Sony DHG-HDD250/500: Official Thread [Text View] - Page 5

alerion

11-06-05, 03:49 PM

I am considering getting the DHG-HDD250 or DHG-HDD500 but I have some questions:

1) SD Quality. Since pause is always enabled, it is likely that analog SD must be MPEG encoded. I see no settings for quality level. Has anyone compared the SD quality with a standard TiVo?

2) Hard Drive Upgrade. Has anyone tried upgrading the DHG-HDD250 with an additional hard drive?

I am a bit put off by the recording and guide problems and a bit worried that there will be a newer version with 2 tuner announced at CES, but I might give it a go anyway.

Thanks,

Rich
SD digital picture quality is very good. My experience is based on digital and analog OTA. I feel it is as good as the stations broadcast (meaning if an event is covered with lower-res cameras or taped, it will look like it in SD. For high quality sources, the picture is outstanding.
There are numerous posts that imply if you add exactly the right 250 gig hard drive, you can turn a 250 into a 500 with no hassle.
I have not had any recording problems. I have had a few quirks with the guide, but nothing major.
For my complete assessment, check out my review of the DHG-HDD250 at epinions.com. It is here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_189971205764

RichB

11-06-05, 04:08 PM

SD digital picture quality is very good. My experience is based on digital and analog OTA. I feel it is as good as the stations broadcast (meaning if an event is covered with lower-res cameras or taped, it will look like it in SD. For high quality sources, the picture is outstanding.
There are numerous posts that imply if you add exactly the right 250 gig hard drive, you can turn a 250 into a 500 with no hassle.
I have not had any recording problems. I have had a few quirks with the guide, but nothing major.
For my complete assessment, check out my review of the DHG-HDD250 at epinions.com. It is here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_189971205764

Thanks, nice review. BTW, recording will always look the same since the MPEG encoder is engaged for SD. For an accurate comparison, you would have to check the SD performance with another "direct" sd tuner. I got concerned about SD when I had a Motorola 6412. It must have a "PEG" encode since the picture went completely fuzzy on SD anolog whenever the picture moved :)

-- Rich

alerion

11-06-05, 06:18 PM

Thanks, nice review. BTW, recording will always look the same since the MPEG encoder is engaged for SD. For an accurate comparison, you would have to check the SD performance with another "direct" sd tuner. I got concerned about SD when I had a Motorola 6412. It must have a "PEG" encode since the picture went completely fuzzy on SD anolog whenever the picture moved :)

-- Rich
When I first owned the Sony, I also had a Zenith direct tuner. It was a very good unit. There was no picture quality difference between it and the Sony on digital channels. If anything the Sony is slightly better. Certainly HDMI out is sharper than component out, even in SD. The Zenith did not have analog, but locally all of our stations are now available digital. SD analog on the Sony DVR looks just like SD analog on the Sony TV.

PhillyC

11-06-05, 06:30 PM

spiff72

11-06-05, 07:03 PM

Does anyone have the disappearing recordings problem WITHOUT a cablecard? For example, using it for OTA and "in the clear" QAM channels (locals)?

buccikong

11-06-05, 07:21 PM

Does anyone have the disappearing recordings problem WITHOUT a cablecard? For example, using it for OTA and "in the clear" QAM channels (locals)?

Yes, I have had the disappearing recordings problem a couple of times and I don't use a cablecard. I'm using OTA and QAM cable. I wish they'd fix this bug along with the sporadic guide channel additions. I guess they released a patch that slightly addressed the sporadic channel additions, but it's not truly fixed.

I got my unit in May when it was first released. It worked very well in the beginning. My problems started in the past month or two. Maybe it's because I'm recording a lot of shows now compared to the summer.

I don't think anybody has determined where the problem lies, but I'd guess that it's a TVGOS issue rather than a Sony issue. Hopefully they are aware of these issues and working on a new software release. I don't know how to contact TVGOS to report issues or get a status update of what they're working on.

bierboy

11-07-05, 10:28 AM

SD digital picture quality is very good. My experience is based on digital and analog OTA. I feel it is as good as the stations broadcast (meaning if an event is covered with lower-res cameras or taped, it will look like it in SD. For high quality sources, the picture is outstanding.
There are numerous posts that imply if you add exactly the right 250 gig hard drive, you can turn a 250 into a 500 with no hassle.
I have not had any recording problems. I have had a few quirks with the guide, but nothing major.
For my complete assessment, check out my review of the DHG-HDD250 at epinions.com. It is here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_189971205764
Alerion....yes, most excellent review -- much appreciated! Ultimately, at least for me, it will come down to if/when TiVo makes their much-rumored SA HD unit available and at what price point. If it supports MPEG-4 and has dual tuners out-of-the-box, then it'll be a no-brainer (as long as the price isn't outrageous).

Rbrodzinsky

11-07-05, 11:16 AM

Does anyone have the disappearing recordings problem WITHOUT a cablecard? For example, using it for OTA and "in the clear" QAM channels (locals)?

Yes - I use OTA only (no cable at all).

rcrach

11-07-05, 12:02 PM

I've been lurking on this forum for some time, and I am almost ready to purchase the hdd250. I want to clarify some of the features with people that own this unit. The two features that bother me the most are the inability to set the clock manually and the unknown labeling for manual recordings. I can live with the clock situation, but does the unknown label at least include the time, date, and duration for the recording? The Pioneer 520H I have does something similar and if it can it pulls at least the title out of the stream with the other info only if you start the recording at the right time. It also has a thumbnail. of the recording in the play menu. I want to get something before the new analog hole legislation is rammed through congress, and there aren't that many OTA options out there right now, The new Pioneers, DVR-DT90 and DT70 . released in Japan have excellent features including the dual layer DVD recorder ability to transfer recordings but I fear it will be so locked up with DRM when it's released in the US that it may be worthless. Any thoughts?

inlogan

11-07-05, 12:19 PM

0t1s1

11-07-05, 03:06 PM

Well, I've just joined the "disappearing recordings" club. This problem did not exist with my unit (Chicago Comcast & CableCARD) before today. I've had the HDD500 since June.

Today I noticed the following weekly recordings missing from the schedule:

Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Invasion (ABC);
CSI: Miami (CBS).

I'm not aware of any previous reports of this behavior in the Chicago area. Has anyone been able to determine where the problem lies or if Sony and TVGOS are aware of it?

You haven't missed Lost. It's last new episode was 10/19 and the next new one is not scheduled until this Wed 11/9; Same thing with Invasion, last new ep was 10/26 and next new one is this Wed 11/9...

The other two shows I can't account for...

I use Epguides.com (http://epguides.com/) to verify info on episodes. It's pretty useful and up to date most of the time. It is especially good as Fall schedules start to come out.

Greg

I did lose West Wing last night and would love to see it if anyone in the Chicago vicinity still has it and can dump it onto tape or dvd!!!!

rcrach

11-07-05, 03:12 PM

philspice1

11-07-05, 05:51 PM

I'm wondering if someone could reply with a screen shot ( digital photo ) of what the manual recording list looks like and the information displayed? The reason i'm asking is I wouldn't need any tivo like functionality and would only be using this for time shifting maybe a day in advance. I realize this can be done with the guide but from what I've read in this forum the guide is marginally usable at best. also has anyone tried connecting the USB to a computer and seeing if it's recognized as a device instead of a host?

Thanks

Rick
I wouldn't go so far as to say the guide is marginal at best. It just has some quirks. If you realize this going in you should be fine.

I have had some scheduled recordings disappear (no cablecard) but nothing happened this weekend when I went out of town. Everything recorded just fine.

dmaster

11-08-05, 04:08 PM

I'm wondering if someone could reply with a screen shot ( digital photo ) of what the manual recording list looks like and the information displayed? The reason i'm asking is I wouldn't need any tivo like functionality and would only be using this for time shifting maybe a day in advance. I realize this can be done with the guide but from what I've read in this forum the guide is marginally usable at best. also has anyone tried connecting the USB to a computer and seeing if it's recognized as a device instead of a host?

Thanks

Rick

Rick:

Sorry, no screen shot. }:) Manual recordings look just like old VCR recordings.
Channel, Day, Time, and Duration. If you only used manual recordings, you'd
see a recording list that looked something like:

Unknown [OTA_Channel_Number | Cable_Channel_Number] dd/mm/yyyy
#### minutes.
Unknown [OTA_Channel_Number | Cable_Channel_Number] dd/mm/yyyy
#### minutes.
Unknown [OTA_Channel_Number | Cable_Channel_Number] dd/mm/yyyy
#### minutes.

So, if you happen to know what you are recording on each day and in each
time slot, it's not hard to figure out which show is which.

Dan (Woj...)

Daniel Tonks

11-08-05, 05:58 PM

Even without knowing what the show name was, it's still better than a plain old VCR...

rcrach

11-09-05, 11:06 AM

That's good enough for me. Even the pioneer 520H is hit and miss on whether it catches the actual title info. The playable thumbnails in the list are nice however.

Thanks,
Rick

kidAtoZed

11-09-05, 05:13 PM

philspice1

11-09-05, 05:28 PM

I've also got some concerns re: the clock that I'm hoping some owners can answer :-). If the clock is wrong on the HDD250/500, does that mean that any time stamp on a manual recording would also be wrong? And that you wouldn't be able to schedule unattended timer recordings (without accounting for the hours and minutes that the clock is off each time)? And that TVGOS would always be displaying the wrong info --> useless? Thanks for any input!
Yes, if the time is incorrect, TV Guide is virtually useless. I have never had any major issues with the clock, however. If the power goes out it sometimes takes a few minutes to correct itself, but it always has been able to correct itself.

Sirluckyj

11-10-05, 02:14 AM

philspice1

11-10-05, 07:23 AM

I have the same problem here in Tulsa, OK. The unit worked fine last night, then this morning it has no time and resets itself everytime I try to change channels or open the listings. Unpluging it has no effect on this. I guess I'll call Sony when I get off work tonight.

hednic

11-10-05, 09:38 AM

SteveGoTex

11-10-05, 10:09 AM

I've had my DVR since the end of July, no issues. Tonite around midnight I noticed it said Welcome... 06 on the display. It went blank, came back on with Welcome... 06 again and did this several times. Finally the display has -- -- -- where the time should be. I turned the unit on and all is OK except the TV Guide data is gone. To my knowledge we have had no power outages because all my clocks are OK. We are having very high winds again in Indiana tonite, up to 45 mph. Perhaps the PBS channel that provides that data had an issue. Do you think by leaving the unit off, the time & Guide data will return? Thanks.

Jim

Same problem here. After seeing this post I looked at the unit, and saw the time display was all dashes. That was about 7:00am. After running some errands, I turned the unit on, and noticed that it had no guide data, no channel list, etc. I called Sony support and reported the problem. They, of course had no immediate answer. As I was talking to them, with the unit turned off, I noticed that it had picked up the correct time. On turning it back on, it still had no guide data.

Based on the above reports, I am guessing that there was someting in one of the downloads last night that caused this problem. If so, every unit that was left in standby overnight will be messed up, or at least units that got that download.

I wonder if there is a way to get in touch with TVGOS directly to get some kind of answer from them?

bdfox18doe

11-10-05, 10:28 AM

Do you all have your units on a UPS? If not , you should. It will protect your unit from brief power hits that can disrupt the unit, as well as protect you during recordings. I use the APC 1000VA, about $100 or so..

Getting a cablecard from Time-Warner today, so we'll see how that works here.

buccikong

11-10-05, 11:18 AM

Do you all have your units on a UPS?

I have my unit on a UPS, and it still got screwed-up last night, not that I lost power or anything. I really enjoyed wasting an hour configuring the channel listings again today, I can only hope that it gets enough guide data to record my shows tonight. Maybe TVGOS pushed-out a major software release last night that will fix all of the bugs we've identified!

DvdJags

11-10-05, 12:39 PM

The same thing happened to my unit. There was no power failure last night. I noticed that the 11:00 a.m. show I record everyday was not recording. I turned it on and tuned to the channel but it resets and displays 1023 on the unit after a few seconds and the screen goes black. Whatever upgrade they sent out screwed up everything.

SteveGoTex

11-10-05, 01:14 PM

bdfox18doe

11-10-05, 05:20 PM

Well, this box doesn't like the S/A Powerkey PKM600 card from Time-Warner here..gives
the error 161-2..Diagnostics indicate no lock to the out of band carrier, which may be the
problem. However, my pioneer 3510 cable box works fine, so most likely isn't the drop.
Now to call Sony..

Bum cablecard evidently..Mits DLP gives the same error..

inlogan

11-10-05, 06:05 PM

I thnk it would be helpful for all of us that had this Nov 10 problem to call into Sony support and report it. Perhaps that will help then get a handle on what happened to the units, and if it was some kind of bad download, get that matter resolved as well.

I agree that it was not the result of a power failure. The evidence continues to point to some kind of bad download.

Thanks

I got home from work and mine was showing Welcome 06. It's just keeps rebooting over and over again. They really screwed things up!

edit.... Well in between reboots I managed to turn it on and it fired up normally. The clock is still off a bit as usual after a reset, but it's working fine. The listings are all gone and I had to rearrange my channel edits. Thankfully I'm using OTA and don't have too many, but my guess is this might happen again.

edit yet again.... it just started rebooting itself again over and over. *sigh*

Sirluckyj

11-10-05, 06:31 PM

Well I had everything back in line, time, guide, etc and at 6:13 pm et, I lost everything again. This is BS.

