Who has had pixelation/drop out issues since 7.1 released

[ukaussi]

At the suggestion of TivoBill I am starting a thread to bring together those people who STILL have pixelation/audio drop out issues which occured after the 7.1 software update.

IMPORTANT:- I must clarify first that this does NOT include those people who get pixelation JUST when changing channels with a cable box (should be fixed with 7.1b). It is for those who get it whilst watching live TV or a recorded show etc.

Here is my setup:-

First, I do not have a cable box attached to this TiVo and the signal coming in is clear and strong from Cox cable.

When I received 7.1a-01 in late January my 40hr box (upgraded to 120hr) started to experience the following:-
- background flickers on and off with some minor pixelation when you are in the TiVo menus
- live TV pixelates/goes blank/sound drop outs (live TV is actually recorded TV with a short delay)
- recorded TV pixelates/goes blank/sound drop outs
- pixelation/drop out is random and if you rewing and playback it does not happen in the same place
- if I transfer a show from the problem box to another TiVo in the house the show plays back fine on the other TiVo

As I had upgraded the HDD myself to 120GB back in August I put back the original 40 GB HDD and the problems went away at first (prog data showed old pre 7.1 software version) but as I had to connect multiple times to get guide data etc it finally also downloaded and installed 7.1b after which it immediately started to pixelate etc.

So, my problem is not the hard drive it is something to do with software decoding of the data FROM the hard drive it would seem as when the data is encoded to the drive (recorded) it can be copied to another TiVo and played back without problems.

Who else has similar issues as I believe there are quite a few ?


Please also post the model of TiVo you have and what version of software you currently have.

Series 2 40hr
model # TCD24004A
SW version 7.1b-01-2-240

[mitchPond]

I'm having a similar problem. It doesn't sound like it's as frequent as ukaussi's problem, but it does always seem to pop up during the best parts of my favorite shows :mad:

I have the same setup as ukaussi; no cable box, the same TiVo hardware, original hard drive. It was perfectly fine up until the 7.1 update, which is when menu access slowed down and I started getting pixelation and sound drop outs.

Seeing as the hardware/software is the same, there's a chance that we have the same issue.

[Sk8man]

I am experiencing the same issues. No cable box, and pixelation occurs just every once in a while. Did not do this until after 7.1. Sound drops out too, you can go back and video is fine. Of course I also have the MAJOR slow down of menus too. I have a series 2 with a service number starting with 240. Oh and I still have 7.1a for software.

[indyrobb]

I have a 240 series Tivo with no Cable Box. Menu changes are very slow, however, the pixelation problems that others are seeing just started for me 2 weeks ago. It doesn't seem to be consistent in nature, but it happens during live TV and during recorded shows. As it was stated earlier, it's not in the same spot each time - rewinding and replaying doesn't give the same results.

[tone81]

I have a cable box in my setup and don't have the pixelation issues that are described here, but I wanted to add my case since I did have the audio dropout almost exactly as described here. Both Live TV and recorded, could go back and watch the same show fine at a later time. I had to exchange my last box. All started after getting upgraded to 7.1a. My new box is still at 5.3 so far no issues.

As a side note, my issues with audio drop out all seemed to start late afternoon early evening and progressively got worse. Next morning was when everything was fine again.

Good Luck

[ukaussi]

I have a cable box in my setup and don't have the pixelation issues that are described here, but I wanted to add my case since I did have the audio dropout almost exactly as described here. Both Live TV and recorded, could go back and watch the same show fine at a later time. I had to exchange my last box. All started after getting upgraded to 7.1a. My new box is still at 5.3 so far no issues.

As a side note, my issues with audio drop out all seemed to start late afternoon early evening and progressively got worse. Next morning was when everything was fine again.

Good Luck

What model box was the one you had the pixelation on and had to exchange ?

[tone81]

Sorry. Both were TIVO Series 2 model 540s.

[scotthemme]

I have the same audio issues with a Series 2 model TCD240040. Software I believe is currently at 7.1a and the problem started when it first updated to 7.x. I spoke to TiVo customer support and after some basic trouble shooting she decided that the problem was most likely that the new software was accessing drive sectors that the old software did not and therefore the problem was that my hard drive was bad. Gave me a case number with the option of trading this one in for a refurb at the cost of $79. Unacceptable. Seems to me that this is a bug, not a hard drive problem. I’ve been living with this on my secondary TiVo since February hoping that a subsequent update would fix the bug. No such luck so far.

Series 2 40hr TCD24004A
SW version 7.1a-02-2-240

[ukaussi]

I have the same audio issues with a Series 2 model TCD240040. Software I believe is currently at 7.1a and the problem started when it first updated to 7.x. I spoke to TiVo customer support and after some basic trouble shooting she decided that the problem was most likely that the new software was accessing drive sectors that the old software did not and therefore the problem was that my hard drive was bad. Gave me a case number with the option of trading this one in for a refurb at the cost of $79. Unacceptable. Seems to me that this is a bug, not a hard drive problem. I’ve been living with this on my secondary TiVo since February hoping that a subsequent update would fix the bug. No such luck so far.

Well, it absolutely is not a hard drive bug on mine and I think others. As previously mentioned I swapped my hard drive back to my original 40GB drive and my TiVo started doing exactly the same thing as soon as it downloaded and updated to 7.x

[bkloth]

I had the same problems with blacking out, freezing, audio dropping, etc., on the second or night night I had TiVo--this past Sunday or Monday. I am using a brand-new Humax T800. The problems occurred in both Live TV and recordings, and like others, the problems got worse as the night went on. However, the next day (and ever since), there have been no problems.

I checked my software last night and it is 5.3a. Unfortunately, I did not know enough to check it during the problem time!

Now I am crossing my fingers not to get upgraded to 7.1!!!

[RBurks]

Count me in with this problem...seems like I got them all with 7.1a

I have a 240 with a Comcast Motorola cable box. I can display to the TV a direct cable picture, a cable feed through the DCT and TIVO, and replay TIVO. I only get pixelation when replaying TIVO, though the picture quality is noticeably reduced when I go through cablebox/TIVO vs direct cable feed to TV.

I have tried every quality setting with NO IMPROVMENT on the pixelization problem. Where it is most noticeable is on fly fishing shows. The water pixelates to the point where I can freeze frame and count each block on the screen. They appear to be roughly about 10-15 pixels or so, and alwys they are longer than taller (I assume though the pixelization remains consistent with the aspect ratio).

Very very frustrating.

This on top of all the other goodies we got with 7.1.a - data guide problems, audio drop-outs/pixelization on channel changes, slow menus, failed calls, double button press, ...

Now days the first thing I do when I sit down is force a call to TIVO in hopes of getting the 7.1.b update in hopes of fixing some of this.

[scotthemme]

Checked my software version over lunch and it's 7.1a-02.... I went to the TivoToGo thing on the website where you can sign up for the TiVoToGo update and signed up for it so hopefully it updates soon and that helps the situation.

[scotthemme]

Well, it absolutely is not a hard drive bug on mine and I think others. As previously mentioned I swapped my hard drive back to my original 40GB drive and my TiVo started doing exactly the same thing as soon as it downloaded and updated to 7.x


Agreed. I don't believe it's a bad hard drive. I think it's a bug that needs to be fixed!

[scotthemme]

What does it take to get someone like TivoBill to chime in on a thread?

[ptenthus]

We have a Series 2 (240) with 7.1a as well as a NetGear wireless NIC (just as another data point). We do not have a cable box.

Once we got 7.1a we started getting the seemingly random picture freezes/pixellation and sound drop-outs. We also have seemingly random slow-downs in menu changes - though they are noticable, but never more than 2-3 seconds.

Here's hoping that 7.1b does _something_ to help.

[scotthemme]

Here's hoping that 7.1b does _something_ to help.

Amen

[oly]

I have been reading the various threads referring to problems with software version 7.1a for months. I too have been experiencing many of the same problems - slooow menus, recorded TV pixelations, sound drop outs - both of which have been random. Then this past week the video went blank several times during a 1 hour recorded show while the audio remained. I had NO problems prior to the version 7 upgrade - my Tivo worked flawlessly.

I have the following set-up:
NO cable box attached
Sony SVR 3000, series 2, 80 hour
Software Version 7.1a-02-2-110

I have not reported these problems to customer service due to the fact that they are being reported by several others. Tivo's reply to many others that it is a "hard drive problem" is not realistic considering the number of people who are experiencing the problems and had NO problems prior to the upgrade. I did unplug and restart my system several weeks ago and that provided some improvement in menu speed and helped to solve the fast forwarding issue however the pixelation and video drop out problems still remain.

Hopefully Tivo Bill will be checking out this thread since he recommended that it be started. I hope that Tivo address the issue soon since it is very frustrating for us loyal Tivo supporters. Until the upgrade I was SOLD on this product and highly recommended it to others - since the upgrade I cannot provide a recommendation until the problem is fixed. In hopes that the problems will be addressed I did pick up a second Tivo (for $99) which fortunately has not upgraded to system 7 (it remains at version 5.3)

[bookmang]

Same here. No cable box, 140 60hr, original HD. Random pixilization and audio dropouts during recorded and live programs. got a little bit better with 7.1b. Menus are back to normal with 7.1b.

everything was fine until 7.1a.

[ukaussi]

As previously mentioned above I switched drives and still had the pixelation issue.

What I didn't mention was that I had previously, back in February, been able to get rid of the problem for a few weeks but had forgotten how I had done it.

I tried the various options in the SETUP section of the TiVo menu including erasing ALL my season passes and all recorded shows as well as erasing all thumb ratings etc. I even tried a few options shown on a hack site that supposably allow you to reinstall your software on the other partition and another was to check the mfs, neither worked.

Reluctantly, I tried the final option which is the last on the list in the SETUP guide. This option is to "Clear and Delete Everything" **
I say reluctant as it takes 2-4 hours to erase everything before it starts the guided setup and you also lose EVERYTHING, just like if you bought a new unit. My guess (from an MIS tech's standpoint) is that it reformats a section of the drive as the disk activity is audible throughout.

