Official AVS Motorola DCX series HD DVR Topic!

[tk1234]

Somewhat answering my own question...the remotes that Comcast has for the DCX3400 come pre-programmed to their techs and they do not have codes.

It is a bit of a pain on mine, because using the day forward and day back buttons while in the menu do not work. They have now tried three of them.

[SlaughterX]

Got one last week, finally hooked it up today. Just realized it supports DD Plus, do you have to use HDMI for this or will it work with optical? I've recently ran out of HDMI inputs on my receiver and TV when I got my Denon Universal player, so I switched the cable box to component since the Denon DVD player does upconversion, however if this box outputs 1080p, is the deinterlacing good enough to switch to HDMI or should I just keep it hooked up via component?

[rhassle]

Originally Posted by SlipJigs

Done! Thanks.

Where? Here in AVS? Comcast online?

Sorry I am new at dealing with the Comcast beast here in Denver, but I would love to switch out the DCT for a DCX.

[tk1234]

Originally Posted by rhassle

Where? Here in AVS? Comcast online?

Sorry I am new at dealing with the Comcast beast here in Denver, but I would love to switch out the DCT for a DCX.

I am in Denver and have the DCX3400, but my having it is an exception at the moment. They are still experiencing some kinks with it, most notably a handshake issue with HDMI (not component) connections. This is actually a nationwide issue which requires a firmware fix which has yet to be released by Motorola. But, the Denver office seems a bit more reticent to use them until the fix is available compared to offices in other cities. There are also some issues with the remote. The old remotes work with it, at least (but not vice versa).

The reason that I have one is that they are troubleshooting some signal issues that I have been having. In addition to the DCX, I also have a DCT hooked up to the same television (but they are picking up the DCT tomorrow). I am told that the only other people who have the DCX boxes in Denver are the tech supervisors, for learning purposes.

Even with the kinks, I am loving the DCX. I will try to find out for you when they will be actually deploying them here.

[millerwill]

Originally Posted by tk1234

I
Even with the kinks, I am loving the DCX. I will try to find out for you when they will be actually deploying them here.

What about it do you like better than with the DCH, for example?

[tk1234]

Originally Posted by MickeyGee

Can we assume that the 3425 has a 250GB drive, and the 3432 has a 320GB drive?

Mickey

Hmmm, mine is is a 3400, but it has a 250GB drive. From what I was told by Motorola, the model numbers are not indicative like the DCTs' are. I had to look at the info on the bottom of my box to find out the size of the drive.

I am wondering if Comcast has its own "coding" in its system to make it easier for techs who are used to the DCT model numbering system?

[tk1234]

Originally Posted by millerwill

What about it do you like better than with the DCH, for example?

I can only compare it to the DCT, since I do not have a DCH. But, compared to the DCT:

The ability to set the box to "Native," which recognizes the resolution of the broadcast. It also allows me to "deselect" 480i and "select" 480p, which gives me a better SD picture. On HD, I can tell it that my television is capable of 720p and 1080i, and it sends the appropriate resolution to the television, which I think gives me better PQ.

Also, I can select the sharpness output of the signal from the box. It has five sharpness settings, which allows me to have to fiddle less with the television settings.

And, finally, I may not have the "eye" of some of the people who are active in the calibration threads, but I think the the colors are better. It allows, to me, a wider "range," especially in the area of subtler colors. At night, this is particularly nice, because my television (Samsung HL61A750) is really bright and I can tone the gamma and color down and still get good color without hurting my eyes. This TV also allows me to turn the LED level down, but, at the minimum setting, it loses some distinction on the movie setting with cable as the source.

Hopefully, I explained this okay.

[tk1234]

Originally Posted by FAUguy

This one?
http://www.cisco.com/web/consumer/pr...op-rng200.html
How does it compare to the DCH and DCX line?
It says it supports 1080p 60/30/24, which I doubt the DCX will do.

Mine supports 30 and 24, but not 60.

