# Genie wants to change channel to record - why?



## vfr781rider (Jan 14, 2007)

OK, this has happened 3 times now. I rebooted yesterday thinking it should fix it, but it pops up again tonight. Watching NBCSN and I'm notified that the receiver needs to change the channel to record a show on 390. The only thing scheduled to record are two shows on 390 and 396. Sure enough, at the top of the hour the receiver changes to 390 and starts recording both shows. A total of two shows are being recorded. I press the Prev button and the channel returns to 220. I have a Slimline-3S, HR44, and this didn't start happening until the last month or so. Software bug??? I don't see any other complaints off-hand. No biggie, but it's a bit frustrating.


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## alnielsen (Dec 31, 2006)

What software version are you using in the receiver?


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## vfr781rider (Jan 14, 2007)

alnielsen said:


> What software version are you using in the receiver?


0xb15


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

And no other DVRs or minis on your system?


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## vfr781rider (Jan 14, 2007)

trh said:


> And no other DVRs or minis on your system?


2 C51 minis, both turned off. Do they require a tuner even when off? Even so, I should still have a spare.


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## ktuley (Feb 17, 2016)

This is starting to happen to me as well. I have a HR44-500. supposed to be able to record 5 channels. I get a message about changing channels, then it happens. I check. 2 or 3 shows are recording. I just went back and actually started recording other shows, and when I tried to record number 6, I got the which one do you want to stop recording. So it's working from that stand point.

I just don't get why it thinks it needs to change channels, and stop recording when it's not maxed out.

only one other mini on the net. it's shut off. 

my system software is...0xb15, from Jan.

any thoughts?

thanks


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## Delroy E Walleye (Jun 9, 2012)

This sounds like the crud that "infected" HR21 a few years ago. Always "stealing" the active tuner to make a recording even when it's not needed. Or worse, "needing" the active tuner claiming a "conflict" where none existed.

So far the only problem like this I've encountered with genie was from cancelling and rescheduling a later recording all from the guide instead of cancelling first from the "to-do" list. In that case genie claimed a recording conflict because the original was still in the to-do list and then couldn't be deleted.

Always delete from the to-do list first _before_ rescheduling.


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## vfr781rider (Jan 14, 2007)

ktuley said:


> This is starting to happen to me as well. I have a HR44-500. supposed to be able to record 5 channels. I get a message about changing channels, then it happens. I check. 2 or 3 shows are recording. I just went back and actually started recording other shows, and when I tried to record number 6, I got the which one do you want to stop recording. So it's working from that stand point.
> 
> I just don't get why it thinks it needs to change channels, and stop recording when it's not maxed out.
> 
> ...


At least I'm not in this all by myself


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## fleckrj (Sep 4, 2009)

I had a similar issue with my HR44. When I checked the signal strengths, I found that only tuners 1 and 2 were receiving any signal. Tuners 3, 4, and 5 showed "0" for every transponder. I unplugged the power source to the SWiM and the HR44 then plugged them back in, and after the HR44 rebooted all five tuners were working. Earlier that day, the circuit breaker on the circuit that fed the power supply for the SWiM had blown while some of the receivers were on, and I think that might have started the problem. In any event, unplugging the HR44, unplugging the power supply for the SWiM, plugging the power supply for the SWiM back in, and the plugging the HR44 back in did the trick.


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## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

Happened to me last night on one Mini connected to HR44.


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## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

Do you have Genie Recommends turned on? (Deja Vu, asked this in another thread on this just the other day)


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## vfr781rider (Jan 14, 2007)

RunnerFL said:


> Do you have Genie Recommends turned on? (Deja Vu, asked this in another thread on this just the other day)


I don't...


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## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

Nor me either


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## energyx (Aug 8, 2011)

HR34-700
0xb2d 2/11, 3:50a

Seeing the same thing over the past couple weeks. I tell it to change, and it does to start the recording, then I just switch back to the channel I was on without issue. Only 2x recordings and no Minis running. All 5 tuners show a signal on all sats.