Jim

inlogan

11-10-05, 06:32 PM

I just figured something out. It only is rebooting if I have it tuned to the VBI channel ( my PBS channel 26). If I have it tuned to any other channel it stays on fine. Once I tune it to 26 though after a few seconds it reboots. It must be something in the download stream that is causing it to screw up.

fenwayfan

11-10-05, 06:51 PM

Well same thing happened to my unit as well. Lost the guide, had to unplug the power cord to reboot it.

hednic

11-10-05, 06:53 PM

I came home around 4:15PM and the time was set back correctly. Got my listings back for all my channels, but the channel lineup in the guide was all screwed up so I am going to have to spend at least 2 hours re-arranging them in the correct order. Also two programs I had scheduled for recording this morning were erased (obviously when this fiasco started.) From what others are saying, I guess my area wasn't affected as badly as others. It's annoying nevertheless.

inlogan

11-10-05, 06:59 PM

nascar24

11-10-05, 07:09 PM

Ok this is very odd. I called Sony Tech Support while my unit was still rebooting over and over. She told me to do the unplug thing and keep it off for a minute and then restart it. Well it kept rebooting again. She then was on hold for a few minutes and came back and told me to take the batteries out of the remote and restart the unit with the power button on the unit. Well lo and behold it fired up fine and has not rebooted since. She said they've had problems with their remotes sending bad codes to the units causing them to reboot.

I find this highly unusual since we've been having the same problem on all of our units starting last night. But it worked for me, so give it a try if your unit keeps rebooting. Take out the remote batteries for a while and use the unit with the buttons on the DVR itself. I've since put the batteries back in the remote and the clock is set correctly and it hasn't rebooted yet.

I dont think this was it, This was a nationwide problem of some sort with TVguide, This crash has ticked me off as I had some digital cable channels mapped which I will now have to go find again including my local HD channels which I now have to go find again. Mine was locked as well today and took 2 reboots to get going again. This one was BS as its going to take some time to find all my local HD stations again and then put them back into the guide manually.

inlogan

11-10-05, 07:16 PM

I dont think this was it, This was a nationwide problem of some sort with TVguide, This crash has ticked me off as I had some digital cable channels mapped which I will now have to go find again including my local HD channels which I now have to go find again. Mine was locked as well today and took 2 reboots to get going again. This one was BS as its going to take some time to find all my local HD stations again and then put them back into the guide manually.

That's why I think it's extremely odd that it fixed my problem as soon as I did it. Maybe it was just a coincidence but I still wanted to put it out there for anyone still having problems. I know it's far fetched since it's happening to everyone at the same time. However I would also think that Gemstar is only sending one data stream and I've only seen problems with the Sony DVRs on the forum today. I tried searching for other TV Guide issues and haven't seen any out of the ordinary other than the usual TVGOS problems.

Maybe a chip in the remote went bad lol :D

wgoldman

11-10-05, 07:16 PM

Daniel Tonks

11-10-05, 07:18 PM

Exact same problem here in Toronto, Canada... time is right, unit is mostly working, but it hangs whenever I press INFO or GUIDE. Going to try a reboot...

inlogan

11-10-05, 07:19 PM

Same exact thing happening to me in St. Louis: last night lost all guide data, which was partially restored during the day, and this evening the unit started resetting itself over and over. Can't blame this on the remote control, since I don't use the original Sony remote.

Looks like I'll be watching The O.C. and CSI and ER live tonight! :eek: Hopefully it'll download days 1, 2, and 8 tonight so we can get back on track.

Is anyone keeping track of any type of version numbers in the TVGOS diagnostic screens? It'd be nice to see if it changed at all since yesterday.

bdfox18doe

11-10-05, 07:29 PM

Usually, when there is TVGOS problems, we get viewer calls, since we're the local insertion
carrier here..but haven't had any such calls..so suspect it's only specific to the Sony's..

Daniel Tonks

11-10-05, 07:29 PM

OK, a reboot worked fine (hold TV GUIDE and EXIT on the front panel for a couple seconds). However, all Guide customization seems to be gone - although at first glance they're also added a few new station listings so I guess it's worth it... :-)

Should note that I still have program listings as well.

inlogan

11-10-05, 07:31 PM

inlogan

11-10-05, 07:33 PM

Usually, when there is TVGOS problems, we get viewer calls, since we're the local insertion
carrier here..but haven't had any such calls..so suspect it's only specific to the Sony's..

At least you're paying attention to your viewers. Did you have any issues maybe two weeks ago with TVGOS? A few people on this board had problems and I emailed our insertion station here and never received a reply. It fixed itself after a day or two though.

bdfox18doe

11-10-05, 07:37 PM

koolkat1973

11-10-05, 07:38 PM

same here in northern va. no time and no guide.

inlogan

11-10-05, 07:39 PM

All we do is insert the signal for TVGOS..by putting their Norpak encoder in our analog transmit line..If there is a problem, they usually call us and request we power cycle the encoder, if that fails they send in a replacement unit, which seldom happens. But, if there is a problem, we get calls pretty quickly. And TVGOS is pretty good about monitoring their
data for problems.

It's good that they keep you informed. It would be nice if they would inform the end users of any planned updates or software changes on their website...or have their own techincal support. The people at Sony seem a bit clueless sometimes. But hey, it's free. I can't complain too much :cool:

inlogan

11-10-05, 07:41 PM

same here in northern va. no time and no guide.

Try rebooting it youself by hitting the Exit and TV Guide buttons on the DVR itself at the sametime. This will reboot it. Mine cycled a lot and so have a few others. So yours may vary. But I live in DC and get my TVGOS data from WETA like you probably do. My clock is fine now so hopefully yours should reset itself soon.

koolkat1973

11-10-05, 07:50 PM

Thanks inlogan - i've tried rebooting my box three or four times now but to no avail. Is there anything else I could try.

inlogan

11-10-05, 07:54 PM

Thanks inlogan - i've tried rebooting my box three or four times now but to no avail. Is there anything else I could try.

Well mine kept doing it a lot. I called tech support and she had me remove my batteries in the remote. It worked, but i think it was more coincidence than a real solution. Give it a try though..who knows :) Take the batteries out of the remote and use the unit with the buttons on the DVR.

Other than that I have no solution. I guess I got lucky mine stopped rebooting. I just wonder how many times it rebooted itself while I was at work today lol

nascar24

11-10-05, 08:00 PM

Whats the hard reset for starting from the begining as this is what I want to do, I want to rescan for channels all over again, What a pain!

inlogan

11-10-05, 08:05 PM

Whats the hard reset for starting from the begining as this is what I want to do, I want to rescan for channels all over again, What a pain!

The Exit and TVGuide button trick just reboots it as a soft reset I think. There is a service menu which may help you. I see an option that says "Restore Factory Default," but I have no idea what that will actually do and I'm certainly not trying it ;)

Hit the menu button the the remote, then the Screen Mode button, then type 9012

nascar24

11-10-05, 08:10 PM

The Exit and TVGuide button trick just reboots it as a soft reset I think. There is a service menu which may help you. I see an option that says "Restore Factory Default," but I have no idea what that will actually do and I'm certainly not trying it ;)

Hit the menu button the the remote, then the Screen Mode button, then type 9012

Thanks for the info, Im in the middle of starting all over again! I love it! Scanning for channels again since it lost all the Digital channels it had found previously after this fiasco. I figured since the guide data was messed up allready I mize well go ahead and do it. I think it takes a good hour to find everything again :mad: . Then back to manual add and then all my recordings need to be added! You have to love it. I did the User config reset and it brought me back to first power up.

inlogan

11-10-05, 08:15 PM

Thanks for the info, Im in the middle of starting all over again! I love it! Scanning for channels again since it lost all the Digital channels it had found previously after this fiasco. I figured since the guide data was messed up allready I mize well go ahead and do it. I think it takes a good hour to find everything again :mad: . Then back to manual add and then all my recordings need to be added! You have to love it. I did the User config reset and it brought me back to first power up.

I actually use that menu all the time to go to the TV Guide G*Factory test. If you're already tuned to your VBI channel you can actually watch the packets being received. It's great for pointing my antenna each night to make sure it's aimed correctly and doesn't receive any bad packets.

nascar24

11-10-05, 08:18 PM

I actually use that menu all the time to go to the TV Guide G*Factory test. If you're already tuned to your VBI channel you can actually watch the packets being received. It's great for pointing my antenna each night to make sure it's aimed correctly and doesn't receive any bad packets.

Yea, Looks like a menu to explore as I have never had to go to it before tonight :(

dszigeti

11-10-05, 08:20 PM

It's good that they keep you informed. It would be nice if they would inform the end users of any planned updates or software changes on their website...or have their own techincal support. The people at Sony seem a bit clueless sometimes. But hey, it's free. I can't complain too much :cool:

All,

I could easily have missed a post (or twenty), but do we actually know that TVGOS downloads new (operational) software, as opposed to just downloading data to populate the Guide? :confused:

I know where to find the Sony software version ... where do I find he TVGOS version number?

Thanks

inlogan

11-10-05, 08:25 PM

All,

I could easily have missed a post (or twenty), but do we actually know that TVGOS downloads new (operational) software, as opposed to just downloading data to populate the Guide? :confused:

I know where to find the Sony software version ... where do I find he TVGOS version number?

Thanks

I read in another thread with a TV that uses TVGOS and they said that Gemstar can send updates through the normal VBI downloads. I don't know how often or if they ever have though.

nascar24

11-10-05, 08:54 PM

Well the user reset thing didnt dump my TVguide info that was there but did allow a full rescan of channels. Strange.

Opinionated

11-10-05, 08:55 PM

Good thing I looked in on the forum. My clock was right and I didn't suspect anything was wrong.

My damage is limited that my edited TVGuide channel listings were all lost and that I have no listing data.

I didn't need to rescan for the channels, they were there just needed to be edited to the right network.

I just hope the data returns overnight and all is well again.

Ruidh

11-10-05, 09:30 PM

I had a similar issue when I got home from work. Unit had no time and all the guide data was gone.

I did the Exit-TV Guide reboot and still have no time and no data. I get lots of good VBI packets.

ay221

11-10-05, 10:01 PM

Just to add to this. the same thing happen to me in Colorado Springs in which I have OTA only. Glad I am not alone. All is well right now except for the wrong clock and no guide data.

skierrob

11-10-05, 10:20 PM

Not to say "me too", but the same problem with a blank listing screen, rebooting, etc. happened to me today as well.

I spoke with someone at Sony support. Strange thing... at about 7:01 pm PST (they close at 7 pm PST), my call was mysteriously disconnected... right when I told them that I wasn't the only person having this problem.

So... I just sent them an email with a link to the forum asking what the HECK is going on. I really, really, really hope someone actually gets back to me with a real answer... I really can't believe I need to re-order my entire guide AGAIN. :(

Robert

skierrob

11-10-05, 10:36 PM

Well, I just spoke with Sony Support. They refuse to believe that all of us are having the same problem. They told me I have to return the unit for service but that it is out of warranty so I have to pay for service.

What a crock. :(

skierrob

11-10-05, 10:41 PM

whoops... meant to say did a live chat since phone support was closed.

PhillyC

11-10-05, 10:41 PM

skierrob

11-10-05, 11:05 PM

Oh, I did a tv-guide / exit reboot and then it asked me immediately what cable provider I had in my city. Chose it and got channels in the listings with "no guide data" but of course it's all out of order and not showing the correct channels. :(

groan.

Another problem is, at least right now, I have no host channel in the diagnostics menu. Any idea what to do? just leave the unit off? Do a different reset?

Robert

fullhorn

11-10-05, 11:59 PM

Same problems here in Phoenix, many reboots this afternoon and hours of no clock or
listings but as of later this evening the clock is correct and the station logos are back but no programing as of yet , mine is OTA only

baskaran

11-11-05, 12:55 AM

Not sure if this is related ---

I noticed around 5:00 PM that my DVR time was about 5 hours off. I have no listings for next Thursday, but all other guide data is intact including the channel setup. I changed to the local host channel and the time corrected itself within a minute or two. Ovbiously, no time or guide data was received overnight.

My guide version is the same as it was previously: 08:01:42/08:06:20, as noted by someone back in September:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6236034&&#post6236034

I posted that guid version information some time back. I was told by Sony that they took care of the problems and I should not see this problem again. Obviously they were wrong. I looked at the guide version again and it says the same thing. However, the first string in the line above guide version has changed from '8H573' to '8F573'. I am calling Sony tomorrow.

nathan118

11-11-05, 02:43 AM

In Los Angeles, OTA only. This morning had no clock and days 1,2,8 only. This evening, no clock and no listings at all. Haven't done a reset, will see where things are at tomorrow. This is definitly not a regional thing. Well, maybe all regions. :D

fenwayfan

11-11-05, 04:43 AM

Well, it's 1:35AM in the morning here in southern California (have a project deadline to finish) and my unit has been rebooting itself for the last 20 minutes and it still keeps doing it as I'm writing this post.

I know the unit usually downloads the guide around 1AM PDT, could it be part of the downloading process?

