I know I've seen this in here before, but I have my CBS analog channel 3 and my HD CBS channel 803. Up until about a week ago, the channel guide had the caller letter listed as 3 WSHM and 803 WSHMD. Now it's changed so they both have the call sign of WSHM and because of it, all my scheduled HD recordings on 803 are being done on analog 3. I remember reading somewhere on here that if the channel names are the same, regardless of the number, then the box will record the show on the first channel numerically it finds, which in my case is always 3. I don't know why this changed, but does anyone have a suggestion on how to fix it? Manual recordings do the same thing.

petelang (or others):

What are you considering to be your "current" firmware (old or new?)

The older problematic rev (no rec lights, etc.) was 18.34
You're saying you have rev 18.43, which would be an unusual
rev sequence for an update.

Could you please confirm?

Yes we have 18.43 here now.

http://www.petelanglois.net/galleries

I know I've seen this in here before, but I have my CBS analog channel 3 and my HD CBS channel 803. Up until about a week ago, the channel guide had the caller letter listed as 3 WSHM and 803 WSHMD. Now it's changed so they both have the call sign of WSHM and because of it, all my scheduled HD recordings on 803 are being done on analog 3. I remember reading somewhere on here that if the channel names are the same, regardless of the number, then the box will record the show on the first channel numerically it finds, which in my case is always 3. I don't know why this changed, but does anyone have a suggestion on how to fix it? Manual recordings do the same thing.

I read about this a number of months ago.
The only solution is a call to your local cable office.
They probably already know.
Like anything it will take weeks.

Until they rename the HD again, you are SOL

sorry

Does anyone know if the 3416 has a brightness or contrast control? I think I may have accidentally increased it.

I've had my TV and this 3416 for a year now. Normally I press the Up Arrow on the remote to pause a recording.

However tonight I accidentially hit the Pause button (||) on the 3416 remote and noticed that the picture got brighter!

So I pressed it again and it got still brighter. I pressed it a few more times hoping it would return to a lower setting, but it did not. After those few more button presses it stopped getting brighter.

I am wondering what setting this is changing!! Any one have any ideas? This really has me stumped.

I thought that perhaps my TV (Sony SXRD HD) was responding to the remote code also. But when I brought up the TVs settings, its brightness and contrast controls are right where I already had them.

So now I am stuck with the picture far brighter than I want it, and I suspect it is my cable box jacking it up. Is there any such adjustment on the 3416? What do you think I changed?? Thanks!

Are you certain it's the DVR? I don't believe there is any picture enhancement available. Maybe it was actually in TV mode and it sent commands to your TV?

I use the regular transport keys all the time, and have never seen that happen.

Are you certain it's the DVR? I don't believe there is any picture enhancement available. Maybe it was actually in TV mode and it sent commands to your TV?

I use the regular transport keys all the time, and have never seen that happen.

Yes I was thinking that perhaps the TV was responding to the remote. However when I checked all the settings it was exactly where I had them before. Strange.

Does anyone know if the 3416 has a brightness or contrast control? I think I may have accidentally increased it.

I've had my TV and this 3416 for a year now. Normally I press the Up Arrow on the remote to pause a recording.

However tonight I accidentially hit the Pause button (||) on the 3416 remote and noticed that the picture got brighter!

So I pressed it again and it got still brighter. I pressed it a few more times hoping it would return to a lower setting, but it did not. After those few more button presses it stopped getting brighter.

I am wondering what setting this is changing!! Any one have any ideas? This really has me stumped.

I thought that perhaps my TV (Sony SXRD HD) was responding to the remote code also. But when I brought up the TVs settings, its brightness and contrast controls are right where I already had them.

So now I am stuck with the picture far brighter than I want it, and I suspect it is my cable box jacking it up. Is there any such adjustment on the 3416? What do you think I changed?? Thanks!

I always press the pause button || and have never had it affect the picture.

My 3416 now has firmware 18.43. Since the change, the only way I can find to stop a recording is to power off the box. Changing the channel of the recording tuner no longer gets you to a stop recording dialogue. Of course I can delete a recording, but that's not what I want. Is there another way?

My 3416 now has firmware 18.43. Since the change, the only way I can find to stop a recording is to power off the box. Changing the channel of the recording tuner no longer gets you to a stop recording dialogue. Of course I can delete a recording, but that's not what I want. Is there another way?

Try pressing the Stop or Exit button.

Or, go to the guide, select the program that's recording, press Record, then select Don't Record (or whatever it's called) in the menu.

Try pressing the Stop or Exit button.

Or, go to the guide, select the program that's recording, press Record, then select Don't Record (or whatever it's called) in the menu.

Great! Exit works - never thought of it.

I searched this thread but didn't find any post related to my issue.

I have 3416. I noticed recently that on one tuner I have more that one hour in the buffer, if I tuned to this channel for a long time. The other tuner has buffer for only 20 minutes no matter how long it was tuned in.

Is this suppose to be like that? Or should both tuners have buffer for at least an hour?

I searched this thread but didn't find any post related to my issue.

I have 3416. I noticed recently that on one tuner I have more that one hour in the buffer, if I tuned to this channel for a long time. The other tuner has buffer for only 20 minutes no matter how long it was tuned in.

Is this suppose to be like that? Or should both tuners have buffer for at least an hour?

It would definitely depend on what channels you were tuned into on each tuner. An HD channel would only buffer for 10-15 minutes or so before it fills. An SD channel would buffer a lot longer, because there is less data per minute. Could that be the issue for you?

It would definitely depend on what channels you were tuned into on each tuner. An HD channel would only buffer for 10-15 minutes or so before it fills. An SD channel would buffer a lot longer, because there is less data per minute. Could that be the issue for you?

Thanks crossbeaux, now it makes sense.

The other tuner with 20 minutes buffer was tuned in to Versus HD for the hockey game.

There was an article on the web yesterday (i'll see if i can find it again) that mentioned that folks were getting upset with the amount of compression on cable (amongst others). Comcast was mentioned.

I had thought that Comcast was direct pass through for HD but apparently they are doing recompression now.

I'm considering getting an external antenna to receive OTA stations.

Has anyone here done any A/B comparisons?

tnx
jtm

There was an article on the web yesterday (i'll see if i can find it again) that mentioned that folks were getting upset with the amount of compression on cable (amongst others). Comcast was mentioned.

I had thought that Comcast was direct pass through for HD but apparently they are doing recompression now.

I'm considering getting an external antenna to receive OTA stations.

Has anyone here done any A/B comparisons?

tnx
jtm

I may be getting a little out of my area of expertise (if I actually have one), but I believe "must carry" provisions require cable companies to provide local channels without degrading the quality. Other cable channels are a different story, and they can compress all they like.

There was an article on the web yesterday (i'll see if i can find it again) that mentioned that folks were getting upset with the amount of compression on cable (amongst others). Comcast was mentioned.

I had thought that Comcast was direct pass through for HD but apparently they are doing recompression now.

I'm considering getting an external antenna to receive OTA stations.

Has anyone here done any A/B comparisons?

tnx
jtm

Here is a thread about Comcast HD Quality Reduction: Details, Screenshots:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1008271

I may be getting a little out of my area of expertise (if I actually have one), but I believe "must carry" provisions require cable companies to provide local channels without degrading the quality. Other cable channels are a different story, and they can compress all they like.

I'm not so sure this is true of the OTA stations as carried via digital cable...at least I know that they don't LOOK as good as the OTA stations as picked up from San Francisco by my antenna. The difference is clearest for CBS, which typically broadcasts in 1080i.

I've been able to make this comparison since my housemate subscribed to Comcast digital cable with the 3416, and I get OTA via my Sony 250 and my older LG 3410a, both of which provide exceptional HD quality, better than we get from the Comcast unit. The difference of course could be the units themselves, since they process the signal in one way or another...

(This is true even though MY units connect to my Sony CRT HDTV via component cables and the Comcast unit uses its HDMI output...)

i didn't want to read all 168 pages. i need to know if this is a thread for me. charter cable is phasing out the moxi is this motorola 34.. the replacement?

i didn't want to read all 168 pages. i need to know if this is a thread for me. charter cable is phasing out the moxi is this motorola 34.. the replacement?

I'd suggest this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=899801) one. Same type of discussion, but not Comcast-centric. Was actually started by a Charter employee for folks just like you.

Yesterday my DCH3416 stopped displaying about 1/3 of the SD channels. The channels that aren't working display a message "One moment please. This channel should be available shortly." Rebooting the box didn't work, and Comcast customer service wants to schedule a service call.

Elsewhere I've read that this problem might be that the box is no pointing to an analog-digital lineup or headend and since it only has a digital tuner, it can't display the analog channels on the headend/line-up. Has anyone else had this problem and had any success in getting it fixed?

For what it's worth I'm on Firmware 18.34 which killed the red recording light display when the unit is recording.

Thanks for any advice.

Since the 34xx series has no analog capability at all it shouldn't show any SD signals rather than just some. That it shows some SD signals points to a headend problem or signal quality change somewhere along the line.

good luck

jim

I just had Comcast installed yesterday with this box. Coming over from DirecTV, which was giving me issues with picture and signal issues.

First impressions are good, overall the HD quality is a little less than what I'm used to but it's still very good. The menus and chaneel changing are much much much faster than DTV.

The only thing I think that will be a problem is the amount of storage, and I know I'm not the first one to bring this up!

And, I think I know the answer to this, but is the eSata port enabled? Any other workarounds (other than buying Tivo) that some of you use to maximize stoarge and not miss your programs? (such as creative schedling, etc. )

...is the eSata port enabled? Any other workarounds (other than buying Tivo) that some of you use to maximize stoarge and not miss your programs? (such as creative schedling, etc. )

No, but the firewire is.

As far as making efficient use of the space on that DVR, you could always record SD versions of shows, but that's no fun :)

I ended up leasing a 2nd (then ditching that for TiVo HD) for more space. Also think about using VOD where possible instead of recording.

160GB is woefully inadequate for recording HD. If Comcast can’t qualify a 250 or 500GB box, then they need to enable external hard drive connectivity, home to a highly competitive market waiting to give you a nice 1TB box.

Mickey

160GB is woefully inadequate for recording HD."Woefully"?  How much do you keep saved?

The Motorola DCH3416 rented from Comcast has ports to connect an external drive, but I don't know whether use of them is enabled in the firmware.

160GB is woefully inadequate for recording HD. If Comcast can’t qualify a 250 or 500GB box, then they need to enable external hard drive connectivity, home to a highly competitive market waiting to give you a nice 1TB box. What makes you think it is any easier to qualify external hard drive connectivity than boxes with larger storage? Even TiVo, clearly aimed at the higher end of the market, restricted the eSATA for the TiVo HD to just one device, after realizing it was a BIG mistake to support broader support for the TiVo S3.

i don't think the issue for comcast has ever been qualifying an external drive. it has been the ability to provide iron clad encryption or copy protection of the external content.

jtm

"Woefully"?* How much do you keep saved?

The Motorola DCH3416 rented from Comcast has ports to connect an external drive, but I don't know whether use of them is enabled in the firmware.

I could easily keep that much saved. I like having a nice stash of HD movies and programs to choose from for my planned downtime. 1 hour of HD reports on the unit as taking up 5% of the space. That's 20 hours total of HD. Maybe a dozen movies at best.

And that's just me. Take into account what the GF wants to save, or people who have kids then the space is inadequate for HD. I realize the box is a couple years old now, but maybe it's time for a new model.

i don't think the issue for comcast has ever been qualifying an external drive. it has been the ability to provide iron clad encryption or copy protection of the external content.That is perhaps a consideration as well, but don't underestimate the cost of supporting something that complex and unreliable, with Joe Six Pack as your customer.

i don't think the issue for comcast has ever been qualifying an external drive. it has been the ability to provide iron clad encryption or copy protection of the external content.

jtm
Yes. I believe that is the larger issue for Comcast. But the external vendors can solve that. Stay tuned.

Mickey

I recently switched to a 1080p HDTV and the DCH3416 DVR and have two related questions:

1. How good should the picture quality be?

2. What happens to the HDTV picture if the signal is poor?

For background, I had a 720p set and was using an earlier Mororola box from Comcast in Walnut Creek,CA and a component connection. Overall, the picture quality was quite good. Then, I switched HDTVs to a 1080p set and the picture quality was excellent (720p or 1080i). In my briliance, I next decided to swap my cable box for a DVR that used HDMI (present on the new HDTV), figuring that the it would provide an even better signal (and it would be nice to have the DVR). The first 3416 box I had gave a beautiful picture, but the HDTV portion (both HDMI and component) died in 3 days. Oddly, when I swapped the 3416 for another one, the quality of the picture was quite poor - more like DVD than HDTV. For example, colors where reasonable but all images were a bit fuzzy and no longer as crisp and sharp as before. Since then, I tried 2 other 3416 DVRs to the same effect - reasonable color but poor picture detail (even worse on non-HD channels). I find it hard to believe that my signal quality might have changed, but it also seems hard to believe that only 1 box out of 4 would have a decent picture.

Is this a problem with the DVRs or a problem with the signal?

My current 3416 is running the 18.34 firmware and 74.53-3321 software.

Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated.

sfc

SFC -- make sure you have the DVR output set to 1080i or 720p. Here are the setup instructions=> http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

I have the output set at 1080i - I also tried 720p but no better. With the older setup (older Moto box, 720p HDTV), the picture was better than what I'm seeing now. Picture with the new setup and my first 3416 box was better than before, and worse than I'm seeing now with the other boxes.

Today (NBA playoffs), there is lots of pixel flashing on many scenes and people close-ups look blured.

Bottom line - shouldn't the HD output be razor sharp (as it was before)?

...
Bottom line - shouldn't the HD output be razor sharp (as it was before)?

It would seem so. There has been some degradation in quality attributed to packing 3 HD channels into a single QAM channel. Since they aren't doing that for local broadcast channels, check some of those to see if you get the same results. If you do, it's likely something else, such as connections. It could be the DVRs, but you'd have to be pretty unlucky to keep getting bad ones. (I don't know of any packing of ESPN that way, either, so that may not apply.)

ESPN is better than some, but local ABC is quite fuzzy (much better with the old cable box and the first 3416). In my experience, the Discovery Channel and the local PBS station are typically outstanding - right now they are better than others but not as sharp as before the most recent boxes (hair and facial features were truely amazing).

Attached is a shot just taken from PBS - not terrible, but not great either.

If there's a connection/data rate issue, would it soften the picture? Clearly, in the "old" days you could tell picture quality by snow and noise. With the digital pictures, I'm just not sure what to look for.

I may try one more box and, if unsuccessful, get a technician out here.

SFC -- I can't judge anything by that photo. It looks OK, especially with nothing to compare with. It might be improved by adjusting some picture controls (contrast, brightness).

HD quality, especially for Live broadcasts, can have issues. Also, many broadcast channels use multi-casting. The local main PBS here (WTTW) used to be 1080i, but they dropped to 720p and also have 4 SD subchannels. On my 6412 (120G DVR), WTTW takes about 5%/hour, versus 8-9% for most other HD.

There could also be issues with the box's conversion from one HD format to another. ABC/ESPN/Disney/Fox/NGC are 720p. Most of the others are 1080i. So far, the Motorola can only output HD in one format. You can set it to pass SD as 480i, so your TV can do it's own conversion and let you handle any ZOOM's you may want to use (I only use regular ZOOM for letterboxed material.)

