# Buyer Beware - Premier Ongoing Problems



## Sierra8888 (Feb 14, 2011)

I have been a Tivo owner since 2003 with a Series 2 DVR. I never had a single problem with it and loved everything about Tivo until I bought the Premier.

My problems began the day it arrived in November 2010 and continue to this date. The picture froze the first night I was watching and had to do a hard reboot. At first I naturally thought it was normal as it was downloading many updates. The second night I watched it the same thing happened, picture froze when I pressed the Tivo button.

Long story short I have spent countless hours with Tivo phone support and a new box was even sent to me, I have tried plugging it in with ethernet wire and it froze even though Tivo assured me the only reason it would freeze is a bad wireless connection.

After 3.5 months of owning the box it STILL freezes, I am so disapointed. 

I would like to save anyone time and tell you that I have read every tip and have spent much time with Tivo support so I do not think a 'fix' exists other than stable software.

Tivo please make a better product.


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## johnner1999 (Oct 26, 2002)

I agree both of my S4 boxes pretty much are slugs and love to GROD! I could use the the SD menus. But thats like buying a new car with faulty ac, and the dealer says roll down the windows. 

Just saying 

Still want to see TiVo make it.


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

I am with you about the s4


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Sierra8888 said:


> I have been a Tivo owner since 2003 with a Series 2 DVR. I never had a single problem with it and loved everything about Tivo until I bought the Premier.
> 
> My problems began the day it arrived in November 2010 and continue to this date. The picture froze the first night I was watching and had to do a hard reboot. At first I naturally thought it was normal as it was downloading many updates. The second night I watched it the same thing happened, picture froze when I pressed the Tivo button.
> 
> ...


Why haven't you replaced it under warranty.

I have five Premieres and mine do not freeze.


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## Sierra8888 (Feb 14, 2011)

It was replaced under warranty once.

My point in posting above is to warn people about this shabby product. Having children that watch cartoons and the screen freezing/turning black is so frustraing, the machine takes several minutes to reboot. 

I'm glad to have the old SD Series 2 as a backup.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Sierra8888 said:


> Read my post... it was replaced under warranty once.


Then something is not right. None of my Premieres freeze, if they did I would have replaced them. Maybe it's another issue or you got another bad box.


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## Lrscpa (Apr 20, 2003)

And I was coming to this forum from the Series 3 forum to see if it's time to put my 3 yr old Series 3 (with a 3 mo. old 1TB drive) on and old TV, and pull the trigger for a new Premiere XL w/ Lifetime.

Answer I got very quickly is - "not yet".


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

My Premiere doesn't freeze either. It reliably records; It reliably plays back. Those with problems are more vocal (in any forum). Those without problems are labeled "fanboi" or some other (perceived) derogatory label.


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 28, 2002)

orangeboy said:


> My Premiere doesn't freeze either. It reliably records; It reliably plays back. Those with problems are more vocal (in any forum). Those without problems are labeled "fanboi" or some other (perceived) derogatory label.


All three of our Premieres are subject to freezing or at least very lengthy delays depending on what you ask it to do. Just yesterday we had one of them apparently completely crash with black screens on both tuners and black backgrounds on the menus. Pulled the plug after waiting 15 minutes. Turns out both tuner were recording just fine, but you couldn't see it. Some component had crashed or frozen in the UI making what it was doing not visible. First time for this particular error, but it was just another day in unfinished Premiere land for us.

BTW, this was on the SD interface, too.

TiVo doesn't care about their owners anymore. They only care about making more media and content provider deals for a platform that is rapidly turning into suck.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

I have one TiVo HD that is slightly flaky - I can understand the frustration. I also have a premiere that runs great with HD menus. Not all premieres break down 

I have seen some posts on folks setting their TiVo to the native resolution of the TV and dropping the other resolutions. IF the TiVo is constantly changing its output resolution for various content it could have some of the symptoms mentioned in the OP


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## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

aaronwt said:


> Why haven't you replaced it under warranty.
> 
> I have five Premieres and mine do not freeze.


Lucky you .


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## wolfmeiister (Feb 3, 2011)

ZeoTiVo said:


> I have one TiVo HD that is slightly flaky - I can understand the frustration. I also have a premiere that runs great with HD menus. Not all premieres break down
> 
> I have seen some posts on folks setting their TiVo to the native resolution of the TV and dropping the other resolutions. IF the TiVo is constantly changing its output resolution for various content it could have some of the symptoms mentioned in the OP


I agree - this made a HUGE difference for me! I set the ONLY output format to 1080i, and now my HD menus are slow, but usable. It was my TV that was choking on the constantly changing resolutions. Just try it!


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## 241705 (Mar 9, 2010)

ZeoTiVo said:


> I have seen some posts on folks setting their TiVo to the native resolution of the TV and dropping the other resolutions. IF the TiVo is constantly changing its output resolution for various content it could have some of the symptoms mentioned in the OP


I second that. I had similar problems with my TivoHD early on, where different menus or programs would cause the screen to "freeze", go black or just look like snow. Setting the output to a fixed resolution for the TV made all of that go away.

I also have a Premiere and it does not experience any of the problems you describe.


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## krusir (Feb 12, 2008)

Exactly.... I am a TiVo user since S1 .... Philips box.

I am running in "roll down the windows" because AC does not work mode. With SD menu and UI, it works perfect and could not be happier. I just treat it as a non-AC car.... haha.

TiVo, please make it right.



johnner1999 said:


> I agree both of my S4 boxes pretty much are slugs and love to GROD! I could use the the SD menus. But thats like buying a new car with faulty ac, and the dealer says roll down the windows.
> 
> Just saying
> 
> Still want to see TiVo make it.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

Experiences with the Premiere are very hit-or-miss. Some people have good luck others have nothing but trouble. Generally my experiences have been good with my two units with only a handful of HDUI issues (only twice needing a full reboot). 

Personally, I think it's all network related. I think the HDUI is intolerant of network failures. I bet if I threw a random packet drop simulator inline between the Tivo and router that I'd be able to reproduce the various lockups that other users are seeing. As it is, my network connection is rock solid, so I have few issues. 

Tivo needs to fix it. It's just a DVR, displaying a menu should degrade gracefully when internet issues present, not lockup the box.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Series3Sub said:


> Lucky you .


This is the case with the majority of people. Most people do not have freezing issues.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> This is the case with the majority of people. Most people do not have freezing issues.


A strong assertion... do you have data to back it up?

The following poll indicates otherwise: http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=446624

Only 15% reported never experiencing a lockup. Granted, it's non-scientific, and biased in favor of users with problems since those users are more likely to find their way to the forum, but it's the closest thing to real data I could find.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

smbaker said:


> A strong assertion... do you have data to back it up?
> 
> The following poll indicates otherwise: http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=446624
> 
> Only 15% reported never experiencing a lockup. Granted, it's non-scientific, and biased in favor of users with problems since those users are more likely to find their way to the forum, but it's the closest thing to real data I could find.


And this is data to back up that most people have problems? It's certainly unscientific, and people with issues are more vocal than people that have no problems.

Besides if you really want to go by the poll it shows that over 87.5% has had no problems or one lockup. One lockup is no big deal. It's when you consistently have issues that is a problem.

And it shows over 24% had one lockup and then switched to the SDUI and has had no lockups since. For all we know if they had stayed with the HDUI they would have not had any more lockups. The poll only shows 12.5% that are continuing to have lockups, but it is also only with the SDUI. There also is no option in the poll for people running the HDUI and multiple lockups so already it is missing data.

But if you want to go by the poll, only 12.5% have continuing issues, which is nowhere near the 50.1% needed for a majority.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> Besides if you really want to go by the poll it shows that over 87.5% has had no problems or one lockup. One lockup is no big deal. It's when you consistently have issues that is a problem.


The 48% result says "at least one lockup", not "one lockup". It could be these people are experiencing frequent daily lockups, or it could be they've experienced only one lockup. There's no way to conclude this from the data supplied.

The other two options are for people who switched to SDUI. Switching to SDUI does not imply a trouble-free box. It's an HDUI box and is expected to function in HDUI.

Regardless, the poll does show that about 85% of respondents experienced one or more lockup. That is a majority. One lockup is already too many. The box shouldn't lockup at all.

I agree there isn't enough to conclude that most people experience lockups because the poll isn't scientific, but I assume you'd also have to agree that youir statement that most people _do not_ experience problems also cannot be substantiated.


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## crxssi (Apr 5, 2010)

aaronwt said:


> Besides if you really want to go by the poll it shows that over 87.5% has had no problems or one lockup. One lockup is no big deal.


I agree that the poll is poorly designed and not scientific. However, it does NOT indicate "one lockup", it says "at LEAST one lockup". Huge difference.



> And it shows over 24% had one lockup and then switched to the SDUI and has had no lockups since. For all we know if they had stayed with the HDUI they would have not had any more lockups.


And for all we know they had a lockup after they took the poll and can't change their vote. Or everything was fine (like it was for me) until they starting having freezes and such with 14.7.



> only 12.5% have continuing issues, which is nowhere near the 50.1% needed for a majority.


No. 48% said they had AT LEAST one lockup but they continue to use the HDUI anyway. That implies nothing is fixed for them. Add to that the 12% still having lockups in SDUI and that is a total of 60% that potentially have continuing issues. And that is without them being able to change their votes.

I would really love to see a much better designed poll- but the forum poll format doesn't allow sophisticated-enough options to make that happen.


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## Sierra8888 (Feb 14, 2011)

Lrscpa said:


> And I was coming to this forum from the Series 3 forum to see if it's time to put my 3 yr old Series 3 (with a 3 mo. old 1TB drive) on and old TV, and pull the trigger for a new Premiere XL w/ Lifetime.
> 
> Answer I got very quickly is - "not yet".


Yes save yourself the frustration and wait for Tivo to focus on their
problems and not sales.

I would have never kept my Premier box if my previous Tivo box did not work
so well. I really thought patience and time would correct the problems but
no avail.

My Tivo will go up to two weeks without a freeze or blackout and that's
about it. Just when I start thinking hey this thing is working it breaks
again.

I am not a statistician but will guarantee you that for every person that
has posted a problem about the Premier freezing there are at least 1,000
others having the same problem but don't take the time to go online.


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## SugarBowl (Jan 5, 2007)

I have 2, and last week, they both crashed and reverted to SD menus.


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## Sierra8888 (Feb 14, 2011)

SugarBowl said:


> I have 2, and last week, they both crashed and reverted to SD menus.


Do you have blackout problems with the SD menus?


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## Stuxnet (Feb 9, 2011)

smbaker said:


> Personally, I think it's all network related. I think the HDUI is intolerant of network failures. I bet if I threw a random packet drop simulator inline between the Tivo and router that I'd be able to reproduce the various lockups that other users are seeing. As it is, my network connection is rock solid, so I have few issues.


I have a hunch that you are correct. As a relatively new Premier user, I'm noticing that nearly all of my GRODs happen in proximity to networking PCs through pyTivo or kmttg. I've tried to time my major connections overnight or when the TV is not in use. If I could put these app toys away for a week, I'd have a better feel for the cause of my lockups.


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## jmaditto (Jul 29, 2007)

Count me in with frequent freezing on my Premier only. My two THDs are flawless. Just now putting this all together. Unit becomes unresponsive, although the yellow light on front flashes when I press remote buttons. After pushing too many times ( I guess)the unit will reboot. If I wait it out, anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes, it starts working again. All recordings in progress seem unaffected and I can even pause and rewind (using the TiVo app on my iPad). I will unplug my STA1520 next time this happens to see if that takes care of it.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

I've had 2 freezes in 6 months of ownership. 1 the first month. And one a few weeks ago.

I get the green circle at least once a week though. Short term wait. 10 seconds.

And overall sluggishness is always present. Always a few second delay after hitting a button.

I'd say the Premiere is just above the show stopper level. There's plenty of headroom for it to get better. But no room for it to get worse.


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## eschmith (Jun 21, 2002)

I have also been considering an upgrade from my HD to a Premiere ever since it came out, and now that I'm about to switch over from Comcast to FIOS, it seemed like an even better time to check things out again. Like many others have expressed though, my overall impression from the many threads is just to stay away.

By the way - although I've been happy to see some discounted prices on the units, I'd like to point out that any piece of consumer electronics that randomly hangs or glitches, even if caused by sporadic manufacturing issues, would be considered by most 'regular' users to be a complete failure. Think about if your car stereo, or microwave oven, or clothes washer just randomly shut off, slowed down, etc. You would have a fit. I don't want to buy a product and have to hope that I get one of the working ones, or that it somehow will like my particular setup and therefore work properly.

I think the promise of advance technology and a superior UI in no way counterbalances basic performance issues or slowness in adopting technologies that other products have (for example, built-in wireless support, or support for many additional providers\channels like Roku does). And if basic product issues stop long time customers like myself from upgrading, the products will never make it in regular retail. (this comment is more for Tivo folks who might be reading, if you are an existing and happy user, then obviously this does not apply to you)

REALLY wished that Tivo had announced a new generation boxes at CES .. something to hold out hope for..


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

eschmith said:


> I have also been considering an upgrade from my HD to a Premiere ever since it came out, and now that I'm about to switch over from Comcast to FIOS, it seemed like an even better time to check things out again. Like many others have expressed though, my overall impression from the many threads is just to stay away.
> 
> By the way - although I've been happy to see some discounted prices on the units, I'd like to point out that any piece of consumer electronics that randomly hangs or glitches, even if caused by sporadic manufacturing issues, would be considered by most 'regular' users to be a complete failure. Think about if your car stereo, or microwave oven, or clothes washer just randomly shut off, slowed down, etc. You would have a fit. I don't want to buy a product and have to hope that I get one of the working ones, or that it somehow will like my particular setup and therefore work properly.
> 
> ...


Yea damn, I have to power cycle my refrigerator or not use the new flash cold section for sodas because it might hang the compressor.


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## crxssi (Apr 5, 2010)

eschmith said:


> REALLY wished that Tivo had announced a new generation boxes at CES .. something to hold out hope for..


I don't think most ANYONE wants them to do that! They need to fix their current, "new" generation boxes, not introduce even more of them!! Most (if not all) the problems are software related, not hardware. There is no need for more/different hardware, unless they want to release a TiVo "remote viewer" or "stream" box... but that isn't part of their plan since they want to force people to buy multiple subscriptions for every room and use the proprietary, TiVo-only, MRV.


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 28, 2002)

Exactly. Just fix/finish the software, TiVo.


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

eschmith said:


> ...
> By the way - although I've been happy to see some discounted prices on the units, I'd like to point out that any piece of consumer electronics that randomly hangs or glitches, even if caused by sporadic manufacturing issues, would be considered by most 'regular' users to be a complete failure.....


Most computers I have ever used are complete failures by this statement. My computer randomly hangs for a few moments everyday - I get the hourglass figure at least once a day. Sometimes I have to restart it. Updates are sporadic and security and viruses are always a concern. I can't trust my desktop to be a reliable DVR (at least compared to my TiVo  ). Computers are a complete failure, if I see one more hourglass (last one was this morning when I had the computer doing a couple things at once - it lasted like 10 seconds) I think I will call up Dell and Microsoft and let them have. The nerve of them selling me software and hardware that hangs and glitches at times. A computer should never take more than a second to do anything, even while performing multiple tasks and read/ writes on the disk at the same time. Cheap hardware and half-baked Windows 7. GGggrrrrrr.

 

Sometimes I think we forget the TiVo is nothing more than a computer designed to record shows and stream video from the internet. Not too many people have computers that can reliably record 2 HD streams, while playing back a third and be downloading from the internet all at the same time. Not to mention indexing and filing in the background. I do think of building my own dvr - could do it rather easily, but it would be some money (likely more than a TiVo) and I would have to depend on the reliability of Microsoft.


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## audioscience (Feb 10, 2005)

I think everyone who has issues should start spamming @tivodesign on Twitter (Margret Schmidt, VP of User Experience at Tivo) about their issues and when a fix will be announced.

Spam, not in a harsh way, but in a way that will get the point across that many users have issues.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

daveak said:


> Most computers I have ever used are complete failures by this statement. My computer randomly hangs for a few moments everyday - I get the hourglass figure at least once a day. Sometimes I have to restart it. Updates are sporadic and security and viruses are always a concern. I can't trust my desktop to be a reliable DVR (at least compared to my TiVo  ). Computers are a complete failure, if I see one more hourglass (last one was this morning when I had the computer doing a couple things at once - it lasted like 10 seconds) I think I will call up Dell and Microsoft and let them have. The nerve of them selling me software and hardware that hangs and glitches at times. A computer should never take more than a second to do anything, even while performing multiple tasks and read/ writes on the disk at the same time. Cheap hardware and half-baked Windows 7. GGggrrrrrr.
> 
> 
> 
> Sometimes I think we forget the TiVo is nothing more than a computer designed to record shows and stream video from the internet. Not too many people have computers that can reliably record 2 HD streams, while playing back a third and be downloading from the internet all at the same time. Not to mention indexing and filing in the background. I do think of building my own dvr - could do it rather easily, but it would be some money (likely more than a TiVo) and I would have to depend on the reliability of Microsoft.


Bogus. This is designed to be an appliance. It does not let you download and install your own code like computers. The closet correlation are firmware updates. How would you feel if your DVD player failed or your TV menus work sometimes and sometimes did not. We should not say just because you get that BSOD of death on your PC thats OK for Tivo. If thats the case you better worry when you go to the hospital or start your car up or even look at your digital watch. Virtually everything has software but appliances are very different.


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

zalusky said:


> Bogus. This is designed to be an appliance. It does not let you download and install your own code like computers.


You almost make it sound like an Apple product. Well, not really, but...

It is still a computer, one you cannot make software changes to ( and very limited hardware changes). Though you can make the claim it should be no different then your working DVD player and work as an appliance, it is still doing more things and does more things at the same time. Not having dealt with the issues others are having, I am having trouble seeing it the same way. I can say with some certainty that the TiVo is a much more software intensive device and is somewhat different than a washing machine controlled by a chip on a board and is accomplishing more intensive tasks then even a DVD player - and doing more at the same time. More than just simple firmware controlled board. If it was just firmware on a chip then wiping the drive or having corrupted files would not matter so much.

I think not having a CE type device that just works out of the box for everyone is a problem. I think trying to make a what is essentially a computer into a 'just works' CE appliance has proven to be a daunting task. If it was so really easy and cheap I think most of us would simply use Windows 7 as a dvr, but that is not the case either.

Can an advanced dvr (or even just a generic cable dvr) be really a 'just works' CE device? I know my washing machine and car do not require regular internet updates so they can keep working and get improved performance, but maybe a true appliance that never gets added software features do not need it.


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## indychris (Jan 15, 2011)

daveak said:


> Most computers I have ever used are complete failures by this statement. My computer randomly hangs for a few moments everyday - I get the hourglass figure at least once a day. Sometimes I have to restart it. Updates are sporadic and security and viruses are always a concern. I can't trust my desktop to be a reliable DVR (at least compared to my TiVo  ). Computers are a complete failure, if I see one more hourglass (last one was this morning when I had the computer doing a couple things at once - it lasted like 10 seconds) I think I will call up Dell and Microsoft and let them have. The nerve of them selling me software and hardware that hangs and glitches at times. A computer should never take more than a second to do anything, even while performing multiple tasks and read/ writes on the disk at the same time. Cheap hardware and half-baked Windows 7. GGggrrrrrr.
> 
> 
> 
> Sometimes I think we forget the TiVo is nothing more than a computer designed to record shows and stream video from the internet. Not too many people have computers that can reliably record 2 HD streams, while playing back a third and be downloading from the internet all at the same time. Not to mention indexing and filing in the background. I do think of building my own dvr - could do it rather easily, but it would be some money (likely more than a TiVo) and I would have to depend on the reliability of Microsoft.


