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New member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 7 Registered: Nov-04 | I don't know if anyone has this problem or whether it has been discussed before but here goes. When I first set up the recorder, everything worked fine. Then I started having the problem with getting the fuzzy TV guide screen. I installed the fix that has been discussed here and since then no more problems.A while later my cable went out for almost 12 hours and of course when it came back on, the TV guide had to reload. I have 2 programs on 2 different channels (3, 5) that I have set to record every week day. Prior to the cable going out this worked great. Now however even though I set the program on channel 5 to record - it will not record. I have tried setting the frequency to record once, regularly, daily, it just will not record. I used the TV Guide to find the program and then pressed the green key to set it to record. I even tried setting another program on the same channel but at a different time to record and it works fine. For some reason it just will not record at 1:30 pm on channel 5. Any ideas? |
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New member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 10 Registered: Nov-04 | Has anyone else had this problem? |
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Silver Member Username: TonytigerPA US Post Number: 109 Registered: Feb-04 | I have an E80 and have not seen this or the original stated problem. Can anyone help Gary? |
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Astrid Unregistered guest | How strange, I have a similar problem. I own the DMRE85HS. The timer recording won't work on channel 5 for mine either. I have it set to start at 1:55 pm. If I leave the power off it won't record but if leave it on it does. I've set the the timer for other channels and it will record with the power off. I've even set other timers for channel 5 at 4:00 just to experiment and it works. My cable hasn't gone out since I've purchased the recorder so I don't know what could be causing this problem. |
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Astrid Unregistered guest | How strange, I have a similar problem. I own the DMRE85HS. The timer recording won't work on channel 5 for mine either. I have it set to start at 1:55 pm. If I leave the power off it won't record but if leave it on it does. I've set the the timer for other channels and it will record with the power off. I've even set other timers for channel 5 at 4:00 just to experiment and it works. My cable hasn't gone out since I've purchased the recorder so I don't know what could be causing this problem. |
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Bronze Member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 12 Registered: Nov-04 | I have set it to record at 1:30 pm today but on channel 22 instead of channel 5 (both channels broadcast the same program) to see if it will record in order to try and determine if it is the channel or the time period that is causing the problem. |
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Bronze Member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 14 Registered: Nov-04 | Well the recorder DID record the program on channel 22 at 1:30 pm today BUT the program I had set to record on channel 3 at 4:30 pm did NOT record (and it has been working fine). This is getting too weird. |
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Astrid Unregistered guest | Thanks for the update Gary. As you said, this is a weird problem. I have yet to try the timer recording with two settings, so I'll see how mine goes. I wonder if this problem can be fixed. Until then, I'll just rely on my vcr when I need to use the timer, because I don't trust the one on my dvd recorder. |
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Bronze Member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 15 Registered: Nov-04 | Astrid, I have set my vcr to record the same 2 programs that I am trying to record on my DVD recorder because I can't trust it either to record them every day. |
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Bronze Member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 16 Registered: Nov-04 | The 2 programs I have set to record daily at 1:30 and 4:30 did record ok today. Now I have to try changing the one at 1:30 back to channel 5 from channel 22 to see if it will record. |
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Astrid Unregistered guest | I set two settings on my dvd recorder. One at 4:00 and another at 6:00 on a different channel and both of them recorded. I think for some reason mine just has a problem with channel 5 during the one o'clock hour. Even though the two settings recorded successfully, I'm still sticking with my vcr for timer settings. |
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Bronze Member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 17 Registered: Nov-04 | I believe my dvd recorder has the same problem - it will not record on channel 5 at 1:30 pm, although prior to my having to reset everything after my cable went out for 12 hours, it worked fine. |
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Anonymous | my info from Panasonic was that TV Guide issued a software update that is having problems. The "fuzzy" screen is the first symptom. There will be an update issued in mid-May. Selling a product and then disabling it by an erroneous SW update - sounds like a class action to me. |
