Well that in itself is a little odd because unless the structure of the call centre has changed recently, there is no level 2 technical support! The CSR's used to be considered 'level 1' and the TSR's 'level 2', but that all went away a couple of years ago so that there were just CSR's and Techs (in Calgary at least). Wouldn't be a bad idea though, to stick some of the senior Techs on a higher 'tier' to stop them getting bogged down with mis-directed billing calls and remote control issues!

Well, I spoke to a TSR on Sunday when my 530 died, tried a number of things with no success, and she told me to let the lights cycle for an hour and call back if that didn't work. She told me when I call back to select for a TSR and ask to be transferred to a Level 2 Tech. She also indicated she would put a note on my account describing everything that was tried so the level 2 would not put me through the same stuff.

When I called back an hour later, the TSR put me on hold and said he would transfer me through to a level 2 tech. After a minute or so, he came back and said that they had just received an email stating the wait time to get through to a level 2 tech was 54 minutes, and he didn't want me to wait that long. He put me on hold an went over to talk to the level 2 techs' supervisor to see if they would take the call. After about 2 minutes on hold the guy came back and told me the supervisor looked over what had already been tried and to let me know that they would be sending me a new 530.

I'm still waiting for it...it was apparently "ordered" on July 31.

Cellarboy, - I'm not sure just what the UPS would have done for me during the power outage because the machine wasn't even on when the power went out either time. So there would have been nothing to shut down anyway. I sometimes unplug the machine to reset it anyway so what's the difference between that and a power outage.

The problem seems to be when the machine cools down after the power being out for a few hours that it will not boot up again. It just keeps cycling until about an hour later (perhaps when it warms up) it finally decides to work.

As for the crashes, I had one this morning when I was viewing the guide. Using the red, right arrow key to move through the guide it stopped responding and I had to reset using the front button. Turning off and on didn't fix it . There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to these crashes. I can't decide if the crashes are due to the CC code or my machine so I would appreciate if others let me know if they are having problems also.

I wish I had as much luck getting a replacement machine as some of you seem to when it cycles and doesn't power up or crashes alot. I have had some strange experiences with technical support people at starchoice. After resetting my machine from crashing a few times a TSR told me that they could not do a factory reset until the receiver was actually in crash mode and that I would need to call back when I experienced another crash and they would do it then. I had her repeat it because it didn't make sense to me, but she was confident that this was how it worked. She seemed to just want to get rid of me as soon as possible. So I had to wait till it crashed again later that day and called back and luckily got ahold of a more knowledgable TSR who said that wasn't true and that I had to be able to use the options menu in order to do the factory reset.

Cellarboy, - I'm not sure just what the UPS would have done for me during the power outage because the machine wasn't even on when the power went out either time. So there would have been nothing to shut down anyway.

If the machine is plugged into a live outlet, it's 'ON'. All turning the receiver off does is shut the video off and obviously a few lights on the front. The only time most modern electronics are actually turned off properly, is if they're unplugged.

When I called back an hour later, the TSR put me on hold and said he would transfer me through to a level 2 tech.

Well, re-instituting the 'level 2' tech situation might actually help them stop bleeding experienced techs who are fed-up with dealing with billing calls!! :)

There's also another situation that can result in the term 'level 2 technician' coming up. When the TSR deparment is REALLY busy and the CSR's not so much, certain CSR's are put into the 'Tech Queue' because they have some technical knowledge (better than most CSR's for sure). The aim is that they hope these 'level 1 techs' will catch a lot of the simple or misdirected calls to clear the Tech queue a little quicker. Obviously if they hit one of those calls they can't deal with (I don't think they're able to issue replacement equipment or issue service calls for example), then you are transferred to a 'level 2 technician' or more appropriately, a proper TSR.

It's interesting, but there are a lot of issues that people think are technical issues, but are actually supposed to be dealt with by the CSRs. Remote control programming, for example. These types of calls account for an EXTREMELY high percentage of TSR call volume. Unfortunately most CSRs don't know they're supposed to deal with them, or more accurately, probably never got trained on how to even program a remote code!

I bought a really expensive UPS for my TV and DSR530. It's been connected since the day I bought my 50" HDTV. I still have had many problems with the 530, regardless of the UPS. I don't think the UPS is going to resolve all of the issues. We've had a couple of thunder storms here recently which really knocked my machine out of order, and it was not because of the power failures we had. This dish will also cause the machine to go wacky if there is an electrical storm. Both days I had to reboot the 530 due to a bright pink display that would not go away.

