HDMI FAILURE Poll - EVERYONE please respond

[unixadm]

Ok...

I know a lot of people have been bitten by the failed or deteriorated picture on the HDMI output.

I just got hit with it this morning (less than 2 weeks after getting it)

I am curious to see how many people had problems.

Since we probably represent a very good majority of the people who have purchased these over the past couple of months, I think the poll will be pretty accurate as far as percentage of failures (assuming that everyone answers)

Please post where yours was made and what date.

Mine:

Mexico
June 9th 2004

PLEASE DO NOT ANSWER IF YOU HAVE HAD YOUR HD TIVO FOR LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AND DON'T SEE A PROBLEM. WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE HAD IT IN SERVICE FOR MORE THAN 2 WEEKS!

[sotapoppy]

Born 4-24-04 in USA

Bought from CC on 5/7/04.

HDMI port worked flawlessly until it died on 6/17/04.

D* is sending new unit.

FWIW my pic using the component connection is noticeably inferior to the pic using the HDMI to DVI connection on my TV.

BTW I'm the only one that has had an HDMI port failure. D* CSR told me so! :rolleyes:

[bbwebb]

BTW I'm the only one that has had an HDMI port failure. D* CSR told me so!

Funny...DTV CSR told me the exact same thing :)

[falstaffpac]

I've had mine for 2 weeks, but I'm reserving my vote for now. I've read in another thread that just before someone's HDMI went out, they temporarily saw a picture with "snow" on their television. I've seen this occurence twice now and it makes me shudder. It really makes me uncomfortable to read stories of people having no problems at all, then all of a sudden the HDMI goes out.

Does DirecTV offer any component protection plans with their monthly service? I've looked around their website, but didn't really see anything. I almost never purchase an "extended warrenty" option. But, given the reported failures and the price of this box, I think I would like one.

[tarmack]

I own two HR10-250's.....I have had a total of 4 delivered so far....2 have been returned....one due to a total hard drive failure.

Of the two now in service....1 has had a HDMI failure and is being held for replacement, voluntarily by me, until there is some sort of a physical hardware or software fix applied and known by DirecTV.

The other unit now in service is working like a champ...but that is only 1 out of 4.

All were born and bred in the USA....the only one that is working perfectly is a replacement from DirecTV and has a birth date of April 1. Go figger.

Tarmack

[Todd]

I've had mine for over 2 months now and so far it works flawlessly, aside from a few minor bugs in the software. Knocking on wood right now..... :D

[ChrisW6ATV]

Hi-

Since you want 'everyone' to respond, can you please add an item for "do not use/have not tested HDMI"? I have no compatible display, nor do I have any plans to buy one soon.

[jdpack]

Mine had a deteriorated picture on the HDMI output right out of the box. I was searching around for some HDMI compatibility setting on my TV. I have a Mitsubishi WS-65313. I was using the DVI input from a Samsung receiver up until I installed the TiVo. On one hand I am glad to hear this is a known problem, on the other hand what is it going to take to get it fixed.

[jakepratt]

This thread jinxed me. I posted that I had no trouble so far and yesterday...my HDMI connection died.

[Reaver3]

My first posting here, hope it works ok:

Had mine for 2 weeks tomorrow, works flawlessly, no problems at all. Seems very fast compared to my other SD directv/tivo units.

Doug

[NJChris]

I'd also like to know how many people that had failures were the DVI-->HDMI cable or the HDMI-->HDMI cable. I use the HDMI to HDMI cable and it's still working great.

[brahamt]

I'll try to connect it tonight and try.

[CHAS ZOSS]

Mine came yesterday, no problems with HDMI to Panny dlp.

[nuke]

Over 2 months. Works perfectly with my panasonic plasma.

[RMSko]

I got my unit about 8 days ago and it worked fine until yesterday, when all of a sudden the picture went pink. I was running HDMI to DVI and I switched to HDMI to HDMI and, although not pink, the picture was still all messed up. I then went to component, which is fine, although obviously not as good a picture as DVI.

For those of you swapping out units, are you getting new units with cables, etc., or are they sending refurbished units?

[Bill Broderick]

My first unit was made in the USA, I don't remember the date. I returned it due to a tuner problem, not HDMI. I had it for about a 1.5 months, and used the HDMI port for 2-3 weeks after getting a new TV. I had no HDMI problems.

I just received the replacement receiver, made in Mexico on May 27. So far there is not HDMI problem, but I've only been using it for 2 days so far.

[waxking]

Just hooked mine up today. I get flickering every 5 seconds on any channel through the HDMI/DVI connection. The flickering happens on over the air channels also. Component output works fine. My build was in June 2004.

[gatorbait]

June 2004 in Mexico goes down after one week and one day.

That is aggressively below average!

[ROBERTA]

HDMI FAILURE OUT OF THE BOX. NO VIDEO, BUT ALL OTHER OUTPUTS WORK. UNIT WAS ASSEMBLED IN MEXICO. I HAVE A SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH PEGASUS. I HOPE FOR A QUICK EXCHANGE.

[DonCo]

No picture at all with HDMI to HDMI connection and no picture at all with HDMI to DVI connection from the day I took it out of the box.

Made in USA April 27, 04.

Since I am using component output's which have no problem, I am holding off asking for a replacement from DirecTV (I have their service plan) until they have this fixed once and for all, as I don't want to get another defective unit as a replacement.

Still love the HD TiVo in spite of the HDMI problem though.

Don

[silversurfer]

Made in Mexico
5 June 04

Died 9 Jul 04

Replacement on its way...

[turls]

Mexico, June 9

HDMI to Sammy DLP DVI

Great picture so far, knock on wood

[gimp]

My HDMI failed today. I got one of the first ones. How long is the warranty? Do I call D* or Value Electronics? Will they send me a new one or do I need to return the existing one first? Think I will sign up for the D* equipment service plan :)

[unixadm]

If it is over 30 days old (which is sounds like it is), then most retailers will defer you over to the manufacturer to go through warranty service. Check in your manual. I believe that the warranty is 1 year. If you are going through manufacturer's warranty, you will have to send it out and they will repair it, or send you a refurbished one (or if you are lucky, a new one).

Mine died less than 30 days from getting it from Circuit City, so I just returned it and got my money back. They don't have any in stock, and don't know when they will have them.....but I've decided (mainly because of the number of failures) that I don't want a replacement until we hear definititively what the issue with the HDMI output is and that it is permanantly fixed.

Based off of this poll, there is a 27.8% failure rate not including those that have not tested their HDMI port. My guess is that about 1/4 of those are bad as well (or will go bad if put in use). This is just WAY too much.

I'll take the money and take my family to Disney World next month ;)

Guess it is standard Definition TiVo for me for a while. :(

[gimp]

Fortunately I got it from Value Electronics. Called them today and a new one is on the way. Value Electronics is G R E A T!

[Korkle]

One more to the growing number. My HDMI went "south" over the weekend. I had all the same visual experiences as everyone else. I switched over to Component. I got my unit from Value Electronics in the first wave 4/30/04). It worked fine up until the failure. I called VE and they said they would take care of it. I agree with gimp, VE has been great.

[ajlevine]

My HDMI went out at about 6 weeks. It was working perfectly, but now has a green cast to it. Component looks great.

I'm not going to get it replaced until there is a clear resolution to the problem. I don't want to go through the replacement hassle until I'm sure the problem is solved.

-Andy

[FlyingAvanti]

Got mine last night!

HDMI was "still born"!

Totally "PINK" picture.......

Component output works great.

DirecTV stated that an engineer will call me within 24 hours! My plan is to email him this thread, if he doubts my word........

[allenn]

Purchased CC 6/30
Arrived 7/2
Assembled 6/19/2004 in Mexico
Software 3.1.5-01-2-357
Dolby Digital 5.1 Day 1
Logos Day 1
Showcase Day 3
DVI Connection to Samsung 50" DLP

[Joe Jensen]

Unit installed 7/8, HDMI worked great. Used it for 4 days, worked great. Just returned from a 5 day vacation and now the HDMI has no blue, and little green. Component is great...joe

[drewcaplan]

Here are my symptoms, wonder if I have a bad HDMI port. Supposedly, according to the manual, if you plug in the HDMI cable then component is disabled. Component never disables for me. I get NO SIGNAL at all from HDMI most of the time. The exception is if I reboot, I get the "few more seconds" screens and the like, but then the picture goes away to pure blue (blank). I am using a DVDO HD scaler, connected with the DVI to HDMI cable to the Tivo. The scaler is then hooked component to my Sony XBR.

Thoughts?

[Dogen]

Originally posted by sotapoppy


BTW I'm the only one that has had an HDMI port failure. D* CSR told me so! :rolleyes:

I thought I was the only one. Why would they lie to me like that? :confused:

They also tried to tell me if the same thing happened again they wouldn't replace it and it would show that there was a problem with the tv, not the tivo. Right.

[Dan Herrmann II]

I was on the phone with D* for an hour yesterday. They told me the problem is with the way the hdmi card was not properly attached to the rest of the TiVo.

It took an hour, but they're sending me a new one.... (They were all very nice, but very busy).

They told me that this problem was affecting many, many HD TiVos.

[mfleming]

Just tried to use my new one. HDMI connection never worked at all. Component works. Made in Mexico.

[OmarG]

Still no sense of a permanent fix from D*? I've had a snowy-HDMI port (cuts out to a static/snow screen after a few minutes of DVI) since I got it and have been hoping a fix/hardware update would be announced before I give up my unit for another (potentially identical-problem-plagued) box.

I'm still waiting.

[mfleming]

Is there a way to know when this problem is fixed in new units? I'm thinking about waiting until they are all fixed first.

[pdoyle]

I received my unit 3 weeks ago from CC. HDMI has been great. Yeaterday it failed. :-(

Pat

[Korkle]

I just received my replacement box from Direct TV. One call to VE and the problem was taken care of. They (VE) contacted Direct TV and had the new one shipped out. I even got a prepaid FedEx label to ship the old one back.

[mfleming]

Who is VE?

[Moral Kiosk]

HDMI and ALL outputs failed (but I still get sound, oddly enough). Called Directv and they're shipping me a new one ASAP.

Love the box, but would prefer it didn't go bust after 3 months of use. Bizarro.

I have to give Directv some credit, they immediately offered to send out a new box. Despite this, I continue to be a happy Directv customer.

