Poll: Are you having HDMI problems with your 211/411/622

[Bradtothebone]

We've been running the 622 since April on component on an older RPCRT. A couple of weeks ago, we added a Samsung LCD in an adjacent room, and are running it on HDMI. No issues so far, KOW, with two HD outputs at once.

Brad

 

[bhelms]

In spite of my numerous posts re: my 622 HDMI experience, I declined to vote in this poll even tho' I support the intent and applaud your efforts. As with many polls, whether intentional or not the way the questions are worded will skew the results and potentially lead the analyst to an incorrect conclusion.

If you had included it, I would have checked "first 622 had dead HDMI; replacement working OK so far, KOW", FWIW...

Have a great holiday weekend...

 

[Tom Bombadil]

If the latest firmware is L3.59, then some people have reported that their HDMI connector quit working after getting it.

Are there reports that it has fixed HDMI for people previously having problems?

 

[Tom Bombadil]

As to a poll bias, there is always one. However I would say this one would be in favor of a positive result for Dish, as the positive questions were listed first in each grouping. And there are no leading negative questions, it is simply asking if it works fine or if you are having problems.

The results are very interesting. They continue to look to me like it is a hardware-related problem, as it would seem odd that a software problem would have a 35%-40% problem rate. But an assembly-related hardware problem could easily score in that range.

But who knows with Dish. Maybe some units have different chips somewhere on the systemboard and those are the ones having problems with the software.

I do have a M.S. in Statistics, if that means anything to you.

 

[JeremyL]

After 30 days of running on HDMI and about a week after getting the L3.59 update my HDMI port stopped working yesterday. I'm running on a component connection now.

 

[sathd]

Its wild that some people are having problems and some are not I for one unhooked my HDMI last week, Hopefully they willhave a fix SOON to me there is a BIG differnts in the two HDMI is a lot better

 

[Tom Bombadil]

JeremyL

See, another example that doesn't sound like a software problem. If it were caused by L3.59, how it would take a week to stop working???

It sounds like a poorly assembled connector that eventually breaks a connection and goes dead.

If it is a bad connector, Dish is going to have a problem on their hands as nearly every 211/411/622 shipped to date may need to be returned and repaired. I know 60% are reporting that theirs works, but if it is due to an assembly problem, it is just a matter of time before many of their connectors fail.

OTOH ... how could Dish have an assembly problem with a connector on the 411, 211, and several revisions of the 622. That doesn't make sense either. BUT ... it doesn't make sense that it is software when the problems are on the 211 & 622 as they use different software, but the HDMI port does work on the 942, so there is no software problem with that box. Unless it is a software problem related to the MPEG4 chipset.

I thought there might be a pattern that would come out and narrow down the source of the problem. But I haven't seen any such pattern as yet.

Hey, did you get the Superman photo in Metropolis, Illinois? They have one of those on the street there ... along with a large (20-25') fiberglass Superman figure.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

The problem rate is increasing a bit. Early on it was close to 33%, then it went to 35%, then 37%, and is now approaching 40% at 56 out of 142.

Even with a plus/minus of 10%, that puts it between 30% to 50%.

 

[JeremyL]

Tom,
Yep, that's Metropolis, IL. We were coming home (live in Springfield, IL) from vacation last year and decided to stop. It's a fun place to visit for a couple of hours.

 

[dishteam]

re

my hdmi also worked perfect but now has stopped working.

 

[pnahre]

I upgraded to the 622 and when the technician left the hdmi was working fine, but the DVR hard drive was toast. They sent a second technician out 3 days later and the DVR was fine but no hdmi. He called Dish and got a technician who admitted that they know there is a problem, but they haven't isolated it yet. The technician asked her what he should do, and she said nothing. No exchange, no refund, nothing at all until Dish has established that there is a real problem. The technician said that half the 622's he's installed have broken hdmi connectors.

 

[Strikeldr]

I've had my 622 connected via HDMI for about three weeks now with out any problems. It is the "D" version.

 

[TBarclay]

Got fed up with the rebooting problem and called tech support. They insisted that was caused by tiny power blips at my house! I was getting nowhere in getting a replacement when I mentioned my HDMI had quit working several weeks earlier. At that point, the Tech CSR said they would send a replacement. Voila -- the HDMI works fine again.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

If the problem is a poorly constructed connector, then it could take a week or 6 months or even longer before it breaks. It may have to do with how much pressure is put on the connector by your cable - like when a cable hangs down from the back. Or if you scoot your receiver around once in a while - for whatever reason - and that wiggles your HDMI connector/cable.

