Shaw DCT6208 Errors / Problems / Questions / Impressions

[shawguy]

Do not post on the DCT6200 and PVR capabilities in here, see this thread for information on that.

The old DCT6208 thread can be found HERE

DCT6208 common questions:

1. How much is it? $798.00
2. Does it have I-guide? Yes

Originally Posted by Instructons on What to do when you get the DCT6208

-plug in cable box
WAIT until "hunt", "FrN" loop times out and powers off
-THEN plug in cable
-should now go to "0" display
-phone Shaw and activate

The DCT6208 runs very hot, so give it some ventilation room.

I haven't run across it yet, but does anyone know if there is a way to get it to change the channel but NOT start recording. There are a few things that I want my DVD Recorder to tape, but not the DCT6208. It look like the 6208 records by show, so there may be a problem if you are taping things like sporting events than have a tendency to run longer than scheduled. It allows for up to 15 minutes of extra at the end, but that might not be enough on when the game goes into double overtime!

Originally Posted by DCT6208 Firmware

S/W Version: 70.47 and Firmware: 08.06

Well all indications are that the 6208 will now support recording via firewire to a PC.

If anyone wants to give it a try here's some technical info on how to do it. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=403695

Ok, here is some more info on the DCT6208.

I went into the diagnostic menu (turn off unit and press select on the front of the box) and found the following:
Number of Installed Drives: 1
Hard Drive: ST380012ACE IDE 80GB
System: 238MB
DPFS: 2861MB
PVR Content: 72241MB
PVR Index: 21MB

So, It looks like just putting a new Hard Drive in will not work. It will have to be setup correctly. (I wonder if the 80GB is hard coded or is something it is detecting?)

Also, it said that the 1394 I/O Device was installed but that the Active Ports was 0. So, I don't know if that means that it is disabled, or just not being used at the moment. (my firewire cable has the wrong connection type on it so I cannot test this yet)

I now have the DTC 6208 all set up. OH MY GAWSH CAN YOU FEEL MY PAIN ??!

Changing channels ... takes close to 2 1/2 seconds to respond. First the image freezes, then the sound cuts out, then the new picture comes in frozen without sound, then the image becomes live with sound. 2 1/2 seconds per channel change ! PAIN !!!!!

SO I calls SHAW.. they reboot the box. " Please wait for 1 hour, then turn your tv and box off together " ( I do just that ) " Then turn your box and tv on together and all should be well." ( I do that too ) All is still not well !

$913 for a box that responds like a 1968 Volkswagon Beetle that is sucking wind trying to climb a hill in the heat of summer. PLEASE HELP.. How do I get this "sporty piece of technology" to repond like my old DTC 2224 with the new guide or back it goes?

The 6208 comes with a length of coax cable, a fused pair of stereo analog cables and a set of fused component video cables. I would say they are low end quality but not the lowest.

I figured out how to do this. You have to keep the record button pressed down for around 1-2 secs before it starts recording. It then changes to another screen which is really annoying. They should make the user interface the same as VCR instead of all these annoying pop up menus.

Be careful, some of that recording ability may go away and you may not be able to record premium programming to an external device. See the FAQ on "Recording HD".

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...forum.php?f=57

Press the Menu button twice then select Setup, from the Setup menu choose Audio options. In the Audio options menu use the right and left arrows to change current language from English and back again, the picture should appear immediately.

See http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...&postcount=353 for more information

30 Second skip instructions below:

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...044#post117044

Hope this thread is better now that the DCT6200 and DCT6208 threads have been separated!

Shawguy

If You feel something needs to be added to this first page - Private Message Me

[idearat]

Thanks, Shawguy!

[Byrns]

In a previous thread (since locked) there were several people complaining that a channel was locking for about 30 sec before finally tuning in. I have the exact same problem!!! I called Shaw up and they performed a reset on my 6208. That seemed to have fixed the problem for about 10 minutes, and then it went back to the 30 sec delay. I’m assuming that it must have something to do with the guide and this particular unit. I have an old DCT2224 and that has no problems tuning this channel.

So for the people that are having or had this problem, I was wondering the following:

1. What channel was this happening to? For me it’s Playboy TV. All my other premium channels; Tech TV, and Fox Sportsworld seem to be fine.
2. Did you ever get it resolved? If so what fixed it?

A Shaw tech is coming to my house a week from Monday with a tester unit. Hopefully this will fix my problem. If it’s a system wide problem, and more than just me is having problems with Playboy, perhaps Shaw’s head office will look into it further.

If you’re embarrassed to post that you subscribe to Playboy TV, just PM me and I’ll keep an anonymous total posted.

I know their techs read this forum because I found out about this place from the person I was talking to.

