Greetings all,

Several months ago, I posted about a problem with using HDMI to connect my HR20-700 to my Olevia 537H TV. Back then I had the following problem:

Turn on TV - watch HD programming with HDMI - no problem

Turn on TV - watch SD with HDMI - no problem

Switch from SD to HD - no problem

Switch from HD to SD - doesn't work.

I got around this by using component cables for watch SD and HDMI for HD. Now HDMI doesn't work at all - it seems to have gone out with the last firmware update, although I can't prove that. I've tried the following:

Different cable - didn't work
Attached upconverting DVD player - works fine
RBR'ed receiver twice - didn't work
Removed all other output cables except HDMI - didn't work.

I contacted D* customer service - they ran me through the RBR routine and had me turn native off and turn off all SD resolutions. Neither of those things worked and they refused to consider the possiblility of problems with the receiver unless I paid $70 for a service call. I don't want to pay that just to have somebody tell me it doesn't work, so they gave up and told me to just use component.

I've seen a lot of posts on the D* technical support forums about this subject, but never any solid solutions. Apparently, D* has just been saying "try the next firmware upgrade" since at least January 2006, but has never fixed the problem. I get good results with the component cables, but it would be nice if the HR20-700 worked as advertised.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance.

JT01

Try a call to Olevia to see if they can fix it on their end with a firmware update.

Try a call to Olevia to see if they can fix it on their end with a firmware update.

I can try contacting Olevia, but there aren't any firmware updates on their website newer than what I have on the TV. Plus, HDMI worked before the last HR20 firmware update, and I haven't changed the Olevia firmware since updating it with the latest version in January 2007. Thanks for the reply.

JT01

I can try contacting Olevia, but there aren't any firmware updates on their website newer than what I have on the TV. Plus, HDMI worked before the last HR20 firmware update, and I haven't changed the Olevia firmware since updating it with the latest version in January 2007. Thanks for the reply.

JT01

I have the 537 and the HR20 and have not had any of the problems you discuss. I have set the HR20 to send everything out as 720p, and I suspect that's part of the issue - the resolution switching. I set mine to default to 720p back when I had the HR20 hooked up to an HP plasmas, as I didn't like the 2-3 pause the occured on that TV when switching from SD to HD. The HR20's scaler is pretty good, so having it do the work is not a bad thing.

I have the 537 and the HR20 and have not had any of the problems you discuss. I have set the HR20 to send everything out as 720p, and I suspect that's part of the issue - the resolution switching. I set mine to default to 720p back when I had the HR20 hooked up to an HP plasmas, as I didn't like the 2-3 pause the occured on that TV when switching from SD to HD. The HR20's scaler is pretty good, so having it do the work is not a bad thing.

Will try setting the HR20 to send everything as 720p when I get home tonight, but am not optimistic. When HDMI was working, the switching would get more difficult as the receiver warmed up - switching from HD to SD would work right after the HR20 was turned on, then wouldn't after the HR20 had been on for 5 minutes or so. This makes me think it's possible there's a heat-related defect, where the HDMI jack in the HR20 makes proper contact when relatively cool, then expands with the heat and doesn't make contact. How likely this is, I don't know. I do know it was working (with the 2-3 second pause you mentioned) until recently, now doesn't at all. The best test would be to try another HR20 with the 537H, but that's not possible. Anyway, will try the above and post the results later tonight. Thanks.

JT01

Will try setting the HR20 to send everything as 720p when I get home tonight, but am not optimistic. When HDMI was working, the switching would get more difficult as the receiver warmed up - switching from HD to SD would work right after the HR20 was turned on, then wouldn't after the HR20 had been on for 5 minutes or so. This makes me think it's possible there's a heat-related defect, where the HDMI jack in the HR20 makes proper contact when relatively cool, then expands with the heat and doesn't make contact. How likely this is, I don't know. I do know it was working (with the 2-3 second pause you mentioned) until recently, now doesn't at all. The best test would be to try another HR20 with the 537H, but that's not possible. Anyway, will try the above and post the results later tonight. Thanks.

JT01

I'm not sure it's the HDMI connector, but more likely the chips inside.
If you feel that it is your receiver [hardware] then you can always call D* and just tell them it won't power up. There is little troubleshooting for this and they should/will send out a replacement.

I have set my Caller ID settings to have notifications turned on; however, I don't receive them.
The call log is there, but I don't receive alerts when a call is coming in.
What am I doing wrong?
Do I have to be watching Live TV instead of a recorded program?

Also, I have heard it is possible to stream music via the HR-20. Is that correct and if so, how? Thanks.

Caller id still has some bugs for D* to work out. It's probably not anything you're doing wrong. Some have suggested the problem can be made worse by having 5 or more phones, answering machines, faxes, etc. plugged in besides the HR20.

The HR20 is supposed to be able to get music and pictures off of a networked PC. Many people have gotten this to work. I'm not one of them. Here are some links to DBSTalk that might help you.
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=99327
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=90631

Hi all, I need some advice. Just got my HR20 installed on Friday and discovered this weekend that I am not receiving some of the HD channels, including HDnet. I should get this as part of the Total Choice package. What's odd is that I get most of the others. I get up to 78 but not 79! I checked all the cables and reset the box. No good, the channel even disappeared from the guide. I called customer service and we did another reset, checked all the signal strengths (which were ok), did a guided satellite setup and she resent the authorization for HD Acess 2 times. Still no channel, but it is now listed int he guide again. The screen is black and I get the "771 searching for signal" error message. Now I have to have a tech come to my house again (my third appointment) to check things. Does anyone know of something else I can try to fix this without the tech coming out? I completely missed Torchwood in HD last night!

Thanks,
Tom Berman

About the only thing I can offer is this:
Try refreshing your service yourself.....
Spend a few minutes on DirecTV.com and go to:
Customer Service -> Troubleshooting -> Refresh Your Services

If after you do this, and wait maybe 10-15 minutes... Try it one more time.

Some people have noted that the HD package was no longer on their account... So you may also want to check that as well

Hi all, I need some advice. Just got my HR20 installed on Friday and discovered this weekend that I am not receiving some of the HD channels, including HDnet. I should get this as part of the Total Choice package.
Normally the Total Choice package does not include HDnet (or any HD channels for that matter). Normally you would need to have a line item on your bill called "HD Access". Something is definitely odd. Based on your description you shouldn't be receiving channel 78 either. Check your latest bill (on paper or online) and see if you have "HD Access" listed. Good luck.

Jay

It's possible you got a software upgrade after the installer left. The upgrade may have hosed your Dish Type and Multiswitch settings.

I'm just guessing, but that's what seemed to happen to me.

I have the 537 and the HR20 and have not had any of the problems you discuss. I have set the HR20 to send everything out as 720p, and I suspect that's part of the issue - the resolution switching. I set mine to default to 720p back when I had the HR20 hooked up to an HP plasmas, as I didn't like the 2-3 pause the occured on that TV when switching from SD to HD. The HR20's scaler is pretty good, so having it do the work is not a bad thing.

Tried setting the HR20 to send everything out as 720p and got nothing. I think I'll wait to see if the next software upgrade does anything for this, as the problem first occurred around the time of the last upgrade. If that doesn't work, I'll try D* Customer Service again. Thanks to all involved - let me know if anyone has any other ideas.

JT01

Is anyone experiencing loss of Dolby 5.1 decoding? This is a problem that has just begun in the last 2-3 days.

Ordinarily, I would suspect a problem in my AVR or my cabling, but I think it may be in the HR20.

My AVR has indicators for input and output as well as a Dolby indicator. I have three sources capable of giving me Dolby 5.1. Here are the results on Dolby 5.1 sources:

DVD: Input=Dolby 5.1, Output=Dolby 5.1, Dolby indicator=On

TV Optical Out: Input=Dolby 5.1, Output=Dolby 5.1, Dolby indicator=On

HR20: Input=Dolby 5.1, Output=Stereo (2.1), Dolby indicator=On

When I watch the same program on OTA, I get Dolby 5.1 on the OTA and Stereo 2.1 on the HR20.

BTW, the HR20 is set to Dolby on. The system used to work, but suddenly moved to the behavior described above a few days ago.

It would be a great help if I knew if I am the only one experiencing this problem.

Thanks,

Burt

Hi,
My HR20 was installed yesterday. The installer actually arrived early. I forgot that he probably couldn't put the dish on the chimney where the other one was, so he put it on the roof. I have 3 things I have a problem with.
1. I didn't know they would take my local SD stations away when I got the HD ones. The installer said that they just told him yesterday morning that, thats what their going to do now. I have 2 local stations that aren't on D*tv in HD yet, and I lost them. Now I don't have the CW or PBS from satellite. I agree they could take away the ones that they provide in HD, but not the ones they don't, but they took all of them away.

2. I get OTA stations from 3 different areas. My primary one is York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, PA. Since I only live 10 miles across the border from MD, I get Baltimore stations also. In fact, I get more stations from them than I do in my local area. I also get Washington stations OTA. He set up my OTA areas as York as primary and Baltimore as my secondary. It only scans for those stations. Now I can't get the Washington stations anymore. I tried to input the real digital station number, and it says channel not available. Is there any way to get the Washington stations?

3. I was hoping the remote would also control my stereo. When I try to set it up, it says there are 15 possible codes for my Sony home theater. It lists 6 of them, which I tried and didn't work, how can I find out what the other ones are. I don't see any way to list the rest, after the 6 that are listed it just has ... and no way I can find to list the rest. Would they be on their website somewhere?

I can't see any difference in the picture quality from my HD locals from sat and from OTA, which is good.

Thanks

1) You should have both SD and HD stations. If you had the SD station with D* before, it should still be there. Maybe wait for the guide to re populate.

2) You can only recieve OTA from 2 zip codes, there is no scan, you get what is pre-programmed. No direct tuning.

3) Check your sony setup. Mine had 2 options. The default remote type did not work. I changed it to the other option at my reciever and was able to program the D* remote with out issue.

Wasn't today (9/19) supposed to be the day that the first of the new MPEG4 HD channels would start up? Just a bad rumor evidently. Has anyone heard a definite startup date?

Wasn't today (9/19) supposed to be the day that the first of the new MPEG4 HD channels would start up? Just a bad rumor evidently. Has anyone heard a definite startup date?

It was a rumored day yes. Rumors are now for this Friday. Bottom line is DirectTV has yet to give an official date. Who knows.

Thanks for the replies. I do have the HD access added to my Total Choice package. I get all the other HD stations ok. As of last night, HDNet showed up in the guide and when I went to the channel, I saw the description of the current program, but no picture. Just 771 searching for signal. Weird. I'll try the refresh option online, but will it do anything that the manual resets didn't?

Oh, the box did do a software update just as the tech was leaving. I hope that didn't mess up the settings!

Tom Berman

Sorry for the newbie-style question, but is there any way to limit the Guide to only the subscribed channels? I looked into this when I started D* service last January, but never found any easy way to do it. Thanks in advance

JT01

Sorry for the newbie-style question, but is there any way to limit the Guide to only the subscribed channels? I looked into this when I started D* service last January, but never found any easy way to do it. Thanks in advance

JT01

The easiest way I've found is to go into your favorites from the main menu /edit settings and set up a custom list with only the channels you subscribe or watch. (personally I eliminated all the spanish language, shopping and PPV channels)

This happened to me as well and continues to happen when/if my dish is moved by wind or inclimate weather. A quick adjustment of the dish and viola! HD NET comes back in....strange but true.

1) You should have both SD and HD stations. If you had the SD station with D* before, it should still be there. Maybe wait for the guide to re populate.

The 2 stations that I didn't have showed up yesterday during the day. I don't have both SD and HD from each station, but I have the SD from the ones they don't have in HD. I think thats what the installer meant.

2) You can only recieve OTA from 2 zip codes, there is no scan, you get what is pre-programmed. No direct tuning.

Since I have all my locals on sat again, I may try to make Baltimore my primary and Washington my secondary.

3) Check your sony setup. Mine had 2 options. The default remote type did not work. I changed it to the other option at my reciever and was able to program the D* remote with out issue.

I found the exact code I needed from Directvs website,
so I think all my problems are fixed.

Thanks

This happened to me as well and continues to happen when/if my dish is moved by wind or inclimate weather. A quick adjustment of the dish and viola! HD NET comes back in....strange but true.
Thanks blackj, I'll just have to be patient and wait for the tech to come on Monday.

Turned on the unit and tried to go to "My playlist" and it wasn't there.

Recorded a bit of sports center, went to my playlist and that was the only show there.

Somehow all my saved recordings were deleted/erased!

Any ideas how this might have happened?

Thanks in advance,

JT

Turned on the unit and tried to go to "My playlist" and it wasn't there.

Recorded a bit of sports center, went to my playlist and that was the only show there.

Somehow all my saved recordings were deleted/erased!

Any ideas how this might have happened?

Thanks in advance,

JT
------------
What does your "History" say? Have you tried a re-boot?

You know, I was just thinking... with all the sports and 'The War' by Ken Burns (PBS) beginning this week end plus next week most of the programming for the new season starts on the networks (my wife will watch those), there will be little time to check out the new HD offerings. Of course, Directv wanted to start their HD rollout this week. Too bad they had to postpone it. But things do happen.

Well, I'm scared to give up my TiVo but I'm about to join the HR20 family. Just too much trouble pulling in the local channels in HD in my new location. The first CSR I talked to tried to tell me that my current HR10-250 would completely stop functioning this winter (no HD channels). I used that bit of mis-information to get me transferred to customer retention which started at $99 and ended up with a free upgrade. I've been with D* since they started so I'd expect a little consideration.

Now, I just pray I don't regret the move as I have absolutely loved my Tivo since the first day I got it (also one of the first SA boxes).

Tue is the big day so fingers are crossed...

You know, I was just thinking... with all the sports and 'The War' by Ken Burns (PBS) beginning this week end plus next week most of the programming for the new season starts on the networks (my wife will watch those), there will be little time to check out the new HD offerings. Of course, Directv wanted to start their HD rollout this week. Too bad they had to postpone it. But things do happen. Yes, the main (only?) reason I was so eager for the new HD channels was I wanted to play with them before the fall network season starts. I probably won't watch the new channels much after then.

Too bad, but as you said, things happen.

Now, I just pray I don't regret the move as I have absolutely loved my Tivo since the first day I got it (also one of the first SA boxes).

I've had at least one TiVo around since 2000. I got an HR20 a month ago, and am very pleased with it. The only thing I miss from the TiVo is Wishlists. You can search for one thing at a time with the HR20, but I miss being able to scroll through a list of the things that were found.

Quote:
Originally Posted by John4924
I hope you guys don't mind me asking lots of questions, because I have plenty
Now that I am getting the HR-20, and the eSata port works, I have a question. I have a 500GB Lacie USB 2.0 external hard drive just sitting around. Is there some sort of "converter" available to link these two together? Or is this even possible?
Cheers,
John

With some cables: http://www.addonics.com/products/io/aau2esa.asp
I haven't used or tried it so "I don't know" if it works.
Now understand: there will be 100 GB of storage "wasted" [used by] D* so your 500 will only use 400 for programs.
Also the internal will become "unused".

Did anyone test this? I also have a 500gig USB 2.0 drive I'd use with the HR20-100 if this conversion option was successful.

That said, can folks recommend eSata drive sources (stores) with the best prices/quality? PM if necessary. Thanks!

Well, I'm scared to give up my TiVo but I'm about to join the HR20 family. Just too much trouble pulling in the local channels in HD in my new location. The first CSR I talked to tried to tell me that my current HR10-250 would completely stop functioning this winter (no HD channels). I used that bit of mis-information to get me transferred to customer retention which started at $99 and ended up with a free upgrade. I've been with D* since they started so I'd expect a little consideration.

Now, I just pray I don't regret the move as I have absolutely loved my Tivo since the first day I got it (also one of the first SA boxes).

Tue is the big day so fingers are crossed... I went through all the FUD regarding the change, too, but I bit the bullet a month or so ago to be ready for the new HD channels. I loved the HR10-250, too. I'm also a D* customer since the beginning.

Some things are different, which takes a bit of getting used to, but overall the change went smoothly and I have no regrets. Can't say one is better than the other, but the new channels should tip the balance toward the HR-20.

Don't be concerned. Aside from relearning how to do a few things and a couple of features unique to one or the other, you'll soon feel quite comfortable with the HR-20.

Enjoy.

There seem to be an extensive list of complaints concerning HDMI compatibilty
problems using the HR20 or H20, I tried to different monitors both would not connect using the supplied cable. Someone below seems to have found the cure..a higher grade cable..now will DTV compensate owners for replacing what seem like bad cables?

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=63998

This is my first post. Be gentle....

Thanks for all the info on how to handle Directv.

Just got off the phone with D*. Told them I was going cancel my account and get a HDDVR from Dish and got the following deal for an HR20:

$19.95 billed to my account
$10.00 per month off my bill for 12 months
2 months free movie and sports package
Free installation coming wednesday

Now the fun begins?

Dan

Quote:
Originally Posted by John4924
I hope you guys don't mind me asking lots of questions, because I have plenty
Now that I am getting the HR-20, and the eSata port works, I have a question. I have a 500GB Lacie USB 2.0 external hard drive just sitting around. Is there some sort of "converter" available to link these two together? Or is this even possible?
Cheers,
John



Did anyone test this? I also have a 500gig USB 2.0 drive I'd use with the HR20-100 if this conversion option was successful.

That said, can folks recommend eSata drive sources (stores) with the best prices/quality? PM if necessary. Thanks!

I just installed a Cavalry 750GB drive via the eSATA port on my HR20. works great. Buy.com has them for $187 shipped and it comes with the cable.

If I understand correctly, if you add an external drive, that drive becomes the storage drive, it does not combine the space of the internal with the external.

Is that correct?

correct. it replaces the internal drive until you disconnect it and reboot the HR20.

Currently on my HD10-250, I have over 75 season passes. My HR20 only allows 50. Why is the limit so low?

correct. it replaces the internal drive until you disconnect it and reboot the HR20.

Thanks. Is there a list somewhere of "proven" drives?

Thanks. Is there a list somewhere of "proven" drives?

Seems like the favorite at DBSTalk.com is the Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750GB. NewEgg has them for $230, no tax, free shipping.

Get the right eSATA cable and don't use any USB ports. The HR20's USB is not enabled and probably won't be.

There seem to be an extensive list of complaints concerning HDMI compatibilty
problems using the HR20 or H20, I tried to different monitors both would not connect using the supplied cable. Someone below seems to have found the cure..a higher grade cable..now will DTV compensate owners for replacing what seem like bad cables?

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=63998

Basing a widespread cable problem on one report is major conclusion jumping. There may indeed be a case of a bad cable but there are much bigger differences in cable pricing than cable quality. HDMI incompatibilities are not cured by cable replacement and bad cables are rare.

I've heard the HR20 can be connected to a PC for extended functionality via ethernet. Can someone explain the specifics of this for me?

I've heard the HR20 can be connected to a PC for extended functionality via ethernet. Can someone explain the specifics of this for me?

It's coming in VOD (video on demand which should be availble in a few months.

Check www.dbstalk.com for more details.

fafner

Hi All.

I’m trying to get past the growing pains of switching to the HR20 but its proving difficult (but I’ve only had it 5 days). I’ve had a Tivo since day one but I’ve also used a lot of other PVR software and Tivo isn’t even close to my favorite (SageTV) and I’m certainly open to new ideas. Plus I’ve worked in software design since punch cards so I also accept there are a lot of ways to get from A to B, not just the way I like or am most used to.

So after 4 days I was just starting to get used to ‘how things work’ and while there are several steps backwards there are definitely some nice steps forward.

But then came football weekend and frustration. The lack of dual live buffers is a serious omission. Speaking strictly as a consumer I really don’t expect the ‘next generation’ offered up as a replacement to be lacking fundamental features of its predecessor, esp when you consider the cost of sports subs. We pay a lot of $ to get a lot of games and literally that value has been reduced by half. But that’s been beaten to death and isn’t going to be solved here.

But here are two obstacles I have run into that maybe others have figured out.

1) How to filter guide data (not channel data) on the HR 20? The filter I can find (hit guide 2x) doesn’t seem to be looking at guide data, it just seems to be filtering channels based on what may generally be on. For example none of the football games on the networks appear in my ‘sports guide’. That’s totally useless. With Sunday Ticket, Game Plan, Sports Pack, BTN etc there are a lot of game choices and its obviously a big help to filter them from 100+ other channels.

2) Is there a remote press to allow you to completely ‘exit’ Live TV? Here’s the problem I run into. A recording of a game starts with the TV off. Later while the game is still in progress I want to start watching from the beginning. But when you turn the tv on there’s the game being recorded, hard to avoid seeing the score etc. With Tivo you can hit the Tivo button which takes you to ‘Tivo Central’, then once you turn your TV on you can go to Now Playing and start from the beginning and you never ‘risk’ knowing what happens before you watch it. I expect there is a way around this but I haven’t got a handle on it yet. Maybe there is a way to turn off the preview window?


Thanks for any insight anyone has. I know I sound really down on the HR20 but if you would have asked me on Friday (before multiple games) I would have had a lot more positive attitude.

Hi All.



2) Is there a remote press to allow you to completely ‘exit’ Live TV? Here’s the problem I run into. A recording of a game starts with the TV off. Later while the game is still in progress I want to start watching from the beginning. But when you turn the tv on there’s the game being recorded, hard to avoid seeing the score etc. With Tivo you can hit the Tivo button which takes you to ‘Tivo Central’, then once you turn your TV on you can go to Now Playing and start from the beginning and you never ‘risk’ knowing what happens before you watch it. I expect there is a way around this but I haven’t got a handle on it yet. Maybe there is a way to turn off the preview window?

Someone please answer this one quickly as I am about to encounter just this issue in about 1hr!

Tim - I assume you've read the Tivo to HR20 survival guide... if not..
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=69404

I talk to myself loudly and don't look at the live picture. I start watching the recording as soon as possible.

I've heard the HR20 can be connected to a PC for extended functionality via ethernet. Can someone explain the specifics of this for me?It's the "Music and Photos" capability which allows you to listen to music and view photos from your PC on the HR20. IMO it is still very buggy and slow. It locks up when you try to browse a large number of folders. Also the photo quality is poor. I was hoping for HD quality photos like the Roku Photobridge or Xbox360. Maybe someday it will be a usefull feature. It's too bad Directv isn't serious about developing this into a high quality application. I think it would be a big selling point to get more Directv subscribers.

Jay

That should be in the manual.

I talk to myself loudly and don't look at the live picture. I start watching the recording as soon as possible.

Seems like the favorite at DBSTalk.com is the Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750GB. NewEgg has them for $230, no tax, free shipping.

Get the right eSATA cable and don't use any USB ports. The HR20's USB is not enabled and probably won't be.
Thanks for the tip. :)

I've heard the HR20 can be connected to a PC for extended functionality via ethernet. Can someone explain the specifics of this for me?

It's coming in VOD (video on demand which should be availble in a few months.

Check www.dbstalk.com for more details.

fafnerIn addition to the upcoming DIRECTV On Demand (DOD), there is also the already-available MediaShare, which allows you to stream music and pictures from your PC once you are networked.

Since the prices of external HDD are very low at the moment, I'm seriously thinking of adding a 500-750 Gb external drive to one of my HR20-700s.

Does the addition of an external drive in any way adversely affect the performance of the HR20? Meaning decreased speed for the guide; causing more frequent re-booting, etc?

I understand that the internal drive is bypassed when an external HDD is added so that the extra capacity is not added; is this correct?

The external HDD is added to the SATA port I believe, not the USB drive which is still not activated, yes?

Lastly, any recommendations on specific brands and size of external HDDs that have been working well for members here? I would be willing to pay extra for an HDD that has a faster rotational speed AND is very quiet.

Thanks for any tips,
Bish

Since the prices of external HDD are very low at the moment, I'm seriously thinking of adding a 500-750 Gb external drive to one of my HR20-700s.
The external HDD is added to the SATA port I believe, not the USB drive which is still not activated, yes?

Lastly, any recommendations on specific brands and size of external HDDs that have been working well for members here? I would be willing to pay extra for an HDD that has a faster rotational speed AND is very quiet.

Thanks for any tips,
Bish

Did you see Keenan's(and Bakers12) post a few back?

I have a Mitz 46131 and HR20-100. The Mitz has split screen capability if you are sourcing from two different a/v fees (e.g. two component inputs). I'm wondering if there is either a workaround that might allow me to take advantage of the split screen option. A couple of thoughts:


perhaps there's been a firmware update to the HR20-100 that now allows PIP/split screen?
Perhaps I can install a 1-to-2 HDMI splitter from the HR20, and use these to input into both of the HDMI ports on the TV.
Alternative: Add component AV from HR20 to TV. In this or the above option, I am wondering whether there is any way to have two channels output from the HR20.


These are just a few thoughts, and I don't know if they would work. Short question: is there a way to get PIP from the HR20?

Appreciate the feedback. - Paul M.

The HR20 will only output one thing at a time, It will send this one thing out simultaneously over all outputs, but still only one show at a time. The Dish VIP22 will output two things at a time, but no Directv box has ever supported multiple outs with the lone exception of the pip feature in the Ultimate TV box.
If you have cable high speed coming into your home and your tv has a QAM tuner, you could split that off from your modem and run a coax to your TV and get loads of chanels over cable (at no extra cost).

The HR20 will only output one thing at a time, It will send this one thing out simultaneously over all outputs, but still only one show at a time. The Dish VIP22 will output two things at a time, but no Directv box has ever supported multiple outs with the lone exception of the pip feature in the Ultimate TV box.
If you have cable high speed coming into your home and your tv has a QAM tuner, you could split that off from your modem and run a coax to your TV and get loads of chanels over cable (at no extra cost).

Don't the cable companies have a way to block that?

Short question: is there a way to get PIP from the HR20?

Appreciate the feedback. - Paul M.The only way that others (including myself) have found to do it is to have 2 HR20s, each hooked up to separate inputs on the TV. I have both HR20s set up with RF for the remote, but one as the DIRECTV position on the slide switch and the other as AV1. Not only does it give me PiP (if your TV has PiP capability), but it effectively gives me DLB (Dual Live Buffers) as well.

I cannot take credit for thinking of it, however, because the idea was first posted (http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1096361&postcount=1) by DBSTalk user Milominderbinder2.

Did you see Keenan's(and Bakers12) post a few back?


No, how I missed them I can't say.

Thanks for pointing them out.

Bish

One more question on the external drive subject.

When adding the external drive, what happens to the recordings you already have on the internal?

Does adding the ext essentially mean a complete re-setup on the STB?

Thanks.

One more question on the external drive subject.

When adding the external drive, what happens to the recordings you already have on the internal?

Does adding the ext essentially mean a complete re-setup on the STB?

Thanks.

You don't loose them, but you can't access them until you disconnect the external HDD.

You don't have to download the most recent software, but you do have to setup your series links.

That's two questions actually. j/k

You don't loose them, but you can't access them until you disconnect the external HDD.

You don't have to download the most recent software, but you do have to setup your series links.

That's two questions actually. j/k

"series links", you mean like season passes? (3rd question. :p )

"series links", you mean like season passes? (3rd question. :p )

yes.

Hi,
I recorded my first PPVHD movie late last night. I understand that I don't pay for it until I watch it now. I checked this morning to make sure it recorded and it says that it expires on Oct. 25. When setting it up to record, I chose 'keep until I delete'. Will this change when I purchase it and watch it, to keep it or will it be deleted anyway on Oct. 25? I used to keep movies a long time, in case someone else in the family wanted to watch it.
Thanks

How do I set up a season pass? There is a show coming on 8 times in a row today, I selected it, selected record series, but it only sets it to record the first 4, and only for that day, not everyday. How do I have record that show every time its on everyday, not just the current day?

Also, I've tried going to the guide and double clicking R like the manual says, but mine only toggles record on and off, there is no series link option when pushed twice..what gives? Thanks

Go to guide, hit Record 2x. It sounds like you might be getting a "bounce" in which it thinks you are hitting it 3x instead of 2x. In that case, go to the guide, find your show and hit Rec Series on the left, it will give you a sub menu of how many and let you set overruns, then hit record as set... You should see 3 orange dots staked next to the show name once this is done.

