Okay, this thread is huge so I don't want to go through it all. Sorry if these questions have been asked.

1. Does it look better when hooked up with an HDMI or with Component?

I got an improvement going from component to DVI (HDMI>DVI).

Okay, this thread is huge so I don't want to go through it all. Sorry if these questions have been asked.

1. Does it look better when hooked up with an HDMI or with Component?Too many factors to give a definitive answer. Many folks with digital displays (DLP, LCD, etc.) report improvements while those with CRT-based displays don't. But there are enough in both camps to give it a try with some relatively inexpensive ($30) cables, just don't spring for expensive (Monster) cables that you can't return if the PQ is no better.

Too many factors to give a definitive answer. Many folks with digital displays (DLP, LCD, etc.) report improvements while those with CRT-based displays don't. But there are enough in both camps to give it a try with some relatively inexpensive ($30) cables, just don't spring for expensive (Monster) cables that you can't return if the PQ is no better.
Good Advice: Here (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=2412&seq=1&format=2&style=) is a $6.37 HDMI cable from an AVS sponsor (Monoprice.com).

ddlar,

I informed Cablevision's Senior Advisor of Engineering, Wilt Hildenbrand of the problem in 1.88.23.1 right after we got the software update about 6 weeks ago, you should have gotten it then too. They are looking into it because it wasn't happening in our last version 1.88.15.2. Unfortunately this has been a common problem with the SARA software, they fix one thing and break something else.

Damn it i just exchanged my cablevision 8300HD DVR because it was having major problems after adding the esata hard drive, and the new one was giving me a hard time over the HDMI going over to 480i everytime i turn the unit off. My Samsung HDTV doesn't recognize 480i over HDMI at all! I am going to try your #### and see if that is liveable for now!
A seocn dproblem i am having is that this thing is butchering my recordings. For some reason it only recorded 37 minutes of THE UNIT this week. The same problem as the last 8300 DVR. ANyone have any suggestions?!

Thanks in Advance!

Guys, if you already have this link somewhere, my apologies. I found this interesting to explain the lingo on the diagnostic pages :

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/sciatl/3.1%20Using%20diagnostic%20screens

Cheers!

Sergio
Sergio-

Cool stuff. One thing I found was to hit A on screen 1, then play; you get a system memory map in color. Hit A again and you get map of the SARA heap. The first time you hit A (before play) you get a color legend. Exit returns you to page 1.

I tried before and after a reboot and a hard reboot, but there wasn't an obvious difference.

Sean

A seocn dproblem i am having is that this thing is butchering my recordings. For some reason it only recorded 37 minutes of THE UNIT this week. The same problem as the last 8300 DVR. ANyone have any suggestions?!

Thanks in Advance!

I'm having the exact same problem. I've currently got on my 8300 a 6-minute-long NUMB3RS and a 25-minute-long Jericho. This is my second brand-new unit to exhibit this problem. The signals look good in the diagnostics screens, so I'm getting a cable guy out here to look at it.

I do not believe the signal is going away for the rest of the hour, so I have no idea why the DVR stops recording- if it's a signal issue, why doesn't it just pick up again when the signal is back, either in the same recording or in a new one?

At this point, it's happening to about 10% of my recordings. I try to reboot once a week, but that doesn't stop it. I get occasional digital glitches in audio and video, but I've never seen anything longer than a second or two.

Luckily the latest episodes are available via Bit Torrent just a couple hours after the shows air, but I'd prefer to watch them off the DVR.

Sean

Damn it i just exchanged my cablevision 8300HD DVR because it was having major problems after adding the esata hard drive, and the new one was giving me a hard time over the HDMI going over to 480i everytime i turn the unit off. My Samsung HDTV doesn't recognize 480i over HDMI at all! I am going to try your #### and see if that is liveable for now!
A seocn dproblem i am having is that this thing is butchering my recordings. For some reason it only recorded 37 minutes of THE UNIT this week. The same problem as the last 8300 DVR. ANyone have any suggestions?!

Thanks in Advance!


I had the same problem with my Samsung. The TV does not accept 480i over hdmi. You need to go into the HD Advanced setup and then turn off 480i. 480p works just fine. It's just a Samsung thing not a 8300.

Sean,

What version of SARA do you have?

Damn it i just exchanged my cablevision 8300HD DVR because it was having major problems after adding the esata hard drive, and the new one was giving me a hard time over the HDMI going over to 480i everytime i turn the unit off. My Samsung HDTV doesn't recognize 480i over HDMI at all! I am going to try your #### and see if that is liveable for now!
A seocn dproblem i am having is that this thing is butchering my recordings. For some reason it only recorded 37 minutes of THE UNIT this week. The same problem as the last 8300 DVR. ANyone have any suggestions?!

Thanks in Advance!
I have a current generation Samsung LCD which also doesn't accept 480i over HDMI. This is not a problem with the 8300HD. You should exclude 480i in the set up and use 480p instead.

Hey, so can someone look at my pics below of the diagnostic menu on my 8300HD and tell me what software I have on it. Or if it's the newest version of that. I'm guessing it's SARA, eventhough i have TWC, because it says SARA on it. But just if someone could let me know.

Here's where it says the OS Version

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/shark1987/TV001.jpg

And here is the opening screen where I saw SARA

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/shark1987/TV005.jpg

It was under "FLASH" (what's stored in the FLASH memory). 1.88.17.a100 in your case.

Sean,

What version of SARA do you have?
Dave-

Still 1.87.16.1 :(

Sean

Sean,

The reason I ask is because I never had any problem like that with 1.87.16.1, 1.88.19.1, or 1.88.22.1 and was wondering if you had one that was not widely released. I did have some problems with a bad 8240 where I could make it split recordings at will by turning it off for more than 3 minutes, but the replacement has been flawless and I've never had a short recording at all. I trust you will let us know what the tech finds, if anything.

BTW, are you sure the replacement box is "new"?

Also, what else was going on when you were recording NUMB3RS and Jericho?

It was under "FLASH" (what's stored in the FLASH memory). 1.88.17.a100 in your case.Dave,

Just curious, what do you have in the Apps field? I have hgra..... and SARA 1.88.22.1

Dave,

Just curious, what do you have in the Apps field? I have hgra..... and SARA 1.88.22.1
Apps: compass v0.4.0b17
SARA v1.88.17.a100

Whats hgra? (or compass for that matter)

I have no idea. I was curious because I noticed shark didn't have SARA in his Apps field. I assume the Apps stuff consumes memory and am just grasping at straws trying to find a common thread when there are problems. Maybe vegggas will chime in and tell us what this Apps field really tells us, if anything. maybe I'll take a look at that link and see what is says. :)

Edit: I just checked and let's just say that that link doesn't always shed any light on things. :)

Dave,

I hadn't paid a lot of attention to Sean's problem. Now that I look back, it does seem a little familiar. It seems to periodically turn up. I had a flurry of that problem (as did others in this area) in June and again in August. Management at TW here in Rochester has told me that it is a known SARA issue and that the shortened recordings are due to an
issue with "a particular chip in the DVR. The issue is addressed in the
software version due out in October. The software is currently in beta
test at another Time Warner division."

I know that my issue has been confined to 2 different channels (TNT HD and ABC HD). The other reports that I have seen here (on AVS) have also indicated that the problem is confined in those areas to specific channels. I will note that in some cases that I have observed, that was recording other programs at the same time and that they were OK. In more than one case the problem occured while I was watching (delayed) the program being recorded. The image frooze when the recording stopped - yet recording indicator (and the list) showed that the program was still being recorded. I've also checked with some others who have had this problem, and they did not have an external drive (I do). I'll also note that I've seen this problem on older (1.85.something) of SARA too - so it is not specifically related to 1.88 (or 1.87). I'll also note that my 8300HD is pretty old (I've had it for better than 2 years) as these boxes go.

MAYBE what TW told me is correct - MAYBE we will see a fix soon (it is October after all)!

Well, that all makes some sense, particularly if it is related to the various (2?) revisions out there. Perhaps it's also got something to do with specific QAM frequencies or something like that. I just will never understand why I don't have these problems with any of the releases I've tested and I've had my 8300 for almost 2 years now recording 2 HD programs while watching another virtually all the time from 7:00-10:00 pm.

Sean,

The reason I ask is because I never had any problem like that with 1.87.16.1, 1.88.19.1, or 1.88.22.1 and was wondering if you had one that was not widely released. I did have some problems with a bad 8240 where I could make it split recordings at will by turning it off for more than 3 minutes, but the replacement has been flawless and I've never had a short recording at all. I trust you will let us know what the tech finds, if anything.

BTW, are you sure the replacement box is "new"?

Also, what else was going on when you were recording NUMB3RS and Jericho?
Dave-

Yes, I'll post whatever he tells me, but I'm concerned. If they send someone of the same "caliber" as the install tech, he might be able to find the 8300, but I won't hold my breath. The first guy brought in an 8000HD (even though Cox says they only use 8300s), took one look at my setup and asked me if I wanted to do a self-install. I asked him about getting an 8300 and he had never heard of it. I wound up taking the 8000 in to the local Cox storefront and exchanging it for an 8300. A few weeks later I swapped that one for another, thinking the cut-off programs were caused by a defective box. That was near the end of last season, so I put up with the problem during reruns.

Both the original and the replacement 8300s were very clean, in nice cardboard boxes, wrapped in plastic, and still had the protective plastic over the LED display.

I'm not completely sure what else was happening when these recordings cut off. I can say for certain we didn't have a power failure and I didn't manually reboot the box, and I wasn't watching these shows as they recorded. There is a good chance I was watching another show on the box while these were recording, but I do that all the time.

Sean

I know that my issue has been confined to 2 different channels (TNT HD and ABC HD).

Dave-

I'll have to check my notes, but I don't think it is confined to certain channels here. It definitely happened to me on TNT (during Nightmares and Dreamscapes). I'm not sure about ABC (and friggin Cox has dropped ABC HD from our lineup, so I don't have to worry about that one for a while). The latest problems have been on CBS.

With my luck, it will be fixed with a software upgrade that Cox will never release.

Sean

Can anyone tell me if a Comcast HD DVR will work with COX service? I currently have the SA 8300HD, and I don't mean to offend anyone that has it, but going from the Motorola with Comcast, this thing is the worst piece of junk I have ever seen. I would just try it, but it is at my relatives house out of town, and I just moved away. I don't want to have to ship it back and forth, and have them without a dvr.

The major differences I have seen:

The HORRIBLE menu system. Having to use the A, B, C buttons to do anything. VERY frustrating when it is dark in the room.

Not being able to go back to where I ended in a show if I go to another one.

The channel guide is just very buggy.

If they don't offer the same DCT in your new town, their head end won't support it.

TerryB

I'm having the same problem as many of the users on the last page. Only partial recordings of certain shows. Often times I will have it set to record an hour long show and I get 3 min, 5 min, and 1 min block left on my DVR.

I am in Arlington Virginia and I have a SA 8300 HD and an 8000 in my house and BOTH have the same problem. Everything I record from network television or the HD channels is fine, but anything recorded off of Comedy Central or MSNBC is screwed up.


It is freaking odd because it started happening on both separate boxes at the same time and all Comcast could tell me was "it must be that the box has gone bad, you should replace it." I had them try to boost the signal and that made no difference.

I can no longer watch the Colbert Report or Countdown or a whole bunch of other shows because it will not record more than 5 mins at a time.

ANY HELP OUT THERE?

and friggin Cox has dropped ABC HD from our lineup, so I don't have to worry about that one for a while). OR has the owner of the local ABC station (you don't have your location in your profile, so I don't know the exact situation) refused to pay an excessive fee to carry the station? We have that problem here with Sinclair and their local Fox station.

This (dropping) problem has cropped up from time to time. It has been suggested that a Hard Reboot (unplug power for 30-60 seconds and then hold front panel POWER button in while plugging power back in, wait till you see "boot" on front panel to release POWER). At times that seems to help, but I've also seen it have no impact too. But it can't hurt. The problem has been random enough that it is hard to characterize.

Can anyone tell me if a Comcast HD DVR will work with COX service?
No, the first thing a DVR does when it is plugged in is to check with the cable head end and verify that it is "registered" with them. So it will fail on that score alone. Further, it is very likely that the software used on the Comcast DVR is different than what COX uses, so the incompatability will likely prevent the DVR from working anyway.

I apologize if my questions have been answered elsewhere, but I haven't found any yet in limited searching. Anyway, I have an 8300HD box, TWC Rochester NY, and this is the OS info:

SARA 1.88.17.100
the Q is listed as "a"
the Date is 02/17/06

OS 6.14.69.1 dated 12/02/05

Problems:

1) The Auto-HDD spindown is extremely annoying if you watch late night TV. At around 1:00am I have to hit any button or it goes to black a few minutes later, and won't come back on by itself. Any way to change this spindown time to something more reasonable for modern times and not "Leave It To Beaver"-ish early-to-bed-and-early-to-rise schedules, like say spindown at 4:00am?

2) I can't seem to change start and end times for scheduled recurring recordings (most are "First run only" types). I go to the editing area, change the end time from say 11:30pm to 11:32 (The Daily Show always runs about 30 sec to 1 minute long!), and after the save it just goes back to 11:30 again. This happens whether there will be an overlap to the next recorded program, or not. I read on this forum that people like to "pad" their recordings in this way, but I can't get it to work. I assume that making a manual recording, which may have more freedom on start and end times, can't be then converted into a recurring recording with a "first run only" option? If that would even work. By the way, all the first run only programs I set recording for, I do by way of finding them on the TV schedule and then hitting Record. At least, I think that's how I've set up most of them if that makes any difference.

Also, can you pad a second recording if it overlaps with a first recording? For example, set The Daily Show to 11:00pm to 11:32pm, and then set The Colbert Report (which is on the same channel) from 11:29pm to 12:02am? Right now with the two shows set exactly consecutively (TDS at 11:00 to 11:30, TCR at 11:30 to 12:00 which is all SARA seems to let me do), I lose something like at least 30 seconds between shows. Those of you who watch these two shows know what I mean since TDS runs right into TCR with no commercial break. Is there a difference between how overlap can work depending on if the two shows are on the same channel or different channels?

If the box would just let me set a recurring first-run recording and I could change The Daily Show times to be from 11:00pm - 12:02am to cover recording of both shows since they're on the same channel, and are generally first-run on the same days, that'd be great. But it doesn't seem to work when I try.

Sorry for the rant, and thanks for any info you can provide!

"2) I can't seem to change start and end times for scheduled recurring recordings (most are "First run only" types). I go to the editing area, change the end time from say 11:30pm to 11:32 (The Daily Show always runs about 30 sec to 1 minute long!), and after the save it just goes back to 11:30 again. This happens whether there will be an overlap to the next recorded program, or not. I read on this forum that people like to "pad" their recordings in this way, but I can't get it to work. I assume that making a manual recording, which may have more freedom on start and end times, can't be then converted into a recurring recording with a "first run only" option? If that would even work. By the way, all the first run only programs I set recording for, I do by way of finding them on the TV schedule and then hitting Record. At least, I think that's how I've set up most of them if that makes any difference."

Gigolo:

I have exactly the same problem and this is my biggest beef with the 8300. My software version is the 1.87 , which means that they haven't done their job to fix it. Just got my Tivo S3 and if everything goes well with the cablecard next week, bye bye 8300, the biggest piece of junk software on earth.

Sergio

Gigoloju,

Try this:

1. Delete the current scheduled recordings for both programs.

2. Schedule a new recording for The Daily Show, but alter the Stop time to 11:32 before Accepting it.

3. Schedule a new recording for The Colbert Report in the same manner altering the Start time to 11:32 and the Stop time to 12:02 (if desired) before Accepting it.

I just did this with SARA 1.88.22.1 and got scheduled recordings for all New episodes throughout the week from 11:00-11:32 and 11:32-12:02 respectively. Based on my tests you have to edit the Start/Stop times when you set up the scheduled recording and you also have to verify them in the Scheduled Recording list, not the IPG display. Let us know if your experience is different. This does not work with weekly or less frequent recordings.

Gigoloju,

Try this:

1. Delete the current scheduled recordings for both programs.

2. Schedule a new recording for The Daily Show, but alter the Stop time to 11:32 before Accepting it.

3. Schedule a new recording for The Colbert Report in the same manner altering the Start time to 11:32 and the Stop time to 12:02 (if desired) before Accepting it.

I just did this with SARA 1.88.22.1 and got scheduled recordings for all New episodes throughout the week from 11:00-11:32 and 11:32-12:02 respectively. Based on my tests you have to edit the Start/Stop times when you set up the scheduled recording and you also have to verify them in the Scheduled Recording list, not the IPG display. Let us know if your experience is different. This does not work with weekly or less frequent recordings.

Dave,
Funny thing, I'm on TW Rochester too and noted your comments on this earlier in the week (or whenever that was) & tried doing exactly the same (deleting the old schedule and rescheduling with altered start or stop times) thing. Well almost - tried to start Leno 1 minute earlier, and extend the Colbert Report 1 minute. It appeared to "take", but on the first night recording on Leno, it recorded the ENTIRE program (local news) before that, and did not record any longer on the Colbert Report. When I went back and looked again at the Scheduled Recordings, they were "adjusted" back to the IPG times. Yes, I checked the Scheduled Recordings immediately after making the new (extended) schedules and they then reflected the changed times.

8300HD DVR is hooked up to my plasma tv via component cables and during fast scenes I see vertical lines on the screen in SD channels and pixelation in HD channels. I've tried both 1080i and 720p but no difference. Any ideas?

Dave,
Funny thing, I'm on TW Rochester too and noted your comments on this earlier in the week (or whenever that was) & tried doing exactly the same (deleting the old schedule and rescheduling with altered start or stop times) thing. Well almost - tried to start Leno 1 minute earlier, and extend the Colbert Report 1 minute. It appeared to "take", but on the first night recording on Leno, it recorded the ENTIRE program (local news) before that, and did not record any longer on the Colbert Report. When I went back and looked again at the Scheduled Recordings, they were "adjusted" back to the IPG times. Yes, I checked the Scheduled Recordings immediately after making the new (extended) schedules and they then reflected the changed times.I saw that TWC Rochester is using SARA 1.88.17.100
and that DoubleDAZ is using SARA 1.88.22.1 and when I tested I used SARA 1.88.22.1. I wonder if this is why it didn't work for you. I haven't seen any documentation on the differences between minor versions. Even SARA 1.88.22.1 doesn't maintain "adjusted" start and stop times if the program is only shown weekly. In this case, a "placeholder" is created and the start and stop times from the IPG are used. The programs being discussed are shown daily and shouldn't be affected by this.

