# DATA COLLECTION: Stuck Aspect Ratio



## Allen Noland

The problem is that there isn't a way I've found to reproduce the bug. I only get problem about once a week. If you get the problem often, please posts in as much detail as possible how your 921 is used the day of the problem.


----------



## Michael P

I use my 921 on an analog TV for now. My aspect ratio gets stuck about once avery two weeks. I find that if I get impatient (i.e. switching between Gray Bars, Letterbox, etc.) too fast eventually the aspect gets stuck. A front panel reboot usually fixes the issue for me.

I can't say if the same would hold true for those using the HD outputs (although I would not be surprised). With the 921 the key to sucess is patience, Patience, PATIENCE!


----------



## richardlazar

This happens to me often. I'll try to notice what triggers it, but I think it is when I switch from a HD OTA station to the guide and then select a non-wide screen sat. channel.

The only fix seems to be a hard power off and power on. 

Richard 
Boot Version 150B
Flash Version F053
SW Version L213HEED-N


----------



## bbomar

richardlazar said:


> This happens to me often. I'll try to notice what triggers it, but I think it is when I switch from a HD OTA station to the guide and then select a non-wide screen sat. channel.
> 
> The only fix seems to be a hard power off and power on.
> 
> Richard
> Boot Version 150B
> Flash Version F053
> SW Version L213HEED-N


This seems to have gotten worse on my 921. It seems that switching
from an HD channel (either OTA or satellite) can trigger the problem
where satellite and recorded programs are stuck in stretch mode.
Strangely, OTA channels are still correct.


----------



## boylehome

Was watching Access Hollywood last night via the HEED 921. I was not doing anything to the unit and nothing was recording. As I was watching the screen went from 4:3 to 16:9. I grabbed the remote and found that the Format button didn't work. Had to reboot to fix.


----------



## BobMurdoch

I don't use the OTA tuner, but I still get this bug. I haven't discovered what triggers it, but it isn't just an OTA users issue. Once again, only a hard power reboot clears the bug.

Also, the vertical/horizontal custom positioning is also disabled by this bug 

For those who don't realize, you can adjust the picture position on the second page of the preferences menu (click on the "More" button when you get to the preferences page). Move the position up or down to adjust the picture..... this is useful for those who use stretch or zoom modes and want to make sure you keep the ESPNNews or CNN ticker crawl at the bottom fully viewable. Ditto for the FoxSports score banners at the top of the screen on MLB games.


----------



## jventre

This seems to be happening more frequently. It used to happen about once a week, then stopped for a while and now happens more then ever. Yesterday it happened 2 twice. It only occurs when switching from an HD channel (OTA or sat provided) to a non-HD channel. My system always freezes in Strtetch mode. I;ve seen other that say they get stuck in ZOOM but I never have, only Stretch but the screen display still says NORMAL. It also only seems to happen after watching the HS channel for a while (>15 minutes). I have not seen it happen after viewing a recorded HD program but that doesn't mean it can't happen. From the posts I've read this problem has been occuring for over a year. Does DISH ever plan to fix it. Re-boot is a royal pain but it is the only way to correct it once it happens.


----------



## Allen Noland

jventre said:


> Does DISH ever plan to fix it. Re-boot is a royal pain but it is the only way to correct it once it happens.


Yes, this is why I'm collecting information about the problem.

Has anyone noticed the picture getting stuck in 1/4 (preview) mode as well? I don't change my aspect ratio much so I don't notice the problem until I go to watch a DVR event and it stuck in 1/4 screen mode. If I go to the Display Setup screen, the picture will go full size.


----------



## Larry

Allen Noland said:


> Yes, this is why I'm collecting information about the problem.
> 
> Has anyone noticed the picture getting stuck in 1/4 (preview) mode as well? I don't change my aspect ratio much so I don't notice the problem until I go to watch a DVR event and it stuck in 1/4 screen mode. If I go to the Display Setup screen, the picture will go full size.


Yes, it happened to me over the weekend. I thought to myself, "just when you think you've seen it all...". It happened when I turned on the 921, so I don't know what caused it. As I remember it seemed smaller than 1/4 size...probably a size in between the two different PIP sizes. A power reset cured it. I have a switched power strip next to my 921, so I usually power down anymore since it's usually faster than trying different fixes (as he throws up his hands in surrender).


----------



## djdj

It seems this happens about the same time that the Page Up, Page Down, and SD/HD keys quit working on the remote too, at least for me. And the only solution I have found is a reboot.


----------



## jcord51

Same thing happens to me and is really annoying. I have to do a power button reset for it to work once more.


----------



## Allen Noland

How many of you are having this problem while running 720p? I had been running 1080i for the last few weeks wasn't having any problems. I switched to 720p the night before last and it came back with a vengeance.


----------



## bbomar

Allen Noland said:


> How many of you are having this problem while running 720p? I had been running 1080i for the last few weeks wasn't having any problems. I switched to 720p the night before last and it came back with a vengeance.


I am running 720p with a DVI output to an LCD TV. I need to reboot
more than once on some days to get out of stretch mode. Other than
this problem and the red dot going in the wrong box, I usually have no
problems with the 921. In 8 months I got only one ZSR and I record
OTA and satellite a few times every day.


----------



## Larry

Allen Noland said:


> How many of you are having this problem while running 720p? I had been running 1080i for the last few weeks wasn't having any problems. I switched to 720p the night before last and it came back with a vengeance.


We seem to have morphed two problems into one thread. Are you referring to the stuck aspect problem or the preview window problem?

BTW, I'm using 1080i and got the preview window problem again. I was using the guide and when I cancelled out...nothing left but the preview window. No button presses seemed to do anything, except pressing "guide" brought back the guide for about a second...then back to the preview window. Yet another power reset. :nono2:


----------



## boylehome

Allen Noland said:


> How many of you are having this problem while running 720p?


Running 720p on both 921's. Monitor is native 720p.


----------



## 4HiMarks

I have the stuck aspect problem, but I can't say how often as I rarely watch SD material. It is always fine in 720p. 

-Chris


----------



## Allen Noland

Larry said:


> We seem to have morphed two problems into one thread. Are you referring to the stuck aspect problem or the preview window problem?
> 
> BTW, I'm using 1080i and got the preview window problem again. I was using the guide and when I cancelled out...nothing left but the preview window. No button presses seemed to do anything, except pressing "guide" brought back the guide for about a second...then back to the preview window. Yet another power reset. :nono2:


I don't get the aspect ratio problem until I get the stuck preview problem so I'm thinking it is the same root problem.


----------



## Larry

Maybe so. Unfortunately, once I get the stuck preview window I have to reboot...so I am not able to see if the aspect ration is stuck or not. (I was watching HD OTA today when I went to the guide.) Next time the aspect ration is stuck, I'll try the guide to see if I can force the preview window problem.


----------



## tnsprin

Allen Noland said:


> I don't get the aspect ratio problem until I get the stuck preview problem so I'm thinking it is the same root problem.


I have 1080i and get stuck aspect frequently. I nave not had the stuck preview problem most of the time. I don't think they are related.

I was one of the first to post this problem. http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=36171 . I have often noticed that all sorts of other functions stop working once the stuck aspect problems occurs. Slower or no response to various other remote functions. I am fairly sure some process is running away and delaying other processes from occurring. I've seen other options such as bringing up the DVR recorded program list take 5 minutes after I requested it once this problem hits.

I've seen this problem occur the first thing I power up one of my two 921's. Presumably after a overnight reboot has occurred.

If I don't have a program recording, or that I feel I must watch, I now always force an immediate power button reboot to avoid all the problems I've seen in the past. Seem to keep my machines much healthier then it was at the worst.

At the worst I have rebooted 3 times in a single day. Then I have gone a couple weeks without a problem.

Whatever causes this may be triggered by a signal dependency. I frequently have both machines go out at not at the same exact time, but within a few hours of each other. If they still have no idea what causes this, then it may be important to record when this is occurring.

I don't think its HD/sd switching related, as I've had this while previously viewing SD channels and without switching to HD programs at all.


----------



## bbomar

tnsprin said:


> I have 1080i and get stuck aspect frequently. I nave not had the stuck preview problem most of the time. I don't think they are related.


I switched from 720p to 1080i last week. For a couple of days the stuck
aspect was gone but now it is back, seemingly just as bad as when I
was using 720p. Last night I saw a new problem. The DVR menu would
not come up. The guide would come up and I could change channels
but the DVR menu just would not come up. A reboot was necessary.


----------



## DonLandis

I rarely use the 921, maybe to record a half dozen timed events a month now. When I do record it is a mix of HD and SD sat channels from timers. I don't have anymore OTA timers and don't use the 921 for OTA much at all now.
Also, I find that the stuck AR happens when I have had the 921 on for a few days and it has not had the opportunity to self reboot at early morning hours. To fix the problem I always reboot with the standby button. 
The stuck AR has only happened 4 times since the last main software upgrade so not a lot of data points from me. However here is something that is also interesting- I have observed that each time I have lost Normal AR and observe the AR stuck in stretch mode, my HD/SD switch has also ceased to work. Again, I hold the power button in for 15 seconds to force a reboot and all is back to Normal again. 



PS: Some might interpret this as a sign of memory leaks. I tend to agree. Recall that Eldon never really fixed all of them but just built in a forced reboot to effect a temporary band-aid, right? If you don't let the 921 self reboot, you still have to do that manually or suffer these old issues.


----------



## UT_Texan

I get this prb very randomly. I won't get it for weeks then all of a sudden it happens several times a week then goes away for a couple of weeks. I am always in HD mode, 16x9 stretched unless watching HD then I am in normal mode. Sometimes I turn it off at night but mostly I don't. I have no normal viewing patterns. I watch sd sat channels, ota, and hd at various times. I always have to do a card reboot as pwr cord is to difficult to get to.


----------



## richardlazar

This morning I had a stuck aspect again. All that I did was turn on the 921 and TV, it was on Discovery Home channel and I opened the menu hoping I had downloaded L214. After closing the menu it was stuck in a stretch mode (even though it indicated normal mode).

I know a random problem is hard to trouble shoot, but I seem to have this issue once or twice a week, always when exiting a menu selection.

:nono2:


----------



## KKlare

I had luck once but no joy last night on the stuck aspect ratio. The one-time fix was to press HD/SD button, wait, and back again. Sure was better that a reboot or waiting for a good time to do it when recording. The latest was non-responsive on the HD/SD. It had missed the ovenight reboot because I was viewing during 1-2AM MDT.
-Ken


----------



## GaryK

This happens to me often. I need to double check this, but I think that it is reproducible.
While watching a sporting event, I select record and extend the time. Then I come back about (1) hour later and play the recording from the beginning. At this point, I can not change the aspect ratio. Even when the recording is complete, I must reboot to fix the problem


----------



## Hound

Stuck aspect ratio happens to me two or three times a week. I reboot to solve the problem.
Always works after rebooting.


----------



## imhammed

:new_Eyecr I am getting stuck aspect about once a day now. I had the same problem about 2 months ago, went away for about a month and now its worse than ever. Also, the pvr menu gets stuck or really slow about once a day I haven't noticed any relation but they both happen once a day during about 4-6 hours of operation. It's really getting to me. :new_Eyecr


----------



## tnsprin

imhammed said:


> :new_Eyecr I am getting stuck aspect about once a day now. I had the same problem about 2 months ago, went away for about a month and now its worse than ever. Also, the pvr menu gets stuck or really slow about once a day I haven't noticed any relation but they both happen once a day during about 4-6 hours of operation. It's really getting to me. :new_Eyecr


For some reason it seems worst this week to me also. 12 Stuck on two machines.


----------



## jcord51

Is this "aspect stuck problem" on the list for fixes on the new 2.15 download? If not it should be because once you have this problem there are other problem that appear, as stated by you guys.


----------



## Indydave

Mine does this every day… My wife can not use the 921 because we never know what it will NOT do next. Our 921 gets stuck everyday. 

This started after the 213 download, worked just fine before the last download. I must pull the audio rack out and pull the plug every time. I have not pushed the audio rack back against the wall for months now. 

I am thinking about bolting a wall light switch to the side of the receiver and plugging the 921 into the switch. That would make things a lot easier. What a pain!!!


----------



## KKlare

Indydave: you should not have to do a power-cord reset, at least not every time. Holding the power button for 10 seconds should do enough reset to cure most problem. Use the power cord (through a power strip switch) when you cannot get the front panel reset to work.
-Ken


----------



## bbomar

Indydave said:


> This started after the 213 download, worked just fine before the last download. I must pull the audio rack out and pull the plug every time. I have not pushed the audio rack back against the wall for months now.


My 921 goes through spells of getting the stuck aspect ratio every day,
and then will go a week or more with no problem. This really started 
back with L211. I never had a stuck aspect ratio before L211.
If you can switch from 720p to 1080i (or the reverse depending on what
you are running now) you might see a change. I changed from 720p to
1080i and for a while things seemed better. However, you can get
stuck aspect with either one. This is a really strange problem in the way
it comes and goes (and sometimes won't go). I have no idea if this is
fixed in L2.15 but Mark said that they were not holding up L2.15 because
of this problem. Maybe that means it is fixed. For me this is the most
serious problem I have with the 921.


