I sent these instructions to my sister-in-law and she accidentally mapped the 30 second skip function to the menu button. Is there a way to clear this out and try again?It will depend on which remote she has. Easiest thing might be to just cal the cable company and have her ask how to reset the remote.

Another alternative would be for her to bring it in to a cable company office and tell them it isn't working and they'll swap it for another one.

I sent these instructions to my sister-in-law and she accidentally mapped the 30 second skip function to the menu button. Is there a way to clear this out and try again?

1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice
4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button
5) Type in the code 00206 (for Menu)
6) Press the Menu button

That should return the menu button to its proper configuration.

I sent these instructions to my sister-in-law and she accidentally mapped the 30 second skip function to the menu button. Is there a way to clear this out and try again?

She should be able to go here and use the same sequence of button presses but use 00206 rather than 00173 to change that button back to her guide.

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

HTH....Barry

EDIT: it looks like BobbyC types faster than I do. :-)

I sent these instructions to my sister-in-law and she accidentally mapped the 30 second skip function to the menu button. Is there a way to clear this out and try again?
To clear a code, after typing the 994, just hit the key you want to clear twice.

After typing the 994, you are doing a FROM key and then a TO key. By hitting setup and typing in the multi-digit code, you are entering a 'from' key that is not already on a key.

If you want to be mean, you can map the keys all over the place, within certain memory limits.

1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice
4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button
5) Type in the code 00206 (for Menu)
6) Press the Menu button

That should return the menu button to its proper configuration.

I sent these instructions to my sister-in-law and she accidentally mapped the 30 second skip function to the menu button. Is there a way to clear this out and try again?

To clear a code, after typing the 994, just hit the key you want to clear twice.

After typing the 994, you are doing a FROM key and then a TO key. By hitting setup and typing in the multi-digit code, you are entering a 'from' key that is not already on a key.

If you want to be mean, you can map the keys all over the place, within certain memory limits.

Thanks for all the replies on this problem. The Wiki links will help me out in the future too!

I've always been curious, why to the DVR remotes have picture-in-picture on them. Was it something that was planned and never implemented?

SA DVR's can use PIP. I guess the Comcast remote is the same, they just program the IR codes for SA boxes. So the PIP button should work there.

I reprogrammed the buttons to work my Samsung TV's pip.

SA DVR's can use PIP. I guess the Comcast remote is the same, they just program the IR codes for SA boxes. So the PIP button should work there.

I reprogrammed the buttons to work my Samsung TV's pip.
I'm a little confused. Is the button there for the TV's PIP or is it a feature of the DVR? I thought it was a feature of the DVR since its next to the swap button (which works on my remote). I have a Motorola DCT 3416 I box.

I'm a little confused. Is the button there for the TV's PIP or is it a feature of the DVR? I thought it was a feature of the DVR since its next to the swap button (which works on my remote). I have a Motorola DCT 3416 I box.

Motorola's since the 6416 phase3 have the PIP hardware, but Comcast and my cable company Cox chose not to enable it. I know thas because I have seen screen shots of the IPG software cox uses, but used by a different provider same mototrola dvr and the PIP works.

I'm a little confused. Is the button there for the TV's PIP or is it a feature of the DVR? I thought it was a feature of the DVR since its next to the swap button (which works on my remote). I have a Motorola DCT 3416 I box.
The button is there for the DVR if the DVR had that function. The Motorola boxes don't have that function (at least not currently).

Quick question for everyone. I have a 6412 that is probably a little over 3 years old. Lately, whenever I watch something that is recorded on the DVR, I get frequent sound drop outs and frame freezes. Is this an indication of the hard drive dying? It doesn't seem to happen during live tv, only recorded stuff.

Everything is written to the disk first, then read back for display, so I wouldn't expect there to be a difference between "live" and recorded quality.

Quick question for everyone. I have a 6412 that is probably a little over 3 years old. Lately, whenever I watch something that is recorded on the DVR, I get frequent sound drop outs and frame freezes. Is this an indication of the hard drive dying? It doesn't seem to happen during live tv, only recorded stuff.

Also, if you replay the recorded event, do the dropouts and freeze frames happen in the same places? If so, that's probably the way it was aired, rather than a hard drive issue.

the san francisco comcast people have been discussing a strange side effect of a recent firmware upgrade being pushed out (for instance see my post at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14818857#post14818857 ) : fast forward and rewind controls seem to be messed up somewhat.

in my specific case, the replay (15 second rewind) button now jumps way too far (approx 4 minutes).

this thread seems to be populated by helpful people who don't mind responding to the occasional repeat question even if an answer did appear hundreds of pages previously : could anyone provide the procedure necessary to reprogram just this button?

thanks in advance..

The Page up and down keys, which have separate codes and used to be configured to emulate the 15-sec review and 30-sec skip, were changed to 5-minutes. The original review and skip codes still work the same. On the Comcast remote, the review is the curly arrow. 30-sec skip can be added to any key (Lock/Triangle/A is common) by following this procedure:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_30-Second_Skip

The Page up and down keys, which have separate codes and used to be configured to emulate the 15-sec review and 30-sec skip, were changed to 5-minutes. The original review and skip codes still work the same. On the Comcast remote, the review is the curly arrow. 30-sec skip can be added to any key (Lock/Triangle/A is common) by following this procedure:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_30-Second_Skip
ah- i see. well, this is a good start, but the curly arrow "replay" button *is* the button with the problem. not sure how my remote was initially programmed, but it's not working like it used to and apparently not working like it should. so i guess my question still stands: how do i force *this key* (the curly arrow key) to mean "skip backwards 15 seconds"?

the san francisco comcast people have been discussing a strange side effect of a recent firmware upgrade being pushed out (for instance see my post at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14818857#post14818857 ) : fast forward and rewind controls seem to be messed up somewhat.

in my specific case, the replay (15 second rewind) button now jumps way too far (approx 4 minutes).

this thread seems to be populated by helpful people who don't mind responding to the occasional repeat question even if an answer did appear hundreds of pages previously : could anyone provide the procedure necessary to reprogram just this button?

thanks in advance..

My parents in Atlanta have a similar issue. Before, the remote was: Curly arrow rewind 15, programmed A for 30 forward and the arrows did the same thing.
Now, the arrows are backwards 5 minutes, forwards 30 seconds, arrow works well, A is backwards five minutes...

The Wikibooks article lists the EFCs for all the commands. 15 second rewind is 179, versus 173 for 30 second advance. Just do the learn procedure as described using 179.

Is the 5 minute advance a separate EFC or was it a firmware change? If a separate EFC, does anyone have it?