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Unregistered guest | I have just been having problems with my unit (DMR-E85H). I cannot change channels, either with the tv-guide screen or with direct keying. the channel numbers do not appear on the screen. I also cannot erase a title from the hard drive, nor can I set the thumbnail, edit the title (to shorten it), or even view the properties. I also cannot finalize a dvd Ijust recorded. All I can do is view one channel or view recorded shows. It worked fine until tonight... |
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Unregistered guest | I purchased a DMR-E85H about 3 weeks ago. When I initailly set it up it worked great, the TV Guide loaded and I was very much enjoying my new recorder, I bragged about how I could record shows and not have to waste a disc, watch it then erase it when done. Last week my wife was trying to record a show and when she clicked on the TV Guide the screen went crazy, discolored and blurry. I played with the machine for about 2 hours and couldn't get it. I figured I would just wipe everything and go thru the entire TV GUIDE set up again. That was 4 days ago and I have kept the machine off and it just flips thru the channels and the guide never downloads. I've tried Channel 2, 3, 4, and L3, based on my configuration the Panasonic rep told me L3 was the correct choice for me. Any Ideas or help would be much appreciated. Thanks |
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Astrid Unregistered guest | Seth and Sean Have any of you tried leaving the recorder unplugged for a few seconds and then plugging it back in? I've had problems with the channels not appearing on the screen and problems with the blurry tv guide, but doing this seemed to fix it for a couple weeks. When it gives me problems again,I just do the same thing and it gets back to normal. It's kind of a pain to need to do this but it has continued to work for me. The recorder goes into self check mode and everything works just fine afterwards. Of course after this you'd have to leave the power off if you want the TV guide to download the programs. |
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Bronze Member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 18 Registered: Nov-04 | Astrid, I had the same problems with getting the fuzzy screen but then I downloaded the software update and installed it on my recorder and I haven't had a problem since. How to do this is explained on one of the other posts. Gary |
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Unregistered guest | I just purchased the DMRES10K DVD recorder. It works fine, except it will NOT record channel 5. I see that a few of you have the same problem. Has anyone gotten an explanation yet? I went through every channel, and they all work except for channel 5. It's mysterious. |
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Bronze Member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 21 Registered: Nov-04 | Bev, I am curious - will your unit not record on channel 5 at any time or just at a specific time? I have the DMRE85H and mine will not record between 1-2 PM on channel 5 but will record at other times on channel 5. Gary |
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Wolfwey Unregistered guest | My problem is somewhat similar. Sometimes DMRE85H fails to record a scheduled recording. If I turn on the power some minutes after the scheduled start, then it comes on and immediately starts recording. This seems to happen especially with ABC programs that "steal" a few minutes from the next show - ie, the show is scheduled to start at 9 but really doesn't start til 9:03 or so. Panasonic says this means the unit is defective, but I'm not sure I believe them. Any suggestions? Does the TV Guide operate only on times, or does it also need correct show information? A great machine but I fear it's so complex that one cannot get a clear answer from the manufacturer. |
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saffron_boots Unregistered guest | Hey guys, FYI, there is a known compatibility problem since Netstar upgraded their TV Guide program (past couple of months) which is causing firmware issues with the E85. There is a fix which will automatically download over the next few weeks. You will see a yellow screen indicating that the patch has been successfully installed. |
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saffron_boots Unregistered guest | Oh yeah, types of problems I was having: - DVD drawer wouldn't eject - TV Guide would reset itself (channels out of order) - TV Guide would lock-up with a green screen-of-death - Direct Navigator would freeze up and/or show no recordings - certain remote control buttons failed to function It's all related... go figure. |
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Bronze Member Username: CountryguyAstorville, ON Canada Post Number: 22 Registered: Nov-04 | I emailed tech support at Panasonic about my problem with the DMRE85H where it will not record on channel 5 at 1:30 pm. I heard back from them yesterday and they said they had never heard of the problem and their answer was to sent the unit to them to test. Since I would have to pay for shipping, along with the inconvenience of being without the unit, for the time being I will just live with the problem. |
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howie Unregistered guest | Apparently, the Netstar download from May 27 is raising havoc with units with old firmware versions (mine is "850"). I had no problems, but now I'm getting the "U99" code after the unit is turned off for a few hours. It's making timer recording impossible. At least the unit isn't freezing up; it recovers once I unplug/replug. I called Panny and they knew what I was calling about instantly. I'm getting a firmware upgrade disc later this week. |
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saffron_boots Unregistered guest | They sent me to their website to get the firmware update myself. No problems since the upgrade. http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vDownloads?storeId=15001&lan gId=-1&page=DVDFirmware |
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Astrid Unregistered guest | Will the firmware update cause you to lose anything recorded on the hard drive? Is it possible for the update to leave the recorder in a worse state than before? I've had problems with the timer recordings and the fuzzy green tv guide screen, but other than that it works great, so I don't want to risk giving it more problems with the update. |
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Al A. Unregistered guest | I have the DMRE85H and so far has worked flawlessly. The only downside to these recorders is the inability to setup with satellite for timer recordings. But, other than that it's has been the best investment for me |
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New member Username: CyberwaspPost Number: 1 Registered: Jun-05 | I did the software update from the pana website as I was also getting the U99 error if the unit was turned off for awhile. Well I'm still getting it. I wish they left well enough alone as it was working perfectly. remember the old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." |
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joelk Unregistered guest | I have an E85H that does some weird stuff too. Mine started several weeks after I first got it set up. The first time it was in an "on" state, panel lit) but not outputting. I pressed the power button on the remote control and there was no response. I was able to finally get it to shut down by pressing the unit's power button. The next time I powered it up it had lost all of the TV Guide settings. I reset all of those and it seemed to work okay for another few weeks. Then the silly thing froze during a playback session. None of the remote control buttons worked and neither did the panel-mounted ones work. I finally had to unplug that darn thing to get it to shutdown. I tried re-energizing it and it went through the "self check" and the start-up procedure but still nothing worked. I left it unplugged for several days and then tried it, lo and behold it worked...for about a month and then I had to do this again only I had to wait about ten or twelve days with it unplugged. That was about three months ago. Yesterday afternoon while it should have been off I noticed the faceplate lit as if it was recording. No, it wasn't "on" when I turned on the TV but when I pushed the power button on the remote it came on...and refused to do anything else. I had to unplug it again to get it to shutdown as none of the buttons, either on the remote or the front panel have any effect. Not even holding the panel power button down for ten seconds (as it states in the book) has any effect. I plugged it in this morning and again it went through its self check and start-up procedure. Again nome of the buttons worked. It started up on the last channel it had been on with only the channel indicator lighting at first, then the rest of the display lit and the TV Guide screen came on. After a couple of minutes the TV Guide screen disappeared but through no action on my part. Still none of the buttons worked except that by pressing the panel-mounted power button it displayed "BYE" and shut down. Thinking that maybe it would now work I pressed the power button again (I don't remember if it was the panel or remote button) and it went through its start-up procedure, came on, switched to the TV Guide screen and then nothing. By now it was time for a timer recording to start (timer via the TV Guide function) and I hoped that if I just left it alone it might sort things out. Nope, about three hours later the thing was "on" but I don't know if it recorded because I can't get any of the buttons to respond. Again I had no way to turn it off other than unplugging it. This is the third Panasonic DVR I bought. I started with the H2S and loved it save for the limited hdd space. Then I purchased a E75V (combo VHS and -R/RAM drive) that works fine. Wanting another unit with a hdd I purchased the E85H based upon the positive experiences with the other two units. I did try to contact Panasonic via E-mail and the only response I got was to take the unit to one of their local service centers. I have not done this because I fear that when the service people "check it out" they will find no problem and then charge me for "checking" but doing nothing to fix the problem. BTW, I have never had any trouble codes appear on the display. I'm pretty sure that there is nothing wrong with the remote control as whenever I press any button on it the displays of my other two units disply the remote code message. The warranty on this unit will be up in a few weeks. I know I have to take it in but I would like to know if anyone has any idea of what is wrong. Joel |
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xclratn Unregistered guest | Hey guys...I too have the won't record a TVG+ recording, although in my area it is channel 4 from 2pm to 3pm. I actually have another channel, 5, set to record from 3pm to 4pm. Sometimes it won't start until 3:19pm. After reading your posts, I think I may have figured this out. Some of you say it will record at specified time if the unit is left on. Back when TVGuide+ first came out, the update signal piggy backed NBC. Not sure if it still does. Anyway, my channel 4 is NBC. The updates used to come down at night only. Now, as I understand it, there are several timeframes through the day the downloads can happen too. Since the unit must be off during a download, I think this is why it is not recording. It is busy or cannot start a recording. I may start leaving my machine on during the day and turning it off at night. I don't record much if anything at night. If this is what is happening, it is lame they cannot update and record at the same time. BTW, my Comcast 120GB HD/Digital DVR will perform its updates with the unit on or off. I actually leave it on all the time. Unfortunately, if I turn it off, with something scheduled, and I come home (with it recording) and power the unit on, everything is muted. You have to wait until the recording is finished before you can use the unit. Robert |
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leskouts Unregistered guest | I have an E55 Panasonic DVD recorder. all of a sudden no picture but I have sound. I have tried different scart on different TVs but the same problem. Have tried to turn off progressive scan (stop and timeslip for 5 seconds) but still no picture. |
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joelk Unregistered guest | I left my E85H unplugged for about 36 hours and then re-energized it. It went through the "Please Wait" warm-up and then shut off. When I tried to turn it on with the remote my H2S came on. The E85H remote didn't work the TV either. Somehow the silly remote reverted back to default programming. I reset the remote for Panasonic channel 3 and for my JVC television and now everything works just fine. Go figure. Joel |
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Unregistered guest | I have the Panasonic DMR-E95H. I've had it for just over a year. It worked OK until the beginning of last Summer. After the TV Guide update, it seemed OK, but would not record some timer recordings. I tried the firmware update from Panasonic, but it wouldn't load. The message indicated that it was already up to date. I took it in for repair (4 weeks) and they replaced the digital PCB. It still has the same problem -- won't record some timer recordings. In my case it won't record channel 6 (XETV) at 7:00PM or 1:00AM. If I turn on the power, it wakes up and starts the recording. I suspect that it has something to do with downloading the program guide, but I have not been able to find any information about what channel(s) and time(s) are used for this. The tvgos.com website states that the program guide is downloaded four times a day for about 3 hours for each download. Is there a web site somewhere that I can enter my zip code and have it tell me the channel and times of the program guide download? Jay |
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joelk Unregistered guest | Update on my E85H. I took it in to the authorized service center on the last day of the warranty. Two weeks later they received the parts and today they call me saying that they cannot fix it and that Panasonic will replace it with their current model. Joel My H2S and E75 are still working flawlessly. |
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Bronze Member Username: VenikNy, Ny Post Number: 26 Registered: Jan-05 | I have an E85 that has worked fine (in NYC, Time-Warner digital cable box) for several months (but only after I upgraded the firmware). A couple of months ago I started losing the program listings, and being unaware of the Gemstar TVGOS problems, I reset the machine to its factory settings. Since then I cannot access the channel editor, it cannot find programming data to download, and the channel autoset is grayed out. I have tried the ch+/ch- reset approach (with power cord out for 30 sec) to no avail. Any ideas? Thanks, |
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AltaJoan Unregistered guest | Has anyone had the problem of the E85H not playing DVDs recorded on it? They played when I made them but now they wont. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks |
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JennyB Unregistered guest | Are all you people experiencing this cluster of problems in North America? I'm in UK and am feeling lucky that my E85H has been absolutely trouble-free for 15 months, apart from one reset needed when recording to DVD - no data lost. AltaJoan, did you finalise these discs? - and were they Panasonic discs? I've heard plenty about E85H unreliability with other makes and I tried a couple of cheaper ones without success. I find it most reliable to use RAM all the time, unless I need to play in another device, eg laptop. |