This thread is for discussion of the TDC779X (aka Tahoe Analog), TDC778X (aka Tahoe All Digital) and DC757X (aka Miami).

Firmware release notes for each box can be found below:


TDC779X (aka Tahoe Analog) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=903828).
TDC778X (aka Tahoe CableCARD) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=937770)
DC757X (aka Miami) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1029602)


Online manuals:

TDC779X (aka Tahoe Analog) manual (http://www.pace.com/media/generic/PDF/manuals/tdc779x_manual.pdf).
TDC778X (aka Tahoe CableCARD) manual (http://www.pace.com/media/generic/PDF/manuals/tdc778x_manual.pdf)
DC757X (aka Miami) (http://www.pace.com/media/generic/PDF/manuals/dc757x_manual.pdf)



FAQ:

1. How do I get into diagnostics?

To get to those diagnostics, press the power button, then press the select button within two seconds. To leave, press the power button.

2. What is the largest supported eSATA drive?

Older firmware revisions will only recognize ~700GB. Larger drives will work, but only ~700GB will be recognized.

The latest maintenance release supports 1TB and larger drives.

3. Has Pace certified any eSATA drives?

Yes, the following drives have been tested and verified to function properly:


Western Digital MyDVR Expander (WDG1S5000)
Seagate DVR Expander (ST30500SCA109-RK)
iOmega DVR (34172)


4. How can I format the internal or eSATA HDD?

While on the main diagnostics page (not the dashboard page), press

Repeat
MyDVR*
MyDVR*
MyDVR*
LIVE

*MyDVR may be LIST on your remote depending on your cable provider

this will bring up a screen where you can select the drive to format and subsequently format the drive. After a few seconds, the box will reboot. After reboot, the drive will be available for use (the format is a two phase process so the initial format GUI may appear to be very quick).

Be aware that formatting the drive can't be undone and you will lose all the content on the drive. Do not use this screen unless absolutely necessary.

5. What are the discrete Power On/Off codes?


HEX 4A (0x4A) for Power On
HEX 4B (0x4B) for Power Off


6. Why is TV Guide indicating that my disk is not full when its definitely not full?

This is a bug in the guide. Most of the time, the only way to resolve it is to reboot your box. Sometimes (but very rarely) if you delete a recording, it may recover and get out of the error state.

7. How do I get into Pace User Settings?

Press the Power Button on the remote and then Menu. This will allow you to change a variety of settings. Press the Power button to return to live TV.

8. What is the PowerMenu?

It is the same as Pace User Settings (older name for the same function).

I have 2 779X cable boxes, one connected to a Sony A2000 SXRD set and 1 to a Toshiba REGZA LCD set. Both boxes have Rev 9.01 firmware. Both boxes appear to have the same bug that was present in earlier Tahoe boxes. Both boxes are connected with HDMI and both TVs indicate that they are receiving a 4:3 picture from Hi Def channels. I hooked up component cables to the SXRD set and that correctly showed 16:9. The REGZA set has an "Auto Aspect Ratio" feature which, when enabled, locks HDTV signals to 4:3.

Dick OKeefe

The REGZA set has an "Auto Aspect Ratio" feature which, when enabled, locks HDTV signals to 4:3.

Dick OKeefe

Dick,

If you turn this off, will it show a 16x9 picture?

Linden,

I can't seem to find very detailed specs on the 778 (like is available on the 775) so I have no idea how it compares with the 775. Is it worth upgrading? How big is the 778 hard drive? What are the major differences? My cable operator is rolling the 778's out tomorrow and I'd like to upgrade but don't want to bother if the difference will be negligible.

Bill

Bill,

Answered some of this via PM.

Is it worth upgrading?

Depends on what you're looking for. ;)

It does have a smaller footprint, so if space is at a premium, that is one thing to consider.

I also think the front panel isn't as bright (for those that were bothered by the brightness of the 775).

The firmware rev (9.01) is newer so it will contain tweaks/fixes not yet in the 775 firmware (although this is a temporary thing and varies by site--some sites have already rolled out 9.40 on the 775).

OTOH, there are fewer LEDs (i.e. no lock icon, no surround sound icon) on the front panel, so if that's important to you, maybe not.

How big is the 778 hard drive?

Same size. eSATA remains functional.

Dick,

If you turn this off, will it show a 16x9 picture?

Yes, If I turn off the Auto Aspect Ratio on the REGZA it shows a true 16:9 picture in 720P or 1080I, but the display info shows a 4:3 ratio. The same is true for the Sony set. It shows 4:3 in the display window but with the mode selector set to WIDE (the normal HD setting) the set shows a 16:9 picture in full HD.

Dick OKeefe

I picked up a 778 at my cable company today - gonna hook it up tonight and see how it compares to my 775. I'll try to post my thoughts in a day or so.

Yes, If I turn off the Auto Aspect Ratio on the REGZA it shows a true 16:9 picture in 720P or 1080I, but the display info shows a 4:3 ratio. The same is true for the Sony set. It shows 4:3 in the display window but with the mode selector set to WIDE (the normal HD setting) the set shows a 16:9 picture in full HD.

Dick OKeefe

Dick,

We've replicated the problem and fixed it. The release notes will be updated when a fix is available.

Dick,

We've replicated the problem and fixed it. The release notes will be updated when a fix is available.

Thanks, Paul. Its nice to be involved with a company whose engineers actually care about their stuff.

BTW, since switching from Motorola boxes to the Pace boxes I see a real improvement in PQ. I used to get some pixelization and frame freezes with the Moto boxes which I thought were cable problems, but I haven't seen anything bad lately.

Dick OKeefe

Well I had my new 778 (replacement to my 775) for the weekend and can say I'm very happy with it.

Positives:
PQ is as good (or better) than 775
Quieter than 775
LOVE the front green LED display colors etc - MUCH nicer than the "too bright" blue power LED and "too dim" blue clock/channel display.
Overall physical appearance of unit is nicer than 775.
Maybe it's just my mind at work - but remote control response time seems better than the 775.
Smaller footprint than 775
30 second skip still works! (PLEASE don't ever disable this feature).

Negatives:
Smaller footprint than 775 (could be an issue if you want all your component to stack up nicely and be the same dimensions).
Same size HD as 775 - sure would have been nice to get a 250gb hd in there.
No component pass through like 775.

Overall I'm very happy with the 778 and plan on returning my 775 later today.

Bill

Edit: Adding one more negative - so far I've lost my "premium subscription" channels on 2 different occasions with this new box - both times my cable company was able to reset the box remotely and fixed it but it's still a bit annoying nonetheless. Hopefully it won't be an ongoing issue.

Edit: Adding one more negative - so far I've lost my "premium subscription" channels on 2 different occasions with this new box - both times my cable company was able to reset the box remotely and fixed it but it's still a bit annoying nonetheless. Hopefully it won't be an ongoing issue.

When you say "lost" what error/warning message did you see on screen?

Also, have you had an opportunity to try out VOD over your HDMI connection? I'd like to find out if your VOD/HDMI issues are resolved.

When you say "lost" what error/warning message did you see on screen?

Also, have you had an opportunity to try out VOD over your HDMI connection? I'd like to find out if your VOD/HDMI issues are resolved.

Lost as is in the online guide says "Subscription Service Only - Not Authorized" even though we subscribe to them. I half wonder if it's because Armstrong hadn't removed the old Pace 775 from their system yet? My wife just called a bit ago to tell me we had lost the digital channels (400 to 495) and I called Armstrong - the girl there rebooted the box and it fixed it again. She mentioned something about seeing 2 HD PVR boxes on my account - that's what makes me wonder about the 775.

No Linden - remember I upgraded from the Samsung DLP to a new Pioneer Elite Plasma - so my VOD issues went out the door with the Samsung. :) Currently I'm running Component Cables from the Pace to my Pio and my Xbox 360 Elite and Toshiba HD-A30 hd-dvd are using the 2 HDMI inputs my Pioneer has. Would you like me to try the Pace 778 over HDMI? It's sitting on top of of the hd-dvd so plugging in the HDMI cable would be no problem.

edit: prior to getting my Xbox Elite - I was running HDMI from the 775 to the Pio Elite with no problems at all - no VOD dropouts or anything. Once I got the new Xbox I swapped it to the HDMI and the 775 to the Components - do you think I'd get better PQ from the 778 over HDMI than over component? I tried both with the 775 and could not see any noticeable difference.

Lost as is in the online guide says "Subscription Service Only - Not Authorized" even though we subscribe to them.

Can't comment on what is going on in your particular case, but generally, when that message is seen, the box hasn't been properly authorized for all services in question.

I half wonder if it's because Armstrong hadn't removed the old Pace 775 from their system yet?

The state of the old box shouldn't really matter if the new box has been properly authorized.



No Linden - remember I upgraded from the Samsung DLP to a new Pioneer Elite Plasma - so my VOD issues went out the door with the Samsung. :)

Ahh, yes. I remember now. Never mind then.

Would you like me to try the Pace 778 over HDMI? It's sitting on top of of the hd-dvd so plugging in the HDMI cable would be no problem.

Up to you. But I'd like to hear the results if you're willing to try it.

do you think I'd get better PQ from the 778 over HDMI than over component? I tried both with the 775 and could not see any noticeable difference.

I don't think you'll see any with the 778 either.

Hey Linden,

Lost all my premium stations again last night after the box was turned on from standby mode. Again - Armstrong was able to send a new signal to the box and I got the channels back - but it's getting kind of annoying. Perhaps it's the cable card? They're going to send a tech out next Tuesday to look at it.

Bill

Bill,

Again - Armstrong was able to send a new signal to the box and I got the channels back -

Did they reboot the box or did the channels just come in right after they sent the message? If possible, I'd like to know if they just sent a refresh to the box or re-added the services in question.

Hi Linden,

The box did not reboot when they did whatever they did last night - I was sitting at it watching TV and the CS guy on the phone "check now" and they were back. I'm not sure what exactly he did - I can call to see if they have a log of the incident.

Bill

edit: Just spoke to Armstrong - there's no log of last night's incident - but the one on 9/17 was them rebooting and re-adding the services. Last night I suspect was just a refresh but I'm not sure - I do know the box did not reboot (if that helps). I tried shutting the box down and rebooting it manually prior to calling last night and it did not work.

Bill,

Just spoke to Armstrong - there's no log of last night's incident

The next time this happens, please find out the exact steps they performed. It will help me diagnose what might be happening. I need to know if they:

1. Refreshed the box.
2. Inited the box.
3. Removed and then re-added the services (or a package).
4. Added the services because they were missing (at the server).

Will do Linden - thanks for keeping an eye out on the Pace boxes. You're probably growing weary of all my issues with whatever Pace box I get huh? :o

You're probably growing weary of all my issues with whatever Pace box I get huh? :o

Bill,

How could I grow weary of your questions? ;)

The truth is your comments/feedback and patience are very appreciated. You have helped us make the product better for everyone.

Hey Linden,

Armstrong sent a tech out today to check things out with my 778. After much nosing around he came to the conclusion that the problem probably lies within Armstrong's system and not the box itself. He said that the "Not Authorized" message normally points to a system issue and not an issue with the box itself.

His final solution was to just swap out the box entirely. I asked him why not just swap the cable card first to rule out a flakey card and he said they don't do that - the replace the entire unit. He asked me to check with my friend at Armstrong about possibly trying a cable card swap as a test so I sent him an email about it. I'll let you know what the outcome is - if any. As it stands now I am keeping the current box rather than swapping. I've not lost any channels since last Thursday night - keeping my fingers crossed.

So far my issue has just been a matter of getting a refresh signal sent to my box - which is fine as long as it happens when the tech support office is open - it will stink when it happens after they're closed some night.

Just wanted to give you an update.

Bill

I just picked up a couple of TDC778X's from Armstrong yesterday. I too discovered the auto aspect ratio problem with Toshiba's.

Another big problem for me is that the unit will not transmit Dolby Digital 5.1 over HDMI. I only get 2 channels. I've had to hook up Coax cable to the SPDIF connector as a workaround.

I also wish that the guide and menu would not stretch and remain pillar box like on the Motorola.

HDMI switching through the receiver works however, so I can finally discard the component video cables.

Another big problem for me is that the unit will not transmit Dolby Digital 5.1 over HDMI. I only get 2 channels. I've had to hook up Coax cable to the SPDIF connector as a workaround.


Can you please post the details from the HDMI page (especially the audio related ones). I need to find out if you TV (or receiver depending on your connection) is telling us if its supports HDMI.

To get to the HDMI page, chose Interface status, then HDMI.

I also wish that the guide and menu would not stretch and remain pillar box like on the Motorola.

Sorry, this is how the box works. Graphics are full screen in all resolutions.

[QUOTE=lindend;11767938]Can you please post the details from the HDMI page (especially the audio related ones). I need to find out if you TV (or receiver depending on your connection) is telling us if its supports HDMI.

To get to the HDMI page, chose Interface status, then HDMI.

Linden,

I am unable to find the "HDMI page". Is this on the cable box? I've searched through the cable box menus

The Yamaha RX-V3800 receiver reports HDMI 48kHz 2ch.

Thanks.

Linden,

I've discovered another problem with the unit. It is not saving my specified settings regarding resolution capability. It keeps reverting to 720p only.

Linden,

I've discovered another problem with the unit. It is not saving my specified settings regarding resolution capability. It keeps reverting to 720p only.

If you're using HDMI, the display informs the box of the supported resolutions.

How are you configuring the supported resolutions?

I am unable to find the "HDMI page".

Its in the firmware diagnostics. To get to those diagnostics, press the power button, then press the select button within two seconds.

You will see a menu with a blue background. At that point, select interface status, then HDMI status.

When you captured the info I requested, you can hit the left arrow button to get back to the main menu and the power button to exit diagnostics. To see video, press the power button again.

All of this info is discussed in the Tahoe (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659367) thread. You may want to look at it as there was another user with the same problem you're experiencing and I'm likely going to need you to perform the same steps as him.

If you're using HDMI, the display informs the box of the supported resolutions.

How are you configuring the supported resolutions?

The Pace manual indicates that the STB will interogate the display as to its capabilities, but they can be over-ridden, and the STB will save the settings.

I have high end video processing in my projector, so I want the STB to send out all native resolutions, so all are enabled except 480p.

Its in the firmware diagnostics. To get to those diagnostics, press the power button, then press the select button within two seconds.

You will see a menu with a blue background. At that point, select interface status, then HDMI status.

When you captured the info I requested, you can hit the left arrow button to get back to the main menu and the power button to exit diagnostics. To see video, press the power button again.

All of this info is discussed in the Tahoe (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659367) thread. You may want to look at it as there was another user with the same problem you're experiencing and I'm likely going to need you to perform the same steps as him.


Linden,

I did a search on the original thread on did not find the solution. My STB reports:
Repeater - Yes
HDCP - Yes
Audio cabable - yes (PCM)

I tried an older Yamaha receiver and had the same results. I have 3 other HDMI devices connected including an HDDVD player and do not have any HDMI issues.

I don't mind the audio workaround with the coax cable, but the default resoltuion thing is killing me. I would revert back to component, but the HDMI image is noticable better.

The Pace manual indicates that the STB will interogate the display as to its capabilities, but they can be over-ridden, and the STB will save the settings.

I have high end video processing in my projector, so I want the STB to send out all native resolutions, so all are enabled except 480p.

That's weird - that's exactly how I have my 778x set up and it saves my settings fine. Sounds like maybe you have a flaky box.

If you're near an Armstrong office they'll let you swap it out yourself if you don't want to wait for a tech to come. That's what I do - and I got a stack of "returned equipment receipts" about 2 inches thick to prove it! :D

Linden,

I did a search on the original thread on did not find the solution. My STB reports:
Repeater - Yes
HDCP - Yes
Audio cabable - yes (PCM)



Thanks for those details. This particular issue was/is unresolved so I wasn't expecting your problem to go away, just wanted the details.

I'm suspicious that your receiver's interaction with the box is creating the problem (I'm not saying the receiver has a bug at this point, just need to rule stuff out). Please try the following:

1. Hook up the 778 (aka TCC) directly to the display and bypass the receiver then let me know if the problem with saved resolutions persists or is no longer reproducible.

1A. Please print out the supported resolutions when just the HDMI display is connected.

2. Hook up the 778 directly to the receiver, but don't connect the display to the receiver via HDMI (component is ok). Let me know if AC-3 is transmitted in this case. If not, please report the diagnostics for the audio capable line. Also, please list the supported resolutions.

3. Connect the 778 to the receiver and then connect the display to the receiver and report the supported resolutions and also the audio capable line.

That's weird - that's exactly how I have my 778x set up and it saves my settings fine. Sounds like maybe you have a flaky box.

If you're near an Armstrong office they'll let you swap it out yourself if you don't want to wait for a tech to come. That's what I do - and I got a stack of "returned equipment receipts" about 2 inches thick to prove it! :D

BillKen,

If you are using an A/V receiver inbetween via HDMI, are you getting DD audio?