[litzdog911]

Originally posted by mfleming
Who is VE?

Value Electronics, one of the HR10-250 dealers well known here.

[snork]

I've waited my requisite 2 weeks. No problems on HDMI>HDMI to a Panasonic Plasma.

No problems, yet.

[sherlocc]

My unit was order number 111 from VE which dates me back to 4/22/2004. I have had no problems at all with the HDMI to DVI connection from the HD-210 to my Sony plasma. For those of you counting, that is more than 3 months without failure. I hope I don't have to retract this statement in the future.

[Dr_Death]

My original unit went back with a bad hard drive, replacement arrived with HDMI/DVI failing out of the box. Mfg. USA 4-30-04.

[Joe Jensen]

Hookd it back up today after a week and it is now working. I'm confused...joe

[paul01463]

I use the HR10-250 HDMI to connect directly to the HDMI input of my Panasonic plasma screen. The cable is a straight run with no HDMI-to-DVI conversions or any other modification. On start-up (from standby) the HR10-250 video has a pink hue, and the picture detail itself is very faint. Toggling the HR10-250 from 1080i to 480p and back to 1080i, either using the remote control or the HR10-250 front-panel controls, resolves the issue. The start-up sequence, plasma screen then HR10-250, HR10-250 then plasma screen, does not affect the problem. The problem does not occur when any other HDMI source is connected to the screen.

My first theory is that the problem my be related to how the HR10-250 copy protection views the HDMI. I seem to recall that HDMI forces the source and sink devices to validate copy-protection and establish a valid "session". Thus, turning the plasma screen off then on, corrupts the session, but the session is not terminated by the HR10-250 because it keeps the HDMI up while it is in standby. Toggling between 1080i and 480p forces the copy protection to renegotiate the session.

My second theory is my HR10-250 is simply buggered up.

[Toeside]

My HDMI port failed. Been in service since early May. I'm using component for now. What's the concensus; get it replaced now, or wait for a possible REAL fix?

I do want it replaced before the fall season starts. :)

Craig

[Mark Lopez]

For those who have their HDMI fail have you tried this? I ask because I thought I lost my HDMI too when I accidentally up buttoned to 480i and lost the picture (since 480i is not supported on my TV via HDMI) Subsequent up button presses no longer worked and thus the port apeared dead. After doing the following sequence all was well again. It was as if once the the TV reported that it was not a supported mode, Tivo locked it out totally. This was on HDMI to HDMI but might be worth a try.

1. Select 480i and connect to TV via s-video.
2. Connect HDMI to DVI cable to Tivo and TV
3. While still on s-video, go into menu and select 720p (or 1080i). You should loose the picture on s-video.
4 Switch TV to DVI (or HMDI) input and see if picture is back. If so, you should get prompted to press thumbs up 3 times.

[MichaelK]

Originally posted by Mark Lopez
For those who have their HDMI fail have you tried this? I ask because I thought I lost my HDMI too when I accidentally up buttoned to 480i and lost the picture (since 480i is not supported on my TV via HDMI) Subsequent up button presses no longer worked and thus the port apeared dead. After doing the following sequence all was well again. It was as if once the the TV reported that it was not a supported mode, Tivo locked it out totally. This was on HDMI to HDMI but might be worth a try.

1. Select 480i and connect to TV via s-video.
2. Connect HDMI to DVI cable to Tivo and TV
3. While still on s-video, go into menu and select 720p (or 1080i). You should loose the picture on s-video.
4 Switch TV to DVI (or HMDI) input and see if picture is back. If so, you should get prompted to press thumbs up 3 times.

interesting.

havent been around in a while (work got crazy busy...) so i just started reading here again yesterday after like a month. Saw this thread and was surprised. First explanation about bad daughter board connection made sense (I seem to recall someone very early one had an issue and opened the unit and jiggled the daughter board and fixed it?) And the snowy picture sure sounds like a poor contact. But then I say that a bunch of people have had multiple failures. Made me wonder if there isnt some interaction between particular tv's and the tivos that is causing this. Maybe there are a bunch of different issues...

MArk's post along with drewcaplan's here ->


Here are my symptoms, wonder if I have a bad HDMI port. Supposedly, according to the manual, if you plug in the HDMI cable then component is disabled. Component never disables for me. I get NO SIGNAL at all from HDMI most of the time. The exception is if I reboot, I get the "few more seconds" screens and the like, but then the picture goes away to pure blue (blank). I am using a DVDO HD scaler, connected with the DVI to HDMI cable to the Tivo. The scaler is then hooked component to my Sony XBR.

makes me wonder if some how the boxes dont get stuck on only allowing 480i or something else funny. Mark's box definately was stuck on that. I seem to recall that the first boot (few more seconds...) is 480i- so seems drewcaplan's box can do 480i but nothing else over HDMI?

and paul01463's box has an issue where he needs to toggle to 480p to force a synch. Maybe he is onto something about the copy protection? Is it possible that if the boxes dont think they have a secure connection that they revert to 480 (i or p)?

Very strange.

Luckily I have no issues so far - knock on wood. Had mine for a month or 2- fairly early from VE.

[Mark Lopez]

Originally posted by MichaelK
I seem to recall that the first boot (few more seconds...) is 480i-

I have to wonder about this. If I try to select 480i going from HDMI to HDMI on my Sammy DLP, the TV says 'unsupported mode' and I loose the picture as mentioned above. However, I do get a display the whole time I'm powering up, so I don't know whats going on. I guess I can do a reboot and (using the TV's info button) see what the Tivo is actually outputting on the HDMI during boot up. If it is 480i, then why does the TV give 'unsupported mode' if I select it later? Hmmm....

[paul01463]

I am convinced at this point that the problems seen with my installation are rooted in the copy protection issue. It would be worthwhile to find out from HNS how the unit'scopy-protection session is initiated and reset when the unit is brought out of standby. I will try to track someone down to explain this, but I suspect it's going to be a long road fraught with dead ends and frustration before I get a reasonable answer.

[mfleming]

Originally posted by Mark Lopez
I have to wonder about this. If I try to select 480i going from HDMI to HDMI on my Sammy DLP, the TV says 'unsupported mode' and I loose the picture as mentioned above. However, I do get a display the whole time I'm powering up, so I don't know whats going on. I guess I can do a reboot and (using the TV's info button) see what the Tivo is actually outputting on the HDMI during boot up. If it is 480i, then why does the TV give 'unsupported mode' if I select it later? Hmmm....

I too have a Sammy DLP (5063). My unit also did not work with the HDMI output, yet did with component video. For what it's worth I just wanted to throw out that when connected via HDMI, the HR10-250 lit up the 720p light as the connection. So it seemed like it had done some sort of handshake and understood that the TV was set to 720p (it's native resolution).

[Mark Lopez]

Originally posted by mfleming
I too have a Sammy DLP (5063). My unit also did not work with the HDMI output, yet did with component video. For what it's worth I just wanted to throw out that when connected via HDMI, the HR10-250 lit up the 720p light as the connection. So it seemed like it had done some sort of handshake and understood that the TV was set to 720p (it's native resolution).

Thats the set I have too. What I'm wondering is, if somehow the 'handshaking' gets screwed up as it did when I tried to go to 480i, does the Tivo then somehow then lock out the HDMI port totally. Do you still have the same Tivo? If so, can you try the steps I listed above?

[mfleming]

Originally posted by Mark Lopez
Thats the set I have too. What I'm wondering is, if somehow the 'handshaking' gets screwed up as it did when I tried to go to 480i, does the Tivo then somehow then lock out the HDMI port totally. Do you still have the same Tivo? If so, can you try the steps I listed above?

I sent it back. I spent three hours on it--tried all the different resolutions, hdmi-hdmi-dvi, tried to get someone at Samsun (hopeless) to help, tried both Pegasus and DTV (both pointed fingers at the other). I finally had to give up and once I read this thread I figured it was just a bad HR10 unit.

I'm really anxious to buy another, but I'm afraid to go through it all again until I know it's fixed. With the reports of how HDMI connections once worked for some, and then just went bad on their own with no changes by the user, it sounds more like faulty parts/production than some sort of configuration error.

[Mark Lopez]

Originally posted by mfleming
With the reports of how HDMI connections once worked for some, and then just went bad on their own with no changes by the user, it sounds more like faulty parts/production than some sort of configuration error.

It may very well be that there are faulty parts for some/most people. I just want people to be aware that it aparently is possible to 'kill' the port under some circumstances but yet be able to get it back.

[Mark Lopez]

Originally posted by Mark Lopez
I have to wonder about this. If I try to select 480i going from HDMI to HDMI on my Sammy DLP, the TV says 'unsupported mode' and I loose the picture as mentioned above. However, I do get a display the whole time I'm powering up, so I don't know whats going on. I guess I can do a reboot and (using the TV's info button) see what the Tivo is actually outputting on the HDMI during boot up. If it is 480i, then why does the TV give 'unsupported mode' if I select it later? Hmmm....

Well, I did a test. I rebooted and the Tivo powered up in 480p mode until it was done acquiring the sat. Then it switched to 720p that I normally have it set for.

Next I tried setting the up button to go to 480i again which is not supported on my set over HDMI. When I switched, of course I lost the picture, but this time I was able to switch back with the up button. Last time it got 'stuck' at 480i and I was not able to switch back until connecting via s-video and manually changing it in the menu.

What does this prove? Nothing. :) Well, it does prove that during the handshaking at boot up, the Tivo knows my set does not support 480i over HDMI so it goes to 480p. I am speculating that for whatever reason (glitch or bug) when I switched to 480i the other day, the Tivo decided to lock out the other modes. Perhaps it got confused because of the unsuported mode (i.e. didn't get the proper responce form the TV) and thought there was nothing connected to the HDMI port and turned it off.

Anyway, I done playing before I do break it. :)

[zamboni_dog]

Uh oh. I've had my HR10-250 just over two weeks. I appear to have a HDMI failure. I haven't read many descriptions of failures like mine though. I still get an image put it is "posterized" or "solarized" where there are only a few different colors that make up the whole image. Anyone else have this? My component video is alive and kicking though.

Rather than going through CC, I was thinking of calling D*. I want them to know the kind of failure rates here are unacceptable. (I also have audio popping that is very annoying. Anyone have that go away when they got a replacement unit?)

[grafals]

I bought a replacement cable just to check. It ain't the cable!

