Verizon FiOS QIP6416 DVR - Master Topic! [Text View] - Page 11

1001001001

11-06-07, 09:15 PM

I have two of the 6416 HD recorders. One has a crazy-loud fan that can be heard from the next room. I used compressed air to blow dust of the fan (not that bad) but the whirring comes back within a day. Anyone else experience this?

Even stranger: My other 6416 "forgets" it's a DVR. The List button does not work, and if you look in the IMG for DVR, it says something like "this box is not set up as a recorder" WTF?!?! If I unplug, it will reset and work properly, but now it is having this "forgetting" problem every single day!

I had the same problem with my first 6416 "forgetting" it was a DVR. I worked with a Verizon tech support person and discovered the following: Verizon upgraded some of it's internal systems earlier this year (April - May timeframe). Apparently in the transition to the the new system some 6416 DVR's were loaded into the new system as an "HD Tuner" rather than as a DVR. Thus, everytime the box called home it was told it was an HD Tuner. I found that when I unplugged my box for about 30 seconds, then plugged it back in the DVR would function again for a couple of days. Then at some point when it called home to mama V, it would get told that it was an HD Tuner again.

The tech I worked with found the issue and tried to "move" my 6416 from the "HD Tuner" system to the "DVR" system. He re-initialized it, but for some reason it would not come back up as a DVR after he sent the re-init. If I unplugged it, then plugged it back in, it would function as a DVR, but as soon as he sent the re-init again, it would think it was only an HD Tuner. We spent about 2 hours messing with it and he finally gave up and sent a tech out to replace the box. It's possible that some additional back end processing (overnight batch processing or something) was needed to complete the move... not sure but it's a theory. Anyway, I got a new box out of the deal and a credit for the monthly DVR charge for 5 months (the amount of time I had the issue).
Good Luck!

bbazian

11-07-07, 04:53 AM

I have two of the 6416 HD recorders. One has a crazy-loud fan that can be heard from the next room. I used compressed air to blow dust of the fan (not that bad) but the whirring comes back within a day. Anyone else experience this?

Make sure that the DVR is getting sufficient ventilation. I placed a spacer under the legs of the unit and the fan is now quiet. The fan is variable based on the temperature of the unit.

Sam S

11-07-07, 07:41 AM

I had the same problem with my first 6416 "forgetting" it was a DVR. I worked with a Verizon tech support person and discovered the following: Verizon upgraded some of it's internal systems earlier this year (April - May timeframe). Apparently in the transition to the the new system some 6416 DVR's were loaded into the new system as an "HD Tuner" rather than as a DVR. Thus, everytime the box called home it was told it was an HD Tuner. I found that when I unplugged my box for about 30 seconds, then plugged it back in the DVR would function again for a couple of days. Then at some point when it called home to mama V, it would get told that it was an HD Tuner again.

The tech I worked with found the issue and tried to "move" my 6416 from the "HD Tuner" system to the "DVR" system. He re-initialized it, but for some reason it would not come back up as a DVR after he sent the re-init. If I unplugged it, then plugged it back in, it would function as a DVR, but as soon as he sent the re-init again, it would think it was only an HD Tuner. We spent about 2 hours messing with it and he finally gave up and sent a tech out to replace the box. It's possible that some additional back end processing (overnight batch processing or something) was needed to complete the move... not sure but it's a theory. Anyway, I got a new box out of the deal and a credit for the monthly DVR charge for 5 months (the amount of time I had the issue).
Good Luck!

Thanks for sharing that info. I'm sure that is what is happening to mine. A tech is coming out tomorrow, I'll make sure he leaves me a new box.

Make sure that the DVR is getting sufficient ventilation. I placed a spacer under the legs of the unit and the fan is now quiet. The fan is variable based on the temperature of the unit.

My rack is open on all four sides, with several inches of clearance. I can appreciate that this thing needs to stay cool, but it is totally crazy with the fan. Some days its quiet, others it is loud as an airplane.

Charrua

11-07-07, 09:41 AM

I also had the same loud fan noise problem that was solved by creating space on the bottom of the unit by placing three empty masking tape tubes underneath (unlike the Comcast DVR, this unit heats up significantly underneath...the Comcast DVR would only heat up on top).

Ske1eter

11-07-07, 09:48 PM

I got the new image in the middle of last week. I was sure I was missing shows from over the weekend because before I left for the weekend, I confirmed the settings to record the NASCAR races at Texas Motor Speedway. After I get home, the race from Friday didn't get recorded, the race from Saturday did, and it appeared the race from Sunday did. When I selected the Sunday race to watch, it was 0 seconds long and had some error on the screen that I forget but have seen posted in this thread. Great.

Tonight I was recording a show. After about 24 minutes, the recording stopped. I replayed it to the end and suddenly another 15 minutes of show appeared but the index marker was at the end. I backed up over that new time period and continued watching. 10 minutes before the show was to end, the recording stopped again with the remaining show being lost.

I've not called Vz yet but I sure wished there was a way to get the old image back until they get this thing figured out. I've got a list of problems written down with the current image, for sure. This update is a mess.

=====

After posting the original message, I found a couple of other things. I get occasional pixelation on the TV fairly consistently in the middle of the TV like one gets when the signal is lost. Also, I selected another show to watch that I hadn't starting watching at all. The recording started playing about 20 minutes into the 30 minute show. Finally, the sound changes volume ever so slightly on various programs. Nothing blatant but pretty irritating. POS!

i2k

11-08-07, 06:16 AM

At least it was only Nascar you missed.
:)
LOL

Ske1eter

11-08-07, 07:05 AM

At least it was only Nascar you missed.
:)
LOL

I wondered who'd be the first to say something like that. Though after reading some of the shows folks were attempting to record, I felt comfortable enough to post it. :D

Regardless of the shows, the new IMG is pitiful. I wonder if there's any way to go back to the previous version?

i2k

11-08-07, 10:53 AM

nope. no can do - unless you swapped your box out and got one with the old img. and never connected it to the net.

AcuraCL

11-08-07, 01:02 PM

On of the reasons:
TiVo to offer advertisers viewer data: report

Thu Nov 8, 9:19 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Digital video recorder company TiVo Inc (TIVO.O) is offering a new service giving advertisers detailed profiles of its users, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday in its online edition.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071108/tc_nm/tivo_demographics_dc_2

bfdtv

11-08-07, 03:44 PM

Why I put up with the Verizon DVR

On of the reasons:
TiVo to offer advertisers viewer data: reportWhat makes you think TiVo is the only one gathering data from the DVR? Hint: They are not the only one.

Furthermore, TiVo does not distribute any data -- even in aggregate -- unless the customer gave their express permission.

No worries guys.

This is an opt-in panel of 20,000 homes. Participants have intentionally and knowingly chosen to join this study. They clicked on a TiVo Showcase to get more information, then responded to a private email, went thru two different sign-in processes (one via MMA to confirm they were who they said they were, the other to confirm that they really wanted to be part of this panel). It would be nearly impossible for someone to 'accidentally' participate. If you haven't done that, you aren't in it.

And all the results are aggregate, even within that study.

Here's a link to the press release (http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/AQTH04508112007-1.htm)

Sam S

11-08-07, 06:00 PM

I had both of my 6416s replaced today. I the tech went through 3 of them in one room before we got one that actually worked right.

Also, found out (the freaking hard way) that all of these 'refurb' boxes come preset at 720p. This cause quite a bit of confusion hooked up to my 1080i CRT set. In fact, the tech left with it unresolved. I figured out how to set to 1080i in the menu.

Here's my big question. How to I set 4:3 Override to Stretch? You used to be able to do this via the Power-> Select sequence, and then arrow down to change. Now, the User settings menu shows your output resolution, but does not let you change any settings.

Please help!

kes601

11-08-07, 06:06 PM

Sam S

11-08-07, 06:41 PM

Power - Select - Menu

Thank you SO much! The tech had no idea about this menu.

Can you also fix the 2" scratch the tech left on my power conditioner? :mad:

digital_dilemma

11-09-07, 12:00 AM

This new IMG stinks. Why don't they just buy Tivo and be done with it?

Also, when will Verizon get with the program and offer HD video on demand?

bfdtv

11-09-07, 01:05 AM

This new IMG stinks. Why don't they just buy Tivo and be done with it?

Also, when will Verizon get with the program and offer HD video on demand?Verizon has a HD VOD trial available in parts of VA today. They've got around 100 titles, with more added every week, in categories like HDNET, History, MHD, Wealth TV, Golf Week HD, and FEARnet. They've also added HD programs to the premium service folders.

JayMan007

11-09-07, 10:33 AM

Verizon has a HD VOD trial available in parts of VA today. They've got around 100 titles, with more added every week, in categories like HDNET, History, MHD, Wealth TV, Golf Week HD, and FEARnet. They've also added HD programs to the premium service folders.

Any way to see what is HD VOD online? Comcast uses tvplanner to show programs & ondemand. -actually fairly nice. - you almost have to use it to find HD VOD since its all over the place within the ON demand menu.

sergeh07

11-09-07, 12:21 PM

I have a problem connecting my 6416 to Denon 3808ci via HDMI:
the picture on tv comes out every 5 seconds for about 1 sec - then nothing for 5 sec again.
And this is BTW for HD channes, SD do not show up at all!
Works fine when connected directly. Cable is not an issue too.

On the diagnostics page I found that HDCP is disabled - could this be a reason?

Thanks

jtstover

11-09-07, 01:24 PM

Got the latest Fios DVR update and noticed many problems:

1. Lost Favorites. Added stations to the Favorites menu but they do not show up.
2. While recording two programs, canceled one and both were stopped.
3. No delete option when you get to end of show. Bring it back!
4. No circular menus, such as in the Favorites menu. If I want to get to 801 I have to cursor down forever.
5. Get rid of unsubscribed channels. Dish had the option to show only subscribed channels. Or make Favorites the default for the guide.
6. Search only favorites/subscribed.
7. How do you set reminders? Need to add a Reminder feature.
8. My space is less than it used to be. Maybe 16-18 hours.
9. I want to connect an external disk drive. DirectTV lets you do this on HR20 by simply plugging in a drive. No setup at all.
10. Slow response to remote. I am constantly pressing buttons twice because I am not sure it got the first one.
11. If a series changes the ending time, the series manager does not pick it up. “Grey’s Anatomy” keeps changing its ending time (9:01, 9:02, 9:06) and they are not recognized as being the same program.
12. I liked the record 1 minute before and after mode. How do I set it?
13. I want the space remaining showing on all DVR screens. I like to know if I have to delete something when I set a program to record or when looking at recorded programs.
14. No skip button on remote.
15. I want to skip to the end of a program and back up. I am constantly starting over to see the last few minutes.
16. Scheduled programs only show one week into the future. The old software showed two weeks into the future.
17. If a program runs late the guide is not updated and scheduled recordings are not adjusted. Especially bad in football season.
18. While add/del favorites I would like a short description of the channel. Some of the names are meaningless.
19. Concerning “#1. Some Favorites do not show”. If you cursor to the end then cursor back to the beginning, the missing channels from the end show up before the first channel. Apparently, the pointer to the current location does not match the display. And if you hit the FAV key you do not end up on your current station. All this indicates a mismatch between where the displays thinks it is and where it really is. The page up and down keys behavior confirm this. They stop working at the wrong places. Tried removing all Favorites and reentering them!
20. Canceled recording of a series program that I was watching. Then removed it. About a minute later the program started recording again. Repeated this several times. The recording kept starting back. I think it is related to being a series recording. Had to wait until the program was over. But if there is another program immediately afterwards, you run the risk of canceling it too.
21. My DVR status showed some SD program space being used even though I had only HD programs recorded.
22. The free space seems smaller and smaller every day.
23. When you select a program I would like an option to see other showings. This used to be an option. Should be available everywhere you select a program.
24. Played a program being recorded. Hit Pause, Info, Info. There is no option to start over, just to resume.
25. Set to record a program. Got conflict message and the program was list as bumped, as expected. Selected program and clicked on Record Series. Program disappeared entirely from scheduled list.
26. Delete of Protected program. ARG!! Why do you have to Unprotect first to delete it?
27. Many stations are repeated in the low section and 500’s section. If you add a channel to Favorites in the 500’s, you also get the lower numbered one. USA channel is an example.
28. A&E HD is an upconverted stretched version of A&E SD. It is not true HD! The stretch looks terrible and what a waste of an HD channel.
29. When do we get PIP? It is on the remote.
30. Watched a recording of “The War” and the sound was out of sync by more than 5 seconds. Never seen this before.
31. Set up to record two programs at the same time. Just before the start I canceled one and just as a program started added a second. The screen went blank. Menus worked but no TV video.
32. Switched to the other channel I was recording but got an error about tuners, not possible, etc., even though I was recording that channel. It should be smart enough to know that you are switching to a channel you are recording.
33. Found the recording in the DVR menu and played it fine. Stopped. Found the other “blank” program and played it. It was ok too. Returned to the first program to continue viewing it. There is no resume or play from start options. Just view which puts you at the current live location, not the place you stopped. There should always be a “Start Over” and “Resume” option. And if the program is still being recorded a “Watch Live” option. Stopped several times and each time when I played, I immediately jumped to the current live location. Only when the recording ended did the “Play from start” and Resume options appear.
You may ask “Why Stop? Why not just pause?” Well if you pause and switch the TV from the cable box to a DVD player or antenna, as I was doing at the time, the cable box detects that the TV is no longer connected and stops the DVR for you automatically.
34. I bought a big screen TV. How about an option for a smaller font and to use the whole 16:9 screen better? More channels in the guide. Show all options instead of only 3 or 4.
35. My space remaining is still wrong. Will I ever get that space back? I am now at around 15 hours and dropping.
36. No day of the week shown when you forward through the guide. Just a date. You need a calendar.
37. Can’t stop a program that I am playing. You have to pause, then find the program and stop it from the menu.
38. I seem to remember there were four fast forward speeds. Now there are only three.
39. PIP. When will it be available? I would love to play a recording while waiting for a live football game in overtime to finish. My TV has PIP and I often keep an over-the-air station in a small window while watching a recording.
40. Where are NASA and RFDTV? RFDTV has a great program about steam trains.
41. When will SiFi be in HD? Battlestar Gallactica in HD!!!
42. And most important: My wife hates it.

