What HR20 Issues are being worked on?

[Ken S]

We see a lot of the same posts and complaints in here about fairly serious bugs, missing features with the HR20.

Things like Dual Live Buffers (or the SLB issue), Channels I Receive, Not being able to edit a Record Series if there are no episodes scheduled, and so on.

Are any of these even on a to do list?

[Earl Bonovich]

Out of the three you listed...

I can tell you for certain.. .the CIR issue (which is not HR20 releated)...
Is (and has been) being worked on... However... the proper fix is pretty large scale, hence why it is not done yet.

As for the "List"...
No one here has ever seen the official formal list that DirecTV uses... (and if they have, they most certainly won't be able to post about it).

DLB is still on the table... it has not been crossed off.
Editing a Record Series, with no programs... That will be addressed...

What else?

Trickplay is a two fold thing, and yes that is continued to be worked on.
SLB, they have seen the recent length threads on it... not sure what there plans may be with regards to it.

What else?

[MikeW]

I already have SLB (single live buffer).

What is SLB?

[Doug Brott]

I already have SLB (single live buffer).

What is SLB?

I think this refers to the broken nature of the Single Live Buffer. It seems to be working better now than it did a few releases back, but I'll still reserve my opinion as to whether or not it is working properly yet.

The biggest thread discussing this -> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=84453

[n3ntj]

Does the SLB issue mentioned above have to do with the live TV buffer sometimes working and sometimes not when watching a recorded program? I've also seen it working better lately, but I am not on the most recent CE.

[Doug Brott]

but I am not on the most recent CE.

No one is at this point .. the most recent CE (0x15a) has been abandoned for the new National Release (0x15c).

And yes, the thread I mentioned is exactly that SLB issue. It's not clear if it's 100% fixed yet, but it's certainly closer than it was.

[veryoldschool]

SLB, they have seen the recent length threads on it... not sure what there plans may be with regards to it.
I started a thread about single live buffer a CE or two ago. Mine almost never worked while watchings a recording.
For the past CE or the one before, I've had do problems with single live buffer.
In the thread I started, there was one posting with it not working.

[Doug Brott]

In the thread I started, there was one posting with it not working.

I think that might have been me :lol:

I'll watch out for it in 0x15c to see if it reappears. I neglected to look for it last night as I was watching programs (I pre-downloaded the NR yesterday evening).

[rminsk]

I can tell you for certain.. .the CIR issue (which is not HR20 releated)...Why is it not a HR20 issue? My old Sony SAT-B50 can scan for channel I receive.

[Ken S]

These are off the top of my head. Obviously brott has compiled a more complete list.
Obviously, I don't expect to get their bug/feature list (although some companies do make them available), but it'd be nice to know they're at least working on an issue/feature.

1. Speed of changing channels
2. Speed of Information screens on things like MLB EI (Data services). Both the speed of the screen draw and the update speed of the actual data.
3. Equivalent to Tivo Unboxed - This is a very nice service.
4. Equivalent to HomeNet - it's poor to have more than one DVR and not have this available in a home. If D is dead-set against this feature I'd just like to know the reasoning.
5. Sound out of sync with picture issue.

[morgantown]

4. Equivalent to HomeNet - it's poor to have more than one DVR and not have this available in a home. If D is dead-set against this feature I'd just like to know the reasoning.

If you are talking about what I think you are (i.e., record a show on one box and be able to share it with other DVRs in the same house) DTV specifically mentioned that a few days back in their quarterly conference call, IIRC. They said they were working on it, again IIRC, and looked forward to a delivery date.

As far as dual live buffers and the rest -- they'd all be welcome features on my HR20! Moving from several rock-solid DirecTiVos to the HR20 certainly is not all bad (ah hem, MPEG4) but I'll be the first to admit that I've been spoiled by the DTiVos.

Not saying the HR20 is bad. It could be much better however...

[Earl Bonovich]

Why is it not a HR20 issue? My old Sony SAT-B50 can scan for channel I receive.

Scanning for channels is not the same method they use for the Channels I Receive.

Channels I Receive is based on your packages you have paid for.

[braven]

I don't really notice any differences with the new release.

