UPC HD Box issue/question

AeoNGriM

Hi all,

I have a question about my UPC box if you have both the time and knowledge to respond.

I signed up to UPC and requested a HD box, but not the HD package. I was told that this wouldn’t be an issue, which I confirmed with them on a second call.

My box arrives and it was a standard box, no HDMI port and it proved to be faulty to boot.

After a lot of back and forth with their Customer Support team, with them unable to confirm I had requested the HD box and thus unwilling to send me one, and several delays with delivery I received a replacement HD box yesterday.

Taking it out of the packaging, it had easily recognisable and readily visible signs of dirt and wear and tear on the media box itself and on the power adapter, and the warranty label on it has been broken. In addition, the shroud off the RF input port on the back of the box was bent and fairly mangled, and I had a fair amount of hassle connecting the coax cable into it.

After turning it on and tuning in all my stations, the sound cuts out intermittently and there is quite a bit of artifacting and blockyness on what is a fairly poor picture to begin with. The channel guide is also very, very slow and can take up to 10 seconds to appear, with scrolling through channel selection going at a snails pace.

I can confirm I’m using a HDMI cable, bought new last week along with a 40 inch Philips HDTV. I’ve swapped HDMI ports, and swapped the cable itself with a spare and the issues remain.

The mediabox itself is a Revision 1.8 Cisco 8485DVB manufactured on 18/10/08, as read from the label on the underside.

I’ve googled the model, and the UPC HD boxes in general and the one I have looks different to the ones I’m seeing online, so I’m wondering if they’ve sent me an older 2nd hand model which was in use for a few years and may have been refurbished.

Would anyone be able to confirm this from the information I’ve related, or be able to tell me what model the latest/newest HD box UPC are using?

Has anyone else had a similar problem with them?

Thanks for your time.

djimi

The issue with the EPG is normal; its just an appallingly badly programmed piece of software and a nightmare to use.

Its also normal enough to get a refurb/second hand box; my second box (non-HD) is definately a refurb. However, if it is damaged in any way then send it back and request a new one. The hardware always remains property of UPC, meaning that if there are any issues like what you have seen, they should just replace it for you.

The issue with the picture breaking up sounds like it is related to the damaged RF port on the back of the box. However it could also be related to a number of different issues (bad cabelling, faulty splitter, faulty wall box etc). Id get them to replace the box first and take if from there as that to me sounds like the most likely culprit.

If there is any doubt about anything that you were sold get onto customer support and ask them to review the recording of your sales call. They should have them all on file and they will refer to it in the case of any dispute. It saved me from getting overcharged by over €100 when I first signed up to UPC.

AeoNGriM

djimi wrote: »

The issue with the EPG is normal; its just an appallingly badly programmed piece of software and a nightmare to use.

Its also normal enough to get a refurb/second hand box; my second box (non-HD) is definately a refurb. However, if it is damaged in any way then send it back and request a new one. The hardware always remains property of UPC, meaning that if there are any issues like what you have seen, they should just replace it for you.

The issue with the picture breaking up sounds like it is related to the damaged RF port on the back of the box. However it could also be related to a number of different issues (bad cabelling, faulty splitter, faulty wall box etc). Id get them to replace the box first and take if from there as that to me sounds like the most likely culprit.

If there is any doubt about anything that you were sold get onto customer support and ask them to review the recording of your sales call. They should have them all on file and they will refer to it in the case of any dispute. It saved me from getting overcharged by over €100 when I first signed up to UPC.

Hi Djimi,

Thanks for the reply first of all, and the advice.

Regarding Customer Support, they have no record of the call in which they confirmed they would send me the HD box. I was onto them before about it and it either wasn’t recorded or saved on file or they lost it. No big issue really as they’ve agreed to send me the HD box without charge.

I’m going to call and request that they replace the box, would you or anyone else know what the newest model HD box is? I’m fairly sure the one I have is an old model, and would like to specifically request the latest one from them.

It’s been a fairly painful and tiresome experience, and if they can’t/won’t accommodate my request I’m going to downgrade my bundle to just internet and phone and get a Sky tv package instead, something I probably should have done in the first place.

Cheers.

djimi

I dont know the latest model but Ill check mine when I get home. The one I have is black anyway; I think its Cisco.

Mearings

If it is a used model it should have a 'Electrical Test Pass' dated sticker on the underside.

AeoNGriM

Mearings wrote: »

If it is a used model it should have a 'Electrical Test Pass' dated sticker on the underside.

Yep, it does have that sticker underneath. Figured as much when I saw the dirt and scratch marks, and the date of manufacture sticker from 4 years ago.

Whats their latest model HD box?

Tech_Man

UPC use two types of HD decoders. A Cisco decoder that can record and a Pace one that is non recording. There is no new type recording HD decoder so the cisco one is the current model being used.

AeoNGriM

Tech_Man wrote: »

UPC use two types of HD decoders. A Cisco decoder that can record and a Pace one that is non recording. There is no new type recording HD decoder so the cisco one is the current model being used.

Which model Cisco though? I know there are at least two.

From another thread :

decies wrote: »

Mine is a Cisco 8685 Dvr plus hd, I only signed up to the Dvr plus about 6 weeks ago?? I have not signed up to hd. How old is this box then if it's not the latest , more to the point is it any good lol? That's a black box.

Mine is a Cisco 8485, but is the bolded one above the latest Cisco model that UPC use or is there a newer one?