Many of these complaints have been mentioned before. But I thought a complete list of know problems would be helpful.

Weenah

11-09-07, 01:51 PM

I thought a complete list of know problems would be helpful.
enjoy.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18922599-IMG-Bugs-and-missing-features-FAQ

TwinCityTVHound

11-12-07, 09:27 AM

Since the new IMG software rolled out to my set-top box, I now have a noticeable (~5 pixels) vertical green bar at the far right of the screen. On the far left side of the screen, the leftmost 2 inches or so of the image is noticeably discolored, also in a vertical band. These flaws only appear with my set-top box resolution set to 1080i, and they appear on both live TV and when playing back recorded shows. The flaws do not appear in 480i/p or 720p mode....

New FiIOS subscriber here (in FL). I've got the same issue when using HDMI/1080i resolution.

Has anyone got a fix for this yet? Or gotten Verizon to admit there's a problem?

TIA...

terv

11-12-07, 11:03 AM

Wow. I think the good to bad report ratio is like 20 bad : 1 good.

I love the new Image. Its a lot more responsive than the old Image. I got my Harmony working and the response time on the remote is much faster than the stock remote.

I haven't had any of the problems you guys are mentioning. A few quirky issues such as the "please wait" issue on guide data. A reboot fixed that.

I'd like to have circular menus and I wish it was easier to delete recorded shows.

BTW: I am in the Dallas area.

I really can't complain about much, I wish I could add an harddrive space though.

BTDT

11-12-07, 11:52 AM

Agree that the responsiveness of the new IMG during playback (skip, replay, ff, and rw) is SIGNIFICANTLY better than before. Very fluid. Channel changes are also instantaneous.

Gerryex

11-12-07, 05:44 PM

Agree that the responsiveness of the new IMG during playback (skip, replay, ff, and rw) is SIGNIFICANTLY better than before. Very fluid. Channel changes are also instantaneous.

Hi BTDT,

Yes, but the responsiveness getting into the program guide, recorded programs, scheduled programs or just about anything else is much slower than the old IMG. While the new IMG definitely has potential, I'm VERY diasppointed in the number of bugs that are in it and am surprised that they would release it for use with such poor testing. I just hope the "bug fix" release comes out soon and does a better job.

FiOS certainly got a black eye from doing such a poor job with the initial version of the new IMG!!!

Gerry

bbazian

11-13-07, 07:58 AM

shawn12341234

11-13-07, 08:13 AM

the new IMG is causing burn in on my RPTV...after my kids watch something off the DVR the box just sits there at the finished playback screen...they have since gotten sidetracked so there is no one the room to exit out of it. is there a way to make the box leave that menu up for a shorter period of time? even though my box is setup for stretch the IMG doesn't stretch. i have only had it for a few weeks, but i can already start to see vertical lines right on the edge of exactly where the IMG edges are and i don't think it is a coincidence.

BTDT

11-13-07, 08:44 AM

I'm VERY diasppointed in the number of bugs that are in it and am surprised that they would release it for use with such poor testing. I just hope the "bug fix" release comes out soon and does a better job.
Agreed with your assessment. We had three subscription recordings last night that wouldn't have happened if we hadn't manually added them. These are ones that recorded just fine the last couple of weeks so I don't know what the issue is. Several other programs were not going to record later in the week as well.

I don't really notice much lag in using the guide, list, or other menuing features, except that when browsing VOD titles it will sometimes lock up for 5-10 seconds. You have to be patient and not keep hitting buttons, because it will queue these up and execute them in quick fashion once the lockup is over.

I am also awaiting the bug fix, and hope that it isn't delayed or provides even more fun bugs to watch for.

antneye

11-13-07, 09:00 AM

jimkell

11-13-07, 09:00 AM

jfallen

11-13-07, 10:27 AM

Hi BTDT,

Yes, but the responsiveness getting into the program guide, recorded programs, scheduled programs or just about anything else is much slower than the old IMG. While the new IMG definitely has potential, I'm VERY diasppointed in the number of bugs that are in it and am surprised that they would release it for use with such poor testing. I just hope the "bug fix" release comes out soon and does a better job.

FiOS certainly got a black eye from doing such a poor job with the initial version of the new IMG!!!

Gerry

I recently spoke with Verizon regarding many of the issues that everyone else is having and was told that a patch would be coming to the DFW area 'tentatively' schedule for December 4. This patch is supposed to address the mis-reading of the DVR (supposed to get 80 hours std or about 20 HD and my machine never registers more than half that amount). It is also supposed to fix the problem with getting jumped out of the playback menu when you press 'stop' while watching a show. We'll see.

I did find a temporary work around for the playback menu problem. When you get to the end of a show, hit the 'pause' button before the show gets fully to the end of the counter, and then press the info button twice. The second press should not only give you the full info screen, but it should also give you a 'play from beginning' 'protect' 'delete' etc. screen. So far it has been working for us. A bit of a hassle, but still less button mashing than getting kicked all the way out to the recorded shows list and having to get all the way back in again just to delete a show. Hope this helps a little!

jeepmon

11-13-07, 12:27 PM

I have an interesting issue. When I look at the DVR status it tells me that there is 29 hours of recorded programs and 4 hours remaining. I did speak with Verizon a few weeks ago and they said that there is a bug that causes the display not to show the 80 hours one is suppose to get. My issue is that as I look at what is on the box there is at most 8 hours of programs saved. Why it is showing 29 hours used is a mystery.

Anyone out there seen this?

Try a cold reset of your box (unplug for 30 seconds and plug back in).

Not sure, if this is the issue, however, if you are deleting programs by hitting "info" twice, the program goes away, however, they do not leave the hard drive. Always stop the recording and go back into the program in the DVR to remove.

Good luck!!

kes601

11-13-07, 12:27 PM

I recently spoke with Verizon regarding many of the issues that everyone else is having and was told that a patch would be coming to the DFW area 'tentatively' schedule for December 4. This patch is supposed to address the mis-reading of the DVR (supposed to get 80 hours std or about 20 HD and my machine never registers more than half that amount). It is also supposed to fix the problem with getting jumped out of the playback menu when you press 'stop' while watching a show. We'll see.

I did find a temporary work around for the playback menu problem. When you get to the end of a show, hit the 'pause' button before the show gets fully to the end of the counter, and then press the info button twice. The second press should not only give you the full info screen, but it should also give you a 'play from beginning' 'protect' 'delete' etc. screen. So far it has been working for us. A bit of a hassle, but still less button mashing than getting kicked all the way out to the recorded shows list and having to get all the way back in again just to delete a show. Hope this helps a little!

I've found that you it does not actually clear the program from the DVR if you do it this way, check out your status page. It is no longer in the listing of recordings, but it does not give you your space back either.

noamparn

11-13-07, 12:42 PM

jeepmon

11-13-07, 12:49 PM

Mine seems to delete fine if I use the Info-Info-Delete.
the "available space" is screwed up, anyway. I don't go back and check each time I delete something, but if all the stuff I deleted that way was still there, I'd have run out of space a long time ago.

That's interesting - a buddy told me the programs do clear from the hard drive, however, it's just not updated in the status.

noamparn, would you be able to check to see what your DVR shows as available? and then, afterward, do a cold reboot and chech to see if it's changed?

I may need to eat crow to my buddy!! Man, that would suck!

shawn12341234

11-13-07, 12:55 PM

It sounds like your kids are causing the burn in, not the guide.

i think the guide should never show a static image for over a minute and mine does after it is finished playing a recording.

jfallen

11-13-07, 01:10 PM

Try a cold reset of your box (unplug for 30 seconds and plug back in).

Not sure, if this is the issue, however, if you are deleting programs by hitting "info" twice, the program goes away, however, they do not leave the hard drive. Always stop the recording and go back into the program in the DVR to remove.

Good luck!!

Thanks for the info! It is easier to delete via the info-info method, but I was also having trouble with the space on the hard drive not clearing out until I did the cold reset, which I was basically doing each morning. Man I hope this update comes out on time and actually works!

BTDT

11-13-07, 05:53 PM

Okay. So is the consensus that the info-info-delete thing works now (i.e. actually deletes instead of just leaving a ghost recording)?

I would also note that doing multiple deletes while in the recorded shows list only actually deletes the first one. The second and subsequent deletings will remain as ghost recordings that will reappear when you reboot. (I currently have 39 minutes of unaccounted-for HD time on my DVR due to this)

Update!

BTDT

11-13-07, 05:55 PM

RPTV is NOT susceptible to burn-in. The problem is most likely the STB. Perhaps someone with the new IPG can help. Luckily, I do not have it yet !

CRT RPTVs *are very* susceptible to burn-in. I am assuming that is what shawn is talking about here. If he has an LCD-RPTV he may be seeing "image retention", which is a temporary condition. DLPs and LCoS-based sets are immune to either of these, I believe.

shawn12341234

11-13-07, 06:14 PM

CRT RPTVs *are very* susceptible to burn-in. I am assuming that is what shawn is talking about here. If he has an LCD-RPTV he may be seeing "image retention", which is a temporary condition. DLPs and LCoS-based sets are immune to either of these, I believe.

yes, this an old school CRT RPTV (see my profile for the model)

how long do others see the menus after a playback is completed?

rpd

11-13-07, 07:30 PM

I am really getting tired of this upgrade IMG. After Heros failed to record last night and the 3rd reboot tonight, I am about ready to go back to DTV. I would rather have the weather fade. I know all about the series record issue, so I individualy set up the episode record and still Vegas and Heros we're lost. Man, if I ever miss Desperate Houswives, my wife will make sure we are back with DTV.

Talked to Verizon and they claimed they had not heard of half the things I have seen in this forum or experienced myself. They admitted to a few things and gave me a $25 credit...big deal. What about using a TIVO with FIOS? Anyone doing it?

yankeefn515

11-13-07, 08:45 PM

bfdtv

11-13-07, 09:44 PM

I just got FiOS installed on Friday. I have 1 HD DVR motorola box and it freezes all the time. I have to unplug my box at least once every time I watch TV, and it has also reset itself twice while i am watching it. It also failed to record any shows on monday night.I am really getting tired of this upgrade IMG. After Heros failed to record last night and the 3rd reboot tonight, I am about ready to go back to DTV. I would rather have the weather fade. I know all about the series record issue, so I individualy set up the episode record and still Vegas and Heros we're lost. Man, if I ever miss Desperate Houswives, my wife will make sure we are back with DTV.The unfortunate reality today is that you've got to buy your own box if you want a reliable DVR, be it for FiOS or DirecTV. The reliable DVRs for FiOS cost $250 (TivoHD), whereas the DVRs for DirecTV cost $299 (two-year commitment required).

You're going to pay monthly fees regardless. TiVo reduced their fees so you will never pay more than $12.99/mo. A prepaid one-year subscription is $129, or about $10/mo. A prepaid three-year subscription is $299, or about $8.30/mo. With DirecTV, you pay about $5/mo less for the DVR, but that is offset by the extra $15-$20 in monthly programming fees.

No provider -- outside of Dish Network with a two-year commitment -- will give you a reliable, functional DVR for free at this point in time. The only reason anyone accepts the problems with the FiOS DVR -- and its limited storage capacity -- is because there is no upfront cost. Verizon will continue to improve their DVR, but for now, the old adage remains true -- you get what you pay for.

TivoHD with FiOS Screenshots

Recorded list (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/nowplaying.jpg)
System Information screen (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/sysinfo.jpg)
Season passes (series recordings) (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/seasonpass.jpg)
Wishlists (autorecord content regardless of date, time, and channel using boolean search) (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/wishlista_large.jpg)
Plug and play eSATA (external drive) expansion (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/esata/esata1.jpg)
Download SD and HD recordings from the DVR using any web browser (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivoweb.png)

hernanu

11-13-07, 11:00 PM

I just got FiOS installed on Friday. I have 1 HD DVR motorola box and it freezes all the time. I have to unplug my box at least once every time I watch TV, and it has also reset itself twice while i am watching it. It also failed to record any shows on monday night. Believe it or not, i miss the comcast DVR at this point. Has anyone else had any or all of these problems?

Several people have the Tivo / Cablecards installation, which they like for both esthetic and functional reasons. There are many benefits, which are listed in several posts. It is a very good alternative.

I have the FIOS DVR. It has functioned well for me since April, with some glitches along the way. I have run into freezes and resets, but I have called Verizon to take care of the problems. I have had one DVR of three replaced, and troubleshot three major problems with them. Each time the Verizon reps took care of the problem and it did not come back.

