Quick install for BT / HDHR

[Florida]

After spending a week, day and night trying to install Beyond TV...I now have a quick solution...follow exactly:

Go to windows control panel/add remove programs...find Beyond TV, click remove...do not remove from recycle bin at this time, make a copy first on a floppy disk...now remove it from the recycle bin...take the floppy disk to a paper shredder and shred it, place the shredded pieces in an ash tray or safe container and burn the shredded pieces, remove the ashes wrap in tinfoil and dispose of the ashes in your dumpster, call the trash removal company, pay them extra if you have to and have the dumpster unloaded that day...you don't want any r eminence laying around.

The above should solve your problems.

Now some might think that is unfair...but I will tell you what is unfair...jerking customers around, having them jump threw loops not knowing their product, stroking the customer off, wasting the customers time and thinking that the customer should be happy with their service.

Now I am being unfair, because I should have known that when the BT software request a source I should have not been so stupid to check cable when I have cable, I should have known to check antenna when I have cable and when the BT tech says my problem is with the HDHR software, I should have known not to believe him instead of re-downloading, removing, re-starting my computer, re-installing, shutting down BT, re-running the BT wizard and act suprised when I got the same results...after days of trying everything I then did get it to work, sort of...my 20 year old 17" bedroom TV gets 71 channels...BT gets 33 of which most are shopping channels, TV guide or educationals, however I can get about 2 or 3 that are watchable, not that I would watch them on my TV...but hey I don't have a choice here...not to mention that after 10 seconds of watching the program hangs up and the I have to shut it down and restart it for another 10 seconds of viewing and just keep repeating the process...so I can't complain because I do get to view 10 seconds for every 5 minutes of restarting;

Now I did have a $30 tuner card and software combined that was a 10 minute install and did get all the channels without problem, however I upgraded my computer to a Quad processor system and then went for the best by spending $260 for the HDHR/BT system...Boy am I happy that I did that.

Of course, I am sure that if I bought every tuner card on the market I would have had a chance of one of them working, but tech support hasn't suggested that yet.

[NickHark]

Question: Was that a 5-1/4" floppy?

[Nick Burns]

Originally Posted by NickHark

Question: Was that a 5-1/4" floppy?

Even better... it was an 8"!

[Florida]

Any size...just don't let tech support guide you through it.

[Terminal]

I just added the HDHR to my Quad core system last week. Took about 30 minutes to set it up. Awesome recordings. Didn't even use a floppy disk.

[mayhem70]

I'm guessing the info on QAM channels was on that floppy disk.

[imnee]

BTV is by far the best software PVR on the market. Configuring it to work with with the unlimited number of hardware and software configurations out there requires technical "skills" and patience that are obviously not present in your environment. Before you give up totally, could you do a quick post on how to get windows to uninstall a program and place it in the recycle bin? Really....you should cut your losses and get a TiVo.

Originally Posted by Florida

After spending a week, day and night trying to install Beyond TV...I now have a quick solution...follow exactly:

Go to windows control panel/add remove programs...find Beyond TV, click remove...do not remove from recycle bin at this time, make a copy first on a floppy disk...now remove it from the recycle bin...take the floppy disk to a paper shredder and shred it, place the shredded pieces in an ash tray or safe container and burn the shredded pieces, remove the ashes wrap in tinfoil and dispose of the ashes in your dumpster, call the trash removal company, pay them extra if you have to and have the dumpster unloaded that day...you don't want any r eminence laying around.

The above should solve your problems.

Now some might think that is unfair...but I will tell you what is unfair...jerking customers around, having them jump threw loops not knowing their product, stroking the customer off, wasting the customers time and thinking that the customer should be happy with their service.

Now I am being unfair, because I should have known that when the BT software request a source I should have not been so stupid to check cable when I have cable, I should have known to check antenna when I have cable and when the BT tech says my problem is with the HDHR software, I should have known not to believe him instead of re-downloading, removing, re-starting my computer, re-installing, shutting down BT, re-running the BT wizard and act suprised when I got the same results...after days of trying everything I then did get it to work, sort of...my 20 year old 17" bedroom TV gets 71 channels...BT gets 33 of which most are shopping channels, TV guide or educationals, however I can get about 2 or 3 that are watchable, not that I would watch them on my TV...but hey I don't have a choice here...not to mention that after 10 seconds of watching the program hangs up and the I have to shut it down and restart it for another 10 seconds of viewing and just keep repeating the process...so I can't complain because I do get to view 10 seconds for every 5 minutes of restarting;

Now I did have a $30 tuner card and software combined that was a 10 minute install and did get all the channels without problem, however I upgraded my computer to a Quad processor system and then went for the best by spending $260 for the HDHR/BT system...Boy am I happy that I did that.

Of course, I am sure that if I bought every tuner card on the market I would have had a chance of one of them working, but tech support hasn't suggested that yet.

[Florida]

Thanks imnee, I am going to cut my losses and watch television on my 17" bedroom TV, at least it's in the proper place to get what I have been getting.

[jimz06]

Originally Posted by Florida

After spending a week, day and night trying to install Beyond TV...I now have a quick solution...follow exactly:

Go to windows control panel/add remove programs...find Beyond TV, click remove...do not remove from recycle bin at this time, make a copy first on a floppy disk...now remove it from the recycle bin...take the floppy disk to a paper shredder and shred it, place the shredded pieces in an ash tray or safe container and burn the shredded pieces, remove the ashes wrap in tinfoil and dispose of the ashes in your dumpster, call the trash removal company, pay them extra if you have to and have the dumpster unloaded that day...you don't want any r eminence laying around.

The above should solve your problems.

I did get a chuckle out of that. I've lost track of how many times I have felt like that way about a piece of software or hardware in my computing adventures, especially the HTPC related efforts. Sometimes you have to wonder if the developers use their own product. BTV has given me a few minor fits but in general I've been very happy with it using dual analog tuners, HDHR, and firewire (which it only supports through Fonceur's efforts).

[groebo]

I've felt this way quite a few times with other software/hardware as well as BTV but you have to ask yourself... isn't that what you were getting into?... and if all these other hundreds of people can get BTV & HDHR shaking hands then it might be something of a PBKC error... I feel your pain but honestly, I've had different kinds of tuners and HDHR is by far the easiest to use with BTV with what I feel like the most control... I'd say take 30 minutes, pay for a good RF splitter and cables then enjoy the world of BTV & HDHR making out...

[LionRed]

I feel the OP's pain.

I just recently....spent 2 days getting my BTV computer up and running stable. After swapping a MB and adding 14 Hard Drives...the system wasn't stable (was hoping..but wasn't). It wasn't until I did a fresh format and reinstall of Windows XP , the system now stable (joy joy).
I figured a MB swap would end up in a format (9 times outta 10 it usually does)....but oh well.

Florida...have you tried asking on the forums here for help? I find the people on the board here can be extremely helpful!

Take it easy on him guys...may a times I have wanted to take a hammer to a computer over the years.

[mayhem70]

Originally Posted by LionRed

I feel the OP's pain.

I just recently....spent 2 days getting my BTV computer up and running stable. After swapping a MB and adding 14 Hard Drives...the system wasn't stable (was hoping..but wasn't). It wasn't until I did a fresh format and reinstall of Windows XP , the system now stable (joy joy).
I figured a MB swap would end up in a format (9 times outta 10 it usually does)....but oh well.

Florida...have you tried asking on the forums here for help? I find the people on the board here can be extremely helpful!

Take it easy on him guys...may a times I have wanted to take a hammer to a computer over the years.

Look we all feel like sometimes when dealing with technology, but there is difference in ranting and asking for help. We can offer assumptions, but if he actually gave all his specs (note no idea of his video card)...I have no doubt that we could figure out the problem.

All that time spent coming up with an amusing rant really only becomes a mocking point rather than actually giving the forum faithful something to work with.

Obviously I can't change his disappointment from his prior expectations of unencrypted analog channels versus QAM channels since he probably did a splurg purchase without really reading up on it. But if he was resourceful, he would have stuck the old $30 tuner card into the BTV machine and regain that functionality.

But again, he chose to rant...and we opted to mock.

[LionRed]

We assume that Florida is aware of proper etiquette to be used on Forums....or maybe he is some person who only started to use them?
As for specs..maybe he has a Dell...and figures all computers are Dell's?

Hehe I thought it was a rather amusing rant.
Every unit of BTV in use...could create a potential sale to others.

But just in case...Florida....if your giving up...can I have your stuff?

[Nick Burns]

Originally Posted by LionRed

As for specs..maybe he has a Dell...and figures all computers are Dell's?

Dude, wait...what?

That's as logical as saying "I have a Ford, therefore all cars are Fords".

[imnee]

This post hit the nail on the head.

Originally Posted by mayhem70

Look we all feel like sometimes when dealing with technology, but there is difference in ranting and asking for help. We can offer assumptions, but if he actually gave all his specs (note no idea of his video card)...I have no doubt that we could figure out the problem.

All that time spent coming up with an amusing rant really only becomes a mocking point rather than actually giving the forum faithful something to work with.

Obviously I can't change his disappointment from his prior expectations of unencrypted analog channels versus QAM channels since he probably did a splurg purchase without really reading up on it. But if he was resourceful, he would have stuck the old $30 tuner card into the BTV machine and regain that functionality.

But again, he chose to rant...and we opted to mock.