DVR User questions

patmoore · 11-11-2004, 08:34 AM

I’m new to DVR (through Cox Cable in Manchester, CT) and really enjoy it but I do have three questions that Cox couldn’t help me with.

1. When looking at the Guide I can’t figure out how to “fast forward” several days at a time to record a future show. I have to keep hitting the right arrow and moving a half hour at a time. There has to be a better way.
2. Their online demo demonstrated that you could watch playback in slow motion but I can’t figure out how.
3. When I look at my LIST to see saved shows, there is an hourglass next to the entries saying “two days left” or “less than a day left”. I’ve lost shows that I had saved. I figured out how to change them so that they are saved “until manually erased” instead of “until space is needed” but shouldn’t the former be the default? How do I set it up to do that? My receiver is a Motorola (I’m not home at the moment and can’t recall the model number). No one at Cox seems to know the amount of available storage time in HD. What’s a realistic figure?

Thanks in advance for your input!

patmoore · 11-12-2004, 08:11 AM

Okay, I figured out how to do slow motion (press PLAY twice) and I can use the SEARCH feature to jump ahead several days (cumbersome but it does work) but I still can't figure out why I'm only getting 14 hours of HD storage time on the unit. It's a Motorola DCT 6400. Does anyone know what the record time limit is on the unit? Cox Cable re-initialized it but it didn't help.

mfabien · 11-12-2004, 09:41 AM

My SA8000HD DVR has a 160 Gb HDD and it has a capacity of 20 hours of HD or 100 hrs of SD. For HD, the consumed space is around 4% to 5% per hour depending on data volume (action and sound).

Your DVR must have a diagnostic facility in which you would find the HDD specs and the make and model number. Most of them are made by Matrix.

Runaround · 11-12-2004, 10:57 AM

The Cox DVR holds roughly 20 hours of HD content depending on the shows and around 90 hours on SD content depending on content. The reason the default is to delete when space is needed is so that the DVR can continue to record the new shows you have selected to record. You have to remember that a DVR was never intended to be a long term TV show storage devices. It is mostly a Time Shifting device, allowing you to view the shows on your time and not a scheduled time.

For going through the days on the Guide, just push the right arrow and hold it down. After a couple second delay it should start scrolling slowly through the times. After a couple more seconds it will speed up and you will only see the time moving across the top of the guide and the day changing on the top left corner.

Another cool trick. When you are fast forwarding or rewinding you can press the selection arrow the direction you are going and it will skip to the next little tick on the time bar (one ever 15 min). It's a quick way to get halfway through a show for instance.

Enjoy

mfabien · 11-12-2004, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfabien

My SA8000HD DVR has a 160 Gb HDD and it has a capacity of 20 hours of HD or 100 hrs of SD. For HD, the consumed space is around 4% to 5% per hour depending on data volume (action and sound).

Your DVR must have a diagnostic facility in which you would find the HDD specs and the make and model number. Most of them are made by Matrix.

Lost the ability to Eidt ?!

HDD maker is Maxtor not Matrix

patmoore · 11-12-2004, 01:48 PM

Thanks Runaround!

That's exactly what I was looking for. Wonder why the Customer Service Reps at Cox couldn't tell me that.

Pat

Runaround · 11-15-2004, 04:57 PM

I am a customer service rep for Cox. LOL

patmoore · 11-22-2004, 12:08 PM

Here's another question. I noticed that my Motorola DCT 6400 series box has two USB ports. I called Cox to ask if I could hook up a standalone DVD burner and save some of the saved programming on DVDs. I'm only able to save about 13 hours of HD on the unit's hard drive so we're constantly deleting something we haven't seen to make room for something else. I have copied some stuff on VHS and the video is pretty good but surprisingly the audio is weak.

Anyhow, the Service Rep at Cox said it can be done (provided that the content isn't copy protected) but she couldn't tell me how to do it. Could I copy a show (using USB) to my laptop and then transfer it to my PC? I haven't bought a DVD burner yet but was thinking of getting an external one if I could move it back and forth between the PC and the cable box. Any thoughts?

