problem with TV GUIDE on Panasonic DMR-E85H

[ktnwin]

I have been using this DMR-E85h for about 3 years without any problem. I always use the TV GUIDE feature to select programs to record, for watching at a later time. I am using normal antenna connection.

A few weeks ago, before going on vacation for more than a week, I disconnected power to the TV / DMR-E85.
When I got back home , I reconnected power back. The DMR-E85H show nothing on the TV GUIDE (as expected).
So I turn if OFF, and wait for 2 days (the manual say wait for 24 hours before power it up), then power it up.

1) The TV GUIDE button does not work as expected: if there is no TV listing available , it normally display "NO DATA AVAILABLE" if there is no program listing. Instead the TV GUIDE button just go back to the TV mode.
I go to the SETUP menu and also found the TV GUIDE selection there, I selected it, it bring me back to the TV mode !!!

2) In the TV mode, I cannot even change channel, it got stuck at one channel (channel 5).
I try to do a channel setup but that button is GRAYED out !!!

I have tried a few thing: reformat the hard drive but this does not help.

Does anyone know how to get the TV GUIDE back again ?
As a last resort, I may have upgrade the firmware in this unit (using the same firmware revision), replace the internal hard drive (at least 120GB) and see if I can get it back.

I do not want to use timer recording (it got stuck at one channel anyway)

I wished I did not disconnect power to this unit.

Any help is appreciated. That box is sitting there like sitting duck, doing nothing !!!

[handyguy]

I think that TVG gets turned off if you select the manual time setup. I don't have that model, I have a similar model & it has a reset selection on the clock screen I think it is.

Anyway, have you considered unplugging it again & plug back in? This resets electronics.

[ktnwin]

I have done all kinds of thing, including replace the hard drive with another 120GB hard drive. I did this yesterday.

[ side note: Kind of interesting to see the inside of the box, the PATA cable is not the usual one used in PC, it's like a film type cable, very narrow and at the end has a normal PATA connector. If this cable is broken, then the unit is considered to be lost ]

When powered up, the unit say "drive UNFORMATTED" and ask me if I want to format it.
I was so happy to format it. when done, I press RETURN and it goes back to play TV channel 5, now I can change channel as I wished - SO GREAT until ..... I committed the deadly mistake: press TV GUIDE !!!

1) The unit locked up in this TV GUIDE mode with a black screen, no way to get out.

2) So I press POWER to turn it OFF, it happily say BYE then display the current time.

3) From this point ON, it's dead, does not respond to anything except unplug and plug back in.
[ I lied, it does open the tray and close the tray on command but refuses to play the DVD disc !!! ]

4) Guess what it does, it go thru SELFCHECK, then select channel 5 (the last one I viewed) then before I have a chance to do anything it attempts to show TV GUIDE (repeat step 1 above over again !!!)

What I should have done before pressing the TV GUIDE button is to go in the setup menu to re-setup everything.
I got to take the hard drive out, put in my PC and reformat it on the PC so the DMH-E85 sees it as unformatted again.

This damn unit has a serious firmware bug (locking up in the TV GUIDE, I guess due to the default ZIP code 99999).
I just need to disable that TV GUIDE until everything works first.

[handyguy]

Try another zip code. Is 99999 a valid code?

You can also talk with these guys they know a lot:
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/143317

[ktnwin]

The main issue is after plugging in the unit, it powered up, went thru selftest then show the last selected TV channel for a few seconds then went into the TV GUIDE mode, it show a black screen and locks up there.
I have absolutely no chance to enter the SETUP mode to change anything.
and YES, I know about that Web site, looking thru it carefully and found none has the problem I am having.
I did a firmware upgrade using the procedure obtaihned from that website, the unit went thru it step by step (displaying activites on the LED display) and succeeded to update. However, it did not help either.
I got to get the hard drive out, wipe it completely out (I have software to write to the drive at the every low level using ATA commands). This should bring me back to the mode where the unit ask for formatting the drive and give me a chane to go into setup mode.

[trhouse]

I have a Pioneer 531H hdd recorder with TVGos ( TV Guide On Screen ). This was a recorder in which I replaced the 80 GB hdd with a 500 GB hdd. As you know, the TV Guide updates when the recorder is off. One time, I made the mistake of unplugging the recorder while it was updating the TV Guide. The result was that I lost the TV Guide and timer function but the recorder worked normally otherwise. I took the original 80 GB hdd and copied it to the 500 GB drive using Linux and it restored all the timer and TV Guide functions.

I have never worked on a Panasonic hdd model but I suspect the TV Guide function may be located on the hdd. I have heard that the TV Guide software is supplied to the manufacturer's by Gemstar-TV Guide.

[ktnwin]

There were a forum where lots of people running into the same nasty problem as I did.
There are some ways to correct it but none of them work for me yet.
I am so positive that this is a damn firmware bug in the unit (I am a firmware engineer myself and know how these things should be designed). Trouble is Panasonic never admits their mistakes.
Replacing HDD is their usual answer (I did and did not help)
Aha- replacing with an unit (from different brand) is definitely the answer to this problem (meaning go buy a new one).

[us78749]

If it is of any value, I have a 50" Panasonic plasma TV and called Panasonic about TV Guide service. They told me it is no longer supported by Panasonic. I called back a second time for confirmation. Talked to a different person and was told the same thing. Panasonic no longer supports TV Guide. Depressing. Panasonic has a problem.

My 52" Sony Bravia TV does TV Guide properly every time.

[jjeff]

Unless your Sony TV gets TVGOS via the internet(V10) it will also lose TVGOS within the month.
Rovi(the supplier of TVGOS) is stopping all channel supplied TVGOS and will only sent out TVGOS via the internet.
It's not a Panasonic or even Sony issue, it's the supplier.

[us78749]

If the Sony Bravia TV stops accessing the TV Guide I'll post the information. However the Sony TV accesses the Internet directly and that may be how it updates the TV Guide.

[jjeff]

You may be in luck then, unfortunately my V9 Sony Bravia only gets TVGOS from channels so very shortly it will cease to work
To find out your version number go into TVGOS setup and then diagnostic information, Version number should be the first line.