the BHN HD Recorder Thread

[millerman101]

JAYMER NOTE: Edited June 26. This box started arriving in June and a new thread has been created for actual hands-on feedback.



I should be getting a hi def SA DVR tommorow for testing and it also has the DVI output. Saw one this morning but didnt get time to check it out. Will post more later when I recieve it on record times and such..

[CANDY76MAN]

Thats good news...they actaully have hardware now :D

Please come back and tell me it has better recording options than the current one :? ...oh...is it the 80 gig or the 160 gig?

[bdraw]

How were you able to get one?

Do you have any firewire enabled devices that you can test to see if the firewire ports work?(I am assuming there are firewire ports)

Kepp us updated and thanks for sharing.

[millerman101]

yeh no problem...i doubt the firewire is active... ill keep you updated

[CANDY76MAN]

Have you had a chance to check out the recording options yet?....thats gonna be a deal breaker for me if they don't suit my needs...I'll have to switch back to directv and get a Tivo unit (that I can't afford :evil: )

[millerman101]

Candyman, no... I just got home and put it in at lunch time but havent had much time to tinker with it. I did notice that it seems right now that the DVI is disabled on it. Im watching through component cables right now. There is a little bit of different way to set up the options on this box compared to the PACE

[bdraw]

yeh no problem...i doubt the firewire is active... ill keep you updated

I am sorry, is there a Firewire port like the non HD 8000 does?

If so you should bring the 8000HD over to my house so we can plug it into my TV, to test it to verify that the firewire is indeed not active. I will buy the beer you bring the 8000hd. :)

[millerman101]

bdraw,,,....It has no Firewire...just a usb front port for a keyboard or something...

I wish the DVI would work on it though

[amheck]

Isn't there some "rule" whereby all STB's are suppose to have firewire enabled by the beginning of this year? I don't really know what all of that means to me, but I do remember it beng discussed over on AVS.

Aaron

[bdraw]

Isn't there some "rule" whereby all STB's are suppose to have firewire enabled by the beginning of this year? I don't really know what all of that means to me, but I do remember it beng discussed over on AVS.

Yeah it is part of the Plug and play agreement between the Cable co's and the Consumer electronics industry.

But they pushed it back to April 1st 04, since the FCC took so long to put their seal of approval on it.

73 days and counting.

[amheck]

So does that mean that these HD PVR's have to have a firwire output? Seems we're awfully close to this date to be putting out new stb's without firewire, if that's the agreement.

What does firewire do for me?

Aaron

[bdraw]

So does that mean that these HD PVR's have to have a firwire output? Seems we're awfully close to this date to be putting out new stb's without firewire, if that's the agreement.

What does firewire do for me?


Well the agreement states that they will give them out upon request. They do not have to and will not replace all their STB's will firewire enabled boxes.

Firewire will alow you to permanetly archive your shows to a DVHS deck(or a pc if not encrypted.

It will alow you to connect your STB to your other equipment with one cable for sound and Video, and controls. So if all you equipment had a firewire cable and support havi (http://www.havi.org/) you would only need one remote and you wouldn't have to program it the other devices would communicate with each other and it would all be "Plug and play" We are a long way off from this but it might happen.

I predict that the after the cable companies roll out STB's with firewire the satellite companies will soon follow, and most HDTV with integrated sets have them already. (Sets without an integrated tuner don't have them because firwire requires a MPEG2 decoder and if you were going to spend the money on that you might as well have the tuner cost wise.)

I really hope there will be a day when my mom can bring her A/V equipment home plug in one cable and the power cord and things "Just work".

It really starts to get interesting when you plug in multiple equipment and you can stream video/audio from any device to any device. Since firwire can support 400Mb/s and an HDTV stream only needs 19.2Mb/s there is plenty of bandwidth.

http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/networking.html

[millerman101]

Box seems to work pretty good, except I dont think the DVI is enable yet. You can go into a menu on the box when its shut off to select the different types resolution outputs you want. But there may be another set of buttons to push to make it active which I dont have documentation too.

Also it seems to have a Maxtor 160gig hard drive.. It should give you 20hours of HD.. And 160 hours of SD... This is from what I can figure out from Maxtors website...

Drive model # is 4r160l0

[CANDY76MAN]

160 gig drive will be great...what about recording options though?

I'm looking for one or both of these options.....

1-a option not to record reruns, or preferably .....
2-being able to make it record channel so and so from 8 to 9 pm and choose what days of the week it records at that time and set it to do it every week.

right now you either have to record all episodes which means I get 3 and 4 copies of the same show everyday or spend a half hour every week going through and selecting each show individually.

[millerman101]

candyman, all the recording options still the same.. no different

[JerryIII]

Millerman,
Does this new box have the ability to stretch non HD images the way the Pace box does.


Jerry

[millerman101]

Jerry , yes that all works the same with the # button.. Stretch zoom and normal

It is my understanding that DVR800 HD will have a software load that will enable all the ports on the back including the DVI....


Lou

[supajef]

Millerman,
Do you know if BHN will start up a waiting list for these? Also is there any kind of talk when they might become avail to all? Would be nice if they had some of this avail to users to do some beta testing.

[dprice]

Dumb question... How much extra $$$ will the SA DVR box cost each month?

I've been spoiled by my trusty old Replay unit - no monthly fees.

Thanks,

Don

[millerman101]

Guys, i dont have any pricing information... and for the software load dont know that either pretty much until it happens..

no waiting yet as far as I heard, they need to finish testing first..

[SigTom]

Candyman


Actually, I had the same grip about the DVR box Im using (SD not HD). I always had to go thru and set it NOT to record the repeats Then one night a friend that works at RR was over at my place, and I made the complaint. She showed me all you have to do is set up a manual recording. Say you wanted to record The Screen Savers for one hour on Channel 142 at 7 PM EST Mon- Fri (which is what I wanted) but you didnt want the repeats on the weekend or @ midnight. Just go into the DVR settings, choose Set a Manual Recording and you can set it up to record from 7PM-8PM Mon-Fri. Now you have your show being recorded every day, but only at the times you want. Now mind you, if there was a special episode that aired at a seperate time slot, it wouldnt get picked up. Lastly, when you go to the List of all DVR shows, it will say Manual Recording, not the name of the show you recorded. HTH.

