CLOSED — Shaw Gateway: Code update to iS2 & iS2+ (See final post)

[downbeat]

(UPDATE: April 2012) Reports indicate Shaw is progressively rolling our new firmware for Portals and Gateways as of now. If you have received this new firmware, please use the following new main discussion thread.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=153175
Thanks,
downbeat

==========

Please use this thread to discuss the Shaw Gateway (Whole-home PVR by Arris) after the scheduled iS2 code update from Shaw.
** Subsequent iS2+ code update rolled out through December 2011 also covered in this thread. **

Current known firmware versions as of February 2012, as reported by forum members and/or Shaw staff:
Gateway 7.0.1b.9G5BR-P.342538
Portal 7.0.1b.9X5R-P.342538

BEFORE YOU POST, check out this list of fixes and issues:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show....php?p=1324303

Other threads of note:

Installation and setup
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=145834

Adding external drives
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=142528

Gateway remote 'cheat sheet' for buttons and associated commands
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show....php?p=1347683

Programming universal Harmony remote for use with Gateway
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show....php?p=1331570

Gateway promotions (new subs only)
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=144468

Wait times for Gateway support
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=145274

Historical thread for the Gateway with original firmware
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=130143
This thread is now closed but it contains some issues/info that are still pertinent today. Worth taking the time to review.

Cheers,
downbeat

[hugh]

Now open since Vancouver was scheduled to get update on Sept 20th. National update is Sept 22nd.

REMINDER, only post in this thread IF you have received the IS2 update. Posts asking about when you are going to get the IS2 update or asking about what the IS2 does will be deleted.

Overview of IS2 Update including list of fixes and enhancements.

[Jetranger]

The easiest way to tell if you have received iS2 is trying the 'slow motion' feature. Pause the program you are watching, wait about 5 or 10 seconds if you are watching a 'live' program or do the next step right away if you are watching a recording, press 'fwd' button once and if your picture begins to move slowly forward and you get the little shaded arrows at the bottom middle of the screen, you have the new iS2 code.

[JosephI]

Followed JetRanger's advice on how to check for the update. Confirmed that both portals exhibit frame by frame advance (also confirmed that my SKIP issues are gone).

It seems that there are 3 sets of clocks...
(1) Gateway clock - controls the recording times. It is in synch. Tested using a "schedule once" recording; monitored the channel to be recorded; red light on the gateway showed up on the dot.

(2) Portal screen clock - the current time shown in the guide and other screens. This is ahead by 7 seconds for me.

(3) Portal LED clock - This is behind by 6 seconds for me.

I really don't mind (2) and (3) as long as (1) is in synch and my recordings are on time.

[GatewayUser]

In North Van and confirmed I have IS2.

2 minute clock error is fixed !! Wuhoo. clock now matches real time.

Trying to go into VOD still gives "Error: Badly formed request P002" although since a call to shaw seems to get this fixed without any rebooting on the gateway, I have a suspicion maybe this is a Shaw server issue maybe? Just a guess. Seems odd that giving them a call each time this happens allows the tech to resolve in 30 seconds.

[roopster77]

Clearly got the firmware update, still missing channels in the old grid guide... The rest seems pretty good...

[Shaw Champ]

I have a 3400 hooked up on a different input on 1 TV as well as a Portal. There used to be a 2 minute time difference between the two, now with the new code load it seems less than 10 seconds.

[JosephI]

Got reminded by a certain Phineas and Ferb fan (ch 51 - sd broadcast) who still has to finish their homework to test if enabling multiple resolutions still causes issues.

One of my TVs support it so I enabled all of them - 1080p@30Hz all the way to 480i (is there somebody broadcasting at 1080p?)

No issues so far. Delay between switching channels is 3-5 seconds (acceptable for me).

[Jetranger]

I was told there were no grid guide updates in iS2 but it seems Shaw Champ's list shows otherwise. However, I would have to argue this as I still have long delays waiting for the guide to populate and it also still 'blanks out' every now and then while you are surfing it.

I have also just had the 'time bar' get stuck 'on' at the bottom of the screen while playing a recording. It was up for well over 2 minutes and I had to play with the 'pause' and 'play' buttons to get it to go away. I can usually just press the 'clear' button and it will disappear but not this time. I did take a short video of it as proof.

I believe I have also come across another quirk in that you can't advance one frame at a time after you have used the slo-mo. If you are watching a recording and pause the picture, hit 'fwd' once to run the slo-mo for a bit and then 'pause' again, you can press the 'skip' button to do the single frame advance, the 'click' sound happens like it is registering the button press but the picture remains 'paused'.

