Bugs in FiOS HD DVR?

[Gerryex]

Hi ALL,

I just got hooked up with FiOS TV yesterday and so far I am quite pleased with the picture quality vs. DirecTV. I also got the HD DVR and while certainly not a Tivo, it is very serviceable. However I'm having a couple of problems.

First when I set up a "series" recording I'm careful to select the options before telling it to record. One of the options I select is New Only and the other is to record only at the time of the showing I want. For example I set one up for Deadwood at the 9 PM showing on HBO HD, but I got many more scheduled recordings than just this Sunday and next Sunday. Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug?

The other problem is in the Search. I used the "HDTV" option in the search, but the listing showed many programs that although their descriptions had "HD" in it they were NOT on any HD channel. Again am I doing something wrong or is this a bug?

Other than the above, it seems to be working quite nice and is about 100 times faster than the DirecTV HD Tivo!

Thanks,
Gerry

[Bschneider]

First when I set up a "series" recording I'm careful to select the options before telling it to record. One of the options I select is New Only and the other is to record only at the time of the showing I want. For example I set one up for Deadwood at the 9 PM showing on HBO HD, but I got many more scheduled recordings than just this Sunday and next Sunday. Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug?


Your doing it right. This is a bug in the software. I have several 'series' set up 'NEW' with a record at 'specified' time and it will still record a rerun at at any givin time. It drives me insane! But everytime I call Verizon support they tell me "This is the first time I am hearing about it". My response to that is.. 'BS. I tell you guys everytime I call to get you guys to fix it.

[Gerryex]

Your doing it right. This is a bug in the software. I have several 'series' set up 'NEW' with a record at 'specified' time and it will still record a rerun at at any givin time. It drives me insane! But everytime I call Verizon support they tell me "This is the first time I am hearing about it". My response to that is.. 'BS. I tell you guys everytime I call to get you guys to fix it.

Hi Bschneider,

Does it actually record the duplicate showings? I posted at another forum and someone replied that the even though there will be duplicate scheduled recordings the DVR should only record the first and won't actually record the duplicates.

Do you know where we should complain to about these problems? Do you have an e-mail address or phone number?

I must say, however, that the quality of the picture is much much better than from what I was getting on DirecTV. I watch the two Stargates on Sci Fi and since they are letter-boxed I use the zoom feature of my TV to make them fill the 16:9 screen. That makes the picture fuzzier, but with the DirecTV picture's quality so low the zoomed in picture was only barely watchable. With FiOS, while or course still fuzzy, it was a much better picture.

Last night I watched Mr and Mrs Smith on HBO HD and the picture was stunning!!!

So overall with all of 2 days use of FiOS TV, I'm quite pleased and am certainly willing to trade off a slightly quirky DVR for a much better picture!!

Thanks,
Gerry

P. S. The FiOS DRV responds about 100 times faster to recording commands than the DirecTV HD Tivo. With the HD Tivo, even if you want to start recording the program you are currently watching it takes about a minute or more to respond. With the FiOS DVR, it responds immediately!!

[Bschneider]

Yes, it will record the duplicate showing. But what is interesting it will not always record the dulicate show.. For example, I too record the two Stargates. Not only will it record the two on Friday but it will record the show on Mondays and Wednesdays. And to top it off it will record it at 6pm! Not even the correct time I have it set for. I am constantly having to stop the recording on those day while its recording.

I don't know if you have noticed it yet but it will also interfere or conflict with other show in the 'schedule'. So I have to do the same thing.. delete the schedule show so it can record another show that I have a series for.

I am just calling the tech support number and asking for the Video department. I have yet to make a 'contact' over there like I have with the other providers and tv stations.

But I am amazed like you at the quality of the channels in PQ.

[Gerryex]

Hi ALL,

I just got off the phone with FiOS tech support and the guy I spoke with told me that Verizon is aware of the scheduled "new only" recording problems along with the other problem in the search for "HD only" showing any program that is in HD on an HD channel also showing up on non-HD channels. He said they are working on a firmware update but didn't have a target date as to when the update will be available. The best thing I can recommend is that we all keep calling so that they get more and more complaints and hopefully will fix it sooner.

By the way, CableCard IS available now as I just ordered one for my Sony TV. Its only $2.95 per month and should give you all of the channels in your package but no guide or interactive features. This way with the DVR I can be recording 2 programs and watching something else live at the same time!! Couldn't do that with the DirecTV HD Tivo!!!

Gerry

[Bschneider]

Well I just called again for the uptenth time..

The tech I spoke to was trying to troubleshot the DVR with a DVR simulator on his computer. He was stating that I need to go to Series Options and set it a certain way.

After telling him that I had it set for NEW only and at a certain time, it will still record on different days and time. Well.. you know the deal. Anyways, he finally understood the problem. I didn't get the same response as Gerry, "they are working on a firmware update but didn't have a target date as to when the update will be available."

He did tell me that they are aware of another issue I have. The description guide for 'The Tonight Show w/ Leno". It doesn't list who are the guests.

I was able to also finally get a ticket open for the duplicate recordings "FLCP757142". Please feel free to use to when you call Verizon for this problem.

[Gerryex]

Well I just called again for the uptenth time..


Hi Bschneider,

Well, I guess all the programming providers have "CSR roulette" just like DirecTV has!!

My guy seemed to know exactly what I was talking about. In fact he even finished my sentences for me! When I started talking about setting up a recording for a whole series but. . .then he would chime in that there would be scheduled recordings for the duplicate showings. Likewise when I said I was searching for HD only programs. . .then he said that non-HD programs were still showing up.

At least your guy opened up a ticket for you and if I call again I'll definitely refer to that ticket number.

Taking into account how new the TV service is (I believe the very first TV customers were in Temple Terrace just a few months ago) I guess we're lucky it not screwed up even more!!

But again, other then the bugs in the DVR, the service itself, especially the picture quality is much better then DirecTV, and to me that's the most important thing!!

Gerry

P. S. Do you know how to get to the Mini Guide without going through the main menu? According to the manual you're supposed to hit the right arrow twice, but that doesn't do if for me.

[Gerryex]

Hi ALL,

I had another funny thing happen with the DVR. Once it was installed the first series I programed it for was Deadwood at 9 PM on Sundays on HBO-HD. This is when I found out about the bug that caused all the duplicate showings to also be scheduled. I then carefully deleted all the duplicates until I had only the Sunday showings I wanted.

As is my habit, even with the vaunted Tivo, I always check the scheduled recordings a day or two ahead and especially on the day of the recordings. So yesterday I was checking on the scheduled recordings for Sunday, and I should have had two things for 9 PM: The 4400 and Deadwood. But only the 4400 was there! I went into the guide for Sunday and at 9 PM on HBO-HD it showed Deadwood with multiple red dots indicating that it should be in the scheduled recordings. But I checked again and it was not scheduled. I then removed the series recording and selected the single episode and saw the single red dot, but it still did not show up in the sched recordings!! I tried the same thing several times but each time in the guide or a search listing the episode showed up with a red dot, but it would not be in the sched recordings.

So I scheduled a manual recording for that time and the manual recording then showed up in the sched recordings.

A few hours later after watching a couple of shows I went into the sched recordings and it showed a conflict. I went to the conflict and it was the manual recording from above. Why? Because Deadwood was now back in the sched recordings and was conflicting with the 4400 and the manual recording!!! So I removed the manual recording and now its back to the way it should have been. STRANGE!!

Also, this morning I had scheduled a couple of original Star Treks from G4 and they were IN the sched recordings, but they were not recorded. This is the first time I've seen that something in the sched recording list was not recorded. This last problem is more disturbing than any of the other problems!

Gerry

EDIT: I just answered my Star Trek problem. G4 is in the Sports Package and not being a sports person I do not subscribe to the Sports Package. So that's why they didn't record!! Although I'll miss seeing some ST episodes (for the millionth time!!) its not worth it to sign up for that extra package. But at least I know why they didn't record as I want to be able to build up confidence in trusting that once a show is in the sched recordings list that it REALLY will get recorded!!

[pilotbob]

EDIT: I just answered my Star Trek problem. G4 is in the Sports Package and not being a sports person I do not subscribe to the Sports Package. So that's why they didn't record!! Although I'll miss seeing some ST episodes (for the millionth time!!) its not worth it to sign up for that extra package. But at least I know why they didn't record as I want to be able to build up confidence in trusting that once a show is in the sched recordings list that it REALLY will get recorded!!

Which Star Trek? The Next Generation and DS9 are on Spike all the time. Spike is not a premium channel.

Bob

[Gerryex]

Which Star Trek? The Next Generation and DS9 are on Spike all the time. Spike is not a premium channel.

Bob

Hi Bob,

Its ST, the original series, and its on G4 which is in the sports package. I confirmed that I do not receive that channel which makes sense as I do not subscribe to the Sports pkg.