----------



## jcord51

I know that I'm comparing apples and oranges, but the problem is not evedent on the 942.


----------



## richardlazar

I just got the L215 upgrade, but I still am getting the stuck aspect. Power off and reboot still works. In addition, now sometimes the remote just stops responding. If I wait a couple of minutes it works again.


----------



## tnsprin

Allen Noland said:


> The problem is that there isn't a way I've found to reproduce the bug. I only get problem about once a week. If you get the problem often, please posts in as much detail as possible how your 921 is used the day of the problem.


Need a new thread Stuck aspect WITH L215.


----------



## jal

Only a guess from memory, but on l215 for me it occurs when I am watching an off-air digital local and then I switch by entering an SD satellite channel in the remote. For example, I was watching 8-1 in Cleveland, Oh then entered 205 for Fox news. The channel changed, but the aspect ratio was stuck. This time, the banner read "zoom" when the mode was actually in stretch. The only way to get this to unstick was to do a power button reboot. This has happened several times since L215.


----------



## Ron Barry

Well my video last night got stuck. Still stuck this morning so my guess is that the box did not reboot. Have not tested if it is still doing a nightly reboot. It also looks like it did not go in standbye mode. Wonder if the fact the Aspect Ratio is locked prevented it from going into standbye. If I recall I am at 480p, but will have to double check. 4x3 set. Going to do a hard reboot tonight and see if it returns.


----------



## Mike123abc

I had this problem night before last. But, the box must have auto rebooted and now it works again. I run my box most of the time in 480p mode. It was stuck when in 480p mode. I only put it in 1080i to watch serious HD, and had not done that in a while (i.e. over a week). So, it was in 480p mode since taking the update and did not change and still had the aspect ratio get stuck.


----------



## jcord51

Mike123abc said:


> I had this problem night before last. But, the box must have auto rebooted and now it works again. I run my box most of the time in 480p mode. It was stuck when in 480p mode. I only put it in 1080i to watch serious HD, and had not done that in a while (i.e. over a week). So, it was in 480p mode since taking the update and did not change and still had the aspect ratio get stuck.


  I do the same thing as Mike, really hoped that it would get fixed. BTW this has not been happening at all with the 942 which is now my mainstay receiver.


----------



## bbomar

I got the stuck aspect ratio last night for the first time with L2.15. The
format and SD/HD were also non-responsive. A soft reboot fixed it as always.


----------



## Gut

Well I never had a stuck aspect problem until now, mine is getting stuck in zoom mode and I had to do a hard reset to make it go away. I am not sure what triggered it but will try and pay attention when it happpens again.

Gut


----------



## MAWG

Allen Noland said:


> The problem is that there isn't a way I've found to reproduce the bug. I only get problem about once a week. If you get the problem often, please posts in as much detail as possible how your 921 is used the day of the problem.


This problem persists despite the upgrade to 215 in June/July 2005.

I have a digital display. If I switch from a digital program (e.g. on TNTHD) to a non-digital program (e.g. on BBC America) it will stuck on wide mode and nothing can get it back to normal with the black bars on the side.

The only way back to normality is to do a hard reset (and lose 5 minutes of viewing pleasure).

Model ID: DishDVR921
Receiver CA ID: R0068201677-97
Smart card ID: S0061464962-92
Card Revision: DNASP103 Rev302
Boot Version: 150B
Flash Version: F054
SW Version: L215HEED-N

Stephen


----------



## BobMinn

Ive been stuck in the HD mode twice since L215. It also happened with 213. Of course a reboot fixes it.


----------



## langlin

Got my first stuck ratio with 215 last night, as before with 213, came when switched from TNT HD to SD program, left it in stuck mode over night and was ok in morning, must have had an auto reboot overnight. As always for me, it was going FROM TNT, but although it has never happened to me going from any other channel, it might be a coincidence.


----------



## lapplegate

Gut said:


> Well I never had a stuck aspect problem until now, mine is getting stuck in zoom mode and I had to do a hard reset to make it go away. I am not sure what triggered it but will try and pay attention when it happpens again.
> 
> Gut


Since 215 I have seen the Zoom mode problem. I was browsing, with the banner, and noticed the HD channels had Zoom indicated in the upper left banner. I had not changed it from normal.

The odd thing was, that besides losing the remote function for HD/SD and format, that when I booted and it came back up, the lower right channel logo was in the same (correct) place. I believe that the banner indicated Zoom when it was really still in normal.


----------



## DonLandis

Last evening I had normal AR but then watched a recorded program and when I exited out to HBO HD decided to go to CNN to check on the latest news. The AR stuck in stretch wide mode. I didn't bother to try anything but the HD/SD switch which was non functional. 
This is exactly the events I had causing the stuck AR with L213 but up until last evening L215 remained in the correct AR. 

I wonder if L215 is beginning to break down and causing a repeat of previous bugs. 
Given that this was my only real serious bug with L213, I'd say that L215 has not fixed anything but added the OTA guide data which I learned from E* was a screwup on their part and I really should not have it. 3 months of tinkering around and what do I have here to show for it? A screwup on their part which will probably be corrected in the next release which will take away a good feature that so far, is working fine.


----------



## boylehome

DonLandis said:


> I wonder if L215 is beginning to break down and causing a repeat of previous bugs.


No, it was still broken like L213. It seems that the biggest trigger is HD to SD.


----------



## AVJohnnie

boylehome said:


> No, it was still broken like L213. It seems that the biggest trigger is HD to SD.


Exactly - HD-SD switching (plus maybe one more ingredient) seems to be the instigator -

Happened to me last night (first time since L215). Seems like the added "ingredient" to break the function "might be" recording HD. I was recording "Forbidden Planet" on HDNMV when I tried to switch from HD to SD - wouldn't do it. After that, Aspect modes were also locked up. Went into the Display setup (M-6-9) and forced 480i, which did work and also restored Aspect control again. The recording finished with no problem - checked it this morning and verified that is a good copy.

Weird, go figure&#8230;


----------



## BobaBird

Today (7/9) I did a front panel reboot, just as a preventative measure because it had been at least a couple weeks. About an hour later I had a stuck aspect ratio, but in reverse. Prior to L215, a standard sat channel would get stuck in stretch mode while HD channels displayed properly. Today, a 1080i channel got stuck in 4x3 mode while standard channels appeared to be normal with grey bars. Before getting stuck I had been watching SD upconverted to 1080i, switched to SD to dub a segment to tape, then back to HD. Was unable to use the HD/SD button, * format button, or PgUp/PgDn in the DVR list.

