# HR34 Genie, version 0x05D4 - Issues/Discussion



## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

This is the official Issues and Discussion thread for HR34, version 0x05D4

Release notes: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=211393

_We ask that you keep polite and focused within this thread, and post as much detail as possible. If your receiver is set up for network issue reporting, please post the key generated by the receiver.

Being part of the DBSTalk community means working together to help each other document issues and come up with solutions. While everyone gets upset from time to time, this is not the appropriate place for vents or rants. All off-topic posts and discussion will be deleted.

Thanks!_


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## ebox4greg (Dec 3, 2012)

Is this the release everyone's been waiting on to fix some of the H34/C31 gray screen issues?

I got it at 4:51 this morning. Receiver was on, but non responsive. Had to reboot twice.


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## bnwrx (Dec 29, 2007)

The "Cancel Future Recording Bug" is still present........


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## c6duffman (Dec 11, 2011)

ebox4greg said:


> Is this the release everyone's been waiting on to fix some of the H34/C31 gray screen issues?
> 
> I got it at 4:51 this morning. Receiver was on, but non responsive. Had to reboot twice.


It's probably to early to tell, but, so far I've not had a gray screen. And I've turned my C31 off and on a bunch of times.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

bnwrx said:


> The "Cancel Future Recording Bug" is still present........


Nearly impossible to tell what was and was not fixed given the lack of info Directv gives out in release notes. I've never seen another company with release notes so vague and completely non-informative.


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## Barry in Conyers (Jan 14, 2008)

bnwrx said:


> The "Cancel Future Recording Bug" is still present........


That is not a "bug"; it is poorly written firmware combined with poor pre-release testing and / or poor release management.


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## FlyingDiver (Dec 4, 2002)

Barry in Conyers said:


> That is not a "bug"; it is poorly written firmware combined with poor pre-release testing and / or poor release management.


In other words, a buggy implementation.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Thanks for the upgrade. The HR34 now has a 'mode' issue with my Samsung LN52A650.

The connection is getting better, but it keeps losing A/V frequently.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

bnwrx said:


> The "Cancel Future Recording Bug" is still present........


If it not fix after three software upgrades, you can practically forget about it getting fixed. You see, only a small percentage of customers check their ToDo List, so we don't matter.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Drucifer said:


> Thanks for the upgrade. The HR34 now has a 'mode' issue with my Samsung LN52A650.
> 
> The connection is getting better, but it keeps losing A/V frequently.


For those that got this, a RBR (Red Button Reset) seems to have fixed the mode - no A/V issue.


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## Drinyth (Nov 9, 2012)

c6duffman said:


> It's probably to early to tell, but, so far I've not had a gray screen. And I've turned my C31 off and on a bunch of times.


Please report back if you do. I just saw that this got released today and haven't had time yet to play around with it and try things out.

This will probably be my best Christmas present if it really does fix the problem that we've been having!


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## dsw2112 (Jun 13, 2009)

Drucifer said:


> If it not fix after three software upgrades, you can practically forget about it getting fixed. You see, only a small percentage of customers check their ToDo List, so we don't matter.


That issue is not limited to the To Do list. It happens in any means used to cancel a future recording; guide, smart search, ToDo, etc.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Deletion of a recording program via its More Info still doesn't always take you back to the PlayList. Instead you are sent to the channel of the last live show you were watching. 

This is a real pain in the butt if you are watching shows from a folder midway in your PlayList.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

More Info 'View Upcoming' for all Remote Recordings on the Genie PlayList sill gives a false NONE.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

The Up & Down White Arrows or Triangles are still missing from the Genie PlayList.


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## TMan (Oct 31, 2007)

Yawn. More half-baked software.

C31 would only show gray screen, or just the clock in corner, or messed up guide over gray background. Had to reboot HR34 after C31 red button reset didn't help.


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## KK in CT (Jul 13, 2010)

Just got this release last night. So far only change I've noticed is the guide is much slower now. Much slower.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

KJK in CT, new software repopulates the Guide. Give it 24 hours before judging the unit's speed. What you are experiencing can happen in the meantime.


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## Jerry_K (Oct 22, 2006)

KK in CT said:


> Just got this release last night. So far only change I've noticed is the guide is much slower now. Much slower.


True to form, it is a real downgrade. Please bring back the SD GUI


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

So we'll put you down as _iffy_?


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## aldiesel (Oct 27, 2006)

When using double play the 2nd tuner shows black screen on all HD channels. Analog channels play OK.


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## KK in CT (Jul 13, 2010)

"Carl Spock" said:


> KJK in CT, new software repopulates the Guide. Give it 24 hours before judging the unit's speed. What you are experiencing can happen in the meantime.


Good point. Hopefully in time the speed will improve.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

KK in CT said:


> Just got this release last night. So far only change I've noticed is the guide is much slower now. Much slower.


In my first problem [above] with this version, I mentioned doggyness to their tech and he had me turn off scrolling and confirm that native was off. It seems these two features, if either is selected, will turn Genie into a lazy dog.


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## aldiesel (Oct 27, 2006)

aldiesel said:


> When using double play the 2nd tuner shows black screen on all HD channels. Analog channels play OK.


A reset fixed the issue.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

I see the idiot reminder of disk space is back.


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## Drinyth (Nov 9, 2012)

ebox4greg said:


> Is this the release everyone's been waiting on to fix some of the H34/C31 gray screen issues?
> 
> I got it at 4:51 this morning. Receiver was on, but non responsive. Had to reboot twice.





c6duffman said:


> It's probably to early to tell, but, so far I've not had a gray screen. And I've turned my C31 off and on a bunch of times.





Drinyth said:


> Please report back if you do. I just saw that this got released today and haven't had time yet to play around with it and try things out.
> 
> This will probably be my best Christmas present if it really does fix the problem that we've been having!


No joy. I've already read of several reports of people having the C31 black/grey screen issue after the 0x5D4 update. I had it myself on my units tonight.


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

Jerry_K said:


> True to form, it is a real downgrade. Please bring back the SD GUI


So far I've not seen any improvement with 0x05d4.

1. For a lot of channel changes, it still shows that TO RECORD THIS EPISODE graphic. You must lose it before your remote responds to the next command. I say this graphic should not appear if you have RECORDING TIPS turned off, which I do.

2. The blue highlight still jumps off to the left of the screen when I scroll down through the guide. Very annoying.

3. Worst of all for me and my particular HR34, the FFWD > PLAY > AUTO-REWIND function still does not work properly. At first if did. In fact, it rewound way too far. Then it started to AUTO-BACKSPACE about the right amount of time. Now, most of the time anyway for me and my HR34, it hardly AUTO-REWINDS at all. Certainly not nearly enough to compensate for my cat-like reflexes.

4. Sometimes when I go into FFWD, especially speed setting 4, the picture just freezes.

5. So far, one (only one (ha ha)) lock-up. Had to hit the red button.

Finally, this is new to all of the HR34 releases, i.e. never happened before for me, the first time I recorded something with 0x05d4, when I hit the STOP button, no dialog box appeared. You know the box that says KEEP RECORDING, CHANGE RECORDING SETTINGS, and STOP. I had to hit (its all I know how to do) the RECORD button about twenty five times before the dialog box appeared.


