Is it just me, or has Bell dropped the ball lately with the program guide? Most of the shows I watch have only a generic description and nothing else, causing the PVR to either ignore the event, or record duplicates of the same show. This only started happening a lot at the beginning of October, and has caused me to set all of my times to record “All Episodes” and then manually “skip” the duplicates.
Shaw Cable on the other hand, seems to have their guide together, and it has correct info for almost every show that I checked. Now if only they had the same quality to their HD content that Bell has, and switching would almost be a no brainer.
I am at the end of my Bell contract, and extremly frustrated by the guide, and very tempted to switch now. So my question to the readers of this site is: Have you been having issues with the program guide? If so, please add a comment below with the symptoms that you have been seeing. Bell does read this site, so perhaps somebody will see this and take action!
Rant over.
apeman 9200, DVR, HDTV, PVR, expressvu, rants Bell TV, expressvu, HD PVR, HDTV, Program Guide, Shaw Cable
Today I noticed that my ExpressVu 9200 PVR now has software version V222. Changes besides updating to the new “Bell” logo include:
- HD logo on items in the PVR list.
- Grouping feature to group episodes of the same show together in the PVR window
- HD subtext on the HD channels in the Guide.
- Pressing the “Guide” button will now cycle through “All Sub”, “All Channels”, and “All HD”.
I’m sure that I have missed something here, so if you find something that I have missed, please leave a comment and I will update the list.
If you are noticing any bugs that have cropped up with the new firmware, try rebooting your receiever to see if it helps, as this will load the new fimware. If you are still having problems, please post a comment below and I will do my best to help.
apeman 9200, DVR, HDTV, PVR, expressvu 9200, 9220, Bell, expressvu, HDTV, PVR
The biggest complaint about the Bell ExpressVu PVR models was finally addressed today, all Bell ExpressVu receivers should now be capable of a 9 day program guide. I can’t confirm if this is the case for other reciever models first hand, but early reports and email tips show that this is the case.
The limitation of a 40 hour guide was by far the largest complaint of ExpressVu 9200 HD PVR owners, and owners of Bell’s earlier PVR models. ExpressVu had been quietly updating the firmware of their receivers over the summer, and just flipped the 9 day guide switch sometime today.
With the addition of the 9 day guide comes 9200 firmware version 150. I have not noticed any new enhancements other than the longer guide, but the extra days of information will be really useful for planning PVR recording timers.
Read more…
apeman 9200, 9220, HDTV, PVR, expressvu, home theatre, news, tech
Ever wonder where in the sky the ExpressVu satellites sit? You hear about 91w and 82w all the time but what does that look like plotted on a map. Please note that since the satellites rotate with the earth, its called geosynchronous orbit, and because of this the satellites over the equator.
I’ve plotted the satellites below using the Google Maps API.
- 91West is the Satellite that carries most of the Standard definition programming
- 82West carries most of the HD programming as well as the multicultural channels
- 71West is due to launch sometime in 2009.
If you have any questions, please post a comment.
apeman 9200, HDTV, expressvu, tech
The much anticipated MPEG4 replacements for the ExpressVu 6100 and the 9200 have been delayed until the fourth quarter of 2007 according to a memo released to ExpressVu dealers. With this announcement, its also been revealed that Bell does not forsee moving to MPEG4 broadcasts until 2009, which means that we are not likely to see a mass upgrade program, and that 9200 HD PVR you just purchased is still going to work for a few more years.
Its worth mentioning that ExpressVu has also stated that the Ethernet port, and the USB 2.0 ports on the two new recievers are to be disabled at launch, reserving them for “future use”.
With all of the uncertainty surrounding the new HD receivers, I’m glad I decided to rent my 9200. I won’t loose anything when the new receivers are finally released, and with the date pushed back, the new units will be available at the same time as my contract is up.
apeman 9200, 9220, DVR, HDTV, PVR, expressvu, home theatre, video
There is some big news for the Express Vu 9200, firmware version 149 was released today, and there appear to be some major changes.an
I’m still trying to “discover” all of the many changes, and I will post the updates as I discover them.
Here is a list that can get you started, if you notice anything new, please feel free to post below.
In summary, the unit feels a lot faster, and more reliable. I also like the diagnostic changes, and the updates to the guide.
- Daylight Savings time fix (remember DST comes three weeks early starting this year).
- Picture in Picture (PIP) has been revamped to include “side by side” mode.
- The system information screen has been totally revamped, menu, 6-1-3
- The guide now shows more information, season, show number, and original air date. The same info is also shown on the PVR screen.
- The ability to rename events on the PVR.
- General bug fixes, HDMI audio sync, HD 30 second skip.
apeman 9200, 9220, DVR, HDTV, PVR, expressvu, home theatre, news, tech
Rumour and speculation are rampant this week as news is starting to leak out that Bell ExpressVu will be releasing two new HD recievers sometime in April 2007. Just to be clear, this has not been confirmed, and my sources at Bell tell me that its “Very Likely”. Considering the enevitable upgrade to MPEG 4 later this year, it makes perfect sense that Bell would start to sell a new HD and HD PVR reciever.
Read more…
apeman 9200, 9220, DVR, HDTV, PVR, expressvu, home theatre, news, rumours, tech
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