_(Originally posted in the L216 wish list thread.)_


----------



## Grandude

langlin said:


> Got my first stuck ratio with 215 last night, as before with 213, came when switched from TNT HD to SD program, left it in stuck mode over night and was ok in morning, must have had an auto reboot overnight. As always for me, it was going FROM TNT, but although it has never happened to me going from any other channel, it might be a coincidence.


I had my first ever stuck aspect ratio with 215. Never had it before on any other version. What caught my eye here is that, I too, had it when switching from TNTHD to an SD channel. I was watching the Busch Series NASCAR race and had it on TNTHD the full time, which was quite a few hours.


----------



## pncb

I have to reboot everyday and I still cannot go a full day without it freezing. What causes it, garbage code that's what cause it. I'll reboot in the morning, doen't matter what I watch and within 15 minutes to an hour it is frozen again - everyday. I have given up! At leat with 213 a reboot would be good for several days, now it's not worth the trouble to reboot several times a day. My ota reception is much worse than in 213.

All this time waiting for a red dot indicator for ota recording - what a waist. From what I can tell from reading the 942 forum they are no better off either.

*Dish Network bash deleted by Mark. The posting rules of the support forums apply to everyone. And, you'd be wrong about the 942.*


----------



## richardlazar

L215. I know that several bugs were fixed in this release. I have not had a zero second recording since this came out. BUT my frequency of the stuck aspect ratio and stuck or real slow remote has increased 10 fold. I now need to reboot the box every other day or so or just live with the stuck aspect till I get around to a reboot. For me the frequency of bugs that cause me to reboot is more important then the actual number of bugs.

I run in 1080I and it seems after watching a long recording in 1080I (British Open), when I try to switch to a normal DISH channel I have a stuck ratio.

Please fix these two annoyances. They don't seem major unless they happen to you!

Richard.


----------



## paulcdavis

921 stuck aspect ratio immediately after power cord re-boot. (first power cord re-boot after L216) SD channels not displayed full screen on a 4:3 screen. Fixed by soft re-boot.


----------



## DonLandis

Last evening I watched the 921 briefly on an SD channel and saw it was stuck on stretch mode again. I rebooted and got it back to normal.

This morning, I turned on the same SD channel and it was again stuck in stretch mode. 

Sick and tired of E* incompetence with this mess! I called them up and simply canceled my AEP account! 
God that felt good! 
I then went to DirecTV and activated an SD base package that I was previously exempt from having to have. Bottom line is I am saving $48 a month and still getting all the channels I want. PLUS the best part is I won't be dealing with the idiocy and frustration of the 921 issues anymore. I kept my E* account open with just the sat HD channels. They seem to work fine on the 921.

No more feeding that PIG for their screwups!

Now, off to the FCC!


----------



## Rotryrkt

I've been watching a lot of TV this weekend, since it's been so damn hot here you can't stand to be outside. I have had to do power button resets at least 5 times so far in two days to clear the stuck aspect ratio. This is way more than I have ever done before L216. In addition, I can no longer scroll through the guide with the page up down keys, and SD/HD toggle key no longer functions. Same symptoms have recurred every time. After a reset, all is normal for a while. Up until L216, mine was one of those boxes that had very few problems. Now I know what some of you guys have been putting up with for so long.


----------



## Grandude

Stuck aspect ratio happened again to me today. I watched TNTHD, the NASCAR race and it would seem that this might be a contributing factor. After watching the race, probably a couple of hours, I switched to FNC, 205, and it was immediately stuck in stretch or zoom. Can't tell for sure which.
I never had this problem with any earlier software version.


----------



## wcswett

Allen Noland said:


> The problem is that there isn't a way I've found to reproduce the bug. I only get problem about once a week. If you get the problem often, please posts in as much detail as possible how your 921 is used the day of the problem.


This usually happens to me after tuning to WCBS-DT. If I go to an SD channel after that I can end up stuck in stretch mode on all SD channels.

--- WCS


----------



## bpauld

Stuck aspect ratio hit me for the first time yesterday after switching from HDHBO to SDHBO. I left the 921 in HD mode but changed the resolution from 1080i to 480p and the picture locked in stretch mode. Soft reboot fixed the problem.


----------



## bbomar

bpauld said:


> Stuck aspect ratio hit me for the first time yesterday after switching from HDHBO to SDHBO.


I've been regularly getting stuck aspect ratio since L211 downloaded last December. I still get it under L216 and it is a real pain.


----------



## bobr

I have to reboot several times a day because of stuck aspect ratio.
It was better in 215 but in 216 it is worse then aver.
I had to watch 2 EI games last week with short fat players, I was recording so couldn't reboot.
  :nono2:


----------



## tnsprin

Under 215 I had one occurrance.
Under 216 I had three occurances this weekend. Concsidering they supposively did not change anything related to this in l216 (unable of course to verify without release notes) this may be a considence.


----------



## ebaltz

Get this problem several times a week. Circumstances vary, may be when switching from the guide when on and HD channel to an SD channel.


----------



## Rory

Got the problem after watching OTA CBS HD for 3 hours last night. Took a power button reboot to fix.


----------



## TheBert

I guess I am one of the few lucky ones with L216, I haven't had any problems yet, but don't worry, My Sony XBR TV crapped out again, Fifth time in a year now!


----------



## rdopso

I discovered the other day that my aspect ratio was stuck in "normal", but I could not reboot at the time because I was recording a PPV movie. The next day when I turned on the receiver and TV (without a reboot) the "format" button worked fine for changing the ratio. In the past it always required a reboot to fix.


----------



## Rotryrkt

rdopso said:


> I discovered the other day that my aspect ratio was stuck in "normal", but I could not reboot at the time because I was recording a PPV movie. The next day when I turned on the receiver and TV (without a reboot) the "format" button worked fine for changing the ratio. In the past it always required a reboot to fix.


The 921 reboots itself every night if you turn it off. I have had the same "miracle" happen to me.


----------



## Grandude

I turn mine off each and every night and it was still 'stuck' the next morning. Power button reboot fixed it. I purposefully left it in the stuck mode the night before to see if it would have the "miracle" cure in the morning.


----------



## tnsprin

I am not sure if anyone reported this one before. Sort of a HD stuck aspect. First time I've seen this. 

Hd channels show squished (black bars on left and right, extra narrow when they dropped to things like ads. Aspect button shows letterbox and does not change. Menus etc show up full screen. This on a 16x9 component connection. Same on previously recorded HD programs. Sd shows correctly (forgot to try aspect button). Power button reboot to correct.


