Somehow you're going to need to have it put on your Comcast account, from other stories I've heard good luck on this. Step one call Comcast. Step two, three, four, etc, call Comcast & explain again what you're trying to do. Don't hold your breath waiting to see a live cable feed on this box, but hey you never know you could be lucky & find someone that knows what they're doing (if it doesn't show as a nonpay/unreturned box from some other account that is).

I was watching TV today at around 4:30 EST (in MA) and my box rebooted by itself for the first time. After coming back up, it looks like new software was downloaded because the menus are now different when I programmed a movie to record. I've also noticed that the guide isn't fully populated yet, and it's never taken this long after a reboot.

Anybody else in my area experience the same thing?

EDIT: - And now I've got the jumpies watching NESN.

I need help! I bought a comcast 3412 box on the net. It's dead on arrival. It powers up fine, but just a black screen. I reset the unit and still nothing. How do I get it to work. I'm renting one from comcast and that unit is working fine, would be great to have to. Anyone can help a newbie!!!

Do you live in Canada or the USA? If you're in USA, better put the thing back on eBay Canada! Comcast in the USA won't authorize a DVR that hasn't been supplied by them. They won't register it with your head-head end and without registration, it won't do anything.

What does it mean when the series recording option is not available?

I have two Comcast DVRs and a TiVo. Both of my Comcast DVRs will not allow
me to set a "series recording" for "English League Soccer" on Fox Sports. Why?

Is there a way to adjust the screen horizontal position? I have the 3416 and when watching HD 4:3 Shows and SD 4:3 aspect shows, the right side has a thin black bar before the vertical grey bars because the screen is to the left too much. When you pull up the quick channel guid by pressing the "ok / select" button you can clearly see that the menu is to the left about 1 inch too much. I'm pretty sure it's not the TV adjustments as i can change the position there, but that moves the entire screen.

Yes triton, it's in the setup on both my Comcast DVRs (3412 & 3416).

I can't believe it but I'm considering forking out close to $1k for the TIVO S3 almost solely on the basis of the fact that it passes through HD signals. This is ridiculous that the Motos don't do this. I guess not that many people have external video processors. What else could explain this gap?

I can't believe it but I'm considering forking out close to $1k for the TIVO S3 almost solely on the basis of the fact that it passes through HD signals. This is ridiculous that the Motos don't do this. I guess not that many people have external video processors. What else could explain this gap?
As you said, not many people have external video processors. In addition, until the last year or so, not many tvs would accept both 720 and 1080. My 4 year old set and my 2 year old set will only accept 1080.

I can't believe it but I'm considering forking out close to $1k for the TIVO S3 almost solely on the basis of the fact that it passes through HD signals. This is ridiculous that the Motos don't do this. I guess not that many people have external video processors. What else could explain this gap?
I can't vouch for the Series 3 TiVo, but I have 4 of its DirecTV cousins: 2 HR10-250 HD TiVos, one series 2 HDVR2 SD TiVo and one series 1 SAT-T60 (Sony) SD TiVo.

I have had the series 1 unit for nearly 6 years with only a few software issues that were fixed relatively quickly. It has been performing flawlessly for the last 3 or 4 years.

I have had the series 2 unit for about 4 years and I have never had any problem with it.

I have had my first HD unit for 2+ years and only had some audio issues for about 2 months with one channel when it was brand new (I bought mine the first month they were introduced). I have had the second HD unit for 1 year, with no problems until the most recent software upgrade, which has some bugs that are being worked on as we speak. (After I saw the bugs on one HD unit, I disconnected the other HD unit from the phone line to defer the software upgrade until the bugs are resolved.)

As always, YMMV. Judging by what I have read (lots) about the Motorola STBs from Comcast, the TiVo Series 3 unit should be much easier to use and will offer more sophisticated, yet easy to use, means of selecting programs to record and avoiding duplicate recordings.

I have read that they are still debugging software for the brand new TiVo Series 3 unit, which seems to be a common startup scenario for DVRs from any source. The Series 3 TiVo will not receive On Demand programming and will not support any other application that requires 2-way communication with the cable system head end. The Series 3 unit does support OTA digital channel reception, allowing some folks reception of channels not yet carried by the cable company in their area if they are within "antenna reach" of the transmitters.

Check out http://www.tivocommunity.com for a subforum dedicated to the TiVo Series 3 (if you haven't already).

I can't vouch for the Series 3 TiVo, but I have 4 of its DirecTV cousins: 2 HR10-250 HD TiVos, one series 2 HDVR2 SD TiVo and one series 1 SAT-T60 (Sony) SD TiVo.

I have had the series 1 unit for nearly 6 years with only a few software issues that were fixed relatively quickly. It has been performing flawlessly for the last 3 or 4 years.

I have had the series 2 unit for about 4 years and I have never had any problem with it.

I have had my first HD unit for 2+ years and only had some audio issues for about 2 months with one channel when it was brand new (I bought mine the first month they were introduced). I have had the second HD unit for 1 year, with no problems until the most recent software upgrade, which has some bugs that are being worked on as we speak. (After I saw the bugs on one HD unit, I disconnected the other HD unit from the phone line to defer the software upgrade until the bugs are resolved.)

As always, YMMV. Judging by what I have read (lots) about the Motorola STBs from Comcast, the TiVo Series 3 unit should be much easier to use and will offer more sophisticated, yet easy to use, means of selecting programs to record and avoiding duplicate recordings.

I have read that they are still debugging software for the brand new TiVo Series 3 unit, which seems to be a common startup scenario for DVRs from any source. The Series 3 TiVo will not receive On Demand programming and will not support any other application that requires 2-way communication with the cable system head end. The Series 3 unit does support OTA digital channel reception, allowing some folks reception of channels not yet carried by the cable company in their area if they are within "antenna reach" of the transmitters.

Check out http://www.tivocommunity.com for a subforum dedicated to the TiVo Series 3 (if you haven't already).

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah I've been speed reading through the relevant threads in AVS and tivo community in the last 24 hours. I have no doubt that the TIVO will be a better interface and will just work better than the crap boxes that we are forced to use by monopolistic (or quasi-monopolistic) cable companies. The cable companies and their collaborators at Moto or elsewhere have little incentive to produce decent products given their market leverage; they just have to put something out there that more or less works. That is why we consumers are in the mess that we are. It just stands to reason that TIVO has to put out a better product because they do not have the captive audience that the cable cos do. Still hate the idea of dropping so much for the new box (just grumbling).

what screen is that 21 dB and 17% listed on? Are you referring to the OOB STATUS Screen? (d03) If so, that doesn't have anything to do with your picture quality you recieve. That is just for Out-Of-Band data (OOB) That is just the frequency that your box downloads stuff such as guide info, software, and firmware updates. it isn't viewing related at all though.

For a more accurate picture of the signal going to your box, without a actual signal level meter, go to the in-band status page, and look at the SNR in there, along with the number of correctable, and uncorrectable error counts.

Also, you should look at your upstream status, and look at the requested power level and actual power level.

If ya post those things, we could hopefully determine better where to start helping ya with the issues you are experiencing.

Thanks for the help- I checked the Inband status (forgot to check the upstream status) and I'm reading 31.5 dB with zero correctable and uncorrectable errors. I'm guessing that is pretty good- I will check the upstream later tonight and report back, but if it's not the signal strength, could it be the box itself?

Thanks for the help- I checked the Inband status (forgot to check the upstream status) and I'm reading 31.5 dB with zero correctable and uncorrectable errors. I'm guessing that is pretty good- I will check the upstream later tonight and report back, but if it's not the signal strength, could it be the box itself?

As far as the upstream goes, that just has to do with 2-way communication with the headend, mainly the ONDemand service. If you were getting a lot of communication errors while using ondemand, then it could be caused by your upstream levels being to high (lower is better) 60db is about the highest upstream you would want for the 64** and 34** series boxes. Anything higher and you would be having some problems with ondemand.

As far as your other signal levels, you said

"My HD and SD are not nearly as good as I think they could be- should I be giving Comcast a call? I do get a lot of audio/video stuttering and problems with one channel which for some reason does not give me sound out of the center speaker (the other HD channel's sound is fine)."

What do you mean by not being nearly as good as you think they could be? If the picture is there, and not macro-blocking, its not going to be a signal problem. It would either be a equipment problem, a setting problem, or thats just the best it can be. If you are experiencing problems on one specific channel, there are 2 main possible reasons for that. 1st possibility would be that it is a problem at the headend. This could be tested by seeing if it happens on other boxes at your house, or neigbhors houses. If the problem is only on that one TV, the other most likely problem is that the feed going to that box from the demarc is bad. If the cable is kinked, has a severe bend to it, nicked line, etc. it can affect certain channels. Each channel is assigned to a certain frequency, and if the coax is damaged in such a way that it loses its ability to carry that particular frequency, you will have problems with the associated channel. To test this theory, you can put this problematic box on a different outlet/cable feed and see if the problem still happens. You could also try it at a neigbhors house I suppose, as the problem could be the drop even.

Fun stuff ey?

But yes, I think the boxes are a problem also. I have the signal levels to all my HD-DVRs at 0 dB (I have 6 3416s) and HD still doesn't look "good" compared to what it could be. Unfortunately there isn't much I can do about it though...

Let me know what you find though, I'm curious lol

Thanks for the help- I checked the Inband status (forgot to check the upstream status) and I'm reading 31.5 dB with zero correctable and uncorrectable errors. I'm guessing that is pretty good- I will check the upstream later tonight and report back, but if it's not the signal strength, could it be the box itself?

In the Inband status (d04), you should see two readings, one for each of the tuners. Behind the db readings, you should see a rating of "Good", "Fair", or "Poor". If I remember correctly, 31.5 db would just be fair. 33.0db+ is good.

As far as the upstream goes, that just has to do with 2-way communication with the headend, mainly the ONDemand service. If you were getting a lot of communication errors while using ondemand, then it could be caused by your upstream levels being to high (lower is better) 60db is about the highest upstream you would want for the 64** and 34** series boxes. Anything higher and you would be having some problems with ondemand.

As far as your other signal levels, you said

"My HD and SD are not nearly as good as I think they could be- should I be giving Comcast a call? I do get a lot of audio/video stuttering and problems with one channel which for some reason does not give me sound out of the center speaker (the other HD channel's sound is fine)."

What do you mean by not being nearly as good as you think they could be? If the picture is there, and not macro-blocking, its not going to be a signal problem. It would either be a equipment problem, a setting problem, or thats just the best it can be. If you are experiencing problems on one specific channel, there are 2 main possible reasons for that. 1st possibility would be that it is a problem at the headend. This could be tested by seeing if it happens on other boxes at your house, or neigbhors houses. If the problem is only on that one TV, the other most likely problem is that the feed going to that box from the demarc is bad. If the cable is kinked, has a severe bend to it, nicked line, etc. it can affect certain channels. Each channel is assigned to a certain frequency, and if the coax is damaged in such a way that it loses its ability to carry that particular frequency, you will have problems with the associated channel. To test this theory, you can put this problematic box on a different outlet/cable feed and see if the problem still happens. You could also try it at a neigbhors house I suppose, as the problem could be the drop even.

Fun stuff ey?

But yes, I think the boxes are a problem also. I have the signal levels to all my HD-DVRs at 0 dB (I have 6 3416s) and HD still doesn't look "good" compared to what it could be. Unfortunately there isn't much I can do about it though...

Let me know what you find though, I'm curious lolAs far as the upstream goes, that just has to do with 2-way communication with the headend, mainly the ONDemand service. If you were getting a lot of communication errors while using ondemand, then it could be caused by your upstream levels being to high (lower is better) 60db is about the highest upstream you would want for the 64** and 34** series boxes. Anything higher and you would be having some problems with ondemand.

As far as your other signal levels, you said

"My HD and SD are not nearly as good as I think they could be- should I be giving Comcast a call? I do get a lot of audio/video stuttering and problems with one channel which for some reason does not give me sound out of the center speaker (the other HD channel's sound is fine)."

What do you mean by not being nearly as good as you think they could be? If the picture is there, and not macro-blocking, its not going to be a signal problem. It would either be a equipment problem, a setting problem, or thats just the best it can be. If you are experiencing problems on one specific channel, there are 2 main possible reasons for that. 1st possibility would be that it is a problem at the headend. This could be tested by seeing if it happens on other boxes at your house, or neigbhors houses. If the problem is only on that one TV, the other most likely problem is that the feed going to that box from the demarc is bad. If the cable is kinked, has a severe bend to it, nicked line, etc. it can affect certain channels. Each channel is assigned to a certain frequency, and if the coax is damaged in such a way that it loses its ability to carry that particular frequency, you will have problems with the associated channel. To test this theory, you can put this problematic box on a different outlet/cable feed and see if the problem still happens. You could also try it at a neigbhors house I suppose, as the problem could be the drop even.

Fun stuff ey?

But yes, I think the boxes are a problem also. I have the signal levels to all my HD-DVRs at 0 dB (I have 6 3416s) and HD still doesn't look "good" compared to what it could be. Unfortunately there isn't much I can do about it though...

Let me know what you find though, I'm curious lol

Just in advance, thanks again for all the help and assistance!

My mistake was not being more specific. I checked the inband status today and am getting 35.9 dB on tuner 1 and around 36 on tuner 2. It says "good" on both (I was under the impression I would get some sort of percentage value as well for this screen- AGC?- but there was nothing- I did have an "error" count which was zero for both tuners). I'm convinced I do not have a signal problem.

So maybe it is what it is...

But...

My 1-99 channels are horrific. For example, I was (trying) to watch college football on channel 2, after switching from the HD version and it's rather appalling. I did notice that the higher channels seem to have better quality (up in the 30s, 40s, etc), but on the lower channel, the text for the score box was almost unreadable. Very distorted. I also get a lot of "noise" around the players. Tried turning the sharpness down on my TV, but that did not help very much.

I thought those channels were "digital." I did check the information and the STB confirms that they are digital, but they sure as heck don't LOOK digital.

I don't really want to disconnect everything and do a trial and error on other cable outlets in the house or at the neighbor's (don't know 'em anyway). I mean, I just don't have too much time, and it is only TV...that I'm paying a lot per month for... I will check the coax in the attic (where the main splitter is- I'm in a condo) just to confirm it is RG-6.

I do think I experience macroblocking (or is it pixellation?)- on NBC's "Heroes," I get a lot of that on fast moving scenes. Sometimes the HD signal is somewhat soft and fuzzy, sometimes it's great. Crapshoot, I tell you.

I think my sensitivity on this is due to the awful 1-99 channels and the pixellation. Any more ideas?

I have a 3412, with the 16.20 firmware.

First my guide/main menu doesn't look like it does in the postcard they sent or on the website.

But the main thing is, (just noticed this with the new firmware) if the TV has been off for a while, upon turning it back on it has a slow-like image on it. Its not the usual snow you see, the best I can describe it as is... high def snow. I will take a picture later if the problem appears.

I have it hooked up via a HDMI -> DVI cable.

Images: http://www.peanyscafe.com/images/IMG_0495.png
http://www.peanyscafe.com/images/IMG_0496.png
http://www.peanyscafe.com/images/IMG_0497.png

Just got the 3412 DVR. Called for activation and I've spoken to two reps on the phone who sent signals. All I'm getting is the message for the channel will be available shortly. I'm using HDMI. Is there something I'm not setting up correctly? Something i'm forgetting to do with my t.v. or something? This is my first HDTV and HD from Comcast experience.

Funny thing is, without the DVR, just hooking my cable into the built in Digital receiver in my Sony 970 and I get all but ESPN HD from the feed. But I get nothing through the new DVR box.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I do think I experience macroblocking (or is it pixellation?)- on NBC's "Heroes," I get a lot of that on fast moving scenes. Sometimes the HD signal is somewhat soft and fuzzy, sometimes it's great. Crapshoot, I tell you.


This is common for those networks broadcasting in 1080i like NBC. That's why some networks chose 720p, especially where sports are an important programming component, like Fox and ABC. I think it's because of the greater amount of data required for a 1080i signal and the limited bandwidth of cable and satellite.

Just in advance, thanks again for all the help and assistance!

My mistake was not being more specific. I checked the inband status today and am getting 35.9 dB on tuner 1 and around 36 on tuner 2. It says "good" on both (I was under the impression I would get some sort of percentage value as well for this screen- AGC?- but there was nothing- I did have an "error" count which was zero for both tuners). I'm convinced I do not have a signal problem.

So maybe it is what it is...

But...

My 1-99 channels are horrific. For example, I was (trying) to watch college football on channel 2, after switching from the HD version and it's rather appalling. I did notice that the higher channels seem to have better quality (up in the 30s, 40s, etc), but on the lower channel, the text for the score box was almost unreadable. Very distorted. I also get a lot of "noise" around the players. Tried turning the sharpness down on my TV, but that did not help very much.

I thought those channels were "digital." I did check the information and the STB confirms that they are digital, but they sure as heck don't LOOK digital.

I don't really want to disconnect everything and do a trial and error on other cable outlets in the house or at the neighbor's (don't know 'em anyway). I mean, I just don't have too much time, and it is only TV...that I'm paying a lot per month for... I will check the coax in the attic (where the main splitter is- I'm in a condo) just to confirm it is RG-6.

