Sony DHG-HDD250/500: Official Thread [Text View] - Page 14

andydrew

02-09-06, 02:41 PM

Ok, got into the 9012 menu, and it fails the VBI test on channel 2... it only passes the FLash test and atsc test. On channel 97, it passes the VBI test, and fails serial and IR.

So what now? I have left the unit off on channel 97 the last several days?

thanks,

Jrog

Regardless of what is being posted in the forum, it does not matter what channel your DVR is on when it is turned off. Once you turn off the DVR, the DVR does it's own thing and searches for the guide channel or tunes to it (if it knows it already). If you are not getting guide data after several days I would say that you are not receiving the channel that broadcasts the guide data.

You may need to do some of the following:

* If OTA only or OTA and cable, confirm that you are receiving the analog channel that broadcasts the guide data in your area. If you don't know what channel that is, you may need to re-orient your antenna to pick up other channels until you know which is the correct channel.
* If cable only, you need to ensure that your cable provider is carrying the analog channel that broadcasts the guide data. You may need to contact your cable company and ask some questions
* If OTA only and your are combining multiple UHF antenna's, you are probably not receiving any analog broadcasts. Try with one antenna oriented to the channel that broadcasts the guide.
* Your guide channel may be having problems transmitting the guide.
* The zip code that you are using may not be a zip code served by the TV Guide that your DVR can 'see'. Try the zip code in the center of the biggest city close to where you live.

spiff72

02-09-06, 03:55 PM

Regardless of what is being posted in the forum, it does not matter what channel your DVR is on when it is turned off. Once you turn off the DVR, the DVR does it's own thing and searches for the guide channel or tunes to it (if it knows it already). If you are not getting guide data after several days I would say that you are not receiving the channel that broadcasts the guide data.

You may need to do some of the following:

* If OTA only or OTA and cable, confirm that you are receiving the analog channel that broadcasts the guide data in your area. If you don't know what channel that is, you may need to re-orient your antenna to pick up other channels until you know which is the correct channel.
* If cable only, you need to ensure that your cable provider is carrying the analog channel that broadcasts the guide data. You may need to contact your cable company and ask some questions
* If OTA only and your are combining multiple UHF antenna's, you are probably not receiving any analog broadcasts. Try with one antenna oriented to the channel that broadcasts the guide.
* Your guide channel may be having problems transmitting the guide.
* The zip code that you are using may not be a zip code served by the TV Guide that your DVR can 'see'. Try the zip code in the center of the biggest city close to where you live.

Or your cable company is stripping the VBI data out of the host channel (for various reasons).

rayliner

02-09-06, 03:55 PM

I do have the format set to SD Out. I have also tried the pre-recorded video. I press play and i get a blank screen.
As far as selecting the correct format goes, on my first tv set that I hooked the dvr are up to, I was able to see the guide and menus in the 1080i and sd out formats. On this set I had component cables and composite cables hooked up to my audio video receiver.
I think today is the day I am going to have to send it in for repair.
Thanks to all for your help.
Rod

Sorry if this is too simplistic, but could all of the stations through your cable be scrambled and not accessible to the Sony HDD? I don't have cable presently; I pick up my HD signals via an antenna. (Maybe the guide data is coming in because it isn't encoded.) Can you hook the cable TV cable directly to your TV and get any station receptions?

rodwed

02-09-06, 04:08 PM

Sorry if this is too simplistic, but could all of the stations through your cable be scrambled and not accessible to the Sony HDD? I don't have cable presently; I pick up my HD signals via an antenna. (Maybe the guide data is coming in because it isn't encoded.) Can you hook the cable TV cable directly to your TV and get any station receptions?

I had the cable connected to an old Panny Showstopper that worked just fine. The cable channels are not scrambled(at least not the ones i subscribe to). The cable connected directly to the tv works fine too.
Oh well. I boxed it up today and sent it to Laredo, Tx repair center. 5 days to get there, 7-10 days to fix it, 5 days to get it back. What a long month February is going to be.

Marc_G

02-09-06, 04:41 PM

About the 161-6 error:

I tried reading back but I can't find what all this refers to except that it's something that needs the unit to be sent back to Sony to fix the firmware.

If it's a firmware issue that some of us may encounter after our warranty has expired, I'm over 90 days already, shouldn't it be an issue subject to a free recall?

Free fix. Funny! Basically, the design is poor and so an electrical modification is often needed (exact details on this seem to be scarce), but this is only covered "for free" if you are within 90 days.

Free isn't really free, since you have to pay to ship it into Sony.

I agree, this should be a free retrofit for all owners, but apparently they have decided that the goodwill such a policy would garner is insufficient to justify the expense. I'm just glad that there is SOEMETHING I can do to fix it.

Marc

coastaltony

02-09-06, 05:29 PM

I am planning on buying a HDD 500 to use as a tuner for my local HD signals. Also to record OTA programming. When I get my unit, what version of software should be displayed when I fire it up?

Opinionated

02-09-06, 05:37 PM

About the 161-6 error:
apparently they have decided that the goodwill such a policy would garner is insufficient to justify the expense

Marc

If there is any company in bad need of some goodwill, it's Sony.

What causes this 161-6 error? Those who get it, when do they get it?

jmonier

02-09-06, 05:58 PM

I tried reading back but I can't find what all this refers to except that it's something that needs the unit to be sent back to Sony to fix the firmware.

If it's a firmware issue that some of us may encounter after our warranty has expired, I'm over 90 days already, shouldn't it be an issue subject to a free recall?

The 161-6 fix is done in hardware NOT firmware. The problem apparently occurs with some, but not all, CableCards.

Opinionated

02-09-06, 06:03 PM

The 161-6 fix is done in hardware NOT firmware. The problem apparently occurs with some, but not all, CableCards.

So that should still be a design flaw that Sony should be responsible for fixing notwithstanding the warranty period.

I don't use a cablecard now but may in the future. Now I have to worry that when I'm long out of warranty, I will have problems.

Alan58

02-09-06, 06:11 PM

spiff72

02-09-06, 06:19 PM

andydrew

02-09-06, 06:47 PM

I am planning on buying a HDD 500 to use as a tuner for my local HD signals. Also to record OTA programming. When I get my unit, what version of software should be displayed when I fire it up?

1.2.05
1.2.06
1.2.09
1.2.13 < only if your unit had been previously serviced

I bought two at Tweeter and they are version 1.2.05 and 1.2.06. I had a previous HDD250 that was a 'Scratch & Dent' from Crutchfield that had version 1.2.13. I have not noticed any difference in operation in any of the firmware versions.

I don't think there is any reliable information on what the differences are in the firmware versions. I would say be happy with whatever you get. If you have some problems, then you may want to think about sending it to Sony to be upgraded.

jmonier

02-09-06, 06:49 PM

Does anyone think that telling Sony that I have seen the 161-6 error, even though I haven't? I am sending it in in the next week or so just because I want to get the latest firmware before my labor warranty expires. I was going to complain (legitimately) about the occassional freezes during fast forward.

I sent mine in without saying anything abput 161-6 (I don't use a CableCard right now). When the tech called me, I asked about that fix. He said they don't do it unless the customer has complained about that problem. I said that I might be using a CableCard in the future and could he put it in. He didn't give me any trouble about putting it in.

The tech seemed very knowledgeable about the unit and turned it around in 2 days. This was at Mt. Pleasant, PA. Except for having to pay the shipping there, I thought the whole process was as good as it could get.

andydrew

02-09-06, 06:50 PM

jmonier

02-09-06, 06:57 PM

.... I don't think there is any reliable information on what the differences are in the firmware versions. I would say be happy with whatever you get. If you have some problems, then you may want to think about sending it to Sony to be upgraded.

Earlier in this thread, a Sony tech was quoted as saying that the latest firmware was needed to enable TVGOS via digital (rather than analog) when it becomes available. While I wouldn't call this 100% reliable by any means, I wouldn't take the chance that without the 1.2.13 my unit will become unusable in 2009.

jrog

02-09-06, 07:11 PM

Tune to channel 97, and then go into the Menu-Preferences-System-Diagnostics. Post what is says on this page. I am trying to find out here whether that channel is a digital channel or analog. It should say something like 667 MHz, and a code like QAM-64 or QAM-256 if it is a digital channel. I am not in front of mine right now, so I don't know what it says for analog channels.

OK, my previous host channel of 2 is definitely now mapped to a QAM-256 channel from the cable card that comcast supplies, and it looks better of course, than the analog. Channel 97 indicates that it still is an analog channel, and looks like it as well.

I think Comcast has done something tricky here and remapped analog 2 to digital "whatever" and for most people, this is fine. I'm running out of guide data, and not getting any new guide data anymore on this particular box.

jrog

jrog

02-09-06, 07:14 PM

Regardless of what is being posted in the forum, it does not matter what channel your DVR is on when it is turned off. Once you turn off the DVR, the DVR does it's own thing and searches for the guide channel or tunes to it (if it knows it already). If you are not getting guide data after several days I would say that you are not receiving the channel that broadcasts the guide data.

You may need to do some of the following:

* If OTA only or OTA and cable, confirm that you are receiving the analog channel that broadcasts the guide data in your area. If you don't know what channel that is, you may need to re-orient your antenna to pick up other channels until you know which is the correct channel.
* If cable only, you need to ensure that your cable provider is carrying the analog channel that broadcasts the guide data. You may need to contact your cable company and ask some questions
* If OTA only and your are combining multiple UHF antenna's, you are probably not receiving any analog broadcasts. Try with one antenna oriented to the channel that broadcasts the guide.
* Your guide channel may be having problems transmitting the guide.
* The zip code that you are using may not be a zip code served by the TV Guide that your DVR can 'see'. Try the zip code in the center of the biggest city close to where you live.

OK, I'm only using cable from comcast. Everything was working fine without the cable card, and my host channel was 2. now 2 is a digital channel, and 97 is analog, but my new host channel, and it passes VBI tests. My father lives down the street, and he doesn't have a cable card, and channel 2 still works, and works well. He's getting all the guide data, I'm getting no new data.

I think I need to reset to factory defaults, and start over. I tried changing my zip code, it said it would update the guide in the next 24 hours, and then the next time I turned it on, the guide was the same as it's been.

jrog

jrog

02-09-06, 07:34 PM

BeakerSC

02-09-06, 08:02 PM

If there is any company in bad need of some goodwill, it's Sony.

What causes this 161-6 error? Those who get it, when do they get it?

I don't see anyone has answered these two questions, so I'll put in my two cents.

Apparently the Q-tuner in the Sony units wasn't up to the electrical power output of the CableCARD. From other forums, it seems there's an overload of a buffer and the tuner can't de-crypt data anymore. Once the buffer overrun happens, the units displays the 161-6 error message.

In my case (two different units with the same problem), the errors came totally randomly. Sometimes it'd happen after only 15-20 minutes, other times it'd take two hours or so. In my case (TWC in SC w/ a SciAtl CC) I would always loose the digital tier of cable, everything else would still work (although I don't pay for HBO or SHO so I can't confirm if those were lost as well.)

In each case a reset, of any kind (front panel, pulling plug, etc.) would clear the overrun and reset the card. Only sending in the unit to PA Service Ctr fixed the problem...and it took a while for Cust Serv to authorize it.

Hope that helps!

Marc_G

02-09-06, 08:14 PM

Does anyone think that telling Sony that I have seen the 161-6 error, even though I haven't? I am sending it in in the next week or so just because I want to get the latest firmware before my labor warranty expires. I was going to complain (legitimately) about the occassional freezes during fast forward.

Given that the product is discontinued, who knows how long the electrical mod that fixes the error will be available. I suggest sending it in for the upgrade. Just tell them that once in a while when using a cable card, you get the error, the program doesn't record, and you have to cold-reboot the system to get things back to normal. Apparently you can fill out an online form now; I called my repair request in and got the third degree.

Marc

spiff72

02-09-06, 08:19 PM

Given that the product is discontinued, who knows how long the electrical mod that fixes the error will be available. I suggest sending it in for the upgrade. Just tell them that once in a while when using a cable card, you get the error, the program doesn't record, and you have to cold-reboot the system to get things back to normal. Apparently you can fill out an online form now; I called my repair request in and got the third degree.

Marc

I just went through with the online form, and I see that this gives me 30 days to get it to them. I will probably wait for a few days yet before sending it in, since I have a big build up of shows that I need to catch up on.

Did those of you who have had the repair done lose your recorded programs once you got it back?

Thanks

Marc_G

02-09-06, 08:19 PM

So that should still be a design flaw that Sony should be responsible for fixing notwithstanding the warranty period.

I don't use a cablecard now but may in the future. Now I have to worry that when I'm long out of warranty, I will have problems.

Probably most of the readership agrees with you, including me! But, this isn't the way business works. Since it's not a hazard to life or limb, it's not required that they fix such defects...

Marc

jmonier

02-09-06, 08:46 PM

Did those of you who have had the repair done lose your recorded programs once you got it back?

The unit had been factory reset when I got it back. I didn't have any recorded programs in it so I'm not sure whether they'd be gone but I sure wouldn't count on them still being there.

Opinionated

02-09-06, 10:11 PM

Probably most of the readership agrees with you, including me! But, this isn't the way business works. Since it's not a hazard to life or limb, it's not required that they fix such defects...

Marc

If this item was purchased in enough quantity, a class action lawyer would disagree with you.

And Sony would come to an arrangement.

PhillyC

02-09-06, 10:14 PM

OK,

This is good, but weird. I scanned through just about all the channels I could and checked the diagnostics, and the only channel I can find that is truely analog is channel 97, wgbh, which is the same as channel 2. ALL of my other channels are coming in as QAM, even if the quality isn't very good. So, I'm glad that Comcast is using my cable card and remapping the channels to digital streams, as that will take less storage on my system, and won't need to re-encode anything...

however, I'm not getting any guide data since the card went in. VBI test passes, I'm not sure what's going on. I get the clock updates... am I crazy? It looks like Comcast left that channel on an analog for exactly this reason, as analog channel 97 on Comcast isn't really PBS. So, they've used an un-designated channel in the cable card to map to analog 2.

I would think everything would be perfectly fine, but for some reason it's not.

Is a full factory reset just a last ditch effort? Is there something else I can do? Should I turn on every single channel? I don't have my host channel turned off.

