Shaw Direct 630 Official Problems / Issues / Resolutions Thread. Read posts 1, 2

[ScaryBob]

Contacted SD who told me that I MUST plug the 630 DIRECTLY into a wall socket & NOT the power bar I had it plugged into.

And they know they are right because it fixes the problem almost every time. Never mind that unplugging the receiver and plugging it back into the power bar will do the same thing. I wonder what SD would say about plugging a PVR into a UPS? I've been doing it for 8 years with no hardware problems. Firmware problems galore (as confirmed by others) but no hardware failures.

[PaulC]

Originally Posted by ScaryBob

And they know they are right because it fixes the problem almost every time. Never mind that unplugging the receiver and plugging it back into the power bar will do the same thing. I wonder what SD would say about plugging a PVR into a UPS? I've been doing it for 8 years with no hardware problems. Firmware problems galore (as confirmed by others) but no hardware failures.

If plugging the 630 directly to a wall socket & not a power bar is so critical it's unbelievable that SD would put the following statement on their website on how to correctly hook up a 630!


Quote: "Plug in the PVR power cord into a power source. We recommend you use a good quality surge protector and do not plug your receiver directly into the wall."

[ScaryBob]

Their are few "company myths" that circulate among front line support personnel at Shaw Direct. This is one that has been around for about 10 years. Another was "static in the line." They would get people to disconnect and reconnect all their RG6 connectors to get rid of it. That may fix the problem but not because of static. Shaw direct must have poor CSR training, poor support scripts or both. I'm not sure the company knows how to support PVRs like the 630.

[Miles]

Count me as another one with disk space being chewed up by failed deletions. I have emptied my DVR list and it shows 58% full.

[greatger]

It definately must be the software update, as this black screen with the recordings and chewed up harddrive space has not happened before this.
Shaw direct had better fix this problem fast or they will be losing customers !
:mad

[SD 630 Support]

Hi Everyone,

We have nothing to indicate a black screen on recordings is related to any sort of software bug or anything that is being worked on currently. Possible causes would be low signal (including at the uplink), not being subscribed to the channel you're trying to record, being simultaneously substituted with a channel you don't subscribe to, the program being blacked out, or maybe that your HDD is hitting 100% full for some reason (you never want it to fully and completely run out of space, and it shouldn't under normal use). Give us a call for the first 3 and they can all be resolved. The last would require some advanced troubleshooting to diagnose the cause to resolve properly. (Again though, this shouldn't be happening under normal use).

As mentioned, the partially deleted recordings has been fixed and will be seen in the next update. I don't think this is new in the last update (07.33), it's just that summer viewing patterns (i.e. having cleared out most of your PVR list, along with the super-long Olympic recordings) are making it more noticeable.

We want your equipment working properly and if you're having issues, want to ensure they're resolved by addressing the root cause of the problem. If you're feeling like things still aren't performing normally after doing the standard troubleshooting, send me a PM with your account number and contact information and we'll be in touch!

[PaulC]

Originally Posted by SD 630 Support

Hi Everyone,

We have nothing to indicate a black screen on recordings is related to any sort of software bug or anything that is being worked on currently. Possible causes would be low signal (including at the uplink), not being subscribed to the channel you're trying to record, being simultaneously substituted with a channel you don't subscribe to, the program being blacked out, or maybe that your HDD is hitting 100% full for some reason (you never want it to fully and completely run out of space, and it shouldn't under normal use). Give us a call for the first 3 and they can all be resolved. The last would require some advanced troubleshooting to diagnose the cause to resolve properly. (Again though, this shouldn't be happening under normal use).

As mentioned, the partially deleted recordings has been fixed and will be seen in the next update. I don't think this is new in the last update (07.33), it's just that summer viewing patterns (i.e. having cleared out most of your PVR list, along with the super-long Olympic recordings) are making it more noticeable.

We want your equipment working properly and if you're having issues, want to ensure they're resolved by addressing the root cause of the problem. If you're feeling like things still aren't performing normally after doing the standard troubleshooting, send me a PM with your account number and contact information and we'll be in touch!

I continue to have black screen recording on one my new 630's.