I do think I experience macroblocking (or is it pixellation?)- on NBC's "Heroes," I get a lot of that on fast moving scenes. Sometimes the HD signal is somewhat soft and fuzzy, sometimes it's great. Crapshoot, I tell you.

I think my sensitivity on this is due to the awful 1-99 channels and the pixellation. Any more ideas?

Are you watching the non-hd channels you are referring to (2-99) using a HDMI/DVI/Component cable connection? Regular digital stations look terrible using any of those. but especially HDMI and DVI. I experience the exact same thing on any SD digital station also, unless I watch using a svideo cable.

I would recommend trying that (a svideo cable), I'm pretty confident that will resolve any issue you have with the non-hd channels.

Falsedawn is correct about when you get macroblocking/pixelation on shows such as "heroes". That is just how its going to look no matter what. That happens even if you use a OTA antenna to pick up your HD locals. Macroblocking is when the picture actually breaks up/gets black or greenish boxes/totally freezes/says "one moment please". That is when you likely have a signal problem.

So, I would recommend trying a s-video cable for all the non-hd channels and seein what ya think. Please let us know if you get time to try that.

I've been looking at the SD channels over component input, on my Samsung 56" DLP for two years, and they look at least as good as they do over the S-Vid input. I recently hooked up a DVI cable, so now I can watch over that, and the SD still looks fine. But, the DVI picture is no better than the Component, even outputting from the 6412 P2 at 720p, which is the natural format of the Sammy.

Something strange happened to my Comcast HD service, last Thursday. I am wondering if anyone knows what happened.

I have a 6412 P2, with the 16.20 firmware, which we got a few weeks ago. I have a Samsung 56"DLP TV, 720p natural.

I have long used the component inputs, with the STB set to output a 1080i signal, since the TV would not display a picture with the STB set to 720p.

The signal to the TV has always been 1080i, only when tuned to a HD channel, and 480i when tuned to an SD channel.

Last Thursday, I hooked up a DVI cable, directly from the STB to the TV. Over the DVI, all signals, HD and SD channels came in at 720p! I tried the component inputs again, and the same thing, SD and HD at 720p.

This means that to fill the screen with a letterboxed picture on a SD channel, I have to switch to a S-Vid input, since the TV has only "wide," and "4x3," when receiving a HD picture. And of course, when viewing on the S-Vid input, you can't see the menu, or any graphics at all, so you can't control the playback.

Thinking that hooking up the DVI might have caused this somehow, I disconnected the DVI, unplugged the box, and tried it again after the box rebooted, but the component still only got a 720p signal on everything!

I haven't tried to change things in the installers' setup menu yet, such as switching back to 1080i. But of course, I NEVER switched to 720p!

Does anyone have any idea what is going on here? Was hooking up the DVI the cause? Was that just a coincidence? How can I go back to getting a HD signal only on HD channels? :eek:

edited to change 1080p to 1080i. I knew better, it must have been the late hour...

Does anyone have any idea what is going on here? Was hooking up the DVI the cause? Was that just a coincidence? How can I go back to getting a HD signal only on HD channels? :eek:
You should check the setup options in the Wikibook:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

I'm not certain why it changed. A common setup is to change YPbPr to 1080i (there is no 1080p), and 4:3 OVERRIDE to 480i. This sends HD at the specified resolution, and SD as 480i, letting your TV do any upconversion and usually giving you more zoom/stretch options.

My 1-99 channels are horrific. For example, I was (trying) to watch college football on channel 2, after switching from the HD version and it's rather appalling. I did notice that the higher channels seem to have better quality (up in the 30s, 40s, etc), but on the lower channel, the text for the score box was almost unreadable. Very distorted. I also get a lot of "noise" around the players. Tried turning the sharpness down on my TV, but that did not help very much.

I thought those channels were "digital." I did check the information and the STB confirms that they are digital, but they sure as heck don't LOOK digital.
Look at the information in the Wikibook about setup:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

If your 4:3 OVERRIDE is set to OFF or STRETCH, the box is doing the upconversion to your selected HD (YPbPr) setting. You may be better off setting 4:3 OVERRIDE to 480i or 480p and letting your TV do the conversion.

Has anyone else been getting a lot of false 'DVR full' messages on your 6412/16 or 3412/16 DVR the last few weeks?

Myself and a relative have recently gotten this glitch often, and therefore, won't record unattended, while it never occurred before.

We have one 3412 and one 6412.

Any Free HD (or SD) On Demand Movie on Comcast no longer shows as a 24 hour 'rental' (Programs were 3 hours, but, I haven''t checked those lately.)

Now, the Movie 'rental' is the same time as the time left for the movie; is this a glitch?
If not, the transport controls would be useless.
We didn't want to miss the end of the movie to find out.

Also, in general, if one is watching a movie when the time expires, does it stop playing or continue until you stop?

Quick question.

I got a Motorola 3416 I and was wondering if I could output video through HDMI and audio through co-ax. You might say "Why aren't you doing video and audio through HDMI", and the answer to that question would be "because Comcast sucks and my cable box doesn't like trying to input into my receiver and output to my TV, so basically I can't use HDMI through the receiver, but I thought it may be best to do HDMI directly into the TV and co-ax audio into the receiver.

Is that possible, or will the box push everything through HDMI?

Quick question.

I got a Motorola 3416 I and was wondering if I could output video through HDMI and audio through co-ax. You might say "Why aren't you doing video and audio through HDMI", and the answer to that question would be "because Comcast sucks and my cable box doesn't like trying to input into my receiver and output to my TV, so basically I can't use HDMI through the receiver, but I thought it may be best to do HDMI directly into the TV and co-ax audio into the receiver.

Is that possible, or will the box push everything through HDMI?

I've got the 3416 and I am doing HDMI to my LCD, and Digital Coaxial Out to my Bose (the orange plug on the back of the 3416 that says digital SPDIF).

You should have no problem.

Has anyone watched any of the Cinemax Ondemand Star Wars movies in HD (they have 1, 3, 4, 5, & 6 - not sure why #2, Attack of the Clones, is not in the HD section).

I have noticed quite a bit of stuttering on Revenge of the Sith when I try to watch it - I had to stop it and start it a few times in a row before it played OK (then about 1/2 way through I paused it and had the same thing happen again - fixed by a stop and start a few times in a row). I also noticed it on Return of the Jedi and did the same stop start method to fix it.

I have not watched alot of HD movies through OnDemand so maybe this might happen with any of the HD Movies.

You should check the setup options in the Wikibook:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

I'm not certain why it changed. A common setup is to change YPbPr to 1080i (there is no 1080p), and 4:3 OVERRIDE to 480i. This sends HD at the specified resolution, and SD as 480i, letting your TV do any upconversion and usually giving you more zoom/stretch options.


Thanks for the link, Andy. I was going to search for the motorola manual on line, but that saves me the effort. I knew it was 1080i, not p. :rolleyes: Don't know why I typed that. I still don't understand why the output would have changed, without me doing it in the setup menu, which I didn't touch!

I am not able to get OnDemand w/a 3416, and it's the second one I've tried - I get the "Communication Error" message. Note that the 6412 it replaced was able to get OnDemand w/no problems, as is another HD box connected to the same (bi-directional, 2Ghz) splitter. My cable modem is also working just fine off of the splitter.

What can I check?

I am not able to get OnDemand w/a 3416, and it's the second one I've tried - I get the "Communication Error" message. Note that the 6412 it replaced was able to get OnDemand w/no problems, as is another HD box connected to the same (bi-directional, 2Ghz) splitter. My cable modem is also working just fine off of the splitter.

What can I check?

What error code are you getting? Check the connection at the STB. Mine was loose and was getting that error. Occasionally, I have to go back and forth from live TV to On Demand to get it to "catch" 9 times out of 10, it's a communications error (not able to send)

As you said, not many people have external video processors. In addition, until the last year or so, not many tvs would accept both 720 and 1080. My 4 year old set and my 2 year old set will only accept 1080.

I understand not many people have external video processors, but at least the Motorola could give you the ability to pass native resolution like the Scientific Atlanta or Pioneer box such that when I turn to a crap channel, the box outputs 480i, but when I turn to NBC, it outputs 1080i, and when I turn to FOX it outputs 720p.

I HATE turning off my box to change the resolution output, for example, on Monday's when I watch Justice (FOX-720p) and then (on my DVR for both shows) Heroes (1080i NBC).

I want to send my 1080p DLP the native resolution of the program because the last thing I need is the crapo Motorola doing any kind of scaling.

Why is it a simple function found on SA and Pioneer boxes can't be found on Motorola?

Even with those SA/Pioneer, you could choose to have it all output one resolution, if you need that. But at least we had a choice.

I agree with pappy. If any employee of Motorola or Comcast reads this forum, hopefully they get the fact that the customers want a native passthrough option! I don't see why it can't be possible! Just have to test some new firmware/software tricks. SA systems have it because they are superior! I didn't like my Motorola cell phone, and the cable box has a long way to go. Pannasonic, here I come!

I understand not many people have external video processors, but at least the Motorola could give you the ability to pass native resolution like the Scientific Atlanta or Pioneer box such that when I turn to a crap channel, the box outputs 480i, but when I turn to NBC, it outputs 1080i, and when I turn to FOX it outputs 720p.

I HATE turning off my box to change the resolution output, for example, on Monday's when I watch Justice (FOX-720p) and then (on my DVR for both shows) Heroes (1080i NBC).

I want to send my 1080p DLP the native resolution of the program because the last thing I need is the crapo Motorola doing any kind of scaling.

Why is it a simple function found on SA and Pioneer boxes can't be found on Motorola?

Even with those SA/Pioneer, you could choose to have it all output one resolution, if you need that. But at least we had a choice.

I don't know the answer to your question. I think it has to do with monopolies and not having competition once they sign an agreement with a local Comcast. BTW what those of us who have external VPs want is for the box to passthough whatever signal it recieves rather than send one resolution. We don't want them to touch the signal in any way since they have crap scalers and deinterlacer chips compared to any decent stand alone video processor.

I don't know the answer to your question. I think it has to do with monopolies and not having competition once they sign an agreement with a local Comcast. BTW what those of us who have external VPs want is for the box to passthough whatever signal it recieves rather than send one resolution. We don't want them to touch the signal in any way since they have crap scalers and deinterlacer chips compared to any decent stand alone video processor.

You don't have to have a stand alone video processor to want this - many if not most HD TV's have better deinterlacing than these boxes. The resolution of both of my Sony's are fixed at something other than 720P or 1080i, so this inability forces my picture to be interlaced twice on HD programming. Maybe one day, when the networks, the cable systems and the cable box manufacturers all adapt 1080P as the standard, I'll upgrade the two TV's.

You don't have to have a stand alone video processor to want this - many if not most HD TV's have better deinterlacing than these boxes. The resolution of both of my Sony's are fixed at something other than 720P or 1080i, so this inability forces my picture to be interlaced twice on HD programming. Maybe one day, when the networks, the cable systems and the cable box manufacturers all adapt 1080P as the standard, I'll upgrade the two TV's.

Fair enough.

Even though my current DLP is 720p natural, I would like to see 1080p become the standard, but I don't expect that soon, as it takes a lot of bandwidth. Right now, I think Comcast would probably give us a lot more HD, if it weren't for the bandwidth necessary.

A question to those hooked up with DVI, or probably HDMI is the same for this question. Do you get a signal over DVI (HDMI), for the SD channels, when the 4x3 override is set to 480i? If so, with a 34XX, or a 64XX?

I ask because I recently ran a DVI cable from my 6412 P2, with 16.20 FW to my 720p DLP TV. Just hooking up the cable reset my STB to 720p, from 1080i, and turned the 4x3 override to off! I was then able to get all channels, SD and HD, over DVI, component, and S-Vid conections. But, with the SD signal coming in as HD to the TV, I could not zoom to eliminate the bars from all four sides on letterboxed SD pictures. So, I went into the service setup menu, and reset the 4x3 override to 480i. Now, over the DVI, I can only get the HD channels, and a black screen on the SD channels. My TV gets 480i over component just fine. So, I am trying to figure out if my STB really is outputting the 480i signal over the DVI, and my TV won't display it, or if the signal is not there on the DVI. Does anyone know?

edited to correct 16.20 FW, not 16.40

Even though my current DLP is 720p natural, I would like to see 1080p become the standard, but I don't expect that soon, as it takes a lot of bandwidth. Right now, I think Comcast would probably give us a lot more HD, if it weren't for the bandwidth necessary.

A question to those hooked up with DVI, or probably HDMI is the same for this question. Do you get a signal over DVI (HDMI), for the SD channels, when the 4x3 override is set to 480i? If so, with a 34XX, or a 64XX?

I ask because I recently ran a DVI cable from my 6412 P2, with 16.40 FW to my 720p DLP TV. Just hooking up the cable reset my STB to 720p, from 1080i, and turned the 4x3 override to off! I was then able to get all channels, SD and HD, over DVI, component, and S-Vid conections. But, with the SD signal coming in as HD to the TV, I could not zoom to eliminate the bars from all four sides on letterboxed SD pictures. So, I went into the service setup menu, and reset the 4x3 override to 480i. Now, over the DVI, I can only get the HD channels, and a black screen on the SD channels. My TV gets 480i over component just fine. So, I am trying to figure out if my STB really is outputting the 480i signal over the DVI, and my TV won't display it, or if the signal is not there on the DVI. Does anyone know?
On all 34xxs and 64xxs that I had outputed 480i correctly on HDMI (DVI on 6412 PII). Several HDTVs do not accept 480i over HDMI or DVI so you will have to use 480p if you want to zoom SD channels.

On all 34xxs and 64xxs that I had outputed 480i correctly on HDMI (DVI on 6412 PII). Several HDTVs do not accept 480i over HDMI or DVI so you will have to use 480p if you want to zoom SD channels.

I'll try that. I thought about trying it, but I believe I recall that I can't zoom on a DVD over the component cables, and I believe that comes in at 480p, so I thought it wouldn't work, but it can't hurt to try. I wondered if maybe the set wouldn't accept 480i over the DVI, but it doesn't say that anywhere in the manual I can find. You would think they would mention that little fact. Actually, after extensive comparisons, I can find no improvement in the PQ with the DVI. But there are other reasons why it can be useful to have a direct cable from the STB to the display, bypassing the huge stack of equipment that feeds into the AVR.

I'll try that. I thought about trying it, but I believe I recall that I can't zoom on a DVD over the component cables, and I believe that comes in at 480p, so I thought it wouldn't work, but it can't hurt to try. I wondered if maybe the set wouldn't accept 480i over the DVI, but it doesn't say that anywhere in the manual I can find. You would think they would mention that little fact. Actually, after extensive comparisons, I can find no improvement in the PQ with the DVI. But there are other reasons why it can be useful to have a direct cable from the STB to the display, bypassing the huge stack of equipment that feeds into the AVR.
You may be right. Some HDTVs may not allow zoom on 480p. On my HDTVs, I also don't see any difference in PQ between component, HDMI, or DVI.

I understand not many people have external video processors, but at least the Motorola could give you the ability to pass native resolution like the Scientific Atlanta or Pioneer box such that when I turn to a crap channel, the box outputs 480i, but when I turn to NBC, it outputs 1080i, and when I turn to FOX it outputs 720p.

pappy, I'm not defending them. If I had a tv or vp that would accept native resolutions, I'd certainly want the pass-through option. I was only trying to play devils advocate and say that these boxes starting coming out a couple years ago, before tvs would accept a pass-through signal. On the other hand, there is no reason that pass-through can't be addedl. I don't believe it would take much work to modify the firmware to add this option.

pappy, I'm not defending them. If I had a tv or vp that would accept native resolutions, I'd certainly want the pass-through option. I was only trying to play devils advocate and say that these boxes starting coming out a couple years ago, before tvs would accept a pass-through signal. On the other hand, there is no reason that pass-through can't be addedl. I don't believe it would take much work to modify the firmware to add this option.

Any digital tv has an internal scaler to process so that the signal can be scaled to the NR of the screen. Yes it's true that the old DVI connections did not accept 480i but I think that is changing. Yes there is also the issue of most panels not accepting 1080p (I don't think any of the DSTBs send out 1080p anyway). Other than that I think that any digital TV can accept any resolutions. I'm surprised that you say your TV only accepts 720. I guess I have had the wrong impression. I had a 6th generation Panasonic PDP that accepted it and that is was an old model.

You would think that it is not a big deal to program in a passthrough function on the DSTBs but why hasn't Moto done it? I still think it has to do with the fact that they don't have to be responsive to customers' wishes. Just the way it is in the current environment.

I have the 3412 and its worked fine except since last week. I had recorded a bunch of HD content on the DVR and moved the cable box to another room where my Projector was temporarily set up.

I reconnected everything and was surprised to find all the listings for the guide were now gone. :(

I watched some HD content off the DVR and then a few days later moved the cable box back to its normal location. Since then a couple of issues have cropped up. I'm in central Connecticut, by the way.

