Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

One thing those of us (Myself included) who have done hard drive and/or
other upgrades need to know.

My original 5504 suffered, it appears, hard drive failure. Since it's
still under warranty, and since my policy is to not disturb it's innards
when it's under warranty, it is going back to DNNA for warranty
replacement of the HD (DNNA told me it's under warranty and issued an
RMA) Thankfully I activated a spare unit the day before this one died.

They told me however, that if the seal is broken, they won't accept them
for repair, not even if it's out of warranty (you pay them) repair, this
seems kind of anal to me, but that is what she said.

This does not apply to this unit (of course) but I am passing it on

Also,,, So long as I (or you) are paying for the repair I do not believe
they can refuse to service it

Of course, replacement 5504s are only 40 bucks just now
--
John F Davis, in Delightful Detroit. WA8YXM(at)arrl(dot)net
"Nothing adds excitement like something that is none of your business"
Diabetic? http://community.compuserve.com/diabetes

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

John in Detroit wrote:
> One thing those of us (Myself included) who have done hard drive and/or
> other upgrades need to know.
>
> My original 5504 suffered, it appears, hard drive failure. Since it's
> still under warranty, and since my policy is to not disturb it's innards
> when it's under warranty, it is going back to DNNA for warranty
> replacement of the HD (DNNA told me it's under warranty and issued an
> RMA) Thankfully I activated a spare unit the day before this one died.
>
> They told me however, that if the seal is broken, they won't accept them
> for repair, not even if it's out of warranty (you pay them) repair, this
> seems kind of anal to me, but that is what she said.
>
> This does not apply to this unit (of course) but I am passing it on
>
> Also,,, So long as I (or you) are paying for the repair I do not believe
> they can refuse to service it
>
> Of course, replacement 5504s are only 40 bucks just now


That stinks. With age, the stickers will deteriorate, and even people
who have never opened them will have broken stickers. Can't a lifetime
subscription be transferred to another unit, if one with a broken
sticker fails?

It's time for someone to compete with RTV. My guess is that there is
already or soon will be a way to accomplish everything that RTV can do
on a PC. I don't even care about the TV guide. All I care about is
automatic commercial skip, which only works about 75% of the time anyway.

Someone will release a program though open source licensing that will
accomplish the same functions. Whoever sued RTV will have trouble
shutting down free software distribution. Maybe some disgruntled
software developer at RTV will be the impetus behind the program? It
happens.

The best response to companies that refuse to provide customer service
is competition. I have a friend who could probably reverse engineer the
entire 5040 box, firmware included, but there is no financial incentive
for him to do so at present. Maybe the Mike guy who posts here can dig
deeper into the motherboards and offer full-blown repairs. I have a guy
who repairs computer motherboards without schematics, since no
manufacturers release them. (http://www.motherboardrepair.com) If the
motherboard repair business dies, he might be willing to dig into RTVs,
but since there are so few of them, compared with the number of computer
motherboards, he would probably have to charge a lot.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

In article <KDCne.4869$4u.1634@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com>,
John in Detroit <Blanked@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> One thing those of us (Myself included) who have done hard drive and/or
> other upgrades need to know.
>
> My original 5504 suffered, it appears, hard drive failure. Since it's
> still under warranty, and since my policy is to not disturb it's innards
> when it's under warranty, it is going back to DNNA for warranty
> replacement of the HD (DNNA told me it's under warranty and issued an
> RMA) Thankfully I activated a spare unit the day before this one died.
>
> They told me however, that if the seal is broken, they won't accept them
> for repair, not even if it's out of warranty (you pay them) repair, this
> seems kind of anal to me, but that is what she said.
>
> This does not apply to this unit (of course) but I am passing it on
>
> Also,,, So long as I (or you) are paying for the repair I do not believe
> they can refuse to service it
>
> Of course, replacement 5504s are only 40 bucks just now

Always, always, always call back as many times as needed to speak with
different people.

Never, ever count on the information given by one single customer
service rep.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

> That stinks. With age, the stickers will deteriorate, and even people
> who have never opened them will have broken stickers.

Not really. Mylar is very stable.

> Can't a lifetime
> subscription be transferred to another unit, if one with a broken
> sticker fails?

