dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
6226

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

[TV] Further Proof NextBox wasn't ready to launch...

So, went to watch some TV last night, when I got home from work, and a bunch of stations were showing just a black screen... "Odd" I thought to myself, but it was a bunch of second-teir stations (Action, etc) so thought it could have been a common problem... Oh well - off to bed.

Went into the bedroom, flipped on the TV there, sure enough, the channels are fine...

Called into Rogers, as soon as I started to describe the issue, the guy said "let me guess, they work on the HD boxes, but not on the HD-PVR. It's a bug in the software, we hope to have it fixed next week." He had me un-plug and re-plug the PVR, and sure enough, the channels were back...

Like I said it my other thread, I get that new product launches aren't always smooth - but this has decended to the level of sad, bad, joke...

I'm back on day shift next week, and will be setting aside some quality time to speak with Rogers about what I've gone through, how un-impressed I am with their service and billing, and what exactly they are prepared to do, to keep me as a customer...

I realize these are #FirstWorldProblems - and in the big picture, they don't matter much, or, really, at all - and any one of the hiccups I've experienced wouldn't be a big deal, but it seems every damn day, there's "something" up with this - a billing problem, a software glitch, etc etc... But I pay good money for my services - I just want them to work, as advertised, and pay what I'm supposed to pay. I don't think that's too much to expect.

Anyways - /RANT - I'm done (for now....)

jmck
formerly 'shaded'
join:2010-10-02
Ottawa, ON

jmck

Member

not too surprising considering the shit that's being thrown at customers with the current digital and hd boxes, the interface is beyond crap and slow.

i can't even stand the Rogers nextbox commercials, bad enough they recycle those terrible actors but the way they try and sell the product by implying you can continue watching a show in your kitchen is dumb.
resa1983
Premium Member
join:2008-03-10
North York, ON

resa1983

Premium Member

Lol.. This is the same problem my office secretary had.. They told her that the hd in the PVR was dead, so had to replace the PVR and lose everything she recorded.

Gotta love the bad info Rogers is providing to people.

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt to LazMan

Premium Member

to LazMan
I have seen the "Black Channel" problem here as well, on a non-pvr Cisco 4642HD. Rebooting the box fixes it, but god damn it takes 5 friggin minutes to reboot!!!

Older 8300HD PVR & 3250HD don't have this issue, but they are not running the new interface because they can't.
scorpido
Premium Member
join:2009-11-02
Abbotsford, BC

scorpido to LazMan

Premium Member

to LazMan
The nextbox is just a cisco box that has new software. I have the service and find it kinda useless. The only nice thing is that I can record a show upstairs and watch it on my non pvr downstairs. Other then that its just a gimmik. Oh, the boxes freeze all the time.

BACONATOR26
Premium Member
join:2000-11-25
Nepean, ON

BACONATOR26 to LazMan

Premium Member

to LazMan
I don't know why you guys want to spend all this money on inferior proprietary software controlled by your cable company. You can build a PC to use as a PVR or just download what you want to watch. It's still cheaper to pay the overage on Rogers internet for bandwidth then it is to buy several settops and pay for the subscription.

eeeaddict
join:2010-02-14

eeeaddict

Member

said by BACONATOR26:

I don't know why you guys want to spend all this money on inferior proprietary software controlled by your cable company. You can build a PC to use as a PVR or just download what you want to watch. It's still cheaper to pay the overage on Rogers internet for bandwidth then it is to buy several settops and pay for the subscription.

people are lazy and/or don't know how lol, but I agree with you!
btw what are you using for pvr on your pc? not to go to far off topic but I use mediaportal and it is times better than rogers software!

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

I've tried the 'boxee' route, and do have a PVR running on my home server... But there's a lot to be said for the convenience and content available from the cable-co, if it worked the way it was supposed to...
the cerberus
join:2007-10-16
Richmond Hill, ON

2 edits

the cerberus to HiVolt

Member

to HiVolt
said by HiVolt:

I have seen the "Black Channel" problem here as well, on a non-pvr Cisco 4642HD. Rebooting the box fixes it, but god damn it takes 5 friggin minutes to reboot!!!

