Channel Master TV CM 7400 HD DVR - OTA, Clear QAM, Internet Content - Page 40

You can't get a refund on the premium guide. I'm sure you read that in previous posts. If this was TVGOS I would suggest a zipcode close to you.

I've been a low voltage contractor for 17 years installing home theaters, security & surveillance systems, sat systems, central vac systems and all that go with them including hundreds of CM antennae, signal amps and others of their products.

Won't likely be a problem getting a refund for the PPG if I choose to return the 7400 because they'll lose a ton of yearly biz from us and suffer a major hit to their reputation locally and online if they don't.

Plus, it hasn't even begun to work, so I could have my CC company remove the charge based on the defect.

Please keep us in the loop. Best of luck.

Looks as there is a DHG owner in the thread that has jumped sides.

I haven't been following this, but what is the current status on the overheating problem with the resulting lockups?? CM fessed up yet?

In a manner of speaking. According to CM, there is no problem; the unit was designed to be a toaster. They have extended the warranty to 1 yr to back that up. Read this post. Also see this review with pretty infra-red pictures that make the CM-7400 look like a space heater.

I cover all sides. Four Sony DHG-HDD250, Magnavox MDR515H and 2160A, BV-980H (discontinued), TViX M6620N and the "T" box. Still waiting for the PHD-VRX.

I had the CM-7400 but it could not work with my cable system. I was not worried about the heat and it never had a lockup.

Thank you.

Which gets used most?

Fear, uncertainty and doubt

Thanks for that. Certainly a lot of it. I didn't realize it was a link for a second.

I was thinking of Elmer Fudd.

Fair enough, I guess, strictly speaking. We were getting a bit verbose. But I do believe that any discussion that compares and contrasts the various ways of paying for DVR hardware and services is on-topic in the broader sense, especially since the CM 7400 offers a paid guide option similar to what TiVo offers. Similarly, your post and this reply qualify as legitimate meta-discussion.

The Sony DHG units. Nothing comes close for quality, fun and technical adventure. For my 100+ SD digital channels it's the Mag 515H. The T-box is ok, just not as much fun. The BV-980H is history. The ePVision is still vaporware. I also have an LST-3410a without the guide ability that I forgot to mention (in a box).

It can be hard to measure PQ, ergonomics, flexibility and diagnostics to come up with a perfect piece of hardware. The DHG comes closest.

That said, I had high hopes for the CM-7400 since they make great products and are located in the U.S.A., which made my cable disaster even worse.

Thanks.

If the folks at CM can get the PPG working, and it populates ALL the channel info including the ones above 135, and they solve the occasional minor sluggishness which still occurs, I'll keep it. Fingers crossed.

I'm still using a ReplayTV 4508 which after 12+ years continues to work flawlessly for SD programming -- and IMO still has about the best GUI around even compared to the one which shan't be named.

Quite a loss to the community for those folks to have dropped out of the biz.

I typically wouldn't comment but since you have I will. I disagree to the extent that the majority of information covers the user experience differences that one typically can't mine via other sources. I know if I was in the market (and to a large degree I am) I would appreciate information beyond the typical review a product receives or is posted in and of itself. As an example I have asked twice if the CM7400 supports...

• Will the CM7400 pick up repeats (when set to new episodes only) if the original airing is skipped (via higher priority recordings)
• Does the CM7400 features a 30-day rule where it won't record the same rerun for 30-days?

Since these are TiVo features they get thrown out or avoided like the plague along with endless other related information someone on the hunt for a DVR would love to know. Now I will admit it lends itself to more than one useless post not unlike virtually every thread of any popularity. I guess I see it as throwing out the baby with the bath water. Or perhaps would one expect a discussion of shopping for a Chevy not to include information about a Ford?

Using the 7400 since the first week or so of Jan 2012.
Here is my take on your questions. We only use the free program information.
The 7400 will record everything and anything regardless if you select "new episodes only" Meaning new episodes only, means nothing to the machine IF the program information transmitted to the DVR does not indicate it is a repeat. I believe someone else in this thread subscribed to the annual subscription upgrade guide and one of the main reasons was to only "record new episodes" and not repeats.
You ask a good question though, such as will the machine keep recording the same program over and over if there are multiple repeats. I do believe that has happened to us but I am unsure if with any regularity.
Ummm ... hmmmm ... guess I didnt answer to much of your question other then, the "new episodes only" selection when choosing to record a program is meaningless with the free guide. We cant blame the 7400 for that, its just the lack of information that is broadcast by the networks. So it will record everything no matter if you set it to "new Episodes only" or not when using the free guide. Someone else can sound in here who pays for the guide to see how reliable "new episodes" is with the premium service.

