# 522/625 - L2.91 Software Release Notes and Discussion



## Jason Nipp

Software revsion: L2.91 for the 522/625 

Echo X preparation
Remote addressing fixes for tv2
Remove price reference from phone line pop-up 588


----------



## chaddux

L2.91 was my first software update since L2.55 and I wish I had the old software back. Two main problems I've encountered since getting this update:

This update has completely screwed up the Skip Back and Skip Forward buttons. Skip Back no longer goes back 10 seconds. On TV1, it now goes back 3-4 seconds. On TV2, it goes back 6-7 seconds. Skip Forward no longer goes forward 30 seconds. The amount of time it skips varies wildly with no consistency, from as little as 20 seconds to as much as 40 seconds.

There have been a couple of timer problems. For example, if timers overlap, the DVR may not pick one of the events to skip. It indicates it will record both events on the same TV which obviously isn't possible. (No, Record Plus is not enabled.) For example, I normally record Letterman and Conan on TV1. On Wednesday, the Grammys delayed Letterman by a half hour. My 522 showed that it was going to record Letterman from 11:05-12:05 and Conan from 11:35-12:37. Neither event was skipped and both were scheduled for TV1. I caught the error. I manually skipped Letterman and created a one-time timer for Letterman on TV2. However, the DVR then skipped that recording as a duplicate event even though there was no duplicate. It now showed:

Letterman 11:05 - 12:05 TV1 (Skipped by User)
Letterman 11:05 - 12:05 TV2 (Duplicate Event)
Conan 11:35 - 12:37 TV1

The most annoying problem is the screwed-up Skip Back and Skip Forward buttons. Those are probably the best two features of the DVR and now they've been screwed up. And now, I have to pay $1 more per month for my DVR. I am not pleased.


----------



## jessshaun

Hmm, I have 2.91 on my 625, and I haven't noticed a problem. The skip back and forward buttons work like they used to on my DVR, they just work 3X faster. And I use record plus, so I don't have to worry about timer conflicts.


----------



## allen98311

I have noticed this problem with the skip back / forward buttons on my 522.


----------



## javaman

Got 2.91 last week and having the same problem with the Skip button times. Completely messed up. I was wondering why it was taking me so many button presses. Incredibly annoying.


----------



## Jolard

I noticed the same problem, I thought I was going crazy. Whenever I skipped too far forward, I always know it is three skips back to get to where I was. But of course now it sometimes takes 5 or 6, and that is a real pain in the neck. 

Quit screwing up what actually works DISH!


----------



## adv_dp_fan

Ah that explains it, thought something was wrong as skipping back took me more than three to get back to where I was. Hope they get a corrected update out soon.


----------



## Kevin Brown

I checked last night, and I still have 2.55. But I don't understand why they would mess with something that already works fine? Why don't they freaking fix the stuff that doesn't? 

The timer bug, all the video and audio dropouts, etc.


----------



## chaddux

Kevin Brown said:


> I checked last night, and I still have 2.55. But I don't understand why they would mess with something that already works fine? Why don't they freaking fix the stuff that doesn't?
> 
> The timer bug, all the video and audio dropouts, etc.


Why indeed. It looks like they were trying to improve the speed of skipping. It does skip faster. Of course, when it is only skipping 4 seconds instead of 10, you'd expect it to be faster. They should have left it alone. They should have left a lot of things alone.


----------



## Kevin Brown

Ok, I noticed the skipping thing tonight, checked the rev, and I do have 2.91 now.

But jeez, I didn't have a problem with its speed in the first place. 

Plus, I had a new defect show up. DVR'ed a recording, and started watching it after it started to "catch up". More than once, I got a horiz band of multicolored square blocks about 1/3 down from the top.


----------



## fwampler

Looks like a great upgrade! Skip forward/back is now instant. 30 sec/10 sec is correct. Whole menuing is instant (compared with 2.58). Looks like a great upgrade for me. If problems arise, will report back. Got DVR in December 05.


----------



## Aircraft800

Everything seems OK, no problems with the skip fwd/back function.

Now, explain what the *ERD Setup* is (under -menu- > -Preferences- > -Record Plus- > -ERD Setup-) I understand that it is the setup for the *External Record Device*, but how does it work? I've plugged in my USB to PC, and nothing. Am I going to be able to back up my programs that are recorded to DVR, or only record live programs to External Device?

I plugged into my PC, nothing happened, no capture programs recognized it (already turned on the ERD on DVR). I notice with it enabled, I now have -Ext- (external) under the -Create Timer- Menu, does this output threw USB only while the timer is activated? I haven't had a chance to set a timer and have USB>PC at the same time yet, will try soon and update.

Is it only going to work with PocketDish? Anyone have luck with this?


----------



## phat_b

Aircraft800 said:


> I plugged into my PC, nothing happened, no capture programs recognized it (already turned on the ERD on DVR). I notice with it enabled, I now have -Ext- (external) under the -Create Timer- Menu, does this output threw USB only while the timer is activated? I haven't had a chance to set a timer and have USB>PC at the same time yet, will try soon and update.