Mine was dead right out of the box. I guess I'm calling DirecTV!

:(

[grafals]

Originally posted by Mark Lopez
For those who have their HDMI fail have you tried this? I ask because I thought I lost my HDMI too when I accidentally up buttoned to 480i and lost the picture (since 480i is not supported on my TV via HDMI) Subsequent up button presses no longer worked and thus the port apeared dead. After doing the following sequence all was well again. It was as if once the the TV reported that it was not a supported mode, Tivo locked it out totally. This was on HDMI to HDMI but might be worth a try.

1. Select 480i and connect to TV via s-video.
2. Connect HDMI to DVI cable to Tivo and TV
3. While still on s-video, go into menu and select 720p (or 1080i). You should loose the picture on s-video.
4 Switch TV to DVI (or HMDI) input and see if picture is back. If so, you should get prompted to press thumbs up 3 times.

I tried. It didn't work.

[unixadm]

Originally posted by zamboni_dog
Uh oh. I've had my HR10-250 just over two weeks. I appear to have a HDMI failure. I haven't read many descriptions of failures like mine though. I still get an image put it is "posterized" or "solarized" where there are only a few different colors that make up the whole image. Anyone else have this? My component video is alive and kicking though.

Rather than going through CC, I was thinking of calling D*. I want them to know the kind of failure rates here are unacceptable. (I also have audio popping that is very annoying. Anyone have that go away when they got a replacement unit?)

That is the exact symptoms of mine at failure. Colors looked funny and looked almost like a negative. I went into menus and they were "solarized"....looked like when I put my digital video camera on one of the special effects modes.

I rebooted, and it never came back......NOTHING on the screen even during beginning boot stages. All other outputs worked fine, but nothing on HDMI no matter what I did.

Definitely a hardware issue, not a configuration issue, from what I saw on mine.

[buzzword]

Can I change my vote???

I originally voted no problems, and have had the machine since late April 26 (I was #207 on the VE list).

It's been working fine, until last week when my HDMI port died, just went blank.

I received a replacement machine, but the new one exhibits a different problem right out of the box. On the new one (mfg date June 26) the HDMI port outputs a picture, but displays 3 distinct bands of green tint across the screen <sigh>

It's back to the component video outputs while waitnig for another replacement.

[mfleming]

Man, this is so frustrating! Got my new Samsung DLP and cannot even watch HD TV! But, I'm still going to wait until the HR10 problem is fixed.

[cliff1371]

hdmi was DOA yesterday, what a JOKE! $1000 bucks and these clowns can't fix this problem. I am outraged!

[MrCoolDu4]

You can count me in too. HDMI worked for just over a month and now the picture is washed out pink. Being as its over a month, CC won't replace it and DTV is telling me to test it with another cable. I guess I'm supposed to buy one and if thats not it then take it back and get a refund. Although I did purchase with a AMEX card and I am wondering if they have purchase protection that I could use. Anyway, thats my story. Argh %#^@*&

[grafals]

With TIVO's stock down to about $5 per share and their new portable technology hung up in copyright protection red tape, I think this albatross is pretty important to them. This is shaping up to be really sad. They are struggling and this box sells like hotcakes for $1,000 per. Yet, there is no one else making or selling a competing unit, and the only one you can buy is inextricably intertwined with DTV and works perfectly . . . 75% of the time.

Is it any wonder TIVO's future is in doubt? :(

[cnr1089]

How do you tell where/when your tivo was made?

[t.b.]

Got mine 07/27/04 - I do not use HDMI, my PioneerE 610 only has component, but I took the box to a friend who has testing equipment and the HDMI AND Component Outputs are both sending Zero signal strength.

BTW- D* is out of replacement boxes at the moment. 7-10 days before they get their new shipment.

[davelogie]

Voted last night that I was having NO problems. Went upstairs and my wife was watching HDNet convention coverage from Mon. Suddenly I was getting flashes of black every few minutes. Seemed to go away but then I saw it once while watching another recorded show (SD). I've had the thing a few months.

Maybe I'm paranoid but is this a precursor to full failure? Never saw it before. Sat reception behavior is different.

I didn't get the DTV hardware plan but I have a one yr warranty, right? Figured I'd buy an extended warranty sometime before my yr was up. *IF* I do have a failure, do I contact DTV or CC?

Maybe this thread *is* a jinx. :)

Dave

[heathramos]

I got my hd tivo yesterday.

HDMI to DMI connection didn't work right out of the box.

D* is going to give me a replacement but they are backordered.

Will have to use component in the meantime.

[mfleming]

Has even one person here heard anything from any company that sells this disasterous unit as to what Hughes is doing about it?

[coreymcl]

Just received my HD DVR from Value Electronics today and both HD outputs are not working. Very disappointing considering I order this unit on 3/6/04.

[robnalex]

What are the common symptoms? I've had my HR10-250 for about 2.5 months, but my TV only had component in, so I couldn't test my HDMI. Today my new Panny Plasma arrived, and I get a total garbage from hell picture through HDMI- green bands, wild changing colors from hell. Sound familiar?

I have a 4-year warranty from CC, so like others, I may just wait until this issue has been corrected.

Component out PQ is stunning on the new Panny.

[wmforbm]

I just purchased the 10-250...I was using the HDMI-DVI cable...but I noticed the pic was interior...went to component and it seems ok.

[Dan Herrmann II]

My replacement from D* was also defective! Again - another friggin hour on the phone with clueless CSRs, and more anger at this product and DirecTV and TiVo. UGHHHHHHH!!!!



SHAME ON DIRECTV
SHAME ON TIVO


:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:


robandalex - Congratulations - you have yet another defective HDMI output. Time to get a new one - but wait - the "fixed" ones are crap too.

[llogan]

No problems, four different units tested and still in use.

[mfleming]

Originally posted by llogan
No problems, four different units tested and still in use.

In this environment, you can probably sell those problem-free units for $2,000! LOL!

[BarneyGoogle]

How about adding don't know where it was made?

Sent mine back before I checked -- I ONLY want to use

[cnr1089]

Ok, just got off the phone with Direct TV, they are sending me a replacement for my DVI problem. By the time I get my replacement unit, my Tivo will be about 2.5 weeks old. Would it be stupid of me to put the hard drive from my current Tivo into my replacement Tivo? Is it hard to do without making it obvious?

[Wild Wild West]

A few days ago when I turned on my TV, which uses a HDMI TO DVI cable to my TiVo, all I got was a blank screen. After some experimenting the only way I could get something on my screen was by pulling the power plug on the TiVo, waiting 30 seconds then plugging the power back in. At this time there was also no sound.

As the Tivo came up the TV screen showed the "Welcome, powering up" message for 2 to 3 minutes, again with no sound, then went blank again.

After several calls to D, all to no avail, they came up with the hard drive must have failed, you need to return it to your dealer (since it was less than 30 days in my hands).

I then tried something else. I pulled the HDMI cable and installed component cables and switched the TV to the component inputs, and guess what? It worked.

So on a hunch I went to the restart or reset screen and selected the top choice "restart the recorder". I then powered down the TV and the TiVo and changed back to the HDMI cable and selected the appropriate input on the TV and the HDMI has worked ever since.

I would be very interested in knowing if this same method helps any of you too, especially since most of you don't completely lose picture and sound, just experience a bad picture. Please respond with your results.

[cnr1089]

Oh, those with HDMI problems. Has anyone actually tried opening the box and "re-seating" the connection? According to DirectTV it is an unseated HDMI connected, is this something I can do? Or does it need more then that?

[cnr1089]

Ok, so I opened the box and "re-seated" the HDMI card, no go. I think there are faulty parts and they are trying to blame it on a moving part to blame the shipping rather then the actual box.

I guess I have to wait for my replacement:-(

[grafals]

Originally posted by Wild Wild West
I then tried something else. I pulled the HDMI cable and installed component cables and switched the TV to the component inputs, and guess what? It worked.

So on a hunch I went to the restart or reset screen and selected the top choice "restart the recorder". I then powered down the TV and the TiVo and changed back to the HDMI cable and selected the appropriate input on the TV and the HDMI has worked ever since.

I would be very interested in knowing if this same method helps any of you too, especially since most of you don't completely lose picture and sound, just experience a bad picture. Please respond with your results.

I tried that (resetting/restarting, changing cables, unplugging, etc.). None of that worked. I think I'm in agreement with those who have suggested a hardware failure or mfg. defect.

I haven't opened the case to poke at the connectors. I'd be curious to hear from anyone who has, since many keep suggesting its nothing more than a loose connection. But, I'm skeptical. Afterall, what are the chances that hundreds of boxes are put together with the same loose cable. Maybe we should be looking to see if all the defective ones were put together at 4:59pm on Friday, or immediately prior to someone's break!

My bet is it's a more severe design flaw or defect.

As for what to do, with boxes still selling on eBay for upwards of $1500, I wonder if I could sell this one for what I paid (or maybe even an extra hundred bucks or two) if I sold it as is and disclosed that the HDMI doesn't work. For those out there who don't use HDMI or DVI, it would work perfectly.

So, maybe I can make some lemonade out of this lemon? Any takers?

[grafals]

Originally posted by davelogie
Voted last night that I was having NO problems. Went upstairs and my wife was watching HDNet convention coverage from Mon. Suddenly I was getting flashes of black every few minutes.

That's not the TIVO, it's your choice of program! (JUST KIDDING!, Don't get mad!):D

[grafals]

Based on what I read here, I called DTV to tell them I had the problem and see if they'd just send me a replacement when they had one available (I'm using component vid w/no problems in the meantime).

As noted in some prior posts, I am the first person the supervisor has spoken with who has experienced the problem. I told him there are literally dozens of others reporting the problem and an actual poll shows about 20% to 25% failure rate. He dismissed it as unscientific and said that I should return it to the retailer. He was rather certain that the next unit wouldn't have the same problem.

At least I can take comfort in knowing that I'm the only one who has experienced this problem! ;)

[bandomir_m]

I'm a first time poster so please be gentle.

I also have just acquired the new HD TIVO, and am having DVI/HDMI issues. I'm experiencing the same issues as unixadm and zamboni_dog.
Have either of you resolved the problem ???

My component HD works fine, but the HDMI to DVI gives the posterized/negative looking pink image.

I'm feeding the DVI signal into a Dtronics DVI switch (which is HDCP compliant) and then to a Sceptre 30" LCD TV (also HDCP compliant).

