Ditto. I also use a splitter for PIP.

Question to anyone that's experienced audio loss where the only remedy was to cut power to the box ... are you running on HDMI? I woke up again this morning to find the audio gone. Power cycle, but it didn't fix the problem this time. Eventually I decided to disconnect the HDMI and go with Component, and the audio came back.

Here's the thing, I wasn't primarily getting my audio through HDMI though. I was using the optical output, but the audio was gone on both. When I switched to Component, I left the optical output hooked up, and got sound back.

I'm going to leave it this way for a bit and see if this helps, but I'm on the verge of swapping this DCT-3416 for a DCH model to see if that will fix the problem once and for all.



one fix with complete audio loss, is to start / playback a previous dvr recording, this will re-init the audio card.

one fix with complete audio loss, is to start / playback a previous dvr recording, this will re-init the audio card.

I've had the audio problem, but it only happens when i'm rewinding something thats playing in HD. Playing a recording does not help. I end up having to unplug the thing for awhile before it snaps out of it. Even switching to the other tuner doesn't help... :mad:

Ok, just for fun, for those who have one Comcast DVR for your household, how about posting what percentage of the hard drive is full? Have you ever had to delete programs or offload recorded programs or record in SD instead of HD to save space? How many people use the DVR?

85% (i have a hard time throwing anything away!) and yes we often have to delete & offload to dvdr w/hdd. 2 adult & 2 college students using, one of whom just today announced plans to get a 2nd for her own use! ;)

I've had the audio problem, but it only happens when i'm rewinding something thats playing in HD. Playing a recording does not help. I end up having to unplug the thing for awhile before it snaps out of it. Even switching to the other tuner doesn't help... :mad:When this happens to me, I merely (re)depress the selector button on my AVR for the cable sound to return.

YMMV

Hello all,

First post here, be gentle. I am quite sure this question has been asked multiple times, probably within in this thread, but i havent been able to track down a satisfactory answer. There is some content on my 3412 that I would like to transfer to my laptop somehow so I can burn it to DVD. It isnt premium content, its news stories from my Navy squadron's recent return to the states and I was hoping to put together all the news stories on the different channels. Basically I'm looking for a one time solution here as I really have no desire to continually transfer content off the DVR. Again, I apologize, as Im quite sure you guys have answered this question multiple time before. I did spend a fair amount of time with the search engine before I posted. Thanks in advance.

Chris

You can use a firewire (IEEE 1394) connection between the 3412 and computer or DVD recorder. See this: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Firewire

Who called anyone "insane"? What thread are you reading?

Get satellite or do without, or live with what you're offered otherwise, but the key point is take responsibility for your own choices, the ones that have led you to the spot where you feel you have so little control over things that you value so highly.

you did, right here:
The definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting different results. If you're spending money and you don't feel you're getting your money's worth, and you don't unsubscribe, then you have only yourself to blame. It's not pretty, but it is reality.

guys, no one takes bicker serious ly here, don't bother to engage him. he doesn't actually know anything about the technology (see his uninformed comments on the 160 "limit", the usb port and esata), the economic market issues or policies.

He is just getting a kick out of baiting your guys. Every forum has these types, the contribute nothing and just like to hijack threads. Just ignore him.

In terms of increasing the hard drive space, companies that have to market devices competitively have all gone to 300gb and more. Hard drive space now runs $0.15/gb. Doubling the space to a reasonable HD capacity would cost about $20. Cable providers have no interest since their market is de facto monopolistic. you can b sure an accountant at comcast has found that if they increase capacity they will decrease interest in upselling to second dvr boxes and decrease sales of ondemand, so that is negative pressure

in terms of the esata you have to realize the drms are breaking down all the time. there isn't one that has lasted (defeating hdcp now costs about $30 with hdmi switches). that is why esata and the usb are disabled.

True, but it also eliminates the option of easily toggling CC on and off, an option that's pretty important to me. Some programs are almost unwatchable with CC on, because there's a long lag time or because it's covering up important screen real estate, etc. Plus, there are some programs where I don't need the CC, and I much prefer turning it off if not absolutely necessary. Having to turn off the DVR and fiddle with it to get the menu is just not very practical...

You point is well taken. Typically you have one family member with some loss or perfect hearing users watching in late evening and not wishing to wake others. So the great majority do not use captions 24/7. Also the motorola boxes do some of the worst decoding of closed captions, it is way worse than your TV does, and they have been trying to fix the firmware for two years on this to no avail.

The moto boxes have a problem in that they are a) unable to properly and consistently send the closed caption data over hdmi b) the open caption resulting from their decoding software is screwed up delayed, can last milliseconds for two lines of text,etc, and c) their switching is buried in a a non documented and illogical place.

What I did was program my harmony remote for a second TV setting: "watch with captions" . This cycles input on the tv from hdmi to the component input. On our three sets the motos are sending closed captions over componenet just fine and they all do a much better job of converting to open than the moto anyway.

Samsung requires digital Closed Caption decoding to take place at the tuner (or playback device, for PVRs). That means you must configure the 34xx box to decode Closed Captions, rather that expecting to do that at the display device.

False. My two different model samsung accept closed caption signal just fine over component out of the moto.

They do a much better job of decoding than do my motos!

you did, right here:Your quotes prove exactly the opposite of your claim. :rolleyes:

don't bother to engage him.You mean like you just did. :rolleyes:

You're frustrated. I understand and am sympathetic. However, you cannot expect an un-rebutted soap-box to express your frustration with these boxes. That's just not reasonable.

he doesn't actually know anything about the technology (see his uninformed comments on the 160 "limit"Which actually exists, despite your refusal to accept that. :rolleyes:

the usb portWhich is only provided to power peripherals, despite your refusal to accept that. :rolleyes:

and esata)Which is generally disabled by the cable company, despite your refusal to accept that. :rolleyes:

the economic market issues or policies.There is unfortunately no way to make it clear just how "uninformed" you are without being too condescending.

Also the motorola boxes do some of the worst decoding of closed captions, it is way worse than your TV doesMore "uninformed" nonsense on your part. The Motorola boxes are among the best in Closed Caption decoding reliability, of any of the devices my wife has used.

the motorola boxes do some of the worst decoding of closed captions, it is way worse than your TV does

I've given up using the Moto box for CC. I now toggle CC on and off by switching from HDMI to S-Vid, it's a whole lot easier than powering off the Moto box to accomplish this.

Ok, just for fun, for those who have one Comcast DVR for your household, how about posting what percentage of the hard drive is full? Have you ever had to delete programs or offload recorded programs or record in SD instead of HD to save space? How many people use the DVR?

Well, we have 4 people and 3 DVRs. However, there are shows that we don't "want" to watch except in certain locations (e.g., I wouldn't record some shows in the kids' den, nor would I want them to record Simpsons in my bedroom).

Usually we're 50-75 full, but I had to clear up space and still couldn't be comfortable that everything would record when we went on vacation for two weeks. Double the space and I would have been comfortable.

We were gone for the beginning of the US Open (tennis) for which there are many hours of HD broadcast available daily. I couldn't set them to record, because I would have run out of space. That's a problem that isn't theoretical; I missed seeing early rounds of the Open as a result of the silly low limit to space. It pisses me off, because disk space is cheap today (considering what I'm paying per month for DVRs). Heck, one of the network storage solutions I'm looking into for the family counts space in TERAbytes.

Just a comic diversion, but here is my just finished 38 minute attempt to get a $1.99 promo I found on the Comcast website added to my account. I went through the website checkout and it seemed simple enough until I got to the confirmation live chat:


chat id : 6564ff4d-ac60-4b46-XXXXXX-XXXXXXX
Problem : No problem given
Philip >
Cleetis > Hello guest_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Cleetis. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Cleetis > With whom am I chatting?
guest_ > Eric
Cleetis > Eric, I need to Escalate to another Tech. I an not getting your Address. One moment please.
guest_ > OK
Cleetis > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
Cleetis has left the chat room
Harry has entered the chat room
Harry > Thank You for contacting Comcast. My name is Harry. How may I help you today?
Harry > Hello ?
guest_ > Hi harry, I just wanted to add the sports package at the promo $1.99/mo for 6 months to my account
Harry > Is that for cable tv?
guest_ > Went through checkout and ended up here
guest_ > Yes
Harry > We are the internet dept but I may transfer you there now if you wish ?
guest_ > I guess -
Harry > Please hold and Thank You for contacting Comcast
Harry > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
Harry has left the chat room
Sopharin has entered the chat room
Sopharin > Please stay online while I create the work order for your request. It will take me just a few minutes to pull up your address in our system. Please hold for a moment.
Sopharin > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
Sopharin has left the chat room
Maciej has entered the chat room
Maciej > Give me one more moment.
guest_ > No problem
Maciej > I do apologize for all the transferring. I will need to put you through to someone in the Cable TV department.
Maciej > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
guest_ > I wonder how high this escalator goes? Do I get to speak to the CEO at the end of this? Sorry could not resist.
Maciej has left the chat room
Sarah.23040 has entered the chat room
Sarah.23040 > Good afternoon!
guest_ > Hello
Sarah.23040 > Is this Eric?
guest_ > Yes
Sarah.23040 > Alright. I like that better then "guest". Let me have a quick look at your last chat to see how I can help you today, Eric.
guest_ > No problem - pretty simple - I hope!
Sarah.23040 > You would like the Sports Entertainment package, correct?
guest_ > Yes
Sarah.23040 > I can certainly do that for you Eric. Let me just make sure I have that specific promotion.
guest_ > Ok
Sarah.23040 > For security and reference purposes, may I please have your full Comcast Account Number?
guest_ > just a second
Sarah.23040 > Certainly.
guest_ > XXXXX XXXXXX-XX-X
Sarah.23040 > Thank you very much, Eric.
guest_ > No problem
Sarah.23040 > If I do not have the specific promotion available, what I will be able to do is credit your account for the total amount of the discount, you would see that on your next bill. Basically you would be getting the savings all at once, is that alright?
guest_ > That will work
Sarah.23040 > Alright, I'll just be a moment.
Sarah.23040 > I shouldn't be much longer, thank you so very much for your patience.
guest_ > it's alright
Sarah.23040 > I have found the right code. I am adding it to your account right now.
guest_ > I am glad you found it!
Sarah.23040 > I will have to give you the credit on your bill for the discount because I didn't have that $1.99 promotion.
guest_ > alright then
Sarah.23040 > You should have your new channels now. I am just applying the credit.
guest_ > Ok - I am not at home to look right now, but I'll check later tonight to see if they are coming in. No dire emergency
Sarah.23040 > Alright. You will see a credit of $24.00 on your next bill for the Sports Entertainment pack promotion.
guest_ > That's great - thank you!
Sarah.23040 > You are very welcome!
Sarah.23040 > Would there be anything else that I can assist you with today?
guest_ > That should do it!
Sarah.23040 > You have a great day Eric!
Sarah.23040 > As always, everyone here at Comcast appreciates your loyalty and business.

If you need assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us through Live Chat or E-Mail (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

Comcast also offers excellent FAQ's: http://www.comcast.com/Corporate/Customers/FAQs.html


There you will be able to find answers to all kinds of problems that you may come accross.

Thank you very much and have a wonderful day!
guest_ > You too thanks!

There you will be able to find answers to all kinds of problems that you may come accross.

Thanks for the entertaining chat. I see that they also don't bother to spell check their cut-and-paste database. :)

Thanks for capturing and sharing your "chat", catmann. It always amazes me how much time can be spent with cable companies on things that shouldn't take more than a minute. Run about as efficiently as a government agency. :rolleyes:

That was funny! It sounded like the customer service reps were in an AOL chat room with people coming in and out of the room!

Just swapped out my old Comcast DVR for a brand new DCH-3416 this evening. Hooked it up and the sound is cutting out intermittently for a few seconds at a time. Some times it is clean cut, other times, a loud clipping or cracking sound accompanies the loss of volume. Tried optical, coax and standard audio out on the DCH to both my TV and receiver with the same result. I adjusted the volume on the DCH with no change. Unpluged the box serveral times. Searched the forum and couldn't find anything. I assume the box is bad and it needs to be replaced, or, did I missing something?

Thanks

Nice chat session.

I wondered if I told them that I found a promotion for the sports package for .01 if they would credit my account 4.98 each month, haha. They didn't seem to bat an eyelash when you told them you wanted the 1.99 promo.

I called to do it over the phone first, but the rep said that promo was over and he could not do it. He said to go online since only they would have the codes to do it. The local offices, website, and phone centers do not share the specials/codes - they all run independently for some reason???

Two times I have tried to get promos that are on the website and both times the reps cannot find the codes. The first time it took me over a month to find someone at Comcast who knew enough that they could straighten out my account! I really do not understand how things can be so disjointed at Comcast - these magic codes never seem to exist when someone needs to enter them!

I have tried to get an answer to my problem in another thread to no avail. Maybe someone here can help. If it has already been covered please let me know where I can find the answer. I can't go over every post on this thread.

I have the DCH3416 (HDMI version??) connected via HDMI to my Onkyo 605 AVR (HDMI 1.3a) and then to a Panasonic TC-32LX700 (HDMI version??). The 3416 will always switch to 720P when connected through the 605. You can switch the 3416 manually to 1080i and it will work fine until you turn any one or all of the components off and on. Then it returns to 720P. If connected directly to the TV it will work at 1080i. It does not help to leave the 3416 on all the time. It still switches. Onkyo says it's not their problem...Motorola says it's not their problem and Panasonic won't say anything........

If anyone knows why I would be grateful to hear the solution. Which device has the problem? The stb, the AVR or the TV?? I need to have one of them address the problem!

Also, I have set up the component output to the TV directly from the 3416 while at the same time having the HDMI output connected to the Onkyo 605. If the 605 is on (for other reasons) and the TV is set to receive the signal via component input from the 3416 it can take up to 5 or 6 seconds to switch chanels. I have to keep the HDMI unplugged in order to make it switch quickly. By the way the component resolution remains at 1080i.

Anyone have any ideas??

Let's see, you go directly from the 3416 to the Panny all is well. Can you say Onkyo is not handling the handshake well......

Let's see, you go directly from the 3416 to the Panny all is well. Can you say Onkyo is not handling the handshake well......

Funny...I used the same argument with Onkyo. They got very indignant and insisted it was not their problem. They said the 3416 couldn't handle the AVR in between.

I'm waiting for the Panny STB to come out and then I'll exchange it. Besides they will have HDAVI for simpler control.