I phoned SD the other week & was told that under no circumstances was I to plug my 603 into a power bar. So I now have the problem 630 plugged in to a wall socket.

However the problem continues: As an example, recording "The National HD" on CBC HD Channel 292 will sometimes result in a "Black Screen" At this time I can recover the recording by doing a soft reset, & it will then play with no problems. The 630 appears to record the program ok. The red recording light comes on, the program shows as being recorded in the pvr listing & it shows the regular recording icon. No broken recording icon is shown. From what I observe the problem is not in the recording, but in the playback. Whilst the playback bar menu appears on the screen the controls seem to be unresponsive. Press play & I get the black screen, press FF does nothing. Stop works & brings back the picture of the live channel. At no point does the current position or current position time change (on the playback menu bar) All it will show is that 00.01sec has played, and there it will stay regardless.

I have a strong signal.
I am not trying to record on a channel that I am not subscribed to.
The hard drive is at around 27% full
Disk health shows as being ok.

I was told by the CSR that the next step will be a factory reset, which I intend to have done after I watch a couple of recording which I dont want to loose.

I have 2 new 630's. The one giving me the black screen has had "light use" My other 630 has had much heavier use with no problems to-date.

For me this problem started after the latest firmware upgrade.

At this time I am only recording "The National HD" on this 630. After a soft re-boot it will run fine for around 3 to 6 days before I will get another black screen.

SD 630 Support: I'm open to having some "advanced troubleshooting" done on my problem 630, prior to having a factory reset done. If thats helpful/needed etc. I just want this problem solved by mid September, when the new TV season starts.

[SD 630 Support]

Originally Posted by PaulC

SD 630 Support: I'm open to having some "advanced troubleshooting" done on my problem 630, prior to having a factory reset done. If thats helpful/needed etc. I just want this problem solved by mid September, when the new TV season starts.

Absolutely. Nothing about what you're experiencing on the 1 630 is normal, especially in light of the fact you've got another 630 in the same home that is running without issue.

The issue could be with the receiver, or with something specific to the location, like cable connectors or the specific ports on the LNBF.

Diagnosing this naturally becomes a bit trickier because the problem only happens every week or so. Here's the options:

Option 1 is to do a Factory Reset with erase. If the problem goes away, then everything's been fixed with minimal effort. If it doesn't, you might be onto option 2.

Option 2 would be to swap the two 630s and run them in the "opposite" locations for long enough to see what happens.
Outcome 2A: If the "good" 630 starts having black screen issues when installed on the opposite TV, we know it's a problem specific to that location and will send a service call.
Outcome 2B: If the "good" 630 continues to work good at the other location, and the "bad" 630 is still bad at the other location, we've narrowed it down to the receiver.

If you start with Option 2 and hit Outcome 2B, we'd still want to do a Factory Reset with Erase to confirm that doesn't fix it.

Replacing the receiver before doing the above is a toss-up, because if it's the location that's the problem we then need to dispatch a service call (extending the amount of time it takes to get this resolved) AND you've already lost all the recordings on the old box.


As mentioned elsewhere, the "plug it directly into the wall" is somewhat of a call centre legend. I wasn't around for the development of the legacy boxes so can't speak to the success with those models, but I suspect that's when it started. There should be no issues keeping any of your 6XX receivers plugged into a proper surge protector. (A frayed extension cord into an Ikea power strip is another story, of course...)

[HowieDoin]

630 replacement #3 is set to be delivered next week......Canada's "most advanced" pvr is starting to cost me a fair amount in shipping charges....630 #1 was replaced due to a bad tuner...and now #2 because of a failed HD......anyone else think that I shouldnt have to pay the 13.99 shipping charge?

[TyHe]

SD 630 Support, Is it possible to connect my 630 to my Samsung tv in such a way as I would be able to get the picture on other tuner, ie the one not presently showing on my tv, to appear in the PIP box?
Thanks
TyH

[57]

TyHe There are limitations as to what TVs can show in the PiP/PoP. Those limits are specific to the TV and are typically outlined in the operating manual for that TV.

