Impending loss of Guide Plus+

[sue1512]

I have a Sony HXD890 DVD recorder and last night saw a message on Guide Plus+ about the loss of service from the 1st of January. Apparently this affects 'older' DVD recorders, including the HXD890 and many similar models. It is not being carried any more by analog ITV.

Can anyone shed any light on this? I bought the set with the intention of using Guide Plus+, and there was never any indication that the service would not be continued. I live in an area where it is difficult to get permission for dishes. (Babergh Council are Rubbish). I can apparently use Freeview EPG, but this is not as user friendly as Guide+. What are Sony going to do to help owners of these sets. The sets have only been available since March 2008 so cannot be considered obsolete.

http://www.europe.guideplus.com/en/ASO_UK.html

[hacked_off]

Thanks to everyone who has raised and described this issue on the forum!

I have just spent the past week and a half trying to get the Guide+ working again on my HXD890! I've been re-tuning the dam thing and trying all of the possible 'Setup' options, all to no avail - and now I know why! I've been wondering why I don't get the same set-up options with regards 'changing the source' as is described in the manual and now see that others experience the same. So not only do Sony produce products with no future proofing, they can't write instruction manuals accurately either!

SONY, as a loyal Sony purchaser, I am now appalled and hacked-off with you!

I notice on the support site the latest Firmware download v1.24.  Has anyone tried this to see if by chance it fixes the issue?

http://support.sony-europe.com/tvhc/downloads/downloads.aspx?site=odw_en_GB&f=FW_DVDR_1.24&m=RDR-HXD...

I note that some say they have been able to manually set the host channel to a 3 digit digital channel. But using ‘manual’ host channel setup only allows 2 digits? If you connect an external set top box does that for some reason allow you to enter a 3 digit host channel?

Does anyone know if there have been any further updates from Sony on this issue and any indication of their intention?

Thanks

[mick_jones]

The recorder came with an infra red transmitter you place in front of the set top box (they call it a G-link) and this duplicates the channel change function of your remote, i.e. it allows the recorder to change channels on the STB). On the Guide+ setup screen you can set the brand of set top box. It's all on page 28 of the instruction book. Then when selecting the Guide+ host channel you set Line 1 instead of ATV and you get the 3 digit option

Message was edited by: mick_jones

[Pirrip]

I spent the last couple of weeks attempting to set up Guide plus+ again after all channels were lost without any explanation, and couldn't figure out why until I finally tracked this down. It's particularly bad in my case, as I live in the South-East corner and we will be the last to get digital TV, so until next year I have no programme guide at all.

This is a poor show, Sony - some advance warning would have been nice, maybe next time you know that one of your products is about to lose a major part of its functionality, you might want to consider flagging that up somewhere - preferably before we all buy said item... like one of the previous posts, I've only had my DVD/HDD recorder for about 2 years, so it isn't exactly old. The next one will not be a Sony product (and that probably applies to any other consumer electronics products as well).

[iansaul]

I have the same problem with the Sony HDR-HX525. I first had the problem in November 2010 - listings returned towards the end of December. I have now lost all Guide Plus listings. Looking at the other posts it would seem that analogue ITV no longer carry the Guide Plus information. I shall not spend any further time adjusting the machine to try to get Guide Plus back. I do not intend to buy a Sony product again.

[sony525hx]

Hi  I too have a HX 525 

[millies32]

Hi

I live in the North East and we will not get digital terestial until 2012. This leaves me without any EPG recording  till then. Not a happy chappie. I don't want to manually set up recording for the next 2 years.!

Does anyone know how  to set up my HXD890 to receive EPG data from my

Sky box which has FreeSat (Scart connected to recorder)

I have only seen Digital Terrestial ser up info

Regards

Mark

Message was edited by: millies32

Message was edited by: millies32

[baytreeartist]

I notice on the support site the latest Firmware download v1.24.  Has anyone tried this to see if by chance it fixes the issue?

I've just updated our HXD890, but all this fixes is a problem when all digital channels disappeared. Still no Guide plus. Also hacked off!

Regards

Chris

[rooobb]

Version 1.24 (1.70 for HXD870) was made just for us, poor italians, who were not even able to setup the channels after the dvb-t switch-off. It has nothing to do with Guideplus and will not fix it. In the Italian forum we asked for the implementation of the Guideplus digital service on the HXD series, but till now with no results..

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I also have a Sony HDR-HX525 which has now lost it EPG. It was a major selling feature of the recorder and I am apalled at Sony's attitude to its customers. Basically saying " it is beyond there control". My recorder is not that old and I paid £300.00 for it. There is no way I am going to program every recording manually.

I have always bought Sony Products and probably spent around £2500 in TV's and Video's, and other DVD/HDD recorders. They lost my respect and Loyalty. I will never buy another Sony product ever again.  

[VeganPete]

I am very dissapointed that there has been no provision for this problem to be sorted out. As a result I a joing the many who will never purchase a product from Sony again. The reply above from Mr Newton shows how much this corporation cares about its good name. Of course we could all use digital EPG but why would we have to accept such a poor solution to a problem that surely could be cured with a firmware update. If not, why not? Isn't Sony big enough to offer its customers some sort of compensatory offer on new equipment - no, they don't care enough for that it seems.