This a software bug, but a hardware issue

[Tugboat]

A couple of months ago I was given a new 722 because I was losing recordings (error code 4). When I got the replacement all seemed well until I went to transfer the oldest recordings to the EHD. I noticed that none of the ones selected registered in the amount selected area. They also wouldn't transfer over. When I tried to view them, I got the error code 4 again. Some of these I had either watched, or started to watch so I know it's not a signal issue as some suggest. When all was said and done, I had lost the last 35 recordings on the drive and had to delete them. I contacted Dish again as was told I must have gotten a replacement unit with a bad drive (highly unlikely, but I had them send another replacement). This time the new unit had a noisy fan that turned on even when the room temp was 68 and ran for hours before stopping. It even rattled now and then. So they are sending me another unit on Friday. In preparation for it, I decided to move my recordings to the EHD. I have 55 recordings and using about half the internal drive. This time I ran into the exact same issue and lost the last 22 recordings.

There is no way this is a hardware or signal issue. This has to be software related. I have been using my 722 in this configuration for over a 1 1/2 years with no problems and had never lost a recording before (been using the DRVs since they were introduced). In one of the updates they've done, they've introduced a bug that is corrupting the recordings or messing up their entries in the allocation table.

How many other 722 users are losing recordings that had never lost any before?

 

[primestar31]

Older VIP722, or the 722k? Which one do you have for sure?

Either way, IF people were routinely losing recordings as you say, they would be screaming bloody murder. I have a 722k, and I haven't lost a single recording in a year, and that's how long I've had the receiver. I send recordings to the external drive quite frequently.

 

[RT-Cat]

Had a 722K for two years up to last June and never lost any recordings.
Hopping now....
.
RT

 

[Tugboat]

I had the original receiver (722) since its introduction (lost track of the number of years) and the first replacement about 3 weeks and now this one for 3 weeks. I don't know how old the replacements are, but they're obviously refurbished 722s.

I find it hard to believe that I now have a third unit that is corrupting my recordings due to hardware issues. I've been using an EHD for more than 3 years without issues and with the current EHD for almost 2 years. If it's not a bug in the OS, then what are the odds of getting the exact same issue with three different units? Also, the EHD has never lost a recording or given any problems and runs 24/7.

I also have not experienced any power failures or other power problems. The thing only reboots at the designated time each morning.

Older VIP722, or the 722k? Which one do you have for sure?

Either way, IF people were routinely losing recordings as you say, they would be screaming bloody murder. I have a 722k, and I haven't lost a single recording in a year, and that's how long I've had the receiver. I send recordings to the external drive quite frequently.

 

[primestar31]

Its probably easy to get 3 bad receivers in a row when you are dealing with ones such as this. They are quite old now, and what does "refurbished" mean anyway? It could mean totally rebuilt with new parts, OR, maybe it means they wiped down the case with a damp rag. Then they may bounce around in the back of a techs truck, OR, be thunked around in the back of a shipping truck, etc. It would really piss me off also, and truly sucks, but I wouldn't discount that it could happen.

 

[TheKrell]

I have not noticed this problem with my 722 either. But I only transfer a few recordings at a time. What happens if you try that? Also, is your EHD a common denominator in these 3 bad 722s?

 

[navychop]

Yep. Sounds like an EHD issue.


In any event, you might try immediately transferring each program rather than waiting until many accumulate.

As suggested above.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[Tugboat]

The EHD has been with all three as well as a couple of others here in the house. It is mainly on this one (about 95% of the time) and has been in service almost 2 years. The EHD has never acted up or lost any recordings. It's also odd that the recordings I'm losing are all the oldest ones on the internal drive. In this case they were only between 4 and 6 days old. So it's always a contiguous batch at the end and never ones in the middle or beginning of the list.

I've tried moving them one at a time and they will not go if they're the code ones. If I add one of the code recordings in with another, it will stop the process when it reaches the bad one.

I have not noticed this problem with my 722 either. But I only transfer a few recordings at a time. What happens if you try that? Also, is your EHD a common denominator in these 3 bad 722s?

