# Goodbye everyone



## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

I just told DTV to take a hike. I'm sick and tired of weekly receiver problems. I told them either replace my receiver or I'm no longer a customer. All they want to do is keep reseting the receiver. Fine it works marginally for about 2 days then either my DVR no longer works or I don't get a signal for 10 minutes after I tune to a channel. They have yet to resolve any receiver problems I have reported.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

bye


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Good.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

:hi:


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## hasan (Sep 22, 2006)

Bathwater > Baby > Out 

I hope you find what you are looking for in both equipment and a provider. It's no fun to have things not work. My experience with D* since 1994 has been very, very good. Perhaps you should not have given up so early, but what the heck, it's your money.


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## jdspencer (Nov 8, 2003)

Let us know how everything works out with Dish Network, okay?


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

Have you already termed your service and secured a new provider? Maybe we can help determine what your problem(s) are and get you satisfied with your current setup. If you're already in the process of switching, then best of luck to you. If not...How can we help? 

Start with...what is the model of your DVR? Is it a Tivo? If it is, has it taken on all of the recent updates? If it hasn't, then you will experience a ton of frustration.

Again...I don't want to waste your time if you're determined to switch, I can just say there are lots of folks here who would love to help troubleshoot your issues and make you a happy camper.


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## jodavis (Jan 9, 2007)

While I feel your pain with marginal equipment I would have to say that D* is better than most at addressing problems. If you call and explain to the CSRs that you are technically savy and know how to troubleshoot the boxes they are very good about giving you what you want as far as replacements go. This has been my experience through three HR20 replacements.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

I'm sorry you're having this many problems, and that it's forcing you to leave.

Perhaps it's not a receiver problem, but a wiring or LNB/Dish problem? In any case, you should have been given better service than you describe. 

If you haven't pulled the trigger, we can try to help here. 

Good luck and have a Merry Christmas!
Tom


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## TomCat (Aug 31, 2002)

3 posts do not warrant a goodbye. There was barely a hello. Don't let the doorknob...well, you know the rest. Be sure to send some pics of that green grass over there.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Be nice. He's not saying good by to us. He's saying goodbye to DIRECTV. That is a very different thing.

He might come back to DBStalk as a Dish user. (And be nice about that too!) 

Merry Christmas!
Tom


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

Tom Robertson said:


> I'm sorry you're having this many problems, and that it's forcing you to leave.
> 
> Perhaps it's not a receiver problem, but a wiring or LNB/Dish problem? In any case, you should have been given better service than you describe.
> 
> ...


I did pull the trigger but upon a request I am talking with DTV support about my problems.

Ever since the 0x29b upgrade my terrestial feature of the HR20-700 has been disabled. The DVR recordings are dropping to delete/do not delete page when I push play to watch the recording. I see an hour of recorded is avalable but not accessible. I have to power reset the reeiver every couple of days because the response is dead slow. It can take upwards of 15 minutes to tune to a channel.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

TomCat said:


> 3 posts do not warrant a goodbye. There was barely a hello. Don't let the doorknob...well, you know the rest. Be sure to send some pics of that green grass over there.


How about 760? :lol:


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Farns01 said:


> I did pull the trigger but upon a request I am talking with DTV support about my problems.
> 
> Ever since the 0x29b upgrade my terrestial feature of the HR20-700 has been disabled. The DVR recordings are dropping to delete/do not delete page when I push play to watch the recording. I see an hour of recorded is avalable but not accessible. I have to power reset the reeiver every couple of days because the response is dead slow. It can take upwards of 15 minutes to tune to a channel.


Since your OTA has stopped working, have you tried to re-enable that feature via the Setup Menu? Every once in (rare) while, I've run into situations where it gets confused or disabled. Re-running the setup usually gets it back.

And who knows, perhaps that will straighten other problems out.

I'll ponder a bit and try to come up with another couple suggestions.

Merry Christmas!
Tom


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Folks .. the OP did nothing to warrant the outburst that has been presented here .. Let's cool it OK!

Now on to the issues, it certainly sounds like something is wrong. It's not clear whether or not this is the receiver or the environment. It could be as simple as a misaligned dish or it could be a bigger issue that is harder to diagnose.


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

Tom Robertson said:


> Since your OTA has stopped working, have you tried to re-enable that feature via the Setup Menu? Every once in (rare) while, I've run into situations where it gets confused or disabled. Re-running the setup usually gets it back.
> 
> And who knows, perhaps that will straighten other problems out.
> 
> ...


Yes I have, when I go to the Antenna Setup page the "Edit off air channels" and the "Reset off air Settings" are grayed out. Not selectable. If I do an initial setup It will ask me for my zip code but when it comes to time in the setup for the off air settings it bypasses that part of the setup. I can't access any part of the off air setup. DTV tells me that is a bug in the 0x29b software but from what I see I'm the only person having this problem. To make things clear I was deliriously happy with the system prior to the 0x29b update. They tell me that the DVR problem is also a bug that they are working on and to temp fix my problem is to reset the receiver and recordings will work. Unfortunately when I reset my receiver the recordings get deleted by my receiver.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Gotcha. (and bummer)

Have you tried other nearby Zip codes? 

