Pioneer DVR 533HS Problem

[Hollywood_Mike]

Recently my Pioneer DVR 533HS had a problem with the TV Guide On Screen. When i went to the guide, the area on the left of the screen (where the advertising is) was clear, but the area on the right where the guide listings are was all garbled.

I did a reset on the unit (stop & power off) and now the TV Guide does not come up at all. When I press the guide button, the LED display on the front of the recorder displays the date (like it did before), but nothing shows up on screen. Everything on the machine works fine, I can still record to the HDD & playback, but the TV Guide doesn't appear when I hit the guide button.

This wouldn't bother me too much, except scheduling timer recordings is done through the TV guide screen. When I hit the Timer Rec button, same thing happens as when I hit the TV Guide button.

Pioneer said to contact an authorized repair centre. The repair guys know about the problem, but can't get a solution from Pioneer. They figure it may have something to do with the suppliers of the EPG data. (If so, shouldn't I still be able to at least setup the TV Guide??)

I thought I'd hit everyone here for an answer before I go back to Pioneer.

(It's like my TV Guide On Screen doesn't exist anymore!)

Help? Thanks!

[trhouse]

The TV Guide and timer functions are in software on the hdd. This is how to restore it if it has been corrupted,

http://www.pioneerfaq.info/english/dvr630.php?player=DVR-630H&question=replace_hdd

[Hollywood_Mike]

It took two tries to install the new firmware to fix the TV Guide problem, but it worked! (First install did upgrade the firmware, but the TVGOS never showed up.)

Thanks for the help, much appreciated!

Mike

[orsetto]

Glad to hear you solved your problem so quickly! Successfully duplicating the timer firmware onto the drive is usually a total pain. Just in case anyone else looks to this thread for info on corrupted Pioneer TVGOS firmware used in model 531-533-633, before resorting to hard drive service you could try a soft reset of the TVGOS using special code numbers. Often, once the TVGOS disappears, you can't even figure out how to access it for a reset. Dedicated Pioneer hobbyist Sean Nelson at that "other" forum once generously posted instructions on how to enter the EPG reset code even if you can't see the EPG screen:

Blind reset of the Pioneer TVGOS system:

Press the "Timer Rec" button
(bypasses TVGOS's initial setup screen even if some of the setup parameters are missing)

Press "Down Arrow" 15 times
(goes down to the "cancel" entry for the new timed recording.
Will end up on "cancel" even if you press "down" too many times)

Press "Enter"
(cancels the new timed recording)

Press "Up Arrow" several times
(ensures you're on the TVGOS menu line)

Press "Left Arrow" once
(The "Settings" menu is just to the right of the "Schedule" menu)

Press "Down Arrow" once
(The "Change System Settings" entry is the first one in the "Settings" menu)

Press 7-5-3-1-5-9-8-5-2
(Enters the TVGOS debug screen)

Press 6-5-3-2-7-4-1-4-7
(Resets TVGOS)

Since you may not be able to see any feedback, you'll want to do this while being very careful to keep the remote pointed at the unit and use firm button presses so that you have no doubt that the unit has received each command.

[ethom4ge]

I am having the same exact trouble with the Pioneer 533H-s (with the garbled tvgos, reset, and now no tvgos and no manual timer recording display. I tried the zip down load but after loading disc into unit it did the normal few seconds where it says load but then it just showed the normal time and channel on the unit display and the tv screen just showed normal cable program. Nothing else ever happened. The tray never opened or showed the load 1, 2, 3,etc.
I tried entering the setup menu blind as in your last post, but with no change. am I doing something wrong?

[trhouse]

Do you have the GVxxxx disk and special remote control?

[orsetto]

I am having the same exact trouble with the Pioneer 533H-s (with the garbled tvgos, reset, and now no tvgos and no manual timer recording display. I tried the zip down load but after loading disc into unit it did the normal few seconds where it says load but then it just showed the normal time and channel on the unit display and the tv screen just showed normal cable program. Nothing else ever happened. The tray never opened or showed the load 1, 2, 3,etc.
I tried entering the setup menu blind as in your last post, but with no change. am I doing something wrong?

The 533 is excellent and worth fixing, Pioneer makes great recorders except for this ONE bonehead decision to put the timer on the hard drive as software instead of on a dedicated chip in hardware. The "corrupted EPG" problem is the single most common issue seen in these recorders, otherwise they are stone reliable. So let's get yours working again:

It sounds as if you might have misunderstood something (repairing the Pio TVGOS is a very confusing task.) If the "blind reset" trick didn't help, it means your hard drive got corrupted in the section that contains the TVGOS and manual timer software. There is no easy fix for this. The zip file you downloaded does not work by simply burning a DVD of it and loading it into the unit: the recorder has no idea what to do with the file on its own.

