Shaw Direct HDPVR 630 Owners Discussion thread for owners ONLY!

[ralphf]

The surest way is to try new cables, but there are some things you can check first. If you have had cables unconnected , make sure you have connected the correct cables to the correct places( sometimes people mix up other cables like antenna with the cables from the dish).Check that the cable ends are properly and securely attached to the cable, Check that the center wire is centered and sticks out slightly past the connector( sometimes this center wire gets pushed back or bent over). Check at dish and receiver and any connections in between. Also check that there is no corrosion or oxidation ( the center wire should be copper colored not black ). If you have a voltmeter, you can carefully measure the voltage on the dish end of the cable ( connect one probe to the outside of the cable end and the other probe to the center wire ) . Should be about 12 to 20 volts. Next temporary run new cables directly from the dish LNBF to the receiver through a window or door to see if this solves the problem. If it still does not work then it could be bad receiver,LNBF,dish alignment,or something blocking the signal from the satellite. OK most of you all ready know this.

[ddayson]

Time for another update... was supposed to have a new technician come over today. He never showed up! Was told on March 28th that the appointment was booked for 3pm on April 4th. I sat around waiting until 7:30pm. No show, no phone call, nothing. 2 months I've been waiting to get this fixed and this is the type of service I keep getting from SD. I couldn't have worse luck with SD.

[waldo617211]

Does anyone ( especially SD ) not find it strange that we are now over 100 pages discussing this particular model? I've had mine for about a year & just recently had my first 800 hour recording. There is some issue with pixalization & picture quality sometimes, but it has been about 95% ok for us. I would like to see SD wean itself from motorola & get something better. Maybe they should look at directv in the u.s. for their swm technology & anti-hacking software. I would like to get an hr34 with 5 channel recording capability & whole house system. SD has hitched itself to a company that is not producing the best stuff available out there & they should be looking at a more responsive company to partner with. It would be nice if this business allowed for multiple choice for both the providers & the customers. Being locked into 1 only means they don't have to try very hard. YMMV.

[ScaryBob]

Motorola will not license their encryption technology and existing receivers are too expensive to replace so SD is stuck with Motorola. So are their customers. After experiencing dropouts every 30 seconds or so with a 2 hour show I'm ready to take a sledgehammer to the 630 and say a few choice words in Jim Shaw's direction.

it has been about 95% ok for us.

That's way too bad a record. Would you accept internet or cable that only worked 95% of the time? How about a DVD player or TV that only worked 95% of the time?

[noah12]

Ya what is the answer here before this receiver was the 530, I had allot of issues with the 530. I switched to bell for two years now came back to shaw, had some issues with bell. My local cable company went through 5 of those PVRs in three months, Pattern yes no one makes a quality product anymore.


noah12

[57]

...went through 5 of those PVRs in three months, Pattern yes no one makes a quality product anymore...

I see a different pattern. As I mentioned earlier in this and other threads, whenever someone goes through several STBs, the issue is very unlikely to be with the STB, but rather the environment the STB is in.

Either the connections are poor, the signal is poor, or the equipment is in an environment that is not appropriate (too hot, inside enclosure, dust, etc), or the equipment is abused, or there are power spikes or static electricity, etc. I'm not saying which it is and for which person, however when anyone goes through lots of STBs, it's not likely the STB itself that is causing this.

No STB is perfect, but one needs to understand the underlying cause of an issue and not replace STBs "hoping for the best" when the underlying issue has not been resolved. If the issue is with the firmware, then the user needs to decide if he can live with the issue or needs to switch providers and get used to a different set of issues.

I agree with ScaryBob's comment earlier. 95% reliability is not enough. However, to expect more than say 99.9-99.99% reliability is unrealistic, since all electronics that run on firm/software have some issues.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/qu...ins133991.html

[ScaryBob]

I've owned an average of 2 PVRs for the last 8 years and only had one hardware failure in that time. That was due to a failed hard drive. The same PVR also experienced a faulty HDMI port, common for that model. One failed PVR in 16 years of use isn't bad. The PVRs have always had UPS power protection and properly grounded coaxes. I've experienced many, many more problems due to bad firmware updates that rendered the units unusable or unreliable.

[ptahX]

Ok Here it goes

I've had nothing but problems since day 1 with th hdpvr 630, box appeared to overheat for a while. appeared to "go away" according to the wife. A few months later lost my HD Chanels, realigned dish and checked cables, one cable had actually burnt and melted - replaced it. Apparently fixed again. Then came the "update" which slowed things down a bit, we decided to live with it until now. Then was the full hard Drive (that was never full) - lost all our shows on the list for a few weeks then they suddenly show up one night randomly.

So today I have yet another issue the box - keeps freezing up and on occasion resetting. Thus a few questions - any chance a factory reset will solve these issues? will Shaw Direct honor a box purchased through Best Buy over a year ago and fix it or am I just best to purchase another box at $400. Any other suggestions welcome on how to fix or solve these problems

Thanks in advance
PtahX

[gzink]

I would go to SD politely and get firmer and firmer and escalate up the chain if necessary. They have a record of your problems and should agree to replace.

If not ... Used one?

[ralphf]

I believe SD still has lifetime warranty IF you have more than one receiver activated.They charge extra for more than one receiver($5 a month I Think). But if you have a big enough program package extra receivers are free.

[NovaMan]

This from their website....http://www.shawdirect.ca/english/sto...tirecaug03.asp...

"If you have two or more receivers, you'll be charged a $6.08 Multi-Receiver Warranty each month. But that fee is waived if you subscribe to certain programming packages. As a bonus, all of your receivers will be covered with a limited lifetime warranty (some restrictions apply). This limited lifetime warranty covers all parts and labour on all of your receivers. If a receiver breaks under normal use, you pay only a small shipping and handling fee to have it replaced or repaired. Replacement receivers will be new or refurbished units of equal or greater value."

So, Shaw will replace your PVR as long as you have another receiver.

[Davee]

Buy a new cable & install yourself Then bill SD for a service call = 1 month free
I do not understand why they will not compensate those of us who solve the problems their serviceman leave behind . My guy changed type of LNB & then had me cutting tree branches because some channels were missing . I researched here & found out he was supposed to call in for an update based on new LNB Lucky I did not cut the tree down.
Keep us informed !

[cyberham]

Originally Posted by NovaMan

..."If you have two or more receivers, you'll be charged a $6.08 Multi-Receiver Warranty each month...

Careful about this. When I was provided a replacement 630 due to failure of the first, they started charging this multi-receiver fee. This despite my having shipped back the failed unit. "Oh, sorry, a keystroke error, they said...". Extended warranties are in same category as "extra undercoating" on a car: not necessary. Live on the edge of life and ignore all extended warranties.

[Davee]

I have seen too many hard drive failures recently to feel comfortable without
I normally do not buy extended Came close to getting bit once on a camera with 1 week left when input buttons failed

[gzink]

That fee was worth it with my 5 replacement 630's in 21 months. Finally gave up on the 630 and life is now a little boring, thankfully.

I need to add for the doubters that the 600 and older receivers worked fine through the period and it was live viewing on the 630, not the hard drives, mostly.