----------



## AVJohnnie

Rotryrkt said:


> The 921 reboots itself every night if you turn it off. I have had the same "miracle" happen to me.


The nightly reboot cure-up "miracle" will not happen if any of the following occur - 
1 - The unit is not in standby during the "miracle" time-window.
2 - A timer event is too close to, or overlays, the time-window.
3 - Your 921's "software innards" have gotten too sideways.

There are a couple of indicators you can use to verify that the "miracle" actually happened.

Before entering Standby the night before -
1 - Move the PIP window to a location other than the default (lower-right corner.)
2 - Assuming you view HD in 720p or 1080i, toggle from HD to SD (if you can.)

The next day when you exit Standby, if the "miracle" happened -
1 - The PIP window will be back in the lower-right corner again.
2 - HD display mode will be reset to 480p.


----------



## sharond999

Mine used to do this stuck AR thing too, but was ok after L215; but now with L218, have started having the problem again. I called DISH to advise of another problem, but forgot to mention this one. I likewise had to reboot get the aspect ratio unstuck.


----------



## KKlare

Ditto stuck aspect ratio with L218. I did have it on OTA HD for less than 2 hours before returning to stretched SD with no format response.
-Ken


----------



## DanB33

Today, with L219, I had a stuck Aspect Ratio on HD. I had been librarying to DVD in SD. The Overnite Reboot happened with the Unit in SD output. SD Programing seemed fine, but when I when to an HD channel, the video was squeezed into a 3/4 area with black side bars. The 16/9 picture was squeezed to 3/4. 
A Power Button Reboot fixed it.
While I was checking out System Setup info, I noticed that when I was Done, the HD channels video filled the screen then quickly jumped to more overscan. I also checked SD channels. I have SD set to Gray Bars. They started out full screen and with the same timing as HD (about 1 second) switched to Gray Bars. I'm guessing that he Menu screens have a different overscan than video.

EDIT: The above tests were done with 480p output after a reboot in SD Mode. I then checked again in 1080i output and had the same results.


----------



## langlin

Today, with L219, I had a stuck Aspect Ratio.


----------



## Samich

Got stuck today, was tape delaying the PGA Championship (OTA, HD) when I got to the end, it switched itself to 77 not found. I flipped it back to a channel, I had stuck aspect ratio (switched itself to stretch), also stuck on HD output. Soft reboot settled all as usual. First one for me in a while.


----------



## jergenf

Haven't seen the stretch bug in quite a while since I been leaving my unit on 24/7. Generally I can go 3 weeks without a reboot. However in early July, I did have the stretch bug three times in one day which was the most number of reboots in less than a 12 hour period. Except for that event I haven't seen as many struck aspect occurances since L215. But being that it's totally random and from the feedback of others I know the true cure is yet to be found.


----------



## kckucera

There seems to be two types of this problem. One where it goes into "stretch" mode while showing "normal" and all functions work including DVR playback (still in "stretch"). The other where the system is basically frozen, can't get at menus, or DVR menu. Both however require a hard reboot. Just this morning it happened when we switched from an HD channel to view a event recorded from SD channels. I was in 1080i mode which I use all the time. This happens to me aperiodically, sometimes I go a week or more without it happening then several times in a week. Hope this helps.
Ken


----------



## Rotryrkt

I just had my first aspect ratio freeze since L218/219. Same as always, SD/HD button did not function or page up/down buttons in the guide. All other functions appeared to be normal although somewhat sluggish. Power button reboot restored normal functions. I don't know what triggered it.


----------



## BobaBird

I got hit with the HD squeeze version Friday night 8/19.

Was watching OTA channel that was about to record. Signal was a steady 82. I sometimes pre-tune so the channel is already locked in. Step out to the mailbox while I wait for recording to start so I can resume watching PVR events (again, just precautionary).
Come back in to a black screen and no sound, but the front panel and PVR list indicate recording is taking place.
Watch SD PVR event, use Menu, 6, 9 to switch from 1080i/16:9 to 480p/4:3#2.
Stop, cancel out to live TV. Now have sound with no picture on the OTA channel.
Continue watching PVR events, switch back to 1080i/16:9 at some point.
IIRC the next time I dropped out to live TV the OTA channel had a picture but it was squeezed. The remote HD/SD and PgUp/PgDn buttons were unresponsive. SD sources were unaffected.
Wait for recording to finish, do power button reset.
I watched the OTA event the next night. There were no signs of any problems with the recording until a "signal lost" message about 45 min in but that was well after the other problems I had.


----------



## pncb

Since 219 I have been experiencing the infamous format button not working, as I did in past releases also. For the past three days it has been freezing every hour. Everything works except I can't change the format and it says normal aspect but it is stretched, a reboot resolves it for a short time.

Also when this happens it is common to have the 4:3 aspect squeezed so it is more like 3:3. And I've got the blue roll which I haven't had since 216. Again, the only way to clear these problems is to reboot.

It would be interesting to know it this code is developed off-shore it would be a good example of why to keep our own developers employed. If it is developed in house here in the states then Dish needs to get new developers. I can't imagine paying someone to fix a problem and after at least three releases (fixes) it's still there. Have they ever heard of "you're fired."


----------



## jergenf

I've had the stretch bug numerious time before but for the first I got the opposite situation. It was stuck in "Normal" mode where wide aspect HD was forced to 4:3 aspect making everything look vertically stretch. Same situation where "*" key and HD/SD button wouldn't respond. Reboot fixed problem


----------



## BobaBird

Last night I watched a recording from HBOHD that started off stuck in HD squeeze. Did a power button reset then watched the movie. When the movie ended I erased it and went to a live standard channel. It was stuck in stretch mode less, less than 2 hours after the reset. Watched another HD recording (appeared as it should) then did another reset before going to bed.


----------



## David_Levin

The occurance of stuck aspect (as well as sluggish response) seems to have increased greatly for me. I'd estimate it's up to once every 2-3 days.

Hard to believe the 921 is approaching it's 2nd birthday.


----------



## SimpleSimon

David_Levin said:


> The occurance of stuck aspect (as well as sluggish response) seems to have increased greatly for me. I'd estimate it's up to once every 2-3 days.
> 
> Hard to believe the 921 is approaching it's 2nd birthday.


 Ditto


----------



## Bradtothebone

Had my first occurence of stuck aspect ratio since L219 last night. I had been changing back and forth between SD and HD programs for awhile, and all of a sudden, there it was. The banner said "normal," but it was definitely stretched. I assume it rebooted overnight, and all will be well today.

Brad


----------



## BobaBird

David_Levin said:


> Hard to believe the 921 is approaching it's 2nd birthday.


Having lived through the DISHPlayer's "terrible 2s" all I can say is "Hold on tight!" :eek2:


----------



## rkh

pncb said:


> Since 219 I have been experiencing the infamous format button not working, as I did in past releases also. For the past three days it has been freezing every hour. Everything works except I can't change the format and it says normal aspect but it is stretched, a reboot resolves it for a short time.
> 
> Also when this happens it is common to have the 4:3 aspect squeezed so it is more like 3:3. And I've got the blue roll which I haven't had since 216. Again, the only way to clear these problems is to reboot.
> 
> It would be interesting to know it this code is developed off-shore it would be a good example of why to keep our own developers employed. If it is developed in house here in the states then Dish needs to get new developers. I can't imagine paying someone to fix a problem and after at least three releases (fixes) it's still there. Have they ever heard of "you're fired."


Had my first stuck aspect ratio today (I mean with 219). I used to get it when I went more than two days without a reboot. Everything else works; a reboot fixes as usual. 
_pncb_--please define "blue roll" --it sounds like something I've always had (bad with 211, fixed (?) with 213, now back with 219), but the service tech's have always said I was "the only one" with the problem. It would be nice to know that I'm not alone out here in the wilderness with this problem.


----------



## Larry Caldwell

Allen Noland said:


> The problem is that there isn't a way I've found to reproduce the bug. I only get problem about once a week. If you get the problem often, please posts in as much detail as possible how your 921 is used the day of the problem.


Hit menu->6->9 and set display mode at 720p and screen at 16:9

Watch TV for a while, then turn the receiver off and go to bed.

The next day, turn the 921 back on, switch to a SD channel, hit menu->6->9 and switch to 480p and 4:3 screen #2. Click Done.

Try to change display mode. That reliably locks up my system.


----------



## Larry Caldwell

rdopso said:


> I discovered the other day that my aspect ratio was stuck in "normal", but I could not reboot at the time because I was recording a PPV movie. The next day when I turned on the receiver and TV (without a reboot) the "format" button worked fine for changing the ratio. In the past it always required a reboot to fix.


When I am watching a HD movie at 720p, "Normal" is the only format available. That is only a problem on TNTHD. Normal wide aspect HD programming displays just fine, but TNT's 4:3 content gets stretched clear across the screen.


----------



## dishbacker

Larry Caldwell said:


> When I am watching a HD movie at 720p, "Normal" is the only format available. That is only a problem on TNTHD. Normal wide aspect HD programming displays just fine, but TNT's 4:3 content gets stretched clear across the screen.


Uhhh, TNTHD stetches all of there SD material before it is sent to dish?


----------



## Rodney

Since L2.70 I have had to reboot three times due to stuck aspect ratio.


----------



## ebaltz

Yep had one myself, nothing fixed on that end. This release only broke more things and didn't fix ANY of the real issues.


----------



## boylehome

ebaltz said:


> This release only broke more things and didn't fix ANY of the real issues.


I have to agree with you ebaltz. Both my 921 were working with much more stability before the download of L270. The, "Low Level" changes must for the NEGATIVE.


----------



## AVJohnnie

Since L270, after a re-boot (nightly, soft, or hard) it takes no fewer than 5 to 8 presses :bang of the HD/SD button on the remote to get it to actually respond and toggle between modes. Once it finally does toggle, the button seems to operate as expected with just one press :icon_stup - Gee whiz - I wonder what the next "improvement" !rolling will be - halt and catch fire:flaiming maybe?


----------



## WildBill

I was one of the lucky ones who never had a Stuck Aspect Ratio problem before L220. Then had it about once every 2-3 weeks. With L270 it is happening almost daily. Now it may just be a coincidence, but it seems as though SAR is more likely to happen after using themes to scan sports programming. I'll reboot and do a check to see if it is reproduceable. 

I used to look forward to upgrades to see what improvements had been made. Now, like many of you, I've come to dread them. All I want for Christmas is an update that fixes one or more serious bugs without breaking something else!


----------



## lhess

Mine is stuck right now and I don't feel like rebooting. I had noticed the SAR in the past and assumed it was something to do with my universal remote. 

I don't have any OTA where I live. My TV won't display 720P. I turn off my 921 every night. 

I really don't think you can recreate SAR with any specific function. I believe it is a random occurance. I switch between HD and SD quite often and always have displayed SD in stretch mode and HD in normal. I noticed the SAR started about 8 months ago.


----------



## boylehome

lhess said:


> Mine is stuck right now and I don't feel like rebooting.


I feel the same way but I do the reboot just in case the SIS is the calm before the storm.


----------



## howletus

I have the problem too. I'm set to 720p DVI out to an 16:9 LCD TV. I went from never seeing this problem to now getting it two to three times a day. When switching the TV type from the display menu back and forth between 16X9 and 4X3#2 for HD and OTA channels it doesn't switch. This is driving me nuts. Especially when I'm recording something at the time and have to reboot. Is this just a place to complain or are there people here who actually read our problems and address them? I'm fairly new to this forum and really don't know. It seems there are enough people here with this same bug to warrant someone addressing the problem. I do know that since going to new software 270 this happens all the time. Not sure if there's a connection.
Anyone?


----------



## BobMinn

I have had to reboot almost daily since L270 because of a stuck SD/HD button. This happened occasionally before but nothing like this.

Also, today for the first time, the DVR, menu, etc. buttons quit working requiring a reboot.

I've tried to see a pattern but the only thing that these incidents may have in common is that I was recording an ota hd program.

Bob Minn


----------



## mwsmith2

Happened to me (well, my wife) today. First time this happened. Not sure what the trigger was.

Michael


----------



## jergenf

When the stretch bug hits it always occurs during a channel change operation. Doesn't matter if it's OTA or satellite channel. But often during HD to SD or vise versa.


----------



## ebaltz

Happening daily for me now.


----------



## WildBill

"When the stretch bug hits it always occurs during a channel change operation. Doesn't matter if it's OTA or satellite channel. But often during HD to SD or vise versa."

I had the same thing happen with HD-squeeze. Turned on the receiver (presumably after the nightly reboot) which was tuned to an HD channel. Looked at the guide and then switched to an OTA SD channel. Got the squeeze as soon as the channel switched. No DVR functions, trick plays, or any thing complicated had been performed.


----------



## rdopso

I seem to be getting more frequent "stuck aspect ratio" problems with L2.70 (one every few days, whereas before it once every two weeks or so), but I cannot nail down what is causing it.


----------



## AVJohnnie

Multiple times (3 to 4) per day...both stuck aspect and stuck SD/HD toggle...since L270 :raspberry

Also, hard reboots take 2 to 3 times longer since L270 :raspberry which makes the "stuck bugs" even more frustrating :bang


----------



## mwsmith2

Just happened again. I still have no clear reason as to why it does it so frequently now, whereas before it never did it. Only thing I did today was spend a lot of time watching HD football. (a lovely way to spend a Sunday!)

Michael


----------



## tthomps

921 with L270 attached to a SD TV. Occurred when channel switched from an OTA widescreen (letterbox) football game to a recorded SD movie. Stayed in letterbox mode with no respose from the remote. Corrected with a front panel reboot.


----------



## BobMinn

I was getting a stuck sd/hd button when I recorded two ota hd programs, on different channels, back-to-back. When I manually added a two minute space between them it quit happening.

Bob Minn


----------



## FarNorth

Stuck aspect ratio every day or two. Seems to happen most often when I am recording HD and watching something else.


----------



## H2OSkier

The stuck aspect ratio seems to be happening more often, every day or two. I also think the time to reboot the box has increased since 270. If you happen to be watching something forget it, you'll lose 10-15 min.

Ken


----------



## koralis

jergenf said:


> I've had the stretch bug numerious time before but for the first I got the opposite situation. It was stuck in "Normal" mode where wide aspect HD was forced to 4:3 aspect making everything look vertically stretch. Same situation where "*" key and HD/SD button wouldn't respond. Reboot fixed problem


I've been getting the opposite recently (and over the last 3 days I've rebooted 4 times when it's happened.)

SD programming that shows "normal" for the information, but that is stretching the SD image horizonally to fill up the whole display. No amount of changing the display type, output resolution, etc, will fix it at this point and a reboot is required to get things working properly again.


----------



## Redster

One of my locals just started showing gray bars on the side. It has always been fine at 1080i / 16x9 . I havent been able to get hold of their programmers to see if anything has changed. The actual aspect is on normal and looks okay, I can flip between the aspects with no problems. I dont think I have ever had the side bar problem with any of my 921's or locals.


----------



## Larry Caldwell

FarNorth said:


> Stuck aspect ratio every day or two. Seems to happen most often when I am recording HD and watching something else.


I just got stuck in Zoom mode, which is a first for me. As you note, when it happened I was recording HD and watching something else.


----------



## KKlare

Redster said:


> One of my locals just started showing gray bars on the side. It has always been fine at 1080i / 16x9 . I havent been able to get hold of their programmers to see if anything has changed. The actual aspect is on normal and looks okay, I can flip between the aspects with no problems. I dont think I have ever had the side bar problem with any of my 921's or locals.


While your 921 can add gray bars, the station can too. Our Albuquerque ABC does this for 4x3 programming on the HD channel. I'd rather they didn't but what can you do?
Thanks Dish? for getting the guide for this channel from 7 and 21.2 to 21.1.
-Ken


----------



## hortonjr

Hi!

I'm new to the boards here. I have two 921 receivers, both of which suffer from the stuck aspect ratio issue. Interestingly, the newer of the boxes gets stuck every day, the older one gets stuck maybe twice a week (I wouldn't have gotten the second one had I known it'd be this bad!). They both have the latest firmware.

Even though I never actually use the stretch mode, when they get stuck they show that they are in normal mode but are actually in stretch mode. The only fix that I've found is a reboot, which nows seems to take about seven minutes -- much longer than earlier this year.

The stuck aspect ratio seems to happen when I've been viewing OTA HD (1080i) and then switch to any standard satellite channel.

Bob


----------



## guruka

Hi Bob, welcome to the fray. I've had my 921 since they first hit the streets and I love it. Wouldn't trade it for a 942. The stuck aspect ratio problem has been there for several software releases and it persists (just as you described it) with the latest firmware, L272. Both stuck aspect and stuck SD/HD toggle. As you say, it always requires a soft boot to fix the problem. It's happening daily now for me too, so that's AT LEAST one soft boot a day. <sigh> I sure hope Eldon nails this one soon.

.....G


----------



## iaw4

is there a fix other than a hard reboot? (it takes a long time, and seems to happen more and more frequently.)

if it cannot be fixed, would it be possible to convince the software authors to add a "reset aspect ratio" choice in the menu, that would allow me to fix this by hand, short of a reboot?

sincerely,

/iaw


----------



## rdopso

I had not had a stuck aspect ratio for some weeks, but have had three since spooling of 273. Maybe just a coincidence, but still damned irritating. Sorry, but I'm a bit frustrated with my 921 since getting 272 and 273 updates.


----------



## bbomar

rdopso said:


> I had not had a stuck aspect ratio for some weeks, but have had three since spooling of 273. Maybe just a coincidence, but still damned irritating. Sorry, but I'm a bit frustrated with my 921 since getting 272 and 273 updates.


I'm seeing the same thing. I hadn't seen a stuck aspect ratio for a few weeks but have seen two since L273. However, I seem to remember them being more frequent right after L272 so maybe it's related to the new softwareinstall and will settle down.


----------



## dishbacker

bbomar said:


> I'm seeing the same thing. I hadn't seen a stuck aspect ratio for a few weeks but have seen two since L273. However, I seem to remember them being more frequent right after L272 so maybe it's related to the new softwareinstall and will settle down.


I was just thinking the same thing... I've had a couple since L273. And, with L272, I remember getting a few within the first week, and then maybe only a couple after that.


----------



## BobaBird

I haven't gotten a SAR since L273. ::raps on wood:: I had read here that the new software had come down so I did a re-boot before watching anything. Or it could be that I haven't had occasion to use the SD/HD button in the last month.


----------



## Curmudgeon

Getting stuck in HD at least once a day since 273, requiring reboot.


----------



## paulcdavis

Got stuck in sd output mode on Sunday. SD/HD button - no response - also arrow keys on remote non-functional. Unit was in SD output mode with a paused SD program displayed when switching to HD output mode failed. Soft (power button) re-boot required to fix.

Got Stuck in SD aspect ratio on Monday. Unit was in HD output mode, I had finished watching an SD sat channel recording. When I started the playback of an HD OTA recording the unit remained stuck in SD aspect ratio. Soft (power button) re-boot required to fix.

I have had both of these bugs before, but theyonly happened once every few weeks. So far it seems that they are happening much more frequently since L273.

The unit is auto re-booting every night. I have not done a power cord re-boot since L273 was installed.


----------



## WildBill

Add me to the list of those seeing more SARs since L273. In my case, switching to SD output is not necessary. I leave the output mode in HD DVI (blue light on), but sometimes change the display mode to 480p stretch to fill the screen on an SD channel. When I change to an HD channel and switch back to 1080i it looks fine. However, when I then change to an SD channel (without changing display modes) it will sometimes be stuck in stretch mode and unresponsive.


