Pace CableCARD HD Boxes (TDC779X, TDC778X and DC757X) - Page 28

Linden, it quit again. Ran for two full days this time. But it has stopped and I have captured the data you requested. Thanks for helping with this.

Displayed message:

"One Moment Please"
"this Channel Should be Available Shortly"

Heres the data with changed data in red:

CableCard Status (Page 9 in my list)
Connection Present
Validation State Valid
Object Name McblCard
Software Version 2.65 (0x09010007)
Manufacturer ID Motorola
Hardware Version P=MCPOD v=01.00 r=07
Card Ready Yes
Operating Mode NPH
CableCard ID 000-003-840-917-3
Host ID 047-000-624-561-2
Data 322-666-369-53

In Band Status (Page 04 here)
Tuner selected Tuner 1
Data No TSID 0
Carrier Lock Yes Sym Rate (kbps) 5361
PCR Lock No Pre RS BER [COLOR="red2.32e-02[/color]
SNR 27.1 POOR
Modulation Mode QAM 256
Short Term Errors 16203902
Long Term Errors 2531303728
Tuned Frequency (khz) 117000
Signal Level (dBmv) 8.0
Tuned AGC (0-100%) 23
Avg Data Rate 0
Peak Data Rate 0

OOB Status (Page 03 here)
Data Yes
EMM data Yes
Emm Provide ID 0x001
Carrier Lock Yes
SNR 18.9 FAIR
Frequency (khz) 075250
Modulation QPSK
Signal Level (dBmv) -1.6
Sync Losses 7
Acquisition Attempts 12
Avg Data Rate 26456
Peak Data Rate 30672
Sym Rate (kbps) 1024
Tuner AGC (0-100%) 56
>Hunt Mode 075250

Current Channel Status (08)
Tuner Selected Tuner 1
Tuner Frequency 117000 khz Chan Number [empty]
Modulation Mode [empty] Encrypted [empty]
Chan Status [empty] Connected Yes
Preview [empty] PCR Lock [empty]
Curr Next CCI [empty]
Purchasable [empty] [empty] APS [empty]
Purchased [empty] [empty] RC [empty]
Epoch Number [empty] [empty] CIT [empty]
Epoch Status [empty] [empty] DRM [empty]
Auth reason [empty] [empty] RS [empty]
Service Number [empty] Service ID [empty]
Parental Control Status [empty]
Mute Status Yes

I still do not have an eSATA connected.

Thank you for any help you can give me.

Linden,

I am pretty sure they will return to normal but I will reboot and see.

Is there a particular procedure you would like me to use for reboot? Usually, Ijust unplug AC power, wait a few seconds and restore power. the channels return immediatley. Of course, TV Guide has to download again but in the past all channels function.

If I dont hear otherwise from you I will reboot by removing power as described.

Thanks again for your help.

I rebooted by unplugging and replugging AC power. Everything came back to normal.

CableCard Status (Page 9 in my list)
Connection Present
Validation State Valid
Object Name McblCard
Software Version 2.65 (0x09010007)
Manufacturer ID Motorola
Hardware Version P=MCPOD v=01.00 r=07
Card Ready Yes
Operating Mode NPH
CableCard ID 000-003-840-917-3
Host ID 047-000-624-561-2
Data 322-666-369-53

In Band Status (Page 04 here)
Tuner selected Tuner 1
Data No TSID 0
Carrier Lock Yes Sym Rate (kbps) 5361
PCR Lock Yes Pre RS BER 0.00e+00
SNR 37.9 GOOD
Modulation Mode QAM 256
Short Term Errors 0
Long Term Errors 0
Tuned Frequency (khz) 117000
Signal Level (dBmv) 6.6
Tuned AGC (0-100%) 30
Avg Data Rate 0
Peak Data Rate 0

OOB Status (Page 03 here)
Data Yes
EMM data No
Emm Provide ID 0x001
Carrier Lock Yes
SNR 19.2 FAIR
Frequency (khz) 075250
Modulation QPSK
Signal Level (dBmv) -2.0
Sync Losses 0
Acquisition Attempts 1
Avg Data Rate 22528
Peak Data Rate 33768
Sym Rate (kbps) 1024
Tuner AGC (0-100%) 56
>Hunt Mode 075250

