721 Issues

[BillH]

Don't Know Yet

The PIP swap must, by definition, use the other tuner since you can see a different channel and be recording both. Perhaps the check switch defaults to a specific (probably the wrong) tuner!

Did your actions this morning give you the nine-day guide after a while?

I do not know yet. I had to go to work and did not have time to wait and see.

In the past, I would look back at the tuner input and it would change to 1 and the guide would update. On the times, in the past, that the guide did not update to 1, the guide did not update.

I will check it when I get home and see what happened but that will be a couple of hours.

 

[iKramerica]

OK Sunday Morning March 11, after time change.

SO E* IF YOU ARE LISTENING!!! L324 is locking (at least some) 721s into tuner 2 and confusing the guide download! (maybe it thinks both tuners are in use?)
I've heard my 721 baulk when it tried to restart in the middle the night at the MISCODE you put in L324!!
E* CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!!!

In the mean time, all 721 owners call in and complain.
As a bandaid, make your viewing on tuner 1.

No sh*t about cleaning up their act. People with 721s know they have old units, and we are generally HAPPY with what they do. While side by side PIP is nice for 16:9 displays (in zoom mode), we weren't expecting it, didn't ask for it, and it's caused no end of trouble. Just like the multi-screen dish home thing they added that gets turned on by mistake if you hit the DISH key on the remote.

Turn our 721s back to a working software version, and LEAVE IT ALONE FOR GOOD! Stop messing with it. Please!

PS - Is there a better phone number to call to reach someone who matters in 721 tech support? Direct tier 2 or 3 phone number instead of 333-DISH?

 

[BillH]

My Box Stuck on Tuner 2

When I do a PIP and SWAP, my tuner is staying on Tuner 2 and does not update. The only way I can get it to swap to tuner 1 is boot it. Then it will get the full 9 day guide. As long as it shows Tuner 2, it does not update.

It is a PAIN to have to boot this thing every day to get the guide.

Does anyone know when Dish is going to fix it?

 

[retiredTech]

When I do a PIP and SWAP, my tuner is staying on Tuner 2 and does not update. The only way I can get it to swap to tuner 1 is boot it. Then it will get the full 9 day guide. As long as it shows Tuner 2, it does not update.

It is a PAIN to have to boot this thing every day to get the guide.

Does anyone know when Dish is going to fix it?

The only other "thing-s" I can suggest is.
Try a "cold reboot" unplug the AC plug for 5 minutes or so then plug back in
then allow the 721 to completely restart on it's own. (may take 15 min ?)
After that see if the PIP swap brings back the 9 day guide the next time you lose it (which will be the next morning)

Sometimes I do a "switch check" and that forces the guide to download.

The problem in L324 (seems to me) is that when the 721 reboots overnight,
It stalls downloading the guide and get confused by the software and can't fully access the tuner-s to finish the guide download.
When we manually swap the "the tuners" this "frees up" the "tuner-s' to allow the 9 day guide to download the way it is supposed to.

 

[David]

After reading this thread, I check my guide on both of my 721's and only then realized that I only had a 2 day guide. I did the PIP swap technique but the tuner input on the check switch screen remained firmly on 2. I simply switched it manually using the down arrow and turned the unit off. Minutes later, the full 9 day guide was there. I assume that overnight it will revert to 2 days again and I will be forced to repeat the process daily. It is an inconvenience, but at least a fix. Hopefully, a software fix is in the NEAR future (and it doesn't create ANOTHER bug).
I agree with a previous post, this is an older product--leave it alone. Except when it was a brand new model, I have had NO problems with it. It has been a stable, reliable product that I could always depend on. With no DVR fees, I can only hope it will continue to provide me with years of bug-free, fee-free, service...

 

[navychop]

OK- you guys have jinxed me. My 721 was working fine, 9 day guide, timers OK. Then last night while recording one program and watching another, it suddenly froze. Then it rebooted itself. When it came back, it resumed recording, but the EPG only went out a day or two and only listed "no information available" after the current hour.

 

[iKramerica]

Yep, it is very much a "tuner 1/tuner 2" issue we are seeing here, all the different problems (guide issues, blanking of tuner 1 when tuner 2 is in use, freezing on PIP).

Thus it is obvious that whoever programmed the new PIP functions SCREWED IT UP. Get rid of it. We don't care about side by side PIP if it means I can't tune 2 screens anyway, search programs into the future, etc. The unit is losing contact with tuner 1 in various ways when tuner 2 is in use, and since the unit uses tuner 1 for guide info and it would seem for programming verification purposes, things get all wonky.

Reset our receivers to the way they were promised in the original marketing, and leave them alone. Don't add features. Treat them like EOL products, and only update them if there is a bug that will prevent them from working with new satellite feeds, etc.

Is that too much to ask?

 

[SRW1000]

Well, I didn't think I had any problems with my 721, but when I went to check my PVR list, I found out I've got a problem.

The shows that were recorded were all an hour behind what I wanted. The online guide has the correct current programs, but the clock is actually an hour behind.

I figured that I just didn't get the most recent software upgrade, so I checked the version. The software version I have is: BFDTHABD-N. This really stumped the tech support people I talked to. They tried to send a hit to my receiver, had me reboot, have the receiver check for an upgrade, all of which was futile.

Now, I'm honestly not sure what to do. This is my fifth Dish receiver. Every one of them has been defective. Charlie's batting 0 for 5.

I could get another refurbished 721, but my current refurb never really acted right, and I have no faith in Dish's refurbs.

