audio drop outs on motorola dual tuner dvr/hdtv receiver (1 Viewer)

[Albert Noel]

whenever i try to watch recorded programs, usually in hd, i get bad audio droputs throughout the programs. i'm not sure if it's dropped when recording or dropped during playback. it's very annoying thought, as it doesnt happen when i am watching the program, only when viewing it after it's been recorded.
i contacted my content provier (who supplied the tuner/dvr) and they said it's because i'm watching one program while recording another.

i thought that was the whole point of the dual tuner and dvr on the same box?
the model for the box is DCT6412
anyone have any ideas on what would cause this?

 

[Stephen Tu]

Well, the box's firmware/software isn't entirely bug free (massive understatement?). Some of the dropouts are almost certainly due to the broadcast itself; the TV stations aren't always solid themselves. The main problem I find with my box is that it occasionally drops out of DD mode which can be fixed by hitting power on/off (unfortunately also interrupting recordings).

It is not due to recording two shows or watching another program while recording; the box was designed to do that. Cable company CSR's information always has to be assumed to have min 50% probability of being incomplete, misleading, or just completely false.

How frequent is this, which stations does it occur on (you might search other forums for threads on your city, see if other people are complaining), how long have you had the box? Could be just a bum unit.

Are you using HDMI on a phase III box? There are issues with using HDMI->TV along with digital audio -> receiver with some older firmware revisions. I would suggest searching this massive thread on another forum to see if you can find other people with similar symptoms.

That's if you are using the iGuide software. YMMV may vary on other platforms, though issues that are related to the Motorola firmware only should behave similarly with other application software.

 

[Brian^K]

What network are you watching? For the last three or four months (up until this past Wednesday, allegedly), Discovery HD was suffering from substantial problems that were causing audio drop-outs.

 

[Albert Noel]

it was happening with the following channels:
HDTV channels:
Discovery HD
Fox HD
Nbc HD
Sportsnet HD
TSN HD
The Movie Network HD
(some of these channels are canadian only i think)

and these standard channels
NBC
CBS
Fox
Food Network
A&E
Discovery
and a whole host of other local channels and network affiliates.
only thing is it happens totally randomly and not on every channel every day.

i'm not sure how to check my box to see which firmware i have. doesnt the content provider (in my case, Cogeco Cable) update firmware and software automatically?

also, i'm not sure which version of the box i have. mine does however have DVI and not HDMI so i would imagine it's a slightly older version of that model?

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

If you’re using an optical digital cable, make sure it’s seated firmly on both the AV receiver and DVR end. I’ve also had these cables go bad, so try swapping it out if all else fails.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt