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#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
This thread is for owners of the Rogers 8642 HD PVR to provide us with their feedback on the set top box and discuss its use with other owners.

See the following post for a list of known issues:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=122118&page=49


To discuss the new firmware/IPG, please use the following thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=150889


We also have a separate Whole Home PVR thread.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=150244


Please Note:

This thread is NOT for non-owners to ask questions about the 8642. If you would like ask questions then please post in the New 8642 PVR from Rogers discussion thread.

Non-owners posting in this thread will have their posts removed.


Check out the following thread for differences between the 8300HD and 8642HD (this is now mostly obsolete as the new firmware/IPG has become available for the 8642).

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=1121780#post1121780



Edit by 57: Does the PVR not report % space properly? Many people have reported the % space doesn't seem correct (internal and/or external), especially if there is not a lot of space used. Record at least 10 hours of HD and then see the percentages - they should then be fine.
 
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#31 ·
8642 Audio Behaving Badly

I recently upgraded from 8300 to 8642. Can't say that I am seeing anything, other than larger hard drive, that I currently find worth the cost.

Since upgrading I am experiencing one problem, however. For my HD CBC channels (514, 515, 544) most audio streams seem to play only through the L, R surround speakers, and not through the centre channel speaker. This happens for most audio streams, such as the National news. Luckily, hockey commentary plays through the centre channel speaker, although when it switches to a commercial, or even ice-level commentary, the audio switches to L, R speakers.

This only happens with CBC channels.

Can anyone shed any light on what is going on or what can be done to fix it?

Thanks in advance.
 
#32 ·
neils, please read the following FAQ on DD5.1 and improperly encoded DD5.1. This should also have been evident on your 8300, since it's been that way with CBC for years. (Possibly you didn't have your PVR or AVR properly configured for DD5.1 before and were getting "surround sound" instead of DD5.1)

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=17870

Then check out the following post, useful for those new to the forum - FAQs, Search Tips, Optimization, etc:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741
 
#34 ·
8642 HDMI handshake is slower than the 8300

I just installed my two 8642s today.

There was one glitch that I noticed - in comparison to my 8300.
I previously had my 8300HD working with my Pioneer Kuro Elite 151 such that (on the remote), when I pressed CAB, then PWR - it would turn on the TV, then the Rogers box.
This worked fine.

Now, with the new 8642, this same sequence does not work properly.
There seems to be an HDMI (timing) issue that is different than the 8300HD.
When the TV comes on, and then the Rogers box, there is seemingly not enough "time" for the TV to (see) the 8642 - leaving me with a black screen - as if the 8642 was not on.
Turning the 8642 off, then on again fixes it.

My only solution is to set up the remote to only control the power of the devices individually - rather than the multi device macro way - as I need to allow about 1 second more before I turn on the 8642 after my TV comes on.

What this boils down to is that the 8642 must start up a bit slower than the 8300 - and it sends its signals via the HDMI cable a bit delayed compared to the 8300.

Not a big deal, of course - but a noticeable difference between the two.
Maybe an upcoming firmware update would fix it....

In any event, the new features I like are:
- Color schemes (the guide themes) use richer colors - look better on screen
- FFW, REW, etc display the actual time on the pointer where you are
- Channels you don't subscribe to are in grey (finally)
- So far, the "quickstart" nonsense has not made its way onto the two units
- The hard drive seems to run MUCH quieter than the 8300
 
#36 ·
Posts deleted. From Post #1

This thread is NOT for non-owners to ask questions about the 8642. If you would like ask questions then please post in the New 8642 PVR from Rogers discussion thread.

Non-owners posting in this thread will have their posts removed and will be issued infractions.
 
#40 ·
Yes, as long as it is an 8642 that is manufactured for Rogers. For example, if you bought one in the US that was set up for another cable company, it won't work here at all. Rogers will not activate it for you.

So you'd want to buy from an authorized Rogers reseller, of which there are many around the GTA.
 
#41 ·
Three other things I have noticed with the new 8642:
- The Quickstart guide has not loaded onto it (yet)
- The Call Display function does not work
- Scrolling in the guide is sluggish if a program is recording

Anyone else notice this ?
 
#42 ·
Three other things I have noticed with the new 8642:
- The Quickstart guide has not loaded onto it (yet)
Haven't seen it here either. Others have reported the same thing earlier in the thread.
- The Call Display function does not work
Haven't had an incoming call yet but it wouldn't surprise me if Call Display doesn't function since that would require an interactive app download (which I *believe* is part of the same file that the Quckstart Guide is part of).
- Scrolling in the guide is sluggish if a program is recording
Anyone else notice this ?
As a matter of fact, yes. I was just lamenting the very same thing not ten minutes ago.
 
#43 ·
CBC HD Hockey

I am very pleased with my 8642 especially the bookmarks on part played recordings. My only problem is with severe glitches on playback of the CBO HD hockey recordings, Ch 514.
The video freezes for a half second and the audio is muted for maybe a second. This occurs roughly every 2 minutes.
This did not occur with my 8300 so is it my 8642? Anybody.
Thanks.
 
#76 ·
I am very pleased with my 8642 especially the bookmarks on part played recordings. My only problem is with severe glitches on playback of the CBO HD hockey recordings, Ch 514.
The video freezes for a half second and the audio is muted for maybe a second. This occurs roughly every 2 minutes.
This did not occur with my 8300 so is it my 8642? Anybody.
Thanks.
I also have had severe glitches on playback with the 8642
- live is fine never glitches (even if recording something else)
- pause it 10s and then play and it glitches..every 1-2 minutes
- playback of anything glitches like that (hockey games TSN/CBC seem worse than some others but get it on anything really)

- signal seems 37 S/N 4dbmV
- had Rogers in they said signal was fine
- swapped the box with the store and the new one has the same problems
- 500GB model

Not sure what to do next...maybe its a bad batch of drives or there is a sw fix coming...
buts its painful, since I never watch anything live...but its the only mode that works..

Had a SD box before using it the same way ...no troubles there...
 
#45 ·
8642 does not show analog lobby channel 998

A heads-up for anyone getting the 8642 box: unlike the 8300HD, it does not include an analog tuner, so if you live in a condo/apartment tower you will not be able to see the lobby channel (998) using the 8642. Rogers suggested workaround is to split the cable and feed it directly to your TV (assuming your TV has an analog tuner). This is inconvenient... they really should offer the Cisco 8652 box which includes an analog tuner.
 
#46 ·
A heads-up for anyone getting the 8642 box: unlike the 8300HD, it does not include an analog tuner, so if you live in a condo/apartment tower you will not be able to see the lobby channel (998) using the 8642. Rogers suggested workaround is to split the cable and feed it directly to your TV (assuming your TV has an analog tuner). This is inconvenient... they really should offer the Cisco 8652 box which includes an analog tuner.
The lobby channel (998) has been blank on my TV for many months now so this not a loss in my area.
 
#49 ·
^^

It's interesting to watch the "SAM INFORMATION" diagnostic page while tuning into this channel on the 8642. I see a "z_lmc" application appear with an AppId of "Exited" for about a second, before going away. I think the z_* apps first started appearing when QSG was introduced, so maybe it refuses to or can't load on this model box.

I think the 8642 uses a different CPU family (MIPS) than the other boxes (SPARC), which may have something to do with it. ROD works but it looks to me to be an EBIF application so is not CPU specific.
 
#50 ·
Now I know what you mean by audio glitches. Watching the amazing race on ctv was terrible and I have never seen anything like that on my 8300. It was especially bad during commercials. When I fast forwarded, the screen dissolved into a mess of chunky pixels that looked like gibberish and I couldn't make out the image at all. Sometimes the sound dropped out entirely but if I pressed back 8 seconds I'd get the sound properly. Very strange..
 
#51 ·
That happened to me recently on a recording of Bikini Destinations from HD Net.
Watching the program was fine, but FFW or REW at any point and the picture was not recognizable at all - never seen that before - and it was only that one program (so far) that I have seen the issue.

(You just gotta love being an early adopter !)
 
#52 ·
So far I've not experienced any macro blocking with the 8642 either during playback or trickplay.

In fact, I recorded and watched The Amazing Race and playback was fine.

Perhaps you have signal strength issues? Both a weak signal and a signal that is too hot can cause issues.
 
#53 ·
QuickStartGuide and TVCallDisplay

Does anyone know why those of us with an 8642 have neither the crappy Quickstart Guide, nor the TV Call display functioning ?

Are these boxes too new and Rogers hasn't figured out how to make those two features work yet, or are they waiting for some sort of firmware update to do it ?

BTW, I hated the QSG, but loved the TV Call Display.
 
#55 ·
On the 8300, I notice that the clock will move forward to the time, let's say 9:00 and there is usually a pause of 1 or 2 seconds before the recording kicks in. The same thing seems to happen when the recording stops. I assume this is just because the software needs some time to tell it to stop and start. The software is not waiting to stop or start, it just seems that when a specific time is reached, the software then checks to see if it should perform an action. E.g. it does not check at 8:59:55 to see if it should be stopping or starting a recording. At 9:00 it checks to see if anything should stop or start. How quickly this occurs would depend on the speed of all the internal parts and how efficient the software is written.
 
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