Here are my questions:
Q1: I see I have had some kind of firmware update in the past week. Instead of seeing 2 entries on the guide I now see 3 entries. I also noticed that now all 4:3 content is being displayed pillarboxed on my TV, or sometimes even Windowboxed. But the box has been plugged in for two WEEKS now and I am STILL seeing lots of guide entries that are blank with the "To Be UpdateD" or whatever it says when the guide isn't fully populated. What gives?

Q2: Is the FireWire on this box enabled for HD? Can I run a firewire cable from this box to my WindowsXP PC and record HD content to my HD using some capture tool? Or is it only available for SD sources...??? I undderstand this wont work for DVR recorded shows or On Demand correct? But does it work for live TV? IE: Recording HBO in HD while the show is playing live...? Just one of those nagging questions I have...

Q3: Is there a hard code in the remote for automatically going to the fastest fast-forward speed? I do alot of recording of videos off VH1 Classic to a DVDR unit and having to constantly press the "FF" Button on my Pronto over and over (combined with the lag of actually having the button presses register) gets to be a pain. Is there a code that I could pop into my pronto to assign a button to just go right to the "Fast Fast forward"? Or is the only way to do it to assign a macro to a button that goes "FF pause..FF pause..FF pause" etc.??


Thanks everyone, I hope this doesn't constitute thread hihacking....any answers would be appreciated. Thanks everyone.

Other than that I think that any digital TV can accept any resolutions. I'm surprised that you say your TV only accepts 720. I guess I have had the wrong impression. I had a 6th generation Panasonic PDP that accepted it and that is was an old model.
Jack, I believe you are talking about OTA signals. Yes, my old OTA digital tuners can accept both 720 and 1080 signals sent by the broadcaster, but we are talking about using a cable box's output to the tv's input (component, dvi or hdmi), not to the tv's tuner.

HeadRusch - I have a 6412, not a 3412 but I think I can answer a few of your questions. I'm in CT too and also got the Comcast firmware update last week.

1) Unlike a Tivo, the guide data disappears when you unplug the STB and has to get re-downloaded every time. In the 6412 thread there seems to be a lot of complaints that it's taking a long time to get the guide data after the firmware update.

2) You used to be able to record HD to a PC via firewire but it seems to be broken with the new firmware. I was able to do it for 1 1/2 years but now, after the firmware update, the shows will record but are unwatchable due to the errors and glitches. I've been posting about the problem for the last day or so. I'm surprised there isn't more discussion about this here. I'm trying to get Comcast to roll back the firmware for me but so far no luck. See the big stickied thread in this forum for more info on recording via IEEE 1394 firewire.

3) Haven't a clue.

Hope this helps...

Even though my current DLP is 720p natural, I would like to see 1080p become the standard, but I don't expect that soon, as it takes a lot of bandwidth. Right now, I think Comcast would probably give us a lot more HD, if it weren't for the bandwidth necessary.

A question to those hooked up with DVI, or probably HDMI is the same for this question. Do you get a signal over DVI (HDMI), for the SD channels, when the 4x3 override is set to 480i? If so, with a 34XX, or a 64XX?

I ask because I recently ran a DVI cable from my 6412 P2, with 16.20 FW to my 720p DLP TV. Just hooking up the cable reset my STB to 720p, from 1080i, and turned the 4x3 override to off! I was then able to get all channels, SD and HD, over DVI, component, and S-Vid conections. But, with the SD signal coming in as HD to the TV, I could not zoom to eliminate the bars from all four sides on letterboxed SD pictures. So, I went into the service setup menu, and reset the 4x3 override to 480i. Now, over the DVI, I can only get the HD channels, and a black screen on the SD channels. My TV gets 480i over component just fine. So, I am trying to figure out if my STB really is outputting the 480i signal over the DVI, and my TV won't display it, or if the signal is not there on the DVI. Does anyone know?

edited to correct 16.20 FW, not 16.40

FWIW, my 3416 passes 480i over HDMI for the SD channels after I told it to. I don't know what version of the firmware I have.

What's odd is that my TV's internal QAM tuner picks up the Music Choice channels in the clear and actually registers them as 480p (not 480i as I would expect). They looked much better on the TV's tuner than they do from the DVR. I don't particularly care how they look, but I found it interesting that they're apparently sending the video for those in a progressive format. Is that standard?

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I just can't read through 77 pages of posts.

I just got the 3412 box, but I am having a real problem getting it to output 5.1 surround sound. I tried using both optical and coax digital connections into my Marantz SR-19 receiver and nothing seems to work right.

On the channels that transmit 2-channel stereo sound, it works just fine with no issues. But on the channels that transmit either 3-channel or all 5.1 channel surround sound (receiver shows what is coming in), I hear the "background" sound on the main speakers and VERY faint speech on the center speaker. It seems like the front and center channels are being dropped out. If I force the receiver into stereo mode then it sounds normal, but again only in stereo.

Anyone have any idea?

TIA!!!

They totally screwed over the HDMI on the new Firmware!!! I woke up this morning and turned on the TV during a recording and all I got was a green screen!!! Of course I couldn't change channels or turn the box off without risk of losing my recording in progress.

Lame.

I am now getting daily freezes preceeded with the NCAP error message or a warning that I have exceeded the maximum number of scheduled programs. (This is different from the out of storage space message; this error is for Scheduling). I noticed this with the disc in the 70-85% range. This is the first time I filled up the 3412. (I had no problem when I had the 6412 and was running it in the high 80s and 90s even. A couple times I even had to "disable" the buffer with the 6412 until I watched a program to free up space; "disable the buffer" = record music choice channels on both tuners; they take up very very little space and they return the buffer space). The highest I got with the 3412 was 90%.

This always happens when I schedule something to record (whether this day or any other day in the future). I also noticed a ghost-entry in the schedule. I don't know if this is linked or related. [ghost-entry = a listing that cannot be removed; if you edit it (eg start 10 minutes earlier), it creates a 2nd entry in the scheduler. the ghost-entry usually start recording at a random 30-minute mark during its projected duration]. However now the ghost-entry is gone, but the NCAP problem still happens! Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

The Comcast manual and online FAQ says that there is an unlimited number of programs you can schedule, but obviously you need to have available space to record them.

So far I am not getting any common-sense replies from Comcast CSRs. I don't want to get a new box or reformat simply because the CSRs do not know what they are talking about... :-)

Does anyone know what the problem really is?

I searched this thread for NCAP and found a couple of posts from Feb-2006. Is this the same problem? Would a full reset solve the problem? Can it be solved without a reformat? :-)

I am now getting daily freezes preceeded with the NCAP error message or a warning that I have exceeded the maximum number of scheduled programs. (This is different from the out of storage space message; this error is for Scheduling). I noticed this with the disc in the 70-85% range. This is the first time I filled up the 3412. (I had no problem when I had the 6412 and was running it in the high 80s and 90s even. A couple times I even had to "disable" the buffer with the 6412 until I watched a program to free up space; "disable the buffer" = record music choice channels on both tuners; they take up very very little space and they return the buffer space). The highest I got with the 3412 was 90%.

This always happens when I schedule something to record (whether this day or any other day in the future). I also noticed a ghost-entry in the schedule. I don't know if this is linked or related. [ghost-entry = a listing that cannot be removed; if you edit it (eg start 10 minutes earlier), it creates a 2nd entry in the scheduler. the ghost-entry usually start recording at a random 30-minute mark during its projected duration]. However now the ghost-entry is gone, but the NCAP problem still happens! Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

The Comcast manual and online FAQ says that there is an unlimited number of programs you can schedule, but obviously you need to have available space to record them.

So far I am not getting any common-sense replies from Comcast CSRs. I don't want to get a new box or reformat simply because the CSRs do not know what they are talking about... :-)

Does anyone know what the problem really is?

I searched this thread for NCAP and found a couple of posts from Feb-2006. Is this the same problem? Would a full reset solve the problem? Can it be solved without a reformat? :-)

I have been getting the same probems, I've had my current 3412 for a few months now and recently (the past couple of weeks) sometimes when I would set something to record for the next day the box would freeze up and a message would pop up saying "Exceeded Maximum Number of Scheduled Items" . I then have to unplug the box because it is still frozen and then I can't go back and set the program to record because the guide info was lost. I used to have a lot more series recordings in the past and didn't have a problem like this and this didn't start happening until after I blew away most of my series recordings.

Does anyone know if there is a maximum number of schedule recordings you can make? I'm also only using about 30-40 percent of my drive space.

Doesn't make any sense to me.

I have been getting the same probems, I've had my current 3412 for a few months now and recently (the past couple of weeks) sometimes when I would set something to record for the next day the box would freeze up and a message would pop up saying "Exceeded Maximum Number of Scheduled Items" . I then have to unplug the box because it is still frozen and then I can't go back and set the program to record because the guide info was lost. I used to have a lot more series recordings in the past and didn't have a problem like this and this didn't start happening until after I blew away most of my series recordings.

Does anyone know if there is a maximum number of schedule recordings you can make? I'm also only using about 30-40 percent of my drive space.

Doesn't make any sense to me.

Okay so i am not the only one getting the problem! That is promising then :-) That was the warning I also got (apart from the NCAP) but I didn't remember the exact phrasing.

According to the Comcast user manual "Using your Built-in Digital Video Recorder" on page 24 it says "there is no limit to the number of recordings you can schedule". This is also posted online in the Comcast DVR FAQ, question #12.

Judging from what I observed and what you are saying this may be something they tweaked the last few days, perhaps a minor software update with a bug?

I only have 9 Series recordings, and I haven't done any significant changes to them nor changed priorities.

I had to unplug the box everytime except the last one where the box rebooted itself.

Okay so i am not the only one getting the problem! That is promising then :-)

Yeah, isn't it nice to know you're not alone. I thought there were Comcast monitors for these forums (this and the 6412 thread). What with all the complaints about problems people have been reporting since they blasted us with the 16.20 firmware, you'd think something would have been done by now. Pull back to the prior verision or something. Would that be so hard?

This is totally frustrating and shows Comcast's incompetence and unwillingness in dealing with customer service issues. :mad:

Yeah, isn't it nice to know you're not alone.

I had a 3412 installed yesterday, and I too had this exact problem with my very first attempted scheduled recording (a movie scheduled for today).

In addition, I noticed that my firmware is still 12.22. I'm in Philadelphia. Is this normal? Finally, even though the box has been plugged in for 12 hours since it froze, I still show a bunch of TBAs. Suggestions?

After 12 hours, you shouldn't see TBAs for tonight's programming. It may take much longer (especially with later versions of the software) for the TBAs to go away for the rest of the week and next week. It looks like, as a performance enhancement, some systems are sending the long-range schedule information much less frequently.

After 12 hours, you shouldn't see TBAs for tonight's programming. It may take much longer (especially with later versions of the software) for the TBAs to go away for the rest of the week and next week. It looks like, as a performance enhancement, some systems are sending the long-range schedule information much less frequently.

Thanks; yeah, as of 7 this morning, I had TBAs for pretty much everything after 4 pm. I guess if it doesn't look better this evening, I'll call them. The old firmware is odd though. I wonder why it didn't update.

I've had my box plugged in for 2 weeks now (since I moved it and blew away the schedule a couple weeks back).....I still have TBA's sometimes on some of the HD channels for shows 6 hours away.

I'm at the point where I might call up comcast and ask them to re-send the schedule or something...dunno what they can or cannot do. My main concern is that I have a full DVR of saved HD recordings I want to watch, and dont want to screw ANY of that up. :P

Thanks; yeah, as of 7 this morning, I had TBAs for pretty much everything after 4 pm. I guess if it doesn't look better this evening, I'll call them. The old firmware is odd though. I wonder why it didn't update.

12.22 is the latest firmware that has been available in the Horsham, PA area. I suspect that they need to make changes to the head end cable plant before anything newer can be provided. Hopefully it is not that they are too lazy to do it.

It takes my 3412 close to 48 hours to fill in the guide. A friend that works with these things at Motorola suspects that they are not downloading localized guides but instead download the entire USA guide and let the box pick out what it needs. If the head end was set up properly, it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours.

As a side note my ReplayTV (SD only unit) can download it's guide data for two weeks in 15 minutes.

As a side note my ReplayTV (SD only unit) can download it's guide data for two weeks in 15 minutes.
I think that's partially because your Replay stores its guide data on the hard drive and only downloads the updates. Of course, its initial download doesn't take long either.

12.22 is the latest firmware that has been available in the Horsham, PA area. I suspect that they need to make changes to the head end cable plant before anything newer can be provided. Hopefully it is not that they are too lazy to do it.

It takes my 3412 close to 48 hours to fill in the guide. A friend that works with these things at Motorola suspects that they are not downloading localized guides but instead download the entire USA guide and let the box pick out what it needs. If the head end was set up properly, it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours.

Thanks for all of this info! Sounds like my box is normal for our area then.

I am on the Bensalem system and am running 12.22 as well. I was over at a friend's house in Wynnewood PA over near the main line and they were running 12.35. Strangely they were also getting ESPN Classic on like Ch 268 or something right in with the sports tier channels. We don't have a guide listing for ESPN Classic, but it's an unencrypted QAM channel that my TV tuner can pick up.

I don't want new firmware if my HDMI will stop working, my firewire stops working, etc. Although I do have the firewire bug, last time i captured to DVHS it did not kill my FF/REW.

I have a problem that I have not seen reported here (my apologies if this has been covered before). Replaying recorded shows, the dvr freezes during replay. So far we've seen this replaying two shows. The shows freeze at different points, but each show freezes at the same point if replay is stopped and restarted. Once it freezes, the screen goes black. Attempts to fast-forward or rewind then generate a "NPLY" message. These problems survive rebooting the box. We've had this dvr for months with no problems.

Comcast will swap out the box, but I'd like not to lose the shows we have recorded. Is this a known problem? Will re-loading software help (however briefly)? Comcast tech support was spectacularly unhelpful, and their only solution was to swap out the box.

They do insist on falling back on that option for just about every problem. I consider it a particularly objectionable tactic because generally they're just trying to wear down the customer, so the customer just learns to live with the problem (since it recurs so consistently on subsequent boxes). The problem is lack of robustness in the design of the box and its software, so no amount of swapping is likely to obviate the problem -- only luck seems to help, and so the question is whether or not you feel lucky. You are as likely as not to end up with a box with worse problems.

I went into this guide upgrade fiasco a few weeks ago with two 6412 (phase 2) boxes which for the most part worked ok (with the exception of the command cueing of not responding for 30 seconds or so & then doing 5 things in a matter of a second & the 1989 recordings). Cueing problem not fixed (there's an annonying delay now when pressing the 30 second skip button also that wasn't there before), however it cleared all the 1989 recordings off both boxes, whoopie! One of the boxes got intolerable with the freezing & had to change it out (finally got 3416 with slightly more, much needed harddrive space). The other old box seems for the most part fine (not used nearly as much), but has issue now with the video of the channel currently being watched when going into the guide. Video should be scaled down to fit in the top right corner but it's not, it just shows the corner of the picture & the guide covers the rest of the picture, not really a big deal but the first I've seen of this.
Just thought I'd add this to the list of issues.
Still awaiting software upgrade from Hitachi to see if that fixes HDMI issue.

I have a problem that I have not seen reported here (my apologies if this has been covered before). Replaying recorded shows, the dvr freezes during replay. So far we've seen this replaying two shows. The shows freeze at different points, but each show freezes at the same point if replay is stopped and restarted. Once it freezes, the screen goes black. Attempts to fast-forward or rewind then generate a "NPLY" message. These problems survive rebooting the box. We've had this dvr for months with no problems.

Comcast will swap out the box, but I'd like not to lose the shows we have recorded. Is this a known problem? Will re-loading software help (however briefly)? Comcast tech support was spectacularly unhelpful, and their only solution was to swap out the box.

Just delete those 2 programs, they are corrupted. The digital signal was lost and nothing else was recorded. Remember with digital, it is there or it's not there, there is no in-between like analog signals.

Check your signal strength via the Diagnostic screen for both Cable Tuners and the OOB Tuner.

Turn STB off and press ok/select within 2 sec. to access the Diagnostic menu.

I am on the Bensalem system and am running 12.22 as well. I was over at a friend's house in Wynnewood PA over near the main line and they were running 12.35. Strangely they were also getting ESPN Classic on like Ch 268 or something right in with the sports tier channels. We don't have a guide listing for ESPN Classic, but it's an unencrypted QAM channel that my TV tuner can pick up.

I don't want new firmware if my HDMI will stop working, my firewire stops working, etc. Although I do have the firewire bug, last time i captured to DVHS it did not kill my FF/REW.


This is promising as we face future all-digital broadcasts. Here ESPN Classic is part of the Digital Classic package (included with all digital cable boxes). So this may be a small sign that Comcast will allow those channels un-encrypted in addition to standard cable? Perhaps a bonus to the customers because they can reclaim the bandwidth of analog channels?

Just delete those 2 programs, they are corrupted. The digital signal was lost and nothing else was recorded. Remember with digital, it is there or it's not there, there is no in-between like analog signals.

Check your signal strength via the Diagnostic screen for both Cable Tuners and the OOB Tuner.

Turn STB off and press ok/select within 2 sec. to access the Diagnostic menu.

Hi ScanPa,

Do you have any suggestions on the NCAP/Maximum number of scheduled items freezing problem?

