View Full Version : HR20-700 - Report Card: 0x15C
Doug Brott
05-16-07, 06:05 PM
0x15C became the HR20-700 National Release on 16-May-2007.
How would you grade the 0x15C software release?
0x15C Report Card C+ (3.311)
http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8308&stc=1&d=1180017135
0x15A Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=87449) B (3.888) (CE)
0x158 Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=87213) B (3.990) (CE)
0x14f Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=85020) B (3.739) (CE)
0x14b Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=85020) C (3.072) (CE)
0x145 Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=84071) B- (3.645)
0x141 Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=83675) B- (3.582) (CE)
0x13e Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=83443) B- (3.602)
0x13d Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=82501) B (4.149) (CE)
0x134 Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=81512) B (3.846)
0x132 Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=80851) B+ (4.292) (CE)
0x12A Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=79952) B- (3.698)
0x120 Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=79059) C+ (3.448)
0x11b Report Card (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=78062) B- (3.570)
The idea of this simple report card format is to track the progress of various releases. As more data is collected, it's easy to see how one release may perform relative to another release. This shouldn't be considered an absolute scale as one question is not sufficient to get to the heart of any specific issue.
If you're having trouble deciding how to vote, the best method to use is this - "What would you say if a stranger walked up to you on the street today and asked 'How would you grade the HR20-700 software release?'." Try not to get too analytical in the process. Thank you to everyone who has participated in the past, is participating now and will participate in the future. Cheers to all.
I can not still reliably record programs. Until it get's this basic DVR function correct it will get a 'F'.
Earl Bonovich
05-16-07, 07:30 PM
I can not still reliably record programs. Until it get's this basic DVR function correct it will get a 'F'.
So with in the last 16 hours (since that is how old the "national release is, or maybe 24 if you forced it last night), you have missed recordings already?
Which ones? and how are they setup up...
What is stated in the History file for them.
Doug Brott
05-16-07, 09:43 PM
Agreed, perhaps I should have waited until morning or tomorrow afternoon to post this. Seems to me the F might have been a happy trigger finger.
Got it early on 5/16. By the night of 5/16 (less then 24 hours) it had managed to lock itself up and required a power cycle. After the power cycle to record 36 minutes of black instead of the program it was supposed to record. I voted it an "F".
THis is the first time that I've had a screen freeze on either a national release or CE. I had two of them already this morning on an SD program (JAG on USA). Watching live TV, the screen just froze, audio kept going, pause, ff, rw did nothing.
Only thing that got me back to live TV was to change channels each time.
The last thing that recorded for me on Tuesday before the upgrade was Boston Legal and The Shield at the same time.
The Shield was unwatchable last night however (after the upgrade). When I tried to play it, a message box popped up very quickly - too quickly to read what it said. The screen was black afterward - no show to watch! I deleted the show and set it up to record a rerun.
Boston Legal recorded as planned but had many more picture artifacts than on the last release.
I have had very few problems with my HR20 prior to this. I am not a heavy user though.
I've already watched two recordings on two different HR20's where I was unable to RW back through previously viewed segments. Since I consider that a DVR 101 function, I am forced to give this release an "F" as well. /s
Fish Man
05-17-07, 07:14 AM
I'm not going to officially register a vote until I've lived with 0x15c for about a week. A couple of days is not enough for problems to reveal themselves.
If I were forced to rate it today, it would get a "B", as I have had no significant problems.
(Only thing holding it back from an "A" is that trick play is still so rough, but it's no worse than it was with the previous national release.)
Also, I haven't even had a chance yet to see if CID works (my experience with the previous version was that it worked for a while after any reboot, then quit).
No one's called me while I was watching TV! Guess I'm not very popular! ;) (Actually, I've been too busy to watch much...)
OT, but Fish Man's post triggered a question. Do CID's still get logged when the HR20 is in "standby"? /s
Stuart Sweet
05-17-07, 07:37 AM
OT, but Fish Man's post triggered a question. Do CID's still get logged when the HR20 is in "standby"? /s
At least in previous releases, yes. I didn't look at the log last night.
At least in previous releases, yes.Thx. I briefly wondered if the length of time CID continued to work varied with actual use of the HR20. /s
This version is a little more than 24hrs old. I think it is too soon to draw any conclusions. Can we keep the vote open for a week?
