extremely unhappy Tivo owner here....

[85turbo]

my Tivo has had many occurrences of failing to record complete shows, failing to record any audio, and recording pixelated junk.

i have on many occasions emailed and rang the Australian supplier of tivo, and have been fobbed off everytime.
i have emailed them many times with data that they have requested from the on board diagnostics, and have had no response at all.

i should have never brought this thing.

im about ready to throw it in the bin. should have bought another topfield.
my 5 year old topfiel masterpeice never had any of these issues.

the tuner in the tivo is way too sensitive to signal glitches.
if i have one thing recording, and the second tuner starts to record something on the same channel, most of the time,
the second recording will be scrambled, or have no audio.

as soon as i can, im going to buy a topfield or beyonwiz, and be rid of this piece of utter crap.

sorry to vent, but i needed to blow off steam, as im getting nowhere with hybrid.

Jason.

[petestrash]

Yes, the TiVo's tuner is way too sensitive. But from what you have described the most likely fix for the TiVo would be to improve the quality of the signal entering it from your aerial. There is not much TiVo support could do about this for you even if they did respond properly, unless you actually had a faulty unit. Have you tried the TiVo at a friends house to see if you have the same issues?

Peter.

[Skolink]

I agree that the implementation of the Au/NZ Series 3 TiVoHD is very dissapointing. Having owned a Series 1 TiVo for almost 6 years, I know how great it could be.

[fruv]

I had signal problems at first. My previous set top box had no problem but the Tivo kept locking up and showing a garbled mess. It turned out that my signal was too strong! I turned the gain on my booster down and it fixed the problem. I haven't had a problem since.

[Darren King]

im about ready to throw it in the bin.

I'll have it if that is the case. I could do with some bits to further my knowledge of the hardware.... and it will save landfill.

[85turbo]

thanks for listening guys.

Darren, if it comes to that, you can have the unit, but ill be keeping the two hdd's.
(i can use them in my PC.....)

ill try a signal booster and see if that improves things any. then i guess i could try a signal attenuator.
im in a unit block, and im assuming that all the tv's in the place run off the one antenna with a splitter / booster of some kind.

dunno if that makes any difference when adding a second booster unit ?

then if it still plays up, im done with it.

Jason.

[85turbo]

tonight, i removed the old topfield from the signal path, will see if that improves things any before i go buy an amp.

also, as im getting no info from hybrid, i thought i would post up the diagnostics here.

anyone make sense of the info ?

Jason.

Tuner 0
Current tuning status success
channel 1
frequency 219500 Khz
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 77
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 326
pre-viterbi errors 5000 RISING
post vitebri errors 0
packet errors 0


Tuner 0
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 2
frequency 226500 Khz
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 67
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 306
pre-viterbi errors 8870 RISING
post vitebri errors 6
packet errors 0



Tuner 0
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 9
frequency 191500 Khz
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 76
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 316
pre-viterbi errors 2000 RISING
post vitebri errors 0
packet errors 0



Tuner 0
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 10
frequency 2195000 Khz
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 78
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 325
pre-viterbi errors 15000 RISING
post vitebri errors 0
packet errors 0



Tuner 0
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 3
frequency 571500 Khz
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 84
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 305
pre-viterbi errors 5500 RISING
post vitebri errors 0
packet errors 0




Tuner 0
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 7
frequency 177500 Khz
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 78
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 312
pre-viterbi errors 2600 RISING
post vitebri errors 0
packet errors 0



Tuner 1
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 3
frequency 571500 Khz
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 82
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 306
pre-viterbi errors 2400 RISING
post vitebri errors 0
packet errors 0




Tuner 1
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 2
frequency 226500
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 65
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 302
pre-viterbi errors 3100 RISING
post vitebri errors 7
packet errors 0



Tuner 1
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 10
frequency 219500 KhZ
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 76
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 325
pre-viterbi errors 4058
post vitebri errors 0
packet errors 0



Tuner 1
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 7
frequency 177500 Khz
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 76
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 310
pre-viterbi errors 3155 RISING
post vitebri errors 0
packet errors 0



