How do I turn off the blue stand by screen

[dhascall ACE - Professor]

There is not a solution and I'm sure that you have been told that in the other thread.  Isn't crossposting taboo?   Lol.  Doubt that there will be a solution.  How about an IR blaster to force a command to the STB?

Again, as user "Mike" stated above, are you seriously considering leaving a TV provider just over a screensaver?  Yes it is bassackward to have the DVR "time out."  I like to have it on for my dog but I understand the limitations.  If I wanted to, I could switch inputs and leave the over the air (OTA) TV on for hours on end but the dog would hate that - no Animal Planet or GSN.

As far as configuring Comcast DVR not to go into standby, my Comcast DVR never went to sleep so not sure what you are implying.

[spd2demun ACE - Master]

That's interesting--can someone with the newer model boxes confirm that standby can be DISABLED?

[mibrnsurg ACE - Geek]

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clin36 wrote:

hi, I am having serious issue with this 'press ok to watch u-verse TV'

I use a VCR-like device (Panasonic DVD player/recorder with built-in hard disk which can record TV programs) and don't want to use ATT DVR.    Tried DVR, and don't like it for many reasons which I won't elaborate here.

Wiith Comcast (before) was able to request Comcast to configure so my box does not go into standby, so TV signal is always there being fed into my Panasonic.

Now with ATT, last night Panasonic started recording 4 am to 6 am, and today I only got a 2-hour recording full of blue screen and bouncing 'press ok to watch u-verse TV'.   That sucks.

Call ATT Tech Support on phone.  Person told me my box (1225) does that, but higher model STB can be configure to not go into standby.

After that conversation, searched Google and found many posting on ATT forum, but none indicate that there is a solution from ATT.

Also started a online chat with ATT support, and was told there is no way to stop STB from going into standby.

I totally agree with previous postings that the 'energy saver' is bogus.   Always believe reason is ATT trying to save bandwidth.   Under any other circumstances I am all for saving energy and saving bandwidth with I don't need them, but this is the situation where I do need to have my TV signal always there for my Panasonic to record.

If ATT cannot accommodate that then I'll have to go back to Comcast

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All you'd have to do is actually manually enter a command on that STB (change channels, etc , not TV vol.) and it would not go into screensaver for 8 hours after that point.  You should be able to make your recordings if you did it just before going to bed.

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

[TexasCoyote]

So what if you go out of town for the weekend or go on vacation?

[mibrnsurg ACE - Geek]

Use of some type of device that could change channels every 7 hours.  Possibly some Harmonie remote or other brand could be programmed to automatically send these signals and prevent the screensaver from engaging.

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

[clin36]

hi dhascall,

yes, I would leave a provider for the the blue screen if I cannot reasonable resolve it

we all faced with different situation, so for you maybe having STB going into blue screen is ok.   For me, I subscribed to TVJAPN, an International channel I pay extra $25 for.  In fact, I get my TV serivce from any providers (Dish, Comcast, ATT) just mainly so that I can watch TVJAPAN.    And I record hours of tvjapan program onto my Panasonic DVR (DVD player/recorder with build in hard drive), so that I can go back and either fast forward through the programs I don't care, or easily divide programs and erase the one I don't want and save the one I want for later viewing.

If ATT DVR would have a better recording user interface and choices, then I might be able to live with it, but it does not.   As I said, I want to record, say from 4 am to 6 am, and when I program it for the first time, on the Panasonic, I get to choose whether I want this recording to be once, weekly, or daily.   ATT DVR can't do that.

on the blue screen press OK to watch TV issue, I thought maybe there is a workaround - maybe if I schedule ATT DVR to record at the same time (period) as my Panasonic DVR recording time, then perhaps my Panasonic would not see just the blue screen.    Alas, that did not seem to work.   On Sat I had programmed ATT DVR to record a program in evening, say starts at 6 pm, and at same time Panasonic was scheduled to record as well but start from 6:30.   Also purposedly did not watch / touch TV and ATT box the whole day so that it would definitely be in the 'standby' mode when the recording time rolls around in the evening.

In evening, 5 min or so before Panasonic recording was to start, turn on TV.   ATT DVR already recording onto DVR, but screen still shows the blue screen and press OK to watch TV.   Then my Panasonic recording starts, and it was recording what I was seeing on the TV screen - the blue screen.

