[bodhi78]



Quote:
Originally Posted by wajo /forum/post/18035028


The 7K1000.C must be new cuz the Hitachi website still shows only the 7K1000.B and Search can't find the "C" on their site.


The C increases start/stop cycles to 300,000 vs. the 50,000 of most all other drives, and the media transfer rate of 1589 Mb/sec is embarrassingly high for our meager needs!

It's a keeper. Thanks guys for the info. I was surprise, too, to get this new model, not the P7K500. I've looked for the retail version of the P7K500 just to see if it's indeed being closed out, and can only find the bare drive for sale, so I guess it is.

 

[artwire]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bodhi78 /forum/post/18036414

It's a keeper. Thanks guys for the info. I was surprise, too, to get this new model, not the P7K500. I've looked for the retail version of the P7K500 just to see if it's indeed being closed out, and can only find the bare drive for sale, so I guess it is.

increases start/stop cycles to 300,000 vs. the 50,000 of most all other drives,




Guess we lucked out and this is one of those rare instances when a mix of old recorder and new model hard drive offers best of both worlds.


Got me thinking, though , as I just bought a Hitachi deskstar for my computer, but did not check the serial number of what was sent , since it was bought from a third party vendor in their quad enclosure, not sent in the original Hitachi box. For years I've relied on Seagate Barricude, but avoided them this go-round because the previous model had serious firmware issues (and the older model that I knew was still good was no longer stocked) Would not have been happy if they had swapped reliable old model for crummy new one, that's for sure. Our 2160 upgrade situation seems to be the opposite -- wouldn't it be ironic if our little cheapo video harddrive ends up with better specs than the fancier new one intended for the computer .

 

[Ghpr13]

I used VOD from Dish to watch The Hangover and since I had it for 48hrs I decided to try to record it to my 3576 HDD. I have a Dish VIP722k connected to a A/V composite switcher that's connected to my 3576. My LCD is connected via HDMI to both the 722k and the 3576. Usually when I record something from the 722k to the 3576 I hit "play" on the 722k, then switch my LCD input to the 3576 to preview how it looks coming from the switcher (there's usually some PQ lost because of the composite connection). Anyway, once I'm see things are working OK, I restart the program on the 722k and then start up my 3576 to record.

Well, when I tried to record The Hangover using that procedure, every time I switched my LCD input to my 3576, all it would record is a blank screen. As long as I left my LCD input on the 722k, the 3576 recorded without a problem. It seems that the 722k, somehow senses that the input on the LCD has changed and blanks out the screen. When I switch the LCD back to the 722k input, the screen would still be blank, and the program was not playing. I would have to go back and bring up VOD, then My Rentals, then restart The Hangover.

This has never happened with any programs (regular or premium channels) I have recorded on the 722k HDD so I guess it has to do with the VOD and how's it stored in the 722k...Interesting, IMHO.


Ghpr13

 

[7558037]

Ghpr13, great info... I've added it to the help file for recording/copying from a STb/DVR here.


I think this shows that an HDMI connection, with its EDID and HDCP communication with an attached HDTV, can cause some "interesting" situations where HDMI should be considered in troubleshooting some rec problems, particularly when it comes to suspected copy-protection?

 

[artwire]



Quote:
Originally Posted by wajo /forum/post/18040872


Ghpr13, great info... I've added it to the help file for recording/copying from a STb/DVR here.


I think this shows that an HDMI connection, with its EDID and HDCP communication with an attached HDTV, can cause some "interesting" situations where HDMI should be considered in troubleshooting some rec problems, particularly when it comes to suspected copy-protection?

Re your notes on the STB recording, the same situation applies to my Comcast Moto DCH 3200 stb (without DVR) . You can set the program timer (you cant set actual time -- you have to select the program you want to watch from the guide) on the STB, pad it up with some extra time before and after (so you dont see the annoying text overlay "reminders" that cannot be disabled on the Moto STB) , then set the 2160A timer for the same time and it will grab the line input. Voila. Ordinarily I just leave the STB on the intended channel if I want to record, but if there are a few upcoming shows, this timer function is very handy, even though it means you have to set them both separately. It also lets you record on demand content to the 2160 (connected by svideo to the STB) -- at least that applies to the free on demand content such as tv shows from previous weeks - I haven't tried it with pay-per-view movies, which probably have more restrictions, since I dont cusomarily rent them from cable co, but maybe someone else can address that.


