# HR34 reliable for most?



## sjord7 (Sep 2, 2007)

I was wondering how most people are finding the HR34 - is it reliable? I'm seeing people complaining about missed recordings (which would be about the worst). But I'd like to hear what most people are seeing as far as reliability. If everyone is having issues with missed recordings, then I'd consider the HR34 to be worthless until that bug is fixed.

I currently have the super slow HR20, no SWM. I keep seeing that people are getting a $100 CCK forced on them, and I have a router right there, with the Ethernet cable already going to the HR20.

If I get a HR34 - do I need a new antenna since I don't have a SWM now? I don't have, nor do I want any more receivers, just the one in the livingroom is fine - but the HR34 would be nice with the larger disk drive and the 5 tuners. I'm not familiar with the SWM, but read a little about them.


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## Bartman94 (Jan 18, 2012)

A SWiM system is required for the HR34, so if you don't currently have a SWiM installed, then D* will install one for you.

The external CCK unit is completely unnecessary with the HR34 regardless if it's your only receiver or not... as long as your HR34 is next to your router where it can be connected directly using an ethernet cable. So if you order an HR34 tell D* that you have no need for the CCK.

There are several background programs that need to boot up and get running after the HR34 is activated. This process normally takes between 3 - 4 days to be fully completed, so you may have a few slight performance issues (slow guide, playlist, search response times, etc) for the first few days. After that I personally haven't had a single issue with my HR34 and it has never missed a recording.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

sjord7 said:


> I was wondering how most people are finding the HR34 - *is it reliable?* . . . .


Because it is relatively new, HW & SW-wise, it is the most unreliable of my receivers.


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## texasmoose (May 25, 2007)

Bartman94 said:


> I personally haven't had a single issue with my HR34 and it has never missed a recording.


You're the lucky one. My wife has set-up multiple recordings in the last week, of which there have been a few that failed to record.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

There are certainly issues with it, but the good thing is that DirecTV is constantly working on the software for their receivers, at least the Hx series.


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## I WANT MORE (Oct 3, 2006)

As it stands now reliable would not be the word that I would choose.


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## huskerhead (Oct 27, 2002)

I WANT MORE said:


> As it stands now reliable would not be the word that I would choose.


+1


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## jagrim (Aug 26, 2006)

I have had my HR34 for about 2-1/2 months now. Though it has had some issues, I have not missed a recording until this week. The missed recordings were "canceled by unit". Unfortunately, no one in the household will fess up that they cancelled them so I assume that the 34's artificial intelligence is evolving. 
As I have always backed up recording options, the missed recordings were captured with other DVR's.
I expect that all will improve as time progresses and would not deter myself nor anyone else from enjoying the HR34.


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

jagrim said:


> I have had my HR34 for about 2-1/2 months now. Though it has had some issues, I have not missed a recording until this week. The missed recordings were "canceled by unit". Unfortunately, no one in the household will fess up that they cancelled them so I assume that the 34's artificial intelligence is evolving.
> As I have always backed up recording options, the missed recordings were captured with other DVR's.
> I expect that all will improve as time progresses and would not deter myself nor anyone else from enjoying the HR34.


It IS the receiver. This is happening to me quite a bit (And I'm the ONLY one who uses the receiver). I've remedied this SOME by just checking out future showings of programs and telling it to grab 3 or 4 future showings if available. Figure at least ONE has to actually record lol Plenty of space, so if it does grab 3 or 4 copies of the same program, I just delete the extras.


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## T-Mac (Feb 16, 2012)

So are people recommending potential new customers like myself NOT to order the 34?

At just $99 I thought it would be the obvious choice, but I'm concerned with all the problems that are being discussed.


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## DogLover (Mar 19, 2007)

T-Mac said:


> So are people recommending potential new customers like myself NOT to order the 34?
> 
> At just $99 I thought it would be the obvious choice, but I'm concerned with all the problems that are being discussed.


I don't have a HR34 (yet), but have been keeping up with their progress through the bug reports here. I would predict that in two or three months, these units will be solid enough for the vast majority of customers.

You will need to decide the level of improvement necessary before you purchase. If an occasional missed recording is a show stopper, then you probably want to wait at least for the next software download before jumping in.

As a new customer that can get it for $99, I think it would be worth the wait for it to improve to the level you will be happy with.


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## BigFoot48 (Aug 31, 2007)

We've had our 34 for a week, and other some delay in menu switching, apps not working, all in the first few days, it has been working perfectly, and would not trade the five tuners for anything! We added an AM21 and love having local recordable OTC in our guide. (We don't subscribe to locals.)