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## hbkbiggestfan (May 25, 2007)

This happened to me today on my HR44. Acted as though it only had two tuners and needed to stop double play. Also on software 0xb15. Looks to be a software issue unfortunately. My tuners all showing up right now on signal strength test but I'm going to power cycle my HR44 and SWiM to hopefully prevent any recording issues going forward...


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

I see this once in a while, and have for almost two years. Two shows set to record and it says it needs to change the live channel to record something. HR44, two Minis (but one is not hooked up.)


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## umdetred (Mar 19, 2006)

Just started happening to me as well. 
HR44/500 with 2 minis. 
Software is 0xb23 installed on 3/1


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

I had this happen to me also a couple of weeks ago... 1 program recording.. only 1 mini on ( was watching tv on that mini) I was on b15 at the time.. I havent seen it again since that one time


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## zmancartfan (Mar 23, 2012)

Add me to the list. HR44 and one mini that's turned off. Only two recordings happening last night, and the Genie had to change the channel.

It also happened on Sunday night with only one recording scheduled. I must have clicked buttons at exactly the top of the hour because the unit completely froze while changing the channel. Had to do a red button reset, and I lost the first ten minutes of the scheduled recording.


Sent from my iPad using DBSTalk


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## Miller (Jul 22, 2005)

It happened to me also.


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## energyx (Aug 8, 2011)

DIRECTV software QA sucks. Still happening here.


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## rvernier (Sep 27, 2009)

Add me to the list.


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## makaiguy (Sep 24, 2007)

Complete groping-in-the-dark guess:

The portion of code responsible for this may just have been ported over from the old dual-tuner dvr's, and nobody bothered to update it for the extended number of tuners. Seems like it would be an easy fix if anybody bothered to do it ...


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## longrider (Apr 21, 2007)

makaiguy said:


> Complete groping-in-the-dark guess:
> 
> The portion of code responsible for this may just have been ported over from the old dual-tuner dvr's, and nobody bothered to update it for the extended number of tuners. Seems like it would be an easy fix if anybody bothered to do it ...


I seriously doubt that as it works like it should 99% of the time. I have maxed out the Genie with 4 recordings and 1 live show a couple times and have recorded 2 shows while watching something else many times with no issues. However i have got the change channel to record message once or twice. My equally in the dark guess is it has to do with Genie recommends. Genie Recommends uses idle tuners to record shows it thinks you might like with the provision that the recording gets cancelled if you need the tuner. It works like it should when you change a channel for live TV but maybe a scheduled recording does not call that part of the code. This would also explain the randomness of the issue in that it would only surface when Genie Recommends is recording 3 shows


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## makaiguy (Sep 24, 2007)

longrider said:


> This would also explain the randomness of the issue in that it would only surface when Genie Recommends is recording 3 shows


Sounds reasonable.


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## zmancartfan (Mar 23, 2012)

makaiguy said:


> Sounds reasonable.


Agreed. And I think you're on to something.

When mine froze last weekend right after getting the change channel message, I had to do a red button reset. When everything came back on line, I noticed three zero-minute recordings in the playlist. They were seemingly random titles of shows that I never have watched or even heard of, let alone set a recording for.

I tried to delete them, but I remember getting some kind of message that they couldn't be deleted. When I went back in a few minutes later, they had disappeared from the playlist.

I'm guessing maybe they were remnants of interrupted Genie Recommends shows.

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## Ely (Sep 1, 2007)

This has been happening to me for the last 3 weeks or so as well, and there was nothing else recording!! definitely a very annoying bug!


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## cpalmer2k (May 24, 2010)

I'm having a similar issue... only my HR 34 isn't recording at all (even though tuners are available!). I don't have Genie Recommends on, and never have. I have one C31 client in the bedroom and the main HR34 in the living room. Lately it randomly isn't recording programs. They will be in the "To Do" list, and show up at the correct time but when it comes time they won't start recording. I first noticed this last week with "Big Bang Theory" and some other CBS shows. Once I tuned to CBS, it started recording and shows as a Partial recording in the guide. Tonight it did the same thing. I was recording one thing, and watching a second (using two tuners). As a result, the second show scheduled to record didn't start. 

It definitely sounds like they have some bad code left over from the 2 tuner DVR days floating around in this latest version.


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## energyx (Aug 8, 2011)

April 15 and still happening on HR34 Genie. Can't wait until August when I send this garbage back and save $75 a month.


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## lgb0250 (Jan 24, 2010)

energyx said:


> April 15 and still happening on HR34 Genie. Can't wait until August when I send this garbage back and save $75 a month.


Assuming you are talking about cancelling your service in August, why not just do it now? The deactivation fee and early cancellation fee come to probably only $75. You could be $150 ahead by August if you cancel now!! Just sayin.


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## HoTat2 (Nov 16, 2005)

lgb0250 said:


> Assuming you are talking about cancelling your service in August, why not just do it now? The deactivation fee and early cancellation fee come to probably only $75. You could be $150 ahead by August if you cancel now!! Just sayin.


Doesn't DIRECTV still have the auto-replacement program for the HR34 to pull them out of service for an HR44 or -54 with no 2 year recommitment?

Sent from my SGH-M819N using Tapatalk


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## HaterSlayer (Mar 24, 2010)

HoTat2 said:


> Doesn't DIRECTV still have the auto-replacement program for the HR34 to pull them out of service for an HR44 or -54 with no 2 year recommitment?
> 
> Sent from my SGH-M819N using Tapatalk


No. The slowness thing was supposedly fixed via software so we can't just replace them anymore.

Sent from my LG K7 using Tapatalk


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## Christopher Gould (Jan 14, 2007)

cpalmer2k said:


> I'm having a similar issue... only my HR 34 isn't recording at all (even though tuners are available!). I don't have Genie Recommends on, and never have. I have one C31 client in the bedroom and the main HR34 in the living room. Lately it randomly isn't recording programs. They will be in the "To Do" list, and show up at the correct time but when it comes time they won't start recording. I first noticed this last week with "Big Bang Theory" and some other CBS shows. Once I tuned to CBS, it started recording and shows as a Partial recording in the guide. Tonight it did the same thing. I was recording one thing, and watching a second (using two tuners). As a result, the second show scheduled to record didn't start.
> 
> It definitely sounds like they have some bad code left over from the 2 tuner DVR days floating around in this latest version.


I have been having issues with my hr34. O min recordings, recordings where it says 1 hour but only plays for 45 and wants to delete.


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## energyx (Aug 8, 2011)

lgb0250 said:


> Assuming you are talking about cancelling your service in August, why not just do it now? The deactivation fee and early cancellation fee come to probably only $75. You could be $150 ahead by August if you cancel now!! Just sayin.


If I'm paying them, it will be for service and not an ETF. Anyway, my discounts and contract run out then, so I'll suffer through the slowness and bug-ridden software for the summer. Thanks for the post.


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## thyname (May 10, 2015)

Add me to list it happened to me yesterday with my HR44. I am pretty sure there was only one show being recorded at that time, and one Mini was on upstairs...


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

Happened to my wife last night "need to change channels to record show XYZ." Two other shows were being recorded.

She said "OK" and then told me. Went to the HR44 and changed it back to her channel w/o any issues -- the three shows continued to record as they should.

Has anyone said 'no' to changing the channels to see what happens?


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## TJNash (Jun 5, 2012)

thyname said:


> Add me to list it happened to me yesterday with my HR44. I am pretty sure there was only one show being recorded at that time, and one Mini was on upstairs...
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Same here. last night at 7pm, HR44-500.


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## Jbdaws (Aug 4, 2016)

trh said:


> Happened to my wife last night "need to change channels to record show XYZ." Two other shows were being recorded.
> 
> She said "OK" and then told me. Went to the HR44 and changed it back to her channel w/o any issues -- the three shows continued to record as they should.
> 
> Has anyone said 'no' to changing the channels to see what happens?


