and "Peace" will be had by all....LOL....bas
July 18th: DSR530 Code CC Fixes, Features & Bugs
Check your target version tonight/tommorow.
As was posted here earlier and a C&P from another site that references a VP's response to a subscriber regarding the upcoming code:
For those of us on BC just waiting for the box to die after too many reboots, this should be a life saver.
Do check out all the new features in the beginning of the BC thread.
Enjoy the improved stability that CC brings.
Have faith that while not 100%, it's the closest the box has ever been and that new and exciting stuff is in the pipe.
From my experience in the past several weeks, what was quoted appears true for the most part.
Unfortunatly my source of information that gave me a closer view than most is no longer available.
Good luck and enjoy the efforts of many.
I'll still be around to help out as best I can.
As was posted here earlier and a C&P from another site that references a VP's response to a subscriber regarding the upcoming code:
For the majority of us that were on A8, this is great news as we'll finaly get the long sought after features that BC delivered to a selected few hundred.The new feature set, if all passes, includes the following:
- Far improved operational stability for channel tuning (far few lock-ups during channel change -- in fact, so far we have seen none from that cause)
- Far improved timer performance for DVR recording, and for PPV recordings (again, so far no failures)
- Far improved performance for playback of DVR recordings (again, so far no failures)
- New sorting criteria for recordings
- A way to jump to identified times of recordings (i.e. 1 hour in)
For those of us on BC just waiting for the box to die after too many reboots, this should be a life saver.
Do check out all the new features in the beginning of the BC thread.
Enjoy the improved stability that CC brings.
Have faith that while not 100%, it's the closest the box has ever been and that new and exciting stuff is in the pipe.
From my experience in the past several weeks, what was quoted appears true for the most part.
Unfortunatly my source of information that gave me a closer view than most is no longer available.
Good luck and enjoy the efforts of many.
I'll still be around to help out as best I can.
541 - 560 of 1046 Posts
If the device worked properly all of the time, there would be no (or at least very little) activity in this forum. There are pages and pages from people all over Canada complaining about issues with the DSR530.Not to make any excuses, but would you be able to deliver the product with say, a couple of IPG programmers, a middleware guy and a few developers of the H/W and low level OS, backed up by a handfull of first line sanity testers and the an ad hoc group of field testers?
First I'd like to say that the issues with the DSR530 that I report do not have a hidden agenda against you whatsoever. The reported issues are just that, honest issues that I have been experiencing for a period of time that supercedes any of my wildest nightmares. If I only had a couple of people on staff to develop such a machine, I would first of all interview the ying-yang out of the potential candidates and follow up with reference checks to ensure I'm getting the right people to do the job. I would hire these people on a temporary basis, with the promise that it could lead to something more if their efforts proved to be decent. After 6 months of poor quality development, I would terminate their employment and re-hire.
I realize you have a vested interest, or maybe you -had- a vested interest in the company and perhaps took things that I said as a personal attack against you. The reason I'm saying this is because there have been a few personal attacks against me which I felt were totally unnecessary. Rarely do these things actually resolve the issue. It actually takes away from the real problem and starts pinning the blame on someone who is merely reporting the issues.
My solution to StarChoice has always been this:
1.) Put your need for a decent quality PVR out there so that all companies know about it. Sony, JVC, Panasonic, Toshiba, Pioneer, etc. These are brands we've all come to know and trust who have been in the market of producing DVD recorders, VCRs and other similar pieces of equipment.
2.) Once one of these companies jumps on the table to produce a "working" machine, negotiate the deadlines and the quality/reliability. Get it in writing that these companies will produce solid working machines for your company.
The problems with this might be:
1.) Starchoice may already have a contract signed with Motorola.
2.) Motorola may possess some sort of proprietary code to descramble the StarChoice signal. (If this is true, then this is another *C mistake.)
3.) These 3rd party companies may not feel that StarChoice is big enough to provide enough revenue for taking on such a task.