I would suggest that if the basic hardware and system software--with no other installed software or hardware components--did that, then your computer is an epic failure, too. Once you begin to add a bunch of stuff to it, then all bets are off.

I'm a Mac guy. Been using them since 1990. Network and fleet admin since '03. If one of the lines gave me these kind of problems out of the box, I'd be banging on the doors of the local Apple Store and then avoid it like the plague--which we did with a couple of the old PowerMacs.

The problem with the Premiere is that it fails AS SOLD with no other peripherals.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

daveak said:


> You almost make it sound like an Apple product. Well, not really, but...
> 
> It is still a computer, one you cannot make software changes to ( and very limited hardware changes). Though you can make the claim it should be no different then your working DVD player and work as an appliance, it is still doing more things and does more things at the same time. Not having dealt with the issues others are having, I am having trouble seeing it the same way. I can say with some certainty that the TiVo is a much more software intensive device and is somewhat different than a washing machine controlled by a chip on a board and is accomplishing more intensive tasks then even a DVD player - and doing more at the same time. More than just simple firmware controlled board. If it was just firmware on a chip then wiping the drive or having corrupted files would not matter so much.
> 
> ...


Tivo is not selling to a bunch of geeks. They are selling to mainstream people including Grandmas and Grandpas. That is not an acceptable business model to tell them their new box might not work now and then.


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## eschmith (Jun 21, 2002)

daveak said:


> Most computers I have ever used are complete failures by this statement. My computer randomly hangs for a few moments everyday - I get the hourglass figure at least once a day. Sometimes I have to restart it.


Yes, exactly, and if you talk to any regular folks (read: non techies) that have such an issue, they usually HATE their computer and don't understand why the stupid box does not just _work_, especially when they have paid hundreds or thousand+ dollars for them.

I don't honestly know if the current hardware platform can ever run properly (much exceptionally) and already has it's reputation dinged in a big way. I think from a marketing perspective, they should start from scratch (think I'll start another thread on this)


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## Audiovidman (Jan 21, 2011)

I own two Tivo Premiers and all works fine. No freezing. You have to remember devices today a complex. Tivo's of the past only record and play back. Today they Netflix, photo's and web stuff. A lot going on. Some times I thought it would be better to have it plain & simple machine, but how would they make money $$$.

The bottom line is if your machine is not working correctly send it back, that's why they have a service department.

Good luck...


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## L David Matheny (Jan 29, 2011)

eschmith said:


> I don't honestly know if the current hardware platform can ever run properly (much exceptionally) and already has it's reputation dinged in a big way. I think from a marketing perspective, they should start from scratch (think I'll start another thread on this)


Maybe a new model would be received better in the marketplace (initially at least), but any new machine would start with the same software and therefore the same problems. If TiVo wants to stay in business they need to bite the bullet and do whatever it takes to make the software run properly. It can be done, and they need to find programmers who will do it.


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## aaroncgi (Apr 13, 2010)

daveak said:


> ..
> Can an advanced dvr (or even just a generic cable dvr) be really a 'just works' CE device? I know my washing machine and car do not require regular internet updates so they can keep working and get improved performance, but maybe a true appliance that never gets added software features do not need it.


Sure, our Dish DVR worked perfectly from an operational standpoint for three years, not once freezing or rebooting. It did have a system crash sometime in the fourth year, which acted like a hard drive failure, but it was recoverable. The fix required nothing more than a single brief call to Dish and it was back up again, though admittedly, with the loss of all our recorded programs and settings.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

Audiovidman said:


> The bottom line is if your machine is not working correctly send it back, that's why they have a service department.


Do that and they'll be exchanging their new Premiere for a refurbished unit running exactly the same software and having the same problems.

It's not a hardware issue (IMO), it's a software issue exasperated by differences in the environment the box is installed, most likely minor networking abnormalities. Some people (like me) have relatively trouble-free installations. Other people are not so lucky. Software needs to be fixed to make it more robust.


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 28, 2002)

smbaker said:


> Do that and they'll be exchanging their new Premiere for a refurbished unit running exactly the same software and having the same problems.
> 
> It's not a hardware issue (IMO), it's a software issue exasperated by differences in the environment the box is installed, most likely minor networking abnormalities. Some people (like me) have relatively trouble-free installations. Other people are not so lucky. Software needs to be fixed to make it more robust.


Leaving out the glitch and freeze issues, there's still the problem of the half-complete HDUI/SDUI frankenstein and the fact that if you want to use Parental Controls you are prohibited from using the HDUI at all. There's *plenty* for TiVo to work on - that's plainly obvious, but they're doing none of it, and adding new (broken) features instead like the crappiest Pandora implementation on the market. Easily the worst of any vendor that offers it I know of.

They've lost their way. And worse, they don't seem to care.


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

It looks like the bottom line is this, people want a DVR that just works and requires no tweaking or extra work to keep it running well like a computer. If it takes a geek, then forget about it. They want zero delays and immediate response, and having to reboot the device should be out of the question. And it should be as easy and simple to operate as any other CE appliance. 

It seems to be - that for the most part - TiVo takes what would be a bit more complicated on your computer to do and makes easier and for the most part is more reliable than a computer used as a DVR. I still think it is easier and usually cheaper to use a TiVo than any computer version using Media Center. But is TiVo better and/ or easier then other DVRs? For the most part, that still seems to be a yes. It still beats, hands down, any cable DVR I have ever seen or used. 

Any real competition seems to be Dish or DirecTV - Dish who may have stolen (accused of violating patents) technology from TiVo and DirecTV who has been doing some work with TiVo. Both seem to have pretty good DVRs, from what I have heard (never used one from either, but have seen some DirecTV DVRs in operation). And yet if you visit forums related to these two companies, you will here your share of moaning and complaining as well.

TiVo, IMHO, is still the best solution for me. Obviously it is not the best solution for everyone - If you're on cable you certainly have another solution available so some of you may want the cable DVR. If you are on sat. then you likely do not have TiVo to begin with - unless you are a long term DirecTV person.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

I just had an annoying problem on my Premiere. A black line appeared near the bottom of the displayed video. This was on a WS program, displayed pm a 4:3 TV. Went right through the USA logo ( I was watching White Collar). I actually thought that USA had "extended" their "bug" across the screen. Then I saw that it was present everywhere, even on TiVo menu screens. After eliminating the TV as the source of the problem, I restarted the TiVo. Success! Line gone.


