# Green Screen & Freezing: Cable Signal strength?



## pgreene8

Last few days I have had issues with my TiVO S3 HD freezing or getting a green screen (without characters) . After it occurs, the TiVo is completely locked up, won;t respond to commands from the remote or anything. I need to yank the plug and reboot.
Called TiVo and they had me look at the diagnostics on the Cable Card and then they determined that the strength of the cable signal was TOO STRONG at 100% and should be at 80 - 85%. They say a strong signal can "do all kinds of things" to TiVo and that I need to get Time Warner to dampen my signal.
This sounds a little fishy. Has anyone else heard of this?

Thanks so much


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## richsadams

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear that it's under aggravating circumstances.

To answer your question, yes, a signal that is "too hot" can cause data I/O problems AGC issues and other problems which can result in video issues or locking up the box all together. That's not to say something else might not be causing issues, but it's a start. I'd call the cableco and have them check on things. They may have inadvertently changed something (perhaps for a neighbor) and can correct it or they may be of the "a stronger signal is a better signal no matter what" mindset. If it's the latter and they won't do anything you could try attenuating the incoming signal.

I'm almost certain Comcast has boosted their signal here. I had an unexpected reboot a couple of days ago (which has never happened) and the signal strength is now pegged at 100% on every channel where it used to fluctuate slightly between 95% and 98% or so. We're getting ready to switch to FIOS so I'm not going to pursue it now (although I may run into the same issues with VZ...but that's another thread).

Let us know how it goes.


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## ghuido

I might be having this problem as well so I will go an check my signal stregth when i get home since my tivo has been rebooting randomly at times. How do you get your Cable company to "dampen" your signal? Sounds like an odd request to Tech Support.


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## pgreene8

It is odd, and the Time Warner rep on the phone had no idea. He thought the technician who visits will know. Guess we'll see about that.

If you follow the link that Richsadams sent, then you find an adapter that will attenuate the signal. I'll try that if Time Warner fails.

I should say I have not had spontaneous rebooting. The problem is the green screen (accompanied by a loud screeching sound) came when watching a recorded show, and then multiple freeze / lockups during live TV. You might want to call TiVo first.


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## dandan09

I also live in NYC and have been having the same problem since the end of January. Tivo has replaced my box three times, but now on the last box the problem has reappeared. They have offered to change my box again, but I'm starting to think this is too much of a coincidence and that their is something else going on. I have had TWC come to my house three times now to "install"/activate the cable card and no one (from TWC or Tivo) has mentioned anything about the signal level interfering with my box's functionality. Pgreene8 -- have you had any luck with TWC helping you fix the problem? Has anyone tried "attenuating" the signal after this green screen problem and had any success?


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## pgreene8

Hi DanDan09 -
I thought the problem had resolved itself; the signal strength had dropped to 93%, and no problems for a couple of weeks. I thought the problem might have been related to the fact that Time Warner was laying new cable about a block and a half away (on 72nd St), but that work is finished.

And just this afternoon there was another screeching green screen!

To answer your question, I have not had TWC come to attenuate the signal, but I guess I will now. Was considering asking TiVo for a new box since the warranty lasts only another month, but judging from your experience, that would be a waste of time.

Do you live on the Upper West Side by any chance?


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## dandan09

Hi Priscilla:

Sorry to hear the problem has reappeared . . . are you using an HDMI cable to connect your tivo to your TV? I've been doing some research and it appears that some people say that this might be causing the problem. 

No, I live in downtown Manhattan. Yeah, if you do ask TiVo to switch out your box just go ahead and make a TWC appointment for the day after you think your new box is going to arrive and save yourself the trouble of trying to install the cable card on your own. They will want to send someone out to your place to "initiate" the card despite the fact that you could do it over the phone . . .


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## pgreene8

Yes, I do use the HDMI cable that TiVo sent with the box. I have to say the thought had crossed my mind that the cable might be a problem. It was such a relatively inexpensive cable.
When TiVo sent you the new box, did they make you return the old one first, in other words, were there dread TiVoless days?


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## dandan09

You have two return options -- one where they place a hold on your card while they send you a box or you can send yours outright and be tivoless for some time. I let them place a hold on my card and sent my bad box back to them after they sent me a new one. The only thing to keep in mind that if it's a HDMI handshake problem I'm not sure if their is any fix for it . . . at least nothing that I have found so far other than to hook you your tivo with component cables . . .


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## BTDFXD

How do you check cable strength?? Thanks


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## bkdtv

BTDFXD said:


> How do you check cable strength?? Thanks


System Information screen -> DVR Diagnostics

That will show the signal strength (and any signal errors, identied as RS Uncorrected errors) for the two currently tuned channels.


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## pgreene8

Dan -
Thanks for your feedback. I have 2 more questions:

1) What did you read that has makes you believe it is related to the HDMI cable instead of the signal strength? The idea of component cables is not too palatable. BTW - my signal strength varies on the two tuners (100 and 93).

2) If I remember correctly, you exchanged both your TiVo box as well the cable card. Or was it the same card that was just reactivated? Has the green screen/freezing problem stopped for you now?

For me, the problem arrives in bunches: 2 - 3 incidents within a 24-hour period then long intervals in between events. Kind of like the 2nd Avenue bus.


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## pgreene8

Quick update:
TWC came and put a splitter on the coax, but it did not diminish the signal strength, which always seems to always vacillate between 93 & 100. The tech was reluctant to do anything else to decrease the signal strength. I should add that there is already a splitter between the modem and the TiVo, so he added a 2nd splitter to the mix.
We'll see what happens.


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## richsadams

Thanks for keeping us posted. Let us know how things turn out. :up:


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## George Cifranci

I used to get a Green Screen of death when I first got my Series 3. I would frequently get a Green Screen and full lockup after I turned on my HDTV and Receiver with my Harmony Remote. The solution (there is a whole thread on this) was to disconnect the Ethernet cable from the TiVo S3 and use a USB to Ethernet Adaptor instead. After doing that I never got a Green Screen again (it has been 2 years). I even recently confirmed the USB to Ethernet adaptor was a fix when I thought I would plug the ethernet cable directly back into the TiVo S3 to see if the Green Screen issue would happen again. The very next day when I went to turn on my HDTV sure enough I got a Green Screen and the TiVo was locked up. So back to the USB to Ethernet Adaptor I went.


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## pgreene8

Things were fine for a couple of weeks. But last night another screaming green screen. CoAx splitter is not the solution.


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## pgreene8

George -
So you're saying to try a USB to Ethernet cable, with the Ethernet side plugged into the modem and the USB into the TiVo S3? Interesting


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## George Cifranci

pgreene8 said:


> George -
> So you're saying to try a USB to Ethernet cable, with the Ethernet side plugged into the modem and the USB into the TiVo S3? Interesting


With the USB Ethernet adaptor one side of course plugs into one of the Series 3's USB ports and you plug your ethernet cable into the other end. here is the exact model I use...

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F5D505...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237579443&sr=8-1

After I started using that in late January 2007 I never got a green screen again.


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## pgreene8

Thanks George. A picture is worth a lot of words. I get it now and will try it.


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## pgreene8

George is your TiVo S3 an HD model?


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## George Cifranci

pgreene8 said:


> George is your TiVo S3 an HD model?


I have the original TiVo Series 3 (the first standalone model that could do HD) bought in late 2006 (with the OLED display on the front).

What model do you have?


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## pgreene8

George Cifranci said:


> I have the original TiVo Series 3 (the first standalone model that could do HD) bought in late 2006 (with the OLED display on the front).
> 
> What model do you have?


I have the S3 HD (HiDef), just about a year old. I wonder if it makes a difference. I ordered the adaptor you suggested. Another poster on this thread suspected the HDMI cable btw the TiVo and the TV. Guess we will see soon enough.

Too many variables!


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## George Cifranci

pgreene8 said:


> I have the S3 HD (HiDef), just about a year old. I wonder if it makes a difference. I ordered the adaptor you suggested. Another poster on this thread suspected the HDMI cable btw the TiVo and the TV. Guess we will see soon enough.
> 
> Too many variables!


So yours has the Cable Card slots on the front correct?


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## pgreene8

Exactly. Cable card slots on the front with a drop down panel.
Looks like TiVo calls it the TiVo HD DVR (I did not get the pricier one, the "XL").
https://www3.tivo.com/store/boxes.do?Wt.ac=shophome_whichDvr_boxeslist_img


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## George Cifranci

pgreene8 said:


> Exactly. Cable card slots on the front with a drop down panel.
> Looks like TiVo calls it the TiVo HD DVR (I did not get the pricier one, the "XL").
> https://www3.tivo.com/store/boxes.do?Wt.ac=shophome_whichDvr_boxeslist_img


And you are still getting the green screen? That's disappointing to hear. I would have hoped they would have fixed that issue in the TiVo HD. In any case getting the USB to Ethernet adaptor fixed that issue for me.


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## richsadams

To avoid confusion these are the model names commonly used here on the TCF to identify the three hi-def TiVo models:

TiVo Series3 (or S3)

TiVo HD (or THD)

TiVo HDXL (or HDXL)


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## jzylks

I've been having the same problem off and on for the last month or so. Originally I had my TiVoHD hooked up with HDMI, but after seeing the suggestion that HDMI was the culprit I switched to component cables. Came home from work today and it had happened again. This time it was a blank screen, but the high pitched beep was the same.

So, I suppose HDMI may be the reason the screen is green, rather than blank, but it doesn't seem to be the cause of the problem.


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## George Cifranci

jzylks said:


> I've been having the same problem off and on for the last month or so. Originally I had my TiVoHD hooked up with HDMI, but after seeing the suggestion that HDMI was the culprit I switched to component cables. Came home from work today and it had happened again. This time it was a blank screen, but the high pitched beep was the same.
> 
> So, I suppose HDMI may be the reason the screen is green, rather than blank, but it doesn't seem to be the cause of the problem.


What kind of HDTV do you have? (make/model) Is it s rear projection?


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## jzylks

It's a Vizio LCD TV. I don't know the model number off the top of my head, but it's about 2 years old. I've had the TiVoHD hooked up to it for about that long, but the beeping just cropped up in the last month or two.


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## pgreene8

George Cifranci said:


> I used to get a Green Screen of death when I first got my Series 3. I would frequently get a Green Screen and full lockup after I turned on my HDTV and Receiver with my Harmony Remote. The solution (there is a whole thread on this) was to disconnect the Ethernet cable from the TiVo S3 and use a USB to Ethernet Adaptor instead. After doing that I never got a Green Screen again (it has been 2 years). I even recently confirmed the USB to Ethernet adaptor was a fix when I thought I would plug the ethernet cable directly back into the TiVo S3 to see if the Green Screen issue would happen again. The very next day when I went to turn on my HDTV sure enough I got a Green Screen and the TiVo was locked up. So back to the USB to Ethernet Adaptor I went.


George -

I hooked up the USN adaptor last week and it seemed to be doing the trick. No Green Screen after a TWC line-up change (those seemed to invoke a Green Screen within a day or two). Everything was ok until today, after TWC sent a firmware update to the cable card last night.
Thanks again for the advice, but I wanted to let everyone know that it is not the answer for all Green Screens.


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## dsnyc

Hi,
Having same issues with 'green screen', with siren blaring. Have seen on these forums that issue could be with HDMI, or ethernet, or cable strength. Am leaving for 6 months shortly and would LOVE to resolve this before I leave.

Had green screen on 2-month old THD, got replacement (new) and while TWC guy was here, got another green screen/siren on brand new Tivo.

I'm completely bewildered. I understand green screens are rare; to have 2 occurrences within days on 2 different DVRs just seems to me like I'm missing something. So, looked at forums and checked cable strength, it is 100 on nearly all channels (just had splitter removed while TWC here this week to install cable card. When they're back to install on new Tivo, will ask to "lessen" cable strength.

I also use ethernet, can switch to USB/wireless adapter (had moved to ethernet to smooth out occasional wireless ups and downs. 

I have M-cable card; connected to My DVR expander (tivo-supported); ethernet; optical digital audio cable and HDMI. I occasionally download netflix or you tube. 2 months old; got grey screen one day last week/no response to remote; pulled power and reset, everything back to normal. Tivo rep stated that he did not see the expander "supported' and suggested i check with Western Digital. 2 days later, while on "now playing", got green screen with loud whooping siren (lasted only 5 or so seconds). After calling in, resetting, and doing the 54 disk check with rep, all looked fine. Within minutes, no picture, no audio, nothing. Had NEW DVR delivered; while cable guy was here reviewing channels after installing new Mcard, got green screen with siren yet again--on completely different dvr, with different cable cards. Did not have expander attached (waiting for new one.)

In addition to being frustrated, especially with having to have time warner come out again (another $40 charge, week long wait), am concerned because i'm leaving in 2 weeks for 6 month assignment out of country. While I'm hopefull that new tivo works as usual in my absence--i won't be able to test it. Also concerned that source of this problem hasn't been identified. When I come back, will be out of warranty period.

Any other advice??? Thanks!
Diane


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## bkdtv

Green screens are sometimes referred to as the "Green Screen of Death" (GSOD). This screen is shown when the TiVo is trying to fix corrupted files, usually the result of a (1) bad internal drive, (2) bad external drive, or a (3) loose or defective eSATA cable. Bumping into the eSATA cable or eSATA drive can also cause drive corruption -- this is the reason some people prefer internal drive upgrades. Have you checked how the TiVo operates without the My DVR Expander? 

Proportionally, there are far more reports of defective My DVR Expanders and defective eSATA cables then there are of defective TiVos.

If a signal is too strong and overpowers a TiVo, that can cause a reboot. But such a reboot shouldn't cause a GSOD.


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## richsadams

dsnyc said:


> Hi,
> Having same issues with 'green screen', with siren blaring.


Are you seeing an MFS assert (GSOD Screen)? Or is TiVo just showing a blank green screen and nothing else? The reason I ask is that the sound that you've described shouldn't be occurring with a GSOD. If it is a GSOD, what bkdtv posted is right on. But again, there shouldn't be any audio at all.

If you're simply seeing a green screen and some sort of audio noise it sounds like a signal issue. Might be something to do with your A/V setup or possibly with the incoming signal from the cable company. Can you connect TiVo directly to your TV using something other than what you are using now (HDMI, component, compsite cables, etc.)? I'd try that and see if the problem persists (likely a cable or cable card issue) and if not, likely something to do with your setup. Worst case call TiVo back and see what they can determine by looking at your logs.

Good luck and let us know what you find out...very curious.


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## dsnyc

HI Rich, thanks for your post. i do see a plain green screen, with siren-like blare concurrently; i don't get the GSOD warning screen.

Am about to hook up 3rd new tivo, with TWC back again. I do know that my cable strength is VERY high (both their measure and tivo's); last week, teck removed a splitter minutes before my green screen. 

i use hdmi cables to connect to tv; optical cable to connect to a/v reciever. will swap hdmi and disconnect optical, but as i'm leaving next week for 6 months, will not be able to see what's going on. hopefully will come home and everything will have worked as it should have, but i doubt it. Between TWC changing channels/messing things up, and having to reset tivo to get back to normal, am afraid i'll come home to nothing.

not what i bought tivo for!! never had this issue with my old SD tv and series 2 tivo.
d


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## richsadams

dsnyc said:


> HI Rich, thanks for your post. i do see a plain green screen, with siren-like blare concurrently; i don't get the GSOD warning screen.


