Very slow channel change - intermittant

QIP7232-2 FIOS DVR

I have had this DVR for about a year and it's been almost flawless until recently. For the past couple weeks it will intermittantly freeze or lock-up while changing channels. It can take up to 20 seconds for it to respond to any keys while in this condition. You just have to wait for it to respond. It's getting really annoying.

Anyone else having this problem ?

Glenn

Fairless Hills, PA

Accepted answers

Travis_VZ

Thanks for notifying us .This issue was inadvertently caused by a new ad deployment system. You should see some improvement in the next 2 weeks as we are disabling this capability on many channels.

We will be deploying a software fix on all your set top boxes between November 26 to January 7 across all FIOS markets which should resolve this issue fully. Thanks for your patience.

All comments

jodie3

Both my neighbors and my response time has slowed and frozen in the last couple of months. I may change to another service provider when my contract is up. I believe verizon has an upgrade to faster speed but I will not pay money for it. Why should I apy for uprade when it does not work on regular speed not.

Justin46

@Jodie wrote:

Both my neighbors and my response time has slowed and frozen in the last couple of months. I may change to another service provider when my contract is up. I believe verizon has an upgrade to faster speed but I will not pay money for it. Why should I apy for uprade when it does not work on regular speed not.

Are you talking about TV DVR response problems in this post? It sounds like you are talking about internet, and this thread is about a performance problem with Verizon's DVRs.

If you are talking about internet performance you need to go find the correct Board to post in. If you are talking about DVR performance, maybe a little clarification would be in order.

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, 25/25 Internet, and Digital Voice user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9.1
Keller, TX 76248

herbalnurse

My dvr has been locking up for several months- frustrated- spent hours on phone with tech support and this known issue was never mentioned as possibly being months to resolve. At least once the techs told me to change my remote batteries, even after telling them the batteries were new and had been replaced. I quit calling about it cuz I didn't have more hours to spend on the phone when what I wanted was a little TV relaxation time.

"no video signal" on start up for a minute or so, finally loads- then I can adjust channel sometimes about every 30 seconds, ( guide or just changing channels) other times freezes and Only way I have gotten correction is extremely inconvenient...Only resolves with cutting power supply and reboot entire system. Volume control and power on off always continue working.I can't believe I am paying 200/ month for a system that won't be resolved till January. Perhaps it should be free till then, since clearly using the ad server is more important than taking care of customer experience!

PantherSpawn

I've been having this problem for ages now, probably about a year. I usually turn off and back on the box real quick or it will just hang on the channel for an eternity. I've had the same boxes and router for over two years, should I have gotten something newer since I pay $40 per month for use of the boxes alone? I have the 7216 hd dvr and the m1424 wireless router.

FIOS-Dan

I hope I'm not speaking out prematurely, but for the very first time this morning in many months, after I turned on my TV and changed to a different channel, I experienced NO channel lag. My TV has been on for the past couple hours now, and not one delay so far....by now, I would typically have at least two 30 second or so delays upon changing channels..........keeping my fingers crossed!!!

blueribb1

I haven't noticed the delay in the last week or so. Either it's fixed or almost fixed. Anyone here still having problems ?

Rudy811

We too have noticed that the problem is close to being resolved. We now rarely see the issue. Sure am glad they fixed this. What an annoying issue....just goes to show how we have become addicted to instant response from electronics.

RPW4

You assume too much Rudy81. It's not fixed where I live. Read the thread title again and notice the word "intermittent".

BTW, where is the thread about the extremely annoying motion stutter that I've had to live with for oh about 3 years now? Three different STB's, SD or HD, it doesn't matter. Smiley Mad

bobbo527

@Rudy81 wrote:
We too have noticed that the problem is close to being resolved. We now rarely see the issue. Sure am glad they fixed this. What an annoying issue....just goes to show how we have become addicted to instant response from electronics.

Sorry, but it is NOT fixed. For a few days the problem seemed to get better then last night and this morning BAM, over a minute to change the channel.

Geo25

I am also getting intermittant freezing usually when I bring up the guide and try to select a channel. There is about a 30 second freeze before it changes channel. Happens about once a day on my 7232 model.

doropallo

Mine gets worse every day, it hangs all of the time.

Saladboy

In addition to the freezing and slow channel changes I've been experiencing for a while now, this week I started to experience another annoyance. My HD DVR reboots at first turn on. It has done that everyday this week. After the thing finishes rebooting and I punch up a channel it says not available so I press B to troubleshoot. It does its thing and that channel comes up. Change the channel and the same thing happens. Says channel not available. This happens with many (but for some reason not all) channels. I've done all the diagnostics, rebooting etc., even the one that wipes out all all my settings and it doesn't improve. I saw a reference to this rebooting issue on another forum in the same slow channel change thread there so it seems to be happening to some but not others. Sorry if this was mentioned in some of the numerous posts above but I skimmed and didn't say any. May have missed it though.

