There must be something else at play here. I have several back to back same channel recordings every week (my default recording is 1 minute early and 1 minute late) and have only experienced one problem in the several weeks I've had the system. On that occasion I ended up with one program that had a 1 minute recording and then the other 61 minutes on a second recording.

The system does have some bugs and figuring out what the common factors are that cause problems can be a challenge. I know there are people that are having problems and that can be extremely frustrating because not everyone is having the same problems under the same conditions.

But overall, I have had very few problems and with 5 portals in operation it is getting a severe workout.

FYI: last Aug 22 I posted the following in the Forum (now closed) 'Shaw Gateway: Original code iS1'.

Q: Portal generating interference on AM radio band?
Both of my portals are generating considerable 'static' on the AM band in our house. The interference is overwhelming within 50cm of each portal, and still quite noticable well over 1m away. Anyone else experiencing this?

I'm picking up the interference on a portable radio so there are no electrical connections with any other devices. The portal seems to be broadcasting the static. :(

I haven't had many issues with back to back recordings lately and in fact I have made some changes to the early and late record settings as some shows were actually recording as they should so I have been able to return some of them to their original lengths. I can only imagine just what might be causing some of these issues as there was well over 200 unpublished 'fixes' in the last code update. Yes, that's above and beyond the 66 or so that were published so it should come as no surprise there might still be some 'issues' that need massaging. There is another code update that has been in testing for a few weeks now so I would expect it to be pushed out within the next few weeks, certainly before Christmas.

As for AM radio interference from the Portals, I'll have to do some digging to find an AM radio to test this out but I don't really think there are going to be that many people who have a Gateway and still listen to AM radio, sorry. These are at opposite ends of the technology spectrum.

Agree completely with stanl - I've had no problems (that I've noticed as problems, anyway) with my Gateway and two Portals. The guide is a little confusing because it scrolls differently than the Motorola guide (opposite direction, and selection always stays in the middle), but as with anything different, that just takes getting used to. Same with the rest of the setup and such - it's not all THAT bad, really, but it is VERY different from the Motorola box setup that we're all so used to, which makes it seem worse than it really is.

The remote is also a poor design - poor layout and missing functions, particularly "universal remote" functions... but then, I'm kinda used to that with the lame old remotes that didn't support most of my gear anyway.

All in all, been pretty happy with the whole Gateway system.

I found digital tuner, portable AM/FM radio and I do get interference from all three active Portals that I have. I do have to be within about 1 foot though. Perhaps your receiver is more sensitive than the $10 pocket unit I have but I checked the Gateway box and my Internet Modem and the Modem makes more noise than any of the other boxes. I still had to be really close to it so I would think they would all pass the 'interference' test.

Thanks for the input everyone.

I guess I will have to spend some time playing with recording settings.

Am I the only one that is having this HUGE issue?
I record the TSN Jets channel (290) and then, while the game is still in progress, start watching the recorded show from the beginning. This is fine, I select it from my list of recordings and start watching...skipping forward etc.
Then, I pause the recording and leave to put the kids to bed (this has happened 3 times already on different games).
When I return, the "screen saver" is on screen. To wake it up, I press the OK button.

NOT!!!!!!

It not only wakes it up, but decides to also skip me to LIVE!!!! Meaning, I look up and see the score near the END of the game, and thus have no reason to actually WATCH the missed portion because I now already know the score!

This is INFURIATING!!!! I wont answer my phone or go on the internet so that I don't accidentally learn the score of the game, but my stupid PVR decides to show it to my anyways!!!!!

I am sure it would also happen on other channels, but the timing of weekday hockey games makes for the perfect storm...

program game to record at 6pm...after dinner (around 6:30), start watching RECORDED version...at end of 1st period, pause recorded game so I can put kids to bed etc...come back to TV around 8:30...see the screen saver...press the OK button to wake it up...PVR decides to wake up AND JUMP TO LIVE TV, where I inadvertently look at the score and see my Jets are friggin losing! :mad:

WTF is up with that!??

Have you tried the menu button instead of hitting the okay button.

I, too, find this really frustrating. I have learned to press 'PVR' when I have paused a recording and the screen saver comes up. One would think once the screen saver is on, the first button press, any button press, would simply remove the screen saver and return you to the last viewable state, 'Paused recording' in this case. I certainly think the OK button would do this at the very least, as in: 'OK, I'm ready to pick up where I left off.'

