830 PVR Discussions

41377 Views 253 Replies 41 Participants Last post by P2B, 15 h ago

RuralRouter

Discussion Starter · Sep 11, 2020

This morning I connected my brand-new (not refurbished) 830. I got a 60 Hz slight hum from my TV set after I powered up the 830. I have never had that problem with anything I've connected to the TV. I guessed that it was a ground-loop problem so I plugged the TV into the same power bar as the 830. End of problem. Shaw Direct may wish to consider that if a customer calls in with that problem.

I expected drama, based on my previous refurb 630 problems. Nope, the activation went without drama.

I really like the new guide that provides show Season# and Episode#.

My only little quibble is the connection instructions that came in the box. It says not to press any buttons until the "blue light" goes off and the 830 restarts. It never happened; all it needed was a refresh.

As a side note, the problem with my now going-to-the-dump 630 was that only WGN acted as if it was not subscribed although I have always been subscribed. My 600 continued to receive WGN. I went thru hoops with Shaw Direct and finally most of the channels on the 630 disappeared. That's it! Warranty or not, I don't want to fool with another 630 refurb so I ordered the 830. Glad I did.

Another side note, the online MY ACCOUNT does not show WGN as being subscribed. My wife told me NOT to call or CHAT Shaw about it. Don't fix what ain't broke.

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ExDilbert

· #20 · Nov 20, 2020

RuralRouter said:
Here is an example of a fragment of another channel overlaying a small portion of an active channel.

I would say it is most likely a flaw in the video chip in the 830. Another possibility is firmware or memory corruption. I wouldn't rule out the TV without further elimination. Less likely causes might be the HDMI cable or a weak signal. If not already done, I would reboot the 830 by unplugging it. Then I would check signal strengths. Then I would try it with another HDMI cable and TV. If possible I would try to force a firmware download as well.

ExDilbert

· #21 · Nov 20, 2020

Sat-Dish said:
I'm thinking about trading in my 630 receiver for 830 is worth doing ?

Probably not. The 630 is a good receiver. The 830 doesn't really add much and it takes some features away. I believe the 830 and 630 are compared in another 830 thread.

ExDilbert

· #37 · Dec 26, 2020

Keep in mind that there is probably a hard 2TB limit on drive size. A larger internal drive is usually preferable to an external drive for performance and reliability reasons.

ExDilbert

· #73 · 10 mo ago

The most likely cause is a corrupted or failing hard drive. If it was a minor error then the factory reset may have corrected the issue. If it keeps happening, I would ask Shaw for a replacement.

ExDilbert

· #75 · 10 mo ago

Unplugging the unit while it is doing a hard drive check, or any similar operation, is not a good idea. The reboot may have been caused by disk corruption that needed to be corrected. Not letting it finish the disk check could cause more issues in future.

ExDilbert

· #86 · 7 mo ago

It appears that the IRC600 is infrared only and the URC600 is infrared and RF. These designations are typical of remotes made by Universal Electronics that are used by many proprietary equipment makers and the more generic Universal Remote brand sold separately by third party sellers.

ExDilbert

· #89 · 5 mo ago

It's probably a channel mapping issue. Shaw uses channel mapping to implement simsubs so it may have been misconfigured by Shaw or something happened to throw it off. It may be that the HEVC conversion created the issue. Rebooting the 830 should fix it or it may need to be reinitialized from the Shaw web site.

ExDilbert

· #102 · 5 mo ago (Edited)

I doubt it erases recordings, it just won't decrypt them for playback. That's true of a lot of services and devices that rely on licensing to decrypt content or enable features.

RuralRouter said:
would the new owner be able to see the recorded shows? Just wondering...

That depends on the implementation. Some PVRs tie the decryption of recordings to the hardware and others to the account. The correct way is to tie them to the account so that failed hardware does not mean all recordings are lost and copyrights are protected when hardware is sold. From what I've seen, Canadian BDUs tend to get it wrong.

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ExDilbert

· #120 · 4 mo ago

www.amazon.ca

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Timegyro Alarm Clock for Bedrooms, LED Digital Clock Battery Operated Small Wall Clock with 3 Level Brightness Adjustable,Snooze,12/24Hr,1.2" Digital Display for Desk, Bebside,Table, Travel : Amazon.ca: Home

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ExDilbert

· #122 · 4 mo ago

I'm not recommending that particular clock, especially not at that price, just suggesting that there are other options.

