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I tried a number of different things to troubleshoot the problem. I completely disconnected my cable splitter and the Tivo Series 2 box and decided to try just Comcast's HD DVR cable box.
To my surprise, it worked! All the channels came in perfectly, including On-Demand and Howard TV. Not pixelation. No bad recordings. Unfortunately, my Tivo wasn't connected, but at least I could use Comcast's DVR. But it just wasn't the same. I wanted to use the Tivo. Initially, I thought the problem was the cable splitter that Tivo Series 2 boxes come with. So I bought a new one, tried it out and realized that the pixelation problem persisted. I came to the conclusion that there was a problem with the quality of the cable connection. I spent some time calling Comcast tech support and I did the usual things, like resetting the box and having them shoot a new signal. They saw no problems on their end, so I figured it must be on my end. I wasn't prepared to have Comcast come out and test the signal in my house yet. Instead I went to Radio Shack. A few things caught my eye. One of them was something called the "Cable TV Amplifier". I asked the Radio Shack guy questions and he obviously had no idea how to help me. He just grabbed a few of the packages I looked at, muttered a few things then went off to help someone else.I decided to buy Radio Shack's 1 to 4 Bi-Directional Cable TV Amplifier (15-2506) for about $49.99. I was a bit skeptical, but I knew that Radio Shack had a liberal 30-day return policy.
The Amplifier was a step up from a regular cable splitter since it was capable of boosting cable signals by up to 8 dB according to the package. Ok, I had no idea what that meant, but I was hopeful. The Amplifier also came with AC power, which fueled my hope even further.
I took home the Amplifier, left it on a table for about three weeks then decided to connect it one night. I simply connected the cable in line to the cable in of the Amplifier, then connected the Tivo and the DVR to two of the Amplifier's out signals. Essentially, I replaced a normal cable splitter with the Amplifier. And it worked perfectly! The big test was Comcast's On-Demand titles, so I tried to watch a free movie and it worked perfectly. No pixelation at all. Next I tried to watch a Howard TV show and saw that there was still some pixelation. But the Amplifier comes with a little knob that I turn to boost the signal strength. So I left the TV on and turned the knob until…viola! Howard TV was coming in perfectly for the first time in months. I was ecstatic. Radio Shack saved my life! At least in terms of watching TV. Essentially, I boosted the cable strength enough and reduced signal loss that was coming through, most likely because I had a long cable run. (I also use Comcast cable for my Internet and it stretches into my home office.) So my suggestion to anyone having problems with their cable or Tivo: Try out these cable TV amplifiers. Odds are, your cable signal strength is low and it can be fixed for about $50. Please comment and let me know if you have a problem like this and if an amplifier has helped you. [tags] Radio Shack, Cable TV Amplifier, Cable, Comcast, Tivo, DVR [/tags]
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This is really interesting. Can you describe the pixelation issues in a bit more detail?
I know that for a while, I was having problems with my recordings having glitches, especially for the HD. It would freeze for a second, create a lot of distortion and then skip back to OK. I tried a generic DVR too, but had just as many problems. It wasn’t until I talked to the cable tech that came to visit my house, that I learned the issue was with the copper wires leaking or something like that. They switched me over and it improved quite a bit, but I have since moved and am still running into this problem on my S3. This looks like a good solution, but I’m not sure if you were able to fix static or if you also had to deal with the screen hiccups.
The amplifier is a good thing. It worked in your case but you should have your cable company correct your low signal issue. You may have outdated cable or connectors or just a loose connection you cannot get to to fix yourself.
It can be a real hassle to get the cable company to correct it but your solution in your particular case may be only temporary.
Hi Davis, the pixelation issue looked like really encoding. The screen would often be unwatchable because a few channels had too many artifacts. It would also break up the audio.
I wish I had taken a picture of it, but I guess I can if I just remove the amplifier. I’m pretty sure it would come back.
This wasn’t about static, so much. And to emphasize, most of the problems occurred when I tried to watch on-demand channels, which is perhaps because the cable is more sensitive to two-way traffic and wire glitches.
To address your comment, Mark, yes I could have called the cable company and insisted they fix it. But I figured being pro-active would be best. They seemed ready to nickel and dime me for coming out to visit and then install their own amplifier. And of course, I would have to take some time off work to wait for the cable technicians to come.
Anyway, after installing it and using it for a few weeks I’ve had no problems at all.
Looking for a solution to no On-Demand on TVs after HD hooked to incoming line. ( Modem also on incoming line.) No OD after spliters( 1 HD, 2 digital TV). Tried a GE cheapie from Home Depot-absolutely useless-and am now searching for positive feedback on amplifiers. Thanks for any help!
So, should I show this to the Time Warner tech coming out today to fix my pixel!#@*lating problem or go out and spend $50 on an amplifier? Strictly rhetorical question. This will be the 6th time someone has come out to fix my problem and they have yet to do their job. Why should I pay for an amplifier when its their job to fix it. And, yes I am going to show them your post and I appreciate it very much. What you have said is just what a Time Warner contractor told me needs to be done. He told me to ask for a contractor to come out but of course when I did the CSR said they can’t guarantee who will be here this afternoon. They can’t guarantee anything except that I’d better pay my bill or I won’t get service. I despise Time Warner. Thanks for sharing this! P.S. Can’t afford Tivo or a dish so I’m stuck.
Hi Deborah,
Yes, you should ask the tech that comes out and visits you about the amplifier.
It worked great for me, and I’m continuing to use it even after I switched to HD cable service from Comcast. Not sure if I needed to, but figured it was best to keep it the way it was.
Cable companies don’t want to make service calls. That’s the last thing they want to do. So anything they can do to avoid it, they will. It’s just too expensive for them. It’s much easier to blow you off on a service call.
Please write back and tell us your experiences with the service call!
Thanks for writing.
A Time Warner technician fixed the following problems:
1. one (1) HD channel was pixelled
2. two (2) HD channels did not initialize
3. 15 non HD channels did not come in
The technician found that the signal was weak . The weak signal was caused by squirrels chewing on the wire near the telephone pole; one end of cable needed to be replaced; and he replaced the splitters.
Here is a YouTube video which illustrates the return process at RadioShack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhDUBV4La2s
This is very informative.