I know that the LCD TV, and the DVI switch are HDCP compliant, and they function properly, because I'm also using a Samsung STB (SIR-T165) with the DVI output (set at 720P/1080i both resolutions work, but 720P is native).

I'd like to know the best way to resolve this as my 30 day window to return the unit to CC is going quick.


Thanks, Martin

[evdb]

After calling Tweeter to complain, they told me my HDMI to DVI problem was isolated. Hard to believe after seeing this forum.

I got my HD DriecTivo unit in June, the HDMI to DVI connection failed in early July, and I am still waiting for a replacement from Tweeter. DirecTV said I had to go through the retailer for warranty. Many posts dispute that.

BTW, I am now using the Component connection and it simply doesn't compare to DVI. I would never consider a set without DVI.

Is there a future for this box?

[unixadm]

Originally posted by bandomir_m
I'm a first time poster so please be gentle.

I also have just acquired the new HD TIVO, and am having DVI/HDMI issues. I'm experiencing the same issues as unixadm and zamboni_dog.

I'd like to know the best way to resolve this as my 30 day window to return the unit to CC is going quick.


Thanks, Martin

My resolution was to return it to CC and get a refund. I figure I will wait until I hear that there is a definite resolution to the problem before getting a replacement.

[Moral Kiosk]

Originally posted by unixadm
My resolution was to return it to CC and get a refund. I figure I will wait until I hear that there is a definite resolution to the problem before getting a replacement.

I called Directv instead of CC and they fedexed me a replacement box within two days. I figure I'll ride Directv for new boxes each time they fail, until they get it right. I don't trust Circuit City.

[Toeside]

Originally posted by grafals
I tried that (resetting/restarting, changing cables, unplugging, etc.). None of that worked. I think I'm in agreement with those who have suggested a hardware failure or mfg. defect.

I haven't opened the case to poke at the connectors. I'd be curious to hear from anyone who has, since many keep suggesting its nothing more than a loose connection. But, I'm skeptical. Afterall, what are the chances that hundreds of boxes are put together with the same loose cable. Maybe we should be looking to see if all the defective ones were put together at 4:59pm on Friday, or immediately prior to someone's break!

My bet is it's a more severe design flaw or defect.

As for what to do, with boxes still selling on eBay for upwards of $1500, I wonder if I could sell this one for what I paid (or maybe even an extra hundred bucks or two) if I sold it as is and disclosed that the HDMI doesn't work. For those out there who don't use HDMI or DVI, it would work perfectly.

So, maybe I can make some lemonade out of this lemon? Any takers?

I don't understand. You can get it replaced under warranty, so why would you want to try to sell something not 100% functional and deal with the headaches that would go along with it?

If you just want to sell it, get it replaced, then sell it.

Craig

[Watchguy]

I received mine on 8/3 Hdmi/dvi dead on installation. Blank screen on TV, Mitsubishi 65". Component output works fine. I have been using Sony Hi def receiver conecting through dvi with no problems. DTV tried to tell me that it could be a bad cable. I asked them to send a new cable along with my new tivo and they agreed. They would not admit there was any defect. When I told them that there were at least 200 failures reported the CSR said he could not comment. New one is on the way

[grafals]

Originally posted by Toeside
I don't understand. You can get it replaced under warranty, so why would you want to try to sell something not 100% functional and deal with the headaches that would go along with it?

If you just want to sell it, get it replaced, then sell it.

Craig

I was actually just kidding. But, since you ask, the concept is that if I can buy a box for $999, and yet there are people on eBay paying upwards of $1,400 for one, then I could (theoretically) offer to sell my defective box, I paid $999 for to one of those poor suckers (I mean discerning chaps), who is willing to pay a premium just to have one. My HDMI doesn't work, but if someone on eBay wanted to use component video and didn't care about HDMI, then he could buy my box for as little as $1,100 or $1,200 instead of the $1,400 or more some people are paying. Then he'd be saving himself a couple of hundred off of what some are paying, and I'd profit $100 or $200 by selling a defective box. Then I could buy a replacement later.

Get it?

(Just checked . . . I see them for $1,439 on eBay)

I wouldn't really do that, unless someone really wanted it and knew it was defective. I was really just kidding. But, I can never understand why people would pay that kind of premium rather than just wait a few months. I guess if you've got it, spend it. :confused:

[mfleming]

Man, if those poor suckers on eBay knew what they were getting for $1429!

[pbolya]

I just found this thread so let me summarize what happened to me. My HDMI was always acting up I just thought it was normal. When I woke it up most of the time it just displayed a gray screen until I changed channels or went to a menu. Lot of time just displayed snow for a couple of seconds etc. However 24 hours after I upgraded it it to 63 hours it went blank. I took it apart and finally fixed it with inserting a plastic separator between a metal pin and the HDMI card. See the full story with posted pictures here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?postid=2113154#post2113154

[unixadm]

Great to hear pbolya....now if SOMEONE at DirecTV, Hughes or TiVo would admit that they are aware of such an issue and know that all new boxes have this resolved, then I will spend my money on buying a replacement!

[tropicaldreamer]

I have had three Mexican built unit failures out of three tries. I also returned all to CC. Waiting for a new Sammy to come out then try another unit. I do miss it already though.

[pbolya]

Originally posted by tropicaldreamer
I have had three Mexican built unit failures out of three tries. I also returned all to CC. Waiting for a new Sammy to come out then try another unit. I do miss it already though. That is exactly my problem. There is blood dripping down my unit. It is worries me that I had to do this fix and theoretically it could go blind again for no reason. I am missing the the Logos which is a really big deal in my family but I can not imagine living without this box anymore. The alternative to go back to SD is unacceptable. So I just keep my H688 in my right hand and the duck tape in my left while I keep watching HD TiVo.

Warning: This note contains violent images. Parental guidance is advised.

[wizman44]

I'm having the same problems with HDMI as everyone. It worked for 2 days and pooped out. I thought I was going nuts because no one I talked to had ever heard of it before, blah, blah, blah! I bought mine at Ultimate Electronics about 3 weeks ago. I decided to call their corporate offices to see if they had heard any news. I got the standard response of " no we don't have any reports or knowledge of a problem, but we'll keep record of your complaint." The other thing I can't figure out is, is the picture quality really better with HDMI as opposed to Component? All my electronics buddies and 1 guru say it doesn't matter. This seems illogical because then why would they put a HDMI jack on in the first place?
By the way, I bought a Mitsubishi 82" LcOS TV and am (was) using the HDMI-DVI cable to connect my awesome, huge, Mits.

[grafals]

Originally posted by wizman44
The other thing I can't figure out is, is the picture quality really better with HDMI as opposed to Component? All my electronics buddies and 1 guru say it doesn't matter. This seems illogical because then why would they put a HDMI jack on in the first place?


I'm not a guru so I will yield to anyone who contradicts me claiming to be one. But, here is my UNDERSTANDING based on what I have read. The key to quality for digital transmission is that it stay digital without any conversion as long as possible. If it is converted to analog and then re-converted to digital, there is probably data degredation. Or if it is converted to analog then transmitted by wire to a long distance away, there is probably signal degredation and noise.

The Component video out is the decoded digital signal coming from the box's digital to analog converter and going straight into the output of the TV (this is also why copy protect signals don't transmit via component or composite video). So, the transmission via the component video run opens the possibility of signal degredation and noise into the display. It is perhaps minimal, but ultimately not QUITE as good as if the conversion took place at the display source. Note also that a poor component cable can cause a poor picture, whereas even the cheapest of HDMI or DVI cable will still transmit a perfect picture, if it transmits at all. (i.e. don't buy Monstor DVI cables, they don't help).

On the other hand, the HDMI or DVI channel is a pure digital signal. It is faster in transmission, and the conversion takes place closer to the output, using the TV's digital to analog converter so interference is less of a factor.

Even so, what could potentially be a factor is if the converter in your TV is inferior to the converter in your receiver. In that case, you might actually get a better picture from the receiver.

Thus, I have expended all I know (or purport to know) on the subject. Don't take it to the bank (I'm not an electrical engineer). But, it is what I have read and been told. Anyone want to expand or contradict?

[MrCoolDu4]

I bought my first HDTivo at CC in June. HDMI out worked perfectly for 35 days and then saturated pink. CC only replaces up to 30 days so they told me to contact DirecTV. I did that and after jumping thru a few hoops, they sent me a new unit and......guess what ? No picture on the HDMI out......blank screen. I've been on the phone with them much longer than I wish to be and talked to many DirecTV employees who are semi-retarded. Lets see, one put me on hold for a second and 20 minutes later was still not back. Oh and then theres the transfer me to an extension that is busy.....I love that one. What recourse do we have ??? I didn't pay $1000 to end up with something I cannot use as I intended to because of someone elses error.

[robnalex]

Originally posted by MrCoolDu4
I bought my first HDTivo at CC in June. HDMI out worked perfectly for 35 days and then saturated pink. CC only replaces up to 30 days so they told me to contact DirecTV. I did that and after jumping thru a few hoops, they sent me a new unit and......guess what ? No picture on the HDMI out......blank screen. I've been on the phone with them much longer than I wish to be and talked to many DirecTV employees who are semi-retarded. Lets see, one put me on hold for a second and 20 minutes later was still not back. Oh and then theres the transfer me to an extension that is busy.....I love that one. What recourse do we have ??? I didn't pay $1000 to end up with something I cannot use as I intended to because of someone elses error. The next time you call DirecTV ask to be connected to the DVR Specialty Group.

[falstaffpac]

I wanted to share with you what I did to correct this problem. My results were based on pbolya's success discussed earlier in this thread. My HDMI stopped working after the addition of the TwinBreeze last week, I've since been using component. I decided to try a few things tonight. First I removed the screws anchoring the HDMI card and unseated the card from the circuit board. I then re-seated and tried applying pressure to different points on the card, none of which resulted in a picture.

I then straightened the anchoring pin and applied forward pressure on the card with a small screwdriver. When pressure was applied about 7/8 down the back of the card, the picture came on. I then took a small peice of metal and wedged it between the anchoring pin and the HDMI card. Presto, picture. My picture has been very stable since. I've unplugged the HDMI cable several times and always get a picture when I re-insert the cable.

