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Why Can't Slow Receivers be Fixed?

60K views 445 replies 99 participants last post by  Stuart Sweet 
#1 ·
I know this subject has been discussed on other threads many times, but my search has not come up with an answer to my question. I have (2) R22-100s w/HD and an HR24-200. The R22-100s are extremely slow, especially when I first turn them on in the morning. I've done the RAM clearing, and they are still slow. It is obvious that DTV can and has corrected other flaws in the past. Why can't they seem to fix this glitch? I would appreciate any useful solutions to this problem. Also does anyone know if DTV is working on this problem? Thanks.
 
#327 ·
As a long time loyal DirecTV subscriber, I hate to say this, but I am seriously considering the jump to Comcast. All I want my DVR to do is change channels, record programs, let me play them back, and then delete them when I am done. I would never have thought this was too much to expect out of my HR21-700's, but apparently so.
 
#328 ·
We're looking to change also, just gathering information for now. We might go with a middle level cable with HD upgrade, 10 MB/s internet and home phone pkg for $90...we're currently paying $152 for those services from D* and the local Bell. I could be talked out of it, though, if D* would just replace my ridiculously slow HR 20-100 but they say "slowness" is not a reason to replace equipment. Sorry to say, but the likelihood is now quite high that I'll be replacing them after 17 1/2 years. Evidently being "new" is worth way more than being "loyal".
 
#331 ·
I don't know the reasons why. I do know that DirecTV saddled me to a 2-year commitment to an HR22 just over two years ago. I wish they had a few channels I watch in HD, but honestly, the deal-breaker is the slow DVR. I considered an HR24, but reading that they are now as slow, I started looking elsewhere. My Dish Network Hopper gets installed this weekend, and it is good-bye to this problem. I won't mince words when I call DirecTV to cancel service, either.

For me, the slow channel change isn't an annoyance - it is a significant problem. I shouldn't have to send my young children away so I can start their program and avoid having them see whatever is on TLC (Baby Story, I'm looking at you!) or whatever channel the DVR was on last. I should be able to start their program within 5 seconds, not the 30-60 it routinely takes (longer if the DVR is busy recording something at the same time.)

If I was a lawyer, I would sue them for false advertising for charging me $8/month for an "advanced" receiver. The only thing advanced about this DVR is the length of time it takes to do anything.
 
#333 ·
beer_geek said:
This is starting to spill over to other boards. I'm on a football board that has people blaming the "black theme". They don't even know it's HD. They just know it is slow.
Understandable. The old UI filled a 16:9 screen and displayed/looked fine regardless of whether you were watching in 480i or 1080p.

It's not like they can squeeze a lot more information on the display, because people won't be able to read it, and it's not like they had the problem SD UI's on other DVRs had where they weren't using the entire screen.

Of course the name of the game is signing up new subscribers... and they probably needed a "HD GUI" just so they wouldn't get mocked for not having one in national advertising.
 
#334 ·
JonW said:
Understandable. The old UI filled a 16:9 screen and displayed/looked fine regardless of whether you were watching in 480i or 1080p ...
I don't recall the old SD-GUI being able to fill an entire 16:9 screen on an SD channel without resorting to stretch-o-vision on the program video at the same time.

Whereas the receiver settings can be configured for the new HD-GUI to fill a 16:9 screen while simultaneously maintaining a correct 4:3 ratio for the picture on an SD channel.

See the post here for instance;

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=2960614#post2960614
 
#335 ·
HoTat2 said:
I don't recall the old SD-GUI being able to fill an entire 16:9 screen on an SD channel without resorting to stretch-o-vision on the program video at the same time.

Whereas the receiver settings can be configured for the new HD-GUI to fill a 16:9 screen while simultaneously maintaining a correct 4:3 ratio for the picture on an SD channel.

See the post here for instance;

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=2960614#post2960614
I use native output, so I never would have noticed.
 
#336 ·
One of the "solutions" suggested by DTV was to turn scrolling features off. I found that laughable at best.

But I tried it anyway, and while it does not speed things up, it feels like it does; it gives you the impression that it is responding faster. It certainly takes a lot of the drudgery out of scrolling through 400 hours or recordings looking for that one Leverage ep you've been saving since 2011.

I thought it would be worthless, but I find it to be an improvement, even if its only a perception rather than a reality. Who knew?
 
#338 ·
In the meantime until they get it fixed have you tried Hitting the Info Button, then Enter the Channel Number and then Hit the Exit Button?

That is what I did a long time ago when I experience Sluggishness while using DoublePlay and it works as a Great Workaround until the Fix comes along.
 
#341 ·
Richierich said:
Directv is working Feverishly on it and hopefully this Next National Release will GitRDone!!! :)
The next NR is already out and doesn't fix the problem. If possible, the remote response is even worse now and introduce some additional issues. After just two days it is too early to say if it does anything to fix the UI but on my HR20 clicking the list button and start viewing the first program in the list takes about 15 seconds.

Maybe "next NR" is the new "soon".
 
#342 ·
skyboysea said:
The next NR is already out and doesn't fix the problem.
Maybe "next NR" is the new "soon".
Sorry to hear that as I have been assured that it would help most people out there with Problems of Sluggishness.

I guess I will be switching to Dish!!!

Oh wait, my 5 HR24-500s are working Perfectly so I guess I will Upgrade my 2 other HR23-700s to HR24-500s and be done with it!!! :)

I hate that Word SOON!!!
 
#343 ·
Richierich said:
Sorry to hear that as I have been assured that it would help most people out there with Problems of Sluggishness.

I guess I will be switching to Dish!!!

Oh wait, my 5 HR24-500s are working Perfectly so I guess I will Upgrade my 2 other HR23-700s to HR24-500s and be done with it!!! :)

I hate that Word SOON!!!
Can you buy me a HR34 (leased is fine) while you're at it? ;) My post of the day reward? :lol:
 
#344 ·
What happens when you play Call of Duty on a $100 PC? Answer: nothing or run extremely slow! You want to play the game; then you have to pay the price. The new video games require fast GPUs and a lot of memory. The HR20-23s do not have enough processing power or memory to run the functions and graphics. I suggest the HR24 and HR34 have more power, and therefore fewer problems. Future boxes will improve at a price. My two cents. Best wishes!
 
#345 ·
allenn said:
What happens when you play Call of Duty on a $100 PC? Answer: nothing or run extremely slow! You want to play the game; then you have to pay the price. The new video games require fast GPUs and a lot of memory. The HR20-23s do not have enough processing power or memory to run the functions and graphics. I suggest the HR24 and HR34 have more power, and therefore fewer problems. Future boxes will improve at a price. My two cents. Best wishes!
I'm sure the HR20-23s have plenty of HP for efficient code... We're not running graphics intense video games or 3D design here. You want the HR2Xs to run fast, optimize the code... The task is still to control a DVR with built in Satellite receiver. ;) The best example of code efficiency is take an old sluggish Windoze XP computer, install Linux w/X windows and you've suddenly got a very usable machine :rolleyes: The latest NR (0x5c8) just emphasized the problem. Things that used to work OK, are now broken on (my) HR20s. The hardware didn't suddenly become short on processing power. :p
 
#346 ·
My DVR lately keeps seizing up. It will not respond to the remote and it will not respond to the front panel buttons. The only way to get it to start working again is to either unplug it or to hit the reset button. It does this at least two times a week.
A lot of people make fun of Comcast's DVR's but I don't remember my Comcast DVR ever being as slow as this DV DVR is. I never had a problem with it seizing up and not responding to anything either.

About ten years ago I had a Panasonic DVR that had a hard drive in it. That DVR was WAY faster than my DTV DVR.
 