So far, I have had to be patient, but if you call the FIOS Verizon reps, I have not had any recurring problems, and have been very happy with the service. Definitely better than my experience with DirecTv. I'd say over the last 8 months, I have had maybe three days with issues, which were cleared quickly.

If you are Ok with the recording time, and the interface works for you, the current DVR is fine. If you want more storage space and the Tivo interface works for you, the extra expense may be worth it. I plan to stay with the FIOS DVR with the hope and expectation that improvements are on the way, as well as an increase in capacity.

From the sounds of it, you need to call a Verizon rep and have that DVR replaced. They will come quickly in my experience, I think you have a dud.

JayMan007

11-14-07, 08:27 AM

The unfortunate reality today is that you've got to buy your own box if you want a reliable DVR, be it for FiOS or DirecTV. The reliable DVRs for FiOS cost $250 (TivoHD), whereas the DVRs for DirecTV cost $299 (two-year commitment required).

TivoHD with FiOS Screenshots

System Information screen (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/sysinfo.jpg)
Plug and play eSATA (external drive) expansion (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/esata/esata1.jpg)

A few questions...

Where did you get a TivoHD for $250? I've seen them, but for $299.
What size drive (eSATA?) did you add for 86 hours of HD recording capability?

jeepmon

11-14-07, 09:04 AM

A few questions...

Where did you get a TivoHD for $250? I've seen them, but for $299.
What size drive (eSATA?) did you add for 86 hours of HD recording capability?

JayMan00 - it varies, however, Amazon usually has the TivoHD for around $250.

And bfdtv - how do you get 86 hrs of HD recording??? I'm impressed!!

jimkell

11-14-07, 09:14 AM

CRT RPTVs *are very* susceptible to burn-in. I am assuming that is what shawn is talking about here. If he has an LCD-RPTV he may be seeing "image retention", which is a temporary condition. DLPs and LCoS-based sets are immune to either of these, I believe.

Oops - Its been a while since I even thought about them never mind seen them in retail stores.

d2tw4all

11-14-07, 02:24 PM

I'm REALLY close to throwing my 2 DVR's out the window and going with TIVOHD units, the up front expense is obviously more but they have a LOT more functionality and monthy it's not much more, I'll only need 1 tuner on one of them so for $500 up front and $3 more per month than I pay now I can have 2 TivoHD units with external storage, multi room, tivo2go, online scheduling, and a DVR that won't keep missing my shows! I REALLY, REALLY hate the FIOS IMG at this point, it is SO buggy I don't understand how anything like this can get deployed to production...
Tom

bfdtv

11-14-07, 07:23 PM

TivoHD with FiOS Screenshots

System Information screen (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/sysinfo.jpg)
Plug and play eSATA (external drive) expansion (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/esata/esata1.jpg)A few questions...

Where did you get a TivoHD for $250? I've seen them, but for $299.
What size drive (eSATA?) did you add for 86 hours of HD recording capability?As noted above, Amazon.com has the TivoHD for $253 shipped.

That's the stock TiVoHD with a 500Gb Western Digital My DVR Expander from Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1185271084416&sourceType=product&skuId=8477105&productId=1185271084416&itemId=1049218) (coupon here (http://i.slickdeals.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=62033&d=1195020274)). You plug the drive in, choose "set up this device" from the External storage menu, and you've got 86 HD hours.

If you decide you don't want an external drive, you can always upgrade the internal drive, as pictured here (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/sysinfo_1tb.jpg). It takes more effort to remove the internal drive than it does to connect an external drive, though.

FadeToOne

11-14-07, 11:04 PM

bfdtv

11-14-07, 11:41 PM

Is anyone else getting annoyed by the timing in the new IMG? Seems like it's actually getting worse too. I have hour long shows that get recorded for 59 minutes and 30 seconds and the end cuts off. What the hell? I don't even have 2 things recording after it, so it's not like it needs to switch tuners...Does the actual recording say 59:30?

A number of different shows run 30-60 seconds over. With the old Verizon software, you never noticed this because it automatically padded recordings by two minutes (when doing so didn't create tuner conflicts). You're going to miss the last 30-60 seconds of several popular series if you stop recording on the hour.

Some programs are supposed to be 59:30 or 59:00. For example, Heroes runs 1:00:30 to 1:01:00 almost every week, and Journeyman runs 59:00 to 59:30.

Dahlsim

11-15-07, 12:06 AM

FadeToOne

11-15-07, 10:07 AM

Does the actual recording say 59:30?

A number of different shows run 30-60 seconds over. With the old Verizon software, you never noticed this because it automatically padded recordings by two minutes (when doing so didn't create tuner conflicts). You're going to miss the last 30-60 seconds of several popular series if you stop recording on the hour.

Some programs are supposed to be 59:30 or 59:00. For example, Heroes runs 1:00:30 to 1:01:00 almost every week, and Journeyman runs 59:00 to 59:30.

The non-padding is exactly the issue. Then there's the fact that the DVR recording schedule doesn't even bother keeping up with the guide updates, so you have to go in and fix things on a daily basis. Annoying.

jclem

11-15-07, 12:36 PM

The unfortunate reality today is that you've got to buy your own box if you want a reliable DVR, be it for FiOS or DirecTV. The reliable DVRs for FiOS cost $250 (TivoHD), whereas the DVRs for DirecTV cost $299 (two-year commitment required).

You're going to pay monthly fees regardless. TiVo reduced their fees so you will never pay more than $12.99/mo. A prepaid one-year subscription is $129, or about $10/mo. A prepaid three-year subscription is $299, or about $8.30/mo. With DirecTV, you pay about $5/mo less for the DVR, but that is offset by the extra $15-$20 in monthly programming fees.

No provider -- outside of Dish Network with a two-year commitment -- will give you a reliable, functional DVR for free at this point in time. The only reason anyone accepts the problems with the FiOS DVR -- and its limited storage capacity -- is because there is no upfront cost. Verizon will continue to improve their DVR, but for now, the old adage remains true -- you get what you pay for.

TivoHD with FiOS Screenshots

Recorded list (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/nowplaying.jpg)
System Information screen (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/sysinfo.jpg)
Season passes (series recordings) (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/seasonpass.jpg)
Wishlists (autorecord content regardless of date, time, and channel using boolean search) (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/wishlista_large.jpg)
Plug and play eSATA (external drive) expansion (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/esata/esata1.jpg)
Download SD and HD recordings from the DVR using any web browser (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivoweb.png)

I'm a longtime(13 yrs) DTV subscriber and have 2 Tivo hr10-250's with which I have been very happy. I'm considering switching to Verizon fios "triple play" both for cost savings and supposed HD PQ improvement. (However, most of our HD viewing is network shows from a rooftop antenna, so maybe the PQ improvement won't be that great for these shows??). Anyway, reading about the currently very unreliable Fios PVR and it's very limited storage capacity concerns me.
So, my question is: can I use my hr10-250s with Fios to maintain the reliability and capacity until Fios gets their act together, or would I have to get 2 new TivoHD units?
I think I understand correctly that in the not too distant future(I don't remember when), I will have to upgrade my dish and boxes if I choose to stay with DTV, so a change of some sort is inevitable. I appreciate all suggestions. Thanks

zoyd

11-15-07, 12:54 PM

I'm considering switching to Verizon fios "triple play" both for cost savings and supposed HD PQ improvement.

I switched from DTV last spring and aside from the DVR issues (which I have not had any problems with) the SD picture quality is significantly better over fios. The only complaint I have had so far is verizon's billing dept., nice folks but it took me several phone calls to get the triple play package billed correctly.

hernanu

11-15-07, 01:40 PM

I'm a longtime(13 yrs) DTV subscriber and have 2 Tivo hr10-250's with which I have been very happy. I'm considering switching to Verizon fios "triple play" both for cost savings and supposed HD PQ improvement. (However, most of our HD viewing is network shows from a rooftop antenna, so maybe the PQ improvement won't be that great for these shows??). Anyway, reading about the currently very unreliable Fios PVR and it's very limited storage capacity concerns me.
So, my question is: can I use my hr10-250s with Fios to maintain the reliability and capacity until Fios gets their act together, or would I have to get 2 new TivoHD units?
I think I understand correctly that in the not too distant future(I don't remember when), I will have to upgrade my dish and boxes if I choose to stay with DTV, so a change of some sort is inevitable. I appreciate all suggestions. Thanks

Also an ex-DTV guy here. The capacity problems are real, I have had no great complaints with the FIOS DVR's outside of glitches once in a great while. My wife still misses the Tivo interface, but everyone else in the house is fine with the FIOS IMG. My kids love the VOD feature, so switching to a Tivo is a non-starter even if I wanted to (which I don't).

I have five D* DVR's in my basement being harvested for disks, since I couldn't use them with FIOS. You won't be able to use your 250's with this service, so will have to transition to something new. If you need the space and like the Tivo service, Tivo w/cablecards is the way to go. You'd need to spend the upgrade money on a new D* HD box soon anyways, which would not be Tivo.

I don't keep a lot of recordings around so I'm Ok with the current setup - doesn't mean I won't be ecstatic when they expand the hard drive or enable the eSATA port.

As far as the PQ - there is no supposed about it, it is excellent, and it will match your OTA setup in quality. SD is excellent also.

weaver6

11-15-07, 05:32 PM

taeboguy

11-15-07, 08:42 PM

My wife gave me an ultimatum tonight......the next time the DVR screws up, it is out the door along with the entire Fios service!

We are currently on a self imposed electronics ban until January. I really want to get a Tivo and ditch the other system. We have 2 dvrs right now. Maybe I can talk her into getting one tivo and just having one system in the house instead of two.

LarryChanin

11-15-07, 10:00 PM

The unfortunate reality today is that you've got to buy your own box if you want a reliable DVR, be it for FiOS or DirecTV. The reliable DVRs for FiOS cost $250 (TivoHD), whereas the DVRs for DirecTV cost $299 (two-year commitment required).

You're going to pay monthly fees regardless. TiVo reduced their fees so you will never pay more than $12.99/mo. A prepaid one-year subscription is $129, or about $10/mo. A prepaid three-year subscription is $299, or about $8.30/mo. With DirecTV, you pay about $5/mo less for the DVR, but that is offset by the extra $15-$20 in monthly programming fees.

No provider -- outside of Dish Network with a two-year commitment -- will give you a reliable, functional DVR for free at this point in time. The only reason anyone accepts the problems with the FiOS DVR -- and its limited storage capacity -- is because there is no upfront cost. Verizon will continue to improve their DVR, but for now, the old adage remains true -- you get what you pay for.

TivoHD with FiOS Screenshots

Recorded list (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/nowplaying.jpg)
System Information screen (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/sysinfo.jpg)
Season passes (series recordings) (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/seasonpass.jpg)
Wishlists (autorecord content regardless of date, time, and channel using boolean search) (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/wishlista_large.jpg)
Plug and play eSATA (external drive) expansion (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/esata/esata1.jpg)
Download SD and HD recordings from the DVR using any web browser (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivoweb.png)

Hi,

Great information!

Do you happen to know whether Verizon would do an initial installation if I purchased a couple of TiVoHDs in advance and had them hook them up and test everything from the get go?

I'm favoring switching from DIRECTV to FiOS TV because of the superior video quality and the money I should be able to save taking Verizon's bundle of services, i.e. TV, phone and Internet.

Up until now what was stopping me dead in my tracks was the problems folks were reporting about the Verizon DVR and its limited recording capacity. It would seem that the TiVoHD should address that fundamental concern.

One other thing holding be back is that I have a first generation HDTV that only has RGBHV HD video inputs. I sent an email to Verizon asking for suggestions on how to attach a new DVR, but I never received an answer. I currently have that old HDTV connected to an old RCA DIRECTV HD Receiver that has VGA output. So all I needed was a breakout cable to go from VGA to RBGHV.

Do you have any suggestions on how to make the HD video connection from RGBHV to a TiVoHD?

I have a similar problem if I elect to stay with DIRECTV and upgrade to their new MPEG4 HD DVR with the added HD channels. If I can't figure out how to connect the HDTV to a TiVoHD, I always have the dubious option of leaving the old HDTV connected to the old RCA DIRECTV receiver and settling for the current limited number of HD stations on that HDTV, but still getting the full selection on other HDTVs.

Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Larry

dukeisduke

11-15-07, 10:22 PM

The new FiOS IMG (FiOS 2.0) for the HD DVR has been a complete fiasco for us (we live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area). I would rather have the old software back. Things take more keystrokes now, the time remaining counters are way off, scheduled programs aren't being recorded, you name it. Plus the interface is harder to read.

I've called three times about the problems, and now I'm being told it will be December 11th (almost four weeks) before fixes will be rolled out for our area. We are so fed up that we about ready to switch to DirecTV. And still no definite plans to address the hard drive space limitations.

hattrik21

11-15-07, 10:58 PM

Has anyone seen their internet come to a crawl when watching something from VOD? Mine was so bad while watching it, I could get a single web page to come up until I stopped the movie.

hernanu

11-16-07, 10:00 AM

Has anyone seen their internet come to a crawl when watching something from VOD? Mine was so bad while watching it, I could get a single web page to come up until I stopped the movie.

Nope, still screams along. I have the 20/5 and kids continually on VOD, havent' seen any problem. You might have a bad router?

hattrik21

11-16-07, 10:08 AM

Nope, still screams along. I have the 20/5 and kids continually on VOD, havent' seen any problem. You might have a bad router?