One of the "Ps" usually needs to be the "P" from the internal tuner of the TV. If you're not using the TV's internal tuner for tuning say OTA signals, then PiP/PoP on the TV is usually useless. The other P is usually limited to one of the other inputs on the TV - say HDMI. You would connect the 630 to that other input, but again, you need to check the operating manual for your specific make/model of TV. PiP/PoP has been pretty useless once we entered the digital external STB age due to the limitations of TVs regarding PiP/PoP.

Does the 630 itself not have PiP technology that it would send out the one connection to the TV? (Our Rogers SA/Cisco PVRs have a very basic PiP.)

Since you have a PVR, PiP/PoP is not usually required because you can pause live TV or watch a previous recording so there is usually no need to split your viewing concentration.

[SD 630 Support]

Originally Posted by 57

Does the 630 itself not have PiP technology that it would send out the one connection to the TV?

Correct, it's not one of the feature requests we hear very often. I don't think the Shaw Cable PVRs do it either.

Since you have a PVR, PiP/PoP is not usually required because you can pause live TV or watch a previous recording so there is usually no need to split your viewing concentration.

Exactly. I suspect this may be one of the reasons we don't hear about it very often. One of the use cases for PIP back in the 80s and 90s was to be able to switch to a different channel during commercials while still keeping your eye on the PIP image so you knew when to switch back. With the ability to pause live TV and all the magic that goes along with that, there's better ways to achieve the same objective. Plus, as the whole "second screen" concept continues to gain steam, I suspect that's going to lead to a way more immersive, intuitive way to watch two things at once.

[ScaryBob]

I continue to have black screen recording on one my new 630's. ... I have 2 new 630's. ...

I would definitely switch the two receivers. That will isolate the problem to being either the receiver or the satellite wiring.

For me this problem started after the latest firmware upgrade.

I've seen similar issues with firmware upgrades before. It sounds like a factory reset may be the cure.

SD 630 Support, can a factory reset can be done without erasing the programming on disk?

[PaulC]

Originally Posted by ScaryBob

I would definitely switch the two receivers. That will isolate the problem to being either the receiver or the satellite wiring.


I've seen similar issues with firmware upgrades before. It sounds like a factory reset may be the cure.

SD 630 Support, can a factory reset can be done without erasing the programming on disk?

I'm reluctant to switch receivers at this point because receiver # 2 is humming along with no problems. I will keep this idea in reserve & do a factory reset in the next week & see how that goes. The problem 630 is hooked up to a line that had a pvr 530 on it for over 5 years with no problems. Go figure. Maybe I need "ADVANCED" wiring for my "ADVANCED" PVR 630.

The black screen problem seems to be that the program won't start to play, not that there has been a recording problem caused by a bad line, weak signal etc. Once I do a soft reboot it will play with no problem at all. So the recording is there! And once a recording has played I will never have a black screen on that particular recording again.

[srkormilo]

Quote from an earlier post by SD 630 Support:

"My advice is to not worry too much about it - take advantage of the Self Managing disk space on the 630, and let it automatically delete the oldest unprotected recording when space is needed for new recordings. When the next software update goes out, it fixes the issue and will clean up any of these leftover recordings on the hard drive."

I suspect that to reclaim disk space, the Self Managing deletes the oldest 'visible' recording (i.e. one on the PVR Recorded program list), not the oldest 'invisible' recording (i.e. one of the programs that has been deleted from the list, but for which disk space has not been 'freed').

This, of course, is 'not good', because you lose recorded programs that you have not yet watched, or want to watch again.

The reason I voice this 'suspicion' is because a couple of weeks ago, I had to do a PVR Flush when a large number of unwatched recorded programs disappeared from the list of recordings on my 630 when the drive usage approached 100%. The CSR indicated that the PVR Flush should restore some or all of these programs to the 'visible' list, as well as clearing up the hard drive usage problem. Well, the hard drive usage was fixed, but virtually all of the 'lost', unwatched programs also disappeared. My wife was very upset.

Once again, the Hard Drive usage on my 630 is not being reduced, even though recorded programs are being deleted.

SD, get this fixed very soon. Telus just finished laying optical fibre to my neighbourhood.