Speed Channel stuttering

[Cyclone]

I noticed this last night, but I thought it would just be a temporary situation. But here it is the following morning and I'm watching F1 qualifying. Boy the stuttering is terrible, it is almost as if there are frames being dropped.

I hope Dish isn't punishing News Corp for F/X or DirectTV adversity.

Is anyone with Speed on D* or Cable see this, or is it a E* only issue. Also I'm watching via Dish 6000 with 7.78 software. This is video only, the audio is ok.

[shy007]

It's fine on directv.....

[SamC]

Remember that the video portion of F1 coverage is produced by the home country TV, which means its generally the British or continental European standard. The downconverter is not perfect when its done live and on the fly.

[gpflepsen]

It's doing it for me during the Grand Am race in Ohio. It was doin it last night during Dave Despain's show. I have seen this many times in the past too.

[Darkman]

Speed Channel stuttering

So what... - So are some people out there :D ("chit" - Am i Bad)

Just joking only, of course :lol:

[Cyclone]

:D

I see it on the PAX 181 even worse.

[Darkman]

Maybe it's like "virus"... - contageous :D

[pjboud]

I saw the same thing all throughout the red sox game on NESN last night.

[PhilcoFord]

I saw the same thing all throughout the red sox game on NESN last night.

The Movie Channel East was stuttering last night too. WTF?

[Cyclone]

Are all of you using Dish 6000 receivers?

[ptighe]

I have noticed the exact same behavior, on Fox Sports Detroit, and Disney East. Dish said it was a bad receiver and to replace it. I'm quite unhappy about it. And yes, it's just my 6000, probably not enough memory to handle the high compression.

[edeclark]

I have noticed the exact same behavior, on Fox Sports Detroit, and Disney East. Dish said it was a bad receiver and to replace it. I'm quite unhappy about it. And yes, it's just my 6000, probably not enough memory to handle the high compression.

Yes, I have posted about this in a different thread. The "discrete HD/SD codes removed from 7.78 firmware" or something similar to that.

All 6000's here? Good. Well, not good....but I'm glad its not just me. Its a "stuttering video" problem right? Not the audio really but a real choppy picture. I'd be ticked off if they tried to tell me I had to replace a 6000! They tell everybody that when there is a problem I think.

Is it the new firmware?

[edeclark]

I think its getting worse and spreading to more channels. Is it Live, Memorex, or 56k streaming video I'm watching here? The receiver seems like its being overworked to keep up. This could also explain my slower channel changes + the delay when pressing remote buttons too.

Please fix this problem with the 6000's people.

Thanks.

[edeclark]

Hello all,

There was a follow-up post to this from someone experiencing the same problem but it was lost in the server crash. I had an email containing the contents of the post but I deleted it.

Could someone with Echostar contacts PLEASE tell them to work on some new firmware to undo whatever they did with the 778 update that is causing this jerky video and delayed reaction?? That did it. The next time I'm offered an update I'm not taking it until I'm sure its running smoothly.

Sh*t happens though and I don't exactly blame Dish. I only hope they are working on fixing the problem instead of telling people they need new HD receivers.

Didn't they send a firmware update not that long ago that made the 301's virtual doorstops for awhile?

Thanks.

[Nathan_R]

well, this thread finally encouraged me to register (again :D).
While the stuttering is terrible, I'm glad to know it's not just my 6000.
Best regards,
~~Nathan

[ptighe]

All,
I spoke with Dish again this evening, and the suggestion was to file an "uncommon trend" report with the engineers. They also suggested that other subs do the same, it apparently will help escelate the issue. I for one am very angry, first I had Dish tell me my tv is too big (36") and then that my 6000 was defective, and to buy a replacement. Now the truth comes out.

[Cyclone]

Ok, I opened a "uncommon trend" report also. I suggest that anyone else do the same. Make sure to do a Hard boot (pull the plug) a smart card pull boot also before calling them. Then verify that you still have the problem. They will ask you to do these things when you call.

[edeclark]

I'll have to do that too.

I can't believe they told you your TV was too big ptighe! Isn't that what HD receivers are FOR? I have a 52" widescreen and it worked fine until recently.

They are likely ignoring the problem because when it comes right down to it the 6000 model probably only accounts for a small fraction of subscribers. Also, it'd be to their advantage to encourage you to purchase another 6000 or one of their new HD receivers coming out later this year.

Everybody please take the time to call so they feel the pressure to resolve whatever is wrong.

