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Magnavox 537, 535, 533, 515, 513, 2160A, 2160, 2080 & Philips 3576, 3575 - Page 257

post #7681 of 23750
12/6/09 at 5:45pm
I think my question got buried the other day. Should I be concerned that the middle part of this self check screen is missing when I run the diagnostic? Here's the sample image Wajo uploaded - my other machines look like this, but this latest refurb shows nothing in the middle between the time on and the bottom section with info how to exit (no firmware info). Strange?

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...heckScreen.jpg
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post #7682 of 23750
12/6/09 at 6:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by artwire View Post

I think my question got buried the other day. Should I be concerned that the middle part of this self check screen is missing when I run the diagnostic? Here's the sample image Wajo uploaded - my other machines look like this, but this latest refurb shows nothing in the middle between the time on and the bottom section with info how to exit (no firmware info). Strange?

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...heckScreen.jpg

The illustration you attached is a composite of the SKIP 079 screen and the SKIP 123 firmware screen. I've attached four screen shots showing my SKIP 079 screens. The fifth screen shot shows a typical SKIP 123 firmware screen.
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post #7683 of 23750
12/6/09 at 6:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by artwire View Post

I think my question got buried the other day. Should I be concerned that the middle part of this self check screen is missing when I run the diagnostic? Here's the sample image Wajo uploaded - my other machines look like this, but this latest refurb shows nothing in the middle between the time on and the bottom section with info how to exit (no firmware info). Strange?

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...heckScreen.jpg

Do a SKIP 123 and if the FW versions show up there, prob. nothing to worry about?

If you get the versions, wouldn't hurt to check against the list to see if it matches what we've seen so far?

I can't even do a SKIP 079 Self-Check on my refurb'd 3575, so no screen at all, but it operates OK.
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post #7684 of 23750
12/6/09 at 6:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DigaDo View Post

The illustration you attached is a composite of the SKIP 079 screen and the SKIP 123 firmware screen. I've attached four screen shots showing my SKIP 079 screens. The fifth screen shot shows a typical SKIP 123 firmware screen.

ah, that explains it....thanks. I remember doing a firmware check on the last one and thought it was off that same skip screen -- Didnt realize that the illustration was representing a composite result. Will check firmware as soon as my recording ends, but I'll bet it's the same as last one -- vintage may 09 as well.

Ran into my first HD recording error today on the older maggy. Not sure why, but I'll bet it was a remote control conflict - I was doing something with the other 2160 and may have inadvertently triggered an error on the other one. Doubt anything else is wrong, but will have to keep an eye on it. Definitely need to move one 'out of range'

FIRMWARE is the same

Laser check
DVD-WR 0:24 (probably me)
DVD-RD - 1:12
Time CD 0:00

so does low laser time mean they only used the HDD recording (HD was blank, probably reformatted) or just had the unit on for the 80+ hrs of operation?
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post #7685 of 23750
12/7/09 at 5:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by artwire View Post

FIRMWARE is the same

Laser check
DVD-WR 0:24 (probably me)
DVD-RD - 1:12
Time CD 0:00

so does low laser time mean they only used the HDD recording (HD was blank, probably reformatted) or just had the unit on for the 80+ hrs of operation?

HDD Hours on a 2160/2160A is record time since it records virtually all the time it's "ON."
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post #7686 of 23750
12/7/09 at 7:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ti-triodes View Post

Yeah, I checked the extender today and it did nothing to solve the problem. It looks like a handshake issue since it does work after you play with it a bit. Considering what crap HDMI is, what else could it be?

$15 is just for the base unit, although there is a big range of prices with different cable options. The best bet is to get the base unit and a few Monoprice cables.

I'll probably just deal with it rather than return it. It's so damn cheap it's not worth paying the shipping to return it!

Thanks for the report. I began to wonder if my three "free" 30 AWG HDMI cables supplied with the unit might have something to do with the problem. It sounds like you've got some good quality monoprice cables hooked up to yours and the problem is the same (at least I can rule that out).

I don't plan to return mine either. I'll just hook up the IR extender and use the remote to toggle inputs as you have been doing.

The only other option would be to hook up a 5V external power supply to see if that has any effect. I'm not sure if you have a spare one laying around. I may hunt for one around the house just to rule it out.
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post #7687 of 23750
12/7/09 at 12:46pm
Ref: Post #12 on this thread.

Quote:
Recovering from a Frozen Digital Channel during an Auto-Scan

When I do an Auto Channel Preset (scan) with my 3575's in my basic analog cable feed, they might freeze on digital ch. 91, which is an ATT signal-analysis channel of some sort... my 2160 just sails on by with no problem, ever. My digital ch. 91 has a chart with dBnU or dBnV on the left scale and an active oscilloscope trace running between -20 and -30 dBnU... sort of like a super-fast heart monitor trace. Other people who run into a frozen channel might have one of these in their cable lineup... not sure if OTA people would also have one of these channels?
See this post FIRST for a simple way to stop a scan on a frozen channel w/o losing the channels already scanned in: using the BACK/RETURN button. Try it and, if it doesn't work for you, come back and try the "old" method described here.
If your auto-scan freezes on a digital channel, remember the offending channel number. First try stopping the scan with the SETUP button; screen should eventually go blue or grey. Switch to analog tuner. If that doesn't stop the scan, pull the power cord. Replace the screw-on coax with a push-on type so you can remove it quickly during the next scan.