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## Bartman94 (Jan 18, 2012)

Again I'm not sure why so many are having issues. Maybe I just got lucky with mine, but I haven't missed a single recording and I have more than 70 series links on my HR34. In my opinion the HR34 is absolutely worth the upgrade.


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## Skiman (Nov 20, 2008)

There are some minor software issues that are being tended to as quickly as possible, but like others, I haven't had any issues with mine (and I've had mine up and running for over 2 months).

The question everyone keeps asking is "Is it worth it?" That's an individual question that each person can only answer for themselves. Do you need the ability to record 5 shows at once? Are you short on storage space and need 1TB? Do you really REALLY need PIP? Are you planning on purchasing RVU clients in the immediate future? If the answer to these questions is "no", then you really don't need an HR34.


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## makaiguy (Sep 24, 2007)

Skiman said:


> The question everyone keeps asking is "Is it worth it?" That's an individual question that each person can only answer for themselves. *Do you need the ability to record 5 shows at once?* Are you short on storage space and need 1TB? Do you really REALLY need PIP? Are you planning on purchasing RVU clients in the immediate future? If the answer to these questions is "no", then you really don't need an HR34.


Nice summary. But I'd have phrased the highlighted one above as "Do you need the ability to record *more than 2* shows at once?


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## sjord7 (Sep 2, 2007)

Thanks for the replies everyone. While my HR20 is very slow, I could use at least another tuner, and the way they move the shows schedules around at the networks, we always have to check for conflicts to see if more than 2 are on at the same time. Plus doubling the storage space, as well as being able to record 100 series is very nice (we're right at 50 right now - and have to delete shows that are off season, only to add them back later)

One thing that is nice - I do like the way DirecTV keeps updating the software and making improvements years after a product is released. I know I got the HR20 when there were still a lot of bugs, and previously people weren't happy with them at all. Within a few months, the updates fixed most of the issues I'd seen. That was many years ago now. What other company provides updates for that long? Not for my phone that's for sure!

Hopefully the HR34 issues will get cleaned up in the next few months.


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## HoTat2 (Nov 16, 2005)

makaiguy said:


> Nice summary. But I'd have phrased the highlighted one above as "Do you need the ability to record *more than 2* shows at once?


For me no, what with four HD DVRs and one HD STB here connected with WH.

This and that this box seems too buggy right now to be costing $399.00 for only a lease. Add to it that there are no RVU clients available yet besides investing in an entirely new expensive Samsung's TV set to even use it most salient feature.

No, I can certainly afford to wait on this unit. :nono2:


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

T-Mac said:


> So are people recommending potential new customers like myself NOT to order the 34?
> 
> At just $99 I thought it would be the obvious choice, but I'm concerned with all the problems that are being discussed.


No. The deal is great. We just warning you that the ride won't be 'perfect.'


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## usnret (Jan 16, 2009)

Have had mine for 2 weeks tomorrow. Have not missed a recording. The only problem is that if I turn it off, the only way to get it back on is a RBR, so I don't turn it off. Am sure that it will get fixed shortly. When one uses a RBR it takes 3-4 days to fully come back from all the things that it needs to do. It is fast, reliable and has a ton of recording room. All in all, extremely happy with it.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

sjord7 said:


> Thanks for the replies everyone. While my HR20 is very slow, I could use at least another tuner, and the way they move the shows schedules around at the networks, we always have to check for conflicts to see if more than 2 are on at the same time. Plus doubling the storage space, as well as being able to record 100 series is very nice (we're right at 50 right now - and have to delete shows that are off season, only to add them back later)
> 
> One thing that is nice - I do like the way DirecTV keeps updating the software and making improvements years after a product is released. I know I got the HR20 when there were still a lot of bugs, and previously people weren't happy with them at all. Within a few months, the updates fixed most of the issues I'd seen. That was many years ago now. What other company provides updates for that long? Not for my phone that's for sure!
> 
> Hopefully the HR34 issues will get cleaned up in the next few months.


What exact model is that HR20 you keep mentioning? HR20-xxx should always be used rather than just HR20, I think. The 20-100 and 20-700 are two very different beasts.

Rich


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## joshjr (Aug 2, 2008)

kevinturcotte said:


> It IS the receiver. This is happening to me quite a bit (And I'm the ONLY one who uses the receiver). I've remedied this SOME by just checking out future showings of programs and telling it to grab 3 or 4 future showings if available. Figure at least ONE has to actually record lol Plenty of space, so if it does grab 3 or 4 copies of the same program, I just delete the extras.


Thats a good idea. I also back mine up on another DVR but of course there is more shifting to do with only 2 recordings at a time. I have seen the HR34 record 4-5 shows at a time without issue several times. I did also just get a software download on Monday night. I dont know if it was the same version downloading again or not. Anyways, I am happy with it so far.


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## jagrim (Aug 26, 2006)

"Skiman" said:


> Do you need the ability to record 5 shows at once?


No, but I often record three shows while watching one live stream and the family watching a recorded show. The 5 tuners are great and I would recommend the HR 34. It is worth it, no matter what you pay for it.


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## joshjr (Aug 2, 2008)

usnret said:


> Have had mine for 2 weeks tomorrow. Have not missed a recording. The only problem is that if I turn it off, the only way to get it back on is a RBR, so I don't turn it off. Am sure that it will get fixed shortly. When one uses a RBR it takes 3-4 days to fully come back from all the things that it needs to do. It is fast, reliable and has a ton of recording room. All in all, extremely happy with it.


Case Management was telling me about this last night. I have not had this issue as of yet but it it happens I will just leave the box on as well. At least they are working on these things. All in all the box is fantastic!


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## TBoneit (Jul 27, 2006)

usnret said:


> Have had mine for 2 weeks tomorrow. Have not missed a recording. The only problem is that if I turn it off, the only way to get it back on is a RBR, so I don't turn it off. Am sure that it will get fixed shortly. When one uses a RBR it takes 3-4 days to fully come back from all the things that it needs to do. It is fast, reliable and has a ton of recording room. All in all, extremely happy with it.


You can't turn it off but still call it reliable?

if it takes that long to come back I'd have it on a UPS.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

TBoneit said:


> You can't turn it off but still call it reliable?
> 
> if it takes that long to come back I'd have it on a UPS.


Don't think a UPS will fix that. A new 34 might.

Rich


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## Caromsoft (Jul 17, 2010)

I've had mine for a month and no recordings missed that I know of *knock on wood*.


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## usnret (Jan 16, 2009)

It "comes back" quickly, it just takes time to load everything in (guide, etc.). Sri if I was not clear.


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

makaiguy said:


> Nice summary. But I'd have phrased the highlighted one above as "Do you need the ability to record *more than 2* shows at once?


I've already run into scheduling conflicts, even with 5 tuners lol


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## Phil T (Mar 25, 2002)

I had mine for a week yesterday. It has recorded over 90 shows with 20 series set up. I have not missed a single recording. I had one issue of my HR24 not playing back a recording that locked up the 34 and I had to do a reset.

It seemed to me that once I got a full 2 week guide it became very stable. I have not had any issues since so I wonder if a lot of the missed recordings people are reporting has to do with a incomplete guide?


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## sjord7 (Sep 2, 2007)

Rich said:


> What exact model is that HR20 you keep mentioning? HR20-xxx should always be used rather than just HR20, I think. The 20-100 and 20-700 are two very different beasts.
> 
> Rich


I've got the HR20-700. I used to have the 100 originally, but it died, and they replaced it with this a few years ago.

If I decide to replace this with the HR34, do they let me keep the old box a couple weeks? I wonder if I can finish watching the recorded shows if it's not hooked up to the antenna any more? I could leave it hooked up, as well as the HR34 (possibly), then finish watching the recorded shows. Has anyone done anything like that?


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

sjord7 said:


> I've got the HR20-700. I used to have the 100 originally, but it died, and they replaced it with this a few years ago.
> 
> If I decide to replace this with the HR34, do they *let me keep the old box a couple weeks?* I wonder if I can finish watching the recorded shows if it's not hooked up to the antenna any more? I could leave it hooked up, as well as the HR34 (possibly), then finish watching the recorded shows. Has anyone done anything like that?


It could take months to get a Recovery Kit or it can take days. But once the kit arrives, the clock starts ticking.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

sjord7 said:


> I've got the HR20-700. I used to have the 100 originally, but it died, and they replaced it with this a few years ago.
> 
> If I decide to replace this with the HR34, do they let me keep the old box a couple weeks? I wonder if I can finish watching the recorded shows if it's not hooked up to the antenna any more? I could leave it hooked up, as well as the HR34 (possibly), then finish watching the recorded shows. Has anyone done anything like that?