Or there could be two or three different assembly lines, and one isn't soldering the connector correctly. If it is this, then some receivers will be fine while others will fail at high rates.

For example, right now Apple is having overheating problems on several of their new Intel-based MacBook portables. The reason is that Apple instructed their assembly plants to put too much thermal adhesive between the CPU chip and the heat sink. With too much paste, not enough heat can transfer to the heatsink, so far more heat than spec'ed is transfered into the systemboard. The bottom of the computer heats up to about 20 degrees hotter than spec'ed. The immediate problem is the bottom of the computer gets too hot. But a long term problem could be that some of the chips on the systemboard are going to be running out of spec and have shortened lifecycles.

I know of a problem that Harmon-Kardon had a couple of years back when one assembly plant failed to properly shield a cable in one manufacturing run. All of those receivers have a low-level buzz in the center channel.

 

[Cole5]

I'm currently on my second 211. First one HDMI worked fine for the first few weeks then lost the picture. I wiggled the cable around in the back of the receiver and then the picture came back up. This happened several more times over the next few weeks until finally it wouldn't come back up any more. Replaced the cable but still no picture. Called tech support - they had me unplug/replug everything, check my display settings, hard reset, etc, etc, etc. I told them it was definitely the connector but they had me run through everything again. They said it is NOT a known issue but I convinced them to send me a new unit. They told me that if they didn't find anything wrong with the receiver once I sent it in then I would be billed for the cost of the new one!! Received the new (most likely refurb) unit plugged it in and the picture came right up. Call the 800 number to authorize new receiver and while on hold......picture dropped out again!! Same exact problem. I explained what was going on to the CSR. They said they would make a note of it but there was nothing they could do! After messing with the cable again for about a half hour I finally got the picture up. I pulled extra cable into my cabinet to "kink" it (applying pressure downward on the connector). It has been working fine for the last month but if I have to move anything I'm afraid it won't come back up again.

Also both units run extremely hot.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Thanks to everyone who has responded to this poll. So far that is 189 of you, with 164 being HDMI users.

The number of failed HDMI connections continues to hang in the 38% to 40% range.

Certainly there is now a sufficiently large sample size and a significantly greater than zero number of failures, to conclude with reasonable certainty that Dish has a problem on their hands.

I suspect the problem is masked within Dish's install base because of the low percentage of HD receivers that are connected via HDMI. Although this number is a rapidly growing number, as HDMI becomes the connection of choice for new HDTV sets.

 

[bhelms]

As to a poll bias, there is always one...

I was only pointing out that I would have had to answer twice to give you a true picture of my situation. I didn't even try that in this poll. For me to check only one answer re: my 622 experience would not have been accurate. I see your lastest poll allows two answers so I responded accordingly in that one.

Good work with these queries! I only hope someone within E* who has the power to effect some improvement takes note of your results and investigates further...!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

This poll also allows multiple boxes to be checked. However if you have two of the same responses, such as two 622s working fine, it only lets you vote for one of them. Such is the limit of the polling software.

 

[shmeck]

Problems with 211 hdmi

Like others I've read in this forum, my hdmi connection failed after 2 months of perfect functioning. Dish said this is a problem they "are working on". Rebooting doesn't work, jiggling the connection doesn't work, waiting a few days for the receiver to re-set doesn't work. I guess I'll have to try to get Dish to send a new unit and hope they don't try to charge me!

 

[mrhph]

Like others I've read in this forum, my hdmi connection failed after 2 months of perfect functioning. Dish said this is a problem they "are working on". Rebooting doesn't work, jiggling the connection doesn't work, waiting a few days for the receiver to re-set doesn't work. I guess I'll have to try to get Dish to send a new unit and hope they don't try to charge me!

Try one of the following, see which one will work for you:
1. On 622, go to Menu->System Setup->HDTV Setup, then change the output signal type (e.g. from 1080i to 720p), then cancel out of the confirmation dialog that pops up afterwards. See if HDMI output works after this.
2. Unplug totally and then replug the HDMI cable.
3. Hard reset 622, i.e., pull the power plug.

If none of the above works, call Dish tech support and ask for a replacement.