[hddude55]

After about a month with few problems, it's back with a vengeance. Shows will record for perhaps 20 or 30 minutes then suddenly pixelation goes nuts and sound disappears -- both cards affected. I am ready to ditch this piece of expensive crap and go back to Cox's 8300 HD box. I sure hope TiVo pays for their negligence by going under and suspect I won't have to wish too hard. Build a crappy product, refuse to support it and the inevitable will occur.

As for the guys who will respond to this post by defending TiVo, by telling me I need signal boosters, by insisting only a few people have this problem, etc. etc., get a life. Those of us who got the shaft by TiVo have a right to be sick of this crap without your Boy Scout interference. TiVoPony, I hope your horse breaks a leg and all TiVo employees end up on welfare.

 

[gastrof]

After about a month with few problems, it's back with a vengeance. Shows will record for perhaps 20 or 30 minutes then suddenly pixelation goes nuts and sound disappears -- both cards affected. I am ready to ditch this piece of expensive crap and go back to Cox's 8300 HD box. I sure hope TiVo pays for their negligence by going under and suspect I won't have to wish too hard. Build a crappy product, refuse to support it and the inevitable will occur.

As for the guys who will respond to this post by defending TiVo, by telling me I need signal boosters, by insisting only a few people have this problem, etc. etc., get a life. Those of us who got the shaft by TiVo have a right to be sick of this crap without your Boy Scout interference. TiVoPony, I hope your horse breaks a leg and all TiVo employees end up on welfare.

Well...

Isn't this a happy and special person!

I wonder if this individual has considered PHONING TIVO and asking for a replacement unit?

 

[Dr_Diablo]

Unfortunately they don't know how to correct the problem, thus the silence..

Damn expensive lesson for those of us to take it for granted this Tivo device was worth the $800 plus

 

[SCSIRAID]

After about a month with few problems, it's back with a vengeance. Shows will record for perhaps 20 or 30 minutes then suddenly pixelation goes nuts and sound disappears -- both cards affected. I am ready to ditch this piece of expensive crap and go back to Cox's 8300 HD box. I sure hope TiVo pays for their negligence by going under and suspect I won't have to wish too hard. Build a crappy product, refuse to support it and the inevitable will occur.

As for the guys who will respond to this post by defending TiVo, by telling me I need signal boosters, by insisting only a few people have this problem, etc. etc., get a life. Those of us who got the shaft by TiVo have a right to be sick of this crap without your Boy Scout interference. TiVoPony, I hope your horse breaks a leg and all TiVo employees end up on welfare.

Do you have 9.1 yet? If so, try going into the diagnostic and look at the RS Corrected and RS Uncorrected statistics. When you change channels, the statistics clear. When you see a breakup, check the stats and see if RS Uncorrected jumps up. Signal to noise ratio is now in there too. Should be greater than 32 (preferabally 34).

I have the problem too by the way.... I just dont have 9.1 yet.

However, the personal shots to Pony and the others are over the top a bit..... They are just doing their job.

 

[SCSIRAID]

Unfortunately they don't know how to correct the problem, thus the silence..

Damn expensive lesson for those of us to take it for granted this Tivo device was worth the $800 plus

Im concerned that you may be right..... I can say for certain that they know about it.

 

[d_anders]

Don't shoot the messenger, but have you confirmed that it's not your cable source?

Have you had a lot of rain? Wet cables (near the house, neighborhood, etc.) can cause a lot of issues. Do you have a way to confirm the visual quality of the source without the TiVo box?

I have strong signals, etc., but for the time being, I've kept my cable box/HD tuner just to check out issues when they occur for the time being.

I live in St Paul, MN, with Comcast, and yesterday, I had a load of audio dropouts and strange video problems/syncing with audo on Fox during the Vikings/Packers game.

Low and behold, I switch my TV set over to the cable box/hd tuner, and the Fox signal from Comcast, which could have easily come from the local affliate or Fox itself was crap. Lots of pixelation, etc. No other channel had the issue, so I knew it wasn't the box or my TiVo.

I called Comcast and they confirmed that people were calling in to complain who had their HD tuner or the HD DVR as well. They said it was a source issue from at least the local affliate and were looking into it.