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## alexofindy (Apr 16, 2010)

Add me to list of those with lock-ups using the HD menus. I do use a wireless network connection, so perhaps the problem is network related. But once the lockup occurs, if I leave the Tivo on overnight, it's still locked up in the morning. Only solution is a reboot which of course takes 10 to 15 minutes. I paid full price for my XL and full price for my PLS. Tivo: you need to fix this. Now. Take your developers off building iPAD apps and pther candy, and get the basic functionality you marketed and promised working.


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## forum junkie (Oct 2, 2004)

Does it seem silly to anyone else to hear users say "I have no problems with mine, I just don't use the features that don't work".


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## deandashl (Aug 8, 2008)

alexofindy said:


> Add me to list of those with lock-ups using the HD menus. I do use a wireless network connection, so perhaps the problem is network related. But once the lockup occurs, if I leave the Tivo on overnight, it's still locked up in the morning. Only solution is a reboot which of course takes 10 to 15 minutes. I paid full price for my XL and full price for my PLS. Tivo: you need to fix this. Now. Take your developers off building iPAD apps and pther candy, and get the basic functionality you marketed and promised working.


I doubt the iPad project has a lot to do with the Premiere HDUI issues. I'd be surprised if TiVo finally hired the needed programmers to fix the HDUI, but before they could get started pulled them off and told them to make an iPad app.

These problems with the Premiere are OBVIOUSLY related to using Flash. They cannot be fixed because everyone (TiVo, Adobe, Broadcom) involved has been working on it for over a year.

That's why TiVo has the old SDUI option. They knew it. But "someone" promised them it could be fixed. That's also why TiVo doesn't want to finish the HDUI. They have enough problems where they are.

Flash optimized Processor, my a$$. Disaster optimized processor.

You should all just get used to it. This is your TiVo Premiere. Sorry.

By the time TiVo, Adobe and Broadcom fix the problem, it won't matter anymore. In fact, the game is probably over already.

I'm looking into WMC to replace my HD XL in a couple years.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

wolfmeiister said:


> I agree - this made a HUGE difference for me! I set the ONLY output format to 1080i, and now my HD menus are slow, but usable. It was my TV that was choking on the constantly changing resolutions. Just try it!





blackngold75 said:


> I second that. I had similar problems with my TivoHD early on, where different menus or programs would cause the screen to "freeze", go black or just look like snow. Setting the output to a fixed resolution for the TV made all of that go away.
> 
> I also have a Premiere and it does not experience any of the problems you describe.


AHA! Guess what that is? HDCP again. Your TiVo is doing supercomputer-level number crunching to determine if your television is worthy of being allowed to display your content. You paid for this.

I've had mine go into a "HDMI not permitted" loop (what happens if the TV is deemed not worthy) stopping audio and video in a cycle of about 5 seconds until I power cycled the television.

We paid for this.


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## TVCricket (Mar 7, 2010)

I love my Premiere. Would do it again if I had the chance.


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## KC0bra (Feb 27, 2011)

Adding lifetime subscription is NOT an option with Premiere or Premiere XL is it? I was led to believe the only option is $19.99 a month (or a bit less per month if you pay more for it up front) but that's it. Is that right?



Lrscpa said:


> And I was coming to this forum from the Series 3 forum to see if it's time to put my 3 yr old Series 3 (with a 3 mo. old 1TB drive) on and old TV, and pull the trigger for a new Premiere XL w/ Lifetime.
> 
> Answer I got very quickly is - "not yet".


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## crxssi (Apr 5, 2010)

KC0bra said:


> Adding lifetime subscription is NOT an option with Premiere or Premiere XL is it? I was led to believe the only option is $19.99 a month (or a bit less per month if you pay more for it up front) but that's it. Is that right?


That is not right. You can add lifetime to any Premiere, as long as it is not subsidized. This means you can't add it to the $100 offered/subsidized TiVo Premiere, you have to pay full MSRP ($300 for non-XL) first. Then lifetime is an additional $400.

http://www.tivo.com/abouttivo/policies/tivoservicepaymentplanstermsandconditions.html


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

I believe that if you buy a Premiere at full price from TiVo, they will let you put a lifetime subscription on it. You may not be able to do it online, but if you call TiVo, they will most likely work with you.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

Mine freezes all the time to the point I have to pull the plug. Im just making the best of it. Tivo is never going to finish this box. We all have the privilege of owning a beta product.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Just like the Moxi, unfortunately...


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## twhiting9275 (Nov 17, 2006)

I wouldn't put it in the 'buyer beware' category, but the Premiere can be a bit slow and fussy. Most of these issues can simply be resolved by switching OUT of the HD menu.


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## LoREvanescence (Jun 19, 2007)

I have never had my premiere freeze on me in the nearly year that I have had it. It's been perfect, and in my opinion more stable than the S3 I have had for years. 

Sure, the menu's aren't all HDUI but that's not a show stopper for me. 

I use the HDUI menu on mine, and have never ran into a problem with it, nor do I find it to slow. 

Maybe I'm just a lucking one, dunno. I'm quite happy with my premiere


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## twhiting9275 (Nov 17, 2006)

LoREvanescence said:


> I have never had my premiere freeze on me in the nearly year that I have had it


Not only have I had my box freeze on me (thanks, HDUI), I've had it actually shut itself down and restart in the middle of programming, and the system takes forever (5-10 minutes) to come back up.

Add to that the slowness of the HDUI, just overall problems. This is easily solved by using the OLD UI, but all the good stuff's in the new one (despite them hiding the restart option).


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

I'm another one of the "had no problems, runs fine" group. 

In addition I moved my own CableCARD (FiOS FTW!) and did my own 2TB upgrade to my woot Premiere XL So far it's been a champ in every way and will be replacing the THD in my house. 

I think it's very important in these gloom and doom threads that some of us that have not had issues speak up so that new members can see it's not that every Premiere is a POS, and many of us have perfectly fine experiences.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

dianebrat said:


> I'm another one of the "had no problems, runs fine" group.
> 
> In addition I moved my own CableCARD (FiOS FTW!) and did my own 2TB upgrade to my woot Premiere XL So far it's been a champ in every way and will be replacing the THD in my house.
> 
> I think it's very important in these gloom and doom threads that some of us that have not had issues speak up so that new members can see it's not that every Premiere is a POS, and many of us have perfectly fine experiences.


Agreed. I purchased a Premiere when they were made available, and haven't had any issues beyond OTA tuning performance. Even that appears to be addressable by getting an antenna that accounts for multi-path issues.


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## plazman30 (Jan 23, 2005)

I have 2 TiVo Premieres and haven't had any major problems. I have noticed that the HD Menus are very intolerant of interruptions to network connectivity. If I have a FIOS day where my network cuts out for a few seconds every couple of minutes, the TiVo gives me messages and the spinning green circle.

