HR20: 0x12a - Issues

[Earl Bonovich]

Please report any "new" issues, here in this thread.
Please take a moment to look to see if your issues has already been report.

NOTE: All issues report are logged and tracked by DirecTV

[Earl Bonovich]

Some guidelines for reporting issues:

In addition to the "issues" please provide the following information

Anyone with HDMI issues

• TV Make and Model
• HDMI Cable Length (estimate)
• If you have a "switcher" in between the HR20 and the TV (like an amp, scaler, or video input switch)

Anyone with NEW recorded black screen

• Date and Time of Recording
• Title of Show
• Channel and if it is a LOCAL - Need to know the CALL letters of the show, or at least your affiliate location
• Did a REBOOT fix the issue

Anyone with NEW recorded "do you want to delete?"

• Date and Time of Recording
• Title of Show
• Channel and if it is a LOCAL - Need to know the CALL letters of the show, or at least your affiliate location
• Did a REBOOT fix the issue

Anyone with audio dropout

• Date and Time of Recording
• Title of Show
• Channel and if it is a LOCAL - Need to know the CALL letters of the show, or at least your affiliate location
• Audio output type: Dolby Digital or Standard Audio
• Output via Optical? HDMI to AMP? HDMI to TV? or RCA Plugs
• Is it repeatable if you rewind and playback the same segment

Anyone with a "frozen" unit out of standby

• Does the front panel work?
• Does the remote work?
• What channel did you last leave the unit tuned to?
• Did a reset restore functionality?
• If it did... where any programs missed between leaving it standby and you trying to use the system?

Anyone posting any type of LOCKUP issues

• How long did you wait to determin if it was locked up?
• Do you have networking enabled?
• Do you have OTA enabled?
• Single or Dual tuners inputted

[BubblePuppy]

Originally Posted by Earl Bonovich

Please report any "new" issues, here in this thread.
Please take a moment to look to see if your issues has already been report.NOTE: All issues report are logged and tracked by DirecTV

Do we really have to read 419 posts before we are allowed to report an issue?

[Earl Bonovich]

Originally Posted by BubblePuppy

Do we really have to read 419 posts before we are allowed to report an issue?

It's only 176... but no, you don't have to

[bgullicksen]

Some observations with the floating red dots.

I have found them on a couple of stations, both Local HD over satellite. They appear roughly in the same spots, sort of like a sine wave or audio analysis with pixels going on and off in the same general location.

They appear both while watching live TV and on recorded video. If you rewind and play back they continue to appear in the same place over and over.

The same show being watched via OTA (antenna connected directly to TV, No HR20) do not have the dots, so they don't originate from the broadcast station. They are either a result of the HR20 encoding/decoding or coming from the transponder. They definately come from D*.

They appear when viewing via HDMI or Component, so they are not dependent upon which video connection is used.

I also have notices a little improvement with HD Local Picture Quality with 0x12a, but still experiencing more pixelation and audio drops, Woody Woodpecker sounds, than I was experiencing on the Santa and Elvis releases around Christmas and New Years. The picture quality was very stable then and seem to go backwards a bit in the last few releases.

My 5 LNB Dish is connected to a Zinwell WB68 by about 20 - 25ft of cable. From the WB68 to my receivers is about another 25 - 30 ft of cable. All of the cable is new with new connectors.

My HR20 connects to my Samsung HL-S5087W TV via HDMI (component connected as a backup and for CE updates). My audio connects to a Sony DAV-FX500 Home Theater system via standard Audio Jacks. My HR20 is connected to a BIG 1600VA UPS and I am using E-SATA with an external Seagate 750GB Barracuda drive. I had OTA enabled, but disabled it because I found Picture Quality was better having it directly connected to my TVs tuner. We also like the ability to record 2 shows via Satellite and watch one live via OTA connected to TV.

My HR20 is connected to the Internet and Network. I am using Twonky on a Linux box to play audio and JPEGs. I had some occaisional freezing up with media playing, but have found if you don't start and stop and switch a lot it works pretty well.

I have 38 active items in my Prioritizer and on average of 46 - 55 items in my to do list. My B Band Converters are connected and have been connected since day 1.

I think that covers the details. I hope I haven't missed anything.

I have had my HR20 since September. Purchased directly from Best Buy and have had very few of the major problems that others have experienced. I have only had 2 lockups that required the RBR and that was on one release only. I have never lost a recording and have never had one fail to record.

I had a lot of audio and video problems when I first got my HR20 which is what led me to this forum. I have been a member since the day I had my HR20 installed. I have participated in every RC and CE release. I was seeing steady improvement through the beginning of January, and then have noticed a couple of steps backwards in pixelation and audio. Starting with 122 through 0x12A, I have seen small improvements, so we seem to be on the right track again, but my picture quality is still not as good today as it was in early Jan. The floating Red Dots, pixelation and audio stutter/drop outs and of course Pinky are really the only problems I am having.

I have learned a LOT from everyone that participates here and I am VERY thankful to Earl (Happy Birthday!) and the other moderators for providing this forum for us and to D* for allowing us to participate in making this product better. Thank you, everyone!

-Bill

[peridoc]

I set up a manual recording to record a NHL Center Ice Hockey game off of channel 764 last night (Feb. 9, 2007 at 6:00pm Central Time) and got the same result as I always have with the HR20 so far. I end up with a 3 1/2 hour recording that is not able to play. When I hit play from the menu I immediately get a "Do you want to delete this recording?" message. "Yes" deletes it and "no" returns me to the menu. I have not been able to record a NHL Center Ice game with any version of firmware yet on the HR20.

Keith

[Spanky_Partain]

Issue - OTA Signal Strength Always 0% after firmware download

Can it be Duplicated - Yes

Steps to Duplicate - Download a firmware release, Menu => Help & Settings => Setup => Info & Test => System Test => Run Test

Issue Priority - Low

Frequency of Issue - Every time

First Noticed - Elvis Download, never looked at it before this download

Date of Install HR20 - 10/2006
Current FW - 0x12a
How FW was Obtained - Forced, 02/09/2007, 10:52pm
HR20 Force Reboot after FW Update - No
OTA Type - Outside Antenna in Attic
Type of Sat Dish - 5LNB AT9, Two line feed to HR20 tuners, 3 other D* boxes in house, Unknown type of connection hardware to other boxes
HR20 Replaced - No, original installed equipment
HR20 Full Reset - Never
HR20 Networked - Yes, via wireless bridge
HR20 HDMI Connection - HDMI using HDMI-DVI Gender Bender plug to DVI cable
HR20 Component Connection - Not Used
HR20 S-Video Connection - Not Used
HR20 Native Mode Setting - On
HR20 Phone Connection - Yes, all the time
HR20 Fiber Audio Connection - Used via Monster Fiber Cable
HR20 RCA Audio Connection - Not Used
HR20 Dolby Setting - On
HR20 Internal Temp - ~122
HR20 Install Environment - Closed Cabinet with Intake/Exhaust Fans
HR20 Zip Code - 78641

Work Around - Start a recording on one local HD channel then go and watch another local HD channel. This works every time. Signal Strength will always come back to be 95% - 100% using duplication method.

Notes - OTA antenna type is a VHF/UHF Radio Shack brand. Purchased 6 years ago and a large one was used for over kill purpose. Antenna connections include a 1 to 2 splitter in attic going to upstairs and downstairs. Another 1 to 3 splitter in downstairs going to HR20, Bedroom, and TV. Another 1 to 2 splitter in Bedroom going to Samsung D* HD Receiver and TV. Radio Shack powered booster is installed on the feed line going to HR20.

[Milominderbinder2]

Problems
Press & Hold PLAY for SLOW motion sometimes works, sometimes not
Pinky lives
Closed Captioning now works much better in Trade Gothic font.
Larger CC fonts do not position as well & cut off text.
Guide is no faster than 128 - animations are still painful to watch.
My Playlist is no faster than 128 - animations are still painful to watch.
Tearing is more pronounced in the Guide & My Playlist!

Improvements
Many Menus are no longer animated! Way to go guys!
In most menus the Left arrow now is like the BACK button!
The Date & Time Search allows you to pick a time earlier than now!
Pause then >> (Frame forward) works again!
. . . . .<< Frame back works again!
Channel Change Speeds are again faster in many areas

See 0x12a Test Results Details for more information.

- Craig

[Kohawk72]

HDMI Problem: No Video or Audio

Panasonic PT53X54
6 ft. HDMI Cable
No Switcher

HDMI has never worked.

[JayAtIU]

Anyone with HDMI issues
TV Make and Model: JVC AV-34WP84
HDMI Cable Length (estimate): 3ft. (HDMI to DVI conversion cable from monoprice.com)
No switcher

I have tried different HDMI to DVI conversion cables (including the DirecTV branded on that the installer brought along), as well as an HDMI to DVI adapter (also from monoprice.com)with a DVI to DVI cable, still with no luck.

The DVI input on the TV is fine, as my old receiver (a samsung SIR-TS160) had a DVI out, which was used with this DVI in, with no problems.