Merry Christmas!
Tom


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Stick it out as long as you can. Eventually you will get it all figured out and you will feel better. 
I get the feeling that you never had cable tv with your current patience level. It would take some pretty horrible insulting stuff to make me go back to that humiliating experience.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

A couple of things to do/try:

1) Wait for 29f which is in the process of being rolled out. 
2) Do a reset defaults. Series links and recordings should remain intact. Favorite channel lists get wiped I think. Upon reboot you should have to redo sat & ant setup
3) The "Nuke it from orbit" option, Reset Everything. This will wipe everything, favorits, series links, recordings, etc. Setup will need to be re-run upon reboot. This is the last option to take.


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

armophob said:


> Stick it out as long as you can. Eventually you will get it all figured out and you will feel better.
> I get the feeling that you never had cable tv with your current patience level. It would take some pretty horrible insulting stuff to make me go back to that humiliating experience.


I had cable way back when. DTV has told me I'm one of their first 100,000 customers. It's been so long I don't even remember what year it was. Bad cable was the key reason I went to DTV. I was in the Air Force back then and was out of town every other week for a week. I come home and my cable would be out. I call and complain and they would say "we'll get a tech out their within the next 3 days." I have been very happy with the DTV until recently and they have been basically telling me "Yeah you have a problem and there nothing we can do about it." For as long as I've been a customer I deserve better service than what I'm getting.


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## Justin23 (Jan 11, 2008)

Have you tried to swap the box out for another one?

J


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

RobertE said:


> A couple of things to do/try:
> 
> 1) Wait for 29f which is in the process of being rolled out.
> 2) Do a reset defaults. Series links and recordings should remain intact. Favorite channel lists get wiped I think. Upon reboot you should have to redo sat & ant setup
> 3) The "Nuke it from orbit" option, Reset Everything. This will wipe everything, favorits, series links, recordings, etc. Setup will need to be re-run upon reboot. This is the last option to take.


Talking with the DTV support I have done every possible reset with no help. I hasve been directed to another support level and suspendid my termination for the moment.


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

Farns01,
Like yours, my DirecTV experience has been a test of both patience and sanity.
I am nearing the end of my two year commitment and am now considering making the switch to DishNetwork.
My system has actually been working pretty well for the past few months, but there are things that still annoy me greatly about the system and the company.
I am waiting to see how things play out with Dish's new bird, then I'll make the final decision.

At any rate, I empathize with you and I understand where you're coming from... regardless of how many times you've posted.


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

deltafowler said:


> Farns01,
> Like yours, my DirecTV experience has been a test of both patience and sanity.
> I am nearing the end of my two year commitment and am now considering making the switch to DishNetwork.
> My system has actually been working pretty well for the past few months, but there are things that still annoy me greatly about the system and the company.
> ...


Hey I appreciate everyones inputs. Been tinkering around with the system and something is different. Something that Tom Robertson said about using a different zip code and all of a sudden the local settings stuff is back. Gone back to my correct zip code and waiting on the system to see if it is working.


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

Great to hear you're getting some progress. I know you say you've done every reset in the book, but have you done a download of software by typing in the 02468 code after resetting?


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

Well, when I went in and changed my zip code to one from years ago the local channel setup became available. I went back and reset the zip code to my current zip the local channel setup feature disappeared. I did another initial setup using my current zip code and the local channel feature is working good. Thanks Tom Robertson, you did more in about 2 minutes than 10 hours of tech support could do. As to the other problems, that is yet to be determined.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Always happy to help. 

Next thing to try is look at the satellite signal strengths with the active meter. Pick a couple transponders on various satellites. Do they stay very steady or waver?

Merry Christmas!
Tom


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

MikeW said:


> Great to hear you're getting some progress. I know you say you've done every reset in the book, but have you done a download of software by typing in the 02468 code after resetting?


I've tried that a couple of times and nothing has happened. Not sure if I got the timing right. As soon as the blue light comes on after the reset is when I did it. Should I do it when I see a blue power light or the blue Eyeball lights?


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Farns01 said:


> I've tried that a couple of times and nothing has happened. Not sure if I got the timing right. As soon as the blue light comes on after the reset is when I did it. Should I do it when I see a blue power light or the blue Eyeball lights?


No, wait till you see the first blue screen. Then 02468


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

Tom Robertson said:


> Always happy to help.
> 
> Next thing to try is look at the satellite signal strengths with the active meter. Pick a couple transponders on various satellites. Do they stay very steady or waver?
> 
> ...


They are rock steady.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Oh, one other thought. Do a menu restart twice within 30 minutes. That will flush all the guide data and perhaps clean up that database. Will of course mean the guide data will take 24-48 hours to completely reload, but no other settings should be changed.

Good luck,
Tom


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

Tom Robertson said:


> Oh, one other thought. Do a menu restart twice within 30 minutes. That will flush all the guide data and perhaps clean up that database. Will of course mean the guide data will take 24-48 hours to completely reload, but no other settings should be changed.
> 
> Good luck,
> Tom


Doing this currently, how often should I purge the system?


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Normally, never. I have not done it intentionally on my 10 DVRs yet. But sometimes it does happen. I'm hoping that with the Zip code issue, this cleans up everything for you.

And this is a very simple, low risk fix to try.

Peace,
Tom


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

One more thought is that you may have gotten a POS box. It happens, and there are multiple threads on it. Get another one and start over. But only if searching these threads can't help. Most of your troubles can be solved here with a good search.


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## EricRobins (Feb 9, 2005)

Assuming it is determined that he has a POS box, wouldn't be worthwhile for him to "fib" when calling? For example, if the CSR believes the IRD won't power up, wouldn't they replace it?


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

EricRobins said:


> Assuming it is determined that he has a POS box, wouldn't be worthwhile for him to "fib" when calling? For example, if the CSR believes the IRD won't power up, wouldn't they replace it?


It seems everything is back in order for the most part now.


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## MIKE0616 (Dec 13, 2006)

Farns01 said:


> Yes I have, when I go to the Antenna Setup page the "Edit off air channels" and the "Reset off air Settings" are grayed out. Not selectable. If I do an initial setup It will ask me for my zip code but when it comes to time in the setup for the off air settings it bypasses that part of the setup. I can't access any part of the off air setup. DTV tells me that is a bug in the 0x29b software but from what I see I'm the only person having this problem. To make things clear I was deliriously happy with the system prior to the 0x29b update. They tell me that the DVR problem is also a bug that they are working on and to temp fix my problem is to reset the receiver and recordings will work. Unfortunately when I reset my receiver the recordings get deleted by my receiver.


One of my HR20s was doing all the weird stuff that you are having problems with. D* "tech support" was of absolutely NO use whatsoever to me too.

One of the users on here had the solution, reformat the hard drive and set the DVR up from scratch, all over again. Do a search and you will find the procedure for the DVR you have. You will need to write down the favorites, series links, etc. so that you can re-input them as ALL the current information will be lost when the system is re-initiated from scratch.

A pain in the a$$, yes, but not as big of one as having to deal with the issues constantly.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Not to stir the pot, but the grass _is_ greener on the other side of the fence.

Dish + two 722 HD DVRs = Zero problems.

Come on over...


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Nick said:


> Not to stir the pot, but the grass _is_ greener on the other side of the fence.
> 
> Dish + two 722 HD DVRs = Zero problems.
> 
> Come on over...


Care to share a comparison of available of HD channels Mr. Spoon? :hurah:


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Nick said:


> Not to stir the pot, but the grass _is_ greener on the other side of the fence.
> 
> Dish + two 722 HD DVRs = Zero problems.
> 
> Come on over...


Didn't you switch to Cable TV?


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

+ Dish HD :sure:


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

It's good to see that this thread became productive. Hopefully, this can serve as an example that a little compassion when somebody is frustrated can go a long way.

Nick...wake me up when I can get MLB EI HD. Without that, I'm pretty much committed to DirecTV. Truth be told, I have 5 HD and 2 SD DVRs and my experience has been rather uneventful...I just watch TV.

Merry Christmas...


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

I just want to do a followup post that everything so far is working fine. I've had this receiver for what seems forever without anyproblems until the 0x29b release. Thanks to Tom Robertson input about changing the Zip Code and that fixed the local channel problem. I did force another software download and it installed 0x2af instead of the 0x29b. Hopefully this has resolved the other issues. After talking with the other customer support group last night the DVR problem is a ongoing issue that their network group is working on and resetting the machine should fix recorded programs I can't access. I will have to wait and see when I have another DVR problem to know for sure if there is still an issue. Customer Support has set up an appointment for next year to have a DTV tech to come to my home and check my system. If they determine I have a bad receiver they are to bring a new one and replace it. Finally to all you who gave me assistance last night a BIG thank you. You have been much more helpful then DTV support personnel. I was so angry last night at them because of their lack support more than anything else.


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## CorpITGuy (Apr 12, 2007)

Hey, a happy ending! :joy:


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## runner26 (Apr 8, 2007)

Farns01 said:


> I just told DTV to take a hike. I'm sick and tired of weekly receiver problems. I told them either replace my receiver or I'm no longer a customer. All they want to do is keep reseting the receiver. Fine it works marginally for about 2 days then either my DVR no longer works or I don't get a signal for 10 minutes after I tune to a channel. They have yet to resolve any receiver problems I have reported.


