OTA quality is way worse on Roamio?

Advertisements

Are you sure your settings are identical? Since TVs usually have separate settings for the Antenna, Internal apps, and HDMI inputs. And they will be different unless you went into the settings while using each input to change them. Heck SOny TVs even have different settings for different apps.

 

The settings aren't identical. LG has a coaxial specific picture setting called "smart picture" which supposedly Optimizes the picture to match the signal.

 

In the Tivo settings, try disabling 1080p pass-thru and selecting only 1080i and 720p. And then in the TV settings, try flipping through the pre-sets (i.e. Vivid, Sports, etc.). Have a look at Video Game mode as well (that usually means the signal is minimally processed).

If you really want to get your hands dirty, you can also play with the advanced calibration settings by reading up on your model at RTINGS.com

 

The "Pass Through" settings are only used for internet streaming data. You can not select only "Pass Through" boxes.

 

Advertisements

Ah, you're correct. I was going on memory and had forgotten what they all were. Did they add some new resolutions with a software update or something? I could've sworn some of those 1080p options weren't there when I originally set my Roamio up.

 

When the Bolt was released they added the 4k stuff (on Bolts), but also added the "24/25 fps", which used to be only 24fps.

 

From what I have read in this thread, it appears there are two issues;
1. Reception (the cliff effect),
2. Image quality.
Unless the posters here are confusing the two.

I read about the reception differences between the older Series 3 HD tuners and the tuners in the Premier and now the Roamio. Now I see their latest wonder, that ugly post-teenager designed 'Bolt' apparently has the same problem with reception which at least with the Roamio & Premier has: multipath. I was hoping they would of realized the poor design of the tuners in the Premier would not be repeated with the Roamio, but it was.

I noticed the difference as soon as I connected that 1st Premier years ago that replaced the S3 HD. Huge difference. Stations on the older S3 and just about any other TV tuner I have, had no issues. Swapping out (or moving) your antenna, may not solve your problem. Of course, this varies on location and situation. The ones here that reported no problems; consider yourself lucky!

As to image quality, I haven't noticed any real difference between any of these 3 series.

 

My TiVo Roamio purchased in March 2015 has always worked online flawlessly. Now suddenly it has been acting very, very wrong. My first indication was a message at the top of any TiVo screen that says "No Internet Connection (C130). This TiVo box is no longer connected to the Internet. Some options will not be available until you fix your Internet connection." In other words, the Guide ain't being updated.
So I proceed to the Settings> Network Settings> Change Network Settings. The screen I get is quite different than what I remember.
According to both the Users Guide and the website support info, the screen menu is supposed to read: Modify Ethernet settings, Connect using MoCA, Connect using wireless, and Use this DVR to create a MoCA network.
That is NOT what I get now! It reads: Ethernet [Off], MoCA [Off] and IP Address [None]. That's the 1st bizarre occurrence, but it gets crazier.
If I select the 3rd option (I don't have Ethernet nor MoAC), the screen reads "To obtain an IP address, first set up a network connection." Duh?!
If I return to the Network Settings screen it shows a menu different than I am familiar with. The choices are TiVo Service Connection [Failed], Change Network Settings [No Connection] (the choice I've already explored above) and Network Troubleshooting.
Selecting the first just causes me to watch as it fails again to connect. So, I select the Troubleshootong Option.
This option gives me a menu consisting of Internet Connection, Network Status, TCP Port Test [Failed], DNS Test [Failed] and Transfer History.
Selecting the 1st just does the connection attempt again while I "twiddle my thumbs." The Network Status option gives me a screen which reads simply "No connection." The TCP Port Test option gives me a list of TCP port numbers, telling me I need to open one or more of these on my wireless router! (My router has no such function.) And ... The DNS Test option gives me a screen with a series of actions that make no sense whatsoever, talking about manually entering my DNS address, none of which make any sense (and I am pretty technical). The final option just says that no transfers have occurred.
How do I proceed to fix this?

 

How is your Romio connected to the internet? I don’t see that in your post. Did you troubleshoot all possibilities there, e.g. a bad network cable.

 

Reboot the router. That's the thing your cable modem might plug into. What model is your router?

 

NashvilleKit;
That post has nothing to do with the threads topic; OTA, as in antenna.

 

@NashvilleKit
You would get better visibility for your problems if you had posted them as a separate thread, since they are totally unrelated to this thread's topic. And FWIW you should check the settings for this TiVo in your TiVo account and talk to TiVo support. This is a long shot but should be done for the sake of completeness. Also are other network devices at your location getting OK internet connections?

 

Sorry, sorry about being in the wrong topic. So ... I "restarted" the TiVo, i.e. using the Tivo command. Didn't help. Then unplugged it to get a complete reboot and ... voila, all is back to normal, I am online and my guide is now up to date. Have no idea where all those strange menus and messages came from and I hope I never see them again. Thanks for the comments, folks! And I do know what a router is, Joe!