Also, when I hook the HR20 up to another TV (an LCD monitor with DVI-D in), the picture is fine. So, obviously, there is a software incompatibility between the HR20 and the JVC. JVC tech support has been no help, and have not said that they would have a software/firmware update that might address the issue.

I have messed around with TVs quite a bit, and I actually have access to the service menu (and a service manual), for this TV. There is an HDMI section (I know that it's a DVI input, but the title of the section in the service menu is "HDMI") in the TV's service menu, and when I change one of the settings, the pink hue goes away. The only problem is that it's a "fixed" setting on the JVC board, so I can't save the change that I make. So, as soon as I try to back out of the service menu, the setting change that I make is lost.

Let me know if there are other troubleshooting steps I should try, but I really hope that this issue can be reconciled on the HR20 end of things. Thanks.

[philconners]

I've had a couple intermittent issues with the guide. Pressing the guide button one time brings up the options, pressing it a second time (to get to the actual guide) just hangs for about 20 seconds and then it finally comes up. Video continues to play in the corner. It's happened about five times, the rest of the times it has come up normally.

[Wlater Krenzke]

First time sine new back in November 06....remotes (Directv and MX700) neither one would work at 9.30 this AM. Could not turn off unit from front panel. Had to RBR. Everything normal again except still missing OTA channels.

[gcisko]

Originally Posted by Earl Bonovich

It's only 176... but no, you don't have to

Good. I was running short of time and did not want to wade through the previous thread. Plus I think in some cases it may be helpful to see repeat failures to be sure it is not a fluke.

My new issue:

Last night my wife was driving the HR20 as I was busy elsewhere in the house. She was watching a recording of "Will & Grace". When she was done she deleted the recording via the menu that comes up after the recording is over. Everything then went blank (default blue directv background) except for the PIP in the upper right which kept playing live TV. The remote was unresponsive. She now knows how to RBR. So far everything seems normal after the RBR. This is also the first RBR since getting 12a. I did not do an obligatory RBR like some do.

[philconners]

My guide finally locked up completely while "hanging" as described in my previous post. Unit wouldn't respond to any commands (remote or on the actual unit) so I'm doing a RBR. Video did continue to play normally in the upper right corner. Well, I did make it to 6 hours and 40 minutes with 0x12a without rebooting. We had a good run.... Incidentally, on previous releases I've had reboots here and there due to the unit not responding to remote, but this was a little different in that it happened specifically with the guide processing, and you could see it coming as it was beginning to have the 20 second lag I described before.

[LameLefty]

Downloaded 0x12a on Thursday night and it had been flawless until today.

This morning, while watching HDNet (MPEG2 HD) live, with the unit not recording anything on either tuner, I hit the Guide button to see what else was on. The preview window appeared in the upper corner of the screen against a blue background but the Guide never appeared. The unit was then totally unresponsive to any remote commands or front panel buttons, though video continued to play normally in the preview window. RBR and restarting now.

[pshaw0629]

Recorded Lost and the Lost recap show before it on 2/7/07 at 9:00pm (EST) and 10pm, on local Detroit ABC HD channel though DTV (not over-the-air). Got black screens on both recordings, rebooted, and shows disappeared. 0X12A software.

[Spanky_Partain]

Originally Posted by JayAtIU

Anyone with HDMI issues
TV Make and Model: JVC AV-34WP84
HDMI Cable Length (estimate): 3ft. (HDMI to DVI conversion cable from monoprice.com)
No switcher

I have tried different HDMI to DVI conversion cables (including the DirecTV branded on that the installer brought along), as well as an HDMI to DVI adapter (also from monoprice.com)with a DVI to DVI cable, still with no luck.

The DVI input on the TV is fine, as my old receiver (a samsung SIR-TS160) had a DVI out, which was used with this DVI in, with no problems.

Also, when I hook the HR20 up to another TV (an LCD monitor with DVI-D in), the picture is fine. So, obviously, there is a software incompatibility between the HR20 and the JVC. JVC tech support has been no help, and have not said that they would have a software/firmware update that might address the issue.

I have messed around with TVs quite a bit, and I actually have access to the service menu (and a service manual), for this TV. There is an HDMI section (I know that it's a DVI input, but the title of the section in the service menu is "HDMI") in the TV's service menu, and when I change one of the settings, the pink hue goes away. The only problem is that it's a "fixed" setting on the JVC board, so I can't save the change that I make. So, as soon as I try to back out of the service menu, the setting change that I make is lost.

Let me know if there are other troubleshooting steps I should try, but I really hope that this issue can be reconciled on the HR20 end of things. Thanks.

I use a Monster HDMI to DVI Gender bender plug adapter then use the DVI cable to the adapter. It works perfect for my connection. No difference to prior connection to a D* Samsun HD Receiver.

Here is a link to the one at best buy.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1110262781781

[vegout]

For some reason, the title/CD/Artist, etc. information is not showing for me on channel 851, Watercolors. I tried about 10 other XM channels and this type of info is showing.

[forum junkie]

Had 12A for about 30 hours now and woke up this morning to a frozen screen - non working remote and all. Did the red button cure.

[Bombguy]

DITTO!! I could not have written this any better.. This is exactly what happend to MY WIFE (except she was watching a recorded Dr. Phil.. YUCK!!) she too now knows how to do an RBR.

Martin

Originally Posted by gcisko

My new issue:

Last night my wife was driving the HR20 as I was busy elsewhere in the house. She was watching a recording of "Will & Grace". When she was done she deleted the recording via the menu that comes up after the recording is over. Everything then went blank (default blue directv background) except for the PIP in the upper right which kept playing live TV. The remote was unresponsive. She now knows how to RBR. So far everything seems normal after the RBR. This is also the first RBR since getting 12a. I did not do an obligatory RBR like some do.

[dtb]

TV: Mitsu WD-65732
HDMI Cable Length: 3ft

I'm using a HDMI cable to run directly to my TV and have a digital coax from the TV to the receiver. This setup gets me DD from my DVD player but not from the HR20. I have to use a fiber optic cable from the HR20 to the receiver to get digital sound.

[Vinny]

What happened
While watching MPEG4 D* local:
a) Moved cursor to select recording to play.
b) Pressed play
c) GUI flickered then changed to 480 and recording didn't begin.

What I did:
a) Pressed Exit
b) Pressed List
c) Selected recording
d) Pressed Play and this time it played.

I never saw this issue before.

[garywitt]

12A.... (forced 2nd night)

Stable so far, no lockups or missed recordings

Trickplay:
Awesome on SD channels. No complaints whatsoever.

I fail to see much of an improvement on HD, either MPEG-2 or -4, however. Using 30-second slip, I usually queue up 6 or 7 skips. When I see my program return, I hit jump back. The sceen stalls for a second right where I hit the button, but when video resumes it will be 5-15 seconds after that point. I then have to hit jump back usually between 4 and 8 times. With each press there is a noticeable delay before jump back, again only on the HD channels.

There seem to be more frames visible on ffx1,2,3 and 4, but that could be my imagination. The time index on the bottom does not advance smoothly with ffx3 or 4, often jumping 2 or more minutes at a time.

There is still noticeable delay when hittinf ffx1 or rwx1 although it is better. I only notice this on HD channels as well.

Keep up the good work - it continues to get better but still has a ways to go...

Also, I second the posts earlier about recording nhl center ice - I usually hit the record button on the remote in the second or third period and put the box in standby - invariably the next morning the recording has stopped 5 or 6 minutes after I pressed record, with no good reason.

The fluctuations in the guide listings for nhl center ice also are very annoying - one second it lists upcoming games, but if i hit exit and return it often states title not available. Been posten on before, but sill very frustrating.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by Milominderbinder2

Improvements
Many Menus are no longer animated! Way to go guys!
In most menus the Left arrow now is like the BACK button!
The Date & Time Search allows you to pick a time earlier than now!
Pause then >> (Frame forward) works again!
. . . . .<< Frame back works again!
Channel Change Speeds are again faster in many areas

See 0x12a Test Results Details for more information.

- Craig

Hi Craig....

I've been looking for the menu's that aren't annimated any longer.....can't find them; can you list a few. Also, where does LEFT act like BACK.

BTW....thanks for all your reports and testing; you've been very helpful to all of us!

[Sport73]

Cheated 'fix' - HDMI always awake!

The update this morning set the HDMI output of the HR20 to stay 'on' all the time, even when you power off the box. My TV detects the signal now, which means it won't auto-default to the shared component input. This really screws up my setup. It's clear that the HR20 sucks doing an HDMI hand-shake, so I had it set to stay on all the time (which solved any of my HDMI issues) unless I needed it to be off in order to have my set fall back to the shared component input.

Reverting the box to an always 'on' state is NOT a fix for the HDMI issues; it's just a cheat that screws over many of us other owners!

My TV set (Hitachi 50VS810) has 2 HDMi and 2 Component inputs, but they're shared as INPUTS 1 & 2. After lots of work, I finally got my universal remote set up to shut off the HR20 whenever I wanted to use my XBox 360, and turn it back on when I exited that activity. This was a dream come true by allowing me to use all of the inputs on my TV without the need for an external switch.