Thanks,

Jrog

You are correct. Your area is on digital simulcast and your card has been provisioned as digital with a single analog channel that will deliver TVGOS data.

Don't drive yourself crazy with resets, etc. You have two choices at this point:

1) Insist that your cableco find out why channel 97 is not passing guide data properly. Your VBI test passes, but something is wrong with the cableco's equipment or setup.

2) Ask the cableco to provision your card as analog. You will lose some quality on analog channels, but you will receive your guide data properly, just as you did without the card. When they figure out the problem with 97, you can go back to digital provisioning.

The card can be hit remotely to make the change (with the unit ON). If the change doesn't take effect after a reboot, you MAY have to remove and reinsert the card, which necessitates re-doing your guide channel order, etc. I think that is what I had to do when I had a situation similar to yours several months ago.

bierboy

02-09-06, 10:31 PM

Thanks for all the info on this unit. I got one of the last ones today, (I wanted to get 2 but couldn't) had to have it shipped from California, it'll be here Monday. I can't believe how fast these units went. Also surprised that no one else is doing the price cut (BB, CC, Frys). Maybe they're doing because of the cable card issues?

But after reading these posts, now I'm a little worried about this unit. I don't plan on using a cable card, just to record OTA stuff. For those of you who do have one, can you tell us how you like the unit, how the picture looks with recorded stuff, and any other information would be great.

Thanks.I'm just using for OTA and unecrypted cable, and it seems to work fine. That being said, I did return one unit that was showing suspicious signs of impending hard drive failure (after only about three weeks). The replacement has been fine, but I've only had it about two weeks. Pic quality is fine. TVGOS sucks, but you can live with it.

TWinbrook46636

02-10-06, 12:33 AM

OK, my previous host channel of 2 is definitely now mapped to a QAM-256 channel from the cable card that comcast supplies, and it looks better of course, than the analog. Channel 97 indicates that it still is an analog channel, and looks like it as well.

Channel 97 is the channel Comcast typically uses on ADS as an analog duplicate of the local station that broadcasts TVGOS data. They do this specifically so TVGOS users don't lose their listings. Is your unit using 2 or 97 as a host channel?

jrog

02-10-06, 12:50 AM

You are correct. Your area is on digital simulcast and your card has been provisioned as digital with a single analog channel that will deliver TVGOS data.

Don't drive yourself crazy with resets, etc. You have two choices at this point:

1) Insist that your cableco find out why channel 97 is not passing guide data properly. Your VBI test passes, but something is wrong with the cableco's equipment or setup.

2) Ask the cableco to provision your card as analog. You will lose some quality on analog channels, but you will receive your guide data properly, just as you did without the card. When they figure out the problem with 97, you can go back to digital provisioning.

The card can be hit remotely to make the change (with the unit ON). If the change doesn't take effect after a reboot, you MAY have to remove and reinsert the card, which necessitates re-doing your guide channel order, etc. I think that is what I had to do when I had a situation similar to yours several months ago.

This seems to be exactly what the problem is. I'd rather take the quality hit, considering I pretty much only record in HD, and have real guide data. Should Comcast be able to take care of this if I call them? will they have any idea what I'm talking about? Most don't have a clue. In fact, it wasn't until 4 months ago that they even knew what a cable card was.

Jrog

jrog

02-10-06, 12:57 AM

Channel 97 is the channel Comcast typically uses on ADS as an analog duplicate of the local station that broadcasts TVGOS data. They do this specifically so TVGOS users don't lose their listings. Is your unit using 2 or 97 as a host channel?

It's using 97. They must have an error on this channel, as indicated in the other post. I would think it would be the same channel, but just tricked into another slot on my system. I guess not, as I'm not getting data on that channel.

I'd be happy to call about this, but I get the feeling nobody is going to know what I'm talking about. Is there a TVGOS number to call to report problems? or do I have to take it all up with Comcast?

I suppose there's a chance that they know this is a problem, and they are already working on it, but... who knows.

Thanks,

jrog

andydrew

02-10-06, 01:51 AM

Earlier in this thread, a Sony tech was quoted as saying that the latest firmware was needed to enable TVGOS via digital (rather than analog) when it becomes available. While I wouldn't call this 100% reliable by any means, I wouldn't take the chance that without the 1.2.13 my unit will become unusable in 2009.

There was also another posting in the thread that Sony had made the DVR's compliant with TVGOS via digital from the beginning.

I guess we will find out in 2009 or beyond if we are still using these :)

andydrew

02-10-06, 01:57 AM

Thanks for all the info on this unit. I got one of the last ones today, (I wanted to get 2 but couldn't) had to have it shipped from California, it'll be here Monday. I can't believe how fast these units went. Also surprised that no one else is doing the price cut (BB, CC, Frys). Maybe they're doing because of the cable card issues?

But after reading these posts, now I'm a little worried about this unit. I don't plan on using a cable card, just to record OTA stuff. For those of you who do have one, can you tell us how you like the unit, how the picture looks with recorded stuff, and any other information would be great.

Thanks.

For $249 you can't go wrong. If you are planning to use it for OTA only, you should not have any problem as long as you can receive the analog channel in your area that transmits the TV Guide.

Picture quality is excellent.

Ray1938

02-10-06, 03:19 AM

It's using 97. They must have an error on this channel, as indicated in the other post. I would think it would be the same channel, but just tricked into another slot on my system. I guess not, as I'm not getting data on that channel.

I'd be happy to call about this, but I get the feeling nobody is going to know what I'm talking about. Is there a TVGOS number to call to report problems? or do I have to take it all up with Comcast?

I suppose there's a chance that they know this is a problem, and they are already working on it, but... who knows.

Thanks,

jrog

If the clock shows the correct time I urge you not to do a reset since you can record shows manually until the guide shows up. If you reset, and the clock is not updated, the recorder is useless until the problem is fixed. It's possible that the program data will appear after a while. Only place you can go for help is Comcast. You need to get to a tech who understands the problem.

Ray1938

02-10-06, 03:41 AM

I'm just using for OTA and unecrypted cable, and it seems to work fine. That being said, I did return one unit that was showing suspicious signs of impending hard drive failure (after only about three weeks). The replacement has been fine, but I've only had it about two weeks. Pic quality is fine. TVGOS sucks, but you can live with it.

I've had my 250 since mid June. The unit has worked perfectly with both cable (not card) and ota, except for two tv guide signal problems, and occasional loss of a scheduled program. I like the TVGOS, which makes it very easy to set recordings - much better than with a VCR. It may suck compared to TIVO but it's free.

Steve Roess

02-10-06, 08:41 AM

coastaltony

02-10-06, 09:22 AM

Where can I get an HDD 250 for $249.00? I will only record a few programs and watch them later. BTW, my local antenna farm was recently re-located 8 miles from my house.

cheneyp

02-10-06, 09:38 AM

Where can I get an HDD 250 for $249.00? I will only record a few programs and watch them later. BTW, my local antenna farm was recently re-located 8 miles from my house.

Don't know about an HDD 250 but if you can find one still left at Tweeter you can get an HDD 500....

jrog

02-10-06, 09:48 AM

Don't know about an HDD 250 but if you can find one still left at Tweeter you can get an HDD 500....

I went in to my local tweeter in NH, and they reported having 140 of them in the company at various stores. They were selling the 500 for 249 and the 250 for 499. Doesn't make sense, but ok. I ordered a pair to replace my recently purchased 250, which I still have the receipt. If you want a 500 real bad, I'd call a tweeter store directly and see what they can do. You may be able to get it shipped.

jrog

coastaltony

02-10-06, 09:50 AM

A quick search and I found HDD 500's for $649.00, plus $22.00 for shipping. SWEET

coastaltony

02-10-06, 09:58 AM

I went in to my local tweeter in NH, and they reported having 140 of them in the company at various stores. They were selling the 500 for 249 and the 250 for 499. Doesn't make sense, but ok. I ordered a pair to replace my recently purchased 250, which I still have the receipt. If you want a 500 real bad, I'd call a tweeter store directly and see what they can do. You may be able to get it shipped.

jrogI just called Tweeter and they want $699.00 for the 500.

PhillyC

02-10-06, 10:00 AM

This seems to be exactly what the problem is. I'd rather take the quality hit, considering I pretty much only record in HD, and have real guide data. Should Comcast be able to take care of this if I call them? will they have any idea what I'm talking about? Most don't have a clue. In fact, it wasn't until 4 months ago that they even knew what a cable card was.

Jrog

Insist on speaking to a tech supervisor. By now they should be aware of how these things work. SOMEONE knows, which is why channel 97 is on your system. The broadcast signal has to pass through various pieces of equipment at your cableco. It's likely that the guide data is getting corrupted somewhere along the way. Unless you can find someone with the authority to fix this quickly, just ask them to provision your card as analog for now.

We all know what you mean about CSR's with zero knowledge. Heck, it took three months just to get my card working! I had to go to my local office in person and insist on speaking to a supervisor. This meant waiting in line for a long time with a motley crew of customers who were trying to pay their cable bills to avoid losing service or to get their service reinsated. But I got a nice woman who wrote a note to a tech supervisor who actually called me back later that day. I've been in touch with him ever since. And it still took outside intervention from someone with a contact higher up at Comcast to get my card working.

It ain't easy, but don't give up!

Wolfie

02-10-06, 10:18 AM

riffjim4069

02-10-06, 10:28 AM

I was impressed with the HDD500 I picked up the other day so I managed to get a 2nd one (last opened box) yesterday afternoon at a local Tweeters. Although not quite as slick as my Dish 942 (and having only a single tuner makes this device impractical for every day use IMO), it works perfectly for recording all of our HD OTA sports and series; saves me from constantly having to reclaim space on the 942.

Ok, a couple of quick questions:

1. Three of my cable in-the-clear HD channels won't remap from their physical QAM channel to their assigned cable channel number (i.e. QAM 78.1 vice Cable 707). Needless to say, 78.1 doesn't show up in the TVGOS nor does it display program data. I've contacted the cable company, but is there anyway to fix this in TVGOS?

2. After finding a host channel I am prompted with multiple choices for my provider...so I take a best guess. The on screen displays tells me to contact my cable company, but they don't have a clue. Is there an online reference for these codes?

Thanks...

snowmoon

02-10-06, 10:30 AM

I just called Tweeter and they want $699.00 for the 500.

They need to check their computer.. go in and tell them you want it on clearance.

Oh, while most people here use the default color scheme, the yellow text is unreadable against the light/white background that I have it set to ( AVS White theme ).

jrog

02-10-06, 10:34 AM

I just called Tweeter and they want $699.00 for the 500.

Tweeter
2001 Woodbury Ave.
Portsmouth , NH 03801
Phone: 603-436-3339

Call this store, and ask for Gary. He took care of me earlier this week, and knows exactly what's going on with this deal. He knows that they are discontinued.

jrog

jrog

02-10-06, 10:36 AM

Insist on speaking to a tech supervisor. By now they should be aware of how these things work. SOMEONE knows, which is why channel 97 is on your system. The broadcast signal has to pass through various pieces of equipment at your cableco. It's likely that the guide data is getting corrupted somewhere along the way. Unless you can find someone with the authority to fix this quickly, just ask them to provision your card as analog for now.

We all know what you mean about CSR's with zero knowledge. Heck, it took three months just to get my card working! I had to go to my local office in person and insist on speaking to a supervisor. This meant waiting in line for a long time with a motley crew of customers who were trying to pay their cable bills to avoid losing service or to get their service reinsated. But I got a nice woman who wrote a note to a tech supervisor who actually called me back later that day. I've been in touch with him ever since. And it still took outside intervention from someone with a contact higher up at Comcast to get my card working.

It ain't easy, but don't give up!

email from comcast

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

Dear Justin Rogers,

Thank you for taking the time to write us.

We currently only offer that one cable card model at this time.

The channel lineup should still exist in WGBH's digital simulcast equivalent channel that the cable card receives.

We are not aware of any problems with the guide available through this avenue in your area.

Thank you for the opportunity to assist you. If you need further assistance with any of your Comcast services please reply to this email and we will be happy to assist you. Thank you again for choosing Comcast we appreciate your business. To visit our local support page including links to contact us via Live Chat, as well as many downloadable forms,and FAQ pages, please visit: http://www.comcast.com/nesupport/

Did you know that Comcast offers its customers a variety of free benefits? These include McAfee Antivirus, Firewall and Privacy software as well the Comcast tool bar that lets you take Comcast.net with you while you surf, and the Desktop Doctor to help you restore lost settings...plus much more, please visit http://www.comcast.net/downloads/ to see all of the extras that we provide.

Sincerely,
Craig

Comcast Electronic Customer Care - New England

You can email us anytime by replying to this email or by clicking the "Contact Comcast" link found on the bottom of all www.Comcast.net and www.Comcast.com webpages. Our Electronic Customer Support teams are available to assist you 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

**************************************************

The response contained in this message is intended for the addressee only and may vary from other responses depending on geography, promotional campaigns or other factors. If you are not the intended recipient of this response, please delete this message. Any unauthorized use or dissemination of the information contained in this message is prohibited.

**************************************************

Original Message Follows:
-------------------------

Name: Justin*Rogers

Category: Comcast Cable Television

Sub-Category: Service

Hi, I have a Sony DHG-HD500 HD Cable recorder, and it has a Comcast Cable Card in it as well. The box is supposed to download TV GUIDE updates on WGBH 2, but now that the cable card is in, WGBH 2 is no longer an analog channel. Can I get my cable card switched to allow the analog channels to be analog again? Or, channel 97 has been mapped to be the analog channel for WGBH, but my box won't download the guide. Can this be fixed? Please let me know what can be done, as I would like a fix for this. Thanks, Justin Rogers

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

jrog

02-10-06, 10:43 AM

I had to go to my local office in person and insist on speaking to a supervisor. This meant waiting in line for a long time with a motley crew of customers who were trying to pay their cable bills to avoid losing service or to get their service reinsated. But I got a nice woman who wrote a note to a tech supervisor who actually called me back later that day. I've been in touch with him ever since. And it still took outside intervention from someone with a contact higher up at Comcast to get my card working.

It ain't easy, but don't give up!

There is a local office here where I am, and there seems to be a guy there most days that actually knows what I'm talking about. I think getting on the phone or sending emails will just get lost in the big shuffle, unless I'm not phrasing things right. As far as provisioning the card to only have the Digital channels mapped to digital slots, that sounds like the best thing right now, but not the best in the long run. I will have to go in tomorrow and check this out. I'm getting my new in box 500s today, so I will hook them up without cable card for now, and they should be fine.

Also, can I switch my cable card from one box to another, call comcast, and have them update everything over the phone, or do I have to have a tech come to my house again??

jrog

spiff72

02-10-06, 10:52 AM

I just called Tweeter and they want $699.00 for the 500.

I am guessing you called the web site phone number and not a local store. You are quoting the web price - not the in-store price.

spiff72

02-10-06, 10:55 AM

Ok, a couple of quick questions:

1. Three of my cable in-the-clear HD channels won't remap from their physical QAM channel to their assigned cable channel number (i.e. QAM 78.1 vice Cable 707). Needless to say, 78.1 doesn't show up in the TVGOS nor does it display program data. I've contacted the cable company, but is there anyway to fix this in TVGOS?

Thanks...

You should be able to go into the channel display editor (under the Settings menu bar) in the guide screens. Find the channel that you want on the right side (707 cable), press select on this channel and a menu will appear on the left. Change the tune channel to 78.1. This will map the tune channel to the guide channel.

spetersba

02-10-06, 11:24 AM

You think they would ship one to California, or is this just local pickup ?

jmonier

02-10-06, 11:49 AM

Gentlemen (and maybe a lady or two). What does it mean when the TVGOS only shows a partial listing of the digital channels I get with the tuner and a bunch of other duplicate analog channels and what can I do to get all the digitals to the TVGOS?

Wolfie

Unfortunately they do not have a complete listing of ALL the digital channels. This is true here in LA and, from other comments, appears to be true all over the country.

In many cases, this can be fixed by remapping channels. For instance, if the digital channel carries the identical programming to an analog channel which IS listed, change the analog channel number to the digital channel number and sub-channel. In other cases, there may be a good listing pointing to a different (or just plain wrong) channel. There may also be some listings with a blank channel number. These all can be remapped.

If this doesn't do it then you're out of luck. It's just one of the ways in which the TVGOS system is less than perfect.

spiff72

02-10-06, 11:54 AM

You think they would ship one to California, or is this just local pickup ?

Did you check with any stores in California? I tried to get a friend to pick up a couple from the Mission Viejo store, but they were out.

jmonier

02-10-06, 12:14 PM

There was also another posting in the thread that Sony had made the DVR's compliant with TVGOS via digital from the beginning.

I guess we will find out in 2009 or beyond if we are still using these :)

I believe that posting was based on the fact that there are ATSC (digital) screens in the TVGOS software now. This is true but it doesn't mean that the Sony firmware has the hooks necessary for it to be usable. For my part, I would depend a lot more on a tech's statement than on an assumption about what service screens in the TVGOS software mean.

Of course, none of this information is definitive. We will know for sure when the the digital TVGOS is rolled out (they're installing equipment now). I just want to make sure that all the information is available so that people can make an informed decision. Remember that many units are still in warranty so it will be significantly cheaper to upgrade right now. Also, since they have been discontinued, I don't know how long competent service for them will be available.

Bill R (# 2)

02-10-06, 12:19 PM

You should be able to go into the channel display editor (under the Settings menu bar) in the guide screens. Find the channel that you want on the right side (707 cable), press select on this channel and a menu will appear on the left. Change the tune channel to 78.1. This will map the tune channel to the guide channel.

I have a somewhat different TVGOS problem. I had all my channels set up and working correctly. A few days ago I decided to change the order of my channels. When I go into setup and move them they go to the new location but when I exit setup and then go back into TVG they are not in the order that I put them in. Another problem that I am seeing is that if I turn off a channel in the TV guide the listings for that channel still appear. When I go into TVG setup that channel is still off. It is as though the setup is locked and whatever changes I make won't take effect. Sony suggests a reset (wipes out all guide data). Anyone have any other ideas?

andydrew

02-10-06, 12:49 PM

I just called the Tweeter's store at the Sports Arena in San Diego. They still have the HDD500's available at $249. They told me that most of the stores in the region still have some but the remaining units are open box or floor models.

There are 4 Tweeter stores in central San Diego and another 4 stores in outlying areas.

riffjim4069

02-10-06, 12:50 PM

coastaltony

02-10-06, 12:52 PM

I just got back from a local Sound Advice with a HHD 500 for $249.00. SWEETER

bsather

02-10-06, 12:55 PM

snowmoon

02-10-06, 12:59 PM

I know that Sony does not recommend connecting a cable box to the HDD500, but if I wanted to temporarily connect my HD cable box to record something off of TNT-HD would it work?

Thanks in advance for any help.
Bjorn

You could but IIRC since there are no HD inputs it would have to be in SD letterboxed through the antenna connector.

Bill R (# 2)

02-10-06, 01:08 PM

I believe that posting was based on the fact that there are ATSC (digital) screens in the TVGOS software now. This is true but it doesn't mean that the Sony firmware has the hooks necessary for it to be usable. For my part, I would depend a lot more on a tech's statement than on an assumption about what service screens in the TVGOS software mean.

When I finished speaking to Sony this morning about a TVG problem that I am having I asked about what would happen to our units when NTSC stations go off the air or cable systems go all digital (ours plans to do that next year). She did some checking and said that the two Sony models (the 250 and 500) would require a software update and, according to her, it isn't available yet. According to Sony, the TVG software for the Sony DVRs (NOT the Sony software) can be updated from the analog station that we currently get the guide data from. She had no information when (and if) this is going to be done and she did not know how a Sony software update would be done. She asked if I wanted her to put in note in my account (and pass it on to management) about my concern that these units may be, more or less, way less functional (for automatic recording) in three years. I told her I did and she also suggested that I call the Sony Style line, (877) 865-7669, and ask them about this question. I haven't called them yet (I don't think that they will have an answer) but this is something that does concern me and I wish the vendors (Sony and TVG) would give us the stright story on this.

LimeyGreg

02-10-06, 01:26 PM

I called Tweeter in Palm Desert on Monday and was told they had five on hand and the sales guy said he would put one aside for me, I was going to be at Salton Sea on Thursday and would pick it up on the way back to L.A.

I checked Wednesday that they still had mine and was informed that the four new units had been spoken for prior to me reserving one but the sales guy I spoke to hadn't been told and he'd been off Tuesday and Wednesday - boy was I bummed out.

However, the display model was still available, all the parts were there but no box. I picked it up yesterday :) Now I need to find someone in our IT dept that is a wiz with Linux and maybe he can figure out what makes the 500 different to the 250. Maybe if we cloned the drives from the 500 and put them into a 250 that would get around the issues of upgrading the 250 to a 500.

They told me that Tweeter had more orders than they had units for, I'm not sure if he was talking nationwide or just SoCal. 30 plus HDD500's now listed on eBay so you can still get one albeit not at $250 though.

Greg.

jmonier

02-10-06, 01:29 PM

When I finished speaking to Sony this morning about a TVG problem that I am having I asked about what would happen to our units when NTSC stations go off the air or cable systems go all digital (ours plans to do that next year). She did some checking and said that the two Sony models (the 250 and 500) would require a software update and, according to her, it isn't available yet. According to Sony, the TVG software for the Sony DVRs (NOT the Sony software) can be updated from the analog station that we currently get the guide data from. She had no information when (and if) this is going to be done and she did not know how a Sony software update would be done. She asked if I wanted her to put in note in my account (and pass it on to management) about my concern that these units may be, more or less, way less functional (for automatic recording) in three years. I told her I did and she also suggested that I call the Sony Style line, (877) 865-7669, and ask them about this question. I haven't called them yet (I don't think that they will have an answer) but this is something that does concern me and I wish the vendors (Sony and TVG) would give us the stright story on this.

Thanks for posting this information. It's not very encouraging but it's better than no information. I'm hoping she's wrong about the update not being available yet but it certainly could be true. You never know what's correct and what is just somebody's guess. I really wonder if Sony would spend any more effort on a discontinued model.

As she said, the TVGOS software is able to be upgraded over the air. There have been several updates already so that side is solid. It just depends on the Sony side being compatible with the new TVGOS features.

snowmoon

02-10-06, 01:41 PM

As she said, the TVGOS software is able to be upgraded over the air. There have been several updates already so that side is solid. It just depends on the Sony side being compatible with the new TVGOS features.

Or SONY releasing enough information for linux geeks to integrate another guide provider. We know the USB port can be used for upgrades, so I would bet that with some coaxing it could be used for ethernet or phone. I would be more than happy if a small community sprung up to support these devices in the medium to long term as they are a huge value. I could not only imagine guide data over ethernet, but scheduling recordings as well. That would be a hoot!

SONY, take advantage of this opportunity to embrace the Linux community and make your customers happy!

spiff72

02-10-06, 02:02 PM

Or SONY releasing enough information for linux geeks to integrate another guide provider. We know the USB port can be used for upgrades, so I would bet that with some coaxing it could be used for ethernet or phone. I would be more than happy if a small community sprung up to support these devices in the medium to long term as they are a huge value. I could not only imagine guide data over ethernet, but scheduling recordings as well. That would be a hoot!

SONY, take advantage of this opportunity to embrace the Linux community and make your customers happy!

That sort of thing happening would really be great.

I doubt that it will happen though, since TVGOS will probably need to give their permission. I don't see them letting the public mess with their software, unless it became something like a MythTV box, and removed TVGOS completely.

It would have to be very stable before I would consider this, though. And I would like a way to go back to the original if I wasn't happy with the hacked version.

jrog

02-10-06, 02:15 PM

Just picked up two 500s at my local Tweeter. The guy said they are going fast, and they will probably run out within 2 weeks. This is New in Box for $249. I'm gonna use it without the cable card for now, as I know I can get all my guide data properly, but I'm gonna need a card in there sooner or later, as Sopranos starts on March 12th...

My unit that's having problems with the guide, I'm just gonna have to ride it out, and try to get this all figured out through Comcast.

Is it true that I can get my cable card provisioned for the Analog channels to truely be analog, and the digital channels to be available too?

jrog

bierboy

02-10-06, 02:22 PM

...I could not only imagine guide data over ethernet, but scheduling recordings as well.......just as TiVo does.

Bill R (# 2)

02-10-06, 02:28 PM

Is it true that I can get my cable card provisioned for the Analog channels to truely be analog, and the digital channels to be available too?

jrog

It depends on the cable company, but generally the answer is yes. A few cable companies are offering ONLY digital channels to NEW subscribers. All the "old" analog channels are being mirrored in the digital tier (they are QAM). Other cable companies still don't have all their channels available in digital and you will get the true analog channel (they are NTSC).

edit4ever

02-10-06, 03:07 PM

PhillyC

02-10-06, 03:18 PM

Is it true that I can get my cable card provisioned for the Analog channels to truely be analog, and the digital channels to be available too?

jrog

They are broadcasting both (digital simulcast). We are talking about channels in the 2-99 range. Which set of channels you receive is controlled by the cableco mapping in your account. You will not get both at the same time, even though they are both present. (It's possible you may see a few duplicates at times when the cable people are experimenting with the system.)

If they remap your card to receive the analogs, then that is what you will get.

Meanwhile, someone needs to figure out why, if 97 is a duplicate of 2, the host data is lost on 97.

TWinbrook46636

02-10-06, 03:21 PM

This is just speculation and I may be mistaken but I believe bierboy likes TiVo. :p

TWinbrook46636

02-10-06, 03:25 PM

When I finished speaking to Sony this morning about a TVG problem that I am having I asked about what would happen to our units when NTSC stations go off the air or cable systems go all digital (ours plans to do that next year). She did some checking and said that the two Sony models (the 250 and 500) would require a software update and, according to her, it isn't available yet. According to Sony, the TVG software for the Sony DVRs (NOT the Sony software) can be updated from the analog station that we currently get the guide data from. She had no information when (and if) this is going to be done and she did not know how a Sony software update would be done. She asked if I wanted her to put in note in my account (and pass it on to management) about my concern that these units may be, more or less, way less functional (for automatic recording) in three years. I told her I did and she also suggested that I call the Sony Style line, (877) 865-7669, and ask them about this question. I haven't called them yet (I don't think that they will have an answer) but this is something that does concern me and I wish the vendors (Sony and TVG) would give us the stright story on this.

If Sony supported these half as well as they do their PSP we would be all set.

spiff72

02-10-06, 03:42 PM

A. Vandelay

02-10-06, 03:45 PM

Just picked up two 500s at my local Tweeter.
jrog

jrog,

What city are you in?

videojanitor

02-10-06, 03:58 PM

Heheh...I would like to get someone to do this for me as well!

I think we would ALL like this! What's amazing to me is the reports that these things are flying off the shelves. Outside of forums like this, how many people could possibly be aware of this deal?? It's not publicized anywhere that I've seen.

bierboy

02-10-06, 03:59 PM

This is just speculation and I may be mistaken but I believe bierboy likes TiVo. :pSorry, I'm a shameless TiVo supporter :D. But the Sony is doing its job, so I'll keep using it.

TWinbrook46636

02-10-06, 04:04 PM

So the TVGOS firmware is automatically updated from the station broadcasting the listings data? What is the latest version and where do I find it? On the G* Test screen it says version 08.01.42 on mine. Is that it?

I also noticed in one of the 753159852 screens it says something like Modem Present: No and Call State: Inactive. Anyone know what this means?

DvdJags

02-10-06, 04:38 PM

I think we would ALL like this! What's amazing to me is the reports that these things are flying off the shelves. Outside of forums like this, how many people could possibly be aware of this deal?? It's not publicized anywhere that I've seen.
Good thing it was not posted at that fat forum. There would be no more if it had been. I HATE EBAYERS! :mad:

srnile

02-10-06, 05:13 PM

Good thing it was not posted at that fat forum. There would be no more if it had been. I HATE EBAYERS! :mad:

I agree, this never made to the deal sites. I don't think the Fats would know what to do with it other than sell on ebay.

Please, lets keep this deal in the family !!!

srnile

02-10-06, 05:18 PM

So the TVGOS firmware is automatically updated from the station broadcasting the listings data? What is the latest version and where do I find it? On the G* Test screen it says version 08.01.42 on mine. Is that it?