You doing the right thing! Any one with ANY viable alternative to D* is out of their minds not to grab it with both hands. I am stuck with them for lack of anything better but the MOMENT I have any real choice I am gone also. The D* csr has gone down hill to the point of being a real liability, you are literally better off not calling them in most cases. When I call D* I feel like I know less then when I started, I have lost ground! Good luck, you will never regret this move.


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## jdspencer (Nov 8, 2003)

Nick said:


> Not to stir the pot, but the grass _is_ greener on the other side of the fence.
> 
> Dish + two 722 HD DVRs = Zero problems.
> 
> Come on over...


I'll stir your pot.
DirecTV + 2 SD TiVos + HR10 and HR20 = no problems. 

Each company's equipment can have problems.


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## digger16309 (Sep 21, 2007)

Good to see this thread recover from the brink of disaster. 

After a few of the latest updates (though not the last one), I lost the ability to get local HD either DBS or OTA (which struck me as weird). I had to call and get D* to give me some kind of locals reset.


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## Beckzilla (Oct 29, 2007)

deltafowler said:


> Farns01,
> Like yours, my DirecTV experience has been a test of both patience and sanity.
> I am nearing the end of my two year commitment and am now considering making the switch to DishNetwork.
> My system has actually been working pretty well for the past few months, but there are things that still annoy me greatly about the system and the company.
> ...


My feelings are the same. Really tired of receiver and signal problems. I know higher tech equipment is more sensitive but there is a line that has to be drawn on what is tolerable before common sense tells you that a situation needs more precise and vigilant research and development along with a real concern for the customers problems. Not testing something well enough just to "get it out the door" is an attitude that has become too much the norm and needs to change. We all remember the massive problems with their HR10-250's and the "HDMI connector" problem that DTV would not even acknowledge as a problem for a very long time. These situations are not acceptable anywhere, anytime along with software updates that cause more problems than they solve. This is not progress! Because of this corporate (blatantly ignorant) attitude I have developed a love-hate relationship with DTV...I love to hate them.


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## kikkenit2 (Oct 26, 2006)

Farns01 said:


> I did pull the trigger but upon a request I am talking with DTV support about my problems.
> 
> Ever since the 0x29b upgrade my terrestial feature of the HR20-700 has been disabled. The DVR recordings are dropping to delete/do not delete page when I push play to watch the recording. I see an hour of recorded is avalable but not accessible. I have to power reset the reeiver every couple of days because the response is dead slow. It can take upwards of 15 minutes to tune to a channel.


I don't use ota but 0x29b software is somewhat obsolete. I have had 0x2af for 5 days so you should get that soon. That might help. Get the protection plan. Unfortunately it takes that extra few $ a month to get treated right. Then lie a little and tell them the box is really broke (like dead). That will get someone out to check your install and replace the box. I have 8 HR2X's and have recorded about 500 shows this year with only 1 blank recording. It takes about 15 seconds to get a channel up with native on which I consider slow but 15 minutes! Something needs to be fixed. If the box replacement and software upgrade don't work it almost has to be some other hardware problem. Good luck.


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

Well, after a few days of quiet the problems have returned except the local channels not accessible. The DVR's are dead, I only get about 1 out of 10 that work. I DVR'd 5 programs last night when I was at work and none of them are working. It's taking almost 10 to 15 minutes for a channel to lock up when I change the channel. When they do lock in they are rock steady. DTV is sending out a tech on the Jan 2. Frankly if he/she doesn't replace this receiver then I'm telling him to take it with him. The system works good form about 2 days after I do a RBR then it goes to hell. I am on the 0x2AF download.


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## whalerfan (May 31, 2007)

Farns01 said:


> Well, after a few days of quiet the problems have returned except the local channels not accessible. The DVR's are dead, I only get about 1 out of 10 that work. I DVR'd 5 programs last night when I was at work and none of them are working. It's taking almost 10 to 15 minutes for a channel to lock up when I change the channel. When they do lock in they are rock steady. DTV is sending out a tech on the Jan 2. Frankly if he/she doesn't replace this receiver then I'm telling him to take it with him. The system works good form about 2 days after I do a RBR then it goes to hell. I am on the 0x2AF download.


Are you on the protection plan? If not then if they change out your receiver then you get stuck with another 2 year commitment. Be cautious about this as it happened to me this past spring.


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

whalerfan said:


> Are you on the protection plan? If not then if they change out your receiver then you get stuck with another 2 year commitment. Be cautious about this as it happened to me this past spring.


Seriously?
What a load!
They want you to sign up for a new two when THEIR LEASED receiver takes a dump? 

Can someone else confirm this?


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## ub1934 (Dec 30, 2005)

* And make sure you tell them it's an HR20-700 with OTA or they will give you an IRD without an OTA tuner built in .*


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

deltafowler said:


> They want you to sign up for a new two when THEIR LEASED receiver takes a dump?


Flailing a deceased equine here I'm sure...

If you lease a car and it "takes a dump" out of warranty, do you expect the car dealer to just give you another one?


