@Rohit After two days no frozen box. Left it on channel 5 and the only other difference is I’ve had it in smart standby. Previously when it was set to always on it froze but I didn’t try it on channel 5 overnight with always on. Two days might just be luck so I’ll update again in a few days.
update
I've been told by missus the box when she switched it on last night the box froze with a purple screen. So it looks like my above statement is incorrect. I left it on channel 5 which didn’t seem to help.
@Rohit Hi. Not a frozen box but another occurrence of no user interface displayed. No Guide, nor Home are displayed when pressing the buttons, and no channel number shown albeit it can change channel but slowly. Only a power cycle will fix it.
Just an update on my previous post regarding my BT TV box pro freezing. I tried ethernet instead of wi-fi, leaving it on a non BBC channel (without red button), I went into the maintenance menus and a did a software recovery (hoping that might re-download the update and reinstall it) and none of them helped - still getting a locked-up box sometimes when attempting to come out of standby. I think this is a more fundamental problem that happens regardless of these small changes. Thing is viewing is fine, it's only when coming out of standby sometimes. Which to me doesn't seem like a hardware issue, most likely software. I've run out of things to try now. I'm now trying different HDMI settings on the BT Box - it was on 4k 50Hz 10-bit, now I'm trying 4k 50Hz 8-bit and I'll roll it down from there if the box freezes again - I'll post back in a few days with any findings.
Further update :-). I tried 1080p in the HDMI settings, and disabling HDMI frame rate matching, and still the problem persists. One further observation however is that when the box seemingly freezes (when sometimes coming out of standby with a purple screen), and although the box is unresponsive to the power button on the remote or on the box itself, if I leave it alone (don't power cycle the box myself) the box will eventually reset itself and boot up (showing the youview logo screen before showing the TV channel and UI again). This to me looks like a watchdog timer sees the box is locked and performs a software reset. So further evidence the box is locking up and it's not an HDMI issue.
Further update :-). I tried 1080p in the HDMI settings, and disabling HDMI frame rate matching, and still the problem persists. One further observation however is that when the box seemingly freezes (when sometimes coming out of standby with a purple screen), and although the box is unresponsive to the power button on the remote or on the box itself, if I leave it alone (don't power cycle the box myself) the box will eventually reset itself and boot up (showing the youview logo screen before showing the TV channel and UI again). This to me looks like a watchdog timer sees the box is locked and performs a software reset. So further evidence the box is locking up and it's not an HDMI issue.
Hi,
I'm probably tempting fate but neither of my two boxes have locked for a few days now. They are connected via cable to a local unmanaged network switch and then into a wifi extender. I have also tried to remember to stop them reaching the 12 hour slumber point without being switched off and on thus resetting the "clock".
I wonder whether it was the 12 hour auto shutdown that was the cause of the boxes freezing?
I’m near exhausting all the things I can try to debug this. I’ve tried all manner of hdmi settings, leaving it overnight on different channels, using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, standby mode settings, doing a software recovery in the maintenance settings, and after it’s been in standby for hours, usually overnight, it freezes the box. Watching TV, even for long periods, the box is fine. I’m onto my last thing to try now which is to turn off marketing preferences - I don’t expect it to help but anything is worth a try. Again I’ll report back in a few days.
Yea it’s entirely possible but it seems I’m not the only one with this issue, otherwise I’d probably say yea it’s just my box. I want to try to help to debug it first and then after the next system update if it’s not fixed I’ll probably give up on the box and try a different make.
Well the box didn’t freeze in two days with marketing preferences turned off but froze yesterday, and again today. Nothing left for me to try now that I can think of. I’ll monitor this thread to see if @Rohit or anyone else has any suggestions. Thanks for the help so far.
I still think it’s a software issue. For the box to work fine but only show this box freezing issue after being in standby for several hours does not seem like a hardware issue to me. I’ll continue to use the box, see if the next software update fixes it, and decide then whether to move onto either the Humax Aura or Manhattan. Only issue really is if I’m away from home for several days will the box still record or will it lock up and miss recordings - no idea. Resetting the box each day is no big deal but missed recordings when on holiday makes the box not fit for purpose.
Just an update on a few things I tried not that it changes anything. I tried a different HDMI 2.0 cable, and a HDMI 1.4 cable and no difference - still the same issue. And I also disabled UHD colour on my TV so that HDR wouldn't be used over the HDMI (for apps that use it) - again made no difference, still the set-top box is locking up after after coming out of standby sometimes. I'm now going to try to turn the TV on before the set-top box to make sure it's not some coming out of standby HDMI handshaking issue.
Hi @Chips2. Are you able to try factory resetting your device? If not a full one then you can try a maintenance mode reset first with the option to keep recordings.
Hi @Chips2. Are you able to try factory resetting your device? If not a full one then you can try a maintenance mode reset first with the option to keep recordings.
Hi @rohit. I’ve done a software recovery. Is that the equivalent of factory reset? I will try it but I’m testing something else currently. I’m starting to wonder if the problem is with HDMI-CEC. As the box freezes when I turn on the bt tv pro box, which then turns on the TV via HDMI-CEC. It only ever freezes so far with the box turning on the TV using CEC. I’m currently testing turning on the TV before the bt tv box and so far over a couple of days no bt box freezes. I’ll continue trying this and if there are no box freezes in a week I think I’ve narrowed it down. If it pans out this is the issue it seems that the bt box freezes if it can’t make a successful hdmi-cec negotiation with the TV and it locks up, rather than trying again or allowing the box to be standby cycled. It’s like the bt tv box is still waiting for the successful hdmi-cec negotiation and the box waits for it to finish indefinitely. This is just a theory at the moment based on two days of no freezes turning on the TV first. Like I say if it continues then I think this is the cause - I’ll keep you posted. Otherwise factory reset it will be 😀.
Hi @Rohit. After over a week no bt box freezes if I turn the TV on first before the bt box. To me this is clearly a HDMI-CEC issue with the bt box itself as it’s the box that locks up. Never seen this issue before on any other external device connected to this same TV. It looks like some kind of failed hdmi handshake which causes the bt box to wait indefinitely until it times itself out (probably a watchdog timer) that then forces the bt box to reset itself. Will this be reported to the system software engineering team? Thanks.
Thanks @Chips2, that sounds significant and we will add it to our investigation. If you're willing to, could you see if a Maintenance Mode reset (keeping recordings) helps anything, if not a full factory reset? That's the closest thing to a replacement box that you could try to resolve the issue.
Thanks @Chips2, that sounds significant and we will add it to our investigation. If you're willing to, could you see if a Maintenance Mode reset (keeping recordings) helps anything, if not a full factory reset? That's the closest thing to a replacement box that you could try to resolve the issue.
Hi @Rohit. I’ve done a factory reset keeping recordings. I’ll keep you posted over the coming days/week. Thanks.
I have a curiosity that is nothing like as serious as this, but does concern differing behaviour if I turn on my T4000 before my TV, or vice versa.
Starting state in both cases is T4000 in standby on the HDMI 2 input of an LG GX TV in standby, and an LG GX soundbar in standby on HDMI 3 (eARC) of the TV.
IIf I turn on the TV first, then the TV starts the soundbar, and the soundbar sets itself for eARC. If I then turn on the T4000, the TV switches to that HDMI input, the soundbar stays on eARC, and all is well.
However, if I turn on the T4000 first, then this starts the TV, switched to HDMI 2, and it or the TV starts the soundbar on HDMI 3; but the soundbar switches to its HDMI input (to which only an HDMI cable is connected, with nothing on the other end in this scenario), and not to eARC.
So we get the picture from the T4000, but no audio, as the TV doesn’t switch back to its internal speakers, and the soundbar isn’t listening for eARC.
So we either have to switch everything back to standby and start again, TV first, or get the soundbar remote and switch the soundbar input to eARC.
I know CEC is a minefield, and the incorrect behaviour when we switch on the T4000 first could be caused by any one, or any combination, of the three devices; but it is a difference we observe, depending on whether we switch on the TV first, or the T4000.
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
Hi @Rohit. After over a week no bt box freezes if I turn the TV on first before the bt box. To me this is clearly a HDMI-CEC issue with the bt box itself as it’s the box that locks up. Never seen this issue before on any other external device connected to this same TV. It looks like some kind of failed hdmi handshake which causes the bt box to wait indefinitely until it times itself out (probably a watchdog timer) that then forces the bt box to reset itself. Will this be reported to the system software engineering team? Thanks.
I had lockups on one of my boxes today and whilst the TV was still on I smart-switched the BT box off for a minute or two and repowered several times and it was still locked when switching on again. Eventually it cleared but I was repeating the same thing over again. It only jumped back into life when I sighed and accepted this time might be a reset.
Thanks @Chips2, that sounds significant and we will add it to our investigation. If you're willing to, could you see if a Maintenance Mode reset (keeping recordings) helps anything, if not a full factory reset? That's the closest thing to a replacement box that you could try to resolve the issue.
Hi @Rohit. In less than a day the bt box froze, purple screen, and reset itself with the bt box turning on the TV with HDMI-CEC. This is after doing the bt box factory reset yesterday. My guess is it’s a software issue as it seems related to CEC and being in standby for a period. If I power on the tv first without hdmi-cec I never see the issue.
I have a curiosity that is nothing like as serious as this, but does concern differing behaviour if I turn on my T4000 before my TV, or vice versa.
Starting state in both cases is T4000 in standby on the HDMI 2 input of an LG GX TV in standby, and an LG GX soundbar in standby on HDMI 3 (eARC) of the TV.
IIf I turn on the TV first, then the TV starts the soundbar, and the soundbar sets itself for eARC. If I then turn on the T4000, the TV switches to that HDMI input, the soundbar stays on eARC, and all is well.
However, if I turn on the T4000 first, then this starts the TV, switched to HDMI 2, and it or the TV starts the soundbar on HDMI 3; but the soundbar switches to its HDMI input (to which only an HDMI cable is connected, with nothing on the other end in this scenario), and not to eARC.
So we get the picture from the T4000, but no audio, as the TV doesn’t switch back to its internal speakers, and the soundbar isn’t listening for eARC.
So we either have to switch everything back to standby and start again, TV first, or get the soundbar remote and switch the soundbar input to eARC.
I know CEC is a minefield, and the incorrect behaviour when we switch on the T4000 first could be caused by any one, or any combination, of the three devices; but it is a difference we observe, depending on whether we switch on the TV first, or the
Not sure I can suggest anything. HDMI-CEC, ARC and eARC are very flaky and finicky in my experience. I used to have an LG soundbar and it always worked better over optical for me with optical sound sync when paired with an LG TV. I then swapped to a Samsung TV without the optical sync, so changed to ARC HDMI, and from time to time the soundbar wouldn’t select the correct input and it could only be resolved with a complete power down of the tv and soundbar and removal and reconnection of the arc connected hdmi cable. Which is the well known solution for resolving hdmi arc issues. Since I’ve ditched both soundbars and hdmi arc as they’re both compromised in some way and instead moved to good quality active stereo speakers, and subwoofer, that use optical. No connection issues - it just works - and sound quality and stereo separation considerably better than a soundbar. Plus the speakers and subwoofer go into and out of standby on their own using the activity of the optical signal. Only downside at least for me is volume control is not on one remote.
SWMBO demands a single remote, and the LG Magic Remote comes as close to this as any remote I have ever used, even including some early universals.
One of the ways in which eARC is better than ARC is that it no longer relies on CEC.
I used to have the odd ARC issue between my Samsung JS9000 and my Yamaha YSP-2500, though nothing a power cycle wouldn’t cure. So yes, I have seen flaky.
But the LG setup I have now is as solid as a rock and entirely predictable in its behaviour, and not in the slightest bit flaky.
Even down to this bug being entirely predictable 😢
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
Comments
update
I've been told by missus the box when she switched it on last night the box froze with a purple screen. So it looks like my above statement is incorrect. I left it on channel 5 which didn’t seem to help.
I have a curiosity that is nothing like as serious as this, but does concern differing behaviour if I turn on my T4000 before my TV, or vice versa.
Starting state in both cases is T4000 in standby on the HDMI 2 input of an LG GX TV in standby, and an LG GX soundbar in standby on HDMI 3 (eARC) of the TV.
However, if I turn on the T4000 first, then this starts the TV, switched to HDMI 2, and it or the TV starts the soundbar on HDMI 3; but the soundbar switches to its HDMI input (to which only an HDMI cable is connected, with nothing on the other end in this scenario), and not to eARC.
So we get the picture from the T4000, but no audio, as the TV doesn’t switch back to its internal speakers, and the soundbar isn’t listening for eARC.
So we either have to switch everything back to standby and start again, TV first, or get the soundbar remote and switch the soundbar input to eARC.
I know CEC is a minefield, and the incorrect behaviour when we switch on the T4000 first could be caused by any one, or any combination, of the three devices; but it is a difference we observe, depending on whether we switch on the TV first, or the T4000.
SWMBO demands a single remote, and the LG Magic Remote comes as close to this as any remote I have ever used, even including some early universals.
One of the ways in which eARC is better than ARC is that it no longer relies on CEC.
I used to have the odd ARC issue between my Samsung JS9000 and my Yamaha YSP-2500, though nothing a power cycle wouldn’t cure. So yes, I have seen flaky.
Even down to this bug being entirely predictable 😢