Lost some local channels

[dw17]

I used the Slicer and worked great. Just waiting for Service Data to download and fix the issue.

2, 5, and 7 are out, but 11 and 32 came back right away with the 6.4a upgrade.

[zorro255]

Originally Posted by dw17

I used the Slicer and worked great. Just waiting for Service Data to download and fix the issue.

2, 5, and 7 are out, but 11 and 32 came back right away with the 6.4a upgrade.

Did you lose MRV?

[markis]

Going on two days after the 6.4a upgrade on one machine and still no 2, 5, 7 here. I also completed another manual 6.4a upgrade on my second machine last night and the channels aren't coming in this morning (still under 24 hours).

I wonder if DirecTV has somehow misconfigured their DSV streams for 2, 5 and 7 in the Chicago market so that they aren't compatible even after a 6.4a upgrade. It wouldn't the first time they've had a glitch like this on their end.

Does anyone have a contact at DirecTV that they could ask to look into this issue of a possible misconfiguration with 2, 5, 7 in Chicago? I'm doubtful that calling customer service would send the message up the chain to the right technically-minded person of authority.

Are there any telnet commands we can run to narrow down the problem here? For those in other regions that have all their locals back with 6.4a, what values are you seeing now on fixed channels in the TivoWeb User Interface, Channel Guide, Callsign details under Spi= 127 (StreamLanguageDescriptorList) and StreamType= 2 3 3 (unknown)? (As wishbone4401 described here).

Originally Posted by Whipl50

Can anyone point me in the direction of a thread that will explain how to do this? I can still telnet into my Tivo. I get a bash prompt, but it doesn't look like my /var/hack files are still there. It's been years since I messed with this, do I need to ftp back into the Tivo and put the files back?

Without slicer a manual upgrade can get tricky, but you can start reading here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...69#post6687969

I've updated a couple machines starting with those slices. As stevel, mentioned, I also followed the thread at another site: deal database dot com, search for "6.3a upgrade via bash". Some of my old notes from an earlier 6.3 manual upgrade based on that guide are here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...51#post5664951

Make sure to edit your installSw.itcl so it does NOT contain any "reboot" commands (change to "exit 0") or else you will lose telnet and have to pull the drive and hook it up to a PC with a Live CD to re-hack everything from scratch. If all those threads are confusing, it's probably best not to attempt it.

[wetchemistry]

Markis I'm in the same boat as you, "upgraded" both of my DSR704's to 6.4a and did the call in, re-authorization, reset satellite's etc.... Waited for the service data download and no joy. This is very disappointing. I wonder if there is a different 6.4a available?

[markis]

Originally Posted by wetchemistry

Markis I'm in the same boat as you, "upgraded" both of my DSR704's to 6.4a and did the call in, re-authorization, reset satellite's etc.... Waited for the service data download and no joy. This is very disappointing. I wonder if there is a different 6.4a available?

Well, I don't think so. I used the same slices link that falstaffpac posted earlier in the thread and he said that fixed his problem. But I think he was in a different region, because he posted before there were problems in Chicago.

This 6.4a is the same one that's been out for 3 or 4 years. There hasn't been an update for a long time.

[tward_biteme1]

I've upgrade one out of two and it worked. The locals came back pretty quick.

[markis]

Originally Posted by tward_biteme1

I've upgrade one out of two and it worked. The locals came back pretty quick.

In what region? (Maryland?) The only area that people are reporting problems after updating to 6.4a seems to be the Chicago market channels 2, 5, 7 (CBS, NBC, ABC).

That's why I suspect a configuration error here on those channels, since all the locals seem to be coming back in other areas of the country after an update to 6.4a.

To put it another way, has anyone in the Chicago market gotten all their locals back including 2, 5, 7 after updating to 6.4a?

[Pete_C]

Apologies here:

I updated (via slicer) and thought (reported by wife to me) that 2, 5, & 7 had come back and in fact they have not.

Prior to the update a 1 hour phone call to DTV CS did say to connect my telephone line and update in that fashion. They also told me to call 24 hours after the update should I not see Chicago channels 2, 5, & 7.

Initially they did do a kind of "hard sell" to me stating that my equipment was now too old to get the new HD channels. (personally I don't mind keeping SD for the DTV; as I also have Comcast Service) relating to a "free" update to their DTV DVR or a $21 installation service charge and a $15 extra charge for a DTV new Tivo which would be leased instead of purchased. I refused both.

I am currently running TivoWebPlus version 2.1 B3. Here is what my info page shows.

[tward_biteme1]

Originally Posted by markis

In what region? (Maryland?) The only area that people are reporting problems after updating to 6.4a seems to be the Chicago market channels 2, 5, 7 (CBS, NBC, ABC).

That's why I suspect a configuration error here on those channels, since all the locals seem to be coming back in other areas of the country after an update to 6.4a.

To put it another way, has anyone in the Chicago market gotten all their locals back including 2, 5, 7 after updating to 6.4a?