That's why I wanted him to try it, to narrow it down to a specific release. I don't know what, if anything, the release number has to do with stuff. What I do see though is that there appears to a trend that releases with numbers like 17.100, 23.a100, etc., seem to have problems that the rest of us don't have. It seems to me that these might be cabelco-specific releases that are trying to fix some unique problem or something like that.

RussB/RemyM,

I've added some 1.88.x.x bug references to the first post. Please take a look and let me know of anything you think I should add.

davehancock,

How do you like my new signature? When I first saw the phrase, it reminded me someone ;) and I couldn't resist using it. :D

I went into the tv setup on the 8300HD DVR as a few of you suggested. I turned off the 480i's that it offers but yet for some inexplicable reason it still starts the box up in 480i. For some reason i can't do a hard reboot. But at one point i got frustrated and buttom mashed the front of the machine while holding the 'INFO' and the 'GUIDE' buttons down and the LCD shows that it went from HD to SD!!!! WTF!!! How do i get it back! THe thing about cablevision is that the tech support that you get from the local number sucks. There is a 888 number that he box itself tells you to call that i can no longer find that took me to better tech support. Anyone have any suggestions? Please?!

RussB/RemyM,
davehancock,

How do you like my new signature? When I first saw the phrase, it reminded me someone ;) and I couldn't resist using it. :D

Love it, ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Mod

Please limit your posts to SA 8300 HD Tips & Tricks -- SARA:

the purpose of this thread is to help with technical issues on this S/A stb ONLY: please don't come here and tell us about another stb: it is off topic :)

(those threads may be deleted)

Thank you

RussB/RemyM,

I've added some 1.88.x.x bug references to the first post. Please take a look and let me know of anything you think I should add.

Dave,

The best work around for me when the box turns on a HD channel in 480i is to hit the # key 4 times.

Thanks, I added that workaround.

RussB/RemyM,

I've added some 1.88.x.x bug references to the first post. Please take a look and let me know of anything you think I should add.

davehancock,

How do you like my new signature? When I first saw the phrase, it reminded me someone ;) and I couldn't resist using it. :DThe bug references are a good idea. Please consider adding the underlined phrase.

Start From Beginning/Kick Out To Live - If you select a recording in progress from the Recorded List, you will get a Start From Beginning option. If you select this, you can watch the recording through to the end without getting "kicked out to live" when the live program ends. However, if you simply tune to the desired program or select the Play from current location option, rewind to the beginning, you will still get "kicked out to live" when the program ends.

Can do, though I reworded it slightly.

RussB/RemyM,

I've added some 1.88.x.x bug references to the first post. Please take a look and let me know of anything you think I should add.

One more tip that can be added. If you accidentally hit the "live" button when watching a recording in progress, simply tune back to your DVR playback channel (1000 for me) and the recording will be at the point it was when you hit the live button.

I went into the tv setup on the 8300HD DVR as a few of you suggested. I turned off the 480i's that it offers but yet for some inexplicable reason it still starts the box up in 480i. For some reason i can't do a hard reboot. But at one point i got frustrated and buttom mashed the front of the machine while holding the 'INFO' and the 'GUIDE' buttons down and the LCD shows that it went from HD to SD!!!! WTF!!! How do i get it back! THe thing about cablevision is that the tech support that you get from the local number sucks. There is a 888 number that he box itself tells you to call that i can no longer find that took me to better tech support. Anyone have any suggestions? Please?!

OK sadly I'll answer my own question. I did a hard reboot after this happened. This reformatted the hard drive and erased all the 'season passes' (yes i know that for TIVO) . But the darn thing still starts up in 480i. The only work around i found was by holding in the GUIDE and the INFO buttons then powering it on, and it forced itself to 480P. So last night at around 10 the 8300 inexplicably turned itself off said BOOT but never booted. I went to bed resolved to exchange it today. I woke up at 5AM and tried it by Holding in the GUIDE and INFO buttons but before i hit power the LCD said SD. I tried various buttons and when i hit and held the VOL+ button while still holding down the GUIDE and the INFO buttons the LCD changed to HD and now the tv starts at the appropriate resolution depending on the channel i left the 8300HD on, i.e. regular tv is 480P, the HD channels are either 720P or 1080i depending on specific channel. Thats it for now. If it goes back to the 480i everytime i will exchange it.

@ kamalo- Mine got stuck on 480i too. I kept editing it back to only 1080i but every time I started it would display 480i even after multiple reboots. I finally deselected every resolution and then added 1080i and it finally changed back at that point.

2 problems:
My Sara 8300 only displays in 1080i over hdmi. If I set it to 720 or 480 it defaults to the lowest resolution setting and will not go back to 1080i on the HD channels. Is there a way to make it show the proper resolutions and does it matter? (I'm guessing the answer is compenant for the different resolutions).

Also about every 10 recordings or so the recorder will stop recording half way through a program for no apparent reason? I'll set it to record and entire movie or show and the next day it'll only have recorded about half or 3/4's and I have plenty of space on my HD.

My Sara 8300 only displays in 1080i over hdmi. If I set it to 720 or 480 it defaults to the lowest resolution setting and will not go back to 1080i on the HD channels. Is there a way to make it show the proper resolutions and does it matter? (I'm guessing the answer is compenant for the different resolutions).
Do you have the Set: Picture Format set to "Auto HDMI"? Also you didn't mention your display. When set to Audo HDMI, the display tells the 8300 what resolutions that it can handle, and the 8300 then sends the appropriate resolution. It may be that your set only wants to be sent 1080i.

KamaloPSU,

What version of SARA are you using? 1.87.x.x or 1.88.x.x?

Have you read any of the first post? Or the SA Guide referenced in the links?

With your TV On and your 8300 Off, what happens when you simply press Info & Guide together (no Power button)? Do you get a display that says Press A for Standard Definition or Press B for High Definition? Regardless of which option you get, press B for high definition and then follow the instructions.

I don't know what pressing Info & Guide while also pressing the Power button does, but my guess is it simply powers up in the default/last mode, SD in your case. It appears that you accidently hit upon the sequence to reset to HD mode by pressing the Vol+ button while holding the Info/Guide buttons.

It also appears that you are doing all this without the TV on and are just watching the 8300 LCD display. It's a lot easier to do all this with the TV on so you can follow the on-screen instructions.

Part of the problem is that the Setup Wizard seems to be different depending on what state the 8300 is in. Sometimes, like when doing the initital setup, you get options for Easy or Advanced Setup as indicated in the first post. Othertimes, you get the A or B options referenced above, sometimes both, and you simply have to press B for high definition even if it's not displayed.

Of course, now that it seems to be set up correctly and working the way you want, you might not want to play with anything unless it resets again. :)

Hi...I am in Akron, Ohio--have a SA 8300 HD box from Time Warner Cable and I am trying to record HD programming from the box to my Pioneer DVR-510H DVD recorder via the S-VHS input. The problem I have is that any High Def channel is severely smushed with big gray bars on the top and bottom. Standard def channels record fine but the box I had before (probably an 8000 HD) allowed me to record HD channels via S-VHS with no problems.....any ideas? Thanks and I apologize if this might be answered somewhere ...i am new

Hi...I am in Akron, Ohio--have a SA 8300 HD box from Time Warner Cable and I am trying to record HD programming from the box to my Pioneer DVR-510H DVD recorder via the S-VHS input. The problem I have is that any High Def channel is severely smushed with big gray bars on the top and bottom. Standard def channels record fine but the box I had before (probably an 8000 HD) allowed me to record HD channels via S-VHS with no problems.....any ideas? Thanks and I apologize if this might be answered somewhere ...i am new
Severely SMUSHED with big GRAY bars on the top and bottom? That does not sound right! The S-Video out from the 8300 should be a standard letterboxed image and the bars at the top & bottom should be black.
Is it really SMUSHED (vertically squeezed)?
Are the bars gray (or are they really black, but your black level is set wrong into the recorder, or on the TV out)?
If it is just that it is letterboxed and you want to record anamorphicly - I can help. But sorry, I can't help with the SUSH/GRAY bar situation.

DaveH, I don't think it's an issue with my recorder or the TV so any help you might provide assuming it's a "letterboxed....recording anamorphically" problem....by all means I'm listening

Content removed by author due to fact that it was "garbaging up the thread".

szurlo,

I provided an explanation of what's going on via PM. If you're not interested and all you wanted to do is rant, just delete it.

OK, DAZ PMed me some information that explains the 8300s conflict resolution mechanism (or lack of), so I now know what it is going to do Wednesday, and when and if it truley does get three shows scheduled at one time, so at least now I am better prepared to take measures to head off these issues in the future. Thanks DAZ.
However, DAZ also took exception with my attitude, as I'm sure many readers will. Sorry. I'm sorely dissapointed in this product and I wanted to cry on the shoulders of people that can and do "feel my pain". As I told DAZ, carriers need to realize that the day is rapidly approaching where their DVR offering will not be an afterthought device that only a very few of their geekiest subscribers want, but something that determines who the average subscriber gives their business to. The DVR is becoming mainstream. Feature-poor, unreliable, poorly engineered devices like the 8300HD are not going to win a customer's business if all other things are close to equal and the competition offers a better DVR. And yes, DAZ, I know TWC and SA are not going to read my post, but a large group of disenchanted product users in a public forum where they can voice this discontent can have an impact on the choices made by new subscribers, and on what is spread by word of mouth outside these forums. Don't completely discount the value of making your dissatisfaction known. The squeeky wheel gets the grease.
Am I "bashing" the 8300? You bethca, and it surely deserves it.
And with that I will stop taking up valueable forum space;) Thanks for listening.

I'm having the same problem as many of the users on the last page. Only partial recordings of certain shows. Often times I will have it set to record an hour long show and I get 3 min, 5 min, and 1 min block left on my DVR.

I am in Arlington Virginia and I have a SA 8300 HD and an 8000 in my house and BOTH have the same problem. Everything I record from network television or the HD channels is fine, but anything recorded off of Comedy Central or MSNBC is screwed up.


It is freaking odd because it started happening on both separate boxes at the same time and all Comcast could tell me was "it must be that the box has gone bad, you should replace it." I had them try to boost the signal and that made no difference.

I can no longer watch the Colbert Report or Countdown or a whole bunch of other shows because it will not record more than 5 mins at a time.

ANY HELP OUT THERE?

I have the exact same problem as noted on this posting. It started about 2 weeks ago and Comcast can provide no info other than replacing the box. It seems to me that it had started about the time that Comcast re-aligned some channels.
My experience is that most shows that I record off a SD Channel (FX, SCIFI, SPIKE, VHS) break up into various sized chunks. I did notice that it appears to break them up during the commercial breaks. For example, Battlestar Galactica's 2 hour premiere Friday night was recoreded in 6 different chunks. Some as long as 50 minutes, some as short as 1 minute. I dont seem to have the problem when recording HD shows at all.
Also, when this behavior starts happening, if you are watching a pre-recorded show, it will randomly pause your playback and switch over to the show that is being recorded in chunks.
I have called Comcast and they knew nothing about it. They sent a tech out this past Sunday to look at it. His solution was to just replace the unit but I didnt let him since I have items on the hard drive I need to watch.
I checked and I'm running SARA 1.87.16.1. I also did a hard reboot last night and after that recorded something from SCIFI and it continues to happen.
I also am located in Arlington VA.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks....

I have the exact same problem as noted on this posting. It started about 2 weeks ago and Comcast can provide no info other than replacing the box. It seems to me that it had started about the time that Comcast re-aligned some channels.
My experience is that most shows that I record off a SD Channel (FX, SCIFI, SPIKE, VHS) break up into various sized chunks. I did notice that it appears to break them up during the commercial breaks. For example, Battlestar Galactica's 2 hour premiere Friday night was recoreded in 6 different chunks. Some as long as 50 minutes, some as short as 1 minute. I dont seem to have the problem when recording HD shows at all.
Also, when this behavior starts happening, if you are watching a pre-recorded show, it will randomly pause your playback and switch over to the show that is being recorded in chunks.
I have called Comcast and they knew nothing about it. They sent a tech out this past Sunday to look at it. His solution was to just replace the unit but I didnt let him since I have items on the hard drive I need to watch.
I checked and I'm running SARA 1.87.16.1. I also did a hard reboot last night and after that recorded something from SCIFI and it continues to happen.
I also am located in Arlington VA.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks....

Yup. I've had this happen to me a few times. Turns out the box was continually crashing, which resulted in the multiple program fragments. No solution is available, other than getting SA to get off their asses and fix a few bugs.

However, DAZ also took exception with my attitude, as I'm sure many readers will. Sorry. I'm sorely disappointed in this product and I wanted to cry on the shoulders of people that can and do "feel my pain". As I told DAZ, carriers need to realize that the day is rapidly approaching where their DVR offering will not be an afterthought device that only a very few of their geekiest subscribers want, but something that determines who the average subscriber gives their business to. The DVR is becoming mainstream. Feature-poor, unreliable, poorly engineered devices like the 8300HD are not going to win a customer's business if all other things are close to equal and the competition offers a better DVR. And yes, DAZ, I know TWC and SA are not going to read my post, but a large group of disenchanted product users in a public forum where they can voice this discontent can have an impact on the choices made by new subscribers, and on what is spread by word of mouth outside these forums. Don't completely discount the value of making your dissatisfaction known. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Am I "bashing" the 8300? You betcha, and it surely deserves it.
And with that I will stop taking up valuable forum space;) Thanks for listening.

You're certainly not the first, nor will you be the last, user to become frustrated and/or angry with how the 8300 "works".

The DVR is certainly a mainstream device, one that is crucial to reducing "churn". It costs the cableco's so much money to acquire customers, that it's absolutely worth their while to retain those customers. When DirecTV introduced their DVR service, they noticed their churn rates dropped from somewhere around 10% to somewhere around 1% for those DVR customers. That's huge.

However, simply throwing a hard drive in a set top box does not make a successful DVR. It's gotta work. It's gotta do what the customer wants it to do. It has to be convenient to operate. If the box doesn't do these things, then you've lost all the advantages that the DVR brings (including the reduced churn rate). Maybe the cableco's will come to realize that bringing quality to the table will increase their bottom line by keeping customers happy. Perhaps not. I tend to doubt it, since that hasn't been their track record to date...

I have been debating upgrading my cable and getting this box. I have just the standard basic cable (locals + cable channels) and a TIVO. I love the tivo interface but I really want to be able to record in HD. My Tv has a tuner so just getting the HD channels isn't really what I am wanting. I figure as long as watching SD recordings is good enough until I absolutly get tired of it. Also when they add more HD channels into the mix. Everything I have read about this box is horrible and I really love my TIVO.

If you love your Tivo and can't be satisfied with simply being able to time-shift/record HD without the Tivo bells & whistles, then you're better off not getting the SA8300HD DVR, it's really that simple. Save your pennies until you can afford the S3.

If you want to be able to simply record your HD programs, the 8300 will do that, but the interface sucks and you will need to use TitanTV or something else to do your searching, wish lists, etc.

The DVR is becoming mainstream. Feature-poor, unreliable, poorly engineered devices like the 8300HD are not going to win a customer's business if all other things are close to equal and the competition offers a better DVR.That's been said many times in this 136 page thread, so it is not a new concept. Actions are being taken with OCAP, etc., to make things better and provide customers more choices than just the cable supplied DVR, but that is not happening fast enough for some.
..... but a large group of disenchanted product users in a public forum where they can voice this discontent can have an impact on the choices made by new subscribers, and on what is spread by word of mouth outside these forums. Don't completely discount the value of making your dissatisfaction known. The squeeky wheel gets the grease.Unfortunately, the squeaky wheel gets no grease in these forums. If your goal is to influence others to go elsehwere, then you are in the wrong thread. As the Moderators have pointed out just recently, this thread is for providing tips and useful help to folks who have questions, not bashing something with no other purpose.

That's been said many times in this 136 page thread, so it is not a new concept. Actions are being taken with OCAP, etc., to make things better and provide customers more choices than just the cable supplied DVR, but that is not happening fast enough for some.

Please try not to mislead the poor guy concerning OCAP. OCAP, as the cableco's want to see it manifest itself, would allow them to run their software on any compatible STB. So, it wouldn't matter if you had a Motorola box, a SciAtl box, or an LG box. When you plugged it in, your cableco would download their software to the box. The Moto/SciAtl/LG box would then be running whatever the cableco pushed to you. There would be no "choice" for the consumer. Your choice would be to rent a box from your cableco, or purchase one only to have it function exactly the same as the rented one. Where's the choice ?

The consumer electronic manufacturers (including LG, Samsung, Sony, TiVo, and many others) are opposed to this, since they feel it locks them out of the marketplace. What's the incentive to innovate when the box is just gonna get whitewashed with whatever software/middleware the cableco wants to slap into the box ?

Whatever you say Paul. I guess Tivo is just wasting their time making their software ports for Moto and SA boxes for Comcast and Cox OCAP compliant.

Whatever you say Paul. I guess Tivo is just wasting their time making their software ports for Moto and SA boxes for Comcast and Cox OCAP compliant.

Wrong again. I wish you'd do a little research before you posted. Maybe this thread would only be 100 pages instead of 136. So nice of you to dismiss common knowledge out of hand since it doesn't jive with your opinion.

The TiVo port to the Motorola box is NOT OCAP compliant. Also, we have no idea if they intend on porting it to the Sci Atl boxes. That's pure speculation at this point.

Besides, it's the opposition of the CE big-boys like Sony, LG and Samsung to OCAP that should make more waves than little ole TiVo. They'd certainly be able to sell far more boxes than anyone else out there.

Tivo has already stated they are porting to OCAP and they also stated the port to SA will take place after the port to MOTO is complete. I didn't say the current port to MOTO will be OCAP and the initial port to SA won't be either, but it's happening . The question was asked and answered when the agreement with Cox was announced.

I have removed my original "rant" post and am submitting this new happy version, sanitized for your protection :)

My DVR shows that it is going to record three shows tomorrow at 8:00 PM! How can that be possible?

DAZ responded via PM and said that if the DVR has a conflict like that, that it won't record ANY of the shows in conflict until you manually resolve it. Good to know for future ref.

It also shows that it is going to record baseball in the time slot where Prison Break should be and I don't want it to record baseball.

DAZ responded via PM and said that the day of the erroneous scheduling entry the DVR would figure out that this is not supposed to record and remove it.

It is also rebooting spontaneously (rarely, but it does happen). I have searched a number of forums on this and it seems to be fairly common on this device but I haven't been able to find a definitive cause or solution....

Thanks, Steve Z.

I have been debating upgrading my cable and getting this box. I have just the standard basic cable (locals + cable channels) and a TIVO. I love the tivo interface but I really want to be able to record in HD. My Tv has a tuner so just getting the HD channels isn't really what I am wanting. I figure as long as watching SD recordings is good enough until I absolutly get tired of it. Also when they add more HD channels into the mix. Everything I have read about this box is horrible and I really love my TIVO.

I'm definitely not an expert and maybe I'm just lucky to have a decent software release, but I've had this for more than a year and I'm 95% satisfied with it.

I'm sure it could be better, but it works for me and I appreciate not having to buy something in this rapidly changing technology.

I have removed my original "rant" post and am submitting this new happy version, sanitized for your protection :) Wasn't necessary, but is appreciated.

My DVR shows that it is going to record three shows tomorrow at 8:00 PM! How can that be possible?

DAZ responded via PM and said that if the DVR has a conflict like that, that it won't record ANY of the shows in conflict until you manually resolve it. Good to know for future ref.Might be good to add that you may have to cancel all 3 and reshcedule the 2 that you want. Haven't been able to figure out why cancelling just one doesn't always resolve the conflict.

In your particular case, one of the conflicting recording was the one for Prison Break that is really not on. So, there is technically not a conflcit at all and the 2 remaining programs should record.

It's frustrating though to have to keep tabs on all this. Based on some testing I did recently, I thought there was some conflcit resolution in version 1.88.22.1, but I need to test that some more in the next release. I was able to force a conflict once and it recorded only 2 of the programs, the 2 were First Run recordings and the 3rd was an Anytime recording.

It also shows that it is going to record baseball in the time slot where Prison Break should be and I don't want it to record baseball.

DAZ responded via PM and said that the day of the erroneous scheduling entry the DVR would figure out that this is not supposed to record and remove it.This is part of the problem identified above. Good or bad, SARA doesn't make a decision to not record until the start time is met. It appears to wait to make sure there won't be a change to the IPG. Of course, they could do that without highlighting the timeslot and making it look as though something will get recorded when it won't.

It is also rebooting spontaneously (rarely, but it does happen). I have searched a number of forums on this and it seems to be fairly common on this device but I haven't been able to find a definitive cause or solution....No good answer. Just like PCs, there are conflicts that can't get resolved. These could be hardware or software related or it could even be the cableco sending a signal. If the cableco decides to update software in the middle of the day, you will get this. If a CSR is troubleshooting something and enters the wrong serial number, your box could get reset be mistake.

I'm definitely not an expert and maybe I'm just lucky to have a decent software release, but I've had this for more than a year and I'm 95% satisfied with it.

I'm sure it could be better, but it works for me and I appreciate not having to buy something in this rapidly changing technology.Unfortunately, posts like yours get lost in the shuffle. The very nature of these threads is that the majority of posts will come from folks having problems for whatever reasons. No one should make a decision not to try their cable DVR for themselves based solely on stuff that is posted here, good or bad.

I would hesitate to switch services through without doing some homework. Though there are exceptions, almost anyone coming from a Tivo background will be unhappy with SARA, simply because of the lost features. Others may be unhappy because their cableco has chosen not to upgrade to a more stable version of SARA and they will be saddled with problems right out of the gate. Others will have little expectations beyond a digital VCR and will be totally happy. So much depends on how you intend to use it and what your other options are that no one recommendation fits all situations, though yours has been pretty much the same as mine over 2 years and through 4 software releases.

DaveH, I don't think it's an issue with my recorder or the TV so any help you might provide assuming it's a "letterboxed....recording anamorphically" problem....by all means I'm listening

OK, Here goes: This is the procedure to record Anamorphic Widescreen DVDs from 8300HD HD recordings. A few "disclaimers" though:
A) Some DVD recorders (I've had this problem with my Sony) see an embedded copy protection signal on some programs and refuse to record from it. I've fixed that with the Sima GoDVD (available from CompUSA and other places).
B) The DVD recorder should have a "Record 16:9 Format" mode. This puts the appropriate "flag" on the DVD to automatically signal the wide screen mode to the player.
C) This procedure is for recording the main program . Your 8300 must be devoted to playing the program you want to record (it's OK to be recording other programs at the time). YOU CANNOT USE THIS PROCEDURE FOR THE "COPY TO VCR" FUNCTION.

The Procedure:
1) Turn Display on to the 8300 Out.
2) Turn 8300 off.
3) Simultaneously press 8300 Front Panel INFO and GUIDE buttons - a set-up screen should appear on your display.
4) Press "A" button on your remote - this puts 8300 in SD mode (it needs to be in this mode for this scheme to work.
5) Turn 8300 on via front panel POWER button - the screen should be magenta (at least on component outputs, I don't know about HDMI). This is because the "Y" lead contains the composite video out)
6) Switch the display to the DVD recorder and set it up to display 8300 S-Video output. Using LIST, select program to be recorded & start to Play (don't record, just yet).
7) Push # key on remote (may be labeled something else, like Enter, but is the one to the right of "0" It should switch the image between several display modes (Normal 480i>Stretch 480i>Zoom1 480i>Zoom2 480i). You will note that the Stretch mode, stretches vertically. That is what you want to record anamorphically.
7) Rewind to beginning of program and start recording.
8) When you are all done, repeat the set-up procedure 1-4, except press the "B" button and go through the HD set-up procedure.

That's it - Have Fun

A few additional notes.
a) You must watch the S-Video out to see the Stretch Mode working.
b) Though this has worked fine for me for better than a year and a couple of versions of SARA (currently on 1.88.17.a100) I have recently started to have an issue with the 8300 dropping out of the SD mode and losing "stretch". When this happens the front panel still shows 480i, but the component output has dropped back to normal (full color). I've successfully "fixed" this by going through set-up and setting to HD and then going back through set-up to SD again. (In fact I'm making a recording of "Dexter" for my son right now).

No good answer. Just like PCs, there are conflicts that can't get resolved. These could be hardware or software related or it could even be the cableco sending a signal. If the cableco decides to update software in the middle of the day, you will get this. If a CSR is troubleshooting something and enters the wrong serial number, your box could get reset be mistake.

Well, it has rebooted once since 1.88 was pushed to it the other night, so I don't think a middle of the day update is the issue.
Never thought about the CSR resetting the wrong box though. Good point.
It's not huge deal except when it happens during a recording I wind up with the show split into 2 pieces with 10 minutes or so missing from the gap. Fortunately this has only happened maybe 4 times in the month or so I have had this box.
Guess I'll just live with. Not going to pay the money D* wants for their HD DVR and my pockets aren't deep enough right now for a S3 (blew our budget on the plasma) :p

Steve Z.

IMy DVR shows that it is going to record three shows tomorrow at 8:00 PM! How can that be possible?

It also shows that it is going to record baseball in the time slot where Prison Break should be and I don't want it to record baseball.

I think this is all from the 9 day out placeholder for Prison Break. You are seeing MLB highlighted in red in the IPG but MLB is not on your scheduled recording list right? The placeholder will turn the IPG red but it won't record MLB. If you highlight Prison Break in your list and press info it shouldn't have a description, that's the give away for a placeholder. If the 3 way conflict is between the Prison Break placeholder and two real recordings you will have no problem, placeholders do not record anything and do not cause a real 3 way conflict, it just looks that way. It's just a quirk in how this SARA software works.

I think this is all from the 9 day out placeholder for Prison Break. You are seeing MLB highlighted in red in the IPG but MLB is not on your scheduled recording list right? The placeholder will turn the IPG red but it won't record MLB. If you highlight Prison Break in your list and press info it shouldn't have a description, that's the give away for a placeholder. If the 3 way conflict is between the Prison Break placeholder and two real recordings you will have no problem, placeholders do not record anything and do not cause a real 3 way conflict, it just looks that way. It's just a quirk in how this SARA software works.

Yeah, the thing that is odd though is that MLB is slated to record for 2.5 hours according to the IPG, where Prison Break is usually only an hour long. It's like it's smart enought to know that the show that is airing on that channel in that time slot needs to run long, but it's not smart enough to know that MLB does not equel Prison Break. I mean, I can even select MLB from the IPG and say I want to cancel the recording, and it says I'm about to cancel Prison Break. Seems like it should be able to "put 2 and 2 together" ;)
But you are right. If I hit the info button while I have Prison Break selected in the Schedule, I get a blank dialog.

Hello, My name is Ryan and I'm fairly technical savvy yet I'm new to the world of High Def. tv and have ran into a problem in the setup of the new TV I received yesterday. I purchased a Sony 60" sxrd, the KDS-60A200. I also have Time Warner Cable and use a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD high definition cable box/DVR. I have them connected using an NXG HDMI cable. The problem I am having is that of being able to keep aspect ration settings. It seems to me that the HDMI cable sends information both ways and some settings on the cable box are being changed without me changing them as I do different things with the TV.

For instance, i plugged the cable box into the HDMI (video input 6) and turned the tv on to theat input. Had the cable box off and went into the HD setup wizard (guide + info on the box). I chose that I could see all inputs using advanced setup, then turned the power on the cable box. I went into settings on the cable box and told it to use the "Auto DVI/HDMI" setting. On regular channels, the picture was in 480p I believe and on the HD Channels it would be either in 720p or 1080i depending on the channel. The aspect ratios it showed no the cable box would change depending on the channel. I believe the TV's settings were with Autowide ON, default 4:3 OFF, and Wide Mode set to FULL. Every channel I went to, the cable box would change to the correct ratio for the input, and the TV picture would fill the screen.

The problem arises when I change the input or turn off the tv. I switched the input to Video 4 (which is component and had my xbox 360 plugged into it), and the TV played my xbox fine, but I noticed that while the cable box was still turned on and on an HD channel in 1080i, the input source on the cable box itself switched to 480i when I changed the input on the TV. It does the same if I go to any other video input or if I turn the tv off. I thought no big deal, but then I went back to watching tv and the tv's settings I don't believe had changed, but the cable box would only show every channel only in 480i, no matter what channel I put it on...HD or SD. If I turn of the cable box and run the HD setup wizard again, then power it on while on the right video input, everything will be good again until I turn it off or change the video input on the tv. Any help on getting the TV and cable box to keep the same settings when I change inputs or turn off the power would be greatly appreciated. As of now, unless I keep redoing the setup wizard, all I can watch is 480i after a power down or an input change. Thanks in advance.

-Ryan

I also was asked for this info in the 8300HD Passport info and realized that I had SARA instead of passport software:

What I got from the Diagnostics screen was:

Software Version
PTV OS: OS, Home Server Edition 1.4
FLASH: 1.87.23.1
Apps: vodlink v1.29.6.1
SARA v1.87.23.1

I assume this means I have the SARA software instead of passport, the thread said TWC and I have Time Warner so I assumed. In case you can still help...I am located in Northeast Ohio near Cleveland. We were Adelphia and were recently bought out by Time Warner. On the cable box I chose all outputs that I could see clearly, they were 480i, 480p standard, 480p widescreen, 720p, 720p widescreen, 1080i and 1080i widescreen. This way it should give me the signal as it comes into the box and with the "Auto DVI/HDMI" setting selected as opposed to Fixed, Upconvert1, or Upconvert2 so that the TV can upscale it itself. I just don't understand why it works perfect until I turn off the tv or change the input on the tv. Then the cable box will switch to 480i on it's display and not give me any HD singnals no matter what I do with the TV until I reset the cable box and run the HD Setup Wizard again. Thanks for all your help. I will try posting this in the SARA forum too, but if you know anything, all help is appreciated. :-)

Yeah, the thing that is odd though is that MLB is slated to record for 2.5 hours according to the IPG, where Prison Break is usually only an hour long.

The placeholder will turn the entire showing red even though it only takes up part of the time.

RemyM/Steve,

I think there are two things going on here, or it may depend on software versions once again. I know what I told Steve is correct for 1.87.16.1, but I should have gotten his software version and rechecked it for 1.88.x.x.

Steve,

What specific version are you using? I know you mentioned 1.88 somewhere along the line in our PMs, but what is the rest of the number?

RemyM,

I just tested your theory. As usual, it's spot on for the 1.88.22.1 version. Here's exactly what I found, with one little wrinkle:

I have Criminal Minds and Lost scheduled to record tomorrow at 8:00 pm MST. Because I also have a place-holder for Justice still in my list, the MLB Post-Game is also highlighted in that timeslot. However, when I select it, I get an option to cancel it, not Justice. I know it worked just as Steve said in 1.87.16.1, but I don't know about 1.88.19.1 and I have no way to test that at the moment on my other unit.

The weird thing though is that I also have NCIS and Friday Night Lights scheduled for 7:00 pm tonight. I also have a place-holder for Prison Break in my list, but MLB is not highlighted, though I believe it was yesterday when I was checking Steve's problem.

What this kind of tells me is that although I thought the decision was made at the time a recording is to start, I now believe it happens when the IPG update is downloaded or, even more probably, just past midnight for the day in question. The reason I believe the later is because someone else pointed out to me in a comment about another question that their place-holder was reset to the correct day by at least 12:30 am on the day of the recording in question. This would tend to make it date related as opposed to IPG update related.

I don't plan on staying up until midnight tonight to confirm, but I'll be able to check in the morning to at least see if the slot if no longer highlighted. I'll let you know unless you can already confirm it.

Fortunately this has only happened maybe 4 times in the month or so I have had this box.4 times in a month is too much IMHO. I've only had mine reboot a couple of times in the 2 years I've had it. Most recently they pushed me some test software in the middle of the day and once I was pressing a lot of buttons really fast just to see what would happen and I locked her up. I don't specifically remember others, but there might have been 1-2 more.

I did have a bad test box a month or so ago though that would split recordings if I turned it off for more than 3 minutes and it rebooted more than once in the 2 weeks I had it. My replacement test box has had no such problems. If you've ever been to a cableco store and have seen how they handle these boxes, even those still in their original packages, it's a wonder more don't fail. They throw them around like standard tuners not even thinking there's a hard drive in there that might be a little more sensitive to being tossed around, slammed on a counter, etc.

I just don't understand why it works perfect until I turn off the tv or change the input on the tv.I don't use HDMI, but I'll give it a shot and let someone correct me if I'm wrong. Here's a simplistic view of what may be going on:

When you connect with HDMI, the system (TV and 8300) go through an HDCP handshake when turned on.

When you turn the TV on first, or both at the same time, the TV is on before the 8300 is ready. Once ready, the TV and 8300 communicate with each other and all is generally well.

However, if you turn off the TV or switch inputs, the HDCP handshake is lost.

When you turn the TV back on or switch inputs back to HDMI, there is nothing to signal the 8300 and TV to go through the handshake again.

I believe you can work around it by simply turning off the 8300 whenver you turn off the TV or switch inputs. When you turn it back on (after turning the TV back on or switching inputs back), it will then go through the handshake again.

FWIW, there is no reason to leave the 8300 on. It only goes into a Standby mode anyway and scheduled recordings will still take place.

RemyM,

I just tested your theory. As usual, it's spot on for the 1.88.22.1 version. What this kind of tells me is that although I thought the decision was made at the time a recording is to start, I now believe it happens when the IPG update is downloaded or, even more probably, just past midnight for the day in question. The reason I believe the later is because someone else pointed out to me in a comment about another question that their place-holder was reset to the correct day by at least 12:30 am on the day of the recording in question. This would tend to make it date related as opposed to IPG update related.

I don't plan on staying up until midnight tonight to confirm, but I'll be able to check in the morning to at least see if the slot if no longer highlighted. I'll let you know unless you can already confirm it.

I've gotten used to some of these quirks in the 1.88 versions now as we've had it since July of 2005. My guide data doesn't update until 4:00 am. I've heard the box start to churn then when I've taken the dog out a few times. As far as I've seen it placeholders always stay highlighted in the IPG. I do know that all episode recordings will check the guide data daily. Last week my first run for South Park didn't get set until Wednesday morning and tomorrows isn't set yet.

Thanks, RemyM, that's very interesting. I'll check in the morning and see what I get. You are using 1.88.23.1, right? I wonder if there is an option that can be set by the cableco as to when place-holders get reset? Or if this might be something that is being worked on and still isn't quite right?

I run the 8300 with fixed volume and let the TV control the volume. The sound had always been far too low both compared with other A/V sources and absolutely at maximum TV volume. (Changing the 8300 volume to variable and running it at the maximum didn't help.)

But late night I was playing with the audio range setting. I had always set it to HIGH, since I wanted a high volume. But it turns out that the volume is considerably louder with audio range set to LOW. Setting it at MIDDLE, yields a volume in between.

So it appears that with audio set to fixed, audio range acts as a volume control from HIGH to LOW -- just the opposite of what one would expect (if one would expect any effect).

Is this well known or did I just discovered it? Can anyone make this behavior seem rational?

Vincent

Thanks, RemyM, that's very interesting. I'll check in the morning and see what I get.FWIW, I added this to the first post and will edit it if I need to:

Place-Holders For Future Recordings (1.88.x.x). The 8300HD sets place-holders to keep track of future recordings for recurring scheduled recordings (daily, weekly, multiple episodes, and so on). These are set as soon as a recording starts and are scheduled for 9 days out (don't ask why, I don't know). Unfortunately, these place-holders can make things look incorrect when viewing highlighted items in the IPG looking for potential conflicts or just reviewing upcoming recordings. I'll offer an example of how they look and how they can skew what the IPG appears to portray.
Justice on FOX airs weekly on Monday nights at 8:00 pm. When the regularly scheduled recording starts, a new place-holder is set for the next episode, but it is dated for the following Wednesday and will appear as such in the Scheduled Recordings list. It is easily identified as a place-holder. When you press INFO, you get an empty display window.
Criminal Minds on CBS and Lost on ABC both air weekly on Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm and when you view the IPG, both of these are highlighted for recording.
Nothing is scheduled to record on FOX on Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm, so nothing should be highlighted. However, if you check further, you will see that whatever airs on FOX on Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm is also highlighted (MLB Post-Game as of this posting).
Even though this appears to be incorrect and may cause a conflict whereby nothing will be recorded, is it only highlighted because of the place-holder for Justice and not because anything will actually get recorded. It does not need to be cancelled.
In my test, the place-holders are reset for the correct day once the next episode appears in the IPG, usually after the nightly IPG update. Others have had them reset shortly after mid-night, while still others have them wait to reset until the actual day of recording. I've only tested this once, so it's quite possible other variables influence the resets and they all apply.
It's important to note that you need to be careful when reviewing the IPG and the Scheduled Recordings list for upcoming recordings, all may not be as it appears and you may inadvertently cancel recordings that are not erroneous.

Is this well known or did I just discovered it? Can anyone make this behavior seem rational?From the first post:

Audio Range Settings. The Audio Range choices are for the Dolby Digital output signals and they refer to the digital "Dynamic Range".
A Wide Dynamic Range will render audio that will go from the faintest audio level of a whisper at an extremely low level to a thundering boom at ear-shattering levels. This gives great impact to action movies, but calls for a good audio setup to properly be able to hear normal dialog without blasting the speakers during loud scenes.
A Narrow Dynamic Range keeps the lower volumes at a higher level, while muting the higher level sounds to a lower level. This way whispered dialog is not that much quieter than an explosion and all sound levels are "Narrowed" to a certain level.
A Normal Dynamic Range basically splits the difference.
These are not specific numbers, but think of it something like this when setting the volume level to about 33% for the same scene. Using the Narrow Dynamic Range setting, a whisper might be 45db while an explosion is 85db, a "Narrow" range of audio levels. However, using the Wide Dynamic Range setting, the whisper might now be 15db while the explosion is 105db, a "Wider" range of audio levels.

As always, depening on your audio source and HT setup, you may or may not notice any difference in the available settings.

But late night I was playing with the audio range setting. I had always set it to HIGH, since I wanted a high volume. But it turns out that the volume is considerably louder with audio range set to LOW. Setting it at MIDDLE, yields a volume in between.This is a feature that's common with devices like DVRs and DVD players. By "audio range", they really mean "dynamic range"--the measurement of the difference between the softest and loudest sounds.

Digital audio sources (CDs, DVDs, HDTV) are capable of very wide dynamic ranges. Sometimes, this annoys people, because they'll be watching a movie, and turn it up to hear two characters whispering to each other, then get their eardrums blown out when a car blows up in the next scene. The same thing might happen when listening to classical music, between very soft and very energetic passages.

Thus, some digital audio playback devices have settings to reduce the dynamic range. It'll artifically increase the volume for soft passages and lower the volume for loud passages, so that you don't get such rude surprises.

With that in mind, the setting might be more intutive. With a "LOW" range, there won't be much difference (range) between the softest and loudest passages. With the "HIGH" range, you'll get the full dynamic range supported by the medium.

If you're not watching any program material with particularly loud sounds, then everything may seem kind of soft at the "HIGH" range setting, which is what you were experiencing.

Thus, some digital audio playback devices have settings to reduce the dynamic range. It'll artifically increase the volume for soft passages and lower the volume for loud passages, so that you don't get such rude surprises.

With that in mind, the setting might be more intutive. With a "LOW" range, there won't be much difference (range) between the softest and loudest passages. With the "HIGH" range, you'll get the full dynamic range supported by the medium.

If you're not watching any program material with particularly loud sounds, then everything may seem kind of soft at the "HIGH" range setting, which is what you were experiencing.Beginning to make sense. But I always thought -- naively I guess -- that dynamic range reducers dynamically determined the middle range. So what must be happening is the cable feed (or 8300) is giving too quiet an average volume. So for almost all actually occurring sounds, the volume is below middle and narrowing the range is actually raising the volume.

Thanks -- Vincent

FWIW, I added this to the first post and will edit it if I need to:

Place-Holders For Future Recordings (1.88.x.x). The 8300HD sets place-holders to keep track of future recordings for recurring scheduled recordings (daily, weekly, multiple episodes, and so on). These are set as soon as a recording starts and are scheduled for 9 days out (don't ask why, I don't know). Unfortunately, these place-holders can make things look incorrect when viewing highlighted items in the IPG looking for potential conflicts or just reviewing upcoming recordings. I'll offer an example of how they look and how they can skew what the IPG appears to portray.
Justice on FOX airs weekly on Monday nights at 8:00 pm. When the regularly scheduled recording starts, a new place-holder is set for the next episode, but it is dated for the following Wednesday and will appear as such in the Scheduled Recordings list. It is easily identified as a place-holder. When you press INFO, you get an empty display window.
Criminal Minds on CBS and Lost on ABC both air weekly on Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm and when you view the IPG, both of these are highlighted for recording.
Nothing is scheduled to record on FOX on Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm, so nothing should be highlighted. However, if you check further, you will see that whatever airs on FOX on Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm is also highlighted (MLB Post-Game as of this posting).
Even though this appears to be incorrect and may cause a conflict whereby nothing will be recorded, is it only highlighted because of the place-holder for Justice and not because anything will actually get recorded. It does not need to be cancelled.
In my test, the place-holders are reset for the correct day once the next episode appears in the IPG, usually after the nightly IPG update. Others have had them reset shortly after mid-night, while still others have them wait to reset until the actual day of recording. I've only tested this once, so it's quite possible other variables influence the resets and they all apply.
It's important to note that you need to be careful when reviewing the IPG and the Scheduled Recordings list for upcoming recordings, all may not be as it appears and you may inadvertently cancel recordings that are not erroneous.Dave,
I think place-holders are only used for weekly shows because the IPG only has 7 days worth of data. SARA doesn't have any IPG data to set the next week's scheduled recording so it sets a place-holder to remind itself to set a scheduled recording when it can. I am not sure when it does this either.

I think if the IPG contained 8 days worth of data most of the place-holders would not be needed, but it would probably create other problems such as taking more memory and being longer to download.

I don't use HDMI, but I'll give it a shot and let someone correct me if I'm wrong. Here's a simplistic view of what may be going on:

When you connect with HDMI, the system (TV and 8300) go through an HDCP handshake when turned on.

When you turn the TV on first, or both at the same time, the TV is on before the 8300 is ready. Once ready, the TV and 8300 communicate with each other and all is generally well.

However, if you turn off the TV or switch inputs, the HDCP handshake is lost.

When you turn the TV back on or switch inputs back to HDMI, there is nothing to signal the 8300 and TV to go through the handshake again.

I believe you can work around it by simply turning off the 8300 whenver you turn off the TV or switch inputs. When you turn it back on (after turning the TV back on or switching inputs back), it will then go through the handshake again.

FWIW, there is no reason to leave the 8300 on. It only goes into a Standby mode anyway and scheduled recordings will still take place.

Thanks for the thought and input, I've tried, while everything seems to be working correctly, to turn off the cable box first so it goes into standby. Then I tried turning off the TV, turning it back on, then turning the cable box back on and I'm still having the same problem. Any other suggestions anyone? Or should I just switch to using component cables? Any help is appreciated, thanks everybody.

Thanks, RemyM, that's very interesting. I'll check in the morning and see what I get. You are using 1.88.23.1, right? I wonder if there is an option that can be set by the cableco as to when place-holders get reset? Or if this might be something that is being worked on and still isn't quite right?

I am using 1.88.23.1. Placeholders should check the guide daily. I actually had a placeholder for the Simpson's that turned MLB red for me last night. Noticed at 9:30 when I was flipping through channels that the game had "REC" in red on the information banner. I knew I wasn't recording it.

Just to prove that placeholders don't screw things up I had scheduled the NHL game on INHD to record from 7-10. The Simpson's placeholder turned MLB red from 8-11. For some stupid reason the NHL game was blacked out on INHD so I switched to Versus for the SD feed and hit the record button at 7:30. No problem, it recorded Versus and INHD at the same time while showing MLB in red in the IPG and the Simpsons as 8:00-8:30 in the list.

while still others have them wait to reset until the actual day of recording.

Just to clarify this point, South Park didn't schedule until the day of recording last week because I have it set as first run and they didn't send the shows description and first run flag until then. That was the first time I ever saw that. They never sent the shows description and first run flag for tonight's episode so I scheduled a one time recording for tonight just in case.

Dave,
I think place-holders are only used for weekly shows because the IPG only has 7 days worth of data. SARA doesn't have any IPG data to set the next week's scheduled recording so it sets a place-holder to remind itself to set a scheduled recording when it can. I am not sure when it does this either.

I think if the IPG contained 8 days worth of data most of the place-holders would not be needed, but it would probably create other problems such as taking more memory and being longer to download.You're absolutely right and I'll change the wording. I guess the only caveat would be that if a more frequent program (daily, etc.) is preempted for an entire week or more, I believe it too would get a place-holder. I think this could happen during periods like March Madness and the Olympics where some daily's are preempted.

Just to clarify this point, South Park didn't schedule until the day of recording last week because I have it set as first run and they didn't send the shows description and first run flag until then. That was the first time I ever saw that. They never sent the shows description and first run flag for tonight's episode so I scheduled a one time recording for tonight just in case.Good point, all this depends so much on the accuracy of the IPG data. My place-holder didn't change this morning, but that's because the program is not on again next week. :)

jcole66 - don't bother trading in your box to fix the problem. I just traded in mine and it still acts exactly the same.

Channels that are not the low local channels or the high-def are either recorded in chunks or only partially recorded, and it is not a problem with our boxes, it appears to be a problem with the software on Arlington comcast's end.

It started occurring on my 8300HD box and on my non-HD box, a few weeks ago, just as it did with you.

Last night I recorded the UFC fight on Spike TV and it came through in chunks divided by commercials. This is annoying but bearable. What is much worse is any attempts to record MSNBC or most comedy central shows.

If I set a future recording for the Colbert Report (either first-run, all episodes, or this time slot) it will highlight them in red on the guide, but as soon as you go into DVR "scheduled recordings" you can see that it is only set to record a portion of the program say 11:42 - 12:00.

Comcast told me that nobody else had this problem, I told them that most people probably dont have DVR's and try to record non-network non-HD programming, and then if they do they just dont take the time to complain when it doesnt work. Now that I see at least two other people on this thread have had the same problem I know I was right.

Also, they said replacing the box will fix the problem and it surely did not. Any other solutions?

RemyM/Steve,

Steve,

What specific version are you using? I know you mentioned 1.88 somewhere along the line in our PMs, but what is the rest of the number?



1.88.17.a100

As of right now, MLB is still red in the IPG.

jcole66 - don't bother trading in your box to fix the problem. I just traded in mine and it still acts exactly the same.

Channels that are not the low local channels or the high-def are either recorded in chunks or only partially recorded, and it is not a problem with our boxes, it appears to be a problem with the software on Arlington comcast's end.

It started occurring on my 8300HD box and on my non-HD box, a few weeks ago, just as it did with you.

Last night I recorded the UFC fight on Spike TV and it came through in chunks divided by commercials. This is annoying but bearable. What is much worse is any attempts to record MSNBC or most comedy central shows.

If I set a future recording for the Colbert Report (either first-run, all episodes, or this time slot) it will highlight them in red on the guide, but as soon as you go into DVR "scheduled recordings" you can see that it is only set to record a portion of the program say 11:42 - 12:00.

Comcast told me that nobody else had this problem, I told them that most people probably dont have DVR's and try to record non-network non-HD programming, and then if they do they just dont take the time to complain when it doesnt work. Now that I see at least two other people on this thread have had the same problem I know I was right.

Also, they said replacing the box will fix the problem and it surely did not. Any other solutions?

Can you guys come over to the Washington DC forum and post this as well? I'm also in Arlington and have had the same issue w/ my wife recording on The Food Network. Perhaps you all can get some other Arlington/Alexandria folks to raise this as an issue and we can idenitify a common person to talk to at the local Comcast office.

Thanks.

1.88.17.a100

As of right now, MLB is still red in the IPG.So is mine at 8:00 MST. Mine is because there is a place-holder for Vanished which is not going to air tonight and it should delete the highlight at 8:00 and start recordings for both Criminal Minds and Lost, not the MLB Post-Game show. How did things go with you since this morning?

Redonkulous Link,

What is the version number is your software? I never thought to ask anyone if your problem only affected certain channels.

I have an 8300HD hooked up with HDMI and whenever the time comes for a preset recording to kick in, the channel automatically changes to that channel. So, if my box is tuned into channel 3 at 7:59pm and I've set the box to record a show on channel 23 at 8pm, the box will automatically change the channel to 23. This is really annoying to the rest of the family who are trying to watch a show already in progress. Is there a solution to this?

So is mine at 8:00 MST. Mine is because there is a place-holder for Vanished which is not going to air tonight and it should delete the highlight at 8:00 and start recordings for both Criminal Minds and Lost, not the MLB Post-Game show. How did things go with you since this morning?
As expected, at 8:00 the highlight disappeared, both recordings began, and 2 new place-holders got set for 9 days out.

I have an 8300HD hooked up with HDMI and whenever the time comes for a preset recording to kick in, the channel automatically changes to that channel. So, if my box is tuned into channel 3 at 7:59pm and I've set the box to record a show on channel 23 at 8pm, the box will automatically change the channel to 23. This is really annoying to the rest of the family who are trying to watch a show already in progress. Is there a solution to this?Try rebooting the 8300HD. A reboot fixed this problem when I had it. Reboot instructions are described in the first post of this thread.

... the box will automatically change the channel ...
When you're recording a 3rd channel, this is normal behavior. Since there are only two tuners, which will both be in use to record a channel, it has to switch to one of those channels that you're recording.

I was having a problem with output format and stupidly I selected FIXED FORMAT and then set the format to 480i. I have a Panasonic plasma that does not support 480i and so what I get now is a blank screen on ALL stations. The 8300HD cablebox works. I can change channels and get the sound on the different channels but I have no picture AT ALL.

What that means is that I cannot see the menus to change either the fixed format to 1080i or change the picture format to UpConvert2, which is what I really want. I cannot use the setup wizard. No matter what I try and do with the 8300HD box, I get a blank screen, because it is putting out 480i and the TV cannot present 480i.

I have tried to count the clicks on the remote to change the format to UpConvert2 on the second menu or change the fixed format to 1080i on the first menu.

So here are my questions:

- What would you suggest I do to be able to view a picture coming from the 8300HD box?

- Can you tell me how many clicks on the remote are needed to change the fixed format number to 1080i or how many clicks on the remote are needed to change the picture format to UpConvert2?

I really don't want to exchange the cablebox as I have about 40 shows saved that I want to view.

Many thanks for any help. I am desperate!

Well that stinks...Do you have a portable TV you could hook up to the box via composite and try to reset it that way?

Jeff

I tried hooking the portable tv with the cable out connection from the 8300 and got no picture. I will try via the composite connection. Do I have to disconnect all my hd connections - I would rather not as it is very complicated - with DVD recorder, sound enhancer, etc. Thanks for the suggestion.

I was having a problem with output format and stupidly I selected FIXED FORMAT and then set the format to 480i. I have a Panasonic plasma that does not support 480i and so what I get now is a blank screen on ALL stations. The 8300HD cablebox works. I can change channels and get the sound on the different channels but I have no picture AT ALL.

What that means is that I cannot see the menus to change either the fixed format to 1080i or change the picture format to UpConvert2, which is what I really want. I cannot use the setup wizard. No matter what I try and do with the 8300HD box, I get a blank screen, because it is putting out 480i and the TV cannot present 480i.

I have tried to count the clicks on the remote to change the format to UpConvert2 on the second menu or change the fixed format to 1080i on the first menu.

So here are my questions:

- What would you suggest I do to be able to view a picture coming from the 8300HD box?

- Can you tell me how many clicks on the remote are needed to change the fixed format number to 1080i or how many clicks on the remote are needed to change the picture format to UpConvert2?

I really don't want to exchange the cablebox as I have about 40 shows saved that I want to view.

Many thanks for any help. I am desperate!


I'd say your best bet is to go through the setup procedure again (and make sure 480i is not an available option). The first post in this thread tell howto do that (see Setup Wizard).

marchristensen,

It sounds to me that you are using the HDMI connection to your Panny. You didn't specifically say that. Many (not all) sets do not support 480i via HDMI, but they all do on component.

I don't know about "clicks" on the remote, but you should first follow what Jay just said regarding the set-up. From there, you can access Upconvert1, etc. By pressing "Settings" twice (is this what your were looking for?) and scrolling up to "Set: Picture Format". When you set that to "Fixed" then the "Picture Format" (scan rate) will be added to the first (Quick Settings) menu - you need to scroll up.

Hope between Jay and I (and anyone else also making a post as I type this) that you get what you need.

Sorry if this was already answered. I did my best to try and search first... ;)

Cablevision provided, SA8300HD 1.88.23.1, connected via component to 55A2000. (I've been unable to get a picture that doesnt flicker out via HDMI, grr)

From day 1, I had the stb set to only 1080i (and I don't remember if I had it at Fixed or Passthru (may have had it at both one time or another)). I'm happy with my HD when the channels are broadcasting HD, but as most people, want to get the most out of my new TV. So I restarted the 8300's setup and enabled all modes and set the box to passthru. My initial very unscientific finding is that the picture doesn't really differ at all (to my eyes). FOX and ABC don't really look any different in their native 720p > the A2000's 1080p compared to the 1080i from the 8300 to the A2000's 1080p. I vaguely understand the 720p better than 1080i debate, but have been hardpressed to notice any difference on my tv so far. So the issue I'm debating in my head is, do I keep it at it's native 8300 output and let my TV do the work (Is the "better" picture (That I have yet to be able to see in the 15 mins I've had the stb's native outputs enabled) I am getting worth the annoyance of seeing the distortion between channel switching when the TV interprets the signal change?) Or do I just send everything from the STB to the tv at 1080i, not getting the distortion. This may sound silly, but to me it's quite annoying seeing it between signal hop.

