Dec 12th: DSR530 Code BC Fixes, Features & Bugs

[hugh]

So now that the new code is out, I think a new thread might be in order since, hopefully, many of the issues in the old thread are resolved.

I'm also of how existing owners would rank the DSR530. It seems, judging from the feedback on this forum that the DSR530 that this product was a dog when it first came out. (The fact that Star Choice called me repeatedly asking me to shut down the threads and posters also was a clue!)

So how would you rank the product now and what issues remain unresolved?

[ARR]

Originally Posted by osmosis

I have a few suggestions for navigation features:

1. I would like the ability to go to a specific point in a recording by time.

i.e. Press "Info" and then select a new "2 Go To" menu item and then enter 120 which would take me 1 minute 20 seconds (or 120 seconds whichever is more intuitive) into the recording. No need to fast forward, skip etc.

2. What if we had a feature where if you are watching a live/recorded show and I press 10 (1 then 0 buttons) and then the Skip Backward button, the show would Skip Backwards 100 seconds (Assuming the default 10 sec Skip Backward). This allows you to for example skip an advert where you are normally pressing the Skip Forward button 6 times, press 6 then Skip Forward. It would be limited to 99 auto presses as 3 numbers would select a channel.

I don't think that these would be that difficult to implement? What do others think?

I don't believe it, somebody is actually listening.
It's almost exactly what this guy asked for, except it's in minutes and not seconds.

There's a ton more, got to get back and play some more.

[ARR]

Originally Posted by satellite

Just a thought, but I know the receiver has problems playing back when there is no tuner input - you need to turn off the buffer to solve the problem.
If you do that, are you able to playback properly?

I was nice outside, so I went to put up the Christmas lights and my ladder bumped the dish out a fair bit.

Damn, no signal message, so I decided to see if I could play back some stuff while I mustered up to tackle a dish alignment and it just started to play. No annoying signal lost nag screens or any funkey button pushes needed.

That'l be sweet at the cottage next summer until I put an extra dish up or during rain fade.

[NO-CRTC]

Originally Posted by osmosis

I have a very simple request.



I would like a dialog that asks the use to confirm the deletion of a recorded show. I am always inadvertantly deleting shows because of too many key presses in the buffer. i.e. A simple "Are you sure you want to delete the show" request from the system. This could also have an option in the setup to enable or disable the dialog.

I realize that there is the option to lock a show, but I don't generally lock my recordings because they are transient.

Sweet...confirmation request box is now included! This code is looking very good. Back to some more testing for me. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee.

[hugh]

I don't believe it, somebody is actually listening.
It's almost exactly what this guy asked for, except it's in minutes and not seconds.

There's a ton more, got to get back and play some more.

Gee, I wonder who ARR works for?

[ARR]

Originally Posted by hugh

Gee, I wonder who ARR works for?

Actually it was for some 'other' guys in the TV business, retired now, but I like my *c best.

It's nice to get Canadian TV down here.

[ARR]

Originally Posted by ARR

I don't think anything really earth shattering, but maybe a browse bar that goes beyond the next program and a time remaining clock in playback and stuff. They seem like fairly trivial things to toss in while fixing a few bugs.

Was never a big legacy receiver fan, but it seems the extended browse bar capability may have some use after all.

[SatTv1994]

Originally Posted by NO-CRTC

Sweet...confirmation request box is now included! This code is looking very good. Back to some more testing for me. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee.

I just got in can confirm that I have BC too. So far I'm also very pleased to see the delete confirmation box. That was one thing I wanted bad too. Now no worries about deleting something by mistake.

Also I just checked my call display. It recorded a couple of calls perfectly.

Anything else fixed?

[NO-CRTC]

Hey, glad you mentioned the caller ID thing. I almost forgot about it since it wasn't working for me on A8, I had shut it off. I just turned it on and had my nephew give me a call, and it works GREAT! So they fixed the caller ID thing as far as my area is concerned. I've also been playing with some recorded shows, and ARR is correct, when you resume, it really does resume at the right spot, instead of 15-30 minutes ahead. So far, so good!!

[bipbip]

just bought it. Overall ok but freezes from time to time, yellow time bar sometimes does not work. To fix everything, must disconnect and reconnect.
Does anyone know how to transfer the data from the hard disk to a pc or another hard disk? Do the two USB port on the back work?

Thanks

[cellarboy]

Originally Posted by bipbip

just bought it. Overall ok but freezes from time to time, yellow time bar sometimes does not work. To fix everything, must disconnect and reconnect.
Does anyone know how to transfer the data from the hard disk to a pc or another hard disk? Do the two USB port on the back work?

Thanks

Hi bipbip. Nope, theres currently (and unlikely to ever be) a way to transfer your recordings to your PC. The recordings are encrypted, so there's little you could do with them anyway. Also, the USB ports are inactive. "For future use", as the offical line goes. Hopefully, at some distant point in the future they may use them for something.

As for the freezing and other issues, how long have you had the 530? If you've literally just hooked it up or it hasn't had chance to update it's software (check options 6-4-7 and see what is listed in 'current version' -- if it's anything less than A8, it needs an update) you may experience a few 'issues' until it does.

[Tenspeed]

Originally Posted by cellarboy

Hi bipbip. Nope, theres currently (and unlikely to ever be) a way to transfer your recordings to your PC. The recordings are encrypted, so there's little you could do with them anyway. Also, the USB ports are inactive. "For future use", as the offical line goes. Hopefully, at some distant point in the future they may use them for something.

Is it not likely that they will some day sell a DVD burner that could be connected via the USB ports? I am saving some shows and would like to keep them on DVD. I could transfer to VHS but I would prefer high quality.

[cellarboy]

Originally Posted by Tenspeed

Is it not likely that they will some day sell a DVD burner that could be connected via the USB ports? I am saving some shows and would like to keep them on DVD. I could transfer to VHS but I would prefer high quality.

I feel pretty confident in saying Starchoice would never release such a device. Chances of a third party doing so are next to nill either given someone at Starchoice would need to write firmware to handle such a device and they seem to have enough on their plates getting basic functions to work.

Best you could hope for is to use a regular DVD recorder connected to the S-video or RCA jacks to dump the content off the hard drive at SD resolutions.

[satellite]

Not to mention the digital rights issues that go along with the ability for digital transfer...

[Tenspeed]

Originally Posted by cellarboy

Best you could hope for is to use a regular DVD recorder connected to the S-video or RCA jacks to dump the content off the hard drive at SD resolutions.

Do they not yet have HD DVD recorders? If not, then I am sure they will be coming. I would think I could also use the component outputs to the HD DVD component inputs.
I am new here so apologies if I am repeating earlier discussions.