Hmmm, it does sound like some sort of signal issue then. If TiVo's AGC is being overdriven it could result in what you're seeing and hearing.

Your setup is the same as ours (HDMI to the TV and optical to the receiver). You can try using something other than that but I suspect where you'll be able to resolve things will be before the signal even gets to TiVo. Check your signal levels and RS Corrected and Uncorrected errors. I'll bet the SNR is around 35 to 38 (seems that 32 is about ideal) and the errors are all over the place. I'd also bet that your signal strength is probably pegged at 100 on most channels. A lot of cableco's subscribe to the "more is better" theory. It can work with their proprietary DVR's (particularly the one's w/o cable cards) but it often wrecks havoc on TiVo.

Perhaps an attenuator or two will bring the signal down to a reasonable level. Even a cheap signal splitter (cap the extra connector) can do the trick sometimes. Or you could talk to TWC about it.

Best of luck and I know we all wish you safe travels and a speedy return! :up:


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## dsnyc

Hello again Rich,
So TWC came Fri, installed new cards. i asked tech to re-install splitter or attenuator to address my high signal (nearly always 100%). of course he thought i was crazy, put attenuator in, saw strength was still 100 and gave up.

i did too. went away for weekend, home last night. within 10 minutes of being home, get blank screen. No live tv, no tivo central. show was recording (red light on) but couldn't get anything. after show finished recording, i restarted; everything came back fine, and the show that had been recording was 100% there--even though i couldn't get any signal to tv.

am so frustrated, never had so many issues with tivo before. Checked items you suggested. On tuner 0, had 360 RS uncorr and 243 corr; 38db. on tuner 1, 0 RS uncorr, 10 corr, 38db SNR. I don't even know what i just said!

Will order attenuator today with 2-day ship, am running out of time to fix this. i have one splitter already (between wall and tivo/modem); had removed splitter last week (between cable source and where it went into wall). would like to keep high signal to modem, moderate signal to tivo. so i'm assuming that once i get attenuator, i would just place between tivo and splitter? any direction you could give me would be appreciated--seems there are several pads (huh??). i'm guessing i would install one, check signal strength/snr, and keep going until i saw signal strength around 85 and snr around 32. (?) 

Trying to squeeze this in with everything else one has to do before leaving home for 6 months is nuts! i do appreciate your help.
Thanks,
d


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## richsadams

dsnyc said:


> ... so i'm assuming that once i get attenuator, i would just place between tivo and splitter? any direction you could give me would be appreciated--seems there are several pads (huh??). i'm guessing i would install one, check signal strength/snr, and keep going until i saw signal strength around 85 and snr around 32. (?)


That's correct. Folks experiencing similar issues with Verizon FIOS seem to start out with a combination of attenuators totaling 16db or so and work their way down until the things clear up and the SNR is around 31 - 32. Here's a link to a good "guideline" there...might also apply in your case.

Best of luck and travel safely!


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## iceblink

I have a 5 month old Tivo HD XL.
Similar issues here... every 24-48 hours, solid green screen, no characters, high pitch screeching sound.

Signal strength = 87

I swapped HDMI cables, tried component hookups, disconnected ethernet (thought probably not for a long enough period), had my Cable Cards replaced (in this case, with 2 single-channel Charter cards). No luck.

Tivo Support's solution: pay us $49, and we'll ship you a refurb. Based on what I'm reading here, it seems likely that a new refurb may NOT solve the problem.

I have a difficult time believing that high signal strength signal would cause any problem at all. Isn't that the goal of all cable installs? Sounds like a engineering design flaw to me.

Looking forward to any possible solutions. I refuse to plug a USB-ENET adapter into what is in essence a Linux box that already has an ENET port.

I'll keep looking for possible solutions.


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## richsadams

iceblink said:


> I have a 5 month old Tivo HD XL.
> Similar issues here... every 24-48 hours, solid green screen, no characters, high pitch screeching sound.


Welcome to the forum...sorry to hear that it's under frustrating circumstances.



iceblink said:


> I have a difficult time believing that high signal strength signal would cause any problem at all.


Why? It's not a totally uncommon problem with TiVo as well as with other A/V equipment; well documented here and on other A/V forums. It looks like you tried everything _but_ trying the solution others have had success with: having your cableco test your signal and get it within the correct specs or try to attenuate it.



iceblink said:


> Isn't that the goal of all cable installs?


"More is better" may be the goal of the cable company but it's a flawed goal. Depending on the AGC to resolve an overdriven signal is delivery design flaw.



iceblink said:


> Looking forward to any possible solutions.


Did you read the rest of this thread as well as threads that are linked?



iceblink said:


> I refuse to plug a USB-ENET adapter into what is in essence a Linux box that already has an ENET port.


Okay. Not sure where you found that solution...maybe I missed it.

Besides your signal strength did you check your SNR levels and RS Corrected and Uncorrected errors? That should tell you something about your incoming signal and TiVo's ability to process it.

It may be that your signal is the problem and and your cableco can remedy it. You can try attenuating the signal. Or it may simply be a case of a failed AGC and a replacement TiVo may resolve the issue. Giving the recommended solution(s) a try is up to you. But if you want to keep searching for something else good luck with that and let us know how it goes!


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## dandan09

Sorry all about the long time between my posts -- I've been out of town. Been trying to work with Tivo to get a fix for this with little luck thus far. The Tivo people have still contended that it's a handshake issue between the Tivo and my Samsung (specifically samsung) TV. However, after seeing the posts from folks here who have had the problem with TVs that are not samsung, I'm assuming this is not the problem. The stage I'm at currently is switching out my HDMI cable and using component instead. Considering folks here have said that this has not fixed their problem. I won't be surprised this this comes up again. I'll post when if anything changes . . .

Just to be clear, I'm using an Tivo HD, a samsung TV and live in NYC


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## pyk133

Hopefully this thread is still alive. I live in Chelsea in Manhattan and started to have the same green screen problem as pgreene8 at about the same time, after a year of problem free TIvo HD. It was right after TWC Southern Manhattan released all the new HD channels. Don't know if that is correlated, or I've read that maybe Tivo 11.0c is the cause. Regardless, I see a few others who have the same frozen screen problems. Sometimes it's ok for a couple days. Other times I can't watch TV for 15 min without it freezing. Whether I'm watching a recording or live TV, or recording a show or not, no pattern. Though I primarily watch HD channels so I haven't seen if watching standard def channels makes it any more stable. 

I have completely swapped out a new hard drive, a new Tivo HD, another new hard drive, and a new cablecard. So my current configuration is brand new everything (except for the TV). I have even switched from HDMI to component RGB outputs. 

Ughhh... same problem of freezing. Though now the screen is gray with this new Tivo, not green as with my old one. I am wondering if loss of signal lock causes the Tivo to freeze as I seem to get that alot with my TWC DVR box which I replaced my Tivo with. I have the Tivo hooked up to spare bedroom set and will see if it freezes. I did this with my old Tivo and it still froze. But the problems of others with S3 HD Tivo's points to some common software issue with the Tivo. Regardless if TWC is purposely or accidentally causing the Tivo to freeze, Tivo needs to come up with a patch to recover gracefully. Anyone have any insight or intelligence on this issue? Tivo - are you listening??? Otherwise, my TWC DVR may just be adequate enough and the hours spent trying to resolve will not be worth it. Thanks.


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## pyk133

update - my tivo hd freezes siren blaring on my spare tv as well. so the only common factor is the tivo software and time warner cable. getting TWC to do anything this complicated is like, well, let's just say it is asking alot. i still believe Tivo is the only one that can and should get this fixed. Perhaps TWC pumped up the signal strength when it launched its HD lineup recently. But Tivo should be able to deal with it. Does Tivo actually expect a user to go tinkering around with signal strength to get it in a useable range? Also anyone know what happens to Tivo if the cable loses signal lock? Thanks.


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## richsadams

pyk133 said:


> update - my tivo hd freezes siren blaring on my spare tv as well. so the only common factor is the tivo software and time warner cable. <snip>


Based on your earlier post you said:



> "...started to have the same green screen problem as pgreene8 at about the same time, after a year of problem free TIvo HD. It was right after TWC Southern Manhattan released all the new HD channels. Don't know if that is correlated."


If your water company suddenly changed your pressure from 1000 gal/min. to 10,000/gal/min. would you expect the manufacturer of the pipes in your house to replace them when they start blowing out? I don't mean to be glib about it, but that's basically your set of expectations.

Millions of TiVo's in the wild are working just fine. If your cableco has changed their signal such that it's outside of what TiVo's AGC can manage you'll be holding your breath for quite a long while before it's fixed by TiVo...as in never. (The issue would be hardware, not software related.)

That's not to say that something isn't wrong with your TiVo but until your signal is such that it's back to a normal range you're going to have a hard time diagnosing what the problem might be if any. It's time to call TWC, switch to another provider or go OTA.

With regard to what happens to TiVo when it looses the signal lock on a particular channel or set of channels...nothing. If the signal isn't within normal levels it doesn't work. There is no impact on TiVo one way or another.


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## dandan09

Okay, just wanted to update with what's been going on with my setup. One week now with no green screen/sirens since I switched from HDMI to RGB component setup. Hope my luck continues . . .


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## sasmps

This is like a bad dream... All of you have tried everything I have tried (replaced TIVO HD unit), (Component vs HDMI), (New MStream Cards (3)), 
(Splitter, Splitter(2)), (power supply (no power strips)), (disconnect Enet card for 5 days). 

Richsadams: I hear what you are saying about the signal strength, have tried that route and that is not the problem. We have all tried things that seem to work, maybe for a while (beleiving that was the fix) when in fact it is not. 

We need to look where we have not. What do we know about how the Mstream cards are provisioned? I have noticed that the lock up only happens if you have a cable card, and are watching HD. Specifically channels in HD that are also encrypted (in my neck of the woods, Home and Garden are an additional cost to view). The unit is freezing up when an unexpected event is presented to the card... at that point the Tivo unit will react by either freezing, rebooting, or just graying out the screen. The Tivo unit is getting an unexpected behavior from the card, and does not know how to react. The problems start with the cable signal (it could be anything, like upgrading firmware in your card remotely by your provider, it could be ping test from the provider to verify your card is still there, or verify your channell inventory, you will not beleive all the activity going on from your provider). I get knocked out when the content provider drops there signal to my provider (Home and Garden TV drops there feed to Surewest). 

I would like for those interested to provide more specific details on the type of card (Scientific Atlanta? Motorola?) and the firmware level. I would also like to know if you seem to be on the same channel each time (either tuner.. you have 2, and although your watching one, the other may be on the offending channel) .

If anyone actually does get this fixed, please let the rest of us know. I have been dealing with this since January of 2009.. and also curized along for 2 years before this hit. My Series 3 is rock solid, both the Tivo HDs (i have 3) have this problem.


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## pyk133

richsadams - the odds of the water company suddenly changing water pressure from 1,000 to 10,000 are what? has your water company done that to you? I believe most products engineered are able to deal within reasonable tolerances. I'll call TWC and see if they increased my signal tenfold as you suggest. Appreciate you trying to help but doesn't mean I can't be snarky.

Yes there are millions of perfectly fine Tivo's in the world. But just from the few posts here and my own experience, I am theorizing that there may be an issue with TWC NYC and Tivo. I'd figure if Tivo wants to have a viable product, they'd have to accommodate the signal level of a cable company that services several million people. If it is signal strength, Tivo should be leading the charge in coming up with recommended actions, that's all.


----------



## richsadams

pyk133 said:


> But just from the few posts here and my own experience, I am theorizing that there may be an issue with TWC NYC and Tivo. I'd figure if Tivo wants to have a viable product, they'd have to accommodate the signal level of a cable company that services several million people. If it is signal strength, Tivo should be leading the charge in coming up with recommended actions, that's all.


The key factors being "a few posts and your own experience". That's not to discount what you're experiencing, but it may very well be (and the chances are) that it's a very limited issue, possibly to your area, your neighborhood, your house or just your TiVo. The odds that TiVo is going to reengineer their products based on that are not so good IMHO.

I won't get into the dead horse argument about who finds their way to this forum but anyone that's been around for a while can safely tell you that if there's truly something wrong with TiVo it is really amazing how many people show up to complain. They are not perfect by any means, but historically TiVo has acted on those occasions.

Good luck with things and let us know what happens.


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## dandan09

Another update -- I was greeted last night by a frozen Tivo box and the screeching siren sounds. Like others have previously reported, this time the screen was not green, but rather just solid black. Since I have been working with Tivo on this problem I plan on calling them this afternoon to report that the problem has not been solved. When I call them, I would like to notify them that their are several of us experiencing the same problem. But in order to do so, I was wondering if those of you who are having this problem could respond to my post here and give me a little more information so that I can pass that on to Tivo. If you don't mind please answer the following questions:

1) What kind of TV do you have?

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL?

3) Where are you located?

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider?

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component?

6) When did this problem start?

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen?

I'd love if our information provided a patter that I can present to the Tivo people. I, like you all, am getting tired of this and would really love for some solution to be discovered! I'm regretting my Tivo purchase at the moment!


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## richsadams

Brand (SA or Motorola) and model number as well as firmware version of the cable cards might help too. (Firmware, etc. can be found on the cable card info screens).

Best of luck...hope you're able to resolve it. Hero status is hard to come by these days! :up:


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## dandan09

Thank you for the suggestion Rich!

If you all have that information that would be great!

I'll start by answering my survey myself:

1) What kind of TV do you have? *Samsung LCD*

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL? *Tivo HD*

3) Where are you located? *New York, NY*

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider? *Time Warner Cable*

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component? *Currently with Component, but I've used HDMI and experienced the same problem.*

6) When did this problem start? *January 2009*

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? *4/28/09*

8) Cable Card Brand? *Scientific Atlanta*

9) Cable Card Firmware version?


----------



## richsadams

Just as a minor point of reference, SA (Scientific Atlanta) cable cards seem to be a great deal more problematic than Motorola's. When the TiVo HD was first introduced there were huge problems with units that had SA cards installed...almost no problems with Moto's. It took TiVo a good two months to iron things out. However invariably when there's a cable card problem, it's almost always with SA's. And even more interesting is that more often than not it's with the card in slot 0 if it's a Series3.  No idea why that is other than a few reports here and on other forums (AVS in particular) that claim that the Moto cards are somehow superior to the SA's. IIRC there were a few posts about the cost of SA cards being half that of Moto's and that's why some cableco's (particularly one's that have DVR's that do not employ cable cards) went with them. It may or may not have anything to do with what you're having to deal though.


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## jrm01

richsadams said:


> IIRC there were a few posts about the cost of SA cards being half that of Moto's and that's why some cableco's (particularly one's that have DVR's that do not employ cable cards) went with them. It may or may not have anything to do with what you're having to deal though.


Although it is true that the SA cards seem to cause many more problems, cable companies don't select them because of their costs. They select them because the card must match the head-end equipment being used by the cable company. If they have SA headend equipment, they must use SA cards.


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## richsadams

jrm01 said:


> Although it is true that the SA cards seem to cause many more problems, cable companies don't select them because of their costs. They select them because the card must match the head-end equipment being used by the cable company. If they have SA headend equipment, they must use SA cards.


Got it...makes perfect sense. :up:


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## pyk133

DanDan,


1) What kind of TV do you have? Philips, Vizio

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL? 
Tivo HD - 2 of them, one about 2 yrs old, one brand new

3) Where are you located? Manhattan

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider? 
Time Warner (Lower Manhattan) - have swapped out cable cards as well

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component? 
Usually HDMI but have also tried component - didn't matter

6) When did this problem start? Approx Feb 2009

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? Yesterday, it happens daily - brand new box is just as bad as old one.