Go to guide, hit Record 2x. It sounds like you might be getting a "bounce" in which it thinks you are hitting it 3x instead of 2x. In that case, go to the guide, find your show and hit Rec Series on the left, it will give you a sub menu of how many and let you set overruns, then hit record as set... You should see 3 orange dots staked next to the show name once this is done.

Ok, the hitting record 2x doesnt work. It just toggles record on/off. So I did the record series from the guide like you said, but it doesnt show up in the to do list and there is no R next to it in the guide, but when you try to select record the series again it says "record as set" meaning I already did it.

How do I set up a season pass? There is a show coming on 8 times in a row today, I selected it, selected record series, but it only sets it to record the first 4, and only for that day, not everyday. How do I have record that show every time its on everyday, not just the current day?

Also, I've tried going to the guide and double clicking R like the manual says, but mine only toggles record on and off, there is no series link option when pushed twice..what gives? Thanks

When I first got mine, it seemed like it took 24 hours to get all the program data and then it would let me do season passes. Did you just get yours?

When I first got mine, it seemed like it took 24 hours to get all the program data and then it would let me do season passes. Did you just get yours?

Yeah, about 4 hours ago...Thanks for the help

Received a new HR20-100 today as a replacement for a HDR10-250 Tivo. Turns out on many HD channels, the audio glitches frequently. During the day it was happening primarily on the HD channels in the 70s like ESPN, ESPN2, etc. plus HD locals OTA. Oddly enough the same HD local channel over MPEG4 would not glitch. I never got an SD channel to glitch either, but I didn't spend a lot of time on the SD for obvious reasons.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of audio glitch? The picture is fine, but there are frequent digital dropouts and screeches throughout the audio track. On ESPN watching SportsCenter, the studio folks were mostly OK w/just some dropouts, but when they'd go to highlights that they'd talk over the audio would go nuts. Very odd. My SWAG is it has something to do with channels broadcasting in Dolby Digital.

The HR20 is connected to the TV via HDMI & then output via analog stereo to a pre-amp, two channel system. The HD Tivo worked fine w/the same setup. I also switched to component and using an analog hookup for the audio and it had the same issues. Finally we tried just using the TV speakers w/the same results - overall I'm fairly certain the problem is in the HR20. It does occur in the recordings as well as live TV.

D* scheduled another service call for Wednesday & insisted on sending out a tech. I can't fathom what the tech is going to do & they couldn't even guarantee he'd have a replacement HR20. I ended up reactivating the Tivo for now as of course it's my wife's DVR so missed recordings are a bigger deal...

Thanks if anyone has any suggestions on what to check out beyond just getting a new HR20...

I am scheduled to get my HR20 tomorrow morning but I'm watching the game right now on my HR10-250 and noticing a lot of audio issues (out of sync and dropping out) with ESPNHD as well. So, maybe its the sat feed and just coincidental with the replacement of your receiver...

Yeah, about 4 hours ago...Thanks for the help

Sure. I know it was annoying for me when I first got it. You will be fine tomorrow.

The ESPN channels have been having these intermittent audio issues for a while. Just be glad they have not been plauging you so far.

Well unfortunately it wasn't just ESPN & it wasn't really that intermittent. There were stretches where you'd have 15+ seconds straight of garbled sound where you basically couldn't here anything, but digital pops. The ESPN dropouts I've experienced on my other HR20s was more a single blip once every 5 minutes & typically video would glitch as well. This was much worse & more often w/no video glitch at all, just audio. And it was present on TNT, HDNet & OTA locals as well. i.e. I'm fairly certain it wasn't just an ESPN issue, unfortunately.

When I checked my other setup, ESPN was fine which makes me conclude it's not just a broadcast issue, but a bad receiver.

Thanks for the ideas though...

Well unfortunately it wasn't just ESPN & it wasn't really that intermittent. There were stretches where you'd have 15+ seconds straight of garbled sound where you basically couldn't here anything, but digital pops. The ESPN dropouts I've experienced on my other HR20s was more a single blip once every 5 minutes & typically video would glitch as well. This was much worse & more often w/no video glitch at all, just audio. And it was present on TNT, HDNet & OTA locals as well. i.e. I'm fairly certain it wasn't just an ESPN issue, unfortunately.

When I checked my other setup, ESPN was fine which makes me conclude it's not just a broadcast issue, but a bad receiver.

Thanks for the ideas though...

Or a bad digital audio connection...

Have you tried re-seating the audio cable? Or another input on your receiver?

Or a bad digital audio connection...

Have you tried re-seating the audio cable? Or another input on your receiver?
In this case I'm routing the audio through the TV & then to a 2 channel stereo system (archaic I know, but it is a good sounding 2 channel system at least). I've connected the HR20 via both HDMI & analog (component/stereo) and the sound problems are identical. In both cases the HDR10-250 wired the same works w/no issues (i.e. it's definitely not a connection problem between the TV & pre-amp). I also just used the TV's speakers to make sure the problem wasn't after the TV and got the same digital pops.

I presume it would be tough for an HDMI connection to have pristine video, but audio issues? Particularly when the same cable works w/no problems on a different box.

Given the audio sometimes is fine (SD channels, MPEG4 locals), it would seem the HR-20 itself is having some decoding issues. I did try Dolby Digital both On and Off, but that made no difference...

Thanks for the ideas...

Ok. I agree. Must be the box.

Can one of the more advance techies help me here.
I have a Harmony 720 and would like to program a macro to turn on/off Closed Captioning via a macro. The problem is that Harmony only supports 5 button press max on macros. By my count, I have to hit 18 presses to turn on or off the Captions and exit the menu. Is there a discreet code hidden somewhere that will allow any bypassing of the menus and get to CC on/off quicker?
Here is what I am doing to get there
Menu, up, select, down, select, down, down, down, down, down, select, up, right, select, select, down, select, exit, exit.

Turning CC on and off in only one or two steps with the remote control is one of the most frequently wished for changes that have been proposed (list at www.dbstalk.com). There is no easy way to get there at this time. You have to go through all the steps you outline. Also, macros don't necessarily make it easier, as you have to have a way to put delays in each step to let the HR20 screens change. There are lots of reports of people having that problem when trying to set up a macro.

SMK

Turning CC on and off in only one or two steps with the remote control is one of the most frequently wished for changes that have been proposed (list at www.dbstalk.com). There is no easy way to get there at this time. You have to go through all the steps you outline. Also, macros don't necessarily make it easier, as you have to have a way to put delays in each step to let the HR20 screens change. There are lots of reports of people having that problem when trying to set up a macro.

SMK

Thanks, I actually got a 4 Sequence (macro) programmed in. I have to hit cc1 (1st 5), cc2(2nd 5), cc3 (3rd 5), then cc4 (last 4), still a tad cumbersome but much better than 19 presses. I don't beleive the guy at Harmony was telling the truth when I asked if they could create a "string" in which I can just create a 5th button and have it run all 4 macros in sequence. Can anyone suggest a way to do this? By the way, the timing was not an issue at all when programming the 720, so don't let fear stop anyone from trying.

Thanks, I actually got a 4 Sequence (macro) programmed in. I have to hit cc1 (1st 5), cc2(2nd 5), cc3 (3rd 5), then cc4 (last 4), still a tad cumbersome but much better than 19 presses. I don't beleive the guy at Harmony was telling the truth when I asked if they could create a "string" in which I can just create a 5th button and have it run all 4 macros in sequence. Can anyone suggest a way to do this? By the way, the timing was not an issue at all when programming the 720, so don't let fear stop anyone from trying.With that possibility, you could get it down to a 3 sequence macro by reducing the steps to 15 with the following: Menu, up, select, down, select, channel down, up, up, up, select, green, select, down, select, exit.

Hi,
I just got my HR20 last week after having the HR10-250. I set up a season pass for Chuck. This morning I looked in the to do list and it wasn't there. Luckily I watched it live. I checked the history and it says: This episode was canceled because another matching program was scheduled to record. (10) Just exactly what does this mean? I DID see that Chuck is scheduled to record Sat. night, the same episode is on again. Why would it cancel the first airing over the second one? On the HR10 it would say it was recording in the info banner, but I didn't notice that it wasn't recording when I was watching it. It was recording How I Met Your Mother at 8:00 and I noticed the orange recording light was on then, but didn't notice that it went off at 8:30. I also had it set to record Heros and Journeyman and they did record. So my question is why didn't it record Chuck?
Thanks

Well, no HR20 for me. At least, not yet.

The D* guy would not go on my roof to switch the dish. Said it was too steep. Of course the guy a year ago when we moved here did it. He's going to get a supervisor to come look at it and then they said maybe they could hire a sub-contractor to do it.

What a mess.

(no, there is no other option for mounting the dish)

Hi,
I just got my HR20 last week after having the HR10-250. I set up a season pass for Chuck. This morning I looked in the to do list and it wasn't there. Luckily I watched it live. I checked the history and it says: This episode was canceled because another matching program was scheduled to record. (10) Just exactly what does this mean? I DID see that Chuck is scheduled to record Sat. night, the same episode is on again. Why would it cancel the first airing over the second one? On the HR10 it would say it was recording in the info banner, but I didn't notice that it wasn't recording when I was watching it. It was recording How I Met Your Mother at 8:00 and I noticed the orange recording light was on then, but didn't notice that it went off at 8:30. I also had it set to record Heros and Journeyman and they did record. So my question is why didn't it record Chuck?
Thanks

Mine did it too. I did not read the reason it cancelled, so I thought it decided it was a repeat. I reset it for both new and reruns. We will see what happens Saturday.

With that possibility, you could get it down to a 3 sequence macro by reducing the steps to 15 with the following: Menu, up, select, down, select, channel down, up, up, up, select, green, select, down, select, exit.

Nice... I'll try that.
Kind of ridiculous we are trying to pare 19 down to 15 when it should be at most 1 or 2 :D

Mine did it too. I did not read the reason it cancelled, so I thought it decided it was a repeat. I reset it for both new and reruns. We will see what happens Saturday.

I am not sure why it did not record, but in the future, go to your list, then hit "to do" (which is a color button) and it will show you a broken circle if there is a conflict. From there you can correct it.

I am sure this has been mentioned, but the only major flaw this this has over tivo (other than 2 buffer) is the lack of information on TV shows. It does not tell you with any consistancy if a show is new, repeat, premiere, etc. That could be a fatal flaw for those setting series links for 1st run only. I suggest everyone set to record both 1st and reruns and delete what you don't need.

Mine did it too. I did not read the reason it cancelled, so I thought it decided it was a repeat. I reset it for both new and reruns. We will see what happens Saturday.

Same here, same reason given, also have the Sat airing scheduled. I'm hoping there was something in the program ID that told the HR20 the program did not fit the parameters I set for recording, being "new". But based on the reason, a conflict, it would seem to be otherwise. Is this the way the HR20 "handles" conflicts, letting you know the next day??

If so, it's definitely a bug and needs to be fixed, conflicts need to be handled at the time the conflict is scheduled by the user, not arbitrarily by the device itself.

Same here, same reason given, also have the Sat airing scheduled. I'm hoping there was something in the program ID that told the HR20 the program did not fit the parameters I set for recording, being "new". But based on the reason, a conflict, it would seem to be otherwise. Is this the way the HR20 "handles" conflicts, letting you know the next day??

If so, it's definitely a bug and needs to be fixed, conflicts need to be handled at the time the conflict is scheduled by the user, not arbitrarily by the device itself.

Did you get two other shows recorded at the time of the rescheduled show? Or, were you watching live TV on the other tuner at the time?

If so, I think the software did a great job of conflict resolution. Chances are, the two shows you got were not offered at any other time in the guide data but the one that was rescheduled was going to be re-aired on Saturday. Therefore, the software gave you the most it could - and everything you asked for instead of sacrificing one of the other shows (or your live TV feed) just to get that one earlier.

However, if you only got one show recorded (and weren't watching live) during the time of the rescheduled one, maybe it was a glitch.

Also wishlists, poor skip implementation and limited expandability.




I am sure this has been mentioned, but the only major flaw this this has over tivo (other than 2 buffer) is the lack of information on TV shows. It does not tell you with any consistancy if a show is new, repeat, premiere, etc. That could be a fatal flaw for those setting series links for 1st run only. I suggest everyone set to record both 1st and reruns and delete what you don't need.

Also ... limited expandability.

I don't have an HR20 yet but it seems pretty hard to argue it has limited expandability over my HR10-250. I upgraded my HDTivo by adding a second hard drive because I, like you, am a geek and can do such things. But to the average Joe - simply being able to plug in an external eSata drive seems like much better "expandability" than the HDTivo. I know you waste the internal drive, but with the falling price per GB of storage that seems a small price to pay for the ease of implementation.

Perhaps you meant in some other way...?

Did you get two other shows recorded at the time of the rescheduled show? Or, were you watching live TV on the other tuner at the time?

If so, I think the software did a great job of conflict resolution. Chances are, the two shows you got were not offered at any other time in the guide data but the one that was rescheduled was going to be re-aired on Saturday. Therefore, the software gave you the most it could - and everything you asked for instead of sacrificing one of the other shows (or your live TV feed) just to get that one earlier.

However, if you only got one show recorded (and weren't watching live) during the time of the rescheduled one, maybe it was a glitch.

Nope, only 1 show recorded at the 8pm slot. I had 2 scheduled to record at 8pm, "Prison Break" and "Chuck", and only "Prison Break" got recorded.

My favorite TiVo feature is that CC stays on when doing a FF1. When I'm 4-5 shows behind, I can knock out a one hour show in 20 minutes. Plus, during those "CSI" moments, when they show the person doing lab work, I can FF1 and just wait for the characters to start talking so I don't have to watch them scan a fingerprint or drop some chemicals in a beaker in real time.

Nope, only 1 show recorded at the 8pm slot. I had 2 scheduled to record at 8pm, "Prison Break" and "Chuck", and only "Prison Break" got recorded.

Yeah - that would have been too sweet of a feature - huh?

Turns out there's a lot of discussion about this very problem (Chuck in particular) over at dbstalk. The consensus is that it is bad guide data of some sort. Reports of some HR10s missing "Heros" as well so maybe NBC has some bad data.

Limited in capacity because you can only add one drive that replaces the first drive, not add to it. So in that light the HD Tivo has 2x potential capacity than the HR20. The HR20 definitely does some things very well. One is as you mention is EASE of expandability which is significant. But its still limited by half. Just semantics but that’s what I meant.