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## Twister18 (Dec 22, 2004)

ebox4greg said:


> Is this the release everyone's been waiting on to fix some of the H34/C31 gray screen issues?
> 
> I got it at 4:51 this morning. Receiver was on, but non responsive. Had to reboot twice.


I had to reboot mine once. Said the resolution was not supported?


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## lansbury (Jun 29, 2007)

I have mention in threads on other software versions a problem getting the "upgrade". My HR34 hangs at the first attempt to download the software at the searching for software screen with 0% downloaded. Takes a red button reset to start the box again. The second attempt at the upgrade has always gone successfully.

With this version the box is hanging every time at the searching for software screen. 3 times so far. I am having to reboot the box each time I turn it on.


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## apinkel (May 28, 2004)

I've had AV sync issues twice now while playing back pre-recorded programs. I stop and restart playback and it clears up.


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## Strayshot (Apr 25, 2012)

*Still* can't see folders on the DVR via DirecTV2PC.

I keep seeing comments over on the DirecTV forums that they supposedly know about the issue and a fix is in place..... I guess that'll happen anout the same time as a nomad app for the android system.


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## jcwest (May 3, 2006)

Apparently I'm the only one in TV Land that cares but the bug that causes the small PIP to freeze if you accidentally tune the main window to the same channel.

After next week they will have a whole year to fix this because when the NFL goes away there isn't anything else that I will use PIP for.

J C


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Is this true if you are flipping between recorded versions of the games?


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## jcwest (May 3, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> Is this true if you are flipping between recorded versions of the games?


Don't know I have only experienced it during live broadcast.

J C


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## bobvick1983 (Mar 21, 2007)

This version has been awful for my HR34, it is practically nonresponsive when I am trying to browse through my List. It is so bad I am thinking about swapping it out for one of my HR24's that I rarely use. Then I will try the HR34 again when a new version comes out. I have never had this much trouble with a version, and I have had the HR34 since last December when it came out.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

jcwest said:


> Don't know I have only experienced it during live broadcast.
> 
> J C


I guess I was subliminally suggesting you try same. Both as a test and as a temporary workaround.


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

bobvick1983 said:


> This version has been awful for my HR34, it is practically nonresponsive when I am trying to browse through my List. It is so bad I am thinking about swapping it out for one of my HR24's that I rarely use. Then I will try the HR34 again when a new version comes out. I have never had this much trouble with a version, and I have had the HR34 since last December when it came out.


Huzza! Huzza!


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

bobvick1983 said:


> This version has been awful for my HR34, it is practically nonresponsive when I am trying to browse through my List. It is so bad I am thinking about swapping it out for one of my HR24's that I rarely use. Then I will try the HR34 again when a new version comes out. I have never had this much trouble with a version, and I have had the HR34 since last December when it came out.


Make sure two features - Native and Scrolling are turned off. Especially Scrolling.

And for the record, the software for the HR34 hast been crappy since day one. And all they do, is it just keep adding on to bad code.


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## philiphotog (Nov 28, 2012)

Yup. Same issues. Locked up black screen with just the clock in top right corner. Took three days to lock after a red button reset. 
On the plus side, response times seem quicker when accessing the guide and list. It took three to four days for a reset instead of every other day. Time will tell if this is a continuous bug. 
However, a new issue at least on my DVR since this update is rewinding and forwarding a live program when recording. No response at all, just the bong. The only way to clear is turn off on the c-31.


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## Madhatter01 (May 22, 2007)

When I bring up the guide, it's very laggy scrolling. The hr34 is over all laggy coming from the hr24.


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## jcwest (May 3, 2006)

One thing I noticed running 05d4 is that coming out of standby the current channel has buffer in tact. Don't remember this happening in previous versions.

My HR34 is performing well under this release, I am not experiencing delays as others have mentioned.

J C


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## pappasbike (Sep 19, 2006)

Madhatter01 said:


> When I bring up the guide, it's very laggy scrolling. The hr34 is over all laggy coming from the hr24.


If you had experienced an HR21 you wouldn't be complaining at all. This 34 that I've only had for about 3 weeks has been such an improvement for me that its quirks are easy to tolerate. Also, I haven't checked yet, if as the last poster mentioned, the buffer is there when coming out of standby that would be a big improvement with this software.


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## Strog (Dec 20, 2011)

While I don't have any major issues that most have, the one improvement I noticed is the network\internet connection between my router and the HR34 doesn't drop anymore when HR34 goes into standby.


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

Well the newest update, 0x5d4 rolled in a few days ago.... Locking up issue from a pause still not working. Had it. Called DTV, tech ran me thru the normal stuff, which I stated i have done at least 75+ times since owning this unit, yet i did it anyway to entertain the situation. Paused back to the future, pressed play it did not start up, Buffer recording it, yet rewind and play would yield no play results. Tried another random channel same results. Been a month plus now of this issue and increasing. Always takes a channel change then back to resume live.

Told tech new update I got was supposed to fix this, yet it did not. At the end he said the engineers are aware of this issue and to expect another update by weeks end and perhaps more next week. He claims they are not replacing Genies for lockups etc, as many are calling in with the same situations and more and sending a replacement would be a course of futility.

So there it is, a 1 year unit plus (Ive had it for 2 months) and we are beta testers. I asked about the last update and he kinda said it was to test to see if the fix would stop the issues, a hot fix if you will.... It did not and to expect more updates. I'm just about ready to flip out on DTV for this. I'm not a beta tester and reply was we are aware of the issue.... Conversation ended. I'm tired of this ****. I love the extra tuners, but how much more can a person take... Damn..


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## jonesron (Jun 23, 2007)

My HR34 locked up twice today - totally unresponsive to the remote. I had to do a hard reset and the 1st time I did the reset the DVR starting booting up then the message on the screen indicated it needed to scan the hard disc. After several hours it reported it had found more than 16,000 errors and had only fixed 65. It never moved past this screen reporting the results. I then pulled the power plug and it booted up, but very slowing (took about 10 min. longer than normal). When it did come up everything seemed to be work, but all 80 or so season passes were lost. A couple of hours later it locked up again and rebooted normally after a hard reset. I suspect the new firmware contributed to this odd behavior.


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## philiphotog (Nov 28, 2012)

Sounds like a bad hard drive. How long have you had it?


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

philiphotog said:


> Sounds like a bad hard drive. How long have you had it?


DTV are denying HD issues and its a software issue. Everything points to a bad HD yet DTV wont agree and said there engineers are aware of it. So the saga continues..


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I don't think software would report 16,000 errors that weren't there. I might be temped to call and say it won't turn on...


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

dpeters11 said:


> I don't think software would report 16,000 errors that weren't there. I might be temped to call and say it won't turn on...


And yet run the Hard Drive repair bits overnight perhaps?


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

I for one did a surface scan 2 or 3 times..No issues found, yet freezing screen and pausing not starting back up when play pressed issues.


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## jonesron (Jun 23, 2007)

philiphotog said:


> Sounds like a bad hard drive. How long have you had it?


I agree, that's what it sounded like to me. Directv CSR said it was likely an issue with the new firmware. I haven't had any other serious issues (a few minor issues of course) with the unit since it was installed last May. By the way all recorded programs, series passes, etc. were wiped out after yesterday's unexpected disc scan. I've not had any more lockups or other issues today. I hope this is a firmware issue and will be corrected by the next release.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Ron-

I'd be inclined to run all tests you can now before you build up series links, recordings, etc. 

Best of luck.


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## jonesron (Jun 23, 2007)

Laxguy said:


> Ron-
> 
> I'd be inclined to run all tests you can now before you build up series links, recordings, etc.
> 
> Best of luck.


Anyone know how to force a disc scan on the HR34. I haven't seen anything in the user menus to do the scan. This unit is in a seasonal home where I live in the summer then just for a week, or so, around Christmas. So I'll only be here for a couple of more days. I guess I will have to resolve the issue when I return about 5 months from now.


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

I've posted about this before:

1. With 0x05d4, just as with previous releases, if I manually tune to a station that is not on my favorites list and then tune to another station that is, if I then hit the PREV button to go back to the "non-favorites" channel, the HR34 does not go there. Instead it goes to the top listed channel on the LAST FOUR list which, for some reason, is not the non-favorite channel I was just tuned to. Somehow the LAST FOUR list does not store and list channels that are not on my (I say my because someone will say they don't have this problem) favorites list. My HR24 and 23 don't have this bug.

2. With 0x05d4, just as with previous releases, if I try to record a short partial, say 20 seconds or less, oftentimes when I try to play that partial back I only get a black screen. I did a side-by-side test this morning with my HR34 and HR24 recording the exact same 20 second partial. The HR24 played it back fine, the HR34 didn't. Here's what I found, however. If I don't delete the HR34 partial that, at first, won't play back and just let it sit on the hard drive and "incubate" for a while, sooner or later it will play back, that is if it's not too short. Forget it for partials that are six seconds or less even though the HR34 always adds, for some infernal reason, a lot more time to the partial well after you press the STOP button. I wish STOP meant STOP -- right then and there.


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

From my readings on this site I thought if I reset my HR34 by pressing the red button only once, the GUIDE listings for the future wouldn't disappear. Yesterday they did. Sometimes when I press the red button, the future GUIDE listings don't disappear. Is there a way to reboot my HR34 without losing the GUIDE? Thanks!


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

If I watch a recorded video, when when it gets to the end, I get: YES, DELETE on the top and NO, DON'T DELETE on the bottom. The NO, DON'T DELETE is the one highlighted. That is correct. However if I highlight a particular video I have saved that's on a LIST and press DELETE, the same dialog will appear but YES, DELETE is highlighted. In spite of the fact that you originally selected DELETE, I say that NO, DON'T DELETE should be the choice highlighted so you have to take an extra step to delete a particular video instead of making a bone-headed mistake because, for some reason, your mind is in Disneyland.


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## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

jibberyerkibber said:


> From my readings on this site I thought if I reset my HR34 by pressing the red button only once, the GUIDE listings for the future wouldn't disappear. Yesterday they did. Sometimes when I press the red button, the future GUIDE listings don't disappear. Is there a way to reboot my HR34 without losing the GUIDE? Thanks!


You should only be using the red button to reboot when the unit is completely locked up. Any other time you want to reboot you should use a Menu reboot. You'll find that in Menu > info and settings > reset > reboot receiver.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

jibberyerkibber said:


> If I watch a recorded video, when when it gets to the end, I get: YES, DELETE on the top and NO, DON'T DELETE on the bottom. The NO, DON'T DELETE is the one highlighted. That is correct. However if I highlight a particular video I have saved that's on a LIST and press DELETE, the same dialog will appear but YES, DELETE is highlighted. In spite of the fact that you originally selected DELETE, I say that NO, DON'T DELETE should be the choice highlighted so you have to take an extra step to delete a particular video instead of making a bone-headed mistake because, for some reason, your mind is in Disneyland.


I believe the way it is now is the correct way; at least it's what I prefer. There is an extra step, the "Yes, Delete". The other way is two extra steps.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

jibberyerkibber said:


> From my readings on this site I thought if I reset my HR34 by pressing the red button only once, the GUIDE listings for the future wouldn't disappear. Yesterday they did. Sometimes when I press the red button, the future GUIDE listings don't disappear. Is there a way to reboot my HR34 without losing the GUIDE? Thanks!


As Runner pointed out, the Menu reset is "a good thing." To flush the guide on purpose, you'd do two Menu resets within 30 minutes. I believe sometimes the Guides are flushed by DIRECTV® on purpose.


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

Laxguy said:


> I believe the way it is now is the correct way; at least it's what I prefer. There is an extra step, the "Yes, Delete". The other way is two extra steps.


Laxguy I don't get your point. With my scheme the only extra step would be to use an arrow key to move the highlight from DON'T DELETE to DELETE. One step.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

jibberyerkibber said:


> Laxguy I don't get your point. With my scheme the only extra step would be to use an arrow key to move the highlight from DON'T DELETE to DELETE. One step.


Then you hit Select; two steps. The other way you hit Select only, no?


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

Laxguy said:


> Then you hit Select; two steps. The other way you hit Select only, no?


Yes. but I said EXTRA step. Moving the highlight from DON'T DELETE to DELETE is only one step, the extra step.


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## Jerry_K (Oct 22, 2006)

All that delete complexity can be solved easily with a deleted items folder.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

jibberyerkibber said:


> Yes. but I said EXTRA step. Moving the highlight from DON'T DELETE to DELETE is only one step, the extra step.


Yes, it all depends on one's view/starting point. I see the first confirm as an extra step; the having to arrow to another choice is a second extra step.


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## augisdad (Sep 29, 2011)

Was watching TV live yesterday morning and paused it @ 9:04. Came back to "live" TV early evening - still had the Frozen screen paused @ 9:04, but buffer was in the 5pm range. Was unable to play any of the buffer until I got it up to the time when I switched to live TV (around 6:15). Tried rewinding to beginning of buffer, but nothing played - screen would show whatever screenshot was last being displayed when rewinding.


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## unixguru (Jul 9, 2007)

Congratulations DTV... another POS software release! :nono2:

One step forward (HR34/C31 whole home and Youtube working) and 2 steps backward (freezes? crashes? really?!!!).

Latest freeze here crashed the HR34. Assuming these POS report home... may DTV receive so many that they are overloaded.

While I welcome features finally working I don't think it's a move in the right direction when the most basic things FAIL.


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## RACJ2 (Aug 2, 2008)

I hate to post this and jinx myself, but this seems like the most stable release in quite some time. My PIP and swap are working great, with no lockups so far.


