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Panasonic DMR-E85H error U99
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timdf
Newbie
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18. October 2005 @ 06:41 |
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I had another U99 this morning, so as usual I pushed the power switch once to clear it and the clock re-appeared. Further as usual the record indicator did not show even though I have regular recording sets.
Interestingly I did the same action yesterday morning after another U99 and sometime later the panny restored itself and recorded the program it was set to do.
TV guide was still intact but no ads.
I'll see if it works again later today.
Bottom line - if the U99's keep on appearing and a simple power cycle clears them without corrupting the guide or record timings then I live with that for the time being at least.
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sfstan
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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18. October 2005 @ 07:04 |
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this morning i wrote to cheryl...
morning cheryl,
as mentioned below, after the service check yesterday afternoon, i lost all the ads but still had listings and schedule.
sometime between 10pm and 1am last night i got the u99 again for the first time in about 4 days (after the service check if that means anything at all). just did a power on when that u99 appeared. machine acted slightly differently than before when u99's occurred. went into a constant reboot and showed the time instead of giving me the "please wait" and then "self check". hit power button again and it powered up normally. then i powered down it down. as of 6:45am this morning i still had no ads and listings only through wednesdday. i will leave it powered down and let you know if any more u99's appear.
from what i am reading and hearing the u99 problems really got a lot worse sometime between late august and mid september. really seems related to the ads. what changes did gemstar do to their downloads during that period? this whole thing really makes me love my tivo units even more. thanks for your coninuing help and let me know if you need any more info. we would love to get this resolved with your help.
then she e-mailed me back saying...
Hi Stan,
I did find out that going into ServiceMode will lose Ads because they are not currently stored in flash. I am also hearing from others that after going into ServiceMode, they received another U99 even though it hadn't been seen for a number of days prior. I am going to pass this scenario on to the engineers as well.
I understand that this problem is very frustrating and both TV Guide and Panasonic would like it resolved soon. I will let you know if there are any new developments in our investigations.
Thank you for your help and patience.
Cheryl
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Bonus2
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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18. October 2005 @ 07:50 |
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Went 9 days without a U99; was getting 7 or 8 adds and TV Guide fully populated 5 or 6 days.
At request of Cheryl I went into the service mode to check my firmware version. It turned out to be 0970DL which I should of known because I had updated to this in Jan 2005.
After the exit from the Service Mode I lost my adds but still had listings and did not loose my set to records.
I then powered down to stanby mode and the E85H started changing channels 2 local PBS, CH 3 Comcast, 4 CBS (where Cheryl said I should be getting most of my data), then 5 ABC, 6 Local NECN, 7 NBC, 8, 9 and 10 all Local. It would stay on each channel for 2 to 4 minutes. Then it switched to 11 WENH (New Hampshire PBS) and after 2 minutes I got my first U99 in 9 days. According to Cheryl I should be getting the bulk of my TV Guide data from ch 4 (Local in Boston CBS). But can get some data from 11 WENH (New Hampshire PBS) and also can get some data from Ch 53 MSNBC. It looks like for me the NH PBS is the problem. My E85H had for the 9 days been going to only ch 4 and ch 53 MSNBC for data when in standby. Now after going into service mode it found ch 11 WENH which my be corrupting or conflicting with the Ch 4 local CBS data?
Is ther any way to just turn off the ch 11 WENH PBS channel so the Guide when E85H is in standby cannot find WENH?
Also to get the adds back do I have to do a soft reset (holding power button until E85H resets)? or will the adds come back over time with no reset?
Any ideas?
Bonus2
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daughn
Junior Member
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18. October 2005 @ 08:07 |
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After over 4 good days, with almost full listings, I had NO ads either after the ServiceMode yesterday. This morning there was a U99, but a recording I had set at 11am this morning (now it is 11:04) is currently recording OK. I had checked for ads just awhile ago, and still none. At noon, I plan to do a hard reset to hopefully get the E85H back into a stable condition. I'm assuming since I don't have ads, I'll be getting another U99 when a DL starts. Right now, the DL times on the diagnostic pages show NA.
