There are a lot of facts here. I list them in whatever order they come to mind, because I can't see that any particular fact points to anything important. That is, don't assume the first thing I list is the most important. I don't have a clue about that.

We've got an HR24-500. In general our favorite station is KABC-TV, 7 here in Los Angeles. It's usually left on 7 when we turn it off at night. Every once in a while, when we turn on the DVR in the morning, having left it on 7, it's on 2, the CBS station.

Last night, nothing was programmed to record overnight.
Early this morning we programmed it to record a movie on 503 from 8:30 to 10:40. It did so.

While watching 7 at 11:40, it turned to channel 2 by itself. We hit PREV and it didn't go to 7, it went to 503. Hit PREV again, it went to 2. Hit 7 on the remote control, it went to 7. About three minutes later, nobody in the room, it changed to 2.

The DVR is controlled by IR, not RF. Only one of us was in the room, except for the last channel change, when nobody was in the room.

Suggestions to make sense of this?

One thing that might be a factor is that my wife likes to run Ch 7 delayed by at least an hour, as we'll often have more than one thing programmed, or we'll want to watch with a delay as delaying means we can skip through ads without having to program to record a show.

Dopey thought for 20 points.

Consider setting up a Xantech IR repeating system near the directv box. Check for flickering talkback light on that at different times....

You said that you two like to watch "live tv" delayed, which is exactly what I do too on Dish Network.

My question to you, when you are watching a channel that is on delayed and you change it. Whether you use the up/down, input a number or use the previous button. What does your DirecTV DVR do? My Dish Network asks me if I really want to leave Live Mode or whatever. I have to press Yes or No. Yes will change the channel, and No will just remove the prompt and remain on the current channel and current delayed amount.

If your DirecTV DVR is suppose to do that and it does when it's operating normally. Then that is weird that it will change the channel by itself without asking.

Also, Dish Network has a feature that will make sure that it's on a specific channel upon power up. I could make it change, if need be, to channel 3 every time it's powered up. I just enabled this feature and pressed the discrete power on button. It didn't care as it was already on. Powered it off, then back on, and it changed to channel 3.

KOT

Is there IR to RF repeater system in the room where it might be picking up IR commands from a neighbor? Powermids?

DirecTV does not do that, nor have that as an option. If you are not live and change channels, it will change channels, thus losing your ability to rewind on the previously not live channel.

To be able to rewind is EXACTLY why i do NOT have a box power off. When i come home and turn on directv, i can rewind because i did not have the box power off. I know, not related to Ernie's post. I do like feature on Dish that lets you know if you are changing channels from something that is not live. I know it did that on the old dish boxes, so the new hoppers still do that? Nice.

Always channel 2? Is there some potato chip do-do stuck in the #2 button? You could stow the remote in a drawer as a test.

I had a customer's system with a XANTECH repeater that was doing strange stuff. Yes, the data light was flickering sometimes, but I took a scope to the site and watched the data line. There was tons of trash on that line. It's no wonder that once in a while the trash was decoded as a command or swamped a legitimate command. Over time I realized that the trash was increasing. It was daytime and there were no lights in the room and direct sun on the IR receiver was impossible, besides the house was shaded. Eventually, I noticed that when I stood on a particular spot, the trash stopped. As I did a 180° I noticed a small patch of sunlight on some premium wallpaper -- more or less directly opposite the IR receiver. Evidently, the wallpaper was re-emitting in the IR band used by IR receiver. There were also reports of issues at night. Probably, the wallpaper was emitting then too. I added a sun filter and the issue went away.

Fred, that idea is not at all dopey. It's the very essence of how to find things out. (Read the Feynman book of almost the same name. You have the time now.)


Yes. For clarity, let's call that delayed.

It changes channel as the button push would tell it to do. And if we return to the channel that had been delayed, it is not delayed.

This is why I wanted to carefully use the word "delayed."
I would write what I think you mean as "...if I really want to leave delayed." "Live" should be contemporaneous. I don't know what to make of your "whatever."

That sounds logical. "Yes" changes things, "No" does not.
...And if the channel is changed, you are then no longer delayed, and if you change back, you are no longer delayed. Right?

Who knows? The directions have always been enough to operate the machines, but not exhaustive. Or I got exhausted before they did, I'm not sure which.

I find it weird if, in ANY way, it changes the channel by itself.

That's a smart command. It is programmed to go to 3 upon turnon, not go to 3 upon receipt of a turnon command. (Are there discrete power buttons?)

Thanks. This is interesting. I'm thinking the thing is simply krovatzed (fake Hungarian term meaning verpflucht bis tod).

Yes, I have discrete On and Off codes for Dish Hopper 3.

KOT

Ernie, I have had this same thing happen on that same DTV receiver.

It does not happen on the other model receivers I have, so maybe it's some crazy glitch with that model?

My receivers are controlled via an MX350 and IR routing. Have had this happen when no one else is here and using a remote.

It's a WTH moment that I've never had any luck figuring out, Doesn't do it with any regularity, so it's been pretty impossible to figure out.

Hey, TSS, how long have you had that DVR? I've had mine for probably three years and it only started doing this in the last six months or so, and still very rarely.

I suppose that's even more weird than my (our) problem. And of course if I get someone from DirecTV on the line, they will never have heard of it before.

buzz reminded me of a client whose Malibu house faced due south to the ocean. Don't ask how that's possible; it is.

Anyway, the IR system didn't work sometimes. That "sometimes" turned out to be when the drapes were open and the sun was also in its most southerly positions. Imagine thousands of little wavelets reflecting individual flashes of sunlight as the water moved... their combined light was millions of little pulses much stronger than the remote control's output.

Closing the drapes cured the problem. Closing the drapes required the Makita IR-controlled motors to close the drapes, so once the problem happened, you were out of luck for the couple of hours when this happened.

It was fun to troubleshoot, though!

As for our receivers, I think they're just defective.

Ernie,

I couldn't say just how long I've had, at least not without going through the files the bride keeps, and you are just not worth all that hassle.

I will say mine hasn't done it for awhile now, but saying that will probably cause it to happen...

I'll be done with DTV very soon (updating my antenna today< so I don't muc care.

Off air and a Tivo will be my deal now.


Sat here the other day and couldn't find anything to watch, other than on the networks, or on Prime, so I see no need for DTV any longer.

Paying a monthly fee for OLD DVR's, lots of programming like shopping channels, and REALLY old movies (with commercials, is stupid.

If DTV would go to a reasonable cost, ala carte, I would maybe consider staying, but I know that wont happen.