Tuner 1
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 9
frequency 191500 KhZ
modulation COFDM
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 75
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 315
pre-viterbi errors 2200 RISING
post vitebri errors 0
packet errors 0



Tuner 1
Current tuning status SUCCESS
channel 1
frequency 219500 KhZ
modulation 75
connector type RF
signal source TERRESTRIAL
signal strength 75
signal lock YES
program lock YES
search complete YES
MER: 325
pre-viterbi errors 517235 RISING
post vitebri errors 500118 RISING
packet errors 65535

[petestrash]

Apart from the ABC the rest have good Signal levels. You have not said, but I'm assuming that you have problems with more than just one group of channels?

As I mentioned originally with digital it is very important have good Signal Quality. A common problem in unit blocks is that they often use Signal Amplifiers fed by poor quality signals. So if you have a signal with a low signal to noise ratio to start with the noise component also gets boosted also by the amplifiers with can overload sensitive receivers.

Is there anything still using your units antenna outlets besides the TiVo (like the TV)? Might be worth unplugging everything just to see if it improves your issues.

Would still be good to try the box at a friends house, just to confirm you do not actually have faulty TiVo.

Peter.

[85turbo]

yeah, it happens on multiple channels. it's something that is not really duplicatable either.

it can go for weeks with no problems, then all of a sudden, it will play up on several recordings.
the only other thing that's on the antenna socket is the TV.

it seems to mainly happen when one tuner starts to record on the same channel while the 1st is still recording something.

like when there are two 30 minute programs on the same channel back to back.often the second recording will have
some kind of issue. Wether it's garbled audio, no audio or scrambled picture.

but as i said, it doesn't happen with every recording either. it's so frustrating.
ill try it at a mates place next time i go there, and see if it still has issues.

PS, just remembered i have an inline DC blocker on the antenna line. (before it goes into my power board that has surge protection on it)
just to remove any DC current that might be leaking from the mast head amplifier (im assuming that there is one for the block)

don't know if that would impact anything.

my signal path looks like this

antenna socket => DC blocker => power board (filter) => splitter => Tivo and TV.

PPS...

the more i read about the new masterpiece, the more i like it.
it can record 4 services at the same time !

it can run TAP's too....
and 1TB Hdd as standard.

have to start looking at how much one would cost....

Jason.

[Darren King]

As Peter has mentioned if the signal is poor to start with then amplifying poor signal will introduce errors into the signal. Personally I loathe installs where one antenna splits the signal to lots of outlets, not only because of the amount of splitting but that one bad piece of equipment somewhere can introduce problems into the whole install. Splitters are supposed to stop this but there are ways of doing things and then there are "ways of doing things" if you get my meaning - all out of your control unfortunately.

I do hope you sort it out, but if not and the offer stands then by all means a diskless TiVo is still fine by me.

[finethen]

Persevere with support, stay on the phone until you get to someone who can sort it, my fix and replacement took nearly 3 months

[petestrash]

Persevere with support, stay on the phone until you get to someone who can sort it, my fix and replacement took nearly 3 months

We still do not know if this is a TiVo or reception issue.

Peter.

[85turbo]

are there any indoor antennas that are actually worth owning ?

might be worth a try to eliminate the multiple user antenna that the block has ?

Jason

[petestrash]

I have tried a few for my parents who also live in a unit, and have not had any success.

Peter.

[85turbo]

finally after my last email to hybrid (in which i threatened them with going to fair trading over their lack of support)
they have answered me. (only took about 3 months and numerous emails)

i have a few more hoops to jump through before they will consider a replacement.

but at least they answered....

ill keep this thread updated and see what (if anything) happens.

Jason

[smoran]

My Tivo has started doing this in the last 3-4 weeks. Basically I 'catch' the Tivo showing the same channel on both Tuners - one of the Tuners however just shows scrambled video/audio.

I thought it was a software bug. Does'nt Tivo normally stop both Tuners from going to the same channel. I know when watching LiveTv - if Tuner 0 is on Channel 7 and I try to change Tuner 1 to Channel 7 it doesnt change Tuner 1 - it just switches me back to Tuner 0. However when I have a scheduled recording it seems to allow both Tuners on the same channel.

