[mythtv-users] HD-PVR failure

[Brian Wood]

On Friday, December 03, 2010 02:59:42 pm Jeff Artz wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 3, 2010 at 2:44 PM, Kevin Ross <kevin at familyross.net> 
wrote:
> >  On 12/03/2010 11:36 AM, James Orr wrote:
> >> All of a sudden (after 6 months of no problems), I'm getting
> >> recording failures on my HD-PVR
> >> 
> >  8<
> >  
> >> After I switch the HD-PVR off then back on, it starts working
> >> again.  This has happened twice in the past week, with no
> >> problems in the past 6 months.
> >> 
> >>  I have not done any recent upgrades or changes to the system.  I
> >>  am using
> >> 
> >> the RCA audio inputs as the digital was causing problems before.
> > 
> > Congratulations on going 6 months between reboots of your HD-PVR! 
> > I need to reboot mine for the same reason probably once a month.
> 
>   I have two HD-PVRs, and they seem to 'lock up' about once a month
> or so. (I had to reset them both last-night as a matter of fact!)
>   If it gets to be too much of a nuisance, I may cobble together a
> script to power-cycle them via an X10 module - either when they're
> idle (as a preventative measure), or when the 'recoder error' is
> detected.

I wonder if the problem is actually internal to the HD-PVR, or is some 
sort of problem with the USB subsystem or the drivers.

I have an HD-PVR that I use manually outside of Myth. When it stops 
working I unplug the USB cable, wait a minute then re-insert it. This 
has always fixed the problem, with no power cycling of the HD-PVR needed.

Of course the HD-PVR may reset itself when it's plugged in to a USB 
port, so I'm not sure how to determine at which end of the USB cable the 
problem lives.

So I'd guess that power cycling the HD-PVR would also fix my problem, but 
it would be nice to know where the problem actually is.

The main symptom (other than not working) is when I start a recording 
(with cat) the red LED does not light up, which is how I know I am in 
the "failed" condition without having to check for a recorded file.