[soundbuff]

Recently, I had a Direct TV service tech swap out my older DVR, since I was due for an upgrade to one of their newer HDTV receivers. And I doubt that it’s mere coincidence that the functionality of my Marantz SR 6012 has become “wonky” since then. Right off the bat, let me say that nothing was changed connectivity wise. The new DVR was simply placed in the rack and all existing HDMI connections between it and the amp, the TV, blu ray player, etc. were exactly as before. The problem I’m now having is that EVERY time I turn on the Direct Tv receiver and my Panasonic plasma TV, the Marantz automatically powers on as well! This NEVER used to happen before. And it’s not an issue of the Marantz receiver responding to the same remote code as either the DVR or TV. I thought it might be this at first, so I tried turning on both devices by using the buttons on the actual units (no remote) and the Marantz powered up again. This may seem, at first, to be a minor quibble. You’re likely thinking - just turn off the Marantz if it doesn’t need to be on, right? No, because here is the annoying part. Once the Marantz gets powered up in this manner, it ceases to function normally - i.e. - I get NO sound output whatsoever on ANY selected source. If I select cable/sat input , I get video from whatever program is tuned in , but no sound. If I try a blu ray and select that source, I get video playback, but again, no audio. Even if I try to play a regular audio CD, I see confirmation that the track is playing but there is NO audio. The only way I can regain normal function on the Marantz is to unplug it for a minute or so. I found this out from a Crutchfield tech who suggested trying what’s called a “soft” reset by unplugging unit for a minute or to and reconnecting. While this did in fact work, EVERY subsequent time I power up the Direct Tv receiver, the same thing happens again and again. Not only is this a hassle, as I’m not wanting to go through this **** every time, I fear it can likely screw up the receiver after doing it time and time again. Does anyone have any idea what’s going on or how to fix this? I eventually plan to call Direct Tv , although I predict they’re likely going to blame OTHER equipment. The Marantz is less than a year old, so I’d be surprised if the problem lies with it. And as I said earlier, this started going on immediately after switching out the Direct tv box, and I had ZERO issues before that! Please help! Thanks

 

[DrDon]

DirecTV questions should probably go in the DirecTV Master Thread, as I don't think many of those guys venture over here.

You might first check the Owner's Thread for your Marantz in our AVR section. This sounds like a feature of the Marantz that got accidentally enabled. Side story: I have a power strip that's designed to do this. Shut off the AVR and everything else is shut off five seconds later. Turn it on, and everything powers right up.

The short solution is to not turn off the DirecTV receiver. There's really no need to as the power consumption is nearly identical whether it's on or in "standby." If the Marantz functions normally with the DirecTV receiver powered up all the time, then do that.

Additional possibilities: https://www.avsforum.com/forum/90-r...530-av-receiver-auto-auto-off-auto-sense.html

 

[soundbuff]

Thanks to DrDon for his response/suggestions to my questions. Thanks for steering me to the right forum threads regarding this issue. I had no idea where to initially post this. I am in fact, currently using your short term solution of keeping the DVR always on. My only concern with that was will it stay too hot from never going off, though it is on top and I’m making sure the air vents are never covered. I just thought it weird how this just started happening right after the new DVR was set up, since all the connections remained the same. I will check out those other forum links you gave me. Thanks again😊

 

[DrDon]

If you're worried about the heat, you can buy a cheap USB-powered cooling fan to set on top of it. Or A/C. Whichever's easier. All my gear sits in a linen closet with the door open and a tabletop fan on the floor aimed upwards. My gear, including both DirecTV tuners, has been on 24/7 for over a decade. Everything's plugged into UPS backup power for protection and to make sure power failures don't interfere with recordings.