522 audio/video freezes - common factors?

[haertig]

I'm wondering why there seems to be such variance with some people seeing audio/video freezes and others not. I wonder if this could be largely triggered by disk fragmentation or some other factor we have in common. It might be interesting to know how people have used there 522 to compare notes.

Here's my scoop
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Owned: about 3 months

Initial software: 1.68?

Current software: 2.04

Recorded events: maybe 100?

Deleted events: maybe 70?

Most full disk has ever been: about 2 hours free time remaining

Typical free time remaining: between 8 and 20 hours

Physical location: Open shelving, plenty of airspace front and back, three inches airspace left and right, 522 directly on shelf, 322 directly on top of 522, six inches airspace above 322, no additional cooling fans

Turn off both tuners at night?: yes, about 98% of the time

[edit]
I guess it's also important to note whether you are having problems or not, and what your problems are. The only serious problem that I have personally run into (so far!) is massive audio/video freezes during non-live (spooled) playback. I have had a few other problems as well, but they rarely occur or do not significantly negatively affect things.
[/edit]

 

[chingon]

This is a good idea haertig. I have had mine a week today and I have had no problems whatsoever with any bugs. No audio cutting out, color dropping out (did have this with the directivo), etc.

My scoop

Owned: one week

Initial software: 2.03

Current software: 2.04

Recorded events: Probably between 30 and 35? (I am disabled so I am home all of the time, I record lots of stuff at night and watch it during the day).

Deleted events: All of them, I watch them during the day and delete them.

Most full disk has been: Just whatever I record in one night, not much really.

Typical free time remaining: Most of it.

Physical location: On top of Entertainment center, plenty of airspace front, back and top.

Turn off both tuners at night: For the first night I did not because I didn't veen think about it, I was used to the tivo being left on. Since then, off always.

Fan kicking in: Never noticed it at all.

I was wondering in another thread if they might be doing something different hardware wise in the new units being shipped, it's the only thing i can think of why mine has been working flawless.

 

[haertig]

I was wondering in another thread if they might be doing something different hardware wise in the new units being shipped, it's the only thing i can think of why mine has been working flawless.

I might have at one time considered mine flawless as well. But not anymore. It has degraded over time. That's what I'm hoping we might be able to get a handle on. Is the degradation due simply to continued usage (fragmentation perhaps?) or the result of Dish software upgrades or maybe some other factor those of us with problems have in common but haven't identified yet?

 

[blockisle9]

I have some audio and vidio synck problems on both live and recorded (Nothing to bad ) I have been mostly trouble free and like my

Owned: 2 months

Initial software: 2.01

Current software: 2.04

Recorded events: Probably between 50 and 60?

Deleted events: As I watch them.

Most full disk has been: Total of about 20 hours.

Typical free time remaining: Most of it.

Physical location: On top of Entertainment center, plenty of airspace front, back and top.

I leave both tuners on all the time.

 

[rhasselbaum]

I have not had any significant problems with my 522. It might be useful to note how often the fan kicks in. I've added that stat.

Owned: 3 weeks

Initial software: 2.03

Current software: 2.04 (I think)

Recorded events: 20 - 30

Deleted events: 10ish

Most full disk has been: 20 hours or so

Typical free time remaining: 75 - 80 hours

Physical location: Top of cabinet. Plenty of space all around.

Percent time fan is running when in use: 1% at most

Both tuners are off when not in use.

 

[blockisle9]

You know come to think of it, I have never noticed mine running at all. I might just not here it. I will have to pay attention and see.
Lenny

 

[maximum]

I am on my third 522 that I've had for only a week. These problems (and stats) are what I've seen on this newest box only: Audio/video freezes, Part of recording lost due to loss of signal, Acquiring signal pop up while watching live TV, Pressing guide button caused a re-boot, Color distortion on menu screens.

Owned: < 1 week.

Initial and Current Software 2.04

Recorded Events: 30 - 40

Deleted Events: 10 -20

Most full disk has been: 95%

Typical Free Time: 5 Hours

Physical Location: Entertainment center with open air space front & back. Audio receiver sits on top with 1" high feet, so there is air space between components. I have not turned on the audio receiver yet this week, so it has not generated any heat.

Cooling fan runs occasionally.

Usually turn off both tuners at night.

FYI: The last CSR I talked to thinks the dish may not be properly grounded, thus static electricity is coming down the cable and messing up the hard drive. Dish insists that the problems I'm having are unique and not wide spread. I don't even call them to complain; they call me to see if the last 522 or LNB swap fixed the problem. I keep saying "no" and they keep sending out the same technician to try something else.

 

[haertig]

FYI: The last CSR I talked to thinks the dish may not be properly grounded, thus static electricity is coming down the cable and messing up the hard drive.