**Anyone know for sure what this option does ?

Suffice to say, I left it overnight and in the morning I did the guided setup. This was Tuesday morning I believe and it has FIXED THE PROBLEM so far (fingers crossed) and is still ok this morning.

So, if you have a few hours to waste and don't mind redoing everything from scatch and losing all your ratings data then you could try this option. Maybe it will last until TiVo is able to determine the cause and resolve the issue.

[scotthemme]

So, if you have a few hours to waste and don't mind redoing everything from scatch and losing all your ratings data then you could try this option. Maybe it will last until TiVo is able to determine the cause and resolve the issue.

I did try this a couple months ago. The "fix" lasted about a week as I recall but eventually the static and audio drops came back.

[brebeans]

hi;
Where do you go to "sign up" for the 7.1b software version? Does anyone have this or is it yet to come out? If it's out, did it fix the problem?

I have the pixelization, drop out, etc. problem, too. For all of you who have the problem, please call customer service and document it.

I know that others are reporting it, but if everyone with the problem doesn't report it, they don't get an accurate picture of just how many people are experiencing this. And, from this board, it seems that many of you who do not have cable boxes are also experiencing it. Tivo's initial response was that they thought it was only related to cable boxes, so that's definitely not true.

This issue is also talked about extensively on the Home Media Option board.

Hopefully, it will get rectified soon! It's very frustrating.

Lastly, if I am setting up a second Tivo to a wireless network, am I setting up a "peer to peer network?" or not?
Thanks.

[timstack8969]

I'm still waiting on "7.1b" I really need the update. The pixel problem is so out of hand!!! I live in Philly and still have "7.1a" but my brother lives in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey and he received his "7.1b" on April 26th and pixel problem is fixed. I forced 2 connections this afternoon and got nothing.

[warycary]

Hey, you guys:

In addition to these problems, you may find that any recorded show that has a pixelated section will transfer only up to that point. You get no error message and you can only tell your transfer is cut off during playback or by file size.

Downloading via the Web interface produces the same result. The only way to move a damaged show to your PC is by using a video capture device.

Some of us have seen this with 7.1b - any of you guys?

[PSF]

Last week I bought 2 TiVos..a 540 and a 590. Got 7.1 updates on each, and the picture now stinks. Any ETA on a 7.1b update for these units? Because if it doesn't fall within 30 days, I don't think I can live with it. 540 is on an older 32 inch with no cable box and svideo to TV, 590 is on 30 inch widescreen HDTV, with cable box, and it is terrible.

[cmewin]

I have the same problems. I got a new box but i had uped my disk size with a second hard drive. Does any on know if I can just drop the second drive in the new box or do i have to go all the way through the upgrade process?

[rpage935]

I have an 80 hr 240 and a 40 hr 540.

Both have the 7.1a upgrade.
Both are connected to Charter digital cable boxes.

The 240 is fine. No issues other than the pixelation experienced when changing channels.

However, the 540 has problems. Most of the time the unit is OK. However, about once a week, the unit will start to access the hard drive (like it is scanning the drive or something). You can tell this because of the noise coming from the unit.

When this happens, the audio breaks up and the picture pauses and jerks. This is while watching a channel or a recording.

A restart or a power cycle will clear the issue for a few days. I cannot believe the issue is a hard drive. Most likely something in the OS or the programming is causing the hard drive to thrash.

[zzeuss1969]

I do NOT know if this is related.... I have a Series2, 80 hr. and am currently running V7.1b.

Since the 7.1 came into the box, i've had audio problems.... sort of a high pitched "squeak" when the TV has a high pitched noise... sort of hard to describe... perhaps fingernails on a chalkboard would be a better description...

Any thoughts?

EDIT: disregard.. found the thread with the other people having the same issue

[jontvr]

I have a 240 80 hour, and a 540 40 hour, both running 7.1a, and both fed from cable boxes - Motorola and Genrral Instrument. In the last couple of weeks both have started experiencing bad pixelation, not just when changing channel, although that's annoying in itself. Strangely they've also both started intermittantly failing to change channel correctly, after months of no problems, and no setting changes. The pixelation occurs on live TV and get's transferred to the recording. Switch to a direct feed from the cable box and there's no problem. Here's hoping that 7.1b fixes the problem. After about 2 years with Tivo, it's starting to lose it's shine.

[warycary]

jontvr:

7.1b won't solve your problem. Many of us who have it still see the freeze-ups, and as I noted up-thread, transfers via TTG get chopped off as soon as they hit that pixelation pot hole.

I sympathize with you - Tivo was flawless for me too, until the 7.x rollout. I also get the stutter-freeze-dropout thing, but not when changing channels. It just happens at random times during live TV or recordings. :confused:

It's particularly annoying when there is complete loss of info, instead of a delay. It's so irksome to watch a DIY show, waiting for a specific measurement or piece of information, only to lose the picture and dialog in that black hole.

Maybe 7.1c will fix it - yeah, right.

Read you latr,
Cary

[cmewin]

has anyone talked to someone from TIVO? I tried and they say they have no problems and they have NO reports of the problem I was reporting. Does anyone know someone in consumer affairs or such to complain to? It seems that with over 3000+ entries in the DB that someone would be alert at The mass problems they are having.

[ukaussi]

has anyone talked to someone from TIVO? I tried and they say they have no problems and they have NO reports of the problem I was reporting. Does anyone know someone in consumer affairs or such to complain to? It seems that with over 3000+ entries in the DB that someone would be alert at The mass problems they are having.

TiVoBill didn't seem to think there were many that were having this issue. He thought that the pixelation was just with channel changing and cable boxes.
My feeling is that the HUGE problem they thought they had that they are fixing in 7.1b wasn't the all same problem. A lot of the pixelation problems I believe are not the channel changing with cable box but the same as what we are experiencing.
When I called 8 days ago, after they had just rolled out the 7.1b that weekend, the supervisor was apparently already aware of a number of people whose pixelation issues had not been fixed by the 7.1b update, just like myself.

Fortunately, after following the procedure I noted above mine is still ok after 6 days so fingers crossed

[scotthemme]

I'd sure like to see TiVoBill chime in on this thread and let us know whether or not he thinks this is a bug or if we've all just had hard drives fail at the same time our machines were updated to 7.1...

[interestingstuff]

I'm not sure if it's "pixelation" as described... but on my brand new 140 hr tivo I was just watching some things this morning... and I saw huge white and black blocks.. and a few other quirks in various programs.

[ukaussi]

..........Fortunately, after following the procedure I noted above mine is still ok after 6 days so fingers crossed

Damn, I new I should have kept my mouth shut.
Turned on the TV this morning and pixelation has returned on the problem box. :( :mad:

[scotthemme]

Mine has actually been working pretty well of late here too. But I don't expect that to last. I did go ahead and buy an 80 hour Humax to replace my old 240 but I was hoping the 240 would update to 7.1b before I took it offline so that I could see if the static and audio drop outs were fixed. If TiVoBill (or TiVoAnyoneElse) is listening and would like to borrow my 240 for awhile to debug this problem, send me an email....

[Sandi]

Toshiba SD-H400
7.1b-01-2-264

Problem started after received 7.1b
Going through cable box (Cox Motorola)

Have only noticed problem (pixelation, stuttering & audio drop outs) on playback not on live TV yet.

2 other TIVOs don't appear to be having problem with 7.1a
Humax 80 hour less than a month old
Series 2 40 hour 2-3 years old

Have also noticed that transfers have slowed way down since 7.1a

If a program with pixelation is transferred the pixalation transfers with it

I'm glad to know it is not just me but I hope it is fixed soon.

[comgenius1]

Have a 40 hour tivo (240) with 7.1b and I am having pixelation issues, and it seems like i'm having more of them since the box upgrade from 7.1a to 7.1b. The pixelation is during playback and not live tv, but the shows recorded prior to my box updating to 7.1b dont seem to have the problem. My cable connects direct to the back of the tivo and doesnt use a cablebox. I also want to add that during heavy pixelation, the audio drops out completely.

[ukaussi]

Toshiba SD-H400
7.1b-01-2-264

Problem started after received 7.1b
Going through cable box (Cox Motorola)

Have only noticed problem (pixelation, stuttering & audio drop outs) on playback not on live TV yet.

2 other TIVOs don't appear to be having problem with 7.1a
Humax 80 hour less than a month old
Series 2 40 hour 2-3 years old

Have also noticed that transfers have slowed way down since 7.1a

If a program with pixelation is transferred the pixalation transfers with it

I'm glad to know it is not just me but I hope it is fixed soon.


Interesting as yours if affectively having an issue ENCODING the video to the HDD so anything recorded is affected. This technically should also affect live TV.

My issue only seems to be DECODING the info from the HDD because if I transfer the show to another TiVo it is fine

[Dennis Wilkinson]

Interesting as yours if affectively having an issue ENCODING the video to the HDD so anything recorded is affected. This technically should also affect live TV.

My issue only seems to be DECODING the info from the HDD because if I transfer the show to another TiVo it is fine

Because Live TV writes and reads from disk, both encode and decode issues could affect Live TV. You're right that the two issues you're discussing appear to be different, of course.

[PSF]

I am not even watching tv via the TiVo right now. I saw the red light on, so I switched the input to see what was recording....and it is virtually unwatchable.

This is the Humax 80 hour that was just onsale at tivo.com for $99 after rebate. I'm very frustrated with this.

[Larry in TN]

I get the occasional pixelization on mine. Also get the increasingly slower menus which require periodic reboots to temporarily fix.

Software is 7.1a. 140- series 2.

Analog cable. No cable box.

[darobu]

I've had pixelation, audio drops, and slow menus since 7.1. I don't frequent these forums, so I was afraid it was about to die. Now it seems I'm not the only one.

drb

[scotthemme]

I've had pixelation, audio drops, and slow menus since 7.1. I don't frequent these forums, so I was afraid it was about to die. Now it seems I'm not the only one.

