721 Tuner Input 1 - stick a fork in it!!

[EvanS]

Well it looks like a done deal, my 721's #1 input is fading fast.
I, like others, have noticed my 721 PVR event playbacks pixelating and losing sound for a few seconds at a time, in addition to getting a more and more frequent "Lost Lock on Input 1".

Oddly enough, even though it seemed SO unlikely that this could be s/w related, this problem almost completely cleared up after getting the 1.12 download. This was in direct conflict with what others have reported. But that was until this week...:hair:

I used to ONLY get the pixelization and for the last 3 months it seemed to get worse over time, then I also stared to lose lock on Input 1. But, until this weekend, a reboot would clear the lost-lock problem for at least a week (at least as for when I was watching) But now this last week has seen the pixelization increase to where it occurs at least 15 times in a 1 hour show and now this weekend I have lost lock on Input 1 approximately 60% of the time and rebooting may or may not clear it, even temporarily.


sigh...at the beginning of June I signed up for the extended warranty just for this reason. Looks like I will find it to be money well spent.

This had GOT to be a problem with Tuner #1. I used this weekend to reaim my dishes, swap inputs, change cables, remove SW21's...basically connect the 721 with every combination or switches, cables and inputs that can be conceived with my QUAD LNB main Dish500, 148-looking dual LNB and pair of SW21's. So now even when I DO have a lock on Input 1 the signal strength is just about 50% of what can be seen on Input #2 for the same TP.

just wnated to vent and let you know...cuz I sure had good luck (pixelization not withstanding) and thought I was in the clear. Maybe I was living a charmed life since my 501 still is running fine after more than 2 years. SIGH.....guess my luck ran out :shrug:

[Bill D]

I would suggest anyone exhibiting these pixelation problems to watch most of your important stuff and get it RA'd, it will get worse, you have a bad tuner, many of us have gone through this months ago (I got my original in July and my replacement in December.)
It will get worse and it is not software related, don't let the Dish tech people re-wire your house over the phone, simply swap cables if the problem stays, then they shouldn't give you a problem, they have had to had dozens of these go bad no matter how much they tell you that you are the first.

[Jacob S]

Agreed with Bill. If it is a hardware issue it is still possible for it to look as if it is getting better but then it will get worse. The problem will come and go but more often. I have also tried to reboot with it solving the problem temporarily until tuner 2 starts pixellating not long after the reboot but it acts normal at first. I wonder if that in itself would suggest something.

[EvanS]

yep sounds like a plan.
Curious though, concerning the extended warranty that I just signed up for...should I NOT contact DISH until after my 30 day period is over and I then have coverage? I'd hate to report this now and then have them claim that it was a pre-existing condition or something like that.

[Jacob S]

EvanS, I would wait until the coverage starts before you call them. Just as you said, they will say that you got the extended warranty just to get it replaced for nothing after you knew the warranty ran out. Its not your fault that they have issues with their hardware and it should be replaced anyways. Its a shame that people have to go through this to get them replaced after the warranty up when they have hardware issues.

[Bill D]

Evan, when did you get your 721, I got mine the first week they were out I believe it was in July which means I still have coverage, which also means I should add the extended coverage now if it takes a month to activate

[Big Bob]

Evan,
(and anybody else who is pixelating)
What are some of the specs of your system. Lets see if there is any common elements to the units with problems.

What type of LNBs do you have?
switches?
Serial Number on the unit?
When and where did you buy it?

My guess is that there is a some sort of common problem that can be identified

[Jacob S]

Another thing is that one might want more time to get all of the recorded videos off of the pvr before sending it off. An extended warranty would be great for that if you are close to the end of the warranty and have issues with the receiver.

[Filip1]

Evan, I'm thinking the same thing as Bill, I'm fairly sure the 721 has a 1 yr warranty. It's unlikely, because of it's release last summer, that yours is a year old. You could, and probably are, still under the original warranty.

[Bob Haller]

Theres a rumor its a known hardware tuner problem. Oddly enough the 301 tuners dont have any oif these issues and they are likely cheaper since its a low end unit.

[EvanS]

DUH!!! it IS a 1 year warranty!! sheesh, somehow I got it in my head that it was 90 days and din't even bother looking. So I guess I should start getting this stuff off of my HD so I can get this going! Oh well, probably should have the ext warranty anyway. Thanks for the heads up guys
BTW I have not had "lost lock" at all, and have only seen pixelization twice since I originally posted this!! go figure...

as for specs, I guess this could be interesting.
DISH500 main dish with QUAD lnbf
3 outputs used... 2 go to a sw21 to combine a single output from another DISH 500 with DUAL lnbf and go to the 721.
3rd QUAD out goes straight to a 501.
Cable run is total of 40 feet.
Purch from DishDepot in Sept 2002

[Bill D]

Someone made a correlation that possible heat has caused these to go, but I wonder how long people have had them since the tuners went bad. I had mine about 4 or 5 months before it started showing some problems.

[Jacob S]

That is a possibility that something could be causing the tuners to go bad. I have wondered myself why it would be a particular tuner, not both, not happen right away but later on, and especially why it would happen in the pvr units but not the 301's.

[RuhiA]

Replacement unit will have only 90 days of warranty even if your original purchase warranty will last longer than that. It is just unfair but that is what it is. It's not only Dish, other companies do the same with the replacement units (factory re-conditioned, refurbished, etc). I had a out of box Apple monitor failed and tehy replaced it right away with a "refurbished" one with 90 days warranty. Long story...

When I had my 721 RA#ed, the tech I talk to said something like there is a "timer" issue between the tuner and HD, therefore the pixelation and sound droping.

Ruhi

[Jacob S]

Dish had told me that it was 1 year replacement. I had some replacement receivers where it would be longer than 90 days and they still got replaced, under the warranty.

[BobMurdoch]

What are the problems being experienced? Mine is doing fairly well after 9 months. I get some pixellation issues only when a new timer is activating for a second or two, but then it clears up.

[Jacob S]

I wonder if that second or two of pixellation is due to the hard drive initiating the task putting more of a load on it.