Second question... Is it possible to program the Video Source button on the 8300 remote to the TV's video source and not the stb front input? (I currently do not have a receiver, so I have no need for a universal right now, but will in the future).

Thanks.

You should be able to enter the setup mode even if you can't see anything on the screen. Turn off the 8300 and then press INFO & Guide. Then press A even if you can't see anything. I believe A is the Easy Setup option and sets 1080i. If that doesn't work, enter Setup again and try B.

Try rebooting the 8300HD. A reboot fixed this problem when I had it. Reboot instructions are described in the first post of this thread.

Thanks! That solved the problem. It started soon after I started using the picture-in-picture feature. I guess that's the last time I use it. I wouldn't want to have to reboot the box every time.

Thanks! That solved the problem. It started soon after I started using the picture-in-picture feature. I guess that's the last time I use it. I wouldn't want to have to reboot the box every time.I am glad that fixed it for you. Before you give up using picture-in-picture, you should try experimenting with that feature while new recordings start to see if the pattern repeats. Good Luck!

Solution to problem where 8300HD was set to a fixed resolution the TV could not see was to connect box to another TV and run the setup wizard to remove any unsupported resolutions. Thanks for the advice - please note, when the 8300HD is putting out an unsupported resolution, you can see NOTHING - no menus, no setup wizard NOTHING.

That's why the HD Tivos have format buttons on the front. I also have that problem with a DVD player and some other gear.

David

Silviu/hookbill,

I have had Y&R scheduled to record daily since I first got my 8300 several weeks ago. It has always skipped preempted episodes that were in the IPG, never recorded that timeslot on Sat or Sun, and has always recorded every episode that was not preempted in the IPG.

I also have The Tonight Show scheduled to record and it does the same thing, records when it's on, doesn't when it's not.

How did you set this up? The only options I see for recording are "One Episode" and "All Episodes". For "All Episodes" I see "All episodes in this time slot" and "All episodes at any time". I don't see an option for recording only new episodes. I have the 8300HD.

The option to only record "first run episodes" must be enabled by your cable company. It requires some changes to the guide.

I was having a problem with output format and stupidly I selected FIXED FORMAT and then set the format to 480i. I have a Panasonic plasma that does not support 480i and so what I get now is a blank screen on ALL stations. The 8300HD cablebox works. I can change channels and get the sound on the different channels but I have no picture AT ALL.

What that means is that I cannot see the menus to change either the fixed format to 1080i or change the picture format to UpConvert2, which is what I really want. I cannot use the setup wizard. No matter what I try and do with the 8300HD box, I get a blank screen, because it is putting out 480i and the TV cannot present 480i.

I have tried to count the clicks on the remote to change the format to UpConvert2 on the second menu or change the fixed format to 1080i on the first menu.

So here are my questions:

- What would you suggest I do to be able to view a picture coming from the 8300HD box?

- Can you tell me how many clicks on the remote are needed to change the fixed format number to 1080i or how many clicks on the remote are needed to change the picture format to UpConvert2?

I really don't want to exchange the cablebox as I have about 40 shows saved that I want to view.

Many thanks for any help. I am desperate!

Other solution to this is to reset box. Then hold guide and info on the box front panel... when you see it display HD hit 'b, b, a' (or a, a, b cant completely rememeber). Make sure to pause a little after you press each button like you would normally selecting settings. Basically you are going through the menus blind.

Have a quick question myself. Is there a way for the box to automatically select 720p for HD and 1080i for SD channels? I tried to set to Auto/HDMI which works for HD, however, it tries to stretch SD channels. Im currecntly using fixed and switching the res everytime I switch from HD to SD or vice versa.

(I posted in the main thread, maybe I should post here instead?)

I search and read a lot of posts but could not find one specific to my problem. So, please bear with me if this has been covered already.

I have a Hitachi 57SWX20B and cable provider is TWC. I switched to SA8300HD DVR last week. I immediately noticed that there are upper and lower grey bars on all HD broadcasts. With the old Moto box, I did not have this problem.

My box setting is 1080i and 480i standard although I tried different combinations without any effect. Picture quality is set at pass-through.

Anybody have any idea what I should try next? Thanks in advance.

Leo

(I posted in the main thread, maybe I should post here instead?)

I search and read a lot of posts but could not find one specific to my problem. So, please bear with me if this has been covered already.

I have a Hitachi 57SWX20B and cable provider is TWC. I switched to SA8300HD DVR last week. I immediately noticed that there are upper and lower grey bars on all HD broadcasts. With the old Moto box, I did not have this problem.

My box setting is 1080i and 480i standard although I tried different combinations without any effect. Picture quality is set at pass-through.

Anybody have any idea what I should try next? Thanks in advance.

Leo
How is the DVR connected to the TV (DVI or component). Was the Moto box connected the same way? Was the Moto box HD?

There should not be upper and lower bars (gray or not) on all HD broadcasts. There might be some on a few "scope" movies, but not on all HD broadcasts.

I am using component cables from DVR to TV. The Moto box is the same connection. Moto box HD, yes. I am thinking of betting a HDMI to DVI to try tomorrow.

Yes, there are upper and lower gray bars on ALL HD channels.

I called TWC today. All they can say is they will send somebody out. We'll see.

The upper and lower grey bars problem- I found whats wrong.

Its so easy and dumb of me not to find out sooner. I discovered that my TV's second input, which was configured for the STB was using Antennae A which is the direct cable feed on channel 3. So, I changed it and the bars went away!

Thanks everyone. Now I need to check if the DVD is still misbehaving the same way.

Leo

I'm with TWC in Buffalo and we've been without power for 4 days due to massive power line failures from a freak snowstorm.

Anyway, my cable comes back on and I noticed that a number of my programs scheduled to record "every episode" are now scheduled to record on the wrong days this week....like TWC lost a couple days along with me.

Is that common?

I've re-scheduled those shows to record this (and future) weeks at the correct time/day, but now I'm wondering if I should've canceled all of the messed up ones first???

thnx

I'm with TWC in Buffalo and we've been without power for 4 days due to massive power line failures from a freak snowstorm.

Anyway, my cable comes back on and I noticed that a number of my programs scheduled to record "every episode" are now scheduled to record on the wrong days this week....like TWC lost a couple days along with me.

Is that common?

I've re-scheduled those shows to record this (and future) weeks at the correct time/day, but now I'm wondering if I should've canceled all of the messed up ones first???

thnxThe programs scheduled to record on the wrong days may have been place holders. If they didn't have a description then they were place holders. They should change to the correct day and time when the Interactive Program Guide updates with information about each show. If they didn't update when there was new information about the show, they should be deleted. Make sure there is only one entry for each show.

So for a whole week you were watching HD channels that we down rez'ed to 480i and run over modulated channel 3 and didn't realize you weren't watching full resolution high def. programming? :confused:


The upper and lower grey bars problem- I found whats wrong.

Its so easy and dumb of me not to find out sooner. I discovered that my TV's second input, which was configured for the STB was using Antennae A which is the direct cable feed on channel 3. So, I changed it and the bars went away!

Thanks everyone. Now I need to check if the DVD is still misbehaving the same way.

Leo

So for a whole week you were watching HD channels that we down rez'ed to 480i and run over modulated channel 3 and didn't realize you weren't watching full resolution high def. programming? :confused:

You brought up another puzzle to me. Indeed, the pic quality was HD, I swear. Not 480i. Thats why it threw me off.

But like I said, I discovered that input#2 which is what I set the input to the tv was configured for the antenna and not for the stb.

My connections from SA8300HD to tv is just the three component cables and two audio cables. Cable feed goes to SA8300. I need to double check my connections. :(

Can anyone tell me what cables come with the 8300HD? Thanks.

Well, it all depends on your cableco, but as shipped from SA, I believe it comes with a set of Component cables and L-R Audio cables, my 2 did. I've read that some cableco's will supply an HDMI cable, if requested. You could be given an open-box unit though, so you need to make sure cables are included.

Well, it all depends on your cableco, but as shipped from SA, I believe it comes with a set of Component cables and L-R Audio cables, my 2 did. I've read that some cableco's will supply an HDMI cable, if requested. You could be given an open-box unit though, so you need to make sure cables are included.


I'm getting it from TWC in Houston, I hope it comes with at least component cables.

I'm getting it from TWC in Houston, I hope it comes with at least component cables.

TWC San Antonio provides component cables as standard equipment but if you tell them in advance, they will bring you an HDMI cable. I'm sure there is a chance that most techs have a few in their trucks just in case.

The following has probably already been addressed but I have reviewed quite a few pages on this thread and I can't find what I'm looking for--hope you all can help.

I have recently purchased the Mits. 65831 and connected it to an 8300Hd cable box from Time Warner Cable (Columbia, SC). My first connection was through HDMI. the PQ was great on HD, and a little less than OK for SD. The problem is that when I turn off the cable box (still plugged into the outlet however), then turn it back on, everything reverts to 480i, even the HD channels. This also occurs after switching input to a DVD player, and then going back to HDMI. I can resolve the problem by resetting the cable box (through advanced settings) each time---but this gets to be a problem when you have to do this time after time. Any suggestions here?

I also tried hooking up component between the cable box and the TV. this lets me switch between inputs and SD--HD at will, but it seems that the HD picture quality is not as good. Also I can't get the volume control on the remote to work when using component. I would like to keep HDMI for use with the HD channels. Can you hook up component and also HDMI and use both at any time you would like to switch between them, or can you only use one or the other? Any suggestions?

I have also read, in this thread, that some cable boxes have Passport software and some have Sarah (apparently different software versions). How can I find out what I have so that I can follow the discussions in this forum that would be applicable to my set.?

Again, please forgive me if this has already been discussed. All of this is still very new to me and I'm trying to learn. Thanks for any advise you can give me on best hook ups for best picture quality, best use of the HD cable box, component, etc. Also, if I need to take this to another thread, please let me know. Thanks again.

FWIW, it always helps to include a location in your profile.

There are instructions in the first post of this thread on how to enter the diagnostic mode for SARA (not Sarah BTW :) ) and find the version number. If they don't work, then you probably have Passport and should be in that thread.

As far as HDMI goes, other folks have the same problems. When you switch TV inputs, you lose the HDCP handshake. As you discovered, switching to Component solves the problem at the expense of whatever perceived PQ difference there is. It's open to discussion though as to just who is at fault, the 8300 software or the TV software. About all you can do is make sure you stay current on both and try again as new software is released. Others may provide some more thoughts.

I'm getting it from TWC in Houston, I hope it comes with at least component cables.TWC-Houston will provide a five-headed cable with component video and analog stereo audio connectors. As of six months ago, they would not provide an HDMI cable even if requested, but perhaps things have changed since then. Doesn't hurt to ask.

BTW, there is a TWC-Houston (click here to jump to it (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=383882&page=83&pp=30)) thread here on AVSForum where you might get better results when asking for local information. Also, for threads like this one that have participants from around the country, it's generally courteous to have a location in your profile so other users can put any questions you ask or information you provide in the proper context.

Can anyone tell me what cables come with the 8300HD? Thanks.

Very cheap ones. :D

Very cheap ones.They might be inexpensive, but I can't tell any difference between them and the set of Monster cables I purchased before I wised up. Of course, the Monsters might perform better during technical tests, and they are thicker with heavier duty connectors, but if there is no change in PQ, it's just money wasted IMHO.

They might be inexpensive, but I can't tell any difference between them and the set of Monster cables I purchased before I wised up. Of course, the Monsters might perform better during technical tests, and they are thicker with heavier duty connectors, but if there is no change in PQ, it's just money wasted IMHO.

Monster cables made a noticeable improvement in picture quality for me. Just my experience.

I actually found some Monster Cables (audio optical) at Target on a mark down for 6.50. I needed it for my TiVo S3.

I also bought some rope and attached my SA 8300 to the bumper of my car and drove the pos around town.

I suppose you'll remove this post too, huh Dave? :D ;)

I have recently purchased the Mits. 65831 and connected it to an 8300Hd cable box from Time Warner Cable (Columbia, SC).

Columbia has the SARA software. We were just upgraded to 1.88.xx.xx.xx.

David

When I got my SA8300HD DVR from TWC in Sugar Land, I did not get any cable with it. I suppose you need to ask before they give it to you. I retained my old power cord from the Moto and a new remote which I did not want since the old one was already programmed.

is there any way to turn off the channel bar in the 8300HD? I hate the thing, espeically with the chance of burn in with my PDP.

Any tips would be really helpful
Thanks

is there any way to turn off the channel bar in the 8300HD? I hate the thing, espeically with the chance of burn in with my PDP.

Any tips would be really helpful
Thanks

Be more specific. What is a channel bar? :confused:

Here's something either that hasn't been posted or I couldn't find:

Our DVR (8300HD SARA 1.88 Knology Augusta, GA) will say it is recording something, and later it doesn't show up in the recorded listings. I know it's not being deleted, because check this out: I did a hard reboot, and the programs magically reappeared in the Recorded Programs! Except, they weren't really there. It just kicks you to the DVR channel with it's pathetic green screen.

I decided to check the diagnostics, and this is what came up:

WARNING 061019.14:15 [SARA Main]@CEsmHddApi.cpp:1061 Exception - 0x300d GetDvrFileInfo

I recognize the date/timestamp, but nothing else. Two hard boots and one soft and it's not corrected. I'm going up to the office today to get them to change it out because I can't think of anything else to do. The sorftware hasn't been updated since March, so either the software has a glitch, or something on the provider's end screwed it up.

I also a few weeks ago had the problem of the picture cutting out for a second (going completely to black), particuarly while watching Mike & Mike and them cutting to a specific camera/background.

FWIW, I run component through a Pelican component switcher to my TV. I know it's not the TV because the Xbox, PS2, Gamecube, DVD and my other four game systems work fine.

Be more specific. What is a channel bar? :confused:I'm sure he's talking about the info bar that pops up at the bottom of the screen when you change channels, use the pause/rew/ff/info buttons, etc.

beer_baron3, I'm not aware of any way to permanently turn it off. You probably already know that you can press "exit" to make it turn off more quickly.

I'm sure he's talking about the info bar that pops up at the bottom of the screen when you change channels, use the pause/rew/ff/info buttons, etc.


I guess you're right about it being the pause, rewind, etc. stuff. A channel change info bar stays on screen for about 3 seconds, so that can't be his concern.

I also a few weeks ago had the problem of the picture cutting out for a second (going completely to black), particuarly while watching Mike & Mike and them cutting to a specific camera/background.

FWIW, I run component through a Pelican component switcher to my TV. I know it's not the TV because the Xbox, PS2, Gamecube, DVD and my other four game systems work fine.

Does this problem happen when you bypass the component switcher?

Here's something either that hasn't been posted or I couldn't find:

Our DVR (8300HD SARA 1.88 Knology Augusta, GA) will say it is recording something, and later it doesn't show up in the recorded listings. I know it's not being deleted, because check this out: I did a hard reboot, and the programs magically reappeared in the Recorded Programs! Except, they weren't really there. It just kicks you to the DVR channel with it's pathetic green screen.

I decided to check the diagnostics, and this is what came up:

WARNING 061019.14:15 [SARA Main]@CEsmHddApi.cpp:1061 Exception - 0x300d GetDvrFileInfo

I recognize the date/timestamp, but nothing else. Two hard boots and one soft and it's not corrected. I'm going up to the office today to get them to change it out because I can't think of anything else to do. The sorftware hasn't been updated since March, so either the software has a glitch, or something on the provider's end screwed it up.

I also a few weeks ago had the problem of the picture cutting out for a second (going completely to black), particuarly while watching Mike & Mike and them cutting to a specific camera/background.

FWIW, I run component through a Pelican component switcher to my TV. I know it's not the TV because the Xbox, PS2, Gamecube, DVD and my other four game systems work fine.

I had a similar problem as far as recorded programs go. I would record them, they'd show up in the recorded list, but when I selected them, it would kick me out to the dvr channel / screen. The solution that worked for me was formatting the drive. Now, I don't remember what buttons you have to press to format the drive, but 'm pretty sure it's in this thread.

See post #1 for any procedure you want to know on the 8300

Has anyone else noticed that if you select a show to record in the IPG, and then cancel it later, you get kicked out of the IPG and into live TV?

This is a problem for me because usually I put on CNN (channel 3 here) and then use the IPG to select whatever movies I want to record for the week (usually on channel 370 and above). If I change my mind and cancel a recording from the IPG, I get plopped back down to CNN. So, then I've got to go back to the IPG, and then scroll back up to the channel, date, and time I left off at. After a couple of times of doing this, it gets old real fast.

Workarounds, anyone?

stosh - I'll take a shot at a work around... Is it possible to type the channel number you want the IPG to goto with the IPG up of course. I know this only helps with the getting back to the channel number, not the right date / time but it's a start if it works.

I don't / haven't had a need to do this on my SA8300HD Comcast but I have seen it done on my parents and brother's SA8300HD on a Time-Warner cable system.

Has anyone else noticed that if you select a show to record in the IPG, and then cancel it later, you get kicked out of the IPG and into live TV?

This is a problem for me because usually I put on CNN (channel 3 here) and then use the IPG to select whatever movies I want to record for the week (usually on channel 370 and above). If I change my mind and cancel a recording from the IPG, I get plopped back down to CNN. So, then I've got to go back to the IPG, and then scroll back up to the channel, date, and time I left off at. After a couple of times of doing this, it gets old real fast.

Workarounds, anyone?You can cancel recodings from the
"Scheduled Recordings" page.

Also, you can use the "B" key to select the date in the IPG. You can go directly to the channel in the IPG by entering the 1 or 2 digit channel number (note: press the "SELECT" key after the channel numbers) or entering the 3 digit channel number (note: do not press the "SELECT" key).

