Lite-on 5007 TV Guide Onscreen problems

[BombadGeneral]

Hi, noob here. (Sorry.)

I work at Sears and saw a returned (barely at all used) Lite-on in my store for $139 (plus my 10% discount) and talked myself into buying it.

Great! Very pleased with the unit.

On the other hand, there's no timer record (a must for me). There is, instead, the TV Guide Onscreen system.

Now, my RCA tv has "Guide Plus", which seems indisctinguishable (to me) from this TV Guide Onscreen. However, while my tv gets the program info, the Lite-on just won't.

Figuring (in my layman's way) that perhaps the TV was "hijacking" the signal somehow, I unplugged the RF from the TV and waited a couple days until the Guide+ signal was no longer coming to the TV.

Still no program info on the Lite-On.

Does this sound like a flaw in the machine? Are Guide+ and TV Guide Onscreen sufficiently different that I might get service from one and not the other? (I live way up in Northern Maine, on the fringes of the United States, where there's a lot of things we don't get.)

I've reset the info more than once, and left it on for 24 hours+ on more than one occasion.

Any ideas on the problem? I've just about decided to return it and pay the $30 or so extra for the iLo at Wally's. (Don't want to do that, though, out of some weird misguided loyalty to Sears-Mart.)

[tipstir]

How did you hook this unit up?

Do you have a CATV splitter laying around?

Split the signal and try that way.

Don't use the Liten RF loop return to go back to your TV, leave that open. Well that's what I do. Your two guides should work now.

CATV ----coax---In-2 way- splitter|-Out-RF IN Cable Box, RF out to TV
|- Out-RF IN Liteon 5007, RF out open

Does your TV have S-Video or Standard Video connections?
If so, then use the Liteon audio and video outputs back to the TV.

Also one more thing do you know why this model was returned by the customer? If you decide not to keep it, if you got a Sam's Club card you can spend $10 bucks more for the Liteon 5101 with a timer.

[lordsmurf]

Huh? My LiteON 5001 has timer record.

[BombadGeneral]

No, I don't have a splitter lying around - that's why for now I am keeping the cable RF unplugged from my TV entirely. (If the TV Guide still doesn't work, I can tell that's not the problem and don't need a splitter anyway.)

I use the S-Video to connect the DVD recorder to my TV (and digital optical to my cheap-ass home theater for sound). I WAS looping the RF from the Lite-On to the TV, but taking that off has not solved the problem.

The model was returned to the store by the customer almost immediately after purchasing, when he read in the manual that the TV Guide was incompatible with satellite TV. (He had not even attempted to set up the TV Guide and had barely done any recording on the DVD+RW that came with the unit.)

And Smurf... yes, the LVW-5001 has timer record. And although the 5007 user's manual still makes a couple vague references to a timer record, this seems to be a holdover from the manual for the 5001. There is no "Timer" button on the remote, and no way (I have found) to access a timer record in any menu.

(If I could, I wouldn't give a crap about the TV Guide Onscreen not working.)

[dgrams2003]

I have a 5007 also (thinking of returning it... but LOVE the TV Guide feature, since I dont have any other box that has any type of 'Guide Feature' in it....

I could have sworn that I saw a timer... let me look at it when I am at home tonight..

You are probably right, but I will double check.. as I could have sworn that I used it....

[nova828]

Wow, how wierd is that? Another Sears worker on the forum, and on top of that another MAINE Sears worker! Which store do you work at? I work in the Bangor Store in Div 3/57. Although by now you probably already solved your problem, but my suggestion would be to take back the used Lite-on and get the Panasonic E55. Buy it during one of 10 percent off everything sales, plus your associate discount would bring it down to 199.99 plus tax 209.99. Although it doesn't have TV guide on screen it does have Time Slip and Play and Record at the same time, VERY important features IMHO. Or, if you would rather have a Hard Drive, at the Bangor store we just got an E-80 returned, because it didn't have frame-by-frame editing or something like that. Im sure it will be put out soon as a SKU-991, probably be a good deal on an excellent unit that I have myself. If your interested let me know and I can e-mail you when they put it out and price it. My guess is it should go for around 350 minus your discounts...