[fl_dba]

To me trick play is the area most in need of improvement. It works alright for SD recorded programs but local HD (MPEG4) it is almost unusable. Rewind more often then not just causes the video frame to freeze while some unknown (and variable) amount of rewind takes place so when you hit play again you may have rewound alittle or alot or not at all. Makes fast forwarding through commercials so time consuming because of overshoot (solved on HR10-250 long ago) that I often hit play before the end of the commercials so I don't have to play rewind roulette.

[Doug Brott]

Single Live Buffer is still not 100% fixed. I had mixed results last night. One of my systems did not have a buffer when I returned. Something had started to record on what should have been the "other" tuner since the channel that was up had not changed, but the Live TV Buffer was gone.

I had paused a previously recorded program for an extended period (~ 2 hours), but the channel did not change. There should have been a 90 minute buffer on the channel that I was "viewing" since it was on the same channel after the pause as it was before the pause.

On my other HR20 later in the evening, I was able to rewind and catch the last few minutes of American Idol since the recording cut off about 3 minutes too early (AI ran over). In the past I could rarely if ever do this. So SLB works sometimes, but as of 0x15c, it does NOT work all of the time still.

[CobraGuy]

I realize that many of these issues are difficult to resolve. I also realize that D* is feverishly working on resolving these. But they need to throw more resources at this unit and make it all it can be...was designed to be...and most importantly, what it was advertised to be when we signed on the dotted line.

Earl, I realize that much of this puts you in a bad position. I don't know if you realize it or not, but many of your posts are defending D*...and that's fine. It actually is productive to the rest of us to see your insight as to what they are doing. However, D* truly has brought a very inferior product to market. Not only inferior in what many of us are used to (not promised by D*) but inferior in many of the basic features they do promise. Right now, it's not a matter of losing current customers, (I'll bet that is minimal) but it's a matter of not getting new customers due to all the publicity of the problems. I had a co-worker ask me this week about D* because he wants NFLST. I told him I honestly couldn't recommend them for HD service at this time. He'll wait.

We do have choices. We are seeing some go to those other choices. I choose to wait it out since I see such a concerted effort by D* to fix what they have and add what we want...such as DLB. But if they can't fix what they advertise as having, then many will leave. And don't try and stick us with that commitment contract crap...that dog won't hunt. If D* can't supply what we signed up for, we won't be held to a commitment for a service they couldn't provide.

I hope your listening D*. I've been with you since the beginning. I have no desire to leave. But I do have my limits.....

[Ken S]

Part of the reason I ask about whether D is working on these issues is I suspect what we're really going to see is a new unit with some of these features and fixes...and the owners of the HR20 left in the cold.
The only reason that won't happen is that D probably isn't making much, if anything, on the units themselves so a new unit won't mean more revenue.

We'll see.

[Earl Bonovich]

I realize that many of these issues are difficult to resolve. I also realize that D* is feverishly working on resolving these. But they need to throw more resources at this unit and make it all it can be...was designed to be...and most importantly, what it was advertised to be when we signed on the dotted line.


You can only throw so many resources at an issue.... for some of these the reason has to be found... and then fixed... as many will tell you... the fix is usually the easiest part... finding the reason is usually the difficult part... and not one necessarily resolved by throwing more resources at it..


Earl, I realize that much of this puts you in a bad position. I don't know if you realize it or not, but many of your posts are defending D*...and that's fine. It actually is productive to the rest of us to see your insight as to what they are doing. However, D* truly has brought a very inferior product to market. Not only inferior in what many of us are used to (not promised by D*) but inferior in many of the basic features they do promise. Right now, it's not a matter of losing current customers, (I'll bet that is minimal) but it's a matter of not getting new customers due to all the publicity of the problems. I had a co-worker ask me this week about D* because he wants NFLST. I told him I honestly couldn't recommend them for HD service at this time. He'll wait.


In all honesty... that is not the intent... but if that is how you are interpretting it... so be it.... People as the questions... I answer based on the information I have.... I can only post what I know.... if people find my posts "defending"... well... again that is there interpretation..

IMHO: I think the HR20 for everything that I use it for... for my personal usage... I think it is a far better product then what I had before... as of today.... I personally like the GUI better... I like the scheduling better... I don't have any of the issues that many of you report (no missed recordings, I haven't had a failed recording in months, no consistant audio drops)....

