As in I know of no way short of total replacement of the LCD

As in I know of no way short of total replacement of the LCD
There is a lamp in the LCD monitor that is like a projector lamp [but smaller].
I guess you should google or log on to the manufacturer's website.
The Dell that I'm looking at now has a lamp [as all LCD] that is the light source [as there are no phosphors.. to emit light].

Question about resolutions:

My Panasonic LCD rear projection TV supports 480p, 720p and 1080i and its native resolution is 720p.
Should I set my H20 to:

A) Native=off and chose resolution 720p only.
B) Native=on and chose resolution 720p and 1080i.

One more question... what’s the best way to display Standard Definition programs?

Thanks all.

I have a Samsung 42" PDP, and I've played around a lot with this, and here's what I've come up with.

I keep native=off, and all three resolutions (480p, 720p, and 1080i) selected. I watch nearly everything (SD and HD) in 720p, and it seems to look best this way. I very rarely switch resolutions, but it is a bit of a pain if I decide I need to cycle through nine formats (3 res x 3 formats - crop, pillar, stretch), but I'm willing to deal with that to get what I think is the best looking picture with my setup.

I'd be interested in hearing what others do.

I have a Samsung 42" PDP, and I've played around a lot with this, and here's what I've come up with.
I keep native=off, and all three resolutions (480p, 720p, and 1080i) selected. I watch nearly everything (SD and HD) in 720p, and it seems to look best this way. I very rarely switch resolutions, but it is a bit of a pain if I decide I need to cycle through nine formats (3 res x 3 formats - crop, pillar, stretch), but I'm willing to deal with that to get what I think is the best looking picture with my setup.

I'd be interested in hearing what others do.
Having a 1080p set, I use native on [with the same resolutions selected]. When I'm watching a SD program, in letterbox, it only takes three presses of the format button to cycle through the options.

I used to do the format switching too, but it got tiresome after a year or so, I settled on just one.

There is a lamp in the LCD monitor that is like a projector lamp [but smaller].
I guess you should google or log on to the manufacturer's website.
The Dell that I'm looking at now has a lamp [as all LCD] that is the light source [as there are no phosphors.. to emit light].
The lamps in the RP-LCD sets have a life expectancy of around 7000 hours. Sadly, they really get dimmer at around 75% of life. I have already had my first lamp replacement (covered by CC extended warranty) and will be ready for the second one soon. The other problem with these sets is the amount of dust and other air pollution that gets sucked into the optics and LCD panels by the cooling fan. Samsung and others will be releasing a DLP with a colored LED light source, no color wheel, no hot lamp, no fan, this year, I can’t wait to see them.

I used to do the format switching too, but it got tiresome after a year or so, I settled on just one.
This is why I went "native" & only use the format for letterbox SD.

The other problem with these sets is the amount of dust and other air pollution that gets sucked into the optics and LCD panels by the cooling fan. Samsung and others will be releasing a DLP with a colored LED light source, no color wheel, no hot lamp, no fan, this year, I can’t wait to see them.
This was one of the reasons I went with flat panel this time, after my RPTV with its need for cleaning every 6-12 months @ $150 each time.

The lamps in the RP-LCD sets have a life expectancy of around 7000 hours.

Sony claims 3000 hours for my 42KDFE2000, I wish it was 7000 hours.

These LCDs do not have a replaceable lamp, unfortunately. Looking forward to more LED technology, as mentioned in various places. That will solve a lot of issues, although I wonder what the drawbacks might be.


There is a lamp in the LCD monitor that is like a projector lamp [but smaller].
I guess you should google or log on to the manufacturer's website.
The Dell that I'm looking at now has a lamp [as all LCD] that is the light source [as there are no phosphors.. to emit light].

These LCDs do not have a replaceable lamp, unfortunately. Looking forward to more LED technology, as mentioned in various places. That will solve a lot of issues, although I wonder what the drawbacks might be.
1) bummer.
2) LEDs can't change color, so I wonder what the dot/pitch would be..? [small LEDs I don't think could handle power (current) very well.]

The only ones I have seen merely use the LED's as a colored light source in a DLP technology, as opposed to beijng discrete pixels themselves. At any rate, they cost more than I am willing tp pay for an idiot box, so it's a moot point for me yet.

Is it possible to use this device as strictly an OTA ATSC tuner without having DirecTV services? My Samsung OTA ATSC tuner no longer works properly, and I can't find anything local to replace it with. It was also a DirecTV tuner, and worked without the sat service.

Is it possible to use this device as strictly an OTA ATSC tuner without having DirecTV services? My Samsung OTA ATSC tuner no longer works properly, and I can't find anything local to replace it with. It was also a DirecTV tuner, and worked without the sat service.
Short answer: NO.
Since "D*" made these, they only work with a D* subscription [active]. These are also leased units for the most part, so would need to go back to D* without and active account.

Short answer: NO.
Since "D*" made these, they only work with a D* subscription [active]. These are also leased units for the most part, so would need to go back to D* without and active account.

Thanks, that's what I thought. I'm in desperate need to find a new ATSC tuner and have it working before 9:00 PM tonight. No one carries them locally.

So does anyone have an idea when the new software is scheduled to be released? Aren't we like 5 months over due?

Doug

I just got a return call back from tech support regarding the software fix. basically my position was that i've been waiting since at least September of last year with promises of "soon". Well , the current status is late summer according to support.

At least in my lifetime please !!!!!!!!!!

I just got a return call back from tech support regarding the software fix. basically my position was that i've been waiting since at least September of last year with promises of "soon". Well , the current status is late summer according to support.
At least in my lifetime please !!!!!!!!!!
"I think" [as in I don't know] that you will see it sooner. They are working on it & have released a beta version that did have some serious "issues" with local HD channels.
One of the problems is there are two H20s, the -100 & -600 which to date have very different software. There isn't a "one fits all" as they found with the beta version.

skippy told me that the beta version probably made matters worst for some people. Also, he stated that the 600 was discontinued and only the 100 is what they are supposedly shipping only.

skippy told me that the beta version probably made matters worst for some people. Also, he stated that the 600 was discontinued and only the 100 is what they are supposedly shipping only.
So all of us -600 owners will be left behind?
"Skippy" needs a dose of good information.

Hey Max, I have have the exact same situation except my sig levels are 64 and 66. What led to this was I r&r'ed a H20 and then couldn't receive any local HD. I called D* and they are sending out a tech to "Tighten up the antenna" (I hope she meant re-align better) Anyways, since your a few steps further down this path you have any helpful hints? I don't want to let the tech go only to find out later I missed something. They were able to get local HD but it pixelates and freezes like crazy. TIA

(Oh BTW, der lady said the levels had to be >72 to "see" HD <shrug>)

Robert

I am finally getting back to this after some busy and hectic weeks.

D* sent a Supervisory technician out who changed out the connections and looked at the dish. He said the problem with freezing is likely due to transmittal of live broadcasts and not any local equipment. My response was 'You must have alot of teed customers if they're seeing what I am." No response from him.

His fixes helped some, eliminating about 1/2 or so of the occurences during the NCAA final weekend. I watched the Masters the following weekend and freezes happened there as well, but not as frequently or on as much of the screen.

So, I plan to monitor for now. I am considering an OTA setup or cable for the projection screen for the fall when football comes around. If D* cleans up their act by then, I may keep my 5 receivers. Otherwise, they're gone.

Max

There is another "Beta" cutting edge release coming up.....once again it comes with a VERY
strong caveat by Earl...it will enable the "active" feature, but you may not be able to roll
back to an earlier version....
------------------------------
H20 - CE07110
H20-100 Version: 0x2002
H20-600 Version: 0x2002

Window of opportunity to download:
Friday; April 20, 2007 11PM - 2:30AM EST
Saturday; April 21, 2007 11PM - 2:30AM EST
While you are waiting for the Window to open:
-) MUST READ AND AGREE TO: - The CE "explanation" thread... http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=79021
-) How To Download
Warnings!!!!
-) This is a MAJOR upgrade for the H20. And this CE is not to be taken lightly. If you decide to download this CE, it is not a simple rollback to the previous version.
This CE release builds on the last CE 0x1082. There are no additional features added to it since the last release, but most of the identified issues in the first CE release have been addressed and accounted for in this CE version

AND the last one crashed & burned badly, so maybe you don't want to try this one on the first night, but see what happens & then try it. FWIW

So all of us -600 owners will be left behind?
"Skippy" needs a dose of good information.

DTV shipped me a -600 to replace a fried -600 about 2 months ago.
I guess they finally ran out of them (thank &diety) :eek:

There is another "Beta" cutting edge release coming up.....once again it comes with a VERY
strong caveat by Earl...it will enable the "active" feature, but you may not be able to roll
back to an earlier version....
------------------------------
H20 - CE07110
H20-100 Version: 0x2002
H20-600 Version: 0x2002

Window of opportunity to download:
Friday; April 20, 2007 11PM - 2:30AM EST
Saturday; April 21, 2007 11PM - 2:30AM EST
While you are waiting for the Window to open:
-) MUST READ AND AGREE TO: - The CE "explanation" thread... http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=79021
-) How To Download
Warnings!!!!
-) This is a MAJOR upgrade for the H20. And this CE is not to be taken lightly. If you decide to download this CE, it is not a simple rollback to the previous version.
This CE release builds on the last CE 0x1082. There are no additional features added to it since the last release, but most of the identified issues in the first CE release have been addressed and accounted for in this CE version

The first night's downloading went pretty well, FWIW

My H20 and 5 LNB had severe fade (as in no “0” signal) on Sat 110 and 119 during our recent Colorado snowstorm. All other Sats held up just fine. Is this an alignment issue or are these 2 Sats just weak to begin with? I usually get a signal of about 50-60 in them. Since 110 and 119 are the sources for HD this was a true disappointment. I did have some rain fade on the HD signal last Fall. I thought I would ask if anyone else has this problem before calling the dreaded CSRs from hell…. Thanks, Snuffy :)

OK - I'm a newbie and really didn't want to read through all 78 pages of posts spanning the last two years so I'm hoping someone can help me.

Just got an H20 from Best Buy. Hooked it up - works fine. EXCEPT the thing gets extremely hot. It's hot even when it's not on (but plugged in), and when it's on it's right on the edge of being hot enough to burn your hand when you touch it. You could fry an egg on the thing.

I've had a lot of AV equipment, but never anything that got this hot. I'm scared it's gonna start a fire or something.

I've read enough to know there are H20-100's and H20-600's. Mine is a 600. What is the difference between the two? Is one older? Are they identical functionally?

And here's the money question - since it's technically "leased" will the big D send me a new one just because it gets outrageously hot or does something else have to be wrong with it?

The -600 is known for running hot. Elevating it so there is an inch underneath it will really help the airflow and keep it cooler. I have had a -600 for over a year with no problems, I just keep it ventilated. If you start getting random reboots that is a classic sign of heat failure and D* will send you a replacement but there is no guarantee that it wont be another -600.

To answer your questions the two units are two different manufacturers built to the same performance specs. The 600 came out first but only by a few months. The biggest difference is the running temp.

It gets hot, but unless you have it in an enclosed cabinet or sit it on top of your amp, it is not going to get hot enough to fry. Like longrider, I have had two -600's for over a year myself with no problems.

The -600 has a better OTA tuner than the -100 too.

The -600 has a better OTA tuner than the -100 too.

My first -600 overheated and fried some power supply components.
By fried I mean the stench of cooked electronics filled the air.

It was sitting all by itself on an open shelf with plenty of air access.

Raise it up at least 1/4 inch to cool it down.

Others have suggested laptop cooler gadgets.

I can verify that the laptop coolers work. I put a Targus one on my HR20 and it runs 10 to 15 degrees (F) cooler than it did. You put it inverted on top to pull the heat out. The HR20 USB port is powered. I don't know if the one on my H20-600 is powered or not, but it can also be run with a cheap powered USB hub. I plan to get more of the coolers for my H20 and second HR20.

To answer your questions the two units are two different manufacturers built to the same performance specs. The 600 came out first but only by a few months. The biggest difference is the running temp.

And the speed of the guide. Speaking of the -600, it is really bad!!! I hate it with a passion. I bought my first -600 about 8-10 months ago, then had reboot problems. Switched for yet another unit with reboot problems and of course the dreaded, agonizing SLOW guide!!! Then this -600 rebooted about every 10-15 minutes. I called Directv and they promised to send me a -100 but I had to sign on for 2 years... but I'd get credits, free stations, etc. After fighting with a few reps I decided to go with it. Well guess what I got????? A -600 and even slower than my bad -600's and man, is it hot!!! I could save on heating bills in the winter if I put this in every room.

Anyway they said another -100 was on the way...Yeah, right. Guess what I got??? Yup, another -600 and this time I did not bother to take it out of the box. I called and complained and the rep noted my account that there in NOT any contract....we'll see!!!

The moral of the story is LG is horrible...I don't care if they made Sony boxes in the past...LG (Lucky Goldstar) has ALWAYS had crappy QC and I don't think it's going to change.

My -100 downstairs runs COOL and REALLY FAST. If your new to Directv, request the -100 and if you don't get one, walk away or demand to get one.

mikelets456
While my -600 does run warmer than my -100, it doesn't have the problems yours seems to. Is yours out in the open? It sounds like it isn't getting enough air and is running over temp which makes them do just what you're describing.

I really love the way some try to make excuses for the H20s running hot. This is simply a crappy inefficient design! The box should not overheat like this in normal use, after all it’s an STB not a 1000-watt amplifier or a toaster-oven. D* keeps sending out 600s because they have had so many fried and returned that they are probably now shipping refurbs. The 100 runs a little cooler but I wouldn’t have a 600 in my house and if they kept sending me one, I’d cancel D*, tell’em to shove their 2 yr. plan and go to E* or cable.