Later,
Tony

[BombadGeneral]

Another Maine Sears employee! How strange!

I really appreciate the offer, but live about 3 hours away from 2583. I'm up here at #2143 in Presque Isle (though I live in Caribou).

I thought about the Panasonic, but really I shouldn't even be spending the money I spent on the LiteOn right now - not so close to Christmas anyway! And being a lowly Receiving Associate my pockets aren't exactly overflowing with spare change...

(Ah for the days when I worked in D/57 in Florence, KY...)

After trying everything I could, I took it back today. (And bought the iLo from Wally's. I know, I know.) The worst part is that I don't know what to tell my friends in 57 about the LiteOn. Is just that unit faulty, or do none of them work up here?

Have you had any trouble (or reports of trouble) with the TV Guide Onscreen feature down there in Bangor?

[nova828]

Well, not sure because I have yet to sell one and hear about it either way. I had one get returned on me, but I wasn't there at the time so not sure why. Im tempted to buy one on a credit card to test it and then return it, just so I can tell customers whether or not it works. I have heard third hand that Adelphia Cable encrypts, or is planning to encrypt thier program guide data so only thier boxes will receive it, but have no confimation.

[Mark_Venture]

Does this sound like a flaw in the machine? Are Guide+ and TV Guide Onscreen sufficiently different that I might get service from one and not the other? (I live way up in Northern Maine, on the fringes of the United States, where there's a lot of things we don't get.)

Gemstar used to be separate and they marked Guide Plus Gold (as it was probably called on your RCA)... I have it on my Sony SLV-M20HF VHS VCR from years ago... Now TV Guide owns Gemstar, so TV Guide On Screen should be the same.

I've reset the info more than once, and left it on for 24 hours+ on more than one occasion.

I assume that was a typeo and you mean left it OFF for 24Hrs.

Any ideas on the problem? I've just about decided to return it and pay the $30 or so extra for the iLo at Wally's. (Don't want to do that, though, out of some weird misguided loyalty to Sears-Mart.)

It might be a cable signal problem or a unit problem. My Sony SLV-M20HF stopped receiving Guide+ Gold signals and had no program info for about a week when I lived in Hershey. I called the cable company, they were clueless!!! a few days later, it was working again and I had info in the Guide+ Gold listings. My parent's RCA TV's Guide+ Gold listings took 3 days to fill in when they first bought the TV. (Different cable company).

If your TV still receives the info, that is another story.

btw, FAQ and support at http://www.vgi.com/

The TVGuide Onscreen is one of the main reasons I am thinking of getting the 5007. And sears has it on sale right now... hmm....

[BombadGeneral]

I assume that was a typeo and you mean left it OFF for 24Hrs.

Heh heh! Yeah, that was a typo.

I did everything I could think of, then returned it to purchase the iLo.

Then, I replugged the RF back into my TV, set it up again (I had changed the settings to tell it not to look for a cable signal) and overnight the TV downloaded the Guide+ signal no problem.

So... not a problem with the cable signal.

Still dunno if was just a problem with that individual unit. (I didn't want my store to end up with two 991s so I didn't try getting another. Plus I didn't want the hassle. Plus I'd rather just use the traditional timer record anyway...)

Shame. :/ (Wish there was a "shrugging" emoticon...)

[VEFF]

Hi, noob here. (Sorry.)

I work at Sears and saw a returned (barely at all used) Lite-on in my store for $139 (plus my 10% discount) and talked myself into buying it.

Great! Very pleased with the unit.

On the other hand, there's no timer record (a must for me). There is, instead, the TV Guide Onscreen system.

Now, my RCA tv has "Guide Plus", which seems indisctinguishable (to me) from this TV Guide Onscreen. However, while my tv gets the program info, the Lite-on just won't.

Figuring (in my layman's way) that perhaps the TV was "hijacking" the signal somehow, I unplugged the RF from the TV and waited a couple days until the Guide+ signal was no longer coming to the TV.

Still no program info on the Lite-On.