[Gerryex]

Hi ALL,

Something strange happened with my FiOS DVR yesterday. I had Rescue Me (10 PM - 11 PM, EDT) and Futurama (10:30 PM - 11 PM, EDT) scheduled to record and they both started properly. I began to watch Rescue Me at around 10:20 PM and everything was working properly.

Then at around 10:50 PM I was approximately at the 40 minute point and the program rapidly jumped from the show into a commercial, which I though was very odd. To make a long story short the DVR for some reason abruptly stopped recording and jumped into the live feed for FX which at that point it was in a commercial.

At the time I didn't realize it stopped recording and went back to start watching from the beginning and FF'ed to the same point and was able to continue watching. As is my habit, I sometimes bring up the progress bar and the end marker showed 51 minutes but it was no longer moving. Then I realized that it stopped recording, and that I had lost the last 9 minutes.

What's even stranger is that I looked at Futurama and it stopped recording at EXACTLY the same time as Rescue Me stopped - 10:51 PM!!!

So something glitched the DVR and stopped recording both shows! I started up a recording for the repeat of Rescue Me and that went all the way through. And this morning it was properly recording a movie for me.

Has anyone else seen anything like this?

Thanks,
Gerry

[Bschneider]

Nope nothing like that has happened to me yet.. I'll let you know if it does.

I do have another problem, aka, bug.. I have The Tonight Show set up to record at 1130pm and only NEW.. It started recently to not record the 1130pm show but the 200am show. Whats up with that?

[Bschneider]

I am going to start listing the ticket number here in this thread for the problems I am having in case any body else has the same issue. That way they can call and use it also.

The trouble ticket for the issue of the Tonight Show recording at 200am and not 1130pm is FLCP784488.

[Bschneider]

P. S. Do you know how to get to the Mini Guide without going through the main menu? According to the manual you're supposed to hit the right arrow twice, but that doesn't do if for me.

If you use the arrow right it will move forward in the buffer until it is LIVE. If you change the channel and immediately arrow right it will give you the mini guide for that channel. If you wait just a few second, it won't work. You then have to press the OK button and then arrow right.

I can't fingure out a shortcut to the other real mini guide other than, MENU -> Mini Guide.

[monsterlab]

I have figured out a short cut to bring up the mini-guide on the Motorola 6416 box. Just hit '0' and then use the arrow buttons on the remote. Hitting '0' puts the box in a channel change state, but if you hit a directioal arrow quickly, the channel does not change and you can scroll through the mini-guide.

[Gerryex]

Hi ALL,

Well, I had another funny thing happen with my DVR!

In one of my previous posts I talked about how the last 9 minutes of two programs got lost. One of those was Rescue Me. I'm still keeping my DirecTV HD Tivo active for a couple more weeks so I was able to finish watching RM on it. But I set up the FiOS DVR to record the later showing of RM as a test.

Yesterday I wanted to watch the last part of RM on the FiOS DVR so I started it up and went into FF1, then 2 then 3 and finally FF4. The images flew by and the progress bar was moving quickly. Then at around the 35 minute mark, the screen went black just for a second and then came back into the menu screen where you can select a previously recorded show to watch. The inset image was a live channel. (I believe the blank screen was my TV re-syncing from RM's 480i to the live channel's 1080i)

I went back into RM and all I could do was start from the beginning. This time I only went at FF3 and at around the 45 minute mark the same thing happened! I tried it one more time but stopped at around the 40 minute mark and just went into play. But then about 5 or 10 minutes in play it still did the same thing!!

In frustration I just deleted it but in retrospect I should have kept it. After that I watched another show and had no problems but I didn't use FF much for that show. And on Wed night I watched all of Flightplan and had no problems at all. Note that the possible "bad" recording of RM was in the DVR since Tues night.

I find it funny that the two big problems I had was with a specific episode of RM, and that I had recorded and watched last week's RM with no problems.

I call all of this into Verizon and they assigned a trouble ticket to this and my previous problem: FLCP790077.

At this point I don't know if these are legitimate bugs or just a bad box. I'll keep you informed!!

Gerry

[Gerryex]

Hi ALL,

It looks like I need the DVR swaped out. Last night I had a scheduled recording with no conflicts which simply failed to record. And this morning I was just watching a one hour show and all by itself it jumped from the 37 minute mark to the 58 minute mark. And its repeatable!!

So I just called and I'm getting a new box Monday morning. Hopefully this one will work better.

Its too bad that the DVR is so buggy as the picture is miles higher in quality than DirecTV. The CSR I was talking to did say they are aware of the bugs and are working on them as we speak. Hopefully in the near future the DVR will be as reliable as a Tivo!!

Gerry