I really love the way some try to make excuses for the H20s running hot. This is simply a crappy inefficient design! The box should not overheat like this in normal use, after all it’s an STB not a 1000-watt amplifier or a toaster-oven. D* keeps sending out 600s because they have had so many fried and returned that they are probably now shipping refurbs. The 100 runs a little cooler but I wouldn’t have a 600 in my house and if they kept sending me one, I’d cancel D*, tell’em to shove their 2 yr. plan and go to E* or cable.
I don't see my postings as "excuses". Statements of facts aren't excuses. Information can help.
In your case, I doubt it as you seem to have you own agenda...

This is simply a crappy inefficient design! The box should not overheat like this in normal use, after all it’s an STB not a 1000-watt amplifier or a toaster-oven. D* keeps sending out 600s because they have had so many fried and returned that they are probably now shipping refurbs.
Funny....I've had mine for several years.....


....never runs hot, never has......there may a few floating around with issues perhaps on their power supplies running hot...

...and some folks have them installed in non-airflow palces....

...but in general the dozen plus people I know with them have never had a problem.

No excuses here. :rolleyes:

I really love the way some try to make excuses for the H20s running hot. This is simply a crappy inefficient design! The box should not overheat like this in normal use, after all it’s an STB not a 1000-watt amplifier or a toaster-oven. D* keeps sending out 600s because they have had so many fried and returned that they are probably now shipping refurbs. The 100 runs a little cooler but I wouldn’t have a 600 in my house and if they kept sending me one, I’d cancel D*, tell’em to shove their 2 yr. plan and go to E* or cable.

I just hooked up an H20 a couple days ago and it runs very hot.

I just hooked up an H20 a couple days ago and it runs very hot.
Sounds like a -600 that does need air flow. Some raise it up to get better air flow from underneath. Again, not an excuse, but some info to help.

I recently received the H20 reciever from DTV. Upon installation, the installer was checking channels and when I go from SD to HD or HD to SD, the screen flashes static numerous times before the picture comes up. The installer blamed my TV (Pioneer Elite) for it, and left. I did not have the problem with my H10. Although it does work, it is very annoying. Is it a problem with the reciever? Is there a way to fix it? Thanx

I recently received the H20 receiver from DTV. Upon installation, the installer was checking channels and when I go from SD to HD or HD to SD, the screen flashes static numerous times before the picture comes up. The installer blamed my TV (Pioneer Elite) for it, and left. I did not have the problem with my H10. Although it does work, it is very annoying. Is it a problem with the receiver? Is there a way to fix it? Thanx
"Sounds" like you're connected through HDMI [changing to component might change this].
Are you also using native "on"?
I'm not going to "blame" your TV, but not all of them work the same over HDMI, so "mine doesn't" [Sony] is true, but not an answer for you.

...and some folks have them installed in non-airflow palces....

...but in general the dozen plus people I know with them have never had a problem.

No excuses here. :rolleyes:


I have gone through 3 units maybe 4...I lost count. These units have NEVER been in enclosed place...NEVER!!! Actually, I elevated them about 1-inch with plastic tabs and that did not make any difference!!! These are crap...PERIOD and Directv continues to send them out.

I have gone through 3 units maybe 4...I lost count. These units have NEVER been in enclosed place...NEVER!!! Actually, I elevated them about 1-inch with plastic tabs and that did not make any difference!!! These are crap...PERIOD and Directv continues to send them out.
Yours sure seem to be. I had a "refurb" sent to me from D* & it couldn't find the SATs.
Have yours been "new" or refurbs?
I don't think LG [and Korea in general] spends much on QC testing or inspection.

Yours sure seem to be. I had a "refurb" sent to me from D* & it couldn't find the SATs.
Have yours been "new" or refurbs?
I don't think LG [and Korea in general] spends much on QC testing or inspection.

It's slow, hot and unresponsive at times.They have been sending me refurb units. The -100 is light years ahead. It runs cool, menu and settings are instant...
I was NEVER a fan of Lucky Goldstar (LG) and this confirms my negative biased against them.

You have to remember that the unit was designed and built to meet a price point set by D* My other LG products are great. The LSS-3200A is the best D* receiver I have owned, it is still in the living room as MPEG4 is still a non issue for me (locals are OTA) I also have an LG 32" LCD in the bedroom and at the price point I had to stay at it was better than anything else out at the time, comparing favorably to units quite a bit more expensive.

You have to remember that the unit was designed and built to meet a price point set by D* My other LG products are great. The LSS-3200A is the best D* receiver I have owned, it is still in the living room as MPEG4 is still a non issue for me (locals are OTA) I also have an LG 32" LCD in the bedroom and at the price point I had to stay at it was better than anything else out at the time, comparing favorably to units quite a bit more expensive.
It's a crapshoot. I like my -600 [a new one] over my new -100, but my -600 works [no reboots, better OTA tuner, etc.].
The QA or QC isn't what it should be as what you get either works [well] or doesn't [and you hate it].

"Sounds" like you're connected through HDMI [changing to component might change this].
Are you also using native "on"?
I'm not going to "blame" your TV, but not all of them work the same over HDMI, so "mine doesn't" [Sony] is true, but not an answer for you.


Yes, I am using the HDMI, and native is on. Sorry I forgot to add that. I will try the component and see if that works.. Any idea if DTV will fix it so all HDMI will work correctly?? Thanks for the info!

Yes, I am using the HDMI, and native is on. Sorry I forgot to add that. I will try the component and see if that works.. Any idea if DTV will fix it so all HDMI will work correctly?? Thanks for the info!What you are experiencing is the evil “HDCP Handshake” delay. Your H20 and TV have to interrogate each other to make sure they are both compliant with HDCP before allowing the HD connection. As was said before, going to Component connections should lessen the delay and eliminate the “flashing”. Component does not use HDCP. Setting Native to on or off made no noticeable difference with my hookup to my Sony RPLCD but YMMV. I try to avoid HDMI in all cases since IMHO it makes no real difference as to PQ and it is part of my “agenda”, not to be a victim of the HDMI-HDCP-ICT overlords.
Snuffy

Yes, I am using the HDMI, and native is on. Sorry I forgot to add that. I will try the component and see if that works.. Any idea if DTV will fix it so all HDMI will work correctly?? Thanks for the info!
If D* will ever rollout a software update, it should help [as they have fixed it with the HR-20].

What you are experiencing is the evil “HDCP Handshake” delay. Your H20 and TV have to interrogate each other to make sure they are both compliant with HDCP before allowing the HD connection. As was said before, going to Component connections should lessen the delay and eliminate the “flashing”. Component does not use HDCP. Setting Native to on or off made no noticeable difference with my hookup to my Sony RPLCD but YMMV. I try to avoid HDMI in all cases since IMHO it makes no real difference as to PQ and it is part of my “agenda”, not to be a victim of the HDMI-HDCP-ICT overlords.
Snuffy

I forget the correct sequence but it can make a difference which one turns on first for proper hand shake

Roy

I recently glommed a couple of refurb H20-100's from D* to replace older hughes receivers

I'm in the maryland area - one of them was giving me a error message saying that it failed to find Satalite 99 during the set up.

I called advanced tech support and the young lady claimed that was only because no channels were broadcast on 99 in my area - does this sound right?

She had me bypass that screen and I don't seem to be missing any channels that I get on my HR20's

TIA

Eddie

I recently glommed a couple of refurb H20-100's from D* to replace older hughes receivers

I'm in the maryland area - one of them was giving me a error message saying that it failed to find Satellite 99 during the set up.

I called advanced tech support and the young lady claimed that was only because no channels were broadcast on 99 in my area - does this sound right?

She had me bypass that screen and I don't seem to be missing any channels that I get on my HR20's

TIA

Eddie
This is "normal" due to the current software. I have the same thing with signals coming from the 99 & 103 SATs.
Also "normal" is the -600 giving the same error for the 103 SAT.
Both need new software to fix this. If we're lucky, maybe by Sept. it will come for the new SAT.

guys, sorry if this has been answered already, but here is my problem....

I have a vizio 50 inch plasma and a jvc HDMI receiver....My directv H20 box was overheating and shutting down so I exchanged it...both receivers they sent me have the same problem....the H20-600 makes it to the language screen and re-starts over and over again...it works perfect if I use component and also works perfect when my tv is turned off....what's the problem?

This is "normal" due to the current software. I have the same thing with signals coming from the 99 & 103 SATs.
Also "normal" is the -600 giving the same error for the 103 SAT.
Both need new software to fix this. If we're lucky, maybe by Sept. it will come for the new SAT.
There have been a number of beta versions out (not general available versions) that are being tested for all sorts of fixes, improvements, and new features. Look for a new firmware update pushed out to everyone within the next 30 days.

guys, sorry if this has been answered already, but here is my problem....

I have a vizio 50 inch plasma and a jvc HDMI receiver....My directv H20 box was overheating and shutting down so I exchanged it...both receivers they sent me have the same problem....the H20-600 makes it to the language screen and re-starts over and over again...it works perfect if I use component and also works perfect when my tv is turned off....what's the problem?
It sounds like you have an incompatibility problem with HDMI & what it's connected to. HDMI is a "standard", but everyone seem to interpret it differently.
It sounds like you'll need to use component until the next software release.

HDMI is simply the hardware (wire) connection between the devices. The problem is likely the HDCP protocol used for Copy Protection within the HDMI interface. When the source device (H20) sends a signal to the display device (TV) it has to check for HDCP compliant display. It is also important to know that repeater devices such as AV Receivers must also be checked to be HDCP compliant. Problems arise even with compliant devices when the timing window of a particular device is too short. Most problems I have read about pertain to displays and repeaters. Also some repeaters handle some HD formats fine but not others, for example 1080p.
See;
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070121-8665.html

HDMI is simply the hardware (wire) connection between the devices. The problem is likely the HDCP protocol used for Copy Protection within the HDMI interface. When the source device (H20) sends a signal to the display device (TV) it has to check for HDCP compliant display. It is also important to know that repeater devices such as AV Receivers must also be checked to be HDCP compliant. Problems arise even with compliant devices when the timing window of a particular device is too short. Most problems I have read about pertain to displays and repeaters. Also some repeaters handle some HD formats fine but not others, for example 1080p.
See;
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070121-8665.html
You are correct, but you won't find a HDCP cable or connection, so I used HDMI to communicate to the OP.

New CE release for this Fri.&Sat. eve, for H-20 100 & H-20-600 see link for release notes,
and be aware that the release again comes with a strong caveat(no rollback to previous
release)..... http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=946778&postcount=1

New CE release for this Fri.&Sat. eve, for H-20 100 & H-20-600 see link for release notes,
and be aware that the release again comes with a strong caveat(no rollback to previous
release)..... http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=946778&postcount=1
You now need to register with DBStalk to view this.

Haven't been able to keep up with avsforum.com for quite awhile, but I went and looked back 3-5 pages of posts in this thread.

Is anyone having trouble with their H20-100 not displaying guide data lately?

Everytime I turn the thing on lately, it says "Regularly Scheduled Program" and shows it for the entire day on most channels.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Haven't been able to keep up with avsforum.com for quite awhile, but I went and looked back 3-5 pages of posts in this thread.

Is anyone having trouble with their H20-100 not displaying guide data lately?

Everytime I turn the thing on lately, it says "Regularly Scheduled Program" and shows it for the entire day on most channels.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
Just a guess: If you are turning the power off to the H20 with a power strip/conditioner or such, the box is "reset" requiring it to download the program guide data all over again. This can take several hours to completely populate the guide information. The box must remain connected to a power source (when off) to continually download and maintain the guide data.

Just a guess: If you are turning the power off to the H20 with a power strip/conditioner or such, the box is "reset" requiring it to download the program guide data all over again. This can take several hours to completely populate the guide information. The box must remain connected to a power source (when off) to continually download and maintain the guide data.

Nope, it has constant power.

Is anyone having trouble with their H20-100 not displaying guide data lately?

Everytime I turn the thing on lately, it says "Regularly Scheduled Program" and shows it for the entire day on most channels.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
The short answer is "no". My guide info is all there.
Are you still getting all of your SAT transponders?
If the box isn't rebooting, then maybe you're starting to lose the DATA from the SAT.

I have tried to do a tread search for this, but not sure what key words to use. The problem I am seeing is with both HD and SD channels. What I am seeing is strange bright pastel colors were lighter highlights in an image are showing. Classic example would be a pink or green patch where the reflection on a person's forehead would be. The reason I feel the problem is with the H20 is because occasionally you can see H20 menu information within the bright color patches. Anybody seen this?

Symneter

Everytime I turn the thing on lately, it says "Regularly Scheduled Program" Typically, a red button reset or short unplugging will unstick things and allow the guide to rebuild.

I had the new slimline dish installed and the new HR-20 700s. I have the new 40" Samsung LCD LN=T4042H. The HDMI input doesnt reconize the DVR. So I guess I have to wait for an upgrade? And yes to the previous poster. One Sat said failed. When all the channels come out. The service guy said it will come on.

I had the new slimline dish installed and the new HR-20 700s. I have the new 40" Samsung LCD LN=T4042H. The HDMI input doesnt reconize the DVR. So I guess I have to wait for an upgrade? And yes to the previous poster. One Sat said failed. When all the channels come out. The service guy said it will come on.

Un-check the 480i resolution in your DVR menu. Then you will be able to use your HDMI connection.

:) YOU ARE DA MAN! That did it! Thanks so much!

I didn't turn anything up, but wondering if anyone has had any issues with the H20 and Harmony 550. My friend's setup, they have two HD sets, H20's on both with two harmony 550's.

upstairs, the 550 and H20 work great together (now to be referred to as 550-A), downstairs however, the 550 works on everything but the H20 (H20-B from this point on). I switched the remotes and the 550-A doesn't work downstairs on the H20-B, despite working on the H20-A.

Anyone else run into this? Because as far as I can tell its a defective H20 unit, even though the original remote does work with it.

Hey, its been awhile, but you all were great when I first suffered through my many monthlong saga as one of the first H20 users. I've been through three boxes, both -100 and -600, and things had sort of settled down until recently. (I still miss my old rock solid non HD box and really wonder why I ever thought it was a good idea to switch, having had nothing but problems ever since.)

A week or so ago my system began to act really flakey, I first thought it was the leaves back on the trees, but the behavior is too random to explain that.

