HDPVR randomly reboots

[MBBiker]

Been having this problem for almost a year now. We got a new Samsung tv about the same time that the LNB was upgraded. Two receiver replacements and no solution. The pvr will randomly reboot itself during recordings and/or we will turn the tv on and the black reboot option screen will be there for user input. Our current receiver has been in place for 3 months and has over 1000 reboots!!
These are the things that have been tried so far with no change…

• plug the receiver directly into the wall
• replace the plug outlet
• replace the hdmi cable
• do a soft reboot of receiver
• move the receiver to an older Samsung tv and everything is fine
• plug the satellite hdmi into different inputs (1,2,3 & 4)

Not getting rid of the tv anytime soon, but this issue makes the pvr capability almost useless.

[mdk]

@MBBiker -- this might be a shot in the dark, but can you add a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) between the power-socket in the wall and your PVR, to supply "smoothed" power to the PVR? Cost under $100.

What other appliances do you have on the same electrical circuit? Dish-washer? Clothes-washer? Clothes-dryer? Start/stopping those appliances can cause a power surge that might possibly affect your PVR.

[MBBiker]

We could, but there is nothing on that circuit but lights and living room items. The same receiver works fine with no reboots in my ancient basement which I swear has one circuit for the whole 25’x40’ space 🤦🏼‍♀️

[rstra]

@MBBiker Do you just have the one receiver?

[MBBiker]

No, there are two. The other one is fine. And when we swap them out, it’s always the one that is hooked up upstairs that reboots

[rstra]

@MBBiker  That’s really weird. I thought maybe a resolution setting on the TV, or maybe the signal at the cable box. Is the signal level ok at that connection?

[MBBiker]

The settings on the tv are nothing special, just how it comes from factory. We don’t use the feature to shut everything off with one button. And we checked the signals yesterday, they’re reading 92 & 93 (other room is reading 98 & 99)

[mdk]

@MBBiker wrote: We could, but there is nothing on that circuit but lights and living room items. 

It's unfortunate that you did not try a UPS, just to rule it out. I suppose that some big-box stores will accept a return of the UPS, if it does not help.

Can you run a long electrical extension cord from a wall-outlet in some other room, on a different circuit, to power the PVR?

In my home, my circuit-breaker box has two columns of breakers. Everything on the first column worked fine, while using the washing machine (connected on the second column) caused some ceiling-lights to flicker. Huh?

There is a 3-wire cord from the nearest telephone-pole feeding the breaker-box, namely "plus-110" volts, "minus-110" volts, and "neutral", to supply a 220 Volt differential to my stove, while supplying 110 volts to most outlets.  The "plus-110" and "neutral" connect to the first column, and the "minus-110" and "neutral" connect to the second column. The issue was that the "minus-110" lead (installed in 1956) was not a good connection to the breaker-box -- very dangerous, should it start to electrically spark. 

Yikes!  BC Hydro came in, and repaired that connection, to solve the problem.

So, if your breaker-box also has 2 columns, try that electrical cord to power the PVR from the "other" column.

By the way, how old are the circuit-breakers in the breaker-box? Old-enough to be wise to proactively replace one/all of them? Obviously, first replace the one that feeds the PVR.