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I have an FVP-5000T, running alongside an HDR-Fox T2, connected to a Panasonic Viera TV. The EPG on the FVP-5000T has been temporarily losing programme information on all channels very often every day for a month, while the EPG on the Fox and TV are unaffected. One minute it can be fully populated, then the next lots of channels are showing as little as now and next sometimes, but not always the same channels.
There has also been a separate problem in the same period, but only occurring 2 or 3 times, when one or more recordings have been cut short ‘due to loss of power’ – once this happened while I was watching the TV without any interruption to the programme, so there wasn’t a power cut. But this hasn’t happened for 10 days or so.
I’ve reported all this to Support at humaxonline.co.uk and been advised more than once to reset to the Factory Default, with automatic (or once manual) channel selection, and once to format the HDD too. As the signal strength was 95% due to a 1km closeness to the Crystal Palace transmitter, a signal attenuator was recommended. I attached a 0-20dB variable attenuator and reduced it to 75% on the main tuner (below 75% on the others when also being used). I was also told that the EPG comes from Digital UK and they were changing over transmitters again so this would have caused the problem for a brief time. But the problem remains.
I’ve turned off the unit and unplugged it for a minute before making any changes. I’ve got it to power on for 15 minutes at 7am daily on BBC1 HD TV volume 20. I’ve got Automatic Power Down turned off, as well as Power Saving Mode. Recording Options are left in the default of Auto Start and End Padding Time – the only options are to set the padding to between 3, 5, 10 or 20 minutes. I use double-shielded aerial leads, and I’ve checked the connections. I’ve tried disconnecting the Fox. Nothing makes any difference.
I even read on a forum someone recommended accessing the EPG not by the usual pressing of the Guide button on the remote, but via the Freeview Play button just above it and then selecting TV Guide in its top menu. No difference.
I’ve had this unit for just over 4 months and it was ok to start with. I don’t know what’s causing this change. It makes setting future recordings frustrating, with an unreliable EPG. Any ideas, anyone?
Quote:been advised more than once to reset to the Factory Default1. Did you do the Factory Default reset?
Yes. Many times.
Do you have any 800 channels? If so, you are receiving from more than one transmitter which may confuse the EPG.
That being said, my 4000T often shows “No programme information” for one or more stations. The next time I look it is OK.
I did read about 800 channels as I trawled the web looking for clues, but I don’t get any 800s whether I do automatic or manual tuning.
The EPG can change from practically empty over all or most channels to ok the next time, but it’s irritatingly unpredictable, and it’s not as though it’s never been reliable – it was ok for the first 3 months.
I have read that this kind of erratic EPG behaviour has been around for years, and not just affecting Humax, but I’ve not been able to track down any sure-fire way of correcting it. I posted here more in hope than expectation.
In the meantime, I’ve emailed Humax Support to say that I’ve done everything they’ve suggested but the EPG’s still not working properly, and asked them what they think.
Likewise I am seeing this recently and hadn’t before.
Saw it this weekend where most of the next programmes all had no programme information. Changing to the channel I wanted to schedule the recording on resolved it.
I am also on Crystal Palace but yet to see a pattern.
Meant to say I’m not getting failed recordings.
Here is something I’ve just noticed though. The FVP5000 has been on since 1800 ish. It has remained on 1-BBC1 Lon, and had channel logos. Just checking before this post all was fine yet now I realise on checking more, that half of the logos are now not showing. That I get used to but I now have no programme info on most channels after 2000, except the associated BBC mux channels and a few random ones.
It’s rare for the box to be on the same channel for so long and I’m sure all will be fine (with the info at least) once I do that. Does this show that it is losing the cached info, as it was certainly there earlier.
Picture should be attached. Logos disappear after channel 22 apart from selected. No programme info on the majority.
It look’s as if the Dreaded Crystal palace transmitter is up to it’s old tricks again.
There seems to be a whole load of problems being created from either that transmitter, or any sub transmitters that’s linked to it.
I’ve just had a look around some other forums.
On more than one it has been mentioned about the epg causing problems.
especially on some recorders, including the Panasonic recorder, but not their tv’s. Now that is a strange one.