Here's what happens:

random stations start to pixillate and then go offline completely.

local HD stations haven't worked at all since this started, but the non-HD versions are ok.

sometimes I get the "searching" message

sometimes I get the "channel not subscribed" message, last night HGTV was going back and forth between getting a signal and the "not subscribed" message.

sometimes all but a few of the channels are missing from my "subscribed" list on the channel directory.

resetting the box brings things back to normal, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours. This makes me think its the box not the reception. But, local HD NEVER comes back except in a very badly pixillated version.

I'm thinking maybe I have 2 problems, one related to the box and one to the dish/reception.

I do have the box up on about 2 inch risers, and that has helped a bit, but not completely.

Thoughts?

Have you tried to re-hit your auth. card? Refresh Your Services
Many simple and common problems, such as missing channels, broken feeds and more, can be easily fixed by refreshing your services. You can even select several receivers at once. We recommend you only select affected receivers, however, as this process may briefly interrupt your service. You need to sign onto your account (troubleshooting) or call D*
Auto menu and select the option to refresh your programming.

Have you tried to re-hit your auth. card? Refresh Your Services
Many simple and common problems, such as missing channels, broken feeds and more, can be easily fixed by refreshing your services. You can even select several receivers at once. We recommend you only select affected receivers, however, as this process may briefly interrupt your service. You need to sign onto your account (troubleshooting) or call D*
Auto menu and select the option to refresh your programming.

Sorry to be dense, but I'm not really sure what you mean by "rehit the auth. card or "refresh your services". I have reset the box from the setup menu, but I think you're talking about something else.

BTW, I should have mentioned that I've had no problems with my non-HD box on the other set, just the H20, another reason to blame the box and not the dish.

I am talking about D* re-sending your programming authorizations to the auth. card in your
box....not resetting the unit itself.

I am talking about D* re-sending your programming authorizations to the auth. card in your
box....not resetting the unit itself.

Thanks, now I understand. I'll lay in a supply of sandwiches and give them a call tonight.

Actually, I just found my way to the online troubleshooting page, and had it resent myself. It was actually very easy to do. I'll see if it worked when I get home tonight.

You can do it on-line as well.. https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/mydirectv/mysystem/mySystemResendAuthorization.jsp
you will have to sign into your account....or call D* and use the auto menu item when it
is mentioned...I don't recommend calling a CSR, as they will waste your time with useless
"fixes".

Does anyone know the list of channels you get when you pay D* $9.99?

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/packProg/channelChart2.jsp?assetId=1100084

You can do it on-line as well.. https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/mydirectv/mysystem/mySystemResendAuthorization.jsp
you will have to sign into your account....or call D* and use the auto menu item when it
is mentioned...I don't recommend calling a CSR, as they will waste your time with useless
"fixes".

Well, I'm home and have sent several requests to resend the authorizations. Despite the message that it might take 3-5 minutes and service might be interrupted I see nothing happening on the TV, and nothing is changed. Same problems as before.

Well, I'm home and have sent several requests to resend the authorizations. Despite the message that it might take 3-5 minutes and service might be interrupted I see nothing happening on the TV, and nothing is changed. Same problems as before.
What are your transponder levels?
You can check these in the setup menu, sat/ant

What are your transponder levels?
You can check these in the setup menu, sat/ant

Mostly in the mid 60s, an occasional 58 and a few in the 70s. But then this is what they've always been, and DTV has always declared those levels to be perfectly normal. Anybody know offhand which transponder the Chicago HD channels are on, I'd like to specifically check those.

Mostly in the mid 60s, an occasional 58 and a few in the 70s. But then this is what they've always been, and DTV has always declared those levels to be perfectly normal. Anybody know offhand which transponder the Chicago HD channels are on, I'd like to specifically check those.
They're coming from the 103 and "70s" is total crap.
All HD spot beams should be 95+%. FWIW

They're coming from the 103 and "70s" is total crap.
All HD spot beams should be 95+%. FWIW

You know that, and I know that, but DTV refuses to come out, saying they're within normal range. They specifically said that the H20 reads low and to NEVER expect anything above 85.

Now, as to 103:

5 is reading 43
9 is reading 41
13 is reading 40
everything else is ZERO.

That's something they might listen to.

You know that, and I know that, but DTV refuses to come out, saying they're within normal range. They specifically said that the H20 reads low and to NEVER expect anything above 85.

Now, as to 103:

5 is reading 43
9 is reading 41
13 is reading 40
everything else is ZERO.

That's something they might listen to.
What I think you're "stumbling over" with D* is that until the next software upgrade all of the Ku SATs do read low, but not the Ka SATs.

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/packProg/channelChart2.jsp?assetId=1100084 I guess I deserved this. ;)
What I meant was does anyone who subscribes to D*'s HDTV package get anything other than what is shown on the above link. I am specifically interested in 80 - 99.

Funny....I've had mine for several years.....


....never runs hot, never has......there may a few floating around with issues perhaps on their power supplies running hot...

...and some folks have them installed in non-airflow palces....

...but in general the dozen plus people I know with them have never had a problem.

No excuses here. :rolleyes:

I went through 3 of them. First worked fine for 3-4 months, then started resetting itself all day long. The second one was a refurb that flashed an error code for the access card after 24 hours. The third one did the same thing, and reset itself after a few hours of use. Fortunately I got lucky in returns and ended up with new -100s which have never exhibited a problem of any kind.

The -100 might not have the same OTA tuner but it works fine for the stations I need to get (even the fringe ones). More over it's a clearly more stable design, has a much faster guide, doesn't run as hot.

But that's just my experience...I'd say, though, you are quite fortunate to have working -600s the way you have. I'm sure there are some units that work great, but it sounds from the lot of people it's clearly a buggier unit than the -100 by a very, very wide margin.

I guess I deserved this. ;)
What I meant was does anyone who subscribes to D*'s HDTV package get anything other than what is shown on the above link. I am specifically interested in 80 - 99.

IMHO, forget about 80-88 unless the D* local qualification page says all four major networks don't give you a class A or B signal. Before D* started lighting up local HD channels via DBS, if you lived in a market that had owned and operated stations you could get the NYC or LA HD network feeds, but that's not the case anymore. you need to qualify as not served OTA by your local stations.

I guess I deserved this. ;)
What I meant was does anyone who subscribes to D*'s HDTV package get anything other than what is shown on the above link. I am specifically interested in 80 - 99.
_____________________
besides Ch. 70-79, you can get 80-thru 99 depending on your programming.
For instance ch.80-89 are Natl network feeds..DNS) ABC,CBS,FOX,NBC)... RSN's (95-98)..also H/D
PPV movies (99). It is not known at this time what the channel assignments will
be for the new sat. launch ones...

New CE release for this Fri.&Sat. eve, for H-20 100 & H-20-600 see link for release notes,
and be aware that the release again comes with a strong caveat(no rollback to previous
release)..... http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=946778&postcount=1


Anyone know whn it will be released again

I guess I deserved this. ;)
What I meant was does anyone who subscribes to D*'s HDTV package get anything other than what is shown on the above link. I am specifically interested in 80 - 99.
I get a total of 8 channels listed by D*, eg., ESPN, HDNET, etc. plus 98, the Natl Geo HD that is available with 'sample' limited programming. My locals are SD, not yet available in HD, but I am eligible to get FOX HD in the 80s if I want to pay an addl fee beyond the $9.99 for it. Do not subscribe to HBO, Showtime, etc., for more $$$ Cannot get the FSN HD feed at 95-97 b/c you also need to get the locals in HD to have access! Have been muttering for months why I pay the extra $$$$ for 8 choices. I keep thinking this is going to get better when the new HD channels light up MAYBE by this September. Have become somewhat pessimistic as the launch date for the first of two new satellites has now been moved from Jun 16th to July 6th. It's sort of like 'pay now, and maybe get lots of choices later!' :(

I Cannot get the FSN HD feed at 95-97 b/c you also need to get the locals in HD to have access! Have been muttering for months why I pay the extra $$$$ for 8 choices. :(
It is 93 - 96 that I was most interested in, because last year I got channel 95 with the N.Y. Yankees and some hockey games and this year I get nothing. I do get the locals in HD so that doesn't help with 95-97 and I also get MLB as I did last year and that doesn't help either. I was wondering if it was because D* as another money making gypping of their customers have added another $40 to the package and you get channels 730-734. I wonder how much more we'll have to pay to get those channels that are going to get added.

I wonder how much more we'll have to pay to get those channels that are going to get added.
If I look at this forum and the DBSTalk forum, the general user opinion is that initially there will be no increase in the $9.99 HD access fee. Eventually, this is likely to increase just as everything else does, maybe going to some kind of multiple tier system. It seems that HD is what is driving new subscriptions to D*, so until both new satellites are up and running (2008 at the earliest), the addl 'up to 150 HD channels', AND most of the remaining HD locals come online, we are 'probably' are safe to expect the $9.99 fee to remain the same. I laugh at the $29.99 a month D* option :rolleyes: and wonder what the 'average' user actually ends up paying.

Can I buy an H20 receiver and install it myself?
I am currently a DTV customer with HD programming. I would like to install a second H20 receiver for the new 2nd HDTV unit I have just purchased. I see lots of New H20's for sale on eBay that say I can purchase these and own them instead of just leasing them from DTV. But I have seen other posts that said that DTV would not activate such units or will insist that they still own the units even though I have bought them.

I am sure some have run into this situation. Can someone please tell me what is the real story with these receivers? I do not want to buy one of these and find that I can't activate it with DTV. My experiences with DTV have been HORRIBLE, many problems and terrible customer service to this point.

Can I buy an H20 receiver and install it myself?
I am currently a DTV customer with HD programming. I would like to install a second H20 receiver for the new 2nd HDTV unit I have just purchased. I see lots of New H20's for sale on eBay that say I can purchase these and own them instead of just leasing them from DTV. But I have seen other posts that said that DTV would not activate such units or will insist that they still own the units even though I have bought them.

I am sure some have run into this situation. Can someone please tell me what is the real story with these receivers? I do not want to buy one of these and find that I can't activate it with DTV. My experiences with DTV have been HORRIBLE, many problems and terrible customer service to this point.
Can you install it yourself?...sure.
Will you "own it"? good question.
This varies greatly with the CSR you talk to and who you bought the receiver from [new/used].
"Generally" when you activate it it will be as a lease & come with a programing commitment of two years.

Can you install it yourself?...sure.
Will you "own it"? good question.
This varies greatly with the CSR you talk to and who you bought the receiver from [new/used].
"Generally" when you activate it it will be as a lease & come with a programing commitment of two years.

Thanks for the response, but I was looking for some definitive legal information about this. If I purchase this new in the box and have a receipt for it how can DTV claim that I don't own it or refuse to activate it? That would seem to indicate that the person (DTV distributor) who sold it to me is selling me something that he has no right to say is mine, and is breaking the law?

Thanks for the response, but I was looking for some definitive legal information about this. If I purchase this new in the box and have a receipt for it how can DTV claim that I don't own it or refuse to activate it? That would seem to indicate that the person (DTV distributor) who sold it to me is selling me something that he has no right to say is mine, and is breaking the law?

The "LAW" is not always as simple as one might desire...

That's why so many attorneys make a living "practicing" it. If you want definitive legal advice you probably should go directly to an attorney. Remember you are lucky IF you get what you pay for... Cheap advice is worth what it costs you? Free advice? Think about it.

Ask fifty attorneys and you will get various :opinions. In the case of DirecTV's equipment --- consider the possibility that when you pay for a receiver at a retail outlet, you are simply purchasing the "right" to lease the hardware. Bottom line is that you need to carefully read the agreement between DirecTV and the end consumer. It explains what is what... and what is not.

Now you're probably saying: "But what is the answer to my question?"

If you pay for the hardware (receiver) you MUST agree to the (leasing) terms that DirecTV stipulates. If you decide not to agree to that, you need to return the unused equipment for a refund. DirecTV is not forcing anyone to subscribe to their services, but if you want to use their services you have to agree to their terms.

I must admit that I wonder why leasing the equipment versus owning it is such a huge roadblock for you... If you DID own it and decided not to pay the DirecTV monthly subscription fee, you basically have a useless piece of circuitry. It doesn't do anything if you don't have a subscription. Oh yeah, maybe it would make a nice doorstop?

So, I'd say don't sweat the small print and just "do it". Or, don't. It's entirely your choice.

In a perfect world... ;)

Thanks for the response, but I was looking for some definitive legal information about this. If I purchase this new in the box and have a receipt for it how can DTV claim that I don't own it or refuse to activate it? That would seem to indicate that the person (DTV distributor) who sold it to me is selling me something that he has no right to say is mine, and is breaking the law?
As I posted, it would depend on who you bought it from.
"A DirecTV distributor" should be following the D* distribution plan where you're buying a "lease", and not the unit. Standard price is $99 for a lease. The non-returned equipment price for a H20 is $240.
If they are selling a used H20, then they may be doing this illegally.
I own two H20s, so all of this isn't "blank & white". I've read postings where somebody has bought one of these H/HR-20s off ebay & fought with the CSR to have it listed as owned. Others have had it first listed to their business account where it was owned & then transfered to the personal account and still been listed as owned.
If the equipment is still listed on someone's account, they won't activate it, but short of that, D* seems willing to activate the equipment.
You haven't said who you're buying it from off of ebay, so I have no idea of who they are [and I don't really care, as that is between you & them].
Like anything off of ebay, you take your chances with what it is.
You will "know" when it comes time to activate the equipment though.
There will always be the two year programing commitment either way [owned or leased].

