721 timer "misfires"???

[SteveS]

I recently had to RA my 721 for a variety of problems. The replacement has been working fine until this AM. Now, it is experiencing one of the problems of the returned unit but not all of them. Anyone had their 721 do this ...

You set a timer through the guide to record a movie that begins at say, 4am. Check the "start one minute early" and the "end one minute late" and "protect" the recording. Later in the day you check the PVR list and there are TWO recordings with the same event name. One event is 2 minutes long and the other event is the remainder of the time of the movie (say 133 minutes). If you add them together it's all there but WHY did it fire 2 timers?

I brought this problem (among others) to the attention of advanced tech in numerous discussions leading up to the replacement of my 721 and in the discussion that issued the RA for my 721. In just speaking to advanced tech again they said "this is not a known problem" and "no one here has ever heard of this problem".

Anyone seen this problem on their 721?

[Unthinkable]

I recently had to RA my 721 for a variety of problems. The replacement has been working fine until this AM. Now, it is experiencing one of the problems of the returned unit but not all of them. Anyone had their 721 do this ...

You set a timer through the guide to record a movie that begins at say, 4am. Check the "start one minute early" and the "end one minute late" and "protect" the recording. Later in the day you check the PVR list and there are TWO recordings with the same event name. One event is 2 minutes long and the other event is the remainder of the time of the movie (say 133 minutes). If you add them together it's all there but WHY did it fire 2 timers?

Is this a guide glitch or a software glitch? Anyone seen this on their 721?

That is generally the 721 doing its job correctly when your receiver loses signal or an event being recorded is interrupted by a reboot/ glitch for some odd reason. Your receiver is programmed to return to its restored state before it was interrupted where it knows to continue recording the moment its back online. Same exact failsafe solution if you pull the power cord in the middle of an event being recorded.

[SteveS]

That is generally the 721 doing its job correctly when your receiver loses signal or an event being recorded is interrupted by a reboot/ glitch for some odd reason.

721 is on a "logging" UPS and there was NO power event last night. I'm at 7k feet above sea level and the sky was clear all night long. Signal strength was usual (and strong). The 721 was "off" so it could use either tuner to fire the timer. This event was the only timer set to fire last night. The hard drive is about 20% occupied with recordings and there are only 4 timer events set for the next week.

So, how is this problem the "721 doing its job correctly"? I do agree though with your "for some odd reason" statement.

If this is indeed normal then lots of other 721 owners should have seen it happen to them ... right?

[Unthinkable]

721 is on a "logging" UPS and there was NO power event last night. I'm at 7k feet above sea level and the sky was clear all night long. Signal strength was usual (and strong). The 721 was "off" so it could use either tuner to fire the timer. This event was the only timer set to fire last night. The hard drive is about 20% occupied with recordings and there are only 4 timer events set for the next week.

So, how is this problem the "721 doing its job correctly"? I do agree though with your "for some odd reason" statement.

If this is indeed normal then lots of other 721 owners should have seen it happen to them ... right?

I've seen it happen before plenty of times. Sometimes the receiver will spontaneously reboot in the middle of operation and you'll get this exact result. In that instance it has nothing to do with signal strength whatsoever. This isn't a bug per se although it is somewhat annoying when the receiver hiccups like this causing the event to be split into two events on your pvr list.

[SteveS]

I've seen it happen before plenty of times. Sometimes the receiver will spontaneously reboot in the middle of operation and you'll get this exact result. In that instance it has nothing to do with signal strength whatsoever. This isn't a bug per se although it is somewhat annoying when the receiver hiccups like this causing the event to be split into two events on your pvr list.

So, let me see if I understand this ... "a spontaneous reboot in the middle of an operation is not a bug per se"? Not a bug, then what is it? 721s aren't running Windows for an OS and they are not Dishplayers, they are running Linux. You might want to get yourself a copy of "Computers for Dummies" and look up the definition of the word "bug" as it pertains to computer hardware and software.

The fact that you or others are willing to tolerate the action (or inaction) does not make a "bug" not a bug.

[Bob Haller]

We have had that too. One of a long list of 721 oddball bugs. Frankoly I am sick of them....


Last time I saw this it rebboted. I happened to be watching when it occured.

[Unthinkable]

So, let me see if I understand this ... "a spontaneous reboot in the middle of an operation is not a bug per se"? Not a bug, then what is it? 721s aren't running Windows for an OS and they are not Dishplayers, they are running Linux. You might want to get yourself a copy of "Computers for Dummies" and look up the definition of the word "bug" as it pertains to computer hardware and software.

The fact that you or others are willing to tolerate the action (or inaction) does not make a "bug" not a bug.

No. Apparently you misread the reply there SteveS. Go back and reread your original post again where you wrongly insinuated that a timer misfired twice. The 501's and 508's behave the exact same way and have for as long as I can remember now when recording an event and the receiver ****'s the bed in the middle of it. Name me one PVR/DVR that can continue recording perfectly when a receiver reboots itself.