You are far from the only one. What model TiVo do you have and what is the current version of 7.1 running?

[ReadOnly]

My series 2 tivo is not running a cable box, has the 7.1b and still has the pixel artifact problem. It will distort the picture and drop sound, lasting about 3 secs and recover.
This problem occurs about once every three or four hours of watching, so its not that big of a deal. I too find that I can backup and view the spot just fine.
I do not watch that much 'live tv' so I dont know how it or if it shows up.
My guess is that the problem lies in the interupt routines that keep the video hardware up to date with data, or less then ideal amounts of cache.
Either way, the more I know about the internals of the box, I am pleasently suprised at the other wise great performance of it, on the simple hardware it has going for it.

[TivoAdept]

Just got off the phone with the Tivo Support folks. Was told development is well aware of the problems and is actively working on a solution. Fix will hopefully be pushed out in the next SW update. (Not sure exactly when)

I was never told it's a hard-drive failure in my unit and in fact, the support person immediately transferred me to a supervisor when I explained the problem.

For what it's worth, I've started doing a weekly reboot and that has kept me from having any problems. Although, I think that the more I record, the sooner I have to reboot. At least it seems this way. I tend to see the menus slow way down before any pixelation or dropouts appear. When I notice the slow down, it's time to reboot.

Hang tight. Hopefully, we'll see a fix soon.

[ukaussi]

OK, now I am getting really p'ed off with TiVo's attitude in some of there dept's.

Suffice to say, through a "different channel" at TiVo they are also claiming they know nothing of any other pixelation issues other than the channel changing with cable boxes. They suggested my hardware was faulty even though I know for sure, and documented that to them in a detailed report, that it works fine with a software version prior to 7.1

It is this attitude from TiVo that is frustrating me as I really like the whole concept. :mad: :mad: :(

Also, even though it is out of warranty, this attitude just reinforces my opinion that even $1 is too much to pay for a replacement box because it is THEIR software that broke MY box.

I suggest that anyone with these issues report them to Tech Support and request a REFUND of the service fees on that box from the date they started getting the problem. :mad:

[SDH400]

Some people here experienced reproducible pixelation/freeze problem while others experienced non-reproducible problems. The former will see the same problem on rewind/replay. I am thinking if the pixelation problem is caused by transient CPU load. i.e. the former happens during record and the latter happens during playback.

I wish there is a way to find out if my TiVo is experiencing hardware problem or performance issue. Like current CPU load or number of disk errors, etc.

[joplintivo]

Add me to the long list of Tivo sufferers...

Bought a 540 series last August and everything worked perfect until about two months ago... then all hell broke loose. I get all kinds of pixelation and signal dropouts on the digital cable channels, but regular analog channels still work fine via the Tivo. Even now on some days everything is fine with no problems, but other times the problems are so bad you can't watch digital programming at all. About the same time the video problems developed I also started noticing a slowdown in remote functions and menus. I tried the "Clear Everything" option and things improved for a day or two, but the problems resurfaced. I have a Motorola DCT2000 cable box.

At first I thought it was the hard drive going bad or a bad cable box, but now I see this is a major problem across the board.

Tivo... your programmers need to work night and day to get things working correctly. I love your product when it works, but this is unacceptable... :mad:

[warycary]

Soon, we'll be with our friends, stuttering, lurching past them or lagging behind, dropping whole words from our sentences, or stopping dead while they walk ahead. They'll look solemn and ask "Wow, man - got that update last night, huh?"

So, is there ANY common denominator in our setups, besides 7.1x? It doesn't seem so, which means if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... this software is decidedly, um, "ducked".

My setup is exactly the same as before 7.1. (I'm hooked to the router, but had these issues using a phone line as well.) NO problems whatsoever before 7.1.

Sony SRV-3000 Series 2, lifetime, unhacked, Coax RF in
No heat issues (not enclosed, internal temp 41°C, room never more than 67 - 68°F)
7.1b, Service # 110-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
Wired, to a D-Link 624 router
Scientific Atlanta Explorer 1850 cable box (digital), IR
iODigital service (Cablevision, NY):

RW or FF rarely helps. The break-ups remain and are seen on recordings & live TV, at any quality setting. Worse yet...

Tivo To Go transfers choke on the artifacts. They are truncated at the point where the pixelation begins. However, my TTG transfers are reasonably fast. (~11 minutes to transfer a 30 min, basic quality show)

This pixelation/dropout is on both digital and analog channels. PBS, The History Channel and History International are preferred victims.

This doesn't happen after a channel change (!!?), but at random points of a show, even if channel's been the same for hours, recording or not, Tivo nearly full or nearly empty. All fine if TV is connected directly to cable box.

A reboot will sometimes improve the menus and drop-outs for a day or so. Several times, though, the picture/audio broke up very soon after returning to live TV.

The FF and RW are flukey - since 7.1, it's very hard not to overshoot the point I want, as the Tivo lunges forward or back many frames once you hit PLAY (on any remote). I only rarely have the hair-trigger "double button press" syndrome, though.

I did have the ToDo List/Season Pass amnesia thing, but that seems ok now. The scrolling through the on-screen guide leapfrog phenomena still happens.

I also have a ripping headache, I'm getting crabby and I even feel a stutter coming on. I'm not spell-checking, either. :p :)

Read you later,
Cary

[bosco2682]

I've had similar problems since the upgrade. Coming from a PC perspective, I assumed the new software was too resource-intensive for the processor/memory... if it were a PC box I would have dropped in more ram to see if that fixed it. anyone know if it's possible to upgrade the ram in the tivo box?

[scotthemme]

Interesting as yours if affectively having an issue ENCODING the video to the HDD so anything recorded is affected. This technically should also affect live TV.

My issue only seems to be DECODING the info from the HDD because if I transfer the show to another TiVo it is fine

I see the same thing. The problem is definitely with DECODING for my TiVo. Anything recorded can always be played back flawlessly eventually, I just have to wait until the static and audio drop outs aren't occurring. And for me, it doesn't matter if I'm trying to play back something through this TiVo or transfer it to my other TiVo. Which makes sense because both are doing the same thing, that being DECODING the info from the HDD to either play or transfer it.

I did find something interesting the night before last. For the first time in about a week my 240 TiVo was exhibiting the problem and it was bad. Totally unwatchable. So I decided to try to force an update to see if the software wouldn't update. However, the TiVo was already in the last stage of it's daily update. It was over 90% of the way done with it's last step so I waited it out and see if the software was being updated by chance. It was not, but after the update was complete, the static and audio drop outs were much less noticeable.

I've had similar problems since the upgrade. Coming from a PC perspective, I assumed the new software was too resource-intensive for the processor/memory... if it were a PC box I would have dropped in more ram to see if that fixed it. anyone know if it's possible to upgrade the ram in the tivo box?

Right. Sounds to me like maybe the processor can't keep up with the decoding of it's data while it's also doing something required, definitely during but also just after a program guide update.

Thoughts?

Series 2 40hr TCD24004A
SW version 7.1a-02-2-240

[ukaussi]

I see the same thing. The problem is definitely with DECODING for my TiVo. Anything recorded can always be played back flawlessly eventually, I just have to wait until the static and audio drop outs aren't occurring. And for me, it doesn't matter if I'm trying to play back something through this TiVo or transfer it to my other TiVo. Which makes sense because both are doing the same thing, that being DECODING the info from the HDD to either play or transfer it.....

If you transfer the video to another TiVo and that TiVo has an issue decoding it then I would say you have either a DECODING problem on 2 TiVo's or the original TiVo has an ENCODING problem.
I would say it is the later as when you transfer the incorrectly ENCODED show to another TiVo, the 2nd TiVo cannot DECODE it properly due to the poor ENCODING.
If you had just a DECODING issue on your original TiVo then the shows ENCODED (recorded) to the HDD would be be fine and would DECODE fine on other TiVo's, as is my case.

Does this make sense or did I assume incorrectly ?

[scotthemme]

Does this make sense or did I assume incorrectly ?

I'm not sure.... :)

Let me try to clarify .... if my 240 in the bedroom is exhibiting the audio problems, I can neither play a program in the bedroom or transfer it to my 540 in the livingroom. My assumption is that when the 240 is decoding it's data, either to play it or transfer it, the output is "bad".

So, the 540 in the livingroom isn't having a problem decoding what was transferred, beyond the fact that the data transferred contains the errors that the 240 encountered when decoding and then transferring to the 540. The 540 just encoded what it received from the 240....

That any clearer or just more confusing?

[ukaussi]

I'm not sure.... :)

Let me try to clarify .... if my 240 in the bedroom is exhibiting the audio problems, I can neither play a program in the bedroom or transfer it to my 540 in the livingroom. My assumption is that when the 240 is decoding it's data, either to play it or transfer it, the output is "bad".

So, the 540 in the livingroom isn't having a problem decoding what was transferred, beyond the fact that the data transferred contains the errors that the 240 encountered when decoding and then transferring to the 540. The 540 just encoded what it received from the 240....

That any clearer or just more confusing?


OK, now I know why you think it is DECODING. Your TiVo only DECODES when it plays back. All shows transfered to other boxes or to your PC are transferred ENCODED, they are not DECODED and then transfered. This is why you cannot play a show on your PC without a special media player plug-in to DECODE the file.

[scotthemme]

If you transfer the video to another TiVo and that TiVo has an issue decoding it then I would say you have either a DECODING problem on 2 TiVo's or the original TiVo has an ENCODING problem.
I would say it is the later as when you transfer the incorrectly ENCODED show to another TiVo, the 2nd TiVo cannot DECODE it properly due to the poor ENCODING.
If you had just a DECODING issue on your original TiVo then the shows ENCODED (recorded) to the HDD would be be fine and would DECODE fine on other TiVo's, as is my case.

