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DirecTV HD DVR - HR2*/ HR34 Master Topic: one thread for all - Page 59

post #1741 of 1938
11/15/12 at 8:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nabsltd View Post

How many inputs does your TV have?
i have to have some sort of external switcher since I have 2 media players, 2 DVRs, and an HTPC. With only 4 HD inputs on my TV, that's not enough. Also, since I use the AVR for sound, none of the devices don't have 2 HDMI outputs, so I couldn't get audio.
3 HDMI & 2 component, so that takes care of my needs.
The AVR is all optical or digital coax.
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post #1742 of 1938
11/16/12 at 9:37am
Is this for real!?

Would Regulators Allow DirecTV To Merge With Dish Network?

http://www.deadline.com/2012/11/directv-dish-network-possible-merger/
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post #1743 of 1938
11/17/12 at 6:23am
Who knows?
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post #1744 of 1938
11/19/12 at 12:23pm
Has anyone had any recent problems with the DirecTV screensaver popping while watching television? I have a HR20-700 receiver, and I was recording the American Music Awards last night via my Hauppauge HD PVR only to find that the screen saver popped up during the recording and thereby much of the program was not recorded.

I have done some research on the net and find that this is not an uncommon problem. I reset the receiver with the red button, but the problem occurred again later in the evening.

Only problem I could see is that I have one ATSC tuner that is not connected. I put a BNC connector on it last night to see if that might solve the problem, but I don't know if that is the reason as I saw only one post that hinted at that.

Has anyone found a solution? Thanks!!
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post #1745 of 1938
11/19/12 at 3:31pm
^^^

Yes: I see this on HR 24 and HR 34
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post #1746 of 1938
11/19/12 at 3:48pm
I've seen it occasionally on my HR34 when watching live TV, but I've never seen it on a recording.
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post #1747 of 1938
11/19/12 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stew4msu View Post

I've seen it occasionally on my HR34 when watching live TV, but I've never seen it on a recording.
I have seen it randomly, but if I was recording off of the component ports, since these would be the same as the TV, it would show on the recording, while it doesn't on the internal drive recordings.
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post #1748 of 1938
11/19/12 at 5:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

I have seen it randomly, but if I was recording off of the component ports, since these would be the same as the TV, it would show on the recording, while it doesn't on the internal drive recordings.

Good to know. Appears may have to just record to Hauppauge from recorded material (although I have seen a few posts on the net of people saying the screensaver appeared on their recordings). You would think DirecTV would have this bug fixed since it has been present for a few years, and most notable in the last year. It never happens to my older HR20-700 in the living room, just the newer model in the bedroom.
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post #1749 of 1938
11/19/12 at 5:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by igreg View Post

You would think DirecTV would have this bug fixed since it has been present for a few years, and most notable in the last year..
It may be on their bug list, but at a very low priority.
I can think of many more bugs that make sense to address before this, but they haven't been either.
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post #1750 of 1938
11/19/12 at 7:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

It may be on their bug list, but at a very low priority.
I can think of many more bugs that make sense to address before this, but they haven't been either.

Can you you name a few more important? For people recording shows this is pretty damn bad.
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post #1751 of 1938
11/19/12 at 7:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by igreg View Post

Can you you name a few more important? For people recording shows this is pretty damn bad.
This wasn't meant to suggest it isn't important to "the few" using an off board recorder, but that DirecTV is "frying bigger fish" in their opinion.
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post #1752 of 1938
11/19/12 at 11:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

This wasn't meant to suggest it isn't important to "the few" using an off board recorder, but that DirecTV is "frying bigger fish" in their opinion.

The magnitude of the problem is up the user, but another problem with this bug is that if the screensaver comes on, and you had stepped out for awhile planning to come back to watch, the ability to rewind has been disabled. Could you cite a few examples of more serious problems in your opinion? Thanks.


Not a minor issue: Hundreds of complaints about this in Directv Forums.