To me the whole experience with the HR20 is like this. Imagine Microsoft releasing a new version of Word 2010. You're compelled to upgrade because if not you can't view new documents that others create with it. Plus they do say its an upgrade. So you get it installed and it looks really nice and it’s a lot faster. Then you check out the listed new features and it can translate, navigate and correlate in 100 different languages. It makes grammar suggestions that make your ramblings seem the works of Shakespeare. Fast, pretty and many new features.

But of course the reason you got a word processor in the first place was to create documents and once you get started you find out that it sometimes doesn’t save them and your work is lost. This is its core competency mind you. Then once you get into the software a little further you find they’ve removed the spooling print function so now you have to sit there and print out your documents one at a time. This is very hard for you to understand because the version that this upgraded handled printing and saving far better several versions ago, for years in fact its worked perfectly. When you call Microsoft to complain they tell you that they used a new programming team this time and they just decided to start from scratch as if this should be your problem.

Then when you ask why you can’t send more than one document to the printer any more like you could for the last 4-5 years with previous versions they really won’t give you an answer. Why did you decide to remove this feature? We don’t know. Is there a plan to get it back in the product? We don’t know. Is it even possible? We can’t say.

It may not sound like it but there is a lot I like about the HR20 but what I don’t like is what’s missing. The HR20 to me is very much two steps forward but in some ways 1 step back which makes no sense from a 'consumer who just got a new cool new upgraded device from the same company' POV. :D






I don't have an HR20 yet but it seems pretty hard to argue it has limited expandability over my HR10-250. I upgraded my HDTivo by adding a second hard drive because I, like you, am a geek and can do such things. But to the average Joe - simply being able to plug in an external eSata drive seems like much better "expandability" than the HDTivo. I know you waste the internal drive, but with the falling price per GB of storage that seems a small price to pay for the ease of implementation.

Perhaps you meant in some other way...?

Nope, only 1 show recorded at the 8pm slot. I had 2 scheduled to record at 8pm, "Prison Break" and "Chuck", and only "Prison Break" got recorded.

Chuck was the only program set to record, we weren't even watching TV when it was supposed to be recording it, and FWIW, in the past if you watching something and it needed that tuner it always asked and the default was "change channel" I presume so that if you weren't watching it would go to record.

As for 1st run vs. rerun, I think that is a function of what gets into the guide, not D*'s fault. Info on a program is the same for an episode even if it is shown in syndication by more than one station.

That's a good point. Another thing regarding CC is that with Tivo you could easily toggle the resolution to 480 then rewind and as long as you had regular old style captions enabled on your tv you'd get to see the replayed part with captions. Then toggle back to 1080 and no more captions. Was real useful for the hard of hearing who just need captions occasionaly because it got you CC at a single press (albeit at 480).

If they would just put in a discrete code for CC they'd get a lot more love from me.

My favorite TiVo feature is that CC stays on when doing a FF1. When I'm 4-5 shows behind, I can knock out a one hour show in 20 minutes. Plus, during those "CSI" moments, when they show the person doing lab work, I can FF1 and just wait for the characters to start talking so I don't have to watch them scan a fingerprint or drop some chemicals in a beaker in real time.

Limited in capacity because you can only add one drive that replaces the first drive, not add to it. So in that light the HD Tivo has 2x potential capacity than the HR20. The HR20 definitely does some things very well. One is as you mention is EASE of expandability which is significant. But its still limited by half. Just semantics but that’s what I meant.



Well, with a multi-drive eSata enclosure I think the expandability options are on par with the HDTivo. Again, it is a "waste" of a drive, but you can certainly get a LOT of storage if you want it. Can the HDTivo software even utilize two 1 terabyte drives if you put them in an HR10...?

But, like I said, I don't even have the thing yet and I've put off getting one this long due to extreme satisfaction with my HDTivo and reading horror stories about missed shows, needed reboots, etc. with the HR20. But, it appears that a lot of that has gotten better so here I go (if I can get the dish installed).

Well, with a multi-drive eSata enclosure I think the expandability options are on par with the HDTivo.

If that's true then I stand corrected.



But, like I said, I don't even have the thing yet and I've put off getting one this long due to extreme satisfaction with my HDTivo and reading horror stories about missed shows, needed reboots, etc. with the HR20. But, it appears that a lot of that has gotten better so here I go (if I can get the dish installed).

Its not as if its either/or, keeping your Tivo only costs $5 per month. The only time I feel compelled to switch back to Tivo is for Sunday Ticket or other multiple sports events because that's where the lack of DLB really stands out. Badly.

But otherwise for me it's a nice box with a lot of possibilities. To their credit D* has addressed a lot of issues with frequent updates, something Tivo never did.

Nice... I'll try that.
Kind of ridiculous we are trying to pare 19 down to 15 when it should be at most 1 or 2 :D
As mentioned above, having a quicker option for closed captioning toggling has been on the wish list at DBSTalk.com for some time. It may be something they add at some point.

I have previously suggested they take the option for "My Playlist" off of the quick menu because it is not needed when you have a dedicated button on the remote to select the "List". That would leave a quick menu slot open for "Closed Captioning" :)

As mentioned above, having a quicker option for closed captioning toggling has been on the wish list at DBSTalk.com for some time. It may be something they add at some point.

I have previously suggested they take the option for "My Playlist" off of the quick menu because it is not needed when you have a dedicated button on the remote to select the "List". That would leave a quick menu slot open for "Closed Captioning" :)

I like that suggestion, even better would be to give one of the color buttons that title when watching a live or recorded show, a simple toggle. I loves me some captions and I'm not hard of hearing, I just like not missing dialogue. I also watch english dvds with english subtitles on for the same reason.

I like that suggestion, even better would be to give one of the color buttons that title when watching a live or recorded show, a simple toggle. I loves me some captions and I'm not hard of hearing, I just like not missing dialogue. I also watch english dvds with english subtitles on for the same reason. That's been my thought too. Would be a boon to those of us who watch BBCA, too. ;) (I have no trouble understanding 99% of what the Brits are saying, but the other 1% drives me up a wall.)

That's a good point. Another thing regarding CC is that with Tivo you could easily toggle the resolution to 480 then rewind and as long as you had regular old style captions enabled on your tv you'd get to see the replayed part with captions. Then toggle back to 1080 and no more captions. Was real useful for the hard of hearing who just need captions occasionaly because it got you CC at a single press (albeit at 480).

If they would just put in a discrete code for CC they'd get a lot more love from me.

I never used CC until I had kids. :) Back in 2000, a few months after the birth of my first son, TiVo ran a contest. In 500 words or less, say why you thought you deserved a TiVo. I wrote in that with the birth of my son, I never could watch a show from start to finish without interruptions. I figured I was the 100th person to write that in, but a few days later, I got a note that I won! I was told I was only going to get the 14 hour model, but I ended up getting the 30 hour model. I have been a TiVo evangelist since then...

I like that suggestion, even better would be to give one of the color buttons that title when watching a live or recorded show, a simple toggle. I loves me some captions and I'm not hard of hearing, I just like not missing dialogue. I also watch english dvds with english subtitles on for the same reason.One problem with using a color button outside of the menus is for the users to remember what color button does what. If you use them within the menus, you can put the color button key(s) on the menu at the bottom or top. :)

One problem with using a color button outside of the menus is for the users to remember what color button does what. If you use them within the menus, you can put the color button key(s) on the menu at the bottom or top. :)

It would just be for us dorks (like me)who want it, they could still use the prior suggestion of losing the playlist menu since it already has a button, it would be an easter egg like - - deleting a show or series link.

FYI - I know this is not where this is supposed to be posted, but in case you are not trolling other boards, check out your HD offerings this morning, you will be pleaseantly surprised.

Nope, only 1 show recorded at the 8pm slot. I had 2 scheduled to record at 8pm, "Prison Break" and "Chuck", and only "Prison Break" got recorded.

Same here. I only had How I met your mother recording at the same time Chuck was on. I also had it set for 1st run and repeats. It was only recording from 8:00 to 8:30 and nothing from 8:30 to 9:00.

Same here. I only had How I met your mother recording at the same time Chuck was on. I also had it set for 1st run and repeats. It was only recording from 8:00 to 8:30 and nothing from 8:30 to 9:00.

People are now having the same trouble with The Bionic Woman. It seems NBC has something funky going on with their guide data that is throwing the HR20 for a loop.

I don't know so much about now, but at the start Tivo was a pretty cool company.

That's a great story. If it were me, even out of service I'd probably keep that particular unit forever.


I never used CC until I had kids. :) Back in 2000, a few months after the birth of my first son, TiVo ran a contest. In 500 words or less, say why you thought you deserved a TiVo. I wrote in that with the birth of my son, I never could watch a show from start to finish without interruptions. I figured I was the 100th person to write that in, but a few days later, I got a note that I won! I was told I was only going to get the 14 hour model, but I ended up getting the 30 hour model. I have been a TiVo evangelist since then...

I am about to sign up for D* through Bellsouth/AT&T to get the $10 per month for life discount package. I will get the HD package with the HR20 and at least one other plain HD receiver (H20 I think it is). I want to connect at least 3 receivers (maybe 4) to this dish as I own a Sony SAT-200. I've got 4 questions:

1. For this setup, what is the best switch I should ask D* for?

2. I noticed that when I see the D* Slimline 5LNB Ka/Ku AU9-S pictured on several sale sights, it is depected with only 3 LNB's. I thought this was a 5 LNB dish?? :confused:

3. Will I have to get the little B-Band Converter module input converter thingges on the back of my receivers?

4. D* now has a HR21 & a H21 listed on theor website. What is the difference between that and the H (HR) 20?

Thanks.

I'll take a shot at 3 of these and someone smarter can correct me if need be. My GF's not here so it will have to be someone else :D

2) The Slimline is the right dish, its what I have. There is some technical magic going in the LNB's. There's something different in appearance about the 3rd one seems to actually be more than one.

3) On the mpeg4 ones, the installer takes care of all this if you go that way.

4) To my knowledge the H21 is being tested and not much is known about the HR21. I don't think you have the option to get either one at this point.







2. I noticed that when I see the D* Slimline 5LNB Ka/Ku AU9-S pictured on several sale sights, it is depected with only 3 LNB's. I thought this was a 5 LNB dish?? :confused:

3. Will I have to get the little B-Band Converter module input converter thingges on the back of my receivers?

4. D* now has a HR21 & a H21 listed on theor website. What is the difference between that and the H (HR) 20?

Thanks.

Is there any way to record the "X" most recent episodes of a program? I like to watch SportsCenter, and I have it set to record all "new" episodes. However, I think the guide registers SportCenter, like other news shows, as all being new.

Ideally, I'd only want to store the most recent recording of this show. Today, I record all of them, watch the newest and then manually delete the older versions. Is there a "save only the most recent" option of some sort?

Thanks, all,

Paul M.

Would the 'Keep At Most X # of episodes' do what you want? I believe that would record them all keeping the X # of most recent episodes and deleting the rest.



Is there any way to record the "X" most recent episodes of a program? I like to watch SportsCenter, and I have it set to record all "new" episodes. However, I think the guide registers SportCenter, like other news shows, as all being new.

Ideally, I'd only want to store the most recent recording of this show. Today, I record all of them, watch the newest and then manually delete the older versions. Is there a "save only the most recent" option of some sort?

Thanks, all,

Paul M.

Would the 'Keep At Most X # of episodes' do what you want? I believe that would record them all keeping the X # of most recent episodes and deleting the rest.

Yes - I do this with "Nothing but Trailers" on HDNet. It gets recorded about 4 times a day but I only have one - the most recent one - ever in my list (on the HR10 - I assume it would be the same on the 20).

Anyone else getting bad lip synch issues? I was watching some new shows tonight on my Directv Local HD Chanels like Private Practice and Bionic Woman and they were way off. I am using the HR20 via HDMI to my Philips TV for video and optical from my HR20 to my Sony Surround (w/o a delay feature) for my audio...Is there a work around? Will my problem be solved by switching to Component for my video? Please advise.

Hitting Pause and then Play will usually get the audio and video back in sync.

I am getting pixelation and audio skipping. I have my HR20 connected via HDMI to my AVR to my 1080p TV. I noticed it on an NBC SD program. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

Chuck was the only program set to record, we weren't even watching TV when it was supposed to be recording itSame thing happened to me with Chuck. I had to go in and manually record it, but if you go into your "To Do List", you'll probably notice that the season premiere of Chuck is set to record Saturday at 9pm. Don't ask me why, but that's what mine says. Fortunately, it looks like it's back on track for Monday's episode at 8pm.

I'm still getting "771" blank screen messages on all the MPEG4 channels. Sometimes they'll work for a little bit after a red-button reset, but sometimes not.

Before the new MPEG4 channels launched, I was getting sporadic "771" on my MPEG4 locals, but now the problem has worsened. Could it be that I have a faulty HR20 ...perhaps failed an update?

Hello,

I had my HR20 HD DVR installed a couple of weeks ago, it's been working fine up until last nite when I was having the "771" issue with the new HD channels. The customer service rep asked me to reboot using the red button. I did but the DVR never came back. It kept getting stuck at the "Checking satellite status: Almost Done" stage. I tried resetting many times, unplug the power and satellite cables, no improvement. Left it on all night to see if it does get out of the boot mode, nope.

Any help/solution is appreciated.

Originally Posted by migs_inc
Is there any way to record the "X" most recent episodes of a program? I like to watch SportsCenter, and I have it set to record all "new" episodes. However, I think the guide registers SportCenter, like other news shows, as all being new.

Ideally, I'd only want to store the most recent recording of this show. Today, I record all of them, watch the newest and then manually delete the older versions. Is there a "save only the most recent" option of some sort?

Thanks, all,

Paul M.

Would the 'Keep At Most X # of episodes' do what you want? I believe that would record them all keeping the X # of most recent episodes and deleting the rest.

Unfortunately, no. If, for example, you "keep at most" 10 episodes, it stops recording after the 10th episode until you delete from the saved episodes. So, if new shows are broadcast after the 10th, the HR20 doesn't record them. Thought there might be a workaround for this. Is there?