[millerwill]

Originally Posted by tk1234

I can only compare it to the DCT, since I do not have a DCH. But, compared to the DCT:

The ability to set the box to "Native," which recognizes the resolution of the broadcast. It also allows me to "deselect" 480i and "select" 480p, which gives me a better SD picture. On HD, I can tell it that my television is capable of 720p and 1080i, and it sends the appropriate resolution to the television, which I think gives me better PQ.

Also, I can select the sharpness output of the signal from the box. It has five sharpness settings, which allows me to have to fiddle less with the television settings.

And, finally, I may not have the "eye" that some of the people who are active in the calibration threads, but I think the the colors are better. It allows, to me, a wider "range," especially in the area of subtler colors. At night, this is particularly nice, because my television (Samsung HL61A750) is really bright and I can tone the gamma and color down and still get good color without hurting my eyes. This TV also allows me to turn the LED level down, but, at the minimum setting, it loses some distinction on the movie setting with cable as the source.

Hopefully, I explained this okay.

Yes, thanks much. Does sound nice to have the extra flexabilty in settings.

[rhassle]

Originally Posted by tk1234

I am in Denver and have the DCX3400, but my having it is an exception at the moment. They are still experiencing some kinks with it, most notably a handshake issue with HDMI (not component) connections. This is actually a nationwide issue which requires a firmware fix which has yet to be released by Motorola. But, the Denver office seems a bit more reticent to use them until the fix is available compared to offices in other cities. There are also some issues with the remote. The old remotes work with it, at least (but not vice versa).

The reason that I have one is that they are troubleshooting some signal issues that I have been having. In addition to the DCX, I also have a DCT hooked up to the same television (but they are picking up the DCT tomorrow). I am told that the only other people who have the DCX boxes in Denver are the tech supervisors, for learning purposes.

Even with the kinks, I am loving the DCX. I will try to find out for you when they will be actually deploying them here.

It would be great if you can get that info and post it. I will start to bother the local office. Do they know if Motorola has a firmware release planned?

[tk1234]

Originally Posted by rhassle

It would be great if you can get that info and post it. I will start to bother the local office. Do they know if Motorola has a firmware release planned?

There is a planned firmware release, but no ETA. As far as getting one: The tech who was here yesterday said that they had planned to start deploying them a couple of weeks ago, but decided against it because of the HDMI issue. The handshake problems cause the screen to go green and the remedy is to power cycle the box. It can happen a couple of times per week.

They do not want to deal with the customer complaints that will only result in techs having to go out and trade them for the older boxes. On my smaller sets, the older boxes are probably just as good (except for the smaller drive). But, on my larger HL61A750, the user controls are beneficial enough for me to put up with the early adoption hassle. But, they cannot count on everyone being like that.

[BSTNFAN]

Originally Posted by tk1234

There is a planned firmware release, but no ETA. As far as getting one: The tech who was here yesterday said that they had planned to start deploying them a couple of weeks ago, but decided against it because of the HDMI issue. The handshake problems cause the screen to go green and the remedy is to power cycle the box. It can happen a couple of times per week.

They do not want to deal with the customer complaints that will only result in techs having to go out and trade them for the older boxes. On my smaller sets, the older boxes are probably just as good (except for the smaller drive). But, on my larger HL61A750, the user controls are beneficial enough for me to put up with the early adoption hassle. But, they cannot count on everyone being like that.

Have you tried the 30 sec skip code with this box? Even with the benefits, I'd be bummed to lose that capability (although I'd probably still sacrifice it for the larger HD and other improvements).

[tk1234]

Originally Posted by BSTNFAN

Have you tried the 30 sec skip code with this box? Even with the benefits, I'd be bummed to lose that capability (although I'd probably still sacrifice it for the larger HD and other improvements).

I know that it has been discussed on this thread, but I do not know what that is. If you tell me how to check for you, I will try it.

[BSTNFAN]

Originally Posted by tk1234

I know that it has been discussed on this thread, but I do not know what that is. If you tell me how to check for you, I will try it.

