# Constant Freezing/Pausing while watching recorded programs



## profbobo (Jan 22, 2006)

From what I've read, that last update (2CB) seems to be causing a few problems for people. I mentioned this in another post but wanted to bring it up again and hopefully explain it better.

This is not related to the audio brips or the green video pixelation artifacts. This is not related to the "start watching previously recorded program and it jumps to the end with the delete dialog box" issue. Nor is this related to the "start watching previously recorded program and 5 seconds seem to go missing" issue. I've have all these. 

This is specifically about what appears to be an automatic pausing while watching a previously recorded program. I've not pressed any buttons on the remote. It just freezes. The pause lasts about 5-10 seconds and then starts to play where left off.

The remote is unresponsive during this pause. However, once play resumes, any buttons pressed are executed.

I can't confirm with 100% certainty, but this does not appear to happen while watching live TV. It only appears to be happening while watching a previously recorded program.

It appears to happen more while something is currently recording. However, it does happen while nothing else is being recorded.

It doesn't matter if the show is SD or HD, local or national and it seems to be getting worse.

I tried to watch a 2 hour HD show previously recorded. The pause happened about 5 times in the first 30 minutes. Then it improved and happened only a couple times during the remainder of the show. It doesn't appear to matter what I've recorded. There are constant pauses in almost everything.

If I rewind after a pause to see if it always happens in the same spot, it plays fine. The pause is not reproducible in the same spot of a recording.

Signals are good. Sky has been clear. It's cold but no snow. This is an HR21 700 with an AM-21 tuner. Slimline 5 and 72.5 dishes.

I've restarted a few times. Seemed to alleviate the issue for a day. But it returned with a vengeance.

I've unplugged the AM-21 and removed the ANT settings. Still happens.

I have another HR21 700 with the same 2CB update. There is no AM-21 on this box. It runs fine. (Minus the brips, green pixelation, skip to end and missing 5 seconds bugs)

Weird thing is, these boxes have been very solid for over a year. I have to think it's the recent update.

Anyone know of a way to uninstall the update? Anyone else having this issue?


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

I'd be suspicious that your hard drive is failing given the circumstances.


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## profbobo (Jan 22, 2006)

harsh said:


> I'd be suspicious that your hard drive is failing given the circumstances.


When the box "pauses", I can here the HDD spin/seek. It's a different sound from normal operation. I forgot to mention this in the original post.

I kind of dismissed this theory because there seemed to be a few other people with a similar issue. Is it possible that the latest update pushed the HDD over the edge?

During the boot process, there is a diagnostic setup I can enter by pressing select. Anyone know of a test in there off hand that might tell me what the issue is?

If it is the drive, what are my options aside from calling customer service and getting the box replaced with a refurb? I do not have the service plan.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

If you'll recall, the latest release has been around for a while now and similar complaints are not littering the forums. I'm going to stick with a failing hard drive.


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## profbobo (Jan 22, 2006)

You're probably right.

Watching 24 last night was pretty bad. The audio was okay with minor pops here and there. Video stuttered nonstop. It was like watching streaming video with a slow internet connection.

I'm going to call DirecTV today and go through their trouble shooting process. I'll post back their diagnosis.

Thanks for your help and suggestion.

Joe


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## profbobo (Jan 22, 2006)

Update:

I called that night and after a minute or so of screaming at the super helpful computer, I was transferred to a real human.  On that subject, why is the first thing I'm asked is if I want to order some fight? Is the ordering of PPV fights really the bulk of their call volume?

Anyway...

The tech. was helpful, nice (I was nice too. I think that helps.) and thanked me for being a loyal customer. I explained in great detail the symptoms I was experiencing and he said it sounded like a corrupt hard drive.

He didn't even have me restart or try any troubleshooting. They are sending out a free replacement. Great job DirecTV.


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## Tybee Bill (Oct 21, 2008)

Ditto. My HR20-700 on ox2cb acts the same way as yours. 5 to 10 dark/quiet spots on playback.

Also had the 771 on tuner 1 but an RBR fixed.

I hope my HDD not going. My wife has been saving tons of stuff for our college kids to catch up on during breaks.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Folks, DIRECTV has added a recovery system in the most recent firmware download. If you are having issues like this and don't mind waiting a while for the system to recover, you may want to give this a try.

*Warning:* if it's not broken, please don't run this because the process could take multiple hours to complete.


reboot STB via menu->Parental, Fav's & Setup->reset->receiver
when they see "running receiver self test" press select
select advanced test menu->utilities->hard disk utilities->fix hard drive file system

The good news is that every attempt is made to save programming. This is less destructive than a reformat all and could provide you with a more stable system if you are having problems that appear to be related to the hard drive.


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## skyviewmark1 (Sep 28, 2006)

Having this exact same issue on my Hr21-700.. Already tried the "fix Hard Drive File System" on the advanced menu. Sometimes the show plays for a little while then other times it freezes often. Mostly unwatchable.. Remote unrepsonsive when it's frozen. Takes a long while to come back to live TV when I press the stop button to stop play. Not sure how to do a complete reformat. But doubtlful that is going to help. Guess it's time to call my distributer and get a new receiver on the way.


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## gb4fan (Jan 25, 2008)

I have been having the same freezing problem for a few weeks now. Only noticed it on recorded programs but my parents who do not have a DVR have had this happen while watching live tv and get this...... my uncle has this problem as well and he has DISH! I don't know if he has a DVR. Hard drive failures? I think not!


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

gb4fan said:


> I have been having the same freezing problem for a few weeks now. Only noticed it on recorded programs but my parents who do not have a DVR have had this happen while watching live tv and get this...... my uncle has this problem as well and he has DISH! I don't know if he has a DVR. Hard drive failures? I think not!