Thanks :-)

Hi ScanPa,

Do you have any suggestions on the NCAP/Maximum number of scheduled items freezing problem?

Thanks :-)

I've hit that problem a couple of times. The last time it happened, it actually deleted all of my recordings and season priorities. Not fun.

[QUOTE=Joey Joe Joe]I have a problem that I have not seen reported here (my apologies if this has been covered before). Replaying recorded shows, the dvr freezes during replay. So far we've seen this replaying two shows. The shows freeze at different points, but each show freezes at the same point if replay is stopped and restarted. Once it freezes, the screen goes black. Attempts to fast-forward or rewind then generate a "NPLY" message. These problems survive rebooting the box.[QUOTE]


We had it, too. Within two weeks of it showing up, the machine wouldn't record at all anymore. I am back with a 6412-II that is updated with full digital tuning. Not a lick of trouble... yet.

I heard tell of a new TIVO-based PACE DVR being beta tested in Denver. Does anybody know the details about this box? How much extra $$ will it cost to rent above the current $9.95/mo?

The TiVo software is not currently being done on any non Motorola DCT 34xx & 64xx STB.

There are plans to do one for the pace SD DVR in mid to late 2007.

Right now the deal is only for the Moto HD 34xx & 64xx STB.

I'm sure this is covered but after extensive searching I still can't find it...

How do I force a series recording to record the HD channel instead of the regular channel that it allways seem to go to? I've tried everything I could think of but it always seems to make the channel the regular on!

Thanks!

I'm sure this is covered but after extensive searching I still can't find it...

How do I force a series recording to record the HD channel instead of the regular channel that it allways seem to go to? I've tried everything I could think of but it always seems to make the channel the regular on!

Thanks!
I always get hd versions. Is is possible that you accidently set the series up on the SD channel instead of the HD channel. I would delete your series setting for the program in question; confirm the delete; exit. Then use the guide and go to the HD channel/program and re-add the series recording.

I tried that and it set it up for the SD channel instead!

I'm sure this is covered but after extensive searching I still can't find it...

How do I force a series recording to record the HD channel instead of the regular channel that it allways seem to go to? I've tried everything I could think of but it always seems to make the channel the regular on!
I bet the guide shows that both the SD and HD channels have the exact same name? If so, you need to complain and have them rename one of them. Typically, they add a 'D' for the HD channel (WGN for SD, WGND for HD). The series scheduler apparantly uses the channel name and not number, which is why it moves.

For now, the only workaround is to not use a series recording and instead either pick them one at a time, or create a manual recording and tell it to repeat.

The show name is the same but the channel name is different (WLS vs. WLSD1). I'll play with it some more but it's been driving me crazy! I wish you could just set the channel and have it stay!

This is promising as we face future all-digital broadcasts. Here ESPN Classic is part of the Digital Classic package (included with all digital cable boxes). So this may be a small sign that Comcast will allow those channels un-encrypted in addition to standard cable? Perhaps a bonus to the customers because they can reclaim the bandwidth of analog channels?
Doubtful.
Here, with ADS in place, Digital Classic is no longer automatically included with a Digital Box. One can get just Standard (Basic + Expd.) channels with a Digital Box, and it is called 'Enhanced'.
Here, they have encrypted almost all, (if not all, by now), of the Digitally-Simulcasted Expd. channels, as well as all Digital-only channels.
Whenever a new channel is being tested, and usually for a bit after it is added, it is unencrypted.
The result, eventually, is that only Basic is unencrypted. At least this gives one all of the OTA channels with a QAM Tuner Box or TV, without a CC or Cable Box, but no other channels.

The show name is the same but the channel name is different (WLS vs. WLSD1). I'll play with it some more but it's been driving me crazy! I wish you could just set the channel and have it stay!
What show are you having problems with? I'm also in the Chicago area, and have no problems with Lost, which is on WLSD1.
The only potential issue is with WTTW on a 6412, as it's available on both 11 (digital simulcast version), and 94 (analog version.) A 3412/3416 cannot tune 94 because it has no analog tuner. 94 is mainly for CableCard TV's so they can pick up the time and other VBI signals WTTW broadcasts that are stripped out of the digital simulcast version.

What does it mean when the red light is on in the upper left of the display?

I believe that is the "you have a message from the cableco" message light. Hit the MENU button and go to the messages box from the home icon.

YMMV

Well, I have a suggestion that might help(though not completely) you cropped video scaling issue. You can go under set-up and adjust the screen position. I also realized this was a problem with the new firmware, and this is what I did. It is nearly as it used to be now.

My 3412 continually freezes at 4:50. I know this because the box is completely unresponsive and the time is frozen at 4:50. A cold reboot is successful at remedying the problem (temporarily).

Any Ideas???

Comcast is coming out today to fix and/or swap the box.

My 3412 continually freezes at 4:50. I know this because the box is completely unresponsive and the time is frozen at 4:50. A cold reboot is successful at remedying the problem (temporarily).

Any Ideas???

Comcast is coming out today to fix and/or swap the box.
Cancel the service call. It is not necessary. This is a VERY well known bug that is mainly caused by having extra time added to series recordings. I hope the new firmware/software going around will fix this.

Information is in the Wikibook here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#Box_locks_up_between_4:20_and_4:50_AM_or_PM

The show name is the same but the channel name is different (WLS vs. WLSD1). I'll play with it some more but it's been driving me crazy! I wish you could just set the channel and have it stay!
Go to the "more options" button when setting up the series recording and choose "this channel only". Make sure you are telling it to use the right (HD) channel!

For the last year, I've had 34xx and 64xx DVRs and have always had the slow response problem issue. I've always had HDMI and Component connected at the same time. Previously when the response issue became very bad, I disconnected the HDMI cable and watched the TV via component but the response issues remained. Recently, the slow response issue started occuring on a regular basis where I had to pull the plug the DVR every couple of days. About 2 weeks ago, I removed the HDMI cables and then pulled the plug the DVR. Since than I have been using component and have not had any problems.

Prior to recently I always removed the HDMI cable without pulling the plug on the DVR and that did not help. Is it possible that software in the DVR became corrupted is the reason why I didn't see any improvement in the response issue?

I know that 2 weeks is a pretty short time but the DVR have worked almost flawlessly during that time (never longer than 5 seconds response).

Does anyone that only has component connected have the response issue?

I've hit that problem a couple of times. The last time it happened, it actually deleted all of my recordings and season priorities. Not fun.

Still happening almost every day, even with the DVR disc half-empty. In my case it just freezes up and either reboots on its own or has to be rebooted manually. So far I have not lost any recordings (other than the few minutes in between the reboots) *knock on Comcast-wood*

I've had a 3416 now for a couple days and I'd like to share my thoughts on it.

First problem that was apparent is the picture quality. Compared to the 6200 that I had before it is somewhat worse, more pixellated. I've tried both component and HDMI; HDMI somewhat improved the quality, but not to the level of my previous 6200.

Second, the responsiveness of the system is sluggish. There is a noticeable second or two delay while it changes channels (especially HD ones) and responds to some commands while in the guide. I hope they push an update sooner than later to correct this. My 6200 responded much in the same way a year or two ago, but an update eventually fixed it.

Third, as others have noted previously, I have experienced the dreaded 30 second unresponsive system. No matter what you press on the remote, nothing happens until about 30 seconds later. Then the system responds to every button you've pressed on the remote in quick succession.

Fourth, the hard drive is far from quiet. (It is a Seagate if anybody cares.) If it weren't in my A/V cabinet behind a glass door, I think you might hear it during quiet parts during movie.

Fifth, last night while watching a non-HD channel, the audio/video started to become "jumpy". Changing the channel and returning fixed it. I hope that is not a sign of things to come.

All of these complaints are based off a couple days of use including some very heavy usage on Saturday (college football day). Most, if not all, of these problems should be fixable in S/W and F/W updates I hope.

techfuzz

You will always have some channel change delay. This is because it's a DVR, and is ALWAYS buffering data. Even when watching live, you are actually on a 0.5-1.0 second delay.

I'm actually quite pleased with my 3412. Only suffer the mute bug and occasional delay. It's very quiet and response nicely to the remote (as far as DVRs go). Storage size sucks though. Will the external eSata connector _ever_ be enabled by Comcast? And am I the thousandth person to ask this? :)

These issues have existed since I got my first 34xx/64xx over a year ago. I wouldn't expect a quick fix for any of them.

I woke up with a screen saver today on my 3412 and firmware 12.31. Also have a smaller "Menu" bar. Can I start expecting bad things now? :) My STB (knock wood) has worked fine since getting it a year ago.

The other old box seems for the most part fine (not used nearly as much), but has issue now with the video of the channel currently being watched when going into the guide. Video should be scaled down to fit in the top right corner but it's not, it just shows the corner of the picture & the guide covers the rest of the picture, not really a big deal but the first I've seen of this.
Just thought I'd add this to the list of issues.
Still awaiting software upgrade from Hitachi to see if that fixes HDMI issue.

I'm having this same issue. I'm glad I'm not crazy. I've tried to explain what was going on to the comcast reps, but they don't get it. I've been trying to get in contact with someone higher up on the tech support side to no avail. The odd thing for me is that not everyone in my area has this issue, but I have had multiple boxes since the upgrade trying to fix the problem and they all end up doing this. Currently I have a 3412 and it is doing this.

Any one else seen this issue with their system?

Well, I have a suggestion that might help(though not completely) you cropped video scaling issue. You can go under set-up and adjust the screen position. I also realized this was a problem with the new firmware, and this is what I did. It is nearly as it used to be now.


Gotta give 'Savman' credit for this one. To clarify just press 'menu' button twice, go into 'setup' then 'screen position' & try pushing the screen a few clicks to the left (it should work eventually, mine took about 4 or 5 clicks over & is scaled correctly now).

I woke up with a screen saver today on my 3412 and firmware 12.31. Also have a smaller "Menu" bar. Can I start expecting bad things now? :) My STB (knock wood) has worked fine since getting it a year ago.

12.31 has been on my 3416 since I got it and has been nothing but stable. Not a single problem in ~3 months. I believe it's 12.35 and 16.XX that have been the troublemakers, but I'm not sure.

Since this thread is over 100 pages in length, please don't get mad at me if this question has been asked a hundred times already.

I have the 3412. I connected it to my Mac and opened up iRecord and did a 5 minute test recording. iRecord seemed to detect the box, but the picture was blank when I tried playing it back in VLC.

Could this be the because the Firewire output is not enabled by Comcast? How can I tell?

Does anyone that only has component connected have the response issue?


yes, but I also record frequently via firewire to D-VHS, which introduces its own response issues.

Since this thread is over 100 pages in length, please don't get mad at me if this question has been asked a hundred times already.

I have the 3412. I connected it to my Mac and opened up iRecord and did a 5 minute test recording. iRecord seemed to detect the box, but the picture was blank when I tried playing it back in VLC.

Could this be the because the Firewire output is not enabled by Comcast? How can I tell?

What channel did you try recording?
ajwees41

Since this thread is over 100 pages in length, please don't get mad at me if this question has been asked a hundred times already.

I have the 3412. I connected it to my Mac and opened up iRecord and did a 5 minute test recording. iRecord seemed to detect the box, but the picture was blank when I tried playing it back in VLC.

Could this be the because the Firewire output is not enabled by Comcast? How can I tell?

If I recall correctly you will be able to see pretty much all channels live via firewire on a computer but can only record the local channels for the most part being they shouldn't have copyright flags on them. I think pretty much most of the other cable/premium channels have copyright flags set so they can't be recorded.

If I recall correctly you will be able to see pretty much all channels live via firewire on a computer but can only record the local channels for the most part being they shouldn't have copyright flags on them. I think pretty much most of the other cable/premium channels have copyright flags set so they can't be recorded.


Only the premium and vod/ppv are supposed to blocked from firewire transfer to computer.

ajwees41

Recording question with the 3415.

Here's the scenario: I'm watching a program and decide to record it. I press the record button, and it starts to record. I want to turn the channel to watch another program, but to do so, the box tells me that it will have to stop recording the program that I just selected to record..

I was under the impression that this box has two tuners. During a prescheduled recording, I can watch other programs. Is there a way to switch tuners, assuming there are two tuners?

Recording question with the 3415.

Here's the scenario: I'm watching a program and decide to record it. I press the record button, and it starts to record. I want to turn the channel to watch another program, but to do so, the box tells me that it will have to stop recording the program that I just selected to record..

I was under the impression that this box has two tuners. During a prescheduled recording, I can watch other programs. Is there a way to switch tuners, assuming there are two tuners?

Two things could be going on. Either your second tuner is already busy recording something else in which case you will have to stop recording on at least one of the tuners in order to change the channel, or you're not selecting the option that it gives you to swap tuners and continue your recording.

Yes, the 3416 has two tuners. And there should be a button on your remote labled "swap" which should allow you to manually switch tuners before changing the channels -- again assuming that the second tuner is not already recording something else.

[QUOTE=andyross63]Cancel the service call. It is not necessary. This is a VERY well known bug that is mainly caused by having extra time added to series recordings. I hope the new firmware/software going around will fix this.

Information is in the Wikibook here:


Service man came before I could cancel the call. The good news is that I was able to get a 3416 instead of a 3412. He did try to give me an old beat up 6412 - NOT!! I will now simply record the time without any additional minutes. Thanks for the link.

joe

You will always have some channel change delay. This is because it's a DVR, and is ALWAYS buffering data. Even when watching live, you are actually on a 0.5-1.0 second delay.

More like 5 seconds or even more. My TV with analog cable is significantly ahead of the DVR TV. I can run upstairs and into another room in time to start exactly in the same place I left off - kind of weird and also a way to play tricks on guests (by reciting the next line someone is going to say on live TV, or to win at Jeopardy!

What channel did you try recording?
ajwees41

Channel 205, Discovery HD

Actually I thought in the past it was actually copyright flags but now after checking my DVR the flag always stays at 0 regardless of what channel, but the DRM status changes, from the couple I checked it was 0 (off) for the locals (SD or HD) & 1 (on) for the cable channels & premiums. Discovery HD unfortunately would be protected.

How does one check this flag/setting...?

Thank You.

Turn DVR off then press OK/select to bring up diagnostic menu, go to 'd06' for the info on the two channels currently tuned to on the two tuners, tells freq., drm, copy flag & some other stuff.

I'm in the Chicagoland area (north suburbs)

My DCT3416-I has just been upgraded from the 12.31 Firmware to the 16.20 Firmware at 4:00am Central time, 11/15/2006.

The HDMI port of my DVR is working properly, luckily for me considering some of the other user experiences.

Gotta give 'Savman' credit for this one. To clarify just press 'menu' button twice, go into 'setup' then 'screen position' & try pushing the screen a few clicks to the left (it should work eventually, mine took about 4 or 5 clicks over & is scaled correctly now).

Thanks jonwww and Savman. This fixed the issue for me. It seems like a strange glitch, but it is not a big issue to move the screen a few clicks left.

Oh, and I got a response back from Comcast after days of back and forth with them through email, telling me that I didn't have an issue and that the scaling feature was no longer offered. I thought about correcting them, but it wasn't worth it. The people on this board always know more than the csr's.

Thanks again.

The people on this board always know more than the csr's.

The obvious answer why is that the people here are serious users that care more about their systems and equipment than entry level CSR's who think their work is a job, not a career.

After doing some searching I found the following info:

Choose an unused or unneeded button on the “silver” remote to be the 30-second skip command. I used my “A-lock” button, and in retrospect (with two kids) that’s probably not the best choice, but I wanted it near the other DVR controls. Other choices are the PIP buttons at the bottom, (maybe there’s a hack for those too?) or the “help” button (there’s no help either).
Press the “Cable” button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
Press the “Cable” button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
Press and hold the “Setup” button until the “Cable” button blinks twice.
Type in the code 994. The “Cable” button will blink twice.
Press (do not hold) the “Setup” button.
Type in the code 00173.
Press whatever button you want to map the 30-second skip command to.


However, after several attempts I've found that this doesn't work for me. The skip icon appears on the screen (similar to when you skip backwards), but it doesn't actually skip any amount. Has anyone else encountered this issue? I couldn't seem to find anyone that had this problem or that was unsuccessful with this method. Is there possibly a place to adjust the skip amount?

Press whatever button you want to map the 30-second skip command to. However, after several attempts I've found that this doesn't work for me.

Not sure where you're located, but it doesn't work in the state of WA.

Not sure where you're located, but it doesn't work in the state of WA.

That would explain it. I'm in Seattle.
So is this fixed in the 3416 then?

That would explain it. I'm in Seattle.
So is this fixed in the 3416 then?
In case you did not already know this, all Comcast Motorola DVRs in Washington State have Microsoft application software instead of the i-guide software found everywhere else for Comcast HD DVRs.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=467203

I have a 3412 with the Microsoft interface and it has an odd rebooting problem. If I'm recording a program then start watching it about halfway through, as soon as the PVR is finished recording it reboots itself. I then have to wait for it to restart then fast forward through the complete recorded program to get back to where I was. It doesn't reboot if I'm not watching the channel it's recording. Any ideas?

I have a 3412 with the Microsoft interface and it has an odd rebooting problem...

