ExpressVu 9200/9220 Review
After just over two weeks, its time for my mini review of the Bell ExpressVu 9200 / 9220 Dual HDTV Tuner PVR. First we have to get past how great HD looks! I didn’t think I’d get in the habit of checking to see if a show is on in HD before I watched it in standard definition.
There were a couple of minor hiccups, the first was the installer being two and a half hours late for the install, ie: showing up at 2:30 when the appointment was between 8am and noon. I can’t blame this on ExpressVu since they contracted the install out to dishlink.
The PVR is amazing, and with the dual tuners it makes watching TV enjoyable again. The 30 second fast forward button is perfectly suited for fast forwarding past a commercial or two, or three, or four. 
and if you go too fast, there is always the 10 second jump back/instant replay. In addition to recording two shows simultaneously, you can also watch a third from the hard disk. When you are not recording, you can pause live TV, or rewind up to an hour (assuming you were on the current channel for that long). On the rare occasions I have encountered timer conflicts, it was easy enough to find the same program on in a different time zone, thanks to the included time shifting channels that ExpressVu offers.
Having two tuners also has other benefits, such as Picture in Picture (pip), or you can set the receiver into dual mode where two separate rooms can watch TV independently of each other, using the supplied UHF remote. If the second tuner is not in use, the first TV can still reschedule recordings using the second tuner.
Whats in the box:
Besides the two and half hour late install, the only gripe I had was that the installer did not ground the dish, its an easy fix to do myself, but since he was already up on the roof, it wouldn’t have been too much effort. Good thing I am renting their gear!
There are only a few things that could be improved upon, such as the sluggish (sometimes) performance of the IR remote control. The PVR could do with some better ventilation, it gets very hot to the touch even when off. An option to also reconfigure or hide some of the guide would be nice, such as hiding the Descriptive video (Dv) channels, and the French channels would speed up my guide surfing. Also being able to group channels in a custom order such as: NBC-W, NBC-E, NBCW-HD, NBCE-HD would give a nice comparison, rather than having to move from the 200′s to the 800′s to see if the same show is on in HD.
All said I am very impressed with this unit, and it has changed my TV watching forever.
Lower quality is fine. I am just planning to copy cooking shows and stuff for the kids.
Thanks for your help.
Doris
I have a Bell Expressvu 9200 PVR (my fourth replacement). This one has performed flawlessly until recently and the listing of high def. recording hours available (in the PVR section) was always accurate. That is, hours available for recording equaled the 25 hour recording capacity less the actual recorded hours on the hard drive. Recently, however, this changed and approximately 10 hours went into oblivion.
Currently, my actual recorded hours and listed availble hours total out at about 15 hours. The dilemma is this. Is my true current high def. capacity 15 hours, or is it still 25 hours with the reader being faulty. If it’s just a faulty reader, I can work around this by tracking recorded totals manually and keeping them under 25 hours.
Do you have any information on this type of problem? Bell doesn’t have a ready answer, and I’m getting tired of exchanging units. Each time you exchange units you have to download all your recordings to a VCR prior to returning the unit and this is a real nuisance.
Please forgive the cross post…
Hi Apeman,
I purchased the 9200/9220 this week and I’m having bad drop-out problems. Live TV is fine, but playback of anything recorded stutters badly (unwatchable, really). I have the 0X6102 and my software version is V144MBJD-N. It seemed that this was the version that had the fix, so I’m not sure what to do. I haven’t called BEV yet. I was wondering if there is someone in particular I should be speaking to.
I also have a second TV (in the bedroom) that will not accept the signal. The installer said that it is because the TV is analog. The 2nd TV is 20 years old, but it was top of the line at the time. This same TV worked on my old receiver, but apparently, because the is a digital signal, it is not compatible.
Any thoughts?
I am also having trouble watching live TV while recording a program on another channel. I get a message saying that changing the channel will cancel the recording of the current program. I thought I could record two programs and watch a third. When I called Tech support they told me that I could not watch a live channel while recording on another. Is this true?