If you could offer some specifics about what channels are having this problem it might be put to good use.

For the non-DVR drop-outs, the logical assumption is signal loss. How has the weather been lately?


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## cjn315 (Mar 22, 2009)

I noticed the same issue about a week ago on my HR21-700. Came home yesterday and the drive had died. You can hear it seek at startup, but it won't start up. Wasted a day yesterday trying to hook up a MyBook external eSATA drive... shoulda done my homework here... didn't work. Returned it and got a Western Digital 1TB internal drive. I am back up and running.

Swapping out the drive is fairly easy. The hardest part is getting the special torx screws out of the case. A standard T-10 will work to loosen them up if you push it in firmly. I also used a pair of vise-grips to lock on to the head of the screw and turn it. They are rounded and slippery, but it will work if you're patient.

The next hardest part is removing the front panel to access 2 screws that hold the drive in the chassis. After that, remove the old drive, put in the new one, re-attach drive cables, replace cover, hook it up and turn it on.

Not a bad deal overall - 1TB of storage now vs. 320GB, $120 vs. $200+ to replace the whole unit. Woulda been a 1/2 hour fix if I hadn't been afraid of that Warranty sticker!


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## Folin (Jun 19, 2007)

I posted experiencing the same issue on a FAP 1TB a week or so ago. Strange how many HD's seemed to have died in this short a time period...w/ the exact same symptoms....hmmm?


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## gb4fan (Jan 25, 2008)

no weather problems here. Just last nite I was watching my recording of LOST and it froze 4 or 5 times. On the last freeze it stopped for a good 5 minutes or so them the menu popped up asking if i wanted to delete recording. I hit no and it brought me to my saved recordings list. Clicked on LOST and it brought me back to the delete mode again, This continued for 3 or 4 times. I tried other recordings and they all brought me to the delete mode. Thinking my dvr had finally died I decided to reboot. Presto I was able finish watching LOST with one freezeup. A hard drive dying??


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## digger16309 (Sep 21, 2007)

Same freezing problem here, HR20.

Only since last update.

My hard drive is basically empty.

This has happened to me twice, both times while watching a show (on delay) I was recording OTA, and both times is happened to be on FOX, House last week and 24 this week.

I could get out of the recording to live TV, but upon restarting it, it would pause on its own and become stuck somewhere else in the playback.

The program continued to record and a reboot afterwards recovered the entire recording with no pause/stops.

This is going to get old fast if I can't watch a recording program on delay.


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## gb4fan (Jan 25, 2008)

Well last nite it screwed up our Idols recording!. It was totally unwatchable as it would stop start stop start constantly, Luckily we were only 10 minutes late from live and decided to watch the rest live. I am going try the recovery system method this weekend and see what happens. Otherwise its a call to Direct for a replacement box


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## gb4fan (Jan 25, 2008)

Tried the recovery system method yesterday. It took 1 hour 15 minutes to complete. Tested it out and found it didn't improve a thing. Will call DirecTv today. I am told that they will attempt to reformat the hard drive first before they would send a replacement. Seems like there are other issues besides the hard drive. "Click to view a recorded program and instead of playing it asks if I want to delete", click the list menu and box freezes. I hope I can skip the reformat part and just get the replacement. On the bright side I will probably get a newer STB. I have the HR21 now.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

gb4fan said:


> I am told that they will attempt to reformat the hard drive first before they would send a replacement.


Either way, you are going to lose all of your recordings so you really have just your preferences and recording schedules to lose by trying it.


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## gb4fan (Jan 25, 2008)

harsh said:


> Either way, you are going to lose all of your recordings so you really have just your preferences and recording schedules to lose by trying it.


yea I know that. Really nothing left to watch so now is a good time. Its a pain watching a movie when it pauses 30+ times during the movie (not exaggerating!!) Like I said before hope I can get an exchange without reformatting cuz I'm certain that won't work.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

gb4fan said:


> Like I said before hope I can get an exchange without reformatting cuz I'm certain that won't work.


In a world where CSRs weren't hired expressly for their script reading abilities that might be a reasonable expectation.

At DIRECTV (or pretty much anywhere else), it doesn't hold much water.

Who knows? It might even fix the problem for a while.


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## Sam Spastic (Mar 5, 2009)

I have a similar problem. About once every 2 or 3 shows the HR21-100 will freeze for about a minute. Wait it out and it plays fine for a good while.

I have also had it get stuck in a loop where Slip 30 OR Back 6 sec. plays the same thing over and over. Never had both get stuck in the same spot.

Presently biggest problem is Slip 30 jumps to the end sometimes.

Oh and yeah it is slow.


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## shocky (Oct 23, 2007)

Same issue.

My unit would freeze periodically during playback of previously recorded content.

I thought a reboot would help but instead it made the issue worse and now it's stuttering through everything.

I tried cleaning up extra space, cleaning up the prioritizer (thinking it might be having problems building a todo list).

When I try accessing the 'history' option it exits back to the currently playing 'live' program. No history ever comes up.

It's very strange. This unit is on a UPS backup and the issue started shortly after a software download (checked history and it shows 2/11 and I started noticing the freezing around 2/16 -- albeit I haven't watched a ton of TV due to having a baby).

The downstairs unit has also had the occasional 'blip'. (both HR21s). It's not as bad as the upstairs unit though. The bedroom unit works completely fine. Signal tests show it's not the satellite. Ohh, and rewinding and replaying to see if it's in the recorded content proves it not the shows. The freezes appear random and are never at the same place twice.


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## gb4fan (Jan 25, 2008)

Well just when I thought I'd give Directv a call something else. The TV was off yesterday afternoon when I tried to turn it on for the basketball. Using my remote all my components turned except for the STB. I walked rith up to the STB and flicked the remote several times but stilll nothing. Pushing the STB manually still nothing. So I unplugged it and let it reboot. I was gone for a while and when I came back I say on the screen a message something to the effect of " trying to repair hard drive problem" I saw the message only for a second when it rebooted again. It went thru the reboot process twice before it I finally got a picture. I was going to call Directv to tell them the box was dying but I decided to try some recordings first. The first one I tried worked just fine. The second one "a 2 hour movie" also worked fine though it seems like I seen a slight jerk to the picture every once in a while. I will hold off calling unless I see other problems. Looks like it repaired itself?


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## jaguar325 (Jan 2, 2006)

I have an HR21-700 with the same symptoms described above; a) infrequent Max Headroom-grade stutter (sometimes lasts 30 seconds or more), and b) frequent freezing in the middle of watching pre-recorded material (just started in last few days). By hitting pause, then play multiple times, it will start going again -- not sure if this is from what I'm doing or just time passing. I just assumed it was on the verge of a harddrive meltdown. 

Has anybody tried Doug Brott's method and been successful in stopping the problem? I am reluctant to do a full format that would wipe out my recorded programs. If the latter option or a complete DVR replacement is going to be the only way to fix this, I'd like to get started with recording my shows on my wife's HR20-100 which has no problems (they run side-by-side). 

Thanks,

Big K


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## shocky (Oct 23, 2007)

I called DTV and after an hour of being on the phone I finally hung up on the CSR (can you say completely new..)

I called back.. Said cancel service. They looked at my account and saw I had the protection plan, said they would ship a new unit out. Atleast they gave me credit for the hour I had to spend on the phone with the other CSR. It was rediculous. She just kept me on mute.. In 1 hour she had me reboot the unit and that was it. She had no idea what she was doing.

/rant off.

Sorry had to rant. I tried the method of 'Fix hard drive' and it did not work. It took 2 hours to run and the problem still exists.

As far as reformatting, even if it would work I'm not going to risk losing ALL of my recorded content a second time (incase it is a drive going bad) so I'm just replacing the unit.


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## gb4fan (Jan 25, 2008)

So I come home yesterday and turn on my entertainment system and everything turns on but the STB. I click the on/off button for the STB on the remote and still nothing. I stand next to the STB clicking and still won't go on. I unplug the box an let it reboot. Finally watch some tv. Try to change the channell and I'm frozen. click on everything and nothng works. Unplug the STB and reboot. I have a picture again. Pick up the phone and call DIRECTV. Speak to one CRS for a while then she transfers me to a tech support. Repeat the same information to her. Results? I will be shipped a new STB, should arrive in 2 days.


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## MikeR7 (Jun 17, 2006)

Doug Brott said:


> Folks, DIRECTV has added a recovery system in the most recent firmware download. If you are having issues like this and don't mind waiting a while for the system to recover, you may want to give this a try.
> 
> *Warning:* if it's not broken, please don't run this because the process could take multiple hours to complete.
> 
> ...


I had gotten a refurbished HR21-100 a couple of weeks ago as a $99 valued customer deal. The unit played live TV fine, but recordings or paused buffer play resulted in stuttering and freeze frames. I tried the utility above and was surprised that it took almost 12 hours. But now, as I am home from work it is done and the one recording I had kept plays flawlessly without the problems it had before I ran the hard drive file fix. I hope this continues. Thanks for the tip Doug!!


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## jaguar325 (Jan 2, 2006)

MikeR7 said:


> I had gotten a refurbished HR21-100 a couple of weeks ago as a $99 valued customer deal. The unit played live TV fine, but recordings or paused buffer play resulted in stuttering and freeze frames. I tried the utility above and was surprised that it took almost 12 hours. But now, as I am home from work it is done and the one recording I had kept plays flawlessly without the problems it had before I ran the hard drive file fix. I hope this continues. Thanks for the tip Doug!!


I've been having the same problems.. reached a point last night that Had to switch over to another DVR. I am expecting this to continue and contemplating the same fix. Did you have any programs stored on yours before the procedure? If yes, were they still intact and watchable when you were done?

Thanks,

Big K

Skol Vikings


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## MikeR7 (Jun 17, 2006)

Yes, I had two programs, one which had problems and I watched from a point 8 minutes in where the problems started, and they seemed smoothed out. If you decide to try it I hope you have success also.


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## jaguar325 (Jan 2, 2006)

Crap, I tried the hard drive fix process outlined by Doug Brott and it didn't work. It ran for about 90 min and came back with the message "Passed". I tried playing back a previously recorded program after that and it worked for about 15 mins, then the freezes started - now getting them about every 5 mins (lasting 20-30 seconds). 

Is "passed" the condition I should be hoping for (vs. flagging a problem and fixing it)? Should I try any of the other hard drive tests in the advanced diagnostics? I know at some point I will need to cash-in and tell D* I need a replacement receiver but all these assumed hard drive problems being reported recently sound a little suspicious to me - I am still inclined to think there's something going on with SW/firmware. 

Thanks,

-Big K


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

HD problems are not really suspicious at all. All these hard drive problems are more likely caused by age of the machines than anything else. As the "fleet" of installed HR20's ages, HD problems are going to rise. 24x7x365 spinning of the drive takes a toll after a few years, I think we are around the 2 1/2 to 3 year mark for the introduction of the HR20...also don't forget you will hear about most of the failures here, but you wont hear about hardly any of the "my drive works flawlessly", because they don't post.


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## MikeR7 (Jun 17, 2006)

It turns out that new recordings are having the same problems that I had before. Looks like I'll have to have a tech look at it when he comes out to look at my dead HR20-700 Friday.


