Live TV freezes, then DVR resets

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

One tech made a comment about a firmware update needs to occur.  Currently, no firmware update exists.

http://www.uverseusers.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=2&topic=18699.0;topicseen

[pedaler]

Posting an update. The issues persist with the 2250. DVR rebooted three times yesterday. Also froze up when working through the guide and recorded list. Had to power-cycle (reboot) then it worked again. 

Hopefully this can be resolved with a firmware update. Given the issues with this DVR, that update may be signficant.

If you have the same issue, keep piling on, folks!

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

I suggest you call ts using the phone number in my sig.  Ask the csr to run a test on your install, and if he sees errors request a tech be sent out to check your install.  Give him the dates and times of your issues also.

[cole_jackson]

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RCSMG wrote:

I suggest you call ts using the phone number in my sig.  Ask the csr to run a test on your install, and if he sees errors request a tech be sent out to check your install.  Give him the dates and times of your issues also.

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This has been done multiple times. A tech visiting my house is what got me the 2250 in the first place. Another tech coming out resulted in a "huh, everything looks good" and another swapped box. Swapping boxes I am sick of. What's the point of a DVR if I "need" my box swapped every couple weeks resulting in perpetual total loss of everything recorded?

[Per Guidelines:  Keep it Relevant and Appropriate].

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Click the hyperlink in my sig and you will be taken to David's contact info.  He is tier 2 prem tech who has helped people get issues resolved that are like yours.  Send him your info and he or a member of his staff will be in touch with you.

[txuverseuser]

I am yet another customer who has had a problem with a VIP2250.

My setup - 3 TVs running SD only, customer for 3+ years on VIP1216 DVR and two VIP1200s.  The VIP1216 DVR died and replacement was handled by shipment of VIP2250 and return of the VIP1216, in November 2011.  Frozen video and clipping audio began about 1 day after installation and continued so we scheduled tech visit #1.

Soon after the replacement, tech visit #1 in December 2011 - very thoroughly checked out the DSL line (there was some noise, we are on a long loop) and recommended and made a change from 25Mbps to 19Mbps. The tech ran a full test of the HPNA networks between the STBs and the RG and the tests passed.  The video quality seemed to improve for 2 or 3 days after tech visit, and then the video quality degraded and actually then became worse than the original experience before the tech visit.

So I swapped the VIP2250 to a TV closer to the RG and it seemed to improve for 1 day, but soon degraded again.  The VIP1200s and the VIP2250 then started to receive on a daily basis a blue screen with a "lost connection to internet" message and recommendations to reset STBs.  At this point we were resetting boxes on a daily basis throughout December and January.  Many recordings were of bad quality or not even successfully recorded.  The VIP2250 hung upon attempting playback of a bad recording. We thought that we were experiencing some Internet problems and disconnects from our computers and devices over the wireless network that might indicate some DSL errors that were not corrected.  Therefore, tech visit #2 scheduled for late in January 2012 (recently).

Tech visit #2 - DSL line tests passed.  The tech then asked about the history of the VIP2250 in this case.  He said that techs do not normally carry VIP2250s for replacing VIP1216s, and that the techs now have history with needing to replace the VIP2250s, particularly after replacements of VIP1216 (DVR STB)  that were working with VIP1200s (without DVR). 

I had run many "Troubleshoot & Resolve" diagnostics over the last several weeks that only told me to check connections and reset STBs.  It took a physical inspection to realize that the VIP2250 in presence of VIP1200s may be a problem that is repeating now. The understanding of the issue is that the VIP2250 "puts noise" out onto the network with the VIP1200 STBs. Not sure if this means that this unit was bad, or it that it is a "good" unit that might actually work with newer non-DVR STBs than a VIP1200? 

So I hope that this may help the remote techs to check the history of VIP2250 interop testing with VIP1200s, and to avoid mixing of these models in the future if indeed there is an interoperability issue with them.  Note that there was nothing in the service process that indicated an issue with replacing a VIP1216 with a VIP2250, in presence of VIP1200s.

[pedaler]

Thanks for that note, txuverseuser! We also (still) have two VIP1200 STBs in the house. I have not observed the "freeze and reset" in the past few days, but the last one that the family reported to me was on 24 Jan. I called it in, and the tech "cleared some errors" or some such thing. If we observe it again, I will mention the potential conflict with DVR and STB models.

[cole_jackson]

Well, I had techs out again. This time they blamed the wiring. They cut and reterminated all the coax in the house, including the feed from the outside citing "crosstalk" as the root cause. Crosstalk removed, they reconnected and voila! a lockup almost immediately. Upon reboot, an immediate drop in digital audio. The timing couldn't have been better, so much so that I laughed right down to my belly. So now the tech told me we should try Cat5 to the 2250. They would be happy to charge me a fee for doing this for me. I assured them I would be equally happy to cancel my account in their presence and call DirecTV. A brief standoff ensued ending only when they agreed to let me string the Cat5 in a method that can only be described as utilitarian as it was strung across hallways and up the stairs to my TV. Apparently this way I won't be charged for them running wire on a system that should have worked correctly with the wiring in the house in the first place. We plugged it in. There was an almost immediate drop in the digital audio from the 2250. There were no freeze-ups though. For whatever reason this small achievement was deemed "total victory" by my tech and it was quickly determined that they need to depart, given that the problem is solved. I was told to call regarding the audio dropouts as there was nothing they could do. To be fair, I am not sure there really is anything more they can do. The CAT5 (after testing for the weekend) did eliminate the freeze/reboot issue as was predicted in this forum. I will take the time to run the CAT5 correctly but it really can only be done with moderate difficulty for this one TV. The rest are two floors up and across the house. As it is, I will be fishing walls and ceilings. Not happening for the other two TV's, nor should I have to.

Regarding the digital audio dropping out. For most people, the 2250 seems to solvethis problem but I guess I am not so lucky. I really don't know where to go from here.

[silversport]

I am having the reboot problem about once a day on this Cisco ISB 7500 unit...I disconnected the HDMI (which appears to my eyes to give better picture and of course the digital sound) and tried the composite RGB and the analog red and white for sound and didn't have the reboot issue for a week...last night, I tried the HDMI again and within minutes, it rebooted...I think this is still an issue with the HDMI connection and possibly Cisco...my older box couldn't hold digital surround sound when connected VIA HDMI...

Irritated to say the least...

Bill

[silversport]

I have Home Theater receiver connected as well as connected to a Plasma TV both of Panasonic manufacture...

Bill

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

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silversport wrote:

I am having the reboot problem about once a day on this Cisco ISB 7500 unit...I disconnected the HDMI (which appears to my eyes to give better picture and of course the digital sound) and tried the composite RGB and the analog red and white for sound and didn't have the reboot issue for a week...last night, I tried the HDMI again and within minutes, it rebooted...I think this is still an issue with the HDMI connection and possibly Cisco...my older box couldn't hold digital surround sound when connected VIA HDMI...

Irritated to say the least...

Bill

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It could be that you have a bad hdmi cable.  If you have another stb try connecting it to a different tv with the hdmi cable, or just try using a different hdmi cable on that tv.  If it doesn't freeze or reboot then the problem was the cable itself.  Let us know what happens.

[pedaler]

Update: 11 Feb 2012

Yesterday was another hard freeze. Spouse had to reboot the DVR (2250) in order to watch recorded TV.

A few days earlier, I was watching recorded video on the basement STB (VIP1200), and the list of recorded shows disappeared and then started rebuilding itself, with the total number of recordings updating periodically. Eventually the list was complete and I could resume watching recorded videos. At some times, when fast-forwarding through commercials, the video will stop and resume at the beginning of the show. 

Has anyone found resolution by replacing the VIP1200 STBs to a newer model in the presence of a model 2250 DVR?

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Send Alex a PM he is an ATT Community Manager on the forum.

http://forums.att.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/318276

[silversport]

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RCSMG wrote:

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silversport wrote:

I am having the reboot problem about once a day on this Cisco ISB 7500 unit...I disconnected the HDMI (which appears to my eyes to give better picture and of course the digital sound) and tried the composite RGB and the analog red and white for sound and didn't have the reboot issue for a week...last night, I tried the HDMI again and within minutes, it rebooted...I think this is still an issue with the HDMI connection and possibly Cisco...my older box couldn't hold digital surround sound when connected VIA HDMI...

Irritated to say the least...

Bill

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It could be that you have a bad hdmi cable.  If you have another stb try connecting it to a different tv with the hdmi cable, or just try using a different hdmi cable on that tv.  If it doesn't freeze or reboot then the problem was the cable itself.  Let us know what happens.

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I have changed out my HDMI to another HDMI...I'll report back if it makes any difference...

Thanks for the help RCSMG and others...

Bill

[cole_jackson]

An update:

My latest VIP 2250, connected with Cat5, still has audio dropouts, freezes and restarts. The freezes were absent for nearly a week, but are now occuring again with previous frequency (every 3-5 hours). My next and last attempt to keep Uverse in my house is to contact David. I don't know what else to do.

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Definitely send David your info.

[silversport]

mine have stopped with a new HDMI cable (Monoprice) but admittedly, I have little TV time on it since the changeover...I'll keep monitoring it and if it starts up again, I'll report it here...thanks all for the help and support...

Bill

[cole_jackson]

Sent David my info last week but haven't heard back yet.

In the meantime another tech came out and swapped my old 2-wire gateway to a new style (black) 2-Wire gateway. Now my menus are slow, I can't access any DVR recording made that night and my audio still drops like mad and the unit STILL reboots.

Is there anything else I can do???

In summary, I have run new cable (Cat5) from the outside of the house to the gateway, from the gateway to the main tv (2250 DVR). I have recrimped and tested all coax running to the two tvs upstairs (1200 series STB). I have now swapped my gateway. I have changed cables (HDMI, etc) repeatedly. Not sure what else I can do. I heard (from the tech) that new firmware will likely solve my freeze/reboot problem in the 2250. How can I get new firmware? Last time I asked on the forum about it I was told it was not yet available. Is this still the case?

[pedaler]

Except for coax vs.. CAT5, we have the same hardware. Our 2250 DVR still reboots, and the menu still freezes. One suggestion has been to replace the 1200 series STBs, based on the suspicion that the older STBs do not play well with the new DVR. Please let us know if you end up replacing the STBs.

[silversport]

my rebooting issue has been solved thus far...either with the firware update by AT&T (2.1.2344.20) or by the HDMI cable change I made about the same time...I have since switched back to the other HDMI to see if the problem WAS in fact the HDMI (Bluejeans Cable) or the firmware...in any event...I am somewhat pleased with my Uverse again (not so much on the recent price jump)

Bill

[silversport]

thanks so much to all here for the support and help...I will report back if this seems to have fixed my issue but I wanted to thank everyone for their feedback and help...

Bill