Any other thoughts??

I have a Comcast Motorola 6412 (Phase II) DVR and am wanting to buy a DVD Recorder to archive shows from the DVR onto DVDs. I’ve gone round and round with researching all sorts of models, and am having a difficult time figuring out what my best solutions is.

My main priority is to get a DVD Recorder that will allow me to record 16:9 content (at 480i SD quality, I am aware) onto the DVD, so that when played back on my HDTV it will be full frame 16:9. I know that means the source (my DVR) will have to send a “squished” 16:9 frame onto the 4:3 480i DVD recording. I don’t care about the anamorphic flag being set, since I will not be viewing the DVDs on a 4:3 TV.

As I understand it, the 6412 will not send squished 16:9 output via S-Video or Composite (it adds embedded letterboxes), but it WILL send 16:9 content via component out. I have considered getting an older model DVD Recorder (Philips 3400) that has component in, but component is how I have the 6412 connected to my HDTV, so that would entail switching cables every time I wanted to archive something (not my preferred option).

Are there any DVD Recorders that accept Firewire input from the 6412? I have tested and know my 6412 will output via firewire, but am having trouble trying to find out if any of the DVD Recorders out there will record via that input method? It appears many should – I know the Philips models (and I believe other brands as well) have DV in (which I assume is firewire) so that you can record from DV Camcorders. Does anyone know if it works from a DVR source as well via firewire?

This seems like it would be a good option, since it wouldn’t really tie up any of the “normal” input/outputs on either of the devices. Does anyone have any experience with this type of setup, either good or bad?

Regretfully they intentionally handicap the DV so you can only record from a camcorder. As for switching the cables have you looked into a component switch. They are cheap now that HDMI is the standard.


Steve

porkozone,

There is a Polaroid DVD recorder with hard drive described in this thread that supports component video in and pass through when the DVD recorder is powered off. Other folks have used this to record from STBs like yours and to use a single component input for both the cable STB and the DVD recorder.

Look for posts from nextoo.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=675487

As I understand it, the 6412 will not send squished 16:9 output via S-Video or Composite (it adds embedded letterboxes), but it WILL send 16:9 content via component out. I have considered getting an older model DVD Recorder (Philips 3400) that has component in, but component is how I have the 6412 connected to my HDTV, so that would entail switching cables every time I wanted to archive something (not my preferred option).
As mentioned, a component switch would be a good option. You can get them with component + stereo audio + digital audio and a remote for $30-40.

Are there any DVD Recorders that accept Firewire input from the 6412? I have tested and know my 6412 will output via firewire, but am having trouble trying to find out if any of the DVD Recorders out there will record via that input method? It appears many should – I know the Philips models (and I believe other brands as well) have DV in (which I assume is firewire) so that you can record from DV Camcorders. Does anyone know if it works from a DVR source as well via firewire?
Depending on the cablecast in your area, any number of channels from just the premium subscriptions to everything but basic cable will be encrypted over the Firewire output. That means you would have to use a device that is 5C-DTCP-compatible, which I believe has been limited by the licensing authority to hi-def devices (D-VHS decks and HDTVs). I don't have anything to quote for you, but I seem to recall reading something to that effect in their documentation.

Hi,

Random question. I have the DCH3416 with Comcast, and I have a series recording that I have set to not delete until I delete the episode. However, it won't seem to let me have more than 9 episodes at a time. Each new episode deletes the last one. Is there anyway around this setting? Any help would be great. Thanks.

Harry

Hi,

Random question. I have the DCH3416 with Comcast, and I have a series recording that I have set to not delete until I delete the episode. However, it won't seem to let me have more than 9 episodes at a time. Each new episode deletes the last one. Is there anyway around this setting? Any help would be great. Thanks.

Harry

Obvious question, I know, but does your DVR have enough room to record more than nine episodes? If they're hour-long, HD recordings, you might not have room.

I'm having a weird situation with my Comcast/Moto DCT 3416. I find SDTV to be best (not great, just less bad!) with I set the 480 override to '480p'. Yet when I come back the next day I find it on '480i'. I.e., it won't stay on 480p. Is this a common quirk that others find? Is there any solution?

IMO, the best setting is to turn the override off. That way it upscales the SD to 1080 or 720, which ever your set to.

IMO, the best setting is to turn the override off. That way it upscales the SD to 1080 or 720, which ever your set to.

Not sure, but my understanding is that this will probably reduce the PQ, since the video processor in the TV is likely better than the one in the STB.

I took the 'experimental' approach rather than a 'theoretical' one, and simply tried the 480 offset to 'OFF', '480i', and '480p'. I looked at the letters giving the score in a football or baseball game, don't remember which. For my case--connecting the 3416 to a Onk 805 AVR via HDMI, and from it to a RS1 projector also via HDMI, with the AVR doing 'pass through'--the 480p setting was definitely clearer, sharper. The '480i' setting, which I THOUGHT was going to be best, was much fuzzier.

My problem now is that the 3416 won't hold the 480p setting. I set it, and the next day I turn the pj on (I leave the 3416 on all the time) I find it has changed to 480i. ???

My problem now is that the 3416 won't hold the 480p setting. I set it, and the next day I turn the pj on (I leave the 3416 on all the time) I find it has changed to 480i. ???

You know a lot of people are complaining about that. I have no problems with my 6412 Phase 2. I have a DVI to HDMI cable connected straight to my Samsung HP-T4254 TV and the cable box always remembers the settings even if power cycled.

Maybe its a 3416 thing. What firmware do you have? I have 16.35.

one thing that sucks about these boxes is that you have to reboot them every couple of days. sometimes i get lucky and can go a week or so but what really puzzles me is why the hell does it take so long for the cable guide to reload?

it's only text. it should be able to download in under a minute but it takes 12-24 hours

very odd

i've been told by a friend who works at comcast that the best way to reboot is to shut the box off before you unplug it. then when you plug it back in, do not turn it on right away and let it sit for about 7 minutes with the power off before you turn it on

.
.
.
i've been told by a friend who works at comcast that the best way to reboot is to shut the box off before you unplug it. then when you plug it back in, do not turn it on right away and let it sit for about 7 minutes with the power off before you turn it on
Did he tell you what his rationale is? On the surface, it doesn't seem like this would be any different than just unplugging.

Did he tell you what his rationale is? On the surface, it doesn't seem like this would be any different than just unplugging.

If the box is turned off it won't be buffering an incoming signal to the hard disk. Thus it is less likely that a disk write will be in progress when the power is removed.

Did he tell you what his rationale is? On the surface, it doesn't seem like this would be any different than just unplugging.

one thing is the guide loads up a bit quicker

he didn't go into it technically but it does seem to give it a cleaner re-boot

there have been times where i rebooted with the box on and it was just as sluggish after the re-boot

when i turn the box off first and leave it off for a few minutes after the re-boot, i have better success and with 3 of these boxes, i have a lot of practice, LOL

i'll ask him again why when i see him

Obvious question, I know, but does your DVR have enough room to record more than nine episodes? If they're hour-long, HD recordings, you might not have room.

Hi,

Yes, I have plenty of space left. It seems like it has some logic that only allows a certain amount of episodes per series or something. Anyone know of this?

I don't know if any of your are dslreports.com's comcast forum, but I did post a discussion about my issues with the Motorola platform and question why the Scientific Atlanta boxes seem much better. Feel free to participate or continue discussion here.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19058872-Motorola-Cable-Box-vs-Scientific-Atlanta-discussion-thread#19063206

one thing that sucks about these boxes is that you have to reboot them every couple of days. sometimes i get lucky and can go a week or so but what really puzzles me is why the hell does it take so long for the cable guide to reload?

That's not normal. You need to exchange those boxes.

OK, now I'm finding out I may have been wrong about Component out sending squished 16:9 out to a DVD Recorder...I've seen some posts that say that it WILL NOT send 16:9 squished content out, since you would have to set the moto box to 480i output, and the only options are 4:3 letterbox or 4:3 pan & scan. If so I'm very bummed.

Is there anyone out there that HAS successfully captured 16:9 widescreen content sent from a 6412 to a DVD Recorder (or anything else for that matter)? And if so, how? What are my options? I'm not worried about it remaining HD quality necessarily - I just want to preserve the widescreen aspect (without using zoom).

How do you guys with moto boxes archive your widescreen stuff?

After waiting for quite a while for new firmware to be releasedon the DCT3416, I saw that a new release DC"H"3416 was available in my area. Picked one up yesterday and behold the HDMI issue is resolved. I no longer have to unplug and replug my HDMI cable every time I turn on the TV..YAY!!! I was told there was no internal differences between the DCT and DCH but YES THERE IS!!! At least where the DRM and HDMI are concerned. Anyway any of you that have had this issue, the DCH model has resolved it.

what's the version number of the software on your dch?

tnx
jtm

For my case--connecting the 3416 to a Onk 805 AVR via HDMI, and from it to a RS1 projector also via HDMI, with the AVR doing 'pass through'--the 480p setting was definitely clearer, sharper. The '480i' setting, which I THOUGHT was going to be best, was much fuzzier.

My problem now is that the 3416 won't hold the 480p setting. I set it, and the next day I turn the pj on (I leave the 3416 on all the time) I find it has changed to 480i. ???
I have a DVI to HDMI cable connected straight to my Samsung HP-T4254 TV and the cable box always remembers the settings even if power cycled.
You hit on the exact cause of the problem --- you are connecting straight to your TV, while millerwill is going through an AVR.

millerwill, the only ones I have seen having an issue like you describe are the ones using an AVR. Passing through an HDMI repeater causes the issue, whether it's the AVR or STB, I don't know.

You hit on the exact cause of the problem --- you are connecting straight to your TV, while millerwill is going through an AVR.

millerwill, the only ones I have seen having an issue like you describe are the ones using an AVR. Passing through an HDMI repeater causes the issue, whether it's the AVR or STB, I don't know.

Ah, thanks much ExDeus; that must be the source of the problem. Going through the AVR is more convenient (just got the Onk 805), but I can connect another HDMI cable directly from the DCT 3416 to the pj.

Does anyone know if the new DCH 3416 has this same problem (of not 'holding' the 480 OFFSET that one chooses)?

Does anyone know if the new DCH 3416 has this same problem (of not 'holding' the 480 OFFSET that one chooses)?
There was a reference to it (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11530056&postcount=4272) a few posts before your original one, though for the main resolution setting, not the override.

If the box is turned off it won't be buffering an incoming signal to the hard disk. Thus it is less likely that a disk write will be in progress when the power is removed.

I am confused. I have read several times in this thread that the box is never "off", in fact if you turn it off it will still buff the signal. Does anyone know if this is true or not?

I am confused. I have read several times in this thread that the box is never "off", in fact if you turn it off it will still buff the signal. Does anyone know if this is true or not?


Depends on what version Firmware your headend is on. The last 2 or 3 Does turn the Buffering off when the stb is placed in sb mode (off).

The older firmware versions do not.

I just found this forum - I'm with Comcast in Northern NJ and had a 6412 until last week.
That unit died and I brought it in and for replacement - it was replaced with a 3412. The 3412 has a lot of porblems (it took 3 units before I'd leave the Comcast parking lot, that's how beat up their units were). This unit only has one tuner working, no DVR, no buffer. Reading through many of the pages of this thread and a few others I learned how to check the diagnostics and confirmed only one tuner is recognized, I tried a factory reset before I called Comcast support. The rep seemed fairly knowledgeable, and he suggested a truck roll instead of another swap. I'm fine with that only because he ensured me that he'd make it clear they should bring a 3416 with them. Before he disconnected he mentioned Comcast is starting to roll out a 3418. He said it has about 90 hours additional recording, and he would try to get one of those for me if it's available. I don't know if he's blowing smoke or not, because I haven't found any reference to this unit in any forum, google, etc. So, any one know if this is legit?

Bill

Never heard of a 3418

OK, now I'm finding out I may have been wrong about Component out sending squished 16:9 out to a DVD Recorder...I've seen some posts that say that it WILL NOT send 16:9 squished content out, since you would have to set the moto box to 480i output, and the only options are 4:3 letterbox or 4:3 pan & scan. If so I'm very bummed.

Is there anyone out there that HAS successfully captured 16:9 widescreen content sent from a 6412 to a DVD Recorder (or anything else for that matter)? And if so, how? What are my options? I'm not worried about it remaining HD quality necessarily - I just want to preserve the widescreen aspect (without using zoom).

How do you guys with moto boxes archive your widescreen stuff?

i've been recording the hi def channels to my dvd recorder for over 2 years now

just put the hi def channel on and run the s-video cable out of your hd box and into your dvd recorder or vcr

of course it will not be hi def resolution but you will capture the letterboxed image. the cable box converts it to the HD signal to SD on the s-video and composite video outputs

it's not HD but even in SD, when you record off the HD channels, not only will you get the letterboxed image but the picture quality is way better than the same show on the SD channel (sharper image, better colors)

let me be clear about my last post

when you record to a dvd recorder from a hi def channel, you are still recording in the 4x3 domain so when you play the dvd back on a regular 4x3 tv, you will see a beautiful dvd quality letterboxed image. when you play it back on a 16x9 hdtv, you will see a postage stamp 16x9 image inside of a pillared 4x3 frame but if you use zoom, it will be fine

personally, i find it almost mandatory to still have both an hdtv and a nice high quality 4x3 set. even after very single channel is converted over to HD, there are still thousands of hours of 4x3 material (old tv shows & and even non anamorphic letterboxed movies) on DVD that look best on a good old 36" sony CRT. (just my opinion)

ajwees41
Sorry - I meant a 3812, as I wrote in the Title, not 3418 as I wrote in the message body.
In any case, I can't find any reference anywhere to either model. The Comcast rep said they are starting to roll out a 3812 and he'd request one for me - I'd asked for a 3416. He assured me the 3416 is still on the work order. He said the 3812 has about 90 hours more recording time than the 3416. I'm beginning to think he'd been smoking his lunch.

Yes, those model numbers are incorrect.

ajwees41
Sorry - I meant a 3812, as I wrote in the Title, not 3418 as I wrote in the message body.
In any case, I can't find any reference anywhere to either model. The Comcast rep said they are starting to roll out a 3812 and he'd request one for me - I'd asked for a 3416. He assured me the 3416 is still on the work order. He said the 3812 has about 90 hours more recording time than the 3416. I'm beginning to think he'd been smoking his lunch.

the last 2 numbers in the DVR model is the size of the HDD.