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## narcolept (Mar 1, 2007)

jibberyerkibber said:


> So far I've not seen any improvement with 0x05d4.
> 
> 3. Worst of all for me and my particular HR34, the FFWD > PLAY > AUTO-REWIND function still does not work properly. At first if did. In fact, it rewound way too far. Then it started to AUTO-BACKSPACE about the right amount of time. Now, most of the time anyway for me and my HR34, it hardly AUTO-REWINDS at all. Certainly not nearly enough to compensate for my cat-like reflexes.
> 
> 4. Sometimes when I go into FFWD, especially speed setting 4, the picture just freezes.


same


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

Jerry_K said:


> All that delete complexity can be solved easily with a deleted items folder.


The biggest what I call "crime" DTV commits against its customers: not having a method to recover deleted files. How about for this for starters: you delete a file, then the next message on the screen says "DO YOU WANT TO RECOVER THE DELETED FILE. YES/NO/"


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## TMan (Oct 31, 2007)

jibberyerkibber said:


> The biggest what I call "crime" DTV commits against its customers: not having a method to recover deleted files. How about for this for starters: you delete a file, then the next message on the screen says "DO YOU WANT TO RECOVER THE DELETED FILE. YES/NO/"


If not a double prompt, a "Deleted Items" folder would be nice.

My old TiVo has such a folder, where recently-deleted programs would stay for several hours. Very handy on several occasions.


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## patmurphey (Dec 21, 2006)

Jerry_K said:


> All that delete complexity can be solved easily with a deleted items folder.


After all my years with Dish, they finally added a deleted recordings folder to the Hopper, keeps them for 2 days.


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

The biggest crime to me is that after a year plus they still cant get the genie to work as intended. Close second is the loss of timers. My god let the remote hold the info or even better let us save them for easy re-download from your website. Last but not least hire a new set of firmware designers, a group that deals with customer support that actually listens to requests and get more people that speak English naturally and not some oxy moron who only replies with the emotion only a teleprompter can deliver. 

Happy New Year


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## KK in CT (Jul 13, 2010)

"Datagg" said:


> The biggest crime to me is that after a year plus they still cant get the genie to work as intended. Close second is the loss of timers. My god let the remote hold the info or even better let us save them for easy re-download from your website. Last but not least hire a new set of firmware designers, a group that deals with customer support that actually listens to requests and get more people that speak English naturally and not some oxy moron who only replies with the emotion only a teleprompter can deliver.
> 
> Happy New Year


I agree that is very disappointing. Perhaps they don't have the right people (skill set wise) working on it. There must be some programmer out there that could resolve some of the issues people continue to put up with.


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## parshooter75 (Apr 24, 2012)

I am new as a DTV subsciber, but have been in the A/V industry for about 7 years as an AMX/Crestron programmer. DTV is my favorite for integration due to the availability of the SHEF protocol, however I am not happy now that I have the HR34 and 3 clients installed in my home as of 10 days ago. I frequently have to reboot the clients due to the "grey" screen issue, inability to reliably stream a movie, and not able at this time to control the C31 via SHEF commands. Much of this can be overlooked but the grey screen issue is pretty serious from an integration point of view. I see that this is a known issue, is there a fix in the works? Will the C31's ever be able to process SHEF commands?


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## unixguru (Jul 9, 2007)

KK in CT said:


> I agree that is very disappointing. Perhaps they don't have the right people (skill set wise) working on it. There must be some programmer out there that could resolve some of the issues people continue to put up with.


That would require management to have half a brain.


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

unixguru said:


> Congratulations DTV... another POS software release! :nono2:
> 
> One step forward (HR34/C31 whole home and Youtube working) and 2 steps backward (freezes? crashes? really?!!!).
> 
> ...


What does POS mean? Thanks.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

*P*iece *O*f *S*hi...

FWIW, I find this software an improvement over 0x05D3.


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## unixguru (Jul 9, 2007)

Carl Spock said:


> *
> FWIW, I find this software an improvement over 0x05D3. *


*

Do you have a C31?

The HR34 itself may very well have improved. The C31 is worse - and it wasn't good before.

The C31/RVU stuff is yet another far premature "release". Reminds me of an ancient adage of poor management/"engineering"... If it compiles... ship it!. Or in this case, may be more If it doesn't burst into flames...*


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## utmba95 (May 4, 2008)

Playing HD recording of the local news and the screen saver comes on every few minutes even though the audio is still playing. Hitting play brings back the video. There should be an option to kill the screen saver anyway!


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## Jerry_K (Oct 22, 2006)

utmba95 said:


> Playing HD recording of the local news and the screen saver comes on every few minutes even though the audio is still playing. Hitting play brings back the video. There should be an option to kill the screen saver anyway!


The screen saver should take more button pushes than the to do list to activate. It should be off by default. Only if you have some old antiquated display from 1960 should you need a screen saver. DUMB

No C31 every update is a downgrade with more things that do not work properly.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Just lost the Guide background image and I am left with a solid white background.

Why can't the Guide default background color be a shade of blue instead of bright white?


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## RACJ2 (Aug 2, 2008)

RACJ2 said:


> I hate to post this and jinx myself, but this seems like the most stable release in quite some time. My PIP and swap are working great, with no lockups so far.


It took a few days, but back to having slowdowns while something is recording. Press "Exit" to stop a recording and 10+ seconds of a black screen. Press "List" and the back ground appears right away, but the actual recordings list takes several seconds to populate. Also, takes several seconds to respond to any commands from the remote. Ugg!


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

It's time to face it.. We are over charged Beta Testers.


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

Carl Spock said:


> *P*iece *O*f *S*hi..
> 
> Piece of S#*T! Excellent! Took the words right out of my mouth. So far in its short lifetime, 0x05d4 has frozen up on me five times. Fortunately haven't had to reboot yet.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Rebooting, when done on one's own time schedule, is *"a good thing™"* from time to time.


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## jcwest (May 3, 2006)

For us the HR34 has been a real work horse. We have had the box for about six months and it had a few minor quirks right out of the box with original s/w whatever that was, can't remember off hand. After a couple of s/w updates performance has been very stable.

The only "serious" issue we've had was a few weeks ago when a few of us experienced the box locking up during a reboot.
The "double reboot" fixed that and it's been smooth sailing since.

Some of the problems being reported here seems to be a box that needs to be replaced, just saying.

J C


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## philiphotog (Nov 28, 2012)

For me it's not the hr34 that's the problem. It's the clients with black screens every 3-4 days. That in turn means the 34 needs rebooting.


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## unixguru (Jul 9, 2007)

Laxguy said:


> Rebooting, when done on one's own time schedule, is *"a good thing™"* from time to time.


A sad reality in the 21st century after more than 6 decades of evolution.

It doesn't *have* to be that way. It only *is* that way because producers and consumers (majority) alike are willing to accept software that is of poor quality.

There are lots of cases where this is *not* acceptable. It's quite common in large-scale enterprise environments to have systems running for *years* without a reboot (and then only due to upgrade or hardware replacement/maintenance). I've seen many a Solaris (UNIX operating system) system do that. And of course all "life-critical" (avionics, boats, autos, medical devices, etc) are also like that.