Current Channel Status (08)
Tuner Selected Tuner 1
Tuner Frequency 117000 khz Chan Number 2
Modulation Mode QAM 256 Encrypted Yes
Chan Status Unauth Connected Yes
Preview No PCR Lock Yes
Curr Next CCI 0x00
Purchasable No No APS 0x00
Purchased No No RC 0x00
Epoch Number 0x20 0x20 CIT 0x00
Epoch Status 0x00 0x00 DRM 0x00
Auth reason 0x00 0x00 RS 0x00
Service Number 0 Service ID 0x000000
Parental Control Status Not Available
Mute Status No

I do not have an eSATA drive connected. .

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Well, it did something again. this time there was still reception but lots of tiling and audio breakups. Now and then the picture would freeze. So, I looked at the diagnostics for in band, oob, and channel status. They had the same high signal level (7.8 db), high error rates (25000+), and BER of 1.2e-04.

So I left it powered on and removed the antenna cable temporarily. then reconnected the antenna cable. No change. High signal level, high error rates, etc.

So I unplugged the AC, waited about ten seconds and replugged it. after a minute or two it was back up and all was workign fine again. Signal level around 6 db, zero short term errors, BER of 0.00.

So, at this time I feel I have confirmed the problem is somewhere in the box and rebooting corrects it. But one of its ramifications is that it gives a false reading of signal level. Perhaps there is something spurious going on that the tuner locks to. But since I still had picture, with tiling, it wasnt far off channel.

Hope this helps.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Mac

OK, it happened again and I tried the software reboot. The result was the same as the power removal reboot. Channel was restored, signal level of 6.6 DB, error rates zero.

As a side note, the remote will not perform a software reboot. It is a Motorola remote (its what Mediacom gave me). So, I did it at the front panel. Also, it will only reboot if I am on the page select list (not the dashboard). Dont know if this is important or not.


Mediacom did not tell me what signal level they achieved. I do know they worked to adjust the signal level including changing some connectors and the taps where it enters the house. Also, I know from experience that Mediacom techs work to achieve signal levels at certain points in the band, not across the band.

My installation has a signal amplifier, several taps and a long cable run. Only the lower channels seem to drop out. Its possible the signal is too high at the lower end of band and ok the rest of the band.

I dont mind calling them back out but I am pretty sure they wont fix anything unless I give specific direction.

I am an electronics engineer and can perform or relay detailed information if that helps. But my field is digital and software. I do not have a decent RF meter. Usually use the built in meters of the box.

At the current time I think you are suspecting the box becomes overloaded by a high signal level (perhaps above 10 dBmv). But I am wondering why it doesnt clear itself. Also, reboot corrects the problem and gives acceptable level readings (8 db+ before reboot and 6db immediately after reboot) but clearly doesnt change the signal level this amount at that instant.

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving day. I really appreciate your help on this. Service above and beyond normal duty. Thank you.

Mac

Guess we are both stumped on this one. Here's my thoughts for the next steps.

1. Insert a splitter before the box. This will reduce the signal 6 db and give me a connection spot for a second box.

2. Rent a second box from Mediacom. Then we will have two boxes connected at one place at one time.

3. Make a list of signal strengths on several channels (say 2, 7, 9, 14, 23, 47, 802) on both boxes.

4. Wait and see.

Some annecdotal information (not methodically proven). We have tried two boxes now, one Tahoe, one Miami with similar (same) results. Mediacom tech verifying the signal level and changing wiring as he thought might work better had no apparent effect on box 1. Box 2 demostrates the same performance failure. It seems that time is the culprit. After reboot the box(s) seems to always operated fine for at least 20 or 24 hours. Sometimes the box(s) operates for as long as 36 hours. Two separate boxes at two separate times on the same signal connection seem to have the same characteristics.

I will post back when I have more results/observations.

Again, thanks for helping. Having a method to soft reboot without digging out the power wiring will be a help to my patience. So, already there are some positive results, lol.

Mac

My records indicate it was a 778X. I no longer have it for verification. It did have a hard drive because I heard it spin up whenever I did a reboot.

Also, I am going by Mediacoms record for the model number of the current one. They changed it while I was gone and their CSR told me it was a Miami. I cannot hear any hard drive in there. The nameplate spot on the front of the box is blank.

If that is key information I can take apart the installation and find the model number of the current box. Might be doing that this weekend anyway.

I will help in any way you suggest.

Mac

New information. Maybe it will help.

It went out again today. I checked and found the folowing:

1. Channels that did not work (2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, perhaps more) all showed signal levels of 7.4 to 7.8 db. Channels that did work showed 1.6 and down to -3.3 (I didnt check them all). Also, channels that did not work had high error rates and the SNR was qualified as POOR.
2. I removed the cable input and found there was no information in the lists You probably knew that but I thought it was somethign to check.
3. I inserted a signal splitter with the unused leg properly terminated and reconnected the remaining split input. The channels that didnt work, still didnt work but they reported lower signal levels. Signal levels of 3.6 and up to about 5.0 were reported on the channels that didnt work (note that this is not 6 db down from before!). The other channels reported signal levels as low as -10 db.
4. I did a software reboot and everything worked again. Checking the signal levels showed that channels that didnt work before now reported signal levels of 1.6 to 2.0 db and SNR was good. the channels that had always worked still work and still report signal levels of -1.0 down to -10 db.

I plan to leave the splitter in line and see if the problem returns.

At this time, it appears to me that either Mediacom or the box has some channels 13 to 15 db above other channels. The stronger channels may be overloading the box somehow. Once the box is overloaded it is unable to recover without a reboot. Further, once it is in overload I think it reports signal levels 3 to 4 db above actual.

I wasnt laboratory quality specific in my measurements and note taking. But the trend was clear. If you need specific readings I will be happy to provide them. Even if the box continues to work (with the splitter in line) I if it helps you track down design information.

Mac

I recently received a brand new Pace TDC779x STB as a replacement for a dead Motorola STB. The system setup information tells me the following:

Model: DCT
s/w: 74.64 - 3337
firmware: 11.36 (I know this is old, but it's all I have.)

Overall the STB is very nice, but I can not find an answer to two specific questions concerning programming. My cable company (Suddenlink) said it would work like the Aptiv guide, but better. I'm comparing the 779x with i-Guide and my old Motorola with Aptiv Echo in the following situations.

1) I have been accustomed to programming my Motorola to DVR all "news" from my local station no matter when it shows up in the schedule. This is especially useful when a football game or movie goes past the normal 10pm (CST) newscast and the guide shows the news at say, 10:30p that night, it's still recorded. I just set the Motorola to record "News", "All Show Times", "any day" and "first-run". That pretty much gets all the news on that channel. I have found no similar way to do this on the 779. Am I missing something?

2) I'm also a huge soccer (football) fan as well. I had my Motorola set to record "MLS Soccer" any time, any day, any channel and first-run. That got every match listed in the Aptiv guide. I also set it to record "English Premier", "FA World Cup" and "UEFA" the same way and always got all of the matches. With the 779x I don't even have a "series" option for games. Again, am I missing a programming step with the 779?

Since most of the soccer matches don't start at a specific time each week or even a specific day, plus they can be on Fox Soccer Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU as well as several other stations and in no particular pattern, I'm sure I will miss a lot of the matches unless I spend a lot of time searching the websites or surfing the i-Guide for them. Not good.

It looks like the 779x choices to DVR a "show name" at "any time" and on "any channel" are missing. Any ideas on how to get around this limitation would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I miss the days to overwrite display on the Aptiv. That gave me plenty of warning if I needed to mark a file to keep or just let it be overwritten. The percentage is nice, but is of no real value since it gives me no idea as to when programs will begin to disappear.

Thanks.

Linden,
It quit again today even though I have padded the signal by 6db. As I noted before, I inserted a two way splitter with one leg terminated in a termination resistor and the othe connected to the STB. I took the folowoing data when it quit:

In Band Status (Page 04 here)
Tuner selected Tuner 1
Data No TSID 0
Carrier Lock Yes Sym Rate (kbps) 5361
PCR Lock NO Pre RS BER 1.71e-03
SNR 35.3 GOOD
Modulation Mode QAM 256
Short Term Errors 2061702
Long Term Errors 566582074
Tuned Frequency (khz) 117000
Signal Level (dBmv) 2.2
Tuned AGC (0-100%) 43
Avg Data Rate 0
Peak Data Rate 0

