DirecTV HR-34 - disappointing

[gigahurtz]

That's exactly what you are

I think you'll find these issues go away in 3-6 months as they refine the software. They are still working aggressively on the HR34 software, you may want to check out our Cutting Edge forum if you want to try updates as they test them.

I remember when I first got the HR20, Directv's first MPEG4 HD-DVR. It was a solid six months before it seemed real stable.

Thank you! I try the CE releases every week!

 

[gigahurtz]

Could you provide more details on your setup?

Sure. I have a pretty simple setup:

1 HR-34 (living room)

2 H-25s (in master bedroom and guest bedroom)

I have connected via the cinema connection kit (hard wired to my router).

Please let me know if there is anything else you need to know. I've had to replace one H-25 (master bedroom) due to all recordings skipping as they are playing. This was the next day after I got my service installed.

 

[brent112]

Considering many others are having the same problem, I highly doubt there are a bunch of bad boxes out there. If the problems continue, I will look into swapping the box.

I agree 100%. I had my HR34 installed on December 23rd. I have an RVU capable TV and initially used the TV in our living room as an RVU client. The Interface though was unbearably slow and my wife wanted a regular receiver in there, so i had an H25 installed, that fixed the speed problem but the Whole Home DVR has been extremely unstable. Half of the times when you click on a show to play it, it doesn't play. Sometimes you have to click "try again" 10-15 times in a row before it finally plays. The shows play fine from the HR34, just very unreliable from any other receiver. I have a very simple setup as well, all new install and in a new house. So new equipment/dish/wiring/etc. Definitely seems to be a software issue, hope they fix it soon. I would love to go back to the RVU client setup, or just use the H25 reliably.

 

[raoul5788]

I agree 100%. I had my HR34 installed on December 23rd. I have an RVU capable TV and initially used the TV in our living room as an RVU client. The Interface though was unbearably slow and my wife wanted a regular receiver in there, so i had an H25 installed, that fixed the speed problem but the Whole Home DVR has been extremely unstable. Half of the times when you click on a show to play it, it doesn't play. Sometimes you have to click "try again" 10-15 times in a row before it finally plays. The shows play fine from the HR34, just very unreliable from any other receiver. I have a very simple setup as well, all new install and in a new house. So new equipment/dish/wiring/etc. Definitely seems to be a software issue, hope they fix it soon. I would love to go back to the RVU client setup, or just use the H25 reliably.

Have you had Directv come and check it out to be sure it isn't something besides the software?

 

[brent112]

Have you had Directv come and check it out to be sure it isn't something besides the software?

I have not. I figured there was enough people i have read about on different forums with the same issue to where I just assumed it was a software bug of some sort. Does Direct TV charge for service calls like that (sorry, i am new to the Direct TV world).

 

[raoul5788]

I have not. I figured there was enough people i have read about on different forums with the same issue to where I just assumed it was a software bug of some sort. Does Direct TV charge for service calls like that (sorry, i am new to the Direct TV world).

First off, to Satelliteguys!

How new is your install? I think they will come back in the first few days or so to make any adjustments necessary. If it's been a while, call customer service and explain what issues you are having. Normally a service call is a minimum $50 or so, but they may give you one for free. The service plan is $6.95/month IIRC. For some people the peace of mind is worth the money.

 

[gigahurtz]

First off, to Satelliteguys!

How new is your install? I think they will come back in the first few days or so to make any adjustments necessary. If it's been a while, call customer service and explain what issues you are having. Normally a service call is a minimum $50 or so, but they may give you one for free. The service plan is $6.95/month IIRC. For some people the peace of mind is worth the money.

New installs are covered for repairs/replacements for 90 days after install. If you setup a service appt then it'll get extended another 90 days from that point. This is what I was told numerous times when I called.

 

[LarzMN]

I have had an HR34 since December as well and the instability led me to seek out this forum. I'm glad to see that these issues are well reported and that work is being done to stabilize the platform. I look forward to playing around with CE releases in the meantime!

 

[bobvick]

I have had an HR34 since December as well and the instability led me to seek out this forum. I'm glad to see that these issues are well reported and that work is being done to stabilize the platform. I look forward to playing around with CE releases in the meantime!

I am sure you are well aware, but I will give you a word of caution anyway. The CE releases so far (at least for me) with the HD GUI have been VERY unstable. I had one release, the one before this last one that was fairly stable, but thus far none of them have been "up to snuff" enough for me to use them for any great period of time. My point being, I noticed that you are new, and just wanted to caution you to the fact that if you are experiencing a few minor issues with the NR software, don't expect the CE to be any better. Of course you can always revert back to the national release, and that is what I have had to ultimately end up doing after all but the one CE release.

 

[LarzMN]

I appreciate the heads up. I'm fairly familiar with beta territory as I have been playing around with custom ROMs on my cell phone for a while now and work a technology job professionally. I appreciate how things work and software/firmware release cycles in general. What's driving me to consider this is how I have to reboot my HR34 every 3-7 days just to keep it functioning. It will lock up to the point where a red button reset is the only thing that will bring it back from the dead. It constantly loses Whole Home connectivity to my downstairs HR25, also. (it actually still shows it as connected, but does not actually share any programming with it, nor can it read the recorded shows from that device) Reboots fix all the problems I have, but what a pain. Especially if said reboots are needed in the middle of a recording. Then the guide has to be rebuilt, etc. Any CE bugs would be measured against that alternative reality. I can wait for the HD guide.

As an aside, can anyone tell me if 30SKIP works for NR software too or is it only available on CE software? I'm very interested in that.

 

[ROLLTIDE]

30Skip doesn't work with the NR software

 

[skew]

30Skip doesn't work with the NR software

It sure does I have been using it for the last 1.5 months. You have to re enter it every time the receiver has been rebooted but it does work fine.