Ever since the 12.35 firmware was issued for the 3412 in WA state there have been spontaneous reboot problems, so you may be a victim of this. Having Comcast revert to 12.31 fixed that problem for me.

I'm in the Chicagoland area (north suburbs)

My DCT3416-I has just been upgraded from the 12.31 Firmware to the 16.20 Firmware at 4:00am Central time, 11/15/2006.

The HDMI port of my DVR is working properly, luckily for me considering some of the other user experiences.It won't be as soon as you're recording something unattended and want to turn your TV set on.

I haven't been following this thread for a while, so I apologize if this question has been answered. Has to do with some 'bugs' that were in the HDMI connection of the 3412 to the display that were not present if one used Component cables to connect. I've thus been using the Component connection for about a year, but it would be convenient for me now to change to HDMI if these 'bugs' no longer exist. Anybody know? TIA

I haven't been following this thread for a while, so I apologize if this question has been answered. Has to do with some 'bugs' that were in the HDMI connection of the 3412 to the display that were not present if one used Component cables to connect. I've thus been using the Component connection for about a year, but it would be convenient for me now to change to HDMI if these 'bugs' no longer exist. Anybody know? TIA

I use HDMI to connect the 3412 to my plasma and I have FW 12.35. I haven't had any of the spontaneous reboot issues or HDMI issues mentioned. I just hate the fact that the FWD skip doesn't work. So I usually end up watching SD on my Media center and HD on the DVR...

(btw, thanks to opus312 and budget_ht for the info about the msft guide / no fwd skip in washington info)

quick q. i just got the dct3412 because of hdmi. i used to have the older box.
my question is about firmware updates. are you able to do there manually or is it comcast that normally does them.
im in california and have firmware 12.31.
thanks.

oh yeah, do all the ports work now on the box? (ie. sata, usb)
i know firewire works but my pc doesnt have that port.

quick q. i just got the dct3412 because of hdmi. i used to have the older box.
my question is about firmware updates. are you able to do there manually or is it comcast that normally does them.
im in california and have firmware 12.31.
thanks.

oh yeah, do all the ports work now on the box? (ie. sata, usb)
i know firewire works but my pc doesnt have that port.

Firmware upgrades come automatically in COMCAST's all due wisdom, usually at the wee hours of the morning. I'm in the SF Bay area, and I have Firmware 16.20 on my 3412.

oh yeah, do all the ports work now on the box? (ie. sata, usb)
i know firewire works but my pc doesnt have that port.

Neither SATA nor USB works, except that USB is powered.

I started having a problem recently where some of my recorded shows are not shown full screen. Some of them display fine, others start with the black bars on the sides and then after a few minuets go full screen , and still others stay with the black bars on the sides.
When this happens ive tried pausing and switching to a station being broadcast in HD 1080i and the picture goes full screen with no problem.
The shows in question are all being recorded from HD sources and all i believe are in 1080i. Last night i had recorded both Survivor and My name is Earl. Survivor had the bars the whole show and My name is Earl was full screen.
Has anyone else seen anything similar?
Not to confuse the issue, but right around the same time i started seeing this the firmware was upgraded and i finally got around to hooking up my HTPC to my Samsung DLP 50" HDTV. Im wondering if playing content through the HTPC screwed something up or if its just an issue with the DVR.
This is on the DCT-3412
Firmware is 16.20 and software version is 74.53-3321

I started having a problem recently where some of my recorded shows are not shown full screen.
Just to clarify, are you sure that changing channels and then changing back removes the black side bars? Are you sure it is your cable box, not the networks? I often notice that the networks forgets to "flick the widescreen switch" after comming back from commercial. Sometimes they catch it quickly, sometimes they don't.

Survivor is not a widescreen program. If you are recording it off of the digital HD channel as opposed to the analog version you will see black bars on the sides of the program. It's always been that way.

Survivor is not a widescreen program. If you are recording it off of the digital HD channel as opposed to the analog version you will see black bars on the sides of the program. It's always been that way.
Bobby, not this season. CBS now put images on the sides of the Survivor broadcast. They are even wise enough to vary the image.

Oh, OK my mistake....... Now going back to my room. :)

I have a 6412-2005 and I just wanted to know if there is a gauranteed way to have this box reset completely. Like the memory has to be reset, and everything... I think its called a hard reset, but not by calling my cable company. I've read a few ways but whats the best way, anybody know?

PLease let me know, desperate for info!!

Thanx to anyone who helps, or even clarifies.

I have a 6412-2005 and I just wanted to know if there is a gauranteed way to have this box reset completely. Like the memory has to be reset, and everything... I think its called a hard reset, but not by calling my cable company. I've read a few ways but whats the best way, anybody know?
So far, the Wikibook has a procedure to reset the DVR features (recordings, schedule, etc..) and to force a firmware/software download. So far, no information on something like resetting I-Guide to defaults.

Just to clarify, are you sure that changing channels and then changing back removes the black side bars? Are you sure it is your cable box, not the networks? I often notice that the networks forgets to "flick the widescreen switch" after comming back from commercial. Sometimes they catch it quickly, sometimes they don't.
Nope never said that. I said sometimes it starts with the black bars on the sides and then after a few minuets itll go full screen. That would be without me doing anything.
I mentioned that i tried just changing channels to a known 1080i broadcast to see if there was something wrong with the TV and it looked fine.
I read in the Wiki here (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#The_DVR_records_in_SD_when_you.27ve_set_it_to_an_HD_cha nnel) that this can happen when the HD and SD broadcast network channels share the same name in the guide listing, the DVR will record the SD.
This wasnt an issue for the last 6 months as everything seemed to work fine. Its possible survivor was never 1080i, but ive seen other shows that i know are 1080i that like i said start off with black bars and then go full screen.
Guess im in the minority here or theres something messed up with my set.

Nope never said that. I said sometimes it starts with the black bars on the sides and then after a few minuets itll go full screen. That would be without me doing anything.
I mentioned that i tried just changing channels to a known 1080i broadcast to see if there was something wrong with the TV and it looked fine.
I read in the Wiki here (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#The_DVR_records_in_SD_when_you.27ve_set_it_to_an_HD_cha nnel) that this can happen when the HD and SD broadcast network channels share the same name in the guide listing, the DVR will record the SD.
This wasnt an issue for the last 6 months as everything seemed to work fine. Its possible survivor was never 1080i, but ive seen other shows that i know are 1080i that like i said start off with black bars and then go full screen.
Guess im in the minority here or theres something messed up with my set.

I've had that happen a few times, but it was because the local networks dropped the ball and didn't "flip the switch" on time. I'd be watching the HD channel, but a show started in 480I before switching to HD. This varied anywhere from seconds to many minutes into a show.

So far, the Wikibook has a procedure to reset the DVR features (recordings, schedule, etc..) and to force a firmware/software download. So far, no information on something like resetting I-Guide to defaults.


Does this also erase the memory of the ordered programs like VOM and PPV events?

The obvious answer why is that the people here are serious users that care more about their systems and equipment than entry level CSR's who think their work is a job, not a career.


I assure you that I am as annoyed as anyone about the lack of knowledge on the part of the CSRs. But, to be fair, I doubt that it is their fault. How much training are they given in the intricacies of DVRs, and their foibles? Even the techs don't know as much as we might like. I highly doubt that the CSRs get trained in the info we would like them to have. That is management's fault. One thing that would help is if all CSRs and techs were given DVRs and full service for free. Then, the CSRs would be a lot more familiar with the equipment. They should also be encouraged to report problems. I'm sure that a lot of people don't bother to report problems, so Comcast doesn't know how widespread they may be.

It's as much the fault of the general public, for focusing more on prices than the quality of the service we get. These forums -- this thread in particular -- exists to bridge the gap between what the typical customer cares about in terms of using these DVRs and what we power users want to be able to get out of them.

One thing that would help is if all CSRs and techs were given DVRs and full service for free.

Yup, can't tell you how many times I've talked to CSRs who've never used this equipment. Sigh...

It's as much the fault of the general public, for focusing more on prices than the quality of the service we get. These forums -- this thread in particular -- exists to bridge the gap between what the typical customer cares about in terms of using these DVRs and what we power users want to be able to get out of them.

These forums actually accomplish way more than that. Over the years, there have been many hardware/software items that would have been tossed in the trash if not for the guidance of other users...

Your guys are correct, i learned sooo much from this forum... I don't even call the CSR's anymore. They really dont know jack compared to you guys. But what I'm still yearing to learn is how to do a system reset or memory flash reset on the 6412-2005 box. Is there a proven way, or does the unpluging of the box for 12 hrs really work. Any help is greatly appreicated!!
Thanx!

I received the update y'day. I am finally connected through HDMI thru my Yamaha Receiver Wooohoo.. real joy to remove Component and Optical Digital out

Your guys are correct, i learned sooo much from this forum... I don't even call the CSR's anymore. They really dont know jack compared to you guys. But what I'm still yearing to learn is how to do a system reset or memory flash reset on the 6412-2005 box. Is there a proven way, or does the unpluging of the box for 12 hrs really work. Any help is greatly appreicated!!
Thanx!

You have asked the same thing on many forums.

Call your Cable company and ask them to reset your STB.

I assure you that I am as annoyed as anyone about the lack of knowledge on the part of the CSRs. But, to be fair, I doubt that it is their fault. How much training are they given in the intricacies of DVRs, and their foibles? Even the techs don't know as much as we might like. I highly doubt that the CSRs get trained in the info we would like them to have. That is management's fault. One thing that would help is if all CSRs and techs were given DVRs and full service for free. Then, the CSRs would be a lot more familiar with the equipment. They should also be encouraged to report problems. I'm sure that a lot of people don't bother to report problems, so Comcast doesn't know how widespread they may be.

Comcast actually has a very involved training program. New Hires (techs at least) go through

-1 week of rideouts
-4 weeks of class at Comcast university
-Another week of rideouts
-4 more weeks at Comcast University
-4 More weeks of rideouts with newly assigned mentor
-2 weeks of being in the field with their mentor following behind incase they run into something they need help with

Then after all of that, they get certified by their supervisor in the field.

Immediately following this, they go back to class for CT3 training usually.

Thats 15 weeks of training. Granted, its on all aspects of the job, and they don't go into every detail of the every piece of equipment, it is very complete training. Everything that a day to day customer needs to know, should be know by the tech. Stuff that people discuss on this forum isn't going to be know by a lot of techs unless they visit forums themselves and read up on stuff (like I do :D )

Employees also get free service, and 2 free digital boxes (DVRs are $4.95 each after the first one though)

This may vary region to region though.

Comcast actually has a very involved training program.
...


It isn't working. Perhaps the recruiting process needs improving.

Comcast actually has a very involved training program. New Hires (techs at least) go through

-1 week of rideouts
-4 weeks of class at Comcast university
-Another week of rideouts
-4 more weeks at Comcast University
-4 More weeks of rideouts with newly assigned mentor
-2 weeks of being in the field with their mentor following behind incase they run into something they need help with

Then after all of that, they get certified by their supervisor in the field.

Immediately following this, they go back to class for CT3 training usually.

Thats 15 weeks of training. Granted, its on all aspects of the job, and they don't go into every detail of the every piece of equipment, it is very complete training. Everything that a day to day customer needs to know, should be know by the tech. Stuff that people discuss on this forum isn't going to be know by a lot of techs unless they visit forums themselves and read up on stuff (like I do :D )

Employees also get free service, and 2 free digital boxes (DVRs are $4.95 each after the first one though)

This may vary region to region though.

Very hard to believe.

I just had my 3416 installed on Friday (Chicago area comcast), and both the installers didn't know what a DVI connection was.

It sounds like you are talking about techs. I was talking about customer service representitives, that you talk to on the phone. In my original post, I meant that I would expect the techs to know the answers to the kind of questions we pose to CSRs, but that the CSRs don't have the training that the techs have. If I wasn't clear, I apologize. Or, if CSRs get the same training techs do, I'm just wrong. But, I have had numerous technical questions over the years, some as simple as why am I not getting stereo to the TV (when I got my first STB). The answer was that you can't get stereo from the RF out of a STB. the CSR didn't know that. Sometimes they will connect me with a CSR who IS knowledgeable about technical things, and I usually get reasonable answers, or they at least understand the question, which the CSRs often do not.

I have also had clueless installers, and people sent to do repairs, in the vein of not knowing what a DVI cable is, as stated above. For most of the service problems I have reported over the years, one of two things is true:

It is obviously a head end problem, but they claim they have had no similar reports, and insist on setting up an appointment. Then, the problem goes away, and they either call me to say that they fixed it, or I call and tell them they fixed it.

When they actually need to come out, and do come out, the service rep usually has to call his supervisor to try and figure out what is going on. But, on the bright side, I very rarely need service calls to the house any more, and they used to be almost routine. The system has gotten far more reliable, and with a far better picture, over the years.

Do the CSRs get free cable service? Including the whole bill, with premium channels, or just no charge for the boxes? The people I talk to on the phone don't even seem to live in my region, so I thought the CSRs had just one, or a few, locations for the whole country. At least they aren't Indians, yet... ;)




Comcast actually has a very involved training program. New Hires (techs at least) go through

-1 week of rideouts
-4 weeks of class at Comcast university
-Another week of rideouts
-4 more weeks at Comcast University
-4 More weeks of rideouts with newly assigned mentor
-2 weeks of being in the field with their mentor following behind incase they run into something they need help with

Then after all of that, they get certified by their supervisor in the field.

Immediately following this, they go back to class for CT3 training usually.

Thats 15 weeks of training. Granted, its on all aspects of the job, and they don't go into every detail of the every piece of equipment, it is very complete training. Everything that a day to day customer needs to know, should be know by the tech. Stuff that people discuss on this forum isn't going to be know by a lot of techs unless they visit forums themselves and read up on stuff (like I do :D )

Employees also get free service, and 2 free digital boxes (DVRs are $4.95 each after the first one though)

This may vary region to region though.

I'm not sure how in depth the CAEs training is, but I believe it focuses more on how the billing system and CSG works, basic trouble shooting, and customer interaction on the account side of things. As far as I know, they don't have much equipment training (there are different levels/depts of Customer service though. There is sales, Technical support, and a few others) Tech support over the phone is more designed to help with problems that are with the account which are causing problems....Like if a box needs to be re-authorized, or there are more boxes then outlets on a account somehow. Anything technical in the field usually requires a tech to be sent out. On a side note though, CAEs/dispatch do ride out with techs in the field from time to time to get a general idea of what goes on in the field so they have a better understanding of things in general. Same goes for techs - they do go in and sit with dispatch/CAEs for a day to get a general idea about that side of the job.

In all honesty, there are so many different possible scenarios, situations, and combinations of equipment in the field that it would be next to impossible for somebody to help over the phone with detailed stuff. I don't think I would be to successful at trying to walk customers through detailed steps over the phone. THere are just too many variables. Techs are on-site and can get a hands-on approach to finding and solving the problem. There are so many times when a call about ingress turns out to be the coax loose on the back of the box, but yet they tell the CAE that they checked that when the original call was placed. If they had checked it, the problem would have been resolved.

If you have a service call and get a contractor though, they have much less training, and its done by another contractor for the most part. Some are knowledgeable, some aren't. It depends more on their previous knowledge of the job, and how much they are really interested in this type of stuff.

All employees of Comcast (not contractors) get Courtesy services which includes all the channels.

And the CAEs/CSRs/Dispatch are closer to you then you probably realize. Each region has their own call centers (there are 5 regions) They are also close enough that the field techs can sit in with the CAEs for a day and vice-versa. There aren't any outsourced call centers, everything is done locally.


It sounds like you are talking about techs. I was talking about customer service representitives, that you talk to on the phone. In my original post, I meant that I would expect the techs to know the answers to the kind of questions we pose to CSRs, but that the CSRs don't have the training that the techs have. If I wasn't clear, I apologize. Or, if CSRs get the same training techs do, I'm just wrong. But, I have had numerous technical questions over the years, some as simple as why am I not getting stereo to the TV (when I got my first STB). The answer was that you can't get stereo from the RF out of a STB. the CSR didn't know that. Sometimes they will connect me with a CSR who IS knowledgeable about technical things, and I usually get reasonable answers, or they at least understand the question, which the CSRs often do not.

I have also had clueless installers, and people sent to do repairs, in the vein of not knowing what a DVI cable is, as stated above. For most of the service problems I have reported over the years, one of two things is true:

It is obviously a head end problem, but they claim they have had no similar reports, and insist on setting up an appointment. Then, the problem goes away, and they either call me to say that they fixed it, or I call and tell them they fixed it.

When they actually need to come out, and do come out, the service rep usually has to call his supervisor to try and figure out what is going on. But, on the bright side, I very rarely need service calls to the house any more, and they used to be almost routine. The system has gotten far more reliable, and with a far better picture, over the years.

Do the CSRs get free cable service? Including the whole bill, with premium channels, or just no charge for the boxes? The people I talk to on the phone don't even seem to live in my region, so I thought the CSRs had just one, or a few, locations for the whole country. At least they aren't Indians, yet... ;)

Comcast actually has a very involved training program. New Hires (techs at least) go through

-1 week of rideouts
-4 weeks of class at Comcast university
-Another week of rideouts
-4 more weeks at Comcast University
-4 More weeks of rideouts with newly assigned mentor
-2 weeks of being in the field with their mentor following behind incase they run into something they need help with

Then after all of that, they get certified by their supervisor in the field.