The Wikibooks article lists the EFCs for all the commands. 15 second rewind is 179, versus 173 for 30 second advance. Just do the learn procedure as described using 179.
perfect- thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

(somehow i had assumed most of the wikibooks info was aimed at the famous 30 second forward skip hack, but i see now i should have kept digging)

Page Up (176) does a 5 minute advance and Page Down (172) does a 5 minute rewind when watching and they maintain their page up/down function in the guide. So Comcast is just using the same IR code for different functions in different situations. 30 second advance (173)and 15 second rewind (179) still work. Firmware 16.53, S/W 75.59 -a25p2-2.s1.r-8

perfect- thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

(somehow i had assumed most of the wikibooks info was aimed at the famous 30 second forward skip hack, but i see now i should have kept digging)

Glad to help. And now I know about the 5 minute skips, which I have been wanting for a long time. Not sure when they were added, but it must have been relatively recently. thanks.

I've had my 6412 for about 4 years and I've gotten pretty used to most of its quirks. Comcast just did a software update, and there is now a several-pixel wide green bar at the extreme right side of the screen. It appears when selecting 1080i output mode. It's even there when activating the setup menu (from power-off/standby). I am using an HDMI connection.

Anyone else see this? It is bright green and pretty annoying.

I've had my 6412 for about 4 years and I've gotten pretty used to most of its quirks. Comcast just did a software update, and there is now a several-pixel wide green bar at the extreme right side of the screen. It appears when selecting 1080i output mode. It's even there when activating the setup menu (from power-off/standby). I am using an HDMI connection.

Anyone else see this? It is bright green and pretty annoying.
We haven't seen that. What level of firmware is your box at now?
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Firmware_and_Software

S/W Version: 75.59 - a25p2-2.S1.r-8
Firmware 16.53

It's a 6412-III.

Thanks!
Mark

also seeing green line ever since recent update...

Also, if you replay the recorded event, do the dropouts and freeze frames happen in the same places? If so, that's probably the way it was aired, rather than a hard drive issue.

If I rewind, the dropouts do not happen in the same place. I'm now having an additional problem. When I watch a recorded show, the recording will stop, the picture will go black and if I try to rewind, it gives me a message that says that it is only a valid option when watching a recording, or something like that.

also seeing green line ever since recent update...

I had same issue appear thie week on 10 month old Sony 52XBR-4. Comcast came out and told me TV would need to be replaced.

I did a quick search and then found this forum topic and alerted COmact tech support. They are trying to find out additional information. At minimum their tech support people should not be telling customers that this is an issue with the TV and not cable.

the san francisco comcast people have been discussing a strange side effect of a recent firmware upgrade being pushed out (for instance see my post at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14818857#post14818857 ) : fast forward and rewind controls seem to be messed up somewhat.

in my specific case, the replay (15 second rewind) button now jumps way too far (approx 4 minutes).

this thread seems to be populated by helpful people who don't mind responding to the occasional repeat question even if an answer did appear hundreds of pages previously : could anyone provide the procedure necessary to reprogram just this button?

thanks in advance..

I'm having a similar problem, as others have mentioned, where my 15 second rewind will jump all the way back to the beginning of my buffer but the odd thing is I HAVEN'T received the upgrade yet?? Anyone have any idea what's up with that? And yes, I'm sure I haven't received the update, just checked it a couple of hours ago. It's happened twice now, once yesterday and once today.

I've also been having more problems than normal lately with the 100% full bug as well even though it's actually only at around 50% full. Satellite is looking better and better all the time.

also seeing green line ever since recent update...

I noticed today that there is also a column of missing pixels, several pixels wide, about an inch (or less) from the left of the picture on my 42" LCD. I think the green line on the right is making up for the missing pixels. The missing pixels are very obvious when watching football because the yard markers have a discontinuity.

Whether these issues are visible would depend on how much overscan there is in the display.

720p mode does not seem to have these problems--only 1080i.

turns out this whole green stripe / missing pixels issue was discovered a month ago:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14638919#post14638919

setting your HDMI to output RGB (documented elsewhere) may help with the green stripe but does not make the tearing on the left go away.

S/W Version: 75.59 - a25p2-2.S1.r-8
Firmware 16.53

It's a 6412-III.

Thanks!
Mark
Same green line here on 75.59 except on a DCT-3412 box.

In addition HDMI handshake is a lot less reliable through my preamp-processor -- frequently resulting in never-ending retries that can most easily be cured by switching the pre-pro to a different input and back.

Comcast mugged my service area with this software last night.

I believe this problem may first have been reported over a month ago in the San Francisco service area. But of course Comcast is still pushing pushing pushing it out.

------------------------------

There is speculation in some of the other threads that the DCH boxes are not affected this way by this software, but I do not know if that has been confirmed yet.
--Bob

Now that you mention it, I think the HDMI handshake is a lot slower after the "upgrade."

Since my display has only two options (no overscan, or "way too much" overscan), I'll have to decide if HDMI at 720P is the best option, or back to component connections for 1080i, since I doubt anything will get fixed in the near future. Or try to get a newer DCH box if we can confirm that those don't have the problem.

So far I've seen three anecdotal reports in threads here of someone "curing" the green line by switching to a DCH box and no reports at all of the green line on any DCH box.

Hardly a statistically significant sample, but hope springs eternal....
--Bob

Bob,

From your posts on other threads, it sounds like you managed to get a DCH box. It sounds like getting a DCH will fix the green line/tear problem on HDMI when set to 1080i with no 4:3 override (which are the settings I had previously used with my 6412).

Right?
Mark

Bob,

From your posts on other threads, it sounds like you managed to get a DCH box. It sounds like getting a DCH will fix the green line/tear problem on HDMI when set to 1080i with no 4:3 override (which are the settings I had previously used with my 6412).

Right?
Mark
Right. The DCH box only demonstrates the GREEN LINE failure in the 75.59 software if ALL of the following are true:

1) You use HDMI output. Component output does not show this failure.

2) You use YCC output data format. RGB output does not show this failure.

3) You use 480i output (typically via the 4:3 Override mode). 480p and higher resolutions do not show this problem in the DCH boxes although they DO show it in the DCT boxes when running the 75.59 firmware. (To see the problem on HD channels from the DCT box you need to be using a display that has no overscan since the GREEN LINE is only 8 to 10 pixels wide.)

4) You either display 4:3 content at 4:3 aspect ratio, or you stretch it to 16:9 and your display doesn't nave overscan. The GREEN LINE is only about 8 to 10 pixels wide so it won't show if you stretch 4:3 content to 16:9 on a display with overscan.