One last thing… When I set up programs to record, some of them appear on the list with the name crossed out. What does this mean? Is it a duplicate? Is it still going to record?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Doris
Hi Doris –
I would call Bell and let them know about the problems that you are having, especially considering how new the unit is. You should not be seeing any skipping.
I think your installer was being cheap/lazy. They only get paid to connect 1 TV to the 9200. Your old TV should work fine as TV2, as long as it can accept basic cable, which most should. I have a cheap-o citizen TV/VCR combo connected to the TV2 port of my 9200 and it works like a champ.
Are you by any chance using the existing cable companies cabling to connect to the second TV? If so, the cable companies splitter on the side of your house is likely interfering with your signal, most are designed to only let the signal flow one way at certain frequencies.
As for the lines in your recordings, that usually means that the program is either a duplicate (already recorded), not a new episode or there is a scheduling conflict. highlighting the item with the cursor bar, and pressing the select button should tell you why it is being skipped.
Hope that helps
boozhoo all, this is my questin. how is the unit (9220)working now?
i am gong to switch over to expressvu but would like to know if this glitch was fixed.
Hi Duane –
The 9200/9220 HD PVR’s have been working fine, the hard drive bug was fixed a long time ago.
There are only a few minor bugs, like any product, and they are certainly minor. You will still enjoy the HD PVR.
Cheers, apeman
Interestingly, I moved my old 5100 into the bedroom and installed a new 9200 just last week. I was completely unaware of the springs ‘stuttering problem’. So, when I first recorded programs and couldn’t watch them, I was about to return the unit. After a complete unplug, the next day the problem was fixed.
So, there are still some NEW units being sold that contain very old software versions. I couldn’t be happier with the receiver … but I am annoyed that I thought I’d be returning the unit …. at initial blush. New buys should be advised …
Hi Dennis –
My 9200 updated when it was first connected to the dish, I thought that all new units downloaded new firmware upon activation.
But I do agree with you, there should be a note/sticker/etc on the unit to let new new subs know that it will need to update its firmware for the best experience.
Cheers! – apeman
I just got a new rental 9220 PVR on Friday and have had called 2x over a glitch – the TV screen goes black after working for a random amoun t of tim e, eg 5 mins or 1 hour. I was told on 1st call to walk thru a full unplug reboot (worked) (said it was a known intermittent HDMI software glitch still being worked on), next time to unplug and replug in HDMI cab;e at back of PVR (worked for 1 minute), then to remove HDMI cable entirely and use Component video hookup (worked)(because of HDMI software glitch and/or possible bad cable) .
Comments?
Should I get a new PVR installed by ExpressVu?
PS – The problem first started when I tried to hook up my stereo to PVR (RCA) audio output in Component Output section. It all worked for maybe 2-3 hours before the Tv went black (also no audio). Tech said this was a non-issue.
Hi Bill –
I have heard that there are some bugs with HDMI in Bell’s firmware. I currently use HDMI to connect my 9200 to my TV, and I have no problems. I am also using the Left and Right RCA audio out ports from the component section to connect to a stereo in another part of the house and I am not seeing my screen go black.
Do you know what software version you are running? You may want to try doing the full unplug and reboot. You may not have downloaded the new software when you first tried it.
Good luck, and let us know if you need more help, or if you get it working and what you did to fix it.
cheers, Chris
my reciever (9200) trips off and resets when caller i.d. is activated and when i try to urn off the banner.
anybody else experiencing this glitch?
miigwech.
waiting reply
Here’s a new one…we are experiencing problems with our BEV 9200 IR remote. Some days we have to hold the remote right up to the receiver to call up the guide etc…. Other days it works OK.
I read here (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=32971&highlight=remote) that it could be distance between the Samsung and the 9200. We moved it further away. It worked OK for 2 days then we are back to working only 1-2″ away.
Any one else with this problem or any solutions?
Hey apeman, first post on your site here but well done on the forum!! Very helpful to all current and future 9200 owners. Thanks for that.