Unfortunately, no. If, for example, you "keep at most" 10 episodes, it stops recording after the 10th episode until you delete from the saved episodes. So, if new shows are broadcast after the 10th, the HR20 doesn't record them. Thought there might be a workaround for this. Is there?
I keep 5 of my kids' favorite shows and it just keeps kicking out the old and replacing it with the new... (which is what I want)

Unfortunately, no. If, for example, you "keep at most" 10 episodes, it stops recording after the 10th episode until you delete from the saved episodes. So, if new shows are broadcast after the 10th, the HR20 doesn't record them. Thought there might be a workaround for this. Is there?

Wow, that sucks. Totally different from how the Tivo handles it. I guess it depends on how you look at it as to whether or not its "good" as the HR20 would never delete a recording you haven't watched but will then miss newer episodes if you don't watch them in a while.

Does this mean the HR20 will never delete anything? You have to delete manually?

I keep 5 of my kids' favorite shows and it just keeps kicking out the old and replacing it with the new... (which is what I want)

Ah...then perhaps there is a setting in the SL setup that migs is unaware of? Some sort of "delete when space needed" thing...

With the new Smithsonian channel starting, this is the first I've heard of the HD Extra package. I looked on D*TV's website and they have the Smithsonian, HDNet, HDNetmovies, Universal HD listed under that package. Does this mean we will be losing those channels unless we pay another $4.99 a month? I used to watch BSG on Universal, but I guess if SciFi goes HD I probable wouldn't need these channels anyway.

With the new Smithsonian channel starting, this is the first I've heard of the HD Extra package. I looked on D*TV's website and they have the Smithsonian, HDNet, HDNetmovies, Universal HD listed under that package. Does this mean we will be losing those channels unless we pay another $4.99 a month? I used to watch BSG on Universal, but I guess if SciFi goes HD I probable wouldn't need these channels anyway.

Apparently if you had the HD package before yesterday, you are grandfathered in and won't have to pay the $4.99. Notice my intentional choice of the word "apparently."

Unfortunately, no. If, for example, you "keep at most" 10 episodes, it stops recording after the 10th episode until you delete from the saved episodes. So, if new shows are broadcast after the 10th, the HR20 doesn't record them. Thought there might be a workaround for this. Is there? Do you have it set for save until "I Delete"? If so, change to "Space Needed."

Works for me, anyway.

To conserve storage space, I set lots of shows to keep only one episode, and the HR20 keeps recording the latest one and discarding the older version.

Hey ebr, has the D* installer et al come out to look at your steep roof again?


Ah...then perhaps there is a setting in the SL setup that migs is unaware of? Some sort of "delete when space needed" thing...

Hey ebr, has the D* installer et al come out to look at your steep roof again?

Unfortunately, no. And he won't even return my phone calls. After he left, I think I found a suitable location on the ground in my back yard. I called the guy and told him (that same day) and he said he'd call me back "in a bit". He never did. I've left 4 more messages for him with no response so I sicked D* on him this morning. They are supposedly "looking into it".

Grrrr...

Apparently if you had the HD package before yesterday, you are grandfathered in and won't have to pay the $4.99. Notice my intentional choice of the word "apparently."

We will know in Dec when the "free preview" is over whether we are granfathered or have to pay $4.99 for what we paid $9.95 [for the same channels] three years ago.

We will know in Dec when the "free preview" is over whether we are granfathered or have to pay $4.99 for what we paid $9.95 [for the same channels] three years ago.

So what will the $9.95 "give" us once the free preview dissappars?

Couple of questions. I've gone back about 5 pages in this thread but can't find anything about this.

We've been losing our local channels (both the SD and HD versions) off our favorites list every couple of days. This has been going on for a few weeks now. I go and re-add them, then a few days later they are gone again. Anyone else annoyed at the poor user interface for adding channels to your playlist? (e.g., only showing the 3 letters of the channel name, which when you consider there are hundreds of channels, there's no way for me to know what they all are. Seems like a description or at least the ability to preview them as you select them would be nice).

Also, we had the problem with Bionic Woman recording the wrong channel (one we don't get) even though we chose the correct channel in the "season pass."

Personally I like the ground mount myself. I'd stay on D* in a 'I expect a call back today' kind of way. If you didn't get a $19 or free HR20, I'd leverage one now.

Here's what 'Standard Professional Installation' got me last week. Behind the garage, the one place I didn't look when he was here. And believe it or not this was to fix the poor job done on the previous upgrade.

And yes that's tension holding the wire against the side of the garage siding. The other end was wedged in a crotch of a branch in a bush around the corner about 18" off the ground. :D

http://www.oo.com/images/d-install.jpg

Unfortunately, no. And he won't even return my phone calls. After he left, I think I found a suitable location on the ground in my back yard. I called the guy and told him (that same day) and he said he'd call me back "in a bit". He never did. I've left 4 more messages for him with no response so I sicked D* on him this morning. They are supposedly "looking into it".

Grrrr...

FYI - I know this is not where this is supposed to be posted, but in case you are not trolling other boards, check out your HD offerings this morning, you will be pleaseantly surprised.

Can't find the new HD channels. I have HR20 and 3 LNB dish. Added the filter tonight and I'm getting fRuStRaTeD!!!!!!

Can't find the new HD channels. I have HR20 and 3 LNB dish. Added the filter tonight and I'm getting fRuStRaTeD!!!!!! If that's not a typo, it's your answer. You need a 5 LNB dish.

Either way, you probably should call D*.

Question, I've had the HR20 for about 2 weeks now and on about 3 occasions it has not "started", by that I mean, there's no video/audio output. I leave the HR20 on at all times.

A press of both power buttons on the remote do nothing, the only way I get it back is to pull the power cord.

Is this normal behavior? Is it possible that HR20 shuts itself down if it's not getting a HDMI connection confirmation?

I use component for the HR20 but that never happens or hasn't in my week or so with it. I can't imagine locking up to the point you need to pull the power cord is designed behavior.


Question, I've had the HR20 for about 2 weeks now and on about 3 occasions it has not "started", by that I mean, there's no video/audio output. I leave the HR20 on at all times.

A press of both power buttons on the remote do nothing, the only way I get it back is to pull the power cord.

Is this normal behavior? Is it possible that HR20 shuts itself down if it's not getting a HDMI connection confirmation?

A press of both power buttons on the remote do nothing, the only way I get it back is to pull the power cord.There is a red reset button under the front pull down cover. This should reset the HR20 without having to pull the cord. Good luck.

Jay

If that's not a typo, it's your answer. You need a 5 LNB dish.

Either way, you probably should call D*.

My nic is 'tyro' not 'typo', you boob :D

I did call the monkeys abt 6 wks ago. Two seperate crews came out. 1s t 'needed the $$' but his tools had been stolen the night before.
I escorted him out.
2d had the 5 LNB dish but an insufficient ladder. Said it was DTV's fault as they did not note that tiny little fact - eg. how to get the fuk onto my roof. He also refused to fish a cable from 1st flr to 2d flr. and I escorted him out.

Where can I find a DTV Customer (dis) satisfaction survey?

Riddle me this....
For some reason, I can only get TLC-HD out of all the new MPEG4 stations that just launched. All other new MPEG4 channels, with the exception of the MPEG4-locals do not work. I get "771" searching for satellite error....What gives?

Riddle me this....
For some reason, I can only get TLC-HD out of all the new MPEG4 stations that just launched. All other new MPEG4 channels, with the exception of the MPEG4-locals do not work. I get "771" searching for satellite error....What gives?

Many possibilities: bad cables, mis-aligned dish, diplexers in the lines, bad multiswitch....

There is a red reset button under the front pull down cover. This should reset the HR20 without having to pull the cord. Good luck.

Jay

So this is not normal behavior? There's definitely something wrong then?

Having to hit the reset switch to get your HR20 to respond is similar to when you have to hold the POWER button down on the PC. Its a way of getting the hardware to address a software failure and restart. It is not a preferred way of shutting down the system, just like on the PC resets should be done via software. If the system is locking up on average once every 4-5 days that requires a reset then something is wrong.

So this is not normal behavior? There's definitely something wrong then?

I'm still getting "771" blank screen messages on all the MPEG4 channels. Sometimes they'll work for a little bit after a red-button reset, but sometimes not.

Before the new MPEG4 channels launched, I was getting sporadic "771" on my MPEG4 locals, but now the problem has worsened. Could it be that I have a faulty HR20 ...perhaps failed an update?
The same thing is happening to me. It is very frustrating. A quick fix is to go one channel down and then one channel back up and it usually picks up a signal really quickly. It is a pain in the arse though.

NB

So this is not normal behavior? There's definitely something wrong then?
It sure sounds like something is wrong. I've only had my HR20 for a few weeks, but it has never "froze" except for when I try to use the crappy Music & Photos feature to browse folders. Then it freezes every time. One thing to check is the see if the unit is over heating. You can see the internal temperature in the "info" screen (press and hold the info button). It may just be a faulty unit. From what I have read there seems to be an unusally large number of defective units. Some people have reported that they had to swap units several times to get a good one.

Jay

Many possibilities: bad cables,mis-aligned dish, diplexers in the lines
No...all other SD, MPEG2, MPEG4 locals and One New MPEG4 station works and I have no diplexers
bad multiswitch....That's a possibility.

Hello,

I had my HR20 HD DVR installed a couple of weeks ago, it's been working fine up until last nite when I was having the "771" issue with the new HD channels. The customer service rep asked me to reboot using the red button. I did but the DVR never came back. It kept getting stuck at the "Checking satellite status: Almost Done" stage. I tried resetting many times, unplug the power and satellite cables, no improvement. Left it on all night to see if it does get out of the boot mode, nope.

Any help/solution is appreciated.

I had this problem with HD channels from the time my HR20 was installed 2 months ago. I had a tech out to the house twice. The first tech did a hard reset, and that worked for 2 days, then back to the problem. The second, who was far more thorough, replaced the coax that connected from the wall to the HR20 and also the HDMI cable. He said these were not suitable for HD channels. I've had no problems since then.

Hope this helps.

Personally I like the ground mount myself. I'd stay on D* in a 'I expect a call back today' kind of way. If you didn't get a $19 or free HR20, I'd leverage one now.

Here's what 'Standard Professional Installation' got me last week. Behind the garage, the one place I didn't look when he was here. And believe it or not this was to fix the poor job done on the previous upgrade.

And yes that's tension holding the wire against the side of the garage siding. The other end was wedged in a crotch of a branch in a bush around the corner about 18" off the ground. :D

http://www.oo.com/images/d-install.jpg

Wow, that's a beauty. Must've been my guy.

I found out today that the original installer cancelled my install. I guess the whole story about getting a supervisor out to look at it and figuring something out was BS in the first place. And then, after I talk to him the same day and tell him there is a suitable place in the yard - he still just completely blows me off and cancels the order?? That the hell did he think was going to happen?? I would just forget about it?

Someone local is supposed to call me today to re-set it up. Next time, I'm gonna make the bozo leave the equipment with me if he tries to tell me he can't do it.

It sure sounds like something is wrong. I've only had my HR20 for a few weeks, but it has never "froze" except for when I try to use the crappy Music & Photos feature to browse folders. Then it freezes every time. One thing to check is the see if the unit is over heating. You can see the internal temperature in the "info" screen (press and hold the info button). It may just be a faulty unit. From what I have read there seems to be an unusally large number of defective units. Some people have reported that they had to swap units several times to get a good one.

Jay

What's the average normal temperature these boxes should run at?

Gotta love Direct tv contracting out their installs.....


when I first got the 5 lnb and h20 a couple years ago, I stayed home all day only to have the call saying "the installer injured himself on the previous install and can't make it."

does anyone buy that excuse?


though, I will say the guy that finally came up did a great job on the install and was very quick. Though, his next install was supposed to be in a place 4 hours away due to an error...I imagine that house got a "he was injured" call as well.



since we're complaining about dave, I got an automated call at 8:30 the other night asking if I still wanted to be on the DO NOT CALL list.

wtf is the point of the dnc list if they call you and ask if you still want to be on it?

This is my first time posting in this forum. I would like to change over to D*, but the wife is completely against it due to the 200 fee for the HR20 up front. Is there any way around that? Anyway I could get it for free?

This is my first time posting in this forum. I would like to change over to D*, but the wife is completely against it due to the 200 fee for the HR20 up front. Is there any way around that? Anyway I could get it for free?

I know for new customers they are giving a FREE DVR upgrade or HD Receiver.
So maybe you can sweet talk the CSR and get the HD DVR upgrade for $99.00
Can't hurt to ask.
Here is an example of many online sites with the offer
http://www.expertsatellite.com/directv-dvr

This is my first time posting in this forum. I would like to change over to D*, but the wife is completely against it due to the 200 fee for the HR20 up front. Is there any way around that? Anyway I could get it for free?

Find out the package, or make one up for whatever you local cable provider is, and maybe they will come down. Or pray you get a really crappy install and get yourself two free HR20s like a friend of mine was able to get. :eek:

I got to give props to my installer who came in June. I had an old SD 18" 1 lnb dish that needed to be replaced with a 5lnb slimline. He scoped it out and said there were too many low hanging branches to get a clean look. He wanted to leave, but I told him to hang on. I got my pruners, loppers and a hack saw and started clearing stuff away. He seemed taken in by the spirit and started helping me. He climbed a small tree so we could bend it to where it needed to be cut with the loppers. It was about 98 degrees and extremely humid, but 30min later, he had a clean signal and I now have 2 HR20's.

I've had my HR20-700 (new from DTV) about a month now. I noticed that the unit starts recording shows about a minute late. Is there a way to set the clock in the unit to the correct time? Thanks

I've had my HR20-700 (new from DTV) about a month now. I noticed that the unit starts recording shows about a minute late. Is there a way to set the clock in the unit to the correct time? Thanks Mine too. Anyone know the fix?

You can't change the clock, but you can negative pad the program.
Go to your guide, find the show, hit info, record series (or show) and then go to start time and change it to 1min early.

I went in the other room to verify this and noticed my trusty HR20 had failed to record the Today show with Bruce this morning:mad:. It said it could not read the access card!
Thankfully, I have redundant systems and the upstairs one got it, but it is on a much smaller TV with no surround:confused::confused:

What's the average normal temperature these boxes should run at?
I believe that it has a fan that kicks on at 127 degrees. If it is hotter than that then you may have a problem. Good luck.