I'm not trying to advocate that any of you do this, but for those of you who have already voided your warranty, I give you the solution which worked for me. Be very careful tinkering inside your Tivo if you have power going to it. I got a jolt when sliding the lid back on. I did take a picture so you can see what I did, but I can't get it posted. I will forward it to anyone who wants to see it.

Now, about those darn logos....

Cheers,
Falstaffpac

[grafals]

Originally posted by falstaffpac
My HDMI stopped working after the addition of the TwinBreeze last week,

Not that I'm not thrilled to hear this, but what about anyone whose HDMI died of "natural causes" and not due to an upgrade? I would like to hear from someone who fixed a failure from the factory in this manner. Is the rash of failures due to the same problem? Or is this fix only for those who accidentally jostle their board while performing an upgrade?

BTW, how long is the factory warranty anyway?

[pfdv]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by wizman44
The other thing I can't figure out is, is the picture quality really better with HDMI as opposed to Component? All my electronics buddies and 1 guru say it doesn't matter. This seems illogical because then why would they put a HDMI jack on in the first place?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Also, for digital displays like DLPs, the analog signal from the component video is converted back to digital to work the mirrors in the DLP chip. So you have an unnecessary conversion to analog and then back to digital. With DVI and a DLP TV it's digital all the way to...your eyeballs?

Francois

[falstaffpac]

Not that I'm not thrilled to hear this, but what about anyone whose HDMI died of "natural causes" and not due to an upgrade?

I feel I should clarify my statement. I do not wish to implicate the TwinBreeze as the cause of my HDMI failure, although I think it contributed to it. As you know, others have had their HDMI fail without upgrading. When placing the TwinBreeze into the Tivo, I bumped the HDMI card and I believe this is all that was necessary for it to stop working.

I'm happy with my TwinBreeze. I have used Weaknees products in the past and expect to in the future.

[pbolya]

Originally posted by falstaffpac
....
I did take a picture so you can see what I did, but I can't get it posted. I will forward it to anyone who wants to see it.

Now, about those darn logos....

Cheers,
Falstaffpac Falstaffpac,
If you PM me your picture I will post it for others to see. Also does everyone who has this issue are missing logos ? I am thinking that they where maybe playing with our TiVo's trying to fix some HDMI issue in the factory and than they reset it with clear and delete (which removes logos) before they sent it to the retailers. Now that fix is acting up. That is my conspiracy theory anyway.

Regards,
Peter

[pbolya]

Here is Falstaffpac's picture

[jeshaffer]

I have a 250 with what I believe is bad HDMI out of the box. The "support" person told me to try to find another cable and test it and call back if that does not work. Pic quality appears to be downrezzed like a high def background in 16 colors on a PC CRT. Do you believe this is indicative of a HDMI failure?

[Aiman]

jeshaffer, I have the same problem. Brand new unit just fired up last night.

The DirecTV CSR said that I had to get it replaced by the vendor, not D*. Sigh...

--Mark

[jeshaffer]

Thats interesting airman, D* csr told me to try a different HDMI cable and if that did not work they would ship me a replacement unit. I am sure I will be calling back this afternoon. I would call back again if you want a cross ship.

[jeshaffer]

Update for Aiman. I called back after the $130 cable did not work and they said I needed to exchange the HD Tivo with Circuit City. I said "This is ludicrous, I think I will just return it and then look at all of my options". Was placed on hold for a couple minutes and they said they would ship me a new unit instead.

I double checked to ensure that it was new and not a refurb. They ensured me it would be new. I will check the build date etc when I receive it. Also these are the things they offered me.

Mulitswitch
$150 credit
6 mos free HBO
3 mos free Showtime (3 more at $2 mo on a second call)
6 mos free HD package(had to mention reading about the HD activation on this one.
$5 off Total Choice plus locals for 6 months

I still have not activated this unit.

I am surprised that they did not offer anything else when I was so aggrevated about the HDMI problem. I will ask again when I call back to activate the new unit.

[robnalex]

Received my replacement from DirecTV today, built 7/6 Mexico, has logos. After going through the welcome screen the screen went black and my display indicated "no signal". My heart sank, as I was sure I'd gotten another one with bad HDMI. But I connected via component so I could see the menus, set up the up-resolution change buttons, plugged the HDMI cable back in, changed resolution from 480i where is was at startup and VIOLA! It works! The problem was that my display does not accept 480i through DVI. So when you get your replacement be sure to set up the outputs before you pronounce the HDMI out as dead. (Long thread- I'm sure this has been covered before.)

[videoholic]

Originally posted by jeshaffer
I have a 250 with what I believe is bad HDMI out of the box. The "support" person told me to try to find another cable and test it and call back if that does not work. Pic quality appears to be downrezzed like a high def background in 16 colors on a PC CRT. Do you believe this is indicative of a HDMI failure?

Same problem here as well.

Sent my info to Robert at VE and I should be getting a replacement from Direct TV. He took care of it for me.

You guys were saying you hope you get a new one and not a refurb. Wouldn't you rather have a refurb? At least it was looked at and fixed by a human.

[ericlhyman]

My unit was built on July 5. Where does it say whether it was built in US or Mexico? HDMI to DVI did not work right out of the box.

[ericlhyman]

Will signals actually be down-rezzed if the component out connection is used?

[Slardybardfast]

Just installed the HR10250 today. No picture from HDMI, nada, nothing. I do have a picture with component outputs. I have not activated service so all I am looking at is the startup screen. Manufacture date July 14 by manufacturer #400. No country of manufacture shown on the unit.

I am returning to local CC store.

Just wondering, do I need to activate the system to see something out of the hmdi output?

[Dan Herrmann II]

Well - I'm now on #3, and it too has a dead HDMI. Should I order #4 now, or wait till they figure out how to fix it (assuming it CAN be fixed).

Methinks it's time for DirecTV to recall these puppies and fix them.

You know what really stinks - when you call DirecTV they claim that you're the first AND ONLY person that has ever had the problem. After an hour on the phone, they finally 'capitulate' and send me another. (I have the D* protection plan). This has got to cost D* a lot of money to FedEx $1000 receivers across the country and back again.

Come on, DirecTV - fix the problem!!!


(By the way, HDMI, when it works, has a GREAT picture! Defintely better than composite - that's why we care so much)

[robnalex]

Originally posted by ericlhyman
My unit was built on July 5. Where does it say whether it was built in US or Mexico? On the box.

[robnalex]

Originally posted by ericlhyman
My unit was built on July 5. Where does it say whether it was built in US or Mexico? HDMI to DVI did not work right out of the box. Did you try it with different output resolutions? Mine was initially set at 480i, which my TV does not accept. At first I thought it was dead until I switched to component and changed the resolution out.

[Larry Chanin]

I've had my HD TiVo for all of 2-1/2 days, and all during that time the HDMI connection worked flawlessly.

Now, just a few hours ago the unit absolutely refuses to boot up. A number of others with both standard and HD TiVo have had this problem. Those with experience in this sort of thing speculate that we're dealing with a hard drive quality issue (as well as this HDMI quality problem).

The ironic thing about this is that throughout this hard drive failure I get a very nice video image via HDMI displaying a message saying "Almost there. A few more seconds please...", but then of course nothing happens. :(

Larry

[mjstonez]

I have had mine for 2 days. HDMI seems to work here and there but not constant....now I get a screen of snow then green, then snow....then green! Very dissapointed! I will hook up component for a few weeks and give DTV some time to maybe fix this......

[Chris Gerhard]

Have only had mine a few days but HDMI to DVI input on my XBR910 is working fine so I am going to keep it connected.

Chris

[dknightx]

I've got a slightly different problem than most:

If I take the supplied HDMI->DVI cable and use it to hook up to my JVC HX-1U projector, the Tivo will immediately reboot (as soon as the cable is plugged into my projector). It will go through the restart process and reboot as soon as it hits the "acquiring satellites" screen. This will repeat indefinitely.

If I unplug the cable from my projector, the problem goes away and bootup completes successfully (confirmed via component video cable).

By the way, my Tivo was working just fine for the past several weeks via the same cable to my projector. This is a recent problem (just last two days).

Is my HDMI output busted? Anybody else with similar issues?


-Dave

[lawnmowerdeth]

Two Questions:

1. I will be in the market for the HD TiVo next month. Is this DVI/HDCP output problem still prevalent? I bought my TV 6 months ago, along with the Samsung DVD-HD931 player with the built in 1080i upscaler, and have had no HDCP problems with it at all, so they can't blame the problem on the TV or cable.

2. My TV has only one HDCP input, does anyone have experience with the switchboxes I've seen available on the net, or any recommendations?

[vonzoog]

Got my new unit last Thursday and then this morning (Tuesday: just 5 days of use) all I had was "snow" on my HMDI connection. Still had sound. Started reading through this thread and decided to try a few things. The first thing that I tried worked. I unplugged the power to the TiVo and waited a few minute and powered (rebooted) back up. Everything is working fine again, for now.

I believe, by reading everything here, that the loose connection theory is most likely the issue. Causing total lost of DVI connection and/or loose enough that connection is lost and has to be reconnected by menu settings or rebooting the TiVo unit. Either way, this is not acceptable.

I have not voted yet since I have only had the unit for 5 days. I guess I will wait and see if the problem keeps reoccurring before I seek an exchange from D*. I don't want to open the box and take a chance of loosing my warranty.

Is it worth getting an exchange now and hoping that I get one of the "good" (3 out 4) units???

Any thoughts?

[sushifishman]

vonzoog,
Do you have a sony TV?

[lonestar2]

First HD DVR HDMI to DVI didn't work. Replaced by Directv and the connection works great except for the very bottom row on my Sammy 61" DLP not filling in. It instead has numerous rectangular boxes reflecting the picture. It's almost like a computer monitor that needs shifting down, but there is no shifting capability per Samsung rep. Any suggestions? Component fills entire screen perfectly, and even looks better than the DVI in some cases.

[vonzoog]

shshifishman,

No Sony. I have a Samsung HLN567W with the lipsync update making it a W1 model.

[Slardybardfast]

See my first post above.

I went through DirecTV troubleshooting over the phone with a second level tech. His conclusion was that the HDMI output was bad.

I returned the HR10-250 and the 5-year service policy yesterday to my local CC story. They lose ~$1200 and I lost 8 hours of my time with that crappy piece of s**t.

I hope Hughes suffers hugely from this debacle.