Thanks.

BillKen,

If you are using an A/V receiver inbetween via HDMI, are you getting DD audio?


Thanks.
I am not using an HDMI AVR - sorry. My 778x goes directly into my Pio Elite via Component cables and red/white RCA - and Coax audio out of the Harman/Kardon AVR for when I want surround sound. I'd like to eventually get an HDMI AVR (mainly for extra hdmi jacks) - but we'll see.

I am not using an HDMI AVR - sorry. My 778x goes directly into my Pio Elite via Component cables and red/white RCA - and Coax audio out of the Harman/Kardon AVR for when I want surround sound. I'd like to eventually get an HDMI AVR (mainly for extra hdmi jacks) - but we'll see.

The automatic detection of supported resolutions only applys to an HDMI connection. That is why you're not having the issue.

I would switch to component, but the picture is noticeably better with an HDMI connection on the 778.

DD.

The automatic detection of supported resolutions only applys to an HDMI connection. That is why you're not having the issue.

I would switch to component, but the picture is noticeably better with an HDMI connection on the 778.

DD.

Really? I had done a comparison with my 775 and couldn't tell a difference - which is why I just stuck with component on my 778. Very interesting - I may have to try it tonight and see (which means I'll have to get a new receiver or hdmi switch). I'll let you know if the same deal happens to me with my Pio Elite.

DD (and Linden) - I did just try HDMI with my 778x and I honestly can't see much (if any) pq difference between it and Component. "Maybe" just a tiny bit better with HDMI in my brief comparison certainly nothing startling with my Pioneer 940 Elite plasma.

Anyway - my settings on the 778x also reverted to 720p only (from having been 1080i, 720p and 480i enabled) once I plugged in the HDMI cable and took the Pace out of standby.

So I'll keep an eye on this thread for a possible fix until I move to HDMI (I just ordered a Monoprice splitter today).

Hopefully Linden will see this and they can get a fix out soon for you DD - I suspect my test has helped to rule out your AVR being the culprit as my 778x was plugged directly into one of the hdmi ports on my Pioneer.

Let me know if you need me to check for anything else Linden.

p.s. - Haven't lost any of my subscription HD channels or the digital 400+ channels for over a week now. *fingers crossed* I think Armstrong just had something boogered up on their end that was causing that.

Anyway - my settings on the 778x also reverted to 720p only (from having been 1080i, 720p and 480i enabled) once I plugged in the HDMI cable and took the Pace out of standby.

So I'll keep an eye on this thread for a possible fix until I move to HDMI (I just ordered a Monoprice splitter today).

Actually, this is expected. When you first plug in an HDMI display, the display reports its preferred and supported resolutions. The first time you plug this in, it will override your current settings. Subsequently, if you modify the output resolutions, they will stick.

DD's problem is that the device's settings are continually overriding his choices (and I'm guessing this is due to some interaction with the receiver). That's why I'd like to see the results without the receiver in the picture (no pun intended).

I think I started this thread when I reported that the 779 boxes were indicating a 4:3 aspect ratio in the HDMI stream.

I have 2 779 boxes. I have had to have Service Electric Cable TV (allentown, pa) reboot the boxes 3 times in the last 3 weeks. When a box loses its program I get a message saying "Illegal cable card connection. Service will be restored when a legal cable card is installed" message on the screen. The boxes don't fail simultaneously.

SECTV first sends a "booster signal" (their words) which doesn't work. They then reboot the box which powers it down and 10-15 minutes later all is well. SECTV tells me that other customers have similar problems and they recommend plugging the box into a wall outlet and not using a power strip or surge suppressor.

Dick OKeefe

"Illegal cable card connection. Service will be restored when a legal cable card is installed"

Are you sure it didn't say:

An unsupported CableCARD has been inserted. Video service will be restored when a valid CableCARD is inserted.



SECTV tells me that other customers have similar problems and they recommend plugging the box into a wall outlet and not using a power strip or surge suppressor.

How you plug it into the wall is unlikely to help this problem.

If/when this occurs again, please go the Non-portable Host Page inside the Interface Page (21) in diagnostics and capture the following values:

1. Brick Mode
2. ER Bit Errors
3. Transport errors
4. IPC Stalls

Also, can you please go to diagnostics now, select the CableCARD page (09) and tell me what the software version is.

Are you sure it didn't say:

An unsupported CableCARD has been inserted. Video service will be restored when a valid CableCARD is inserted.





How you plug it into the wall is unlikely to help this problem.

If/when this occurs again, please go the Non-portable Host Page inside the Interface Page (21) in diagnostics and capture the following values:

1. Brick Mode
2. ER Bit Errors
3. Transport errors
4. IPC Stalls

Also, can you please go to diagnostics now, select the CableCARD page (09) and tell me what the software version is.

You are correct, thats what the message said.
Please give me some hints on how to get into the diagnostics mode and I'll collect the info for you.

Dick OKeefe

Hey Linden,

It's obvious that you are proficient with the tdc779x tahoe, Mcard technology, or so Im assuming that. :D I was wondering, this could be for anyone for that matter, have you heard of any errors with VOD with the error code of "TM Cable Card Pairing"? This is where the cable system has VOD on the guide as for example channel 500 goes directly to Starz/Encore VOD and or 600 for HBO VOD, etc.... The problem occurs only when the channel is selected. Granted, I can go to menu, VOD, and it works just fine. Cable company has sent numerous signals, but still to no avail. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


Jhale

You are correct, thats what the message said.
Please give me some hints on how to get into the diagnostics mode and I'll collect the info for you.

Dick OKeefe

Dick,

Please see post #26 on this thread for instructions on how to get into/out of diags.

Jhale,

Please confirm the following:

1. What Cable box you have.
2. Does this only happen on VOD channels?
3. Do you have premium non-VOD channels? If so, what happens?
4. Your cable provider.


have you heard of any errors with VOD with the error code of "TM Cable Card Pairing"?

Is it a gray dialog that comes up and tells you to call your cable company? If so, what this indicates that your set top box has not be properly authorized to view "high value" content (technically CCI > 0 content for the techno-geeks out there).

Provisioning a CableCARD box requires some additional steps for your Cable company beyond the steps of the old-fashion embedded security boxes. In this case, the CableCARD must be validated with your settop box before it will play "high value" content. Please confirm this is the issue. If it is, ask for the CableCARD to be validated.

1. What Cable box you have.
tdc779x tahoe

2. Does this only happen on VOD channels? Going through the guide, there is a section for example:

500 Starz Encore VOD
501 Starz East
502 Starz West
503........

600 HBO VOD
601 HBO East
602 HBO West


3. Do you have premium non-VOD channels? If so, what happens?
By pressing Menu, (ON)-Ok, then going into the "Main" VOD menu's it works fine. I can get Starz/Encore Vod, Hbo VOD, etc...

But when I go into the individual channel numbers allocated to VOD, it gives me this error.


4. Your cable provider. Is there anything that I could tell them to do specifically to authorize this card for those individual channels to possibly work?



Is it a gray dialog that comes up and tells you to call your cable company?

No, it is a standard dialog box that says "ERROR - TM Cable Card Pairing" And thats it....I do understand about the not authorized portion

Provisioning a CableCARD box requires some additional steps for your Cable company beyond the steps of the old-fashion embedded security boxes.

The company says it's been provisioned and everything else is working....

BTW, Thank you for all of your help :D

Is there anything that I could tell them to do specifically to authorize this card for those individual channels to possibly work?

If it were a gray dialog, yes. However, I'm unsure of what you're seeing.

No, it is a standard dialog box that says "ERROR - TM Cable Card Pairing" And thats it....I do understand about the not authorized portion

What color is the dialog? Can you provide a screen capture and/or the exact text you see?

4. Your cable provider.

Reminder that I need an answer to the name of your cable provider so I know what software you're running

Dick,

Please see post #26 on this thread for instructions on how to get into/out of diags.

OK, Tell me I'm not going crazy. I knew about Power-Menu and I did it once before to get the firmware version the boxes were using (9.0).

However when I press Power-Menu now (on both boxes) I get only the following menu items (the PACE POWER MENU line is a header)

PACE POWER MENU
TV Aspect Capability
TV Display Capability
Auto Pillarbox
Closed Caption
Front Panel Settings
Restore Defaults

That's all I get. What happened?

Dick OKeefe

[QUOTE=oldengineer;11836838]OK, Tell me I'm not going crazy. I knew about Power-Menu and I did it once before to get the firmware version the boxes were using (9.0).

Pardon me for being such a dofus. I'm thinking of changing my screen name.

When I hit Menu-Select I was able to get the info you wanted. Both boxes are the same.

Brick Mode No
ER Bit Errors 0
Transport Errors 0
IPC Stalls 0

From the CableCard page Software version 02.01

Thanks for your patience,

Dick OKeefe

Brick Mode No
ER Bit Errors 0
Transport Errors 0
IPC Stalls 0

I would expect these values to be 0 until the problem occurs.

From the CableCard page Software version 02.01


This is also expected. So far, so good.

If/when the problem occurs, please remember remember to go to diags and capture the info I requested before rebooting the box.

Thanks.

Hi,

I'm fairly new to this HD DVR. It's also new to my provider Mediacom.

Mediacom says that they have not enabled 1394 (for capture to a pc) or SATA (for more dvr storage). However, they didn't sound real sure since these DVR's are new to Mediacom.

Are these functions enabled automatically, or can I enable them, or is Mediacom truly in control here?

Thanks, Tim

Are these functions enabled automatically, or can I enable them, or is Mediacom truly in control here?
Thanks, Tim

The firmware release used by Mediacom is capable of supporting 1394, SATA and DVR. However, they are correct that they can optionally enable/disable these features on a per user basis.

Based on the posts I've seen on AVS, these ports are/were functional in areas served by Mediacom. Easiest way to confirm is to go into diagnostics and see if the port is enabled in the interface page (21).

The firmware release used by Mediacom is capable of supporting 1394, SATA and DVR. However, they are correct that they can optionally enable/disable these features on a per user basis.

Based on the posts I've seen on AVS, these ports are/were functional in areas served by Mediacom. Easiest way to confirm is to go into diagnostics and see if the port is enabled in the interface page (21).

Thanks for the info! Both ports are enabled.

Tim

Linden
This has probably been asked and answered but here goes.. How do I enable the Inputs on the TDC779x i.e. for my dvd player etc... I have every thing connected but the input button does nothing....
Thanks in advance

Linden
This has probably been asked and answered but here goes.. How do I enable the Inputs on the TDC779x i.e. for my dvd player etc... I have every thing connected but the input button does nothing....
Thanks in advance

When you turn off the cablebox, it should pass the signal along to your TV.

When you turn off the cablebox, it should pass the signal along to your TV.

Nope tried it

How do I enable the Inputs on the TDC779x i.e. for my dvd player etc...

Have you turned on the RF Bypass option in TV Guide?

This is for JHale. Your box requires what the billing folks call a CCV or CCR hit. This is entirely do to improperly staging a CableCARD settop box.

I was wondering if anyone has had this problem. I Have a new Insignia 50" Plasma TV (NS-PDP50). I just received the TDC779X PACE Tahoe box from Mediacom. I tried to connect the PACE set-top to the HDMI/DVI port in the Insignia TV, but the Televesion indicates there is not a signal.

I used the diagnostic menu on the tahoe and looked at the HDMI port and it doesn't think there is a device connected to the HDMI port.

I went out and purchased a cheap (Memorex) DVD player that had the HD upcovert and HDMI output, I hooked it up directly to the TV via the HDMI/DVI port and it works, which leads me to believe either the TV and the PACE are somehow not compatible or something is wrong with the PACES HDMI port. Has anyone experienced this or are there any other diagnostics I can run to give me more information on the HDMI port on the PACE?

Any help would be appreciated.

Rich

Rich,

are there any other diagnostics I can run to give me more information on the HDMI port on the PACE?

Please see post #26 on this thread for instructions on how to get into diagnostics.

Once in diagnostics, selected interface status (page 21), then HDMI. Once on the HDMI page post all the details (especially HDCP information).

To leave the page, hit the left arrow twice, then press the power button.

I did use the Diagnostic menu and went to the HDMI status page and all I received was a single message that says NO HDMI DEVICE FOUND (or something to that affect).

I did use the Diagnostic menu and went to the HDMI status page and all I received was a single message that says NO HDMI DEVICE FOUND (or something to that affect).

I think the first thing we need to rule out is a problem box. Is it possible for you to get another 779 from your cable provider and see if HDMI works?

Mediacom is comming tomorrow. I unplugged the box and plugged everything back in .. now when I go to the HDMI status page I see the following:

Device Info
Device Connected 1e 6d 1 0 1 1 1 1
Repeater NO
HDCP Supported NO (dont understand this, tv specifically says supports HDCP)
PREF Resolution 720p
Supp Resolution 480p 720p 1080i
Audio Capable YES ( PCM )
Sampling Rates 32K 44K 48K

A/V Status Video Audio
Enabled YES YES
Mute NO YES

In Video Format 480I
OUT Video FORMAT 1080I
VIDEO CONSTRAINED NONE
AUDIO SAMPLE RATE 32 KHz
AUDIO FORMAT PCM

HDCP STATUS DISABLED
HDCP SCOPE CONTENT ACTIVATED
HDMI CONSTRAIN YES
HDCP COUNTER 0

Rich

Rich,

Mediacom is comming tomorrow. I unplugged the box and plugged everything back in

Are things working right now?
Do you know how long it will be before diags reports that there is no device connected?
Do they problems start once you put either the 779 or your TV in standby?


HDCP Supported NO (dont understand this, tv specifically says supports HDCP)

The device specs may say that its HDCP capable, but when we ask it, its telling us that it isn't HDCP capable. However, I don't think this alone is creating a problem.

HDCP STATUS DISABLED
HDCP SCOPE CONTENT ACTIVATED
HDMI CONSTRAIN YES
HDCP COUNTER 0

These stats tell me that we haven't encountered an HDCP failure (to that point in the boot cycle). Whatever communication issues we're encountering, they are not due to HDCP.

Picture nor Audio shows up on the tv through the HDMI inputs, my tv says that it does not detect an input.

I have not been able to get the no input found message again, but when I run the diags I still get the same messages as above with slight variations depending on the channel I am on.

I am not sure how to ask the TV for version information of HDCP or HDMI, I have called Insignia and they offered to send someone out.

Also, I am guessing because my DVD player connected via HDMI works and it doesn't require HDCP, that it is some incompatibility between the HDCP versions or the TV isn't broadcasting its HDCP info .. or the PACE isn't getting the HDCP info.

Not sure what else to do

Rich,

Are you using the same HDMI cable for both devices (779 and DVD player)?
How long is the cable(s)?
Are you plugging both devices into the same HDMI port?
Does the 779 fail on both HDMI ports?
Can you go into the Power Menu and set the supported resolutions to only 720p?

Ok new information, Mediacom came out and swapped the box and now the HDMI works for the picture, but not the sound .. the Mediacom guy tried a few things but couldnt get the sound to work .. I showed him how to go into the diagnostic screen and here is what the HDMI Diag screen says ...


Device Info
device connected 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
repeater no
hdcp supported no
pref resoltion unknown
supp resolution unknown
audio capable no
sampling rates

a/v status video audio
enabled yes yes
mute no yes

in video format 720p
out video format 720p
audio sample rate
audio format

hdcp status disabled
hdcp scope content activated
hdmi constrain yes
hdcp counter 6

Ok new information, Mediacom came out and swapped the box and now the HDMI works for the picture, but not the sound....
audio capable no

The TV is now saying that it doesn't support audio, hence no sound.

I suspect video is working because everything is being force to 720p. Have you verified that your monitor definitely supports 1080i?

The diagnostic information is still problematic as may fields are unpopulated. Almost as if the EDID information is invalid. Is there any possibility that you're using an HDMI to DVI cable?

hmm i will check on the cable .. i am at work now .. I do know that I have two HDMI inputs in the back of the Television one is HDMI/DVI (input 1) the other is just HDMI (input 2). I moved the cable between input 1 and input 2 with the same results, also reran the diagnostics with the same results. Also, if you look at the two diagnostics that I have in the post the only thing that changed between them is the PACE box, the first box suggested the TV did support audio, the second box thinks it doesn't support audio.

I did make sure the TV supported 1080i, I just used the PACE menu (power + menu) on the PACE box to set 1080i support to NO, because I wasn't sure if that was causing a problem. With the new PACE box I was able to see the 1080i video but still did not get any audio.

Are there any other diagnostics I can do, I do have the Insignia people comming out next friday to do some diagnostics on the TV, is there a reset on the box I can perform?

Also, if you look at the two diagnostics that I have in the post the only thing that changed between them is the PACE box, the first box suggested the TV did support audio, the second box thinks it doesn't support audio.

I'll grant you that, but was the output resolution 720p in both cases?



is there a reset on the box I can perform?