Never tried to import streaming video, but I'd be curious if anyone has had any luck with that format.

 

[7558037]



Quote:
Originally Posted by artwire /forum/post/18041010


Re your notes on the STB recording, the same situation applies to my Comcast Moto DCH 3200 stb (without DVR) . You can set the timer on the STB, pad it up with some extra time before and after (so you dont see the annoying text overlay "reminders" that cannot be disabled on the Moto STB) , then set the 2160A timer for the same time and it will grab the line input. Voila. Ordinarily I just leave the STB on the intended channel if I want to record, but if there are a few upcoming shows, this timer function is very handy, even though it means you have to set them both separately. It also lets you record on demand content to the 2160 (connected by svideo to the STB) -- at least that applies to the free on demand content such as tv shows from previous weeks - I haven't tried it with pay-per-view movies, which probably have more restrictions, since I dont cusomarily rent them from cable co, but maybe someone else can address that.


Never tried to import streaming video, but I'd be curious if anyone has had any luck with that format.

Man, this is good stuff!

I added a link to your post to the "TIPS" section of that help file and added names of the "tipsters" (here) .

 

[Ghpr13]



Quote:
Originally Posted by wajo /forum/post/18040872


Ghpr13, great info... I've added it to the help file for recording/copying from a STb/DVR here.


I think this shows that an HDMI connection, with its EDID and HDCP communication with an attached HDTV, can cause some "interesting" situations where HDMI should be considered in troubleshooting some rec problems, particularly when it comes to suspected copy-protection?

Wajo,

Glad my info could be of interest to others. Looking back, this could have been why I thought I needed a Video Stabilizer to copy VOD or PPV movies to my 3576, not knowing that switching my LCD inputs was causing my 722k to cease playing the program.

Ghpr13

 

[artwire]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghpr13 /forum/post/18041608


Wajo,

Glad my info could be of interest to others. Looking back, this could have been why I thought I needed a Video Stabilizer to copy VOD or PPV movies to my 3576, not knowing that switching my LCD inputs was causing my 722k to cease playing the program.

Ghpr13

Ghpr13, I'm curious -- have you tried connecting at least one of them with a component video instead of HDMI? It might retain the high quality but eliminate the need to keep the LCD off ?

 

[7558037]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghpr13 /forum/post/18041608


Wajo,

Glad my info could be of interest to others. Looking back, this could have been why I thought I needed a Video Stabilizer to copy VOD or PPV movies to my 3576, not knowing that switching my LCD inputs was causing my 722k to cease playing the program.

Ghpr13

Either ceases playing the program or just not outputting it on the composite or S-Video connection that ALSO has a HDMI connection.


It might be interesting to confirm whether the STB/DVR, connected to a TV via HDMI, actually stops playing a PPV/VOD program altogether, or if it cuts off the analog output to a recorder that's connected to the TV via HDMI?


However, I guess the takeawy is to choose another DVDR output to the TV (composite or S-Vid) on this DVDR when recording PPV/VOD from a DVR?

 

[artwire]

re above comcast timer discussion - I clarified my first comment above because I thought it might be confusing.


You cant set actual time on the STB -- you have to select the program you want to watch from the cable guide) on the STB -- if you want to start early or end late, you can either pad up the "start/end" recording settings by x minutes using the STB menu option, or if you're not watching anything just before, you can simply start the STB for the previous program. Once the STB channel is switched, it stays there til something comes along to make it change. So no need to cut it extra close for timer recordings.


Since the 2160 is so easy to edit, if you're not sure of a start time because of program overrun -- like with the recent state of the union -- you can just pad the recording on the 2160 and not bother setting the + - 3 minutes setting on the STB. (It would be nice if you could do that globally, but you have to add extra time EACH time you set up the STB to 'record' the program/ It's a shame you cant just disable it -- the message telling me the recording is about to start lingers so long, sometimes it interferes with the start of the actual program

 

[Vidgamer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JER01 /forum/post/18024575


Hi all,


I don't know if this has been posted here before, but I think this is REALLY neat.


You put your country & zip code in the window & it takes you to a site that spits out all your OTA & QAM Channels.

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels


....

Jer01

Hey, that is just what I was looking for. Nice.

