Sony HXD 990 Guide Plus+ Doesn't save configuration

fagrossi

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Hy Guys,
I have some problems with my DVD REcorder (Sony HXD 990).
I have connected and downloaded Guide Plus+, so I see program schedule in the grid, etc.
I have configured channels settings in Guide Plus+ -- Editor So, for example (I am in Italy), I have configured (Name -- On/Off -- Source -- Prog. no):
Rai1 -- On -- D.TV -- 001
Rai2 -- On -- D.TV -- 002
Rai3 -- On -- D.TV -- 003
Ita1 -- On -- D.TV -- 006
and all works !!
When I switch of (or standby) the DVD, I loose my configs! Well, better, all config are resetted to the same program! the last program I have set.

So I found on Guide Plus+ Editor:
Rai1 -- On -- D.TV -- 006
Rai2 -- On -- D.TV -- 006
Rai3 -- On -- D.TV -- 006
Ita1 -- On -- D.TV -- 006
Searching on manuals (also on Sony web site) I can't find any help.
Can anyone help me??

thank's a lot
Cheers
Fabrizio
 
unless I am mistaken guide plus only works on analogue channels and not on digital channels

not sure about italy but the common factor is guideplus using itv1 for the uk or eurosport from sky in europe , using analogue teletext for the host source

so I fail to see how using DTV on a 990 can work with guide plus which works on ATV
 
ramjet: sorry but that is not very clear... guideplus is only a tvguide - it does 'work' on anything (eg controlling a skybox, listing all the sky channels, when it has no digital tuner of its own, eg the pioneer 530)...
The DATA it needs is normally obtained from analog ITV, BUT!! this can also be received from a digital receiver tuned to Eurosport...

see this thread for how to do this..
http://www.avforums.com/forums/dvd-...ia/654255-how-set-up-guideplus-sky-box-2.html

It could well be the software is the problem, it is rather ancient - you would think they would have added a capability to get this data of an independent digital feed by now!

Try switching to the plain guide, and see if that works better..
 
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I appreciate what you have said but the point here is that he seems to be using inbuilt digital tv channels from the internal tuner , namely RAI italian channels on his digital tuner

at no time does he mention using an external digital decoder for these RAI channels

after all , he is in italy and so maybe they have their own arrangements

any reply I made was in respect of the sony digital and analogue internal tuners , nothing else
 
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no worries, mate :D:smashin: wikipedia says it is DVB-T , but..

I just checked on the guideplus site, in Italy it only uses MTV analog..

But the good news is he is actually getting something!! :) looks like the guideplus web needs a lot of updating!! :)

fagrossi: change the EPG to plain digital, and see if the channels are remembered..

I am guessing you using the sony's DTV tuner... Please can you tell if this is so.. :)
 
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Hi,
first of all Thank's a lot for your help!
I have tried with digital guide and it works, obviously :). But I can't or, better, I have not to set channels. channels are automatically set in Guide.
If I use Guide Plus+, instead, I have to associate a channel to a "source", so, for example, I have to associate channel 1 to BBC coming from source DVB-T. The users manuall says that I must use this procedure to activate/deactivate channels or change source (from DVB-T to analog TV), but, it seems that the guide plus+ should associate automatically channels and source, and I must us this procedure only to change manual association. Seems like Guide Plus+ doensn't work completely well with DVB-T channels.

thank's again for help
Fabrizio
 
well first, Macrovision now own guideplus, so there is a new URL!
Gemstar TV GUIDE Europe / What We Do / GUIDE Plus+
- still not as good as the pics in the sony manual, just a PR ('Public Relations' or 'Press Release') exercise...

Goto page 32 of the hxd990 manual - there is a pic of the guideplus setup screen.

Note there is 'none' against all the 'external receiver ' settings - this is how it should be to use the internal DTV

If it is not set that way, it is most likely why it keeps asking you for a source??

As others have mentioned, 'guideplus' is showing its age, it was bought on 6/7 months ago, maybe we might see some new developments..

Meanwhile I am using the plain 'digital guide' - not as pretty and colorful, no 'smallscreen' while you are checking whats on, etc...

- But it does all the stuff you need, lists all the weeks programs, sets up the timer from it - you will have to exit, and press the 'timer' button to see the result though..
The 'info' button works OK...

BUT do note, I am using the UK version - there may be differences.. please read the section in your manual .. :)
 
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Hi,
first of all thank's a lot for your help!