This is a great thread. I just wish I had time to read all 168 pages!

I have to say, it's going to take us a little while to get used to this Motorola STB. When we lived in PA and had Comcast we had a Scientific Atlanta Explorer HD DVR box and we loved it. Well, it was our first DVR, so what's not to love. When we moved here and got the Motorola we were somewhat taken aback by the confirmations and tuner options you have to pick when you're recording and changing channels. And when fast-forwarding on the Explorer when you hit Play again it would back up a few seconds. With a little practice one could get the beginning of the program exactly every time.

Anyways, I'm not writing to slam the Motorola box. I've had a strange issue and wondered if anyone else has seen it too. On two occasions so far, when recording a program from a series setting, the recording never stopped. I'd get up the next morning and wonder what the heck was recording so early. It turned out to be the same program that was recording the previous night. The recorded program would be hours long, and still recording! There was no way of stopping the recording. The only way to stop it was to delete it. After doing that this morning again for the same program, I finally deleted the series setting.

Has anyone else seen anything like this? Does it sound like a problem with the box or is it just a glitch that occasionally happens? It's odd that it happened twice on the same program. Maybe the series setup was hinky. Maybe I'll try setting it up again and see what happens.

Yup that happens. To avoid it, don't ever schedule a manual recording of a series for which you have a series recording.

I'm not sure that you meant you set up a manual record of a previously set up series record. As for series records the work great for me except the Tonight show where in my area they run a best of show every night at 3AM, and it does not have the rerun stamp or what ever they use to designate from new. So I go thru the future records and mark them not to record, but occasionally they record anyway! Sounds like you have a defective box.

What I meant is that the problem the previous poster reported happens because you set a manual recording for a series for which you also have a series recording. To avoid the problem, "don't do that". The box isn't defective. That's the way the software works. Perhaps the software is "defective" but another box will have the exact same software on it.

I think it's most likely that a manual recording was set up on a show that had a series recording already set up on it. My son is real good about setting up series recordings for us and not telling us. My wife goes through the guide and marks stuff to record every day. Neither tells to the other and so a crash is bound to occur sometime. Looks like it already did. ; )

I think it's most likely that a manual recording was set up on a show that had a series recording already set up on it.Precisely. As I said, "don't do that." :)

I'm not sure that you meant you set up a manual record of a previously set up series record. As for series records the work great for me except the Tonight show where in my area they run a best of show every night at 3AM, and it does not have the rerun stamp or what ever they use to designate from new. So I go thru the future records and mark them not to record, but occasionally they record anyway!
I have the same issue with The Tonight Show. Instead of messing with un-recording programs, I just set up a repeating manual recording instead. The only drawback is it up simply as a dated recording in the list, and it will always record, even if it's a repeat.

I think it's most likely that a manual recording was set up on a show that had a series recording already set up on it. My son is real good about setting up series recordings for us and not telling us. My wife goes through the guide and marks stuff to record every day. Neither tells to the other and so a crash is bound to occur sometime. Looks like it already did. ; )

I've never had the problem and I have set one-time recordings on programs that were set to a series recording. However, my one-time recordings are always for reruns that the series recording wasn't going to record anyway. i.e. Smallville for me is lower priority than 30 Rock and something else that usually conflicts. But when the other shows are reruns or not broadcast that day, I manually record Smallville if it's a rerun, because I've probably not seen it. Doing that hasn't caused a problem.

I think it's most likely that a manual recording was set up on a show that had a series recording already set up on it. My son is real good about setting up series recordings for us and not telling us. My wife goes through the guide and marks stuff to record every day. Neither tells to the other and so a crash is bound to occur sometime. Looks like it already did. ; )

Like everyone you'll have to change for these DVR's weaknesses.

A reasonable DVR should be able to figure this out. Maybe next generation.

...Maybe next generation.

I thought this was fixed with a25. Can anyone with a25 verify?

I thought this was fixed with a25. Can anyone with a25 verify?

Conflicts between series recordings and single recordings don't always happen.

But when they do, the DVR can think it's recording the same show and time twice. This error can cause all kinds of strange results.

I've been looking forward to a25 for almost half a year now. But the rollout has been very slow and may be at a standstill. There has been talk of conflicts with certain systems, etc.

For my own selfish reasons, I want a25 first for increased reliability of the DVR. Less delays and errors. That followed by SDV which will be in the a25 upgrade. Remember that a25 is software, SDV is probably in the firmware upgrade, but they will be teamed together.

As far as features, a25 has very little to offer. The BIG upgrade will be the next one. The "Myguide" software, possibly called a26. This version will be a BIG difference in the entire interface. Think Tivo or better. Original release estimates were end of year, but a25 is already 1-4 months behind, so......

I live in the Twin Cities where Comcast had been pretty up to date. We got the lastest surge of HD channels early, Docsis 3.0 first, 50/5 internet (nutty $150 however), and I've been told the Twin Cities will be a test market for SDV. So, I expect us to be one of the first to receive the a25 software/firmware to activate SDV on our boxes.

In the service menu, I noticed a setting in the HDMI settings that allows audio output to be passed thru rather than decoded in the 3416. Setting this on pass thru and allowing my Denon 3808 to decode the signal seems to have significantly better sound qaulity to me. Anyone else mess with this?

You know, I can accept some hiccups here and there with any electronic device, especialy in todays marketplace where technology is moving so rapidly. But right now as I type this my 3416 is expierincing one of it's seemingly endless software problems and is dropping out visual and audio signals AGAIN, for no apparent reason, YET AGAIN!

I'm paying good money for this DVR, and yet it persistantly provides nothing but shoddy service, menu lock-ups, audio and visual dropouts, horrible GUI interface, and overall poor service. As of now I've had enough. Tommorrow I'm getting rid of this over-priced POS and getting whatever other technology is available.

That's the problem: Even the best technology out there, in this real, could disappoint you.

I have the TiVo S3. I've had persistent problems recording HD over-the-air. With some channels -- the ones with the best HD in this area (like CBS and ABC), I have had programs with 60-70 skips per hours (a skip being a spot where apparently 1/4 second of the program wasn't recorded).

Also, the S3 has a feature that would allow me to transfer recordings to my PC (with its 1TB drive) and then back to the TiVo to view... well that hasn't been working for me for over a year!

And that's with the device that is ostensibly the best one on the market. This technology is raw. For some people, it works perfectly. For others, it doesn't. It's luck of the draw. I was very lucky with my DCT-3416. I didn't have any of the problems a lot of other people report. (I just didn't like paying $17 a month extra for it! :))

You know, I can accept some hiccups here and there with any electronic device, especialy in todays marketplace where technology is moving so rapidly. But right now as I type this my 3416 is expierincing one of it's seemingly endless software problems and is dropping out visual and audio signals AGAIN, for no apparent reason, YET AGAIN!

I'm paying good money for this DVR, and yet it persistantly provides nothing but shoddy service, menu lock-ups, audio and visual dropouts, horrible GUI interface, and overall poor service. As of now I've had enough. Tommorrow I'm getting rid of this over-priced POS and getting whatever other technology is available.

Go DTV or DN. The dish guys have DVR's that actually almost work.

I find it shocking that "apologists" (or otherwise) for cable would tell people that...

Even the best technology out there could disappoint you.

Not the best answer for your poor hardware. Sounds like the last gasp for the lazy competitor.

"you could do worse" - sad.

Don't use excuses, tell the upper guys to fix their problems.

It's amazing how much better your customer satisfaction is when you do a decent job.

You know, I can accept some hiccups here and there with any electronic device, especialy in todays marketplace where technology is moving so rapidly. But right now as I type this my 3416 is expierincing one of it's seemingly endless software problems and is dropping out visual and audio signals AGAIN, for no apparent reason, YET AGAIN!

I'm paying good money for this DVR, and yet it persistantly provides nothing but shoddy service, menu lock-ups, audio and visual dropouts, horrible GUI interface, and overall poor service. As of now I've had enough. Tommorrow I'm getting rid of this over-priced POS and getting whatever other technology is available.
My Comcast Motorola box was always resetting randomly and losing the guide, but I had the tv and 2 dvd recorders also on the same splitter. I bought the Motorola signal booster and it seemed like I never had any more resets after installing it. So not sure if a weak signal causes resets directly but it sure seemed like a contributor.

Do you have other devices split on the same cable as the dvr?

When I had to switch out the third Moto box in less than two years, I bought a TiVo HD and a 500 gig expander. I had Comcast install an M-Card in it. I haven't regretted it for a second. The only problem is that it's so easy to record stuff I have almost 15 HD movies sitting on the hard drive waiting to be watched.

Hi! Newbie here. I have the above referenced device and although I'm pretty tech literate, the user's manual reads like gibberish. How in the heck do I #1. Watch what I think I've recorded #2. Transfer what I think I've recorded to either a PC or an external hard drive via USB? Thank you for any help, links and/or sympathy. :)

When I had to switch out the third Moto box in less than two years, I bought a TiVo HD and a 500 gig expander. I had Comcast install an M-Card in it. I haven't regretted it for a second. The only problem is that it's so easy to record stuff I have almost 15 HD movies sitting on the hard drive waiting to be watched.

Please excuse my ingnorance, but do you have to also pay a separate Tivo subscription fee or extra comcast fee for the M-Card (over and above Comcast's HD subscription fee)? Does the Tivo offer both HDMI and Component outputs?

How much did your Tivo HD cost and what is its base storage without the expander? How much is the 500 GB expander?

I wonder if Comcast has made your setup available nationwide (Pacific NW?), because I'm getting tired of using my hit-or-miss 120 GB oldie DCT-3412 over the past two years (I'm not a big TV watcher, but it would be nice to have at least 300 GB of storage in my situation).

Please excuse my ingnorance, but do you have to also pay a separate Tivo subscription fee or extra comcast fee for the M-Card (over and above Comcast's HD subscription fee)? Does the Tivo offer both HDMI and Component outputs?

How much did your Tivo HD cost and what is its base storage without the expander? How much is the 500 GB expander?

I wonder if Comcast has made your setup available nationwide (Pacific NW?), because I'm getting tired of using my hit-or-miss 120 GB oldie DCT-3412 over the past two years (I'm not a big TV watcher, but it would be nice to have at least 300 GB of storage in my situation).

The M card is free (entitled by law to a free cablecard). Some areas do not have M cards, so you can get two regular ones (second costs about a dollar a month).

Tivo fees apply as well. Right now they are 12.95 a month, or you can get it cheaper if you prepay a few years, or you can get lifetime support. More info here (https://www3.tivo.com/store/home.do).

TivoHDs are 299, but can be found for as little as 260ish. 199 refurbished from Tivo. Tivo Extender (500gb) is about 200 I think. But you can also buy a premodded TivoHD with a larger internal drive here (http://www.weaknees.com/series-3-hd-tivo.php). Basic size is 250gb drive, or about 20 hours of HD programming.

And remember you have to pay Comcast the HD programming fee if you want more than what comes QAM (usually the 4 networks in HD and Mojo) or OTA.

Hi! Newbie here. I have the above referenced device and although I'm pretty tech literate, the user's manual reads like gibberish. How in the heck do I #1. Watch what I think I've recorded #2. Transfer what I think I've recorded to either a PC or an external hard drive via USB? Thank you for any help, links and/or sympathy. :)

#1: Press the "My DVR" button (Or Menu, then DVR). One of the choices will be to see a list of current recordings.

#2: Can't transfer shows via USB (or eSATA). Check here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=403695) for some firewire tips.

The M card is free (entitled by law to a free cablecard). Some areas do not have M cards, so you can get two regular ones (second costs about a dollar a month).

Tivo fees apply as well. Right now they are 12.95 a month, or you can get it cheaper if you prepay a few years, or you can get lifetime support. More info here (https://www3.tivo.com/store/home.do).

TivoHDs are 299, but can be found for as little as 260ish. 199 refurbished from Tivo. Tivo Extender (500gb) is about 200 I think. But you can also buy a premodded TivoHD with a larger internal drive here (http://www.weaknees.com/series-3-hd-tivo.php). Basic size is 250gb drive, or about 20 hours of HD programming.

And remember you have to pay Comcast the HD programming fee if you want more than what comes QAM (usually the 4 networks in HD and Mojo) or OTA.
what is this free cable card law?

Hehe... he was mistaken. There is no "free CableCARD" law. Would be nice if there was though. :)

The M card is free (entitled by law to a free cablecard). Some areas do not have M cards, so you can get two regular ones (second costs about a dollar a month).



What is the difference between two "regular ones" vs. one "M card" .... I would like to buy a Tivo to replace my DCT-3412. I already pay extra for HD programming via my rental cost for the DCT-3412 and get all the Comcast HD channels presently ..... I have subscribed to Comcast's top tier premium offer that includes all premium channels on a two-year contract basis. I simply want to replace my single Comcast HD DVR (DCT-3412) with a Tivo which I will purchase. I am located in the Comcast Portland, OR area.

Is something like this possible and will it solve the annoying occassional response lag of the Moto DVRs that Comcast hands out? Will the Tivo work with Comcast in my area? I called Comcast and they did not know what I was talking about.

I recently set up a TivoHD for my father, and everybody I talked to at Comcast knew exactly what I was talking about when I said I wanted an M card...they charged 15 bucks to install it, which took the service guy a long time because the one guy at the office who knew exactly how to do the final activation of the card was not IN that day...aside from this screwup, everything went smoothly.

If whoever you talk to doesn't know about having an M card with a Tivo, ask them to find somebody in the office who DOES know!!

I recently set up a TivoHD for my father, and everybody I talked to at Comcast knew exactly what I was talking about when I said I wanted an M card...they charged 15 bucks to install it, which took the service guy a long time because the one guy at the office who knew exactly how to do the final activation of the card was not IN that day...aside from this screwup, everything went smoothly.

If whoever you talk to doesn't know about having an M card with a Tivo, ask them to find somebody in the office who DOES know!!

Thanks for the info ..... Maybe the M Card service has not rolled out yet in my town .... possibly?

BTW, did the screen guide change with your father's TivoHD and have the annoying Moto box time lag response delays gone away?

Also, did they boost the monthly fee for the M card?

George-O,

You may want to ask some of your questions in the Portland, OR Comcast thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=339961&page=85

In the Seattle area, the M card from Comcast costs us $1.79 per month.

Thanks for the info ..... Maybe the M Card service has not rolled out yet in my town .... possibly?

BTW, did the screen guide change with your father's TivoHD and have the annoying Moto box time lag response delays gone away?

Also, did they boost the monthly fee for the M card?
George, when you ask about TivoHD and the guide changing and motorola lag times, it leads me to believe you are confusing TivoHD with Comcast Tivo.

Comcast Tivo has a different guide, but the same motorola box. The monthly fee is few bucks, but I don't believe it is available outside of new england yet.

TivoHD is a totally different dvr box that you have to purchase. It requires two single cable cards or one m-card for premium programming and a seperate monthly fee to Tivo, in addition to your current Comcast fees.

Why is it that when i go to the guide on my comcast the wording is not crisp...the W's look really blurry. Instead of the W's being straight lines they look like stairs...is this normal???

George, when you ask about TivoHD and the guide changing and motorola lag times, it leads me to believe you are confusing TivoHD with Comcast Tivo.