The best way to reset the 779 is to either:

1. Put the box in standby and then remove power after 30 seconds.
2. From the main diagnostics page, press and hold the Info+select keys.

You may also want to try inserting and removing the HDMI cable from the 779 while its running to see if it acts differently.

On the first Diag I posted I believe I was on an analog Cable channel, but I did allow 720p in both cases.

I will try the reset and then wait for the Insignia guys to come next week to see if they can find something wrong with the TV, this is a little frustrating I thought the purpose of the HDMI interface was to make life less complicated (1 cable) and have the best picture and sound.

But I do appreciate your help with this.

Thanks,

Rich

On the first Diag I posted I believe I was on an analog Cable channel, but I did allow 720p in both cases.

If you have 480i or 480p enabled, the 779 will output a 480i/p signal on analog channels.

I thought the purpose of the HDMI interface was to make life less complicated (1 cable)

That is the goal. However, with any digital interface, there can be some compatibility issues. We'll try to help you work through it.

Hi
Last week my cable box 779 came up with Unsupported cable card. I reset to box and it came back online for awhile then it did it again. I took the box back and had them look at the problem and brought it back home. I then read that others (oldengineer post #37) have the same problem and lindend asked for these values. I have Service Electric Cable TV.

1. Brick Mode - When i first looked after the problem it was NO then changed to YES (cable card)
2. ER Bit Errors - 208
3. Transport errors - 0
4. IPC Stalls - 1 (0x0E)

Went to the Cable Card Status - Not Present and every value was N/A

Return look at the Cable Card Software Version - 2.01 made by Moterola

Andy

FYI,

I just added a link to the 778 (Tahoe CableCARD or Tahoe All Digital) release notes thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=937770) in the original post in this thread . Those of you with that box may want to subscribe to that thread to keep up to date on problems that have been fixed.

I will add a Miami release note thread also once the first service release is available.

Andy,

I then read that others (oldengineer post #37) have the same problem and lindend asked for these values.

This info is very useful, thank you.

Linden,

Is there any way via a Firmware update that the FF and RW speeds can be increased while watching a VOD program - or is this limited by the VOD service itself?

As it stands now - FF'ing through a VOD program is painfully slow as there's only 1 speed - vs. the 5 speeds you have available when FF'ing through a recorded show.

Thanks.

Bill

Bill,

Is there any way via a Firmware update that the FF and RW speeds can be increased while watching a VOD program - or is this limited by the VOD service itself?

This is controlled by the VOD application and not our software. If you'd like additional speed(s), I'd recommend contacting your cable provider (Armstrong in your case) and request the enhanced functionality. The request will bubble up the food chain to the VOD vendor and if enough people want it, I'm sure they will look at this enhancement request.

BTW, the latest firmware releases for the 778 and 779 should be a little faster (for some content) when doing trick modes.

Thanks Linden - I'll do that. I'm very happy with my 778x vs. the old 775 - even though that means I get to nag you less than when I had the 775. ;)

[QUOTE=oldengineer;11836838]OK, Tell me I'm not going crazy. I knew about Power-Menu and I did it once before to get the firmware version the boxes were using (9.0).

Pardon me for being such a dofus. I'm thinking of changing my screen name.

When I hit Menu-Select I was able to get the info you wanted. Both boxes are the same.

Brick Mode No
ER Bit Errors 0
Transport Errors 0
IPC Stalls 0

From the CableCard page Software version 02.01

Thanks for your patience,

Dick OKeefe

A quick follow up on this box. It was replaced as defective a few days ago. This box never responded quickly to commands from the remote. I have 2 779 boxes and the other responds quickly to remote commands - eg, pressing the 2 button shows a 2 on the box almost instatnaneously. The response was always slow on the bad box and got progressively slower. At the end of its short life it took more than 5 seconds for the box to respond to a key push.

Dick OKeefe

Ok new information on my problems ... I had the tv people come out and check the tv they couldnt figure it out so since I was under 30 days with the TV they suggested I get a different TV, so I returned the TV and got the Panasonic for $700 more. But I still have the SAME PROBLEM .. so now I have exchanged DVD Players and TV's so IT HAS TO BE THE BOX, also I tried a different more expensive HDMI cable.

So I will post the information again, this is my second PACE box .. it is a model TDC779X, my TV now is a Panasonic TH-50px75u. I have the PACE connected to the Panasonic on HDMI2 (also Tried HDMI1, switched cables, etc). I get a picture but I DO NOT get sound.

Here is the device info
Device Info
device connected 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
repeater no
hdcp supported no
pref resoltion unknown
supp resolution unknown
audio capable no
sampling rates

a/v status video audio
enabled yes yes
mute no yes

in video format 720p
out video format 720p
audio sample rate
audio format

hdcp status disabled
hdcp scope content activated
hdmi constrain yes
hdcp counter 17

I do get sound from my DVD player that is connected via the HDMI cable, so this has to be the PACE box, but this is my second box . have others had this same problem, this is very frustrating. I guess I will ask Mediacom to send me yet another PACE box, this is very very frustrating.

So I will post the information again, this is my second PACE box .. it is a model TDC779X, my TV now is a Panasonic TH-50px75u. I have the PACE connected to the Panasonic on HDMI2 (also Tried HDMI1, switched cables, etc).

I'm pretty sure that others have this model of TV working via HDMI with the 775 so I don't think we're looking at a fundamental incompatibility. You were going to check on your HDMI cable for me. How long is the cable and who makes it?

I have a similar TV and similar PACE box... the Panasonic 700u model and the PACE 778.

Perhaps the user messed with the settings on his TV for audio? If that is the case, maybe a TV reset back to defaults is in order.

Mine was a simple case of plugging the HDMI cable in and voila! It worked. (I'm in Anchorage using GCI cable).

My only problems are a) occasional dropped frames maybe caused by the 778 updating guide information? and b) poor implementation of TV Guide series scheduling.

I have two different cables .. one I bought at Target it is 10' dont know the brand.. so again thinking ok since I went cheap that may be the problem, so I got a Monster cable as well 6'. So I have used both cables.. again I have used both cables with the DVD player and they both had picture and sound to both HDMI ports of the panasonic tv, actually they both had sound and picture to the Insignia Tv when used with the DVD player.

The cable company is bringing out a new box, I can't imagine that this is the TV or the cable, I have tried 2 TV's, 2 Cables. This will be my 3rd box, so hopefully I got out of the batch that has had these problems. We will see, what happens today. Or maybe it is Mediacom's configuration that is messing things up

I have two different cables .. one I bought at Target it is 10' dont know the brand.. so again thinking ok since I went cheap that may be the problem, so I got a Monster cable as well 6'.

My concern is not cable quality and/or manufacturer but length. We've seen problems in the past with cables 10 ft or longer (and the issue was a compatibility problem on the monitor side). However, if you say you have a 6ft. cable, I don't think that is the issue.

Ok well unfortunately to put closure to this issue, Mediacom came up and replaced the Pace box with the Motorolla and everything is now working. Not sure why that batch of PACE boxes had a problem with compatability, but they did, I wish I would have written down the software version of the box or serial numbers but he took it away. So now everything works.

MediaCom just replaced my Motorola HD DVR box with the Pace 779x. Couple of questions I would like help with.

How big is the hard drive? I can't see to find that info anywhere. Mediacom only claims it holds 60 hours of standard def but the tech I spoke with didn't know the drive size. but we have recorded 2 hours and it already shows 10% full. it would only hold 20 hours if that is correct?

Also, if i buy an external SATA hard drive, should it plug in and play? Mediacom couldn't tell me that either but said they would call me back and let me know.

The Pace box has the same size hard drive as the Motorola ones as far as i know.

Yes the Pace boxes do support an external SATA hard drive being hooked up. You are going to have to reboot the box though for it to see it. Mediacom does currently allow this to be used, and I don't see any change in that ever.

ok, i bought an eSATA hard drive and hooked it up to my Pace 779x. I powered down the STB, hooked up and then powered the new hard drive, and then re-powered the STB. When i powered the STB back up it took a software download and took it literally an hour or two to go though that and a reboot. but everything eventually came up fine. My question is, how can i tell if it found the new hard drive and will use it at this point? When i go to the recorded list it still shows the same percentage full (as before adding external drive) so that makes me think it did not find the new drive? I don't really know any other way to check it? Thanks in advance for the help.

The way to check I know of is that the total DVR usage will go down. You could also check the diagnostics page. When the box is on you press power followed quickly by OK or select. There is a diag selection for Hard drive status there.

i will check the diagnostic page but it sounds like it didn't work because i didn't see the total DVR usage go down. does it sound like i did anything wrong?

I'm relatively happy with the 778. The TV Guide software seems to have been upgraded recently which seemed to fix the oddball scheduling problems I was having. And I haven't noticed the dropping frames problem in quite a while. (GCI - Anchorage, AK)

But I just got a Sony surround system a couple of days ago and the 778 doesn't appear to be outputting Dolby sound like a previous poster reported. This could be operator error, but maybe not. HD-DVD and DVD discs output Dolby Digital 3/2.1 fine.

The TV Guide software allows setting mono, stereo or matrix. I ASSUME I want that set to matrix - whatever that is. I seem to get the same results with stereo.

I'm all connected by HDMI to simplify things and the Sony HT-SF2000 supports audio over HDMI. (BTW, I'm a little underwhelmed by this receiver setup. Took a lot of bass boosting to get it to sound better than TV speakers. Someday maybe I'll get a "real" sound system.)

Here's the HDMI Status page:
Repeater YES
HDCP supported YES
PREF resolution UNKNOWN
SUPP Resolution 480P 720P 1080i
Audio capable YES (PCM)
Sampling rates 32K 44K 48K 88K 96K 172K 192K

A/V Status Video YES Audio YES
Mute Video NO Audio YES

In video status 1080i
Out video format 1080i
Video constrained NONE
Audio sample rate 48 KHz
Audio format AC3

HDCP status DISABLED
HDCP scope CONTENT ACTIVATED
HDMI constrain YES
HDCP counter 0

What should the Audio Capable line show for Dolby output? Has this problem been solved yet?

i will check the diagnostic page but it sounds like it didn't work because i didn't see the total DVR usage go down. does it sound like i did anything wrong?

It sounds like you did the proper steps. There are some bugs with some of the space reporting on the guide though, so you may have it working but the guide just isn't showing the increase in space yet.

But I just got a Sony surround system a couple of days ago and the 778 doesn't appear to be outputting Dolby sound like a previous poster reported. This could be operator error, but maybe not. HD-DVD and DVD discs output Dolby Digital 3/2.1 fine.

Known issue. This has been posted in the other Pace thread. They have identified the issue and are working on a new build now i believe. As for now you are stuck until your provider receives and updates your firmware.

The Pace box has the same size hard drive as the Motorola ones as far as i know.

Yes the Pace boxes do support an external SATA hard drive being hooked up. You are going to have to reboot the box though for it to see it. Mediacom does currently allow this to be used, and I don't see any change in that ever.

From what I have been able to tell the Motorola 6412 has a 120GB hard drive, and the Pace has a 160GB Hard Drive. Just switched my Motorola for the Pace today.

From what I have been able to tell the Motorola 6412 has a 120GB hard drive, and the Pace has a 160GB Hard Drive. Just switched my Motorola for the Pace today.

The Pace box has the same size hard drive as the Motorola ones as far as i know.

Yes the Pace boxes do support an external SATA hard drive being hooked up. You are going to have to reboot the box though for it to see it. Mediacom does currently allow this to be used, and I don't see any change in that ever.

i have tried rebooting my Pace STB twice since hooking up the external SATA drive. Still no luck. I looked at the diagnostic page and it looks like it says SATA drive is not enabled? is it possible Mediacom has it disabled after all? If so, any way i can that changed?

I looked at the diagnostic page and it looks like it says SATA drive is not enabled?

Can you please be more specific about "not enabled". AFAIK, SATA is active with Mediacom.

Does it say drives 1/2 when you go to the HDD status page?

Can you please be more specific about "not enabled". AFAIK, SATA is active with Mediacom.

Does it say drives 1/2 when you go to the HDD status page?

No, it says 1/1 on HDD status page. also says total size 158GB.

What made me think it was not enabled is when i go to interface status then SATA it says:

SATA ENABLED NO
INTERNAL DRIVE VALID
EXTERNAL DRIVE UNKNOWN

Any ideas on what is going on?

No, it says 1/1 on HDD status page. also says total size 158GB.

That indicates that it didn't recognize the drive. How many times have you rebooted the box?

What made me think it was not enabled is when i go to interface status then SATA it says:

SATA ENABLED NO

The value of this field will vary depending on the revision of the head-end server (aka DAC) software. If they are running an older revision, this field can be No, and the SATA port will still be active.

Edit: given that you are running a 779, they have to be running the new DAC software. So its definitely puzzling that the SATA port would be disabled in diagnostics. Have you asked Mediacom if they've disabled your SATA port (the specific thing to ask about is "External PVR Access".

That indicates that it didn't recognize the drive. How many times have you rebooted the box?



The value of this field will vary depending on the revision of the head-end server (aka DAC) software. If they are running an older revision, this field can be No, and the SATA port will still be active.

Edit: given that you are running a 779, they have to be running the new DAC software. So its definitely puzzling that the SATA port would be disabled in diagnostics. Have you asked Mediacom if they've disabled your SATA port (the specific thing to ask about is "External PVR Access".

i have tried rebooting the box twice with not luck. btw, it takes 1 to 2 hours to reboot each time. is that normal?

i did ask Mediacom if the SATA port was enabled but they weren't sure and were suppose to call me back but never did. i'll try again.

i have tried rebooting the box twice with not luck. btw, it takes 1 to 2 hours to reboot each time. is that normal?

Definitely not. Do me a favor, disconnect the SATA drive and reboot the box. I suspect that it will boot up within a few minutes.

But I just got a Sony surround system a couple of days ago and the 778 doesn't appear to be outputting Dolby sound like a previous poster reported. This could be operator error, but maybe not. HD-DVD and DVD discs output Dolby Digital 3/2.1 fine.

As toadtaste mentioned, we've replicated the problem. When a fix is available, I will post to the release notes thread. Until then, there really isn't a workaround. You're stuck with PCM over HDMI. :(

What should the Audio Capable line show for Dolby output? Has this problem been solved yet?

When you have a build with a software fix, you'll see (PCM AC3) rather than just (PCM).

ok, i bought an eSATA hard drive and hooked it up to my Pace 779x.

Forgot to ask. What is the make/model of your eSATA drive and how big is it?

Is there a way to upload content into the Pace 779X and similar CableCARD HD boxes via the built-in Ethernet? I have some HD content available from other sources that I would like to view locally via out HDTV, and/or add to the library of stored programs.

Is there a way to upload content into the Pace 779X and similar CableCARD HD boxes via the built-in Ethernet?

Not at the current time.

Thanks for the reply.

Rarely, but noticeably, we observe audio dropouts of 2-3 seconds when playing back recorded programs. The firmware for our TDC779X is at 9.56 according to the information screen. If we rewind and re-play, the audio loss seems reproducible.

1) Is this normal, or preventable? How can we diagnose it or pursue it further?

2) In terms of the firmware updates, does our provider do this automatically via the cable connection, or do we do it manually? If the latter, what is the procedure, and is there any chance that this would put us out of sync with what the cable provider expects and requires?

It's outstanding that you have this forum. Thanks for providing it.

Thanks for the reply.

Rarely, but noticeably, we observe audio dropouts of 2-3 seconds when playing back recorded programs.

1. Did you hear audio drop outs in the original recording?
2. Is this analog, digital or HD content?
3. Does the video macroblock when you hear the audio drop outs?

1) Is this normal, or preventable? How can we diagnose it or pursue it further?

We first need to find out if the problem was in the original stream or if it was introduced by the recording. If the problem was not in the original content, then this isn't expected.

2) In terms of the firmware updates, does our provider do this automatically via the cable connection, or do we do it manually?

It is done automatically by your cable provider. There is a very detailed explanation on this process in the TDC775HD thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659367). You may want to search that thread to get the details on why its done this way.

BTW, who is your cable provider?

1. Did you hear audio drop outs in the original recording?
See below.

2. Is this analog, digital or HD content?
HD.

3. Does the video macroblock when you hear the audio drop outs?
No, the video is perfect. Looks absolutely beautiful on our new 1080p TV at all times.

We first need to find out if the problem was in the original stream or if it was introduced by the recording. If the problem was not in the original content, then this isn't expected.
It's hard to tell, since the program itself is long gone, of course. We haven't noticed it yet in live programs, but we have not had this setup very long. It has happened twice now in different HD recordings.

(Firmware updating) is done automatically by your cable provider. There is a very detailed explanation on this process in the TDC775HD thread. You may want to search that thread to get the details on why its done this way.
That thread is getting quite long. I'll try searching.

BTW, who is your cable provider?
Suddenlink. Their online web site is completely devoid of content other than bandwidth-intensive advertising and promotion. In terms of technical support and information, it is awful.