Pat

Runaround · 11-22-2004, 05:13 PM

Everything I have seen about these DVRs says that the usb is disabled currently. I have heard we are looking into some sort of external storage (add on hard drive) to increase capacity but have not heard any details or an ETA. I know it can be pretty frustrating to only get 15-20 hours of HD recordings. As far as moving recordings to either a dvd burner/pc/any other external device, that currently is supported and prob. never will be. Copyright issues and all...

patmoore · 11-23-2004, 08:03 AM

You're a great resource for these types of questions.

One last one for you. I noticed that the unit has an ethernet jack. I have a crossover cable (used for networking PCs). Is there any harm in trying to hook my laptop to it to see if it's possible to download programming?

It would be great if Cox would add a second hard drive to increase the storage capacity. It would also be nice if the box had an HDMI jack so I could get a pure digital audio and video connection that doesn't fall out each time I rotate the box.

I greatly appreciate your guidance!

Runaround · 11-23-2004, 11:06 AM

Well, I wouldn't think it would be possible to do any harm by trying to hook a x-over cat5. In fact, you probably don't even need a x-over. That's because the port isn't active. What you probably don't know is that the DVR also has a built in cable modem. Moto seems to be pretty big into combining all their cable things in one box. That's why there is a ethernet port & and one of the reasons there is a usb port on the box.

patmoore · 11-23-2004, 11:47 AM

Thanks again Daniel,

It's nice to have such a knowledgeable resource. I'll give it a try sometime in the next few days and let you know if I have any success.

Runaround · 11-23-2004, 11:47 AM

I forgot to answer your questions about dvi/hdmi. Unfortunately the cable companies dont have a lot of say on the specifics of the boxes. It will be up to motorola to switch to hdmi. I do really like the idea of hdmi but i have a feeling it will take a couple of years for everyone to start using it to its full extent.

wakka10x · 08-25-2006, 02:54 AM

I just recently joined cox as a FSR... but don't start for a few days... so in the next few days... i am taking advantage of the employee pricing and decided to get their DVR. After an extensive conversation with a tech support rep they told me that the ethernet port is not active on the DVR's but the USB is. He said that if you have the right program on your pc you can move recorded shows from the DVR to your laptop or PC... just make sure its the port in the back.. and not the front, because the port in the front is inactive, whereas the port in the back is active. In the same sentence though.. he said its not supported by cox and has no idea how to do it. He said that there are plenty of customers that do it though. Out of curiosity... does anyone have any idea what programs i'd need to do this USB hookup? I've been searching everywhere and the only thing i can find on it is how to do it through firewire. That would be nice... but due to monitary expenses of such an event... i can't do it through firewire.. and i have plenty of USB cable laying around the house. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, sorry about lack of punctuation in the post.

goober22 · 08-26-2006, 09:09 AM

The only active ports "may" be the firewire port (if it has one), all others are not active but knock yourself out. Most early Motorola DVRs only had 80 or 120GB harddrives. They will only hold 10-15 hours of HD. The newer units are starting to come out with 160GB drives.

11-11-2004, 08:34 AM	#1
patmoore Pentagenarian Snowboarder Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newington, CT Age: 63 Posts: 23	DVR User questions I’m new to DVR (through Cox Cable in Manchester, CT) and really enjoy it but I do have three questions that Cox couldn’t help me with. 1. When looking at the Guide I can’t figure out how to “fast forward” several days at a time to record a future show. I have to keep hitting the right arrow and moving a half hour at a time. There has to be a better way. 2. Their online demo demonstrated that you could watch playback in slow motion but I can’t figure out how. 3. When I look at my LIST to see saved shows, there is an hourglass next to the entries saying “two days left” or “less than a day left”. I’ve lost shows that I had saved. I figured out how to change them so that they are saved “until manually erased” instead of “until space is needed” but shouldn’t the former be the default? How do I set it up to do that? My receiver is a Motorola (I’m not home at the moment and can’t recall the model number). No one at Cox seems to know the amount of available storage time in HD. What’s a realistic figure? Thanks in advance for your input!

11-12-2004, 08:11 AM	#2
patmoore Pentagenarian Snowboarder Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newington, CT Age: 63 Posts: 23	Figured out part of it... Okay, I figured out how to do slow motion (press PLAY twice) and I can use the SEARCH feature to jump ahead several days (cumbersome but it does work) but I still can't figure out why I'm only getting 14 hours of HD storage time on the unit. It's a Motorola DCT 6400. Does anyone know what the record time limit is on the unit? Cox Cable re-initialized it but it didn't help.