Forcing a new HDMI handshake via your Receiver will eliminate the HDMI 480i YCC GREEN LINE temporarily, but as soon as you enter a new SD channel number and the Info box appears on screen, so will the GREEN LINE.

-----------------------------------------------

Separate from the GREEN LINE problem is the unreliable HDMI handshake whenever you change the output resolution. In the DCH and DCT boxes (running 75.59 software) this happens regardless of which resolutions are used. The symptom is an infinite loop of HDMI handshake retries. In my setup it happens about 1/3 of the time you try to go from SD to HD or vice versa. Setting the box to only use 1080i output (no 4:3 override) avoids this problem at the expense of having to live with the de-interlacing and scaling that Motorola has bothered to include in the box.

So a workaround is to use a DCH box at a fixed resolution, such as 1080i regardless of whether you are watching an SD or HD channel. Not particularly satisfactory for folks who have top quality displays and/or external video processors, but what can you do? Most customers have no competing service they can turn to.
--Bob

Separate from the GREEN LINE problem is the unreliable HDMI handshake whenever you change the output resolution. In the DCH and DCT boxes (running 75.59 software) this happens regardless of which resolutions are used. The symptom is an infinite loop of HDMI handshake retries. In my setup it happens about 1/3 of the time you try to go from SD to HD or vice versa.

the rest of your post agrees so perfectly with my experience that i hestitate to point out any contradictory observations, but i am running 75.79 on a DCT box and I haven't had any handshake trouble switching from SD to HD or vice versa.

i do happen to have an outboard processor (which may be why i am not having the same issues). so i agree it's less desirable to let the comcast box interfere with processing chores i paid to handle elsewhere. and i especially was glad to see i was not the only one who could temporarily make the green line go away by power cycling the display (or in my case video processor) thus forcing a new HDMI / HDCP handshake. i didn't make careful enough notes to confirm this was reproducible behavior. but now that you're seeing it i can conclude i was not imagining it.

The HDMI handshake problem is likely going to be dependent on what the Comcast box is plugged into. Some devices will be more sensitive than others to what the Comcast box is doing wrong. The difference could be as simple as the different number of audio/video formats the device reports back to the Comcast box as acceptable setup choices. Usually it is something more complex such as the timing the source allows for the next device to respond to a change.

In any event, it is the source device that drives the handshake in HDMI, and screw ups like this are almost always due to faulty implementation in the source. The receiver or video processor can try to work around such inadequacies, but there's only so much that can be done when the source device screws up.
--Bob

Have a question about deleting future recordings. For my series recordings, it seems like my box records all programs regardless if its a repeat or not. I set the parameters to record first run only, but still records repeats. I then will have to go into my future recordings to delete some of the episodes ahead of time. My question is that some of the recordings I can't delete. I will delete one show, and it will show deleted, then will go down to the next show ( on the same day) and delete that show. That show will be deleted, but the original program that I deleted will show that it will now record. Anyone else experience this? Thanks

You are experiencing the "whack-a-mole" issue. See the description here (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#Simultaneous_series_recording_cancellation_problem.2C_a ka_whack-a-mole).

the san francisco comcast people have been discussing a strange side effect of a recent firmware upgrade being pushed out (for instance see my post at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14818857#post14818857 ) : fast forward and rewind controls seem to be messed up somewhat.

in my specific case, the replay (15 second rewind) button now jumps way too far (approx 4 minutes).

this thread seems to be populated by helpful people who don't mind responding to the occasional repeat question even if an answer did appear hundreds of pages previously : could anyone provide the procedure necessary to reprogram just this button?

thanks in advance..


Yeah, have had the same thing happen several times...Sometimes when it fast forwards, it goes right to the end of a program.

I'm using a Xantech IR emitter system, and I've confronted the same question. My guess is that the 6412's IR sensor is right next to the IR confirmation light labelled "Remote" on the lower right of the front window, because electronics manufacturers frequently integrate a sensor and blink light into the same component package. However, I've found through trial and error on my 6412 that the IR works best when I attach an emitter on the left side of the 6412's front window, just to the right of the label "Msgs." I don't think the sensor is there, but perhaps the emitter output is too strong to go directly on top of the sensor.

This is an old post but it seems pertinent to my issue, hopefully someone has come across an answer in the interim since the last post.
I see the label for the remote sensor on the right side of the 6412 display but I have tried each side and the left side works best (the right does not seem to work at all). Does anyone know where the IR sensor actually is?

I see the label for the remote sensor on the right side of the 6412 display but I have tried each side and the left side works best (the right does not seem to work at all). Does anyone know where the IR sensor actually is?Shine a penlight into the front translucent panel. The IR sensor is easy to see just below the MSGS label on the left side of the panel.

The REMOTE label on the right side designates the "command received" acknowledgment light.

I posted this over in the SanFran comcast section:

In regards to the back skip going 4-5 minutes, I have One for all (OFA-8910) and I was able to reprogram my remote using the instructions on this page.


http://www.hifi-remote.com/ofa/advanced.shtml. It works fine now.

Has had anyone had a problem using the rewind button? Occasionally when I try to rewind (especially during a live broadcast I have paused) the show rewinds all the way to the beginning of the recording or live buffer. This is a big P.I.T.A. when I'm watching say a football game and I just want to review a play. Of course now that I have the 15sec skip back working, it wont be such a problem.

Mine does the same thing sometimes, it will also jump to the end of the buffer when fast-forwarding. It seems to happen if I FF3 or RR3.

known bug with new (october '08) firmware. NBC especially seems prone to suddenly skipping back all the way to the begininng of the buffer (or recorded show).

Also, at the end of a recording, the delete/keep popup no longer comes up automatically. You have to hit stop, even though the playback is already stopped at the end of the program.

Also, after the update, I have started losing the last minute of Heroes and Chuck every week... Have not watched Office or 30 Rock yet, but I will be pissed if those are being misrecorded as well.

Also, I have noticed a missing whole vertical line of pixels or a image shift about 30-50 pixels from the left edge on some channels. NBC HD for sure. I will pay attention on other channels. Its immediately obvious on football games, as the camera pans sideways, the vertical field lines shift as they get to the edge of the screen.

Also, at the end of a recording, the delete/keep popup no longer comes up automatically. You have to hit stop, even though the playback is already stopped at the end of the program.

This one I've heard is a feature, not a bug, the idea being that you might get to the end of a recording and want to go back a little bit. When the Delete/Keep prompt came up right away, you couldn't do anything until you'd responded to that prompt, and if you Keep it, you have to go back and start from the beginning again, and could easily overshoot the scene you want because you're probably fast-forwarding. I've heard that the prompt still comes up, but after a delay.