Turn this DVDR on and do another Auto Channel Preset. Just before the scan reaches the bad digital channel, pull the coax and let it scan past the bad digital channel, reconnect quickly ASAP, and let the scan complete.

I use one of those "push-on" coax cables for this procedure, then reconnect the normal screw-on coax.

Turn this DVDR back on and, if you know or suspect that your auto-scan with coax on-off missed one or more digital channels, go to section below on "Hidden" Channels to manually tune those digital channels or search for channels "hidden" behind a Scrambled XX.1 channel.

Wajo,

Nice to see you helping people here. You have helped me in past many time on Philips recorder. But I didn't came to this forum for a long time. Yesterday while doing auto-rescan, it froze on a channel. I came to here to see, how to un freeze. I tried 'back' button, but it didn't helped. I tried something different and it helped. I hit the "timer programing' button and programed to record different digital channel just 1 minute later and for duration of one minute. Then I just waited for one minute. 3575 came out of freeze and tuned to the channel which I programmed. And after the recording was over, it started working fine.

So may be you can add this trick to your excellent guide.

Thanks and keep the good work. I think Phillips owes you big time on this.
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post #7688 of 23750
12/7/09 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by video_guy View Post

I came to here to see, how to un freeze. I tried 'back' button, but it didn't helped. I tried something different and it helped. I hit the "timer programing' button and programed to record different digital channel just 1 minute later and for duration of one minute. Then I just waited for one minute. 3575 came out of freeze and tuned to the channel which I programmed. And after the recording was over, it started working fine.

So may be you can add this trick to your excellent guide.

Thanks!

One question tho: Normally, on first setup, you have to succesfully complete an Auto Channel Preset, then subsequent auto-presets don't have to complete successfully cuz then you can add any channels not auto-scanned again with a Manual Channel Preset. All that is just to get the channels memorized for CH+/- surfing... all channels are "there" but just can't be surfed normally.

Apparently, you had done one or more Auto Channel Presets before, so setting a timer program was your way of aborting from a frozen channel, after which you still had all your normal channels in CH+/- memory?

I don't think any method of aborting a person's FIRST Auto-scan would work as intended, but could be used as one method to abort a subsequent scan.

Pressing SETUP button sometimes works also and pulling the power cord works for sure.

Hey, I just read that OLD post on recovering from a frozen digital channel scan and it doesn't mention new info I learned about the diff. between an INITIAL scan and others done after the first successful scan. Have to rewrite the whole thing!

Thanks for bringing this subject up again.
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post #7689 of 23750
12/7/09 at 2:29pm
My auto scan got stuck at 134. The 'setup' button also didn't work. I didn't try power cord pull out. It is painful for me to reach the plug. It easier for me to reach the main trippers, may be I can try those next time.

When I tried auto scan again, it again got stuck at 134. I didn't bother to add/delete 134. I just brought it out of freeze using my timed recording trick. Since it was getting stuck at channel 134, I didn't bother. I already had all the channels I wanted.
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post #7690 of 23750
12/8/09 at 4:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelTownGuy View Post

Thanks for the report. I began to wonder if my three "free" 30 AWG HDMI cables supplied with the unit might have something to do with the problem. It sounds like you've got some good quality monoprice cables hooked up to yours and the problem is the same (at least I can rule that out).

I don't plan to return mine either. I'll just hook up the IR extender and use the remote to toggle inputs as you have been doing.

The only other option would be to hook up a 5V external power supply to see if that has any effect. I'm not sure if you have a spare one laying around. I may hunt for one around the house just to rule it out.


The power supply might be a solution but I bought this thing to use less wall warts!

It looks like mine is going back. It seems to be defective. It lost picture a couple of times and sound another time. I fixed it every time by cycling through the remote but who wants to go through the hassle? A number of other people have had the same problems, so it seems to be pretty common. What do you want for $15?

Now I have to spend $5 to send this thing back.
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post #7691 of 23750
12/8/09 at 4:58pm
I've just received the necessary cables and connectors, but failed to notice that some dremeling is necessary for an optimal config. The case cover can be half on (for dust protection but angles off on the side where the cable exits. Not too bad for a temp rig, but if you have dust issues like I do, it ain't no good!

Hopefully I can borrow someones tools soon.

I had minimal trouble with moving everything inside, although a more consolidated guide is needed for this process IMHO - especially the case hackery!

I've removed the old drive from inside, and will test it externally after I try a empty eSata drive (just in case of sparks or JICOS )

I'm minutes away from trying an eSata drive. Thanks for the inspiration auskck and other adventurers!
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post #7692 of 23750
12/8/09 at 5:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottypa View Post

I've just received the necessary cables and connectors, but failed to notice that some dremeling is necessary for an optimal config. The case cover can be half on (for dust protection but angles off on the side where the cable exits. Not too bad for a temp rig, but if you have dust issues like I do, it ain't no good!

Hopefully I can borrow someones tools soon.

I had minimal trouble with moving everything inside, although a more consolidated guide is needed for this process IMHO - especially the case hackery!

I've removed the old drive from inside, and will test it externally after I try a empty eSata drive (just in case of sparks or JICOS )

I'm minutes away from trying an eSata drive. Thanks for the inspiration auskck and other adventurers!

Way to go!

EDITED: Found some posts by AUskck on the cable out the back and DigaDo suggested a rubber grommet on the hole drilled in the back, and Auskck said that was a nice "upmarket treatment" so I guess a drill or dremel might be needed.

