I have a Panasonic DMR-EH50 digital video recorder, fed by an (analog) cable TV (via coax cable - no cable TV "set-top" box). Source is Comcast Cable, in Seattle, WA.
For a couple of years, all was well. Then, back in November, suddenly the TV Guide program listings stopped appearing (these program listings are a feature of the DVR, and make recording convenient; the data is piggybacked on a local channel, or so I've been told).
At first, I thought this was one of the occasional reset annoyances (every few months, I'd turn on the DVR, to see the "setup" screen, and I'd have to go through some of the setup again - a pain in the ****, but not a showstopper; I was always able to make things start working again). This time, I tried switching zip codes, leaving it all off for 48 hours, etc., to no avail. I resigned myself to calling Panasonic Support. Sigh.
I called and spoke with a support person there, and explained what had happened. She immediately told me that it was because of the upcoming digital TV switchover. Hmmmm. I told her I was skeptical. She insisted, and told me to sign up for the government coupons, go buy a DTV converter box, and run the incoming signal through that. I protested that we had cable TV, and that my local cable TV supplier was running ads (incessantly) blithely saying that their subscribers would not have to do anything, they were all set for the upcoming DTV conversion. She said, no, that the TV Guide listings were carried on a channel that I was receiving (yes, that was what I had heard - on my local PBS channel), but that (as she put it) "the part of the signal with the TV Guide data was already being fed in digital format", and that in order for my DVR to display the TV Guide data, I would need a DTV converter box. I told the Panasonic support woman that as I understood it, the cable signal was already converted to analog, so whatever was coming over that coax cable was nothing but analog -- and that this was in November 2008, and the digital switchover wasn't going to happen until February 2009. I confessed I was skeptical and asked if she was sure. She sighed and said she answered this same question hundreds of times every day, and yes she was sure. She said to go online and get the government coupon, then go buy a DTV converter, and all would be restored. OK, I said (still skeptical).
I went online and ordered the coupons. According to the coupon website, I wouldn't get my coupons for another month. OK, I grumbled, I'll be patient (this was before they just ran out of them).
A few days later, I came across an online forum with some details on how to do a deeper reset of this unit (hold down the power button, wait, repeat). I figured I might as well give that a try, since my coupons wouldn't be coming for a few more weeks.
I went through the reset procedure, and let the DVR off for 24 hours. Next time I turned it on....to my surprise, the TVGuide listings were there! Well, they were there but only extended out for about 3 days. No problem, I thought, it just needs more time to download the listings for the rest of the week, right? I turned the DVR and left it off overnight. Next day, I looked and the listings had not changed - I only had about 2 days of program listings, nothing past that. I left it off again, but no more listings downloaded. OK, I figured I'd try the deep reset again and just let it sit for a few days and download more. But no dice: after a deep reset and 2 days inactive, there were no TVGuide listings at all. I've tried it a couple more times since, and still receive nothing. Hmmm.
I'm still able to watch TV with the signal coming in via cable TV through the DVR and then into the TV. I can even record on the DVR -- the TV signal is still there and still good -- I just get no TV Guide programming info.
I checked with the Macrovision website (they supply the TV Guide programming feed), and they claim that the TV Guide signal should be live and available in my area (based on my zip code and cable TV provider).
OK, so my coupons arrived. I went to a local big-box electronics store and picked up a basic digital TV converter box (a Channel Master D2A). I tried running the cable TV coax cable feed into that (then into the DVR, then into the TV). Nothing - not even a basic TV signal (the DT box appears to be expecting a signal from an antenna). I returned the ChannelMaster converter box.
OK, so here are my questions....
1. Was the Panasonic technician telling me the truth? That is, that in order to get the TV Guide feed in the DVR, and do I really need a DTV converter box? This still sounds like she was blowing smoke, but I'm willing to give it another try (although it would be with a different converter box).
1A. If so, how should the hookup go? I have a coax cable coming in from the wall. We have never had a cable TV "set-top box" (and don't want one). Should it go like this:
coax cable -> DTV converter box -> coax cable -> Panasonic DVR -> component video plugs -> TV set.