 

[Tugboat]

How could the EHD cause issue with recordings on the internal drive that haven't been moved and only the last ones on the list, not any in the middle or beginning? I never lose any recordings, but the last ones.

Yep. Sounds like an EHD issue.


In any event, you might try immediately transferring each program rather than waiting until many accumulate.

As suggested above.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[Tugboat]

I would believe it if it weren't so specific an issue. It's always only the last bunch of recordings on the internal drive and never any in the middle or beginning and never a random one.

Its probably easy to get 3 bad receivers in a row when you are dealing with ones such as this. They are quite old now, and what does "refurbished" mean anyway? It could mean totally rebuilt with new parts, OR, maybe it means they wiped down the case with a damp rag. Then they may bounce around in the back of a techs truck, OR, be thunked around in the back of a shipping truck, etc. It would really piss me off also, and truly sucks, but I wouldn't discount that it could happen.

 

[TheKrell]

The EHD has been with all three as well as a couple of others here in the house. It is mainly on this one (about 95% of the time) and has been in service almost 2 years. The EHD has never acted up or lost any recordings.

You mean, "before now". I still think the EHD is the common denominator in these 3 receivers acting up in the same way (when transferring to your EHD). Since EHDs are so cheap, I'd get another one and see if that fixes it.

I've tried moving them one at a time and they will not go if they're the code ones. If I add one of the code recordings in with another, it will stop the process when it reaches the bad one.

What's a code recording?

 

[Hall]

I still think the EHD is the common denominator in these 3 receivers acting up in the same way (when transferring to your EHD).

I agree 100%. What are the odds the OP has gotten multiple, defective receivers ? Why haven't others reported this issue if "they've introduced a bug that is corrupting the recordings or messing up their entries in the allocation table" ?

 

[navychop]

Do you by any chance have over 900 recordings on a drive?

 

[Tugboat]

I'm still not understanding how the EHD can corrupt a recording on the internal drive when that recording has never been moved to it or from it. Why would the EHD have access to recorded shows on the receiver when you haven't use the "send to" function?

By "code" I mean the error code (error 5).

You mean, "before now". I still think the EHD is the common denominator in these 3 receivers acting up in the same way (when transferring to your EHD). Since EHDs are so cheap, I'd get another one and see if that fixes it.



What's a code recording?

 

[Tugboat]

On the internal, 55 recordings. On the EHD, 332 recordings.

Do you by any chance have over 900 recordings on a drive?

 

[TheKrell]

I'm still not understanding how the EHD can corrupt a recording on the internal drive when that recording has never been moved to it or from it. Why would the EHD have access to recorded shows on the receiver when you haven't use the "send to" function?

Well, apparently I'm not understanding the issue, because if I read your OP correctly, the problem only occurs when you go to archive recordings to the EHD. The archive algorithm used in our receivers is (unfortunately) a move and not a copy. This is to avoid lawsuits by exploiting the "one copy" rule of the DMCA. Note that a "move" involves first a copy, followed by a delete of the original files from the internal disk. So, I am speculating that the receiver is getting the recording moved, but then something goes wrong on the EHD to confuse the receiver, which then goes on to mangle (rather than totally remove) the originals on the internal disk.

 

[Hall]

...all seemed well until I went to transfer the oldest recordings to the EHD.

I decided to move my recordings to the EHD. I have 55 recordings and using about half the internal drive. This time I ran into the exact same issue and lost the last 22 recordings.

This has to be software related.

I'm still not understanding how the EHD can corrupt a recording on the internal drive when that recording has never been moved to it or from it. Why would the EHD have access to recorded shows on the receiver when you haven't use the "send to" function?

In combination with TheKrell's explanation just above, maybe it is a software bug after all. If it works as he describes, which I'm not doubting, it needs to do some file check on the EHD before it finishes the process of moving the recording and deleting the recording off of the DVR. I understand the whole "Dish can't make extra copies" part too, so instead of the process being

Recording on DVR > move file > Recording (now) on EHD

it could be

Recording on DVR > copy file > Recording (now) on EHD > verify integrity > delete file from DVR

Yes, in the 2nd instance, by law, Dish would be in violation. Easy way to deal with that is to simply hide or fake the interface / dialog. It could simply say "File move in progress" and do the actions in the 2nd instance and no one "sees" any difference.