This is clearly another example of how the logic has not been totally thought through and is one area that hopefully will be changed for the better in a future code release.

Sibble,

I have had the same problems watching NFL games. I make sure that the box is switched to live TV on another channel before I start the recording.

"Several of the channels are all screwed up tonight. For a good part of the evening, CTV SD was replaced with the feed from CBC Radio Canada. Setting the Gateway to record on channel actually recorded a different channel a half our later. Other recordings were only for 2 or 3 minutes instead of 30 or 60 minutes. "

Looks like the fix for this was the standard power cycle for the Gateway and all Portals. I guess I'll just have to get used to a manual monthly maintenance power cycle just to keep the system from going loopy.

Here is another bit of fun. After a disastrous time with the previous build of loosing huge chunks of the channel listing in the menu after removing channels to which I don't subscribe, I thought I'd try again.

Programmed up 2 Portals to display only the channels to which I actually have access. All was well for a few days then one of the Portals began to show large black gaps in the menu listing omitting channels I did not remove. The odd thing is that the other Portal is behaving exactly as it should. The misbehaving one seems to slightly modify the blacked out channels over time all on its own. I can watch the channels but just can't see the program listing for them. Power cycling the Portal does not resolve this.

Okay, I've searched the forum, can't find anything definitive on this: is it possible to playback media (video files, etc.) from a flash drive plugged into the USB port on a portal or the gateway itself? And if so, what's required as far as drive format, media format, etc.?

I see the box for the gateway lists DLNA and WiFi support, but they seem to be "greyed out" - is this an indication of a future option, or just a tease?

Most of your answers are in the original Gateway thread. USB is inactive. DLNA code is in the next update but no word on when it might be activated. No word on when the wifi option will be enabled either.

Simpler if they just add a monthly or weekly reboot into the code. It is just basically a computer, so like every computer it will eventually benefit from a reboot. The advantage of them adding it to the code would be that they could add in a check for active portals or recordings before the reboot is allowed to happen.

There is supposed to be a weekly 'reset' that happens Thursday night/Friday morning. Maybe this got interrupted in the current code?

Has anyone heard about progress in delaying the sleep mode? My wife just found out about it and is not amused....

Sorry Soundy, but I have never seen a programmable power bar. Looks like a neat idea, but after buying all this expensive equipment, I am loath to have to dish out more for a fancy power bar just because the hardware/software is unstable. Arris should be well aware of the issue and have made provisions for the code to perform periodic power cycles at a safe time if that is what is required for their equipment to work properly.

On a more amusing note, now that the famous Shaw fireplace is now playing, if you put it on to create a festive mood, the fire keeps going out every 3 hours due to no activity being detected! What a hoot! Must be in the name of fire safety! :-)

Overall, the iS2 code update has really improved the system and most of my initial concerns have been fixed. There are still some left to keep me amused and eagerly awaiting the next set of fixes.

With respect to the blanked out channel listings, they are slowly coming back one by one. Hopefully they will all be back within the week.

Cheers!

There's a really cheap ($5) single outlet timer in the latest Princess Auto flyer that would do the same as the power bar but at a fraction of the cost. I wouldn't worry about it too much as it will probably get cleared up in the next one or two code updates.

This morning I went to turn on the TV and Gateway and found that there was no sound, so I went to turn on some channels and the picture just froze without any sound..
I'm ready to toss it out the window and go back to my trust worthy Motorola 6416. When I purchased this box from Best Buy the guy wasn't too enthusiastic about selling it, now I know why. Its obvious they've had allot of returns and dissatisfied customers. I bought this box on the confidence of what the Motorola had given me for the past 5 years. This piece of equipment is nothing but a bloody aggravating disappointment. Not only is the thing constantly freezing and stuttering , the whole menu system is not user friendly at all. God forbid a senior get this box and try and using it. Why did Shaw put out a box like this with so many problems to frustrate their customers is beyond me.

Unfortunately I gave my 6416 to Shaw as a trade in for a portal for my bedroom. That box cost me over $600 when it first came out.
So I paid over $340 for this new box which was suppose to be better but its not , lost the one that was a working perfectly. Thanks for the grief and frustration Shaw !