I've had that happen twice so far. Second time I switched to the SD Menus and the stopped. Went back to HD menus when I knew my FIOS was more reliable.


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## twhiting9275 (Nov 17, 2006)

The premiere itself is very intolerant of 'no network'. I've had a few issues where my outside network was down for hours (cable spliced, it happens), but internal was just fine, and the premiere just threw a fit, wouldn't let me do a single thing, watch anything that wasn't on IT (despite having a tivo in the back room and a pretty large collection on the pc).


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## TheWGP (Oct 26, 2007)

curiousgeorge said:


> TiVo doesn't care about their owners anymore. They only care about making more media and content provider deals for a platform that is rapidly turning into suck.


If you take NOTHING else away from this thread, take this! It is the core, fundamental understanding about modern-day Tivo that you must accept!

Yes, I'm serious, and yes, BUYER BEWARE!

Note: I'm PERSONALLY very happy with my Premiere, even on the HD menus - but we've had perhaps a half-dozen reboots, two or three green circles and four or five menu freezes requiring manual intervention with the reset code. Thing is - I only paid 263.99 total for a lifetime-sub Premiere - if I had paid more than this, even as much as the $700 some paid, I'd feel completely gypped. Rather, I just look at it from the perspective that Tivo has no plans to ever do anything good for customers, except by accident - either money or press must result from anything Tivo does, I'm convinced. Even bugfixes, insofar as they happen (which is barely anything) seem only incidental to preparing for the next content deal Tivo wants to do.


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## jmaditto (Jul 29, 2007)

jmaditto said:


> Count me in with frequent freezing on my Premier only. My two THDs are flawless. Just now putting this all together. Unit becomes unresponsive, although the yellow light on front flashes when I press remote buttons. After pushing too many times ( I guess)the unit will reboot. If I wait it out, anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes, it starts working again. All recordings in progress seem unaffected and I can even pause and rewind (using the TiVo app on my iPad). I will unplug my STA1520 next time this happens to see if that takes care of it.


Just wanted to chime back in after a month or so. Changing my TiVo resolution from auto to fixed as suggested in this thread seems to have cured my issues. Good advice. :up:


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## Sasparilla (Dec 10, 2003)

I'm another user in Series 3 land (and Series 2 before that) who was waiting to see if TiVo was going to finish the Premiere before pulling the trigger. I fully expected the UI to have been finished and the big issues to be taken care of at this point - as it would have been in the days of the Series 2 or Series 3. Actually I would have expected them to finish the HD UI before rollout and stuck with the SD UI in the mean time if they needed to get a hardware change out...

It is very disappointing where the execs at TiVo have taken the company, since after a year beyond release there hasn't been large scale finishing of the UI and underlying software in that time - the executive suite must be fine with the half finished box as is (otherwise things would be very different). 

And if they haven't finished significant portions of the software since release more than a year ago, the likelihood that they will in the future gets to be significantly less and less with each passing month. Truly a bummer for any serious TiVo fan...which I myself am.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

twhiting9275 said:


> The premiere itself is very intolerant of 'no network'. I've had a few issues where my outside network was down for hours (cable spliced, it happens), but internal was just fine, and the premiere just threw a fit, wouldn't let me do a single thing, watch anything that wasn't on IT (despite having a tivo in the back room and a pretty large collection on the pc).


I've used one of my Premieres at my girlfriends with no internet connection with zero issues. Occassionally I'll forget to bring my media Bridge or tiVo wireless G adapter when I bring the Premiere to her house. When I do the box has no issues. I can watch any previously recorded show with no problems.

This is a regular premiere with the 320GB hard drive.


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## mohanman (Dec 18, 2007)

Man this thread scares me.. just bought two tivo premiers... I hope things go ok.. if not TIVO is definitely not the best of the best it used to be.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

mohanman said:


> Man this thread scares me.. just bought two tivo premiers... I hope things go ok.. if not TIVO is definitely not the best of the best it used to be.


My Premiere has been just fine, as have many MANY TCF forum members Premieres, just don't let the chicken little crew scare you before you can find out for yourself.


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## eaglestvo (Dec 27, 2008)

Wow, sorry you guys are having so many problems with your TiVo premieres. I recently got one, and it works flawlessly. I don't see why mine is different.


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## craigmcg (Mar 20, 2011)

My premier has never worked well with HD menus. It complains about the network connection even though all the other devices plugged into this Ethernet hub work fine with no problems.

Every so often I get hopeful that the problem will go away by itself, but every time I switch back the same old problems are still there.

Still give Tivo a "B" for this product, but it would be a lot better if it worked well as advertised.


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## ltxi (Feb 14, 2010)

craigmcg said:


> My premier has never worked well with HD menus. It complains about the network connection even though all the other devices plugged into this Ethernet hub work fine with no problems.
> 
> Every so often I get hopeful that the problem will go away by itself, but every time I switch back the same old problems are still there.
> 
> Still give Tivo a "B" for this product, but it would be a lot better if it worked well as advertised.


I solved the hopeful-->disappointment-->hopeful-->disappointment do loop problem by never switching back to the HD menus, ever.

Truth be told, I never really liked them in the first place. The only reason I bought into a Premiere was to replace my S2s to maintain recording capability when Comcast analog service dummied down to almost nothing along with avoiding the issues with the last production HDXLs.


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## Lukej (Apr 28, 2006)

orangeboy said:


> My Premiere doesn't freeze either. It reliably records; It reliably plays back. Those with problems are more vocal (in any forum). Those without problems are labeled "fanboi" or some other (perceived) derogatory label.


They are only labelled that once they deny those with problems the right to express that they have a problem; instead of people letting them post, they jump on them and go "my 10 tivos have no problems. you are the problem." 
Yes, then these are fanbois, and you know, that is the nicest of the terms.

I have been with this forum through the launch of many TIVO products. No product has had so many problems as the premiere, even long after it was launched. It has in fact stopped me from upgrading to one since I don't want to play a $600 lotto with my money on the off chance I get one that works.


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## greekgodess (Jun 14, 2010)

I bought the hd after becoming extremely frustrated with Fios' horrible boxes. Ever on the search for more hard drive space, 1 month later the premier came out with even bigger hard drive, so we went with that too. did away with Fios' boxes altogether. In the switchover from the HD box to the Premier, Tivo's support had me do something that fried the HD and it had to be replaced. Initially we also had issues with the premiere and we did the SD menu for a while. eventually one day tried the HD menu again and whatever was causing the freezing/rebooting/serious lag time issues seemed to be resolved. haven't had any issues with the premier since. Not so with the hd box. It was constantly rebooting and finally one day I got in a screaming fit with tech support over it. Finally figured out why...I had upgraded my Fios to the highest speed (35/25). Apparently the hd boxes just aren't capable of handling the extreme speed/signal from the cable (not the internet). I was advised by Tivo support to get an "attenuator". this is a small piece that goes in between the coax cable and the box. it reduces the strength of the cable signal to the box. I know it sounds like just what you wouldn't want to do but it WORKED! I haven't had any more issues with the box rebooting/freezing. I look back now and wonder if that wasn't the problem all along with the premiere and then maybe an update fixed that without realizing it.


