The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic in Verizon FIOS TV

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:06:54 EDT

GeekGirl1 : It does work with Comcast. However, the access sequence depends on the firmware. When I had Comcast (2007), you entered the diagnostics menu by hitting just "Power", then "Select" within 5 seconds.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:20:08 EDT

darcilicious : If Comcast did it like this: 'With the STB On, hit "Power, Select, Menu" in quick sequence.' (from the first post in this thread), then yes. Otherwise, no ;)

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:31:12 EDT

chitchatjf : Installation today

I assume the "Hidden" menu I can get to the same way as with Comcast as we are using Mototola boxes.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:07:47 EDT

NY Tel :

said by darcilicious :

Awsome! That's MAX -- his baby brother WES will be start up this fall as one of the few suburban-to-suburban commuter express trains in the country. I can't wait -- I'll be using both to help reduce my 120 mile roundtrip commute :p

So, what brought you to Hillsboro? :)

I was on the West coast for a business trip. Started out in San Francisco on Monday (Walnut Creek and Danville). Then flew to Seattle and was there for 2 days.

After that, I drove down to Portland and the surrounding areas to visit hospitals (the business I am in).
What I was amazed at was the fact that most of these "trams" are all free within a certain zone. Very different than New York's transit system.

I really liked both Seattle and Portland and the associated weather (seemed a lot less humid than New York) and also was intrigued by the fact that here in this part of my time zone - the sun sets at 8:27 and out by you it sets at 9:05 - yet the sun seemed brighter perhaps because of the angle/latitude.

All-in-all, I really liked the time I spent there and can't wait to go back.
--
Stop worrying where you're going-
Move on
If you can know where you're going
You've gone
Just keep moving on......

Tiny Hill?
Portland
Portland
Portland
Portland
Here's me with my umbrella
Portland
And

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:21:30 EDT

darcilicious : Awsome! That's MAX -- his baby brother WES will be start up this fall as one of the few suburban-to-suburban commuter express trains in the country. I can't wait -- I'll be using both to help reduce my 120 mile roundtrip commute :p

So, what brought you to Hillsboro? :)

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:39:12 EDT

NY Tel :

said by darcilicious :

If I'm reading »www.midcocomm.com/_documents/dct···/DVR.pdf correctly, it means no error (e.g. error-free).

Off topic but......

Guess where I was this week?

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:59:47 EDT

GeekGirl1 : On a side note, the ActionTec router has a similar MoCA table. I did a quick comparison and the STB is reporting about 10 MBps faster than the router.

In the ActionTec router "My Network" (Network Status) menu, be sure the STB is online (hit widgets from your remote to force activity) and select "MoCA Diagnostics Information". You'll see a table similar to the STB menu with slightly different descriptions. Between the two diagnostics menus, you can figure out who is talking to who.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:43:10 EDT

TruQaam2050 : The "HMA/Connected Home" menu is relevant for checking the MoCA Speeds (throughput in Mbps) between the STBs and the ActionTec or NIM. This is helpful to isolate tiling or pixelation problems with Home Media DVR or Video On Demand. Once you select the screen from the main diag menu (usually d16/d21), page down twice to reach "Connected Home Link Status". Most of the items will show as N/A in the grid, but none of the numbers should read below 180.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 31 May 2008 19:12:53 EDT

rocky01 : For the record geekgirl is always very helpful and informed so noone should expect otherwise. :)

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Mon, 26 May 2008 14:17:16 EDT

justin9876 : matcarl,

Good point, maybe the TV brand does have something to do with this. My Sony is the only one I have ever had connected, and I only have one HD DVR.

Oh well, at least this is one issue I don't have to worry about, at least until they update the IMG again. :)
--
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV and Internet
Motorola QIP6416 HD DVR
Sony KDL-V40XBR1

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sun, 25 May 2008 21:22:27 EDT

matcarl : Justin, I see the same as you. I usually turn on the TV first, but have done it both ways and I always see the handshake take place. I have a Sonys too. Maybe other models perform differently.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sun, 25 May 2008 20:21:06 EDT

GeekGirl1 : No argument. I was just stating my experience in the hope that it will help. Some TVs take a longer or shorter amount of time to talk to the STB. Maybe it's always worked for you this way. For me, it works a bit differently. It's all part of the learning process (which works both ways).

The "modern" statement was trying to differentiate between totally dropping power to the entire TV and only shutting down major functions.

My last statement was to the OP about the problem of retaining the 4:3 override settings.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sun, 25 May 2008 17:54:04 EDT

justin9876 :

said by GeekGirl1 :

Justin,

It's good that you saw the "DU" flash in both cases. In modern TVs, the front panel power control turns off "most" of the TV. The rest is powered On all the time (just like the STB). I'll bet the HDMI interface is still powered but in a "disabled" state.

You can test this by disconnecting the HDMI cable, then power cycling the STB and reconnecting the HDMI cable. You should see a warning that the HDMI has been disabled. However, that's a bit extreme just to prove a minor point.

If the remote doesn't fix the problem, could you list the step-by-step keypress sequence that you used to change the settings (including anything in the IMG menu)?

GeekGirl1,

I am not arguing with you, I am simply pointing out that, in my experience, your statement is incorrect. I know you know more about this than I do, and I don't doubt that if I disconnect the HDMI cable it might do what you say, but really, what does that have to do with the issue? Why would I or anybody else do that, except perhaps simulating initial installation?