For a Replay yes, Showstopper no.
>
> It's time for someone to compete with RTV. My guess is that there is
> already or soon will be a way to accomplish everything that RTV can do
> on a PC. I don't even care about the TV guide. All I care about is
> automatic commercial skip, which only works about 75% of the time anyway.

85% for me. There are PC based programs. PCs make very poor PVRs.
>
>
> The best response to companies that refuse to provide customer service
> is competition.

Strange but the warranty terms, etc, for the "competition" are the same.

> I have a friend who could probably reverse engineer the
> entire 5040 box, firmware included, but there is no financial incentive
> for him to do so at present.

You'll let us know when he gets around to it???

> Maybe the Mike guy who posts here can dig
> deeper into the motherboards and offer full-blown repairs.

He already does do some, depending on if it is worth it. It mostly isn't.

> I have a guy
> who repairs computer motherboards without schematics, since no
> manufacturers release them. (http://www.motherboardrepair.com) If the
> motherboard repair business dies, he might be willing to dig into RTVs,
> but since there are so few of them, compared with the number of computer
> motherboards, he would probably have to charge a lot.

It isn't rocket science, you really don't need a schematic. If voltages
are ok and no modem, replace the modem chip, ditto network, etc, etc.

It isn't worth it. DNNA will transfer lifetime from a 55XX to another.
If you have a 50XX, buy a 55XX and put the system eprom on the 5500 board.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 12:30:07 GMT, mcp6453 <mcp6453@earthlink.net>
wrote:

>John in Detroit wrote:
>> One thing those of us (Myself included) who have done hard drive and/or
>> other upgrades need to know.
>>
>> My original 5504 suffered, it appears, hard drive failure. Since it's
>> still under warranty, and since my policy is to not disturb it's innards
>> when it's under warranty, it is going back to DNNA for warranty
>> replacement of the HD (DNNA told me it's under warranty and issued an
>> RMA) Thankfully I activated a spare unit the day before this one died.
>>
>> They told me however, that if the seal is broken, they won't accept them
>> for repair, not even if it's out of warranty (you pay them) repair, this
>> seems kind of anal to me, but that is what she said.
>>
>> This does not apply to this unit (of course) but I am passing it on
>>
>> Also,,, So long as I (or you) are paying for the repair I do not believe
>> they can refuse to service it
>>
>> Of course, replacement 5504s are only 40 bucks just now
>
>
>That stinks. With age, the stickers will deteriorate, and even people
>who have never opened them will have broken stickers. Can't a lifetime
>subscription be transferred to another unit, if one with a broken
>sticker fails?
>
>It's time for someone to compete with RTV. My guess is that there is
>already or soon will be a way to accomplish everything that RTV can do
>on a PC. I don't even care about the TV guide. All I care about is
>automatic commercial skip, which only works about 75% of the time anyway.
>

It would be possible for the programmers to provide an embedded code
that would make commercial skip nearly 100% reliable. Of course, they
won't.

[snip]

--
Mark Lloyd
has a Replay 5xxx
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"The idea that there is an invisible being who
created and still runs this old universe is so
childish, so obviously contrived, that it is hard to
believe anyone with even a modicum of education can
still fall for that scam."

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

In article <voau91hf47cnmapo3rl30v826ela0p10er@4ax.com>,
mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx says...
> On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 12:30:07 GMT, mcp6453 <mcp6453@earthlink.net>
> wrote:
>
> It would be possible for the programmers to provide an embedded code
> that would make commercial skip nearly 100% reliable. Of course, they
> won't.

If that came about, then wouldn't the broadcasters find a way to get
around it. However, this sounds like the carburetor that would get 200
miles to the gallon, but was being suppress by the car (or oil)
companies.
--
Jerry Bank
Trenton, New Jersey
Music is the language of the gods.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 10:54:00 -0500, Mark Lloyd
<mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> wrote:

>It would be possible for the programmers to provide an embedded code
>that would make commercial skip nearly 100% reliable. Of course, they
>won't.

