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Bell TV 6131 Discussion thread

781K views 2K replies 412 participants last post by  Battscrew 
#1 ·
This discussion thread is for owners to discuss the new ExpressVu 6131 HD Receiver when it becomes available.

Any posts discussing when it will be available or from NON-owners will be deleted and the poster will receive an infraction.

Once again, this thread is for OWNERS only.

For non-owners who would like to learn more and discuss the new ExpressVu 6131 or 9241 receivers you can discuss it here.

Edit by 57 - 6131 User Manual:

http://support.bell.ca/_web/guides/tv/userguide/receiver/6131/6131_12_ch10_eng(en).pdf
 
#2 ·
I just bought a 6131 which I will receive and activate on January 31st, so I will be able to contribute in a short while.

I have a question though, does any one have information on what EHD's can be connected to the 6131 ? Any size, brand, model, RPM requirements ?
 
#3 ·
Picked up my 6131 last friday. Didnt want to go around hunting for a 6141.

As for EHD, i believe there is a thread about info of EHD you can use.

To sum it up,

1TB and smaller.
Sata/IDE and any speed is fine, 3.5" ONLY.
Any name brand HD is good to go.
Any enclosure as long as it has a power adaptor.

EDIT:

Well...the 6131 experienced the green pixelation problem just like the 6141. Great....
Just happened tonight (6days of ownership)
 
#5 ·
6131 Audio issue

I replaced my older Bell 6000 yesterday with the brand new 6131 HD receiver.

I am not using the HDMI output until I upgrade my sound processing unit to a compatible HDMI switching unit. I am currently running component video and digital optical output for sound.

I have a audio "pop" that occurs that sounds like a discharge of sorts when I switch stations on the receiver from regular stereo broadcasting to a high definition station in the 800's that supplied Dolby digital. The pop occurs when I go from the non -dolby to the HD dolby digital. Sometime the pop is low and other times it is much louder and clicks twice.

I called bell and at first they said this was NORMAL when I complained and said this was not satisfactory they eventually after 5 calls offered me an exchange. I am not sure I want to be doing their testing for them again as I experienced a similar problem in a different room with my 9242.

Any ideas or comments would be appreciated.

Al
 
#6 ·
Just got the 6131 for $199. Never had HD before so I had a free install to upgrade my dish. So far I am absolutely loving HD!

No problems with the receiver as of yet. I do have some audo lag but it seems to go away as I'm watching.

I do have an EHD hooked up through USB as well - a 500GB SATA Western Digital - tried recording some HD stuff as well as SD stuff and it works great.
 
#7 ·
6131 "Green Pixelation" issue

I've had my Bell HD 6131 less than one week. We were watching a HD channel last night and all of the sudden the entire screen filled with a "green pixelation." The only way to resolve the issue was to do a power reset.

I called Bell and they informed me that this was a reported issue that they are working on and hope to have a fix within the next week. Apparently several people have reported this issue and the only way temporary to resolve it is to do a power reset by holding in the power button or unplugging the unit.

I have also moderate to loud pops as reported in a previous post when switching between regular stereo broadcasts and dolby digital.

I am throughly disappointed with this piece of equipment. My earlier 6000 from Bell gave us years of satisfaction. It may be from the tech support that this issue is only related to the non PVR units but frankly I don't trust them anymore.

I hope this gets fixed swiftly and that others do not experience this interruption.

Al B
 
#8 ·
The "Green Screen" issue is well documented throughout this forum and a new piece of software should be rolled out within a week.

How did you "fix" the popping on your 9242.?
 
#9 ·
6131 issues

I was unable to fix the audio pop. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I am not using the HDMI cable. I run separate audio feeds and component video....

I am surprised on the "green Issue" that this new receiver has this serious issue.

I am not confident that there will be software soon. I've been told this before from Bell and it has taken a long time....


Anyone have an update on when this new software is coming?

Al B
 
#12 ·
Not recognizing HDD

Just activated my 6131. It gave a message saying PVR functionality is installed. I plugged in a 320 GB HDD, powered, 7200 RPM. It didn't recognize it. No option to format it. It says to go to bell.ca/pvrmax, but I can't see anything there that helps.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Tyler
 
#14 ·
Rebooted, turned on the hard drive after it was complete, and still no luck. Same message about going to bell.ca/pvrmax.

The interesting thing is that when I decided to turn off the power to the hard drive and give up for the night, a message popped up saying that I unplugged the drive and it would need to reboot the PVR. So I guess it is recognizing that it's plugged in, but it's not allowing me to do anything with it.
 
#16 ·
6131 died again tonight

2 days later we were viewing an HD channel on the Bell 6131 and the screen went black this time and froze all of the controls.....no green pixillation but the same results in that the receiver would not operate.

