Rogers 8642 HD (Nextbox) PVR Owners Thread: Read post #1 ) - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

hugh · 2010-03-11, 04:33 PM

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/show...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/show...80#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.

hugh · 2010-03-11, 04:34 PM

reserved

doingnothing · 2010-03-12, 09:32 PM

I having been running the 8642 for 2.5 hours

So far I don’t see network settings, no streaming media. Don’t know if Rogers has this enabled yet.

Guide is the same as the old one, menu for settings is the same as the old.

eSATA port does function.

Would I recommend this NO not yet.

Kdee · 2010-03-15, 12:53 PM

My first impressions are as follows:

- There's no Quick Start Guide. That alone makes it worth it.

- It is faster at loading Rogers On Demand versus the HD box that we had.

Other than that, it seems like every other Rogers box. I haven't tried any of the ports at the back yet. I'll report back when I get a chance to do so.

lonetreejim · 2010-03-17, 12:25 PM

I have a few preliminary observations to make while I wait to record enough stuff to put the TB drive through it's paces.

Plus side:
- Law & Order: SVU is on at 9:00p and 10:00p tonight. I set it to record at 9:00p and selected all episodes at any time. Both the 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock shows highlighted red. Doing this on my 8300 would have turned 9 o'clock red but I would have had to scroll over to 10 o'clock to see that it too was going to record.

- The FF/REW status bar displays the time offset, in minutes, from the start of the program. It is also divided visually into 4 sections, apparently 15 minutes per section for a 1 hour program.

- No Quick Start guide. Guide button works as it did on the 8300 prior to the recent upgrade.

- The menus are generally more pleasing to look at. IMO better graphics... less blocky.

Minus side:
- While watching a live or prerecorded program press the Guide button and then press the Info button. The Info text looks really bad (poorly rendered). Pressing the Info button directly from the program itself (either live or recorded) or from the List menu and the Info text looks quite nice.

- The front panel display is really bright. I may need to put a neutral density filter over it.

- No new options in Settings or List Preferences.

- The PIP windows is still annoyingly placed to accommodate a SD frame.

- The on screen menus are not HD.

lonetreejim · 2010-03-18, 08:13 AM

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/7d154e23.jpg
http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/3db7f01f.jpg
http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/23bd715e.jpg

lonetreejim · 2010-03-18, 08:14 AM

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/4f75c576.jpg
http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/59a5a2c6.jpg
http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/6378c458.jpg

whitbyterry · 2010-03-18, 08:21 AM

It does look better. Thanks for posting!

lonetreejim · 2010-03-21, 08:13 AM

I have discovered a couple new features with the 8642 that are not in the 8300 STB.

- Much to my surprise and my pleasure I have found that this box remembers where I left off in viewing previously recorded programs. I have partially viewed several programs and when I go back it remembers my current location in each one. The location memory has survived several power button cycles but I have not tried to see if it persists through a hard power cycle.

- I often delay the start of a live program to build up enough buffer that I can skip the commercials. The status bar has always given a graphical idea of how close you are to being caught up to real time but the 8642 goes one step further. When you FF/REV/PAUSE from the buffer (or from a scheduled recording that is still being recorded) it displays the time of day you are currently at. In the example below you can see that I paused at 8:51. If it was really 9:00 I'd know I was 9 minutes delayed from real time.

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...ime_of_Day.jpg

slyboy · 2010-03-22, 09:21 AM

Jim, you beat me to the punch... I noticed that feature last night as well and was extremely pleased to see it remember the location of multiple programs, as I flipped between shows during my own testing. That has been a really desired feature for many of us for a long time. I too have not yet checked if the memory of each show's left off location will survive once the power to the unit is pulled, but I will find out soon when I move the box to a permanent location.

lonetreejim · 2010-03-22, 01:07 PM

I see that the Copy to VCR feature has been removed as an option.

8642

8300

lonetreejim · 2010-03-23, 03:48 PM

I have noticed it takes a second or two for the audio to resume after a fast forward or rewind. I'll need to re-tune my commercial skipping finger to stop a tad sooner.

lonetreejim · 2010-03-24, 05:40 PM

I have also noticed I cannot pause and then advance frame by frame. Slowmo by pressing the Play key while playing still works.

slyboy · 2010-03-25, 07:19 PM

I can report that the 8642 does in fact remember bookmarks for different recordings, even after the power to the unit is switched fully off (box is unplugged). This means the flag for where you left off each recording is very likely stored on the hard drive and not just in flash memory on the 8642 mainboard.

JamesK · 2010-03-25, 10:23 PM

^^^^
Not necessarily. Flash memory also retains contents when powered down.

2010-03-11, 04:34 PM	#2
hugh Member #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 47,501	reserved __________________ As of January 2012, I am no longer the owner of the Digital Home website. If you have questions about the operation of the site, please contact VSAdmin. For personal inquiries contact me at the Hugh Thompson website.

2010-03-17, 12:25 PM	#5
lonetreejim Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kitchener, ON Posts: 91	I have a few preliminary observations to make while I wait to record enough stuff to put the TB drive through it's paces. Plus side: - Law & Order: SVU is on at 9:00p and 10:00p tonight. I set it to record at 9:00p and selected all episodes at any time. Both the 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock shows highlighted red. Doing this on my 8300 would have turned 9 o'clock red but I would have had to scroll over to 10 o'clock to see that it too was going to record. - The FF/REW status bar displays the time offset, in minutes, from the start of the program. It is also divided visually into 4 sections, apparently 15 minutes per section for a 1 hour program. - No Quick Start guide. Guide button works as it did on the 8300 prior to the recent upgrade. - The menus are generally more pleasing to look at. IMO better graphics... less blocky. Minus side: - While watching a live or prerecorded program press the Guide button and then press the Info button. The Info text looks really bad (poorly rendered). Pressing the Info button directly from the program itself (either live or recorded) or from the List menu and the Info text looks quite nice. - The front panel display is really bright. I may need to put a neutral density filter over it. - No new options in Settings or List Preferences. - The PIP windows is still annoyingly placed to accommodate a SD frame. - The on screen menus are not HD. __________________ Jim Kitchener, ON

2010-03-18, 08:13 AM	#6
lonetreejim Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kitchener, ON Posts: 91	Sample Screen Shots... 1 http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/7d154e23.jpg http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/3db7f01f.jpg http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/23bd715e.jpg __________________ Jim Kitchener, ON

2010-03-18, 08:14 AM	#7
lonetreejim Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kitchener, ON Posts: 91	Sample Screen Shots... 2 http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/4f75c576.jpg http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/59a5a2c6.jpg http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/6378c458.jpg __________________ Jim Kitchener, ON Last edited by hugh; 2010-03-22 at 02:15 PM. Reason: Please limit images to 800 pixels wide. Edited to make thread legible.

2010-03-21, 08:13 AM	#9
lonetreejim Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kitchener, ON Posts: 91	New features found in the 8642... I have discovered a couple new features with the 8642 that are not in the 8300 STB. - Much to my surprise and my pleasure I have found that this box remembers where I left off in viewing previously recorded programs. I have partially viewed several programs and when I go back it remembers my current location in each one. The location memory has survived several power button cycles but I have not tried to see if it persists through a hard power cycle. - I often delay the start of a live program to build up enough buffer that I can skip the commercials. The status bar has always given a graphical idea of how close you are to being caught up to real time but the 8642 goes one step further. When you FF/REV/PAUSE from the buffer (or from a scheduled recording that is still being recorded) it displays the time of day you are currently at. In the example below you can see that I paused at 8:51. If it was really 9:00 I'd know I was 9 minutes delayed from real time. http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...ime_of_Day.jpg __________________ Jim Kitchener, ON Last edited by hugh; 2010-03-22 at 02:14 PM. Reason: Please limit images to 800 pixels wide. Edited to make thread legible.

2010-03-11, 04:33 PM	#1
hugh Member #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 47,501	Rogers 8642 HD (Nextbox) PVR Owners Thread: Read post #1 ) 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/show...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/show...80#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. __________________ As of January 2012, I am no longer the owner of the Digital Home website. If you have questions about the operation of the site, please contact VSAdmin. For personal inquiries contact me at the Hugh Thompson website. Last edited by 57; 2013-03-29 at 09:53 AM. Reason: Updated by 57

2010-03-12, 09:32 PM	#3
doingnothing Rookie Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 5	I having been running the 8642 for 2.5 hours So far I don’t see network settings, no streaming media. Don’t know if Rogers has this enabled yet. Guide is the same as the old one, menu for settings is the same as the old. eSATA port does function. Would I recommend this NO not yet.

2010-03-15, 12:53 PM	#4
Kdee Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 9	My first impressions are as follows: - There's no Quick Start Guide. That alone makes it worth it. - It is faster at loading Rogers On Demand versus the HD box that we had. Other than that, it seems like every other Rogers box. I haven't tried any of the ports at the back yet. I'll report back when I get a chance to do so.

2010-03-18, 08:21 AM	#8
whitbyterry Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Whitby, Ontario (Rogers Cable), LG 42PC3D, 8642HD Posts: 514	It does look better. Thanks for posting!

2010-03-22, 09:21 AM	#10
slyboy Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mississauga, Ontario Posts: 393	Jim, you beat me to the punch... I noticed that feature last night as well and was extremely pleased to see it remember the location of multiple programs, as I flipped between shows during my own testing. That has been a really desired feature for many of us for a long time. I too have not yet checked if the memory of each show's left off location will survive once the power to the unit is pulled, but I will find out soon when I move the box to a permanent location. __________________ Pioneer Elite PRO-730HD \| Elite DV-59AVi \| Marantz SR8200 \| Mirage OM series \| Rogers/Cisco 8642HD, SA4250HD

2010-03-22, 01:07 PM	#11
lonetreejim Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kitchener, ON Posts: 91	Copy to VCR I see that the Copy to VCR feature has been removed as an option. 8642 8300 __________________ Jim Kitchener, ON

2010-03-23, 03:48 PM	#12
lonetreejim Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kitchener, ON Posts: 91	I have noticed it takes a second or two for the audio to resume after a fast forward or rewind. I'll need to re-tune my commercial skipping finger to stop a tad sooner. __________________ Jim Kitchener, ON

2010-03-24, 05:40 PM	#13
lonetreejim Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kitchener, ON Posts: 91	I have also noticed I cannot pause and then advance frame by frame. Slowmo by pressing the Play key while playing still works. __________________ Jim Kitchener, ON

2010-03-25, 07:19 PM	#14
slyboy Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mississauga, Ontario Posts: 393	Bookmarks after Power Cycle! I can report that the 8642 does in fact remember bookmarks for different recordings, even after the power to the unit is switched fully off (box is unplugged). This means the flag for where you left off each recording is very likely stored on the hard drive and not just in flash memory on the 8642 mainboard. __________________ Pioneer Elite PRO-730HD \| Elite DV-59AVi \| Marantz SR8200 \| Mirage OM series \| Rogers/Cisco 8642HD, SA4250HD

2010-03-25, 10:23 PM	#15
JamesK Veteran Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mississauga Posts: 5,089	^^^^ Not necessarily. Flash memory also retains contents when powered down.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode