take that drive back and get a 50 dollar 160GB drive from newegg here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148149

Thanks for the link Zodical. I don't care about the money. :cool: I like the 16 megs of buffer too. Actually that drive will get assigned to some other duty in the house in the near future. Maybe I can put in my Toshiba HD-DVD player! :p

How hard is it to switch the drives out, could you fill one up and switch in a new one.

I am sure it is a PITA for the amount of benefit, but if you could extend cables and bring the drive outside the unit - anyone try that yet.

Dude! That is a truly good idea.

You know the really sad aspect of this is that rig will support like 9 drives. Yet only one is accessible.

-db

i think it formats each new drive. it woudn't have a file table to know where the old files were and hence coudn't read the old drives... just my opinon tho...

Scott, Fry's Electronics has a 300 gB with 16 mB buffer for $89.99 this weekend. Front page of their flyer. It's a Seagate Barracuda, just like mine.

If your DVR is anything older than a 6412 version III, you may want make sure it is ATA. Older ones used IDE interface.

The screws on the back are really wacky. Here's a link to the tool.
http://www.newelectronx.com/proddetail.php?prod=BIT4_5MM

Fry's has all kinds of security bits but not this one.

Here's a link to the security plastic thing that breaks when you take the top off..
http://www.newelectronx.com/products.php?cat=7

If you have a 64xx series, you need to first remove the metal box that has the RF connector on it. It just plugs in to the back of the unit.

Somebody on this thread has explained the proceedure in detail so you may scratch around for better instructions.

db

i think it formats each new drive. it woudn't have a file table to know where the old files were and hence coudn't read the old drives... just my opinon tho...

Zodi, it does format a new naked drive. But I can't say what would happen if you put a 'populated' drive back in. That would be a good experiment. But I have grass to cut and whiskey to drink this weekend :D
-db

debyrd. bait and switch... they conveniently always run out of those nicely priced goodies..

I recently purchased the Sony KDS-50A2000 SXRD RPTV - very sweet. Can someone please advise me on the best way to program the following two basic functions?

I want to program the Comcast DVR remote so that:

1) I want the Comcast remote's POWER button (not all-on power just the regular power button) to turn on and off the Sony.

and

2) I want the Comcast remote's VOLUME up/down buttons to control the Sony TV, NOT the DVR. I know there are some pass thru options and so forth related to the volume, but I do not care about controlling the STBs volume at all in case that matters in your response.

Thanks!

1) I want the Comcast remote's POWER button (not all-on power just the regular power button) to turn on and off the Sony.

and

2) I want the Comcast remote's VOLUME up/down buttons to control the Sony TV, NOT the DVR. I know there are some pass thru options and so forth related to the volume, but I do not care about controlling the STBs volume at all in case that matters in your response.
For general matters, I refer you to the Wikibook remote entry:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote

1) For Sony TV, the most common device code is '0000' (4 zeroes).
2) The remote typically comes programmed with the volume lock set to the TV. If not, follow the Wikibook instructions to set volume lock to the TV.

Another thing to remember is that you should have your remote set to TV, :ie push the TV button on the remote. You can still change channels and do all the other STB functions while in this configuration. This way you can turn your TV on and off and control volume to the TV.

I don't know how bad the lag was with the old one (didn't have it), but on mine I have noticed when watching HD that I can push the channel up/down button, nothing happens, I push it again, maybe a third time, then all of a sudden the channel changes by 3.

Yes, this happens to me as well. Pretty crappy.

Yes, this happens to me as well. Pretty crappy.

This issue has plagued the Comcast DVR going back several years. Its not just those buttons - but any buttons. All to often, the box "falls asleep", sometimes up to a minute, before rattling off all your key presses. You'd think this is something they could have fixed after 2 years... sheesh.

All to often, the box "falls asleep", sometimes up to a minute, before rattling off all your key presses.
I am new to the Comcast box (6412 phase III for me), but I timed mine at one point and each keypress of the remote took 2 1/2 minutes before the action took place. And queueing up a couple keypresses didn't take place simultaneously, there was a 2 1/2 minute delay between each action.

That's complete lunacy. Anyone know if there's some kind of solution to this that doesn't stop whatever's currently recording? Any kind of preventive measure work?

Hmm I din't have this issue thankfully.

I am new to the Comcast box (6412 phase III for me), but I timed mine at one point and each keypress of the remote took 2 1/2 minutes before the action took place. And queueing up a couple keypresses didn't take place simultaneously, there was a 2 1/2 minute delay between each action.

That's complete lunacy. Anyone know if there's some kind of solution to this that doesn't stop whatever's currently recording? Any kind of preventive measure work?

I agree and what makes matters worse is that this is not a new bug - it has been this way since their first HD DVR 6208 came out years ago. Its mind boggling how they could have such an annoying usability issue for so long.

can you say monopoly?

I am new to the Comcast box (6412 phase III for me), but I timed mine at one point and each keypress of the remote took 2 1/2 minutes before the action took place. And queueing up a couple keypresses didn't take place simultaneously, there was a 2 1/2 minute delay between each action.

That's complete lunacy. Anyone know if there's some kind of solution to this that doesn't stop whatever's currently recording? Any kind of preventive measure work?
I've been contacting Comcast about the problem about every two months and they kept telling me they never heard of the problem and to to contact Motorola about the problem. When I contacted Motorola, they said it was a Comcast problem and have them reset the DVR.

The last time I contacted Comcast, they finally admitted that there was a problem and said that they notified Motorola that they had a problem. I asked them if they had any idea when the problems would be fixed and they said whenever Motorola fixes the problem. I then contacted Motorola and they couldn't provide me any information on whether there was even a problem.

I've been developing software for many years and this is by far the worst I have ever seen anyone not trying to fix a problem. It sounds like the 2 companies only have real junior programmers on the project and can't fix or identify a problem unless it produces a solid failure. I have a feeling that both companies reassigned the good programmers after the software was developed and left only junior programmers on the project with incompetent managers to maintain the project.

It sounds like the problem is more than likely a Motorola problem but I-GUIDE is bringing out the problem. The reason that I say that is that I have used several remotes with maximum delays with the DVR and the DVR processes the same up/down channel command more than once causing channel overshoot even though I only pushed it only once. This also becomes worse as the delay problem gets worse. This would indicate a problem in the firmware interrupt handler since it should not process the same command more than once.

I just saw this 36 inch SATA cable, I do not have time to test now, but if we can bring the HD out of the box and switch them between multiple, that would be great.


I am in the middle of a HT upgrade and will not have time to test for months, and I suck at stuff like this.

Hope someone takes on the challenge.

I will buy this SATA cable for them if you have over 500 posts and already have two drives to test the swap:

http://www.firefold.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SATA-36-GREY-S

Am I able to use this Unit a Motorola 6412 to record both free QAM unencrypted channels as well as analog and then export to the computer via FireWire/Ethernet?

Am I able to use this Unit a Motorola 6412 to record both free QAM unencrypted channels as well as analog and then export to the computer via FireWire/Ethernet?

Yes, provided you have the proper OS and software.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695

So, a good idea was touched on earlier... since these aren't formatting the drives and just recording to them as is, what about swapping back and forth with several 160gb drives as storage is needed? Along those lings, could one then drop one of these drives containing programming into their PC or into an external SATA case and copy them to a larger HD and move them back and forth? Once this file is on a PC could one convert it to a more manageable file such as an mpg or similar?

So, a good idea was touched on earlier... since these aren't formatting the drives and just recording to them as is, what about swapping back and forth with several 160gb drives as storage is needed? Along those lings, could one then drop one of these drives containing programming into their PC or into an external SATA case and copy them to a larger HD and move them back and forth? Once this file is on a PC could one convert it to a more manageable file such as an mpg or similar?

simple answer is no.

When a new drive is installed it will be formatted and the old data lost.

A normal pc will not recognize that any info is on the HDD.

The only way to transfer saved programs, is to play them on the DVR and record the signal on your PC via the Fire-Wire connection.

simple answer is no.

When a new drive is installed it will be formatted and the old data lost.

A normal pc will not recognize that any info is on the HDD.

The only way to transfer saved programs, is to play them on the DVR and record the signal on your PC via the Fire-Wire connection.
I have read most of the long thread regarding transferring recorded video to a PC via Firewire using the CapDVHS software -- also have read this excellent summary http://replayguide.sourceforge.net/dct6412/

But I have a simple question for which I hope there is a simple answer. If instead of transferring recorded material to a PC I just want to copy it to a DVD, can I just play it from the DVR and feed it directly to a regular DVD recorder (e.g., Panny DMR-ES15S) via Firewire.

I know I won't get true HD quaility that way, but assuming I am OK with SD quality, would that work?

Ok, I admit it - I'm an idiot when it comes to this stuff. I've looked at the Wikipedia remote control programming link and still can't figure something out. It seems I have two options:

1. Remote will control volume of the DVR only. I don't want this.
2. Remote will control volume of the receiver (which is great), but it will automatically click over to controlling "Audio" on the cable remote so that every time I hit the volume, I have to re-hit "Cable" to do anything else on the remote. Please help!!!

What is it you do want? If you have a comcast remote, I think you only have a few choices if you want to avoid the "mute" bug:
1. Leave STB on all the time and have volume on remote control amplifier (or TV) only.
2. Be able to control volume of either STB or amp, but you have to hit cable or tv button first.

It sucks - I choose 1. But it is hard to live with the noise of the STB all the time. We need another option. Maybe we can program another button to unmute the STB while leaving the volume control locked to the amplifier. Anyone do this?

So, which color space is better to use when connecting a 6412 via HDMI to a Sony XBR2?

RGB or YCC 4:4:4

These are the two choices available in the 6412 User Settings menu.
I cannot see an obviuos difference but after researching both types I am more confused than ever. :confused:

It sucks - I choose 1. But it is hard to live with the noise of the STB all the time. We need another option. Maybe we can program another button to unmute the STB while leaving the volume control locked to the amplifier. Anyone do this?

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,12893913?hilite=6412+remote+skip

What is it you do want? If you have a comcast remote, I think you only have a few choices if you want to avoid the "mute" bug:


I read at one of the wikibooks links in this thread that there is a new Comcast software update for the 6412 that is supposed to fix the mute bug. Has anybody received this version (74.53-3321)? If so, was it automatic or did you have call Comcast to request it? Any other problems with it?

I read at one of the wikibooks links in this thread that there is a new Comcast software update for the 6412 that is supposed to fix the mute bug. Has anybody received this version (74.53-3321)? If so, was it automatic or did you have call Comcast to request it? Any other problems with it?
Any firmware/software updates are pushed to you by your local head end. You have NO control over this. It'll only happen when your head end is properly updated as needed and is given permission to update their area.

I've been contacting Comcast about the problem about every two months and they kept telling me they never heard of the problem and to to contact Motorola about the problem. When I contacted Motorola, they said it was a Comcast problem and have them reset the DVR.

The last time I contacted Comcast, they finally admitted that there was a problem and said that they notified Motorola that they had a problem. I asked them if they had any idea when the problems would be fixed and they said whenever Motorola fixes the problem. I then contacted Motorola and they couldn't provide me any information on whether there was even a problem.

I've been developing software for many years and this is by far the worst I have ever seen anyone not trying to fix a problem. It sounds like the 2 companies only have real junior programmers on the project and can't fix or identify a problem unless it produces a solid failure. I have a feeling that both companies reassigned the good programmers after the software was developed and left only junior programmers on the project with incompetent managers to maintain the project.

It sounds like the problem is more than likely a Motorola problem but I-GUIDE is bringing out the problem. The reason that I say that is that I have used several remotes with maximum delays with the DVR and the DVR processes the same up/down channel command more than once causing channel overshoot even though I only pushed it only once. This also becomes worse as the delay problem gets worse. This would indicate a problem in the firmware interrupt handler since it should not process the same command more than once.

FWIW, I have two 6412 Phase III DVRs that do not exhibit the delay between button presses and command execution. I am not a COMCAST subscriber. Does this support a conclusion that the problem is with COMCAST--or are there different versions of the 6412 for the various cablecos?

I recently had a 6412 installed. At first I had a lot of tiling on SD digital signals. I switched the 480i override to 480p and now the signal is much better. I also had problems getting the box to load any on demand shows. It now loads, but the picture is horrible with lots of tiling and freezing. Any suggestions? Comcast is coming on Sunday. The box is hooked up to a Sony 1080p LCD (40V2500).
Craig

I recently had a 6412 installed. At first I had a lot of tiling on SD digital signals. I switched the 480i override to 480p and now the signal is much better. I also had problems getting the box to load any on demand shows. It now loads, but the picture is horrible with lots of tiling and freezing. Any suggestions? Comcast is coming on Sunday. The box is hooked up to a Sony 1080p LCD (40V2500).
Check your signal levels. They may be too weak and the box is having problems decoding the signal. Information on getting it is here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Configuration#How_To_Check_Your_Incoming_Signal_Strength

Sorry if I missed the answer to this with a bad search criteria, but I'm looking to hook a 6416 Phase III to an HDTV via HDMI cable _and_ to another device (ReplayTV) through the S-Vid and audio plugs. Before buying the HDMI cable, is this feasible? Has anyone tried with success?

Sorry if I missed the answer to this with a bad search criteria, but I'm looking to hook a 6416 Phase III to an HDTV via HDMI cable _and_ to another device (ReplayTV) through the S-Vid and audio plugs. Before buying the HDMI cable, is this feasible? Has anyone tried with success?

Yes, all outputs are fed all of the time.

Sorry if I missed the answer to this with a bad search criteria, but I'm looking to hook a 6416 Phase III to an HDTV via HDMI cable _and_ to another device (ReplayTV) through the S-Vid and audio plugs. Before buying the HDMI cable, is this feasible? Has anyone tried with success?

I use HDMI for a projector, and S-Vid/Audio for a tube TV. The HDMI port seems to take up a lot of bandwidth, and I have to unplug it when using the TV. Otherwise channel changes and OSD menus take forever.

It does work, however.

Check your signal levels. They may be too weak and the box is having problems decoding the signal. Information on getting it is here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Configuration#How_To_Check_Your_Incoming_Signal_Strength

Thanks for the information. I did have a weak signal. Comcast came yesterday and fixed the problem. Box had some minor quirks as well, so I got a new box with an HDMI instead of DVI-D. My signal isn't perfect, but they need to come back and boost the signal from the pole.
Craig

I use HDMI for a projector, and S-Vid/Audio for a tube TV. The HDMI port seems to take up a lot of bandwidth, and I have to unplug it when using the TV. Otherwise channel changes and OSD menus take forever.

It does work, however.

I have the HDTV using an HDMI feed and the S-Vid/audio outs to another device now and see no noticeable loss in menu/channel changes. PQ is the same, there's just less cable clutter now and I don't have to split the audio outs. Perhaps your projector is using all the bandwidth?

This might have been asked, but I could not find it. Can you narrow down the guide to your favorite channels in this receiver??

Anyone have a link to a manual online??

This might have been asked, but I could not find it. Can you narrow down the guide to your favorite channels in this receiver??

Anyone have a link to a manual online??

I haven't been able to find a way to do this but would also LOVE if anyone could figure this out. I watch 10% of the channels and it's a PITA having to scroll through all of them when I know there's only a few I would be interested in.

I haven't been able to find a way to do this but would also LOVE if anyone could figure this out. I watch 10% of the channels and it's a PITA having to scroll through all of them when I know there's only a few I would be interested in.

This may be a killer for me....I might just have to go with the Tivo series 3 and cable cards.

This might have been asked, but I could not find it. Can you narrow down the guide to your favorite channels in this receiver??

Anyone have a link to a manual online??

I just mark the channels I want to see as Favorites and then select to only view my favorite channels by picking the heart in the main menu.

I haven't been able to find a way to do this but would also LOVE if anyone could figure this out. I watch 10% of the channels and it's a PITA having to scroll through all of them when I know there's only a few I would be interested in.

Hit MENU, scroll to the FAVORITES (the heart icon) icon button and hit it, then pick and choose your favorite channels. When you want to browse for things to watch, go back to the FAVORITES listing.

I just mark the channels I want to see as Favorites and then select to only view my favorite channels by picking the heart in the main menu.

Hit MENU, scroll to the FAVORITES (the heart icon) icon button and hit it, then pick and choose your favorite channels. When you want to browse for things to watch, go back to the FAVORITES listing.

Thanks! I set up my favorites almost a year ago and couldn't find a way to just browse those. Now if only there was a way to map the 'Guide' or 'Select' buttons to show only the favorites or to tell it in the menu to display only the favorites.

This may be a killer for me....I might just have to go with the Tivo series 3 and cable cards.As stated above you simply hit Menu then OK (Select) so it's two buttons instead of one. I have been using 6416s for a month now and since I used TiVos for the last six years it's a whole new world.

The remote and the interface isn't nearly as clean as TiVo's but overall it appears to work outside of a few issues. Less storage space and much worse analog stations (since it has to encode them for recording) for starters. However the overall image on HD appears better than TiVo. As an example my cable's local HD channels look better on the 6416 than they did OTA on the TiVo.

I have a 6412PII. Until recently, I had the 9.9 firmware, and there was no way to make the guide show just your favorite channels, except to select the "view by channel" option, and scroll through using the favorite button. I now have the new 16.2 firmware, with 5 favorites lists, if I want them. Now the guide comes up in what ever favorites list I am currently set on. The quickest way to access it is to use the quick menu, and select the heart icon.

I use an older comcast mot hd dvr box with dvi for my tv with dvi and no hdmi. but the box is hicupping, pausing and freezing during dvr playback. if it pauses/freezes for more then a certain amount and doesn't resume it goes to a black screen and then I have to go back in the dvr menu select th show and fast forward to where I left off. thisvery annoying when you have to do it several times and/or you were near the end with a lot to ffwd through to get to where you wer and finish watching.

prob just going to need a new box and use hdmi to dvi cable. those aren't bad right?

otherwise might push up purchase of new 1080p hdmi tv for new hdmi cable box.

have another hd dvr which is hdmi in another room on a 720p but isnt main room

so what is best newest cable box to request/make sure I get from comcast? can I still get one wth dvi? will hdmi to dvi cable be ok or will the picture be better/preferable with an hdmi cable and hdmi tv?

postin on mobile version of site frm ppc phone which doesn't seem to send me email alert

will hdmi to dvi cable be ok or will the picture be better/preferable with an hdmi cable and hdmi tv?Makes no difference.

I am trying to figure out if I have the right software that allows me to create multiple favorites lists. I was an Adelphia customer but Comcast recently took over here in central PA and they updated my 6412 with Comcast guide and so forth. From the configuration menu I was able to determine the following:

Software version: 71.44 - 1203
Firmware version: 12.35

Do I have the most recent software and firmware?

Thanks.

Most recent firmware is 16.20. 12.35 doesn't have the multiple favorites lists.

Most recent firmware is 16.20. 12.35 doesn't have the multiple favorites lists.
Since there are so many questions/issues regarding the firmware version I'm curious about the version numbering scheme. Maybe this has already been posted and I missed it. If so, please forgive.

But just based on the "16" and "12" portions of the firmware version and the STB model numbers I suspect the the 16.XX numbers apply to the 6416 model and the 12.XX numbers apply to the 6412 model.

Can anyone confirm this? (scanpa??)

Since there are so many questions/issues regarding the firmware version I'm curious about the version numbering scheme. Maybe this has already been posted and I missed it. If so, please forgive.

But just based on the "16" and "12" portions of the firmware version and the STB model numbers I suspect the the 16.XX numbers apply to the 6416 model and the 12.XX numbers apply to the 6412 model.

Can anyone confirm this? (scanpa??)

I can confirm that it is NOT the case. I have a 6412 II and a 6412 III that were both just updated to 16.20 .

I can confirm that it is NOT the case. I have a 6412 II and a 6412 III that were both just updated to 16.20 .
Thanks for the update. So much for my simplistic "pattern recognition" skills. :o

BTW -- Where are you located? I'm STILL waiting here in SLC for the update. grrrr.... :mad:

I have a general question about the Moto 6412 PIII. If I connect the HDMI cable and the component video cables to my TV, can I switch inputs and compare the PQ? Or will the component video not work when the HDMI cable is plugged in?

I have a general question about the Moto 6412 PIII. If I connect the HDMI cable and the component video cables to my TV, can I switch inputs and compare the PQ? Or will the component video not work when the HDMI cable is plugged in?
Both work at the same time so it is no problem. I do it all the time.

Thanks for the update. So much for my simplistic "pattern recognition" skills. :o

BTW -- Where are you located? I'm STILL waiting here in SLC for the update. grrrr.... :mad:

Near Boston, MA.

I just discovered another difference in the new firmware. If you are fast-forwarding through a recording, and hit exit, it makes the time bar disappear. With the old firmware, it came back, quicker at higher FF speeds. With 16.20, when you hit exit, the time bar stays gone, until you press play. So now, you can have a clear view of the screen during FF!

Was there a definitive desicion made on whether or not the SATA port works and with which drives/eclosures? I had the Firewire port geared up with a Moto6200 and assume it functions in the 6416 box, too [haven't had time lately to test it, though].

Was there a definitive desicion made on whether or not the SATA port works and with which drives/eclosures? I had the Firewire port geared up with a Moto6200 and assume it functions in the 6416 box, too [haven't had time lately to test it, though].

I've had trouble with the Firewire port, but it could be me. :confused:

Does anyone know how I can change the audio settings to PCM? I'm trying to use the digital audio out to a separate DAC. The manual refers to changing audio settings but only with HDMI.

Was there a definitive desicion made on whether or not the SATA port works and with which drives/eclosures?Yes. It doesn't work.

Since there are so many questions/issues regarding the firmware version I'm curious about the version numbering scheme. Maybe this has already been posted and I missed it. If so, please forgive.

But just based on the "16" and "12" portions of the firmware version and the STB model numbers I suspect the the 16.XX numbers apply to the 6416 model and the 12.XX numbers apply to the 6412 model.

Can anyone confirm this? (scanpa??)
Be aware there are two different versions you have to keep an eye on: Firmware and Software. Firmware is the basic OS and information by Motorola to control the box. Software is the IGuide or MS software you see and use (the interface and scheduling, etc..)
Until recently, the 6412P1 and P2 used the 9.xx series. The 6412P3 and 34xx used 12.xx. They are now starting to update on a common firmware using 16.xx numbering.

Until recently, the IGuide version was usually 71.44. The firmware update is usually done along with a software update to versions 73.44 or 74.53.

More info in the Wikibook:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Firmware_and_Software

Makes no difference.

so you think using an hdmi cable to dvi cable to connect hdmi cable box to dvi tv is no diff a picture quality as hdmi to hdmi?

what about dvi to dvi which is what i had before the box crapped out and I had to take a newer hdmi box and now use hdmi to dvi cable.

also my dvi cable was a monster cable and the one hdmi to dvi one i am using now is just whatever comcast uses which aren't horrible i guess but not the best.

I can request a box with dvi and prob swap it but most are older and refurbed while this one was brand new.

the old box just started hiccuping during playback of recorded programs on dvr and which was annoying enough when watching and you miss something said etc. but then even worse it would often then freeze and go to a black screen kicking you out of the dvr at which poitn you would have to go back in select your program which was back to the beginning and fast forward to where you left off only for it to possibly happen again.

once it took me like 2 hrs to get through a 30 min futurama episode because i kept on having to ffwd to near the middle and end of the ep through the glitches to get through it.

mean to tell stupid comcast to have guy bring a dvi box but didn't and he only had an hdmi box and now i can't use my nice monster dvi cable. going to get a 1080p hdmi tv eventually/soon but for now felt better using dvi to dvi even if it is just in your head.

seems the box is the DCT3412 I which is what i already had in another room (hdmi to hdmi)

I expected there to be a newer box then that by now. Is there? which should I be asking for and swapping one of them to?

what is the latest/newest comcast hd dvr cable box that still had dvi?


the tech though maybe it could have been because of the splitter that i have so i have coax going direct into tv as well as the cable box just so i can make use of pip or the fact that i also had component plugged into box and tv just so i could use that an dvi and try to compare pq.

but i had both of those for the longest with no problem and when he tested the signal he said it was good and even on the higher side so if he undid splitter it might actually be too high. have amp somewhere else to boost the cable modem.

so he left as is though we didn't plug in the component for now as i dont really need it though i thnk the pip actually works better or more featured with the component if not only with component and tv tuner combo not on dvi.

my areas is supposed to be all digital which is what the 6412 is right? phila area suburbs. do we have this 6412? should i request it and swap one of my 3412 I's?
as far as the hiccup and freezing glitch of the dvr function of old box (which i forget the model #) I think its just a matter of after a period of heavy dvr use of recording viewing and deleting programs and recording more. the hd can all take so much constant activity and writing to it, deleting, more recording.

i think its just normal lifespan and the hd or something was prob just shot so had to replace it. has nothing to do with my setup or anything.

anyway again what is latest newest comcast hd dvr cable box that still had dvi? or is there no reason to go with dvi just cus my tv is dvi and i have a good monster dvi cable? in which case should i request the 6412? I thought by now they had dvr boxes with larger hd but maybe the tech just has the basic one unless you request a newer one with larger hd?

was hard enough to part with old malfunctioning box because of all the stuff we had recorded so better inquire soon before the new one builds up.

There's no difference between DVI and HDMI on the video side. HDMI only adds digital audio. The video signal is exactly the same. Yes, exactly!

The 3412 is the all-digital box, it doesn't have an analog tuner. If your area is getting 3416s yet (most are not) that one has a larger HDD (160 vs 120GB). Otherwise the 3412 is the newest box.

I just discovered another difference in the new firmware. If you are fast-forwarding through a recording, and hit exit, it makes the time bar disappear. With the old firmware, it came back, quicker at higher FF speeds. With 16.20, when you hit exit, the time bar stays gone, until you press play. So now, you can have a clear view of the screen during FF!
How about when you pause? One of my complaints with this box is if you pause you can't see anything at the bottom of the screen because of the time bar. Or have you always been able to hide this and I just didn't know how??

How about when you pause? One of my complaints with this box is if you pause you can't see anything at the bottom of the screen because of the time bar. Or have you always been able to hide this and I just didn't know how??

I just discovered how to get rid of the annoying time bar on pause or ff/rw
You just press the Exit button on the remote. Works like a charm. :)

I just discovered how to get rid of the annoying time bar on pause or ff/rw
You just press the Exit button on the remote. Works like a charm. :)

THANK YOU !!! THANK YOU !!! THANK YOU !!! THANK YOU !!! THANK YOU !!!

:)



I have been trying to figure out how to do this for a long time. Thanks again - I love my TV all over again!

Generally, hitting 'Exit' gets rid of many pop-up overlays, such as those annoying 'Your recording is starting' or '..ending' messages. It'll also help get rid of the info popup when you change channels (or just hit Info.)

There's no difference between DVI and HDMI on the video side. HDMI only adds digital audio. The video signal is exactly the same. Yes, exactly!

The 3412 is the all-digital box, it doesn't have an analog tuner. If your area is getting 3416s yet (most are not) that one has a larger HDD (160 vs 120GB). Otherwise the 3412 is the newest box.

ok i was pretty sure that the video quality with hdmi was not better then dvi, I did understand that all it does is add audio to dvi.

my question is still, is the video/pq any better with a dvi to dvi connection/cable or hdmi to hdmi as opposed to the current hdmi (cable box) to dvi (tv) cable i'm using now.

in other words should i bother requesting an older box with dvi or am i fine wiht the hdmit to dvi cable.

also my dvi cable was a slight better quality monster cable where as hdmi to dvi one is from comcast.

I just discovered how to get rid of the annoying time bar on pause or ff/rw
You just press the Exit button on the remote. Works like a charm. :)

Although I haven't tried it with the "pause" key, you can probably reprogram it as a "pause/exit" macro key. I created a "15 sec. rewind/exit" macro key to get rid of the time bar works faster than the regular time out of the bar.

I just last week dumped my old 4:3 Sony set up stairs in the bedroom for a new Vizio 50 Plasma(CC sale) but have had for some time up in the bedroom the 6412 III Moto box. Well I went to use the HDMI output of the Moto box for the first time and the Vizio tells me there is no signal. So I switched HDMI ports on the Vizio and still no signal. Next I hooked up my Oppo DVI/ HDMI no problem on either HDMI connector on the TV. So this leaves me with either a problem with the new HDMI cable or the Moto box. So I tested the HDMI cable by hooking up my Hidef camera through the HDMI no problem so it's not the cable. I went into the Moto box settings to make sure HDMI is selected and 16:9 but still no signal. So I tried turning TV on first then cable box and cable box first and then TV and I still get no signal so I am starting to think a service call is in order. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Is there anything else I should be doing with the 6412 III that I haven't already done ?

Wow, awesome...the exit button removes the time bar even back on firmware 12.31. The things they leave out of manuals!! Or if it is in the manual I missed it, though I did read most of the manual.

I just last week dumped my old 4:3 Sony set up stairs in the bedroom for a new Vizio 50 Plasma(CC sale) but have had for some time up in the bedroom the 6412 III Moto box. Well I went to use the HDMI output of the Moto box for the first time and the Vizio tells me there is no signal. So I switched HDMI ports on the Vizio and still no signal. Next I hooked up my Oppo DVI/ HDMI no problem on either HDMI connector on the TV. So this leaves me with either a problem with the new HDMI cable or the Moto box. So I tested the HDMI cable by hooking up my Hidef camera through the HDMI no problem so it's not the cable. I went into the Moto box settings to make sure HDMI is selected and 16:9 but still no signal. So I tried turning TV on first then cable box and cable box first and then TV and I still get no signal so I am starting to think a service call is in order. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Is there anything else I should be doing with the 6412 III that I haven't already done ?

Sounds like the box to me. I think you did all the right things. You chose 720p?

THANK YOU !!! THANK YOU !!! THANK YOU !!! THANK YOU !!! THANK YOU !!!

:)



I have been trying to figure out how to do this for a long time. Thanks again - I love my TV all over again!

Hey, you should be thanking me! I pointed it out on the previous page, and Puck71 quoted me two posts above! :p :D

The old firmware would always remove the time bar, and other graphics. The time bar on "pause" would NOT come back, even on the old firmware. But, when fast forwarding with the old firmware, it would come back, quickly at FF4, and more slowly at FF1. But, with the new firmware, it does not come back at all, once you hit "exit" while FFing. Even with the old firmware, I saved pretty bits of HD recordings to use as video wall paper. Things like clips from Sunrise earth International Mayan Temple, Programs with art work I like, etc. Just find the clip, hit pause, and your screen looks much nicer for company, even if you aren't watching something. I don't have to worry about burn-in, I have DLP.

WARNING When you are watching something on the HDD, and hit "exit" to clear the time bar, or the info screen, if it is within a couple of seconds of automatically going away, you will exit the HDD program, even though the graphic was still up when you hit the exit button. This can be very annoying, when you are into a program!

Addendum: the new firmware has another new feature. When you fast forward 4, and hit play, it rolls back 10-20 seconds. I haven't checked the other speeds yet.

Ok - New Problem or at least one I haven't seen - 6412 ver3 moto, latest firmware, on rcn, using the new echo (I think that's what it's called) software. So - firewire downloading works just fine, but after I set it up the ffd and rwd no longer work - they just hold for 3 seconds, then jump forward 3 then hold for 3, jump for 3, (in ffd). I've seen a few folks complain about the rwd and ffd not working before, but none directly connected with the firewire setup. I have tried disconnecting the fw cable, turning the box off and on after the cable is removed, etc, nothing is working. Any thoughts? :confused:

That happens for me also, most every time I use the firewire output, and I've seen other posts connecting the two issues. As far as I've been able to find out, you have to unplug the box for at least a few seconds and then plug it back in to get it working again. That's the main reason I really don't use the firewire output anymore (the other reason being that I got a DVD Recorder for archival)

Unplugging it like this will get rid of your guide data, which takes several hours to re-download, but does not affect your scheduled or series recordings.

That happens for me also, most every time I use the firewire output, and I've seen other posts connecting the two issues. As far as I've been able to find out, you have to unplug the box for at least a few seconds and then plug it back in to get it working again. That's the main reason I really don't use the firewire output anymore (the other reason being that I got a DVD Recorder for archival)

Unplugging it like this will get rid of your guide data, which takes several hours to re-download, but does not affect your scheduled or series recordings.

great, didn't want to try the unplug without checking here first, because I remeber early times with this box when it sometimes did lose track of your recordings after unplugging. dvd recorder doesn't work for me since I'm looking for entirely hi-def recordings so a certain amount of work has to be done on the files before I'm going to fit them on a std dvd. thanks again.

Sorry if this is a repeat but can't find the info through searches.

I have the 6416 III just released by Time Warner here in SoCal (they bought out Adelphia). When it was installed the tech said only the HDMI and component outputs were enabled. I would like to use the DVI as my TV only has one HDMI input and I use that for my DVD player. Is there a way to turn on the DVI port?

Second issue, the digital audio outputs aren't functioning. I hooked up an optical cable and there is no light at the other end of the cable, and my Denon AVR-5800 doesn't see and audio. I also tried the digital co-ax and it isn't working either. I called TW and was told they weren't activated, but not sure the person on the other end of the line knew what I was talking about. Again, is there a way thought some hidden menu to turn these digital audio outputs on?

The config for the box says the S/W version is 71.44-1203.

Thanks in advance.

Minkster,

You do need to turn on digital audio. Go to Menu/setup/audio setup. Change audio output to "advanced".

Rat

I have the 6416 III just released by Time Warner here in SoCal (they bought out Adelphia). When it was installed the tech said only the HDMI and component outputs were enabled. I would like to use the DVI as my TV only has one HDMI input and I use that for my DVD player. Is there a way to turn on the DVI port? Unless your 6416 III box is different than mine, there is no DVI output - HDMI is the only HD digital output. However, why not just use the component outputs? It's the same resolution and quality, at least according to most people.

Minkster,

You do need to turn on digital audio. Go to Menu/setup/audio setup. Change audio output to "advanced".

Rat

Sorry but that's wrong,

The Setup menu / Audio menu settings are ONLY for the Analog Audio RCA / RF outputs. They do not effect the digital audio at all.

Advanced changes the audio stereo field to sound wider.

Minkster,
What you need ia a HDMI to DVI conversion cable, readily available at places like MonoPrice.com or BlueJean both sponnsors of AVS. You will take the audio from the analog audio output (red/white). In the service menu, with the TV on and the box in the off state, press MENU. You can configure the HDMI port not to output sound. My box is absolutely outputting 5.1 digital sound, yours should too. If there's no red light you may have a busted box! I'm in 90025, and have the box over 2 weeks and all normal outputs are firing! I didn't test the S connector all my sets are HD connected via HDMI.

The only way you can get DD 5.1 sound is with an optical output, or a coax audio output. Surely one, or both, are available from the STB. Both have long been available on my 6412, from Comcast.

Sorry if this has been asked, but I'm not sure how to search for something like this.

A periodic problem has developed recently with this DVR. When I turn it on, I sometimes have neither picture nor sound. If I play a recorded program for just a second and then exit, the picture and sound come back. I unplugged the unit, and the problem went away for a number of days. Unfortunately, for that first day, HD programming was jerky. That could have been a coincidence because of rain that day, but I haven't wanted to try unplugging it tonight when this problem has returned. The strange thing is, I just turned on my TV for the first time today, and the DVR was recording a program. I got no picture or sound, but the program recorded. So, it's receiving the broadcast, but I sometimes can't see it. I'm using an HDMI connection, but I don't get a picture with a standard cable connection, either.

Edit: I just watched part of the recorded program, and it's jerky again. No rain. Is it time to take the unit in for an exchange?

Sorry if this has been asked, but I'm not sure how to search for something like this.

A periodic problem has developed recently with this DVR. When I turn it on, I sometimes have neither picture nor sound. If I play a recorded program for just a second and then exit, the picture and sound come back. I unplugged the unit, and the problem went away for a number of days. Unfortunately, for that first day, HD programming was jerky. That could have been a coincidence because of rain that day, but I haven't wanted to try unplugging it tonight when this problem has returned. The strange thing is, I just turned on my TV for the first time today, and the DVR was recording a program. I got no picture or sound, but the program recorded. So, it's receiving the broadcast, but I sometimes can't see it. I'm using an HDMI connection, but I don't get a picture with a standard cable connection, either.

Edit: I just watched part of the recorded program, and it's jerky again. No rain. Is it time to take the unit in for an exchange?
I've had the jerkyness and blank screen problems with 34xx DVRs. Usually I can get rid of the jerkiness problem by changing the output of the DVR to 720p and then back to 1080i.

A periodic problem has developed recently with this DVR. When I turn it on, I sometimes have neither picture nor sound. If I play a recorded program for just a second and then exit, the picture and sound come back.


Always leave your STB in the on mode. the standby mode puts the A/V cards into a sleep mode. Sometimes they do not come out of sleep mode, simple fix is to do what you have been doing, just start a DVR saved program, this will cause the A/V cards to wake up.

There is no reason to turn the DVR to the off / standby mode. Leave it on at all times.

Always leave your STB in the on mode. the standby mode puts the A/V cards into a sleep mode. Sometimes they do not come out of sleep mode, simple fix is to do what you have been doing, just start a DVR saved program, this will cause the A/V cards to wake up.

There is no reason to turn the DVR to the off / standby mode. Leave it on at all times.

I turn mine off to give the hard drive a rest. If you leave it on, it constantly caches the channel it is on. Turn it off and you can hear the hard drive breath a sigh of relief. Good way to save some power as well.

Giving a hard drive "a rest" is considered by many to be a major cause of hard drive degradation. It's a bit like letting an athlete become a couch potato over the off-season, and then expecting the athlete not to get injured when re-entering the professional competition the next year.

I turn mine off to give the hard drive a rest. If you leave it on, it constantly caches the channel it is on. Turn it off and you can hear the hard drive breath a sigh of relief. Good way to save some power as well.

As someone who works on these STB's for comcast M-F, I can tell you that it does not turn the HDD off. The STB will continue to buffer, the Index and System data will continue to download and update when the STB is set to standby.

There is no OFF mode unless you pull the power cord from the STB or the power source.

You can however stop it from buffering the tuners.

Just set both tuners to one of the 45+ Digital Music channels. These are set not to buffer.

The STB uses almost the same amount of Watts on or in standby mode.

Turning the box to standby shutsdown the STB LED Display, the Audio card, and the Video card. Thats it. Then you run into the problem that the cards do not wake from sleep mode correctly.

Hope that clears some things up for you.

When I go to bed at night the HDD is working like mad when it's on. It's VERY loud when I'm trying to sleep. When I turn the power off.... silence. I find it hard to believe that turning it off does nothing because it lets me sleep.

When I go to bed at night the HDD is working like mad when it's on. It's VERY loud when I'm trying to sleep. When I turn the power off.... silence. I find it hard to believe that turning it off does nothing because it lets me sleep.
My 6416 III is so quiet I can't hear the hard drive at all. Works fine.

My 3416 is incredibly quiet -- practically no sound whatsoever.

When I go to bed at night the HDD is working like mad when it's on. It's VERY loud when I'm trying to sleep. When I turn the power off.... silence. I find it hard to believe that turning it off does nothing because it lets me sleep.
If you're concerned about the noise, I'd recommend turning both tuners to digital music channels, as mentioned a few posts back. I don't notice the box making noise very much, but when I do (generally when watching somewhat quiet DVDs) I tune to music channels and it's pretty much silent.

Joe,

The only options that I can change on the service menu are TV Type
YPbPr Output 4:3 Override, Closed Caption, and Restore all Defaults. There is no option to configure the HDMI output or audio. That was the first place I checked.
There is no digital audio coming out of the optical or coax. There are both DVI and HDMI output plugs on the back of the box. I am using the component outputs with analog audio now, and have a friend who does work for Runco and is building a HDMI switcher that I may try when it is available. My main concern right now is the (lack of) digital audio. Is your service provider Time Warner?

Rich

I've got a 6412P3 from Comcast. I often find the digital audio (and sometimes the video) dies when the unit is switched "off" (actually standby...) then on.

The cure for me is to never turn it off once I get it working.

To get it working after one of my family turns it off by accident I need to completely remove power from the unit (unplug it for a 10 count) then plug it in and turn it on.

Then *never* turn it off!

good luck

jim

Joe,

The only options that I can change on the service menu are TV Type
YPbPr Output 4:3 Override, Closed Caption, and Restore all Defaults. There is no option to configure the HDMI output or audio. That was the first place I checked.
There is no digital audio coming out of the optical or coax. There are both DVI and HDMI output plugs on the back of the box. I am using the component outputs with analog audio now, and have a friend who does work for Runco and is building a HDMI switcher that I may try when it is available. My main concern right now is the (lack of) digital audio. Is your service provider Time Warner?

Rich

Yes it's TWC fromer Adelphia area. Wow, it's hard to believe this box is intentionally mostly dead! :eek:

Yes it's TWC fromer Adelphia area. Wow, it's hard to believe this box is intentionally mostly dead! :eek:

Yeah, sucks :(

Yeah, sucks :(

Do you have other options? ie D* or E*?

Joe,

The only options that I can change on the service menu are TV Type
YPbPr Output 4:3 Override, Closed Caption, and Restore all Defaults. There is no option to configure the HDMI output or audio. That was the first place I checked.
There is no digital audio coming out of the optical or coax. There are both DVI and HDMI output plugs on the back of the box. I am using the component outputs with analog audio now, and have a friend who does work for Runco and is building a HDMI switcher that I may try when it is available. My main concern right now is the (lack of) digital audio. Is your service provider Time Warner?

Rich

HDMI cable must be installed for the HDMI advanced options menu to show up on the user menu.

There are no /\/\otorola STB with both DVI and HDMI ports. it can only work with one or the other. all 64xxp3 & both the 34xxp1 & 34xxp2 models come with HDMI.

To restore digital Audio, try the Restore all Defaults in the user menu, this sometimes resets the audio card.

Best bet is to just replace the STB.

Yeah, sucks :(

I read right past what scanpa caught. Which model DVR do you have, exactly? None that I know of either have both digital connections, just either plus component.

HDMI cable must be installed for the HDMI advanced options menu to show up on the user menu.

There are no /\/\otorola STB with both DVI and HDMI ports. it can only work with one or the other. all 64xxp3 & both the 34xxp1 & 34xxp2 models come with HDMI.

To restore digital Audio, try the Restore all Defaults in the user menu, this sometimes resets the audio card.

Best bet is to just replace the STB.


Just checked the back of the STB and I stand corrected, there is only the HDMI output :o . Also found that there is now digital audio coming out. TW must have turned it on after my email inquiry. :rolleyes:

When I go to bed at night the HDD is working like mad when it's on. It's VERY loud when I'm trying to sleep. When I turn the power off.... silence. I find it hard to believe that turning it off does nothing because it lets me sleep.

Thank-you for confirming what I said earlier. It is clearly obvious that the hard drive thrashing is reduced when the power is turned off - regardless of which channel it is on.

Sorry, I've been busy and couldn't get back to the thread. Thanks for the advice. I'll leave the DVR on for now. Sometimes I forget and hit All On to turn it off, and if it doesn't come back one of those times, I'll consider exchanging the box.

I have my controller set to control the TV's volume in all modes. I don't really see a need to use the DVR's volume. The problem is, it goes into Mute if a recording starts when the DVR is off. Is there any way to get it out of Mute mode without having to change the code on the controller?

Lots of problems are solved by never turning the DVR "off." It never is really off anyway rather just standby and it has lots of issues coming out of standby.

Just leave it on.

jtm

I have my controller set to control the TV's volume in all modes. I don't really see a need to use the DVR's volume. The problem is, it goes into Mute if a recording starts when the DVR is off. Is there any way to get it out of Mute mode without having to change the code on the controller? I'd also recommend just leaving the DVR on at all times. If you can't/won't:

Picture but no sound ("MUTE" may be superimposed over top-center of picture in small white letters)
Cause: Box turned itself on for a scheduled recording but muted its audio in case TV or HT audio was left on.
Remedies:
As of S/W 74.53-3321, pressing any button but "Mute" or a volume button will unmute the box. "MUTE" is also not displayed continually, so it may not be seen when turning on your TV.
Map a remote button to unmute the box.
Interrupt the recording and turn off the box.
Disable "global volume lock", then press the "Cable" button to switch the remote to that mode, then adjust the volume up or down, or press "mute".

(from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#Picture_but_no_sound_.28.22MUTE.22_may_be_superimposed_ over_top-center_of_picture_in_small_white_letters.29 )

Just set both tuners to one of the 45+ Digital Music channels. These are set not to buffer.Maybe Comcast does it differently but the digital music channels are buffered on the all Motos that I have seen!

I am in Los Angeles--Formerly with Adelphia, now with Time Warner. Time Warner is coming to replace my MOXI box this Saturday--I asked what they are replacing it with, and they said a new Motorola DVR--They didn't say the model number; I assume it is the 6412 or 6416 (hopefully the latter bceause it has more space). Anyway, my mother is in NYC and has Time Warner, and she has a Scientific Atlanta 8300 DVR.

Why is SoCal getting the Moto boxes instead of the Scientific Atlanta DVR's? Which do you think are better? Moto DVR or SA? Just curious--and is it true the Moto boxes do not do PIP? Will they use the same gui as the SA 8300?

I am in Los Angeles--Formerly with Adelphia, now with Time Warner. Time Warner is coming to replace my MOXI box this Saturday--I asked what they are replacing it with, and they said a new Motorola DVR--They didn't say the model number; I assume it is the 6412 or 6416 (hopefully the latter bceause it has more space). Anyway, my mother is in NYC and has Time Warner, and she has a Scientific Atlanta 8300 DVR.

Why is SoCal getting the Moto boxes instead of the Scientific Atlanta DVR's? Which do you think are better? Moto DVR or SA? Just curious--and is it true the Moto boxes do not do PIP? Will they use the same gui as the SA 8300?

Your cable plant is a Motorola Based system. So you can only use Motorola compatible STB that use Digicipher..

Digicipher II is Motorola's (G.I's) MPEG-2 based distribution system.

Thanks--how would you say the Moto DVR's compare to the SA DVR's?

Thanks--how would you say the Moto DVR's compare to the SA DVR's?


They both have there good and bad points.

I am in Los Angeles--Formerly with Adelphia, now with Time Warner. Time Warner is coming to replace my MOXI box this Saturday--I asked what they are replacing it with, and they said a new Motorola DVR--They didn't say the model number; I assume it is the 6412 or 6416 (hopefully the latter bceause it has more space). Anyway, my mother is in NYC and has Time Warner, and she has a Scientific Atlanta 8300 DVR.

Why is SoCal getting the Moto boxes instead of the Scientific Atlanta DVR's? Which do you think are better? Moto DVR or SA? Just curious--and is it true the Moto boxes do not do PIP? Will they use the same gui as the SA 8300?

The most likely box you'll get is the 6416 Phase III. I got that and most that have reported got that. You'll love the extra space and find some things not so good. It's a mixed improvement but the extra space make the rest worth dealing with. At least until TiVo reduces their price to something realistic! ;)

The most likely box you'll get is the 6416 Phase III. I got that and most that have reported got that. You'll love the extra space and find some things not so good. It's a mixed improvement but the extra space make the rest worth dealing with. At least until TiVo reduces their price to something realistic! ;)

What are the negatives of the new Moto 'upgrade'? I have an appointment to get all my current Moto boxes switched out because they suck and don't want to get into even more suckiness. They said they don't run as hot which will get rid of my locking up problem that has become VERY annoying.

I currently have a MOXI box, and have loved it--My main reasons for upgrading is it continues to lock up and freeze when playing back recorded SD content (i do not have HD)--This is pretty much since TWC took over in the last month or so--I also want more storage, and felt a new upgrade would provide a bigger HD--Also, I was looking forward to PIP, which the SA boxes have, but evidently the new Moto's don't--so I'll have to forgo that--although MOXI doesn't have that either--I get my new box on Staurday, so I'll report back, on my impressions.

What are the negatives of the new Moto 'upgrade'? I have an appointment to get all my current Moto boxes switched out because they suck and don't want to get into even more suckiness. They said they don't run as hot which will get rid of my locking up problem that has become VERY annoying.

I figure you already know the Moxi + & -'s so the 6416:
Loses sound on occation, too many times. Fix, change the channel.
If you pull the plug it loses all channels and has to rebuild!
Interface is archaic and in SD.

The rest is OK and it has TWICE the storage.

I'm using a CRT Sony display with an HDMI connection. What should I choose for Color Space? Both YCC 4:4:4 and RGB work.

I'm using a CRT Sony display with an HDMI connection. What should I choose for Color Space? Both YCC 4:4:4 and RGB work.

I asked this question a while ago and never got a response. I can't really see any difference between the two so I guess you could just flip a coin. :)

I figure you already knw the Moxi + & -'s

??

??

corrected my spelling, and:
+ = plus
- = minus.

corrected my spelling, and:
+ = plus
- = minus.

What do you mean by Moxi?

What do you mean by Moxi?

Nevermind :confused: I read Moxi, you said Moto. Oops. Which Moto do you have? If it's the 6412 I don't think the 6416 is any dif other than bigger HDD.

Which Moto do you have? If it's the 6412 I don't think the 6416 is any dif other than bigger HDD.

That is correct.

Interface is archaic and in SD.

Is this something that will improve with software updates--or will it always suck--anyone have any links to screenshots of the 6412/6416 interface?

I currently have Dish with the VIP 622 DVR. The picture is relatively soft even though I get a great signal. Think about Comcast with DVR and have a few questions:

-Has anyone compared picture quality between Comcast and Dish

-Is there any difference in picture quality between cable card and the 6412 DVR

-Will the RF output allow me to feed a second tv? I know I would have to watch the same channel as the primary set

-How well does the HDMI work

-30 second skip?

-Can I have gray bars for 4:3 standard definition or are the bars black

-Are you able to eliminate channels from the guide

-How fast does the system respond: changing channels, button response, guide?

Any current annoying bugs.

Thanks

Is it true that PIP is not functional? If so, can we expect it in future software updates?

I've compared PQ for cable versus satellite in this area, and found cable PQ to be much better, much sharper and consistent. I did have CableCards as well, for a little while, and saw no appreciable difference in PQ between that and the cable box. The RF Out of my cable box does put out the current channel the box is tuned to on Channel 3 (and the rest of the spectrum is empty). HDMI works great, as far as I can tell. I have 30 second skip enabled. Also works great, as far as I can tell. Yes, I can control whether the letterboxing is black or grey. I cannot eliminate channels from the guide, but I can designate which channels are my favorites (and I can have multiple lists of favorites) and then switch the guide (currently with a single button press) to just show my favorites. System response isn't bad. It could be faster, but it isn't annoying the way it is.

There are a host of current annoying bugs. The box locks up every so often requiring unplugging it. (This has happened to me once in about six months.) The guide data is in memory, so when the box loses power, it takes some time for the guide data to repopulate. (However, recordings aren't lost, nor are previously scheduled recordings.) I've found that sometimes fast-forwarding confuses my sound system so I have to cycle it to get sound back. (That's probably my sound system's fault though.) And so on...

My understanding is that PIP is supported by the software, but may or may not be supported by your cable company.

Yes, I can control whether the letterboxing is black or grey.

It seems that the Motorola DVR on Comcast cannot display gray side bars. That forces me to stretch the picture which is a deal killer for me because it defeats the purpose of cable's better picture

It seems that the Motorola DVR on Comcast cannot display gray side bars. That forces me to stretch the picture which is a deal killer for me because it defeats the purpose of cable's better picture

My picture has black sidebars when I view 4:3 SD programming and I don't know how to get grey sidebars. Why are you "forced" to stretch the picture? Will your TV not show 4:3 SD in it's native ratio?

My picture has black sidebars when I view 4:3 SD programming and I don't know how to get grey sidebars. Why are you "forced" to stretch the picture? Will your TV not show 4:3 SD in it's native ratio?

Using the black side bars is a sure way to ruin a plasma. Since black has no color in it it wears the pixels at a lesser rate than the 4:3 space. The gray will provide more even wear and help avoid image retention

Sorry, the grey bars I recall weren't the Motorola box, but rather the HD TiVo box.

I asked this question a while ago and never got a response. I can't really see any difference between the two so I guess you could just flip a coin. :)

It's been on YCC for the two months I've had it, and RGB for the past three days. I don't know if I really see a difference, but my impression is that the RGB looks more natural. Could be nothing, but I'll leave it on RGB for now.

when viewing the guide, what is that icon in the upper left. It looks like a TV screen with a comet shooting out of it. Depending on the channel, its greyout or not. I can seem to find anything about the channel that would suggest what it means when the icon is active. any hints?

I have a choice of getting a 6412 series III or a 3416 installed. Aside from the 160 gig hard drive, what is best?

I have a choice of getting a 6412 series III or a 3416 installed. Aside from the 160 gig hard drive, what is best?

I assume you meant a 6416????
The hard drive size is the ONLY difference. If you can get the 6416 for the same price or even a few dollars mor then go for it.

No I mean the 3416.

No I mean the 3416.

Quote from WikiBooks:

"The 6412 and 3412 DVRs can record two channels at once and play back a recorded show at the same time. The 6412 can record two analog, digital, or HDTV channels, while the 3412 has no analog tuner, allowing for two digital or HDTV channels."

So, if you don't need the analog tuner, get the 3416.

Thank You!

Is it true that the Comcast (Motorola) DVR has an installer menu that allows you to alter how 4:3 is displayed? I'm hoping one of those modes is gray side bars

Is it true that the Comcast (Motorola) DVR has an installer menu that allows you to alter how 4:3 is displayed? I'm hoping one of those modes is gray side bars

Yes there is a menu to alter 4:3, unfortunatley gray bars is not one of them.