The other issues are news to me. I record Chuck each week, too, and have not noticed the end getting cut off, but then I always stop before the "scenes from next week" come up. But I record it in HD, so that's NBC HD, and I have no issues with the picture.

This one I've heard is a feature, not a bug, the idea being that you might get to the end of a recording and want to go back a little bit. When the Delete/Keep prompt came up right away, you couldn't do anything until you'd responded to that prompt, and if you Keep it, you have to go back and start from the beginning again, and could easily overshoot the scene you want because you're probably fast-forwarding. I've heard that the prompt still comes up, but after a delay.

The other issues are news to me. I record Chuck each week, too, and have not noticed the end getting cut off, but then I always stop before the "scenes from next week" come up. But I record it in HD, so that's NBC HD, and I have no issues with the picture.

The smart way to do the "feature" would have been to allow rewind to work on that popup rather than get rid of the popup. This way it adds a button press to get to it. And it does not come up after 15-30 seconds, so if it does later, its too slow. But its good to know its not a bug.

As to Chuck, it cut off last night before the ending (about 1 minutue to go I would venture to say). It also cut off Heroes (same amount probably). And they are both NBC HD. And I don't have anything scheduled after Heroes, so its not like it cut off to record something else.

This one I've heard is a feature, not a bug, the idea being that you might get to the end of a recording and want to go back a little bit. When the Delete/Keep prompt came up right away, you couldn't do anything until you'd responded to that prompt, and if you Keep it, you have to go back and start from the beginning again, and could easily overshoot the scene you want because you're probably fast-forwarding. I've heard that the prompt still comes up, but after a delay.

The other issues are news to me. I record Chuck each week, too, and have not noticed the end getting cut off, but then I always stop before the "scenes from next week" come up. But I record it in HD, so that's NBC HD, and I have no issues with the picture.
The Rewind button does work for us even when the Delte/Keep message is displayed. We use it almost every night at the end of the Colbert Report.

What version of the software is running on your DVR?

Also, I have noticed a missing whole vertical line of pixels or a image shift about 30-50 pixels from the left edge on some channels. NBC HD for sure. I will pay attention on other channels. Its immediately obvious on football games, as the camera pans sideways, the vertical field lines shift as they get to the edge of the screen.

again- known bug. see tears.jpg at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14638919#post14638919

note that post also mentions a big 8-pixel bright green line which you are probably not seeing because you are using a normal amount of overscan. count yourself lucky.

again- known bug. see tears.jpg at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14638919#post14638919

note that post also mentions a big 8-pixel bright green line which you are probably not seeing because you are using a normal amount of overscan. count yourself lucky.

Man, this software and these boxes are overpriced pieces of junk.

The tear is also on CBS HD, I am looking at it as I type. Thankfully I don't get the green stripe, and I do use just fit with no overscan. If that appears, Comcast is done.

Also, after the update, I have started losing the last minute of Heroes and Chuck every week... Have not watched Office or 30 Rock yet, but I will be pissed if those are being misrecorded as well.

I think this is an network issue, not a DVR issue. Or that the program length noted in the guide doesn't match actual program length. I see this program with Heroes lately, and with Letterman all the time.

Don't blame the guide. More and more networks deliberately overrun programs, and don't always inform TVGuide, where Comcast gets it's information from.

You can always go into the recording settings and tell it to add a minute or two to the end.

Don't blame the guide. More and more networks deliberately overrun programs, and don't always inform TVGuide, where Comcast gets it's information from.

You can always go into the recording settings and tell it to add a minute or two to the end.

I wasn't implying that the guide was to blame, only saying that the program length and guide don't agree. If I were to attribute blame, it would be to the networks.

Adding time to the end works great if it doesn't cause conflicts with other upcoming recordings. I add 5 minutes to the end of Letterman and that lets me watch the entire show plus the opening couple of minutes of Ferguson. But there's a delicate balance if you've got two shows set to record immediately after the one you're adding time to, even with the updated software.

Hmm, I swear a couple days ago I was seeing 6 programs per page on the guide. Now the ad seems taller and I only get 5. And they are set to narrow.

My wife noticed it actually and told me.

Anyone else notice?

Andy

Hmm, I swear a couple days ago I was seeing 6 programs per page on the guide. Now the ad seems taller and I only get 5. And they are set to narrow.

My wife noticed it actually and told me.

Anyone else notice?
The guide has two modes: 2-line and 1-line. In 2-line mode, you get rows with ads, 6 without. In 2-line mode, you get 6/7.

Given the tiny difference, I keep mine in 2-line mode as it keeps titles more complete.

More details here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Using_i-Guide/User_Setup#Guide_Setup

I tried searching inthe 340+ pages about this but can't find the answer.

I have the 6412 III with firmware 12.35 (Time Warner). It's attached to my Onkyo 605 receiver via HDMI and the Onkyo is connected to the HDMI input on my Panasonic TH-50PX60U Plasma HDTV. Moto => HDMI => Onkyo 605 => Panny TH-50PX60U HDTV. On the Motorola set up menu I choose 1080i for the "HDMI/YPbPr Output" (and 4:3 override is at 480i) but when I eventually turn off the TV and the Onkyo receiver (leaving the Moto cable box on all the time) it everytime automatically changes the HDMI/YPbPr Output on my Moto box to 720p when I turn the TV and receiver back on. I notice for a split second that something seems to pop up on the screen of the cable box that looks like "dui" or "du1" just after the TV turns off. Any help is appreciated so I can keep it set at 1080i (assuming that is the best choice).

OK. It's been another 7 months and this is really annoying. Doesn't anyone have a similar set up (with the HDMI connecting the Moto and the Onkyo 605)? How (if possible) do I get the box to maintain at 1080i (or is it even better to keep it at 720p?)? Anyone? Thanks!

OK. It's been another 7 months and this is really annoying. Doesn't anyone have a similar set up (with the HDMI connecting the Moto and the Onkyo 605)? How (if possible) do I get the box to maintain at 1080i (or is it even better to keep it at 720p?)? Anyone? Thanks!

Does your TV have a 720p display resolution? If so, then it might be best to let the DVR send that level of output. If the TV does display 720p, then it would convert 1080i to 720 and this way, you avoid one more conversion process, which doesn't do the picture any good. It might be, that the TV is sending communication to the DVR, telling it what it wants.

OK. It's been another 7 months and this is really annoying. Doesn't anyone have a similar set up (with the HDMI connecting the Moto and the Onkyo 605)? How (if possible) do I get the box to maintain at 1080i (or is it even better to keep it at 720p?)? Anyone? Thanks!


I have moto via HDMI to 605 to a Samsung TV (full 1080p).

