**Smart Cards, 722's and OTA Timers...OH MY!!!**

[AngryStamen]

As the title insinuates, I got some problems with my ViP 722 and my OTA timers, and the only new thing that has happened to my DVR is that I just installed a smart card yesterday, where previously there was none.

I installed my newly-arrived smart cards yesterday at around 7PM because I had some time, and, as the sheet they were attached to said, if I didn't do it within 2 weeks, "the security system in your DISH Network receiver(s) will expire." I also took that to mean that my boxes would stop working too!!

I had an OTA timer set later that night to record, and it did so with no problem. However, I came home today at around 8:45 PM, and as I sometimes do, i checked my timers for the evening. I noticed that my OTA that SHOULD HAVE been set for 9 PM was NOT set!! I was VERY surprised. I checked my timers list and, yes, my show (American Idol) was in the list, but when i clicked on it, it did not show ANY future listings!! (FYI, i have 2 other shows set for the same times, and that is why I am using an OTA timer.)

So, I decided to set the timer again (creating a NEW EPISODES timer), thinking that would fix it. Well, the timer did show up for my show (now 5 minutes away), but when i checked the listing for next week, no timer was set!! I set another one on Tuesday, 3/24, this time choosing an ALL EPISODE timer. I advanced to Wednesday to see if it was carrying over to the show on 3/25, and it was not!!

I can't figure out why this is happening, but, as I stated earlier, the only thing that changed is the installation of the smart card. Can anyone shed any light on this problem? Anyone else seen a correlation between smart card installation and OTA timer problems? Please help if you can!!

 

[HIFI]

might try a hard reset (unplug the receiver for approximately 30 seconds)

 

[Smith P.]

Better call Dish and ask Tech Support person.

 

[AngryStamen]

might try a hard reset (unplug the receiver for approximately 30 seconds)

I was just thinking of doing that, right after my recordings end at 11 tonight. hope it works!

 

[AngryStamen]

Better call Dish and ask Tech Support person.

I must say, i was hoping to avoid a call to Dish, because most of the time, it seems that I know more about their DVR's and service, etc. than THEY do!! But, it may come to that if a hard reset does not solve the issue.

 

[HIFI]

I beleive someone else had this same issue a little while back and that did fix the problem
anyhow good luck

 

[AngryStamen]

Well, doing a hard reset (unplugging...waiting...plugging back in) did NOT fix the problem!!!

If I gotta set my OTA timers every week, I'm gonna be pissed!! RIDICULOUS!! It worked FINE yesterday!!!! Before those damn SMART CARDS!!!! (Sorry, just had to vent a bit!!)

Again, hope someone out there can lend a helping hand!! Or commiserate in my pain!!

 

[HIFI]

it is a long shot but since the problem is with the OTA channels you may try to delete all OTA 's and rescan them back in then try to set timers again

 

[garys]

You may need to reboot again between removing them and scanning them back in.

 

[Smith P.]

Inserting card produce the reboot process each time. Before internal/embedded smart card's era the method been used by CSR for troubleshoot your call.

 

[JohnC]

As the title insinuates, I got some problems with my ViP 722 and my OTA timers, and the only new thing that has happened to my DVR is that I just installed a smart card yesterday, where previously there was none.

I installed my newly-arrived smart cards yesterday at around 7PM because I had some time, and, as the sheet they were attached to said, if I didn't do it within 2 weeks, "the security system in your DISH Network receiver(s) will expire." I also took that to mean that my boxes would stop working too!!

I had an OTA timer set later that night to record, and it did so with no problem. However, I came home today at around 8:45 PM, and as I sometimes do, i checked my timers for the evening. I noticed that my OTA that SHOULD HAVE been set for 9 PM was NOT set!! I was VERY surprised. I checked my timers list and, yes, my show (American Idol) was in the list, but when i clicked on it, it did not show ANY future listings!! (FYI, i have 2 other shows set for the same times, and that is why I am using an OTA timer.)

So, I decided to set the timer again (creating a NEW EPISODES timer), thinking that would fix it. Well, the timer did show up for my show (now 5 minutes away), but when i checked the listing for next week, no timer was set!! I set another one on Tuesday, 3/24, this time choosing an ALL EPISODE timer. I advanced to Wednesday to see if it was carrying over to the show on 3/25, and it was not!!

I can't figure out why this is happening, but, as I stated earlier, the only thing that changed is the installation of the smart card. Can anyone shed any light on this problem? Anyone else seen a correlation between smart card installation and OTA timer problems? Please help if you can!!

I started having the same problem last Fall on both of my 622's. I am in the Atlanta DMA and the problem only affects OTA channels that I also receive from the satellite. I now have a 722 and a 622 and the effect is the same on both. When it started last fall, the problem only affected the NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox channels. When WPCH was added to the Dish HD locals earlier this year, the problem immediately also appeared on WPCH. I can still set timers for WUPA and WATL. This problem is really irritating since I also used the OTA timer when we wanted to record 3 channels at once. I did not realize that this was related to my new smart cards which I thnk I received and installed last fall.

 

[AngryStamen]

I started having the same problem last Fall on both of my 622's. I am in the Atlanta DMA and the problem only affects OTA channels that I also receive from the satellite. I now have a 722 and a 622 and the effect is the same on both. When it started last fall, the problem only affected the NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox channels. When WPCH was added to the Dish HD locals earlier this year, the problem immediately also appeared on WPCH. I can still set timers for WUPA and WATL. This problem is really irritating since I also used the OTA timer when we wanted to record 3 channels at once. I did not realize that this was related to my new smart cards which I thnk I received and installed last fall.

Well, this is VERY discouraging news!! Have you (or anyone) tried what HIFI suggested above, (remove the OTA channels and re-scan them in)?

I really have to say that if it is, in fact, the smart cards that have caused this problem, DISH Network has a serious problem!! I mean, they send you smart cards that they REQUIRE you to install into your boxes, and those cards end up BREAKING a feature that is supposed to work!! Un-REAL!!!

 

[JohnC]

I have talked to Dish Support a number of times and tried everything they suggested and everything that I could think of to solve the problem. When I set a timer a day or more in advance, it disappears from the schedule after the nightly program guide update although the timer is still there. For the OTA locals that I do not receive from Dish (LIL), the timers work fine. The timer that I had set for Smallville the previous season still worked fine on WUPA-DT since Dish does not offer it yet. When Dish added the WPCH this year, OTA timers stopped working on WPCH-DT that had worked fine before Dish added it.

Until I read this post today, I did not realize that the new smart cards caused the problem.

 

[BobaBird]

The other thing that may be new to your 722 is the L618 software. Smart cards have been getting installed for the last several months with a minimum of side effects.

 

[AngryStamen]

The other thing that may be new to your 722 is the L618 software. Smart cards have been getting installed for the last several months with a minimum of side effects.

It is true, i do have the L618 software...unfortunately, I do not know when it was downloaded...would that software update have been provided by the smart card installation? Is it possible that it is just a coincidence that I installed the smart card and started having OTA timer problems, when it was actually a software update that happened the same night? When did L618 roll out?

I'm trying to nail down what exactly is causing this OTA timer problem so that we, the community, can tell dish exactly what is wrong and HOPEFULLY they can fix it...Cause it's gonna really SUCK to have to set OTA timers EVERY DAY for the shows we all want to record!!!

 

[AngryStamen]

I have talked to Dish Support a number of times and tried everything they suggested and everything that I could think of to solve the problem. When I set a timer a day or more in advance, it disappears from the schedule after the nightly program guide update although the timer is still there. For the OTA locals that I do not receive from Dish (LIL), the timers work fine. The timer that I had set for Smallville the previous season still worked fine on WUPA-DT since Dish does not offer it yet. When Dish added the WPCH this year, OTA timers stopped working on WPCH-DT that had worked fine before Dish added it.

Until I read this post today, I did not realize that the new smart cards caused the problem.

John, I'm having the EXACT same issues as you, with the OTA timers working for channels not offered by dish (PBS in my area), but deleting themselves over night for OTA timers on channels offered by dish.)

Can you recall if your problems started when you installed smart cards? If so, do you remember when the problems started? I'm trying to figure out if it is, in fact, a smart card-related problem, or a problem associated with software L618. Any info you can provide will help, thanks!!!

 

[JohnC]

John, I'm having the EXACT same issues as you, with the OTA timers working for channels not offered by dish (PBS in my area), but deleting themselves over night for OTA timers on channels offered by dish.)

Can you recall if your problems started when you installed smart cards? If so, do you remember when the problems started? I'm trying to figure out if it is, in fact, a smart card-related problem, or a problem associated with software L618. Any info you can provide will help, thanks!!!

My problems started with L614 or earlier. When I started a thread on this last fall, someone replied that he was also in the Atlanta DMA with the same software revision and he was not having any problems with OTA timers. Now I suspect that I had inserted my new smart cards and he had not.

 

[garnett21k]

OTA, VIP722

I've been having the same issue for a few months now. The gist of it is that LOCAL HD OTA signals LOCAL-01 HD somehow are treated as redundancies (of the Dish-supplied -00HD) and somehow don't show up when you do a search. It only does it on OTAs with -00 HDs. Take mine for example. I have no local CW-00HD through Dish and my CW-01 finds new episodes or records all episodes of Smallville just fine.

I've contacted them several times with no luck or estimated time of completion. I practically told them that it was fine before they updated and narrowed down the issue to a T. Anytime you set a "Search based" recording, i.e., RECORD ALL, RECORD NEW, it only records the current one you are setting and nothing in the future. The reason being that your telling it the first one, but it's unable to search for the others, at least when it tried to search it can't find anything.

The workaround unfortunately for us is setting a time-based recording. Say Big Brother comes on Tues, Thursday and Sunday. You set weekly timers for each day. You only have to do this for ones you're recording on OTA LOCAL-01HD channels. The Local-00HDs work fine. Just make sure the double check for time changes and season finales as they usually are different lengths/times.

 

[bebop]

What software version do you have? L618?

Hit menu twice and see.