Anyway, bottom line, the majority of pixelation and audio drop outs that I'm experiening now are coming from the cable source, or the source that cable pulls...so while it's no less frustrating, I don't necessarily and immediately blame my TiVoHD box every time I have an issue...(but I feel your pain, we are all certainly conditioned for it given the past issues).

Fortunately, these don't happen that often...but if it continues to be an issue for cable, it will make me reconsider DirecTV if they ever reconsider bringing TiVo back into the fold.

It's certainly in Comcast's best interest to fix whatever is going on, regardless of the equipment I have. I give them my internet, tv, and phone business via the triple play. My annual spend with them is significant.

 

[aztivo]

I have a S3 with no pixelation/audio drops... so to say the S3 is not worth the $800 is just your opinion and not shared by all... I got mine the day the were released and transfered my lifetime... I am sure tivo is working on how to resolve this, do you honestly think they like having customers pissed at them? they do seem to be one of the more responsive companies out there. Give it some time... I know it has been a year but like SCSIRAID and d_anders have said try these different things and dont hate the messanger

 

[Laserfan]

I used to have digital cable and had all sorts of nasty pixelation & anomalies in the picture.

Now I've moved and am strictly OTA and have yet to see an un-coordinated pixel.

Gotta be tough for Tivo to sort out: cable feed, cable card, Tivo problem???

 

[SCSIRAID]

I have a S3 with no pixelation/audio drops... so to say the S3 is not worth the $800 is just your opinion and not shared by all... I got mine the day the were released and transfered my lifetime... I am sure tivo is working on how to resolve this, do you honestly think they like having customers pissed at them? they do seem to be one of the more responsive companies out there. Give it some time... I know it has been a year but like SCSIRAID and d_anders have said try these different things and dont hate the messanger

Just for the record... I have had this problem for over a year and have been engaged with Tivo on this since the beginning. Even though the dropout/pixelation is a big pain in the butt, Id much rather have Tivo with pixelation than a SA8300. They will have to pry the peanut from my cold dead hands .

 

[hddude55]

Do you have 9.1 yet? If so, try going into the diagnostic and look at the RS Corrected and RS Uncorrected statistics. When you change channels, the statistics clear. When you see a breakup, check the stats and see if RS Uncorrected jumps up. Signal to noise ratio is now in there too. Should be greater than 32 (preferabally 34).

I have the problem too by the way.... I just dont have 9.1 yet.

However, the personal shots to Pony and the others are over the top a bit..... They are just doing their job.

To answer your question, no, I don't have 9.1 and was told by first level support, second level support, and third level/supervisior level support that the often mentioned they -- who I was finally told are The Engineers -- will decide when the possible solution (9.1) is provided. Nice. If the problem was a broken toaster or microwave oven no competent manufacturer could survive such an arrogant approach to "service." Imagine taking your broken toaster in for warranty service and being told that they are sorry and understand the customer's feelings, however, "they" will fix your toaster at some undetermined time in the future when "they" felt like it.

As I told the "supervisor," I don't have a problem waiting in the hospital ER since everyone there needs help but not every TiVo customer has an expensive paperweight needing a fix. "They" should help the people having problems first. Is that too hard to understand? But no, "they" have their schedule to follow. So instead I can sit with a fancy paperweight waiting until "they" feel like helping me.

Small companies have a tough enough time establishing a foothold and when they treat their devoted customers like a bunch of toadies the company deserves to fail. You are correct that I shouldn't blame any individual TiVo staff member as every TiVo employee is just doing his/her job. That's the beauty of working for a large company. No one is accountable for anything. They are just doing their jobs and we are darn lucky they are there to listen and understand our frustration. Somehow I feel much better knowing that the TiVo staff I spoke to today feel my pain. Each of the three made a point of telling me that they understood my frustration. Not that they could lift a finger to help, of course.

 

[hddude55]

I have a S3 with no pixelation/audio drops... so to say the S3 is not worth the $800 is just your opinion and not shared by all

You are a happy customer. Your expensive product works as advertised. My TiVo is a piece of expensive junk and TiVo isn't helping me fix it. I'm mad as hell about it. What's your point? Customers with products that work are happy with their products?

 

[hddude55]

Well...

Isn't this a happy and special person!

I wonder if this individual has considered PHONING TIVO and asking for a replacement unit?

I am on my second crappy S3 unit.

