# 4th Sporadic 811



## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

Just wondering if anyone has heard anything close to my ongoing saga w/ the 811. My 4th 811 is in the process of dieing all in the same manner as the previous 3. 

Either my image freezes and I keep getting sound or it will just go black altoghether. In both cases NOTHING works other than a hardboot. None of the buttons on the front panel work and neither do the remote buttons. 

Most times it takes upwards of three hard re-boots to get the darn thing to work, I know that if while attempting to aquire sat signal it does not make it to 2 of 5 within a minute or two that the darn thing will simply get stuck on 1 of 5 and I will have to do the hard boot again. 

This happens anywhere and everywhere, OffAir Sat and HD channels. Another thing I have noticed as my 811s begin is acting up is that while watching programs in letterbox that the image becomes off center. I can only adjust it so far and it remains a good 1.5" off center. Anyone have any ideas?!?!?! I have basically given in and have placed an order with comcast for their digital cable package as I can no longer live with 5+ rebbots a day!

BTW if many of you are thinking heat issues, the 811 is located in my home entertainment furniture, although it sits above the a dvd, and another dvd/vhs combo. Nothing is one top of the 811, it has about 2 inches on either side and about 3 inches above. The back of where it is located is completely open and the front is a dark glass. It seems to have ample breathing room, though I may be wrong...could this possibly be a heat issue??? I have no other ideas what it could be.

a few more things (sorry for the long post but trying to get as much info as possible to help troubleshoot.) Its hooked up to a SuperDish, through a MonsterPower Center 3600, where the sat/offair and phone are also plugged in, the cable outside is grounded to a copper waterpipe. All this while my old 301 in the kids room has no problems whatsoever. Thanks in advance for any insight!


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## Jason Nipp (Jun 10, 2004)

Remove the sat feed from being fed thru a filter or surge protector, for now, just for troubleshooting. The 811 appears to be very sensitive to TP peak alignment just on the fringe. Go into the point dish screen and please jot down the TP peak levels from each of your receivers on the following. You didn't say whether you have a 105 or 121 super so I will give you the recommended TPs to peak from.

110 West, TP 11 and 12.
119 West, TP 11 and 12

105 West, TPs 2, 7, 18, and 23
121 West, TPs 15, 16, 20, and 21

As far as the off center, you can adjust the picture up down or side to side to center. Menu 6-1-9 HDTV setup, Adjust.

How long are you letting it sit on the 015 Satellite Aquisition screen. I have had mine there 20 minutes before. It should eventually find the handshake it's looking for.

The black screen comment, well sounds like BSOD. That's an oldie. BSOD stands for Black Screen of Death. In the most recent software versions I am am to recover by channeling away. But in previous times a softboot is the only way to recover.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Well from your post it looks like you are already moving to Cable so I am not sure if you really want some help trouble shooting your issue. I will assume you are hoping to fix your 811 issue and Cable ie your backup plan. Here are my thoughts

1) No this is not common. If you are rebooting 5 times a day, something is wrong. I doubt it is box related since you have gone through 4 811s. 

2) My first guess would be something external might be triggering this or it might be configuration. Can you fill us in more on your configuration? 

3) I would bypass your DBS and your OTA cables that are running through the Monster 3600. At one time I ran mine through it but I did have some issues. (THis would be the first troubleshooting tip I would try).

4) Does the 811 work good for a while and then start to fail or fail right from the get go. If it takes a while to start acting up that could point to a possible heat issue or maybe something feeding the 811 causing some issue over time.

5) I would also check your connections all they way down and make sure all your cabeling is RG-6. Make sure you don't have some RG-59 mixed it. THat caused one user some stability issues. 

6) You can get an occassional no picture with the 811, but if it is happening 5+ a day, you have something else contributing to the problem. 

7) Any other info you can provide in terms of equipment and more info on what leads up to it. Is it immediate? Does it take a month after install etc. would be helpful in providing some suggestion. My first one would be to take the Monster Center out of the equiation. Also getting a temperature prob and sitting it next to the 811 might provide some idea of how hot it is getting near the box. 

Other than that I don't have a lot of suggestions... I am sure others will pipe in. 





I have a MonsterPower Center 2600 I believe


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## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

Ron Barry:
-Well you are right cable is the back up plan, simply because I will still need to keep my dish for the international channels that cable does not provide. I will remove the cables from the Monster Center. As far as haveing mixed RG wires I doubt it since it was a DN Contractor I know that did the wiring while I finished my basement.
-Config is a SuperDish with a 811 with the HD monitor Dish provided a year or so ago and a 301 in the kids room. Off-Air antenna coming on an independent line. Home entertainment center on a dedicated 20 AMP circuit breaker. No Splitters used as far as I am aware of. The SuperDish was a DishNetwork install.
-My first one lasted about 7 months, 2nd about 4 months, 3rd about 2 weeks, and the current one is about 2 months old. This can happen almost immediately or after a few hours. 

JNipp: 
-Not sure if it is the 105 or 121 I had the SuperDish installed because I had to so that I could receive channel#817 SPT a portuguese int. channel.
-Not sure on the transponder #s since it has again froze...During the top 8th of Yanks Halos game    .
-No it never gets a hold of the signal, if it doesn't get past 1 of 5 in a minute or so it will be that way for hours on end.
-And no matter how much I adjust I can never get it centered, tried that already.


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## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

ok darn thing caught...finally!

Sat TP Signal Strength
121W 21 94
119W 12 105
110W 12 102


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## twstones (Oct 10, 2005)

Not as bad as ghost writer, but I've had mine replaced twice. The first time it was picture problems, and the last time I couldn't get any video output from the s-video output to the DVD recorder inputs. It worked great for the first couple of weeks, and then quit. Didn't change anything, just quit working. HDMI inputs still worked fine.

They finally replaced it but I couldn't believe how rude the tech service person was when I called. They acted like I was some kind of total idiot, who was too dumb to figure out how to hook it up. Boy what a difference from when they want you as a customer, until after you've made the commitment.

They obviously now have me marked as "bad boy" as even the tech who activated the 3rd receiver, gave me a blast of crap.

Any suggestons or feed-back appreciated,
Terry


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## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

Odd thing tonight. When I went to the market I turned off my TV and when I came back I had the frozen image with live sound still coming through. Did a few hard boots and viola back up and running. Went upstairs to eat dinner, again I turn off the TV, when I turn it back on I am met again with a frozen image/perfect sound. A couple more hard boots and problem fixed. Watched Real-Time w/ Bill Mauer and switched over to OTA channel to watch the news. As it broke to commercial I decided to see what happened if I turned the TV on and off real quick and the frozen image struck again. Does ANYONE have any idea what the heck could be causing this???

BTW I have the 811 paired with the 34" HD CRT Monitor that Dish offered a little over a year or so ago. The 811 is hooked up to the Monitor w/ a Monster DVI. This BTW does not happen with the DVD player which is hooked up with component video nor to the DVD/VCR combo which is using the standard yellow RCA type video connection.

Any ideas?!?!?!?! Could it be some type of recurring DVI failure in the 811???


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

[email protected] said:


> Not as bad as ghost writer, but I've had mine replaced twice. The first time it was picture problems, and the last time I couldn't get any video output from the s-video output to the DVD recorder inputs. It worked great for the first couple of weeks, and then quit. Didn't change anything, just quit working. HDMI inputs still worked fine.
> 
> They finally replaced it but I couldn't believe how rude the tech service person was when I called. They acted like I was some kind of total idiot, who was too dumb to figure out how to hook it up. Boy what a difference from when they want you as a customer, until after you've made the commitment.
> 
> ...


Terry,

First off welcome and I am sorry to hear that you felt that you were treated like and idiot. Just to give some perspective, most people that the CSRs deal with are not informed technical adapt people so at times it sure does feel like they are treating you like and idiot, but from their side of the fence they have to error on the technically challanged consumer. I have been there myself a few times.

As to the issues. Not sure about the first issue you had with your 811, but the svideo sounds like just a lemon. You either get svideo or not and if you don't and a soft reboot does not restore things it is most likely a hardware issue.

In terms of replacement 811, from my experience having it replaced more than once is a unusual.


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## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

Thanks for the help RB. Upon discovery this oddity, I again called dish tech help and the csr says its a receiver issue and will be sending out a new 811 tommorow. Hope this one lasts longer than the previous 3 :nono2: :nono2:


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Hmm interesting Ghostwriter. Can you reproduce this by turning the TV off and on really quickly or is this just a one time occurrence. I have a Sony GWII hooked up through DVI and have not had this occur. As a test, you might want to try hooking up to Component and see if the issue goes away. If you don't see it in a day on component it would point to a possible DVI issue(Conclusion based on the fact you get it 5 times a day and that no other variables change while making the DVI to component swap).

I hate to tell you this, but my gut feeling is that getting an another 811 is not going to resolve your issue. I personally believe something external is causing this to occur. When you had the occurrences happened tonight, was your Monster Control Center bypassed?