Milominderbinder2
05-17-07, 08:34 AM
We agreed that the report cards for national releases should be cumulative. This is not a grade for what is different between the last NR and this one.
Also, please ask your household for their consensus vote.
For us it is a D.
Here are some of the Missing Promised Features from the Wish List (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=80600):
"Display only the channels that are in your current subscription package" p. 33
The ability to edit "all the programs" in the Prioritizer (even when there are no upcoming episodes) p. 28.
Apply Favorite Channels as a filter to Search for “just what you want to watch” p. 31
Search "with your desired...keyword" p. 2 - Allow @, :, etc. & better search logic - AND, OR, NOT.
Allow Autorecord after a Search by Title as described in the manual on pp. 20 & 31
Make Caller ID work reliably as promised on page 33 of the manual
"Select the Scan for Channels button to have the receiver scan local off-air frequencies" p. 78
"in 2007...customers will also be able to access...home videos on their TVs directly from Intel® Viiv™ [PCs]" - 2006 Annual Report p. 9 (http://library.corporate-ir.net/library/12/127/127160/items/242391/2006AR.pdf).Simply allowing us to filter on Favorite Channels would be such a great solution to CIR. If ever D* is able to fix the system-wide probems, great. But we get a solution that in ways is better than the system-wide solution. We worked for some time to refine this:
A Simple Channels I Receive Solution (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=913080#post913080)
We also brainstormed a great solution to the tedious menus here:
A Dramatically Faster User Interface (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=84321&highlight=dramatically+faster+user)
Dynamic numeric shortcuts would cut a Closed Captioning toggle from 23 keystrokes to 2. Toggling parental Controls is 3 keystrokes instead of 11. Do it just like your cell phone menus.
They have come so far and are so close to having great solutions to two of the worst problems.
- Craig
Doug Brott
05-17-07, 10:31 AM
This version is a little more than 24hrs old. I think it is too soon to draw any conclusions. Can we keep the vote open for a week?
The poll is open for a total of 7 days -- feel free to wait and add your vote later.
Current Results: 0x15C Report Card B- (3.500) as 0f 17-May-2007 9:28am PDT (50 votes)
islesfan
05-17-07, 10:33 AM
We agreed that the report cards for national releases should be cumulative. This is not a grade for what is different between the last NR and this one.
Also, please ask your household for their consensus vote.
For us it is a D.
Here are some of the Missing Promised Features from the Wish List (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=80600):
"Display only the channels that are in your current subscription package" p. 33
The ability to edit "all the programs" in the Prioritizer (even when there are no upcoming episodes) p. 28.
Apply Favorite Channels as a filter to Search for “just what you want to watch” p. 31
Search "with your desired...keyword" p. 2 - Allow @, :, etc. & better search logic - AND, OR, NOT.
Allow Autorecord after a Search by Title as described in the manual on pp. 20 & 31
Make Caller ID work reliably as promised on page 33 of the manual
"Select the Scan for Channels button to have the receiver scan local off-air frequencies" p. 78Simply allowing us to filter on Favorite Channels would be such a great solution to CIR. If ever D* is able to fix the system-wide probems, great. But we get a solution that in ways is better than the system-wide solution. We worked for some time to refine this:
A Simple Channels I Receive Solution (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=913080#post913080)
We also brainstormed a great solution to the tedious menus here:
A Dramatically Faster User Interface (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=84321&highlight=dramatically+faster+user)
Dynamic numeric shortcuts would cut a Closed Captioning toggle from 23 keystrokes to 2. Toggling parental Controls is 3 keystrokes instead of 11. Do it just like your cell phone menus.
They have come so far and are so close to having great solutions to two of the worst problems.
- Craig
Ditto
Michael D'Angelo
05-17-07, 10:33 AM
The poll is open for a total of 7 days -- feel free to wait and add your vote later.
Current Results: 0x15C Report Card B- (3.500) as 0f 17-May-2007 9:28am PDT (50 votes)
That is what I am doing. I like to give it 3 or 4 days.
Agreed, perhaps I should have waited until morning or tomorrow afternoon to post this. Seems to me the F might have been a happy trigger finger.Nope, not a happy tigger finger. I've already had two machines that required a reboot. Until this machine is stable it will not get anything higher than an F.
Why are you trying to discount my opinion just because I posted my results earily? If you do not like peoples honest opinion then do not post the poll.
Earl Bonovich
05-17-07, 01:14 PM
Nope, not a happy tigger finger. I've already had two machines that required a reboot. Until this machine is stable it will not get anything higher than an F.
Why are you trying to discount my opinion just because I posted my results earily? If you do not like peoples honest opinion then do not post the poll.
Why did they require a reboot? (What was wrong).
Doug Brott
05-17-07, 01:17 PM
Why are you trying to discount my opinion just because I posted my results earily? If you do not like peoples honest opinion then do not post the poll.
My apologies .. I am not discounting your opinion. Your choice carries equal weight in the results that I've posted. Your post serves as notice that my comments were incorrect. Thanks for participating.
My "F" wasn't a quick trigger either. :) Unless our experience has been that problems we have on day one sometimes resolve themselves over time, I don't see the point in waiting if basic issues are identified quickly. As Earl reminded us in another thread, there isn't supposed to be a "settling in" period... the s/w is the s/w as soon as we get it.
Now if I didn't see any immediatley obvious problems, I would have waited a few days, just in case a memory leak or some other issue might cause later problems. Just my .02. /s
I gave it an F. Why?
1. PQ is worse than before the patch
2. None of the major issues were touched with this release (this is a biggie)
3. Caller ID still not reliably working.
While I wouldn't rate the HR20 an F (I give it a C-)...this release did nothing to fix the problems I've had or give us the features they promised.
Earl Bonovich
05-17-07, 02:19 PM
My "F" wasn't a quick trigger either. :) Unless our experience has been that problems we have on day one sometimes resolve themselves over time, I don't see the point in waiting if basic issues are identified quickly. As Earl reminded us in another thread, there isn't supposed to be a "settling in" period... the s/w is the s/w as soon as we get it.
Now if I didn't see any immediatley obvious problems, I would have waited a few days, just in case a memory leak or some other issue might cause later problems. Just my .02. /s
I am not sure where I said that...
But it is true for most things in the system... but right after a restart (which occurs with an update)... there is few hour window... where there are a lot of background procedures are running... building indexes, reloading tables to memory, ect....
So right after a restart, SEARCH is not going to work right...
But in a few hours it should...
Normally this would not affect anyone that receives the update during the night, as it is usually done by the morning.
But someone that forces the update, or is up when it comes down, or had to reboot for any reason... it would have an affect..
Earl Bonovich
05-17-07, 02:22 PM
I gave it an F. Why?
1. PQ is worse than before the patch
2. None of the major issues were touched with this release (this is a biggie)
3. Caller ID still not reliably working.
While I wouldn't rate the HR20 an F (I give it a C-)...this release did nothing to fix the problems I've had or give us the features they promised.
PQ is worse? in what way? What channels? New content or existing recorded content?...
For #2) What is your definition of major issues (I am sure you have mentioned them else where... but what is major to you may not be major to the next person)
And which features are you referring to as promised for 0x15c... that are not in 0x15c? Or are you referring to features that are comming, like VOD... new GUI, streaming Video...
I am not sure where I said that...It was one of the recent CE discussions. I think you said you thought that D*'s goal was for the unit to be stable from the moment it was plugged in. Agree with you that the housekeeping stuff takes time. But the problems I experienced, maybe 12-15 hours after I forced the CE the night before, wouldn't be affected by that. (Not being able to rewind back into previously viewed parts of two different recording on two different HR20s.) /s
Doug Brott
05-17-07, 04:25 PM
0x15C Report Card B- (3.500) as 0f 17-May-2007 3:23pm PDT (72 votes)
Rambler
05-17-07, 08:07 PM
I voted a B. No problems or issues, but I'd still like to see more UI improvements. :)
brittonx
05-17-07, 08:12 PM
I won't give a higher grade Until
1.) OTA is working as well as the H20s (without me having to upgrade my antenna setup)
2.) We get the new UI (Music and Photos is a pain with the current UI)
Earl Bonovich
05-17-07, 08:15 PM
I won't give a higher grade Until
A.) OTA is working as well as the H20s (without me having to upgrade my antenna setup)
B.) We get the new UI (Music and Photos is a pain with the current UI)
Because of "A"... you are never going to give it a higher grade.
And reception issues you are having... are directly related to your Antenna and the physical tuners in the box.... there is VERY little that can be done with software to improve any reception issues.
shendley
05-17-07, 08:48 PM
I gave it a C based on trick play problems with skip to tick/beginning/end and new keybounce issues I'm getting that I haven't had before except when my remote was in RF (it's in IR now). This is a real step back as far as I'm concerned.
brittonx
05-17-07, 08:58 PM
Because of "A"... you are never going to give it a higher grade.
And reception issues you are having... are directly related to your Antenna and the physical tuners in the box.... there is VERY little that can be done with software to improve any reception issues.
Yes, I understand that. It has been a big dissapointment here since we got the HR20 last December. The H20 we were using in the living room worked great with our antenna setup. When I pay more for a newer box, I have a basic assumption that it should perform better not worse.
What are the chances of a newer DVR coming out with better quality tuners?
Earl Bonovich
05-17-07, 09:02 PM
Yes, I understand that. It has been a big dissapointment here since we got the HR20 last December. The H20 we were using in the living room worked great with our antenna setup. When I pay more for a newer box, I have a basic assumption that it should perform better not worse.
What are the chances of a newer DVR coming out with better quality tuners?
Not very good.... at least not for at least 18-24 months...
PoitNarf
05-17-07, 09:42 PM
As long as the vertical stretch crop format bug doesn't show up again, I'll be happy as a clam :D
/crosses fingers
tucker301
05-17-07, 09:56 PM
Since this release, my new recordings seem to start late.
Idol last night OTA
CSI tonight OTA
The Daily Show both nights SD
PoitNarf
05-17-07, 10:19 PM
Since this release, my new recordings seem to start late.
Idol last night OTA
CSI tonight OTA
The Daily Show both nights SD
And how late is late? 10 milliseconds? 10 seconds? 10 minutes?
keith_benedict
05-17-07, 11:14 PM
Horribly delayed video on Grey's Anotomy tonight. Continued pixelization on MPEG4 channels.
Until I can watch every program that I record all the way through without problems, it gets an F.
keith_benedict
05-17-07, 11:16 PM
Because of "A"... you are never going to give it a higher grade.
And reception issues you are having... are directly related to your Antenna and the physical tuners in the box.... there is VERY little that can be done with software to improve any reception issues.
Does this mean that the tuners in the HR20 are not as good as the H20? This is Directv's best offering. Why would they skimp on components?
Does this mean that the tuners in the HR20 are not as good as the H20? This is Directv's best offering. Why would they skimp on components?
That's what's been reported. AS to why, well :confused:
Earl Bonovich
05-18-07, 06:34 AM
Does this mean that the tuners in the HR20 are not as good as the H20? This is Directv's best offering. Why would they skimp on components?
This is not based on any info I have been given, as I don't have any $$ details on the tuners they used...
A "theory" that I have.. -> HD-Locals via SAT.
The vast majority of users are out there are not going to use OTA...
So if Tuner Type 1 costs X and Tuner Type 2 costs Y... where X>Y that adds up to a higher cost level when there are 100's of thousands of units, for something that may not be used by a very large percentage of them.
As the H20 (and previous HD receivers), the only way to get HD Locals for a long long time was via OTA.
----
It could also be a factor of worked here/here and here... but then when they got there/there and over there... they didn't work as good.
Here in Tinley Park (South Burb of Chicago), my OTA reception is just as good as the H20, HR10, and my previous SAT-520... And I am 35 miles away with an attic mounted OTA antenna. But then I only use it for 1 channel WCIU for seeing the baseball games in HD when they are home...
finaldiet
05-18-07, 07:01 AM
I'm with you Earl. Seems like we can watch White Sox on a multible of channels, all in HD. Bring it on Cubbies, we're waiting for ya. BTW, my OTA channels are now working. Had 2-1 come in, but not 5-1. Strange. All are working even though I didn't have a couple with this last upgrade, but something kicked it since yesterday.:D
I do have OX15C.
I know some folks are reporting substandard OTA performance vs. H20's, but vs. the HR10, I find the HR20 OTA performance to be just as good, if not a shade better. I'm getting rock solid reception of all the channels I previously received, with higher SS from the same roof antenna. And as a bonus, I'm seeing much smoother cruise control performance on my High Bandwidth MPEG-2 OTA recordings than I get with MPEG-4, with the same high PQ.