I asked the tech if they were offering an upgrade from the standard HD receiver to a TIVO unit (I purchased mine directly from CC). He responded that they are not offering such an upgrade at this time since Hughes is the only one making such a unit and that the unit is not reliable enough. He said that maybe around Christmas, the price will come down and the reliability would improve, then DirecTV would offer such an upgrade.

I am hoping that a standalone TIVO or SonicBlue ReplayTV with HD capability will hit the market in the next 6 months or so. In the meantime, I will be satisfied with my current ReplayTV 5000 series with an upgraded (larger) HD. Actually, when the ReplayTV is fed the component output from my current Hughes HD receiver (non-Tivo), the final product is very good: a little soft, but very good.

I will miss the capability of adding an external HD TV antenna, as the HR10-250 had 2 ASTC tuners for OTA HD reception.

[robnalex]

With respect, I really don't understand the "all or nothing" philosophy. Sure, it would be nice if so many of these units did not have the HDMI trouble, but what's the big deal? My HDMI was bad and D* exchanged it for one that works. If this one goes bad I can exchange it again or just wait, since I seem to get slightly better PQ with component anyway. Why would I want to give up the fabulous ability to record HD over a minor inconvenience?

[pbolya]

Originally posted by robnalex
With respect, I really don't understand the "all or nothing" philosophy. Sure, it would be nice if so many of these units did not have the HDMI trouble, but what's the big deal? My HDMI was bad and D* exchanged it for one that works. If this one goes bad I can exchange it again or just wait, since I seem to get slightly better PQ with component anyway. Why would I want to give up the fabulous ability to record HD over a minor inconvenience? I agree. It does not cost a thing to replace it. I know it is a lot of hassle but this thing is a beauty when it works and if you payed $1000 for this unit you must want it bad so why give up?

I could not return it because I already upgraded the unit. I waited 45 days with the upgrade to see if it has any problems and on the 46 days one day after the upgrade I had the HDMI blackout (which I fixed myself). Actually I probably could have restored to the original disc and pretend I never opened it but I had so much set up/upgrade done.

EDIT: Also if you trust the poll above only 2% has multiple boxes failed. By the way if you have a bad unit do not wait for the 2 weeks to report it in the poll. That waiting period is only to state your unit is good.

[grafals]

Originally posted by robnalex
With respect, I really don't understand the "all or nothing" philosophy. Sure, it would be nice if so many of these units did not have the HDMI trouble, but what's the big deal? My HDMI was bad and D* exchanged it for one that works. If this one goes bad I can exchange it again or just wait, since I seem to get slightly better PQ with component anyway. Why would I want to give up the fabulous ability to record HD over a minor inconvenience?

While I think like you, I do UNDERSTAND the mindset. If this were a $50 item and had some glitches in it, people could live with it. But, the fact is that if you took a poll, I bet a lot of people on this thread spent as much or more on this than they did on their HT Receiver! This is a big chunk for most people to spend on an electronic component, much less on one that works as promised about 75% of the time! Just ask our wives!

But, the flip side I ask myself is this . . . if this first iteration of the HD TIVO box had been released WITHOUT HDMI, would I have bought it? My answer was yes. But, that didn't stop me from returning the broken one for a fully functioning one.

By the way, I got the replacment yesterday, HDMI works and yes, there is an improvement in picture quality on HDMI over Component. I can only guess that those reporting equal or better video on Component have TV's which do a worse job of converting the digital signal than the integrated TIVO converter. The SONY GrandWEGA comes to LIFE with the HDMI/DVI plugged in! Man, this was what made it worth $1,000 and all the aggrevation!!! Yes Virginia, DVI IS better!

Now, excuse me while I resume my chanting . . .

"My TIVO will not break," "My TIVO will not break," "My TIVO will not break," "My TIVO . . . . . . . . . .

Oh yes, I should mention that I think I found the solution. I bought the xtended wty on the replacment. CIrcuit City charged $89 for 5 years, thus the total cost of the new now indestructible unit is $1,088. Not that bad considering that they replace in home guaranteed in 7 days and you don't return the old til the new arrives!

Now, back to my chanting . . .

[Slardybardfast]

_____________________________________________________
With respect, I really don't understand the "all or nothing" philosophy. Sure, it would be nice if so many of these units did not have the HDMI trouble, but what's the big deal? My HDMI was bad and D* exchanged it for one that works. If this one goes bad I can exchange it again or just wait, since I seem to get slightly better PQ with component anyway. Why would I want to give up the fabulous ability to record HD over a minor inconvenience?
_________________________________________________________

What can one think of a complex, multi-functional Hughes product with such a poor reliability record? I know what I am thinking. What is going to go bad next? When I had the HR10-250 for a 2-day period, not only did the HDMI not work out-of-the-box, but I had a connector failure also. When I removed one of the composite RCA cables, the entire cylindrical metal ground conductor pulled out of the chassis. I was able to push it back in place, but this is not the quality that I expect of an item costing a grand +.

If you want to pay DirecTV a monthly fee to backup the reliability, then go ahead. Every time you get a replacement for a defective unit, you lose the use for 1 to 2 weeks. You lose your Tivo saved programs, all settings, etc. If you think this is fun, then get a Hughes HR10-250 quick, so the fun can begin.

[robnalex]

Originally posted by Slardybardfast

What can one think of a complex, multi-functional Hughes product with such a poor reliability record? I know what I am thinking. What is going to go bad next? When I had the HR10-250 for a 2-day period, not only did the HDMI not work out-of-the-box, but I had a connector failure also. When I removed one of the composite RCA cables, the entire cylindrical metal ground conductor pulled out of the chassis. I was able to push it back in place, but this is not the quality that I expect of an item costing a grand +.

If you want to pay DirecTV a monthly fee to backup the reliability, then go ahead. Every time you get a replacement for a defective unit, you lose the use for 1 to 2 weeks. You lose your Tivo saved programs, all settings, etc. If you think this is fun, then get a Hughes HR10-250 quick, so the fun can begin. No question- I wish the thing were better built (I too had one of the connectors come out), but where else am I going to get a HD DirecTiVo receiver right now?

As for replacement, I have the 5-year CC plan also, and can replace it as often as necessary at no cost to me. The question is: Do I want to sit and pout about the quality of the unit and do without until something better is available? No way! With the exception of the HDMI failure (which is of little consequence, since I can use component), both units have performed to my complete satisfaction and I am delighted to have one. It is by far and away my most treasured electronic toy!

[Larry Chanin]

Originally posted by robnalex
With respect, I really don't understand the "all or nothing" philosophy. Sure, it would be nice if so many of these units did not have the HDMI trouble, but what's the big deal? My HDMI was bad and D* exchanged it for one that works. If this one goes bad I can exchange it again or just wait, since I seem to get slightly better PQ with component anyway. Why would I want to give up the fabulous ability to record HD over a minor inconvenience?

Hi Rob,

Many of us are early adopters and are used to a degree of early bugs. However, your comments seem to assume that the problems with the HD TiVo are confined strictly to the HDMI problem. From what I can tell from my own experience and from reading the experiences of the on-line TiVo community, is that the Hughes devices suffer from fundamental hardware quality issues throughout.

I had my first TiVo, an HD TiVo, for two days. I was greatly impressed with the picture quality on the HDMI/DVI connection. I was quickly becoming addicted to the "TiVo Experience", then after two days it died. No, not just the HDMI connection, everything. It won't boot up, and I'm not alone.

In stark contrast to the Hughes TiVo, as an early adopter, I purchased RCA's first HD satellite/OTA receiver. This receiver had it's expected early bugs, but they were all firmware related. In addition RCA was responsive in listening to the on-line community and not only quickly corrected the problems with automatic download updates, but incorporated some very helpful useability improvements as well.

The early consumer voting is coming in on this and other on-line forums and by all accounts Hughes doesn't seem to be coming anywhere near RCA in aggressively addressing very serious overall quality problems with their device.

Larry

[mole]

Originally posted by lonestar2
First HD DVR HDMI to DVI didn't work. Replaced by Directv and the connection works great except for the very bottom row on my Sammy 61" DLP not filling in. It instead has numerous rectangular boxes reflecting the picture. It's almost like a computer monitor that needs shifting down, but there is no shifting capability per Samsung rep. Any suggestions? Component fills entire screen perfectly, and even looks better than the DVI in some cases.

I have the Sammy 56" DLP and had the same problem at the top of the screen with one of my OTA channels. I recorded the test pattern from HDNet and sure enough, the picture wasn't centered. Local Sammy authorized repair was able to center the picture just fine and it was covered under the original warranty. I would guess the 61" should have the same capability.

[pbolya]

Originally posted by grafals
While I think like you, I do UNDERSTAND the mindset. If this were a $50 item and had some glitches in it, people could live with it. But, the fact is that if you took a poll, I bet a lot of people on this thread spent as much or more on this than they did on their HT Receiver! This is a big chunk for most people to spend on an electronic component, much less on one that works as promised about 75% of the time! Just ask our wives!

But, the flip side I ask myself is this . . . if this first iteration of the HD TIVO box had been released WITHOUT HDMI, would I have bought it? My answer was yes. But, that didn't stop me from returning the broken one for a fully functioning one.

By the way, I got the replacment yesterday, HDMI works and yes, there is an improvement in picture quality on HDMI over Component. I can only guess that those reporting equal or better video on Component have TV's which do a worse job of converting the digital signal than the integrated TIVO converter. The SONY GrandWEGA comes to LIFE with the HDMI/DVI plugged in! Man, this was what made it worth $1,000 and all the aggrevation!!! Yes Virginia, DVI IS better!

Now, excuse me while I resume my chanting . . .

"My TIVO will not break," "My TIVO will not break," "My TIVO will not break," "My TIVO . . . . . . . . . .

Oh yes, I should mention that I think I found the solution. I bought the xtended wty on the replacment. CIrcuit City charged $89 for 5 years, thus the total cost of the new now indestructible unit is $1,088. Not that bad considering that they replace in home guaranteed in 7 days and you don't return the old til the new arrives!