Hmmm ... I always thought static electricity would build up, then discharge some time in the future. Dish must have invented some new kind that constantly trickles down the line messing up a digital signal every few seconds, but usually only when playing back from a spooled buffer on a DVR. Boy, Dish's Static Development R&D department must be real crackerjacks!

Somehow I think the only way you'd notice static built up on your dish is if you climbed up there on a metal ladder with wet feet and licked the bloody thing.

 

[Bizzach]

I'll do this too...
First off, I have VERY few problems. Every once in a while, the GOD will happen, or the color will drop out. It doesn't sync up and audio hiccups every once in a while too, but nothing major. I can still watch TV just fine.
And since 2.04, I can still pause and watch buffered TV with no problem. I didn't notice ANY change in 2.04!

My scoop

Owned: about 4 - 5 months

Initial software: 1.67?

Current software: 2.04

Recorded events: Several hundred.

Deleted events: Almost all of those several hundred!

Most full disk has been: Once, I got it down to (I'm not kidding!) 20 minutes remaining.

Typical free time remaining: For the first couple of months, about 70 hours, but the last couple of months it's been between 0 - 15 hours remaining.

Physical location: On top of the DVD changer (that's on top of the big-screen). Not in any enclosure at all.

Turn off both tuners at night: The whole time, I've only turned them off once or twice. Definitely no more than that.

Fan kicking in: Never, except when rebooting every other week or so...

 

[mrschwarz]

Owned: about 4 months

Initial software: 1.67

Current software: 2.04

Recorded events: Several hundred.

Deleted events: Almost all of those several hundred!

Most full disk has been: 0 time remaining

Typical free time remaining: Between 2 and 10 hours

Physical location: Inside a cabinet with a 6" box fan blowing on it (cool to the touch).

Turn off both tuners at night: The whole time, I've only turned them off once or twice. Definitely no more than that.

Fan kicking in: Never that I have noticed.

-------------

Other than some problems in the first couple of days after the update, I really haven't had any problems. When pressing the pause button, it takes a second for the sound to stop and another second for the picture to stop. When I press the pause button again, the picture starts right away and it takes a second or two for the sound to start.

I am running in single mode for the time being.

 

[markav]

I too have been very curious about how the widely varying bug reports might relate to each person's usage of their machine. My machine usage is very similar to what haertig has reported. My main problems currently include audio dropouts, glitchy playback of non-live tv, and very occasional guide of death.

I've been coming around to the opinion that 80%+ of the problems I experience (the usual ones - audio dropout, glitchy playback, etc) are triggered by the start of a new recording (a timer being triggered) while I am watching live tv or another recording.

It could be that newer users simply haven't set too many regular timers yet, and thus don't experience problems that result from a timer kicking off.

 

[Fishbelly]

I'm curious about the above post, as it mirrored my own thoughts. I've only had my 522 since Sunday (8/29) and it has run flawlessly . . . until a few minutes ago.

I was watching a recorded show, then tried to skip ahead to the "next week's preview", when I experienced the well-known color fade glitch. Looking at the clock, I realized that a timer had just kicked in at about the same moment as when I was skipping ahead.

My system is completely ventilated, the fan never runs, and I've just started recording shows, so I've never had more than 10 hours of recorded material.

I've been quite happy with my 522 so far, admittedly, it's only been for 5 days. I hope this glitch turns out to be a rare occurence--I can handle it, but my wife and kids tend to overreact to things like this.

 

[Sapient]

I third the idea of most big problems happening when a timer is kicking in, and perhaps out. In addition to that, I've noticed that some sound hiccups in a recorded show became part of that recording while I was pressing a button that affected the hard drive.

For example, if a show is taping on TV2, and I pause a live show on TV1 5 minutes after the recording started, I will get a sound hiccup in the recorded show five minutes into it. I will get another that corresponds to when I unpause.

 

[haertig]

My audio/video freezes while watching TV1 don't appear to be related to anything going on with TV2 (recording, whatever). We rarely use TV2 at all and I still see the problems. However, I must say that I did some extensive testing yesterday and things were not so bad. I don't know if the newest software did anything to help the situation, or this is just randomness.

I did notice one TV2 tuner-kick-in bug yesterday however.

Watching TV1, and had been for about an hour. So I had an hour of spool to rewind to. And I had been rewinding and fast forwarding quite a bit - that was the testing I mentioned above. TV2 timer kicked in and bam, TV1 spool totally disappeared. It was as if I changed channels on TV1 and then changed back. But I didn't. I noticed it right after I saw that TV2 red recording light come on. I did not see any color fade when TV2 kicked in, as many others have reported however.