 

How can a OTA digital picture be worse via TiVo vs direct connect to TV. Pixelation! Pixelation could be fixed with yet a better signal, antenna preamp for example. Anything else would be do to settings. You mentioned the TV is 4K the question is which device is upconverting from the 1080/720 signal to 4K. It is possible the TV could do a better job than the TiVo.


Sent from my SM-T817P using Tapatalk

 

I could set the video output to 480i only. You asked.

 

Looking at what you have, I've used the following with great success up to the station range marked in yellow (note that it must actually be mounted outdoors on the included mast). Also note that it gets good reception for both the VHF and UHF as your station list shows both. I've used this in Colorado Springs, Fort Lauderdale, and Phoenix with excellent results, and I have a Raomio, HD Homerun, and now a Bolt. UHF signals in particular can be attenuated quite a bit by walls, you really just need to mount it on a short mast like the one provided outside and point towards the broadcast towers. Judging by your map, likely I'd point to the weaker signals (yellow) and the green signals should still come in fine.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074CQ5LCJ/

 

Well, I am reviving this thread from the "dead" as I see it's now almost a year old. However, after reading many of the comments posted, I just wanted to post my "two cents" worth.

I have been a TiVo owner since 2011 and have owned both the TiVo Premiere and Roamio. Now we know everyone has a different location that impacts reception to one degree or another; and we certainly know that one size or type of antenna does not fit all situations as there are so many variables with tuners and TV reception at different locations.

But having said that, I have tried multiple different placements of antennas (to include going outside), multiple types/designs of antennas, and various types of amplifiers. But in the end, (at least as it relates to the Premiere "and" Roamio, it appears the TV's tuner outperforms the TiVos (in terms of relative signal strength) every time, no matter which way I've tried to shake it out. From my experience at three different locations in 9 years, the TiVo tuners simply will "not" match the sensitivity of the performance of the TV's native built-in tuner.

Now, I am not saying this to complain, nor am I saying my TiVo(s) can't get distant stations like the native tuners built into my TV sets. I am simply saying that it has been my experience that no matter what efforts I have gone to (going outside, trying various amounts of amplification, and trying a multitude of antennas, the level of performance (in terms of the relative signal strength) falls shorter on the TiVo Roamios and Premieres versus the native tuners built into every HDTV set that I've owned over the past 10 years.

This is a conversation that needs to be held more frequently. And to be fair, perhaps it is an inherent problem of most DVRs. Perhaps some posters on here feel the TiVo's relative signal strength performance is every bit as good as the native TV's tuners. But I can only share my own experiences. But it is also my belief that many others have experienced similar experiences to those that I have described.

Since I really like the "cable like" experience of TiVo and it's very friendly user interface with extensive options for recordings, etc. etc. , I would "welcome" the day when all of us could actually say that "yes" the TiVo's tuner's can match the performance level of native TV's tuners.

At this time, I am not trying to "problem solve" any particular situation, again, just my observations about performance levels. But I would certainly welcome any insight into why this "inferiority" often exists for many of us, especially for those of us that understand the basics of best type of antenna, proper amplification, location, etc. etc.

 

The OTA tuners in the premiere are inferior to all other Tivo models especially for VHF channels. The Roamio has better OTA tuners than the premiere but it still has to split the signal to 4 tuners while your TV only has 1 tuner. You could try an outdoor antenna in your attic with a rotater that you can control from your TV. This will provide you with much greater precision to find the optimal antenna position to receive the signal.

 

IF you are comparing the signal NUMBERS readings on the tuners scan screen between different devices, IE your tv set and your Roamio, those numbers are not comparable.

70% on one device, may be 50% or 100% or whatever on another device. There is NO universal standard to match numbers. That confuses people every day, but I can assure you it's absolutely true.

So, your tv set may say it gets one channel at 100% signal. Your Roamio may say it only gets that same channel at 72%. So, 72% on the Roamio is the SAME as 100% on your tv set. It does NOT mean the Roamios tuners aren't as good as the tv sets just because it also doesn't say 100%...

 

Sure, I understand the signal number readings on the tuners are different on each device and the fact that those numbers are not comparable. So in sharing my experience, I am not comparing those signal numbers directly. As you say, 70% on one device may be 100% on another. And of course, the fact that there is no universal standard to match the numbers. So no confusion (on my end) about that, although I am sure (as you say) it confuses others.

But let me put it this way, signal numbers aside, all I can say is that it's been my personal experience that with all factors being accounted for at the exact same location of the receiver (i.e. antenna type, amplification, etc.) that I have consistently received better overall performance through the native TV's tuners versus my TiVo(s) whether we are talking about my Premiere or Roamio.

As an example here, I have encountered scenarios where I've maintained a steady picture on the native tuner while the TiVo has pixelated under the exact same circumstances. There simply doesn't appear to be the same level of sensitivity. I cannot begin to speak for everyone; and I don't have all the answers as to the the "whys" behind this situation.

Since I like TiVo and it's many features, I have always "wanted" to say the tuners match each other. But it just isn't what I've witnessed.