Does this sound like a flaw in the machine? Are Guide+ and TV Guide Onscreen sufficiently different that I might get service from one and not the other? (I live way up in Northern Maine, on the fringes of the United States, where there's a lot of things we don't get.)

I've reset the info more than once, and left it on for 24 hours+ on more than one occasion.

Any ideas on the problem? I've just about decided to return it and pay the $30 or so extra for the iLo at Wally's. (Don't want to do that, though, out of some weird misguided loyalty to Sears-Mart.)

According to the specs, it does have 'timer record(ing)'.
I double checked, since I have been looking at getting a regfurbed one really cheap and I could hardly believe it wouldn't have timer record.

The main negative is that is records audio from TV in mono!

[VEFF]

Someone on a hot deals forum mentioned that he couldn't get certain features to work, including timer recording; at least it is there though.

[handyguy]

Maybe that is why someone returned it?

[Bridge]

I also got the 5007 at Sears. I think, right now, I'm 90-99% it's going back in a couple of days. I don't know if it's mine but as soon as I hooked up my picture was WAY washed out and the black level was WAY up there. Like taking a your TV and totally turning up the contrast 100%. Everything is washed out and not sharp. Mine needed to have the black level turned down. Especially when I compare it to some other burners I have.

Also, after burning the disk I could only get it to work on 1 DVD player (a Sony.) My other 3 won't work. I did an firmware upgrade and now the Sony and the Toshiba work but the other 2 still don't.

I must admit that the video is great looking when it's done. What DVD players played it back it looked great. Even stuff that was inputed in real bad, snowy quality looked great; but I wanted a unit that has a totally kicking receiver so that I could tape on it on +RW and move the video to other burners in great quality. I can't do that because all I get is a washed out, too white picture. I tried all the settings and that's just the way it is. I don't know if it's just mine or every 5007 lite on that does it. I will (I think) give maybe the 5005 a shot next year though and see if that's better. I hate talking it back.

Oh, I got everything working as said. Timer recording and all that. I haven't set up TV Guide yet because I'm taking it back this week.

[VEFF]

I figure for $117 including tax and shipping it is worth trying a 5007.
It is "refurbished/return/used", but in many cases that simply means it was a return.

The TV Guide is very important to me, and the only other recorder that is reasonably priced that has something equivalent is the JVC 10, but that is still more than double.

If DVD recorders were a more mature product, I wouldn't mind spending more, but since I don't see this being my last DVD recorder by a long shot, I think I'll save a few bucks.
2004 was an expensive year, so I would like to cut my spending.

[tipstir]

Well the other way is to buy:

1. DVD Recorder for you PC
2. Buy WinTV PVR-150, MPEG2 HWD Capture Card
3. Use GB-PVR freeware program
4. Buy Media MVP 1000 (TV Network device)

Watch Live TV on your PC
Record on your PC
Stream Audio and Video to your TV using MVP device
Watch Live TV on your MVP
Record Live TV on your MVP

This is another way of doing it, I find this way better.
Everything is recorded in 720x480 MPEG2

[VEFF]

I LOVE the TV Guide On Screen guide.

The only thing I need to get used to is seeing the channnels in the grid listed in alphabetical(?) or categorized(?) order as opposed to alphabetical
order.

The search feature is great too!

By the way, tvgos.com is the TV Guide On Screen site; they have an FAQ etc.

[ctpaddler2000]

I have yet to be able to get my 5007 to receive downloads. Despite upgrading firmware, leaving on the tuner set to channel 19 (TV Guide channel on my cable system), turning off for 24 hours, ect. Is it possible that my cable company blocks the hidden signal/download?

Also, the clock on the front panel display a wrong time, while the time on the tvguide display look fine. Lite-On tech support did not sound surprised when I told them this. They said to upgrade firmware but that did not fix it. Manual recording is seeing the correct time so this is mainly an annoyance.

[jagfan]

ctpaddler
I'm assuming you've already completed the setup for the TV Guide. But it's unclear whether you're using a cable box or not. If you are NOT using a cable box, the DVD unit should be turned off while the TV Guide is being downloaded. While my unit was downloading the Guide, the clock fluctuated time and was off by as much as 6 hours. Once everything was downloaded, the time has been perfect.