Quick question. Has anyone figured out how to copy recorded programs onto a computer? I have a bunch of race coverage that I would like to burn to a DVD. Thanks.
Hi Markvr,
Not yet, about the best that you could do, is to capture the video in SD from the composite (TV2) output port. There is no mechanism to export the data on the hard drive in a digital format to a computer. All data stored on the hard drive is encrypted.
There are Component HD capture cards on the market, but they are very expensive.
Cheers – apeman
I need to find out the device code to program my remote to control my Prima 42″ plasma TV.
Where can I get this?
Hi Paul -
There should be a code for your TV in the manual that came with your 9200 PVR. If not, you may be able to use another manufacturers code. To get an idea of where to start, search for your TV’s FCC ID (google), this will tell you who built the TV, it may be an LG or similar manufacturer, this will help you to narrow down what codes to use.
good luck! – apeman
Hi,
Just got a 9200 after having a 6100 for quite some time. I have a couple of newbie questions. So i took the satellite cable out of the 6100 and popped it into the 9200 in the Sat1 port. (i only want to use this system on 1 tv). It keeps saying there is an error with the 2nd input (obviously cause im not using it) but is there a way to get rid of this annyoing prompt?
Also,
Im having major trouble recording PVR, when im watching and the show is occuring i can record, but preset timers seem to do nothing. When i pull up the schedule it shows that it recorded what i wanted, but at the PVR recording list there is nothing there? What am i doing wrong?
thanks
Mike
Hi Mike -
The 9200 requires two satellite inputs to function properly. You should be able to take the single RG-6 cable that was feeding your 6100 and feed it into the appropriate splitter and get two RG-6 feeds out. You may be able to get away with using one tuner if you put the 9200 into dual mode, and set your preferences to record on tuner 1.
Do you know what switch was installed near your dish to combine the signals from both LNB’s? If there is an SW44, you will be able to run another cable from it to feed the second tuner.
I’d call Bell and ask what splitter to use (if you go that route), but you will need to know what equipment is already installed at the dish.
Good luck, and let us know how you make out.
Hi Again,
As of now, we just have an SW-21 switch, up on the roof i believe. Ive been waiting for bell to come to the house and wire it up for 2 more HD signals which would merit a SW-44, but as of now i only have 2 signals which must only need the SW-21. Im kinda new to the whole installation part of the systems. Could i install the switch at the TV? Or does it have to be messed around with at the LNB?
Ive tried to get Bell to come for appt’s but they have cancelled on me 5 times!
currently its -35 outside so im hoping that the switch work can be done inside the comfy house!
Thanks again for any help you can provide
Mike
I have the most current software update on my 9200/9220 but the call display still doesn’t work. Is this working for anyone? I am using a GE wireless phone jack, but the Phone Connection says OK. I tried running a long phone cord to the hard-wired jack, still nothing.. Any help would be appreciated.. I miss this feature since upgrading.
Tim
Hey,
Well i finally got cracking on my system with the PVR, i had to get the SW44 switch as well as the SW44A from a local dealer for cascading, it was a hell of a job and a ton of rewiring and some broken drill bits but i got the 2nd feed to my PVR as well as 2 more HD recivers hooked up in the house. For the record the SW44A is an overpriced item to say the least, if you dont need over 4 HD connections dont bother even looking into it, the part alone was 149.99 boo.
Anyhow, im full HD on every tv now and one 9200…thanks for the forum apeman i learned quite a bit of knowledge here
Mike
Hey ive got a quick question on the PVR, how is it you change the secondary remote address, mine is being interfered with, i know how to switch the primary and have, but somtimes im still getting channels changed on me?
thanks
Mike
just got my 9200 and when i run the 4 wires from the lnb’s to the sw44 switch do i put 1 wire from sat 82 and one from sat 91 into sat1a and sat1b or dose it matter?
hooked up 9200 and obvioulsy both inputs are working as able to get a signal on TV1 (HD samsung DLP) through component cables and signal to TV2 either by way of RCA or coax cables – problem is cannot seem to get anything from the HDMI output on TV1 of the 9200 even after checking another cord – the source does not light up for either HDMI or DVI – i do not know if anything needs to be done on a menu – the tv had no issue with the 6100 DVI input (it just senses the input and lights up in the source menu) – any help greatly appreciated – may in fact be a faulty output from the 9200 and since i purchased it, no recourse there.