I have had FiOS TV for over 2 1/2 years (Sept. 2005), same HD DVR (IPG to IMG to updated IMG), same Sony XBR HD TV, same HDMI cable and connection, and mine works like I said, and has from the beginning. Is my TV too "modern" or too "unmodern" to meet your criteria? Do newer TVs work differently from mine? Why isn't what I see typical?

I really don't understand your statement.

And was your last paragraph directed to me or to the original poster?
--
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV and Internet
Motorola QIP6416 HD DVR
Sony KDL-V40XBR1

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sun, 25 May 2008 06:44:16 EDT

GeekGirl1 : Justin,

It's good that you saw the "DU" flash in both cases. In modern TVs, the front panel power control turns off "most" of the TV. The rest is powered On all the time (just like the STB). I'll bet the HDMI interface is still powered but in a "disabled" state.

You can test this by disconnecting the HDMI cable, then power cycling the STB and reconnecting the HDMI cable. You should see a warning that the HDMI has been disabled. However, that's a bit extreme just to prove a minor point.

If the remote doesn't fix the problem, could you list the step-by-step keypress sequence that you used to change the settings (including anything in the IMG menu)?

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 24 May 2008 18:57:16 EDT

justin9876 :

said by GeekGirl1 :

Your STB needs to "see" your TV first. If the STB powers up before the TV, it won't talk to your TV and the HDMI output won't work.

GeekGir1,

I most definitely do not agree with this statement.

I just checked it out, turned both off, then tried turning on one then the other, then turned them both off and reversed the sequence. In both cases the DVR saw the HDMI connection from the TV, you could see the blink on the display (even when the DVR was off). So it does not matter which comes on first, at least for me.

That is a good suggestion to try the "official Verizon" remote, the universal one may be doing something extra that screws things up.
--
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV and Internet
Motorola QIP6416 HD DVR
Sony KDL-V40XBR1

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 24 May 2008 16:36:44 EDT

GeekGirl1 : I also don't think that this problem should not be related to the remote. I wonder if your "universal" remote is sneaking in a few extra codes that would cause the problem. Does it happen with the "official" Verizon remote? Try your power off / on experiment using only the front panels of your TV and STB.

Your STB needs to "see" your TV first. If the STB powers up before the TV, it won't talk to your TV and the HDMI output won't work.

Here's why: Thanks to copy protection, there's an HDMI "handshake" that occurs in which the STB determines that your TV is allowed to display it's content. If the STB doesn't see the TV, it turns the HDMI output off (the other outputs are still on). The STB will briefly flash a "DU2" on the front panel when it does the handshake.

If your TV has multiple inputs, you can also check for this problem by simply cycling your TV's inputs until it comes back to your STB / HDMI. When you switch to another input, like your antenna, the HDMI handshake is broken. When you come back to it, it re-does the handshake. You will see the "DU" flash on the front panel when it returns.

The green screen between SD and HD is your TV re-syncing from 1080i (720p) to 480i. Nothing is hurt, it's more annoying than anything.

The only problem with "dx" is because this is an electronics forum. In the amateur radio forum, »Ham Radio, dx = distance, rx = receiver, tx = transmitter. Be pt, it's just a matter of terminology :).

Update: fixed a few typos

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 24 May 2008 16:12:32 EDT

justin9876 : WAW,

If you want to use the remote for all of these menus you can, as long as you power the DVR and TV on and off separately. I have tried to tell people here and other places that you can do this, but people keep objecting because they always turn both on and off at the same time and it doesn't work because a power off of the DVR is required for the sequence to work, so I gave up. But if you are willing to separate the power on and off function on the remote, it will work just fine, just substitute the OK button (or its equivalent on your remote) for the Select button in the instructions.

I tried powering both on and off at the same time, it drove me nuts because about 25% of the time only one would come on, then pushing the power button caused them to switch, etc., and then I had to go push the individual button to get them back in synce. I am just in the habit of pushing the TV button on my remote before powering off, and when I push power to turn the TV on it works just great.

Some experiments have been done to measure the power requirements of the DVR powered on and off, and the difference is very slight. Most of the electronics and the hard drive are powered on all of the time.

Turning both on and off together vs. one at a time should not have any effect on the 4:3 overrride, IMHO. There is going to be an HDMI handshake every time the TV comes on, whether the DVR is coming on or not, so I don't see why that would affect anything. And it does not in my installation.

FWIW, maybe I have the only Verizon HD DVR that works correctly, but in 2 1/2 years I have not missed a single recording. :D
--
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV and Internet
Motorola QIP6416 HD DVR
Sony KDL-V40XBR1

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 24 May 2008 15:40:55 EDT

WAW : I may be using the name dx menu by mistake. Dx is a medical symbol used generically. bad habit. I will try to go the img setting menu from the remote then the set box menu and see if the setting stays. I guess if all the menus were accessed from the remote it would be less annoying.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 24 May 2008 15:12:43 EDT

WAW : Thanks for the reply. I have only been accessing the dx menu from the box.I put the overide to off and all works well. I can switch between hd and sd without the annoying delay and flashing scree. I use a universal remote that powers all on and off at the same time. I have tried to piecemeal it so the stb stays on but alas when the tv is turned back on the overide off function needs to be reset. Do I need a new bugless box? Am I missing something?

I have had occasional missed recordings too. That improved with a reset. We have a stand dvr box for the kids it has missed shows as well. Three angry daughters is not fun!

thanks for any help in advance.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 24 May 2008 14:13:04 EDT

justin9876 :

said by GeekGirl1 :

There is a bug in the IMG (Menu --> Settings --> Video Settings) that if you change the video resolution, it resets the 4:3 override to On. Set your video resolution to whatever you want in the IMG, then go into the setup menu and make your change. Don't change anything in the IMG or you'll have to change the setup again.

GeekGir1, I know several people here have reported that, but I specifically tested that on my HD DVR and the 4:3 Override did not revert to ON. I don't understand why I don't have that problem, but then again, I have never seen many of the problems that others here report: lost recordings, failure to record, reboots (had it one time), etc, etc, etc. My HD DVR really works very well.
--
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV and Internet
Motorola QIP6416 HD DVR
Sony KDL-V40XBR1

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 23 May 2008 20:05:26 EDT

GeekGirl1 : You should be in the setup menu, not diagnostic. With the STB On, hit "Power, Select, Menu" in quick sequence. The title of the menu says "User Settings". 3rd entry down is "4:3 Override". Set it to Off and you should be good to go.

The diagnostics menu "d12 USER SETTING STATUS" shows the configuration of the setup menu. You can't change anything there.

There is a bug in the IMG (Menu --> Settings --> Video Settings) that if you change the video resolution, it resets the 4:3 override to On. Set your video resolution to whatever you want in the IMG, then go into the setup menu and make your change. Don't change anything in the IMG or you'll have to change the setup again.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 23 May 2008 16:36:58 EDT

WAW : I have accessed the set top dx menu to sd overide off. this improves the transition between sd and hd channels with hdmi. prior to changing this there is a delay in the picture with flashing screens. However, each time I return to the stb the setting reverts to 480i and not sd overide off. How can I make this change permanent? Is this a bug/

Fios
JVC HDLI
Denon A/V receiver
hdmi and optical audio cables

Thanks for any help.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 21 May 2008 20:06:35 EDT

GeekGirl1 : (FYI - Post #1 has been updated to point to the FAQ. Look there for the details.)

Got my 3rd DCT700 digital adapter today. Found a neat way to check for FiOS at the wall plate outlet. My situation is that I have 2 unmarked coax connections - 1 for OTA, 1 for FiOS (cable). I couldn't tell which was FiOS, so I took a 50/50 shot. The box wasn't activated yet, so all I got was a blank screen.

Neat trick: Go into the diagnostics menu "02 OOB Status" - that's where it finds the IMG and guide info. The data is not used in the DCT700, but the carrier is always present.

- If you are connected to FiOS, the carrier will be locked to a frequency (75.25 MHz in Philly area).
- If you are not connected to FiOS, the menu will be in "hunt" mode and it will continually scroll through a list of frequencies until it locks to something.

In my case, I guessed wrong and the box was in "hunt" mode. As soon as I swapped the connection, it found 75.25 MHz right away and locked to it. Activation occurred no problem a few minutes after that.

I think this is a good way to check for the presence of FiOS if you have a blank screen and can't get any channels. Nothing to watch, but it's an easy way to see if you have RF coming into the STB without disconnecting anything.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:48:49 EDT

anon : The problem right now is that verizon does'nt give the tech a manual to give to the customer thats shows all the function of the receivers.As of now their more concern with how fast we can do the job. customer care and quality of work is out the door right now!

It's Official! STB info is now in the FiOS FAQ

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:57:19 EDT

GeekGirl1 : Thanks to sashwa, the STB diagnostic menu info for the 64xx series (Post #1) and DCT700 are now in the Verizon FiOS FAQ: »Verizon Online FiOS FAQ »What Information Can My Set-Top Box Tell Me

Post #1 will be updated to match the FAQ (needs forum moderator to edit).

Re: Digital Adapter (DCT700) Diagnostics Menu

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:45:11 EDT

Technogeez : Thanks for posting - I was looking for the mono/stereo switch...
--
Read your contract and TOS before signing anything.

DCT700 Diagnostics Menu

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:53:46 EDT

GeekGirl1 : Diagnostics menu now updated in my previous post: »Digital Adapter (DCT700) Diagnostics Menu.

I'll try to keep it updated. Let me know if I need to make any changes / comments.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:52:30 EDT

rocky01 :

said by darcilicious :

If I'm reading »www.midcocomm.com/_documents/dct···/DVR.pdf correctly, it means no error (e.g. error-free).

Yes thanks for the link. BTW asked on VZ Direct if they would provide a firmware in near future that would enable front panel connectors -- since other providers equipment have these jacks enabled (and they didn't say no) ...

Digital Adapter (DCT700) Diagnostics Menu

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:47:35 EDT

GeekGirl1 : Here's the info for the DCT700 (digital adapter). I used the installation manual to help with the explanations, found here: »www.comcast.com/medialibrary/1/1···0man.pdf

To access the diagnostics menu, start with the STB ON, then hit POWER, OK. There's no front panel, so everything is via the remote. The menu is somewhat similar to the STB 64xx series, but it's more of a "barebones"view only type of box. More networking, less on-board stuff.

01 GENERAL STATUS: Error codes, number of pending purchases. They still use "GPS Time" instead of GMT (my gripe). Tuner is Alps TDER-001A.