Okay, after reading that several times, my head has stopped spinning... :)

Are you saying that transferring a program does not involve the same decoding process that playing does? I would assume that in transferring a program, the first TiVo decodes the data then transfers it to the second TiVo which then encodes it to it's hard drive. That could be totally wrong. If in fact it just transfers raw data without the decoding/encoding of data then I would think you're right, I should be able to transfer one program to another without the audio problems following the program, regardless of how the first TiVo is acting at the time.

I'm pretty sure the bad audio follows the program to the second TiVo, but I'll do a little testing when I can and verify that. If I'm right and the bad audio follows the program, then the audio drop outs should be in the exact same places on the second TiVo, regardless of how many times you play and replay them. Because those drop outs are encoded into the data on the second TiVo. Correct?

[ukaussi]

Okay, after reading that several times, my head has stopped spinning... :)

Are you saying that transferring a program does not involve the same decoding process that playing does? I would assume that in transferring a program, the first TiVo decodes the data then transfers it to the second TiVo which then encodes it to it's hard drive. That could be totally wrong. If in fact it just transfers raw data without the decoding/encoding of data then I would think you're right, I should be able to transfer one program to another without the audio problems following the program, regardless of how the first TiVo is acting at the time.

I'm pretty sure the bad audio follows the program to the second TiVo, but I'll do a little testing when I can and verify that. If I'm right and the bad audio follows the program, then the audio drop outs should be in the exact same places on the second TiVo, regardless of how many times you play and replay them. Because those drop outs are encoded into the data on the second TiVo. Correct?


That is indeed how I understand it works

[scotthemme]

That is indeed how I understand it works

Well I'll check it out next time the offending TiVo is acting up and I'll let ya know what I find....

[scotthemme]

ukaussi .... what does it take to get someone like TiVoBill to chime in on a thread?

[ukaussi]

ukaussi .... what does it take to get someone like TiVoBill to chime in on a thread?

Not sure, but like you and I, one would assume he has other more important things to do besides posting on threads.

He also wouldn't post unless it was worth posting with important info

[scotthemme]

Not sure, but like you and I, one would assume he has other more important things to do besides posting on threads.

He also wouldn't post unless it was worth posting with important info

I would LOVE to read first hand from someone at TiVo that they're aware of the problem and are working hard to address it...

[dlowery]

I've been having these same problems with my TiVo Series 2 since about mid-March (presumably, when the software was updated to 7.1). I received the 7.1b upgrade 3 days ago, and last night's taping of "Lost" included two instances of the same kinds of problems: picture freeze with loss of audio for a second or two, then black screen very briefly, then pixelized reforming of picture, then resumed playback. Total glitch time is about 5 seconds or so per occurrence. It's very annoying, and it doesn't appear to be restricted to particular channels (I have cable TV).

So the 7.1b upgrade has not fixed the problem for me or others. Keep working on it, TiVo, and how about rolling back the software to an earlier version until you get the bugs ironed out? I'd hate to have to dump TiVo for a different DVR, but this is unacceptable.

[scotthemme]

Keep working on it, TiVo, and how about rolling back the software to an earlier version until you get the bugs ironed out? I'd hate to have to dump TiVo for a different DVR, but this is unacceptable.

Agreed. I'd be much happier if I had 4.x whatever back on my 240 TiVo.

[warycary]

Okay, after reading that several times, my head has stopped spinning... :)

I'm pretty sure the bad audio follows the program to the second TiVo, but I'll do a little testing when I can and verify that. If I'm right and the bad audio follows the program, then the audio drop outs should be in the exact same places on the second TiVo, regardless of how many times you play and replay them. Because those drop outs are encoded into the data on the second TiVo. Correct?
When I transfer a recording to the PC using video capture, the artifacts and drop-outs are in exactly the same spots, meaning the problems are embedded in the original recording. However, the capture device uses hardware decoding during the transfer, resulting in an unencrypted (and complete) mpeg2, not a sawed-off, passworded .tivo.

All shows transfered to other boxes or to your PC are transferred ENCODED, they are not DECODED and then transfered. This is why you cannot play a show on your PC without a special media player plug-in to DECODE the file.
But if you can transfer a problematic recording to another box, what part of the process is preventing the same "glitched" program from transferring in its entirety to a PC using either Tivo To Go or the Web interface download? At that point, the PC hasn't yet done any decoding, but the transfer ends when it reaches the point of any breakup. :confused:

Something specific to Tivo is causing the artifacts, etc. themselves, as well as the failed transfers. The updates not only affect the Tivo GUI, but actually mimic hardware failures. It couldn't be so simple as encryption or encoding or bad server software, could it?

[hattrickmick]

I've experienced the same issues.. pixelation that seems to occur at random, resulting in glitches of 3-5 seconds in length. Occurs while watching both live and recorded TV. I haven't tracked when I received software updates, but the issues appeared within the past few weeks. I currently have software version 7.1a

TiVo Series 2 80 Hour

[scotthemme]

That is indeed how I understand it works
Here's what I've found.....

When the offending 240 TiVo is behaving badly (static and audio drop outs), if I transfer a show from that TiVo to my unaffected 540 TiVo, the static follows the show but the drop outs do not. I've had no other problem with static audio on the 540 TiVo, only in programs transferred from the 240 TiVo, and only when the 240 TiVo is misbehaving.

When the 240 is playing clearly, then a transfer to the 540 is also clear.

For whatever that's worth....

[ukaussi]

Here's what I've found.....

When the offending 240 TiVo is behaving badly (static and audio drop outs), if I transfer a show from that TiVo to my unaffected 540 TiVo, the static follows the show but the drop outs do not. I've had no other problem with static audio on the 540 TiVo, only in programs transferred from the 240 TiVo, and only when the 240 TiVo is misbehaving.

When the 240 is playing clearly, then a transfer to the 540 is also clear.

For whatever that's worth....

Wonder if your static is a signal issue rather than a TiVo issue ?

[scotthemme]

Wonder if your static is a signal issue rather than a TiVo issue ?
I don't think so because I never have a problem with static with the 540 unless it's a program transferred from the 240, and then only when the 240 is misbehaving. If the 240 is playing clearly, then a program transferred to the 540 will play clearly also.

[Sandi]

I originally posted that I wasn't seeing the problem on live TV. That has changed, live TV is now affected and the "freezing" is getting worse.

I think I've going to try a "wipeout" tonight and let it resetup overnight.

[FLPilot]

Okay, I'm to the point where I want to take a hammer to my unit!!! I too have the same problem as described in the previous posts. I get stuttering most of the time, audio drop out, pixelation, and slow menu movement. I do not have the problem with live tv yet, but I am sure that is coming next. For those of you that only have these problems a couple of times an hour, you are blessed. My unit's average time for stuttering or pixelation is between a few seconds to about 1 minute. Watching Thirdwatch's Finale was driving me crazy. I have restarted my unit with no success. I am to the point that I am steering people away from Tivo now and telling them to just get the Comcast DVR. Although they have had their problems too, at least you don't own it and just trade it in for another unit. If I didn't have the lifetime subscription, I would have dumped my Tivo last week and gone to comcast DVR.

I have Series 2 80 hour with 7.1b software

[scotthemme]

I have Series 2 80 hour with 7.1b software
What model? 240? 540? 590?

[madams2]

I have a 240 hooked up to a comcast box and I get the problem (pixelation, drop outs, slow menu, etc).

I also have a 540 that is hooked up directly to the TV that doesn't have all of the problems (the only problem is slow menu).

Now that I think about it, the 240 is hooked up to the TV via coax while the 540 is hooked up via AV cables. Not sure if that makes a difference

I called tivo to complain and at first they denied there was a problem. After pressing they said that some people might be seeing some problems and that a reboot usually fixes it (btw, it didn't). He told me they are working on a fix but they currently don't have anything.

[ukaussi]

Okay, I'm to the point where I want to take a hammer to my unit!!! I too have the same problem as described in the previous posts. I get stuttering most of the time, audio drop out, pixelation, and slow menu movement. I do not have the problem with live tv yet, but I am sure that is coming next. For those of you that only have these problems a couple of times an hour, you are blessed. My unit's average time for stuttering or pixelation is between a few seconds to about 1 minute. Watching Thirdwatch's Finale was driving me crazy. I have restarted my unit with no success. I am to the point that I am steering people away from Tivo now and telling them to just get the Comcast DVR. Although they have had their problems too, at least you don't own it and just trade it in for another unit. If I didn't have the lifetime subscription, I would have dumped my Tivo last week and gone to comcast DVR.

I have Series 2 80 hour with 7.1b software

Although drastic, have you tried the 2nd to last option "..delete ToDo list and all program data" or the last option (and most drastic) a "Clear and delete everything" ?

Both of these work for me for about a week, but there also seems to be some relationship between how many season passes you have (more than 5 for me) or how full your ToDo list is. The problem unit I have is for the kids so records a lot of Disney channel stuff on 5 season passes. I did notice one time that whilst working fine it started to immediately pixelate after I added a 6th season pass ?

FINAL STRAW - :mad: my frustration with this means that I am done wasting my valuable personal time on this unit which TiVo is not seemingly concerned about. Therefore my $7/month (3rd TiVo) is now going to Cox (they actually only charge $5) as I just had a 2nd Motorola 6412 HD DVR installed in the bedroom and the bedroom TiVo reassigned to the kids. I will be cancelling the service on the TiVo box that has clearly been broken by TiVo's software. I will be putting back the upgraded 120GB drive and selling it for $50 here at work. :(

TiVo, you have a great product that is FAR superior to anything out there in terms of useability and features but if you continue to p1ss people off with poor R&D testing and almost illegal rebate practices you won't gain many more customers. Indeed, you may be spending more money trying to gain customers whilst not spending enough time and resources RETAINING customers so you end up with a net loss of customers.

[Edited as I forgot that TiVo is $7/month not $6/month for extra boxes]

[RBurks]

Amen!!!

TIVO support is the worst I have ever encountered (I don't know if they are stupid, uniformed, or being directed by management to treat us like idiots).

Fix your software, it totally sucks.

[scotthemme]

Amen!!!

TIVO support is the worst I have ever encountered (I don't know if they are stupid, uniformed, or being directed by management to treat us like idiots).

Fix your software, it totally sucks.
Right on!!!

[ukaussi]

Amen!!!

TIVO support is the worst I have ever encountered (I don't know if they are stupid, uniformed, or being directed by management to treat us like idiots).

Fix your software, it totally sucks.

The support personnel are actually very nice but they are not being informed fully I believe. I have also spoken with personnel from other dept's filling in to help out so they are obviously getting a lot of calls or a high turnover of level 1 support people.

Level 1 support is often a thankless job, especially if you are understaffed. I did all PC support (level 1, 2 &3) for my last company (200 employees) and it was crazy. Now at a much better company who cares for their employees and there are 2 of us for 300 employees. :up:

[RBurks]

I should clarify. I am not ranting against the TIVO support people. As you said, they are very nice. They work very hard to try to solve the problem.

My issue is they do not have the tools to solve the problem. And more specifically, when it is a known problem they are not forthcoming about the KNOWN issue. That, IMHO, is bad support.

We have 6 computers and a gaggle of technology in our house. I rate support based on:

1) How fast can you get through to a tech
2) How informed are they, and how quickly do they get to the problem
3) How honesty are they about the issues (sometimes managed by company policy)
4) How quickly does it take them to realize you are well informed.

Final clarification is I do my homework before I call support, and I guess most folks don't. I would guess many calls are of the "turn the power switch on" type. But mine are usually a legitimate issue. So yes it takes the support folks a while to differentiate the issue severity.

But again, TIVO support has consistently been "Gee, we ahve never heard of this before."

That will eventually spell death of a company, as human beings do not like being lied to, on general principle. And that begets cultural chasms, and that leads to customer dissatisfaction...

[ukaussi]

I should clarify. I am not ranting against the TIVO support people. As you said, they are very nice. They work very hard to try to solve the problem.

My issue is they do not have the tools to solve the problem. And more specifically, when it is a known problem they are not forthcoming about the KNOWN issue. That, IMHO, is bad support.

We have 6 computers and a gaggle of technology in our house. I rate support based on:

1) How fast can you get through to a tech
2) How informed are they, and how quickly do they get to the problem
3) How honesty are they about the issues (sometimes managed by company policy)
4) How quickly does it take them to realize you are well informed.

Final clarification is I do my homework before I call support, and I guess most folks don't. I would guess many calls are of the "turn the power switch on" type. But mine are usually a legitimate issue. So yes it takes the support folks a while to differentiate the issue severity.

But again, TIVO support has consistently been "Gee, we ahve never heard of this before."

That will eventually spell death of a company, as human beings do not like being lied to, on general principle. And that begets cultural chasms, and that leads to customer dissatisfaction...

DELL had a similar issue a year or so ago when they farmed out some of their level 1 tech support to India etc. It was a nightmare to get them to understand what you were talking about sometimes.
They recently pulled a lot of that back to the USA for at least business users (like my last and current comapany) so when I call nowadays I can explain what I have done and already tried and they acknowledge that I know what I am talking about and usually just go ahead and order a new part or send a svc tech to replace a part

[madams2]

If you have a lifetime sub is there anything that you can do. I have 2 lifetime subs and my Tivo box is screwed up because of what they did. Has anybody asked for a refund or anything crazy like that?

[ukaussi]

If you have a lifetime sub is there anything that you can do. I have 2 lifetime subs and my Tivo box is screwed up because of what they did. Has anybody asked for a refund or anything crazy like that?

I am sure they would offer to transfer the lifetime to another box if you paid them to exchange the box. If you are out of warranty then you could try to push them and they may offer the exchange for $50.

Alternatively, you could ask for a "pro rata" refund for those months that you have not had full functionality on your TiVo. More difficult if you have lifetime but you could ask for $7/month refund based on a 2nd unit.

[FLPilot]

What model? 240? 540? 590?

Sorry, I think I have the 240. That is the only number I could find in the system info page.


Although drastic, have you tried the 2nd to last option "..delete ToDo list and all program data" or the last option (and most drastic) a "Clear and delete everything" ?

No I haven't. I am afraid that if I clear the to do list it won't record the things that are suppose to record. Also I don't want to delete everything as I have a lot (probably 20 or so) Season Passes. If it gets to that point I would definitely sell my unit! I might as well just go with Comcast as there is no out of pocket fee to buy the unit.

[ukaussi]

I can tell you if you do either option you will need to redo all of your Season Passes. Had to do this 4 or 5 times now

[jctivo]

I just got one of the free 140 hour tivos (540 series) and I think I'm getting the same pixilation problem. Anyone else confirm this?

[scotthemme]

I am not even watching tv via the TiVo right now. I saw the red light on, so I switched the input to see what was recording....and it is virtually unwatchable.

This is the Humax 80 hour that was just onsale at tivo.com for $99 after rebate. I'm very frustrated with this.
I share in your frustration....

[TreyBras]

Ok...Add me to the list

My unit is having the audio drop and pixel problems.

Unit:
TiVo #140 - originally 60hrs
WeakNees 165hr HD replacement
Wired network - Belkin USB 10/100 Ethernet Adapter #F5D5050

I am going to call support tonight, just to let them know.

[FLPilot]

Ok, not sure why, but something I did helped the situation. When I called the other day and complained to TIVO the guy came right out and told me that he knew of the problem and that they were working on a fix. He asked me what measures I had done so far to try and fix the problem. His thought was that someone probably already told me to erase my system and try to start fresh. I told him that I only had restarted my system and that did not help. He told me to unplug the Tivo and then plug it back in. I said "Isn't that the same as just hitting restart from the menu?" and he told me no. He stated that it was something like a cold start or something like that and that it should help, but definitely was not the solution. He stated that I might see some improvement in the system. Well I am here to tell you that I have not had a stuttering scene or and of the previous problems that I have had and I was having them with every show I watched and not just once or twice a show, but literately on average every few minutes.

Anyway, just thought I would pass the good word along and see if it helps anyone else. FYI, I did not lose any recordings or season passes. I unplugged it from the back of the unit and let it sit for 15 seconds. Let me know if there are any other successes.

[warycary]

After a cold re-start, most people find that things improve for a few days to a week or so. The problem always returns, though. Once, it was back within 20 minutes.

A clean system wipe doesn't do it either. (And what a pain that is!) If you read this entire thread (as well as previous ones), you'll see that any measures folks have tried only provided temporary relief. You'll most likely find it to be the same on your box.

Forget giving away free Tivos - they should be doling out the Valium.

Read you later,
Cary

[scotthemme]

After a cold re-start, most people find that things improve for a few days to a week or so. The problem always returns, though. Once, it was back within 20 minutes.

A clean system wipe doesn't do it either. (And what a pain that is!) If you read this entire thread (as well as previous ones), you'll see that any measures folks have tried only provided temporary relief. You'll most likely find it to be the same on your box.

Forget giving away free Tivos - they should be doling out the Valium.

Read you later,
Cary
Yeah, what he said....

[FLPilot]

warycary: I agree that doing a clean system wipe is a pain and that is exactly why I didn't do it. I did my cold start I believe on Sunday and here we are Saturday morning and it is still working fine. I have over 20 Season Passes, which record 5-10 shows a day. I know that the probalem will come back, but for now that is all I can recommend to others to try. Hey if it means I need to do this once a week it is better than finding that my recordings were all messed up like my Third Watch Finale. Sorry if this doesn't work for others, but I figured after all everyone else has helped me on here, the least I could do is post this suggestion.

[warycary]

Hey if it means I need to do this once a week it is better than finding that my recordings were all messed up like my Third Watch Finale. Sorry if this doesn't work for others, but I figured after all everyone else has helped me on here, the least I could do is post this suggestion.

FLPilot - I'll have to second that. I'm at the point where I'm doing "preventive" re-starts before important recordings, hoping they turn out viewable! For now, that's all we can do until we figure it out or a fix is in place.

And I definitely agree about this forum - very helpful, without a snobby tech-head attitude. I've found the answers to problems I didn't even have yet. Lots of cut and paste for future reference. ;)

Read you later,
Cary

[MikeTerryP]

I have an older Series 2 unit (240 I think) and got the 7.1b update yesterday. Praise the Tivo gods, everything is fixed. No pixies, no slow menus. Never had the double button issue so I can't comment on that one. Hope everyone gets the same results, it's good to have the old functionality back. Apparently only the older units are getting this update as they were more vulnerable to the problems. The newer units apparently have to wait a while longer for a fix. Sorry about that. I feel your pain.

[warycary]

I have an older Series 2 unit (240 I think) and got the 7.1b update yesterday. Praise the Tivo gods, everything is fixed. No pixies, no slow menus.

Wow, I wish 7.1b had done it for me. Unfortunately, it didn't fix my previous problems, and it added the button press business. I hope you continue to sail on smooth seas, MikeTerryP!

Read you later,
Cary

[MikeTerryP]

Sorry to hear that wary, but I wonder if the fix is in only for the series 2 units. I take it yours is series 1? If that's the case, one has to wonder if they are cutting the oldtimers loose on this one. I hope that's not the case.

[warycary]

Sorry to hear that wary, but I wonder if the fix is in only for the series 2 units. I take it yours is series 1? If that's the case, one has to wonder if they are cutting the oldtimers loose on this one. I hope that's not the case.


Nope - recent model, Series 2, 110 service #. (And I always get the updates really early in the rollouts.)

I kinda miss the old Series 1, actually. It was no-frills, but also no hassles. If we're stressed out here on the forum, imagine what the masses of complete nubes are feeling!

