Problems with 522 DVR

[ts7]

Has anyone else had problems with the 522 DVR? I am waiting for my FOURTH replacement to arrive in the past 2 years. Fortunately, on this latest replacement the CSR waived the $14 shipping fee, but there is no credit for lost service, the inconvenience of having to disconnect and reconnect everything (typically about a 30-45 minute chore with the way mine is wired), not to mention the loss of all of the programming I had saved.

I really don't think there is anything on my end that could be causing the problems. The unit is fully open on top of a "baker's rack" style entertainment center, so there is virtually unrestricted air flow. The unit is plugged into a high-quality surge suppressor. Everything is properly grounded.

I have had no problems with any other components in my home theater and I also have a 322 that has worked flawlessly since the day it arrived.

 

[pv4022]

There is nothing you can do the 522 is out dated all the ones you are being sent are remans there is no fix for a faulty hard drive.

 

[Stargazer]

I had to replace a 501 receiver a few times along with a 508 receiver and a 721 receiver. The replacement 721 receiver has worked fine since I got it a while back. I gave up on the 501/508/510 line of receivers. I got two 522 receivers and never had an issue with hit. The two I sold never had issues. It has been the most solid DVR hardwarewise I have seen so far from all that I have had.

 

[griz_fan]

I've had a 522 working like a champ (save for the occasional software glitch) for about two years. It sounds like you're talking sensible steps to ensure things work correctly. Any pattern to the problems you've had with your 522s? How do you have it hooked to your TV or other A/V equipment? There's got to be some explanation.

 

[ts7]

Any pattern to the problems you've had with your 522s? How do you have it hooked to your TV or other A/V equipment? There's got to be some explanation.

Actually, I LOVE the unit -- that is why it is so frustrating to have these failures. The first two that failed had error codes (I don't remember what one). In both cases, the unit would continue to function as a tuner, but none of the DVR functions would work. I'm guessing this was some kind of drive crash. The last time the unit just plain stopped - no error codes, no picture, nothing. The green light would come on and the fans would power up, so I know it is getting power, but that's as far as it goes. Even pressing the MODE button doesn't do anything (this one stumped the TSR -- that's why I think they waived the shipping).

TV1 connects via the S-Video port and optical for the audio. TV 2 is connected through the RF jack to a TV in another room - it goes through a splitter, but there is only 1 TV connected at this time. I don't have a dummy load on the empty port, but I wouldn't think that would have anything to do with this problem.

The only thing I can think of that is common among all occurences is that the problem happened when we approached 70 hours of saved programming. We watch almost NO live TV, so there is a high possibility of fragmentation - especially since we regularly record two different shows while watch two different shows simultaneously. If I'm not mistaken, this box is based on a Linux OS, so fragmentation *shouldn't* be an issue, but I'm guessing the units might choke under these circumstances.

I've been putting off moving to an HD box due to the higher cost and, until recently, the limited availability but if this happens again, I will probably make the jump to the 622.

 

[papalittle]

Make sure the dish is grounded, from what I have been told that all dvr recievers must be well grounded.

 

[volkodav]

i have 2 522's and they work great. what type of LNB's and switch do you have? reason I'm asking is because if you have DP anything don't run trough surge protector because they are not rated for that frequency and cause failure in system

 

[maximum]

I'm on my 8th or 9th 522 receiver now (lost count) but I've never had problems that you describe. The worst I've had is a couple of bad hard drives. I'm convinced that the other problems were software issues but didn't know any better until reading posts here on SatelliteGuys.com

I've never had to pay the shipping fee for replacements. The first 5 or 6 replacements were during the initial warranty and were installed by a technician. I was able to convince the CSR to waive the shipping fee on the others due to the known issues with the 522. I also got credit for lost service. You should call back and demand a refund of your shipping fees and credit for lost service. The problems you describe are unacceptable.

 

[Stargazer]

I can feel your guy's pain. I have had a number of 501/508 replacements (I think three 501's went bad on me and a 508 and a 721). I knew others had problems too but some kept saying how good theirs were. That made me wonder. Now I have two 522's an this 721 I have now and they work like a champ and now I am seeing where others are having issues with there 522 like I did with my 501/508. I got the CSR to waive S&H eventually. I get them to for customers too. Most of the time it works. I just do not think its fair particularly if it fails within a year that the customer should have to pay for S&H.

Maybe the carriers in your area are rough on the packaging or the service center you get your replacements from are worse than the others where they come from. Maybe there is a vibration from something or if you take a lot of power hits from the electric line or something. I lean on the rough handling of the packages by the carrier. Request another carrier. Do not think they will/can do that though.