I only have the 5/2 package but I just got a new Router from them last week so I hope its not bad. I'll run some more tests tonight I guess and call them if I'm still having problems.

jclem

11-16-07, 11:06 AM

afiggatt

11-16-07, 11:53 AM

Boy, it really sounds like Fios, TV in particular, is a mess. Sounds like I'm going to wait a while, cuz if I get Fios and it messes up recording 'Desperate Housewives', my wife will shoot me first and then the fios boxes. Getting separate Tivo boxes gives me reliability, but the extra cost(about $250. each) for only 20 hrs(I think) of HD recording sort of outweighs the savings of going to their 'triple play'. Hopefully, Verizon will get things fixed before DTV switches over completely to their new system--anyone know when that is??--and I'd have to upgrade my dish and nice reliable hr10-250's.
Let's not get too carried away here with the problems with the IMG software. I have lost recordings of only a couple of programs since I got the IMG in August. The IMG was clearly released way too soon as it has problems that should have been caught in beta testing or even alpha testing by the developer. I'm still astounded that Verizon management decided to roll out the IMG with the serious bugs in the first place and still more amazed that they resumed the roll-out in TX and FL a few weeks ago with the same buggy build. And the current IMG does lack features that the older software had. I chalk much of that up to a desire to stick to somewhere close to a promised schedule, regardless of the consequences.

But the 6416 with the IMG works more or less. I have to manage it by setting most programs to record first runs and repeats just to make sure I get the damn program. Then after the program is recorded the first time it airs, I go through the list later of scheduled recordings and remove the repeats. I also double check the recordings to make sure that a program is scheduled. Much of the missed recording problems is because of inaccurate guide data which Verizon is supposed to address by switching to a new guide data supplier. It is irritating, but the current IMG software simply requires more active management to get around the deficiencies. Hopefully the promised update will fix the worse problems, but I would not be surprised if it took 6 or 12 months to get to stable software with all the features restored.

Having said all that, the 6416 with the IMG still works ok for me. The limited 160 GB capacity is the biggest problem, IMO. When the QIP 6416 was introduced 2 years ago, 160 GB drives were still pretty big and not that cheap. Verizon really should ask Motorola to upgrade to a 6432 or 6440 model with 320 or 400 GB drives or enable the external eSATA or USB port.

Fortunately for Fios subscribers, the TivoHD is a viable alternative. No Switched Digital Video to worry about. A Fios switch to IPTV is probably 3 years off (and I rather see Fios stick to 135 QAM channels for most live content than go all IPTV), so we get a 3 year window for the Tivo. And the Tivo can always be used for recording Over the Air HD broadcasts from the local stations. The Tivo can easily be expanded with the official external $200 500 GB My DVR Expander or by copying the internal 160 GB drive to a 500 or bigger drive and dropping that sucker in. To keep VOD, I would keep the $10/month HD STB. Yes, this costs more than 6416 path, but the option is there. No such pick your own DVR option with satellite.

BTDT

11-16-07, 02:02 PM

I only have the 5/2 package but I just got a new Router from them last week so I hope its not bad. I'll run some more tests tonight I guess and call them if I'm still having problems.

You either have a bad router or a mis-configured router. One odd thing is that I thought that Verizon by default upgraded your internet package to 15/2 when you get FiOS TV. The actual download speed is 30 Mb/sec partitioned into 15 for guide/VOD and 15 for internet.

In my case we can have two VOD programs running (only SD for now) plus a VoIP call and still not see any noticeable degradation in internet browsing speed.

zoyd

11-16-07, 02:20 PM

One odd thing is that I thought that Verizon by default upgraded your internet package to 15/2 when you get FiOS TV.

nope, not here anyways, I got internet at 5/2 several months before FiOS and it's still 5/2.

hernanu

11-16-07, 03:46 PM

nope, not here anyways, I got internet at 5/2 several months before FiOS and it's still 5/2.

You might want to call them up. I started with the 15/2 and then heard that a 20 / 5 was available in my area, so I called and talked to a (very nice) verizon rep. I mentioned what I'd heard and she looked into my account, then said " oh - we now offer 20 / 5, we don't even carry the 15 / 2 any more" so I asked how much more that would cost and she said nothing, so I switched it over with no increase in price.

I've found Verizon reps to be consistently good, both on-site and my house and on the phone, but things are changing so fast that if you are actively looking for improvements, you may get things before others who sit and wait. It's worth a call to find out whether an upgrade or a deal is available.

hernanu

11-16-07, 03:52 PM

BTDT

11-16-07, 04:04 PM

The only reason my FiOS DVR hasn't missed critical recordings is because I monitor its performance closely. For some reason last week it basically dropped recording maybe a half dozen subscriptions. I was able to reset them manually and then deleted and readded the subscriptions (which seems to have solved the automated problem). I don't know if this is a guide change that mismatches the subscription or what, but it is something I never saw in many many years of TiVo usage; and I was an early adopter on that platform as well.

Gerryex

11-16-07, 05:16 PM

Hi ALL,

Similar to most I'm an not very pleased with the new IMG, but it was basically working and I knew what most of the bugs were and usually you can work around them. Yesterday I was out for the evening and got home around 10 PM and wasn't even going to bother to watch any TV, but I did notice the red light was on which was correct as I had several programs set up to record.

When I went to bed around 11:30 the red light was still on but I didn't think I had anything set to record at that time. Maybe I did so I didn't do anything.

This morning the red light was still on!! I turned it on and there wes no video or audio (via HDMI) and after the turn on all remote commands were ignored. I unplugged the AC, let it sit for a while and the plugged it back in. It did come up but out of about 4 or 5 programs set to record last night only 2 made it. Everything else was there so I assume at some point it simply crashed, and re-booting brought it back up, allbeit with a few programs missing.

I was really eagarly awaiting the new IMG, but this is an unmitigated catastrophy!! I understand there will be bugs, but I am amazed that such basic bugs were not caught earlier in the testing.

I called to complain and "an absolute disaster" was only one of the phrases I used to describe my impression of the new IMG to the VZ agent. The agent said the update was supposed to correct a lot of the problems but when I asked her when it would come out she said it was supposed to be out by now but was delayed for 2 more weeks.

The agent switched me to someone else to get a credit and that agent mentioned to me a program where if I can recommned FiOS to someone else we both would get a credit. I told her in a very calm and collected voice that at the present time I could NOT recommend FiOS to anyone else and I wanted to make sure she delived my message to upper management!!!!

Thanks,
Gerry

bfdtv

11-16-07, 08:00 PM

Do you happen to know whether Verizon would do an initial installation if I purchased a couple of TiVoHDs in advance and had them hook them up and test everything from the get go?Yes, they can. Just tell them you want CableCards.

Do you have any suggestions on how to make the HD video connection from RGBHV to a TiVoHD?I understand some people are using component -> RGBHV converters but I don't have any experience with those. You might ask in one of the projectors forums to see what others are using.

taeboguy

11-17-07, 04:36 PM

bvader

11-18-07, 04:22 PM

Question: So I start are recording in the middle of a football game by just pressing record....how do I extend the scheduled end time by 15 mins of time? Looked couldn't figure it out

raynmanas

11-18-07, 09:46 PM

Comcast and Cox's DVRs have the ability to swap between tuners w/o setting them to record the program first. So, I could pause one tuner, hit swap and go to the other tuner. Then when I would hit swap again, the first tuner would still be paused.

This CANNOT be achieved following the steps you outlined.

I seem to have figured out a way to swap between tuners. Put a channel on, hit Pause, and switch channels. Pause the new channel, and hit Last. You will be live on the first channel, but you can still rewind back to where you started watching. Hitting Last again will get you live on the second channel, but that one can also be rewound. You can now go back and forth between the two channels, and both are being buffered. Not perfect, but something of a work-around. Either way, I am still strongly considering a Series 3.

zoyd

11-18-07, 09:54 PM

I seem to have figured out a way to swap between tuners. Put a channel on, hit Pause, and switch channels. Pause the new channel, and hit Last. You will be live on the first channel, but you can still rewind back to where you started watching. Hitting Last again will get you live on the second channel, but that one can also be rewound. You can now go back and forth between the two channels, and both are being buffered. Not perfect, but something of a work-around. Either way, I am still strongly considering a Series 3.

Just tried this, doesn't work. There is only one live buffer. The only way to simulate dual buffers is to record both channels.

raynmanas

11-19-07, 08:26 AM

Just tried this, doesn't work. There is only one live buffer. The only way to simulate dual buffers is to record both channels.

Hmmm. I know it works for me because I thought I might have been mistaken based on all the posts about it in this thread, so I kept checking it over and over again. I got it to work multiple times last night while recording neither channel. I just had FiOS installed two weeks ago, and I didn't actually check the model number of my Motorola HD-DVR box; is it possible I have a different one? I am at work now and can't check.

zoyd

11-19-07, 09:30 AM

Hmmm. I know it works for me because I thought I might have been mistaken based on all the posts about it in this thread, so I kept checking it over and over again. I got it to work multiple times last night while recording neither channel. I just had FiOS installed two weeks ago, and I didn't actually check the model number of my Motorola HD-DVR box; is it possible I have a different one? I am at work now and can't check.

Well I just took a look at the data sheet for the QIP6416 and it states:

"Watch two programs and easily switch between them using the remote control"

That implies to me that it does have dual live buffers so maybe this just hasn't been implemented in all firmware yet and you have a newer version. I don't understand why pausing makes any difference though, can you check your firmware version in the diagnostics menu?

raynmanas

11-19-07, 10:32 AM

Yeah i'll check it out when I get home and let you know.

I'll try it w/o pausing too, but I'm pretty certain that didn't work.

BTDT

11-19-07, 10:41 AM

Question: So I start are recording in the middle of a football game by just pressing record....how do I extend the scheduled end time by 15 mins of time? Looked couldn't figure it out

With the new IMG the only way to do this is to simply record the show after the football game. The old guide used to allow you to extend recording time beyond the end of the scheduled time, and the December update of the new IMG is supposed to put this back.

zoyd

11-19-07, 10:42 AM

ok, this is what my box reported after the IMG upgrade:

Boot code 05.10
Platform build 19.09 May 10 2007 10:04:18

Objects (all enabled):
TC_HS_CS 19.09
_CONFIG 50.03
odc_0064 04.42
fiosHS64 03.40

raynmanas

11-19-07, 01:32 PM

sorry, i had to do this quick during lunch and not sure if i got the right info, this is from system info i think? if it's not right how do i get to the diagnostics menu?

Release 1.0.3
Build 03.40
Data Object File Name odc_0064

nothing else seemed relevant.

*edit* yeah reading yours this is clearly the wrong stuff. please let me know how to get to diagnostics menu and i'll post the results after work. thanks.

zoyd

11-19-07, 01:35 PM

sorry, i had to do this quick during lunch and not sure if i got the right info, this is from system info i think? if it's not right how do i get to the diagnostics menu?

Release 1.0.3
Build 03.40
Data Object File Name odc_0064

nothing else seemed relevant.

That's the IMG build (same as mine). To get to the firmware build you have to look at the diagnostics screen. Turn off power and quickly press the "ok" button on the remote and that should bring up the screen. I forget which item on this menu has the firmware info, I'll post it later today.

Speqtre

11-19-07, 02:24 PM

d2tw4all

11-19-07, 03:39 PM

Just got the mailer from verizon today. Seems they're confident enough in their product to jack up the rates. Going from 12.95/DVR to 15.99, Premier going to 42.99.

And before you say it, yes, this does apply to you, as the only 'grandfathering' is keeping current subs at the 2007 rates vs the 2008 rates.

I've been on the fence re: going to Tivo HD, but this will definitely do it for me.

I'm waiting for the mailer, should they do this I'm cancelling verizon. I've already ordered a dual tuner vid capture card and am getting ready to migrate to MythTV. I watch all network shows with the exception of stargate atlantis which I can torrent, so I am sick of paying for crappy service and if they are raising their rates this much there's no question in my mind they are out. Not sure what they could be thinking, good luck Verizon...

Tom

d2tw4all

11-19-07, 03:45 PM

Just looked on their site and the prices have been updated, the new price is for HD DVR's so I'm pulling the ripcord, investigating what it takes to cancel as we speak. Nice knowin all of you folks!
Tom

i2k

11-19-07, 05:04 PM

awhhhhhhhhhh that sux mate

zoyd

11-19-07, 05:50 PM

I'll post it later today.

It's under "d08 Code Modules" on the diagnostics page. Please confirm first that you really are seeing dual buffer behavior.

raynmanas

11-19-07, 05:58 PM

will this affect my cost, even though i signed a 2-year agreement?

if so i will definitelyt be cancelling DVR service and buying a tivo.

zoyd

11-19-07, 06:20 PM

will this affect my cost, even though i signed a 2-year agreement?

if so i will definitelyt be cancelling DVR service and buying a tivo.

No, triple play and current 2007 contract prices will remain the same until 2009. 2006 contract prices will go up. A chart with the pricing can be found here. (http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19473901-FiOS-TV-Premiere-increasing-to-4799-on-1192008)

raynmanas

11-19-07, 07:15 PM

Okay, it took me a while to re-create the dual live buffering I was getting last night, but I finally think I figured it out. There was a step I missed that I didn't realize was necessary.

First I hit record while on a live tv show and switched to another channel. Now I can switch between the 2 channels using LAST and rewind both. Then I cancelled the recording. I was still able to use LAST between the 2 channels and rewind both. Then I changed the channel on the tuner that was recording, and manually entered the channel that was on the other tuner - it could still be rewound to the original point. Now I could use LAST between those 2 channels and rewind both.

