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View Full Version : Brand New TivoHD, grey sceen or frozen video..please help, not happy right now!

starks9630
12-05-2008, 10:18 AM
I got my new TivoHD set up this past Sunday. Comcast is coming today to install Cable Cards. Every day since Sunday I have turned on my TV and at least once a day have to reboot due to a Grey screen or the video is frozen.

My questions are, will the cable cards fix the grey screen/frozen video problem? Will a call to Tivo be a waste of my time? Any input would be greaty appreciated.
LoREvanescence
12-05-2008, 10:21 AM
The gray screen means there is no video signal, or a video signal the tivo can not use. It sounds to me like you are tuned to a encrypted qam channel. The video will be nothing but blank gray if you are running anything older then 9.4.

If you THD has 9.4, half the time it will show a message saying you may need cable card decoders, but not always.

So chances are, yes the cablecards will help.


Most cable providers encrypt the entire digital cable system minus your local broadcast stations which renders your tivo a paper weight in terms of the channels it can receive with out cablecards.
starks9630
12-05-2008, 10:34 AM
But when I reboot, I'm able to view all the channels.
LoREvanescence
12-05-2008, 10:47 AM
But when I reboot, I'm able to view all the channels.


Is it happening on analog channels too? And when you mean all channels, are you receiving all digital channels after rebooting?

If so my only other guess might be a HDMI Handshake issue. Is your tv connected to your TiVo by a HDMI cable?

Also, what software version does your THD have?
lew
12-05-2008, 10:51 AM
I don't remember if I had the same, or a similar problem. My memory is the issue was a combination of an old software version and the amount of resources that was being consumed loading the initial guide data. The problem went away after my software upgraded and after the initial indexing completed.

Check the software version you're running.
starks9630
12-05-2008, 10:56 AM
All I'm getting right now are the basic cable channels, as I'm getting the cards installed today. My tivo is connected via HDMI. I'm not sure what version I'm on, I'm at work right now.
starks9630
12-05-2008, 01:40 PM
Could the cable be an issue?
bkdtv
12-05-2008, 01:52 PM
Losing analog channels was an issue with older software releases (i.e. what originally came on the unit). You should not have the problem with newer software versions. If you just got your TiVo, it can take a week or so to get the latest software.

Once you get CableCards from Comcast, all of your analog channels should be replaced with digital versions, which were not subject to the same problem.
starks9630
12-05-2008, 01:53 PM
Losing analog channels was an issue with older software releases (i.e. what originally came on the unit). You should not have the problem with newer software versions. If you just got your TiVo, it can take a week or so to get the latest software.

Once you get CableCards from Comcast, all of your analog channels should be replaced with digital versions, which were not subject to the same problem.
If you're right, I'll be a happy boy when I get home from work today.
westside_guy
12-05-2008, 02:08 PM
This is the old system 8.x problem, and can be resolved by forcing a few connections to the Tivo mothership until your Tivo updates to 9.4.

I bought a Tivo HD a few weeks ago, and had this exact issue - the Tivo HDs still ship with the 8.x system installed. Searched through the old threads, and found this was a common issue back when the HD was first released - but the 9.x system update fixes it.