02 OOB STATUS: Out-Of-Band status. I think this is the state of the data channel used for the info pop-up. In here, hit "Menu" to change the channel. Read the manual for more info (!). If you select a channel that it can't lock to, you need to power cycle the box (Off / On with remote). It will then give a Verizon "start-up" menu while it fixes what you broke. No harm, it will reset back to the right channel (75.25 MHz in Philly).

03 IN BAND STATUS: The RF details of the channel you were watching. Get your SNR, error counts, frequency, modulation format here. No AGC, however.

04 AUDIO/VIDEO STATUS: Status of the audio and video. Audio: mono, stereo, or surround (a lot of good that does for this box...). Video: Mute Black (Probably what it does with no signal (black screen). Other choices are Unmuted, or Mute Still)

05 UNIT ADDRESS: MAC and multicast addresses. All 0's.

06 FIRMWARE VERSION: Operating system and boot firmware rev info here. Version 3.18 Jan 11, 2007, Boot ver. 3.09

07 CURRENT CHANNEL STATUS: Additional info- analog / digital, encrypted (ENC) / unencrypted (UNE). Tuned frequency = Carrier frequency + 1.75 MHz (in manual).

08 RENEWABLE SECURITY: If a TvPC (TV Pass Card) card is required. N/A for this box.

09 UPSTREAM MODEM: RF return channel info. Disabled.

10 APP CODE MODULES: Application Code Modules. The various pieces of the firmware. fios0700 Version 4.10.

11 MEMORY CONFIG: Onboard memory configuration. DRAM - 8 GB, flash - 2 GB.

12 INTERACTIVE INFO: Not used.

13 MAC FREQUENCY TABLE: For upstream communication. Not used.

14 CONTROL CHANNELS: Control channels. Not much info except that there's activity on 0, 1, 8, 9.

15 MESSAGE TYPES: PID counts. Not much info, but it's active (numbers are changing).

16 IN BAND PAT: Program Association Table. Description is Motorola use only. OK.

17 IN BAND PMT: Program Map Table. Description is Motorola use only. OK, no problem.

18 TASK STATUS: Description is Motorola use only. It's the task manager for the box. Task IDs are in most recent (highest order) first. Scroll down to see the entire list.

19 USB STATUS: USB port diagnostics. Blank - not in this box.

20 IB MCA STATUS: In-Band Multicast Address Filter. Not used.

21 KEYBOARD / LED: N/A for this box.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:24:20 EDT

darcilicious :

said by GeekGirl1 :

Thanks! Excellent link! It's the 3rd hit on google for "DCT6400 Installation manual".
[...]
I'll match it up with Post #1 and see what I need to change. Now I've got some reading to do...

Glad it's turning out to be useful :)

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:54:47 EDT

GeekGirl1 : Thanks! Excellent link! It's the 3rd hit on google for "DCT6400 Installation manual". Couldn't find it on the Motorola site.

Interesting stuff:

Starting on Page 3-12: "Boot cycle"
Chapter 4: Diagnostics
Appendix A: Specifications (RF input levels, frequencies)

I'll match it up with Post #1 and see what I need to change. Now I've got some reading to do...

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:48:29 EDT

shadowcaster : Yes, I read it the same way. Thank you for that link ! Nice to have the manual that the techs just don't seem to want to give to us.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:31:00 EDT

darcilicious : If I'm reading »www.midcocomm.com/_documents/dct···/DVR.pdf correctly, it means no error (e.g. error-free).

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:23:55 EDT

shadowcaster : Under "general status" does anyone know what this means? :

Error EP00 Connected CSA

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:59:16 EDT

anon : please note that the oob can show u a lot more it can also show you if you have reverse wiring and lost data connection. I use this screen when trouble shooting on service calls.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:35:23 EDT

keyboards :

said by rocky01 :

Thanks GeekGirl1, keyboards, et. al. for this thread. I'll be using diagnostic menu to track down ocassional audio dropouts on HDNET recordings I've noticed.

Thanks for the shout out, but GeekGirl1 really deserves the credit for all the detailed analysis and explanations.

As for the HDNet audio dropouts, I have yet to record a concert from them without at least 1 audio dropout in the program (no video issues). I wonder if they do it on purpose to prevent people from copying? Just my paranoia ;-) (who said that? Who's there !!) :D
--
REMEMBER: Stupidity should be painful !!

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:28:37 EDT

GeekGirl1 : Audio dropouts might actually be in the program material. There's lots of complaints of audio dropouts, like Philly local Comcast Sportsnet during hockey games. Stuff happens every once in a while.

If you can catch the dropouts live, check the inband channel status (d04) for error counts. Should be zero if everything is OK. Usually, you'll see some video pixelation before the audio goes anyway.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:43:13 EDT

rocky01 : Thanks GeekGirl1, keyboards, et. al. for this thread. I'll be using diagnostic menu to track down ocassional audio dropouts on HDNET recordings I've noticed. I have yet to catch the HDNet Test Pattern airings but aim to in near future. Cut and pasted your posts into a text document for future use. :)

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:59:32 EDT

keyboards :

said by lamsao :

Does the Power-Select-Menu sequence work with QIP-2500 STB?

Thanks,
Lamsao

Nope, that is for HD STBs only.
--
REMEMBER: Stupidity should be painful !!

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:25:08 EDT

lamsao : On my QIP-2500 STB I could get the diagnostic menu using Power-Select-Select sequence but could not get the hidden menu using Power-Select-Menu sequence.

