I have to disagree. I feel the bashing is justified.

Personally, I haven't noticed any real improvement in the machine since the update to 0.57. It still crashes at least as much as before, and is still as slow and unweildy as it has always been.

I have just returned from a week away, to discover the box in a crashed/inoperable state yet again, and the entire weeks recordings lost.

Am wondering if I've got a dodgey unit, either that or it's time to admit defeat as far as this box is concerned.

I have to agree with Spaced Captain that at this present time i am unsatisfied with the performance of this PVR

The audio going loud then back to normal on normal viewing to the audio dropouts on playbacks

The unit crashing (still resulting in having to pull out the plug) for no apparent reason

Dont get me wrong i am not trying to offend anyone here but can you honestly say that this PVR is worth the money you paid for it

It would if it worked the way it should but the problem is it dosent

For me this unit has lost its appeal because all i have to show for my money is constant aggrevation (either from the unit or from my wife)

When i bought this PVR i didnt expect to be a beta tester i thought i would be a customer

So how long have you both had the unit... since it was launched??? I have, so has GG (probably)... believe me its far better than it ever was and is still a good deal more reliable than its only real competition the Humax 9200T, despite the latter's software upgrade in the past few days (and still no chase-play, good grief, this was criticism and why I got rid of the the 8000T and they still have not been able to provide it some 18 months on...). I can't wait to see how Sony's Twin Tuner PVR performs with next month's launch, because if it doesn't give 10 out of 10, then frankly, I believe, there is no hope for the future

But mine does now.......And so, I believe do GG & Nirm's. And it's lightyears better than it was last May when I bought it. The OAD's have definitely improved mine.

And the whole concept of a PVR is so much better than tapes or DVDs that I'm not really bothered about the occasional sound dropout - which, strangely, seem to be much less frequent lately. It's not as though VHS was exactly a clean medium!

I really don't understand why some people's experiences are so radically worse than others. Which makes me wonder about aerial & signal quality issues, power glitches, local transmitter issues and even usage patterns, etc rather than intrinsic problems with the box.


I think that's a function of the small market for these machines and the low price. AFAIK, none of the twin-tuner PVR's have been released trouble-free, so the Panny is hardly alone. We'll have to wait and see whether Sony get it right, but they are a year later to market, and have had the luxury of studying everyone else's problems.

As usual Nirm, couldn't agree with you more, Panasonic have worked like trojans to get this unit as operable as possible, We asked for chase play and got it, how many manufacturers of Freeview PVR's have not started the warranty on their units until it was felt to be working okay. For those of you who are unhappy with the TU-CTH, have a good read of some of the other manufacturers threads, and keep in mind that this is the first time that Panasonic has entered the Freeview PVR market, I know, as many other posters are aware, of manufacturers making the same bugs and mistakes on their second, third and fourth attempts, and therefiore having to re-sort out bugs that they had previously put right in their previous PVRs!!! Knock the TU-CTH if you want, but it has been unfairly pilloried since launch, it has been no worse than any other Freeview PVR launched to date. And yes, I too am awaiting the mighty Sony to see if they can launch a perfectly working, does what it says on the tin, PVR, because so far, no one has been able to, and by the way, I used to have Sky, and an Amstrad box that I used to have to pull the plug on at least once a day and it wasn't even a PVR with two tuners!!!

GG

Hi all ....
Well I lost another recording Sunday evening .....
Is there any way to go back to the earlier fimware version ...as I had no problems with that.
I also have a Fusion FVRT100 and that has had loads of problems ....but other users have worked a cracking fix with out the help of the manufacturer....even details of increasing the hard drive size.....
My panny has alway worked great ....its one of the April 2005 deliveries...
and have always defended its faults....Now it has gone the other way and is
not very faithfull to me..... (The little tart !!!)
Looks like the fusion will be finding its way into the from room ... above and below the Panasonic DSB50 and ES10.....feeding the Panny 32 inch LCD...
Roll on the next update ........
.. Hope the Easter Bunny looks on your PVR kindly...
alif

*Touch wood* mine's been ok since the Commonwealth games finished (blimmin' BBC Interactive. Grrr!).

I have, however, stuck to switching the unit into standby with the tuners set to Channel 4.

I still think a lot of my missed recordings have been as a result of the unit not properly reseting itself after doing its 12.05pm scan for new software.

A few times recently I've come home to hear the disc and fan whirring, even though no programmes are scheduled to record. Taking it out of standby and putting it straight back into standby seems to shut it off properly.

In my experience, anything that was set to record during that period of disc/fan activity before it properly resets itself will not have been recorded.

A few times I've come back and noticed the disc/fan activity when it should be recording only to find no "REC" symbol on the front panel. Taking the unit out of standby will start the recording from that point.

It's a right pain, and I can't see any way of getting round it at the moment, other than possibly leaving the unit switched on during the day (when you have recordings set) so that it doesn't perfom the scan and associated reset at 12.05pm. Not an ideal solution. And not one I've tried yet.

Cheeky

It would be really good if we could work out why some units don't reset properly. Mine resets fine. (I'm not saying it's never locked up, but that is an extremely rare event. Famous last words........

They're loaded with the same software, presumably they have the same hardware build, so the only reason that some units won't come out of the reset must be differences in their condition when they go into it.

What can I think of? My machine's hard disc is usually about 60-75% full, the timer is hardly ever set to operate in the daytime, I rarely use the MHEG or radio services, and it's normally tuned to BBC1/2, ITV3 or More 4 when it goes into standby.

Ring any bells with anyone?

Before the 0.57 update, mine would never reset itself after the 12.05 scan. After the 0.57 update it seemed to cure this......until recently. For the last couple of weeks its again not resetting itself. Switching it on then off again only results in the fan coming on 5 past the next hour.

I have found out a solution to how to reset it......take the aerial out and leave it, after a couple of minutes WAIT appears then it re-boots itself.

I got mine in May last year.

I have only had mine about a month so i am still new to the unit compared to the rest of you

After reading these posts the problems we are seeing all seem to differ

We have never lost or had a failed recording (and to be honest i dont have any "special way" i leave it on standby on bbc/itv/men and motors/ it records) since i have padded the start and finnish times

On all recordings though we get audio dropouts (which is very frustrating and irritating) which sometimes gives you the "why bother watching it" attitude

Trying to read teletext is a lottery (i've won quite a few lately but not as often as i would like) and yet i get signal strength 9 on all channels

When the unit locks up you have to pull the plug (pressing the red power button does nothing)

This unit will be good value for money when it is working as advertised

The problem for me is if this unit was a car/television it would have been sent back for swapout/repair and if the problems persisted i would go for a different model/make

Which is why I think there are possibly external issues at work. Identical software in identical boxes won't do this, unless it's fed with different conditions or inputs somehow!

Ssssh....don't tell anyone!!

They've never been so bad that it gets to that stage. At most about one per recording. (I've just finished watching an hour long recording - no problems.)

Everyone's comments about teletext mystify me. I don't use it much, but when I do, it works fine. Just a little slow. But digital teletext has never been a patch on Ceefax. IMHO, it's a grossly inferior technology, because it tries to do too much.

I see you're in South Wales as well. What transmitter do you use? I'm on Wenvoe.

This is really strange, because mine is now working fine. The problems are down at the minor squeak and rattle level. Things you put up with, because generally it's a good product.

I dunno - perhaps some of you are less tolerant....but tolerance isn't something I'm normally accused of.

I live in Ely (the French Riviera of Cardiff LOL) and yep Im on Wenvoe aswell


To be honest with you mate i am tolerant and i can put up with its quirks

Its just the wife had a bit of a moan so i needed to let some steam off hence the earlier post

Ok... I was touchy bit last night... hm... don't know what to say other take take up the option of using the "extended" warranty, if you dare!!!

So it's not signal content, then, since we're using the same signal..

I'm in Swansea, so, compared to me, you must have a stonking signal. I wonder if the box has got strong signal overload problems?

Anyone else here sitting up the backside of a main transmitter?
Yeah, my wife has less patience with it than me. A complete role reversal.

We boys like our toys, you see.

Lewisnt, I am not sitting up the **** of Emley Moor, I 'm about 7-8 miles away, but as it is (I think) one of the strongest transmitters in the country (even though I am about 7 miles away, can see it on a clear day) and my signal is just under 10 for all channels, in fact, another peculiar thing, we have always had a very good picture, and strong signal on the dreaded mux2, Itv has always looked good, even on analogue!! In fact, I would go as far as saying that I get a better pic with ITV than the BBC channels which is rather strange, as reading all other posters, the rest of the country seems to be the opposite!! So if it was going to be down to too strong a signal, I would be very affected. However, saying that, the analogue signal is so strong, that ever since I have had a digital signal (since Ondigital days) I have always had to have an attenuator fitted. At the mo, it is a 10 (whatever) but have had stronger ones fitted in the past, and as any aerial guy around this area will readily tell you, it causes the most problems around here. Obviously, once the analogue is switched off, then the problem should dissappear. It was causing me probs with the Panny on Tuner 2, which as you all know, the Panny amplifies, to counteract losing any signal from Tuner 1, and as this is the tuner that is more often than not used for recording. I was getting break up of pic, and cracking sounds until an aerial guy fitted the attenuator. (In fact, I could probably have a stronger one fitted, as my aerial feeds first the TU-CTH, then into the Panasonic DVD recorder, then into my Toshiba telly which also has Freeview, and still shows a full bar signal! So yes you can suffer as many problems if you are in an area that gets a strong analogue signal, as this then interferes with the digital signal.

GG
Last edited by Grannygrunt : 05-04-2006 at 11:49

Yes, Emley Moor puts out 10kW on all muxes, whereas Wenvoe only does that on mux 1. All the rest are 5kW. And I think the analogue transmitter is 870kW to Wenvoe's 500kW. But pauljl can only be a mile or two from the transmitter, I'd guess. He must practically glow in the dark....

I mean, I'm 25+ miles away as the crow flies, I think, and my TUCTH100 is showing 9 for everything....... (Obviously a lot depends on the antenna gain.)

Interesting that you need an attenuator. It may be worth others trying one?? They are only a fiver or so from Maplin.

Yes Lewisnt anyone who is having pic probs and lives very close to a transmitter should always have their signal checked by a competant aerial person,as having a very strong analogue signal can cause interference to the digital signal (I think that aerial guys say it swamps it) and until analogue switch off, will cause break up of the picture (blocking) cracking sounds (which used to make me jump out of my skin!!!) etc.

GG

Hope you don't mind a Twin user posting in your section. Thing is that I have been so pleased with the Twin (frustrating as it is ) that I persuaded my father to go for a PVR when he wanted to get freeview. From experience with the twin I advised him to go for the Panasonic and picturewise I can't fault it but I was very dissapointed with the slugishness of operation.
It seems that it may be well worth him upgrading the software. His box has been set to manual upgrade at the moment to get round the message which popped up on boot up asking to upgrade when there was no upgrade available.
All you need now is a propper EPG like the PACE, Sky plus or Sony. Until the Panasonic has it I'm afraid I'll stick with the Twin crowd for all it's faults.

First of all, good choice! Secondly, the message you are referring to is likely to have been New Service Message (i.e. new channels and can be switched off in Setup > Tuning Menu) and not about new software... if you have switched off Software Update, keep it switched on especially as a repeat of the upgrade to 0.57 will be taking place in the next few days - there should be no problem leaving it on. Lastly, I agree about the EPG which I have always thought is very poor (though you get used to it); recently I purchased a Panasonic DMR-ES20 DVD recorder to compliment the TU-CTH100, and the Freeview EPG is spot on (and dare I say it, as an ardent Sony fan, its better than current Sony EPGs!)

What, you mean constantly full of holes and no programme synopsis information?! I'm not impressed with the EPG on the DMR-ES20D at all. I think I need a subscription to the Radio Times!

For the last 6 weeks or so the EPG info on MUX2 has been missing for most of the time. I am on Caradon Hill TX (line of sight). I also have a Panny STB which has the same problems i.e has now and next but no menu data in the EPGon MUX 2. One might think that the problem is due to the broadcater BUT I recently bought a brand new Panny LCD which as far as I am aware uses the very same 7 day EPG system but the TV has a fully populated EPG at all times. So what's the difference.
Any one out there with any ideas or does anyone know who I can "get at" to complain etc.

I don't know, but I'd love to.... I recently commented on another thread that the EPGs on my TUCTH100 and ES20D don't stay in step. The only explanation I've been able to come up with is that have different refresh cycles, and different policies about what to do if data is not being transmitted when they refresh. (I.e. do they retain the old, potentially out of date data, or discard it, because it's out of date. But it's pure speculation on my part.

Is thereany way you can 'reset' the EPG or force it to clear and then gather new info? I thought there was an update cycle on the Panny like 3 or 5 times a day, so if as yu have found ITV EPG data is being broadcast now it may be just a matter of hours before the PVR picks it up. If its not and you cant reset the EPG then maybe a factory reset or retune might grab it?

Lewis, Nirm and GG will no doubt have the quick andeasy answer if there is one but seeing as I was on here anyway I thought I'd bung a general reply in!!

Yes lewisnt, I think that this is probably what happens, like you, I too have the TU-CTH and the ES20D,and they both do differ as to whether they have picked up any data for the EPG. However, it is not the fault of the unit if no data is being sent down by a particular broadcaster,i.e Channel 4, E4 etc, who have been notorious for not supplying the data for their programs. I have also (over a period of time) noticed that QVC is often lacking supplying EPG data, since they began their 'interactive red button' service, in which they supply broadcasting data themselves.

GG