The Official AVS Dish DTVPal DVR Topic! - Page 18

I don't know my DVR rebooted or not, but this is the First Time my Screen when Black, Twice during the Eagles-Cowboys Game. All I did was change channel then the screen came back. I do know the signal on Fox was Low, so I adjusted my Antenna, I did not see a Black Screen since.

Did the same to me within the last hour or so while I was watching the Ravens vs Jags game. Also with the F202 firmware.

The DVR must be plugged in when off to get analog pass-through to your TV. There is a small amount of amplification applied to the pass-through signal. I unplugged my DVR and a strong analog signal dropped to very snowy.

If you unplug the DVR and plug it back in, it takes a short time to reboot. When that is finished it is not in analog pass-through. You need to turn it on and right back off, then it will be in analog pass-through.

Of course you can always push the Analog Pass-through button when the unit is on.

Earlier in this thread I suggested that they might use a small amplifier ahead of the two tuners to maintain the noise figure of both tuners. My guess now is that they do have such an amplifier and it is used to drive the tuners or analog pass-through so that splitting the signal or running it through the box does not degrade the noise figure in either case. Thumbs up to the engineers on this one.

What happens when you put the DVR where the working DTVs are ?

Just rebooted and downloaded the guide again while I was still watching the same football game. That makes it twice in the last two hours. Hopefully not a new trend.

If it is a flaw in the firmware hopefully they'll release another upgrade to fix it.

If the DTVPal DVR works like my Dish sat DVRs, this will clear after a about a week. Currently my 508 has history going back to Dec. 21 and the 625 goes back to Dec. 23.

One thing that bothers me a little is that hitting the DVR button 3 times takes you to the schedule on the Dish sat DVRs, but not the DTVPal DVR. You also have to go back to the main My Recordings screen to delete events as the next screen for an event doesn't have all the options like the Dish sat DVRs (like DELETE and PROTECT). Maybe the will fix this in a future S/W release.

Take the input to the DVR and connect it to the TV input and make sure that works.

When I turn the box off or press analog pass-through it is like a direct connection (maybe with a little gain as was discussed earlier) and I can view all the digital and analog stations on my TV same as if the DVR was not even there.

Could this be related to the copy protection on commercials issue that some have discussed?

I can understand protecting content but I would think they would want as many people to see their commercials as possible

I took the box to my sisters in Munster, In and it did not work there either.
I got lots of digital OTA channels on her TV but the box could not find any.
That is 3 antennas, 3 different coax cables, 2 different towns and with or without splitters or amplifiers. Tomorrow I call Dish to get the box returned.

Since I cannot get past the initial screen, I cannot use the remote to turn-off the box, nor can I use the analog pass thru button.

I was hoping that unplugging the box would allow full analog pass thru so I could make sure my antenna connection was actually soldered in the box.
No such luck.

I will update with my experiences on the return process.

Good luck. I have a feeling it is not going to be fun, and you are going to get screwed into paying shipping to and from Dish (at least that is how I read the warranty). Which is a joke, considering they sent you a brick.

If Dish gives you a hard time just dispute the charges with your CC company.

In addition to my "lockup" occurrences, I also experienced random guide loading. In the two days since disabling TVGOS, I've had no rebooting or lockup occurrences.

I recently had this occur shortly after connecting ethernet to the box. I had previously only connected it temporarily for the firmware upgrade, and it was fine until recently. I have since disconnected the ethernet and I will see if that helps. Do you have ethernet connected to your box?

Since I set mine up Christmas Eve, it's been perfect....no problems.

Like others, I thought it would be a good idea to do the firmware update...but I didn't.

No one here has any idea what it 'fixes.'
Why do it if the machine is working just fine.
I've recorded several shows and all played back fine. I have a full 7 day guide. I haven't experienced any of the reboot or lockup problems. Are these related to the firmware update? Who knows. But if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it!

From reading the information on the forum I am aware of the F202 version. Unfortunately my TV setup is not in the same location as my computer and I don't have an Ethernet cable that is long enough to connect the DVR to my router while it is still connected to the TV. Can I just connect the DVR directly to my router without connecting to TV screen to see what is going on? Is there an indication that the download is complete and successful? Does anyone know how long the download takes? Any help would be appreciated.

Ignoring a firmware update? That is probably one of the hardest things for mortal man to do. For many people a new firmware update is an irresistable candle flame. The thought of getting burned may occur but is pushed aside. We just have to have that update -- just because.

When I eventually get a Pal DVR, I have no intention of connecting it to the Internet.

I have not upgraded the firmware yet and I too experienced this re-booting in the middle of a show the other day. It downloaded the guide data after rebooting and I am not using TVGOS. It ended up splitting the show I was recording into two different parts.

Have not seen it since.

Upgraded to Firmware F202 but still no go for the 1TB internal WD10EACS Western Digital Caviar Green drive attempt. For now I am hoping it might be usable in a future firmware version even if not officially supported.

[quote=dtvpaldvr2008;15400788].... Can I just connect the DVR directly to my router without connecting to TV screen to see what is going on? QUOTE]

The manual says that after sitting in standby for about an hour it will automatically download the latest compatible software. So I would say connect it, plug it in, press POWER (i.e. turn the DVR OFF or standby - the green light must be out) on the remote and let it set for a couple of hours. See page 32 of the manual.

After I did the initial setup next to the HDTV in the living room, I powered it down, waited a little bit and unplugged it. I carried it to where I have my computer and router. I connected the RF output to an old 19" TV I have in that room and to the router. I did the software update. Then disconnected it and moved it back to the living room.

Since then, twice it announced there was a problem with the Ethernet connection (duh, since it was connected anymore). After the second time I wanted to go in and reset the connection, but it was already reset. I haven't seen the message since.

I haven't experienced any lookups on mine yet.

Oh great! WD10EACS-00C7B0 (Oct 2008). On the other hand, maybe there is a chance then for other models of 1TB drives on current DVR firmware. I will still hope that this eventually get supported.

Thanks for the info!

Have you disabled TVGOS or is it just unavailable in your area?

I don't think it's a coincidence that only a 250 gb and 500 gb drive work in this thing. I think Dish is going to come out with a DTV Pal DVR "PLUS" which will have *TWICE* the capacity of the original and use the same firmware. Hence the firmware supports both size drives, but nothing else with more, less, or in between capacity. Just a WAG.

Remove the $50 rebate and double drive capacity. Now there's a strategy. I suspect this will happen with round 3 when preordering is no longer required. They are SELLING OUT at $250 a pop with a month wait, I'm sure they would bring $300 with a 500GB HD and no wait.

Anyone know what Zip will work for TVGOS data in the St. Louis area?

I've tried 63101, a downtown Zip code, and it didn't work.

Rather than "hit and miss", does anyone know of a Zip which does work?

Last night while in the DVR menu, I got a message saying that the IP was lost. However, my TR50 is not hooked up to the internet. I got the message 3 times or so while navigating through my recorded shows. That's the first time I've seen this message in the 4 days I've had it.

Anyone else see this message?

It doesn't appear as if St Louis has a TVGOS station -
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=tvgos

I'd suggest an email to your CBS station engineering.