Consumers should demand more.


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

jcwest said:


> Some of the problems being reported here seems to be a box that needs to be replaced, just saying.
> 
> J C


I called went through "Tech" steps with a 'tech" that I already did30 times plus already and it locked up on pauses. After about 45 minutes he said they are aware of the issue and to expect new updates rolling out to address this issue. I said it was a bad HD, he says its bad software and they wont replace it until they exhausted there firmware updates. New one didn't help, asked will the next one.... he said unknown yet we are aware of the issue and no replacements are given out at this time.

There something else Ill tell you that.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

unixguru said:


> It's quite common in large-scale enterprise environments to have systems running for *years* without a reboot (and then only due to upgrade or hardware replacement/maintenance). I've seen many a Solaris (UNIX operating system) system do that. And of course all "life-critical" (avionics, boats, autos, medical devices, etc) are also like that.
> 
> Consumers should demand more.


Yes, they should. And then they should be willing to pay $1,000 (at least) for a DVR.

I sincerely doubt that in any of your "life-critical" applications the hardware is free, or at the most $450.

As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.


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## rmmccann (Apr 16, 2012)

In total, we've had two hard lockups on our HR34 since getting it back in August. It's actually been a pretty solid system and the 5 tuners makes it more than worth it.

I've had some guide slowdowns here and there, but the latest software release seems to have resolved it. It's working VERY well for me.


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## pappasbike (Sep 19, 2006)

For the first time this morning I was unable to play back 3 consecutively recorded programs. They were 3 half hour series all on the same channel. Each was aired one right after the other. The first program played to the 12 minute mark and froze. Trying to get past that point just got me to the "do you want to keep or delete" message. With the other 2 programs that aired after and were theoretically recorded when I hit play they froze immediately and gave me the keep or delete message.

I restarted the receiver but got the same results so I just deleted all 3. Never had this happen with any of my previous receivers. I hope this thing doesn't make me miss my horrible HR 21. It was slow as hell but never did this.


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

pappasbike said:


> For the first time this morning I was unable to play back 3 consecutively recorded programs. They were 3 half hour series all on the same channel. Each was aired one right after the other. The first program played to the 12 minute mark and froze. Trying to get past that point just got me to the "do you want to keep or delete" message. With the other 2 programs that aired after and were theoretically recorded when I hit play they froze immediately and gave me the keep or delete message.
> 
> I restarted the receiver but got the same results so I just deleted all 3. Never had this happen with any of my previous receivers. I hope this thing doesn't make me miss my horrible HR 21. It was slow as hell but never did this.


Yikes the HR21.... oh the horror. yeap my unit has done that and more... but even with all that i could never look back to HR21 days....... Firmware updates are our friend if they can get it right next time, or maybe the next.... or next....


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## pappasbike (Sep 19, 2006)

For me this was the first major incident. I've only had the device for about a month. The other glitches were minor and tolerable but this one is not. If it's a one time thing so be it, but if it occurs with any frequency I'll be done. I'm willing to give this device a year for minor stuff but not being reliable when it comes to recording and playback will be unacceptable. I'm just glad I didn't get it when first released, from what I've read it's pretty much been a beta test until recently. I'm hoping that this is their best and all ( or most ) issues will be fixed, at least the major ones like this. If not I'll have to see what other options provide.


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

pappasbike said:


> For me this was the first major incident. I've only had the device for about a month. The other glitches were minor and tolerable but this one is not. If it's a one time thing so be it, but if it occurs with any frequency I'll be done. I'm willing to give this device a year for minor stuff but not being reliable when it comes to recording and playback will be unacceptable. I'm just glad I didn't get it when first released, from what I've read it's pretty much been a beta test until recently. I'm hoping that this is their best and all ( or most ) issues will be fixed, at least the major ones like this. If not I'll have to see what other options provide.


IMO we still are beta testers...... The ones like me who have issues, cant pause and start back up, guide freezing, lock ups.... etc after 2 months is unacceptable. DTV offers no help other than we are aware of the issues and look for many new updates. So we are Beta testers.... Most who i know who got the unit had issues after the first month... Like I, they began around the 2month area. My bro who said a month ago, "i have no issues" is getting the same as me now.... Frustration I cant even explain....


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

And others, don't have those issues. That makes it more difficult to fix. It's probably the minority with issues, not the majority.


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

dpeters11 said:


> And others, don't have those issues. That makes it more difficult to fix. It's probably the minority with issues, not the majority.


Perhaps in this group, but im sure many dont even know about the forums... or express there concerns and complaints other than to DTV. Even when my unit was installed the tech said he himself has issues with this unit and others he has done...he tried to get me to stick with the HR24.... He left with a good luck.


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## keithtd (Dec 16, 2006)

This happens irregulary and lasts approx. 1 min but tonight was longer before the system processed the commands.

Last RBR was yesterday. 

Have had the HR34 for about a month supplementing my HR24 which does not have this response issue.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

"Datagg" said:


> Perhaps in this group, but im sure many dont even know about the forums... or express there concerns and complaints other than to DTV. Even when my unit was installed the tech said he himself has issues with this unit and others he has done...he tried to get me to stick with the HR24.... He left with a good luck.


And there are a very large number of customers that don't have issues and don't say anything. An installer has never seen mine, so I don't have a sense for what they see around here, but I don't have much faith in their knowledge based on experience.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

keithtd said:


> This happens *irregularly* and lasts approx. 1 min but tonight was longer before the system processed the commands.
> 
> Last RBR was yesterday.
> 
> Have had the HR34 for about a month supplementing my HR24 which does not have this response issue.


This happen *regularly* with me at the top of the hour during prime time when Genie is ending and beginning multiple recordings.


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

keithtd said:


> This happens irregulary and lasts approx. 1 min but tonight was longer before the system processed the commands.
> 
> Last RBR was yesterday.
> 
> Have had the HR34 for about a month supplementing my HR24 which does not have this response issue.


What does RBR mean? Thanks!


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## bnwrx (Dec 29, 2007)

jibberyerkibber said:


> What does RBR mean? Thanks!


RedButtonReset. Behind the "Door" on the front of your DVR(where the Access card is), there is a Red button. It forces the DVR to Reboot.

Here's a good page for you to look at: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=200024


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## pappasbike (Sep 19, 2006)

dpeters11 said:


> And others, don't have those issues. That makes it more difficult to fix. It's probably the minority with issues, not the majority.


That's always the common assumption but I would guess the majority of their customers don't know anything about these forums so you never hear of their issues. They have them, they curse, delete, restart, whatever voodoo we do to get past the problems but they don't come here to put it in writing.

The rep I spoke to on the phone about replacing my last HR21 that died groaned when I mentioned its very sluggish response time in basic functions. She said she still had one and was praying for it to die.

I have spoken to neighbors and friends who have DTV, Comcast, Dish, Verizon,etc. and they've never heard of these forums. So I would guess that many complaints are just never heard unless they take the time to call customer support. And probably they don't even do that unless the things just stop working completely.

