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The Official AVS TiVo "Series4" Premiere topic - Page 9

post #241 of 2514
4/5/10 at 7:46pm
So what you're saying is this another piece of the pie that was shipped before it was ready? I just don't understand why the Premieres have been so half-baked; i.e., why Tivo felt the need to get the hardware out on the market now when it's obvious that the code wasn't ready.
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post #242 of 2514
4/5/10 at 10:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv View Post

Each "tuner" consists of two parts -- a silicon tuner and a demodulator. The silicon tuner is the same as the TiVo HD, but the demodulator is different. The demodulator does the bulk of the work; it is the part that extracts the MPEG-2 stream from the 8-VSB (ATSC) signal provided by the silicon tuner.

Both the TiVo HD and Series3 used the same ATI Theater 314 demodulator, so TiVo had plenty of time to "perfect" the associated settings in firmware. The Premiere is the first TiVo product with a Micronas DRX demodulator, so the implementation and settings may not be as mature. The Micronas DRX is the same product line used by the latest revision of the SiliconDust HDHomerun.

I am wondering if what you are saying is that a software revision could in fact change the OTA reception to a better qualitiy? I live out in the boonies and fortunately have a nice setup antenna wise but there is one MeTv station that is super low wattage that is hard to get on the Premiere compared to my tv tuner.
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post #243 of 2514
4/6/10 at 6:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowbiscuit View Post

So what you're saying is this another piece of the pie that was shipped before it was ready? I just don't understand why the Premieres have been so half-baked; i.e., why Tivo felt the need to get the hardware out on the market now when it's obvious that the code wasn't ready.

I'd rather use the Premiere as is, over the S3/tiVoHD any day.

Everything on the Premiere is faster than it was with the S3/TiVoHD.
I have nine S3/TiVoHD boxes(eight are being used right now) and eight Premiere boxes(7 are being used right now.). All the Premieres are noticeably faster.
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post #244 of 2514
4/6/10 at 6:28am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kylemax View Post

I am wondering if what you are saying is that a software revision could in fact change the OTA reception to a better qualitiy?

Yes, it could. But who knows when that will happen? It could be one month from now, or it could be one year from now. Or it could be never, if they don't make it a priority.

If you rely on OTA, and you need fringe reception, then I would hold off on the Premiere.

Quote:
Originally Posted by slowbiscuit View Post

So what you're saying is this another piece of the pie that was shipped before it was ready? I just don't understand why the Premieres have been so half-baked; i.e., why Tivo felt the need to get the hardware out on the market now when it's obvious that the code wasn't ready.

TiVo had the boxes sitting in warehouses since December. They had to ship them out. The reality is that it is difficult to work out many bugs with a group of several dozen testers. With the Series3, the first to purchase the box were essentially beta testers for a few months, and it looks like the same is true of the Series4 (Premiere).

We also don't know how long TiVo intends use the Premiere design. For all we know, TiVo intends to "refresh" the Series4 after ~15 months just as they did the Series3. The Premiere looks like it was designed around the middle of last year, and new 45nm chips just became available that allow for significantly reduced power consumption (ex: 1-5w sleep modes). As is, the Premiere doesn't meet the new ENERGY STAR requirements that take effect in January, 2011.
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post #245 of 2514
4/6/10 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv View Post

The reality is that it is difficult to work out many bugs with a group of several dozen testers.

here's the thing though - myself, just using it normally like i always do, came across a bunch of things that were issues. And i was only using it for a couple days, regular average usage. I can't see how a group of people whose job it was to test them could not see these same issues.
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post #246 of 2514
4/6/10 at 8:11am
So it sounds like I might be replacing these Premieres in less than a year if I want even lower power consumption
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post #247 of 2514
4/6/10 at 8:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronwt View Post

So it sounds like I might be replacing these Premieres in less than a year if I want even lower power consumption

you're talking $1-2 a month. I don't think you will need to be doing that.
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post #248 of 2514
4/6/10 at 8:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by b_scott View Post

you're talking $1-2 a month. I don't think you will need to be doing that.