What's going on? :mad:

davygrvy

11-11-05, 05:21 AM

me too :( San Francisco area with Comcast and OTA. The Sony is stuck in endless reboots right now and I'm going to bed. I'm calling Sony tomorrow: 1-800-222-7669 or 1-888-772-7669

inlogan

11-11-05, 06:02 AM

I woke up at 5:50 am for work and no clock. The transmitter for my PBS station is off until 6am. At just about 6am the unit rebooted without me doing anything. Looks like I'll be calling Sony support again when I get home from work.

kjarnold

11-11-05, 08:15 AM

I have watched my HDD500 reboot at 6am exactly for the second morning in a row. Loses the guide info and order but seems to retain recording info. Why the reboot occurs at 6am sharp is a mystery. Time to call Sony.

Called tech support and presented the problem. After 5 min on hold while the csr researched the problem she asked if I had the unit plugged into a power stip. Of course I have it in a surge protector. Said I should plug it in the wall and watch tomorrow if the same thing happens. I wondered if she was joking, but she wasn't. I told her I witnessed the reboot and it was not a power interruption but protocols are protocols......

nascar24

11-11-05, 08:25 AM

I guess calling sony might get them to get in contact with tvguide but my guess this is a tvguide problem and sony isnt going to have a clue what is wrong.
My guide Data was all gone this morning. Stayed even after a user reset yesterday, But nothing in there now including no channels.

inlogan

11-11-05, 08:47 AM

I found this in another thread...

GemStar does have a toll-free number. This has been discussed numerous times on the AfterDawn Forum. Apparently there is a lady there named Cheryl who has been working on the problems with TVGOS, specifically on the Panasonic recorders with the U99 errors. Here is the number from one such post:

Call TVGOS at 1-800-386-7380, pressing option 2 and selecting Cheryl. I just tried the number and it works exactly as stated.

I would encourage anyone with a TVGOS problem, especially on a Panasonic recorder getting U99 errors, to contact Cheryl and discuss the problems they are having with her. It does appear that TVGOS is attempting to solve this issue. Whether they are able to is yet to be seen.

RG

I'm at work today and not near the unit. Anyone else care to give Gemstar a call and find out what they did two nights ago to screw us all up? I don't think Sony is being very responsive if they don't believe this is happening to all of us. Gemstar should know what is going on.

snackmasta

11-11-05, 09:08 AM

Cover

11-11-05, 10:08 AM

Are these units failing on a cable system or off outside antenna. If it is a cable system, which systems? I am on Adelphia and mine has failed.

inlogan

11-11-05, 10:25 AM

Are these units failing on a cable system or off outside antenna. If it is a cable system, which systems? I am on Adelphia and mine has failed.

I'm OTA

dp70

11-11-05, 10:47 AM

Lost guide data in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area too, but no problems with the unit rebooting (yet).

sfbayhdtv

11-11-05, 10:52 AM

Just like the rest of the posts here have observed, my HDD-500 has been
rebooting itself at around midnight for the past two nights. I don't know
if it's happening at 6 AM as well, as some of the others have posted.

I'm OTA only in the San Francisco Bay Area, so it's not a cable issue.

It loses time and all guide data after it happens.

I called Sony Support yesterday and the rep didn't know anything about
the problem and hadn't heard of any other cases like this. Anyone
know how to escalate this issue within Sony?

Rbrodzinsky

11-11-05, 11:17 AM

Same problem for me, OTA in the Bay Area. Last night had a limited number of stations showing in the guide, but it failed to record Smallville and CSI. When I got home and noticed it wasn't recording (at about 9:05pm), I looked and the guide was completely empty (no channels showing at all).

The channel list, via the Sony menu, was complete, with all the station identifiers, so clearly a TVGOS problem. This morning, the limited guide is back, but no listings, and time is off by 6 minutes. Will try the soft reboot.

-- 30 minutes later

When I went to do the soft-reboot, I noticed the time was back to being correct, and the guide now had listings for today. BUT, still limited stations listed (i.e., not all the KQED subchannels; only CBS, Fox, ABC and UPN HD channels shown, not WB, NBC and independents [i know how to fool the Guide, but they were there Wednesday evening]). After the guide finishes refilling in, will need to check which recording schedules are messed up.

Sirluckyj

11-11-05, 11:34 AM

After getting sent from person to person, I got a guy who seemed to be willing to run with the problem. He said he would contact TVGOS. My Event ID with Sony is E29364977. Everyone who has time should call Sony: 1-800-222-7699. He said he would call me back once he had info. I'll advise.

Jim

koolkat1973

11-11-05, 11:58 AM

Just called the wife and she said that I have the correct time and the TV Guide is functional. Not sure how many days of guide I have but this is a good start. I will check tonight when i get home from work.

skierrob

11-11-05, 12:05 PM

Still having problems here... only have a few listings and my channel guide is all out of order and most of my turned off channels have been turned back on. System rebooted again at 6 am this morning. I live in Los Angeles, CA.

Spoke with someone at Sony that informed me that it was a Gemstar issue and he transferred me to a "senior" level tech that was supposed to know more. But she hadn't heard of the problem. I gave her the URL for this forum and she said she would forward my comments to engineering for them to look at.

*shrug*

Don't know what else I can do. Tried to call Gemstar, but they aren't picking up their phone. :(

Robert

skierrob

11-11-05, 12:34 PM

nascar24

11-11-05, 01:06 PM

Got a call back from someone that said they knew this was an issue and that Sony engineering was working on solving the problem with Gemstar. They would not commit to a time or date to have it fixed, however.

Great Gemstar did something to break all use of are units and no time when it will be fixed :mad:

cjucoder

11-11-05, 01:37 PM

I normally don't join a forum just to say "me too", but in this case we have strength in numbers.

Using OTA only in Milwaukee, WI.

Wed. night I notice "Welcome" on the display and just assumed I sat on the remote. Shut it off and went to bed. Didn't think any more about it until I read this forum on Thur. Got home from work and sure enough the clock was just dashes. Powered up and couldn't get in the guide at all. Unplugged for several seconds. Powered back up and guide remembered my zip but forgot channel mapping/order and filled with "NO LISTINGS".

Turned it off to repopulate the guide. Clock set again to correct time after about half an hour. About 11:30pm Thur I watched as it kept rebooting. The display showed "Welcome" and counted to six then shut down. Video out was just "SONY" during the count. Listings now became "NO DATA". Went to bed. This morning clock still not set.

Luckily I've got the LG too (which, BTW, is not having this problem, but has an older guide and a different host channel).

Sirluckyj

11-11-05, 02:54 PM

I heard from Gemstar. They know what caused the problem and will undo (hopefully) with tonight's data send. I am to let them know how this turns out. Perhaps tomorrow all will be back to normal, but you know how these things go sometime.

Jim

rcrach

11-11-05, 03:01 PM

inlogan

11-11-05, 03:16 PM

It seems I was overly generous when I suggested the guide was marginably usable. It's curious that the recorders from other manufacturers don't seem to be experiencing this type of problem with the same auto-updating EPG. I'm wondering if something else isn't going on, as in Sony attempting some kind of firmware change relating to DRM using the guide update stream, ( it wouldn't surprise me considering their CD protection rootkit malware debacle which has now spawned an actual trojan and 3 lawsuits ). At the very least the two companies are not on the same page when it comes to accessing the hardware, hence the rebooting issue. go figure.

Rick

I can't imagine Sony was involved in this at all. Gemstar only sends one data stream over the broadcast signal and that is used by all the TVGOS devices. It was probably something that Gemstar did to their data stream that was not tested on the Sony unit. I assume that's why it's not causing problems with anyone else. For Sony to make any changes to the software I'm sure they would have to send a USB device to everyone. Í'm sure it'd be harder for Gemstar to customize something to broadcast that only the Sony DHG units could use.

Gbell

11-11-05, 05:20 PM

philspice1

11-11-05, 05:25 PM

Wow, an actual reply from Sony?

Thanks, Gbell

Now, let's hope that TVGuide doesn't screw up again!

PhilB

11-11-05, 05:38 PM

I concur. Thank you Sony for posting an update before the fear mongering takes over.

Hopefully the issues with TVGOS can be worked out so we don't have any more instances like this.

-phil

cjucoder

11-11-05, 05:44 PM

Thanks Gbel for posting that. Where did you see that message from Sony?

philspice1

11-11-05, 05:51 PM

Thanks Gbel for posting that. Where did you see that message from Sony?
I think he works for Sony. If you look at his post, he joined today and that is his first post.

nascar24

11-11-05, 05:53 PM

inlogan

11-11-05, 05:56 PM

Im amazed a change like this could knock out all the HDD units from Sony and no one else. I wonder what the change was. What I find strange though is this morning nothing was in my guide, But tonight I have guide data again. I didnt figure I would have guide data again unitl after the download tonight. Very strange.. :rolleyes:

I just got home from work and have days 1, 2, 8 as normal. I guess they fixed the problem before the last download for the day. If i recall correctly it happens between 1pm and 4pm eastern time.

edit: info from another thread

02:21 AM to 05:21 AM
07:01 AM to 10:01 AM
10:06 AM to 01:06 PM
01:46 PM to 04:46 PM

these are time times of the 4 downloads each day.

nascar24

11-11-05, 06:00 PM

I just got home from work and have days 1, 2, 8 as normal. I guess they fixed the problem before the last download for the day. If i recall correctly it happens between 1pm and 4pm eastern time.

I though downloads were allways carried out at like 1 or 2am every night as I remember my unit telling me to turn it off before it did this and it has never done this during the afternoon. :confused:

inlogan

11-11-05, 06:03 PM

I though downloads were allways carried out at like 1 or 2am every night as I remember my unit telling me to turn it off before it did this and it has never done this during the afternoon. :confused:

It happens 4 times a day. I just edited my previous post. That way you can watch tv late at night and not miss the data as long as you have it off during one of those periods. It only takes one time period to get all the data for the day. Most people have theirs off at night so that's probably when most get their updates. However, my PBS station turns their transmitter off from 2am to 6am every day so I have to make sure my DVR is off during one of the other periods.

The Auto-Off is a setting you can change in the normal menus. You can set it for anytime, but the default is 1am

Daniel Tonks

11-11-05, 11:53 PM

ay221

11-12-05, 12:06 AM

ay221

11-12-05, 12:06 AM

duplicate

bierboy

11-12-05, 12:20 AM

I had this before. They need to replace the harddrive. So you need to ship it to the Sony Service Center in MT Pleasand, PA. Of course you better call the Sony Service Center to give them the info and such and get an work order number. Try callling 866-748-8272.

Oh, Hopefully its within the 90 day period. Otherwise you have to pay for either labor or parts or both, not sure which. Next Time I will make sure that I don't buy anything without at least a 1 year warranty.Labor is 90 days on this unit; parts - one year (according to the manual).

Sirluckyj

11-12-05, 08:18 AM

Time and Guide back working but instead of my host channel being cable channel 3, it is OTA channel 39, which is in fact the same actual channel. I don't know why it changed from canle to OTA. Oh well act least the crisis is over!

Jim

bdfox18doe

11-12-05, 08:58 AM

Oh, Hopefully its within the 90 day period. Otherwise you have to pay for either labor or parts or both, not sure which. Next Time I will make sure that I don't buy anything without at least a 1 year warranty.

I think, given the price of the unit, that the 90 day warranty is pretty weak..I'm thinking of opening the unit after the 90 days and making an image of the hard drive, same as I have for my Tivos..then when the drive dies I can resurrect it..
Seeing as TigerDirect has a 300g drive for $90..one could even keep a shelf spare. I do for my Tivos.. :)

bierboy

11-12-05, 09:15 AM

Has anyone answered the question as to whether you can easily replace the HD in this unit with a larger one? Or at least the process for doing so? I've seen the question asked in this thread, but never answered.

dszigeti

11-12-05, 09:28 AM

Well, after I figured this was a one-day event and so spent 40 minutes yesterday rearranging and remapping all my stations, of course today when I go to use it the exact same problem has happened, and after a reboot all Guide customization was again lost.

Hopefully the problem really is good and truly fixed now...

All,

I am in Orlando FL, and it seems like my unit reset sometime yesterday. I have lost all of the channel reorganization stuff. Additionally, I have a lot of slots in the guide with "No title".

I sure would like to know who is in charge of damaging our units ... maybe we could start a class action suit :rolleyes:

inlogan

11-12-05, 09:37 AM

All,

I am in Orlando FL, and it seems like my unit reset sometime yesterday. I have lost all of the channel reorganization stuff. Additionally, I have a lot of slots in the guide with "No title".

I sure would like to know who is in charge of damaging our units ... maybe we could start a class action suit :rolleyes:

Read the last two pages of posts :) Gemstar did something with the data stream that the Sony units did not like. It's been resolved (so it seems). Your guide will have to fill in again like when you first got the unit. Days 1, 2, and 8 will appear the first day you leave it off during one of the download times.

Ruidh

11-12-05, 09:45 AM

My recovery was not so simple. I did a front panel reset (press Exit and TV Guide together) on Thursday when I discovered the issue. I could watch prerecorded programs, but could not force my THursday programs to be recorded. The date and time displayed on prerecorded programs was bizarre with times like 116:00.

On Friday, the unit was not tuning most channels. local OTA HD, analog cable and digital cable would not tune. I did a power cord reset and had to repick my cable system. But, the unit would not respect my program guide channel selections (I turn off all OTA and cable channels which I recieve in HD) and would not display guide data for HD channels. They did not appear in the guide (even if turned on in channel setup). If I tuned an HD channel and then hit the guide button, they appeared greyed out with "TURNED OFF" displayed instead of "NO LISTING".

I did another front panel reset this morning and, except for the missing guide data on the HD channels, it seems to be working OK.

But it was a very frustrating two days.

inlogan

11-12-05, 09:49 AM

SteveGoTex

11-12-05, 10:02 AM

The fix announced by Sony appears to be in. No problems late yesterday or this morning. The guide is repopulating.

Since, I figured I had nothing to lose, I used the "Reset Factory Defaults" command in the diagnostics menu of the unit.
(Menu->Screen Mode->9012)

For those of you who are curious, this command appears to reformat (at least part of ) the hard drive, and reset the system to a new-out-of-the-box state. This makes you go through the entire setup procedure from scratch. About the time I completed the re-initialization of the unit, I noticed the post from Sony about correcting the download streams.

All seems to be working again. Keeping fingers crossed.

The fact that Sony was able to become aware of this problem, and have all the documented reports of problems from Canada and the US right here in one place, was no doubt a big help to them, and us.

Hats off to AVS forums for providing a credible platform for this type of stuff.

dszigeti

11-12-05, 10:42 AM

Hello All-

A Message From Sony:

11/11/05

DHG-HDD250 & DHG-HDD500 HD Digital Video Recorders.

Over the past 48 hours, the above products have been receiving guide data-related software which caused some units to lose all guide data and/or freeze and/or re-start. If you are experiencing this problem, please re-start your unit by powering off, disconnecting AC, then reconnecting AC and powering on.

The data transmission issue has now been corrected, but if you continue to experience loss of guide data and freezing of the unit, please re-start your unit as described above. If this does not resolve the issue, please call Sony at 1-800-222-7669.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

Well I guess this answers my previous question on wether software is downloaded :(

Gbell, thanks for the "straight shooter" update. I think that we would all appreciate more input from Sony.

Can you tell us what the software updates are expected to correct?

In particular, numerous of us are losing recording "randomly". Should I expect this problem to be corrected?

Ruidh

11-12-05, 11:16 AM

Well I don't think they fixed it until sometime yesterday afternoon according to the post form the Sony guy on the previous page. Plus the last TVGuide download didn't look complete. I had some No Listings scattered in with the rest of the listings so I would guess it wasn't fixed until sometime between 1 and 4pm yesterday which is the last TVGuide download of the day. What time were you playing with your unit yesterday?

Friday evening at around 9pm Eastern. I've never seen the greyed "TURNED OFF" in the listings page before. After this morning's resets, the HD channels showed "No Listing" like I expect until they fill in with guide data. Last night's guide data didn't fill in the "turned off" HD channels.

Opinionated

11-12-05, 12:49 PM

inlogan

11-12-05, 02:25 PM

I didn't have the rebooting problems many had nor had to rescan for channels. Just lost the channel reorder and all the data was gone. I never had to reset it.

So last night when I read here that the problem was known to Sony and TVGuide, I anticipated the guide data would be filled overnight.

No such luck. All still empty. Well at least recordings can still be set manually as the clock is OK.

I'm getting my data from PBS channel 13 in NYC. Anyone else, and are you getting data?

It's interesting to learn that data is transmitted several times a day. We also believed it was only at night and sometimes shut off- when we would have stayed to watch- for that reason only. Does anyone know if that same NYC channel transmitted the data several times a day?

Finally, as everything is OK - as far as I can tell- except for no data, if it doesn't show up soon does any one think a reset may be necessary? Or leave well enough alone and wait?

Before I bought this unit back in June I read another thread for Toshiba TVs that included the TV Guide system. It has all the technical data you'll ever want to know about how the TV Guide system works and downloads data. Starting reading around page 5 seems to give the best info. It talks about the VBI channels, what all the diagnostic screens mean, what times the data is downloaded, etc. Some of the other issues they encounter are related to the Toshiba TV, but 85% of the TV Guide info is pertinent to our Sony units. This is the thread
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=510125&page=5&pp=30

Basically it looks like the VBI channels are sending "packets" 24 hours a day. You can go to the hidden 9012 menu and watch the packets being recieved, which ones are good, bad, and fixed. You have to be tuned to the channel that you receive your data from though. Four times a day the TV Guide listings are sent. Other times during the day other information is sent like channel lineups for the area. Once you read a few pages of the other thread, Kdog044 breaks everything down very well. He explains what each download does and when it happens. They tell you to turn your unit off over night (and it's defaulted to turn off at 1am but you can change that) because most people are asleep then. But, it does download during the day as well. Most people's units would be on then, so since you're not tuned to the VBI channel probably, you won't get the data then.

Sirluckyj

11-12-05, 02:29 PM

Unplug for 1 min. Once the clock returns, turn on unit and bring up guide and go to setup. Select second option and you should be asked where you get your cable TV from. Make proper selection, exit setup & turn off unit. You should begin to get data on next download.

Jim

PhillyC

11-12-05, 05:56 PM

While I did not lose current guide data or my channel order, the HDD500 has not downloaded guide data for next Thurs, Fri, and Sat. So this morning I did an unplug reset, hoping to see listings for next Saturday. No such luck. I guess I'll se what happens overnight.

The 9012 menu shows VBI packets downloading OK on the host channel.

If I go to setup and re-select the cable company/area, will that wipe out my channel order?

Eclipse

11-12-05, 11:16 PM

While I did not lose current guide data or my channel order, the HDD500 has not downloaded guide data for next Thurs, Fri, and Sat.

No guide data here for Thursday through Saturday, either, on my HDD250...other than that, I've had no problems this week, so don't want to mess with the setup if I can help it. Is it possible they are still working on the TVGOS/Sony problems?

inlogan

11-13-05, 01:02 AM

No guide data here for Thursday through Saturday, either, on my HDD250...other than that, I've had no problems this week, so don't want to mess with the setup if I can help it. Is it possible they are still working on the TVGOS/Sony problems?

Since most everyone's data was wiped out you'll have to rebuild the data from the beginning. Each day you only get three days worth. You get day 1 (today), 2(tomorrow) and 8(week from today). It takes 1 week to rebuild the complete guide.

Eclipse

11-13-05, 08:12 AM

My guide data wasn't wiped out; I just haven't received any new data since Wednesday morning...just checked and while I can scan ahead to next Sunday, it, too, shows "no listing" for every timeslot.

inlogan

11-13-05, 08:25 AM

My guide data wasn't wiped out; I just haven't received any new data since Wednesday morning...just checked and while I can scan ahead to next Sunday, it, too, shows "no listing" for every timeslot.

Ah that one is odd then. Maybe something is wrong at your station? Have you given them a call?

PhillyC

11-13-05, 10:26 AM

Eclipse and I have the same problem (in two different states) --- no guide data from next Thursday on. An unplug did not fix my unit. The 9012 menu shows VBI packets being received OK.

It looks like a guide reset will be necessary. Ugh!!

PhillyC

11-13-05, 10:41 AM

Since, I figured I had nothing to lose, I used the "Reset Factory Defaults" command in the diagnostics menu of the unit.
(Menu->Screen Mode->9012)

For those of you who are curious, this command appears to reformat (at least part of) the hard drive, and reset the system to a new-out-of-the-box state. This makes you go through the entire setup procedure from scratch.

Are you talking about the "Reset to Factory Default" just above the "G*Factory Test" button? (As differentiated from "Restore Factory Default" just below the Demo button on the previous page.)

Why would a guide reset reformat the hard drive? And what do you mean by "partially". My HDD contains many unwatched programs that I do not want to lose.

inlogan

11-13-05, 10:59 AM

PhillyC

11-13-05, 11:09 AM

Thanks, inlogan.

SteveGoTex

11-13-05, 11:37 AM

Are you talking about the "Reset to Factory Default" just above the "G*Factory Test" button? (As differentiated from "Restore Factory Default" just below the Demo button on the previous page.)

Why would a guide reset reformat the hard drive? And what do you mean by "partially". My HDD contains many unwatched programs that I do not want to lose.

I suppose was speaking of the "Restore Factory Default." Sorry if I used the wrong nomenclature. This command, while it is running, displays the word "Formatting" in the LED display for a few minutes. In my opinion. the amount of time the unit spent "Formatting" was not long compared to what I would have expected for an entire 250GB hard drive. That is why I mentioned parenthetically that this may have been an operation which was not equivalent to a full reformat.

Since I had no recordings that I had not already watched, I decided to try the "Big Reset." The net effect was to put the unit back into a "Fresh out of the box" state.

I will endeavor to use more accurate nomenclature on my future posts. Sorry for any confusion.

Opinionated

11-13-05, 12:13 PM

Unplug for 1 min.

Jim

The choice of whether or not to do this was taken away from me. When I turned on the unit last evening, it froze.

Had no choice but to unplug and reset. When it came back up, there was data in a couple of random places.

But overnight, we got 1, 2, and 8.

Now hoping the rest will fill normally.

And waiting for the next catastrophic event.

spiff72

11-13-05, 03:12 PM

philspice1

11-13-05, 03:18 PM

I know that this might be a loaded question, but do any of you regret your purchases of this Sony HD-DVR? I would love to have something that would record HD off cable and OTA. Reading this forum gives me second thoughts, though...

Thanks,
Jeff
I don't regret my purchase just yet. If there are more issues like last week though, that might change pretty quickly. I may still replace the Sony DVR with Tivo's promised HD Cablecard DVR. That will probably depend on the selling price since I would rather buy the lifetime subcription than pay a monthly fee for Tivo. If the Tivo costs as much as this Sony, I'll probably stick with the Sony for awhile.

Ruidh

11-13-05, 03:25 PM

I know that this might be a loaded question, but do any of you regret your purchases of this Sony HD-DVR? I would love to have something that would record HD off cable and OTA. Reading this forum gives me second thoughts, though...

It has its plusses and minuses. For the most part, it does it's job unobtrusively. In my case, it occasionally loses its channel settings and I have to do a reset and wait for the data to fill again.

It's not a TiVo.

bdfox18doe

11-13-05, 03:43 PM

[QUOTE=spiff72]I know that this might be a loaded question, but do any of you regret your purchases of this Sony HD-DVR? /QUOTE]

No yet, but then I bought it to check compatibility with our streams using company "reasearch" funds.. Of course, from an accounting standpoint, renting the cable company's DVR over the long term is much more economical, especially when you consider they will replace their unit free of charge should it fail as long as you rent it.. not just the first 90 days / 1 year bit.. :(

But, the seamless integration of analog and digital signals that this box provides
from both OTA and digital cable is a plus. :)

Having MANY of the current digital receivers on hand, almost all have some quirk or another, apparrently the folks who design these products never get out of their cubicle, and certainly don't have to use them at home everyday.
Otherwise they'd work a lot better than they do.. :rolleyes:

I must add tho, this box works better than others..

dszigeti

11-13-05, 04:00 PM

I know that this might be a loaded question, but do any of you regret your purchases of this Sony HD-DVR? I would love to have something that would record HD off cable and OTA. Reading this forum gives me second thoughts, though...

Thanks,
Jeff

The recorder works only 90% of the time, and seems to be plagued with software bugs (remind you of someone else we know? (MS)). Sony doesn’t seem to care much about our problems, and they don’t seem to have tested the unit, and the software that downloads to it (just like someone else we know). So I don’t think that I will return the recorder just yet, but I get real close some times (like this week).

I also have regrets about Sony (the company). Over the years I have spent over $8000 on Sony products. I trusted that the HDD500 would work fine like the rest of the products – but alas, it was not to be … I am looking to buy the HC1 camera for Christmas ($2000) … but maybe not …

Sony has fallen on hard times. Samsung is eating their lunch in the consumer electronics arena. Sony is protecting their CDs with so much anti-copy software that they are destroying consumer’s computers (see other forums on the root kit). I returned a Sony CD because of this ($10).

So, I also regret that, if Sony continues down this consumer hostile path, that I will have to find another manufacturer for my electronics purchases.

dp70

11-13-05, 04:29 PM

I'm still pretty happy with my HDD250. I haven't lost any recordings, guide problems are very infrequent (and not the fault of the unit itself), and it is very wife-friendly. The biggest minus for me is the lack of a second tuner. The biggest plus for me is that it is NOT a TiVo-- no subscription fee, no remote deletion of recorded programs, no reporting back my demographic information and viewing habits to the mothership. It's hard to put a price on privacy, but overall I think I got a good value in this unit.

With that said, I've lost a lot of respect for Sony as the result of the rootkit fiasco and will keep that in mind when making decisions on future purchases.

Carl_Ballard

11-13-05, 07:38 PM

Karma16

11-13-05, 10:16 PM

HI Folks,
This is my first post on this thread. I have had my Sony for about 3 weeks. It is located in my bedroom. During this time it performed flawlessly. Then at 3 AM on Thursday morning I awoke and noticed that the front panel display was cycling through a series of messages that had several distinct phases and a constant pattern that included the "Welcome" greeting that I haven't seen since I unpacked the unit and plugged it in the first time.