[Tico]

Series 2 Sony
SVR-3000
SW version 7.1b-01-2-210

I don't use thos Tivo a whole lot so I can't comment on a few problems. This is what I have,

Freezing/pixelation on recorded shows. Usually once every hour or two. At first I had pixelation wehn changing channels but since 7.1b that has subsided.

My main problems are Pixelation on recordings, Very slow menu/guide and my Tivo has locked up a few times recently. I lost ER this week because my Tivo froze. When it freezes the only way to reset is to unplug it from the wall... Has happened 3 times so far.

This is driving me crazy. What are my options at this point. I don't want to lose this box because I have the lifetime on it... THX

[ukaussi]

Series 2 Sony
SVR-3000
SW version 7.1b-01-2-210

I don't use thos Tivo a whole lot so I can't comment on a few problems. This is what I have,

Freezing/pixelation on recorded shows. Usually once every hour or two. At first I had pixelation wehn changing channels but since 7.1b that has subsided.

My main problems are Pixelation on recordings, Very slow menu/guide and my Tivo has locked up a few times recently. I lost ER this week because my Tivo froze. When it freezes the only way to reset is to unplug it from the wall... Has happened 3 times so far.

This is driving me crazy. What are my options at this point. I don't want to lose this box because I have the lifetime on it... THX


Definitely call tech support and get your case logged into their system.

[dlowery]

Is there a way to revert to an older version of the TiVo software? The pixelization/freezing problem is becoming intolerable.

By the way, it appears to happen only on the non-digital channels for me. Channels that are transmitted digitally by my cable company (e.g. HBO) don't seem to have the problem at all.

[scotthemme]

Is there a way to revert to an older version of the TiVo software? The pixelization/freezing problem is becoming intolerable.
My impression is the only way to revert is to pull the drive and copy a fresh disk image from an older version of the software to it using a PC. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[dlowery]

Are others still having this problem? I've confirmed that it's happening for me solely with the non-digital feeds from my cable company. The digital channels record just fine. The non-digital channels, which have the pixelation/freezing problems with TiVo, have no such problems when TiVo is disconnected and the cable box is connected directly to the television.

[starbreiz]

I have this problem on my 240 40-hr still. I also still only 7.1a.

It seems like everyone else already has 7.1b. :(

[Titleist]

Add me to the list also, the stutters just about drive me mad. I assume that the new version is using to much processing time. I spent the entire night last night forcing a call to the service, when it would complete it would say pending restart. I would restart, do another call, then pend restart, restart...... It always said it was successful. However, I can not believe that my TiVo is that far behind in service updates. Also I noticed last night that I only have 5 days of guide data left. Is anyone else running out of guide data/not really finishing any updates. (I can only assume it doesn't finish even when it says successful when you restart 15 times and each new call brings a "pending restart"

TiVo Series 2 Sony SVR3000 ver 7.xxxx110 (the 110 never changes after restart)

[Titleist]

I just called TiVo customer service, went through my problem and they told me that since my connection was fine, I need to call Sony for tech support. I asked about the pixelation, and she said that is what version B fixes. (It makes you wonder if they actually read this board sometimes). I'm still running out of guide data, but at least I get to wait on hold while sony will finally come back and say they will make a ticket number or something and get back with me never.

[V7Goose]

Just adding my two cents. I have a 240 unit that I added a 160GB drive to about a year ago. For the past several months, the pausing and pixelation issue has been getting progressively worse (it only started sometime after the first of the year - corresponding with the general time of the software update). Usually, the problem was only on playback, and it would not repeat in the same point if you rewound it, but some programs were recorded with the problem (it would always repeat exactly the same). Recently, it had gotten so bad that the unit was virtually unusable. I had tried restarting it, but that never made any difference.

About two weeks ago, the unit was completely frozen - no picture and no response from the remote. The only thing I could do was unplug it. Since it finished rebooting after that incident, it has been working perfectly! When I first saw that it was fixed, I checked the service date, and it didn't look like it had been updated since February some time (I didn't write it down). I still see the pixelation on the programs that were recorded with the problem, but absolutely no problem on any new recording or live TV. I'll let y'all know if it comes back.

BTW- one other piece of information that may fit into this whole thing is that my drives were completely full around the time all of this started and throughout the problems. I would watch/dub to DVD a few movies at a time, and I was constantly recording behind that - always fighting to copy enough of them to open space for the new recordings. I mention this because I wonder if extreme fragmentation of the drives could be part of the problem? Constantly erasing and adding files with the drives that full had to be increasing the fragmentation exponentially! After the pausing and pixelation got bad enough so that I couldn't reasonably try to copy the movies to DVDs, I just started watching and deleting the recordings, and quit making new recordings. I was trying to watch everything on the TiVo and delete them so I could do a full erase and reset, figuring that would solve any fragmentation. By the time the system locked up and I had to unplug it, I was down to a very few programs left. I wonder if the cold reboot then was able to effectively defragment all of the unused space? Just a thought . . . I don't really think that this cold boot itself made the difference, since I recently reconfigured all of my theater equipment a few weeks earlier. I unplugged the TiVo then too, but it wasn't any better after that. Whatever happened this last time had to have something to do with why the unit locked up and forced me to unplug it. Good luck!
Goose

[bcrider]

Came across this forum as I too have 7.1b and I too still have pixelation problems, extremely slow menus and the response time between the remote and the TiVo is horrible.... 7.1c in the works to fix all this???? Ugh....

:(

[ILB]

I've also had these problems both on replay and with live TV. Tech support first claimed that bad cable connections or proximity to external speakers was the likely culprit. Only after I insisted that I had made no changes to my setup and a long wait while a supervisor was consulted did I learn that it was a software problem. I was told they were working on it but they had no idea when it would be fixed. Apparently, TIVO is not keeping their support people up to date. Also, this techie was rather brusque as well as not well informed.

[Tecocat]

I have 7.1b and it's AWFUL! Tons of pixelation, dropouts, misbehaving/slow remote action. Not particularly bad during channel changes - it's more while watching live or recorded shows. Seems to get worse the more I use the remote to pause, FF, or RW. I'll be calling TiVo tomorrow to report these problems, but, from what I'm reading on other posts, doesn't sound like they're going to care (or believe that it's their software's problem, not my hard drive or something). Figure I have to report it yet...maybe if they get enough similar complaints, they'll start to take them seriously? I hope they do something to fix this because I've been a passionate TiVangelist since I got my TiVo but now I'm just totally aggravated! :mad:

Oh, and in case anyone cares, I have an AT&T Broadband 130 machine (Series 2) hooked up to a cable box. I've had this set up for about a year and a half now with no real problems before this.

[brymcl]

I too am a new dissatisfied Tivo owner. I used to LOVE Tivo until recently. I called earlier today to cancel my service and was told there is a 'fix' to the problems created by 7.1b (which made my 40hr 240 series TIVO unwatchable) has been release (funny it took a threat to cancel to have someone tell me this, hmmmmm). I was credited a months service fees and was told to force connection several times a day to speed the deployment of the fix to my box. Because I remember how much I used to love Tivo I agreed not to cancel my service. I am however stopping by Cox after work to pickup their DVR, Tivo needs to take notice, they have a very short window to resolve this issue before they permanently lose a customer.

[LTParis]

I have a Series 2 40-hour and my problems have been getting exponentially worse. I just wish I knew if it was the 7.1 issue or a dying Tivo issue. About 1 month ago I began to get a lot of pixilation, and recently it has gotten worse, including audio fallout and 1-5 second black screens. This happens during live feeds or playback.

Source is Comcast Digital Box.

[starbreiz]

I'm beginning to wonder if this is just a symptom of well worn hard drives or something. I've had 7.1 for a few weeks now, and this exact problem has begun to manifest quite often. I get several second pixelation and blackouts about 3-4 times during a 30 minute broadcast.

I thought my remote was slow before, but my tivo is now taking about 8 seconds to respond to it.

Unfortunately, i generally work during all of tivo's phone support hours, but I may need to take a lunch hour and call them while in front of my tivo. This is getting really bad.

[Edit]: Now that I'm home and watching tv, my TiVo keeps pixellating severely, blacking out, freezing, and now rebooting!! I'm definitely coming home a little early to call them tomorrow.

[FLPilot]

As I posted earlier, I would suggest that for now you unplug the unit and wait at least 30 seconds. I actually did mine again and waited about 5 minutes. Then plug it back in and hope that it helps. It has for mine, and all my Season Passes have remained.

As for Tivo coming up with a fix as brymcl has stated I don't think they were telling him the truth. I have tried and forced 10 connections and nothing has happened. I think if and when Tivo comes up with the fix it will be forced to all units since they are probably getting a lot of calls on it. This whole thing makes me wish I didn't get the lifetime subscription.

[LTParis]

My Tivo got much much worse today douring lunch, so much so that the screen went blank for 10+ minutes. I unhooked the power and it came back up, unfortunatly more pixelation started again.

[TiVoBill]

The issue described in this thread occurs only on digital cable boxes and only for a few seconds after a channel change. If you seeing pixilaiton outside that situation, there is likely something wrong with your program source or with your TiVo hardware. Contact Customer Support for yor particular box if you continue to see that type of issue.

[starbreiz]

thanks for clearing that up tivobill. mine started with the channel change pixellatoin and got worse... i was under the impression that people had implied they were related.

thanks :)

[ukaussi]

The issue described in this thread occurs only on digital cable boxes and only for a few seconds after a channel change. If you seeing pixilaiton outside that situation, there is likely something wrong with your program source or with your TiVo hardware. Contact Customer Support for yor particular box if you continue to see that type of issue.

Sorry TiVoBill, but I actually started this thread for NON-cable box users because you commented in another thread that NON-cable box owners were not having any pixelation issues. I therefore started this thread to help show TiVo that that still had an issue that wasn't fixed by 7.1b

Here are the first 2 paragraphs of the original post of this thread

At the suggestion of TivoBill I am starting a thread to bring together those people who STILL have pixelation/audio drop out issues which occured after the 7.1 software update.