Hi Sandeep,
It sounds like you may have a defective HDMI port on your 9200. I would call Bell, they should swap out the unit for you, no charge.
Make sure that you do not have your TV connected to the component cables on the 9200 if you are trying to use HDMI, it may sense that you are already connected via component, and disable the HDMI port.
Once you connect to the HDMI port, try rebooting the 9200, unplug its power and wait about 30 seconds, that may help.
Good Luck
i have a question about two eyes on seprate dishes?would that work?
Hi Lisa -
You can use two dishes, with one LNB (eye) each, to pick up both 82W and 91W. This is a good way to get optimal signal for each satellite.
You will still need to use the SW44 or equivalent switch to combine both signals for the 9200.
Can you tell if there is a difference between a 9200 & 9220 or are they the same. Apparently Expressvu will release ne receivers later this year that will be mpeg4/mpeg2 capable, what is the impact of mpeg4 with respect to the old receivers assuming that somtime in the future Bell will use mpeg4 compression, does that allow them increase their bandwidth and thus add more HD programming and the old mpeg2 receivers won’t receive the any new programming.
Lee,
There is no difference between the Bell 9200 and the Bell 9220. The only difference is that one is a kit that contains a dish, two LNBF’s, and SW44 multi switch. The other, is an upgrade kit to HD, which includes another LNBF to receive signals from a satellite at 82 west.
As for MPEG4. the 9200 is not compatible, as it can only handle MPEG2. Bell is expected to launch new receivers in July that are MPEG4/2 compatible. There have been rumors and speculation that Bell will upgrade their existing HD subscribers to MPEG4, but there has been nothing official from Bell as of this point.
Stay tuned, as I am watching this closely, and I will post on the main page if anything new develops.
What is the signifigance of Bell going to MPEG4, does that give them increased bandwidth to add more HD channels, and if one bought a 9220 now would they be unable to receive any such increase in channels if they go to MPEG4.
If my 9200 gets obsolete after 1 year, it’s bye bye Bell for me
I just got Bell to install a 3100 std and 5900 pvr. I am really not impressed with the 5900 pvr since I have used Rogers and Cogeco HD PVRs and don’t think that the 5900 is anything in comparison. The only reason did not go with the 9200 was because I did not want to be locked in for 2 years with equipment that I had never tried before. I believe I probably have the regular dish installed (not HD), so I was wondering if it is possible to hook up a 9200 to the dish. Keep in mind that I do not have an HD TV, I just like the features of the HD pvr.
Hi Jackie -
I have heard that the Expresvu 9200 will not work with only one tuner connected, so it may be worth a shot if you can get two lines to it. I’m not familar with the 5900, so I do not know if it has two tuners or not.
You can connect the 9200 to a non HD TV, but what would be the point
All joking aside, if your TV supports component video, then you should be able to use the 9200 in 480p mode on TV 1, or if all else fails, use the composite or RG-59 Cable connector on TV 2.
But if I have a standard dish, doesn’t it only have 2 lines to start with, so I would only be able to run the dual tuner and not my standard receiver too?
I like the 9200 for the pvr features, not the HD features (since I don’t have HD yet). The 5900 is a single tuner pvr, so you can only watch what you are recording or what is on the harddrive, kindof pointless if you ask me. Why would I watch what I am recording or record what I am watching????? I know my TV has the capability as I have run the digital cable HD PVRs through it, I just don’t know if my dish has the capability to run the HD PVR and a standard receiver????
Thanks for the help
Hi Jackie -
If your dish has two lines comming off of it, you should be able to connect one to each tuner, and just watch standard def tv on the 9200. This would be the same as getting the 9200 without HD package enabled.
I’d try it, and if it doesn’t work, simply return the 9200 right away.
So what’s going on with these new Bell tuners that were supposed to be released in July? Anyone know?
Hello, I have your site bookmarked and have found it very useful regarding the 9200 PVR,, I noticed your answer to someone way above about transfering the save files to a computer, I as well would like to do this, now from what I have read, it is impossible with the bell model, and apparently the USB port is not active,, but I found a program on the internet, “HumaxMediaController” that claims it can accomplish this feat, the only thing I need is a “A-A” USB cable, haven’t found one yet, but before I go buy one and give it a try, I was wondering if you had heard anything about this?
regardless, thanks again for the great site,
Gary Olson,
HI Gary -
I haven’t heard of the program that you are talking about. All indications are that the expressVu reciever is locked and that you cannot retrive data from it. The USB is disabled as far as I can tell.
Do you have a link for the program that you are taling about? I’d like to take a look and give a better opinion after seeing it.
Another method for recording video off of your 9200 would be to use a Neros OSD device to record off of the TV2 Composite port. (I know, composite sucks, but its better than nothing).
Thanks for visiting.
I think that “HumaxMediaController” is for a different type of PVR.
Has anyone tried taking the HDD out of the Bell 9200 Receiver & hooking it up?
Hi Dominus -
The contents of the hard drive are encrypted/locked. This is a hardware feature of the drive in the PVR.
The other factor, is that the contents are encrypted. The PVR stores the raw satellite signal on the drive in its encrypted MPEG2 format.
Of course, the above doesn’t mean that somebody hasn’t figured out a work around. I rent my reciever, so I can’t attempt this with mine. If somebody tries this, please report back your results.
Thanks
9200 device code so I can use a Onkyo reciever remote to control
I’m getting the 9200 installed on the 22nd of Sept, hope all is well. I’m an existing Bell customer so I’m excited for the HD.
What places are these available to buy? I know futureshop has them for 549.00 right now(I only need the reciever as BEV is installing another dish for me), any other places?
Just lately, it seems our IR remote is interfering with the UHF remote. If we have the #1 off, then the UHF remote works just fine, but if we turn on the #1 side, then the uhf conks out unless right in front of the pvr, I took the batteries out of the IR remote with the #1 side still on and the UHF remote works fine again. I tried changing remote signal channels on both remotes, the only result I got was losing my wireless internet for a few minutes! ( laughing)
anyone have a thought on a fix for this?
We have two Bell dishes on opposite ends of our roof. One for the 9200 (82W & 91W with a SW44) and one for a 3100 92W (no switch). The little manual that came with the SW44 has a wiring diagram where is shows all three satellite signals linked via a couple of SW21 switches and the SW44 switch(Cascading the SW21 switches). It suggests that the feed coming off the SW21 switches will “see” signals from all three. This would suggest you would have two feeds from 82W and four feeds from 92W. Sometimes foul weather causes loss of signal. Would this “Cascading SW21″ increase the reliablity of the signal? If it does, would adding a second Dual LND to the 3100′s dish to see (4x82W) help it even further?
Has anyone tried transferring HD from the 9200 PVR to a PC using this http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/ capture card. Using component cables should defeat the encryption should it not?
Cascading the SW21 switches appears to work. Two points however, One – You must use the first port on the SW44 with the 9200 to get the HD programing and the second point is that the power inverter must be inline next to the SW44 – do not place one of the SW21′s in between the inverter and the SW44 = I’ve read doing so will damage the SW 21. The final result is the 91W signal went up from 84% fluctuations to 92% fluctuations and it appears the guide has also been extended? Next I will be adding another dual LNDon the 3100 dish to pick up two more 82W signals. (Lots of cables and lots of grounding blocks….).
Now that I’ve had the Cascade system setup for a couple of week I’ve noticed that I’ve had to reset the SW44 switch several times…. pain in the ….. I will be removing the SW22 switches and going back to the traditional set up of just using a single dish… The guide does not suffer either way and the signal benifits do not out weigh the inconvinence of having to reset the SW44… not something the wife and kids can be expected to do all the time.
I have had the 9200 for just over 2 years now (2yrs 3mths), and have found it prettty good. I love the fact that we can watch and record up to 3 different shows simultaneously with the PVR. We have only experienced minor issues with it until now, such as the green pixelation that requires a reboot, some pausing, and the occassional update being sent at the most inappropriate time. At the time, we paid $599 plus tax for it, with the reasoning that in the long run this would be cheaper than renting (requires 3 years plus to make your money back). We were assured that Bell would stand behind their product when purchasing the PVR. Unfortunately, this is not so.
I woke up Christmas morning only to find a “Warning” message when I turned on my TV. “Warning 760 – Your hard drive has become corrupted ….” The message goes on to say all data will be erased and they are sorry for the inconvenience. There is a “Delete Now” button at the bottom of the page, but you cannot access it, and the 9200 continually attempts to reboot itself only to bring you to the Warning. I called Bell, they were closed on Christmas, and only had a skeleton staff on Boxing Day and couldn’t help me. On the 27th I called again and was on the phone for 2.5 hours arguing with them.
Bottom line, this is unrecoverable, and I am on the hook for a new PVR. Bell was incredibly frustrating to deal with, offering no explanation, no service options, and no customer service! They tried to “buy” me off with a $35 credit. This was insulting as it does not nearly cover the expense and/or inconvenience. I managed to bump that up to 4 months free service, so if this happens to you, don’t settle for anything less! They would not replace the unit however because “it was out of warranty”. I don’t care if there is a warranty period, a $700 piece of equipment should not just die with no possibility of being fixed. They were quite condescending on this point, even offering me an English lesson on the meaning of the words Warranty and Guarantee. They were also very inconsistent in their answers depending on who I was talking to at the time. Two said they would NEVER buy a PVR, because they only last a few years and because there are so many issues with them (their words, not mine). I then asked why they sell them “if there are so many issues”, and they said they tell their sales people to push rentals (obviously our sales guy didn’t get the memo). The tech I spoke to said he would never rent, and that Bell’s equipment breaking is just a chance you have to take. They all tried to say it was an electronic piece of equipment and is prone to breaking. The senior technical analyst I spoke to said that this was likely caused by repeated recording and deletion of programs…. isn’t this what a PVR is for? Other than this, no explanation given, just cough up the money!
They are now sending me a replacement PVR in 5 to 7 business days(refurbished, not new) at my own cost ($160 plus tax). That means that this PVR has likely already broke, and has been ‘fixed’ by Bell. The warranty is only 3 months on this one. I know this is just bad timing, but the thing that annoys me most is that this happened on my Christmas vacation, and my wife and I can’t relax and watch TV when we are able. No Team Canada hockey this year! No movies in the afternoon…. Bell is a bad word in this household.
Skip to my loo, what a hassle. Im throwing my own two cents in because I’ve just recently got the skip problem, I had 9200 for years with no problem until the HDMI port stopped working.
Got a replacement unit no problem but now I’ve got the skips. Which makes the pvr almost useless. If I start recording a show and let it run for 15 minutes and then choose to start watching it from the begining it will periodically skip to the end of the recording.
Gonna call Bell today see if theres a fix, or make sure they ship me a new unit and not another refurb
The skipping issue is NOT a hard drive problem. I had the same problem with my brand new 9242.
Here’s the FIX
Menu: (6) Systems Setup/ (7) Dolby Digital
Change the factory default setting from PCM and Dolby Digital which is the 1st entry to the 3rd options – PCM Only I left my RF setting the same as it appeared to offer me the best vocals.
On my set making these changes corrected the skipping of the audio I was hearing while playing back a recorded program.
Not sure why Bell has not corrected this issue but the above seems to be a great workaround and the skipping has not reocurred.