Thanks for the clear explanation but please be aware that if YES is selected in response to the question to format the disk, it has been known that the format succeeds and all the recorded data is lost.
Yes, that *is* something to bear in mind. IIRC at the time I thought this may well have happened (*), but I didn't have much on the disk at that point (**) and nothing I wanted kept permanently.
(*) It was only later I realised that the hard disk wasn't making any spinning noise and thus wasn't likely to be able to format itself for the same reason it couldn't be read, i.e. it wasn't moving. (Which, of course, turned out to be due to the failing PSU not providing enough juice).
(**) And rarely do- I find the ability to pause and rewind live TV more useful, if anything. In fact, when I got it, I knew that you could pause TV and it would start recording, and I assumed you could rewind back to that point. What I didn't realise then was that it *automatically* recorded everything since you last changed the channel... which is far more useful still, since you normally don't realise you want to rewind or recheck something until you've seen it. Great stuff!
Only the TVonics WiFi dongle can give a high degree of likelihood that the box will connect to the BBC iPlayer. The TVonics box can only interact with certain WiFi dongles.
The much more reliable way is to connect the TVonics box to the Router using an ethernet cable.
The BBC iPlayer is accessed via the BBC's Red Button service.
Only the HD500 and Z500HD with the latest software can access the iPlayer easily this way.
The HV250 may be able to access the iPlayer using the workaround but Sue_Aitch will have to advise on that.
Finally, access to the BBC iPlayer the TVonics way requires Pulse-Eight to pay an annual subscription for the service. They have promised to pay this subscription "for as long as they can".
Martin
I'm afraid old age took over that day,sorted now,forgot to press red button
I do find sometimes the unit does not activate the TV but if I remove & reinsert the HDMI cable while switched on it does,tried several different cables
If your box is set to HDMI Output: Auto under Menu > Settings > Video Settings then you could try fixing the HDMI Output standard to 1080p or lesser quality and see if that helps.
If your box is set to HDMI Output: Auto under Menu > Settings > Video Settings then you could try fixing the HDMI Output standard to 1080p or lesser quality and see if that helps.
Martin
Its set to auto,thought that was better than an actual figure also have a new PSU
Auto should work but it does involve the TVonics "negotiating" with the TV as to the quality options the TV can provide. People have reported problems with PVRs and TVs not "agreeing" and thus a "no signal detected" is displayed by the TV or, when it happens to my set-up, the TV displays a "green tinged picture". In that case I force a reset by taking it off Auto and then put it back again.
Obviously this is difficult if you cannot see the picture. But in that case switching the TV off, waiting 10 seconds, switching it back on again can force a re-negotiation if the TVonics has not got itself in a pickle.
Alternatively, do a no-picture HDMI Output change, using the remote:
1. Press "Back" 5 times to ensure the Tvonics is not already in the menu system;
2. Press "Menu";
3. Press the Down Arrow key once to get to the Settings option;
4. Press OK;
5. Press the Down Arrow key once to get the Video Settings option;
6. Press Ok;
7. Press the Right Arrow key to select the 576i (lowest quality) setting from the Auto setting.
The TV screen should change to display a picture from which the best HDMI Output quality can be set.
If nothing happens press Back 3 times to exit the Menu system.
Auto should work but it does involve the TVonics "negotiating" with the TV as to the quality options the TV can provide. People have reported problems with PVRs and TVs not "agreeing" and thus a "no signal detected" is displayed by the TV or, when it happens to my set-up, the TV displays a "green tinged picture". In that case I force a reset by taking it off Auto and then put it back again.
Obviously this is difficult if you cannot see the picture. But in that case switching the TV off, waiting 10 seconds, switching it back on again can force a re-negotiation if the TVonics has not got itself in a pickle.
Alternatively, do a no-picture HDMI Output change, using the remote:
1. Press "Back" 5 times to ensure the Tvonics is not already in the menu system;
2. Press "Menu";
3. Press the Down Arrow key once to get to the Settings option;
4. Press OK;
5. Press the Down Arrow key once to get the Video Settings option;
6. Press Ok;
7. Press the Right Arrow key to select the 576i (lowest quality) setting from the Auto setting.
The TV screen should change to display a picture from which the best HDMI Output quality can be set.
