Motorola DCT 6416 III DVR questions

[KyL416]

The digital cable boxes are customized for each cable company with different encryptions and authorizations. You have to use one issued by your provider for it to work correctly.

[schuga]

Thanks for the response. Is there anyway to "rconfigure" the box on my own to work with Shaw Cable here in Vancouver?

Cheers

[KyL416]

None, the configuration is hardcoded into the box by both Motorola when they place the order and the cable company when they recieve the boxes. The cable company also has a fixed list of authorizations on their end for each box, so only Motorola boxes issued by them will work within that system.

[dlp755]

Is there a "Pass-Thru" mode on the DCT 6416 ?

By that I mean a setting to allow it to just "pass through" whatever signal is being broadcast down the cable (whether 480i, 720p, or 1080i) _without_ converting it ?

As I understand it, some newer TVs (i.e. Syntax-Olevia 747i, and various Runco products) and external video processors (i.e. Realta-based Algolith Dragonfly or Calibre Vantage HD, or Gennum VXP-based processors), do a superior job of upconverting compared to the DCT 6416, so with those units it would be nice to just use the DCT 6416 to tune & record/play, without having it do any converting itself.

Anybody know if there is such a "pass-thru mode", and if so how to enable it ?

[GreggBz]

There is a user options menu with an option called 4:3 override. It allows you to change the behavior of the up-converter. The options are 480i, 480p, stretch, and off.

You can also change the component output here. Make sure you don't select a mode that your television does not support.

To get to this, hit the power button on the front of the DVR and wait for it to go into standby. Hit the menu button right above it. You should see a white menu with black text.

When your done, just hit the power button again.

I work in the Internet department at Adams, but I checked with the digital tv guys, so this should be accurate!

[pjrvero]

Does anyone know if the 6416 supports HDMI 1.3?

I have a Samsung 4671 connected via a HDMI 1.3 cable to the box but am having some issues with the audio keeping up with the video and some stuttering. Someone had suggested that if the 6416 does not support HDMI 1.3 I will get those problems.

Thanks,

[charliez]

Back in 2006 (old thread!) there was a comment regarding the manual not including any mention of the HDMI port -- here's the latest manual I could find on the Motorola site, and it does now show the HDMI port:

http://tinyurl.com/5rlavg

Charlie Z

[tdm]

I have the Motorol dct 6416 III running thru an Onkyo TX-SR507 AV receiver and a Samsung HDTV. When I turn the system on, I get a "no signal" display on the tv. the DVR occasionally blinks like it's trying to connect. eventually (sometimes 10-15 minutes) in just starts working. I have tried swapping out the HDMI cables - one that worked fine on an XBOX did not fix the problem, and the HDMI cable that connected the dvr and the av receiver worked fine on the xbox. any ideas? bad dvr (it's a few years old).

[Cult Doctor]

When I plug my Motorola dct6416 III in, it shows d1 for several minutes, then buzzes, pause, buzzes, pause....

Dead hard drive?
If so, solution?

[KyL416]

I looked online for some of the error codes, d1 usually means something happened to the firmware and you need to request a service call or bring it in to a walk in center.

Any reason why it was unplugged? Did you just get it and you powered up for the first time or are you one of those who leave things unplugged and only plug them in when you use them. If it's the latter, digital cable boxes (and satellite recievers too) need to be plugged in 24/7, as it will miss the frequent updates of the decryption keys as well as the important firmware updates. If your box is too far behind in updates it won't work.

Frequently updating the decryption keys is their way of preventing people from doing the classic "call the cable company and order all the premiums, then unplug my box for a few days while I call and cancel them, leaving my box still authorized when I plug it back in" that was popular back in the late 80s and 90s.