At the risk of veering off-topic, with respect to the Pace site, it would be nice to have further information on specs for add-on eSATA disks, etc. (3 Gbps required, or will 1.5Gbps do? What is the total capacity limit for external disks?) What is the difference between primary and secondary audio? Is audio volume controlled through the cable box if you put it in to the audio in, or through the audio source? And how does that relate to audio connections through HDMI?

We like the 779X quite well, although as a minor comment given that it is an HD/DVR it is surprising that it is called the "Tahoe Analog" - that threw us in looking the unit up for a bit, but Google helped.

The only other minor comment we have is that the slight fan noise hum it makes is a bit distracting. It is quieter than our old VCR, of course, but since it continues even after all devices are switched off, it is noticeable in a quiet room.

That thread is getting quite long. I'll try searching.

Fair point. I'll try to post a quick Q & A on this topic in the original post on the 779 release note thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=903828).

it would be nice to have further information on specs for add-on eSATA disks, etc. (3 Gbps required, or will 1.5Gbps do?

1.5MBps will be fine. Typical HD streams are only 20Mbit, so a drive that can read 40+ MBit and write 20MBit will work (i.e. any SATA drive that meets the specs).

What is the total capacity limit for external disks?)

We've tested up to 750GB. Higher capacities may work though.

What is the difference between primary and secondary audio?

Secondary audio is typically used to transport alternate languages (i.e. Spanish, French etc.) for those areas of the country where multiple languages are spoken.

Is audio volume controlled through the cable box if you put it in to the audio in, or through the audio source? And how does that relate to audio connections through HDMI?

Audio volume controls all outputs except for S/PDIF.

We like the 779X quite well, although as a minor comment given that it is an HD/DVR it is surprising that it is called the "Tahoe Analog"

Tahoe Analog (aka Tahoe Analog CableCARD or TACC or the 779X) has its nickname to differentiate it from the 778X (or Tahoe CableCARD) which is only able to decode digital channels whereas TACC can decode both analog and digital channels.

Greetings,
I have a Pace 778X
I am having issues with outputting Dolby Digital surround over the Optical Spdif output.
I have it (optical spdif) going into a 5.1 surround system, and I am only getting sound from the front 3 speakers (front left, front right, and center).

Is this related to the issue with HDMI? Is this the same known issue?

I have a Pace 778X
I am having issues with outputting Dolby Digital surround over the Optical Spdif output......Is this related to the issue with HDMI? Is this the same known issue?

No, the HDMI AC-3 issue is unrelated to S/PDIF output. There are no known issues outputting 5.1 audio over S/PDIF (I've seen it working on multiple receivers). Are you sure your source is 5.1?

Not sure,
Kind of new to the whole HDTV thing.

I was watching Mythbusters on Discovery HD, and it says DD-5.1 on the channel info bar thing.
I wasn't getting any signal in the rear speakers at all.

I guess if I have signals coming out of the center, I can pretty much guarantee that it is decoding correctly.

Has anyone reported frame skipping/dropping?

I have a 778X and attributed it to updating the program information, but another user says it may be caused when dissimilar resolutions are used by each tuner. (720p on one tuner while trying to watch 1080i on the other)

In one brief test of that theory, the frame dropping seemed to stop once both tuners were on 1080i channels.

I only have a few HD channels and rarely have it on the 720p channels -- maybe I should test this theory a bit...

Definitely not. Do me a favor, disconnect the SATA drive and reboot the box. I suspect that it will boot up within a few minutes.

Forgot to ask. What is the make/model of your eSATA drive and how big is it?

See if i can answer all your questions.
I did disconnect the SATA drive and your suspicions were confirmed. it did boot up in just a few minutes.
The external SATA drive i was trying to use is a Western Digital, model number WD3200F037. Size is 320GB.
Also, i did call MediaCom again and ask them if the external PVR access was disabled on their boxes. She told me it was disabled because Pace charged them extra to enable it and Mediacom didn't pay for that option. She also added that i was the first person in her 19 years of doing customer service for them that anyone had even ask that question? Sometimes i don't know about the support you get from technical support personel. She also told me she would verify her answer and call me back but i never heard from her.

She told me it was disabled because Pace charged them extra to enable it and Mediacom didn't pay for that option.

There is no extra charge for that option. It is enabled by default.

Just an FYI, but the option to control the SATA port on the DAC was only recently introduced.

The next thing we'd like to check is the eSATA cable. Its possible that either you have a problematic external cable or the cable inside the box may be loose. Do you have another eSATA cable you can try out? If your cable isn't the issue, you may want to see if you can swap 779's and see if it also exhibits the same issue.

There is no extra charge for that option. It is enabled by default.

Not suprised that this is the case.



The next thing we'd like to check is the eSATA cable. Its possible that either you have a problematic external cable or the cable inside the box may be loose. Do you have another eSATA cable you can try out? If your cable isn't the issue, you may want to see if you can swap 779's and see if it also exhibits the same issue.

Thanks again for all the help. i'll see if i can find another cable to try. If not that i guess it could be either the box or the hard drive that is faulty?

The external SATA drive i was trying to use is a Western Digital, model number WD3200F037. Size is 320GB.


I forgot to ask - i guess you didn't see any problem with the particular drive i am trying to use?

If not that i guess it could be either the box or the hard drive that is faulty?

I believe there are no known issues with that particular model of WD eSATA drive (although we've not done any compatibility tests with it).

Have you tried hooking it up to a PC? If that works, you may want to try to delete all existing partitions before re-connecting it to the 779X.

What I will tell you is we've definitely seen similar issues with cheap/problematic eSATA cables.

I forgot to ask - i guess you didn't see any problem with the particular drive i am trying to use?

Update on this situation. We've started doing testing on the newer USB/eSATA combo drives and discovered bugs/compatibility issues in these drives (not in the set top software). As a result, at this point, its recommended that you use eSATA only drives and not combo drives.

The combo drives may work properly, may have slightly degraded functionality or may potentially exhibit the symptoms described above. Due to these instabilities, we can only warrant that an eSATA drive will work properly.

If you do a google search on Linux and the combo chip(s) in question, you'll see a number of issues being reported on all Linux platforms.

If/when a firmware release for the drives in question is available, I'll post an update to this thread. Just want to re-emphasize this isn't a bug in Pace firmware. As a result, we can't do a software update to fix the issue.

If/when a firmware release for the drives in question is available, I'll post an update to this thread. Just want to re-emphasize this isn't a bug in Pace firmware. As a result, we can't do a software update to fix the issue.

Thanks for the update!

Oddly enough there are some known issues with that drive model and Vista. Sounds like the usual releasing of software before it is ready for prime time.

As a result, at this point, its recommended that you use eSATA only drives and not combo drives.


can you reccomend one and tell me where i might could buy it? all i seem to be finding are USB/eSATA combos.

i assume that the Pace eSATA implementation is similar to SA one so an ok place to start would be here:

http://baseportal.com/baseportal/xnappo/main

As far as where to get them, i would try the internet. Newegg etc. I once tried to buy an SATA drive from an electronics store and was very frustrated with the lack of selection.

Just want to re-emphasize this isn't a bug in Pace firmware. As a result, we can't do a software update to fix the issue.

Considering that eSATA drive market is predominantly eSATA/USB combo drives this is quite an interesting statement. If you make a product advertised to be eSATA compatible it should be as such. Then to blame it on the drive as being the problem. Looks like I may be out a couple hundred bucks because Pace may not have fully done their homework.

As far as where to get them, i would try the internet. Newegg etc. I once tried to buy an SATA drive from an electronics store and was very frustrated with the lack of selection.

even online (including Newegg) i am not finding any eSATA only drives. all are eSATA/USB Combo. Lindend says i need to stay away from the combo's?

even online (including Newegg) i am not finding any eSATA only drives. all are eSATA/USB Combo. Lindend says i need to stay away from the combo's?

Please don't take this as a recommendation of the drive you should purchase, but this drive (http://www.tivo.com/mytivo/domore/storage/index.html) is eSATA only.

It has been proven to work reliably with TiVO and SA DVRs. I'm sure if you searched AVS, you'd find people that had tried it.

If you make a product advertised to be eSATA compatible it should be as such. Then to blame it on the drive as being the problem. Looks like I may be out a couple hundred bucks because Pace may not have fully done their homework.

I understand and share your frustration at combo eSATA/USB situation. However, lets review the facts here:

1. If you have such a drive working, there's really no need to run out and purchase another.

2. When I made my original statement about compatibility, I said any eSATA drive that didn't have SSC enabled would work (and I still stand by that statement).

3. At the time of the statement in question (#2), we had not seen any drive that exhibited compatibility issues.

4. Some (and I emphasize some and not all) of the combo drives in question produce CRC errors when connecting via eSATA (USB to a PC is ok though).

5. If the CRC errors are bad enough, it will become problematic (hence the warning).

6. These problematic drives surfaced long after the statement in #2.

7. Given the fact that some combo drives have bugs in the firmware and others may not (it just depends on the chip and firmware on the chip), we could say that we work with revision X.Y.Z of manufacturer A, but its impossible to test all of these combinations. The hard reality of this situation is there are some drives out there with bugs (and its not just a particular drive manufacturer).

8. There really is no easy way for us to work around a significant # of CRC errors produced by the drive. The drive is producing the CRC error, not our firmware.

9. I don't think this is a permanent situation/restriction. I strongly suspect that firmware updates will be available at some point in the future.

You can hook up and combo drive and it may work, but caveat emptor is all I'm saying.

Here's a report on one combo external drive. I bought a NexStar 3 external 3.5-inch enclosure that has eSATA and USB 2.0 interfaces, and put a 750 GByte Barracuda drive in it. The enclosure is all-aluminum, and though it gets a bit warm to the touch, does not seem to be too hot when it is running.

I powered off the TDC779X, plugged in the eSATA cable, powered everything on and the drive did appear to be recognized and formatted. A quick check on the configuration pages confirmed this; the space is as expected (655 GBytes formatted) and shows up as the second drive.

All would appear to be good. There is one apparent problem, however: the drive, even though empty and not being accessed, continues to make apparent head-movement noises -- click-click, click-click, at semi-random intervals a second or so apart on average. It's not noticeable when the TV is on and we are watching content, but quite noticeable when the TV is muted. It can't be good, and is pretty distracting, actually.

Is there anything we can do to diagnose this further, or suppress it? One minor hint is that when I put the PAce box into diagnostics mode with power - select, or access the user settings with power - mute, the external drive clicking stops for the duration while I am in either of these menus. It comes back right away after I exit back to normal operations.

All would appear to be good. There is one apparent problem, however: the drive, even though empty and not being accessed, continues to make apparent head-movement noises -- click-click, click-click, at semi-random intervals a second or so apart on average.

Does the drive spin down after roughly two minutes in standby?

Does the drive spin down after roughly two minutes in standby?
The clicking stops immediately upon turning the Pace box off (i.e., putting it in standby, not removing AC power), but seems to return after a couple of minutes. The drive does not appear to spin down.

With the power on, it does not seem to matter if I use the power - menu user option to select the hard disk spin down setting to "no" insted of the default "yes." In standby (i.e., power off) with this setting, the clicking does not seem to return.

The clicking stops immediately upon turning the Pace box off (i.e., putting it in standby, not removing AC power), but seems to return after a couple of minutes. The drive does not appear to spin down.

Can you please go into diagnostics (page 23) and report the values for fragmented/max files?

There are not files on it at all yet! My internal drive was only 40% full when I installed the eSATA one. The external drive formatted fine, apparently, and shows up, but has no content on it yet.

Does the Pace box do any disk access during on-but-idle conditions? If I listen closely, I think I can hear a similar but much fainter noise coming from the internal drive when it is on, even when no recording or playback is being done. Perhaps the TV guide is loading new content? But nothing seems go be going to the new external drive yet, as far as I can tell.

I am away from the box right now, but will go through the diagnostics pages again this evening when home. Thanks very much for the reply.

Does the Pace box do any disk access during on-but-idle conditions?

TV Guide is always recording at least two streams (these are called circular or live off disk (LOD) recordings). When you go into standby or diagnostics, the recordings stop. There are some periodic tasks that do some minor I/O but nothing to the extent that you're describing.

After two minutes in standby, some housekeeping is done. When the housekeeping is complete, the drive should spin down.

These circular recordings will not show up in the diagnostics page I mentioned above since they're temporary in nature.

But nothing seems go be going to the new external drive yet, as far as I can tell.

By default, the system will record the two circular recordings to the eSATA drive (assuming its larger than your internal drive).


I think I can hear a similar but much fainter noise coming from the internal drive

Just a general note. The internal drive has special firmware on it for consumer (as opposed to PC) applications. As a result, it will be quieter and perform better (from a multimedia standpoint) than a stock SATA drive that you buy off the shelf.

Reading around, I think what I am hearing is normal amplification of the drive head movement sounds by reason of the firm physical contact between the all-aluminum enclosure and the drive. The tradeoff is between cooling and noise. Having no fan, the enclosure keeps the drive cool (I hope cool enough) by using the case to radiate heat. This, according to what I have read, causes the case also to become a sound amplifier for internal head movement.

It would be interesting to hear people's opinions about the best tradeoff between enclosures from the point of view of fan noise versus this internal head movement noise amplification. Web reading I have read so far indicates that this noise can be a "feature."

You could minimize it in Pace by designing the firmware to use the internal drive for this "circular recording" and other routine operations, in preference where possible to the external device, keeping the external one for bulk recordings.

I confirmed that the noise is associated with head movement. It would be useful to have perhaps another thread (eSATA enclosures - noise and heat issues) on this forum, perhaps, for people to report their experiences. I noticed this evening when a series recording kicked in that the recording was going to the external drive, and the noises associated were more or less identical to the others I had noticed when it was empty, although more regular and persistent. I put the enclosure onto some felt-pad furniture feet, which quieted it down a bit (perhaps by half).

Still think you should write "routine" stuff, like the TV guide updates or this "circular" recording you mentioned, to the internal drive to minimize this problem for users. Thanks for the replies, though.

[QUOTE=lindend;11540612]This thread is for discussion of the TDC779X (aka Tahoe Analog), TDC778X (aka Tahoe All Digital) and DC757X (aka Miami).]

I just installed a pace 779x from Service Electric and would like to add an external hard drive. I have looked over the thread here and am still concerned about doing it. I cannot afford to purchase the drive if it will not work. I don't have any other place to use it currently if it doesn't work here.
Are you familiar with service Electric in Pottstown penna? Do they disable the sata port. I am hesitant to ask them technical questions. they are not well versed in these things. I know you mentioned the Tivo addon. are there any others you could point me to?
Dale

even online (including Newegg) i am not finding any eSATA only drives. all are eSATA/USB Combo. Lindend says i need to stay away from the combo's?


I am about ready to give up. I bought a WD SATA drive and eSATA enclosure and tried it with my Pace box. No luck. It doesn't have the behavior of the other USB/eSATA combo where the box takes hours to come up after reset. In fact the box comes up quickly (within a couple minutes). It just doesn't find the new drive at all even after trying several resets.

Dale,

Do they disable the sata port.

AFAIK, no MSO besides Comcast disable the SATA port so you should be safe there.

I know you mentioned the Tivo addon. are there any others you could point me to? Dale

Here's a similar Seagate eSATA drive (http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=0371be8ab651e010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD&locale=en-US).

Note: This is not an endorsement of this particular model. Just a web link to a potential solution.

I am about ready to give up.

Have you tried a different 779? It could be that there are some loose cables in the box.

[QUOTE=lindend;12487756]Dale,

Here's a similar Seagate eSATA drive (http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=0371be8ab651e010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD&locale=en-US).]

Thanks for the quick reply and information
The web sites that have that seagate indicate that it is no longer available.

My concern with the Tivo is that it might be specific to tivo boxes. is that not an issue?
Dale

My concern with the Tivo is that it might be specific to tivo boxes. is that not an issue?

Its not TiVO specific. I've seen it functioning on a TDC778X (again, this is not an endorsement of any particular drive).

Its not TiVO specific. I've seen it functioning on a TDC778X (again, this is not an endorsement of any particular drive).

thanks again for the quick responses.
One last request.
can these drives be used for archiving? in other words could I have 2 drives to save programs, disconnect one and attach the other then later swap them again, or is data lost when they are disconnected. are they reformatted whenever attached?

in other words could I have 2 drives to save programs, disconnect one and attach the other then later swap them again, or is data lost when they are disconnected. are they reformatted whenever attached?

Data is not lost and you could reconnect the drives. However, TV Guide will likely lose the guide/program information associated with the content so you'll likely see "Manual Recording" as the program title rather than the actual title if you disconnect/reconnect the drive.

And remember, to swap drives, you'll need to turn the set top off and then remove the drive. Don't hot plug the eSATA drive while its in use.

Finally, if you move the drive between set tops, you won't be able to play content recorded on one set top on the other STB, but it will be preserved if and when you reconnect it to the original box.

Have you tried a different 779? It could be that there are some loose cables in the box.

No I haven't to this point because it is a real pain to get another box from MediaCom plus my wife and daughter don't like the ideal of losing the stuff they have recorded on the box we have. Guess I may have to try it though.

Have you tried a different 779? It could be that there are some loose cables in the box.

No I haven't to this point because it is a real pain to get another box from MediaCom plus my wife and daughter don't like the ideal of losing the stuff they have recorded on the box we have. Guess I may have to try it though.

Ok, I tried one more time to reset the box before I attempted to take it back and swap it. It looked like it found the external drive this time but doesn't appear to be working still - I don't think? When it first powered up it ask if I wanted to format the external drive. I clicked yes. After it booted up it still said 98% full. I go to HDD status screen and it says 1/2 under drive number. Under interface status/ SATA status it says valid for both internal and external drive. Under DVR status it shows a media drive 0 (the internal) that is 153GB with 15GB remaining. It also shows the external drive as drive 1 that is 493GB with all 493GB remaining. I have even tried recording something new and it is still putting it on the internal drive (I think it may be deleting something to fit it but not sure - but it is definately still adding to internal drive) and the external one still says 100% left. Any idea what is going on now?

After it booted up it still said 98% full. I go to HDD status screen and it says 1/2 under drive number.

Excellent, this means your drive was recognized.

I have even tried recording something new and it is still putting it on the internal drive (I think it may be deleting something to fit it but not sure - but it is definately still adding to internal drive)

How are you determining that its going on the internal drive? The easiest way to know for sure would be to go to the HDD status page and switch to the second drive (by pressing the select key on the remote) and see how many recordings are on the drive.

How are you determining that its going on the internal drive? The easiest way to know for sure would be to go to the HDD status page and switch to the second drive (by pressing the select key on the remote) and see how many recordings are on the drive.

I have done that and even though it shows the correct external drive model and serial number it is not recording anything on it. I recorded a bunch of HD content yesterday to see what it would do when the internal drive was full. It started deleting stuff on the internal drive to make room for it and never put anything on the external drive. It still shows the external drive as valid (with model number and all) but zero content recorded on it. Any idea what is going on now?

Any idea what is going on now?

No, never seen this behavior before. Can you reboot once more and see if makes any difference where the recording is performed?

No, never seen this behavior before. Can you reboot once more and see if makes any difference where the recording is performed?

i have already rebooted and retried recording twice with no luck of anything going on the external drive. alwasy recognized but never recorded on.

Its not TiVO specific. I've seen it functioning on a TDC778X (again, this is not an endorsement of any particular drive).

Thanks again for the quick responses.
I did find and buy a tivo hdd over the weekend and installed it Saturday. I couldn't get it to recognize the drive until I moved it farther away from the receiver. ( I didn't notice the statement in the manual about not setting it near anything magnetic until I had tried twice to attach it.)
Now it seems to be working fine. I had a hard time getting to the diagnostic page. I would press power and select and the thing would just power off or on depending what state it started in. I did get it enough to see that I now have 1/2 drives.
Is there any way to see what is being recorded where, and how much of each drive is used/left?

Ok, I just read post 142 and saw this : "How are you determining that its going on the internal drive? The easiest way to know for sure would be to go to the HDD status page and switch to the second drive (by pressing the select key on the remote) and see how many recordings are on the drive."
so I guess I will try that tonight. Unless this is not for the 779x.

I may need to know how to get to the Hdd status page.

so I guess I will try that tonight. Unless this is not for the 779x. I may need to know how to get to the Hdd status page.

This applies to all Pace Cable products. It page 23 (HDD Status) right under the DVR status page.


I had a hard time getting to the diagnostic page.

As far as getting into diagnostics. You need to hit the select key within a second or so of the power key. Don't do them simultaneously.

No, never seen this behavior before. Can you reboot once more and see if makes any difference where the recording is performed?

I rebooted many times last night and tried to figure out what was going on. It didn't always find the external drive but usually did. But never could I get the box to record anything on the new drive. The external drive was always 100% available even though the internal drive would start deleting things to make room for recordings. BTW, the HDD status page on my box does not show how much is on the drive - only the total size, model, etc info about the drive. I have to go the the DVR status page to see how much is available on the drives. Also, there seems to be a real flaw in the software that displays the % full on the regular user screen when you list recordings. When the box found the external drive it showed 85% full, when the box did not find the external drive it showed the correct 37% full. The DVR status page showed right around the 37% full in both cases. Anyway, I am going to return the external drive I bought today as today is the last day I can return it and get all but a 15% restocking fee back. I hate to lose the 15% but don't have any other use for it. My wife and daughter will just have to get by the the 160GB drive that is in the box. I can't understand why the cable companies and STB vendors don't provide boxes with larger drives in them. They are not that much more expensive and many customers (like myself) would be glad to pay more just to get them.

lindend - you have been very helpful and i am very appreciative of your time to try and help me get this going. But with all due respect, the only conclusion I can come to is that the software in my Pace box is just "squirrley". Why else would it find the drive including model and serial number but not record anything to it? And why is the % full on the normal user screen so often "wrong". My wife and daughter have also complained since we got the service from MediaCom (with both the Motorola and Pace boxes we've had) that the dvr functionallity is very erratic. As far as recording what they want and losing things at random, etc. I am beginning to belive them now. But I also think they were a bit spoiled to the dvr service we had from Dish (don't remember the box vendor) before we switched to cable. Maybe that was mostly due to the service provider but the dvr functionality and useability we had then was head and sholders above what we get from MediaCom. Sorry to vent and thanks again for the help.

ttumlin, just as an additional data point -- I have not had that symptom. The external drive was recognized immediately, and became the default destination apparently as soon as the next program was recorded. Are you sure your series recording settings did not specify deletion after a certain number of episodes?

My provider is not Mediacom, though.

No, the video is perfect. Looks absolutely beautiful...

Sorry for the long delay on this thread. We have accumulated some experience now and can comment on the audio dropout problem a bit more.

The symptom seems reproducible, and is as follows: the audio will cut out shile the video plays for a few seconds, then the picture will freeze briefly, go into macroblocks, then re-form within a fraction of a second back into good audio and video. It only does this on playback of long recorded programs. The problem seems to occur every 20-30 minutes or so (haven't timed it very closely), i.e., a few times in a long recorded movie.

We have not observed this at all in live viewing, only in viewing of recorded programs. If we rewind and play back the affected section, it seems to happen in the same place, so I expect it is a defect in the recording.

Hope this helps.

[QUOTE=ScienceMan;12541281]Are you sure your series recording settings did not specify deletion after a certain number of episodes?
QUOTE]


Yes i am certain it was not that. I was not doing series recordings. The deletions were happening because the internal drive was full. Every new recording was going on the internal drive and nothing on the external drive.

[
And remember, to swap drives, you'll need to turn the set top off and then remove the drive. Don't hot plug the eSATA drive while its in use.
.[/QUOTE]
I am dlutz from the other posts. this is my home logon. (long story dont ask)

Hi Again. I have run into a new problem. I lost electricity last night after a third program was recording. I had established that the second one did in fact record on the external drive. Now after the electricity loss the external hdd is not showing up and the two new programs are not listed. drive usage is back up to 8% for the one program and the hdd page shows only the internal drive.
I cannot get the unit to recognize the tivo hdd again.
I need to know two things:
1 what is the proper sequence for reconnecting the drive, ie. unit or drive on or off, plugged in or unplugged (is standby - red light- considered off?) ; sata cable plugged in when; and in what order should I take these steps?
2. what steps can I take to insure that this doesn't happen again. I have a battery backup but it only lasts about 40min. I am rural and often lose electricity.

I need to know two things:
1 what is the proper sequence for reconnecting the drive, ie. unit or drive on or off, plugged in or unplugged (is standby - red light- considered off?) ; sata cable plugged in when; and in what order should I take these steps?

Standby is not considered off. The box is just doing less and the HDD may spin down. The proper disconnect procedure is to go into standby and wait ~30 seconds, then remove power from the STB. At this point, you can disconnect and/or reconnect the drive or add/remove drive power.

You can also reboot the box from diags by pressing the Info and Select buttons at the same time. This may be quicker than waiting the 30 seconds.

2. what steps can I take to insure that this doesn't happen again. I have a battery backup but it only lasts about 40min. I am rural and often lose electricity.

UPS is really the only answer but as you point out, it won't last indefinitely. Are you sure the drive is ok and wasn't damaged by the power outage?

Standby is not considered off. The box is just doing less and the HDD may spin down. The proper disconnect procedure is to go into standby and wait ~30 seconds, then remove power from the STB. At this point, you can disconnect and/or reconnect the drive or add/remove drive power.
You can also reboot the box from diags by pressing the Info and Select buttons at the same time. This may be quicker than waiting the 30 seconds.

UPS is really the only answer but as you point out, it won't last indefinitely. Are you sure the drive is ok and wasn't damaged by the power outage?
Thanks very much. I did it the way you said and it worked. I will have to keep those instructions handy as I am sure i will need them again.
I didn't really expect a reply tonite anymore (it is 11:00 pm now)so I was especially surprised and happy to get home and find an answer.
Thanks again.

Hi I do have a quick question (at least I think it is quick). the pace box has firewire connections. I have an older Mitsubishi ws hd tv with firewire and I have a Mitsubishi d-vcr also with firewire.
A. would I be any better off using firewire than component to go to the tv?
B. Can I record live or recorded shows to the d-vcr via firewire, to save them? and if so how would I do it?

A. would I be any better off using firewire than component to go to the tv?

1394 is used primarily for recording on Pace cable STBs. Unlike component and HDMI, you won't have graphics with 1394, so no, you won't be better off using 1394 as your main display device.

B. Can I record live or recorded shows to the d-vcr via firewire, to save them? and if so how would I do it?

We've tested recording with DVHS devices. Recording via a PC over 1394 is somewhat iffy due to software issues on the PC side (most cable companies will only support DVHS recordings for that reason).

1394 is used primarily for recording on Pace cable STBs. Unlike component and HDMI, you won't have graphics with 1394, so no, you won't be better off using 1394 as your main display device.



We've tested recording with DVHS devices. Recording via a PC over 1394 is somewhat iffy due to software issues on the PC side (most cable companies will only support DVHS recordings for that reason).

sounds good. I am not interested in recording to a pc.

So how do I go about recording to My D-VHS recorder?

also hook up. Must the stb be off to connect it or can that be done in stand by.
Once connected do I get an option in the graphics to record to the D-VHS?

So how do I go about recording to My D-VHS recorder?

You hit the record button on the DVHS?;)


Must the stb be off to connect it or can that be done in stand by.

Hot plugging 1394 is supported. You can plug it in at any time and start recording.

Once connected do I get an option in the graphics to record to the D-VHS?

No.

You hit the record button on the DVHS?;)

Hot plugging 1394 is supported. You can plug it in at any time and start recording.
.

Thanks :). I guess I was hoping for the ability to schedule recordings to the DVCR Like I do to the hdd, and copy programs to the dvcr in the background while watching a different program.
I guess playing a tape is as simple as hitting the play button while the dvcr and the pace settop box is on?

Well, after a couple of weeks of enjoying very nice performance out of our TDC779X, with minor observations as noted in the thread above, we encountered some behavior recently that does not seem to be acceptable. While watching shows, either live or recorded, the picture and audio appear to freeze or become jerky for several seconds, and occasionally stop entirely for random durations, On a couple of occasions, playing back a recorded episode, the playback stops entirely and the unit becomes unresponsive to any remote control or front panel input. To get out of that state, after trying every button and control repeatedly, waiting a long period (several minutes), etc., we've had to remove power entirely to the TDC779X.

When it comes back after such an inelegant forced reboot, the recorded content seems to be retained OK, but the guide channel reverts completely to "To be announced" on all channels. After several minutes, guide content returns, so I assume it has been downloaded again.

What can we do to avoid the jerky playback? Is it likely to be a problem with the cable company feed itself, or the TDC779X? Is there any way to recover from a frozen-in-playback state other than the forced hard power removal, and if not, is there something we can do to avoid having this occur?

Poking through the diagnostics pages obtainable by the power - select trick, the only thing that looks remotely like a potential problem is that most of the SDRAM (all except for 1200 units or so out of the 32K) is used. The disks themselves are each mostly empty, both internal and eSATA add-on, and do not appear to have fragmented files, though it's hard to tell for the eSATA external add-on. The problem first became noticeable when we were trying to watch one of two HD programs that were being recorded simultaneously. I suppose file fragmentation could become a problem in this circumstance.

Finally, even when the unit is working, it misses the first 30 seconds or so of each program, so its "gps time" appears to be off from that used by the cable company. Is there a way of putting a global time offset compared to GPS time into effect?

I've wondered about the skipping problem myself.

Since I decided to never turn the unit "off" it seems to have stopped. <knocking on wood>

I have the 778x

When it comes back after such an inelegant forced reboot, the recorded content seems to be retained OK, but the guide channel reverts completely to "To be announced" on all channels.

This is how TV Guide works after a reboot.

What can we do to avoid the jerky playback? Is it likely to be a problem with the cable company feed itself, or the TDC779X?

Not sure, but this doesn't sound like a feed issue.

Does this also happen with pre-recorded content that used to play smoothly?

The disks themselves are each mostly empty, both internal and eSATA add-on, and do not appear to have fragmented files, though it's hard to tell for the eSATA external add-on.

If you don't mind losing recordings, I'd appreciate it if you could do the following:

1. Reboot and disconnect the eSATA drive.
2. If the problem persists with the internal drive too, reformat the internal drive.
3. If the problem continues, reboot, reconnect the eSATA drive and reformat it also.

Finally, even when the unit is working, it misses the first 30 seconds or so of each program, so its "gps time" appears to be off from that used by the cable company. Is there a way of putting a global time offset compared to GPS time into effect?

No, but you can alter the default starting time for each recording in TV Guide (i.e. have it start 30 or 60 seconds earlier).

Probably best to talk with your cable provider to see why there is a 30 second delta between network time and content time.

Finally, even when the unit is working, it misses the first 30 seconds or so of each program, so its "gps time" appears to be off from that used by the cable company. Is there a way of putting a global time offset compared to GPS time into effect?

May i ask what Cable Company you are served by?

The jerkiness and locking up completely disappeared after powering completely off (unplugging power) and removing the external drive.

Is it possible that some other feature (SDRAM memory, flash memory, etc.) is getting saturated in trying to deal with the external drive?

We had not used it that much, but had about a dozen shows on it that we would prefer not to lose. Would it be possible to increase SDRAM or somehow transfer the recorded programs from the external to the internal drive to view them?

All in all, it looks like the external-drive-to-add-space option is not going too well for us so far.

You mentioned reformatting... as the problem cleared up when we removed the external drive, I assume there is no need to do so for the internal one. (Not sure how to do that, anyway.) Why would an external drive, only about 10% full and never filled much beyond that point, need to be reformatted after such a short period of use? How extensively has the eSATA option been tested, and are there special conditions needed to use this option?

May i ask what Cable Company you are served by?

Suddenlink.

The jerkiness and locking up completely disappeared after powering completely off (unplugging power) and removing the external drive.

From one of your earlier posts, your eSATA drive is a combo unit with both USB and eSATA correct?

Yes. Firmware is at 9.56 now, and you indicated earlier one has to wait for the cable provider to trigger updates, right?

Hmm, looking more closely at the earlier posts in this thread, you had indicated poor prospects for use of combo drives. As others indicated, I can't find an eSATA-only enclosure anywhere in town. Also, you indicated that any firmware fixes would have to be in the external enclosure adaptors, and not in the Pace unit, so unless your engineers can figure out how to work around whatever problems we are seeing, we may be back to no external disk. Rats.

Will follow up with the cable company about the time issue.

Hello all, i just bought the Pace Tahoe i was just wondering if anyone else has experinced a high pitched sqeaking sound coming from their STB ? i just paid $400 for this thing, i presume its the harddrive but im not sure if its suppose to make noise, should i exchange or is this normal ?

I got this unit just a week ago from my local cable provider (Service Electric in the Lehigh Valley of PA) and got a lot of great info from this thread. I was not very happy seeing two HD programs recorded and 10% of my drive filled, so I immediately went looking for an eSATA-only drive, but the thrifty part of me didn't want to pay $200 plus tax and shipping. I found a drive on Amazon for $160 (free shipping and I already had a $25 gift certificate to use there). Unfortunately since I don't have enough posts I cannot post a link, but it's a "LaCie 300976U d2 500 GB eSATA II External Hard Drive" so an appropriate search should be able to find it.

Though I don't have any first-hand experience with this brand, reviews for the brand on similar drives were generally good, save a few DOA complaints. Amazon has a decent return policy, so I decided to risk it.

It arrived today and I hooked it up with no problems. It was recognized immediately and seems ready to go. No long-term review yet of course, but if others wanted a less expensive option than others in the thread I thought I'd share it. I'll certainly post if I encounter any problems in the coming days!