My only regret is that I can no longer diplex this signal to my other 3 HR20's. I can't wait for SWM to be released so I can free up the second coax at each receiver location for OTA. /s
tucker301
05-18-07, 09:59 AM
And how late is late? 10 milliseconds? 10 seconds? 10 minutes?
I'm guessing it's missing 30-60 seconds of the beginning of the program.
Didn't have the problem until this release.
I'd sure like to get 145 back. It was the best one to date.
Milominderbinder2
05-18-07, 10:37 AM
Yes, I understand that. It has been a big disappointment here since we got the HR20 last December. The H20 we were using in the living room worked great with our antenna setup. When I pay more for a newer box, I have a basic assumption that it should perform better not worse.
What are the chances of a newer DVR coming out with better quality tuners?
Your Poll: HR20 OTA Reception Quality (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=87456&highlight=ota+HR20+signal)
shows that currently:
12 had better OTA reception with the HR20 than their other ATSC tuners 14%
34 had similar OTA reception with the HR20 compared to their other ATSC tuners 40%
40 had worse OTA reception with the HR20 than their other ATSC tuners 46%
I just purchased a Mitsubishi 73732 TV. One of it's selling points over in the AVSForum is that the HD and SD Tuners are considered to be some of the best.
The Mitsubishi 73732 gets almost exactly the same signal strengths on all 27 channels as the HR20. It is also not able to get 56-1 or 56-2 just like the HR20.
I think that there may be a simple reason why the HR20 is not as good as the H20 for so many people:
Splitter Loss
The H20 is single channel and needs no splitter internally. The HR20 internally splits a single OTA signal into two tuners.
I am working on a Splitter Comparison. The very best two-way splitter I have found is a Channel Master 7992. But even this top rated splitter robs you of a full third of your signal. The splitters from Terk, Monster Cable, Eagle Aspen, etc. are so much worse.
The other notorious problem with splitters is that many cause huge reflected signals: multipath. In SD, you see that as "ghosting". In HD, it is pixelation or even a lost signal.
Maybe the problem is that they used a passive splitter instead of a low gain amplifier circuit?
Is the OTA tuner problem with the HR20 as simple as a splitter taking 33%+ of the signal. Did the splitter inject multipath?
The problem would be made much worse if a user installed their own splitter as well. Two poor quality splitters in one circuit can effectively cause an echo chamber with horrible multipath.
- Craig
PQ is worse? in what way? What channels? New content or existing recorded content?...
For #2) What is your definition of major issues (I am sure you have mentioned them else where... but what is major to you may not be major to the next person)
And which features are you referring to as promised for 0x15c... that are not in 0x15c? Or are you referring to features that are comming, like VOD... new GUI, streaming Video...
Earl,
1. PQ is worse on new content and I had some breakup on recorded content that I don't recall being there before (On that I could be mistaken).
2. Listed these in the other thread...DLB/Fixed SLB, better UI, HomeNet, etc.
3. I wasn't referring to what was promised in the latest patch...was referring to what was promised for this box overall. Didn't see much progress in this patch so...for my list of concerns it fails.
Perhaps that's unfair...but so is releasing buggy, unfinished equipment.
9/08 is 16 months off...
But, I bet Earl has 4 HR30s operating at his house now.
They have:
3 Tuners! ALL with Live Buffers
VoD
HomeNet
Worldwide OTA reception
No remote necessary as they all read minds
Oh, and best of all with the HR30 D has lowered monthly cost to $12 for everything (except ST which will cost $500).
C'mon Earl...give it up! We want pictures!
Radio Enginerd
05-18-07, 10:48 AM
At least in previous releases, yes. I didn't look at the log last night.
I'm steering off topic a bit but I could swear my HR20-700 used to get Call Waiting Caller ID. I don't seem to have that anymore.
I know the -100 has this feature. I could swear the -700 had it as well.
Am I crazy?
I'm steering off topic a bit but I could swear my HR20-700 used to get Call Waiting Caller ID. I don't seem to have that anymore.
I know the -100 has this feature. I could swear the -700 had it as well.
Am I crazy?Assuming you're not having the same problem as many of us with CID, check to make sure notices are turned on under the "caller id and messages" quick menu item. It should be reading "turn off notices", if it's set correctly. /s
Radio Enginerd
05-18-07, 11:04 AM
Assuming you're not having the same problem as many of us with CID, check to make sure notices are turned on under the "caller id and messages" quick menu item. It should be reading "turn off notices", if it's set correctly. /s
No, it's working when NOT on the phone. I remembered it working when on the phone as well. :)
No, it's working when NOT on the phone. I remembered it working when on the phone as well. :)Doh! You did say "Call Waiting, CID", I just read over it. /s
So right after a restart, SEARCH is not going to work right...
But in a few hours it should...
Why would that be? It's not refreshing guide data correct? I could see the SEARCH function being slower right after a restart, but why is it not going to work right?
kaminsco
05-18-07, 01:47 PM
I gave it a "B"
I really only have (2) issues with my HR20.
I finally got my low VHF reception (channel 3 in Cleveland). However, I lost channel 61 with this release. Was able to get it with previous releases and have high TV tuner reception. However, Channel 61 in Cleveland is the spanish univision which I don't watch, so it is not a big loss for me.
CID has been inconsisent with 14x releases. We will see if 15x changes anything.
SlobberingHorde
05-18-07, 02:57 PM
I give it a D because the only real problem I have had on this box/service is audio dropouts.
The audio dropouts are consistent in every software release since I have gotten D* and hardware replacements, wiring and dish checks and CSR calls have not fixed them.
Neither has the software.
The only reason it's not an F is because some of the other features are faster. But until I can watch shows with the confidence that the audio is going to unexpectedly dropout at a crucial point in the dialogue of my favorite shows the software will continue to get a D or an F.
This is the one thing (other than recording anyway) that the box must do. The rest is icing.
Doug Brott
05-18-07, 03:50 PM
SlobberingHorde,
Looks like you are using HDMI? I have an Aquos 45" and you may be experiencing the same issues that I have on occasion. I would highly recommend that you switch to Component rather than HDMI. I routinely use two different HR20s on the same set - one is connected via HDMI and the other via Component. The picture quality is identical, but the A/V reliability is significantly better on the Component connected HR20. I'm confident that if you do this you will be much happier.
Earl Bonovich
05-18-07, 03:56 PM
Why would that be? It's not refreshing guide data correct? I could see the SEARCH function being slower right after a restart, but why is it not going to work right?
The guide data is cached... but the indexes that the Search functions uses, have to rebuild... they are not cached.
Earl Bonovich
05-18-07, 03:58 PM
Why did they require a reboot? (What was wrong).
Question...
Does anyone here think I am going "after" those that gave the Unit an "F" ?
Is me asking for more details on why someone had to reboot, too intrusive of a question?
Sorry if I offended anyone that thought I was treating them like one of my children...
Michael D'Angelo
05-18-07, 04:10 PM
Question...
Does anyone here think I am going "after" those that gave the Unit an "F" ?
Is me asking for more details on why someone had to reboot, too intrusive of a question?
Sorry if I offended anyone that thought I was treating them like one of my children...
It tells me that you are trying to help someone.
Doug Brott
05-18-07, 04:10 PM
Earl,
I think I was on the "why an F?" bandwagon early on. To me it was a function of how can you rate it so low so quickly? However, the two folks that specifically noted why seemed to clear the air quickly. From that point it seemed everyone was on the same page. Again, I want to thank everyone for participating.
Michael D'Angelo
05-18-07, 04:12 PM
That is why I think the "grade polls" should not be opened until 3 or 4 days after the release.
Doug Brott
05-18-07, 04:25 PM
That is why I think the "grade polls" should not be opened until 3 or 4 days after the release.
I think I made a mistake opening it @ 5pm PDT. However, it would have made perfect sense to open it by 8am PDT the following day. As it is, there were very few results in by the following morning (less than 10). Most folks actually wait on their own now, contrary to a few months back. It doesn't appear to make any difference in the overall result. Next time, I'll wait a full 24 hours after the actual release time which in this case was Wednesday morning 16-May-2007.
I don't think the results will be skewed in this case, either.
Doug Brott
05-19-07, 07:02 AM
0x15C Report Card C+ (3.418) as of 19-May-2007 6:01am PDT (134 votes)
JLynn73
05-19-07, 11:02 AM
I gave this release a D.
It worked pretty much fine for me before, but now all of the sudden my audio is randomly freaking out. Pulsing in and out rapidly, or dropping out completely.
I run HDMI out to a sony xbr960.
Horribly delayed video on Grey's Anotomy tonight. Continued pixelization on MPEG4 channels.
Until I can watch every program that I record all the way through without problems, it gets an F.
For what it's worth............
I've got an H20 (non-DVR) and the other night the audio & video on Grey's Anatomy on KXTV were way out of sync. So I'd guess that probably wasn't your HR20.
For an example of Bad PQ flip over to TNT HD and watch Reign of Fire. We're talking 1960s PQ quality (rabbit ears). The picture is very grainy, there's LOTs of pixelation at times and the sound is out of sync.
Yes, I know it's a bad movie. I've also seen this horrendous PQ on War of the Worlds on HBOs HD. I gotta feeling it's a compression issue or some sort.
goyard4x
05-19-07, 02:31 PM
I gave it a "D", due to 3 lock ups that required RBR when deleting a recorded program after viewing it, several bouts with audio drop outs on recorded shows as well as live, and the picture has gotten worse on some of my SD local channels (Not OTA). I didn't even know of the new release but checked after several of the above problems. Wish I could roll back!!
Fish Man
05-19-07, 09:02 PM
I've now had it long enough to vote.
I give it a B.
For me, it's more stable than 0x145.
It's so strange that different people's HR20's seem to respond so differently.
Also, it fixed "vertical stretch on crop mode" for me. But, many in these forums say it didn't. :confused:
jahgreen
05-20-07, 01:53 AM
C--due to inexplicable lockups.
I'm an easy grader.
reubenray
05-20-07, 04:08 AM
Hmmm - I had my HR20 installed on 5/16 and it updated several times. I just checked and I have version 0x146 instead of 0x15.
Will it update again at some point and do I need to watch my shows prior to that?
Will any of these updates strenghten the OTA HD tuners. I get my OTA HD great through my Sony HDTV, but it pixelates bad through the HR20.
Fish Man
05-20-07, 07:11 AM
Hmmm - I had my HR20 installed on 5/16 and it updated several times. I just checked and I have version 0x146 instead of 0x15.
You have an HR20-100.
0x15C is only for the model HR20-700.
How I know you have a -100 is because 0x146 is only for the -100!
Doug Brott
05-20-07, 05:10 PM
0x15C Report Card C+ (3.325) as of 20-May-2007 4:08pm PDT (151 votes)
keith_benedict
05-20-07, 10:53 PM
Earl,
I think I was on the "why an F?" bandwagon early on. To me it was a function of how can you rate it so low so quickly? However, the two folks that specifically noted why seemed to clear the air quickly. From that point it seemed everyone was on the same page. Again, I want to thank everyone for participating.
To me, grading this is a binary operation. It either passes or fails. If it doesn't do what it is advertised to do, it fails. In my case, I had a recording that was unwatchable. I was able to watch it on another HR20 user's device. That tells me it's not the broadcast, it's the device.
billsharpe
05-22-07, 03:05 PM
C--due to inexplicable lockups.
I'm an easy grader.
ONE lockup, inexplicable or not, would be enough for me to give it an F.
I'd say C, based on a few audio dropouts still occurring and late start/early end on a couple of recordings. Boston Legal last week fit both categories!
Bill
Doug Brott
05-24-07, 08:35 AM
Final Grade
0x15C Report Card C+ (3.311)
Stuart Sweet
05-24-07, 08:39 AM
Hey everybody, the Comprehensive HR20 Report Card Survey is still going strong! It's open to all HR20 users, -100 or -700, using any software release!
Find out more here:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=88244
oldschoolecw
05-24-07, 12:21 PM
I did not vote when poll was open, so here goes. C-
I feel this last patch has caused more events then the past 4 patches all together.
Pros of this patch:
Can now go to NESN HD on first 623 pad push I don’t have to channel up from NESN sd to NESN HD. I like that new feature
Now for dislikes:
Major lip-sink issues on about 70% of recorded programming
Sound drop-offs more then ever before, on live and recorded programming
When turning to channel 623 NESN HD the channel gets a green tearing on the screen a second after it tunes in then goes back to a great picture. This happens ever time only on NESN HD and never happened before said patch.
Caller ID always worked in the past, but now it’s hit or miss
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