----------



## Jim Parker

I got my first SAR bug in a very long time (maybe a year) last night. My wife was watching TV when I got home, and asked me what was wrong with the 921. 

There are soooo many answers to that question.

A soft reboot got it working again.


----------



## lujan

Ditto for me...


----------



## H2OSkier

Last night, I think I noticed a pattern. If I have a recording going and switch from HD to SD I seem to get a SAR. I was recording a SD channel last night. I'll try and reproduce this again tonight.

Ken


----------



## djt

I just had it happen with the following situation.
I switched from a satellite channel (Disney) to channel 2-1 (here in
Boston its PBS). I then used the guide to switch to channel
4-1 (CBS) which was showing 1080i HD (the Indy/Seattle game).
At first I got blank screen and normal audio on that channel.
I then tried changing channels up (to 5-1) and back down to (4-1)
while the screen was blank (figuring it may reset the channel and
I would get a picture). I did get the picture but it was vertically
squeezed to fit a 4x3 aspect: I was in stuck aspect mode.


----------



## Ainshi

Since L273 our reciever gets stuck in HD always. I have been unable to switch it to SD every time we watch HD and it requires a reset every time. Along with this the aspect ratio is stuck in Stretch.


----------



## guruka

I now have to reboot at LEAST once a day. Watching SD and then switching to HD the HD image is "squished" into a 4x3 frame. Time to do a soft boot. Watching HD and switching to SD, the SD image is stuck in stretch mode (and of course the HD/SD toggle stops working.) Time for another soft boot.

This used to happen every so often, now it happens every day, and sometimes more than once a day. Looks like L273 fixed missed timers (good) and made the SAR problem worse than it's EVER been since I got my 921 two years ago. (bad)

PULEEZE... fix the SAR problem already!

.....G


----------



## guruka

Guess I spoke too soon. My 921 missed two off-air channel recurring (weekly) timers this evening. Rebooted and the timer started (show in progress.) So missed timers are NOT fixed in L.273.

.....G


----------



## langlin

I don't pretend to know why but the SAR on my 921 has increased sevenfold recently, it was about once a week and it is now every day and our viewing habits have no changed. This did not happen exactly when 273 downloaded so it doesn't seem to be that.


----------



## TBarclay

I've had a new TV since 11/1/05 and yesterday was the first time I encountered a SAR. I don't have any OTA stations so that's not a factor. I was working on the computer and when I turned around, I noticed the 4x3 SD station I'd been watching had all of a sudden stretched to fill the screen. I couldn't chance aspect ratio or switch to SD so I had to reboot. Today, it happened again. Extremely annoying!


----------



## mick70

I have a SAR every day for the last two weeks. It is just about time to rethink about cable.


----------



## PTech

The same the happens to me every time I select a program to record and try switching from the SD output to HD output. You can not have anything scheduled to record and switch outputs or it locks up. You can easily try this for yourself. 

I have spent a lot of time over at the SatelliteGuys and they are great but this site is setup great. Information I have been looking for was found here in two minutes.


----------



## jcord51

What a pain in the rear this SAR is. I paid $1000 for the 921, but I think it's going in April when the VIP622 rebate is offered. What a shame.


----------



## lujan

jcord51 said:


> What a pain in the rear this SAR is. I paid $1000 for the 921, but I think it's going in April when the VIP622 rebate is offered. What a shame.


I wanted to wait until the 622 is stable (if that ever happens, considering the 921) before I jumped from the 921 to the 622. But, considering the rebate, this might be the most we can ever get for a 921. Yes, I was one of the original purchasers of a 921 back in February of 2004 thinking this was the greatest thing since sliced bread and I paid $1000.00 for it. That makes it cost about $400.00 per year if you consider the $200.00 rebate into the equation. I would have paid $120.00 for the lease in a two year period instead of $800.00. Doesn't it make much more sense to lease than to purchase since the technology changes so frequently? Let me know your opinions.


----------



## jcord51

lujan said:


> I wanted to wait until the 622 is stable (if that ever happens, considering the 921) before I jumped from the 921 to the 622. But, considering the rebate, this might be the most we can ever get for a 921. Yes, I was one of the original purchasers of a 921 back in February of 2004 thinking this was the greatest thing since sliced bread and I paid $1000.00 for it. That makes it cost about $400.00 per year if you consider the $200.00 rebate into the equation. I would have paid $120.00 for the lease in a two year period instead of $800.00. Doesn't it make much more sense to lease than to purchase since the technology changes so frequently? Let me know your opinions.


 I for one have to agree, and I made it a point to inform Dish exactly how I felt. They provided their 942 for lease at $250 (I don't pay a lease fee) and provided their new 44 switch with installation. My plans are to replace the 921 with the VIP622 aka 962. Info of the 962 was leaked out months ago and picked up by some retailers, who were bashed on:lol:. The 622 is almost identical to the 942, except for the hard drive which is larger. Now this is a rumor...we that own our equipment might get special consideration, again...this is a rumor, and I don't want to get anyones hopes' up! I don't anticipate many major problems with the 622 since it's just an updated 942, but I am keeping my 942 as a back-up


----------



## GeeWhiz1

I haven't had a SAR in over a month. But after watching the Super Bowl on 250 (about 6 or 7 hours of viewing that channel), I tried to change to an SD channel and discovered I had an SAR. I didn't worry about it because we were going to bed soon and turning off the receiver (so it would boot during the night). Actually, we turn off the receiver every night. So that was SOP for us.

All seems to be well this morning.


----------



## Grandude

I had the SAR after the Super Bowl too. I had recorded it and Gray's Anatomy. Luckily I was smart enough to record the program after Gray's as I had to watch it, can't remember what it was, but caught the end of Gray's Anatomy that way.
I haven't checked today to see if the SAR has been fixed by the nightly reboot.

A number of times during the pregame show and the game itself, I had extreme breakup of the signal. Luckily it only lasted maybe 15 seconds each time. I was watching Ch 250 here on the left coast.


----------



## GeeWhiz1

Grandude, I can say that we had the same experience.

Since we live in the same city, that's not a big surprise.


----------



## Redster

I am wondering now if my issues with the stuck aspect ratio are all caused by the tv station signal. This weekend when we watched the olympics, the aspect ratio was fine, yet when a commercial came on, picture changed to showing the black bars in normal mode like an SD channel. This was while I was watching our HD OTA channel 13 . Even when I switched to stretch mode for the commercials, it jumped back to normal when the olympics came back on (just like it is supposed too).


----------

