DVR skips, pauses, plays, skips pauses plays NO HELP FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE AFTER 2 HR PHONE CALL!!!

[harleychic05]

Has anyone else experienced this?  Only on 1 receiver, when you go to watch a recorded show, it plays for 3 seconds, pauses and then skips, plays again for a few seconds, pauses and skips again! OBVIOUSLY you can't watch TV that way!!!The other 2 boxes are fine, but this box is where we watch 99% of our shows.  We had the box replaced and it still does the same thing.  I've checked all connections and everything is fine! What can be wrong???  I don't think I can handle another 2 hour phone call with these people!  I swear Francis needs to be fired!  Was told I would be on hold for 3 to 5 minutes while she got a hold of regional tech support because she couldn't figure out what to do after 40 minutes or so of dealing with it.  Then she put me on hold for over 50 minutes and never came back to help!  Someone else picked up the phone and I had to tell the story all over again!  I SWEAR the worst customer support EVER!!!!!!!!  118 minutes on the phone and no resolve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  SO FRUSTRATED!!!!!! You pay good money to have good service and the service SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

Can you download and install SomeJoe's tool at the link below?

http://www.uverserealtime.com/

Once you install the tool, please post screenshots of the following tabs: IP/Profile, Error Table, Bitloading, & Coax/HPNA.

We can take a look at the screenshots to see if there appears to be any issues with your system.

[harleychic05]

I'm assuming I need to do this from my home computer?  I'm at work now, not sure how it works, but I did get an error when I downloaded the uverserealtime tool.  Not sure why, besides it's on the work computer and it won't allow the full install.  I guess I'll wait till I get home and try it.  Not sure how the whole tool or screenshots and all that works, but I'll try my best.  Not too technically inclined but I'll see what happens.  Thanks for the post!

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

Yes, you need to do it from your home computer.

[mibrnsurg ACE - Geek]

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harleychic05 wrote:

Has anyone else experienced this?  Only on 1 receiver, when you go to watch a recorded show, it plays for 3 seconds, pauses and then skips, plays again for a few seconds, pauses and skips again! OBVIOUSLY you can't watch TV that way!!!The other 2 boxes are fine, but this box is where we watch 99% of our shows.  We had the box replaced and it still does the same thing.  I've checked all connections and everything is fine! What can be wrong???  I don't think I can handle another 2 hour phone call with these people!  I swear Francis needs to be fired!  Was told I would be on hold for 3 to 5 minutes while she got a hold of regional tech support because she couldn't figure out what to do after 40 minutes or so of dealing with it.  Then she put me on hold for over 50 minutes and never came back to help!  Someone else picked up the phone and I had to tell the story all over again!  I SWEAR the worst customer support EVER!!!!!!!!  118 minutes on the phone and no resolve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  SO FRUSTRATED!!!!!! You pay good money to have good service and the service SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!

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With all the phone TS problems, I'd contact David and his tier2 team here:

http://www.uverseusers.com/index.php?option=com_openwiki&Itemid=36&id=david

Follow the directions under TROUBLES w/UVerse or install problems and hopefully they will solve your problem, let us know what happens.

If you can, still install Realtime on your home computer and post the screenshots here as then you can link to this thread when contacting David and he will see everything.  Good luck.

Chris

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Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
1-800-288-2020, After he gets acct info, press # a bunch of times, get a menu from Mr. Voice recognition
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

[harleychic05]

I tried downloading the Uverserealtime on the home computer but it gave me an error. I saw that for Windows XP users it will ask to reboot and give that error and it's ok, just start the install again and it will finish where it left off.  I did that.....same error.  Did it again...same error. Tried again, same error.... The component Microsoft.NET Framework 4 (x86 and x64) has failed to install.  I guess I will just try and contact David via the link provided and see what he can do.  Thank you everyone for all the help!  Hopefully I can get somewhere! 

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

Perhaps SomeJoe, the author of the program, can help with the install.

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Geek]

If the .Net 4 framework will not install, please make sure you are running XP service pack 3 with all post-SP3 updates. I don't believe XP with earlier service packs will install .Net framework 4.

If you still cannot get .Net framework 4 to install, you will have to troubleshoot that. You might try downloading it separately from Microsoft's web site and attempt to install it that way.