As I said in my previous post so far all but one of the glitches I've had with the 34 have been minor not something I probably wouldn't see with someone else's equipment. But that one issue when 3 consecutive recordings that were all series links that were frozen and wouldn't play and had to be deleted is a major one for me. All the trick play, 30 second skip/slip, double play, resume watching in another room, etc., are things I don't actually use so if there are issues with them I'll ignore them. But basic recording and playback is the main purpose of a dvr's existence in the first place.

I've been with DTV for about 12 years and have been very happy with their service. I started out with an Ultimate TV, which I consider to be the best dvr that was available but it was not an HD device. Then wound up with a DTivo which was a very poor substitute, then the HR20s which were noisy as hell and gradually became more and more sluggish with all the software revisions, then to the abominable 21s which should just be incinerated. But even those devices with all their individual problems never failed to record or playback a program unless some external event occurred. So this first and hopefully only event for me was huge and not something I will have any patience with.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Of course they haven't heard of this board, or the others. But how many people call DirecTV to say everything is working fine? No one, so the only way to see how widespread an issue is is to take into account how many HR34s are in use and figure out the percentage. I have no idea how many are out there, but if I guessed, it probably would be low.


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## pappasbike (Sep 19, 2006)

With all the commercials and current offers I'd say most new customers are getting these. Which would mean quite a few are out there. Counting the upgraders like me there's a lot out there.


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## cmasia (Sep 18, 2007)

Friday, while watching a recorded program, the receiver would not recognize any commands.

I did a reboot which solved the problem, but created another.

All my AM21 OTA channels disappeared, and the Antenna Setup does not find any channels in my zip code.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

EDIT :
Resolved... I unplugged everything. And, as if by wizardry, the Antenna Setup found everything.

PS: My only big request for this receiver is the ability to listen to Pandora while watching another channel. Should I hold my breath?


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## unixguru (Jul 9, 2007)

Carl Spock said:


> Yes, they should. And then they should be willing to pay $1,000 (at least) for a DVR.
> 
> I sincerely doubt that in any of your "life-critical" applications the hardware is free, or at the most $450.
> 
> As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.


What does hardware cost have to do with it?

Hardware is far more reliable than the software put on it. How many hardware problems do we see in general? Very few. And almost all of them are caused by improper ventilation/heat. Mostly disk drives and power supplies. How many hardware *bugs*? Essentially zero. Noticeable bugs that affect a significant percentage of devices? *Zero*. Certainly many orders of magnitude less than wonky unnecessary software problems.

Why is that? Because hardware is the most expensive thing to create and maintain. You can't download a hardware fix every couple of months.

Has that made hardware more expensive in the big picture? Not a chance. The reverse is true.

There is nothing unusually complicated about a sat receiver/DVR.

In fact, the bulk of the software is not supplied by DTV. Linux (which is a basket for a whole lot of stuff contributed by many sources), Java, etc. While certainly not the best-of-breed in many respects, none of that stuff has anything to do with the problems that we see with DTV equipment. Those same technologies are in totally free "media center" implementations. I'd bet those free implementations are more stable than DTV.

The only reason DTV gets away with putting out this garbage is that it's pretty much the only game in town for getting their service (other than TiVo) and their competitors are equally unmotivated. It's called lack of competition.

In the scope of things, software development for DTV has got to be a pretty small expense for them. If it isn't then they are getting a terrible return on their investment.

Most ridiculous of all is that if they were smart enough to look at the overall cost of these blunders they would realize they could actually spend a lot more on software development and quality control and still save a bunch of money. You only write good software once.


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## Gary Toma (Mar 23, 2006)

pappasbike said:


> For the first time this morning I was unable to play back 3 consecutively recorded programs. They were 3 half hour series all on the same channel. Each was aired one right after the other. The first program played to the 12 minute mark and froze. Trying to get past that point just got me to the "do you want to keep or delete" message. With the other 2 programs that aired after and were theoretically recorded when I hit play they froze immediately and gave me the keep or delete message.
> 
> I restarted the receiver but got the same results ......


Thanks for posting this problem! I was afraid I was the only one with this kind of problem. My HR 34 would be great -- if it could just record programs all the way through, without locking up the recording somewhere in the middle of the recording.

I have had to sink to the level of double-recording (the HR34 and an HR21). The HR21 never fails. The HR34 fails and locks up a recording at least once a week. I have posted in the CE issues threads.

Now it is time to bail out of the CE program and see if that helps.


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## pappasbike (Sep 19, 2006)

I'm not in the CE group and I'm hoping this will not occur again. If it becomes a frequent problem and I see others reporting it I will be asking for my money back and possibly canceling my service. As I said elsewhere the main reason for the existence of a dvr is recording and playback. If it can't be relied upon to do that then it's a failure and should be discontinued.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

pappasbike said:


> I'm not in the CE group and I'm hoping this will not occur again. If it becomes a frequent problem and I see others reporting it I will be asking for my money back and possibly canceling my service. As I said elsewhere the main reason for the existence of a dvr is recording and playback. If it can't be relied upon to do that then it's a failure and should be discontinued.


Did I miss some other posts? I read in this thread you had one large error in losing three consecutive recordings, but anything else was inconsequential to you as long as recordings were made as requested (and will play back, of course!). Have you trouble-shot that occurrence? Could it have been a guide error? Other?


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

bnwrx said:


> RedButtonReset. Behind the "Door" on the front of your DVR(where the Access card is), there is a Red button. It forces the DVR to Reboot.
> 
> Here's a good page for you to look at: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=200024


Thanks for the link, bnwrx. Indeed I am painfully aware of the RBR process with my POS HR34, just didn't know what the abbreviation meant.


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## jibberyerkibber (Mar 1, 2012)

This has happened to me before with previous software versions on my HR34. I watch a video for a while, say 30 minutes. Then I switch to a tuner channel. Then I press PREV to go back to the video -- at the 30 minute mark. What happens now most of the time is that the HR34 doesn't even go back to the video, it goes back to the first channel on my LAST FOUR list. Then when I go to the LIST to select the video I actually wanted and press SELECT on the highlighted RESUME tab, the video doesn't resume where I left off, i.e. at the 30 minute mark, it "resumes" at the very beginning of the video, i.e. time equals zero.


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## pappasbike (Sep 19, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> Did I miss some other posts? I read in this thread you had one large error in losing three consecutive recordings, but anything else was inconsequential to you as long as recordings were made as requested (and will play back, of course!). Have you trouble-shot that occurrence? Could it have been a guide error? Other?


My point is that I, as well as most of us, have had many issues with these receivers. For me most of them just tried my patience but could be tolerated for a while. With the 34 in the month that I've had it several issues have occurred, one that really concerned me was a pay per view movie that had erratic video. Restarting the receiver corrected that so no big deal. But not being able to watch programs that I've recorded which a restart did not correct is a big deal. It's especially worrisome since none of all the other receivers I've had have ever done this even with all their other issues.

As I said if it's a one time thing and is not widely reported then I'll forget about it. But this is the primary reason for having a dvr, if it turns out that this was not a temporary or isolated event then I consider this to be a failure not just an annoyance. Coming from using 2 HR 21s I'm quite willing to put up with a great number of annoyances but not a total failure.


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## lgb0250 (Jan 24, 2010)

Have been pretty trouble free compared to others on this board until about 30 minutes ago!

Changed channels to channel 232 and found the 721 pop up saying I was not subscribed to that channel. During the whole time this pop up was there I was still able to watch the program even though I couldn't get the pop up to disappear! Figured I wasn't going to be watching it for long so I just left it that way. Then all of a sudden the screensaver started! I decided to do a menu reset. Well, it wouldn't reset. It just stayed blank telling me there was no input! At this point I did an RBR and now everything appears to be fine again except one show I had set up to tape this morning and it was gone! Had to reschedule it. No 721 pop up and no screensaver, so far! 

After all of this I checked the software version to see if something had been updated recently and that wasn't the problem. I'm running 0x5d4.

Kind of funny to me that this would happen out of the clear blue considering my problems have been minor in the past?


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## brenta1x (May 20, 2010)

Hi Everyone – A couple of quick questions (and I did a bit of a search for answers but could not find them)….

1)	Can you hook up an external hard drive to the HR34? 

2)	I currently have 4 DVR’s (a mix of HR-22, 23 & 24) and have the “whole home viewing” hooked up. Will I be able to add the HR34 into the mix or will it require me to ditch the other receivers and get mini-genies for each room? I would prefer to just replace one of my current receivers and have the HR34 in the mix and be able to watch its content on the HR-22,23,24s. 

Thanks and again, apologies if this information is elsewhere….but I swear I searched!!!


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## don s (Sep 4, 2011)

Drucifer said:


> This happen *regularly* with me at the top of the hour during prime time when Genie is ending and beginning multiple recordings.


For me as well with this last update ...


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## FlyingDiver (Dec 4, 2002)

> 1)	Can you hook up an external hard drive to the HR34?
> 
> 2)	I currently have 4 DVR's (a mix of HR-22, 23 & 24) and have the "whole home viewing" hooked up. Will I be able to add the HR34 into the mix or will it require me to ditch the other receivers and get mini-genies for each room? I would prefer to just replace one of my current receivers and have the HR34 in the mix and be able to watch its content on the HR-22,23,24s.


1. Yes. It replaces the internal, you can't use both at the same time. But you can use a big raid system if you want.

2. You can sub it for one of the existing receivers. The only issue is going to be the total tuner count. If you get your SWM-8 swapped for an SWM-16, you should have no problems. If you're currently using an SWM dish, that would need to be replaced to add an SWM-16. Alternatively you could turn off one tuner on each of the other receivers and be within the 8 tuner limit.


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## brenta1x (May 20, 2010)

Thanks for the info! I really appreciate it. Two final questions I forgot - 
1) I assume the External Hard Drive I currently have hooked up to my HR 24 will need to be reformatted (erased) if I were to hook it up to a new HR34. 

2) If I decide to purchase a new external harddrive, which external 3TB drives do you recommend? Still the Western Digitials? 

THANKS AGAIN!!


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

brenta1x said:


> Thanks for the info! I really appreciate it. Two final questions I forgot -
> 1) I assume the External Hard Drive I currently have hooked up to my HR 24 will need to be reformatted (erased) if I were to hook it up to a new HR34.


No, actually you could keep what is on it and move it back to the HR24 to watch those shows. But you can only watch a show when the drive is connected to the machine it was recorded on. So if your plan is to move the drive to the 34 and keep it there, you might as well delete all the recordings on it before you move it. You won't be able to watch them on the 34.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

brenta1x said:


> Thanks for the info! I really appreciate it. Two final questions I forgot -
> 1) I assume the External Hard Drive I currently have hooked up to my HR 24 will need to be reformatted (erased) if I were to hook it up to a new HR34.
> 
> 2) If I decide to purchase a new external harddrive, which external 3TB drives do you recommend? Still the Western Digitials?
> ...


The WD's are still the ones recommended, like their AV drive put into an enclosure. More hardcore types use their Red drives in a RAID enclosure. It's been tested with a 9TB array by another forum member.


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## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

dpeters11 said:


> The WD's are still the ones recommended, like their AV drive put into an enclosure. More hardcore types use their Red drives in a RAID enclosure. It's been tested with a 9TB array by another forum member.


Both WD's and Seagates work just fine and both recommended. My 9TB array was using Seagates and had no problem. I have bigger drives on all my HRs and only one of them uses WD.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Drucifer said:


> This happen *regularly* with me at the top of the hour during prime time when Genie is ending and beginning multiple recordings.


Like clockwork - this evening the *Genie ignore everything mode* happen for a few minutes at 10 PM EST as she started just two Recordings - _Castle_ & _Deception_.


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## derek21023 (Jan 8, 2013)

Hello all,

I have been coming on here the past couple of months to see what issues everyone is having. I signed up with DirecTV in October and got the HR34 and one Genie client. I wasn't able to delete any of my recordings from my Genie mini client and I would also get a blank black screen when I sometimes turned on my Genie mini client. This would require a reboot on the HR34 to fix. After speaking with DirecTV and exploring more forums, here is what I did to fix my issues.

1.) I called DTV and told them my Whole Home DVR said Not Authorized. They activated this for me and within minutes my Whole Home DVR said Authorized in the HR34 Settings. Once activated, this displays a Share Playlist in the Whole Home Settings. There will be something that says Deletion from: ALL ROOMS. This solved my issue of not being able to delete programs from my Genie mini client.

2.) I turned on Genie Recommends. I have yet to see the blank black screen on my Genie client since I have done this. To turn this on, you could go to Menu, TV Shows, go down to Genie Recommends and turn it on. This does not take up any space on your DVR hard drive, it just recommends shows you may like. It has been a solid week and I haven't seen the black screen yet. I used to get it every 2-3 days.

I hope this helps everyone. I will also report back if I the black screen comes back on my Genie mini client.


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## rmmccann (Apr 16, 2012)

derek21023 said:


> 2.) I turned on Genie Recommends. I have yet to see the blank black screen on my Genie client since I have done this. To turn this on, you could go to Menu, TV Shows, go down to Genie Recommends and turn it on. This does not take up any space on your DVR hard drive, it just recommends shows you may like. It has been a solid week and I haven't seen the black screen yet. I used to get it every 2-3 days.


I don't have any C31 "Genie Clients" in my setup, but I can say that my HR34 seemed a lot slower to respond to anything when I had "Genie Recommends" enabled. I've disabled that and for the most part it's been pretty good.

There's so many variables in the equation it's hard to figure out what is really the cause of the problems with this unit. I'm glad I don't have the issues some on this forum claim to have, otherwise I'd be livid.


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## Ed Campbell (Feb 17, 2006)

Update dropped in the beginning of the weekend. Running fine. 0x5fd...