[RAD]

I was trying to watch 205, FOX News, and got this stuttering (also was on 204 CourtTV). I've seen in on other channels, it comes and goes, but I've seen it only since the 778 upgrade.

I got through to advanced support, we tried a few things then he went to his 6K and saw exactly the same problem so they now know that they have hardware with the same problem. He was going to go talk to an engineer right away to see if they are aware of the problem and if not let him know they have something they need to fix ASAP.

I mentioned this thread to him and he said he'd also pass it along so keep your cards and letters coming. Hopefully it won't take too long to either get a fix in place of back the 778 code out. RAD

[Mike123abc]

I saw this for the first time today on Fox news... Turn to Channel 205 and watch the scrolling news running on the bottom of the screen... You will really see the studdering there.

[RAD]

I saw this for the first time today on Fox news... Turn to Channel 205 and watch the scrolling news running on the bottom of the screen... You will really see the studdering there.

As mentioned in an earlier post we all need to call into Dish and get advanced support to create a problem report on this.

I'm also now seeing this on 191, TechTV and 214 Weather Channel.

[Darkman]

ya - call dish and complain about this, their advanced support or tech department should definatly have to be made aware of this problem...

[Bichon]

It isn't just the new firmware. I still have 777PCNAD-N, and my 6000 is stuttering and jerking on Fox News Channel like a bad Internet video stream.

[pinkertonfloyd]

Same going on here, Fox News is skipping so bad I can't really watch it, Food TV and Travel Channel doing the same. Like watching slow scan TV.


6000 here, my DishPlayer is working fine.

[31Media]

Hmm.....I've been seeing it for the last almost 2 weeks on 116 - Game Show Network on my 301. The stuttering is actually better now than it was a week ago. Then, you couldn't get through a 30 min show without it stuttering several times. It dosen't seem to be as bad now.

I've also seen it stutter on TechTV and Fox News (again, on my 301).

Something is definitely wrong. And I don't think it's specific to one tp either. Let's see here, out of all the channels, the only common thread is that they are all on E*7. I hope this isn't a precursor to a larger problem with the satellite. If it is, then we may be in for it. Everything in the 119 slot (AT50, AT100, RSN's, about half the locals, some of the Dish on Demand channels, a great deal of the internation programming) is on E*7. Maybe I'm reading too much....I hope I am.

[31Media]

Checked another 301, it's having the same problem, if slightly worse.

Friend's House down the street has a 501, I'll see if I can take a look at it tomorrow (It's too late tonight)

[RAD]

I have a 501 and 508, neither of them are having the problem, only the 6000. It gets stranger.

[music_beans]

My (or our) 301s are ok. No stuttering. (I hope i didn't overlook anything.)

[31Media]

This is, an excercise in bizarrity (is that a word?)

[31Media]

And now, the main 301 is fine.

Hasn't stuttered since I did a reset a few min ago. Not even having problems on FNC.

[John's Sat]

My 6000 is stuttering also!

[edeclark]

Music_beans:

You'd be sure to see it if it was happening. As many have pointed out--anything with a scrolling line on the bottom is very VERY obvious. Try 205 Fox News. For me there is a delay too when pushing the info or cancel button which brings up a banner when I'm on a channel that is stuttering. Anybody else noticing that???

I have a 2700 that is working fine so far..... I didn't realize it was on the 6000 *and* 301 too.

Something is messed up.

[music_beans]

Not me. Pushed cancel, and info and nothing obvious. (Need to test other 3 recievers)

[Cyclone]

My 4900 is AOK, its just the 6000 that is stuttering.

[PhilcoFord]

I spoke with Dish tech support this morning after noticing the jerky news ticker at the bottom of CNN and FOX News. At first they blew me off and told me to replace all my cables... but after asking for a supervisor I was told that this issue was reported to engineering yesterday and they they are aware of the problem and are working on a fix... They said it affected only 6000s...

[Darkman]

If you would not ask for supervisor, i'd bet they'd just blow you off...

[Greg Johnson]

It seems like it's getting worse. It's on every channel I've tuned to so far this morning. Guess I'll be watching TV in the bedroom tonight.
No one has mentioned this yet but I think our bills should be adjusted for this.

Greg

[gpflepsen]

I just spent about an hour on the phone with them.

I went through the rebooting, plugging into other outlets and the whole troubleshooting routine. They wanted me to swap out my two receivers (location problem they thought) and that's when I wouldn't go any further. After having the tech person tell me that the 6000 will not upconvert the 480i SD signals to 720p, I told her to stop before she loses credibility with me. I asked for a supervisor.