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## gb4fan (Jan 25, 2008)

Well the new STB arrived today as promised. It's the HR-22 model. Surprisingly I didn't need to reset my network connection or OTA connection. All I did was connect all the cables called Directv for activation and I was set. The receiver almost immediately downloaded a new update. Now I just need the program guide to completely update and then setup all my recordings. Hopefully I am set for a few years.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

What was your Percentage of Storage Availability left? Were you at less than 10%?


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## gb4fan (Jan 25, 2008)

richierich said:


> What was your Percentage of Storage Availability left? Were you at less than 10%?


Around 70% left. I had been watching as many recorded shows as I could knowing the box was dying.


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## scorer1 (Jun 20, 2006)

Has anyone here replaced their unit and found the problem to reappear with the new unit? DirecTV has told me that it's a software issue that they are working on and that a soon to be released update will fix the problem. If it's hard drive related, the fix will not help - if it's software, I would think it would act the same on a new receiver? I have a service plan so maybe I should just tell them I want a new receiver but I don't want to go through all that just to have the same problems. 
I have a HR20-700
What I was watching (and freezing) yesterday was the only thing I had recorded.
It was recorded on ESPN.
But last time I had problems it was movies recorded during the free Starz preview??

Anyone replaced their's and the problem was gone??


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## jaguar325 (Jan 2, 2006)

scorer1 said:


> Has anyone here replaced their unit and found the problem to reappear with the new unit? DirecTV has told me that it's a software issue that they are working on and that a soon to be released update will fix the problem. If it's hard drive related, the fix will not help - if it's software, I would think it would act the same on a new receiver? I have a service plan so maybe I should just tell them I want a new receiver but I don't want to go through all that just to have the same problems.
> I have a HR20-700
> What I was watching (and freezing) yesterday was the only thing I had recorded.
> It was recorded on ESPN.
> ...


Surprisingly, they sent a technician to my house who replaced my HR-21 with a brand new HR-22. It has worked flawlessly since I got it about 10 days ago (my experience with the install was similar to gb4fan's). I was having so many problems with the old box that is was essentially un-watchable... so, decided I couldn't wait any longer (to see if a SW refresh fixed it).

Good luck!


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## adamson (Nov 9, 2007)

A few years back when I first was installed the HR20-700 was what I received brand new. It worked fine for 7 mos then became exactly what you are experiencing. My earlier posts decry this whole issue period but the now and then bash and beyond fed up I cancelled my account. Since then my locals are HD now on Directv so I am reinstalled with A HR-22 and H23 months later. Same dish, cable, switch...nothing changed other than now using a HR-22. I have to say it has become a dvr 98% reliable and no more freezing, useless recordings! OOOOOHHHH I feel the pain of anyone with the HR20's. To me let it be my opinion Pace is the problem yet there are ones im sure who would differ. HR22-100 now and happy!


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## Church AV Guy (Jul 9, 2007)

One of my three HR21-700s was having this issue. It started out last week Sunday, and by this Sunday, it had gotten so bad the machine was all but unwatchable.


Doug Brott said:


> Folks, DIRECTV has added a recovery system in the most recent firmware download. If you are having issues like this and don't mind waiting a while for the system to recover, you may want to give this a try.
> 
> *Warning:* if it's not broken, please don't run this because the process could take multiple hours to complete.
> 
> ...


Okay, I tried this and it came back saying it was okay, but that had no noticable effect on the pausing problem. Apparently the machine didn't read the message that it was okay, because the pausing only continued to get worse.


harsh said:


> If you could offer some specifics about what channels are having this problem it might be put to good use.
> 
> For the non-DVR drop-outs, the logical assumption is signal loss. How has the weather been lately?


I was not channel specific at all. It was NOT signal loss, because I have three of these, I recorded several programs on two of them at the same time, on the one machine, there were pauses, on the other, it was fine. This is, for me at least, machine specific. I live in the desert in California. We have wind, but rarely any cloud cover. It is not weather related.


jaguar325 said:


> Crap, I tried the hard drive fix process outlined by Doug Brott and it didn't work. It ran for about 90 min and came back with the message "Passed". I tried playing back a previously recorded program after that and it worked for about 15 mins, then the freezes started - now getting them about every 5 mins (lasting 20-30 seconds).
> 
> Is "passed" the condition I should be hoping for (vs. flagging a problem and fixing it)? Should I try any of the other hard drive tests in the advanced diagnostics? I know at some point I will need to cash-in and tell D* I need a replacement receiver but all these assumed hard drive problems being reported recently sound a little suspicious to me - I am still inclined to think there's something going on with SW/firmware.
> 
> ...


I did the same thing, and had the same result. If anything, after the file system passed, the problem got worse.


jaguar325 said:


> Surprisingly, they sent a technician to my house who replaced my HR-21 with a brand new HR-22. It has worked flawlessly since I got it about 10 days ago (my experience with the install was similar to gb4fan's). I was having so many problems with the old box that is was essentially un-watchable... so, decided I couldn't wait any longer (to see if a SW refresh fixed it).
> 
> Good luck!


I had a tech come out too, on an unrelated problem. When he saw the problem, he asked if I wanted a replacement right there. I said yes, and he installed a new (referb) HR22-100 for me.


gb4fan said:


> Around 70% left. I had been watching as many recorded shows as I could knowing the box was dying.


My hard drive free space was over 90%,and it was still doing the pause thing. Here's hoping the replacement does better.

It came in a brown box. that means it has been referbished, right?

There were a couple of shows that hung for so long, the machine asked if I wanted them deleted. When I said no, and then went back and tried to watch the beginning portion again, it immediately asked for a program delete. I could never make it play back the beginning of the recording. I had to reboot the machine to make it play back the earliest portion of the program.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

If the Problem is caused by a Bad Or Marginal Power Supply Issue which mimics "a hard drive going bad symptom" then the hard drive fix will not fix the problem because it is being caused by a lack of power to the hard drive so it Freezes until it gets enough power to continue it's functioning.