2. If a DTV converter box *is* needed, can anyone recommend a good model (or if not a specific model, exactly what I should look for in the box)?
Sheesh, this stuff should not be such a PITA to get right...
Thanks for any guidance.
There is no data feed in Seattle. There is no solution until June.
I just got off the phone with a woman at KCTS (Channel 9-PBS Affiliate). KCTS had the contract with Macrovision. They lost it to KIRO (Channel 7) with the digital transition. As the digital transition did not occur, KIRO's contract did not kick in, but KCTS's stopped.
No one in Seattle has picked this up.
I called KIRO's consumer line to report a problem with the service. You might want to as well to lobby them to do something before June (when, the woman at KCTS believes, the transition will occur and KIRO's contract will kick in and we'll get our guide back).
Best of luck.
I think I may have the "answer".
I am in Atlanta and have a Panasonic DVR that was working fine and sometime during the past month or so we lost the channel listings. I've tried many resets as well with negative results.
I called Comcast tonight. The agent helping me took a long time to research the issue and gave me this answer (which sounds reasonable). By the way, this is for the Atlanta area and may not be applicable to other areas of the country.
Due to delays in the conversion to broadcast digital and the fact that Comcast is experiencing bandwidth issues, they have digitized the "channel listing" signal. By mid-June Comcast's signal will be all digital and you won't be able to watch a TV connected directly to Comcast cable - regardless of whether it has digital or analog tuner (or both). This is contrary to what I'd heard before.
After mid-June, you'll either need to use a cable box OR what she called a "Digital Transmitter Adapter" (let's call it a DTA). Prior to being converted to "full" digital, you'll get notification from Comcast. She said I'd be able to get 2 DTAs at no charge (I currently have one Comcast HD DVR box). Additional DTAs would be $1.99 a month. DTAs will only provide access to the "basic" cable channels, but the good news is that the Panasonic DVR should be able to obtain its channel lineup through this DTA box.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected]
Good Luck!
It seems to me that the information was contained in the TVGUIDE Channel. This was channel 30 in San Francisco. What would be great and possible solution workaround. Perhaps there is a way at least to use an sd card or cd/dvd disk to get the tv guide information on the internet and then once a week manually put the information into the DVR . I bet if someone could talk to one of the upper level geeks they could find a way to make it work.
I'm having the same problem with my Panasonic DMR-EH75V (DVRwith DVD Player/Recorder and Video), starting in April or March 2009.
I can still record manually, and if I go online to TVGuide.com I can plan ahead, butthat's a hassle. I have Comcast in Houston, TX. I thought about calling them but have never had any good experienceswith their customer service – I just end up wasting an hour (or more) of mylife that I'll never get back. Fromother people’s descriptions the cable company was no use anyway.
Seems like it must have something to do with either the digital conversion orwith some change in how the TVGuide listings are transmitted. Digitalconversion shouldn't affect cable users, and I've had no problems being able tosee the channels I'm paying for.
Even if the digital conversion is responsible for this, someonesaid they tried a digital-to-analog converter with no luck. Has anyone else tried this?
Here are the trends I see from all the comments:
- For most people the problem started around March 2009 (this CAN'T be acoincidence)
- It's happening with several of the Panasonic DVR models,so it's not model-specific.
- It doesn't seem specific to one cable provider since I see comments from bothComcast and Time Warner users.
- I don’t see any comments from Satellite TV users, so itmight be specific to Cable users.
- It sounds like neither Panasonic nor the cable providers knowor care what's going on, so we’re basically on our own here
Some questions, if anyone can answer:
- Have you tried hooking up a digital-to-analog converter,and if so what happened?
- Are people with cable boxes also having this problem, oris it just people with direct cable connections to the DVR (and DVR connected toTV) ?
- Are there any Satellite users with this problem?
- Do you know anyone w/ a Panasonic DVR who is NOT havingthis problem, and if so what’s different between your set-up and theirs?
The whole reason I decided to get the Panasonic DVR insteadof something like TiVo was that you don't have to pay a subscription to get TVlistings. With TiVo if you don't pay the subscription fee then the TiVomachine you've bought is essentially useless – you can’t even record manually. And I lovethe DVD burner feature on the Panasonic since I can record a whole season ofsomething and share it w/ friends and family. TiVo does make a DVR with DVD burner, but again you still pay monthlysubscription fees.