As I posted, it would depend on who you bought it from.
"A DirecTV distributor" should be following the D* distribution plan where you're buying a "lease", and not the unit. Standard price is $99 for a lease. The non-returned equipment price for a H20 is $240.
If they are selling a used H20, then they may be doing this illegally.
I own two H20s, so all of this isn't "blank & white". I've read postings where somebody has bought one of these H/HR-20s off ebay & fought with the CSR to have it listed as owned. Others have had it first listed to their business account where it was owned & then transfered to the personal account and still been listed as owned.
If the equipment is still listed on someone's account, they won't activate it, but short of that, D* seems willing to activate the equipment.
You haven't said who you're buying it from off of ebay, so I have no idea of who they are [and I don't really care, as that is between you & them].
Like anything off of ebay, you take your chances with what it is.
You will "know" when it comes time to activate the equipment though.
There will always be the two year programing commitment either way [owned or leased].
OK, that helps. BTW I am six months into my 2 year committment, does that mean if I upgrade my standard receiver to an HD receiver I will have to begin a new 2 year contract?

OK, that helps. BTW I am six months into my 2 year committment, does that mean if I upgrade my standard receiver to an HD receiver I will have to begin a new 2 year contract?

yes. You're also less likely to get a "good deal" since you have a long way to go on your current commitment...not saying you won't get a good deal, just saying you should prepare yourself for resistance :)

yes. You're also less likely to get a "good deal" since you have a long way to go on your current commitment...not saying you won't get a good deal, just saying you should prepare yourself for resistance :)

Although I was within the midst of my original two year commitment, I just added an additional receiver. I was told that after the first six months, you are eligible for an upgrade. The upgrade cost would be $0 for either an R15 or H20, and $99 for an HR20, including installation, plus a $19.95 handling fee (which they were kind enough to credit back to me). In addition, $4.99 per month lease fee for the additional receiver. The two year commitment begins anew as of the installation date. Hope this info helps.

Although I was within the midst of my original two year commitment, I just added an additional receiver. I was told that after the first six months, you are eligible for an upgrade. The upgrade cost would be $0 for either an R15 or H20, and $99 for an HR20, including installation, plus a $19.95 handling fee (which they were kind enough to credit back to me). In addition, $4.99 per month lease fee for the additional receiver. The two year commitment begins anew as of the installation date. Hope this info helps.

$100 for a HR20 seems pretty good. I got the new dish, HR20 and H20 last October to replace some older HD receivers. I got both of the for free. :) I wish now that I had asked for two HR20s and just left one HR20 with only one SAT input. Oh well. I've got problems now with the aiming of the dish for my LiLs in HD, so maybe having someone come out and fix them and "install" the HR20 in place of my H20 might not cost me a service visit.

hey guys,

here at work we have 6 h20-600's, the last one just died on me today, after about 3 months operation 24hrs a day they just start to die, they wont turn off but wont display anything and ive tried everything, direct tv has sent replacements but 3 months later dead. They are mounted in racks with plenty of ventilation, anyone else have similar issues??

hey guys,

here at work we have 6 h20-600's, the last one just died on me today, after about 3 months operation 24hrs a day they just start to die, they wont turn off but wont display anything and ive tried everything, direct tv has sent replacements but 3 months later dead. They are mounted in racks with plenty of ventilation, anyone else have similar issues??

I had one where a component in the power supply flamed out and smoked up the room. The power supply does not seem to be able to handle the load.

Is anyone seeing bad macroblocking on high-motion, dark scenes and when you get flashing lights (like camera flashes in scenes)? Any solution for this? Is there a way to adjust contrast or sharpness?

Thanks

hey guys,

here at work we have 6 h20-600's, the last one just died on me today, after about 3 months operation 24hrs a day they just start to die, they wont turn off but wont display anything and ive tried everything, direct tv has sent replacements but 3 months later dead. They are mounted in racks with plenty of ventilation, anyone else have similar issues??

Go back about 2k pages, I had 4 of them to die on me, I gave up the 100 and 600.

Hey, its been awhile, but you all were great when I first suffered through my many monthlong saga as one of the first H20 users. I've been through three boxes, both -100 and -600, and things had sort of settled down until recently. (I still miss my old rock solid non HD box and really wonder why I ever thought it was a good idea to switch, having had nothing but problems ever since.)

A week or so ago my system began to act really flakey, I first thought it was the leaves back on the trees, but the behavior is too random to explain that.

Here's what happens:

random stations start to pixillate and then go offline completely.

local HD stations haven't worked at all since this started, but the non-HD versions are ok.

sometimes I get the "searching" message

sometimes I get the "channel not subscribed" message, last night HGTV was going back and forth between getting a signal and the "not subscribed" message.

sometimes all but a few of the channels are missing from my "subscribed" list on the channel directory.

resetting the box brings things back to normal, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours. This makes me think its the box not the reception. But, local HD NEVER comes back except in a very badly pixillated version.

I'm thinking maybe I have 2 problems, one related to the box and one to the dish/reception.

I do have the box up on about 2 inch risers, and that has helped a bit, but not completely.

Thoughts?

Just to close the loop here. I followed all the advise about resending the authorizations etc. with no obvious effect. I then got distracted and let the whole thing sit for a few days and then left on a business trip. When I returned home everything had returned to normal. Levels still aren't as high as I'd like, but I don't get broken service, the "unsubscribed" messages are gone, and local HD is back. I don't know, maybe the gremlin left my box and moved next door.

Not sure if this is the right thread, so pardon me if misposted.

After all my problems with the H20 had settled down a few days ago, I was watching TV yesterday and a strange message popped up on the screen.
In all my years of DTV I've neve seen it before - not on the old box and not on the H20s that I've had for 18 months.

A black band appeared across the top of the screen and contained the words "poor signal quality" (or something similar, I didn't write it down). It went away after a couple seconds, and didn't come back. It didn't replace the picture, and I didn't go into "searching for satellite....." it just overlaid the program.

I've never seen it before.

It sounds like a message the TV would generate, not the H20.

It sounds like a message the TV would generate, not the H20.

I've seen it to.
Had to do a red button reset to get around it.

Not sure if this is the right thread, so pardon me if misposted.

After all my problems with the H20 had settled down a few days ago, I was watching TV yesterday and a strange message popped up on the screen.
In all my years of DTV I've neve seen it before - not on the old box and not on the H20s that I've had for 18 months.

A black band appeared across the top of the screen and contained the words "poor signal quality" (or something similar, I didn't write it down). It went away after a couple seconds, and didn't come back. It didn't replace the picture, and I didn't go into "searching for satellite....." it just overlaid the program.

I've never seen it before.
I had the same message this morning, can't remember the channel. I believe it was probably and uplink (to the sat) message. I had no signal degradation that I could see. It went away on its own.

My HR20 stopped recording on the 2nd tuner for some reason. I can no longer record a program and simultaneously watch a different show on another channel. Setup shoes both tuners as available and signal strenght is good.

Any ideas?

My HR20 stopped recording on the 2nd tuner for some reason. I can no longer record a program and simultaneously watch a different show on another channel. Setup shoes both tuners as available and signal strenght is good.

Any ideas?
Post in the HR-20 thread & try to reset the recorder using the setup menu/reset/ then reset recorder [and not the other options].

Post in the HR-20 thread & try to reset the recorder using the setup menu/reset/ then reset recorder [and not the other options].

Thanks, just realized after posting that the thread title was H20.

FYI, resetting using the reset button on the front of the receiver did the trick.

Thanks, just realized after posting that the thread title was H20.

FYI, resetting using the reset button on the front of the receiver did the trick.
Since this recorder has a hard drive, it is now recommended [by D* engineering] NOT to use the red button, but go into the menu and use the "softer" reset "reset recorder" option.

The red button reset is only to be used as a last option.

What does D* think about resets achieved by unplugging for a few seconds?

What does D* think about resets achieved by unplugging for a few seconds?
This reply is for the HR-20 [but this forum is the H20] :confused:

First off: shouldn't be for "a few sec". The manual states: 5 min.

If you need to unplug the unit [say to move it]: go into the reset menu, select reset recorder, then when the power light goes out..pull the plug [quick].

Think of this as a computer [which it is] where you have the menu restart/ shut down, & the nastier "hard reset" from the front panel. Mostly what you're wanting to do is be nice to your hard drive.
Short "blips" in power can cause the heads to crash [not good for either], and you want the disk to spin down too.

Does anyone know how to turn off the blue lights in the circle on front of this thing?

Does anyone know how to turn off the blue lights in the circle on front of this thing?


Push the left and right buttons around the circle at the same time; cycles form bright to off

bob

Push the left and right buttons around the circle at the same time; cycles form bright to off

bob

THANK-YOU!!!!

Guys & Gals...this is the H20 thread

We need to move this back to the HR-20 thread.

I had my second H20-600 starting to lockup and reboot. I lost one a year ago due to this. On this forum I saw the Fan Mod install using the USB port to power a CPU fan. I did the quick install and so far so good. Hopefully I salvaged it this time as I did not want to get new hardware and extend my contract again.

I love it, “George Forman Grill AKA The H20” :D . D* is in denial about the H20-600 running HOT! I have an H20-100C and it runs warm but will heat up quickly if boxed in. Oddly enough, if I look at the bottom of the case I see a punch-out that looks curiously like it was made for a small fan. My guess is they decided against the fan for economy or possibly noise reasons. It’s a shame we have to add fans or hang the thing in space to get reliable performance from their box.

I've had two H20-600's running 24x7 for over a year now, no issues. They do get hot, no denying, though.

I got my H-20 today but I am having trouble w. the hook up. I have a Yamaha 661 w/2 HDMI inputs and 1 output, a Toshiba 65hm167 with 3 HDMi inputs. I am connecting a PS3 and Tosh HD DVD A2 . I had the A2 and Ps3 running to an HDMI switch that goes into the Yamaha and out to the TV and everything is great. Got the H-20 today and decided to also hook it through the HDMI switch. here is the problem......I get audio from the receiver but no video. I had to connect to the TV using component video wires and left the HDMI cable in that goes from the h-20 to the switch.

Other solution or fxes to use HDMI only

I use the component outputs of my H20. The HDMI output seems to have a problem (signal drop-outs when feeding directly to my TV) on my H20. Since the H20 can pass both 720p and 1080i over it's component outputs, there is no loss in picture quality either, and no drop-outs.

I was at a friend's home last night watching the PGA golf on his HR20 when I noticed that when he pushed "Guide" the HR20 went to an intermediate index before he could get a real guide to appear. This extra step on the HR20 is ridiculous. My friend is not an AVS lurker so he wouldn't know of a shortcut that was published here. Is there such a thing? My HD Tivo goes directly to "Guide" when I press the button; the way it should be.

I was at a friend's home last night watching the PGA golf on his HR20 when I noticed that when he pushed "Guide" the HR20 went to an intermediate index before he could get a real guide to appear. This extra step on the HR20 is ridiculous. My friend is not an AVS lurker so he wouldn't know of a shortcut that was published here. Is there such a thing? My HD Tivo goes directly to "Guide" when I press the button; the way it should be.

This is ONLY for the HR20, not the H20 (don't know for sure what you mean since this is a H20 thread but you say HR20).

Assuming that he has the latest software (the GUI is now White) then under setup in the display section there is an option market "GUIDE Keypress" where they can change it to come up on the first press of the guide button.

Not sure if this is the right thread, so pardon me if misposted.

After all my problems with the H20 had settled down a few days ago, I was watching TV yesterday and a strange message popped up on the screen.
In all my years of DTV I've neve seen it before - not on the old box and not on the H20s that I've had for 18 months.

A black band appeared across the top of the screen and contained the words "poor signal quality" (or something similar, I didn't write it down). It went away after a couple seconds, and didn't come back. It didn't replace the picture, and I didn't go into "searching for satellite....." it just overlaid the program.

I've never seen it before.


I had the same "poor signal quality" message not only on my TV connected to an HR20, but also on another TV connected to an old D11.

Since that message has appeared, the quality of my picture, especially HD has deteriorated badly. A DTV tech tech came out and changed the dish and the muti- switch. Same poor quality picture remains. DTV has done something; probably compressed their signal even more. They're supposedly going to investigate the issue.

We buy expensive HD equipment, but DTV gives us an HD signal so degraded that it makes me want to sue their butt for false advertising.

I had the same "poor signal quality" message not only on my TV connected to an HR20, but also on another TV connected to an old D11.

Since that message has appeared, the quality of my picture, especially HD has deteriorated badly. A DTV tech tech came out and changed the dish and the muti- switch. Same poor quality picture remains. DTV has done something; probably compressed their signal even more. They're supposedly going to investigate the issue.

We buy expensive HD equipment, but DTV gives us an HD signal so degraded that it makes me want to sue their butt for false advertising.
I have experienced this banner message a couple of times in the last 2 days. It never stayed on for more than about 2 seconds, once the picture froze other times it did not. I was watching Fox News at those times and so far no signal degradation SD or HD. Weird to say the least. Not surprising D* couldn’t explain it, if their satellite fell to earth they’d ask you to reset the H20. :rolleyes:

I have experienced this banner message a couple of times in the last 2 days. It never stayed on for more than about 2 seconds, once the picture froze other times it did not. I was watching Fox News at those times and so far no signal degradation SD or HD. Weird to say the least. Not surprising D* couldn’t explain it, if their satellite fell to earth they’d ask you to reset the H20. :rolleyes:


When I've seen the message, my screen goes black for about ten seconds. DTV insisted the message wasn't from them, yet after seeing that others have experienced the same thing, it's obvious DTV is totally clueless.

I was about to purchase a new Pioneer, but with the really poor quality signal that I'm suddenly getting, what's the point.

About now, their satellite falling to earth might be a good thing.

This is ONLY for the HR20, not the H20 (don't know for sure what you mean since this is a H20 thread but you say HR20).

Assuming that he has the latest software (the GUI is now White) then under setup in the display section there is an option market "GUIDE Keypress" where they can change it to come up on the first press of the guide button.My H20, got it at the end of Nov 2006) has the old GUI (the blue one) and I too have the intermediate index (a bummer, but my old HD STB didn't have that, but was harder to set the timer). There is no way to disable that - I just checked my menu. I've gotten used to it, though, I just do a quick double press of the "Guide" button.

The normal update did not change that. Do you have any idea how to get the "latest software"?

BTW -- the usual CSRs are clueless (normally). It is rare to get one that knows which end is up (they read the answers from a computer screen).