I never said i needed it

But if there is a new box with newer hardware I will consider doing it. especially with the 3 year extended warranty on the current boxes. it should help the resale value since the extended warranty is tied to the box and not the owner.
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post #249 of 2514
4/7/10 at 12:04pm
aaronwt did you get your boxes with the 3 year warranty from tivo? ,I ask because i was at best buy yesterday ,and they told me i could only buy a 2 year warranty for the tivo premiere.
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post #250 of 2514
4/7/10 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by celticpride View Post

aaronwt did you get your boxes with the 3 year warranty from tivo? ,I ask because i was at best buy yesterday ,and they told me i could only buy a 2 year warranty for the tivo premiere.

that is the BB warranty. The 3-year online is through Tivo.
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post #251 of 2514
4/7/10 at 6:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by celticpride View Post

aaronwt did you get your boxes with the 3 year warranty from tivo? ,I ask because i was at best buy yesterday ,and they told me i could only buy a 2 year warranty for the tivo premiere.

Yes through TiVo. But I also thought you could purchase the extended warranty from TiVo no matter where the box was purchased from.
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post #252 of 2514
4/8/10 at 3:54pm
i bought my premier xl from BB the day of launch. BB couldn't/wouldn't sell me the extended warranty. said they didn't have an option/sku # for the extended warranty.

when i got home and went to tivo's website to activate the box, one of the options was the 3yr extended warranty for $39. i was able to purchase the extended warranty through Tivo even though the box came from BB.

fyi.
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post #253 of 2514
4/8/10 at 7:26pm
Why does TiVo always take a while to start responding to remote commands after it hasn't been used for a few hours?
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post #254 of 2514
4/8/10 at 8:25pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmz00 View Post

Why does TiVo always take a while to start responding to remote commands after it hasn't been used for a few hours?

It doesn't. Or at least, it hasn't for me in 3-4 weeks with the SD UI.

A number of people have reported temporary hangs in the HD UI's TiVo Central. Given the number of complaints about it, I suspect that is something TiVo will fix in the next update later this month.
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post #255 of 2514
4/8/10 at 9:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv View Post

It doesn't. Or at least, it hasn't for me in 3-4 weeks with the SD UI.

A number of people have reported temporary hangs in the HD UI's TiVo Central. Given the number of complaints about it, I suspect that is something TiVo will fix in the next update later this month.

I mean, that's how it was with my TiVo HD, with the original and backlit remotes, as well as my Harmony 1100. I've only used the Premiere with the 1100, and the same thing happens. I wouldn't call it a "hang." It's like, if I go to sleep, when I wake up in the morning, it takes about a minute for the TiVo to start responding to me pressing buttons on the remote.
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post #256 of 2514
4/9/10 at 4:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmz00 View Post

Why does TiVo always take a while to start responding to remote commands after it hasn't been used for a few hours?


No issue like that for any of my premieres. It responds right away. Just like my previous TiVos. And I'm running all my premieres with the HD UI. So far no issues with the seven Premieres I have set up.
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post #257 of 2514
4/9/10 at 4:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmz00 View Post

I mean, that's how it was with my TiVo HD, with the original and backlit remotes, as well as my Harmony 1100. I've only used the Premiere with the 1100, and the same thing happens. I wouldn't call it a "hang." It's like, if I go to sleep, when I wake up in the morning, it takes about a minute for the TiVo to start responding to me pressing buttons on the remote.

I've never had that issue. I was using nine S3/TiVoHD units. As soon as I press the button, it responds. I'm using seven out of my eight Premieres. They respond instantly as well using the HD UI. I assume it would be the same with just the SD UI, but I don't have it set for only the SD UI.

Something is wrong if it takes one minute to respond to the remote commands. I would have had my units replaced if that were the case.
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post #258 of 2514
4/9/10 at 4:52am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmz00 View Post

I mean, that's how it was with my TiVo HD, with the original and backlit remotes, as well as my Harmony 1100. I've only used the Premiere with the 1100, and the same thing happens. I wouldn't call it a "hang." It's like, if I go to sleep, when I wake up in the morning, it takes about a minute for the TiVo to start responding to me pressing buttons on the remote.

I've used TiVos for about seven years and never once experienced anything like that. Remote command response is poor when the internal or external hard drive starts to fail, but that is not something that suddenly gets better after one minute.

TiVos don't have any sort of CPU sleep mode; the internal components run 24/7 regardless of whether your TV is on or off and regardless of whether you press the remote. The optional "standby" mode only disables video output, saving two watts.

Based on what you've described, I'd guess the issue is related to your TV's power up mode. Some TVs emit excessive IR interference for the first 30-60 seconds after they are turned on, during which they "drown out" the IR signals from other devices. To verify this for yourself, turn on your TV one minute prior to pressing any buttons on the TiVo remote.
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post #259 of 2514
4/9/10 at 7:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv View Post

I've used TiVos for about seven years and never once experienced anything like that. Remote command response is poor when the internal or external hard drive starts to fail, but that is not something that suddenly gets better after one minute.