The cablecard is Scientific Atlantic H/W 0800 version 012

Thanks.


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## dandan09

Hi all:

I just got off the phone with Tivo and have little to nothing to report unfortunately. I tried to stress that this is very likely a Manhattan TWC/Tivo issue but I was not really getting anywhere and am at work so I politely ended the call. They want me to call back when I am in front of the Tivo so that I can "power cycle" the box and they can check some of the cable card settings. I hope to get a chance to call this Sunday. It's really disheartening that they are not owning this problem at all!


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## richsadams

dandan09 said:


> Hi all:
> 
> They want me to call back when I am in front of the Tivo so that I can "power cycle" the box and they can check some of the cable card settings.


It would be very interesting to know what they're seeing on their logs...if they'll share that is. Best of luck!


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## sasmps

pyk133 said:


> DanDan,
> 
> 1) What kind of TV do you have? Panasonic
> 
> 2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL?
> Tivo HD - 2 of them, one about 2 yrs old, one brand new
> 
> 3) Where are you located? Overland Park, KS
> 
> 4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider?
> Surewest (formerly Everest)
> 
> 5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component?
> Usually HDMI but have also tried component - didn't matter
> 
> 6) When did this problem start? Approx Feb 2009
> 
> 7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? Yesterday, it happens daily - brand new box is just as bad as old one.
> 
> The cablecard is Scientific Atlantic H/W 0802 version 012
> 
> Thanks.


My info is added above


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## amardiros

DanDan,

We too are experiencing the green screen sometimes black screen issues and have been since Jan 2009. Here are our answers to your questions - THANK YOU:

1) What kind of TV do you have? *Samsung LCD - version sso3*

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL? *Tivo HD*

3) Where are you located? *Rochester, Michigan*

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider? *Comcast North Oakland/Southeast Detroit*

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component? *HDMI*

6) When did this problem start? *January 2009*

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? *5/05/2009 - happened while a recorded show was paused but has happened in several other instances over the last 4 months*

8) Cable Card Brand? *Motorola*

9) Cable Card Firmware version? *1045*

*Additional Info* - Running Software Version *11.0C-01-2-652*, TiVo HD Series 3 was purchased October 2007, My DVR Expander Purchased October 2007, Replaced eSATA cable 1 month ago = no fix, disconnected wireless adapter and direct connect to modem = no fix, anxiously awaiting the arrival of attenuators as comcast (shockingly) boosted their signal within in the last 90 days, most often restarting the TiVo fixes the problem though lately it hasn't always worked - no video or black screen occurs once the "lets see what's on tivo" video starts up, or worse everything has a pink hue starting with welcome... powering up screen to menu screen.

*THANK YOU for taking the initiative here to collect some sort of data from other green screeners out here. Also Thank You to anyone who has posted their issues, solutions, and keep us updated.*


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## pyk133

I live in NYC, time warner cable service (lower manhattan). started having this problem around feb 2009 - green or black screen and siren blaring. So frequent I installed a TWC DVR unit on my main system. And note that I have 2 Tivo HD's and the green screen/siren problem occured with either unit and on different TV's, also with different cablecards. I live in the same apartment so unfortunately have not swapped that out as a variable.

WHAT I HAVE FOUND OUT:

TWC DVR in main system on Philips Plasma
Tivo HD in spare bedroom on Vizio LCD

Tivo, when tuned to standard def channel, I noticed is STABLE - multiple days of no green screen/siren.

I watch Golf Channel HD alot (channel 779). I observe frequent signal lock loss while watching on TWC DVR. The picture freezes when signal lock is lost. Sometimes but not always there is a brief system message that says signal lock was lost so that's why I think it is signal lock loss. Sometimes the picture comes back after a few seconds. Other times - this is the interesting case - I need to switch to another channel (which is usually fine) and then switch back and Golf Channel is working.

Experiment:
I left the Tivo on Golf Channel HD. I made sure the Tivo was working properly and checked in on it frequently. I watched the same channel on my TWC DVR. As soon as I observed picture freeze (signal lock loss) on my TWC DVR, I immediately checked on the Tivo. And lo and behold - green screen/siren.

I'll continue to run this experiment as much as I can. But I think this is at least a concrete clue that Tivo can chase down. I am speaking to a tech there who is responsive.


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## richsadams

pyk133 said:


> Experiment:
> I left the Tivo on Golf Channel HD. I made sure the Tivo was working properly and checked in on it frequently. I watched the same channel on my TWC DVR. As soon as I observed picture freeze (signal lock loss) on my TWC DVR, I immediately checked on the Tivo. And lo and behold - green screen/siren.
> 
> I'll continue to run this experiment as much as I can. But I think this is at least a concrete clue that Tivo can chase down. I am speaking to a tech there who is responsive.


Good feedback and valuable info. I'm curious as to why it is something TiVo would do something about though. Based on your description it clearly sounds like a TWC problem particularly since their own DVR can't deal with it either. That's usually a cableco's out..."Our DVR is fine...must be your TiVo". If what you're saying is true, it sounds like a TWC signal issue IMHO.

But whatever the case, best of luck getting things squared away. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be.


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## pyk133

from Rich "why it is something TiVo would do something about though."

Tivo is in the business of making sure my Tivo HD is working. 

TWC is in the business of making sure my TWC DVR is working.

Whatever blip I may get on my TWC DVR, by my definition, it "works" and is acceptable and worth the money I am paying for it and is what I am currently using to watch TV and record TV. It doesn't freeze up to the point requiring a reboot, doesn't blast a siren and doesn't stop recording. 

My TWC DVR is a Scientific Atlanta DVR and those engineers have figured out how not to make the DVR go apoplectic with loss of signal lock (or whatever is causing this). I think that has become the market standard and Tivo must meet market standards. Otherwise it's false advertising and downright lame.

I like many others on this forum have spent numerous hours and lots of $$ to try to make the Tivo work. So obviously I'm a fan. And if Tivo is reluctant to hear their fans, they've obviously got a great business model and won't miss my business nor that of everyone else I happen to tell that Tivo is just like a Jaguar - ahhh... but when it runs... The test of any good company is how they respond when things go bad. So far, Tivo is failing that test and nothing in the horizon to be optimistic about.

I'm just hoping someone with influence at Tivo comes across posts like these so that somehow it runs up their management heirarchy. This is great customer feedback and Tivo would be crazy not to be monitoring this. Yeah, yeah, they must be overwhelmed with customer issues. But then you could read into that and answer all questions about how viable the product is. I didn't go in with the notion that I was buying something from the DMV. Wondering how many others on this thread are at the final straw?


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## richsadams

So it would follow that if I get a tank of bad gasoline Mercedes is responsible for making my car run right again because a Yugo can run on it. Well...all I can say is good luck with that.

BTW, there are indeed several TiVo employees (engineers and marketers) that read the threads and post now and again. I wouldn't hold my breath, but you never know.

Seriously, best of luck. I hope things get worked out in your neck of the woods.


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## richsadams

Looks like a number of other non-TiVo NY TWC customers are having issues according to this forum. May or may not have anything to do with what folks posting here are seeing but some of the complaints are very similar.


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## sasmps

I too have been experimenting with things, I have 2 Tivo HDs and one series 3along with a Scientific Atlanta DVR from Surewest (cable provider). I have previos post to this thread (refer to previous post).

The Scientific Atlanta box does not allow you to control directly both tuners on their box, so there is no way to 'park' both tuners on specific channels and see what their DVR does or compair it to Tivos. There box does not lock or die. They do have the same cable cards (SA MS card).

*My Tivo HD's lock when both tuners are 'parked' overnight on HD channels that are encrypted. *

Surewest also (and I beleive all the providers have to do this) has HD channels that are free and clear (meaning you could see them with out a card or box, if you had a set with a QAM tuner) that usually are HD versions of there low def broadcast (CBS, ABC, NBC local affiliates). Surewest encrypts specific premium channels (Food Network, Home and Garden).. I pay $8 montlhly for these extra channels. My wife lives on these channels, so her Tivo box locks daily.

For two weeks I parked both HD Tivos on non encypted channels (in the clear, HD or Analog channels) and did not lock up on either box. Before going to bed, just tune to these channels and see what your box does (and please post your results!).

I have had Surewest out to the house where we have gone through every mechinical element of the signal delivery (QAM, Frequency, Signal noise Ratio, Strength) and all are perfect.

My thoughts on this at this point is a problem with the encryted channels on the cards (SA or Motorola) and the firmware loaded on the cards by Motorola and Cisco (owner of SA). Surewest indicated that Cisco made changes to the firmware back in Feb of 09 (plus or minus a month) that they backed off... a tag file that caused the card to request a reload of the firmware (which the card does the first time you plug it in your DVR) at odd times.. like a disruption of the signal (hiccup from the content provider (Home and Garden, etc).

The other part of the equation is Tivo.. the Tivo HD box is specifically sensitive to this activity (have not been able to reproduce this on the Series 3 HD) and does not recover properly when it sees this. The channel should freeze, go gray, and reacquire a lock and go back to normal. Instead it goes green, squeels, and freezes.

The handshake between the tivo and cards has a problem. I beleive this to be Tivo's responsibility.

Try parking your tuners over night for a few days and let us know your results!


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## jfree21

Although it seems that there is no resolution to this problem yet. I have been following it for about 5-6 months now since i have been having the same problem, with no luck in solving it. At first i thought it was the hard drive so i replaced it. Still getting the green screen with loud noise. I have 2 series3 hd tivo receivers. Now one thing i thought i would share with you guys that i find interesting is only one of mine does the green screen. The 2nd tivo which is upstairs has only done it once in 6 months. the one down stairs does it once a week on average. Lastly i moved the one upstairs down and found it doing it just as much down stairs once to twuce a week. The only thing that i can seem to relate this to is the signal strength. I am still lost on this and will keep checking in until hopefully there is a resolution. Lastly i thought i would give the answers to those questions pertaining to me. 


1) What kind of TV do you have? Mitsubishi DLP

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL? --Tivo HD

3) Where are you located? --Detroit, Michigan

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider? --Charter

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component? --HDMI

6) When did this problem start? December 2008/January 2009

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? 5/08/2009 - happened sometime today. Happens a lot when i ma not watching tv, is always there when i turn it on. Has happened a few times when i have been watching though. 

8) Cable Card Brand? Motorola

9) Cable Card Firmware version? 02.65, 02.01, 03.25

The last few times have really been getting me frustrated. I hope someone can get a real answer as to why this is happening. I have not spoken with tivo about it yet but that is my next step. Thank again, and good luck


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## richsadams

Everything I read keeps pointing to a signal issue. Has anyone tried attenuating the signal? Someone earlier mentioned it but it sounded like they had other sorts of issues to deal with. A pack of attenuators can be purchased from SmartHome for a few dollars. Following the instructions in this thread may be applicable.

It's not the desired way to do things, but it may be a work around until someone gets the cableco to iron things out.

Just a thought.


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## sasmps

I have attenuators on the way.

I already have a 9 way splitter in the path, then Surewest Cable added another 6 way. Using the signal strength meter on the Tivo, it has had no effect (still pinging 97 to 100 %). When Surewest comes out and uses there meter, it shows -3db, right in the sweet spot. Wish i know what the Tivo meter is measuring.

So the splitters have not helped much, we will see what the attenuators do. I ordered the assortment, so I will mix and match and see if I can really knock back the signal.

*So far parking both channels on analoge channels before bed, has been rock solid. *It seems the HD tuners (especially if it is both of them) hang out too long on the HD band the box will lock. *I originally thought it was just encrypted HD channels, but the box locked up on free and clear HD channels as well. *

Interesting *jfree21 * has an upstairs/downstairs situation. That is my case as well, the box upstairs does not lock as often as the box downstairs. That was because (theory) we watch different channels on the machines and /or a longer run on the cable knocks back the signal a bit. I suggest you do a controlled test. Park both machines on the exact same channels before you go to bed, leave them there till you get home from work around 5 and see what happens (takes about 15 hours.. I would come home from work, reboot the Tivo at 5pm, be good till 3:30 pm the next day).

Then repeat the test on both boxes leaving the channels parked on the analoge tuners (chan 1-76). Would like to hear your results.

Summary of my thoughts:

1. There a buch of us out here with this issue, and probably even more that do not check in with tivocommunity.com.

2. Nationwide issue, with a wide range of cable providers involved.

3. I beleive it is a Tivo HD issue, HD Series III does not seem to be as effectecd.

4. Cable companies do not have this problem with there boxes. It may be the Scientific Atlanta DVR boxes they use do not have both tuners hot all the time like Tivo does, or the HD tuners themselves are more robust.


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## alyssa

richsadams said:


> Everything I read keeps pointing to a signal issue. Has anyone tried attenuating the signal? Someone earlier mentioned it but it sounded like they had other sorts of issues to deal with. A pack of attenuators can be purchased from SmartHome for a few dollars. Following the instructions in this thread may be applicable.
> 
> It's not the desired way to do things, but it may be a work around until someone gets the cableco to iron things out.


Rich's advice bears repeating. After having a long conversation with tivo tech about a black sceen freeze issue, he suggested an attenuator to damp the signal down from 100 to 80. According to the tech, tivos are designed to run with a signal strength in the 80 range.

keep us updated sasmps


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## sasmps

Thanks Alyssa.... we will see how this works. I did go back to a post from ICEBLINK where his signal was down to 87 %.... and was still locking up. I dont considier that a hot signal, but I will attempt to knock it back to 80%.


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## pyk133

My goodness - call Time Warner Cable and request they fix my cable service so that it works with my Tivo when it works relatively fine with their DVR? I'm sorry but to anyone who suggests that, I want to say has never dealt with Time Warner in NYC. Asking TWC to fix the problem I put at the same or lower probability as Barbara Eden or ET fixing my Tivo. I know, not that useful to the conversation but I have to be amused and frustrated as I am looking for clues to a solution here on this forum, not fantasy. Btw, when you buy Tivo, and if it's not working properly with your cable service, you have to climb Mt. Everest on one leg etc...

In addition, if I need to attenuate my cable signal to 80&#37;, "caveat emptor" should be in big bold letters on the Tivo box. And a soldering iron and some extra capacitors and 300 ohm resistors should be in the box just in case.

Seriously, whether or not this is Tivo's fault does not mean they are excused from being part of the solution. I have to think they can fix this. Hell yes, Mercedes can make a car that runs on the same fuel as a Yugo if thats the only fuel in town. I think if there is enough of us having the same problem, Tivo can and should take action. TWC is trying to put Tivo out of business. I understand that and I hope Tivo does too. Tivo can only survive if it gets its customers on its side. Something like, "we acknowledge this is an issue and currently have no fix. Our engineers are working on a cost-effective solution, yadda yadda" would at least give me some warm and fuzzy (Again, hoping someone from Tivo is reading this).

My last point and maybe a constructive one - anyone experiment with a Tivo HD XL? I have a friend who had some problems (different than green screen siren) and was cleared up with the XL. He says it's totally new firmware, next generation of Tivo, one that might not be susceptible to HD encryption nor hot signals.


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## bkdtv

pyk133 said:


> My last point and maybe a constructive one - anyone experiment with a Tivo HD XL? I have a friend who had some problems (different than green screen siren) and was cleared up with the XL. He says it's totally new firmware, next generation of Tivo, one that might not be susceptible to HD encryption nor hot signals.