It is far from a perfect solution, but it definitely is possible to trick the thing into using dual live buffering. Give it a shot and let me know if you can get it to work. Hopefully I got it all right here this time.

Hmmm I keep trying it and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I can't figure out exactly which combo is doing the trick and which isn't, but I am DEFINITELY getting dual live buffering with nothing recording sometimes, so try some stuff out and let me know if you can get it working and if you understand how. Sorry for the confusion.

P.S. Is the diagnostics menu supposed to be on-screen? I did the power off -> OK thing but all it did was give me some funky displays on the box itself, but nothing on-screen.

zoyd

11-19-07, 07:50 PM

It is far from a perfect solution, but it definitely is possible to trick the thing into using dual live buffering. Give it a shot and let me know if you can get it to work. Hopefully I got it all right here this time.

yes, I got it to work with this sequence, using channels 801 and 802 as examples:

1. Enter 801
2. Enter 802
3. Hit record
4. Hit last
5. Hit last
6. Hit record and choose to cancel recording.
7. Enter 801
8. Last now flips between 801 and 802 with buffers intact.

note: this is supposed to be fixed in the next update to the IMG so it works properly

P.S. Is the diagnostics menu supposed to be on-screen? I did the power off -> OK thing but all it did was give me some funky displays on the box itself, but nothing on-screen.

If you can't see the diag screen over hdmi you have to use the component connection.

taeboguy

11-20-07, 09:59 AM

So,

Today a verizon tech came out to look at my two DVR boxes. He told me that they have just realized (supposedly as of this morning) that boxes with serial/model number starting in M106 or M160 (can't remember which) are being recalled due to problems with the new IMG. He gave me newer boxes and hopefully this will fix my problems.

Symptoms were:

1) shows not recording at all for no good reason
2) shows only recording for a few minutes or showing up in the guide as recording for 0 seconds
3) spontaneous rebooting of the box

I will report back as time passes to let everyone know if this solved the problem.

BTW, I am in Northern VA

Well, I guess this is it.

Both boxes have locked up since they were replaced on Saturday. Wife is not happy therefore I am not happy. With an electronics purchase ban in place until the first of the year, I am in a bit of a pickel. I might be able to squeeze one TIVO hd out of her but not two.

So, I will go cable card only on the upstairs TV and hopefully TIVO HD in the downstairs bedroom.

Too bad this isn't working out.

toramo

11-20-07, 11:17 AM

Verizon is coming out next week and I'm hoping they replace my boxes. Aside from the various documented IMG 2.0 bugs, just about all of which I seem to be experiencing, I'm getting spontaneous reboots and system freezes on my main DVR and the satellite STB's. It doesn't happen every day but we don't watch TV every day. It's happening enough. Wife and kids are not happy and now I'm not happy.

The saddest part of this is that I started out with Tivo branded D* receivers five years ago. I upgraded them myself to 240GB a piece and they worked fabulously. Then D* came out with their own box running the Tivo software and it worked OK but not quite as nice. Then I switch to FIOS. I'm very happy with the FIOS HD picture quality and internet speed but I can't help feeling like I've been taking steps backwards on the DVR since 2002. It's not supposed to work like this.

remav

11-20-07, 08:54 PM

Call VZ and get them to send you the Phillips remote im sure you will like it, eseacially the SKIP function.

Check Dell's web site. They have the 880 on sale. (Love Mine):)

raynmanas

11-21-07, 08:23 AM

raynmanas

11-21-07, 08:33 AM

Call VZ and get them to send you the Phillips remote im sure you will like it, eseacially the SKIP function.

what is this about, verizon will just send another (better?) remote for nothing?

*edit* or is this possibly the one i have? does it have a big "FiOS TV" button in the middle of it and about 1/3 of the buttons backlit?

**edit** nevermind, i found pictures - i already have the phillips remote.

d2tw4all

11-21-07, 08:49 AM

No, triple play and current 2007 contract prices will remain the same until 2009. 2006 contract prices will go up. A chart with the pricing can be found here. (http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19473901-FiOS-TV-Premiere-increasing-to-4799-on-1192008)

From what I read, the service pricing wouldn't go up, but the DVR pricing WOULD. So while you won't have to pay extra for the service until your contract expires, you WILL pay 3 bucks more for each DVR starting January.
Tom

raynmanas

11-21-07, 09:00 AM

From what I read, the service pricing wouldn't go up, but the DVR pricing WOULD. So while you won't have to pay extra for the service until your contract expires, you WILL pay 3 bucks more for each DVR starting January.
Tom

that's the way i read it too. i'm pretty sick of talking to verizon on the phone though, so i'm not going to call and confirm.

d2tw4all

11-21-07, 02:07 PM

that's the way i read it too. i'm pretty sick of talking to verizon on the phone though, so i'm not going to call and confirm.

Agreed, the only conversation I'm going to be having with Verizon is calling to cancel the service. I'm building out my MythTV backend as we speak, once it's done and working Verizon TV is out!

Tom

Pharmacist

11-21-07, 11:49 PM

I would just to be able to just extract the mpegs on the DVR itself without opening the box.... anyone been able to do this without using a tivo add on?

scanpa

11-22-07, 12:05 AM

I would just to be able to just extract the mpegs on the DVR itself without opening the box.... anyone been able to do this without using a tivo add on?

Not going to happen, the files on the HDD are not accessible without using the STB, they were recorded on.

yankeefn515

11-22-07, 05:20 PM

So,

Today a verizon tech came out to look at my two DVR boxes. He told me that they have just realized (supposedly as of this morning) that boxes with serial/model number starting in M106 or M160 (can't remember which) are being recalled due to problems with the new IMG. He gave me newer boxes and hopefully this will fix my problems.

Symptoms were:

1) shows not recording at all for no good reason
2) shows only recording for a few minutes or showing up in the guide as recording for 0 seconds
3) spontaneous rebooting of the box

I will report back as time passes to let everyone know if this solved the problem.

BTW, I am in Northern VA

This was happening to me too. Verizon came out yesterday and replaced the box, we'll see what happens. I'm in Northern VA, too.

bbazian

11-23-07, 05:28 AM

The 1st time this happened I ignored it but it just happened again. We had a power blip and the DVR rebooted. All favorites were lost and I have to set them up again. Anyone else have this?

d2tw4all

11-23-07, 11:15 AM

Ok so I have a theory. It seems VERY strange to me that many folks see the same problems I do in regard to programs not recording, but a lot of people don't seem to have that problem. I know what causes the problem, it's if you're watching a show while something's trying to record it will prompt if you want to change channels, and doesn't default to changing the channels so the recording isn't made. My thought is that the people who don't see this keep their boxes off for the most part. I leave my box on, I think if I left it off most of the time a lot more shows would get recorded. I'm fed up with the overall bugginess and now with the price hikes I just called comcast and they are coming tomorrow to reconnect my cable. I just set up MythTV and it seems like a great solution, now I only have to pay 10 bucks a month and I'll have almost everything I had before. I also found out that comcast provides unencrypted HDTV for anything available OTA per FCC regs, so the basic 10 dollar cable service gives me all the same HD I use regularly, and they just keep that fact to themselves... SO shady. Anyway after Myth is fully integrated the FioS is getting cancelled, no more bugs, no more $80/month, no more restricted storage space, I will control the DVR technology in my house!
Tom

bfdtv

11-23-07, 11:25 AM

Anyway after Myth is fully integrated the FioS is getting cancelled, no more bugs, no more $80/month, no more restricted storage space, I will control the DVR technology in my house! TomOf course, you could have got the same thing with FiOS using a $250 TiVoHD. My TiVoHD has 144 hours of HD storage (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/sysinfo_1tb.jpg).

With MythTV, you'll be limited to locals on Comcast and FiOS. With a TiVoHD, you would get locals + 20 more high-definition cable channels, with 100 more HD channels coming in the next year at no additional charge.

If locals is all you care about, FiOS provides those too for $12.95/mo. As with Comcast, they are unencrypted.

bvader

11-23-07, 01:31 PM

bfdtv

11-23-07, 02:42 PM

Hi folks...running this box for a while just dealing with all the issues....getting along etc...a little disappointed...but surviving.

Question got another piece of video equipment and running out of HDMI ports on the TV. I may use a switch, but just curios whats the prevailing consensus of HDMI vs component PQ wise on this box. Of course I will test, but never hurts to ask, before i get in there are tear apart / rewire everything.Differences in component vs. HDMI tend to vary by display. On some displays, you can't tell a difference; on others, they are very obvious.

The Verizon DVR software update is expected in most markets before Christmas. You can read more about the update here at ZNF (http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2007-10/more-on-verizon-fios-tv-the-q4-update/) if you haven't already.

d2tw4all

11-23-07, 02:46 PM

Of course, you could have got the same thing with FiOS using a $250 TiVoHD. My TiVoHD has 144 hours of HD storage (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/sysinfo_1tb.jpg).

With MythTV, you'll be limited to locals on Comcast and FiOS. With a TiVoHD, you would get locals + 20 more high-definition cable channels, with 100 more HD channels coming in the next year at no additional charge.

If locals is all you care about, FiOS provides those too for $12.95/mo. As with Comcast, they are unencrypted.

When you factor in the cablecards, TivoHD is the same if not MORE per month than the FIOS DVR's, so while you're right in that the bugs go away, I considered the Tivo option but would need at least 2 if not 3 TivoHD's for the 3 TV's in my house, so my monthly costs would INCREASE not decrease. I am interested in the 12.95 deal you are referring to, but do I need a box for that?
Tom

bfdtv

11-23-07, 02:57 PM

I am interested in the 12.95 deal you are referring to, but do I need a box for that?No box needed.

When you factor in the cablecards, TivoHD is the same if not MORE per month than the FIOS DVR's, so while you're right in that the bugs go away, I considered the Tivo option but would need at least 2 if not 3 TivoHD's for the 3 TV's in my house, so my monthly costs would INCREASE not decrease.I would certainly agree that three DVRs would be a hefty chunk of change. Thankfully, TiVo does discount the service fees on every box after the first (i.e. $6.95/mo).

How do you intend to watch your MythTV setup throughout the house?

d2tw4all

11-23-07, 02:59 PM

No box needed.

Ya I just read all you need is QAM same as stupid comcast, HOWEVER I can find NOTHING of this option on their site, where is it?
Tom

bvader

11-23-07, 03:04 PM

Differences in component vs. HDMI tend to vary by display. On some displays, you can't tell a difference; on others, they are very obvious.

The Verizon DVR software update is expected in most markets before Christmas. You can read more about the update here at ZNF (http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2007-10/more-on-verizon-fios-tv-the-q4-update/) if you haven't already.

Thanks...good to hear some fixes are coming...I have gotten to the point I really have to monitor this DVR. I will try the component vs HDMI, I have a pretty nice display NEC50XR5 has great electronics...just would prefer not to add a switch if I didn't have to.

bfdtv

11-23-07, 03:05 PM

Ya I just read all you need is QAM same as stupid comcast, HOWEVER I can find NOTHING of this option on their site, where is it?
TomIt's no longer listed on the web site. It is on their price list (see page 2 of attached), so you probably need to call to add that.

d2tw4all

11-23-07, 03:11 PM

It's no longer listed on the web site. It is on their price list (see page 2 of attached), so you probably need to call to add that.

AHA HOW SHADY IS THAT!!! Still, comcast is only 10 bucks a month sooooo...

I just called them, they are insisting that the SD channels are available without a box through the coax but to get any HD channels you'd still need a box, even with the basic service. They did confirm the 12.99 service is available though.
Tom

bfdtv

11-23-07, 03:17 PM

AHA HOW SHADY IS THAT!!! Still, comcast is only 10 bucks a month sooooo...

I just called them, they are insisting that the SD channels are available without a box through the coax but to get any HD channels you'd still need a box, even with the basic service. They did confirm the 12.99 service is available though.
TomVerizon customer service representatives are not trained about QAM tuners. As noted above, the local HD channels are unencrypted, just like Comcast. Connect the FiOS cable feed to your MythTV box with QAM and you will get those channels.

d2tw4all

11-23-07, 03:29 PM

Verizon customer service representatives are not trained about QAM tuners. As noted above, the local HD channels are unencrypted, just like Comcast. Connect the FiOS cable feed to your MythTV box with QAM and you will get those channels.

Ya I just researched here and elsewhere and that seems the consensus. HOWEVER comcast is still only 10 a month INCLUDING fees/taxes, so it's easily 3 bucks a month cheaper. They are coming tomorrow to install so I'm sticking with the plan. I really do appreciate the information though, it's always good to know my options!
Tom

bfdtv

11-23-07, 05:38 PM

Ya I just researched here and elsewhere and that seems the consensus. HOWEVER comcast is still only 10 a month INCLUDING fees/taxes, so it's easily 3 bucks a month cheaper. They are coming tomorrow to install so I'm sticking with the plan. I really do appreciate the information though, it's always good to know my options!I would be surprised if that Comcast $10/mo includes taxes. I guess you'll see with your first bill.

d2tw4all

11-23-07, 07:43 PM

I would be surprised if that Comcast $10/mo includes taxes. I guess you'll see with your first bill.