If the problem is that only one of my ATSC tuners is connected to the satellite dish, is there a way to tell the receiver such to avoid the screensaver from coming on? Thanks.
Edited by igreg - 11/20/12 at 2:24am
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post #1753 of 1938
11/20/12 at 7:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by igreg View Post

The magnitude of the problem is up the user, but another problem with this bug is that if the screensaver comes on, and you had stepped out for awhile planning to come back to watch, the ability to rewind has been disabled. Could you cite a few examples of more serious problems in your opinion? Thanks.
Not a minor issue: Hundreds of complaints about this in Directv Forums.
If the problem is that only one of my ATSC tuners is connected to the satellite dish, is there a way to tell the receiver such to avoid the screensaver from coming on? Thanks.
"Hundreds of posts", with millions of users puts it fairly low. "Of course" if you're one of them, it's more important.
Like with so many bugs, why or what is causing this is the question.
It's happened to me so few times, I don't have a pattern.
If you're running with only one tuner, you can set the DVR to single tuner mode by re-running the SAT setup and selecting single tuner.

I sure of a work-a-round [as I don't have a pattern as to why it happens], but you might try pressing a remote button that won't bring up a menu/screen overlay, before you "step out" for awhile. The screensaver may have something to do with the power saving addition, which is triggered from the lack of remote inputs.
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post #1754 of 1938
11/20/12 at 3:52pm
Hi,

I just recently switched to Direct tv and got a Genie hd dvr. My ps3 now shows a Directtv HD20 on its list of video sources. When I select a folder on the HR20, it say incompatible file type. How do I make it work? Also, my new windows 7 computer shows up on the PS3 video options, but it doesn't seem to work either. What do I need to do to access video's from my computer? (Btw the PS3 and HR20 are on ethernet and the computer is via wifi on the same router.)

Thanks

God bless...
Mark
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post #1755 of 1938
11/21/12 at 7:55am
I wouldn't count on ever being able to access the DirecTV DVR on your PS3. You just have to learn to ignore it.

As far as accessing your computer from the PS3 you should be able to do that and watch videos/play music off it. I don't remember exactly what all you have to do (maybe grant it access in Windows Media Player, or somethine like that). The guys down in the video games section should be able to help you get it working though.
http://www.avsforum.com/f/142/playstation-area
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post #1756 of 1938
11/26/12 at 10:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by igreg View Post

Has anyone had any recent problems with the DirecTV screensaver popping while watching television? ... Has anyone found a solution? Thanks!!
That has happened to me, occasionally. The problem seems to vary between worse or better depending on the version of the system software. Right now, for me, it's quite rare -- say, once every couple of weeks. It never gets onto my recordings -- I'm guessing it does contaminate your recordings because your Hauppage pvr is analog?? All my recording is digital. All I can suggest is patience. Maybe a new version of the system firmware will kill the bug. (Or, I suppose, it could get worse, too, but let's not think about that.)
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post #1757 of 1938
11/27/12 at 5:21am
For People that have the Genie, what feeds to I need coming out of my wall? I currently only have one coaxial cable and one ethernet port, I the older DVR's needed 2 coaxial cables, is that still the case? Also is the one ethernet port ok, or would i need a second one feeding out?

Have the istallation set up for Sat, and from what I've heard, they will not go into walls, so would like to set everything up in the living room beforehand

Thanks!
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post #1758 of 1938
11/27/12 at 7:03am
The new HR34 (Genie) requires a SWM wiring system. SWM stands for Single Wire Multi-switch, which means that only one cable is needed per receiver/DVR. So you will be fine with your current wiring as long as it doesn't have any splitters in the line. SWM uses a wider bandwidth then normal cable, so the splitters used for it need to be rated to pass more bandwidth/frequencies. Older splitters will need to be replaced with SWM/DECA capable DirecTV green labeled splitters.

