problems with genie hr34
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Looks like I found the right post to ask some questions. My experience with the 34 and genie has been less than desirable. In addition to the slowness, we randomly experience the picture freezes and pixelation on, mostly local, channels that others have experienced.
The technician came out today and replaced the LNB. He said the one we had experiences issues in the cold weather. He said he was not a huge fan of the 34s and would give me a 44 but he was out on his van. We scheduled a time for next Thursday to replace the receiver, but he said to call him if the issues go away, and we could cancel.
Ideally it would be nice to retain my recordings, but if the 34 is part of the issue I'd like it replaced. Just wondering if anybody's issues were solved by either LNB replacement and/or switching to 44.
Thanks.
The technician came out today and replaced the LNB. He said the one we had experiences issues in the cold weather. He said he was not a huge fan of the 34s and would give me a 44 but he was out on his van. We scheduled a time for next Thursday to replace the receiver, but he said to call him if the issues go away, and we could cancel.
Ideally it would be nice to retain my recordings, but if the 34 is part of the issue I'd like it replaced. Just wondering if anybody's issues were solved by either LNB replacement and/or switching to 44.
Thanks.
There are issues with some models of LNB in cold weather but that might not be the problem. Is your pixelation on your local NBC station? That is a known issue with some NBC locals and the HR34. If that's the problem, only replacing the Hr34 with an HR44 will solve it.
Happens on locals mainly. My wife watched the Voice on NBC and it was pretty frequent. This link was a bowl game on fox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s6awle7Hbg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I have no idea if I am using RF. All I know if this: My Genie HR34 has been problems since about 2 months after I got it. I used to have HR24 and H25. The H25 was quite fast and responsive. I considered switching it to my main TV due to its speed. The HR34 does everything people have stated here and all of the similar threads - slow, laggy, crashy, buggy.
There is no difference in responsiveness with a sheet of paper over the receiver.
There is no difference in responsiveness with a sheet of paper over the receiver.
I'm having the same problems with my 34 right now, I was watching my recording of 2 Broke Girls (don't judge me if 2BG suddenly got funny to me this season
and I clicked to go to my list to see if Archer, Intelligence and The Blacklist were recording when my client froze up. After resetting it 3 times it finally came back on but the Genie had reset 17 min into my programs and didn't come back until 9:34, I would call DTV to schedule a service call and possibly get a 44, but I have over 70% filled and over 55 series recordings set, maybe I'll call sometime during the Summer.
I'm planning to go back to DISH when my DIRECTV 24-mo agreement is up. GENIE HR34/client hardware really sucks *** that it makes leaving Directv a no-brainer. MLB Network is not any different on DISH than it is DIRECTV.
Thought I would give a quick update.... Today another tech came out and did a complete reinstall with a new hr44 and c41-500. By complete reinstall I mean he ran all new lines as well as he did not like the splices; however, I am convinced my issues were related to the hr-34. I attempted to tip him as he left, but he said they were unable to accept tips.
This started out rocky since the last tech said he would just give me a hr-44 and he thought the 34s were not good at all, no offense to those of you that have no issues with your 34s. The tech I had today focused on all the flaws in the prior install and blasted me for using a power strip instead of plugging everything into the wall outlet--keep in mind my 34 setup required 3 plugins with the receiver and DECA.... He also did not like the mount on the side of my house and wanted to put a pole in the yard. I told him my kids would mess with it or hit it with a ball so I would rather not. I told him I only had 2 outlets available near my tv and did not want the pole setup and would only allow all the lines to be pulled and reinstalled if a hr-44 was in my future. So we finally came to terms .
I actually pulled all the lines in my basement drop ceiling to help out as he worked on the outside. So I think he was happy with this gesture.
I haven't experienced any lag, picture freezes, etc like I did with the hr-34 and this receiver appears to be very fast and no need for DECA makes it better as well plus optical outlet.
In closing, TV is not important to me as I barely watch it. I like some sports and some things on the history channel. My wife and kids use it more than me. However, I believe for the price charged, I should be able to turn it on and have it work when I want to use it. I think I may have this now and thank DirecTV for their customer support. My recommendation for any people having issues with the 34 is to get rid of it.
This started out rocky since the last tech said he would just give me a hr-44 and he thought the 34s were not good at all, no offense to those of you that have no issues with your 34s. The tech I had today focused on all the flaws in the prior install and blasted me for using a power strip instead of plugging everything into the wall outlet--keep in mind my 34 setup required 3 plugins with the receiver and DECA.... He also did not like the mount on the side of my house and wanted to put a pole in the yard. I told him my kids would mess with it or hit it with a ball so I would rather not. I told him I only had 2 outlets available near my tv and did not want the pole setup and would only allow all the lines to be pulled and reinstalled if a hr-44 was in my future. So we finally came to terms .
I actually pulled all the lines in my basement drop ceiling to help out as he worked on the outside. So I think he was happy with this gesture.
I haven't experienced any lag, picture freezes, etc like I did with the hr-34 and this receiver appears to be very fast and no need for DECA makes it better as well plus optical outlet.
In closing, TV is not important to me as I barely watch it. I like some sports and some things on the history channel. My wife and kids use it more than me. However, I believe for the price charged, I should be able to turn it on and have it work when I want to use it. I think I may have this now and thank DirecTV for their customer support. My recommendation for any people having issues with the 34 is to get rid of it.
Serious junk to check if your 34 is running slow:
A. The no brainers:
IR/RF interference. If your remote is an R-model (rc64R, rc64Rx, rc65R, rc65RX) try RF mode or go back to IR mode.
When's the last time you rebooted? Try that, see how long it takes to go back to being slow.
Are you running hot? Even though you're not getting the temp warnings, your box could be slowly cooking. Check for ventilation.
Got some alignment issues? Remember, pixelating and 771s aren't supposed to be common. Call customer service when you see this stuff.
B. Technical junk
Dish type - If your dish type is set incorrectly, your guide will be slow and randomly miss items. If you don't get 119, then don't be set on a 119 configuration.
Resolutions - Got video delays when you're changing channels? Get audio with "no signal" for a solid 4 seconds? Turn native mode off and set your resolution config to one type and stay there. Avoid 1080p unless you're dead sure your tv will work with it.
Diagnostics/startup codes - Getting harddrive errors? Call customer service to get upgraded to a 44 - or at least something that isn't broken.
C. If problem persists
If all of these things seem to be in good order, you could have a defective unit. Depending on which tech rep you get in customer care, your answers will vary. Sometimes you'll get a replacement, sometimes you will get a service call, sometimes you'll be told it may take up to 10 seconds for some functions to complete. In the end, it depends on the exact situation and the call that the CSR makes. Persistence will probably far if you aren't getting what you need, but make sure you still treat your CSR with dignity and respect.
A. The no brainers:
IR/RF interference. If your remote is an R-model (rc64R, rc64Rx, rc65R, rc65RX) try RF mode or go back to IR mode.
When's the last time you rebooted? Try that, see how long it takes to go back to being slow.
Are you running hot? Even though you're not getting the temp warnings, your box could be slowly cooking. Check for ventilation.
Got some alignment issues? Remember, pixelating and 771s aren't supposed to be common. Call customer service when you see this stuff.
B. Technical junk
Dish type - If your dish type is set incorrectly, your guide will be slow and randomly miss items. If you don't get 119, then don't be set on a 119 configuration.
Resolutions - Got video delays when you're changing channels? Get audio with "no signal" for a solid 4 seconds? Turn native mode off and set your resolution config to one type and stay there. Avoid 1080p unless you're dead sure your tv will work with it.
Diagnostics/startup codes - Getting harddrive errors? Call customer service to get upgraded to a 44
- or at least something that isn't broken.C. If problem persists
If all of these things seem to be in good order, you could have a defective unit. Depending on which tech rep you get in customer care, your answers will vary. Sometimes you'll get a replacement, sometimes you will get a service call, sometimes you'll be told it may take up to 10 seconds for some functions to complete. In the end, it depends on the exact situation and the call that the CSR makes. Persistence will probably far if you aren't getting what you need, but make sure you still treat your CSR with dignity and respect.
Serious junk to check if your 34 is running slow:
A. The no brainers:
IR/RF interference. If your remote is an R-model (rc64R, rc64Rx, rc65R, rc65RX) try RF mode or go back to IR mode.
When's the last time you rebooted? Try that, see how long it takes to go back to being slow.
Are you running hot? Even though you're not getting the temp warnings, your box could be slowly cooking. Check for ventilation.
Got some alignment issues? Remember, pixelating and 771s aren't supposed to be common. Call customer service when you see this stuff.
B. Technical junk
Dish type - If your dish type is set incorrectly, your guide will be slow and randomly miss items. If you don't get 119, then don't be set on a 119 configuration.
Resolutions - Got video delays when you're changing channels? Get audio with "no signal" for a solid 4 seconds? Turn native mode off and set your resolution config to one type and stay there. Avoid 1080p unless you're dead sure your tv will work with it.
Diagnostics/startup codes - Getting harddrive errors? Call customer service to get upgraded to a 44
C. If problem persists
If all of these things seem to be in good order, you could have a defective unit. Depending on which tech rep you get in customer care, your answers will vary. Sometimes you'll get a replacement, sometimes you will get a service call, sometimes you'll be told it may take up to 10 seconds for some functions to complete. In the end, it depends on the exact situation and the call that the CSR makes. Persistence will probably far if you aren't getting what you need, but make sure you still treat your CSR with dignity and respect.
I have no idea what mode my remote is in, again. No one has said how to check.
I truly believe that IR/RF means nothing in this case and it's the HR34. I am sitting here waiting for it to reboot to get my Genie back working. I have rebooted probably 5 or 6 times in the past week. I HATE THE GENIE AND WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR THEM TO GIVE ME MY HR24 AND H25 BACK!!!
So you're saying that instead of finding and correcting the actual issue, you'd rather complain about it and ask for your old hardware back.
Menu -> Settings and Help -> Settings -> Remote -> IR/RF setup.
I do not have those options in the Remote menu. Only "program remote," "copy settings" (which is unselectable), and "reset remote."
I never had these issues with the HR24. The first month with the Genie was great, then it's been downhill since. I do not mean to sound like I am dismissing you, it's the simple fact that I shouldn't have to reset my HR34 nearly daily to get a signal on my client. I am writing this while I wait for the thing to reset AGAIN. My signals are in the 90s on the 99 and 103, and some 100s on the 101 and 119. If I shut my client off, the "Searching for servers" message comes on until I reset the HR34. I do not see how the remote will fix that, when these are the same remotes I used with the HR24/H25 set up.
I never had these issues with the HR24. The first month with the Genie was great, then it's been downhill since. I do not mean to sound like I am dismissing you, it's the simple fact that I shouldn't have to reset my HR34 nearly daily to get a signal on my client. I am writing this while I wait for the thing to reset AGAIN. My signals are in the 90s on the 99 and 103, and some 100s on the 101 and 119. If I shut my client off, the "Searching for servers" message comes on until I reset the HR34. I do not see how the remote will fix that, when these are the same remotes I used with the HR24/H25 set up.
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