The fact that the 721 reboots itself for reasons we aren't entirely sure of right now is most likely a definate bug as are the random video and audio freezes and slow motion / fast foward freezes etc... but calling the way the 721 recovers itself and correctly continues to record the remainder of your timer after being interrupted "a bug" is grossly inaccurate on your part.

[Bob Haller]

I would call the reboot a bug, but the recovery good.

Reboots take too long and theres no way to abort the guide reload either. Both very irritating when you are trying to watch a show.

[SteveS]

No. Apparently you misread the reply there SteveS. Go back and reread your original post again where you wrongly insinuated that a timer misfired twice. The 501's and 508's behave the exact same way and have for as long as I can remember now when recording an event and the receiver ****'s the bed in the middle of it. Name me one PVR/DVR that can continue recording perfectly when a receiver reboots itself.

The fact that the 721 reboots itself for reasons we aren't entirely sure of right now is most likely a definate bug as are the random video and audio freezes and slow motion / fast foward freezes etc... but calling the way the 721 recovers itself and correctly continues to record the remainder of your timer after being interrupted "a bug" is grossly inaccurate on your part.

I never "wrongly insinuated anything". I never said "the timer misfired twice". If you take the time to read my original post ... it says ... "there are two events with the same name".

And your insinuating that the 721 "recovers itself and correctly continues" is (IMHO) giving way too much credit to the programmers who mutilated the Linux code in the 721. Any computer that CRASHES will restart itself (as long as the power is available and there is a "hard" power switch set to "on").

While I love my 721 (when it works) and have (sometimes painfully) endured many little (and some big) problems during my 5 years of being a Dish customer it seems that the engineers depend too much on their ability to make repairs and bug fixes farther down the line rather than write solid code and make features work from "jump street". In the old days we called it "selling prototypes to customers" now it seems we're all just Dish's "paying beta testers". I'd really rather just wait for a product until it IS READY FOR PRIME TIME than get it too soon and wait a year to resolve problems that never should have escaped the alpha test.

And Unthinkable, "when the 721 reboots itself for reasons we aren't entirely sure of right now" that is called a CRASH and a CRASH is a BUG of SOME magnitude.

[BobMurdoch]

I LIKE the fact that it knows to start up a second timer after a spontaneous reboot. The Dishplayer used to hiccup and then drop the rest of the show. At least the 721 knows there is a problem, recovers, and then continues recording from that point on.

Sometimes the reboot happens becuase of bad weather, sometimes because of multiple timers firing, and a few times as I was changing channels or channel skipping while a new timer was trying to fire. Not a lot (maybe once every other month or so) but it has happened.

[Bob Haller]

I wonder if there will be more people now reporting 721 bugs here? previously such reports were met with its something your doing. While often were just trying to watch tv.

With the beta tester gone a more open attitude to such problems may invite others to contribuite theirs.

BTW I was told most bugs occur at the top of the hour, due to memory coonstraints and the trickle guide updating.

[Unthinkable]

I never "wrongly insinuated anything". I never said "the timer misfired twice". If you take the time to read my original post ... it says ... "there are two events with the same name".

And Unthinkable, "when the 721 reboots itself for reasons we aren't entirely sure of right now" that is called a CRASH and a CRASH is a BUG of SOME magnitude.

You must have missed your very own thread title then. Does "721 timer misfires???" ring a bell to you or no? Your timer didn't misfire at all. It merely engaged itself properly once the receiver recovered from an unstable condition capturing the remaining duration of your program as you'd fully want it to do. A misfire would imply your 721 recorded something completely different or at a time when you didn't want it to. For all the caps lock sentiments, you need a copy of computers for dummies, you must enjoy tolerating the bugs assumptions etc... it amuses me to no end that you've rather nonchalantly missed the boat on me identifying the spontaneous reboot as a certifiable bug here. We don't disagree at all on this contention alone. My point was your program being split into two separate events isn't a bug and your timer never misfired. It's designed to record an event this way when its interrupted for whatever reasons. You may find people are far more willing to try and help you out and go the extra mile for you in the future without all the unecessary comments thrown in with wreckless abandon questioning peoples intelligences.

[Big Bob]

I wonder if there will be more people now reporting 721 bugs here? previously such reports were met with its something your doing. While often were just trying to watch tv.

With the beta tester gone a more open attitude to such problems may invite others to contribuite theirs.

BTW I was told most bugs occur at the top of the hour, due to memory coonstraints and the trickle guide updating.

I doubt it. The 721 hasn't changed in over 6 months. Almost all bugs have been found. Scott's absence won't change that.

I really doubt that people have been intimidated from posting bugs because of Scott.

You need to come to acceptance that the vast majority of 721 owners are satisfied and that you are in the minority.

[Bob Haller]

Hey I am happy most are satisfied. But theres still some unfortunates like me, and others who have problems that really bug them.

Cetrinally the E refur depatment needs some tweaking, or after a box rotates X times it should be scrapped.

I had a friend who worked for RCA land mobile radios. He said the more times they came back for repairs the worse they got. It would be interesting to see the return rate on refurbs.