Comcast Tivo has a different guide, but the same motorola box. The monthly fee is few bucks, but I don't believe it is available outside of new england yet.

TivoHD is a totally different dvr box that you have to purchase. It requires two single cable cards or one m-card for premium programming and a seperate monthly fee to Tivo, in addition to your current Comcast fees.

Okay, thanks for the clarification .... I think I get it now!

Why is it that when i go to the guide on my comcast the wording is not crisp...the W's look really blurry. Instead of the W's being straight lines they look like stairs...is this normal???

Can you give us more information about your setup? What STB do you have, how's it configured, how's it connected to your set, what type of TV do you have, etc?

Why is it that when i go to the guide on my comcast the wording is not crisp...the W's look really blurry. Instead of the W's being straight lines they look like stairs...is this normal???

I have the same problem. My STB is the DCT 3416 i, which outputs 1080i via HDMI to my Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 720 projector. The projector is then displaying a 156" diag 16:9 image (the menu is over six feet tall).

In my case the "jagged text" showed up within the last 45 days. Prior to that it was fairly smooth. My firmware (v16.20) has not changed and I haven't changed any settings on the STB. I also have the same STB connected to a Sony rear projection 46" CRT HDTV via component (yes I can output to both at the same time - great for sports). The menu text appears fairly smooth at that size.

I can live with it. But it is a little dissappointing to be watching a huge and pristine HD image (well, ok - compression and macro blocking notwithstanding), only to have a clunky menu with "low-res" text show up.

I have the same problem. My STB is the DCT 3416 i, which outputs 1080i via HDMI to my Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 720 projector. The projector is then displaying a 156" diag 16:9 image (the menu is over six feet tall).

In my case the "jagged text" showed up within the last 45 days. Prior to that it was fairly smooth. My firmware (v16.20) has not changed and I haven't changed any settings on the STB. I also have the same STB connected to a Sony rear projection 46" CRT HDTV via component (yes I can output to both at the same time - great for sports). The menu text appears fairly smooth at that size.

I can live with it. But it is a little dissappointing to be watching a huge and pristine HD image (well, ok - compression and macro blocking notwithstanding), only to have a clunky menu with "low-res" text show up.

That's some big Ws! :)

I heard Denver area Comcast has had some PQ issues lately...wonder if that has anything to do with it.

I, as well as at least one other person in the Sony CT-100 thread, have an issue with our Moto DVRs resetting themselves to their default configurations when connected via HDMI into the Sony CT-100 system that has just been released recently.

Here are a couple of posts from the Sony thread:

From ch4rli3:
"my set up:

Comcast (Motorola) DCH-3200 to CT-100 (SAT Input) via HDMI.
CT-100 to Samsung LN46A550 (TV Out) via HDMI.
all cables are HDMI 1.3a from Monoprice.

My Issue:
When viewing SD or HD channel, the CT-100 display is always showing:
HDMI
PCM
PLII
2.0 ch

i don't get the DD and 5.1 channel?

if i access the menu settings of the DCH-3200, there is an HDMI Additional Settings option - from the audio options i can choose AUTO, L-PCM, PASSTHROUGH.

if i choose AUTO and L-PCM audio outputs the same as above.
if choose PASSTHROUGH, the display would say:
HDMI
DD
5.1 ch

so i get 5.1ch using the PASSTHROUGH.

However once i turn off all my equipment (just power button NOT unplug wires), the next time I turn my equipments to power on, my DCH-3200 box somehow resets the audio setting to AUTO. Thus, giving me again PLII 2.0 ch

I already swapped the DCH-3200 with the same model hoping it was a box issue but everything is still the same. DCH-3200 Manual states that it supports 5.1ch and PCM audio. but i do not see a 5.1 ch option in the box.

the strange thing is when i change my setup:
Comcast (Motorola) DCH-3200 to Samsung LN46A550 via HDMI
Comcast (Motorola) DCH-3200 to CT-100 via Optical cable OR Samsung LN46A550 to CT-100 via Optical cable

i would get 5.1ch using the PASSTHROUGH option of the HDMI Audio setting in the DCH-3200. even if i turn the power off, it will retain my setting the next time I turn it ON.

someone enlighten me pls? thanks so much!"

and:
"that's additional issue too. if set 4:3 override to 480i or 480p and CC on - and when i turn the box off, and turn it back again... everything goes back to default setting.

these are all using the hdmi connections cable box --> CT-100 --> HDTV"


and my post:
"I have the same issue with my setup: Motorola DCH 3416 DVR via HDMI into the CT-100 and then the CT-100 via HDMI into a Samsung LNT4661. If I use this hook-up, I get the same situation with the Moto DVR resetting everything to default as you state.

For the time being, I have the Moto DVR going HDMI straight into the LNT4661 with an optical cable from the Moto DVR into the CT-100 to avoid this problem."


So, any ideas on why this would be occurring, or any suggestions other than the setup using HDMI from the DVR straight to the display with optical from the DVR to the CT-100?

Thanks for any ideas.

I, as well as at least one other person in the Sony CT-100 thread, have an issue with our Moto DVRs resetting themselves to their default configurations when connected via HDMI into the Sony CT-100 system that has just been released recently...

It's a known issue with these STBs. Search the thread for "HDMI default" and you'll find many reports of the same problem with different setups. Don't know if there's a fix in the works, but I think some have had luck with powering their components on & off in a certain order.

So what the hell is happening with my 3416? Two days ago, I turned on the TV (box is on 24/7) and the guide graphics (channel, DVR, menu, etc) had all changed to weird colors. It was actually mostly transparent with black, green and blue outlines and very distorted. Picture output of live and recorded shows is fine--it's just the guide graphics. I went into the menu under setup to see if a color change had been made but it was still the same. I then selected another color and it made no difference--still looked terrible (and barely usable). So I shut the box off and back on, it rebooted and then everything was back to normal.

Or so I thought. Today I turn on the TV and it's the exact same thing again--messed up guide graphics. Has anyone seen this before? Is the box dying?

So what the hell is happening with my 3416? Two days ago, I turned on the TV (box is on 24/7) and the guide graphics (channel, DVR, menu, etc) had all changed to weird colors. It was actually mostly transparent with black, green and blue outlines and very distorted. Picture output of live and recorded shows is fine--it's just the guide graphics. I went into the menu under setup to see if a color change had been made but it was still the same. I then selected another color and it made no difference--still looked terrible (and barely usable). So I shut the box off and back on, it rebooted and then everything was back to normal.

Or so I thought. Today I turn on the TV and it's the exact same thing again--messed up guide graphics. Has anyone seen this before? Is the box dying?
Sounds odd. Did you power off the box, or unplug it? Unplug it for a bit before you throw in the towel.

Sounds odd. Did you power off the box, or unplug it? Unplug it for a bit before you throw in the towel.

I just powered it off, but I'm pretty sure it rebooted since it lost the entire channel guide and had to repopulate it, and also did the whole LED display thing when it's downloading updates. I don't want to do the plug trick until I watch everything on the DVR just in case it nukes my recordings.

If it wasn't such a poor looking graphic, it would be quite nice since the timeline indicator is now transparent and doesn't get in the way of show material when you're fast forwarding or rewinding. :)

So, I finished hooking up the rest of my A/V equipment late last week (moved a month ago, and subsequently had a baby boy--so it's taken a while) and noticed an 'issue' w/ my Comcast Motorola DCH3416 HD DVR receiver. Seems this is a known issue from my cursory searching, but wondered if anyone has a workaround. From my perusal of the forum and this thread, I haven't seen a silver bullet presented.

Looks like you can't get proper SD 16:9 output from the analog outputs of the box (ie S-video in particular), which screws up my ability to dump material to either my DVD recorders or properly view via my Slingboxes. The reciever imposes a needless letterbox/squish on 1.85 HD material, which is tres annoying. This seemed to be the case no matter what format I toggled to (1080i to 480i) and I couldn't find any sub-menu in which to fix this...anyone?

Seems I stumble across a new dysfunction each week that makes my old beloved E* hardware (622/722s) look better and better. HDMI output standard jumps when going to DVR recordings or On Demand and digital audio output stability issues I've so far been able to handle as 'quirks', but this 16:9 issue seems like a deliberate crippling of the outputs or a major inexcusable oversight.

Anyone have a ray of hope to shine on this predicament?

So, I finished hooking up the rest of my A/V equipment late last week (moved a month ago, and subsequently had a baby boy--so it's taken a while) and noticed an 'issue' w/ my Comcast Motorola DCH3416 HD DVR receiver. Seems this is a known issue from my cursory searching, but wondered if anyone has a workaround. From my perusal of the forum and this thread, I haven't seen a silver bullet presented.

Looks like you can't get proper SD 16:9 output from the analog outputs of the box (ie S-video in particular), which screws up my ability to dump material to either my DVD recorders or properly view via my Slingboxes. The reciever imposes a needless letterbox/squish on 1.85 HD material, which is tres annoying. This seemed to be the case no matter what format I toggled to (1080i to 480i) and I couldn't find any sub-menu in which to fix this...anyone?

Seems I stumble across a new dysfunction each week that makes my old beloved E* hardware (622/722s) look better and better. HDMI output standard jumps when going to DVR recordings or On Demand and digital audio output stability issues I've so far been able to handle as 'quirks', but this 16:9 issue seems like a deliberate crippling of the outputs or a major inexcusable oversight.

Anyone have a ray of hope to shine on this predicament?

What's your 4:3 OVERRIDE (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup#4:3_OVERRIDE) set to? This should control the format of the s-video output.

What's your 4:3 OVERRIDE (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup#4:3_OVERRIDE) set to? This should control the format of the s-video output.

I went to check the override setting on the DCH3416 last night and couldn't find it. How/where do I access those settings? Sorry, maybe its the sleep deprivation (newborn kept me up to 3am).

Just for clarification--I'm using the HDMI out to an HDTV and so the box is set to default output 1080i. The S-Video is going out to a DVD recorder & Slingbox (chained). I'm seeing video output simultaneous from both digital and analog outputs.

I went to check the override setting on the DCH3416 last night and couldn't find it. How/where do I access those settings?

Try following the link to the wiki he posted...:)

So what the hell is happening with my 3416? Two days ago, I turned on the TV (box is on 24/7) and the guide graphics (channel, DVR, menu, etc) had all changed to weird colors. It was actually mostly transparent with black, green and blue outlines and very distorted. Picture output of live and recorded shows is fine--it's just the guide graphics. I went into the menu under setup to see if a color change had been made but it was still the same. I then selected another color and it made no difference--still looked terrible (and barely usable). So I shut the box off and back on, it rebooted and then everything was back to normal.

Or so I thought. Today I turn on the TV and it's the exact same thing again--messed up guide graphics. Has anyone seen this before? Is the box dying?

I have 6416 and this has happened a few times over the year that I have had it. Not sure why it happens, but a quick soft reset fixes it.

I went to check the override setting on the DCH3416 last night and couldn't find it. How/where do I access those settings? Sorry, maybe its the sleep deprivation (newborn kept me up to 3am).


Turn off the DVR with your remote and press the Menu button.

I went to check the override setting on the DCH3416 last night and couldn't find it. How/where do I access those settings? Sorry, maybe its the sleep deprivation (newborn kept me up to 3am).

Just for clarification--I'm using the HDMI out to an HDTV and so the box is set to default output 1080i. The S-Video is going out to a DVD recorder & Slingbox (chained). I'm seeing video output simultaneous from both digital and analog outputs.

Click here (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup) and it'll walk you through the video settings. Congrats on the baby!

Thanks RockyMountainD!

Try following the link to the wiki he posted...:)

I see that now...funny, I thought that video settings would be at one's fingertips and didn't suspect that I'd have to do a power-off hoop jump. I saw the user settings in the wiki but it was surrounded by Fios verbiage so I assumed it was convoluted only for those users. Seems they (Motorola/Comcast) don't want users messing with such things.

Another 'dumb' question: If I want anamorphic 16:9 on the S-video analog out, which of the 4:3 overrides does the trick (i.e. 'off', 'converted' or Stretch). Gut says stretch, but I could be wrong. Does this affect the HDMI/digital configuration at all? Hope not.

I see that now...funny

Thus the smiley - I've done the exact same thing. ;)

I'll leave the other questions to the experts...

Another 'dumb' question: If I want anamorphic 16:9 on the S-video analog out, which of the 4:3 overrides does the trick (i.e. 'off', 'converted' or Stretch). Gut says stretch, but I could be wrong. Does this affect the HDMI/digital configuration at all? Hope not.

Sorry, Comcast/Moto doesn't output anamorphic on S-Vid, unless maybe if you were Time-Warner, bought out by Comcast, and they haven't changed things yet. :(

...Does this affect the HDMI/digital configuration at all? Hope not.

4:3 OVERRIDE will affect how SD signals are displayed, including those shown over the HDMI output. It won't affect HD signals.

Can anyone tell me what this means?
http://thumbnails8.imagebam.com/909/3450af9089440.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/3450af9089440/)

The search doesn't like 2 letters.

Can anyone tell me what this means?
http://thumbnails8.imagebam.com/909/3450af9089440.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/3450af9089440/)

The search doesn't like 2 letters.

downloading...

Ah, I thought it may be an I. But what is the box downloading?

Ah, I thought it may be an I. But what is the box downloading?

Good question, did you have a power failure or recently unplug the unit, a cable outage, or maybe you are lucky and getting new channels or a firmware update?

Is this a new box or has it been working (well) for awhile?

You know I think it did it about a month ago but I didn't know what was going on and unplugged it. It seems to do it about midday when I am trying to watch tv :o

I found out that it is a guide update: http://www.comcast.com/newguide/

Its about 3 months old and it works well enough I guess... I just wish I got the 160 gb drive considering I pay the $12.95 for HD DVR service + the box fees.

Ah, I thought it may be an I. But what is the box downloading?

A good part of Comcast areas in MA are currently going through guide/firmware upgrades. They started a couple months ago in NH and northern MA but stopped to fix bugs. This is the A25 guide and should be fix for the red recording light on the DCH boxes (among some other things). The DCT series of HD and DVR boxes should show the 'dl' while doing the upgrade. The DCH boxes and standard def boxes show nothing different on front display, but onscreen guide and menus will usually go away while upgrading (and come back shortly after it's done).

I'm confused about this box. Does it require a monthly subscription in order for it to display the program guide as most DVRs (TiVO) do? How much does this cost?

Also, why would anyone pay $12 a month for TiVo when they could own a DVR like this one, that is better, that will end up costing them less after many months.

Scott

I'm confused about this box. Does it require a monthly subscription in order for it to display the program guide as most DVRs (TiVO) do? How much does this cost?

Also, why would anyone pay $12 a month for TiVo when they could own a DVR like this one, that is better, that will end up costing them less after many months.

Scott

Of course it costs money-pretty much the same as a Tivo and it's nowhere near as good as a Tivo. You've obviously never done a side by side. I'm currently on a free promotion which expires in about a month on the 3416 rental. The minute they charge me anywhere near what the Tivo costs I'm going to the TivoHD. The biggest difference is that the TivoHd is capable of recoding ota and the 3416 is not. Also, the 3416 has an inferior processor and is generally a pos for most of us that have endured it. I'm on my 4th one.

A good part of Comcast areas in MA are currently going through guide/firmware upgrades. They started a couple months ago in NH and northern MA but stopped to fix bugs. This is the A25 guide and should be fix for the red recording light on the DCH boxes (among some other things).