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## ken100 (Feb 2, 2013)

anyone else have to reset their genie every few weeks due to problems? Is this common?


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## RACJ2 (Aug 2, 2008)

Seems like when I get a new update, I have to do a reset not long after that. Mainly to clear up slow response or a black screen for 10+ seconds when exiting a recording. Since its similar to a pc, I'm sure a reboot every so often isn't a bad idea.


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

Well I thought the update did the trick.... Pause freezing issues stopped, etc...Yet the last few days, recordings would lock up, pixelate, etc. today the wife lost her soap, froze right up, system locked...Man i heard lots of yelling today on other recorded programs also. Did a hard reset, nothing.. Been doing those about every day or so.... System totally non responsive.

Called DTV right away, *****ed some as this is the 5th or 6th time I HAVE CALLED in the 2-3 months of owning this box....They wanted me to turn me over to tech, No WAY i said, been there done that..... if that is what is going to happen, cancel my account now, i dont care about cancellation fees. Well, at the end of that rant, they are just going to send me a new box by Friday. 

Still nothing working on system, guide has disappeared, stations lock up, system just locks up.... not happy right now, especially from all these issues from day one with the HR34. Im one to switch ships when things get to out of hand, i hope it dont get to that point, but you never know.


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## Jerry_K (Oct 22, 2006)

ken100 said:


> anyone else have to reset their genie every few weeks due to problems? Is this common?


Not just the Genie (nee HR34) but the HR24 too.


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## augisdad (Sep 29, 2011)

jibberyerkibber said:


> This has happened to me before with previous software versions on my HR34. I watch a video for a while, say 30 minutes. Then I switch to a tuner channel. Then I press PREV to go back to the video -- at the 30 minute mark. What happens now most of the time is that the HR34 doesn't even go back to the video, it goes back to the first channel on my LAST FOUR list. Then when I go to the LIST to select the video I actually wanted and press SELECT on the highlighted RESUME tab, the video doesn't resume where I left off, i.e. at the 30 minute mark, it "resumes" at the very beginning of the video, i.e. time equals zero.


I've noticed this "feature" as well - numerous times.


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## jeepwrang3 (Aug 19, 2006)

jibberyerkibber said:


> So far I've not seen any improvement with 0x05d4.
> 
> 3. Worst of all for me and my particular HR34, the FFWD > PLAY > AUTO-REWIND function still does not work properly. At first if did. In fact, it rewound way too far. Then it started to AUTO-BACKSPACE about the right amount of time. Now, most of the time anyway for me and my HR34, it hardly AUTO-REWINDS at all. Certainly not nearly enough to compensate for my cat-like reflexes.
> 
> 4. Sometimes when I go into FFWD, especially speed setting 4, the picture just freezes.


Same issue here. I'm guessing this is a widespread issue, not just limited to a small grouping? It's just frustrating that my dvr speed/auto rewind work at the same rate on a Wholehome H20 and HR20, but not on the physical HR34.

I know back on the old SD Tivo DTV units there were codes that setup your FFWD and RWND thresholds. Are there not any backend codes to adjust the new DTV unit DVR ? Haven't seen any threads tied to this, figured i'd see what the deal is with the all knowing group


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## Kulmar (Sep 25, 2007)

In the last build or two I've noticed the screen saver seems to be appearing spontaneously. I have 2 different receiver models and it's occurring on both. Power saver settings are disabled.


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## JDookie (Nov 25, 2009)

I just wanted to add to this discussion after ordering new service at my home, complete with the new Genie receiver and two additional clients. The reason for me posting is because after subscribing to DirecTV in various capacities for nearly two decades, I have NEVER experienced more issues than with this new setup. The main "Genie" receiver isn't all that bad, but the clients are complete junk. We pretty much had to reboot the clients on a daily basis due to system lock-ups, hang-ups, slow response times, etc. They would constantly lose communication with the Genie, and the list goes on and on. DirecTV sent a tech out several times to check the system, and each time I was just told to "hang in there" because the system was still in its infancy, and that they couldn't find anything wrong, other than software/firmware glitches.......I don't know about you guys, but unless DirecTV starts giving me free tv, I don't think I want to be a guinea pig for their new and untested system. 

Now here's the best part. 

After having enough with this junk system, I called customer service and told them what was going on. They looked at my account history and saw where I called tech support on a nearly weekly basis, and also that a tech was sent out several times for the same issues. I called because I had enough, and I decided that I wanted to go back to a regular HD DVR receiver in each room just like I have always had...........and then they dropped the bomb. The customer service agent proceeds to tell me that I am past the 30 day trial period and that I will have to come out of pocket just over $800 to replace the Genie and the two clients with new HD DVR's..........EXCUSE ME??? You mean to tell me that I have to pay more money to get rid of DirecTV's non working hardware??? Yeah, I don't think so. 

So I ask for a supervisor, and after being put on hold for about 20 minutes I finally get the nicest woman I have ever probably spoken with on the phone. I explain the situation to her, and explain what the previous agent told me, and she very calmly tells me, "I will do whatever it takes to make you happy." You guys have no clue what a relief it was to hear those words. So since it were the clients I was having all the issues with, and since I really wanted to keep the 5 tuners of the Genie, I asked for two HD DVR's to replace the two clients, and that's exactly what she gave me. The best part was, there was absolutely no charge. Now THIS is customer service. 

In the end, I am now VERY happy with my Genie + 2 HD DVR solution (9 tuners all together), and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't take a Genie/client solution if they paid me to.


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## Datagg (May 17, 2009)

JDookie said:


> I just wanted to add to this discussion after ordering new service at my home, complete with the new Genie receiver and two additional clients. The reason for me posting is because after subscribing to DirecTV in various capacities for nearly two decades, I have NEVER experienced more issues than with this new setup. The main "Genie" receiver isn't all that bad, but the clients are complete junk. We pretty much had to reboot the clients on a daily basis due to system lock-ups, hang-ups, slow response times, etc. They would constantly lose communication with the Genie, and the list goes on and on. DirecTV sent a tech out several times to check the system, and each time I was just told to "hang in there" because the system was still in its infancy, and that they couldn't find anything wrong, other than software/firmware glitches.......I don't know about you guys, but unless DirecTV starts giving me free tv, I don't think I want to be a guinea pig for their new and untested system.
> 
> Now here's the best part.
> 
> ...


Glad it all worked out. DTV needs continuity across the board. No customer should feel its a crap shoot every call. I know I had major issues and each person took the horns a different way. It is NOT right and as customers we deserve better than than what they deliver to us. Also on that note, we ALSO deserve to be treated with the same or even more respect and dignity on all levels just as new customers are. We are treated like third world citizens and that is not right at all.


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## grghmn (Nov 22, 2016)

It is possible to recover deleted "on demand" programs. Go to list and select "Recently watched on demand". Then select your program from list.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

grghmn said:


> It is possible to recover deleted "on demand" programs. Go to list and select "Recently watched on demand". Then select your program from list.


Hmmm. If you delete a VOD program you can always go back and redownload it again from its VOD page as long as is still available. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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