Older 8300HD PVR & 3250HD don't have this issue, but they are not running the new interface because they can't.

Nah, I've had the same issue on the explorer 8300HD.
However, there is an error that displays on the screen saying the channel is not available, when it works on other explorer 8642 boxes in the house.
Rebooting it is a hassle but it works.
It may have something to do with the switch to SDV.
said by BACONATOR26:

I don't know why you guys want to spend all this money on inferior proprietary software controlled by your cable company. You can build a PC to use as a PVR or just download what you want to watch. It's still cheaper to pay the overage on Rogers internet for bandwidth then it is to buy several settops and pay for the subscription.

Because the CRTC sucks and didnt fight for us to have cablecard, we cannot get all the channels we pay for without the box.
There is a large difference between live tv and recorded tv.
The main example being live sporting events.
Some people enjoy the experience of watching tv, flipping through the channels and watching something at the same time as millions of other people.

BACONATOR26
Premium Member
join:2000-11-25
Nepean, ON

BACONATOR26 to LazMan

Premium Member

to LazMan
said by LazMan:

I've tried the 'boxee' route, and do have a PVR running on my home server... But there's a lot to be said for the convenience and content available from the cable-co, if it worked the way it was supposed to...

It's never going to work. The manufactures and cable cos are only in it for the profit. Take the set top box for example, the same box they charge you what $200? Think about the profit margin of them considering the crappy hardware they put in it. For $200 I can build a better Atom server. And they certainly aren't interested in putting effort in the software.

And what do you mean by convenience and content? With the right hardware and PVR software you can do it yourself fully automated.
the cerberus
join:2007-10-16
Richmond Hill, ON

the cerberus

Member

said by BACONATOR26:

And what do you mean by convenience and content? With the right hardware and PVR software you can do it yourself fully automated.

You cant get a cablecard on rogers, therefore you cant get the same channels or the same content.
Sure you can get some nice hardware for the same price, but the channels are what matters.

BACONATOR26
Premium Member
join:2000-11-25
Nepean, ON

BACONATOR26

Premium Member

said by the cerberus:

said by BACONATOR26:

And what do you mean by convenience and content? With the right hardware and PVR software you can do it yourself fully automated.

You cant get a cablecard on rogers, therefore you cant get the same channels or the same content.
Sure you can get some nice hardware for the same price, but the channels are what matters.

If you don't need HD you can just get a capture card with s-video and an IR blaster. Otherwise setup an auto torrent or usenet and a video player.

rogersfail
@rogers.com

rogersfail

Anon

You can get a hauppage HDPVR and set it up with channel changing software for the older SA boxes. Then u can use your pc as the pvr
decx
Premium Member
join:2002-06-07
Vancouver, BC

decx to LazMan

Premium Member

to LazMan
Have gotten the blank channel problem a here a few times as well. The issue is somehow related to Rogers initiated software updates as the problem appears immediately after the updates.

Btw, no need to physically unplug the STB's power, just reboot it from the settings > troubleshooting menu.
bt
join:2009-02-26
canada

bt to BACONATOR26

Member

to BACONATOR26
said by BACONATOR26:

I don't know why you guys want to spend all this money on inferior proprietary software controlled by your cable company. You can build a PC to use as a PVR or just download what you want to watch. It's still cheaper to pay the overage on Rogers internet for bandwidth then it is to buy several settops and pay for the subscription.

Not everything is available legally online, if that distinction matters to someone. If the distinction doesn't matter, there are still some things that just aren't available online, or are very difficult to find in a reasonable quality.
bdoyledimou
join:2002-08-20
Markham, ON

bdoyledimou

Member

Rogers missed a prime opportunity to stand out here.
The "Nextbox" is 4 year old technology already -- and it only does half as much as whats been available for the last 4 years elsewhere.

