Samsung 3090/3270 HD-DVR Thread

Good idea for posting a thread. The 3270 box is still a buggy mess though the hardware is pretty decent. Same with the 3090.

I second that! I believe I may be getting one of these DVRs in my area soon. Anyone have any good links to some technical specs for these boxes?

SMT-H3090 Web Page:
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/d...=SMT-H3090/TWC

SMT-H3090 Brochure (PDF):
http://www.samsung.com/us/system/con...090_080205.pdf

SMT-H3090 User Guide (PDF):
http://www.timewarnercable.com/Media..._UserGuide.pdf

we probably need to post some stuff that we already know here so that as the box becomes more widely used visitors could find some good info in the first few posts.
perhaps we should start with some bullets to be added to the first post.
like links to important posts from the navigator thread, external drive thread etc.
how to get into diagnostics..hold 'Select' for about 10 seconds then push 'down arrow'. and the fact that the sammy doesnt have a mail light.
that sort of stuff so that if this thread takes off we can direct newer members to the first post instead of repeating the same answer over and over and over.


Rebooting 3090 Via Remote
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...7#post17461447

Info/Settings available here:

• RF Levels
• HDMI/EDID information
• Activate AC3/DD Support over HDMI
• Factory Reset
• Internal/External HDD Reformat
• STB Reboot
• CCI Status for current program (digital content protection - Copy Freely, Copy Once, etc.)
• much much more...

[UPDATE: These steps are NOT required if the Samsung software version on the 3090 is 2.4.9.3 or higher. Beginning with v2.4.9.3, Option 14 was removed from the diagnostic menu and AC3 over HDMI is enabled/disabled automatically based on EDID information received from the HDMI sink device.]


By factory default, the HDMI output carries 2ch PCM audio only. You need to enter the Samsung diagnostics pages to change a setting to enable AC3 over HDMI:

• Enter diagnostics by holding [Vol+] and [INFO] simultaneously on the front panel for about 10 seconds, then release.
• Once you enter the diagnostic mode, use the arrow keys to enter the "Extended Diags"
• Once in Extended Diags, go to "Diagnostics" - it is password protected... "3090"
• Once you are on the password protected Diagnostics page, enter "14" then "Select" to toggle AC3 support over HDMI. Change is instantaneous.
• Hit "Exit" a few times to get out of diagnostics page.

For Navigator diagnostics mode:

• Press and hold [Select] for about 10 seconds, then release.
• Press [Down]

Works from remote or front panel.

There is a menu selection in the password protected diagnostics page to perform a factory reset. After a factory reset, the box...

• WILL reload a new copy of Navigator from the headend
• WILL NOT lose previously recorded programs
• WILL NOT lose current recording scheduled (current week)
• WILL lose Series Manager entries
• WILL lose Favorite Channel settings
• WILL lose AC3 over HDMI support if previously enabled
• WILL lose Power On channel, Audio Format, Fixed/Variable Audio settings, etc.

To perform a factory reset:

• Enter diagnostics by holding [Vol+] and [INFO] simultaneously on the front panel for about 10 seconds, then release.
• Once you enter the diagnostic mode, use the arrow keys to enter the "Extended Diags"
• Once in Extended Diags, go to "Diagnostics" - it is password protected... "3090"
• Once you are on the password protected Diagnostics page, enter "08" then "Select"... box will reset and automatically reboot

CAUTION... Option 09 activates a Factory Test mode, which doesn't seem to do much (it looks like it is trying to communicate with a specific IP address that is not there). However, when Factory Test mode is enabled, Option 08 changes to "Factory Defaults Reset w/ HDD Erase"... so be careful to read the entry for Option 08 before using it!

