HR-34 Slowness Issue

[Scott Greczkowski]

Just in from DIRECTV

HR34-700 Guide/Menu and channel changing slowness.

Customers may experience system slowness with the guide and changing of channels. Due to this slowness issue customers may also have a perceived experience of the HR34 locking up, remote control not working or responding. Engineering is investigating.

*** UPDATE ***

In order to help engineering better track this issue if you are having this issue DIRECTV would like to know the following information...

1. Time of occurrence and channel number
2. What were they doing prior to observed slowness
3. If watching TV before observing slowness, how long since last interaction with receiver?
4. Is the receiver more responsive immediately after initial slowness occurred?
5. Where did they observe slowness? (guide/playlist/channel change, etc.)

Thanks!

 

[dfergie]

Thought it was just mine...

 

[cpalmer2k]

Mine has been awful recently. Always slow, but now unbearable. Also every night now for some reason the C31 totally freezes at some point during Jimmy Fallon on WNBC. It occurs at random times, but always during Fallon. Changing channels doesn't bring the picture back either. Sometimes turning it off will, but often I have to get up and press the Reset button on the 34 to restore service to the client

 

[EarDemon]

The HR34 has been junk for how long now, and they’re just now starting to figure out it’s a problem? Don’t these software engineers actually use the products they develop for? And I mean really use them, not play with them in a test lab.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

First post updated with information requested by DIRECT so they can better track the problem.

1. Time of occurrence and channel number
2. What were they doing prior to observed slowness
3. If watching TV before observing slowness, how long since last interaction with receiver?
4. Is the receiver more responsive immediately after initial slowness occurred?
5. Where did they observe slowness? (guide/playlist/channel change, etc.)

Our thanks to DIRECTV for seeking the help of SatelliteGuys with this issue.

 

[Hideftv]

Unfortunely, mine is slow with regard to everything that is initiated by a button push on the remote. Since update oxa72, it takes noticeably longer to turn on, turn off, pull up the guide and menu, change channels, if you press stop while watching a recording it black screens for several seconds, and randomly if you fast forward, the remote becomes unresponsive for several seconds. Not to mention any mini clients are painfully slow to display a picture. I think to sum it up, everything is slower to the point of irritation for lack of a better way to explain it.

 

[silversurfer]

Well this was timely...I was just checking in to see if I was the only one. Scott, those questions really don't apply. My HR34-700 is slow from the moment I turn it on. It takes almost a minute to show a picture or sound on turn on regardless of what channel I am on. Doing anything is painful. I just chalked it up to a memory starved DVR. I really wish Directv would make a DVR with some real memory and processing power. It seems their equipment is getting worse and worse. I am so close to cutting the cord and streaming everything.

 

[harmlesslyfatal]

One thing to mention with the slowness

Check to make sure that the front panel buttons respond just as slow, otherwise it's not the receiver.

IF the front panel buttons respond normally (guide, menu, etc), then you can disable model id in the remote to help speed up the response time.
To disable model id:

Press and hold mute and select until the green light at the mode switch flashes twice
Press 9-6-3, then press Channel Down. The green light should flash twice again.

About a minute later, response time should improve.

Again, this is ONLY if the response time on the receiver is faster than that of the remote. If it works, do the same thing on any clients in the home.

This works for any receiver that uses a white universal remote (RC6x).

 

[Drucifer]

Just in from DIRECTV

HR34-700 Guide/Menu and channel changing slowness.

Customers may experience system slowness with the guide and changing of channels. Due to this slowness issue customers may also have a perceived experience of the HR34 locking up, remote control not working or responding. Engineering is investigating.

*** UPDATE ***

In order to help engineering better track this issue if you are having this issue DIRECTV would like to know the following information...

1. Time of occurrence and channel number
2. What were they doing prior to observed slowness
3. If watching TV before observing slowness, how long since last interaction with receiver?
4. Is the receiver more responsive immediately after initial slowness occurred?
5. Where did they observe slowness? (guide/playlist/channel change, etc.)

Thanks!

To catch the suspect, all they got to do is look in the mirror.