I have it set at 720p and have had no issues like you describe. I will try 1080i and let you know.

did you get the green line on the right and the tear on the left with using 1080i?

Make sure your samsung is in the Just Scan aspect setting.

I tried searching inthe 340+ pages about this but can't find the answer.

I have the 6412 III with firmware 12.35 (Time Warner). It's attached to my Onkyo 605 receiver via HDMI and the Onkyo is connected to the HDMI input on my Panasonic TH-50PX60U Plasma HDTV. Moto => HDMI => Onkyo 605 => Panny TH-50PX60U HDTV. On the Motorola set up menu I choose 1080i for the "HDMI/YPbPr Output" (and 4:3 override is at 480i) but when I eventually turn off the TV and the Onkyo receiver (leaving the Moto cable box on all the time) it everytime automatically changes the HDMI/YPbPr Output on my Moto box to 720p when I turn the TV and receiver back on. I notice for a split second that something seems to pop up on the screen of the cable box that looks like "dui" or "du1" just after the TV turns off. Any help is appreciated so I can keep it set at 1080i (assuming that is the best choice).

OK. It's been another 7 months and this is really annoying. Doesn't anyone have a similar set up (with the HDMI connecting the Moto and the Onkyo 605)? How (if possible) do I get the box to maintain at 1080i (or is it even better to keep it at 720p?)? Anyone? Thanks!

i also use a piece of equipment between my STB and TV. in my case the STB *occasionally* reverts to 480p after power cycling the attached equipment.

by the way, with a 768p TV like yours it's sort of a toss-up as to whether it is better to leave the motorola box set to 720p or 1080i. for a 1080p TV i think it's always better to use 1080i, but here i might give the edge to 720p. here's my thinking:

first, three generalities: 1) deinterlacing is harder to do well than scaling. compared with most modern TV's (or even AVR's), STB's generally don't do as good a job at either. 2) with most equipment (including yours i am assuming) ONLY progressive frames can be scaled. 3) if you're going to downscale, always do it last.

when you leave it on 1080i all the time, you have these two scenarios:

a) for 1080i content... the STB outputs it untouched as 1080i and then the TV deinterlaces it to 1080p and downscales to 768p
b) for 720p content... the STB scales it to 1080p, then interlaces it to output 1080i; then the TV deinterlaces it to 1080p and downscales it to 768p

when you leave it on 720p all the time, you have these two scenarios:

c) for 720p content... the STB outputs it untouched as 720p and then the TV upscales it to 768p
d) for 1080i content... the STB deinterlaces it to 1080p, then downscales it and outputs it as 720p, then the TV upscales it to 768p

obviously whenever the STB has to convert from one format to another, such as in b) and d) , it's not going to be optimal. not sure which is worse- you would have to just determine for yourself by watching.

you might be able to avoid all of this by asking TimeWarner if they will switch out your STB for one of the DCH series which lets you adjust output resolution without powering off the unit (in fact you can even configure a programmable remote to do it with one button-press).

did you get the green line on the right and the tear on the left with using 1080i?

Make sure your samsung is in the Just Scan aspect setting.

I get the tear about an inch from the left edge. But no green line. Only the occasional close captioning line across the top, mainly during poorly made commercials.

About 2 or 3 months ago, Comcast in bothe Bkly and Miami changed the way the Menu-search for shows function operates.
Besides being harder to enter title names letter by letter - you can no longer look for future showings of a movie or program while the same title is playing.
Is there a work around or do we have to wait until the presont showing is completed?

...thanks

Follow up question.
I have been away from this group for quite a while. Is there a new box on the horizon to replace the 3+ year old 6412? 3 years in the high tech business is an eternity in dog years.
I thought some time ago there was discussion about the future possibility of adding another hard disc drive to boost storage. Has that come to pass?

Does anyone else have the issue with the non-HD channels going pink & green periodically?! Happens typically after channeling through a bunch of HD channels. I have so much recorded on the DVR that I don't want to just have the box replaced. In order to get the pink/green issue to go away, I have to unplug the box for at least a few minutes. What a P.I.T.A!!

There is a new box. A week ago in response to a defective 6412, Comcast in Chicago installed a new Motorola DCH3200. It's more modern, straight edged looking. Picture quality is the same, subjectively maybe marginally better. I haven't compared all the features at this point. Slightly larger remote. Interestingly the first box that the technician connected didn't respond to the remote and this second box intermittently won't respond to the remote. So it's newer but maybe has a few gremlins of its own.

Good to know. Anything else new about the box? ...larger hard drives? ...option to record more than 2 pgms at once???

Has anyone figured a way to transfer recorded shows off a DVR before the service man arrives?!

I'm still waiting for the Panasonic box.:(

I am sure 90+% of users would never figure out how to activate CC. The fact you have to go thru many convoluted steps is weird. For some years, TV sets have been required to have CC ability. Why user friendly CC isn't required of DVRs is beyond me. Millions of people now use hearing aids and others also need CC.
There are certain shows, lie S. Park, where CC is useful for everyone!

Now you have to:
1. Turn off box.
2. Within some number of seconds, press menu button.
3. Scroll down 3 or 4 steps to enable/disable CC.
4. Turn on box.

Question - If there isn't a "code" - could a macro be programmed?

...mike

About 2 or 3 months ago, Comcast in bothe Bkly and Miami changed the way the Menu-search for shows function operates.
Besides being harder to enter title names letter by letter - you can no longer look for future showings of a movie or program while the same title is playing.
Is there a work around or do we have to wait until the presont showing is completed?

...thanks

Follow up question.
I have been away from this group for quite a while. Is there a new box on the horizon to replace the 3+ year old 6412? 3 years in the high tech business is an eternity in dog years.
I thought some time ago there was discussion about the future possibility of adding another hard disc drive to boost storage. Has that come to pass?

I'll answer your second set of questions first -- there have been at least three updates to the 6412 available in Berkeley, the 3412 in 2006, and two versions of the 3416, the DCT and DCH in 2007 and 2008. My original 6412 lasted from December 2004 until about November 2006 when a firmware update rendered it very difficult to use, and I exchanged it. I just go into a Comcast office and return my box for a new one, and then install it myself, no need for a tech visit. There is no current way to add an external hard drive, but the 3416 series DVRs are 1/3 larger in capacity than the 6412 and 3412. While all the versions have suffered from some of the same problems as the 6412, I've found each version to be slightly more stable, and I'm fairly satisfied with the DCH3416 and the current firmware.