I'm in MA on a DCT3416. Up until this AM, D-VHS MPEG2 Transport Stream Capture v0.3.0.6 has been able to capture the playback of My DVR/My Recordings (I use the DVR as the channel selector and capture the Motorola AV/C Tuner Device). I'd begin the playback and initiate the capture, no problem for recordings from uncoded channels, i.e. local news. Now, when the capture is initiated, DCT goes to pause. It will not restart unless D-VHS is shutdown. Urgh! Anyone else experiencing this? Any known workaround?

So do you have a pay a monthly fee with this box, or can you buy it. Buying it would be cheaper in the long run.

TiVO can't record ondemand right? Also is it true that with a standalone DVR box that doesnt come with the cable company, that you can't record premium channels because you need a cable card to decode the signals?

So do you have a pay a monthly fee with this box, or can you buy it. Buying it would be cheaper in the long run.

TiVO can't record ondemand right? Also is it true that with a standalone DVR box that doesnt come with the cable company, that you can't record premium channels because you need a cable card to decode the signals?
You can buy a box on ebay, but comcast will not allow you to use a purchased box (in the US). You have to rent it by the month. TivoHD can record premium channels with a cablecard.

After having my DCH3416 since I've had the service about a year never had a single problem with the HDMI connection from my DCH3416 to Pioneer Elite Amp to my HD Projector nor have I even unplugged it since.....

Now today I go to watch some TV and can't get it to work for the life of me its flashing dU1 duI dVI or something I dunno and I can't get it to work at all. I try using Component cables and it works perfectly fine but the second I use HDMI it goes insane..... flashing dU1 dVI dUI w\e it is....

Then it just flashes display when I try to get in the HDMI Settings Menu some HDCP error and doesn't display for more then 2 seconds but it can't be a HDCP error I've had this setup working forever..........

WTF

Bout to switch to UVERSE

I heard there was a recent firmware upgrade maybe this is what caused this?

Seems to be running 18.43 Firmware

<wrong forum>

After having my DCH3416 since I've had the service about a year never had a single problem with the HDMI connection from my DCH3416 to Pioneer Elite Amp to my HD Projector nor have I even unplugged it since.....

Now today I go to watch some TV and can't get it to work for the life of me its flashing dU1 duI dVI or something I dunno and I can't get it to work at all. I try using Component cables and it works perfectly fine but the second I use HDMI it goes insane..... flashing dU1 dVI dUI w\e it is....

Then it just flashes display when I try to get in the HDMI Settings Menu some HDCP error and doesn't display for more then 2 seconds but it can't be a HDCP error I've had this setup working forever..........

WTF

Bout to switch to UVERSE

I heard there was a recent firmware upgrade maybe this is what caused this?

Seems to be running 18.43 Firmware

I've heard of the HDVI board in the amp that I have go bad, maybe the Pioneer's has bit the dust.

After having my DCH3416 since I've had the service about a year never had a single problem with the HDMI connection from my DCH3416 to Pioneer Elite Amp to my HD Projector nor have I even unplugged it since.....

Now today I go to watch some TV and can't get it to work for the life of me its flashing dU1 duI dVI or something I dunno and I can't get it to work at all. I try using Component cables and it works perfectly fine but the second I use HDMI it goes insane..... flashing dU1 dVI dUI w\e it is....

Then it just flashes display when I try to get in the HDMI Settings Menu some HDCP error and doesn't display for more then 2 seconds but it can't be a HDCP error I've had this setup working forever..........

WTF

Bout to switch to UVERSE

I heard there was a recent firmware upgrade maybe this is what caused this?

Seems to be running 18.43 Firmware

I've heard of the HDMI board in the amp that I have go bad, maybe the Pioneer's has bit the dust.

Hi everyone. I have what I'm sure is a stupid question. I searched for an answer, but couldn't find it.

Time Warner just took away my Moxi and gave me a DCH3416, and I'm trying to figure out how to use it. Here's my question. Let's say I'm in a menu, and I select an item that moves to a sub-menu. Now let's say I want to go back to the previous menu. What do I press? I can't seem to find any kind of "escape", or "previous menu", or anything like that. I'm sure the answer is obvious, but I just don't see it.

Help, please? :o

Dan

Hi everyone. I have what I'm sure is a stupid question. I searched for an answer, but couldn't find it.

Time Warner just took away my Moxi and gave me a DCH3416, and I'm trying to figure out how to use it. Here's my question. Let's say I'm in a menu, and I select an item that moves to a sub-menu. Now let's say I want to go back to the previous menu. What do I press? I can't seem to find any kind of "escape", or "previous menu", or anything like that. I'm sure the answer is obvious, but I just don't see it.

Help, please? :o

Dan

"Last"

Thanks!

I've heard of the HDMI board in the amp that I have go bad, maybe the Pioneer's has bit the dust.

Then my other HDMI devices wouldn't work? ......

Then my other HDMI devices wouldn't work? ......

I have no idea. I imagine it's possible some work and some don't. Do you have some HDMI connected units working properly? If so switch your PS3 to that input that you know is working. If none are working call Pioneer tech support.

I know others have posted on the pros and cons of the 3416, and whatever I've got to say is just redundant. Still, I can't help myself.

The software for the 3416 is a piece of crap, at least compared to the Moxi. I know I get more hard disk space, which is appreciated. But the software just plain sucks.

In no particular order:

1) There appears to be only a 30 minute live TV buffer. WTF? You give me more disk space, but take away from the live buffer? That's just stupid. I use the buffer all the time. Well, I used to, anyway.

2) Bugs. I've had it less than a day, and it froze when I was going forward and backwards during a live broadcast. It forced me to change channels, thus losing the live buffer. :mad:

3) The guide shows all the channels, and you can't change that. Who the hell thought that was a good idea? (I know, "Favorites" -- I'll discuss this below.) I don't give a rat's ass what's on a channel I don't subscribe to. Being able to remove channels from the guide is such a common-sense no-brainer, it just proves how brain-dead the developers of this software are. I venture to say that if anyone on this forum was given a chance at developing a UI, even if you didn't know the first thing about how to do it, you'd still include this feature. Duh.

"Favorites" is a stupid solution. You can't get to it with one button click. Yes, you can create a macro if your remote can do macros, but it starts the listing at your first channel, not the channel you're currently viewing.

4) The structure of the menus and everything is just plain fugly. Horrible. Usable perhaps, but horrible.

5) Some of the sub-menus have a "back to previous menu" icon and some don't? Who decided some sub-menus needed this, and some didn't? Consistency, what's that? (Yes I know there's a button for this -- it's just the principle.)

OK, I'm done for now. Yes, the Moxi has its share of problems. No, it isn't perfect. In fact, I used to piss and moan about it all the time. Now that it's gone and I've got this POS, it makes the Moxi look like the best damn thing ever written (and it isn't even close).

Whew.

Dan

I have to share a stupid user story. The stupid user is me, and my posting this is penance. "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned..."

After getting this new DVR yesterday (see above), and the techs left, I moved it to it's proper place in my entertainment center. This required unplugging the power, as well as unplugging and re-plugging the component cables. When I was done, I had audio but no video.

I took a quick look at the component cables and they looked fine. So I decided there must be some setting I have to change to get it to output through the component cables, when the unit's been powered off, and the f'ing techs didn't tell me about it. :mad: I know, I know...

So I called TW help desk, and I got some guy in India. It doesn't really matter that he was in India, but it added to my already mounting frustration that I was surely getting a script monkey, which he was.

So naturally the first thing he asked was whether it was connected right. "Of course it's connected right! I'm an expert at this! After all, I belong to the AVS Forum!" (OK, I didn't say that last part.)

After determining that there wasn't any special setting for the component cables, he was going to schedule another service call. At this point I decided to take one more look at the cables. You already know what I discovered -- I plugged the component cables in wrong. D'OH!

So.... I could have just told the help guy to forget about the service call, and hung up. But I was so mad at myself for being so stupid, that I felt I deserved to be properly humiliated. So I apologized to the guy and admitted my mistake. I also admitted that he was a god and I was not -- OK maybe not that part.

So the moral of the story is, as always, to make sure of the things you take for granted. "Is it plugged in?"

Dan

@dagware
Another happy customer!! :D
The thing is regardless of how bad some may say the software is, it's much better then nothing. DVR's are one of those pieces of technology I look at and say "how did I watch TV before I had this thing?!"


As to the gripe about the buffer. I'm not sure how TW handles this but on Comcast the buffer for HD channels is about 15-20 minutes, while the buffer for SD channels is about 2 hours, this was about right the last I knew a couple months ago. I've been using the new Tivo software on these boxes in NE for a few months so it may have changed.

As far as the problem with the box freezing when rewinding, I thought this only happened on the first/slow speed of the FF or RWD, by going to the second, third or fourth speed it should clear that (should).

1) There appears to be only a 30 minute live TV buffer. WTF? You give me more disk space, but take away from the live buffer? That's just stupid. I use the buffer all the time. Well, I used to, anyway.
The buffer size varies with the video format and compression level. It can be as little as 15 minutes for full-bandwidth HD (many approach 25-30 minutes these days), to over 2 hours for some SD channels.

The buffer size varies with the video format and compression level. It can be as little as 15 minutes for full-bandwidth HD (many approach 25-30 minutes these days), to over 2 hours for some SD channels.

I agree with dagware. I know how the buffer works and it's still stupid. It should allow the buffer (when a program is paused) to grow to the size of free disk space. I've complained about that for as long as I've had one of these things. And don't even get me started about the disk size and not being able to add additional hard drives to increase storage.

...OK, I'm done for now. Yes, the Moxi has its share of problems. No, it isn't perfect. In fact, I used to piss and moan about it all the time. Now that it's gone and I've got this POS, it makes the Moxi look like the best damn thing ever written (and it isn't even close).

Whew.

Dan

Sounds a lot like my thoughts when I switched from the MOXI to the 6412 - that's why I now have a TiVo HD.

BTW, the "favorites" solution is kinda dumb, but it does work. Click "guide" then "fav" and you'll see only your customized list(s). I know, it takes you back to the lowest channel and takes two clicks, but it's better than nothing. And there's always TiVo ;)

Also, you forgot the horrible search functionality :)

And the absurdly limited HD space, and the random remote freezes, and the crappy recording conflict management, and the force feeding of ads with limited guide view...

Let's face it, 90% of the folks in this thread would be much better served getting the current Tivo HD refurb deal for $180. I got a new one from Amazon to replace my 3412 (paid $225), immediately replaced the internal HD with a 500GB drive, and am happy with the results. Cost-wise it's pretty much a break even over 3 years anyway and you get a MUCH better box.

And the absurdly limited HD space, and the random remote freezes, and the crappy recording conflict management, and the force feeding of ads with limited guide view...

Let's face it, 90% of the folks in this thread would be much better served getting the current Tivo HD refurb deal for $180. I got a new one from Amazon to replace my 3412 (paid $225), immediately replaced the internal HD with a 500GB drive, and am happy with the results. Cost-wise it's pretty much a break even over 3 years anyway and you get a MUCH better box.

Did you have Comcast? Regardless, how did the cable card install go? Do you have the occasional freeze-ups that I read about in the Tivo forum? I'm just waiting to hear more stories like yours before pulling the trigger.

Yes, I don't know how I ever watched TV without a DVR. I can't believe people still do that. Did you know some people still watch commercials? :rolleyes:

For the Favorites, I learned something. (This is from memory...) If you press Guide then Menu, then select the Favorites icon, then select Favorites 01 or whatever, it will show you the favorites grid with the current channel highlighted, instead of going to channel 2. But you can't program it in a macro, because which icon is selected on the mini-menu changes as you use it.

As for TiVo, I can't use it because TW is moving to IPTV (that's the right term, right? I'm getting old and can't remember squat any more).

Dan

Did you have Comcast? Regardless, how did the cable card install go? Do you have the occasional freeze-ups that I read about in the Tivo forum? I'm just waiting to hear more stories like yours before pulling the trigger.
Yep.
Horrible. (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6404985#post6404985)
Once.

As for TiVo, I can't use it because TW is moving to IPTV (that's the right term, right? I'm getting old and can't remember squat any more).
Tivo is in the process of releasing a software ver that will support the tuning adapter (to be provided free of charge by your cableCo) that will allow the Tivo S3 and HD to tune channels in SDV (switched digital video) systems. Should be available from TW by end of year if the (now ongoing) CableLabs certification passes muster.

Did you have Comcast? Regardless, how did the cable card install go? Do you have the occasional freeze-ups that I read about in the Tivo forum? I'm just waiting to hear more stories like yours before pulling the trigger.

My M-card install (comcast) went well. I think it's hit and miss. My box froze a couple of times right after setting up, but not since.

SDV (switched digital video)

That's the term. Don't know why I couldn't remember -- I did a lot of research on it a year or two ago. Sucks getting old. :o

Thanks!

Dan

New To Comcast: Which HD-DVR?

When Comcast did their install last week, they mistakenly brought out a HD receiver instead of the HD-DVR.

I've been told I can go to the local Comcast office and swap it for an HD-DVR.

My question: Is there a particular model of HD-DVR I should try to get? I'd like to use HDMI instead of component.

And feel free to answer by saying "Search this thread for __________." I didn't know where even to start. :)

If you're in a Motorola area ask for the 3416, which does HDMI and has the largest hard drive (a puny 160GB).

That's the problem that people have been talking about for a long time: when you put the box on standby, the HDMI settings in the service menu get reset the next time you turn it on, if the receiver and display aren't ready at that time.
I seems that the problem was in the audio handshake, because apparently setting the HDMI audio to PASSTHROUGH instead of AUTO fixed it for me.
It might still be dependent on the order the devices are powered on or off, though. Knock on wood.

OMG this 3416 sucks more and more every time I use it. Latest complaint: fast-forward sucks to the max!


The first FF speed is unusable, because it pauses and stutters so much, I'm fairly certain it's slower than actually watching at regular speed.
The second FF speed is much too fast to use for skipping over small sections of a golf telecast (like when they watch someone line up a putt for an hour).
And when you exit out of FF by hitting Play, it doesn't back up a few seconds like any decent DVR does, so you don't overshoot your target.


If I thought I stood a reasonable chance of getting a new TiVo working in my area (TWC SoCal), I'd buy one in a heartbeat. As it is, I'm going to record the rest of the golf on my old SD ReplayTV, because its FF works perfectly.

God how I miss my old Moxi. Life will never be the same. Sigh.

Dan

OMG this 3416 sucks more and more every time I use it. Latest complaint: fast-forward sucks to the max!


The first FF speed is unusable, because it pauses and stutters so much, I'm fairly certain it's slower than actually watching at regular speed.
The second FF speed is much too fast to use for skipping over small sections of a golf telecast (like when they watch someone line up a putt for an hour).
And when you exit out of FF by hitting Play, it doesn't back up a few seconds like any decent DVR does, so you don't overshoot your target.


Dan

FF> is slightly faster than normal. Watch a news channel with a crawl at the bottom, and you can tell.

FF>> is too fast, I agree, unless FF> was faster than it is now. I agree, there is no good scan speed, for picking up on things, yet moving quickly.

With FF>>> or FF>>>>, and 16.35 firmware, it does roll back. If yours doesn't, instead of hitting "Play," just hit the 15 sec. instant replay button to stop FF, and play.