After talking to a supervisor for a while, I asked if they had any 6000's hooked up via HD to anything. He said they did. He went and checked it out and said he's seeing the same thing. EUREKA!!!

Finally!!! They see the light!!!

I had told them many others had been having the same problem, but they seemed to not want to listen and believe me.

I am seeing this on the HD side of the 6000 over the VGA connection. Is this how others are seeing it? Do you guys see it on the S-Video or Composite signals?

[gpflepsen]

I am seeing it on SD output too.

[ptighe]

Last night I noticed the stuttering on HBO2 and ESPN2A (146) as well. I'm extremely unhappy. I will be contacting Dish to solve one of two problems. 1) I want a credit for half my bill, period. This is my main TV and the one I carry HD content on, and it's unacceptable. If/When they won't accommodate me, I'll call DirecTV. I'm just so fed up with this issue, and the constant lying by Tech. support. I have written a letter concerning this.

[gpflepsen]

I have not noticed the stuttering on HBO HD, the HD demo channel or my OTAs (HD or SD).

Does the problem reside in the SAT SD>HD up-converter?

[RAD]

I have not noticed the stuttering on HBO HD, the HD demo channel or my OTAs (HD or SD).

Does the problem reside in the SAT SD>HD up-converter?

It doesn't look like it since if I switch the 6K to SD output I see the same problem on the S-Video connection.

[edeclark]

I have my 6000 hooked up to my VCR & TV 3 different ways. It does the same thing through the S-Video connection & component video connections directly to the TV and the composite video connection through the VCR.

It just started out on a few channels but it sounds like but its spreading.

I know there was one person that said they have the same problem and still have the 777 firmware but does everybody else now have the 778 update?

[gpflepsen]

I seem to recall having this stuttering problem a while back (months ago) but it wasn't this pervasive.

[RAD]

I've sent an e-mail to ceo@echostar.com referring to this thread and one over on AVSForum, hopefully someone will get this resolved ASAP.

[BrianC]

I noticed this problem last night on my 6000 and posted about it on the AVS forum.

Try this: Go to a station that is 'stuttering' then go into the Diagnostic menu of the 6000 and perform a main unit test see if you get VRAM failure (it's intermittent, you may need to test once or twice). I'll bet a lot of you do. I'm hoping this is just a bug in the software. But it's obvious Dish may have broken something in their latest software update. If alot of these fail I'm hoping it can be fixed with another software upgrade.


Brian

[gpflepsen]

My 6000 was just freaking out. I'd put an OSD and it would be hashed up, like an interlacing problem. The left half would be on the right and the right would be on the left.

I think they're tinkering.

[pinkertonfloyd]

Its getting worse over here. I haven't called yet, I should. I'm too afraid I'll just yank the service if they make me go through the diag b.s. for a known problem.

Hmmmm, I saw DirectTV HD boxes at a local retailer for $350.00 the other day...

[RAD]

This is getting worst. I'm now seeing it on The History Channel, 120 and TNN, 168. I'm also still seeing it only on my 6000, the 501 and 508 are OK.

[ptighe]

There's worse, and just plain horrid. I now cannot watch ESPN, TBS, TWN, Fox News, or just about ANY channel on the 119 bird. Anyone else think they may be transmitting a terrible (read super-compressed) signal, and the lowly 6000 (with it's lack of RAM) is showing the first effects? Anyone got an old 1000 working?

[Cyclone]

This problem seems to be escalating in severity over time. I posted this last Sunday when the problem was consistantly bad. I had noticed it about 2 days before, but I figured at that time, it was likely a problem at the source of the channel and not Dish's problem. It has been building up ever since.

Who wants to place bets that by Friday all dish 6000's will be locked up?

[ptighe]

Update, I've got a 2700 also, and I have had no such stuttering. However, and I believe this to be important, I have begun to get a fair amount of pixelization. This is on the worst of the stuttering channels, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox News. What is so odd about this is 1) it's clear outside. 2) my signal strength it locked at 114 out of 125. I'm positive it's not a signal problem, but I'm wondering if it's an over compression issue, and the receiver handles it differently. My anger only increases. If it's not fixed when I get back Sunday night, someone will have to work REALLY hard to not get me switching to DirecTv on Monday.

[Cyclone]

Is anyone keeping an eye on Cuba?

[RAD]

My anger only increases. If it's not fixed when I get back Sunday night, someone will have to work REALLY hard to not get me switching to DirecTv on Monday.

With the total screw up on how Dish has handled the 921 (promises promises) and stalling on adding HD programming this problem is making it harder to justify waiting it out for Dish to make good on their promises. I've not had any response from ceo@echostar.net about this problem. The clock is ticking Charlie!

