Time Warner Cable Navigator - Page 596

Knock on wood....box seems to be back to "normal"

I'm getting a very bizarre glitch that causes my 8742 to endlessly fast forward. I can make it happen about 50% of the time if I fast forward through a commercial break, press play and then press the Exit button to get rid of the info bar.


It will fast forward in chunks(like when holding down FF button) but doesn't stop when it reaches the end of the show. It will keep repeating the last 2-3 seconds over and over. I can select another program from the list but as soon as it starts playing it begins to do the same thing. The only solution is to unplug.

Sup Justin?

Does Navigator act normally if you wait for the info bar to disappear on its own? I did notice a glitch with the info bar on ODN 5.2.09 where it said that I had a recording in progress. However, I don't think I did. Anyway, regardless of whether I would choose to:

Stop and Save the recording OR
Stop and Delete the recording.

The Info bar would only go away when I pressed exit even after changing channels. Maybe the C button too, I can't remember. I reported it to the Direct to Tech forum. The box is an SA-8300HDC. A great Tip! If you have trouble with your Gators or your boxes, you can write down your box make and model. than the specific bugs and the steps that produced the bug. Than ask your tech, or comment in the support forums if they can review the engineering bug logs for the box and problem in question. The more people that have them report bugs that go in the query, the greater likelihood that those issues will be addressed in future software updates.

The techs than test the boxes in the lab and try to reproduce the bugs. They determine if it's:

• Box related
• Hardware related
• Software Related
• Division Related
• Node Related

If the last two on the list are an issue, it's not a Navigator widespread issue at the corporate level, but an issue related to the node. For example, I heard from a Tech that Navigator 6.0 in some regions of North Carolina has an issue on Cisco and Samsung DVR's (not SA's AFAIK) where the Pause button kicks out to Live TV and random intervals and the buffer is not holding. However, the techs in the New York area have not been able to duplicate this issues in their labs. This is only in North Carolina regions with ODN 6.0 and only on the Cisco or Sansung boxes.

Jack

Jack, I can report here that my 8742's randomly lose the buffers in my division.

Thanks Ben,

Do you notice the pausing not holding as well? The pause if I remember is supposed to hold for 60 minutes at least.

Jack

That actually sounds like what my wife and I have been experiencing lately. We have 2 8742's running 6.0 (signature home), but we were watching and recording last night on just one. Several times, while watching a show that was being recorded but just a few minutes behind, it suddenly jumps to live. The info bar pops up but doesn't show anything in the buffer. However, by going to the list and selecting play, then fast forwarding back to where we were, it continued to play from then on. This happened during Arrow, Supernatural, and the Americans.

The only oddity I'm currently having with fast-forwarding on my 8742 with ODN 5.2.0.9 is:

If I start watching a video while it's still recording... let's say an 8pm-9pm recording and let's say it's 8:33pm at the time I start watching, if I happen to be fast-forwarding at 3x or 4x speed when I hit the 8:33pm time frame later even though the recording has complete to 9pm the Save or Delete will pop-up, which is annoying. It's similar to it popping up early when fast forwarding at 3x or 4x and reaching the actual end of the program. I'd much rather the Save or Delete not appear until it is played to the end rather than it guessing that I'm close to then end and coming up early. I know it's early because the video continues playing behind the Save or Delete screen and I have to rewind briefly to get it to go away. It doesn't seem to happen with 2x or 1x. I'd much rather when fast-forwarding at any speed when it reaches the end of the program to just jump back the normal jump back increment you get when you press play and have it just play to the end.

Anyone know if this either of those issues work better / are fixed with ODN 6?

Can't say too much Jack as I'm not monitoring that closely. Getting ready to drop TWC and just do a trial run of OTA and streaming.

Ben,

Are you gonna get a Netflix subscription for any movies and shows?

Jack

Already have Netflix and Amazon VOD. I plan on adding disc by mail back to my Netflix. May still do an HTPC with just OTA and WMC. The HTPC option gives me the ability to go back to cable, but TWC is so bad here that getting CableCard support is a nightmare which is why i returned my Ceton products. Looking at options all over.

I have everything in to mount my antenna on the roof. I just need the weather to cooperate now! Probably hold out until spring. There is just hardly any value in pay TV to me. It's simply not worth $150 a month for a full cable package to get a handful of channels I want. Satellite providers have better equipment, but in the end cost just as much or more than Time Warner. TiVo doesn't have a 4 tuner model with OTA and recent communications with TWC claim the have no plans to offer VOD like Comcast. The big step was getting the wife on board and she is starting to see things my way. She understands that she'll still get her shows from the networks and the other shows she can wait for to hit Netflix.

My Internet is ready for the switch since I replaced TWC's equipment with my own, so all I have to do is port my phone number and turn in my DVR's.

I agree with what you are doing, and it sounds like you have selected the best options. TWC is just too inept and incompetent in your division to pay money to them any longer. You are too knowledgeable and experienced to put up with their BS anymore. This gives so much weight to my belief of TWC's inconsistent interstructure and being content with just being "good enough" with regards to Navigator development and DVR deployment. I'll bet in three years, when Navigator's up to ODN 15.0 or whatever and maybe, just maybe has the features of a modern guide, maybe the personnel at TWC-Syracuse might have a basic understanding of their own products and services, but I doubt this. It always seem to be a lag of five to ten years behind the cable TV technology for TWC.