The TivoHD XL is the same hardware and software, excluding the startup screen and default partition setup.


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## richsadams

pyk133 said:


> In addition, if I need to attenuate my cable signal to 80%, "caveat emptor" should be in big bold letters on the Tivo box. And a soldering iron and some extra capacitors and 300 ohm resistors should be in the box just in case.


 Attenuation is simply a matter of screwing an attenuator to the coax cable before connecting it to TiVo, no electricity, soldering irons or anything else is involved. Millions of TiVo's are working just fine but if you want to let TWC get away with murder and hope that TiVo will jump to your rescue that's certainly your choice.


pyk133 said:


> Hell yes, Mercedes can make a car that runs on the same fuel as a Yugo if thats the only fuel in town.


Um, now who's living in fantasy land?


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## George Cifranci

iceblink said:


> I refuse to plug a USB-ENET adapter into what is in essence a Linux box that already has an ENET port.





richsadams said:


> Okay. Not sure where you found that solution...maybe I missed it.


He got that solution from my post #15 in this thread here...

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7128904#post7128904

I will repeat what I said here...



> I used to get a Green Screen of death when I first got my Series 3. I would frequently get a Green Screen and full lockup after I turned on my HDTV and Receiver with my Harmony Remote. The solution (there is a whole thread on this) was to disconnect the Ethernet cable from the TiVo S3 and use a USB to Ethernet Adaptor instead. After doing that I never got a Green Screen again (it has been 2 years). I even recently confirmed the USB to Ethernet adaptor was a fix when I thought I would plug the ethernet cable directly back into the TiVo S3 to see if the Green Screen issue would happen again. The very next day when I went to turn on my HDTV sure enough I got a Green Screen and the TiVo was locked up. So back to the USB to Ethernet Adaptor I went.


This is the USB to Ethernet adaptor I use...

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F5D505...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237579443&sr=8-1


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## richsadams

George Cifranci said:


> He got that solution from my post #15 in this thread here...
> 
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7128904#post7128904


Ah, got it. I absolutely remember that fix now that you mention it. I think it worked for some other problems as well? But I completely forgot about it (or at least associating it with this issue)...and I wasn't sure what the OP meant. Certainly worth a try! :up:


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## sasmps

Received the attenuators last night.... Paid $12 for a pack of 8 (2 of each, 3db, 6db, 10db and 20db). They look just like a barrell connector, you can screw them directly into the back of the tivo, use the signal strength meter to access their impact. Takes 5 min to install.... They work way better than splitters. 

For the machine upstairs, it took a 10db and 3db combined to drag the signal down. Signal strength varies a bit from channel to channel, have most in low 80s, some in the 50's. Absolutly no degradation in the picture at all, and no problem getting signal lock. I guess the HD's really dont need much signal at all. The machine in the kitchen took a 20db... that is the one that reboots daily if i park on HD channels. 

I guess the signal really was hot... but also beleive Tivo should know this and include a couple of attenuators in the box with HD. 

This is day one, I will report back in a week (or sooner if I lock up). Wish me luck.


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## richsadams

sasmps said:


> Received the attenuators last night....
> 
> For the machine upstairs, it took a 10db and 3db combined to drag the signal down. Signal strength varies a bit from channel to channel, have most in low 80s, some in the 50's. Absolutly no degradation in the picture at all, and no problem getting signal lock. I guess the HD's really dont need much signal at all. The machine in the kitchen took a 20db... that is the one that reboots daily if i park on HD channels.
> 
> I guess the signal really was hot... but also beleive Tivo should know this and include a couple of attenuators in the box with HD.
> 
> This is day one, I will report back in a week (or sooner if I lock up). Wish me luck.


Thanks for the update...good news (so far) at least. :up:


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## SmartCardsStink

1) What kind of TV do you have? LG LCD

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL? Tivo HD XL

3) Where are you located? Carnation, WA

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider? Broadstripe

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component? HDMI

6) When did this problem start? April 2009 always at 11:15am-2pm

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? 5/13 after they registered me for additional channels. Happens on HD channels randomly, usually daily. As of today, my tivo won't even boot anymore. It hangs randomly in the boot process.

8) Cable Card Brand? Motorola

9) Cable Card Firmware version? 1045 i believe.


Smartcards are bleeding edge technology. That said, I'm willing to deal with little issues as they pop up. This isn't a little issue, and it is ongoing for months. Putting several posts worth of logic together, it looks like the smartcard may be randomly going into firmware upgrade mode or other hung state when it receives diagnostic inquiries like a ping, channel lineup changes, or incorrect packet/encryption handling of an ongoing session (HD channel). The secondary (and worst) problem seems to be with Tivo's OS, as a hardware failure of this type should not hang the OS for any reason.

Attention Tivo Lurker: 

It sounds like the OS is too tightly coupled to the smartcard's state. In short, it doesn't fail well. Whether or not a device is working should not affect the integrity of the operating system. Tivo, please investigate the method by which the OS is coupled to the smartcard hardware. Packet capture traffic that is affecting the smartcard. Setup a lab and determine what is actually happening. It would be highly appreciate if a smartcard hang state resulted in a reinitiation behind the scenes and end users could continue operation of their Tivos. Or you could ignore this problem and watch your market share tank in favor of Hulu, XBOX and more techs on the horizon.

From my end:

I've really lost faith in Tivo. I've been a user since it first came out. It was my number one favorite brand for years, above any other technology I've ever owned. It was a part of TV, and I couldn't see watching tv without it. It is now the primary source of technical frustration for my entire family. Its moved from first to last place with a simple mishandling of hardware state. Well, to be fair it really moved from first to last when Tivo chose to ignore this problem and stick me with a 500.00 tivo box that does nothing but suck power and show me a green screen.

I don't recommend Tivo to anyone anymore, as they are unreliable and unresponsive. If I wanted that, i would have stuck with my cable company's DVR offerings. I now send people to Hulu. Why on earth would I recommend this broken solution to anyone? It is worse than trash, it is a paid subscription for trash.

Is there anyone left at Tivo that cares? 5mo on the same big bug says no.


----------



## alyssa

sasmps said:


> I guess the signal really was hot... but also beleive Tivo should know this and include a couple of attenuators in the box with HD.
> 
> This is day one, I will report back in a week (or sooner if I lock up). Wish me luck.


Luck
Not a bad idea or at least offer to ship a few attenuators to customers with hot signals.


----------



## sasmps

Sorry to be posting so soon..... The Tivo in the kitchen locked up at 6:30 pm last night, about 15 hours after i installed the 20 db attenuator. This thing sure behaves like a slow memory leak... (metaphor... not proposing that is what it is). 

I will continue with testing. For now, the best stategy has been to create a manual recording (2 of them) for a specific channel and time (12:15 am, channel 9 and 10) that last for 15 min every day. This demands both tuners at the same time, and essentially 'parks' the tivo on the analog tuners over night and the majority of the day. 

I will call Tivo and see if I can get any recommendations.... It has been a month since I last spoke to them so my patience bucket is full at the moment.


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## sasmps

I have revived my track with Tivo support, and awaiting contact from a level 2 rep.

In the mean time, I switched the 20db attenuator for a 10 and a 3 db down in the kitchen. I may have knocked the signal back a bit too much. 

The HD unit upstairs (a 10 and a 3 db attenuator) is still up and running after 20 hours.


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## pjoner

I have had the green screen/siren condition happen twice to me within the last week. I am a TWC customer in Queens. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope it dosnt happen again, if it does then I will fill out template.


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## alyssa

sasmps said:


> In the mean time, I switched the 20db attenuator for a 10 and a 3 db down in the kitchen. I may have knocked the signal back a bit too much.
> The HD unit upstairs (a 10 and a 3 db attenuator) is still up and running after 20 hours.


What was the signal strength of the kitchen unit with the 1st round of attenuators & 2nd round? vs the upstairs tivo.
Just wondering


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## sasmps

alyssa said:


> What was the signal strength of the kitchen unit with the 1st round of attenuators & 2nd round? vs the upstairs tivo.
> Just wondering


Kitchen Tivo HD: First round was a 20db attenuator, signal strength (it varies over all the digital channels) ranged from 57 to 87. Most were in the upper 70's low 80's.

Second round was with 13db attenuation, signal strength ranged from 77 to 92. Most are around 89.

Upstairs, just one round with 13 db attenuation, range is 68 to 87, most around 84.


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## sasmps

Update: 
Was contacted by level 2 support this evening, not bad considering my last experience of 10 days before I received a call back. I advised him of this thread, and recommended he read it from start to finish. There are folks from all over the country, all different ISP's, (TWC, Comcast, Surewest, Verizon, etc) with this same problem. Many of us at wits end.

Its hard to get them out of the 'environmentel' mindset, but with all the different geo's and providers, it is pretty hard to ignore. Most of us started having this problem around January of this year, usually after a year or so of smooth sailing. Pretty hard to discount the timeing issue as well. 

They asked me to disconnect the 9 way whole house splitter (first splitter off the 2 way demark) and connect directly to the 2 way. They also asked me to remove the attenuators from the Kitchen Tivo unit. We will see if we freeze up. I guess they want to isolate the last environmental issue before the next step.

Will post again in a day or so (I predict the unit will lock by 3:30 pm tomorrow if the pattern holds).


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## sasmps

Update: 
Was contacted by level 2 support this evening, not bad considering my last experience of 10 days before I received a call back. I advised him of this thread, and recommended he read it from start to finish. There are folks from all over the country, all different ISP's, (TWC, Comcast, Surewest, Verizon, etc) with this same problem. Many of us at wits end.

Its hard to get them out of the 'environmentel' mindset, but with all the different geo's and providers, it is pretty hard to ignore. Most of us started having this problem around January of this year, usually after a year or so of smooth sailing. Pretty hard to discount the timeing issue as well. 

They asked me to disconnect the 9 way whole house splitter (first splitter off the 2 way demark) and connect directly to the 2 way. They also asked me to remove the attenuators from the Kitchen Tivo unit. We will see if we freeze up. I guess they want to isolate the last environmental issue before the next step.

Will post again in a day or so (I predict the unit will lock by 3:30 pm tomorrow if the pattern holds).


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## sasmps

This morning the Tivo HD Upstairs was locked up. It ran for 50 hours with both tuners on HD Food Network and Home and Garden. This has the 13 db attenuator on it.


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## sasmps

Lost the Kitchen Tivo.. 5:45 pm. Thats both of them. So much for the test.


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## sasmps

With both Tivo HDs requirring a reboot, I contacted Tivo support to report my status. I was put on hold for over 40 min, finally I gave up. I called again last night and was put on hold again. I have yet to reach a level 2 contact.


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## sasmps

On Saturday I purchased another Tivo HD unit (have 30 days to return it) and transferred my service to the new box. So far, all issues are resolved. Except.... Tivo replacing my box. It is clearly hardware related, and has nothing to do with the signal or other environmental factors. I am very convensed that their are several hundred bad units out there, with buffer and tuner isssues. Still waiting for level 2 support to return my call.


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## ponch73

Wanted to provide my info as a fellow dissatisfied Tivo HD /Time Warner Cable NYC customer. 

1) What kind of TV do you have? Sony Bravia 46XBR5

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL? Tivo HD

3) Where are you located? Brooklyn, NY (Time Warner Cable) 

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider?

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component? HDMI

6) When did this problem start? Almost immediately after becoming a Time Warner HD customer and putting the Tivo HD box into service.

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? Today, May 18, 2009 at 8:40 pm. Tivo customer service pulled out every excuse in the book to evade responsibility, blaming the HDMI cable, the hard drive and me, in succession.

I'd love if our information provided a patter that I can present to the Tivo people. I, like you all, am getting tired of this and would really love for some solution to be discovered! I'm regretting my Tivo purchase at the moment![/QUOTE]


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## dandan09

Just wanted to update that my box froze again today and I will put another call into Tivo tomorrow as I believe they are closed for the night. Also, not sure if any of you have been checking the Tivo.com forums but I have been posting simultaneously there as well and if you haven't please do so as their is someone going by Tivo Jerry who claims he can put some sort of flag on your account that can help track this. Here is a link to that forum: http://forums.tivo.com/pe/action/forums/displaythread?ie=x&postID=10432890

This is really incredible!


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## pyk133

I'm done with Tivo for now. I've had it hooked to the spare bedroom set and it freezes pretty much every day - UNUSABLE. I'll check in every now and then and see if there is some patch for the green screen/siren. In the mean time, I've grown quite accustomed to the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HDC DVR. This is the model that supports HD movies on demand, so I'm thinking of canceling my netflix account. And now I get to participate in those NY1 snap polls - TWC Manhattan subscribers know what I mean. The Tivo withdrawal lasts about a month, the 8300 HDC is perfectly fine. Looking back, what a huge waste of time all this was.


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## richsadams

dandan09 said:


> Tivo Jerry who claims he can put some sort of flag on your account that can help track this.


Several TiVo employees including TiVoJerry post on this forum on a semi-regular basis. He can indeed help and you're in good hands if he took notice. TIA for keeping us posted. :up:


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## sasmps

After two hours on the phone last night, Tivo relented and is replacing my box with a new one (not a referb) for $50. Even with the new box I purchased they still wanted to argue the environmental angle. 

They are routinly replacing disk and system boards, but not looking at the tuners or testing them when they referb a box. Subsequently, they wind up sending out these referbs that die at the customers home after a few days. 

It is disappointing Tivo does not have more advanced metrics on box performance, or perform root cause analysis on trouble tickets, or do post mortums on returned boxes. 

Or.....

They do, and they know they have a very expensive problem since a large number of boxes have this issue. 

PYK133.. I am curious. What is the manufacture date on your Tivo HD? It is on the upper left corner of the box (back).


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## TiVoJerry

Considering that the issue is not immediate, it would be pretty hard for diagnostics to find this issue. While this thread has been around since February, it had not come to my attention. Keep in mind that we have hundreds of support agents, so any new issue can take awhile before it is recognized.

I'm starting to collect examples and logs. If you are experiencing this issue (blank/green screen that is accompanied by a screeching/siren noise), please PM me with your TSN. I will enable logging and then ask that you timestamp (9 1 1 clear) the logs so I can add information to the engineering report.


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## sasmps

Jerry,

I would be happy to assist in any way possible. I would prefer to communicate in a less public forum, especially if I provide Tivo service numbers or case numbers. How best to email you? 

My most frequently offending unit has been replaced with a brand new unit, and since Saturday, has not locked up. My other unit in the bedroom has also been quite behaved since Saturday, but I can offer that unit up to monitor. At this date , I have a 13 db attenuator on that unit, and keep the tuners parked on low band channels. I will be happy to remove the attenuator, and deliberatly park on HD channels which is what I have been doing to reproduce the lock up condition. 

I have a question about your instructions. IF the unit is locked up, and not resposive to any commands, how do we enter the 9 1 1 command? Are you suggesting we enter this in after the reboot?


----------



## bkdtv

sasmps said:


> I would prefer to communicate in a less public forum, especially if I provide Tivo service numbers or case numbers. How best to email you?


If you experience this "Green screen & freezing" problem, *click here* to send TivoJerry a *private* message with your TiVo Service Number. No one else will see this message. He will contact you with more information.



sasmps said:


> I have a question about your instructions. IF the unit is locked up, and not resposive to any commands, how do we enter the 9 1 1 command? Are you suggesting we enter this in after the reboot?