And when you exit out of FF by hitting Play, it doesn't back up a few seconds like any decent DVR does, so you don't overshoot your target.Other than your beloved Moxi, which other cable company-provided DVRs do that?

Other than your beloved Moxi, which other cable company-provided DVRs do that?

The Comcast provided Tivo software for the Moto boxes (only available in NE right now though). :)

But even if was available where dagware is I wouldn't want to hear he got it. I could just imagine the list of complaints he'd have about it being it's not even a year old yet and still has a couple quirks.

FF> is slightly faster than normal. Watch a news channel with a crawl at the bottom, and you can tell.

FF>> is too fast, I agree, unless FF> was faster than it is now. I agree, there is no good scan speed, for picking up on things, yet moving quickly.

With FF>>> or FF>>>>, and 16.35 firmware, it does roll back. If yours doesn't, instead of hitting "Play," just hit the 15 sec. instant replay button to stop FF, and play.

For quick jumps, I never use any of the FFs. I use the 30sec skip.

With FF>>> or FF>>>>, and 16.35 firmware, it does roll back.

I guess I don't have this firmware version. I'll read the thread to learn more about it.

If yours doesn't, instead of hitting "Play," just hit the 15 sec. instant replay button to stop FF, and play.

Thanks for the tip. That will help.

Dan

Other than your beloved Moxi

LOL. It isn't "beloved", just better. :p There were lots of things about it I didn't like. But they were less obtrusive than these problems.

which other cable company-provided DVRs do that?

Already answered by others.

Dan

The first FF speed is unusable, because it pauses and stutters so much, I'm fairly certain it's slower than actually watching at regular speed.
The second FF speed is much too fast to use for skipping over small sections of a golf telecast (like when they watch someone line up a putt for an hour).
And when you exit out of FF by hitting Play, it doesn't back up a few seconds like any decent DVR does, so you don't overshoot your target.

You may not have the latest firmware/software in your area. I remember the FF1 issue (mostly with HD) with the 74.xx software and related firmware (it's hard to tell if it's a software or firmware issue, as both are usually updated at the same time.) With the newer software/firmware, FF1 works better, especially on HD.

The Comcast provided Tivo software for the Moto boxes (only available in NE right now though). :) But even if was available where dagware is I wouldn't want to hear he got it. I could just imagine the list of complaints he'd have about it being it's not even a year old yet and still has a couple quirks.Absolutely. I don't think the assertion that "any decent DVR" has that feature holds water. The vast majority of DVRs do NOT provide that functionality.

I think it would be incorrect for anyone to try to make the MOTO DVR's sound like their shortcomings are "THE SAME" as everyone else's.

MOTO boxes supplied by cable are well-know for their inferiority in both design and reliability, even compared to other DVR's.

But some would like to give the "all DVR's are this bad/ I mean same" type argument. That's a great argument for the cable companies, since they are unable/willing to fix these DVR's after FOUR YEARS of updates that barely gets them to mediocre.

"All the same" is the best a cable representative could probably argue. If I was here to help balance the negative onslaught against cable. Which I'm not, of course.

Absolutely. I don't think the assertion that "any decent DVR" has that feature holds water. The vast majority of DVRs do NOT provide that functionality.

I think you are wrong, at least as far as Comcast goes. I don't remember which firmware update added rollback, but I have it with 16.35, and have for some time. When I posted my surprise at finding it, others on the board assured me that it had been around for a while, with Comcast. I would assume that later firmware versions have it as well, unless others provide contradictory info.

MOTO boxes supplied by cable are well-know for their inferiority in both design and reliability, even compared to other DVR's.The point was that a statement like that is a distortion: It only is inferior if it is the one you hate most (today). There are other DVRs which are in heavy use which are equally inferior to those who hate them the most (today).

I think you are wrong, at least as far as Comcast goes. I don't remember which firmware update added rollback, but I have it with 16.35, and have for some time.The assertion by the previous poster was that the Motorola is inferior because it doesn't have the feature, not because it does have the feature.

The assertion by the previous poster was that the Motorola is inferior because it doesn't have the feature, not because it does have the feature.

Obviously. But, you said "The vast majority of DVRs do NOT provide that functionality." And, I believe you are wrong, as Comcast Motos DO provide that functionality.

Obviously.That was really the point I was making. I'm sorry that that got lost in the rest.

But, you said "The vast majority of DVRs do NOT provide that functionality." And, I believe you are wrong, as Comcast Motos DO provide that functionality.Yes, about that wording. Very careless of me.

Funny. The FF is working much more smoothly now. Perhaps my new box didn't have this aforementioned new firmware, and it just took a few days to download.

Dan

Is there a schedule of when the varoius firmware will release where? Or perhaps a list of whats the latest in a certain area? Here in Nashville we are on 35, but in Atlanta they have 53, which adds a few cool features I would like to have. Mainly the easier search fro scheduling programs to record.

Call me lazy but I did not want to read 5000+ threads. Let the flames begin...

It appears here in Salisbury, Maryland that Comcast is using the Motorola 3412/3416 set top box / DVR combo.

My goal is simply to get the HDMI output going in hopes of a better pic and improved audio. I'd also like to know if the 3412/3416 can output 480i so my scaler can do the heavy lifting?

Should I move in this direction of keep the Scientic Atlanta box presently out putting via component video and digital coax audio?

BTW, the local office is clueless. Very nice and helpful (in attitude) but not in this matter.


Mike

Call me lazy but I did not want to read 5000+ threads. Let the flames begin...

It appears here in Salisbury, Maryland that Comcast is using the Motorola 3412/3416 set top box / DVR combo.

My goal is simply to get the HDMI output going in hopes of a better pic and improved audio. I'd also like to know if the 3412/3416 can output 480i so my scaler can do the heavy lifting?

Should I move in this direction of keep the Scientic Atlanta box presently out putting via component video and digital coax audio?

BTW, the local office is clueless. Very nice and helpful (in attitude) but not in this matter.


Mike

what do you mean? replace the Scientific Atlanta box with Motorola? That can't be done.

Should I move in this direction of keep the Scientic Atlanta box presently out putting via component video and digital coax audio?
Generally systems are set up for SA or Motorola. You can't mix them. If you are in an SA area, maybe you can see about getting a newer box that has HDMI?

Have been looking for this issue for days and have found nothing.

I have a Motorola 3412 DVR. I recently had to rebuilt my laptop and since then have been unable to record from the DVR via Capdvhs.

I was always able to do this prior to my rebuilding of the laptop.

I can record live TV via Capdvhs, but when I try to record from the DVR, the moment i hit Record in Capdvhs, the show pauses. If I hit Stop, the program resumes. This is with any program I have tried.

Using the drivers from here BTW:
http://home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire/


Thanks in advance

Has anyone seen this? What is the fix for it?

Again Comcast is very nice to you on the phone but once again not very informed at least on the LEVEL ONE help desk.

Currently I have a SA box and was told to take it back to the main office here in town and get the updated MOTO box.

"We suggest our customers do this since it cost them nothing to have our latest technology".

So it appears if I get a HDMI output box it will be SA. Thats fine with me.

A couple of pages ago several people are talking about using the 3416 with HDMI. It isn't as good as component (the 3 RCA cord one) - stick with component. The HDMI version shows more of the compression errors and jaggies and things (don't know exactly what words to use), and the analog nature of component sort of irons those things out.

I went through a lot of hoops to get an upgrade for 3416 mostly for the HDMI, I was very excited, and hooked it up, and it was noticeably worse. Which was interesting, because most 'minor' changes in Video are things I can't tell the difference on. (With audio, I think I'm more discerning.) I did some research and many, many others are also running STBs with component for this reason. For Blu-Ray DVD, use HDMI, because it is outputing a really good signal, but with the 3416, the composite ends up being better.

Of course, try both and see what happens, it probably depends on various factors, but overall I think there is consensus that with comcast STBs the signal just isn't that good.

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

I have a DCH3416 with Bresnan. I'm having the same issue recording a marathon of Eureka on SCIFI HD. Only nine episodes will stay saved even if I set them to delete when I say. I have plenty of space available as the box says 58%.

Is there any way to work around this and record more then 9 episodes of a show at a time or is this behavior unchangeable?

Ok, so now recording via Capdvhs pauses live television as well as programs on the DVR.


Can anyone help?


Is there a good alternative to Capdvhs?

I have been reading this thread almost since the beginning and believe this to be a new issue. I have a DCT3412

Sunday or Monday night I had a series recording for Dirty Jobs. I had to cancel the scheduled recording and created a one time recording for the 1AM re-air of the program. The recording started and NEVER stopped until the box was completely filled up. You could see every time it ran out of space and started deleting a saved recording to free up space. It would create a one minute recording and tell you that the recording was interrupted. I ended up with at least 10 different recording of Dirty Jobs, some over 5 hours long. This has happened a couple of times before. Worse yet I lost some of my most important series recordings, they had not been set to "Save until I delete" because when my box last crashed and completely wiped out all my recording and series settings, I must not have remembered to change the option. I do duplicate some recording on my HTPC just for backup since this POS is so unreliable.

Has anyone else seen this behaviour?

I have been reading this thread almost since the beginning and believe this to be a new issue. I have a DCT3412

Sunday or Monday night I had a series recording for Dirty Jobs. I had to cancel the scheduled recording and created a one time recording for the 1AM re-air of the program. The recording started and NEVER stopped until the box was completely filled up. You could see every time it ran out of space and started deleting a saved recording to free up space. It would create a one minute recording and tell you that the recording was interrupted. I ended up with at least 10 different recording of Dirty Jobs, some over 5 hours long. This has happened a couple of times before. Worse yet I lost some of my most important series recordings, they had not been set to "Save until I delete" because when my box last crashed and completely wiped out all my recording and series settings, I must not have remembered to change the option. I do duplicate some recording on my HTPC just for backup since this POS is so unreliable.

Has anyone else seen this behaviour?

Yes. It's happened to me before. Best thing to do is not create the manual, just let it pick up the next showing on its own. Check here (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#The_DVR_records_endlessly_until_all_space_is_full) for more info.

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I have my Moto DVR hooked up with an optical cable...when I use the 30 second skip, I will occasionally lose the audio. It comes back by switching from channel to channel (most of the time), but the only way it will always come back is if I shut the box off and on again, which I can't do if the DVR is in the process of recording. Is this something I should swap the box for, or is this a common problem?

I have a Comcast Moto 6412 P3, and run optical audio. I've never had that problem.

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I have my Moto DVR hooked up with an optical cable...when I use the 30 second skip, I will occasionally lose the audio. It comes back by switching from channel to channel (most of the time), but the only way it will always come back is if I shut the box off and on again, which I can't do if the DVR is in the process of recording. Is this something I should swap the box for, or is this a common problem?

I've had this happen several times and am careful to pause between the 30 sec skips (too fast skipping is a sure way to trigger the problem here). Sometimes turning off/on the receiver or changing receiver inputs will fix it. If I can't turn off the box because of a recording, I'll run the sound through the dvd recorder as a temporary fix. I haven't traded out the box because I figure I'll be trading for a new set of problems and this one is at least a known one to me.

Have been looking for this issue for days and have found nothing.

I have a Motorola 3412 DVR. I recently had to rebuilt my laptop and since then have been unable to record from the DVR via Capdvhs.

I was always able to do this prior to my rebuilding of the laptop.

I can record live TV via Capdvhs, but when I try to record from the DVR, the moment i hit Record in Capdvhs, the show pauses. If I hit Stop, the program resumes. This is with any program I have tried.

Using the drivers from here BTW:
http://home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire/


Thanks in advance

Has anyone seen this? What is the fix for it?
goto this thread a friend at comcast is hard at work on it but needs your input
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1032148

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I have my Moto DVR hooked up with an optical cable...when I use the 30 second skip, I will occasionally lose the audio. It comes back by switching from channel to channel (most of the time), but the only way it will always come back is if I shut the box off and on again, which I can't do if the DVR is in the process of recording. Is this something I should swap the box for, or is this a common problem?

It's too bad that the forum had a crash and we lost several days worth of posts. I wanted to thank the person who mentioned that this problem is the "mute" bug that has been talked about many times here. I just didn't get it that my problem was that one. You can program your remote to add a mute/unmute button, which should make it easy to correct the problem when it occurs (just push the mute button). Here's the wikibook link to program the remote: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_A_Dedicated_STB_Mute.2FUnmute

Yes. It's happened to me before. Best thing to do is not create the manual, just let it pick up the next showing on its own. Check here (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#The_DVR_records_endlessly_until_all_space_is_full) for more info.
This exact behavior happened to me too, and I do mean exact. I had missed an episode during a dirty jobs marathan, scheduled it to run over night, and it just kept going and going until it wiped out every other recording I had on this POS DVR. Of course everyone by now may also know that there is a problem recording to PC via firewire (CapDVHS or other apps) with their latest Firmwire/UI release. As soon as you attempt to capture, everything goes blank like when they black out sporting events on a specific channel. Unplug firewire and everything goes back to 'normal'. Intentional? I think so, but supposedly it is being looked into . . .

Has anyone tried the fabled hdd upgrade? I've seen one post at one place that claims to have done it and worked. I'm getting exasperated with only 15 hrs of HD storage on my 3412.

Also, does anyone know what the storage situation on the DCX3400 will be? Presumably mpeg4 will help some by itself, but please god the HDD will be bigger too?

I remember reading that the DCX-series will include a 250 (260?) GB box.

That's the problem that people have been talking about for a long time: when you put the box on standby, the HDMI settings in the service menu get reset the next time you turn it on, if the receiver and display aren't ready at that time.
I seems that the problem was in the audio handshake, because apparently setting the HDMI audio to PASSTHROUGH instead of AUTO fixed it for me.
It might still be dependent on the order the devices are powered on or off, though. Knock on wood.

Simple solution: Don't turn the DVR off.

I remember reading that the DCX-series will include a 250 (260?) GB box.
Did they mention an ETA on that?

Mickey

Nope.

Hey folks,

I have a Motorola DCT3412 running the Tivo software with the Tivo remote and would like to program a button to change video resolutions like the option button on the front of the unit does (if possible map to the TV input button). In another thread for the DCH models it was stated that programming code "00109" to a button (for the non-Tivo software / remote) would accomplish this. Does anyone know if there is a way to do this when using the Tivo software / remote on this particular box?

Thanks for the help! (and sorry for the cross-post; I wasn't sure if this or the Tivo software thread was the appropriate place to post).

I got a new 3416 box and I think my remote is not working properly. I have always been able to be in TV mode and access my DVR menu, On Demand, etc. Now I am forced to press Cable first to do any of these. I have another DVR downstairs so I'll have to test that remote out to be sure I'm not nuts. I can't believe I took my old remote back thinking it wasn't working when it turns out I was using the wrong codes to program it for my new TV.

Another hiccup with this box... We sat down to watch Prison Break last night and discovered a one minute recording and a 95 minute recording of the two hour show. Any idea what may have happened?

If you watched on cable, maybe one of those news alerts they put on all cable chans. They stop the dvr from recording during that period, then resume afterwards.

Another hiccup with this box... We sat down to watch Prison Break last night and discovered a one minute recording and a 95 minute recording of the two hour show. Any idea what may have happened?

Also, if your DVR lost power or rebooted itself, this will happen.

Also, if your DVR lost power or rebooted itself, this will happen.

