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Cogeco HD/PVR (6412/6416) problem / question / results thread

269K views 717 replies 183 participants last post by  Kakariko 
#1 ·
I'm having an issue that I just can't see the cause of. I'm getting no centre channel sound when watching TV via the 6412 box. It is connected to my amp via toslink optical cable. When I switch to Prologic using my amp the centre channel comes through fine and it sounds good, but as soon as I change the channel the amp auto's to the Dolby Digital based on teh source.

Any ideas what could cause this? I went into the box setup and found nothing - it seems pretty strange to me that it would be sending a dolby digital feed but the centre channel won't work.
 
#127 ·
I've noticed a similar problem. When you have a weekly recording set and the network changes the time of the program, it's not updated in the recording list. When you go to look at the scheduled recording for the changed program you get the information for the substituted program. All of this says to me that they are doing this following:

When you set a program to be recorder, all the PVR software stores in the Date/Time/Channel/Length informaton. When you go to view the scheduled recording it reads this information (Date/Time/Channel) and access the Guide for that time and channel and simply displauys what's on at that time on that channel. It evidently has no knowledge of the content of the program that was scheduled to be recorded. This is just sloppy programming on the part of the "programmers" who wrote the PVR software. Evidently it also didn't get much "real world" testing before it was released. One would hope they do a better job n the next release.
 
#129 ·
I PVR'd Amazing Race last night like previous weeks. I knew ahead of time if i left my timer as is, it would only record the first hour (since my weekly timer was from 9-10).

Knowing i would have a problem i deleted the existing weekly timer and replaced it with a one time timer. Since the guide had 9-11 for last nights show it recorded as planned.

The show info (start/end times) is for the show and not the timer so i can see why folks would think they were recording for 2 hours and not one. It would be nice if the weekly timer (or daily, etc) had an expiry date (an actual date or the number of weeks, etc). This way the weekly timer would disappear and hopefully you would remember to create a new one.
 
#130 ·
57 said:
hmm, that sounds strange and would be "time based recording" (done by BEV DVRs) rather than "name based recording" (Done by Rogers SA DVRs and still better by TiVo).
Not all that strange .. It certainly explains what's happening. Notice that you don't have the option to record "all instances of this program" - just weekly, daily etc. If it was set to flag the program as recorded rather than the time it could easily adapt to IPG changes.

I'm a software developer and this sounds just like a "Quick and Dirty" hack to get it out quickly. It's the "just get it working and who cares how it looks" method of programming which is usually reserved for shareware offerings. It has evidently not been through a usability assessment. Hopefully the next rev will be a better effort since we'll be stuck with it for years probably.
 
#135 ·
July/August isn't so bad, nothing to watch all summer anyway. I can't wait for the dual tuner though, I watch every Raptors game and so that is 3 prime-time segments a week that I still have to argue over with my wife, despite having the recorder. It is that exact sort of thing that I want the dvr to make go away.
 
#136 ·
I am having a problem with my 6412. Other than alot of picture break up and audio drop, when I record a program and play it back, only a part of it will actually play and then will stop and start over from the beginning. It has done this about 3-4 times since I bought it(Feb. 2005). Other times it will play back fine, no problems. I phoned Cogeco and they set up a service call for next week. The customer rep said it may be a signal problem, which I can't see, it would be more a hard drive problem, imo. Has anyone else experienced this? Is Cogeco pretty decent with situations like this?(exchanging box if needed)
I live in Brockville if that makes any difference(signal quality?) We don't even have VOD here yet, so Cogeco needs to do some work here! (hoping soon!!)
 
#137 ·
I've had a similar problem, where I'm recording a program and watching it delayed, and skiping through the commercials. Sometimes when it gets to the end of the recording and I'm maybe only halfway through watching the program, the box well crash and shutoff. The recording is still on the box but I have to fast forward to where I was last watching, pain if its a 4 hour nascar race. Probably a bug in the firmware. Also it would be nice to have a faster then 4x fast forward.
 
#138 ·
I've had a similar problem. When this happens you can usually hear the hard disk grinding away. First time it happened I deleted all of my recordings and it went to 0% full. I then recorded 1 minute and it said 9% full. I figured it must be a corrupt file system. I then deleted all recordings, turned it off, unplugged it and replugged it after a minute. It took a while to reboot, but finally came back and was OK for about 2 weeks. Then it started again. I guess you just have to reboot every once in a while. Must be running Windoze ;-). It's a pain in the ass since every time you reboot it takes about 5 minutes to get the UI back and about 2-3 hours to get all of the Guide data. I usually reboot it just before I go to bed about once a week now. This shouldn't be necessary, but when you condier that it's a computer with the HD writing ALL OF THE TIME it's on, then there's probably some serious disk fragmentation going on. I've also got into the habbit of turning it off when not in use to save the disk access. This sort of thing shouldn't be necessary and it makes you wonder just how much "long term" testing Motorola has done with these boxes.
 
