Philips 3575/3576 and Magnavox H2160 Features, Setup and Operation

[BrokenOne]

Is the Philips DVDR3475/37 the same as the Philips DVDR3575H/37? Just without a HDD? Does Philips DVDR3475/37 it produce the same picture/sound as the Philips DVDR3575H/37?

[wabjxo]

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[KeepItSimple]

Hello I've started having a problem with the digital tuner and not sure if it's a problem with the 3575 or the cable.

I WAS getting the local digital/hd channels on the 3575's tuner until a week or 2 ago. I had the cable running through the 3575 before it went to the cable box. I got all the analog channels and a bunch of digital ones.

Then stupid me I had Comcast come out because I couldn't get the OnDemand to work on the cable box. The guy said "Oh here's the problem, you have your equipment hooked up wrong and pointed to the cable going through the 3575 before it went to the cable box. I said "I've been doing this for years no problem with VCRs/DVD Recorders so I can record 1 program on the recorder and watch another on the cable box. He said "Well it looks like it finally caught up with you". I have no idea what he meant by that like I was doing an unauthorized illegal thing or something. Anyway he re-connected it his way (cable box 1st, then to DVD Recorder, then TV), then after he left I re-connected to go through the 3575 1st (but no OnDemand on cable box this way, not sure why since the 3575 is supposed to "boost" the signal, not cut it). The DTV on the 3575 right off the cable worked for a few more days then stopped. I get nothing now on DTV. All the analog channels are there.

My question is
1.Could there be a problem with the 3575 digital tuner? My 90-day refurb warranty is up in 2 weeks so if the machine's broken I gotta send it back now.
or
2. Could Comcast have "done something" the kill the digital channels coming through my wire? The Comcast guy's diagnostic box was hooked up to my cable box for about 10 minutes doing something but I don't know what.
or
3. Could it have nothing to do with me and with changes Comcast is making in my area and I should be glad to have gotten those HD channels for free for a while anyway?

Thanks!

EDIT: BTW I don't have a TV with a digital tuner darn it so I can't check the digital signal that way.

[wabjxo]

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[jjeff]

KIS, It sounds like you answered a question that has been floating around a long time. That is, Is the 3575 built in amplifier "bi-directional" meaning can it pass information back through the 3575 to the wall jack(and eventually to the cable company).
We all know the 3575 RF amplifier does a good job of boosting the signal from the wall to the devices downstream from the 3575, but I think their was always the question if the signal could go backwards, that is from your STB back through the 3575 to the cable co.
It sounds like, in your case for sure, that the 3575's RF amplifier is indeed NOT bi-directional(that or your 3575 is faulty) which I doubt.
In your case then I would say to split the cable signal from the wall jack, having one side go to your STB, and the other side go to your 3575 and then to your TV.(this is assuming you don't watch your STB on your TV via ch3 or 4).
As far as your cable co., yes I believe they can filter all your channels like they did. I had a friend who had analog cable for years. He had a STB for his downstairs TV and a cable ready TV upstairs. He got all the analog channels and "in the clear" digital ones on his upstairs TV.
Well he upgraded to a Digital STB downstairs. After the cable guy left he got all the channels on his STB downstairs, but only the "local" analog channels on his upstairs TV. Not even upper analog channels on his upstairs. Only LOCALS. He was ticked!
He called Comcast back and they said he would have to "pay" extra for that upstairs TV to get anything but the locals. They said it should have always been that way before, and he should count his blessings he got it free for so long.
Since your 3575 warranty expires soon you should really try and get another TV or DVDR w/digital tuner hooked up to your line ASAP. If it also didn't get any digital channels you would know it was NOT the 3575. If it did get digitals you could suspect the 3575. I take it you've tried another channel scan on the 3575? It really sounds like it's something your cable co did and not the 3575 since everything was fine until they showed up.

[KeepItSimple]

I got the Digital channels back. I unplugged/plugged it back in, did a channel scan and the channels came back, actually better than before because it didn't hang up on Digital Ch. 117 like it was doing!
I'll prob. have to get a splitter anyway because the OnDemand doesn't come in with the cable connected thru the 3575. Thanks for the help!

