[Road Rage]

I've been a D* customer for 11 years now. I was late on the HDTV bandwagon but went all out this year. Replaced all my TV's with 16:9 HD LCD's and all receivers with HD models from D*. For 6 weeks my HR20 was flawless. It recorded my series links, my manual schedule recordings, on the fly recordings and even the OTA was great once enabled through Santa. HDMI, composite, digital audio through fiber, whatever I threw at it the unit performed like a champ. And the slimline dish has been flawless as well.

However, ever since the last update went national (which I already had thanks to Santa) I have experienced nearly EVERY bug mentioned in here. So last night I decided it was 4th and 10 and time to punt. So I wiped out all me scheduled recordings, restarted, and after the guide repopulated I set the unit to simply record a single recording of 2 shows today, one from a local and the other from ESPNHD. If I get home tonight and get that dayum black screen with "would you like to save or delete message" I'm sacking the QB and committing a personal foul while doing it. No matter what penalties I have to pay for I will rip every stinking piece of D* hardware out of my home and send it back to them.

My only option for cable is Charter, which is awful, but I could pull out the old VCR or use my DVD burner and have more reliability than what I've experienced the last couple weeks.

Rant over.

 

[Stuart Sweet]

I don't blame anyone for making the decision to move away from the HR20, and you do have my sympathy. No one wants pain and suffering, right?

For the record, I'm in a similar situation, having had next to no major problems until the latest release and having experienced black screens, unwatchables, freezes, and other general nonsense since Christmas.

That being said, wouldn't it make sense to see if the next firmware update comes within the next week, and if it does fix at least the majority of your issues? Everything I've read here says that the developers are very aware of the latest increase in issues and common sense would tell me that if their latest build tests work out, they could have something in the pipeline for us soon.

Either way, man, I'm here with you feeling your pain, if that counts for anything.

 

[Tom Robertson]

I too feel your pain. The first 3 weeks of my HR20 in early November I missed many recordings. And even yesterday, under 0x10B, I had another lockup.

You might want to call Directv now, let them know you've had it. You could make them put an item in your account record that you've tried one last thing or that you'll give them until the next release to get it right.

Either way, you are welcome here at dbstalk.
Good luck,
Tom

 

[brewer4]

I like the HR20 but I've treated it as an experimental unit in my house. It was a nearly flawless unit until 10b too. I have my rock solid HR10's do the majority of recording and have my wife still use the Tivo. That frees up all reliance on the HR20. I have it record some things but until It can prove itself to be as reliable as the HR10, its just a toy. Now should everyone do that, no way. D* has really done itself a disservice by releasing a very buggy unreliable unit. I still love D* but I would have a backup plan. If you feel this is too ridiculous, then I can understand completely dumping D*.

 

[badit11]

I also have had MANY reboots since the 10b update and my OTA is not working only picking up 1 of my 12 local digital stations. I am moving into a new house in the middle of February and if my HR20 is not working MUCH better by then I will send the HR20 back and have Dish Network install their system.

 

[Tom Robertson]

badit11,

That also sounds quite reasonable. Again, you might want to call and have them note that in your record. Might help at some point.

Good luck on the new house and may the HR20 be rock solid by then.
Tom

 

[Swartzy]

Ever since the 10b update I experienced a bug nobody else has... it wouldn't download guide data nor would it accept authorizations from the satellite (probably part of the same bug); I had "Regular Schedule" across the board. Naturally... it can't record that.

Last night I received a replacement DVR, brand new at that (not reconditioned)... hooked it up and upon the first time it communicated w/ the satellite it pulled down the 10b update.

I recorded a couple shows last night and checked them this morning and all seems good. I have guide data again, so that problem was fixed... and the channels the CSR authorized as a test of the old one showed up too.

I'm thinking I probably have the "purest" 10b update since the DVR wasn't touched befored it installed it. Hopefully that means I'll have better luck... this is the 3rd DVR in less than 12 weeks.

Anyway... it doesn't hurt to have them send you a replacement (other than the hassle, frustration and so forth) if overall you're satisfied w/ D* programming, picture quality and so forth.

I'll let you know if I start running into the same bugs everyone else has... which to date... I haven't. And if I do... I too will consider trying to void my contract and go elseware because I think three replacements in 3 months is giving D* a fair chance to fix it.

 

[Road Rage]

Just as I feared, both recordings gave the black screen and the save/delete question. For the heck of it I tried to record a simple 30 minute show from the Travel channel while I went out to eat. Stuck around long enough to see the record light go on, left the house. An hour later I sit down to watch the show and sure enough, black screen with save/delete.

That's it. I'm making the phone call tonight.

 

[MikeR7]

Bye, have fun with Charter.

 

[bobsloop]

I can see that I am not the only one whose HR20 was working great until the latest update. I never missed a recording or had any problems with something that was recorded until the last update. Now I am getting recordings with just a black screen and then it immediately asks me if I want to delete the recording as if it were at the end. It indicates that the recording is 2 hours or whatever it happens to be an shows that it is at the beginning but it just shows a black screen and asks if I want to delete. Frustrating...

 

[Citivas]

I like the HR20 but I've treated it as an experimental unit in my house. It was a nearly flawless unit until 10b too. I have my rock solid HR10's do the majority of recording and have my wife still use the Tivo. That frees up all reliance on the HR20. I have it record some things but until It can prove itself to be as reliable as the HR10, its just a toy. Now should everyone do that, no way. D* has really done itself a disservice by releasing a very buggy unreliable unit. I still love D* but I would have a backup plan. If you feel this is too ridiculous, then I can understand completely dumping D*.

Exacly my situation -- wel stated. I read this forum before getting the HR20 and knew there "might" be issues (though I didn't appreciate how bad I guess). And I stayed silent for over a month here as I was experiencing all of them, because I just kept using my 10-250 for 95% of my viewing and only using the HR20 occasionally when it worked and to fully explore the differences between the UI's, patiently waiting for them to fix the stability issues.

Then within days of each other, D* updates the software on BOTH boxes and suddenly the HR20 has gone from bad to worse and now the 10-250 which has been been rock sollid for 18 suddenly isn't either. So now we are truly missing shows, my wife is [let's just say real mad] and even my kids are crying about missing their favorite shows. Now I have enormous internal pressure in my household to dump D* and just go with cable and their sucky (but generally reliable from our previous experience trying them out for free) DVR boxes.

If there were truly an end in sight, I might be able to hold out against the tide. But with 12+ version of the software released and so far the major issues getting worse not better on the HR20 side, and a barely functioning strained relationship between D* and TiVo on the other side, and no encouraging words from D* to the contrary, and their general track record recently, I fear I will look like a chump to my family if I hold out for a silver lining much longer...

 

[islesfan]

These posts have me worried. I have had a typical, buggy, unreliable HR20 since 10/7/06. I mean, it was a disaster. IKD, BSOD, RBR's once or twice a day. You name it, I had it. I was nearly done with D* (after 11 years) until the magical 10b release. Since then, no more IKD's, no BSOD's. No missed recordings (I do have to babysit the ToDo list for NHL games since CIR is not enabled). The only thing I don't use is OTA (not available in my area). I even hooked up a wireless bridge last night, and it grabbed the Internet so fast I thought something had gone wrong. In combination with Twonky, it now plays my MP3s and Pictures flawlessly (and my PC is nearly 7 years old!). To top it off, last night, after the Isles were blowing it again to the Devils, I decided to give up and go install the wireless bridge, even though I knew a RBR was involved. Well, after hookup, I hit RBR, and the moment it finished booting up, it started recording the rest of the game. Only TiVo ever did that before! It fully re-populated the guide and the ToDo list in under 10 minutes! (Of course, most of the Center Ice channels still show "Title Not Available" but they always do that.)

It is literally almost perfect since 10b. Enable CIR (and therefore autorecord) and I will be completely satisfied. So, with so many people having problems that STARTED with 10b, what will happen with the next release? Will you all have stability, and I get a brick?

Place your bets!

 

[btmoore]

It is literally almost perfect since 10b. Enable CIR (and therefore autorecord) and I will be completely satisfied. So, with so many people having problems that STARTED with 10b, what will happen with the next release? Will you all have stability, and I get a brick?

Place your bets!

The scary part is, a buffalo could fart in India tomorrow and you will be back to where you were a few weeks ago.

 

[mattfro]

What does it say about the HR20 when HR10's go for $1000-$1500 on eBay?! If they don't get the 700 channel bugs fixed before March Madness, I'm gone and going back to cable.

I did email them and told them I wanted them to replace my HR20's w/HR10's (new or used), or I was cancelling and not paying any fees because their receivers are defective.

Waiting for an answer...

 

[mattfro]

Isles-

How do you "babysit" the to do list? I tried recording he Pens and Leafs WHILE WATCHING it, and it froze twice within a minute. Nothing I could do, so I am curious what you do? Thanks...

-Matt

 

[islesfan]

Isles-

How do you "babysit" the to do list? I tried recording he Pens and Leafs WHILE WATCHING it, and it froze twice within a minute. Nothing I could do, so I am curious what you do? Thanks...

-Matt

That used to happen to me all the time, but no more since 10b. When I say babysit the ToDo list, I mean that I set the game with one touch record, then I check the ToDo list. I check the ToDo list again the next day, and about 75% of the time, the game is gone, so I then check the History, where it will say "canceled." I just select Record from the History, and BAM, it is set again. Of course, I then check the ToDo list again later, and if the game is goen again, I set it to record again. If you do this about twice a day, you shouldn't miss more than a game or two.