For now I cannot recommend that anyone buy a Panasonic DVR unless this problemgets fixed. You'd think Panasonic would care about the negative effectthis might have on sales. I'm not surprised that Comcast doesn't care,since they'd love for you to just use their DVR service instead. (NOTE: I've also heard that some cable companies canblock transmission of the TV Guide information, in an effort to get you tosubscribe to their DVR services.)
I found the contact information for some of the Rovi (Magnavision)
corporate higher-ups if anyone wants to use them: (from http://ir.rovicorp.com/IRWebLinkX/GenPag...
I sent an email to ALL of the addresses below and will send it again if I don't hear anything in the next couple of days.
Chief Financial Officer
James Budge
Phone: (408) 562-8400
Fax: (408) 567-1800
E-mail: [email protected]
VP, Corporate Finance & Investor Relations
Lauren Landfield
Phone: (408) 562-8475
Fax: (408) 743-8610
E-mail: [email protected]
Legal Department: [email protected] (I think **)
**The email address for the legal department was listed on the web site
as "[email protected]" but the email got bounced back. I tried
"[email protected]" and the email went through. I don't know if
anyone got it, but at least it seems to be a real email address).
(Wonder if it's really a "mistake" that they have the wrong email
address for contacting the legal department?)
I'll update if anything happens...
×
SOURCE: Panasonic DVR, loss of TV Guide on-screen program listings
My TV Guide On Screen (TVGOS) has not worked since June of 2009 it is almost November 2009 I have called Panasonic, Rovi, Comcast. Each points their finger at the other, and nothing gets fixed. If you have the same problems PLEASE contact Michale Finney of ABC news.com 7 on your side. If he hears from enough people He will get the transmissions fixed. copy and paste the URL below to reach him.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/feature?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=5814629
4,699 views
Usually answered in minutes!
I have the same problem. I do think it has something to do with the conversion but I don't know how to fix it.
Yes I have had the same problem, starting in earnest around Nov. 2008, with exactly the same DMR-EH50. It is strange that after a few days of "No listing" for each channel, the program listings get loaded for some - but not all - channels, and only for about a day our two out. It is all very frustrating because the only alternative is to buy a TV Guide magazine which requires a huge effort (and strong reading glasses) to decipher, then schedule the desired programs manually. And - if I screw up - my wife gives me the evil eye for missing her revered soap opera "The Dumb and the Useless". It would be good to figure this out once and for all.
I have the same problem, same Panasonic DVR started at the same time.
Please let us know if anyone has solved this!
I also lost my on-screen programming. I thought this was one of the random "resets" that "slugwump2003" was talking about but I was never able to get it back. This happened in November or December. I live in East Tennessee and also have Comcast.
Last weekend when the time changed I tried to manually set the time but it's grayed out and I have no access.
Chas_52
I called Panasonic today and spoke with a support technician. She admitted that what I had been told by a previous Panasonic support technician (that I needed a digital TV converted box) was nonsense. No DTV box needed (since I have cable).
She took my info, had me enter a diagnostic code to pull up some internal data, took that down and said she was escalating the issue to a senior technician who worked with the TV Guide data streams. They promised to get back to me in 7 - 10 business days.
I will post back here when I know more.
I have the same problem, and will be anxiously awaiting to hear what they tell you.....
Lost tv guide on-screen program listings
Same thing, same run around from Panasonic....I must have been one of those "hundreds of calls a day". I was told that since the PBS channel is not carrying the TV Guide programming, that CBS was going to be taking over the "feed" and all will be well at some point. I could not get any further info from Panasonic, except they told me to be patient. That was about a month ago. I think they really don't know.
I have the same problem, Panasonic DVR and Comcast subscriber in Denver Colorado. I first noticed the problem March 17th, 2009.
I have a Sony RDR-HX715 that I've installed exactly as described by slugwump2003. That is, it is connected directly to Comcast and not through a cable box or other equipment.
The RDR uses the same data feed and as described is no longer showing the TV Guide On Screen data.