SigTom

[jaymer]

Hi SigTom and welcome to the group.
First off, we appreciate the workaround/tip you provide.
However, it only points out the problems with the programming for that box. And unless you've used a Tivo or Replay, you don't know how good a "real" PVR can work. Its only 8 bucks a month with no purchase price, as opposed to $12.99 for Tivo and you'd have to buy a box - which could be $100-$200 for an older box.

I regularly watch analog stuff on my big screen via Tivo (albeit DirecTivo, but it used to be a regular Tivo). A lot of the time its from Fox Sports World and its a poor soccer picture to begin with coming from a tape replay from England.
But I still get a usable picture and virtually no blocking - its still almost perfect on a smaller analog TV, but no where near unwatchable on my big screen.

I've not run across anyone with a Pace DVR who can say that. That box just isn't very good.
I've been recording HD for over 2 years - I'm ready to move the PC out and replace it with this new Pace HD Box, but only if it really works well. I hope they delay it as long as they need to to get software running correctly.

[millerman101]

Jaymer, its a Scientific Atlanta box thats the HD PVR.. NOt sure if thats what you meant..

:)

[CANDY76MAN]

Candyman


Actually, I had the same grip about the DVR box Im using (SD not HD). I always had to go thru and set it NOT to record the repeats Then one night a friend that works at RR was over at my place, and I made the complaint. She showed me all you have to do is set up a manual recording. Say you wanted to record The Screen Savers for one hour on Channel 142 at 7 PM EST Mon- Fri (which is what I wanted) but you didnt want the repeats on the weekend or @ midnight. Just go into the DVR settings, choose Set a Manual Recording and you can set it up to record from 7PM-8PM Mon-Fri. Now you have your show being recorded every day, but only at the times you want. Now mind you, if there was a special episode that aired at a seperate time slot, it wouldnt get picked up. Lastly, when you go to the List of all DVR shows, it will say Manual Recording, not the name of the show you recorded. HTH.

SigTom

Thankyou :!:
Your my new best friend on the forum...lol :lol: that was exactly what I've been needing and it was there all along...it could be implemented a little better but it will do what I need....TSS is one of the shows i like to catch everyday too by the way...lol :D and now I'll be able to record a lot more shows I would liek to see because I won't get conflicts with a rerun thats being recorded with one of the reruns of the show I want to see...lol

[SigTom]

Glad to be here.

And yes, I also agree that the DVR from BH falls short in many categories. No Ive never owned a Tivo. I did have a DirecTV Sat wil some sort of tivo like, think it was replaytv, function. I wasnt too impressed with that either. I really would like to have a commercially produced DVR that is in HD and allows me to stream that saved HD content to either a connected STB from the same cable company, or to a connected TV. I know thats not going to happen in any forseeable time frame.

Im about to turn the DVR from BH back in this week. I have been building my own DVR/PVR and hopefully this weekend I can get it all up and running. Only thing this unit wont have that I want is the ability to record a true digital HD signal. I cant afford a TV vcapture card that has a DVI input, and as far as I can tell, it wouldnt matter, as BH has been introducing, or should I say Pace, HDCP, which I dont mind at all, but still would like to be able to have my content and watch it when and how I like. Anyways, home built linux PVR should do about everything I want it to, and its under $400 so Hopefully Ill be happy. I just hate having to set one cable box in my bedroom to record everything since its the DVR box and I need the HD one in my living room. Now all I need is an XBox hooked up to each TV and my homenetwork, and I can get any recorded content to any TV, albeit not in HD...seems like TimeWarner/BH loves to give me a Gotcha! every chance they get.

[FTBoomerIII]

Does anyone have a timeframe yet on when these are going to be available? Spring, Summer, Fall, 4th quarter?

[jaymer]

MM - Yes, I meant SA. The new HD recorder is not a Pace.

I got some unofficial info on it today.
1) 160 gig HD

2) no DVI - despite the positive picture quality benefit heard here on the forum, the tech support dept. at BHN does not have widespread success with the DVI port... and there's a list of TVs that the Pace box is not compatible with and its constantly an issue when you look across their whole user base. Word is that SA will not support the DVI port initially - which means you may have to keep your pace box for DVI if you are one who swears that DVI is so much better than component.

3) no component passthru like the PACE HD box gives us - which means another input on the TV required for your DVD - and I was just getting used to that neat feature as i'm rewatching Star Trek Deep Space 9 on DVD. Just power off the Pace Box and Voila!

4) Its still in employee testing phase - there's a checklist of items that have to be done regularly to test the UI, software, etc. and its just not available yet to give out to any end-users (even for beta testing)

[millerman101]

Jaymer, it does have DVI this box, but its not active.... Hopefully they will activate it..

[jaymer]

MM - yes, i read that in your description higher up.
Am just told they were going to skip it because of the incompatibilities out there. Don't know how accurate that is... it wasn't coming from SA.
Don't think its any cause for panic by anyone... as with most things, we won't find out until its actually out.

[CANDY76MAN]

well...as long as the DVI port is there it can at least be enabled on down the line without requiring new hardware....I will miss the A/V passthrough on the pace though.

[superbigg]

3) no component passthru like the PACE HD box gives us - which means another input on the TV required for your DVD - and I was just getting used to that neat feature as i'm rewatching Star Trek Deep Space 9 on DVD. Just power off the Pace Box and Voila!
Wow ST:DS9 is it any good??

8O

Superbigg

[Icarus]

All we need now is DVI pass-through. 8O

[jaymer]

geez, DVI passthrough... and i haven't even got the component switching working on my receiver... now i gotta wait for the new round of receivers with dvi switching for all the stuff thats gonna be coming out.

are there any TVs that offer more than 1 DVI input?

btw, my friend in Cincy just got his Motorola HD PVR from the cable company.

w.r.t. the SA HD PVR,
OFFICIAL word from BHN is "delayed due to hardware and software issues. Issues are being worked on." No ETA was given.

[bubblehd647]

I just hope they get the bugs worked out before deploying them.

Of course I'd still sign up as a beta tester! :D

[millerman101]

bubblehd, I just plugged mine back in tonight to check it out again to see if the DVI was activated yet on the recorder,and NO such luck. But they did do a software update on it... Not sure what was fixed.. Really dont want to do without the DVI...

[CANDY76MAN]

I can live without the DVI output...I use my tv's dvi for my htpc anyway...plus component looks just as good as dvi on my set so no loss there either.

[DaveBug]

Expensive solution, but one nonetheless. http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/hd-DVI-4x1.htm

There are cheaper ones than this out there, but that was just a quick search. I personally had a two port switch that worked wonderfully.

[sfollenius]

any new updates on the release date of the HD recorder. Brighthouse states "spring" but anyone know anything more specific?

[jagmanjoe]

I have been fighting HD audio problems and macroblocking problems with BHN for a couple of months now. Yesterday a tech supervisor had me go in to swap both my HD and DVR boxes for new ones. When she told me to do that, I asked about the HD DVR box and she said there were some new apparant issues that could keep it out of customers' hands until NEXT YEAR. When I commented that I was previously told mid March, she said that had changed because of the "recent issues".

[DSquare]

I have a hard time believing they will hold this back until next year if they want to compete with DirectTV.

[millerman101]

Guys, im hearing soon...next couple months max... dont see it any longer than that..

[sfollenius]

anyone know if the HDTV recorder will have OPTICAL DIGITAL out like the PACE. AS far as I know, the Scientific Atlanta Boxes only come with the Composite Optical Output.

[jaymer]

hi sfollenius
just to clear up your terminology...

there's digital out in 2 forms...
optical and coax

many, many, many debates have been had over which is better, if any.
best concensus is they are equivalent.
(audiophiles may say that the coax has richer, deeper this or that.)
IMHO, its a wash.

from a quality standpoint, generally, use whichever you have an available input for on your receiver.

if you have to use coax, then generally ANY cable with a RCA jack on each end will work (this includes the standard red/white or red/white/yellow cables). you don't need a special $40 cable.

and with the optical cable (commonly known as a TOSLINK cable), please don't buy a $17.95 from best buy, or a $40 monster cable from best buy - easy enough to mail order one for next day arrival (shipped UPS ground from florida) for under $8.

jaymer...

PS _ no idea about the upcoming box.
millerman will probably tell us whats on his beta box.

[millerman101]

Jaymer, also unlike the SD version of this box, you will get sound out of the optical or coax even when your on a analog station like the pace does.

[supajef]

Millerman,
Is there a more definite ETA on this yet? And a side note, any word on ESPNHD coming soon?

Thanks for the info!

[millerman101]

Ive been on vacation until a couple days ago and I havent heard anything..

[bubblehd647]

Another two weeks, still no news. Sux reading on AVSForum that TW has rolled the box out in a lot of markets. I'd take a buggy HD-DVR over no DVR.

[jaymer]

oh sorry, i guess i should have posted this...

from a VERY reliable high-up source at TWC, I was told this 1 week ago:

Shortly -- weeks vs. months. A few bugs still to sort out. The box functions pretty well, but it has some limitations. Think of it as an SD-DVR that had HD added to it, versus a HD box (like the Pace) with DVR functionality added. Some of the features of the Pace box we've become accustomed to are absent on the SA 8000HD -- like DVI. But they assure us it will all get resolved shortly

And about the Motorola DVRs that have rolled out across the country:

Motorola DVR's: The Motorolas are techically incompatible with the Scientific Atlanta headends. S/A, Pioneer and Pace all make S/A-compatible boxes, plus Sony has some limited compatibilty if you purchase their "passage" software. My impression with Motorola boxes and software is that they are extremely limited compared to the S/A platform. We're happy with the S/A platform, but I just wish Pace had been able to deliver a box in time for us to use it.

[millerman101]

Jaymer, Ive been hearing about a month also

[CANDY76MAN]

does the hd dvr allow for aspect ratio adjustments like the pace box?....I have a 4:3 hdtv in my bedroom and the old sa hd box wouldn't work with it correctly because it didn't let you change the aspect ratio.

[CANDY76MAN]

Millerman should know...he had one of the boxes if I recall.

[pruizgarcia]

I guest we will have to keep on waiting for the HD DVR box. Time to send them one email a day...

Pedro

[millerman101]

Candyman, yes the Sa dvr does allow you to change the aspect ratio. It works a little different as it doesnt have a menu that comes up with the remote when you have the unit on. To change the aspect ratio the unit needs to be off and you will have to hold down a couple of buttons, then a screen will come up and it will cycle through different aspect ratios and outputs and you can select what you want and dont want. For example, it will give you a option for 480p(stretched),480p(standard) and so on. Each time it displays and different output it will ask you if you want to save or delete it. I know this sound confusing but its actually really easy once your in front of the box and doing this. I can try to answer more questions if you like but other than that everything works the same as the SD DVR...

[sfollenius]

Well I have heard June by Brighthouse Reps on two different occasions. First time was for transfer of my service. On the second, I was at my brothers house, and a BH installer was there doing his cable work. I asked him if he knew anything about the HD recorders and said he has already installed them in peoples. Before I got too excited I called Brighthouse and they stated that wasn't true, will expect them June timeframe! Dang BH installers!

[HDTVFanAtic]

According to Jim Kiker, Scientific Atlanta Director, Explorer Settops the Firewire IEEE1394 is an option on the 8000HD, but no cable companies are buying it that way.

[millerman101]

I actually heard today the HD DVR'S will be available early May.... And if anyone is in the NOrth Pinellas area in here I can help you get one when there available...just send me a PM...

[HDTVFanAtic]

Follow up with SA today from Vegas.

I didn't even check it yesterday, but the SA 8000 they had on the floor of Convention Hall didn't even have 1394 output - as they stated again, no cable company has purchased that option.

I asked about the FCC 4/1 mandate.

They clarified it for me. It's not that ALL UNITS have to have 1394 on them - they just have to be able to supply A unit capable of 1394 output.

Thus, no cable companies are purchasing the SA 8000 HD's with 1394 outputs.

[Harry]

I had a call from BHN yesterday looking to sign me up for the HD tier now that the preview was ending. I told them thanks but no thanks the content was not worth it without the ability to record. If I had an HD recorder, I might rethink the position. She told me the HD PVR was coming and they expected it 5/11. She also said they would call when it was available. We will see.

Harry

[HDTVFanAtic]

As bdraw and some others will attest, I do know how to negotiate things.

I would STRONGLY SUGGEST that you do this - because down the road after numerous orders are placed and the user base is in place, you won't be able to change it.

Boycott the SA 8000 HD until it gets firewire connection. It's an option that BHN didn't order from SA.

