Pioneer DVR-810H-S Problem

[ABall394]

Hello,

I've had this unit for a while now and have had no problems until now. Recently, I have not been able to download any of the programming updates onto the unit. Every time it tries to connect to the service, I end up getting a "Failed, Error SO3" message. After observing the next download, I noticed that it's able to connect to the service and download the update. The problem arises when it tries to load the update onto the unit. It ends up getting to 2 percent and then eventually the error message comes up. The solution to this error was to restart the system. I tried this, but still get the error when it connects to the service.

Also (and this might be related to the first problem), I've noticed that every now and then when I'm watching live TV, it'll get choppy. It'll play for a few seconds, and then it'll pause for a few seconds. This play/pause action will keep happening for a while (sometimes, it'll stop on it's own; other times, I restart the system and it'll be okay until the next incident).

Any ideas on what could be causing these problems and what any solutions might be for this problem??

Thank you in advance. Andrew

[megazone]

The choppy playback, unfortunately, often means a failing hard drive. It could also be the problem with the data loading - if the drive is failing there may be problems writing the new data to the drive.

Oh the other hand it *could* just be data corruption. A few years ago one of my old S2 boxes was choking on new data downloads. I did a Clear & Delete Everything and after that it ran fine - and is still running, I sold it to a friend last fall.

[ABall394]

Thanks for the reply. I'll try the clear and delete option and see how that works. If the problem is the hard drive, is that a difficult thing to fix? Is it worth going through all the trouble and expense to get it fixed, or would it pretty much just be easier to get a new TiVO box??

I also see that you're from Worcester. I'm right down the road from you in Rutland...

[ABall394]

Another issue has come up: I tried the clear and delete everything option, and now the system won't start back up. I get the screen which says that clearing and deleting everything will take up to an hour; but it's been 5-6 hours since I started the process and that screen is still up.

[megazone]

Replacing the drive isn't hard if you're comfortable with PC hardware - upgrading drives, etc.

Sometimes C&DE can take a long time. When I've had to do it, I kick it off before going to bed and it is generally done in the morning.

[rcobourn]

Just let it go overnight, their time estimate isn't always realistic. Sounds to me like you have a failing HD. Easiest way to fix that is ordered a preimaged drive from weaknees.com. I wouldn't recommend just getting a new box if you like your current unit. In the bargain, you can get a much bigger hard drive than the stock 80 GB.

[ABall394]

Thanks for all the advice. For now, I'm going to end up getting a new TiVO box (the package deal on tivo's website where you get a box shipped to you and you pay 16.95 a month for 3 years-it's only 4 bucks more than what I'm paying right now per month and I'll get a new box although it probably won't be as nice as the Pioneer one I have right now).

At some point though, I might end up getting the Pioneer one fixed if I see a big difference between the one that TiVO sends me and the 810H-S.

[rcobourn]

In case you somehow missed it, the big difference is the dvd player/writer functionality. I wouldn't trade that for a dual tuner, personally. :)

[megazone]

Yeah, you'll lose the DVD capabilites - also no component video output nor optical audio.

[ABall394]

So, I can't burn DVDs with the model on the TiVO website? Will I at least be able to transfer them to a computer so I could then burn it to a DVD??

[Hpirx]

FIX the Pioneer!
Yes you can transfer w/ the other models and burn on computer, but not w/ the ease you are use to w/ the Pioneer.
Order a drive from Weaknees.com and have your neighbor's computer-geek kid install it for you, although it really is quite easy w/ the good instructions they provide.

I have done it once myself and it resolved all the problems. I really like the HS 810 and will keep throwing in hard drives from time to time, as long as TiVo supports it.

For me, the ability to easily transfer mediums (hard drive to Disc) has far outweighed any of the most recent hardware developments (dual tuner, HDTV capabilty).

The Pioneers may have their quirks, but I regard them as minor compared to their overall usability.
of

[ABall394]

OK, looks like I might have to get the Pioneer fixed. Didn't realize that most newer TiVO models don't have a DVD burner on them. Luckily, with the TiVO package deal, I have a 30 day trial period without having to pay the 200 dollar early deactivation fee. I guess I'll take advantage of that trial period while I'm getting the Pioneer fixed and then send it back before that trial period is over.

Now, next question: can anybody recommend a hard drive to purchase?? Do I have to buy a special hard drive for the TiVO box; or would any hard drive work? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ABall394]

Oops, forget that last post. Just checked out weakness.com and it looks like they only offer drives that'll work for the tivo box.

Thanks for all the help guys!

[megazone]

You actually have options. You can buy a pre-formatted drive from WeaKnees.com or PTVUpgrade.com, or you can buy a generic IDE drive and image it yourself - which is a LOT cheaper, but more work. PTVUpgrade.com sells InstantCake CDs which have all the imaging tools and the image on them. You just connect a harddrive to a PC, boot the CD, and follow the prompts. (They DO have an 810H InstantCake CD - it isn't listed on the InstantCake product page, but it is on the downloads page.) The CD is just $20. So that plus a drive is a lot less than one of the pre-imaged drives. But you need to do the work of imaging it.

[ABall394]

Thanks for all the help guys. I ordered a drive from weakneess yesterday and it arrived today. I've already installed it and everything seems to be working fine. Gracias...

[ABall394]

Hi again,

Before I start: this is a different Pioneer Tivo box that I am talking about. I ended up getting a new hard drive with my other one and it fixed all my problems.

I'm having the same issues with this second Pioneer box. I know that I'm going to have to replace the hard drive; but I'm wondering if this other issue (that I'm about to mention) is a direct result of the failed hard drive, or is some other issue that needs to be addressed. We ended up getting a high definition TV and a new dish and receiver (needed to upgrade to get HD). When we set up the TiVO (not on the HD TV input, but a separate one so it doesn't affect the quality of the HD picture), I redid the channel changing properties. Now, when I try changing the channel (using the IR cable), it doesn't change. The first and the last number are put in, but it is consistently missing out on that middle number. Hopefully, that makes sense. So, could that issue be a result of the failing hard drive, or something else? Thanks for any help...

[rcobourn]

Not the hard drive. IR interference or more likely you need to try some of the other code choices. Is the TV a plasma? They can cause some IR interference, you might see if the tivo changes channels correctly with the TV off.