I originally remembered him saying there were one or more "slots" somewhere and no drilling or dremeling was needed?
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post #7693 of 23750
12/8/09 at 5:25pm
woohoo! A V.Skip 079 and its working!

My setup for an eSATA 2160A rig

Parts:
based on auskck's:
The Standard Recommended HDD lists apply - http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...39#HDDTableIII
FYI, since I'm using eSATA, the power requirements don't matter. Any 7200rpm drive should work. But you may definitely be "on your own".
For the cables, I bought both available lengths, to assure I had all options covered. This is a personal design choice I believe. All cables connect inside the case, or they connect out of the case.
I am only implementing a single eSATA drive today. In the future I may switch to a toaster or multi-case.

Equipment:
  • Philips screwdriver
  • Large safety pin (for helping untaping something delicate - a razor MAY also work)
  • Manual nibbler punch-and-die type - borrowed to cut the sheet metal of the case (not case top) (~$6) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibbler)

2160A eSATA HDD Modification:
  1. Power off and unplug. Let sit for at least 10 min. to drain all residual/Standby power.
  2. Remove the top cover of the 2160A - ~ 8 screws
  3. Touch case to discharge any static electricity before you touch inside components.
  4. Note - I recommended verifying that you do not easily trigger static electricity when moving around (as is common in the winter) before deciding to proceed. Increasing the humidity (to ~40%) is the appropriate way to decrease this effect/risk.
  5. Carefully detach the delicate data cable from the top of the hard drive were it is held down by double sided tape. I used a large safety pin to get leverage and perform careful lifting. Razors may work better. (danger! danger!)
  6. Unclamp and disconnect the delicate data cable by flipping down the tiny plastic flap covering the cable in front. (go see the pics for this)
  7. Unscrew HDD mounting bracket - 3 screws.
  8. NOTE: Get ready here. I found myself holding multiple pieces in the air to avoid ANY risk of shock/damage. If you KNOW better, then do as you please.
  9. Carefully lift the drive (with bracket) avoiding all the circuitry on both sides. (think Operation)
  10. Remove the tape on the HDD bottom holding the SATA adapter to the HDD. Salvage if possible (for reuse)
  11. Unplug the SATA adapter from the HDD. Pull straight out by both sides.
  12. Remove old HDD from the HDD bracket - 4 screws.
  13. Remove the ground contact from HDD - 1 screw.
  14. Store HDD elsewhere.
  15. Reinstall HDD mounting bracket - 3 screws.
  16. Attach the SATA adapter to the HDD mounting bracket in the same location/position as originally. Use the tape once holding it to the HDD.
  17. Carefully plug the the delicate cable into the SATA adapter. I strongly encourage securing the SATA adapter before doing this!
  18. Plug the M/F SATA Cable into the SATA adapter's SATA connector.
  19. Choose to test out the change or to Hack the Case.
  20. Choice 1 - Test out the change

  21. Lay the M/F SATA Cable straight back over itself and over the top of the case backing. (see pics)

  22. Carefully replace cover by assuring the left side where the cable is has plenty of play (1/2 inch) and try to fully attach the right side by 3 (or so screws). Don't bend anything! Make sure the power cable routes correctly.

  23. Verify the SATA cable is still in the proper position (straight back over the top lip of the case)

  24. Choice 2 - Hack the case! (go to "Hacking the case" procedure below then return to next step)
  25. Connect the M/M SATA Coupler here (outside the case) being sure not to move the SATA cable coming from inside.
  26. Plug in the "SATA to eSATA Cable" to the "M/M SATA Coupler".
  27. Connect the eSATA end of the "SATA to eSATA Cable" to the eSATA HDD that you have purchased/setup.
  28. Power eSata HDD on.
  29. Power DVR on.
  30. Perform a V.Skip 079 Procedure (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...stcount=39#079)
  31. Enjoy your eSATA DVR!

Notes:
  • I had no jumper on my new HDD from factory.
  • I received E48 (can't record to this HDD) until I performed a V.SKIP 079 which formatted the new HDD.
  • Be careful using the nibbler tool. Measure twice, cut once. It could be hard to "correct" any cuts. Watch out for the shards (fall outside case). Needed about 10 cuts.

Hacking the case
  1. Note - Wear safety equipment. Safety glasses and work gloves are recommended. All cut surfaces become very sharp!
  2. Practice using the tool with a piece of paper inserted between the nibbler blade (punch) and its case. Notice the shape of the cut piece, the gaps from tools edges to blade, and the technique.
  3. Start with the first four items (1-4) on "2160A eSATA HDD Modification" above.
  4. Mark the boundaries of the cuts you want with a pencil. (http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/a...00907271-1.jpg) Make sure that this space is sufficient for your SATA cable plus the lip of the case top. Make sure that the backside of your marked area is fullyexposed and doesn't have any internal parts covering it.
  5. Invert (upside down) the nibbler tool and placing its blade underneath the case hangover, use slow firm pressure with both hands to cut the leftmost portion of the case hangover you wish to cut. Don't lose track of the gaps from the side edges of the nibbler to its blade (a few mm). The waste should not fall into the case due to inversion. Carefully remove the tool from over the case and extract the waste from tool (if needed).
  6. Review your cut (it should be rectangular to the case edge) and cut any corrections needed (such as "more left").
  7. Move nibbler to right and line up rightmost edge of nibbler blade to your pencil mark. Cut.
  8. Repeat the cuts moving further "into the case overhang" (from left to right recommended for righties) until the case overhang has the entire section cleared you desire.
  9. Once the case overhang has been completely cut as desired, you will use the tool from outside the case, in a "typical fashion", to cut "down" the backside of the case. Make sure you have penciled the area to be cut.
  10. Repeat cuts on backside of case until complete. (http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/a...nibbled1-1.jpg)
  11. Verify that SATA cable can fit through hole with case cover on. (http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/a...aldesign-1.jpg)
  12. File the edges if you desire. Not sure what to use for this but the edges are sharp!
  13. Someone may desire to install rubber grommets to protect the cable. This is a good idea, but you may need to further widen the hole to facilitate this. I have NOT done this but will consider it in the future.
  14. Replace case cover with the 7 screws.