There is no cable that will connect one USB host to another USB host, or make a USB host emulate a USB device. You are using a 'cable' that is basically two serial devices bridged together in the middle, and the DVR firmware does not (and will not) have driver support for this device.



Aircraft800 said:


> Is it only going to work with PocketDish? Anyone have luck with this?


ERD turns on a data service that talks to supported devices such as the PocketDish via the composite video output. USB transfers are not yet supported by the 291 firmware.


----------



## Kevin Brown

> 30 sec/10 sec is correct.


That is what it *was*, and that's what it's *supposed* to be, but that definitely is *not* what it is now.  I did a bunch of tests tonight, and I got jump backs of anywhere from 6-10s, and jump forwards of anywhere from 30 to 39s. So it looks like they are now sacrificing time accuracy of the jumps for speed. But personally, I never had a problem with how fast the jumps were before, and I don't think it's that much faster now. I'd rather have it the way that it was.


----------



## Aircraft800

phat_b said:


> There is no cable that will connect one USB host to another USB host, or make a USB host emulate a USB device. You are using a 'cable' that is basically two serial devices bridged together in the middle, and the DVR firmware does not (and will not) have driver support for this device.
> 
> ERD turns on a data service that talks to supported devices such as the PocketDish via the composite video output. USB transfers are not yet supported by the 291 firmware.


Thanks for the reply and help! I hoped 291 activated the USB 1.0 line.

Is there any supported ERD devices besides PocketDish? I'd like to be able to set my timer to record the olympics and survivor on a external record device and take it with me to work to watch. I'd like to be able to use something digital for short term storage, tired of the tapes and commercials, but really don't need the screen or cost of PocketDish. Already have video system in car and laptop for trips.


----------



## fwampler

fwampler said:


> Looks like a great upgrade! Skip forward/back is now instant. 30 sec/10 sec is correct. Whole menuing is instant (compared with 2.58). Looks like a great upgrade for me. If problems arise, will report back. Got DVR in December 05.


 After 6 hours of viewing, I had not even one video or audio stutter. Now that is progress. Looks ike L 2.91 fixed the problem. The whole system now seems supercharged. Dish, I'm impressed.


----------



## fwampler

fwampler said:


> After 6 hours of viewing, I had not even one video or audio stutter. Now that is progress. Looks ike L 2.91 fixed the problem. The whole system now seems supercharged. Dish, I'm impressed.


Well, after another 6 hours, still, not one stutter of any sort. I'm starting to believe it.


----------



## usoslow

I'm the new guy who just found DBSTALK. I have been viewing the 522 with super results. I expected this box to work as advertised and it does all I want and much more. I will be signing up for the 622 soon and hope it works just as well as the 522. I retired early so I watch a lot of TV and should have noticed any problems by now and have not. Bring on the 622!.


----------



## James Long

:welcome_s usoslow
I believe you are going to like both of your x22s.


----------



## Kevin Brown

2.91 *does* seem better for video and audio dropouts. I just watched 3 hrs of material DVR'ed today, and I only remember one of the squeak/squeel type defects.


----------



## blabber

I like the "Skipped Events Are Hidden" sign, and really like the renaming/edit name feature! :jump3:


----------



## mplsjeffm

the skip forward and skip back works good as far as video but the audio takes time to catch up


----------



## jessshaun

since my 625 updated to 2.91, I have _still_ not had 1 problem with the skip forward/back buttons, and I simply LOVE the added features.

The only thing I HAVE noticed was a new problem with timers. I had a timer set to stop 30 minutes late the other day, and it did not record the extra 30 minutes. It will if I set a manual timer, but I have been having problems with the reciever recording the extra time on alot of my timers. No problem with timers that were set before the update, but any timers set after the update seem to have this problem. Odd...


----------



## olguy

jessshaun said:


> since my 625 updated to 2.91, I have _still_ not had 1 problem with the skip forward/back buttons, and I simply LOVE the added features.
> 
> The only thing I HAVE noticed was a new problem with timers. I had a timer set to stop 30 minutes late the other day, and it did not record the extra 30 minutes. It will if I set a manual timer, but I have been having problems with the reciever recording the extra time on alot of my timers. No problem with timers that were set before the update, but any timers set after the update seem to have this problem. Odd...


I set a timer back when I got the 625 in December for a 1 hour program. Checked the listing this am and the thing had recorded 2 hours. The program was only 1 hour long, as usual.


----------



## blabber

Oh, no!! A new problem cropped up over the weekend. I can't join recordings in progress any more without destroying them. Last night it was recording the news, I joined it, and first it wouldn't let me skip back to see what I missed, and then later after I went back to my other recorded show and waited for the news to end, I went back in and it showed 0:00 time for the news. I tried to play it back, but it was gone. This has happened to three of my recordings. 

Also, if using P-I-P, if I jump to the other screen and try to skip back, the same thing happens, regardless of if it was a scheduled recording or live buffer. 

Not good. :crying: Anyone else experienced this on their 522s?