Since CA is basically just looking at "fade to black" intervals it
will never be perfect, especially when Dick Wolf uses that for
dramatic effect. You also have commercials that areas long as a
program segment. Don't we all hate fitness expert John Basedow?
I also notice some local spots get mixed without a "fade" between
them. All things considered I still prefer CA to manually pushing a
button.
At this point, if my 4508 crashes and a drive won't fix it I will buy
one on Ebay and swap the flash rom.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 17:56:47 GMT, Jerry Bank <bankcello@peoplepc.com>
wrote:

>In article <voau91hf47cnmapo3rl30v826ela0p10er@4ax.com>,
>mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx says...
>> On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 12:30:07 GMT, mcp6453 <mcp6453@earthlink.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> It would be possible for the programmers to provide an embedded code
>> that would make commercial skip nearly 100% reliable. Of course, they
>> won't.
>
>If that came about, then wouldn't the broadcasters find a way to get
>around it. However, this sounds like the carburetor that would get 200
>miles to the gallon, but was being suppress by the car (or oil)
>companies.

Yes.

--
Mark Lloyd
has a Replay 5xxx
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"The idea that there is an invisible being who
created and still runs this old universe is so
childish, so obviously contrived, that it is hard to
believe anyone with even a modicum of education can
still fall for that scam."

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
> On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 10:54:00 -0500, Mark Lloyd
> <mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> wrote:
>
>
>>It would be possible for the programmers to provide an embedded code
>>that would make commercial skip nearly 100% reliable. Of course, they
>>won't.
>
>
> Since CA is basically just looking at "fade to black" intervals it
> will never be perfect, especially when Dick Wolf uses that for
> dramatic effect. You also have commercials that areas long as a
> program segment. Don't we all hate fitness expert John Basedow?
> I also notice some local spots get mixed without a "fade" between
> them. All things considered I still prefer CA to manually pushing a
> button.
> At this point, if my 4508 crashes and a drive won't fix it I will buy
> one on Ebay and swap the flash rom.

The algorithm is much more involved than just fade to black. The
technology is patented and used under license.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 19:27:08 -0400, Tony D <nospam@nospam.com> wrote:

>The algorithm is much more involved than just fade to black. The
>technology is patented and used under license.

I'm sure they look at several things but if the fade to black
intervals are pretty far apart it will not skip and if they are close
together it will skip. That is why we miss those short one liners at
the emnd of a segment on Law and Order and we see the 3 minute
infomercials that they show in the commercial break on cable.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

There is a way to do automatic commercial skip using a TV Capture card
on a Television, it's a bit involved but it's possible someone can
"Automate" it. You need basically 3 things all of which I have

1: A computer at least 500MHz
2: A Tv Capture card such as an ATI TV-Wonder or ALL-IN-Wonder or a
Hauppauge which can convert TV signals into MPEGS

3: RTVtooles

4: Video-Lan Replay Version

What you do get is the TV guide, what you don't get is "Theme Channels"

If I had theme channels I'd have a "Replay in a box" as it were

Tony D. wrote:
>> That stinks. With age, the stickers will deteriorate, and even people
>> who have never opened them will have broken stickers.
>
>
> Not really. Mylar is very stable.
>
>> Can't a lifetime subscription be transferred to another unit, if one
>> with a broken sticker fails?
>
>
> For a Replay yes, Showstopper no.
>
>>
>> It's time for someone to compete with RTV. My guess is that there is
>> already or soon will be a way to accomplish everything that RTV can do
>> on a PC. I don't even care about the TV guide. All I care about is
>> automatic commercial skip, which only works about 75% of the time anyway.
>
>
> 85% for me. There are PC based programs. PCs make very poor PVRs.
>
>>
>>
>> The best response to companies that refuse to provide customer service
>> is competition.
>
>
> Strange but the warranty terms, etc, for the "competition" are the same.
>
>> I have a friend who could probably reverse engineer the entire 5040
>> box, firmware included, but there is no financial incentive for him to
>> do so at present.
>
>
> You'll let us know when he gets around to it???
>
>> Maybe the Mike guy who posts here can dig deeper into the motherboards
>> and offer full-blown repairs.
>
>
> He already does do some, depending on if it is worth it. It mostly isn't.
>
>> I have a guy who repairs computer motherboards without schematics,
>> since no manufacturers release them.
>> (http://www.motherboardrepair.com) If the motherboard repair business
>> dies, he might be willing to dig into RTVs, but since there are so few
>> of them, compared with the number of computer motherboards, he would
>> probably have to charge a lot.
>
>
> It isn't rocket science, you really don't need a schematic. If voltages
> are ok and no modem, replace the modem chip, ditto network, etc, etc.
>
> It isn't worth it. DNNA will transfer lifetime from a 55XX to another.
> If you have a 50XX, buy a 55XX and put the system eprom on the 5500 board.

