DVR with fastest channel switching?

theorist

I used to have a Motorola ODN DVR. It switched channels fairly rapidly, and I was happy with it. I made the mistake of upgrading to a newer Arris box, thinking it might be even more responsive, but found the opposite to be the case: It switches channels much more slowly—too slowly.

I'm planning to go to the Spectrum Store to replace my Arris. If they have an old Motorola ODN box available, I'll probably get that.

But if they don't, what would be the best Spectrum DVR to get (given that I'm looking for fast channel switching)? One Spectrum rep recommended the Spectrum 210, but couldn't say if it would be faster or slower than my Motorola ODN. I've also read online about the "Spectrum 210 World Box", but I don't know how that differs from the plain 210.

Satch

Hello,

Can't really say what DVR is the fastest for channel switching and response time. Duration can not only vary by make and model, but also by the guide software installed on the box.

The newest box is the Spectrum 210 World Box, designated by no clock on the front panel. 4-tuners and 1TB for a hard drive. This is the box you should try to get. But store inventory varies, as does tech truck inventory.

We recommend box swaps only as a last resort. Poor signals, pixilated picture, and even slow response times can relate to signal or line problems, which need to be checked out first, along with inside/outside wiring. If you problems are signal, line, or wiring related, new equipment swaps won't fix problems! You need your lines and wiring updated to fix these issues.

Satch

theorist

" Duration can not only vary by make and model, but also by the guide software installed on the box."

OK, if both the box and software affect responsiveness, what's the fastest combination of box and guide software? Is the reason my Motorola ODN box was faster than my Arris because the ODN guide has less computational overhead than the newer guide on my Arris and, in that case, can I get the ODN guide on the Spectrum 210 World box?

Alternately, if one can't get the old ODN guide on the Spectrum 210, how do the Spectrum Guide and the Navigator Guide compare for responsiveness?

I can tell you what I experienced is definitely not due to anything other than the change in box+guide, since I had consistent, fast channel switching with my old box, and consistent slow channel switching with the new one.

Indeed, when the cable guy came over I was using my old box, so the time difference between testing the old box and the new one was a matter of minutes. It would be an extraordinary coincidence if my signal/line changed to cause slow channel switching just at the same time that the cable guy connected the new box.

Plus the cable guy confirmed the line/signal was fine. In addition, I spoke to a spectrum tech who said he experienced the same thing as me when he switched from an ODN box to Arris.

So Ockham's Razor applies here: The simplest and most obvious explanation is the correct one: If you change the box and suddenly get slow channel changes, the issue is the box (or, more accurately, the box + guide). That's the only variable that changed.

HT_Greenfield

You can knock a second or two off of the retune delay by hitting 🆗 quickly enough after the numeral sequence. Otherwise i think the retune delay of the Spectrum 210 is going to be about the same as the Motorola was.

theorist

If the 210 is as fast as the Motorola ODN, that would be fine with me. I just don't want to put up with the slowness of the Arris anymore.

Not that I wouldn't mind something even faster—is there an option to buy my own aftermarket DVR and use it with Spectrum? E.g., could I use the Tivo Edge for Cable with my Spectrum service, and would it give me better performance than the 210 WorldBox?

Satch

I will say this,

I have ODN Guide on a Cisco 9865 six tuner box. The six tuner boxes are very, very rare to get. But I will say that that is the best box I have. Overall, I believe that the ODN guide is faster than Spectrum Guide.

You have to be on a Spectrum Billing Plan to get Spectrum Guide on any box, if you are in a former TWC/Brighthouse Networks market you will get an ODN guide if you are not on Spectrum billing The odds of getting the ODN guide on any box from a tech are getting rarer and rarer. In some markets, Spectrum has begun the process of converting legacy guides to the new Spectrum Guide.

I have never used Spectrum Guide. But as a veteran Spectrum support person for CATV things. I will say that for people who have Arris boxes running Spectrum Guide, the Arris boxes are slower than the Cisco's running Spectrum Guide,

I have not used Spectrum Guide on a World Box. But @HT_Greenfield, has great knowledge of the boxes, and Speed is a relative term. But, if signals and lines check out good, than the only variables are the cable box hardware and the software running on the box in terms of speed/responsiveness.

Spectrum converted my friend's Dad's Arris box from ODN to Spectrum Guide and it was "slow as snails." If you are going store shopping, try for a Cisco, which will only have two-tuners btw. The Cisco 9865 running Spectrum Guide and the World Box are 4-tuners.

I don't know enough about running a third-party DVR with Spectrum technology. Cable-cards are being phased out by Spectrum. Go with a 210 World Box or a Cisco, and return the Arris.

Satch