If nothing happens press Back 3 times to exit the Menu system.
Martin
Thanks Martin.If I did set it to 576i & the quality was actually better would it set to the better quality or stay at 576i? It actually connects to the TV via a Pioneer Home Cinema unit via HDMI
It depends on what your TV does with the supplied quality. Many TVs upscale the SD picture to a pseudo HD quality to good effect. If you are happy with that then keep it that way.
However, there are clear differences between the transmitted SD and HD quality broadcasts so you will miss out on the extra detail found in HD broadcasts.
I would start with the best fixed quality the TVonics can give - 1080p, and work downwards if that does not stabilise your problem.
Having a Home Cinema unit between the Tvonics and the TV can cause problems since the Tvonics is likely to be "negotiating" through this unit and any errors added by the Home Cinema unit will cause interface problems.
It is a matter for experimentation to find the best result away from the Auto setting.
Sorry to hear you are having problems. As you are probably aware there are only a limited number of things the Tvonics User can do and you have done two of them. The last one is to re-load the software.
However the problem could be in the hardware and thus not easily fixed.
For the record, a few questions:
a. What box do you have - the SD z500, the Z500Hd or HD500?
b. How loing have you had it?
c. What software version is the box at?
d. Do you have problems starting the box - do you have the "disk not formatted" message?
e. When you say it does not record out of Standby, does the box switch on at all 15 minutes before the scheduled time?
f. Do you use accurate recording - relying on the broadcaster to send the appropriate signals - or do you select from the timer list and then manually set or alter the start/stop times?
g. Do you allow the box to auto-tune or manually tune to channels?
h. Have you tried "resting" the box by disconnecting it from the mains for about 30 mins?
i. Can you try a few experiments - setting a timer for 20 minutes in the future and then switching the box into standby. The box should power down for a few minutes and then power up again.
I'm having problems with interference when viewing through my TVonics DVR-HT250 (both viewing recordings and watching live tv).
It's fine for about 20 minutes and then interference starts at the top of the screen and gradually takes over the whole screen.
In another thread it has been suggested that the PSU might be faulty but before I shell out for another one I would be interested to hear if anybody else is having the same problems.
I'm having problems with interference when viewing through my TVonics DVR-HT250 (both viewing recordings and watching live tv).
It's fine for about 20 minutes and then interference starts at the top of the screen and gradually takes over the whole screen.
In another thread it has been suggested that the PSU might be faulty but before I shell out for another one I would be interested to hear if anybody else is having the same problems.
Try unplugging the PSU overnight,it may clear the problem,cheaper than a PSU if it works.
Just a quick post to put the this thread back into the Freeview+ Recorders Page as that page only displays 6 threads, excluding the Pinned Thread and the dedicated forums.
Are you sure there is a fault with your existing PSU? Have you measured the voltage drop (if any) when the HDD tries to operate? Are you getting the HDD failure notice, asking if you want to format the HDD? These are all signs that the PSU has failed.
I sometimes receive the above notice, but switching off and on at the mains, cures the problem.
Are you sure there is a fault with your existing PSU? Have you measured the voltage drop (if any) when the HDD tries to operate? Are you getting the HDD failure notice, asking if you want to format the HDD? These are all signs that the PSU has failed.
I sometimes receive the above notice, but switching off and on at the mains, cures the problem.
Chris.
Hi brumlad36 ,no fault with the psu,ive had the box disconnected for the last 12 months as i was with sky.Since gone back to using freeview and netflix but could not find the psu when i went to hook up the box.>:(:confused:
Hi brumlad36 ,no fault with the psu,ive had the box disconnected for the last 12 months as i was with sky.Since gone back to using freeview and netflix but could not find the psu when i went to hook up the box.>:(:confused:
Oh right, now I understand. As I said, I'm pretty sure the PSU will be the same as that used for the DTR-HD500.
Hello there all, I'm new.
I'm posting because my TVonics HV250 appears to be dying.
I've had a lot of the aforementioned interference patterns on playback and live viewing (which don't affect the 'normal' telly, so one could assume it's not the aerial?).
In the last week or so, we've gradually lost most of the function. I switch the box on, it fires up, sometimes it powers straight down again, or at best we get about 30 seconds of BBC1.
