TIVO BOLT+ not compatible with my cable provider - I'd be willing to beta test

I am in the same boat. My Premiere works great. I had upgraded my other Tivo to a Bolt, so I've got 2 running. I've switched cards, runs, cables, floors, rooms and the issue stays with the Bolt. Losing program lock, v53 errors, v58 errors, pixilation - exactly the same issues described above. I was getting ready to toss the Bolt in a closet and swap with an Atlantic Broadband system (they use Tivo!!)

I was one of the early adopters and have had Tivo since the inception. I'm sad....

 

Motorola.

 

No. It would be nice if Tivo could figure this out. It looks like the Bolt is the problem...

 

Bolt tuners just aren't as good as the previous tivo tuners.
I have FIOS and after I got bolts they all seem to have problems on certain channels.

tivo was not interested in the fact the roamios and premieres were fine and
3 bolts were bad....tivos reported weak signals on certain channels., the other
reported good signal levels.

finally got fios to come out and check the signal, found the bad channels
had more noise at those frequencies, changed out the fiber connection at
the back-end and the noise was gone on all channels.

tivo just isn't willing to improve their product, it will likely
take a cable company that uses bolt to push them to fix their product.

 

They don’t make pros anymore. They may have a refurb, but I doubt it. You can probably pick up a used one on eBay with lifetime for a decent price.

 

I only have one bad channel - ch 13 PBS here in NYC - pixelization, dropouts - unwatchable. I had same problem on previous Premier. Spectrum Cable box does not have this problem so I doubt cable company would help. Experimenting with attenuators (6 and 10 db) so far no luck.

 

I’m starting same process here on Long Island. Bolt+ and Bolt both pixelate randomly on upper channels. Premiere and other previous TiVos did not. I rented Optimum STB and picture is perfect with 0 pixelation. Ran diagnostics with TIVO support and they claim my SNR (signal to noise ratio) is too high on some channels. It varied from 34-39. They said I have to get Optimum to come to install 6 or 8DB attenuators and that will fix the problem. I just have to go through this process but I’ve already tried multiple cable cards and service says signal is perfect. Give up or keep trying?

 

I have same problem in Manhattan with Spectrum. I tries 6dB and 10dB attenuators (had from years ago with old Tivo) - did not help. Ch2 also has same problem, maybe others I have not watched. Tivo tech said 4-tuner machine is “more sensitive” than 2-tuner Premier, also suggested attenuators, which has not worked.

 

So have you gone back to TIVO support and said “your proposed solution to fix the problem by attenuating the signal did not help so now what should I do?” Did your attempts at attenuating signal bring you into the so called 34DB SNR sweet spot? Some claim that this helps. https://www.amazon.com/TiVo-Authori...01EKCL1U6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8.

 

No, I have not had time to continually call Tivo tech support. I just spent countless hours on the phone with them diagnosing a defective Bolt and getting a replacement, then more hours with Spectrum getting the cable card to work. I do have other things to do.

OK, I will order and give PEF filter a try - thanks.

 

Comcast here, I had been seeing some pixelation. Comcast tech came out, said my signal levels were fine. I noticed that the TiVo reported my signal levels were all 100% (which means they can be 100, 110, 120...who knows.) SNR was low to mid 40's.

I bought a package of various attenuators and installed a 12 dB model. Now my TiVo reports signal levels of 88% to 98%, SNR of 34 to 38 dB. The picture quality is unchanged, the pixelation problem "seems" to be better...though I still see a bit...maybe two or three times in an evening of viewing? All in all, it seems better...so I'm still running the 12 dB attenuator.

Attenuators on Amazon mostly run about $5 or $6 each. I found a source that sells the same units for about $1.25 each...though shipping took 7 to 8 days. That's a long time when you're used to Amazon Prime shipping.

You may not have any attenuators laying around, but you may have a few splitters. I tested my signal level using 3 or 4 splitters in a row. Each splitter dropped the signal 3.5 or 7 dB...depending on which "out" port I used. Quick and easy way to test your system with a lower signal level.

 

I had a Comcast tech out recently to check my signal levels. He replaced a few cable ends and installed a new splitter. As he finished, he installed a POE filter. I told him I don't use MOCA, my system was all ethernet. He said I did use MOCA, on the Comcast side. And their current policy is to install a POE filter on any property they visit that does not have one.