Immediately following this, they go back to class for CT3 training usually.

Thats 15 weeks of training. Granted, its on all aspects of the job, and they don't go into every detail of the every piece of equipment, it is very complete training. Everything that a day to day customer needs to know, should be know by the tech. Stuff that people discuss on this forum isn't going to be know by a lot of techs unless they visit forums themselves and read up on stuff (like I do :D )

Employees also get free service, and 2 free digital boxes (DVRs are $4.95 each after the first one though)

This may vary region to region though.


And this is where a good part of the problem comes from, especially the part about the CT3. These new techs are made into triple techs in under a year, terrible idea. Some have a pretty good grasp of this stuff pretty quickly but many don't even have a good RF (basic video) background when they start training as triple techs. Out of the 90 or so guys I work with, most couldn't tell you the differences between HDMI, DVI & firewire, it drives me insane sometimes. You wouldn't believe how many guys swap out DVRs more than a half dozen times before I hear them talking & tell them about some 'known issues' with the boxes & they finally let the customers know that there's unfortunately nothing they can really do til they fix the damn firmware/guide software. I know Comcast & the other cable co.'s want to have the guys all trained so they don't have to call two or more techs to a house to fix stuff, but most of these guys really need more like at least a year of just being a video tech, if not 2, and more real world training instead of the ideal classroom environment training & the few rideouts they get. Sorry this is a little off topic of the real forum title. But just to reaffirm what some others have said already, keep reading these forums so hopefully you can save yourself a headache of dealing with some CSR or tech that hasn't been trained correctly or just doesn't really care about doing their job right.

I do agree with you 100% that some people shouldn't go back for CT3 for awhile. Comcast requires it within 18 months theoretically, but most try to do it much sooner. Some techs can easily handle it, and some strugle with basics besides RF like you were saying.

And this is where a good part of the problem comes from, especially the part about the CT3. These new techs are made into triple techs in under a year, terrible idea. Some have a pretty good grasp of this stuff pretty quickly but many don't even have a good RF (basic video) background when they start training as triple techs. Out of the 90 or so guys I work with, most couldn't tell you the differences between HDMI, DVI & firewire, it drives me insane sometimes. You wouldn't believe how many guys swap out DVRs more than a half dozen times before I hear them talking & tell them about some 'known issues' with the boxes & they finally let the customers know that there's unfortunately nothing they can really do til they fix the damn firmware/guide software. I know Comcast & the other cable co.'s want to have the guys all trained so they don't have to call two or more techs to a house to fix stuff, but most of these guys really need more like at least a year of just being a video tech, if not 2, and more real world training instead of the ideal classroom environment training & the few rideouts they get. Sorry this is a little off topic of the real forum title. But just to reaffirm what some others have said already, keep reading these forums so hopefully you can save yourself a headache of dealing with some CSR or tech that hasn't been trained correctly or just doesn't really care about doing their job right.

Nope never said that. I said sometimes it starts with the black bars on the sides and then after a few minuets itll go full screen. That would be without me doing anything.
I think you are reading too much into this. It still sounds like it is nothing more than the networks coming back from a commercial and forgetting to broadcast in HD.


Guess im in the minority here or theres something messed up with my set.
I doubt anything is wrong with your set or your stb. I see the exact same thing when watching network programming. I'm guessing I see it once every couple weeks.

Comcast actually has a very involved training program. New Hires (techs at least) go through...

Respectfully, training and expertise are two different things. Nobody gains expertise in 15 weeks. It is also possible for a training program to focus on the wrong aspects of a job, so the student-employee doesn't learn what is truly important.

None of that is the CSR's fault, of course.

It is also possible that despite all the training, the CSR gets no corporate support for his/her efforts once they are in the job. For example, they are not given accurate, updated information; they are not given insights into future innovations (how many of them know about the Panasonic DVR, for instance?)

Having been an executive-level CSR for a Fortune 150 financial services company and having read a recent interview article in a local newspaper, here is what I suspect. Cable-TV is less profitable than Internet and digital telephone, so Comcast's corporate focus in CSR training is on those services rather than TV.

In the article I read, Comcast's executives confessed that the number of cable-TV subscribers went down nationally over the last two years. And that's a problem for them because cable-TV is how they gain ingress into homes. To make money on Internet and phone services, they must keep the cable-TV service pipeline in place and functioning (at least minimally). Otherwise, PUCs around the country would award franchise rights to other companies and Comcast would lose the right of ingress. They suffer the regulated service in order to provide the profitable, unregulated services.

I believe Comcast's execs, like Brian Roberts, were dragged kicking and screaming into finding a solution to the Motorola cable-TV box mess to continue growing the Internet and digital phone services. I see no evidence that he and his board give a rip about servicing cable-TV subscribers. It is a millstone they bear around the neck to get other business.

This problem has appeared only after the update to FW16.20. I'm in the Chicago market (McHenry) and first noticed it last week.

Four or five times now I've found the DVR continuing to record a program long after the end time. Today for example; Came home at 4:30 and noticed the red recording light was on. Went into scheduled recordings to see what it was recording and there was nothing scheduled at this time. I looked at the info bar on one channel and it was the evening news with no red dot. Changed tuners and it was on the history channel, again no red dot, but if I tried to change the channel it told me it was recording and I could swap tuners, do nothing or stop the recording (nice to finally have the option to swap tuners huh?) So I stopped the recording and went into the recorded programs. Turns out it had a recording of Engineering an Empire last night that started at midnight and ran for 1437 minutes. Sure enough it recorded the show, but it then kept recording the History channel until I stopped the tuner - thank goodness it wasn't an HD channel!!

I've seen this on a few programs and the only thing I can find in common is that these were all manual recordings for shows that also had a series recording set up.

In this case, I had a series recording for Engineering an Empire. However because it was on at the same time as two higher priority programs, it was not going to be recorded. However since I knew it was on later that night, i went into the guide and manually scheduled the recording at midnight. It was the same situation with the other instances.

So it appears to be a bug in this new FW or iGuide software.

The real question is, why isn't it smart enough to record the second showing of something ??? I mean it's still listed in the guide as a "new" broadcast, so why wouldn't it record it? I does record multiple airings of other shows (Discoveries this Week is recorded every single time it's on all weekend long) but in instances like this where it's on a channel that rebroadcasts later in the evening, I would think the software should automatically schedule and record the later showing if the first one is not recorded. But it apparently doesn't work that way.

anyone else encountered this??

I've got a recording of Dr. Who on BBC coming up that will be a similar situation, so I'll be on the lookout for the problem. Thanks...

Dear Lord! the last thing I need is this DVR recording every showing of an episode!!!!!!!!!!

It already does it for a number of my series and I can't tell you how many times I have to "do not record" the 3rd, 4th 10th showing. Worse yet the DVR has a habit of "un" "do not record" all the shows again.

I already, manually, record Conan, because I got sick of "do not record"ing the 3am repeat. By the way, manual recordings are extremely ackward. It appears Motorola never thought it would happen.

On another subject.

I'm starting to have trouble with sound and video not matching. I'm pretty sure sound is early. It started on CW HD and seems to have moved to everything else. I think its only my recordings.

Any thoughts out there. I've been a Comcast DVR "sufferer" for two years now, this is a first for me.

Dear Lord! the last thing I need is this DVR recording every showing of an episode! It already does it for a number of my series and I can't tell you how many times I have to "do not record" the 3rd, 4th 10th showing.

By the way, manual recordings are extremely ackward. It appears Motorola never thought it would happen.

That's why I never use the Series recording option.

As for manual recording, it also sucks that you can't set a recording later than the date of the last Guide entry (at least, I think that's still the case).

[I searched this thread, but couldn't find the answer:]

I just picked up a new 3416. The time/channel readout is very bright, but I can't find a way to turn it down. I tried unplugging the unit, but it came back on with the same brightness. Anyone have a solution for this?

Mickey

I'm a new HDTV Comcast cable subscriber in WA and received a Motorola DCT3412 I box. I can't seem to get the "Swap" function to work. Is there something that should appear on the screen to tell you when you have swapped tuners?

I can record 2 programs at the same time, so I know the 2 tuners are working. If I select a channel, then hit record, I can go to another channel without disrupting the recording. I don't receive any messages about swapping tuners; it appears to happen automatically. I can then start a recording on the new channel, but cannot swap between the two tuners unless I manually go directly to the channel being recorded on the other tuner. Pressing the swap button does nothing.

Because of this, I don't seem to be able to have two channels being fed into the buffer simultaneously (unless I am recording at least one of them).

I noticed this a few times this week. This is what happens:

* Manual recording
* Creating two overlapping manual recordings of the same channel number.
* After the 2nd one is entered, the DVR either reports a scheduling conflict (it shouldn't), or it merges the two and creates one that has a shorter duration than either one.

Workaround: Do not create overlapping recordings of the same channel. Instead use the "start early" or "end later" options to add minutes for the overlap. This solves the problem.

Again this only applies when you try to create two overlapping manual recordings of the SAME channel. There is no problem if it is a different channel.

This did not happen earlier on (eg March 2006).

* This may also happen if one of the programs is scheduled from the Guide, but I haven't tested this thoroughly...

*** Why overlap? So I won't miss the few seconds lost between two different DVR programs.
*** Why not create one giant program? I have noticed that programs longer than 4-5 hours, seem to have performance issues, plus they take up more space, which is precious if you are recording in HD or from a 3% channel. :-)

I'm a new HDTV Comcast cable subscriber in WA and received a Motorola DCT3412 I box. I can't seem to get the "Swap" function to work. Is there something that should appear on the screen to tell you when you have swapped tuners?

I can record 2 programs at the same time, so I know the 2 tuners are working. If I select a channel, then hit record, I can go to another channel without disrupting the recording. I don't receive any messages about swapping tuners; it appears to happen automatically. I can then start a recording on the new channel, but cannot swap between the two tuners unless I manually go directly to the channel being recorded on the other tuner. Pressing the swap button does nothing.

Because of this, I don't seem to be able to have two channels being fed into the buffer simultaneously (unless I am recording at least one of them).

There is nothing on the screen when doing a straight-up SWAP. It simply switches to the other tuner.

Maybe your remote's SWAP button is not programmed correctly? There are instructions on the Wiki page on how to program them. But I do not know if it would work on Seattle-area boxes as they use a Microsoft software layer (or something like that). Someone who knows more about this please feel free to jump in :-)

I'm a new HDTV Comcast cable subscriber in WA and received a Motorola DCT3412 I box. I can't seem to get the "Swap" function to work. Is there something that should appear on the screen to tell you when you have swapped tuners?

I can record 2 programs at the same time, so I know the 2 tuners are working. If I select a channel, then hit record, I can go to another channel without disrupting the recording. I don't receive any messages about swapping tuners; it appears to happen automatically. I can then start a recording on the new channel, but cannot swap between the two tuners unless I manually go directly to the channel being recorded on the other tuner. Pressing the swap button does nothing.

Because of this, I don't seem to be able to have two channels being fed into the buffer simultaneously (unless I am recording at least one of them).

The manual swap function doesn't work with the Microsoft guide s/w in WA. The tuner swapping is automatic. As far as I know, there is no way to retain the buffer contents when manually changing channels.

The manual swap function doesn't work with the Microsoft guide s/w in WA. The tuner swapping is automatic. As far as I know, there is no way to retain the buffer contents when manually changing channels.

Thanks.

I'm in Washington state and I finally got sick of the problems with my 3412. They sent a tech out and he gave me a 6412-II. I use HDMI so I told him I would prefer another 3412. He asked me why I would use HDMI anyhow (forced myself not to roll my eyes) and then told me they no longer have 3412's because of all the problems they've had with them. Grudgingly I took the 6412. I bought a DVI to HDMI adapter. The picture quality just wasn't as good as the 3412. Then when I needed to record 2 shows at once I realized one of the tuners was dead. The tech also forgot to send the signal to allow me to see my subscribed channels.

Long story short, I brought the 6412 to the local office for exchange. The rep there actually asked me if I prefer HDMI or DVI. She handed me a 3416 which I didn't realize was even available in Washington. The first time I recorded with it I encountered the reboot issue. I called and had the older firmware flashed. Since then it has worked like a charm. The main difference I see between the 3416 and my old 3412 is that the menus are more responsive. It seems like I can page twice as fast as before.

Interesting to hear that we have 3416's in WA. Which office did you get it from?

Is this a bug or a feature?

When I hit "record" to record something airing live (i.e. something that I had already been watching live), I can't use the second tuner to watch something else. Seems like a bug to me.

Interesting to hear that we have 3416's in WA. Which office did you get it from?
Bellingham. It looks like a brand new unit.

Is this a bug or a feature?

When I hit "record" to record something airing live (i.e. something that I had already been watching live), I can't use the second tuner to watch something else. Seems like a bug to me.
Sounds like one of the tuners may be bad. I had a bad 6412 for a day and when I recorded one channel, tuning to another channel would cause a black or frozen screen.

Hi folks,

First post for me, after skimming all 2,410 posts in this thread and reading a good 60% of them. I have an issue with the 3416 that I have seen mentioned twice but no one has yet replied.

I upgraded from digital cable to DVR 10 days ago and upon (self) installation it worked very well via the Comcast-supplied component video cables feeding a new Norcent LT-3250 HDLCD TV. PQ was quite good on SD channels and outstanding on HD channels, with no lag problems on shuttle commands, spurious reboots, etc. BTW, FW is 16.20.

When I saw that the box had HDMI output I ordered an HDMI-to-HDMI cable from the Internet, so as to free up component inputs on the TV for other equipment. When the cable arrived a few days ago I plugged in the HDMI cable and switched the TV input selection to HDMI. There was an error message saying "content protection has been compromised, use component cables," and then the screen went green.

I phoned Comcast and got a CSR who clearly had no idea what I was talking about and would accept no suggestion other than scheduling a service tech appointment, getting downright belligerent when I bristled at taking a day off of work over this. I called back and got a different CSR who was much more understanding but clearly just as non-technical as the first. I asked for 2nd-level support and he said there was no such thing, which I know is BS. He said there was only his level and then field service, even though I've personally spoken to Level 2 support techs in the past. Finally the CSR said he "thought he heard something about" the HDMI connection not being supported, but he wasn't sure, and when I asked if there was someone he could confirm that with, like a supervisor, he said no.

OK, so I figured I'd go back to component cables and wrestle with Comcast another day, but when I removed the HDMI and re-attached the component cables I got "No Signal" on the TV. I verified that the cable and the TV's component inputs are good by plugging in my DVD player and getting an excellent 480p picture, but there is apparently nothing coming out of the 3416's component video outputs. (Audio works.) I have power-cycled both the DVR and the TV several times to no avail. Right now I'm watching TV via S-Video and getting all my channels and DVR functions, but I'm certainly not paying beaucoup bucks per month for anything less than HD.

Questions for the knowledgable and helpful folks in this forum:

1) Does HDMI work under FW 16.20 or not? I've seen posts saying 16.20 broke HDMI and Firewire connections that previously worked. I also see posts saying their HDMI works fine under 16.20. Remember that my failure is somewhat different than most with the "Content protection is compromised" message. Diagnostics screen d11 shows DVI/HDMI port not enabled.

2) Do you think a hard reset will turn the component video outputs back on? What, if any, danger is there in this procedure? Can I be accused of breaking the box if the DL doesn't work? I'd rather not go stand in line at the busy Chicago service center to swap the box, and maybe get a 3412 with a smaller HDD in return, plus lose my recorded shows.

3) Can I see the status of component video on the Diagnostics screen? Under d11 the only things "not enabled" are DVI/HDMI, Smart Card, RF Bypass and MoCA Authorized. I suspect there is no entry for component video because it is (supposedly) always on, but who knows?

Thanks in advance for any help you might offer. I was quite looking forward to football in HD this weekend.

Hi,

We have a Panasonic TH-42PX60U connected to Comcast DVR box 3416 using component and HDMI both.
Currently the settings are:
TV Type 16:9
DVI/YPbPr Output 1080i
4:3 override : 480i

Earlier I have to use tv aspect ratio to just or other settings to see SD channels in full screen without side lines, but somehow since yesterday all the SD channels are coming in full mode and i don't have to change any setting on tv.
Is this normal behavior?
What is better setting for 4:3 override : stretch, off, 480i or 480p?
Component is more clear than HDMI, Should the opposite should be true?
Lately i notice lot of snow watching channels, Is there we can check in DVR box if everything is ok?

Thanks
--rubs

whmiller32:

No problems here with an older 3412 switching from component to HDMI and back again using both the older SW and the newest SW.

I guess you missed reading my earlier post on this very forum found here: (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8390664#post8390664)

Thanks, George, but that's not what your post says:

I'm ashamed to admit that all my 3412 Comcast bugs that we've all been complaining about went away for me when I switched from HDMI to
Component connections, as advised by Comcast support.

That says you switched AWAY from HDMI to component cables, not that you successfully went "back and forth." Also, at the moment I can't go back to component cables because the component outputs of the 3416 don't work, which is really what I'm asking about.