I need to make sure it's plugged into the battery side of the UPS...

I have a DCH3416 with Bresnan. I'm having the same issue recording a marathon of Eureka on SCIFI HD. Only nine episodes will stay saved even if I set them to delete when I say. I have plenty of space available as the box says 58%.

Is there any way to work around this and record more then 9 episodes of a show at a time or is this behavior unchangeable?

Can anyone corroborate smileyscout's 9 episode limit for series recordings on the 3416?

I'm planning to swap my comcast 6412 for a 3416 to get the larger HDD, but if my wife can't store an entire season of The Office until the DVD's come out, the 3416 and I will both be out the door.

I haven't seen this issue mentioned anywhere else, but if it is a recognized flaw, I'll live with the smaller hard drive.

I got a new 3416 box and I think my remote is not working properly. I have always been able to be in TV mode and access my DVR menu, On Demand, etc. Now I am forced to press Cable first to do any of these. I have another DVR downstairs so I'll have to test that remote out to be sure I'm not nuts. I can't believe I took my old remote back thinking it wasn't working when it turns out I was using the wrong codes to program it for my new TV.

It's working the way it's supposed to. If you press the 'TV' button it's going to try to work whatever TV functions it can. Normally you'll want to make sure the 'Cable' button is the last source button pressed or as you've found out, some/many functions of the cable box will not work. Depending on the remote you had in the past you could sometimes use them the way you describe, but not now.

Sport Fans,

Just installed the new MOtorola DTC 3421 I. Running HDMI cable out from cable box to My Yamaha RX-V2700 Receiver. Output from Receiver to RPTV is also HDMI. I get picture and sound, Unfortunately, the receiver indicates that it is only recieving a stereo signal. Is there a switch or setting in the cable box that I have to switch? If so, how do I enter that part of the menu?

Thanks in advance

Sherman

SOme shows only have stereo. Are you sure you are on a program that is 5.1?

Yeah, some preminum channles and the info button shows that dolby digital 5.1 symbol on the screen, but the receiver only shows stereo. Most TV channels show just dolby digital when you push the info button. My HD DVD shows all five chanels plus a subwoofer on the reciever dispay when it plays through the HDMI input. I checked all the settings on my reciever and made sure that the incoming HDMI from the cable box has the same settings as the incoming HDMI for the HD DVD. Still no joy. Even switched HDMI cables. Still no joy.

I have read on several posts concerning chsnging the cable box setting to "passthrough" but I cannot find any such setting on the DTC 3412.

There is a compression setting, but I think that is just for dynamic range.

Thanks in advance

Sherman

Yeah, some preminum channles and the info button shows that dolby digital 5.1 symbol on the screen, but the receiver only shows stereo. Most TV channels show just dolby digital when you push the info button. My HD DVD shows all five chanels plus a subwoofer on the reciever dispay when it plays through the HDMI input. I checked all the settings on my reciever and made sure that the incoming HDMI from the cable box has the same settings as the incoming HDMI for the HD DVD. Still no joy. Even switched HDMI cables. Still no joy.

I have read on several posts concerning chsnging the cable box setting to "passthrough" but I cannot find any such setting on the DTC 3412.

There is a compression setting, but I think that is just for dynamic range.

Thanks in advance

Sherman

I think you have to go to advanced...
http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/downloads/URMD2.pdf
Page 28.

Anyone have issues with comcast dvr (dch3416 or xxx3412) resetting 4:3 override to 'off' after your TV is turned on?

Only happens when wired through Denon 3808 receiver via HDMI.
TV has CEC set to 'off' (Samsung LN55A950). HDMI connected to denon both from tv and comcast box.

Samsung directly via HDMI to comcast does not do this...

Denon says 'not their problem' and that was it...shut down for a 1700 dollar receiver.

Comcast swapped old xxx3412 for DCH3416 but same problem.

Any help appreciated!

If I was concerned about the problem, I'd not let Denon get away with such a reply.

I'm on Comcast in the Detroit area - I"ve noticed that on the local NBC channel, HD, there is always a gray bar at the top of the screen. It's much smaller than a letter box bar, looks like the image is just nudged down a bit.

Of all the HD channels, it only occurs on this one. I'm guessing it's more of a problem with the feed rather than the box, but has anyone seen this at any time?

Anyone have issues with comcast dvr (dch3416 or xxx3412) resetting 4:3 override to 'off' after your TV is turned on?
I have the DCH 3412 through an Onkyo and it does the same thing.

I have the DCH 3412 through an Onkyo and it does the same thing.

Mine too through a Sony.

If I was concerned about the problem, I'd not let Denon get away with such a reply.

I'd have a talk with whoever does your software and those who perform quality assurance on it. Or talk to the company that provides you with the hardware.

Are all video outputs always on together? Can I take a composite and s-video output and see the same on both concurrently?

Looking at running a Slingbox. Anyone doing this successfully on Comcast 34xx DVR's?

I'd have a talk with whoever does your software and those who perform quality assurance on it. Or talk to the company that provides you with the hardware.

Wouldn't that be comcast? They just swapped the box for me and that was it :)

For those with other TVs, is CEC set to 'Off' on the TV?
And, what version of HDMI are they?
My Panny Plasma didn't do this but it is two years old (still I thought it might be 1.3)...

I hooked up directly to TV and it is fine (then used optical to denon) but I hate not having OSD for the receiver...

Thanks for all that responded.

I have a Comcast 34xx DVR and love it but I have a question about Comcast and their damn fees. Here is what I have in my house:

34xx DVR HDTV converter
Motorola non DVR converter
Cable Card in my flat panel that is "free" according to cust service.

Here is what shows up on my bill:
Dig Preferred W/HBO $85.99
Includes:.......Digital receiver and remote....

Digital Addl Outlet $6.95
Includes: Digital receiver and remote....

Cable Card Equipment $0.00 <--- looks correct

HDTV Equipment $7

Digital Video Recorder $13.95
Includes Single digital tuner with HDTV

QUESTION:
It appears I am being charged 2-3 times for the same tuner. Before I call is this just Comcast trickery with hidden fees? HDTV equipment what is that?

Are all video outputs always on together? Can I take a composite and s-video output and see the same on both concurrently?

Looking at running a Slingbox. Anyone doing this successfully on Comcast 34xx DVR's?

Yes, this would not be a problem. I record onto a DVD recorder from the svideo output, while viewing on the HDMI through my AV receiver all the time.

If you get the Slingbox SOLO I think it is, you can hook up the component outputs of the DVR to it, and get a little better video quality, even though the Slingbox downconverts HD when it is sent out over the web, as is my understanding.

I have a Comcast 34xx DVR and love it but I have a question about Comcast and their damn fees. Here is what I have in my house:

34xx DVR HDTV converter
Motorola non DVR converter
Cable Card in my flat panel that is "free" according to cust service.

Here is what shows up on my bill:
Dig Preferred W/HBO $85.99
Includes:.......Digital receiver and remote....

Digital Addl Outlet $6.95
Includes: Digital receiver and remote....

Cable Card Equipment $0.00 <--- looks correct

HDTV Equipment $7

Digital Video Recorder $13.95
Includes Single digital tuner with HDTV

QUESTION:
It appears I am being charged 2-3 times for the same tuner. Before I call is this just Comcast trickery with hidden fees? HDTV equipment what is that?

Sure looks to me like they are charging you 3, maybe 4 times for the same DVR. And, you say you only have one of them? I'd call, and also get them to retroactive refund back to when you got the DVR.

Are all video outputs always on together? Can I take a composite and s-video output and see the same on both concurrently?

Looking at running a Slingbox. Anyone doing this successfully on Comcast 34xx DVR's?

To add to ak's response: from my 3416 DCT I simultaneously output HDMI to my projector and Component to my HDTV without issue.

I have a Comcast 34xx DVR and love it but I have a question about Comcast and their damn fees. Here is what I have in my house:

34xx DVR HDTV converter
Motorola non DVR converter
Cable Card in my flat panel that is "free" according to cust service.

Here is what shows up on my bill:
Dig Preferred W/HBO $85.99
Includes:.......Digital receiver and remote....

Digital Addl Outlet $6.95
Includes: Digital receiver and remote....

Cable Card Equipment $0.00 <--- looks correct

HDTV Equipment $7

Digital Video Recorder $13.95
Includes Single digital tuner with HDTV

QUESTION:
It appears I am being charged 2-3 times for the same tuner. Before I call is this just Comcast trickery with hidden fees? HDTV equipment what is that?
What is 'Motorola non DVR converter', is it an HD or SD Box?
Regardless, it actually look about right. Except, the $7 HD fee should be a $7 A/O fee, but it makes no $ difference. The Digital service includes one box or CC, and any upgraded boxes are priced as upgrade fees, to replace said box/CC.

What is 'Motorola non DVR converter', is it an HD or SD Box?
Regardless, it actually look about right. Except, the $7 HD fee should be a $7 A/O fee, but it makes no $ difference. The Digital service includes one box or CC, and any upgraded boxes are priced as upgrade fees, to replace said box/CC.

I called and after talking to a first level idiot was transferred to a knowledgeable cable person. The bill is correct. The $13.95 DVR is an up charge on the box included under the $85.99 package. My 2nd box (HDTV no DVR) is the digital addl outlet $6.95 + HDTV Equipment $7.00 fee for a total of $13.95 for the 2nd box......... Soooo she admitted $13.95 is the same for a HDTV box OR a HDTV box with a DVR. I am headed over to trade in my non-HDTV converter for a DVR at no charge.

I called and after talking to a first level idiot was transferred to a knowledgeable cable person. The bill is correct. The $13.95 DVR is an up charge on the box included under the $85.99 package. My 2nd box (HDTV no DVR) is the digital addl outlet $6.95 + HDTV Equipment $7.00 fee for a total of $13.95 for the 2nd box......... Soooo she admitted $13.95 is the same for a HDTV box OR a HDTV box with a DVR. I am headed over to trade in my non-HDTV converter for a DVR at no charge.

When I inquired about adding a non-DVR, digital cable box to a 3rd TV - I already have two DVR's - I was told that the cost of adding this would be the same as adding another DVR. So what I was told here (in the Twin Cities) is consistent with what you learned in your area.

P.S. The reason I asked Comcast about this is that the analog reception in the 3rd room without a digital box in the loop is less than ideal. For this TV receiving just channels 2-99 are OK, but I would like a better picture, and really don't need or want to pay another $14 monthly for a 3rd DVR. The picture is "OK" but not what this 32" plasma is capable of displaying. I already have an indoor signal booster to improve this TV's reception, and without it the picture is VERY poor, almost unwatchable. They tell me they cannot boost the signal any more from the street, so I have an appointment for them to install an outdoor booster for the splitter that sends cable to this room. The problem seems to be I also use Comcast for internet access, our phone service and two other TV's (5 total) and the signal from the main cable coming into the house is just too weak for everything.

Anyone else have these issues?

I called and after talking to a first level idiot was transferred to a knowledgeable cable person. The bill is correct. The $13.95 DVR is an up charge on the box included under the $85.99 package. My 2nd box (HDTV no DVR) is the digital addl outlet $6.95 + HDTV Equipment $7.00 fee for a total of $13.95 for the 2nd box......... Soooo she admitted $13.95 is the same for a HDTV box OR a HDTV box with a DVR. I am headed over to trade in my non-HDTV converter for a DVR at no charge.
Both boxes on your account are upgrade fees. What makes you think if you trade the HD Box for an HD DVR, the A/O fee will go away; did they say that? The way I see it, the fees would be A/O $6.95 + DVR $13.95 = $20.90, so it would cost $6.95 more for the DVR. I am surprised your CC is not incurring an A/O fee. Whatever order they count the devices, with 3, there should be 2 A/Os.

Both boxes on your account are upgrade fees. What makes you think if you trade the HD Box for an HD DVR, the A/O fee will go away; did they say that? The way I see it, the fees would be A/O $6.95 + DVR $13.95 = $20.90, so it would cost $6.95 more for the DVR. I am surprised your CC is not incurring an A/O fee. Whatever order they count the devices, with 3, there should be 2 A/Os.

He is saying that the fee for HD box = fee for HD DVR, so he may as well get another DVR since he is paying the fee anyway.

But QZ1 is probably correct, in that they'll charge the A/O fee PLUS the DVR fee if he upgrades the HDTV box.

But QZ1 is probably correct, in that they'll charge the A/O fee PLUS the DVR fee if he upgrades the HDTV box.

Probably not.

The 13.95 fee is a combined $7 DVR plus $7 HD programming fee. But you only have to pay the HD programming fee once as far as I know, and the way we are being charged. Then you can add as many DVRs as you want for $7 each and the $7 outlet fees.

So he has a cable card (free), a DVR (7+7+7) and a standard box (free). However he is being charged a cable card (free), a DVR (7+7+7) and a standard box (7) which means he can swtich it out for a DVR for those 7 dollars.

You are entitled to a free box to access OnDemand if you get a cable card, not a DVR, but a free HD box if you pay for HD, or SD box if you don't pay for HD. Its in their rules and from what I understand its an FCC thing to ensure you can have access to all the programming advertised and paid for.

Does anyone know about a known issue with quick audio outages (for a brief second) and then a lound clicking sound? It's as if the audio connection loses its signal quickly...and it happens randomly, but often. Could it be the cable or the box?

I got a new 3416 box and I think my remote is not working properly. I have always been able to be in TV mode and access my DVR menu, On Demand, etc. Now I am forced to press Cable first to do any of these. I have another DVR downstairs so I'll have to test that remote out to be sure I'm not nuts. I can't believe I took my old remote back thinking it wasn't working when it turns out I was using the wrong codes to program it for my new TV.

Does anyone have any ideas? Is it possible I got two bad remotes or is Comcast just making these really cheap these days?

Anyone have issues with comcast dvr (dch3416 or xxx3412) resetting 4:3 override to 'off' after your TV is turned on?

Only happens when wired through Denon 3808 receiver via HDMI.
TV has CEC set to 'off' (Samsung LN55A950). HDMI connected to denon both from tv and comcast box.

Samsung directly via HDMI to comcast does not do this...

Denon says 'not their problem' and that was it...shut down for a 1700 dollar receiver.

Comcast swapped old xxx3412 for DCH3416 but same problem.

Any help appreciated!


For those that have the same problem, do you live with the 4:3 or how did you 'fix' it?

I thought I could use my tv to do it, but it ends up zooming in too much on HD content if I set the TV aspect ratio to handle the 4:3 stretch. I tried every option on the tv...

Thanks!

Does anyone know about a known issue with quick audio outages (for a brief second) and then a lound clicking sound? It's as if the audio connection loses its signal quickly...and it happens randomly, but often. Could it be the cable or the box?


It happens to me fairly often; it's in the box or the head-end. . You described it correctly; the connection does lose it's audio signal occasionally. It's one of the two main reasons this box is a pos.

Does anyone know about a known issue with quick audio outages (for a brief second) and then a lound clicking sound? It's as if the audio connection loses its signal quickly...and it happens randomly, but often. Could it be the cable or the box?

If you are using digital audio, double-check the connections.

Otherwise, there can be issues when it toggles between audio modes (5.1 to stereo and back). In particular when switching between network and local Comcast inserts. It may also depend on your receiver and how well it can handle glitches.

Does anyone have any ideas? Is it possible I got two bad remotes or is Comcast just making these really cheap these days?