The UPS would do nothing to resolve the 'issues' with the 530. It's simply to protect it, or let you power it down gently, it the case of a power outage.

Also it might be worth noting that after a power outage, surges caused by a massive demand for electricity when the power is restored can be as if not more damaging.

I agree with that. The UPS certainly does not hurt. If you are going to invest thousands of dollars into an HDTV television, a UPS is a MUST HAVE item. It protects your equipment from over and under voltage situations, as well as power outages. I have 3 of them in my home - one for my computer - one for my VoIP phone system - a more expensive and more robust one for my TV/DSR530.

If anyone is thinking of buying one, make sure that you check the amperage of the UPS and your equipment to ensure the UPS will support your equipment. The UPS's are built in a variety of ways. Some will have batteries that will support a longer "up time". Some will support a more demanding load. Prices will vary depending on the flavour you choose.

Got CC back on July 19'th. Been very pleased with it. Had my first lock-up last night. I had just come out of watching a saved movie. I was looking for something to watch in real time and I ended up toggling between 2 Hi
Def channels using the Last Ch button trying to decide which one to watch. I went back and forth 2 or 3 times and finally the unit lost all video and sound. I could move to a new channel and the banner would show the channel info,, but I had nothing but a blank screen. Tried bringing up a saved movie to see if that would work. I was able to access the PVR screen and select and play a movie however it also had no sound or video. Went back to the guide, then it totally frooze and the unit stopped resounding to all remote functions. Front panel reboot time. I was thinking about asking how long people had gone without a reset with CC, I guess I made it 19 days.

With the new code I have been having a lot of problems finding a point in a recorded program using the Fast forward and Fast reverse features. (Actually I saw a post from another person with the same comment.)

At first I thought it was just the faster speed to get used to but the slowest of the speeds is only about 2 to 3 times so I should be able to slow down and locate a spot visually and stop it within few seconds but I always miss the spot by a lot more.

It is not me it is just another software bug. It appears where you hit the play button after FF or FR it stops the scan and freezes exactly where it detects the button press for a fraction of a second but then it jumps ahead (or back for FR) another 15 to 120 seconds. This additional random jump makes it almost impossible to stop the recording where you want it.

So don't get upset with yourself if you can't zero in on your favorite scene. You can blame the equipment.

Do some of your guys are receivine the CC update theese days?

The day the announced the update, *c sent me a brand new 530 due to prior problems... ( it even included the remote and cables!)

The receiver had a4 on it, it took 1 week to get a8 and now it's stuck on a8
never saw CC

I read that some of you saw cc then it was removed....

are they sending CC theese days? :confused:


Syl

Got CC back on July 19'th. Been very pleased with it. Had my first lock-up last night. I had just come out of watching a saved movie. I was looking for something to watch in real time and I ended up toggling between 2 Hi
Def channels using the Last Ch button trying to decide which one to watch. I went back and forth 2 or 3 times and finally the unit lost all video and sound. I could move to a new channel and the banner would show the channel info,, but I had nothing but a blank screen. Tried bringing up a saved movie to see if that would work. I was able to access the PVR screen and select and play a movie however it also had no sound or video. Went back to the guide, then it totally frooze and the unit stopped resounding to all remote functions. Front panel reboot time. I was thinking about asking how long people had gone without a reset with CC, I guess I made it 19 days.

I did not make it one second after receiving the cc download. The unit froze up as soon as I touched a button on the remote. Since then I have had numerous broken recordings because of random freezes. This cc is no better (for me) than any of the previous codes and I have had them all. I am also getting recordingd where the sound disapears for a minute or more. The last time it happenned the sound never did return and I had to reboot thus causing another broken recording. It now has got to the point where I dare not attempt to show anyone how the unit works as it is sure to freeze and make the unit look stupid. I have two factory resets and they did not help.
Lester

I would want to say that CC has been very stable for me. With BC, I was averaging 1-2 resets a day. With CC, the counter is at 4 and 3 of those were power issues.

I have LOD on and multiple timers per day. No issues with playback etc.

After I got the CC update, I deleted all prior recordings and did a factory reset to ensure that there are no lingering issues from the BC days.

