VOOM STB Version 00.05.5C: Features/Bugs/Requests

[kirkdj]

Grey Screens Pop Up

Is anyone else getting those grey static screens popping up while watching different channels.......it does it without touching the remote..........I may have missed this bug in this tread......

 

[Ilya]

Is anyone else getting those grey static screens popping up while watching different channels.......it does it without touching the remote..........I may have missed this bug in this tread......

Yes, you are not alone. This problem is discussed here.

 

[edsmith100]

hi,iam new here and getting my install next sat.about the lock-ups,could this have anything to do with where the box is located?maybe heat build-up.just a thought.

 

[Ilya]

edsmith100,
Welcome to the forum!

Interesting idea! But no, I don't think it is heat-related. I have a good ventilation and the temperature is pretty stable. Plus, VOOM has already confirmed this as a bug in the new software. Chances are they will have a cure by the time you are installed or soon after that...

 

[TriSchnitz]

V00.00.05c?

Hi Voomers. I've been reading this great forum for a couple weeks and had Voom installed on Saturday. That went ok, except for the rediculous looking tripod on the top of my house elevating the dish 5 feet to shoot over the trees (which it doesn't really seem to do anyway) that cost me 100 bucks, but that's another story.

My question is in regards to the software update. I checked to see if I have the new software and I don't think I do because I don't have the program planner or help guide yet, but my software version is not the old one either. Mine is V00.00.05C. It's missing a 5. When, how do I get the update?

Will the update fix my problems? I get picture stutter and audio drops (split second outages) on the voom stations but other than that it looks great on all channels and my ota channels are sweet and seem to work fine.

My signal strength and quality both run in the low to mid 50s.

My installer used the diplexer because I got 2 STBs. But my locals are great so I assume that's not a problem.

Any advise on my software version, the upgrade, and if it will solve my stutter and audio blips?

 

[Sean Mota]

Trischnitz

All the software updates were put on hold until the patches are released that fix the problem reported. The stutter and audio drop will not be fixed with the new software version but we expect that after the software is fixed that will be next in the list. If you are getting your OTA without problems thats fine. Can you post a picture of how your dish looks? Just curious...

 

[Gr8Reb8]

Have they actually acknowledged the stutter problem? I still see it on all channels. I assume they will not fix it unless they agree it needs to be fixed.

 

[Sean Mota]

Have they actually acknowledged the stutter problem? I still see it on all channels. I assume they will not fix it unless they agree it needs to be fixed.

Yes, they have...

 

[Ilya]

TriSchnitz,
V00.00.5C this is what I had (in the Target version field) BEFORE the update.
See which version is shown in the field above that one. You are probably still on the previous version. Don't worry, you will receive it sooner or later.

 

[TriSchnitz]

Not sure if that image worked or not. That's the dish on the tripod.

Ilya, you are right, that's the target. Current is 05.08

Sean, so you are saying it will be a little while until my update while they patch it?

That's cool. Voom rocks anyway. I had Adelphia dig cable with 2 HD channels before and it sucked. Then they repriced the digital tiers and the only dig channels I wanted were even more expensive. So if the picture smoothes out and the audio doesn't drop (it's not that often I guess) it will really rock.

 

[Ilya]

TriSchnitz,
I hate to say this, but the way it looks in your picture, the tripod won't help much, I am afraid. The trees are just too high! If you are already getting drop-outs (with the old version) they are likely caused by the trees, not the STB. Keep an eye on the signal quality readings. It may actually get worse by summer because of the leaves... I don't know what to suggest here... May be a bigger dish would help? In any case, please keep us posted.

 

[rollerfink]

Oh snap, I forgot about leaves. I wonder if the summertime will cause my signals to go down as I am currently dodging some trees. Hope not.

 

[TriSchnitz]

TriSchnitz,
I hate to say this, but the way it looks in your picture, the tripod won't help much, I am afraid. The trees are just too high! If you are already getting drop-outs (with the old version) they are likely caused by the trees, not the STB. Keep an eye on the signal quality readings. It may actually get worse by summer because of the leaves... I don't know what to suggest here... May be a bigger dish would help? In any case, please keep us posted.