My ghetto config













Pics of HDD removal:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...unt=39#HDDpics
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post #7694 of 23750
12/8/09 at 5:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottypa View Post

woohoo! A V.Skip 079 and its working!

Next big question is if there is any staging that needs to occur to swap drives?

Or is it simply plug and pray?

FYI, since I'm using eSata, the power requirements don't matter. I just found a cheap 7200RPM SATA drive (SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152181) and used that.

@ wajo - Thanks! There isn't a true full slot, there is a tiny lip in the "best section" (straight back from the "official location" IMHO) and will require dremeling in order to assure that pressure doesn't slowly slice your cable open! (or bend it horribly)

Way to go again... on your way to a HDD Farm!

To become a "HDD Farmer" requires only formatting other drives. Auskck takes his FIVE drives back and forth from LR to Bdrm, a 3575 and 3576.

One thing no one has PROVEN yet is whether you can interchange HDDs between a 3575/3576 and a 2160 (or even 2080). Theoretically a slam dunk but that wasn't enough for WMD in Iraq!

For people doing an external config., I wonder if the "cleanest" way to create an opening for the cable, one that produces no fine metal particles, is to make two small cuts (with tin snips?) along the top edge and fold that section down (with pliers?)... that'd create an opening AND provide a smooth surface (bottom surface anyway) for the cable to exit?

Important Note: Scotty, please use one post... the one above would be great, leave the WOOHOO!... when you have time, to describe your project like the other Pioneers and keep everything in that post by Editing as you make changes, etc. That way, I can add you to the Pioneers list and link to a single post for info other can use.
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post #7695 of 23750
12/8/09 at 6:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottypa View Post

I've just received the necessary cables and connectors, but failed to notice that some dremeling is necessary for an optimal config. The case cover can be half on (for dust protection but angles off on the side where the cable exits. Not too bad for a temp rig, but if you have dust issues like I do, it ain't no good!

Hopefully I can borrow someones tools soon.

I had minimal trouble with moving everything inside, although a more consolidated guide is needed for this process IMHO - especially the case hackery!

I've removed the old drive from inside, and will test it externally after I try a empty eSata drive (just in case of sparks or JICOS )

I'm minutes away from trying an eSata drive. Thanks for the inspiration auskck and other adventurers!

Did you take pictures? 2160A is a little different so it'd be really useful if you haven't put the case back together yet. I was asking (way back) about how to close the case, too, cause I'm not that handy with, nor do I have special drills, tools, and the like, but I'm pretty good at plug & play! This sounds pretty straightforward.
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post #7696 of 23750
12/8/09 at 6:20pm
Wajo,

I've just been reviewing some photos taken during my Magnavox 2080 hard drive upgrade back in March. Here are three photos that I didn't post at the time because they're not very good.

Photos 3415 and 3416 were taken at 11:48 a.m. on 3/21/2009 after installation of the new Seagate 160GB hard drive but before the SKIP 079 format was initiated. These photos show a SKIP 079 message that I didn't notice until today.

Photo 3418 was taken 25 minutes later, after the SKIP 079 hard drive formatting.

This 2080 continues to provide outstanding daily service.
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post #7697 of 23750
12/8/09 at 9:20pm
Congrats scottypa great job!

Let us know how you create an opening after you've done it (whether you used wajo's suggestion).
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post #7698 of 23750
12/9/09 at 2:00am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottypa View Post

woohoo! A V.Skip 079 and its working!

Post in progress! Do not trust this yet. Let me know if I should convert to attached pics.

No, inserted pics are best... more direct and easier for readers.
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post #7699 of 23750
12/9/09 at 7:21am
another minor whoohooo -- not as exciting as a farm, but.... cable channel reallignment last night - 2160A picked up about 50 more stations (this is the one without the a o n ). Can't wait to click through the other recorder that is ready for anything. They are using a lot of sub and sub sub channels,and they're clumping them in several areas, so they're squashing the signal, I'm sure. Cant wait to spend some time clicking through everything ... I'm betting lots more will show.... and, interestingly enough, some of the previously unavailable ones that should have been viewable but weren't, are currently showing via QAM. Who knows how long? But temporarily, Whooo hooo! Oh, and the analogs are still showing up , too. This is cable the way it SHOULD have been all along. We were getting about 30 percent of what we were paying for. Glad tuner was up to the task. As suspected, "tuner" issues are often service issues ....
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post #7700 of 23750
12/9/09 at 9:18am
Don't recall if I ever asked this here or not-

Does anyone here use their 3575/6 or 2080/2160 on RCN as a cable provider? I'm wondering if there's a problem with encrypted QAMs.
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post #7701 of 23750
12/9/09 at 11:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DigaDo View Post

Wajo,

I've just been reviewing some photos taken during my Magnavox 2080 hard drive upgrade back in March. Here are three photos that I didn't post at the time because they're not very good.

