audio cut outs

[dylanr]

I have two Series 2 Tivos that are both having a problem with recording audio. I've seen variations on this problem reported before and I'm really hoping somebody has a solution.

Ever since a software upgrade 2-3 months ago, both boxes have been intermittently dropping audio for a portion of the recording. The audio is not on the recording... rewinding or transferring the show makes no difference.

I've had both Tivos record the same shows and the audio drop-outs are not in the same place or even on the same shows. I'm pretty sure at this point that there is nothing wrong with the signal. It's not the cabling or TV's either... I'm seeing this problem with several different TV's hooked up all standard ways.

I've seen comments that suggest heat may be a factor. I've tried isolating the units and cooling them down... that doesn't seem to help.

I know I'm not the only one having this problem and it really smells a lot like a software issue. Is anyone at Tivo working on this? Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Many thanks in advance.

[eliw23]

I'm experiencing the same problem but I see it in my recordings as well as Live TV. Sometimes I have audio and other times it goes out. If I transfer the recording to the TiVo Desktop, I can hear the sound fine. I know it's not my TV or the wires. Hopefully someone can chime in on similar problems with a solution. I've been seeing this issue for the past few weeks.

[dylanr]

If I transfer the recording to the TiVo Desktop, I can hear the sound fine.

I guess that makes some sense since the file is re-encoded when it's transferred to TiVo Desktop. I'll have to give this a try next time I have audio drop out, see if it makes a difference.

[dylanr]

New details:

- I've been paying close attention to when audio cuts in or out. It *only* happens at the exact moment that the show comes back from commercial (or commercial to station ID). I've seen this dozens of times now, it's way too specific to be a random coincidence. I've never once seen the audio cut out on an HBO recording, for example... only shows with commercials.

- I finally caught the bug happening "live" and a quick channel change fixed the issue right away. This seems to rule out heat, equipment and cabling pretty thoroughly.

- Follow up on last post: transferring to Tivo Desktop makes no difference for me... sound is still missing from affected recordings.

I don't have any explanation why/how commercial transitions could have this impact, but I'm certain this is what I'm seeing. Software is the only thing I can think of that explains this.

Can anyone suggest a way to get this information to Tivo developers without having to go through the whole dance of sending in my equipment?

Many thanks in advance.

[comp_genius]

I have been having this problem for several months and it is always on the same channels - SCI FI & Discovery Channel. I called tech support and they said I needed the new update (7.3), so they sent it. I got it 3 days later and the audio seemed to be working, but only for a week! The audio problem returned, although it seemed to correct itself after about 10 minutes. Now it is back to losing it all together unless you change channels and then the sound comes back. Now how convenient is that when you are recording something you are obviously not there to correct the problem!

So I called Tech Support again and this time I was told to buy a new Tivo! Like that is going to happen! I have a Series 1 Tivo in addition to the Series 2 that I am having issues with, and I haven't had any problems with the Series 1 at all! So why would I run out and buy another Tivo for $250, wait over 6 weeks for a reimbursement check, when the local cable company offers the same service for only $9.95 a month and I don't have to spend massive dough for a box?

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Tivo, but I can't run out and buy a new box every time the one I have fails, which from the forums I have read, seems to be happening alot! A lady I work with owns the same Tivo that I do, and she is losing audio on the same exact channels as me, subscribes to satellite and not cable like me, so I think this is definitely an issue that Tivo needs to address to keep customers happy. I am becoming disgruntled and at this point, not recommending anyone to run out and spend the extra money on a Tivo system until they acknowledge this problem!

By the way, the whole reboot thing doesn't fix the problem either, I just love it when you call in and they have you do that first thing, then expect the problem to miraculously disappear! If I could predict when the audio was going to go, I would call right when it was going to happen!