You pretty much have to identify which of the three firmwares is needed for your particular recorder, remove the hard drive from the recorder, install it in a PC, restart the PC under KnoppixOS (a special version of Linux), and enter a string of Unix commands to copy the firmware download to the corrupted drive. Then you put the drive back into your 533 and reinitialize it using the service disc and service remote. This requires PATIENCE, some degree of technical skill (because the firmware copying process often goes goofy and you have to troubleshoot your way until it works), and access to a Pioneer service disc and service remote (or adequate substitutes).

It is a total friggin PITA to do, Hollywood_Mike was *incredibly* lucky to manage it lickety-split in just two tries. Many people hit a brick wall when their PC gets lost trying to find the Pio HDD, it can be really difficult to get the right firmware copied onto the right drive (many PCs duplicate the drive icon and create phantoms on the Knoppix desktop, you have to identify the "real" drive and adjust the Unix command string to redirect the download correctly). If your eyes are glazing over reading this and you have no idea what I'm talking about, you shouldn't attempt it yourself- get a friend who knows Linux/Unix to help you.

This repair is generally so much trouble to do that it really doesn't pay to try and fix an already corrupted Pio drive. The 533 came with an 80GB drive, made three years ago, if you fix it now it could fail again next week. If you are going to deal with this mess yourself, you may as well discard the bad drive altogether and buy/install a brand new 250GB or 320GB HDD instead. Follow the instructions on pioneerfaq.com and here in the forum (look up Pioneer 520 repair threads for info how to get and use the Pio service disc and remote). Take it slow and don't panic. I've done this repair a dozen times now for myself and others, it scares the hell out of me each time but it does eventually work out.

[Hollywood_Mike]

I am having the same exact trouble with the Pioneer 533H-s (with the garbled tvgos, reset, and now no tvgos and no manual timer recording display. I tried the zip down load but after loading disc into unit it did the normal few seconds where it says load but then it just showed the normal time and channel on the unit display and the tv screen just showed normal cable program. Nothing else ever happened. The tray never opened or showed the load 1, 2, 3,etc.
I tried entering the setup menu blind as in your last post, but with no change. am I doing something wrong?

I'm going to write this reply assuming your HDD is working properly (ie: your 533 is in complete working order, you can still record to HDD (manually) and playback from HDD,) but your TVGOS & ability to set a record timer are gone. This was the state mine was in. I'm also going to assume you have burned a good .img to disc for the firmware.

What I think you're missing is how to get the 533 to load the firmware from the disc. Try the following:

With the machine turned on, open the disc tray. Place your firmware CD into the tray, but do not close it.

On the front of the 533 (do not use the remote), hold down the record stop button (this is the oblong button marked by a red square between the round REC button, and another oblong ONE TOUCH RECORD button) and press the PLAY button.

The tray will close. Stop holding down buttons, and do not perform any operations until the update is complete.

The disc tray will open after a short while. Remove the disc from the tray, but leave the tray OPEN.

The front panel will will display some messages including "Download-1" "Download-2" "Download-3" etc.

The disc tray will automatically close after approx. 5 minutes, and the power will switch off. The update is complete.

Power on, If "WRT FAILED" or "HDD ERR" appears in the front panel re-do the install. Otherwise, if the machine doesn't prompt you to do a setup, do a reset by holding down the stop button on the front of the unit, and pressing power. Release the buttons, and let the machine power down. When it's done power up again, go through the setup process (channels, time & date, etc.), and after a few seconds the TV Guide setup screen will appear. (If not, try again)

Once again, I'm assuming your HDD is in working order, and you have downloaded the proper firmware file & created a proper update disc. (I'm sure the instructions for creating a setup disc are on this forum, somewhere, but I may be mistaken-I've done a lot of Googling for a remedy to this problem)

Also, you can check your firmware version (before install & after it to see if it worked) by going to Home Menu > Initial Setup > Audio Out > Digital Out > On (just highlight "On") then press the ANGLE button on your remote.

Good luck!
Hollywood Mike

[Hollywood_Mike]

before resorting to hard drive service you could try a soft reset of the TVGOS using special code numbers. Often, once the TVGOS disappears, you can't even figure out how to access it for a reset. Dedicated Pioneer hobbyist Sean Nelson at that "other" forum once generously posted instructions on how to enter the EPG reset code even if you can't see the EPG screen

Since I just got the TVGOS working, I'm not about to try this, but will if this happens again!

