Do you leave your E* receivers on ........
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NightRyder said:Oh noNot this again
NightRyder
oops, did I step in something old and smelly?
sorry.Really looking for some good, hard advice on this. Have any drive (or chip) manufacturers EVER provided any guidance on this? Or anyone else done any sort of good research into this?
The rate of failure on modern hardware is sooo low now, I really don't know how this could be tested and come up with a valid result. And I doubt that any one person's experience would cover enough units over enough time to have their results be valid.
I have wondered about this for a long time, and never been able to come up with a definitive answer.
Ya ever notice how a light bulb usually burns out when you first turn it on, not while it is already on? That's because of the initial stress when first powering up, mostly heat-related, I would imagine. I'm not saying that solid state components experience the same heat and stress. But, there is still some stress when current is first applied.
Hard disks are much more active during power-up than when idle, so it makes some sense that a HDD would last longer if left in idle, rather than being powered on and off perhaps a thousand times in less than 3 years. OTOH, if they're still spinning when idle (I do not know), that may cause premature wear. Certainly there is a study somewhere.
Hard disks are much more active during power-up than when idle, so it makes some sense that a HDD would last longer if left in idle, rather than being powered on and off perhaps a thousand times in less than 3 years. OTOH, if they're still spinning when idle (I do not know), that may cause premature wear. Certainly there is a study somewhere.
I leave my regular receivers on all the time and never have any problems. My 501 is now turned off every evening. For the first year and a half, I left the 501 on 24x7 and then it started acting strange. I would lose the use of the remote control, the system would lock up, etc. Dish told me that the problems were caused by the hard drive getting full and fragmented. They said to turn it off every night so that it could clean up itself.
I don't know if I believe all of this, but I have had zero problems with my 501 since I started doing this last year.
I don't know if I believe all of this, but I have had zero problems with my 501 since I started doing this last year.
Originally Posted by NightRyder
Oh no
NightRyder
The endless debate as to weather it is better to shut down a hard drive or to keep it running continues endlessly.
For my computers I am in the leave it running camp.
There is a difference however in the use of hard drives in DVR equipment. In most computer applications the hard drive is idle most of the time. The disks spin but unless the computer is creating or accessing files on the disk the Read/Write heads are not in use and the mechanism that positions them can park. When a DVR is active the hard drive is buffering the program it is currently tuned to and the Read/Write heads are in use 100% of the time. This has the potential to wear out the Read/Write servo much more quickly than in computer use.
Additionally the DVR in my bedroom is much quieter when it is turned "off"
justalurker said:
Jeez, remind me next time to put in a smilie...Its a joke
85% percent of the people in the US equate " Air Conditiong" with cooling and " Furnace with heating...As one who has lived on Lake Superior-with natural "cooling" , I have never needed an air conditioner, a furnace and a wood stove yes
Now that I live in the South, where humidity and a heat tend to be on the high side, I really need air conditioning.
gpflepsen said:
Actually, my 522 says that if I don't set a download time, (3 am), then downloads will only happen when the receiver is powered off. So my impression is that downloads happen at 3 am whether or not i turn the receiver on.
As far as I've been able to tell in my limited use, *all* the green and blue lights do are tell you if a signal is being sent to the output (to your TV). Everything, including DVR functions, still work with the green and blue (and orange) lights off.
I have wondered if overuse of the recording is causing clitches in my replay on the 522. I have absolutely no trouble with live tv, but DVR event sometimes drop sound or glitch (especially if recording on the other tuner), and last night it was pretty bad.
IMO it's Heat, not on/off stress, that is the number one killer of electronics. Heat ages power supplies, circuit boards, traces, connectors, you name it. I say this based on years of work experience in facilities with both always-on equipment and on-demand equipment. The always-on equipment failed at a substantially higher rate, and the failures were generally related to heat.
All my equipment is off when not in use. In the case of DVRs, I keep them as "off" as the equipment will allow without actually disconnecting power.
All my equipment is off when not in use. In the case of DVRs, I keep them as "off" as the equipment will allow without actually disconnecting power.
I'd say it depends on your usage of the DVR.. if it's in the bedroom, shut it off, if it's in the living room, constantly on/off, on/off, leave it on, just make sure you let it notify you of updates.
If it's in a low-usage room, the lack of usage outweighs the consequesnces of powering up.
Ken's heat anology made me think of it. I have rooms I set at 60 for the winter, cause they are low usage rooms, where as the bedroom and living room, and kitchen are heated all winter, fluctuating temperature for time of use.
And no matter how hot the bathroom is, the toilet's always cold.
If it's in a low-usage room, the lack of usage outweighs the consequesnces of powering up.
Ken's heat anology made me think of it. I have rooms I set at 60 for the winter, cause they are low usage rooms, where as the bedroom and living room, and kitchen are heated all winter, fluctuating temperature for time of use.
And no matter how hot the bathroom is, the toilet's always cold.
bcshields said:
It sounds like you need one of these:
http://www.washlet.com/default.asp
The Japanese don't just make the best electronics. They are the leader in toilet-seat technology. Trust me. Once you use one, you'll wonder how you ever got along without one! (Like a PVR)
Kevinw said:Jeez, remind me next time to put in a smilie...Its a joke
That reminds me of Family Feud ... 100 people surveyed, top five answers are on the board ... the #1 answer is the most popular answer (from that 100). NOT always, or even often, the right answer. But nevertheless ...
Kevinw said:As one who has lived on Lake Superior-with natural "cooling" , I have never needed an air conditioner, a furnace and a wood stove yes
A furnace and a wood stove sounds like a perfect reason for air conditioning. Hopefully you had a good filter on the circulation. Humidity control is pretty good too. Mine is built on the furnace.
I've lived near Gwinn in the distant past. Too long ago to remember how the house air was adjusted for comfort.
JL
GaryPen said:
Ever hear of a Bidet? You can see one in the first Crocodile Dundee movie.
It is a French invention from 1710, more info here.
JL