With the currently issued versions of ODN in the Samsung systems - either 3.1.0_11 (NYC & Charlotte) or 3.1.1_3 (everywhere else), there are several issues that have been reported to date. Issues on the Samsungs include:

• Missed recordings (especially prevalent in Charlotte - seems to be tied to ODN 3.1.0_11, which is also running in NYC)
• Box reverts to 720p output via HDMI irrespective of Navigator settings or program format. (Simplest temporary fix is to disable/re-enable 480i output.)
• Complete loss of audio output (requires reboot to re-establish audio out)
• Lipsync issue #1: Digital dropouts cause subsequent choppy video and loss of AV sync by several seconds (press Pause then Play - or Live TV - to fix)
• Lipsync issue #2: Box will occasionally get mildly out of lipsync on all channels... Audio lags video, amount varies by channel. Must be rebooted to cure.
• Frozen program video - Audio is live, banner/guide graphics OK and channels still change (power switch on/off cures)
• Box boots into the native Samsung GUI instead of Navigator when connected via HDMI. So far this has been unique to me but has occurred consistently with two different 3090 boxes when connected to my Onkyo 876 receiver. Please provide feedback if anybody else experiences this issue.

Hopefully the 3260 can support AC3 over HDMI.

Is the firewire port active & can you use CapDVHS to extract recordings?

Nobody has tried it but the interface supports Copy flags which can make it difficult to do so.

Got this problem yesterday. Started up the TV and had no access to the guide, channel banner, recordings or any other features. Everytime I hit a button (besides to change channels), the TV picture disappeared into a tiny box in the corner (as though there was supposed to be something else on the screen). That said, I could change channels by typing them in directly but even then, there was no display on the screen showing the numbers as I typed them in.

Only happened the one time but it took two reboots to fix it. Still in testing mode but hoping it's not a consistent problem...

That sounds a little different than my issue. On mine, it occurs on a reboot... the gray Samsung screen with the progress bar will appear normally... at about 20% I'll get the "Provisioning OOB" popup as it loads authorizations to the CableCard, but when the bar gets to about 80% (when the box display should change to "APP" and the blue Mystro countdown screen would normally appear), the box display remains "OCAP" and the screen goes black. If I wait a minute or two after that, if I hit a "regular" button on the remote the box will start functioning... good (stretched) pictures on all non-SDV channels, plain white channel number/station ID in top right corner. There is some menu functionality but they are all in the native Samsung pastel blue & green style.

The box will boot into this plain-jane mode better than 90% of the time with the HDMI output connected to my Onkyo 876. But if I unplug the HDMI cable, power down the receiver, or plug the HDMI directly to my TV, the box will boot Navigator normally. Even if the Onkyo is presenting something unusual to the HDMI port (don't know that it is), its definitely a bug on the Samsung side for it to be preventing it to boot Navigator.

Once the box is booted into Navigator, I can reconnect the Onkyo, it handshakes perfectly and it works fine until the next reboot. Fortunately any unnattended reboots (as in a software push or a power outage) are usually with the reciever off anyway.

This issue drove me crazy and it wasn't until I swapped out my box for another and the new one did the same thing that deepened the investigation to discover the actual cause. Unfortunately I gave up a 320GB model for a 160GB in the process.

Is my anecdotal impression correct... the very first boxes reported here seemed to have 320G drives, but shortly thereafter, only 160G boxes were being deployed?

Sucks.

AFIK, only the very first ones in Charlotte (the first division where they appeared) and one other early rollout division had the 320s. Been 160's everywhere since the first few weeks, as far as reports I've seen.

Yes it sucks... especially that I ended up giving a 320 up for a 160 the other day.

Well guys I swapped my SA 3250HD for a SMT-H3260 HD-STB. It's got all the nice features that you could want in a next gen cable box. No RF out so if you use CH. 3 well then too bad. It has Ethernet for an undocumented top secret feature. It doesn't look the same as the 3050. It has a really nice look to it. It's all black and not silver/white/black like the 3050. The front panel is a piano black type finish. So far it's ok. Runs ODN 3.1.1_3. Don't ask how I got one . Uses the same remote as the SA boxes.

