Is your DISH Network DTVPal DVR having issues?
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 26th 2009 3:51PM
posted Feb 26th 2009 3:51PM
[Thanks, Joshua]
posted Feb 26th 2009 3:51PM
The amount of electronics thrown away rather than recycled in 2007.
The EPA reports that 82% of electronics disposal in 2007 ended up in the garbage (mostly landfills) rather than a recycling center. (source: EPA, July 2008)
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
I hate that these boxes seem to have so many issues. I was very interested in one!
Having seen the "out of stock" notice last week, I contacted Dish trying to get info on a refresh date and none was given. As to whether it was out of stock due to demand or "issues", the rep would not say and simply said that that information was not available to her at this time.
My guess is the defects are really freaking bad, which is a BIG disappointment for me since I was wanting to get one of these ASAP.
No. I don't have one of those. I do, however, have a Scientific Atlanta DVR model from Time Warner Cable NY NJ and it has problems every day. I wish they would put out a firmware update, or get some new box, or do something, anything, to make the situation better.
I have a Scientific Atlanta on Comcast. Agreed on needing an update real bad.
I also have a Scientific Atlanta DVR from Time-Warner NYC/NJ and mine has been working perfectly for two years or maybe longer since I got it when it first became available. I used to record all my recurring K-dramas with staggered days and times and it never missed a beat. Maybe you got a bad box. You can exchange it anytime you want if you're having problems with it.
Same issue here...was excited to get the dtvpal, but randomly locks up...
They spelled "Crikey" wrong. either that, or they spelled "cricket" wrong
I know, that's the first thing I noticed, too. :-(
Yes, I do indeed have one of these lemons. I got one in October using the gov't coupon. After shipping and tax, I paid $9. I thought it was a deal.
Within a week or two, it started freezing up -- picture would freeze and pixelate, audio would drop out. And the on/off button would not work. Only solution was to unplug the unit. But after plugging it back in, it would often remain unresponsive for a few minutes. This happened several times during TV shows, sometimes during critical moments in those captivating 30 Rock narrative arcs! Needless to say, I was pissed.
I called Dish Network, and after many hours of struggle, I finally had them send me a new box.
The result? Yeah, it still freezes, and it still sucks.
My girlfriend has one, too. Same problem.
What's the solution, folks? Will they replace these boxes for consumers who bought lemons? How else can they fix the problem?
Forgot to clarify: I have the TR-40 box.
@Matt: your clarification that you added makes your original post make sense since the TR-40 (model with no DVR) CAN be purchased with the gov't coupon, whereas the DTVPal DVR model is not eligible to be purchased with the gov't coupon.
Being the owner of two TR-40 boxes, I can confirm these boxes have issues. One box crapped out after one use. The other is working, but I don't currently use it. I'm very concerned that these boxes can malfunction at any moment. Dealing with Dish Network is also a major pain in the @zz, and if your out of warranty, well good luck to you.
The onscreen display and TV guide are good, but I don't think they are reliable boxes. On AVSForum you can find out about the other software problems with the boxes.
Dish Network phone # 1-800-333-3474
I bought two of the TR-40s for my parent’s cottage and they both work great. No issues with them freezing up
I have the DTVPal DVR. The main problem I have is that it will restart and go into updating the guide information at random times. I am not the heaviest tv watcher (I usually use my Roku netflix box). The restarting sucks when it happens, but I get a good reception and the time shifting is fine so I live with the restarts. My wife on the other hand was ready to throw it out the window when it restarted at the end of one of her shows. I just hope there is an upcoming update for the box.
I have the DTVPal DVR and there have been a few issues, but overall for the cost and my savings in not having cable anymore its still worth it. The best thing is that I am now more vigilante and have become more aware of how much TV I watch - so I've actually been cutting back.
Biggest issue is its habit of rebooting sometimes when updating the Guide.
I have one... at first it locked up all the time... then I ran the firmware update and it was better... only crashes every 3 -4 hours or so... at least I can watch a recorded movie now... the other thing I discovered that crashes them is really weak channels... or possibly channels with bad PSIP data.... ( the channel # aliases) This also sends the unit out to lunch...
It also is awkwardly slow in transitions between live delayed playback and fails to show "live tv" when it catches up to it.
I like the unit alot and have been sending info to the techs... The guide data is limiting since they use only what is sent by the stations... for instance... my PBS stations send a weeks worth... but most of the others only 24 to 48 hours of data. I suggested they offer a cheap subscription like tv guide data for $20 per year like EyeTV does...
There are some user interface tweaks I would do if it were my product... the arrow pad works up and down to move side to side on the screen...
I hope they can patch this thing up because I really appreciate what they are trying to do... and the product still has promise but like most 1.0 releases it has been a bit bumpy.
If you have an original download the thumbdrive patch as this helps
You can also plug an ethernet wire into it and it can download the update itself from the company over the internet.