08 = 80 gb
12 = 120 gb
14 = 140 gb
16 = 160 gb
18 = 180 gb
25 = 250 gb
32 = 320 gb
50 = 500 gb

Current Cable DVR STB from Motorola are:


DCT-6208
DCT-6412
DCT-6412p2
DCT-6412p3
DCT-6416p3
DCT-3412
DCT-3412p2
DCT-3416p2
DCT-3416p3
DCH-6416
DCH-3416

Current FIOS DVR STB:

QIP-6412p2
QIP-6412p3
QIP-6416p2
QIPH-6416

I have a 3416 box (Comcast). I recently switched it to component away from HDMI after getting a PS3. I have a Sceptre 37" x37 Naga LCD TV I purchased at Costco.

I noticed the picture quality is significantly worse, with overblown highlights, and considerably more noise. Is this a problem with the TV or the 3416?

I have a 3416 box (Comcast). I recently switched it to component away from HDMI after getting a PS3. I have a Sceptre 37" x37 Naga LCD TV I purchased at Costco.

I noticed the picture quality is significantly worse, with overblown highlights, and considerably more noise. Is this a problem with the TV or the 3416?
I noticed color issues, jaggies, and noise when using the component outputs on mine, so it could be the STB.

Then again, others prefer the component outputs, so maybe it's just both our TVs. I think the box is supposed to have fairly high-quality digital->analog conversion, but I'm not a fan of unnecessary digital->analog->digital conversions. It's impossible to do without some data loss.

I use this HDMI 3x1 switch (http://www.buy.com/prod/joytech-tri-link-3-port-hdmi-switch-with-remote-3-to-1-switch-between/q/loc/108/204972580.html), which works great with the Moto box (which means it passes HDCP cleanly, so it should work with anything). It can even be powered via USB instead of an AC adapter, so I run it right off the USB port on the DVR.

let me be clear about my last post

when you record to a dvd recorder from a hi def channel, you are still recording in the 4x3 domain so when you play the dvd back on a regular 4x3 tv, you will see a beautiful dvd quality letterboxed image. when you play it back on a 16x9 hdtv, you will see a postage stamp 16x9 image inside of a pillared 4x3 frame but if you use zoom, it will be fine
I believe it's the letterbox+pillarbox combo that porkozone is trying to avoid, as s/he was asking specifically about anamorphic 16x9 in SD.

OK, I just swapped (2) DCT 3416's for the new DCH 3416. First thing I noticed is that the new ones are much quieter than the old ones; one mark in their favor. When I get home tonight and get the chance, I will play more with them. In particula, I'm going to find out this weekend whether or not the new ones with 'hold' the 480 OFFSET setting that one makes. The DCT model did not if it was connected via HDMI through an Onk 805 AVR (which is simply doing pass through); e.g., if I set the OFFSET to 'OFF', the next day it would be on its default value of '480i'. I.e., turning off the AVR caused the Moto to reset to its default values. (Forturnately the HD default value is 1080i, which is what I want.)

So I guess there isn't a 3418 stb. I was excited there for a moment, every gig helps!

When my 4th or 5th 3416 was delivered (same day as new tv, btw ;)) it was marked DCT 3416 dual tuner dvr, but only had ONE one tuner & NO dvr! Since I had already been given broken units that were returned but not tagged, I insisted on a new in box unit this time. Well it was new! LOL

I would still recommend requesting a new one though. The next new one brought out was great & still is a year later! :D I guess you just have to be patient. Oh and make sure to get a promotion to compensate for the time you're unable to use your dvr.

Ugh! Just checked my new DCH3416 that I got this morning: it does NOT hold the 480 offset setting when it is connected (HDMI) to my Onk 805 AVR and 'passed through' via HDMI to my pj. Same as the DCT model. If this annoys me too much, I guess I will have to run an HDMI cable from it directly to the pj, by-passing the AVR.

I believe it's the letterbox+pillarbox combo that porkozone is trying to avoid, as s/he was asking specifically about anamorphic 16x9 in SD.

to the best of my knowledge, there is no dvd recorder that records in 16x9 anamorphic

if there is, let me know about it cuz i want one :D

D-VHS was a great idea but i guess it never caught on :(

i would say stay tuned for hd-dvd/blu-ray recorders. i think they already have them in japan

to the best of my knowledge, there is no dvd recorder that records in 16x9 anamorphic


On the contrary, ALL DVD recorders, and VCRs for that matter, will record an anamorphic image, if they can get one on a S-Vid or composite input, but most STBs won't output a squeezed 480i image on anything but component, and very few DVDRs accept component. The DVDR or VCR has no way of knowing there is distortion (squeezing) in the image, they just record whatever 4x3 image they get. If it is an anamorphic image, that is what is recorded.

to the best of my knowledge, there is no dvd recorder that records in 16x9 anamorphic
There wouldn't be any anamorphic flags in the stream to automatically let both 4x3 and 16x9 TVs view it properly, but if you manually control your wide/pillarbox settings on your TV, there's no reason a DVD recorder couldn't record an anamorphic image, if you could get one to input into it.

i would say stay tuned for hd-dvd/blu-ray recorders. i think they already have them in japan
I saw that on Engadget (http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/09/12/sony-launches-four-high-end-blu-ray-recorders/), but I'm still trying to figure out what you use it for. From the looks of it, you can only use it to record terrestrial broadcast (it's tuner is the only input), so I guess it would just give you on-the-fly, hardware-based H.264 or VC-1 encoding.

Hi,

The installer just left me 2 DCH-3416's and for the time being, I have them hooked up to one TV. (The other is going upstairs, when the TV I ordered comes in). In the mean time, does anyone know how I can control one box at a time with the remotes.

Right now, one remote controls both units, and i need to somehow split them, so one only does one. It seems to be possible, according to the installer, but several calls to comcast and I come up empty handed. No one on the phone knows what to do.

Any help here would be appreciated.
thanks
Ron

Hi,

The installer just left me 2 DCH-3416's and for the time being, I have them hooked up to one TV. (The other is going upstairs, when the TV I ordered comes in). In the mean time, does anyone know how I can control one box at a time with the remotes.

Right now, one remote controls both units, and i need to somehow split them, so one only does one. It seems to be possible, according to the installer, but several calls to comcast and I come up empty handed. No one on the phone knows what to do.

Any help here would be appreciated.
thanks
Ron

You got your answer here where you asked it last.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11639975#post11639975

Is the DVI connector on the projector HDCP-enabled? My Westinghouse LVM-37w3 has two DVI connectors, but only DVI #2 is HDCP-enabled and works with 3416 I DVR.

I'm having a similar problem, and would welcome any suggestions.
I'm a Comcast customer in Massachusetts; my DVR is a Motorola "DCT 3416 I". We have a series recording for new episodes of the PBS series "Curious George" (standard resolution, 30 minutes), with "save no more" set to "all episodes".
However, we've recently noticed that in fact, the DVR is only saving the most recent 8 episodes of the show; when it records a new one, it deletes an old one, keeping the number at 8. I find this significant since the range of possible "save no more than" settings is 1-7, plus "all"; it's as if it's treating "all" as "8".
BTW, our DVR is not even close to full; it's hardly ever above 20% of capacity.


Hi,

Yes, I have plenty of space left. It seems like it has some logic that only allows a certain amount of episodes per series or something. Anyone know of this?

On the contrary, ALL DVD recorders, and VCRs for that matter, will record an anamorphic image, if they can get one on a S-Vid or composite input, but most STBs won't output a squeezed 480i image on anything but component, and very few DVDRs accept component. The DVDR or VCR has no way of knowing there is distortion (squeezing) in the image, they just record whatever 4x3 image they get. If it is an anamorphic image, that is what is recorded.

i meant that it will not store it as anamorphic like when you buy a dvd movie that says "enhanced for widescreen" which means it's stored as 16x9 anamorphic instead of "letterboxed" 4x3

dvd recorders will record a letterboxed 4x3 image. all 3 of my comcast dual tuner dvr's are hooked up to dvd recorders and i record off the HD channels via the s-video

there are a few dvd recorders made with a component input (sony had one) but they point out that it's not for HD signals, it's for SD component sources like dvd player or a camcorder (note, they will not record protected dvd's)

i meant that it will not store it as anamorphic like when you buy a dvd movie that says "enhanced for widescreen" which means it's stored as 16x9 anamorphic instead of "letterboxed" 4x3


Yes, it will store it as anamorphic widescreen, which is just a 4x3 frame squeezed horizontally, even on a commercial anamorphic DVD. The problem is, you have to send the DVDR an anamorphic signal, not a letter boxed one, which is what you get over the S-Vid outputs of almost all DVRs. I have Comcast, so I can't make anamorphic DVDs either. If I had component inputs on my DVDR, and switched the component outputs of my Moto box to output 480i, then I could make an anamorphic DVD.

On the contrary, ALL very few DVDRs accept component.


Please tell me the ones that do so I can rush out and buy 10 before the copy protection police find them and force them off the market?

Hi,

Just received my DCH-3416 from Comcast yesterday and am having a little trouble transitioning from my DirecTivo box.

My major question/concern is how the DCH handles conflicts. For example, Sunday nights at 9:00pm, lets say there are three shows that I have set a series record for. One of the three shows re-broadcasts several times later in the week. I would set that program as a lower priority than the other two.

My Tivo would not record the show on Sunday, but would record it on Monday or later on that week, assuming no more conflicts. (while recording the other two at 9:00pm)

Does the DCH have the same type of conflict resolution?

Also, I read in one of the FAQ links that the 6412 has a 30 sec skip feature you can enable. Does the same go for the 3416?

Third, when looking at the setup screen, the display shows model as DCT. Should it, even though its a DCH?

When in menus, (say three levels deep) how do you back up one level? I cannot seem to figure this out. I either exit completely or sometimes the instant replay button works...very frustrating.

Thanks for the help!

Hi,

Just received my DCH-3416 from Comcast yesterday and am having a little trouble transitioning from my DirecTivo box.

My major question/concern is how the DCH handles conflicts. For example, Sunday nights at 9:00pm, lets say there are three shows that I have set a series record for. One of the three shows re-broadcasts several times later in the week. I would set that program as a lower priority than the other two.

My Tivo would not record the show on Sunday, but would record it on Monday or later on that week, assuming no more conflicts. (while recording the other two at 9:00pm)

Does the DCH have the same type of conflict resolution?

Also, I read in one of the FAQ links that the 6412 has a 30 sec skip feature you can enable. Does the same go for the 3416?

Third, when looking at the setup screen, the display shows model as DCT. Should it, even though its a DCH?

When in menus, (say three levels deep) how do you back up one level? I cannot seem to figure this out. I either exit completely or sometimes the instant replay button works...very frustrating.

Thanks for the help!

1. I don't think the DCH, or DCT for that matter, will do what you are asking. You will have to set one of those programs on a weekly basis rather than a series record.

2. Yes, you can set the 30 second advance on the 3416.

3. The only difference between the DCT and DCH is the built in Cable Card. I don't think it matters.

4. Simply press the "Last" button to back up.

Hi,

Just received my DCH-3416 from Comcast yesterday and am having a little trouble transitioning from my DirecTivo box.

My major question/concern is how the DCH handles conflicts. For example, Sunday nights at 9:00pm, lets say there are three shows that I have set a series record for. One of the three shows re-broadcasts several times later in the week. I would set that program as a lower priority than the other two.

My Tivo would not record the show on Sunday, but would record it on Monday or later on that week, assuming no more conflicts. (while recording the other two at 9:00pm)

Does the DCH have the same type of conflict resolution?

Also, I read in one of the FAQ links that the 6412 has a 30 sec skip feature you can enable. Does the same go for the 3416?

Third, when looking at the setup screen, the display shows model as DCT. Should it, even though its a DCH?

When in menus, (say three levels deep) how do you back up one level? I cannot seem to figure this out. I either exit completely or sometimes the instant replay button works...very frustrating.

Thanks for the help!


First thing: It's not a TiVo. Don't expect it to work or act like a TiVo! :rolleyes: You must unlearn all you have learned having a TiVo DVR.


Yes you can add a 30sec skip to the remote.


The DCH DVR models are the DCT DVR models phase 4 but without the built in security.


use the last button to move back wards in the menus.

My major question/concern is how the DCH handles conflicts. For example, Sunday nights at 9:00pm, lets say there are three shows that I have set a series record for. One of the three shows re-broadcasts several times later in the week. I would set that program as a lower priority than the other two.

My Tivo would not record the show on Sunday, but would record it on Monday or later on that week, assuming no more conflicts. (while recording the other two at 9:00pm)

Does the DCH have the same type of conflict resolution?

1. I don't think the DCH, or DCT for that matter, will do what you are asking. You will have to set one of those programs on a weekly basis rather than a series record.
Yes, all the DCT/DCH boxes will do prioritized series recordings, as will any DVR running iGuide. This is one of the basic DVR functions.

Set up your series recordings, with the two shows you want recorded at higher priorities. The third show, at a lower priority, will show up with a will-not-record symbol (red circle with a line thru it) during the first airing. When the next airing comes along, the EPG may not show it is going to record, but as long as you don't already have that episode on your DVR, it will record it when it airs.

That's actually the root of one common complaint with the Moto DVRs --- even if you have recorded it once, and then deleted it, the DVR will still record the episode again. You have to leave it on your DVR until all repeat airings have been aired, then you can delete it for the next episode. Alternatively, you can just delete it after it records each re-airing.

See the Wikibook link in my sig for programming the 30-sec skip command and other things you should know.

I have Comcast, so I can't make anamorphic DVDs either. If I had component inputs on my DVDR, and switched the component outputs of my Moto box to output 480i, then I could make an anamorphic DVD.

I'm not sure you would be able to, after all (but someone PLEASE prove me wrong on this). I don't have a DVD recorder to test it, but from what I've read (and somewhat what I've played with myself), I believe the Moto box will force letterboxing on ALL 480i input, even over component. I've seen claims that say 16:9 squished (anamorphic) can be done over component with the moto boxes, but I've yet to see that confirmed, meanwhile I've seen several other posts that say it can't be done over component either.

In my playing with the settings, and trying to view it on my TV for reference, I think the closest I got was setting it to 480p and saying a 4:3 TV (but I can never remember what the choices are in that menu without looking). That produced 16:9 content squished horizontally into a 4:3 frame. But I don't believe there are any DVD recorders out there that will accept 480p source material to be interlaced by the recorder, either.