#139 ·
Service Tech was here today, tested the signal and all else and everthing is good. He phoned Cogeco and told them it is a faulty 6412. Cogeco phoned me back later in the day to inform me that a new 6412 will be here next week. I'll keep my fingers crossed with the new box, here's hoping!
 
#140 · (Edited)
Record failure - The Inside

Something strange went on Wed/Thur with my recording... the regular weekly recording of the Inside did not get saved as set for FoxW, still showing in sched for next week....
I had added the earlier bonus hour to my recording schedule as a single record, not weekly so could not change to save all.
Seems my PVR recorded that first hour (default save one setting) and did not save the second (regularly scheduled time period with save all setting).
** on further checking it is not as simple as that as I have the prior week's regular episode saved for the time slot that did not record. So is the problem that it did not wish to save two consecutive (time slots) programs with the same title??

Is this a bug?? If a show with save 1 is saved does this prevent a subsequent show of same name being saved even though it has save all setup????

That is not really an expected result as the guide is based on time blocks and not show name as has been shown previously when a show becomes 2 hrs it does not change it's prior 1 hr setup for recording even though the guide schedule does.

I hope that Cogeco will look at these kind of things in their new software version......
IMO I think the default setting should be to save all... that way we might keep away from these software glitches.
Or just copy the Tivo well proven method!!! ;)
 
#141 ·
update on dual tuners?

I just rented the 6412 with the HD package. I am definitely more impressed with it, than I was with the 6208 last year. Generally picture and sound quality have been good. PVR is generally good, but every recording has some blip(s) in it, which is more than annoying (StarGate Atlantis on TMNHD especially).

I couldn't find a recent update, so I might as well ask, will dual tuners be ready for the Fall season? My assumption is that with dual tuners, you will be able to record 2 live programs and watch 1 previously recorded program at the sametime, or watch 1 live program and record 1 live program. Anyone know if the PVRs can handle this without any degradation in audio/video quality, especially if recording 2 HD programs at once?
 
#142 · (Edited)
cannon_fodder said:
Of course, YMMV, but I had absolutely no issue with trading in my 6208 (purchased the first day available) for a 6412. I didn't have to ask, it was a fait accompli.

I was having a few issues with my 6208, so it isn't that I simply waltzed in with a 100% functioning unit and asked for a free upgrade. It appears that Cogeco felt that it was a better choice to replace the unit than trying to repair it.
Mac said:
I have traded my old (purchased) dct for the latest model, the 6412.
No charge at Cogeco Pen centre, St. Catharines.
Very happy with improved PQ, guide etc. I connect it to my TV via DVI.
Waiting for dual tuner activation this fall!!
You had me all excited! I have been perfectly happy with my 6208 since April 2004 (or was it early May?). I picked up one of the first two HD PVR boxes they received at the St. Catharines Pen Centre outlet. I had never considered the possibility that I might be allowed to upgrade, but after reading these posts, I was ready to trade my 6208 in for a 6412. However, I just got off the phone with Cogeco, who informed me that they will only allow a trade-up replacement if there is an issue with my current 6208. :(

Ah, well. It was worth a try. ;)
 
#144 ·
i was thinking of getting the bell 9200 receiver,but i already have cogeco basic cable,so i think it is better to get the cogeco hd dvr....is cable hd better then satellite hd? because i have read that bell's hd is so compressed..
and if i go with the rental of 19.99 a month is that exra on top of my $25 basic cable,and what will i get with the 19.99 a month?
 
#145 ·
Cable/Sat

I am a cable subscriber(Cogeco in Niagara). I have never had Satellite. I can tell you that every time I have seen a Sat picture on a quality TV that I have asked myself why I never switched. In all fairness, cable gives you analogue throughout the house and features (such as the On Demand TMN) which I think are the cats ass. Still, you have to watch them to get any benefit. I have a 56" DLP and any degradation of signal is in your face. Self admittedly, Motorola states that the passing of the cable signal through the PVR (6208/6412) degrades the signal. Yes the boxes do. And they are terrible. If it is not HD it is almost unbearable. Analogue out of the wall is 100% better than digital channels passed through these PVR's. So if you don't have a high end TV capable of mirror reproduction, you'll probably never notice. Go with cable. If you have no current investment I would take my time, read these forums and invest carefully. It depends on what you are looking for. Because for straight signal and normal decoding both are close. Introduce new technologies and HD and the plot just gets much thicker.