No, it does, the actual price of the service is just over 9 dollars, with taxes it's around 10.
Tom

ppopp

11-24-07, 03:09 PM

Nope.

scout7

11-24-07, 03:24 PM

FadeToOne

11-25-07, 12:30 PM

bcushman

11-25-07, 12:44 PM

I'm sorry to say that I can't get it to work here

sman789

11-25-07, 09:30 PM

bfdtv

11-25-07, 11:47 PM

Is anyone having audio issues with the toslink connection. The audio levels are low with surround sound programming, say the SNF game on now, when my reciever is on auto decode mode you can hear everything well except the commentating. It's real low but when it goes to commercial it's normal, loud and clear. So i'm keeping my receiver on 2CH stereo to hear the game. This has only started happening within the past two weeks.The audio you hear is the audio as Verizon receives it from the affiliate. Verizon does not process the audio or video in any way.

FadeToOne

11-26-07, 10:38 AM

Is anyone having audio issues with the toslink connection. The audio levels are low with surround sound programming, say the SNF game on now, when my reciever is on auto decode mode you can hear everything well except the commentating. It's real low but when it goes to commercial it's normal, loud and clear. So i'm keeping my receiver on 2CH stereo to hear the game. This has only started happening within the past two weeks.

Almost sounds as if your receiver center channel or your center speaker is dead, but if those sound okay on other programs, you should be fine.

I didn't have any issues during the game on mine.

kes601

11-26-07, 11:07 AM

Almost sounds as if your receiver center channel or your center speaker is dead, but if those sound okay on other programs, you should be fine.

I didn't have any issues during the game on mine.

Other possibility is that your local affiliate's auto-switching feature malfunctioned. When the source feed from national is 5.1 and the local affiliate sends it out as 2.0, you miss the center speaker feed, when in commercial the feed from national is 2.0, therefore the dialogue is back.

jwardell

11-26-07, 11:53 AM

Since rolling out my DVR has failed to record DOZENS of shows, for a variety of reasons. Many mentioned here, inexplicable 0min bad recordings (I have sat and watched this happen in front of me..live video is black).

One of the bugs I noticed and haven't seen mentioned here (at least quickly scanning the past few months of posts) is they have dropped the ability to specify the time for a series recording. However, i found out the hard way that any series recording set up with the old IMG for a specific time is still obeyed by the new IMG. There is no place in the GUI to see that, and if the network changed the broadcast time with the new season, it doesn't record. I eventually had to delete all my series and re-create them again.

Of course losing that feature means tons of extra recordings for shows that are repeated again at later times (phantom gourmet and this old house come to mind).

There was also a program guide issue with NBC for a while. The SD channel would have proper listings, but the HD channel was off by an hour. Of course I had the DVR set to record the HD so I then got recordings of the wrong show. After a few weeks of being burned by this one I set up a manual recording. But even that manual recording has failed once (filed under the unexplained category...plenty of those too).

I called Verizon to complain as I have the same "wife issue" as most of you...my girlfriend is livid about lost shows, and all the morons in Austin support say is they are aware of the bugs. The did NOT offer me any credit even after I said several times I might switch back to satellite.
All I can do is use the "good" part of my fios service to download each of my missed shows from the internet. FiosTV continues to be a nightmare.

And perhaps I should reiterate an old question--has anyone found a way for the home media service to work with mac or linux yet? That's another thing verizon promised me a year ago that I have yet to see.

shawn12341234

11-26-07, 01:09 PM

jwardell,

i got $10 off / month plus a $100 gift card, plus another $100 gift card if i'm still with them in 13 months (the card is for some points system and is not good everywhere, but it is good at best buy)...i asked to be transferred to customer retention right off the bat.

jeepmon

11-26-07, 02:26 PM

hey does anyone else have a problem with the replay function? i had mine set to 10 seconds, but it would always skip back 30 seconds. i went to settings and changed it to 30 seconds to see if they had it programmed backwards but that was 30 seconds too. then i switched it back to 10 seconds and i'd say now that it replays 10 seconds about 4 out of 5 times, and 30 seconds the rest. it makes no sense and frustrates the hell out of me.

I have this issue :mad: Have it set to 10 sec, works most of the time, however, occasionally rewinds 30 sec.

Have tried changing to 30 and changing back to 10 multiple times, but it still sporadically happens. Called VZ and they advised "this is not a known problem and doesn't seem to be that inconvenient" :eek: Had them send a tech and, of course, it would not replicate itself even once.

Frustrates the hell out of me too!!

Anyone else seen this? Has anyone been able to fix it?

BTDT

11-26-07, 02:51 PM

Yes, I have seen this on occasion as well, usually when I am skipping through commercials and miss by a bit. Probably a hard-coded value hidden somewhere deep in the IMG code....

enorris

11-26-07, 04:24 PM

sman789

11-26-07, 04:55 PM

ls1ss

11-26-07, 07:07 PM

I have this issue :mad: Have it set to 10 sec, works most of the time, however, occasionally rewinds 30 sec.

Have tried changing to 30 and changing back to 10 multiple times, but it still sporadically happens. Called VZ and they advised "this is not a known problem and doesn't seem to be that inconvenient" :eek: Had them send a tech and, of course, it would not replicate itself even once.

Frustrates the hell out of me too!!

Anyone else seen this? Has anyone been able to fix it?

Have it, can't fix it. At least can't manage a permanent fix. I'll set it to 10 seconds and sometimes it will work for the current recording only, sometimes for a day or two and sometimes for an hour or so. Seems to be no rhyme or reason. Only the annoyance is consistent.

bbazian

11-27-07, 07:55 AM

Have it, can't fix it. At least can't manage a permanent fix. I'll set it to 10 seconds and sometimes it will work for the current recording only, sometimes for a day or two and sometimes for an hour or so. Seems to be no rhyme or reason. Only the annoyance is consistent.

Not a known issue? I will call today to see what they say. I have the same problem. Ready to throw this unit out the window. Favorites lost when rebooted, lost programs. I have read the posts and I have many of the same problems. Maybe Verizon should stick to telephones??? :D

Weenah

11-27-07, 08:58 AM

I have this issue :mad: Have it set to 10 sec, works most of the time, however, occasionally rewinds 30 sec.

Have tried changing to 30 and changing back to 10 multiple times, but it still sporadically happens. Called VZ and they advised "this is not a known problem and doesn't seem to be that inconvenient" :eek: Had them send a tech and, of course, it would not replicate itself even once.

Frustrates the hell out of me too!!

Anyone else seen this? Has anyone been able to fix it?

I too am having this problem. There seems to be no discernible pattern as to why it happens or the criteria needed to make it happen.

I have noticed it's gotten worse over the past few weeks.

raynmanas

11-27-07, 01:28 PM

I too am having this problem. There seems to be no discernible pattern as to why it happens or the criteria needed to make it happen.

I have noticed it's gotten worse over the past few weeks.

I have not had a 30-second replay happen since I wrote my original post about it. While I would like to think my complaining fixed it, I think it had more to do with Verizon reloading the software when I called to question the hard drive space calculator. Now my 10 second replay works consistently, and the drive space calculator seems to have improved as well (says there's a lot more room now, still not nearly enough though). I don't know what they changed if anything, but those are the improvements I have noticed.

However, I still have the HDMI output stop working sporadically. The regular AV cables will work fine, and the optical audio out to the receiver works fine, but no HDMI input to the TV. All that ever fixes it is a hard reboot, which is a pretty inconvenient thing to do when something is recording.

I really hate this box. I want to like FiOS but they really really really need to fix these issues. I also lost my bundle discount because I canceled the home phone line, which seems silly. I still have 2 services, so why can't I get a doule play discount? Oh well I have no use for a home phone and still saved $17 a month by cancelling it, so whatever.

d2tw4all

11-27-07, 05:24 PM

d2tw4all

11-27-07, 05:27 PM

Ok; I know just enough to sound stupid about these things, but here goes: If you had the new "home video" experience thing, where you have ond DVR and the other non-dvr STB's in your house can display recordings streamed by the dvr; why not use a packet snooper to capture the ''handshake'' between the STB and DVR; then emulate the STB side of it in order to get the recordings sent to your pc? I bet motorola's codec isn't more than a minor variation on one or another of the mpeg or DIVX codecs.....

I enjoyed having this feature on my TIVO series 2... used to watch movies in bed on the laptop with my wife :cool:

Pretty sure there's some SERIOUS encryption going on here, I believe native QAM encryption is 256 bit, enough to give even the NSA supercomputers a pretty big headache. You CAN get the open unencrypted QAM stuff though, which is basically any local programming, some cable companies even leave things like TNTHD open but I wouldn't imagine that will stay that way for long.
Tom

bfdtv

11-28-07, 09:06 AM

From DSLReports:

Looks like Florida, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and parts of PA got the DVR maintenance update (v1.0.4, build 05.68) today.

AcuraCL

11-28-07, 01:00 PM

...
Anyone else seen this? ...

Yep. I thought my settings had gotten messed up, but it did seem to be happening randomly, and I haven't had a chance to check the settings.

kes601

11-28-07, 01:14 PM

Looks like FL, N. VA, and parts of PA got the DVR maintenance update (v1.0.4, build 05.68) today.

It was actually Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and not NoVA that got the update, unless this has changed since earlier this morning.

bfdtv

11-28-07, 01:44 PM

It was actually Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and not NoVA that got the update, unless this has changed since earlier this morning.Thanks. Corrected.

geekski

11-28-07, 04:58 PM

It was actually Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and not NoVA that got the update, unless this has changed since earlier this morning.

We got it in FL (Tampa area). Woke me up at 5 a.m. with the box clicking on and off several times. The DVR now displays a status bar, and how many hours are recorded. Doesn't say how much time I have left, only that "70%" is still available. (with currently 2 hrs of HD and just over 23 hrs of ST) Whether that's accurate remains to be seen.

Also, I can now see the HD channels in "Favorites" (they wouldn't display before), but all the duplicates are still there and cannot be removed. So that's only partially fixed.

Oh, and I noticed that they're now set up for 4 digits when you enter the channel number. E.g. if I put in "800" it takes a second delay before the switch, whereas if I put in "0800", it switches right away. I take it there's more content on the way?

enorris

11-28-07, 06:50 PM

Pretty sure there's some SERIOUS encryption going on here, I believe native QAM encryption is 256 bit, enough to give even the NSA supercomputers a pretty big headache. You CAN get the open unencrypted QAM stuff though, which is basically any local programming, some cable companies even leave things like TNTHD open but I wouldn't imagine that will stay that way for long.
Tom
Thanks for the feedback, Tom... pardon an ignorant question, but how important to Verizon is protecting the content *once it's in the home and legitimately decoded*?

d2tw4all

11-29-07, 08:31 AM

Thanks for the feedback, Tom... pardon an ignorant question, but how important to Verizon is protecting the content *once it's in the home and legitimately decoded*?

It's not Verizon that's paranoid it's the entertainment industry. They do NOT want people to be able to record high definition digital content without enforceable DRM, it's just too easy for someone to take that data and share it with others. Don't get me wrong, I HATE the idea that they do this, but unfortunately that's the world we live in. Back in the days of recording on VHS and sharing with a few friends it was no big deal, but with the advent of the internet all it takes is 1 person to record a movie or show in HD and put it up on the torrents and MILLIONS of people can then get a high quality copy of it. I love the fact that we can do that, but unfortunately the RIAA and MPAA aren't too happy about that and will do anything in their power to make it difficult to do things like that. Also, while I'm sure Verizon doesn't care a rip about encrypting the data for licensing purposes, they DO want to preserve the revenue stream that renting boxes provides, so it's also in their best interest to keep things nice and secure all the way to the box to ensure that anyone who wants to view their content must rent something, even if it's a cablecard. Verizon fought hard to not have to support cablecards even, we are lucky to have that option, thank the FCC for that!

Tom

geekski

11-29-07, 09:33 AM

I believe that I have discovered how this works. By choosing 2 different programs through the guide, both are being saved in buffer. Even if I cycle through channels, the first channel selected this way continues to be held. I've done this with several programs today. I don't know if this is an upgrade that came over last night or has always has been present. Can anyone else get this to work ?

Just FYI, I noticed that the dual buffer seems to work without any special effort as of yesterday's guide update. I just hit the "last" button, and was able to rewind a show on the currently and previously tuned channel, even though I had been watching another show on the DVR whilst these programs had started. Nice!
Haven't played with it enough yet to see whether I can pause one and return to it later.

FadeToOne

11-29-07, 09:39 AM

Oh, and I noticed that they're now set up for 4 digits when you enter the channel number. E.g. if I put in "800" it takes a second delay before the switch, whereas if I put in "0800", it switches right away. I take it there's more content on the way?

That's not a new feature in 1.4 as I've noticed that in 1.3 as well.

raynmanas

11-29-07, 09:56 AM

Just FYI, I noticed that the dual buffer seems to work without any special effort as of yesterday's guide update. I just hit the "last" button, and was able to rewind a show on the currently and previously tuned channel, even though I had been watching another show on the DVR whilst these programs had started. Nice!
Haven't played with it enough yet to see whether I can pause one and return to it later.

great news, do we have any idea when they will roll out the new software everywhere?

zoyd

11-29-07, 10:11 AM

great news, do we have any idea when they will roll out the new software everywhere?