I'm still a fan... but I'm a little nervous.
I have a DTVPal DVR (TR-50) which I received back in January. I updated it to the F202 firmware immediately. I concur with others that it works great in terms of reception and time shifting but at least once or twice a night it reboots. The screen goes blank and you have to wait a minute or so until it reboots and comes back to live TV. Then if you were watching a recorded show you have to go back and hit "resume" to pick up where you left off. So it is not unusable but it is very annoying and definitely defective.
I contacted Dish Network and they said:
"Thank you for your email. We understand these situations can be frustrating and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We appreciate your feedback and understand that there are multiple issues that need to be addressed with the next software release. We assure you that engineering is working towards resolutions for these issues and appreciate your patience in this matter. Unfortunately we do not have a release date for the F203 at this point."
Yes I own one, and it works like a charm. I've had the occasional lockup and skipped recording, but 95% of the time it does exactly what it's supposed to.
What does occasional mean to me? I have 4 M-F timers (syndicated sitcoms) and another 10 or so weekly timers set as well (e.g. Heroes, Fringe). In a week it will skip 2 or so shows, probably because of signal issues (I'm 25 mi. out of Chicago and the skips happen mostly during bad weather). Concerning lockups, I used to have one every couple weeks, which while annoying, was tolerable. I've since added on a ferrite choke onto the power cord based off of discussion on AVSForums, and I haven't had a lockup since. I'm not sure what sort of voodoo majik the ferrite choke has, but it's worked so far.
That said, I'm sure that the problems that folks with bad units have are not overstated. If my machine rebooted every 30 min. it would be unuseable. What I THINK is overstated is the number of bad units. A lot of folks go onto boards to trash machines that don't work, but not many post to say "everything's A-OK". Since I'm in the latter group, and I don't feel like getting into pissing matches with the folks that are in the former, I keep my comments to myself.
I'll say this though, subscriptionless OTA DVRs need to be pushed and further developed, because they're totally awesome. If it were 100% stable, and if they could loop in some sort of on-demand movie DLs (like Netflix), this box would be perfect.
I received my DTVPal DVR about a month ago and love it! I was at the point that I was ready to get cable, though I didn't really want all the extra channels and fluff that goes along with it. And don't get me started on the inflated cost. Anyway, I heard about this and couldn't pay for it fast enough. I get great reception with it through an outdoor antenna and I use it pretty heavily to record all my favorite shows throughout the week. It has never missed a recording and with the dual tuners it's fantastic to catch all the shows I love, even when they are on at the same time. I have had two lock ups... I'll be in the middle of watching a recorded show and it will lock up and my television will just go black. All I have to do is hold the power button down for 2 to 3 seconds and it will reboot. The reboot lasts less than thirty seconds and I just have to go in and resume the show I was watching. It's not that big of a deal and it doesn't happen very often. I'm very satisfied with the purchase and hope the infrequent issues get resolved in an update. I think the product is fantastic and once they iron out all the kinks others are having, I think it will be fantastic for everyone.
So, these are stand-alone units, with no monthly fees, and work with Over The Air (aka Terrestrial) broadcasts?
I thought I looked at those online last week for near $200. Someone pays $200 for that? Are they worth it?
I like the concept. I always wanted a TiVO, but does not make sense for a monthly charge when all I have is an antenna and 4 or 5 decent channels. Now, Digital TV broadcasts offer some expanded programming. So, dozens of channels, but still very few must-see shows on any given day.
Why do we care about the PAL TV standard?
Why are you talking about pal?
i was gonna get one, but those damm government cards expired too soon. it didnt really matter as I just got a nice ATSC 42" LCD for $600.
The government coupons are not applicable towards the DTVPal DVR.
Had mine for a few weeks now. Reboots and freezes can be avoided with the proper settings. Check out the avs forums for settings that will stop the reboots and freezing. We are all waiting for a fix, but until then, the box is very useable with a few clicks of the mouse.
The "Pal" is no friend of mine. I got suckered too. :-(
P.S. I am eagerly waiting for a class action lawsuit on this product.
For those folks that have infrequent reboots / lockups, have you tried the ferrite choker fix? Quite a few folks on AVSForum swear by them. As stated earlier, my box hasn't had a reboot since I clamped one on the power cord, so I'm thinking I had some RF issues around my entertainment center.
Of course if you have more frequent reboots, this probably won't help. Reboots and lockups are probably caused by multiple reasons, and the choker won't help with PSIP / TVGOS info corruption or flat-out bad units. But chokers are cheap (I grifted one from an old monitor), so it may be worth a try...
I have the Dish DTVPAL and have had a few issues with the time. Sometimes when I change channels it skips forward to the next time slot and tells me what is on in future. Otherwise though it works like a charm and all of the other features built-in on it work great so I can't complain.
Why are ppl talking about problems they're having with the Scientific Atlanta and the DTVPal when this article is about problems with the DTVPal DVR? *Confused*
"little choice but to wait things out until a solution is found"
What are you on about?
The obvious option is to return the product as defective.
The "fix it in the field" trend is becoming increasingly frustrating.
We as consumers have to put a foot down and not pay for defective products then wait for it to be fixed "in the future"
I've had a Dish DTVPal DVR for about two months now and I like it for the most part. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones and have really only had 3 reboots that I can remember and 1 lockup. It has a few DVR scheduling bugs when you don't have enough guide data but if they can work those out and the reboots/lockups for the others I would highly recommend this device. It's really a tremendous value. I think it could be a huge revenue source for Dish too if they add some streaming or download abilities from the PPV service.
I've had mine for over a month now and the only issue that I've had is that it skipped recording a couple of scheduled recordings ("The View" for my wife - 'yeah, right' everyone is thinking I'm sure). That I found out was the signal for the show was dropping out right before recording, so I get most of them just not all of them. It's more an antenna issue. Right now I get an irritating IP connection lost error pop-up on screen once and awhile. I assume it's due to them trying to figure out the issues that they have right now.
Otherwise, this thing is like having a big middle finger pointing right at Comcast, Time Warner and Cox. FU cable companies that charge too much for HD programming. Turns out most of what I love is either on broadcast (which is free), Hulu (which I get on a cheap broadband connection) or from BitTorrent (again, cheap to download). I'm saving over $50 a month with this thing and not having Comcast feed me 4-5 good channels and 200+ crap channels. And yes, OTA HD is way better than Comcast's HD - less pixelation.
I also own a TR-40 box, but it has only performed a major "freeze" once. I was unplugging and plugging in the thing so often that I gave up and had enough time to buy a Zenith DTT-901 on amazon before the TR-40 started to work again. At any rate, at least I used my second $40 coupon. Since the Zenith came it, the TR-40 has worked normally, however I am unable to view the program guide on my local NBC station, it works on all other channels. I think it was scared of being replaced, as I know it will the next time it acts up.
Other than that one major freeze where I couldn't get it to work for over half an hour, the picture quality is better than old over the air broadcast and I don't have anything else to complain about it.
Please people...this is about the DTVPAL DVR...we don't want to hear about your TR-40 boxes
Since this unit is a digital convertor box as well as a DVR, what happens when you upgrade your analog TV to a digital set. I see the specs handle HD but will the DVR functions still apply to SD digital broadcasts? In other words will this unit keep working when you get a digital TV?
The Dish Network DTVpal DVR records either of HD or SD to the built in HDD. It includes an ATSC tuner, so it is designed for Digital ready TVs.
I have had a DTVPAL DVR for about a month. I am fortunate to report that I do not have any of the lock-up or reboot issues that others have reported. I have firmware rev "N". The guide seems a little flakey at times in terms of obtaining program information. Some channels are lacking information and the guide rarely display 24 hours ahead. I hear that this information comes from the broadcasters so I guess I can't blame the DVR. (Note: I am NOT using the TV Guide option)
I have recorded about 50 shows without incident, but I did have some strange behavior the other night. One of the shows we usually record was on for 2 hours (instead of it's usual 1 hour). The guide did not have any information about the show, so I manually set a timer to record the show. Shortly after the intended record time, I checked on the DVR and found out that it was recording on the wrong channel. I am positive that I set the correct channel. Anyway, I stopped that recording and pressed the record button while watching the intended show. It informed me that it couldn't record the show since it was already recording. However, nothing was recording...no red LED on the DVR. I ended up using my Panasonic DVD Recorder to record the show since there was no way I could figure out how to force the DTVPAL DVR to record. I tried everything I could think of, but I could not make the DVR record...very frustrating.
It appears that you cannot use the guide to record the time slot unless there is actual program data present. This is obviously an issue and hopefully they will fix it. In my opinion, you should be able to select a time slot from the guide, press the record button and it should add it to the record list based on the time. Who cares if there is no program data.
The reception is very clear, however, I occasionally see a green flash that appears on the left side of the picture for about half a second. It is not very noticible, but it does happen. It will even record the green flash.
I have one. It reboots often. I found that when it's receiving a WEAK SIGNAL from one or more stations in tends to reboot more frequently. I removed one channel from the list that always came in weak, and it reduced a lot of the reboots. This morning, my CBS affiliate was coming in very weak and choppy, and it kept rebooting on me. (Even when I'm not watching or recording the weak station.)
Time zone switch was a pain. I had to redo ALL of my recordings.
Occasionally, all sound will stop. A quick power off and on will fix it, or start something from the DVR... this is an easy fix when it occurs (only happened once or twice).
New update is available...F206...fixes the problems reported here...Dish is selling these units again.