We can't change channel or access any of the menus, hence a reformat is out of the question.
I've taken all its cables out and let it sit for 24h, but no joy, it's still really upset.
Any offers please? Could it be as blessedly simple as the PSU?
And is it possible to drag items from my library onto a laptop as a temporary storage measure if the worst is occurring? (It's still under warranty, but I've been told it's refund time so it wouldn't be coming back...)
Thanks all.
It could be a defective power supply.
On mine I am seeing digital fast motion artifacts on HD (even when just viewing not recording) even when the HD signal is "Excellent Quality" in the manual tuning setup.
And generally slow menu navigation nowadways. A complete reset and retune will probably restore the responsiveness of the menus if nothing else.
The real question is, are there any decent boxes out there to replace the TVonics?
A careful reading of reviews of almost ANY brand of Freevew PVR, from BT to Talktalk (Huawei) to Humax, seems to show that someone somehow is always plagued by slow menus and missed/truncated recordings.
It's only the Sky+ recorder owners who complain the least.
My z500Hd wad freezing and becoming unresponsive. This would only happen when trying to access the library or planned recordings. I was told by someone on pulse eight forums (which I no longer seem to be able to find btw) that it sounded like a hard drive failure as it was only having issues when attempting to access hard drive features ie recordings and planned recordings. Took the hard drive out and carried on using the box as a standard freeview box.
Recently I have put a new hard drive in but am unable to format it or get the box up and running as it was. Any ideas?
The PSU is a weak feature of TVonics boxes. Usually the box wants you to format the Hard Drive when it has a weakening PSU. The Hard Drive is usually ok.
Switching off at the mains for about 10 minutes usually allows the PSU to settle down for a while. However the PSU will fail completely in time. So keep an eye on it.
Comments
Yes, that *is* something to bear in mind. IIRC at the time I thought this may well have happened (*), but I didn't have much on the disk at that point (**) and nothing I wanted kept permanently.
(*) It was only later I realised that the hard disk wasn't making any spinning noise and thus wasn't likely to be able to format itself for the same reason it couldn't be read, i.e. it wasn't moving. (Which, of course, turned out to be due to the failing PSU not providing enough juice).
(**) And rarely do- I find the ability to pause and rewind live TV more useful, if anything. In fact, when I got it, I knew that you could pause TV and it would start recording, and I assumed you could rewind back to that point. What I didn't realise then was that it *automatically* recorded everything since you last changed the channel... which is far more useful still, since you normally don't realise you want to rewind or recheck something until you've seen it. Great stuff!
I do find sometimes the unit does not activate the TV but if I remove & reinsert the HDMI cable while switched on it does,tried several different cables
Martin
Its set to auto,thought that was better than an actual figure also have a new PSU
Obviously this is difficult if you cannot see the picture. But in that case switching the TV off, waiting 10 seconds, switching it back on again can force a re-negotiation if the TVonics has not got itself in a pickle.
Alternatively, do a no-picture HDMI Output change, using the remote:
1. Press "Back" 5 times to ensure the Tvonics is not already in the menu system;
2. Press "Menu";
3. Press the Down Arrow key once to get to the Settings option;
4. Press OK;
5. Press the Down Arrow key once to get the Video Settings option;
6. Press Ok;
7. Press the Right Arrow key to select the 576i (lowest quality) setting from the Auto setting.
The TV screen should change to display a picture from which the best HDMI Output quality can be set.
If nothing happens press Back 3 times to exit the Menu system.
Martin
Thanks Martin.If I did set it to 576i & the quality was actually better would it set to the better quality or stay at 576i? It actually connects to the TV via a Pioneer Home Cinema unit via HDMI
It depends on what your TV does with the supplied quality. Many TVs upscale the SD picture to a pseudo HD quality to good effect. If you are happy with that then keep it that way.
However, there are clear differences between the transmitted SD and HD quality broadcasts so you will miss out on the extra detail found in HD broadcasts.
I would start with the best fixed quality the TVonics can give - 1080p, and work downwards if that does not stabilise your problem.