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

I don't lease cars.
I don't keep my car in my den and give it AC in the summer to keep it cool.
I don't drive my DVR in the rain, snow, and muck.

I do have a 2000 Toyota pickup with 160,000 miles on it that's never failed me. It's out of warranty, but Toyota without any provocation has extended the rust through warranty on it anyway.

If Toyota or Honda did satellite TV service, I'd sure as heck sign up with them. They've proven again and again that they care about their customers and don't just see them as a revenue stream.


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## LOCODUDE (Aug 8, 2007)

deltafowler said:


> I don't lease cars.
> I don't keep my car in my den and give it AC in the summer to keep it cool.
> I don't drive my DVR in the rain, snow, and muck.
> 
> ...


I really like this one.......:lol::lol:


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

deltafowler said:


> I do have a 2000 Toyota pickup with 160,000 miles on it that's never failed me. It's out of warranty, but Toyota without any provocation has extended the rust through warranty on it anyway.


And when it rusts through they will surely give you a new truck.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

There should be no new commitment for the replacement of a defective leased receiver. The protection plan is not needed. Read the DirecTV pages on leased receivers especially the FAQ.


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

Ken S said:


> Read the DirecTV pages on leased receivers especially the FAQ.


From said FAQ regarding why one would want the Protection Plan...


> The equipment leasing fee is for your receiver only. Leasing the receiver allows us to provide the latest equipment with minimal upfront cost, affordable upgrade options, and if the receiver fails we will replace it at no charge. The protection plan is also a great option to cover equipment other than the receiver. With the protection plan you will have access to service calls from a trained technician if we can't fix the problem over the phone, dish alignments, replacement of defective remotes and other components such as cables, multi-switches, or splitters, as well as free technical troubleshooting 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week.


There is no mention of not extending your commitment...just replacing equipment. Is there another FAQ where it is discussed?


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## Uncle Lar (Feb 25, 2007)

I was a Dish customer for 3 years. Had a VIP622 HD DVR. Had ZERO problems. It just worked. Channel changing was quick. Dual live buffers, etc. Decided to switch to DTV to take advantage of promotional pricing (plus I wanted MLB package). They installed HR23-700 last week. Have had at least 10 freeze ups, drop outs, etc. Now I get 771 error upon switching channels. I'm a software engineer. We would/could NEVER release software with this many bugs. Do they even test the stuff? The software simply seems to suck on DTV. Not nearly as professionally done as on Dish. Oh well, only 103 more weeks till my commitment is up!


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Jon J said:


> From said FAQ regarding why one would want the Protection Plan...
> 
> There is no mention of not extending your commitment...just replacing equipment. Is there another FAQ where it is discussed?


No, that's the one...they state it will be replaced at no charge. If there were some obligation necessary they would need to list it there...or risk violating FTC regulation and state consumer laws.

Now, if you ask me does it happen? I don't doubt it...but the people affected should complain and get their accounts corrected.


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## jdspencer (Nov 8, 2003)

Uncle Lar said:


> I was a Dish customer for 3 years. Had a VIP622 HD DVR. Had ZERO problems. It just worked. Channel changing was quick. Dual live buffers, etc. Decided to switch to DTV to take advantage of promotional pricing (plus I wanted MLB package). They installed HR23-700 last week. Have had at least 10 freeze ups, drop outs, etc. Now I get 771 error upon switching channels. I'm a software engineer. We would/could NEVER release software with this many bugs. Do they even test the stuff? The software simply seems to suck on DTV. Not nearly as professionally done as on Dish. Oh well, only 103 more weeks till my commitment is up!


I beiieve that Dish Network has also had their share of problems with hardware. Otherwise, why is there a support forum here.
http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=72

BTW, my DirecTV hardware hasn't given me any problems.


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## rsblaski (Jul 6, 2003)

Uncle Lar said:


> I was a Dish customer for 3 years. Had a VIP622 HD DVR. Had ZERO problems. It just worked. Channel changing was quick. Dual live buffers, etc. Decided to switch to DTV to take advantage of promotional pricing (plus I wanted MLB package). They installed HR23-700 last week. Have had at least 10 freeze ups, drop outs, etc. Now I get 771 error upon switching channels. I'm a software engineer. We would/could NEVER release software with this many bugs. Do they even test the stuff? The software simply seems to suck on DTV. Not nearly as professionally done as on Dish. Oh well, only 103 more weeks till my commitment is up!


Just curious...why in the world would you switch from the perfect Dish system to the crappy D*??
I'm sure you did due diligence and researched D* service before making a two year commitment. If you checked this site, you would have found that no one is happy with D* and are only staying due to the 2 year commitment. It's a shame that no one here will offer any advice as to how to deal with D* problems.