Other areas are scheduled to get the update throughout December but it will depend on how stable it is for those that have received it. If there are still problems with reboots, lost recordings, etc. the rest of the roll-out will get delayed.

lokus

11-29-07, 05:46 PM

Can the FIOS QIP6416 DVR use 720p settings instead of 1080i for high def channels? The reason I ask is because I just purchased the Sony Bravia KDL-52W3000 and the HD channels don't seem to be deinterlaced. I want to rule out the cable box by switching it down to 720p but I don't see any settings for doing so.

lokus

11-29-07, 07:26 PM

soprano_777

11-29-07, 08:12 PM

here's a good one to figure out. Got update on my Hd dvr Picture no sound. Check standard box same tv and suround soud,works fine. tec came changed box 3 times no sound though optical on hd dvr, but on standard box optical works fine. had to change to componit to get sound . Why?

lokus

11-29-07, 09:45 PM

Does the QIP6416 do the deinterlacing and 3:2 pulldown on HD channels or is that something that your tv does? I have my hd dvr connected to the TV via component cables.

zoyd

11-29-07, 10:15 PM

Does the QIP6416 do the deinterlacing and 3:2 pulldown on HD channels or is that something that your tv does? I have my hd dvr connected to the TV via component cables.

The dvr does not do any inverse telecine (3:2 reverse pulldown). It will deinterlace 480i or 1080i if you have output set to 480p or 720p.

lokus

11-30-07, 05:36 AM

The dvr does not do any inverse telecine (3:2 reverse pulldown). It will deinterlace 480i or 1080i if you have output set to 480p or 720p.

Ok. So I am assuming that I would have to set my STB to 720p in the Diagnostics/User Settings mode? It is currently set on 1080i and I'm wondering if thats why I am noticing horizontal black lines on high def channels in 1080i.

raynmanas

11-30-07, 07:29 AM

raynmanas

11-30-07, 07:30 AM

However, I still have the HDMI output stop working sporadically. The regular AV cables will work fine, and the optical audio out to the receiver works fine, but no HDMI input to the TV. All that ever fixes it is a hard reboot, which is a pretty inconvenient thing to do when something is recording.

Alright, this problem is really getting to me; it happens way too frequently, at least once a day, usually more. Does anyone else have this issue?

jeepmon

11-30-07, 09:27 AM

I am unable to get to the Diagnostics or user settings menu with my FIOS QIP6416-2 HD DVR. Can anyone assist? I have tried hitting power off then menu directly afterwards and even power off then select directly afterwards. What am I doing wrong?

With the new IMG it has changed slightly - turn box off, press Select/Ok button and then Menu.

lokus

11-30-07, 10:03 AM

I don't have the new IMG yet (I've had FIOS TV for a few months). I had to reset the box again after speaking with customer service. I'm assuming one of the resets wouldn't allow me to enter diagnostics. I have option to change the res to 720p or 1080i but I can't tell atm if it removes the horizontal black lines appearing during fast movement.

geekski

12-01-07, 08:29 AM

great news, do we have any idea when they will roll out the new software everywhere?

No clue. But I wanted to add that I noticed that the buffer even works when the box is turned off. Not bad! Of course this only really does anything when you happen to be tuned to the station you're interested in when you turn the box off. But it's still come in handy once already when I turned on a show that had started 5 minutes prior and I was able to "rewind" and watch from the beginning.

Also, the descriptions in the updated guide are much better. They don't get cut off arbitrarily in mid sentence anymore. They also added a couple of graphics, such as a "new" symbol, and in On Demand, there's a "caution" triangle (looks like a yield sign) on the shows that will be removed next. I still wish they'd bring back the "available until (date)" feature on that though.

mrkorbs

12-01-07, 06:07 PM

After having FIOS installed, I realized I couldn't daisy chain two my two dvd recorders the way I did when I had Time Warner. The tech said I could no longer do that, and that I would have to have two DVR's on one tv. You've got to be kidding me. He also said I had to have the FIOS box set to the channel I wanted to record later, the way we used to do back in the day when vcr's first came out. There's gotta be a better way.

shawn12341234

12-01-07, 07:09 PM

when did the "tv guide" logo start showing up in the guide, is it new?

kes601

12-01-07, 07:18 PM

when did the "tv guide" logo start showing up in the guide, is it new?

They released a patch to the IMG in 3 states earlier in the week, I think this was Ft. Wayne, Indiana, parts of Pennsylvania, and Florida.

The patch supposedly fixes a few items and the TV Guide logo showed up, whether that means the guide data is now being provided by TV Guide(Gemstar) for the patched IMG is unknown.

bfdtv

12-01-07, 09:19 PM

Verizon was required to add the TVGuide logo as part of their patent licensing agreement with Gemstar, so it doesn't tell us anything either way.

TiVo has the same logo in their program guide and they use guide data from Tribune (the main competitor to Gemstar).

Randyman

12-01-07, 11:25 PM

bfdtv

12-02-07, 01:56 AM

Ok, read through the threads here but didn't come across in particular what I was looking for.

I'm on a brand new install with the 6416 and it already shows 27% usage when I haven't recorded a thing? Is this normal to lose that much without even setting up passes or have anything recorded?The earlier version of the IMG (still current in some areas) does not accurately report available space.

This is one of the fixes in the update released last week in Florida and some other service areas.

kes601

12-02-07, 07:53 AM

The earlier version of the IMG (still current in some areas) does not accurately report available space.

This is one of the fixes in the update released last week in Florida and some other service areas.

The new IMG also does not report in percentages, so my guess is that he/she has the older IPG....

joe01880

12-02-07, 08:06 AM

I am unable to get to the Diagnostics or user settings menu with my FIOS QIP6416-2 HD DVR. Can anyone assist? I have tried hitting power off then menu directly afterwards and even power off then select directly afterwards. What am I doing wrong?

you can not get to that menu via the HDMI connection, you have to be using the composit or s-video input on your tv to see the service menu from the 6416-2

shawn12341234

12-02-07, 08:46 AM

with the new IMG update, that you now have percent used indication while on the recorded list sometimes...by sometimes i mean if you are on an single recording...if it is group of recordings you don't see it until you highlight a particular one.

i noticed that my series priorities got inverted at some point so keep an eye on that if you have the update...this could have happened awhile ago with the original IMG update and i just didn't notice it, but it explains why i had been missing some of my recordings.

glad to see in the guide if you move a couple days ahead it doesn't just tell what day of the week of your on, which is a problem when you can go up to weeks ahead. currently, you get today, tomorrow, and dd/mm/yyyy...can't recall if this was fixed in the first release of the IMG. but, i don't see an obvious indication of the day of the week that you are on, which makes it difficult to scan the guide for programs on a certain day of the week for the future.

the cellular phone style text input search was not working for me in the first release, it is the fastest way to search and is a nice feature and it is almost working except there is major problem if you are adding a recording and make a mistake and you want to delete a character, you are supposed to press '*' according to the on screen directions, but if you do that puts you in VOD which is extremely annoying because it takes quite a bit of time to get back to where you were if you do that.

something that i don't understand is i have my box setup to display the time and when i change a channel the channel number is displayed for 60 seconds before it changes back to the time. this is quite annoying (especially when watching HD during prime time), is there setting to change this?

Gerryex

12-02-07, 10:39 AM

Hi ALL,

I'm in Florida and I did get the maint update. So far it was running fairly well and several items were corrected, especially the disk space usage. But then I was watching a recorded show which was only in SD and all of a sudden the video and sound stopped. I thought there was a problem with the original broadcast and it was just recorded that way. I looked at the DVR and saw that the front panel display was also blank, and I realized it was re-booting. It only took a couple of minutes and cam right back up but I'm very disappointed that it did it. I had not gotten any re-boots before and now with the updated release of the IMG I just got one!!

Oh well, we'll see what happens next!!!

Thanks,
Gerry

scocoh

12-02-07, 03:40 PM

are you using a HP TV if not what brand.
FIOS has a problem carying audio over HDMI from the 6416 to certain TV's
They know about this and have no immediate plans to fix it

tmf

12-02-07, 07:49 PM

One I haven't seen before, or have seen posted....

While deleting a show from disk, DVR scrams and shows db02 on the display. No guide and no video/audio. Called Verizon, tech claims he hasn't seen this before and had no clue as to the meaning of the error code. He sent a spike and that resulted in incomplete guide data and no video/audio. I had to do a power recycle which brought the DVR back to normal.

We have the new IMG without the pending patch.

Anyone seen this one before?

T

fmsjr

12-03-07, 07:37 PM

d2tw4all

12-04-07, 01:23 PM

Just called and cancelled FioS TV, sending the DVR's back as soon as I get the UPS labels. I was VERY descriptive about my issues with the boxes, the IMG upgrade, the service in general, and the piece de resistance, the price hikes next year. Told them they need to get their sheit together if they want to compete in this market, and that the ONE THING DVR's should NEVER EVER do is miss recordings. Nice knowin all you folks, I have my comcast basic cable set up (already got the first bill, 10.37 with tax!) and have MythTV working PERFECTLY with a dual tuner HD card (got the silicondust HDHomerun ethernet based tuner, HIGHLY recommend!) and absolutely love it, with the $20 yearly subscription to schedulesdirect and 10 a month for cable I'm around $12 a month and I control the DVR software, have a 400 gig drive in there so that will let me record quite a bit! For anyone who only needs basic channels but in HD, I highly suggest this setup! Even the Wife Acceptance Factor is there, unlike FioS!
Tom

bfdtv

12-04-07, 03:37 PM

d2tw4all

12-04-07, 08:50 PM

Of course, you can do all this with FiOS too, except the monthly cost is $12.99/mo instead of $10.37/mo.

There is nothing about MythTV that restricts its use to Comcast for recording from HD locals.

I tried the Fios no box through myth and you are right it worked fine, however the channel lineups were identical so I don't see any sense in paying $12.99 +tax vs. comcast's 10.37 which includes tax. It's not like it's better service or anything, same channels, same quality IMHO. I must say I really like Myth, it has it's little quirks but it's a very powerful and elegant system once set up, and HD looks great on it.
Tom

JayMan007

12-05-07, 08:49 AM

I tried the Fios no box through myth and you are right it worked fine, however the channel lineups were identical so I don't see any sense in paying $12.99 +tax vs. comcast's 10.37 which includes tax. It's not like it's better service or anything, same channels, same quality IMHO. I must say I really like Myth, it has it's little quirks but it's a very powerful and elegant system once set up, and HD looks great on it.
Tom

I just got a nice letter from comcast that their rates are going up Jan 1. I don't have it with me, but basic cable is going up.

d2tw4all

12-05-07, 01:53 PM

I just got a nice letter from comcast that their rates are going up Jan 1. I don't have it with me, but basic cable is going up.

Be interesting to see what happens, I just did some googling and it looks like a 4% increase for some areas, every area is a little different pricing wise but even if it does go up 4%, that's $.40 on my $10 plan. They would have to increase it over 30% for it to be the same as Verizon's basic package.
Tom

JayMan007

12-05-07, 08:04 PM

Be interesting to see what happens, I just did some googling and it looks like a 4% increase for some areas, every area is a little different pricing wise but even if it does go up 4%, that's $.40 on my $10 plan. They would have to increase it over 30% for it to be the same as Verizon's basic package.
Tom

At home now... Limited Basic Service going from 10.75 to 12.75.

d2tw4all

12-06-07, 04:56 PM

At home now... Limited Basic Service going from 10.75 to 12.75.
Hrm no kidding. My limited basic is like 9.65 or something, no notice yet that it's goin up. That's a HUGE increase percentage wise! Still less than FioS tho!
Tom

carter42

12-07-07, 06:19 AM

d2tw4all

12-07-07, 10:22 AM

Well I think you have to look at the fact that with the basic form comcast you don't have a STB involved and vz does also with basic/comcast it is truely anolog and no ondemand features and no NFL package? But remember as things progress into next year you will be haveing to use a converter box which may bring the price up to even if not more, please correct me if I am wrong

I will correct you, both comcast AND verizon's basic package does not require a set to box, and they simultaneously broadcast both the analog basic lineup as well as the HDTV digital stream for those same channels. Their "digital cable" is somewhat misleading in that their converter box is converting a digital channel lineup, but the basic service is only analog for the no HD channels, HD is digital, both OTA and over the cable wires, QAM unencrypted for any OTA broadcast stations and per FCC regs the cable companies MUST offer the HD channels in this way for basic cable. I don't get many channels with basic, pretty much all I get is what you would get with an antenna, however it comes in crystal clear even in HD so it's worth the 10 bucks a month to me. With torrents and other methods of getting shows these days I can easily download episodes of the few shows I watch that aren't on regular broadcast tv, in fact there are plugins for MythTV to do just that. Paying as much as Verizon or Comcast asks for their DVR's is now bordering on asinine, especially if you have more than one DVR in the house. I REALLY like the centralized model that MythTV allows, where I have 1 backend recording server doing all the recording and just need frontends by the TV's, anything I schedule is available from any frontend, including any computer I have in the house as well. Verizon is sort of recognizing the logic in their "network DVR" but it doesn't have any extra storage capacity and there's no way to enhance that, so it falls way short IMHO. Plus with Myth I can mount my windows share that has all of the .iso files for my DVD's on it and play my media library back from any frontend. This is true convergence and it's FREE which is even better!

But I digress, back to the point at hand, if you have an analog TV, you'll at some point need a digital to analog converter for it as the analog signal will no longer be provided for TV, I believe in 2009 is the current plan, BUT if you already have a digital TV (HDTV basically) with QAM then you'll never need a box for basic cable, I have the comcast cable plugged right into one of my HDTV's with a QAM tuner in it, I get full HD channels (which is digital) right over the wire, just like their boxes do.