Snuffy101 & Arnie D -- My HD install was made on 20 Nov 2006. I have the new (and larger) 5-LNB dish and the H20 STB. I've attached 2 pictures. I have both a flat panel (1366 x 768) display and a 720p projector. My H20 box is set to interface to a 720p TV (in the menu) and, as I said, I use the component output to send the signal to both my TV and my PJ. The SD channels look good and the HD channels look extremely good (slightly better than my DVDs - on some HD channels). My OTA HD (super bowl, for one) looks slightly better than Discovery HD theater, for example - tuned by the H20 STB. I have a Channel Master 4228 antenna on a 20' mast on the top of my roof (the 3rd picture) - I'm 50 miles from the HD broadcast towers.

Haven't been able to keep up with avsforum.com for quite awhile, but I went and looked back 3-5 pages of posts in this thread.

Is anyone having trouble with their H20-100 not displaying guide data lately?

Everytime I turn the thing on lately, it says "Regularly Scheduled Program" and shows it for the entire day on most channels.



Fixed this myself, for anyone that might have the same problem.

Using the red reset button by the access card slot didn't solve anything.
However, using the MENU, and using RESET TO FACTORY settings and going back through the initial setup, all is fine now.

btw: I'm still on the blue guide like others, and have like a 7/26 last update version date

btw: I'm still on the blue guide like others, and have like a 7/26 last update version date

D* hasn't released the white GUI for the H20's yet. There was another Cutting Edge release version last weekend and it still was the blue GUI.

If you're really interested in the white GUI you might want to check out the Cutting Edge section over a www.dbstalk.com and read up on CE releases, what they're for and the gotcha's. Chances are that there would be a CE release out a few weeks or months before it went into the national release stream.

Does the remote have a back light capability?

Does the remote have a back light capability?

Not the one that comes with the receiver. But you an order one from D* that does have backlighting.

Ok, quick question, I had D****tTV for all my viewing for 2 years (1998-2000) then went to cable (D****tTV couldn’t and still can’t beat the deal I received). For the last 7 years I have kept an open $0 dollar a month account with D****tTV, and only pay for ordering the Sunday Ticket. As, I have an old, old regular RCA receiver and want to upgrade to an HD-DVR and, I am out of contract and would like to remain that way, what would be my options for buying a HD-DVR. I have gone through CR and every option includes a 2 year contract. My thought is ebay, but will I be able to maintain my no contract?

Thank You.

Ok, maybe it wasn’t so quick….. :cool:

The H20-100 is officially being updated.
Staggered rollout of 0x2020 code base is being rolled out.

http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=110 for the release notes.

The biggest enhancement:
The H20 is now interactive ready
They have also improved the HDMI compatibility with the model.

They also fixed a bunch of misc other things, but I did not receive a "laundry" list of items.

The H20-100 is officially being updated.
Staggered rollout of 0x2020 code base is being rolled out.

http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=110 for the release notes.

The biggest enhancement:
The H20 is now interactive ready
They have also improved the HDMI compatibility with the model.

They also fixed a bunch of misc other things, but I did not receive a "laundry" list of items.

What about the H20-600?

Doug

What about the H20-600?

Doug

There is another CE for it tonight... so hopefully if no additional additional items are found in it....

It will start it's national rollout soon.

They REALLY want to get the H20 updated for the upcomming NFLST season

There is another CE for it tonight... so hopefully if no additional additional items are found in it....

It will start it's national rollout soon.

They REALLY want to get the H20 updated for the upcomming NFLST season

Gotcha. Thanks.

Doug

The H20-100 is officially being updated.
Staggered rollout of 0x2020 code base is being rolled out.

http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=110 for the release notes.

The biggest enhancement:
The H20 is now interactive ready
They have also improved the HDMI compatibility with the model.

They also fixed a bunch of misc other things, but I did not receive a "laundry" list of items.
"NORM"
[excuse me, EARL!]
Fearless leader!

"NORM"
[excuse me, EARL!]
Fearless leader!

;)

The H20-100 is officially being updated.
Staggered rollout of 0x2020 code base is being rolled out.

http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=110 for the release notes.

The biggest enhancement:
The H20 is now interactive ready
They have also improved the HDMI compatibility with the model.

They also fixed a bunch of misc other things, but I did not receive a "laundry" list of items.
I do hope this “update” will be voluntary and not force feed to the H20. I have had my H20-100C since last August and it works fine, no complaints what so ever. I use component connections not HDMI and can’t imagine I would ever care for “interactive” features.
“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” “Better is often the worst enemy of good”

If D*'s doing a national rollout then sorry you'll be getting that new code, nothing you can do about it, no option to opt out.

I do hope this “update” will be voluntary and not force feed to the H20. I have had my H20-100C since last August and it works fine, no complaints what so ever. I use component connections not HDMI and can’t imagine I would ever care for “interactive” features.
“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” “Better is often the worst enemy of good”

I wish I wouldn't have received it, my H20 seems to be stuck in mud now, takes a good two seconds after I press any button for something to happen plus my guide data for local channels is not working at all. Does anyone else have this with their H20 now, I got zapped by a power outage Friday night so I was wondering if this may have adversely affected my H20. I saw a couple of posts back about resetting to factory defaults, I will try that tonight.

Greetings. I'm new to DTV and the H20. I just moved and the cable company here is... well, "No comment" would probably be the best thing to say. So I ditched them and set up satellite service. So far, it has been good with one exception. The H20 does not want to send a signal to my TV that it can understand in 1080i. And I'm starting to get the impression of getting the run around from customer service. The tech that installed the service returned to take a look and did absolutely nothing. He never even looked at the equipment but instead was saying something about older Mitsubishi TVs but he forgot what his boss told him to tell me. After trying to mumble his way through having no clue what he was talking about, he stated that his boss would be calling me that night and left. Well, he never did. A call to customer service ended up with them giving me the direct number to the local installer but nobody is answering. Before I start to get a little warm under the collar, I'll explain fully what the technical problems and connections are to see if any of you have heard of similar problems and might have a solution for me.

List of equipment connected:
TV: Mitsubishi WS65511, 2002 model.
DTV: H20 (I don't know what specific version it is nor where to find it)
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR600
DVD: An old RCA player that is soon to depart and is not really part of the situation
HTPC: Under construction

Everything is connected with component cables, the H20 is the first equipment I've had with HDMI so I cannot use that. I've tried the H20 connected directly to the TV and through the receiver with different cables.

The problem: When I have tried to get the H20 set up for 1080i in the menu, everything gets scrambled. The TV tries going into HD mode, but what I get is similar to an old TV with a poorly tuned antenna. Both the picture and the information from the H20 is scrambled. I have turned the TV off and on with the H20 in 1080i because sometimes the TV does get confused when changing from SD to HD, but with no results. The H20 will downrez to 420p and does a good job of it, but is still not HD. At the moment, I don't know what else I can try.

This TV is older, but I'm having difficulty believing that it won't work with newer equipment such as the H20. It worked perfectly fine in HD with the cable box I had back in New Jersey. I do have plans to replace the TV with newer equipment, but that won't be happening until next year when I have recovered from moving expenses. If anyone has a suggestion to try, I would appreciate hearing it. I've tried searching the forums before posting, but there is such a immense amount of information here that I quickly became lost. My thanks if you can help out.

1st, the model number is on the white tag on the back of the unit (with all the power details & a bar code). It is also on the box that the H20 came in. Mine says H20-100.

2nd, there is a set of "Resolution" indicators and a button on the front of the H20, to the left of center, under the "Guide" & "Menu" buttons. Pressing the "Resolution" button will cycle through the available resolutions - the one being used has it's LED lit. I have my flat panel TV (16:9 LCD) connected with the component cables, and I have no problems. With your set, you should have it set to 1080i - the right most LED. My set is a 768P and I have it set to 720P which gives me a beautiful HD picture (and SD too) - the same for my PJ, also connected with component cables.

You do have to go through the set-up menu on the H20 (which your installer is required to have done for you) - if he/she didn't then call D* and complain that your installer didn't do their contracted job. They are not responsible for setting up your TV display, of course.

You also need to look at your TV's manual to see how it's set-up. It sounds like you've done that though.

The H20 manual has most of the information you need to get it set-up correctly. You can also download a PDF copy of it from the D* web site (that makes it easier to find various adjustments).

BTW, D* sent a Quality Control inspector out to check up on the installer's job (about 3 months after the job was done).

My H20-600 wouldn't work on HDMI with a Sceptre that I had, replaced it with a Sony and it was OK. Moved the H20 to a Dell and it worked fine until I took the cutting edge test code and now the audio doesn't work if I take the H20 out of standby until the Dell has booted all the way up. Hopefully one day D* will get the HDMI interface working better on the next release.


Please tell me which Sceptre model you had?? I have the Sceptre X20WG-Naga the site it's self says it supports HDCP..

20.1" WSXGA+ HD (HDCP) LCD Monitor

http://www.sceptre.com/Products/LCD/Specifications/spec_x20wg_Naga.htm

my Direct Tv install is 5 days from now and I already went out and brought a HDMI to DVI cable.

Interesting...didn't know it was a problem on CRTs. I was paranoid with it on my plasma at first, but now it doesn't even cross my mind anymore.


Yeah we have burn-in on a 15" CRT at work for 6 months it only had one static display of the video upload software we used and now that we have changed to a new control panel you can see where it has burned in.

Thank you for responding CT_Wiebe.

I do not think that this is an issue caused by an incorrect setup. I have gone through the manual for both the H20 and the TV again to see if there is anything that I'm missing. It seems to me to be an electronics issue where the TV just can't understand the signal from the box. I'm writing just before I leave for work, but did a quick scan through the different modes of the H20 by using the resolution button. In 720, I get a blue screen because the TV does not support it. In 1080i, the TV switches into 1080i mode but I continue to have the scrambled picture. What has me concerned is the comment about "older Mitsubishi TVs". I've heard that once before that there might be some issues with them, but I cannot recall where and what for.

I might just have to step up my plans for replacing the TV. It is something I need to do anyway. In my old place, it fit perfectly in a nice little alcove. But here, that old CRT based model takes up half of the living room. Newer TVs sure have slimmed down in size compared to this thing. But anyway, thanks again!

Thank you for responding CT_Wiebe.

I do not think that this is an issue caused by an incorrect setup. I have gone through the manual for both the H20 and the TV again to see if there is anything that I'm missing. It seems to me to be an electronics issue where the TV just can't understand the signal from the box. I'm writing just before I leave for work, but did a quick scan through the different modes of the H20 by using the resolution button. In 720, I get a blue screen because the TV does not support it. In 1080i, the TV switches into 1080i mode but I continue to have the scrambled picture. What has me concerned is the comment about "older Mitsubishi TVs". I've heard that once before that there might be some issues with them, but I cannot recall where and what for.

I might just have to step up my plans for replacing the TV. It is something I need to do anyway. In my old place, it fit perfectly in a nice little alcove. But here, that old CRT based model takes up half of the living room. Newer TVs sure have slimmed down in size compared to this thing. But anyway, thanks again!
Did your clone post this a couple of days ago on the DBSTalk forum?
I'm having a case of Déjà vu.
If you're going through the same thing [sounds like it], you need to connect to the HD2 on the TV. HD1 is for a DVD. Your TV doesn't output 720 so uncheck 720 in the H20.
Next if is doesn't look good, go into your TV settings as this is where the other person found the adjustments to have a good picture, and there is nothing more for the H20.

MY H20 was force-feed the new 0x2020 “update” at around 3:00am this morning. :( All I can see is some font changes in the guides, added sound effects (that don’t work), and the Active button now works, but for no real value. The new software reset my favorites to all channels and the box is now very slow to respond to the buttons on the remote. It took me over 30 minutes to setup my favorites again hampered by the now slower response of the remote. Gee thanks D* :mad: .

MY H20 was force-feed the new 0x2020 “update” at around 3:00am this morning. :( All I can see is some font changes in the guides, added sound effects (that don’t work), and the Active button now works, but for no real value. The new software reset my favorites to all channels and the box is now very slow to respond to the buttons on the remote. It took me over 30 minutes to setup my favorites again hampered by the now slower response of the remote. Gee thanks D* :mad: .
Give it some time as it is doing "house keeping" [data from the SAT].
Later it should be better.

Hey Guys
I just got the h20-100. Love it so far. No issues. Although I just came from the D* HD Tivo, and I was used too, and liked the feature where you fast forward through the commercials, then when you hit play it backs you up a few seconds. With the new unit, it just stops when you hit play. Is there a way to set it up where it will bounce back a few seconds? Its always odd to me when there are "upgrades" and things end up going backwards.
thanks
Joe

Hey Guys
I just got the h20-100. Love it so far. No issues. Although I just came from the D* HD Tivo, and I was used too, and liked the feature where you fast forward through the commercials, then when you hit play it backs you up a few seconds. With the new unit, it just stops when you hit play. Is there a way to set it up where it will bounce back a few seconds? Its always odd to me when there are "upgrades" and things end up going backwards.
thanks
Joe
the H20-100 is a NON-DVR.
What you seem to be posting about is the HR-20-100. Wrong forum [thread]
Try here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10939235#post10939235

Did your clone post this a couple of days ago on the DBSTalk forum?
I'm having a case of Déjà vu.
If you're going through the same thing [sounds like it], you need to connect to the HD2 on the TV. HD1 is for a DVD. Your TV doesn't output 720 so uncheck 720 in the H20.
Next if is doesn't look good, go into your TV settings as this is where the other person found the adjustments to have a good picture, and there is nothing more for the H20.

No, I did not clone the post. You just helped me out, though. And now I feel kinda like an idiot. Tis a case of not seeing the obvious even when it is biting me on the nose. Sitting here watching Ice Age 2 in 1080i as I write this. The TV does not have an HD1 and HD2 input. It does have two component inputs which are 480i/480p. But what I was not looking at was the next bank over because it has 5 inputs and I was fooling myself into thinking that those were for something else. Has the usual red, green and blue inputs but also has H and V. Ignoring the H and V, that is what I needed to plug into and change the TV settings. Oh, well. At least I figured it out. Many thanks for the clue that led me to it.