As to your first question, I have a 3416 so it may not be the same, but while watching a show i can search manually for future versions of the same show by title (and I prefer the new "ouija board" display to the old way of scrolling through letters one at a time), though when I'm playing a program there is no "clock" signal that shows future showings of that program when i press info (I don't remember if I once could search for future shows that way, as the firmware update came a few months ago). I also can search on for an individual show by "TV Listings by Channel" on the channel over which it's broadcasted and from there search for all future showings of that show.

I'd just like to see them really increase capacity of the DVRs. 120 or 160 GB just doesn't cut it these days with all the HD programming. I'm constantly running out of space on my 6412 and have had to delete things I'd like to keep just to make more room. Cost shouldn't be a factor, since you can buy 1 TB hard drives for close to $100, which is probably less than the 120 GB drives cost when these DVRs were created. It's kind of ironic that a lot of people probably have huge hard drives in their computers that are largely empty but a relatively puny DVR hard drive, an application that really eats up space.

I am sure 90+% of users would never figure out how to activate CC. The fact you have to go thru many convoluted steps is weird. For some years, TV sets have been required to have CC ability. Why user friendly CC isn't required of DVRs is beyond me. Millions of people now use hearing aids and others also need CC.
There are certain shows, lie S. Park, where CC is useful for everyone!

Now you have to:
1. Turn off box.
2. Within some number of seconds, press menu button.
3. Scroll down 3 or 4 steps to enable/disable CC.
4. Turn on box.
There is no time limit for the user settings. You can hit MENU at any time with the box powered off and get to the user settings. That 2-3 second limit is for accessing the diagnostics by hitting OK/Select.

Alright guys, I'm pretty sure I screwed up my cable box and just need to know how to get everything set back to default.

Basically here's what happened. I got home from work, picked up my remote and turned on my cable box but it took me to a 16:9 menu where I could make changes to the display of video from 480p to 1080i, 720p, or 480i. I'd never seen this menu before and when I tried to get out of the menu and go back to normal TV programming, half the buttons on my Comcast remote no longer respond.

For example: When I press "Info", nothing shows on the screen. When I press "Menu", nothing shows on the screen. When I press "Guide", nothing shows on the screen. When I press "setup", nothing shows up on the screen.

There's no more interactive TV Guide that I can use, and when I go to Channel 1 it just shows 2 screens of the same image but nothing to select.

I've tried unplugging my cable box for 5 mins and plugging it back in to get things back to normal, and no go. I've tried resetting my Comcast remote and no go. The internet is no help to me since I haven't found any steps to be able to get my digital features back up and working, so I'm turning here.

Please help if possible.

Did you try getting into the Setup Menu by:

Turn off the Power and hit 'Menu' to enter the Setup Menu.

Did you try getting into the Setup Menu by:

Turn off the Power and hit 'Menu' to enter the Setup Menu.

Yeah that worked. I am noticing something else though, in that it shows that I'm set to 480p but if I attempt to change it to anything else(1080i, 720p, or 480i), the screen goes dark.

Does it make any difference that I have my Cable Box and TV(22" Vizio with 1080p support) connected via coax cable vs. HDMI?

Yes, High Definition is only possible with HDMI, Component (via 3 RCA cables) or DVI. If you are connecting with anything else, like S-Video or Composite, you won't get High Def.

Steve

Yes, High Definition is only possible with HDMI, Component (via 3 RCA cables) or DVI. If you are connecting with anything else, like S-Video or Composite, you won't get High Def.

Steve

Lucky me then, I'll be receiving a DVI to HDMI adaptor this week to solve that problem. I look forward to being able to disconnect my Composite/Coax and put HDMI in its place.

CC works fine on live TV programs like CNN etc. Works ok on regular TV programs. However, on many (not all) movies HBO, Max, SHO and others - the CC only flashes on screen for a split second. Sometimes for 1/2 to one second - but not long enuf to read
I am hooked via component cables. This is true for both HD

Is there something I am doing wrong?

Thanks.

Lucky me then, I'll be receiving a DVI to HDMI adaptor this week to solve that problem. I look forward to being able to disconnect my Composite/Coax and put HDMI in its place.You may or may not be lucky. It truly is about luck.

No HD DVR I've ever had from Comcast has had DVI or HDMI enabled. I currently have 2 Comcast DVRs, both of which have HDMI output ports - and both of which are disabled. No signal. Black screen. It appears to be luck of the draw whether you get a box with DVI or HDMI enabled. I finally gave up randomly swapping boxes with Comcast and I use component cables.

Go to the diagnostic displays (POWER OFF, then SELECT/OK) and you can determine whether your DVI output is enabled. If it isn't, it's worth swapping boxes maybe once or twice to see if you get one with the port enabled. I wish you better luck than I had.

You have to choose between DVI and HDMI in the service menu, but all Comcast Motos I've used have output them. You certainly seem to have had bad luck!

Greetings,
I was having the same issue and finally figured it out... Scrolling through all the config screens didn't yield any answers other than "HDMI: disabled". It was rather maddening until I read in the forums that the HDMI menu option is *only available* when an HDMI connection is active. :mad: It had been working previously, then I put my AV equipment on a new rack.

Eureka. Seems like a loose internal HDMI connection--if I pull up on the HDMI cable where it connects to the box, it "magically works" and the HDMI menu displays on the config screen.

Hope this helps--haven't decided if I'll take the box back to CableOne or not. Will wait to see how well I can get it to hold.

Cheers,
SK

Greetings,
I was having the same issue and finally figured it out... Scrolling through all the config screens didn't yield any answers other than "HDMI: disabled". It was rather maddening until I read in the forums that the HDMI menu option is *only available* when an HDMI connection is active. :mad: It had been working previously, then I put my AV equipment on a new rack.

Eureka. Seems like a loose internal HDMI connection--if I pull up on the HDMI cable where it connects to the box, it "magically works" and the HDMI menu displays on the config screen.

Hope this helps--haven't decided if I'll take the box back to CableOne or not. Will wait to see how well I can get it to hold.

Cheers,
SKWelcome to the forum!! Thanks for this helpful info on your first post. I agree with your "try it and see" strategy. At least you seem to have discovered a replicable source of the problem. In addition to helping figure out your own problem/situation your post might help others to solve similar problems. Thanks for the contribution.

Hi,

This is my first post so I hope I've posted in the right place.

I have a Motorola DCT 6412 DVR from Comcast. I'm about to get a Samsung LN40A650 LCD TV and I want to use the PIP functionality.

According to the TV's manual for PIP I can only use an analog RF input, but my DVR doesn't have RF out, well it does but there's a little silver box screwed onto the back which blocks it, and if I unscrew that I get no signal (something to do with a loop that Comcast use to talk to the box, I think).