[music_beans]

Who wants to place bets that by Friday all dish 6000's will be locked up?

I do. ( :D Hey, I don't even have a 6000! I bet by friday, they will throw a BSOD at ye olde 6000 users! )

[Greg Johnson]

Music Beans, I'm confused. What is a BSOD?

[music_beans]

Blue Screen of Death, as commonly seen on Windows 95/98/Me when it crashes.

[RAD]

Scott, do any of your sources at Dish have any idea on what the heck is going on???

[edeclark]

Has anybody noticed it yet on any of the 110 channels?? Just wondering.

[Mike123abc]

Well now it seems that first level customer support has been informed about the problem. As soon as she saw I had 6000s on the account they told me that they were aware of the problem and were working to fix it. I asked if there was any way to get credit for the days it takes to fix it, and she said she would note it on the account.

It gives me a headache to watch it... Went to Best Buy and got some new DVDs to watch until Dish is fixed... will have to watch DBStalk to see when the problem is fixed. How are they going to get this fix notice out? If they have to send out a new update they will have to get everyone to turn off the units to download it.

It is happening on a lot of channels now. I reset my 6000, did an NVram wipe, switch test, you name it I tried it, it just stays the same. One has to wonder if they changed compression technology and they are having problems when the bit rate goes too low...

I have guests coming to stay, guess if Dish does not have it fixed by then I will have to explain that Dish is not normally this twitchy.

[John Quaglino]

I spent 45 minutes on the phone. Got put through to advanced tech support. After having me jump through the hoops, they finally tell me it is a known problem with the 6000 and they are working on a fix. It should be corrected with the next software release. I asked if it was a problem with 778 software. His response was we don't know but it seems to be affecting 778. I asked was it do to a new compression or something that changed. His response was "honestly Sir we do not know what is causing it!" I suggested rolling everyone back to 777 until they figure it out. He told me that is not being considered. I suggested he buck it up the change.

I next asked when they hoped to have a fix for the problem they cannot identify. It should be fixed in the next software release which is scheduled in a month but he could not be sure. My response "So I'm expected to wait and watch this crap." His response "Your 5000 is working ok, isn't it."

I'll give them a few more days but I'm getting very close to switching to DirectTV. This is unacceptable. Roll us back until you figure it out! They have had several days to look into this now and still do not have an answer. Pitiful!

[edeclark]

A MONTH? Seriously? I guess its a good thing I will be out of town for 10 days in the upcoming month.

I guess they figure as long as you have a picture at all (or another receiver to watch) that its not that big of a deal.

[ari_c]

I am having the stuttering problem on my 6000 and I am still running on 777. So I don't think it has anything to do with the 778 update.

[ptighe]

I am having the stuttering problem on my 6000 and I am still running on 777. So I don't think it has anything to do with the 778 update.


I whole heartedly believe this to be a compression issue. Either they changed the algorithm used, or just uped the compression a ton. Either that or something's wrong with the Sat. and they are transmitting a high error rate. Anyone know of any ways to see data rates on these boxes? I'd love to see the error counts and such stuff.

[Bobby94928]

I had the problem on 777 and now on 778.. It seems we discussed this a few weeks back and determined that it all had to do with transponder 4, I can't remember which bird. It is pretty bad on the Food Channel.

[Mike123abc]

Since it is only on some channels it has to be an uplink issue. I doubt it is anything with the satellite, more likely they changed the compression/mux hardware on a few transponders and this problem popped out. There is probably a bug in the 6000 MPEG-2 decoding software/hardware that is being excited by a new compression scheme.

To me I have found stations on 119, transponders 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 problem. Essentially every transponder but 15. I only recieve the superstations on 15. I have not seen the problem on 110 yet.

It makes me wonder if they got some snazzy new compression hardware and have been installing it on 119, and perhaps a few too many B frames or something for the 6000 to handle...

[zztzed]

We've got two 301s here -- one in the den, running P182, and the other in my room, running P189. I saw stuttering earlier on the one in the den (it was on Game Show Network at the time -- I don't know if it does it on any other channels). I don't watch a lot of TV here in my room but I haven't noticed any stuttering on any of the channels I watch regularly (Cartoon Network, Fuse, Comedy Central).

Incidentally, I have experienced very minor stuttering on my 301 in the past -- it was nowhere near as bad as this, though. It basically just looked like a frame or two was being dropped every few seconds, but the audio would keep going, and the problem would usually go away if I switched to another channel and back. I haven't seen this in a long time, though.

