I am in NYC, zip code 10029 (Time-Warner, digital cable, IR blaster)). I wonder whether other people in the NYC area are having problem getting their program guide? Is GemStar responsible for sending it to the entire country? It sure would have been nice if they had warmed us that they are playing with their software. Because of hte problems I was having I had reset my machine to "factory default settings", and now I cannot get to parts of the menus that used to work fine.
Is there even a September firmware release? I upgraded mine back in July or August and Panasonic said that was the only they have come out with.
[bold]GRCompton[/bold]: I think the reference to the download stations was from both watching a cable box and the TVGOS diagnostics screen (messages tab, enter, 753159852). The channels are listed in hexadecimal, so you'll have to convert them to decimal. Btw, my download channel is NOT PBS, but the local FOX network channel here. [bold]shaolin00, faure[/bold]: Good questions. I don't think ANY firmware has fixed the U99 TVGOS problem. What these most recent variations (posted by gdoggy--see page 23) have addressed is a mystery to me. FYI, I have been U99-free for 11 days. The only thing I have done is to turn any potential download channels (except the main one and channel lineup d/l channel) to OFF, and arrange my lineup as VideoBob suggested. One other question/theory: I wonder if TVGOS updates PREVIOUSLY downloaded data. For example, if the National League Championship goes into game 7 this Friday, it will preempt the Fox programming that's currently listed in the TVGOS. Just a thought...
i just sent an e-mail to cheryl because things seem to be getting worse rather than better. i said to her that i did not understand why gemstar can't revert to their old download software (that worked) while they figure this mess out, rather than irritating and inconveniencing hundreds or maybe thousands of people while they try to find a solution. to this forum i suggest that as many people that request/demand this from gemstar will help them to see how ridiculous this field testing is.
I came home to a U99 today; it happened sometime between 10 AM and 3 PM (EDT). It's been almost exactly a week. sfstan - I don't think that anything is supposed to be getting any better for most of us at this point. Gemstar has categorically stated that they are waiting for results out of the OKC market before changing any other feeds. And I'll bet it's not an easy "flip the switch" reversal, or it has a big revenue impact -- otherwise they would have fixed it already.
In OKC. So far so good. I DID NOT enter service mode as requested by Cheryl as I knew the firmware version (970DL), so I have not received any further errors (or lost those wonderful promotions). Still with crossed fingers.
i am at a loss to figure out why people are concerned with gemstar's revenue losses when they are not getting what they paid for by buying the panasonic units. i for one do not like being a guinea pig and paying for it to boot. gemstar does not have to test or not provide service to an entire country in order to find their problem. i realize that it is not just a flip of the switch to revert back to their old software but i think they owe us that much to do it. for all those who like playing these games all day long, so be it. to the rest of us who want to be treated like the "good" consumers that we are, i suggest nothing changes unless you speak up.
Things are getting worse for me as well. U99 two days in a row and TVGuide is not populating. Too bad I didn't buy this unit from somewhere that has a decent return policy. I got is from Rex TV and they don't let you return anything for a refund. They do repair stuff for free, but that won't fix this problem! I am thinking of trying the format tactic and manually recording programs. Some questions first... 1: Does this really get rid of the U99s, or did it just seem like it? 2: Can I get the unit back to "normal" is Panasonic ever fixes the problem? I really want to use the TVGuide function, if they got it fixed I would want to get the TVGuide function back up and running. Thanks, Fellow Frustrated Consumer, Tim Watson
sfstan: Unfortunately, as someone else pointed out previously, it's the nature of corporate America. You paid for the Panasonic hardware, and got "free" TVGOS software. I found this out years ago buying a Sony CD burner. It came with burning software...but this software was limited unless you paid even more for the "full" version. Even the full version wasn't very good. At least in this case, one could use a third-party vendor like Roxio or Nero. Thus, the TVGOS is a "bonus" as the unit WILL work just fine without it...so Panasonic can wash their hands of it if they choose to.
