Freeview HD PVR - Digital Stream DHR8205U

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I've recently purchased a digital stream DHR8203U currently running 4.03.r7732. I've checked the digital stream website but cannot work out what the most recent update is, do I need to update the software?

Many thanks,

 

[professorhat]

Hi there,

You don't necessarily need to update (I haven't as yet, but will do today probably), but version 4.11.r8280 was released yesterday. This includes the following updates:

1. New Features

A. Backup schedule list

[To Backup]
- Insert a USB memory
- Go to Menu->Others->Maintenance->Backup/Restore DB
- The Channel and Schedule Data Base will be stored into the USB
[To Restore]
- Insert the USB memory which has stored DB
- Perform Restore Default (If you do the FVU, it will make same effect)
- At Welcome screen, press [Exit]
- Go to Menu->Others->Maintenance->Backup/Restore DB
- The Channel and Schedule Data Base will be restored.

2. Cosmetic Changes

A. Grey out past programs in EPG
B. 5.1ch Audio display
C. Red dot in EPG
D. DD, DD+ logo

3. Bug Fixes

A. Series reservation of split programme lists on All and Single category in the Schedule list.
B. Duplicate entries in the schedule list when doing series reservation.
C. Changing of group by the Func+ button at the EPG has no effect.
D. Channel change by the direct number entry changes the current group mode to TV mode either in Live or EPG.
E. Sometimes recording cannot be stopped or started.
F. ITV2, STV+1 shows “No Service” in Blackhill region.
G. Bug fix for EPG display in Favourite mode.
H. HDMI compatibility improved.
I. Can’t play a title if it is moved to a folder with same title name
J. Pixilation when playing the recorded contents.
K. 1st part of recording cannot be played after mains power cycle if TV or Radio group is mixed.
L. Set turns to power on mode sometimes after 3:00 o’clock update.
M. Set sometimes remains at active standby mode even if the power saving mode was set to “on”.

If any of the above seem like things you desperately want, then you'll need to update. On the other hand, if you're not too bothered by any of the new features and unaffected by any of the bugs listed above (as I am currently), you can stay on 4.03 as long as you like.

If you do want to update, follow the instructions on the MIT website which can be found by clicking here (there's even a video showing you how to do it there now!).

Any issues, come back here and I'll see if I can help.

 

[grumpyoldman]

Hi Prof,

I'd be interested to know if you installed and whether you have experienced any problems as a result.

When I download the update instead of the 10 files mentioned, I get 11 including a 2.1a hex file which is not on the list within the instructions. Did you install that one too?

Thanks

 

[grumpyoldman]

Hi Prof,

I'd be interested to know if you installed and whether you have experienced any problems as a result.

When I download the update instead of the 10 files mentioned, I get 11 including a 2.1a hex file which is not on the list within the instructions. Did you install that one too?

Thanks

 

[professorhat]

Not done it yet, had a really busy week at work and finished late, so not really in the mood to be updating tonight, rather sitting on the sofa, drinking wine and watching a bit of TV!

However, from what I've read elsewhere, the updates does indeed have 11 files including the one you've mentioned there, so put them all on the stick.

I should get round to updating this weekend probably so will post back when done here if you want to wait, but if not, plenty of others have updated and all seems okay for them, though a couple of people have had issues with the box getting stuck on the Loading screen. If you anyone gets this, post here and I'll post some suggestions on getting round the issue.

 

[professorhat]

Hi Prof,

I'd be interested to know if you installed and whether you have experienced any problems as a result.

When I download the update instead of the 10 files mentioned, I get 11 including a 2.1a hex file which is not on the list within the instructions. Did you install that one too?

Update now installed and haven't had any issues as yet.

FYI, there is a method which has been posted in other forums to allow you to backup your schedule list / channels using the new functionality offered in the update to do this. This saves having to re-setup all your scheduled timers and re-scanning for channels once you've done the full update. I will re-post the method here for those who need it, this is the way I updated so I know it works:

1. On your PC / Mac, just copy the the update.tgz and update.md5 files to the root of a properly FAT32 formatted USB stick.

2. With the DS powered on, insert the USB into the front socket and wait for it to be recognised.

3. Go to the Menu > Others > Maintenance menu and choose Software Update.

4. Enter your PIN (if necessary), then choose USB.

5. The update will run and, when finished, the DS will reboot.

6. Once rebooted, with the USB still inserted, go back to the Menu > Others > Maintenance menu and you should now see Backup/Restore DB as an option - select this and choose Backup DB.

7. Again, enter your PIN if you have one and then, after a few seconds, you should get a message Channel and Schedule data have been stored at the following location and it will indicate a path on your USB drive and a file called ChnSchld.tgz.