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## hillncharge (Jan 24, 2008)

I've have the same problems describe here on my HR20-100. It will freeze a couple of times when I’m watching a recording. Usually, I can rewind it & watch it from there without too many freezes. It would really stink if I lost my recordings. I’m one of those people that will record a bunch of stuff and take forever to watch it. I’m just now getting caught up on Leverage. I have about 22% free space on my hard drive.


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## scorer1 (Jun 20, 2006)

Ok - new software update on Monday night and no problems so far - holding my breath. If it starts up again, then I will replace the HR20-700. Are either the HR21 or the HR22 capable of Off-Air reception? I thought I read somewhere that they are not.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

scorer1 said:


> Are either the HR21 or the HR22 capable of Off-Air reception?


There is an outboard OTA tuner device (AM-21) that allows the newer HD DVRs to incorporate OTA capability. Search of the forums for more detailed information.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

scorer1 said:


> Ok - new software update on Monday night and no problems so far - holding my breath. If it starts up again, then I will replace the HR20-700. Are either the HR21 or the HR22 capable of Off-Air reception? I thought I read somewhere that they are not.


Yes, the HR21, HR22 and HR23 can support OTA with the use of an AM21. If your area receives HD locals via Satellite, you may determine that you no longer need it .. MPEG4 HD from the Sat will take up less space on your HDD than the MPEG2 HD via OTA will.


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## Yog-Sothoth (Apr 8, 2006)

I had similar problems with my HR21 as previous posters:

1. Both recorded and live programs would randomly freeze for about 15 seconds.

2. (later) ALL programs would play with jerky video, but the audio was fine.

I finally broke down and did a full reset and forced a software update (which yurned out to be the same) at the same time. I lost all of my recordings, but the unit seems to work fine now.


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## MikeR7 (Jun 17, 2006)

MikeR7 said:


> It turns out that new recordings are having the same problems that I had before. Looks like I'll have to have a tech look at it when he comes out to look at my dead HR20-700 Friday.


I ended up getting two refurbished HR20-700's. So far so good with these units.


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## Nomis (Oct 16, 2008)

Doug Brott said:


> Folks, DIRECTV has added a recovery system in the most recent firmware download. If you are having issues like this and don't mind waiting a while for the system to recover, you may want to give this a try.
> 
> *Warning:* if it's not broken, please don't run this because the process could take multiple hours to complete.
> 
> ...


Hey. Getting ready to try this but the software version that I am on, 2d7, has 2 reset options: Reset Defaults & Reset Everything. Which one of these do I need to do?

I am having the same problems that others have outlined above. When I called DTV the only suggestion that they had was to swap the cable connections in the back:nono:. I did that and RBR the receiver but that did not seem to solve anything.

-Thx


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## Blackfoot_Bandit (Sep 8, 2007)

Nomis said:


> Hey. Getting ready to try this but the software version that I am on, 2d7, has 2 reset options: Reset Defaults & Reset Everything. Which one of these do I need to do?
> 
> I am having the same problems that others have outlined above. When I called DTV the only suggestion that they had was to swap the cable connections in the back:nono:. I did that and RBR the receiver but that did not seem to solve anything.
> 
> -Thx


Don't choose either of those options unless you want to set all your settings back up, or start over from scratch. A RBR will do the same thing. When you see the screen about the self tests, hit the select key.

I too have been having the same problem on the current NR (2f4 on my HR20) and the previous NR. I ended up unplugging my eSATA drive today and am recording things to the internal drive. If I have no stuttering for the next week, then it proves my external eSATA drive or cable is going bad and is not the DVR or the power supply.


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## Nomis (Oct 16, 2008)

Thanks Blackfoot, found it.

I did a Short Test (had a 5 year-old waiting to watch Thomas) and it came back with a "Fail - 0x77" code after 5%. I found a thread (that I can not post yet but the tread number is 149042) that mentions it but there seemed to be no ideas as to what the code means. I will run the "fix" option later and let you know what it comes back with. 

Gotta say these forums are a LOT better than DTV support... at least we're making a little progress.


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## Yog-Sothoth (Apr 8, 2006)

OK, back to the same issues as a few days ago (selecting a recording immediately prompted me to delete it). Instead of paying DirecTV $99 for another DVR, I decided to add an external hard disk to my existing HR21. Based on recommendations in another thread, I bought a 1TB WD Caviar GP drive and an Antec MX-1 enclosure. My HR21 (upon unplugging it and plugging it back in) immediately recognized the drive, formatted it, and began using it. Menus seem faster now, so that's a bonus. Now for all of my guide data to reappear....

Best Buy had the drive on sale for $114.99, and the enclosure was $69.99. Yes, I could have gotten them cheaper elsewhere, but I have them _now_, and I could have immediately returned them if they hadn't corrected my issues.

[EDIT]

DirecTV2PC is much more responsive now... another bonus.


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## gilviv (Sep 18, 2007)

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=152754
You guys might want to check out the above posts. Many similarities from what I've been reading.


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## Nomis (Oct 16, 2008)

Still having the problem. Tried running the short & long hard drive tests and both failed pretty quickly. Talked to a CSR and the suggested reformatting the drive. Kinda drastic. I guess my question is this, if the drive is going bad, what good is reformatting going to do? Any thoughts?


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Nomis said:


> Talked to a CSR and the suggested reformatting the drive. Kinda drastic. I guess my question is this, if the drive is going bad, what good is reformatting going to do? Any thoughts?