[Jerry 42]

I just spoke with Executive VP Office at Echostar. Many of you may have the number 866- 4XX-XXX. They asked me not to publish it.

I got the same reply-
"Mr Ergan and the other VPs are aware or the problem WITH THE 6000. The engineers are working on it. It may be hours or several days before it is fixed they just do not know."

I guess all we can do is show Echostar how many subscribers are affected. Perhaps they can move it to the top of the list.

[gpflepsen]

I just spoke with Executive VP Office at Echostar. Many of you may have the number 866- 4XX-XXX. They asked me not to publish it.

You mean the 866-44x-xxxx number? :)

Which extension do you use? I use 3xxxx.

I usually e-mail a person there for my questions and get good responses. Though the last two weeks I haven't had any replies to one question, "CART HD on Dish Network next weekend?"

[N2Tronix]

I have 2- 508's and a 501 and all three are stuttering. It's very noticable on channels 110 & 116. I guess the 6000 problem has infected the rest of us now. I called and was told to reset the box and check the switch. It worked for 5 minutes.
P.S.
There's not a cloud in the sky today, so it's not the weather.

[mds54]

Another Dish6000 owner here with the stuttering problem....I emailed Echostar about it.

Along with the lack of HD programming (ESPN-HD, HDNET, etc.) or any announcements of such, I am extremely close to switching to DirecTV at this point.....

[boba]

It's not just 6000s my showroom 508 and my home 501 are also glitching. I'm just glad I plan to switch to Directv for NFL Sunday Ticket Sunday when the new promotion starts. Maybe if enough people leave DISH will get the message to stop BETA testing software on customers.

[RAD]

For what it's worth. I called Dish today and asked if we would receive a credit on our bill until this is fixed. The rep said he didn't know but would check. He came back and said we would get a credit from the day we reported it until Dish has it fixed. So, if you haven't called it in I suggest that you do, at least make Dish pay some $'s for their mess up.

[DarrellP]

My 6000 is doing it too & I called Dish last night & was told they are aware of it & are working on a fix.

I've also seen a lot of what looks like frame skipping on my 501. It's a different effect than the 6000 stuttering issue. I thought my 501 needed a reset but it doesn't seem to help.

[Mike123abc]

If it has spread to other recievers now they really have a huge problem. There may not be many 6000 users out there, but if the other recievers are doing now, you know the sparks are flying... My digital locals are at least not studdering, so just watching locals mostly. It is really annoying I cannot even have the TV on and work on the computer, my eye keeps catching the studdering and distracting me.

[N2Tronix]

I called twice and was told it was an equipment problem. When I told them it was stuttering at the same time on each receiver, they told me it's my SW64 switch. I don't believe it's the equipment, but they are sending me a new switch at no charge (warranty and one time waived shipping charges). They wouldn't say it's on their end no matter how many people I talked too. If it's on their end, all they had to say is "there's a problem and we're working on it" and I would understand. To always say "it's your equipment" doesn't make me think better of them. Don't they make the equipment? I know they are not infallible (remember 110 outage a while back).
Sorry, just venting a little.

[pjboud]

I just got off the phone with tech support. They guy i talked to, obviously was not aware of the problem. I patiently let him run through some diagnostics, switch checks, signal strength, etc. When he suggested I try changing cables between my receiver and tv I'd had enough and asked for a supervisor. She failed to acknowledge a problem, she said they would have gotten a lot of calls by now on this issue and she also suggested I change cables to the tv. I think Direct tv is in my near future.

[pjboud]

Sent this email to ceo@echostar.com:

Dear sir,

I have been a Dish Network customer for a year and a half and until now I've been a happy one. Recent events have changed that. I chose Dish because of your commitment to High Definition programming, so I purchased a 6000 receiver. In the last couple of days I've noticed that on several channels there has been a "stuttering" problem. It is most noticeable on channels with scrolls on the bottom, such as all the news channels, and during shows with lots movement, like sports. I occasionally view internet web sites that discuss DBS issues, such as dbstalk.com and avsforums.com, for updates on upcoming channels, programming etc. and lo and behold there's a 3 page topic devoted to other 6000 owners who've experienced the same problem. I decided to call customer support to let you know that I am one of the growing numbers experiencing this problem. Instead of acknowledging the issue, I was told it was a problem with my receiver. I think that it would be quite a coincidence for so many 6000 owners to experience the same issue at the same time and it be a receiver issue.

I'm very displeased with your company right now. You no longer a leader in HD. You make promises of HD programming that you continually delay. You expect us to continually pay more for HD equipment, while your competitor does not. Things need to improve quickly or I'll be enjoying my HD programming from the HD leader, DirectTV, very soon.

[31Media]

I'm continuing to see stuttering (on both 301's here at the house) especially on 116, and occasionally some stuttering on other channels (all on 119, the 110s still seem to be working)

6000 people (since y'all seem to be worst off):

Are any of the channels on 110 doing this yet? So far, as I was saying before, and it still seems to apply now, all of the reported problems are confined to 119 channels. Still wonder if it's a sign of a larger problem with E*7 (The Sat @ 119)

[RAD]

I've not seen the problem on any 110 channels, only 119. Something else a bit strange happened yesterday. Both my 501 and 508, when I tried to use them, showed a black screen. The channel banner was there but no audio or video. I had to do a reboot on both of them and they came back OK. Still no problem with the video on either the 501 or 508 but the 6000 is almost unusable for watching Dish.

[Lee L]

Has it been determined that this only affects 6000's? I think I've noticed something similar with my DishPlayer and BBC America lately. It may be unrelated as the quality on BBCA does leave something to be desired at times and I had just chalked it up to converting from PAL to NTSC but several shows (Ground Force and Homefront in the Garden to name 2) have scrolling credits and they have been very funky recently plus the show has an overall weird look to it.

[gpflepsen]

Where can I get a list of 110 and 119 channels?

[DarrellP]

You "Noobs" to the 6000 world really need to cut Dish some slack. Ive had my 6000 for almost 3 years (very early adopter) and Dish has always been extremely proactive on getting problems fixed for the 6000 and writing code to make it do things that even some newer models today can't do. You can bet your A$$ Dish knows about this issue, is working on it and will get it fixed as soon as they identify the problem.

Have some patience.

You other people posting about Dish saying it's a hardware issue, you did not identify what receviers you are using. If you have a 6000 they do know about the problem. Please specify your equipment when posting or you help nobody with your info.

Thanks.

[Bobby94928]

Where can I get a list of 110 and 119 channels?


For 110:
http://www.lyngsat.com/dig/dish110.shtml

For 119:
http://www.lyngsat.com/dig/dish7.shtml

[gpflepsen]

For 110:
http://www.lyngsat.com/dig/dish110.shtml

For 119:
http://www.lyngsat.com/dig/dish7.shtml

Thanks, of the very few 110 channels that I get, none have been stuttering.

Note: 6000 user.

[RAD]

You "Noobs" to the 6000 world really need to cut Dish some slack.

Sorry Darrell but I don't agree. Things just don't 'break' on their own to this magnatude. Something on Dish's end changed and any organization worth a grain of salt would have a change control process in place see what changed when the calls started to come in then back the change out until they can figure out what went wrong. This also points to Dish's quality control for changes being sub par, as is usual for Dish.

Dish is also to blame for making folks that are now calling in on this problem just through the hoops of doing resets, switch checks, etc when they know there is a problem with 6000's.

I called this into Dish on 7/22, others called it in earlier. The tech that I talked to in advanced support was able to recreate this problem on their 6000 receiver so they have a test bed to work with. It's now 72 hours later and the problem is still occuring. Not even my old cable company would have a problem that lasted this long before correcting it. Dish owns the centers which does all the processing on the signals, they own the uplinks, they own the satellite and they have total control over their set top boxes. Dish has nobody to blame but them selves for whatever is happening and needs to take full responsability and much quicker actions then they have done so far to correct.

I've given myself until Monday to see if they get this fixed. If not I will start the process of seeing what it will take to switch to DirecTV (which I also used to have and never had a problem like this). Rick

[TRTG]

I too having been seeing the same problems all week. I talked to tech support yesterday. We did all the normal signal & switch tests which passed OK. He then told me that this was a known issue. He talked to advanced tech support. He said that they are aware of a problem with the 6000 & are working on a fix. He said they do not yet have a fix. Since those with model 6000's are likely a small minority I am concerned about how much of a priority this will be for them. If this continues I will ask for a credit on my subscription.

[Pegasus]

Why would I cut them some slack for a box that I spent over $600 dollars on, in addition of the $110 a month on programming that has not worked properly for 4 days?

I was also told it was my cabling that was bad!

[DarrellP]

Maybe the people that are jumping through hoops don't know how to communicate effectively to the CSR's. I called and explained the issue, that it was happening on the 6000 and not the 501. I told her I had already done a card yank, power off/on, reset, checked switch, etc. I am a technician so when I talk to these people I know what I am talking about and I don't back down and let them tell me what to do. Trust me, having a firm stance works with Dish.