Really though, the best solution is to get ALL cable companies and satellite companies out of the business of providing machines to the general public. Look at the mess that this has caused! I keep reading that all PVRs have problems. Why is that? I'll tell you - lack of motivation to get the machine working 100%. Why is that? Since only one company is allowed to design the machine for a particular company, they've pretty much squashed the competition. Anyone knows that this is not smart business practice. Always remember that your competitor knows your weaknesses, and they will eventually zoom in on your weaknesses and pull your customers away. Once your customers are gone, you may not get them back ever again.
StarChoice could be making billions and billions of dollars profit if they broke away from this foolishness of having only one company provide all of their boxes. It obviously has never worked well, and has caused a sure loss of revenue/customers. The only reasons I'm (and many others like me) are still with *C is this:
- We just spent $800 on a machine in 2005.
- StarChoice has been promising fixes since day 1. Fixes have made things better, but the system is still unstable for many.
- There is not a lot of competition. That may change any day, but for now, nope.
Another idea is StarChoice could keep Motorola on board for doing the descrambling of their signals. After 10 years they finally managed to succeed in the descrambling portion of the code. However, external companies such as Sony could provide a PVR plug-in that would look after all recording and playback processes. The only thing that Motorola would do is provide the descrambling portion of the equipment. You could basically have PVRs by all sorts of manufacturers out there using some common standard of signal coming from the Motorola part. This would take the administrative backload away from StarChoice which has got to be bogging them down. They might even have the ability to reduce staff if the help desk doesn't need an extra 100 people just to support complaints with the equipment.
Ultimately I believe the planning (or lack of planning) is the culprit of all of this, and since management is responsible for planning I blame them mostly for this - not anyone on this site.
my 4 cents worth,
Look at the bell forums. Lots more complaints then we have here. Perhaps you should have returned yours last year if it was such a problem?
Or call them up now and complain. I've had my receiver replaced twice now. If I was having all the problems you seem to have I would have had it replaced a few more times.
No point complaining here, call star choice and get them to send you a new receiver.
Look at the bell forums. Lots more complaints then we have here. Perhaps you should have returned yours last year if it was such a problem?
Or call them up now and complain. I've had my receiver replaced twice now. If I was having all the problems you seem to have I would have had it replaced a few more times.
No point complaining here, call star choice and get them to send you a new receiver.
If the device worked properly all of the time, there would be no (or at least very little) activity in this forum. There are pages and pages from people all over Canada complaining about issues with the DSR530.
First I'd like to say that the issues with the DSR530 that I report do not have a hidden agenda against you whatsoever. The reported issues are just that, honest issues that I have been experiencing for a period of time that supercedes any of my wildest nightmares. If I only had a couple of people on staff to develop such a machine, I would first of all interview the ying-yang out of the potential candidates and follow up with reference checks to ensure I'm getting the right people to do the job. I would hire these people on a temporary basis, with the promise that it could lead to something more if their efforts proved to be decent. After 6 months of poor quality development, I would terminate their employment and re-hire.
I realize you have a vested interest, or maybe you -had- a vested interest in the company and perhaps took things that I said as a personal attack against you. The reason I'm saying this is because there have been a few personal attacks against me which I felt were totally unnecessary. Rarely do these things actually resolve the issue. It actually takes away from the real problem and starts pinning the blame on someone who is merely reporting the issues.
My solution to StarChoice has always been this:
1.) Put your need for a decent quality PVR out there so that all companies know about it. Sony, JVC, Panasonic, Toshiba, Pioneer, etc. These are brands we've all come to know and trust who have been in the market of producing DVD recorders, VCRs and other similar pieces of equipment.
2.) Once one of these companies jumps on the table to produce a "working" machine, negotiate the deadlines and the quality/reliability. Get it in writing that these companies will produce solid working machines for your company.
The problems with this might be:
1.) Starchoice may already have a contract signed with Motorola.
2.) Motorola may possess some sort of proprietary code to descramble the StarChoice signal. (If this is true, then this is another *C mistake.)
3.) These 3rd party companies may not feel that StarChoice is big enough to provide enough revenue for taking on such a task.