I would be curious how a "component in" capable DVD recorder would handle the "TV type" settings as 16:9 and then choosing 480i - maybe it would take the 16:9 source and squish it, since all it would know is 4:3.

Again, if anyone knows a way to achieve this, please let me know what setting combo it takes.

Yes, all the DCT/DCH boxes will do prioritized series recordings, as will any DVR running iGuide. This is one of the basic DVR functions.

Set up your series recordings, with the two shows you want recorded at higher priorities. The third show, at a lower priority, will show up with a will-not-record symbol (red circle with a line thru it) during the first airing.

Right. And, specifically, leading up through the first airing, the next airing won't be marked as to be recorded.

When the next airing comes along, the EPG may not show it is going to record, but as long as you don't already have that episode on your DVR, it will record it when it airs.

By the time the first airing has passed, the next airing should be marked as to be recorded, but a few times it hasn't.

That's actually the root of one common complaint with the Moto DVRs --- even if you have recorded it once, and then deleted it, the DVR will still record the episode again. You have to leave it on your DVR until all repeat airings have been aired, then you can delete it for the next episode. Alternatively, you can just delete it after it records each re-airing.

For a relative watching a lot of HGTV and Lifetime programs this summer, leaving a program on the DVR didn't stop it from recording it over again, but maybe for others it does.

Yes, it will store it as anamorphic widescreen, which is just a 4x3 frame squeezed horizontally, even on a commercial anamorphic DVD. The problem is, you have to send the DVDR an anamorphic signal, not a letter boxed one, which is what you get over the S-Vid outputs of almost all DVRs. I have Comcast, so I can't make anamorphic DVDs either. If I had component inputs on my DVDR, and switched the component outputs of my Moto box to output 480i, then I could make an anamorphic DVD.

i don't think you know what anamorphic means

i don't think you know what anamorphic means
I think he does. Anamorphic is exactly as he described it: a 16x9 image squished into a 4x3 frame, which distorts the aspect ratio. When the content is played back, the player or display stretches the content back to the proper aspect ratio.

This is exactly as it occurs with commercial DVDs. If you set your DVD player to 'wide' mode for a 16x9 display and view it on a 4x3 TV, you will see the image as it is stored on the disc --- the full image taking up all the available space, instead of encoding black bars. It is your DVD player or display that adds the letterboxing for a widescreen format on a 4x3 display or stretches the image back to its original aspect ratio for a widescreen format on a 16x9 display.

The dispute here is whether the component output from the Moto box in 480i/p is anamorphic or letterboxed (meaning the black bars are encoded into the video).

kjbawc is proposing that it does output an anamorphic signal, meaning it is a 16x9 picture squeezed into a 4x3 frame, instead of a letterboxed one.

I have no idea, myself.

ExDeus,

Thanks for the links and info, I now feel I know a little bit more about the box. Suffice to say its no Tivo..:) Cant wait actully for Comcast to start rolling that out in my area.

I was able to enable the 30 sec skip, my question is this: Can this be done using my Harmony 880. Has anyone gotten this to work, or is it only going to work on the remote that came with the unit. Otherwise I have the 880 set up really nice, but would love to get the 30sec skip going on it.

Any thoughts?

ExDeus,

Thanks for the links and info, I now feel I know a little bit more about the box. Suffice to say its no Tivo..:) Cant wait actully for Comcast to start rolling that out in my area.

I was able to enable the 30 sec skip, my question is this: Can this be done using my Harmony 880. Has anyone gotten this to work, or is it only going to work on the remote that came with the unit. Otherwise I have the 880 set up really nice, but would love to get the 30sec skip going on it.

Any thoughts?

Yes, the Harmony Remote handles the 30 second skip very well. It is called "Advance" and is already in their data base.

Yes, the Harmony Remote handles the 30 second skip very well. It is called "Advance" and is already in their data base.

For the skip function you don't have to do any special setup in your activities. After downloading from the Harmony website all you will need to do to activate is press the >>| button. For the 15 second replay press the |<< button.

Please tell me the ones that do so I can rush out and buy 10 before the copy protection police find them and force them off the market?

Too late. AFAIK, Polaroid made the last one, but their current model doesn't have component input. Some people used them as converters, running their S-Vid out to a better DVDR.

I'm not sure you would be able to, after all (but someone PLEASE prove me wrong on this). I don't have a DVD recorder to test it, but from what I've read (and somewhat what I've played with myself), I believe the Moto box will force letterboxing on ALL 480i input, even over component. I've seen claims that say 16:9 squished (anamorphic) can be done over component with the moto boxes, but I've yet to see that confirmed, meanwhile I've seen several other posts that say it can't be done over component either.

In my playing with the settings, and trying to view it on my TV for reference, I think the closest I got was setting it to 480p and saying a 4:3 TV (but I can never remember what the choices are in that menu without looking). That produced 16:9 content squished horizontally into a 4:3 frame. But I don't believe there are any DVD recorders out there that will accept 480p source material to be interlaced by the recorder, either.

I would be curious how a "component in" capable DVD recorder would handle the "TV type" settings as 16:9 and then choosing 480i - maybe it would take the 16:9 source and squish it, since all it would know is 4:3.


Check the DVD Recorder forum. Several people have reported making anamorphic DVDs from Comcast Moto DVRs, over the component output, with the output set to 480i, for a 16x9 display. That produces the squish. Set it for 4x3, and it will be letterboxed. Again, a recorder just records the signal it is sent, as a 4x3 image, squished or not. It is the source that either sends the squished signal, or it doesn't.

i don't think you know what anamorphic means

Actually, I know both its meanings... :D

I tried searching the thread best I can, which is a sure fire way to state that I missed it, however. I just received a 3412 from Comcast today and channels are "missing" from analog and digital (for example ESPN reports unavailable, but is available straight from the wall and is available on HD through the STB) and OnDemand is unavailable. I checked the diagnostics and everything appears fine with regards to signal strength, with everything reporting as "good" in the menus that I could find.

Is there some sort of lag time for the tuner to start working completely, is it DoA or am I missing something in the diagnostics?

I tried searching the thread best I can, which is a sure fire way to state that I missed it, however. I just received a 3412 from Comcast today and channels are "missing" from analog and digital (for example ESPN reports unavailable, but is available straight from the wall and is available on HD through the STB) and OnDemand is unavailable. I checked the diagnostics and everything appears fine with regards to signal strength, with everything reporting as "good" in the menus that I could find.

Is there some sort of lag time for the tuner to start working completely, is it DoA or am I missing something in the diagnostics?

The 3412 does not have an analog tuner. Did you call and get it authorized on your account? I know in Cox area the boxes will not work untl a hit is sent.

The 3412 does not have an analog tuner. Did you call and get it authorized on your account? I know in Cox area the boxes will not work untl a hit is sent.

Ah, I didn't quite catch what analog meant. I assume there's a digital or HD equivalent channel for anything I'm "missing" so that's good. I'll check with the local office tomorrow as to whether its activated on the account. I assumed it was pre-authorized with the box but I should have known better with my experiences for DirecTV. Thanks

edit:
and just like that, it shut off at around 11:30 and upon coming back on everything was available.

I've had the new DCH 3416 for several days now, and let me say that this thing is QUIET! The DCT 3416 I had was not so bad, but I could definitely hear the disc when I was within ~6 ft of it; and especially it I muted the system. But with the sytem muted, I cannot hear the DCH unit if I'm within 2 ft of it! Quite a difference.

For the skip function you don't have to do any special setup in your activities. After downloading from the Harmony website all you will need to do to activate is press the >>| button. For the 15 second replay press the |<< button.

I guess it depends on the model Harmony that you have. I have the H659 and it doesn't have a >>| button. It does have an ADVANCE in the LCD window however. When I tried the >> button it went into fast forward, just like it should. I did notice that the 659 is the only one without those buttons as well, with the exception of the 1000 which seems to be mostly touch screen.

Thanks for all the help, yes indeedie the 880 is all set for the 30sec skip and instant replay.

I programmed the OnDemand and MyDVR buttons and a few others, and it all works great.

If only the DVR was a bit more (hell a lot more) Tivo like, it would be a great box. Reception is great...the guide sucks though, Ads?!?! Come on....(not a function of the box, I know..)

Thanks for all the help, yes indeedie the 880 is all set for the 30sec skip and instant replay.

I programmed the OnDemand and MyDVR buttons and a few others, and it all works great.

If only the DVR was a bit more (hell a lot more) Tivo like, it would be a great box. Reception is great...the guide sucks though, Ads?!?! Come on....(not a function of the box, I know..)

I hear ya Rstambo...

The software on these boxes is simply "crap".

The most you can do is E-mail Comcast with your suggestions and hope they get passed on to the decision makers.

In the end though, Comcast will do whatever financially benefits them. If it's creating cheap software with advertisements, they'll do it. Money speaks over anything.

Amen...

Guess we can just wait it out for the Tivo software on these boxes. Along with (and I hope its sooner than later) a bigger box. One of the biggest shocks to me was the shamefully small harddrive....160gig is the biggest they got? 15 hours of HD programming???!! Thats about a weeks worth of networking viewing....and I can forget about storing up several episodes at once and watching them....

Really the most disappointing part for me....

Just moved to the Atlanta area (Cobb Co) and got my 3 DVRs from the Comcast installer. I got two 3416's and one 3412. They all have 16.20 as the installed firmware version.

CaIn the Boston area, I had a 3412 and it had 16.35. I am planning to hook at least one of these to an Onkyo revceiver and wanted to do HDMI switching. From what I've read, I may find a problem, but I won't know until I hook it up.

Anyone else in the area have a different firmware version?

I'm in the Atlanta area too and I had the same firmware, 16.20, and had to unplug and replug my HDMI cable in every time I wanted to watch tv. Just last week I swapped it out for a DCH3416 and it works perfectly now. HDMI and DRM have been resolved for us in Atlanta in the DCH model. I don't think they will update the firmware in the DCT models any time soon according to the local office. I would insist on a DCH version for the one connected to the Onkyo receiver in any case.

I'm in the Atlanta area too and I had the same firmware, 16.20, and had to unplug and replug my HDMI cable in every time I wanted to watch tv. Just last week I swapped it out for a DCH3416 and it works perfectly now. HDMI and DRM have been resolved for us in Atlanta in the DCH model. I don't think they will update the firmware in the DCT models any time soon according to the local office. I would insist on a DCH version for the one connected to the Onkyo receiver in any case.

Is the firmware version 16.20 on the DCH as well, just without the same issues? Also, any idea why the newer firmware hasn't been and isn't being deployed?

Is the firmware version 16.20 on the DCH as well, just without the same issues? Also, any idea why the newer firmware hasn't been and isn't being deployed?

I don't remember the exact #, but FW on my DCH 3416 is 18.21 or close to this. It was 16.20 on the DCT 3416 I turned in.

Is the firmware version 16.20 on the DCH as well, just without the same issues? Also, any idea why the newer firmware hasn't been and isn't being deployed?

18.21 on new DCH3416, 16.20 on old DCT3416.

My apologies if this has already been asked. I did several searches but came up empty handed, and it seemed like a simple question.

Not quite simple enough for the Comcast employee I contacted via online chat, however. Instead of actually knowing something about the product and telling me what I needed to know, she helpfully sent me links to pages on their website (which I'd already looked at).

So here it is... For any of the big networks, I've got SD and HD choices. Say for me I get ABC on channel 7 (SD) and 707 (HD). If I go into the guide, find a show I want and tell it to record it, I understand how it can tell one from the other.

However, let's say I want to record the new Bionic Woman show. I can find a show by title, and then set up a series recording, but nowhere in that do I see how to tell it I want one or the other.

Any thoughts on how I do this? I've got a DCH3416, if that makes any difference.

...
However, let's say I want to record the new Bionic Woman show. I can find a show by title, and then set up a series recording, but nowhere in that do I see how to tell it I want one or the other.
...


You should see all channels showing it, and be able to choose which one to set up the series on.

...
However, let's say I want to record the new Bionic Woman show. I can find a show by title, and then set up a series recording, but nowhere in that do I see how to tell it I want one or the other.
...

wareagle;You should see all channels showing it, and be able to choose which one to set up the series on.

Right, if you want to record the HD version you never want to record (in your case) channel 7, you would always want to make sure you record 707. You should be able to go to 707 in the guide & make the recording from there or after your search results bring back the first one (on channel 7) press the 'info' button for that show. Don't set recording for that one but rather go to the icon on the bottom for 'View upcoming times for this program' & choose the correct channel from there.

In my experiences, when searching for shows to record and typing in the name, I have seen only?? the SD version ... but I do what was recommended above ...once I know the TIME then I just cruise with the guide over to that slot on the HD channel and hit record ... it SHOULD (you would think ) bring up both the SD and HD versions but the searchs I have done only seem to bring up the SD.

Anybody here have problems with a series recording not keeping all episodes it's supposed to? My DVR is less than 20% full and it seems to want to keep only the last eight episodes of a series, even though I told it to keep all episodes (including duplicates). Normally I don't have that many episodes to watch, but a 14-episode marathon was scheduled today and I wanted all 14 episodes, but only the last 8 are saved (I KNOW the DVR recorded the first six because I was using the DVR at the time they aired and they were recording and were listed in the My Recordings list).

These are SD recordings, each 30 minutes long. Even with the 8 episodes that were kept, the DVR was less than 20% full. The box shows no signs of rebooting and was kept on all day.

In my experiences, when searching for shows to record and typing in the name, I have seen only?? the SD version ... but I do what was recommended above ...once I know the TIME then I just cruise with the guide over to that slot on the HD channel and hit record ... it SHOULD (you would think ) bring up both the SD and HD versions but the searchs I have done only seem to bring up the SD.

Once you find the title in the title search, scroll down to the title you want, and hit "INFO" or "SELECT." I assume you have been doing that. What comes up then will almost certainly be a SD channel entry, because most HD channels have matching SD channels with lower numbers. What you need to do then is to move the lower toolbar indicator over so the clock dial is highlighted, and hit "Select." This will bring up a list of times/channels when the program is shown, which may be more than one page long. Scroll down to highlight the time and channel you want to record. Then, hit "INFO," or "SELECT." Now, move the lower tool bar indicator to the red dot for record, and hit "SELECT" again.

You think something that basic might be in the repertoire of your average Comcast tech support person.

I knew you guys would come through. I just ran downstairs and checked and sure enough, everything I'd scheduled was SD. I fixed everything, though, so now I just need to wait for the sweet, sweet lovin' of HD programming goodness.