Edit: Also, sometimes choosing programs off the grid sends me into a silent and dark screen, no pic, no sound. This all started happening after the upgrade.


----------



## Kevin Brown

That happens even if you pick "start over" from the DVR button menu?


----------



## blabber

Kevin Brown said:


> That happens even if you pick "start over" from the DVR button menu?


Yup, happens from both "start over" and "resume". :scratch:


----------



## renelicious

I've had a new problem since 2.91. I can't get my 625 to record anything to TV1. If I schedule two things in the same time slot, it brings up the message about fixing the conflict and then it fixes the conflict by skipping one of the shows.

Of course it used to just move it to the other tuner, now it just skips, I can't figure out anything to get it to use the other tuner. Anyone else having this problem?


----------



## phat_b

Did you recently change your record plus tuner preference to 1? If not then this is probably a result of them trying to fix the old scheduling bug (trying, and as usual creating a new problem).



renelicious said:


> I've had a new problem since 2.91. I can't get my 625 to record anything to TV1. If I schedule two things in the same time slot, it brings up the message about fixing the conflict and then it fixes the conflict by skipping one of the shows.
> 
> Of course it used to just move it to the other tuner, now it just skips, I can't figure out anything to get it to use the other tuner. Anyone else having this problem?


----------



## Kevin Brown

Man, so far I haven't had any timer problems. (Knock on wood.) Yesterday I had timers going for 2 shows at the same time during the day. Got both shows.

But the problems that y'all are seeing, really makes me wonder if they beta site these software releases at all...


----------



## blabber

It has been running okay for a few days now, and the problems I had over the weekend haven't yet resurfaced. 

:sunsmile:


----------



## helmet

I've been noticing the skip forward/back problems for what seems like longer than 2.91 has been out. At least a month it seems. I was at 2.90 before.

I also have been noticing problems with timers - specifically recoding length. I would set to record the Olympics. According to the guide (and reality) it would be on for 3 1/2 hours from 8 - 11 PST but it would record for 4 1/2 hours. I'd get a half hour of news and the first half hour of Leno.


----------



## chaddux

helmet said:


> I've been noticing the skip forward/back problems for what seems like longer than 2.91 has been out. At least a month it seems. I was at 2.90 before.


It may have been caused by one of the interim versions that were stopped before a wide release. There were several like 2.56, 2.57, 2.58, 2.59 and 2.90 before 2.91 finally made it to a wide release. It's possible that it occured in one of those interim updates and was carried forward to other versions.

However, it is probably being blamed on 2.91 since most people didn't get the interim versions. You were, obviously, one of the limited number of people who got L2.90 before it was stopped while the rest of us were left at a prior version. Like myself, most people probably jumped straight from L2.55 to L2.91. For those of us who didn't have any of the interim versions, we can't blame it on the other versions.


----------



## n0qcu

helmet said:


> I also have been noticing problems with timers - specifically recoding length. I would set to record the Olympics. According to the guide (and reality) it would be on for 3 1/2 hours from 8 - 11 PST but it would record for 4 1/2 hours. I'd get a half hour of news and the first half hour of Leno.


It was doing what it was supposed to. The Olympics are considered a sporting event and the NBR automatically adds a *1 hour* pad to the end of sporting events.


----------



## Kevin Brown

I've been meaning to say that I also really like the new Rename feature. For example, on WE I think, they've been showing 4 or 5 episodes of the 101 Sexiest Celebrities. I just rename them to Battlestar Galactica or something, and my wife is none the wiser.


----------



## James Long

Plain brown wrappers. The only problem is why Galactica isn't capitalized.


----------



## Kevin Brown

L2.93 ?


----------



## fwampler

chaddux said:


> It may have been caused by one of the interim versions that were stopped before a wide release. There were several like 2.56, 2.57, 2.58, 2.59 and 2.90 before 2.91 finally made it to a wide release. It's possible that it occured in one of those interim updates and was carried forward to other versions.
> 
> However, it is probably being blamed on 2.91 since most people didn't get the interim versions. You were, obviously, one of the limited number of people who got L2.90 before it was stopped while the rest of us were left at a prior version. Like myself, most people probably jumped straight from L2.55 to L2.91. For those of us who didn't have any of the interim versions, we can't blame it on the other versions.


My L 2.58 did the 30/10 sec jumps just fine.


----------



## fwampler

James Long said:


> Plain brown wrappers. The only problem is why Galactica isn't capitalized.


Hehe.


----------



## DJ Lon

I'm noticing a problem now with L291...

Name-based event timers "disappear" at random. For example, I set it to record CBS Sunday Morning today last night before I went to bed. I woke up this morning 1/2 hour before the program, no timer in daily schedule. This has happened before with other name-based timers/other channels. If I create a manual timer it'll record fine but if I use a name-based timer sometimes it'll disappear. Events I'm recording are on at regular times.


----------



## helmet

n0qcu said:


> It was doing what it was supposed to. The Olympics are considered a sporting event and the NBR automatically adds a *1 hour* pad to the end of sporting events.


Interesting. I did not know that. It probably is the first time that I've taped a sporting event.


----------

