# My display is very strange...



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

I am having a weird display issue with one of my HDVR2's. I tried to search for something similar, but I am having so much trouble trying to explain it, that I have no idea what to search for!

Once the TiVo boots, everything is displayed as if it had a multi-colored "screen" covering everything. Both the menus and the programming show this. As the TiVo is booting, the screens are perfectly fine. The problem starts after it finishes booting. And the closed captions are overlaid on the weird stuff, so they are sharp.

Since a picture is better than an explanation, here it is:


















The only other thing that is weird about this TiVo is that TiVoWeb does not respond, even though the MRV functionality is working fine (so the network connection is OK). This is an upgraded/Zippered TiVo.

Any ideas of what could be causing this?


----------



## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

It looks like you are using RF from the TV to the TiVo and you have it set to the wrong channel. The CC looks okay because the TV is decoding okay.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

JimSpence said:


> It looks like you are using RF from the TV to the TiVo and you have it set to the wrong channel. The CC looks okay because the TV is decoding okay.


I get this behavior with both the composite and with the S-Video output. But yes, now that you mention it, it sort of looks similar to that.


----------



## dtremain (Jan 5, 2004)

eddyj said:


> I get this behavior with both the composite and with the S-Video output. But yes, now that you mention it, it sort of looks similar to that.


Isolate the problem. What happens with another TV? What about another TiVo if you have one? Try switching cables.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

dtremain said:


> Isolate the problem. What happens with another TV? What about another TiVo if you have one? Try switching cables.


Definitely not the cables, since I tried composite and S-video. The TV itself does not seem to be the problem, since the boot-time screens display correctly. Swapping another TiVo will have to wait for later today. I will report after I try that.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

I went to swap the TiVo and everything is working now! So I have no idea what is going on. So I will cross my fingers and hope it was a freak occurrence. Yep, the old ostrich hide your head in the sand technique.


----------



## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

I'd double check all cable connections, there's a problem one in there somewhere.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

JimSpence said:


> I'd double check all cable connections, there's a problem one in there somewhere.


The weird thing is that it was happening simultaneously on both the composite and the s-video cables! The composite routes through the receiver, the s-video goes directly from TiVo to TV. I can't imagine what could cause both to fail at the same time, if it was a cable issue. I did check the cables were seated properly when I had the issue. I agree, there probably is something funky in there, but now that it is working fine again, there is not much to be done, until it happens again.


----------



## dtremain (Jan 5, 2004)

eddyj said:


> The weird thing is that it was happening simultaneously on both the composite and the s-video cables! The composite routes through the receiver, the s-video goes directly from TiVo to TV. I can't imagine what could cause both to fail at the same time, if it was a cable issue. I did check the cables were seated properly when I had the issue. I agree, there probably is something funky in there, but now that it is working fine again, there is not much to be done, until it happens again.


If it happens again, take one cable out of the system at a time. See if that does anything.

In the meantime, happy head burying. It's not a car and it's not going to leave you stranded in the middle of the road.

What the heck!!!


----------



## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

HEY
how did you get Music and Photos on your Directivo?


----------



## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

Gunnyman said:


> HEY
> how did you get Music and Photos on your Directivo?


It's pretty easy at least for photos. I have a picture frame sitting on top of my DirecTiVo right now. I will test out some music later tonight and try to stack some of my LPs and CDs on top of it.


----------



## dtremain (Jan 5, 2004)

rminsk said:


> It's pretty easy at least for photos. I have a picture frame sitting on top of my DirecTiVo right now. I will test out some music later tonight and try to stack some of my LPs and CDs on top of it.


Easy on the lps. The weight might not be good for it. Hacking is a delicate art.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

dtremain said:


> If it happens again, take one cable out of the system at a time. See if that does anything.
> 
> In the meantime, happy head burying. It's not a car and it's not going to leave you stranded in the middle of the road.
> 
> What the heck!!!


Yeah, I knew it would probably come back, just had a very full evening last night, so I knew I could not play with it.  When I turned it on after getting home at ten or so, the fuzzy mask was there again.  I'll see if I can play with it today, and try swapping some stuff out.

I am still confused why various people are still suggesting to check the cables, though. Two separate cables (going to two different inputs on the TV) that fail intermittently in tandem is too much coincidence. I am convinced this has to be a problem on the TiVo output. But I will do due diligence and try swapping the cables. Then I can concentrate on the TiVo.


----------



## dtremain (Jan 5, 2004)

eddyj said:


> I am still confused why various people are still suggesting to check the cables, though.


Because shorting can do all kinds of strange things and because it looks like a cabling problem.


eddyj said:


> I am convinced this has to be a problem on the TiVo output.


It may be, but since no one here has said "Hey! I've seen that before!" it may not be.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

OK, I finally had a chance to play with this. I moved the TiVo to another TV, and connected only the satellite and video cables (composite). Different cables at that.

Same thing happened. For the boot-up and a couple of minutes after, the screen display was perfect. After a few minutes, the color "screen of dots" appeared, and overlaid everything, including the menu screens. So I am thinking the TiVo is definitely sick, and that it is a hardware problem. But I have no idea about what to try to fix (if something is even possible). The only other thing I noticed, which I had not before, is that the "screen of dots" is static (does not move). The picture moves "behind" it, but the dots that compromise the "screen" effect are fixed and do not move.

The question is, what happens if I send this back to DIRECTV? I have the protection plan, and in fact had to replace my HD TiVo a couple of weeks back. So I know I can get a replacement. But what will they send me? I definitely do not want an R15. Hell, I don't want an R10 either, but at least that has TiVo. 

And to make life worse, one of my other HDVR2s, which has been in the spare bedroom and not used for a few months (not even connected to a TV) will not even boot now. I think the TiVo gods have turned against me!

I may have to cannibalize the two to get a single working one, and then try to get the remaining one replaced.


----------



## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

Eddy I replaced a dead HDVR2 under the replacement plan an HDVR2 arrived.


----------



## rhuntington3 (May 1, 2001)

Eddy, ack! Hope it all works out for you.


----------



## Mr2sday (Jul 8, 2005)

Did you try the cables in the interior of the unit? Maybe the opening loading screen is hard coded so isn't involved if the IDE cable from the HD is just a little off. Pop it open and check it out.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

I redid all the connections, pulled the HD and power supply off and reconnected everything. Same symptoms.

Note that the menus and picture are perfect, for a minute or two after booting. Then it goes haywire. It does this consistently on every reboot.


----------



## dtremain (Jan 5, 2004)

Sounds like a short circuit somewhere that heats up and then displays the problem. Did the unit take any physical impact?


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

dtremain said:


> Sounds like a short circuit somewhere that heats up and then displays the problem. Did the unit take any physical impact?


Nope. It has been sitting in the stand under the TV for ages.


----------



## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

It's hacking screw up. Restore a clean image, unhacked, and you'll be fine. Then be more careful when you rehack.


----------



## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

AbMagFab said:


> It's hacking screw up. Restore a clean image, unhacked, and you'll be fine. Then be more careful when you rehack.


How can it be a hacking screw up?

It definetly looks/sounds like a hardware issue and since it takes a couple minutes I'd think it was heat related, component in box is getting hot, breaking a connection, when it cools the connection sits correctly again.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

Given this machine was zippered a while back, and nothing else has been done to it, I can't imagine that it would be hack related. But I do have the original disk (or facsimile). I suppose it would not possibly hurt to try that, unlikely as it may seem.


----------



## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

AbMagFab said:


> It's hacking screw up. Restore a clean image, unhacked, and you'll be fine. Then be more careful when you rehack.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

Well, unlikely as I thought it would be, I re-imaged and re-zippered and re-hacked the drive with the latest and greatest versions, and all is working now!

I still have no idea of what could have caused it, but I am not complaining. It has been fine for a couple of days.


----------



## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

Langree said:


> How can it be a hacking screw up?
> 
> It definetly looks/sounds like a hardware issue and since it takes a couple minutes I'd think it was heat related, component in box is getting hot, breaking a connection, when it cools the connection sits correctly again.


It has been confirmed as a hacking screw up.

If you mess with Tivo's enough, you'll see just about everything.


----------



## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

eddyj said:


> Well, unlikely as I thought it would be, I re-imaged and re-zippered and re-hacked the drive with the latest and greatest versions, and all is working now!
> 
> I still have no idea of what could have caused it, but I am not complaining. It has been fine for a couple of days.


Just be careful with the hacks. If it happens again, leave it clean for a while, since you appear to be doing something slightly wrong with the hacking.

Zipper is great, but it eliminates the need to know what you're actually doing when you modify the Tivo, which makes it hard for you to debug it.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

AbMagFab said:


> Just be careful with the hacks. If it happens again, leave it clean for a while, since you appear to be doing something slightly wrong with the hacking.
> 
> Zipper is great, but it eliminates the need to know what you're actually doing when you modify the Tivo, which makes it hard for you to debug it.


I know what I did "wrong", I restored TWP from a backup (I had in installed in /var, and it got deleted, as sometimes happens). Why the heck this caused this particular strangeness is anyone's guess.

I have read up on a reasonable amount about the hacks (but am no expert) and I am pretty knowledgeable about UNIX systems in general (but not LINUX specifically). Why the restore went badly, and how it could have caused this particular output strangeness is puzzling, at the very least. I have two HDVR2s that I keep in sync in terms of what has been done to them, and only one got weird. So I am pretty sure there will be no repeat (Famous Last Words, I know).


----------



## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

AbMagFab said:


> It has been confirmed as a hacking screw up.


was this basically an "in your face" type of comment?

very classy

I'm glad I was wrong and eddy got it working, but it was acting like hardware and not software, still unclear how a software issue can cause it, and would actually like to know how/why?


----------



## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

Langree said:


> I'm glad I was wrong and eddy got it working, but it was acting like hardware and not software, still unclear how a software issue can cause it, and would actually like to know how/why?


Tivo has a lot of overlay type functionality, for lack of a better term. You can add an overlay (as the above user did, unintentionally), you can remove backgrounds (e.g. menus with no green/blue and just video), and everything in between.

What he described was exactly a software screwup description. If it were hardware, the bootup screens would be bad, too. The consistency of the behavior - good to bad - was very clear.


----------



## littlelibo (Jun 20, 2002)

I am having this same problem... I have not hacked anything since I replaced the HD about 5 years ago. Is there any way to save my recordings?


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

I have never had a recurrence, so I have no suggestions, other than what I did, which lost everything. Sorry.


----------