I use these a lot for seeing what happened during a crash at a Nascar race. Determining who did what at 200mph isn't easy but a frame by frame view can answer a lot of questions. It's a small bug but a bug none the less.

[Jetranger]

Another issue is you don't always get taken back to the recordings list once a recording is done and you choose to delete it. Sometimes you just get the 'screensaver' filling the whole screen. It would be nice to have it consistently take you back to at least the last position in the recordings list.

Also, pressing the 'last' button should take you back to the last program you had going, like a recording if you jumped out to 'live' tv by mistake. I think we have mentioned this before but I'm stating it again as a reminder as I didn't see it listed in the 'fix list'.

[hugh]

I have also just had the 'time bar' get stuck 'on' at the bottom of the screen while playing a recording.

Jetranger, how do you have the update when Shaw Champs post says its only been released to customers in Vancouver?

[Jetranger]

hugh, as I posted in the original Gateway thread, starting a few posts before this one:#1664, it seems I have been granted a 'special' license and was provided with the code a little early. The strange thing is I wasn't told about it and I didn't bother to check until about a week after it happened when I got to thinking about the different errors I was seeing and the lack of previously common ones.

It would seem maybe to some that the 'squeaky wheel gets the grease' but in fact there was some discussion about this exact circumstance at the Sandbox meeting that I attended a couple of months ago. Shaw employees there told the attendees they had been considering the possibility of providing the new code to a small 'public test group' but they were concerned about the liabilities surrounding such a situation. I sincerely expressed my interest in being such a 'tester', as I have done many times before, not only here in the forum but in different communications with Shaw directly.

It seems they have this time decided to implement such a process for even just a short time as a couple of weeks. I could have been providing better feedback sooner if they had only told me about it when they first did it but I can understand they may have been 'testing me' to see if I noticed any differences. While I did have a couple of occurrences of something I hadn't seen before, I didn't put much weight on them as I have learned that some issues seem to come and go with this system so I wasn't getting too worked up about them.

As I did predict some months ago, I would most likely find some things that had not yet been found by anyone else and I know that this has indeed happened so Shaw has proven my point about needing 'real world testers' by allowing me to participate in such a test. Hopefully next time I will get the code a lot earlier along with the list of supposed 'fixes' so I can test them for myself and that way let Shaw know they are getting the support from ARRIS that they are expecting or not.

So far, I really like what I have heard about how ARRIS responds to requests and the timeliness of their updates. I have heard there will likely be another one available before the end of next month so the long wait between Motorola updates will be a thing of the past with this system, it seems.

I don't know who was responsible for this as I don't have a direct contact that would necessarily know who had made the decision but it really doesn't matter much to me. I just want to be able to have some input and be of help to not just myself but anyone else who might be wanting this system and hoping for it to work as Shaw is advertising it should. We, the early adopters, have taken a 'leap of faith' that it will work as intended and anything I can do to help make that happen sooner rather than later is what I am all about.

I am not being compensated in any way by Shaw, in fact my monthly bill just went up considerably as a 12 month promotion I previously had has expired and I am now dropping services to make what I do want affordable for me. I have not been offered anything that isn't available to any other member of the public so I don't believe there is any conflict of interest if that is what you are concerned about.

I think readers here would agree that I am pretty harsh with my opinion of Shaw and so much so at times that some readers have said I complain too much. I am just stating my own opinions and my take on Shaw and it's services as I experience them first hand. When credit is due, I give it generously and when criticism is due, it comes equally as generously from me.

Sorry for the lengthy post but I felt some explaining needed to be done.

[SnowGoose]

Originally Posted by Jetranger

<snipped>
I have also just had the 'time bar' get stuck 'on' at the bottom of the screen while playing a recording. It was up for well over 2 minutes and I had to play with the 'pause' and 'play' buttons to get it to go away. I can usually just press the 'clear' button and it will disappear but not this time. I did take a short video of it as proof.
<snipped>

I've experienced this as well - just today - it appears to have been an issue pre-update...

[sibble-comp]

Yup, new firmware's here in Vancouver also, for my folks in New West same deal.

I've heard with the new system in place, Shaw can push out the firmware widely and quickly in a very short window of time.

I'm seeing the update was done around 0330 this morning on the Gateway and about 0640 this morning for my second portal, haven't checked the first portal yet, that matches up with my Parent's unit timing wise.

Hopefully this presages a quick install for my 3rd portal tomorrow morning!

[hugh]

Posts removed. Please this thread is for discussing the new firmware updates. If you wish to comment on installation issues or Shaw pricing practices, please use other threads.

Please stay on topic or your posts will be removed.