Yes there is a menu to alter 4:3, unfortunatley gray bars is not one of them.

Too bad. I hate stretched modes and wonder how risky it is to display 4:3 with black sidebars on a plasma?

moved and had to get new cable co. TW
got another Motorola 6412 Phase III, like the one at the prior address
we had the 30-second skip programmed into the prior remote and it worked
we can't seem to program this remote, which is identical

any clues?

how did you program the 30 second delay? we've tried with our new cable co. which gave us the same Phase III and same remote but we can't seem to re-program the 30 second skip

Too bad. I hate stretched modes and wonder how risky it is to display 4:3 with black sidebars on a plasma?

I thought that if you got a newer plasma, say 1-4 years old, this was no longer an issue. I have a tube HDTV, but I have read that quite a bit in other forums.

Too bad. I hate stretched modes and wonder how risky it is to display 4:3 with black sidebars on a plasma?
Unless 99% of your time is in 4:3 mode, or you have an old model, I wouldn't worry.

It will also help to avoid ultra-bright modes and keep it to Pro or Movie or other modes that are a bit dimmer and not too contrasty.

moved and had to get new cable co. TW
got another Motorola 6412 Phase III, like the one at the prior address
we had the 30-second skip programmed into the prior remote and it worked
we can't seem to program this remote, which is identical

any clues?

This simply means the cable co disabled the 30 sec skip in the cable box.

When you program the remote for 30 sec skip, you aren't doing anything magical, you are just assigning a code to be sent by the remote when a key is pressed. If the box no longer honors this code, then it was disabled.

Some cable co's are doing this, it stinks.

In CT, we recently got the 16.20 update. I use the HDMI out to my DLP TV. Since the update, I lose the picture and sound (greenish snow with static) if I turn on the TV before I turn on the Moto. I can get the signal back by turning the Moto off and then on, so it's not a big deal, but it did not happen on the old firmware.

Anyone else notice this?

In CT, we recently got the 16.20 update. I use the HDMI out to my DLP TV. Since the update, I lose the picture and sound (greenish snow with static) if I turn on the TV before I turn on the Moto. I can get the signal back by turning the Moto off and then on, so it's not a big deal, but it did not happen on the old firmware.

Anyone else notice this?
Sounds like it might be a known problem referred to in the following post containing a quote from our local VP Marketing for Comcast-SF Bay Area.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8890496#post8890496
San Francisco, CA - Comcast - AVS Forum

Regardless, if you don't ever turn off the 34xx/64xx, then you wont have that problem.

Yes, if leaving the STB on and just turning the display on/off normally when not in use solves the problem, then that's what I would do as well. Frankly, I would leave the STB on all the time anyways, seems to help avoid some buggy issues from cropping up.

Following up on my YCC vs. RGB query, that's the only change I've made recently--from YCC to RGB--and I have to say, my picture quality is unbelievably better now. Maybe it has nothing to do with it. Maybe my cable company upgraded their signal or something. But, the difference from just a few days ago is night and day. I watch a lot of GSN, and that channel was just ugly to look at before. If I was far enough back, it was okay, but it was grainy and blocky at my normal viewing distance. Letters had noticeable garbage around them. Now, I can see that garbage from extremely close, but it isn't noticeable from where I typically watch. I'm really thinking it has to do with the RGB setting, because even the HD channels are looking more natural and vibrant.

Just my experience with it.

Regardless, if you don't ever turn off the 34xx/64xx, then you wont have that problem.

Actually, this is a problem even if I leave the unit on.

Regardless, if you don't ever turn off the 34xx/64xx, then you wont have that problem.

Not true. With my Sharp Aquos, I have to first turn on the TV, then turn the cable box off then on. Or else I get is a blank snowy picture.

This make it really tricky for hi-def channels, since I have always had a problem with this combo where if I switch from SD to HD, the picture on the Aquos is smeared to the right, and I had to turn the TV off then back on to get it to come up. SO now the procedure is..

1.) change to HD channel
2.) Turn TV off then on.
3.) Turn STB off then on.

I guess I am back to component cables for now, using it with this bug is too much trouble..

The Motorola moto, fix one thing, break something else.... :D

Following up on my YCC vs. RGB query, that's the only change I've made recently--from YCC to RGB--and I have to say, my picture quality is unbelievably better now. Maybe it has nothing to do with it. Maybe my cable company upgraded their signal or something. But, the difference from just a few days ago is night and day. I watch a lot of GSN, and that channel was just ugly to look at before. If I was far enough back, it was okay, but it was grainy and blocky at my normal viewing distance. Letters had noticeable garbage around them. Now, I can see that garbage from extremely close, but it isn't noticeable from where I typically watch. I'm really thinking it has to do with the RGB setting, because even the HD channels are looking more natural and vibrant.

Just my experience with it.

After switching to RGB, my SD quality has improved 50%. I was quite disappointed with SD even after fiddling with all the contrast, brightness, color, and tint settings until flipping to RGB (with HDMI). The PQ is now realistic and not RED.

Also my personal experience.

The Motorola moto, fix one thing, break something else.... :D

so it's moto not Moto! I see! :p ;) :D

After switching to RGB, my SD quality has improved 50%. I was quite disappointed with SD even after fiddling with all the contrast, brightness, color, and tint settings until flipping to RGB (with HDMI). The PQ is now realistic and not RED.

Also my personal experience.

I'm glad to hear that. I was almost to the point of not even wanting to turn on the TV if it wasn't an HD program. I just hated to look at it. Now, it looks really nice. Sony Vega 30XS955 CRT, for the record.

I've had two issues lately. At times during playback of recorded shows, I hear a audio popping. I know its not the TV because if I FF, it goes away and when I return the spot it is still there.

The second one is that about 1X per day the DVR will just power off and recycle. At times it will also have to re-download the guide.

Any hints or suggestions? I'm using the HDMI output if that matters.

Craig

The second one is that about 1X per day the DVR will just power off and recycle. At times it will also have to re-download the guide.

Any hints or suggestions? I'm using the HDMI output if that matters.

Craig

The box rebooting can be caused by lots of things.

1. Poor Cable Signal.
2. Power Fluctuations. (any change in Voltage will cause the STB to cycle.)
3. STB Failure in one of it's many systems circuit boards.
4. STB Temp over heating.

The box rebooting can be caused by lots of things.

1. Poor Cable Signal.
2. Power Fluctuations. (any change in Voltage will cause the STB to cycle.)
3. STB Failure in one of it's many systems circuit boards.
4. STB Temp over heating.

#4 should actually be at the top of the list if we're listing in order of frequency. ;)

I've searched all the threads and can't find a resolution to my issue. I have the 6412PIII hooked up via a HDMI-DVI connector to my TV and have an optical connector to my receiver for sound. I have had the box for the last year and have not had any issues with this setup. I encountered another bug/issue that force me to unplug the box and plug it back in and now I have a new problem.

I get sound on all my digital and HD channels and based on the program it comes across correctly (5.1 or 2.0). If I put both tuners on the same analog station (0-99) one tuner will get audio, while the other will get none. The tuner with no audio does send something to my reciever because I see the Dolby 2.0 scroll across, but still no audio.

I have tried all the tricks that have worked in the past for audio issues - swap tuner, turn on/off, switch channels, start a recording and switch back, unplug/plug back in, mute on/off - but nothing has worked. I even tried some things I had read about the unplugging my HDMI cable.

This is quite annoying and it also appears that my DVR likes to use that tuner to record all of its analog series recordings, b/c I have no audio on my analog recordings.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jeff009, I don't know if you've read this site. Maybe so since you tried a lot of bug fixes, but this seems to be pretty reliable. maybe one of the sections addresses your issue:

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

I see there's an RF output on this new Moto, has anyone tried it? In my situation I'd connect the HDMI to my Sony DVI, and use the RF to feed the other TV's in my house. Would HD programs be down rezzed over th RF?

RF is an input for a RF repeater. Has nothing to do with video.

Here is a question that I am having a hard time finding an answer to.

I have my comcast moto 6412p3 (16.20) connected to my samsung hlr5067w dlp through an hdmi. Optical out of tv to avr. How come I cannot get DD5.1?

If I connect the moto to the avr I can get DD5.1, atleast on the channels/programs that support it. My tv supports DD. Is this a problem with using the hdmi, or with the tv not passing DD through?

Thanks

I cannot see captions when viewing recorded HD material. When I watch real time its fine. I called Cox and they said the HD channels use a subcarrier to put captions on and that subcarrier is not decoded or recorded.

Doesnt make sense to me. ITs there a way to view captions on recorded material in HD?
thanks

Here is a question that I am having a hard time finding an answer to.

I have my comcast moto 6412p3 (16.20) connected to my samsung hlr5067w dlp through an hdmi. Optical out of tv to avr. How come I cannot get DD5.1?

If I connect the moto to the avr I can get DD5.1, atleast on the channels/programs that support it. My tv supports DD. Is this a problem with using the hdmi, or with the tv not passing DD through?

Thanks

The Samsung will not pass DD5.1 through. This is a known issue with the HLR sets. As you have found out, you can't just use the HDMI to the TV and then the optical out back to your AVR. I can't remember if this has been fixed in this years HLS sets.

Here is a question that I am having a hard time finding an answer to.

I have my comcast moto 6412p3 (16.20) connected to my samsung hlr5067w dlp through an hdmi. Optical out of tv to avr. How come I cannot get DD5.1?

If I connect the moto to the avr I can get DD5.1, atleast on the channels/programs that support it. My tv supports DD. Is this a problem with using the hdmi, or with the tv not passing DD through?

ThanksMost likely its the moto not passing the DD on to the HDMI. HDMI can pass DD if the set top box provides it.

update: Actually, it depends on which f/w you have. Check out the wiki (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Firmware_and_Software#Version_74.53-3321)
to see which version supports which DD output.

Is anyone experiencing beeping with this DVR? My DVR beeps at random times seemingly for no reason. It even does it when the TV and receiver are off. Anyone esle experiencing this or know the fix? Thanks.

Is anyone experiencing beeping with this DVR? My DVR beeps at random times seemingly for no reason. It even does it when the TV and receiver are off. Anyone esle experiencing this or know the fix? Thanks.

There is nothing inside any of comcast's DCT series DVR HD STB that could beep.

thats a new one!

Is anyone experiencing beeping with this DVR? My DVR beeps at random times seemingly for no reason. It even does it when the TV and receiver are off. Anyone esle experiencing this or know the fix? Thanks.Certain hard drives are known to beep when they are failing. It's a quick beep-beep sort of sound caused by mechanical motion of the drive servo. I've diagnosed quite a few hard drive failures by this sound. There's only a few distinct models that I've ever known to do this, and I'm not sure if the drive in the 6412 is one. But beep they can do.

Certain hard drives are known to beep when they are failing. It's a quick beep-beep sort of sound caused by mechanical motion of the drive servo. I've diagnosed quite a few hard drive failures by this sound. There's only a few distinct models that I've ever known to do this, and I'm not sure if the drive in the 6412 is one. But beep they can do.

That does not sound promising. I've had the box for a few months and the beeping started maybe a month or so ago. It's infrequent - maybe 10-20 times/day - and random, so it took a long time to narrow down which piece of equipment was making the noise. But it's definitely the DVR. It's a very quick beep - maybe lasts a half second. It's always just one beep, but often there is another beep within the next 10 seconds. Is there any other reason it could be beeping besides drive failure?

Is there any other reason it could be beeping besides drive failure?

Are there any coyotes in the vicinity?

When I switched from the motorola 6412 to the 6412pIII, my preamp, a B&K Ref 50, would start to pop through the speakers when I'd switch channels, start and stop recordings etc. I know it has to do with B&K expecting external devices to have the buffer which the 6412pIII apparantly doesn't have.

Does anyone know if the 6416 has this buffer????

Is there any other reason it could be beeping besides drive failure?

Are there any coyotes in the vicinity?
Mr. Milk, meet Mr. Nose-Snort.

Mr. Milk, meet Mr. Nose-Snort.

Exactly! :D :D :D

I cannot see captions when viewing recorded HD material. When I watch real time its fine. I called Cox and they said the HD channels use a subcarrier to put captions on and that subcarrier is not decoded or recorded.
Doesnt make sense to me. ITs there a way to view captions on recorded material in HD?Definitely. We have the 3416, but previously had 3412 and 6412 and always had Closed Captions. Cox is either wrong about what they said, has deliberately disabled the functionality, or is running a firmware version older than that which supports the functionality (which is extremely unlikely if you've provided all the details we need to understand your connections).

To be sure that we understand what you mean: What do you mean by "watch real time"? I assumed that meant you were watching through the Motorola box live -- NOT watching via some other (perhap direct) input into your television.

Are there any coyotes in the vicinity?

Actually, yes. I live in California.

Thanks for the info - guess it's time to call TW again and have the box replaced AGAIN. I't snot a huge deal to get the box replaced, but the 40 hour plus download time and the countless hours of setting up the season passes FOR THE THIRD TIME kills me. :mad:

Are there any coyotes in the vicinity?Are you connected to Road Runner?? :D beep-beep

Quick question for you experts. My families old box was a Moxi, and last month Time Warner installed a newer Moto DCT-6416III box. When watching HBO/Showtime/Starz regular definition channels on the moxi, you would get black bars on the top and bottom of a movie. I would just use the zoom feature for our plasma and I believe the picture was then being shown in true widescreen format, with just a little bit of each side being cut off. However, this new box seems to display all movies on these SD channels in a 4:3 full format, no matter if the movie is 16:9 or 2.35:1. What is up?