[sbermunk]

The 6208 has two sets of composite+audio input jacks. Is there any known way to make these work?

[james99]

In regards to the 3 second delay issue: it must be a Shaw problem.

I have the 6208 without this problem, the only difference is that i'm with Cogeco and not Shaw.

Here's the original big-ass 6208 thread. I don't remember seeing any comments regarding this issue among Cogeco users:

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...ic.php?t=13761

[technut]

Originally Posted by james99

In regards to the 3 second delay issue: it must be a Shaw problem.

I have the 6208 without this problem, the only difference is that i'm with Cogeco and not Shaw.

It could be a software problem (firmware or I-Guide). Is Cogeco using I-Guide yet or are they still on the Blue Guide? What are the current firmware/software versions on the Cogeco 6208?

[Icemann]

As for the 3 second delay issue between any channels, I do not have this at all. I can switch between channels extremely quickly. Just as quickly as with my 2200 (I believe that's it but can't remember exactly).

Even when I switch from a SD channel to a HD channel I only have about a 1 second delay due to the TV syncing to the higher resolution. I have a Toshiba 34HFX83 for reference.

As for the 30 second lockup issue. I have the same issue and only when switching to PB Channel. And, I have the lock enabled for reference.

[james99]

We don't have the I guide yet. I'm not sure what screen contains the firmware version. Perhaps the Blue Guide doesn't have a menu listing the software version.

So, not everybody is having a 3 second delay?

[Icemann]

Okay, I've gone back and performed some more accurate measurements on time between channels. Time from the point I hit the channel up or down button to the point the channel appears for SD channels is about 1.5 seconds or so. The I-guide banner appears virtually immediately though.

Switching to the HD channel from an SD channel is longer than I thought but still acceptable to me. Its around 3 seconds including my TV syncing up. Between HD channels is about the same as between SD channels.

[technut]

Originally Posted by james99

We don't have the I guide yet. I'm not sure what screen contains the firmware version. Perhaps the Blue Guide doesn't have a menu listing the software version.

I'm not sure, but on the Tan guide and I-Guide it is under Setup/Cable Box/Configuration (or something like that... going by memory).

[shawguy]

You can also go Power off - push select on DCT (before time display appears) go down the diagonistics menu to App Code Modules (happens to be number 10 for me)

and in there it will list the Firmware first, Software second, and for me I have a third line for the Shaw on Demand software

Shawguy

[Alan Bealby]

The channel I have the 30 second lockup on is also the Playboy TV channel. It was still occurring last night.

As I posted previously, I reported this to a Shaw CSR Friday, yesterday morning. After checking with other staff, she said that they weren't able to offer a solution and were going to forward a problem report to Dale Henderson in Calgary. If, and when I get a response, I'll report it here.

The frmware and S/W versions are available under MENU/SETUP/CABLE BOX/Cable box setup/Configuration and then left sursor to display.

I haven't precisley timed the channel changes but it the takes 2 to 4 seconds and I don't notice significant differences between going SD>SD and HD>HD. As my TV takes time to re-sync on changing to or from HD, it takes a bit longer but not more than a 1 second longer.

[Roger Corman]

I have noticed this 30 second lockout, but only since I have been watching HDTV. I will press a button and nothing, but 30 seconds or so later it will respond. No problems with any of the analog channels, just HDTV. I have also noticed this same problem when watching HDTV that I have recorded (but again not with analog recordings). I will press fast forward, etc ... and sometimes it takes 30 seconds for it to respond.

[Alan Bealby]

For your information, I connectedf my JVC HM-DH30000U D-VHS recorder to the 6208 with a IEEE 1394 6 pin to 4 pin cable. Have had it recording in real time or from recorded material with little problem. I did have significant problems of sound and video breakup on one playback but I rewound it and the next playback was without problem. Soemthing I'll have to monitor although I don't expect to do much recording. I expect most of my recording to be time shifting and not archival.

[magic_1994]

Just wanted to say

I've hooked up my XP machine to the 6208 and successfully managed to record Analog and HD channels.

It seems to me that most, if not all of the other Shaw SD digital content is encrypted as the picture just doesn't come down the pipe to the PC (this, presumably, is the premium-content 5C hardware-level encryption)

I can only assume that this would be recordable OK thru firewire by a "trusted" device such as a DVHS, etc (as long as it was a Record-Once program).

Only being able to digitally record HD (6 part-time content channels) and Analogue SD is certainly a much less attractive than having the full programming spectrum available. Maybe this will be resolved (in one way or another) in the near future. After all, people have done it for years with satellite haven't they?

I'd almost settle for getting a bigger HDD though. Somebody recently wrote that there was going to be some kind of expansion kit/capability in future (thru official means) - I would be keen to know more about that avenue.