Do you turn your STB off at the end of your viewing day?

[wasch_24]

I am trying to conduct a little experiment. In the options and settings menu there is a field for the time since your last reboot. This time seems to be connected to how long the box has been on.
I am wondering, if not everyone experiences micro-stutters, black screens, etc. at the same time, could it be related to the STB being on to long? This would follow the suggestion that the box possibly has some type of memory buffer that fills over time and requires a reboot (power off/on) to flush. Just a possibility. Along with comments, those experiencing any anomalies should check the settings and options to see what the time since last reboot is. If there is a trend present then we will help Voom and Motorola figure out how to resolve it.

 

[Ilya]

wasch_24,
You are raising a very good question, but let's distinguish two different things here: power off and reboot.

When you press the power on/off button on the STB or on the remote, the STB goes off, but in reality this is a just standby mode. The STB continues to run even though no lights are on. For example, it updates the Program guide and can receive software updates.

Reboot is a different thing. To reboot you press and hold the power button on the STB itself for 6 seconds, or you unplug the STB. Reboot does much more than a simple power off. It resets internal memory, e.g. it completely erases the Program Guide. That "time since your last reboot" field refers to reboot, not to the last power off.

 

[wasch_24]

I thought that mine was related to when I turned it on, my bad. Do you think it still might be an issue? It just seems strange that when people see anomalies it isn't everyone.

 

[Ilya]

Do you think it still might be an issue? It just seems strange that when people see anomalies it isn't everyone.

Yes, I think there is something to it. I personally had two lockups after leaving the STB on for a couple of days, and I believe others have reported this too. Normally I turn the STB off at night. And at least one issue (Vertical line) went away after a reboot...

 

[deArgila]

Another difference is turning it off with the remote vs. turning it off at the box.

I was told by a CSR (so take it fwiw) that there is a difference between the two and that voom "recommends" turning it off with the remote rather than at the box.

I always turn it off with the remote - but recently have experienced I guess what people are referring to as "microstutters" - which I reported on a different thread yesterday about WorldsportHD, Epics, and Monsters.

So, it would be cool to know

a) do you or do you not experience the microstutters, and
b) do you turn off the box with the remote or at the stb

 

[truqui]

Yes, I think there is something to it. I personally had two lockups after leaving the STB on for a couple of days, and I believe others have reported this too. Normally I turn the STB off at night. And at least one issue (Vertical line) went away after a reboot...

My wife has the bad habit of not turning the STB off properly because almost everytime I get home, I find the "little green satellite" on. She has mentioned, even called me, about lockups and I personally haven't had any in many, many days. This leads me to believe that, because I turn it off when I get home and then back on for when it's my turn to watch, there is some sort of resetting.
Just my 2 cents

 

[Operator7]

Another difference is turning it off with the remote vs. turning it off at the box.

I was told by a CSR (so take it fwiw) that there is a difference between the two and that voom "recommends" turning it off with the remote rather than at the box.

I was told that as well and never do a factory reset...After I did that twice

 

[Walter L.]

I always turn it off (with the remote) and haven't had any lockups in a long time (~1 mo.)

 

[ricks]

I, too, always put it in standby using the remote. I have never experienced a lockup, audio dropout, black screen, or any other anomaly since the day it was installed about a month ago.

 

[Walter L.]

Perhaps the easiest way to check if there is a correlation between leaving on the box and lockups and other problems is that those of you experiencing the problems try turning it off for a week and see if it makes any difference.

 

[deeann]

You mean every night for week, right?

 

[wasch_24]

You mean every night for week, right?

I hope so, I wouldn't want to see someone go without Voom for a week.

 

[Walter L.]

Not really. What I mean is just keep using VOOM, watch it all the time you want but when you finish turn it off.

 

[Carbo]

I know for a fact that my box crashes if I don't turn it off. I was getting constant crashes every couple of days when I used to leave it on all the time. I tried shutting it off every night and the crashes stopped. Now if do leave it on for a day or two it crashes again.

I have been shutting it off now for a month or so and have not had a single crash.

 

[riffjim4069]

I used to keep my box powered on, but it crashed three times during the first week (post download). Admittingly, I am an obsessive-compulsive channel surfer and no amount of therapy is going to alter my abusive remote control tendency

Best Practice: I now power it off nightly and have experienced zero lock-ups/zero problems in over three weeks. I am convinced powering down the STB while not in use is the way-to-go!

 

[dsball]

Yes, I turn everything off when done for the evening.

 

[DarrellP]

I voted yes but it depends. If I setup a recording, I leave the Voom box on the channel I wish to record and leave it on because I have had the Planner fail too many times to trust it. It's probably 2 or 3 nights a week that I leave it on overnight. I shut it off most of the time with the remote. My gear is wall mounted above and behind my couch so when I stand up, the Voom box is within reach so I will use the power button sometimes.

Regarding lockups, I get them randomly, it doesn't seem to matter if I turn it off or not.

I've noticed that the Last Reboot option is reset everytime I power it back on, or at least the couple of times I've checked it, it was 0 after a power on and I did not reset it.

I've been seeing the micro stutters and it does not appear related to anything I do, they are just there all the time. Thanks a lot GeneWilder'sHair for pointing them out, damn it!! I guess before my blink cycle was timed just right so I never saw them. LOL.

I watched Bikini Destinations on HDNET last night and that show has a terrible case of stutters (or maybe it's just my eyes twitching ;-) ). Everytime they go SlowMo (and most of the show is) the picture stutters terribly. I don't know if it's the source, the provider or my equipment since Dish never claims to have problems, I guess I just have to live with that one. (BTW, my tongue is still dragging the ground after last night's show; WOW!)

 

[GadgetRick]

Not in a while...

I don't turn it off. I have no lockups since the software upgrade (about a month now). I have rebooted for various issues but not in about 2 weeks now. So far so good. I leave it on at night.

The Rickster

 

[seabird]

Sorry to be the odd one out, but I have had VOOM since November and leave my STB on 24/7. I have had one lock-up since the latest firmware upgrade and have not experienced any "microstuddering". The only issue I have experienced is audio crackling on RAVE but these are isolated and infrequent occurrences.

-Terry

 

[TC_Lauderdale]

I always power off nightly and the box almost never locks-up, however today around 8:15 I did notice my first stuck pixel. Fixed with a reboot, but I agree with many that the box is just like a windows-based machine with memory leaks.