The 9-1-1-Clear command simply marks the logs. It's like a big red sign that says "TiVo, find out what happened here." If the box crashed / reboot, then simply do the 9-1-1-Clear after the reboot.

Note 9-1-1-Clear won't do anything until TiVoJerry has enabled logging. He can't do that until you send him a PM with your TiVo service number. If you don't know your TiVo service number, you can find it on the Messages & Settings -> Account & System Information -> System Information screen.

I really hope anyone who experiences this problem will take TiVoJerry up on his offer. *This* is how problems get fixed.


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## sasmps

bkdtv said:


> If you experience this "Green screen & freezing" problem, *click here* to send TivoJerry a *private* message with your TiVo Service Number. No one else will see this message. He will contact you with more information.
> 
> For obvious reasons, an employee is not going to post their email to a public forum. Send TiVoJerry a private message and he'll receive a notice of that via email.
> 
> The 9-1-1-Clear command simply marks the logs. It's like a big red sign that says "TiVo, find out what happened here." If the box crashed / reboot, then simply do the 9-1-1-Clear after the reboot.
> 
> Note 9-1-1-Clear won't do anything until TiVoJerry has enabled logging. He can't do that until you send him a PM with your TiVo service number. If you don't know your TiVo service number, you can find it on the Messages & Settings -> Account & System Information -> System Information screen.
> 
> I really hope anyone who experiences this problem will take TiVoJerry up on his offer. *This* is how problems get fixed.


Already done, posted to forum for continunity. Thanks for clarification on 9 1 1 command.


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## sasmps

Update:

TivoJerry is now logging my machine, and if you have not, please do contact him with your info so he can start logging yours. 

At this time, since I replaced the Kitchen Tivo with a brand new one, no lock ups have occured on either machine. It has been 6 days... the longest stretch of trouble free viewing in a long time. I have kept attenuators on the box upstairs, and on the new box in the kitchen. 

I will now try to get the box in the bedroom to lock up (I will remove the attenuators) by parking on the HD channels. Then make the notation in the log with the 9 1 1 clear key strokes. 

Will post progress later.


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## dandan09

Just wanted to report that my box froze again today. I just right now, at 2:18PM (eastern time) went to turn on my TV and the screen and box were frozen and the sirens were going.

No resolution yet.


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## alyssa

dandan09,
Just wondering if you sent your tivo's # into TivoJerry so he/they can track the problem?



bkdtv said:


> Note 9-1-1-Clear won't do anything until TiVoJerry has enabled logging. He can't do that until you send him a PM with your TiVo service number. If you don't know your TiVo service number, you can find it on the Messages & Settings -> Account & System Information -> System Information screen.


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## TiVoJerry

I have not received a PM from dandan09. Without info, resolution will not be achieved.


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## pyk133

sasmps said:


> PYK133.. I am curious. What is the manufacture date on your Tivo HD? It is on the upper left corner of the box (back).


SASMPS,

I have 2 Tivo HD's. The first is 5 Oct 2007. The second is 30 Sep 2008.

Good luck!


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## dandan09

Just wanted to report that my box froze again today (5/25/09 at 7:32pm EST). This time I was watching a program that was recorded and right after I started fast forwarding past an ad it froze and the sirens started. I tried to do the 911 clear, but the box was frozen so I had to pull the power from it to get it to reboot. 

Where do we go from here? This problem has been going on now since the middle of January 2009.


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## bkdtv

dandan09 said:


> Just wanted to report that my box froze again today (5/25/09 at 7:32pm EST). This time I was watching a program that was recorded and right after I started fast forwarding past an ad it froze and the sirens started. I tried to do the 911 clear, but the box was frozen so I had to pull the power from it to get it to reboot.
> 
> Where do we go from here? This problem has been going on now since the middle of January 2009.


Did you ever send your information to TiVoJerry? Assuming you did, press 9-1-1-Clear immediately following the reboot.


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## dandan09

TiVoJerry said:


> I have not received a PM from dandan09. Without info, resolution will not be achieved.


Hi Jerry -- we have been communicating via the Tivo website and you have already activated logs on my machine. If you need additional information please let me know.


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## sasmps

Tonight at 11:40 CDT, both of my Tivo HDs froze. The one Jerry is logging, and the brand new HD that is one week old. Hope Jerry has some good data to review.


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## sasmps

Update: After I rebooted both HD units last night at midnight, I awoke to both units being locked up again. I have logged and incident with 9 1 1 clear, and sent a note to Jerry.


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## TiVoJerry

dandan09 said:


> Hi Jerry -- we have been communicating via the Tivo website and you have already activated logs on my machine. If you need additional information please let me know.


The Help Forum belongs to TiVo, so I can access user info from there. But here on TCF, I do not have that ability. Since your username on each forum is different, I did not know who you were until I saw your post over there.

At this point I can only collect data. You should not expect to see a resolution until I specifically post something on the threads. Because resolving and finding a slot to release any possible fix can take awhile, I do not have any ETA to provide at this time.


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## sasmps

Update: Tivo HD Kitchen locked up over night, the Bedroom unit is still good. Both boxes are now being logged by Tivo. TivoJerry has been updated.


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## sasmps

Update:
Both Tivo units (Kitchen and Bedroom) are still up and running. Been 3 days now. I continue to converse with Tivo Jerry, we have enough logs now, just waiting for engineering to review.


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## alyssa

Nice to hear TivoJerry has moved this to the engineers.
My only disappointment is that most of the people who have had problems didn't allow their logs to be sent to Tivo.


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## sasmps

Update: Checked the Tivo HD Kitchen and Bedroom machines at lunch, and much like old faithfull, they have both locked.


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## TiVoJerry

Aside from sasmps & dandan09, are there others who have experienced this recently? Right now I am tracking a whopping 11 units, but these are the only two reporters from TCF that I've seen any activity on.


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## sasmps

What about :

pyk133
ponch73
pgreen8
ghuido
jzylks
dsnyc
iceblink
amardiros
jfree21
smarcrdsstink
pjoner 

Also, there are folks in other threads with similar complaints, some with a gray screen, or a black screen. Sometimes there is no squeal... but in all cases the box is locked. We would want to segragate the folks with disk issues from this exercise, I beleive the causes of there issues are known.


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## TiVoJerry

None of those names are on my list. I'm not aware of the other threads and would prefer to remain focused in one thread. Feel free to direct posters from that discussion over here.

Just keep in mind that there are reports of a loss of video only on analog channels that some people describe as a "freeze" even though the box is not actually locked up.

The best way to have people test their drives is to perform Kickstart54 SMART drive diagnostics, as described in our online article. While the article is titled "DVR Expander Troubleshooting", the instructions listed near the bottom under the section titled "Check the TiVo DVR and DVR Expander hard drives" apply even if an expander isn't being used.


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## sasmps

Jerry,

Those are all names in this thread only... just picked off the names from page 1 through page 4. I beleive most would qualify for the study.


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## TiVoJerry

...and I have yet to receive a PM from any of them with the information I'd requested publicly. I can't do anything without them stepping up to the plate.


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## richsadams

'C'mon guys...this is your chance to make a difference! Get with Jerry and make something happen...or would you rather just complain?


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## CaptDS9E

PM Being sent now with two TSN. My brother and I both have the problem. I actually just had a green screen 10 minutes ago


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## sasmps

Update: Both Tivo HD Kitchen and Tivo HD Bedroom locked up last night. TivoJerry continues to monitor. 3Jun09, 7:15 CDT Wed.


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## CaptDS9E

I had another lockup while at work today, Sent jerry a message


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## sasmps

Captdsd3:

This is a verbose description of the problems I have been experiencing. Is this similar/different from you (or others?).

All disk test have been run... no problems on any of the units. Also, no external SATA disk involved... just stock internal disk.

*Tivo HD Kitchen*: Brand new box, in service now for 11 days. No problems till day 7. Now behaving like its predisesor. Observed freeze and lock interval is 24 hours (roughly). This unit has its tuners parked on HD Home and Garden, and HD Foodnetwork. Recording is minimal, lots of disk available. Connected to whole house cat5 network, tivotogo and tivo server on Winxp box in the network. 
Is visable to other Tivo's, occasionally we transfer recordings from the other machines. Have also observed 5 sec blackout of screen from time to time, with immediate resumption of program. If you hit tivo rewind button and observe the recording buffer, the blank spot is not there. Box has 1 SA MS card. One crazy notion I had was an issue with HD channels that are also encrypted (like H&G and FoodNetwork). 
Box is very sensitive to cable outages... locks up.

*Tivo Series III HD Den:* Box has been in service for almost 3 years. Recording is heavy, with little disk availability. Primarily HD or HBO channels. Rarely is it on H&G or Foodnetwork (so it is looking at HD channels in the clear for the most part). Has 2 SA MS cards (all cards were upgraded from SS in Feb of this year, so they are all roughly the same age.) Hooked to same cat5 network as the rest, all boxes are visable. No problems to report on this box.. sometimes get pixalation, but it recovers on its own and this is infrequent. Have not rebooted in god knows how long.

*Tivo HD Bedroom:* Box has been in service for a year and some months. Recording is moderate, mostly HD in the clear or SciFi HD, or HBO. Has 1 SA MS card. Lock up and freeze schedule is every 48 hours or so. Much more apt to lock if the Kitchen HD Tivo has recently locked. Has (had) 13db attenuator which I removed when we started logging. I can keep this unit from freezing (and the kitchen unit) if I park both tuners on analoge channels over night. Same cat5 network attachment.

Also on the whole house network are 3 WinXP boxes, and an HP Vista box, and 2 PS3's.

Cable topology: Demark from Surewest Cable is a 6 way splitter, one goes to there modem for broadband, the other goes to the 9 way whole house splitter. Other outlets have terminators. Cable TV feed has an amp in the loop before it hits the 9 way splitter. Even after all that, signal strength is 100% on all channels. Attenuators will back that down, where a variable signal strength is reported by the Tivo depending on the channel. Signal noise ratio is 37.

*Theory's.*
I thought it was *specific to H&G and Foodnetwork channels,* but I had to back off that when I was able to lock the Tivo HD Kitchen and Tivo HD Bedroom on regular HD channels (just takes longer).

Since January 2009, there have been 3 boxes tried at the Kitchen location. The original box hummed along for almost 2 years without a problem, till January rolled around.

The problem get progressivly worse with time and we replaced it with a re-built unit proviede by Tivo TS. This box failed the first day we put it in service with non stop, automatic reboots. It was returned, and the original box put back in place. As the original box rested for several days while we worked on the rebuilt unit, when it was returned to service it ran trouble free for 7 or so days before the problem returned.* Resting the box seems to help.*

Went to Best Buy, and purchased a brand new Tivo HD unit 15 days ago (current Tivo HD Kitchen box). Ran just fine for 7 days or so, then began locking up. So a new box did not help, suggesting the problem is *systemic to the Tivo HD platform*.

I beleive the ISP (Surewest) is sending something through the cable signal (we will call this an event) that the Tivo HD platform does not know what to do with. It could be an inventory/status check of the SA MS card, a firmware upgrade, interuption in the feed from the content provider, lord knows what. I think what ever this is, Surewest is not the only one, but it could be a network maintence activity that some of the ISPs use (perhaps the more advanced providers like Verizion Fios, Surewest or others than run fiber much closer to the home (Surewest is fiber to pedistal, then cable to the home). Comcast and TW have some of the oldest equipment right now, and in reviewing the Tivocommunity comments, they are not seeing as much of this.


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## sasmps

Oh... and both units were locked up when I checked 5 min ago. This time the green light on the front of the units was off... first time I have seen that. There was no interruption in power at the house today either.


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## CaptDS9E

The problem is the unit just freezes up with a green screen, and gives off a loud buzzing sound. . For a while some channels would just be a grey screen as well


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## sasmps

Update: Both Tivo HD Units locked up over night. Frequency is increasing. neither unit made it past 10 hours on this cycle. 7:00 am CDT 4Jun09 Thursday.


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## adachan

I too am having these green screen/siren problems. I would like to add some things here that might help. First I subscribe to Time Warner Cable in Brooklyn, NY. I also have the SA8300HDC box from TWC in addition to my Tivo HD. I have noticed in the past that the SA8300HDC also crashes quite often. I had it replaced once, which of course, did nothing. It recently, however, is not crashing as much (keeping fingers crossed). I would say it crashes once every 3 weeks or so. The Tivo HD on the other hand, is crashing close to every day now with the green screen and siren sound. I seem to notice this most often when I am recording some HD stream. It rarely seems to crash when recording SD.

DanDan,


1) What kind of TV do you have? Sony

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL?
Tivo HD - Tivo HD

3) Where are you located? Park Slope, Brooklyn

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider?
Time Warner 

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component?
Usually HDMI but have also tried component - didn't matter

6) When did this problem start? Approx March 2009 (Basically from the first day I had the Tivo)

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? Yesterday, it happens almost daily.


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## sasmps

Please send a pm to Tivo Jerry and join the logging activity. Look back through this thread and click on his name.....


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## adachan

Had a weird experience last night. Wondering if anyone else around NYC area also experiencing this with TWC. Seems like most of my HD channels are not available. Some are, but specifically 702-709 are out. This has been going on From Thursday night (6/4/09) around 9:30 PM until the present (6/5/09) at Noon time. I called TWC and they reset the cable card. This did not help. They are sending a tech tomorrow to have a look. I do not have high hopes for this. The thing is -- since these channels went out, the Tivo has not crashed yet. I am wondering whats up here. 

Also, I didnt post, earlier, but I am using 2 single channel Scientific Atlanta Cable cards and the signal strength reads 100.


----------



## sasmps

Adachan,

If channels disappear, it is usually a provisioning error made by the cable provider. (Provisioning is the process of configuring your cable card to match the services you purchased). The provisioning programs that configure your cable card, and/or the service providers DVR box (say.. a Scientific Atlanta DVR) are often different programs. The cable provider usually has to manually sync up there provisioning programs so they match (you get the same channels on your card, that you would get if you had there DVR).

It is not the same thing to 'hit' the card remotely to renable permissions to see channels... that is often what the level 1 person at the cable company knows how to do. You have to tell them your card is mis-provisioned and does not match the services you are paying for. That usually gets you a trip to engineering, where they reprovision the card remotely. Generally a service call is not needed. 

You may want to check if the content provider had an outage... in which case everybody lost those channels for a while. 

I am curious.. are the channels Home and Garden or Food Network HD? Those are the channels that lock up my boxes.


----------



## adachan

sasmps said:


> Adachan,
> I am curious.. are the channels Home and Garden or Food Network HD? Those are the channels that lock up my boxes.


These 2 channels are indeed out. The are channels 750 and 764 respectively in Brooklyn. Since these channels have gone out, the Tivo has still not given a single green screen (only been a day). TWC is coming tomorrow. I will have the tech re-provision the cards when he is there. This is all very annoying....


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## TiVoJerry

For those of you helping with the data collection, please perform the following the next time you see the problem:


enter "7 7 7 clear" while the DVR is still locked up
restart the DVR
once you see TiVo Central, go to LiveTV and enter "9 1 1 clear"
send me a private message to let me know it happened so I can update the incident report

Thank you for helping us understand the problem better.


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## CaptDS9E

Will do


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## sasmps

Lost Tivo HD Kitchen, 10:30 pm CDT 07Jun09 (Sunday evening). Box rebooted itself, then when complete (almost finished the Tivo intro movie) it green screened and screeched. I entered 777 clear, rebooted and will enter 911 clear. We have severe thunderstorms at this time.... note the series III box is not bothered in the least. Email sent to Tivo Jerry.