Everyone call, order it, ask about 8000 HD and firewire. Then let the rep know that as they ordered the units with 1394 conectors, you'll pass. Tell them to pass this on to their supervisors.

Have EVERYONE you know call BHN and do same. Doesn't matter if they are subscribers now or now - or whether or not they really want the service.

After a while BHN will get message.

If you don't think you care about archiving something via 1394, as soon as you get it, something will feed that you want to archive...and you won't be able to do so.

If you make this line in the sand in the beginning, BHN will have to see they are loosing potential customers and revenue.

It's easy to do it NOW when they have only a few units and can order all future units with 1394 connectors.

This is your line in the sand and the only time you are going to be able to change the 8000HD.

It's you choice - say let everyone boycott - I'll just do quietly purchase it....you sold out.

My 2 cents worth.

Get it changed while you can.

[millerman101]

hdtvfanatic, I think there will be only a few people who would really use it like yourself.

[HDTVFanAtic]

I believe that there will be something you want to archieve sometime after you get it. You telling me there won't be 1 movie in 6 months you will not want to keep in HD for when friends come over?

And bottom line is, with the space you have, you won't be able to do so.

I put in a 300 gig raid drive in a HTPC. With really no other apps, I filled it up literally in a week without HBO or SHOW or INHD or HDNET or Discover HD. Sure, I was time shifting, but then take a HiDef Movie that takes 17 gig or so and you really cut into your space.

If you haven't dealt with an OTA HD recorder, you will be shocked how fast your space disappears.

I am just saying you will loose any possibility to archieve - which greatly reduces the functionality of the machine - even if you don't wish to do so 99.99% of the time.

And BTW, I have muliple MIT MyHD 120 Cards installed in mulitple Shuttle XPC's (smaller than your SA 8000HD) with 400 gig Seagate 7200 Drives and 1gig lans and firewire in them. I can timeshift all I want and also archieve without a fee to BHN - AND I CAN TIMESHIFT NBC IN HD WHERE BHN 8000 HD USERS CAN'T , so I certainly wouldn't consider a 8000 HD without the firewire.

[SigTom]

What software are you running on those HTPC's Fanatic?

[HDTVFanAtic]

I cant afford a TV vcapture card that has a DVI input,.

Name a TV Capture card AT ANY PRICE that has a DVI Input

[SigTom]

When I said that a few months ago, I thought that the daughter board on the pcHDTV card had an input you could use with your cable box, and after researching it, I realized I couldnt, it was for a video card.

[HDTVFanAtic]

What software are you running on those HTPC's Fanatic?

Windows XP

[Harry]

Well, today's the 11th. Anyone know if BHN is now making the HD recorder available?

Harry

[millerman101]

I got news today it got delayed again.... Let you all know again if I hear something

[johnthegator]

I talked to an installer yesterday who told me 2-3 weeks more. Hopefully, that is a maximum time.

[evarney]

Just talked to a CSR and, for what it's worth, she said they're expecting it sometime next week hopefully. She said they were told middle of May.

I definitely won't be holding my breath. :?

[HDTVFanAtic]

I have filled up over 1.5 Terrabyte of storage from 2 OTA MyHD tuners in just 14 days - that doesn't include HBO/Showtime/DiscoveryHD/INHD etc.......and you really think that you are going to have all the room you need with a 250 gig hard drive?

Don't buy this until BHN orders units with firewire for archieving.

[CANDY76MAN]

I usually watch what I record within a day or two and delete it...archiving television shows isn't an option I need.

[bdraw]

I am the same way. I dont archive anything. If I really like a movie I will buy it. TV shows to me are not worth saving.

I agree with demanding the 1394 port because I like to have choices. I would like to have the ability to archive even if I don't exercise it.

But I don't agree with the boycott. I don't think BHN would get the point. I think they would probably think no one was interested in the HD-DVR, and that isn't good for anyone.

I wish I had a HDReplayTv, but untill I can I will take what I can get.

[millerman101]

I think they have had like 3 people ask for those boxes and thats it... I dont think you will get many people asking for them.

[sfollenius]

I am in the same boat, I dont really "save" what I want to watch for a long period of time. So this will be ideal.

[pruizgarcia]

Same here, don't need archiving. My viewing is withing 2-4 days after recording.

Pedro

[jaymer]

well, i've had a recorder for 2 years now via my PC... haven't been able to archive anything in a decent way (didn't have a dvd burner) so I just added HD space and tried to trim down what i'd have available for "showing off" HD to visitors.

so I have the horse races going back 2 years, some winter olympic stuff, etc., just for demos. i'd really like to archive them, and now will with the new burner.

i also have about 8-10 of this year's Star Trek Enterprise eps in HD, and thats actually something worth keeping, as if it ever does come out on DVD it will be at lower quality.

so, i don't think the 120 gig size is really too bad - if you keep up with your viewing (within a few days), you'll be fine... which means the firewire isn't THAT important to me either.

and someone stated that "i'll buy it if I want to rewatch it"... well, with the exception of Lord of the Rings (which i HAVE to watch on DVD cause I want the extra scenes before the next episode), I'd never buy any of that other low res crap on DVD - for me, once I've tasted HD I'm really spoiled about even watching DVDs anymore - they are just too inferior - I don't enjoy it (and this is coming from someone who HAD to watch an entire season of Angel and Smallville in SD because our WB affiliate SUCKS, so I know what non-HD is, and DVD just doesn't do it for me anymore).

i agree with Bdraw that the boycott may not change anything. a NICE attitude to them to maybe try and get some boxes after initial rollout MAY be a better approach.

[pilotbob]

Candyman


Actually, I had the same grip about the DVR box Im using (SD not HD). I always had to go thru and set it NOT to record the repeats Then one SigTom

If you're talking about Replay you can do this without using manual record. Once you setup a show to "Record All Epoisodes" you can go into Record Options then "More" I think it is. This allows you to tell it to x mins before/after the shows time, and also lets you select what days it records on.

My biggest beef with my ReplayTV is that if I want to record a 'one time' show and there is already an 'all episode' set up that will conflict, it doesn't ask me for what I want as a conflit resolution. I would like to be able to tell it to record this instead of the other, but still keep the other set to record all episodes. Right now, I have to turn of the 'record all' episodes, and if you do this you have to delete any that you already have stored. UG!