Having a Home Cinema unit between the Tvonics and the TV can cause problems since the Tvonics is likely to be "negotiating" through this unit and any errors added by the Home Cinema unit will cause interface problems.
It is a matter for experimentation to find the best result away from the Auto setting.
Martin
For the last week my 500 hasnt recorded hen in standby
Have formatted and reset but still the same.
When I turn it on it will record
Any thoughts?
Cheers
Paul
However the problem could be in the hardware and thus not easily fixed.
For the record, a few questions:
a. What box do you have - the SD z500, the Z500Hd or HD500?
b. How loing have you had it?
c. What software version is the box at?
d. Do you have problems starting the box - do you have the "disk not formatted" message?
e. When you say it does not record out of Standby, does the box switch on at all 15 minutes before the scheduled time?
f. Do you use accurate recording - relying on the broadcaster to send the appropriate signals - or do you select from the timer list and then manually set or alter the start/stop times?
g. Do you allow the box to auto-tune or manually tune to channels?
h. Have you tried "resting" the box by disconnecting it from the mains for about 30 mins?
i. Can you try a few experiments - setting a timer for 20 minutes in the future and then switching the box into standby. The box should power down for a few minutes and then power up again.
Enough to be going on with.
Martin
It's fine for about 20 minutes and then interference starts at the top of the screen and gradually takes over the whole screen.
In another thread it has been suggested that the PSU might be faulty but before I shell out for another one I would be interested to hear if anybody else is having the same problems.
Try unplugging the PSU overnight,it may clear the problem,cheaper than a PSU if it works.
My HD500 still ok.
Martin
I would expect so, as they are essentially the same box (electronics-wise).
Chris.
Are you sure there is a fault with your existing PSU? Have you measured the voltage drop (if any) when the HDD tries to operate? Are you getting the HDD failure notice, asking if you want to format the HDD? These are all signs that the PSU has failed.
I sometimes receive the above notice, but switching off and on at the mains, cures the problem.
Chris.
Red button on my HD500 works for accessing HD channels but not for accessing RB1 or the main index page.
I've re-tuned but no difference.
Sorted !!.........it needed a re-boot, unplugged the power lead then re-connected.
Hi brumlad36 ,no fault with the psu,ive had the box disconnected for the last 12 months as i was with sky.Since gone back to using freeview and netflix but could not find the psu when i went to hook up the box.>:(:confused:
Oh right, now I understand. As I said, I'm pretty sure the PSU will be the same as that used for the DTR-HD500.
Cheers,
Chris.
I'm posting because my TVonics HV250 appears to be dying.
I've had a lot of the aforementioned interference patterns on playback and live viewing (which don't affect the 'normal' telly, so one could assume it's not the aerial?).
In the last week or so, we've gradually lost most of the function. I switch the box on, it fires up, sometimes it powers straight down again, or at best we get about 30 seconds of BBC1.
We can't change channel or access any of the menus, hence a reformat is out of the question.
I've taken all its cables out and let it sit for 24h, but no joy, it's still really upset.
Any offers please? Could it be as blessedly simple as the PSU?
And is it possible to drag items from my library onto a laptop as a temporary storage measure if the worst is occurring? (It's still under warranty, but I've been told it's refund time so it wouldn't be coming back...)
Thanks all.
On mine I am seeing digital fast motion artifacts on HD (even when just viewing not recording) even when the HD signal is "Excellent Quality" in the manual tuning setup.
And generally slow menu navigation nowadways. A complete reset and retune will probably restore the responsiveness of the menus if nothing else.
The real question is, are there any decent boxes out there to replace the TVonics?
A careful reading of reviews of almost ANY brand of Freevew PVR, from BT to Talktalk (Huawei) to Humax, seems to show that someone somehow is always plagued by slow menus and missed/truncated recordings.
It's only the Sky+ recorder owners who complain the least.
What's next after TVonics?
Recently I have put a new hard drive in but am unable to format it or get the box up and running as it was. Any ideas?
The PSU is a weak feature of TVonics boxes. Usually the box wants you to format the Hard Drive when it has a weakening PSU. The Hard Drive is usually ok.
Switching off at the mains for about 10 minutes usually allows the PSU to settle down for a while. However the PSU will fail completely in time. So keep an eye on it.
Martin