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GRCompton
Newbie
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18. October 2005 @ 08:40 |
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To Video Bob or anyone else with the information:
You mentioned a diagnostic screen identifying where your download information is coming from, could you please post how to get to that screen?
Thanks.
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faure
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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18. October 2005 @ 12:18 |
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I am in NYC, zip code 10029 (Time-Warner, digital cable, IR blaster)). I wonder whether other people in the NYC area are having problem getting their program guide? Is GemStar responsible for sending it to the entire country?
It sure would have been nice if they had warmed us that they are playing with their software. Because of hte problems I was having I had reset my machine to "factory default settings", and now I cannot get to parts of the menus that used to work fine.
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faure
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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18. October 2005 @ 12:23 |
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By the way-- has anyone installed the Sept. firmware upgrade? What problem(s) has it solved, if any?
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shaolin00
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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18. October 2005 @ 12:29 |
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Is there even a September firmware release? I upgraded mine back in July or August and Panasonic said that was the only they have come out with.
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Coyote24
Junior Member
1 product review
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18. October 2005 @ 13:32 |
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GRCompton: I think the reference to the download stations was from both watching a cable box and the TVGOS diagnostics screen (messages tab, enter, 753159852). The channels are listed in hexadecimal, so you'll have to convert them to decimal. Btw, my download channel is NOT PBS, but the local FOX network channel here.
shaolin00, faure: Good questions. I don't think ANY firmware has fixed the U99 TVGOS problem. What these most recent variations (posted by gdoggy--see page 23) have addressed is a mystery to me.
FYI, I have been U99-free for 11 days. The only thing I have done is to turn any potential download channels (except the main one and channel lineup d/l channel) to OFF, and arrange my lineup as VideoBob suggested.
One other question/theory: I wonder if TVGOS updates PREVIOUSLY downloaded data. For example, if the National League Championship goes into game 7 this Friday, it will preempt the Fox programming that's currently listed in the TVGOS. Just a thought...
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sfstan
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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18. October 2005 @ 13:48 |
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i just sent an e-mail to cheryl because things seem to be getting worse rather than better. i said to her that i did not understand why gemstar can't revert to their old download software (that worked) while they figure this mess out, rather than irritating and inconveniencing hundreds or maybe thousands of people while they try to find a solution. to this forum i suggest that as many people that request/demand this from gemstar will help them to see how ridiculous this field testing is.
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Junior Member
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18. October 2005 @ 14:00 |
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I came home to a U99 today; it happened sometime between 10 AM and 3 PM (EDT). It's been almost exactly a week.
sfstan - I don't think that anything is supposed to be getting any better for most of us at this point. Gemstar has categorically stated that they are waiting for results out of the OKC market before changing any other feeds. And I'll bet it's not an easy "flip the switch" reversal, or it has a big revenue impact -- otherwise they would have fixed it already.
Suburban Maryland - 20723
DMR-E500HS (mfg 8/2004)
Comcast Digital
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AKNewbie
Newbie
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18. October 2005 @ 14:04 |
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In OKC.
So far so good. I DID NOT enter service mode as requested by Cheryl as I knew the firmware version (970DL), so I have not received any further errors (or lost those wonderful promotions).
Still with crossed fingers.
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sfstan
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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18. October 2005 @ 14:09 |
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i am at a loss to figure out why people are concerned with gemstar's revenue losses when they are not getting what they paid for by buying the panasonic units. i for one do not like being a guinea pig and paying for it to boot. gemstar does not have to test or not provide service to an entire country in order to find their problem. i realize that it is not just a flip of the switch to revert back to their old software but i think they owe us that much to do it. for all those who like playing these games all day long, so be it. to the rest of us who want to be treated like the "good" consumers that we are, i suggest nothing changes unless you speak up.