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## restart88

Let me weigh in as well. I have OTA and basic cable and I'm having this type problem as well. When I first got my unit everything worked perfectly fine. 

Even when the pixilated / no picture clears up I still have garbled audio. 

For me it's a bit more complicated as I have had known signal problems on the provider's end recently. This is why I didn't realize the problem sooner. Still within my 1st 30 days too, FWIW.

I thought it was only too weak of a cable signal coming in but the S2DT is unaffected. And now I'm getting the problems on both cable and OTA. It had been only on cable channels. And now I constantly have garbled audio no matter the source and in transferred shows from the DT.


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## adachan

Wanted to report back on my situation. I did call TWC and ask for the reprovision. Did it twice actually. This did nothing. They had the tech come out and he was on the phone troubleshooting for almost 3 hours. Apparently there was a typo or something regarding my cable card...... I have no idea, but after some time the channels all came back in. Now the most interesting thing, is that during that time, I didn't have one green screen/siren crash. Now that the channels are back, I will see how long this lasts.


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## sasmps

Thanks for the update adachan. I have had a similar situation with my cable provider, where there tech on site spent hours with their tech finding the holes in their provisioning program. Another issue is inventory control.. once I had a cable card that would not provision properly because there inventory control program showed my card in another box at another location. 

In that situation, I swapped the card out and the problem went away. 

Hope you have smooth sailing.


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## CaptDS9E

Green screen happened to me last night, and then again while at work. I haven't had this many screen screen problems until the last week. Before it was a few stations getting greyed out


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## sasmps

Both Tivo HD Kitchen and Tivo HD Bedroom locked today sometime between noon and 6:00 pm, CDT 9Jun09. We did have thunderstorms this afternoon. tivo Series III HD had no problems. Sent PM to TivoJerry.


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## sasmps

Update, Tue June9, 2009 at 10:00 pm CDT, Tivo HD Kitchen has locked. Twice so far today....


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## adachan

Quick update from me -- I got the missing channels back after several re-provisions. Tivo locked up within 12 hours of this. The Tivo didnt lock once while channels were not provisioned.


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## sasmps

Update: Tivo Jerry has what he needs from me, so I have reverted to my defensive posture to avoid Green Screens and lock ups. Hope to hear from him soon.

What has worked for me in past: install a 10 or 15 Db attenuator to the back of the HD units. Set up a manual record session at midnight (2 of them) for a specific low band analoge channel that parks the tuners on those channels. The longer you are parked on HD programming (both tuners) the higher the probability for lock up. If you 'rest' your HD tuners for a while, the probability for lock up is reduced. 

Cant really explain it, but it seems to work. I have not had a lock up since Wednesday, and have employed this strategy for the last several months (except when I was intentially trying to lock them up so Jerry could log the events). 

I will report more when I hear from Tivo Jerry.


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## sjuris

First time post - I am also having the green screen/siren issue with my Tivo HD - I've tried the attenuators but also had it freeze up (removed them after the first freeze up and didn't try anything to alter the signal strength after this freeze). I will send TivoJerry a PM to get set up in this study, as I'm getting frustrated with the need to reboot so often. Love Tivo, but can't stand this problem.


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## bthomson3148

Just installed a new Tivo HD XL Monday 8th June. Had on re-boot Tuesday during replay of HD recording. Thurday, Friday and Saturday had green screen when TV turned on in the morning. Does seem ot be related to HD, as we usually watch HD or record HD overnight.

Have sent TV Jerry my Tivo service number


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## richsadams

bthomson3148 said:


> Just installed a new Tivo HD XL Monday 8th June. Had on re-boot Tuesday during replay of HD recording. Thurday, Friday and Saturday had green screen when TV turned on in the morning. Does seem ot be related to HD, as we usually watch HD or record HD overnight.
> 
> Have sent TV Jerry my Tivo service number


Welcome to the forum. Sorry it's under some frustrating circumstances.

Good move contacting Jerry. :up: Be sure to stay on top of it. What you're seeing may or may not have anything to do with what others are dealing with here. If CE products are going to display problems they generally have them right away and it may be that you've just gotten a faulty unit. You have 30 days to get a free exchange. If it continues and Jerry doesn't have any advice, my advice would be to contact TiVo and get a replacement before the 30 days is up.

Best of luck and keep us posted.


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## sasmps

Just a quick update: Still waiting to hear from Tivo Jerry on the results of the logs from the participants. Also, no lockups since June 10th... parking tuners overnight on analoge channels helps..


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## alyssa

sjuris said:


> First time post - I am also having the green screen/siren issue with my Tivo HD - I've tried the attenuators but also had it freeze up (removed them after the first freeze up and didn't try anything to alter the signal strength after this freeze). I will send TivoJerry a PM to get set up in this study, as I'm getting frustrated with the need to reboot so often. Love Tivo, but can't stand this problem.


Welcome to the forum--just to echo what Rich said, good move PM'ing Tivo Jerry!! Feel free to ask questions, generally we're a nice bunch.
Interesting to see you tried the attenuators.

Does anyone who's having 'the' problem have a Tunning adapter hooked attached? I had figured not, but I don't recall specifically if that had been addressed.


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## sasmps

Alyssa,

I do not. Right out of the box Tivo HD with a SA MS Card.


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## richsadams

sasmps said:


> Right out of the box Tivo HD with a SA MS Card.


Curious to know how many Scientific Atlanta Vs Motorola cable cards are involved for folks that are having problems. Early on the SA cards wrecked havoc when TiVo HD's were introduced (although Series3's didn't have any issues w/them). TiVo was able to resolve it after about three software updates in as many months.

Does everyone (experiencing issues) have SA CC's or is it a mix of SA's and Moto's? Just wondering if we're back to dealing with an SA CC issue again.


----------



## sjuris

richsadams said:


> Curious to know how many Scientific Atlanta Vs Motorola cable cards are involved for folks that are having problems. Early on the SA cards wrecked havoc when TiVo HD's were introduced (although Series3's didn't have any issues w/them). TiVo was able to resolve it after about three software updates in as many months.
> 
> Does everyone (experiencing issues) have SA CC's or is it a mix of SA's and Moto's? Just wondering if we're back to dealing with an SA CC issue again.


I'm using two Motorola cards in my TiVo as far as I can remember (although I'd have to check my box when I got home).


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## sasmps

Richsadams... it is actually a mix of SA and Moto's . Not sure if we have both groups in the logging exercise with Tivo Jerry, but the thread history has folks with both types of cards.


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## CaptDS9E

Pretty sure mine are Moto's. We haven't had a problem in a few days, which has been nice for a change


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## sasmps

we had 5 days of quiet, then the thunderstorms hit yesterday and now the Tivo Kitchen unit is freezing up again. Just rebooted it this afternoon.


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## adachan

sasmps -- i tried your idea of parking the tuners to low def channels. It also worked -- for about 5 days. I got a crash today -- different one tho, no green screen and siren. Just frozen on a still image. Same behavior, and same result. You are on TWC in NYC too? I think there might be something to it...


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## richsadams

sasmps said:


> Richsadams... it is actually a mix of SA and Moto's . Not sure if we have both groups in the logging exercise with Tivo Jerry, but the thread history has folks with both types of cards.


Got it. Good to know. :up:


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## CaptDS9E

adachan said:


> You are on TWC in NYC too? I think there might be something to it...


I am as well


----------



## sasmps

No... I am in Kansas City, under an ISP called Surewest. 

I am not so sure it is any one particualr provider, but more the network topolgy and equipment they are using. Some of them have very similar network structures and for this particular issue it appears to be more commen with the ISP's using the newer technology (Fiber... either to the house, or to the node). Not so much with the providers going fiber to the head (those are all the ISPs using or going to SDV, and require Tuning Adaptors... another can of worms). 

I beleive we are seeing an issue where the provider is using some equipment, or perhaps a process (like how they update there cable cards remotely, or perhaps how they refresh the authorization in the cards, or perhaps how there headnodes respond to signal feed problems) that the Tivo HD Series is sensitive to. My Series III HD has no issues at all while the HD's freeze and squeel. 

My hope is Tivo Jerry can find out what that 'event' is that is locking up the HD units, and program the box to behave in a more acceptable manner (like gray screen, that will clear if I go up a channel, and then back) as opposed to a complet lock. 

Of course.. all I have is theory and I am sure the cause will be something completly different from what I surmised. For now, I can go weeks with the attenuator and parking on the analoge channels before locking up. This has saved the HD units from a date with a sledge hammer


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## macptcom

I have a Series 3 HD and I'm seeing similar symptoms. I was pretty sure it was flakey hardware (used from eBay) until I found this thread. I am on Time Warner in Rochester, NY. They are doing switched digital video, but I don't have the SDV tuner box yet. I'm not sure if I am seeing the same problem, but if I am there may be a couple clues.

The first time I got a solid green screen and frozen unit was the day BEFORE I got my cable cards. When doing a channel scan, I found some 1080i channels coming in on unencrypted ATSC type channels (for example 13-1 over cable). TiVO knew what channels they were, but carried no guide information. But in any case, I did get a hung up green screen, and I left the TiVo on these channels because I had been watching live TV and playing with it. I'm thinking this may not have anything to do with the cable cards or brands thereof.

I have seen a few green screens/hung since, over the last several weeks. Chances are the tuners were parked on HD channels, since that's mostly what I watch on this TV. Whenever it happens, the displays on the unit show no reaction to the remote buttons being pressed.

I also have had a couple instances of the TiVo getting hung, but seeing what looks like analog NTSC noise - like when you tune an old TV and there's no TV station. It alternated between this and a solid black screen every few seconds, but also didn't respond to the remote. So given this sympton, maybe I'm seeing something different, but I figure I'd throw it out there.

I have not logged the problem with anyone yet.


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## sasmps

macptcom,

You might want to contact Tivo Jerry via PM and see if he would like to recrut you for the logging exercise.


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## macptcom

Thinking out loud here...

I wonder if something with Switched Digital Video (SDV) could be kicking off the problems. Maybe that could be what is different in the markets where the TiVo HDs are having trouble? Something about the signaling when SDV is in use could be confusing the TiVo when it's looking at the digital stream.

I am waiting for a SDV Tuning Adapter from TW, but they screwed up and didn't send it to me. I doubt that will change anything, but I could speculate that the TiVo may behave differently when using the SDV Tuning Adapater.

*** Is anyone having crashes in a market that is using SDV? Or not having crashes in a market where they are not yet using SDV?

*** Is anyone having crashes while using a SDV Tuning Adapter?

PM'ed TivoJerry BTW and I think he's going to turn logging on for me. He reports that he doesn't have any other reports of the older Series 3 HD TiVos freezing with the green screen. 

*** Does anyone else have a Series 3 HD TiVo (the one with THX and the character display on the front) with the green screen freezes?

Thanks,

-Mark


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## sasmps

Mark...

In the pool of folks reporting this problem, most do not have SDV. I do not... I beleive most of the folks in New York with Fios do not (SDV is only for providers that do not have fiber to the pedistal or the home... so the older cable topology went to SDV to get more available bandwidth for expanding HD channel offerings). 

Of course, since we dont know what the exact event is in the HD's that causes the Green Screen, I dont see how we could rule SDV out.


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## TiVoJerry

While we continue to investigate and collect examples, I'm reminded of a similar issue that should be taken into account. There are old reports of green screen lockups for customers using HDMI with certain TVs (Sony was the most common, IIRC). 

If you are experiencing this issue frequently while using HDMI, you may wish to disconnect it and switch to component to see if that has any affect for you, especially if you're noticing that recordings are being interrupted by the lockup (showing as partial in Now Playing) right at the time you turned on the TV.


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## hmm52

I frequently had exactly this problem with an S3 and a Sony TV; the difference being that the two have always been connected via component. It hasn't happened since last summer, I assumed because of a TiVo software update. Is that a reasonable assumption? The only other change of that time was Verizon cleaning up its signals around here, and putting an end to pixelation thankfully.


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## SpeedNut

hmm52 said:


> I frequently had exactly this problem with an S3 and a Sony TV; the difference being that the two have always been connected via component. It hasn't happened since last summer, I assumed because of a TiVo software update. Is that a reasonable assumption? The only other change of that time was Verizon cleaning up its signals around here, and putting an end to pixelation thankfully.


May I ask what Sony TVs were known to have the problem? I currently have my TiVoHD connected to a KDL46XBR2 and have the Green Screen (just green, no text) freeze w/siren issue.


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## sasmps

Speednut:

You might want to read through the entire thread to see if your problems match the profile for the logging exercise many of us are going through with Tivo Jerry. If the problem is not disk related (you can run the kick test) or related to you HDMI cable (hook up with component for a week, and see if your unit still locks up) then you may well fit the profile.

There is a survey in the thread... you might want to find it and post your answers. For those of us with the green screen and siren, we are under a wide range of service providers (Verizon Fios, Surewest, Cablevision, etc) TV's (mine is Panasonic) and cable cards (Scientific Atlanta and Motorolla). 

For me, you can reproduce the problem with great certianty if you park both your tuners on HD program content (leave it on HD Home and Garden and HD Food Network) overnight. To releave the problem, park on Analoge channels (lower 70 on most ISPs).


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## richsadams

SpeedNut said:


> May I ask what Sony TVs were known to have the problem? I currently have my TiVoHD connected to a KDL46XBR2 and have the Green Screen (just green, no text) freeze w/siren issue.


IIRC it had to do with the HDCP handshake when using HDMI connections. The issue isn't limited to TiVo. The AVS forum has several threads about the same thing with other components.

As noted, no idea if what you're seeing is related to this group's issues.


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## Tim N.

I am among the stricken. I have run the SMART diagnostic and it tells me both drives are passing all tests (6 hours later). The specific symptoms are intermittent audio breakup, followed by video breaks and then video freezing and loss of audio. It has become common to turn the system off in the evening (TIVO is never off) and find the video frozen when the TV is turned on in the morning. Channel UP/DOWN usually unfreezes the video. Any recording activity during the freeze period is damaged.
I had 2 S-cards (Moto) from TWC in the TIVO-HD (w/WD Expander). I went thru calling TWC and trying init and hit and the problem returns within 48 hours. I exchanged the S-cards for an M-Card and the problems returned within 48 hours.
If I assume the SMART diagnostics are accurate and the drives are good, then could this be the DRAM modules in the TIVO-HD? Do people replace these?


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## sasmps

Tim N:

Your issues may well be related to the problems associated with running an expander. Richesadams may have some advise.


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## Tim N.

So, the SMART diagnostic might not tell me everything. I can get a false positive result?


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## CrispyCritter

Tim N. said:


> So, the SMART diagnostic might not tell me everything. I can get a false positive result?


Absolutely (depending on which direction you consider "false positive" to be).
If SMART says there is a problem, it is accurate. If it says there isn't a problem, the disk can still be bad, and I've had experiences of that, one of them on a TiVo with a disk that passed all extended SMART diagnostics.


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## richsadams

Tim N. said:


> So, the SMART diagnostic might not tell me everything. I can get a false positive result?


Well...yes and/or no. Others have reported the Kickstart 54 diagnostic as saying everything was fine and it turned out there actually were problems with one of the hard drives. Plus expanders are strange little peripherals that don't always bend to logic. The drive may be fine but there may be a problem with the cable or the enclosure.

