Need ideas with S3 pixelation/signal strength issue

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I am a long time user of the S2 which has and still runs nearly flawless. I now have a S3 which has been trouble since the beginning. I have very frequent pixilation/tiling which make it difficult to watch most shows. It occurs nearly every show I watch, and can be on any channel including HD and high number digital channels, but does seem to be more common on standard lower channel numbers. It will occur on both tuners. My pixilation will last anywhere from a few seconds to several continuous minutes and is associated with audio dropouts. Now I’ve seen brief 2-3 second tiling with digital cable boxes and with S2, but they have been very infrequent and never long lasting. As reported elsewhere, with removal of my cable cards, this issue resolves with the analog input. I have switched out the cable cards, tried switching component to RCA (red/white/yellow) cables, and used 2 different TVs with continued tiling. After much discussion with TiVo customer support, I had a second S3 unit sent out….which resulted in the same issue.

I began to suspect signal issues as nearly every cable tech (including internet cable guy) has commented how “strong” my signal is. Nobody admitting it is too high, but at upper limits. I thought maybe running the cable through a power surge protector would alter the signal strength (I thought decrease, but I’ve had someone tell me it bumps it up since). Well, this change resulted in constant tiling also worse in degree of tiling. Of course the new software upgrade made no change…

Well I had another cable visit yesterday and had a sympathetic tech who stayed for a long time trying to sort things out and was on the phone calling others as well. He climbed the street pole to check incoming signal, checked the box just outside my house, checked the signal inside, and even ran a brand new line from the street to my house. Nothing changed as together we watched the tiling continue to occur. Of course all the while I have no problem with S2 in another room. He felt the signal at the street was too hot and called in a maintenance order which miraculously occurred later that same day. I watched from my window as this maintenance dude climbed poles on the street checking signals. He was cool and actually came up to my door and told me the signal outside was too hot for specs and he decreased the signal (I think he said by 4-5dbs). He thought maybe it could drop it another 1 or 2, but he was worried it would affect other neighbors. Well, it seems to decrease the frequency of the tiling but it still occurs and interrupts most shows. I’ve noticed that if I run the TiVo diagnostics during the tiling, the signal strength fluctuates tremendously (maybe 60-80s) and the signal lock flips on/off. Typically all my channels are 94+, but occasional 89-93 without tiling.

I am running out of ideas. I remember seeing someone mention a terminator resistor on the antenna input which I guess I could try. Of course TiVo tells me to keep trying new cable cards, with a rep on the phone yesterday telling me his tech supervisor has a S3 and had to go through SEVEN sets of cards.

Anybody have any suggestions? btw I use Cox cable in Hampton Roads (Norfolk to be specific) with Motorola cards…anybody from the area with similar issues or with success?

 

Thanks for the input. Actually had yet another tech visit this afternoon. They have now replaced every inch of the line from the pole to the TiVo box. I had them put on a terminator on the antenna input. They tried an attenuator on the unit - dropping it from about +10db to +4 (6db attenuator).....all with no help.

Cox tech told me they have not had a single successful S3 installation without pixelation in the entire Hampton Roads area. aaaarrrggghhh

 

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thanks for the input BC

1) No surge protector. Just a brief experiment.
2) All channels will pixelate, although I think analog (low number channels) tends to do so more often.
3) I have a standard digital cable box in another room (with a S2) which has no such issue.
4) No. I guess I can try that out tomorrow...
5) No. Absolutely zero pixelation if I remove the CCs. Sorry, I'm not sure what "unencrypted QAM" means....basic analog input without decryption by cable box/CC??

 

Yeah so much sounds like exactly the same pixelation issues. Did it turn out to be a Houston-wide issue or just a few Houston S3 owners on the same thread?

TivoTodd, are you also using Cox in Hampton Roads too? I don't think I can take this nonsense much longer...this has been going on since early Jan...I may have to turn to the dark side and use the Cox DVR...again.

 

BT

I haven't noticed a definitive way to end the pixellation, but I'll try your method. Of course that doesn't help much when I'm recording...btw I get pixellation on both tuners, although not typically at the same time. Cox is going to try another set of CC tomorrow. I've discussed at length with the techs over the phone about:
1)making sure the firmware on each CC is fully up to date (apparently an issue with some of mine)
and
2) tested on their equipment to prove the CC actually functions (I don't have any other easily accessible CC-ready stuff, unless I take down my wall-mounted plasma (one CC slot only though) which would be a beeyatch, but may ultimately be necessary

Let me know if you resolve your tiling issue.

 

Sad update

Yet another tech visit out to the house. Brand new CC installed with latest (7/06) firmware and pretested on Cox equipment. Same freakin tiling. Tech brought in his "reliable" LG test TV and plugged in my previous malfunctioning CC into it and it ran flawlessly in my house for about 45 minutes.

It seems the only choice I have now is an endless line of CC swaps (at my expense), replacing TiVo units (again), or accepting defeat and shamefully returning to the Cox dual tuner HD-DVR. I'm sick of dealing with this issue as it is consuming so much of my time off...I have to schedule all the tech visits and calls during daytimes when I'm off work.

Last call for any bright ideas or uplifting comments...

 

Necro,

If you need them to swap out cards, I'd advise you to call and tell them to bring em so. Specifically tell them 2 if you want both swapped. Almost every tech visit (and I've had a few as you could guess from this thread) they try to bring only ONE, not realizing it's a dual tuner. Occasionally they even still arrive with one and have to call for another tech to drop off a second...

sometimes you just have to do the thinking for them...ok most of the time