Bell TV 9242 HD PVR Discussion thread

[thraxisp]

Originally Posted by taxtwit

You can connect the 9242 audio to your Yamaha AV receiver via optical digital cable and get 5.1.

I would, but it's yet another cable to buy. I'd rather just get the set working properly.

[thraxisp]

Originally Posted by jb1

If resetting the receiver (holding the power down) doesn't restore your HDMI audio and video, it's probably more of a hardware issue. HDMI connections are loose at the best of times. Couple that with stiff cables and torque/stress on the connection any time the cable isn't running in a perfectly straight line from output to input (ie/in pretty much every home using HDMI) and you will run into problems. You may have success using different HDMI cables, perhaps something with a bit more flex near the connectors. If the connectors are loose/broken on the 9242, then replacement may be necessary to get it to work properly.

FWIW, I haven't ever experienced these 'software' issues with HDMI, with several different 9200's and 9242's hooked up both directly to the TV and through an AVR. I have had some flaky connections, but changing the alignment of the cables to remove any stress on the connections fixed those.

edit: They've been dangling that line about a 'known software issue' for years. If it was software, I imagine that even Bell would have gotten around to fixing it by now...

Resetting the DVR fixed the problem, at least temporarily.

I set a reminder to bug Bell every two weeks until I see an upgrade.

[thraxisp]

Originally Posted by DES

I have been experiencing brief audio dropouts (sort of like a hiccup) that so many have been experiencing in this forum. I got my 9242 in October. I spent the last couple of hours reading all the posts regarding this and I find it astonishing that this has been a known issue for over a year and is still not fixed. I've talked to Bell twice about it and they have assured me they know about it and the problem will be fixed with an update. I appreciate that you have been regularly bugging Bell about the same issue. Maybe if we all call regulary something will get done...but then again, who has the time?

My problem with lost HDMI signals started this way. It proceeded from dropouts to no signal in about 2 weeks.

[Jayc45]

My 9242 has just started acting weird lately. In the middle of viewing it gets really loud like when it does a reset the fan is very loud and it lasts for about 10 seconds. It does this Id say about once every 20 mins. Anyone ever hear of this?

[waterug]

Originally Posted by Jayc45

My 9242 has just started acting weird lately. In the middle of viewing it gets really loud like when it does a reset the fan is very loud and it lasts for about 10 seconds. It does this Id say about once every 20 mins. Anyone ever hear of this?

How old is your receiver? It could be on its last legs!

[Jayc45]

its a little over a year old

[ScaryBob]

The fan is thermostatically controlled so it can come on while operating. Warm room temperatures, poor ventilation and dust can cause the fan to come on. Make sure the PVR is not over a heat source, dust it off and make sure there is space around the unit, especially on the top and near the vents. If the vents are blocked by dust, clean them with a vacuum brush or compressed air.

[Mach Diamond]

One thing I noticed when opening my 9242 was that the fan is feeding from one single vent located on the right side. This is unconventional for an electronic device but also a very poor design since it is easy to block the vent with a book or a DVD case, let alone when the 9242 is inside a TV stand against a side wall.
See the photo I took below - golden rule: leave at least one inch of clearance on the right side of the 9242.
--M

(sorry I already posted this image in another thread some time ago but I think it is useful)

[ScaryBob]

Rule of thumb for any electronics is at least 1" clearance on the sides and at least 2" on top. Devices that generate a lot of heat need more. Most A/V receivers need at least 2" on the sides and 4" at the top. There needs to be air flow as well as clearance in cabinets.

[chilli_wonka]

So recently, my 9242 is staying in dual mode and I cannot go back to single mode at all.

At fist, I figured maybe the feed for tuner 2 was bad, but I swapped cables, and same thing.

The receiver responds to pressing power on the 2nd remote, and the blue LED comes on, but I cannot swap or do PnP at all, and even in system setup, 2nd remote has no effect.

I changed the address of the remote again (2nd remote) and same problem. I restored factory defaults on the receiver, same problem.

So I figured that Tuner 2 was not working at all.

THEN, I had a scheduled PVR recording, and I saw that it recorded on tuner 2 (which I had set up). I stopped the recording and checked in "my recordings" and it did record fine, so that 2nd tuner is working, but for some reason I am stuck in dual mode, and cannot change it to single.

I only have 1 tv hooked up to receiver using the hdmi port only.

Keep in mind, it previously worked perfect in single mode, then on friday, 2nd tuner would not respond and I cannot get it back to single

When I go to system setup, I get a warning that "this will interrupt TV2 which is in use" but again, I only have 1 tv set up

[ScaryBob]

Have you tried unplugging the receiver for 5 minutes?

[scrooloose]

You are pressing the button on the front of the receiver, to change it to single mode, right? Blue light should be OFF.

-Mike

[chilli_wonka]

I have unplugged it for a while, not sure it breached 5 minute mark

Also, I didnt press anything on the front, but who knows what the kids may have done..

I'll unplug and then look into front butons - thanks!!

[scrooloose]

The front panel button is the only method of switching between single and dual mode. So if you're in Dual mode now, you need to press the button to change it to single mode. The blue LED should go out when you do that.

-Mike

[chilli_wonka]

awesome screw loose!!

Ill check when I get home...