Thanks, George, but that's not what your post says:



That says you switched AWAY from HDMI to component cables, not that you successfully went "back and forth." Also, at the moment I can't go back to component cables because the component outputs of the 3416 don't work, which is really what I'm asking about.

Whenever I have any hangup like this, I simply unplug the unit, wait a minute or so, and plug it back in (i.e., hard reset). 90% of the time this does the job.

Done that several times, including once for 30 minutes. I am asking if the full reset procedure, where everything gets reloaded from the head end, might fix this.

Apparently folks are pretty busy this holiday weekend. FYI, I tried the "n dl" hard reset and the component video still doesn't work. Guess it really is a bad box. Thanks to those who replied.

Just to complete the saga (as if anybody cared) I went to the Comcast office and swapped the 3416 for another one. Same thing, all functions work except nothing from component video. At this point I was sure the problem was the TV (even though the DVD worked thru the component inputs) but Comcast offered a free field service call, so I took it.

I swear to God, the tech did NOTHING that I hadn't already done half a dozen times. He unplugged/replugged cables and tried all the inputs, including the HDMI again, which again gave the "HDPC compromised" message and then went green. But then, for no apparent reason, one of the replugs into component video suddenly worked! Bada-bing, I have HD again. Then he unplugged/replugged the HDMI and son of a bitch if that didn't work, too!

I don't understand, but I'll take what I can get. All I can figure is a handshaking/timing issue with the TV, which finally "took." Any ideas?

I don't understand, but I'll take what I can get. All I can figure is a handshaking/timing issue with the TV, which finally "took." Any ideas?

Not sure if it's related but a couple of years ago over in the 6412 thread people experienced what you did because of the sequence in which things were turned on, e.g. be sure TV is on when the box is powered up - or vice versa. I hadn't seen that reported recently so I thought it must have been cured by firmware upgrades along the way. Who knows? Keep your fingers crossed and never turn off the box from now on. Good (continued) luck!

I noticed a couple of nice touches, very small fixes but practical:
* when you fast forward, you can now get rid of the flipbar by pressing Exit once. Before this update, the flipbar would come back after a few seconds.
* the Scheduling program (NCAP) seems to be gone (it didnt happen since the new Guide)
* a bit annoying to press an extra button to get to the DVR Recordings listing
* slight performance improvement, jumps (30-second skips) are faster, although the downside it is harder to pinpoint to a specific point.
* one more which I forgot (I will add it via Edit later on)


Any other things (not listed in the Comcast Guide upgrade website)?

My 3416 has developed an HDMI bug - it won't recognize my Panasonic 42" plasma if I turn the plasma on AFTER the 3416. I'd like to leave the 3416 on all the time, but I can't because of this (unless I leave the plasma running all the time). This never happened before with any of the previous Motorola boxes.

This may be related to recent firmware. Anybody else encountering handshaking issues with common displays like my Panny? I am using an HDMI to DVI cable. Should I try another one??

FOLLOW-UP:

Well, maybe I fixed it, indirectly following a tip in the Wiki article about intermittent or no-functional HDMI...
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#The_DVI_or_HDMI_output_works_intermittently_or_not_at_a ll

My 3416's HDMI output was set to DVI. I switched it to HDMI with RGB colorpace, and the handshaking issue appears to be resolved.

So the recent software update to my 3412 gave me a feature that alof of people have been dying for... there are no more HDCP Protection error message swhen I use HDMI through my Denon 2807 switching receiver! I can now use a single HDMI cable from the 3412 to the Denon, and an HDMI cable from the Denon to the TV and it all works just fine. Movie channels, HD channels, and full 5.1 audio all work great...

YAY!

I may have missed something. Is there a firmware later than 16.20 for the 3416 that eliminates the HDMI bug?

A new glitch, haven't seen this before - in the middle of watching a recorded program, I get a screen message, something like "Emergency details, page 1, a required weekly test..."

This stays on screen for a while, then bounces me back to live TV, without remembering its place when I resume the program. Anyone else run into this?

The Cable Co. is req. to take over control of all STB when the EAS system is activated. (real or test).

This takeover will kill any current recordings as it will change both tuners to the EAS ch. in your area, so you can read and hear the EAS message.

It will then release the STB and "Normally" restart any programs that are currently scheduled. However it will not normally restart a saved DVR recording.

The Cable Co. is req. to take over control of all STB when the EAS system is activated. (real or test). This takeover will kill any current recordings as it will change both tuners to the EAS ch. in your area, so you can read and hear the EAS message. It will then release the STB and "Normally" restart any programs that are currently scheduled. However it will not normally restart a saved DVR recording.

Thansk for the info. Just wondering why I've never seen this before in all the years I've had cable, but I've seen it a half dozen times in the past couple months...

Comcast announced today it was raising its rates by 3 - 6% nationwide, with some areas feeling the sting earlier than others.

I decided I'm going to D* now that they have 1080i HD. It's cheaper. Their boxes don't have the same insane problems we find with Comcast. The only thing they don't have is OnDemand. But that's what the video store is for, I suppose, if I want a video badly enough.

I've been with Comcast and all its previous iterations for 23 years. They finally killed that. It's too bad.

A new glitch, haven't seen this before - in the middle of watching a recorded program, I get a screen message, something like "Emergency details, page 1, a required weekly test..."

This stays on screen for a while, then bounces me back to live TV, without remembering its place when I resume the program. Anyone else run into this?

I am not familiar with the intricate workings of this, but how about this:

During an EBS broadcasts, it could be a good use of a DVR if they record the programs in the background while displaying the EBS signal as required by law. Once the EBS signal is over, you can go to the disc and watch what you missed. That would give the cable company DVR one additional feature :-) The EBS signal is so tiny, it can just piggy-back the data stream :-) Sounds reasonable?

Comcast announced today it was raising its rates by 3 - 6% nationwide, with some areas feeling the sting earlier than others.

I decided I'm going to D* now that they have 1080i HD. It's cheaper. Their boxes don't have the same insane problems we find with Comcast. The only thing they don't have is OnDemand. But that's what the video store is for, I suppose, if I want a video badly enough.

I've been with Comcast and all its previous iterations for 23 years. They finally killed that. It's too bad.

Good luck with your HD Lite. Some of us are willing to put up with a lot in order to get better PQ. To each his own.

You also get: contracts, rain fade, equipment costs, no 30 sec. skip, did I mention HD Lite?

I decided I'm going to D* now that they have 1080i HD. It's cheaper.

DIRECTV Getting Sued over HD Lite:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=77318

But Captain Kirk told me Direct-TV HD beats cable for picture quality!

Please, Captain Kirk would never lie to us!

I am now setting up cable at my new house, and the area in which the cable box is to be stored is in a very awkward position for changing the channel. However when i looked on the back panel i noticed a IR port.

Do any of you know if it is possible to plug a infrared extender so that i can put the end of the extender in a more convenient location for the remotes line of site? If it is possible, where would i find this cable?

Thanks for your help!

Mike

I am now setting up cable at my new house, and the area in which the cable box is to be stored is in a very awkward position for changing the channel. However when i looked on the back panel i noticed a IR port.

Do any of you know if it is possible to plug a infrared extender so that i can put the end of the extender in a more convenient location for the remotes line of site? If it is possible, where would i find this cable?

Thanks for your help!

Mike

A solution I use for one of my boxes that's behind a wall in a closet is a universal remote that has both IR and RF capabilities with a RF receiver at the box.

This has the additional advantage of being able to program the remote using macros. An inexpensive universal learning remote and RF receiver can be purchased for less than $150. Of course, you can spend many times more than that for more advanced remotes.

Comcast announced today it was raising its rates by 3 - 6% nationwide, with some areas feeling the sting earlier than others.

I decided I'm going to D* now that they have 1080i HD. It's cheaper. Their boxes don't have the same insane problems we find with Comcast. The only thing they don't have is OnDemand. But that's what the video store is for, I suppose, if I want a video badly enough.

I've been with Comcast and all its previous iterations for 23 years. They finally killed that. It's too bad.

D* may be 1080i, but I watched it recently on a buddy's system and the quality was atrocious, especially for sports. Compression artifacts such as mosquitoing all around text, funky looking grass. It is overly compressed and it shows. I was considering it as well until I saw the quality.

Bill

D* may be 1080i, but I watched it recently on a buddy's system and the quality was atrocious, especially for sports. Compression artifacts such as mosquitoing all around text, funky looking grass. It is overly compressed and it shows. I was considering it as well until I saw the quality.

Bill

Not to mention that there are some problems with their new "dvrs" (not Tivo), but my sister was having troubles with the unit completely locking up and having to hard reset.

Yes, the D* non-Tivo boxes are bad, as are the Comcast non-Tivo boxes. We still have D* SD DVR as well as Comcast HD DVR simply because my wife and kids REFUSE to use anything but the Tivo box. I agree with them that the interface functionality is 1000% better than any alternatives. I find only one or two flaws with it (e.g., finding current sport program listings quickly - a snap on the 3416). The alternatives to Tivo have MANY, MANY flaws, some being bugs, like the FF issues, but others just awful interface issues. Tivo just works. Comcast sure is dragging its feet on the Tivo implementation, and I can only hope it works like the D* Tivo box. Then I can dump D* and the huge amount it is costing me to make my wife and kids happy.

Sounds like one of the tuners may be bad. I had a bad 6412 for a day and when I recorded one channel, tuning to another channel would cause a black or frozen screen.

The dual tuners work when I'm recording two things at once that were both scheduled. They also work when I'm recording one thing and flipping channels at the same time. When they don't work is when I hit "record" on the remote to record something that had been buffering live. Then, I get the "rec" lettering on the LED and I can't flip channels. I'd assume that's only supposed to happen when you're recording two things, not just one.

The dual tuners work when I'm recording two things at once that were both scheduled. They also work when I'm recording one thing and flipping channels at the same time. When they don't work is when I hit "record" on the remote to record something that had been buffering live. Then, I get the "rec" lettering on the LED and I can't flip channels. I'd assume that's only supposed to happen when you're recording two things, not just one.

After you hit Record, are you pressing Swap to change tuners? That is a necessary step.

After you hit Record, are you pressing Swap to change tuners? That is a necessary step.

I've never pressed the swap button. I had no idea it even existed. I will try that when I get home. (I will have to program my Harmony remote to use it, though). Thanks!

I suppose when a recording is scheduled, the swap happens in the background, or the software just uses the backgrounded tuner to record.

Are there any known playback issues with the 3412? Monday night, we recorded 2 1/2 Men and the playback later that night was totally inconsistent. We kept losing audio at random parts of the show ... we'd rewind and the audio would come back. This must have happened a dozen times. Any work-around for this? Thanks.

After you hit Record, are you pressing Swap to change tuners? That is a necessary step.

That is another thing that I trust the Tivo interface will fix. It's seamless on a Tivo box. No tuner swap button. Oh, well. Enough flogging the Guide interface....except for one other thing. With Tivo, when you FF at high-speed, and stop FF when you see the show returning, it calculates from standard reaction times where you intended to stop the FF instead of where your finger finally managed to hit the button. It's almost flawless. With Guide, you inevitably have to back up and try again several times before you stop where you intended. I'm sure Tivo has a patent on that feature. It's rather miraculous and just another clever little feature most Tivo owners don't even realize they have that makes the interface so compelling. I will resume suffering in silence until mid-2007.

That is another thing that I trust the Tivo interface will fix. It's seamless on a Tivo box. No tuner swap button...

Be careful what you wish for -- the Microsoft guide s/w in Washington does the swap automatically, but this means it also only preserves one buffer, so you can't alternate between channels without resetting the buffer.

We also have the automatic "backspace" when going from FF to Play (but no 30-second skip).

Maybe TiVo is going to use Microsoft guide s/w, and we're the guinea pigs!

Hello, this is my first post and I'd like to thank everyone for all the great information you provide here. I have a question regarding my Moto 3416 DVR that maybe someone can answer since I didn't see the exact question anywhere prior (my apologies if I missed it and am posting redundantly)

I live in the Twin Cities and have had my 3416 for about 2 months now. It's connected to my Samsung 6187 via a HDMI - HDMI cable. Twice during this time I've tried to switch to the DVR to watch programming (once a program in process of being recorded and the other a saved program) and I get a dark screen. It will show the bar with the duration of the program but nothing else. I can get back to a cable channel by changing the channel but can't access anything on the DVR until I pull the power and plug back in. Comcast currently has no answers when I call them (as expected from what I've read). I'm running the 16.20 firmware on the TV but I can't recall the software version.

Does this sound like the same HDMI cable problem people have with the 3412 and 6412, but now also intermittent on the 3416? If so should I try changing to Component and see if this goes away? Has anyone else out there with a 3416 seen the same thing? It would suck given that I spent $80 on a HDMI cable to find out it doesn't work.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Spending $80 for a cable sucks even if it works.

I've tried to switch to the DVR to watch programming (once a program in process of being recorded and the other a saved program) and I get a dark screen. It will show the bar with the duration of the program but nothing else. I can get back to a cable channel by changing the channel but can't access anything on the DVR until I pull the power and plug back in.
Very common problem. No fix other than to do what you did, pull the plug. No ETA.

Are there any known playback issues with the 3412? Monday night, we recorded 2 1/2 Men and the playback later that night was totally inconsistent. We kept losing audio at random parts of the show ... we'd rewind and the audio would come back. This must have happened a dozen times. Any work-around for this? Thanks.
I had something similar happen once. I figured out it was a signal issue with the tuners. Comcast was doing some work nearby (I saw the trucks) and the signal was glitchy. Whenever the live feed broke up, the recording I was watching would mute. Doing a pause/play would turn it back on.

I don't know if this is a new bug with the new firmware/software, or if it was always a problem.

Very common problem. No fix other than to do what you did, pull the plug. No ETA.

Do you or anyone else know what the root cause is? Is it firmware or something else? I'm just curious at this point although my wife was pissed she had to wait 2 hours so she could watch the entire season finale of "The Bachelor" :D

I have read just a few pages back and have noticed some talk of Tivo.

Is Comcast working towards a Tivo based DVR system?
If so, how far along is it and when is it expected?
Will it require new hardware, or will these current boxes handle it?

Or I was it just wishful thinking?

I just switched from Directv because of HD quality issues and glad I did.

I have read just a few pages back and have noticed some talk of Tivo.

Is Comcast working towards a Tivo based DVR system?
If so, how far along is it and when is it expected?
Will it require new hardware, or will these current boxes handle it?

Or I was it just wishful thinking?

I just switched from Directv because of HD quality issues and glad I did.

see this thread in this forum. Comcast - Tivo Software DVR upgrade - comming soon.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=682350

With Tivo, when you FF at high-speed, and stop FF when you see the show returning, it calculates from standard reaction times where you intended to stop the FF instead of where your finger finally managed to hit the button. It's almost flawless. With Guide, you inevitably have to back up and try again several times before you stop where you intended. I'm sure Tivo has a patent on that feature. .

My Comcast 6412 has rollback on FF4. It showed up with the 16.20 FW. Previously, I had 9.19FW, IIRC. I think the rollback is about 15 sec. Of course, there is already a 15 sec. "replay" button on the remote, so one can also use that to stop FF, and resume play.

Maybe TiVo is going to use Microsoft guide s/w, and we're the guinea pigs!
The guide software is an integral part of TiVo, so a TiVo with Microsoft guide software would be like an Apple Ipod running the Zune OS. Irrespective of whether it's technically feasible, it wouldn't make any sense.

With Tivo, when you FF at high-speed, and stop FF when you see the show returning, it calculates from standard reaction times where you intended to stop the FF instead of where your finger finally managed to hit the button. It's almost flawless.

I've never seen the need for this. In fact, the 3412 (in WA state) does this, and I hate it. I came from Dish, where the FF speeds ranged from 4-300x, smooth, crystal clear, and it would stop on a dime. I routinely used 60-300x to get to particular spots in a program, with no problems. With the 3412, it's just way too tedious, so I don't even try.

see this thread in this forum. Comcast - Tivo Software DVR upgrade - comming soon.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=682350

And note that the thread started almost 2 years ago...

I had something similar happen once. I figured out it was a signal issue with the tuners. Comcast was doing some work nearby (I saw the trucks) and the signal was glitchy. Whenever the live feed broke up, the recording I was watching would mute. Doing a pause/play would turn it back on.

I don't know if this is a new bug with the new firmware/software, or if it was always a problem.
Thanks for the information. That sounds like the same problem.

I had something similar happen once. I figured out it was a signal issue with the tuners. Comcast was doing some work nearby (I saw the trucks) and the signal was glitchy. Whenever the live feed broke up, the recording I was watching would mute. Doing a pause/play would turn it back on.

I don't know if this is a new bug with the new firmware/software, or if it was always a problem.

I've had it only play the left and right channels in a 5.1 show (i.e. no dialog out of the center channel). A pause and skip back, or a channel change, usually solved the problem.

The guide software is an integral part of TiVo, so a TiVo with Microsoft guide software would be like an Apple Ipod running the Zune OS. Irrespective of whether it's technically feasible, it wouldn't make any sense.