Hmm, looking more closely at the earlier posts in this thread, you had indicated poor prospects for use of combo drives.

I can't definitively state that its a problem with the combo drive, but the symptoms are consistent with CRC errors coming from the drive (which is what we've seen in the lab).

Can you find out who makes the eSATA/USB bridge chip in the drive?

OK.... already having issues. The box recorded a couple shows (or tried to anyway) on the external drive while I was messing around with some reboots and whatnot. The shows did not record properly, probably because of my interference, and I wanted to delete them. When I tried to, the box froze completely, so I had to restart everything. Since then I cannot get the box to recognize the external drive again!

The drive spins up, and I follow the proper procedure (standby for 30 sec, unplug, connect external HDD, then plug in box) and I still only get 1/1 drives. Any ideas?

Also - if I do manage to get the drive detected again, how can I go about manually formatting the external drive via the cable box?

Thanks!

Can you find out who makes the eSATA/USB bridge chip in the drive?
It's a Vantec Nexstar 3 NST-360SU-BL enclosure. According to information posted at http://paulstamatiou.com/2006/05/23/review-vantec-nexstar-3-hard-drive-enclosure/, this enclosure uses a USB/SATA bridge chip but the eSATA connection is a direct pass-through.

I took it apart, and tried to read the tiny chip that appears (contrary to the above info) that the bridge chip seems to connect directly to the eSATA port. The print is very small, but says "Sunplus TM SATALink" followed by a bunch of numbers that are difficult to make out. According to this forum link: http://www.infrant.com/forum/viewtopic.php?=&p=50514, it is likely to be a Sunplus SPIF225A-HF021.

Hooking it up to my Mac laptop via USB and running the system profiler yields the following info on the USB-to-SATA bridge chip:

Manufacturer: Sunplus Technology Inc.
Product ID: 0x0c25
Serial Number: ST3750640A 5QD2FF0E
Vendor ID: 0x04fc

Although I did not mount it on the Mac, there appear to be eight partitions on the drive in an Fdisk partition scheme.

Any other information I could add? I can say that the Seatage 750 GB disk we have mounted in the enclosure is 3.0 Gbps capable, and has only one jumper setting available, so far not selected, which would allow us to limit the transfer rate to 1.5 Gbps. Is this worth trying based on the hardware available in the TDC779X, or should that hardware be capable of working well with a 3.0 Gbps drive? There do not appear to be any other user-selectable jumper settings at all on this Seagate Barracuda 7200 rpm drive.

I am still interested to know if it is likely that any other internal limiting factors in the Pace box (SDRAM, flash memory, etc.) might be among the reasons the external drive does not perform well after some period of success.

I just had my Moto 6412 swapped out for a TDC778X due to Armstrong (North of Pittsburgh) not being able to get my DVR service re-authorized. It actually happened on Christmas day and they did answer the phone and try to fix it a couple times. I believe the hard drive was no longer being recognized, nor was the 2nd tuner. I thought a firmware reload might have brought it back to life, but when the tech came out, it seemed he didn't want to wait for the download to complete and he said I lost my programs anyway...I needed to part with Super Bowl XXX one of these days:o

I was nervous because it seemed the Moto had finally been stable for the last 6 or 7 Months after dealing with a bunch of issues. I had never heard of Pace, so this added to my apprehension. The tech sort of indicated the moto's were out of favor with Armstrong, but I could have been reading him wrong.

I quickly found and read the TDC775 posts and this thread, and my apprehension progressively went away. (Thanks Lindend, BillKen, etc.). It's nice to see an actual developer and all the fellow Armstrong users out there (nice to get all our new HD programming additions lately).

My initial Pace impressions are good:cool: The remote response is fabulous - night and day. Diagnostic screens are great. SATA being enabled is awesome, although from recent posts it seems I better be careful investing in my additional drive. I keep going back and forth on the picture quality. I have had no picture blips or 1-2 second freezes which was sort of a frequent occurrence with my moto. On my HP MD5880n via HDMI, the colors are a little more vibrant (maybe too much?), maybe a little more graininess, about 20 % more volume is required. No problems with VOD, in fact it is much more responsive although I haven't used it a ton yet.

One thing I have noticed that is different and somewhat annoying is when you do an on demand recording by going to the guide, highlighting the program you want to record, hit the record button on the remote, the tuner switches to the program you just set to record instead of using the other tuner. Is this a new design? The moto just used the other tuner and kept you tuned to what you were watching. This was helpful if you knew the other program channel was already tuned on the other tuner and had started. It would use the buffered data and record the complete program. It seems this won't occur. It's also helpful if you missed something while you were searching in the guide you could just rewind what you were watching. Since it switches the buffer is lost! I would think this is the TV Guide app, but you would think it would work the same as the Moto??

Also, if you go into the Power User Settings menu, when leaving, the box always switches to tuner one, even if you had tuner two in the background behind the Menu. It would be nice if it would return to the tuner you were watching when you entered the guide. Also, the tuner indicator light (play 1/play 2)does not go on until a tuner swap is initiated after leaving the power menu. They both are off.

My SW Version (DENA) = 9.02. In the Pace TDC778X (aka Tahoe CableCARD) Release Notes Thread the latest notes are for 9.62 - 9.66. Is this correct that I would be behind so far, or am I missing/ mis-reading something?

Thanks to everyone, yeah, especially Lindend. They do pay you extra for doing all this don't they? I hope so!

One thing I have noticed that is different and somewhat annoying is when you do an on demand recording by going to the guide, highlighting the program you want to record, hit the record button on the remote, the tuner switches to the program you just set to record instead of using the other tuner. ... I would think this is the TV Guide app,

It is.

but you would think it would work the same as the Moto??

Should be. The only thing I can think of is you had a different revision of TVG or the VOD app on the MOT box and it behaved differently.

Also, if you go into the Power User Settings menu, when leaving, the box always switches to tuner one, even if you had tuner two in the background behind the Menu.

Sorry, TVG behavior when you go in/out of standby. If you look at the 775 thread, you'll see that many of the issues/feature requests are folded into future releases.

Also, the tuner indicator light (play 1/play 2)does not go on until a tuner swap is initiated after leaving the power menu.

That is because TVG is not showing time shifted video when you leave standby.

My SW Version (DENA) = 9.02. In the Pace TDC778X (aka Tahoe CableCARD) Release Notes Thread the latest notes are for 9.62 - 9.66. Is this correct that I would be behind so far, or am I missing/ mis-reading something?

9.02 was the initial firmware release for the 778. You are not far behind. If you look at the last post in the 775 release note thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=866125&highlight=release+notes), you'll see an explanation of why there is a big jump in the firmware revision numbers for all platforms.

Thanks to everyone, yeah, especially Lindend. They do pay you extra for doing all this don't they? I hope so!

Nope, strictly volunteer stuff. :)

I enjoy helping if possible and the feedback AVS users provide is invaluable.

Hello all, i just bought the Pace Tahoe i was just wondering if anyone else has experinced a high pitched sqeaking sound coming from their STB ? i just paid $400 for this thing, i presume its the harddrive but im not sure if its suppose to make noise, should i exchange or is this normal ?

no one ?

no one ?
Nope. Could be a fan. Might be best to return it for an exchange -- and test it before leaving.

Nope. Could be a fan. Might be best to return it for an exchange -- and test it before leaving.

Just discovered a new problem, when i rewind live tv then play it back there seems to be heavy blocky pixelation, then when i return to live tv it just skips like crazy, definatley exchanging, if it still happens i guess i will downgrade to the motorola.

LIndend: I jumped to correct thread.

I hooked up the optical for the audio, and everything is working. Thanks for the workaround until the HDMI issue gets fixed. I did not think the toslink would work when the HDMI was hooked up.
I can definitely live with this until the fix is posted. I will stick with the Pace box.
Thanks!
Bill

I have to say that since switching from my Motorola box to the Pace box I have been quite happy. I got my box from Armstrong in Boardman, Ohio. Although I have not gotten an external drive for it yet I am glad it is an option even though the guy at Armstrong thought that it was not a supported feature. Pluses to the box is that it does a much better job at recovering from a power failure. The circuit it is plugged into sometime cuts off when there is too heavy of a load on it. Does not happen a lot this time of year but does happen more in the summer. The Motorola box would usually forget it was even a DVR unless you unplugged it again after the return of power for at least five minutes. The Pace box not only remembers that it is a DVR it will resume recording anything that was interuppted. Another big problem with the Motorola box is that when you fast forwarded or skipped forward a lot of the time it would lose audio, you had to switch out of the recording and back to get audio to return, and sometimes you wou have to cycle power to get it back. With the Pace box the loss of audio still happens but not as often and when it does happen it is quicker to recover on its own.

There are some down sides to the Pace Box however, however they have been minor so far.

The two that I have noticed are that if you start watching a show that is recorded but has not finished recording if you catch up with the current time in the show and hit FF or skip because you don't realize that you have reached that spot the box will still try to go past that spot and bounce backwards off the end of the recording and go backwards a couple of seconds. Like I said not a big deal. The other issue occurs in the exact same situation you bump into the end of a show that is still recording, once you do that the audio keeps dropping out. Luckily there is an easy fix for that just have to do the backwards skip so that I am not up against the end of the recording and not only is the skipping audio gone but the audio that skipped is actually in the recording available to listen to.

I hooked up the optical for the audio, and everything is working. Thanks for the workaround until the HDMI issue gets fixed. I did not think the toslink would work when the HDMI was hooked up.

Bill

Bummer. I have a Sony HT-SF2000 with HDMI input/output. After reading your post, I went to Wal*Mart and picked up an optical cable. There are two TOSLINK inputs on the receiver, SAT and VIDEO1. I was hoping I'd get Dolby by simply using the SAT input. Nope.

But when I plug it into the VIDEO1 input it passes Dolby fine - just no picture!

I looked at the inscrutable manual and thought maybe it was a simple deal to select a different sound source for the satellite input, but no.

Anyone have any ideas? This receiver seems determined to get audio over HDMI.

Later on this evening: Sheesh. I was looking at the Home Theater in a Box forum to get ideas. For some reason, my SAT TOSLINK input doesn't seem to work as expected, but as I mentioned before, the AUDIO1 TOSLINK seemed to pass Dolby fine. So I ran the HDMI from the PACE directly to the TV and use the receiver to process just the audio from the PACE. Seems to work ok - although there's a great volume difference between Dolby and non-Dolby shows.

Hopefully the Dolby over HDMI will be fixed soon so I can recover my TV's extra HDMI input.

Bummer. I have a Sony HT-SF2000 with HDMI input/output. After reading your post, I went to Wal*Mart and picked up an optical cable. There are two TOSLINK inputs on the receiver, SAT and VIDEO1. I was hoping I'd get Dolby by simply using the SAT input. Nope.

But when I plug it into the VIDEO1 input it passes Dolby fine - just no picture!

I looked at the inscrutable manual and thought maybe it was a simple deal to select a different sound source for the satellite input, but no.

Anyone have any ideas? This receiver seems determined to get audio over HDMI.

Later on this evening: Sheesh. I was looking at the Home Theater in a Box forum to get ideas. For some reason, my SAT TOSLINK input doesn't seem to work as expected, but as I mentioned before, the AUDIO1 TOSLINK seemed to pass Dolby fine. So I ran the HDMI from the PACE directly to the TV and use the receiver to process just the audio from the PACE. Seems to work ok - although there's a great volume difference between Dolby and non-Dolby shows.

Hopefully the Dolby over HDMI will be fixed soon so I can recover my TV's extra HDMI input.

Did you go into the setup menu on you receiver and change the input?
I have an Onkyo 705, and I had to change my input setting.
I left my cab/sat as HDMI input, but I had to change my 'Digital Input' (which is the audio input area on my receiver) from HDMI to Optical 1.
Depending on your receiver...you will need to make similar change.
Hope this info helps!:)

Noobie here...

First of all, thanks to all those that provide the good technical information that is exchanged in this thread. I've read through it, and really appreciate not only the good answers, but the good questions, too. Roginator and kevkearney have most specifically touched on my questions, and I want to expand on them.

I'm in Juneau, Alaska, and am, as is Roginator, a GCI Alaska customer. We have a new Regza HDTV and are using it with a Toshiba HD DVD HD-D3, and now a new PACE TDC778X DVR. The AVR is an older, non-HDMI Harman-Kardon AVR 230. The AVR does have a pair of digital coaxial audio inputs, and a pair of digital optical audio inputs.

Since the AVR isn't HDMI, all the video components go straight to the Regza by HDMI. I do, however, run all the audio to the AVR using either digital optical or coaxial. In fact, the DVR is using the digital coaxial input to the AVR, and the AVR input is set to receive and use that input. The HD DVD is set up similar, and in the setup for that component, I had to set the HDMI to "downmixed PCM" (or was it "downmixed HDMI"?), and digital audio to "bitstream". And there starts my questions. I don't see similar choices for the DVR.

GCI doesn't include a users manual for the TDC778X when they had you the box, so I really appreciate the manual being available here. I've studied through it, and have a few questions.

For the digital audio out to the AVR, what are the best settings for Audio Output?

Optimal Stereo? (I presume.)
TV Speakers? (I don't think so.)
Stereo Output - Matrix Stereo?
What about the compression settings? None?

So far, I haven't found any channels from GCI that are DD or DTS, according to the AVR. Roginator, is that correct?

Thanks!
Grampa Steve

Noobie here...

For the digital audio out to the AVR, what are the best settings for Audio Output?

Optimal Stereo? (I presume.)
TV Speakers? (I don't think so.)
Stereo Output - Matrix Stereo?
What about the compression settings? None?

So far, I haven't found any channels from GCI that are DD or DTS, according to the AVR. Roginator, is that correct?



I'm a noobie myself and am learning all of this by trial and error with a little help from various AVS Forums.

I'm using the settings: Optimal stereo, advanced, No compression, matrix.

It "appears" ALL channels from the PACE output some sort of basic, 2-channel stereo Dolby. Only the high definition channels can be expected to have surround sound - and not all shows have it. I don't subscribe to any premium channels, so that limits my current surround sound experience to National Geographic-HD, TNT-HD, KTUU-HD, WealthTV(?). KTVA-HD, and KAKM-HD(?). Not sure if NFL-HD has surround sound.

What puzzles me the most is that one digital optical input on my receiver doesn't seem to work properly, but the other one does. I've given up on getting Dolby 5.1 over HDMI until they figure out what went wrong.

What puzzles me the most is that one digital optical input on my receiver doesn't seem to work properly, but the other one does. I've given up on getting Dolby 5.1 over HDMI until they figure out what went wrong.

Did you check my suggestions in post #182? This may fix your problem with the optical connection. Also, if you change from 'no compression' to "high compression' you will get better sound. I thought it was the opposite, but my cable tech told me to try it on high compression, and it really does make an improvement!

Bill

Did you check my suggestions in post #182? This may fix your problem with the optical connection. Also, if you change from 'no compression' to "high compression' you will get better sound. I thought it was the opposite, but my cable tech told me to try it on high compression, and it really does make an improvement!

Bill

When I tried to change the audio source, it appeared that the receiver was designed NOT to allow any of the useful changes I tried.

I'll try high compression on the sound - although it's fairly good now.

That is because TVG is not showing time shifted video when you leave standby.




So the indicator lights for Tuner 1 / Tuner 2 indicate if you are time shifted, unless you are at the end of the buffer? I believe it has been stated the only way to go to true live TV, or I guess the term would be no trick stuff, is to tune away and tune back to a channel. I did notice the light does go out when Live TV is pressed. Based on the no trick stuff comment, I would assume when you press 'Live TV' you are going to the end but still reading from the buffer thus still time shifted, although very slightly. This is really not a big deal, just curious. I guess the main intention of the light is to indicate if you are live no buffer/end of buffer live?

Is there a quality hit taken when reading from the buffer / recording. Is the exact stream buffered / recorded, or is an internal compression done? Are recordings done in native resolution? For instance, if you have 720p set as the only output to the display at the time of taping, will a taped 1080i show be converted to 720p and then saved?

As far as feature requests, I know this is probably a TVG thing, but I bet you can get to their ears a lot easier than I can... It would be nice if you could mark partial part of show for deletion. For example, if you have a 4 hour football game where you have already watched the 1st half, if you could mark a point and delete the 1st half saving recording space for something else, allow the box to reorganize itself, etc. I'm not sure if there are legal implications (that's a shame if so - but that's a different discussion) in doing this since it is somewhat obvious feature?

I am still interested to know if it is likely that any other internal limiting factors in the Pace box (SDRAM, flash memory, etc.) might be among the reasons the external drive does not perform well after some period of success.

I forgot to mention something else that might help you. In the past, we've run into some poorly made eSATA cables that created data loss and some symptoms similar to those that you are reporting. What is the make/model of your eSATA cable and where did you get it?