Does the Power-Select-Menu sequence work with QIP-2500 STB?

Thanks,
Lamsao

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:22:01 EDT

anon : The DCT-700 will only display the current time and channel you are on when the info button is pressed.

HDNet Test Patterns - for that "finishing" touch

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:39:06 EDT

GeekGirl1 : If you're reading this thread (and not by accident :)), you probably are interested in getting the best possible picture quality on your TV. Did you know that HDNet is broadcasting video test patterns every week? Lasts about 10 minutes. Setup your DVR and record one for safe-keeping.

Why? There's no better way to absolutely positively guarantee that you are getting a good picture out of your STB. If there's a problem with picture quality (like the current complaints about the SD channels), a test pattern is the best way to identify if it's you or Verizon. It's also a great way to debug problems with the various video outputs of the STB.

»www.hd.net/program_search_result···oth&ws=1

Sat, Feb 23 - 6:30 AM ET 3:30 AM PT HDNet Test Patterns
Sat, Mar 1 - 6:30 AM ET 3:30 AM PT HDNet Test Patterns
Sat, Mar 8 - 6:30 AM ET 3:30 AM PT HDNet Test Patterns
Wonder how your home theatre is doing? Wish you had test patterns to help set it up? Well, HDNet is here to help. This short program will help you get the most out of your home theatre setup by providing you with the same professional test patterns HDNet uses to set their gear.

HDNet's pattern is sent in 1080i. The audio tells you how to set it up, but if you own one of the reference DVDs used for home theater setup (Avia or Digital Video Essentials), it's the same process.

A good test is the color bar "pluge" test pattern. If you can't see the entire range from "0" to "9" on your HDMI output, try setting the colorspace from "YCC" to "RGB" in the "Advanced HDMI Settings" of the setup menu. (Analog outputs other than HDMI should be able to see the entire range.)

AVS forum has a display calibration forum, which has at least one dedicated thread on the topic: »www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthre···t=800757

A less technical reference on how to adjust your TV: »www.smartcalibration.com/hdnetpatterns.html

The test patterns are listed as "Off-Air" in the IMG. No clue why, but I can't find it in the IMG search feature. However, it shows up just fine if you manually scroll over to the date / time listed.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 20:14:52 EDT

GeekGirl1 : The onscreen IMG reports 2 code modules shown in the diagnostics screen.
Code objects: fios_0064 version 5.68 (IMG Build Number), odc_0064 version 8.68 (IMG data object filename)

Pushing info gives you all you need, including the time.

I can't imagine Verizon using the same firmware as ComCast. Sorry, I'm only familiar with the DCT-6200 and QIP6416 series.

I'd doubt that there's any free RAM, as the STB is still stuttering, even after replacement. The original still needed replacement, but the new STB just does it "differently". I'm thinking that the processor is starved, somehow. Lack of memory would do that.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:40:04 EDT

cypherstream : I would be curious as to what some of these diagnostics would look like on a DCT-700 on Fios.

I have a DCT-700 with Comcast and I get the same blue diagnostic screen as a DCT-2000 or 2500. But I hear with FIOS there is no guide at all. So what would be listed under the code modules section? Anything at all?

I have firmware 3.17 with my DCT-700, and three code modules. One is the 3_17plat, TVGOS_, and SEAVOD, along with version numbers.

Would Verizon still use firmware 3.17, but not have any other code modules listed? What could they do on the DCT-700 with all of that free NVRAM? Does it perform faster ie) channel switching?

If you forget what channel number your on (easy to do since there's no front panel display), if you push Info, does it at least tell you the channel number, and or possibly name?

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:17:18 EDT

noping :

said by GeekGirl1 :

I did not enter the diagnostics menu while it was recording, but that shouldn't cause any problems (?).

Entered the menu while DVR was recording. No problems.

Under the old software, you couldn't access the menu if it was recording.
--
$ sudo rm -rf /

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:24:54 EDT

sneskid :

said by jerry k :

Outstanding response; more and much better that I had hoped
I am now a more "enlightened" viewer, although I may disappoint you with that view.
I like full screen; am willing to suffer with minor distortion., but (at least) am making a decision based on both knowledge and mypersonal preference
Mrs K and I thank you

Jerry K
Tewksbury MA

Have you checked out what the TV can get without the box?

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:34:49 EDT

anon : Outstanding response; more and much better that I had hoped
I am now a more "enlightened" viewer, although I may disappoint you with that view.
I like full screen; am willing to suffer with minor distortion., but (at least) am making a decision based on both knowledge and mypersonal preference
Mrs K and I thank you

Jerry K
Tewksbury MA

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 18:56:15 EDT

sneskid :

said by jerry k :

My thanks again to sneskid and GeekGirl 1
Wish I read the note which came with the TV,
"You need validate these settings only if you are connecting your new Sharp 19" TV to a HD Verizon STB"

May I please ask one last question concerning the View mode
The TV came in "stretch mode" which I didn't like. I tried 4:3, and the picture was shortened. I tried zoom at 2.35.5 but lost top and bottom of the picture. Stretch at 1.78.1 seems to work best. Is this the best choice?
My thanks again
Jerry K
Tewksbury MA

That depends on who you ask. Me, I personally prefer to watch everything in its original aspect ratio. The bars that result from this don't bother me one bit. What DOES bother me is an image that is either cropped, distorted, or otherwise modified in some way. So to answer your question, when you are watching something on FIOS, I would say that the "correct" way is to leave your TV on 4:3, since that is the only aspect ratio that your box outputs.
There is an exception, however. Let's say that for example you are watching a movie on Turner Classic Movies, and it is in letterbox format (which occurs a lot, since TCM usually is pretty good about film preservation). Sometimes this means that you can use the zoom mode without cutting anything off the top and bottom. I say SOMETIMES of course, because different movies are shot in all different aspect ratios.

