Here's an update on the lack of TVGOS for Shaw Cable subscribers in Canada. I sent a message to Shaw (including the President and any other customer service address I could find). I recieved a response yesterday (Nov 8). Still don't know if this is going to be resolved in the consumer's favour ...
So first Shaw informed you that you no longer had TVGOS because it was no longer a free service - but then they later informed you that it was actually because Shaw performed an upgrade that made TVGOS no longer compatible with them? They sound like politicians.
After downloading properly for months, My TVGOS stopped downloading again on 11/08, with loss of all ads. I'll have to change the ZIP and then do a reset if that doesn't work. Hopefully Comcast didn't screw something up. Again...love it when it works, hate it when it doesn't. Yeesh, have to change my signature...now have digital cable with a box, but I have the 85 bypassing the box.
Coyote, I HAD the same situation. Maybe Comcast was doing something this weekend. I was missing listings for Friday through this morning. Then everything straightened out today during the day. All Movies and "specials" are now downloaded. I guess I just have to wait for the regular listings to fill in over the next couple of days.
Actually, I haven't been getting TVGOS listings for a week. The local newspaper's TV editor mentioned something about the TVGOS signal switching from PBS to CBS "this fall." He was of no help with the issue, as he wrote "have you tried contacting Comcast directly?" *rolls eyes* Um, yeah, but as expected, they were of NO help! I bet Comcast screwed it up. I tried a reset and the Panny can't even find a signal...no channel grid, NOTHING. Whee, see what I get to do in the morning...call and bitch, if they even know what I'm talking about. I confirmed that my friend hasn't been getting TVGOS listings on his RCA TV, either, so it's a Comcast issue. Argh...well, it was a good run, if they don't fix it. They should leave well enough alone! It's not just a temporary "switchover" or anything, as I reset the guide and it can find NO signal AT ALL, no channel grid, even the TVGOS ID number is blank now! A local friend with an RCA TV is not getting any listings, either, and has not reset his guide, so his grid is still there, it's just not populating. UPDATE, 11/14: I called Comcast this morning, and (big surprise) they couldn't find any information about TVGOS. I'll see if the e-mail to Macrovision yields any results. I hope so, as a few people have said they're on the ball. Thanks to everyone who provided the Macrovision links and info (handyguy2, geissler, Scan10)! UPDATE: 11/18: Scan10, geissler: I'm glad Macrovision was so prompt in dealing with you, but they have yet to reply to me. I sent an e-mail on Friday morning, and received the automated "You should expect a response from us within 24 hours." message. Bull. It's been over 48 weekday hours, and NO REPLY. There was a "status update" at 3PM yesterday on the service ticket, but no e-mail was sent to me. Also, the number on the Macrovision website (800-368-7380) is a data/fax number, not a voice number. So much for them keeping THAT updated. Yeesh. 11/20: Still NO response from Macrovision, and the link in the automatic response e-mail no longer functions (login/password invalid). Perhaps they closed the ticket (without notifying me) as Comcast has restored the TVGOS signal (received a channel grid) but have yet to get ads or any listings. I'll probably have to reset again, as there's a download START time, but no DL END time. And no, I didn't interrupt said download by turning it on or recording. 11/23: Well, there were a FEW DAYS (Tuesday?-Friday) that Comcast was sending a TVGOS signal. Now, AGAIN, there is NONE. Not even a time signal. Macrovision replied after a FULL WEEK asking for model numbers, etc. *rolls eyes* Both companies are useless. 11/24: Contacted the local PBS station's Executive Director of Engineering, who said he would look into this problem today. Yay, someone who will help! If this kind man gets the job done, he deserves a Christmas present
I use my Panny for OTA recording and some DISH network, so the TVGOS worked for the one and was of no help for the other. I've now started running a digital converter box for my OTAs so the TVGOS in no longer of use for that either. It's still a dang fine recorder, though.
