SA/Cisco 8*** series DVR's Tips and tricks using Cox's Passport Echo software - Page 2

No.

To get to the multi-page Diagnostics screen, simultaneously press and hold the front panel's (not the remote's) SELECT and EXIT buttons till "DIAGNO" or "DIAG" appears. Release the buttons, then press EXIT and the the box tunes itself to the multi-page Diagnostics channel. To exit press Ch + or Ch -. I forget but I think that pressing EXIT will get you back into it until you power the STB off.

I just tried it and it works. There used to be a mini-diagnostic page on a set channel and there probably still is, but you'd have to know the number. It's probably different for every system--on TWC San Diego it was 998.

You said "NO", and then explained a different procedure to access the diagnostic menu than what was described in my posting.

Are you saying the method to access the diagnostic menu is different between SARA and Passport?
BTW: I tried your procedure on my SARA DVR and it did not bring anything up.

For SARA: To Enter Diagnostic Mode: Press and hold SELECT on front of the unit until the Mail light starts to flash, then press INFO, to move to the next page press VOLUME+, to page up, to browse through the pages.
OR
Press and hold Pause on remote until Mail light starts to flash (around 10-15 seconds), then press Page Up (+), to move to the next page press Page Up (+) again to browse through the pages.

Yes--it's an entirely different set of diagnostics. Navigator has another different set, accessed through yet another procedure. The diagnostics are produced and displayed by the IPG.

Got home last night and my external hard is now working normally. No idea why it starting working.

Cox in Las Vegas posted an ad in today's newspaper. They are announcing that the new guide is coming May 2010. Since it is already May 16th, I guess it's coming in the next two weeks.

Thanks Michael. On Cox North County the diagnostic channel is 990.

Please start listing your External eSATA HDD set-up into xnappo's Passport eSATA Database.

There currently are not any entries for Rovi's Passport Echo 3.1

http://www.baseportal.com/baseportal/xnappo/passport

PLEASE list the model number of DVR in your posts. And please denote whether it's a HD or HDC. It's important. The HDC models seem to be more finicky when it comes to external drives.

Those databases don't differentiate between HD and HDC versions of the SA8240/8300 DVR. They act quite differently.

http://www.baseportal.com/baseportal/xnappo/passport

Under "Passport Version" Just list DVR Model along with Passport Version as I did with SARA> SA8240HDC SARA v1.90.5.a113
(ex. SA8240HDC Rovi Passport Echo 3.1)

Are you referring specifically to the new Rovi Passport 3.1?
In my experience with SARA the SA8240HDC and SA8300HD do not behave any differently. My Ext HDD behaves exactly as expected and performs solidly. My 8240HDC actually has 8300 firmware. (Flash: DVR1.5.3_8300HDC_LR_F.p.3901)

Mainly, yes. I have read complaints from both HD and HDC DVR owners after they were udated to Passport Echo. Comments like "it's working OK this morning" seem to come from HD DVR owners and not so much from HDC DVR owners. Most posters don't specify HD or HDC, the just write 8300, or - worse yet, no model at all. If the added Java on HDC units is causing problems, knowing about it helps. After all, it only takes a second or two to add HD or HDC.

I received the new on screen guide on one of my three boxes. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to change the date on the guide to set up a recording. On the old software, all you had to do was go to the guide and press B then choose the date. I called Cox and they gave me the answer, which is totally unintuitive. What you have to do is count how many days in advance the show you want to record is on. So for example, if you want to record a show that will be on this Friday, that is three days from today. You then hit the 3 button, and then quickly, before the channel in the guide changes to channel 3, hit the right arrow button. Sure enough, this takes you to Friday's guide at which point you find the show you want and set up the recording.

How would anybody ever be able to figure that out?

Hask

Read page 43 of the manual? It says:

To display information for one or a few days ahead:
In the Program Guide:
Press a number key (for example, 3 for three days from the present) and then press the
RIGHT ARROW within two seconds.
Press the FAST FORWARD key to skip forward one day.
Press the REWIND key to skip backward one day.
Note: If the information is not in memory, Passport Echo may display the message Loading
new data, please wait.

Has anyone with a 8240HDC had any success by just waiting? FYI, I'm in Encinitas and still haven't received Passport Echo for my 8240HDC, or even a phone call, email, or mailing from Cox (outside of their weekly mailing begging me to get Cox digital phone service.)

If there was an actual code update it didn't change the version numbers in the diags. Maybe they hit the boxes with a command to allow the use. (There's an SATA page in the diags with a single item, "enabled" or something like that--there's probably more information if you attach a drive).

They usually roll these things out in waves, by neighborhood and/or box type. If they dumped it into everyone's STB as fast as possible their phone CSRs would be swamped with complaints--things are probably bad enough when rolling it out gradually. It's in the box in this house (College Area) but not in the boxes at my housemate's girlfriend's house (Chula Vista).

Other than a link in this forum, which I'm sure a vast majority of Cox subscribers have no idea exists, where is someone supposed to get a manual. Cox certainly didn't send one out or even provide a link. They should have at least sent out some kind of Quick Guide. Also, this is a most basic function that should be totally intuitive. The old software did not require reading 43 pages into a 400 page manual to figure out how to change the date on the guide, you could call up the guide and easily figure out how to change the date just by looking at it. The software is very pretty but, at least in this case, not very user friendly.