You need to go into the set top menu and set the box to widescreen mode. On my 6412 you turn the power off, then hit the menu button and set the TV type to the right setting. That should help.

Quick question for you experts. My families old box was a Moxi, and last month Time Warner installed a newer Moto DCT-6416III box. When watching HBO/Showtime/Starz regular definition channels on the moxi, you would get black bars on the top and bottom of a movie. I would just use the zoom feature for our plasma and I believe the picture was then being shown in true widescreen format, with just a little bit of each side being cut off. However, this new box seems to display all movies on these SD channels in a 4:3 full format, no matter if the movie is 16:9 or 2.35:1. What is up?
Your Moto box is probably set to output everything at your HD format (4:3 Override OFF), and your TV doesn't let you zoom HD. You need to set 4:3 Override to 480i or 480p, and you can then let your TV do the ZOOM as needed. There is also a STRETCH option that stretches all SD, if you like squatty-looking people.
More details in the Wikibook:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

I have a 6412 III and my HDMI is not working at all... with the cable connected the box doesn't show that a device is connected in the diagnostics screens. TV is a Toshiba 30 HDTV..... Tried all the powering on/off/in order things. Guess the brand new cable could be bad... Thoughts?

I have a 6412 III and my HDMI is not working at all... with the cable connected the box doesn't show that a device is connected in the diagnostics screens. TV is a Toshiba 30 HDTV..... Tried all the powering on/off/in order things. Guess the brand new cable could be bad... Thoughts?
Spharticus,

In Atlanta, Comcast just updated my 6412 II to FW 16.20 and the DVI to my DVI-I projector crapped out. The DVR would lock up and continually cycle a reboot. It had been running perfectly for two years!! I tried a DVI-I to my LCD monitor and it has the same problem. If I unplug and replug the power, the pic displays for a second, but then disappears. Sometimes I will get a message that the HDCP is not working, but again it goes blank in a second or two.

A Comcast technician came by yesterday an he replaced the 6412 II(DVI) with a 6412 III(HDMI). It also has FW 16.20 and I'm have the same problem while connecting the HDMI to DVI-I. I've had to revert to component cable as a workaround, which after two years of DVI makes a noticeable difference in picture quality.

Comcast, please revert back to the previous Firmware or fix 16.20!

Does anyone with Comcast and FW 16.20 with a 6412 II or III connected to a DVI-I projector/monitor get a successful connection? How about connections to an HMDI projector?

Thanks!

Count on them doing neither. Comcast won't revert back to a version of the firmware with problems that other customers have been waiting for fixes for. And they won't fix the firmware since they're not the developers. They will, however, report the problem to the developers of the firmware if enough customers care enough to complain about the problems in the lastest version, and are patient enough to go through the steps necessary to report a problem (including sometimes replacing the box a couple of times). It is surely not a perfect system.

bicker1,

Seems that we're both posting on the Tivo and this 6412 thread.
So, I think we're pretty much thinking along the same lines.

I've got a question for you.

Would it seem to you that satellite would be a better system over cable if you could get satellite to transmit at the same resolution?? No cable card with standards that aren't uniformly followed, less cable to go bad, etc.

getting FIOS the beginning of the new year. Verizon uses moto 6416 hd dvr boxes I hear. So what should i be expecting?

getting FIOS the beginning of the new year. Verizon uses moto 6416 hd dvr boxes I hear. So what should i be expecting?

some of the same problems with different software. :eek:

There is a serious upgrade being coded by VERIZON To fix several ofthe problems in the Microsoft based software used on the Moto QIP-64xx STB.

Does anyone with Comcast and FW 16.20 with a 6412 II or III connected to a DVI-I projector/monitor get a successful connection? How about connections to an HMDI projector?

Thanks!

I have Comcast, a 6412PII, 16.20 FW, and a two year old Samsung DLP TV. I have DVI directly from the 6412 to the TV, and I do get a fine picture, on HD channels. But, I get NO picture on SD channels. I also have component and S-Vid running from the 6412 to an AVR, and then to the TV. They display everything. I only select DVI for HD channels, and only rarely, to demonstrate it, since I get just as good a picture with component.

Would it seem to you that satellite would be a better system over cable if you could get satellite to transmit at the same resolution?? No cable card with standards that aren't uniformly followed, less cable to go bad, etc.No, I don't agree with that. Satellite doesn't offer CableCard... that's a problem, not a solution. It's not that it is unnecessary -- it is that they refuse to allow folks to connect their feed directly into personal consumer electronics. I wouldn't reward satellite for being more restrictive. And, with a cable company provided STB, you're exactly where you would be with a satellite company STB, at least in that regard.

And I believe it is far easier to find and fix bad cable than it is to address satellite problems (line-of-sight, wind, storms, etc.)

I think, putting aside the extra flexibility CableCard provides to some, the best satellite could do is come up to parity with cable. As long as cable provides native HD feeds (as they do here) there really is no way satellite could ever exceed that.

I just hooked up the 6412,3 with RCN to my new Panny 50" plasma. It seems inferior to the SA8300HD on Optimum at my Dad's house. Is there a way to set the output format on this bad brother? (ie 480i,720p?) Does the audio cutting off (I change the channel and it works again) imply a weak signal? This thing has so many bugs, and the brand new HDD sounds like my old 30MB :( ...Is there any way to hibernate this device other than leaving it on music channels? Thanks for letting my air my grievances. I can't really complain, because RCN with HD, DVR & high speed Net is only $65/mo.

bicker1

My satellite example was the experience I had where once installed it worked pretty well, except for the down rezzing the satellite company would do.

If satellite companies were required to allow third party STBs, I would think that Tivo would come closer to getting their STBs to work well with just two satellite companies than the multitude of cable companies that exist.

As far as issues with line of sight and windstorms, you have a good point. But the windstorm that disorients your dish is also likely to disorient the cable companies dishes as as well as that's how they get their feed. When a hurricane came through the region a few years ago, my cable went out several hours before the satellite dish did.

I got the Cox Motorola 6412 box yesterday hooked up to a Samsung 4253 Plasma tv. The contractor did not have a box that had HDMI connections so he hooked up via components.

I have the option to go to Cox's office and swap it out with one with a HDMI connection. My question is will the picture improve more. I was impressed with the picture from the HD channels but I've heard that the HDMI is the way to go.

Also, will I be able to run an optical output as well from the box to my surround as I would want to use the volume from the tv as well as my surround.

And last, right now using components I can stretch 4:3 picture so I do not have to see black bars. If I change to HDMI, will I still have that option available in the settings in the Motorola box? Thanks for any feedback,

Los

losshack,

Getting a straight digital connection with the HDMI input should improve the picture as you don't have two conversions involved changing it analog and then back to digital.

Running HDMI to your display, you should be able to get audio directly off of the HDMI input as it carries both the video as well as the audio signal. Then you have the Toslink cable (optical) to your surround system should you want go full surround.

Not familiar enough with your particular plasma, but on my Pioneer plasma, I can stretch 4:3 even with digital input. The 6412 p3 that's likely to be your replacement cablebox has both the component cables and HDMI as available outputs. If your plasma doesn't allow stretching over HDMI, you can have component going to another input and do it there.

Not familiar enough with your particular plasma, but on my Pioneer plasma, I can stretch 4:3 even with digital input. The 6412 p3 that's likely to be your replacement cablebox has both the component cables and HDMI as available outputs. If your plasma doesn't allow stretching over HDMI, you can have component going to another input and do it there.

Hi Jim, Thanks for the quick response, sounds like the box with the HDMI is the way to go with my setup.

On the last part, My samsung via HDMI only allows 16:9 and 4:3, I know its stupid. I did notice last night, the 6412 box allowed you to stretch 4:3 content and everything worked ok. My concern was, will that option still be available when I connect via HDMI? Also, the HD Stretch button didn't seem to work when I tried to use it while watching a movie on UniversalHD that was 2:35:1. Does this function work via HDMI with the newer 6412 p3? Again, thanks for clearing things out for me. Sounds liek the 6412p3 is the best for my setup.

Los

Los,

Before I forget it, if your cable company doesn't furnish a HDMI cable(most don't), you can get one on the cheap from monoprice. The monster HDMI cables are grossly overpriced.

Back to the regular program. Not having the same display as you, I'm not equipped to tell you what your display will do. My plasma handles stretching differently than the Sony I had so it appears that it varies.

One area of confusion is that all 4:3 can be stretched. I think its actually a matter that 480i/p can be stretched. Universal HD is broadcasting (as some others do) 4:3 content in 1080i. Some displays won't allow stretching of 1080i. That's probably where you're having the stretching problem over HDMI. But it is curious that you could stretch 1080i of 4:3 content over component.

I just hooked up the 6412,3 with RCN to my new Panny 50" plasma. It seems inferior to the SA8300HD on Optimum at my Dad's house. Is there a way to set the output format on this bad brother? (ie 480i,720p?) Does the audio cutting off (I change the channel and it works again) imply a weak signal? This thing has so many bugs, and the brand new HDD sounds like my old 30MB :( ...Is there any way to hibernate this device other than leaving it on music channels? Thanks for letting my air my grievances. I can't really complain, because RCN with HD, DVR & high speed Net is only $65/mo.

Put the STB in Standby (off) mode and press "menu" to access the user settings.

Los,

Before I forget it, if your cable company doesn't furnish a HDMI cable(most don't), you can get one on the cheap from monoprice. The monster HDMI cables are grossly overpriced.

Back to the regular program. Not having the same display as you, I'm not equipped to tell you what your display will do. My plasma handles stretching differently than the Sony I had so it appears that it varies.

One area of confusion is that all 4:3 can be stretched. I think its actually a matter that 480i/p can be stretched. Universal HD is broadcasting (as some others do) 4:3 content in 1080i. Some displays won't allow stretching of 1080i. That's probably where you're having the stretching problem over HDMI. But it is curious that you could stretch 1080i of 4:3 content over component.

Jim,

I figure I would go to walmart and get the phillips HDMI cable for $24.99. I already use one for my Sony Upconverting DVD player and the picture is very sharp. I agree, Monster is not the way to go, the salesman at Circuit City was upset that I would not pay $120 for the cable. He argued that the one from Wal-Mart would not deliver the same picture. I disagree and so do most Monster HDMI cable reviews on Circuit City's own website.

Now that I think about it, I had no problem stretching the analog channels (2-70) on my cox programming. On the digital or HD channels (711-739), I noticed black bars on the sides on commercials and some HD local channels content (The News at 10pm). Now that you have explained how that works, it makes sense. I was probably trying to stretch 1080i of 4:3 content and it would not allow me to. Since it would not allow it to do so via components, it will probably be the same via HDMI.

Anyways, I'm going this evening to switch the motorola box for one with an HDMI connection and compare the component vs HDMI PQ so. I will post an update tomorrow. Thanks again,

Los

I have been reading postings for hours looking for an answer to the following.

How do I get Dobly Digital 5.1 reliably out of the Motorola 6412 phase III running firmware version 12.27?

Does the Moto 6412 Phase III with firmware 12.27 pass DD 5.1 over the HDMI? Does it pass DD 5.1 over the digital optical output (Toslink)?

I am about to cable my components together and I don't want to waste days experimenting if possible.

Thanks.

derrick,

Your post needs to be answered in two parts.

First, you won't always get DD5.1 from the 6412 as some broadcast are two channel stereo. They will still be digital, however. How this will affect you depends on how your receiver/preamp is setup to handle the signal. Before going further about this, you need to tell us how you were planning to wire things up. For instance, are you going to run your HDMI through a switcher, receiver or direct to your display? As a suggestion, if your display is HDMI capable, I'd use both HDMI going to the display (possibly through a switcher) and Toslink to the preamp/receiver. Reason being that someone can watch the display with sound from its speakers when they want without turning on the surround sound system.

As to menu access, on the Pioneer Passport software (note, the 6412 can also be loaded with different software) you basically hit the "menu" button on the remote, scroll down to "audio" right arrow to select the audio options you want.

Does anybody use the Kameleon 6-in-one remote with the DCT 6412 PIII? I bought this remote mainly because I lost the remote to my surround sound processor. Only two of the Moto codes in the book work for it, but neither works well. One code shows me the guide when I press menu, but everything else works. The other code's menu button works properly, but I cannot do an instant replay or make a paused program go live without fast forwarding to the end.

If you have a code that works for all functions, please let me know.

But the windstorm that disorients your dish is also likely to disorient the cable companies dishes as as well as that's how they get their feed. I disagree. It's a 1 versus 100 thing -- my experience is that cable will suffer signal problems associated with storms once for every hundred times satellite does.

Thanks scanpa.
I'm having trouble deciding whether to leave the 6412 on 720p or 1080i. Does it not automatically pass through the original signal format like the SA8300? My TV is 720p native (panny TH-50px60u), so would you guys just leave it on 720p? Do the nature shows (NGC HD and DSC HD) look better on 1080i?

my tv is 720p native, so i set my box to output 720p. i actually noticed the quality of 1080i shows improve a bit when i made the change since i guess the moto box can convert the 1080i signal to 720p better than my tv can.

I disagree. It's a 1 versus 100 thing -- my experience is that cable will suffer signal problems associated with storms once for every hundred times satellite does.

My experience was that a hurricane that came through the State knocked out my cable signal 4 hrs. before it moved my satellite dish enough to loose its signal. Also, an upgraded dish performed much better than the standard dish when it came to pixelation and rain dropouts. Guess this is one of those "your milage may vary" experiences. :)

Thanks scanpa.
I'm having trouble deciding whether to leave the 6412 on 720p or 1080i. Does it not automatically pass through the original signal format like the SA8300? My TV is 720p native (panny TH-50px60u), so would you guys just leave it on 720p? Do the nature shows (NGC HD and DSC HD) look better on 1080i?