Hello... I have a question about the guide on the 8300... I am not sure if this has been asked/answered in this thread... I searched it, but nothing came up - and it was taking a lot of time to go through the 139 pages...

Are there any undocumented shortcuts available when using the guide? For example, is there a way to scroll through the times quicker than just using the arrow keys? A lot of times, I want to program something at 9am and 9pm... Is there a way to jump (similiar to paging down for the channels, but paging across).

Thanks,
Mike

Hello... I have a question about the guide on the 8300... I am not sure if this has been asked/answered in this thread... I searched it, but nothing came up - and it was taking a lot of time to go through the 139 pages...

Are there any undocumented shortcuts available when using the guide? For example, is there a way to scroll through the times quicker than just using the arrow keys? A lot of times, I want to program something at 9am and 9pm... Is there a way to jump (similiar to paging down for the channels, but paging across).

Thanks,
Mike
IIRC, if you press and hold the arrow keys, the guide will scroll much quicker.

I need some help with hdmi. I just got the box today and works just fine with component, but I cannot connect it via HDMI-->DVI(to a dell 2407wfp) I get this message "Out of range signal, cannot display this video mode, change computer display to 1920x1200 @ 60 Hz",

I've done everything to try and fix this and no luck. I even completely turned both off and turned the tv on first then the box.

You can cancel recodings from the
"Scheduled Recordings" page.

Also, you can use the "B" key to select the date in the IPG. You can go directly to the channel in the IPG by entering the 1 or 2 digit channel number (note: press the "SELECT" key after the channel numbers) or entering the 3 digit channel number (note: do not press the "SELECT" key).Is it your understanding that Select will always act as an Enter when entering a channel number, thus avoiding the number-complete time-out? I used to think that and programmed my remote (URC 8811) so that Enter would be a synonym for Select and holding a digit key down (LKP) would emit both the digit and Select.

But it seemed to me that in many contexts, Select didn't work as I expected. The whole thing proved so confusing that I removed the feature from my remote. But perhaps I acted rashly. Is there a universal way to avoid the number-complete time-out?

Thanks -- Vincent

I need some help with hdmi. I just got the box today and works just fine with component, but I cannot connect it via HDMI-->DVI(to a dell 2407wfp) I get this message "Out of range signal, cannot display this video mode, change computer display to 1920x1200 @ 60 Hz",

I've done everything to try and fix this and no luck. I even completely turned both off and turned the tv on first then the box.

It's because the display is a COMPUTER MONITOR, not a TV DISPLAY! I checked the Dell description and nowhere does it say that it supports TV inputs directly. The first issue you ran across is that the display signaled the 8300 that it needs 1920 x 1200 inputs, but TV is either 1280x720 or 1920x1080. The 8300 does not know what to do with the request for 1920x1200. If you got past that, you would possibally run into a refresh rate issue, the display wants 76Hz, TV is 60Hz. Finally, if you get past all that you would run into an HDCP issue. For HDMI/DVI connections, the 8300 needs to get an authentic HDCP "handshake" - sorry, the Dell does not have HDCP to do the handshake.

It's because the display is a COMPUTER MONITOR, not a TV DISPLAY! I checked the Dell description and nowhere does it say that it supports TV inputs directly. The first issue you ran across is that the display signaled the 8300 that it needs 1920 x 1200 inputs, but TV is either 1280x720 or 1920x1080. The 8300 does not know what to do with the request for 1920x1200. If you got past that, you would possibally run into a refresh rate issue, the display wants 76Hz, TV is 60Hz. Finally, if you get past all that you would run into an HDCP issue. For HDMI/DVI connections, the 8300 needs to get an authentic HDCP "handshake" - sorry, the Dell does not have HDCP to do the handshake.

According to this review the 2407wfp does have HDCP:


http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_UltraSharp_2407WFP/4505-3174_7-31899303.html

but I really know nothing when it comes to this, oh well, I guess I'll have to watch HD with component cables.

According to this review the 2407wfp does have HDCP:


http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_UltraSharp_2407WFP/4505-3174_7-31899303.html

but I really know nothing when it comes to this, oh well, I guess I'll have to watch HD with component cables.

Who ya gonna believe CNet (I never trusted them much on TVs) or the manufacturer?

This statement is from Dell's specs on the monitor:Compatibility
PC

Is it your understanding that Select will always act as an Enter when entering a channel number, thus avoiding the number-complete time-out? I used to think that and programmed my remote (URC 8811) so that Enter would be a synonym for Select and holding a digit key down (LKP) would emit both the digit and Select.

But it seemed to me that in many contexts, Select didn't work as I expected. The whole thing proved so confusing that I removed the feature from my remote. But perhaps I acted rashly. Is there a universal way to avoid the number-complete time-out?

Thanks -- VincentI don't use the "ENTER" key to change channels because it is also the "#" key on my remote (the Universal Electronics Atlas DVR/PVR 5-Device Universal Remote Control with the Time Warner Cable brand name). This "#" / "ENTER" key stretches and zooms the picture so I always use the "SELECT" key for inputting channel numbers. I don't know what if any differences there are between the "SELECT" and "#" / "ENTER" keys. Also, I don't know any other way to avoid the number-complete time-out, but you can enter leading 00 for a 1 digit channel number or 0 for a 2 digit channel number.

.....but you can enter leading 00 for a 1 digit channel number or 0 for a 2 digit channel number.Can you come over and teach my wife how to do that so we don't have to wait for the time-out for the channel to actually change? :) :D :)

Who ya gonna believe CNet (I never trusted them much on TVs) or the manufacturer?

This statement is from Dell's specs on the monitor:


I'm not going to listen to either, because last I checked computer monitor companies don't list TV support, nor do TV companies list computer support. Funny when I bought my Mitsu 73927 (WITH VGA PORT) it did not say "compatiable with your PC"...

Now the reason DELL says compat. PC, is to keep all 5 pof the MAC owners out there from buying the Dell monitor and saying, "IT doesn't work with my mac!!".

Furthermore, this whole conversation is irrelevent due to the first intelligent post (which should have been the last) on that topic. The monitor does NOT support any of the resolutions (720p/1080i/p) which the STB requires. If it did, you would likly not be in the situation you are in now. So short of buying some fancy Component to DVI converter box, I'm afraid you will not be watching tv on that monitor. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. :(

So short of buying some fancy Component to DVI converter box, I'm afraid you will not be watching tv on that monitor. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. :(


I'm confused on this. He did say he's able to watch TV via component, therefore, it does support "TV". His issue is with HDMI.

I'm confused on this. He did say he's able to watch TV via component, therefore, it does support "TV". His issue is with HDMI.
gsxr600's issue appears to be with the scan rate (1200 x1920) that his monitor wants. I pointed out other things that would also likely get in his way (HDCP, not HDMI, being one of them). I don't think that he actually said that he had it working with component - he said: but I really know nothing when it comes to this, oh well, I guess I'll have to watch HD with component cables. - which I took to mean that that's what he will try next. I think that the scan rate issues will get in the way with component connections as well - but we need an update from gsxr himself or herself.

I posted this in another forum and wanted to post it here too:

Has anyone had an issue with the 8300 giving herky jerky playback with recorded HD material? It seems to be with only HD material recorded on different channels. I unplugged the unit and let it reboot. Do these things need to be defragged? Thats almost what it looks like to me. I know it's not the source because if I rewind it it will clear up for about 30 seconds then do it again. It doesnt happen in the same spot.

Has anyone else experienced this?


Thanks!!
Flan

gsxr600's issue appears to be with the scan rate (1200 x1920) that his monitor wants. I pointed out other things that would also likely get in his way (HDCP, not HDMI, being one of them). I don't think that he actually said that he had it working with component - he said: - which I took to mean that that's what he will try next. I think that the scan rate issues will get in the way with component connections as well - but we need an update from gsxr himself or herself.

Dave:

His (or her) original post said: I just got the box today and works just fine with component, but I cannot connect it via HDMI-->DVI which is what prompted my comment to ExitRooster.

I posted this in another forum and wanted to post it here too:

Has anyone had an issue with the 8300 giving herky jerky playback with recorded HD material? It seems to be with only HD material recorded on different channels. I unplugged the unit and let it reboot. Do these things need to be defragged? Thats almost what it looks like to me. I know it's not the source because if I rewind it it will clear up for about 30 seconds then do it again. It doesnt happen in the same spot.

Has anyone else experienced this?


Thanks!!
Flan

Yes, I have seen that problem. The picture was jerky but the audio was always OK. It also happened a couple of times with SD material.

I wrote it off as something funny coming from the cable company because it was intermittent. All of the occurrences happened over a period of roughly 2 to 3 months and the last one was well over a year ago. I don't think it had anything to do with software versions, but I could be wrong.

I don't use the "ENTER" key to change channels because it is also the "#" key on my remote (the Universal Electronics Atlas DVR/PVR 5-Device Universal Remote Control with the Time Warner Cable brand name). This "#" / "ENTER" key stretches and zooms the picture so I always use the "SELECT" key for inputting channel numbers. I don't know what if any differences there are between the "SELECT" and "#" / "ENTER" keys. Also, I don't know any other way to avoid the number-complete time-out, but you can enter leading 00 for a 1 digit channel number or 0 for a 2 digit channel number.My SARA 8300 from CableVision, Harrison NY, has four digit channel numbers. So I have to enter 000 for 1 digit channel numbers and 00 for 2 digit one.

Vincent

Is there a way of displaying the channel number instead of the current time in a 8300HD? Thanks.

Yes, I have seen that problem. The picture was jerky but the audio was always OK. It also happened a couple of times with SD material.

I wrote it off as something funny coming from the cable company because it was intermittent. All of the occurrences happened over a period of roughly 2 to 3 months and the last one was well over a year ago. I don't think it had anything to do with software versions, but I could be wrong.

Hmmmmmm.... It's weird because I can rewind and the jerkyness wont happen in the same spot which tells me it's the playback and not the source (TWC). If this persists I may have to Nuke and Pave this thing.

Well at least one person has had this. I figure it's a lost cause to call TWC and get a drone on the phone. :(

Flan

I posted this in another forum and wanted to post it here too:

Has anyone had an issue with the 8300 giving herky jerky playback with recorded HD material? It seems to be with only HD material recorded on different channels. I unplugged the unit and let it reboot. Do these things need to be defragged? Thats almost what it looks like to me. I know it's not the source because if I rewind it it will clear up for about 30 seconds then do it again. It doesnt happen in the same spot.

Has anyone else experienced this?


Thanks!!
Flan
mine did right before the HD failed. The good thing about having a cable company dvr is that you can return it and get another.

Is there a way of displaying the channel number instead of the current time in a 8300HD? Thanks.

Press settings twice, which gets you into the right setup menu. Scroll down until you see Display: Power On, then press select. You can select whatever option you want there, including show channel always.

Dave:

His (or her) original post said: which is what prompted my comment to ExitRooster.


And my point of post is that if he truly wants to watch TV via his STB (which is the generalized opinion of his goal), than he's going to need a converter box for component to DVI (to use on his DVI monitor, or he's going to be needing a different monitor. :)

I know he said he wants to use the HDMI/DVI for his monitor, but I'm assuming he said that because most if not all(?) computer monitors do not have component inputs - but they DO have DVI/VGA.. So a converter box would get him the solution he needs.

And my point of post is that if he truly wants to watch TV via his STB (which is the generalized opinion of his goal), than he's going to need a converter box for component to DVI (to use on his DVI monitor, or he's going to be needing a different monitor. :)

I know he said he wants to use the HDMI/DVI for his monitor, but I'm assuming he said that because most if not all(?) computer monitors do not have component inputs - but they DO have DVI/VGA.. So a converter box would get him the solution he needs.


Sorry if I wasn't clear, but the Dell 2407fwp has Composite/Svideo/component/vga/DVI inputs. I can watch HD and SD channels just fine when I have the monitor connected via component cables, I can also play HD games with my Xbox 360 via component, I've been doing it for months. I just want to use HDMI/DVI to get a better picture than I already do with component cables, but I'm getting no signal when I plug in the DVI.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but the Dell 2407fwp has Composite/Svideo/component/vga/DVI inputs. I can watch HD and SD channels just fine when I have the monitor connected via component cables, I can also play HD games on my Xbox 360 via component, I've been doing it for months. I just want to use HDMI/DVI to get a better picture than I already do with component cables, but I'm getting no signal when I plug in the DVI.

Just a thought, does the Dell have any menu options which might enable or disable DVI input?

Just a thought, does the Dell have any menu options which might enable or disable DVI input?

No, nothing like that. When I connect the 8300HD via DVI I can't even access the monitor's menu.

No, nothing like that. When I connect the 8300HD via DVI I can't even access the monitor's menu.


Have you checked the 8300's picture format? There are a few options like fixed, upconvert, and Auto HDMI. Go into settings and check the Set: Picture Format option. This setting may not be relevant to your problem, but who knows.

Flan,

How often does this happen?

I know you rebooted, but you might want to try a "hard" reboot as described in the first post just to see if it helps.

Thanks Jim for your reply.

Is it possible to record a program once a week for several weeks? I push Guide, scroll to channel 8, and push Record. I then set the time from 7 to 8pm and 14 episodes.

Now, the next selection is confusing. I dont remember the exact wording but its like record first run only, record on this time all the time, etc. What should be the choice here? If I want to record once a week, every Monday on this channel on that time, what should be the choice?

Why do the SA designers try to make it simple to use but end up making it confusing?

Thanks for the tip.

Is it possible to record a program once a week for several weeks? I push Guide, scroll to channel 8, and push Record. I then set the time from 7 to 8pm and 14 episodes.Sure it's possible. But first, please clarify two things:
First, when you went to the Guide and Channel 8, did you specifically go to the day/time your program shows up, highlight the program, and *then* hit record? Or did you just land on some arbitrary program that happend to be listed on channel 8 when you took these steps, press record, and adjust the times to match the program you wanted?
Second, where did you have an option to set "14 episodes"?

Recording from the guide should only be used when the program you want is actually listed in the guide, because it's going to key off the program title you've got highlighted when you hit the record button.

If the program you want is not listed in the guide (for instance, it's coming on in 10 days, and the guide only spans seven days), then there is a way to set up a manual recording. If that's what you're trying to do, I'll post that separately. For now, I'll stick to using the guide.

If your program is in the guide, find it, highlight it, and hit record. When you do that, the start/stop times will be automatically set for you, and generally you won't have to change them (though you have the option to adjust them if you want). On this first screen, select "all episodes", then hit "A" to get to the second screen.

Here your choices are:

"First Run on this channel" (good if you're watching a current series (like Lost) and just want to pick up the new episodes while ignoring any reruns)
"On this channel any day in this timeslot" (good for programs that run every day at 7pm, for instance. Also good for programs that run once a week, but always in the same timeslot, like what you're trying to do)
"Any time on this channel" (which will, of course, pick up the program no matter when the network decides to show it--useful if a network shows several episodes of an old show every day, and you want to catch them all).

The DVR will key off the show title in the program guide, so if there are 14 episodes in a season, and another program fills its slot when the show goes on hiatus, the DVR will record 14 shows. If the show goes into reruns at the end of the season, and you've picked something other than "First Run" when you set up your recording, then your DVR will record the re-runs. If you don't want the re-runs, then 15 weeks from now when you see your first re-run, delete the programmed recording, and set up a new program when the new season comes on...or ese use the "First Run" option when you set up the recording.

Why do the SA designers try to make it simple to use but end up making it confusing?The software is what it is. The good news is, it's not rocket science--just fiddle with it a little bit, and you'll catch on.

Jim
(A different one!)

Leo,

There is NO way to record something for a specific number of days.

The "14 episodes" is the SAVE TIME. It is the number of recordings for that program that will be kept before any get automatically deleted. It has nothing to do with specifying a certain number of episodes for recording. If the show is on daily, you will get 14 episodes over 14 days. If it is on twice a day, you will still get 14 episodes, but over only 7 days. If it is on once a week, you will still get 14 episodes, but over 14 weeks. I believe most folks set the default to "Until I Erase" and control how many episodes to save manually.

The way you are scheduling seems a little strange, at least to me. Most folks scroll to the program and timeslot they want to record before pressing the Record button. This eliminates having to manually alter the start/stop times, but to each his own. Your way will work, but if you are trying to record 10 programs, it gets a little tedious altering the start/stop times for each one.

Anyway, once you've decided what you want to record, there are only 3 options and none of them allow you to limit recording to a single day of the week unless the program is only on once a week. The only way to do that for programs that are on more often is by setting up a Manual Recording.

Rather than try to explain all the possible combinations, why don't you tell us exactly what program you are trying to record and when? Then we can give you some suggestions on how to do it.

Also, have you read the SA8300HD User's Guide linked in the first post? I think it may answer some of your questions as to the terminology SA uses and what all the options mean. It might also be helpful if you let us know what you used before you got the 8300, if anything.

Edit: I see Jim (A Different One) posted while I was composing. :)

First of all, thanks a lot to Jim (Jrunke) and Dave (DoubleDAZ) for your replies. I appreciate both of you spending some time answering my questions and hopefully it will help others too.

What I was trying to do is record a program that airs once a week for several weeks. It airs at 7pm for an hour every Monday. I was programming this say on a Tuesday morning where the program is not listed in the Guide (right?).

Sure it's possible. But first, please clarify two things:
First, when you went to the Guide and Channel 8, did you specifically go to the day/time your program shows up, highlight the program, and *then* hit record? Or did you just land on some arbitrary program that happend to be listed on channel 8 when you took these steps, press record, and adjust the times to match the program you wanted?

The latter. I got some arbitrary program, adjust the times and hit Record. Okay, you are saying I should not do this because it will key off the wrong title. You mention that this can be done manually. Great. How?

Leo,

The IPG (Guide) usually has 7 days worth of data. Therefore, if you want to record something that is on Monday, you should scroll through the guide to Monday at 7:00 pm. Here are the steps to do this:
1. Press "Guide".
2. Press "B".
3. Scroll to Monday and press "Select".
4. Scroll to 7:00 pm to the program you want to record.
5. Press "Record".
6. Select "All episodes".
7. Press "A".
8. Here is where it can get a little tricky. It would have helped if you had mentioned exactly what show you are trying to record.
8a. The "First Run" option will record only new episodes. If you are recording something that is being rerun, do not use this option.
8b. The "any day in this time slot" will record the program you want on Monday, but it will also record it if it is on another day of the week. If it is only on once a week on Monday, use this option.
8c. The"at any time" will do exactly what it says, record the program any time it is on this channel.
Note: Even if the program is on more than just Monday, the closest you can get to what you want is to use option 8b and simply delete the episodes you don't want to keep/watch.

Now, if the program you want is not on yet, you can kind of set it up to record using a manual recording, but you will have to delete any episodes you don't want and there will be no title in your list. Again, it really would be helpful to know whcih program you are trying to record. Anyway, if you have several manual recordings scheduled, they will all say "Manual recording" in the Recorded list.

To set one up, press "List", then "B", and then scroll down to Schedule a new Manual Recording". Set the Channel, Day (EveryMonday), Start/Stop times, and Save (Until I Erase) options. Press "A" to accept the schedule.

Hope this helps.

DoubleDaz,
I think I will just return the Box for a new one. The HD does make Funny noises.

Ok, just let us know if you need more help, we're always here. :)

Just wanted to let everyone know that not all 8300HD boxes are totally unreliable. I've had the same box for almost three years now (I think because I got one when they were first made available right after they beta tested them and I got my plasma, but it might be more like 2.5 years) with nary a problem that could not be resolved by unplugging and plugging back in. And, I do work it out.

Of course as soon as I click on "Post Reply" the thing will probably die, but I'm doin' some serious knockin' on wood.

David

Just wanted to let everyone know that not all 8300HD boxes are totally unreliable. I've had the same box for almost three years now (I think because I got one when they were first made available right after they beta tested them and I got my plasma, but it might be more like 2.5 years) with nary a problem that could not be resolved by unplugging and plugging back in. And, I do work it out.

Of course as soon as I click on "Post Reply" the thing will probably die, but I'm doin' some serious knockin' on wood.

David

Same here. I've never had a problem with my 8300, which is fortunate, because I bought it about 2.5 years ago. :)

A LOT OF US have the same positive comments about the 8300 (I've had mine for at least 2 1/2 years and an exteral drive on it for 1 1/2 years.

I've been having some problems recently with the "herky-jerky" playback of HD material on my DVR (mostly CBS), so I decided to try out this method to see if it fixes it.
Last Resort. If for some reason you can't get the STB to do what you want and you've rebooted it by unplugging it, etc., this is a "last resort" item - say just before taking the unit back, you can try reformatting the HDD.

The SA8000HD (and presummably the SA8300HD) has a fairly simple procedure to erase the drive (start clean). Note that this process will erase all scheduled programming and will cause the unit to reload all programming data from your cable provider. On the plus side, it will repair any fragmenting problems.
Press and hold PAUSE until Mail led is lit. Press PAGE down or (-),
and then press LIST three times. Turn box off. When turned back on,
formatting will begin.

I followed the instructions step by step. After the Mail led came up, I got my STB to read "HDDF" and then it switched to "HDD-" before shutting off and rebooting.
Thing is I was expecting to see the STB completely reload all the info. I used to see a bunch of numbers and letters flash on the front of the STB as it was loading all the info and upgrades and this would easily take 20-30 minutes to complete, but this time it didn't do anything. It was just blank until 5 minutes later when the clock came back up.

So, basically I am not completely sure this worked. Shouldn't I have seen a complete reloading of the info, not just a basic reboot?

Hi Everyone!!

I have an elaborate home system with two zones. All of my equipment is located in one cabinet with multiple flashers.

Can two 8300s exist together in the same cabinet?? can the remote or unit be coded as to 1 or 2, so multiple units will not interact.

TWC says the remotes are unchagable (on tivos the coding is on the unit itself not the remote).

Any help would be greatly appreaciated, thanks in advance,

Hi Everyone!!

I have an elaborate home system with two zones. All of my equipment is located in one cabinet with multiple flashers.

Can two 8300s exist together in the same cabinet?? can the remote or unit be coded as to 1 or 2, so multiple units will not interact.

TWC says the remotes are unchagable (on tivos the coding is on the unit itself not the remote).

Any help would be greatly appreaciated, thanks in advance,

I currently have both a 8300 and 8300HD (plan on selling the SD one soon). If I take EITHER remote and point it at them, they both receive the signal and accept the commands. No setup for the remotes, just add battery and point. So I would say that you're out of luck - but maybe polarizing the IR for each remote/unit pair would work :-) ?

Hi Everyone!!

I have an elaborate home system with two zones. All of my equipment is located in one cabinet with multiple flashers.

Can two 8300s exist together in the same cabinet?? can the remote or unit be coded as to 1 or 2, so multiple units will not interact.

TWC says the remotes are unchagable (on tivos the coding is on the unit itself not the remote).

Any help would be greatly appreaciated, thanks in advance,

One approach that works for many with this is to manually turn off the 8300 that you don't want to use. Don't worry, even if the unit is off, it still will record. ;)

Another possibility -

Assuming the boxes are yours and your electronically handy.. You could find a place to 'hide' the STB, and remove the IR sensor and simply put it somewhere hidden, but in the zone with the TV..

What I mean is, surely you have decorations around your tv area. Put the stb inside something, say a flowerpot for instance with a small fake tree (or whatever) in it, and mount the sensor ON the pot somewhere hidden.. I've done that with my amp, because it sits in a closed, non-windowed cradenza. So, I wired some wire to the original spot for the IR sensor, and in my case, drilled a tiny hole just big enough for the sensor to recess inside the hole. Wire runs in an etched (dremmeled) portion along the inner door by the hinge, and hehe, back into the amp. So even open it's not noticable.. Just an idea...

Hi Everyone!!

I have an elaborate home system with two zones. All of my equipment is located in one cabinet with multiple flashers.

Can two 8300s exist together in the same cabinet?? can the remote or unit be coded as to 1 or 2, so multiple units will not interact.

TWC says the remotes are unchagable (on tivos the coding is on the unit itself not the remote).

Any help would be greatly appreaciated, thanks in advance,Two 8300s can exist together in the same cabinet depending on what you want to do. If you only want to use one 8300 at a time, it works fine just turn one on and the other one off. The 8300 can still record while it is turned off. I do this and it works for me. The remote or unit can not be coded as to 1 or 2. If you want to use both 8300s at the same time, it will not work. I have seen posts that state that you can buy additional equipment to make this work.

Another option I use with systems running HT Master MX remotes is to use an RF kit with assignable outputs like the MRF300RFX.

Thanks Dave for your kind response. Yes, I understand now what to do. I will probably use a mixture of auto and manual recording.

Leo

First...apologies if this has been discussed and i missed it. I have tried every possible search that i could think of.

I use Charter. I currently have my 8300 connected via component cables...until i pick up an HDMI one.

When playing back some content, in both SD or HD, I see some"pulsing" of contrast in the dim areas of the picture....about once a second. "flicker" would sound too fast....

The pulsing is very subtle...and I *MAY* be able to get used to it, but at the moment it drives me nuts.

I tried turning off all "auto contrast" and noise reduction features on my set, thinking that they might somehow be involved, and had no luck at all...the "pulsing" is still there. I do NOT see this when watching the same show live.

Anyone heard of anything like this before? On bright pictures i cannot detect it at all...just very dark ones.

Thoughts?

Thank you very much

First...apologies if this has been discussed and i missed it. I have tried every possible search that i could think of.

I use Charter. I currently have my 8300 connected via component cables...until i pick up an HDMI one.

When playing back some content, in both SD or HD, I see some"pulsing" of contrast in the dim areas of the picture....about once a second. "flicker" would sound too fast....

The pulsing is very subtle...and I *MAY* be able to get used to it, but at the moment it drives me nuts.

I tried turning off all "auto contrast" and noise reduction features on my set, thinking that they might somehow be involved, and had no luck at all...the "pulsing" is still there. I do NOT see this when watching the same show live.

Anyone heard of anything like this before? On bright pictures i cannot detect it at all...just very dark ones.

Thoughts?

Thank you very much

I don’t think your problem has anything to do with the 8300. It sounds like “Floating Black Level”, which is common in many TVs. I’m not an expert on this but I’ve read that it’s used by many TV manufactures to achieve better contrast numbers. Some manufactures have implemented it better than others. I’ve also read that some manufactures allow you to turn the “feature” off.

Sometimes this floating black level can be eliminated by the overall viewing "mode" you select. For example, modes labeled "Bright" or "Brilliant" often float the black level and causes that pulsing. Try switching modes to possibly "Theatre" or "Fine" or something like that and see if it goes away. Often the manual will not tell you which viewing modes float the black level so you just have to try each one or read it in a review, or let us know what monitor you are using and maybe someone who has that model can respond more specifically.

It's interesting he doesn't see the problem when watching something live, which is also a recording.

It's interesting he doesn't see the problem when watching something live, which is also a recording.
Good point Jim. Maybe he is using a different input for live TV.

Zahara15?

Another option I use with systems running HT Master MX remotes is to use an RF kit with assignable outputs like the MRF300RFX.

This is exactly what I was thinking. I use the MRF250, which is problematic with my 8300HD because the emitters are too strong (I'm using a spacer as a workaround). The MRF300 (though more expensive) has the ability to adjust the emitter output levels. I wish I had that one.

Rich, you should definitely consider going this route (a URC MX-850/950 remote with an MRF-300 base station) if you want to be able to control both, and switch between the 2 without having to manually power them on/off. Not sure what remote you are currently using, but the URC Home Theater Master line of remotes are very nice.

Good point Jim. Maybe he is using a different input for live TV.

Zahara15?

Thanks for the input...

Based on what I learned here i went back and scrutinized the picture and differences between live and dvr and what i am seeing.

First, I don't see it on ALL blacks coming off the DVR...some of them, with a very high quality image, are nice and clean an stable with no pulsing.

When i do tend to see it is with a grainy picture where the black sections are "moving" a bit as grainy sections do.

I stared at some live vs. dvr-ed material and would no say that they both do the pulsing...it just seems more noticable coming off the dvr....i don't know if the image should be EXACTLY the same, or whether there is compression in the dvr might cause the picture to be ever so slightly different and possibly more prone to this.

So far i have not found any setting on the Toshiba 52HM95 that lets me do anything about my black levels (floating or otherwise)...but i may ask Toshiba.

Thank you very much for your insights....this forum is great!

I did a quick download of the manual for your Toshiba and just offer the following suggestions you probably already have taken care of, but just in case...

1. Make certain that Dynamic Contrast is turned off in the Advanced Settings in the Video menu. I really think this is the culprit here.

2. Try the different picture mode choices. It would seem to me that a floating balck level would be in the Sports mode and Standard mode, but more unlikely in the Movie mode.

3. Try turning off the MPEG Noise reduction (not just low but off).

4. Make certain that the CableClear/DNR is off as well.

My guess is that because the "Dynamic Contrast" setting is buried so deep in the menu that it somehow is still on. Worth a check, right?

Because of your earlier post it seems that you have likely done all of these steps, but worth checking I think.

Anyone here ever had their cable provider roll back the SARA version on their box? I've had 1.88 for about a month and yesterday it got rolled back to 1.87.

I'm really bummed because 1.88 fixed the bugs I hated (playing a current recording program from beginning, kicking out to live, etc.) and added the 128x FF/RW. I had already updated my commercial skip macros on my remote to take advantage.

My provider is Knology - Panama City Beach, FL.

One other thing, I use my 8300HD with component cables on an HDTV in the family room. Anyone ever tried to use a second SDTV connected to the Svid output in another room? If so, does it automatically display recorded/live HD content in 480i letterboxed? Is the composite out only for the "Record to VCR" or would it display menus too? What about the coax out? I'd like to be able to watch recorded stuff in my bedroom, and I already have an RF remote that controls my 8300HD.

One other thing, I use my 8300HD with component cables on an HDTV in the family room. Anyone ever tried to use a second SDTV connected to the Svid output in another room? If so, does it automatically display recorded/live HD content in 480i letterboxed? Is the composite out only for the "Record to VCR" or would it display menus too? What about the coax out? I'd like to be able to watch recorded stuff in my bedroom, and I already have an RF remote that controls my 8300HD.Sure I do it (both S-Video and RF Out) all the time. The S-Video is the same as the main (component or HDMI) output but down-rezed (letterboxed) UNLESS, you select "COPY TO VCR" on a program - then the S-Video will be that program. The RF Out is Ch 3 or 4 of the main program. Note, it's audio is stereo modulated. I use this to pipe music from a digital music channel to other rooms in the house.

Zahara I have had similar problems with my SA 8300 HD. I have it hooked up through component outs to a 34 inch LG HD1080i CRT. My picture would go completely black for a second or two then restore. I would see only 1080i HD in a box near the bottom. Seems the signal would drop completely no graininess, or flickering it would just go black and then come on again in a second. Weird thing is the Hard Drive would record the anomaly and when I play it back the anomaly would still be there.
I rent mine through Comcast and its been such a nightmare having techs with no HD background come to my home and tell me they couldnt see it as it was intermittent issue. I would then replay the anomalies that I had recorded and they woud scratch their heads tell me it must be my tv because they never saw it before. I had my tv sent out for 2 weeks to be bench tested..no problems at all! I called comcast and the tell me it must be bad box and replace it. Problem is EVERY SA 8000HD and 8300HD they have given me has the same issue. I had them here in June for 5 days in a row with different techs, some lead but all they could tell me is they never saw anything like it and replace the box.
I gave up on the DVR issue totally and am back to using a Motorola STB with no DVR and have not had ANY issues....which makes me scratch my head and say What the F*$# is happening here!
Never got a resolution and it pisses me off bigtime that I can't use a DVR as I became quite happy with the abiility to time shift my programming to my schedule.
If anyone has heard of this problem or has a solution I certainly would be open to any and all help.

Anyone here ever had their cable provider roll back the SARA version on their box? I've had 1.88 for about a month and yesterday it got rolled back to 1.87.

I'm really bummed because 1.88 fixed the bugs I hated (playing a current recording program from beginning, kicking out to live, etc.) and added the 128x FF/RW. I had already updated my commercial skip macros on my remote to take advantage.

My provider is Knology - Panama City Beach, FL.

I had the 1.88 version for one night. The next day it was gone. I called my local provider, no one there even new what I was talking about so I was transferred to what I guess was a level 2 tech who knows where. All he told me was that I wasnt supposed to have 1.88 yet and he didnt know how I got it or why it was gone.

This problem may have been discussed but I have not seen it.

While watching a recorded program on a SA8300, I accidentally push the channel button which switches me to live tv. Is there a way to go back to the recorded program where you were before? I have to start from the beginning and fast forward but this takes some time.

Thanks.

This problem may have been discussed but I have not seen it.

While watching a recorded program on a SA8300, I accidentally push the channel button which switches me to live tv. Is there a way to go back to the recorded program where you were before? I have to start from the beginning and fast forward but this takes some time.

Thanks.


On my 8300hd I just change back to chnl 800 (the DVR channel) and press play but I'm using WOW so I don't know if it works for all systems

BTW is there anyone else here on WOW???
any word on when we are going to update to 1.88??

LeoDLion,

Just switch back to your DVR playback channel, for me it's channel 1000 for others channel 1.

Leo, if you're with TWC-Houston, your DVR playback channel is 998. Switch to that, and your show will be paused at the point you switched channels the first time.

On Cablevision sporting events are now listed differently in the IPG. They used to be listed as, NHL Hockey, NBA Basketball, College Football, etc. They are now listed with team names, road team first, such as New York Rangers at San Jose Sharks. This eliminates the ability to use all episode recordings on the DVR for these events. So now my all episode, first run setup of NHL Hockey on INHD is worthless. I'll have to double check on my NFL Football setups on NBC and ESPN. On one hand it's nice to see the teams playing without having to hit the info button but the loss of DVR functionality is a bummer. Are other providers doing this too, or is just Cablevision?

Thanks for the response. Yes, its 998 because thats what I see in the display. Great!

Sure I do it (both S-Video and RF Out) all the time. The S-Video is the same as the main (component or HDMI) output but down-rezed (letterboxed) UNLESS, you select "COPY TO VCR" on a program - then the S-Video will be that program. The RF Out is Ch 3 or 4 of the main program. Note, it's audio is stereo modulated. I use this to pipe music from a digital music channel to other rooms in the house.

Interesting that you use the coax to pipe music channels out. Why would you not just use the rca digital or analog?

Interesting that you use the coax to pipe music channels out. Why would you not just use the rca digital or analog?
Yeah, and do you have amps/receivers in your other rooms that accept coax in? The reason I ask is that I cannot send the digital music channels out to my other rooms using the analog connections. I seem to recall that I read in the manual that the 8300 won't convert the digitial music signals to analog.

Interesting that you use the coax to pipe music channels out. Why would you not just use the rca digital or analog?1) I had the RF wiring in place in the house that made it easy for me.
2) It was going to a Stereo TV in the other room - if I sent digital or analog I would need an amp at the other location.
3) Distance of wiring might attenuate digital (which is at a higher impedence) or analog.

The real reason for me was #1 though.

Yeah, and do you have amps/receivers in your other rooms that accept coax in? The reason I ask is that I cannot send the digital music channels out to my other rooms using the analog connections. I seem to recall that I read in the manual that the 8300 won't convert the digitial music singals to analog.I answered the first part of your question in the post I just made (while you were writing yours). The digital music channels do come out analog - what about all those connections to HDTV monitors via component? Just to be sure, I just checked via some of the other equipment I have on my system - yes, indeed analog music comes out. So it is puzzling to me that you can't get analog stereo out from the music channels.

I answered the first part of your question in the post I just made (while you were writing yours). The digital music channels do come out analog - what about all those connections to HDTV monitors via component? Just to be sure, I just checked via some of the other equipment I have on my system - yes, indeed analog music comes out. So it is puzzling to me that you can't get analog stereo out from the music channels.
Hmmmm. I think you are right. I'm only sending audio from the 8300 to my pre/pro with digital coax and to send a signal to another zone it has to be analog. I need to add an analog cable from the 8300 to a separate input on my pre/pro, but I'm already using the 8300 rca analog outputs to go directly to the Fujitsu plasma so we don't have to turn on the whole system just to catch the news. Can I split those rca outs? Thanks for the help.

Can I split those rca outs? Yes

I noticed some of my recordings will disappear. I am using record all programs, auto erase off, save until I erase. I am on 1.87. I am only at 48% full. I have a SATA, but I'm pretty sure it was doing it before I attached it. What could be the problem?

David

Yes
Thanks Dave. But in the future, would you please try to simplify your answers? :D

Hmmmm. I think you are right. I'm only sending audio from the 8300 to my pre/pro with digital coax and to send a signal to another zone it has to be analog. I need to add an analog cable from the 8300 to a separate input on my pre/pro, but I'm already using the 8300 rca analog outputs to go directly to the Fujitsu plasma so we don't have to turn on the whole system just to catch the news. Can I split those rca outs? Thanks for the help.

You shouldn't have to split them. There are two sets of analog audio ouputs. That is, unless you use the second set for a vcr setup.

I noticed some of my recordings will disappear. I am using record all programs, auto erase off, save until I erase. I am on 1.87. I am only at 48% full. I have a SATA, but I'm pretty sure it was doing it before I attached it. What could be the problem?

David

The ghost in the machine. I think we all have had screwy stuff like that happen. I've got the same settings (no eSATA) and have lost programs. There could be a simpler explanation.....Do you have a wife?

You shouldn't have to split them. There are two sets of analog audio ouputs. That is, unless you use the second set for a vcr setup.
Yup. I just finally retired my Pioneer Elite CLD-79 laser disk player to my den. Ran out of inputs. Although I have a SONY DVD recorder in the stack, the VCR must remain for some time until I get time to convert home movies and a few out of print titles (e.g., Chrsitmas specials like ALF, For Better or Worse, etc.) from VHS to DVD. Someday...

Thanks for the response. Yes, its 998 because thats what I see in the display. Great!

Even simpler, just hit the last button. You don't need to know the channel number.

Hmm, I did a hard boot, and my space used dropped from 48% to 23%... Ouch. As I mentioned above I lost some recordings.

David

On my 8300hd I just change back to chnl 800 (the DVR channel) and press play but I'm using WOW so I don't know if it works for all systems

BTW is there anyone else here on WOW???
any word on when we are going to update to 1.88??

I must ask. What is WOW? I assume, based on the version and context, you do NOT mean World of Warcraft... :)

I must ask. What is WOW? I assume, based on the version and context, you do NOT mean World of Warcraft... :)


WOW Cable, aka wide open west

I am getting this box this week and was wondering what the "most used" buttons are? I have a logitech harmony remote so its not that big a deal that I don't have all the buttons on the face (I can use the LCD screen to go through pages of buttons but its a pain). So what buttons do I need to have on the face, I have alot to spare. Do I need A,B,C, List, etc. I know I need buttons like Menu and Select and Guide, but what are the others. Thanks!

You will need A, B, C and list. Obviously you will need all of the function buttons (play, FF, REW, stop, pause , REC). You should also have the exit button. Less important, but useful, are the 8 second replay button and the live button.

I am getting this box this week and was wondering what the "most used" buttons are? I have a logitech harmony remote....

I'm not sure what hard buttons your Harmony comes with, but you will use List, all directions, Guide, Select, FF, Replay (8 sec rewind), RW, Record, Exit, A, and B most. Depending how you watch TV, you might use Live, Info, PIP, and Swap alot too. Buttons I rarely/never use are the page up/down, settings, and C. I use an MX-850, so I still have access to everything, I just bury the unused buttons on Page 3 or 4 of my device menu. I have various commercial skip macros on page 1 which get used more.

I am getting this box this week and was wondering what the "most used" buttons are? I have a logitech harmony remote so its not that big a deal that I don't have all the buttons on the face (I can use the LCD screen to go through pages of buttons but its a pain). So what buttons do I need to have on the face, I have alot to spare. Do I need A,B,C, List, etc. I know I need buttons like Menu and Select and Guide, but what are the others. Thanks!
You didn't state the model Harmony - they may be quite different. I have a Harmony 880 - so my comments are based on that. I have the following buttons on the first screen: A, B, C, List, Live & Replay. That leaves two for something else. The rest of the functions are mapped to the various hard buttons on the remote.

I've had this remote with the 8300 for almost a year and am quite happy with the set-up for the 8300. I'm not so happy with other aspects of this Harmony. One thing (negative) is that you can't easily control what function is displayed where on the LCD screen. The remote itself determines which device occurs first, second and third. And getting things to line up on the within a device group the way you want is a real pain.

I've had this remote with the 8300 for almost a year and am quite happy with the set-up for the 8300. I'm not so happy with other aspects of this Harmony. One thing (negative) is that you can't easily control what function is displayed where on the LCD screen. The remote itself determines which device occurs first, second and third. And getting things to line up on the within a device group the way you want is a real pain.
If I'm understanding you correctly... You can if you go into Activites, "Change the behavior of buttons", then in the "Custom Button Label" section with the order of the labels filling out the LCD starting from the top left, top right, second row left, second row right, third row etc. It's a pain but it can be done if you keep adding more custom labels.

I am getting this box this week and was wondering what the "most used" buttons are? I have a logitech harmony remote so its not that big a deal that I don't have all the buttons on the face (I can use the LCD screen to go through pages of buttons but its a pain). So what buttons do I need to have on the face, I have alot to spare. Do I need A,B,C, List, etc. I know I need buttons like Menu and Select and Guide, but what are the others. Thanks!
I'm attaching 2 links to pics of my setup for my 880. This setup works really well for me the way I use the SA8300HD.

View 1 (http://prod.campuscruiser.com/cruiser/cfcc/gqmoyer40/880-01.JPG)

View 2 (http://prod.campuscruiser.com/cruiser/cfcc/gqmoyer40/880-02.JPG)

Hope this helps a little.

If I'm understanding you correctly... You can if you go into Activites, "Change the behavior of buttons", then in the "Custom Button Label" section with the order of the labels filling out the LCD starting from the top left, top right, second row left, second row right, third row etc. It's a pain but it can be done if you keep adding more custom labels.


Yeah but if you have custom buttons for the TV, reciever, etc, they might come first.

Ok since I don't want to go through alot of pages to get to the buttons I can't put in the first LCD page (need to make it easy for the wife), I don't need C or settings as much.

Oh and I have the Harmony 360.

Thanks for the pics, I am sure I will find a configuration that works for me.

I followed the instructions step by step. After the Mail led came up, I got my STB to read "HDDF" and then it switched to "HDD-" before shutting off and rebooting.
Thing is I was expecting to see the STB completely reload all the info. I used to see a bunch of numbers and letters flash on the front of the STB as it was loading all the info and upgrades and this would easily take 20-30 minutes to complete, but this time it didn't do anything. It was just blank until 5 minutes later when the clock came back up.

So, basically I am not completely sure this worked. Shouldn't I have seen a complete reloading of the info, not just a basic reboot?

You did everything properly. The box does not need to be unplugged manually, it will reboot on it's own. The reason you did not see software loading on the box is because the os that was on the box already is the current os for that box type. This is configured in the server. If there was a new os associated for that box then it would have downloaded it. Most cable co's will push new software in a maintenance window anyway. When software for a particular set top is upgraded it's typically done by box type, ie: 8300 v. 2.2.

If I'm understanding you correctly... You can if you go into Activites, "Change the behavior of buttons", then in the "Custom Button Label" section with the order of the labels filling out the LCD starting from the top left, top right, second row left, second row right, third row etc. It's a pain but it can be done if you keep adding more custom labels.Yes, but that's basically what I said.

The Remote software decides what device comes first, second, etc. So in your case the buttons are first for the STB, then the TV and finally the AV receiver - and they all must come in that order. Within a device (STB for example) you can control the order in which the buttons appear, as you said. But ALL the STB come first, then ALL the TV buttons, and finally ALL the AV receiver. It is impossible to have, for example, 3 STB buttons, then 3 AV receiver buttons, followed by 2 more STB buttons.

Further, if you want to Add a button, sort of high on the list, you have to start at the bottom and move everything down one button till you reach the location of the button you want to add. Also, you can't duplicate buttons on more than one screen - it won't let you! All this may be fine for someone who wants a really simple set-up, and is willing to settle for the layout that Harmony has decided is for you. But it is a lot more difficult to get the layout YOU want. The Home Theater Master line of remotes is a LOT more flexible - but the Harmony has its advantages too (that's why I have put up with the lousy Harmony programming and my Home Theater Master MX-800 is gathering dust).

I am getting this box this week and was wondering what the "most used" buttons are? I have a logitech harmony remote so its not that big a deal that I don't have all the buttons on the face (I can use the LCD screen to go through pages of buttons but its a pain). So what buttons do I need to have on the face, I have alot to spare. Do I need A,B,C, List, etc. I know I need buttons like Menu and Select and Guide, but what are the others. Thanks!

Not all-inclusive, but mine are: record, live, back, My DVR, Favorites, Last (previous channel), A, B, C, TV-Video, guide, menu, info, exit, fast forward, rewind, pause, play & stop. Hope this helps!

What does "My DVR" do?

What does "My DVR" do?

It brings up the menu of the shows you have recorded and saved. From that menu you can select a show to play, erase, etc. You can also check secheduled recordings, space available, etc. with the A, B, C buttons from that menu.

I have repeatedly requested of Cox that they update to SARA 1.88 or higher. Just when I was about to give up, I received this message from them today:

Dear Valued Cox Customer:

Thank you for contacting our Cox Northern Virginia Online Customer Care Team.

We will process the Upgrade as soon as possible we have held off initiating this because we have asked for additional portions to be upgraded and were intent on sending out the entire package as of dec 2006.
So hopefully some time next month, we in Fairfax will be able to watch a recording in progress without having to "rewind" or being dumped to live when the recording ends.

It brings up the menu of the shows you have recorded and saved. From that menu you can select a show to play, erase, etc. You can also check secheduled recordings, space available, etc. with the A, B, C buttons from that menu.

Is this the "List" button? On my choice on the Logitch harmony setup there is a "DVR" button and I wam wondering if this is something I need ready access to. I have the "List" button mapped so I can get to it. I was just wondering if i need the "DVR" button. Sorry for all the questions, I guess I could figure out this when I et the unit but I want to be up and running in as little time as possible. Also, what are your recommendations for external hard drive size. I have a 80 hour Tivo right now (its going to be painful taking it out of my HT setup) and I don't really fill it up all the time, maybe 1/2 -3/4 at most. So what would be a good size Hard Drive to get to have the same recording space, and lets assume I am recording only HD (worst case scenario)

Is this the "List" button? On my choice on the Logitch harmony setup there is a "DVR" button and I wam wondering if this is something I need ready access to. I have the "List" button mapped so I can get to it. I was just wondering if i need the "DVR" button. Sorry for all the questions, I guess I could figure out this when I et the unit but I want to be up and running in as little time as possible. Also, what are your recommendations for external hard drive size. I have a 80 hour Tivo right now (its going to be painful taking it out of my HT setup) and I don't really fill it up all the time, maybe 1/2 -3/4 at most. So what would be a good size Hard Drive to get to have the same recording space, and lets assume I am recording only HD (worst case scenario)

I don't have the Harmony so I can't speak to that issue. My 8300 supplied Remote doesn't have a "list" option that I recall. I just hit My DVR to have it list all the shows I've recorded and saved.

I don't have the Harmony so I can't speak to that issue. My 8300 supplied Remote doesn't have a "list" option that I recall. I just hit My DVR to have it list all the shows I've recorded and saved.This is not a Harmony issue, it's a DVR remote issue.

The confusion here is due to the multiple remotes in use with the 8300HD, since there are some variations in button placement and labeling. (Which remote you got is dependent on who your cable provider is, and how long ago you got your 8300HD.)

My 8300HD remote has a big green "LIST" button below the navigation arrows and above the number keypad. That's how I get to my list of recorded shows.

Other 8300HD remotes sometimes label this button "My DVR".

CharacterZero, you might be better off getting your 8300HD in your house and using the remote that comes with it for a day or two so you can get familiar with the 8300HD and how it operates. Once you know how the box works, I think it'll be easier for you to figure out how you want to customize your Harmony.

Jim

CharacterZero, you might be better off getting your 8300HD in your house and using the remote that comes with it for a day or two so you can get familiar with the 8300HD and how it operates. Once you know how the box works, I think it'll be easier for you to figure out how you want to customize your Harmony.

Yeah I know I am jumping the gun a little, but I love using just the one remote and the Harmony remote is awsome. I think I have it set up the way I want and I might just keep he SA8300HD remote on hand in case I can't find the button I need.

Any help on y other question of a good size for an external hard drive. I am looking at a 320gb but I am not sure if this is enough.

Anyone here ever had their cable provider roll back the SARA version on their box? I've had 1.88 for about a month and yesterday it got rolled back to 1.87.

I'm really bummed because 1.88 fixed the bugs I hated (playing a current recording program from beginning, kicking out to live, etc.) and added the 128x FF/RW. I had already updated my commercial skip macros on my remote to take advantage.

My provider is Knology - Panama City Beach, FL.



I had the same thing happen but I was already running a beta version of 1.88 (1.88.12.2) since Feb to fix an HD format issue with Knology's 1.87.9.a4 version of SARA (some HD streams misidentified as SD). All Knology districts were upgraded to 1.88.19.1 in Sept but rolled back to 1.87.9.a4 on Nov 1st (the last known working version). I was told that the reason for the rollback was problems they were having in all districts with recordings. This however, rolled me back as well to a non-functional pass-through box again. They said SA considers the 1.88 beta and would not support it as a general rollout, hence the rollback. I ended up stopping by the 15th street office and talking to the Operations Manager. He is trying to get a version of 1.88 rolled back out to my 2 STBs to fix the format issue. Otherwise, he did not know when we may see 1.88 again.

This is troubling because with the 1.88 firmware I was able to accept the cable DVR and replaced my TIVO with a nice 2 tuner HD DVR box. The one thing that was bothering a friend of mine was the "Kick out the Live". I remember reading about a workaround for 1.87, can someone post a link to that.

This is troubling because with the 1.88 firmware I was able to accept the cable DVR and replaced my TIVO with a nice 2 tuner HD DVR box. The one thing that was bothering a friend of mine was the "Kick out the Live". I remember reading about a workaround for 1.87, can someone post a link to that.

See very first post in this thread, scroll down to "watch a recording in progress."

Question about SA8300 and saving recorded HDTV shows to a "remote" DVR? Is it possible to archive programs saved on my SA8300 DVR to a DVD? In other words, to output the saved program to a standalone DVR? If so, I'm using TW and have my component output to a DENON 2807 AV Receiver. I'm HDMI out of the receiver to the SONY SXRD set. Any thoughts on if and how this transfer can be done. Thanks a great deal !!

Question about SA8300 and saving recorded HDTV shows to a "remote" DVR? Is it possible to archive programs saved on my SA8300 DVR to a DVD? In other words, to output the saved program to a standalone DVR? If so, I'm using TW and have my component output to a DENON 3807 AV Receiver. I'm HDMI out of the receiver to the SONY SXRD set. Any thoughts on if and how this transfer can be done. Thanks a great deal !!

S-Video out of SA8300HD to your stand alone DVR. Separate audio out to DVR.

I have a SA 8300HD. Last night I was watching a poker show which started at 8pm. After 40 minutes, I flip to a basketball game. After 5 minutes, I flip back to the poker show. When I tried to rewind the poker show, it did not rewind all the way to the start which is 8pm but instead rewinded a few seconds.

Isnt there a way to go back to the 8pm poker show recording? Or is the current recording gone when you flip channels?

Thanks in advance.

Once you change channels the buffer gets cleared. You can record two shows at once but the buffer only holds the current channel.

I have a SA 8300HD. Last night I was watching a poker show which started at 8pm. After 40 minutes, I flip to a basketball game. After 5 minutes, I flip back to the poker show. When I tried to rewind the poker show, it did not rewind all the way to the start which is 8pm but instead rewinded a few seconds.

Isnt there a way to go back to the 8pm poker show recording? Or is the current recording gone when you flip channels?

Thanks in advance.There are two tuners in your box, but normally when you're just flipping channels, you're only using one. Each time the channel changes, the buffer for that tuner is cleared and begins re-filling.

If you are watching a program, and want to preserve access to it while you channel surf, the easiest way to do that is to hit the "record" button. When you want to go back to it, find it in the list of your recorded programs, select it, and choose "play from current location" (or whatever the exact words are). Like any other recording, you can then REW, pause, or whatever.

If you're not recording anything else at the time, then you could also use the "PIP method". Turn on Picture-in-Picture mode, swap your poker game into the small PIP window to bring the other tuner's picture to the big screen, do your channel surfing while you keep an eye on the poker progress, and then when you want to go back, swap the poker game back to the big screen and turn off the PIP window. The tuner being used for the poker game never switched channels, so the buffer is preserved, and you can rewind the show if you want.

If you're already recording something else while the poker game is on, then that second tuner will be in use to support that background recording, and obviously you won't be able to change its channel. You could still use the PIP method to check in on that recording, though.

If you're not recording anything else at the time, then you could also use the "PIP method". Turn on Picture-in-Picture mode, swap your poker game into the small PIP window to bring the other tuner's picture to the big screen, do your channel surfing while you keep an eye on the poker progress, and then when you want to go back, swap the poker game back to the big screen and turn off the PIP window. The tuner being used for the poker game never switched channels, so the buffer is preserved, and you can rewind the show if you want.

The buffer clears when you swap the PIP screens. The small PIP screen is not buffered.

The buffer clears when you swap the PIP screens. The small PIP screen is not buffered.I tested it before I posted the message. What I posted works for me.

I tested it before I posted the message. What I posted works for me.

What SARA version are you running? I'll have to try that again because I never remember it working that way for me.

What SARA version are you running? I'll have to try that again because I never remember it working that way for me.1.88.something. I'll try to remember to check when I get home.

Thanks for the response.