# Glitches in watching recordings on 508



## wannabeswede (Jan 13, 2003)

I am on my 3rd 508 in about a year. The problem is that sometimes when I watch a recorded show or just move back in live TV and then watch the sound just drops out. The picture will sometimes freeze or just keep going but the sound will just drop out for 10 or 15 seconds. I do have to say that we tend to watch a recorded show most times another new show is recording. As I say this is the 3rd 508 from Dish and it is showing the same issues. Last time the Dish Tech said they would send a brand new unit if it happened again but I don't want to bother if the new unit will have same issue. I turn off the unit when I go to bed so it does have the most current software version.

Is anyone else having these types of problems?


----------



## GFloyd (Jun 3, 2003)

When I first got my 508 it gave me fits. I started re-booting it (power cord pull) every day. After re-booting, no problems.

I did this for about 3 months. For some reason, I got out of the habit, but it no longer acts up. I now re-boot about 2x a month.


----------



## DarrellP (Apr 24, 2002)

How often do you reset it? The 50x series needs a soft reset by holding down the power button for about 5 seconds. Do this weekly and you will probably be glitch free.


----------



## wannabeswede (Jan 13, 2003)

DarrellP said:


> How often do you reset it? The 50x series needs a soft reset by holding down the power button for about 5 seconds. Do this weekly and you will probably be glitch free.


Never 

I will do it now and see how we fare

Thanks


----------



## finniganps (Jan 23, 2004)

I've had my 508 for a couple weeks. I like the unit overall, but I've had some annoying problems. The main problems I've noticed are as follows:

1) I record a program and then watch it later. About 30% of the time the picture and or sound will be jerky or skip ahead for no apparent reason once or twice during the playback. Note, I am NOT recording anything during this playback.

2) I am recording a program and trying to watch something else that I previously recorded on PVR at the same time. I'd say that well over 80% of the time the playback of the recording will freeze after it plays for about 5 minutes. Than it will start playing than freeze a few minutes later. This goes on for the entire program. The forward and backup also are faily ineffective. Essentially, it has gotten to the point to where I really hate to do this, but that is one of the main reasons that I bought this unit...:-(

I spoke to Dish about #2 once and they said that this is a common problem and they are hoping to have a software fix for it.

Any ideas on either problem and have you also experienced this? Any solutions? Do I have a bad unit or is this a problem on all units?


----------



## parlyle (Dec 19, 2003)

I have had some issues with the 5XX units also. We had a 501 and a 508 at the start of the problems. The 501 hard drive crashed, lost all recorded events. Called Dish, they said it was a hardware problem and they sent replacement. That one had same problem. Called Dish and complained to CSR about unit. They said that after that many problems I could upgrade to a 508. I said ALRIGHT! They sent another 501. I called and talked to another CSR and told them of the agreement, the said WHAT!! They had never heard of such a thing, but if I wanted I could get a 510 for just the monthly fee. I thought it was a fair agreement, so got the 510. The new 510 got the same glitches that you had with your 508, dropping sound and video. Had to send back the new 510 and got an reconditioned 510. No problem, yet. I hope this sheds some light on your problem. Dish knows about this and they tried to get it fixed for me the best way possible.
Lyle


----------



## Mike Richardson (Jun 12, 2003)

I've had no problems with my 501.


----------



## Bob Haller (Mar 24, 2002)

Lets just say I know what your going thru Having mine on UPS helped some and weekly reboots helps too.


----------



## TomCat (Aug 31, 2002)

My old 501 has been doing this for some time. Reboots do not help. I think it is a disk problem, but of course getting a refurb or a software fix might be answers to that as well. My 508 has never had the problem.


----------



## parlyle (Dec 19, 2003)

TomCat said:


> My old 501 has been doing this for some time. Reboots do not help. I think it is a disk problem, but of course getting a refurb or a software fix might be answers to that as well. My 508 has never had the problem.


When I talked to the most knowledgable of the CSR's, they said that, yes, it was a problem with the hard drive. It was getting pretty frustrating having to call them and doing I don't know how many "hard resets" before they finally relented and said we'll send you a replacement. Now things are good in "Tundra Land" Wisconsin. It is freaking cold in this neck of the woods. But I have a working 510 and my old buddy 508 in the family room. Thank you for the forums. It sure is good to know you are not alone!
Lyle :goodjob:


----------



## wannabeswede (Jan 13, 2003)

DarrellP said:


> How often do you reset it? The 50x series needs a soft reset by holding down the power button for about 5 seconds. Do this weekly and you will probably be glitch free.


Sorry I never replied with results, doing soft resets doesn't seem to help, based on the additional comments that have been made on this thread I'm pretty sure it's a hardware issue, I'll see what Dish has to say.

Thanks


----------



## TomCat (Aug 31, 2002)

While a hard drive issue, not necessarily a hardWARE issue. I haven't cleared my HD as of yet, but when I do (and before sending it back) I am going to try some of the old HD and NVram reset routines that helped many of us early-adopter 501 owners a couple years ago. A refurb might not be necessary.


----------



## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

hmm, this sounds oddly familiar to what I've been experiencing with my 501.

I've had a 501 for about 2 1/2 years, and in the past month, I've noticed near the beginning of just about every recorded program, a 'glitch' in the video or audio. Sometimes I'll loose audio for 2 or 3 seconds, others it's like I'm missing 2 seconds of video. Not like I lost signal, but like it was spliced out of the broadcast, and simply not there. 

And this got me thinking, how does one go about defrag'ing one of these harddrives? It seems logical to me that with all the recording and erasing of shows I've done (I record 8 to 10 shows a week regularly, more at times), and the lengths of the shows vary often, I have to have data "holes" like one finds on a computer harddrive after installling lots of programs then deleting them at various intervals while installing other progams. 

I was about to have Dish replace my 501, but after coming across this forum, I now wonder is there a way I might defrag or otherwise clean up my harddrive? Or some other "trick" I don't know about being new to these forums?


----------



## nicepants (Apr 12, 2002)

I had a 508 with similar problems...ended up sending it back & received a replacement since it was still under warranty. I believe that one had a defective hard drive. New one has been doing pretty well.


----------



## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

seeing as I've had a couple of emails about the 501 I mentioned earlier  I might as well make another post.

I stopped using my 501 regularly a few weeks ago, after getting a 921. But the last 5 or 6 shows I recorded didn't have the glitches in recording. The only things I can think of that might have corrected the problem are:

I rebooted the unit a couple of times fully. Once intentionally, and a time or two while removing it from my cabinet so it was umplugged. So maybe the rebooting helped?

The other thing was leaving it off while not in use. For the 2 1/2 years I've had it, I never left if off when not in use. While talking to dish tonight, the tech thought it might be a feature of the pvr's to defrag when off, which got me to thinking about how the unit had only been off regularly since I stopped using it.

And all those last recordings and the couple I've done since have been fine. So I'm guessing either the several reboots or the time in actual off mode fixed the problem


----------



## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

The PVRs doesn't have defrag feature at all. We had the discussion here (or at satelliteguys.us).


----------



## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

P Smith said:


> The PVRs doesn't have defrag feature at all. We had the discussion here (or at satelliteguys.us).


 well in that case, HOW DO WE REQUEST SUCH A LOGICAL FEAUTURE!!? ? ? ?

this is a hard drive based product, and we all know the issues with highly fragged harddrives from our computers, sheesh! what's wrong those fellas hehe


----------