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## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

Yeah bypassed the Monster Power center. That didn't help. I was able to reproduce it quite easily when I turned it off and right back on after the newscast and it froze upon turning the tv back on. I was also thinking of trying the component swap today also. The darnm thing is just odd because although I started thinking it may be some type of DVI/DVI cable issue I don't think that would effect the receiver in the way it does. I say this because one the TV freezes I can't do anything with the receiver other than a hard boot. None of the controls work at the remote nor at the receiver itself.

I feel like I am owning my Jag with electrical problems again. It seems like it may be some type of combination of problems. Will try to plug in the component cables later on today.


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## kb7oeb (Jun 16, 2004)

I think the 811 has problems with HDCP, when using DVI my picture will occasionally scramble and I have to change inputs back and forth to fix it. If I use the component it doesn't do it.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Ghostwriter said:


> Yeah bypassed the Monster Power center. That didn't help. I was able to reproduce it quite easily when I turned it off and right back on after the newscast and it froze upon turning the tv back on. I was also thinking of trying the component swap today also. The darnm thing is just odd because although I started thinking it may be some type of DVI/DVI cable issue I don't think that would effect the receiver in the way it does. I say this because one the TV freezes I can't do anything with the receiver other than a hard boot. None of the controls work at the remote nor at the receiver itself.
> 
> I feel like I am owning my Jag with electrical problems again. It seems like it may be some type of combination of problems. Will try to plug in the component cables later on today.


Well Ghost I think the picture output of the 811 is freezing not the TV itself. When you say you can quite easily reproduce it, do you mean that you can do it over and over again by just quickly turning the TV on and off?

Good idea on the component test that will help narrow down the issue.


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## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

Well once I turn the TV off once and turn it back on it freezes, actually it already looks frozen by the time I see it. I tried using compnent in and as mentioned bypassing the Monster Center and no luck, same symptoms, different inputs. 

They are sending out yet another 811, and a field tech manager is coming out on the 17th. I will see what he finds out. I have Comcast coming in for an install on the 21st at which time I will go into vacation mode on the Dish and see how their PQ, HD Channels, On-Demand and DVR features behave and I will make a decision accordingly. Although I am losing patience with Dish it is not due to signal reception or pricing, it just their inability to satisfy the long term customer with a perk or two.

Just my $.02


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## Jason Nipp (Jun 10, 2004)

I have learned that there could be an issue on the uplink/encoding side and this is causing Sat Aquisition/looping and random freezes across many receiver models. I am under the impression this issued is being addressed.


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## moman19 (Oct 22, 2004)

kb7oeb said:


> I think the 811 has problems with HDCP, when using DVI my picture will occasionally scramble and I have to change inputs back and forth to fix it. If I use the component it doesn't do it.


FWIW, I have noticed that the video scrambles whenever I change the output in Setup from 720p to 1080i. This happens every time. The only cure is a quick On/Off toggle of the receiver. I use Component cabling.

This never occurred before 3.30.

( :nono2: :nono2: ............still waiting for the dropped-frame fix. :nono2: :nono2: )


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## KKlare (Sep 24, 2004)

Ghostwriter said:


> As far as haveing mixed RG wires I doubt it since it was a DN Contractor I know that did the wiring while I finished my basement.


Not always so. I was having intermitent channels. I found the top wire into the SW64 was rusted through. It was copper-plated iron-core RG-6--a bad thing--and had broken right at the insulation. I had to push the short end into the SW and used a solid copper RG-59 for the 4' run to the LNB. I think it is still there. They may have solid core on the truck but, I suppose, mostly use iron core for the added strength and cheapness.
-Ken


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## crrscott (Oct 10, 2005)

Have had several customers with HD problems on Dish, DTV, and cable boxes with high end phillips tv's. Techs from phillips have had to change a internal power supply in the tv to aliviate the locking pic problem. 
Phillips tv by chance?


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## Jason Nipp (Jun 10, 2004)

crrscott said:


> Have had several customers with HD problems on Dish, DTV, and cable boxes with high end phillips tv's. Techs from phillips have had to change a internal power supply in the tv to aliviate the locking pic problem.
> Phillips tv by chance?


There were some issues in the past with the actual DVI interface on a couple models. In these cases Philips did offer replacements and AFAIK they did this at no charge. If I recall properly SimpleSimon had one of the Displays, and they replaced his unit, AFAIK.


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## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

Nope not a phillips.


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