It looks like one of
DirecTV's astronauts had
more trouble flipping switches than their DISH counterparts, after a software or guide data update last night knocked out HD DVRs all over -- and not for
the first time. Currently the only advice needed to get back in working order is to reset the box twice (there's a red button on the front, underneath the flap) within a thirty minute period (the official website indicates you can wait as little as 15 seconds between resets) and all should be well, but good luck getting through to customer service to get that message right now. Countdown to an
apology starts... now.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: According to DirecTV's website, a "transmission glitch" was to blame and it has automatically reset affected receivers from its end, so no further red button pushing should be necessary. [Thanks, Blake!]
posted June 8th 2010 2:06PM
Reset twice,...how odd.
If the 1st one does not work,...how can it be called a reset?
And shouldn't a power off recycle work as well?
I pity the telephone workers for these kinds of mishaps.
@CpuYoda They probably realized that if someone resets the device twice in a short period of time then something is probably wrong with it, so it performs some diagnostic checks and repairs.
@imikedaman
The actual reason for these lock ups have been associated with bad/corrupted guide data. Resetting the receiver twice within 30 minutes causes the guide data to flush, therefore flushing the problem out. Hopefully the errors have been corrected, so when the receiver get the new guide data, everything should be fine.
@CpuYoda
I woke up to my two DVRs unresponsive this morning. None of the front buttons worked including the power button.
@CpuYoda
Well, the first time resets the box. The second time in short order clears the guide data as well, something you might not want to do most of the time. It's not a bug, it's a feature!
@uwhumpty How in the world do you know that?
haha...never mind, I don't want to know...but it's why I love EngadgetHD! Great commenters. :)
You must reset twice ONLY. I reset three times, and vanished. I found myself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not my own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. My only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from my own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only I can see and hear. And so I find myself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home…
..if only I would have hit the reset button twice.
@fragmit
Wow, I consider myself lucky to have only reset the required two times. I almost did a third reset but there was an unusual quantum flux vortex rotating around the reset button that started to suck my finger into it. I pulled away just in the nick of time. I thought I was hallucinating too when just after the second reset old M.A.S.H. episodes started appearing on every channel. I think dead people were trying to communicate with me via DirecTV.
So that's what happened! All I know is that it no worky. & I got it going by unplugging it & plugging it back in. Twice!
@Judah Rosenthal Oh, I forgot to mention- clearly I'm a super genius. & I really wanted to watch a rerun of Top Gear.
My HD DVR wouldn't turn on this morning, so I just unplugged it and plugged it back in. Then it came up fine.
@groberts1980
weird mine as well! I thought my mom was not using the remote correctly again or something, but the power button was useless and the DVD player was working so I just unplugged and plugged back in.
Several resets and still nothing.
Swapped in our spare receiver for a bit and will try again this evening.
Can we officially say that DirecTV's DVRs are the worst in the industry? They have channels that no one else carries in my area, so I use them, but I really don't like their DVRs.
@GMoney It is definitely a bad DVR. But you can not beat there HD offerings. I have had Dish and Cable and find Directv to be the best.
@GMoney
I had Comcast before DirecTV and had to replace my DVR at least 4 times with in a year and a half. So far my DirecTV DVR has been stable, it is starting to get slow though.
@blindguymcsqueezy my directv dvr has always been slow...
@blindguymcsqueezy
I've noticed that mine has slowed down of late too. Don't know what's up with that.
@Jeff P
Age is my best guess. It use to be really fast compared to the old Comcast ones I have had.
Ahhhhh, I wondered why the heck my HD DVR refused to turn on this morning. I didn't have time to tinker with is as I was getting ready to head out to work. This is not going to be a fun exercise, I have about 12 power cords in my entertainment center and I'm going to have to track down the right one. This might be a good time to mark the power cords with a tag so I don't have to do this again.
@(Unverified) Just reach around the back of the box. The cord should come unplugged from the back of the device.
@(Unverified) theres no reset button on the back of the device?
@piranah25
There is a Red Button under the front right flap of the receiver that resets the receiver. For this fix, the button should be pressed, and the receiver allowed to boot all the way back up. Then, it should be pressed and reset again. This will flush the guide data, which has been associated with the issue (not the software update).
Hopefully it didn't interrupt poker after dark for me!
Sorry for my ignorance but what does a reset entail? Just unplugging it? Or is there some hot key combination that you are supposed to use?
@sygyzy Red button on the front, added that info to the post.
@sygyzy
There is a Red Button under the front right flap of the receiver that resets the receiver. Resetting the receiver, and letting it boot completely back up, twice within 30 minutes causes the guide data to flush. This has been linked to the issue, and a very similar issue happened many months ago, and this procedure fixed the problem.
@uwhumpty Thanks to you and Richard both. I will try this first thing when I get home. I appreciate the help.
I was wondering why I couldn't change the channel while eating my breakfast this morning. I tried the remote, and even the buttons on the front. Then I just gave up and watched Cartoon Network. Gotta love kids, lol.
It was not a software update that caused this. Please fix the report above. It was corrupted Guide Data that caused this issue. Rebooting twice in a 30 minute period causes the receiver to refresh the Guide Data, and fixes the issue.
@dssdbs Please read the report above.
@RichardLawler I did, and you have it wrong.
@dssdbs Fortunately, that's not the case.
@RichardLawler The software update had nothing to do with it, lots of us have had the update for weeks with no issue. It was merely a coincidence that some people got updates this morning and are also experiencing these problems.
Anyways, DirecTV is sending out another update now, my receiver just got it and rebooted on it's own. If you hurry, you might get the scoop...
@RichardLawler you should really stick to topics you might actually be able to comprehend. I was just trying to help lesson your embarrassment.
I can attest that the resetting twice worked. I am also making everyone aware that ANOTHER update came through on my DVR @ approximately 2:54 EDT. It's taking a while for it to come back up...let's see what this gift brings.
@(Unverified) hopefully the "gift" isn't a 30 second rewind like the last one. Annoying to pause, press play & have to watch the same scene over again. That happened a week or so ago.
Also, mine just reset *again* while I was watching Charlie Rose- w/o user intervention.
@(Unverified) About the same here. I Had to reset earlier today and then a couple of hours later,about the same time as yours, I had that same 2nd "update" come through. My box just froze/quit without warning. But it is working ok ...For now...
I almost sharted my pants when it froze. All I thought about was how the bell would directv send me a new unit before the world cup on Friday. VIVA MEXICO!
mine works fine, but it did freeze yesterday.
That explains the panic call from the wife this morning! Thank you engadget for always being on top of things.
Now THAT'S customer service for you ;)
That explains everything. Reset the remote with no success and then reset DVR. Remote still didn't work, so I reset again and everything worked great. Thanks for confirming the issue.
I fixed this myself without even knowing what to do. Thought it was just mine. Maybe I should apply for a job there.
When you reset the guide data, how long does it take to download everything again?
@cypherx
It's just like when you first set up the receiver. It will download all programs that are in the "near future" immediately, then everything else (up to the 14 days) over the next 24 hours.
I was wondering what the heck was up! I checked the website and got the "reset twice" instructions. Thankfully it worked.
Dish Network for me!! You cant beat their price and their DVR is beautiful... and now they have FREE HD for life! :)
@benchase7
So does DirecTV
@benchase7 I don't care for DirecTV's DVR that much, but I absolutely hate Dish Networks hidden fees.
Up to $17 dollars for each additional receiver. What the hell!