So I just called my Cable Provider about my Pace Tahoe squeaking, they said its normal, even when turned off, so I guess I have to live with it (because im not going back to SD and I love DVR) the squeaking doesnt happen as much as when I first got it but its still there, I might call back at a later time and talk to a different customer service rep just to get a second opinion (why should a $400 cable box squeak?) I wish they still sold the motorola box.

I forgot to mention something else that might help you. In the past, we've run into some poorly made eSATA cables that created data loss and some symptoms similar to those that you are reporting. What is the make/model of your eSATA cable and where did you get it?

It came with the NexStar 3, and seems to be good quality as far as I can tell. The odd thing is that it was working fine for a couple of weeks, and then began to freeze, stutter and lock up.

If it were an ordinary computer, I would have thought it behaved as if it was memory-bound.

So I just called my Cable Provider about my Pace Tahoe squeaking, they said its normal, even when turned off, so I guess I have to live with it (because im not going back to SD and I love DVR) the squeaking doesnt happen as much as when I first got it but its still there, I might call back at a later time and talk to a different customer service rep just to get a second opinion (why should a $400 cable box squeak?) I wish they still sold the motorola box.

Mine doesn't squeak. Can you isolate the noise to a specific area of the box, e.g with the old tubing hose pseudo-stethoscope trick used by auto mechanics etc? Maybe you could even record it and post it somewhere with a link, so those who know more about the box can help identify it.

You hit the record button on the DVHS?;)




Hot plugging 1394 is supported. You can plug it in at any time and start recording.



No.
Do I see that recording from the firewire/1394 output of the Pace box to a computer is possible? Can lindend or someone else who has experience with this please let me know whether this works? Thanks...

I had the dreaded frame-skipping problem today during the football playoffs. It was also apparent on episodes of the Tonight Show recorded from the same local NBC channel in the past couple of days.

I discovered how to change the 3:2 pulldown on my TV, but that had no effect.

Finally, after several hours of this, I decided to check some other HD channels. I switched to National Geographic HD at 720p for a few minutes. I couldn't see any problem. Then I switched to TNT-HD (1080i I believe). No problems there either after a few minutes. So I switched back to the problematic NBC local HD channel. Now it was fine!

There seems to be something that's confusing the PACE box. I have GCI cable in Anchorage. HD is relatively new here and sometimes buggy.

But it's a hopeful sign that SOMETHING I did seemed to correct the problem. :)

Do I see that recording from the firewire/1394 output of the Pace box to a computer is possible? Can lindend or someone else who has experience with this please let me know whether this works? Thanks...

Just replied to your PM and see that you posted on the thread, so ignore the PM. Anyways, we test 1394 recording on DVHS. Its theoretically possible to record to a PC (running either Linux or Windows) or a Mac. The Windows 1394 software is pretty buggy and often crashs when it was sent a legitimate transport stream. Since we don't have the source on the Windows side, can't say why. So at this point, all I can tell you is DVHS is officially supported, PC support is haphazard due to stability issues on the PC side.

I had the dreaded frame-skipping problem today during the football playoffs. It was also apparent on episodes of the Tonight Show recorded from the same local NBC channel in the past couple of days.

Based on what you describe, is there any possibility that the local NBC affliate had macroblocking issues?

My wife let the son know the PIN for our box.
Now I can't figure out how to change it.

Just replied to your PM and see that you posted on the thread, so ignore the PM. Anyways, we test 1394 recording on DVHS. Its theoretically possible to record to a PC (running either Linux or Windows) or a Mac. The Windows 1394 software is pretty buggy and often crashs when it was sent a legitimate transport stream. Since we don't have the source on the Windows side, can't say why. So at this point, all I can tell you is DVHS is officially supported, PC support is haphazard due to stability issues on the PC side.
Thanks for the quick answer...

Well, as a Mac user I'm not so interested in the bugginess on the Windows side (insert smiley here)...but what happens on the Mac? I hook up the firewire cable, and then what?

Based on what you describe, is there any possibility that the local NBC affliate had macroblocking issues?

No, no macroblocking... just frame-skipping - most visible on scenes with panning. Sort of like trying to watch a badly converted PAL video.

As you can imagine, this is very annoying to try to watch, especially football where they pan across the field all the time.

And it hadn't happened for a week or two. Next time it happens, I will experiment some more with switching to different HD channels to see if I can replicate the "cure".

I forgot to mention something else that might help you. In the past, we've run into some poorly made eSATA cables that created data loss and some symptoms similar to those that you are reporting.

More background to this problem. There are multiple issues regarding cables which I will summarize below:

Poor quality cable. Results typically in macroblocking and/or video issues/delays due to CRC errors.
Housing problems in the eSATA drive (not a cable issue per se). Due to the design of the eSATA housing, some cables may not fit properly and this may result in the drive either never being recognized, or sometimes not being recognized. A number of Free agent drives have this issue. See this blog (http://blog.noegruts.com/2007/12/seagate-freeagent-pro-esata-problems.html) for more info on this topic. Note: I'm just linking to the blog for more info on the housing problem. This is not a commentary pro or con on Seagate drives. It also contains links with additional info on this problem.


So we can break problems down into at least two categories:


Drive unrecognized.

Make sure your cable is connecting cleanly to the eSATA drive.

Problems watching/playing video.

Make sure you have a reasonable quality cable.
Check to see if you have a USB/eSATA combo.

Just got home with my new exchanged Pace Taheo, no more chirping, I can finally watch tv in peace without it sounding like there is wildlife in my home (with the exception of 2 cats ;)) they also gave me a new remote (i guess its the new one) much nicer the the old mini motorola remote.

... we can break problems down into at least two categories:


Drive unrecognized.

Make sure your cable is connecting cleanly to the eSATA drive.

Problems watching/playing video.

Make sure you have a reasonable quality cable.
Check to see if you have a USB/eSATA combo.



Based on this, and inspired by the fact that according to the manufacturer of my combo eSATA enclosure, the SATA connection in this case is a simple pass-through, I will go home and try again. It may be possible that in the process of rotating the DVR back and forth for various other operations, the cable got misaligned, or some other similar problem happened.

Note I do not give up on my theory that the unit is memory-starved, since poking around on the front-panel diagnostics seemed to show very little SDRAM memory left when I encountered this problem.

All in all, it would be nice if the unit were offered with a much larger internal hard drive as an option, since (a) you said earlier that some firmware tweaks were done on the included drive, and (b) most people just want the extra space and don't care whether this is accomplished using eSATA. A terabyte (or even half) is comparatively cheap, and would alleviate most peoples' need to go for external space.

Can I also suggest that you try to classify combo drive enclosures that have problems as to whether (like the Nexstar 3) they claim to be simple pass-through, or instead process the SATA signals in the chip set? I cannot see how a simple pass-through connection could introduce problems in a combo enclosure, but perhaps there is a way.

Added note:
There is additional discussion of cable end length problems here (http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/24609792/m/900009750831), including a link to trimming instructions in a PDF file here (http://www.brack.ch/Technik/Reparaturformulare/FAQ/Synology_eSATA_cable_issuee_notice_April21.pdf).

Note I do not give up on my theory that the unit is memory-starved, since poking around on the front-panel diagnostics seemed to show very little SDRAM memory left when I encountered this problem.

Unfortunately, diags of memory usage really isn't representative of what's going on in the box (at least with TV Guide). When you go into diagnostics, TVG stops the circular recordings.

We don't use virtual memory and TVG will try to claim as quite a few megabytes of free memory for guide data so what you see isn't surprising.

I have some additional theories about what might be happening with your external eSATA drive, but they all involve formatting the drive and I don't think you want to do it at this point.

However, your strategy is right, lets rule out the cable before doing anything permanent such as formatting the eSATA drive.

All in all, it would be nice if the unit were offered with a much larger internal hard drive as an option,

Thanks for the feedback. There are a lot of factors involved in selecting the HDD size and we value your input.

Can I also suggest that you try to classify combo drive enclosures that have problems as to whether (like the Nexstar 3) they claim to be simple pass-through, or instead process the SATA signals in the chip set?

The issue isn't a combo chipset per se, but bugs in the combo chipset. Properly written firmware in a combo chipset should work. Regardless, we're trying to get an enclosure like the one you bought in house to see what is going on.

Well....I just got through sapping out my TDC778x for a new one. It developed a very loud buzzing noise, which it did whether it was on or off! The lady at Buckeye said that she has had a few returned for the same reason...not good.
Also, when I would FF to get thru commercials on recorded shows, half the time when I would hit play it would start at the spot that I started to FF. This was VERY annoying. I would have to FF 2 or 3 times to get to where I wanted to be. I hope these 2 issues are not inherent with these boxes. We'll see what happens when I hook the new one up once I get home from work.

I hope these 2 issues are inherent with these boxes. We'll see what happens when I hook the new one up once I get home from work.

Issue #2 is a software/content issue which we're investigating.

Well....I just got through sapping out my TDC778x for a new one. It developed a very loud buzzing noise, which it did whether it was on or off! The lady at Buckeye said that she has had a few returned for the same reason...not good.

We are not aware of a loud buzzing noise issue. Can you provide more details on this buzzing noise? Does it sound like hard drive activity? Is it similar to the squeaking noise reported by SCEvan?

If anyone else ever experiences this problem, please capture the unit address (diags page 6) before swapping out the unit.

Thanks.

We are not aware of a loud buzzing noise issue. Can you provide more details on this buzzing noise? Does it sound like hard drive activity? Is it similar to the squeaking noise reported by SCEvan?

If anyone else ever experiences this problem, please capture the unit address (diags page 6) before swapping out the unit.

Thanks.

I will definitely do that if this box does it. My parents have the 775 box, and it is quiet...but it too has the FF issue.
A friend of mine has the 778, and you can hear the hard drive...but only when the box is on and it's not as loud as the one I turned in. Mine would make the loud buzz for awhile, then sop for about 5 seconds then go back to buzzing. It did seem to be giving off ALOT of heat as well.
I'll hop on here if I have any issues with ne box before returning it.

Thanks,
Bill

We are not aware of a loud buzzing noise issue. Can you provide more details on this buzzing noise? Does it sound like hard drive activity? Is it similar to the squeaking noise reported by SCEvan?

If anyone else ever experiences this problem, please capture the unit address (diags page 6) before swapping out the unit.

Thanks.

If it matters when I exchanged it the reason of exchange was (this is what they wrote all i said was it was chirping) was a fan bearing.

Has anyone reported frame skipping/dropping?

I have a 778X and attributed it to updating the program information, but another user says it may be caused when dissimilar resolutions are used by each tuner. (720p on one tuner while trying to watch 1080i on the other)

In one brief test of that theory, the frame dropping seemed to stop once both tuners were on 1080i channels.

I only have a few HD channels and rarely have it on the 720p channels -- maybe I should test this theory a bit...


I believe I had the frame skipping issue last night.

I had just turned on my TV/DVR and the first thing I did was open up my recordings list and delete a bunch of programs. There were several long HD programs deleted, multiple 3+ hour sporting events and a couple 30 min SD shows. I then started to watch a SD DVR program. The video would skip few frames and then catch up. Audio was in looked to be in perfect sync when the video wasn't skipping. I assumed it was the program, so I exited and went to watch live TV. Same thing on SD channels and HD channels. It was very annoying.

I ended up going into the diagnostics to see if anything looked strange to the novice I am. When I left the diagnostics, the problem was gone - even in the DVR recording that was having issues. The only thing in the diagnostics that looked any different was 1 over run or overflow listed (I forget where) which I don't believe I had ever seen before. The uptime was listed as 17 hrs 10 min. This was strange since I hadn't lost power. The time would have corresponded to ~ 2 AM so maybe the cable company did something, but my firmware and guide versions were the same.

If it matters when I exchanged it the reason of exchange was (this is what they wrote all i said was it was chirping) was a fan bearing.

That makes sense...that would produce the sound I was hearing.
The new box is silent...I haven't had a chance to check the FF issue.
Keeping my fingers crossed!:)

I think I saw the frame skipping last night on several HD channels. There was no pixilization or audio loss.

I have the 778X with 9.62 firmware on Buckeye Cable.

I'll be checking this evening on the recorded material.
So far everything is great. The PQ is top notch, I'm getting Dolby thru the toslink, and the box is now quiet. The box I got is supposedly a brand new one that Buckeye just got in. The rep said they just got the new shipment the day before yesterday...

Well...this box seems to be pretty good! I did notice a little bit of irregularity on the FF and FR when watching recordings, but it was not as severe as the other box I had.
I can definitely live with it !

I tried the following with my eSATA combo enclosure:


Trimming the cable jacket to leave 10 mm clear -- no difference
Using and not using the jumper on its 750 GB Seagate hard drive to limit transfer rate to 1.5 Gbits/sec -- no difference
Allowing the Pace unit to reformat the external drive upon a reboot -- no difference


Next I will try replacing the cable completely, and *sigh* then try a different enclosure.

The symptom is now that the Pace unit will lock up completely after a while, not respond to power on, even from the front panel. If I reboot, the external drive does show up and is listed in the diagnostics page, the free space is calculated correctly in the recorded program listings, etc. -- until the next lock-up.

I wonder whether the 750 GB drive is running too hot for this non-cooled (passively cooled) enclosure?

Swapped cables, both external to the Pace box and then even the internal jumper. Finally tried substituting the disk from the external enclosure in place of the Pace unit's internal disk. It wouldn't even format there! Put it all back together and tested the drive via USB 2. It seems the disk itself is well and truly dead. The good news is that the Pace unit still performs fine on its own using its original tiny 160 GB hard disk, which is now 78 percent full.

All in all, as I said before, I would much rather have paid 2 or 3 hundred dollars more (or a bit more in monthly fees) and gotten a 1 TB drive internal to the unit to start with. Googling around leads one to consider the Hitachi CinemaStar 7K1000, 1TB and optimized for this purpose, it seems.

Not sure what killed the drive -- whether it was the enclosure, the usage pattern, or perhaps the disk itself had an infancy failure.

All in all, as I said before, I would much rather have paid 2 or 3 hundred dollars more (or a bit more in monthly fees) and gotten a 1 TB drive internal to the unit to start with. Googling around leads one to consider the Hitachi CinemaStar 7K1000, 1TB and optimized for this purpose, it seems.

I just wanted to take a moment to agree with ScienceMan. i have posted to this effect before but I really don't understand why vendors don't provide DVR's with much larger hard drives. I know these drives are not all that expensive and many of us would be very willing to pay more than the difference.

All in all, as I said before, I would much rather have paid 2 or 3 hundred dollars more (or a bit more in monthly fees) and gotten a 1 TB drive internal to the unit to start with.

I would let your cable company know that you'd like to see larger internal drives. This is the most effective way to effect change on this particular item.

I would let your cable company know that you'd like to see larger internal drives. This is the most effective way to effect change on this particular item.

lindend, Thanks for the help/responses with the 778X over in the 700 series forum. Don't know if telling your cable company that will get you anywhere. I've been telling mine that I want Speed HD by sending them enough emails to fill a server. Anyway the cable comapny (Armstrong) gave me a new one and all has been well at least so far. After reading through all the posts about external drives, is there any particular model/manufacturer that Pace has tested (unofficialy)with the 778 and had few problems? Of course I am noting that your view is not neccesarily those of Pace Micro.
Thanks.... The Iron Colonel

Swapped cables, both external to the Pace box and then even the internal jumper. Finally tried substituting the disk from the external enclosure in place of the Pace unit's internal disk. It wouldn't even format there! Put it all back together and tested the drive via USB 2. It seems the disk itself is well and truly dead. The good news is that the Pace unit still performs fine on its own using its original tiny 160 GB hard disk, which is now 78 percent full.

We got the NexStart 3 in today. After several hours of testing, I did not see any CRC errors, so this doesn't initially appear to have the USB/eSATA combo firmware bug (as you suspected). I haven't seen any issues with the drive. I need more time to definitively state that the CRC errors don't happen with this enclosure.

I am using the PACE779Xs bypass inputs capability to pass digital audio from another DVR to my AV receiver when the PACE box is off. It usually works fine and it is a good feature that I have never seen on other DVR boxes. But the pace box needs to be "on" to record for some reason that is not clear to me and this prevents me from being able to pass my SPDIF audio through the PACE to my AV receiver when recording shows on the PACE. I have monitored power usage and the PACE takes about the same amount of power when it is on or off (my HD never appear to sleep or the power would reduce). After reading this forum I can only guess that PACE wanted to use "being off for 30 sec" as a pre-power down indication for removing power cleanly. I wish the unit would turn off the two green led and display "off" on the display and change the outputs to bypass mode but keep recording the shows when user select power off during recording. When recording ends the unit could enter the power off/standby state. I think this would also be a good way to handle when recordings start from power off/standby state.

I tried the bypass button on the unit's front (which is not on the cable provided remote or in Logitech Harmony site) but it doesn't appear to work. An icon on the front panel display sometimes briefly illuminates and then goes off .

Anybody able to get the bypass functionality to work while recording?

i did ask Mediacom if the SATA port was enabled but they weren't sure and were suppose to call me back but never did. i'll try again.

