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Shaw Direct HDPVR 630 Owners Discussion Thread

1M views 3K replies 468 participants last post by  tvmaster 
#1 ·
This discussion thread is for owners to discuss the new Shaw Direct HDPVR 630 when it becomes available on September 1st.

Please post your thoughts and your feedback on this unit once you have it up and running.


For non-owners, you can ask questions about the unit in our New 630 In Pre Order


Edit by 57: Here's a thread summarizing problems, issues, resolutions, workarounds:

Shaw Direct 630 Official Problems / Issues / Resolutions Thread. Read posts 1, 2 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums
 
#158 ·
Got the 630 up and running last evening - very impressed !

Size is amazing ! Smallest HD PVR on the market I think !

I'll do a more detailed review in the next couple days but I do have a question:

How many of you received the $50 in PPV credits? I asked for it but the CS said it's not available as part of my deal.

I got the retentions $99 trade in....

Did you get your PPV's???

Cheers
 
#187 ·
Call back. Just say
I think I was supposed to get a PPV credit with a new HD activation. Can you please check.


Harmony 700 here - works great and has the 4 coloured buttons to boot. Big win for the wife.

Sometimes, pressing Skip-Fwd causes a skip-back. doesn't repeat, and skip-fwd forward works again as it should. Other than a bit of an annoyance there is no other side effect. Just wondering if others have noticed. It may be the Harmony, who knows.

When you delete a program from the list of recorded shows, there is a black bar in the list that is a bit of a distraction. Is this the place holder for the deleted show? If so, instead of black, it might be better to change program name to red and add the word "Deleted" under the date column, maybe with an option to Undelete. When you close the PVR list it is gone forever.
 
#159 ·
I love all the information they have for movies: Star rating, cast, description etc. It's something the 530 was truly lacking.
One thing I have noticed though is 'record new episodes' doesn't always work; however, I do not think this is a problem with the 630, rather it's a problem with the network. Sportsnet does not have the 'New' symbol connected with the upcoming Ultimate Figher series; therefore, if I want to setup recordings of new episodes I have to do it through SpikeTV which has the 'New' symbol, but sadly is SD not HD.

Rob1: No I did not ask for or get PPV Credits (maybe I should have?)
 
#160 ·
Great HDPVR 630!

New to the whole HDPVR experience. Had no problems activating the receiver took no more the ten minutes. Love the guide and all the new features.(call id is great). Could have come with a better user guide, but downloading the user guide from shawdirect website worked just as good. Had to play with the audio and video setting alittle to get what I think is the best picture and sound. Can not wait now for the new fall TV shows to come on so I can see what the 630 can really do. Only question I have is what do the interactive C and D buttons do on the remote or are they reserved for future use?
 
#166 ·
Only question I have is what do the interactive C and D buttons do on the remote or are they reserved for future use?
Welcome, and glad you're enjoying it so far! C and D are both reserved for future use - they have no function at this time.

"A" will access the Menu Bar (handy if you have a remote without the "MENU" or "INTERACTIVE" button), and "B" will change the current Aspect (again, handy if you have a remote without the "ASPECT" button)!
 
#162 ·
tlamm: Are you meaning to say PPV credits, not PVR credits?

I wonder if is it possible that doing the $99 trade in doesn't trypically get the PPV credits since there isn't an additional receiver involved where as the $199 new receiver without the trade in IS an additional receiver so PPV credits are available?
 
#173 ·
Hi Painter. Caller ID is working great for me. In fact, SD improved some thing that always annoyed me in past. If the phone rings and you are in a guide function, when you exit it displays the caller ID on the 630. The 530 did not.

Have you tried a report back to validate if the phone is connected properly? Options 4-3-3. The CSR would have had to set the call back number if it is a "0" you need to call them to enable instant PPV.
 
#172 ·
I ran new cable (which I don't think was the problem, still had the same resetting problem). I found the factory reset in the hidden menus....that seemed to do it. When I was forwarded to tech support, she basically stated that because they did not install the 630, a service call was needed (sept 15)....not that happy with SD.
 
#170 ·
I haven't yet received my 630 but I was curious if anyone has had success using a Logitech Harmony remote with the new 630. This is important to me because of the wife factor. It took a while for her to get used to the Harmony when I bought it but if it doesn't work with the 630 like it does with the 530 then I'm gonna' hear about it. Mine is an 880, btw.
 
#176 ·
@dejrfan

I had my Harmony One set up as a similar device, I think it was a Motorola 670, as I couldn't find the 630 in the database. A few of the codes I had to have the remote "Learn" Manually, but after a bit of tweaking it worked. Then to set up an activity, I had to use the Utility activity, because when I tried to set it up as a Satellite DVR activity, it didn't seem to recognise the 630 I had set up as a DVR, it kept asking me to add a device capable of changing channels etc.

I don't know if this all makes sense to you, but I hope it helps. I also have a 505 in the same room connected to another HDTV, and I also control it with the same harmony remote, so it is possible to do what you are trying to do. PM me if you need more help.
 
#177 ·
Thanks SD 630 Support.

It looks like you nailed it. When it asks me for the passwrod, it also flashes no info for a second, and when it retrieves the program info, the password screen goes away. It's a little annoying, but in about an hour or two last night, it only happened I think twice, and it was after the intial power up. I don't think this will be much of an issue in the future, and I'll probably set up some favourites lists, particularly for HD since that seems to be all I watch anyways. Thanks for the help, everthing alse is working great!