FINALLY on Monday my download issue was resolved. I notice that now my host channel is CBS instead of PBS, so I'm assuming the month of no TVGOS was due to the "changeover" on Comcast's end. Yeeeesh. By the way, if you haven't seen the ad on your TVGOS about "ready for the digital transition," Macrovision's TVGOS DTV page is here: http://www.macrovision.com/dtv/10053.htm
You need to go to the hidden "753159852" maintenance screens. Look back through the last few pages for my posts. I either tell you how to get to the screens or what page to look at for the info. Cal
How can I get the unit to start downloading tvguide info again?..on the screen where it shows time of last download..shows nothing no date..nothing..please anyone
The bottom line is you can't do anything to make the machine start downloading data. All you can do is turn the machine off and don't touch it for a day. Maybe even wait two days. You can try doing a deep reset, go through the setup menu, turn the machine off, and wait. Don't touch the machine for 2 days. People on the AVS forum say if you turn on the E85 before it's had a chance to scan all the channels for the TVGuide VBI, it will have to start all over from the beginning, and then you'll be waiting even longer. If you still aren't getting anything, there really is nothing you can do. Macrovision will blame the cable company and the cable company will either not know what you're talking about, or they'll ask you to subscribe to digital cable and rent their DVR that comes with a channel guide. That's the way it's all going these days.
scustalow, Just as an FYI. I presume this isn't your situation, but if you performed an AUTO CHANNEL SCAN action through the Functions->Setup menu, then that act disables the EPG download unless the unit is reset or its plug pulled for 30 seconds or so.
Two things will cause the unit to start searching for a guide channel: 1) VideoBob's power down and unplug for 30 seconds, 2) change ZIP code. I suggest you do both. Try changing the ZIP code to that of your local PBS station or your cable provider. When you do the reset, hold the power button down until the timer icon disappears. You should hear the hard drive shut down if the machine was on prior to the reset. See my earlier posts for more info on this. It shouldn't take days for the unit to find a host channel. It can't hurt to wait overnight, but if you are not seeing a host channel after 24 hours, TVGO is probably not there. This happens to me from time to time, Cox cable does something to interrupt it. I start by calling the PBS and ABC stations and talking their broadcast engineers. I ask them to verify that TVGO is being passed on to the cable company. I then call Cox and ask them to check into it. I have yet to get to talk to an engineer at Cox, but the problem gets fixed in a day or so after I call. When you talk to the cable people, make sure they know that this has nothing to do with their cable guide and TV Guide channel. Good luck, Cal
Hi all. I am having trouble with the TV guide system these past three weeks also. Just as you suggested, the cable company did not know what they could do about it. I guess I can try to call the PBS channel to see if they are sending it, but the problem may just be my own unit. I did try the zip code reset with no success, so I am unplugged now and will yet again try to get the listings back. I need those a LOT. Meanwhile, for those of you who had trouble with disks causing a system lockup, I took someone's advice in here about buying verbatim disks a couple of months ago, have made many disks since then, and it works. That tape that runs from hard drive to cd rom had been kinked and messed up too, so I had to fix that by realigning the wires with a toothpick, but I do believe now that VERBATIM is the only disk to use. kk
kingkassel, I had a similar problem at one point. I tried everything - the cable company wouldn't even acknowledge that they provided the analog PBS "host" channel in their lineup. I was able to get it resolved by contacting TVGOS service. Of course they made me jump through all sorts of hoops, sending them lots of diagnostics and resetting everything via several different methods. Eventually, they were able to determine that the local PBS station had inadvertently stopped transmitting the TVGOS carrier signal. My problem resolved itself shortly after that.
You could try going here and entering your ZIP code to see if TVGOS/Macrovision thinks you should have service: http://digitaltransition.macrovision.com/digtrans.aspx Cal
cal401, I'm also using Cox and haven't had guide data since November. I was getting channel lineups and ads through January, but after resting the system last week, I'm not getting anything. I emailed macrovision and they've been very helpful so far, requesting debug data and concluding the feed's been turned off. So we'll see what happens next.
Call your local PBS station and ask the broadcast engineer to verify that the TVGOS signal in present in their feed to Cox. A while back I lost TVGOS and problem turned out to be that Cox was using the digtial feed instead of the analog feed. I don't know what will happen when the analog feed goes away. So far TVGOS is still working here. Cal
This is good advice. The TV Guide listings stopped updating several days ago in Boston, and a web search brought me here. I just called WGBH, our PBS station that carries the signal, and didn't even have to get to the broadcast engineers. Someone in membership told me that there was a known problem with the signal and they were working to fix it. He also told me that in June it was going to change over to WBZ, the local CSB affiliate.
So does this mean TV Guide will continue listing if th elocal pbs still broadcasts the signal even if it is digital?
