Aaaaaaaaaarrrghhhhhhhh TVDRIVE

W

wibsy

Guest
Since I have had the TVDrive I have had nothing but issues with it. I have had about 11 boxes since May.

Some of the problems I have experienced are...

not recording last 30 mins of a program.
not recording a program with the series record at all.
loose HDMI port.

Having finally fixed those problems, Telewest has now presented me with an 'unsolvable' one.....

I had the HDMI connection working throughout the worldcup, but then about 3 weeks ago, it stopped displaying a picture. I can hear the sound and see the Telewest menu ok but can't see the T.V. picture. :mad:
The engineers have tried 6 different TVDrives and 6 different hdmi leads but to no avail. Samsung have stated that since they have had no other reports of problems then it must be a fault with Telewest, and they will charge to look at the TV.

Telewest won't come out anymore (I don't believe its the box, or the cable anyway.)

Does anyone have any idea where the problem might lie ?
 
If it isnt the TVdrive and it isnt the cable then its quite obviously the TV, there are only three things and you have proved 2 of them. If you want further proof then plug something else into the HDMI slot on your TV and if it doesnt work then its the TV.

Is your TV out of warranty? You have a 12 month warranty on ANY piece of electrical equipment sold to you. If its older than 12 months and its out of warranty then you are going to have to pay to get it fixed but any TV repair shop will come out and look at it for you free of charge and provide you with a quote to repair it.
 
wibsy said:
Since I have had the TVDrive I have had nothing but issues with it. I have had about 11 boxes since May.

Some of the problems I have experienced are...

not recording last 30 mins of a program.
not recording a program with the series record at all.
loose HDMI port.

Having finally fixed those problems, Telewest has now presented me with an 'unsolvable' one.....


I had the HDMI connection working throughout the worldcup, but then about 3 weeks ago, it stopped displaying a picture. I can hear the sound and see the Telewest menu ok but can't see the T.V. picture. :mad:
The engineers have tried 6 different TVDrives and 6 different hdmi leads but to no avail. Samsung have stated that since they have had no other reports of problems then it must be a fault with Telewest, and they will charge to look at the TV.

Telewest won't come out anymore (I don't believe its the box, or the cable anyway.)

Does anyone have any idea where the problem might lie ?


Looks like yor TV is faulty.
Is it not under warranty?

You ought to buy a low cost upsaling DVD player and try that.
My Panasonic 32LXD60 gave no sound on the HDMI2 input with the TVDrive but did with the HDMI1 input.

I didn't know for sure whether it was the TV or the TVDrive and was worried that if someone came to fix the TV and it was the TV Drive I would be charged.

The DVD player does the same, proving it to be the TV.
 
I will call-out Samsung but they have stated that they will charge me if no problem is found. Only thing I can't understand is why there would be no TV picture but that I can see the Telewest menus and sound - doesn't make sense to me. Is it something to do with HDMI or is it a broken prong on the HDMI port on the TV ? - I suppose I'll know soon enough from the Samsung engineer. :confused:
 
wibsy said:
there would be no TV picture but that I can see the Telewest menus and sound - doesn't make sense to me.


i had this last night.... after i moved some leads. to hook up a xbox
took the component and optical leads of the dvd player and connected to the xbox hidef adaptor.

once we was done i put things back to find same as you said...

i moved hdmi leads etc to make sure they fully in and pic came back.
 
WGLOVER said:
Looks like yor TV is faulty.
Is it not under warranty?

You ought to buy a low cost upsaling DVD player and try that.
My Panasonic 32LXD60 gave no sound on the HDMI2 input with the TVDrive but did with the HDMI1 input.

I didn't know for sure whether it was the TV or the TVDrive and was worried that if someone came to fix the TV and it was the TV Drive I would be charged.

The DVD player does the same, proving it to be the TV.

sorry to take this off topic for a bit but the second hdmi socket only accepts digital audio input thats why your wont be getting any sound , my 42px60 is the same
 
mine occasionally gets this - due to HDMI handshaking problem (this is a guess)

solution is to power cycle TVDrive and TV.

That's always worked for me.

(Philips 37pf9830)
 
My HDMI port stopped working in the third week of the World cup and hasn't worked since. Haven't got round to getting the box replaced since I can just use component and don't want to lose recordings.
 
jpow112 said:
mine occasionally gets this - due to HDMI handshaking problem (this is a guess)

solution is to power cycle TVDrive and TV.

That's always worked for me.