Enjoy the Day
 
#146 ·
Dlpnut said:
Self admittedly, Motorola states that the passing of the cable signal through the PVR (6208/6412) degrades the signal. Yes the boxes do. And they are terrible. If it is not HD it is almost unbearable. Analogue out of the wall is 100% better than digital channels passed through these PVR's.
Motorola admits what exactly? You have a URL? Well, I have a 106" screen and I'm very happy with Cogeco SD and even more happy with the HD.
 
#147 · (Edited)
Motorola

An answer to a question on the Motorola FAQ section.

http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/news_faq.asp#analog_basic

Why do analog/basic cable channels look worse than before?
In some cases, there might be a difference in perceived picture quality between analog and digital channels. This may be due to the differences in technologies for transmission of signal types. There are 3 reasons for this.
(1) Analog channels tend to pick up "noise", which is typically processed out on digital channels.
(2) Certain TVs offer different levels of noise reduction (filtering) among their video inputs.
(3) The DVR functionality interjects slight video degradation on analog channels, as part of the conversion process from analog to digital in order to store onto the digital hard drive.

The cable and telecommunications industry is collaborating on a resolution to this issue.
To see a more detailed answer on this question click here.
----------------------------------------------------------
I have both a DCT 2000 and the 6412 hooked up to the same TV. On analogue and on the digital end(although much less) the difference is noticable between the two boxes. HD looks wonderful.
 
#148 ·
Any news on the Dual Tuner support on the 6412? I just picked up a rental until yesterday and so far I'm pretty happy with it. The HD channels look great, but the SD channels leave a little to be desired on my 110" screen :)

Also, I used to use a TiVo and I've found it's guide a lot more intuititive. I liked being able to record all new instances of a show, unlike the "timed" recordings on my Cogeco PVR. Any news of this change or feature becoming available? Could this maybe happen with the new iGuide?
 
#149 ·
bisk said:
Any news on the Dual Tuner support on the 6412?
Rumour has it mid October... Cogeco does not give specific dates as then we will hold them to it. Originally it was Summer... my guess is consider yourself lucky if you get it by Christmas!
Also, I used to use a TiVo and I've found it's guide a lot more intuititive. I liked being able to record all new instances of a show, unlike the "timed" recordings on my Cogeco PVR. Any news of this change or feature becoming available? Could this maybe happen with the new iGuide?
I think that will remain a Tivo feature... I read somewhere that Tivo now works for Canadian channels.... If you have one you will be better off to use it.
I am not expecting the new guide to solve this serious problem...
If a show you set for weekly record changes from a 1hr time slot to a longer (90/120 min) it will look to you in the memory as though it will tape the new time but it will shut off after the prior set 1hr..... this is because it is purely a time based format and does not 'see' the time change of the new day.
It's look is misleading as it shows the 2 hr time slot in it's schedule while really only having a 1hr slot in it's record data hidden from view.... your Tivo will catch that as it is smart. You also won't tape the President when he takes over a shows timeslot and the guide info changes, you end up taping him, Tivo does not.
I feel better now I have got that off my chest again. ;)
 
#150 ·
Scruffy said:
Rumour has it mid October... Cogeco does not give specific dates as then we will hold them to it. Originally it was Summer... my guess is consider yourself lucky if you get it by Christmas!
Hrmm...I wish that they had it ready for the new fall season :( Price we pay for being earky adapters :rolleyes:

Scruffy said:
I think that will remain a Tivo feature... I read somewhere that Tivo now works for Canadian channels.... If you have one you will be better off to use it.
I am not expecting the new guide to solve this serious problem...
If a show you set for weekly record changes from a 1hr time slot to a longer (90/120 min) it will look to you in the memory as though it will tape the new time but it will shut off after the prior set 1hr..... this is because it is purely a time based format and does not 'see' the time change of the new day.
It's look is misleading as it shows the 2 hr time slot in it's schedule while really only having a 1hr slot in it's record data hidden from view.... your Tivo will catch that as it is smart. You also won't tape the President when he takes over a shows timeslot and the guide info changes, you end up taping him, Tivo does not.
I feel better now I have got that off my chest again. ;)
The problem is that my TiVo was SD and it has a Satellite receiver built in ;) Hopefully Cogeco will make the 6412 a smart receiver soon.
 
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