To check the number of reboots (CC code only), go to Diagnostics D

[QUOTE=sekhon55]I would want to say that CC has been very stable for me. With BC, I was averaging 1-2 resets a day. With CC, the counter is at 4 and 3 of those were power issues.

I have LOD on and multiple timers per day. No issues with playback etc.



My experience exactly. We've had 2 reboots (front panel) since CC and I still have 5 hours of HD recordings from BC on the hard drive. We set 2-5 timers a day and now have recorded and played 3 HD movies from ch 283 since we signed up for the MCHD freebie preview. Not a glitch yet with them.

Lester - I think I would try to get SC to replace your 530. It sounds like your unit is crashing much more then it should. Is your 530 an early one? I've seen other posts that indicate that some of the pre-order units from May of 05 had more problems.

I have had my 530 since December and did not receive the BC code. I got the CC in the first wave and have found it has made my machine less stable but not to the point that I am overly annoyed. I had my first freeze up within the first 1/2 hour of playing with the new code. My 530 was very stable with A8, with CC I am reseting 2x's a week.

That said, the last reset was after a storm last week. I lost the signal during the storm and it never came back. At 10 PM I gave up and went to bed. I had a timer set for 10 PM, the next morning the 530 was still showing no signal, so I thought the wind might have moved my dish so I checked my 421 and it was receiving. I reset the 530 and it was receiving fine. The ood thing here is that the second tuner appears to have been receiving a signal at 10PM as the show I set to record was there in full.

Overall, I am enjoying CC. I like that I can now record PPV movies overnight, it confirms before deleting and the skip forward/backward is a neat toy.

I've had CC for about 3 weeks now and it seems to get worse by the day. I got home after the long-weekend and one of my recordings was not done (set to record every week). I tried to watch a new recording and it wouldn't get past the first minute without locking up (tried several times). I tried to watch another new recoding and it worked until about half way through the movie and it kept locking up. I've also had lock ups when using the jump back button to change to the previous channel. At this point I'd rather have A8 back.

I've read some of the posts that suggest that some of the early units may have hardware problems, does ARR or anyone else have any insight on this?

My 530 received CC in the first wave and I have been extremely pleased with the DVR. No lock ups yet! I did not receive BC code so the improvements are a bonus to me.

I've read some of the posts that suggest that some of the early units may have hardware problems, does ARR or anyone else have any insight on this?
I've never been aware of any hardware problems that would affect the unit in the ways described.
In ALL cases, it has turned out to be the code.
But I've been wrong once before, I think...maybe not...

Now I Alpha tested CC and it was fantastic for the first 3 to 4 weeks.
Sporadically for the past several weeks, it's been so bad, I've gone to using my cable HD PVR.

It quit recording just some of my timers, so I cleared them all and re-created them and now it's fine.

It has been quite HOT here some days and it is in an enclosed cabinet, so perhaps the heat theory has some validity.

Like before though, I have seen it work great for a fair while and then just go for a crap for a few days.

I have NO explanation for that type of behavior.
My usage pattern hasn't really changed.

All I can say is I'm sure they will keep on top of it.
I also know that the new IPG version for this fall lessens the load and does not do some of the quirky things that are done today, but I don't see them as related to the current crop of issues.

CC was very good for me until a fews days ago.

Now the unit has failed to start recording timers on occasion. It is back to A4 behaviour. At least with BC I could trust the thing to record non back to back timers.

We need a new code now. It's back to being almost totally useless to me if I can't trust it to at least record a program.

I have also had a number of lock ups requiring reboot.

... We need a new code now. It's back to being almost totally useless to me if I can't trust it to at least record a program....
We'll I certainly don't disagree with you, Given the time they spent from BC on Dec, 12, 2005 to CC on July 18th, do you seriously expect new code anytime soon?

I think they are trying to get to 2 downloads a year.
That's actually a good thing as then they aren't rushed to put out a untested 'fix' and not so far apart that hundreds of changes have occured and it's too unwieldly to test properly.

The last plan of record was to have the new IPG in the lo-cost units by September and presumably the 500 serias shortly thereafter and then a frist pass at Searchable Guide for Christmas.

That would be nice, but I wouldn't be surprised if we only get 1 of those.
As I said earlier, I'm becoming more distant each passing day w.r.t. the 5XX project.