Jay

I believe that it has a fan that kicks on at 127 degrees. If it is hotter than that then you may have a problem. Good luck.

Jay

The times I've checked it's always read 127 degrees. I'm guessing heat is probably not the problem then. In anycase, I put a laptop cooler on it, see what happens in the next few days.

I am about to order DTV, and get the HR20. Should I be requesting the HR20-100 or the HR20-700? Any differences or does on perform better?

I am about to order DTV, and get the HR20. Should I be requesting the HR20-100 or the HR20-700? Any differences or does on perform better?

When I called to order HR20s the other day, everytime I mentioned something about equipment like zinwell ms or bbc, they stopped me and said the installer will have everything you need. When I asked if it was possible to request a black HR20, he said no.

The -100 is most likely the one we'll receive (has both coaxial & optical audio outs). I doubt you can request one or the other when calling(-100 or -700). I plan to ask the instaler which model they are bringing when they call to confirm.

I just had my HR20 installed 2 weeks ago. My installer said that all they are using now is the -700.
He said that one is the newest and has the latest updates.
But...who knows if this was factual.

You can't change the clock, but you can negative pad the program.
Go to your guide, find the show, hit info, record series (or show) and then go to start time and change it to 1min early.

I went in the other room to verify this and noticed my trusty HR20 had failed to record the Today show with Bruce this morning:mad:. It said it could not read the access card!
Thankfully, I have redundant systems and the upstairs one got it, but it is on a much smaller TV with no surround:confused::confused:

I already know about starting the recording 1 minute earlier but then that fouls up earlier programing also. There has got to be some other cure for this problem.

I just had my HR20 installed 2 weeks ago. My installer said that all they are using now is the -700.
He said that one is the newest and has the latest updates.
But...who knows if this was factual.

I probably won't know which model until they're here. We'll see on tues.

I probably won't know which model until they're here. We'll see on tues.

I seriously doubt the installer will have any clue which unit he/she has. I just walked out to the van and asked which one's he had. He did not even know there were two different types. I wanted a 100, we dug through the van and got one, he was cool about it, but don't be surprised if when you ask they don't know. For the record, the only real functional difference is the coaxial audio (in addition to) the optical out on the 100 (that's why I needed it).
The 700's get updates first - proabably why some installers consider it "newer" - the 100's get updates a few days later. The 700 has an internal RF antenna, whereas the 100 has an external. Oddly, the 700 has fewer reported issues with the RF Reception than the seemingly better designed 100

I am awaiting a replacement for one of my 100's - the access card reader has called it quits. I can reboot and watch for about 1hr, then it says my card is bad. I am glad I have another one in the house for backup.

Anyone watching this week's Greys Anatomy lose the last half of the show? I had no power outages and was watching another show while this was recording. No idea how this happened. Also, on the same show, did other folks get choppy video and audio dropouts throughout?

I seriously doubt the installer will have any clue which unit he/she has. I just walked out to the van and asked which one's he had. He did not even know there were two different types. I wanted a 100, we dug through the van and got one, he was cool about it, but don't be surprised if when you ask they don't know. For the record, the only real functional difference is the coaxial audio (in addition to) the optical out on the 100 (that's why I needed it)..

good info... thx for posting.

I've had my HR20-700 (new from DTV) about a month now. I noticed that the unit starts recording shows about a minute late. Is there a way to set the clock in the unit to the correct time? ThanksI have this problem too, but the delay is just a few seconds. My theory is that this represents the "travel time" of the signal to the satellite and down to my HR20.

Anyone watching this week's Greys Anatomy lose the last half of the show? I had no power outages and was watching another show while this was recording. No idea how this happened. Also, on the same show, did other folks get choppy video and audio dropouts throughout?

Yes, me to.

My other older HR10-250 tivo worked fine.

So whats the cause here?

Anyone watching this week's Greys Anatomy lose the last half of the show? I had no power outages and was watching another show while this was recording. No idea how this happened. Also, on the same show, did other folks get choppy video and audio dropouts throughout?

Mine recorded a good picture and sound, but it only recorded the first 32 minutes of the program for some reason.

I have this problem too, but the delay is just a few seconds. My theory is that this represents the "travel time" of the signal to the satellite and down to my HR20.
My theory is that the network is not starting shows at exactly the moment they are appearing on the guide. I never get the 1st few seconds of the Office. But they appear at the end of Earl

Cut and paste from the Directv.com Tech Forum regarding Grey's

think everyone with an HR20 had exactly the same problem. It seems to have been an error in the guide data that came from Tribune, it may even have been incorrect from ABC in the first instance.
People recording from the western feed three hours later did not have the problem, the guide data must have been different/correct. Some people reported problems with the OTA Eastern/Central feed also and if so the error must have been in the OTA guide data also.

You can't change the clock, but you can negative pad the program.
Go to your guide, find the show, hit info, record series (or show) and then go to start time and change it to 1min early... I had thought of that briefly, but rejected it. Other than the fact that it would require going into 48 season passes and making the adjustment one by one, that solution also would frequently create conflicts with other shows when two are being recorded in the previous time period.
I have this problem too, but the delay is just a few seconds. My theory is that this represents the "travel time" of the signal to the satellite and down to my HR20. Maybe, but mine is longer than "a few seconds" (I'd say at least 30 seconds) and happens with OTA as well as satellite programming. And it never happened with my HR10.

My theory is that the network is not starting shows at exactly the moment they are appearing on the guide... Perhaps, but if so, it has suddenly become standard practice. It happens with all 4 major commercial networks and PBS, as well as the likes of SciFi, Comedy Central, BBCA, FX, Discovery HD Theater, etc.

I believe that it has a fan that kicks on at 127 degrees. If it is hotter than that then you may have a problem. Good luck.

Jay

Put an Antec lap top cooler on the HR20 and the temp reading dropped to 113. After sitting all night unused with cooler running, the reading is at 104 - ambient room temp overnight was been about 62 degrees. I was a little surprised it would be that effective, that's quite a drop. Too soon to tell if it will rectify the no image/audio start problem.

Cut and paste from the Directv.com Tech Forum regarding Grey's

think everyone with an HR20 had exactly the same problem. It seems to have been an error in the guide data that came from Tribune, it may even have been incorrect from ABC in the first instance.
People recording from the western feed three hours later did not have the problem, the guide data must have been different/correct. Some people reported problems with the OTA Eastern/Central feed also and if so the error must have been in the OTA guide data also.

Does the HR20 get different guide data than, for instance, a DSR6000? My TiVo unit recorded Grey correctly.

It has to be an HR20 bug. Still using my hr10 as backup since I don't trust the HR20 as far as I can throw it. Both recording OTA, HR10 records it perfectly. HR20 does not. I wish DirecTV would stop the nonsense and get some real dvr software. Only had this thing (hr20-100) since Thursday morning and it screwed up Grey's, has locked up twice, and was completely unresponsive this morning when turning it on. It's running the latest stable release.

This is similar behavior I saw when they tried to replace a dead hr10-250 with an hr-20 earlier this year.

Why would there be such duplication of efforts on the TV Guide data? Obviously the HR20 is getting inferior (or at the very least - different) info that the Tivo users are reporting. Seems like a waste for there to be more than one different body putting out what should be identical information.

When I search for programs to record, I want to only search on the channels in the list of channels I've set up in Favorites. Instead, it's using All Channels. It would save me a few seconds if I didn't have to wade through all the Spanish language stations, shopping channels, or PPV -- and dammit, those few seconds are important!!

Also, when setting up a season pass, is there a way to change the defaults to "First Run" & "All Episodes" -- I use those settings every time, and it annoys me that I have to change from "Both" & "5 Episodes" every freaking time.

It's been a while since I did it but if I remember it correctly when you are on the screen where you change them hit "menu" and it will have set default on the list on the left. Someone please chime in if I'm wrong. They are supposedly working on the flaw in the search function to let you choose "channels I receive" instead of all channels.

Can anyone tell me if the HDMI and the Component outputs on the HR20 are both live at the same time? I seem to remember with some older equipment that you can use one output or the other, but not both at the same time. My unit is supposed to show up Wednesday with the installer, and I am trying to figure out how I am going to hook up the new unit into my system. I want to run the HDMI to my AVR, but would also like to run component directly to the TV, as an option for watching TV without powering up the AVR.

Can anyone tell me if the HDMI and the Component outputs on the HR20 are both live at the same time? I seem to remember with some older equipment that you can use one output or the other, but not both at the same time. My unit is supposed to show up Wednesday with the installer, and I am trying to figure out how I am going to hook up the new unit into my system. I want to run the HDMI to my AVR, but would also like to run component directly to the TV, as an option for watching TV without powering up the AVR.

All outputs are live at the same time. I have my HDMI hooked up directly to my HDTV, and I'm running component to my receiver (no HDMI there, I need to upgrade) along with an toslink connection for audio.

Paul,
thanks! That helps me get prepped for when the installer gets here on Wednesday...although I will hook up the HR20 myself and let him worry about replacing the dish.

John

I use an S-Video and HDMI from the same HR20 to feed two tv's - it works fine.
Make sure you put the B-Band converters in to the back of the Sat In's on the HR20 then put your 2 coax lines into the B-Band converters if you are hooking it up yourself (The B-Band converters are in the box with the HR20.

Just as an update - supervisor came out yesterday evening and confirmed line of sight from the ground location I had found. Now I have to wait for dispatch to call back and re-schedule. What a cluster...

And now, I'm reading more accounts of "my HR20 locked up/didn't record/screwed up/started late", etc. I'm definitely keeping my HR10-250 going in the background to be sure I get the stuff I need. If I lose an episod of Grey's I won't be allowed sleep in the house.

Arguably keeping it cooler extends HD life but 127F is not hot enough to cause the problems you're describing. It's normal for the box. If you do put a fan on it, obviously be sure its pulling out not blowing in.

peace . . .


Put an Antec lap top cooler on the HR20 and the temp reading dropped to 113. After sitting all night unused with cooler running, the reading is at 104 - ambient room temp overnight was been about 62 degrees. I was a little surprised it would be that effective, that's quite a drop. Too soon to tell if it will rectify the no image/audio start problem.

I apologize in advance if this question has been asked and answered, but this thread is so long I'm having a hard time getting relevant search results. I just got an HR20 installed on Friday. After programming the remote to work my TV, when I turn the TV off the DVR turns off as well. Is there any way to avoid this or is the DVR still working even if it's off? I miss (among myriad other things) how my tivo remote was able to work my tv, the tivo and the receiver without having to flip a switch between devices. Thanks!

I apologize in advance if this question has been asked and answered, but this thread is so long I'm having a hard time getting relevant search results. I just got an HR20 installed on Friday. After programming the remote to work my TV, when I turn the TV off the DVR turns off as well. Is there any way to avoid this or is the DVR still working even if it's off? I miss (among myriad other things) how my tivo remote was able to work my tv, the tivo and the receiver without having to flip a switch between devices. Thanks!

The DVR still works with the power "off." Turning the DVR off only disables the video outputs and turns off the front lights.

Arguably keeping it cooler extends HD life but 127F is not hot enough to cause the problems you're describing. It's normal for the box. If you do put a fan on it, obviously be sure its pulling out not blowing in.

peace . . .

I didn't think 127F would be a problem either. So far, it hasn't had the problem, hard to say if the fan helped or not, I'll give it another week and see what happens. Yes, I have it pulling the hot air out through the top of the case.

I apologize in advance if this question has been asked and answered, but this thread is so long I'm having a hard time getting relevant search results. I just got an HR20 installed on Friday. After programming the remote to work my TV, when I turn the TV off the DVR turns off as well. Is there any way to avoid this or is the DVR still working even if it's off? I miss (among myriad other things) how my tivo remote was able to work my tv, the tivo and the receiver without having to flip a switch between devices. Thanks!

It should not turn the recording off. If you see an orange light on the front, that indicates that recording is still in progress.

fafner

If it solves the problem you may want to consider replacing the unit. Nothing inside is rated to fail at that 'low' of a temp. The closest thing I can think of is the HD and that's something like 155F IIRC. Cool is good, but if you NEED to keep it cooler than 127F to function then it has issues.

peace . . .

I didn't think 127F would be a problem either. So far, it hasn't had the problem, hard to say if the fan helped or not, I'll give it another week and see what happens. Yes, I have it pulling the hot air out through the top of the case.

so can u buy these off of ebay and just activate the access card?

so can u buy these off of ebay and just activate the access card?

You may be able to "buy" these from eBay, etc. but caveat emptor! You may have trouble getting D* to activate them. They are "leased" to subscribers by D* who sign a service contract.

Does the caller-id work for anyone? I have notifications turned on, but it never comes up on the screen when the call comes in. It DOES list the calls if I go to callerid in the menu.

Does the caller-id work for anyone? I have notifications turned on, but it never comes up on the screen when the call comes in. It DOES list the calls if I go to callerid in the menu.

Yes it is working for me.
After the 1st ring, the Caller-ID info appears with name time, and phone number.
I don't like that it seems to stay on the screen too long.
It seems to stay on the screen for 15 seconds or more unless I hit select to take it off the screen.

Anyone out there watch any HD ABC Shows this week like Grey's, Dirty Sexy Money or Desparate Housewives? I am getting major stuttering on my picture. Unsure if this is the Feed or the HR20. I get my Locals via Satellite not OTA. Anyone else notice this, watch the pan around Wisteria Lane in the 1st minute of the show. It is a slow shot, no action and I am getting stutter. Anyone else getting this?

Anyone out there watch any HD ABC Shows this week like Grey's, Dirty Sexy Money or Desparate Housewives? I am getting major stuttering on my picture. Unsure if this is the Feed or the HR20. I get my Locals via Satellite not OTA. Anyone else notice this, watch the pan around Wisteria Lane in the 1st minute of the show. It is a slow shot, no action and I am getting stutter. Anyone else getting this?

Had problems with Dirty Sexy Money last week, same thing stuttering, actually froze about 30-40 seconds, I get it via D* not OTA.:)

I had the D* install guy over yesterday for my install. I wanted the HR20 in my main room. I was told I needed two lines coming in the from the DISH to the BOX. However, all my lines come from my attic, so there is only one line coming down through the wall to the wall plate from my attic.