It was just a facetious comment -- although I am curious as to the future plans for our isolated MSFT experiment.

I'm having a problem with my 3416 that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet-- when I press FF or Rew when watching shows I have recorded, it not only fast forwards, but the volume on my HT system either goes up or down. Specifically what I mean is each time I press FF the DVR does the right thing, but the HT volume goes up one level (or sometimes down one notch)-- if I press FF twice, it goes up two levels (I can see it go from Vol 16 to Vol 18 on the display-- not just a vague sense that the volume is louder). The easiest explanation is that the FF signal for the DVR must be the same as the HT system's volume control signal-- the only problem with this theory is that FF sometimes makes it louder and sometimes makes it softer. Rew is the same way. The HT is the Sherwood VR670, which I actually like. Sherwood has offered to reprogram the unit, but I have to ship it to them, and then back to me, which costs about as much as the whole system cost me to begin with. At first I figured I could live with it, but after a while it gets annoying-- getting blasted out after comercials, always having two remotes in hand, etc...

Anyone have any ideas that might help with this problem?

My 3416's HDMI output was set to DVI. I switched it to HDMI with RGB colorpace, and the handshaking issue appears to be resolved.

My 3416 was already set to HDMI and RGB. It still will not handshake properly unless I turn on the TV before the STB. So far I'm not having any problems related to leaving the 3416 in standby, so for now it is fine.

My 3416 gave me a new message tonight upon turning on my TV (I leave the STB on). On a blue screen the message said something to the effect that I had violated 5c copy protection and that I needed to switch to component inputs. I use a HDMI to DVI cable that I have had no problem with before this.

I switched to another HD channel and got a blank, black screen. Same with switching to several SD channels, no audio either. I finally powered off and then back on and all seems to be fixed - without changing my inputs.

:confused: :confused:

I have a Panasonic 50'' 600u and I want the tv to do the stretching and what not for the tv signal instead of the 3416 doing it.

What setting should the 3416 be on in that menu?

I have searched this thread and the internet and just want to check a few things.

I have the Motorola DCT3416 box through Comcast and the remote response is horrible. The remote works fine if you are about two feet in front of the box, but going back around 15 feet renders it worthless. It also seems entering channel numbers is worse then hitting and paging through the guide.

I can use the Comcast remote or the Harmony 880 and both give the same results.

In the bedroom, the DCT6412 works very well.

I have read the IR port is only for VCR's. Is there any other solution besides buying a RF remote? I use Leap Frog in the bedroom and wanted to stay away from another remote extender in the living room.

I have a Panasonic 50'' 600u and I want the tv to do the stretching and what not for the tv signal instead of the 3416 doing it.

What setting should the 3416 be on in that menu?

4:3 Override = Off

This will allow your TV to do the stretching. You will not be able to do any TV stretch on HD channels.

With Tivo, when you FF at high-speed, and stop FF when you see the show returning, it calculates from standard reaction times where you intended to stop the FF instead of where your finger finally managed to hit the button. It's almost flawless. With Guide, you inevitably have to back up and try again several times before you stop where you intended.

WOW! I had forgotten all about that (used to have TiVo with D* - now with Comcast).

Now I miss having that! Thanks for riminding me (sacrasm ;) )

4:3 Override = Off

This will allow your TV to do the stretching. You will not be able to do any TV stretch on HD channels.

Huh?

I thought 4:3 override = Off sends all signals at the same resolution that you select for HD - 720p or 1080i. IOW, the cable box upconverts (or downconverts) everything to that resolution. Is that not what it means?

I set 4:3 override to 480i, so I can send my TV the actual signal (which, on the 4:3 channels, is 480i) and let it handle it. Is that not what's happening?

Huh?

I thought 4:3 override = Off sends all signals at the same resolution that you select for HD - 720p or 1080i. IOW, the cable box upconverts (or downconverts) everything to that resolution. Is that not what it means?

I set 4:3 override to 480i, so I can send my TV the actual signal (which, on the 4:3 channels, is 480i) and let it handle it. Is that not what's happening?

You are correct, my mistake. I meant 480I. Thanks for the clarification.

My 3416 was already set to HDMI and RGB. It still will not handshake properly unless I turn on the TV before the STB. So far I'm not having any problems related to leaving the 3416 in standby, so for now it is fine.

Can anyone tell me which is the better setting: RGB or Y-Y-Y-Yb (or whatever the other option is). I've always had it set to the latter, but I notice a lot of you are using the former and now I feel like I'm missing something. ;)

Several Atlanta head ends got the 16.20 firmware upgrade this week. So far it seems to be working okay on my 3416, though the menus seem less crisp and response time is a tiny bit slower (comparing this against 12.31). Incidentally, I'm using the HDMI connection to a Samsung 3251 and no problems with the green screen of death/copy protection bug.

With Tivo, when you FF at high-speed, and stop FF when you see the show returning, it calculates from standard reaction times where you intended to stop the FF instead of where your finger finally managed to hit the button. It's almost flawless. With Guide, you inevitably have to back up and try again several times before you stop where you intended. I'm sure Tivo has a patent on that feature. It's rather miraculous and just another clever little feature most Tivo owners don't even realize they have that makes the interface so compelling.
TiVo does indeed have a patent on its "overshoot correction system." (Full text of the patent at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=6,850,691) The patent includes the ability to continually adjust itself, by observing the user's behavior of tweaking the position (NOT using standard reaction times), although I'm not sure if it's actually implemented that way in the TiVo boxes.

Just got a Comcast DCT3416, but no manual. I have serched and looked in this thread, but have not found an online manual. Can anyone provide a link to a manual. The Motorola site does not list the 3416, and Comcast is not much help.

Thanks

I don't believe there is one for the 34XX (could be wrong). As far as I know the differences are internal (transparent to the user) so perhaps that's why Moto hasn't bothered. I/we usually reference the 6412 manual, which you probably already found:

http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/dct6412/

(open 'Data Sheets and White Papers')

You are correct, my mistake. I meant 480I. Thanks for the clarification.
I set overide to OFF because the other settings kept messing up my picture. What is Comcast's official stance on this?

I set overide to OFF because the other settings kept messing up my picture. What is Comcast's official stance on this?

Messing up your picture how?

Messing up your picture how?

Because when you set your box up to 4:3 = Off you get a 1080I/720P picture on SD channels and the upconversion looks like s***....... I personally use the 480P out of the box because I think it looks cleaner on my TV than 480I and letting the TV do the stretch.

For my Mits 73727 1080p dlp, setting the 4:3 overide to 'OFF' works best. The best choice obviously depends on ones display.

I have searched this thread and the internet and just want to check a few things.

I have the Motorola DCT3416 box through Comcast and the remote response is horrible. The remote works fine if you are about two feet in front of the box, but going back around 15 feet renders it worthless. It also seems entering channel numbers is worse then hitting and paging through the guide.

I can use the Comcast remote or the Harmony 880 and both give the same results.

In the bedroom, the DCT6412 works very well.

I have read the IR port is only for VCR's. Is there any other solution besides buying a RF remote? I use Leap Frog in the bedroom and wanted to stay away from another remote extender in the living room.

Because I have limited room in front and below my TV, I've had to tuck my cable box sort of behind and very low on the floor, and in this position it does not get a direct view to my normal seating position. The Comcast remote was pretty weak and my box did not respond well unless I had very fresh batteries in it and held the remote down pretty low. I've found the Harmony 880 remote to be much more powerful and I can hold it in a normal position (or from just about anywhere in the room) and the box responds great. Plus you never have to change batteries so I couldn't be happier with it. It's pretty weird that you aren't having better responsiveness with yours compared to the original Comcast remote.

I have the 3416

What settings should these be at with a panny 50'' 600u?

HDMI/YPbPr
4:3 Override
Color Space

Thanks in advance

I have the YPbPr set to 1080I and the 4:3 OVERRIDE set to 480I. Of course, the best settings will depend on your television and your personal preferences.

HI - all this new to me, HD TV (Sylvania 6842THG) and Comcast HD/DVR tuner (DCT3416). How do I access the "menu" mentioned to switch the 4:3 setting to let the tv do the stretching as discussed?

You power-off the 3416 and then press Menu. As I mentioned before, it could be very tricky. It sometimes takes me five or six tries.

You power-off the 3416 and then press Menu. As I mentioned before, it could be very tricky. It sometimes takes me five or six tries.
It should be easy. You do NOT need to do it immediately after power-off. That is for the diagnostics menu (where you press OK/Select.) Just power it off, wait a few seconds, then hit MENU.

I agree: It should be easy. Hopefully, later firmware updates will address this, among the many other inconsistencies we experience.

Excellent! Finally got my 1080I :D :D

3416 Intermittent Loss of HDMI Signal

I recently switched to a 3416 box from a 3412 (lost recordings, freezes etc) over the past two days the HDMI picture signal has dropped out. I still have audio but no picture. The only way to get the picture back on my Panasonic TH42PX-50U is to turn the power off to the set and then back on.

Is this a Comcast DVR problem or is my Panny on the fritz? I dont think it's the TV as I can still switch inputs and get signals.

Messing up your picture how?
Because it always tries to stretch my SD regardless of what the TV is set to. Perhaps I have a defective 3412?

3416 Intermittent Loss of HDMI Signal

I recently switched to a 3416 box from a 3412 (lost recordings, freezes etc) over the past two days the HDMI picture signal has dropped out. I still have audio but no picture. The only way to get the picture back on my Panasonic TH42PX-50U is to turn the power off to the set and then back on.

Is this a Comcast DVR problem or is my Panny on the fritz? I dont think it's the TV as I can still switch inputs and get signals.

Bought a new HDMI cable thinking it might be that, still losing signal

Newbie here. Just switched to Comcast (from DirecTV - I like DTV but they are seriously f*d when it comes to HD right now... Wanted to charge me $199 for a HD DVR that I'd have to go on a waiting list for!). Stupid newbie question #1: When you unplug the Moto 3412 from the wall and plug it back in, does it lose all recordings and guide data? We have one of ours on a switched outlet right now (temporary, I promise!) and of course someone flipped the switch by mistake. I had barely used the box for anything but I think I had scheduled some recordings. Anyway they were not there when the box came back up, and all the guide channels showed "TBA". It's also possible I didn't schedule the recordings properly, or they were for channels we don't really get (we were having issues with getting stuff we didn't pay for, and stuff we did pay for wasn't showing up). Just curious.

You shouldn't lose anything other than the guide data, which will replenish itself in a few hours. I suggest you read the wiki to familiarize yourself with the idiosyncrasies of the box:

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

If you had scheduled recordings while the box was unpowered you would not get any recordings. If the box had power when a scheduled recording came up, you should have that recording, but it takes a little bit of time for the box to sync up, like 10 minutes or so, and then your recordings should appear.

Because when you set your box up to 4:3 = Off you get a 1080I/720P picture on SD channels and the upconversion looks like s***....... I personally use the 480P out of the box because I think it looks cleaner on my TV than 480I and letting the TV do the stretch.

I use 480i because I wanted to feed my TV with the native signal. Though I may try 480p. I also use my DVD player at 480i for the same reason, but I haven't experimented with the progressive scan much.

Can somone give me some more details about what the HDMI bug looks like on the screen that was introduced with the new firmware? I've searched most of the forum but couldn't find anything.

I have a new HD Westinghouse LCD panel which is connected to the DVR with an HDMI cable (and components). Before making the switch to HD (and the HDMI cable) I always left the DVR on as recommended in this forum. If I do that now with the HDMI cable and turn the monitor on, I simply get what I can only describe as "digital snow" on my monitor. There's no information about a handshaking issue or anything like that (I got a green screen when I was first trying to set it up), it's simply "snowy".

If I turn the cable box off, and then back on, the picture comes back up fine. Clearly this isn't always possible if I'm recording something.

I also just tried using component cables, which work fine. I get digital "snow" with my HDMI cable and then switch to components and the picture comes in.

Is this behavior representative of this bug, or is it something else? I posed in the Westinghouse topic as well and other's have reported their monitors work fine and this is not expected behavior.

Thanks! Matt

C
If I turn the cable box off, and then back on, the picture comes back up fine. Clearly this isn't always possible if I'm recording something.
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Is this behavior representative of this bug, or is it something else? I posed in the Westinghouse topic as well and other's have reported their monitors work fine and this is not expected behavior.

Thanks! Matt

I have the identical problem with my 3412's after the 16.20 update. In my case its with a 2 year old Olevia LCD with a DVI input. I run a HDMI->DVI cable between them. It is very inconvenient finding good times to turn off the box without disrupting ongoin recordings, so that it can be off the next time the TV needs to be turned on.

Has anyone had an issue with OnDemand in HD?

I was trying to watch some CSI from the OnDemand HD menu, and every minute or so I would loose audio for about 2 seconds. This was consistant with every HD OnDemand program I tried to access.

During regular HD use, and playback of HD from the PVR, the audio was fine.

-James

I have the identical problem with my 3412's after the 16.20 update. In my case its with a 2 year old Olevia LCD with a DVI input. I run a HDMI->DVI cable between them. It is very inconvenient finding good times to turn off the box without disrupting ongoin recordings, so that it can be off the next time the TV needs to be turned on.

i am having the same problem, digital flashing snow with audio. to fix it I have to hit power off and then back on.

i figured it was worth a shot to turn off my dvr with my tv as not instructed to do by others. so far so good but i am waiting for the mute problems and others to start happening from turning it off. The box should still record in the off "standby" mode.

Samsung DLP
3416 DVR
HDMI cable using 1080i and override off, no stretching as intended to be seen.

i figured it was worth a shot to turn off my dvr with my tv

The problem is that if the DVR is recording something when you want to turn off the TV, turning off the DVR will end the recording.

Turning the DVR on while a recording is going on doesn't hurt anything, but turning it off does.

i am having the same problem, digital flashing snow with audio. to fix it I have to hit power off and then back on.

i figured it was worth a shot to turn off my dvr with my tv as not instructed to do by others. so far so good but i am waiting for the mute problems and others to start happening from turning it off. The box should still record in the off "standby" mode.

Samsung DLP
3416 DVR
HDMI cable using 1080i and override off, no stretching as intended to be seen.


The only way to turn off the STB is to unplug it from the power cord.

There is NO OFF state. It is a standby mode tthat only turns off the AV cards and the STB LED display. The STB is always on as long as there is power to the STB.

Always leave your STB in the on mode, putting it in the sleep mode causes to many problems as there seems to be a problem waking the AV cards from standby (off) mode.

Always leave your STB in the on mode, putting it in the sleep mode causes to many problems as there seems to be a problem waking the AV cards from standby (off) mode.

Then how would you suggest that those of us with the new 16.20 hdmi/dvi bug proceed? The stb needs to be in sleep mode when the TV is powered on. If its recording something, you can't toggle into sleep mode (and back) without killing the recording.

Is Comcast aware of the problem in your area, and there is a fix in the works?

Then how would you suggest that those of us with the new 16.20 HDMI/dvi bug proceed? The stb needs to be in sleep mode when the TV is powered on. If its recording something, you can't toggle into sleep mode (and back) without killing the recording.

Is Comcast aware of the problem in your area, and there is a fix in the works?

The headend where I work does not have this upgrade yet. But I can tell you Comcast corp. is aware of it. The only answer we have got yet from the Coders that do the final code for comcast, is that the problem 95% of the time, caused by incompatible HDMI Drivers, this causes a handshake failure. Until this is fixed, please use component cables.

HDMI is not a universally stable enough yet to be used between various devices.

Then how would you suggest that those of us with the new 16.20 hdmi/dvi bug proceed? The stb needs to be in sleep mode when the TV is powered on. If its recording something, you can't toggle into sleep mode (and back) without killing the recording.

Is Comcast aware of the problem in your area, and there is a fix in the works?

Another method of fixing the problem is to unplug the HDMI cable and plug it back in. This will tell the box to connect to the TV. This is only good if you have easy access to one end of the cable though.

Does anyone know if there are any adverse issues with plugging in the cable while the box is on?

The only way to turn off the STB is to unplug it from the power cord.

There is NO OFF state. It is a standby mode tthat only turns off the AV cards and the STB LED display. The STB is always on as long as there is power to the STB.

Always leave your STB in the on mode, putting it in the sleep mode causes to many problems as there seems to be a problem waking the AV cards from standby (off) mode.

I am fully aware of this, I am using the words comcast and motorola use on the remote and STB. they say On and Off. i know off is actually standby

this doesnt fix the HDMI bug though

Until this is fixed, please use component cables.


I already do. I have two 3412's on the same TV, and only one component input. Scanpa, do let us know if you hear of a fix.

I may try the suggestion of pulling the hdmi cable in cases where something is recording and I can't afford to toggle the on switch.

The headend where I work does not have this upgrade yet. But I can tell you Comcast corp. is aware of it. The only answer we have got yet from the Coders that do the final code for comcast, is that the problem 95% of the time, caused by incompatible HDMI Drivers, this causes a handshake failure. Until this is fixed, please use component cables.

HDMI is not a universally stable enough yet to be used between various devices.

Using component cables is much easier said then done. In order to use the cables I will have to move my 300lb entertainment center out from the wall, no thanks. How about Comcast fixing the problem they created.