Strange Receiver Issue

[BorDizzy]

I have an HR-24 and an HR-21 on my Whole Home Setup, hoping that clarifies.

I'm looking for a tip or someone to maybe chime in here. The HR-21 keeps resetting itself every few hours, and when it resets, it always ends up back on TLC. I could have been watching ESPN, or a movie or Nick Jr and it always ends up back on TLC. My wife records a few programs on the HR-24 on TLC, but we record more stuff from Nick Jr, ESPN, ABC Family, Fox, etc etc and it never resets itself to that channel. Has anyone had their receiver do something similar and is there a way you can get it to stop tuning to TLC every time it resets???

 

[charper1]

why is it resetting every few hours? that's the real issue I think.

 

[BorDizzy]

why is it resetting every few hours? that's the real issue I think.

Maybe I misspoke, I apologize. My wife has a habit of turning it off when she turns the TV off, and when we turn it back on, instead of picking up where we left off, it picks up on TLC. The download manager has been showing up every few hours though and telling us it needs to download an important update, and when you tell it do go ahead do it now, the receiver goes through and does what I believe is a download and reset, only to go through and ask to download again.

 

[BobStokesbary]

BorDizzy,
Lets start with the download issue first. You can force a download by entering 02468 at the "hello screen" on restart. You force the restart by pressing the red button under the cover where your authorization card is located. This should get you around the issue with missing an important update. Installers do this with every receiver they install to be sure to have the latest software version in the receiver.

Second, you mention that your receiver appears to always reset to TLC when you turn it on. This could be caused by setting your recording such that two channels are recording simultaneously. When your receiver is "off" it automatically shifts your tuners to the channels being recorded and disregards any other settings you have. Your TLC recording probably starts shortly after the other recording. This will put the first program on tuner 2 and TLC on tuner 1. When you "turn on" your receiver it will be tuned to TLC. This is about the only way that the tuners will shift from where they were when you "turned it off". (I put the "turn on" and "turn off" in quotes because all you turn off are the lights on the front panel and the video decrypter. The receiver, for all intents and purposes is still on. You can even hear the disk drive whirring on the DVR. Our D12, for example, always leaves the audio on so you can listen to the radio channels even when the receiver is "off".) I think if you take a close look at the programs you are recording you will find that this is the situation.
Bob

 

[BorDizzy]

BorDizzy,
Lets start with the download issue first. You can force a download by entering 02468 at the "hello screen" on restart. You force the restart by pressing the red button under the cover where your authorization card is located. This should get you around the issue with missing an important update. Installers do this with every receiver they install to be sure to have the latest software version in the receiver.

Second, you mention that your receiver appears to always reset to TLC when you turn it on. This could be caused by setting your recording such that two channels are recording simultaneously. When your receiver is "off" it automatically shifts your tuners to the channels being recorded and disregards any other settings you have. Your TLC recording probably starts shortly after the other recording. This will put the first program on tuner 2 and TLC on tuner 1. When you "turn on" your receiver it will be tuned to TLC. This is about the only way that the tuners will shift from where they were when you "turned it off". (I put the "turn on" and "turn off" in quotes because all you turn off are the lights on the front panel and the video decrypter. The receiver, for all intents and purposes is still on. You can even hear the disk drive whirring on the DVR. Our D12, for example, always leaves the audio on so you can listen to the radio channels even when the receiver is "off".) I think if you take a close look at the programs you are recording you will find that this is the situation.
Bob

Thanks for your help. May have a bit more info here. My wife is the primary user of this receiver, so I wasn't aware of this as much as she was. I have had today to see this piece of crap first hand and it has asked me to download the update at least 5 times. I was looking around and in the history for this receiver, since it isn't the DVR box, in the Autotunes it has 102 listings of download update, and most of them are failed, and some are canceled (situations where we hit postpone it while watching a program). I believe this is quite a problem to have the receive fail to update, and I can't think of a reason why.

I believe the TLC thing is related here. We don't record or have anything autotuned to that channel. I double checked the DVR receiver downstairs, and looked at the autotune list on this problem receiver, and it is still a mystery to me as to how and why TLC got into the mix. I know my wife did record a series on there awhile back, but the last 15 recordings have been on Fox, ESPN, Nick Jr, Disney, ABC Family, HBO and Cinemax, but none on TLC since June.

 

[Jimbo]

What has D* had to say about it ?

 

[BorDizzy]

What has D* had to say about it ?

I called them last night and it was an issue they had never heard of. Of course, they didn't know about the History telling me about the 100 or so attempts to download the update that haven't worked. May not have got myself a super experienced tech last night. I'm waiting for my wife to return home from work so I can give them another call, I can't watch our 10 month old and be on the phone with a tech support person.