Is the PPV set up the same? do I still need to call in to activate instant PPV on the 630, or is it set up out of the box?
 
#191 ·
I understand that the unsubscribed channels are greyed out in the guide...I must be missing something....I have been to the guide settings and tried hide and show...help? thanks
Question for SD 630 Support....After numerous soft and factory resets and support from CSR, I still can not grey out unsubscribed channels or hide them....Here's a long shot:I am hooked up to a 480i thru composite video at the moment...is there a chance the new guide features don't work on SD tv's....just grasping at straws.
 
#180 ·
Parental Controls

Like martinstraka828, I too am having the Parental Password request coming up on unprotected content.

While watching Tennis on TSN2, every half hour or so, my screen goes black and the password request comes up. It doesn't disappear if I wait as SD 630 Support suggested.

I would just lock the channels I don't use like on the 530 before, but the titles of the Adult PPV movies come up in an alphabetical search unless I have limited content by rating.

Any suggestions?

Dave
 
#181 ·
SD quality

I'm happy with the HD quality on the 630 but the SD seems quite soft. I still have my BTV 9200 hooked up to the same TV and recorded shows on BNN are definitely clearer. It also seems fuzzy compared to a 505 on a different TV. I know EVU is known for overcompression and I am only comparing the one channel.
 
#182 ·
Issues with recording and remote response

For the third time today, I have had to do a soft reset as the remote becomes unresponsive while recording. This thing seems very unstable. After ending the recording early, things go back to normal. I hope this is an issue that can be rectified.

I also hate how after a soft reset it takes ten minutes to get guide data back. I want to like this thing but far more problems than I had with my Bell system. Maybe this is to be expected with a new unit. Anybody else having these freezing issues?
 
#183 ·
Frustrated

Just spent an hour on the phone with a csr from SD to try and correct the problem of no caller id on my 630 (we tried everything to no avail).The line to the 630(but I used this line with my 505 and it worked perfectly) does not have a filter on it as does the line to my phone because of my Sasktel internet connection I was told.

WE switched the phone lines around to hook up the one with the filter to the 630,but still no caller id.Altough the unfiltered line did have static in it when hooked to the phone.So their solution was to put a filter on the non filtered line because the 630 is a little more finnicky than the 505.

So I have now hooked a filter in the line and still no go.Like I say although it worked well hooked to my old 505.
 
#184 ·
Call display is working fine on other phones / display boxes in the house even though it won't display on your TV through the 630 box, correct?

I would go with an ADSL filter on the line to the satellite receivers as well as the phones in any event.

Put a phone with call display or a display box right on the end of the cord that you are plugging into the receiver (obviously with it unplugged from the receiver for this test) to prove that it is working.

Call display is one of the first things to stop working if you develope a partial short or ground on your telephone line. Even though you may not have detected a problem developing while talking on the phone.
 
#185 ·
3rd soft reset b/c of lost channels

I keep losing my sd channels. It appears that when I turn the box off at night, if it is on an SD channel, when it gets turned back on the screen is black- no info nothing. If i press guide, that comes up fine, change channel to HD- great- go back to SD, nothing.

Soft reset and it is fine- for a while.

I am wondering if it is a handshake issue, so I am experimenting with the power on options on my harmony. It was set to, 1.tv, 2. amp, 3.pvr.

Now it is 1.pve, 2.amp, 3 tv.

We will see.
 
#186 ·
aecollector:

Yes my call display is working on all other phones and when tested the line into the receiver showed call display on one of my phones as well.But the line had static in it (at the time it was unfiltered though).I've put a filter on it now and we'll see what happens.
 
#188 ·
I guess I qualify as a 630 owner. It's paid for, awaiting delivery.

I got the $99 deal, and I really drilled the CSR for a better deal - can I spread out the $99 over several more bills? I heard that you have a rental program; how about a rent to own? If I just want to try it out for a bit, can you help me out? What if I want to replace both 530's at once, can you do better on price? No bites. Just hoping they accidentally send me another one for my other 530 as has happened to others.

I can't wait to try it out but I must say I'm most curious to see if the "stupidest bug ever" from the 530 has been migrated to the 630. This being (in my opinion) the inability to pause a program when caller ID is enabled and the phone is ringing - isn't that the whole point of the CallerID on screen? On the 530 you have to answer the phone, then pause.

Just another note for the Mods - this thread is getting very long, difficult to read everything and I'm sure there are going to be duplicate discussions within -- is there any possibility of a sub-forum for 630's?
 
#190 ·
Issues with recording and remote response

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the third time today, I have had to do a soft reset as the remote becomes unresponsive while recording. This thing seems very unstable. After ending the recording early, things go back to normal. I hope this is an issue that can be rectified.

I also hate how after a soft reset it takes ten minutes to get guide data back. I want to like this thing but far more problems than I had with my Bell system. Maybe this is to be expected with a new unit. Anybody else having these freezing issues?

smsat i been having these exact same problems as you. i have allready called and complained and got put through to retentions i was offerd 2 deals . i all ready got the 99 dollar trade in deal. there first deal was a $99 dollar pgm credit i said no then they came back with half off my monthly bill for 6 months i still said no and canceled. this hardware works no better than the last. so i already signed up with a different provider. bottom line is and i told this to the retentions rep. does bell subs have to buy new stb every 2-3 years no. do rogers subs no, do directv or dishnetwork no why should shaw direct ones have to and the stuff they upgrade you too is no better is the old stuff.
 
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