Technology downgrade? BrightHouse 8300HDC
I’ve been using a DVR (digital video recorder… like Tivo) for a couple of years now and love it. The model I have been using is an 8300HD, provided to me by my able company, BrightHouse Networks. While it may have a few quirks, it reliably does everything I want it to do with little difficulty. I can view TV listings, record single shows, set up series recordings, all in both standard definition and HD.
So, when I purchased a second HDTV and moved my old one to the bedroom, I felt like it was time to get a second DVR for the house. What I got, however, was a nightmare. Instead of giving me the 8300HD, a BrightHouse rep handed me the 8300HDC, a newer model. At first, I thought this was a good thing… new version, must be upgraded. No. Definitely not. In fact, it’s a major downgrade.
The new model is slow, unresponsive, randomly freezes, takes over 10 minutes to reboot, and often does not record what I want it to. It also is MISSING features that were previously available… features that are vital to a successful DVR.
One such feature is the complete lack of priority when it comes to setting up series recordings. Both boxes have 2 tuners and can record 2 programs at the same time. If I have it set up to record three different shows that are all on at the same time, the 8300HD would choose which 2 to record based on its priority list, which is set by me. The 8300HDC, however, has no priority list, so it seems to randomly select which 2 of the 3 to record. I have no control over it. So, I’ve had to cancel all conflicting shows to ensure that only the ones I absolutely want are recorded.
Occasionally, I’ll turn on the TV in the bedroom and find that the 8300HDC has completely forgotten how to tune in to channels and thus has not recorded anything since the last time I turned it on. Somehow I feel like that defeats the point of having a DVR.
So.. what’s my point here? First, if you have an 8300HD with BrightHouse, hang onto it. Guard it with your life. You won’t get another one if something happens to it. Second, if anyone out there works for BrightHouse or knows how I can replace my terrible 8300HDC with an 8300HD, please let me know. I’d love to get rid of this terrible piece of technology.
And please, don’t tell me to switch to DirecTV, Tivo, or Dish Network. Trust me, I’m already considering it.
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I have the “good” DVR that you mention. I couple of months ago I was having a problem with it so I called Bright House. When the cable guy arrived, I mentioned that maybe he’d need to switch it out for another box, but he warned me that I didn’t want to do that and to hold on to the box I have for as long as I can. Luckily he was able to fix the problem I was having.
I have the same DVR(8300) through the local Cox Cable provider, granted it is not an HD-DVR, it is standard Definition but it only sometimes doesn’t load recorded programing but it isn’t as problematic as your’s is.
Anyway, don’t get Dish Network, my parents had problem with giving them back the boxes during their cross-country move from NY to AZ.
We used to have “Bright” House for our TV, and switched to Dish Network. For about the same price, we get a box on all of our TVs, and never have an outage.
Ricky,
I’m switching to AT&T’s U-Verse service in a couple weeks. I”m tired of all the “quirks” I’m experiencing from Cox. One example is that I’m paying for 15mbps download speed but barely get 6-9mbps. With DSL I’m going to pay for 6 and I’ve been told by neighbors that they get that speed (we have fiber to the door out here)
I went from a DirecTivo with DirecTV to a SA 8300-something HD DVR with Cox when I left DirecTV. While Leaving DirecTV is never a bad idea, the SA DVR was a load of crap. It got to the point where Cox was saying it’s normal for shows marked as “Save until I delete” to be randomly deleted; this isn’t a bug. Wha?! After about six or seven months of this and similar behavior (and a new box), my wife and I finally broke down and bought a Series 3 TiVo. (This was before the HD TiVo was out.) Even though it was more expensive, we were so happy have our TiVo back.
I swear, I think the only reason people like cable-company-provided DVRs is because they’ve never used a TiVo and they’re coming from a VCR, which is slightly worse in comparison.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the patient lawsuits TiVo has had against EchoStar using TiVo like technology.
I have a DVR from WOW! and an old series 2 TiVo. Even though our TiVo is old, it is 10 times better than the DVR from our cable company.
Great article and I completely agree. This box is a POS. I’ve been doing DVR since Tivo first came out, and I think there should be a class action law suit against SA and the cable companies that put it out.
It does NOT do as described, and the bugs keep me from being able to record or watch shows that I have been recording for years. The HDMI cable issue causes me to reboot sometimes a couple of times a day and it doesn’t even allow you to rewind a show you have been watching (but not recording) to hear what you just missed. Isn’t that what a DVR is supposed to do.
I feel like I have been taken to the bank.
Very helpful thread! This morning I made an appt to swap my 8300HD for another DVD because the capacity seemed lower than the last DVR I had. Appointment canceled!
I just got an HD TV and didn’t realize how much memory HD eats up. According to Brighthouse rep the 8300HD holds 79 hrs of regular digital.and only 18 hrs HD. That’s what threw me off..
Rep said that Scientific Atlanta and Pace are the two mfgs who make this model. No difference between the two.
As for the 8300HDC (apparently not an an upgrade as discussed above) they are having random problems with that model but some work fine.
So I’m sticking with my 8300HD…thanks to the posters who started this useful thread!
hey ricky, good news for you. you can take your 8300hdc to any fieldoffice and ask them for an 8300hd, they are still out there, but not always available. just be aware, that you lose any recordings and schedulings and the software on the 8300hds changed slightly. reboot time and remote reaction are still better, though.
hope, i could help a little
My 8300hd crapped out on me when they uploaded that POS Mystos upgrade. I lost everything. They brought me the 8300HDC. Now i set everything daily by the guide and it records some but often gives errors in the recording log that it cannot find the channel….NBC is not an esoteric channel.
Brighthouse is insisting that if i switch from hdmi to components the problem will be solved. How can display cables have anything to do with recording from coax?
Any solutions?
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right…here I am stuck in the middle with you!
My other 8300hd box is doing just fine. BTW both are sporting 500GB external drives.
i have a hd box and yhey just did a update to it in the middle of the night and now it keeps rebooting snd upgrading. whst should i do