When things go south the most common fault is the eSATA cable. The connections need to be very snug. You could even try reversing them. If that doesn't seem to help you might try replacing it. The recommended SIIG Serial ATA external cable is less than $12.

If the problem still exists you could divorce the drive and see if TiVo begins functioning normally. The downside is that you'll lose all of the recordings made since the drive was connected. If you have another TiVo you could use MRV to keep the recordings you want or you can use TiVo Desktop or one of the other free programs to transfer recordings to your computer (providing they aren't copy protected).

It's possible the bridge in the enclosure (a chip set, etc.) may be failing in which case you could return the drive for a new one or if you really want to keep the recordings you can try breaking open the case and installing the drive in a new enclosure such as the recommended Antec MX-1. TiVo recognizes eSATA drives by the model number and others have had success with that method.

You could also contact TiVo and have them create a trouble ticket. They can check your logs to see if something is obvious or they can begin logging incidents to help troubleshoot the problem.

AFAIK no one is replacing anything but the hard drives to resolve problems. Replacing anything else (DRAM, etc.) would be interesting if you'd like to give it a go, but I don't think anyone has ever fixed TiVo doing that.

All of that said, it is interesting that everything is or seems to be "normal" for a couple of days after your cable cards are re-paired. If there's a problem with a drive it will usually manifest the same; the CC's shouldn't have any effect one way or another. So it could indeed be a signal problem. You could check your signal strength, SNR and RS Corrected and Uncorrected error rate. If the signal is weak or pegged at 100% and/or the SNR is very high or low or you're seeing high error rates, the signal would be suspect and your cableco should come out and take a look at everything.


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## Tim N.

Thank you for the reply, Rich. I will double check the cables. I had done this already.
When I look at DVR diagnostics, I am troubled by a signal strength numbers at 68 and momentarily 75, but not better. My input line is three way split to the modem and then drives an amplifier which drives a eight port splitter. Five of the ports have TV's around the house. Three are unconnected.


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## sasmps

That sounds a bit weak.... high 80's low 90's seem to be the sweat spot. 

Sounds like you have alot of splitters, do you have an amp in config somewhere? Generally the cable companies will provisiion one when there more than 5 outlets.


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## sasmps

sasmps said:


> That sounds a bit weak.... high 80's low 90's seem to be the sweat spot.
> 
> Sounds like you have alot of splitters, do you have an amp in config somewhere? Generally the cable companies will provisiion one when there more than 5 outlets.


Sorry... you did say you have an amp. I need to read more carefully. Most of us in this thread have a problem where we are getting 100% plus on every channel.... we are chatting about attenuators to back the signal down. Even if this is not releated to the problem you are having now, I suggest you get the cable folks out to rebalence the signal to your house. Also, check the strength for a bunch of the channels. I saw significant variation (HBO E woud be around 72, when all the other HD channels were pushing 88 to 92) and had to shoot for the high average when I selected the right strength attenuator.


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## richsadams

Tim N. said:


> Thank you for the reply, Rich. I will double check the cables. I had done this already.
> When I look at DVR diagnostics, I am troubled by a signal strength numbers at 68 and momentarily 75, but not better. My input line is three way split to the modem and then drives an amplifier which drives a eight port splitter. Five of the ports have TV's around the house. Three are unconnected.


Hmmm...does sound a bit weak although I fooled around with some attenuation on my TiVo HD at one point and drove it down to about 58 before the signal cut out. TiVo seems very tolerant on the low-end of the scale, but not so much on the high end when the signal is too strong.

I'd check other channels and also the other diagnostics (RS Corrected and Uncorrected errors), SNR, etc. and try to get an overall feel for how things are. It does sound like a call to your cableco for a truck roll may be in order.

Also, IIRC others that had amps within their setup ran into issues as well...not so much about strength but with the signal being "corrupted" for lack of a better word. Once the amp was removed everything was fine. Is it possible to connect your TiVo directly to the incoming signal w/o any splits, amplification, etc. to see how things look and how it responds?


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## Tim N.

richsadams said:


> I'd check other channels and also the other diagnostics (RS Corrected and Uncorrected errors), SNR, etc. and try to get an overall feel for how things are. It does sound like a call to your cableco for a truck roll may be in order.


I found that the Cable In line is 3-way split: Tivo-HD, Amp, Modem. Then the Amp feeds an 8-way splitter. The signal strength off the 3-way is 62 to 75. The SNR is 33-34. I don't understand RS Corrected. It seems to be 0 for Digital channels and in the 1,000's for analog channels. What does it measure?
I removed unnecessary connections from the 8-way splitter. I get 75-81 from the Amp and the 8-way verses 68-75 from the 3-way. The results is less breakup of signal, but there is still an annoying amount of audio and video halting and some freezes. When this happens the system response goes way down. It is pretty frustrating. If I call TWC, is there anything they can do about this?


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## CrispyCritter

Tim N. said:


> I removed unnecessary connections from the 8-way splitter.


Just checking - Did you add a terminator to all the unused connecters on the splitter? If not, you may have added more noise to your signal.


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## Tim N.

CrispyCritter said:


> Just checking - Did you add a terminator to all the unused connecters on the splitter? If not, you may have added more noise to your signal.


No. I didn't know unused connections required this. 
I am familiar with terminators on BNC connectors but not F-connectors. Where do you get them?


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## sasmps

I peg way more signal out of the 3 way demark.... you should be at 100% before the 8 way split. I still think your ISP needs to come out and rebalence your signal.


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## dlfl

I've experienced a very similar type of lock up on my HD as detailed in this post in the help forum (before I noticed this thread).

Differences are:
1. I do not have cable cards, although I do get a few digital channels via my TWC basic cable.

2. The screen goes black with no audio, rather than green with a siren.

In my case the orange (yellow?) light does not flash in response to remote control button pushes after lock up. *I'm curious whether this is the case for the green-screen/siren lockup?*. (Will entering the 777 code work if this light isn't responding?)

I already have 6 dB attenuation, which puts the strength at about 90. (It was pegged at 100 before attenuating.)

I'm not rushing to try to get TiVoJerry to monitor my TiVo since this has only happened once so far. I will be getting cable cards soon and I get the impression from this thread that things may get much worse then -- fingers crossed.


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## sasmps

I have the same thoughts about pushing the codes into the remote after it is locked up. If the yellow light does not flash, the unit is locked up. I know after I rebooted and entered 999 that they see that in the logs. 

Without cable cards, you are pretty much using the analog tuners, and i know there is a thread about a Tivo service level push that causes problems with folks losing channels on there lower band. You wight want to scan the forum for info on that problem.

I have seen green, black, gray screens when the unit locks. Not sure how much the color matters per say. 

When you get your cable cards, park both tuners on HD channels overnight for a week and see if the problem appears. If so, you may want to contact Tivo Jerry.


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## dlfl

sasmps said:


> I have the same thoughts about pushing the codes into the remote after it is locked up. If the yellow light does not flash, the unit is locked up. I know after I rebooted and entered 999 that they see that in the logs.
> ..........


Still wondering if the yellow LED is (or isn't) responsive to remote button pushes (after lockup) for the OP reporting on this thread (?). (If it is responsive for others, then my problem is something different.)

Also, I can't resist this comment:
I find it amazing that the TiVo design can't be more robust to HDMI handshake errors. Surely it wouldn't have to completely lock up.

Does anyone know if lock up issues are addressed by 11.0d just coming out?


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## sasmps

For the most part in this thread, when we are locked up, the yellow led is not responsive. The only thing you can do is reboot (pull the plug). 

In this thread, we have already isolated out the HDMI issues from the equation. For a week, remove the HDMI cable, connect with component, and if you lock up (I did) then it is not the HDMI cable. I squelled and turned green with HDMI totally out of the equation (ha.. not me literally). 

We have also already run the Kick Disk test suites, and are reasonably convinced our disk are good. 

We also are using internal disk ... folks using the disk expansion have a different set of issues.

We have cable cards... SA or Moto. However I have seen folks without the cards having issues. (When I removed my cards and lived on the lower bands for 2 weeks, I never locked up). 

We have reviewed signal strength... using attenuaters to stay in mid 80's to low 90's in signal strength. 

The assumption of the problem in this thread, is there is an event coming through the cable that the tuners do not handle appropriately. We suspect the cable companies are generating this 'event' and the Tivo HD's are sensitive to it (Tivo Series III HD has not generally shown to have an issue with whatever this event is). It may be some new equipment or process the cable co's have rollled out. We dont know for sure.


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## dlfl

Thanks *sasmps*. Apparently the 777 code gets through even if the yellow light isn't responding, or TivoJerry wouldn't be calling for it.

Sure glad that the monitoring can be done --- otherwise you would feel like you're really stranded out here helpless!

I guess I have the same reaction to the tuner theory of the problem as to the HDMI: hard to understand why this would have to cause a lock up in a good (robust) design.


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## dlfl

Playing an Amazon Unbox movie download 1.5 hours long. The movie played fine but when it was near the end I hit the Play button to see where the time line was and noticed there was no response. No timeline showing and no yellow light in response to the button. After hitting it several times it finally displayed the time line.

I fast forwarded through the credits at the end and the Delete/Keep query displayed. However at that point the remote control response was gone again. I let it sit a minute or so and the response came back and I was able to make my delete/keep selection and go on to normal operation (without rebooting or power-cycling).

I suspect this is a partial case of the freeze problem. Something is definitely not right here!

FWIW, one of my tuners was parked on a digital channel. (I assume this is a QAM channel since we don't have digital cable?)


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## Brad Smith

New Tivo HD XL for me. Just the second or third week with it. Experienced the green screen + siren + unresponsive this morning when I woke up to watch the Tour de France on Versus HD. I have sent my service number to TiVoJerry.


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## Brad Smith

Happened to me again about 24 hours later. Tuners were on Versus HD and NBC HD. This time it happened while I was watching (and right as Federer won the finals at Wimbledon). It would seem the both tuners on HD channels theory is ringing true for me, but I only have a sample size of 2 so far.


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## Brad Smith

And make it two more green screen and blaring siren crashes today for a total of 4 in the last 48 hours. Hopefully we can get this figured out ASAP, because basically my TiVo is useless for doing any sort of recording. And during the most important time of the year for me personally (what can I say, I love watching the Tour de France and need to record the stages in the mornings while I'm at work).

EDIT: BTW, I have sent my TiVo service number to TiVoJerry, and once he enables the logging hopefully I can help out diagnosing this further.


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## CaptDS9E

We have been lucky. Neither of the HD Tivos have done it since we had that week of multiple green screens a while back


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## sasmps

We are in a good spot right now as well. Parking the tuners over night on low bands has really quited it down. Last lock up was on last Friday and only on the Kitchen HD unit. 

Brad, create a manual recording for the HD unit at 1:00 am (two shows at the same time, pick a low band channel) and that will park them till you get back from work in the evening. The longer you can keep them on low band channels, the longer you can go without a lock up.


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## Brad Smith

sasmps said:


> We are in a good spot right now as well. Parking the tuners over night on low bands has really quited it down. Last lock up was on last Friday and only on the Kitchen HD unit.
> 
> Brad, create a manual recording for the HD unit at 1:00 am (two shows at the same time, pick a low band channel) and that will park them till you get back from work in the evening. The longer you can keep them on low band channels, the longer you can go without a lock up.


I did that last night, but unfortunately it locked up before it got to those manual recordings apparently! I'm trying to figure out how to strategically schedule recordings throughout the day to minimize this, but it's incredibly frustrating. I've basically missed every stage of the Tour de France so far because of this freezing, and unless I'm constantly watching, I miss most of my primetime recordings, too. I basically spent the $550 on the TiVo HD XL and the crazy cable costs for nothing at the moment.


----------



## Brad Smith

One thing I just thought about...

While I did encounter my first green screen + siren before doing this, I just recently shut off TiVo suggestions on my box and the lockups happen more frequently now. This may be more proof that it's related to the HD tuners, as the suggestions always record the SD channels regardless of if there's an HD option. The result is my tuners tend to be parked a whole lot more on the SD channels.


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## sasmps

may be a good idea to turn it back on... you can also try the attenuators. I have 13 db on the bedroom tivo, and 15 on the kitchen unit. Sounds like a lot, but I had alot of signal pumping into the house. I cant say this is a fix, but it helps slow the lockup recurrence.


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## kika2000

Brad Smith said:


> And make it two more green screen and blaring siren crashes today for a total of 4 in the last 48 hours. Hopefully we can get this figured out ASAP, because basically my TiVo is useless for doing any sort of recording. And during the most important time of the year for me personally (what can I say, I love watching the Tour de France and need to record the stages in the mornings while I'm at work).


Hi Brad,
I've been having exactly the same issue, but in the case of this year's TDF, I think a large part of the problem is with the VersusHD signal.

I've been coming home every day since the tour started to the dreaded green screen and blaring siren. I ran the SMART tests (for 7 hours ... nothing wrong), checked and re-checked my cables and connections, rebooted - nothing wrong. Never had this problem before. Don't have it on any other stations.

I've got an SA8300HDC running off the same signal in another room, and it's been set to record the TDF as well. I've never had any problems with this box - no glitches, no signal loss, and yesterday I came home to find that BOTH boxes had dropped the recording at exactly the same time.
The TIVO went green screen, the SA8300 just stopped recording, but the fact that it happened at the same point in the broadcast leads me to believe that something in the broadcast signal is messing up our DVRs.

I'm crossing my fingers that this doesn't keep happening. This is the time of year that I need a DVR that works all of the time, not some of the time.

I may try switching over to SD only on the TIVO to see if that helps.


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## TiVoJerry

kika2000 said:


> Hi Brad,
> I've been having exactly the same issue, but in the case of this year's TDF, I think a large part of the problem is with the VersusHD signal.
> 
> ...
> 
> I've got an SA8300HDC running off the same signal in another room, and it's been set to record the TDF as well. I've never had any problems with this box - no glitches, no signal loss, and yesterday I came home to find that BOTH boxes had dropped the recording at exactly the same time.
> The TIVO went green screen, the SA8300 just stopped recording, but the fact that it happened at the same point in the broadcast leads me to believe that something in the broadcast signal is messing up our DVRs.


1> Please send me your TiVo Service Number so I can enable logging and track which provider you have.

2> Have you notified your provider so they can look into their signal? It's affecting their box, so I'd think they'd have a vested interest and be tracking the number of reports they get.


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## Tim N.

I called TIVO customer support and they asked me to run the kickstart disc tests. I ran the SMART test a second time and it says the disks are fine. The next day I called back and said it is still happening and more frequently. Customer Service asked me to Divorce the WD expander and reboot. 
I have done this (and lost all my recorded content). The TIVO HD has not frozen since the divorce. 
Should I conclude that the WD expander is therefore bad? Does anyone have a telephone number for WD support? It is older than 1 year, am I stuck paying for a new replacement? Is there someway to test the disk now that it is separate and can be connected via eSATA cable to a PC?


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## sasmps

I dont know much about the expander.... but having read quite a bit in the forum, if you find yourself spending money, I suggest you just replace the internal disk to one of the TB size offerings.


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## bkdtv

Tim N. said:


> Should I conclude that the WD expander is therefore bad? Does anyone have a telephone number for WD support? It is older than 1 year, am I stuck paying for a new replacement? Is there someway to test the disk now that it is separate and can be connected via eSATA cable to a PC?


This issue is really off-topic for this thread.

That said, forum consensus seems to be that this is a common issue with the 500GB My DVR Expander after 10-16 months.