Told wife maybe we can try to live with this standby mode problem by remembering to press the OK button on the ATT remote multiple times during the day, whenever we remember and/or pass nearly the remote, even if our TV is not on and we are not going to watch TV.   Maybe by pressing the OK (before it goes into standby mode), would cause the timer to reset so it would be another full x hours (3 hours? 6 hours? 8 hours?   seems like different # floating around in forum) before the ATT receiver would decide to go into standby mode.    Not sure if that is working or not though.   Wife told me she was watching a 3-hour recording on our Panasonic, and in the middle suddenly it switched to the blue screen, so for the remaining of that recording, there was nothing to watch.

Now hopefully you see where I am coming from and why I am so frustrated with this ATT STB going into standby mode.

You mentioned about your Comcast not going into standby or auto shut-off.    In Comast box menu there is a setting that disables auto shutoff (or standby mode, forgot exactly what it is called), so that is how my Comcast box was configured and it worked fine for my situation.

[clin36]

Regarding manually remembering to press keys on remote so STB does not go into standby for another x hours ...    If I am away for the weekend, or out of the country for weeks, then I would end up with recordings full of just the blue screen and dancing 'Press OK to watch U-Verse TV'   :-)

Has anyone posted the actual device (maker and model, etc) - IR blaster, cheap programmable remote control, etc - that will issue channel up/down to the ATT receiver?

thanks

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

I read in a post earlier this week that a solution for the blue screen (standby mode) may be rolled out.  It didn't say when but I guess ATT is possibly going to do something about this.  Maybe rollout an option to disable the standby mode.

[WHERESMYTECH]

I think the 1216/1225 DVR lifespan is short lived in some cases, cant wait and see how long they last when people start leaving them on longer than 24hrs. Im still waiting for ATT to "roll out" the feature to switch camera angles wherever multi cameras are in use (certain sporting events)

[mibrnsurg ACE - Geek]

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WHERESMYTECH wrote:
I think the 1216/1225 DVR lifespan is short lived in some cases, cant wait and see how long they last when people start leaving them on longer than 24hrs. Im still waiting for ATT to "roll out" the feature to switch camera angles wherever multi cameras are in use (certain sporting events)

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If they're plugged in, they're on 24 hours/day.  Mine has been on for 3 1/2 years, except during power outages.

One Chicago baseball team (Cubs or White Sox) had multiple camera angles on Uverse already.  Not such a big deal as the director already picked what his best shot was on main feed.

Chris

---

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

[TheJoshua]

I just changed service from Charter. This "power saver" is still an issue. My dogs love to have the TV and actually tend to go a little nuts once it's silent.

I've contacted support via chat and they said 2 things;

1. This cannot be changed.

2. They will forward to their technical service grou but I should post on the support forum as well.

This was presented to me as a "power saving" option. Does ATT pay our power bill now? Will leaving the TV on cost them more electricty each month.This is not a valid reason for programming this into the firmware. If a more reasonable logic were presented then I might be ok with it.

I'm being difficult on this issue I suppose, but in my opinion the customer should be able set whatever "timeout" they want. Fine, program the default for 8 hours of inactivity to trigger sleep more. Bury the option somewhere where users aren't likely to change the time limit, but let ME change it.

Simple things like this infuriate me for some reason. It's not difficult to make ATT and users happy. Set the default to your preferred time. 99% of users will never change that, but there will be a few that do.

I will continue to make this an issue until it's resolved.

[TheJoshua]

I just wanted to clarify that the resolution suggested in this post by the OP is not a resolution. It's strictly workaround.

Going out and spending additional time and money? No thanks. Fix the issue please.

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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TheJoshua wrote:

I just wanted to clarify that the resolution suggested in this post by the OP is not a resolution. It's strictly workaround.

Going out and spending additional time and money? No thanks. Fix the issue please.

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Don't look for this to change anytime soon, if ever.

[TheJoshua]

Would you care to elaborate? Is there a specific reason that this setting is hard coded into the box.

The box we have is an IPN330HD. Is this the case with all Uverse set top boxes? I am looking through the manual now and will really do whatever I can to fix this.

I figured my chat would fall on deaf ears and pretty much lol'ed when the support rep said the issue would be forwarded to technical team.

Who do I need to direct this issue to. Posting on a support forum seems like a rather ineffective way to get a policy reviewed by management.

Thanks.

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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TheJoshua wrote:

The box we have is an IPN330HD. Is this the case with all Uverse set top boxes? I am looking through the manual now and will really do whatever I can to fix this.

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Yes, all U-verse receivers have this feature, and it can not be disabled.  Don't waste your time trying to find a way to disable the feature.  It will not be time well spent.  Take the suggestions offered earlier in this thread.

