So I just got a new Nextbox 3.0 to replace my old HD PVR...problems anyone?

[Pseudonymous]

I recently was offered a replacement for my old HD PVR to the new Nextbox 3.0...great I thought!  This new one must be much better since I've had my old HD PVR for many years...boy was I wrong!  

- Takes forever to boot up!!   I thought it was broken!   It is crazy, if you ever unplug the thing and plug it back in, you are probably waiting for like 15 minutes (at least) for it to come back up!

- Updates every night at 2pm for 15-20 minutes!!  It's always updating and rebooting...and you can't control when you want it to happen.

- Pixelation and audio issues right away...never had this on my old HD PVR...but apparently from reading the forums, this new technology is signal 'finicky'...which I'm not sure I completely understand, if it's a digital signal, you should either get it or you don't?  (fortunately, it seems to have went away after a week...)

A new one that just started today, it just decided it doesn't want to record shows anymore...when I hit the 'rec' button, it flashes 'scheduling' on the screen but nothing gets scheduled for recording, can't even record the current show!  Turn it off and back on, still that way, unplug it and you are back at point 1 above, wait 20 minutes for boot up.  Now it's back up again, you have to wait for a couple of minutes before your remote works!  Can't change channels or get the guide...eventually it comes back, but seriously, this is an expensive product and these are the types of user experiences that they want their customers to have?

***Edited labels***

[Gdkitty]

Odd yours taking 20 mins to boot up.. mine only takes like 5-8ish..  perhaps its still settling in. (it usually takes 48ish hours for stuff like the search, RoD, etc to start working.

You are right with the 2am updates... the older guide never had that.. and is a constant complain by many.

While generally yes.. digital is an on/off... you play a little more with something like this.
With a digital signal say between the box and TV.. its on/off type signal.. the signal is sent across the cable on one frequency.

WIth cable TV.. there is 1000's of frequencies that are carried across the cable at all times.  Specific channels are carried on specific ranges, etc.
With something like this.. there is more room for 'error', of a not proper signal, resulting in problem.
The newer tuners on these boxes.. are able to potentiall do more (1080p, though there is no content in that yet, etc).. they tend to be more SENSITIVE.  While say the old one would be able to interpret say a +/- 10db as still ok... the new one, may only have something like only a +/-5db varrience..
For this part.. give them a call and get a tech out.. many people havent had their signals checked in a long time, if EVER.  Sometimes a swap of a splitter or two, a signal booster if needed, and that might fix it all.

[rustytc]

GDkitty, you seem to be quite familiar with Rogers equipment.

I recently got my Nextbox HD + VR. On my old HD box I could choose an actual channel # on power on. But this NB3 I can only choose the station from a list of about 200. I would like it to go to TSNHD channel 506 when I turn it on. But if I choose "TSNHD" from the list it goes to channel 30.

Is there a way to set it for channel 506?

[Gdkitty]

Not knowing where you are... What channel is 30?
Is it tsn? When you tune to 30 does it auto show HD?

All the lower channels while technically by default are HD, they will auto sub the HD versions into them. Could be auto subbing down?

Not at home but would have to take a peek at mine for actual settings further, not at home right now.

[jimboden]

I'm in Toronto East York and get TSN HD on channels 30 and 506.

[Kiwi7]

We thought a few months ago about upgrading to Nextbox 3.0 but comments like yours abound in various forums so as long as our older 8300 PVR is working as well as it is, we will stick with it until such time as Rogers gets the bugs ironed out. Of course, by the time they do that, they may have introduced Nextbox 4.0.  Nextbox 3.0 seems to be causing many customers to switch to Bell Fibe!

As for the comments regarding TSN, we live in Scarborough and it comes in on 26 and 506. Not sure why there is no consistency on this one!

[Gdkitty]

the bottom 60 or so channels, change from region to region.

But if you set it to 30.. it SHOULD be ok.. and then auto sub down the HD version of TSN HD.

[Kiwi7]

Not sure that East York and Scarborough should be different "regions". They are side by side!

[jimboden]

It's possible Scarborough and East York are different. I lived in Scarborough in the late 90's and was a Shaw cable/internet customer. Rogers and Shaw did an asset swap between the east and west of the country and I became a Rogers customer. I had to switch my cable box from Shaw's to Roger's plus the internet was also different. I'm guessing the Shaw cable channels may have been different from Rogers and they may not have switched, hence the difference between TSN channels and possibly some others.

[Gdkitty]

I remember last year there was someone here who was in the north/west York region, boardering on Mississauga. They got a channel included where they lived, which was heavy of one ethnicity.
They moved 5 mins away into Mississauga, but it's demographic was different and didn't include that channel.