ngp

Has anyone else seen this issue...

I have the Comcast HD Motorola box with the dual tuner DVR and for the past four days I noticed that if I shut the box off and later turn it back on, it doesn't get any picture from any channels. I can see the menu, the guide, etc. but no TV feed. I then have to go to a previously recorded show on the DVR and begin playing it, then exit out of that program and only then I get the regular cable feed.

When we called Comcast about this they said that it was a known issue and that they are working on a fix.

ngp

I just got off the phone with another Comcast customer service rep and she says that she's not at all aware of such an issue. She tried contacting my cable box and couln't get a proper response so they've scheduled a tech to come out.

So now, I'm not sure if this is an issue with just my box or a more widespread issue. There is a threat at FW about a slightly different issue regarding a freeze up of the HD DVR moto boxes. Not sure if this is related or not.

DJ_Longfellow

My Comcast DVR box has been working GREAT. No issues at all. The normal HD box i had before was always giving me problems though. It would just shutoff by itself. Really pissed me off during Football games.

But, no issues with DVR yet. I rarely turn it off though

ngp

Yeah, mine was working flawlessly until about 4 days back. Also, other than the way I need to turn it on, it works fine once its on. The only reason I turn it off is because all of the reps have told us that turning it off overnight allows for any updates that they have to shoot over. Although, I'm not sure if that is accurate or not.

ngp

A Comcast rep came out the other day and even before describing the issue with him, he described it perfectly to me. I know he didn't get it from the work order since my copy of the work order just says "trouble with getting picture after turning on box". He knew about the "MyDVR" method of getting the thing to work. He said that its a known issue by Comcast and they are working on it along with Motorola but don't have any fixes yet.

juicerocket

It is a known bug. The only way to get around it is a) your style you posted above or b) to unplug the box and let it re-load all the info.

I'm sure they'll be pushing some sort of firmware upgrade to clean up this issue. I read somewhere that leaving the cable box on at all times will keep the issue at bay, it occurs only when you turn the box off and then turn it back on.

Lampei

juicerocket,
Just checked out your sig/site...that's some awesome stuff

aerobson

Is there a single tuner DVR? If so, how can you tell the difference? What advantages does a dual tuner DVR offer over the single tuner DVR, if there are truly two different types of tuners?

And I also have problems with my silver Motorola HD box. Drives me nuts. Sometimes it takes several minutes to changes channels. It's not so bad if I type the number in directly, but can be quite annoying if the menu is locked on the screen the whole time.

Chew

Two tuners on a DVR would mean recording two different channels at the same time.

ngp

The Dual tuner Motoral DVR from Comcast looks nearly identical to the single tuner model except that the dual appears to have a very slight goldish tint to the case...hardly noticalbe but I noticed as they were swapping my single for a dual. Also, the otherwise nearly identical remote has a few small black buttons on the bottom that include "Swap" and "Pip". The Swap button allows you to swap between the two tuners. For example, you may begin recording a show or schedule a show on one tuner and "swap" to the other tuner while the first tuner is recording.

ngp

Couple of questions for you...

1. If one is to unplug the box and let it re-load, will this fix the problem for good or after shutting off the next time, you still have the symptoms?

2. I've been told that we should turn the box off at night so that updates can be pushed to it. The last tech told me that it doesn't matter if the box is off or on, it will still get updates. Do you know which is it?

Thanks.

aerobson

Thanks, I'll definitely have to call and get the dual tuner version.

1. Unplugging the box will only fix the problem temporarily. Once plugged back in, the box will no longer be frozen, but you also will lose all of your TV listings until the menu has time to refresh. It will lock again, just give it time.

2. Sorry, can't answer this one definitively, but my opinion, knowing the quality technicians that I have had in my house is that it will probably work either way. My guess is that the downloads will not be loaded unless the box is off. If you miss one night because the box was on, it will load the next time you leave the box off.

juicerocket

I haven't had it lock again, but I only attempted this "fix" last week. It does take some time for the menu to refresh and load up.

I haven't heard that it should be shut down at night time...I'm assuming it'd go through as aerobson suggests, it will simply wait until you eventually turn your box off.

Lampei Thanks! Be sure to check our site out again this Friday, we'll be posting 5 or 6 new reviews.

nevermind

You want an issue? I have a 6412 box. I recorded 24 last night and the pause, rewind, and ff were disabled during the entire program. Apparently it has happened to many people in the Chicago area according to posts at AVS.

This had better be a technical glitch and not the beginning of a new trend. I couldn't even rew to hear what was just said

boston george

Just curious, how much are you guys paying for this box and service each month? I have Comcast cable internet and VERY Limited basic tv and would LOVE to have an HD signal for my Mits "65 HD set and a DVR.

I'm poor and the $60 a month it costs for what I have now (basically just internet and local channels) is a luxury I can barely afford. But depending on what it costs for what you guys have I may have to figure out a way to work it into my budget.

ALSO, how many HD channels?

nevermind

I have internet and locals only as well. The DVR box is $10 a month extra, and I get ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS, and WGN(Chicago, not national) in HD. A regular box (just for the HD signal, no DVR) is about $5/month.

ngp

I'm in the Boston region and Similarly to the post above, I pay $10/month for the DVR service. The HD box costs $7.25/month vs. the Digital and regular box for me used to be $5.25/month. So overall, with HD and DVR, I'm paying a bit over $12 more per month. I do get PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPNHD, INHD1 and INHD2, and a host of HD movie channels on SHO, HBO, etc. I heard that Comcast is working with WB and UPN for HD broadcasting as well. Also, keep in mind that while all of these channels offer HD programming, they may be broadcasting programming on them that may not be in HD but simply Digital (although very nice broadcasting). For example, The Simpsons on Sunday nights at 8PM EST can be viewed on FOX's HD broadcast but since the show is not broadcast in HD, it will be broadcast in digital. On my Mitsu widescreen, I will get a 4:3 picture with bars on either side for a non-HD broadcast on an HD channel. Most of the broadcasting of HD is either during primetime or during special events (e.g. Superbowl, etc.).

ngp

UPDATE: Up till a couple of days ago, this issue was present on my HD Motorola Dual Tuner box. After speaking with a few customer service reps and a couple of techs that came out, it was a wide spread issue through an update that they had sent out. Last night, things appeared to be corrected.

Red Dog

I'm getting my Comcast HD-DVR tomorrow. Have no idea which model - just hope it has 2-tuners like my SD DVR has.

ngp

When I first got mine, they only were rolling out the dual tuner...If I were you, I would just call and make sure that you specify that you want the dual tuner...same cost either way.

juicerocket

Yup, give them a call and request the 6412. I thought that the 6208, the single tuner, was only released to "beta-testers". I know when I had the 6208, it was unavailable unless you specifically requested it. When I had the box, I developed a small relationship with a Comcast employee, who I could question when necessary, and who would ask me for information and feedback.

Red Dog

Got mine last night; only model my Comcast carries is the SA8000HD. Seems to be fine. Already familiar with all the functions since I used to have the SA8000, so that makes things a little easier. Best thing is that they aren't charging me anymore for having HD. I was shocked, but maybe they have a notation about me always threatening to go to satellite.

The only thing that sucks is that the HD-OnDemand movies cost $4.99 or $5.99. I thought they would be free like movies on HBO and SHO OnDemand (assuming you subscribe to those channels).

juicerocket

After days of no issues, our box has started giving us the old "no picture" issue again.