I also noticed in one of the 753159852 screens it says something like Modem Present: No and Call State: Inactive. Anyone know what this means?

I think Sony had some grandiose plans for this thing.

edit4ever

02-10-06, 05:20 PM

If someone wants to pick up an extra one of these DHG-HDD500s for $250 and is willing to ship it out - I will throw in an extra $50 for their trouble. We do not have Tweeter stores in Colorado and I would love to get one of these. PM me and we can setup a paypal transfer or some other form of payment if you prefer!

Guess I was hoping someone would sympathize with those of us without access to the deal but who crave an affordable HD DVR solution. If you do find yourself in a Tweeter store and they have an extra box - the offer still stands! Thanks!

srnile

02-10-06, 05:26 PM

If someone wants to pick up an extra one of these DHG-HDD500s for $250 and is willing to ship it out - I will throw in an extra $50 for their trouble. We do not have Tweeter stores in Colorado and I would love to get one of these. PM me and we can setup a paypal transfer or some other form of payment if you prefer!

If you don't live near Tweeter I would consider
1) an open box at Bestbuy
2) find a deal on ebay(plenty for sale now).
3) Have a friend buy who lives near Tweeter

These are the safest ways to purchase one.

jrog

02-10-06, 05:30 PM

jrog,

What city are you in?

I'm in portsmouth, NH... the guy told me they came from Connecticut.

Jrog

BeakerSC

02-10-06, 05:43 PM

Just got off the phone with the Tweeter store in Columbia, SC and they are out of the HDD500...and confirmed that they're $249. He checked, and for this district for which I'm unaware of the borders, they have 46 units and 49 reservations. Zoiks!

He said to call back in a couple days and see if someone decided not to take theirs (yeah, sure.)

jmonier

02-10-06, 05:43 PM

So the TVGOS firmware is automatically updated from the station broadcasting the listings data? What is the latest version and where do I find it? On the G* Test screen it says version 08.01.42 on mine. Is that it?

Look just to the right of the 08.01.42 in the first 753159852 screen and you should see 08.06.30 if you have the latest. The date below (Jan 2005) doesn't change

I also noticed in one of the 753159852 screens it says something like Modem Present: No and Call State: Inactive. Anyone know what this means?

I believe that the same TVGOS software is designed to work in a great variety of boxes and this is for a box that uses a telephone line. I suspect that no manufacturer has taken advantage of it, however.

jrog

02-10-06, 05:55 PM

Just got off the phone with the Tweeter store in Columbia, SC and they are out of the HDD500...and confirmed that they're $249. He checked, and for this district for which I'm unaware of the borders, they have 46 units and 49 reservations. Zoiks!

He said to call back in a couple days and see if someone decided not to take theirs (yeah, sure.)

A friend of mine just called me, and they said the same thing. All committed units for the New England region are accounted for, and he had the option of buying the only floor model for $249, without a remote, and I told him to still take it.

These things flew outta there, but MAYBE someone will change their minds, although I doubt it.

jrog

andydrew

02-10-06, 06:06 PM

Guess I was hoping someone would sympathize with those of us without access to the deal but who crave an affordable HD DVR solution. If you do find yourself in a Tweeter store and they have an extra box - the offer still stands! Thanks!

Good luck with that wish :) Considering that they are getting a 100% premium on eBay even with the reduced pricing.

foxfan

02-10-06, 06:27 PM

Since these models are discontinued, has anyone heard if Sony will be releasing new models this summer (hopefully some with Firewire)???

jrog

02-10-06, 07:07 PM

They are broadcasting both (digital simulcast). We are talking about channels in the 2-99 range. Which set of channels you receive is controlled by the cableco mapping in your account. You will not get both at the same time, even though they are both present. (It's possible you may see a few duplicates at times when the cable people are experimenting with the system.)

If they remap your card to receive the analogs, then that is what you will get.

Meanwhile, someone needs to figure out why, if 97 is a duplicate of 2, the host data is lost on 97.

OK, Glorious Day!! I come home from work, powered on the DVR, and all my channels have guide info!! Maybe my email to Comcast flagged a problem, maybe it just took a little while to start working, who knows... I'm very happy with this box, and have encouraged people to get them where possible. I thought a 250 at $500 was a good deal, so a 500 at $500 is still a good deal IMO... a 500 at $250, well that's just insanely good!

Thanks for helping me with the advanced feature menus. Now I have the best of everything.

jrog

PhillyC

02-10-06, 07:13 PM

OK, Glorious Day!! I come home from work, powered on the DVR, and all my channels have guide info!!

Congrats! You will get a lot of use and enjoyment out of the Sony.

c1courtney

02-10-06, 07:16 PM

Anybody know if there are issues with 1.2.05 Firmware when accessing encrypted channels with a CableCARD (Motorola card)? I installed a card today and TWC say's it's active but I can't get any of the encrypted channels.

Also, does anybody have the files for 1.2.13 Firmware posted?

CCourtney

jtbell

02-10-06, 07:46 PM

Just got off the phone with the Tweeter store in Columbia, SC and they are out of the HDD500...and confirmed that they're $249. He checked, and for this district for which I'm unaware of the borders, they have 46 units and 49 reservations.

On Tuesday I got the last one (a floor sample) that was still available for immediate pickup at the Columbia store. The clerk told me that if I wanted another one, the store in Greenville might have one, but I'd better call first. I'm sure it was snapped up quickly.

After I got back, I posted asking about how to control two units without "dueling remotes", and was directed to the code 50/51 setting in the preferences. I now have my Harmony remote set up to control both my "old" 250 and new 500 separately. As someone suggested, I had to create a new "device" for the 500 starting from the codes in the Harmony database, then have it learn all the buttons on my "code 51" remote. A bit tedious, but it didn't take too long, less than a half hour.

TWinbrook46636

02-10-06, 08:04 PM

I believe that the same TVGOS software is designed to work in a great variety of boxes and this is for a box that uses a telephone line. I suspect that no manufacturer has taken advantage of it, however.

I don't think Gemstar offers TVGOS via telephone line though do they? It's a shame as there are a lot of things you can do with a USB port. Modem, Router, Wireless, etc.

avnstf

02-10-06, 08:13 PM

Since these models are discontinued, has anyone heard if Sony will be releasing new models this summer (hopefully some with Firewire)???
all I've seen anywhere is pure speculation.

As for firewire, I think Sony left that out on purpose, and I have the feeling that the latest jugements on copyright protection will make them even more firm in that decision, because they'll have - if anything - even less ability to control HD recording from TV material. After all, the comparable device that preceded the Hdd-250/500 by a year (the LG 3410a) DOES have firewire, demonstrating it's not that big a deal...Sony presumably left it out on purpose.

Of course this, too, is speculation. And - to contradict my presumption - I gather that the sony XBR960 HDTV DOES have firewire, so who the heck knows WHAT Sony is thinking?

Ray1938

02-10-06, 08:21 PM

That's what I thought, but channel 707 (ABC) did not shown up when I went into the channel editor...yet; same thing with HDNet Movies. Maybe I'll give it another day or two to populate. On a bright note, HDNet displayed as being OFF so I should be able to edit that channel.
Are you sure you selected the correct cable company option?

You won't be able to receive HDNet movies without a cable card, and I assume you don't have one yet since ABC is not on channel 707. My guide lists all the cable channels but I don't get most of them because I don't have a cable card.

rcodey

02-10-06, 08:26 PM

I called a Tweeter store in Conn. on Monday.They had 3 units.I purchased one,but it had problems,so I retuned it Thursday for another unit.They still had the other unit available.They aren't flying off the shelves at that one store.

rcodey

02-10-06, 08:47 PM

[QUOTE=jmonier]Look just to the right of the 08.01.42 in the first 753159852 screen and you should see 08.06.30 if you have the latest. The date below (Jan 2005) doesn't change

On my unit to the right of 08.01.42 are seventeen 0's followed by 12C/64/0000.BTW I've been waiting 36 hours for the clock time and the guide to be downloaded.Do all those zeros mean I'm in trouble?

TWinbrook46636

02-10-06, 08:57 PM

Look just to the right of the 08.01.42 in the first 753159852 screen and you should see 08.06.30 if you have the latest. The date below (Jan 2005) doesn't change.

On my unit to the right of 08.01.42 are seventeen 0's followed by 12C/64/0000.BTW I've been waiting 36 hours for the clock time and the guide to be downloaded.Do all those zeros mean I'm in trouble?

I think it means the latest TVGOS firmware/software update hasn't been received yet which makes sense as you have not received any TVGOS data at all so far. Does it say whether or not it have aquired a host channel?

jrog

02-10-06, 10:35 PM

A friend of mine just called me, and they said the same thing. All committed units for the New England region are accounted for, and he had the option of buying the only floor model for $249, without a remote, and I told him to still take it.
jrog

OK... I was just helping my friend set up his floor model 500, and when it powered up, it tuned to channel 6, the display said SDout, and there was no audio, and it didn't respond to keypresses on the remote or the front panel. The only thing that you could do, was to turn it on and off with the button on the front, or reboot by holding the two buttons on the front right. I tried rebooting several times, and it was unresponsive. Also, there was very weak audio. Is this just a bone? or is it salvageable? That's what 30 day returns are for...

-jrog

rjih

02-10-06, 10:40 PM

Is there another link to reach the faq for the DHG-HD500 other than http://pvr.hidyman.com or 69.218.160.155?

rcodey

02-10-06, 11:32 PM

I think it means the latest TVGOS firmware/software update hasn't been received yet which makes sense as you have not received any TVGOS data at all so far. Does it say whether or not it have aquired a host channel?

No host ID or Host Ch.Others on this board have confirmed that the host channel is Ch.13(PBS) in NYC. I tried rabbit ears with signal of 55 and no luck.I'm now trying Comcast cable directly into the unit,still nothing since Thursday afternoon.No matter what I do no correct time or guide.Unit is left off and on the host channel.
Putting together my 14 foot satellite dish,installing it and all the components(4 satellite receivers-Cand Ku band) was smoother than just trying to get a HDD-500 to work.

jtbell

02-11-06, 01:22 AM

OK... I was just helping my friend set up his floor model 500, and when it powered up, it tuned to channel 6, the display said SDout, and there was no audio, and it didn't respond to keypresses on the remote or the front panel.

When the unit is set to "SD Out", the menus, TV Guide, etc. all go to the composite and S-Video output instead of the component or HDMI output, and the unit doesn't appear to respond to many keys on the remote if you're using component/HDMI output because the responses are going to the other outputs.

See if it responds to pressing the FORMAT button on the remote. Hold it down a second and you should see "SD Out" on the front panel again. Then press the FORMAT button repeatedly to cycle through the options (1080i, 720p, etc.) and set it to something that your monitor/TV accepts, anything besides "SD Out."

As for the audio, it could be that the audio settings in the Preferences menu are inconsistent with your setup. If you can get the menus to show up, experiment with those settings.

Ray1938

02-11-06, 02:40 AM

OK... I was just helping my friend set up his floor model 500, and when it powered up, it tuned to channel 6, the display said SDout, and there was no audio, and it didn't respond to keypresses on the remote or the front panel. The only thing that you could do, was to turn it on and off with the button on the front, or reboot by holding the two buttons on the front right. I tried rebooting several times, and it was unresponsive. Also, there was very weak audio. Is this just a bone? or is it salvageable? That's what 30 day returns are for...

-jrog

I suggest you put in a fresh set of batteries in the remote in addition to other suggestions.

Ray1938

02-11-06, 02:55 AM

No host ID or Host Ch.Others on this board have confirmed that the host channel is Ch.13(PBS) in NYC. I tried rabbit ears with signal of 55 and no luck.I'm now trying Comcast cable directly into the unit,still nothing since Thursday afternoon.No matter what I do no correct time or guide.Unit is left off and on the host channel.
Putting together my 14 foot satellite dish,installing it and all the components(4 satellite receivers-Cand Ku band) was smoother than just trying to get a HDD-500 to work.

A signal of 55 may be too weak. What kind of picture do you see on channel 13? Another possibility is that channel 13 tvguide equipment is down. Perhaps someone in the NYC area can post information regarding that possibility.

I get PBS station KCET on both Comcast channel 3 and OTA channel 28. I tuned to channel 28 OTA but the recorder chose channel 3. My understanding is that the recorder will seek out the guide station while it is in standby, starting at the lowest channel number. I suggest you leave the unit in standby until the time gets set. Then turn on the unit and you should see a screen asking you to select your cable company.

I assume you went through the full setup process, entering your zip code, doing a channel scan, etc.

Ray1938

02-11-06, 03:02 AM

Is there another link to reach the faq for the DHG-HD500 other than http://pvr.hidyman.com or 69.218.160.155?

I assume that the person who took on the FAQ task just dumped the project. You can find some FAQs on the Sony web site. You can find lots of stuff on this thread. To speed up the process, I suggest you either do a search of this thread for a specific topic or just post your question and wait for an answer.

andydrew

02-11-06, 03:12 AM

I assume that the person who took on the FAQ task just dumped the project. You can find some FAQs on the Sony web site. You can find lots of stuff on this thread. To speed up the process, I suggest you either do a search of this thread for a specific topic or just post your question and wait for an answer.

The faq site is up. Unfortunately the publisher of the faq site did not seem to register the name in DNS.

To get there, enter this into your hosts file (in Windows XP it is in the folder windows\system32\drivers\etc)

69.218.160.155 pvr.hidyman.com

make sure when you save the file it does not inherit a file extension of .txt - should have no file extension.

then you should be able to go to pvr.hidyman.com in your browser.

rjih

02-11-06, 07:24 AM

The faq site is up. Unfortunately the publisher of the faq site did not seem to register the name in DNS.

To get there, enter this into your hosts file (in Windows XP it is in the folder windows\system32\drivers\etc)

69.218.160.155 pvr.hidyman.com

make sure when you save the file it does not inherit a file extension of .txt - should have no file extension.

then you should be able to go to pvr.hidyman.com in your browser.