RAD, I agree with you that they do need to have a better control on the issue but at least they won't leave us hanging for long.

TRTG, I've been through some of these glitches and they've always been fixed rapidly.

[RAD]

Here's something to check. My Dish 501 and 508 have a newer smart card (the one with the yellow center) and they are working fine. My Dish 6000 has an older smartcard that has a blue center and it has the problem.

Maybe the folks that are saying they are seeing the problem on receivers other then the 6000 should check to see what version of smartcard they have in their failing receivers, I'm curious to see if it's the older card.

[pjboud]

Darrel, I was very firm with the tech support supervisor that I talked to, however she was adamant that there were no problems on their end. I don't think she was try to lie about, I truely think that she didn't know. That doesn't excuse her from blowing me off. Here's a response I got from my email to ceo@*******

Dear Mr. X,
I assure you we are actively working on the solution for the stuttering picture issue. You can be sure our engineering staff is burning the midnight oil to resolve the stutter. I don't have a time frame on when it will be fixed, but it is a top priority.

Thank you,

[N2Tronix]

[QUOTE=You other people posting about Dish saying it's a hardware issue, you did not identify what receviers you are using. If you have a 6000 they do know about the problem. Please specify your equipment when posting or you help nobody with your info.[/QUOTE]


Posted at 1:21 pm--I have 2- 508's and a 501 and all three are stuttering. It's very noticable on channels 110 & 116. I guess the 6000 problem has infected the rest of us now. I called and was told to reset the box and check the switch. It worked for 5 minutes.
P.S. There's not a cloud in the sky today, so it's not the weather.

Posted at 7:21 pm--I called twice and was told it was an equipment problem. When I told them it was stuttering at the same time on each receiver, they told me it's my SW64 switch. I don't believe it's the equipment, but they are sending me a new switch at no charge (warranty and one time waived shipping charges). They wouldn't say it's on their end no matter how many people I talked too. If it's on their end, all they had to say is "there's a problem and we're working on it" and I would understand. To always say "it's your equipment" doesn't make me think better of them. Don't they make the equipment? I know they are not infallible (remember 110 outage a while back).
Sorry, just venting a little.

How much more info do you need?
Reading is fundamental. :confused:

[edeclark]

They have updated their firmware on the 2700 & 3700 receivers back down to 766P as of today. There were 'issues' with it apparently. Why don't they try the same thing with the 6000? I didn't notice any problems at all with 767 that they had on my 2700 so for so many people to be seeing problems with the 6000 you would think they would at least TRY to roll back the firmware to an older version. I find it frustrating and odd that my 2700 asked if I wanted to download the latest update this morning and I went to turn on my 6000 and no message about it when THAT was the one I expected it on! They fix something that isn't broken and ignore something that is broken? I said NO to the update on the 2700 by the way. NO NO NO! But every time I turned it off I got a nag when I turned it back on so I just left the damn thing on and am not turning it off! I've learned my lesson with accepting firmware before I hear feedback on it. Now I read that its 766 again so there shouldn't be any problems with it since it was thoroughly tested when it was on the receivers for the last year so I MIGHT let it update later this afternoon if I don't hear any complaints about it.

I am very confused.

[Jerry 42]

Following is the e-mail reponse from Echostar's Executive Office (I delete names as it was a personal e-mail).

Mr. XXX,

I assure you we are actively working on the solution for the stuttering picture issue. You can be sure our engineering staff is burning the midnight oil to resolve the stutter. I don't have a time frame on when it will be fixed, but it is a top priority.

Thank you,
XXX
Executive Office of XXX

[DarrellP]

pjboud, it's odd that a Super would say there's no problem when the lowly CSR I spoke to could pull the problem up on her monitor. Go figure.

Jerry, thanks for the update, that's pretty much what the CSR told me when I called.

[Bichon]

They have updated their firmware on the 2700 & 3700 receivers back down to 766P as of today. There were 'issues' with it apparently. Why don't they try the same thing with the 6000?

Man, you people with 778 are stubborn. Read the thread, Those of us with the old version of the firmware (777) are having the exact same problem. Same stuttering, same claymation motion. Believe me, you would be just as miserable rolled back to the old version. It must be something else they did that caused the problem.

[Zach2]

I have the model 6000 receiver and all my dish channels have been stuttering or whatever you call it for a few days now. I did call Dish and after doing the usual BS of turning it on and off the guy said that they are doing something w/ the satellites so the signal my be lost for split seconds at a time and should go away in a couple of days. Makes little sense but hopefully it does go away.