I know when I hit the TV Guide button or the Timer Record button, the date would show up on the 533's front display (as it normally did) but nothing would appear on screen. I guess this means the 533 is in the TV Guide, but not displaying it to screen??

[orsetto]

What I think you're missing is how to get the 533 to load the firmware from the disc. Try the following:

Now THAT'S a new trick I don't think we've heard of before! To the best of my knowlege, on the USA/Canada models there was no "correct the problem by reloading TVGOS firmware via putting a disc in the recorder". Every repair solution I've seen from here and elsewhere pretty much requires the tedious tricky rip-the-hardware-apart, use a PC and the service remote routine. Even the exhaustive pioneerfaq.com specifically advises this will not work on the US/Canada models, only the European (which uses a totally different guide system)..

Most Pioneers CAN load their firmware from a service disc, but the theory went the one-off North American TVGOS in the x30 series was not available on that Pioneer service disc, only the recorders basic operating system- when Pioneer had to repair a US/Canada 531-533-633 with a dead EPG they were said to swap out the HDD for another pre-programmed backup. If you have located a link that explains how to burn a disc that the recorder can load a US/Canada TVGOS restore from directly, by all means please post it here asap! Many of us have wasted countless hours doing the hardcore repair on this cursed EPG system: your new way would be an incredibly useful option. Please share?

[Hollywood_Mike]

your new way would be an incredibly useful option. Please share?

I know someone who has access to the Pioneer Service site (for repair shops). They downloaded the newest firmware & made a disc. The first install of the firmware was successful in upgrading the firmware (from 1.27 to 1.31), but not fixing the Guide problem. A second install of the firmware successfully fixed the TVGOS problem.

The instructions for upgrading from the disc was posted on the Pioneer Europe site here.

As for creating a disc, this thread has some info, but it's 24 pages deep, so be patient and read through.

Good luck!

[ethom4ge]

i've tried the download disc several times, and it cycles through the downloads but I continue getting the HDD ERR message on the front. The zip file contains two files. Do I use both or the smaller or larger of the two.
I guess by now you can tell I am a novice with electronics so I appreaciate any help I can get. So even if this doesn't work for me, thanx!

[wabjxo]

For my first FW upgrade, I mistakenly used the compressed ZIP files, and the machine cycled thru the files w/o doing anything.

You might try again with the ZIP file copied or moved to another folder on your computer HDD, which auto-expands it. You'll know if the file size grows.

Also, make sure you're creating a "Data Disc"... my SW app. has that as an option.

[ethom4ge]

I made sure the zip was open and that it was for a data disc. Like I said, it does the whole load 1, 2, 3, 4 and then shuts down, but when I turn it back on I get the error message. When I initially checked my firmware it was below 1.30 so it says to use the Pioneer4.zip. This downloaded as an image file. The pioneer 530H zip worked but it changed my firmware to 3.46 which may be the reason for the error message. But now I can't get back to where I was before. and yes my hard drive otherwise works fine. I can record I can copy to and from disc. I just have no ability to set a timer recording.

[orsetto]

.....The pioneer 530H zip worked but it changed my firmware to 3.46 which may be the reason for the error message. But now I can't get back to where I was before. and yes my hard drive otherwise works fine. I can record I can copy to and from disc. I just have no ability to set a timer recording.

Uh-oh: this could be a much bigger problem now that you've added more detail. One of the things you absolutely should never do is mix and match firmware between Pioneer recorders intended for North America and Pioneer recorders intended for Europe/Middle East. The 530H firmware you loaded by accident is now probably locked in a logic loop where its looking for Euro-spec tuner hardware when the machine boots up, doesn't find it, and reports HDD ERR as a result (HDD ERR is a generic error and also specific to the HDD). The machine is not accepting the switch back to USA firmware because its "stuck" trying to sort out the mess made by the 530H firmware and so won't recognize your attempt to restore it.

All of the first-generation 2005 Pio machines with EPG, whether European or USA spec, suffer from incredibly poor implementation of the TVGOS software, the recorders own firmware, and the HDD. Everything conflicts, everything is subject to corruption, and there are several completely different types of firmware and firmware loading methods depending on the unit and its country code. When we talk about the TVGOS as "firmware", its a misnomer: TVGOS is totally software loaded on the HDD. The actual recorder firmware, the routines that tell the recorder how to boot up and operate, are located on a hardware chip. The USA "firmware" referenced on various sites and downloadable from pioneerfaq is actually JUST the TVGOS and nothing else. The Europe and Middle East firmware (530H you downloaded) is the COMPLETE package of hardware chip progamming and EPG software. When you loaded it onto your American 533, it trashed the recorder hardware and may or may not have put the wrong EPG software on your HDD. Recovering from this may not be easy or even possible without a trip to a Pioneer service center: from what I've heard, a USA-spec Pio contaminated with Euro-spec firmware cannot easily be reversed back to USA-spec. The firmware chip usually needs to be specially erased and/or replaced.

Pioneerfaq is pretty clear about the three different EPG/HDD upgrade solutions it offers for the three different international model series, unfortunately by the time most people find Pioneerfaq they're so punch drunk from so much googling and so much info overload that they easily fail to notice not all Pio 53x machines are the same. The multi-lingual nature of the site can also be confusing, even if you visit the site a lot. Before you do anything further, you should try the ask-a-question or contact-us link (or whatever its called) at the pioneerfaq site. They know every imaginable detail about these recorders: explain what happened and they might be able to suggest a solution you can try to restore your 533 back to USA-spec factory settings. Good luck, I hope you succeed!

[ethom4ge]

Thanx for the possibly bad news. It may be time to move to another unit and use this "contraption" as a video storage unit and a dubbing/video player.
Any suggestions on a new DVR unit? please don't say TiVo!

[wabjxo]

I recommend the Philips DVDR3575H/37.

Info here.

[orsetto]

You still have a couple of options, depending on how much you like to tinker and how much money you have to spend.

First, you could try what we talked about earlier in the thread: remove the drive from your 533 and reprogram the TVGOS into it using a PC per the instructions at pioneerfaq. This will get around the hardware issue, let you erase whatever EPG mess is on the drive now, and get the original timer software back onto it. When you replace it in the recorder, there's a very good chance the repaired USA-spec TVGOS will seize control of the Euro firmware you installed and allow the recorder to work normally.

You would need a clone of the service remote and service disc, these can be acquired in various ways at reasonable cost. If you have a Palm Pilot or Harmony or Phillips remote, all you need is the remote codes to program it and a download of the service disc. I would DEFINITELY try to fix your 533 before giving up on it, the editing interface and reliability of its various functions is much stabler than the Phillips 3575. The Phillips is a great unit for someone new to the hobby or who needs an ATSC tuner or extra recorder, but if you've already used a Pioneer for a couple years the Phillips operational feel will disappoint you. No offense to those who love it, in the current market the 3575 is the only available choice at retail and it is VERY good for the price. But it is not quite up to Pioneer, Panasonic, Toshiba level. If you already own an older premium unit, you should repair it.

[trhouse]

I agree about repairing the 533 even if you do not want to keep it. Hdd recorders have virtually disappeared from the US market and working ones are commanding a premium. I repaired a 531H a few months ago with the TV Guide problem. The owner told me he sold it on Craigslist for twice what he paid.

Storing this type of software on the hdd is not unique to Pioneer. I have found that TIVO recorders like the Philips DSR704 and Panasonics that have the TV Guide feature also have the guide on the hdd.

[moneyrocks16]

where do you get new firmware? for the pioneer 533hs for the guide problem to try with a blank cd i called about fixing the guide it was black he said to push stop then power now nothing comes upwhen i hit guide so i called back he said take it in to get fixed is it worth taking in? and idea how much it is to fix the guide problem

[Seeker47]

where do you get new firmware? for the pioneer 533hs for the guide problem to try with a blank cd i called about fixing the guide it was black he said to push stop then power now nothing comes upwhen i hit guide so i called back he said take it in to get fixed is it worth taking in? and idea how much it is to fix the guide problem

There is procedural info about this on HKan's site -- pioneerfaq.info -- but I don't recall how model-specific it is. (However, I believe it was only the 53x and 63x models that had TVG issues, because the built-in TVG feature was dropped by the time the model 640 came out.

I'm sure it was also discussed in some detail over on AVSforum, but you'd have to do some keyword searches in a few of their relevant threads.

[orsetto]

Depending on your "love" for the TVGOS feature, your willingness to try self repair, and your budget, there is a certain point at which repairing the 531-533-633 becomes too much of a pain or expense to be worth it compared with just ditching it in favor of buying a newer, far more reliable Canadian model. The firmware to repair the TVGOS and the instructions for doing so are indeed at the pioneerfaq site, but after performing a number of these repairs myself and dealing with the difficulty and disappointment when the units FAIL AGAIN shortly after repair, I'm of the opinion they really aren't worth the trouble unless you picked one up dirt cheap and want to fix it for a quick resale.

