Hello all. I just purchased an HD-8000 Sonicview unit. I have not been able to set it up using manual key inputs. I have an A-1 8PSK module installed from the supplier.

From what I've researched on this and other forums, the way to set the keys manually is to hit menu, entertainment, then type in 7890 to activate the key menu. When I hit menu I do not get an entertainment option nor is an external module shown in the menu.

Did I purchase the wrong option. Does anyone have a suggestion?

Sounds like you are still running the factory file, with a factory file you will be missing some options and entering keys will not make any difference.
To fix your problem you will need to load the fix file, you can download it from here: Sonicview 8000HD Fix Jan.08.2009

Flashing a Sonicview 8000 with a USB Stick
STEP 1 - Insert your USB Stick into your PC
STEP 2 - Format the virgin USB stick as FAT32
STEP 3 - Then download the latest SV8000 bin/rom
STEP 4 - Unzip the file and you should be left with a bin HD8000_vXXXX.rom (example HD8000_v0099.rom)
STEP 5 - Drag and drop the HD8000_vXXXX.rom into the USB Stick
STEP 6 - Take the USB stick and insert it into the SV8000
STEP 7 - Boot the SV8000
STEP 8 - Go to USB Storage in the Menu, it should list out all files in the thumb drive for you (there should old be 1)
STEP 9 - Then choose HD8000_vXXXX.rom and wait for it to complete and reboot itself.
STEP 10 - DONE!

Ps. Because this is a brand new receiver I would recommend to try to exchange it for the NFusion Nuvenio HD as that way you will be able to use IKS if you need to once N3 is here. Nagravision 3 News - FTA Keys FTA Files and FTA Instructions for FTA Receivers

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Thanks! I'll give it a go and report back.

Thanks for leading me in the right direction Zero Gravity. After performing your recommended fix, I did have the added menus. I then turned on auto roll and applied the March 21 patch. After a while, the channels came in great.

However, there is one more glitch I'd like to correct. It seems if I use the up and down channel button the unit proceeds to the next channel. If I hit the channel guide button or the SAT button, it freezes the channel and I have to wait about a minute or so for the picture to re-establish. Is there a fix for this or is this just one of the nuisances I have to live with? Since the channels are numbered numerically in a seemingly random fashion it would be nice to be able to access the guide of channels.

Could you please tell me which satellites by name/number I should be able to receive at 48167. I have my dish aimed for the Dish Network 250 channel package. Satellites 110 and 119 if I recall correctly. However the satellite menu uses names like Echo Star 7,8; etc. I have a Dish 500 antenna.

TIA,

Kozman

Actually, the picture locks up every so often regardless of other remote actions and it takes a minute or so to re-sync. That's a heck of a way to watch a show! Any ideas on this? Are the keys changing that fast?

Sounds like your settings are off, select the right time zone, closest city etc. Your guide needs to be set up as well, here is how.

Make sure "Stand-by EPG" is turned on by going to
Menu > System Setting > User Option > Stand-by-mode EPG and turn it "ON" if it is not already turned on.
Now exit out of menu and put the receiver is in stand-by by pushing the big red power key on your remote control.
Wait for 5 minutes and then turn the receiver back ON.
Now your EPG should be fully populated.
If you turn the receiver off using the back switch, you need to repeat the above

To get a 7-Day Guide on Dish 110 and 119, press the SAT button on your remote. Highlight "Dish Package" and press "OK".
If you don't have both 110 and 119, then select the Dish Sat that you do have. Exit out of the menu and Press the Guide button.
Leave it sit on that channel for a few minutes.
The longer it sits, the more EPG will fill up, 7-Days max.

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Thanks for the tip FTA Pro. I already had the Stand-by EPG set to on. The guide is filling up slowly.

However, when watching normally, the picture is fine for about 5 minutes and then the picture will freeze for about a minute before it comes back on. All this while not touching the remote. Can, not having the EPG fully filled cause the picture to freeze? I appear to have a strong signal.

If so, I'll let it cook over night.

You can also try turning your receiver OFF and ON via rear switch and change guide to 3 days instead of 7.

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Well, I got rid of the picture freezing by applying factory settings and then the patch of Jan. 08 and skipping the March 21 patch. It seems that patch was causing the freezing as someone reported in another thread.

Then I did a scan and save of EchoStar 5, Echostar 7 and EchoStar 8,x. Then I went to the Sat list and the menu showed all three of the above plus the 'All Satellites' command and 'EcoStar' package. I selected Echostar package.

Try as I might, I cannot get the EchoStar Package to include channels from sats 5 and 8,x only 7. If I tried to select 8,x from the list, the little banner at the bottom flashed through a bunch of channels and then 8,x was removed from the list.

Before I tackled the picture freezing problem, I had almost all the Dish package including the PPV and adult listings in the channel selection?

One problem fixed and another one discovered!!!!

I don't know what went wrong so I would recommend to start over, do a factory reset using your remote control than load the factory file. Now your receiver will be like brand new. Than load the last fix file ( Jan.08.2009 ), setup the dish settings and scan for channels. After that everything will be okay.

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