PantherSpawn

How has this been solved if I'm still having the same problem? Not only that, but from time to time when I switch channels, the box turns off and hard resets completely.. Last night I didn't even have power to my my HD DVR for close to two hours.

blueribb1

I marked this thread "solved" because Verizon logged in and answered my question as to the cause and the time frame as to when it will be fixed. Here is what they said:

[q] 10-19-2012 06:34 PM

Travis S.
Verizon Telecom Social Media Team [/q]

Freyjabj

Well, based on the date of 10/19 I would say based on my experience "diabling this capability on many channels" was a complete failure. Let's see if a software fix does anything.

{Edited for privacy.}

pglaeser

Agree that this is NOT resolved. I have seen zero improvement. FiOS is currently borderline unusable for my family.

Anything Verizon? Do you care about your customers at all?

BradH1

Amazing that so many folks have been affected by this problem. I noticed this as a significant issue just after FiOS pushed out their software upgrade on 11/15. After contacting their tech support multiple times, they have since sent me two new STB's/remotes, hoping that would fix the issue. It did not. Interesting that no one I spoke to at FiOS indicated that it was a known issue.

Fortunately for me, this problem only exists with my Cisco CHS 335HDC box (standard cable box). My HD DVR box does not seem to be affected. I'll cross my fingers on that, but hopefully they realize what a significant problem this is and work on fixing it very soon. Operationally, it's unacceptable.

BrianHarg

The problem seems to be getting worse in northern va - at least for me. Tonight I had 2 shows recording and was watching one of them... It froze nearly every minute- just a couple seconds, but really annoying. I finally gave up and did other work. When I came back and watched it off the DVR, it did not seem as bad? Some pauses, but no where near as many. This has been going on too long. I too will try to contact customer service and make sure they know there is yet another person with the problem.

softrocky

Woah 25 pages of disappointment ... shoudnt have swtiched to FIos. Fios suck

ArmchairAllstar

Same problem hear on the 7216 in Newton, MA. Sometimes it can be up to 5 minutes after turning the TV on before I get a response from pressing the guide button. Tagging the thread to see when this will be fixed.

tns

@ArmchairAllstar wrote:
Same problem hear on the 7216 in Newton, MA. Sometimes it can be up to 5 minutes after turning the TV on before I get a response from pressing the guide button. Tagging the thread to see when this will be fixed.

There is a schedule for these upgrades, but not public. VHO 5 (used to be same dac as Mass., but mass. and RI seperated last year) just go the update yesterday. Hopefully you will get it before too long.

FiosFrustrated

I have the Cisco DVR with a similar problem. It works well for a time but frequently fails to respond to the remote, regardless of which button is pressed! The solution being presented to me is to get a 7232 but it seems that may not be a good solution from what I am reading here.

Isn't the response time waiting for some kind of phone customer service rediculous?

Has anyone had the issue resolved?

blueribb1

I got the update either late last night or early this morning. Platform 25.39 now displays. I'm in VH08 (PA). Posts on the DSL Reports forum claim other areas have already received their updates (VH05, VH11 and others). If you haven't received the update yet, be patient - it's on the way.

VHO List:

1 - Texas
2 - Florida
3 - California
4 - DC/MD
5 - NY
6 - MA
6A - RI
7 - NNJ
8 - DE/SE PA/SNJ
9 - Richmond, VA
9A - Norfolk, VA
10 - IN
11 - Pittsburgh, PA
12 - OR
13 - WA
14 - Harrisburg, PA
15 - Buffalo
15A - Syracuse

larrybed4

I have the latest update and it has NOT solved the Issue, in fact the issue is now on my 7100 STB which did not have the issue before the update only my DVR 7232 2 had the problem. What now???

Ribeye1

Hi all-

I've read the entire thread, and I think I understand the problem and solution but I would like to make sure.

The slow channel change issue is different than the slow/unresponsive remote issue others have posted about. I've only been with VZ a few months and I initially experienced the slow channel change issue (push button, STB acknowledges, channel changes in 20-40 seconds) as well as the unresponsive remote issue (push any button numerous times, STB may acknowledge the signal the first button push or the fifth button press).

For me the slow channel change issue is fixed, but the unresponsive remote is not.

Thank you!

blueribb1

Ribeye,

MCM Electronics sells an IR Detector Card for $10 which can be used to test all Infrared remotes. I used these all the time when I was in the TV Repair business many years ago.