To tame bright lights try,

LightDims: Dim Led Lights, Halos Around Lights For Light Sensitive Eyes!

lightdims.com

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ExDilbert

· #142 · 3 mo ago

jcwrmm said:
Both shows stopped recording for 2 minutes at 5:30 eastern and then started recording again.

The satellite signal may have temporarily been lost.

ExDilbert

· #149 · 2 mo ago

They often do appear to be new. That's part of the refurb process. What eventually happens is that the refurb pool increasingly consists of receivers that are difficult to diagnose or repair and show up as fully functional in the testing process. That's compounded by the contracting out of repairs to third parties that may make more money by using quick and questionable repairs. The end result is that defective receivers start being sent out at a high rate. They get away with it, in part, because not all customers use all the features so a defective or damaged receiver may eventually be received by customers who don't use the defective features, such as certain output ports. I suspect that refurbishing and repairing receivers may be more costly in the long run than selling or renting new receivers to new customers. That's especially true with companies that incur a bad reputation by selling refurbished receivers at full price.

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ExDilbert

· #163 · 1 mo ago

It may be possible to watch existing recordings on the 630 for some time. Just make sure the 630 does not get deactivated.

ExDilbert

· #185 · 1 mo ago

Multiple recordings for the same show repeated on the same channel is a common issue. The only PVRs I've used that got it right are the Bell Satellite (also used by Dish in the US.) They appear to check the program ID for repeats and skip the timer if there is a recording of the same show.

Changes in program names are a big issue for name based recordings. It does not seem as bad as it once was but I've seen instances where minor changes, sometimes not visible in the guide, caused timer failures. Some shows frequently change names. For example, being able to record every program that contains the word "Jeopardy" would be a nice feature as they seem to frequently create new limited series with variations in the name. I've seen something like that but it was probably on a HTPC software PVR application.

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ExDilbert

· #191 · 29 d ago

k801809 said:
I have worked with the networks in the past to have them create unique program IDs for news so that they aren't the "same program" 3 times a day.

I don't know about Vancouver but they are the exact same program several times a day here. CTV just produces one news program a day and repeats it. Many years ago, the same station did produce three news programs each day but CTV eliminated that.

ExDilbert

· #210 · 23 d ago

Canada is not like the US where only local stations can be carried. Most stations from most markets are available across Canada.

ExDilbert

· #213 · 22 d ago (Edited)

Bayguy said:
I thought there were some stations you could only get in certain places,

That was true for some premium movie channels but that has changed. Most of their programming was the same anyway. There may be some provincially funded or regional stations and networks that are not available nationally. The other issue is that distant stations get simsubbed with local stations in places where independent stations still exist.

ExDilbert

· #221 · 18 d ago

The TV will probably do a much better job of upscaling 1080i to 1080p than the 830 anyway. The TV has direct access to the hardware and will have better signal processing algorithms as a result. That's especially true of high end sets with 120Hz 4K panels.

ExDilbert

· #224 · 17 d ago

Jimsathome said:
I just noticed the 830 default (and recommended) setting is 1080i (at least when connected into our system). I'm assuming that is because the data stream is decoded to that level. So setting to 1080p would have the 830 upconvert it?

Most content from TV providers follows the commonly used ATSC 1.0 OTA broadcast formats which are 1080i, 720p or 480i/p. 1080p is not used since it requires a slower refresh rate which would not be handled well by many TVs. 1080p is outside the ATSC 1.0 standard but works with HDMI which allows higher resolutions and refresh rates. Such use is more historical, not a requirement, for digital TV services but they are in no rush to upgrade since it would require more bandwidth and significant technological upgrades in an industry that in in decline.

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ExDilbert

· #226 · 17 d ago

Led indicator lights use a few milliwatts (mW) which is negligible. The bigger things to consider is that updates may not take place when the unit is on and PVRs often record the currently tuned channel to disk in order to enable video rewind and fast forward. That recording can consume extra power and shorten disk life.

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