Preferably homes should be wired with home runs, where each outlet in the home has a coax cable that runs all the way back to a central location in the home, rather than the old way they used to do it where they put splitters all over the house, sometimes inside walls, in order to add more outlets to a room etc. If your house has home runs then it should be a very easy install for the tech.
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post #1759 of 1938
11/27/12 at 10:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beerstalker View Post

The new HR34 (Genie) requires a SWM wiring system. SWM stands for Single Wire Multi-switch, which means that only one cable is needed per receiver/DVR. So you will be fine with your current wiring as long as it doesn't have any splitters in the line. SWM uses a wider bandwidth then normal cable, so the splitters used for it need to be rated to pass more bandwidth/frequencies. Older splitters will need to be replaced with SWM/DECA capable DirecTV green labeled splitters.
Preferably homes should be wired with home runs, where each outlet in the home has a coax cable that runs all the way back to a central location in the home, rather than the old way they used to do it where they put splitters all over the house, sometimes inside walls, in order to add more outlets to a room etc. If your house has home runs then it should be a very easy install for the tech.

Thanks! That's exactly what I wanted to hear!
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post #1760 of 1938
11/27/12 at 2:31pm
I've got an HR34. Been sitting in my home for a month and the only thing I've done is watch LiveTV on it. Now I haven't done exhaustive testing, but this week I tried watching a recording from one of my other DVRs (HR21s) on the HR34 and it would freeze often, and fast forward, rewinding, and skipping were very unreliable, resulting in more freezes. I also recorded two shows on the HR34 and tried watching them on another HR21 and that resulted in the same behavior. In fact at times playback of the HR34 recording would completely fail and kick me back to liveTV on the HR21 with a message about lost video packets or something (wasn't really paying attention - darn kids ). I haven't checked my firmware version but I will soon. Just wondering if there are any pointers before I call DirecTV support. I know others have had streaming problems with VOD and the HR34s... I'm connected via DECA. I don't have any problems streaming between my two HR21s or from either of my HR21s to my H21. I was thinking of swapping out my HR21s but I can't do that with this performance from the HR34 so far. Recordings would be too frustrating.


Any pointers are appreciated.

Thanks
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post #1761 of 1938
11/27/12 at 4:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by newlinux View Post

I've got an HR34. Been sitting in my home for a month and the only thing I've done is watch LiveTV on it. Now I haven't done exhaustive testing, but this week I tried watching a recording from one of my other DVRs (HR21s) on the HR34 and it would freeze often, and fast forward, rewinding, and skipping were very unreliable, resulting in more freezes. I also recorded two shows on the HR34 and tried watching them on another HR21 and that resulted in the same behavior. In fact at times playback of the HR34 recording would completely fail and kick me back to liveTV on the HR21 with a message about lost video packets or something (wasn't really paying attention - darn kids ). I haven't checked my firmware version but I will soon. Just wondering if there are any pointers before I call DirecTV support. I know others have had streaming problems with VOD and the HR34s... I'm connected via DECA. I don't have any problems streaming between my two HR21s or from either of my HR21s to my H21. I was thinking of swapping out my HR21s but I can't do that with this performance from the HR34 so far. Recordings would be too frustrating.
Any pointers are appreciated.
Thanks
This isn't "normal operation", so one might want to look at the coax networking tests from the HR34. You can get into the test menu by pressing the guide & right arrow buttons [both at the same time] on the front panel.

You should see some screens like these: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=2934399#post2934399
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post #1762 of 1938
11/27/12 at 5:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

This isn't "normal operation", so one might want to look at the coax networking tests from the HR34. You can get into the test menu by pressing the guide & right arrow buttons [both at the same time] on the front panel.
You should see some screens like these: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=2934399#post2934399

My levels all were between -26 and -31. Dropped session count was 0. Anything I should take from that?
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post #1763 of 1938
11/27/12 at 6:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by newlinux View Post

My levels all were between -26 and -31. Dropped session count was 0. Anything I should take from that?
The status of the coax network looks to be good.
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post #1764 of 1938
12/4/12 at 6:27am
I have 2 HR24/100 DVR's and I'm having problems on a few channels with the picture being jerky.

2 of the channels that really display this are Hallmark 312, 560, and Lifetime Movie 253. In the past it has been there but not a real problem on my 55" TV. I purchased a 65" 3D Vizio and now it really shows up.

It's not a signal loss, just jerky picture. The premium channels like HBO etc. play fine. Ive tried both recievers with the TV and get the same. I have tried turning on/off the Video Native but that hasn't made any difference. I also should mention this shows up with HDMI and Component inputs.