Hask

I agree, Cox San Diego changed their website to include tutorials and a link to the New Guide info weeks before roll-out:
Cox Support Site has been redesigned and the striked-out links have been removed. 12/06/10
http://ww2.cox.com/residential/sandiego/tv.cox
http://ww2.cox.com/residential/sandi...ital-guide.cox

Cox Las Vegas' website has sort of hidden the info on the New Guide, with no mention on the home page. And the info is incomplete at best.
http://www.cox.com/support/lasvegas/...vr/default.asp

Northern Virginia got notice for a June roll-out, and no info at their site either???

No argument from me, that's why these threads exist. We had the same problem with the 8300 when it got rolled out and that software (SARA) came from Cisco. In this case, the software comes from Rovi, so it's not Cisco's fault, it's up to Cox to provide it. I've learned to ask for a User Guide when I pick up hardware, though that doesn't mean I'll get any.

I've read a lot of threads on software and I don't ever remember that being mentioned in the Passport threads, though I did start reading them late. That is a function I use quite often, so it's something I'll miss. I suppose I'll get used to jumping 1 day at a time by pressing "1" and the arrow key eventually.

We received a paper copy of the flip book in the mail about a month (I think) before the new guide was pushed. Maybe if you call and ask they can send you one.

My biggest complaint with Cox is their lack of communication to it's existing customer base. Cox almost exclusively, uses advertising to attempt to lure new customers and not communicate with existing ones. Subscribers should not have to turn to DSLR Forums or AVS Forums to learn of new features and how to use them. Learn of upcoming HD channel additions. Learn about HSI modem options and modem retirements. The vast majority of customers have no idea these resources are available.

Cox has a website, although it is not updated often enough and varies widely, regarding content, according to market. They do not use it effectively, to communicate upcoming changes, enhancements to service, network service disruptions, I could go on and on. Cox AZ even has a Facebook page and Twitter account which again is not used to communicate effectively.

The fact that a major change to service (DVR IPG) was implemented in Las Vegas with only a newspaper ad, (who reads newspapers?), really proves the point. All those Cox TV commercials and they could not have aired some for upcoming changes and enhancements?

Also, the fact that customers receive widely contradictory information when they call Cox CS, email CS and engage in online chat support.

...Or the FF key once per day increase desired.

I don't know why you are taking this so personally? If it weren't for your postings most of us would not even be aware of the new IPG. So give yourself a pat on the back. I certainly thank you for all your efforts.

But as for Cox, They should start right here for LV as of this posting there is no mention of a new IPG:
http://ww2.cox.com/residential/lasvegas/home.cox
And here:
http://ww2.cox.com/residential/lasvegas/tv.cox

Cute commercials that say nothing is all we get in AZ.

It only took me 1 year, to get Cox to admit and fix the numerous broken links in the cox support website, that linked to a server not on their DMZ.

Here is the valuable news on my bill!!!


Do we really want to continue this or should we drop it.

I've been complaining about the lack of info since I first joined AVS and very little has changed over the years.


One thing I wouldn't do is announce Rovi and Trio without some kind of timeframe for each market and I'd make sure the latest info is displayed prominently on the home page for each market, under something like a News/Coming Events menu option. They announced Passport way back in 2008, maybe even 2007, and it's still not here.


We have no such channel here that I've ever found. We have Cox Channel 7, but that is filled with infomercials, etc. We have Cox Channel 999, but that just mentions upcoming PPV events. I've never seen anything in On Demand relating to coming changes like Rovi, Trio, etc. I read my bill all the time and there is just nothing there. Sure, they tell you the price of the DVR is going down while the price of service is going up, but that is usually the month it happens.


They've run those national commercials for years and we don't get any local commercials like those you are talking about. I subscribed to Cox on Facebook and Twitter, even asked a couple of questions with absolutely no response. One Cox rep even jumped into our local forums and hasn't been heard from since. It's unbelievably sad here, it really is. This forum and a few PMs are my only source of info.


Can't argue with that, but that doesn't help the customer much.


Don't have it yet, but it sure is within our rights to complain about the lack of info. Why can't they provide info on how the roll-out is going in other markets and keep us posted on when to expect the changes to start showing up here? We see the national PR saying they want to have Trio out to all markets by the end of the year, but if you look at Cox-Phoenix website, you will not see any info that relates specifically to Phoenix and what is happening here. The latest info posted is the Trio announcement late last month, and then you have to go to About Us/Newsroom to even find that. I would have it prominently displayed on the main page with info detailing how and when it's going to affect Phoenix. A national PR that states "2nd quarter" and "end of year" are simply not enough IMHO.

Granted, most customers don't know and don't care, but some of us do. Why don't they have a presense here explaining what is coming, etc.? You can bet that if there were 2 cableco's directly competing, there would be more definitive info available. However, the quasi-monopoly allows them to be tight-lipped and that's just poor customer service no matter how you look at it.

BTW. Don't get me wrong, Cox can do whatever they want and I do understand a lot of the reasons why they keep info to themselves, especially ETAs. However, the amount and kind of info they disseminate seems to vary widely from market to market and I don't think that should be the case. I know ETAs are difficult to manage, but if they want to be our "Friend in The Digital Age", they need to realize just how quickly rumors spread and they should start using the internet to their advantage. People now have Rovi with no documentation. Don't you think that's a little short-sighted? Sure, people can come here for info, but should they have to? Should you or anyone else be responsible for teaching people how to use the Cox hardware/software? Tips and little documented tricks are one thing, but I remember when the threads here were the ONLY documentation and that's sad. I firmly believe they could be #1 in customer service with just a little effort.