They also offered me a reduced or free upgrade to a 622 or 625. The problem is that I don't think either of those is any better engineered than the 721. Then, there's the monthly fees, which were zip for the 721. And while I'd really like to get HD, it doesn't help matters that Dish downrezzes most of their HD content.

I've seriously thought about cable and DirecTV, but they share most of these same problems. FiOS isn't available here, and probably won't be for years.

I find myself watching less and less satellite programming. The broadcast quality from Dish gets worse, even as monthly costs and pointless fees continue to rise.

Man, I really wish there was a decent a la carte alternative. If I wasn't an ethical person, the easiest solution would be to just get everything I watch off of a bit torrent site, but I couldn't do that.

Who would have guessed that as more and more technologies become available, actual choices become less and less important, and competition colapses into a steaming pile of mediocrity.

Ugh.

Scott

 

[Smith P.]

BFDT, BuildConfig = HABD;

SW version must be in different place - can you post whole screen picture ? Preferable after cold reboot, ie after disconnect power cord for a minute.

EDIT. I was wrong - the BFDT is beta SW what start spooling 2/22/07.

 

[SRW1000]

BootStrap = BFDT, BuildConfig = HABD;

SW version must be in different place - can you post whole screen picture ? Preferable after cold reboot, ie after disconnect power cord for a minute.

Here's the screen, after a cold reboot:

The blue sections were purposely covered by me.

Any ideas?

I'm thinking that if I wait a couple of weeks, the clock may end up being correct again.

Scott

 

[ERSanders]

Maybe its fixed?

On both of my 721's I have had the nine-day guide for two WHOLE days without the need to reboot or switch tuners.

It makes me wonder if a "silent upgrade" was made to the s/w or if the DST clock change may have resolved the issue...for me at least.

How about the rest of you who have experienced this s/w glitch?

BTW, both receivers show L324.

 

[BillH]

Not for Me

On both of my 721's I have had the nine-day guide for two WHOLE days without the need to reboot or switch tuners.

It makes me wonder if a "silent upgrade" was made to the s/w or if the DST clock change may have resolved the issue...for me at least.

How about the rest of you who have experienced this s/w glitch?

BTW, both receivers show L324.

I had to boot mine this morning. Had only a 2 day guide but it came right back when I booted it.

 

[BobaBird]

Reset our receivers to the way they were promised in the original marketing, and leave them alone. Don't add features.

Which way do you want it?

 

[iKramerica]

I just want them working correctly, and they were about 18 months ago. Since then, every time they've added a feature, something else breaks a little. 4x forward speed for example. They added that dish home crap, and screwed up 4x forward speed (skips rather than smooth) and never fixed it. They added side by side PIP, and screwed up tuner 1 processes that screw up the program guide and some other things.

Today I had a new problem. My receiver decided I no longer subscribed to ESPN, USA and a few other channels on 119. A hard reboot (unplug) while on customer support phone line led to losing ALL 119 channels from the guide with no access. No amount of anything would bring them back. After getting off the phone, I did another hard reset (unplug) and the channels returned.

I bitched quite a bit to the CSR and he did offer me a free 625 or 622, but of course there's added fees for both (DVR fee + HD fee or programming for the 622). I'm still deciding on how to proceed...

 

[retiredTech]

Every morning... After L324... my 721, loses the 9 day guide, sometimes I get back rather easily by pip swap(that I figured out by myself) but sometimes no matter what... It screws up with missing information. Ocassionally, it says I can't get some subcribed channels and sometimes it says I have channels I don't (which the smart card won't allow any way )
As I type I can't even get my721 to soft reboot, it is stuck on acquiring data, so I' ll pull the AC plug.
The point is.. NO 721 owner asked for side by side PIP.. !!!
Even if we did, get a software programer who knows how to write code
WITHOUT SCREWING with REST OF EXISTING SOFTWARE!!
IF IT AIN'T BROKE... STOP FIXIING IT!
AND WHEN IT IS BROKE.... FIX IT RIGHT!!!

 

[Smith P.]

Or make it Open Software - thousands Linux geeks will be glad to make it works better.

 

[navychop]

Yep.

 

[BillH]

Any Hope for a Fix?

Is there any hope that dish is going to fix this problem any time soon?

Or is it going to be like the Weather channel update to ch 214. It never came.

 

[boomerang]

I truly believe they want us all to upgrade to a receiver that generates more revenue for them.

Think about it, why devote resources to an "enhancement" for a receiver that was discontinued years ago. If it was your business, would you? Of course you wouldn't. It doesn't make financial sense.

But if it forces customers to upgrade to a newer receiver, one that generates a lot of fees, perhaps even additional HD fees, well now it does make sense.

 

[Bob Haller]

I have been very happy with my 721 and don't seem to be experiencing any problems (at least that I know about) that weren't cured by what I call a "pull the plug reset". I'm talking about the same guide problems all of you are mentioning.

What I am unhappy about is the 20 plus minutes it takes to download the program guide afterwards. We experience a lot of power failures here, always have. The kind where it goes off and on three or four times before it stays on for good. It's really a big drag waiting for the download to complete. I don't have to tell you that you can do NOTHING with the receiver until it's completed.

Put your 721 on a UPS.....

Reboot time is a pain!

I put my 721 and tv on a UPS, one nite the poer failed but the TV and receiver just kept on working, the only light in the house the TV.

MY WIFE FREAKED till I explained what was going on.

The UPS elminates power outages, missed recordings and is easier on the box, minimizing stress.

although the biggest stress on a box is buggy E software. I finally ditched our 721 because it started spontaneously rebooting and 7 mnutes to reset