The 6412 (to my knowledge) using the passport software doesn't allow you to output native resolution automatically like the SA8300 and the Tivo S3. You have to designate 720p or 1080i for your HD content. If you were willing, I suppose you could go into your 6412 setup menu and change the output depending on the native resolution of the signal, but that would be a lot of trouble.

That said, I think most people are using the 6412 in the 1080i output with 480i over ride for SD content and just leaving it there. This is likely to vary depending on your display, which by the way is 766, not 720. This is important in that you're now looking at scaling everything one way or another by the panny as nothing is native 766 resolution. Question would be whether double scaling up causes more damage to the signal (if you use 720p output) or if a single downscaling from 1080i to 766 by the panny causes less. In theory the 1080i to 766 should on the average provide a better picture, but theory might not hold for your display. I've seen an upconvert player do better ouputting a 720p signal rather than a 1080i signal on my display which is also 766.

Testing this for your particular display would be a real challange. Basically what you want to look for is the resolution setting that has the smoothest curves (fewest jaggies) and the cleanest image of fast moving objects. (like hockey pucks flying across the ice)

my tv is 720p native, so i set my box to output 720p. i actually noticed the quality of 1080i shows improve a bit when i made the change since i guess the moto box can convert the 1080i signal to 720p better than my tv can.

Just curious, is your display a DLP?

so is the hunt for a bigger hard drive still in effect? or is the internal swap not working with anything other than same size drive and what about external? sorry read alot tonight but have to goto sleep...

derrick,

Your post needs to be answered in two parts.

First, you won't always get DD5.1 from the 6412 as some broadcast are two channel stereo. They will still be digital, however. How this will affect you depends on how your receiver/preamp is setup to handle the signal. Before going further about this, you need to tell us how you were planning to wire things up. For instance, are you going to run your HDMI through a switcher, receiver or direct to your display? As a suggestion, if your display is HDMI capable, I'd use both HDMI going to the display (possibly through a switcher) and Toslink to the preamp/receiver. Reason being that someone can watch the display with sound from its speakers when they want without turning on the surround sound system.

As to menu access, on the Pioneer Passport software (note, the 6412 can also be loaded with different software) you basically hit the "menu" button on the remote, scroll down to "audio" right arrow to select the audio options you want.

Jim, thanks for your reply. I wired the Moto 6412 with HDMI to the display and Toslink to the receiver. This worked fine. Thanks for the suggestions.

I also tried wiring the digital audio from Moto to TV (Panasonic TH-37PX60U) to Receiver (Denon AVR-3300). This did NOT work. No sound at all.

so is the hunt for a bigger hard drive still in effect? or is the internal swap not working with anything other than same size drive and what about external? sorry read alot tonight but have to goto sleep...

I also have been looking for the same info, will a internal swap work? or does the box just format the drive to the 120 size?

Thanks Jonathan

I also have been looking for the same info, will a internal swap work? or does the box just format the drive to the 120 size?
It will format up to 160G. Using a bigger drive than that is just a waste, unless you plan on using it for something else in the future.

Anyone know why coax doesn't seem to output Dolby digital 5.1? optical does but not the digital coax port. i have a moto 6412 III HD DVDR from Comcast that is now time warnner in los angeles.

Zodiacal,

Something to check.

If you have both on the same input on your receiver, it may be that optical over rides coax.

Also, if optical and coax are on seperate inputs, verify that the coax input is set for Digital. On my preamp, you can change the number of speakers output which then changes the display from reading "dolby digital EX" to "surround". Surround is still digital, but the sound is routed differently to the rear surround channels.

I have a 6412 III in Frisco TX from TWC (formerly Comcast) Currently, it is only hooked up to a cheap 13"tv via composite video until my HD gear arrives.

My problem is that I cannot seem to record 2 channels, or record one and watch another. I recorded the shuttle launch tonight. If I tried to change channels, I kept getting a menu that said"

Tour recording is in progress. Changing the channel will stop this recording.

The choices are Continue Recording, or Stop recording and change channel.

Any ideas on this?

i only have the digital coax port used on the DVR. it plugs into my digital input on my sony amp, on the digital coax in port labled for dvd. my amp's screen says PCM 48 when i start playing my DVR. when i pause my dvr the amp says UNLOCK. is there a setting for my DVR that tells it to use 5.1 for the digital coax? cuz like i said the optical works fine but im using the optical port on my amp for something else. i guess i can get get a optical spliter or somthing....

I have a 6412 III in Frisco TX from TWC (formerly Comcast) Currently, it is only hooked up to a cheap 13"tv via composite video until my HD gear arrives.

My problem is that I cannot seem to record 2 channels, or record one and watch another. I recorded the shuttle launch tonight. If I tried to change channels, I kept getting a menu that said"

Tour recording is in progress. Changing the channel will stop this recording.

The choices are Continue Recording, or Stop recording and change channel.

Any ideas on this?

You need to press the "swap" button on your remote. Then you can change the channel to record one channel and watch another.

You need to press the "swap" button on your remote. Then you can change the channel to record one channel and watch another.It was a recent SW update that enabled the swap on some systems. On Bresnan, until we got our most recent update, you'd get the same message as above. One of the benefits of the new software is that it enabled an option in the same box that says something like "keep recording but swap channels." It also enabled the swap button on the remote, which hadn't worked before.

What version of SW do you have?

I have a Westy 37 1080p LCD "monitor" and I'm getting the loss of HDCP and static when I turn off the TV and leave the cable box on. I know this has been reported here many times and I want to report it to Moto so they know lots of angry viewers are out there.

My question is, how do I report it. Do I go to the Moto website? Do I call the support guy in India at 800-comcast? Whats the best way to make sure my complaint gets to them. This has been doing this for way to long. I'm sure a firmware update will fix it.

Tim Huey

I have a Westy 37 1080p LCD "monitor" and I'm getting the loss of HDCP and static when I turn off the TV and leave the cable box on. I know this has been reported here many times and I want to report it to Moto so they know lots of angry viewers are out there.I have the Westy 37w3 and the 6412 pIII also, using HDMI. But I don't get the problem that you describe. Are you connecting via HDMI? Or DVI, or HDMI->DVI cable? I'm running S/W 73.44

It's usually easier to complain to your local cable csr. That's what I do. I'm on my third moto box in 18 months. This one is going as soon as Bresnan releases the Pace Micro box. This software s*cks. Locks up all the time, and lost the 30 sec skip.

I have a Westy 37 1080p LCD "monitor" and I'm getting the loss of HDCP and static when I turn off the TV and leave the cable box on. I know this has been reported here many times and I want to report it to Moto so they know lots of angry viewers are out there.


I have a brand new Olevia 342i 42" LCD Monitor that is showing the same problem, though I don't think the particular monitor has anything to do with it.
It's a HDMI->HDMI cable from the 6412 III (firmware 16.20, s/w ver 74.53 - 3321) to the monitor and it works great until the monitor is shut off. When the monitor comes back on I see a blank black screen or snow. I have to turn the cable box off and then on again to get it working. It's like the cable box will not restore the sync/handshake/whatever with the monitor if it goes off.
I leave the cable box on all the time due to its inability to turn it off if it's in the middle of a recording (without stopping the recording first).

So if the TV was off and I want it on, the HDMI signal is dead until the cable box is turned off and then on again. Adding insult to injury, the interface to "stop recording and turn the box off" is on the screen that you now cannot see because the screen is blank! So every time you want to sit down to watch TV, you have to turn the monitor on, then if the DVR is recording, reach behind the cable box, unplug it, plug it back in, wait for it to reset, then the signal comes through again and starts recording again. Brilliant Motorola! How did you come up with such a seamless interface! lol

I'd use component, but this monitor only has 1 component input and that's used up by my DVD player. So the alternative there is to reach behind the tv and play cable swap everytime I want to watch the DVR or the DVD.

I can't find many other mentions of this particular problem. I wonder if the 6416 fixes this problem? Anyone have any idea?

I contacted Comcast and surprise surprise, they "never heard of it before". Funny too when I mentioned this site I got the company line "you can't trust anything from that non-comcast site", at which point I laughed in the rep's face reminding him that there's more useful info here than any comcast drone could possibly ever provide and suggested he spend some time here. Hello!

You need to press the "swap" button on your remote. Then you can change the channel to record one channel and watch another.

Thanks! That did the trick. I am used to the SA8300HD, and it allows you to do two channels without hitting any "swap" key. It also has PIP. No PIP on the MOTO :(

Thanks! That did the trick. I am used to the SA8300HD, and it allows you to do two channels without hitting any "swap" key. It also has PIP. No PIP on the MOTO :( As mentioned above, a software update to the box adds a "swap" option to the on-screen prompt when you try to change channels while you're recording. So if you're recording something and enter a new channel, in addition to the options you mentioned (stop recording and cancel channel change) you get a swap option. It's just a nicety - I still use the swap button since it's faster anyway.

I leave the cable box on all the time due to its inability to turn it off if it's in the middle of a recording (without stopping the recording first).

So if the TV was off and I want it on, the HDMI signal is dead until the cable box is turned off and then on again. Adding insult to injury, the interface to "stop recording and turn the box off" is on the screen that you now cannot see because the screen is blank! So every time you want to sit down to watch TV, you have to turn the monitor on, then if the DVR is recording, reach behind the cable box, unplug it, plug it back in, wait for it to reset, then the signal comes through again and starts recording again. Brilliant Motorola! How did you come up with such a seamless interface! lolYah, I hate the moto interface, too. I'm running HDMI from my 6412 pIII to my westy 37w3, but I'm also running a composite video cable. I'm running the composite from the 6412 to my Yamaha receiver, then from the receiver to the westy so I can access the onscreen menus from my Yamaha when I want to (gotta upgrade to an HDMI switching receiver sometime). So if you were to route a composite signal from the 6412 to your panel (I assume it has an open composite connection), then you could just change inputs, kill your recording, turn the moto off, switch inputs to HDMI, and then turn on the moto, and you should be fine. Still a PITA, and you get a gap in your recording, but you avoid having to unplug the box and wait for all the programming info to backfill.

I contacted Comcast and surprise surprise, they "never heard of it before". Funny too when I mentioned this site I got the company line "you can't trust anything from that non-comcast site", at which point I laughed in the rep's face reminding him that there's more useful info here than any comcast drone could possibly ever provide and suggested he spend some time here. Hello!

I had the same problem and I got around it by unplugging the cable and plugging it back in. they quoted the same line to be on the phone too. they swapped the box out for the older 1 with dvi. he gave me an hdmi to dvi cable, so not a total loss.

i just switched to rcn and got the 6412 III and it does not have the problem.

i'm still upset about the loss of dolby5.1 over the hdmi. my tv has discrete 6 channel output, but no digital input (go figure). so i have a ad hoc surround sound system, but can'[t get dolby.

I tried the firewire connection and was able to get the audio, but the onscreen guide was missing. althought the controls still worked. same on both comcast and rcn's version of the box.

I had the same problem and I got around it by unplugging the cable and plugging it back in. they quoted the same line to be on the phone too. they swapped the box out for the older 1 with dvi. he gave me an hdmi to dvi cable, so not a total loss.


Hey Thanks, that does work. Still a PITA, but better than power cycling the 6412 midrecording! :) I have a tech coming over on Tuesday. I'll mention the DVI->HDMI solution you recommended too. And actually that's fine for me since I'm using the optical out on the 6412 direct to my receiver anyway, so I don't even need the audio.

so is the hunt for a bigger hard drive still in effect? or is the internal swap not working with anything other than same size drive and what about external? sorry read alot tonight but have to goto sleep...

My 3412 has a 400 gig drive installed. Under firmware 12.31 the rig thinks it has a 160 drive instead of the original 120.

Comcast just upgraded me to 16.20 a couple of days ago. I will force a reformat if my wife and I can ever empty the drive. We have several programs to view first.
I am hoping it will see the drive as a 320 gig, which is the maximum size for this model. I will post the results of the re-format.

-Byrd

so is the hunt for a bigger hard drive still in effect? or is the internal swap not working with anything other than same size drive and what about external?

External SATA. It never worked before but now that 16.20 is out, someone should try it. Thanks GMZombie.

-Byrd

External SATA. It never worked before but now that 16.20 is out, someone should try it. Thanks GMZombie.

-Byrd

Were still waiting on Motorola to fix the DRM problem in the DVR code.

There hoping to have a fix for all MSO's that are users of the QIP / DCT series of DVR STB, by summer 2007.

Untill this problem is fixed no MSO is allowed to set eSATA port to ON.

Were still waiting on Motorola to fix the DRM problem in the DVR code.

There hoping to have a fix for all MSO's that are users of the QIP / DCT series of DVR STB, by summer 2007.

Untill this problem is fixed no MSO is allowed to set eSATA port to ON.

Thanks for the info. I assumed the limitation was a Comcast thing.

-Byrd

Jim, thanks for your reply. I wired the Moto 6412 with HDMI to the display and Toslink to the receiver. This worked fine. Thanks for the suggestions.

I also tried wiring the digital audio from Moto to TV (Panasonic TH-37PX60U) to Receiver (Denon AVR-3300). This did NOT work. No sound at all.
Yep, this is the way to hook things up. If you connect Moto to TV via HDMI and TV to receiver via optical, you'll still always get 2-channel even on Dolby Digital channels.

At least, that is the case for the Panasonics (TH-*PX60U)

Well, I'm off to a new thread for PVR support. Bresnan just started wide distribution of the Pace Micro TDC-775D, and I just traded in the 6412 :) :) :) . Thankfully, I am rid of the 6412. I suppose there will be a whole new crop of problems. But I now have an active eSATA port. No more limiting HD recording to 12 hours. No more lockups, ignored commands, slow program load times, etc. If I notice any marked changes in PQ or anything, I'll stop in and say hi!

I am in Frisco, TX in a Time Warner market (formerly Comcast)

I have a 6412 III that I am hooking up to a JVC 46" LCD via HDMI. I am not getting any signal through HDMI. Component works fine at 1080i. Is there any menu setting to make sure that the HDMI port is on? I have tried power off on the STB, and the TV.

I am in Frisco, TX in a Time Warner market (formerly Comcast)

I have a 6412 III that I am hooking up to a JVC 46" LCD via HDMI. I am not getting any signal through HDMI. Component works fine at 1080i. Is there any menu setting to make sure that the HDMI port is on? I have tried power off on the STB, and the TV.

If you have firmware v.16.20 on a 6416 III, there are HMDI issues that will cause the problem you see. Quoting: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Firmware_and_Software#Version_16.20

[edit] Version 16.20
Available for Models: DCT-64xx PI, PII & PIII, DCT-34xx
Available Date: 2006-09-20
Build Date: 2006-07-13 15:06:09
Bugfixes:
Tuners fail to tune to a channel following a scheduled recording.
New Bugs:
Audio dropouts and digital video artifacts when watching a recorded or buffered program.
Corruption of DVI/HDMI video outputs.
DVR erroneously claims to be 100% full.

Well, I'm off to a new thread for PVR support. Bresnan just started wide distribution of the Pace Micro TDC-775D, and I just traded in the 6412 :) :) :) . Thankfully, I am rid of the 6412. I suppose there will be a whole new crop of problems. But I now have an active eSATA port. No more limiting HD recording to 12 hours. No more lockups, ignored commands, slow program load times, etc. If I notice any marked changes in PQ or anything, I'll stop in and say hi!

No cable card slot in the unit - goodbye HBO-HD, SHO-HD, ESPN-HD, etc.

Right?

No cable card slot in the unit - goodbye HBO-HD, SHO-HD, ESPN-HD, etc.

Right?No cable card--but didn't have one in the 6412, either. And I still get all of my HD channels, inclluding the ones you mention.

No cable card--but didn't have one in the 6412, either. And I still get all of my HD channels, inclluding the ones you mention.


You've intrigued me. I always assumed the cable co enabled the 64xx to decrypt whatever you've paid for. Getting the major networks in HD is easy. Decrypting the others, not so.

Are you saying the TDC775 has similar capability? Or is a wink as good as a nod to a blind horse?

;)

You've intrigued me. I always assumed the cable co enabled the 64xx to decrypt whatever you've paid for. Getting the major networks in HD is easy. Decrypting the others, not so.

Are you saying the TDC775 has similar capability? Or is a wink as good as a nod to a blind horse?

;)

Ummmm, I think Wildrock is saying that he traded his Motorola for a Pace at Comcast because it was available to him. Comcast can enable that Pace as easily as the Motorola.

Ummmm, I think Wildrock is saying that he traded his Motorola for a Pace at Comcast because it was available to him. Comcast can enable that Pace as easily as the Motorola.That's right. Except it's Bresnan. There is a cable card slot in the Pace box, but there isn't anything in it. Enabling is done from the head end. I do have to call Bresnan today, though, as my 3 HD channels that I pay for are blocked after the switch. Bresnan gives me 9 channels of hd (including HBO and Starz because I pay for the SD service) included in my standard digital service (2 locals, though 2 more on the way).

First impressions:

Same Guide, so no changes there
runs cooler, same noise level
active eSATA
much faster response to remote commands
weaker menu system
confusing ouput resolution and format options (had to try all options to find best one)
lack of configuration menu to see installed options, hard drive size, etc.
no info on programming remote to regain 30 sec. skip, zoom, pip
bright blue power light--must tape over, too dim clock
has passthrough options for component, video, and audio input (optical, too)
has firewire, usb, and ethernet ports--will probe

My understanding is that Pace Micro has been pushing this box as an alternative to Motorola's boxes, and is trying to make them an easy swap in and out. A little competition for moto in the stb area would be great. My first impressions are favorable.

My 6412 III is very buggy. since time warner is now my cable co. (was comcast). timewarner has different models of HD DVR's on its web site. would you guys suggest i switch to one of these? SA Explorer 8000 / SA Explorer 8300? if so which one? are they as buggy as the 6412 III? lockups, slow button responce, sound breakups, etc....

I've done a search and can't seem to find where I found the 'swap' programming code in the past. Could someone please post the programming code for adding a swap button to one of the buttons on a Comcast 6412 silver programmable remote? I would also like the programming code for the back (15 sec) button that is at the top. I'm trying to make the PIP buttons an array of skipping buttons with a layout that would be easier than having the forward skips at the bottom and the backward skip near the top of the remote.

Thanks!

The 6412 (to my knowledge) using the passport software doesn't allow you to output native resolution automatically like the SA8300 and the Tivo S3. You have to designate 720p or 1080i for your HD content. If you were willing, I suppose you could go into your 6412 setup menu and change the output depending on the native resolution of the signal, but that would be a lot of trouble.


When in the HELL is Motorola going to get this right? When I switched to Comcast, I was unaware that not all boxes allowed the "native passthrough" option. The 6412 pales in comparison to my old SA8300. :rolleyes:

The 6412 pales in comparison to my old SA8300. :rolleyes:


I guess that answers my question two posts up eh? :)

1. Does HDMI pass thru CC? I have no trouble w. component connection but do w. HDMI.
2. W. component I get CC on all channels (analog and digital) but don't get CC on the HD channels. Is there some setting I am missing on either the DVR box or the display? Using a Panny 50PX60u.

Thanks.

...mike

I guess that answers my question two posts up eh? :)

Sorry.........Go with the SA8300. No doubt about it. I have really been dissapointed with the Motorola.

I've done a search and can't seem to find where I found the 'swap' programming code in the past. Could someone please post the programming code for adding a swap button to one of the buttons on a Comcast 6412 silver programmable remote? I would also like the programming code for the back (15 sec) button that is at the top. I'm trying to make the PIP buttons an array of skipping buttons with a layout that would be easier than having the forward skips at the bottom and the backward skip near the top of the remote.

Thanks!


236

When in the HELL is Motorola going to get this right? When I switched to Comcast, I was unaware that not all boxes allowed the "native passthrough" option. The 6412 pales in comparison to my old SA8300. :rolleyes:

Yep, no native passthru mode is one of my top pet peeves with the 6412. When I settle on a program to watch I have to manually go into the service menu and switch the output resolution. At least if this was in a user menu it wouldn't be quite as annoying.

Furthermore there are times when it is recording something else so I cannot switch it off to change the output resolution because doing so would cancel the current recording.

My top 3 issues with the STB are no native pass thru, delays in responding to the remote where the STB falls asleep sometimes for MINUTES before responding, and no ability to skip forward/back in groups of time such as one quarter increments like TiVo.

I can see how they would overlook having a pass thru mode. However the delays in response to the remote and weak forward/back controls are really inexcusable give that these issues have been going on for YEARS since the 6408.

My issues with the static being displayed when the TV is turned off and the Motobox is left on with the HDMI connection have mysteriously ceased. For about a week now it's been behaving normally. I turn my TV off and back on and I can see the video feed without the having to pull the HDMI cable out and in again. Not sure why it's working now. I'm affraid to change anything for the fear that it will come back. Glad it's working though cause the in-laws are here for the holidays and it was throwing them for a LOOP during thanksgiving.

Tim Huey

My issues with the static being displayed when the TV is turned off and the Motobox is left on with the HDMI connection have mysteriously ceased. For about a week now it's been behaving normally. I turn my TV off and back on and I can see the video feed without the having to pull the HDMI cable out and in again. Not sure why it's working now. I'm affraid to change anything for the fear that it will come back. Glad it's working though cause the in-laws are here for the holidays and it was throwing them for a LOOP during thanksgiving.

Tim Huey

Can you check the firmware and guide version to see if they did an update?

I'm new here but understand whats going on...

In order to avoid sifting through 60 pages of pics, I was hoping I could get some much needed answers before I call RCN in Chicago and spew hot lava through the phone.

1. They have just upgraded the software on my Motorola 6412 to the passport echo format and while it works occasionally, I lose signals, recordings and sound (which, should I change the channel mysteriously returns.) I run component, but before I hooked up to my HDTV, It still had these problems. RCN has offered a reboot and drive wipe but having just landed Russian Ark off of HDMOV, I'm not really game. But anythings better than the artifacting and signal loss. Advice?

2. Does anyone know if the SATA drive is now active and if so, which Hard Drives are immediately compatible? I can't stand how small this thing is, especially now that the HD stuff is sucking up all the space at an alarming pace.

3. Has anyone noticed a significant difference with the HDMI? Assuming that the RCN HDMI slot is active.

Thanks.

Hey Thanks, that does work. Still a PITA, but better than power cycling the 6412 midrecording! :) I have a tech coming over on Tuesday. I'll mention the DVI->HDMI solution you recommended too. And actually that's fine for me since I'm using the optical out on the 6412 direct to my receiver anyway, so I don't even need the audio.

So I got myself an HDMI->DVI adapter and called comcast to come over and swap the box with an older one 6412 (Mark I, I assume - with DVI out). They were just here last night and so far with the new (old) box, major problems:

1. Digital audio keeps cutting in and out on this box, usually when you change the channel, but sometimes without having changed the channel. The digital audio signal light on my receiver blinks while the sound is out. It's like this rev of the box didn't quite get that right and the digital audio signal isn't strong enough coming out of the box to "sync up" with the receiver at all times. That's my layman's assessment. I guess they fixed it in the Mark III box I had (with the HDMI problem of course.)

2. The SD programming is so grainy now it's unwatchable. Looks like some hacked up rabbit ears signal. For some reason the HD signal is as good as the other box. I thought it might have something to do with the HDMI->DVI adapter, but then why would the HD look fine and the SD look bad. I guess it's just another box problem.

I'm going to call them tonight to get the tech back here with my original box. I think having to stand behind the TV and unplug and then replug in the HDMI every time I want to watch TV is better than the 2 new problems introduced by downgrading to the older box.

2. The SD programming is so grainy now it's unwatchable. Looks like some hacked up rabbit ears signal. For some reason the HD signal is as good as the other box. I thought it might have something to do with the HDMI->DVI adapter, but then why would the HD look fine and the SD look bad. I guess it's just another box problem.

I'm going to call them tonight to get the tech back here with my original box. I think having to stand behind the TV and unplug and then replug in the HDMI every time I want to watch TV is better than the 2 new problems introduced by downgrading to the older box. SD picture quality was one of the big improvements between the Phase I and Phase III boxes. As for HDMI, I have my HDMI going from my 6416 Phase III to my TV, leave the box on all the time, and really have no problems when I just turn the TV off and back on later. Occasionally the current channel isn't working when I turn it on (I think this might happen if the channel went off the air while I had it on) but when I change channels it works fine, and all scheduled recordings work fine. Not sure if I'm just lucky or if my TV (Sony KV30HS420) has "good" HDMI or what, but I won't complain.

SD picture quality was one of the big improvements between the Phase I and Phase III boxes. As for HDMI, I have my HDMI going from my 6416 Phase III to my TV, leave the box on all the time, and really have no problems when I just turn the TV off and back on later. Occasionally the current channel isn't working when I turn it on (I think this might happen if the channel went off the air while I had it on) but when I change channels it works fine, and all scheduled recordings work fine. Not sure if I'm just lucky or if my TV (Sony KV30HS420) has "good" HDMI or what, but I won't complain.

Online with the customer service chat right now. They are saying grainyness could be line trouble. I guess that's likely, but I'd put my money on what I hear in this forum over what they say.
On the HDMI issue, it's a handshake problem with HDCP from what I understand. I've read on this forum and others of exactly the problem I'm having. Yes, the box has to stay on all the time especially since it could be recording at any time. The problem is when the TV goes off, the handshake is broken and the cable box itself needs to be power cycled to get the connection back, otherwise I'm looking at a green screen on the TV. The earlier suggestion of unplugging the cable and plugging it back in works also. So it could be that the HDMI problem is only a problem on certain TVs. I guess that's why Moto/Comcast isn't rushing to get a patch/fix for this.

Is there a way to display that darn bright red message light, short of having to delete these messages every time they appear? There is an option in the menu to turn off the message light, yet it doesn't seem to have any affect... ?

Online with the customer service chat right now. They are saying grainyness could be line trouble. I guess that's likely, but I'd put my money on what I hear in this forum over what they say.
That's a good bet. My experience with cabelco CSRs is that they know next to nothing and try to guess most of the time. You can bet your bottom $$ that it's NOT line trouble that just suddenly developed quite coincidentally at EXACTLY the same time that you switched to the Series I box -- Oh yeah, I'm sure that's it for sure :rolleyes:

When I switched from a series II to III I saw a very significant improvement in SD PQ -- even though I was (really & truly) having "line problems" at the same time. Just switching the box to a SIII made a definite difference in SD PQ.

Until I get the new firmware that fixes the HDMI/HDCP problem I am using component video out of the 6412. (Personally -- it is hard for me to see the difference in HD PQ at 1080i between component and HDMI video. Must be my old eyes.) To me using component instead of HDMI as an interim solution is MUCH preferable to the poor SD PQ and all the other problems of prior generation STBs. Of course I realize there are still many problems with the current gen of STBs, but IMO the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.