[ronniedfw]

My wireless receivers are doing the same thing on recorded shows.  Every 5 minutes or so, they pause for 1-2 seconds and then continue on.  Below are my screenshots:

 

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

My TVs have been pixelizing and freezing over the past few weeks.  Today the pictures were freezing and I was getting the screen that said signal was lost.  I looked at the RG and the lights were all green showing no issues, while at the same time the message was being displayed on one of my TVs.  I unplugged the ac cable from the RG for 30 seconds and then reconnected it.  Since then I have not seen any problems, the service is working as it should.  When I had the silver RG I rarely did a hard reset like that.  But now that I have the black RG I guess it has to be done a more often. 

If you are having freezing issues like that then unplug the ac cable from your RG for 30 seconds and then reconnect it.  Let us know what if that does or doesn't resolve that freezing issue.

[lesliann53]

I have had UVerse for about a year and a half now... for the first year, I didn't have any issues at all, but then everything started getting messed up. I have had problems for several months with my TV -- but even moreso my DVR -- pixellating, pausing, freezing, and skipping. Techs have swapped the modem, the DVR, and the wiring in my apartment connecting everything together. It got a bit better for a little while, but it's back to its old self again... I just started watching a program that DVR'd tonight and in the first 5 minutes of the show, there wasn't more than 3 seconds of continuous play. I've tried hard resets several times and it hasn't improved. I gave up on AT&T customer service a long time ago, because (as the previous person said) you get put on hold for an hour and then they try to transfer you to a higher level because they can't help you, and then they drop the phone call, and then you have to start over, and basically at the end of it you've spent 2 and a half hours on the phone and nobody's given you anything but "Well... um... did you try hitting the reset button?" Yes. I did. Please.

I looked at some of the messages above, and I have no idea what any of those images mean, so I didn't bother downloading the program at this point. Some of my family members who have cable have had this problem and in both cases it had to be resolved by replacing the underground wiring outside the house -- is this a possibility? I don't want to try to get ahold of customer service without some idea of what I need them to do, because otherwise that will be 3 hours of my life I didn't need to take up for nothing. If anybody has thoughts, I'd appreciate them.

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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lesliann53 wrote:

I have had UVerse for about a year and a half now... for the first year, I didn't have any issues at all, but then everything started getting messed up. I have had problems for several months with my TV -- but even moreso my DVR -- pixellating, pausing, freezing, and skipping. Techs have swapped the modem, the DVR, and the wiring in my apartment connecting everything together. It got a bit better for a little while, but it's back to its old self again... I just started watching a program that DVR'd tonight and in the first 5 minutes of the show, there wasn't more than 3 seconds of continuous play. I've tried hard resets several times and it hasn't improved. I gave up on AT&T customer service a long time ago, because (as the previous person said) you get put on hold for an hour and then they try to transfer you to a higher level because they can't help you, and then they drop the phone call, and then you have to start over, and basically at the end of it you've spent 2 and a half hours on the phone and nobody's given you anything but "Well... um... did you try hitting the reset button?" Yes. I did. Please.

I looked at some of the messages above, and I have no idea what any of those images mean, so I didn't bother downloading the program at this point. Some of my family members who have cable have had this problem and in both cases it had to be resolved by replacing the underground wiring outside the house -- is this a possibility? I don't want to try to get ahold of customer service without some idea of what I need them to do, because otherwise that will be 3 hours of my life I didn't need to take up for nothing. If anybody has thoughts, I'd appreciate them.

---

Can you download and install SomeJoe's tool at the link below?

http://www.uverserealtime.com/

Once you install the tool, please post screenshots of the following tabs: IP/Profile, Error Table, Bitloading, & Coax/HPNA.

We can take a look at the screenshots to see if there appears to be any issues with your system.

[lesliann53]

I downloaded the program and clicked the "save screenshot" buttons on the tabs you told me, but I don't know how to get the images to show up in the forum. I tried putting them in Word and then using the "paste from Word" button and that didn't do anything, and the button to insert an image asks for a URL, I don't know how to get them in here. Help?

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

Insert images directly into a message on the forum by using the icon that looks like tree.

[spd2demun ACE - Master]

Or you can post a URL that links to a site like Photobucket, Image Shack, etc.

[lesliann53]

Thanks. It worked this time, not sure why it kept asking me for a URL when I tried to do it before. See below. I didn't know if I needed to do the "extended test" but it was asking for a password when I tried, I wasn't sure what password to use.

Thanks again.

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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lesliann53 wrote:

Thanks. It worked this time, not sure why it kept asking me for a URL when I tried to do it before. See below. I didn't know if I needed to do the "extended test" but it was asking for a password when I tried, I wasn't sure what password to use.