I also got the difference in numbering that was mentioned. If I want a channel on 85-102, let's say, on the 2160, it ends up on 85.2. This correspond's to Wajo's FAQ explanation on remapping, but what wasn't clear (to me) in Wajo's post was that it seems to take all of the 85-whatever channels and collapse them to .1, .2, etc. Not positive that they are all in order, but after viewing the 84 and 85 channels on both the DVR and TV, it appears to work that way. (Note that the analog channel is a completely different number and doesn't appear to be associated with the digital channels, so I'm not sure where the virtual channels come into play.)


So, using the link to obtain the channel numbers, one needs to re-sort on the actual number to at least get them in order in order to predict the likely number in the DVR. But that's relatively minor -- I think that having the actual number to start with is a big help.

 

[7558037]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Vidgamer /forum/post/18041900


I also got the difference in numbering that was mentioned. If I want a channel on 85-102, let's say, on the 2160, it ends up on 85.2. This correspond's to Wajo's FAQ explanation on remapping, but what wasn't clear (to me) in Wajo's post was that it seems to take all of the 85-whatever channels and collapse them to .1, .2, etc. Not positive that they are all in order, but after viewing the 84 and 85 channels on both the DVR and TV, it appears to work that way. (Note that the analog channel is a completely different number and doesn't appear to be associated with the digital channels, so I'm not sure where the virtual channels come into play.)

Oh, oh! Might have to clarify my help file?


For ref., here are the digital channels I get with their corresponding 2160 channels, showing how the 2160 "collapses" them into its own subchannel sequence:

HDTV Ch.	2160 Ch.	Notes
75-10	75.1
76-1	76.1
78-300	78.1
83-205	83.3	83.1 & 83.2 Scrambled making
83-754	83.4	83.3 & 83,4 "Hidden" from my initial Auto-scan
84-2	84.1
86-2	86.1
86-703	86.2
86-706	86.3
86-711	86.4
89-712	89.1
89-713	89.2
89-733	89.3

 

[Vidgamer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by wajo /forum/post/18042028


Oh, oh! Might have to clarify my help file?

....

It's probably just me. Once I compared the two, along with the listing of available channels, then it was more clear to me how it was renumbering.


Anyway, yeah, your example matches what I saw -- if there are "holes", they are probably scrambled channels. The listing from that website was helpful too. I think I can work with this!

Another thing that I read over again today, just to be sure I got it right, was the bit about the aspect ratio. From one of the FAQ pages:

Quote:
This means, you can set your 16:9 TV for WIDE, and the actual pic for both 4:3 and 16:9 WS programs ON DIGITAL CHANNELS will show in their natural AR, either full-screen 16:9 or as a 4:3 pic nicely packaged with PB bars.

I set it to WS/16:9 a few hours after getting the unit, but most of my digital cable channels are broadcast as 4:3 but are still stretched out -- changing the aspect ratio doesn't affect the view -- all three settings look the same. Is that right? I expected the 2160 to put vertical bars on the sides, according to the above, but it doesn't. I also saw the note about it not "taking" the selection sometimes, and I've tried reselecting. Not sure what is going on here!

I wonder if the cable company is leaving out some indicator as to whether the channel is really in 4:3 or not? Although, my TV properly PBs the same channels.

 

[7558037]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Vidgamer /forum/post/18043519


I set it to WS/16:9 a few hours after getting the unit, but most of my digital cable channels are broadcast as 4:3 but are still stretched out -- changing the aspect ratio doesn't affect the view -- all three settings look the same. Is that right? I expected the 2160 to put vertical bars on the sides, according to the above, but it doesn't. I also saw the note about it not "taking" the selection sometimes, and I've tried reselecting. Not sure what is going on here!

I wonder if the cable company is leaving out some indicator as to whether the channel is really in 4:3 or not? Although, my TV properly PBs the same channels.

A pic that doesn't change aspect is typical of an analog channel... changing the TV Aspect setting does nothing on analog channels.


If you scanned for Cable (Analog/Digital) and even the DIGITAL channels don't change aspect, dunno. Are you sure you pressed the TV/DTV button to change tuners from analog to digital?


What are the channel numbers that don't show as 16:9 WS as they're supposed to?


If you're on cable, you might also be a victim of cable "cheating" where the cableco charges for a "digital tier" but sends an analog signal, as described in this article.

 

[noend7]

Hadn't been here for a while so I thought I'd check to see if Funai finally updated the 2160MW9A FW. I was delighted to find your "fix". It works for me just fine!