OOB Status (Page 03 here)
Data Yes
EMM data No
Emm Provide ID 0x001
Carrier Lock Yes
SNR 19.2 FAIR
Frequency (khz) 075250
Modulation QPSK
Signal Level (dBmv) -8.3
Sync Losses 0
Acquisition Attempts 1
Avg Data Rate 17390
Peak Data Rate 31352
Sym Rate (kbps) 1024
Tuner AGC (0-100%) 80
>Hunt Mode 075250


I then did a software reboot (on diagnostics main page, press "info" and "select"). This restored operation as it has in the past. So, I took the following readings while it was working:

In Band Status (Page 04 here)
Tuner selected Tuner 1
Data No TSID 0
Carrier Lock Yes Sym Rate (kbps) 5361
PCR Lock NO Pre RS BER 0.0e-0.0
SNR 36.7 GOOD
Modulation Mode QAM 256
Short Term Errors 0
Long Term Errors 0
Tuned Frequency (khz) 117000
Signal Level (dBmv) 0.5
Tuned AGC (0-100%) 50
Avg Data Rate 0
Peak Data Rate 0

OOB Status (Page 03 here)
Data Yes
EMM data No
Emm Provide ID 0x001
Carrier Lock Yes
SNR 18.5 FAIR
Frequency (khz) 075250
Modulation QPSK
Signal Level (dBmv) -8.3
Sync Losses 0
Acquisition Attempts 1
Avg Data Rate 29016
Peak Data Rate 30288
Sym Rate (kbps) 1024
Tuner AGC (0-100%) 80
>Hunt Mode 075250

So it looks to me that signal level has little or no impact on the problem. Also, the box reports an artificially high (by 2 03 db) signal level when it is not working. Everything else seems consistent with a box that just gets tired and needs to be reboot. That is a nuisance though since it then has to download TV guide and I fear using it as a recorder.

As usual, any help you provide is greatly appreciated.

Mac

Thank you for a prompt reply. I will get a DVR and watch the two for a few days. But I have checked errors while it is working. Short term errors usually stay low, (under ten, usually zero) until the box is near failing (I sometimes see tiling in the picture a short while before it fails) or failed.

Yeah, tired software is a new phenomena observed when memory "leaks out" and/or buffers fill up, lol.

I understand you might need a while to find this one. I would help more but documentation is very slim here. It would be nice if Pace could provide some for us "advanced amatures".

Thank you again.

Mac

I was having problems with my 778X. It's installed on a glass stand under the TV. It's a real static generator.

Anyway, it was acting very sluggish..accepting commands at about 1/10th the normal rate. I was tearing my hair out wondering what the problem was. I felt the power cord where it entered the DVR and found it was very loose. After pressing it in firmly - problem solved.

I'm surprised it worked at all.

Hi Lindend/All
My first attempt to attach an external drive apparently failed. I'd rather not experiment around and am seeking advice. I purchased a 500GB WD My Book USB/FIREWARE/eSATA. I utilized the drive attached to my laptop using the usb port while waiting for eSATA cables to come in the mail. I do not have any other device with eSATA inorder to verify the new cables/eSATA function on the harddrive. I verified in Diagnostics that 21 Interface Status\\SATA\\Sata Enabled\\Yes.
I installed it by turning off the DVR and unplugged from wall. Attached the Drive to the esata connection on the DVR. Powered up the drive and the DVR and went into diagnostics. 23 HDD Status showed only Drive Number 1/1. From the previous posts I was expecting the drive to be "recognized" and to go into a format sequence. Also I have seen references to key sequences of Repeat/My DVR/Live. I do not see any of those keys on my DVR and only the Live key is on my remote control. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Larry

Found information elsewhere that indicates this device does not work on a PACE, but that a WD MyDVR expander does.

WD "My Book" drives don't work due to the USB/eSata chipset bug. Search this thread for more information. I have tried the WD MyBook and returned that junk drive.

Sorry, I was away for a couple days. Not much new to report.

I dont think its a heat problem but here are answers. Yes, both boxes sat in the same place. They sit on a cabinet shelf right above a DVD player that is seldom used right now. The back of the cabinet is wide open to a 3 inch ventilation channel that stretches across the entire cabinet. I have never noticed any heat when I open the cabinet front.