And thanks for stopping by with your editorial comments. I'm sure you and your TiVo are one happy family.

 

[lrhorer]

You are a happy customer. Your expensive product works as advertised. My TiVo is a piece of expensive junk and TiVo isn't helping me fix it. I'm mad as hell about it. What's your point? Customers with products that work are happy with their products?

In a later post you declare this is your second S3, from which I infer TiVo has already replaced your hardware. Assuming this to be the case, it makes it unlikely (but not impossible) your issue is related to a single failed device. Many of us have S3 TiVos and are not experiencing the same issues you are. Indeed, I have two S3 TiVos and am not experiencing the same issues you are. This fact makes it unlikely the problem is systemic to the S3 TiVo, unless it is related to some specific problems with a particular production run. Why are you assuming the problem is with your TiVo?

In another post you said something to the effect the problem had gone away but now has returned. If this is the case, then the odds it is a TiVo problem are almost astronomically low, yet you loudly insist TiVo should fix something which almost certainly is not their problem.

 

[astrohip]

TiVoPony, I hope your horse breaks a leg and all TiVo employees end up on welfare.

I have a TiVo with the pixellation problem, and share your pain. I have taken many steps to fix it, with mixed results. I continue to work on this issue, as watching TV without a TiVo is more painful than the alternatives. And I know TiVo continues to work on this issue.

But the personal shots at people is totally uncalled for. They work at a job, and do their best, just as you do. It only shows your petty nature and immaturity when you resort to name calling.

Rest in peace.

 

[bicker]

Imagine taking your broken toaster in for warranty service and being told that they are sorry and understand the customer's feelings, however, "they" will fix your toaster at some undetermined time in the future when "they" felt like it.

Well, wait a minute. You're not talking about your toaster being broken. If that were the case, just get an exchange. That's clearly not what you're looking for.

So you need to come up with a different analog for what you're talking about. This is a case where the toaster works fine for most people, but it doesn't work for you. You're entitled to a refund, perhaps (and that's why TiVo is so good about their 30 day return policy), but you are not entitled to dictate development priorities.

Here's a relevant example: My wife is hearing impaired. The law requires closed captioning be supported. However, due to a bug, TiVo has regularly lost Closed Captions on SD programs since the TiVo S3 was introduced. Disappointed? You bet we were. It's been over a year and word is that it is going to be fixed in the next release. That's good, and it was TiVo's prerogative to make us wait that long for a resolution.

 

[hddude55]

In a later post you declare this is your second S3, from which I infer TiVo has already replaced your hardware. Assuming this to be the case, it makes it unlikely (but not impossible) your issue is related to a single failed device. Many of us have S3 TiVos and are not experiencing the same issues you are. Indeed, I have two S3 TiVos and am not experiencing the same issues you are. This fact makes it unlikely the problem is systemic to the S3 TiVo, unless it is related to some specific problems with a particular production run. Why are you assuming the problem is with your TiVo?

In another post you said something to the effect the problem had gone away but now has returned. If this is the case, then the odds it is a TiVo problem are almost astronomically low, yet you loudly insist TiVo should fix something which almost certainly is not their problem.

Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not going to be cross-examined by you. How odd that anyone would be researching my past posts for consistency. I know there are quite a few guys who hang around here, seemingly for the express purpose of egging on PO'd people like me who have unresolved problems with our TiVos. I don't understand these people, but I also don't understand people who slow down to ogle peoples' misery after a freeway collision.

 

[kmill14]

Good luck with that lawsuit. I am sure you'll get plenty of support from the board.

 

[BillL]

What I want to know is why TiVo would release the TiVoHD when they knew that the S3 suffered from pixilation problems. Seems that they are culpable for this action. I have suffered on and off with pixilation problems now for a year. "The Office" did not have one minute of audio because the picture pixilated through the entire show. I had to watch it on my motorola box, which by the way had zero pixilation. I tape all shows now on both boxes. Its a shame.

PS: If it hasnt been fixed in a year, chances are it cannot be fixed.

 

[tivoknucklehead]

The S3 even with occaisonal pixelation is far > than the P.o.s. SA-8300

 

[BillL]

The S3 even with occaisonal pixelation is far > than the P.o.s. SA-8300

The point that you are missing is that its not occasional. Its kills of an entire show.