Oh, FYI, my only RF signal source is a very good amplified roof top antenna from which I get excellent signal strength. The RF signal is not a problem.

Initially, I assumed it was updating the program guide. I didn't want to disturb the process so I just watched the front panel in fascination. Fascination quickly changed to boredom when I realized that nothing interesting was happening. The machine seemed stuck in a loop. I watched for about an hour. Eventually, it stopped and displayed the time. It appeared as it normally did when turned off.

I started playing with the remote and found that I had no control. Now it had my interest again. Thinking that my Hitachi might also be going through a guide update I did not turn the the TV on. It is terrible flying this blindly not knowing what magic these gadgets are specifically doing.

To restore some control I unplugged the Sony. Upon replugging, I saw the time was lost but I had control again. I turned on the TV, selected the Sony, and found the TV Guide listings were gone. All it said was "No Listng" for all program slots. BTW, the Hitachi's TV's Guide was fine.

The next morning (Fri)I woke up with the alarm at 6AM and noticed the Sony was again going through the same front panel show. Time was periodically displayed but it was wrong by a bunch! This time I did not wait but turned on the The TV and started playing with the Sony. The guide was still void but I had control during a portion of the repeating display cycle. During other portions, the remote was ignored. When I had control I could display the Sony on the TV. Since I really could not do anything on the weekend, I decided to wait and see how things developed.

By Sat. morning the time was correct and the unit performed normally. I checked the guide and found listings for Sat. and eight days later. By Sun (today) the program guide was filling in and everything appears normal. It acted like it did when I first started using it except I did not have to input my signal source (antenna) or zip code. It remembered.

So what is going on? Do I have a defective unit or what? Other than the glitch that resulted in the missing guide and then the freeze up, I have nothing to demonstrate as a problem.

It acted like it was trying to do a guide update but couldn't find what it was looking for and just continued to try many times before giving up. At that point it seemed to get very confused and froze. Since then it has found guide information and is behaving normally. Wierd!! :)

When things are working right I love this unit. This episode is the first problem I have seen. Somehow I suspect there is nothing really wrong except for a possible software bug that caused the freeze up when it could not find the listing information to update the guide. This is my Pollyanna side showing. Maybe someone can add some light.

Thanks, Sparky Shaver

philspice1

11-13-05, 10:30 PM

Try reading the last couple of pages of posts on this thread. This was a problem with the TVGuide signal. It happened to everyone.

Karma16

11-13-05, 10:59 PM

HI philspice1,
Thanks. You confirmed my suspicions. Now I won't have to stay up up into the early hours with dark circles under my eyes waiting for the display show! Just kidding.

Sparky

sadsack123

11-13-05, 11:34 PM

I have 2 HDD500s. It is Sunday 11:21 PM EST. 1 has guide back and one persists with the "no listing." I have tried unplugging it for 90 seconds (then waited 24 hours) and the reboot (press exit and guide together) and waited another 24 hours. Can anyone tell me how you do the reset to factory settings? As to my satisfaction. I was happy unitil this incident. I never feel secure when my recording equipment can be turned to crap by a 3rd party. Many people don't know that the DVD recorders touted as the great successor of the VCR can be turned off by any broadcaster who feels like inserting a protection flag. (I experienced this first hand). My DirecTV Tivo is better (can record 2 channels at the same time), but only has a 30 hour HD capacity. I also use a computer with a MyHD card and 2 external hardrives (a Lacie 300 and a 500). 100 hours of HD recording capacity but can't watch anything on it while its recording. I also use a Samsung set-top controling a JVC 4000 DVHS machine via firewire (I also have a 3000 for playback). Unlimited storage, but a 2 hour a day limit to recording time (also the quirky Samsung that controls the DVHS machine via firewire won't allow recordings the are not continous, even though it should).
Again, could someone please tell me how to reset my HDD 500 to the factory default and will doing so delete my recordings currently on the machine? I would suggest to Sony that when you are forced to record from a "no listing" guide that in addition to date, time and duration it should list the channel it is tuned too. This would make the recordings in the "unknown" folder a little easier to deliniate.

nathan118

11-14-05, 01:23 AM

Don't regret my purchase at all. Last week was the first probelm I've had in 4 months of ownership. I have ota only, so renting a comparable cable provided box was not an option. In that sense this box will pay for itself in about 10 months ($60/month cable bill).

Mine has never skipped a recording, and as far as I can tell never dropped a scheduled recording.

sadsack123

11-14-05, 07:24 AM

I regret my purchase. Though 1 of my HDD500s got the guide back (but not until last night). The other persisted with "no listing" and I had to reset to factory defaults today. I am waiting to see if this restores the guide, but I already know that all the recordings are lost. I will still get to see those shows on tape backups made on 1 of 3 Super Beta VCRs that are still working. These 20 year old machines represent a time when the Sony brand represented quality in design, engineering, and build in displays, AV equipment and portable music. Today the Sony brand represents a game console maker that also happens to make electronic equipment. There can be better testament to decline in Sony product quality or reliability than the 90 warranty it gives on its HDD250/500 DVRs. There is no reason (and I would never recommend) buying a Sony product when a comparable (and usually less expensive) product is available from LG or Samsung. Sony is now a middle-of-the-pack company solely dependent on its SXRD displays and Playstation 3 to hold even this position. Without better reliability and product support it will go the way of Aiwa.

spiff72

11-14-05, 07:45 AM

Sadsack:

Just curious about your comment about the DVD recorder and the inability to record...

The statement that you made was news to me - I didn't think that any of these broadcast flags had any effect on SD recording devices. I have a Series 2 TiVo and a Sony RDR-GX7 (i think that is the right model number) that I use for secondary recording and occasional backups off the Tivo. I just have extended basic cable hooked to the DVD recorder. Are you saying that I might not be able to record something with the DVD recorder in the future if they set this flag to prevent recording? Is my recorder compatible with that flag?

Thanks,
Jeff

bierboy

11-14-05, 07:55 AM

Sadsack - I am unaware of any comparable HD-based HD PVR unit by Samsung. Please enlighten.

Sirluckyj

11-14-05, 08:44 AM

hednic

11-14-05, 09:48 AM

After Gemstar corrected their problem, my guide is filling in days 1,2, 6 & 7 OK. Days 3,4,5 show "no listing". Does anyone else have this issue. Also, my host channel was changed from the cable PBS channel to the OTA PBS channel. Thanks.

Jim

I just checked mine. I have days 1(today) 2, 5678 (8 being next Monday) I am still missing 3 and 4. If all goes well the guide should be back to displaying 8 days by the day after tomorrow since it seems to download 1 days worth of information each night.

snackmasta

11-14-05, 10:36 AM

I know that this might be a loaded question, but do any of you regret your purchases of this Sony HD-DVR? I would love to have something that would record HD off cable and OTA. Reading this forum gives me second thoughts, though...

Despite its reliance on TV Guide data, I still love my DHG-HDD500. It is a wonderful thing to time shift HDTV and skip commercials with no monthly fees in the case of OTA broadcasts. Subjectively, I think that the Sony has better video quality than the tuner in my Panasonic TH-42PX50U as well. I just wish the TV Guide data was more reliable. In my location (near Lansing, MI), I receive programming info for about 2 days per week. Mostly, programs are displayed as "unknown." My hypothesis is that this problem results from our local PBS station (WKAR - channel 23), who broadcasts the TV Guide data, being off the air at night, combined with heavy use of the Sony in the evening. (It needs to be powered off to receive the TV Guide data.)

BTW, my unit resumed normal operation Saturday night (11/12/05) after being unplugged all day. All recorded programming prior to the Gemstar software glitch was saved.

Opinionated

11-14-05, 11:13 AM

represent a time when the Sony brand represented quality in design, engineering

I don't know when that was. I've owned Sony VCR's both beta and vhs, as well as Panasonic and JVC.

The Panasonic were the best. Lasting years and years without any problem. Every single Sony needed repair within a year- sometimes after the 90 days so it was at some cost- and the same issues occurred again and again when the warranty expired.

Recently my folks got a 36 inch HDTV Sony, needed serious repair within three months.

I only bought this DVR because there is nothing else like it available.

............................

My guide is beginning to fill back properly. But watching a show recorded last night there were artifacts in the playback. I am hoping it's just that particular show that was transmitted with those problems.

inlogan

11-14-05, 11:17 AM

After Gemstar corrected their problem, my guide is filling in days 1,2, 6 & 7 OK. Days 3,4,5 show "no listing". Does anyone else have this issue. Also, my host channel was changed from the cable PBS channel to the OTA PBS channel. Thanks.

Jim

You get three days of data each day. Today, Tomorrow, and the 8th day. So after a week you'll have a complete listing. This way today and tomorrow always get updated with the most current data and the 8th day is there so you eventually can look a week out.

Day 1 - 1,2, and 8
Day 2 - 1,2,7, and 8
Day 3 - 1,2,6,7, and 8
Day 4 - 1,2,5,6,7, and 8
Day 5 - 1,2,4,5,6,7, and 8
Day 6 - 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 8

Opinionated

11-14-05, 11:18 AM

After Gemstar corrected their problem, my guide is filling in days 1,2, 6 & 7 OK. Days 3,4,5 show "no listing". Does anyone else have this issue.

Jim

That's fine. That's the way it works. At the end of a week you'll have the next 7 days.

hednic

11-14-05, 11:35 AM

Can somebody tell me what "Reset User Configuration" in the secret 9012 menu does that makes it different from "Restore Factory default" which I already know means restore the unit back to the way it was when I took it out of the box the first time and the sub menu "restore factory default" under "TV Guide" which I already know means having to plug in your zip code again. Again, I am speaking about the secret 9012 menu.

jtbell

11-14-05, 12:05 PM

Day 1 - 1,2, and 8
Day 2 - 1,2,7, and 8
Day 3 - 1,2,6,7, and 8
Day 4 - 1,2,5,6,7, and 8
Day 5 - 1,2,4,5,6,7, and 8
Day 6 - 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 8

Or to look at it another way, suppose you start today (November 14):

Nov. 14 - 14, 15, 21 (all new)
Nov. 15 - 15 (updated), 16 (new), 21 (carried over), 22 (new)
Nov. 16 - 16 (updated), 17 (new), 21 and 22 (carried over), 23 (new)
Nov. 17 - 17 (updated), 18 (new), 21 through 23 (carried over), 24 (new)
Nov. 18 - 18 (updated), 19 (new), 21 through 24 (carried over), 25 (new)
Nov. 19 - 19 (updated), 20 (new), 21 through 25 (carried over), 26 (new)
Nov. 20 - 20 and 21 (updated), 22 through 26 (carried over), 27 (new)
Nov. 21 - 21 and 22 (updated), 23 through 27 (carried over), 28 (new)

And now we're in steady-state mode.

sadsack123

11-14-05, 12:28 PM

Two seasons ago one of my Philips DVD recorder went into pause "protected" mode when recording a first run episode of CBS show "Hack." I live in NYC. Earlier this season CBS and the WB broadcast flags for 3 consecutive nights. These flags would only effect recordings being made on a DVD recorder via an OTA HD set-top box (obviously outputting 480i). The purpose of such a recording is to get an anamorphic (wide-screen) recording. Obviously the digital age spells the death of the Betamax decision. The irony is that cheap devices exist that defeat this (something pirates know), so the networks are only screwing the ordinary viewer. Note that ALL DVD recorders having protection against DVD to DVD recorder copying are susceptiable to the broadcast flag when trying to record an HD station via a set-top box (set at 480i using composite or S-video connections).

sadsack123

11-14-05, 12:39 PM

I did get my guide back (the price was all the recordings I had on the HD500). I also got a message that the "hard disk error has been corrected." If the hard drive is going to fail I hope it does so in the remaining 60 days of my expansive 90 day warranty.
Samsung does not make an HD PVR. I was refering the the Samsung T160 (or 165) that was the only set-top box that would output (via firewire) an HD signal to an HD DVHS recorder (I use the JVC4000).
Note that the fear of digital copying leads to the stupid engineering. Last year I bought a Mitsubishi Diamond series DLP 52 inch display. It was highly reviewed in at least 2 video magazines, especially for having an ATSC tuner and a built in HD PVR (9 hour capacity). Unfortunately when recording using the internal PVR all inputs "grey-out" so that you can't watch anything else on the TV, other than what you are recording. Great for pausing live TV, worthless for what most people want a recorder for (time shifting).

PhillyC

11-14-05, 12:48 PM

sadsack123,

You could have reset the guide ONLY. I finally had to do this last night, since the unplug did not solve last week's problem. This reset did NOT delete programs from the HDD.

This morning the Sony asked me to choose a cable provider and area. The rebuilt guide channel list appeared (all out of order of course). I'm hoping that listings will fill in during the morning or afternoon download periods. Then I can get a case of "video wrist" re-ordering the channels. Ugh!!

sadsack123

11-14-05, 02:12 PM

PhillyC- how did you reset the guide? I tried doing it through setup with no result. I tried using a nearby zip code (other than my own) with no result. I did hard and soft resets. I was able to restore the guide on one HDD500, but not the other. That is why (as a last resort) I went to restore factory defaults (which does a quick format and bye bye recordings).
Please- I would really appreciate knowing (step by step and in simple terms, I'm not very bright) what you did.
Thanks.
If anyone reading my posting thinks that I seem bitter or dissapointed, please forgive me but I have been married for the last 32 years to the only Italian in the world who can't sing or cook.