Does anyone have a suggestion of how I can get round this ?

I was thinking of using an RF Modulator, attaching it to the DVR via the composite out then plug that into the TV's RF in, would that work ? If so can anyone suggest a good RF Modulator.

Or is there another way round this, I'm a real noob when it comes to AV stuff.

Thanks.

Hi,

This is my first post so I hope I've posted in the right place.

I have a Motorola DCT 6412 DVR from Comcast. I'm about to get a Samsung LN40A650 LCD TV and I want to use the PIP functionality.

According to the TV's manual for PIP I can only use an analog RF input, but my DVR doesn't have RF out, well it does but there's a little silver box screwed onto the back which blocks it, and if I unscrew that I get no signal (something to do with a loop that Comcast use to talk to the box, I think).

Does anyone have a suggestion of how I can get round this ?

I was thinking of using an RF Modulator, attaching it to the DVR via the composite out then plug that into the TV's RF in, would that work ? If so can anyone suggest a good RF Modulator.

Or is there another way round this, I'm a real noob when it comes to AV stuff.

Thanks.

You do not want to use an analog output from the DVR to feed your TV. That would eliminate HDTV which is not what you want to do. You're going to love HD! You want to connect the DVR to your TV via component or HDMI. AN HDMI cable is much thinner than the five Component cables you would have to use (three for video, two for sound) but other than that you most people don't see much difference between HDMI and Component. Don't spend a lot of money on a Monster or other expensive brand HDMI cable though. YOu can get one for a very small price from Monoprice (one of the AVS advertisers) or other online places.

IF you still have a VCR you MAY be able connect the output of the VCR to the antenna input on your new TV while connecting your DVR to the TV If you want to try using your VCR as a tuner just get a splitter and feed one output to your DVR and the other to your VCR. The VCR wold only be able to tune the analog, non-scrambled channels that come in on your cable system, but that will include the broadcast networks.

You do not want to use an analog output from the DVR to feed your TV. That would eliminate HDTV which is not what you want to do. You're going to love HD! You want to connect the DVR to your TV via component or HDMI. AN HDMI cable is much thinner than the five Component cables you would have to use (three for video, two for sound) but other than that you most people don't see much difference between HDMI and Component. Don't spend a lot of money on a Monster or other expensive brand HDMI cable though. YOu can get one for a very small price from Monoprice (one of the AVS advertisers) or other online places.

IF you still have a VCR you MAY be able connect the output of the VCR to the antenna input on your new TV while connecting your DVR to the TV If you want to try using your VCR as a tuner just get a splitter and feed one output to your DVR and the other to your VCR. The VCR wold only be able to tune the analog, non-scrambled channels that come in on your cable system, but that will include the broadcast networks.

Hi Bernie,

Yeah I will connect the TV to the HDMI for normal TV watching.

But what I want to do is watch the TV using PIP while I'm playing my Xbox 360. The problem is the PIP on my new TV only works with an RF TV signal + whatever component/HDMI source I select, I can't select 2 component/HDMI source sources for PIP.

Hi Bernie,

Yeah I will connect the TV to the HDMI for normal TV watching.

But what I want to do is watch the TV using PIP while I'm playing my Xbox 360. The problem is the PIP on my new TV only works with an RF TV signal + whatever component/HDMI source I select, I can't select 2 component/HDMI source sources for PIP.

Sony TV's are like that too. The solution most people use is to put a splitter in front of your DVR box and run the raw Comcast feed to your TV's tuner.

That's what I do.

Hi Bernie,

Yeah I will connect the TV to the HDMI for normal TV watching.

But what I want to do is watch the TV using PIP while I'm playing my Xbox 360. The problem is the PIP on my new TV only works with an RF TV signal + whatever component/HDMI source I select, I can't select 2 component/HDMI source sources for PIP.
Yep, I understand. I have a Samsung plasma HDTV. On those occasions when I want to use PIP I use the VCR for one side and the VCR for the other. Usually it isn't worth the trouble. I hope that eventually Time Warner will supply a DVR that supports PIP.

You use PIP for a different purpose than I do, but when we do use it, I find that splitting the screens into two equal halves, rather than a big screen with a small inset is really nice. Guests are amazed.

Yep, I understand. I have a Samsung plasma HDTV. On those occasions when I want to use PIP I use the VCR for one side and the VCR for the other. Usually it isn't worth the trouble. I hope that eventually Time Warner will supply a DVR that supports PIP.

You use PIP for a different purpose than I do, but when we do use it, I find that splitting the screens into two equal halves, rather than a big screen with a small inset is really nice. Guests are amazed.

I'm thinking I'll use an RF Modulator to turn the S-video out of my DVR to an RF signal for PIP, I hope it works.

The last few months, my 4 year old DVR has been exhibiting a problem with recordings(twice a month, sometimes once a week on the average).

1) It will record 2 hours of a movie, but at a random point in the movie, it won't advance further, it freezes at the 30 min mark or the 1 hour mark or whatever and FF doesn't really help. So I have to delete it watching only a portion of it.
2) Sometimes a total blank recording takes place. You play it and a blank screen shows up. Fast forwarding or rewinding or play from beginning button don't work.
3) Sometimes, midway through a show, FF will skip all the way to the end of the show and then, sometimes, rewinding from the end may help, but mostly it doesn't. Replaying from the beginning doesnt fix the issue most of the time.

Very frustrating. And they have the audacity to charge me $22 a month (15.99 +5.99 addnt outlet charge) for this piece of crap HD DVR(i have a regular STB for my other TV which comes free).

The last few months, my 4 year old DVR has been exhibiting a problem with recordings(twice a month, sometimes once a week on the average).

1) It will record 2 hours of a movie, but at a random point in the movie, it won't advance further, it freezes at the 30 min mark or the 1 hour mark or whatever and FF doesn't really help. So I have to delete it watching only a portion of it.
2) Sometimes a total blank recording takes place. You play it and a blank screen shows up. Fast forwarding or rewinding or play from beginning button don't work.
3) Sometimes, midway through a show, FF will skip all the way to the end of the show and then, sometimes, rewinding from the end may help, but mostly it doesn't. Replaying from the beginning doesnt fix the issue most of the time.

Very frustrating. And they have the audacity to charge me $22 a month (15.99 +5.99 addnt outlet charge) for this piece of crap HD DVR(i have a regular STB for my other TV which comes free).

I haven't seen that particular problem. But if I were you, I'd swap it for another one. That's why we rent these things instead of own them.

The last few months, my 4 year old DVR has been exhibiting a problem with recordings(twice a month, sometimes once a week on the average).