 

[charper1]

Were you talking to a tech or a 1st line CSR? What happened when you tried to force an update mentioned before?

 

[BorDizzy]

Were you talking to a tech or a 1st line CSR? What happened when you tried to force an update mentioned before?

It was a first line guy, he was super nice and was a bit puzzled by my problem, but tried a few things, and thought that it would do the trick. We reset it back to factory defaults and did a forced restart. I wasn't able to get the 02468 thing to do anything noticeable at the hello screen. I tried it three times and nothing seemed to happen. A little while ago, the download message came up, and I hit "ok download" and it went through a few minutes of blank screen, then a restart, and than went through the download of information from the satellite, and when I checked the history, it said a failure had just happened in the update. So it isn't updating, and so it is stuck, and I don't know why.

 

[charper1]

To do the forced update; do not wait for the HELLO screen. I would try again.

Reset the unit, the front lights will go out, right when the lights come back on, steadily press the 02468 on the remote. But you may just be totally hosed. Are they sending another unit?

 

[Jimbo]

Also, can you check to see what version of software your running ?

Menu-Set Up-System Set Up- on the Info and Test screen, last one is Software.

While your there, try and run a Test, see if you find any interesting info from the test.

The Test may take a few minutes, thats normal.

 

[BorDizzy]

Also, can you check to see what version of software your running ?

Menu-Set Up-System Set Up- on the Info and Test screen, last one is Software.

While your there, try and run a Test, see if you find any interesting info from the test.

The Test may take a few minutes, thats normal.

The test fails and it looks like I'm going to need a service call. Since they cost an arm and a leg, I'm thinking about just living with the issue

 

[Jimbo]

The test fails and it looks like I'm going to need a service call. Since they cost an arm and a leg, I'm thinking about just living with the issue

You must not have the Protection plan ?
With it, any visits are Free.

 

[Hutch1814]

The test fails and it looks like I'm going to need a service call. Since they cost an arm and a leg, I'm thinking about just living with the issue

What test is it failing? If it's a phone line, Internet connection, or dish alignment that wouldn't cause the DVR to act up however if you have a dish alignment I'd recommend a tech to come fix it or you'll be in for head aches and seeing a lot of 771's

 

[charper1]

Yep, a TEST and an UPDATE are two separate items. Is is failing receiver tests of failing updates?

 

[BorDizzy]

Yep, a TEST and an UPDATE are two separate items. Is is failing receiver tests of failing updates?

Sorry for not replying to this thread, but it has been one headache after another with DTV. At this point, I completely regret my switch, because this has been a nightmare. I had friends warn me about this very problem with them, but I saw a much reduced price and we decided to make the leap.

So I have been given the run around by a number of different techs on the phone. At every turn I'm met with some hurdle that keeps them from doing their job.

While watching programming, the receiver will pop up a message that indicates it has something to download, it gives me the option to "OK, Download Now" or "Download Later". For awhile, hitting Download Later worked, but now when I hit that, it will keep me watching TV for another 10-15 seconds and than the screen with go blank, the indicator lights shut off and the receiver will go through a reset and it will end up at the purple welcome screen, and it will proceed to go through the boot up screen where it downloads information from the satellite. When I get back to TV, it always resets itself to TLC (reminds me of 50 first dates were Drew Barrymore's character always goes back to the day before the accident because she can't remember anything post accident). When I go into the Manage Autotunes menu, there are 101 listings and all of them regard the software download either being canceled (Download Later) or failing. It has been happening more and more frequently, at first it was every few hours, and now it is down to about every hour or so, and like I had mentioned, the Download Later selection doesn't delay it like it did the first time. This has become a big time annoyance and something I want rectified.

So I have talked to multiple useless DTV techs who assumed it was a connection issue. My DVR box in the basement just updated itself without incident on 8/27 at 2:59 AM. This evening, at the behest of a tech, I connected my troubled receiver to the downstairs outlet, and I put in a movie and watched it. Flipped back over to the receiver and it had tried and failed three times to download the update on an outlet that I know is connection problem free.

I called DTV back and they will replace the box, but they are going to charge me for shipping, and they will not give any warranty or guarantee about the box they are shipping to me. What a horrible way to treat customers. In 7 years with Dish Network I never once had any questions asked about exchanging out a bad receiver. Sure I had to try everything and anything with a DISH Tech to exhaust all software issues before it was determined a hardware failure, as I have done with DTV, but Dish folks were great about just getting that replacement sent to me and out the next day. No management worth a damn was available for me to talk to on the overnight (I'm a third shifter, so overnight on my day off is a great time to call) so I will have to try and suck it up and get ahold of someone during the day, and this will be my final call to them on this issue, I'm either going to be getting a new receiver or I'm going to be cancelling my service as this switch has been a nightmare from the beginning.