Now seriously, if you can post a new thread and give a detailed description of your problems, I'm guessing that someone here will offer a suggestion that will make you as happy as the great majority of D* subscribers.
Please don't take offense at my opening comments...sarcasm is alive and well on these forums. ;-)


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## BenJF3 (Sep 12, 2008)

I believe the 2 year commitments are one of the biggest stumbling blocks for satcos. I don't even see why they need them anymore since you are leasing the equipment anyway. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm not getting the service I'm paying for then I should be able to cancel without penalty. I should not have to jump through hoops to get it "fixed". I believe the company should be afforded the opportunity to correct the issue and if they can't within a reasonable amount of time, then you should be able to walk away.


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## MIKE0616 (Dec 13, 2006)

Jon J said:


> Flailing a deceased equine here I'm sure...
> 
> If you lease a car and it "takes a dump" out of warranty, do you expect the car dealer to just give you another one?


If your utilities (electricity, gas, phone, or high speed internet) goes out and is unusable, I am sure you just keep on paying, don't you? Service need not be available for the price, need it?



BenJF3 said:


> I believe the 2 year commitments are one of the biggest stumbling blocks for satcos. I don't even see why they need them anymore since you are leasing the equipment anyway. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm not getting the service I'm paying for then I should be able to cancel without penalty. I should not have to jump through hoops to get it "fixed". I believe the company should be afforded the opportunity to correct the issue and if they can't within a reasonable amount of time, then you should be able to walk away.


The claim is made that they have a high investment in providing installation services, just as the cell companies were doing. The cell companies have been raked over the coals about the "early termination fees" and you can look for that to happen in the near short-term to the satcos as well.

Had an interesting conversation with the consumer protection folks at the state AG's office and they are of the view that if a company cannot and will not provide services you are being charged for, the contract for ETFs do not mean diddly. Contracts work both ways, the satcos must provide their end of the bargain as well as the consumer, they have no exemption from that fact, although the fanboys may say otherwise.


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## BenJF3 (Sep 12, 2008)

MIKE0616 said:


> Had an interesting conversation with the consumer protection folks at the state AG's office and they are of the view that if a company cannot and will not provide services you are being charged for, the contract for ETFs do not mean diddly. Contracts work both ways, the satcos must provide their end of the bargain as well as the consumer, they have no exemption from that fact, although the fanboys may say otherwise.


Exactly my point, but these companies usually make it difficult for you because they charge you the fee automatically via direct debit or unauthorized CC charges. If you dispute and don't pay they start hitting your credit report with negatives. There are tons of reports of this all over the net. They basically push up and virtually extort you for payment regardless of your side of the story because they know in order to fight them you'd have to go the route of the court system. They know the average consumer figures it's not worth it to pay for a lawyer, go to court, lose time off at work, etc. versus just paying the early termination fee. The contracts are setup in such a manner that there is almost no out.

Another point about equipment fees is that cable leases all their equipment and replaces it free when it goes on the fritz so why can't satcos? I think the consumer should have the option of paying anon-refundable install fee up front in order to get sat service without a contract and equipment should be handled as it is by cableco's. You send in a defective unit and they send a replacement. If the customer opts to have the free install and commit to a contract then they can still have that option.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

Farns01 said:


> Well, after a few days of quiet the problems have returned except the local channels not accessible. The DVR's are dead, I only get about 1 out of 10 that work. I DVR'd 5 programs last night when I was at work and none of them are working. It's taking almost 10 to 15 minutes for a channel to lock up when I change the channel. When they do lock in they are rock steady. DTV is sending out a tech on the Jan 2. Frankly if he/she doesn't replace this receiver then I'm telling him to take it with him. The system works good form about 2 days after I do a RBR then it goes to hell. I am on the 0x2AF download.


Can you go over your setup end to end.

Dish type: (sidcar, slimline or swm)
How many lines from the dish
Any other receivers in the house
External multiswitch
Any splitters, diplexors or other "stuff" in your lines.
Is your OTA fed to your HRs separately or diplexed?
Lastly, can you post your signal levels using this matrix for both tuners

Satellite transponders (32 total at 101º)
[Most of your standard definition channels are beamed from 101ºW]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # # #
17-24 # # # # # # # #
25-32 # # # # # # # #

Satellite transponders (3 total at 110º)
[A few HD channels, also beamed from 99 & 103º until 2009]
1-8 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA #
9-16 NA # NA # NA NA NA NA

Satellite transponders (11 total at 119º)
[Local SD channels for some cities, Spanish package]
17-24 NA NA NA NA NA # # #
25-32 # # # # # # # #

Satellite transponders (6 total at 99º(s)) [or 99º(b)]
[Local HD channels for some cities]
1-8 # # # # # # NA NA
9-16 NA NA NA NA NA NA # #
17-24 # # # # # # # #
[Note: these can be very slow to appear]

Satellite transponders (14 total at 99º(c)) [or 99º(a)]
[National HD channels]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA
[Note, these can be very slow to appear]

Satellite transponders (16 total at 103º(s)) [or 103º(a)]
[Local HD channels for some cities]
1-8 # # # # # # NA NA
9-16 NA NA NA NA NA NA # #
17-24 # # # # # # # #
[Note, these can be very slow to appear]

Satellite transponders (16 total at 103º(c)) [or 103º(b)]
[National HD channels]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA
17-24 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA


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## rotohead (Nov 29, 2007)

Uncle Lar said:


> I was a Dish customer for 3 years. Had a VIP622 HD DVR. Had ZERO problems. It just worked. Channel changing was quick. Dual live buffers, etc. Decided to switch to DTV to take advantage of promotional pricing (plus I wanted MLB package). They installed HR23-700 last week. Have had at least 10 freeze ups, drop outs, etc. Now I get 771 error upon switching channels. I'm a software engineer. We would/could NEVER release software with this many bugs. Do they even test the stuff? The software simply seems to suck on DTV. Not nearly as professionally done as on Dish. Oh well, only 103 more weeks till my commitment is up!


I have a friend with Dish that has had so many problems with equipment, CS, billing problems over a full two years commitment that don't compare to the OP's problems. He's had me over to help switch to Directv (HR21-700) and after about four months he's sold. Absolutely no major problems that can't be solved with alittle effort (similar to my experience with D* over the past 11 years). He doesn't post on this site about problems with Dish or with his satisfaction with D*. 
Just shows that one person's experience with either Dish or D* doesn't define the product overall. 
I don't understand the point of posting a 'Goodbye' in a situation like this. If you're unhappy with D* go ahead and make a change. Seems ego driven to make posts like that. Maybe just a reason to increase post counts. 
Flame away...


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## celticpride (Sep 6, 2006)

I dont trust directv anymore 2 years ago i returned a defective hd dvr and they extended my commitment to september 2009, and yes i have the protection plan! well guess what unbelievelby they just did it again for a second time!!! i just returned a hr21-700 that was bad and after being promised by 3 different csrs that they would not extend my commitment because i have the protection plan ,well i just found out they extended my commitment until december 2010, boy am i mad. now my next plan is to reduce my programming and give them them as little money as possible,in the spring after the nba league pass is over i'll switch to verizon fios, unless D* gives me a deal on there new hd tivo ,problem is their new tivo may not be released by then. I'M TIRED OF BEING LIED TO BY DIRECTV!!!!!:nono2:


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Original Poster - Do you plug your DVR into a GOOD surge protector? I'm wondering if you have bad power spikes messing things up. 

Also curious if you have your DVR networked to your router (wired or wireless) and if you have a phone cord connected. It shouldn't make any difference, but you never know.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Folks .. I just did a little thread clean-up .. Please, the original poster has a real problem and there are some folks trying to help ...

Let's try and keep this thing on topic so that I don't need to close the thread altogether ..


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

Farns01 said:


> Well, after a few days of quiet the problems have returned except the local channels not accessible. The DVR's are dead, I only get about 1 out of 10 that work. I DVR'd 5 programs last night when I was at work and none of them are working. It's taking almost 10 to 15 minutes for a channel to lock up when I change the channel. When they do lock in they are rock steady. DTV is sending out a tech on the Jan 2. Frankly if he/she doesn't replace this receiver then I'm telling him to take it with him. The system works good form about 2 days after I do a RBR then it goes to hell. I am on the 0x2AF download.


I had a very similar problem this past summer and it turned out to be a loose coax connection. Apparently, intermittent signal problems like this drive the HR2x nuts. The HR20 in the living room had been plagued with occasional blank recordings and brief 771 errors when changing channels, but I figured it was just the "typical" flakiness of the HR20. In August, I added another HR20 in the kitchen and when I connected it to the multiswitch, I must have disturbed that loose connection on the coax feed to the living room HR20's and because tuner 2 went out completely. After I fixed it, all my previous problem with blank recordings, sluggishness and 771's went away.


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## Farns01 (Aug 20, 2007)

I did extensive troubleshooting to my system. Not sure which dish type I am using from your list. 3 lines off the dish to the multiswitch. 3 lines coming into the housefrom the multiswitch. No diplexer or splitters, the two receiver lines hooked to a Monster Power EP IR 3650 then go to the HR20-700. I run 1 single cable to an old Sony HD 300 I use very rarely because I like to keep it available. My receivers OTA tuner is attached to a different antenna installed in my attic.