The silver remotes that came with the DCT and DCH boxes (does the DCX use the same remote?) could have a button programmed to do a 30 second skip. It is a great way to zip past commercial breaks (some cable systems disabled this capability in the box firmware). Here is the sequence:

1) Press 'CABLE'
2) Press and hold 'SETUP' until the light flashes
3) Enter '994'
4) Press 'SETUP' once again
5) Enter '00173' (just 173 if that doesn't work)
6) Now press the unused button you want it mapped to

[tk1234]

Originally Posted by BSTNFAN

The silver remotes that came with the DCT and DCH boxes (does the DCX use the same remote?) could have a button programmed to do a 30 second skip. It is a great way to zip past commercial breaks (some cable systems disabled this capability in the box firmware). Here is the sequence:

1) Press 'CABLE'
2) Press and hold 'SETUP' until the light flashes
3) Enter '994'
4) Press 'SETUP' once again
5) Enter '00173' (just 173 if that doesn't work)
6) Now press the unused button you want it mapped to

I tried "00173" and "173," but neither of them work. The DCX has a remote that works only on the DCX, but the old remotes for the DCT work also (but the DCX remote does not work with the DCT).

One problem is that the DCX remote will not let you advance using the "Day +" button. But, it will work with the old DCT remote. It appears to be a glitch with the DCX remote, because they have given me two and both had the same problem. As of now, they do not have any codes for the DCX remotes, which come pre-programmed. If you try to use the codes for the old remotes, it causes a complete malfunction of the DCX remote, such as disabling the "OK/Select" button.

[BSTNFAN]

Originally Posted by tk1234

I tried "00173" and "173," but neither of them work. The DCX has a remote that works only on the DCX, but the old remotes for the DCT work also (but the DCX remote does not work with the DCT).

One problem is that the DCX remote will not let you advance using the "Day +" button. But, it will work with the old DCT remote. It appears to be a glitch with the DCX remote, because they have given me two and both had the same problem. As of now, they do not have any codes for the DCX remotes, which come pre-programmed. If you try to use the codes for the old remotes, it causes a complete malfunction of the DCX remote, such as disabling the "OK/Select" button.

Do you still have an older box? If so, could you use the code with the old remote and box to check whether it works for them and wasn't disabled in the firmware? If the new box would even accept the code from the old remote, I could easily program it into a "spare" just to use the skip function.

[Gritsyna]

Pretty much only standard DD and DTS can fit in the optical bandwidth. So if you have a receiver/speaker setup that can hand DD Plus, etc and want to take advantage of it you have to use HDMI.

[hdtvfan2005]

The remote uses the UEI XMP protocol.

[morganmare]

If you want one and see it in stock, you best jump all over it because they sell out fast. I learned the hard way!

[applerokr]

have these been deployed nationwide yet?

[bfdtv]

Originally Posted by applerokr

have these been deployed nationwide yet?

No.

More Comcast systems should deploy them during July/August/September. By this fall, the DCX should be available in most major markets that use Motorola equipment.

[QZ1]

Can you be a little more specific than 'most'? (which only means over 50%, of course)

[jonwww]

Originally Posted by BSTNFAN

Have you tried the 30 sec skip code with this box? Even with the benefits, I'd be bummed to lose that capability (although I'd probably still sacrifice it for the larger HD and other improvements).

I haven't tried programming 30sec skip on new remote but using my old remote with the DCX 15sec back & 30sec forward skips working fine. 5 min forward/back skips also working.

Not sure why they released a new remote with a different code for these boxes as all buttons on the old one still seem to work fine, as said before though the new remotes don't work the old boxes.

Old silver remote cable code is 01376, new dark gray one for DCX boxes is 01982.


Edit: I just tried programming new remote and can confirm what tk1234 said about the previous 30sec skip code not working on this remote. There may very well be a 30sec skip code but it's not 00173 as it was on the silver remote programmed with 01376. I've set the 30sec skip on the silver remotes in the past.

[tk1234]

Originally Posted by jonwww

I haven't tried programming 30sec skip on new remote but using my old remote with the DCX 15sec back & 30sec forward skips working fine. 5 min forward/back skips also working.

Not sure why they released a new remote with a different code for these boxes as all buttons on the old one still seem to work fine, as said before though the new remotes don't work the old boxes.