Now, back to my chanting . . . That's not what I ment. I agree that this is a very expensive machine and people rightfully so expect that it works all the time (let's put the early adapter argument aside). It is a tremendes hassle to set all the config up again and losing recordings are unexpectable. What I ment is that $1,000 is a lot of money for 95% of the people to buy this unit. Therefore they must want this unit really badly. In fact most of us where waiting for years for this to come out. In that respect why would you give up your dream machine (we all agree that there is nothing quite like it in todays market) just because there is a small chance that you need to repeat the CSR ordial and the re-setup (lose recordings) one (or more times). If you are afreaid that it will go wrong after the 90 days just by the warranty from D* and you are covered for life. I am pissed of at all this ordeal and I am definitely angree that I payed $1,000 for a piece of equipment that I need to patch up but I would not give it up even if I would need to return 10 units and set it up 10 times (I would start to record everything on my SD box too though). On the conrary I can't wait for the price to dropp to $600 so I can afford another 63 hours unit.

I have a Sony KE42XBR910 Plasma (I wish Sony would have made the HD TiVo as I am sure none of us would have these issues) and I like the output of the DVI much better than the Component but I do agree with your assesment and I would have bought the TiVo even if it would only have Component outs. Besides the small quality difference what really bugs me with my component output is that it is way darker than the DVI. I know I could change the settings on the TV but than all others (like SD TiVo) would be too bright.

[pbolya]

Originally posted by Larry Chanin
Hi Rob,

Many of us are early adopters and are used to a degree of early bugs. However, your comments seem to assume that the problems with the HD TiVo are confined strictly to the HDMI problem. From what I can tell from my own experience and from reading the experiences of the on-line TiVo community, is that the Hughes devices suffer from fundamental hardware quality issues throughout.

I had my first TiVo, an HD TiVo, for two days. I was greatly impressed with the picture quality on the HDMI/DVI connection. I was quickly becoming addicted to the "TiVo Experience", then after two days it died. No, not just the HDMI connection, everything. It won't boot up, and I'm not alone.

In stark contrast to the Hughes TiVo, as an early adopter, I purchased RCA's first HD satellite/OTA receiver. This receiver had it's expected early bugs, but they were all firmware related. In addition RCA was responsive in listening to the on-line community and not only quickly corrected the problems with automatic download updates, but incorporated some very helpful useability improvements as well.

The early consumer voting is coming in on this and other on-line forums and by all accounts Hughes doesn't seem to be coming anywhere near RCA in aggressively addressing very serious overall quality problems with their device.

Larry Larry,
you are right about that. There are way too many problems and D* is horrible in recognizing or even admitting them (good in replacing the units though once you pass the CSR's ). Every time another member calls in with the same problem it is always an issue they never heared about. D* customer support went downhill ever since they took over the support from TiVo years ago. Why are they so slow on putting out upgrades is beyond me. The Standalone TiVo's never go wrong because by the time you notice it a quarterly upgrade already fixed it. Why can't D* release 4.0 or at least acknowledge and communicate the root of the common problems we have?

[robnalex]

I repeat, with the exception of the hdmi failure, both units I've used performed beautifully and met all my expectations. The box does exactly and reliably what I want it to do. I'm delighted to have one. Someday, when a better unit is available I will buy one.

[Larry Chanin]

Originally posted by pbolya
Larry,
you are right about that. There are way too many problems and D* is horrible in recognizing or even admitting them (good in replacing the units though once you pass the CSR's ). Every time another member calls in with the same problem it is always an issue they never heared about. D* customer support went downhill ever since they took over the support from TiVo years ago. Why are they so slow on putting out upgrades is beyond me. The Standalone TiVo's never go wrong because by the time you notice it a quarterly upgrade already fixed it. Why can't D* release 4.0 or at least acknowledge and communicate the root of the common problems we have?

Hi pbolya,

I got a little taste of DIRECTV " technical service" and decided to try my retailer for a quick replacement. They responded quickly, said they were out but should get some this week. I can only hope.

As I was saying there's a big difference between software problems and hardware problems. So I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Hughes to fix things as quickly as RCA did.

You are absolutely right that DIRECTV should take a much more active role in communicating with their customers. It would save them money in the long run.

Larry

[grafals]

Maybe the problem is obvious. Everyone agrees that if Sony built this unit, it would be virtually problem free. Just who are these Hughes people?! What products do they make that we depend on? Satellites you say? Well, I say, so what? Look at all the Satellites that blow up on the launch pad! Satellites work in the cold, quite vacuum of space. Has a 2 year old ever tried to stuff a peanut butter sandwich in a Satellite? I think not! What business do these clowns have trying to make a serious piece of consumer electronics for use in consumer homes?! Give me a Sony, or Toshiba, or Onkyo. Are we buying a $1,000 electronic component equivalent of the Packard? Is this the greates scam in history for an electronics manufacturer? If KLH sold a set of speakers for $1,000 would you buy them? Have the people who brought us Packard Bell computers, secretly opened up shop under a new name making aerospace technology and DVR's? These are the great mysteries that haunt this this thread! :D

On the more serious side, I'm not totally convinced that it's not a software or firmware glitch. I read the threads about brackets touching. But still nobody has said that they fixed the DOA anomaly by adjusting the card have they?

Is there something that makes us believe this won't be fixed with a patch in the not so distant future?

My solution remains to buy the warranty and let Circuit City fight my battle for me. When they get burned enough on these units, THEY will take up the charge with Hughes.

[pbolya]

Originally posted by grafals
Maybe the problem is obvious. Everyone agrees that if Sony built this unit, it would be virtually problem free. Just who are these Hughes people?! What products do they make that we depend on? Satellites you say? Well, I say, so what? Look at all the Satellites that blow up on the launch pad! Satellites work in the cold, quite vacuum of space. Has a 2 year old ever tried to stuff a peanut butter sandwich in a Satellite? I think not! What business do these clowns have trying to make a serious piece of consumer electronics for use in consumer homes?! Give me a Sony, or Toshiba, or Onkyo. Are we buying a $1,000 electronic component equivalent of the Packard? Is this the greates scam in history for an electronics manufacturer? If KLH sold a set of speakers for $1,000 would you buy them? Have the people who brought us Packard Bell computers, secretly opened up shop under a new name making aerospace technology and DVR's? These are the great mysteries that haunt this this thread! :D

On the more serious side, I'm not totally convinced that it's not a software or firmware glitch. I read the threads about brackets touching. But still nobody has said that they fixed the DOA anomaly by adjusting the card have they?

Is there something that makes us believe this won't be fixed with a patch in the not so distant future?

My solution remains to buy the warranty and let Circuit City fight my battle for me. When they get burned enough on these units, THEY will take up the charge with Hughes. It is a hardware issue. I bet if you stick a plastic piece between the pin and the HDMI card most of those would be fixed. I know mine and at least 5 other people who have followed my ways and gambled with $1,000 has fixed there units. It is not clear at this point weather it is a separation of the pin and card or the actual fact that the plastic piece pushes the HDMI card ever so slightly toward the back but it definitely fixes the issue. By the way the negative kind of discoloration happens when the card is pushed downward. It is definitely a hardware issue. Maybe they didn't factor in the 10G or the presence of air (or smog in most cases). I just wish my HD TiVo would be Sony just like My DirectTiVo and my Standalone TiVo.

[vonzoog]

pbolya,

I have a Sony SAT-T60 that I did a hard drive replacement on. I got the hard drive from Weeknees. The replacement was simple to do. The SAT-T60 had a "warranty" seal on the back of the unit that voided the unit if broken. This was of no issue to me since the unit was over 3 years old at the time.

My question to you is this. I don't seem to have a "warranty" seal on the HD10-250 unit. If I open this unit is there some kind of hidden seal? In other words, can they tell that the unit has been open, thus voiding the warranty? Is this a simple repair? I saw your pictures and someone else's pictures that were put on this thread.

My "snow" picture returned again this morning and was fixed by doing a "power unplugged" reboot again. This is happening every 24 hours now. D* has been notified and I am up to level 3 tech support and waiting on a return phone call from them.

Should I get them to replace the unit and hope that the replacement unit is "ok", which I have a bad feeling will be the same way? Or should I try my own repair? Are you that convince you have totally solved the HDMI problem.

Just like to hear any honest opinion.

Thanks,

vonzoog

[mfleming]

Originally posted by vonzoog
pbolya,

I have a Sony SAT-T60 that I did a hard drive replacement on. I got the hard drive from Weeknees. The replacement was simple to do. The SAT-T60 had a "warranty" seal on the back of the unit that voided the unit if broken. This was of no issue to me since the unit was over 3 years old at the time.

My question to you is this. I don't seem to have a "warranty" seal on the HD10-250 unit. If I open this unit is there some kind of hidden seal? In other words, can they tell that the unit has been open, thus voiding the warranty? Is this a simple repair? I saw your pictures and someone else's pictures that were put on this thread.

My "snow" picture returned again this morning and was fixed by doing a "power unplugged" reboot again. This is happening every 24 hours now. D* has been notified and I am up to level 3 tech support and waiting on a return phone call from them.

Should I get them to replace the unit and hope that the replacement unit is "ok", which I have a bad feeling will be the same way? Or should I try my own repair? Are you that convince you have totally solved the HDMI problem.

Just like to hear any honest opinion.

Thanks,

vonzoog

Relatedly, do the Weaknees HR-10 products have the HDMI problem? Since they open them up to upgrade the hard drive, are they also fixing this problem as suggested in this thread (if it really works)?

[Slardybardfast]

I opened my HR 10-250 before returning it to CC. I searched for seals and could not find any. I thought it unusual that there were none.

[pbolya]

Originally posted by vonzoog
pbolya,

I have a Sony SAT-T60 that I did a hard drive replacement on. I got the hard drive from Weeknees. The replacement was simple to do. The SAT-T60 had a "warranty" seal on the back of the unit that voided the unit if broken. This was of no issue to me since the unit was over 3 years old at the time.

My question to you is this. I don't seem to have a "warranty" seal on the HD10-250 unit. If I open this unit is there some kind of hidden seal? In other words, can they tell that the unit has been open, thus voiding the warranty? Is this a simple repair? I saw your pictures and someone else's pictures that were put on this thread.

My "snow" picture returned again this morning and was fixed by doing a "power unplugged" reboot again. This is happening every 24 hours now. D* has been notified and I am up to level 3 tech support and waiting on a return phone call from them.

Should I get them to replace the unit and hope that the replacement unit is "ok", which I have a bad feeling will be the same way? Or should I try my own repair? Are you that convince you have totally solved the HDMI problem.

Just like to hear any honest opinion.

