New TiVo HD losing all channels - getting gray screen on cablecard

[CrispyCritter]

Originally Posted by Carp

In my humble insight, it appears something is causing the tuner to get wacked (technical term), and needs to be reset.

How can this not be a Tivo hardware/software problem??

I don't think bkdtv was saying it isn't. If it is a hardware problem, he's suggesting it's a failed disk. I agree that a failed disk can cause your symptoms and is almost certainly your culprit but I'm only 99% convinced that a hardware tuner problem can't be the issue. The important difference is that you can replace disks yourself, but a tuner problem means replacing the TiVo itself.

The major point is that your problem is not the problem being addressed by most of the folks in this thread - gray screens when tuned to analog channels. That particular problem is a TiVo issue that hopefully can be addressed in software (possibly working around hardware issues, possibly just fixing software bugs being invoked by hardware issues.) Your problem is pretty definitely either a signal problem or a hardware problem as bkdtv laid out; it's not going to be fixed by TiVo software.

You have two OTA tuners in your TiVo. Do they go out separately, or is it always the case that when one goes out, the other goes out? If both always stop working at once, then it's probably not a tuner issue (and it's more evidence that it's not a signal issue), which leaves your disk.

[bkdtv]

I would note that problems with tuner hardware are extremely rare. A TiVo might ship with a defective tuner, but assuming it's not defective and works out-of-the-box, it will be one of the last things in the TiVo to fail.

If there is a TiVo hardware problem, it is most likely the hard drive, as I indicated in the previous post. Hard drives typically last no more than 3-5 years in a TiVo, and some don't make it that far. As a result, most TiVos (and other DVRs) start to develop the problems you describe every 3-5 years. Thankfully, it's a relatively simple process to replace the drive. This week, you can get a 1TB drive replacement from Frys for $60.

Other possibilities include corroded splitters, preamps (or failing preamp power supplies), and other outdoor equipment, or cuts in the coax made by rodents/squirrels/birds. Any of those can cause unreliable reception. As unlikely as that those may seem, all are probably 100x more likely than a failed tuner in a TiVo.

[pcurthoys]

Hey all, I've had this problem for almost a year now, but a fix I picked up from either this thread or elsewhere in this forum means I've only had to restart my Tivo HD once in this time. I set up manual recordings that repeat nightly on both tuners simultaneously from 2am to 2:05am, and set it so not more than 1 episode is saved at a time. They both record on digital channels (for me, 2 flavors of HBO), and that prevents the tuners from getting left on the analog channels, like ABC or whatever, that cause the Grey Screen of Doom. Hope that helps.

[dlfl]

My TWC cable has Analog Digital Simulcast. I'm currently using CableCARDs and TA on my THD. However I'm thinking about removing the cards and reverting to analog cable signals, augmented by antenna OTA signals.

For about 5 weeks, before I got CableCARDs, I received analog cable signals only, and had no problems with gray screens.

Does this mean I'm probably never going to have this problem after I revert?

[justen_m]

Maybe not dlfl.

At about 930 this morning, it appeared that the analog tuner on my TivoHD died. Grey screen for all analog cable channels _and_ analog OTA channels (I still pick up a few low-power non-digital OTA stations). Digital OTA worked fine, both HD and SD. No cable cards. I verified my signal was fine, and localized the problem to my TivoHD analog tuner. My S2DT was still working fine from the same signal sources (well, analog cable).

A simple restart, as mentioned very early in this thread, fixed the problem. I should have just restarted the TivoHD as soon as I saw a problem before spending 30 minutes diagnosing it, but I was recording digital OTA stuff on one tuner at the time and didn't want to interrupt.

[dlfl]

Originally Posted by justen_m

Maybe not dlfl.
........

OK, thanks. I'd settle for "hardly ever" instead of "never".

How long have you been running your setup since the last time this happened?

[justen_m]

Originally Posted by dlfl

OK, thanks. I'd settle for "hardly ever" instead of "never".
How long have you been running your setup since the last time this happened?

It is the first time it happened, but I've only had my TivoHD about 2 months. Not much statistical data, sorry. Just thought I'd mention that it happened, but was easily fixed. I do know, based on have a couple of suggestions being recording simultaneously on analog channels that both tuners were on analog channels when the tuner went haywire. I just didn't notice the problem until later when I had one tuner on a digital channel and tried to switch to live tv on the other, which was on an analog channel.

An somewhat interesting thing to note, of unknown if any relevance, is that both tuners were on analog channels but neither were recording when the tuner flaked out. All my analog recordings were fine.

[arex]

I'm on my second TivoHD (under warranty), after the first one konked out with a bad drive. Yesterday, I got the dreaded grey screen on all channels (both analog and digital). I only have basic basic cable without cable cards.

I'd previously experienced the analog tuner drop out on the original unit that was replaced, where changing to a digital channel would cure the problem. This time, however, I got the grey screen on both analog and digital channels and swapping tuners or switching between analog and digital channels made no difference. At first I thought it was a lost signal issue, but I was able to tune the channels just fine on the TV itself.

I then tried going into DVR Diagnostics but the unit then hung at the "please wait" screen. I waited several minutes and it never went to the diagnostics screen so I did a hard reset by unplugging the unit. After that, all was good.

bkdtv suggested on the previous page that grey screens on digital channels might be indicative of a failing hard drive. Since it froze before getting into DVR Diagnostics, I didn't get a chance to bypass the hard drive by going to the signal strength meter to see if the drive is the culprit, but if it happens again I will certainly try that. Anyone else think this might be another bad disk?

Thanks!