The CSRs read from a Script and the Script says Do This & Do That and one of these is to Reformat the Drive. Just call them back and tell them that you did Reformat the Drive and it still doesn't work. Then Demand a New Replacement and you will then get an HR20. Also, tell them you need BBCs if you do indeed need them because they normally don't think to send them.


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## Nomis (Oct 16, 2008)

richierich said:


> The CSRs read from a Script and the Script says Do This & Do That and one of these is to Reformat the Drive. Just call them back and tell them that you did Reformat the Drive and it still doesn't work. Then Demand a New Replacement and you will then get an HR20. Also, tell them you need BBCs if you do indeed need them because they normally don't think to send them.


Yeah. That's what I did. Stinks that I have lost what I have "on tape" but it'll keep the boss happy.


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## heidic (Apr 21, 2009)

I had this same problem last week on my HR20-700: freezing constantly, jumping to the end, freezing during FF as well as during play. Sometimes, the freeze would happen in the same place, and then it would jump back to the beginning of the show. I could usually get around this by FF'ing past the freeze, but not always. Unlike others, the recording would not "unfreeze" on its own; I had to stop the playback and try again. The "resume" option took me to the beginning of the program, and I could only attempt to FF past the freeze point.

I had a problem with everything I recorded and/or tried to play back last Thursday evening. Since then, things have been fine, but I'm expecting more issues.

The general concensus seems to be a hard drive failure, which makes sense, but doesn't it also seem a bit coincidental that all these hard drives are failing at once? I joined this site for the purpose of adding my story to the mix; I wonder how many others are having similar problems but just monitoring the thread. 

I'm hoping a software upgrade will fix the problems after all...


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## eburr (Oct 18, 2007)

HR20-100 Same issue. Freezes in the middle of watching a recorded program. I am able to restart the recording, but after doing that about three times while watching Fringe, it went directly to the 'keep or delete' question. This just started happening in the last week or so.


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## Yog-Sothoth (Apr 8, 2006)

> HR20-100 Same issue. Freezes in the middle of watching a recorded program. I am able to restart the recording, but after doing that about three times while watching Fringe, it went directly to the 'keep or delete' question. This just started happening in the last week or so.


My HR21-700 would also do that with "live" programming.


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## Sk33t3r (Feb 11, 2008)

My HR21-700 did not start this until I swap the drive from a 320 to a 1.5tb seagate baracuda ST315005N1A1AS-RK, I think I will swap it tomorrow and see what happens, this didnt happen with the original drive. 2 possible things this could be, 1 obvious one bad drive, 2nd possiblity could be power issue, with the ways the heads are slapping, thats what appears to be whats happening.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Sk33t3r said:


> 2 possible things this could be, 1 obvious one bad drive, 2nd possiblity could be power issue, with the ways the heads are slapping, thats what appears to be whats happening.


If it sounds like it is seeking alot, it is most likely a bad drive. They really don't require much power (not as much as many incandescent night lights).


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## Sk33t3r (Feb 11, 2008)

Ill swap it tommorow and find out, I got it at FRYS Wednesday.


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## keep amonte (Oct 2, 2002)

profbobo said:


> From what I've read, that last update (2CB) seems to be causing a few problems for people. I mentioned this in another post but wanted to bring it up again and hopefully explain it better.
> 
> This is not related to the audio brips or the green video pixelation artifacts. This is not related to the "start watching previously recorded program and it jumps to the end with the delete dialog box" issue. Nor is this related to the "start watching previously recorded program and 5 seconds seem to go missing" issue. I've have all these.
> 
> ...


Same issue here. Forced RBR and watched live hockey last night with just some video jitter. Will watch recorded stuff tonight. Cna't believe that all these hard drives are failing. The new release brought these problems to me!


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## brianr67 (May 5, 2009)

Same problem with my HR21-700. Had the problem for 2-3 weeks now. I think I am on software release 2f6 (not at home so can't check for sure, but I know it downloaded on April 29).

I thought maybe it was temperature related since my box is inside a cabinet (internal temp would read ~126). Moved it out of cabinet and temp is ~113, but still has problems.
Problems only occur on recorded shows or on the buffered stream (ie rewound live TV).
Haven't tried the fix hard drive yet, but from other posts I'm not optimistic about that. Hard drive fluctuates from 85-93% full depending on how often we are watching/deleting recent shows.

So, my question is what fix to try next. Should I assume hard drive failure and get an external eSATA drive? Call DirecTV and try to get a free replacement box (I don't own the box, and I'm not on a service plan, but have been a DirecTV customer since ~1994)? Open up the box (and void any warranty, etc.) and look for any failed capacitors on the power supply (my HR10-250 failed this way and you could visibly see the capacitors that had bulged) so that I would know for sure to get a new box and not a new hard disk?

thoughts?
thanks.


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## Yog-Sothoth (Apr 8, 2006)

> Call DirecTV and try to get a free replacement box (I don't own the box, and I'm not on a service plan, but have been a DirecTV customer since ~1994)?


They will do that... for another two year commitment.



> I thought maybe it was temperature related since my box is inside a cabinet (internal temp would read ~126). Moved it out of cabinet and temp is ~113, but still has problems. Problems only occur on recorded shows or on the buffered stream (ie rewound live TV).


Interesting you should mention temperature. Using an eSATA drive, my HR21 now runs at 77 degrees (it used to be well over 110 as I recall).


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Yog-Sothoth said:


> Interesting you should mention temperature. Using an eSATA drive, my HR21 now runs at 77 degrees (it used to be well over 110 as I recall).


When you use an ESATA External Drive the DVRs gives you a standard Default Temperature of 77 Degrees so just ignore that temperature reading as it is bogus.


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## Yog-Sothoth (Apr 8, 2006)

> When you use an ESATA External Drive the DVRs gives you a standard Default Temperature of 77 Degrees so just ignore that temperature reading as it is bogus.