Another mediacom user PMed me about the SATA port being disabled. How did you get around the Diags page reporting that the SATA port was disabled?

Bug report: Returning from standby with tuner previously on an analog channel results in SPDIF audio output at 48 KHz and wrong frequency sounding audio. Changing to a different analog channel doesn't change the sampling rate and wrong frequency audio continues.
Changing to a HDTV channel has correct audio and then re-tuning to an analog channel changes the SPDIF audio output to 32 KHz and audio sounds normal.

This is the first device to send 32 KHz audio to my Sony AV receiver (STR-DE835). Why is 32 KHz audio being used for analog channels? Wouldn't encoding it at 48 KHz be better for symmetry with digital channels and avoid this bug?

Anybody else seeing this behavior?

Another mediacom user PMed me about the SATA port being disabled. How did you get around the Diags page reporting that the SATA port was disabled?

Mediacom does not disable the SATA port as far as I know. I could check if there is anything wrong on that account, but other than that, there is no capability that they have implemented to specifically disable the SATA port.

Bug report: Returning from standby with tuner previously on an analog channel results in SPDIF audio output at 48 KHz and wrong frequency sounding audio. Changing to a different analog channel doesn't change the sampling rate and wrong frequency audio continues.
Changing to a HDTV channel has correct audio and then re-tuning to an analog channel changes the SPDIF audio output to 32 KHz and audio sounds normal.

We've never seen this behavior before with any of the S/PDIF devices that we've tested. Do you have another receiver or an HDMI monitor you could try in order to rule out the receiver?

Why is 32 KHz audio being used for analog channels? Wouldn't encoding it at 48 KHz be better for symmetry with digital channels and avoid this bug?

32k is working as designed for both the 775 and the 779 for analog channels. I can't discuss on a public forum (or via PM) the reasons why this is done, but there's a solid technical explanation for it.

Another mediacom user PMed me about the SATA port being disabled. How did you get around the Diags page reporting that the SATA port was disabled?

i never did really. i think even the times it reported it found the disk it still said the port was disabled. i guess either the message is just wrong or maybe that was part of the prolem i was still having.

We've never seen this behavior before with any of the S/PDIF devices that we've tested. Do you have another receiver or an HDMI monitor you could try in order to rule out the receiver?


It is actually a two part setup to reproduce the issue. Set tuner 1 on an analog channel. Set tuner2 on a HD channel with 5.1 DD content. Power off while on tuner 2. When powered up the analog tuner 1 channel will activate and the audio will be messed up. My Sony AV receiver show it as 48KHz audio and plays it at a weird rate. I hooked it up to a DENON DAT recorder and it shows 32KHz rate but has all kinds of loud scratches. It is acting like its sampling rate might be higher then 32KHz. Once in this mode you can power off from tuner1 and the bad audio persists through all subsequent power ons. Clear the issue by swapping to tuner 2 and back to tuner 1. If you power off from tuner1 with good audio then the audio will be fine on next power up. ( Also tried tuner 2 set on LD Digital channel with DD2.0 and the same issue happens)

(Note- power off/up/on refer to sleep mode and not removing AC)

I can't imagine nobody else sees this. Maybe most people don't use the dual tuner functions to watch live TV?

((My guess is that the routine that is setting tuner 1 active on startup is missing some steps that are handled via the channel change or tuner swap function when a digital->analog switch is detected - like setup correct audio decode))

I understand and share your frustration at combo eSATA/USB situation. However, lets review the facts here:

7. Given the fact that some combo drives have bugs in the firmware and others may not (it just depends on the chip and firmware on the chip), we could say that we work with revision X.Y.Z of manufacturer A, but its impossible to test all of these combinations. The hard reality of this situation is there are some drives out there with bugs (and its not just a particular drive manufacturer).

9. I don't think this is a permanent situation/restriction. I strongly suspect that firmware updates will be available at some point in the future.



Did you happen to test the firmware upadate from Seagate for the FreeAgent Pro found here:FA_Pro_eSATA_Update1.zip (http://support.seagate.com/rightnow/downloads/FA_Pro_eSATA_Update1.zip) ?

It updates the USB/eSATA chipset.

It is actually a two part setup to reproduce the issue.

Thank you for your diligence with this bug. We've replicated and are investigating.

I can't imagine nobody else sees this. Maybe most people don't use the dual tuner functions to watch live TV?

You are the first person to report this. Don't know if anyone else has run into it but no one has reported it.

We got the NexStart 3 in today. After several hours of testing, I did not see any CRC errors, so this doesn't initially appear to have the USB/eSATA combo firmware bug (as you suspected). I haven't seen any issues with the drive. I need more time to definitively state that the CRC errors don't happen with this enclosure.

How about an update? Thank you.

How about an update? Thank you.

I didn't see any CRC errors after 24 hours, but that is just me playing with the unit. Its not a complete test run and should not be considered an endorsement of the product.

We got the NexStart 3 in today. After several hours of testing, I did not see any CRC errors, so this doesn't initially appear to have the USB/eSATA combo firmware bug (as you suspected). I haven't seen any issues with the drive. I need more time to definitively state that the CRC errors don't happen with this enclosure.

From what I found it appears the eSata interface is passthrough and doesn't go through a chipset. Without a chipset this should be the same as a "WD My DVR Expander."

got my answer:

“The NST-360SU uses the SunPlus SPIF215A chipset for the USB-SATA bridge. The eSATA port is a simple passthrough connection.

Regards,

Vantec Thermal Technologies
43951 Boscell Rd
Fremont, CA 94538
Tel: 510-668-0368
Fax: 510-668-0367″

I am purchasing an HDTV and will be getting a Pace DVR for it. Is the following the best way to connect them together along with my 5.1ch receiver so as to get the best HD picture and 5.1ch surround sound:
- connect my Pace DVR to my TV via an HDMI cable and then connect my TV to my 5.1ch receiver with an Optical (toslink) cable?
Also, approximately how many GBs are needed to record one hour of HD programming on a Pace DVR?
-thanks-

I am purchasing an HDTV and will be getting a Pace DVR for it. Is the following the best way to connect them together along with my 5.1ch receiver so as to get the best HD picture and 5.1ch surround sound:
- connect my Pace DVR to my TV via an HDMI cable and then connect my TV to my 5.1ch receiver with an Optical (toslink) cable?
The toslink output on every TV I have seen is only for the internal tuner (wont output audio received via HDMI). You need a AV receiver that accepts HDMI if you want to use HDMI for audio or you can connect the PACE toslink output to your AV receiver along with the HDMI to your TV.


Also, approximately how many GBs are needed to record one hour of HD programming on a Pace DVR?
~8Gb per Hour

I didn't see any CRC errors after 24 hours, but that is just me playing with the unit. Its not a complete test run and should not be considered an endorsement of the product.


lindend, I fully understand "Its not a complete test run and should not be considered an endorsement of the product". That being said. Any chance you can tell me what Brand/Model/Size of drive you have installed in that Nexstar 3? I could always make use of it somewhere else if problems develop. Thank you. We could consider it an independent test from Iron Colonel Labs lol.

I am purchasing an HDTV and will be getting a Pace DVR for it. Is the following the best way to connect them together along with my 5.1ch receiver so as to get the best HD picture and 5.1ch surround sound:
- connect my Pace DVR to my TV via an HDMI cable and then connect my TV to my 5.1ch receiver with an Optical (toslink) cable?
Also, approximately how many GBs are needed to record one hour of HD programming on a Pace DVR?
-thanks-

I have my TV connected with component,Need to get another HDMI cable. Audio with optic cable from the 778to receiver. Receiver I have connected right now has no HDMI. Sounds great in 5.1. I have not tried HDMI to TV yet along with the optical audio, the only thing I could think might be a problem is if somehow when you make a HDMI connection the pace disables the optical outputs? Like I said I am no way sure of that statement, maybe lindend could chime in about it.

I have not tried HDMI to TV yet along with the optical audio, the only thing I could think might be a problem is if somehow when you make a HDMI connection the pace disables the optical outputs? Like I said I am no way sure of that statement, maybe lindend could chime in about it.

I have HDMI connected to the TV with optical to the AV receiver and it works fine. HDMI usage has never disabled digital sound output on any device I have used. The only catch is that in most devices during the HDMI handshake they discover that your TV only supports 2 Ch PCM and might set the entire digital audio output (HDMI and TOSLINK) to 2 CH PCM. There has always been a menu that I can select send the digital output unmodified (DTS, DD5.1, PCM).

Any chance you can tell me what Brand/Model/Size of drive you have installed in that Nexstar 3?

I just stuck in a spare 160GB drive that was lying around. Remember, I was testing whether or not the bridge chipset had a CRC issue and the size of the drive didn't matter.

Also, there seems to be a real flaw in the software that displays the % full on the regular user screen when you list recordings. When the box found the external drive it showed 85% full, when the box did not find the external drive it showed the correct 37% full. The DVR status page showed right around the 37% full in both cases.

I hooked up another eSata drive and the PACE detects it and asks to format it. I format it and the diag page shows both the internal and external HD now. But the % used jumps to 85% when it was like 37% with just the internal Drive. The eSata drive will detect every boot and the box come up in around 1.5 min.

The interface page shows
SATA enabled: No
Internal Drive: Valid
External Drive: Valid (This used to be UNKNOWN with WD extern combo drive.)

I think ttumlin and I are both victims of Mediacom some how disabling the eSATA interface.

lindend, Can you confirm this behavior that we are seeing when SATA is disabled and a valid drive is hooked up? If you can confirm it might help pursue the issue some how with Mediacom.

I also had the unit take over 10min to boot up when I was trying a Western Digital MyBook Home Firewire/USB/eSATA drive and it was always detected as UNKNOWN and didn't work.

I hooked up another eSata drive and the PACE detects it and asks to format it.

Was the drive previously formatted in Windows or the Mac?

I format it and the diag page shows both the internal and external HD now. But the % used jumps to 85% when it was like 37% with just the internal Drive.

What was the % free in the DVR status page or the HDD Status page for each drive?


External Drive: Valid (This used to be UNKNOWN with WD extern combo drive.)

Unknown == not detected so this is progress. I am concerned though because if it says SATA is not enabled, then it really shouldn't be allowing you to record to the drive.


lindend, Can you confirm this behavior that we are seeing when SATA is disabled and a valid drive is hooked up? If you can confirm it might help pursue the issue some how with Mediacom.

Confirmed. See above.

I also had the unit take over 10min to boot up when I was trying a Western Digital MyBook Home Firewire/USB/eSATA drive and it was always detected as UNKNOWN and didn't work.

Yea, the kernel can hang at boot if there's a drive that is causing a flood of CRC errors. We're planning on updating diags in a future release so that you can see the # of CRC errors that the drive is causing (of course, this won't help if you hang at boot).

But the pace box needs to be "on" to record for some reason that is not clear to me

This is how TV Guide works. Other Electronic Program Guides running on our box can record while in standby. Sorry, there's not much we can do about this right now.

(my HD never appear to sleep or the power would reduce).

Under normal circumstances, the HDD should spin down after ~2 minutes in standby. Does your drive make lots of noise when in standby?

The interface page shows
SATA enabled: No
Internal Drive: Valid
External Drive: Valid (This used to be UNKNOWN with WD extern combo drive.)

It might be helpful if people with eSATA drives served by another cable company posted the value of the SATA enabled: field in the SATA interface page. This would further help narrow down the problem.

I hooked up another eSata drive and the PACE detects it and asks to format it. I format it and the diag page shows both the internal and external HD now. But the % used jumps to 85% when it was like 37% with just the internal Drive.

I got the 85% used figured out with SATA disabled. Heres my logic.

Before SATA drive connected.
37% used of 160GB = ~60GB used or 100GB available to record so 100/160 = %63 available or 100%-63% = 37% used.

After SATA drive connected with SATA disabled.
Still 100 GB available to record because SATA disabled. But the DVR software is still using both drives combined capacity for total space.
100GB / (160GB + 500GB) = %15 Space left to record or 100% - 15% = 85% used.

So the above explains both of our previous mysterious 85% used when extra drive is attached.

I would argue that this is a PACE bug that the %used is calculated using the total space of a drive that is not allowed to save on.

So I would say that Mediacom is blocking this SATA expansion for sure.

Was the drive previously formatted in Windows or the Mac?
Yes, Formatted as NTFS in Windows. The formating was expected I was just providing details.

What was the % free in the DVR status page or the HDD Status page for each drive?
The external was 100% free and the internal was about 63% free.

Confirmed. See above.
I meant can you confirm the "SATA disabled" behavior of adding a external SATA drive at your lab?

Yea, the kernel can hang at boot if there's a drive that is causing a flood of CRC errors. We're planning on updating diags in a future release so that you can see the # of CRC errors that the drive is causing (of course, this won't help if you hang at boot).
I am not complaining, it is a good indication that the drive is not going to work, indicates give up trying to use it.

This is how TV Guide works. Other Electronic Program Guides running on our box can record while in standby. Sorry, there's not much we can do about this right now.



ESP, Lindend? I was wondering about this last night lol. Thanks for the info on the drive. There is an upper limit of 250Gb for external correct?

Did you happen to test the firmware upadate from Seagate for the FreeAgent Pro found here:FA_Pro_eSATA_Update1.zip (http://support.seagate.com/rightnow/downloads/FA_Pro_eSATA_Update1.zip) ?

It updates the USB/eSATA chipset.

With very limited testing, we are seeing roughly a 75% reduction in CRC errors with this firmware release. However, the CRC errors remain.

Is this an official firmware release or a beta drop?

With very limited testing, we are seeing roughly a 75% reduction in CRC errors with this firmware release. However, the CRC errors remain.

Is this an official firmware release or a beta drop?

Thanks for testing that so quickly. It has been around since last fall and has changed names once on the Seagate website. They still are not advertising it you have to contact support or find a link to it. You can see the firmware date is March which is only 1 month newer then the original Feb firmware.

Is there any current indication to the user via diagnostics menu in the pace box of a CRC error rate that is going to cause problem? Or is just a single CRC error too much? I know that you said a new firmware will hopefully have CRC error reporting diagnostics.

My External HDD is working now (Mediacom changed a setting). Having the "SATA ENABLED NO" was not allowing it to work. Mediacom had disabled SATA in my area.

Under normal circumstances, the HDD should spin down after ~2 minutes in standby. Does your drive make lots of noise when in standby?

The drive/PACE box are always quite. Looking in the DVR STATUS page I see "# STANDBY SPINDOWNS : 0". Does this entry keep track of the spindowns? Any reason you can think of why my HDD doesn't spin down?

What does "# OVERFLOWS SINCE BOOT" entry mean? HDD error or HDD too slow? Are some OVERFLOWS expected?

FYI
In the PACE USER SETTINGS menu the Hard Disk Sleep Mode -> Stby Speep Mode is set to "Yes".

Looking in the DVR STATUS page I see "# STANDBY SPINDOWNS : 0". Does this entry keep track of the spindowns?

Yes.

Any reason you can think of why my HDD doesn't spin down?

We've had some pretty extended discussions on this topic and the potential reasons why the drive doesn't spin down in the Tahoe thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659367). Take a look there and we can pick the discussion up here. Most of the issues raised in that thread have been fixed, so I'm puzzled why your drive isn't spinning down.

Do you have lots of series recordings?

What does "# OVERFLOWS SINCE BOOT" entry mean? HDD error or HDD too slow?

Typically, there's some type of performance problem in the system, but I've yet to see it be SATA related.

Are some OVERFLOWS expected?

In an ideal world no. However, the number should not be large and continually increasing.

We've had some pretty extended discussions on this topic and the potential reasons why the drive doesn't spin down in the Tahoe thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659367). Take a look there and we can pick the discussion up here. Most of the issues raised in that thread have been fixed, so I'm puzzled why your drive isn't spinning down.

Do you have lots of series recordings?


I read every post with "spindown" via a search of the other thread.

Because of the small internal HD I have only had one series recording ever scheduled on the unit and that was a 3 part mini series over 4days (set the schedule the first day the series started. I have had the box since 12/10/07. I was gone for 10 consecutive days with the box in standby (plenty of time for it to find the opertunity to sleep the HDD.)

I have always had some kind of future recording scheduled. Ussally a upcoming movie on a permium HD channel HBOHD, StarHD, HDNET Movies. I saw someone saying in the other thread the the standby wont work with future recordings scheduled? That can't be???? I will have 20+ series recordings now that the external HDD situation is resolved (I watch way too much TV).

Hey Linden,

Obviously from my lack of participation in this thread - my 778x is rocking and rolling along with no real issues.

I do have one question for you though. Is there any chance of a black version of the 778x being released that would integrate with some home theater stacks better and if not - how about being able to buy a replacement faceplate that I could repaint black (yes I know the buttons would still be silver)? The pace really does stick out like a sore thumb in my setup because of the silver color.

I wish the TDC850 were available with Armstrong and that would solve my problem.

Bill