Isn't it possible to combine two lines using a combiner (splitter) in the attic and then split them again before hooking up to the box? I know this can be done with DISH network DVR boxes, surely it can be done for DirecTV HR20 as well.

The installer said it could not be done and was trying to charge my $70 dollars for a line fish.

I had the D* install guy over yesterday for my install. I wanted the HR20 in my main room. I was told I needed two lines coming in the from the DISH to the BOX. However, all my lines come from my attic, so there is only one line coming down through the wall to the wall plate from my attic.

Isn't it possible to combine two lines using a combiner (splitter) in the attic and then split them again before hooking up to the box? I know this can be done with DISH network DVR boxes, surely it can be done for DirecTV HR20 as well.

The installer said it could not be done and was trying to charge my $70 dollars for a line fish.

To my knowledge, you need separate lines for each tuner. However, it would be possible to use the HR20 with only one tuner (one cable). My suggestion would be to add the second line, though.

To my knowledge, you need separate lines for each tuner. However, it would be possible to use the HR20 with only one tuner (one cable). My suggestion would be to add the second line, though.

Yes, running with one cable is not an option as it limits the boxes useability too much.

I am still struggling to see how a DISH Network 722 box can combine to lines from the SAT to one and then split again before the box, but an HR20 could not.

I am still struggling to see how a DISH Network 722 box can combine to lines from the SAT to one and then split again before the box, but an HR20 could not.

Could be as simple as different technology, or an arbitrary limit in design, or that D* is providing more potential content and needs more bandwidth to do that. I'm not sure, but there are a lot of potential reasons.

EDIT - A quick look on DBSTalk revealed that a new component is in testing that will allow two sat feeds on one cable. Its called a SWM (Single Wire Multi-switch). So, maybe you could go with the one cable option for now and get one of those when they are available. But still, I'd just go ahead and get the second cable there now. Maybe you can do it yourself...

I second the motion for shelling out $70 and being done with it. I am guessing the multiswitch is a.) not coming soon and b.) will likely be darn near $70 anyway. So if you can't fish yourself, pay the guy $70 and be done with the ordeal. One can never have too many cables running around their ceiling:D

I second the motion for shelling out $70 and being done with it. I am guessing the multiswitch is a.) not coming soon and b.) will likely be darn near $70 anyway. So if you can't fish yourself, pay the guy $70 and be done with the ordeal. One can never have too many cables running around their ceiling:D

I agree, but the better half does not. I am going to just look into fishing a cable through myself tonight, but I have never done this before and don't know if it will be possible to just run it through the same path as the existing cable.

You may be able to "buy" these from eBay, etc. but caveat emptor! You may have trouble getting D* to activate them. They are "leased" to subscribers by D* who sign a service contract.

so what's the purpose of people selling them on ebay if it cant be activated?

I agree, but the better half does not. I am going to just look into fishing a cable through myself tonight, but I have never done this before and don't know if it will be possible to just run it through the same path as the existing cable.

The things we do to please the spouse....:eek:
Cable fishing is not terribly tough. If you are in an attic, are you just going to go down thru the ceiling? Or do you have to go thru the wall and have it come out down low in the wall? If going straight thru the ceiling, just follow the other cable and drill the hole you need next to the existing one. If you have to go thru the wall to the bottom, it is the same concept, only you 'll be working blind. Have fun with that one.

so what's the purpose of people selling them on ebay if it cant be activated?

I can see a landlord selling off tenants stuff as he has no duty to return the box. If someone is selling a box, the problem is really the sellers, not necessarily the buyers. Like most cell companies, DTV likely will not care how/where you got the hardware - just so long as you want to pay them indefinately for its use. That being said, they could charge you all the lugs back fees that sold it to you if they wanted, so make sure it is from a reputable seller and they promise to accept returns if DTV gives you any lip about activiating it.

so what's the purpose of people selling them on ebay if it cant be activated?

I guess that the easiest way to get the best answer would be to call D* and ask them if any of the D* DVRs sold on eBay qualify for activation by D* or does the DVR have to be obtained through D*. Then you'll get the information "straight from the horse" with no guesswork. ;)

I guess that the easiest way to get the best answer would be to call D* and ask them if any of the D* DVRs sold on eBay qualify for activation by D* or does the DVR have to be obtained through D*. Then you'll get the information "straight from the horse" with no guesswork. ;)

i see, i was just wondering if anyone on this site has gone this route

I recently purchased a Slingbox Pro to watch my recorded and live shows when I travel. According to Slingbox, I can watch programs remotely without affecting what my family sees at home as long as the tuner (DVR) is a dual-tuner. According to Directv, the HR20-100 is a dual tuner. Unfortunately, so far, all I can do with Slingbox is watch what my family is watching, or alternatively, change channels, etc. and affect what they are watching.

Needless to say, the family is not amused.

Has anyone successfully installed a Slingbox with the HR20-100 and been able to watch one program while their home TV was tuned to another? If so, please share your secrets of success.

As far as I know the HR20 sends the same video to all outputs, so what it sends to the slingbox is the same thing that it sends to your TV at home. You can watch only one thing at a time. This has nothing to do with the tuners.

I recently purchased a Slingbox Pro to watch my recorded and live shows when I travel. According to Slingbox, I can watch programs remotely without affecting what my family sees at home as long as the tuner (DVR) is a dual-tuner. According to Directv, the HR20-100 is a dual tuner. Unfortunately, so far, all I can do with Slingbox is watch what my family is watching, or alternatively, change channels, etc. and affect what they are watching.

Needless to say, the family is not amused.

Has anyone successfully installed a Slingbox with the HR20-100 and been able to watch one program while their home TV was tuned to another? If so, please share your secrets of success.

What they should have said in their literature was that you can watch a different chanel than the rest of the crew if you have Dual Tuner OUTPUTS which the HR20 (and all Directv receivers ever made) does not have. Dish makes a DVR with dual channel outs, but not DTV, if you have an 2nd receiver in the house, you could use it, but if not, you will be relegated to watching what the folks at home are watching unless they are not home or asleep, then you get free reign.

I had a problem with my first hr-20. It would freeze on a channel..the video, that is..as the audio continued. Also, it had another problem. I would tune to a channel but would get a blank screen and this would not correct itself. Now, with my second hr-20, the same 2 problems are beginning and I am sure they will continue and only get worse. One was a model 700 and one was a model 100. Sad when I think back to my great Zenith receiver with zero problems. Just wish my local cable company would get on the ball and have more HD content. The local company has excellent quality on the HD they do have.
I begin to have little confidence in these DVRs from Directv. I imagine others will begin to have these problems.

Anyone know the wattage draw on the HR20-100? I want to get a UPS and need to make sure it is capable of feeding enough power to the HR20 in an outage.

I had a problem with my first hr-20. It would freeze on a channel..the video, that is..as the audio continued. Also, it had another problem. I would tune to a channel but would get a blank screen and this would not correct itself. Now, with my second hr-20, the same 2 problems are beginning and I am sure they will continue and only get worse. One was a model 700 and one was a model 100. Sad when I think back to my great Zenith receiver with zero problems. Just wish my local cable company would get on the ball and have more HD content. The local company has excellent quality on the HD they do have.
I begin to have little confidence in these DVRs from Directv. I image others will begin to have these problems.

What type of TV are you using? Are you using HDMI to connect? It sounds like you may be having a handshake issue between your TV and HR20. You can work around this by either a.) updating your TV's firmware if possible b.) using component cables to connect the HR20 - you will still get the same picture, you just won't be using the problematic HDMI connection.

so can u buy these off of ebay and just activate the access card?

You may be able to "buy" these from eBay, etc. but caveat emptor! You may have trouble getting D* to activate them. They are "leased" to subscribers by D* who sign a service contract.

so what's the purpose of people selling them on ebay if it cant be activated?

I guess that the easiest way to get the best answer would be to call D* and ask them if any of the D* DVRs sold on eBay qualify for activation by D* or does the DVR have to be obtained through D*. Then you'll get the information "straight from the horse" with no guesswork. ;)

i see, i was just wondering if anyone on this site has gone this route

I had a problem with my first hr-20. It would freeze on a channel..the video, that is..as the audio continued. Also, it had another problem. I would tune to a channel but would get a blank screen and this would not correct itself. Now, with my second hr-20, the same 2 problems are beginning and I am sure they will continue and only get worse. One was a model 700 and one was a model 100. Sad when I think back to my great Zenith receiver with zero problems. Just wish my local cable company would get on the ball and have more HD content. The local company has excellent quality on the HD they do have.
I begin to have little confidence in these DVRs from Directv. I image others will begin to have these problems.

yungintl, if you would read a few pages of this thread, you'll find others like Richad's post above describing problems with the HR20-xxx. If you "purchase" your HR20-xxx from a "seller" on eBay, and do not get it from D*, will the "seller" service it for you? Will they exchange it for a new or re-furbished unit numerous times if you continue to have problems with the unit(s) sent as others have? I think not...........as I said in my first post.......caveat emptor. Just my 2¢

so what's the purpose of people selling them on ebay if it cant be activated?

I got a used one off ebay several several months ago and didn't have a problem signing up. I have been a subscriber since day one

interesting...thanks for the info

Anybody experience with the HR20-700 have OTA signals on 3-1 , 10-1 , 24-1 poor reception? Wonder if they come from the same ant. at the ant. farm?

Is it normal for the HR20-700 to shoe OTA2 AND OTA1 tuners on system setup page after a test? There's just one wire for OTA going into the box. On CH. 10-1 , 3-1, & 24-4 , one tuner recieves it OK & the other tuner doesn't. Other OTA chs , both tuners get them. Only ch I really care about is occasionally 10-1.

Could be as simple as different technology, or an arbitrary limit in design, or that D* is providing more potential content and needs more bandwidth to do that. I'm not sure, but there are a lot of potential reasons.

EDIT - A quick look on DBSTalk revealed that a new component is in testing that will allow two sat feeds on one cable. Its called a SWM (Single Wire Multi-switch). So, maybe you could go with the one cable option for now and get one of those when they are available. But still, I'd just go ahead and get the second cable there now. Maybe you can do it yourself...

If you look a bit farther into SWM you will find thsat there are two versions:
SWM5 which will handle FIVE tuners on one coax
and SWM8 that will handle EIGHT tuners on one cable.

Anyone know the wattage draw on the HR20-100? I want to get a UPS and need to make sure it is capable of feeding enough power to the HR20 in an outage.

39 watts

What type of TV are you using? Are you using HDMI to connect? It sounds like you may be having a handshake issue between your TV and HR20. You can work around this by either a.) updating your TV's firmware if possible b.) using component cables to connect the HR20 - you will still get the same picture, you just won't be using the problematic HDMI connection.

component connection and a Panny plasma tv. I am convinced the trouble lies in the HR20 and nowhere else.

I had a problem with my first hr-20. It would freeze on a channel..the video, that is..as the audio continued. Also, it had another problem. I would tune to a channel but would get a blank screen and this would not correct itself. Now, with my second hr-20, the same 2 problems are beginning and I am sure they will continue and only get worse. One was a model 700 and one was a model 100. I image others will begin to have these problems.

Two different manufacturers, having the exact same problems?
While the HR-20 isn't a stellar product, the odds of it being the HR-20 seems to be very slim to me.
I would be looking at what is common to the system. YMMV

Two different manufacturers, having the exact same problems?
While the HR-20 isn't a stellar product, the odds of it being the HR-20 seems to be very slim to me.
I would be looking at what is common to the system. YMMV

And I can find no other explanation. When I replaced the first HR DVD, the trouble 'went away' for many weeks; now, (with second unit), it is with me again. A real mystery. And I am no novice to audio/video.

Two different manufacturers, having the exact same problems?
While the HR-20 isn't a stellar product, the odds of it being the HR-20 seems to be very slim to me.
I would be looking at what is common to the system. YMMV

WTF does YMMV mean?

YMMV - Your mileage may vary

I am new to this forum and would appreciate your help in making a decision.

At the moment I still have cable HD. I see the D* commercials all the time and am always ready to reach for the phone to call and switch over. However, I remember all the negative comments about HD-lite. With the new MPEG-4 technology, what is your opinion of the PQ? Please try to be objective. Can you see any real difference between full 1920x1080 and what you see via your HD DVRs? I'm sure you understand that I don't want to get locked into a 2-year commitment only to regret it.

Thank you for the information. I would LOVE to call Comcast and say, "bu-bye!"

I am new to this forum and would appreciate your help in making a decision.

At the moment I still have cable HD. I see the D* commercials all the time and am always ready to reach for the phone to call and switch over. However, I remember all the negative comments about HD-lite. With the new MPEG-4 technology, what is your opinion of the PQ? Please try to be objective. Can you see any real difference between full 1920x1080 and what you see via your HD DVRs? I'm sure you understand that I don't want to get locked into a 2-year commitment only to regret it.

Thank you for the information. I would LOVE to call Comcast and say, "bu-bye!"

How can anyone be "objective" about PQ when by definition it is subjective?

If you are seriously afraid of committments, then you should just bypass D* as you are likely to be disappointed...just because you had to make a committment.

fafner

phone line issues

guys I have 2 HR20's and both are screwing up my phone lines: it is driving me nuts to find the cause

as soon as I connect one of the HR20's to the line, the line gets very noisy and causes the phone line error: now the other HR20 is doing it too

I switch to a second line: same thing

I use them for PPV so the phone connection is needed

Yes I have DSL on one line: tried with & without filter

Phone line is copper: as soon as I disconnect the HR20 it is clean and works OK

Ideas???

more: caller ID feature works as I can see a log of calls: it seems to happen when the stb wants to make a call: it locks up the line and stays locked up: if I disconnect the phone line the line clears but the fault is repeatable as soon as I reconnect to either HR20 (run test comes back phone line failed): I have H20's connected to the same line and they connect fine

A real mystery. And I am no novice to audio/video.

Your post count shows that you're not.

If this was happening with my local CBS HD channel, I'd tell you for sure it was the station that was causing it. FWIW

[and for mikemaxj that means "for what it's worth"] :)

I am new to this forum and would appreciate your help in making a decision.

At the moment I still have cable HD. I see the D* commercials all the time and am always ready to reach for the phone to call and switch over. However, I remember all the negative comments about HD-lite. With the new MPEG-4 technology, what is your opinion of the PQ? Please try to be objective. Can you see any real difference between full 1920x1080 and what you see via your HD DVRs? I'm sure you understand that I don't want to get locked into a 2-year commitment only to regret it.