BOb

[jdiehl]

Right now, I have to turn of the 'record all' episodes, and if you do this you have to delete any that you already have stored. UG!

BOb

Hmm, I don't know what ReplayTV model you have, but on mine (Panny Showstopper 2000) all you have to do is change that "record all" show to NOT guaranteed and you should be able to schedule a guaranteed one-time recording w/o deleting any of your old shows from the normal weekly/daily show that you have stored.

[pilotbob]

Right now, I have to turn of the 'record all' episodes, and if you do this you have to delete any that you already have stored. UG!

BOb

Hmm, I don't know what ReplayTV model you have, but on mine (Panny Showstopper 2000) all you have to do is change that "record all" show to NOT guaranteed and you should be able to schedule a guaranteed one-time recording w/o deleting any of your old shows from the normal weekly/daily show that you have stored.

Thanks... I'll give that a try... I have the showstopper also. Perhaps I have trouble cause most of my "record all" shows are gauranteed since that is my current default.

BOb

[jdiehl]

Thanks... I'll give that a try... I have the showstopper also. Perhaps I have trouble cause most of my "record all" shows are gauranteed since that is my current default.

BOb

Yep, that's it. Whenever you have a conflict with a guaranteed show that's due to record, just goto the replay guide and change the recording option to not guaranteed. Then, you can go back and record that single record (just make sure you guarantee that one, or it might want to record your "normal" show even though it's not guaranteed).

I had the same problem all season with "24" and Frasier on Tuesdays. I typically watched "24" live, and recorded Frasier, so I would put "24" not guaranteed, and guaranteed Frasier. Now, when I knew that I wouldn't be home to catch "24" live, I'd switch their status and make "24" the one that would record, and Frasier was no longer guaranteed (since you can miss one show of a sitcom and still pick up the plot next week, sort of). When I did that, the old Frasier shows that I had archived (even the guaranteed recordings) did not erase or anything (although they would get recorded over if I ran out of room, but that has never been an issue with my 120GB upgrade).

[dprice]

Friday May 28. Anyone out there using an SA 8000HD? I sent a "request" for one (with firewire capability) to BHN customer service email. I know this is a roundabout way to upgrade service but it shows that some customers know what they want.

http://tampabay.mybrighthouse.com/site/ContactUs/ContactForm.cfm

Don

[sfollenius]

What does the May 28 date mean, are they released today? or are you jus simply stating your post date? I dont anyone has these DVR's (in the Tampa area) as they are still in the testing phase.

[sfollenius]

Just spoke with Brighthouse. Still no word on the HD DVR, just "summer of 2004" Asked about ESPNHD, states that it is in the works and said another HD channel will be released within the next few weeks, but unsure which HD channel it is.

[johnthegator]

I spoke with a installer last night who told me the end of June. This is the same guy, though, who told me this week at the latest.

[chad2323]

Getting my box installed on Tuesday . Can't wait to finally get it just hope it works pretty good.

[CANDY76MAN]

Getting my box installed on Tuesday . Can't wait to finally get it just hope it works pretty good.

the hd dvr?

[chad2323]

yes

[SigTom]

OK Ill bite.


What part of the Tampa Bay Area are you in? How did you already get one? Where/how did you go about getting it? What office of Brighthouse did you go to? Whom did you speak to there? What is the monthly cost of this, same as the previous PVR+HD Pack? Details man, Details.

[sfollenius]

Just called customer service. They stated that the HD-DVR is still in Beta Testing and will be so for AT LEAST one more month, stating probably longer. She stated unless you are beta-tester only dvr you can get is Non-HD.

[millerman101]

chad will probably end up with a sd dvr probably

[eckythump]

I had to have a technician come to my house to look at my cable box, I wasn't around but my wife was and I asked her to get some gossip from him on the HD PVR.

He said that Management was pushing to get the thing released, but apparantly they are having a lot of technical issues with the box. He mentioned that someone in my neighbourhood had one and they have had it replaced 4 times in the last couple of months.

So not holding my breath right now.

Does anybody have any technical details about the new box? Does it have PIP, will the non-digital channels look any better than on the current PACE HD box? I'm assuming this box will replace both my PVR and HIDEF box? If so are Brighthouse charging more for this box?

Thanks
eckythump

[millerman101]

ecky, I had one for awile for testing.... it pretty much works the same exact way as the SD DVR. But it does have optical out on it which outputs audio all the time even if your on a analog channel. The menu as to how to setup the output types is a little different. The analog quality I think looks a little better but not as good if you were to run the cable directly into your set. And yes this will take place of your pace and the SD DVR..

[bdraw]

Some people around the country have had them since January. I think the problem has more to do with demand than problems. There is a really long thread over at AVS about the box, and all its features/problems.

It does have PIP, and it would replace your HD STB. Some have complained that the PQ on HD channels is not as good, even to the point that he said forget it and requested his pace box back. I have been following the thread for a long time, and all things considered I would try it.

[millerman101]

bdraw, I kind of thought that my self for awile when I had both the pace and hd box... I could swear it looked better the HD stuff through the pace...

[chad2323]

Just got it installed and all seems well. I was told the DVI will work but it doesn't so I had to use one of my component jacks for now. Seems to work o.k I recorded something off of Discovery HD and when I played it back it look just like I was watching it live. I live in St.Pete and Brighthouse called me last week to set up and appt. They have been installing these since last Friday I believe but I couldn't get and appt until today. Hopefully they won't be to many issues with these and as of now it's working great.

Chad

[Max_Gator]

They are still telling me that they haven't lauched them yet in Tampa, is this correct?

In any event, the non-hd picture could not be any worse than the current dvr.

[chad2323]

Well they launched them here in St.Pete on Friday. I got the Explorer 8000HD . It seems like it's working pretty good haven't had much time to mess with it but will tonight.

Chad

[jcpicard]

I just got off the phone with BHN. I asked if the HD-DVR is available and they said yes. 8O I asked if I could pick up a box and they said they do not have any in the lobby to give out yet, but I can have them come and swap boxes if I want for free. They are coming on Friday. The service costs $9.95 but I forgot to ask how big the hard drive is. Does anyone know?

[sfollenius]

160GB I believe, but think there are two versions, one with a smaller hard drive

[millerman101]

Its double the SD....160gig

[jcpicard]

With 160 GB, how many hours of HD can you record? Also, how many hours of SD can you record with 160 GB? Thanks.

[sfollenius]

The 8000HD will come in 80GB or 160GB versions, which can hold 9 and 20 hours of HD content respectively. Not too sure on the SD content.

[Harry]

I just called BHN and asked about the HD-PVR and was told very firmly by "Jim" that they were not yet available. I don't know if they are just rolling them out in St. Pete and not in Tampa or what the story is. Anyone get one in Tampa yet?

Harry

[supajef]

Just ordered my dvr, they are coming out Friday to install it. It's an extra $10 a month for the service but who cares. I can record HD content finally!! Hopefully they got all those bugs worked out since it took so long for it to come out. Also the rep told me it coudl record 40hrs of HD. I said are you sure, I told him I heard there was 2 versions a 9hr or 20hr. He asked another person and said he is being told 40hrs. :roll: Will see Friday. Either way I am going to get it.

[dprice]

Has anyone checked to see if the VCR outputs are active? The SD archive option would be nice.

Customer service says not available in Tampa as reported previously.

Don

[DSquare]

after reading avsforums, is the picture quality been improved on the 8000hd boxes or is it still subpar compared with the pace box? also how is channel changing speeds compared with the pace box?

[chad2323]

The channel changing speeds is a bit slow. The quality of the picture is pretty good I'm not sure if there is any change or not. The basketball game looked great lat night I will post more when I have a chance to play with it more.

Chad

[jakeb]

I just got off the phone with BHN and reserved a HD-PVR. The rep said they are available now and to tell them which branch I'd like to pick it up at. I'll be picking it up after work today. I live in St. Pete so I don't know if its available for Tampa folks..

Call : 727-562-5025 - I'm picking mine up at the Pinellas (parkside) Mall outlet.

Jake

[bdraw]

If the unit has a 160gb hard drive, there is acutally 149GB of usable space assuming that the OS for the DVR and the file system doesn't use any space.

At the full 19.3Mbps that is about 8.5GB/hour. or 17.5 hours.

But most HD is not a full 19.3, the lowest I have seen is 13 from PBS so.

13Mbps is about 5.7GB/hours or 26.1 hours.

**
To figure our actual space on a hard drive. if X=advertised space.
X * (10^9/2^30)=actual space in binary.

Bitrate * 0.439453125 = bytes per hour.

So you would have to have about a 300GB hard drive to store 40 hours of HD.

[SigTom]

Well Ive called BHN in Brandon and was told they dont have the HD-PVR box and have no time frame on it. I mentioned to her that Pinellas county DOES have it, as I called the 727 # above and confirmed they have it and customers can get it, just you have to live in Pinellas county, as soon as I said Im in Hillsborough they told me to call my local office and get it from them as they should have it since Pinellas county does. Still no go with Brandons BHN and no time frame. So enjoy it all you who live across the bay....lousy BHN.....

[jcpicard]

Thanks for the detailed explanation bdraw. I guess I can expect that I'll probably be able to store about 20 hours of HD.

[DSquare]

Well I called today and was told that they do now have them, when I asked about pricing she couldn't find her paperwork for the info but she said she 'thinks' its 6.95 rental fee and 6.95 dvr service fee. I asked if this could be picked up at a branch office and she said no. Im gonna call back tomorrow and see if I can get some better info.

[CANDY76MAN]

Well I called today and was told that they do now have them, when I asked about pricing she couldn't find her paperwork for the info but she said she 'thinks' its 6.95 rental fee and 6.95 dvr service fee. I asked if this could be picked up at a branch office and she said no. Im gonna call back tomorrow and see if I can get some better info.


available in Hillsborough ?

[SigTom]

CANDY76MAN:

Not as far as the people at BHN in Brandon, as I called once again (I think they dont like me too much now) and they still said no go, even tho I told them I saw some info on their Tampa Bay BHN website about the Explorer 8000HD (some PDF links that dont work yet, manuals and set up instructions) and that people in St Pete had them, still its 'in testing' they say...Still havent gotten a straight answer out of anyone on the phones about why people across the Bay have them and we dont and as far as I can tell, BHN Hills and Pinellas are grouped under BHN Tampa Bay on thier website, meaning to me its one service area, whats available there should be here, etc, but they cant seem to understand that concept.

[CANDY76MAN]

well, if they are getting stuff up on the website then it shouldn't be more than a few more days hopefully.......I finally won't have to have two cable boxes in my livingroom...and I can get one to replace the pace box in my bedroom too, I just hope it has no problem working with my 4:3 hdtv like the old SA hd cable box did.

[DSquare]

available in Hillsborough ?


I'm in Tarpon

[supajef]

I was able to find a pretty good user guide for those that are interested.
www.timewarneraustin.com/help/self_care/8000hduser.pdf

My 8000HD should be getting installed anytime now! I think that only the 80GB models are avail in Pinellas from what the csr at BHN told me. Those models can do 40 hrs of SD and only 9 hrs of HD. But 9hrs is better than nothing at all. As soon as they 160GB drives are out I will be ready to swap this one out with that.

From reading this guide it seems that you can only record on HD program at a time. The dual tuner is for the analog (SD) channels only. Does that mean that I could record 2 SD shows and 1 HD show all at the same time :?:

[DSquare]

Well just ordered it, they will be here Wednesday to install. Service is 9.95/month.

Do these boxes have firewire support on them?

[CANDY76MAN]

Does that mean that I could record 2 SD shows and 1 HD show all at the same time :?:

I doubt it...I imagine the reason it will only record one hd program at a time is because thats all the hardware can handle at one time.....or maybe they only put one hd decoder in the box in which case I wonder if you can record a hd program and watch a live one at the same time?...that would suck if you can't :evil:

[jcpicard]

Do these boxes have firewire support on them?

My box has 2 1394 ports. Don't know if they are activated though. DVI isn't, at least not for me. Anyone know when BHN has plans to enable DVI on this box?

[supajef]

Tested out the dvr and it works great. As most already know it not as good as tivo. But it can record 2 HD shows at once. I did some testing tonight. The HD content has all the same recording rules as the SD content. Hopefully the 20 hr dvr will be out soon so we can record more than a whole 9hrs (which is better than 0). Altogether I am pretty happy that I can record HD finally.

