying all the premium channels (i'm thinking about it now)
Yeah I had the same thing when I first got my box, its just a preview to show you all the channels you could have.

Anybody who has the Moto DCT-6412 should have a bottle of aspirin available and a lot of patience!

On top of all of the other bugs with this beast, they just started pushing ads to my guide last night taking up one line of the already limited space. When I emailed CCast to complain this morning, they responded that the ads were the fault of TV Guide and not them:
Interesting....

You can get the 5th line back. Just go to GUIDE, --SETUP, and then choose single spacing for the guide lines.

Sorry I can't be more detailed, but I'm going from memory of doing this several days ago.

Anybody who has the Moto DCT-6412 should have a bottle of aspirin available and a lot of patience!

On top of all of the other bugs with this beast, they just started pushing ads to my guide last night taking up one line of the already limited space. When I emailed CCast to complain this morning, they responded that the ads were the fault of TV Guide and not them:



Interesting....


Yea, I'm not so sure about that... some of the "Ads" I've seen have to do with how to use the DVR... One thing in particular was how to show a guide with just favorites... I would like to have this so I selected it.. It then told me to press menu, then select the heart icon... Great. except I don't have the heart icon in my mini menu.

I had the phase2 DVR for a while and did not have the ads... I exchanged it for a phase III becasue of the remote key buffer delay. Now I have the ads. I don't know which is worse.

I had the phase2 DVR for a while and did not have the ads... I exchanged it for a phase III becasue of the remote key buffer delay. Now I have the ads. I don't know which is worse.

My 6412 (which I've had for a year) also has the ads as of yesterday (2/24), so it wasn't your upgrade that caused it.

So Comcast is now testing Switched Digital Video (SDV) in two markets. Details here: http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6410009.html?display=Breaking+News

Now I know that SA boxes with SARA have support for the SDV request and tune procedures, but how do you think the Motorola 6412 is going to cope? SDV is supposedly so fast that the end user should notice no difference. Anyone in the Cable industry know which guide revision adds SDV support? I currently have guide version 71.44, which I know does not support SDV. 74.xx with Comcast Central might, but I'm not sure. How about the guide revision A25, or the J-Guide? Anyone have any details?

Just found the thread and I tried searching to no avail... that said, I have a question.

I have a 40XBR2 1080p LCD, but when I set the screen up to 720p or 1080i the guide text is unclear, but if I have it on 480p it is perfect. Seeing as there are limited adjustments in the STB I figure this is either a known problem or my set needs some adjustment (maybe full pixel mode).

Thanks

Just found the thread and I tried searching to no avail... that said, I have a question.

I have a 40XBR2 1080p LCD, but when I set the screen up to 720p or 1080i the guide text is unclear, but if I have it on 480p it is perfect. Seeing as there are limited adjustments in the STB I figure this is either a known problem or my set needs some adjustment (maybe full pixel mode).

Thanks

Have you tried these settings? Turn the power off on the box, then press menu on the remote. There are settings here for what the box outputs. I'd guess yours currently outputs 480p, but should be set for one of the others. Play around and see what looks good to you.

Very few franchises, if any, will offer HDMI cables. You MAY get a set of component cables (I did).
The Comcast office in southeastern PA (Pottstown) sold me an HDMI cable when I picked up my DVR box for $6.00. They gave me the component cables also.

Which is much better than the silly $125 that Circus City wants for a Monster HDMI cable...

Have you tried these settings? Turn the power off on the box, then press menu on the remote. There are settings here for what the box outputs. I'd guess yours currently outputs 480p, but should be set for one of the others. Play around and see what looks good to you.

Now that I reread my post I was a little unclear. I have changed the output from the STB to all of the settings and the only one that has guide text that is smooth is 480p. On 720 and 1080 the text is the guide is jagged. Setting the TV to Full Pixel resolution helped a little but then I get the annoying line on the side or top of some channels. I appears to be an issue with the way the STB renders the guide in higher resolutions. I was really wondering if anyone else noticed it... or if I am just a little crazy.

I just checked on my phaseII DVR (conected to a 720p Samsung DLP) and the text is not jaggie at all in any mode. So it is either my TV (1080p 40" XBR2) or the phaseIII DVR.

I set up a series recording recently and when I checked 'My Recordings' is showed only 34' for an hour show. So, I went in the guide and then set to record the next repeat, but, when I checked 'My Scheduled..." the show was shown twice. But, I noticed in the morning that the 'record' LED was on (was set to record at 1 AM), but, at lunch it was off, then on later in the day. I then checked 'My Recordings' and I had many 1 minute recordings of the show, a few 2 and 3 minutes, and some 200+ minute recordings. I started deleting them, the first one (in 'date' list mode) stopped the current recording. I then started deleting others, I did stop and scroll down to count over 30 recordings!!
After deleting them things seemed ok, so, has anyone had this happen? This is the second time, as I had another series recording, and there was a 'marathon' on morning, and I was doing other things and noticed that the box 6412pIII just shutdown, and after a bit restarted. That resulted in just a few 1 minute recordings and a 500+ and 800+ minute recordings.
Others have this problem. I later set things up again to record a repeat as I had macroblocking (mosaics as Comcast calls them) on the first airing, and again noticed that I had a repeat of the same show in My schedule. So I went to the top one in the listing and turned off the recording, and things recorded ok--the one in the list.

Any ideas? Other failures? The first occurrence, I read here about super long recordings taking up space, and caught it, but, the second with dozens of short recordings was weird (had the 'There was a problem when recording...may not have recorded the show' dialog on all).

My 6412 (which I've had for a year) also has the ads as of yesterday (2/24), so it wasn't your upgrade that caused it.My TiVo now has advertising on the deletion confirmation page. Advertising is going to be standard in many places that it wasn't before.

My Comcast office gave me HDMI cables for free.