We have seen exactly the same issue on our 5000T from the Oxford transmitter over the last few weeks. There are no tuning issues with the box and no 800 range channels. The box also has a daily on/off timer set to ensure the EPG is populated should it not be used.
The problem does come and go as we have seen at least one instance of a weekly series record on More4 picking up the next episode correctly from the EPG, then it disappears from the EPG leaving blank information in the scheduled recording. The EPG showed “No Programme information” for the slot but did correct itself in time for the broadcast.
Have also had issues where BBC1 SD has a fully populated EPG and BBC1 HD does not which makes no sense. Makes scheduling recording of the HD version a bit difficult also as the SD>HD link is broken.
An update to my previous post with actual screen examples.
One show this mornings EPG with some missing information. The other two are for Keeping Faith tonight at 9pm to 10pm. The program has been scheduled so it must have been in the EPG at some point but as you can see the EPG is now blank.
Hopefully it will update in time or we will be watching on iPlayer.
If the advice here <https://myhumax.org/forum/topic/fvp-5000t-no-programme-information-on-epg> is correct, and I assume it is, then the FVP-5000T updates the EPG daily with information from the TV transmitter and stores it as a cached version for use until the next update.
My unit receives all the information from the transmitter, it just doesn’t retain it. It loses most of it after a while and then rebuilds the EPG, and this is repeated over and over again every day. I don’t see how that can be blamed on the Crystal Palace transmitter.
The only thing I can think of is that the unit, after working ok for 3 months, developed a fault a month ago which remains unfixable by any advice to date from Humax Support. They’ve replied to my last email, telling me yet again to do a Factory Default reset. I already told them I’d done that more than once and it didn’t work, even after reducing the signal strength with an attenuator.
I’ve emailed back to say I think the unit is faulty and asking them to confirm that this appears to be so. I shall then take it up with Humax Direct, who sold it to me, under the terms of the warranty. But on form to date, Humax Support will send me an email suggesting a reset to Factory Default.
FrankLeigh – 44 minutes ago »
If the advice here <https://myhumax.org/forum/topic/fvp-5000t-no-programme-information-on-epg> is correct, and I assume it is, then the FVP-5000T updates the EPG daily
I think you are misreading or misunderstanding the thread.
The EPG data is transmitted continuously and the EPG on the Humax is continuously being updated as long as the Humax is not in standby.
I am guessing but I expect that if something is missing from the transmitted data, the original entry in the Humax EPG gets deleted, and replaced with No programme data, as the original in the EPG is different from what is being transmitted. Gaps in the EPG could be (probably are?) caused by gaps in the transmitted data. Once the correct data is transmitted the EPG quickly picks it up.
I think the Freeview standard requires that an EPG should be populated within a certain short time – minutes. The Humax should populate the entire EPG in 5 minutes or so.
The thread then says that the Humax EPG cache is cleared each night. So, if the Humax is left in standby, and the cache is cleared while in standby, the EPG will then be empty and any scheduled recording will be lost. This is the reason for scheduling the Humax to come on for 15 minutes each day – it is more than enough time for the entire EPG to be populated.
It is presumably easy to see this – just put the Humax into standby with no recordings overnight. Look at the EPG when you bring it out of standby in the morning.
Similarly it is the reason why the Humax comes out of standby 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of a recording – it allows the box to catch the START signal when the program starts. I do not know what happens if a recording actually starts 20 minutes early – presumably if the Humax is in standby it will not record it.
Thank you, JohnH77. Your post is the first I’ve seen that has gone into this detail, and as a learner I’m grateful to you. I assumed that once the EPG was cached it couldn’t be de-cached. I didn’t know that it was updated continuously.
I’ve had a very quick reply from Support asking me to complete the warranty form which they attached and to return it with proof of purchase, so they can arrange for a replacement unit to be sent by courier, who will also collect the old one. So, I’ve done that. I’ll be interested to see how the new machine performs, because if it’s an EPG transmission problem I don’t see how a new unit will be any different. But it’s their call – I assume they know what they’re doing…
I have this niggle occasionally and have realised it only happens if I have retired to bed leaving the box tuned to a channel other than the main 5. Switching to BBC1HD for a few moments very quickly repopulates the epg.
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