Ah... good to know; thanks.

More info here.


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## ex mailman (May 19, 2006)

I have a h21-100 and having the same freezing on playback. The first csr told me to reformat my hard drive and did not seem to know what he was talking about. I heard him turn the pages of a book turn while he talked to me. I called back and a different csr told me this was a known issue and was caused by the lastest software download. Directv is trying to fix it he said. I really dont know what to think or who to believe. I pay a lot of money a month and I do not think its to much to ask to be able to get the same answer from directv when I call. Everything was find before the last download. I am paying for a drv recorder and can not get a good playback and suppose to wait. Are they going to refund some money back. I dont think so.


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## keep amonte (Oct 2, 2002)

Ok so last night I had enough! Constant freezing on live and recorded material and the Blackhawk game had so much jittering I couldn't stand it. Made the call the CSR denied any known software issues, and said to not bother even reformatting. 2 weeks ago I had an experienced repair guy from case management come out and replace dish, multiswitch, and wiring for searching for sat 771 problem that he seemed to rectify. All was well until this software download! So now I am waiting to hear from case management (or whatever you call them). This sucks!


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## brianr67 (May 5, 2009)

I'm inclined to agree that it is software related and caused by the latest download since so many people just started having this happen. But why doesn't everybody have this problem. It sounds like it is not just the hr21-700, but also other models. I guess it could be a combination of software with certain hard drives, but who knows. Hope DirecTV figures out a fix for this soon.


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## vandergraff (Sep 26, 2007)

brianr67 said:


> I'm inclined to agree that it is software related and caused by the latest download since so many people just started having this happen. But why doesn't everybody have this problem. It sounds like it is not just the hr21-700, but also other models. I guess it could be a combination of software with certain hard drives, but who knows. Hope DirecTV figures out a fix for this soon.


I tend to agree - seeing similar problems since 4/9 0x02f4 update on one of my HR20-100 (the problematic one has a 1TB internal drive). Per the other thread I see:

"Live TV" is fine
Trickplay of Live TV has the stuttering/freezing
All recordings after 4/9 0x02f4 stutter
All the recordings I have tried before 4/9 are fine.

I am running the Directv long hard disk drive diagnostic and we'll see what is says. I am also seeing intermittent Tuner 2 issues since 4/9 0x02f4 update and I wonder if that is the real culprit here.

Have you tried running the system test from set up menu? When I do this I get a Satellite alignment error about 50% of the time. Looking at the Tuner 2 signal levels some transponders are intermittent showing 90 most of the time but drop to 0 for short periods. Seems to have started with 0x02f4.


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## brianr67 (May 5, 2009)

I have not tried the full system test. I don't appear to have any signal problems, but I installed a Single Wire Multiswitch about 3 weeks ago because I had been having problems (for around 1-2 months before that) with tuner 2 losing signal (again from what I've read, it was either a software bug or a problem with the B-band connectors). I also think that my stuttering/freezing started with 2f4 version of the software. Currently, I have 2f5 which was downloaded April 29, but I had the problems start at least 1-2 weeks before that, which I'm guessing is when 2f4 got downloaded.


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## keep amonte (Oct 2, 2002)

Well all,


Case management (I think thats what its called where you get a special phone # and 4 digit pin) is sending me a new dvr (they claim it is a hr22- ill believe it when i see it). The FedEx tracking numbers shows delivery for tomorrow. My total reset has not helped at all and all recorded material is virtually non watchable due to pauses. If I pause live tv, this also causes pauses. Between searching for sat (771) and this, I am slowly loosing all my patience!


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## timbobtom (Sep 7, 2006)

I've had this happen for the last 2 weeks on my HR21-700. RBR at least once a day. Box not responsive to remote. Front panel not responsive to button push. Playing recorded material gives "Delete/Don't Delete?" screen. Live viewing freezing. So the CSR says "Swap the satellite inputs around." As if...

The fish eye from the wife said do something, so I bit the bullet and ordered a $200 replacement. Thank god for the HR10-250 in the back room.


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## captainjrl (Jun 26, 2007)

This has happened to me but it began at least one software release prior. It was on a DVR I use infrequently, but nonetheless I was irritated. I started the hard drive fix utility at about 10:30 last night and it was only at 24% this morning when I checked on it. I will report back if it helped or not hopefully by this evening


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## edamon (May 9, 2009)

timbobtom said:


> I've had this happen for the last 2 weeks on my HR21-700. RBR at least once a day. Box not responsive to remote. Front panel not responsive to button push. Playing recorded material gives "Delete/Don't Delete?" screen. Live viewing freezing. So the CSR says "Swap the satellite inputs around." As if...
> 
> The fish eye from the wife said do something, so I bit the bullet and ordered a $200 replacement. Thank god for the HR10-250 in the back room.


same problem. started with 0x2F5.

Got the same responses from DTV, swap inputs and "re-format".

If I red button reset - it's good for ~24-48 hours before the problems creep back in.

This is a software issue, however, DTV has noted that -- but are telling all their CSR's to tell people to "reformat".

All I can say is I'm quickly losing patience with DTV. The service has been good, but as of late, they are acting like a company about to go under. As it stands, they said "re-format" or we won't send out a new box. Even though all the issues started with the latest software upgrade and the problems go away for a while after hard reseting. They creep back after letting it run for a while... which reeks software bug.

-d


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## keep amonte (Oct 2, 2002)

I reformatted and things got worse. I have a new HR-22 and all seems to be well. Yes it may have started as software, but in my opinion, it might have done something to my hard drive.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

It's not software, or it would affect everyone, not just a handful on this board. Most of you have hard drives that are failing. The reboot that took place for the updates is what brought it to the surface. Not the update itself.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

How much available space do you have left for recordings?