#348 ·
jes said:
I'm sure the HR20-23s have plenty of HP for efficient code... We're not running graphics intense video games or 3D design here. You want the HR2Xs to run fast, optimize the code... The task is still to control a DVR with built in Satellite receiver. ;) The best example of code efficiency is take an old sluggish Windoze XP computer, install Linux w/X windows and you've suddenly got a very usable machine :rolleyes: The latest NR (0x5c8) just emphasized the problem. Things that used to work OK, are now broken on (my) HR20s. The hardware didn't suddenly become short on processing power. :p
+1,000,000!
 
#349 ·
jes said:
I'm sure the HR20-23s have plenty of HP for efficient code... We're not running graphics intense video games or 3D design here. You want the HR2Xs to run fast, optimize the code... The task is still to control a DVR with built in Satellite receiver. ;) The best example of code efficiency is take an old sluggish Windoze XP computer, install Linux w/X windows and you've suddenly got a very usable machine :rolleyes: The latest NR (0x5c8) just emphasized the problem. Things that used to work OK, are now broken on (my) HR20s. The hardware didn't suddenly become short on processing power. :p
No kidding. Equating gigabytes of gaming code to a few megabytes of DVR code is about as assinine of an analogy as it gets. :nono2:
The hardware is fine. The Tivo OS runs just fine on the same hardware. The series 3 Tivo hardware specs are essentially the same too.

THE PROBLEM IS THE INCOMPETANT IDIOTS THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE SOFTWARE! (from the top to down)
 
#350 ·
jes said:
We're not running graphics intense video games or 3D design here.......Things that used to work OK, are now broken on (my) HR20s. The hardware didn't suddenly become short on processing power. :p
True! The Linux OS running on the HR DVRs is very efficient, but it can only do so much with the existing processor, GPU, and memory. To maintain processing speed when functions are added, you can streamline the code to some degree; but ultimately a faster processor, gpu and more memory must be installed to handle the added functions and / or increased processing demand. 1080p resolution, 3D, HD-UI, SWiM, DECA and VOD were not available when the HR20 was introduced. D* now offers these programming options. A PC designed to run Pong, Mario, or Sonic video games would not be able to run any of todays video games no matter how great the OS or application code.

Racer88 said:
No kidding. Equating gigabytes of gaming code to a few megabytes of DVR code is about as assinine of an analogy as it gets. :nono2:
The hardware is fine.......THE PROBLEM IS THE INCOMPETANT IDIOTS THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE SOFTWARE! (from the top to down)
I am sorry you find it necessary to suggest my idea is extremely or utterly foolish. Since you don't like my video game analogy, would the iPhone 3 versus the iPhone4s or iPad versus the New iPad work for you? What did Apple change between the iPhone3 and the 4s? Bingo! Apple changed the processor, gpu, and memory. Funny how that works! Apple added functionality to iOS. In many ways they are not unlike the new functions D* added between the intro of the HR20 and the HR34.

I do not know if the D* IT persons are idots. I do not know your credentials or expertise regarding IT, application design, programming, network design, electrical engineering, so I will reframe from suggesting you are not qualified to judge any of the D* Techs or any matters regarding hardware or programming. So you know whom you are belittling, I have a P.H.D. (Electrical Engineering GA Tech.); 45 years in IT; international consulting (Switzerland, England, and Germany); financial / investment systems design; banking application design, and proficient in programming JAVA, C, C++, C#, ALP, Fortran, RPGII, and COBOL. I have subscribed to D* for 18 years. May I suggest you find a way of getting your point across without stepping on someone elses.

Best wishes!
 
#351 ·
Racer88 said:
No kidding. Equating gigabytes of gaming code to a few megabytes of DVR code is about as assinine of an analogy as it gets. :nono2:
The hardware is fine. The Tivo OS runs just fine on the same hardware. The series 3 Tivo hardware specs are essentially the same too.

THE PROBLEM IS THE INCOMPETANT IDIOTS THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE SOFTWARE! (from the top to down)
Since you're such an expert... http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/careers

Also, the words are "asinine" & "incompetent," and "from the top to down" doesn't make sense. The reason I point those out is due to you referring to others as idiots. :)
 
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