If an installer comes to your home to hook up the 34 (which is what you want to happen), he will probably take the 20-700 with him when he leaves. If you want to watch the programming on the 700, keep it activated until you're done watching and then call for a deactivation and recovery kit.

Rich


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## TXD16 (Oct 30, 2008)

sjord7 said:


> I was wondering how most people are finding the HR34 - is it reliable


As a newly introduced DVR, with significant new functionality, the HR34 has had far fewer issues than did any HR that preceded it. There are a lot of us who suffered through years of very significant HR2x issues, wondering if they would ever get ironed out (most eventually did) and the relatively minor HR34 issues absolutely pale in comparison, especially when you consider that the HR34 has just entered wide-spread distribution.

An HD GUI, a few minor bug fixes, and this thing is darn near perfect for 95% of the people who will be using it.


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## jlangner (Feb 3, 2007)

I like but I have had issues..last night laying in bed heard the wife "I can't believe he spent money on this" We are on 2nd machine and getting problems rewinding live buffer and freezes up, just displays ss and audio keeps going..I hope the patch it soon...getting tired of defending it.


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## JerseyBoy (Sep 1, 2006)

I have had my HR34 since mid December and have had to RBR 5 or 6 times. It missed recording 2 and 1/2 men this past Monday with the History saying the show didn't match. I have it set for new only and it was a new episode. As far as I know that is the only missed recording. That being said the bugs I have encountered with the HR34 haven't happened often enough to out weigh having 5 turners. So I am hoping that new FW shows up to fix the bugs before my patience runs out.


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## jagrim (Aug 26, 2006)

"JerseyBoy" said:


> I have had my HR34 since mid December and have had to RBR 5 or 6 times. It missed recording 2 and 1/2 men this past Monday with the History saying the show didn't match. I have it set for new only and it was a new episode. As far as I know that is the only missed recording. That being said the bugs I have encountered with the HR34 haven't happened often enough to out weigh having 5 turners. So I am hoping that new FW shows up to fix the bugs before my patience runs out.


My only missed recording was the same and mine was cancelled by STB, no other reasoning. My HR24-500 and HR20-100 did record it so I didn't miss anything.


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## usnret (Jan 16, 2009)

I have my HR24 beside my new HR34 and they are recording the same programs. I planned it this way just to be sure that the 34 was doing as it is supposed to. When the new SW for the 34 is released and it's running good then the 24 goes back. 
One "problem" that I am having is that a recorded program on the 34 starts 6-9 seconds into the program whereas the same program on the 24 starts at the very beginning. Hope that gets fixed or maybe I am doing something wrong. Also noticed that the 4 channels listed for the Daytona 500 drivers are doubled (I have the SD channels turned off). Wonder what that is about.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Usnret, are you leaving the receiver on all the time or do you put it in standby.


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## usnret (Jan 16, 2009)

I leave it on all the time as, when I turn it off at nite, the next day the only way to turn it back on is via a RBR.


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## Patrick G. (Sep 10, 2002)

The HR34 is borderline incompatible with the H25s as far as playback goes. I really wish I would have waited to upgrade from my HR24.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

usnret said:


> I leave it on all the time as, when I turn it off at nite, the next day the only way to turn it back on is via a RBR.


Try unplugging it for at least 30 seconds. If you have the time, leave it unplugged for a couple hours. They don't like losing the love...:lol:

Seriously, unplugging for a couple hours does work occasionally.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Patrick G. said:


> The HR34 is borderline incompatible with the H25s as far as playback goes. I really wish I would have waited to upgrade from my HR24.


You "upgraded" to the 34 by sacrificing a 24? Optimistic, you are.

Rich


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## WebHobbit (Oct 15, 2010)

We have had a few lock ups....and recently we missed some recordings. Coming from a non DTV TiVo I would NOT call this reliable. Still waiting on the HDUI as well.

And as a 10 year TiVo guy I have to ask -why would anyone want to turn a DVR OFF????????

Seriously - WTF? Why would you do that?


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

Off just means the lights are off -- it doesn't mean it is powered down. It still records. That said I leave all of mine on since none of them are in our bedroom.

When I got the HR34 & the guide had finally updated, I put our regular series recordings on it but have not yet removed them from the other DVRs. I don't quite trust the HR34 enough to have it be the main DVR just yet. I am confident, though, that once the next software release comes out it will address most of the current issues & then I'll remove the programs from the other DVRs.


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## Patrick G. (Sep 10, 2002)

"WebHobbit" said:


> And as a 10 year TiVo guy I have to ask -why would anyone want to turn a DVR OFF????????
> 
> Seriously - WTF? Why would you do that?


Why wouldn't you?


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## Jason Whiddon (Aug 17, 2006)

Ive had mine for awhile now, attached to a 2TB external drive. I am only using it on one TV so can only comment about recording.

As far as that goes, recording and playback have been extremely reliable for me.


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## WebHobbit (Oct 15, 2010)

HDJulie said:


> Off just means the lights are off -- it doesn't mean it is powered down. It still records. That said I leave all of mine on since none of them are in our bedroom.


Then...that's not really OFF is it?


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

WebHobbit said:


> Then...that's not really OFF is it?


How many appliances or electronic devices do you have that you can truly turn "off"? We've had "On" and "Standby" since the advent of the HRs, we (well most of us) understand that Standby is different than Off and now we have this new power saving setting that I don't quite understand. But I will.

Rich


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

Rich said:


> How many appliances or electronic devices do you have that you can truly turn "off"? We've had "On" and "Standby" since the advent of the HRs, we (well most of us) understand that Standby is different than Off and now we have this new power saving setting that I don't quite understand. But I will.
> 
> Rich


Power save basically just puts it into standby mode. Yeah, it saves a LITTLE bit of power by not lighting up the front panel. Has anybody actually done any measurements as to how much electricity that actually saves?


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

kevinturcotte said:


> Power save basically just puts it into standby mode. Yeah, it saves a LITTLE bit of power by not lighting up the front panel. Has anybody actually done any measurements as to how much electricity that actually saves?


0 to 2 Watts.

Actually, the power save is only useful if your TV has an option to power off on loss of video signal. Then when the DVR goes into power saver, it shuts off the monitor. Otherwise, its just an annoyance.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

kevinturcotte said:


> Power save basically just puts it into standby mode. Yeah, it saves a LITTLE bit of power by not lighting up the front panel. Has anybody actually done any measurements as to how much electricity that actually saves?


Did you ever get your AV system working correctly?

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Davenlr said:


> 0 to 2 Watts.
> 
> Actually, the power save is only useful if your TV has an option to power off on loss of video signal. Then when the DVR goes into power saver, it shuts off the monitor. Otherwise, its just an annoyance.


So, all it does is put the HR in Standby if you forget to put it in Standby? If that's all it does, why did they bother with it?

Rich


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## RACJ2 (Aug 2, 2008)

Bartman94 said:


> Again I'm not sure why so many are having issues. Maybe I just got lucky with mine, but I haven't missed a single recording and I have more than 70 series links on my HR34. In my opinion the HR34 is absolutely worth the upgrade.


I'm hoping that since we are both in the DFW market, I will have luck with mu HR34 when its installed next Saturday. If nothing else, I will have the same missed recordings, freeze ups and reboots as the HR22 its replacing. But I get PIP along with 3 additional tuners that can miss recordings!


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## Repcmm (Oct 12, 2002)

I live in DFW market and had mine installed on Jan. 4.

as I am typing right now, my son is calling me telling TV(h-25) not working.
picture is frozen saying cannot communicate with dish.
tried turning on hr34 will not come on doing rbr. 
just climb into attic ALL connection loose, tighten now TV back on.
how could tech leave all connections loose.

My wife soap did not record M-Thurs just found out Thurs night
it has missed several recordings, getting tired of having to make sure recordings fire up. IF it misses anymore recordings might have to switch back to dish.
trying to save money, but might cost me more in the end. 
Hr-34 is also very slow sometimes wait 6-8 seconds for menu,guide.


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## sriggins (Jul 1, 2010)

I turn mine off as it kills hdmi and helps my switch auto hunt to other devices


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## L2BENGTREK (May 31, 2006)

Bartman94 said:


> There are several background programs that need to boot up and get running after the HR34 is activated. This process normally takes between 3 - 4 days to be fully completed, so you may have a few slight performance issues (slow guide, playlist, search response times, etc) for the first few days. After that I personally haven't had a single issue with my HR34 and it has never missed a recording.


Do one of those include the Caller ID to function properly? I just had my HR34 installed Saturday and since then, the caller ID registers a "ghost call" with UNAVAILABLE for both number and name...EXACTLY 30 minutes apart...:27 nd :57 past the hour. I called with my cell and it registers fine...all other DVR's in the house do not exhibit this. Have read elsewhere it might be an internet phone thing...if applicable..I do not have that..ideas? HR34 is the only one doing this..I finally unplugged the phone line...