Internet and Phone remain TWC's strong points, as well as their investment in mobile technologies. To help put things in perspective, there is some reasonable consistency that TWC gives better phone, Internet, and retention deals than the competition. However, the competition gives better and more modern equipment and cable TV service than TWC. In theory, if money were no object, it would be interesting to watch the developments and attitudes of both companies side-by-side over time by having multiple competing services. However, few can afford that. As you state very well Ben, whether a customer chooses cable, dish, OTA, Internet, Phone or Combo, they almost always have to give up something, (cost, features, reliability) to get something else. There's no one size fits all. That's why looking at the pros and cons here remains a challenge, even for tech-savey people like us at this forum!

Jack
Edited by Satch Man - 2/9/13 at 8:48am

Holy Crap! Our division is adding surcharge for the privilege of having Navigator!

http://stopthecap.com/2013/02/08/time-warner-raising-rates-on-cny-customers-newest-set-tops-boxes-come-with-service-fee/

Unreal! Set Top rental fees will now be around $11! That's without a DVR.

I'm still a proponent of HTPC with CableCard as I just found out that VOD content is now available online via TWCTV.

http://www.twcableuntangled.com/2013/02/now-adding-on-demand-content-to-twctv-com-for-pc-and-mac/


However, the main issue is getting the CableCard to function properly! That coupled with NO ONE at TWC being able to give me pricing on using just a CableCard makes it difficult to even fully price the option out. I will get accurate pricing because I'll turn in my boxes first and see what the rate is with only the CableCard on my account.

This next round of fees will surely drive more customers away.

Holy $hite!!!!!

I read that. Just when you think Syracuse can't get any worse, they pull this crap!!!

The article seems to imply that this is going to be for the Cloud Service boxes only. So does that mean, that if you are still sitting there with an MDN legacy box or an SA-8300HDC older ODN that you won't get the added fee? (At least until TWC starts pushing the cloud services to more legacy boxe?). I would assume that MDN is out, because many of those boxes don't have the memory to do cloud features.

Or is this fee gonna just be slapped to everyone regardless of what Navigator box you have. Jargon alert, Cloud service means that services are moved away from the box to a secure network. The newer boxes that have multi-room DVR service have a graphic based VOD menu with poster art and additional program search filters.

Ben, no I did not know this was gonna be a non-DVR fee! UNREAL!

Jack

the probably consider the guide and its data a 'cloud service'

+1. My 8640 is doing this, too. I don't have Signature Home, but I did receive the ODN 6.0 update last month. Hard to pause live TV reliably, because you run the risk of losing the buffer if it decides to jump to live.

As a temporary workaround until they fix the buffer issue you might consider hitting the record button to start a formal recording session before you hit pause. You'll have to manually delete the recorded show when your done but you won't be tied to the flaky buffer.

This might be a new "Cloud Based" feature and that's why they are going to start charging for Navigator!

This might be a new "Cloud Based" feature and that's why they are going to start charging for Navigator!

Yeah... everything is a "feature" these days and we dumbass customers just don't understand anything.

 

Apple (iTunes 11) and TWC are at the top of my current list of worst offenders of this "we know better than the stupid customers" mentality.

"TWC NOW BRINGS YOU THE POWER TO DELETE SHOWS FROM YOUR DVR WITH THE AMAZING NEW CLOUD-BASED NAVIGATOR GUIDE!:"

"TWC..............ENJOY BETTER!!!!!"

Jack

Had some problems with my Cisco 8742 yesterday.

 

Turned it on during Day. Nothing was recording (nothing was schedule to, so no problems there). Brought up the Guide.

That worked but then it locked up (buttons stopped responding).

- Did power cycle reboot.

Worked for several hours

 

Turned it on during Night.

Said it couldn't display our default HD "power-on channel" 105 (HD version of local CBS channel ... most common channel ever). Said we needed to call TWC to get permission to watch it (like we weren't subscribed to it). Thing is, I don't think there is anyway you can NOT be subscribed to it. It's included in all plans for free.

 

Since I had just rebooted it earlier, I went into the other room and tested "feed to house" with Digital Tuner in Cisco 4642. Channel 105 came right on, working fine. So, not a subscription problem ... just the 8742 box freaking out again.

 

Back to main room and power-cycle rebooted 8742.

- Seemed to work fine for rest of night.

 

Definite strange-ness. I don't think it liked me forgetting to do its required monthly reboot.  Maybe I got an update recently? It's been solid for a couple of months before yesterday. I have it on a APC-UPS Battery.

well...my 12 month "special pricing" is up and my Feb. bill jumped about $40. Time to do the annual dance with Customer Service/Retention to see if I can get it back down to somewhat reasonable.

Not often, but Crappy-gator has done this to me a few times too.

San Diego is pretty good with CableCARD's.

You might as well just pay it. With all the advancements TWC has made over the last year it's worth it.....just kidding, fight the power

LOL "Pay More, Enjoy Better"

Even my wife is now on board with dropping video service for OTA and streaming. She agrees with me that there is little value per dollar in what's on and the services rendered by Time Warner.

If we find that we want a pay TV provider then we can always go back to one. I just wish spring would get here so I can get on the roof and install the antenna already! My indoor reception is to spotty.

As much as I hate to admit it, our SA 8300HDC has been working quite nicely over the past month or so. The frequent lock ups and slow response to remote control commands have pretty much disappeared. I was rebooting the DVR at least once a week and haven't had to do so for a while. Don't know if we got a software update or what but it's working quite well. I had a Directv install scheduled for late December but cancelled it after reading about several issues with the Genie DVR. The reason for switching was because of the lack of responsiveness with 8300 and after learning the Genie was having similar issues requiring reboots, I figured I'd wait to see when Directv would get it fixed.
I guess for now, I'll stay with TWC. That's the last thing I'd thought I'd be posting on here.....

Still beats HTPC as some found out the hard way.