PhillyC

11-14-05, 04:21 PM

From memory (I'm not at home):

Menu > Screen Mode > 9012; scroll down to TV Guide; move right to go to the next screen; the first option is "Reset to Factory Default"; move right to execute.

sadsack123

11-14-05, 08:32 PM

Thanks for the response Philly C. That (unfortunately) is what I did. Part of the process was a quick format that erased my hard drive and produced the message that an error with the hard drive has been corrected. Perhaps not everyone doing this gets the format portion (but I did). I wonder if Gemstar or Sony could screw up again and crash our units (after the 90 day warranty has expired.

PhillyC

11-15-05, 11:05 AM

inlogan

11-15-05, 12:45 PM

Are you sure you didn't do the "Restore Factory Default" on the earlier screen? If you did only the guide reset, then perhaps the error on your HDD forced the format.

My guide did begin to fill in before evening yesterday. So I rearranged the channel order and will keep an eye on the listings as they rebuild over the next few days. I turned off all but 92 channels. It seems that more is too much for the daily download process. The listings are there, but there are many "No Title" entries. I may turn off more channels that I rarely watch.

I wouldn't think the number of channels you have turned on would make a difference since there is no two-communication between the unit and the broadcasting station. It's sending the same listing information to all of the units in your area. Maybe your download was interrupted somehow or is getting too many bad packets recieved?

PhillyC

11-15-05, 01:05 PM

I wouldn't think the number of channels you have turned on would make a difference

Not sure, but your comment makes sense. The Sony was using CBS previous to my reset. Now it's latched on to PBS. When I run the G*Factory Test, I don't see any errors and PBS seems to receive many more VBI packets more rapidly than CBS. Of course, this is not during any of the specified download periods.

FWIW, with the LG DVR it seemed (subjectively) that less guide channels meant less guide errors.

I chose the cable area yesterday morning, so the Sony had both the morning and afternoon download periods to get all the data. Maybe it has something to do with the first day of downloads after a reset. Everything is such a big secret with TV Guide that we don't know what might be happening, although there is a lot more knowledge out there now thanks to these forums.

The guide worked smoothly for several months until last week's problem. I expect that it will go back to that good behavior.

jtbell

11-15-05, 03:55 PM

I want to save a recorded SD show to my DVD recorder. I hooked the units up with the S-Video output from the Sony, but the image appears squished on the sides. I've tried the various Sony screen mode settings, but to no avail. They do not have an SD to SD setting. Has anyone else been able to do this?

Is this show actually in SD format (from an analog broadcast, or from a 480i digital broadcast), or is it SD upconverted to HD with bars added on the sides at the station?

I don't have this DVR myself, but I'm interested in whatever answers you get. I currently have a Panasonic SD DVR/DVD burner that I've hooked up an OTA HD receiver to. I can record upconverted SD material in a full 4:3 image by telling the receiver to zoom the image so as to crop off the bars on the sides.

Now that I actually have an HDTV, I'm considering getting this Sony unit, but most of the material that I'm archiving now is upconverted SD. I'd like to be able to feed the S-video output to the Panasonic, with the sidebars cropped off, like I do now with the receiver. I could just leave the sidebars in, and stretch out the image on the TV when playing it back, but that would throw away some horizontal resolution which I'd rather not do.

Or is the picture quality good that way anyway? In that case, the main drawback would be that I wouldn't be able to play the DVDs on a standard TV which can't stretch the image.

drm2295

11-15-05, 05:36 PM

Well, I just knew this product was too good to last. My wife called me at work and said when she turned on the HDD500 this morning, it displayed a message saying the hard drive was inoperable, all data was lost, and to call Sony. (Sorry, I don't have the exact wording.) It doesn't tune stations anymore either. I'm not home now, so I don't know if unplugging it and rebooting will restore operation. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Assuming the hard drives have really crashed, are they standard drives that are easily replaced? Does anyone have any good contacts at Sony that I can consult? Thanks, Jeff :(
snackmasta later said "BTW, my unit resumed normal operation Saturday night (11/12/05) after being unplugged all day. All recorded programming prior to the Gemstar software glitch was saved."
snackmasta, I hope your hard drives are still working. I was thinking maybe one of them overheated due to the constant rebooting (caused by the bad Gemstar data). Maybe leaving it unplugged all day let them cool down enough to unlock them.
bdfox18doe might have a good idea "I think, given the price of the unit, that the 90 day warranty is pretty weak..I'm thinking of opening the unit after the 90 days and making an image of the hard drive, same as I have for my Tivos..then when the drive dies I can resurrect it.."
I don't know if my imaging software (Acronis) will copy Linux partitions. I'd love to be able to remove the two hard drives, clone them onto two new hard drives, and then put the clones back in the Sony. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to experiment without fear of losing everything? Are these hard drives going to get fragmented? Will "Format Hard Drive" under the 9012 menu wipe out the operating system? bdfox18doe talks about waiting 90 days before breaking the seal. I think I'd wait for the parts warranty (1 year) to run out as well.

Carl_Ballard

11-15-05, 06:36 PM

Is this show actually in SD format (from an analog broadcast, or from a 480i digital broadcast), or is it SD upconverted to HD with bars added on the sides at the station?

I don't have this DVR myself, but I'm interested in whatever answers you get. I currently have a Panasonic SD DVR/DVD burner that I've hooked up an OTA HD receiver to. I can record upconverted SD material in a full 4:3 image by telling the receiver to zoom the image so as to crop off the bars on the sides.

Now that I actually have an HDTV, I'm considering getting this Sony unit, but most of the material that I'm archiving now is upconverted SD. I'd like to be able to feed the S-video output to the Panasonic, with the sidebars cropped off, like I do now with the receiver. I could just leave the sidebars in, and stretch out the image on the TV when playing it back, but that would throw away some horizontal resolution which I'd rather not do.

Or is the picture quality good that way anyway? In that case, the main drawback would be that I wouldn't be able to play the DVDs on a standard TV which can't stretch the image.

You're right, I forgot! It is an upconverted SD transmitted via the HD off-air antenna with the side bars added. It looks normal on my HD set, but has a squeshed looks on the S-video SD feed from my sony recorder. I'll go play with the settings now that I understand things better. Thanks for the pointer.

Well, that wasn't it. But I played with the various setting and found that going to the HD to HD screen settings (go figure) and picking expand, that I have a normal looking picture. I'll have to see how it plays back on an SD TV to confirm things.

jtbell

11-15-05, 06:54 PM

So it's HD as far as the Sony is concerned, even though the content is SD. The squeezing is what I would expect from the "Squeezed" mode described on page 76 of the manual (which I downloaded a while ago). The "Side Crop" mode looks like it would be just what we need, but you said the screen mode settings don't do anything. Have you tried changing the display format with the FORMAT button on the remote? Maybe if you can put it in 480i format, you can select "Side Crop" mode.

[added] OK, now I see what you wrote about the "Expand" mode. You added that just after I first wrote this posting. It makes sense. "Expand" stretches the HD image that contains the upconverted SD content, so that the content fills the entire 16:9 frame, and the sidebars get cropped off. Actually, the diagram in the manual makes it look like it overexpands a bit, but maybe it's just a sloppy diagram. Then when you send that 16:9 image to the S-video output, it get squeezed back to 4:3 and it looks normal again, but minus the sidebars.

bdfox18doe

11-15-05, 06:55 PM

? bdfox18doe talks about waiting 90 days before breaking the seal. I think I'd wait for the parts warranty (1 year) to run out as well.

Any idea of what sony will stiff one for for the labor charges post 90 days? :confused:

drm2295

11-15-05, 07:36 PM

Any idea of what sony will stiff one for for the labor charges post 90 days? :confused:
Probably $200 with shipping both ways (I'm guessing). I think the hard drives are Western Digital SATA 250 Gb. They're about $250 for the pair (Pricegrabber). I'd rather put the money into the hard drives. I'm betting that if there's a problem, it will be either hard drive failure or corrupted data on the hard drive. If I'm going to make images, I want to do it as soon as possible (before Gemstar scares me again). What if Gemstar sends data (virus!-just kidding) that completely renders our DVRs useless. So after further thought, I'm beginning to agree with you: Break the seal after the 90 day labor warranty runs out, and make an image of the hard drive(s).

bierboy

11-15-05, 08:56 PM

I just bought the HDD500 through Crutchfield's Outlet store for nearly $100 less than the new HDD250 would cost. Crutchfield offers a three-year service plan (parts & labor) for $79 and a five-year plan for $109. You have until 30 days remain before the Sony 90 day warranty is up to purchase it. I never purchase extended warranties, but for that amount of money (what I consider reasonable), it might be worth it.

drm2295

11-15-05, 10:52 PM

bierboy,
I agree with you. I've only bought one extended warranty (20 Gb Ipod for my 17 year old son). It was worth every penny. We're on our 3rd unit since Christmas '04. The hard drives on the first two couldn't take the punishment. I really didn't think I'd need an extended warranty for the DHG-HDD500 since it never moves from the shelf under the plasma. I got mine from Onecall for $764 with shipping. When I received it, I could tell that the box had been re-taped, and there were finger prints on the front of the unit. They didn't indicate that it was an open box or refurbished unit when I ordered it, so I wasn't too impressed with that. However, it has worked perfectly for me until Nov. 10 & 11 when Gemstar sent the corrupt data. I have until the 5th of December to decide whether or not to buy an extended warranty. Thanks...

inlogan

11-16-05, 09:25 AM

Sirluckyj

11-16-05, 12:20 PM

This new switcher works fine, no HDCP issues. The DVR switches to Auto HDMI when turned on. I usually have the DVR set to 1080i so I have to switch to that format each time. This is a DVR issue, not the Gefen.

Jim

USAZatoichi

11-16-05, 05:28 PM

jtbell

11-17-05, 12:34 AM

I'm seriously considering buying one of these, but I'm concerned about the heat they generate. The manual warns not to put one in a confined space. However, the best location in my current furniture is where my HD receiver is now, in a low rolling cabinet that the TV sits on top of. It has glass doors in front and two shelves. If I remove the doors, each shelf will be about 5" high, 27" wide and 17" deep. It's enclosed on top, bottom and sides, has a panel covering about half the height of the rear opening, and will of course be open in the front after I remove the doors. Will this be workable as is, or should I put a small fan in there, too?

If this doesn't work, I'd have to find a new cart or stand for the TV, DVR and DVD player, at least, preferably on wheels or rollers so it can be moved for cleaning, and acceptable to my wife.

cosmicvoid

11-17-05, 12:57 AM

Might depend on which model you get. I have the HDD250, and it doesn't get very warm. But seeing some of the posts where people with the HDD500 tell about their drive temperatures, it think that one could get much hotter.

Daniel Tonks

11-17-05, 06:02 AM

I have the HDD500 and it runs very cool to the touch, even though it's under a DVD player and has no more than 1/2" clearance on the left and right. Overall it's far, far cooler than my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD on the other side of the rack, which gets scorching hot despite having nothing on top.

drm2295

11-17-05, 09:13 AM

jtbell,
You need at least 20 inches depth as the unit is 14 inches deep and the manual says to have 6 inches of room to the rear. I wouldn't restrict airflow to the rear of this unit (especially not the 2 hard drive unit). You might be alright if you use a fan, but I'd keep a close eye one the hard drive temperatures.

jtbell

11-17-05, 10:49 AM

I wouldn't restrict airflow to the rear of this unit

So the vents are in the rear, then? If so, then what I've seen so far suggests that my second possible location might work better as far as ventilation is concerned. This is the rolling cabinet that I have most of my other audio/video equipment in, separately from the TV. The shelf is not as wide, so there would be only about 1.5 inches of clearance on both sides of the unit, but there's more vertical clearance, probably 5-6 inches from the top of the unit to the bottom of the shelf above. The back of the cabinet is basically wide open, with just a narrow panel along one side to stiffen it a bit, and it's 2-3 feet in front of the wall behind it. There's a glass door in front, but I can remove it, and have been thinking of doing it anyway so I don't have to clean fingerprints off of it.

This is in fact the space currently occupied by my second HD receiver, that feeds into my SD DVR/DVD recorder. So the antenna connection is there, and the connections for archiving to the SD recorder. And I already have an HDMI cable that's long enough to reach the TV from that location. So this would be better for connectivity, too.

Mitch G

11-17-05, 11:16 AM

Any 250 owners wishing they had gone with the 500?
I'm trying to decide if it's worth another $170 for the extra storage.

Mitch

jtbell

11-17-05, 12:41 PM

The amount of disk space you need really depends on your own viewing habits.

I've been using a SD DVR with a capacity of about 55 hours (in standard-quality mode), and I seldom put more than 20-25 hours on it. When I do have that much stuff on the disk, it's just because I've been lazy about clearing space, and not because I actually have a backlog to watch or transfer to DVD. This suggests that the 250 (30 hours) would be enough for me.

On the other hand, right now there's no way to archive material in HD outside the DVR except for D-VHS recorders. It's possible that something really good might come along that I'd want to keep on the disk until it's feasible for me to get a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD recorder. But then I might not be able to archive it anyway because of copy protection.