I guess you didn't like my answer last time but to be more specific they changed some of the functionality in the past year or so. The old remote had a grey 'ok/select' button and most likely that's the one you had. The devices were more locked with them. The new remotes with red 'ok/select' buttons aren't as locked. For example, with the new remote if you press TV and menu, you will probably get into the TV's menu, where before with the old grey button remote it would still just work the cable box. No workaround for this that I know of at this time with the red button remote.

Sport Fans,

Just installed the new MOtorola DTC 3421 I. Running HDMI cable out from cable box to My Yamaha RX-V2700 Receiver. Output from Receiver to RPTV is also HDMI. I get picture and sound, Unfortunately, the receiver indicates that it is only recieving a stereo signal. Is there a switch or setting in the cable box that I have to switch? If so, how do I enter that part of the menu?

Thanks in advance

Sherman

Yeah, some preminum channles and the info button shows that dolby digital 5.1 symbol on the screen, but the receiver only shows stereo. Most TV channels show just dolby digital when you push the info button. My HD DVD shows all five chanels plus a subwoofer on the reciever dispay when it plays through the HDMI input. I checked all the settings on my reciever and made sure that the incoming HDMI from the cable box has the same settings as the incoming HDMI for the HD DVD. Still no joy. Even switched HDMI cables. Still no joy.

I have read on several posts concerning chsnging the cable box setting to "passthrough" but I cannot find any such setting on the DTC 3412.

There is a compression setting, but I think that is just for dynamic range.

Thanks in advance

Sherman

At the risk of asking the obvious, do you have either a digital optical, or digital coax, audio out from your DVR to your AVR? R/L line audio will not carry DD audio. If you have both line and digital outs from your DVR to your AVR, you may need to select the digital input on your AVR.

At any rate, the audio adjustments in your DVR menu only affect line audio outs, not the digital outs.

Comcast stopped support for moxi and made me switch to the Motorola box today. I'm missing my Moxi :(

I've been thinking about switching out my older DCT3412 for one of the new DCH3616 units for more capacity, but I have some recorded material on the 3412 that I would hate to give up. Has anyone been able to save theirs when switching boxes, or is there any way Comcast could (or would) transfer the programs when I go to one of their outlets?

If you are using digital audio, double-check the connections.

Otherwise, there can be issues when it toggles between audio modes (5.1 to stereo and back). In particular when switching between network and local Comcast inserts. It may also depend on your receiver and how well it can handle glitches.

Its not, it can happen in the middle of a program, and it often does. I have noticed it more frequently on certain channels like Bravo and Fox and FX. I dont know why those are connected. Never on NBC or ABC or TNT. I had a log for awhile to see which channels and when but there was no clear pattern.

I've been thinking about switching out my older DCT3412 for one of the new DCH3616 units for more capacity, but I have some recorded material on the 3412 that I would hate to give up. Has anyone been able to save theirs when switching boxes, or is there any way Comcast could (or would) transfer the programs when I go to one of their outlets?
You may be able to transfer the programs via IEEE1394 port. Hopefully, someone else will chime in. I never heard of Comcast transfering any programs for anyone, this would be too time consuming for them.

The firewire port can be used to connect the DVR to a personal computer to off-load programming in real time, but not to transfer programming to another Motorola DVR. Comcast would almost surely never get involved in any transfer of programming, in any way, under any conditions whatsoever.

The firewire port can be used to connect the DVR to a personal computer to off-load programming in real time, but not to transfer programming to another Motorola DVR. Comcast wouldn't almost surely never get involved in any transfer of programming, in any way, under any conditions whatsoever.

That's what I was afraid of, thanks. Too bad they don't make it possible to transfer the programming back from your computer to the replacement DVR.

hope i'm in the right thread (if not, maybe someone could give me the correct link)

i have the comcast motorola DCT3416 I

a few weeks ago after an update i noticed a new bug

when buffering an HD channel when i hit the rewind button once, it takes me all the way back to the very beginning of the buffer instantly

same if i hit the forward button once, it takes me to the end of the buffer as if i pressed the "live" button

it's very annoying but if i press the rewind or forward buttons fast enough to get me into 2 3 or 4 times speed, it works fine

the bug only seems to effect when i press the rew/fwd buttons once for 1x speed searching

also, the skip forward/jump back buttons work fine

anyone else getting this new bug ?

When I inquired about adding a non-DVR, digital cable box to a 3rd TV - I already have two DVR's - I was told that the cost of adding this would be the same as adding another DVR. So what I was told here (in the Twin Cities) is consistent with what you learned in your area.

P.S. The reason I asked Comcast about this is that the analog reception in the 3rd room without a digital box in the loop is less than ideal. For this TV receiving just channels 2-99 are OK, but I would like a better picture, and really don't need or want to pay another $14 monthly for a 3rd DVR. The picture is "OK" but not what this 32" plasma is capable of displaying. I already have an indoor signal booster to improve this TV's reception, and without it the picture is VERY poor, almost unwatchable. They tell me they cannot boost the signal any more from the street, so I have an appointment for them to install an outdoor booster for the splitter that sends cable to this room. The problem seems to be I also use Comcast for internet access, our phone service and two other TV's (5 total) and the signal from the main cable coming into the house is just too weak for everything.

Anyone else have these issues?

Forgive me if this is something you already know/are doing, but are all or some of your hookups split from the same incoming cable? I believe any digital hookup is recommended to be a separate line from the box on the outside of your house, if you have such a thing. As I was told, the digital signal gets too degraded when it's split. Out of the four tvs and the computer hooked up to cable in my house only the big tv in the family room and the computer have dedicated lines. The others are just tvs in the bedrooms, and they all come from the same splitter. They're just tube tvs.

For those that have the same problem, do you live with the 4:3 or how did you 'fix' it?

I thought I could use my tv to do it, but it ends up zooming in too much on HD content if I set the TV aspect ratio to handle the 4:3 stretch. I tried every option on the tv...

Thanks!


I thought I read a few pages back that this is indeed a bug with this box. The suggested work around seemed to be to leave the box on all the time and just turn your tv off.

My Sony does the same thing. There are certain channels (or 'settings' for certain programs on certain channels) that will switch in and out of 'stretch' mode on the tv. Even if I use the tv remote to set the screen to 4:3 it will still switch back and forth. I'm thinking about hooking my tv up the way it was when we lived in PA. When the tech came to hook up the Scientific Atlanta box (which was an excellent box BTW), he had one hookup to the cable input and another one to an HD input. When we watched HD channels we switched to the HD input. When we watched SD channels we switched back to the standard input. Kind of a pain now that I think about it but there were no issues with picture stretching at all. Apparently I'm the only one in my house that's bothered by this, but it bothers me enough that I won't watch a show if it starts doing that and I can't find it on an HD channel at all. I need to find my box of coax cables again.

I programmed a series of manual recording session to record Day 2 of the Ryder Cup on my 3416. I wanted a series of smaller files I could "delete as I watched", as I didn't have enough disk space to record the 12hr. program as one file.
I awoke at 8am and saw that there were three 1hr. recordings and it was currently recording a 2hr. segment. This was encouraging, so I started watching the recordings and deleted as I went. Unfortunately, when I finished the 8-10am segment, I deleted it and noticed the remaining 10-Noon recording was only 77mins. Since it was 12:45pm I knew something was wrong. Yup, it was no longer recording and all my manual settings were erased. I blurted some harsh language and recreated two more 2hr. sessions. It starts recording and I went back to watching the 77min. segment. I finish that and find only a 36min. segment in the queue, the recording has stopped and the programming I'd done was erased. OK, I reprogram and watch the 36min. segment. It does the same thing, records 36min. and stops. I then use the guide data to record normally, with the end time extended 2hrs. This worked. The DVR never got above 86% full.
Also, there is no on-box recording indicator when the active tuner isn't doing the recording. I thought the older DCT64xx had one.

This is the first time I've used the box for manual recording. Is this normal behavior? :D

I guess I'll have to use the guide data to record Day 3 and do interrupt/restarts at intervals. What a cluster.

The DVR never got above 86% full.I heard from an unreliable source (a Comcast telephone rep) that the DCH3416 has two hard disks, one for each tuner, and if one disk fills up (as it may have if your space was 86% full) that tuner cannot record any more, and the scheduler doesn't account for that.  My guess is that that's absolutely wrong, but maybe I'm wrong and that rep is right.Also, there is no on-box recording indicator when the active tuner isn't doing the recording.Firmware problem.  Version 18.43 restored it.

Forgive me if this is something you already know/are doing, but are all or some of your hookups split from the same incoming cable? I believe any digital hookup is recommended to be a separate line from the box on the outside of your house, if you have such a thing. As I was told, the digital signal gets too degraded when it's split. Out of the four tvs and the computer hooked up to cable in my house only the big tv in the family room and the computer have dedicated lines. The others are just tvs in the bedrooms, and they all come from the same splitter. They're just tube tvs.

FWIW, I have a splitter just ahead of my main TV. Wife likes the old analog way of doing things and the TV's remote. I switch the TV to "cable box" and run through the DVR box. No problem. When she wants to use the TV, she just punches in "her" channel and the TV automatically switches to the cable RF input jack. Sony KDS 55A2020. My signal to noise ratios always show in the good range, now that Charter fixed something down the road a ways. Before that 4 different channels all using the same frequency were pixalating, but not any more.

Not certain if this applies to your situation, but I have noticed that if you record segments of a program, using the "REC," and "STOP" buttons, if you delete one segment, well, the others delete too, so long as they are all part of the same title.


I programmed a series of manual recording session to record Day 2 of the Ryder Cup on my 3416. I wanted a series of smaller files I could "delete as I watched", as I didn't have enough disk space to record the 12hr. program as one file.
I awoke at 8am and saw that there were three 1hr. recordings and it was currently recording a 2hr. segment. This was encouraging, so I started watching the recordings and deleted as I went. Unfortunately, when I finished the 8-10am segment, I deleted it and noticed the remaining 10-Noon recording was only 77mins. Since it was 12:45pm I knew something was wrong. Yup, it was no longer recording and all my manual settings were erased. I blurted some harsh language and recreated two more 2hr. sessions. It starts recording and I went back to watching the 77min. segment. I finish that and find only a 36min. segment in the queue, the recording has stopped and the programming I'd done was erased. OK, I reprogram and watch the 36min. segment. It does the same thing, records 36min. and stops. I then use the guide data to record normally, with the end time extended 2hrs. This worked. The DVR never got above 86% full.
Also, there is no on-box recording indicator when the active tuner isn't doing the recording. I thought the older DCT64xx had one.

This is the first time I've used the box for manual recording. Is this normal behavior? :D

I guess I'll have to use the guide data to record Day 3 and do interrupt/restarts at intervals. What a cluster.

I heard from an unreliable source (a Comcast telephone rep) that the DCH3416 has two hard disks, one for each tuner, and if one disk fills up (as it may have if your space was 86% full) that tuner cannot record any more, and the scheduler doesn't account for that. My guess is that that's absolutely wrong, but maybe I'm wrong and that rep is right.Firmware problem. Version 18.43 restored it.

I've looked inside mine, 1 HDD. So, you're right and the rep's wrong. :)
Plus, I've seen the disk usage at 97% and it would still record until it filled (if everything in the queue is locked) or it will delete something that's not locked. All of today's recordings were available for deletion. Regardless, the thing's bonkers.

Not certain if this applies to your situation, but I have noticed that if you record segments of a program, using the "REC," and "STOP" buttons, if you delete one segment, well, the others delete too, so long as they are all part of the same title.

My recordings were programmed.
My queue had three completed 1hr. segments of the same program and was recording a 2hr. segment at the time I started watching. I watched 4 segments in their entirety and deleted each segment immediately after watching. The 5th segment was when I ran into trouble. So, no, I don't think your example applies to my situation.
The box's behavior is obviously outrageous. This isn't the first time this box has done something bizarre.

Thanks anyway, to both of you.

I programmed a series of manual recording session to record Day 2 of the Ryder Cup on my 3416. I wanted a series of smaller files I could "delete as I watched", as I didn't have enough disk space to record the 12hr. program as one file.
I awoke at 8am and saw that there were three 1hr. recordings and it was currently recording a 2hr. segment. This was encouraging, so I started watching the recordings and deleted as I went. Unfortunately, when I finished the 8-10am segment, I deleted it and noticed the remaining 10-Noon recording was only 77mins. Since it was 12:45pm I knew something was wrong. Yup, it was no longer recording and all my manual settings were erased. I blurted some harsh language and recreated two more 2hr. sessions. It starts recording and I went back to watching the 77min. segment. I finish that and find only a 36min. segment in the queue, the recording has stopped and the programming I'd done was erased. OK, I reprogram and watch the 36min. segment. It does the same thing, records 36min. and stops. I then use the guide data to record normally, with the end time extended 2hrs. This worked. The DVR never got above 86% full.
Also, there is no on-box recording indicator when the active tuner isn't doing the recording. I thought the older DCT64xx had one.

This is the first time I've used the box for manual recording. Is this normal behavior? :D

I guess I'll have to use the guide data to record Day 3 and do interrupt/restarts at intervals. What a cluster.

Yes, if you stop a recording of a show, and have other manually scheduled items to record the same show, it will stop recording the current item, and not record any subsiquent items of that show.

How do I tell a 3416 to record the same program at one specific time each weekday?

Now, if I do a series recording it records every repeat during the day as well, I just want a single one recorded at the same time each day...

How do I tell a 3416 to record the same program at one specific time each weekday?

Now, if I do a series recording it records every repeat during the day as well, I just want a single one recorded at the same time each day...

Set a manual recording and review the upcoming schedule often in case individual episodes are displaced or the whole show is moved.

How do I tell a 3416 to record the same program at one specific time each weekday?

Now, if I do a series recording it records every repeat during the day as well, I just want a single one recorded at the same time each day...


Isn't there an option to only record episodes flagged as 'new'?

Yes, if you stop a recording of a show, and have other manually scheduled items to record the same show, it will stop recording the current item, and not record any subsiquent items of that show.

I'm afraid you've misunderstood. I didn't stop anything. It autonomously stopped recording. It actually did what it was supposed to do, for a time, but not to completion.

I think we can all agree that it's not intuitive. It has far too many "gotchas", almost to the point where it becomes adversarial. :D

Isn't there an option to only record episodes flagged as 'new'?
There is an option to record only "new" episodes. But if the shows aren't marked correctly in the guide, you get what I call The Daily Show effect. That is, in addition to the 11:00PM airing, you also get the 8AM, 10AM, 2PM, and 8PM airings recorded, even if you just want the "new" episode. I believe if you don't delete the original after watching it, the DVR won't record duplicates of that episode. But that sort of defeats the purpose, in my opionion, because I like to keep the DVR cleaned out. So, you can either resort to manual recordings. Or you can go into your upcoming recordings list and manually delete the upcoming episodes you don't want recorded.

I'm afraid you've misunderstood. I didn't stop anything. It autonomously stopped recording. It actually did what it was supposed to do, for a time, but not to completion.

I think we can all agree that it's not intuitive. It has far too many "gotchas", almost to the point where it becomes adversarial. :D

I once ran across this when a recording was interrupted by a brief power failure. After the box booted, I watched the first part of the show (about 10 minutes), then deleted it. After deleting, the DVR took the show out of the scheduled recordings list, which had the effect of canceling the second segment (which hadn't yet finished recording). So not only did I lose about 5 minutes in the middle of the show, I also lost the last 3 or 4 minutes as well. I only encountered this once, and it was with a show I scheduled from the guide (not manually).