Old silver remote cable code is 01376, new dark gray one for DCX boxes is 01982.


Edit: I just tried programming new remote and can confirm what tk1234 said about the previous 30sec skip code not working on this remote. There may very well be a 30sec skip code but it's not 00173 as it was on the silver remote programmed with 01376. I've set the 30sec skip on the silver remotes in the past.

Jonwww, do your "Day +" and "Day -" (the "B" and "C" buttons) work on your DCX remote? They have given me two different remotes and neither of them work with those buttons.

Also, our techs and customer service people in Denver did not even know the "01982" code. I figured it out by going through the process of counting the flashes, but it did not seem to "reset" it once the wrong codes had been used. In fact, our tech manager did not even know that it uses a different code.

[jonwww]

Originally Posted by tk1234

Jonwww, do your "Day +" and "Day -" (the "B" and "C" buttons) work on your DCX remote? They have given me two different remotes and neither of them work with those buttons.

Also, our techs and customer service people in Denver did not even know the "01982" code. I figured it out by going through the process of counting the flashes, but it did not seem to "reset" it once the wrong codes had been used. In fact, our tech manager did not even know that it uses a different code.

Yes my Day+/- buttons do seem to work on the new remote as they did with the old silver one. I don't generally use the Comcast provided remote though so I didn't realize that was the only way to go forward & backward in the guide. I use a JP1 programmed remote & still have an old code where the Play & Stop buttons do their main function but also Day+ & Day- while the guide is up, so I generally just use them while instead.

Not sure what you meant by "resetting" after using the wrong code. The 'Cable' code is basically locked in the remote & an unlock procedure/code has to be entered to change that to a different code, ie 01376 or some other.

[Andrew LB]

Has anyone heard whether Time Warner Cable will be bringing these boxes out in Southern California? I'm currently stuck with a piece of crap DCH3416 after my previous MOXI box crapped out and TWC told me they didn't have any replacements so I had to take the 3416.

The features on the DCX3400 look outstanding. Especially the ability to use 1080p and 7.1 channel audio. To be able to run dual tuners with that kind of high bandwidth, i'm certain it wouldn't suffer from the horrible stuttering/lagging/delays that i've been having to put up this past year with the 3416.

If anyone has some insight into the SoCal area, i'd really appreciate it.


thanks,
-Andrew

[bfdtv]

Originally Posted by FAUguy

Good find, but there are no 1080p HD programming. I guess it would have to upconvert from 1080i/720p to 1080p. I wonder if it would also upconvert from 480i (but would probably look bad).

Originally Posted by Andrew LB

The features on the DCX3400 look outstanding. Especially the ability to use 1080p and 7.1 channel audio. To be able to run dual tuners with that kind of high bandwidth, i'm certain it wouldn't suffer from the horrible stuttering/lagging/delays that i've been having to put up this past year with the 3416.

The DCX series cannot upconvert 720p/1080i t0 1080p.

The 1080p indicator is for 1080p24. Motorola plans to add firmware support 1080p24 output, which providers can use for 1080p24 VOD. I don't know if/when Motorola will actually support Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 audio. There are certainly no channels that offer 7.1 audio, and the Motorola DCX will not convert 5.1 channels to 7.1. Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 audio would likely be limited to future PPV VOD.

The DCX has a significantly faster processor which makes it a more responsive box and allows Motorola to implement other features, such as multi-room viewing. That, and the added capacity (if your provider offers it) are the main advantages. The DCX will still display the same stutter in response to signal issues and/or certain types of overcompression.

[MegaPrime33]

Does anyone know if the harmony remotes will work with this? I can check the software guide for the remote later, but was curious if anyone knew off the bat?

[bfdtv]

Originally Posted by MegaPrime33

Does anyone know if the harmony remotes will work with this? I can check the software guide for the remote later, but was curious if anyone knew off the bat?

As far as remote codes, the DCX series is no different than other Motorola DVRs. All Motorola DVRs use the same remote codes.

[elbig]

Does it support 30 second skip?