[COMCAST] Comcast DVR freezes (Moto DCT6412)

Author	All Replies
jasahl join:2004-12-15 Egg Harbor City, NJ	[COMCAST] Comcast DVR freezes (Moto DCT6412) It's happened 3 times today (twice this morning & once more a couple of minutes ago). Has anyone else seen this and/or know the most likely cause?
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-15 17:06:49 ·
Bink63 Tweet THIS Premium join:2002-10-06 Everywhere Reviews: ·AT&T U-Verse	If you could be alot more specific in your description of the problem, we can try to help! Is the picture freezing or is the whole box locking up/un-responsive to commands? -- Just my .02alt0162 worth! Legacy Consulting
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-15 18:15:41 ·
jasahl join:2004-12-15 Egg Harbor City, NJ	The picture & sound freezes as if it were paused. Play doesn't work, and if I rewind it, it gets back to the same point & freezes again. Swap doesn't work & the only way I can get out of it is to change the channel and change it back again. It never does it when my wife is watching TV, however she uses the remote alot less, so could it be some sequence of remote commands that causes this? The only thing that makes me wonder about that is that it's never on the guide or anything when it freezes.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-15 23:01:26 ·
Kramer Premium,Mod join:2000-08-03 Richmond, VA kudos:1	reply to jasahl I have had mine go crazy a few times. Simply pulling the plug and resetting it returned it to normal. It is a computer and occasionally does need rebooting.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 00:24:59 ·
ninjaturtle1 join:2003-10-21 Fremont, CA	reply to jasahl Is the unit well ventilated? I can see a seagate label on my unit and seagate drives get very hot. -- XP 2600+\|OCZ PC-3200 1GB Dual Channel\|9800Pro\|Asus A7N8X Deluxe\|Seagate 160GB SATA\|
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 01:18:59 ·
JimThePCGuy Formerly known as schja01. Premium,MVM join:2000-04-27 Morton Grove, IL	reply to Kramer said by Kramer: I have had mine go crazy a few times. Simply pulling the plug and resetting it returned it to normal. It is a computer and occasionally does need rebooting. That's a deluxe pain. Takes over 24 hours for the program guide content to rebuild. I'd power cycle as a LAST resort. Not all computers "need rebooting". That's a "Windows" mentality. A properly designed embedded system should go forever until it dies. J -- I am Dyslexic of Borg. Fusistance is retile. Your ass will be laminated.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 05:55:15 ·
nascar join:2000-02-28 Verona, NJ kudos:1	said by JimThePCGuy: said by Kramer: I have had mine go crazy a few times. Simply pulling the plug and resetting it returned it to normal. It is a computer and occasionally does need rebooting. That's a deluxe pain. Takes over 24 hours for the program guide content to rebuild. I'd power cycle as a LAST resort. Not all computers "need rebooting". That's a "Windows" mentality. A properly designed embedded system should go forever until it dies. J Comcast NJ - Union/Verona I couldn't agree more. There are known issues: 1. 6412 STB needs adequate ventilation. 2. 6412 STB has had a bad power supply. 3. Recording Analog has shown an issue. All of these are known issues and Comcast in my area acknowledges them and has issued new 6412 STB's and or fixes when possible. Keep in mind that the i-Guide is new and although it has been tested. The real testing takes place in the home. One minor change to either FW or SW and new problems may arise. I recommend calling Comcast (not a CSR but Corporate) with every single issue you experience. That is the only way they will know the type and severity of problems experienced.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 08:07:27 ·
jasahl join:2004-12-15 Egg Harbor City, NJ	reply to jasahl Rebooting does not correct the problem - even if it did, why should I have to unplug it every couple of days & wait 24 hours for the schedule to repopulate? RE: ventilation, there is nothing on top or to the side of the unit. Should I just have comcast give me a replacement? According the CSR, he's never heard of pictures freezing before.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 08:11:08 ·
Leinie7 join:2003-12-11 Osseo, MN	You say there is nothing on the top or to the side of the unit, but is it in a cabinet? Or is it out in the open? The directions book says it cannot be incased in anything just has to be out in the open. If you have it in a cabinet I would leave the doors open all the time as these babies heat up.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 08:27:40 ·
jasahl join:2004-12-15 Egg Harbor City, NJ	It's out in the open. I'm constantly checking it & it feels cool to the touch.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 10:36:25 ·
jasahl join:2004-12-15 Egg Harbor City, NJ	reply to nascar Pardon my ignorance, but what is STB? If you mean single tuner box, mine's a dual tuner (I though all 6412's were).
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 10:39:36 ·
JimThePCGuy Formerly known as schja01. Premium,MVM join:2000-04-27 Morton Grove, IL 2 edits	STB = Set Top Box FWIW Hint: Google is your friend. To search for any word/acronym use the following search: define: stb define: fwiw define: whatyouwanttoknow Way cool.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 10:40:16 ·
jasahl join:2004-12-15 Egg Harbor City, NJ	Cool. I use google quite often, but didn't know about the define function. Thanks
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 10:44:49 ·