I havent tried a third box yet. Wife says the power was shut off yesterday and everything is still working. I will post more when I know more.

Again, thanks for trying. It does give support I dont get anywhere else.

Mac

Linden,

Its STILL WORKING!! I still have the 6 db signal reduction in place and it has only failed that first day. I looked today and the system status page says its been on for 2 days and 19 hours. The in band status says: SNR 37.2 db Signal level 3.2 dbmv, short term errors zero.

I have not rented a second DVR box because it is still working.

Not sure what this means. But it does leave this impression: The box seems stable most of the time if the signal isnt too large. No apparant degradation. But once it fails it is incapable of recovery.

I wil continue to post updates.

Mac

Well, we have to acknowledge that reducing the signal level has helped a lot. Its still working today. Here is pertinent data.

System operating time. 3 days 20 Hr.
Channel 2 In band statistics.
SNR 36.7 db
Signal level 3.3 dBmv
AGC 40
BER 1.76e-06
Short Term Errors 2171
Long Term Errors 703018

Dont know if this information is helping you any. The system has gone out only once since we reduced the signal level of the input by 6 db.

I will continue to post information in hopes it is helping.

I am left wondering why the system doesnt recover when the signal is removed or reduced. Once it fails, the only way back is a reboot.

Mac

Linden, its still working after 6 days since power reset reboot!!! I think we have to declare victory here. Thank you for the help. I will post back if things go sour.

I am left with a few inconsistencies and potential explanations.
1. When I first reduced the signal level and did a software reboot it only worked for 24 hours. Then, last Monday we had a short power outage (wifes vac popped the breaker). After that reboot it has operated without a reboot of any kind. My tentative conclusion is that the software reboot didnt clear the underlying problem but the hardware reboot did. With reduced signal levels it continues to operate.
2. It seems that whenever it gets to failure mode it cannot return without a reboot. Reducing signal levels, even removing signal levels, leaves it innoperable until it is rebooted. It seems to me that either a hardware buffer or a software buffer/counter does not get reset until there is a reboot. Number 1 above indicates this might be a hardware buffer.

But I am certainly happy with the box now and especially your assistance. Let me know if there is some way I can return the favor.

Mac

Hi all,

I have a pace TDC779x from Bresnan Communications in Wyoming. A few weeks ago my box started acting weirdly in the sense that several channels became unavailable and also the channel numbering was mixed up. I called the CP to get it reset and everything worked fine for a couple of days, but ever since then the DVR service on my box keeps getting disabled.

I've called the CP several times about this and they've also switched out my box with a new one only to end up with the same problem. All they do is send a signal to reset the box which makes things work for a couple of hours. I got tired of calling them and started doing resets myself at home by going into the diagnostics main menu to absolutely no avail (stops working again after couple of hours). The firmware on my box is listed 11.51. My suspicion is that this version of the firmware is buggy since the problem is manifesting itself on two different boxes. Has any one else experienced this issue with their 779x?. I've searched through the forums but nobody else seems to be experiencing this issue.

Any thoughts or comments?

A fix will be rolled out shortly, but in the mean time there are two things you can do. Go into the user settings and turn off Hard Drive Sleep Mode, and make sure that Tuner 2 (hit swap) is not tuned to channel 1. This should prevent loss of DVR when the box is placed into stand-by.

In addition, when DVR service is lost a simple power cycle should restore the service...in this situation there is no need to call into customer support.

Another Pace representative on the board, Welcome.

Can either of you Pace guys say if the upcoming FW release has a fix for single remote presses causing multiple actions on the PACE unit that I reported earlier?

My box is currently doing it again and this time it is doing it in the diagnostics menu and regular menus/guide (I have had this happen about 5 times in 5 months). The FF/RR/skip30/replay function seem un-affected. A reboot clears this issue. This time, the front panel remote icon indicator might show an extra remote icon illumination for the delayed extra presses.

But I have been having issues rebooting the Pace where it comes up with no channels, no vod, no DVR functionality. I use Mediacom automated send hit functionality and then channels will start working but it ussally takes another reboot or two to get DVR functionality back. This never used to happen. Without sending the "hit", multiple reboots don't seem to fix anything.

Hmmm, I have not heard of, or seen, this issue before. I'll defer to Linden on this one...