# Freeze ups when playing recorded shows?



## gerbildude (May 27, 2005)

Our 921 has been showing this problem with increasing frequency: while playing back a recording, the audio & video will freeze up. The only way to start it up again is to hit fast forward and play again, which will cause it to play after a few seconds delay. Some of the characteristics I've noticed are:

1. The freeze is reproducible if we back up to the same point in the recording. 

2. It occurs with with both satellite and OTA recordings, as well as live TV we've buffered up by pausing.

3. On a few occasions I've heard a distinct clunk from the hard drive, which makes me a bit nervous that this might be a progressive hardware failure.

4. We're currently at L2.73 and the problem has been getting much worse, though I saw this at the previous software release as well.

This is starting to drive me nuts, since it's now typically occurring 2-3 times per hour of playback. Has anyone else seen this behaviour? Any idea if this is a hardware problem that I need to get a replacement from Dish for, or is this a problem with the recent software releases?


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## jgerow (Apr 12, 2004)

Sounds like it's on the road to replacement.... Mine too was developing bad spots on the disk, but when L2.73 landed on one of them it didn't recover (when the reboot failed it would try again, and again, and again...). The replacement came DOA with a hard disk failure screen. (Couldn't even download a new version so only channel 101 was available in it's "still usable" mode.)

Too bad there isn't a disk utility built into the diagnostic menu that can "refresh" the disk "in-place" -- (re-writing the low-level formatting as well as the saved programming, and checking/recovering from bad sectors). Had these tools in the early days of the PCs [before disks became "disposable".]


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## ebaltz (Nov 23, 2004)

gerbildude said:


> Our 921 has been showing this problem with increasing frequency: while playing back a recording, the audio & video will freeze up. The only way to start it up again is to hit fast forward and play again, which will cause it to play after a few seconds delay. Some of the characteristics I've noticed are:
> 
> 1. The freeze is reproducible if we back up to the same point in the recording.
> 
> ...


I am having this exact same issue. Happening during most HD recorded events. Doesn't seem to happen during SD recorded events. Freeze up, then a single clunck. I hope those 622s are available soon.


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## Rovingbar (Jan 25, 2005)

I had this problem on about 30% of my OTA-HD recordings during L2.72. Like you I was sure the hard drive was going out when I heard some clunking. With the download of L2.73, it seems to be much better for me. Now I only notice one or two of these glitches per week (about 20 recordings per week so that makes 1 in 10 recordings has a glitch).


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## Dithermaster (Jan 27, 2004)

I am having this exact problem, sometimes 2-3 times in a show. Then another show, no problems. I record almost no HD. It started happening around L2.73.

If you press the skip ahead button, it eventually does, and then you can skip back two times and only miss a little show. If you skip back too far, it sticks again at the same point.

Worst, if you do nothing, the box will reboot. If you were recording (like I was the other night), you lose some of the show that was recording when you reboot. Argh.

I posted a bug report poll on this, if you are having the same issue, please vote:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=49291

///[email protected]


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## FaxMan (Oct 14, 2003)

I was having the same problems and finally called E* and got a replacement. Just hooked up the replacement a couple of hours ago and everything looks rock solid.

Now... getting ready to make it available for sale so I can get a 622 . 
$200+shipping if anybody is interested. It's probably a re-furb, but it's fresh at least.


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## Slordak (Dec 17, 2003)

As noted above, your drive is failing. This seems to be very common in the 921, and the only real solution is replacement, unfortunately. When this started happening to my 921, I tried to ignore it, but it just kept getting worse and worse over time, to the point that I couldn't do anything except watch live TV (i.e. no recorded programs and no trick-play).


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