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## myladyz (Dec 12, 2006)

Goodness I just bought a Premiere Tivo, What did I get myself into?..I hope I got a good box and I have years of trouble free experiences with it!..Thanks for this forum!!


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

myladyz said:


> Goodness I just bought a Premiere Tivo, What did I get myself into?..I hope I got a good box and I have years of trouble free experiences with it!..Thanks for this forum!!


I've had my Premiere for about almost year now, and I've had no issues with mine. I can't be certain of this, but I think the environment the Premiere is in has an effect of it's performance or problems. I use an antenna only, and a wired network connection. Does it make a difference that I'm not using a CableCARD, Tuning Adapter or wireless? I think so, but have no proof. Would my Premiere start experiencing problems if I moved it to a different environment where I did require those things? I don't know, but may find out soon! I may have to move because of my job situation.


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## ColdnFrosty (Jan 26, 2011)

I'm having constant network issues with mine as well even though I have no LAN issues or issues going out to the broadband. Causes problems with accessing YouTube videos as well. I end up having to reboot (a real pain).



craigmcg said:


> My premier has never worked well with HD menus. It complains about the network connection even though all the other devices plugged into this Ethernet hub work fine with no problems.
> 
> Every so often I get hopeful that the problem will go away by itself, but every time I switch back the same old problems are still there.
> 
> Still give Tivo a "B" for this product, but it would be a lot better if it worked well as advertised.


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## ColdnFrosty (Jan 26, 2011)

I just got off Chat with TiVo Support, and the network connection problem is a known issue that they say will be resolved with the next software update. However, he could not tell me when that would be.



ColdnFrosty said:


> I'm having constant network issues with mine as well even though I have no LAN issues or issues going out to the broadband. Causes problems with accessing YouTube videos as well. I end up having to reboot (a real pain).


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## eaglestvo (Dec 27, 2008)

orangeboy said:


> I've had my Premiere for about almost year now, and I've had no issues with mine. I can't be certain of this, but I think the environment the Premiere is in has an effect of it's performance or problems. I use an antenna only, and a wired network connection. Does it make a difference that I'm not using a CableCARD, Tuning Adapter or wireless? I think so, but have no proof. Would my Premiere start experiencing problems if I moved it to a different environment where I did require those things? I don't know, but may find out soon! I may have to move because of my job situation.


I have had mine for just a week and a half. But I am also OTA only with a wired ethernet connection. So far it has been fantastic. I hope this is the formula for Tivo success.


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## RoyK (Oct 22, 2004)

ColdnFrosty said:


> I just got off Chat with TiVo Support, and the network connection problem is a known issue that they say will be resolved with the next software update. However, he could not tell me when that would be.


Check is in the mail, right?


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## Tony Chick (Jun 20, 2002)

ColdnFrosty said:


> I just got off Chat with TiVo Support, and the network connection problem is a known issue that they say will be resolved with the next software update. However, he could not tell me when that would be.


The "video resolutions not sticking" was a known problem scheduled for the next release about 3 releases ago and its still with us, so I'll take it with a large lump of salt.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Video resolutions not sticking? What causes that? I've never seen it on mine. Even on the box that I take back and forth to my girlfriends house. I have 480P, 720P, and 1080i selected. And at my place it's connected to a 1080P set and at her place it's connected to a 720P(768P really) set. 
The selected resolutions have always stuck.


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## rage777 (Aug 19, 2006)

If you are comparing Tivo models, then I would say that the Tivo Series 2 was a lot more stable then the current Premiere model. I would also agree that the Premiere is very buggy. But I would not agree that it's a buyer beware kind of thing. There were a lot of issues with the Premiere when it first came out, which drove a lot of people on this forum to find out what was wrong. But since people found out how to get rid of most problems (SD GUI, network connectivity, etc), I think the majority of people on these boards now days are for problems they can't figure out.

Bottom line, can the Premiere be better, of course. Would I trade my Premiere for my Tivo HD or Series 2, he!! no.


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## 241705 (Mar 9, 2010)

Lukej said:


> They are only labelled that once they deny those with problems the right to express that they have a problem; instead of people letting them post, they jump on them and go "my 10 tivos have no problems. you are the problem."
> Yes, then these are fanbois, and you know, that is the nicest of the terms.
> 
> I have been with this forum through the launch of many TIVO products. No product has had so many problems as the premiere, even long after it was launched. It has in fact stopped me from upgrading to one since I don't want to play a $600 lotto with my money on the off chance I get one that works.


I would not classify myself as a "fan" of Tivo, but I am a user of their products. I acknowledge that others may be experiencing issues with the Tivo Premiere. However, I have had a TivoHD for about 1.5 years and a Premiere for just about 1 year. Both have been solid and I have not had the problems others have reported. So - should "Buyer Beware" of Tivo Premiere? Not as far as I am concerned...your mileage may vary.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

blackngold75 said:


> I would not classify myself as a "fan" of Tivo, but I am a user of their products. I acknowledge that others may be experiencing issues with the Tivo Premiere. However, I have had a TivoHD for about 1.5 years and a Premiere for just about 1 year. Both have been solid and I have not had the problems others have reported. So - should "Buyer Beware" of Tivo Premiere? Not as far as I am concerned...your mileage may vary.


it's the same here with my Premieres. Only I have been using five of them for a year with HD menus without the problems that have been reported. I've used them regularly with four HDTVs and with two other HDTVs on occassion, all without these issues.

I just hope TiVo keeps making them better and better.


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 28, 2002)

Yay, another hard crash and reboot. Had the one that happens on the SD menus where the background to the SD menus goes black and it won't display live TV (though it's still recording in the background). Once the UI crashes like this, we know it's a matter of minutes before the box reboots and we lose about 10 minutes of whatever show it's recording while it reboots. In this lovely episode, we lost TWO shows.

Thanks, TiVo. We have had more crashes, freezes, and reboots on our Premieres than all other TiVo generations COMBINED.


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## MediaLivingRoom (Dec 10, 2002)

It's like a hot wife who got old and flabby too fast.


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## Sierra8888 (Feb 14, 2011)

Still having freezes and crashes with my Tivo as of today. Will the problems ever be fixed?


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

Sierra8888 said:


> Still having freezes and crashes with my Tivo as of today. Will the problems ever be fixed?