No, I did not clone the post.
It was a joke, but not cloning a post, but your "clone" posting.
Glad you got it. :D

Does anyone know where in San Diego I can pick up a couple of H20-100 boxes?

I'm upgrading to HD next week.

The two retailers I've looked at merchandise of (Carlsbad Costco, Encinitas Circuit City) only have stock of H20-600 units-which I don't want.

rlowell

the H20-100 is a NON-DVR.
What you seem to be posting about is the HR-20-100. Wrong forum [thread]
Try here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10939235#post10939235


Thank you kindly
Joe

So no one else has a Sceptre?

Please tell me which Sceptre model you had?? I have the Sceptre X20WG-Naga the site it's self says it supports HDCP..

20.1" WSXGA+ HD (HDCP) LCD Monitor

http://www.sceptre.com/Products/LCD/Specifications/spec_x20wg_Naga.htm

my Direct Tv install is 5 days from now and I already went out and brought a HDMI to DVI cable.

Sorry, don't remember the model number, it was the 42" LCD panel that Costco was selling last summer.

darn.. I guess I will just have to find out of the sceptre REALLY does support HDCP or not with the H20...

rlowell -- There is no point in buying one (you get it cheaper through D* anyway). Your "upgrade" should come with the H20 STB (or 2, depending on what you ordered). When I upgraded mine, both the new dish and the STB were included (I'm using my old HD-HTL STB in my 2nd room - it works just fine too).

Greetings. I'm new to DTV and the H20. I just moved and the cable company here is... well, "No comment" would probably be the best thing to say. So I ditched them and set up satellite service. So far, it has been good with one exception. The H20 does not want to send a signal to my TV that it can understand in 1080i. And I'm starting to get the impression of getting the run around from customer service. The tech that installed the service returned to take a look and did absolutely nothing. He never even looked at the equipment but instead was saying something about older Mitsubishi TVs but he forgot what his boss told him to tell me. After trying to mumble his way through having no clue what he was talking about, he stated that his boss would be calling me that night and left. Well, he never did. A call to customer service ended up with them giving me the direct number to the local installer but nobody is answering. Before I start to get a little warm under the collar, I'll explain fully what the technical problems and connections are to see if any of you have heard of similar problems and might have a solution for me.

List of equipment connected:
TV: Mitsubishi WS65511, 2002 model.
DTV: H20 (I don't know what specific version it is nor where to find it)
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR600
DVD: An old RCA player that is soon to depart and is not really part of the situation
HTPC: Under construction

Everything is connected with component cables, the H20 is the first equipment I've had with HDMI so I cannot use that. I've tried the H20 connected directly to the TV and through the receiver with different cables.

The problem: When I have tried to get the H20 set up for 1080i in the menu, everything gets scrambled. The TV tries going into HD mode, but what I get is similar to an old TV with a poorly tuned antenna. Both the picture and the information from the H20 is scrambled. I have turned the TV off and on with the H20 in 1080i because sometimes the TV does get confused when changing from SD to HD, but with no results. The H20 will downrez to 420p and does a good job of it, but is still not HD. At the moment, I don't know what else I can try.

This TV is older, but I'm having difficulty believing that it won't work with newer equipment such as the H20. It worked perfectly fine in HD with the cable box I had back in New Jersey. I do have plans to replace the TV with newer equipment, but that won't be happening until next year when I have recovered from moving expenses. If anyone has a suggestion to try, I would appreciate hearing it. I've tried searching the forums before posting, but there is such a immense amount of information here that I quickly became lost. My thanks if you can help out.

You may be having a problem if 720p is checked on your H20 as a supported resolution, because your TV does not support 720p. You need to go into the setup menu and make sure 720p is unchecked. Additionally, although I believe you have multiple component video connections only one of them supports HD, you need to make sure you are using the correct one.

EDIT: Apologies, I see this one was already answered, I was looking at the wrong page of posts. Still I see it looks like my second suggestion was the correct one!!!

Hello! I have recently upgraded to a dtv H20 and have it connected through HDMI to a Hitachi plasma, with optical out to Sony A/V. The sound works but I am not geting DD5.1 decoding on my rec. DVD player works DD5.1. I do NOT want to use optical out and hdmi... Any suggestions? BTW Dtv CSR told me DD5.1 isn't being offered anymore! HA HA HA!!! Thanks!!

Hello! I have recently upgraded to a dtv H20 and have it connected through HDMI to a Hitachi plasma, with optical out to Sony A/V. The sound works but I am not geting DD5.1 decoding on my rec. DVD player works DD5.1. I do NOT want to use optical out and hdmi... Any suggestions? BTW Dtv CSR told me DD5.1 isn't being offered anymore! HA HA HA!!! Thanks!!


uhmm if you want DD 5.1 out you need to use the optical out the component Red and white audio cables are only for L & R audio and HDMI is only for video on the H20.

Thanks Subaru
The PCM 5.1 works from the H20. Would that make a diff? Do they have a new box that only utilizes hdmi? I am afraid the audio visual will be out of sync when not using teh optical out from my TV

rlowell -- There is no point in buying one (you get it cheaper through D* anyway). Your "upgrade" should come with the H20 STB (or 2, depending on what you ordered). When I upgraded mine, both the new dish and the STB were included (I'm using my old HD-HTL STB in my 2nd room - it works just fine too).

CT_Weibe:

I see that you got the -100 box. That's good. Is it working well for you?

My "point" in trying to buy this from a retailer in San Diego who has stock is that that way I can force which SKU I get.

I think there is ample evidence of people (earlier posters to this thread) who asked for H20-100s and were given H20-600s at time of install.

Or am I wrong about this? Do you think I can ask Directv specifically to install the --100 box?

All of the retail outlets in San Diego I've checked with only have -600 boxes.

I've got a fair amount of Home Theatre gear in my entertainment center. And I'd really not be generating more heat from my STB if I can avoid that.

rlowell

Thanks Subaru
The PCM 5.1 works from the H20. Would that make a diff? Do they have a new box that only utilizes hdmi? I am afraid the audio visual will be out of sync when not using teh optical out from my TV


Well now you are saying DD 5.1 works from the H20 so now I'am confused.. and as far as I know all the Direct TV boxes with HDMI only do video.

As far as the video being out of sync I've seen a few others report that problem.. I will let someone else who has an H20 speak about that.

My TV does recieve audio from the HDMI, just not Dolby 5.1. I have placed numerous calls to D*TV and get no where. I wonder if I need to initialize the dolby decoder in the H20 through the optical out, then switch to HDMI. hmmmm. the fruistration! Thansk again

My TV does recieve audio from the HDMI, just not Dolby 5.1. I have placed numerous calls to D*TV and get no where. I wonder if I need to initialize the dolby decoder in the H20 through the optical out, then switch to HDMI. hmmmm. the fruistration! Thansk again


I'm saying the Direct TV box does NOT output audio with the HDMI plug regardless if your tv can get audio from the HDMI plug or not.

I understand what you meant, but I am getting audio from my dTV receiver w/ HDMI.

I'm saying the Direct TV box does NOT output audio with the HDMI plug regardless if your tv can get audio from the HDMI plug or not.
Well my TV gets audio from the HDMI cable. Now the TV will not pass this out it's optical output, which I'd hoped, but it only does this for the internal ATSC tuner.
The DVI connections don't pass audio, but the HDMI does.

Thanks VOS! I am just hoping when i run the tos link from the dtv to the A/V rec, and hdmi to the tv they are in sync!! Thanks to all as this has been most frustrating!!!!

The HDMI cable does output DD audio. It's just that most TVs won't decode it and DD has to be turned off in the H20. If an HDMI switching AV receiver that doesn't have an HDMI handshake problem with the H20 is used, it will decode Dolby Digital from the HDMI audio stream.

rlowell -- Yes it's working fine, except for the HDMI output. Using the HDMI output gives me occasional signal drop-outs, which is very disturbing. However, the PQ from the component outputs equals the HDMI (and is 720p or 1080i, depending on the source), so I'm not worrying about it (and no drop-outs).

I'm not sure if the HDMI drop-outs are a problem in my H20-100 or a handshake problem between it and my LG 32LC2D (LCD flat panel) display. BTW, I've tried several HDMI cables and both HDMI ports on my display, all with the same results.

D* will not guarantee which STB you will get. You may be able to talk to the installer to see if they will put in a H20-100 (if they even have any). The DirecTV CSRs don't have a clue (they are cheap labor that just reads the "party line").

If you do buy a H20-100, you will be charged an exorbitant price and will still get what ever STB the D* installer brings out (which you are also paying for). I suspect that the H20-600's are the "new/improved" version, FWIW. My system was installed last November (11/20/2006).

By the way, I have a.. like new..Model 600 HD20 for sale..just got the HD DVR installed yesterday. Also have a Model '100' for sale. Have box, all papers, etc.

I'm saying the Direct TV box does NOT output audio with the HDMI plug regardless if your tv can get audio from the HDMI plug or not.

Audio over HDMI from the H20 works fine. DD 5.1 audio over HDMI from the H20 works fine. But as has been posted, if you connect the HDMI to your TV, then connect the TV 'audio out" to your A/V receiver using an optical audio cable, most TVs won't give you DD 5.1 on that output, only PCM stereo. This is a limitation of the TV. You have to connect the H20 to your A/V receiver directly via an optical audio cable to get DD 5.1.

The H20-100 and the H20-600 are different manufacturers, the -100 is RCA and the -600 is LG. There is no "newest model". There are some differences between the models, some of them are:
the -600 has one of the best OTA tuners, the -100 is just so-so
the -600 sometimes suffers overheating problems, particularly if in an enclosed space
the -100 has more HDMI compatibility issues than the -600 (hopefully solved by a new software release, 0x2020, which is rolling out to different areas of the country)

The H20-100 and the H20-600 are different manufacturers, the -100 is RCA and the -600 is LG. There is no "newest model". There are some differences between the models, some of them are:
the -600 has one of the best OTA tuners, the -100 is just so-so
the -600 sometimes suffers overheating problems, particularly if in an enclosed space
the -100 has more HDMI compatibility issues than the -600 (hopefully solved by a new software release, 0x2020, which is rolling out to different areas of the country)[/QUOTE]

texasbrit:

Is the menu lag equal between the -100 and -600 models?

rlowell

Give it some time as it is doing "house keeping" [data from the SAT].
Later it should be better.
Well it has been several days now and my recently "updated to x2020" H20-100 still has the remote-menus lag :( . The slow response is a real PITA but I guess I'll have to live with it. My statement, "Better is often the worst enemy of good" was proven in this case.

:) Some good News;

"Boeing-Built DIRECTV 10 Satellite Delivers First Signals from Space

ST. LOUIS, July 07, 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today confirmed that the DIRECTV 10 satellite has sent its first on-orbit signals to the Boeing Mission Control Center in El Segundo, Calif., indicating that the satellite is healthy and operating normally.

An International Launch Services Proton Breeze M vehicle launched the satellite yesterday at 9:16 p.m. EDT (1:16 GMT July 7) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The ground station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa, reported spacecraft acquisition 9 hours, 49 minutes later.

Boeing's advanced telecommunications technology aboard the 702 model satellite will expand DIRECTV's national and local high-definition services across the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska."

"This is the eighth satellite we've delivered for DIRECTV, which will provide unprecedented local and national high-definition television to DIRECTV customers," said Howard Chambers, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. "We've provided DIRECTV satellites since 1993, and we look forward to completing the on-orbit maneuvers and tests of this newest spacecraft. Once on-orbit testing is complete, we'll hand over the satellite to DIRECTV, and they can put it into service for the 16 million DIRECTV customers who recognize the value of this space-based broadcasting system."

DIRECTV 10, one of three next-generation satellites Boeing is building for DIRECTV, features state-of-the-art antenna and payload subsystems and a 48-meter solar array, resulting in 18,000 watts of spacecraft power."

Snuffy101:

It's interesting you note the menu lag in the -100 model. I've heard it's worse in the -600 model. And my wife's quite the channel surfer. So I want to minimize it.

Do you or any posters in this thread have objective (having tried both -600 and -100) experience and an opinion about which box is more "laggy"?

Thanks in advance.

rlowell

Snuffy101:

It's interesting you note the menu lag in the -100 model. I've heard it's worse in the -600 model. And my wife's quite the channel surfer. So I want to minimize it.

Do you or any posters in this thread have objective (having tried both -600 and -100) experience and an opinion about which box is more "laggy"?

Thanks in advance.

rlowell
My H20-100 was plenty fast before the 0x2020 FW upgrade that D* forced on me last week, now it is probably as slow as the notorious -600. Still, I would advise to get a -100 since they run cooler (actually, I should say "not as warm"). :)

My H20-100 was plenty fast before the 0x2020 FW upgrade that D* forced on me last week, now it is probably as slow as the notorious -600. Still, I would advise to get a -100 since they run cooler (actually, I should say "not as warm"). :)

Snuffy101:

Thanks for the advice. I still believe the -100 box is less laggy than the -600. But they've both probably slowed down with the firmware upgrades.

I do care about the heat as well. I'll pick up a -100 box on eBay.

rlowell

thanks for the good news snuffy!

AARRRRGGHHHH!!! I just received the new so-called firmware "upgrade" on my H20-100. prior to the update, my H20 was super-fast, especially compared to my HR-20. Now there is horrible button-lag, and the guide is now the cascade-style, and sooooo slow! Reading through the prior posts, I see comments of the slow down. But has anyone else's guide turned into the cascade style? Anyone know of a way to turn this off to speed it up? I know on my HR-20, before the most recent update, there was a hidden menu to turn this off, anyone know of something similar for the H20? I cannot live with this!! D* customer service said they had heard of no problems (naturally). Pease Help

How do you know if you had an upgrade? My H20 reads 003E 020E, B00000113 Orig ver; 100C, Wed 8/23 at 2:06p Past Upgrade; Future upgrade Not Scheduled.

