What kind of box is this?

Korona165
Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor
edited September 2023 in Watch TV 2023 Archive

I had a cable box that had the Spectrum Guide I think called would box. It overheated all the time even in open air and nothing next to it or on it. So they are sending me a new box in the email it says HYDRA HD Dvr I was just wondering what type of box that is.

Answers

  • Lyn_T
    Lyn_T Posts: 341 ✅ Verified Employee Moderator

    Good evening @Korona165

    Thank you for reaching out to us in regards to your new box. This is one of our HD DVR boxes. It has the capabilities to record. What type of information are you looking for on the box? -Lyn

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    What OS is it meaning the Spectrum Guide or the old looking one. Is it a new box to spectrum?

  • Satch
    Satch Posts: 5,270 Contributor
    edited April 2023

    Hi @Korona165

    It is not possible to tell the exact model number or guide on the box that they send out. You have to wait to get the box for that. I have heard of overheating being an issue with some of the World Boxes. Hopefully, they can find a way to get that resolved. (The World Boxes don't have cooling fans inside of them) They are made for Spectrum by Humax, Arris, and Technicolor (Formerly Cisco.) A friend of mine who was a Spectrum tech a few years ago felt the top of a World Box and it was hot! Have later World Box models been giving off less heat?

    Satch

  • Jaleesa_F
    Jaleesa_F Posts: 317 ✅ Verified Employee Moderator

    @Korona165,

    Can you provide the model number only (do not send mac address or serial number) for the DVR that .you received so that I can look into this further for you?

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    They sure do overheat I don't understand why they didn't put a fan or did something to pervert overheating. I have my box right in the middle of the room nothing on the box and nothing around it within two feet and it still overheats. I think the heat permanently broke the box it gives me messed up picture and sound issues and it turns off completely over night. My new box came in I hope it doesn't overheat. I think Spectrum should take another look at what kind of boxs to get. Lot of people like to put the cable box in cabinets in entertainment center so you can't see them.

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    Well connected the box up I did not activate it because I don't want that kind( it's the old system). I have been using the new system the Spectrum Guide I like it so I don't want to go back to the old system Guide. So I will go to the store and ask if they have any boxes with the Spectrum Guide. But before I said it back dose this sound like the old system to you? The box has a clock on it when I plug it in it says Boot then Alt then when booting it has L-10 all the way to 1. It takes some time to finish and the screen says your TV will be right with you. That's the old system right no way it's the new. The box is a Arris.


    Thanks for the help and information

  • Satch
    Satch Posts: 5,270 Contributor
    edited April 2023

    Good Evening @Korona165,

    To be honest take that older box. The Arris is a great box. You might get the older guide, but it is the guide that customers prefer. A lot of customers don't care for the newer Worldboxes as much as the clock models. There is no way of knowing what box or guide you are going to get. Over time, the older boxes are going to get converted to Spectrum Guide anyway.

    A lot of places don't have the WorldBox. This box might already have Spectrum Guide on it when it activates. Yes, the clock boxes count down from L-11 to L-1. L-3 is the longest delay, as L-3 loads the guide data. When the clock shows on display at the end of the boot countdown, it is ready for use. It may take about 20 minutes. Perhaps longer on a new activation.

    Satch

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    Thank you for the information.

  • Satch
    Satch Posts: 5,270 Contributor

    Hey @Korona165?

    What guide is on your box? Here is a look at all of Spectrum's guides:

    Satch

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    The box I just got has the ODN or iguide. The box that was going to get replaced has the Spectrum Guide. I am keeping the Spectrum Guide I like it and it looks cool and I am one who likes the newest stuff.

  • Satch
    Satch Posts: 5,270 Contributor

    Good to know @Korona165,

    I hope that your box overheating problems have been resolved! If you can get a World Box (no clock) it will automatically have Spectrum Guide on it. If you live in a former TWC/BHN market, the clock boxes will most likely run ODN or Spectrum Guide. If you live in a former legacy Charter Market and you get a clock box, it will most likely run Spectrum Guide or I-Guide.

    Satch

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    Yes I live in Orlando FL. I use to have Bright House Networks.

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    The Spectrum Guide uses a newer remote. This is the remote they gave me with the new box. It has to be ODN Guide.


  • Satch
    Satch Posts: 5,270 Contributor
    edited April 2023

    Hi @Korona165,

    The World Box Remote comes with World Box. The World Box remote can be programed to work with legacy boxes if you don't have a World Box.

    Have you tried to activate your clock box yet to see what guide is on it? Or are you going to take it back to a Spectrum Store and try to get a World Box?

    Spectrum Guide is being deployed on clock boxes as ODN and I-Guide are legacy software.

    It works like this:

    World Boxes Remotes are programed by default to work with World Boxes, but can be changed to work with legacy boxes for IF modulation. where you have to point the remote at the device to use it. If you have World Box with a World Box Remote, it uses RF modulation by default, which means that you don't have to point the remote at the device to use it. In order to use RF modulation, you must pair a World Box with a World Box remote.

    All other legacy remotes can not be paired with World Boxes and use IF modulation only. An excellent IF modulation remote is the Clickr Backlite, that you show in your photo.

    Spectrum Guide has/is being deployed on both World Boxes, and legacy boxes. However, almost all divisions with the legacy boxes have two-tuner DVR's with the ODN Guide. The Florida division still has some very rate six-tuner DVR boxes that run ODN. These are the Cisco 9865, (which I have, back when six-tuner boxes were common.) and there is also the Arris 3600 M, which is a six-tuner box.

    World Box DVR's are four tuners. If you have a six tuner DVR that runs the ODN Guide, and it gets converted to Spectrum Guide, it is reduced to four tuners.

    All other Spectrum DVR's are two tuner boxes, even those that run Spectrum Guide.

    Satch

    PS. * Update- @Korona165. I know a tech guy who is involved with Spectrum in Florida. You might have trouble getting a World Box in that market. A few months ago, he went to his local Spectrum office, and they said that the ODN six tuner boxes were the only ones they were giving out. I don't know if this has changed. Good luck with this!

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    It has a clock it's I don't think it's a Word Box. Right now I am using my old cable box that is a word box no clock and has Spectrum Guide. I am hesitate to activate the box they sent me to find out for sure. Because then it would take my word box(the one I want) off my account. Then the world box would not work again unless I activate it again and I don't know if I can do that.

  • Satch
    Satch Posts: 5,270 Contributor

    @Korona165,

    Good updates! Is this the same World Box that has/had the overheating problem? If that is still an issue, you might want to get a small mini fan from Amazon and put it in your with your box to keep it cooled down. I just went to Amazon and typed in "mini fan" and they have some stuff that might help.

    Put it beside the box and let it blow on the box 24/7.. Than, just keep the World Box til it dies. Hopefully the motor is quiet! LOL! Read the reviews. Don't get some big powerful thing. You just want a mini fan that is cool enough to osculate the box space, to keep the box cool..

    Satch

  • Satch
    Satch Posts: 5,270 Contributor
    edited April 2023

    Hey @Korona165 ,

    Here is a great article about cooling fans: Might help if your box is overheating:

    Satch

    PS. It basically says that you can leave a fan on 24/7. But if you are going to be gone for long periods of time to turn the fan off..

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    I found a fan you put on top of the box and it sucks air out of the box.

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor
    edited April 2023

    I have a question maybe you can answer. If the guide is cloud based how come older box can't use it? With out needing a special box? Is the information only in the cloud and the design and UI still software based?


    Thanks

  • Satch
    Satch Posts: 5,270 Contributor

    Hi @Korona165

    Don't put a fan on top of the box, just beside the box to cool down the area, if you are having an overheating problem.

    The older guides had all the information loaded onto the box. The newer model boxes like ODN and Spectrum Guide get their search data from Spectrum's cloud-based servers. With ODN advanced search, only search and On Demand through the box's hardware Advanced Digital System Gateway (ADSG) Technology is cloud-based. If an update goes bad, there is a provision in the ODN software to go back to the box's basic ODN software found on the older SA model boxes that are now defunct.

    With Spectrum Guide, my understanding is that all the data is cloud-based from the Time Grid, to Search, to On Demand. This is why there is a somewhat higher tendency for guide errors with Spectrum Guide. If the cloud goes down, the built in recovery provision is to use the Mini Guide.

    Satch

  • Korona165
    Korona165 Posts: 86 Contributor

    Thank you for the help and answering all my questions. With my box so far so good no overheating but I think I am going to to use this box to the very end or until a gets to be to much work. I like this system and hope they are slowly moving to it. The one think I don't like is you have no remote DVR manager with the Spectrum TV App. But you get to take the good with the bad. Thanks a lot and I am sure I will see you around the community.


    Eric

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