I find the remote on the ES20 very unresponsive as well.It seems that unless you are in direct line of site of the player it doesn't do anything,and it's only a month old.I've also got a Sony VTX-D800U but the remote on that is brilliant,point it anywhere in the room and it responds straight away.A friend has the ES10 and that also seems to be a bit slow although not as bad as mine.Maybe it's a general thing with Panasonic remotes.

I'd still try changing them - one or more of them could be duff nevertheless, and you might as well eliminate the easy causes! I'd also try reseating the batteries, and giving all the contacts a wipe.

In general, the TUCTH has been reasonably responsive since the last but one software update, back in the summer. Most people seemed to stop viewing responsiveness as an issue then.

How long does it actually take to change channels? There is a delay if you change channels by punching in the channel number, because the machine waits to see if you're going to type a third digit. Apart from that, I don't find it particularly slow. Of course, it depends how impatient you are.....

I'd estimate that I get roughly one sound glitch per hour recorded at the moment. I agree with you: I think its a software issue - it appeared with the OAD. Hopefully they'll fix it in the next release.

Second Thursday in a row that it's missed a recording on BBC1 (7 - 7.30pm). Well, it was going to miss the recording, until the wife took it out of standby.

I'm getting a little tired having to defend this unit to my wife. It always seems to miss the one programme she actually wants to watch.

Grrrr!

Cheeky

That's my thinking. I have a Sony TV and DVD player, and the response from the remotes are great. But it's almost as if I need to be pointing the remote directly (and I mean, DIRECTLY) at the box for the remote to work at all! Maybe I've been spoiled with decent remotes in the past, but I'm getting a little tired of pressing the buttons twice, thinking the button press wasn't registered, only for it to be registered... and then registered again! :sarcastic:

The pointing angle for my remote is about plus or minus 40 degrees. I.e. the remote can be pointing about 40 deg off the direct line to the box. In addition, I'm usually sat about 15 degrees off a straight line perpendicular to the box front. That's at a range of about 15 feet, with Duracells that haven't been changed for several months. If you're not getting that sort of performance, I really would check the batteries.


My box respoonds to an up/down channel change request by bringing up an Info bar within about a third of a second, I would estimate. It then takes a similar time to actually change the channel. Very occasionally, it will take longer, and is accompanied by hard disc activity. Presumably that occurs when the machine is busy doing some behind the scenes housekeeping when I press the button.

Now look - these boxes are designed for couch potatoes. Don't you realise they have circuits built-in to stop them recording programmes about athletes and fitness freaks!! Marathons??? Uggh!

More seriously, BBC have got their interactive service up again for the Commonwealth Games. Wonder if that's the issue?

Well so far we have been lucky since the upgrade we have had only 1 lockup

Every programme we have programmed has recorded (i do pad every single recording by adding 5 minutes at the start and end times so i dont know if this has anything to do with it) it has made no difference if the unit was on or in standby

On Wednesday night i had the unit in standby ready to record movie lounge (channel 5) and we had 2 power cuts (which only lasted a couple of minutes) between 7.15pm and 7.45pm and it still recorded the program although i had 3 entries for the same program

The only thing that is letting the unit down (well in our eyes) is the erratic behaviour of the teletext (she still aint happy about S4C but hey we all have to make sacrifices) as soon as this is sorted i will be made up

Also notced that at http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/download_schedule.pl they have a new download slotted for Panasonic on 3/4/06

I know it could be for the DVD or PVR but heres hoping its for the PVR

Also notced that at http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/download_schedule.pl they have a new download slotted for Panasonic on 3/4/06

I know it could be for the DVD or PVR but heres hoping its for the PVR[/quote]

There was talk a while ago about a major sofware update for the panny pvr.... methinks with all fingers crossed its for us ..............
I have filled in the form on the panny UK web site about the lost recordings ... will wait and see....

I don't whether there's any new info out there, but reading between the lines of this post from Grannygrunt, it's probably for the TUCT41, since they did retransmit v0.57 in March.

Any info GG?

Well, I've changed the batteries, and it's no better. I'm not sure, though, if the sluggishness is due to the fact that the box sits in a glass TV cabinet, as when the glass door is open, it does seem a bit quicker. If it is something as simple as that, I'd still be fairly miffed tho...

Well, the glass is undoubtedly going to absorb some of the IR, but you'd have to be particularly inept in designing a cabinet to use glass that was heavily absorbing at remote control wavelengths. But it's not impossible....... I use equipment inside a glass fronted Hi-Fi cabinet without problems, but it is a thin sheet of plain glass in a wooden door, not the thick smoked glass of some TV stands.

There are a few other things to look for:

a) make sure the glass is clean, the fine layer of dust that accumulates near TVs won't help.
b) direct sunlight or flourescent light (esp from energy saving bulbs) falling on the sensor will degrade performance
c) your TUCTH100 is new isn't it? Check you've removed the protective plastic film from the display. Some of those absorb IR.

That's about all I can think of, except an actual fault. As I said, my machine responds quite quickly to channel change requests. Other operations can be slower though, particularly if they involve HD activity. The machine seems to do the activity, then put up the onscreen result, rather than give an immediate on screen indication that the command has been received, and then go off and do the activity.

Yes, let us TU-CTH owners be fair,we did end up 'pinching' the slot which had originally been intended for the TUCT41 for the repeat download for all those (Villarica!) who had missed the original download, as far as I am aware the next download, as I previously stated, to overhaul the MHEG engine, will not take place before May.

GG

There was talk a while ago about a major sofware update for the panny pvr.... methinks with all fingers crossed its for us ..............
I have filled in the form on the panny UK web site about the lost recordings ... will wait and see....[/quote]

This is the reply I got from Panasonic this morning :-

Many thanks for your emailed enquiry,

For technical assistance please contact our
FREEPHONE Technical Helpline : 0800 169 3012
Between : 0800 ~ 1630 Mon - Thurs
0800 ~ 1330 Fri.

Best Regards

Panasonic Digital Converter Box Technical Helpline Team

Very Helpfull !!!

I'm confused. We've only just had a major update, to v0.57 in January, repeated in March. This addressed a load of recording issues and dramatically reduced the incidence of lost recordings. GG then informed us that there was a further upgrade planned in April/May, this time to the MHEG engine. But the repeat of v0.57 slipped in ahead of the upgrade to the TUCT41, which is why we're expecting the April slot to be given over to that. Or have you heard something from another source?

I'd ring them. I got this standard response at one point. I don't think you'll ever get another email.......

Opps.......
My panny 100 took till Sunday evening to get the time correct ... but
my ES10 had the right time from early morning ...at least from when I first looked ...

Lost BBC friday night recording ..Lounden Wainwright III at the BBC....

Boo hoo .......

According to the download schedule the early April Panny download is another repeat of v0.57, plus a load of stuff for TVs.
Last edited by lewisnt : 27-03-2006 at 13:01

My first post, although I have viewed the various TUCTH100 threads for 18 months.
I took delivery of my box from Unbeatable on 31 March 2005 and had all the described symptoms that everybody else suffered. My Panny has been reliable from v0.57 - until last Friday when it died. No lights were visible and on unplugging and powering up again the only sign of life was the hard disc whirring away.

As my twelve months warranty was only a week away from expiry I attempted to contact Unbeatable but it seems that they have gone into liquidation!? My only hope it seemed was to try Panasonic - with little expectation I must say.

Imagine my joy when Panasonic informed me that all boxes are covered by a warranty from February 2006 (presumably when v0.57 was installed). They immediately arranged a free swap-out via a courier service and the changeover happened the next day and the new box is even quieter than the old one (reading the forums I think I had one of the quieter units). I didn't realise how much I had come to rely on this box, but having spent a weekend without one, I now do!

I know that only bad news is "newsworthy" in our society but I would like to publicise Panasonic's handling of this and commend their actions.

As you can imagine I am one happy bunny in time for the first anniversary of the first deliveries.

Well I, for one, think that's pretty impressive!!!

Well, I too think that is very impressive!

If correct then it proves that Panasonic have tried everything they can to solve the problems that we have all experienced over the last twelve months. Also, that they continue to have faith in this pvr.

And it would show that customers CAN rely on a major electronics company like Panasonic and be encouraged to continue purchasing their products.

Perhaps all the Panasonic knockers and doubters will look elesewhere for their kicks now.

And no, I don't work for them!

Unfortunately quite the opposite for me I am afraid.

My once reliable machine (which I supported fully on other panny threads, even though it was getting a rough ride), is now useless.

Lock-ups for no apparent reason, and therefore scheduled recordings lost, only way to recover is to pull the plug.

All the helpline suggest is wait for new software due April/May, and on speaking to them again this A.M. they have actually had this happen on a couple of boxes, but have no idea as to why.....did not inspire a lot of confidence to be honest.

edit

When I stated that I thought the update in Apr/May was for the MHEG engine as GG stated in post 55 there was a deafly silence, then the comment of I don't know about that mate.
Last edited by Barry : 31-03-2006 at 11:10

I doubt if "technical support" knows what an MHEG engine is.

They probably think it's something to do with trains..........

I just had to LOL ... good one

Ivor perhaps

Glad your happy with your new unit awhawell, yes because Panasonic were determined to get this, their first PVR working right, they did state that the warranty on all units would not start until the TU-CTH was working okay, so for all of us who have stuck it out through all of the units problems, this is an added bonus, and yes, proves their committment to this unit. As you will all be aware, we have had posters in the past, insisting that Panasonic didn't care, or had 'written the unit off' well now I think that we all have proof that they have been more than fair and are fully committed to the TU-CTH, and at 62, I don't work at Panasonic either, but I have always felt that they have in the past taken an unfair 'bashing' about this unit.

GG

Amen to that!