Motorola QIP 6416 -2 HD DVR Prone to Failure?
louist
Newbie

We recently had FIOS TV added to our existing Fios internet and phone. Verizon installed 3 Motorola QIP 6416 HD DVRs. (New out of the packing) The tech had serious problems getting each of them to sync (obtain network time). After much back and forth with the central office, and various diagnostic tests, he removed all three of them and brought a different set of 3 brand new units. Two of them came up immediately, the third had the same problem as the original 3. He again replaced that balky box with another new device and it came up properly immediately.  Please note that the tech spent over an hour diagnosing the DVR problems with several levels of Verizon higher level techs.  They repeatedly set and reset various systems and sent various diagnostic signals down while he had diagnostic equipment  attached.  In addition, earlier in the process, the tech tested all of the COAX and connectors using Verizon test equipment and also replaced the single splitter that is being used twice.  He said that the fiber, the ONT, and the Coax all checked out OK. 

SO the correction eventually was to use three different new DVR STBs and that worked!. I thought it very strange that so many of these devices were defective and he told me that they had been having problems.

This past Monday, 10 days after the finally successful installation, one of the three DVR's stopped recording shows. It also did not allow you to stop motion, back up or go forward. It would then just freeze. We "rebooted by removing power waiting a minute and re-powering, but after 15 minutes or so, it happened again. My wife called Verizon and they had her do the exact reboot process I described. Same result. Then they apparently re-imaged the device over the network. Unfortunately it did not correct the fault. Then they dispatched a tech to bring in a new replacement on Tuesday. First, the tech replicated the tests on the problem DVR and found the device to be faulty. He replaced the DVR with a new one and now all three DVR's work properly.

I can understand an occasional defective device, but this seems to be a very large percentage of defects. I haven't seen any information suggesting that anyone else has experienced such a situation. (4 separate, new out of the box being found by Verizon after tests to be defective)

I received some advice that I should check the on board diagnostics that are accessible through the DVR STB. (All three boxes show similar results so here are the results for one of them:

SNR on tuner 1 is 37.5 db (good)

SNR on tuner 5 is 36.7 db (good)

on both tuners: "uncorrectable errors" are 000

The two SNR readings vary a bit over time, but the changes are not very fast./ Total variance is about .5db.

There do not appear to be any error or problem comments.

Both tuners show: "carrier lock" = yes
"PCR Lock" = No
"DATA" = yes

Anyone have any experience or information that might put this into perspective?

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Re: Motorola QIP 6416 -2 HD DVR Prone to Failure?
Dan
Newbie
 I have had fios for about a year and have had my DVR replaced 4 times. I think the boxes themselves would work just fine if Verizon didn't disable a bunch of features the box has.  For instance, they disable the USB ports so you can't add an external harddrive.  Don't ask me why but they do.  I know that Motorola would never put out a device with so many problems so it must be something that verizon is doing to them before they get to our houses.  Two of my boxes gave me warning before they broke, they would start to squeak, I don't mean that it would come through the speakers, the boxes themselves would squeak like a mouse for a few days, then it would get louder and louder until it was unbearable, and eventually, stop working all together.  Harddrives went out.  Another one just stopped recording, like yours and the 4th one just died, it wouldn't do anything.  Clock worked, but nothing else.  It has been very frustrating dealing with customer service as well.  Of course Verizon won't send anyone out in the evening to replace the box, so I always have to take a day off of work to get my tv's working again, they have cost me 4 sick days in this past year.  I hate their equipment and customer service, but when everything is working, nothing compares to their internet speed and picture quality.  Oh well, I guess you have to sacrafice somewhere.
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Re: Motorola QIP 6416 -2 HD DVR Prone to Failure?
louist
Newbie
Is the solution that these Motorola DVR Boxes are failure prone and we should just have Verison repeatedly replace them on failure?  Doesn't sound like an economically viable "fix".
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Re: Motorola QIP 6416 -2 HD DVR Prone to Failure?
rkkeller
Newbie
I had one HDDVR die about 6 months after installing and the replacement has been fine (so far).
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Re: Motorola QIP 6416 -2 HD DVR Prone to Failure?
Rich-MD
Newbie

 I have had this 6416-2 for just over a month.  For the past 3 weeks it has "frozen up" or shut down almost daily.  Last Friday received a replacement unit.  Installed Saturday, it locked up at 11:00PM Sunday while recording 2 shows, which we didn't notice until the next morning at 5; repeated samthing last night.  I'm not sendint the first unit back if the second one is worse!!!  I suspect the problem has to do with the HDMI cable to the TV, which gets turned off and then the DVR just loses itself.  ANyone else with these types of problems?

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Re: Motorola QIP 6416 -2 HD DVR Prone to Failure?
louist
Newbie
Our current  three units were the outcome of several installs of defective units and replacements.  However, once functioning units were installed, they have worked fine.  They work  correctly with HDMI cables connected to HD LCD TVs.
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Re: Motorola QIP 6416 -2 HD DVR Prone to Failure?
Telcoguru
Master - Level 1
I doubt that many boxes failed. It is probably the OOB (Out Of Band) frequency is bad causing the box not to work.
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Re: Motorola QIP 6416 -2 HD DVR Prone to Failure?
Rich-MD
Newbie

Forgive me if this is inappropriate, but what does OOB (Out of Band) mean?

There are a number of other comments on other threads, referring to "Problems" with HDMI cables/connections and some TV sets.  DOes anyone know the full extent of this difficulty?

Also - Why can I not get any HD channels at my full 1080 resolution; highest HD channel displays seem to be 720, WHY?

Do I need to find another service provider?

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Re: Motorola QIP 6416 -2 HD DVR Prone to Failure?
Keyboards
Master - Level 3

OOB (Out of Band) is a control signal from Verizon that is not in the TV frequency range (hence out of band).

As for the HDMI issues, I've not experienced it in my 2 years of FiOS TV so I will let others comment (it seems to be strongly related to Samsungs but occurs with others).

For the 1080i question, what version of the IMG (Interactive Media Guide) do you have?  If you have V1.6 then you can go into the menu and settings to change the resolution (mine is set to 16:9 1080i).  If you are still on V1.5 then you need to access the STB internal menu as described in the manual for the STB.

Hope that answers at least some of your questions and I leave the decision on provider up to you Smiley Wink.

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