Probably not. They are to busy working on the ipad, ipods bs.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

curiousgeorge said:


> Yay, another hard crash and reboot. Had the one that happens on the SD menus where the background to the SD menus goes black and it won't display live TV (though it's still recording in the background). Once the UI crashes like this, we know it's a matter of minutes before the box reboots and we lose about 10 minutes of whatever show it's recording while it reboots. In this lovely episode, we lost TWO shows.
> 
> Thanks, TiVo. We have had more crashes, freezes, and reboots on our Premieres than all other TiVo generations COMBINED.


I still don't get anything like this with my Premieres(which all run the HD menus). They have been rock solid, like all the TiVos I've owned in the last decade.

I guess I should be thankful that I don't see any issues like this with my five Premieres. It would certainlybe annoying to have a box reboot like that.

I would still like to know why some Premieres have issues like this while most don't.


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## rage777 (Aug 19, 2006)

Sierra8888 said:


> Still having freezes and crashes with my Tivo as of today. Will the problems ever be fixed?


Are you running a wireless connection to your Tivo? Losing internet connection seems to be a problem with the Tivos.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

aaronwt said:


> I would still like to know why some Premieres have issues like this while most don't.


Me too. I suggested in one thread concerning issue to include the manufacture date (found by the power cord) to see if there was a bad batch. My Premiere's birthday is 1/26/2010.


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## Audiovidman (Jan 21, 2011)

I have two premieres and about monthly I get some of those issues, but I think some of problems could be corrupted video programming.


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 28, 2002)

Audiovidman said:


> I have two premieres and about monthly I get some of those issues, but I think some of problems could be corrupted video programming.


Maybe, but the Premiere should be robust enough to handle corruption or glitches in the stream. The Series 3 and TiVoHD never had problems at this level and frequency and they dealt with digital HD all the time.

(I think it's hilarious on the google ads to the side of the page there's one that is asking if you should sell TIVO)


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## mec1991 (Nov 5, 2004)

Well, my Premiere (purchased last November, born on 8/31/10) has now begun rebooting even using SD menus and being used only as a DVR - no internet use whatsoever except for making daily calls. 

This morning I was just watching the local early news when it went south for no apparent reason. Last night the screen went black with an error message to the effect that it could not locate an active signal on that channel and then it rebooted. Over the past week I had noticed signs that it had done so several times, but I witnessed these last two events.

Up until this week I had been relatively content with SD menus and no internet use because it was stable as a PVR and I was willing to wait it out till they fixed the problem, but now...

Is the S3 a viable replacement for my use? At this point I simply want a TiVo that works like my old S1 and S2 DT models.

And, yes Aaron, I know you have 5 of these that work perfectly, but that really does not help me or others with Premiere issues.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

mec1991 said:


> ..................................................................
> And, yes Aaron, I know you have 5 of these that work perfectly, but that really does not help me or others with Premiere issues.


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

My premiere did something it never did. Was watching a recorded show and it froze. The premiere did a reboot so now i lost about 5 min of program that's was being recorded. Another log added to the fire and causing it be reliable expressly in in the HDUI


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 28, 2002)

Weird. Same here. One of our three Premieres which is always in SD mode is getting the black screen reboot too - twice in the last 4 days.



mec1991 said:


> Well, my Premiere (purchased last November, born on 8/31/10) has now begun rebooting even using SD menus and being used only as a DVR - no internet use whatsoever except for making daily calls.
> 
> This morning I was just watching the local early news when it went south for no apparent reason. Last night the screen went black with an error message to the effect that it could not locate an active signal on that channel and then it rebooted. Over the past week I had noticed signs that it had done so several times, but I witnessed these last two events.
> 
> ...


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## chicagobrownblue (May 29, 2008)

I've given up on the HD menus (due to the green circle of death problem) and switched back to SD menus. So far no problems. But, I feel like I bought a nice, new sexy DVR and now I just have a smart replacement for my VCR.


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## JPALMETTO (May 19, 2004)

I've posted mny times about this reboot issue. 

I'm on my second unit that does the same thing. Reboots on playback of reorded shows. Tivo has had me go through weeks of this unplugged-that unplugged to try and narrow down what's causing it. 

This is a bigger problem than they will admit and they will not replace it a second time. Says the problem is on my end. BS!


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 28, 2002)

JPALMETTO said:


> I've posted mny times about this reboot issue.
> 
> I'm on my second unit that does the same thing. Reboots on playback of reorded shows. Tivo has had me go through weeks of this unplugged-that unplugged to try and narrow down what's causing it.
> 
> This is a bigger problem than they will admit and they will not replace it a second time. Says the problem is on my end. BS!


Are you using HD menus?


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I saw the green spinning circle the other night. I deleted a folder that had around 25 shows in it. The green spinning circle showed up for 3 to 4 seconds. I don't normally delete folders this large, but three to four seconds didn't seem too bad.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

Switched to SD a month ago or more and haven't looked back.

I waffled between sd and hd for awhile, but ultimately chose responsiveness over the extra eye candy/information/features.

My Premiere started recording reruns though for a show that had been only recording first run episodes. It's annoying.


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## ducker (Feb 21, 2006)

trip1eX said:


> Switched to SD a month ago or more and haven't looked back.
> 
> I waffled between sd and hd for awhile, but ultimately chose responsiveness over the extra eye candy/information/features.
> 
> My Premiere started recording reruns though for a show that had been only recording first run episodes. It's annoying.


I see that happen from time to time on my older S2 model. I attribute it to how a station is flagging the show. Doesn't bother me too much as I just quickly delete them.

(don't know about the premiere - just watching the thread as I'm seriously looking to buy a premiere but concerned about all these issues so far after the release date)


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## WillH (May 26, 2010)

aaronwt said:


> I saw the green spinning circle the other night. I deleted a folder that had around 25 shows in it. The green spinning circle showed up for 3 to 4 seconds. I don't normally delete folders this large, but three to four seconds didn't seem too bad.


I have had the Premiere since day 1 and have seen the slow improvement in the UI but I am now thinking that the TiVo servers may be the reason for the occasional hiccups and slow response. I am on a very fast wired ethernet and I still get sluggish response and the spinning circle at times that seems to hang forever. Fortunately, it doesn't crash like it used to but I think the garbage discovery bar graphics at the top that downloads constantly is the main problem. When their servers are busy with a lot of folks using their Tivos, their servers are not equipped to handle the load and the box has to wait. I have suggested to Tivo that they offer a way to turn that interactive crap OFF but marketing is obviously running the show at Tivo rather than engineering or operations (or customer satisfaction for that matter). I still like it but it seems to me they could greatly improve the unit even more. Anyone have any idea when firmware V14.08 is due out or V15? It has been awhile since the last update.


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