So right now I'm waffling back and forth about which one to get, myself.

mstanl

11-17-05, 01:52 PM

Any 250 owners wishing they had gone with the 500?
I'm trying to decide if it's worth another $170 for the extra storage.

I own the 500 for the last 2 months and I have it at 50% full for this season shows. I also own the LG that I put a 300GB into that unit and it is holding 15 hours of the 37 hours. So for me yes I needed the 500. I have HD shows from pbs that will not be removed for this time. I went for it and love it and I think that it will be 80% full by the end of this show season. I'll be able to watch other shows during the rerun season. I love both.

bierboy

11-17-05, 03:03 PM

I just bought the 500 over the 250 when Crutchfield had "special pricing" on both this week. Just got delivered today, so I'll be busy when I get home tonight! But I agree with mstanl; there's some great PBS HD content I'd like to hold on to for quite awhile and view at my leisure along with all the major network HD stuff that's on this year. Plus, I'm sure I'll be recording some HD sporting events, and those typically last several hours.

drm2295

11-17-05, 05:01 PM

So the vents are in the rear, then?
I just looked, and there are vents on the bottom too. Due to the collection of cat hair, I think air goes into the unit through the vent just above the ANT IN & CABLE IN connectors as well as the vent on the bottom (right side). The vents by the CableCard jack and on the bottom (left side) must be where the air leaves the unit (no cat hair). Thanks for getting me to clean those clogged vents!

dp70

11-17-05, 05:36 PM

I bought the 250 figuring it was likely I could add a second drive later (taking advantage of ever-falling prices) or at least upgrade the existing drive to a bigger one. I haven't confirmed either option is possible yet, though.

nathan118

11-17-05, 09:22 PM

My 250 has never been over half full (15 hours). I watch about 7 shows a week, but I watch most by the end of the weekend. There are a couple shows I don't have time to watch, but I'm downloading them weekly for off-season viewing. Even with the 500, two full series archived isn't very realistic. HD divx captures on my phillips looks great.

philspice1

11-17-05, 09:47 PM

Any 250 owners wishing they had gone with the 500?
I'm trying to decide if it's worth another $170 for the extra storage.

Mitch
I have had my 250 for a couple of months now. 250 Gigs has proven to be just fine for me. If someone later discovers an easy way to add a hard drive though, it might be worth it.

I never save anything after watching it so I usually have plenty of space.

dszigeti

11-18-05, 08:55 AM

dszigeti

11-18-05, 08:58 AM

My 250 has never been over half full (15 hours). I watch about 7 shows a week, but I watch most by the end of the weekend.

I run a 500, and it shows "Near Full". I am allowing it to delete shows on an "as needed" basis. Similar to Nathan118, I record around 7 shows a week.

dszigeti

11-18-05, 09:02 AM

There are a couple shows I don't have time to watch, but I'm downloading them weekly for off-season viewing. Even with the 500, two full series archived isn't very realistic. HD divx captures on my phillips looks great.

Nathan118,

Could you please describe the setup that you are using for recording? Are you using a computer (or a DVD recorder etc.)? What software? Is your computer mounted next to your recorder (in the home theater) or is your recorder in your "computer room". How do you connect (component, S-Video) - If component what capture card do you use? etc. etc. ...

inlogan

11-18-05, 10:45 AM

All,

I thought that the problem may have gone away ... but last night, while I was sitting watching the recorder, it failed to record CSI :(

I was hoping that the latest software update would have fixed this.

I had CSI scheduled to record weekly last night. I'll check when I get home from work to see whether it recorded and let you know.

Rbrodzinsky

11-18-05, 10:52 AM

All,

I thought that the problem may have gone away ... but last night, while I was sitting watching the recorder, it failed to record CSI :(

I was hoping that the latest software update would have fixed this.

CSI recorded fine for me. Since last week's fire drill, all my recording schedules recovered correctly, and I have not lost any. To be fair, I haven't retried Commander-in-Chief, the program which was dropping the most for me, as I gave up on that program.

Sam Johnson

11-18-05, 03:28 PM

Help with archieving.

I want to save a recorded SD show to my DVD recorder. I hooked the units up with the S-Video output from the Sony, but the image appears squished on the sides. I've tried the various Sony screen mode settings, but to no avail. They do not have an SD to SD setting. Has anyone else been able to do this?

To spiff72: I haven't had much luck with the TV Guide, so I record all my shows using the manual timer - which has been very reliable. Given the choices out there, it works okay.

I have done this several times without any problems. I use the S-Video connection from the HDD500 into the front jacks on my Sony(!) DVD recorder. No need to worry about any of the screen mode settings. Results are excellent. Just be sure it is an analog SD signal (there are some digital SD transmissions.)

bdfox18doe

11-18-05, 08:21 PM

only slightly..

Jack G

11-20-05, 02:43 PM

I can’t find an HDD250 to fiddle with in a store, so I’m hoping someone can describe a few things about the usability of it. I’m planning on getting an HDTV-ready set, and I’ll use the PVR as an OTA tuner and time-shifter. Currently I have very basic cable (local channels plus WGN, TBS and TCM) which I’ll keep, but I don’t want to spend the extra $50 a month to upgrade to HD cable. Here are some questions:

* Can I use the HDD250 remote to do everything – turn the TV on and off, adjust the volume, etc., or would I have to fumble with two remotes? If the answer is the former, would I have to slide a switch back and forth on the remote to select TV or PVR mode?
* Can I plug in both the antenna and cable into the set and scroll through available channels without having to also toggle between antenna and cable mode?
* Can I set it up so that standard TV always shows up 4:3 automatically (I hate stretched images)? Or would the aspect ratio be controlled by the TV?
* Can the guide be set up so you only have to see a limited number of channels that you might actually want to watch rather than all 500 or so that are out there?
* Is there anything else about this unit that is either annoying or user-friendly?
* Anyone know how OTA reception is in the Charlotte area?

I’m hoping for a solution that can be set up to be stupid-simple! Thanks for any help.

bdfox18doe

11-20-05, 02:52 PM

* Can I plug in both the antenna and cable into the set and scroll through available channels without having to also toggle between antenna and cable mode?

* Anyone know how OTA reception is in the Charlotte area?.

The HDD provides seamless integration of cable and OTA..It's very well done.

Reception here in Charlotte is fairly easy, but to help you more I need to know where you live. I live on the Matthews end of Mint Hill..and get all of the locals
perfectly with the Winegard Square Shooter.. :)

Rbrodzinsky

11-20-05, 03:08 PM

I use the system just as you describe, as the HDTV tuner for an HD-ready TV.

* Can I use the HDD250 remote to do everything – turn the TV on and off, adjust the volume, etc., or would I have to fumble with two remotes? If the answer is the former, would I have to slide a switch back and forth on the remote to select TV or PVR mode?

Yes, to a limit. The remote does come with the ability to control other components, such as the TV, DVD and Amp. But, it will have limited functionality. For basic on/off, channel, volume, etc., it will work fine.

* Can I plug in both the antenna and cable into the set and scroll through available channels without having to also toggle between antenna and cable mode?

Yes, absolutely. The HDD250 handles that automatically.

* Can I set it up so that standard TV always shows up 4:3 automatically (I hate stretched images)? Or would the aspect ratio be controlled by the TV?

This is a setup item, and the answer is yes. It depends on what format the channel broadcasts, and what formats your TV supports. I have my unit set to "Variable 2", which puts all the SD and analog channels to my monitor in 4x3, and any HD (720 or 1440 broadcast) is in 6x9.

* Can the guide be set up so you only have to see a limited number of channels that you might actually want to watch rather than all 500 or so that are out there?

Yes, absolutely. See numerous posts above. But be warned, anytime TVGOS does something to their programming, the unit tends to reset, and you get to go through all your lovely channel settings all over again.

* Is there anything else about this unit that is either annoying or user-friendly?

Many of us are bemoaning TVGOS, but the Sony portion seems pretty solid. There are the mysterious lost programming settings, which a number of us have seen, but others haven't. All in all, this is still a great unit to get.

Jack G

11-20-05, 03:58 PM

...to help you more I need to know where you live. I live on the Matthews end of Mint Hill..and get all of the locals
perfectly with the Winegard Square Shooter.. :)

I'm in Myers Park (about 3 miles from downtown). I once saw a chart showing that most stations are coming from two different directions from me. Do you think I'd use two antennas pointing in each direction, or would one non-directional antenna do the trick?

bdfox18doe

11-20-05, 04:06 PM

You won't know until you try..Since you have time-warner cable, the locals, as well as a few other cable channels, are in the clear and the 250 will pick them up fine.

Belle View

11-20-05, 09:56 PM

I would like to know if anyone in or near the St. Louis MO area is using one of these PVR's? I'm concerned with receiving the EPG, and if it comes from KETC. Also anyone using a cable card from Charter? I had one installed with my TV and it worked fine, before the TV went dead, but wondered how it works with the Sony box.

I live in west county and have had no trouble getting the listings. The only glitch is that WB-HD channel 11.1 does not appear in the guide. PBS broadcasts five separate signals: 9, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, and 9.4. Obviously, they made the investment and the gemstar data is not a stretch for them. I receive HD via a Antenna's Direct db8. I also have Charter's basic service ($14.45 a month and I get a 10 dollar discount for having basic and high speed) for the few extra channels it offers. BTW, I picked up the Antenna at the source which came in handy since the first unit I got was the DB4. I live on the back side of a ridge and the DB4 couldn't quite make it. One item of interest, only channel 9 appears in the listing, interesting since I would expect the carrier would insist all their programs would be listed.

ATCtech

11-21-05, 12:18 AM

Hello gents, my first post with you after reading this entire thread...

I got my HDD500 10 days ago just hours before the big TVG problem and without realizing what was going on I spent 48 hours cursing the day I decided to buy the unit. Things settled down nicely after that so I started to get comfortable using it.

I'm using OTA near Toronto and I'm using the cable input as a source from my BEV dish for SD recording if non-locals/specialty channels. The guide loaded last weekend including all of what would be my local Cogeco line-up if I had cable.

On Thursday (17th) I had a brief power outage and since than there's be no guide data at all. I've done a reset (front panel), a reset (power unplugged for a few minutes) and today the full "restore factory defaults" for both the TVG and since I still had no clock (and no guide data) 10 hours later I did the full out-of-the-box reset of the unit. That was about 9:00PM tonight. The PVR went through all the set-up steps - channel scan, antenna/cable connections Y/N, postal code entry etc. I had confirmed earlier that I'm getting VBI packets on PBS (Ch. 17) and Fox (Ch. 29) out of Buffalo with no errors at all. It's now after midnight and there's still no clock, let alone guide data.

The only cable channel it finds in the scan is channel 3, that of course being the BEV receiver's output - everything else (some 26 SD and 18 HD) is from the off-air antenna. I've set it to "do not receive" to hopefully force the data scan/download to stay on the OTA input instead of trying the cable connection.

Can anyone see a logical reason why I don't even get a time display after this long? Things seemed rock-solid after the giude problems of the 10th/11th, but now I'm not so sure. I was hoping to read other's were seeing bad data in the last 48 hours too, but it appears not...

BTW, has anyone tried powering the 250/500 from a mini UPS to protect it from power bumps and the resulting loss of guide etc.? Is it terribly frequency sensitive and therefore requires regular hydro for stability?

Thanks!

Bob

bierboy

11-21-05, 06:58 AM

...did the full out-of-the-box reset of the unit. That was about 9:00PM tonight. The PVR went through all the set-up steps - channel scan, antenna/cable connections Y/N, postal code entry etc. I had confirmed earlier that I'm getting VBI packets on PBS (Ch. 17) and Fox (Ch. 29) out of Buffalo with no errors at all. It's now after midnight and there's still no clock, let alone guide data.If you did a full, out-of-the-box reset at 10 p.m., you shouldn't expect the clock to appear after only a couple of hours. I've had this unit now since last Thursday, and it took almost a full day for the clock to appear (since my local PBS station is off the air overnight). I'd give it some more time, but, if after having it powered off for 24 hours or more, you still don't have the clock, then I'd say there might be a problem.

spiff72

11-21-05, 01:24 PM

wildwillie6

11-21-05, 01:52 PM

I agree with spiff72 about this perhaps being the time to pull the trigger, with a price like that -- and I would, if I could manually set it to "Turn on Channel 49 every Wednesday at 9 p.m. and record to 10 p.m." But, check me on whether I understand correctly? You can't do that with one of these. You have to get it to properly download TV Guide data and tell it to record "Lost."

(I have been sticking with a cheap STB and a refurbed Tosh RD-XS32 set to a high bitrate. It's not hi-def recording and playback, but the result is strikingly good. Haven't missed an episode yet this season. Wow, those other crash survivors on the other side of the island have opened up so many possibilities. :) )

Rbrodzinsky

11-21-05, 02:02 PM

Alan Curry

11-21-05, 02:03 PM

Thanks for the info. I pulled the trigger for in store pickup. I'll be backing it up with my Panny EH50 though.

Alan

wildwillie6

11-21-05, 02:27 PM

You absolutely can do what you want. It just won't say "LOST" in the recordings listing, or have episode title and info. It will just say "unknown", and give the date and time.