11-12-2004, 09:41 AM	#3
mfabien High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,087	My SA8000HD DVR has a 160 Gb HDD and it has a capacity of 20 hours of HD or 100 hrs of SD. For HD, the consumed space is around 4% to 5% per hour depending on data volume (action and sound). Your DVR must have a diagnostic facility in which you would find the HDD specs and the make and model number. Most of them are made by Matrix. __________________ Samsung LN52B750, SA8300HD, Energy speakers, Yamaha RX-V540, SVS PB12-ISD, Harmony 880, HD-A1, BDP-1400, Oppo DV-970HD, Zektor HDS4.1

11-12-2004, 10:57 AM	#4
Runaround $20 HDTV Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tyler, TX Age: 29 Posts: 59	The Cox DVR holds roughly 20 hours of HD content depending on the shows and around 90 hours on SD content depending on content. The reason the default is to delete when space is needed is so that the DVR can continue to record the new shows you have selected to record. You have to remember that a DVR was never intended to be a long term TV show storage devices. It is mostly a Time Shifting device, allowing you to view the shows on your time and not a scheduled time. For going through the days on the Guide, just push the right arrow and hold it down. After a couple second delay it should start scrolling slowly through the times. After a couple more seconds it will speed up and you will only see the time moving across the top of the guide and the day changing on the top left corner. Another cool trick. When you are fast forwarding or rewinding you can press the selection arrow the direction you are going and it will skip to the next little tick on the time bar (one ever 15 min). It's a quick way to get halfway through a show for instance. Enjoy __________________ -Daniel Hitachi 57F510, Onkyo TX-SR502 Reciever, Motorola DCT 6412 DVR, LG LGDVB418 DVD Player, Xbox 360, Logitech Harmony Remote 688, Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III Speaker System, Bose VCS-10 Center Speaker, Bose 141 Bookshelf Speakers, Sony SA-WM250 Subwoofer

11-12-2004, 01:48 PM	#6
patmoore Pentagenarian Snowboarder Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newington, CT Age: 63 Posts: 23	Thanks Thanks Runaround! That's exactly what I was looking for. Wonder why the Customer Service Reps at Cox couldn't tell me that. Pat

11-15-2004, 04:57 PM	#7
Runaround $20 HDTV Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tyler, TX Age: 29 Posts: 59	I am a customer service rep for Cox. LOL __________________ -Daniel Hitachi 57F510, Onkyo TX-SR502 Reciever, Motorola DCT 6412 DVR, LG LGDVB418 DVD Player, Xbox 360, Logitech Harmony Remote 688, Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III Speaker System, Bose VCS-10 Center Speaker, Bose 141 Bookshelf Speakers, Sony SA-WM250 Subwoofer

11-22-2004, 12:08 PM	#8
patmoore Pentagenarian Snowboarder Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newington, CT Age: 63 Posts: 23	Cox DVR to DVD recorder? Here's another question. I noticed that my Motorola DCT 6400 series box has two USB ports. I called Cox to ask if I could hook up a standalone DVD burner and save some of the saved programming on DVDs. I'm only able to save about 13 hours of HD on the unit's hard drive so we're constantly deleting something we haven't seen to make room for something else. I have copied some stuff on VHS and the video is pretty good but surprisingly the audio is weak. Anyhow, the Service Rep at Cox said it can be done (provided that the content isn't copy protected) but she couldn't tell me how to do it. Could I copy a show (using USB) to my laptop and then transfer it to my PC? I haven't bought a DVD burner yet but was thinking of getting an external one if I could move it back and forth between the PC and the cable box. Any thoughts? Pat

11-22-2004, 05:13 PM	#9
Runaround $20 HDTV Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tyler, TX Age: 29 Posts: 59	Everything I have seen about these DVRs says that the usb is disabled currently. I have heard we are looking into some sort of external storage (add on hard drive) to increase capacity but have not heard any details or an ETA. I know it can be pretty frustrating to only get 15-20 hours of HD recordings. As far as moving recordings to either a dvd burner/pc/any other external device, that currently is supported and prob. never will be. Copyright issues and all... __________________ -Daniel Hitachi 57F510, Onkyo TX-SR502 Reciever, Motorola DCT 6412 DVR, LG LGDVB418 DVD Player, Xbox 360, Logitech Harmony Remote 688, Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III Speaker System, Bose VCS-10 Center Speaker, Bose 141 Bookshelf Speakers, Sony SA-WM250 Subwoofer

11-23-2004, 08:03 AM	#10
patmoore Pentagenarian Snowboarder Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newington, CT Age: 63 Posts: 23	Thanks again You're a great resource for these types of questions. One last one for you. I noticed that the unit has an ethernet jack. I have a crossover cable (used for networking PCs). Is there any harm in trying to hook my laptop to it to see if it's possible to download programming? It would be great if Cox would add a second hard drive to increase the storage capacity. It would also be nice if the box had an HDMI jack so I could get a pure digital audio and video connection that doesn't fall out each time I rotate the box. I greatly appreciate your guidance!

11-23-2004, 11:06 AM	#11
Runaround $20 HDTV Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tyler, TX Age: 29 Posts: 59	Well, I wouldn't think it would be possible to do any harm by trying to hook a x-over cat5. In fact, you probably don't even need a x-over. That's because the port isn't active. What you probably don't know is that the DVR also has a built in cable modem. Moto seems to be pretty big into combining all their cable things in one box. That's why there is a ethernet port & and one of the reasons there is a usb port on the box. __________________ -Daniel Hitachi 57F510, Onkyo TX-SR502 Reciever, Motorola DCT 6412 DVR, LG LGDVB418 DVD Player, Xbox 360, Logitech Harmony Remote 688, Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III Speaker System, Bose VCS-10 Center Speaker, Bose 141 Bookshelf Speakers, Sony SA-WM250 Subwoofer

11-23-2004, 11:47 AM	#12
patmoore Pentagenarian Snowboarder Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newington, CT Age: 63 Posts: 23	Thanks Thanks again Daniel, It's nice to have such a knowledgeable resource. I'll give it a try sometime in the next few days and let you know if I have any success.

11-23-2004, 11:47 AM	#13
Runaround $20 HDTV Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tyler, TX Age: 29 Posts: 59	oops I forgot to answer your questions about dvi/hdmi. Unfortunately the cable companies dont have a lot of say on the specifics of the boxes. It will be up to motorola to switch to hdmi. I do really like the idea of hdmi but i have a feeling it will take a couple of years for everyone to start using it to its full extent. __________________ -Daniel Hitachi 57F510, Onkyo TX-SR502 Reciever, Motorola DCT 6412 DVR, LG LGDVB418 DVD Player, Xbox 360, Logitech Harmony Remote 688, Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III Speaker System, Bose VCS-10 Center Speaker, Bose 141 Bookshelf Speakers, Sony SA-WM250 Subwoofer

08-25-2006, 02:54 AM	#14
wakka10x What is HD? Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1	I just recently joined cox as a FSR... but don't start for a few days... so in the next few days... i am taking advantage of the employee pricing and decided to get their DVR. After an extensive conversation with a tech support rep they told me that the ethernet port is not active on the DVR's but the USB is. He said that if you have the right program on your pc you can move recorded shows from the DVR to your laptop or PC... just make sure its the port in the back.. and not the front, because the port in the front is inactive, whereas the port in the back is active. In the same sentence though.. he said its not supported by cox and has no idea how to do it. He said that there are plenty of customers that do it though. Out of curiosity... does anyone have any idea what programs i'd need to do this USB hookup? I've been searching everywhere and the only thing i can find on it is how to do it through firewire. That would be nice... but due to monitary expenses of such an event... i can't do it through firewire.. and i have plenty of USB cable laying around the house. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, sorry about lack of punctuation in the post.

08-26-2006, 09:09 AM	#15
goober22 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Panama City / Ft Walton Bch, FL. Posts: 702	The only active ports "may" be the firewire port (if it has one), all others are not active but knock yourself out. Most early Motorola DVRs only had 80 or 120GB harddrives. They will only hold 10-15 hours of HD. The newer units are starting to come out with 160GB drives. __________________ DirecTV = HR20-700x2, HR20-100x2, All Networked, R15-500x1, D12-300x2, Zinwell WB616, OTA=17, TVs=9, Knology Cable = Internet & Phone Only, HD=34, Comcast Cable = Not Currently Subbed, HD=32, Hitachi 65S700 65", Sanyo 30" HD, Sony Home Theatre 7.1 Receiver, Sony 7.1 Speaker System , Harmony 686 x3