I have explicitly followed your instructions and it does not work for me. I am open to other suggestions. If someone can reach the site would you copy the data and save it in PDF format and post it here.

drm2295

02-11-06, 08:27 AM

cheneyp

02-11-06, 08:31 AM

I have explicitly followed your instructions and it does not work for me. I am open to other suggestions. If someone can reach the site would you copy the data and save it in PDF format and post it here.

I actually got the page to load yesterday. It hadn't worked last week when I tried so I decided to try again. I switched to another window while it was loading figuring it wouldn't work. About 1/2 hour later I tried the window and it was there! Printed it out. He is still updating it as there was a "Last Update" of 2/10/06...Of course, I can't get to it today...I'll scan what I printed when I get to work Monday and post it here if nobody else has gotten it to work by then.

edit: Looks like someone got it already!

bierboy

02-11-06, 09:10 AM

Loads fine on my Mac....takes a little time, that's all.

Bill R (# 2)

02-11-06, 11:32 AM

I have explicitly followed your instructions and it does not work for me.

Exactly what are you getting when you try it? An error message, just sits there, or what?

Putting the IP information and domain name in the hosts file does work. I have to wonder if some people could be putting the information in the wrong file. Some applications install a hosts files so you could have several files by that name on your system.

Alan58

02-11-06, 11:35 AM

Yeah, I think the east coast stores still have them in stock. I called a few of them on Wednesday and they said I could get one but I had to pay for shipping, since it was out of region. I was finally able to get one out of California and they're shipping it to the store here for free.

After reading this post, and losing the bid at Ebay, I remembered I have a great online golfing buddie who lives on the east coast. I checked the Tweeters site and he has three stores within 14 miles of his house. I emailed him this morning and he calls to say he put one on hold and is on his way to pick it up. New, in the box. $249 plus 5% tax and $20 for shipping. This site is terrific! :D :D :D :D

rcodey

02-11-06, 12:16 PM

A signal of 55 may be too weak. What kind of picture do you see on channel 13? Another possibility is that channel 13 tvguide equipment is down. Perhaps someone in the NYC area can post information regarding that possibility.

I get PBS station KCET on both Comcast channel 3 and OTA channel 28. I tuned to channel 28 OTA but the recorder chose channel 3. My understanding is that the recorder will seek out the guide station while it is in standby, starting at the lowest channel number. I suggest you leave the unit in standby until the time gets set. Then turn on the unit and you should see a screen asking you to select your cable company.

I assume you went through the full setup process, entering your zip code, doing a channel scan, etc.

The 55 signal from Comcast is solid.I've gone thru the entire setup process. Now waiting 48hours for correct time and guide. I would like to know if anyone in Northern New Jersey with Comcast is receiving the Guide.I've even left several messages with Comcast engineering to see if they are passing the VBI data info.Since Thursday no response.

rlh149

02-11-06, 01:40 PM

spiff72

02-11-06, 01:49 PM

I was curious as if you can turn the guide off on start up? I have a panasonic dvd recorder with tvgos and I can disable the guide so when the machine starts it does not open with the guide but the last channel. I have played around in the tvgos but can't seem to locate anywhere where I have the option to turn it on or off. Thanks for any reply
rlh149

On startup, mine doesn't come up in the guide - it just shows the last channel you had on when you put it in standby.

bierboy

02-11-06, 02:06 PM

I was curious as if you can turn the guide off on start up? I have a panasonic dvd recorder with tvgos and I can disable the guide so when the machine starts it does not open with the guide but the last channel. I have played around in the tvgos but can't seem to locate anywhere where I have the option to turn it on or off. Thanks for any reply
rlh149With the TVGOS on the screen, at the top menu bar, go to Setup -->Change Default Options --> General Defaults --> Auto Guide and set that to off. Took me a while to find it, too.

rlh149

02-11-06, 02:41 PM

Thanks for the information
rlh149

spiff72

02-11-06, 02:41 PM

With the TVGOS on the screen, at the top menu bar, go to Setup -->Change Default Options --> General Defaults --> Auto Guide and set that to off. Took me a while to find it, too.

Hmmm. Guess I must have changed that when I first got mine. It has been a while!

JHawk

02-11-06, 04:58 PM

TWinbrook46636

02-11-06, 04:58 PM

No host ID or Host Ch.Others on this board have confirmed that the host channel is Ch.13(PBS) in NYC. I tried rabbit ears with signal of 55 and no luck.I'm now trying Comcast cable directly into the unit,still nothing since Thursday afternoon.No matter what I do no correct time or guide.Unit is left off and on the host channel.

Have you tested to see if channel 13 is passing VBI data?

Tune to 13 then press MENU -> SCREEN/MODE -> 9012 and run the G* Test

It should pass the first two tests and it should show you the number of packets transmitted. Some have said this also set the time immediately for them as well.

Have you tried using other Zip Codes? Apparently the Zip Code dictates which channel it uses for TVGOD data. My Zip Code locks it into channel 2 WBBM which has very slow data transmission even though I can pick up 11 WTTW just fine which transmits data about 10x faster.

I don't know. It seems some people have a lot of trouble with their units while most have no trouble at all. I wish they would update the firmware so one could force the unit to use a specific channel for TVGOS data.

Opinionated

02-11-06, 05:08 PM

Have you tested to see if channel 13 is passing VBI data?

I get my data from the same channel and it shows VBI passing.

I have an indoor antenna attached to one input and a direct cable into the other. I record and watch everything by the direct cable QAM.

Several HDTV OTA channels come in beautifully by that indoor antenna, channel 13 comes in fuzzy.

I have always assumed I'm getting my data from channel 13 from the cable input, now I wonder if I am actually getting it from the over the air channel 13 with the fuzzy picture.

Is there any way to tell which, OTA or the cable, 13 is giving me the TVGOS?

TheRatPatrol

02-11-06, 05:47 PM

avnstf

02-11-06, 05:49 PM

CH MN

02-11-06, 05:54 PM

JHawk

02-11-06, 06:03 PM

When you say a partial guide what do you mean?

I have an LG3410a that uses the TV Guide system (the version that is a year older than for the Sony units)...when beginning (at least for OTA), it only loads data for today, tomorrow, and a week from today. Then tomorrow it loads the day after tomorrow, and the day a week later....so it takes a few days to populate the 8-day guide...

It only loads for random channels--never a complete guide for an entire day (or days).

Ray1938

02-11-06, 06:44 PM

It only loads for random channels--never a complete guide for an entire day (or days).

You may not be getting all the channels because:
1. The Guide doesn't cover every channel.
2. You entered the wrong option for cable company.
3. You need to enter a different zip.
4. The station is having problem with its equipment.

Ray1938

02-11-06, 06:50 PM

My unit quit displaying the time on the front LED display. The rest of the display seems fine, in fact it still reads "PM", just no time!? The time displays properly in the guide, plus it has never missed a recording. Could the clock display be a separate LED unit that has failed, or could it be some glitch in the firmware? Is there some sort of a soft reset that will not loose the configuration, recordings, or recording schedule?

Sounds like a hardware failure. If the unit is less than 90 days old, you might consider sending it in for repair. Otherwise, I suggest you do nothing since the fault is not a show stopper.

Ray1938

02-11-06, 07:05 PM

I get my data from the same channel and it shows VBI passing.

I have an indoor antenna attached to one input and a direct cable into the other. I record and watch everything by the direct cable QAM.

Several HDTV OTA channels come in beautifully by that indoor antenna, channel 13 comes in fuzzy.

I have always assumed I'm getting my data from channel 13 from the cable input, now I wonder if I am actually getting it from the over the air channel 13 with the fuzzy picture.

Is there any way to tell which, OTA or the cable, 13 is giving me the TVGOS?

Go to the guide, scroll up to "setup", move down to "change system settings", DO NOT PRESS ENTER, enter the numbers 753159852 from remote, "system's info" chart will appear, click right arrow on remote once to go to second page, five entries down on the list it will say "host channel"- it will appear as 0:0-?? (example: 0:0-11), the ?? is your host channel. Zero preceding the channel number indicates it is OTA, 1 indicates it is cable.

grittree

02-11-06, 08:12 PM

jmonier

02-11-06, 08:45 PM

Ok, this may sound stupid, but since you have both OTA and cable, I'm wondering if the guides are conflicting with each other and the unit doesn't know which one to download?

No question is stupid if you don't know the answer and this is one of the areas which is confusing until you figure it out. For a given host station, you get the same listings no matter what zip code you enter, whether you are cable or OTA (or both) and no matter which cable company or lineup you've specified.

The only difference is which channel numbers are associated with each listing. These DO depend on your settings and, in addition, there will usually be a quite a few listings with a blank channel number.

For instance, I am OTA only in Los Angeles and I get several hundred cable only listings with blank channel numbers. You don't see these in the regular listings screen but they are all visible in the listings setup screen.

So, there can't be a conflict of the type you mention since there's only ONE listings download. There can be problems with the channel assignments and usually you have to go into setup to fix blank channels for which you have a good station and also for wrong channel assignments (which DO occur). Compounding the problem is the fact that the listings are not complete. TVGOS simply does not include every OTA channel and sub-channel or every cable channel. For example, InHD was not being (and may still not be) included in many listings.

andydrew

02-11-06, 08:56 PM

Hope this isn't a dumb question, but how do you add the QAM channels in the TVGOS? I don't have a CC (which might be the answer).

Also, my local Fox station only shows up as the SD version, ch 30 (OTA). I can tune it and do a channel+ to get the 30.1 HD, but I need it in the guide for recording. Do I just do another scan? And if I do, will that mess up the work I did removing all the unwanted stations in the TVGOS?

Assuming that you never want to record anything from analog channel 30 (which you probably would not want to do since you can get the digital channel), you can edit the channel number in the guide.

Go to the TV Guide, select setup on the top menu, choose change channel display, select channel 30, change tune channel to 30-1. That way it will re-map to channel 30.1 and you can schedule shows to record using the Guide.

Rammitinski

02-11-06, 10:24 PM

I am really trying to like my HDD 250. PQ is great but the Guide is driving me crazy. So far I've got only a partial download. I've got a cablecard and the OTA antenna both set up. The clock time is correct. I turned the unit off for 2 days but still no complete Guide. I get a partial guide on both the digital and analog channels. Some come from the cablecard, some from the antenna--but neither are complete.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

TIA,

JHawkTry this - go to "change channel display" under "setup" in the guide. Go to all the channels you SHOULD be getting and turn them to "on". Then enter in all the corresponding channel numbers that the channels map to in your system, making sure they are set to "cable". Then wait 24 HOURS and see if they populate with data. This method has worked for me in certain situations. By the way, are you SURE you're leaving the DVR OFF long enough, and not, out of impatience, occasionally turning it on to check to see if it's populating? Because if you are, you will have EXACTLY the problem you are describing. YOU MUST LEAVE IT OFF FOR 24 HOURS STRAIGHT, UNDISTURBED!!!! AT LEAST for the initial download. After that, usually overnight is good enough to keep it refreshing. Also, make sure you leave the OTA host channel in the guide. This may sound strange, and I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but I can receive all my satellite (same one's as cable) channels' data through my OTA host channel!

Opinionated

02-11-06, 10:39 PM

1 indicates it is cable.

Thanks, I'm getting it from cable

To rcodey: If it helps you, I'm also in northern NJ but not with Comcast and getting the data from Channel 13 with the cable plugged directly into the TV, no cablecard.

Rammitinski

02-11-06, 10:44 PM

jmonier - InHD is in my listings - Comcast, Carpentersville, IL headend.

TWinbrook46636

02-11-06, 11:37 PM

jmonier - InHD is in my listings - Comcast, Carpentersville, IL headend.

Very few get InHD2 to show up however.

spiff72

02-11-06, 11:57 PM

Very few get InHD2 to show up however.

I would like UHD to show up so I can see the olympic listings...

rcodey

02-12-06, 12:12 AM

[QUOTE=Opinionated]Thanks, I'm getting it from cable

I'm using West Orange zip(07052).Thinking maybe the zip is the problem.What zip code are you using?

ncsercs

02-12-06, 01:31 AM

There's tons of 'em out there.

And the prices they're charging..... :mad:

videojanitor

02-12-06, 05:13 AM

There's tons of 'em out there.

And the prices they're charging..... :mad:

I agree ... that is quite maddening. I've given up trying to find one of these deals, and am now just satisified with the HDD250 I bought for $499 at Best Buy. I've got it all setup up the way I like, and it works.

As a side note, I wonder if there are any other users of either the 250 or 500 in the Sacramento area? If so, is anybody having trouble picking up KVIE-DT (6.1) over-the-air? I can't get that to show up on the 250 -- it's just ignored as though it doesn't exist. Comes in fine on my HD TiVo though, as well as one other STB.

ttlvdo

02-12-06, 08:19 AM

As a side note, I wonder if there are any other users of either the 250 or 500 in the Sacramento area? If so, is anybody having trouble picking up KVIE-DT (6.1) over-the-air? I can't get that to show up on the 250 -- it's just ignored as though it doesn't exist. Comes in fine on my HD TiVo though, as well as one other STB.

I'm having the same problem with OTA WOGX-DT out of Ocala-Gainesville, FL. Two other STB's work fine. I can go to the actual channel (31.1) and see it in the system menus - low 80's with an SNR of around 23, but no xIDs ever show and it doesn't get remapped to it's virtual cannel of 51.1 Anyone else experiencing this? For OTA, make sure you are in antenna mode before going to a channel you think you should get.

BTW, the Sound Advice stores in Jacksonville all showed stock (when called) for the 500's as late as this last Thursday. Got my two!

jrog

02-12-06, 09:54 AM

When the unit is set to "SD Out", the menus, TV Guide, etc. all go to the composite and S-Video output instead of the component or HDMI output, and the unit doesn't appear to respond to many keys on the remote if you're using component/HDMI output because the responses are going to the other outputs.

See if it responds to pressing the FORMAT button on the remote. Hold it down a second and you should see "SD Out" on the front panel again. Then press the FORMAT button repeatedly to cycle through the options (1080i, 720p, etc.) and set it to something that your monitor/TV accepts, anything besides "SD Out."

As for the audio, it could be that the audio settings in the Preferences menu are inconsistent with your setup. If you can get the menus to show up, experiment with those settings.

Ok, we hooked up an svideo cable, and the menu was there... I think the unit was turning on in a menu, and we couldn't do anything with the system, as the channel change button doesn't work in the menus. He was able to get the 9012 menu up, restore factory defaults, and now it's all running fine.

I'm guessing one of the problems with this devices is that it might not be ready for the masses. I don't know many other people that visit AVS Forum to figure out what's wrong with their gear... Thanks a ton guys.

jrog

jrog

02-12-06, 10:04 AM

Very few get InHD2 to show up however.

Yeah, and what makes matters worse, is Comcast in my area shares this channel with NESN HD, and so when a Red Sox or Bruins game is on and at home, then NESN HD takes over INHD2 and broadcasts overtop of what should have been on.

Very annoying. I think they have the bandwidth to give it it's own channel.

jrog

jrog

02-12-06, 10:10 AM

DvdJags

02-12-06, 10:25 AM

There's tons of 'em out there.

And the prices they're charging..... :mad:
:mad: I HATE EBAYERS! EBAYERS SUCK! :mad:

Erik Garci

02-12-06, 10:38 AM

I'm guessing the hardware is capable of outputting 1080p, but that's not a choice in the HDMI outputs.
Perhaps the HDMI output is 1080i, and the SXRD display is deinterlacing it to 1080p.

TheRatPatrol

02-12-06, 11:01 AM

Interesting side note:

I was at Circuit City yesterday, and they had the new 50" SXRD Sony 1080p TV hooked up directly to a DHG-HDD250. I asked the guy if the DVR was for a sale, as there were no tags, and he said it just came in this week from Sony to be used as the 1080p Demo unit with the SXRD TVs. It even said on the front of the DVR that it was playing SXRD DEMO.

I'm guessing the hardware is capable of outputting 1080p, but that's not a choice in the HDMI outputs. And why would we need that with these, as nobody is capable of broadcasting in 1080p?

Just thought it was interesting, and the fact that Sony is shipping these out, and Tweeter's computer says the 250 is not discontinued... does this mean Sony's got a new 500 coming? I was thinking they were cancelling the whole DVR line.

jrog
Did you check to see if they had any 500's on sale for 249?

Any other stores have them on clearence yet?

Thanks.

Opinionated

02-12-06, 11:12 AM

.What zip code are you using?

07410

jtbell

02-12-06, 11:40 AM

Ok, we hooked up an svideo cable, and the menu was there... I think the unit was turning on in a menu, and we couldn't do anything with the system, as the channel change button doesn't work in the menus.

I bet the unit was automatically showing the TV Guide listings grid when it turned on. That's the default behavior. I didn't think of that because I turned off that feature a long time ago. The setting is in the TV Guide "Setup" section, under "General Options" or something like that. Look for "Auto Guide".

The floor model 500 that I bought last week at Tweeter also had Auto Guide turned on, but it wasn't set to SD Out, so I could see the listings grid right away over the HDMI output. Of course, the first thing I did after resetting the unit was to turn off the Auto Guide. :)

Bill R (# 2)

02-12-06, 12:20 PM

Tweeter's computer says the 250 is not discontinued... does this mean Sony's got a new 500 coming? I was thinking they were cancelling the whole DVR line.

jrog

It depends on what store you shop at and who who talk to as to whether the Sony DHG-HDD line is discontinued. According to a local dealer that I talked to, yes, the current models are discontinued but Sony is going to have some new model HD DVRs. When pressed for details he could not give me any but did say that he heard that they will be available late this spring. I hope he is right; the marketplace needs an alternate to the DVRs that the cable company rents (for very high monthly fees). Also, if he is correct, we should see a lot of good closeouts prices on the current models.

TheRatPatrol

02-12-06, 12:22 PM

It depends on what store you shop at and who who talk to as to whether the Sony DHG-HDD line is discontinued. According to a local dealer that I talked to, yes, the current models are discontinued but Sony is going to have some new model HD DVRs. When pressed for details he could not give me any but did say that he heard that they will be available late this spring. I hope he is right; the marketplace needs an alternate to the DVRs that the cable company rents (for a very high monthly fees). Also, if he is correct we should see a lot of closeouts on the current models.
If thats the case, then why aren't the other chain stores closing them out?

foxfan

02-12-06, 12:35 PM

I'm looking forward to the new Sony models. I was thinking about getting DirecTV's new DVR, but seeing that they will be only leased by the time it gets released, and that it will never record without a DirecTV subscription, I'll be better off with a stand-alone DVR.

My only hopes are that the new Sony DVR will have firewire, and that Videotron will start providing cablecards (Canadian cable providers aren't required like the American ones)!

kcgr

02-12-06, 02:55 PM

There's tons of 'em out there.

And the prices they're charging..... :mad:

I hate to say it, but the prices are what the market will bear. What is a bargain to someone is a rip-off to others. Evidently it seems like the e-bay sweetspot is $450-550. The ones for $700+ generally don't move unless someone is desperate of it is worth it to them. Forget you know of the clearance prices for a moment, would you buy a new one for $475? Is it worth that to you? For many, the $1000 at BB is not worth it, but for $475 it is a good deal. At $250 it is a steal.

The joys of a free market, eh. ;)

avnstf

02-12-06, 03:05 PM

It depends on what store you shop at and who who talk to as to whether the Sony DHG-HDD line is discontinued. According to a local dealer that I talked to, yes, the current models are discontinued but Sony is going to have some new model HD DVRs. When pressed for details he could not give me any but did say that he heard that they will be available late this spring. I hope he is right; the marketplace needs an alternate to the DVRs that the cable company rents (for very high monthly fees). Also, if he is correct, we should see a lot of good closeouts prices on the current models.

IF Sony has any sense any replacement model will have a 2-tuner capability...

of course that's what I thought a year ago, when I was hoping that the delay in the HDD-25/500's was due to their implementing this capablity....

Ray1938

02-12-06, 03:46 PM

Perhaps the HDMI output is 1080i, and the SXRD display is deinterlacing it to 1080p.

I agree with you that the 1080p TVs convert 1080i to 1080p. The HDD250/500 does a similar thing with 480i signals when format is set to 1080i - it produces a 1080i image.

My Toshiba HD ready set automatically converts 480i to 480p.

bierboy

02-12-06, 03:58 PM

Ray1938

02-12-06, 04:00 PM

Today, Ad in Best Buy announced Microsoft television guide bundled with 160 hour LG recorder for $599. Recorder is not HDTV, and fee is normally charged for the MS guide.

It is obvious to me that Tweeters sold the HDD500 well below cost, and therefore I doubt that you will ever see that price again for a new unit. I can't blame people for buying them up and selling them on Ebay. Almost all of those people probably learned about the sale on this thread.

Ray1938

02-12-06, 04:03 PM

Ray1938

02-12-06, 04:19 PM

The recorder always records HDTV in the highest quality, even if you choose a lower setting. I was told by a design engineer at Sony that the recorder doesn't do any data compression - just stores the program data as it is received.

For non-HDTV, there is an option to record at lower quality, and I set mine for SP to conserve record capacity. However, last night a viewed a Halmark movie, which is not HD, and just before I deleted it, I noticed it was recorded in HQ. Since Halmark is a digital channel, I assume that the recorder handles digital channels like HDTV: it always records those programs in HQ.

TWinbrook46636

02-12-06, 04:30 PM

Hey, I was just watching a movie (using my DVD player) when I noticed my 250 (which was off/standby) go to the welcome screen, then, where the time is, it went from the number 01 to 06, then the the display completely blanked out, the clock had --:--, then, after a few seconds, the correct time came up. Is this the daily update? I've had the unit for about three weeks and never noticed it before. Seems to be operating fine with the exception of only partial listings for days 7 and 8.

Maybe it just finished a TVGOS firmware update and reset itself in order to apply it? What version of the TVGOS is it now running. Mine is 08.06.30.

bierboy

02-12-06, 04:54 PM

Mine is 8.06.30...first checked G* Test, and it showed 8.01.42, but the info page showed latest build time as Jan. 21, 2005, and next to that version was the latest.

spiff72

02-12-06, 05:40 PM

Interesting side note:

I was at Circuit City yesterday, and they had the new 50" SXRD Sony 1080p TV hooked up directly to a DHG-HDD250. I asked the guy if the DVR was for a sale, as there were no tags, and he said it just came in this week from Sony to be used as the 1080p Demo unit with the SXRD TVs. It even said on the front of the DVR that it was playing SXRD DEMO.

I'm guessing the hardware is capable of outputting 1080p, but that's not a choice in the HDMI outputs. And why would we need that with these, as nobody is capable of broadcasting in 1080p?

Just thought it was interesting, and the fact that Sony is shipping these out, and Tweeter's computer says the 250 is not discontinued... does this mean Sony's got a new 500 coming? I was thinking they were cancelling the whole DVR line.

jrog

If this unit was really outputting 1080p I would be surprised. I suspect that it would have to be some kind of specially modified unit from Sony, since there is not way to record 1080p content (that I am aware of). Could they have fed it a 1080p signal via the coax and recorded it? Or was it copied to the hard drive via the USB port?

In reality, I think it was probably 1080i content being upconverted to 1080i by the TV.

spiff72

02-12-06, 05:46 PM

bierboy

02-12-06, 05:57 PM

CH MN

02-12-06, 05:58 PM

I don't know if my glitch is related to bierboy's, but I was watching the olympics on NBC, and suddenly the screen went blank, and the "No Signal" box was displayed.

The display on the front showed "5 peg 1". I have no idea what that means, so I pressed the guide button on the remote, and it looked like I was on an unknown channel. I arrowed down a few channels to the NBC channel, pressed select, and it went back to the correct channel.

The clock was still showing the correct time.

Anyone seen this?

I do not know if it could be the cause or just a coincidence, but the digital olympic broadcast was having trouble saturday night due to the storm in New York. It kept switching from HD what I would call low def (very blocky and jaggy). We would lose picture for a while in between. It was doing it all night before they finally put up a message saying they were having problems. We were not watching it through the DHG though.

CH MN

02-12-06, 06:03 PM

Sounds like a hardware failure. If the unit is less than 90 days old, you might consider sending it in for repair. Otherwise, I suggest you do nothing since the fault is not a show stopper.
I agree it is no big deal (although wife keeps complaining). I was not planning to send it back or anything, I was just wondering if anybody else had had the clock on the front go out and if we thought doing some sort of a soft reset might fix it.

PhillyC

02-12-06, 08:30 PM

My only hopes are that the new Sony DVR will have firewire

Don't plan on seeing firewire on a Sony DVR. Besides being a hardware manufacturer, they are a content provider. I think providers have been applying pressure on DVR makers to kill 1394 because they don't like you making perfect HD copies of their material. This is so even though broadcast flags will eventually limit the number of copies you can make, if any.

The HD Tivo original specs included 1394. When the unit shipped, the 1394 port was blocked off and apparently disabled. The LG 3410A had 1394, which worked for some programming but had problems under cettain circumstances. That unit is now defunct --- it had plenty of other problems too.

The only "current" DVR that has 1394 is the Mitsubishi HD-6000 (MSRP $1999), which is really the guts of a TV with a 120GB HDD and is made to connect to Mits tunerless HD flat panel displays. That is, it supposedly exists. No one in these forums has actually purchased one AFAIK. It was announced in April of 2004.

I hope the new dual tuner HD Tivo will have 1394, but I sincerely doubt it.

spiff72

02-12-06, 08:52 PM

I happened to be watching NBC HD at the time it happened, too.

Just to be clear, mine wasn't in Standby at the time, since I was watching on the HDD250...

But in response to CH MN, this happened this afternoon - not Saturday night. I wasn't seeing the same glitches today as they were having last night.

BeakerSC

02-12-06, 09:02 PM

I wanted to piggy back on the comments rolling around about Circuit City and these units.

I picked up a Harmony 880 remote last night at one in Columbia and noticed a DHG-HDD running in the SXRD DEMO mode as well. When I asked the guy ringing up my remote about it (hoping he'd give me the Tweeter price!) he said, "Oh, those aren't going on sale until next week." When I told him that I already had one at home, he said, "Oh, well, we're not allowed to sell them yet so I don't know the price of it."

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to ask more questions but it sure is interesting that Tweeter's selling out all their 500s and CC is now starting to display them.

Stay tuned...

rjih

02-12-06, 09:44 PM

Exactly what are you getting when you try it? An error message, just sits there, or what?

The page cannot be displayed
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings.

Thanks drm2295 for the PDF file.

Bill R (# 2)

02-12-06, 10:01 PM

The page cannot be displayed
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings.

That sounds like a it could be a DNS problem. Adding the address and name to your hosts file should fix that. As I mentioned before, make sure that the information is in the RIGHT hosts file (you may have several on your system) and that the information is EXACTLY as posted in the other thread. Something else that causes a problem is that when the hosts file is edited (with something like notepad) a file extention (like .txt or something else) could be added. Make sure that your hosts file does not have an extention.

Lindahl

02-12-06, 10:36 PM

Well I'm ecstatic. I am planning on moving in the next year to a different state where I can afford a nice home and create a home theater for myself. One of the pieces of equipment I had anticipated on getting was the 250 model at 500$. Considering tuners are around 250$ and HD DVRs are around 250$, I figured this was a nice way to consolidate equipment. Today, I stumbled upon the posts about the Tweeter deal and was able to get probably the last unit in San Diego (floor model though). The 250$ pricetag is unreal - I still can't believe it.

Tomorrow, I'll fire it up and report the outcome - though I expect to have problems with the guide. At my current location I can only get ABC and CBS and getting PBS (which I understand where the guide comes from) would require a high-end outdoor antenna (violet). I'll, of course, be getting more use out of it once I move.

I bought the 3-year warranty @ 70$, because I expect to upgrade in 3+ years (hopefully to some sort of Blueray or HD-DVD recorder/tuner). How good is Tweeter with remote servicing (mail-in)? If I'm going to have some trouble, maybe I'll just stick with the 1 year manufacturer's warranty. There won't be any Tweeter stores within a couple hundred miles of where I plan to move.

CH MN

02-12-06, 11:30 PM

bierboy

02-12-06, 11:38 PM

Can you start watching a scheduled recording while it is still recording? I think I have seen this asked/discussed, but I am not sure what the answer was.

