MultiChoice swats HD PVR bugs

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MultiChoice swats HD PVR bugs

DStv operator MultiChoice will this week issue a significant software update to its high-definition personal video recorder (HD-PVR) decoder. This follows a stream of customer complaints about the number of bugs that have plagued the new set-top boxes.
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I suppose there's no discount for the inconvenience caused? I wonder when the prices will go up because they are broadcasting HD?

This is a bit off topic....but what hapened to ODM?
 
Multichoice's best defence is that they had to 'rush' the product to market.

Now I ask you, how long has the date for the opening of the Olympic games been set in stone? Also, they announced their plans for releasing this specific decoder over a year ago, which means they themselves were aware of this for an even longer time.

Would more time then really have made a difference, or would they just have procrastinated for longer?

If you look at the lack of development on the existing decoders's software, it becomes clear that this is not a priority for them. As long as the software sort of works they are satisfied with it. Why would it need to become more user-friendly and/or offer more functionality?

Anyone who has ever used a TiVo, or for that matter most DVR-type setups, would understand this.
 
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Rush to Market??

:confused: I think the real reason is that they want to grab some marketshare before other pay-TV providers get a hold. This will gives them to iron out the wrinkles before there's competition.

Yuesay is right. They don't care much, as long as it works! MC had better watch out. Even if the other pay-TV providers only attack the lower end of the market, this can do sufficient damage to their economies of scale.
 
Finally!

I was getting severely annoyed with some of the crap... like the problem with pausing and FasForwarding/Rewinding.. AAARRRRGGGG!

2 months from release is a long time to wait for a major bug fix! And the innitial confusion with the "Bring it in and we'll have a look at it..." phase the technical department had, I took time of work to take the decoder to the customer center only to be told that it's a software issue and not hardware related.

I think the whole of Randburg heard my verbal assault on the techie's ancestry and the questionable nocturnal activities of his mother.

With that aside... I'm glad that something has been done.

It took over a year for Telkom to eventually figure out and repair a fault on my DSL line for example, even after 100's of calls and fault logs.

That was unacceptable... as should any "sub-par" level of customer service be, but at the end of the day... This is Africa.

Final thoughts:

Multichoice, You displayed buckets of EPIC FAIL by releasing a product that was riddled with issues. It was irresponsible and displayed what little concern you have for your customers and what concern you have for your profit margins.
I'm not satisfied with the fact that we, as customers, still had to continue paying full price during a period of severe inconvenience (the first 2 weeks were SHOCKING, nothing worked on the decoder). That displays a blatant disregard for your customer's satisfaction and an inability to admit responsibility for YOUR OWN failures.
 
I find my HD Decoder battles a lot with responding to IR remote control commands, often having to press the same button 2 or 3 times.

Anyone else seen this? I did not pick it up in any of the threads till this article that mentioned 'sluggish response'.
 
V3G, having the same problem the last few days. I rebooted the box a few times, but still very erratic.
 
I got the HD PVR decoder on launch day and must say I have been very lucky not to experience all of these problems . In the 2 months I had to reboot the decoder only once and had 1 TBR not recording correctly . I don't even have the standby bug , but very glad an update is coming this week to solve most of the important issues . I really hope MC change their attitude towards its customers by really getting there teeth into the new decoder software and give us all the features they can give us with the new hardware technology they have at their disposal.
 
noemfie said:
I got the HD PVR decoder on launch day and must say I have been very lucky not to experience all of these problems . In the 2 months I had to reboot the decoder only once and had 1 TBR not recording correctly . I don't even have the standby bug , but very glad an update is coming this week to solve most of the important issues . I really hope MC change their attitude towards its customers by really getting there teeth into the new decoder software and give us all the features they can give us with the new hardware technology they have at their disposal.
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Wow, I'll trade you my decoder + a case of beer for your decoder! :)
 
OverKill69 said:
Finally!

Multichoice, You displayed buckets of EPIC FAIL by releasing a product that was riddled with issues. It was irresponsible and displayed what little concern you have for your customers and what concern you have for your profit margins.
I'm not satisfied with the fact that we, as customers, still had to continue paying full price during a period of severe inconvenience (the first 2 weeks were SHOCKING, nothing worked on the decoder). That displays a blatant disregard for your customer's satisfaction and an inability to admit responsibility for YOUR OWN failures.
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Plus the fact that Xtraview will now only be available by Mid December and that multichoice actually only offers an extra full subscription for old Dualview owners who used to be able to watch two channels together. Originally that should have been available by launch, then October and now mid December. once again they do not care and is trying to make extra bucks out of their own inefficiencies. Yes I know they made exceptions for a few subscribers in this regard, I am one of them, and as far as I can see, nobody else!
 
I hope they fix the issue with the HD recording.

If you place a scheduled recording and you start watching it while the show is still busy recording it drops the last part of the show.

Happened to me again last night with Burn Notice - I COULD SCREAM!
 
HD-PVR disappointing

Tomorrow I will have my HD-PVR for a week, and it has been a realy bad experience. HD TV is GREAT, but the decoder sucks....Every bug listed in the posts my decoder has. I was planning to take it back tomorrow from where a baught it, but think I will give it another week to see if this update will sort out most of the problems. I just think MC has p!ss'd off a lot of people with this decoder and I hope they see their marketshare plunder when competition arrives!
 
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