Kramer Premium,Mod join:2000-08-03 Richmond, VA kudos:1 Reviews: ·Verizon FiOS Host: Microsoft Help Satellite Radio Wireless Security 1 edit	reply to JimThePCGuy said by JimThePCGuy: said by Kramer: I have had mine go crazy a few times. Simply pulling the plug and resetting it returned it to normal. It is a computer and occasionally does need rebooting. That's a deluxe pain. Takes over 24 hours for the program guide content to rebuild. I'd power cycle as a LAST resort. Not all computers "need rebooting". That's a "Windows" mentality. A properly designed embedded system should go forever until it dies. J No that is not a "Windows" mentality. I've seen plenty of Windows machines run 6 months or more without rebooting. If your computer or DVR runs on a UPS, and only runs thoroughly tested software, you would rarely need to reboot your machine. Unfortunately few of us put our DVRs on UPS', which would probably be a great idea. Around here power failures for a fraction of a second are almost a daily event. Unfortunately software is never fully tested and never perfect. It doesn't matter whether that software is running on a PC or a DVR.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-16 21:38:45 ·
jasahl join:2004-12-15 Egg Harbor City, NJ	reply to jasahl Well, I had tech come out & he gave me a new box & it freezes too. Funny thing, when I turned it on, there was already stuff recorded on it & he had just got done telling me that he had to swap out boxes at two houses for the same reason that day. Hmmm, with service like this, I don't think TiVo has anything to worry about.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-20 08:51:44 ·
djrobx join:2000-05-31 Valencia, CA kudos:1 Reviews: ·Verizon Wireless.. ·RoadRunner Cable ·AT&T U-Verse ·VOIPo ·PHONE POWER	reply to jasahl Er, we haven't had any trouble with our 6412 DVR, but have seen behavior just like that from our TiVo when its hard drive went bad. If you go to the TiVo forums you'll find plenty of horror stories. You should check the signal strength going into the box. I've read lots of reports from people with signal problems with the dual tuner DVRs resulting in various odd behaviors. The box internally must split the signal in two to feed each tuner, which means it's more sensitive than the single-tuner version. The comcast installer should have checked this for you, but next time they're there, ask for them to check the signal levels. They can do it from the DVR's diagnostic menu. If it already had recordings on it, it obviously wasn't a new box. They haven't been out for all that long, so the previous sub must have returned it. I'd insist on a NEW box. -- \\ROB - a part of the SCB local network
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-20 15:04:11 ·
ExCableGuy8 join:2004-11-19 1 edit	Check the SNR on diagnostic screen 4. It should say good or at least fair. If it says fair or poor it may freeze and pixel occasionaly. Check this by: 1. Tune to a digital channel. 2. Turn the box off (leave tv on) and immediately press the ok/select button. 3. Scroll down to #4 and press ok 4. Press the power button twice to turn the box back on. If the SNR is poor you have a weak signal and a tech would need to fix it. If it is fair the signal may be borderline and only freeze occasionally.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-20 19:20:48 ·
JimThePCGuy Formerly known as schja01. Premium,MVM join:2000-04-27 Morton Grove, IL	said by ExCableGuy8: If the SNR is poor you have a weak signal and a tech would need to fix it. Or Comcast has a flakey component upstream like I had this weekend. Comcast finally came to their senses and fixed it without a truck roll to my house. J -- I am Dyslexic of Borg. Fusistance is retile. Your ass will be laminated.
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-20 19:57:20 ·
jasahl join:2004-12-15 Egg Harbor City, NJ	reply to ExCableGuy8 said by ExCableGuy8: Check the SNR on diagnostic screen 4. It should say good or at least fair. If it says fair or poor it may freeze and pixel occasionaly. Check this by: 1. Tune to a digital channel. 2. Turn the box off (leave tv on) and immediately press the ok/select button. 3. Scroll down to #4 and press ok 4. Press the power button twice to turn the box back on. If the SNR is poor you have a weak signal and a tech would need to fix it. If it is fair the signal may be borderline and only freeze occasionally. Thanks. The CSR told me there was no way for me to check the incoming signal myself. Anyway, tuner 1 shows 36.2 dB - GOOD, tuner 2 shows 34.2 dB GOOD. However, I noticed that the 2nd tuner has almost 7000 correctable errors (I assume that is since the box was connected & powered on late this afternoon).
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-21 00:26:59 ·
jasahl join:2004-12-15 Egg Harbor City, NJ	reply to jasahl I'm starting to notice something. It seems that in the minutes leading up to the picture freezing, it's hitting the hard drive like crazy. Is it possible the box is thrashing? Anyone know how much RAM these boxes have?
	to forum · permalink · 2004-12-21 09:52:06 ·

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