That said, it is understandable that people want to "fill the screen" on their TVs. However again, if filling the screen means that the image is cropped or distorted in some way, I object to this completely.

To quote someone in the alt.tv.tech.hdtv usenet discussion group:
"Just say NO to Stretch-O-Vision."

Now since you don't have an HD box, there is a work around to this if you want to at least be able to watch SOME HD programming. Your TV does have a QAM tuner, which means that for some channels, you can bypass the set top box and use the tuner in your TV instead. When you reprogram the TV's tuner, it should pick up some of the HD channels that Verizon offers.
Also, if your TV has a cable card slot, your other option is to call Verizon and tell them that instead of the cable box, you want a cable card instead. The drawback is that you will not have the on screen guide that the box offers, and you won't have Video On Demand either.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:01:17 EDT

anon : My thanks again to sneskid and GeekGirl 1
Wish I read the note which came with the TV,
"You need validate these settings only if you are connecting your new Sharp 19" TV to a HD Verizon STB"

May I please ask one last question concerning the View mode
The TV came in "stretch mode" which I didn't like. I tried 4:3, and the picture was shortened. I tried zoom at 2.35.5 but lost top and bottom of the picture. Stretch at 1.78.1 seems to work best. Is this the best choice?
My thanks again
Jerry K
Tewksbury MA

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:49:11 EDT

sneskid :

said by GeekGirl1 :

said by jerry k :

Using remote control, Power -OK - Menu
Using STB front panel, Power - Select -Menu
It did display what appeared to be some kind of Sharp menu

sneskid hit the nail on the head. I flat out missed that your QIP2500 is an SD box, meaning that all output is 4:3. You don't have an HDMI output.

The Motorola product info, with datasheet: »broadband.motorola.com/catalog/p···ctID=445

You shouldn't be seeing anything related to your TV menu. Do you have your remote setup to turn on/off the STB together with the TV? I do. When you need to go into the STB setup menu, you should do it from the STB directly (no remote). That keeps things separate.

Never blame age! It's just a complicated subject.

Heh.. the only reason I know about the QIP 2500 is because that is the only STB I have. I still have yet to upgrade to HD, but I sure better do so soon while I can still get a good used Sony HD CRT. Sony doesn't make HD CRTs anymore, and I'm not really a big fan of LCD or Plasma...

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:37:23 EDT

GeekGirl1 :

said by jerry k :

Using remote control, Power -OK - Menu
Using STB front panel, Power - Select -Menu
It did display what appeared to be some kind of Sharp menu

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:34:10 EDT

sneskid : I don't think this applies, as the QIP2500 is not an HD STB. It also doesn't have HDMI anyway.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:23:09 EDT

anon : GeekGirl1 and Keyboards, your advice was great and it worked

Am now trying, without sucess, to acess the USER SETTINGS
I tried both methods, pushing the buttons in quick sequence
Using remote control, Power -OK - Menue
Using STB front panel, Power - Select -Menu
The TV did not display a white screen with black test
It did display what appearaead to be some kind of Sharp menu
What I am trying todo is change TV type to 16.9 and move the 4.3 Override to "Off"

Does it make any difference that I receive a digital but not HD signal

Thank you again for your help
Jerry K in Tewksbury MA

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:48:02 EDT

anon : Thank you both, "Keyboards" and "GeekGirl1"
After one passes age 75, the memory cells don't always click in. However, your straight forward advice is awesome
(My wife is watching the tube now, I shall try the fix later
Jerry k in Tewksbury MA ;) :)

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:21:48 EDT

GeekGirl1 : And keep your TV on. This is for the STB only.

What your STB does over HDMI: The STB does a digital "handshake" (are you there?) with the TV during power up. If it doesn't "see" the TV, it doesn't display. Usually not a problem if you turn them both on at the same time. Just thought to mention it. The STB will very briefly flash a "DU1" when it's done shaking hands (OK, I found it).

(More technical: The STB authenticates the connection, thanks to HDCP copy protection.)

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:02:36 EDT

keyboards : Have the TV on at at the start of the procedure.
--
REMEMBER: Stupidity should be painful !!

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:45:08 EDT

anon : Please help me with my Moterola QIP 2500 STB

"With your STB powered on....Should my (free) Sharp LC 19SB TV be “on” or “Off” at this time?

"Hit Power, Select, Select quickly....If the TV is "off" at this time,I assume i now turn it on. Or,should it have already been on?

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:01:42 EDT

GeekGirl1 : d07 menu added to post #1.

From what I remember, Comcast used this for the DOCSIS modem data rates and return channel frequency (about 11 MHz). For Verizon, it's just a dump of the ethernet settings. No DOCSIS modems anywhere near this thing, so I guess they redid this menu for ethernet only.

Verizon supplies an external router, made by ActionTec, that has the MoCA interface to the ONT. It's designed to work with the STB, as shown in the "d16 Connected Home" menu.

Firmware is used to execute the hardware. If the firmware is different, it's because the hardware is. MoCA in the firmware means that the design supports it.

(Going by memory, please correct if wrong.)

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:25:04 EDT

cypherstream : My DCT-700 and DCT-6412 Phase 2 DVR with Comcast both have the d16 Connected Home diagnostic. I thought those boxes didn't support Moca? Since firmware 16.35(DVR) and 3.17(DCT-700) that diagnostic shows up. Did they add Moca via firmware somehow?

Does d07 upstream modem show anything on Verizon? I'm guessing it wouldn't, since it talks back with Moca then out the IP network.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:44:07 EDT

GeekGirl1 : Post #1 updated again. Figured out how the STB is connected to the ActionTec router.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:51:10 EDT

GeekGirl1 : You should not be getting a "poor" SNR if Verizon properly adjusted the signal level at your TV when they installed it.

The "poor" SNR is because the STB is receiving the digital channel (256-QAM) just fine. If it was analog, it would look noise and very "poor". If the signal level drops any more, you will start to get pixelation and then no more picture. IOW, the "poor" is a don't care until you lose the picture. Are you sure that you are getting all the channels?

If you did the install yourself (post Verizon), check that the splitter has a 1 GHz bandwidth. Or, you have old coax.

You can temporarily replace the 3-way splitter with an F-connector adapter "bullet" (female-female) and see if anything improves.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:54:12 EDT

bobc2112 : Wow, you folks are amazing. Might be a good overall topic for a Sticky (STB Settings / Menus) now that the IMG threads have lost steam, by the looks of the last posts!

I for one always have to re-search how to get to menus and such....

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:37:16 EDT

x030399 : I checked my stats on the HD DVR, and everything was "good", but when I check it on my SD non-DVR box (slightly different menu with blue screen and less info), it says the SNR is 13 and "poor."

The HD DVR is closest to the ONT and before the 3 way splitter that feeds the upstairs bedrooms, where the SD box and Actiontec are, so I'm assuming it's attenuation that's causing the "poor" reading upstairs.

Regardless, the SD box gets a perfect picture on all channel, and VOD and widgets work fine. Should I care that it comes up "poor?"

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:01:24 EDT

afiggatt :

said by GeekGirl1 :

You can see that the STB is using the SD digital channels for 2-49, not analog. Guess that's in preparation for the analog cutoff. Already done.

The Verizon STBs and DVRs do not have analog tuners. I don't think Verizon ever released STBs with an analog tuner. The SD locals and PEGs that fill most of the mapped channels 2 to 49 are generally located at QAM 63 to 68 with QAM 64 unused at my CO.

Last fall, I asked people to go into the diagnostics menu to look up the QAM frequencies of their HD channels and especially the HD RSNs. All reports had the national HD channels and the national SD channels we checked at the same QAM channels in all markets. Maybe it is time to recheck the QAM scan to see if anything has changed lately and (re)post the QAM channel breakdown for the HD channels and the locals for the northern VA/Washington DC market. The locals all appear to be at QAM 63 to 68 range with the digital broadcast HD/SD locals at QAM 71 to 75 or higher.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:35:19 EDT

GeekGirl1 : I was 99% sure also, but now it's 100%. I did that on purpose to show an example of how to use the STB's menu for RF channel debugging.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:33:18 EDT

knarf829 : I'm 99% sure that FiOS STBs have always used the digital versions of 2-49 pre-dating the plan to cut of analogs in 2009.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:02:54 EDT

GeekGirl1 : Post #1 updated again. Found a lot more stuff to document.

You can see that the STB is using the SD digital channels for 2-49, not analog. Guess that's in preparation for the analog cutoff. Already done.

The "GPS" time in the General Status menu (D01) is really wrong. Should be UTC or GMT, but I've seen that when I had Comcast, so probably not worth reporting. I'm sure it's synced to a time standard, but GPS is just plain wrong usage here.

Interesting that the firmware release is listed as November 15, 2007. Verizon started promoting the new IMG back in August, 2007...

Might want to add the over-temperature flag / counter, just in case:
Temp: 100 deg F, Max 113 deg F
Over Temp: No, Count: 0

FYI - The STB manual says to allow 2" of air space above and to each side for ventilation. If temperature's a problem, be sure you get enough air flow.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:56:45 EDT

justin9876 : Temp 90 Max 117

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:45:29 EDT

knarf829 : Temp 100 Max 108

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:17:34 EDT

batsona : My max. temp indicated 117F and current temp of 102F. How do other people's temperature look like? I have a problem with my DVRs rebooting. This is an excellent way to see if mine are hotter than other peoples'.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:43:15 EDT

Templar : Good work! Very informative ...

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:35:40 EDT

GeekGirl1 : I've updated post #1 to reflect all the comments. All in one nice spot.

justin9876 - I remember seeing a few posts a while back where there were problems using the remote. Was just being cautious. I removed my comment.

knarf829 - updated for box recording.

andrewRedHil - The guide data certainly comes over IP network, but how does it travel over the coax to the STB? That's where the ActionTec's MoCA interface comes into play. »Re: FIOS TV & Router Turned On

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:56:54 EDT

andrewRedHil :

said by GeekGirl1 :

I haven't looked at the diagnostic menu since I've had Comcast, so it's about time to dig into it for Verizon FiOS. (Thanks to knarf829 for the access code: »Line Attenuators)

With your STB powered on, hit "Power, Select, Select" quickly in sequence from the front panel. Don't use your remote. To exit the menu, hit "Power" to turn off the STB. The next power up will be back to normal.