If so, is there anything special you need to do?Yes, you can, and no, there's nothing special you need to do. Just turn the unit on (even if it's recording), hit "recording list", select the program, and you're off and running.

foxfan

02-13-06, 12:10 AM

[QUOTE=PhillyC]Don't plan on seeing firewire on a Sony DVR. Besides being a hardware manufacturer, they are a content provider. I think providers have been applying pressure on DVR makers to kill 1394 because they don't like you making perfect HD copies of their material. QUOTE]

It would boost the support for Blu-Ray as an archival solution...

jtbell

02-13-06, 12:11 AM

Today, I stumbled upon the posts about the Tweeter deal and was able to get probably the last unit in San Diego (floor model though). [...] I bought the 3-year warranty @ 70$

I didn't know Tweeter offered an extended warranty. I got one with the 250 that I bought at Best Buy in November because I was a little nervous about the hard disk. I didn't think to ask for one at Tweeter because their Web site doesn't mention them as far as I could tell, and the guy who handled my purchase didn't try to get me to buy one. Having to find out whether they had any left, and then go upstairs and hunt down the unit and accessories (mine was an ex floor model) probably threw him off his usual "rhythm" and he forgot to give me the usual extended warranty spiel.

Next time I drive down to Columbia maybe I'll take my receipt along and stop at Tweeter again. With two drives in the 500, that's twice as much chance for one of them to go bad.

TheRatPatrol

02-13-06, 12:26 AM

hednic

02-13-06, 12:54 AM

We're you talking about the current 500's or the demo unit?

So.....I wonder if CC will be putting these on sale tomorrow? Didn't Tweeters sale start last Monday? I wonder if any store will do a price match? :D

No, the Tweeters sale started before February 5th, because I picked up two brand new ones on Superbowl Sunday.

nealgrof

02-13-06, 01:18 AM

If this unit was really outputting 1080p I would be surprised. I suspect that it would have to be some kind of specially modified unit from Sony, since there is not way to record 1080p content (that I am aware of). Could they have fed it a 1080p signal via the coax and recorded it? Or was it copied to the hard drive via the USB port?

In reality, I think it was probably 1080i content being upconverted to 1080i by the TV.
When talking with the salesman at Tweeter the other day, he mentioned that the SXRD does not accept a 1080p signal. I asked him to repeat what he'd said. I said "really?" He was resolute. He said the SXRDs will not display BluRay's 1080p unless Sony offers an upgrade. Knowing Sony, that seems likely. :D

ncsercs

02-13-06, 02:14 AM

andydrew

02-13-06, 02:27 AM

At my current location I can only get ABC and CBS and getting PBS (which I understand where the guide comes from) would require a high-end outdoor antenna (violet).

You are not going to have any problem with the TV Guide. Both ABC and CBS broadcast the guide data in San Diego (analog channels 8 & 10).

giomania

02-13-06, 08:01 AM

Vitebsk66

02-13-06, 08:56 AM

A big thanks to the contributors of this forum. It was here that I found out about the killer deal Tweeter was offering on these units. It was just last Tuesday (2/7). I went to my local Tweeter affiliate after work that same day, and managed to scrounge their floor model, as all boxed units had been snapped up by other stores :eek: I can't be completely sure, but I think I got the last one (model 500) in the valley (Phoenix area)! :D No box, and no manual, but with a full manufacturer warranty. I know my post is a little after-the-fact at this point, but last week was unusually busy for me, and I wanted to make sure I thanked everybody for their input.

We're loving our new DVR. Even SD broadcasts look great with the digital reception. And the HD broadcasts...they're just awesome! We've had our HD-capable TV for about a year now, and it's great to finally see it achieve it's potential.

Vitebsk66

02-13-06, 09:14 AM

Haven't quite had my 500 a week yet, and I'm still learning the ropes. Saturday evening I went to set up a program for Monday evening, and found I had no program/guide info for Monday (at least, after 3am or so). This had me confused and concerned, as I was under the impression that the guide would maintain about a week's lead time. Come Sunday afternoon, I checked again and the guide info had filled in (whew!). Hence, my question: Does the guide info download nightly, or is it more of a weekly occurrence?

jmonier

02-13-06, 09:23 AM

JimatAtL

02-13-06, 10:16 AM

I've had a chance to play with mine a little bit and there's one thing I've noticed. The tuner on the Sony is much better than the HR10-250.

Recorded NASCAR today on NBC with both units and there was much more pixelation on the HR10-250 and barely none on the Sony. :D
totally agreed! Its sensitivity and PQ are on par with my Humax tuner. With Humax selling more than $220 this Sony is insanely a good deal. The other day I was at BB and the guy told me that they were out of Humax tuners because so many people were buying an HD tuner after the HDTV. I feel so lucky to have this Sony.

Wolfie

02-13-06, 10:18 AM

Unfortunately they do not have a complete listing of ALL the digital channels. This is true here in LA and, from other comments, appears to be true all over the country.

In many cases, this can be fixed by remapping channels. For instance, if the digital channel carries the identical programming to an analog channel which IS listed, change the analog channel number to the digital channel number and sub-channel. In other cases, there may be a good listing pointing to a different (or just plain wrong) channel. There may also be some listings with a blank channel number. These all can be remapped.

If this doesn't do it then you're out of luck. It's just one of the ways in which the TVGOS system is less than perfect.

And how does one go about "remapping" a channel? I'm in the dark about this procedure. Thanks.

Wolfie

spiff72

02-13-06, 10:31 AM

And how does one go about "remapping" a channel? I'm in the dark about this procedure. Thanks.

Wolfie

Quick example...

WWMT (CBS) is listed in my guide as an analog channel, but their digital channel is not. I went to the channel editor (under the top menu bar of the guide, Setup-Change Channel Display), and found the analog listing for WWMT, and pressed select, bringing up the edit menu on the left. Change the tune channel from 3 to 3.1, and I have listings for that digital channel.

The same can be done with nearby stations (like PBS stations - I did this for our local HD PBS, where I remapped a different station entirely to be the local PBS).

bierboy

02-13-06, 10:39 AM

Hey, I was just watching a movie (using my DVD player) when I noticed my 250 (which was off/standby) go to the welcome screen, then, where the time is, it went from the number 01 to 06, then the the display completely blanked out, the clock had --:--, then, after a few seconds, the correct time came up. Is this the daily update? I've had the unit for about three weeks and never noticed it before. Seems to be operating fine with the exception of only partial listings for days 7 and 8.Well, another spontaneous reboot at 9 a.m. this morning...same as yesterday with welcome on the front panel, running through several numbers, blank clock, then correct time. Checked the TVGOS and it had updated through next Monday, but I still have a few missing listings for Sat. and Sun....same as yesterday. Didn't lose any scheduled or saved recordings. Not sure if this is a sign it's going south or not.

c1courtney

02-13-06, 10:47 AM

I don't know if my glitch is related to bierboy's, but I was watching the olympics on NBC, and suddenly the screen went blank, and the "No Signal" box was displayed.

The display on the front showed "5 peg 1". I have no idea what that means, so I pressed the guide button on the remote, and it looked like I was on an unknown channel. I arrowed down a few channels to the NBC channel, pressed select, and it went back to the correct channel.

The clock was still showing the correct time.

Anyone seen this?

Just as an FYI, NBC had some major problems during the Opening Ceremonies, just after the Italy (last country) finished entering the stadiums and they went to comericial break NBC reset it's servers to fix the problem that started a couple minutes earlier (with blockness - pressumed data loss.) In my neck of the woods it took out the NBC feed on cable for the next 1hr or so. I had my SA8300HD recording it on cable feed and my HDD500 recording it OTA. The OTA came back up relatively quickly.

cheneyp

02-13-06, 10:53 AM

totally agreed! Its sensitivity and PQ are on par with my Humax tuner. With Humax selling more than $220 this Sony is insanely a good deal. The other day I was at BB and the guy told me that they were out of Humax tuners because so many people were buying an HD tuner after the HDTV. I feel so lucky to have this Sony.

My HDD500 is able to pull in all of the Music Channels that my TV tuner does not (I have "analog basic" only). I also get a few other digital channels that I don't get on my TV tuner. I have noticed that the analog reception is not quite as good as my TV (RCA), however.....Try not to watch those too often!

CharlieL

02-13-06, 11:13 AM

My unit quit displaying the time on the front LED display. The rest of the display seems fine, in fact it still reads "PM", just no time!? The time displays properly in the guide, plus it has never missed a recording. Could the clock display be a separate LED unit that has failed, or could it be some glitch in the firmware? Is there some sort of a soft reset that will not loose the configuration, recordings, or recording schedule?

Mine did the same thing after about a month in operation. My problem was solved by unplugging the unit for two minutes for a power reset. The time came back after overnight update, and I never lost any of the program guide.

Wolfie

02-13-06, 12:03 PM

Quick example...

WWMT (CBS) is listed in my guide as an analog channel, but their digital channel is not. I went to the channel editor (under the top menu bar of the guide, Setup-Change Channel Display), and found the analog listing for WWMT, and pressed select, bringing up the edit menu on the left. Change the tune channel from 3 to 3.1, and I have listings for that digital channel.

The same can be done with nearby stations (like PBS stations - I did this for our local HD PBS, where I remapped a different station entirely to be the local PBS).

Thanks for the help spiff72.

Wolfie

avnstf

02-13-06, 01:26 PM

Tweeter's extended warranties are backed by a company called AON, and if you move away from a Tweeter location, AON will find you someplace near your new home for any necessary repairs.

Mark

The real question is whether Sony has more than one place in the country to repair these units....

WhatHappend

02-13-06, 02:27 PM

WhatHappend

02-13-06, 02:45 PM

Can people post their Firmware and build dates for the Tweeter purchased units in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7124093#post7124093) ?

bierboy

02-13-06, 03:57 PM

Now this is getting downright strange. My 250 just did the reboot thing AGAIN....exact same time as yesterday and exact same thing. Restarts, welcome, numbers flash from 01 to 06, clock goes blank, then appears with accurate time. It's almost as if it's doing the update, but why would it reboot?

EDIT: I am also now noticing that I am getting only partial guide data for days 6,7 & 8. When I checked this morning, I had full guide data for day 8, but that changed between this morning and this afternoon. It seems now to me that these reboots are interrupting the downloads perhaps and corrupting my guide data?

dozens

02-13-06, 04:14 PM

How do I request using the Sony webpage for service request that I want to firmware for digital guide data reception ? My cable card works fine so I am hesitant to say it was a 161-6 error.

rcrach

02-13-06, 04:26 PM

I can't belive all of the people that dream that a LINUX hacker will be able to add all the features they want into a consumer electronics device. I am a software engineer (over 15 years) and it will never happen. If I was given all the source code from SONY under a NDA (Non-Disclosure agreement) I would make the changes assuming I could obtain the development tools cheaply (also not likely). Products like this contain lots of code that SONY doesn't own and can not release to the public even if they wanted to. It would probally take 10+ man years of software development to duplicate the third party libraries they use and that is assuming you had full documentation of the internal working of the device.

I suspect the people that have the dreams of LINUX hackers fixing their issues are impressed when the local teenager can download music on their computers.

Getting around a serial number or trial ware message on a program is easy stuff. Reverse engineering a complicated device like the DHG-HDD product is inpractical. Now if all the chipsets and devices in the product were standard PC componets then it would be pretty easy. The QAM256 cable card for instance is the main componet and it is not available for any PC so you know their is no PC drivers available.

I'd be satisfied just seeing a firmware hack (like almost every DVD player ever made) on the order of turning off the broadcast flag, leaving component outputs on with HDMI connected, etc. The problem is there really aren't allot of these units out there. It was released and discontinued in what? 7 months? my serial number is 6000 something and it has .09 firmware. It's funny, if you read the software license in the manual it references included sony software, which obviously never made it out the door but it's an indication they had more plans for the unit.

spiff72

02-13-06, 04:27 PM

How do I request using the Sony webpage for service request that I want to firmware for digital guide data reception ? My cable card works fine so I am hesitant to say it was a 161-6 error.

There was a post recently from someone that said they talked to a Sony rep, and as far as they knew, the digital guide download firmware didn't exist yet.

Who is correct is anyone's guess...

I am just saying that I have the 161-6 error (once), and that my fast forward function freezes sometimes.

spiff72

02-13-06, 04:29 PM

I'd be satisfied just seeing a firmware hack (like almost every DVD player ever made) on the order of turning off the broadcast flag, leaving component outputs on with HDMI connected, etc. The problem is there really aren't allot of these units out there. It was released and discontinued in what? 7 months? my serial number is 6000 something and it has .09 firmware. It's funny, if you read the software license in the manual it references included sony software, which obviously never made it out the door but it's an indication they had more plans for the unit.

I think that the Sony software is the actualy OS - the system menus, the recording functions, etc...

magnani

02-13-06, 04:32 PM

spiff72

02-13-06, 04:39 PM

dp70

02-13-06, 06:04 PM

Regarding the numbers counting from 1-6 on reboot... when working on adding a second drive to my 250, I gathered that these numbers reflect stages of the boot process for troubleshooting purposes. A rough guess might be:

1 = bootloader starting
2 = loading kernel
3 = booting kernel
4 = uncompressing cramfs firmware image to root fs (ramfs)
5 = running init
6 = main app starting

I haven't succeeded in adding a second drive yet, and I won't be able to work on that or further firmware probing until I get a second DHG unit. There are no Tweeter locations near me. If anyone who bought multiple HDD500s feels like selling me one on reasonable terms so that I can continue the investigation, please send me a private message.

I'm less interested in getting a second HDD250, since at this point, I need to examine the differences between the two models, particularly with respect to the second drive.

Among my recent discoveries- the engineers apparently used the common embedded Linux development technique of mounting the root filesystem over NFS (making rapid iterative testing easier), and it appears the USB network adapter for which they included kernel support is the Realtek RTL8150. There are many USB network adapters using this chipset, and they can be found with a Google search. It'll be interesting to see what happens when such an adapter is connected to the Sony's USB port.

rcrach

02-13-06, 06:16 PM

I think that the Sony software is the actualy OS - the system menus, the recording functions, etc...

Did you actually read it? The place on the PCB for the Ethernet connector is there for a reason.