Infrared Detector

If you don't want to invest in that, you could always borrow someone's universal remote to see if that solves your problem. If it doesn't, then here is a list of other possibilities:

1 - Weak batteries in remote

2 - Not aiming directly enough

3 - Defective Remote

4 - Defective DVR or STB

5 - (rare): interference from bright sunlight or fluorescent lighting

On my 7232 P2 DVR, the front panel LED blinks when any remote button is pressed.

blueribb1

I found an easier way to test your remote control using a digital camera or cellphone.

Test your remote

BillSM

I guess I got lucky a couple months ago when I called Verizon after experiencing this slow-down. They sent me a replacement VCR overnight by FedEx or UPS, which solved the problem.

BT84

Had Sam issue yesterday and now have no Internet and no cable and there is no tech support at this time

WntGtFooldAgn

This is our Remote Control dance...Every time we turn on the TV...it is brutal, but this is what we have to deal with...

Turn on the TV.

Last channel watched appears.

Remote non functional for 1-2 minutes

We can only watch whatever channel was active prior to the last TV shut off.

After 1-2 min, (a few times it has been 3 minutes) the guide and channel changing will work

The VOD dance:

Press Blue search button. Search for a movie, find it, and select ...

wait...wait... VOD_268 Timeout error. try again later.

We do....same thing.

we do again...an hour later after we watch something else...same thing.

Comcast is looking good to me right about now.

We live in MA....I guess we are awaiting some new build or update that will update on its own?

ArmchairAllstar

You're not alone. I live in MA as well and have resorted to just walking away from my TV after turning it on. If you press the guide button while its non-responsive it even makes it worse. My neighbor has the newer boxes and although there is some lag its not nearly as bad.

The worst is when I mistakenly navigate to a channel that I don't have. Because of the laggy dialog I can be stuck on that channel for a few minutes.

WntGtFooldAgn

Anyone know what the termination fee is going to be?

We are 13 months into a 2yr commitment.

avemaria92

for us on our 2 year commitment it's $230 and it's prorated at $10 per month.. so if you've completed 13 months, it would take $130 off of that..

ArmchairAllstar

"Anyone know what the termination fee is going to be?

We are 13 months into a 2yr commitment."

If you aren't getting the service for a contract that you signed the fee should be voided. If they give you problems a letter to the BBB should take care of it. The contract goes both ways.

WntGtFooldAgn

UPDATE:

I switched to Comcast.

The Comast tech left the house and 20 min later I turned on the TV, SAME THING HAPPENED. The Remote didnt work!!!! Ahhh! This is a now using a Comcast DVR, remote and service...so I said hmmmmm...

Went to Samsung site, Downloaded new Firmware for my Model TV , put the files on a thumb drive and plugged the stick into the USB Service Port in back of Samsung TV.

Menu > Settings > Service Update and updated ...TV rebooted and guess what?

Well, its been 2 days now of using it and , no problem at all. No issues , the Remote works just fine now.

Wow, I guess if I figured this out prior to switching it *could* have prevented me from bailing on Verizon. But there were other reasons for the switch. Like the lame-o OnDemand selection on Fios.

I am saving some money...I figure after the fees and taxes, Comcast is about $28 a month cheaper than Verizon.

Live and Learn, then live some more.

rbperrie1

There is a little known issue that plasma TVs can put out enough IR radiation to interfere with the operation of many remote controls. Here is a little bit of info on the subject (http://forums.cnet.com/7723-13973_102-358756/ir-cable-box-remote-interference-with-samsung-plasma/) and if you do a Google search you'll find a ton of it out there. For me I came across the issue when I finally figured out that my remote would only work when I had the smoked glass doors of the A/V cabinet closed. Apparently it would knock down enough of the total IR that it would not wash out the IR receiver in the STB.

ArmchairAllstar

What model of Samsung TV do you have? Is it a plasma?

On mine its different because it responds to my click it just takes forever to respond. Mine isn't missing input commands it just responds to them really slowly for the first few minutes.

rbperrie1

The issue is with all plasma TVs irregardless of manufacturer although some do put out more IR than others. The other contributing factor is screen size, the larger the TV the more IR it puts out. But be careful not ot confuse the issues, I have a 54" Panasonic which had the IR problem with the remote which I fixed as noted above. It sounds like you have the latency issue that will only be fixed by the firmware upgrade that is being rolled out and has been discussed in depth through this thread. With the latency issue you will see the light on the STB acknowlege the command from the remote but nothing happens. With the IR problem you will not see any acknowledgement from the STB.

charliebarrett

My DVR's major problem now is the DVR menu - Sometimes scrolling through the View Recordings list, it just hangs up, and stays hung for about 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, I've pressed a key 3 or 4 times, thinking maybe it didn't get the remote signal - Then all of a sudden, the 3 or 4 extra keys execute, and before I know it, I've deleted the wrong thing, or played the wrong thing, or whatever.

The problem also occurs while doing a FF or Reverse - I can't make the thing stop no matter how many times I click the Play button - then well past where I intended to go, it finally stops.

I have a long list of quips about this thing that I never had with the DVR that only stored about 10 HD shows. Sometimes I'm not sure which is worse, only having space for 10 shows or the thing freezing. A lot of times, the freezing will even cause glitches in the recorded program.

One other ultra-irritating thing that the older 10-program DVR didn't do:

When I'm watching a DVR recording while a couple of other programs are scheduled to start recording, what I'm watching will stop and the TV will switch to one of the two live channels that just started recording - Grrr - So I'll find the recording I was just watching, and discover that there's no "Resume Play" option, just "Play". So I have to FF to the point I was watching before the scheduled recordings started.

Whoever programed this DVR had no software quality control whatsoever, it seems - Don't even get me started about the DVR scheduling bugs I see.

I think the freezing is because it's scanning through the schedules every so many minutes trying to find any recordings that need to start. Apparently that routine interrupts the user input, which should never happen - It should be running as a background task, and the user input should interrupt it.

BTW that brings up another bug - If you cancel a recording that's about to start in the schedule, it will keep bugging you about starting the same recording you canceled, if you stay in the DVR menu, or try to change channels, especially - Just stupid stuff that the programmer should have caught long before the software even got to beta testing, much less released.

As you may have guessed, I'm a programmer and things like this bug me to no end, because it's the same way at work - People are judged on the speed they get something 90% working, and then us support programmers have to deal with all the customer complaints long after "Speedy" has been promoted for being so speedy.

(rant not over, but I'm tired of typin and you're tired of readin).

charliebarrett

My DVR was slow changing channels, and turning off the "Recommendations" setting helped some. I think all it does is try to get you to buy movies on demand.

There's another similar option but I forgot what it's called.

KR8CAOS

A couple of things need to be addressed here. First of all, yes, when you press a button on your remote control, you want the box to respond. If you are like most people then you probably press the button 5 more times, and then wait for something to happen, only to see your box process all of the commands when it feels like it, sometimes super fast. Kinda like when internet explorer doesnt open on the first click, and before you know it there are 10 windows open on your computer.

Be sure that your stb is in a well ventilated area, these are basically just mini computers and without the proper ventilation the box will over heat and then slow down. This is more noticeable on DVR's because there is more going on inside and they over heat faster. but it will happen to any type of box, and has since the inception of the first Digital box. So if it is happening more when you are watching tv for a while, I would say more than a copule of hours, then that is most likely the cause. you can go into the diagnostic menu and check the temp settings of the stb when it happens. The stbs usually will reboot when they reach a certain temp threshold, but like a command from the remote, that function sometimes won't work either. So you would be wise to just unplug it for a few minutes. If it is in an enclosed entertainment stand then you should get yourelf a small fan and position it within the enclosure to circulate more air. Never put anything on the stb, evn a single sheet of paper can cause it to over heat. Here is the important note, if your stb has gotten to the point of over heating so many times, it is probably time to get a new stb. Just keep in mind that you need to be diligant about placing it in a well ventilated area, with NOTHING on top of it.

Also be sure to try a remote from another room to rule out the remote control, they are universal between the stbs. remember to return that remote to its original tv/stb room when you are done testing that.

Good luck

COMET65

I have the Motorola 7232 - HD DVR : It was responding slowly, and sometimes not at all. When attempting to clean the sensor window on the box, I noticed there was a clear-plastic cover on the front. I peeled it off. After that my box has been working perfectly.

logan81

Big question for everyone with this problem, Do you have the MRDVR feature (meaning you can view recordings from remote STB's). I am just curious if there is a correlation. Now there are a few things that we can try to help this issue (yes it is a known issue). First of all delete programs from your DVR until it is under 80% full. Power cycle the DVR and if you have the MRDVR feature power cycle all STB's in the house and power cycle the router as well. The reason I say that is because the DVR is acting like a server, serving the other STB's in the house the information for what is recording on its hard drive and it does this via the router. If you have an unreliable connection between STB's (dropping packets) then that could cause a problem because the DVR keeps trying to send packets to the remote STB's (this is my therory anyways) food for thought, good luck.

kenc2

I'm having the same issue since the software upgrade back in Nov. I called Verizon the other day and said it was a known issue and tried a couple of things. Pulled the power plug on the box and the cable from The wall. Had some issues after that and deactivated reactivated the box into my account or somethibg. This should fix the issue, of course it didnt. Rebooted 5 times in last 10 minutes. I'm ready to throw this crap out and go back to optimum.

Tim1234567891

After years of frustration with my laggy Verizon DVRs (which I've replaced a few times to no avail), I'm moving on to Tivo. It's costing me $200 up front but $2 cheaper a month, and should end my ranting. Verizon should be ashamed of peddling such garbage.

[Deleted User]

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