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

It's an HR34 issue. It's mentioned in the Issues thread for the current release, I think. I also had to unplug my phone line from the HR34.


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## L2BENGTREK (May 31, 2006)

Thanks...I figured as much. Hope they get that fixed soon...I love screening calls!


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## inboundcs (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm going to start leaving my turned on permanently. I also was turning "off/standby" when I'm done at night. I've come back to it and when I turn it back on, the front LEDs come up but no audio or picture and the device seems to lock up. Only a RBR will get it back to video. I've had it for about 3 weeks and I've had to do that 3-4 times already. I haven't had it miss any recordings though, that part has been solid.

One other issue, I was out of town and I scheduled several things to record remotely via the website. I probably scheduled 10 different programs (on different days) to record in under 3-4 minutes. When I got back in town, the device was locked up after getting about halfway through the remotely scheduled recordings. The others obviously didn't record while it was locked up.

At his point, I'd say no it's not reliable enough, but as soon as it gets some new software and they fix some of these issues it will definitely be the #1 receiver to own and brag to your friends about.


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## Iceman5000 (Feb 16, 2007)

I have 3 HR34's. Never missed a recording on any of them. I have had a couple random freeze up's that required a RBR. They are not perfect but I am very happy with them over all. I do not have a phone line connected to them. I have 1 HR-34 connected to my router that provides internet access to my whole Deca system.


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## vector1701 (Oct 19, 2009)

sriggins said:


> I turn mine off as it kills hdmi and helps my switch auto hunt to other devices





inboundcs said:


> I'm going to start leaving my turned on permanently. I also was turning "off/standby" when I'm done at night. I've come back to it and when I turn it back on, the front LEDs come up but no audio or picture and the device seems to lock up. Only a RBR will get it back to video. I've had it for about 3 weeks and I've had to do that 3-4 times already. I haven't had it miss any recordings though, that part has been solid.
> 
> One other issue, I was out of town and I scheduled several things to record remotely via the website. I probably scheduled 10 different programs (on different days) to record in under 3-4 minutes. When I got back in town, the device was locked up after getting about halfway through the remotely scheduled recordings. The others obviously didn't record while it was locked up.
> 
> At his point, I'd say no it's not reliable enough, but as soon as it gets some new software and they fix some of these issues it will definitely be the #1 receiver to own and brag to your friends about.


Same thing happens to me when I turned it off. The tech was convinced it was a bad cable or bad port on the TV...After going through all the steps he said he never heard of the issue and offered to replace the HR34 since it was a "bad HDMI port" on the DVR. I declined since it was only a week old and I just finished setting up all my recordings. I told him I would just leave it on permanently.

Does DTV track these calls & reported issues? I knew from the way the DVR was acting it is prob a software issue, hopefully fixed in an upcoming release. But does my phone call to tech support just get thrown away or do they have some sort of issue reporting system?

Also, being a newer member here. What do users mean when they reference the "PIG" ?

Thanks Y'all...


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## bryanw3535 (Aug 2, 2008)

Patrick G. said:


> The HR34 is borderline incompatible with the H25s as far as playback goes. I really wish I would have waited to upgrade from my HR24.


What do you mean by this? I'm getting an HR34 and H25 installed today and plan to watch recorded shows on the H25. Is this not going to be possible?


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## larry55 (Jun 3, 2010)

i'm having all kind of problems with the h25 since i up grade to hr34 wish i kept hr24 100.I won't be in no hurry no more to get the latest equipment.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

larry55 said:


> i'm having all kind of problems with the h25 since i up grade to hr34 wish i kept hr24 100.I won't be in no hurry no more to get the latest equipment.


Gotta have patience. Why did you turn in the 24-100? One thing I've learned is if you have a working HR and you are satisfied with its performance, keep it.

Rich


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## vector1701 (Oct 19, 2009)

bryanw3535 said:


> What do you mean by this? I'm getting an HR34 and H25 installed today and plan to watch recorded shows on the H25. Is this not going to be possible?


It is possible as I had the same set installed last week. Sometimes the recording on the R25 says something to the effect of "cannot connect to server", then you just stop the playback and try again and it works fine.

I think as time goes on with software updates things will get smoother. But I have had very few issues.


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## bryanw3535 (Aug 2, 2008)

vector1701 said:


> It is possible as I had the same set installed last week. Sometimes the recording on the R25 says something to the effect of "cannot connect to server", then you just stop the playback and try again and it works fine.
> 
> I think as time goes on with software updates things will get smoother. But I have had very few issues.


Good to know; thanks. Will test this week and report back.


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## larry55 (Jun 3, 2010)

you got that right.


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## Patrick G. (Sep 10, 2002)

"bryanw3535" said:


> What do you mean by this? I'm getting an HR34 and H25 installed today and plan to watch recorded shows on the H25. Is this not going to be possible?


I fear you'll find out shortly exactly what I'm talking about. Please report back. Be sure to test FF and skip-aheads during playback (if you can get that far).


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## sjord7 (Sep 2, 2007)

Does anyone have any info on when an update might be coming to the HR34's to hopefully fix some of these issues?


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

If it comes with the HD GUI, Stuart said at one point something to the effect "It could be a while". What a while means, we don't know.


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## larry55 (Jun 3, 2010)

i got 2 new h24 order from solid signal and d agree to take the h 25 back and give the credit that i pay for the h25 it a issues that d has with the h25 working with the hr34.playback freeze up about every five minutes and final have to do a reboot.cm work with me for about a week on this problems and agree there no fixed for this now and don't know when there will be a fixed call solid signal and extension 7453 they will tell you about this issues with h25.Don't want to discouragement anyone about h25 working with hr34 but i know from the problems i had i need to let everyones know what going on.


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## Odys (Nov 5, 2011)

I've had the HR34 for a couple of weeks now and it's been working great. Never missed a recording. The only issue I've had was when trying to schedule a recording of the Oscars from my phone it wouldn't let me add a one hour extension, it said this receiver didn't support "record padding." I was able to successfully schedule that same recording with the extension from my phone on my HR20. Weird. I've been able to schedule other recordings from my phone to the HR34, but not with an extension, whether it was 5 minutes or an hour. Anyone else have this issue? Otherwise I love it.


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## edjrwinnt (Dec 5, 2005)

I installed a external 2 TB Fantom hard drive a couple of days ago and my HR34 randomly restarts. It seems to happen when there are multiple recordings going on at once. The HR34 worked fine before that since I got it on Tuesday of last week. I may have to pull the Fanton drive and hook it up to my computer and run scan disk on it. 

I just wish the HR34 software was a little smarter. I constantly have to tell it not to record the same show over and over again. I have a broad search for "suspense" keyword in HD, and it constantly wants to record the same programs that I constantly tell it not to record. I wish there was a way to tell it not to record on certain channels too. I don't want any movies recorded that have commercials. 

I'm glad I kept my TiVoHD for the local channel recordings.


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

About 25 minutes ago I walked into the living room to see if the HR34 was recording AI. It was not (no laser light glowing). I have not had an issue yet with it missing a recording, so I turned on the TV to see what the deal was. I do not turn off my receivers -- I leave them on all the time. So, TV comes on but nothing shows -- no signal. HR34 is apparently locked up. Do an RBR & go off to do something else. 10 minutes later I think I should hear sound by now. Go back to look -- have a picture but no sound. Change channels, go to menu, etc. - no sound. I then do a graceful reset through the menu & the HR34 reboots from that fine. It's not a huge deal to me because I still have 3 other DVR's & while I loaded up the HR34 with shows to record, I did not remove them from the other DVR's so AI is safely recording. And, because of my setup, I have another DVR hooked to the living room TV so I can always watch something even if the HR34 needs to be rebooted. However, I can't imagine how this must seem to those new customers who got an HR34 & a receiver -- they must think D* is definitely not all that. When the HR34 first came out & I heard the deal new customers were getting, I was bummed that my mother & sister, who both became D* customers this past summer, had missed out. Now, I'm glad they did or they would have been complaining to me .


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

What software are you using Julie? While I have had a missed recording here and there over the course of 15 yrs with DirecTv, it hasnt caused to much trouble. From the sound of your description, it appears something got corrupted, and the two reboots in a row flushed it out.

Dish reboots their DVRs every night I think. Perhaps, until you get the upgraded software, you might consider just doing a menu reset when you go to bed if nothing is recording, and start over fresh.


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## usnret (Jan 16, 2009)

HDJulie. I also have the HR34 and HR24 side by side (hooked to my TV via HDMI), just to ensure that I don't miss a recording on the 34. I have noticed that if, for instance, CSI is recorded on both HR's and I hit play on the 34 the program starts 10 seconds or so into the recording, whereas if I play it on the 24 the program starts at the very beginning. Wondering if you have noticed this too? Also, if I pause a recording on the 34, then start it, I have the video right away but the audio comes in about 3-4 seconds after the video starts.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

While I dont normally suggest this, the current software for the HR34 is causing some people so many problems, perhaps they should consider the CE program and get the latest HDGUI version (and report any bugs found of course per the CE guidelines). I think it would solve most of these problems, and help the program, since there are so few HR34 users in the program right now. 