TiVos don't have any sort of CPU sleep mode; the internal components run 24/7 regardless of whether your TV is on or off and regardless of whether you press the remote. The optional "standby" mode only disables video output, saving two watts.

Based on what you've described, I'd guess the issue is related to your TV's power up mode. Some TVs emit excessive IR interference for the first 30-60 seconds after they are turned on, during which they "drown out" the IR signals from other devices. To verify this for yourself, turn on your TV one minute prior to pressing any buttons on the TiVo remote.

bfdtv

Basic TiVo questions:

Does the TiVo turn "on" like a Blu Ray Player? By that I mean: My TV (Pana 800U), my Denon AVR (model ?), My BluRay Pana (model ?) are "ALL" turned "off". And through the magic of HDMI, I just open the BluRay tray and Hit the play button, and everything automatically turns everything "on" and switches all the "inputs" correctly.

Will the TiVo premier to the same thing? Just turn it "on" and will it turn on the AVR and TV with the correct switch settings? Does the TiVo do all that magic HDMI automatic stuff?
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post #260 of 2514
4/9/10 at 7:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HoustonPerson View Post

bfdtv

Basic TiVo questions:

Does the TiVo turn "on" like a Blu Ray Player? By that I mean: My TV (Pana 800U), my Denon AVR (model ?), My BluRay Pana (model ?) are "ALL" turned "off". And through the magic of HDMI, I just open the BluRay tray and Hit the play button, and everything automatically turns everything "on" and switches all the "inputs" correctly.

Will the TiVo premier to the same thing? Just turn it "on" and will it turn on the AVR and TV with the correct switch settings? Does the TiVo do all that magic HDMI automatic stuff?

The Tivo doesn't respond to HDMI - it's just always displaying.
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post #261 of 2514
4/9/10 at 10:51am
Well not in standby.
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post #262 of 2514
4/9/10 at 10:59am
true. i don't understand the point of standby though. Just turn off your TV, why do you need an extra step?
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post #263 of 2514
4/9/10 at 12:02pm
Thread Starter 
I mentioned this on TCF, but it may be worth noting here as well.

A member on another forum posted the Linux boot log for the TiVo Premiere. According to that log, Linux is set to boot up with only one core enabled. As a result, nothing -- not even TTG or MRV -- can use it at the moment.

The TiVo Premiere is also the first TiVo to use Linux 2.6.16. Past TiVos use 2.4.x. I'll be interested to see whether the TiVo HD and Series3 get the update to 2.6.x with their next major software release.
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post #264 of 2514
4/9/10 at 12:06pm
so at this point, 14.1a is still the release created mid-March, right? Hopefully there will be an update to a current version soon. I went back to the SDUI because of speed.
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post #265 of 2514
4/9/10 at 12:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by b_scott View Post

true. i don't understand the point of standby though. Just turn off your TV, why do you need an extra step?

One button push on my harmony remote puts it in standby and turns everything off.
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post #266 of 2514
4/9/10 at 1:04pm
but what does standby do for you?
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post #267 of 2514
4/9/10 at 1:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by b_scott View Post

but what does standby do for you?

saves a little energy, generates a little less heat, and avoids reading back data from the disk (less wear & tear).
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post #268 of 2514
4/9/10 at 1:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Syzygy View Post

saves a little energy, generates a little less heat, and avoids reading back data from the disk (less wear & tear).

the energy has to be super negligible, since it's still always writing to disk anyway. box is cool as it is, and i've never had issues in any Tivos i've own. Oh well.
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post #269 of 2514
4/9/10 at 2:45pm
How do you get your Harmony to put the TiVo in standby?

And it might be the TV (52XBR4). When I got home this afternoon, I turned on the TV, then pressed the TiVo button about a minute later, and the menu popped up on the first try. I guess I'll just have to keep living with it like I have for the past two years. Maybe it'll be different with the LX900. It's not really that big of a deal, I was just curious as to whether it was happening to anyone else.
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post #270 of 2514
4/9/10 at 2:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmz00 View Post

And it might be the TV (52XBR4). When I got home this afternoon, I turned on the TV, then pressed the TiVo button about a minute later, and the menu popped up on the first try. I guess I'll just have to keep living with it like I have for the past two years.

Have you tried disabling the XBR4's light sensor (under General menu)?
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