I followed your instructions, switched to L3, erased/formatted a +RW disk, recorded a short (9 min) program snippet I'd saved to the +rw disk, and immediately played tha disk on my Blue-Ray player with no problem. Wonderful!


I'm very grateful. THANKS!

 

[Ghpr13]



Quote:
Originally Posted by artwire /forum/post/18041661


Ghpr13, I'm curious -- have you tried connecting at least one of them with a component video instead of HDMI? It might retain the high quality but eliminate the need to keep the LCD off ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by wajo /forum/post/18041688


Either ceases playing the program or just not outputting it on the composite or S-Video connection that ALSO has a HDMI connection.


It might be interesting to confirm whether the STB/DVR, connected to a TV via HDMI, actually stops playing a PPV/VOD program altogether, or if it cuts off the analog output to a recorder that's connected to the TV via HDMI?


However, I guess the takeawy is to choose another DVDR output to the TV (composite or S-Vid) on this DVDR when recording PPV/VOD from a DVR?

Wajo,

Later in the week I'll try "experimenting" with the connections and see what happens. The one thing that bugs me about the 722k is that Dish doesn't include a S-video output on it. I'll post what happens when I try what you suggested. Thanks for the idea.

Ghpr13

 

[JER01]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Vidgamer /forum/post/18041900


Hey, that is just what I was looking for. Nice.

So, using the link to obtain the channel numbers, one needs to re-sort on the actual number to at least get them in order in order to predict the likely number in the DVR. But that's relatively minor -- I think that having the actual number to start with is a big help.

Hi Vidgamer,


I don't know if you noticed, but the web page that shows all the channels, has the capability to sort by each of the columns. It first comes up sorted by Virtual ch #. But if you click on the heading on the "Channel" column, it will sort by the Digital Channel #.



Likewise, you can sort by station name, resolution, or aspect ratio.


It doesn't copy real clean to a spreadsheet, but with a little work I got it into spreadsheet format, and was able to slice it and dice it into many formats, which I printed out & keep by my favorite chair. I don't know about you, but I am finding it much more difficult to remember the multi-digit digital channel numbers, as compared to the 2 digit virtual numbers.


Jer01

 

[artwire]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JER01 /forum/post/18048999



It doesn't copy real clean to a spreadsheet, but with a little work I got it into spreadsheet format, and was able to slice it and dice it into many formats, which I printed out & keep by my favorite chair. I don't know about you, but I am finding it much more difficult to remember the multi-digit digital channel numbers, as compared to the 2 digit virtual numbers.


Jer01

Got that right, I copied it to a text file (tab delimited) then imported it into Excel , but it's still not quite aligned. The funny thing is, everything formatted like 9-1 or 7-3 got converted to dates!

Had to fix those manually --


I'm experiencing some differences between my cable RAW feed to the tv and my 2160a, as well -- not major, but a few missing in action. Going to use this to see if I can locate the strays. Channel line up for QAM changed again, recently, and I had previously done an a - o - n routine -- then rescanned, so I may have to do it again at the places I know tv station exist.

 

[JoeKustra]

Ok, so I changed the real title. But have you guys called or at least emailed Funai about this channel issue? Nothing will stop your cable feed from changing, but maybe YOU can get Funai to fix the tuner to act nice. It's not hard. Just call and ask if there is a fix yet. No big deal. And if 800+ reviews are any measure, this is one popular item. Thanks.

 

[artwire]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeKustra /forum/post/18050967


But have you guys called or at least emailed Funai about this channel issue? Nothing will stop your cable feed from changing, but maybe YOU can get Funai to fix the tuner to act nice.

Not sure it's the Funai tuner that's at fault. I think the main difference (for me) is that my tv combines analogue and digital signals so you can't tell which is which --handy but confusing. The cable co seems to still be sending them, even though they said they were kaput, or they are mapping to where they used to be (they look fuzzier than the same station on the digital side).The maggie needs to be tuned separately. I'm getting more stations on the magnavox than on the tv , especially if you count the duplicate locations. For the most part, it's the same as the tv digital - to digital tuning on the 2160 in terms of WHICH channels are received, but their numerical addresses are different in some cases, and I'm pretty sure that's not only funai's fault.


Also, that channel listing on the silicondust site cited previously aren't up -to -date for my area, so not sure I'd count on it too heavily.