To solve the crime is another matter.

 

[Drucifer]

When does it happen?

The very worst is at the top of hour during primetime when multi recordings are stopping and starting. It is nearly impossible to change channels for the live program I am watching.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Instead of trying to figure out the issue, its just better to complain to customer service and make them replace it with an HR44

 

[RandallA]

I got to say this comes a little late and don't tell me Direct was not aware of this issue. This model has had problems for a while now. Changing channels or just viewing the guide was a pain with the HR34. After 2 failed HR34 receivers, Directv replaced mine and that's what they should be doing for everyone.

 

[Drucifer]

I got to say this come a little late and don't tell me Direct was not aware of this issue. This model has had problems for a while now. Changing channels or just viewing the guide was a pain with the HR34. After 2 failed HR34 receivers, Directv replaced mine and that's what they should be doing for everyone.

I got kick out of their CE program because I made weekly reports on slowness. And this was years ago.

So you're not the only one that is skeptic.

 

[Hideftv]

I don't understand how this software gets through testing and still gets released. Maybe they need to expand their testing or is it job security for the programmers?

 

[Drucifer]

I don't understand how this software gets through testing and still gets released. Maybe they need to expand their testing or is it job security for the programmers?

We as customers consider poor performance as being broken. They as a business do not.

 

[Zashel]

i wish cable would take a page out of apples book. you're not buying a product, you're buying an experience. weather you like apple or not, you have to admit, their stuff *works* (well... when employees arent deleting your data lol)

 

[tco0085]

Just in from DIRECTV

HR34-700 Guide/Menu and channel changing slowness.

Customers may experience system slowness with the guide and changing of channels. Due to this slowness issue customers may also have a perceived experience of the HR34 locking up, remote control not working or responding. Engineering is investigating.

*** UPDATE ***

In order to help engineering better track this issue if you are having this issue DIRECTV would like to know the following information...

1. Time of occurrence and channel number
2. What were they doing prior to observed slowness
3. If watching TV before observing slowness, how long since last interaction with receiver?
4. Is the receiver more responsive immediately after initial slowness occurred?
5. Where did they observe slowness? (guide/playlist/channel change, etc.)

Thanks!

What are we supposed to do with the info? Post it here?? Email to some address?

 

[JohnL]

Instead of trying to figure out the issue, its just better to complain to customer service and make them replace it with an HR44

Claude, SPOT ON. I was regularly resetting my HR34, sometimes daily. If the receiver was in the process of starting or stopping recordings, my HR34 would just sit there refusing to accept or execute any commands for 30 seconds to almost a minute. This was only one of many complaints I had with my HR34. If my available recording time dipped under 30 percent then it was twice as bad. Using my GenieGo2, transcoding recordings took hours and hours. I did get DirecTV to send a Tech and replace my HR34 with a HR44. Once changed all my problems VANISHED, even transcoding recordings became 100-200 percent faster.

Every time I called to complain I got the common reply, "Engineering is aware of the problem, and is working on a solution." Funny, I don't think they are working to hard on it, because this problem has PLAGUED the HR34 for 6-8 months.

If anybody on this board still has a HR34, call DirecTV and require a TECH roll out and don't accept any proposed solution other than a HR34 to HR44 swap out.

I think the only way to fix the HR34 would be getting all HR34's to roll back to a previous firmware from say 12 months ago. Since this is not likely a workable solution for DirecTV. They need to replace EVERY HR34 in the field or they could lose their coveted Customer Satisfaction domination among TV providers.

John

 

[HoTat2]

Wow, I agree ... where has DIRECTV Engineering been on this?

Are they kidding?

And the HR34 has got a lot more problems than just slowness nowadays.

This notification and request for feedback at this late date like they're just now waking up to this issue not to mention all the others now, is almost insulting.

Sent from my SGH-M819N using Tapatalk

 

[HoTat2]

If anybody on this board still has a HR34, call DirecTV and require a TECH roll out and don't accept any proposed solution other than a HR34 to HR44 swap out. ...

Or swap for an HR54 ...



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