The setup menu is where you configure the display, 4:3 override, HDMI settings, etc. is accessed by hitting "Power, Select, Menu". That's different than the diagnostic menu described here.

This menu is how your STB tells you what's going on. Everything from signal quality to channel encryption status to it's IP address and who it's talking to over the MoCA ethernet. The Line Attenuator thread contains a link that describes what the screen looks like and how to find SNR and AGC: »cjhengineering.com/hdtv/cablehdt···diag.htm. However, it's old and Verizon's menu contains additional entries.

I don't think you can hurt anything as this menu doesn't allow for user entry. Read-only. I think...

D06 Current Channel Status: Displays details about the flags used to set copy protection. Those interested in recording over firewire may want to visit AVS forum to understand the CCI and other bits to determine if a program can be copied / recorded: »www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthre···page=148. The menu shown in the link above is old.

D16 Connected Home: Page 4 (scroll up/down) shows the STB's TX data rates, in Mbps. I think it might be useful for those with home media DVRs that transfer their videos around the house. I don't know, as I don't have one. But it looked interesting. My data rate is around 230 Mbps.

D11 Interface Port Status: You can find the display EDID data here. It's a map of supported video resolution formats. Helpful for debugging 480i vs. 480p vs. 720p vs. 1080i.

D03 OOB Status: Out Of Band, meaning this is the RF channel for the program guide. 75.25 MHz.

D04 Inband Status: The status of the current channel. Select the channel of interest, then access the diagnostic menu. The menu will report the channel it's currently tuned to.

Note: Be careful to note which tuner is in use. My HD-DVR has 2 tuners, the current channel was on Tuner 2, not Tuner 1. I did not enter the diagnostics menu while it was recording as I didnt' know what would happen and didn't want to risk lose anything.

I checked the SNR, AGC, and correctable errors for a few channels. SNR is >37 dB, AGC "Good", 0 errors. Helpful if you have pixelation errors (those that are not from Verizon) or lose a channel. I mapped a few channels:


Channel       Name              Frequency   Modulation
    75     Versus SD             795 MHz     256-QAM
   829     Comcast Sportsnet-HD  639 MHz     256-QAM
   833     HDNet                 501 MHz     256-QAM
   846     Discovery HD          669 MHz     256-QAM

Knowing the right frequency is very helpful if you think you are having signal problems. Like if you are having a problem on a channel at 800 MHz and not having problem at 100 MHz, check your coax. Or, if you are using a QAM tuner without an STB, you could map frequencies to channels and see why your QAM tuner won't decode a channel.

OOB is only used for firmware and channel map and other items to allow you to see the video.
Guide comes from the IP network port.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:58:08 EDT

Fieldhouse : Excellent info. Thanks for the details. I messed with this a bit after seeing the OP yesterday but hadn't figured it all out yet. This helps a lot.

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:54:32 EDT

knarf829 : Thanks for the credit (and good detail). Nice work.

I believe the box will not shut off during a recording (re: entering the diagnostic menu while recording).

Re: The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:52:51 EDT

justin9876 :

said by GeekGirl1 :

With your STB powered on, hit "Power, Select, Select" quickly in sequence from the front panel. Don't use your remote. To exit the menu, hit "Power" to turn off the STB. The next power up will be back to normal.

Why do you (and others) say to not use the remote? I use the remote whenever I need to get to this menu (which really isn't very often)- I never, ever use the buttons on the STB. I simply:

1) Power off the STB (leaving the TV on, if you have the remote power on/off the TV and STB together then this can be a little problem, but I have mine set to turn them on and off separately as I always leave my STBs on).

2) Hit OK on the remote

3) Hit OK on the remote again

The menu comes up and I can look at the statistics just fine. And when I am through I just power off the STB and power it back on again.

The advantage is that this can all be done from the comfort of the recliner, and squinting (with these old eyes) at the labels on the STB in the low light of the TV room is not required.
--
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV and Internet
Motorola QIP6416 HD DVR
Sony KDL-V40XBR1

The "other" hidden menu in your STB - Diagnostic

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:20:30 EDT

GeekGirl1 : Your FiOS (and cable TV) Set-Top Box (STB) is a device that needs to be able to process signals in real-time, record (if you have a DVR), respond to your remote, and send video and audio out to your display and stereo in a number of different formats.

There's a lot of information that your STB would like to tell you. It's available in the Diagnostic menu. You don't really need to know about this menu. But for those with a technical curiosity, or, need to troubleshoot something, this is the menu for you.

If you are looking to change your STB's output resolution, aspect ratio, closed captioning, or HDMI advanced settings; that's the setup menu. With the STB On, hit "Power, Select, Menu" in quick sequence.

To enter the diagnostics menu: With your STB powered On, hit "Power, Select, Select" quickly in sequence from the front panel or remote. To exit the menu, hit "Power" to turn off the STB. The next power up will be back to normal.

To avoid duplication, the diagnostic menu details for both the 6400 series and DCT700 STBs are in the »Verizon Online FiOS FAQ »What Information Can My Set-Top Box Tell Me

(Updated to incorporate comments in posts below.)
(Update to re-direct to FAQ)