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beckmen
Newbie
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18. October 2005 @ 15:51 |
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Things are getting worse for me as well. U99 two days in a row and TVGuide is not populating. Too bad I didn't buy this unit from somewhere that has a decent return policy. I got is from Rex TV and they don't let you return anything for a refund. They do repair stuff for free, but that won't fix this problem!
I am thinking of trying the format tactic and manually recording programs. Some questions first...
1: Does this really get rid of the U99s, or did it just seem like it?
2: Can I get the unit back to "normal" is Panasonic ever fixes the problem? I really want to use the TVGuide function, if they got it fixed I would want to get the TVGuide function back up and running.
Thanks,
Fellow Frustrated Consumer,
Tim Watson
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Coyote24
Junior Member
1 product review
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18. October 2005 @ 18:22 |
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sfstan: Unfortunately, as someone else pointed out previously, it's the nature of corporate America. You paid for the Panasonic hardware, and got "free" TVGOS software. I found this out years ago buying a Sony CD burner. It came with burning software...but this software was limited unless you paid even more for the "full" version. Even the full version wasn't very good. At least in this case, one could use a third-party vendor like Roxio or Nero.
Thus, the TVGOS is a "bonus" as the unit WILL work just fine without it...so Panasonic can wash their hands of it if they choose to.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 18. October 2005 @ 18:28
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sparc21
Newbie
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18. October 2005 @ 18:47 |
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Coyote24,
I'm not a lawyer but I think Panasonic can't wash their hands that quickly. If they advertised their product with TV Guide future than they can be easily sued for false advertising if this future is not working and they don?t want to a) fix it or b) return money. Problem could be that not many people may be willing to return their unit.
On same note there is nothing free in America even our TV Guide is not free. Panasonic paid Gemstar millions of dollars to license the TVGOS and TV Guide ads are not free too. I think Panasonic should put a good pressure on them since this fiasco in short or long run will hurt Panasonic name. I was looking for Plasma HDTV and Panasonic was obvious choice since I had their DMR. After all this I will go with anything else but Panasonic.
Sparc21
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acmetoyz
Newbie
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18. October 2005 @ 20:07 |
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Also from OKC (73034)
Have been turning the E85H off overnight since Friday night (10/14). No more U99 errors, and now have a fully populated TV Guide for the next week except for this coming Friday night. Every night it seems to add some more. Also have the promo ads.
Have resumed using point-and-click programming instead of the timer. It is working just like it did before the U99s started last month.
Time for Gemstar to take it nationwide.
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Mossler
Junior Member
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18. October 2005 @ 20:48 |
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For the last two nights I've had my unit off for over 11 straight hours and it hasn't gotten any U99's but unfortunately it hasn't repopulated the TV listings AT ALL. I would reset it but I still have a few days of program data left.
I'm glad to hear everything is going well in Oklahoma City. I don't think anyone in OKC mentioned getting a U99 since the "fix" was rolled out in your area did you? Sorry if you did I missed it. Hopefully we will all get some help with this soon. Thanks to all you folks from OKC for keeping us updated.
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Bonus2
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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19. October 2005 @ 01:59 |
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After doing Ch ? up CH ? down and then 30 seconds with plug out of wall, I was stable for 9 days and had all ads and fully populated listings for 7 days.
After going into service mode to check that I had host version number 0970DL, I had complete listings but no ads. Because of no ads, I was in an unstable condition and got U99s 2 days in a row.
This morning, 10-19-05, I did the Ch ? up Ch ? down and 30 sec unplug because I am convinced this is the only way to get back into a stable condition with no U99s. After the Service Mode check I was able to record and everything else but if you had a timed record and got the U99 before the timed record, my E85H would not record unless I was there to power the E85H back on. So if you were going away for a day or 2 it would go into a U99 and not record; thus not as useful as it should be.
So now after the Ch ? up Ch ? down and 30 sec unplug my E85H is in standby searching for channels but I am convinced this will get me back to a stable condition. I will keep you posted.
Good luck to all
Bonus2
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acmetoyz
Newbie
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19. October 2005 @ 03:22 |
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Mossler's question: I don't think anyone in OKC mentioned getting a U99 since the "fix" was rolled out in your area did you?
Reply:
That is correct as far as I am concerned at 73034 in OKC. I have not seen any U99 on my E85H since the "fix". I have powered down every night since Friday and during the daytime Monday/Tuesday. Prior to Friday I had frequent U99s (due to the TV Guide updates, but no other kind).
I just went through the listings hour-by-hour this morning (Wednesday, 10/19, at 6AM) and have everything populated through next Wednesday except for midnight Friday through midnight Saturday. For Saturday, a few of the listings are populated. I have 10 promo ads.
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shaolin00
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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19. October 2005 @ 04:29 |
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Quote:
Coyote24 Said:
FYI, I have been U99-free for 11 days. The only thing I have done is to turn any potential download channels (except the main one and channel lineup d/l channel) to OFF, and arrange my lineup as VideoBob suggested.
How do you find out the main download and channel lineup download? I might go ahead and try that.
Quote:
Coyote24 Said:
Thus, the TVGOS is a "bonus" as the unit WILL work just fine without it...so Panasonic can wash their hands of it if they choose to.
I disagree. It was marketed as a feature and besides that it DOES interfere with the normal operation of the unit. Whether free or not, TVGOS and Panasonic have a obligation to address this issue. How would you like getting a refrigerator ,for instance, with a ice maker that didn't work? Everything else does work, and the manafacturer says its just a feature and the unit will work fine without it after you spent a hefty amount of cash on a brand new machine. I don't think so.
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sfstan Said:
to the rest of us who want to be treated like the "good" consumers that we are, i suggest nothing changes unless you speak up.
I agree. Sometimes you must be firm with people to get something done. Panasonic didn't do ANYTHING until I threaten to never buy their products ever again and was going to make it my personal vendetta to inform everyone to how unresponsive their customer service is and the fact that they sold defective equipment. I told the person I wanted to speak to his boss then their boss, and if need be, all the way to Mr. Panasonic himself. I was fed up and still am, but since I did get a response with an intellegent and nice person, I'm somewhat confident they will fix this issue now. If not, well all I have to say is "Watch out Panasonic!". I suggest people follow the same suit.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 19. October 2005 @ 04:31
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AKNewbie
Newbie
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19. October 2005 @ 04:59 |
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in OKC.
Now have fully populated listings. No U99 since last Thursday when "fix" was introduced. Unit is now functioning as it did pre mid-September.
I will inform Cheryl of this in an email this morning. I will also let her know that TVGOS should expedite rolling out this fix as they have tried everyone's patience beyond what is reasonable.
I hope that all will see the end of U99's (for now) in the coming week and we can all enjoy our DVR's as we did before this mess.
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sfstan
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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19. October 2005 @ 05:07 |
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thank you to some of our forum members for sticking up for your rights. i have only suggested stronger methods to resolve this issue because after being in business for myself for about 30 years, i can tell you that is the only way to make a change. on occassion being nice and trusting will get it done for you, but not usually. i have purchased much machinery and softwar since i am in the graphics industry and am only trying to convey my experiences. it's kind of like voting. change will only happen if people stand up and say something. sitting back, waiting for change without a statement will change nothing or at the very least prolong the agony.
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Junior Member
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19. October 2005 @ 05:18 |
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Quote:
i have only suggested stronger methods to resolve this issue because after being in business for myself for about 30 years, i can tell you that is the only way to make a change.
I agree that more often than not "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". However, I find that a diet lower is grease is much healthier.
Suburban Maryland - 20723
DMR-E500HS (mfg 8/2004)
Comcast Digital
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sfstan
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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19. October 2005 @ 05:23 |
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sometimes ya just gotta take the risk.
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