My config are ok, I have set "external receiver"="none".
The problem is not receiving Guide+, I receive it correctly.
But If I go in Guide in Editor section, where I can turn a channel on or of, or identify Channel source and Progrem Number, I can't save my config. Also all my Channel remain configured to the same Program. For example if the last config is channel 9 = BBC, all my channels are set to BBC
So when in guide, I go to the grid and I select a program to record (for Ex a program at 1 pm on Eurosport, The recording start, but records the wrong Program, it records BBC !!!
So I can select any program on grid, but the HXD always records BBC.
 
It may be good to totally 'redo' the EPG setup.. it maybe showing its age, or need for a full software update! :)

try the plain digital EPG for a while, and see if that saves config OK...

I cannot get the guideplus going due to my noisy aerial and lack of cash... :( :(

but try this thread,
http://www.avforums.com/forums/dvd-...-rdr-hxd890-guide-plus-query.html#post8472821

Johno2009 seems have got it all sorted out... :smashin:
 
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:) I am a computer consultant, so my first rule is: " If it doesn't work, redo config again from zero"
It is interesting that If I set an analogic program, the HXD save config correctly!
So I agree with you, it seems I need a complete firmware update :)

thnk's again
Fabrizio
 
PM Johno2009 for his advice... :)

My point was, the guideplus may have a problem, but the plain guide, being less complex, works better - My deck wont get any guideplus data, but the plain guide gets all the programme details, info, all the codes it needs, no problem at all!! the only difference is it doesnt look 'pretty', and does not have the small window showing the current channel... :)
 
Hi,

I have a HXD 995 and it has started to do the same thing it reset the source for all channels to 018!!!

So i sat there and set them all back to the correct channels again, Turned the box off came back a while later and the dam thing had set them all to 101 BY ITSELF!!!!!!


:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Dam guide+ system is a complete load of rubbish.
 
I have been an enthusiatic advocate or proponent of Guideplus for about 4 years and own both an analogue and digital Pioneer DVD recorders.
On Friday nights things suddenly started to go wrong with the Pioneer's 560 Guideplus system. I had set the recorder to watch a Halloween film on BBC 1 and when I went to watch it on Saturday found that it had recorded Channel 5 (Five) for the duration.
Eventually, I started to investigate and went in to the 'Editor' of the Guideplus and found, to my horror, that all listed stations were now set to '005'.

I went laboriously through each one setting them to their correct numbers and then put the machine on standby. On turning it back on I went into the 'Editor' again and found that all channels were now set to '035' which happened to be the last number I'd entered.
After much musing, I decided to do a factory reset and setup the recorder again, including the Guideplus setup and put the machine into standby. After a few minutes, it started updating and stopped after about 20 minutes or so. On entering the 'Editor' and now saw a nice line up of channels with the correct channels numbers appended. Happily, I went to bed (now midnight) and waited for the programmes to populate the grid overnight.
This morning most had appeared and the channel listings were still OK. I turned off the machine and had breakfast. Afterwards, I turned everything back on and to my horror, the channels in the 'Editor' had reverted to the same number '301' if I remember correctly.

I decided to give the alternative EPG a try but don't like the interface and so have, for the time being, gone back to Guideplus where I can still select a programme from the grid but now must alway go into 'Schedule' and edit it and put in the correct channel number. :mad:

What on earth has gone wrong with the system (or my digital recorder). My Pioneer 530H analogue DVD recorder (as I call it) does not suffer this problem.
 
I have now sorted my Guideplus problem out - at least I hope it is now corrected.

Last night I did a soft reset as I call it. I turned on the DVD recorder and gave it about 20 seconds and then pressed and held the 'Off/Standby button until the DVD recorder turned off.
I then turned it on again and went into Guideplus where I observed that everything bar the timer recording list had disappeared, although the recording list now did not show programme names, only programme times and the channel number was displayed i.e. 001, 004 etc instead of the Channel logos.

I set up the Guideplus again with my postcode and set the host channel to ITV1 (A.TV of course) and then put the recorder into Standby and within a a few minutes the 'EPG' sign came up on the display - it does this and lasts for about 30 minutes during which time the 'Editor' list is normally populated.

When this had finished, I turned on the recorder and went into Guideplus and noticed, in the 'Editor', that all the channels were there, except that the first 5 had been sourced as A.TV and appended with 01,02.03 etc. and that all the remaining channels in the list (source as D.TV)had been turned off, although their digital channel numbers were correct.
I then rectified the first 5 channels by changing the source to D.TV and the correct numbers were automatically appended - which seemed promising. I also turned on all the remaining channels in the list. After this I put the recorder into Standby, as I knew that an evening update was pending at 7pm.

Just after 9pm I turned on the DVD recorder and saw that the programme grid had been fully populated and the 'Editor' had all the correct channel numbers, still. One channel, however, Film4 was listed as 32 which is incorrect as it is now 15 as, indeed, the recorder's digital tuner confirmed.
However for the time being I left it as it was.

Today, and after another night of updates, everything is still OK and I went into the 'Editor' and changed Film4 to 015 and turned off those channel that I did not want to appear in the listings programme's grid.

Oh, I forgot to say that my timer recording list still was not showing programme names, only times but with now the channel logo alongside and so I deleted each one in turn and then picked that recording from the programme grid and set frequency etc. etc. The timer list now looks as it used to and I hope that everything remains stable.

I hope this might help others with a related problem with Guideplus.

:thumbsup: :clap:
 
Very interesting...I have a Sony HDX890, only about a month old, and about a week ago it reset all the channel numbers in the EPG as people have described. The only reports I found of this problem were from people with a Sony HXDxxx variant so I thought it was a Sony fault, but maybe not if you get the same thing on a Pioneer - unless they are sharing the same firmware or something?

I don't understand if the problem is with Guide Plus or the firmware on the recorder. The channel numbers get screwed up when you turn the recorder off which implies is the firmware. Is this firmware likely to be supplied by Guide Plus?

I contacted Sony about it, they acknowledged that there is a problem but said it is 3rd party software and basically didn't want to know. If they know there is a problem why don't they fix it?

In the meantime, how do I get my channel numbers correct? I tried unplugging the recorder for 10 secs and resetting the Guide Plus channel but when it updated the channel number were still wrong.

If I do a factory reset, will it lose what is recorded on the hard disk? I don't expect it will format the disk but I don't know if it might erase the table of contents so the disk appears to be empty.

I liked Guide Plus when it was working but this is a PITA! :mad:
 
Very interesting...I have a Sony HDX890, only about a month old, and about a week ago it reset all the channel numbers in the EPG as people have described. The only reports I found of this problem were from people with a Sony HXDxxx variant so I thought it was a Sony fault, but maybe not if you get the same thing on a Pioneer - unless they are sharing the same firmware or something?

I don't understand if the problem is with Guide Plus or the firmware on the recorder. The channel numbers get screwed up when you turn the recorder off which implies is the firmware. Is this firmware likely to be supplied by Guide Plus?

I contacted Sony about it, they acknowledged that there is a problem but said it is 3rd party software and basically didn't want to know. If they know there is a problem why don't they fix it?

In the meantime, how do I get my channel numbers correct? I tried unplugging the recorder for 10 secs and resetting the Guide Plus channel but when it updated the channel number were still wrong.

If I do a factory reset, will it lose what is recorded on the hard disk? I don't expect it will format the disk but I don't know if it might erase the table of contents so the disk appears to be empty.

I liked Guide Plus when it was working but this is a PITA! :mad:


You are asking some questions here that exceed my knowledge. Suffice it to say the Sony and Pioneer DVD are clones apart from physical exterior and remote layout and of course, price!

A hard (factory reset) does not wipe the hard disc - at least mine did not when I performed that, last week in desperation. When I had gone through the setup again and tuned in both digital and analogue tuners, I pressed the 'Disc Navigator' and lo and behold all the recorded programmes were there. This was a surprise as I had copied (dubbed) one or two to blank media.

In earlier experiments, I had gone into the 'editor' and laboriously changed those same channel numbers to the correct number and, say, if the last number I'd entered had been 35 the on putting the recorder into Standby this would be the number assigned to all the channels next time I switched on.

No, something happened quite differently this time, as I described above with the soft reset which gave me hope and has proved so far to be successful.

As I said, do a soft reset (as I call it) by turning of the recorder by pressing and holding the Standby button for at least 5 seconds and then go into the Guideplus and set it up again and put your recorder into standby and then look at it after about 45 mins.

There have also been changes to Freeview channel numbers recently and so rescan your digital tuner in your DVD recorder - this might help.
 
am having same issues with Guide Plus+

I will give this soft reset a go tonight, thanks.

Shame there isn't a way to stop the channel numbers getting overwritten once you have manually done this - to be honest there are only a few channels I record off (Sky channels excluded)

Why does it only overwrite the DTV channels and not those connected to an external source (Sky) I wonder ??
 
Why does it only overwrite the DTV channels and not those connected to an external source (Sky) I wonder ??

Therein will lie the cause of the problem.

It is no doubt related to the almost mass migration of channels that has been going on in recent weeks... but it remains to be understood in detail.
 
:mad::mad:My Guide+ was ok for about a week then it reset all the progs back to 12. I reset the thing again and it was fine for about 2 days.

This fault is something to do with the info Guide+ is sending out it keeps reseting the dam presets. i am going to just use the normal guide.


:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
I contacted Sony about the problem and they said it was 3rd party software.

So I contacted Macrovision who now own Guide Plus and got a fairly prompt, if inconclusive response:

I have to admit that you are not the only one experiencing this problem. We are looking into it but we are not able to recreate it in our offices. As soon as I have more information I will contact you. Have you performed a factory reset on the unit to see if it cures the problem ?

Maybe there will be a fix eventually.

What exactly is a "soft reset" and does this apply to Sony machines as well as Pioneer? I can't find any reference to it in the manual, only the factory reset. The manual tells you how to do a factory reset but doesn't say what it will do, so I haven't dared try it yet. I tink I will have to switch back to the digital EPG for the time being, or maybe permanently.

Actually can any GuidePlus experts tell me, if I set up a timer from the EPG to record a program weekly and the program time varies a little from week to week, will it pick up the new time from the EPG each week or will it always record at the original time?
 
I contacted Sony about the problem and they said it was 3rd party software.

So I contacted Macrovision who now own Guide Plus and got a fairly prompt, if inconclusive response:



Maybe there will be a fix eventually.

What exactly is a "soft reset" and does this apply to Sony machines as well as Pioneer? I can't find any reference to it in the manual, only the factory reset. The manual tells you how to do a factory reset but doesn't say what it will do, so I haven't dared try it yet. I tink I will have to switch back to the digital EPG for the time being, or maybe permanently.

Actually can any GuidePlus experts tell me, if I set up a timer from the EPG to record a program weekly and the program time varies a little from week to week, will it pick up the new time from the EPG each week or will it always record at the original time?

My Pioneer's manual (same workings, virtually as Sony clones) also says nothing about 'soft resets' but anyway, holding down the off/standby button when machine is on, until it switches off, has that effect and cleared my Guideplus, save for the timer recordings list as I outlined earlier.
No, to my knowledge and certainly not for digital channels, timer programmes set by Guideplus, do not take into account variations in programme times. I get over this, where possible, by adding on extra time, pre and post recording.

I believe that if you want that sort of sophistication, then you need to use the alternative EPG provided with the Sony and Pioneer recorders.
 
I contacted Sony about the problem and they said it was 3rd party software.

So I contacted Macrovision who now own Guide Plus and got a fairly prompt, if inconclusive response:

Maybe there will be a fix eventually.

Well done for taking some action contacting the appropriate bodies.
What exactly is a "soft reset" and does this apply to Sony machines as well as Pioneer? I can't find any reference to it in the manual, only the factory reset. The manual tells you how to do a factory reset but doesn't say what it will do, so I haven't dared try it yet. I tink I will have to switch back to the digital EPG for the time being, or maybe permanently.

The various resets in dedicated hardware like this are not strictly comparable to the terms used in computing... and as far as I'm aware there are not certain universally recognised terms for them.
There is usually more than one processor in this sort of equipment also.

Effectively there are 3 types of reset with this:
The first may be referred to as a 'soft reset'... or a 'Power reset' [ Confusingly because see later] or a 'Power cycle'

This is achieved simply by turning the machine OFF and then back ON which reboots the operating software and initialises the machine... But various parts of the machine still operate when in OFF [ Standby mode ] so it does not necessarily completely clear the machine of possible corruption which can lie in memory buffers.

A full power reset will achieve this which is achieved by disconnection from the mains for at least 5 minutes.

When reconnected, or switched back on, in either of the two cases above, the unit reboots according to the stored presettings which the user has set in the software.

Lastly, in the case of a Factory reset, all those pre-settings are reset back to default. All timers will be erased and channels lost,and a rescan will be necessary.

Recorded programmes are NOT lost.
Actually can any GuidePlus experts tell me, if I set up a timer from the EPG to record a program weekly and the program time varies a little from week to week, will it pick up the new time from the EPG each week or will it always record at the original time?

I believe it is as HHGTTG says above.

The digital guide would give you this facility.
 

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