run away recording DVR1100C

[rv1pop]

I have not had this happen for a long time but this morning I got up to see my DVR1100C was recording. It took about 6 minutes, but I finally got it to stop. It appears to have started about 4:15AM and had recorded just under 4 hours when I got it to stop. In the past I have turned it off by the back switch which causes the loss of the recording, but this time I got the recording so I could tell when. I noticed an update had taken place. Any connection? Fortunately, I have redone most of my configuration so the receiver was "unattended" but visible. Is the receiver getting ready to fail? One other time a similar thing happened I got 120 GB of continuous recording before it stopped....

 

[Glorystar1]

Is the DVR1100c operated in Glorystar mode or Advanced mode?

Is the Automatic Update feature set to ON or OFF?

What would suggest that an unintended recording indicates that a receiver is about to fail? I fail to see a connection.....

Unintended recordings could be the result of an incorrect Start Date / Time or Duration, a time setting error by either customer input or incorrect time sync with the satellite or operation of the STB in the Advanced Mode, but with the Automatic update set to ON.

 

[rv1pop]

Is the DVR1100c operated in Glorystar mode or Advanced mode? Glorystar

Is the Automatic Update feature set to ON or OFF? ON

What would suggest that an unintended recording indicates that a receiver is about to fail? I fail to see a connection...A question only. Has been working fine for several months without a glitch and I began to get complacent.

Unintended recordings could be the result of an incorrect Start Date / Time or Duration, a time setting error by either customer input or incorrect time sync with the satellite or operation of the STB in the Advanced Mode, but with the Automatic update set to ON.

It Has been working fine for several months without a glitch and I began to get complacent. I had a problem in January and found and corrected it on Feb 3rd. I had changed hard drives back and forth about that time thinking that was the problem then.

Good timer operation until this AM and I managed to catch it. I moved everything around about 3 or 4 weeks ago to where I now see the receiver 3 or 4 times a day, at least.



Oh, yes, aand when I got it turned off and then back on this AM it recorded and stopped fine.

 

[rv1pop]

Just as a further note, and maybe off the topic, but might be related.... About two to three weeks ago I got enough charger and batteries to keep the inverter on 24/7. I leave the front power off, the rear power on most of the time, had last turned it on, I think, last Thursday. I often turn on the TV about 4 minutes before the DVR starts, and after the DVR turns off, I turn off the TV, or it times off on drop of signal.

file names Timed record TBN0423075952.TS 483MB 04/23/12
BOGUS FILE start TBN0424040114.TS 3947MB 04/24/12
GOOD TIMED FILE TBN0424075956.TS 499MB 04/24/12

The recording had worked even when it had lost power / low batteries, and had brought the battery power back up by generator about 15 minutes before the timer was to start, so the clock synced in that 15 minutes. Everything looked OK about midnight when I was up for a few minutes. The recording started when Joseph Prince was on TBN.

My THOUGHT-- if it had started on incorrect time, would it not have turned off after 29 minutes as set or not? I am concerned that running on the inverter had damaged the power supply, but probably not.

Edit: the DVR is on its own dish/lnbf.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Are you running current firmware version 1.37? The only thing that I notice is that the bogus recording started near the top of the hour. Maybe the receiver time had not correctly grabbed the Pacific Time zone with the DST ON (four hours is equal to EST)?

 

[rv1pop]

if that is so, which I should be up to date ... why did it record yesterday (and past 2 1/2 months) and then again at 759AM this morning after I got the odd recording stopped? When was the update pushed or pulled. In see the update was today.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Are you running current firmware version 1.37?

The satellite OTA-SSU update happens at 3am local time on Tuesdays. The recent update for your receiver would have been scheduled to occur today, 4/4/2012 at 3am PST.

According to your timer, the recording started at 4:01 am this AM. You didn't say, but I assumed that you stopped the recording shortly before 8am (7:45am)?

 

[rv1pop]

if that is so, which I should be up to date ... why did it record yesterday (and past 2 1/2 months) and then again at 759AM this morning after I got the odd recording stopped? When was the update pushed or pulled. In see the update was today.
OK, probably not:
SW GS03.34 Apr 04
Data Ver 01.69
HW Ver 1.0
USB 2.0 Driver 1.00
Geosat DVR Model

 

[SatelliteAV]

I am sorry, my mistake on the version number. The DVR firmware version is 3.34.

Yes, the channel list update was scheduled by your DVR to occur today, 4/24/2012 at 3AM PDT. We pushed an updated Glorystar channel list.

There must have been a time issue on the reboot after the channel list update. We will set a 8am PDT recording of TBN during the next automatic update and see if we are able to duplicate this timer event miscue.

 

[rv1pop]

OK. Can we get a heads up when you are going to push an update? Maybe a week or two in advance. When I go on the road again, I will leave this unit here, but take another unit and the TV. We can be gone for two weeks or more at a time. Of course, the other option would be to turn off auto update while I am gone. If that is the cause I could control how that happens. If this is a possibility, I won"t be concerned with it.
Thanks for the probable answer. Was there an update the first part of January - while TBN would have still been playing Happy New Year promos?

 

[rv1pop]

Further update to add to the confusion: The recording starts on time, but is not stopping at the end of 29 minutes as it was set for. I thought I was manually stopping it but I was watching the TV program and was not thinking straight. Today, being Thursday I was paying attention and BVOV ended and Unfolding Majesty started and the DVR just continued recording. I manually stopped recording about 3 minutes into the next program. I checked each timer setting and all 7 appear correct. What should correct this? Or should I call in so we can troubleshoot over the phone?

Thanks.

Now set for M-F (1 through 5) TBN 759AM and 30 minutes duration Th adds (6) 830Am with 30 minutes and Sunday (7) 1759 (559PM) and 30 minutes.

 

[SatelliteAV]

I would perform a Master Reset to clean out any logic related issues by reloading fresh firmware. You will need to enter the record timers, but a few minutes of re-entry might decrease your frustration or the second guessing if the timers will work properly.

Master Reset: http://www.satelliteguys.us/glorystar-support-forum/268873-disabled-glorystar-mode.html#post2665351

 

[rv1pop]

OK, but not. Did a master reset - no change. Did another and went Advanced.. No change. Called in to tech tech support and was told to try other media as "that was usually the problem", no change. went back to the old passport, recorded yesterday but did not stop. Today started a recording, but only recorded 15 MB and got "wrong file" message trying to read it.... Only 15MB, probably not even complete header..... If the receiver has gone bad, I have gotten my money's worth out of it and hope to have microHD soon. But if I can resolve this I would love to do it. I would go back to recording to VHS tapes or CD, but all my recorders draw to much current or do not like the inverters... But I can get the DVD's for $ 15 a week until the microHD comes out. Any more ideas? Or is it worth the effort? *(Busy trying to get the building done.)

 

[SatelliteAV]

Could be a big coincidence and the drive has a corrupted index.... try a complete "deep" format FAT32 (not fast format) using a computer then reformat on the DVR. The support rep was correct to suggest that the majority of timer issues are related to the drive. I personally have not yet found a DVR1100c with a recording issue that couldn't be addressed by a firmware reset a different drive or a drive format.

Curious, is your power source clean and have a well formed sync?

 

[rv1pop]

power source has never been clean! That is one reason why I have liked this unit so well! And that is why I was wondering if, perhaps, it was failing. The receicver works very well. The ONLY problems I have had were then clock problem due to the transponder issue, and the recording issues.
I have over 250 GB of recorded programs, so I do not want to format this drive. A clean, newly formatted 16 GB USB stick did start, but did not stop recording on time.

Another thing I noticed, before occasionally I would have to go to standby (remote or front switch) after recording to be able to change channels etc. NOW I have to do this every time. I will put the other 350 GB drive on tonight and see if it will record. I am out of USB sticks.

Concerned and questioning, but not unhappy. After all, this unit has 40,000 miles on it. They are not designed for mobile use or inverter operation --- modified square wave. It probably has seen no more than 50 hours of clean, regulated power.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Flash drives usually don't benefit from formatting like hard drives do. Flash drive incompatibilities usually are a result from the USB driver chipsets rather than clearing the flash memory. It doesn't surprise me that a flash drive would exhibit incompatibility issues. We tested nearly a dozen flash drives before selecting the one that we distribute.

Please share the results of using a fresh formatted hard drive. You might consider saving the recordings to another device, formatting the drive on the PC, again on the DVR then dropping the recordings back on the drive.

 

[rv1pop]

I do not have room to save the recordings off the Hard drive, but I can (and did) get some fresh USB sticks. I will transfer most of the files from the USB sticks to the HD. The new triple reformatted USB sticks are working ok. I THINK part of the problem may be the receiver does not like the replacement inverter, also. The storm could have corrupted the directory, so the DVR doesn't like to record, but everything there does seem to playback, and the transferred files also work on the computer. I have not tried to PB them on DVR. (But the problem started before the "BIG" storm.)

 

[rv1pop]

Oh, yes, The flash drives do require at least 2 formats to work the best. Some never work right, but the sans disk from Costco always seem to work right after 2 formats, but I now do 3 and have not had a problem. One of the old DOS formatting programs I liked to use gave me a "back track report" on the first format, most of the time. So I would format twice on that computer, then reformat on the DVR and not have a problem. Since that computer went to sleep, I have just done triple on the DVR without problem, except with one brand (do not have it here - A white stick.) which will only record about 7 GB on a 16 GB stick.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Thank you for the updates. This information is always helpful for our FAQ!!!

 

[rv1pop]

It appears we got an update this morning.
Receiver was on clock at midnight. this morning on TBN at 1045AM.
Recording started at about 4 AM PDT and ran for 3HR 53 Min TBN0612040022.TS 3995MB 06/12/12 improper recording...
Next recording started abt 7:59 PDT as set and ran abt 29 minutes TBN06012075903 506MB 006/12/12
Seemed to record OK, but did not shut receiver back to standby.
I am still set on advanced. System Information now:
SW : GS03.34 (Apr 04)
Data Ver : 01.70
HW VER : 1.00
USB 2.0 DRIVER : 1.00
Geosat DVR Model

Using PATRIOT memory XPORTER 8GB usb Flash Drive -- Not from Costco, but this is second one and first seemed to work OK. (BiMart store).