[dragut]

I had a hang up problem at channel at 135 and I was able to disconnect the Coax cable and 3575 finish the scanning.
However, I do get only a few digital channels and that's it. I read all the post in this forum and it seems most people receive digital channels without any issues. Any suggestions.

I run connection from cable outlet --> 3575 --> STB --> VCR --> TV.

Thanks for help

[wabjxo]

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[beckyblueblonde]

has anyone tried to play regular mpegs or avi through the usb on the front panel all i see are jpegs from my flash drive and not the mpeg files.

[wabjxo]

Yes, MP3/WMA/JPG are only things that'll play thru the USB. Don't think any North American unit plays anything else.

[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[dragut]

Hi all

When I watch a movie or program on digital channels, cableco seems to keep switching those channels. Picture goes blue in the middle of the program and I change the channels to find the same program to continue but sometimes I can't. I can't even record them since they keep switching. Any ideas/solutions?

thanks

[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[jwhitlow]

That 3-sec now also explains the fact that, when Chase Playing, you can only play back to within 3 sec of the live show... that's the buffer that hasn't been written to HDD yet!

I was stongly considering the newer Philips until I read this comment, so I wanted to make sure I understand it correctly. Does the 3576 have this limitation as well?

I currently have the older HDRW720. I can chase to live television (well a small fraction of a second, anyway). The fact that many units do not allow you to catch up to live television is one the things that has kept me from buying a replacement for the HDRW720*. If it were not for the random crashes, I would be completely satisfied with the HDRW720. The features are great and the software (in my opinion) is very well designed when compared to other units I have tried.

* I have a friend with a Sony unit that does not buffer until you pause and then 1 minute is a close as you can get to live!

[wabjxo]

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[KeepItSimple]

Chasing playback to within 3 seconds of the original is a "limitation"?
I think it's a great electronal marvel to be able to do that at all.
What kind of spoiled weenies are we that we "need" to chase up the exact frame of a live show? 3 seconds is fine. On Panasonics it's 5 WHOLE SECONDS, a virtual eternity!
Oh BTW yes I'm a spoiled weenie too.

[jwhitlow]

AFAIK, no recorder can chase right up to the exact frame of a live show cuz they all work with a buffer which hasn't been written to disk yet. So, yes, 3 sec. is as close as you can get if you catch up. If important, I just keep chasing until a commercial, then hope it takes 3 MINUTES to write to disk so I miss the commercial altogether! Unfortunately, it always does the 3-sec. bit.

Exact frame, probably not. However, with the older Philips HDRW720, I can have my television that is connected to it muted and the audio from the television in the living room (no DVR) is in-sync with the video coming out of the HDRW720. It may indeed not be in-sync to the exact frame, but it is very close!

[rcrach]

Chasing playback to within 3 seconds of the original is a "limitation"?
I think it's a great electronal marvel to be able to do that at all.
What kind of spoiled weenies are we that we "need" to chase up the exact frame of a live show? 3 seconds is fine. On Panasonics it's 5 WHOLE SECONDS, a virtual eternity!
Oh BTW yes I'm a spoiled weenie too.

If you're in chase play and want to catch up to live video just hit "next" and it takes you to the end of the buffer.

[wabjxo]

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[jjeff]

Gez, you guys are complaining about 3 seconds! I just had to do a test last night with my RAM discs on my Panasonic to see how it compared.
20 seconds!! was as close as I could get, but that's close enough for me, not sure if Panny's w/hdd's let you chase closer.
BTW on Panny's pushing next chapter also does not get me to the beginning of the buffer. I had to visually search to do that.

[rcrach]

"We've been talking about missing (not being able to SEE) the buffered video pic, which hasn't been written to disc yet, when going to the live pic. That is, the buffered 3-sec is neither on the HDD yet, nor it can't be played back in a normal chase play scenario.

EDIT: I just tried the Next button during a chase play and it didn't work (got the "no-go" circle). I tried a few sec from live pic... no-go. Then, I waited till 1st chapter mark was auto-set at 10 min., then tried to go to that mark and still a no-go.[/quote]

Sorry, I kind of assumed it worked the same way the Sony DVRs work. The "next" button on those takes you back to live TV. I don't own a Philips but I'm thinking of getting one to replace the Pioneer 520 (or maybe just get the Echostar 40, but that means another remote). decisions, decisions..

[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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