I believe that our issue is either with the local station (whoever they are) that purchases the feed from Macrovision OR (and I think this much more likely) with Comcast.
I spent over 1/2 hour on the phone with Comcast customer support last night. At first, they denied they even knew what the TV Guide On Screen system was. After much back and forth on that, the woman I spoke to was willing to admit that she'd heard of it.
If, as I suspect, some local content provider is paying for this feed and if, as again I suspect, a change at Comcast is disrupting its distribution, then I believe we have a lever to work on this problem with.
Does anyone know for certain the local content provider that had, until so recently, broadcast this feed?
Joe from CT - My DVR also displays "No Listing" as of this week. Restting it did not fix the problem. I think the data signal for the TVGUIDE is no longer working. Unfortunately, I have no solution either. I call my cable provider, Cox, and they claim nothing has changed!
I have the same problem. I have been able to find the possible problem... the display screen is showing the remaining time (R 00:00 LP). My problem occurred immediately after I manually scheduled a recording). I have reset my DVR three times to no avail. The clock will not automatically set to the cable box.
This same problem happened to me with Panasonic DMR-EH75VS. Everything was fine on March 18, but on March 19, all channels showed
"no listings" and I haven't been able to get them back since even though I've done the set-up several times and all the information is correct.
I have the same problem. I am also in Denver and after 30 minutes with comcast they claimed that they have quit carrying the signal and I am SOL.
Same thing happening here in Denver too with Comcast, but on an LG TV with built-in DVR. I thought maybe re-scanning for channels would fix the problem, but instead now not only do I not get the listings, the channels aren't recognized either, so I can't use the DVR at all. Anyone know more about the Denver area contract and when/if this will be fixed?
I have same problem as of March 2009 in CT using Comcast. Have not resolved issue. The unit is junk w/o the on screen guide.
Just another case of a "good value" product being no longer supported because there is too much profit to be made in paid subscriber services like HD and TiVo products is my guess.
We have the same exact problem in Kansas City, MO as of somewhere around March 1, 2009. I tried the deep reset, tried unplugging the machine and replugging - nothing. I'm contacting Macrovision support at the contact listed at http://www.macrovision.com/support/9391.... to verify whether the service is available - it was available for the many months before this.
Same problem here with no one admitting they know what's going on. Panasonic was a great help:
Thank you for your inquiry.
Unfortunately since we no longer make units with the TV Guide feature
there is nothing that can be done to correct the issue.
Thank you for contacting Panasonic.
Thank You,
Panasonic Consumer Support
Comcast in the Chicago area hooked up to DMR EH50 without Tv Guide listings for about 3 weeks now.
Same problem in Metropolis, IL (Comcast service from Paducah, KY). After we had a huge ice storm in early Feb, we were without power for about a week. When power, and cable, were restored we've not had TV guide listings since. Thought it was related to the ice storm,but, evidently that was coincidence after reading other posts. Question for everyone...if you have a Comcast-supplied DVR, does TV Guide supply the listings? And if so, are they functioning now?
I just read another post on another forum that suggested doing a reset (depress both "channel < >" buttons ON THE UNIT until it powers down.) Unplug the unit for :30, then run Setup. It worked for him...I'll let ya know if it works for me.
I have the same problem with Time Warner in Redondo Beach, CA. Listings disappeared around March 15. Now some listings are shown (CBS, ESPN and a few cable stations) but for most it is "No Listing" or "Title Unavailble". I've had a Panasonic DMR EH75V DVR since June 2006 and loved the On screen TV Guide. My hook-up is a direct coax cable to the DVR then to my tv.
I called TWC and explained the problem and all they said was they couldn't help me because it was not their cable box (DVR). I told him it was not a problem with the DVR but with the signal coming from TWC through the coax. He was totally helpless.
I suspect is has something to do with the switch to digital and am hoping that the TV Guide On Screen signal will be restored in the near future though TWC in Redondo Beach.
Hey, SonyDVRUser, thanks for that info. I'm still in limbo with Panasonic - in mid-March, I called them again and they said they were escalating things to their "advanced" support & TVGuide contacts. They promised a callback within 5-10 business days. Two weeks go by, they never called back, so I contacted them earlier this week. Initially I got the same script, I pushed to speak with a supervisor; he said they would get in touch with TVGuide and call me back within 3 business days, which will be end-of-day tomorrow. I'll see what they say....and then I'll be ready to call KIRO (and KCTS).
FWIW, if you check Macrovision's website, they indicate that the data feed *is* available here.
You can check availability here:
http://digitaltransition.macrovision.com...
Here's what they say when I enter my info:
Name
Comcast - S. King Cty/Vashon
Status
Known to be working
Description
We have confirmed with your cable provider that you should receive TV Guide/Guide Plus+ listings after the digital transition. If you are not receiving listings or if your listings discontinue, please contact your cable provider for more information.
Go figure.
I will post back here again when I have additional data.
I'm having the same problem with 2 DMR-EH50's. One in zip code 48863 and the other 48879. On, or about March 15th I lost the TV guide feed. I also tried hard resetting but it did not work. Any solutions?
I have the same problem in Richmond Va which started in November 2008. The analog channel that broadcasted time and tvguide data was moved to a digital channel.
Same problem - Panasonic DMR-EH75 stopped getting TV Guide in mid-March. Comcast sent muide channel.e digital converter, but still no TV Guide channel.
Writing back from Metropolis...none of the "resets" worked. Local Comcast office was sympathetic, but clueless...same story at the local PBS station. Comcast did give me a new cable box which I have routed through my Panasonic DMR=EH50. I tried connecting the two via an IR Blaster...but it's not working (are there different types of IR Blasters).
Anyway, rgladney's advice from Atlanta seems more plausible than anything I've heard before...so here we sit until June!
Panasonic DMR-EH75V DVR recorder where the TV guide on-screen function stopped working sometime near the beginning of the year here in the CSRA of SC where the cable provider is Atlantic Broadband. I started calling Panasonic and I have to say never in my life have such incredibly courteous people jerked me around and wasted so much of my time before. What's truly amazing is that they are still doing this. I have been through ALL the resets and 24hr waiting periods and special "753159852" tech codes, apologies and then "escalation to TV Guide" (which is the ultimate dead-end) before the vacant "we're working on it". This last call I made I was on hold so long that the Panasonic auto-call survey came through while I was still waiting to talk to a technician so, thanks to call-waiting, I was able to give them straight "F's". At least this website and others like it have given me an understanding of the nature of the problem. The very first comment from "slugwump2003" about what his Panasonic support person said makes sense. She said that the TVGuide data was now being fed in digital format. If my DVR recorder can only receive TVGuide data in analog format then what is going to do that conversion? The TVGuide linkhttp://digitaltransition.macrovision.com... is telling me everything is just fine between Macrovision (data supplier) and Atlantic Broadband (cable provider). Maybe it is not just any DTV converter but a particular converter needed?
IT'S FIXED! IT STARTED WORKING AGAIN!!
No thanks to the idiots at Panasonic.
I've called and jumped through all the stupid hoops that Panasonic asked me to. Repeatedly. Reset diagnostics, my *ss. Every time I would call them, they would have me do the same things. When I asked why, they would say last time it wasn't done right. Yeah, sure. They promise a call back. They never call back. I call them and ask there the hell is my callback? They say sorry, give us another week and we'll call you, for sure, we promise, we swear. Hogwash. Two weeks go buy. they don't call back. I call them again, it starts all over again "give us another week, we really will call you back this time." Of course, they don't. Liars.
The DVR has been blinking 12:00 for a month now, after the last "deep reset" (that screwed thing up even more - at least I had been able to use the thing like a VCR to record things based on times, even if there was no program info - but after the last "deep reset" it lost that ability, didn't know what time it was, and couldn't record anything).
Today, I walked by and glanced at the display. It was showing the correct time! This machine has literally not been touched for weeks, but somehow, sometime within the last 24 hours, it started downloading the program info again. It seems to working fine now.
I can only assume that the feed started going out again from whoever is supplying it in my area -- after no data for about 5 months. Go figure.
Now, to start recording things again. Ah, I've missed The Colbert Report....
And on it goes...
The system started working out of the blue -- I had not touched it for about a month, then I looked and noticed the time was set correctly once again, turned it on and found programming info, channel lineup OK, etc. I set it to record a few shows that night, and went to bed happy, assuming that all was well again. Not so fast.
The next day, I looked and yes, it did record the 3 shows I had asked for the previous night - so it was working 100% right - but only for about 24 hours. I checked again, and now the channel lineup was gone entirely. Hmmm. So I did a reset again, left it for another 24 hours. No joy. There was still no channel lineup info. And even more oddly, when I pressed the button for TVGuide Online (the green button on the remote), nothing happened. Everything else seemed to work - I could access recorded programs (including the 3 shows I recorded 2 night before), but I could not get the TVGuide screen to come up at all. I tried pushing all the buttons (literally) and eventually found my way to an option under a Setup section to scan for channels automatically (it recommended against doing this, but I figured I didn't have anything to lose). It scanned the channels, and it appears to have gotten them correct, but still no TVGuide screen. When I tried, it prompted me for the basic TVGuide setup info, which i entered. I'm letting it perk overnight again - we'll see what surprised tomorrow brings.
What a pain this thing has been.
A couple of days ago I definitely WAS getting a good, correct data feed from TVGuide -- it was correct and up-to date (I have 3 recorded programs, with time stamp data, to show that it was working). But that feed ended, or it stopped being received correctly, within about 24 hours. I wonder if that was some sort of a "test" feed (trial run?). In any case, I'll check tomorrow and will continue fighting this thing.
The data feed does appear to be out there and available, at least in my area -- or at least it was for about 24 hours a few days ago. I hope I have better news tomorrow.
Sheesh. What a pain this thing has been - or did I already say that?
My problem is with the Sony DHG-HHD500 DVR. Since they "upgraded" the software for digital, I have not been able to download TV Guide or even get the right time of day. I've spent several hours with their tech people, and they've taken a bunch of info, but still no solution. Evidently it has to come from Gemstar???
This continues - very strangely.
The programming info comes through fine for a few days - programming data is up to date and correct. I can use the TV Guide programming data to record shows, they record correctly, everything's perfect. This lasts anywhere from 1 to 4 days. Then...it craps out again. If I do a reset, then let it sit overnight, the program data starts to download again - next time I turn it on, I'm prompted to choose a program lineup, and it's working fine. For a few days. Programs are recorded, etc. Then one day I'll turn it on and...the unit won't go to the TV Guide screen (pressing the green button does nothing). Programs that were recorded are OK, they can be played and deleted. But the TV Guide programming info is unavailable.
I assume if I reset it again, it will start working again tomorrow....for a few days.
It's clear that the TV Guide programming information feed IS available here (in Seattle). Note: this is contrary to what others had concluded here a month or two ago...I don't know if the signal is coming in from a different surce or the same, but it's definitely there.
I'm wondering what's causing the programming info to fail after 2 - 3 days....is that because there's something funky with my Panasonic DVR? Or is the TV Guide data stream intermittent? Does anyone know how to determine that?
What a PITA...
We have a Panasonic DMR-EH50, purchased in 2005. It does not have a digital tuner, and that turned out to not be critical, so far.
We lost the TV Guide on screen data sometime between June 26 and August 12 (we weren't here then). I communicated with Comcast and Panasonic for about 6 weeks with no success, in spite of 4 attempts with the entry of a code in the TV Guide Product ID location under "Messages" and 2 attempts with holding down the "channel up" and "channel down" buttons. At some point the "Listing" screen went black with a no data and check cables type message.
Eventually I found out that the TV guide data had been provided by PBS WSEC channel 8 and now was being provided by CBS WCIA channel 3. That was a critical piece of information.
I contacted channel 3 and several times they then described changes they would attempt and asked me to let them know whether data downloaded overnight. After about a week that approach eventually succeeded, but it might have succeeded because each time channel 3 communicated with the local Comcast office, which might have led to a discovery by Comcast that they needed to change some set up they had used initially.
So, the data just were not arriving to our Panasonic DMR-EH50, up until Saturday, October 17.
Now, we still have some "TV Guide on screen" data gaps, but each day those diminish, so far.
×