 

[Tugboat]

Okay, let me try this. I noticed the corruption when I tried to move some. The counter that adds up the amount of the chosen recordings wasn't changing as I was highlighting them. I canceled the highlight process and didn't start the moving process. I then went to the recordings and not only were the ones I had highlighted (and not tried to move) corrupt, but so were about 15 others I hadn't highlighted in the earlier process. So I never actually started the move process, just highlighted them and canceled. Also, 15 that weren't highlighted were also corrupt.

Well, apparently I'm not understanding the issue, because if I read your OP correctly, the problem only occurs when you go to archive recordings to the EHD. The archive algorithm used in our receivers is (unfortunately) a move and not a copy. This is to avoid lawsuits by exploiting the "one copy" rule of the DMCA. Note that a "move" involves first a copy, followed by a delete of the original files from the internal disk. So, I am speculating that the receiver is getting the recording moved, but then something goes wrong on the EHD to confuse the receiver, which then goes on to mangle (rather than totally remove) the originals on the internal disk.

 

[primestar31]

Okay, let me try this. I noticed the corruption when I tried to move some. The counter that adds up the amount of the chosen recordings wasn't changing as I was highlighting them. I canceled the highlight process and didn't start the moving process. I then went to the recordings and not only were the ones I had highlighted (and not tried to move) corrupt, but so were about 15 others I hadn't highlighted in the earlier process. So I never actually started the move process, just highlighted them and canceled. Also, 15 that weren't highlighted were also corrupt.

You know of course that NONE of this makes any sense with the info you have given us so far? I could maybe see a bad internal drive causing this issue, BUT, the EXACT same issue of corrupted recordings that nobody else has seen happen in this way, and only YOU have the problem on 3 receivers?

There HAS to be some other commonality. That means we need more information. How is your whole system laid out, Eastern arc, Western arc, what dish(es), what channels are the recordings from, are they OTA, are they ALL satellite, etc, etc. SOMETHING in that whole mess has to be causing this issue. Realize that your entire satellite system install is the only common part of this whole ordeal.

So, I'm saying it's NOT the receivers, but some other strange phenomena with your system or connections that is causing the corrupted recordings. I'll bet money they are corrupted when recorded, but you don't notice the issue until the external drive move attempts to do whatever exact functions it does when commanded.

 

[Tugboat]

I really don't know what you expect. My setup has been working for years and now it's not. Nothing has changed, they are becoming corrupt without being transferred to the EHD, they are a mix of satellite and OTA, I've had no power failures, some of these recordings were already watched completely or partially, it's not a signal issue and they aren't corrupt during recording.

And it is not the move process that brings them to my attention. I never initiated the move. I've found them from either highlighting them and noticing the amount selected wasn't increasing, or trying to watch one and getting the error 5 (from an unwatched recording, a partially watched recording or a recording previously watched).

If this isn't enough information for you, you can't choose to not reply anymore.

You know of course that NONE of this makes any sense with the info you have given us so far? I could maybe see a bad internal drive causing this issue, BUT, the EXACT same issue of corrupted recordings that nobody else has seen happen in this way, and only YOU have the problem on 3 receivers?

There HAS to be some other commonality. That means we need more information. How is your whole system laid out, Eastern arc, Western arc, what dish(es), what channels are the recordings from, are they OTA, are they ALL satellite, etc, etc. SOMETHING in that whole mess has to be causing this issue. Realize that your entire satellite system install is the only common part of this whole ordeal.

So, I'm saying it's NOT the receivers, but some other strange phenomena with your system or connections that is causing the corrupted recordings. I'll bet money they are corrupted when recorded, but you don't notice the issue until the external drive move attempts to do whatever exact functions it does when commanded.