How do you know if you had an upgrade? My H20 reads 003E 020E, B00000113 Orig ver; 100C, Wed 8/23 at 2:06p Past Upgrade; Future upgrade Not Scheduled.
Past upgrade will say: 2020 instead of 100C

I already had two H20-600s and on Saturday got an H20-100. For a day or so, the H20-100 was extremely slow to respond to commands such as channel changes or guide display. A day or two after the install was completed, the guide has shown significantly improved speed. I saw a post about the STB doing some work for the first day or so after it is connected and now I can verify that seems to have been the case for me. Also, having both the 100 and 600 models, I can attest to the fact that my 100 model does have a speedier response than the 600 model....

I was under the impression that the H20 dash number indicated the country of manufacture. I have the H20-600....the -600 indicating it was made in China (isn't everything?). Wouldn't the specs be the same?

yes.. my units got "upgraded" this morning, and now there is such horrible menu lag, as well as the menu scrolling changed...

grrr!

I was under the impression that the H20 dash number indicated the country of manufacture. I have the H20-600....the -600 indicating it was made in China (isn't everything?). Wouldn't the specs be the same?
THe dash number identifies the manufacturer;
-100 RCA
-600 LG

We got the "upgrade" last night. Our H20-100 now reacts to the menu buttons much slower than before. I just tried the HDMI output, and it does seem that my signal drop-out problem has been fixed.

As tommer_2a said, the scrolling has changed too. It now "slides" rather than doing a page switch. TLARSEN is this what you mean by "cascade-style"?

There is one menu improvement though - after you set "Autotune" it automatically returns you to the menu. With the old settings, I had to hit the "Back" button in order to get back to the menu.

The other thing (in addition to the slower menu operation) that I noticed is that the Caller ID readout has changed. Instead of reporting "no name" it just leaves that part blank when a name is not provided. The phone number leaves out the dashes (8661234567, instead of 866-123-4567). This makes the phone number extremely difficult to recognize.

So far it looks like they fixed 2 operational problems, but they created at least 2 new ones.

I'm going to send DirecTV an email (that seems to work better than talking to the clueless CSRs) complaining about their choice of what is a service "upgrade" - it's certainly not an complete "improvement" :eek:.

I tried the "reset to factory defaults" idea and the unit is still as sluggish as before. This was a great box before the "upgrade", now I'm not so sure due to the speed of the menus etc...

One good thing about our H20 firmware upgrade was the speed on how the "Native" resolution reacts, it's much faster! the downside is, it defaults the format to "zoom" when you change from HD to 480i. Spoke with Directv csr and i was told that only now that they're getting calls from us whose h20's got upgraded. No timetable on when the next firmware upgrade(fix) will be.

If you haven't heard or done this: tune to channel 499 to test your BBC, if you have the new software.
A good test is searching for SAT [771].
I tested my six and found five were bad.
D* will send out replacements for free.

Just called D* because I don't have the new software and the tech said that my black screen on 499 with the b-band converters attached is fine. I wonder?

Just called D* because I don't have the new software and the tech said that my black screen on 499 with the b-band converters attached is fine. I wonder?This is true.

From what I read elsewhere, since there is no operating B-band satellite, the test involves an a-band channel that the B-band-converters (BBCs) are told is a b-band channel.

If you don't have converters, or the converters are faulty, then the a-band channel won't be "converted" and you'll see the broadcast you-have-a-problem text.

If you DO have working converters then channel 449 is converted as if it were a b-band channel. This will result in NO SIGNAL to the box, since channel 449 is not a b-band channel, and the black screen says that the BBCs are working.

My box was forcefully upgraded with the new firmware/software earlier this week. I immediately noticed a few (bad) differences...

1) Paging down in the guide sucks now. The fast scrolling/cascading/whatever you want to call it they have implemented just makes it so much slower.

2) Overall on-screen guide/menu is much slower to respond than before.

3) My DirecTv remote stopped controlling my box once the new software was uploaded. I had to reset the box and my remote to get it working again.

4) This is the MOST important annoying issue I have encountered, and if anyone noticed the same, have you found a fix for it yet...when I push the guide button now to get into the guide, or to get back out, the audio cuts out for a split second. Sounds more like a hiccup, but it is SUPER annoying. I NEVER had this problem before they upgraded the box.

It doesn't happen on every channel, but when it does, it bugs the crap out of me.

This is true.

From what I read elsewhere, since there is no operating B-band satellite, the test involves an a-band channel that the B-band-converters (BBCs) are told is a b-band channel.

If you don't have converters, or the converters are faulty, then the a-band channel won't be "converted" and you'll see the broadcast you-have-a-problem text.

If you DO have working converters then channel 449 is converted as if it were a b-band channel. This will result in NO SIGNAL to the box, since channel 449 is not a b-band channel, and the black screen says that the BBCs are working.
OOPS you meant 499

Just called D* because I don't have the new software and the tech said that my black screen on 499 with the b-band converters attached is fine. I wonder?

For the H20-100, only the new software (0x2020) supports the 499 test. You will either see a "searching for satellite" message, which means the bbc is working, or an on-screen message telling you the bbc is not fitted or is not working properly.

My box was forcefully upgraded with the new firmware/software earlier this week. I immediately noticed a few (bad) differences...

1) Paging down in the guide sucks now. The fast scrolling/cascading/whatever you want to call it they have implemented just makes it so much slower.

2) Overall on-screen guide/menu is much slower to respond than before.

3) My DirecTv remote stopped controlling my box once the new software was uploaded. I had to reset the box and my remote to get it working again.

4) This is the MOST important annoying issue I have encountered, and if anyone noticed the same, have you found a fix for it yet...when I push the guide button now to get into the guide, or to get back out, the audio cuts out for a split second. Sounds more like a hiccup, but it is SUPER annoying. I NEVER had this problem before they upgraded the box.

It doesn't happen on every channel, but when it does, it bugs the crap out of me.First of all, my H20-100 was turned on and operaating when the upgrade came through. It failed the first time (it shut my H20 off) and I had to restart it. It went fine after that.

I've only seen your #2 problem, and either I'm getting used to its different operation, or it is getting faster after just over a days use (or both).

Your # 4 problem is most likely due to your pressing a remote button while its "doing its thing". The menu operation has changed and you no longer have to press the "Back" button to exit the timer program settings (which was required with the original software).

If you try to "accelerate" the operation of the remote, it will actually slow you down. If you accept that the remote operation has changed and "go with the flow", you will find that it actually works smoother (although a little slower). Being impatient is definitely a no-no, with the new software.

If you haven't heard or done this: tune to channel 499 to test your BBC, if you have the new software.
A good test is searching for SAT [771].
I tested my six and found five were bad.
D* will send out replacements for free.Thanks for this information. I just tried this test (tuned to 499). I got the black screen and the "Searching for the Satellite (771)" info. So it looks like my BBC is working.

Thanks for this information. I just tried this test (tuned to 499). I got the black screen and the "Searching for the Satellite (771)" info. So it looks like my BBC is working.
As they say: "go... for launch"
[Well that was last week and it did].

Yup! Now we have to wait for the satellite checkout and hand-over to D*, followed by D*'s tests and system set-up. Best estimates are mid-September (that's about the same length of time it took for our weather satellites - the GOES East & West sats - 6 to 8 weeks). It could be into October, if they run into problems.

Yup! Now we have to wait for the satellite checkout and hand-over to D*, followed by D*'s tests and system set-up. Best estimates are mid-September (that's about the same length of time it took for our weather satellites - the GOES East & West sats - 6 to 8 weeks). It could be into October, if they run into problems.
"Space Systems/Loral"?
did some time there.

I just did the "499 test" and got the "searching" message, so it seems I am ok also :)
Now just have to live with the SLOW menu and weird cascading channel screen hehe

Oh, silly question... what is the "BBC" in reference to channel 499? :)

I just did the "499 test" and got the "searching" message, so it seems I am ok also :)
Now just have to live with the SLOW menu and weird cascading channel screen hehe

Oh, silly question... what is the "BBC" in reference to channel 499? :)
"B band converter" or that little thing on your SAT input which up converts signals to a higher frequency for the box to receive.

In response to some of SLAMMER7's comments, I too experience the audio dropouts. For example, when viewing a channel, if I bring up the guide, there is an audio dropout while the screen is being moved/downsized to the upper right corner of the screen. VERY DISTURBING. For me, it happens every single time. Not just when pushing the buttons too fast. For some, their guide has slightly speeded up since the install. I notice that it is maybe just a hair faster then the beginning, but still completely awful compared to before the "upgrade". The worst thing is this: prior to the update, I just pushed the guide button twice in succession very fast. This basically bypassed the filter-guide screen, it was that fast. Now this doesn't work. You must push guide, wait the 2 long seconds for the filter screen to appear (along with another audio dropout), and then press guide once again to actually bring up the guide. This was my favorite stb, now it's just a complete piece of ****!!!

i have searched this thread, but i'm not going to go through all 174 (wow!!) pages one by one



is it possible to buy the H2O without signing up for directtv? i just want the OTA HD functions (unless there is a different i should get)

i have searched this thread, but i'm not going to go through all 174 (wow!!) pages one by one



is it possible to buy the H2O without signing up for directtv? i just want the OTA HD functions (unless there is a different i should get)

No.

i have searched this thread, but i'm not going to go through all 174 (wow!!) pages one by one
is it possible to buy the H2O without signing up for directtv? i just want the OTA HD functions (unless there is a different i should get)
"possible" yes.
Will it be anything other than a door stop? no

It only works with an active account.

i have searched this thread, but i'm not going to go through all 174 (wow!!) pages one by one



is it possible to buy the H2O without signing up for directtv? i just want the OTA HD functions (unless there is a different i should get)

You'll have to buy one of the older D* sets if you want an OTA only tuner.

Deezul

"possible" yes.
Will it be anything other than a door stop? no

It only works with an active account.

what about off a site like this?

http://www.2000networks.com/used_receivers/used_directv_h20.html

it says there is no commitment, does that mean they wont' call me, or can i use it just for it's ota capabilities?

i would like to buy this one instead of that one, but not if i need to make an agreement
(edit*** go to www.amazon.com and search for Philips H20 Direct TV High Definition Receiver Box you'll be set. i would the 70$~~ one in the used and new section (new though w/ hdmi cable)
it's cheaper!

If you're looking for D* OTA and thinking of buying a box, why wouldn't you just buy an OTA antenna? No subscription and you'd get the same thing for much less.

Doug

If you're looking for D* OTA and thinking of buying a box, why wouldn't you just buy an OTA antenna? No subscription and you'd get the same thing for much less.

Doug

i'm looking to do hdtv ota, and my set doesn't have the atsc tuner necessary. i was looking for the cheapest solution to receiving ota signal, and this looks like it (well the amazon link that is)

i'm not sure what you mean though....

The issue is that the H20 will not work at all, even OTA, without a D* subscription. The H10 will work without a sub if hooked to a dish. Any older model - LG LSS3200, Sony SatHD300, Hughes HTL-HD will work for what you want.

The issue is that the H20 will not work at all, even OTA, without a D* subscription. The H10 will work without a sub if hooked to a dish. Any older model - LG LSS3200, Sony SatHD300, Hughes HTL-HD will work for what you want.

thank you! i'm off to find which of these best fits my price :) you are wonderful :-) :D

Is anyone experiencing problems with the H20-100? All of the sudden it’s not sending image thru HDMI anymore and in components is “blinking” every 3 seconds. Did the 10 minutes unplugged and nothing is happening. Software is 100C.

thank you! i'm off to find which of these best fits my price :) you are wonderful :-) :D

I have a Sony SAT HD-300 that I was using before I got the new D* box. It is sitting in my garage, and still works great. I have the original box, remote, manuals, etc.

I *believe* you could use this for only OTA if you wanted. If you are interested, let me know and make me a fair offer. I am happy to ship it to you.

In response to some of SLAMMER7's comments, I too experience the audio dropouts. For example, when viewing a channel, if I bring up the guide, there is an audio dropout while the screen is being moved/downsized to the upper right corner of the screen. VERY DISTURBING. For me, it happens every single time. Not just when pushing the buttons too fast. For some, their guide has slightly speeded up since the install. I notice that it is maybe just a hair faster then the beginning, but still completely awful compared to before the "upgrade". The worst thing is this: prior to the update, I just pushed the guide button twice in succession very fast. This basically bypassed the filter-guide screen, it was that fast. Now this doesn't work. You must push guide, wait the 2 long seconds for the filter screen to appear (along with another audio dropout), and then press guide once again to actually bring up the guide. This was my favorite stb, now it's just a complete piece of ****!!!

Glad to hear I am not the only one with this annoying problem. Let me know if you have any luck getting it fixed.

I have the audio dropout problem all of a sudden as of yesterday - didn't happen for the past week or so till then (my "upgrade" downloaded on 7/3). Weird and VERY annoying.

I also suddenly have the problem where SD channels are in zoom mode, and to get them back to my normal 4:3 setting, I have to jump to another SD channel and back again. WTH is up with THAT "feature"? Did they even test this stuff? Lastly, the interactive features now work, though they are SO slow to respond as to be worthless.. i.e. on the MLB game mix channel. Overall, a pretty crappy "upgrade" effort.

This upgrade is no upgrade at all! :mad: Some of the functions work intermittently (Info and List), the damn thing is so slow you easily get ahead of it. The Active button is a worthless add-on. I wish I could go back to the 100C version. D* must have contracted with a high school class to program this crap :rolleyes: . I would hope for another upgrade but it would probably get even worse. I think D* should fire the idiots that programmed this release and down grade us back to the version that worked. I wonder if an old H10 would be any better?

There is already a test released on another version. http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1003910&postcount=2

After 4 days, I haven't had any audio drop-outs (when going to and from, or between, menu modes). Getting the first menu screen is the slowest, otherwise the search slowdowns are minor (on my unit). Pressing the "Exit" button exhibits the greatest slowdown (sometimes it seems to forget that I've even pressed it).

I agree that their quality control appears to be severely lacking - both for the hardware and the software.

The upgrade did solve my problems with the HDMI output (eliminated the video/audio drop-outs while watching a program).