IMPORTANT:- I must clarify first that this does NOT include those people who get pixelation JUST when changing channels with a cable box (should be fixed with 7.1b). It is for those who get it whilst watching live TV or a recorded show etc.


I agree 100% with TiVoBill that if you get pixelation and you are NOT using a cable box then you most likely have a TiVo hardware (not hard drive) issue and should call customer support.

What nobody at TiVo has mentioned is whether this is because certain 240 boxes just cannot cope with the increased loads put upon by the v7.1 software because the processor/components were at the bottom end of the spec scale.
This is obviously all hypothetical and I base it on existing practices in computer CPU's and graphics card GPU's which are randomly checked in batches during manufacture and rated according to how they perform. So you may produce a batch of 3.0 Ghz CPU's but testing indicates that some are unstable at 3.0 Ghz so you have to set the clock at 2.8Ghz or lower.
Everything is manufactured to within certain acceptable specifications/tolerances and my old box was within those specs for the old software but couldn't cope with the new 7.1 software.

Food for thought:
TiVo A is the one that was recently exchanged by TiVo, originally a 40hr 240 series 2
TiVo B was purchased 2 months after TiVo A and was an 80Hr 240 series 2

- 120GB drive with sw v7.1b in TiVo A, pixelation
- 120GB drive with sw v7.1b placed in TiVo B, NO pixelation

- TiVo A's original 40GB with sw v4 drive placed back in TiVo A, NO pixelation **
- TiVo A's original 40GB upgraded via TiVo download to 7.1b, immediate pixelation in TiVo A

- TiVo B's original 80GB with sw v7.1b in TiVo B, NO pixelation
- TiVo B's original 80GB with sw v7.1b placed in TiVo A, pixelation


**For that person that was insisting my TiVo A was always faulty, this is just some proof it wasn't

[Sk8man]

Haven't checked this thread for awhile. I'm back to see what is going on these days with the sloooooooooooooow remote problem since 7.1. I received the b version quite some time ago and thought it had fixed the problem, but it was just the restart that fixed it. Last night it took 11 seconds for the remote to function, and then channel guide froze for 3 minutes. Finally it came up. Is a restart the only way to fix this?

[FLPilot]

Sk8man, I think for now, this is probably the only solution. Either Tivo has to either admit that the software is too much for their system to handle or we are just going to get stuck with the problems. I for one have already steered people away from Tivo since I sell them. I rather be honest about the problems they are having instead of making a sale. Hey maybe if more of us did this TIvo would get the picture (no pun intended) and do the right thing for its customers.

[Bnocab]

I read on www.forum.tivo.com that the pixelation problem while changing channels is fixed in 7.1b except for series 540's and 580's but that update would come later this summer. Why are the 540's not fixed?

I called customer support and they stated it was a problem w/ Scientific Atlanta cable boxes and they (cable company) release firmware upgrades that might be causing these problems. Any merit in this?

He said 7.1b was originally released to fix motorola cable boxes. If Scientific Atlanta is not sabotaging Tivo's, why not release a fix for the most widely used cable boxes? :rolleyes:

[ukaussi]

Just a reminder for new people to read the original post on this thread.

This thread was started to highlight the fact that pixelation was occuring ALL THE TIME on some TiVo's and not just when changing channels.

This thread was started for those that have pixelation all the time and NOT just when changing channels with a cable box.

Thanks to all for posting and showing TiVo that this is NOT an isolated issue.

[sopolev]

Just throwing my info in.

Slow since 7.1 upgrade. Navigation SLIGHTLY better on 7.1b.

Series 2 (240) box 18 months old. No mods.

Separate DirecTV box. Thought my dish was out of alignment, but it checked out OK.

Pixels/squeals/sound breaks 4-5 times an hour, either on recorded or live programs.

Not Happy.

[MarkL]

Just throwing in my two cents: I am also experiencing periodic pixellation, audio drop, and COMPLETE SYSTEM FREEZE (including no response to the remote) on my Series 2, 240040, 7.1b, NO CABLE BOX. Pulling the plug seems to be the only way to recover. And that's hardly a good way to be treating this box!

What will it take for TiVO to admit there is a problem? Are they still claiming they cannot reproduce this in their labs? TiVO, do you want to load some diagnostics or debugging tools on my TiVO? I'll be happy to give you my s/n if you want to download something special for me.

Please, DO SOMETHING.

[ssorrell]

Let me add another variation into this mix:

I have a DirecTivo and have been experiencing pixelation issues for a month and they seem to be getting worse. These problems began about the same time I had a software update. I'm not at home, so I can't give my model # nor software issue #, but I will get that info tonight and post tomorrow.

[gbrandt]

Let me add another variation into this mix:

I have a DirecTivo and have been experiencing pixelation issues for a month and they seem to be getting worse. These problems began about the same time I had a software update. I'm not at home, so I can't give my model # nor software issue #, but I will get that info tonight and post tomorrow.


7.1b did nothing to relieve my problems. I have digital cable with Motorola cable boxes....series 2 Tivo models...

[markmarz]

Hi,

TIVO model 140, until today running the latest software (7.2?). Comcast 'digital' cable box. TIVO upgraded w/additional 120gb drive on top of original 60gb drive back in Feb 2002.

No problems till past few months. Pixellation, seems especially bad on non-digital channels, though it's my understanding that it's all analog by the time it gets to TIVO, anyway. Also very slow menus.

Thought it might be failing hard drives (suppose now that it could relate to latest software, but not clear .. read on), so just now replaced both drives with a single new Hinsdale 160gb drive.

During setup noticed intense pixellation (arrghh!) while setting up IR blaster.

I'm running software version 2.03 (!) right now because that's what my Hinsdale supplied 160gb drive is initialized with. So if it's tied to 7+ software, why am I having problems in 2.03?

Also of interest: in the past few days I've been removing/saving off programming, in preparation for new drive. Noticed *no* pixellation in past couple days as saved programs took up less and less space .. it's my assumption there's a link there. But again, right now there's no programming at all on my new 160gb drive, so why still have incredibly slow menus and pixellation?

Could it be the 'indexing' or whatever lengthy 4-8hr initialization process is contending for cycles? But then why not a problem 3 yrs ago when first got the box?

Lots of questions. But interesting, isn't it?

- Mark M.

[pan2]

I'm late to the party here but my pixelation problems have also been present since the 7.1 upgrade. I have analog cable straight through the wall which comes in fine when not passing through the TiVo. My problems aren't as severe as some of the minute-long delays others have reported, but the remote sometimes takes 5 seconds to respond and pixelation occurs about every 30 minutes and lasts for a second or two. It's bearable but very irritating, especially since the box was flawless before the update.

For reference I have an 80 hour Series 2 (240-XXX) with SW v7.1b

[ptenthus]

I had throught that the 7.1b update had fixed this issue for me (40hr 240 series unit)...but last night, we had it again for about 2-3 minutes during a recorded show.

The picture would pixelate and/or freeze for 3-4 seconds at a time.

Note, this is on standard cable (no digital, no cable box).

This _never_ happend before the 7.1 update (though I must say that 7.1a was almost unwatchable with freezes/pixelation/ultra-slow menus/ffw button delays/etc. and 7.1b has fixed almost all of that)

[piratemc74]

OK, me too, but has just started really getting annoying. Series 2, 240, 80hr, Software version 7.2.1-oth-01-2-140

I've read most of the postings. My issue is slow menus, and pixelation. I"m going to try the powerdown (unplug) tonight - and everynight for a while, and see what happens.

BTW - this new software I got is supposed to allow you to "overlap" recordings...haven't tried it yet....

[V7Goose]

Well, I have just checked in here for the first time in about 6 months. You can find my original rather long post about my pixelations and freeze-ups back around 5/28/05. I reported then that I suspected the problem was really due to massive HDD fragmentation, and I stumbled upon a "fix" by deleting most "Now Playing" shows from the machine, then doing a cold boot. I speculated that the TiVo box does some defragmentation during a cold start. I still have no way of verifying this, but it is the best answer I have.

Since that time, I had the pixelations and freeze-ups start one more time (maybe 6 weeks ago). I only saw it briefly on one or two shows, but this time I did not wait for it to get continually worse. I worked through the majority of the recordings on my unit and did the cold boot thing again. Just like last time, it is all fixed.

My process is quite simple. Delete as many of the recordings as you are willing to get rid of - if you are really fighting this problem, I'd strongly suggest deleting them all! No need to reload the software/restore the drives, etc; just delete them from the Now Playing list. Then unplug your machine for a while. 5 minutes should be way more than enough. Plug it back in and use it like normal.

Before I accidentally discovered this "fix" the first time, my box was completely unusable. Every single program had so many audio pauses, frame freezes and block pixelations that you couldn't even follow all of the story line. The screen would freeze or break up every minute or two! It may not have anything to do with fragmentation, but I can assure you that it has been a complete fix for me. Good luck,
Goose

[FLPilot]

I too originally posted that unplugging the unit and waiting a while before plugging back in had helped. But I found that process stopped helping even when all my recordings were deleted. I went ahead and just bought a new drive from weaknees.com. I had to buy one from them, although more expensive, because my computer has SATA and not IDE. If you are one who has an older computer and can do it yourself, I recommend buying a hard drive (really cheap these days). The other thing you can do, and I didn't think about this before hand, check ebay for "tivo upgrade" and you will find plenty of people selling the same upgraded drives a lot cheaper than what I paid. Make sure to check the ratings of those sellers though. As for me, I still have no problems, but then again I now have a "like new" Tivo. So I hope not to have any problems for at least a couple of years.

[vcrisp]

I just spent an hour and a half on the phone with Tivo tech support. We have a Tivo DVR Series 2 running 7.2.1 software. We have had the audio drop-out problems for months and finally took some time to try and find a solution.

First they tried to tell me it was the hard drive with some lame excuse that it couldn't be the software since it only sends ones and zeros (shouldn't tech support know something technical?). After we assured them that it COULD be the software, they went for the trade-in offer.

We asked to speak to a supervisor who also only offerred the trade-in offer an assured us that it was NOT a software issue. When I asked him to verify that there had not been ANY complaints about the same problem on the 7.2.1 software, he said, "we consider complaints on the internet to be from a vocal minority only". In other words, if you're expecting Tivo engineers to read about your problems and fix their software, don't hold your breath. Since the complaints have not come pouring in via their phone support (and no wonder since it takes at least 30 minutes for someone to answer and another hour for someone to offer you a trade-in), the official Tivo line is to ignore them.

I will be trying some of the clearing suggestions offered here and then I'll be looking to purchase a DVR from another company.

Good luck to others.

[V7Goose]

Hello all,

I have a few new observations about this problem on my machine that I want to share with you. Just as a reminder, I have a Series 2 with a second HDD installed (160GB), and my machine is often (usually) near max full.

While on vacation in December I had a pipe in my attic freeze and totally flood my house. When I got home, I had to immediately move to a hotel, then to an apartment a few weeks later. Of course I took my TiVo with me to catch up on the stuff I recorded while I was gone.

Of course each time I had to move the machine it was powered off, so over the last month it has been through MANY restarts - if this process does anything to improve the situation (such as defragging the drive as I have suggested), then my box should be as fixed as it could possibly be! Oddly enough, my observations through this process have only added to the questions, not the answers. When I first took the box to the hotel, it powered right up and worked perfectly. Because I had to re-arrange the stuff in the room a couple of times, I guess it was booted 3 or 4 times over two days or so. If I remember correctly, each restart went fine, but after one of them I had pretty bad pauses and pixelation. I rebooted it again and the machine worked flawlessly.

Then I moved into an apartment. Here I wanted to drag over my plasma TV, DVD recorder, etc., and the setup and reconfiguration of the equipment had me unplugging and moving stuff a bunch of times again. After one of these restarts, I had more pauses/pixelations that ever before - just watching live TV it wouldn't go more than 5 seconds without a burp. After another restart, it worked perfectly again. To top it all off, I had two different restarts "hang" (at different points), I had to eventually unplug the machine to get it to do anything. I have never had the TiVo hang in the boot process before, and it only happened those two times out of maybe 12 or 15 restarts over the past month.

All this tells me that the problem probably has nothing to do with fragmentation of the drive as I have suggested in the past. But I don't have any other guesses either. The only new idea I have is to advise all of you that have tried the cold boot solution and not have it fix the problem is to try it several more times. My machine has been working perfectly for the past couple of weeks after I finally got my system put back together. I'll let you know if anything changes. Good luck!
Goose

[Impulses]

Hrm, is there a more recent version of this thread anywhere? Half the info is outdated or doesn't apply to my situation specifically... I can't seem to find a more recent thread on the problem though. I've taken note of some of the 'solutions' on this thread and elsewhere and I'll report back soon (after I've tried a few things).

For now though, here's what ails me... I have a brand spanking new Series 2 540, I set it up less than a month ago. During the first 2-3 weeks it worked just fine, after the 2nd week I finally found a wireless adapter that worked with it and I've been transfering shows with TiVo Desktop just fine as well. It's current software version is 7.2.1 (90% of the info here seems to be regarding 7.1).

Now, flash forward to this week and I've started having intermitten problems... I get slight pixelation (horizontal usually) in recordings -and- live TV; I ALSO get stutters or pauses where the video freezes for a couple of seconds (it varies) and then resumes (having skipped a few seconds of programming which I've now missed).

Previous to this I had noticed it spontaneously restart a few times while carrying out TTG transfers, I assumed it was just random problems with the TTG software and restarting interrupted downloads, TTG has been flaky for me since I first started using it but I've managed to work around it's quirks.

My recent problems happen even without TTG running on my computer though... Yesterday night I noticed it had downloaded a new TV Guide showcase (or whatever it's called, shows up with a star at the bottom of the main menu)...

Recently my internet connection has been having issues and I figured the whole deal might've been attributed to the TiVo downloading new content while my connection wasn't up to snuff, but I'm not so sure that's the case as I've already spotted a couple freezes while watching the news.

When my internet connection was having more serious issues a couple days ago it made it a pain to try out any of the new services (Fandango, Yahoo stuff, etc) and it caused freezes on what I was recording at the time as well as the application I was using, after a few minutes of that I ceased using it and left it alone, not sure if this is at all related.


P.S. I want to emphasize that for the first 2-3 weeks of use the device exhibited no problems whatsoever, I believe it had software 7.2.1 from day one but I'm not positive, my first week or two of use was with a phone line and later with a wireless adapter.


Edit: My sister was just watching some recordings that were made within the last week as well (the problem has been exhibited most within the last few days) and she said she hadn't observed any of the freezes, I will have to verify this with some of the older recordings I have but if that's the case it could very well be a signal issue, hrm. Or the fact that it actually -is- to full and is affecting all new recordings as well as live TV and it's buffer.

Oh and the freezes don't happen when I'm watching live tv thru regular RF hooked up straight to the TV (I've got a splitter), I should've made that clear from the start. I think the pixelation might occur on ocasion but it's nowhere near as noticeable as it is on the TiVo. I'm also NOT using a cable box with the TiVo.

[Impulses]

My plan:

Now the first thing I'll do is check whether these freezes and pixelation problems are always on the same spot or not... I'm not quite sure if them being on the same spot within a program would mean a signal problem or not but I figure I should check anyway. My provider -has- been going thru a buyout process recently (was Adelphia, being sold to someone else entirely) and may be having some teething issues.

Second thing I'll be doing is deleting a few shows and performing a cold reboot, it's quite full right now and a couple of the shows have been on the TiVo for nearly 3 weeks, from what I read on this thread that could be causing issues (I imagine the buffer gets split in between all the recorded shows which isn't a good thing).

Would re-doing the guided setup help if it's a signal/provider issue? And should I take note of my Season Passes beforehand or would they remain intact (got quite a few of 'em, nearing 25 or 30 now I believe).

[V7Goose]

Hi Impulses, sorry to hear you are having problems so soon with a new box! The pixelation and pause problems you describe sound exactly like the ones that I have experienced from time to time, but I have never had a spontaneous restart. I also have never used TTG.

Guided setup won't cause any problems with you season passes, but I doubt if it will make any change to your problems either. So far, the only thing that I have found to improve the situation is to unplug the box and restart it that way. And I have come to the conclusion that removing recordings doesn't really make any difference either.

Finally, from my recent experience (as noted in my last post), I have found that this power-off restart does not always do the same thing! Remember, my machine was working fine at one point, but after having to unplug it, the problems were suddenly there immediately after the reboot completed - unplugging it again solved the problem. In general, my machine does NOT seem to be flaky - since the last reconfiguration and cold boot a month ago, it has worked perfectly. Good luck
Goose

[Impulses]

I've only had one or two expontaneous restarts out of the blue, just one I think actually... All others have been prompted by TTG transfers (I think the 'pausing a program so another transfers faster' trick might've played a part in it, can't tell).

I've noticed that these umprompted restarts HAVE improved the situation for spans of time though... I have a strong feeling that if it's not a physical drive issue per se then it's something to do with the swap file and the way the files have been stored and organized. Something threw the process out of whack and the TiVo has been having flaky lapses since. I've been meaning to just clear it out (all programs, old and new) and restart it, possibly even resetting everything to see if it normalizes.

I'll probably try that this week once I finish transfering some stuff to my PC that my sister wants to see over the weekend... Alas it's too late for me to resort exchanging it at CompUSA (21 days) so if that doesn't pan out I'll have to call TiVo tech support and see what they've got to say.

I definitely determined that the pauses and pixelations are constant though, once they happen in a recording they stay there in the same spot (only difference being they can be 3-4s if Live and when played back it's like it just skips 3-4s of programming instead of freezing for 3-4s).

It's operated fine thru certain spans of time the last few days after having deleted *some* shows along with a restart, and then it relapses as it starts recording anew even though it hasn't gotten quite as full as it was about a week ago. I think some of the downloaded content (the TV Guide w/e crap) might've had something to do with it too but that's just speculation, we'll see how it goes after I clear it out and restart it with plenty of space on the drive.

[gvenditto]

My problems disappeared after a few days ( I did a restart and didn't lose anything).

[Impulses]

Well, about a week ago I wiped all the shows off the TiVo, rebooted it... and it was still freezing/pixelating immediately after the reboot. I left it alone for about a day (it recorded two shows in that timespan, they still had pauses/pixelations) and all of a sudden it started behaving correctly again after about a day. Live TV started working properly, shows recorded properly.

I let it fill up about mid-way thru the week just to check if it was specific areas of the hard drive that had issues, it filled up and still had no issues. It automatically deleted the first two shows it had recorded (with the symptons) and recorded more, still no issues. Been using it normally for a week now without any recurrent issues.

I might call tech support still just to have it on record that I had problems with the unit initially but it seems the issue was just a fragmentation of sorts in the buffer or swap file used... I'm not sure how else to explain it, or what could've caused it, the only possible thing I can link to it is that I had several 1-2 hour shows in High qual that had been left in the unit for like 2 weeks.

I had also been making a ton of Season Pass changes and whatnot (which I noticed had been taking longer and longer to process), so I'm not sure what particulary set of events caused the problem. In any case, just wanted to post up to date details on my particular scenario. Hopefully it was a freak ocurrence.

[mec1991]

"we consider complaints on the internet to be from a vocal minority only". In other words,



In other words, they consider people who whine on internet bulletin boards to be making up their complaints?

[Impulses]

No, but many are mis-informed and it's hard to lend proper credibility to many internet complaints, this is not a policy that's remotely confined to TiVo. it's not a secret that when it comes to many a product's satisfaction rates that the user base on the net IS usually a vocal minority, even for technology products.