Really though, the best solution is to get ALL cable companies and satellite companies out of the business of providing machines to the general public. Look at the mess that this has caused! I keep reading that all PVRs have problems. Why is that? I'll tell you - lack of motivation to get the machine working 100%. Why is that? Since only one company is allowed to design the machine for a particular company, they've pretty much squashed the competition. Anyone knows that this is not smart business practice. Always remember that your competitor knows your weaknesses, and they will eventually zoom in on your weaknesses and pull your customers away. Once your customers are gone, you may not get them back ever again.
StarChoice could be making billions and billions of dollars profit if they broke away from this foolishness of having only one company provide all of their boxes. It obviously has never worked well, and has caused a sure loss of revenue/customers. The only reasons I'm (and many others like me) are still with *C is this:
- We just spent $800 on a machine in 2005.
- StarChoice has been promising fixes since day 1. Fixes have made things better, but the system is still unstable for many.
- There is not a lot of competition. That may change any day, but for now, nope.
Another idea is StarChoice could keep Motorola on board for doing the descrambling of their signals. After 10 years they finally managed to succeed in the descrambling portion of the code. However, external companies such as Sony could provide a PVR plug-in that would look after all recording and playback processes. The only thing that Motorola would do is provide the descrambling portion of the equipment. You could basically have PVRs by all sorts of manufacturers out there using some common standard of signal coming from the Motorola part. This would take the administrative backload away from StarChoice which has got to be bogging them down. They might even have the ability to reduce staff if the help desk doesn't need an extra 100 people just to support complaints with the equipment.
Ultimately I believe the planning (or lack of planning) is the culprit of all of this, and since management is responsible for planning I blame them mostly for this - not anyone on this site.
Yeah, well for starters I think most of us gave StarChoice a lot of undue trust. I will admit that this was a huge mistake on my part. I trusted that they would in fact, have a machine that is working properly. The message I got from them on the MANY times that I did call went something like, "This is temporary. We will have a fix for that in 2 months." I don't know where you are, but none of the stores around Ottawa will take back the DSR530 after 2 months. Most of the stores put a 30 day return on these machines.
So you trust a company, and then this happens. The only thing we can do is at least try to prevent others from buying into this. Some say that they are not having problems. A few weeks later the very same people who boasted about not having any problems are back to give us a completely different story. Replacing machines is not going to help. The fact is the software is buggy. I complained last week about timers. How many others complained about the timers? Contrary to what some would like us all to believe, it is not just me having problems with the DSR530.
Sorry if you purchased one and this forum is getting you down because it is helping you realize that there are huge issues going on here. Be logical about it, and realize that the issues have nothing to do with the people bringing the problems to the surface, it's all to do with Starchoice. So instead of complaining about me (or others) complaining, you sir, should be contacting StarChoice and saying something like this:
"You know, I'm getting really sick and tired of Kevin270 and others on the forums complaining about your product. Can you guys PLEEEEEEEASE do something to fix this so that I don't have to read such negativity anymore? It's completely messing up my day and my life."
So you trust a company, and then this happens. The only thing we can do is at least try to prevent others from buying into this. Some say that they are not having problems. A few weeks later the very same people who boasted about not having any problems are back to give us a completely different story. Replacing machines is not going to help. The fact is the software is buggy. I complained last week about timers. How many others complained about the timers? Contrary to what some would like us all to believe, it is not just me having problems with the DSR530.
Sorry if you purchased one and this forum is getting you down because it is helping you realize that there are huge issues going on here. Be logical about it, and realize that the issues have nothing to do with the people bringing the problems to the surface, it's all to do with Starchoice. So instead of complaining about me (or others) complaining, you sir, should be contacting StarChoice and saying something like this:
"You know, I'm getting really sick and tired of Kevin270 and others on the forums complaining about your product. Can you guys PLEEEEEEEASE do something to fix this so that I don't have to read such negativity anymore? It's completely messing up my day and my life."
My post may have come off wrong
I was one of the first to get the 530. I've lived through all the problems including the BC code killing my unit.
I dont mind people pointing out the problems, I actually find it pretty interesting. I dont actually use alot of the features others complain about (weekly times and the such), perhaps thats why my satisfaction level is pretty high.
If you do not want to try a replacement machine; why not fight for a refund on the one you have?
