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waynew
join:2012-03-16
Lake Mary, FL

waynew

Member

[TV] The set-top was unable to record this program (20)

I discovered that my 8742 (with the new guide) failed to record two programs last week with this error:

"The set-top was unable to record this program (20)"

I was hoping that my new DVRs and/or the new software would prevent this error. But unfortunately, it has not. The only difference I see is that I think the "(20)" part is new.

What is the root cause of this error?
What is being done to prevent it?

I saw part of one of the programs live, while the DVR claimed it was recording, but when I went back later, the show was no where to be found.
BHNtechXpert
The One & Only
Premium Member
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL

BHNtechXpert

Premium Member

Thank you for the information and I'll dig into it and get back to you when I have additional information or if I need additional information from you.
PaulN
join:2012-12-03
The Villages, FL

PaulN

Member

Hi -

I've been having the same issue, but with an 8300. It's been very disappointing when the show(s) you want to view have failed to record. We actually have a tech coming out this morning to replace the box, but I was wondering if you were able to learn what's causing this.

In the meanwhile, I've got my fingers crossed the new box solves the problem.

I'm in Sumter Country in The Villages.
Cheers,
Paul
wbrightfl
join:2004-07-15
Fort Lauderdale, FL

wbrightfl to waynew

Member

to waynew
This happened to me last week with the Big Bang Theory and American Horror Story. Fortunately BH has both On Demand so not really an issue in my case. I unlugged the box for a few minutes when I discovered the problem and it's been fine since.
PaulN
join:2012-12-03
The Villages, FL

PaulN

Member

It did it to us again! :-(

I asked Bright House to bring us a new DVR and yesterday they swapped out our old one for a brand new 8742HDC. Haven't really given it an opportunity to prove itself, but that will come tonight.

We've got our fingers crossed.
larafl1
join:2012-02-09
3

larafl1 to BHNtechXpert

Member

to BHNtechXpert
does this also apply to error messages (13) (15) ?

had this happen to us last nite and there were no conflicts with other shows that were set to record?
BHNtechXpert
The One & Only
Premium Member
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL

BHNtechXpert

Premium Member

said by larafl1:

does this also apply to error messages (13) (15) ?

had this happen to us last nite and there were no conflicts with other shows that were set to record?

no
waynew
join:2012-03-16
Lake Mary, FL

waynew

Member

Just missed 4 more recordings... lovely. 2 of them are not available again, so no possible recovery... sigh. Box was locked up, wouldn't do anything other than turn on... no display at all.
Green5
join:2010-03-15

Green5

Member

Interesting....I am not alone. By chance, did the lockup occur as you were deleting a recorded show you had been watching? My 8742 has locked up just as you outlined....several times.....Blank Screen, nothing would work (to include secluded Recordings) accept Power On/off and to get the box to work again I had to re-boot it. I have had the Box since July and this issue never occurred until after the recent Update changing the guide color..... Software conflict.......
waynew
join:2012-03-16
Lake Mary, FL

waynew

Member

I don't want to derail my thread from the core issue of missed recordings with error 20, but I got no real video output when the box was locked up.

All I could do was turn it on & off. When on, the blue power indicator on the front of the 8742 would be on and the TV screen was blue/blank. When the 8742 was off, the blue indicator was off and the TV is a blue screen that says "no signal". So the only thing the 8742 was doing was sending enough video signal to make the TV think that something was there sending a signal. That TV uses the component outputs. I could not get the guide or the DVR menu or any channels or the status bar.
waynew

waynew

Member

Failed to record two programs Sunday night with error (20). the box was locked up when I tried to turn the DVR on this evening and I had to power cycle.

Is there any hope of getting reliable service?
BHNtechXpert
The One & Only
Premium Member
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL

BHNtechXpert to waynew

Premium Member

to waynew
I'm tracking down that obscure error code now...
waynew
join:2012-03-16
Lake Mary, FL

waynew

Member

How obscure can it be? Every BHN customer that I talk to has seen it or it's predecessor (without the (20) prior to the upgrade) multiple times. Hint: look at the DVR code changes deployed around Halloween 2011 as that is when it became very common.
BHNtechXpert
The One & Only
Premium Member
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL

BHNtechXpert to waynew

Premium Member

to waynew
said by waynew:

Failed to record two programs Sunday night with error (20). the box was locked up when I tried to turn the DVR on this evening and I had to power cycle.

Is there any hope of getting reliable service?

The error code means the recording was interrupted by a reboot and does not specify whether you rebooted or the box did it on its own. If this continues including the lockups please replace the box.
waynew
join:2012-03-16
Lake Mary, FL

waynew

Member

Well, it happened AGAIN last night, but it was my other 8742 this time.

It failed to record Jay Leno last night. I discovered this just after the program ended. I could not find it in the recorded shows section. I could not find it in the recording log section. The guide still showed the tail end of the program in red, so I know it intended to record it. At that time the DVR was fully functional and my wife was watching another program. Both tuners were usable and PIP showed channel 1020 (where it should have recorded Leno). We watched a recording and went to bed. When I attempted to turn on the DVR this morning, it was locked up. It would turn on/off, but that was it. No display, no channel change. I had to power cycle the box.

So, it seems that the error (20) does NOT get logged when it happens (ie during the recording), but apparently gets logged when the box locks up later by itself or when the box gets rebooted later by a human. But either way, the recording did not appear to be interrupted.

So, to answer your question, NO, I did not reboot the box just before or during the recording. The error (20) was related to the box itself.

Since the same thing is happening on both my 8742s, I doubt that replacing BOTH DVRs AGAIN is going to resolve this issue. I had this issue with both of my old 8300HDs and with both my 8742s. I believe that this is a software problem in the DVRs.

Cisco Kid
@bhn.net

Cisco Kid

Anon

That same exact issue...the 8742 will do nothing but turn on and off.....has happened to my box several times. The fix has been to re-boot it.