Thanks again.

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The password to use is the System Password used to log into the RG.  It's printed on a label on the side of the RG.  After you run the Extended Text, please repost the Coax/HPNA tab.

[lesliann53]

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

After running the Extended Test, close the U-verse Realtime Tool, re-open it, and wait a couple of minutes.  Does any data appear on the Coax/HPNA tab?  You should see something that looks like the screenshot below:

[lesliann53]

I tried re-starting the UV Realtime program a couple times and also redoing the extended test, and waiting for the program to "gather statistics," and the screen of that one hasn't changed, it still just says no info is available and shows the link to run the extended test. 

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

What happens when you run the Extended Test?

[lesliann53]

It says it was completed and that the results will load in the window, and then the screen refreshed, and that's what I took the screen shots of from my browser.

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

There are no results for the test.  Are your U-verse receivers connected by coaxial cables or cat5 cables?

[lesliann53]

uuuuuummmmm. hmm. haha, they are thin white cables, not coaxial (those are the big fat black ones with the silver ends that you screw in, right? like the cable company uses). They used to be coax cables, but in trying to fix the problem a few months ago, one of the techs replaced those old coax ones with these new white ones. Everything plugged into the back of the little modem thingy looks like a phone jack plug (except the power cord).

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

Sounds like you now have an all cat5 install.  You would only get results from the Extended Test if you have boxes that are connected with coaxial cables.

The Error Table indicates some possible issues with your system.  Since you have already contacted Technical Support, I would suggest that you contact David who is an AT&T employee in Tier 2 Technical Support.  He and his group have been successful resolving customer issues that remain unresolved after working with Tier 1 Technical Support.  Just follow the instructions under the TROUBLES w/UVerse or install problems section in the link.

[lesliann53]

Thanks. Will do.

[pilotdug]

Hi there,

I thought you might be able to provide some insight into my problem with my DVR.  I have had it replaced twice, once from an older model and recently one of the new ones. 

Randomly, recorded programs pause, freeze and then skip about a second or so of playback.  This can be replicated, so it seems like it's something in the recording itself.  It never happens when watching live TV.  I'm on the third DVR and am still having this problem.

With the last receiver, I was also having an issues with the screen going black, sometimes with flashes of video, until the receiver either reset on it's on or I reset it.  Usually after about a minute of the black screen, it would reset on it's own.  This seemed to happen whether it was live TV or a playback.  It often seemed to happen during recording, but this might just be that I noticed it then because the recording was affected.  I've downloaded UV Realtime so could send you screen shots if you'd like.

So far, since Saturday, with the new receiver I'm not having the problem of the black screen/reset any longer.  But, I am still having the issue with jittering playbacks. 

Any insight you could provide would be appreciated.  I have a feeling that if I call in again, they' just going to want to replace the DVR, but since this is the third, logic would dictate that there's another problem.

Thanks!

Doug

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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pilotdug wrote:

 I've downloaded UV Realtime so could send you screen shots if you'd like. 

---

Please post your screenshots.  Thanks!

[somemightsay]

Quote: "Randomly, recorded programs pause, freeze and then skip about a second or so of playback.  This can be replicated, so it seems like it's something in the recording itself.  It never happens when watching live TV.  I'm on the third DVR and am still having this problem."

I have posted this elsewhere on the forum -- you are describing the problem I am having. Are you seeing these random freezes on recorded programs when you watch on the tv connected to the DVR? I only see the issue when watching recorded content on STBs.

When you say "repeatable", do you mean the glitches always happen in the same spot on a particular recording? (that is, you can rewind and see the glitch again?) Or do you mean the glitches happen on all recordings, but are not individually repeatable? (if you rewind you cannot reproduce a particular glitch) I see the latter.

I also have no issues with live tv on any of the boxes. The problem has persisted even after swapping out the DVR and RG.

[pilotdug]

Hi,

It happens both on the actual DVR receiver on playback and on other receivers in the house playing back a DVR recording from that receiver. 

I mean that's it repeatable in that if I rewind and playback the same section of the same program, the freeze happens in exactly the same way and during precisely the same portion.  It's not just a random thing during playback.  So, it seems to be happening during recording.  I would say it happens maybe 40% of the time I'm watching something recorded and can occur as many as a dozen times during the recording or as few as one or two.  Or, not at all. 

Yes, sounds like you're having the same issues except that you don't have the problem on the DVR receiver as well.

Best,

Doug