...
I knew you guys would come through.
...

You should've come here first.

I like instant gratification, and I thought I might luck out and get an answer to my question immediately.

I had to wait like 15 minutes to get a reply here. What if I'd been leaving on vacation right then and I needed to set up the DVR to record next week's showing of the Swedish Bikini Team Car Wash Competition in HD? WHAT THEN?

Seriously, though, next time I'll just skip Comcast. Thanks for the help.

Once you find the title in the title search, scroll down to the title you want, and hit "INFO" or "SELECT." I assume you have been doing that. What comes up then will almost certainly be a SD channel entry, because most HD channels have matching SD channels with lower numbers. What you need to do then is to move the lower toolbar indicator over so the clock dial is highlighted, and hit "Select." This will bring up a list of times/channels when the program is shown, which may be more than one page long. Scroll down to highlight the time and channel you want to record. Then, hit "INFO," or "SELECT." Now, move the lower tool bar indicator to the red dot for record, and hit "SELECT" again.

KJ...

Thanks a bunch man!! I was unaware of that little thing! Thank goodness for this forum - thanks so much for the great hint!

Glad to be of help. But, I shouldn't have to tell you this, they should have good, comprehensive user manuals!

I'll pass along another tip. I use the clock dial icon a lot, to schedule things as far down the road as possible, when the HDD is too close to full. I would hit the info button on a particular time/channel entry, and then hit the "Last" button, hoping to return to the list of times, but it would always return to the original entry, not the place in the list of times/channels I had hit "Info" on. I recently discovered that when you hit "Info" on a later time, and wish to go back to that list, do NOT hit "Last," but use the lower tool bar, and hit the clock dial again. You will go right back to the same spot in the list.

anyone know if this works..


DCH3416
All-Digital, Host High Defintion DVR set-top with standard definition capability and ability to access content from other set-tops over existing cable infrastructure using optional MoCA™ home- networking interface.

Here's a strange one - both of my 3416's decided they were 100 percent full tonight and refused to record any more programs until I deleted something. When I deleted the least important thing on the drives, they both went back to 62 percent, which is how full they really are. However, they then refused to record the program they were currently set for, even if I manually tuned to the program and hit record. They would record the next program, or a different program, however.

I haven't seen any other reports of this, but if it's a nasty code load from Comcast, it's one to watch out for.

Current S/W is 74.58-3061, Firmware 16.35

Here's a strange one - both of my 3416's decided they were 100 percent full tonight and refused to record any more programs until I deleted something. When I deleted the least important thing on the drives, they both went back to 62 percent, which is how full they really are. However, they then refused to record the program they were currently set for, even if I manually tuned to the program and hit record. They would record the next program, or a different program, however.

I haven't seen any other reports of this, but if it's a nasty code load from Comcast, it's one to watch out for.

Current S/W is 74.58-3061, Firmware 16.35

I had two 3416s that did the 100% full thing a couple times a week. I saved several 30 minute recordings for when it happened so there was something to delete. The problem was real bad till Charter upgraded the firmware to 16.35. I finally switched to Dish TV. Good Luck.

Heres a question for you all,

If you have a series record set for on an HD channel (say NBCHD) and the show is not broadcast in HD, does the box know this and record at a lower bit rate, thus using less harddrive space?

I had no recordings at all in my brand new DCH3416 and after recording just Monday nights shows, I am at 70%full. Its pathetic, since I only have about 6 hours of HD shows. It looks as if I am going to have to record most of the shows in SD since I cant possible keep up with watching and deleting at this pace. I used to be able to make it to at least Sat. to start watching Mondays shows.

Comcast definitely needs to to allow users to add more space through one of the several ports available on the box.

FYI, I was hit with the mute bug last night that forced me to reboot in order to get the sound back, which caused me to lose part of the recording. The software on this box is horrendous...!

A newbie-to-Comcast question-
WHat is the difference in recording capacity between, say, a 3416 box and a Series 3 or HDTiVO?
7 hours of HD and you're almost 3/4 full doesn't sound good to me.

Wow the mute bug! That was fixed in Firmware 16.20. You just have to push any button and it should un-mute. Otherwise the work around is to program the cable box mute to a key on your remote, this way you can un-mute it. I mapped this to the unused red "Help" button on my remote.

Instructions on how to do this here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_A_Dedicated_STB_Mute.2FUnmute

Oh and the storage space, I agree leaves a lot to be desired. Comcast just needed to keep the costs down and ordered boxes with 120 and 160gb hard drives. Motorola would have no problem fitting them with 320gb hard drives, it's just no MSO wants to pay the price for that (times thousands of boxes). So right now MSO's use the excuse that the DVR is for short time storage.

My HD DVR from Dish holds 500g and I have a 500g connected to it thru the USB and it works great.

Wow the mute bug! That was fixed in Firmware 16.20. You just have to push any button and it should un-mute. Otherwise the work around is to program the cable box mute to a key on your remote, this way you can un-mute it. I mapped this to the unused red "Help" button on my remote.

Instructions on how to do this here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_A_Dedicated_STB_Mute.2FUnmute

Oh and the storage space, I agree leaves a lot to be desired. Comcast just needed to keep the costs down and ordered boxes with 120 and 160gb hard drives. Motorola would have no problem fitting them with 320gb hard drives, it's just no MSO wants to pay the price for that (times thousands of boxes). So right now MSO's use the excuse that the DVR is for short time storage.

cypherstream,

thanks for the link, I will try that. It seems that I unplugged the unit while it was recording a show. I had to since the box was non-responsive. (the box was "off" and I turned it on, while it was recording) So looking at the wiki, it seemed like I had to reboot. When doing this, it came back muted) I will try the mapped button on remote to see if that helps.

As for the harddrive space, I can see where its a cost thing. i can also see that maybe the average user only DVR's a few shows. I would be more than happy to purchase a 500gig external drive and hook it up for myself. No cost to Comcast, just enable the port.

And make it "beta" and non-supported, least Comcast has to incur additional cost for testing for the ports. Just make them active. Then those of us who need/want more storage can add it. Echostar lets you do this, D*TV is supporting this in "beta" right now. So it can be done legally, apparently.

If you have a series record set for on an HD channel (say NBCHD) and the show is not broadcast in HD, does the box know this and record at a lower bit rate, thus using less harddrive space?Doubtful. You told it to record the program on a certain channel. It will record the program off that channel, in accordance with your direction, at whatever bit rate that channel is broadcast at.

Comcast definitely needs to to allow users to add more space through one of the several ports available on the box.Remember, you can also rent a second DVR from Comcast.

A newbie-to-Comcast question-
WHat is the difference in recording capacity between, say, a 3416 box and a Series 3 or HDTiVO?Motorola DCT-3416 = 160GB
TiVo HD = 160GB
TiVo S3 = 250GB
(before upgrades)

7 hours of HD and you're almost 3/4 full doesn't sound good to me.I have 6 1/2 hours of HD plus 12 hours of SD and my DCT-3416 is only 46% full.

...
If you have a series record set for on an HD channel (say NBCHD) and the show is not broadcast in HD, does the box know this and record at a lower bit rate, thus using less harddrive space?
...


No. Not even doubtful.

Doubtful. You told it to record the program on a certain channel. It will record the program off that channel, in accordance with your direction, at whatever bit rate that channel is broadcast at.

Remember, you can also rent a second DVR from Comcast.

I do indeed have two 3416's just for that reason. The problem I have now (and why I have to keep turning one off and on, which I think is wreaking havoc with the boxes) is that they are in the same room, connected to the same TV, which presents its own set of problems.

Anyone who has two in the same room, and has come up with a good way to manage these boxes, PLEASE let me know....

I will move one of these boxes upstairs, but not for several weeks...

Hi, this may be a pretty simple question (and probably located somewhere throughout this thread, if so, please point me to page) but I have a comcast (in NH) DCT-3412. I will be getting a Sharp 52" LCD 1080p delivered shortly. When I get TV, i've been told I want to connect an HDMI cable from the DVR box to the HDTV to take advantage of the TV's 1080p. However, I assume i'll need to make some changes to the settings on the box to do this. I called Comcast, and they were of no use. Also, these cable boxes only do 720p and 1080i, so what should I change setting to? What's the use of having 1080p if i can't watch 1080p on HD through the cable box? Kinda new to this, so any help would be great.

Hi, this may be a pretty simple question (and probably located somewhere throughout this thread, if so, please point me to page) but I have a comcast (in NH) DCT-3412. I will be getting a Sharp 52" LCD 1080p delivered shortly. When I get TV, i've been told I want to connect an HDMI cable from the DVR box to the HDTV to take advantage of the TV's 1080p. However, I assume i'll need to make some changes to the settings on the box to do this. I called Comcast, and they were of no use. Also, these cable boxes only do 720p and 1080i, so what should I change setting to? What's the use of having 1080p if i can't watch 1080p on HD through the cable box? Kinda new to this, so any help would be great.

1080i is the best you can get out of the cable box. But your 1080p tv should do an excellent job of deinterlacing this and displaying it as 1080p.

I have the dch3416 hd-dvr box and i want to move movies to my computer, or external harddrive. I herd that i need some software or drivers. anywon have any idea or can help me. i have windows XP.
Thanks

I am a brand new Comcast customer and just got a DCT-3416 installed.

I know all new deployments must be boxes with separate security to comply with the FCC.

Was Comcast able to give me this box - I do not see a cable card plugged in.

I have the dch3416 hd-dvr box and i want to move movies to my computer, or external harddrive. I herd that i need some software or drivers. anywon have any idea or can help me. i have windows XP.
Thanks

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

(heard; anyone)

I am a brand new Comcast customer and just got a DCT-3416 installed.

I know all new deployments must be boxes with separate security to comply with the FCC.

Was Comcast able to give me this box - I do not see a cable card plugged in.


I think they might be allowed to redeploy boxes that were initially issued to customers prior to the deadline.

Was Comcast able to give me this box - I do not see a cable card plugged in.
...
I think they might be allowed to redeploy boxes that were initially issued to customers prior to the deadline.

DCH 3416 is a cable card box, not DCT.

Sorry, I thought the slot on my box's rear (below the component outputs) was a cable card slot.

I have the drivers all set and have successfully used CAPDVHS to record ... question is - is there a way to MOVE the files off of the DVR ... does not look like it - looks like you can only record the content back to your hd by using CAPDVHS - can anyone confirm?

I have the drivers all set and have successfully used CAPDVHS to record ... question is - is there a way to MOVE the files off of the DVR ... does not look like it - looks like you can only record the content back to your hd by using CAPDVHS - can anyone confirm?

You cannot access the DVR files directly.

I have the drivers all set and have successfully used CAPDVHS to record ... question is - is there a way to MOVE the files off of the DVR ... does not look like it - looks like you can only record the content back to your hd by using CAPDVHS - can anyone confirm?


That is correct.

Had another incident of the 100 percent full problem on only one of my 3416's this time.

If I don't find a workaround for this soon, it is going to get old quickly.
I'm going to try power-cycling it to see if that fixes it.

It will not work. Just keep some old programs you can delete and keep calling Comcast about the problem. It really gets old. The main reason I switched to Dish TV.

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

(heard; anyone)


Thanks! one last question and it may be stupid. what cable do i use to connect the dch3416 to my computer. i would think the usb but i cannot find a male to male usb cable anywhere??

Thanks! one last question and it may be stupid. what cable do i use to connect the dch3416 to my computer. i would think the usb but i cannot find a male to male usb cable anywhere??

Yes. Firewire => IEEE-1394.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FireWire
Probably 6-pin to 6-pin.

I recently switched from a hd box to a dch3416 dvr box. I can only get the lower channels through 24. I cannot get the onscreen guide, digital channels, or hdchannels. Comcast sent a hard hit also and nothing changed. If you try to get a channel above 24, the screen momentarily freezes, then goes black. Another person in the retail office was returning a box for the same reason. They scheduled a tech visit for Monday. Has anyone else had this problem. These are brand new boxes that were given out.

I recently switched from a hd box to a dch3416 dvr box. I can only get the lower channels through 24. I cannot get the onscreen guide, digital channels, or hdchannels. Comcast sent a hard hit also and nothing changed. If you try to get a channel above 24, the screen momentarily freezes, then goes black. Another person in the retail office was returning a box for the same reason. They scheduled a tech visit for Monday. Has anyone else had this problem. These are brand new boxes that were given out.

Good chance they had an older version of firmware on them & unlike the dct series these boxes don't shutdown & let you know they're going through a download. You can still watch tv (normally you can), if the box was staged for the wrong headend you may just get some lower channels til downloads finish & box resets and they have no onscreen info/display. There were a lot of these boxes released in the Boston area this past week, not sure where you are & symptoms were similar. For some reason they were released with an pretty old version & this just brings it up to the version that's been out for a few months around here.

Huh?

The STB are not pre loaded with any software or firmware, the software / firmware has to be downloaded when the stb is installed, The process is called stb authorization. aka a full reset.

For self installs, the csr just tells you to call a 1-800-number and that will send out the signal to your stb, most techs and people who know how to do it, just do it themselves when they install the stb. But either way, this MUST be done when getting any addressable stb installed, that way the most current and up to date software and firmware is downloaded and installed..

Huh?

The STB are not pre loaded with any software or firmware, the software / firmware has to be downloaded when the stb is installed, The process is called stb authorization. aka a full reset.


First let me say that I respect your posts more then most on here & it sounds as though you've been in the business or in the know of the business for some time, however that being said, what the heck are you talking about on this one?! Every box is preloaded with firmware/software, it's done in the warehouse staging area, but every stb that goes through a techs hands or out of a payment center is preloaded, albeit maybe not with the latest version as it should, but there is a version none the less. The authorization sent by CSR's or dispatchers mainly just tells the box which headend it's in & what services should be on it. If this was not the case EVERY stb put in a house would be doing a ~20 minute download when it's installed (which fortunately is not the case). The stb doesn't even have to be on an account to get the latest firmware/software out there, right after it's plugged in (and starts reading data on the OOB freq) if it has say v18.21 & the current version is v18.34 (which is the version # before & after download on these new boxes), it takes it automatically & only then will it take the authorization for headend & service level.

We just relocated and I picked up a new Comcast DCT3416. The ones I had before I had to manually set to make the program guide use the full width of my 16:9 TV. I've scoured the Internet for quite some time trying to find that setting again. Any help you can point me to?

