S3 has digital tiling (breakup) with Cox cable cards

[rossm777]

I have 1 HDTV and 2 tivos. My S2 is connected through a cable box so I can get the digital channel. I have had the S2 for years with no "digital tiling" problem(term used by Cox technician to describe my video and audio breakup problem). I also have an S3 (since February). I have been getting breakups in the video and audio for a few months (maybe since the beginning but thought it was a cox transmission problem or a problem with my apartment building wiring. It seems to be getting worse lately. I called Cox and they sent a tech who used some instruments to test my signal strength and who knows what else. Then after finding nothing "wrong", I talked her into swapped out the cables cards. She could see the problem I was reporting, but found no explanation for it. Swapping cable cards did not help any. So she said it must be in your S3 box. You'll have to call Tivo. Before I did, I wanted to post this problem in case others have had it and hopefully gotten a fix for it.

I don't know enough technical stuff to know if the Cox tech just ran out of ideas and pointed to the only non-Cox culprit. Problem only occurs on some of the digital channel and the Hi-def channels. The problem is not consistent ( I don't think) but involves channel numbers 99, 100-107, 118 and sometimes briefly on lower channel #'s when switching channels.

Anybody got any ideas or can point me in the right direction? Is it Cox or is it S3 problem?

[gastrof]

How are your non-digital cable channels coming thru the S3?

[rossm777]

As far a I can tell (too many channels to keep track of) lower channel numbers are fine and have no breakup. After I posted yesterday, I kept looking at the forums and saw something about a problem (not mine) with firmware level of cable cards. Could it be a firmware issue? The new cards they put in could be the same firmware level. I will try to check that out--obviously I still suspect Cox and not the S3.

[gastrof]

Do you have a digital cable box anywhere in the house that you could compare?

I'm taking a stab here, but it sounds like maybe your digital channels are messed up, and your S3 might be getting exactly what's there.

If a digital cable box is producing the same results on another set, then you have your answer.

[rossm777]

I have an S2 hooked up through a digital cable box and the problem channels are fine. I also rest the S3 a few days ago and immediately checked the errant channels (100 and 102 primarily) and the problem was still there. Today, the day Cox is coming back, the channels are all fine. I am in an apartment complex. Is it possible thatthe problem could be load dependent?

So I've read the the Verizon forum and saw the same problem. I also saw the following suggestions:
1. change the cable from the wall to tivo.
2. put in an attenuator.
3 Put in a booster.
etc.

With other cable companies users having the same problem it could be a Tivo problem since it is the main common link??????????

[rossm777]

Tiling problem disappeared the day that Cox tech came to look at the problem and has not returned.....so far. Problems that fix themselves usually come back by themselves.

[MickeS]

Tiling problem disappeared the day that Cox tech came to look at the problem and has not returned.....so far. Problems that fix themselves usually come back by themselves.
I have Cox, and had the same problem with their digital cable DVR. Especially on weekend afternoons, for some reason. Most of the time I didn't have any problems, it was very intermittent, for some reason.

In the end, they ended up running new cable from the box in the alley to my house, and putting in a signal amplifier (or attenuator - I don't know the difference :)). That fixed the problem... you might have to keep pushing them on this, until they fix it, if it appears again. You might even want to rent one of their boxes, and see if it happens there too.. if it does, at least they can't blame the TiVo. :)

[gastrof]

An attenuator weakens the signal in cases where it's somehow too strong.

An amplifier makes the signal stronger or boosts it.

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