With Hallmark and Lifetime running Christmas movies these 2 channels are being watched a lot.

Is anyone else having problems with these channels? Could it be in the channel itself, this model DVR or possible this brand TV?

Any suggestions or remarks would be appreciated.

Thanks.
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post #1765 of 1938
12/4/12 at 12:34pm
Try turning off smooth motion (in the TV's menu) if you can and see if that makes a difference.
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post #1766 of 1938
12/4/12 at 4:59pm
It's most likely the TV. I'm in the process of trying to get my Vizio 55 XVT3D 554 model repaired for jerky picture problems. Other peeps have had a similar problem. Read about it in the Vizio XVT3D 554 SV thread.
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post #1767 of 1938
12/6/12 at 5:13am
I'm a new DirecTV customer, as of yesterday, and I came from Time Warner Cable. The reason for my post is I feel the HD picture quality was better on TWC. Here is the run down of the 2 setups:
DirecTV (HR34) -> HDMI ->Integra DTR-30.4-> HDMI ->Samsung UN60ES8000
vs.
TWC 8300HD-> HDMI ->Integra DTR-30.4-> HDMI ->Samsung UN60ES8000

The TWC was set on passthough so ESPN was 720p and others were 1080i
With DirecTV I have to select the output for all channels, it is set now on 1080i + Original.

Was wondering if someone can recommend the format to get the best possible picture?I should also note that the guide and info screens look perfect. And the BluRay through the Integra also looks perfect. It just seems the broadcast of HD channels looks sub par when compared to the TWC I had yesterday. Can anyone confirm the HD on DirecTV is not as good as the old cable guys.
FYI every piece has the most updated FW. House is 4 yr old with home runs, no splitters or extra long runs etc..

Thanks, and after that is solved...I'll move to the surround sound (also not as good).
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post #1768 of 1938
12/6/12 at 5:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nakulsk View Post

I'm a new DirecTV customer, as of yesterday, and I came from Time Warner Cable. The reason for my post is I feel the HD picture quality was better on TWC. Here is the run down of the 2 setups:
DirecTV (HR34) -> HDMI ->Integra DTR-30.4-> HDMI ->Samsung UN60ES8000
vs.
TWC 8300HD-> HDMI ->Integra DTR-30.4-> HDMI ->Samsung UN60ES8000
The TWC was set on passthough so ESPN was 720p and others were 1080i
With DirecTV I have to select the output for all channels, it is set now on 1080i + Original.
Was wondering if someone can recommend the format to get the best possible picture?I should also note that the guide and info screens look perfect. And the BluRay through the Integra also looks perfect. It just seems the broadcast of HD channels looks sub par when compared to the TWC I had yesterday. Can anyone confirm the HD on DirecTV is not as good as the old cable guys.
FYI every piece has the most updated FW. House is 4 yr old with home runs, no splitters or extra long runs etc..
Thanks, and after that is solved...I'll move to the surround sound (also not as good).
I haven't had TWC, but I can't imagine their HD PQ is better, or it would have been posted all over the internet.
Select all the resolutions your TV supports, turn "native" on and each channel will be output in the same resolution it was broadcast in.
When you have the receiver set for a 16:9 ratio TV, format only affects SD channels, so you can pick which one you want. I normally use pillarbox, but went I want to use my TV's zoom, I change to original on the reciever, which then sends it in 4:3.
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post #1769 of 1938
12/6/12 at 8:36am
Nice!
The installer, nice guy, but had everything all wrong.
All 5 HDTV's were set to Native: Off. Set to On, original.
4 of them were set to 4:3
2 of them did not have 1080p selected. (one of them a 52" says the 1080p is not supported and I cant even test, but the TV can do it)

I even found the setting for the sound, he had Dolby Digital turned off.

So it looks better, less artifacts, but i need more time to evaluate and probably a professional calibration on the 60.

Thanks for you help,
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post #1770 of 1938
12/7/12 at 5:01am
Lots of people prefer Native "Off" including me. Try it both ways and decide which way works for you.
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