I was one of the first to get the 530. I've lived through all the problems including the BC code killing my unit.
I dont mind people pointing out the problems, I actually find it pretty interesting. I dont actually use alot of the features others complain about (weekly times and the such), perhaps thats why my satisfaction level is pretty high.
If you do not want to try a replacement machine; why not fight for a refund on the one you have?
BC/CC
I've had a lot of Motorola machines, here in the US with C-band, and Voom, and grey market units including the 405 (if I remember correctly) which worked with the HDD-201.
Motorola has put out a system (Digicipher) which has never, to my knowledge, been hacked. This makes the companies that use Motorola very happy, and I imagine it saves them a lot of money. And Motorola, just like Starchoice, just like me and you, may care about the happiness and joy of others, but it just LOVES its own money.
If you have a stockbroker, he might care about your money--but not nearly as much as you do!
I survived all the changes until CC. It took CC about 2-3 weeks to cook my 530 (and it made me think about that very first fix where they turned off the fan, to tell you the truth.) My broker tells me that Starcoice offers a "replacement unit" for $119 CDN and that an upcoming software fix ("in about 4 months") will cure everything. I've heard this before. With Starchoice, you don't buy hardware, you have to buy warranties...
I've had a lot of Motorola machines, here in the US with C-band, and Voom, and grey market units including the 405 (if I remember correctly) which worked with the HDD-201.
Motorola has put out a system (Digicipher) which has never, to my knowledge, been hacked. This makes the companies that use Motorola very happy, and I imagine it saves them a lot of money. And Motorola, just like Starchoice, just like me and you, may care about the happiness and joy of others, but it just LOVES its own money.
If you have a stockbroker, he might care about your money--but not nearly as much as you do!
I survived all the changes until CC. It took CC about 2-3 weeks to cook my 530 (and it made me think about that very first fix where they turned off the fan, to tell you the truth.) My broker tells me that Starcoice offers a "replacement unit" for $119 CDN and that an upcoming software fix ("in about 4 months") will cure everything. I've heard this before. With Starchoice, you don't buy hardware, you have to buy warranties...
I've had a factory reset done on my machine 2 days ago because of the timer problems that I was facing. People have been saying it was due to the time change. However, yesterday my wife was putting a show in the system for 1:00 AM to 2:00 AM on Saturday morning. A conflict popped up because of Saturday Night Live which was set to record from 11:30 PM on Saturday night until 1:03 AM on Sunday morning. After switching the timer for SNL to 11:30 PM to 1:00 AM, it fixed things up.
Basically, the machine doesn't seem to recognize the fact that SNL is spanning midnight and the 1:03 AM timer was 1:03 AM on Sunday, not Saturday.
I find it hard to believe that just my machine would have this glitch. Maybe someone would like to investigate this and try setting these timers to see what happens:
Timer #1: FROM 1:00 AM to 2:00 AM on Saturday Morning.
Timer #2: FROM 11:30 PM to 1:03 AM on Saturday Night (spanning to Sunday)
Basically, the machine doesn't seem to recognize the fact that SNL is spanning midnight and the 1:03 AM timer was 1:03 AM on Sunday, not Saturday.
I find it hard to believe that just my machine would have this glitch. Maybe someone would like to investigate this and try setting these timers to see what happens:
Timer #1: FROM 1:00 AM to 2:00 AM on Saturday Morning.
Timer #2: FROM 11:30 PM to 1:03 AM on Saturday Night (spanning to Sunday)
Appparently a known bug recently discovered that's been broken since the beginning.
Hat's off to K270 for his relentless pursuit of excellence, even if we disagree with his methods.
Rumour has it this will be fixed in the next code release, when ever the heck that is.
Xmas is coming! Are you listening *C?
Don't forget that fantastic new guide, more fixes, any new features?
How will we know?
Oops sorry, nobody there if they are allowed to post actually knows anything.
Hey, who turned out the lights!
Hat's off to K270 for his relentless pursuit of excellence, even if we disagree with his methods.
Rumour has it this will be fixed in the next code release, when ever the heck that is.
Xmas is coming! Are you listening *C?