I am having this same on my new 44. It sucks because I've otherwise been very pleased with it.



fleckrj said:


> I had a similar issue with my HR44. When I checked the signal strengths, I found that only tuners 1 and 2 were receiving any signal. Tuners 3, 4, and 5 showed "0" for every transponder. I unplugged the power source to the SWiM and the HR44 then plugged them back in, and after the HR44 rebooted all five tuners were working. Earlier that day, the circuit breaker on the circuit that fed the power supply for the SWiM had blown while some of the receivers were on, and I think that might have started the problem. In any event, unplugging the HR44, unplugging the power supply for the SWiM, plugging the power supply for the SWiM back in, and the plugging the HR44 back in did the trick.


Did this fix the issue for you or anybody else completely?


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

Jbdaws said:


> I am having this same on my new 44. It sucks because I've otherwise been very pleased with it.
> 
> Did this fix the issue for you or anybody else completely?


That wasn't the problem for me, and I suspect for most people. For me I could hit the OK, then go back and record all the scheduled programs as planned, which means the tuners were all working. Seems like just some kind of glitch in the Genie.


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## fleckrj (Sep 4, 2009)

I only had the problem the one time. After I rebooted the Geni and the SWiM, the problem has not recurred.


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## Jbdaws (Aug 4, 2016)

fleckrj said:


> I only had the problem the one time. After I rebooted the Geni and the SWiM, the problem has not recurred.


It hasn't happened again will try this if it does.


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## hbkbiggestfan (May 25, 2007)

This is still happening on my HR44 and more and more frequently. Anyone have a solution? Makes no sense for my genie to need to end double play when nothing else is recording on the three other tuners...


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## energyx (Aug 8, 2011)

hbkbiggestfan said:


> This is still happening on my HR44 and more and more frequently. Anyone have a solution? Makes no sense for my genie to need to end double play when nothing else is recording on the three other tuners...


Still happens on my HR34 at least once a week. Garbage software QA.


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## ffemtreed (Jan 30, 2008)

I am having this same problem with my HR44. I came here hoping someone had a solution. Its really kind of annoying. Also been having issued with my guide coming up all black. Sometimes if I exit the guide and go back to it the channels come up, but sometimes it will sit on that black screen with no channels for 5 min or more and then the channels will appear.

I think the software is getting worse and worse, my HR44 used to be ROCK solid and NEVER had an issue with it.


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## doctor j (Jun 14, 2006)

_I'm seeing this a lot lately, usually using double play_
_Did not see this ever prior to about 2 weeks ago_

_Doctor j_


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## Christopher Gould (Jan 14, 2007)

I have seen this every week. Ash vs evil dead is the one thing scheduled to record at 7pm and it wants to change channels. It changes and you can flip back still records to you original channel, but you lose your buffer, plus I have kids and it's not the best thing if I'm not sitting in front of the tv.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

When it wants to change, hit record for the current channel you're on. That way you wont lose anything you might have in the buffer.


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## Aridon (Mar 13, 2007)

Just FYI, if you only have 3 things recording, then have 2 more things queued up on different channels you could still get a conflict. Depending on how D* does their automatic padding on the channels recording but ending that might still put you over the 5 tuner limit.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

Aridon said:


> Just FYI, if you only have 3 things recording, then have 2 more things queued up on different channels you could still get a conflict. Depending on how D* does their automatic padding on the channels recording but ending that might still put you over the 5 tuner limit.


Except no one reporting problems in this thread has 4 or 5 tuners in use when this happens. That is the whole issue. I've had the Genie want to change when only one tuner was in use, two tuners and three tuners. So it should never have told me it had to change channels to record a show.


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## linuspbmo (Oct 2, 2009)

I had the same thing happen tonight when I only had three shows set to record. It's done this several times lately so I decided to hit OK record and then watched to see if it changed the channel. It didn't change the channel and everything recorded fine. ???


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