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Old 28-07-2014, 06:27
David Waine
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My Huawei PVR has not updated its software (I checked) and the Internet channels are still not recordable, but everything else seems to be significantly improved this morning. The box answers to key presses more or less immediately and channel changes take just a couple of seconds (Internet channels a bit longer). I am a habitual early riser and usually catch up on the news and flick around a few channels over my cereals, but the box is definitely slicker than usual this morning, leading me to wonder whether they have done something - and I cannot imagine what as the software has not been updated.

These are rough timings that I have just taken:

Boot-up: 13 seconds (box already warmed up from earlier viewing and did not even go via YouView loading screen). Booting up from cold, as far as I remember, takes a little longer and does feature the loading screen.

BBC 1 HD to BBC 2 HD: 2 1/2 seconds
BBC 2 HD to SKY ONE: 4 1/2 seconds
SKY ONE to SKY TWO: 4 1/2 seconds

I would estimate that the boot-up time and time to change between broadcast channels has reduced by about a third. Switching to and between Internet channels is slightly reduced (the time lag, I presume, being required to preload the channel's buffer). The epg loads the current information more or less immediately, but there is still a lag of several seconds if you want to check forward several days.

I will check back later in the day and report back as to whether the improvement is maintained. If nothing else, this morning's experience demonstrates that the box is at least capable of operating briskly, which augurs well for the forthcoming software update.
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Old 28-07-2014, 12:36
David Waine
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I seem to be having this discussion with myself, but if anybody else is looking, I have just rerun my little test. Booting up from cold, the box took 21 seconds to display picture and sound. Thereafter channel changing times are the same as this morning: 2 1/2 seconds between broadcast channels and 4 1/2 for Internet. This is definitely an improvement on what I was getting as recently as yesterday. According to the box, nothing has changed. It is still running the old software. It would be interesting to know whether anybody else has had the same experience.
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Old 28-07-2014, 12:45
Seymour Cat
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If you go into 'Settings' and then 'System Information' you can check when the firmware was last updated. Mine says 7 FEB 2014 but that doesn't mean your box hasn't had an update.

*SLAPS HEAD*

Re-read first post, you checked already...

My bedroom YouView box is behaving itself and responding quite quickly today but I can't say for sure that its any faster than normal.
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Old 29-07-2014, 14:25
dms05
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Just checked my STB and the firmware says it has update today and shows 29/7/2014. Like the OP everything now seems faster, especially the remote!
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Old 29-07-2014, 15:46
niceguy1966
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Just checked my STB and the firmware says it has update today and shows 29/7/2014. Like the OP everything now seems faster, especially the remote!
I'm looking forward to getting back home and testing for myself. Yesterday mine still said the last update was in Feb, and it was a slow as a snail crawling through mud.

Any improvement in response to the remote would be a welcome sign that Huawei can get their box into the 21st century.
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Old 29-07-2014, 19:33
David Waine
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Now I am really confused. Having started this thread, I do not (as yet) have this update. My box is still operating more slickly than it used to, but I remain on software issue 70-30-09, last updated on the 7th of February. Several attempts to do a manual update have made no difference to that. Apparently updates don't roll out to everybody at the same time, so I suppose I will get it soon enough, but that does not explain the improvement in performance that I have noticed already.
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Old 30-07-2014, 13:05
niceguy1966
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Now I am really confused. Having started this thread, I do not (as yet) have this update. My box is still operating more slickly than it used to, but I remain on software issue 70-30-09, last updated on the 7th of February. Several attempts to do a manual update have made no difference to that. Apparently updates don't roll out to everybody at the same time, so I suppose I will get it soon enough, but that does not explain the improvement in performance that I have noticed already.
Mine wasn't updated yesterday either.

2.5 seconds to change channels is hardly speedy, my much older Samsung TV manages identical changes in less than a second.

On the plus side, I don't know if the mystery improved response time is connected to this, but I did manage to FF through several ad breaks without the box freezing, and it did seem to get up to x30 faster than it has done in the past.
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Old 30-07-2014, 15:03
David Waine
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I actually wrote that the channel change time had decreased by about a third, which is true. Now I press the button, the number of the new channel appears in its central box and then the new channel appears. The whole process takes about two and a half seconds. I am not left wondering whether the key press has achieved anything any more. This, I submit, is a significant improvement. If the update, when it arrives, improves the speed further, all well and good. If not, I would be reasonably happy with the speed the way it is.

From what you have written about your box, Nice Guy, I wonder whether it is performing as it should. My box was slow (at least until a couple of days ago) but it is generally reliable. The endings of a few recordings have been missed off, but that is more likely to be the doings of the broadcaster than the box. It has failed to record the occasional programme, but rarely. This is not unique to YouView. Lots of PVRs do that. In general, my box does what it is supposed to do, albeit a bit sluggishly until very recently.
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Old 30-07-2014, 19:15
niceguy1966
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There are several things about my box that I don't think are performing as it should, although it might be performing as Huawei intended!
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Old 31-07-2014, 08:14
David Waine
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Judging by what you have written, I doubt that. Have you contacted TalkTalk about it? The box may be faulty, which would entitle you to a replacement.
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Old 31-07-2014, 09:26
niceguy1966
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Judging by what you have written, I doubt that. Have you contacted TalkTalk about it? The box may be faulty, which would entitle you to a replacement.
Not sure how I'd demonstrate an intermittent fault. I doubt an engineer wants to watch me FF through several ad breaks while hoping for a freeze.

Anyway, yesterday was the second night when it didn't freeze. So the non-update that you reported might be giving my box a "boost" too. My settings still say the last update was Feb, but if its stopped freezing, I'm happy.
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Old 31-07-2014, 21:47
niceguy1966
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I got the update!

Anyone know if there are release notes online so i can read what the changes are?
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Old 01-08-2014, 06:31
David Waine
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Hopefully that will sort matters out and your box will work properly now. Please let us know if it is an improvement.

I still don't have the update. For those of you who do, does it make Internet channels recordable? That was promised for this summer and we are now into August, so there will either be one big update that does everything or two smaller ones in relatively quick succession, presumably. I don't know why Huawei boxes lag so far behind Humax in this respect. Bearing in mind that they do the same thing, you would expect them to be very similar under the skin, but seemingly not. On the other hand, maybe Humax have a crack team working on software development while Huawei have one guy tearing his hair out (not serious, by the way).
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Old 01-08-2014, 09:37
niceguy1966
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Hopefully that will sort matters out and your box will work properly now. Please let us know if it is an improvement.

I still don't have the update. For those of you who do, does it make Internet channels recordable? That was promised for this summer and we are now into August, so there will either be one big update that does everything or two smaller ones in relatively quick succession, presumably. I don't know why Huawei boxes lag so far behind Humax in this respect. Bearing in mind that they do the same thing, you would expect them to be very similar under the skin, but seemingly not. On the other hand, maybe Humax have a crack team working on software development while Huawei have one guy tearing his hair out (not serious, by the way).
I was a little premature in my announcement!

In a hurry, I looked at the "checked for last update" screen and not the "last update", so I am still on the Feb release

I tried to force a manual update, but it keeps giving me an error message that the update failed (not that I'm on the latest release, interestingly).
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Old 01-08-2014, 10:39
David Waine
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Ah, an easy mistake to make. Since DMS05 announced that he had the update, I have been trying to get it. Usually it says that the latest software is installed, but it has said the download failed a couple of times. Now I am beginning to wonder whether DMS made the same mistake. Nobody else has announced having it.
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Old 01-08-2014, 13:44
niceguy1966
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Ah, an easy mistake to make. Since DMS05 announced that he had the update, I have been trying to get it. Usually it says that the latest software is installed, but it has said the download failed a couple of times. Now I am beginning to wonder whether DMS made the same mistake. Nobody else has announced having it.
Yes, I don't think there is an update. More people would have commented on it.

So the "improvement" in performance is still a mystery. It might be that I'm paying more attention, but my box hasn't frozen since you mentioned this, and lag to remote control presses does seem less.

I'm not sure how, but the box has become more usable.
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Old 02-08-2014, 08:02
David Waine
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When I think about it, the likelihood of them releasing a software update during a major sporting event, such as the Commonwealth Games, is pretty remote. Imagine the outcry if something went wrong. That being the case, I wouldn't expect one before Monday at the very earliest.
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Old 02-08-2014, 16:04
Adrian_Baggott
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My parents had been having some problems with their box so I did a complete factory reset on Wednesday 30th. I checked their box again yesterday 1/8/14 and it had received an update on the 31/7/14. There is now no lag at all when using the guide, I moved through it in all directions as fast as I could and it worked perfectly. All the other menus work much faster now aswell. I can't remember the software number, I'm there again tomorrow I will make a note of it.
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Old 03-08-2014, 06:59
David Waine
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And when you do, please let us know because I still don't have it. The old software number is 70.30.09, so a new one, presumably would be 70.30.10, or something like that. Could you also check whether the Internet channels are recordable and let us know? Thanks.
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Old 03-08-2014, 08:03
niceguy1966
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When I think about it, the likelihood of them releasing a software update during a major sporting event, such as the Commonwealth Games, is pretty remote. Imagine the outcry if something went wrong. That being the case, I wouldn't expect one before Monday at the very earliest.
With the World Cup, Wimbledon, The Tour de France and Commonwealth Games, there was little time to make any changes this summer!
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Old 03-08-2014, 09:02
David Waine
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Don't forget the Open.
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Old 03-08-2014, 10:29
dms05
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Yes, I don't think there is an update. More people would have commented on it.

So the "improvement" in performance is still a mystery. It might be that I'm paying more attention, but my box hasn't frozen since you mentioned this, and lag to remote control presses does seem less.

I'm not sure how, but the box has become more usable.
I've had another look and this is what my box says:

System Information > Software Version > Last Updated 29 July 2014

Device Management > Software Update > Last Checked 3 Aug 2014

Have I had an update or not?
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Old 03-08-2014, 10:56
David Waine
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It sounds like you have had an update. What number is the software version? The old one was 70.30.09. You will find it by clicking where it says it last updated.

Also, are your Internet channels recordable now?
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Old 03-08-2014, 16:29
Adrian_Baggott
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The Channels are not recordable, that's the first thing I tested. I will post the software number later today.
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Old 03-08-2014, 17:18
dms05
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It sounds like you have had an update. What number is the software version? The old one was 70.30.09. You will find it by clicking where it says it last updated.

Also, are your Internet channels recordable now?
It's now getting rather confusing. The information is:

Software Versions Last Update 29 July 2014
Your YouView box is using these versions of its software.

Manufacturers software 70.30.09
Component software 1.7.22
Platform configuration 634
ISP Configuration 1402011

Update On Demand Players Last checked 12 July 2014 (I then checked manually so it now reads 03 Aug 2014).

The only other possible variable that may have an effect is I changed Broadband supplier on 28 July 2014 from Sky to TalkTalk and probably didn't activate the YouView box until 29 July 2014 when the new software reports it has installed.

Could the change in Broadband supplier have triggered some undocumented effect? My box is now very snappy and is better than my latest issue Sky+HD box. Changing channel is very quick and moving around the EPG is also rapid as are all menu functions.

On Demand channels don't appear to have any way to record unlike my Sky box which automatically records On demand to the HDD.
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