--
John F Davis, in Delightful Detroit. WA8YXM(at)arrl(dot)net
"Nothing adds excitement like something that is none of your business"
Diabetic? http://community.compuserve.com/diabetes

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

There is a code, already embedded in the broadcast which identifies the
studio where the programming originated.... Very few movie/tv-show
studios do commercials, most commercials are filmed elsewhere, So when
the "Studio Code" appears.... you skip ahead to when it changes back.
NOTE: Older movies on FILM will not have this code

Jerry Bank wrote:
> In article <voau91hf47cnmapo3rl30v826ela0p10er@4ax.com>,
> mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx says...
>
>>On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 12:30:07 GMT, mcp6453 <mcp6453@earthlink.net>
>>wrote:
>>
>>It would be possible for the programmers to provide an embedded code
>>that would make commercial skip nearly 100% reliable. Of course, they
>>won't.
>
>
> If that came about, then wouldn't the broadcasters find a way to get
> around it. However, this sounds like the carburetor that would get 200
> miles to the gallon, but was being suppress by the car (or oil)
> companies.

--
John F Davis, in Delightful Detroit. WA8YXM(at)arrl(dot)net
"Nothing adds excitement like something that is none of your business"
Diabetic? http://community.compuserve.com/diabetes

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

In this I agree ELmo... I'm just passing on what one rep said.

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article <KDCne.4869$4u.1634@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com>,
> John in Detroit <Blanked@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>
>>One thing those of us (Myself included) who have done hard drive and/or
>>other upgrades need to know.
>>
>>My original 5504 suffered, it appears, hard drive failure. Since it's
>>still under warranty, and since my policy is to not disturb it's innards
>>when it's under warranty, it is going back to DNNA for warranty
>>replacement of the HD (DNNA told me it's under warranty and issued an
>>RMA) Thankfully I activated a spare unit the day before this one died.
>>
>>They told me however, that if the seal is broken, they won't accept them
>>for repair, not even if it's out of warranty (you pay them) repair, this
>>seems kind of anal to me, but that is what she said.
>>
>>This does not apply to this unit (of course) but I am passing it on
>>
>>Also,,, So long as I (or you) are paying for the repair I do not believe
>>they can refuse to service it
>>
>>Of course, replacement 5504s are only 40 bucks just now
>
>
> Always, always, always call back as many times as needed to speak with
> different people.
>
> Never, ever count on the information given by one single customer
> service rep.
>

--
John F Davis, in Delightful Detroit. WA8YXM(at)arrl(dot)net
"Nothing adds excitement like something that is none of your business"
Diabetic? http://community.compuserve.com/diabetes

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

As I said, right now replacements are 40 bucks, (5504) I suspect that
repair (paid) would be more than that. so the devices are closer to
throw-away if the repair is anything beyond a drive swap. Heck, even
drive swaps are pushing the limit unless you upgrade at the same time

General Kireiko wrote:
> John in Detroit <Blanked@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> : They told me however, that if the seal is broken, they won't accept them
> : for repair, not even if it's out of warranty (you pay them) repair, this
> : seems kind of anal to me, but that is what she said.
>
> Wow. Interesting. When the original 5040's warranty was up, I went to
> upgrade it. The seal had broken itself - I guess from thermal growth and
> contraction.
>
> I wonder how'd they'd answer that one.
>
> Most of the Replays that fail do so because of the hard disk - which is an
> easy fix. If the motherboard or some other component to fail, you'd be
> better off buying a new one. If the unit works out of the box, odds are
> it will work forever, barring static discharge, power surge, lightning,
> etc.
>
> -Doug

--
John F Davis, in Delightful Detroit. WA8YXM(at)arrl(dot)net
"Nothing adds excitement like something that is none of your business"
Diabetic? http://community.compuserve.com/diabetes