Tom

old_muggle

12-08-07, 12:26 PM

I am unable to get to the Diagnostics or user settings menu with my FIOS QIP6416-2 HD DVR. Can anyone assist? I have tried hitting power off then menu directly afterwards and even power off then select directly afterwards. What am I doing wrong?

Hi,

I just switched over from Comcast. I don't know if you got an answer yet, but for me to get the service menu to show, I had to have component cables connected and then switch over to that connection.

Good luck.

sdorshan

12-09-07, 05:49 PM

I am in the process of switching from DirectTV/HD-Tivo to Fios/HD-DVR. What a shock. Everything about this DVR is more difficult or impossible to do compared with Tivo.

My first question is, if I decide to buy a dual-tuner Tivo, do I need two cable cards or just one, and what will Verizon charge me for that?

I've read back through many older messages, but I haven't found a comprehensive translation of Tivo functions to the Fios DVR functions. For example, jumping to the start or end of a program - I can do this easily with Tivo, but can only seem to fast forward/rewind with the DVR.

And I've seen discussions of having dual buffers on two channels, but I can't get the device to get into a mode where both channels are being buffered. Even if I could, why should I have to go through such contortions? It should just work, using the Last button.

Is there any better documentation of the DVR than the small manual that came with it? I've had to discover many of its functions on my own. What undocumented tricks are there?

And I really want more storage - is that possible with the hardware, as soon as they supply updated software?

Thanks a lot.

Scott

bfdtv

12-09-07, 06:56 PM

I am in the process of switching from DirectTV/HD-Tivo to Fios/HD-DVR. What a shock. Everything about this DVR is more difficult or impossible to do compared with Tivo.

My first question is, if I decide to buy a dual-tuner Tivo, do I need two cable cards or just one, and what will Verizon charge me for that?Until Verizon offers MCARDs in a few months, you need two of their 'S' CableCards @ $2.99/ea.

And I've seen discussions of having dual buffers on two channels, but I can't get the device to get into a mode where both channels are being buffered. Even if I could, why should I have to go through such contortions? It should just work, using the Last button.Verizon added dual buffers with the latest version of their DVR software, but it's not available in NJ yet. NJ should receive it in January.

And I really want more storage - is that possible with the hardware, as soon as they supply updated software?It's possible, but if Verizon adds this feature, it won't happen before mid-2008. And even then, at least 1/4 of all FiOS' Motorola DVRs lack the eSATA port necessary to support expanded storage.

For now, you've got to spend $250 on a TivoHD if you want a standalone, dual-tuner HDTV DVR for FiOS with storage expansion.

sdorshan

12-09-07, 08:32 PM

Until Verizon offers MCARDs in a few months, you need two of their 'S' CableCards @ $2.99/ea.

Verizon added dual buffers with the latest version of their DVR software, but it's not available in NJ yet. NJ should receive it in January.

It's possible, but if Verizon adds this feature, it won't happen before mid-2008. And even then, at least 1/4 of all FiOS' Motorola DVRs lack the eSATA port necessary to support expanded storage.

For now, you've got to spend $250 on a TivoHD if you want a standalone, dual-tuner HDTV DVR for FiOS with storage expansion.

Thanks for the fast response.

My box doesn't have the eSATA port, but I could probably get Verizon to swap it out if that feature becomes available.

Scott

Amadeus93

12-10-07, 04:20 PM

Verizon added dual buffers with the latest version of their DVR software, but it's not available in NJ yet. NJ should receive it in January.How do you tell what the version of your DVR software is?

Joe Q

12-10-07, 06:47 PM

For now, you've got to spend $250 on a TivoHD if you want a standalone, dual-tuner HDTV DVR for FiOS with storage expansion.

Don't forget to add a Cable Card PC to the option list.
That will also give you storage expansion which is only constrained by your wallet.

The Cable Card PC's are starting to become more cost effective due to the dramatic drop in price of the cable card tuner.
The price of the ATI Cable Card tuner is $320 less (from Dell) than I paid for each (I have 2) in September,2007 so today, It would have cost me $640 less!
Ie. In Septmeber, I paid $510 for each tuner from HP and now I can get them for $180 if I buy a Dell 420

Also, the competition for the cable card tuner is starting to heat up.
Another company that I refer to in my Cable Card sticky (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12135229#post12135229) is Ceton Corporation.
I have had a few conversations with them and they will be coming out with several Cable Card Tuners in 2008. One is an Mcard tuner.

On the Subjective side of things, I had 2 or 3 years with the Directv HD TIVO and loved the tivo interface .
However, now that I have lived with my Vista Media Center DVR for a few months, I REALLY prefer it over the TIVO.
I prefer it's functionality,additional capabilties and the UI.

fmsjr

12-10-07, 09:43 PM

How do you tell what the version of your DVR software is?

Menu - Settings - System Info

Amadeus93

12-10-07, 11:25 PM

Gotcha - I'm at Release 1.0.3, Build Number 03.40 - what's the latest?

afiggatt

12-10-07, 11:44 PM

Gotcha - I'm at Release 1.0.3, Build Number 03.40 - what's the latest?
Release 1.0.4, Build 05.68 for the 6416 DVR was rolled out on November 28 to FL, western PA, and IN. If the rumors/reports are correct, the new release may get rolled out to Northern VA, MD, and several other markets as soon as tomorrow or later in the week. FL, western PA, IN got HD VOD added the week after they got the patched IMG release. Verizon announced that Northern VA, MD, MA, and RI will get HD VOD before the end of the year, so those may be the next markets that get the IMG patch.

news_watch

12-11-07, 07:49 AM

kes601

12-11-07, 07:52 AM

I got it in Richmond last night.
Have not had time to look at it, but did have to pull power on it for the TV to see the signal for some reason.
If everyone's TV reacts that way, I'd guess their phone lines will be burning up today.

nw

Got it in Hampton Roads also. One of my DVRs acted that way, the other DVR, the HD Box, and the SD Box all worked fine.

afiggatt

12-11-07, 09:17 AM

Yep, got the release 1.0.4, Build 05.58 patch here in Northern VA. Like the improvement to the recording status screen as they no longer tell you the inaccurate how many hours of HD remaining. Just number of hours & minutes of SD and HD recorded, percentage used and percentage remaining.

However, I think I have already found 1 major new bug. The update wiped the user defined closed caption settings for font size, style, background. The CC were back to the ugly black background with large block white text. So I press Select and Menu to access the setup screen and fix the caption settings. Turn the box on and the modified CC settings with small text and transparent background are there. Turn the DVR off, then on again and the captions are back to the default settings!!! I reset them several times and each time after I turned it off, it lost the settings. Great, two steps forwards, one major [bleep] step back.

I will have to experiment to see if a cold reset or other steps will fix this. If not, I guess I will have to leave the damn DVR "on" except when the TV won't be used for an extended period. Since Verizon took 4+ months to get out this updated release, they are not working on a quick fix cycle. So if this is new bug, I'm stuck with it for months. TivoHD, I hear your siren call...

zoyd

12-11-07, 09:25 AM

Patch was pushed in MD at 5:15 am this morning.

taeboguy

12-11-07, 09:29 AM

d2tw4all

12-11-07, 01:11 PM

Hmm....I am in NoVA and just called yesterday to cancel the HD-DVR's I have and go with a normal HD STB and a CC solution. The wife is just pissed that we are paying over $25/mo. for something that is not even close to reliable for recordings.

Hoping to go HD-TIVO early next year. I am convinced that she will buckle on this one because although she claims we can just not have TV at all, I think it is a pile of BS. She likes watching TV in bed at night too much and ALL of is it recorded shows.

The next few months will be interesting in my home. ;)

I can TOTALLY relate! My wife was in the same boat as yours, she HATED the verizon DVR's missing her shows and just being downright buggy in general! When I told her our options she didn't want to shell out the cake for the HD Tivo's (we'd need at LEAST 2 of them) plus still pay a lot for the TV service and the cablecards, etc. So she was also to the point where she said we'd just have no TV at all, if we couldn't have a DVR. Then I proposed MythTV to her and she was pretty skeptical but I made a good sell of it and we're VERY happy with the results. Additionally, I set up utorrent as a service on one of the servers in my house and using the webui I can VERY easily schedule torrents, and the torrents automatically get saved in a share that MythTV has access to. I downloaded the ENTIRE 2nd season of Heroes in full HD last night (11 episodes) plus 2 episodes of Stargate Atlantis and this week's amazing race. It's not a perfect system, but it's pretty trivial for me to sit on the couch with my laptop and find torrents of shows and paste the URL's into the webui for utorrent. I downgraded to BASIC cable, 10 bucks a month, and I still get HD for all the local channels (for watching the patriots and most of our day to day TV recording) and I can get almost any show that's on cable from torrents. Just a thought.
Tom

bfdtv

12-11-07, 01:47 PM

I downgraded to BASIC cable, 10 bucks a month, and I still get HD for all the local channels (for watching the patriots and most of our day to day TV recording) and I can get almost any show that's on cable from torrents. Just a thought.The more you engage in illicit / illegal behavior, the greater your chance of being caught. You might be able to argue fair use for a NBC recording, but you can't do the same for recordings from cable channels.

I knew two people (as in knew them by name -- we weren't friends) who got that $5000-$15000 bill from the RIAA for downloading music. One of them claimed he hadn't downloaded any music in over a year. The RIAA got their information by subpoena, so there was no question of their guilt; they settled for $$$$ and signed an agreement saying they would never do it again. I see no reason to believe that the MPAA won't do something similar at some point.

Comcast keeps all your IP/DHCP records for more than two years and reportedly provides customer information to the RIAA and MPAA without a subpoena.

d2tw4all

12-11-07, 02:28 PM

The more you engage in illicit / illegal behavior, the greater your chance of being caught. You might be able to argue fair use for a NBC recording, but you're not going to be able to do the same for recordings from cable channels.

I knew two people (as in knew them by name -- we weren't friends) who got that $5000-$15000 bill from the RIAA for downloading music. One of them claimed he hadn't downloaded any music in over a year. The RIAA got their information by subpoena, so there was no question of their guilt; they settled for $$$$ and signed an agreement saying they would never do it again. I see no reason to believe that the MPAA won't do something similar at some point.

Comcast keeps all your IP/DHCP records for more than two years and reportedly provides customer information to the RIAA and MPAA without a subpoena.

Always a risk associated with everything, of course, however I do have a couple of points on this. First of all, I don't use comcast for my data, I still have FioS and will always have FioS, it's the fastest internet around! Now maybe Verizon does or will provide that information as well, I DO NOT download/share music or movies, I have an ipod and use itunes and pay the buck per song and I have Netflix for my movies (now I can neither confirm nor deny ripping any movies to .iso's) You're right it's just not worth it in those cases. HOWEVER when it comes to TV, I have NEVER and I mean NEVER heard of one single individual who got sued in ANY WAY for downloading/sharing tv episodes that were either broadcast on network television or cable, even shows that are on HBO etc. but I don't download them even. I don't even know how they could quantify the "lost revenue" of a shared TV episode that was PUBLICLY aired, maybe there's a way but I sure can't think of one! Music and movies are different of course, and I totally agree with you there, I wouldn't suggest doing that, for me it's worth the buck per song or the 7.99/mo. I don't believe SciFi receives funding from Verizon or any other cable provider, they probably PAY them to air their episodes, Scifi has in fact let you download their episodes for free on their website in the past and I know comcast/verizon/every other cable provider didn't get a cut of that. Let's please not mix apples and oranges, music and movies is one thing, broadcast television shows is quite another!

Tom

ottomatic

12-11-07, 04:07 PM

Why won't the verizon box allow you to send the native resolution of the broadcast out? If a football game is in 720p, why not output the 720p? I have a 1080p set, so I assume 1080i is my best option. In this case, the 720p football game is going to be converted to 1080i by the verizon box and then to 1080p by my tv. Any advice?

kes601

12-11-07, 04:14 PM

noamparn

12-11-07, 05:38 PM

I received the IMG update 1.0.4 Build 05.68 in the Maryland/DC area last night.
So far, so good. I haven't had time to play with it much.

ssharp

12-11-07, 07:57 PM

The IMG update crashed my 6416. It's like it now thinks its a vanilla receiver with no DVR functions. VZ techs tried and couldn't restore it. They're sending someone to replace the the box and I'm losing a months worth of unwatched recordings. I'm crushed. Can anyone point me to a way to extract my programs or anything else I can try?

afiggatt

12-11-07, 08:53 PM

However, I think I have already found 1 major new bug. The update wiped the user defined closed caption settings for font size, style, background. The CC were back to the ugly black background with large block white text. So I press Select and Menu to access the setup screen and fix the caption settings. Turn the box on and the modified CC settings with small text and transparent background are there. Turn the DVR off, then on again and the captions are back to the default settings!!! I reset them several times and each time after I turned it off, it lost the settings.
Good news, someone on dslreports messaged me with a work around for the closed caption formatting bug. The key is to turn off captions in the Settings->Accessibility IMG menu. Then go to the Motorola setup by turning the DVR off, press Select, then Menu on the remote. Turn on the captions there with the font size & type, background settings you want, set Settings to User, turn box off. Stay away from the IMG menu caption settings because that wipes the caption formatting back to the defaults.

As someone who writes code for a living, I have to wonder about the competence of the IMG development team or certainly the project managers. For a software system that gets rolled out to hundred of thousands of customers, a comprehensive test procedure for all the user functions is a rather basic requirement. Oh well, maybe they will get it right by release 1.5.8. :rolleyes: