Pace HD PVR 2 is always on!

  • Thread starter Thread starter kingrob
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kingrob

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I am using a Pace HD PVR 2 and this thing is always hot to the touch, which leads me to believe that it never really switches off when you power it off/in standby mode.

Even when I switch everything off in my apartment and only leave the decoder on standby, it sucks 3 units of power during the night, so I will be losing out on almost 100 units of power every month, just to keep it on standby! :wtf:

It also does freeze a lot, like when you change the language from english family to english original = instant freeze and only way to fix is to pull out power plug and do a cold reboot.

This much be the biggest piece of crap that Multichoice has ever sold to me & I am seriously upset about it. :(

Is there a new HD PVR on the horizon?
 
All electronic devices on standby draw power, old news. The only way to "switch off" is to pull the plug on a device. DSTV decoders normally do a software update at 3am (which you can alter). Has yours been able to do a software update? I don't have a freeze hassles as you described, my software is up to date and it is never switched off. I hope you pull the plug on your TV (Then retune when you switch on) as well as all other devices. It is a waste of time to kill a device IMHO.
 
3 Units as in 3 kilowatt hours? That can't be right for a device in standby. That combined with the freezing issues makes me wonder if there is not some sort of problem with the unit. I'll try and find out what the real world power usage is on those PVRs, if there is not somebody around here that already knows.
 
The hd pvr is not a great piece of equipment, but it can't be using 3 units on it's own during the night. If I use 8 hours as a sample for between going to bed and getting up, something has to be using about 375W to consume 3 units. I think the pvr is rated somewhere at about 20W. Was the geyser switched off as well, and any fridges?
 
pgs said:
All electronic devices on standby draw power, old news. The only way to "switch off" is to pull the plug on a device. DSTV decoders normally do a software update at 3am (which you can alter). Has yours been able to do a software update? I don't have a freeze hassles as you described, my software is up to date and it is never switched off. I hope you pull the plug on your TV (Then retune when you switch on) as well as all other devices. It is a waste of time to kill a device IMHO.
Click to expand...

REAL devices on standby hardly draw any power.

The PVR does not ever go into standby properly. It's a complete energy hog.
 
Smurfatefrog said:
HDPVRs are constantly downloading Box Office, DSTV on Demand titles and updating TV guide data
Click to expand...

You wouldn't think so, considering how often the EPG data is missing or completely wrong.
 
Mister 44 said:
3 Units as in 3 kilowatt hours? That can't be right for a device in standby. That combined with the freezing issues makes me wonder if there is not some sort of problem with the unit. I'll try and find out what the real world power usage is on those PVRs, if there is not somebody around here that already knows.
Click to expand...

Nuro said:
The hd pvr is not a great piece of equipment, but it can't be using 3 units on it's own during the night. If I use 8 hours as a sample for between going to bed and getting up, something has to be using about 375W to consume 3 units. I think the pvr is rated somewhere at about 20W. Was the geyser switched off as well, and any fridges?
Click to expand...
HD-PVR power draw when active is around 39 watts. When its in what DSTV call "standby" it consumes around 33 watts.

Its not economical at all!

edit: meant efficient :)
 
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Thank you for your replies, you have just confirmed my suspicions.

This PVR2 never goes to standby properly/is constantly on, so will cost me an extra 100 units of electricity a month.

Multichoice and their crap hardware!! :mad:
 
YingYang said:
HD-PVR power draw when active is around 39 watts. When its in what DSTV call "standby" it consumes around 33 watts.
Click to expand...

kingrob said:
This PVR2 never goes to standby properly/is constantly on, so will cost me an extra 100 units of electricity a month.
Click to expand...

No, not a 100. Not if YingYang is correct (and those numbers sound about right to me). That would work out at 29 units per month @ 39watts.
 
Mister 44 said:
No, not a 100. Not if YingYang is correct (and those numbers sound about right to me). That would work out at 29 units per month @ 39watts.
Click to expand...
I'm fairly certain of those numbers. I researched it and have it written down on a piece of paper here in the office.

The reason for this was because I wanted to get a deep cycle battery, charge controller and 40w solar panel for my HD-PVR and a 23 inch Samsung LCD monitor which draws around 48w. I was planning this for the winter months and Eskom's load shedding nonsense. I've sort of discarded the idea after seeing what that bloody decoder uses in "standby" :D
 
stevenv said:
I never turn mine onto standby. If I do, the software freezes for a good few minutes after turning on.
Click to expand...
Just remember that if you don't put it into standby you're putting significant strain on the HDD as it spins non-stop then.
 
YingYang said:
I'm fairly certain of those numbers. I researched it and have it written down on a piece of paper here in the office.

The reason for this was because I wanted to get a deep cycle battery, charge controller and 40w solar panel for my HD-PVR and a 23 inch Samsung LCD monitor which draws around 48w. I was planning this for the winter months and Eskom's load shedding nonsense. I've sort of discarded the idea after seeing what that bloody decoder uses in "standby" :D
Click to expand...

Something is wrong with it if it is using that much power.
 
YingYang said:
Just remember that if you don't put it into standby you're putting significant strain on the HDD as it spins non-stop then.
Click to expand...

I think we may be refering to different things when we say "standby".
There is a "sleep" mode (at least that's what I call it) where the hdd stops spinning and only starts when a recording is scheduled or you use the remote. The decoder still works, but the buffer isn't recording, so you can't rewind. On the SD PVR, this "sleep" mode was entered when the decoder was inactive for a set amount of time. On the HD, this is set on a timeframe.
I see "standby" as when you press the power button on the remote and the decoder doesn't display a channel on the TV. "Off" is when you unplug it from the wall.
 
Mister 44 said:
I think we may be refering to different things when we say "standby".
There is a "sleep" mode (at least that's what I call it) where the hdd stops spinning and only starts when a recording is scheduled or you use the remote. The decoder still works, but the buffer isn't recording, so you can't rewind. On the SD PVR, this "sleep" mode was entered when the decoder was inactive for a set amount of time. On the HD, this is set on a timeframe.
I see "standby" as when you press the power button on the remote and the decoder doesn't display a channel on the TV. "Off" is when you unplug it from the wall.
Click to expand...
Makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.
 
YingYang said:
Just remember that if you don't put it into standby you're putting significant strain on the HDD as it spins non-stop then.
Click to expand...
This. Set the HDD to turn off after a couple of hours of no-use, otherwise it spins non-stop. My HD-PVR was then considerably cooler, with no loss of functionality. Using less power too, I'm sure.
 
Cirdan said:
This. Set the HDD to turn off after a couple of hours of no-use, otherwise it spins non-stop. My HD-PVR was then considerably cooler, with no loss of functionality. Using less power too, I'm sure.
Click to expand...

Agreed. With my pvr I also had to put a coke bottle top under each corner to help with cooling in summer. I used coke tops because the reds fitted best with the color of my tv stand.
Some other strange bugs:
I have extraview installed. HD PVR and SD PVR, both in the lounge. TV2 is in the bedroom and is controlled via those multichoice eyes that are plugged into the aerial wire. When it gets cold (roughly when the temperature gets below zero), the eye stops working. At about 10am, when it gets warmer, it will start again. This does not happen in summer.
Also, if the power drops my SD PVR takes ages to start up. It starts populating bouquets, then suddenly reboots again. It can carry on doing this up to an hour before it finishes its reboot sequence.
 
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