Photos 3415 and 3416 were taken at 11:48 a.m. on 3/21/2009 after installation of the new Seagate 160GB hard drive but before the SKIP 079 format was initiated. These photos show a SKIP 079 message that I didn't notice until today.

Photo 3418 was taken 25 minutes later, after the SKIP 079 hard drive formatting.

This 2080 continues to provide outstanding daily service.

That SKIP 079 message, did it say "unconstruction" ?
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post #7702 of 23750
12/9/09 at 11:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bodhi78 View Post

That SKIP 079 message, did it say "unconstruction" ?

That's my guess as well.
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post #7703 of 23750
12/9/09 at 12:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gastrof View Post

Don't recall if I ever asked this here or not-

Does anyone here use their 3575/6 or 2080/2160 on RCN as a cable provider? I'm wondering if there's a problem with encrypted QAMs.


My neighbor used to use RCN and needed a box for everything digital - one per tv. That may have changed after the must carry fed regulations were finalized, but when she switched from analog to digital a few years back they insisted on a RCN box per tv even though she had a new digital tv with QAM tuner, Interestingly enough, I was considering RCN because they have just inked a deal with Tivo for co-branded dvrs but now that the 2160s are set up, doubt I'll need to switch. http://hd.engadget.com/2009/08/04/rc...latform-in-20/ There was a problem with tivo cable card enabled dvrs not being able to scan QAM, as I recall -- it was either cablecard/or scan for QAM, but not both. That was about a year ago, though, so it may be working better now.
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post #7704 of 23750
12/9/09 at 1:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gastrof View Post

Don't recall if I ever asked this here or not-

Does anyone here use their 3575/6 or 2080/2160 on RCN as a cable provider? I'm wondering if there's a problem with encrypted QAMs.

RCN is currently in the process of moving all cable channels (non-locals) to encrypted QAM. Cable channels will no longer be available with 357x/2080/2160 unless you're viewing the analog output from a cable box.

Quote:
Originally Posted by artwire View Post

http://hd.engadget.com/2009/08/04/rc...latform-in-20/ There was a problem with tivo cable card enabled dvrs not being able to scan QAM, as I recall -- it was either cablecard/or scan for QAM, but not both. That was about a year ago, though, so it may be working better now.

RCN is expected to use a new/updated version of the TivoHD, so we'll have to wait and what improvements are made. RCN's TivoHD will support their VOD.

As far as the current TivoHD, there still is a semi-bug with its ClearQAM support. During setup, TiVo asks whether you will be using digital cable with a CableCard. If you choose no, the TiVo only scans QAM channels up to 115 or so, and misses all QAM channels above that. If you choose yes, with the option to install CableCards later, then the TiVo does scan the full 135 QAMs. Thus, one needs to choose yes regardless of whether they plan to install a CableCard.

Once a CableCard is installed, all QAM frequencies are mapped to the official numbers in the cable company lineup (i.e. channels 1-800, 1-1000, etc rather than 83-2, 104-4, etc) with program information. This goes for both the Moxi and TiVo.
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post #7705 of 23750
12/9/09 at 2:05pm
Thread Starter 



PAUSE LIVE TV (PLTV) & AUTOSTART RECORDING (6-HOUR BUFFER)

Jump To:
Old Pause Live TV (PLTV) - 3575/3576/2080
New Pause Live TV (PLTV) - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x
Play & Rewind Buffer - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x
Save Buffer - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x
Dump Buffer - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x
Turn Buffering Off - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x

Old Pause Live TV (PLTV) - 3575/3576/2080

The 3575/3576 has a PAUSE LIVE TV (PLTV) and the Mag 2080 has a Time Shift (TS) button, that starts making a temporary recording of a live show you're watching so you can come back, while it's still recording, and start playing from the point you paused it.

You have two options for activating PLTV, depending on whether you want Live TV to continue playing or pause on screen while you're away/busy:

1. Press PLTV/TS button ONCE -- Live TV CONTINUES on screen while being recorded in the background. Press PLAY to continue watching from the point you pressed the button.

2. Press PLTV/TS button TWICE -- Live TV PAUSES on screen while being recorded in the background. Press PLAY to continue watching from the point you pressed the button. (Instructions for going to Live TV or stopping PLTV are displayed on screen, if needed at that point... not!)

While playing the temp. recording with the INFO/DISPLAY screen up, an on-screen display, lower left, shows the play status (> for playing, ll for paused) plus PLTV time vs Live TV time counters in upper right. INFO/DISPLAY screens do not get recorded during PLTV... in fact, if you have the 1st screen up on a digital channel, that menu goes away immediately on pressing the PLTV button.

Recording will stop when/if the disc runs out of space, the total time exceeds 12 hours (not 6 as in one national review), or 2-minutes before a timer recording is scheduled to start.

If you plan to be away for awhile or not sure, instead of Pause Live TV or Time Shift, you can press REC several times, in 30-minute increments, until you've set the remaining time for the show you're watching. Using the REC button gives you two options:

1. If you're still there while it's recording, you can start Chase Playing immediately from where you pressed REC... just press PLAY... without worrying about time limits and the temporary nature of the Pause Live TV function.

2. If you can't make it back in time and the remaining show completes recording per the time you set, the portion you missed will have been recorded to the HDD so you can play it back whenever you do have time.

Go back to List. ...... Go to main list of help files.