1) It will record 2 hours of a movie, but at a random point in the movie, it won't advance further, it freezes at the 30 min mark or the 1 hour mark or whatever and FF doesn't really help. So I have to delete it watching only a portion of it.
2) Sometimes a total blank recording takes place. You play it and a blank screen shows up. Fast forwarding or rewinding or play from beginning button don't work.
3) Sometimes, midway through a show, FF will skip all the way to the end of the show and then, sometimes, rewinding from the end may help, but mostly it doesn't. Replaying from the beginning doesnt fix the issue most of the time.

Very frustrating. And they have the audacity to charge me $22 a month (15.99 +5.99 addnt outlet charge) for this piece of crap HD DVR(i have a regular STB for my other TV which comes free).
These problems could be due to your incoming signal cutting out, and may or may not have anything to do with a problem in the DVR box. If the signal cuts out, you get a blank recording.

Hi all,

I just got a Panasonic 58PZ800U, and I'm using it with a Motorola 6412 (III), Comcast, via HDMI.

When setting 720p in the 6412 menu, everything is fine. However, when I set it to 1080i, there is some weird issue on the left side of the screen. It's like as if there is a strip going down the left side that is not alligned with the rest of the picture. It's very hard to explain. Sort of looking like through beveled glass. I tried another hdmi cable, same thing; so that's not the problem.

The strange thing is that this problem is not present when using component instead of hdmi (both in 720p and 1080i mode).

By the way, I initially had the green line problem on the right size, but that was solved by setting the comcast box to RGB.

The problem (like the green line problem) can go away if I use an HD zoom feature on my tv, but I want to avoid doing that.

Have any of you run into this problem before? Any thoughts?

Its a bug in the current firmware edition. There is no fix. And its been like that for months and months.

These boxes and the software for them are a piece of junk. And we should not be forced to run overscan to hide flaws introduced into the image by the cable box. Before the software update there were no issues... And the OTA signal is clear, so its not a feed issue.

Hi all,

I just got a Panasonic 58PZ800U, and I'm using it with a Motorola 6412 (III), Comcast, via HDMI.

When setting 720p in the 6412 menu, everything is fine. However, when I set it to 1080i, there is some weird issue on the left side of the screen. It's like as if there is a strip going down the left side that is not alligned with the rest of the picture. It's very hard to explain. Sort of looking like through beveled glass. I tried another hdmi cable, same thing; so that's not the problem.

The strange thing is that this problem is not present when using component instead of hdmi (both in 720p and 1080i mode).

By the way, I initially had the green line problem on the right size, but that was solved by setting the comcast box to RGB.

The problem (like the green line problem) can go away if I use an HD zoom feature on my tv, but I want to avoid doing that.

Have any of you run into this problem before? Any thoughts?
Search on something like "green bar" or "over scanning". You might also check the forum for your TV as well. I haven't paid much attention because I've never had the problem, but as I recall it has to do with how much over scanning (or not) your TV is set for.

force your tv display mode to 16x9, this will solve the issue.

Hello everyone,
I've been having a problem with my Comcast Motorola 6412 DVR.

When I go to watch a recorded program, and select it from the DVR menu and select play, the DVR shuts off completely. Then I have to manually turn it on. The problem is that it reboots completely and takes a good 3 to 5 minutes. This is very annoying, because if it happens while something is recording, it will interrupt the recording and it will not start recording again until the reboot is complete.

Normally, this would not be a problem, and I would just swap it out for a new one. The issue is that I have every episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse recorded for my 4 year old on it and I don't want to deal with that heartbreak right now. I will if I have to, but would rather avoid it, if possible.

I should add that this problem did not start until I switched over to an HDMI input into my new LCD HDTV. Before it was RCA jacked into a tube tv. I don't know if this is related or not.

Anybody know of anything I could do to fix the issue short of swapping out boxes?

Do you have the DVR-STB power Cord plugged into a cheap power Strip that does not have power Conditioning ability? How many Outlets are connected to the same power circuit / Breaker? It sounds like the STB-DVR power source is not getting a constant voltage. These STB require Zero change in Voltage, otherwise it can cause them to reboot.

Do you have the DVR-STB power Cord plugged into a cheap power Strip that does not have power Conditioning ability? How many Outlets are connected to the same power circuit / Breaker? It sounds like the STB-DVR power source is not getting a constant voltage. These STB require Zero change in Voltage, otherwise it can cause them to reboot.
What exactly does power conditioning mean?

It is plugged in to a cheapo power strip, along with the TV and a DVD/VCR combo. But, wouldn't that cause it to pretty much happen all the time, not just some of the time? Also, would the amount of filled space on the hard drive affect this at all? I have roughly 80% of it full.

Thanks for responding.

Hello everyone,
I've been having a problem with my Comcast Motorola 6412 DVR.

When I go to watch a recorded program, and select it from the DVR menu and select play, the DVR shuts off completely. Then I have to manually turn it on. The problem is that it reboots completely and takes a good 3 to 5 minutes. This is very annoying, because if it happens while something is recording, it will interrupt the recording and it will not start recording again until the reboot is complete.

Normally, this would not be a problem, and I would just swap it out for a new one. The issue is that I have every episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse recorded for my 4 year old on it and I don't want to deal with that heartbreak right now. I will if I have to, but would rather avoid it, if possible.

I should add that this problem did not start until I switched over to an HDMI input into my new LCD HDTV. Before it was RCA jacked into a tube tv. I don't know if this is related or not.

Anybody know of anything I could do to fix the issue short of swapping out boxes?

Why not try using component cables instead of the HDMI and see if it goes away. If it does go through the HDMI process. If it doesn't ask for a new box.

With that new info you added about the HDMI, then yes, it is a handshake issue and one of the devices or the cable is having issues maintaing a connection. Try another cable or go back to Component.

I have a port on my 6412. Before ordering a cable fom Monopice, wanted to know if it is enabled. Comcast has a habit of disabling some Moto features.

Thanx.

...mike

I have a port on my 6412. Before ordering a cable fom Monopice, wanted to know if it is enabled. Comcast has a habit of disabling some Moto features.

Thanx.

...mike


Optical Audio works.

Does anyone know if or when Comcast will enable the use of the eSATA or USB 2.0 port for add-on hard drives?

Apparently Scientific Atlanta boxes have had it enabled by some cable providers (not sure if Comcast is one of them). e.g. here's a 1TB expander drive on sale at jr.com http://www.jr.com/apricorn/pe/APR_ADVRE1TB/?JRSource=chemail.backItUp.04162009

My guess is no, we're not going to see eSATA or USB support on these boxes, ever.

That would be a shame, I hope you're not correct, although it points in that direction for sure.