[ctpaddler2000]

I am not using a cable box. I have the cable going into a 4 way splitter and then into 1) cable internet modem, 2) Tivo, 3) Lite-On 5007, and 4) TV.

I am also waiting for a call back from Cox Cable tech support to see if they do any kind of blocking.

[VEFF]

Hi, noob here. (Sorry.)

I work at Sears and saw a returned (barely at all used) Lite-on in my store for $139 (plus my 10% discount) and talked myself into buying it.

Great! Very pleased with the unit.

On the other hand, there's no timer record (a must for me). There is, instead, the TV Guide Onscreen system.

Now, my RCA tv has "Guide Plus", which seems indisctinguishable (to me) from this TV Guide Onscreen. However, while my tv gets the program info, the Lite-on just won't.

Figuring (in my layman's way) that perhaps the TV was "hijacking" the signal somehow, I unplugged the RF from the TV and waited a couple days until the Guide+ signal was no longer coming to the TV.

Still no program info on the Lite-On.

Does this sound like a flaw in the machine? Are Guide+ and TV Guide Onscreen sufficiently different that I might get service from one and not the other? (I live way up in Northern Maine, on the fringes of the United States, where there's a lot of things we don't get.)

I've reset the info more than once, and left it on for 24 hours+ on more than one occasion.

Any ideas on the problem? I've just about decided to return it and pay the $30 or so extra for the iLo at Wally's. (Don't want to do that, though, out of some weird misguided loyalty to Sears-Mart.)

For anyone experiencing problems with the TV Guide Plus+ :
It could be your cable provider.
Case in point - I had this for 6 weeks without any problems.
Then I stopped getting program data for the past 4 days or so; I immediately thought of the cbale company and NOT the recorder.
I called up and they said to try again in a few days.
In the meantime I changed zip codes to my old town (same lineup AFAIK),
and it worked fine (after being powered off long enough to get the data of course)...

I thought this might help some new owners before they think it is the recorder.
Of course the recorder could be defective,; however, you might want to try one (or more) different zip codes before returning the recorder.

[solidsnake]

After trying everything I could, I took it back today. (And bought the iLo from Wally's. I know, I know.) The worst part is that I don't know what to tell my friends in 57 about the LiteOn. Is just that unit faulty, or do none of them work up here?

Well isnt the Ilo the same exact thing as the 5007, just without the tv guide? Also did you set up the guide menu to your cable provider, etc. etc. and leave the unit off all night

[ctpaddler2000]

I can't believe it. After months of trying everything and not being able to get program guides to work, all of a sudden, program guides are working. I have no idea what happened or if I did anything, but it works now.

[MikeDee]

On the other hand, there's no timer record (a must for me). There is, instead, the TV Guide Onscreen system.

Yes it does. See Manual Recording on page 39 of the manual.

[ctpaddler2000]

RIP. Just short of one year, my 5007 finally died. Lite-On customer support was very nice on the phone and they have promised to ship me a 5005 (upon receipt of my dead 5007). The dead 5007 is in the mail, so I will have to wait and see if the follow through with the 5005 and if the 5005 is any good.

[jagfan]

Good deal - happened just under the wire. Purchased a 2yr replacement warranty from Sears so I have another 13 months to go. But I truly hope it doesn't flake out. Mine has been working flawlessly and the last FW update was icing on the cake.

[dendence]

I purchased the two year replacement from sears also. When the manufacturers warranty runs out next week I am taking the piece of garbage back to Sears. Thats what the Lite-on tech said I should do.However Sears doesnt carry Lite-on anymore.I only use it to put my camcorder tapes on to dvd and about every other dvd gets tossed in the trash. I called lite-on and they are clueless. I updated the firmware like they said and it made it worse.They told me what dvd's to use including Philips and everyone was garbage. I switched to Imation like they said and about half of them didnt work. After recording a whole tape from the camcorder on the display it says Protected Content, the machine locks up, I have to unplug it , plug it back in and then it reads invalid disk, disk then goes in the garbage.