[skeeterintexas]

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TheJoshua wrote:

I just wanted to clarify that the resolution suggested in this post by the OP is not a resolution. It's strictly workaround.

Going out and spending additional time and money? No thanks. Fix the issue please.

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It is what it is. 

[marcindublin]

Can't you solve this problem for $50 by hooking up a DVD player and setting it to automatically repeat - unless the dogs are smart enough that they would get bored watching the same thing over and over again...

[TheJoshua]

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marcindublin wrote:

Can't you solve this problem for $50 by hooking up a DVD player and setting it to automatically repeat - unless the dogs are smart enough that they would get bored watching the same thing over and over again...

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Again, we are back to spending money to "fix" the issue. I'd like to know who my inquiry should be directed to.

I am a little curious as to the long time posters or community leaders that are quick to give up and basically suggest throwing in the towel. Have you been beaten down by the ATT Overlords over time?

You're suggestions are probably spot on, but obstinance is one of my endearing qualities.

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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TheJoshua wrote:

Again, we are back to spending money to "fix" the issue. I'd like to know who my inquiry should be directed to.

I am a little curious as to the long time posters or community leaders that are quick to give up and basically suggest throwing in the towel. Have you been beaten down by the ATT Overlords over time?

You're suggestions are probably spot on, but obstinance is one of my endearing qualities.

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Endearing?  

Knock yourself out.

[spd2demun ACE - Master]

I will say that ATT IS aware of the *problem*.  A couple of recent e-panel surveys were directly focused on this issue.  It asked specifically if we would like an OPTION to bypass the 8-hour shutdown.  It even mentioned for the purpose of keeping pets entertained!

When UV first started up, the boxes did not have a shut-off time.  It was hinted that the new mandatory feature was for Energy Star purposes, though another view was it is actually to conserve bandwidth. 

Hopefully, they will implement the bypass option soon.  Especially for those of us with pets that need entertainment while we're away.

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TheJoshua wrote:

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marcindublin wrote:

Can't you solve this problem for $50 by hooking up a DVD player and setting it to automatically repeat - unless the dogs are smart enough that they would get bored watching the same thing over and over again...

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Again, we are back to spending money to "fix" the issue. I'd like to know who my inquiry should be directed to.

I am a little curious as to the long time posters or community leaders that are quick to give up and basically suggest throwing in the towel. Have you been beaten down by the ATT Overlords over time?

You're suggestions are probably spot on, but obstinance is one of my endearing qualities.

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[TheJoshua]

spd2demun, I appreciate your candor. You know, if it was explained to me as a bandwidth issue I would probably be much more understanding. I've worked in IT for the last 15 years and I don't think the average customer is as stoopid as some of the uppity ups would have you believe (present company excluded of course). Don't explain it as a power issue, just tell me your conserving bandwidth for other customers use. Anything else would be insulting the customer.

Anyway, the ideal solution is to program the firmware to allow users to change the timeout value. If that's not possible the default value being 12 hours would at least afford me the option to come home before my dogs go crazy. I'm not sure what these "e-panel" surveys are that you are referring to, but I'm guessing it's some kind of internal utility?

Maybe this post will help in understanding what's desired by customers even if they're in very small numbers.

[spd2demun ACE - Master]

I don't think ATT ever admitted it was a bandwidth issue, one of our regulars figured that out.  ATT is still saying it's Energy Star.

The e-panel surveys are questionnaires sent at random.  I was given that option with my e-mail welcome package back in 2007, so I don't know if they're still doing it or where to sign up.  But at least they are reading here and listening.  Those of us with the service for a long time have seen ATT actually make changes based on customer feedback.

You might try contacting Alex, our Community Manager about the e-panel surveys and see if he can get you signed up.

Alex

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TheJoshua wrote:

spd2demun, I appreciate your candor. You know, if it was explained to me as a bandwidth issue I would probably be much more understanding. I've worked in IT for the last 15 years and I don't think the average customer is as stoopid as some of the uppity ups would have you believe (present company excluded of course). Don't explain it as a power issue, just tell me your conserving bandwidth for other customers use. Anything else would be insulting the customer.

Anyway, the ideal solution is to program the firmware to allow users to change the timeout value. If that's not possible the default value being 12 hours would at least afford me the option to come home before my dogs go crazy. I'm not sure what these "e-panel" surveys are that you are referring to, but I'm guessing it's some kind of internal utility?

Maybe this post will help in understanding what's desired by customers even if they're in very small numbers.

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[JefferMC ACE - Wizard]

It definitely isn't Energy Star since the STB and the DVR use the same amount of power in Standby as they do when on full.

It can conserve bandwidth (i.e. one stream), which can lead to higher satisfaction for users on other TV's and DVR's.  Though for this purpose, 8 hours is woefully long.  I find myself turning of STB's behind my children quite frequently.

[marksewell]

For some reason, mine always turns off at the same time whether I have been using it or not. 6:30 am for one, it always turns off in the middle of the morning news even if I just changed the channel. This is extremely annoying.

[aviewer ACE - Wizard]

marksewell - If that were happening to me I would be calling for a replacement box.

[fearlessuser]

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clin36 wrote:

I totally agree with previous postings that the 'energy saver' is bogus.  

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My PS3 and Xbox shut themselves off after a few hours of just sitting there too. And my TV and monitor. Must be some big conspiracy, they're in collusion with AT&T for some no-goodery

Obviously I'm joking, but why is it so far out of the realm of possiblilty for power saving to be the reason they shut themselves off after a set amount of time? Its not just AT&T that does it, they're one of MANY manufacturers that does this, device says "uh, no one told me to do anything after a while, guess they forgot to shut me off, better do that for them". I would even go so far as to say thats a requirement for them to program that into the software for the Energy Star sticker they got on there.

Actually, after a quick Google search, I was right. Manual for the Cisco boxes states: 

ENERGY STAR® Notice
Cisco has tested and confi rmed that the IPN330HD, IPN430MC,
and the IPN4320 set-top models meet the Tier 1 Energy Effi ciency
and Power Management Criteria specifi ed in the ENERGY STAR
Program Requirements for Set-top Boxes Version 2.0.

http://www.att.com/support_media/images/pdf/uverse/att-series-receiver-install-manual.

Looking up requirements for set top boxes version 2.0, i get this from Energy Star:

Miscellaneous
W. Auto Power Down: The capability to automatically switch from the On state to a Sleep state after
a period of time without user input, generally based on the amount of time the unit has remained
“idle” from last active use, i.e., user input such as channel change, volume change, menu access,
etc

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/product_specs/program_reqs/set_top_boxes_prog_req.pdf

Still think its all shenanigans? People, no big mystery here. It's to get that Energy Star and make the hippies happy, that's it. Anyone think a company that has customers paying them money sits around and says "you know, these people are too happy. We have to find a way to tick them off. I GOT IT!! Lets shut the box off after 6 hours or something that only affects like 0.1% of the customers, that'll get them! They'll be running back to their old provider in no time!"

If you want to get mad at anyone about this, get mad at hippies

[fearlessuser]

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JefferMC wrote:

It definitely isn't Energy Star since the STB and the DVR use the same amount of power in Standby as they do when on full. 

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Got some stats to back that up? When the DVR is in standby, the hard drive isn't spinning, when its on, it is spinning. Theres no power difference there at all?

[ScottMac]

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fearlessuser wrote:

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JefferMC wrote:

It definitely isn't Energy Star since the STB and the DVR use the same amount of power in Standby as they do when on full. 

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Got some stats to back that up? When the DVR is in standby, the hard drive isn't spinning, when its on, it is spinning. Theres no power difference there at all?

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Not necessarily true; the DVR maintains a buffer stream for each set-top box to handle the pause / play features on the non-DVR boxes. So, even if the DVR is "off" (standby), the innards are up and running to service any other STBs that are on.

I've put the boxes (both Cisco and Moto) on an Agilent DC power analyzer 6705B and the difference between "on" and "off" is negligible.  However, it is my understanding that all of the DVRs & STBs were tested by third-party organizations  and were certified "Energy Star Compliant."

[fearlessuser]

"Not necessarily true" and "always true" are 2 different things. I can be sitting around playing my PS3, and I hear the HD spin up a few seconds and then shut off, most likely for some kind of network update, then it shuts off again, as opposed to the Tivo i had a while ago, that drive was spinning 24/7, doesn't matter if you were watching TV or recording or not, it was going all the time. But on the Uverse DVR, before it spins up, the drive is off. After a few seconds, its off again. If no one is watching TV on another box and nothing is recorded, for the most part, the HD is just sitting there.
But my main point in there is in the links i posted. To get the Energy Star rating, that had to be built into the software.
I'd still be curious to see the numbers. Any device on is always going to use more power than when its in standby. Look up the power consumption numbers for any device in an on and standby mode, the standby is always much less

[Linda661]

If it's just for the dogs, how about unplugging the Uverse and just put the TV on a local station.  The dogs aren't nearly as fussy as people are.