Snuffy101 -- Going back to an H10 is not a solution. The H10 won't work with the new B-band Satellite HD signals (the new 771 satellite launched about a week ago, and is scheduled to come on line in mid-September). I would complain to D* that you have a defective H20 and they should replace it (unfortunately probably with a H20-600).

There is already a test released on another version. http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1003910&postcount=2
Thanks for the info! Already another FW test, just confirms my suspicions. My 30+ years experience in the computer industry has taught me a few things. When a product is new, the FW is programmed by the hardware engineers, who have an in-depth understanding of the design. Later on, the programming is dictated by Marketing and performed by “propeller heads” (programmers). These individuals have little understanding of the hardware and only know what they read in the Engineering documents. Since Engineers are not known to be great writers about their work, there is a disconnect and we get stuff like the 0x2020. These programmers need to justify their existence so we get a never-ending string of "improvements" of "Improvements".
There was a time when software was throughly tested before release, not anymore. Now the customer tests it :( I think Microsoft invented this :rolleyes: .

I''ve been with DirecTV for about 5 years. The new 5 LNB dish was installed about a week ago (did not take old dish). While here the installer told me that the H20-600 I had was OK, but the Samsung TS-360 I also had would not work with the new SAT. I decided to call costomer service about gettiing a replacement for the Samsung. As it worked out, she said she would have a new H20 delivered and set up the next day, and that my cost would be shipping plus tax, which came to $21.20. It was delivered and set up as promised. It is an H20-100, made in Mexico, build date of 3-12-07, software 100C. The new -100 is an improvement over the -600. The -100 runs much cooler (easily evident by putting a hand on the top of each), changes channels quicker, and turns itself on and off when programmed for recording ( my one year old -600 amazingly would not do this, and I would have to remember not to turn it off if I had a recording programmed). So my advice is to get the -100 (if you can) when you update. I tried the ch. 499 test with both units. The -600 shows the searching for signal, but the -100 shows a blank screen. I called costomer service and was told the -100 would show a blank screen untill updated with new software. I've noticed on previous posts that the new software leaves something to be desired. Hopefully they will work the kinks out before they download to my new -100. At the moment I am well pleased with the -100, and with the response from DirecTV. Bring on all those new HD channels!

The "plus" with the -600 is a greatly improved OTA tuner.
If you don't need it then go with the -100. FWIW

VOS...
Do you have any idea why this is happening...All of the sudden my H20-100 is not sending image thru HDMI anymore and in components is “blinking” every 3 seconds. Did the 10 minutes unplugged and nothing is happening. Forced an upgrade and nothing, software is still 100C.
Thanks

Colo232 -- It sounds like your H20-100 may just have had a failure. My H20-100 works fine using the component outputs, but had signal (video & audio) drop-outs on the HDMI output. With the new update, the HDMI was "fixed". BTW, my H20-100 is turned on 24/7. You might want to try the "reset button" (behind the drop-down flap on the lower right side of your H20). Your access card may also have gotten loose (same panel). The forced "upgrade" won't work if it's not scheduled for your area yet.

Unfortunately, the upgrade does solw down the menu operation. Today it's worse than yesterday (when the "Guide" button is first pushed). I do not get the audio drop-outs (when giong to or from the "Guide") that some of you have reported.

It sounds like the guide feature was put in as a "patch" to a patch, with incorrect S/W linking to the old S/W code. This would explain why it's so slow. They really need to "upgrade" their programmers (or pay for some real ones :eek: ) - no self respecting programmer would do it that way. Having patched code myself (I'm an EE), it's almost like the original code wasn't fully documented. It obviously wasn't completely debugged either (management schedule pressure).

veryoldschool -- My H20-100 OTA tuner works great. I'm 50 miles (with multi-path) from the towers and I get super OTA HD signals even when my CM 4228 (20' roof mounted mast) is off angle by 20+ degrees (for the PBS stations, which are somewhat closer).

Colo232 try component and see if it is alright.

CT_Wiebe you're lucky with your OTA. Try it in San Carlos and I'd bet you won't be as happy.

I realize that. In San Carlos, you have a hill between you and the Mt. Sutro & Mt. San Bruno towers. Fortunately, I'm far enough East that I have a direct line-of-sight to the towers, except for the neighbor's trees, downtown San Jose buildings, and the airports between here and there.

Have you tried angling your antenna slightly upwards? About a year (or more) ago I read a post from a fellow member living near Glendale. He had a ridge of hills between his house and the towers on Mt. Wilson. He experimented with mounting a 2nd rotor horizontally (above his normally mounted one), to be able to tilt his antenna array. He found that by aiming his antenna just barely above the ridge, he was able to get the signals (apparently the UHF signals diffract off the edge of the hill - his explanation). Using both rotors, he was able to get signals from as far away as San Diego (and occasionally from Ensenada, Mexico). IIRC, he may have had a dual CM 4228 array (he is a HAM and extensively played around with antenna configurations).

I realize that. In San Carlos, you have a hill between you and the Mt. Sutro & Mt. San Bruno towers. Fortunately, I'm far enough East that I have a direct line-of-sight to the towers, except for the neighbor's trees, downtown San Jose buildings, and the airports between here and there.

Have you tried angling your antenna slightly upwards? About a year (or more) ago I read a post from a fellow member living near Glendale. He had a ridge of hills between his house and the towers on Mt. Wilson. He experimented with mounting a 2nd rotor horizontally (above his normally mounted one), to be able to tilt his antenna array. He found that by aiming his antenna just barely above the ridge, he was able to get the signals (apparently the UHF signals diffract off the edge of the hill - his explanation). Using both rotors, he was able to get signals from as far away as San Diego (and occasionally from Ensenada, Mexico). IIRC, he may have had a dual CM 4228 array (he is a HAM and extensively played around with antenna configurations).
Thanks for your ideas [help]. I'm up in the Sierras so I have a large chunk of granite between me and the towers in walnut grove. Yes I also tilt my array to the ridge top. I'm so close to the ridge that the shadow is strong, but depending on temp I can get more than one would think "line of sight" signals would bend.
You never did say if you worked at Space Systems Loral. but the SATs you mentioned were in the bays when I was there.
I picked San Carlos as I knew you would know what it was like for RF reception.

I suppose I will have to get the H20 or HR20 before September (I currently have Hughes HD Rec) but I am a concerned about the lack of a coaxial output.
Can anyone describe how you connect your HDTV, video recorder and an analog TV in another room? The H20 and HR20 only have two RCA audio connectors. I know it does have HDMI, but my HDTV has DVI and I will have to use one of the RCA audio for the HDTV.

tnx.

I suppose I will have to get the H20 or HR20 before September (I currently have Hughes HD Rec) but I am a concerned about the lack of a coaxial output.
Can anyone describe how you connect your HDTV, video recorder and an analog TV in another room? The H20 and HR20 only have two RCA audio connectors. I know it does have HDMI, but my HDTV has DVI and I will have to use one of the RCA audio for the HDTV.

tnx.
Depending on how many connections you need, HDMI to DVI works, the component outputs do HD also. along with the composite & S-Video. For audio, you have optical and RCA. Some even use a RF modulator to send it to other TVs.
An old VCR should be a cheap way to do this.
The main focus is the HD output and 5.1 Dolby.
I just use an H20 on my old analog Sony for my other room.

Not sure if this was covered in previous posts but I did not find it so I will throw out my solution for the H20 Audio Sync issue.
My new H20 had bad audio sync issues but it is fixed.
H20 to my LCD via HDMI
H20 to my reciever via Toslink optical.
Instead of going directly from the H20 to the reciever, my Samsung LCD Outputs audio to my receiver via Toslink Optical.

Instantly corrected any sync issues I had.

Depending on how many connections you need, HDMI to DVI works, the component outputs do HD also. along with the composite & S-Video. For audio, you have optical and RCA. Some even use a RF modulator to send it to other TVs.
An old VCR should be a cheap way to do this.
The main focus is the HD output and 5.1 Dolby.
I just use an H20 on my old analog Sony for my other room.

I need three audio outputs, but cannot use the HDMI or optical. The only solution I see is to use the component/HDMI to HDTV using one RCA audio. Then the S-video to the DVD recorder, composite video to analog TV and split the other RCA audio for the recorder and analog TV. Sound feasible?

I need three audio outputs, but cannot use the HDMI or optical. The only solution I see is to use the component/HDMI to HDTV using one RCA audio. Then the S-video to the DVD recorder, composite video to analog TV and split the other RCA audio for the recorder and analog TV. Sound feasible?
Or add a switch.

Hey everyone. I posted this question over in the Sammy LED thread and thought I would post it here too. I'm completely new to HD and HT so I need all the help I can get. I have a 2007 Samsung 50" LED and the Direct H20 box. Thanks in advance. :)

I've tried all the picture size settings and still have considerable horizontal white bars on the top and bottom of the screen watching DirectTV HD channels via HDMI. I thought that "just scan" or "16.9" would fill the screen, no? I thought the reason for horizontal bars was due to watching wide screen (16.9) programming on 4.3 sets. When I switch to OTA HD channels in 1080i the bars are black and much smaller. If I use "wide fit" the screen is completely filled and looks nice during OTA HD. Can one of you experts set me straight on picture size/format when watching DirecTV HD?

Hey everyone. I posted this question over in the Sammy LED thread and thought I would post it here too. I'm completely new to HD and HT so I need all the help I can get. I have a 2007 Samsung 50" LED and the Direct H20 box. Thanks in advance. :)

I've tried all the picture size settings and still have considerable horizontal white bars on the top and bottom of the screen watching DirectTV HD channels via HDMI. I thought that "just scan" or "16.9" would fill the screen, no? I thought the reason for horizontal bars was due to watching wide screen (16.9) programming on 4.3 sets. When I switch to OTA HD channels in 1080i the bars are black and much smaller. If I use "wide fit" the screen is completely filled and looks nice during OTA HD. Can one of you experts set me straight on picture size/format when watching DirecTV HD?
Setting the H20 to 16:9 TV should be all you need. What you look to have is 4:3 setup so letterbox is what you're seeing.

This is going to sound silly but I have my reasons. I have Directv and Comcast (basic). Comcast has local HD channels. Is it possible for me to plug in Comcast coaxial cable into H20 Ird to receive local HD?

Thank you

This is going to sound silly but I have my reasons. I have Directv and Comcast (basic). Comcast has local HD channels. Is it possible for me to plug in Comcast coaxial cable into H20 Ird to receive local HD?

Thank you

No, cable uses QAM modulation and the D* H20 and HR20 do not have QAM tuners in them.

The "plus" with the -600 is a greatly improved OTA tuner.
If you don't need it then go with the -100. FWIW

After having the H20-100 for about a week (which is in addition to my year old H20-600), I can completely agree with "veryoldschool". The -100 won't capture the same number of OTA signals that the -600 does. The -100 is OK for the very strong signals, but I have channels 51-1 and 51-2 (that are just a little weaker than the others) that the -600 pull in just fine, but the -100 doesn't seem to know they exist. Not good.

I've also had my H20-100 for about a week.

I haven't connected an OTA antenna. So I can't comment on the tuner.

But the menu lag(channel swtiching time) is very short.

And this STB does not generate too much heat. 'Just gets a little warm.

These two things are big for me.

rlowell

rlowell -- Wait until you get the "update". The menu will slow down.

It's interesting, when I first got the update, i didn't have a lot of the problems that others were reporting. Now, a week after the update, I'm getting all of them :confused:. The menu seems slower and I get the audio drop-out when switching menu channels and going into and out of the menu. The audio drop-outs seem to be related to my impatience when the menu doesn't respond right away (or I'm in a hurry). The faster I want it to move, the slower it seems to respond :eek:. Part of the problem seems to be related to the fact that it seems to respond to button pushes with inconsistent delays (sometimes it's a 1 second delay, and at other times it seems to be as much as 10+ seconds, or not at all :mad: ).

veryoldschool -- Yes I did work for SSL. I worked there for over 35 years (I joined them in May of 1964 - it was Philco Western Development Labs at that time). Then they were bought by Ford and incorporated as part of Ford Electronics Division (for most of the time I worked there). After several name changes, they were then sold to Loral. Up until I retired, I had a hand in every satellite program (including all of the commercial and NASA/NOAA weather satellites & the space station) that they had, except the very first one (pre-1964).

With my IR remote for the HD DVR, I press a number for a channel change and nothing happens. I press it a second time and nothing happens. The third time it will move to the channel wanted. This happens 'often'. And, for some unknown reason, Directv took away the RF capability. A step backward in time for sure!

With my IR remote for the HD DVR, I press a number for a channel change and nothing happens. I press it a second time and nothing happens. The third time it will move to the channel wanted. This happens 'often'. And, for some unknown reason, Directv took away the RF capability. A step backward in time for sure!
:confused: All H-20s are RF capable. :confused:
Maybe your remote isn't, but the receiver is.

:confused: All H-20s are RF capable. :confused:
Maybe your remote isn't, but the receiver is.


Not my bad batch Chinese one :(


bob

Not my bad batch Chinese one :(
bob
Chinese H-20? :confused:

hello,

I just uprgraded my H-10 HD box to the H-20 and was happy with the RF remote capability. I took the rf antenna off the old box and placed it on the new H20 and programmed the old remote(RF capable) to work with the new receiver. The problem is that the Rf works but not nearly as well as it did before? Any thoughts or suggestions to improve its performance?

Why did D* have to take the cheap route:( Technology should have only got cheaper, why not just include it now.

Thanks,
Brandon

hello,

I just uprgraded my H-10 HD box to the H-20 and was happy with the RF remote capability. I took the rf antenna off the old box and placed it on the new H20 and programmed the old remote(RF capable) to work with the new receiver. The problem is that the Rf works but not nearly as well as it did before? Any thoughts or suggestions to improve its performance?

Why did D* have to take the cheap route:( Technology should have only got cheaper, why not just include it now.

Thanks,
Brandon
Is the antenna about 6.5" long?
Is it standing straight up?
What model remote?
Does it have a clear line of sight?
Is it in a metal rack?
Mine seems to work quite well. :confused: