VIP 211 OTA Issues

[jtrippe]

I live in 36092 and receive my local digital channels through a CM 4228 with a 7777 pre-amp. I was using an LG 4200A to get all of my locals and not using the 211 for OTA. I had the LG hooked up via DVI and the 211 via component. Well, my wife bought me a new DVD recorder with upconversion so I disconnected the antenna from the LG and hooked it up to the 211. At first, I got all of the same channels on the 211 as I did on the LG. A couple of hours later several channels stopped coming in. I still get the ABC, TBN, PBS but the CBS and NBC no longer come in. I get CBS Weather (8-3) but nothing else. I hooked everything back up to my LG and all channels come in perfectly. I really want to use my 211, though, so I don't have to use a HDMI or component switch. Does anyone have any idea why the 211 stopped showing just those channels? How can I get 100% signal strength on the weather version (8-3) of a local station but no signal on the regular digital number (8-1)? No one on my local AVS forum has complained about those channels and I can get those digital on the LG. In addition, the analogs of those stations passed through the 211 to the TV come in perfectly. I've rebooted the 211 several times. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

 

[mdonnelly]

Historically, the Dish OTA receivers have been very picky about how they handle PSIP from the local digital channels. If it isn't pristine, Dish will either ignore it or mangle it. That's probably why your LG works, because the PSIP algorithm is more robust.

Anyway, just for fun, try deleting all your digital locals and scan again.

Good luck.

 

[Jim5506]

Another possibility is that you had L3.46 on the 211 and OTA was working. Dish rolled the 211 back to L3.45 because of other issues.

Maybe when they come out with the next update, it will fix the OTA problems some have with the 211 and not cause the other problems.

 

[enoree]

L3.46 caused my 211 to lose its sat lock and reboot it every time it was turned on, they sent me another one with L3.45 on it and back to no lock on OTA again. The advanced tech gal told me tha L3.46 was pulled and that L3.45 is the only current version , but had no idea if or when the next update will spool out. OH HOW I LONG, for my rock solid Motorola VOOM box. It sits on a shelf still activated, but my 50" Sammy plasma's internal tuner is solid too. Why can't E* just reverse engineer a VOOM box? or.........hire software engineers who have a clue.

 

[jtrippe]

Problem Solved!

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I deleted the channels that would not come in and rescanned. All channels are coming in again. The VIP receivers don't seem to be that great with OTA though. Here, in the Montgomery, Alabama area, those of us with VIP receivers cannot receive WCOV(Fox 20-1). Other Dish boxes receive it as do other tuners. For example, my LG 4200A picks it up perfectly. Some have suggested in our local AVS forum that it's a PSIP issue. Neither the station or Dish have any clue. The wife likes having all of the local stations together with the other Dish channels so I use the VIP 211 for locals and only use the LG if I want to watch Fox in HD. One day, when i have some disposable income, I'll invest in an HDMI switch with remote control so I can hook my DVD recorder with HDMI, VIP 211 and the LG to my single HDMI input. However, as with so many others on this board, my HDMI on my VIP211 doesn't work and I'm running it through component. There's not much of a PQ difference (to my eyes at least) from component to HDMI though.

 

[thedamaja]

I bet it would cost about the same to buy a DVR with built in ATSC tuner instead of an HDMI switch.

 

[bhelms]

...The VIP receivers don't seem to be that great with OTA though...

That has also been my observation. I'm using a similar set-up in central PA (4228/7777) about 25 miles from several of the stations I'm trying to receive. Most of them are marginal on all my equipment, but the tuner in my Sony TV is always more stable than any of my Dish receiver tuners, and my 811's tuner seems superior to that in my 622. I've had 2 of the 622s and they were equally mediocre...