If I can't get a good signal on the station that carries the TV guide information -- thereby thwarting auto clock set -- can I set the clock manually?

spiff72

11-21-05, 02:36 PM

I would have done the instore pickup too, but they weren't available anywhere nearby.

bierboy

11-21-05, 03:15 PM

If I can't get a good signal on the station that carries the TV guide information -- thereby thwarting auto clock set -- can I set the clock manually?No can do. One of the shortcomings of this unit.

bdfox18doe

11-21-05, 03:39 PM

TWC here is having problems getting this unit to work properly with their cablecard.. my box locked up hard last night at 7:39pm..and stayed that way until I pulled the plug on it today.. :(

dp70

11-21-05, 03:58 PM

If you have been thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these like I have, now may be the time. I ordered one yesterday thinking this was a mistake on the Best Buy site.

Wow, that's an awesome price... totally beats the $570 I paid earlier this summer. You'll be pretty pleased.

By the way, Circuit City is advertising (http://www.bf2005.com) 250 GB PATA drives for $60 on Black Friday. I'm looking into whether this particular drive might be usable with the HDD250.

Alan Curry

11-21-05, 04:18 PM

Thanks for the info. I pulled the trigger for in store pickup. I'll be backing it up with my Panny EH50 though.

I received my confirmation email at 12:52 then received my pickup email at 13:34. I'm looking forward to playing with this tonight.

Alan

jeffcmcc

11-21-05, 04:26 PM

If you have been thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these like I have, now may be the time. I ordered one yesterday thinking this was a mistake on the Best Buy site. I have a tracking number, but it isn't in the UPS system yet.

I won't mention the price, but here is a link [link omitted - I'm new]. Let's just say $300 off the price at the mainstream sites like CC and Crutchfield.

Lowest price I have ever seen at a mainstream site.

I will feel much better when I find the tracking number in the UPS system, but I think they are honoring the price.

Not to worry. I saw that price on the BB website yesterday and went to the local BB store this morning for a price match (I bought it last week). They matched it and refunded $300. The units for sale in the store (central Denver) were marked the same low price as the website. I've never seen a price drop that much that fast on basically a new product. I wonder what gives?

spiff72

11-21-05, 04:41 PM

Man, I knew I would regret posting that link before I got mine. :-)

I will be waiting until Wednesday to get mine! I just hope it really has shipped today.

Mitch G

11-21-05, 04:42 PM

Thanks for the post on the BB price.
I just bought one this past Friday at Tweeter for $100 more.
I guess I need to go test their price match policy (or return policy if they give me grief).

Interesting to note is that the BB price does not yet show up in pricegrabber.com which is how I came to find out about the Tweeter price which at the time was quite competitive for a B&M store.

Mitch

spiff72

11-21-05, 04:43 PM

jlentz

11-21-05, 09:06 PM

jtbell

11-21-05, 09:14 PM

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?categoryid=cat03022&id=1117178795627&skuid=7276075&type=product&ref=06&loc=01

And the store locator shows that it's now available at a couple of BB's within driving distance. Last time I checked a week or two ago, it wasn't. I have the afternoon off tomorrow, so it looks like I'm going to hit the road. :)

I did come here with a question in mind before I saw the news about Best Buy, though. How good are these units with closed captions? I have three standalone HD receivers, and they vary considerably in their ability to deliver CCs. Sometimes my Samsung SIR-T451 fails to display them at all, my US Digital from Wal-Mart does display them, but scrambles them, and my Accurian from Radio Shack displays them all properly, when tuned to the same station at the same time!

spiff72

11-21-05, 09:19 PM

I'm considering getting the Sony HDD250. Is the service plan a good idea given a hard drive is inside? Normally I don't get any extended warranties, but if I can get it at BB for a good price and the warranty costs $80, is it worth it?

I would be curious about this as well. I bought one for my Mits DLP, but I am curious whether it might be worthwhile based on other people's experiences with this unit. Please chime in here and let us know!

Jeff

bierboy

11-21-05, 09:25 PM

re: Service Plan -- I definitely plan to get the three year plan w/Crutchfield which is $80. That's not much for extended piece of mind, especially given that Sony's warranty is so weak.

re: Closed Captioning -- I've just had the HDD500 for about five days now, but it's displayed captioning fine every time I've used it.

bommai

11-22-05, 12:25 AM

I'm considering getting the Sony HDD250. Is the service plan a good idea given a hard drive is inside? Normally I don't get any extended warranties, but if I can get it at BB for a good price and the warranty costs $80, is it worth it?

I happened to go to Best Buy on Sunday (11/20/05) to take a look at the DHG-HDD250 and they did not even know about it, then they looked it up on their computer and found three in the store. The price was $499 brand new. I was really tempted and ended up buying it. I also bought the extended warranty (4 years) for $80 more. If the HD goes bad or something else, then they will replace it. Hopefully something does go bad in a few years!! I also took advantage of their no interest plan until Jan 2008. That is just $25/month.

Hopefully this unit works out. Otherwise I have 30 days to decide.

SpatulaCity

11-22-05, 04:52 AM

alerion

11-22-05, 07:40 AM

Hey guys, I have a couple questions about the hdd250:

Can it output to DVI (using a hdmi to DVI adaptor) and component simultaneously? If not, is there a button on the remote to switch outputs?

I have 3 sources that I may switch often when I watch my content: Dell 2405FPW, InFocus 4805 DLP projector & a 24 Sony regular SDTV. I'd hook the Dell 2405FPW to the component output, the InFocus 4805 to the DVI output and my Sony TV using composite out.

Thanks for your time.
No, HDMI and component are either/or. The switching is physical or electronic (not sure of mechanism), but once the HDMI is plugged in, the component is no longer active. It cannot be controlled from the remote. You may need an external HDMI or component switch.
And can you verify for me that I should be able to get free over the air HDTV with an antenna connected to an RF input on the hdd250 and basic unscrambled analog cable (using no cable box) connected to the other RF input.
Yes.
Also, correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I understand, the hdd250 cannot display content on a different channel that it is actively recording on a given RF input, but you can watch any channel you want on the other RF input or the actively recorded channel.

Can it record two channels on 2 separate RF inputs at the same time? Ex. record 1 analog cable channel and one OTA HD channel at the same time?
As a user,you do not see any distinction between the two inputs. While it has an analog tuner, a digital tuner and a cable tuner, it acts like a single-tuner machine. It can record a total of one program at a time and you can simultaneously watch a previously recorded program. While recording, you cannot watch a live channel other than the one being recorded.

Good luck and enjoy!

Mitch G

11-22-05, 10:03 AM

BTW, as far as locating a 250 model in stock at your local BB, try other B&M stores. For example, my local Tweeter has the 250 model in stock and will match the BB price.

Mitch

toxlab

11-22-05, 11:22 AM

bierboy

11-22-05, 11:44 AM

Well, if that's the case (a Sony CS rep told me this morning that, she's been told it has NOT been discontinued. She could not however, tell me why it was not on their Web site) , I'm VERY glad I bought mine last week at Crutchfield. They have a 30-day from receipt of product, no questions asked, return policy (at their cost for shipping). If there's something new coming down the pipe (like a dual tuner unit, or something with a better program guide), I'll be returning mine in a hot flash.

alerion

11-22-05, 11:55 AM

Ed2005

11-22-05, 12:18 PM

I just bought one last month and has adelphia just installed a cable card. Like the unit and seems to do a nice job. Do agree it would be nice to be able to record and watch another show. If anyone gets the scoop, please pass it along.
Stuck with last years model. Just like the toshiba lap top I purchased a couple of years back.

bierboy

11-22-05, 02:30 PM

I'm still trying to get a straight answer from Sony sales on this. I spoke with a guy in sales for about 20 minutes trying to find out 1) Has the HDD250/500 has been discontinued? 2) If it is, is there something new/better coming? and 3) Will there be continued support for the unit? You can still find the unit listed on the support section of the Sony Web site. He said he's bumping my questions up to a higher level of support and took my phone number. Haven't heard yet.

bdfox18doe

11-22-05, 02:57 PM

Interesting delimma possible here..

TWC finally, after the 3rd card, got the cablecard to work in my unit..

toxlab

11-22-05, 04:58 PM

It appears that the sony DVRs have been discontinued. They were on the Sony web site yesterday and now they are gone and listed as discontinued. Any link to the DVRs has the "The requested product is no longer available " on them. Rather a sudden removal of the item from their product line.

I called twice to sony support and they were very elusive in their reply to the disappearance of the DVRs from their web site.They said that it was no longer on the web site (obviously!) and that they were not given a reason for its removal. They indicated that it could still be purchased via the various authorized resellers, but were unable to indicate why they themselves don't sell it. I don't know of a Sony product that is sold only by authorized resellers and not sold by Sony. It s difficult not to speculate about the sudden disappearance of this product. I have to wonder if they found out that some feature (such as the TV guide) was going to suddenly lack compatibility because of changes outside of their control and a lack of upgradablility. It also seems a little soon to change products as it has been out for only about 6-8 months (I think). What is also unusual is that Best Buy just got their first allotment of these DVRs here in Oklahoma City and are selling them for $300 under list. Never heard of a new product coming out at Best Buy at nearly a 40% cut in the price. All in all, it is very suspicious.

ATCtech

11-22-05, 05:15 PM

Well after my long-winded post about the 500 I bought 3 weeks ago not even picking up proper time since last week (and it STILL hasn't!) I hope if Sony has decided to re-think the whole PVR concept that they

a) don't tie us to the TVGOS system exclusively and
b) give us at least some manual control over the beast.

I'm not sure how many TVGOS products there are in the marketplace but I really wonder if the numbers are as limited as I suspect how long that entire system will be around.

Sorry for the rant but I'm still questioning my purchase....

Bob

bierboy

11-22-05, 05:32 PM

I called twice to sony support and they were very elusive in their reply to the disappearance of the DVRs from their web site.They said that it was no longer on the web site (obviously!) and that they were not given a reason for its removal. They indicated that it could still be purchased via the various authorized resellers, but were unable to indicate why they themselves don't sell it. I don't know of a Sony product that is sold only by authorized resellers and not sold by Sony. It s difficult not to speculate about the sudden disappearance of this product. I have to wonder if they found out that some feature (such as the TV guide) was going to suddenly lack compatibility because of changes outside of their control and a lack of upgradablility. It also seems a little soon to change products as it has been out for only about 6-8 months (I think). What is also unusual is that Best Buy just got their first allotment of these DVRs here in Oklahoma City and are selling them for $300 under list. Never heard of a new product coming out at Best Buy at nearly a 40% cut in the price. All in all, it is very suspicious.
Agreed...I'm going to be looking very carefully at developments over the next couple weeks, then decide whether to return it to Crutchfield within the 30-day window I have. This doesn't look good.

And I agree that this is DOUBLY suspicious after the recent disaster many experienced with the TVGOS.

optivity

11-22-05, 07:32 PM

Alan Curry

11-22-05, 07:45 PM

The RDR-HX715 DVD Recorder is more likely replacing the RDR-HX900 DVD Recorder. If Sony is indeed discontinuing the DHG-HDD250/500, I would think it would be from lack of sales.

Alan

bierboy

11-22-05, 07:48 PM

Yes, it looks like Sony dropped the DHG-HDD250/500 and replaced it with the RDR-HX715. It is interesting to note the RDR-HX715 does not have a CableCARD slot and of course there is this caveat in the manual:

"Pictures with copy protection cannot be recorded on this recorder. When the recorder receives a copy guard signal the recorder continues to record but only a blank grey colored screen will be recorded."

Like I'm going to spend $700 for an upscaling DVR that can't record HD programs. :rolleyes:

Just what the hell are these guys's thinking? Nice job Sony...
I can't imagine Sony has "replaced" the DHG-HDD250/500 with the RDR-HX715. That unit was announced at this year's (2005) CES, so it's not any "newer" than the DHG-HDD units. I'm not sure how long it's been available. There may be more going on here than any of us suspect....just wish we knew what it is.

avputter

11-22-05, 08:10 PM

Looks like Sony's Japan web site has some new HD DVR models listed...?

Could the US be getting a new model too...?

Mitch G

11-22-05, 08:39 PM

Looks like Sony's Japan web site has some new HD DVR models listed...?

Could the US be getting a new model too...?

Can you post a link to where you saw the new models?
I poked around sony.jp but my Japanese lessons are not paying off. :)

Mitch

spiff72

11-22-05, 08:46 PM

Dang...I just picked up the 250 model from BB.com after I saw that low price.

That seems to explain why they dropped the price so low, so quickly. I wonder why the 500 model is still at the original price...

On another note, is there a way to look at the signal strength of the digital cable channels with this unit? And is there a way to see the signal strength of the OTA digitals?

I had to split my cable behind the TV with a 3-way reather than a 2-way, and I think this is giving me a borderline signal (I am seeing more frequent glitches in both the feed to my TV's built in HD tuner). The 3rd leg is feeding my Sony DVD Recorder, and the RF out of the DVD recorder feeds my standalone series 2 TiVo. I still plan to use the TiVo, and my dvd recorder is a backup recorder.

I have a 4-way distribuiton amp where the cable comes in my house, and each leg is boosted 5db. One of these legs is being fed to this setup. I have one open leg that is unused.

I know this is off topic, but what would happen if I used a 2-way splitter to COMBINE two of the distro amp's leads to feed the system I described above? Would this give me a 10db gain on that line (5db +5db)?

Thanks!