[patsrule316]

I feel your pain, I finally had to unhook my HR20s and go back to the cable (Brighthouse) HD DVR for my wife. I have faith that it will be better, but right now it's just not usable.

Issues:
1. freezing during playback
2. picture breakup and pixilization on MPEG 4 broadcasts (ABC especially)
3. Dual buffers
4. Closed captioning

I am going to have to suspend my D* service if it is not fixed soon, it's too expensive to keep cable and D* but I gotta go with what works.

I am getting picture breakup/ pixilization on our ABC mpeg4 station as well. They come in spurts for about 30 to 60 seconds, occuring about every 30 minutes or so. So far, my wife hasn't asked why we got the HR20, though. The unit has a lot more features than our cable HD DVR had, and we got the dish and receiver for free with free install. Our cable bill dropped ove 50 bucks a month (digital service, HDTV/DVR fees, HBO) , and directv only went up 27 (HD package, leased receiver fee, HBO, no new dvr fee since we already had an SD tivo from directv).

 

[patsrule316]

This may sound nuts, but I just bought an extra R10 and an older Hughes Directv w/Tivo receiver ($50) from ebay so my wife has a good backup supply of Tivo replacements with D*. I don't have much faith in the HR-20 based on R15 forum problems a year after launch. We'll see.

Doesn't sound nuts to me. When I first signed up for directv, in summer of 2003, we got a hughes Directv Tivo (30 Hours)and a Hughes HD receiver. Last year I got the free after 100 dollar rebate Directv Tivo unit (75 Hours) to replace the 30 hour unit, which was then collecting dust. Then, last month, I got the Hr20 and dish for free, and had the installer set up the old 30 hour dish in our basement, where my wife does her crafts. The original hughes Directv is collecting dust now, but we have 3 tvs running now, 2 with directv tivo, and the third with the HR20. The other tivos are backing up anything we consider critical.

 

[patsrule316]

I notice you are also in the Washington, DC area - and I see that same problem with channel 7 (ABC) here. Every time I record a show on it - at least once during the show there is one of those occurances of breakups like that.

Yup...both Episodes of Desperate Housewives, and the Nine, it happened twice each episode. Fortunately, other than those shows and lost (which I watched live and haven't watched the recording, but I didn't see it happen live), there isn't anything on ABC I worry about anyways:lol:

 

[patsrule316]

Interesting, I saw it last week on Lost - but watched it recorded. The pixelation/loss of picture for roughly 30 seconds happened about halfway into it. I wonder then if it is something while recording that is causing this problem. I pick up my wife at 9 PM on Wednesdays from school so I never get to watch Lost live.

Its possible it happened and I forgot...Lost is pretty much the only show I watch live these days. I'll try to pay extra attention this week.

 

[patsrule316]

I'm glad to hear it's not just me too - thanks to both you and patsrule316 who is also in Northern Virginia. I don't have any way of getting OTA currently so it's also good to know that this isn't a problem with the OTA signal. Well, hopefully they'll fix the DC area soon!

It definitely happened three times during lost last night. My wife said "Maybe we should record ABC in SD instead of HD."

 

[patsrule316]

I saw the same thing last night too with the pixelation/scrambled picture during Lost. Fortunately this time I did just that - recorded it in SD on my Tivo upstairs in the bedroom so I should be able to watch it fine up there tonight in SD. Between the pixelation and the CC problems (my wife uses the CC) I'm rapidly learning to record everything in SD as a backup using my separate Tivo unit connected to an SD receiver upstairs in the bedroom.

I watched my recording of The Nine last night (recorded Wednesday after Lost on ABC), and for the first time, there was no pixelization! Hard to believe they fixed whatever the problem was between Lost and The Nine, but I can hope. We recorded desperate Houswives, so I'll see how that one turned out.