Thanks. Yes - I think they are related to the premium guide. Number one is helpful if you have three shows scheduled to record during the same time period. It will pick up the third (even if it's told not to record repeats) if it repeats such as for me The Voice when it reruns over the weekend. Number two helps as I have a repeat season pass set up for The Big Bang Theory (in syndication) and they often repeat the repeat.

I'm not trying to blame the CM7400. Just trying to find out what I would be getting into. I mentioned it earlier on but it would be great if someone posted a feature thread like they did with the Dish DVR. I know it keep me from buying one and I'm hoping this time it would convince me to buy one.

You are 100% right. I got my answers by buying one. It couldn't work with my cable feed. It had no problems with recording manually, internet time, or general operation. But not having the same lineup as my other clear raw QAM devices forced me to return it. I could have lived with two sets of channel numbers, but I would rather let someone else do that testing. I thought I could get my brite-View working too. That didn't work out so well.

When more people buy this unit there will be more answers. When there are more answers, perhaps more people will buy this unit.

The egg came first.

Somewhere in there is a joke about whether or not the egg came scrambled, but right now I'm too busy disabling newly-found scrambled QAM256 cable channels to look for it.

5 or 10 trickle onto the lineup each day. This 7400 has found 688 channels so far. Still only 49 w/content though.

Please keep your expectations low to avoid a big let down. The lack of a cable card dooms this device and some others to a short life. There are cable feeds that pass PSIP data, but most do not. They don't have to, since they make their money renting you that STB. Remember when the FCC had power? Now regulations & money have made it very political. They suggest that a good PSIP would be nice. They don't care much about SCTE-127 data either so that people that need CC are usually left out in the cold. In Las Vegas you see the mountains that block you from the LA market. I have the same problem: no access to Philly or NY. UHF doesn't go through dirt so well.

But when all you have is lemons....... So I try to work with my cable company. The dish world isn't a paradise either.

One nice feature was the option to disable/enable all channels. Then you only have to look for the ones that work. I have over 200.

Good advice any day of the week.

Since Cox is a major provider I fully expect them to quickly take full advantage of any regulatory changes, whether they're kosher for their subscribers' enjoyment or not.

And since we began our low-voltage contracting careers as Cox subcontractors, I have intimate knowledge of their sleazy biz tactics (the lies, the poor CS, and other inherent sleaziness too risky to write about in public) -- which is why we'd have nothing to do with them whatsoever anymore were it not that their basic service here is part of a bulk account included within our HOA fees. Their BS is inside my walls whether we like it or not -- which quite frankly really pisses me off.

Are we allowed to vent pseudo-vulgar rants against companies like Cox on AVSForum?

I find it rather telling that only a few people have purchased the premium guide. To my thinking that says they aren't really interested in a DVR rather a VCR. Which I find disappointing as I'd like to see something take off and advance the market. I don't see it becoming such when it's not demanded by the customer base.

Having a VCR on steroids is good until sombody mentions HD, and what happened to my soap on channel 3? I've had, but not used, TVGOS for years. Since I have only legacy cable data, the guide shows me 2007 channels. It's pretty, but I don't want to record analog when 1080i is there but just hard to find.

I blame the marketing idiot who thought extra money for a guide was a good idea. Or perhaps the boss at CM who figured they could outsource the hardware, firmware and guide and everything would work in this country. I guess reading the specs meant they were being used. CM can calculate the wavelength of channel 30 for an antenna. They can't do much about the content. It's like expecting PBS to still set your clock.

I don't believe the CM-7400 has name-based recording. You may pick a program from the guide but what is scheduled is a date/time slot.

Even w/basic guide info, a recording is identified by the Schedule and Recordings menus by name, whether the device 'thinks' of it by name or not.

Manual recordings of course do not.

If you get Comedy Central, you can test that by scheduling the Daily Show tonight. It's a Mon-Thu program. A good test since it's repeated all day too. You will know Saturday.

Comedy Central here is analog only, for now anyway. We watch Jon every day without fail.

To avoid aggravation, until my cableTV/PPG issue is resolved I'll be scheduling all our HD recordings manually. So far it's done all I've asked it to do except for populating the flippin' PPG.