Rogers should have partnered with Tivo -- gotten the Tivo HD XL packaged and just collected the cash as it rolled in. Interface, usability, feature set -- alreayd there Rogers.. way to miss the boat.
zo786
join:2012-01-19
Toronto, ON

zo786

Member

You really think Rogers does things for the benefit of it's clients? Their MO is to offer the least amount of service/technology for the highest price. That's why they are selling this 4 or 5 year old technology as the newest and latest.
bt
join:2009-02-26
canada

bt

Member

said by zo786:

That's why they are selling this 4 or 5 year old technology as the newest and latest.

It helps (helps Rogers sell it the way they are, that is) that in some ways, this is the newest and latest within most of Rogers territory.

Outside of the areas of Toronto that can get FibeTV, there is no subscription TV service with a proper whole home PVR that Rogers has to compete with. Sure, there are home-brew solutions such as using a slingbox or wiring up multiple TVs to one PVR, but nothing that is able to fully replicate the (advertised) capabilities of a WHPVR.

mozerd
Light Will Pierce The Darkness
MVM
join:2004-04-23
Nepean, ON

mozerd to zo786

MVM

to zo786
said by zo786:

That's why they are selling this 4 or 5 year old technology as the newest and latest.

You are 100% correct --- shame on Rogers.

Shaw's offering has Rogers beat by a country mile if not by a light year read and weap

elwoodblues
Elwood Blues
Premium Member
join:2006-08-30
Somewhere in

elwoodblues to bdoyledimou

Premium Member

to bdoyledimou
said by bdoyledimou:

Rogers missed a prime opportunity to stand out here.
The "Nextbox" is 4 year old technology already -- and it only does half as much as whats been available for the last 4 years elsewhere.

Rogers should have partnered with Tivo -- gotten the Tivo HD XL packaged and just collected the cash as it rolled in. Interface, usability, feature set -- alreayd there Rogers.. way to miss the boat.

Not enough profit, and they can't control "The experience".

mozerd
Light Will Pierce The Darkness
MVM
join:2004-04-23
Nepean, ON

1 edit

mozerd

MVM

Forgot to mention that Shaw's offering is not only dramatically Superior but Shaw customers pay 50% less to acquire the gear -- NOW CONSIDER THAT !!!

The Shaw ARIS PVR

The Shaw Gateway Experience
the cerberus
join:2007-10-16
Richmond Hill, ON

4 edits

the cerberus

Member

Yes, its too bad rogers is in bed with cisco/scientific atlanta for ontario and wont use other hardware.
With that said most cable providers in the US that use this hardware have much better software running on it.
Some suggestions if rogers is listening:
Features should include channel icons, color coded guide by theme, search by theme and title, and not in some convoluted apps menu, it should be integrated into the guide with the A, B, or C buttons.
All these things were torn away from me when rogers purchased shaw territory years ago.
Rogers VOD takes a very long time to load up initially, as well as load a video and sometimes even causes boxes (specifically explorer 8000), to reset entirely.
The HardDrive on all models are spinning/making a lot of noise almost all the time as well.

Cable has a big advantage, it can be split very easily, so boxes shouldnt be limited to 2 recordings at once, each pvr has 2 tuners and should expand the total amount of recordings you can have at once all shared by any hd box or hdpvr.

Nextbox is kind of a joke.
2 steps forward and 3 steps back.
Its forward that it has an HD guide, but its a step back when they scale the video in the guide so small and dont take advantage of the space with the text like show more time on the guide at once.
Its forward that it has multiroom pvr, but its not forward when you cant schedule recordings from the non pvr boxes. it also has a low limit on the number of pvrs you can have.
Its forward that it has search, but you have to go out of the guide and manually select it.
And the worst step back, my favourite option browse by theme is gone. This is really a deal breaker for me, they have a few poorly implemented features and kill my favourite feature.
geokilla
join:2010-10-04
North York, ON

geokilla to mozerd

Member

to mozerd
Shaw needs to come back to Ontario....