8. Go to the Recordings list, press the white Func+ button and then choose the option to Remove USB.

9. Now, follow the method here to run the full update (i.e. copy the rest of the files in the download to your USB drive, but ensure you leave the new ChnSchld.tgz file there).

10. Once the update is completed and the DS has rebooted, the channel scan will start - you can cancel this if you like.

11. Ensure your USB drive is still connected with the ChnSchld.tgz file on it, then go into the Menu > Others > Maintenance and choose Backup/Restore DB, then this time Restore DB.

12. Choose Yes to confirm this - once done, I believe the DS reboots once again (can't remember off the top of my head!).

13. Your channel line up and scheduled timers should all be there as they were prior to the update - sorted!

14. You'll still need to go into the menus and re-set up your preferences e.g. power saving settings, amount of time to skip when pressing the Skip button etc.

Hope this helps!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Prof.

Thanks for all the info on the dig stream pvr. i have had mine for 4 days and very pleased with it, but i have noticed that the clock when in standby mode loses about 40 mins in 24 hrs. it corrects its self when turned on. any ideas. thanks.

 

[professorhat]

Have seen a few other reports of this, it seems to be a faulty internal clock so it loses time when in standby - this is then corrected when it switches on and updates its time from the Freeview broadcast. Best bet is to contact MIT London (click here), tell them the issue and ask them for a replacement as this is what they have offered others who have the problem.

 

[eggontoast]

Excellent review and continua led update on the Digital Stream Proffesorhat.

I initially set out to buy the Pace/Philips PVR until reading all of the bad reviews with software glitches; I was thinking oh no not another Pace Twin saga. Anyway after reading yours and other reviews on the net I opted for a Digital Stream 320 GB from Amazon, seemed a bargain at £160.

I must admit I am very happy with the unit thus far the only caveat being the inability to be able to change the order of the favourite lists and the unit defaulting to the all channel list every time you select the EPG.

Do you know or have you heard if these issues are in the pipeline for implementation in future software upgrades?

 

[professorhat]

The new update mentioned above will no longer switch back to the all channel list when you select the EPG so you can now effectively use this with your Favourites lists. However, you still can't re-order the channels unfortunately - it has been requested so we'll have to see if it gets implemented in a future update. Will keep the post updated as and when I hear anything, but given it's only been a week since the last update, it might be a little while until we hear further news on this!

 

[Anonymous]

Excellent forum.

Sometimes when watching a programme the information box pops up and stays on screen for a couple of seconds before going, anyway this can be resolved?

Thanks,

 

[professorhat]

Yes, another popular complaint. Nothing that can be done on this at the moment (apart from pressing Exit which will remove it straight away). It's hoped a future update might make the amount of time these pop-ups configurable, but nothing concrete as yet I'm afraid.

 

[eggontoast]

Sometimes when watching a programme the information box pops up and stays on screen for a couple of seconds before going, anyway this can be resolved?

This was happening to me last night I was wondering WTF was going on lol.

 

[professorhat]

Sometimes when watching a programme the information box pops up and stays on screen for a couple of seconds before going, anyway this can be resolved?

This was happening to me last night I was wondering WTF was going on lol.

I'm guessing you had a recording going that had either just finished or just started? You shouldn't just be getting informational pop-ups in the middle of watching for no reason whatsoever...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Everyone,
RE DS DHR8205u. Am I just unlucky ,I have had 2 of these units in 6 days both faulty. One with clock losing time, and one with the HMDI going down( picture spilt in two, then turning pink, then nothing). I must say that MIT were very quick in replacing the first faulty unit, arrived next day, but seem to be dragging their heels, with the second . Anyone had these problems.

 

[professorhat]

That does seem very unlucky - I've not seen the second issue you mention there anywhere else before. How are MIT dragging their heels on the second? Have you made contact or have you sent a message and not got a reply yet? Keep us updated.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi - I have been reading this as my topfield 5800 has just died

I have been looking at the 3view or this recorder as a replacement
I have read somewhere that there is support for avi files ? can anyone confirm this?

Thanks
Keith

 

[professorhat]

Firstly, AVI files are just containers - so unless something supports all major video codecs, you won't find it listing AVI support since the AVI file could have been encoded with any number of different video codecs. The Digital Stream is due to support DivX/XviD files, so as long as the AVI file is encoded in this format, it will eventually play them. Having said all that, this support was meant to arrive in the last update but was removed from it as it caused some stability issues with the machine - one thing Digital Stream are unwilling to do is risk the near bullet proof stability of this as a PVR. I believe it is still being worked on to include in the next update though.

The 3view is worth looking at, but is nowhere near as stable a PVR. You can judge this from other forums where even die hard fans refer to it now being pretty stable since it only crashes every 10 days or so - in my eyes, that's not a stable PVR! It's also not Freeview+ certified - this shouldn't be an issue as it gets all the information it needs at the moment, although won't support things like trailer booking. However, it is a bit concerning on any possible long term implications (e.g. if Freeview were to suddenly withdraw EPG support from non-certified boxes). On the other hand, for its media capabilities, it's pretty much unrivalled (apart from the Technika / Fetch, but this is even less stable from what I can gather). So it depends which side is more important to you really.

The other option would be two boxes, something like the Sony SMP-N100 combined with the Digital Stream gives you more media functionality than the 3view and a completely stable PVR for the same price.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much for the reply. I browsed a couple of forums on the 3view last night, so have concerns about the reliability. My old topfield was plagued by problems at the start and it took a couple of years of updates for it to become stable - I'm not sure i want to go through all that again! On paper the 3view does everything I want all from one box, but it probably has another year or so before it becomes stable enough to be left to its own devices
I think my mind is made up on the digital stream esp as the 320G version is now £170 - I'll put the remainder towards a more dedicated media player.

 

[professorhat]

Glad to have helped! I had a Toppy for a while too and remember all the various MHEG related issues at the beginning - very frustrating!

 

[eggontoast]

So the DSO happened in my area on Wednesday, I must admit that I am very impressed with the picture quality of the HD channels when outpputed at 1080i (there native format). I am also impressed with the picture of the SD channels when also outpputed at 576i (again native format).

However if I use the onboard upscaler and output at 1080p the picture quality is p**s poor, the is true if it is left on 1080i for standard def. The TV does a much better job of upscaling the picture. I know I read somewhere that a request had been made to output in the native format but as of yet I can't find an answer as to whether it is possible due to hardware limitations. Can anyone enlighten me as it is a bit of a palaver to keep changing the output format.

 

[professorhat]

So the DSO happened in my area on Wednesday, I must admit that I am very impressed with the picture quality of the HD channels when outpputed at 1080i (there native format). I am also impressed with the picture of the SD channels when also outpputed at 576i (again native format).

However if I use the onboard upscaler and output at 1080p the picture quality is p**s poor, the is true if it is left on 1080i for standard def. The TV does a much better job of upscaling the picture. I know I read somewhere that a request had been made to output in the native format but as of yet I can't find an answer as to whether it is possible due to hardware limitations. Can anyone enlighten me as it is a bit of a palaver to keep changing the output format.

I've read from someone on the beta test group that it's not possible due to a hardware limitation I'm afraid. Strange that you should find such a marked difference, but I guess it all comes down to your TV - on mine, although 576i is a tiny bit better for SD sources, the difference is so marginal I just use 1080i for everything so I don't have to keep changing.

Would it be worth buying a remote with macro / sequence functionality (e.g. the Logitech Harmony ones) so you can just have a button assigned to a macro which sends the correct sequence of buttons to change the resolution to the correct SD setting and another to change back?

 

[Anonymous]

I appreciate the internal clock has been mentioned before. I noticed yesterday that when the PVR is in standby mode it loses time. Can this fault be corrected via an update? I find it hard to believe the team at Digital Stream haven't dealt with this issue if it's as wide spread as it appears............ I'm a little disappointed, I was rather impressed until now.

 

[professorhat]

I appreciate the internal clock has been mentioned before. I noticed yesterday that when the PVR is in standby mode it loses time. Can this fault be corrected via an update? I find it hard to believe the team at Digital Stream haven't dealt with this issue if it's as wide spread as it appears............ I'm a little disappointed, I was rather impressed until now.

Nope, it must be a hardware issue otherwise MIT wouldn't replace the box. Contact them (clicky) to get this done. If you're worried about losing recordings, unlike other boxes, you can play all your recordings on any other box (including HD ones), so simply copy them all to a USB disk. Once your replacement arrives, you can copy them all back. With the latest update, again, unlike other PVRs, you can also backup your channel listings and scheduled recordings list on your current box and you should be able to restore this to your new box too, making your new one exactly the same as your old one.

As to the wide spread nature of this issue, I've seen it reported five times - three times on another forum and twice here. So even if there's double that number, it's hardly wide spread when you consider how many boxes have been sold over the last year.

 

[Anonymous]

For instance, the Humax HDR, and i also have a linux based sat receiver that has twin tuners and i've had 6 channels simultaneously recording while watching a 7th on that.

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