New Pause Live TV (PLTV) - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x

  • The drive you left the unit on when you shut down is the drive it'll start up on. You must be on the HDD drive to bring up the AR menu and verify buffer start.
  • Don't press the DISPLAY button while on a digital channel since the 1st screen with the signal-strength indicator will get recorded in the buffer. To see DISPLAY-type menus use one of the normal AR-activating buttons (PAUSE, REW, etc.), then press DISPLAY for the normal menu(s) or RETURN to exit the menus.
  • If you notice that your 2160A or 513 doesn't always start AR immediately on power-up, and you regularly use AR and rely on it, make sure you're on the HDD drive and on live TV, then press PAUSE after ~10-sec or so to check the AR status. If the AR menu does not appear, AR has not started so change channels to activate the buffer. If AR has started and the AR menu is on screen, press STOP to go back to live TV, then get rid of the menu with the RETURN button. There is a FW update for the 2160A and early-513 to correct this problem and install other refinements described here. The original 2160 and 515 don't have this problem and don't need a FW update.

 

The Mag 2160/2160A/513/515/53x doesn't have the simple Pause Live TV like the 357x or Time Shift like the 2080. It has Autostart Recording (AR) instead... greatest thing since sliced bread!

Every time you turn on a Mag, it automatically encodes the channel(s) you tune and stores that video in a temporary buffer on the HDD of up to 6 hours. It does this in the background and in 2-hr-SP rec mode, which can't be changed.

If you change channels, the Mag keeps buffering whatever channels you tune and keeps replacing the oldest portion so the buffer is always the LAST 6 hours.

 

Certain actions will dump the accumulated buffer, but resume AR afterwards. One of those actions is setting the Mag on Source L3 (DV input)... that not only dumps the buffer but also keeps buffering off while on L3.

 

LEAD Technologies Inc. V1.01

To Pause Live TV, Press PAUSE

This brings up an AR menu (shown below) with some icons, time counters in upper left corner (your "GPS guide"), and a progress bar at the bottom. In the far-left-bottom corner, you'll see the Pause symbol to indicate you're Paused in the buffer at that point. The AR menu is only a visual aide, it's NOT REQD for playing or saving the buffer (unless you need the time counters)... you can get rid of the menu at ANY TIME by pressing the RETURN button, and bring it back up with the DISPLAY button.

 

To Resume Watching, Press PLAY

Press PLAY to enter Chase Play mode and see what you missed, even if you were away too long and the paused frame reverts to live TV (1-hour +). (See next section for more details on playing the buffer.)

 

Alternate between PLAY and STOP

You can alternate between PLAY and STOP while catching up... PLAY to playback the buffer and STOP to go to Live TV, if desired. STOP leaves playback in the Resume condition.

 

Switch to Different Channel

IF you've Paused Live TV and are catching up in Play mode, and you know the show has ended, but you suddenly want to record or watch something else on a diff. channel, Save the remainder of the buffered show to HDD by pressing REC then STOP 2X. You're done and can find the saved buffer remnant as a HDD title. If the show hasn't ended, there's no way to preserve the entire remainder of the show you paused and change channels for the other show.

 

Go back to List. ...... Go to main list of help files.


Play & Rewind Buffer - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x

  • The drive you left the unit on when you shut down is the drive it'll start up on. You must be on the HDD drive to bring up the AR menu and verify buffer start.
  • Don't press the DISPLAY button while on a digital channel since the 1st screen with the signal-strength indicator will get recorded in the buffer. To see DISPLAY-type menus use one of the normal AR-activating buttons (PAUSE, REW, etc.), then press DISPLAY for the normal menu(s) or RETURN to exit the menus.

 

At any time while watching live TV thru a Mag, you can go back and watch things you've tuned in the past 6 hours, if desired. To start your trip back in time, press ONE of these buttons:

PAUSE - pauses the live TV pic and continues background recording live TV. This is a good place for beginners to get "oriented" before starting backward moves for Playback or Save to HDD. Press PLAY to get out of the PAUSE mode, then any of the other Play-mode buttons to play the buffer or record it, as described below. PAUSE backs up ~1 sec from what you see on screen when pressing the button, but that's 30 frames so just be aware of that.

PREV (chapter) - immediately goes back thru the buffer in increments of 5-min. If you press multiple times quickly, you can go back FAST (watch the clock), but you won't be able to see the content. NEXT works same way forward.

REW - immediately begins rewinding the buffer.

REPLAY - immediately moves back the amount of time you set as your default replay move.

Once the AR menu is up/active, a play-mode symbol will appear in the lower-left corner to indicate you're in the buffer, and you can now use the PLAY/REW/PREV/REPLAY and PAUSE buttons and watch the buffer normally. Press STOP to leave playback in RESUME mode and go to Live TV (with "Live" replacing play-mode symbol). Press PLAY to Resume playback.

 

The AR menu is only a visual aide, it's NOT REQD for playing or saving the buffer (unless you need the time counters)... you can get rid of the menu at ANY TIME by pressing the RETURN button, and bring it back up with the DISPLAY button.


To go to the very beginning of the buffer at 0:00:00, you can press PREV (chapter) multiple times fast until arriving there, or use the Display menu to enter a specific time in the top time counter, as follows:

  1. Press PAUSE.
  2. If Display menu is not up, press DISPLAY button.
  3. Press OK on the auto-highlighted "?" icon under the top counters.
  4. Arrow right and change HH:MM:SS numbers to 0:00:00 with up/dn arrows or direct-entry (or set to any other time you want to go back to).
  5. Press OK.

