[Earguy]

I have the 5-tuner DVR/whole home DVR. On-demand content is downloaded via internet. My cable modem is in another room from the DVR, and neither can be moved due to the wiring.

The programs and movies I download have frequent and large skips of time which makes the programs unwatchable.

I went to the official DTV forum, and the answer there seems to be "yes, we're aware of the problem and we're working on it." Some users seem to have a wiring workaround (hardwire direct to the DVR) that because of my layout I'm unable to do.

Am I really stuck? It seems to be wrong to be sold on a feature that DTV knows does not work.

Is this common? Do others accept this?

 

[inf0z]

I have the 5-tuner DVR/whole home DVR. On-demand content is downloaded via internet. My cable modem is in another room from the DVR, and neither can be moved due to the wiring.

The programs and movies I download have frequent and large skips of time which makes the programs unwatchable.

I went to the official DTV forum, and the answer there seems to be "yes, we're aware of the problem and we're working on it." Some users seem to have a wiring workaround (hardwire direct to the DVR) that because of my layout I'm unable to do.

Am I really stuck? It seems to be wrong to be sold on a feature that DTV knows does not work.

Is this common? Do others accept this?

It's not common, but software issues are going to happen. Welcome to the world of technology. There will be a fix for this, but for the mean time you have 5 tuners to keep you busy. Also there is no additional charge for the on demand feature.

 

[raott]

It's not common, but software issues are going to happen. Welcome to the world of technology. There will be a fix for this, but for the mean time you have 5 tuners to keep you busy. Also there is no additional charge for the on demand feature.

Seriously?

 

[Earguy]

It's not common, but software issues are going to happen. Welcome to the world of technology. There will be a fix for this, but for the mean time you have 5 tuners to keep you busy. Also there is no additional charge for the on demand feature.

This is not an isolated, occasional blip. This is a problem that renders an important feature unusable. If I want to download the latest movie, I could have a hundred tuners and it would be no help. "No extra charge" is BS because my package that I am paying for does not work.

 

[RunnerFL]

This is not an isolated, occasional blip. This is a problem that renders an important feature unusable. If I want to download the latest movie, I could have a hundred tuners and it would be no help. "No extra charge" is BS because my package that I am paying for does not work.

VOD skips are currently a known issue with the HR34. There is no ETA on a fix just yet.

 

[inf0z]

This is not an isolated, occasional blip. This is a problem that renders an important feature unusable. If I want to download the latest movie, I could have a hundred tuners and it would be no help. "No extra charge" is BS because my package that I am paying for does not work.

I was just trying to be nice and make a suggestion. However I can see you aren't here for answers you're here to complain so I'll just be blunt about it. It's not going to work, you probably aren't going to get credit because it's not a service that DIRECTV charges for and per the DIRECTV user agreement channels are subject to change without notice, and there's no ETA on the fix so your post is pretty much useless other than venting your frustrations.

 

[CCarncross]

This is not an isolated, occasional blip. This is a problem that renders an important feature unusable. If I want to download the latest movie, I could have a hundred tuners and it would be no help. "No extra charge" is BS because my package that I am paying for does not work.

Directv is aware of it and I'm sure are working on a fix, but everyone that has an HR34 is in the same boat so I'm sure they will try to fix it with a firmware update very soon. Everyone that has replied has been courteous and just trying to help and explain the issue, there is no reason to be rude or obnoxious with anyone here.

 

[Justin23]

This is not an isolated, occasional blip. This is a problem that renders an important feature unusable. If I want to download the latest movie, I could have a hundred tuners and it would be no help. "No extra charge" is BS because my package that I am paying for does not work.

Your package is working fine...the VOD isn't.

 

[T-Mac]

It's true, VOD is completely useless on the HR34 until they fix this problem. I gave up on the "feature" months ago.

The software for the 34 has slowly gotten better. My overall thought is that they started selling this unit way before it was ready. Poor quality assurance on Direct's part.

 

[Earguy]

Directv is aware of it and I'm sure are working on a fix, but everyone that has an HR34 is in the same boat so I'm sure they will try to fix it with a firmware update very soon. Everyone that has replied has been courteous and just trying to help and explain the issue, there is no reason to be rude or obnoxious with anyone here.

I'm not here just to complain, I'm here to ask if there's a solution. I didn't think I was being rude to everybody, though I admit I was annoyed at what I perceived to be a flip answer "you've got 5 tuners to keep you busy."

To me, offering an On-Demand service when you sign up, then having it not work, and then being told "it's technically free, not part of the package you're paying for" is the same as saying "buy this car, the radio doesn't work, but the radio in the car is free."

So, apparently there's no solution. DTV marketed a feature to us that doesn't work. I'm not being snide to DBS members, and I'm not just complaining for complaining's sake, and I'm a little surprised that more people aren't upset about it.

 

[Justin23]

I'm not here just to complain, I'm here to ask if there's a solution. I didn't think I was being rude to everybody, though I admit I was annoyed at what I perceived to be a flip answer "you've got 5 tuners to keep you busy."

To me, offering an On-Demand service when you sign up, then having it not work, and then being told "it's technically free, not part of the package you're paying for" is the same as saying "buy this car, the radio doesn't work, but the radio in the car is free."

So, apparently there's no solution. DTV marketed a feature to us that doesn't work. I'm not being snide to DBS members, and I'm not just complaining for complaining's sake, and I'm a little surprised that more people aren't upset about it.

You are being snide by assuming that "there is no solution" & throwing out "this feature was marketed to us and doesn't work". I'm surprised you didn't play the bait & switch card that I've seen on here.

It is a known issue & will be fixed with a new software DL in the near future.

The bugs in the HR34 are still being worked out. Why do you think D* hasn't marketed this receiver like the E* Hopper? It still shows as "Coming Soon" on the website.

 

[RunnerFL]

So, apparently there's no solution. DTV marketed a feature to us that doesn't work. I'm not being snide to DBS members, and I'm not just complaining for complaining's sake, and I'm a little surprised that more people aren't upset about it.

The feature does work, and works great, for anyone with an HR2X. Right now there is a bug on the HR34's that mess up the VOD downloads. That doesn't mean VOD isn't working, it means the HR34 isn't.

It will be fixed at some point, no one knows when that is. It could be tomorrow, it could be next week, it could be next month.

There are more people upset about it. If you'd have used the search feature before starting your thread you'd find a few threads on it and talk about it in the main HR34 Issues/Discussion thread. Regardless of how many people are upset though no amount of complaining is going to speed up the fix.

 

[HarleyD]

It's true, VOD is completely useless on the HR34 until they fix this problem. I gave up on the "feature" months ago.

The software for the 34 has slowly gotten better. My overall thought is that they started selling this unit way before it was ready. Poor quality assurance on Direct's part.

Shades of the HR20 rollout.

Anbody remember how bad that was in the fall of '06?

Remember the "Elvis" and "Santa Claus" firmware releases to fix the major bugs in the HR20 (and I am talking MAJOR, making the HR34/VOD bug look like a walk in the park) and how those patch releases and the dbstalk feedback evolved into a groundbreaking initiative now known as the Cutting Edge program?

Not that it makes things any better but D* rolling out a product that wasn't fully baked isn't unheard of in the past. "Somebody" probably decided that it was more important to get this to market now as-is than to delay it until all the bugs were ironed out. Competition among providers being what it is, they probably felt it was better to introduce a cutting edge product with some hiccups than to be the last one to the party.

There is often a price to pay for being an early adopter of technoogy. Not saying it is right...but it is so.

In the words of General George S. Patton...

"A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan executed next week."

 

[CCarncross]

IIRC, we didnt even have VOD back in 06......

 

[HarleyD]

IIRC, we didnt even have VOD back in 06......

No, we didnt.

We had Immediate Keep/Delete on unviewed recordings. Black/blank recordings. Missed recordings. Pinky. Lockups. Bricking. Trick-play issues. You know...all the basic stuff a DVR is supposed to do.

The HR20 rollout was not for the faint-of-heart. But to D*'s credit they went after those problems and fixed them.

While the HR34/VOD bug is a real problem and I would hope they are giving the resolution some level of priority, it still pales next to the bugs associated with the early days of the HR20.

 

[swans]

The feature does work, and works great, for anyone with an HR2X. Right now there is a bug on the HR34's that mess up the VOD downloads. That doesn't mean VOD isn't working, it means the HR34 isn't.

It will be fixed at some point, no one knows when that is. It could be tomorrow, it could be next week, it could be next month.

There are more people upset about it. If you'd have used the search feature before starting your thread you'd find a few threads on it and talk about it in the main HR34 Issues/Discussion thread. Regardless of how many people are upset though no amount of complaining is going to speed up the fix.

Question:

I have 2 HR2Xs along with the HR34. If I do a VOD on one of the HR2Xs and then go to the HR34 to play it, will it play correctly? This is assuming I don't have to restart the HR34 because I lost whole home. :lol:

 

[Beerstalker]

Question:

I have 2 HR2Xs along with the HR34. If I do a VOD on one of the HR2Xs and then go to the HR34 to play it, will it play correctly? This is assuming I don't have to restart the HR34 because I lost whole home. :lol:

From what I have read on here, yes that will work.

 

[RunnerFL]

Question:

I have 2 HR2Xs along with the HR34. If I do a VOD on one of the HR2Xs and then go to the HR34 to play it, will it play correctly? This is assuming I don't have to restart the HR34 because I lost whole home. :lol:

I'm not sure, I haven't tried. I think if you download on an HR2X you're ok because the issue is the download on an HR34, not the actual playback.