You all can derive your own opinion on the unit... plain and simple... if you think it is inferior... so be it.

I personally, for the most part have stopped posting that... as I am tired of being attacked for it... people think I am lying... or I am a DirecTV shill...
Fact is... even if I was not the "person" I am in this forum world... I would have the exact same answer.

Some of you have had hellish times... but that doesn't necessarily mean everyone has... in 7 years... I have seen people that have had NIGHTMARES with other DVRs... TiVo Included... Does that mean the TiVo product is bad? Same with DishNetwork, Comcast, and I have talked to people with TWC and others....

I am not here to change your mind.... Not my job... not my purpose.
You are all grown people (at least I think so)... you are capabable of own opinion... you don't need mine forced on you...

As to my "answers" they are what they are...
If the point is reached that people stop wanting the answers that I have access to... My fingers can use the break from the typing...

I have been accused by others (not necessarily you), as being used as a DirecTV pawn... that I have lost my way... that I have no idea of what I am saying anymore... that I just repeat what DirecTV tells me to repeat...

The only I answer I have to that... thanks for the vote of confidence...

(and cobra... sorry for the rant... all of this is not based on your post, but on PM's... posts on other forums/blogs/emails ects... )

[Earl Bonovich]

Part of the reason I ask about whether D is working on these issues is I suspect what we're really going to see is a new unit with some of these features and fixes...and the owners of the HR20 left in the cold.
The only reason that won't happen is that D probably isn't making much, if anything, on the units themselves so a new unit won't mean more revenue.

We'll see.

There are no plans to release a "new" HD-DVR in the near future...
The HR20 is the platform that they are going with today, and for the near future... it is their fondation receiver for pretty much all their future offerings that have been announced.

[Stuart Sweet]

...

The only I answer I have to that... thanks for the vote of confidence...

You go Earl!

Hey you all, Earl takes a lot of heat around here and doesn't get a lot of credit. I for one am appreciative of all he does here. He's the reason we got an early review of the HR20 (and the R10, R15, Sat-Go, D12, on and on). He's the reason we have Cutting Edge. He's the one we all ask when we can't figure something out, and he's the one who takes the heat for DIRECTV's business decisions.

He actively discourages people from thanking him or singing his praises, so I'll keep this brief. Just... thank you.

[veryoldschool]

You go Earl!
He actively discourages people from thanking him or singing his praises, so I'll keep this brief. Just... thank you.
+1 [to be brief too].

[MartyS]

The only I answer I have to that... thanks for the vote of confidence...

Earl, since I have Comcast as well, I frequent those forums too. I have to agree with you. There's just as many issues with the Comcast DVR's, particularly the Motorola ones, but Scientific Atlanta as well, that are being "reported" on the forums (using the word reported instead of "b*tched about").

Regardless of what someone thinks is wrong with the HR20, I too have not had any major issues since installation last November. I may not like the way that some of the features work, or I think they should be better, but they work none the less.

Would I like CIR, sure. Would I like DLB, sure. I'd also like Pizza and Hot fudge Sundaes to be healthy. Just like CIR and DLB, someday they may be, but missing those features doesn't hinder my ability to use the HR20.

As others have said, I've learned more from this forum in the 6 or so months I've been out here than I did in the previous 10 years with either D* or cable.

I don't see shilling, I see a dedicated group of people trying to help each of us reach what we feel might be utopia with our respective equipment. Utopia means different things to different people, so helping everyone reach that state would be impossible.

I for one hope that you and the rest of the group keep doing what you're doing. Pass on as much information to D* as you can from this forum, and pass on as much info to this forum from D* as you can.

It's a two way street, and you're in the middle, and that's probably the worst place to be. I appreciate what you've done and what you're doing.

[veryoldschool]

I'd also like Pizza and Hot fudge Sundaes to be healthy.
Don't tell me they're not...!

[Earl Bonovich]

Please... don't turn this into a make Earl feel better thread...
That is not necessary in the public threads... (I am fine)

Not the purpose of my previous post.... I think the week of training classes is getting to me (that and some other things)..

Everyone is entitled to their opinion... period.

:backtotop

[Ken S]

I'd rather it be turned in to a make Ken feel better thread :).

I didn't post this thread bashing anyone...just was disappointed in the latest patch and was wondering if some of the (my) bigger issues were even going to be considered for fixes/addition.

[Earl Bonovich]

I'd rather it be turned in to a make Ken feel better thread :).

I didn't post this thread bashing anyone...just was disappointed in the latest patch and was wondering if some of the (my) bigger issues were even going to be considered for fixes/addition.

I know you didn't... your post was fair and really on topic on what things should be posted as...

My little rant back there isn't directed at you... or really anyone in specific..
It has just been a very long 48 hours...

So my apologizes to anyone that thought I was attacking them as an individual...

:backtotop

[MartyS]

Don't tell me they're not...!

If you ever saw the Woody Allen movie "Sleeper" you'll know that one day Hot Fudge Sundaes will be the healthiest things for you!

[MartyS]

Okay, Earl... I won't make you feel better. But seriously, when I used to run forums on Compuserve, everyone accused me of being a shill for Compuserve, and not the Sysop on the forums I was running.

Every once in a while it felt good to hear something positive, even if it only is that one day Hot Fudge Sundaes and Pizza will be healthy! :D

[Sixto]

Interesting thread.

When I saw the voting to rate the current release (x15C) that just went national I really had to think about why I wouldn't give it an A.

Still struggling with MPEG-4 Trickplay but other then that everything is perfect. It records every show, it plays back perfectly, UI is quick, can watch and use UI at same time. Overall, box is just fine.

The HR20 for the wife and kids ... can't say that they've made 1 negative comment in 2 months ... not a peep ... flawless. I usually keep them away from any CE's.

Not sure why some people have issues and some don't but it seems like we're light years past the issues from late-2006.

For HD, once the new satellite is "live", there's nothing better then D*.

Also now enjoy MLB-EI with the 2 HD games per night and looking forward to NFL-ST with the additional CBS-HD games this year.

BTW, I decided not to vote in the report card thread. Wanted to vote A- or B+ because perfection (A) just seems too nice and B seemed too low ...

... and can't imagine an A til DLB.

[Doug Brott]

BTW, I decided not to vote in the report card thread. Wanted to vote A- or B+ because perfection (A) just seems too nice and B seemed too low ...

... and can't imagine an A til DLB.

It's OK to not vote in the Report Card thread of course, but I tried the +/- scale in the last two CE report cards. Turns out if I just used the letter grade and ignored the +/- of each answer the end result was the same. So, if you want to vote A-, then just choose A - if you want to vote B+, then choose B. It may not be exactly what you personally want, but once all of the votes are considered collectively it works out the same either way.

[leww37334]

I guess I am one of the lucky ones, in that I never used a TIVO (no expectations). But I have not had a single (knock on wood) real issue with my HR-20. I really can't understand how an identical box design with identical software can have such a wide range of different problems for other users, even as far as people who have had more than one box, but obviously it is happening.

I really think Directv owes these people, who are really having issues, new boxes, but I am afraid that many of them have so many recorded programs that they would never be able to switch.

I would advise Directv to implement a way to transfer programs from one HR-20 to another so people could swap their boxes and not lose their recordings, and then institute an aggressive recall program to get these bad boxes out of circulation.

This would show that Directv is really customer focused and would help prevent the black eye that continued HR-20 problems will eventually give them.

[CobraGuy]

(and cobra... sorry for the rant... all of this is not based on your post, but on PM's... posts on other forums/blogs/emails ects... )

Absolutely no apology necessary Earl! I didn't take one word you wrote as offensive. In fact...just the opposite. It was constructive.

As you are frustrated with many of the comments you receive publicly and privately, I am frustrated by what I've lost by upgrading. However, there are times when I forget what I've gained by upgrading. HD and 5.1 are the single biggest reasons I upgraded...and those work extremely well. So I should be happy...and for the most part I am. It's a loss of DLB, etc that drives me nuts. CID that is intermittant and requires a reboot every couple of days. All in all, the HR20 has provided me with MOST of what I desire. Maybe I shouldn't bitch as much as I do...

As I said in my original post...regardless of the "tone" of your posts (or how I intertpret them), I appreciate all of them. Thank you for spending the time you do here.