Thanks,

vonzoog Vonzoog,
honestly if you already at level 3 and you do not mind setting it up again and losing the recordings I would have them replace it. Contrary to popular belief not every one of them has this problem (yet). There is no guaranty that my "dirty" fix will work with every box and there is no way of telling if it will stop working after a while (not o mention the chance to electrocute yourself or cause more damage to your TiVo. Now that I am done with the disclaimer sort of things I have to tell you that there is no seal that will be broken if you open your TiVo and as far as I can see the only way for them to tell if you scrape the screws holding the cover of the TiVo (unless if you hit the inside repeatedly with a hammer). I used the proper tools and took the cover off 4 times already (who's counting) and I can not see a difference on the screws. On the other hand if you are the adventures type and you try to fix it (maybe still return it regardless of the outcome) we can see if this works for all TiVo's even the ones that has never been open before the problem. Right now the only people did this fix is the ones already opened the case due to an upgrade and for all we know the fix worked for us because the problem was resulting from hitting something while installing the bracket. I doubt it dough as I had signs of HDMI acting up before I did the upgrade (I thought it was normal to display gray screen when it wakes up until I change the channel or 2 seconds snow when I start to play a recordings). Even though every now and than I still get the 2 seconds snow before it starts playing a recording from the now playing list (which does not bother me much) knock on wood I had no problem with the HDMI picture ever since I installed the plastic piece.

Regards,
Peter

[pbolya]

Originally posted by mfleming
Relatedly, do the Weaknees HR-10 products have the HDMI problem? Since they open them up to upgrade the hard drive, are they also fixing this problem as suggested in this thread (if it really works)? I love to hear from Weaknees and PTV Upgrade or people using the TiVo's they upgraded if they experienced this problem but I doubt that they would ever do this sort of fix. They are more professional than that. This fix is a"poor mens" solution. They are not even upgrading a unit that has issues and doubt that they even using HDMI.

[vonzoog]

Thanks pbolya,

My wife has already told me that no matter what happens, we paid $1K for it and it better d***well work. I am going to push for the replacement. Mean while I may take a look under the hood to see if your modification works.

Thanks again for all of your information and pictures. You seem to be actually on to a real solution for a fix (the HMDI board being out of position or loose). All of the other theories may be correct, however, at this time no one can say that any of them are right.

Later,

vonzoog

[bxs122]

Originally posted by jdpack
Mine had a deteriorated picture on the HDMI output right out of the box. I was searching around for some HDMI compatibility setting on my TV. I have a Mitsubishi WS-65313. I was using the DVI input from a Samsung receiver up until I installed the TiVo. On one hand I am glad to hear this is a known problem, on the other hand what is it going to take to get it fixed.

Mine has been on for less than an hour and HDMI worked for five minutes before going out. I am very upset by this, particularly after waiting 6 weeks and spending 1000++.

[bresslerz]

I finally got my HR10-250 after 5 weeks of waiting and the HDMI output did not work out of the box.

I plugged it into to my brand new 53 inch HDTV and the screen was very dark, with some barely noticeable colors.

I switched to component and it works fine.

Would DirecTV send me a new one and then I can send this one back or do they force me to be without a receiver for a while?

[lonestar2]

They sent me a replacement very promptly and you put the old one in the shipping box. The new one worked for the HDMI to DVI connection

[robnalex]

I'm noticing faint horizontal lines and pixel "blotches" (for lack of a better term) on black backgrounds when using hdmi/dvi. When I switch to component these issues are gone.

[bxs122]

Originally posted by robnalex
I'm noticing faint horizontal lines and pixel "blotches" (for lack of a better term) on black backgrounds when using hdmi/dvi. When I switch to component these issues are gone.

Are you seeing this only on std broadcast and the tivo menus? Or are you also seeing this on HD content as well?

[robnalex]

HD content.

[pbolya]

Originally posted by bresslerz
I finally got my HR10-250 after 5 weeks of waiting and the HDMI output did not work out of the box.

I plugged it into to my brand new 53 inch HDTV and the screen was very dark, with some barely noticeable colors.

I switched to component and it works fine.

Would DirecTV send me a new one and then I can send this one back or do they force me to be without a receiver for a while? bresslerz,
D* would send a replacement first and let you return the bad one afterwords but only if it brakes after 30 days. Since yours where bad out of the box you have to return it to the retailer you are bought it from for a replacement. Wether they require you to be without the box for a while (most likely) or not is up to them. Unless of course you wait a month and tell D* that it is just broke after the 30 days.

[Chris Gerhard]

The HDMI failure rate is certainly a big problem. As of this date 2/7s of the people using HDMI are reporting a failure within a few weeks. I have no idea how many of the failures are not related to a bad TiVo but are a result of bad cables, bad DVI or HDMI input on the monitor, or incorrect test of the connection. I also can't guess how many of the 5/7s that don't have a problem will develop one soon. I am in the 5/7s without problems and there is no sign at this early stage anything is wrong with mine but with 29% reported failure rate this soon, I would not be surprised if a problem shows up in the future. I would guess the chances are if no problem is evident in a few weeks, no problem will ever occur but only time will tell.

Chris

[robnalex]

There is probably also a small percentage of users who are wrongly assuming that their unit is DOA because the unit is initially set to an output resolution such as 480i that their display will not accept. In this case, one has to switch to component (or s-video or composite), complete the setup (don't have to activate) and then test the hdmi/dvi with different resolution outputs from the HR10-250 before pronouncing the unit DOA.

[pbolya]

Originally posted by Chris Gerhard
The HDMI failure rate is certainly a big problem. As of this date 2/7s of the people using HDMI are reporting a failure within a few weeks. I have no idea how many of the failures are not related to a bad TiVo but are a result of bad cables, bad DVI or HDMI input on the monitor, or incorrect test of the connection. I also can't guess how many of the 5/7s that don't have a problem will develop one soon. I am in the 5/7s without problems and there is no sign at this early stage anything is wrong with mine but with 29% reported failure rate this soon, I would not be surprised if a problem shows up in the future. I would guess the chances are if no problem is evident in a few weeks, no problem will ever occur but only time will tell.

Chris Chris,
not quite true. Mine went dead about 45 days into it. Of course I have to mention that I did an upgrade 24h before it died so it might have been nocked out of place a little bit during the upgrade. However I was able to fix it with inserting a plastic piece between the HDMI card and a pin. I guess it pushes the card back in line. Other people reported that there's went numb after 30 days without ever opening the case. I do not want to cause a panic though. it is definately a problem but I guess we all have 90 days before the warranty runs out and if you think it is a problem you can always buy the warranty from D* for an excellent service for only a couple of bucks a month. They may not know how to build a working unit but they sure got the replacement procedure perfected.

[Chris Gerhard]

Originally posted by robnalex
There is probably also a small percentage of users who are wrongly assuming that their unit is DOA because the unit is initially set to an output resolution such as 480i that their display will not accept. In this case, one has to switch to component (or s-video or composite), complete the setup (don't have to activate) and then test the hdmi/dvi with different resolution outputs from the HR10-250 before pronouncing the unit DOA.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant by an incorrect test.

Chris

[mfleming]

I had returned mine to CC a month ago. I swore I'd wait until I know they are all fixed, but I'm getting ansy! Got my new HD TV and want to utilize it!!! So, if I were to go and purchase another one now, considering I've got a good chance I'll have to return it, where would everyone suggest I buy it? Someone who will continue to replace them without a hassle, and someone who will send me the new one before I have to send the old one back. DTV?

Thanks.

[Rcam10]

Yes, back in April I posted that by putting pressure on that card, in just the right way, I was able to keep it on. I had read where a few people claim putting hard pressure on top of the unit brought it back on for a second or two, so that certainly sounded like a connection problem.

So, as someone that works on electronics, of course I had no problem going into the unit, and found out in mine the HDMI board was extremely sensitive to any motion. I even removed the main board that it plugs into, and soldered a few points just for the heck of it.

I also twisted the HDMI board in all kinds of ways, driving my PJ crazy because the signal went from off, on, green, negative, snow ect. constantly, as I moved it around.

Yeah, found a perfect spot after awhile, and was able to use it until I got CC got more in stock. But its my opinion that you will be lucky if it doesn't return. I played with that area over about a week, and thats a really sensitive connection problem.

Also, thats the type of thing that rarely stays fixed, by doing such stuff. Another thing is that most likely if it gets jarred much at all, it will probably start back up, and the next time pressure in the same spot won't keep it on. Well, thats what I've found to be true anyway. Its going to vary from unit to unit also of course.

It seems to me, having that type of plug in socket is just asking for trouble.

[ChromeAce]

I just voted in the poll this morning that I have had NO PROBLEMS with my unit, which was bought on Ebay for $1200 and upgraded with a PTV kit with a 2nd hard drive (250GB) giving me about 70 total hours of HD recording capacity. I enjoyed TWO MONTHS of defect-free HD TiVO use on this unit. I view HDMI out on my Sony VPL-HS20 which has HDMI in. However I had NOT REBOOTED IT this entire time and NOT MOVED IT. I think this is a key clue to what is going wrong.

After I voted in the poll this morning, I decided to re-arrange my system a little and while keeping the HR10-250 on, moved it carefully off the stack, added a DVD player to the stack, and moved the HR10-250 back on top of the stack.

The **** hit the fan.

First, I had no audio coming out of the digital audio port. I could get my usual picture on HDMI. To fix the audio, I decided to reboot.

When I rebooted, I got the startup screen "almost there" over HDMI. Then I got the skittles balls, but there was a slight green tint to the text, as if the skittles had been sitting on the shelf awhile...

Then all of a sudden I get a frame full of static, then black, then static... repeating forever.

I unplug and reboot again, and this time no HDMI at all. I go into the menus using the s-video output and try turning on HDMI but get nothing. I reconnect the HDMI cable and nothing.

Simply by MOVING IT or REBOOTING IT or BOTH... I have screwed up my HDMI.

Apparently, it is a very sensitive little card. Motion can mess it up. Heat probably messes it up, which would explain why it goes bad for some people over time.

My PTV upgrade kit did not come with a fan, but it was running fine with 2 hard drives for 2 months. Didn't seem hot really.

So now I guess I will open it up and wedge some metal against the card to see if I can stabilize its connection to the motherboard.

If I can't, I'll try to get DTV to replace my unit. I hope the fact that I bought it on Ebay has no bearing. And I assume I can't transplant my modded drives into a replacement unit as the content is tied to the motherboard isn't it? How do I transplant the upgrade?