P.S: I haven't found a way to activate the AC3 over HDMI function but then again I don't use HDMI so it probably uses. The Diagnostic password is 3260. I use this on an SDTV but I have a Monitor that accepts it via component. I'll try it on that. Any questions I could probably answer. I'm not a TWC employee btw.

Hope this helps.

Unfortunately there is a please wait when it comes to loading the guide data. That only happens when you want to go to another day. It also can do up to 1 week of guide data. When you press the guide button it appears instantaneously. Other than that ODN flys on this thing.

My experience is that when one tuner is recording in the background while one is being "watched," one gets a blank screen for the currently being watched channel. So the way you describe it, it's a downgrade to what I have had for years and years now.

N to only that, but they used to always state it held 2 weeks of guide data (which I think TiVO can do).

The 3260 is a single tuner non-DVR. The single tuner SA & Pioneer boxes behave the same way with Navigator (my Pioneer was much worse with this under MDN Navigator than it was with Passport).

In any case, its just how Navigator works with the single tuner boxes, confirmed to me by a TW engineer friend of mine.

The 3260 has a SATA port on the mobo though it's non functioning. The mobo on the 3260 mentions 3270 which is the DVR which means both are identical. There is no eSATA on the 3260 which should be on the 3270. When you do hit the guide button it loads up the guide data instantly. My 3250HD would have to load up the guide data when you pressed the guide button. Of course then after it would load up instantly. There is a slight delay on the VOD channels but it's fine.

Software version on my 3260 is v4.2.2.1. On all samsung boxes you can change the opacity on the Vol+ and Info diag menu by pressing CH+ on the box. The front panel is a fingerprint magnet but it's a sexy lookin' box. It's bigger than the 4250HDC and it's lighter. It's similar in size to my 3250HD though slightly bigger. The glossy black finish is great.

Hope this answers some questions.

Is there any way to connect an external hard drive to the Samsung H3090?

It's got an eSATA port just like the SA8300HDC, but we have no reports as to whether it is functional with either of the two currently reported versions of ODN found on it.

A person said that a WD 500 GB mybook works on it. It took about 4 reboots and it finally works.

I think I found a work around the stretch-o-vision guide. My 3260 has a stretch-o-vision guide. You must choose 480i, 720p, and 1080i. The AR must be set at 16:9. Now you have a destretched guide. However this only works on the SD channels. The Opacity of the Samsung diag menu can be changed by pressing the Guide button on the box. Might work on the remote. Hope this helps.

What's an SD channel?

From what I read, we seem to have 20 folks saying the last 2 versions of ODN do not work w/external drives along with maybe one or two posts saying it works.

Given that many folks will not be particularly careful about technical things, it wouldn't surprise me those saying it works may have attached a drive and see a show being recorded and conclude it works. It takes a good understanding of how the technology works and some careful testing that couldn't possibly be done right after it's attached.

Not only that, but being software, it would NOT surprise me if such a function may really work on one box in 50. Add in that we know each local division seems to have the ability to customize the software they deploy...

The Samsungs seem to have better eSATA support. The 3090 runs Linux while the HDC boxes run PowerTV. The 3050 runs VXworks. As for the 3260 and 3270 I assume they too run Linux. My 3260 has been pretty decent but still has some teething issues. Once those are fixed then it should be fine.

I am not interested in anything other than watching tv on a system that works. So far that hasn't happened since July 2007. The problems are too many to list. Last week Daniel the supervisor assigned to me after my FCC complaint switched me out to the Samsung box 3090.

New box, old box, it's still the same sorry software that doesn't work. Why does it cut off shows I record before the show ends? Why do I have to add a minute just to watch a show? Why do I have to start the next show to see the ending of the first? It just cuts shows off and you miss the ending. Who is the idiot programmer making this software.

The software is horrible. The guide is horrible. No keyword search. I just don't get it. How can TWC raise our rates when the system/software doesn't work??? TWO Years... How has TWC gotten away with this? Why isn't anyone doing anything about it. I am handicap and can only do so much.