We just relocated and I picked up a new Comcast DCT3416. The ones I had before I had to manually set to make the program guide use the full width of my 16:9 TV. I've scoured the Internet for quite some time trying to find that setting again. Any help you can point me to?

This is the only setting I know of (for SD override):
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup#4:3_OVERRIDE

I thought they weren't allowed to issue a new DCT3416 now. Are you sure it isn't a DCH3416?

I have the DCH3416.

I'm noticing lip sync issues. I recorded The Office and Journeyman and I see it on both.

Anyone else having this problem?

I'm running it through HDMI to my Panasonic 50" 75U.

Is there anything I can do to fix the problem?

I've had lip-synching problems sporadically, with my 6412 P3. One night, The War on PBS was out of synch, and the next night it wasn't. No idea why...

Lip-sync issues can come from many areas. If you only see it on particular channels or shows, then odds are it's a problem at the source. The Audio and Video go through so many conversions and processing these days that they commonly get out of whack.

I thought they weren't allowed to issue a new DCT3416 now. Are you sure it isn't a DCH3416?

As long as the converter was previously on an account prior to 07/01/07 it can still be used, so we will continue to see dct's of all models until they're dead. You will never (or least should never) see a brand new dct, they'll all be refurbished. Some refurbs look brand new but they're not. As for 'troutseeker', I'd say he got a new dch or 'new to him' dct.

One night, The War on PBS was out of synch, and the next night it wasn't. No idea why...

There was a problem with the national PBS feed for the first episode of The War. Everyone who watched this episode had a lip sync issue.

I've been having an odd problem with my 3412 and 3416 boxes (one of each). I subscribe to Comcast in DC. Whenever I set the boxes to record the HD version of the CW network (channel 214), either for a one-time recording or a series recording, the saved recording settings will, after a period of several hours, automatically change to recording the program on the SD version of the CW network (channel 23). This problem has been going on for at least six months and does not happen with any other HD channel. Comcast so far has been unable to troubleshoot. Any ideas? Thanks.

Has anyone ever figured out how to copy Motorola DCT3412 HD DVR programs onto a PC running Windows XP? My hard drive on the Motorola is full and I hate to think I have to delete the programs I have been saving for years. Thanks.

Question:

Does Moto or Comcast continue to develop the DVR software at this point, or is it strictly bug fixes at this point? And how often do updates occur? Looking at the wiki, it doesn't seem very often.

Just curious...thanks

Both the firmware (maintained by Motorola, I believe) and the software (maintained by iGuide, a joint-venture) have been updated regularly since we got our first Motorola DVR. The question is whether there are any feature enhancements warranted by the requirements of the cable systems that deploy the DVRs.

I've been having an odd problem with my 3412 and 3416 boxes (one of each). I subscribe to Comcast in DC. Whenever I set the boxes to record the HD version of the CW network (channel 214), either for a one-time recording or a series recording, the saved recording settings will, after a period of several hours, automatically change to recording the program on the SD version of the CW network (channel 23). This problem has been going on for at least six months and does not happen with any other HD channel. Comcast so far has been unable to troubleshoot. Any ideas? Thanks.

I'm going to take a guess and say that the channel has the same name for both regular and HD versions of the channel? IF that is the case they need to rename the HD channel to something like CWHD so the cable box can tell the difference between the two.

Has anyone ever figured out how to copy Motorola DCT3412 HD DVR programs onto a PC running Windows XP? My hard drive on the Motorola is full and I hate to think I have to delete the programs I have been saving for years. Thanks.

The best thing you can do is play the programs back and output them to the PC via firewire:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Firewire

The DVR is not intended for archiving. You should realize that a malfunction could result in the loss of saved programs at any time. Also, filling up the drive isn't a good idea. Here is a list of known bugs:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs

I hit the trifecta of bad luck with the DCT-3416 on Sunday:

1. The 100 percent bug showed up again, so I unplugged the box for about 5 minutes and plugged it back in to see if it would clear it up.

2. When the box came back up, the hard disk was wiped clean - 0 percent. It was 65 percent when I unplugged it.

3. All the programmed series were wiped as well.

4. Later, the box rebooted itself - there was no change in Software and Firmware levels.

I'm about to take this one in and swap it for a DCH-3416 to see if I can get a more reliable box. I need something more reliable because I'm going on a weeklong trip around the beginning of sweeps.

I got tired of them 3416s from Charter Cable doing the 100% full thing. I think the iGuide is the culprit. This is the biggest reason I quit them and joined Dish. Their VIP722s are performing outstanding. The only work around I did with the 3416s was to keep about five 30 minute recordings that you don't want and set them to delete if hard drive becomes full. Keep all other recordings set to "you say when to delete". That will help some. When I was out of town I used my slingbox to keep an eye on them (2 each). It is really sad situation. But I don't have to deal with it anymore.

charlesrshell - Since you and I are the only ones to ever report having the 100 percent problem, I hesitate to blame it on the iGuide. Yes, the problem manifested itself on two 3416s at the same time, but there should be a long string of complaints if there was a bad code level being distributed. Since the DCT-3416s are all used at this point, I suspect this is may be a sign of the hard drives going bad or being corrupted for some reason. I had a brief interruption of power not too long ago - that may have corrupted the free space chains in the hard drives. It's possible that the unit zeroed itself out as an error correction mechanism.

Unfortunately, going to Dish is not an option for me. Comcast Tivo may be a solution if that ever comes out.

charlesrshell - Since you and I are the only ones to ever report having the 100 percent problem, I hesitate to blame it on the iGuide.
That's not true at all. I have experienced it, and discussed it here, as have many others.

It has been documented in the wikibook (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#The_DVR_menu_erroneously_states_the_DVR_hard_drive_is_1 00.25_full) for some time.

That's not true at all. I have experienced it, and discussed it here, as have many others.

It has been documented in the wikibook (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#The_DVR_menu_erroneously_states_the_DVR_hard_drive_is_1 00.25_full) for some time.

Ok, I'm new to the 3416, and searched the thread for 100 percent and only found my postings.

Ok, I'm new to the 3416, and searched the thread for 100 percent and only found my postings.
Not a problem, but I recommend you read the wikibook cover to cover. Useful stuff.

Hi all,

I just hooked up a DCH3416 and for some reason I'm not getting any picture on channels above 194. Channels below that come in fine. Channel guide works fine on all channels, even ones with no picture.

Comcast wants to send out a service guy this weekend...anyone have any ideas that might get this resolved without a service guy coming out? The TV is a 6 month or so old 37" Vizio LCD that's been working great with the QAM tuner to this point (just got the box to pick up TBSHD for baseball). I'm using the Comcast supplied component cables...the TV has an HDMI input as well that I was considering picking up a cable for and using.

Thanks.

Tom

The front panel on my 3416 today has been flashing the number 80 every second or so. Any idea what this is about? Everything seems normal otherwise.

Hi all,

I just hooked up a DCH3416 and for some reason I'm not getting any picture on channels above 194. Channels below that come in fine. Channel guide works fine on all channels, even ones with no picture.

Comcast wants to send out a service guy this weekend...anyone have any ideas that might get this resolved without a service guy coming out? The TV is a 6 month or so old 37" Vizio LCD that's been working great with the QAM tuner to this point.

Do all channels below 194 come in or just some of them, I'm not familiar with your channel plan out there so it's a little harder to tell exactly what's going on. On the channels you're missing do you get the 'one moment please' message or 'not authorized' message on the screen? Do you have any other digital cable boxes in the house & do they work correctly? If you're getting the 'not authorized' message the box probably just needs a 'hit' from the office. Do all the channels have either perfect picture or no picture, or do some have tiling/artifacting pictures (the later would usually point to signal issues).

Do all channels below 194 come in or just some of them, I'm not familiar with your channel plan out there so it's a little harder to tell exactly what's going on. On the channels you're missing do you get the 'one moment please' message or 'not authorized' message on the screen? Do you have any other digital cable boxes in the house & do they work correctly? If you're getting the 'not authorized' message the box probably just needs a 'hit' from the office. Do all the channels have either perfect picture or no picture, or do some have tiling/artifacting pictures (the later would usually point to signal issues).

Most of the channels below 194 come in fine. A couple exceptions being HBO on 186, ESPNHD on 173, TBS standard def on 34...there may be a couple others but those I know for sure. On the channels that do not come in I get messaging stating "one moment please".

I have another HD DVR, an older 6412 I believe, that works perfectly downstairs on another set. I moved the 6412 to the set that the new 3416 was on and it worked perfectly there. I also hooked up the 3416 to the set the old 6412 was working on and it didn't work there either.

Other than that, the channels that come in come in perfectly. Some of those channels are HD and other not... but they come in fine. They've sent multiple hits to the box and still nothing.

I'm thinking I'll return the box and try another, maybe tomorrow...unless there are any other ideas.

Thanks.

Most of the channels below 194 come in fine. A couple exceptions being HBO on 186, ESPNHD on 173, TBS standard def on 34...there may be a couple others but those I know for sure. On the channels that do not come in I get messaging stating "one moment please".

I have another HD DVR, an older 6412 I believe, that works perfectly downstairs on another set. I moved the 6412 to the set that the new 3416 was on and it worked perfectly there. I also hooked up the 3416 to the set the old 6412 was working on and it didn't work there either.


For the most part from what you've said I'd say it's something to do with the box not getting the correct info from your acct. These new boxes have 2 different #'s on them & if they have the wrong one in the system they won't work correctly, the old dct's just had one # to worry about. If the box was staged/setup for a different area it should work right after a 'hit' but until that time would usually show the symptoms you're having. You can try calling CSR again & verify both #'s on the dch & get correct hit or just swap it out again yourself.

When I got home from work today I tried it again and lo and behold I now get all my channels. It took somewhere between 4 and 24 hours to get itself working right...but alls well that ends well.

Thanks for the thoughts...

Tom

That's not true at all. I have experienced it, and discussed it here, as have many others.

It has been documented in the wikibook (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#The_DVR_menu_erroneously_states_the_DVR_hard_drive_is_1 00.25_full) for some time.

I also have the 100% bug on my DCH6416. Also had it on the half dozen or so DCTxxxx boxes that I went through while trying to fix various bugs but I will say that the DCH6416 works alot better than any of the DCT boxes I had.

I also have the 100% bug on my DCH6416. Also had it on the half dozen or so DCTxxxx boxes that I went through while trying to fix various bugs but I will say that the DCH6416 works alot better than any of the DCT boxes I had.


The DCH is the phase 4 version of the DCT Series, so it had better work a litle better. :)

Though perhaps very little.

not sure if this is with all comcast or if it's just local but about a year ago, i used to be able to see 6 channels at a time when i hit the guide button and now i only get 4 because they added some crap at the bottom of the screen. advertisements for on-demand junk that you can click on. so because of that nonsense, i can only get 4 channels at a time on my 3416 boxes and 5 channels at a time on my 3412

i figured out what causes the "YOUR RECORDING SPACE IS FULL" bug

let's say you have a recording set for channel X

if one of the tuners is also on channel X when the recording starts AND is also in the buffer. this is what causes it

i just tested it to be sure. i had channel 5 set to record at 3pm and i left channel 5 on but left it backed up in the buffer a few minutes and the "YOUR RECORDING SPACE IS FULL" message popped up when the scheduled recording attempted to begin

i did the same test a half hour ago, same channel. i had it set to record channel 5 at 2:30 but this time i left channel 5 on "live" instead of in the buffer and it has to be a clean channel change live if that makes any sense meaning you have to switch to channel 5 from any other channel and just leave it. once you hit pause and then hit the live button, you are still in the buffer even if it's just a 1/2 of a second, you are not really live as if you switched from another channel and just let it be

Just tested that theory, and it didn't work. Left my 3416 on channel 33, set the timer for 3:30 (it was 2:25), and hit pause for a minute or so. At 3:30 (while watching from the buffer) the scheduled recording started just fine, and there was no "buffer full" message at all.

Just tested that theory, and it didn't work. Left my 3416 on channel 33, set the timer for 3:30 (it was 2:25), and hit pause for a minute or so. At 3:30 (while watching from the buffer) the scheduled recording started just fine, and there was no "buffer full" message at all.

that's odd. maybe it's my firmware

it has become so common on my boxes that i never ever leave the same channel on that is set to record

it's a long shot but i'm going to test the other tuner

i have some weird things happen on this box on one tuner but not the other for some reason

i have another possibility also, i always set my recordings to start 1 minute early. i'm going to try that same tuner again with buffer but without the 1 minute early option (i doubt that will make any difference but it's worth trying)

so i have 2 more tests to do

Just tested that theory, and it didn't work. Left my 3416 on channel 33, set the timer for 3:30 (it was 2:25), and hit pause for a minute or so. At 3:30 (while watching from the buffer) the scheduled recording started just fine, and there was no "buffer full" message at all.

But have you had the 'recording space is full' bug? Perhaps there is a second factor that is also necessary for the bug to happen.

I had it happen once several months ago. Haven't seen it since. I was just pointing out that it didn't happen to everyone based on those steps.

I would like to know how to do this as well.

We just relocated and I picked up a new Comcast DCT3416. The ones I had before I had to manually set to make the program guide use the full width of my 16:9 TV. I've scoured the Internet for quite some time trying to find that setting again. Any help you can point me to?

I had it happen once several months ago. Haven't seen it since. I was just pointing out that it didn't happen to everyone based on those steps.

That's important info. Given that it has happened to you in the past, but the procedure OTK specifies didn't replicate it for you, means that even if his procedure is part of the situation that causes the problem, there is more to it. It would be interesting to know what your firmware was when it happened to you, if it was the same as OTK's is now, and if yours has since changed.

I haven't had this problem myself, so I haven't followed if it seems to only happen with a specific firmware, or not.

not sure if this is with all comcast or if it's just local but about a year ago, i used to be able to see 6 channels at a time when i hit the guide button and now i only get 4 because they added some crap at the bottom of the screen. advertisements for on-demand junk that you can click on. so because of that nonsense, i can only get 4 channels at a time on my 3416 boxes and 5 channels at a time on my 3412

You're not alone! Our system has also been infected with the same stupidity. Many local folks called and complained when it showed up for the first time a year or so ago, and it was swiftly removed (not sure if it was coincidence). However, it came back with vengeance.

/sarcasm alert: After all, how dare costumers provide input on these issue. Comcast will always decide what's good for you !!! End sarcasm/

I even suggested they include a menu option to turn the thing off, if some users prefer to see more of the guide. Wishful thinking on my part, I admit.:(

I've had these ads at the bottom of the menu screen for several months, but just yesterday they disappeared! Back to being able to get 6 listings on the screen. Maybe CC listened to all our complaints!