 

[Jimbo]

Sorry for not replying to this thread, but it has been one headache after another with DTV. At this point, I completely regret my switch, because this has been a nightmare. I had friends warn me about this very problem with them, but I saw a much reduced price and we decided to make the leap.

So I have been given the run around by a number of different techs on the phone. At every turn I'm met with some hurdle that keeps them from doing their job.

While watching programming, the receiver will pop up a message that indicates it has something to download, it gives me the option to "OK, Download Now" or "Download Later". For awhile, hitting Download Later worked, but now when I hit that, it will keep me watching TV for another 10-15 seconds and than the screen with go blank, the indicator lights shut off and the receiver will go through a reset and it will end up at the purple welcome screen, and it will proceed to go through the boot up screen where it downloads information from the satellite. When I get back to TV, it always resets itself to TLC (reminds me of 50 first dates were Drew Barrymore's character always goes back to the day before the accident because she can't remember anything post accident). When I go into the Manage Autotunes menu, there are 101 listings and all of them regard the software download either being canceled (Download Later) or failing. It has been happening more and more frequently, at first it was every few hours, and now it is down to about every hour or so, and like I had mentioned, the Download Later selection doesn't delay it like it did the first time. This has become a big time annoyance and something I want rectified.

So I have talked to multiple useless DTV techs who assumed it was a connection issue. My DVR box in the basement just updated itself without incident on 8/27 at 2:59 AM. This evening, at the behest of a tech, I connected my troubled receiver to the downstairs outlet, and I put in a movie and watched it. Flipped back over to the receiver and it had tried and failed three times to download the update on an outlet that I know is connection problem free.

I called DTV back and they will replace the box, but they are going to charge me for shipping, and they will not give any warranty or guarantee about the box they are shipping to me. What a horrible way to treat customers. In 7 years with Dish Network I never once had any questions asked about exchanging out a bad receiver. Sure I had to try everything and anything with a DISH Tech to exhaust all software issues before it was determined a hardware failure, as I have done with DTV, but Dish folks were great about just getting that replacement sent to me and out the next day. No management worth a damn was available for me to talk to on the overnight (I'm a third shifter, so overnight on my day off is a great time to call) so I will have to try and suck it up and get ahold of someone during the day, and this will be my final call to them on this issue, I'm either going to be getting a new receiver or I'm going to be cancelling my service as this switch has been a nightmare from the beginning.

Ok, you proved that its a recvr issue when you moved the recvr to a different location.

Let them replace it and be done with it.

$20 is typical shipping charge, unlessyou hae the Protection Plan, you must not.

How long have you been with D* now ?

You said you had several tech you've talked with ?
If your talking about over the phone, those are not techs, they read symptons off a sheet, just like DISH does when you call in.

If you haven't had them out to your place or send a new recvr. out, you haven't talked with a repair tech yet.

Sent from my Samsung Epic using SatelliteGuys

 

[oldford]

Just tell them it won't even boot up, and you need a new one. The returns go to a different location, so nobody ever checks.

 

[BorDizzy]

Ok, you proved that its a recvr issue when you moved the recvr to a different location.

Let them replace it and be done with it.

$20 is typical shipping charge, unlessyou hae the Protection Plan, you must not.

How long have you been with D* now ?

You said you had several tech you've talked with ?
If your talking about over the phone, those are not techs, they read symptons off a sheet, just like DISH does when you call in.

If you haven't had them out to your place or send a new recvr. out, you haven't talked with a repair tech yet.

Sent from my Samsung Epic using SatelliteGuys

Yeah, I have called in, so I guess tech isn't the appropriate name, but a technical support representative/agent. They believe it needs to be replaced, but that 20 clams ($19.95) charge really pisses me off. I had two DVRs with DISH die in my time (both were over 3 years in my house before they gave out) and I had two other single tuner boxes give us some fits, so they exchanged them. DISH did it all without ever charging me a single penny more than I was already paying. I never carried the DISH protection plan and they always took care of me as a customer. I was with them for over 7 years (November '03 through April '11) , and truth be told I had every intention of staying with DTV that long if they took care of me, but I'm now reevaluating that. The charge is an issue, and the protection plan stuff is just a scam, but I may do it to save some cash in this sense. I would rather pay the $20 for them to switch it out, but they do not even cover that receiver for 90 days. So if they send me a dead box, I'm on the hook again for another $20. It really tells me one thing, if they refuse to stand by their product like that, they know that their product is, pardon my french, sh#!

 

[charper1]

LOL some great lines in that post. Hope you get it worked out tho.