 

Go back to List. ...... Go to main list of help files.

Save Buffer - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x

  • The drive you left the unit on when you shut down is the drive it'll start up on. You must be on the HDD drive to bring up the AR menu and verify buffer start.
  • Don't press the DISPLAY button while on a digital channel since the 1st screen with the signal-strength indicator will get recorded in the buffer. To see DISPLAY-type menus use one of the normal AR-activating buttons (PAUSE, REW, etc.), then press DISPLAY for the normal menu(s) or RETURN to exit the menus.
  • Once you save any portion of a buffer to the HDD, that entire buffer is wiped out and it starts fresh from that point on!

 

If you want to save one or more buffered shows to the Mag HDD as a normal title, here are the "normal" steps. Other steps for "Odd Situations and Procedures" follow this procedure.

 

  1. Make sure at least the start of the 1st show you want to save to HDD is in the buffer.
    Using the STOP button gets a little "tricky" once you get to Step 4 and press REC, so this procedure is much simpler if ALL the titles you want to save are already in the buffer (i.e., have ended).
     
  2. Press PAUSE to bring up the AR menu.
    Once you're in the buffer with the AR menu, you can get rid of the menu now, or at ANY TIME, by pressing the RETURN button, and bring it back up with the DISPLAY button. The AR menu is only a visual aide, it's NOT REQD for playing or saving the buffer (unless you need the time counters).
     
  3. Press PREV / REPLAY / REW / REPLAY or enter buffer time directly to move to the approx. starting point of the show... you can trim later.
    You can move back FAST by pressing the PREV button multiple times quickly or by entering a specific time (even 0:00:00) in the time counter (press OK on 1st ? icon, enter digits directly or use arrow up.dn keys, press OK).

    You can use the Play-mode buttons to get to a "perfect" start point, if desired, but getting the exact start point is not critical here since you'll have a chance to do a Front-Cut on the title once on the HDD... AND you WILL have to do an End-Cut anyway. Besides, you can't press REC in next step while on PAUSE.

    DON'T PRESS STOP or you'll go to Live TV and lose your exact place in the buffer (the Resume point). Use PAUSE instead. If you do press STOP, you can get back into the buffer with the PREV/NEXT/REW/REPLAY button, but you'll get back in at some time fwd of where you left it (the diff. between the time you pressed STOP and the time the backwards move takes you to). Your only hope to get back to the exact spot is to remember the time you left the buffer and go there.
     
  4. In PLAY mode (not PAUSE), press REC to mark the approx. starting point of your show(s)... you can trim later.
    You can't press REC while on PAUSE, so press PLAY, then press REC while playing... or try slo-mo with PAUSE > FF/REW or frame-advance with PAUSE > NEXT/PREV. After pressing REC, you can press STOP 1X ONLY without an intervening PLAY command, but don't press STOP 2X in a row yet. It's OK to alternate between STOP and PLAY as many times as you want.

    Just remember that if you press STOP 2X in a row prematurely or accidentally, before all your show(s) are in the buffer, that will wipe the entire buffer, which is not recoverable.
     
  5. If all your show(s) have ended and are in the buffer, press STOP 2X in a row. The entire buffer, from your marked starting point to its current end, will be saved to the HDD... you don't need to find or mark an end point. If you pressed STOP once in Step 4 WITHOUT an intervening PLAY command, ONE press here will save the buffer.

    Once pressed, you should see a short "Writing to disc" message and progress bar to confirm the Save. The buffer from your start point to the current point of live TV has now been saved to the HDD, ready for Front- and End-Cut in Edit.

    If all your shows have not ended and you marked the start point with REC, be careful now with the STOP button...TWO presses in a row at any time will save only the portion already in the buffer, which may not be what you want, i.e., one or more shows still to come. If all your shows have not been buffered yet, you're stuck with chase play where you can alternate between PLAY and STOP w/o triggering the SAVE function... just don't press STOP 2X in a row.
     
  6. Do Front- and End-Cuts as needed on the new, saved HDD title(s).

 

Odd Situations and Procedures

  1. Entire Show Has Not Ended Yet
    If the desired end-of-show has NOT been buffered yet, and you can't or don't want to watch live until end, you've got a problem. You must leave it on that channel to buffer the rest of the show, but you could go into the buffer as described above and mark the beginning of the show by pressing REC, but you'll still have to wait for the end of the show before pressing STOP 2X in a row. Your only option now is to Chase Play the show while it's in REC mode and buffers the remainder of the show. While chase playing, you canalternate between STOP and PLAY w/o triggering the SAVE function... just don't press STOP 2X in a row until you really want to SAVE the buffer from your REC point to its end.
     
  2. Switching from Chase Play to the Other Tuner
    IF you've Paused Live TV and are watching a buffered show in Chase Play mode, and you know the show has ended, but you suddenly want to record or watch something else on the other tuner, which will wipe the buffer, Save the remainder of the show you're watching to HDD by pressing REC then STOP 2X. Watch for "Writing to disc" message to confirm the Save to HDD. You're done and can find the remainder as a HDD title so you can finish watching that show. If the show has NOT ended, no way to preserve the remainder of the entire show since that buffer will be deleted once you switch to the other tuner.