It normally wouldnt bother me however sometimes it records the show with the 'scrambled' Tuner. Very annoying when the wife wants to watch the final Beauty and the Geek only to find the show is a scrambled recording.

I've contacted Tivo support with no joy. Almost two weeks now and I've only had one response from them asking for all the Tuner details. Still havnt heard back after sending them that info.

I'm not going to recommend Tivo to anyone any more and for the Family room TV I think I'll be looking at alternative devices.

Ta Shaun

[finethen]

Try letting it auto tune again or manually remove the dodgy channel.

[85turbo]

ok, im starting to track down the issue.

it seems as if one of the tuners in my tivo is faulty.
i have jumped through all of the hoops that hybrid have asked me to do.

IE: isolation tests, clear and delete, reboot with no antenna connected (dunno how this is supposed to work).

in my testing, i can see that the tuner is getting worse too.

if i tune the bad tuner to a station that it has trouble with (there are many) then i tune the 2nd tuner to the same station, it has no problems on the 2nd tuner.

so im leaning more and more towards a faulty tuner.one of the tuners has zero problems, the other has heaps of trouble trying to gain signal lock.
tonight (for the first time) it actually wouldn't even tune in to some stations at all, and said something like "problem with the signal on this antenna channel, trying again"

first time i have seen that one, and once again the 2nd tuner had no problems with the same station.

my 12 month warranty is now over (due to hybrid taking 3 months to answer my many emails)
i first contacted them 1 month before the warranty expired, so hopefully they take that into consideration.

if not, ill take the matter up with fair trading.

fingers crossed i don't have to do that though.

ill keep this thread updated with what they do next.

Jason.

[Darren King]

my 12 month warranty is now over (due to hybrid taking 3 months to answer my many emails)
i first contacted them 1 month before the warranty expired, so hopefully they take that into consideration.


They bloody well should. Make sure you have ALL your correspondence, dates, etc filed away. If it gets messy then you have all the evidence you need to make a very valid claim that the unit went faulty within the warranty period.

[85turbo]

it looks like i have finally got a result with Hybrid.

got an email from them today, and they have finally agreed to replace my unit with a new one.

i assume it won't actually be a new unit, (probably a refurbished one) as mine is one of the early 160GB units.
i don't really care, as long as the new one works properly.

ill update here once i get the new unit, and see it working as expected.

thanks to all here for the suggestions, and listening to my rants !

Jason.

[85turbo]

guess what ?

i got a replacement tivo today !

finally after jumping through many many hoops...

have not set it up yet. ill do that when i get home from work.
guess ill have to email them again to get the MAK ? (i assume it will change)

Jason.

[petestrash]

You just need to activate it on your mytivo account. the MAK will be the same as your old unit.

Peter.

[85turbo]

yeah, i figured that out.

thanks.

the tivo was supposed to be pre activated (according to the documentation i got emailed to me)
but it wasn't, and i had to go and add it to my account.

anyway, the new tivo is set up, and so far has been faultless.

im still waiting for them to send me the forms for returning the old one.
they say that can take up to 6 weeks !

Jason.

[85turbo]

guess what ?

the recording gremlins are back again in my newly replaced unit.
not happy at all.

gonna save for a new topfield and get rid of this useless piece of rubbish.
i missed the F1 today because of the tivo's inability to record two overlapping programs on the same channel at the same time.

it recorder the pre race show fine on 1HD. as soon as it tried to record the race propper (on 1HD) the race was all green **** scrambled. this happens everytime it tries to record two programs on the same ch stream.

my topfield never had the same issues. the new topfields can do remote scheduling now, so no need to keep this ****box recorder anymore.

sorry to vent here, but ive no one else that will listen.....

@Darren ill probably contact you again to organise for you to have this thing.
(assuming you still want it ?)

Jason

[Darren King]

@Darren ill probably contact you again to organise for you to have this thing.
(assuming you still want it ?)


It's upsetting to hear you are still having issues that you shouldn't be having. I'm still happy to either take a look at it or whatever you want if it comes to that. Just send me an email.