Just a thought.


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## usnret (Jan 16, 2009)

Nope on the CE. Gotta keep my lovely wife happy ("why do we need ANOTHER dvr"!!! when I got the 34). Will slog thru this till they get it fixed. Am confident that D will fix most problems as soon as they can.


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## Scott Kocourek (Jun 13, 2009)

usnret said:


> Nope on the CE. Gotta keep my lovely wife happy ("why do we need ANOTHER dvr"!!! when I got the 34). Will slog thru this till they get it fixed. Am confident that D will fix most problems as soon as they can.


I don't think you will have to wait very long for a fix.


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

Davenlr said:


> While I dont normally suggest this, the current software for the HR34 is causing some people so many problems, perhaps they should consider the CE program and get the latest HDGUI version (and report any bugs found of course per the CE guidelines). I think it would solve most of these problems, and help the program, since there are so few HR34 users in the program right now.
> 
> Just a thought.


I night do that since as I said, I'm not using it as the main DVR yet & I am still on the NR version.

*usnret*, yes I have that same 10 second issue with my HR34.


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## wahooq (Oct 19, 2011)

Had mine for 2 weeks now have it networked with my hr24-500 in the game room....no issues yet of any kind


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## Jerry_K (Oct 22, 2006)

I am hoping they leave it alone for a long long time. I do not want the HDGUI, especially with the totally useless power saver. All it does is make my life miserable when my lovely wife says. "The TV is not working" Every time we set up in a new campground or lose power for whatever reason (very frequent in campgrounds) I have to spend a lot of time getting the DVRs set for 30 second skip, and no power saver crapola on the 24. Really need some sort of menu to set defaults for the DVRs from no power reset.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Jerry_K said:


> I am hoping they leave it alone for a long long time. I do not want the HDGUI, especially with the totally useless power saver. All it does is make my life miserable when my lovely wife says. "The TV is not working" Every time we set up in a new campground or lose power for whatever reason (very frequent in campgrounds) I have to spend a lot of time getting the DVRs set for 30 second skip, and no power saver crapola on the 24. Really need some sort of menu to set defaults for the DVRs from no power reset.


None of those change after power resets.


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## Scott Kocourek (Jun 13, 2009)

You can turn the power saver off and if you put the on a UPS the settings wouldn't change.


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## Scott Kocourek (Jun 13, 2009)

Constantly losing power may be why you have trouble with missing or duplicate recordings.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

sigma1914 said:


> None of those change after power resets.


I thought there was a bug on the 34 where 30skip had to be re-entered? Or was that only after a firmware load?


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

dpeters11 said:


> I thought there was a bug on the 34 where 30skip had to be re-entered? Or was that only after a firmware load?


I thought Jerry was referring to the HR24 because he was talking about the HDGUI, which isn't on the 34.



> I have to spend a lot of time getting the DVRs set for 30 second skip, and no power saver crapola on the 24.


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## Patrick G. (Sep 10, 2002)

If I have my HR34 wired directly to my router (vs using the DECA), will I interrupt active recordings if I reboot the router?


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

No, recordings from the satellite will be unaffected.


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## bryanw3535 (Aug 2, 2008)

Four days with my HR34 and H25, and no issues with either.

They're connected with DECA and are working beautifully.

The H25 has the HDUI, while the HR34, of course, doesn't.

One complaint with the HR34 is that it's slow to respond to initial remote commands. By this I mean, when I push GUIDE or MENU, it takes about 5 seconds to load the screen. Once it's loaded, scrolling/navigation speed is acceptable.

Currently recording three shows at once on the HR34. Unreal. This thing pays for itself on Sunday nights.


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## Patrick G. (Sep 10, 2002)

I had my first problem-free night since adding the HR34 to my family of H25s. Not sure which resolved the issues: #1. Disconnecting the DECA where I previously had both the DECA connected, as well as a direct wire from the HR34 to my router. Or #2. Upgrading the H25s to the latest CE software last night.


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## FilmMixer (Aug 29, 2006)

Got the HR34 yesterday. 

2 issues. Multiple tries to access Whole Home recordings. I might try and remove CCK and go straght Ethernet and ditch the DECA. 

Bigger issue is that I lose HDMI output if i put the unit in standby. Only fixed by RBR


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