Yes, Maryland...

[dwellar]

No 2 5 7 for me. Chicago. Going on 14 hours (overnight) since upgrading from 6.2 to 6.4a via manual slices. DSR704.

[Pete_C]

Here's a play by play with DTV CS right now at 1104C SAT, 21 of April 2012.

We currently do not see local Chicago channels 2, 5, & 7.

Initially CS asked if I updated the software using call back. I said yes. It didn't work for me so I used slicer.

I told her I've already read posts from numerous DTV users in the Chicago region having the same issue.

She is checking.....

She came back and said that if after 24 hours (its been that for me) you don't see a picture on 2,5, & 7; do the update again. (comment here: a stall).

BUT she said that the DTV engineers are aware of the problem and working on it.

So basically she is acknowledging the issue but "stalling" a bit by telling me to do the update again.

A contradiction.

She did say that there is a NOTE to NOT escalate the issue as its being worked on.

I old told her I wanted a gimme from DTV and leave my service ticket open. Let's play a bit with mean time to resolution. So far the MTR is getting higher; the stall was just to reset the clock on the MTR; what a joke.

She credited me 3 months of local channels at $5.00 per month; IE: $15.

I would recommend all those in the Chicago region using the DTIVO series 2 boxes call DTV and complain and get your "gimme's".

BTW my wife in the suffering from withdrawal phase of missing her local channels.

I am trying to circumvent a major issue her by keeping her occupied with stuff other than TV; it is kind of working.

BTW just wrote to the Chicago Tribune relating to the Direct Tivo issue in the Chicagoland region.

[litzdog911]

Something is up with those Chicago stations. texasbrit has asked our DirecTV contacts for an update on why v6.4a hasn't restored those stations.

[wetchemistry]

Pete, I also called and tried to get a "gimme" and got the $5 off for 3 mos also. Though that does me no good if I can't use the local channels I want. I also wrote the Chicago Tribune and am writing CBS 2 local news Pam Zekmen. We'll see.

[Alecp]

Just lost my locals on Thursday - I'm in the Detroit area. Wife called DTV yesterday (I wasn't around) and they tried some stuff but couldn't help (I guess they offered her a free HD receiver but only with a 2 year contract?!).

I'll read back in the thread and see about upgrading - I haven't hooked up to a phone line in years.

This is so annoying. My tivo's have been functioning fine for years, and not interested in upgrading (will screw up my multiplexer setup).

[Whipl50]

Originally Posted by markis

Going on two days after the 6.4a upgrade on one machine and still no 2, 5, 7 here. I also completed another manual 6.4a upgrade on my second machine last night and the channels aren't coming in this morning (still under 24 hours).

I wonder if DirecTV has somehow misconfigured their DSV streams for 2, 5 and 7 in the Chicago market so that they aren't compatible even after a 6.4a upgrade. It wouldn't the first time they've had a glitch like this on their end.

Does anyone have a contact at DirecTV that they could ask to look into this issue of a possible misconfiguration with 2, 5, 7 in Chicago? I'm doubtful that calling customer service would send the message up the chain to the right technically-minded person of authority.

Are there any telnet commands we can run to narrow down the problem here? For those in other regions that have all their locals back with 6.4a, what values are you seeing now on fixed channels in the TivoWeb User Interface, Channel Guide, Callsign details under Spi= 127 (StreamLanguageDescriptorList) and StreamType= 2 3 3 (unknown)? (As wishbone4401 described here).



Without slicer a manual upgrade can get tricky, but you can start reading here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...69#post6687969

I've updated a couple machines starting with those slices. As stevel, mentioned, I also followed the thread at another site: deal database dot com, search for "6.3a upgrade via bash". Some of my old notes from an earlier 6.3 manual upgrade based on that guide are here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...51#post5664951

Make sure to edit your installSw.itcl so it does NOT contain any "reboot" commands (change to "exit 0") or else you will lose telnet and have to pull the drive and hook it up to a PC with a Live CD to re-hack everything from scratch. If all those threads are confusing, it's probably best not to attempt it.

Thanks for the help Markis. I have the slices downloaded to my Tivo, but I'm going to wait to see what happens with other people in the Chicago area that have upgraded before I go much further. I'm a Windows guy and haven't messed with Linux in a long time.

If the upgrades work for others, I may just buy the slicer and upgrade via that route.

[zorro255]

Chicago problem here too. Called DTV getting the stall answer. I don't want to update 6.4a but I miss the local news. I am thinking about ordering the 390-399 channels at lest until DTV fixes this mess. But I want to know if these too are affected by this problem. Can someone tell me please if these channels are coming in on their system with 6.2a or 6.4a(Chicago only)?

[Pete_C]

Just checked on the East cost channels 390-399. These state to call DTV for ordering. They should at least provide them to the Chicago Direct Tivo Series 2 users until they fix their issues.

[litzdog911]

Originally Posted by zorro255

Chicago problem here too. Called DTV getting the stall answer. I don't want to update 6.4a but I miss the local news. I am thinking about ordering the 390-399 channels at lest until DTV fixes this mess. But I want to know if these too are affected by this problem. Can someone tell me please if these channels are coming in on their system with 6.2a or 6.4a(Chicago only)?

You won't be able to get the Distant Network Service (DNS) network channels without waivers from your local stations. Not gonna happen.

[wishbone4401]

if you can get local channels that are broadcast over the air (OTA), this might work for you in Chicago like it worked for me in Colorado. I have OTA antenna for local channels but had no need to hook it up to my DVR until now and when I did I was able to select and record all my local channels. You can’t get the ones that are in the guide that display a blank screen because the DVR thinks the satellite signal is good and chooses to select that satellite signal over the OTA signal. However the OTA HD versions of those channels also show up in the guide, have the same content as the SD signal and the DVR will allow you to select, display and record them in SD.

[zorro255]

What receiver are you using because doing some testing with rabbit ears no HD channels and no 11(PBS) or 32(FOX) shows up in the guide? This might be getting off topic, but do I need to purchase a HD antenna for your solution to work. But this problem could be just bad signal because the only signal that comes through OTA is 32-1(FOX) when plugged into the digital converter that I never used before.

Hughes HDVR2 6.2a
Hughes SD-120 6.2a

[wishbone4401]

Originally Posted by zorro255

What receiver are you using because doing some testing with rabbit ears no HD channels and no 11(PBS) or 32(FOX) shows up in the guide? This might be getting off topic, but do I need to purchase a HD antenna for your solution to work. But this problem could be just bad signal because the only signal that comes through OTA is 32-1(FOX) when plugged into the digital converter that I never used before

I have a couple of HR10-250’s (one on 6.4a and the other on 6.3e) and a DSR7000 (6.2) hooked to an old VHF TV antenna in the attic. Since our local channel transmitters are located on a mountain top, we get pretty good signals in the Denver area.

All my DVR’s have a coax connector for an external antenna next to the connectors for the two satellite tuners. To configure it for OTA signals, you have to go through the guided setup and sometime during that process, you’ll get to a screen that says something like do you have 1 tuner, 2 tuners or tuners and an antenna. Select the latter option. In my case, all the channels that the antenna could receive showed up in the guide along with the information about what’s on.

[zorro255]

Doing some research and more testing the Hughes SD-120 TiVo’s are not compatible with OTA recording. The HR10-250’s and DSR7000 might be a good solution for others.

Thanks for the help.

[markis]

Originally Posted by Pete_C

BUT she said that the DTV engineers are aware of the problem and working on it.

So basically she is acknowledging the issue but "stalling" a bit by telling me to do the update again.

A contradiction.

She did say that there is a NOTE to NOT escalate the issue as its being worked on.

Originally Posted by litzdog911

Something is up with those Chicago stations. texasbrit has asked our DirecTV contacts for an update on why v6.4a hasn't restored those stations.

Thanks for getting the word out. It sounds like DirecTV is getting the message that there are real problems here. Hopefully, they can come up with a fix soon. It must be misconfigured DSV streams or bad guide data. I would think they would compare their seemingly successful changes in other regions to the broken setup in Chicago to track down the issue.

I do have non-satellite OTA stations working on my HR10 with a standard antenna connection, but I also have an SD-DVR80 with local channel Season Passes that are recording nothing everyday.

On a positive note, after a few days of use both 6.4a updated machines are otherwise running smoothly and functioning as well as before. I always worry that new problems might come up after an update, but I haven't noticed any issues yet.

[wetchemistry]

They may be getting the message, but will they do something about it? I truly think they don't care at this point.

[Pete_C]

I'm thinking $15 off isn't enough of a gimme from DTV.

I would be happier now with credit for one months worth of service (piss poor that it is).

[dishdudes]

I have an R10 in Maryland thats missing 4, 5,7,9 locals... I guess I need updated software? Is there a way to force it?

[stevel]

Originally Posted by zorro255

Doing some research and more testing the Hughes SD-120 TiVo’s are not compatible with OTA recording. The HR10-250’s and DSR7000 might be a good solution for others.

HR10-250, yes. DSR-7000, no - of all the DTiVos, only the HR10 has an OTA tuner in the box. (The new THR22 can use the external AM-21N.)

[wetchemistry]

What software does the HR10-250 need to be up to date?

[markis]

Originally Posted by wetchemistry

What software does the HR10-250 need to be up to date?

The HR10 and all series 2 units will need 6.4a, which is the latest and last version released a few years ago.

Originally Posted by dishdudes

I have an R10 in Maryland thats missing 4, 5,7,9 locals... I guess I need updated software? Is there a way to force it?

Read back through this thread and you will find some helpful links.

[Whipl50]

New HD dvr on it's way. I had a good ride with my old DirecTivos, but it's time to move on. This was my last SD holdout in the house.

Good luck everyone, I hope it is resolved soon.