[pjboud]

UPDATE!!

I complained further about their response when I received that last email and here is the respose I received:

Mr.*****

I have just been informed the stuttering should be gone tomorrow morning. I will process a 7 day adjustment on your account.

Loleen

[Bichon]

pjboud,

That's great news. Let's hope Loleen is right.

Was your mail to the "ceo@echostar.com" address? I wrote yesterday and haven't received a response.

[edeclark]

Well WHATEVER Bichon. Revert the bit*h back to 776 if they have to. Whatever takes care of the problem. Have Charlie get on a rocket and go and do handstands on the satellite if it works. I don't really care. It may not be the firmware itself but its something that they started messing with around the TIME they introduced the new firmware so its not illogical for us 'stubborn people' to think that the firmware is the problem.

Going back through 4 pages of posts I see 3 people total that said they have 777 by the way.

[Bobby94928]

Going back through 4 pages of posts I see 3 people total that said they have 777 by the way.

I began having the problem when I still had 777, the change to 778 didn't change anything.

[DavetheDuffer]

I have talked to Dish now three times. I also have the 6000 unit and they say that the problem is with all of the 6000's. The first two times they said that they were aware of the problems and working on a fix - but had no estimate of how long it would take. Today when I talked to them they claimed that they had hopefully found the problem and were testing the fix on their own equipment to make sure that it works before downloading to users. I didn't get a feeling of there being a high degree of confidence on the part of the tech giving me the info.

Since upgrading to software version 778, the change of channels and other reactions to the remote have also slowed down considerably.

I don't feel totally satisfied that they will get this resolved in the near future.

[edeclark]

Since upgrading to software version 778, the change of channels and other reactions to the remote have also slowed down considerably.

Thank you. I was hoping someone would be able to verify a similar problem with responsiveness that I was having. Have you noticed that the problem is mainly when you are already viewing one of the jittery channels?

[Greg Johnson]

It looks like it's fixed. Fox news ticker is smooth as silk. I wonder if we'll ever find out what the problem was. I sure would like to know.

Greg

[rjruby]

It looks like it's fixed. Fox news ticker is smooth as silk. I wonder if we'll ever find out what the problem was. I sure would like to know.

Greg

I've been watching Fox News also on channel 205 on my 6000 for 10 minutes and haven't seen it stutter yet.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Bob

[Cyclone]

Problem? What problem. There was never a problem. We must have been doing something wrong. Maybe you accidentally reset your cables last night. ;)

[Mike123abc]

The problem is gone on my receivers now. This is with both software version 777 and 778 (I only upgraded one receiver just in case there was a problem with 778). I can say that both software version were jittering exactly the same, and now both are fixed.

Since it was fixed without us having to go to 779 or something similar it tells me it had to have been fixed at the uplink center (since I did not see a new satellite launch ;) ).

I seem to remember there was a problem DirecTV had not too long ago when they put in a new compression scheme and some of their oldest boxes would not work with it. I wonder if the same thing happened with Dish? I wonder if we will ever hear from Dish what the problem was?

[Dgenx321]

Oh great, my 3900, yes 3900 us stuttering on ESPN2 and soem other channels.

I was trying to watch The Season: A Rod last night and it happened every couple of minutes minutes. It had done it on Monday night when I tried to watch Raw on TNN and I really didn't think much of it. And I've noticed it more and more over the week.

[John Quaglino]

Yes, it seems to have cleared up for now. Hopefully, they have learned the limits of compression on the 6000 and they will not drop below again!

[RAD]

My 6K is also back to normal. It would really be nice if Scott could get someone at Dish to let us know what happened vs. the usual code of silence that occurs when things like this happen.

[chelsea]

The problem, they'll never tell. My guess, testing their card swap
options. Blue you stutter. Yellow your Super.

[DavetheDuffer]

Thank you. I was hoping someone would be able to verify a similar problem with responsiveness that I was having. Have you noticed that the problem is mainly when you are already viewing one of the jittery channels?


It seems slower overall, but very slow when the channel change needs another satellite. It seems to have trouble finding a new satellite that my non-hd receivers don't have

[Bichon]

It may well have been an overcompression issue. I found one channel that still has the stuttering issue. It is channel 651, a new Korean channel currently in free preview. At the moment, it has a ticker at the bottom, and is demonstrating the same kind of stuttering that Fox News had, although somewhat less severe. Not a problem for me, as I don't speak Korean.