"GRANT OF LICENSE. This License grants you the following right:
Use of SONY SOFTWARE. You may use the SONY SOFTWARE in conjunction with the SONY HD DVR. You may install appropriate elements of the SONY SOFTWARE on personal computers that are networked to the SONY HD DVR for use solely with the SONY HD DVR.
Back-up Copy. You may make one back-up copy of SONY SOFTWARE solely for archival purposes."

bierboy

02-13-06, 06:26 PM

Perhaps you should think about selling it and waiting about nine months or more for the new dual tuner HD TIVO with cablecard that you can't seem to stop mentioning?Hey, now...I don't think you have accumulated enough posts to justify being a smart-a$$, yet! :rolleyes:Oh, that's OK....I've got thick skin :D. And, believe me, I will pick up the TiVo when it becomes available...I just exchanged this Sony for my third unit. We'll see if this one works.

spiff72

02-13-06, 06:51 PM

Did you actually read it? The place on the PCB for the Ethernet connector is there for a reason.

"GRANT OF LICENSE. This License grants you the following right:
Use of SONY SOFTWARE. You may use the SONY SOFTWARE in conjunction with the SONY HD DVR. You may install appropriate elements of the SONY SOFTWARE on personal computers that are networked to the SONY HD DVR for use solely with the SONY HD DVR.
Back-up Copy. You may make one back-up copy of SONY SOFTWARE solely for archival purposes."

I have to disagree - I think this is still a blanket agreement that Sony uses, and just because it says "Back up Copy" and other things that refer to networked computers, doesn't mean that there was supposed to be a software CD that allows you to run something on other computers. I stand by my earlier statement that they are referring to the Sony proprietary software on the hard drive.

srnile

02-13-06, 06:53 PM

I can't belive all of the people that dream that a LINUX hacker will be able to add all the features they want into a consumer electronics device. I am a software engineer (over 15 years) and it will never happen. If I was given all the source code from SONY under a NDA (Non-Disclosure agreement) I would make the changes assuming I could obtain the development tools cheaply (also not likely). Products like this contain lots of code that SONY doesn't own and can not release to the public even if they wanted to. It would probally take 10+ man years of software development to duplicate the third party libraries they use and that is assuming you had full documentation of the internal working of the device.

I suspect the people that have the dreams of LINUX hackers fixing their issues are impressed when the local teenager can download music on their computers.

Getting around a serial number or trial ware message on a program is easy stuff. Reverse engineering a complicated device like the DHG-HDD product is inpractical. Now if all the chipsets and devices in the product were standard PC componets then it would be pretty easy. The QAM256 cable card for instance is the main componet and it is not available for any PC so you know their is no PC drivers available.

I don't know what others want but mine works perfectly the way it is.
Maybe a fix for the "TV Guide" when everything goes digital in 2009.

spiff72

02-13-06, 06:54 PM

rcrach

02-13-06, 07:11 PM

I have to disagree - I think this is still a blanket agreement that Sony uses, and just because it says "Back up Copy" and other things that refer to networked computers, doesn't mean that there was supposed to be a software CD that allows you to run something on other computers. I stand by my earlier statement that they are referring to the Sony proprietary software on the hard drive.

I'm sure you're correct. They were probably referring to a different SONY HD DVR networked to a personal computer.

jmonier

02-13-06, 07:50 PM

The real question is whether Sony has more than one place in the country to repair these units....

I'm in Los Angeles and they had me ship it to Pittsburgh Service Center, Mt. Pleasant PA. That would lead me to believe that it's the only place. They do have a tech there that's very knowledgeable. For instance, he was aware that there was a TVGOS outage in Los Angeles at the time I sent it in.

Marc_G

02-13-06, 09:22 PM

I'm in Los Angeles and they had me ship it to Pittsburgh Service Center, Mt. Pleasant PA. That would lead me to believe that it's the only place. They do have a tech there that's very knowledgeable. For instance, he was aware that there was a TVGOS outage in Los Angeles at the time I sent it in.

According to the level 1 tech I spoke with, when I send mine in for the 161-6 fix, it will be going to Texas somewhere. I'll verify this at the UPS Store when I ship it. Apparently they have the address ; all I'm going in there with is the work order number. According to the tech, there is a deal with UPS and UPS will have all the necessary shipment information.

So, apparently there is more than one site for repairs.

Marc

srnile

02-13-06, 09:43 PM

If anyone needs the manual, here is the link for it. (http://esupport.sony.com/perl/model-documents.pl?mdl=DHGHDD500) It covers both the 250 and 500. Speaking of the 250, why isn't it on sale as well??

You know, I don't want to keep harping on this, but why is this still full price on Tweeter.com (http://www.tweeter.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2017121) ? If they have them still available on line, that means that they've got to have more out there somewhere, right? :D

Sony may have worked out some payback deal to Tweeter only on the 500s
because BB & CC don't only have 250s, and won't have to pricematch.

Hagendos

02-13-06, 10:18 PM

I picked up one of the Tweeter's deals last week, and everything has gone great until now. I am OTA only, scanned my local channels, and waitied overnight for the TV Guide to load, so far so good. I watched some of the Olympics yesterday and played with the remote, no problems. Today I recorded some of the games while I was at work. Anticipating watching womens luge in HD, I came home, booted everything up, hit the recording list button, highlighted the program that was recorded, held down the "select" switch - and nothing! :( Read the manual, repeated the procedure, and held down the "play" key for a second - again for nothing. Am I doing something wrong, or is it RMA time? I mean, playing a recorded program should be pretty straightforward. :confused:

bierboy

02-13-06, 10:27 PM

...
because BB & CC don't only have 250s,...The BestBuys in our area only have the 250s....haven't seen any 500s in those stores for many months, if ever.

bierboy

02-13-06, 10:30 PM

smthomas7

02-13-06, 10:35 PM

spiff72

02-13-06, 10:40 PM

There is a preference in the Recording List that allows you to toggle between grouped recordings (the default) and a list. Just press menu immediately after entering the recording list and you will see the options.

srnile

02-14-06, 12:34 AM

The BestBuys in our area only have the 250s....haven't seen any 500s in those stores for many months, if ever.

I meant "they only have 250s"

Ray1938

02-14-06, 03:22 AM

My guide is blank for Tuesday evening programs in Los Angeles. Anyone else have that problem?

dozens

02-14-06, 08:12 AM

You don't even need to go thru a customer service representative. All you need to do is fill out the online new repair form at:

http://eservice.sony.com/webrma/web/index.do

The date of purchase you entered (including the copy of your receipt) will dictate whether payment is needed. Just follow the instructions.

I tried using the above site to setup a repair order and it can't find the model number. I tried "DHG-HDD250", "DHG HDD250", and other similar permutations. Did Sony pull the models numbers from this page ? What have people used in the past for model numbers ?

I just figured it out, use "DHGHDD250"

snowmoon

02-14-06, 10:04 AM

Speaking of repairs, how long did it take people to get these units flashed and the CC mod put in? I'm on my 4th business day and was wondering if I would be able to catch any of the olympics on the sony.

srnile

02-14-06, 10:07 AM

My guide is blank for Tuesday evening programs in Los Angeles. Anyone else have that problem?

I'll check it tonight.

Wolfie

02-14-06, 10:12 AM

spiff72

02-14-06, 11:59 AM

You are da HD500 MAN, spiff72! This worked like a charm. Thanks good buddy.

Wolfie

No problem... :cool:

Hagendos

02-14-06, 12:01 PM

When you highlight the recorded program, hit select, then the direction down button (bottom of ring), then select again. You should then be able to play it.
I believe I had this same problem when I first got mine. Highlight the show you want to watch and hit Select. You should then see a list of episodes. Highlight the episode you want and hit Select.
Thanks. I think my problem was that I only had one thing recorded, so when I rolled down to "Olympics" from the menu bar and hit select, the episode dropped down but I thought it was just and expansion of the description. This morning there were a number if recordings and it became clear.

I did notice that (and it's been covered before) that my guide didn't update because it was recording more Olympics during the update period. So now I have to read even MORE of the manual to figure out how to do manual recordings. :o

Wolfie

02-14-06, 12:21 PM

jtbell

02-14-06, 12:30 PM

There's no way to get HD material out of one of these units and keep it in HD form, as far as I know. A HD recorder that accepts HD input via component video or HDMI would do the trick, but as far as I know there's no such animal. An HDMI connection would surely restrict what you can copy. A component-video connection would be an example of the infamous "analog loophole" that the MPAA is struggling mightily to close.

It wouldn't help for these units, but a feasible solution for the capacity problem would be to provide for a external Firewire or HDMI drive that could be swapped as necessary. The material recorded on the drive would have to be encrypted in such a way that it could be played back only on a particular recorder, or maybe a small set of recorders, to allow for replacement units, or multiple units in a single household.

At least one cable HD DVR has something sort of like this, I think.

rcrach

02-14-06, 01:19 PM

fenwayfan

02-14-06, 02:21 PM

My guide is blank for Tuesday evening programs in Los Angeles. Anyone else have that problem?
No problem for me.

Ray1938

02-14-06, 02:25 PM

Here's a problem for anybody listening. I don't know if this has ever come up, but how does one download material to another source when both harddrives become full? 60 hrs of hd material is not much space for all that I can think of to record. Anyone know? Anyone?...Anyone?...Beuller?...Beuller?

Wolfie

There is a setting for recording programs on a VCR. Before I got the Sony, I recorded HDTV from a Comcast HD receiver on a Toshiba DVR via Svideo output, and viewed recordings in 480p - not HD but much better than analog tv. Also, for a few days, I had a Phillips DVR that had component input.

Of course, you could also get another recorder, which would not only double your record capacity but also give you dual tuner feature.

Wolfie

02-14-06, 03:14 PM

Hmmm...too bad the drives aren't user replacable, like a zip drive. That would be the best way and archive the individual drives.

Wolfie

srnile

02-14-06, 07:01 PM

My guide is blank for Tuesday evening programs in Los Angeles. Anyone else have that problem?

I have full listings Ray

Ray1938

02-14-06, 08:45 PM

I have full listings Ray

Thanks. No listing showed up today so I did a reset just before noon. Time disappeared and didn't return until 5pm, after I a second TV guide test. TV guide test passed before and after reset so I don't understand what caused the missing guide info, unless it was due to switch in guide channel from Comcast channel 3 to OTA channel 28. Only reason for the recorder to do that is absence of guide data update for three days.

srnile

02-14-06, 09:03 PM

Thanks. No listing showed up today so I did a reset just before noon. Time disappeared and didn't return until 5pm, after I a second TV guide test. TV guide test passed before and after reset so I don't understand what caused the missing guide info, unless it was due to switch in guide channel from Comcast channel 3 to OTA channel 28. Only reason for the recorder to do that is absence of guide data update for three days.

Do you get guide data from Comcast? I thought you were OTA only.
Mine has been working perfectly but I'm only on my second week. My only regret is I didn't buy two.

Ray1938

02-14-06, 09:12 PM

Do you get guide data from Comcast? I thought you were OTA only.
Mine has been working perfectly but I'm only on my second week. My only regret is I didn't buy two.

I have both Comcast and OTA, and I rent the Comcast dual tuner HDTV recorder.

kcgr

02-14-06, 09:22 PM

1. In the Houston area I don't get 39.1 (the WB) on the guide. Anyone else have this issue also? Tuning to it is no issue if I enter "39.1".

2. Is there anyway to scroll faster through the guide while looking for shows coming on later in the day/week. I'd like to skip (or page over). I RTFM, but either I overlooked it, or you have to button over hour by hour.

3. Finally: a friend has the same sony unit for OTA, but cannot get any digital channels. He says he only gets analog ones. If he goes to 8.1, he says he gets "no signal," but he says he gets the analog 8 though. I'm wondering if there is a setting he's overlooking. :confused: I figure unless his HD tuner is bad, he should get both HD and SD OTA channels.

thanks
Kevin

Bill R (# 2)

02-14-06, 10:01 PM

Is there anyway to scroll faster through the guide while looking for shows coming on later in the day/week. I'd like to skip (or page over). I RTFM, but either I overlooked it, or you have to button over hour by hour.

thanks
Kevin

Kevin,

All you have to do is put in (from the keypad) the number of hours that you want to look ahead. A box will pop up on the left side allowing you to select hours ahead or back or go to that channel number in the guide.

Here is another thing that you might have missed: You can move up or down one page in the guide by using the channel up and down keys.

kcgr

02-14-06, 10:11 PM

Kevin,

All you have to do is put in (from the keypad) the number of hours that you want to look ahead. A box will pop up on the left side allowing you to select hours ahead or back or go to that channel number in the guide.

Here is another thing that you might have missed: You can move up or down one page in the guide by using the channel up and down keys.

AHHHHH!!!, now I remember reading the part about shortcuts for the jump ahead feature. I did get the page up/down with the channel up/down buttons. It is like my Replaytv in that respect. Unfortunately, the TVGOS is very clunky in comparison to the Replay in most other respects. Then again it is hard to complain for $250. ;)

Thanks for the reply!!

Hoopnoop

02-14-06, 10:15 PM

Hi all!

I am one of the lucky ones who picked up the HDD500 from Tweeter recently. I am very happy with the unit which I use just for OTA (I have a second OTA receiver that I use for my 2nd tuner). I have read through much of this thread and have a few questions for which I have not found a complete answer:

1. My unit shows a temperature on one of the drives of 111. The unit is stacked on top of a few other units (an audio receiver and a dvd player) and the stand is open in the front but not the back. Should I change my set-up in order to lower the temp? It would be a bit of a pain in the butt due to space constraints but I certainly don't want to ruin this such a nice piece of equipment!
2. I have an old software version. And while I don't use this with a cable card right now I plan to do so towards the end of the year when Comcast comes to my area (and perhaps Verizon Fios as well). Should I consider getting the unit fixed due to the common cable card problem and also get the software upgraded? From what I can tell, the cable card problem leads to a need for a reboot about once a week. And there is some talk that only the latest software will accomodate the 2009 move to digital. Is it worth the hassle of sending the unit out even though I've had no problems yet with it?
3. Finally, I have a question with regard to taking up hard disk space. If I record an SD show on an HD channel (e.g., recording Dr. Phil on NBC HD) will it take the same amount of space as an HD show? Should I adjust the recording quality down in order to save space reflecting the fact that its an SD show?

Thanks in advance for any answers.