(Philips 37pf9830)

Unfortunately that is one of the many things I have tried. It does seem like it could be the TV because noone else has reported the problem (although the Telewest engineer did say that they were investigating similar problems with some Sony TVs and the TVDrive).
Reading around on the internet, I am amazed at how 'unstandard' the HDMI standard is, and how untested it is with lots of people reporting compatibility problems with high-def Tvs and set-top boxes and dvd players.
 
Kevstir said:
sorry to take this off topic for a bit but the second hdmi socket only accepts digital audio input thats why your wont be getting any sound , my 42px60 is the same

I wish this was the case.
Whatever I set the DVD player or TVDrive sound output to I get no sound on HDMI2. No problem, I always use the Amp for DVD.
 
Just joined this forum to see if everyone else was having the same problems as me, and it seems they have.

My TV Drive went black, and as the initial poster days, I could only get sound and menus.

They changed the box, and then the second box was even worse.

This time not even the menus worked, and all I got was a garbled screen.

Onto the third box now.

Maybe I should have went to Sky!!!
 
Hot-Tomali said:
Just joined this forum to see if everyone else was having the same problems as me, and it seems they have.

My TV Drive went black, and as the initial poster days, I could only get sound and menus.

They changed the box, and then the second box was even worse.

This time not even the menus worked, and all I got was a garbled screen.

Onto the third box now.

Maybe I should have went to Sky!!!

Don't lose faith.
Things are getting better.
 
Hot-Tomali said:
Just joined this forum to see if everyone else was having the same problems as me, and it seems they have.

My TV Drive went black, and as the initial poster days, I could only get sound and menus.

They changed the box, and then the second box was even worse.

This time not even the menus worked, and all I got was a garbled screen.

Onto the third box now.

Maybe I should have went to Sky!!!

Samsung are coming out on Saturday to have a look at the TV. I'll update you all then. I suspect that the problem is that the TVDrive and the TV are not communicating properly via HDCP over the HDMI port. I have read a fair amount about HDCP and how complicated it is and how difficult it is to get two devices to exchange keys in the correct manner.
I suspect that there is either a software issue on the Telewest side or something has happened to the HDMI port on my TV.

As an aside there are loads of posts about Panasonic TVs and SKY having this kind of issue, with Panasonic stating that they have recreated the issue and for people to use component until they have sorted it out. I suspect that as time moves on Telewest will start to see a huge increase in this type of issue being reported due to the complicated nature of HDCP.

As my problem is a 'one-off', I think Telewest's answers so far have been that it must be a problem with the TV and no-one there will even contemplate an HDCP issue (probably because most people have no idea what HDCP is).

I'll keep you all updated.
 
I simply don't believe you've had 11 different boxes and all have faults. Any problem has to be with either

1) The way you are handling the machine.

2) The other hardware your trying to connect it too.

3) The cable install in your street or area.

These boxes just arn't as bad as needing 11 would suggest. I've had mine since the beta trial in january and it's fine. So either someone at the depot has taken to playing footy with your boxes before they install them or your TV is too blame.
 
andy, I don't doubt he had those problems. I've had a total of 5 engineer visits since May to fix my tvdrive and I still have problems. I've only had 2 boxes, but I'm sure some engineers will just turn up and swap the box. Check my previous post in this forum about all the problems I had.

Some people are apparently very unlucky with this TVDrive system, and some people are lucky. It's random, but I can easily believe the OP had serious problems.
 
Please correct me if I am wrong but I have seen very few incidents reported on these fora of problems of this nature between TVDrive and TVs and their HDMI ports. There is a MAJOR documented problem between SkyHD and PIONEER (not Panasonic) TVs.

Too early to suggest that there is a general HDMI/HDCP problem with TVDrive.

I believe there are currently similar numbers of TVDrive and SkyHD installed and would have expected more shouting about TVDrive if it had similar problems with HDCP.

Lets wait and see what this problem turns out to be.
 
andythescientis said:
I simply don't believe you've had 11 different boxes and all have faults. Any problem has to be with either

1) The way you are handling the machine.

2) The other hardware your trying to connect it too.

3) The cable install in your street or area.

These boxes just arn't as bad as needing 11 would suggest. I've had mine since the beta trial in january and it's fine. So either someone at the depot has taken to playing footy with your boxes before they install them or your TV is too blame.

I have had 11 boxes here's why....

1 engineer - 2 boxes - not recording last 30 mins of a program.
1 engineer - 1 box - not recording a program with the series record at all.
1 engineer - 2 boxes - loose HDMI port.
2 engineers- 6 boxes - HDMI not working correctly.

Out of these 11 boxes, I had 5 engineers visit me over two months. I never requested an engineer only requested that my problems were fixed.
About half of these boxes were returns from other customers (I know this because it still had their recordings on them !!!!) - so obviously these were returned by other customers and just happened to be in the engineer's van on the way back for repair.

So, you're definitely wrong about 1) and 3) but I shall let you know about 2). ;) - but as I said I suspect it is a communication between them both via HDCP which is why I am having so much trouble in finding a fix other than the standard scripts from telewest customer service centre.

I have even read the spec sheet for the HDCP standard - which states that should the handshake not happen correctly between two devices then it is recommended that a black screen is displayed/or a error message rather than a partial image - which is exactly the issue I am getting).

As for the Panasonic/Pioneer - I got mixed up over who was having problems with SKY, and I stand corrected. It's still useful to have this information in reference to the issues I am having.
 
Ernie_C said:
Please correct me if I am wrong but I have seen very few incidents reported on these fora of problems of this nature between TVDrive and TVs and their HDMI ports. There is a MAJOR documented problem between SkyHD and PIONEER (not Panasonic) TVs.

Too early to suggest that there is a general HDMI/HDCP problem with TVDrive.

I believe there are currently similar numbers of TVDrive and SkyHD installed and would have expected more shouting about TVDrive if it had similar problems with HDCP.

Lets wait and see what this problem turns out to be.

You are correct in all your points - I don't think there's a general problem with TVDrive. I know I have a problem and I am fishing around for answers, and like I say it was working during the world cup. It just suddenly stopped working - works ok over component and scart though. Like you say its best to wait for a definitive answer if I ever get one :) .
 
Did the Samsung engineer find anything on Saturday??
 
I don't think there's a general problem with TVDrive. I know I have a problem

Just read this post. I had the exact same problem - coincidentally I think - at about the same time. Telewest engineer came out and tried 2 new boxes but still the same problem.

It first surfaced the day after I first connected the optical out to my amp - previously sound was being deliverd via HDMI and output through the TV speakers. When I 1st did it there wasn't an issue, sound coming through the amp & external speakers and a HD signal delivered via HDMI. It wasn't until the following day that it started playing up. Same issue as you: sound and menus but no picture. My telly is a Tosh 32wl48.

The funny thing is that the following week after a couple of restarts and tinkering it started working again. No rhyme or reason to it.

BTW as a previous Sky+ customer I wish telewest had sorted out all the bugs and usability issues before they brought this thing to market. If I wasn't tied in to a contract I'd go with Sky again in a heartbeat for sheer consumer friendliness of their well tested products.
 
pmjoyce said:
..I'd go with Sky again in a heartbeat for sheer consumer friendliness of their well tested products.
Two points:

1. Sky+ was equally bug-ridden when it first came out;

2. Ask SkyHD users (better comparison for TVDrive) how bug-free that product is?

PS You may wish to read this before running back to Sky:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=346672

PPS The point I'm trying to make here is that there is always the risk of bugs with new technology. Despite the testing that Telewest or Sky do, bugs will surface when their products are out in the field connected to a wide variety of other manufacturers' equipment.
 
Ernie_C said:
Did the Samsung engineer find anything on Saturday??


Sorry I didn't update sooner. The engineer was sub-contracted by Samsung and he said that he had never seen an issue like this. The only thing that he could suggest was to swap the main board and try and see if that works. Just got to wait for him to return at some point to try a new board. He did think it was more likely to be the TV than the TVDrive but he wasn't 100% sure.

I have it working on Component at the moment so I am not to rushed to get this fixed especially if they decide to take the TV away to swap the new board. Anyways, I'll let you all know when the engineer returns. :)
 
The engineer finally turned up (took them a few months to order the parts) and replaced the main board. HDMI now works - so it was a fault with the TV. :clap: :clap: :clap:

I should feel a little guilty about the Telewest engineer's turning up, but as a customer and not an expert I was reliant on info. from Telewest and Samsung. :)
 
Glad to hear its all sorted!

And glad to see someone bump this thread. The topic makes me giggle every time :rotfl:

Although it should probably be changed to Aaaaaaaaaarrrghhhhhhhh TV
 
Well the topic is half-correct because I did have countless problems with TV Drive, but I haven't had any for absolutely ages (touch wood). I suspect that there may be an issue with the heat and the TV Drive although I know that Telewest have fixed loads of issues.

Anyway, I am a very happy customer with the TV Drive service and think it's excellent value for money. I have managed to have about 40 series links setup so far (well most of those are CSI for my wife !) :D
 

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