My problem is in Dec I've tried to record about roughly 40 programs and only 4 work. The ones that don't work go to Delete/Do Not Delete when I hit play. I trying to record a lot of programming because I work 4-midnight and don't have TV where I work. So I try to catch up after work or the next day before work. My other biggest problem was the ATSC tuner was disabled. When 0x29b was installed I lost the ability to access any functionality of working with the OTA tuner. I didn't really discover the DVR problem until Dec when I was out of town on work and programmed to record a bunch of Primetime programming while I was gone to find out nothing worked when I got back. Working with their CSR they were unable to resolve the OTA tuner problem by doing all the resets and even unplugged the power on the receiver for overnight. They gave up and said oh well we really don't support that feature anymore. I finally got that feature fixed by some input from here as I posted previously. Now to the DVR problem, D* says the problem with my DVR is known bug and they are working on it. The temp fix is to reset the receiver and the records will then work. I have tried till I am blue in the face to explain that when I reset my receiver the recordings get deleted by my receiver. They have stopped listening to me, I had them schedule a service tech call on Friday Jan 2 . I get home from work at midnight on Dec 24 saying that they cancelled my service call because my problems are software bugs that everyone else is having and reseting my receiver will fix the problem. That is why I am so Pi$$ed off at them. They no longer respond to my request for support. After 2 months of yelling at a brick wall I took it on myself to find somebody to listen to me. I'm not an idiot, I worked on satelite communications for 15 years while in the Air Force, spent 10 years as a Computer network technician and engineer after the Air Force. I now work for AT&T as a communication technician and in 2009 will be working with a portable satelite communications terminal to support the Military. On Christmas I sat down and figured out that my DVR problem is tied to a defective Tuner #1. When I would do a reset of the receiver I look at both tuners and they would look good. For simplification purposes I'll say they were in the upper 80's and 90's. This last time before I did a reset I went back and looked at my tuners again. Tuner #2 is looking good and Tuner #1 is dead. Every position not an N/A was showing 0. Talking with D* tech support I told them what I have found and explained I have swapped the cables from the multiswitch between the tuners before and after the ballums with no change. I bypassed the filtering on the Monster Power box with no change. I took the satelite cable off the HD 300 and put on the tuner #1 with no change. I took the cable off the Tuner #1 and put it on the HD 300 and it works fine. When I do a reset on the receiver the tuner starts working. I knew sometime within 48 hrs it would die but I didn't know exactly when. While talking with tech support on the phone the tuner failed about 25 minutes after the reset. So the I'm scheduled for service call on Jan 6 now. That is until they decide my problem is again a software bug and they aren't going to do anything about it.

Ron



RobertE said:


> Can you go over your setup end to end.
> 
> Dish type: (sidcar, slimline or swm)
> How many lines from the dish
> ...


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## DarekP (Feb 2, 2008)

You should have 4 lines connected from dish to the multiswitch.


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## spidey (Sep 1, 2006)

Ron, Something to try more for discovery and possible elimination of issues. I am assuming the new cables are all RG6?

1) Power down the receiver by completely unplugging it from the wall sockets
2) Disconnect the OTA cable from the HR
3) Disconnect cable from the old receiver
4) Swap the cables from tuner 1 and tuner 2.
5) After 30 minutes of being powered down plug receiver back in ( sometimes receivers need a full power off of 15 minutes or more )

After bringing up the unit check signal strengths on tuner 1 and 2. See what happens and post any anomalies etc.


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## dhhaines (Nov 18, 2005)

DarekP said:


> You should have 4 lines connected from dish to the multiswitch.


 This is the same thing I was thinking, but I thought maybe he just miss typed in a 3 instead of a 4.

If it's only three this could be the problem.


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## Canis Lupus (Oct 16, 2006)

This is critical. Please confirm the number of cables going from the dish to the switch, and also the switch model number (you should be using a Zinwell WB-68)



Farns01 said:


> 3 lines off the dish to the multiswitch. 3 lines coming into the housefrom the multiswitch.


This is a potential problem. Remove the SAT lines from the Monster Power and connect them directly to the receiver.



Farns01 said:


> the two receiver lines hooked to a Monster Power EP IR 3650 then go to the HR20-700.


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

I second Canis on removing the cables from the Monster Power filter. The Sony reciever you speak of is not connected to the filter and not having issues?

I don't think 3 cables is a typo or a problem. He'd need a multiswitch with 4 cables if he added more recievers to the mix. Currently, the LNB is acting as the multiswitch because of the small number of tuners it is serving.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

MikeW said:


> I don't think 3 cables is a typo or a problem. He'd need a multiswitch with 4 cables if he added more recievers to the mix. Currently, the LNB is acting as the multiswitch because of the small number of tuners it is serving.


I am guessing what Ron calls a "multiswitch" is just a grounding block on the outside of the house (a very common mistake).



Farns01 said:


> I bypassed the filtering on the Monster Power box with no change. I took the satelite cable off the HD 300 and put on the tuner #1 with no change. I took the cable off the Tuner #1 and put it on the HD 300 and it works fine. When I do a reset on the receiver the tuner starts working. I knew sometime within 48 hrs it would die but I didn't know exactly when. While talking with tech support on the phone the tuner failed about 25 minutes after the reset. So the I'm scheduled for service call on Jan 6 now.


That sounds promising! Too bad you have to wait a week for the service call, though. One word of advice - you might want to take the Monster Power filter out of the coax circuit before the tech gets there. Otherwise, he might see that and make certain "assumptions". Good luck!


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