You can't see from that picture but the dish is actually pointing up and to the left of that tree in the photo. It has a clear shot of the sky right now. Leaves and a strong wind though.... :river

I'm not getting complete signal loss, just a blip in the audio and the Voom HD channels skip a frame now and then. Seems like what everyone else is experiencing. Signal power and quality is 50-54 (not the new version).

 

[CKNA]

Trischnitz

All the software updates were put on hold until the patches are released that fix the problem reported. The stutter and audio drop will not be fixed with the new software version but we expect that after the software is fixed that will be next in the list. If you are getting your OTA without problems thats fine. Can you post a picture of how your dish looks? Just curious...

I just got installed today. My software is still .08. Does it mean that I will not get an update to 5C when I will turn off my receiver tonight?.
BTW, is there any easier way to see software version besides going into diagnostics screen?.

Thanks
Chris

 

[DarrellP]

You'll know right away by how fast your channels change. If it is 4-6 seconds, you have the old software, if it is around 1 second or faster, new software. I can't believe how fast this STB changes channels now, it's almost as fast as analog.

 

[Ilya]

You can't see from that picture but the dish is actually pointing up and to the left of that tree in the photo. It has a clear shot of the sky right now.

Then there is some hope! Good luck!

 

[Dawson9]

Channel mapping problems with Starz?

I'm still having problems with my Va-Va-Voom service, in particular, channel mapping. I have the following channels not coming up for me:
206 - should be HB02W, I'm getting Discovery
226 - should be MMAXW, Im' getting CNBC
261 - should be StarzHD, I'm getting BravoHD
262 - should be StarzHDP, I'm getting an "Upgrade - Call Voom" screen

I live in Baltimore, MD 21236 and everything else is comig in as it should. I have some poor picture quality on channels 509 (Comedy Central), 510 (A&E),
513 (E!) and 520 (Spike). I've been calling VOOM on several occaisions and finally spoke with a Supervisor. Apparently, this is a know issue and they are working on it. I've had this problem ever since I was upgraded to 5.5C.
Is ANYONE else experiencing this? I've tried several options I've read about here, including the polarity tuning, etc.. Nothing has changed. I'm getting pretty fed up with all the problems I've been having since I initially signed up.
The lockups are getting more frequent, picture quality varies from night to night, etc. Can anyone give me any more advice on how to take care of this channel issue and the other problems in general? Or will I just have to wait until the next firmware upgrade???

Thanks
Dave

 

[Ilya]

Dawson9,
This problem (including a case of a successful resolution) is discussed in this thread.

 

[DarrellP]

I don't know if this has been addressed yet, excuse me if it has:

While in the Guide list, voom fixed it so that whatever line you have highlighted it stays highlighted when scrolling to the right for future programming. What they need to fix is the same issue while in a Theme. I hit HD last night and the selected channel jumps back to the top line when scrolling right.

Also, they need to fix the single line browse so it stays at the same time when scrolling through the channels. If I want to see what's on 4 hours from now, everytime I scroll up or down, it jumps back to current time.

Another thing: When in the Guide display, I have to press DOWN to go UP in the channel listing. When in the surf bar I have to press UP to go UP in the channel listing; it's totally bassackward.

Make the surf bar transparent.

Another thing that drives me batty: The surf bar dissappears after 5 seconds. They really need to make it so hitting Back cancels the surf bar. I really detest the 5 second thing as it usually takes me that long to find the Info button in the dark.

In nutshell, the navigation scheme needs a lot of work. I can really appreciate how well done the Dish 501's navigation scheme is after using this barfy interface.

Another quirk: Sometimes when in Favorites, not all of the channels that I have selected show up. If I exit and come back in, they are there. I've also seen certain channels not show up when using the Surf bar to scroll but when I go to the Guide, they are there.

 

[mikedaul]

I don't know if this was working before the software update, but I've only noticed it since, so here goes... I have the stb set to auto (this doesn't work when set to 1080i), now the SD channels are sent to the TV as such, so I can use it's zoom and strech modes instead of those in the voom box. This is really a great feature for me, as I'm now much happier with viewing SD content. I'm using the voom stb with a sony xbr910 connected via dvi.