Thank you for the information. I would LOVE to call Comcast and say, "bu-bye!"

Your cable company may be different than mine but I looked at the same local HD channel and had:
OTA looked the best
D* looked close [green grass wasn't quite as bright green] with the MPEG-4 [not the same as the HD-lite MPEG-2]
Cable looked the worst [the grass was brown]
That's what I could see.

phone line issues

guys I have 2 HR20's and both are screwing up my phone lines: it is driving me nuts to find the cause

as soon as I connect one of the HR20's to the line, the line gets very noisy and causes the phone line error: now the other HR20 is doing it too

I switch to a second line: same thing

I use them for PPV so the phone connection is needed

Yes I have DSL on one line: tried with & without filter

Phone line is copper: as soon as I disconnect the HR20 it is clean and works OK

Ideas???

more: caller ID feature works as I can see a log of calls: it seems to happen when the stb wants to make a call: it locks up the line and stays locked up: if I disconnect the phone line the line clears but the fault is repeatable as soon as I reconnect to either HR20 (run test comes back phone line failed): I have H20's connected to the same line and they connect fine

Dumb question: is the polarity correct on both lines?

Dumb question: is the polarity correct on both lines?

you know I just tested that: the HR20 faults with either correct or reversed polarity

the H20 is connected to a line that shows reversed polarity and it passes the phone test: I connect the HR20 to that line and it faults

you know I just tested that: the HR20 faults with either correct or reversed polarity

the H20 is connected to a line that shows reversed polarity and it passes the phone test: I connect the HR20 to that line and it faults

It's not unreasonable for the modem in the HR-20 to be defective. There have been posts about it before [not a lot like a production run error].

I am new to this forum and would appreciate your help in making a decision.

At the moment I still have cable HD. I see the D* commercials all the time and am always ready to reach for the phone to call and switch over. However, I remember all the negative comments about HD-lite. With the new MPEG-4 technology, what is your opinion of the PQ? Please try to be objective. Can you see any real difference between full 1920x1080 and what you see via your HD DVRs? I'm sure you understand that I don't want to get locked into a 2-year commitment only to regret it.

Thank you for the information. I would LOVE to call Comcast and say, "bu-bye!"

Unless you are a super satisfied Cable customer, I can not imagine you would regret the switch to DTV. I jumped on board the month my locals came over the dish in 1999 and have not ever, ever considered going back to cable. I was near tears when we moved in 2003 and the initial installer said he could not get a clean line of sight and I could not have DTV. After about a week, I got another installer and it was taken care of. Even completely discounting the HD aspect, you'll get more channels, better equipment and better Customer service than cable provided in my experience. ESPN and ESPN2 HD. Big Ten HD, locals via Satellite HD are more than enough to satisfy my HD Needs, plus now I get weird stuff like TBS, Smithsonian, some extra Discoverys, Starz, more HBO and more Showtime. HD lite or no, it is waaay better than SD (except for TNT - that is just plain nauseating).
If you have any friends or relatives with DTV, have them log on their account and "refer" you, that way you each get $50 off your bill.

Just got my second HR20 installed today. I have an HR20-100 and HR20-700 now. Ascetically, I like the HR20-100 front better, with it's ring being solid instead of individual lights. Otherwise I haven't noticed any difference. While verifying the model numbers, I like that the HR20-100 is right on the back, but the HR20-700 is underneath. Just happy to now have all 4 of my D* boxes as HD DVRs. I'll hold off on upgrading my HR10s until D* says they aren't continuing the contract.

phone line issues

guys I have 2 HR20's and both are screwing up my phone lines: it is driving me nuts to find the cause

as soon as I connect one of the HR20's to the line, the line gets very noisy and causes the phone line error: now the other HR20 is doing it too

I switch to a second line: same thing

I use them for PPV so the phone connection is needed

Yes I have DSL on one line: tried with & without filter

Phone line is copper: as soon as I disconnect the HR20 it is clean and works OK

Ideas???

more: caller ID feature works as I can see a log of calls: it seems to happen when the stb wants to make a call: it locks up the line and stays locked up: if I disconnect the phone line the line clears but the fault is repeatable as soon as I reconnect to either HR20 (run test comes back phone line failed): I have H20's connected to the same line and they connect fine

You might check the rj13 jack to see if it wired properly, then switch the red and green wires in case there is some resistance from your phone lines to ground.

You might also disconnect all your phones to make sure one of them does not have a problem.

I have found the strangest problems with house phone wiring.

Just got my second HR20 installed today. I have an HR20-100 and HR20-700 now. Ascetically, I like the HR20-100 front better, with it's ring being solid instead of individual lights. Otherwise I haven't noticed any difference. While verifying the model numbers, I like that the HR20-100 is right on the back, but the HR20-700 is underneath. Just happy to now have all 4 of my D* boxes as HD DVRs. I'll hold off on upgrading my HR10s until D* says they aren't continuing the contract.

Just received 2 HR20-100s yesterday. Both work well so far but I've noticed a few diffs. compared to the HR10-250. It's a tiny bit slow when changing channels. It takes about 2 seconds for the new channel to show up. I guess there's a lot of processing going on - I'm pretty sure they're both setup to output 1080i (still in that learning stage...) I can't seem to find the button to switch tuners... (kidding).

That ring of light is pretty but a tad brighter than it needs to be.

The good news on the HR20 for ota is a more sensitive/stronger tuner in the UHF channels. I now receive a few UHF channels the HR10-250 couldn't pickup. The bad news - it won't pickup 3-1 (digital 2) the lowest VHF channel at all. Hopefully this is something they can fix via software.

I remember someone posting a while ago they felt the HR20 is a better performing design overall and so far I agree.

... It takes about 2 seconds for the new channel to show up. I guess there's a lot of processing going on - I'm pretty sure they're both setup to output 1080i (still in that learning stage...) ...

I don't have mine yet but I've been doing a lot of reading to get ready for the switch from HDTivo. One thing I remember reading is to be sure you don't have the HR20 resolution set to "native". Its a nifty feature that changes the resolution to whatever the input signal is, but it slows down channel changes quite a bit (because your display has to re-sync each time).

Personally, I hardly ever watch anything live and I don't channel surf so I will probably use the native function.

Just received 2 HR20-100s yesterday. Both work well so far but I've noticed a few diffs. compared to the HR10-250. It's a tiny bit slow when changing channels. It takes about 2 seconds for the new channel to show up. I guess there's a lot of processing going on - I'm pretty sure they're both setup to output 1080i (still in that learning stage...) I can't seem to find the button to switch tuners... (kidding).

That ring of light is pretty but a tad brighter than it needs to be.

The good news on the HR20 for ota is a more sensitive/stronger tuner in the UHF channels. I now receive a few UHF channels the HR10-250 couldn't pickup. The bad news - it won't pickup 3-1 (digital 2) the lowest VHF channel at all. Hopefully this is something they can fix via software.

I remember someone posting a while ago they felt the HR20 is a better performing design overall and so far I agree.

If you've got the HR20 set to output just 1080i or 720p, whatever your TV prefers, that should cut back on some channel changing. But you said you think that's already set.

The ring can be dimmed by pressing <- and -> on the ring at the same time.

I've had about a year on the HR20 and over two years on the HR10. I find a lot in the HR20 that I wish was in the HR10 and I have found it a suitable replacement. Just add CC to stay on a FF1 speed on the HR20, and I will swap my HR10s immediately!

I recently had D* swap-out my HR20 with a replacement unit (performed by D*installer) dur to some issues with my service. Since then, I self-diagnosed the problem to be a bad co-ax line and thus my original HR20 is still good.

I wil soon be upgrading my bedroom to an HD reciever and was wondering if I could use my original HR20 instead of sending it back to D*. Is the access card in my original HR20 'bricked' or can D* re-instate it?

i was wondering, as a new customer, what is the best deal someone has gotten?

Personally, I hardly ever watch anything live and I don't channel surf so I will probably use the native function.

I think you're right that it's set to native and that's why it's taking so long to sync to the new channel. I can see benefits to having native on or off. I'll check again to be sure and probably keep it on 1080i. I'd like to be able to switch it manually to 720p for those few select channels(fox, abc, espn.)

When are you gonna pull the trigger(call D*) and get one?? Keep us updated.

The ring can be dimmed by pressing <- and -> on the ring at the same time.



Ahh, excellent. I'm sure this has been posted before but I didn't remember it. Thx much.

How can anyone be "objective" about PQ when by definition it is subjective?

If you are seriously afraid of committments, then you should just bypass D* as you are likely to be disappointed...just because you had to make a committment.

fafner

I came in good faith and asked a straightforward question and this is how you treated it. Whatever happened to goodwill?

For those of you who are kind enough to address my question about PQ, thank you in advance for your reply.

anyone have any esata hard drives hooked up to your hr 20... if so, which ones and how much did it cost you...
i am asking because i am interested in getting one but i dont want to spend too much money

So has anyone tried purchasing and activating an HR20 from eBay?

Price doesn't seem that much cheaper than the D* lease price so maybe they won't let you activate since you're only suppose to be able to lease it?

But if they let you activate, you wouldn't have to give it back to them (maybe you can eBay it if you decide to upgrade to a new model after a couple of years) and you wouldn't have to sign another 2-year commitment?

I believe my commitment runs to the fall of 2008. I would like to get another one but it was a hassle to get any programming credits (not a Sunday Ticket subscriber) and I'm not sure about committing to another 2 years.

Would they add 2 years to my current commitment or would it be 2 years from now?

I wil soon be upgrading my bedroom to an HD reciever and was wondering if I could use my original HR20 instead of sending it back to D*. Is the access card in my original HR20 'bricked' or can D* re-instate it?

The access card isn't "bricked", just deactivated.
I have done what you asked: had a replacement and kept my original HR-20 and re-activated it.
Now what you must make sure to do is to work it out with D*, since there is a unreturned equipment charge tied to the replacement.
I had problems with a H20 [$99] that had a $240 charge for not being returned [long story which ended up their error]. The HR-20 is something like $750. FWIW

So has anyone tried purchasing and activating an HR20 from eBay?

Price doesn't seem that much cheaper than the D* lease price so maybe they won't let you activate since you're only suppose to be able to lease it?

But if they let you activate, you wouldn't have to give it back to them (maybe you can eBay it if you decide to upgrade to a new model after a couple of years) and you wouldn't have to sign another 2-year commitment?

I believe my commitment runs to the fall of 2008. I would like to get another one but it was a hassle to get any programming credits (not a Sunday Ticket subscriber) and I'm not sure about committing to another 2 years.

Would they add 2 years to my current commitment or would it be 2 years from now?

An ebay purchase can go several ways:
Some are new and when you activate them, you find it's a lease and you have a two year commitment [from that date].
Some could be used and in most cases were leased to start with. Somebody is going to be charged for not returning it.
Some people have been able to push through the unit as "owned" [and not leased]. Good luck trying to do this. I think you still have the programing commitment added when you activate it.
See what it is before you buy and call D* to check how it is listed with them.

I think you're right that it's set to native and that's why it's taking so long to sync to the new channel. I can see benefits to having native on or off. I'll check again to be sure and probably keep it on 1080i. I'd like to be able to switch it manually to 720p for those few select channels(fox, abc, espn.)

When are you gonna pull the trigger(call D*) and get one?? Keep us updated.

I'm in the middle of a long saga of trying to get an updated HD setup (new dish and HR20). The latest is that a new tech is scheduled for tomorrow morning. We'll see how it goes...

What do you go by, the serial number on the unit or the number of the access card that it would come with?

Do the eBay sellers list that info?

I am new to this forum and would appreciate your help in making a decision.

At the moment I still have cable HD. I see the D* commercials all the time and am always ready to reach for the phone to call and switch over. However, I remember all the negative comments about HD-lite. With the new MPEG-4 technology, what is your opinion of the PQ? Please try to be objective. Can you see any real difference between full 1920x1080 and what you see via your HD DVRs? I'm sure you understand that I don't want to get locked into a 2-year commitment only to regret it.

Thank you for the information. I would LOVE to call Comcast and say, "bu-bye!"

I've had D* for forever (10+ yrs) and HD for over four years. I used to be one of the complainers about "HDLite" but, recently, it seems to have gotten better. Maybe the new sats coming on line have offloaded enough traffic to increase the bandwidth for the current mpeg2 content. I have a big screen in my main room (7 feet across) and it used to be that I couldn't stand to watch most D* HD in there. Upscaled DVDs looked better. But lately it does seem to be a lot better. I seem to get pictures much more comparable to OTA HD. Its not HD-DVD good, but its pretty good.

With the move to mpeg4, hopefully, this will be a non-issue. Plus, the amount of HD content available just doesn't even begin to compare with cable - at least in my area. Heck, my local cable company doesn't even carry all the locals in HD.

What do you go by, the serial number on the unit or the number of the access card that it would come with?

Do the eBay sellers list that info?

Why would you even consider "buying" one on eBay? If you're an existing subscriber, you can get the upgrade for anywhere from $99-$299 (or even free if you're lucky). If you're new, you can probably talk your way into a $99 - $199 option as a "competitive upgrade". The ebay options maybe save you $50 off the highest you would pay D*, don't include installation or the dish and carry some degree of risk.

What's the upside?

anyone have any esata hard drives hooked up to your hr 20... if so, which ones and how much did it cost you...
i am asking because i am interested in getting one but i dont want to spend too much money
One easy solution now is to get the Seagate Free Agent Pro 750GB. It seems to be the most popular and it's available everywere--newegg, Circuit City, Best Buy, Costco, etc. You should be able to get it for a little over $200 depending on who has it on sale. I have two HR20s, so I got a Seagate Free Agent Pro for each of them. It's a really simple hookup that takes about two minutes. You just power down the DVR, connect the drive with a eSata cable, power up the drive, and then power up the DVR. One thing I noticed is that when I powered up the DVRs nothing seemed to be happening--not even the blue light. But then after a couple of minutes the light does come on and the reboot happens. I wanted to point that out since some people might panic and think that the DVR isn't powering up when actually it is. The increase in storage is huge, and it works exactly like the internal drive. You can still record two channels at once while playing back something previously recorded.