Coyote24, I'm not a lawyer but I think Panasonic can't wash their hands that quickly. If they advertised their product with TV Guide future than they can be easily sued for false advertising if this future is not working and they don’t want to a) fix it or b) return money. Problem could be that not many people may be willing to return their unit. On same note there is nothing free in America even our TV Guide is not free. Panasonic paid Gemstar millions of dollars to license the TVGOS and TV Guide ads are not free too. I think Panasonic should put a good pressure on them since this fiasco in short or long run will hurt Panasonic name. I was looking for Plasma HDTV and Panasonic was obvious choice since I had their DMR. After all this I will go with anything else but Panasonic. Sparc21
Also from OKC (73034) Have been turning the E85H off overnight since Friday night (10/14). No more U99 errors, and now have a fully populated TV Guide for the next week except for this coming Friday night. Every night it seems to add some more. Also have the promo ads. Have resumed using point-and-click programming instead of the timer. It is working just like it did before the U99s started last month. Time for Gemstar to take it nationwide.
For the last two nights I've had my unit off for over 11 straight hours and it hasn't gotten any U99's but unfortunately it hasn't repopulated the TV listings AT ALL. I would reset it but I still have a few days of program data left. I'm glad to hear everything is going well in Oklahoma City. I don't think anyone in OKC mentioned getting a U99 since the "fix" was rolled out in your area did you? Sorry if you did I missed it. Hopefully we will all get some help with this soon. Thanks to all you folks from OKC for keeping us updated.
After doing Ch – up CH – down and then 30 seconds with plug out of wall, I was stable for 9 days and had all ads and fully populated listings for 7 days. After going into service mode to check that I had host version number 0970DL, I had complete listings but no ads. Because of no ads, I was in an unstable condition and got U99s 2 days in a row. This morning, 10-19-05, I did the Ch – up Ch – down and 30 sec unplug because I am convinced this is the only way to get back into a stable condition with no U99s. After the Service Mode check I was able to record and everything else but if you had a timed record and got the U99 before the timed record, my E85H would not record unless I was there to power the E85H back on. So if you were going away for a day or 2 it would go into a U99 and not record; thus not as useful as it should be. So now after the Ch – up Ch – down and 30 sec unplug my E85H is in standby searching for channels but I am convinced this will get me back to a stable condition. I will keep you posted. Good luck to all Bonus2
Mossler's question: I don't think anyone in OKC mentioned getting a U99 since the "fix" was rolled out in your area did you? Reply: That is correct as far as I am concerned at 73034 in OKC. I have not seen any U99 on my E85H since the "fix". I have powered down every night since Friday and during the daytime Monday/Tuesday. Prior to Friday I had frequent U99s (due to the TV Guide updates, but no other kind). I just went through the listings hour-by-hour this morning (Wednesday, 10/19, at 6AM) and have everything populated through next Wednesday except for midnight Friday through midnight Saturday. For Saturday, a few of the listings are populated. I have 10 promo ads.
How do you find out the main download and channel lineup download? I might go ahead and try that. I disagree. It was marketed as a feature and besides that it DOES interfere with the normal operation of the unit. Whether free or not, TVGOS and Panasonic have a obligation to address this issue. How would you like getting a refrigerator ,for instance, with a ice maker that didn't work? Everything else does work, and the manafacturer says its just a feature and the unit will work fine without it after you spent a hefty amount of cash on a brand new machine. I don't think so. I agree. Sometimes you must be firm with people to get something done. Panasonic didn't do ANYTHING until I threaten to never buy their products ever again and was going to make it my personal vendetta to inform everyone to how unresponsive their customer service is and the fact that they sold defective equipment. I told the person I wanted to speak to his boss then their boss, and if need be, all the way to Mr. Panasonic himself. I was fed up and still am, but since I did get a response with an intellegent and nice person, I'm somewhat confident they will fix this issue now. If not, well all I have to say is "Watch out Panasonic!". I suggest people follow the same suit.
in OKC. Now have fully populated listings. No U99 since last Thursday when "fix" was introduced. Unit is now functioning as it did pre mid-September. I will inform Cheryl of this in an email this morning. I will also let her know that TVGOS should expedite rolling out this fix as they have tried everyone's patience beyond what is reasonable. I hope that all will see the end of U99's (for now) in the coming week and we can all enjoy our DVR's as we did before this mess.
thank you to some of our forum members for sticking up for your rights. i have only suggested stronger methods to resolve this issue because after being in business for myself for about 30 years, i can tell you that is the only way to make a change. on occassion being nice and trusting will get it done for you, but not usually. i have purchased much machinery and softwar since i am in the graphics industry and am only trying to convey my experiences. it's kind of like voting. change will only happen if people stand up and say something. sitting back, waiting for change without a statement will change nothing or at the very least prolong the agony.
I agree that more often than not "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". However, I find that a diet lower is grease is much healthier.
