HVR-1600 QAM Suddenly Not Working Solution

[235301]

I've had QAM working for more than a year. Suddenly it will not tune QAM channels(analog channels do work). Rebooted-no love. Used the signal strength tool from Hauppage and that seems to show signal strength. Rescanned with config and no channels were found.

However, powered down the PC, removed the power cord, let it sit for several minutes and then booted back up. The HVR-1600 can now tune QAM properly. So this post is an FYI for anyone that's seen this problem. It appears to be a fairly well known lockup issue and sitting w/o power is the solution.

[dennit]

The HVR-1600 can now tune QAM properly. So this post is an FYI for anyone that's seen this problem. It appears to be a fairly well known lockup issue and sitting w/o power is the solution.

I'll add a tidbit of info to this FYI: I've got a 1600 and have never seen this particular problem, but I have seen the Hauppauge remote that comes with the 1600 stop working. You hit the buttons on the remote and nothing happens. Exiting GBPVR and testing in other apps shows that nothing is getting through. The remote is sending its infrared pulses (you can test this with any digital camera), but the software doesn't respond. Restarting IR.exe gives you an error message (IIRC, it says it's unable to initialize)

This has only happened twice in 10 months.

The solution is the same as your solution - a complete power down - I pull the power plug for 15 seconds after it shuts down, although I'm not sure if it's necessary to go that far. Rebooting is insufficient.

[Kyle]

I have a PVR-150 and the remote stops working once in a while also. All I do is unplug the IR receiver and plug it back in and it has always fixed it. I have to do it probably a few times a month.

[Kevina]

Thank you for this post! I had suddenly lost all of my QAM channels and had no idea why. Nor was I able to get them back, no matter what I tried. I had given up hope until I read your post. Shutting down and pulling the power cord did the trick. I had rebooted numerous times for other reasons to no avail.

Thanks,
Kevin

[SLR_65]

I'm really beginning to hate my HVR-1600! :mad:

It took forever to get it running due to it's being so picky on it's signal level.

I finally got it up and running and a couple weeks ago I went to watch some recordings off of RetroTV which is a digital channel that uses the HVR-1600 and I got a blank screen. I found the recordings were 0 length and when I tuned the live TV to RetroTV I got a blank screen with the occasional message that it was an encrypted channel. GRRRR! :mad: I pulled the plug and waited a bit and tried again, but no joy. OK, I checked things out and it appeared to be a signal strength thing. I pulled a splitter I had place in the feed so I could feed both the analog and digital inputs to the card and it suddenly got happy and started working. Fine, I was busy and didn't have time to play with it so I left the 1600 with the direct feed and no splitter and installed the very same splitter on the line that fed my PVR-500 and used it to feed both the 1600 analog and 500. Not ideal but I didn't have time to run a new line for the analog in of the 1600 and the analog tuners on both the 1600 and 500 were still looking OK anyway.

OK, I go to watch some shows recorded off of RetroTV again last night and I found the very same situation. :mad: Blank screen on the recordings, the recordings are zero byte long, and when I tune to RetroTV in the live tv it gives a blank screen and the occasional encrypted channel message (I think that comes from the card, not GBPVR).

I haven't dug into to it too deep yet, but I did check my cable box and RetroTV is NOT encrypted. The signal level at my cable box and on my modem diagnostic page has not changed a bit so I don't think it's a signal level issue. I even took the HVR-1600 feed and fed it to my cable box and the cable box has no issue with it, Retro and all the other digitals lock right up and the signal levelis exactly the same as it was before I switched the feeds (and I tried the cable box feed on the 1600 with no joy).

I think it's just a "HVR-1600s are a piece of crap" issue! I'm just tired of screwing with it. It forced me to run a R6 Quadshield line across an actic full of blown in insulation just to make it happy and then it seems it doesn't want to stay happy! Every time I want to watch a show on it the darn thing is having issues!

Anyone else having these problems with the HVR-1600? I know there's a couple in this thread, but I wonder if there's a larger problem we just aren't hearing about or if there's just an occasional dud in the 1600s.

It's annoyed me enough that I'm ready to buy a new digital card - any comments or recommendations on which qam card to pick would be most appreciated.

Take Care,

Steve

[zaphod7501]

The 1600 does not have a very sensitive tuner. That could be somewhat intentional to keep it from picking up interference and garbage from the electrically noisy environment inside a PC case. (probably why the HD-PVR is an external device) Ground loop effects are also likely with a PC connected to a coax cable system.

That said, Hauppauge has a pretty liberal replacement policy and many have found that a replacement unit will solve some of the nagging and intermittent reception problems. (Factory replacement and not another one from a Store shelf)

[mvallevand]

Anyone else having these problems with the HVR-1600? I know there's a couple in this thread, but I wonder if there's a larger problem we just aren't hearing about or if there's just an occasional dud in the 1600s.

sub is currently working on issues in 1.3.11 with the HVR 1600. I know when I use it with TSReader and it is rock solid, as it had been with GBPVR for some time. Digital tuners including the cable STB need a better signal in general. I'd suggest using the Hauppauge tool to see what your signal strength and errors are when tuned to a channel in GBPVR.

Martin

[SLR_65]

OK, an update.

Loading up the signal level monitor I find I have no signal level! OK, try the feed to the analog side and it's got a beautiful picture. Hook it up to the digital cable box and all works fine. Hook it up to my cable modem and it works fine.

Try other feeds to the hvr-1600 and I have signal! OK, great. Load up WinTV and the minute it pops up the signal level goes to nothing! GRRRR! :mad:

Pull the feed out of the connector and then reinstall it and I have signal again! Pull up WinTV and it immeadiately goes away again! Leave WinTV loaded and pull the feed and reinstall it and I have signal and the channel pops on, until I change channels and then the flippin' thing goes to zero again!

OK, reinstall the driver . . . changes nothing!

I'm really tired of this card!

It's getting binned . . . any suggestions for a replacement?

[Hoogineer]

OK, an update.

Loading up the signal level monitor I find I have no signal level! OK, try the feed to the analog side and it's got a beautiful picture. Hook it up to the digital cable box and all works fine. Hook it up to my cable modem and it works fine.

Try other feeds to the hvr-1600 and I have signal! OK, great. Load up WinTV and the minute it pops up the signal level goes to nothing! GRRRR! :mad:

Pull the feed out of the connector and then reinstall it and I have signal again! Pull up WinTV and it immeadiately goes away again! Leave WinTV loaded and pull the feed and reinstall it and I have signal and the channel pops on, until I change channels and then the flippin' thing goes to zero again!

OK, reinstall the driver . . . changes nothing!

I'm really tired of this card!

It's getting binned . . . any suggestions for a replacement?

I had some issues getting my HVR-1600 to work with GBPVR. I don't know whether it was an issue with WINTV competing for the resource, but I ended up (1) removing the capture card (both analog and digital) from GBPVR in the config app, (2) uninstalling the driver, (3) and physically re-seating the card, and (4) reinstalling the card using the Hauppauge setup software (sans WinTV app). I also added the decoder files (*.ax) in the c:\windows\system32\hauppauge\smd07\ directory to the GBPVR batch file to re-register filters. I wasn't successful in getting all my QAM channels -- maybe after I move to a ZIP code with a different cable provider -- but NTSC and ATSC work splendidly.

[SLR_65]

The frustrating part for me is that it was working fine and there's been no new hardware, software, etc.. It's an htpc so it's just been setting in the entertainment center.

I did a little net research and the cards just dieing seem to be an issue but Hauppauge is good about RMAing them. We'll see - I sent them an email for support.