I think the kind of suggestions that would gain the most traction with folks at Comcast are those that are revenue neutral, such as suggesting a $1 per month surcharge for advertising free menus. I personally wouldn't pay extra though, over just having to page down a little more often. YMMV.

I think the kind of suggestions that would gain the most traction with folks at Comcast are those that are revenue neutral, such as suggesting a $1 per month surcharge for advertising free menus. I personally wouldn't pay extra though, over just having to page down a little more often. YMMV.

How about using that space for true advertizing of products/services, and reducing the bill by some $ amount? Now, that would be a win/win situation. Until then, just showing what's coming up on certain channels is just a lame waste of space on the guide menu.

i figured out what causes the "YOUR RECORDING SPACE IS FULL" bug

let's say you have a recording set for channel X

if one of the tuners is also on channel X when the recording starts AND is also in the buffer. this is what causes it


I've had the 100% full bug bite me with my 6412 three times so far, and twice last week. I don't remember much about what happened the first time. Both times last week were trying to record Heroes in HD on NBC (Monday, and later the Saturday repeat). The first time (Monday) I had been watching a few minutes of buffered NBC-HD just before it came on, left the DVR on and tuned to NBC-HD, and left the room. I came back 30 minutes later and there was no warning message on the screen, but I noticed the record light wasn't on, and when I went to my DVR list, it said 100% full. So that seems to match OTK's theory. I'll have to check when I get home to see if I have it set to start early or not (but I'd bet I do).

I was recording something else from 7:30-8:00 on another channel, which would have recorded on the "background" tuner, since I had the DVR left on and tuned to NBC-HD. Then, at 8:00 Heroes would have started recording on the "front" tuner (which presumably was still in "buffered" mode).

The Saturday occurrance, however, doesn't seem to match. I'm a little fuzzier on the specifics, but I was trying to record Heroes (again, to see the first half that was missed on Monday). I don't believe anything else was set to record that night, and the DVR was turned off, but I may have had it on NBC-HD on the front tuner, or possibly the background tuner (but don't remember specifically). I came home and turned the unit on and got the 100% full message.

I'll post my firmware etc after I get home tonight.

Quick question - got a DCH3416 from Comcast and it is dual tuners DVR, can it record two separate channel at the same time?

Are you sure that Comcast isn't getting some type of compensation (cash or otherwise) from networks for which they provide advertising in the program guide?

Quick question - got a DCH3416 from Comcast and it is dual tuners DVR, can it record two separate channel at the same time?

Yes it can, and you can watch a third pre-recorded program as well.

not sure if this is with all comcast or if it's just local but about a year ago, i used to be able to see 6 channels at a time when i hit the guide button and now i only get 4 because they added some crap at the bottom of the screen. advertisements for on-demand junk that you can click on. so because of that nonsense, i can only get 4 channels at a time on my 3416 boxes and 5 channels at a time on my 3412
There is a setting in the setup where you can configure the main and mini-guides for 1-line or 2-line. The 1-line are only marginally smaller, and you only gain 1 channel, but lose too much title.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Using_i-Guide/User_Setup#Guide_Setup

I've had these ads at the bottom of the menu screen for several months, but just yesterday they disappeared! Back to being able to get 6 listings on the screen. Maybe CC listened to all our complaints!
They'll probably come back in a day or so. I've seen that happen occasionally, especially right after the hour changes. It also disappeared for nearly a day when there was some power outage affecting alot of network connectivity near NY a few months ago. I'm assuming the local head end was unable to get the ad information from the corporate servers?

Yes it can, and you can watch a third pre-recorded program as well.
I've never been able to get this to work - every time I have two programs set for the same time, neither of them records - anything I can do about this?

Also, my recording seem to disappear after a few weeks. I've never gotten the 100% full message - the status shows I'm only using 37% or so. Is there some setting I need to change to say keep programs and not delete them after a specified time? I looked around and didn't see anything - other than the option to keep programs until space is needed. Since I am not using up all my space, I don't know why my programs are getting deleted. Any thoughts?

I've never been able to get this to work - every time I have two programs set for the same time, neither of them records - anything I can do about this?

Also, my recording seem to disappear after a few weeks.
...


You should return the DVR for a new one, since it should record two programs simultaneously with no problems, and also shouldn't discard them for no reason.

This is at least the second time this has happened...my box completely froze sometime overnight. So, I pulled the plug to reset it. Not only were all my recordings gone, but so were my series (and manual) recordings!!! My 3412 and 6412 boxes never lost data like this, only my 3416 which I've had since the spring of this year. This is incredibly annoying and unacceptable. I wonder if the new Tivo software will be succeptable to data loss like this? Anyone else have this issue lately? I know I have read about it before.

...
I wonder if the new Tivo software will be succeptable to data loss like this?
...


Not if it never shows up.

I had the same problem with Charter Cable's 3416s too, plus the 100% full issue. Even swapped a couple of them out. Finally the only fix I discovered was to swap to satellite, Dish TV. Their DVRs are outstanding.

The TiVo software has already arrived. Some recent articles related to the delay in wider deployment make this very clear. The option is only being offered to customers who are Comcast employees so far, presumably as Comcast ramps-up their ability to provide customer support for the service. More substantial deployment is probably imminent, perhaps just as soon as they get to the point where they are able to provide adequate customer support for the customers that already have the TiVo software.

...
The option is only being offered to customers who are Comcast employees so far.
...


I would call that an internal beta test.

Hi, I have the DCT-3416 and at least several times a day it automatically changes its channel to "444", which is a Latino music channel, or "111". Even when we are watching TV, it just automatically switches to one of those two channels. It drives us crazy!

Through the process of elimination, I have removed my Harmony 890 remote and its RF-To-IR extender, so the only remaining factor is the cable box itself. Does it receive RF signals? Or just IR? What could be causing this?

Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks,
'kito

If I had to guess it's probably from some light source. Lots of light includes IR and can sometimes confuse electronics devices. Since you've got a remote with an RF to Ir extender try setting it back up and blocking things off so nothing else could get to the IR receiver in the cable box.

I would call that an internal beta test.The internal beta test was with TiVo employees, I believe. In this scenario, Comcast is the customer, and so what they're doing is customer acceptance testing.

This is at least the second time this has happened...my box completely froze sometime overnight. So, I pulled the plug to reset it. Not only were all my recordings gone, but so were my series (and manual) recordings!!! My 3412 and 6412 boxes never lost data like this, only my 3416 which I've had since the spring of this year. This is incredibly annoying and unacceptable. I wonder if the new Tivo software will be succeptable to data loss like this? Anyone else have this issue lately? I know I have read about it before.


My 6412 did exactly the same thing, which is why I swopped it out for a 3412.
Looks like there's no hope either way. We are all doomed at some stage.

My 6412 did exactly the same thing, which is why I swopped it out for a 3412.
Looks like there's no hope either way. We are all doomed at some stage.

These boxes are buggy pieces of garbage. Motorola should be ashamed. It's too bad that there are not a whole slew of viable alternatives available for purchase which accept CableCard, with the exception of TiVo HD and a few others. Wasn't the FCC mandate supposed to lead to new consumer boxes? Maybe in the next few months we'll see some more.

As I understand it any alternative would lack an on screen guide unless it was provided via internet or other means.

These boxes are intimately tied to servers at the head end and form a very closed system.

The FCC hasn't got a clue as to how to make this market competitive.

jtm

I think the only way to make this market more competitive would be for the majority of customers to be willing to pay a lot more than they're willing to now. That will attract some of the really great (and expensive) equipment, currently selling abroad, into the US market.

Hello all,

New to this HDTV stuff. I am using the DCH3416 with my Sammy LNT4061F. HDMI connection. If I want to use the RF input on my TV as well, do I just take "RF Out" of the STB to TV cable in? What doe the "RF BYpass ON/OFF" mean in the On-screen bos setup guide? do I set it on or off?

Thanks

Hello all,

New to this HDTV stuff. I am using the DCH3416 with my Sammy LNT4061F. HDMI connection. If I want to use the RF input on my TV as well, do I just take "RF Out" of the STB to TV cable in? What doe the "RF BYpass ON/OFF" mean in the On-screen bos setup guide? do I set it on or off?

Thanks

What do you want to use the RF input on the tv for? If you go from the DVR to the tv via coax & use that input you will never see HD. If you are saying you want to use the RF input to use the tv's built in tuner you will want to split the coax before the DVR, one leg to the DVR & the other to the RF input on the tv. The 'RF bypass' in the box basically does nothing, you generally want to leave it off.

Having several new problems with the 3416 -

...FF1 and REW1 don't seem to be working, or they work for a couple seconds, then freeze. Doesn't seem to be any problem at other speeds.

...After doing a title search and finding the program, hit enter, and it goes back to live TV instead of to the program listing.

...Some scheduled recordings are showing up twice. For instance, have a recording scheduled for 10-11PM Tues, also shows up 10-11PM Weds even though there's no showing of that program at that time on Weds.

Hello all,

New to this HDTV stuff. I am using the DCH3416 with my Sammy LNT4061F. HDMI connection. If I want to use the RF input on my TV as well, do I just take "RF Out" of the STB to TV cable in? What doe the "RF BYpass ON/OFF" mean in the On-screen bos setup guide? do I set it on or off?

Thanks

Assuming you mean you want to use your TV's tuner to see HD local channels when your DCH3416 is busy recording other things, then no, that isn't the way to do it. The way to do it is to place a splitter between the cable feed from the wall and your 3416. Feed one leg of the splitter into the 3416 and the other leg into the TV's RF input.

Just swapped up to a DCH3416 a few days ago, and noticed that I have no recording indicator lights at all. After reading other threads here, I'm seeing that this is a pretty common problem. How can we get Comcast to address this?

UPDATE on recording lights!!!

A response on this issue in my local Comcast thread:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"[A Comcast Vice President] is aware of this issue and the techs are looking into the problem. It seems this is a problem on some boxes and not on others."

I was playing around with the settings on my 3416. Now I can't get sound on some of the DVR movies and programs that I had recorded. The sound worked on these recorded programs when I played them back earlier. Did I mess up a setting that needs to be changed?

Looks like the 3416 is getting pretty touchy about playing around with searches while it's recording - it tends to spontaneously reboot. This is a problem I used to have with the Dish Network DVRs, so I'd avoid doing anything other than watching programs while it was recording. Hasn't been a problem with the 3416 until now...

3416
Today I had 2 back to back power surges come through my house.
Since that happen my recorded DVR shows on my box are gone.
All my settings are still there and the box is working fine.
I pulled the power cord to reset it and see if that fixed the issue but it did not.
I had the DVR about 60% full and now it shows 0%
I highly doubt the power surge would wipe the drive. Seems maybe the box is not recognizing the fact that the drive does have files on it.
I have many computers and have never seen or heard of that happening to a hard drive.
Not that it is not possible of course just unlikely.

Would setting the unit back to factory defaults maybe help?
Has anyone had this kind of issue and get it fixed?

I was playing around with the settings on my 3416. Now I can't get sound on some of the DVR movies and programs that I had recorded. The sound worked on these recorded programs when I played them back earlier. Did I mess up a setting that needs to be changed?
What kind of audio connection are you using? My first instinct would be to mute/unmute the box to see if it will reinitialize the audio stream.

You have the have the remote's mute button mapped to the STB. See http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_A_Dedicated_STB_Mute.2FUnmute

3416
Today I had 2 back to back power surges come through my house.
Since that happen my recorded DVR shows on my box are gone.
All my settings are still there and the box is working fine.
I pulled the power cord to reset it and see if that fixed the issue but it did not.
I had the DVR about 60% full and now it shows 0%
I highly doubt the power surge would wipe the drive. Seems maybe the box is not recognizing the fact that the drive does have files on it.
I have many computers and have never seen or heard of that happening to a hard drive.
Not that it is not possible of course just unlikely.

Would setting the unit back to factory defaults maybe help?
Has anyone had this kind of issue and get it fixed?
When the STB detects corruption in the recorded files, it has been known to reformat the user space on reboot, wiping all recordings.

It's not that a power surge wiped the drive, it's that the power surge likely interrupted a buffered recording, causing corruption in the file, and resulting in a reformat on reboot.

It's not a HDD issue, it's an issue with the STB's file system, so it's not really related to what might happen with a HDD in a computer.

Unfortunately, your recordings are gone forever... barring some miracle. Once a recording is gone, I've never heard of one reappearing after any amount of troubleshooting, under any circumstances.

When the STB detects corruption in the recorded files, it has been known to reformat the user space on reboot, wiping all recordings.
TY very much for the info.
It's a sad day for my kids and all thier recorded shows :(

TY very much for the info.
It's a sad day for my kids and all thier recorded shows :(

Not that many people really feel they should have to do this, but if you buy a cheap UPS system & even just put the DVR on it it will save you from this particular headache of this DVR. I have a pretty decent sized UPS that I have all my A/V equipment on with the exception of my tv. Just a little extra insurance for all equipment, not just the DVR.

Hey everybody. I'm a Charter subscriber in St. Louis, MO and I just got my first DCT-3416 box last week. Right now I'm using component cables to hook it up to my display and an optical cable for the audio. Up until today I had really been liking the new box a lot more than my old Moxi. That may be changing.

For some reason, I can't watch all of the shows I've recorded. I just recorded a show for my wife tonite on ABC HD. Anyway, she starts watching it and about 3 minutes into the show, the play back just stops. Eventually the screen goes black. The FF, Rewind, Skip Fwd or Skip back buttons don't work. I have to hit the Exit button to finally get the TV back to live. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Do I have a bad box? This has happened on 2 different shows I've recorded. Thanks in advance.

I have a 3416 Moto STB which shows a 1080i output. It is connected directly to the Mitsu 46 LCD flat panel TV via HDMI. The Mitsu also shows 1080i when the "input" button on the TV remote is pushed. Should I be getting 1080p? Suggestions on how to get it?

Hey everybody. I'm a Charter subscriber in St. Louis, MO and I just got my first DCT-3416 box last week. Right now I'm using component cables to hook it up to my display and an optical cable for the audio. Up until today I had really been liking the new box a lot more than my old Moxi. That may be changing.

For some reason, I can't watch all of the shows I've recorded. I just recorded a show for my wife tonite on ABC HD. Anyway, she starts watching it and about 3 minutes into the show, the play back just stops. Eventually the screen goes black. The FF, Rewind, Skip Fwd or Skip back buttons don't work. I have to hit the Exit button to finally get the TV back to live. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Do I have a bad box? This has happened on 2 different shows I've recorded. Thanks in advance.

Sounds like what happened to me after a bad upgrade earlier this year. You could try the various reset methods found here (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR).

I have a 3416 Moto STB which shows a 1080i output. It is connected directly to the Mitsu 46 LCD flat panel TV via HDMI. The Mitsu also shows 1080i when the "input" button on the TV remote is pushed. Should I be getting 1080p? Suggestions on how to get it?

On the 3416, you can choose to view HD content in 720p or 1080i; 1080p is not an option. You can see the various settings here (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR).

TY very much for the info.
It's a sad day for my kids and all thier recorded shows :(
Basically, NEVER rely on volatile forms of storage for long-term storage. In other words, if you want to keep a TV show for awhile, put it on a DVD or tape.

It's just like your computer. You should BACK UP anything you want to keep to another media. For really important data, use a DVD or CD-R. Even external drives can fail. The more data there is on a single piece of media, the greater the chance of losing large amounts of data.

i figured out what causes the "YOUR RECORDING SPACE IS FULL" bug

let's say you have a recording set for channel X

if one of the tuners is also on channel X when the recording starts AND is also in the buffer. this is what causes it

i just tested it to be sure. i had channel 5 set to record at 3pm and i left channel 5 on but left it backed up in the buffer a few minutes and the "YOUR RECORDING SPACE IS FULL" message popped up when the scheduled recording attempted to begin

i did the same test a half hour ago, same channel. i had it set to record channel 5 at 2:30 but this time i left channel 5 on "live" instead of in the buffer and it has to be a clean channel change live if that makes any sense meaning you have to switch to channel 5 from any other channel and just leave it. once you hit pause and then hit the live button, you are still in the buffer even if it's just a 1/2 of a second, you are not really live as if you switched from another channel and just let it be

I've had this bug intermittently as well; just happened to me tonight and the tuner WAS on the channel it was scheduled to record (and the unit was on). I'll try this out again when everything is full. Deleting some old shows has helped in the past though, so record buffer & record storage space has to be nearly full.

UPDATE on recording lights!!!

A response on this issue in my local Comcast thread:
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"[A Comcast Vice President] is aware of this issue and the techs are looking into the problem. It seems this is a problem on some boxes and not on others."

My boxes recording indicator did work for awhile then one day no more. I thought it was a firmware update but no luck.

Basically, NEVER rely on volatile forms of storage for long-term storage. In other words, if you want to keep a TV show for awhile, put it on a DVD or tape. It's just like your computer. You should BACK UP anything you want to keep to another media.

True, but possibly not very practical - could end up spending hours every day recording stuff to DVD. I have programs on the DVR that are months old, mostly because there are other people who want to watch them. In my experience, it's best to change the save setting to "until I delete" on every important recording - when weird stuff happens, those "saved" recordings tend to have a better chance of survival...

I have one 3416 that's lost everything twice, and one that's never lost anything ever.

I used to have a 6412 that never lost anything in several years of service and power outages and resets.

So it seems like not all boxes are equal. I'm going to swap out the suspect one and see if another one is more resistant to power resets. This behavior is really unacceptable in a DVR.

True, but possibly not very practical - could end up spending hours every day recording stuff to DVD. I have programs on the DVR that are months old, mostly because there are other people who want to watch them. In my experience, it's best to change the save setting to "until I delete" on every important recording - when weird stuff happens, those "saved" recordings tend to have a better chance of survival...

With all the bad 3416's that we've gone through, we never lost recordings - thankfully! Except when our boxes are swapped out! :( But I put the important shows onto DVD now, just in case. Or onto the hard drive of the DVDR.

I'm glad that more things are showing up on On Demand, but for some shows, I can't figure out when they'll show up there. One show I watch on BBC America on Saturday nights, can show up anytime from Tuesday a.m to as late as Thursday!

With all the bad 3416's that we've gone through, we never lost recordings - thankfully! Except when our boxes are swapped out!

When swapping boxes, I've always kept the original to record the stuff onto DVD. If you get the ok for this before swapping (because the original was defective in some way), they often won't charge for having 2 DVRs temporarily.

When swapping boxes, I've always kept the original to record the stuff onto DVD. If you get the ok for this before swapping (because the original was defective in some way), they often won't charge for having 2 DVRs temporarily.

I've had some VERY defective boxes but was told I'd have to pay for every day I had both boxes. Now that I think about it, it wouldn't have been much money to keep the original for a week or so, but in most cases the shows weren't watchable anyway.

For some reason, I can't watch all of the shows I've recorded. I just recorded a show for my wife tonite on ABC HD. Anyway, she starts watching it and about 3 minutes into the show, the play back just stops. Eventually the screen goes black. The FF, Rewind, Skip Fwd or Skip back buttons don't work. I have to hit the Exit button to finally get the TV back to live. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Do I have a bad box? This has happened on 2 different shows I've recorded.

YES!!! This is EXACTLY what's been happening to me with my 3412 !! I've had it about a year and a half, only been doing this in the last month. It is SOOO aggravating and today I called Comcast and asked for service. It happens on MOST of my recorded shows, but not all of them. Some shows play thru just fine, others stop many times. I can't count how many times I've re-started a playback from the beginning, FF past the freeze point to watch the show -- only to have it do it AGAIN ! ARRRRGGHHHHH.

The first time I called about this problem they did whatever it is they do sending something to the box -- didn't help at all. I've powered it off, unplugged it and re-started it. At first this appeared to help, but it does absolutely nothing at this point. I've got a number of things recorded I'd like to watch and I'm going to be really ticked if I have to lose it all :mad:

The Comcast service guy will be here on Monday afternoon.... we'll see.
I just can't believe that I can't transfer my recordings to my PC via the Ethernet port -- my brothers have no problems doing exactly that with their ReplayTV STB's.

Well, I found out what was causing this issues on my 3416. The hard drive in the unit was bad. If you got close to the box, I could hear the drive making some weird noises. Basically, it would get errors when writing things to the disc. I got a new one yesterday and so far so good. If you are having this issue, you need a new box.

YES!!! This is EXACTLY what's been happening to me with my 3412 !! I've had it about a year and a half, only been doing this in the last month. It is SOOO aggravating and today I called Comcast and asked for service. It happens on MOST of my recorded shows, but not all of them. Some shows play thru just fine, others stop many times. I can't count how many times I've re-started a playback from the beginning, FF past the freeze point to watch the show -- only to have it do it AGAIN ! ARRRRGGHHHHH.

The first time I called about this problem they did whatever it is they do sending something to the box -- didn't help at all. I've powered it off, unplugged it and re-started it. At first this appeared to help, but it does absolutely nothing at this point. I've got a number of things recorded I'd like to watch and I'm going to be really ticked if I have to lose it all :mad:

The Comcast service guy will be here on Monday afternoon.... we'll see.
I just can't believe that I can't transfer my recordings to my PC via the Ethernet port -- my brothers have no problems doing exactly that with their ReplayTV STB's.

Well, I found out what was causing this issues on my 3416. The hard drive in the unit was bad. If you got close to the box, I could hear the drive making some weird noises. Basically, it would get errors when writing things to the disc. I got a new one yesterday and so far so good. If you are having this issue, you need a new box.

I've had a parade of bad boxes pass through my house! Of maybe a half dozen serious problems in the last 3 years, only once was it NOT a bad box! :(

I got a 3416 about 3 months ago, and it is luckily working fine for me with one major exception...It doesn't seem to have dual tuners. If I go to the program guide and select something to record, then select something else to record at the same time, it just says that it can't record because there is another show already set to record. Now, maybe I'm just used to the Tivo that my old place used to have, but I find it hard to believe that I need to swap to the other tuner and set the other recording there (though I have not yet gone to the other tuner). Is this box that unintelligent that you have to manage the recordings individually on each tuner and not from a centralized perspective?

Thanks

I got a 3416 about 3 months ago, and it is luckily working fine for me with one major exception...It doesn't seem to have dual tuners. If I go to the program guide and select something to record, then select something else to record at the same time, it just says that it can't record because there is another show already set to record. Now, maybe I'm just used to the Tivo that my old place used to have, but I find it hard to believe that I need to swap to the other tuner and set the other recording there (though I have not yet gone to the other tuner). Is this box that unintelligent that you have to manage the recordings individually on each tuner and not from a centralized perspective?

Thanks

Nope, you should be able to select two programs to record without manually switching tuners. Did it say which other program is set to record? Some of these network programs use those funky one or two minutes before or after start/end times to try to keep DVRs from recording other network shows.

Nope, you should be able to select two programs to record without manually switching tuners. Did it say which other program is set to record? Some of these network programs use those funky one or two minutes before or after start/end times to try to keep DVRs from recording other network shows.

If I record show "A" at 10pm for 1 hour, then try to record show "B" at 10pm for 1 hour, it will say that it can't record "B" because it is already recording "A"

If I record show "A" at 10pm for 1 hour, then try to record show "B" at 10pm for 1 hour, it will say that it can't record "B" because it is already recording "A"

If you look at your upcoming recordings list and nothing else is also set to record at 10PM, then call Comcast. It's broken.

I got a 3416 about 3 months ago, and it is luckily working fine for me with one major exception...It doesn't seem to have dual tuners.

One of the 3416 DCTs that was brought to us & set up by Comcast had NO tuners!!! It was labeled a dual tuner dvr! After having had a few boxes that it turns out were pulled from other houses b/c they weren't working, we requested a new one, still in original wrapping. Well, it was still wrapped in plastic, and looked all shiny & new but had only one tuner and NO hard drive! :eek:

Gotta blame Motorola for that one!

P.S. The next brand new one we got has worked almost flawlessly for a year now! :)

One of the 3416 DCTs that was brought to us & set up by Comcast had NO tuners!!! It was labeled a dual tuner dvr! After having had a few boxes that it turns out were pulled from other houses b/c they weren't working, we requested a new one, still in original wrapping. Well, it was still wrapped in plastic, and looked all shiny & new but had only one tuner and NO hard drive! :eek:

Gotta blame Motorola for that one!


Comcast has the ability to take a returned DVR and wrap it in plastic. I doubt that Motorola had anything to do with it.

Comcast has the ability to take a returned DVR and wrap it in plastic. I doubt that Motorola had anything to do with it.
But it looked so shiny & new, and the cord wasn't all stretched out! I felt bad for the guy who brought it! HE felt bad! He had been out to our house numerous times & promised to bring us a good one that day!

Anyone able to hook up an external SATA hard drive to their units? In particular, the Western Digital My DVR Expander?

Anyone able to hook up an external SATA hard drive to their units? In particular, the Western Digital My DVR Expander?

None of the cable companies, to my knowledge, has activated the port.

There is no reason to turn the box off. When you power down all you do is to go to standby. The hard drive is buffering. All standby does is to turn off the audio and video to the TV.
Are you sure that the hard drive is buffering in standby? It seems like such a waste of electricity and unnecessary wear and tear on the HDD...

Anyone able to hook up an external SATA hard drive to their units? In particular, the Western Digital My DVR Expander?Motorola has released a firmware with eSATA support, but no cable companies are using it yet. There are rumors that Comcast and/or Verizon will support that feature next year.

The Scientific Atlanta SA8x00HD and TivoHD / Series3 are currently the only DVRs that can use the Western Digital My DVR Expander (or any other eSATA drive) to add capacity to the internal hard drive.

Are you sure that the hard drive is buffering in standby? It seems like such a waste of electricity and unnecessary wear and tear on the HDD...

This has changed, the newer 16.xx firmware does have an option for the MSO to set the Buffering to off on STB standby. But the earlier versions of Firmware did not turn the HDD off when the STB was set to Standby mode.

This has changed, the newer 16.xx firmware does have an option for the MSO to set the Buffering to off on STB standby. But the earlier versions of Firmware did not turn the HDD off when the STB was set to Standby mode.

How do you set this option?

How do you set this option?


You Dont! The Headend your STB is on will have access to that setting.

Hello All - I have a 3416 and find the fastest FF (5 arrows) is too slow if I am trying to get , say, to the last 30 minutes of a 2 hour recording. Is there any way to jump by 15 or 30 minute increments as TIVO does ?? Thanks

Has anyone measured their box with a kill-a-watt meter? I'm curious how much electricity this DVR consumes. Thanks.

Hello All - I have a 3416 and find the fastest FF (5 arrows) is too slow if I am trying to get , say, to the last 30 minutes of a 2 hour recording. Is there any way to jump by 15 or 30 minute increments as TIVO does ?? Thanks

Nope

Hello All - I have a 3416 and find the fastest FF (5 arrows) is too slow if I am trying to get , say, to the last 30 minutes of a 2 hour recording. Is there any way to jump by 15 or 30 minute increments as TIVO does ?? Thanks

Nope. That was one big advantage of the Microsoft guide, its FF speed was much faster. Tivo's best FF speed also sucks...

Nope. That was one big advantage of the Microsoft guide, its FF speed was much faster. Tivo's best FF speed also sucks... ... except that the Tivo can jump in 15 minute increments.

YMMV

Thanks for the reponses - was hoping for better news on the 3416 FF rate. I can beat the fastest FF by quickly punching the 30 second advance but I'm not going to wear out my thumbs doing it 120X to move up one hour! Anyway, that many signals would probably confuse the dvr into freezing and then executing a bunch of commands at once.

I've had a parade of bad boxes pass through my house! Of maybe a half dozen serious problems in the last 3 years, only once was it NOT a bad box! :(

Hmmm question...just got an hdtv i have the 3412...with the exception of agew glitches it has been running well...(i've had the 3412 for awhile to get sound just added the tv this week) Should I change it pout for a 3416 to get more record time?(btw how much more hd record time do you get?) Is there any other advantage? 'm just worried it's not as reliable...with my 3412 going through the hdmi and it works great so far..thanks for replies

Hmmm question...just got an hdtv i have the 3412...with the exception of agew glitches it has been running well...(i've had the 3412 for awhile to get sound just added the tv this week) Should I change it pout for a 3416 to get more record time?(btw how much more hd record time do you get?) Is there any other advantage? 'm just worried it's not as reliable...with my 3412 going through the hdmi and it works great so far..thanks for replies

You'd get maybe 4 additional hours of HD. I don't think it's any more or less reliable, although the DCH series seems to have a couple of bugs that the DCTs don't.