Don't forget that fantastic new guide, more fixes, any new features?
How will we know?
Oops sorry, nobody there if they are allowed to post actually knows anything.
Hey, who turned out the lights!
Kevin270,
You may want to adjust your SNL timer to 11:29-1:00. SNL seems to start at 11:29 and 30 seconds so you miss the first 30 seconds or so if its set for 11:30.
And Yes, I've had this conflict too with recording something at 12:00am-1:00am Saturday morning and then SNL at 11:30pm-1:00am Saturday night but the 530 seems to think that the last 2/3 of SNL is on Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning. I record the later edition on 289 at 2:34am Sunday morning.
You may want to adjust your SNL timer to 11:29-1:00. SNL seems to start at 11:29 and 30 seconds so you miss the first 30 seconds or so if its set for 11:30.
And Yes, I've had this conflict too with recording something at 12:00am-1:00am Saturday morning and then SNL at 11:30pm-1:00am Saturday night but the 530 seems to think that the last 2/3 of SNL is on Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning. I record the later edition on 289 at 2:34am Sunday morning.
Audio dropouts on DVR 530
I have talked about this before but now the problem is getting me down and I wondered if anyone has any ideas for resolving the problem. The problem started after my original 530 was destroyed by the CC code. Up to that point I had only experienced the usual 530 problems but no dropouts. I received a replacement 530 which had been refurbished. I then started to get occasional sound dropouts with very minor video pixalations on my recordings and live broadcasts. I checked all my wires and connections but the problem persisted. My signals were always between 66 and 80% . I contact C and over a period of time had two factory resets which did not solve the problem. Eventually they sent me a brand new receiver (at least it looked brand new complete with wires and remote control) The problem still persists. What I have discovereed is that a soft reset (holding down the power button on the receiver) will cure the problem for a while but it later returns. This evening I was watching SD Discovery and the dropoutd were coming at the rate of about 4 or 5 per minute. After the reset they did not re-appear. Surely they have not sent me another bum receiver. The real problem is that most of our viewing is of recorded shows so the option for rebooting is not available as the recording is cast in stone. Does anyone else experience these audio dropouts but more inportantly does anyone have any ideas as to the cause and cure?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I have talked about this before but now the problem is getting me down and I wondered if anyone has any ideas for resolving the problem. The problem started after my original 530 was destroyed by the CC code. Up to that point I had only experienced the usual 530 problems but no dropouts. I received a replacement 530 which had been refurbished. I then started to get occasional sound dropouts with very minor video pixalations on my recordings and live broadcasts. I checked all my wires and connections but the problem persisted. My signals were always between 66 and 80% . I contact C and over a period of time had two factory resets which did not solve the problem. Eventually they sent me a brand new receiver (at least it looked brand new complete with wires and remote control) The problem still persists. What I have discovereed is that a soft reset (holding down the power button on the receiver) will cure the problem for a while but it later returns. This evening I was watching SD Discovery and the dropoutd were coming at the rate of about 4 or 5 per minute. After the reset they did not re-appear. Surely they have not sent me another bum receiver. The real problem is that most of our viewing is of recorded shows so the option for rebooting is not available as the recording is cast in stone. Does anyone else experience these audio dropouts but more inportantly does anyone have any ideas as to the cause and cure?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
If two receivers did the same thing, I'd be looking at external factors like LNBF, cabling, or grounding.
Lester,
I was also experiencing problems like you described. I had a closer look at my signal strength on each of the tuners and realized that one of the tuners had a much lower signal strength. I examined the coax to the tuners and realized that the installer had run new RG6 to one tuner and the other one was an old piece of Shaw coax from the early '90's. I replaced that piece of coax and the signal strength improved on the one tuner. I have been keeping an eye on the problem and it seems to have disappeared. No more audio drops and pixeling on recorded programs.
Now this is only my experience, but I would say it is well worth it to check out your cabling and connections. As for the LNB, I was lucky and my first shot at a fix was obvious with that old piece of coax.
I was also experiencing problems like you described. I had a closer look at my signal strength on each of the tuners and realized that one of the tuners had a much lower signal strength. I examined the coax to the tuners and realized that the installer had run new RG6 to one tuner and the other one was an old piece of Shaw coax from the early '90's. I replaced that piece of coax and the signal strength improved on the one tuner. I have been keeping an eye on the problem and it seems to have disappeared. No more audio drops and pixeling on recorded programs.
Now this is only my experience, but I would say it is well worth it to check out your cabling and connections. As for the LNB, I was lucky and my first shot at a fix was obvious with that old piece of coax.
I occasionally get a burst of sound dropouts on certain channels, but I'm not sure where the problem lies. It does seem to be the case that sound dropout is one of the first signs of a weak signal, particularly on HD channels.
Can't be signal Strength
I have a 75e dish - if my signal strength was any higher it would probably fry the 530. I have the same problem and assume it must relate to decoding in the 530 or a problem at the source / up-link.
I have a 75e dish - if my signal strength was any higher it would probably fry the 530. I have the same problem and assume it must relate to decoding in the 530 or a problem at the source / up-link.
Thanks for your responses. I will install two new co-ax cables as suggested by Superbry and give that a try. I do get different signal strengths on the two tuners but can't imagine how this would cause the problem. it must be something wrong with my system or setup otherwise it would be a faitly universal probem. I will also try tweaking the dish for a better signal but SC reps feel that anything over 50% should work ok.
Lester
Lester
....Ours seems fine. No issues.Contrary to what some would like us all to believe, it is not just me having problems with the DSR530.
Why should YOU have to be the one to stop others from buying this machine? Maybe you think you are informing others and helping them make and informed decision, but what I see is someone who regrets their purchase. There are many people on here that are happy with the product, bugs and all. I had timer issues, I called *C and spoke to a CSR, I was not happy with the response I got so I asked to speak to a supervisor who explained that they were experiencing problems around the DST and asked I wait until after the change. He told me if the conflicts still popped up they would replace my machine. After the time change.... no more conflicts.So you trust a company, and then this happens. The only thing we can do is at least try to prevent others from buying into this. Some say that they are not having problems. A few weeks later the very same people who boasted about not having any problems are back to give us a completely different story. Replacing machines is not going to help. The fact is the software is buggy. I complained last week about timers. How many others complained about the timers? Contrary to what some would like us all to believe, it is not just me having problems with the DSR530.
So yes, you are not the only one with issues. The rest of us just don't whine as much. Half the 550 posts in this thread are you and ARR going back and forth at each other.
Oh well, you are entitled to your opinion, and you have every right to b*tch and complain on the forum about other people that you despise. No skin off of my back as this is your issue bud!
The fact is, the timer problem that I'm having (as well as others) has nothing to do with DST, so perhaps before shooting the messenger you should research your facts a little more thoroughly.
The fact is, the timer problem that I'm having (as well as others) has nothing to do with DST, so perhaps before shooting the messenger you should research your facts a little more thoroughly.
Well, I changed to new cables RG6 and the problem still persists. I have installed a spare 500 receiver to the dish and it runs without any dropouts whatsoever. I changed cables between the two units and the 530 has dropouts and the 500 does not. I have also rebooted (front panel set) the 530 when it was experiencing constant dropouts (at least once every five minutes) and the dropouts disappear for several hours, sometimes days. I have ensured that there is airspace all around the 530 but it still shows dropouts so it does not appear to be a heat problem. It just seems weird that I could get two succesive receivers with the same problem when it does not appear to be common to the unit. (especially when the most recent unit seems to be brand new. Before I ask for another replacement does anyone have any further ideas of a cause or cure of this problem. Please - Pretty please
Lester
Lester
Sounds like a multiswitch problem to me or a faulty ground block if one is connected. Also make sure there are no sharp bends or pinching on the coax. Anything out in all this moisture we've been having should be suspect. Trace the path from the LBN's to the receiver for any moisture pooling.does anyone have any further ideas of a cause or cure of this problem. Please - Pretty please Lester
541 - 560 of 1046 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums
A forum community dedicated to Canadian TV, computing and home theatre owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about home audio/video, displays, troubleshooting, styles, projects, DIY’s, product reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