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## edamon (May 9, 2009)

As far as the "reboot" pulling the issues to the forefront, I don't agree. I've had to red button at least one a month for various issues. The fact that the DVR operates normally now, since the latest update for a period of time says it's not hardware. A bad sector is a bad sector. If that was the case, it'd show itself right away, not after 24hrs~ use. Problems creeping up after a system has been on for a while say software problem. You can't mask a hardware failure. Especially on a device that lives off a hard drive. 

As for free space, personally, I've got 30% free.

-d


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## EricJRW (Jul 6, 2008)

I finally got fed up and called support. Without much hassle they are sending a replacement at no cost to me.

I not only had freezing/pausing (sometimes just video, sometimes video and audio) during playback, but live as well (but I suspect even "live" is coming out of the buffer, or at least via the hard drive). I also had massive stuttering. I also had full system lockups. A couple times after RBRs I saw the "need to check the disk" screen. I also saw over temperature screens too, even though the DVR has plenty of breathing room. I also did full power removal, which did not help (for long) either.

If my wife had to endure one more bad playback, I'm the one would have been permanently _paused_.

So my advice, call support. Most of us don't own the equipment anymore. There is no reason that we should have to put up with it when it does not work correctly. Since not everyone has problems, hopefully it is just certain bad units. Get it replaced. If this does not fix it, I'll be canceling and going with AT&T U-verse.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

A bad sector will not show itself right away. It depends on where that bad sector is located and when it is accessed. I had a bad sector where Partition B was located and my software was on Partition A. The new software was then downloaded to Partition B and when Partition B was activated I had problems. Also you video recordings may be written to a part of the drive that has a bad sector and when you try to access it it will try for a long period of time to resolve the read problem and it may or may not be successful. I had to run SpinRite Data Recovery to get the software off of the bad sector and take the bad sector out of service by flagging it as bad and replacing it with a good sector.


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## captainjrl (Jun 26, 2007)

EricJRW said:


> I finally got fed up and called support. Without much hassle they are sending a replacement at no cost to me.


Do you have the protection plan?


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## EricJRW (Jul 6, 2008)

That's a good theory... If I was going guess, I would say whatever section is used to buffer live TV might be bad... But only if that somehow carries over to writing bad data when actually recording... Anyway, it's all moot now... 

Just checked FedEx. Replacement unit arrives tomorrow.

Give me an excuse to clean up the rats nest behind the TV and other gear.


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## EricJRW (Jul 6, 2008)

captainjrl said:


> Do you have the protection plan?


No I do not... But I guess since we (new customers at least) don't own the DVR, we don't have to pay to get the problem sorted out.


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## vandergraff (Sep 26, 2007)

richierich said:


> A bad sector will not show itself right away. It depends on where that bad sector is located and when it is accessed. I had a bad sector where Partition B was located and my software was on Partition A. The new software was then downloaded to Partition B and when Partition B was activated I had problems. Also you video recordings may be written to a part of the drive that has a bad sector and when you try to access it it will try for a long period of time to resolve the read problem and it may or may not be successful. I had to run SpinRite Data Recovery to get the software off of the bad sector and take the bad sector out of service by flagging it as bad and replacing it with a good sector.


I still find it starnge that ALL recordings after the last update have the stuttering problem and ALL recordings before the update do not. We have deleted a lot of material to see if some new recordings would be OK - but no difference.

Live TV never has the problem,


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

Hey,

I had this issue. Sound drops, apparent pixelation and freezing concurrently, happening on recorded shows and beginning right around the time of the latest software (04/14). This is an HR20.

It was becoming so bad that TV was unwatchable. I ended up determining my issue was heat. I took my external drive out of the cabinet with the HR20 and it lowered the temp from 129 to 120 and the problem went away.

I have a recording that exhibited the behavior and if I put the eSata back in and let the temp rise, it does this. Keeping it out it never does. I've been 6 days now without a single occurence after going several weeks experiencing it constantly.

So, for what it's worth, check your temperature.

Good luck, just wanted to drop a successful data point.


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## brianr67 (May 5, 2009)

Xaa,

Good to hear somebody else suspects heat/temperature. I have a HR21-700 with the problem. Last night, watched a recorded show with no problems (Finding Nemo) that has been recorded since last fall, whereas other nights when the kids watch it, it freezes periodically. For me, it appears that the temp of 115 and below has very few problems, and once it gets above that, problems occur. I have already moved the DVR out of the cabinet it was in, but that doesn't always prevent the problem. May need to get a fan to blow air away from the DVR. I still think that somehow the software release affects/caused the problem, because the DVR used to run OK at the higher temperatures. I'm hoping the next software release fixes this up.


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## captainjrl (Jun 26, 2007)

EricJRW said:


> No I do not... But I guess since we (new customers at least) don't own the DVR, we don't have to pay to get the problem sorted out.


This is confirmed for me. The first CSR wanted to charge me, but the second replaced it at no charge.


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## Haako (Aug 2, 2008)

I have an HR21-100 with an external drive (Rosewill Enclosure with a 1 TB WD Green Drive). Ive been having the "Freezing" Issue alot as of late while trying to watch recorded material - for sure it started in the last month of so. 

I got around to do doing the HD Tests last night when i had a chance. All the tests started failing. Hooked up the drive to computer and started running WD Diags - came up as read errors and bad sectors almost immediately (I remember Raw Read Error Rate as one of the flags). Hooked it back up to the DVR and left it running "Fix the HD" all Night - Seemed to have gotten stuck at 11% for over 8 Hours - So bad HD It seems.

Gonna try to watch as much stuff as i can this weekend and start an RMA for it next week. The Drive itself has only been in use 6 months


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