[millerman101]

Guys, Ive covered this in previous posts... I had one for testing, their is a 160 gig hard drive in the 8000HD model... 80 gig in the SD version. The cost of the DVR is this... If you have HSD..(hish speed data...ie Roadrunner..earthlink etc)... the price is $6.95. If you dont have HSD..price is 9.95... Now if you are just picking up one of these boxes and you dont already have a regular digital box or HD box to exchange in its place your going to end up paying a additional 6.95 which is for the box rental..which the price of that is usually wrapped up into the different packages they have.

Also, the reason there not availble in Tampa probably is they roll out products in different areas sometimes then eventually in all countys..

[supajef]

Millerman...is there a way to tell on the dvr how much recording space is avail? Also I was told the HD DVR was 9.95 and I have roadrunner. I guess I will have to call them back up to get that part corrected.

[millerman101]

AS far as I know...no... which is something I think SA should put in that software of that box.. that would be helpful. I remember having my TIVO and it will tell you.

[DSquare]

Well after reading the post from millerman about the pricing I called them back. I was told the pricing that millerman was refering to was only for the regular dvr service. The hd dvr service is 9.95/month no matter if you have roadrunner or not.

[CANDY76MAN]

AS far as I know...no... which is something I think SA should put in that software of that box.. that would be helpful. I remember having my TIVO and it will tell you.

A software update on the dvr recently added a section that shows how much recording space I have left....do you know about that or do you mean just that the hd dvr doesn't have that?

[dprice]

Good thing I dropped my long distance service...now I can reallocate $10/month and call it "free" HD-DVR service...

Don

[wallinbl]

I ordered the HD DVR last week, to be installed on Monday (today). I received a call this morning saying that they were recalling them, and did I still want to have it installed. She said they were having problems with picture quality on SD channels, as well as having to repeat the setup information everytime you switched from an SD channel to an HD channel.

I asked to have it installed anyway, so I'll see if I get the problems.

[Max_Gator]

Not sure how the pq could be worse than the current dvr.

[CANDY76MAN]

the current dvr doesn't scale the image, it just outputs 480i to your tv which then does the scaling.

I hope the hddvr does a better jub of scaling video than the pace box does because compared to my RCA's internal scaling (which is nothing special to begin with), the pace box's sucks.
I only use the pace box when I want to watch a hd channel because of that.

[supajef]

I have been happy with the HD DVR so far. The picture quality looks fine to me and I have had no problems with it. The box I have must have the 160gb hd in it b/c I can record more than 9 hrs. The scaling seems to be about the same as the Pace box, but since I can have HD content avail when I want I dont know if I will even watch must SD stuff anyhow. Another thing, the DVR doesn't keep the SD and HD scaling separate like the pace box did. When you stretch the content everything is stretched so you will have to toggle the scaling back and forth. I am very happy with the dvr so far, it's great to have good HD content on demand now. Thanks BHN! :D :D

[wallinbl]

Box was installed this afternoon and works fine. Some of the local channels (UPN, WB, WMOR) look downright awful.

[Max_Gator]

the current dvr doesn't scale the image, it just outputs 480i to your tv which then does the scaling.

I hope the hddvr does a better jub of scaling video than the pace box does because compared to my RCA's internal scaling (which is nothing special to begin with), the pace box's sucks.
I only use the pace box when I want to watch a hd channel because of that.

I have a Sammy DLP and even using its farojda scaler the pq is not very good - that's the dvr box causing the problem, not the scaler in my tv.

I'm uncertain how bad the pace box's scaling is - seems pretty good to me. What makes you say it is bad?

[CANDY76MAN]

the current dvr doesn't scale the image, it just outputs 480i to your tv which then does the scaling.

I hope the hddvr does a better jub of scaling video than the pace box does because compared to my RCA's internal scaling (which is nothing special to begin with), the pace box's sucks.
I only use the pace box when I want to watch a hd channel because of that.


I'm uncertain how bad the pace box's scaling is - seems pretty good to me. What makes you say it is bad?

I have both the pace box and the DVR hooked up to my tv in the livingroom so I'm able to put both on the same channel and quickly switch back and forth.....the picture from the dvr (even on recorded programs) just looks better to me than the picture from the pace box (except hd of course)....the output from the pace box is just grainier looking when the pace box is doing the scaling.

However I can set the pace box to output 480i so that my tv does the scaling and it looks identical to the dvr so thats why I conclude that the scaler in the pace box is not all that great. ...My RCA tv is the cheapest 52" hdtv on the market so whatever chip it uses to scale video is probly inferior to what would be in more expensive hdtv's.

[millerman101]

Candyman, the only way your tv is going to do the scaling if you have the pass box set on "pass", otherwise the box is doing it..

[CANDY76MAN]

Candyman, the only way your tv is going to do the scaling if you have the pass box set on "pass", otherwise the box is doing it..

Actually it looks identical on either pass or 480i (except that on 480i the hd channels don't look as good since they are also scaled down to 480i)....it's only when I switch to 480p or 1080i that the picture on sd channels looks worse, so I assumed thats when the pace is doing the scaling?

It looks like the 480i setting means it sends all video (sd and hd) out at 480i?.... for use with sd tv's with component inputs?...if they used "pass" then they wouldn't get a picture on the hd channels.

[millerman101]

you would get hd...the tv would just scale it to whatever input is coming in

[Max_Gator]

If you are comparing the pace box and dvr - on my sammy dlp - the pace box wins hands down. It is clearly head and shoulders above the dvr pq on both live and recorded tv.

That should be no surpise. My dvr DOESN'T EVEN HAVE component connections. So dvr connected via s video compared to pace connected by DVI/Component ought to be a clear winner - and it is on my dlp.

In regard to the scaling capabilities of the pace box compared to my sammy dlp which has one of the best scalers out there - there is little difference. I've tried every possible connection/combination. But - that's with DVI connection. There is not an appreciable difference if I have the box or tv scale from 480i.

In my experience, the pace box automatically sends out hd signals in 1080i UNLESS you have it set to scale to 720. It doesn't downconvert. If you set the box to 480i/p - just go to an hd channel and check it from there and you'll see it is 1080.

As for the tv not doing scaling unless you set the box to pass - that's not necessarily the case. In the case of my samsung, unless you feed it 720, it scales since the native resolution is 720. I would presume that for any hdtv, unless you feed it the native resolution, it will again scale the signal to the native res. Maybe THAT is the problem - your tv is re-scaling and not doing a good job.

[DSquare]

woohoo, just got the 8000hd box installed, the new box is huge compared to the old pace box. Knight Enterprises came out, was disappointed not to see a regualr BHN guy. The Knight Enterprise guy was in a rush, he was in and out in under 10mins. First thing I did notice was that the channels did seem to change slower but Im thinking this is because of the dvr function, its starting to record the new channel. Also looking thru the info pages I did notice that the version #'s are behind what people are posting on avsforums. No firewire port on the back, just an usb port on the front.

[jdiehl]

Knight Enterprises came out, was disappointed not to see a regualr BHN guy. The Knight Enterprise guy was in a rush, he was in and out in under 10mins.

Isn't that the truth. Their guy that did my install 2 weeks ago was so rude and rushed that I almost called in to complain about him. In the room with the cable modem, at the end of the install, he just threw the package of info and patch cable from the door of my den and didn't take the extra 5 seconds to walk in and place it on the floor 8O . He barely spoke the whole time, answered my questions with 2-3 word sentences and grunts, never wiped his feet (brand new home no less) and managed to cut the wires to the irrigation system when he was rapidly digging up the side yard. I felt like telling him that if he hates his job so much (from what I could tell) maybe he should look for other work. Do these guys get over booked or something? Or maybe they get paid by the number of calls they can squeeze in during a day? I'd compain to BHN, but of course that wouldn't go anywhere.

When I had an amplifier installed on Monday due to a weak signal, they did the same sort of rush job on me, although this guy was nice enough to take his shoes off. Sorry for going off topic, just wanted to chime in on my distaste for these 3rd party contractors that BHN uses.

[DSquare]

In the short time he was here I asked him 2 questions, "Does this unit have passthru for component in like the pace box does?" and "Is the DVI port active?" Both questiones were answered with "You'll have to call BHN they will answer those questions for you." Not impressed at all.

[supajef]

The box I have has firewire and dvi. There is no pass through on this box as there is only set of component jacks. I have had no issues with my dvr still and I am using it quite a bit. The BHN dvr's have always been a bit slower at channel changing so that isn't anything new to the dvr. Anyhow I am not sure what bugs are being worked as my service has been perfect so far (now that I said that something will break).

[DSquare]

The box I have has firewire and dvi. There is no pass through on this box as there is only set of component jacks.


I knew about not having the pass thru from reading thru the forums, I was kindof 'testing' him. You know if the firewire port is active on your box? And by looking at the diagrams the firewire port should be right next to the s-video out port on the rear of the box correct?

[DSquare]

Well after using this box Im really happy so far. I used it to record Simple Life 2(FOX) and Scooby Doo (HBO-HD) last night. Both were on at the same time and both recorded great. Can't tell any difference from 'live' tv compared with recorded material.

[ThomasSampson]

Just got my HD-DVR installed this morning and I must say I'm very pleased with it. The picture seems just as sharp as the Pace's on HDTV, digital, and analog stations. Besides the stations changing a bit slower than the paces did, I can't really tell a difference between the two. A couple things I noticed were this box displays gray bars on the side of a 4:3 picture, and the hard drive is much quieter than the regular sa8000. Bottom line, despite some of the negative things written about this box on the forum, I would highly recommend it to anyone! No more missing HD football games for me!

[bdraw]

You can change the side bars with the setting "Set TV Borders" there are 3 choices.

[DSquare]

another nice thing when getting a new box is that you get all the pay channels for a few days. I recorded alot of HBOHD but sadly when I woke this am the channels were no longer there.

[bubblehd647]

OK, after reading back through the entire thread I'm still confused.

1. Is the 8000HD availible in Hillsborough county or not? Some posters (at undisclosed locations) say yes. Others say no. I called the Brandon office on Friday (6/18/04) and was told no.

2. The tampabay.MyBrighthouse.com site has no indication there is an HD version of the 8000 availible.

3. Does anyone in the Brandon/Bloomingdale/Valrico/Riverview area have one yet? If so, how did you get it?

[pruizgarcia]

The answer I received this week from Brighthouse Tampa is that the 8000HD will be available in Tampa by end of summer. They added me to the list for notification when it becomes available.

[sfollenius]

The picture seems just as sharp as the Pace's on HDTV, digital, and analog stations.

The Pace Box SD is horrible. I ended up splicing the cable and connect direct coax into my HD set for the anologue stations, what a difference. I was hoping for a better picture on the SD stations, but I'll take it, will be nice to pause and record.

As far as the "waiting list" I was told not to bother, sure you will know sooner when its released on this sight, before BHN notifies you. The rep I spoke with last week at BHN stated there are plenty of boxes to go around, no need to worry about a shortage.

[supajef]

Has anyone been able to record more than 9 hours of HD yet? I thought my box was capable of doing this but it ran out of space once I had 9 hours of HD recorded. I know there has been debate about how many hours the dvr they are releasing can do. I guess they are giving out the 9 hr dvr in Pinellas county now b/c that IS what I have. I know Millerman says he has the 160gb dvr that can do 20 hrs. Is it possible that there are issues w/ the 160gb drive and that is what is holding up the other counties?
If anyone in pinellas county has a HD DVR that has recorded more than 9 hours let me know.

[millerman101]

superjef, I dont have mine anymore ..but Im not sure how many hours it will record, I'll see if I can find out.. IM sure someone else here has already tried it.

[bdraw]

It should definitly record more than 9 hours.
I know someone that has about 20 hours.

[CANDY76MAN]

If your particular unit was a 80 gig unit then 9 hours is about right....hd seems to use about 8 too 9 gigs per hour of harddrive space uncompressed.

If you look on the bottom of the dvr you can see the harddrive through a vent section, just tilt it up so you can see the top of the drive and you should easily see the brand and size of your harddrive on the sticker.

[supajef]

Thanks for the hint about checking the drive, it was a little hard to see but I found it. My unit has as 160GB drive so I am not sure why my dvr ran out of room the other night. I had quite a few programs on my dvr that day but quite a few. I guess the dvr didn't quite remove them all the way? Maybe it was just something buggy. :roll:

[jaymer]

thread closed to push all new "hands on" info into the new thread. this is 5 months old and has lots of stuff not pertinent to the new box (i.e. speculation).

jaymer...