Philips DTR1500 gone bad
Was resetting favourites following channel number changes this evening when picture broke up then froze, then box turned itself off. Now whatever I do I just get flashing red light and cannot turn it on. Have tried soft reset and 'factory reset' several times, but it just sits there flashing red at me! Now disconnected it from everything and using my other box (a Labgear Setpal box) which seems to be working fine.
Any one with similar problem??
Any one with similar problem??
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Later in the evening I decided to rescan to pick up the new channel allocations. This required a virgin reset on both boxes which is always a messy business. I think it was more complicated than usual because I have the remote control settings different for each box and I think the box which I had set to the non default setting for remote signalling was dropping back to the default setting and when I entered the 9900 code it was ignoring this until I had entered OK to accept the remote protocol. However I really don't know because I was stabbing buttons in frustration by then.
You hadn't changed your remote code by any chance had you? Even if not it seems to take a number of times entering the 9900 code with the red lights flashing before it finally accepts it. You have to allow it quite a long time. And I find you need to hold the + button continuously from before you reconnect the mains to the point at which the orange LED starts to flash, then let the + button go and after a second or two press it again briefly. Then you get both LEDs red with one flashing and you need to enter the code. Sometimes it just sits there and you can reenter the code in which case it may accept it and you are OK or it rejects it and comes up without the virgin mode reset in which case you have to start the whole wretched process again.
I really cannot understand why Philips implemented it this way. In another room I have an old Philips DTX6371 On Digital Box and this just needed a "Store Channels" as opposed to "Add Channels".
On the DTR1500 it isn't just your favourites that have to be completely reset, it is all the other things like Aspect Ratio, SCART protocols, Banners etc etc that you have to go through again.
I know Philips always meant this model to be obselete at some point, but this is taking the piss!
Netizen - the later of my two boxes (on the 0032 sw) crashed (not just locked - it went into standby and the red led came on followed by the orange one) before the virgin reset yesterday evening. And following the virgin reset an hour or two later it crashed again. This has never happened before.
As of this morning things appear to be much more stable.
I have an elderly neighbour who bought a DTR 1500 (on my recommendation because of the stable reception) and there's no way she would be able to get through this process. So I will go round to see her later on. What worries me is that all this power recycling may not be terribly good for the box and if it fails to restart as it is now out of warranty it is going to be a difficult situation.
I believe that the newer Philips DTR500 box does allow you to replace all your channels via a menu function. Still, next time round, if other manufacturers have incorporated the Philips pulse killer chip under licence or developed their own equivalent, I may well change horses. Philips customer support is pretty desperate in my experience - to be fair I haven't bothered to try them for a year or so because it was such a waste of time. Whereas Panasonic I have found to be quite good - especially by email.
This box bought only 18 months ago...will not scan the new channels...
I did hear that when the change that has just taken place was muted that some Freeview boxes are short on memory for the large number of channels that came into play so to speak yesterday.
Anyone else heard this and is it a possible explanation?
I have to say that I am still receiving the channles I had before including More4 but the LCNs (Local Channel Numbers) remain the old ones..eg BBC News 24 remains on Channel 40.
I believe that in order to get the channel renumbering (eg BBC News 24 moving from (logical) ch 40 to ch 80 you must do a "virgin reset" as described in section 10.1 on p31 of the manual (Advanced Settings).
This procedure is somewhat fraught and although I have never failed to get it to work it has sometimes taken many attempts. I am suspicious that repeatedly disconnecting and reconnecting AC power may be not good for the receiver and as you will see from the top of this thread at least one other person has so far not been able to complete the process and his box is dead.
Unless I have a newer version of the box, I don't think that it has run out of memory at this time because I managed to get the new LCN numbers just fine - but i did have to do the messy 'virgin reset' (Don't forget, you have to hold down the "+" key on the box while powering up, then press "+" again when the light begins to flash on the front, this is before you cen even enter 9900!)
The Channels that give me grief at the moment seem to be E4 and QVC - coincidentally the ones that have the MHEG transmissions at present. Viewing these channels has caused breakup, followed by the picture freezing (although the audio continues to stream for some time), followed again by the box powering down and then back up, on the channel it was last properly put into standby on.
I've had a bit more breakup than i'm used to also, although because i'm in a low reception area I get quite a lot already.
It seems that it has caused a lot of problems for people who have other STBs too - I don't think it's a problem related just to this box because I am happy with mine, although with the reputation it seems to have I understand why people think that!!
Edit - Since I can't seem to get off QVC once I tune into it, it's now banned in my household until fiurther notice! LOL
BUT wouldn't have known what to do if I hadn't read the advice here first - thanks! :cool:
If anyone's at all unsure of the virgin reset process, it goes like this:
1. Power off the box at the wall.
2. Press and HOLD the + button on the box.
3. Power back on.
4. WAIT for the orange light to blink, and then release the + button.
5. BRIEFLY press the + again.
6. The red light should now be blinking. With the remote, dial in 9900.
7. WAIT.
8. WAIT.
9. WAIT some more. The red light can carry on blinking for some time - minutes even. EVENTUALLY you will get a green light, and the box will then restart itself in "virgin" mode, and congratulate you on your new purchase.
I'm convinced a lot of problems arise when people get impatient or convince themselves that they've not done it right and it's not going to restart.. trust me, if you follow the steps above the box will reset and all your problems will be solved.
Incidentally the Philips, like most decent receivers, is designed with a theoretical limit of 999 channels in mind - so should have no problem with anything Freeview is likely to throw at it.
Reset won't work:
1. Power off the box at the wall.
2. Press and HOLD the + button on the box.
3. Power back on.
4. WAIT for the orange light to blink................
.........no orange light, always only red, like it's stuck waiting for the update data.
Switched to watching on my Humax 8000t which now after the ch updates likes to reboot on ch change.
The red light stays on for a few seconds, it then starts to flash, followed by the orange light on static with the red light for a few seconds. It does this process over and over again. Ive followed the mannual for Troubleshooting and reseting again and again, after half an hour i give up and switched it off at the mains.
I tried again this morning and its still the same after following Boinng's guide above.
Anyone else know whats going on.
Thats one problem i have with this box, I have to update 4 other boxes for my nan's and other family and theres has the option to replace all channels and start again. Where as this box you have to set to Virgin mode, which is messy bussiness.
Dean
I shouldn't think so Dean! (I haven't ever received one for my box but it should be fine.)
Quick Update - I think things are a bit better at the moment. E4's MHEG doesn't appear at all now, and I can actually watch it and change channel away from it, and QVC doesn't hang up anymore - their Press Red is now working properly.
Seems like the problems might well be attended to! Anyone else having any luck at the moment?
No, if you're lucky enough to have 32 you'll keep it.
If a box is still under warranty then it should be replaced or repaired.
If no longer under warranty then I wonder what the legal position might be in terms of the product's fitness for purpose? I believe that is not limited just to one year but for a reasonable life span which might be several years in this case.
Neither as mine, i was really happy with the box until now, im wondering if anyone else as ideas on what to do.
Im thinking of taking a hammer to it lol, FREEVIEW has killed my box, looks like im going to have to buy a new one.
Ive had the box 2 years this christmas and i had it as a present i think it was from Toys R' Us.
However, this box has been problematic from the day I bought it. The numerous little bugs with the box, the lack of an over-air download, lack of updating with new Freeview features has really annoyed me.
I have complained to Philips customer services about this box on numerous occasions. However, whilst I have never once been beaten by a 'customer service' rep ever... even when dealing with British Gas, BT and Thames Water :eek: ... I have had to conceded defeat with Philips and have decided never to buy another product from them again! :mad: :mad: :mad: Totally and utterly useless customer service. A totally cr*p product that they never intended to support, sold on many false promises. :mad:
All those on here that are considering buying a more recent Philips model, I suggest you look elsewhere. You'll be wasting your money and will be ripped off.
I've already spoken with Consumer Direct [DTI's Trading Standards Helpline] and they say that as the technology is so new they don't have an idea what an acceptable lifespan a DTV box is.
I did eventually get Philips to accept that there might be an issue with their advertising of the box, particulary their description of the over air downloads to keep the box up-to-date with new features (which never happened). They offered me a new DTR 500 for £30, on the condition that I sent them the old box back. I told them to stick it! :mad: