Video signal unavailable evenings

[robjwat]

Tivo sometimes fails to record both hd and non hd shows and gives us the message: "video signal unavailable" when we have verified the show not being recorded can be seen in real time. We have also verified we can manually record two hd shows at once. Missed recordings happen almost exclusively in the evenings during primetime. Almost all daytime hd and non-hd shows were recorded. Our software version is 11.0.01.2.648

Is this a Tivo problem, a cable service problem, or a cableCARD problem?

HELP!

[bkdtv]

Are all your scheduled recordings from HD channels? Or are some from analog channels?

Many have reported an issue in the 11.0 software where their analog tuners will "go out" until a reboot, or until they first tune to a digital channel and then go back to an analog channel. From the reports I've seen, this issue does not seem to affect digital channels.

[robjwat]

Some of the programs are on lower channels like 63 and 110.

Rebooting seems to help, but only for a short time, like every day. This seems unreasonable and tedious, although we have considered the idea of putting the Tivo on an appliance timer set for 3 or 4 am. While this would ensure an "automated" daily reboot, it could interfere with Tivo's network updates/downloads, and it would probably shorten the life of the hard drive as well.

[myvoiceinthewind]

I have experienced a similar problem ever since the upgrade to version 11. For me, I get "video signal unavailable" for all channels on both CableCARDs (I have Comcast in NH, upgraded drive, but no external drive). Programs are not recorded and the screen is black when I turn the TV on. This has also happened while I watching and was changing channels, and seems to happen at the channel change, not once a channel is tuned.

While rebooting will certainly bring them back for a time, I have also found other methods. I've tried switching between tuners rapidly with the Live TV button, rapidly changing channels about a dozen times (usually in the SD channels), using the Test Channels or Cable Signal Strength menu items (I might have the exact menu names wrong), and even sometimes just looking at all the CableCARD diagnostics screens (there are 5 of them). Not sure if one is more effective than another. At some point in there, the TiVo seems to start talking to the CableCARDs again without having to reboot.

I have called TiVo and reported the problem. They unofficially suggested a "kick start" code to boot off an alternate partition, but it had no effect. Everyone suggests calling TiVo and getting a case number so that they understand how much the problem is occurring in the field, so I would do that.

[bkdtv]

If 63 is an analog channels, they could be affected by the analog bug I mentioned above. Most expect this bug to be resolved with an update in the near future.

I have not heard of such a problem with digital channels under the 11.0 software, except in cases where the signal was too strong or too weak for the TiVo. As far as the other channels...what is your reported signal strength on channels that you are losing? You can find the signal strength of the current tuned channels under Settings -> System Information -> DVR Diagnostics.