 

Remember: if you're just watching LIVE TV on a DIGITAL channel and you press the DISPLAY button once at any time, the DTV menu appears first and THAT gets recorded in the AutoRec buffer, so if that happens, press RETURN quickly to get rid of it. Only way to prevent that is to never press DISPLAY while watching a digital channel if there's any chance you'll want to save that part of the buffer to the HDD. The menu you see when pressing one of the AR-activating buttons does NOT start with the same recordable DTV menu.

Go back to List. ...... Go to main list of help files.

Dump the Buffer - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x

IMPORTANT: If you want to retain an accumulated Mag buffer, DO NOT do any of the actions listed below!

AR will dump the buffer when:

  1. Machine is powered off.
  2. Recording or dubbing.
  3. Opening the Edit menu or editing titles.
  4. Opening the Disc Edit or HDD Menus.
  5. Deleting titles (DVD only).
  6. Switching between tuners (analog/digital).
  7. Switching Source to L1, L2 or L3. (Switching and remaining on Source L3 (DV) also stops background recording and is a working fix for the 2160A Finalize/Format/Erase bug... FW Update is the permanent fix, as described here.)
  8. Using the following menus:
    1. General Setting > Display > V-Chip > Downloadable Rating
    2. General Setting > Channel > Auto Channel Preset
    3. General Setting > Channel > Manual Channel Preset.

 

Go back to List. ...... Go to main list of help files.

Turn Buffering OFF - 2160/2160A/513/515/53x

There's no "switch" or menu option to turn the Mag's AR off completely. Those actions listed above will dump the buffer but then restart buffering. Only one setting can turn the Mag AR off while the machine remains in that set condition: switch Source to L3 (DV) input and leave it there.

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Edited by wajo - 2/8/13 at 5:31pm
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post #7706 of 23750
12/9/09 at 6:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bodhi78 View Post

That SKIP 079 message, did it say "unconstruction" ?

Yes, yes it does...
Thank you Funai.
(I saw it myself in the process)
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post #7707 of 23750
12/9/09 at 6:44pm
I have a digital tv and receive comcast. I was able to attach my tv directly to cable company rf output. I scanned the digital channels and a 120 subchannel gave me a picture of one of my extended basic channels. I just bought a mag 2160mw9a and it got one 120 subchannel but not the one that I wanted after the complete analog/digital scan. I then have tried stopping the scan by setup/return and pulling the cable. I went to the manual procedure and did the add. Nothing tuned when I did it. I then hit return and setup twice . I then scanned 120 digital with channel +/- All I got was a scrambled indication from 1 all the way up to 120.13 which showed a picture but this was beyond where the channel should be. I believe that this should be tunable even though it says scambled. I got the 120 after comcast had given me 2 free DTA's for tuning my extended channels. This is not optimum for me to do timer recordings. Any suggestions?
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post #7708 of 23750
12/9/09 at 6:55pm
Thread Starter 
Time for an "All-or-Nothing" (AON) Manual Channel Preset procedure, as described here.

Since you've done an Auto Channel Preset already, you can start with Step #2.

P.S. Your 2160 is 1st on the coax, right?
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post #7709 of 23750
12/9/09 at 7:08pm
yes its first on the coax. I'll try the aon procedure. Thanks!
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post #7710 of 23750
12/10/09 at 7:04am
Just as added info re all or nothing -- I had previously set my 2160A to receive all (did not clean up since I knew a channel switch was in the works). Yesterday, they did it and some but not all of the channels appeared, even with A o N . I rescanned a second 2160A machine and wrote down the new numbers (which, by the way, changed again by the time I got home from work - they seem to have eliminated the two digit addons such as 114-34 and reassigned to single numbers after hyphen (at least as far as I can tell). But... the new numbers appeared with re-scan. Then, checking on the machine that had a o n ALL channels enabled, I discovered that many of the newly assigned subchannels DID NOT show up even though all main channels were 'on'. I manually entered the sub channels, then they stuck. In one case I had to delete the main channel # for QAM (115) and start fresh to get the numbers I knew existed (from the other machine).

I thought that leaving a o n complete channel list set to active and not cleaned up would eliminate the need to reenter separate subchannels, but that didn't seem to work for me. It recognized the main numbers it previously knew to be good, even if scrambled, but didnt know about some of the other subchannels til I punched them in. For example, on 115 -4 it jumped up to 115-8 but I knew that there also now was a 115-6 and 115-7 in between. No luck with clicking through. The good news is, after entering them with the remote manually (not with add/delete channel in set up) , it recognized these new sub-channel numbers. Only found em cause I knew they existed from the other machine's rescan. So, after a total reallignment, if things seem to be missing, it might be worth just manually entering -1 -2 -3 - etc after the channels that have something 'scramble program' or not, and see if anything shows up. CC in my area is lumping a lot of subchannels together -- eight or ten in one place, then nothing for five channels, etc. You only would need to do it in a few places - ours, for example are clumped around 103, 104, 110, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118 then a few random things above that and music in the high 120s (cant recall exactly). Also, our 'old' channels are still coming in 1 - 70 analog -- presumably they will go away, but they activated the digital first before unplugging analog. (encouraging policy!)

Every one is a little different, but that's what happened to me yesterday. Haven't looked today yet -- who knows if any are still left? I imagine if I had cleaned up and done another autoscan they would have been found, but then I'd lose the AON everything on setting, and since things are still in flux, decided that prbably wasn't wise.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

AVS › AVS Forum › Video Components › DVD Recorders (Standard Def) › Magnavox 537, 535, 533, 515, 513, 2160A, 2160, 2080 & Philips 3576, 3575