Re-installing the TVGOS is an insanely unpredictable process and not for the technically impatient. It's an all-day project most of the time, and it almost never proceeds exactly the way the instructions say it will: you need to have some savvy with computers in general and comfort with Linux in particular. It involves swapping the hard drive between PC and Pioneer recorder several times, to check if the repair is accepted and if it "sticks". You need to set hard drive jumpers and disassemble/reassemble the recorder repeatedly. This is difficult enough with a brand new replacement drive, it becomes ten times harder if you're trying to rescue the original drive (near-impossible) because you have shows on it you need to transfer to DVD. The final dealbreaker is that the repairs simply don't last for long: sometimes within a few weeks or a couple months, the drive will hose itself again. Repairs to the 531-533-633 just don't seem to "take" for very long. There are certain models of almost any electronic item that have gained a reputation as lemons not worth repairing, the 2005-model Pioneers with TVGOS are sadly in that group.

A Pioneer service center is the best option if you really are dependent on the TVGOS and refuse to use a recorder without this feature. Pioneer will charge at least $150 to do the repair, you will most likely lose everything on your original drive, and there is no guarantee the replacement will be new: it might be "refurbished". Frankly I think most people are better off putting that money towards the purchase of a Canadian Pioneer model 450: $300 delivered to USA, 160GB HDD, much better burner, solid motherboard design, same interface you're used to but no TVGOS: you set the timer like a normal VCR or other recorder. With the analog TVGOS signal being effectively phased out within the next six months, I see no reason to spend huge amounts of effort or money to repair an analog TVGOS-based recorder unless you simply can't afford to replace it. In that case, try a DIY repair, just be aware it is no easy task and these units will fail again in the near future. They are fatally flawed engineering-wise.

[handyguy]

'With the analog TVGOS signal being effectively phased out within the next six months'

Says who?

Cable tv has to keep analog in USA for a long time.

[wabjxo]

Here's a post in AVS Forum on info I received from the Chief Engr of my state's PBS network re: TVGOS.

I've got a call into my state's PBS chief engineer asking if they know anything about continuing the tel-based analog TVGOS. The CS I talked to and left a message with said the last meeting she was at, they still don't know. I'll post here if/when I hear from chief engr.

7/1/08 - I just got a return call from my PBS Network Ops Center and analog TVGOS delivered by Gemstar via tel. line to PBS is going to go away in Feb 2009... "as far as they know now."

If still true in Feb 2009, PBS stations won't have the Gemstar data OR the Gemstar-provided encoder to deliver TVGOS data to subscribers?

[orsetto]

First, cable does not give a rats ass about keeping analog TVGOS going for old equipment: cable barely bothers to provide a usable video signal half the time, do you seriously think they care about TVGOS? Second, cable and satellite merely re-transmit whatever they get from the individual stations, if those host stations "forget" about analog TVGOS as they transition to digital, its gone. I would not depend on cable or satellite to actively support anything they can't charge for. Third, I have read many, many recent reports online of TVGOS fanatics pulling their hair out because they cannot get their recorders to pull a pilot signal from the new OTA atsc-to-analog converter boxes, nor can they get the recorders to properly control the boxes with their IR transmitters.

For some people, in some areas, on some systems, analog TVGOS will be useful for a period of time even well after the analog shutdown. But at some point they will be rendered useless, if for no other reason than the proliferation of interesting ATSC sideband channels that will come down the pike. These sideband channels will be all over the place on cable and completely uncontrollable with outboard OTA converters, as we're already seeing. For all these reasons I think its ridiculous to pay thru the nose to buy or repair an older analog TVGOS machine, *especially* the Pioneer units. If you're that hard up for an EZ program guide, buy into your cable systems DVR or get a TiVO short-term, then wait for the new ATSC TVGOS system on the horizon. TVGOS is not going away, new products are coming, but its older analog implementation will become increasingly harder to maintain in the average home. Those who love their TVGOS recorders love them to death, I have no beef with that, but they need to realize those recorders were godawful bombs saleswise: there are not enough of them in use to make support of analog TVGOS a priority for broadcasters or cable/sat services. They will move on to the digital TVGOS, as Sony has with its latest televisions.

[handyguy]

I had a tv with TVGO too. It would control your vcr to record with a special IR cable you would use.

But Gemstar is a very wealthy company, I hope they come out with a solution.