Did a power down and reset the receiver and picture and sound came back.

Called Bell and they are going to escalate the problem to the network department who apparently are going to fix this in two days.

I will wait and see but if it happens again I will be calling them. I have never owned a brand new piece of equipment that has let me down as bad as this one. IMHO these units should be pulled out of their stores until they resolve the issue.

Al B
 
#17 ·
Just got my 6131 activated.

I replaced my dead 6100.

Just an FYI. When I first connected the 6131 the signal strength was only about 52% on 91. It was enough that the receiver would download and write to memory. (2700 receiver reads 93% on the same cable)

Called to activate the receiver. "Why, yes, my signal strength is excellent." After the download, memory writing and activation, signal is 90%. Weird....

Don't have HD or a hard drive yet so I can't comment on that. Looking for a good deal on a hard drive.

Jeff
 
#18 ·
6131 patch applied....

Hi,

After speaking with Bell tech support this morning I learned there was a patch applied yesterday to the 6131 receiver. The software will still show v165 so it has not changed but overnight or when you turn your receiver off after 30 minutes it should be applied.

If you want to force the patch or software to be updated go to the menu/6/1/1 Point dish and move the transponder to 13. If you shut your power off on the receiver this will force the update if you leave it off for 30 minutes.

I didn't know the update was applied till this morning but last night when we viewed HD channels for a little over 3 hours the "green" pixelation did not occur.

Here's hoping the patch works and no further green issues get reported.

Thanks
Al B
 
#19 · (Edited)
I've rebooted my receiver multiple times, I've resynchronized it from the web site, and still no recognition of my hard drive. I guess I'll have to call Bell.

The HDD box says USB 2.0, so unless it's not correct, that's the only reason I could see related to the hard drive. Are USB cables all 2.0? I'm using the one in the box.

Tyler

Edit: Just got the green pixilization after watching for 15 minutes. This receiver sure isn't making me happy.
 
#20 ·
6131 patch?

TJl,

Have you tried positioning your transponder to 13 prior to shutting the receiver off? Wait for 30 minutes. This should force the unit to install the resent "patch" I was told would resolve the "green pixelation."

I watched my set for two hours last night and I did not get the green pixelation screen. Still too early to tell imho that it is finally resolved ....

I will give it to the end of the week.
 
#21 ·
Have you tried positioning your transponder to 13 prior to shutting the receiver off? Wait for 30 minutes. This should force the unit to install the resent "patch" I was told would resolve the "green pixelation."
Changing the tranponder # on the signal stregth screen is a diagnostic tool only. You are "changing" any settings and using one TP over another, it is solely to check that TP on that screen only.

As soon as you exit, or turn the unit off, the receiver goes to whatever transponder it needs to do whatever it needs to do. Example if you go to channel 200 then it goes to Sat 91 TP 13. Same applies to EPG or firmware updates.

Also, firmware is never patched, but full releases are sent down. Basicailly, you either have the current version, or you do not. You cannot "force" a firmware update, ut you can "allow" it to happen under the correct circumstances.
There is some good related info here Info: How Bell TV receiver's get new firmware
 
#22 ·
6131 patch applied....

Dosborne,
Thanks for commenting. I am only repeating what the service tech instructed me to do. But apparently even in the thread you pointed me to someone else had been told this info. The tech also mentioned during our conversation that he had received an E-mail stating that a patch was to be applied over night during maintenance times. I find this hard to believe that he was making this up but to be honest anything goes with Bell. They are so inconsistent in there statements during a call in.
My receiver so far has not acted up but as I said I am not convinced the problem yet has been resolved. I am going to wait till the end of the week before I come to this conclusion.

Al B
 
#24 ·
Yes both the 6131 and 6141 have a single cable input.

If you want both SD and HD programming at the same time you will need to have two cables from your dish (one from each LNB (91 & 82)) going to a SW21 switch and then a single cable from there to your receiver.

If you are going to have muliple receivers in your house your configuration will vary depending on your receiver situation.
 
#25 ·
To clarify, you need 1 line per tuner. In this case, the 6131/6141 are single tuner units. Whether you use a SW21, SW44 or some other appropriate switch is up to you, but essentially you need a device to combine the outputs from 2 LNBs. The various switch types are covered in sticky threads.
 
#202 ·
Just hook-up 6131 with a 1T Hard Drive and both work well EXCEPT i cannot get any HD channels. I have an HD Dish with a 9242, 5900, 4100 and 3100 also hooked-up. The 4 lines in from the dish go to a SW44 and then the Sat 82 line goes to a Video Path Power Inverter. What do I require to get both HD and SD to the 6131?
 
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