There is an option to record only "new" episodes. But if the shows aren't marked correctly in the guide, you get what I call The Daily Show effect. That is, in addition to the 11:00PM airing, you also get the 8AM, 10AM, 2PM, and 8PM airings recorded, even if you just want the "new" episode. I believe if you don't delete the original after watching it, the DVR won't record duplicates of that episode. But that sort of defeats the purpose, in my opionion, because I like to keep the DVR cleaned out. So, you can either resort to manual recordings. Or you can go into your upcoming recordings list and manually delete the upcoming episodes you don't want recorded.

The problem with canceling upcoming recordings that are repeats is that it forgets what you've told it not to record. My guess is this only happens when it refreshes guide data and does a scan for your shows...but it does it all the time for all channels, thus overwriting your prior cancellations. As Fall sweeps start, I'm having a tough time since it's recording all the repeat showings...as a result I'm probably going to clean the series settings out and do manual scans.

This is so ****ing horrible. I hate this box.

Someone hinted at firmware updates that might solve this issue, does anyone know if there is an update I can trick Comcast into installing on my box?

As far as alternatives to this infernal DVR go, I'm screwed as well. I want OnDemand since I watch two shows now (Sons of Anarchy and Mad Men) that air on channels Comcast doesn't have in HD in my area yet, so I have to watch the OnDemand broadcasts of them in HD instead. This rules out getting a Tivo, unless someone knows something I don't.

Also, the Comcast Tivo HD DVR which is being rolled out on the east coast is looking like it's not doing very well...I really wish the city of Seattle would grow some balls and kick these jokers out of town. There got to be some Microsoft millionaire who wants to reinvent cable television out there...

The problem with canceling upcoming recordings that are repeats is that it forgets what you've told it not to record. My guess is this only happens when it refreshes guide data and does a scan for your shows...but it does it all the time for all channels, thus overwriting your prior cancellations.

My Comcast Moto will only accept one delete per series. If you enter a second delete, the other delete disappears.

As far as alternatives to this infernal DVR go, I'm screwed as well. I want OnDemand since I watch two shows now (Sons of Anarchy and Mad Men) that air on channels Comcast doesn't have in HD in my area yet, so I have to watch the OnDemand broadcasts of them in HD instead. This rules out getting a Tivo, unless someone knows something I don't.

I have heard on other threads that if you want to get a Tivo HD, Comcast will provide a box for free (in addition to a Cablecard for a Tivo) so that you can get OnDemand. Might not be an HD box, but would it kill you to watch a couple of shows in SD in exchange for getting rid of the craptacular Moto? And there's always BT to get the shows in HD anyway (maybe). Easy choice for me...

The problem with canceling upcoming recordings that are repeats is that it forgets what you've told it not to record. My guess is this only happens when it refreshes guide data and does a scan for your shows...but it does it all the time for all channels, thus overwriting your prior cancellations. As Fall sweeps start, I'm having a tough time since it's recording all the repeat showings...as a result I'm probably going to clean the series settings out and do manual scans.

I do know that if you add a new series recording, delete a series recording, or change the priority of a series recording, the box "forgets" that you cancelled upcoming recordings.

My Comcast Moto will only accept one delete per series. If you enter a second delete, the other delete disappears.
Hmm. I cancel multiple episodes of The Daily Show all the time. The only time that doesn't work is when an episode I want to cancel overlaps with an episode of another show that I also want to cancel. Then you get the "whack-a-mole" problem (canceling one uncancels the other).

My area (Portland, OR) was recently updated to the new iGuide, with the enhanced search feature and the ability to clip the beginnings of recordings that overlap slightly with the endings of other recordings. I seem to have a problem with this overlap feature.

Last night, the beginning of my recording of the season premiere of Heroes was clipped by four minutes. There was a message in the info for the episode indicating that this happened because of an overlapping program. However, even though I did have two programs recording just before Heroes -- the Heroes pre-show (gacckk!) and Sarah Connor -- neither of those programs ran long, at least, not according to their episode infos. In fact, the Heroes pre-show had a countdown timer that ended just at the beginning of the season premiere. So why didn't the Heroes season premiere start recording at that point?

Also, I had no other program set to record during Heroes. So there would seem to have been a tuner to spare.

In terms of priority, Heroes is my #1 in my series priority list, so series priority isn't an issue.

Anyone know why my recording got clipped, and what I can do to prevent this in the future? Anyone else have this issue?

I have heard on other threads that if you want to get a Tivo HD, Comcast will provide a box for free (in addition to a Cablecard for a Tivo) so that you can get OnDemand. Might not be an HD box, but would it kill you to watch a couple of shows in SD in exchange for getting rid of the craptacular Moto? And there's always BT to get the shows in HD anyway (maybe). Easy choice for me...

Good to see you cover all the threads, slowbiscuit. I made a friend at my local Comcast office, and they called me when the 3416 that I asked for came in. I was overwhelmed with amazement until I got home and hooked it up to discover that it's the exact same collection of junk in a different box (I swapped out a 6412). I should have known when she told me to keep the power cord and remote...

At any rate, I've started the seige of TiVo at my house, and made the tactical error of showing my wife the upfront cost in my first salvo. She's less than excited, even considering my 6 year CBA. So I'm trying to find some of the deeper selling points beyond the "not Motorola" angle. slowbiscuit, can you comment on the status of advertised features on the TiVo HD models, such as TiVo-to-Go, Multi-Room Viewing, and External HDD expansion. The TiVo website makes them all sound like reality, but Amazon customer reviews indicate that they aren't activated yet.

Thanks, and sorry to get a little off the 3412/16 topic, but replacing this POS seems to be on a lot of people's minds, so I think it fits.

All features advertised are active now, but some are subject to the provider's copy protection policy for certain shows/channels. Also on some systems, SDV has caused folks to lose some channels until the tuning adapter is provided for the Tivo.
On Comcast in the ATL, you're golden - you can transfer everything freely between Tivos and PCs and there is no SDV (yet). And the external HD works fine, but they only support one model on the HD without hacks. If you're at all handy, I'd just upgrade the internal drive yourself and save a few bucks (and power).

Might want to start asking more about it in the Tivo S3 or HD thread here, or just jump over to tivocommunity.com.

Oh, and I've been through multiple Moto DVR's too before getting the Tivo, so I feel your pain. ;)

I've got a 3412 and for the first time I tried to record off of it via FireWire to my MacBooPro. The Mac software threw an error, and now my instant replay button on my remote sends me back *5 minutes* rather than the normal 10 or 15 seconds.

I tried resetting the remote button to its default, but that didn't work. Tried power cycling the DVR, that didn't work.

How can I get my 10 second instant replay back?

Thanks.

- LW

now my instant replay button on my remote sends me back *5 minutes* rather than the normal 10 or 15 seconds.

Yeah me too. If I hit my 30 second skip, or simply fast forward or do the 15 second reverse button, my DVR goes crazy and jumps me 5-10 minutes into the past/future in my recording.

Happens on two boxes as soon as the new software was pushed.

I've got a 3412 and for the first time I tried to record off of it via FireWire to my MacBooPro. The Mac software threw an error, and now my instant replay button on my remote sends me back *5 minutes* rather than the normal 10 or 15 seconds.

I tried resetting the remote button to its default, but that didn't work. Tried power cycling the DVR, that didn't work.

How can I get my 10 second instant replay back?
The PageUp and PageDn buttons have been reconfigured as 5-minute skip/review. The regular review button and 30-second skip code still work the same.

The PageUp and PageDn buttons have been reconfigured as 5-minute skip/review. The regular review button and 30-second skip code still work the same.

I guess it was just a coincidence that I was trying to record at the same time I noticed the change. I hate the fact that my PageDn is now 5 minutes, but at least I know nothing is inherently wrong with my system.

Again thanks for the info.

- LW

The PageUp and PageDn buttons have been reconfigured as 5-minute skip/review. The regular review button and 30-second skip code still work the same.

Can you please explain what this means? I have used Page Down for my 30 sec rewind and Page Up for my 10 second skip for a long while. Do I just put in my the codes again, on the same buttons, or do I need to use new buttons?

Many thanks for guiding the pseudo-newb. It's been so long since I messed with this that I just don't remember much anymore.

R

I guess it was just a coincidence that I was trying to record at the same time I noticed the change. I hate the fact that my PageDn is now 5 minutes, but at least I know nothing is inherently wrong with my system.

Again thanks for the info.

- LW

This new 5 minute skip forward and back is a godsend, IMO ... many thanks to the programming gods!

hope i'm in the right thread (if not, maybe someone could give me the correct link)

i have the comcast motorola DCT3416 I

a few weeks ago after an update i noticed a new bug

when buffering an HD channel when i hit the rewind button once, it takes me all the way back to the very beginning of the buffer instantly

same if i hit the forward button once, it takes me to the end of the buffer as if i pressed the "live" button

it's very annoying but if i press the rewind or forward buttons fast enough to get me into 2 3 or 4 times speed, it works fine

the bug only seems to effect when i press the rew/fwd buttons once for 1x speed searching

also, the skip forward/jump back buttons work fine

anyone else getting this new bug ?

I'm with you brother... I could just about throw my remote through a wall, it pisses me off so good sometimes. I use nothing the new upgrade provides... but the rewind bug is a friggin curse.

Lar.

Yeah me too. If I hit my 30 second skip, or simply fast forward or do the 15 second reverse button, my DVR goes crazy and jumps me 5-10 minutes into the past/future in my recording.

Happens on two boxes as soon as the new software was pushed.

Same here in Philly Suburbs on Comcast. I hit the rewind button once, and it takes me to the start of the program. Hit the FF button once and it takes me to the end on a program that is done recording, or takes me to "live" if the program is still recording.

Same in the Willow Grove area (Comcast). I chalk it up to another example of this box (3416) being a pos.

Can you please explain what this means? I have used Page Down for my 30 sec rewind and Page Up for my 10 second skip for a long while. Do I just put in my the codes again, on the same buttons, or do I need to use new buttons?

What remote are you using? For the most common Comcast remote, there is already a 15-sec review button (the curly arrow). For the 30-sec skip, you put program it on any key, with the Lock/A/Triangle being the most useful (as it's useless otherwise.)

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_30-Second_Skip

Something weird happened today during the White Sox game. I hit the replay button a couple times (to see the Ramirez grand slam) and the box muted (not the tv but the box). I couldn't figure out why the sound was out; I switched inputs on the reciever got sound on the radio and a tivo input but not on the comcast dvr. Finally I swapped tuners on the dvr and got sound on the other tuner, swapped back and got sound back on wgn. Same thing happened again a little while later but I couldn't seem to make it happen at will. The mute button on the remote muted the tv (saw the "muting" display come on) not the dvr itself. Anyone else encounter this?

It will mute the audio when there is data corruption or it just gets too confused and has trouble getting the audio and video synced up. I've noticed it can sometimes take 3-4 seconds for audio to start when switching between SD programs/recordings.

It will mute the audio when there is data corruption or it just gets too confused and has trouble getting the audio and video synced up. I've noticed it can sometimes take 3-4 seconds for audio to start when switching between SD programs/recordings.
This was muted for minutes until I swapped tuners to get the audio back. I was on a HD channel not SD too.

This was muted for minutes until I swapped tuners to get the audio back. I was on a HD channel not SD too.

This sounds like the mute bug. Program the mute button into your remote. When the sound goes, hit mute twice and it will come back. Check the wikibook for instructions. (Sorry, it's late and I'm too tired to give you the link.)

Every once in a while my sound comng from the Motorola DVR will go dead. I use a Harmony remote and to fix the muting problem I just hit the Activties button and then press "Watch TV", which resets the inputs, and the sound immediately comes back.

This sounds like the mute bug. Program the mute button into your remote. When the sound goes, hit mute twice and it will come back. Check the wikibook for instructions. (Sorry, it's late and I'm too tired to give you the link.)

Sorry. I was suffering from the Twins defeat by the White Sox last night. Here's the wikibook link to program the DVR remote to add the mute/unmute function: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_A_Dedicated_STB_Mute.2FUnmute

For those with the DVR, have you tried doing a Pause/Play?

My old DCT 64xx went out the other day and they replaced it with a DCH 34xx that had terrible sound issues (I wanted another 34xx but it was late and all the tech had on hand was a 6412), then they gave me another DCT 64xx that is having issues (can't access the guide or dvr at all either from the remote or the box and some channels won't come in. There is also a green bar on the left side.). They are supposed to call/come tomorrow to replace it yet again and I'm wondering which model I should request? Either one of the 64xx's? or the DCH-3416 or 3412.

Which of the four boxes would people recommend? I try to mainly watch HD programming although I am forced to watch a few shows in SD.

You definitely want a XX16 for the extra HDD space.

It's not clear which is really the primary thread for these boxes, so I'm going to post this here as well.

Software 75.59 descended on my Comcast service area last night, complete with factory installed HDMI bugs.

My DCT-3412 (firmware 16.53) now has the widely reported GREEN LINE down the right side of every channel (on displays without overscan).

In addition the HDMI handshake is a lot less reliable now -- frequently resulting in never-ending retries.

There is some speculation that the DCH series HD-DVR boxes are not screwed up this way by this software but I've seen no confirmation of this.

This problem was reported AT LEAST a month ago in the San Francisco service area, but apparently Comcast thinks that customers will appreciate getting these bugs, so it's still pushing it out in additional areas.
--Bob

One of my DCT-3416's had the green line for some months, just finally got Comcast out to replace with a DCH-3416...no problems. The other DCT-3416 doesn't have the green line but my HDTV does occasionally lose the signal from the box, probably should replace that box too.

Bob,

Is your firmware 16.35 or 16.53?

Bob,

Is your firmware 16.35 or 16.53?
My apologies: It is 16.53. I'll edit my post.
--Bob

My apologies: It is 16.53. I'll edit my post.
--Bob

Interesting ..... No problems with SD or HD PQ on my 2 year old DCT-3412 with your same software and firmware version here in Beaverton, OR.

How old is your neighborhood infrastructure?

Interesting ..... No problems with SD or HD PQ on my 2 year old DCT-3412 with your same software and firmware version here in Beaverton, OR.

How old is your neighborhood infrastructure?
I believe they use mostly horsehair for their feed lines. And On Demand is still switched by young ladies working a plug board. So pretty much still in the steam-powered era...

------------------------------------

Anyway, it's obvious that the problems came with the new software. Either there are variations in the hardware in the boxes that they didn't account for or it simply doesn't install cleanly. Either way, they've known about these problems for at least a month (in other market areas) just based on the reports from posters here.

I presume you have a 1:1 pixel display set up, right? The GREEN LINE is about 8-9 pixels wide. Other posters have reported what they describe as a vertical tear in the video on the left about just as wide. So folks with overscan display setups likely wouldn't see it.

In addition, other reports here are that you likely won't see it if your box is sending out HDMI RGB instead of HDMI YCbCr -- nor does the problem appear on Component outputs.

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It would be different if they allowed customers to control when new software was installed, but of course they don't. It gets pushed out whether you want it or not, and you are stuck with whatever garbage they send you with no option to prevent it or to go back.
--Bob