Time and time again, this forum has proven that TiVo's SMART tests are not a reliable indicator of drive health, especially with the My DVR Expander. On this forum, external drive problems after 10-14 months are the #1 cause of incomplete recordings and poor responsiveness; external drive failures appear to outnumber internal drive failures by at least 50:1. Despite this behavior, TiVo's SMART tests almost never report any errors. In some cases, the problem was confirmed by WD to be a failure in the power supply; in other cases, the cause is unclear.

Clearly, TiVo needs to do something in the future to make eSATA expansion more reliable, be it supporting a different external drive product (will the 1TB My DVR Expander solve the problems?) or by implementing an alternative means of expansion that writes only to the external drive when the internal is full. Moxi and Scientific Atlanta take the latter approach, and it seems to work well for them.

If you are out-of-warranty on the 500GB My DVR Expander, I'm not sure there's much you can do. Rather than buying another Expander, I would suggest you spend $90-$100 on one of these drives and follow these instructions to upgrade to TiVo's internal hard drive to 1TB. If you do decide to buy another Expander instead, I would opt for the new 1TB version, because the 500GB model is not reliable past 12 months.


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## TiVoJerry

The SMART tests were not something we created. We merely gave access to the tests and mechanisms that WD put there. Unfortunately they are far from perfect but are better than nothing at all.


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## richsadams

Tim N. said:


> Does anyone have a telephone number for WD support? It is older than 1 year, am I stuck paying for a new replacement? Is there someway to test the disk now that it is separate and can be connected via eSATA cable to a PC?


bkdtv's advice is spot on. IIRC there have been instances where WD prorated replacement drives after the one-year warranty was up. You might want to touch base with them to see if they will do anything for you.

You can try to process the exchange on your own by going to the Western Digital Product Replacement site OR you can call Western Digital Customer Support at 1-800-ASK-WDC (275-4932) to have an agent process the exchange.


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## Brad Smith

kika2000 said:


> I've been having exactly the same issue, but in the case of this year's TDF, I think a large part of the problem is with the VersusHD signal.
> 
> I've been coming home every day since the tour started to the dreaded green screen and blaring siren. I ran the SMART tests (for 7 hours ... nothing wrong), checked and re-checked my cables and connections, rebooted - nothing wrong. Never had this problem before. Don't have it on any other stations.


I'm not 100% convinced it is the Versus HD signal that's doing it. Yes, my TiVo has had one of the tuners tuned to this channel most of the times it has occurred, but not all the time. Plus, I've yet to encounter the problem once turning back on suggestions (which tend to record SD all the time) and set some strategic 1 minute recordings at night and various times throughout the day. The only times my box has locked up, to my knowledge, is when two HD channels are tuned. The most common case was Versus HD on one tuner and the local NBC HD affiliate on the other tuner.

TiVoJerry: Did you receive my PM from this weekend? If so, how do I know if logging is enabled on my box?

Thanks,
Brad


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## TiVoJerry

As you can imagine I've got quite a few PMs and emails to read. I don't normally get this involved with the direct data collection, so I'm a little behind. When I do get to each PM I reply with instructions on how to tag the logs.

For those of you still performing 777clear, you can stop. As you would suspect, those commands are not getting through. I'd recommended them just in case earlier on but they are not working at all.

Thank you all for your patience and assistance.


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## sasmps

Brad,

You are right... when both tuners are locked on HD channels, the lockup probability really jumps.

*Here is a work around suggestion: *
When you use the channel up/down button on the remote, the Tivo HD will use the second tuner to go to the up/down channel. So if you start on an HD channel, then us Chan up/down button, you will then have both tuners on HD.

If you want to watch an HD channel and not get blown out while you are watching, try this...

Direct enter a low band channel (key pad on remote)> then use Chan up/down to go to another low band channel. Confirn where both tuners are by pressing the 'last' button on the lower bottom right area on your remote. That will toggle you through the tuners.

Then direct enter the HD channel you want to watch. You will then have one tuner on HD, and the other on an SD channel.

Let me know if my instructions are clear... and if it works for you.


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## TheSubmariner

Hi all

About a week ago, my TIVO gave the green screen of death twice in 24 hours. I thought it was just a glitch and thought nothing of it. Nevertheless, I came to this forum to read up on other's problems too.

Well... I have a strong clue as to what is contributing to the cause of the GSOD situation on my TIVO

VERSUS channel.

Each time previously, I had the channel on one of the tuners.

TOday, I decided for the first time in a week to check out the Tour De France cycling. My wife wanted to watch the TOday show. She won  I decided to Tivo the VERSUS channel. 

5 minutes later ... GSOD !

Too much of a coincidence.... Now as to what on that channel is causing it, who knows. I will wait a few days and try my experiment again.


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## Brad Smith

I woke up this morning to watch my recording of this morning's Tour stage. And, just like TheSubmariner, my TiVo was already sitting at the green screen with siren. This is after restarting the TiVO twice yesterday. Once after a green screen, and once this morning at about 2am in order to get things cleared up so I hopefully wouldn't have the problem. Alas, it was not to be.


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## JasonReiser

I've got two Tivo-HD units, each with a Multistream card from Time Warner cable in NYC. The one in the bedroom has been locking up frequently (about once or twice per day) for about a week. Its a refurb that's only about 6 months old. I upgraded the hard drive without incident months ago, so I figured I'll have to establish if I've got a bad Tivo or a bad hard drive.

This morning my fiancee was watching the Tour on VersusHD - live TV I think. I can sleep through that, but the beeping that accompanied the green screen could wake the dead. I was out of bed on my feet thinking that a smoke/fire alarm was blaring. What a way to start a Saturday.

So now I'm starting to think maybe all our problems are related to this channel. We haven't watched VersusHD until the last week. I would never have suspected a particular channel, but this thread makes me think that's not so crazy after all.

I'll have to see how it behaves if we switch to the standard def channel instead. In the mean time, we're already now recording the Tour in HD on the living room TivoHD, so we'll see if I can duplicate the problem on yet another unit.

- Jason


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## richsadams

The VersusHD question is really interesting. There aren't any issues with it here, but obviously there's something going on in some areas.

Generally channels are grouped in particular frequency/bandwidths (not necessarily next to each other and probably not the exact terminology). I'd be curious to know if the other channels in this same bandwidth are causing problems. The other channels may be ones that others watch which cause the same issue but just haven't been discussed. Narrowing them down might help with troubleshooting? 

IIRC you can find the frequencies, etc. on the diagnostic screens (same screens that show RS Corrected and Uncorrected errors, etc.) Somewhere on the forum there are instructions for finding and isolating each group but I couldn't quickly locate them. Perhaps someone knowledgeable in that area can assist?

I'm sure Jerry is on top of it, but it's certainly a clue if at least one channel is problematic for most everyone here.


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## Brad Smith

Another day, another green screen on Versus HD. This morning, it happened 21 minutes into my recording (20 minutes into the broadcast, as I started the recording one minute early). Unfortunately didn't discover this until the race was over for the day. Gah!


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## kika2000

Three times today while trying to record and watch the Tour on VSHD.

Luckily, I was home and watching, but dealing with that green screen, alarm and endless reboot three times during one morning is a bit much.

I reported the issue to TWC. They have opened a case for me. I know they are the devil - but if you are having this issue in the TWCNY area, please call to report it - maybe something will come of it if we all call.


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## drosenba

This is getting interesting: I got the Green Siren three times while watching the TDF on VersusHD this morning, too -- and one afterward, though one of the tuners may have still be set to it. Hadn't been a consistent problem before today, though I have a vague recollection that this had happened once before.

And, like so many, I'm on TWC in Brooklyn, NY.

Curiouser and curiouser...


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## alyssa

I have not had the blaring green screen issue.
Both of my S3's have been practically parked on VersusHD this month.
I'm on time warner in New England. If anyone has a frequency/bandwidth comparison experiment going, I'd be happy to act as a control.


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## sasmps

Sunday, July12th 10:45 pm, green screen again. I have had 3 lock ups this weekend. Things were quiet for a while, but very active this weekend.


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## Zannah

Our green screen experiences started with our recording the TDF on VersusHD too. But also coincided with an improvement in internet signal strength. I know Time Warner has been upgrading their system in my neighborhood (Chelsea) - or that's what they said when they had MANY service outages this past year. After reading the tales of woe in this thread I checked our cable signal strength and it is now at 100. Both our Tivo HD's go out at the same time, the two-year-old goes green with siren, the six-month-old goes black. Both are frustrating!


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## Brad Smith

sasmps said:


> Sunday, July12th 10:45 pm, green screen again. I have had 3 lock ups this weekend. Things were quiet for a while, but very active this weekend.


This is interesting. Things were very quiet for me for about 4 days (after setting up the SD recordings at night and turning suggestions back on), but this weekend I encountered the green screen +sirens 4 times. Maybe there's something to be learned from this?


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## chefelf

I, too, have been getting 2-5 green screens a day since the Tour de France started. Normally I wake up in the morning and turn the TiVo on to the blaring green siren. This has happened 5 out of the last 6 days.

I'm also at 100&#37; signal.

I called TiVo who recommended doing all the disc scans, overnight, etc. I did all scans and everything came back 100% okay.

I'm on TWC in Manhattan.


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## simplicio

Hey, yet another Versus HD Tour de France green-screener here (my wife and I decided our TiVo's riding in the green jersey competition). Using a TiVo HD with TWC, Upper West Side in Manhattan. When it first happened I thought it was a harddrive issue, but it's occurred on both the original I reinstalled and the replacement 1TB I got. One thing I've noticed is I only get the siren when watching live; when I come back in the afternoon to a green screen from the morning recording, it's just the screen with no sound, though the TiVo record light is still on.



Brad Smith said:


> Another day, another green screen on Versus HD. This morning, it happened 21 minutes into my recording (20 minutes into the broadcast, as I started the recording one minute early). Unfortunately didn't discover this until the race was over for the day. Gah!


Interesting; I got mine 21 minutes in also. Here's when the cutoffs have been for me; anyone have similar times?

Stage 9 (7/12): :21
Stage 8 (7/11): 1:12
Stage 7 (7/10): Fine
Stage 6 (7/9): Fine
Stage 4 & 5: Don't know cause I switched back to my original TiVo harddrive for a couple days, but I know it cut off on at least Stage five cause I rerecorded the midnight showing of that, which was fine.
Stage 3 (7/6): :21
Stage 2 ( 7/5): :13
Stage 1 (7/4): Fine

Has anyone tried recording the concurrently broadcast SD presentation as a workaround?


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## Brad Smith

simplicio said:


> Has anyone tried recording the concurrently broadcast SD presentation as a workaround?


I haven't but I might start doing that only because I'd rather see it in crappy quality versus not see it at all. And lately recording it on Versus HD is a recipe for not seeing it at all.


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## sasmps

Brad Smith said:


> This is interesting. Things were very quiet for me for about 4 days (after setting up the SD recordings at night and turning suggestions back on), but this weekend I encountered the green screen +sirens 4 times. Maybe there's something to be learned from this?


Keep a diary of your viewing habits.... I bet on the weekend you locked on to some decent HD shows and channels. It is a matter of time, not sure when but if you have been tuned to an HD channel for numberous contiguious hours, its gonna lock.


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## adn

So glad I found this link. We have been suffering with this issue for months. Never happened with our prior non-HD TIVO (had it for several years) and does not happen with our Time Warner DVR. 

TWC of Manhattan (upper east side) customer - single dual channel cablecard. Fujitsu monitor and Sony receiver. New wiring from apartment directly to TWC main feed box on roof of building (we had been told by TWC signal was too weak in the past so we replaced the wiring).

Upgraded last year to the Series 3 and bought the WD expander for extra capacity. Machine was fine for a month or two and then we got the dreaded blaring noise/screen freeze where you needed to unplug machine to reboot. Frequency of system seizures escalated after that until it was at least once a week. TIVO and WD were very accomodating -- both sent us new equipment. Same fact pattern -- fine for a month or so, then blaring noise/screen freeze -- frequency of system seizures escalated after a few times. Replaced Series 3 and WD expander with HD TIVO. Thought for sure it was a WD issue. TIVO was accomodating -- allowed me to transfer my lifetime service payment on the Series 3 to the HD TIVO. Had to put up with making the new appointment with TWC each time I wanted to move the cablecard to a new box.

System was great for exactly 2 weeks. Taped TDF every night last week on Versus HD. System at least waited until a rest day in the TDF to go down (could not tell if machine was on Versus HD when it went down, but I suspect so). Checked signal strength -- at 100% tonight.

While I would like to blame this on Versus HD, issue on our prior TIVOs pre-dated Versus HD use and would happen on other channels.

What I find interesting is that with the prior machines after this issue happened once, frequency of occurrence seemed to increase. This could mean a specific channel is to blame (which I had not previously considered) or that once the system has one of these seizures it is more prone to happening again, as if a setting in the machine becomes more sensitized.

Any suggestions as to best approach? 

Do you think TWC technicians can be of any help? Is there one person at TWC that is the point person for this issue? 

Also, why the blaring noise that wakes the dead?


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## sasmps

Adn,

Wish I could answer your questions....

I have observed the same things. It 'appears' to happen more frequently on specific HD channels, but over time it will do it on any HD station. 

Time is a factor... I also had the grace period when I put a new Tivo HD in service, where it was around 2 weeks before it started playing the same game. I have also observed that once it GS &L's (green screen and lock), it is very apt to do it again in a very short time period (like a flare up). 

I equated it once to how a memory leak in a software program behaves, until the buffer is full, it behaves just fine. Then it goes..... 

I have also observed that during times of network stress (thunder storms, power outages, etc) I am going to GS &L. 

I have gone through 2 months of closely working with my cable provider (Surewest) where we swapped out MS cards (went through 6 of them), checked all the cableling in the house, removed and then replaced the whole house amp, checked SNR and signal strength on all channels, verified channel frequency calibration, replaced the drop to the house.... everything checked out perfect... so to answer your question about getting TWC involved... perhaps just once to verify it is not environmental and specific to your residence. But after that, there is not much they can do. 

If you have not done so, you can contact Tivo Jerry and have them start logging your session.


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## danlo

Hello,

This is the first time I've received green screen with the screeching sound. I'm in NYC Midtown Manhattan (Time Square area). What's interesting is that a software update was just applied.

1) What kind of TV do you have? (Sharp Aquos 82U

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL? Tivo HD

3) Where are you located? NYC Midtown Manhattan (Time Square)

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider? TWC

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component? HDMI

6) When did this problem start? When I was watching a recorded episode of Futurama on Comedy Central. Right after a Tivo software update was applied.

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? First time.


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## InFromTheCold

We are with TWC/NYC in Queens, we have a Tivo HD. Just after our first anniversary of Tivo-dom, we finally got around to buying a HDTV, on Memorial Day. The TV is hooked up to the Tivo via HDMI.

We're getting the green screen and the screech about once a week. I don't remember ever having this issue when we were on our regular digital signal, before we got the flatscreen. And from the timing, it can't be blamed solely on VS (though we have been watching the TDF). A reboot does the trick to get us back in business.


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## chefelf

Came home to green screen last night. Miraculously the Tour de France recorded in full from the AM.


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## Clam_Alert

I'm also a TWC user in Manhattan. I used to get the GSOD fairly often and wrote Tivo Jerry about a month ago. Recently, it's been much, much better and I can't remember a GSOD in weeks.

I used to do a lot of recording on VersusHD (spring and summer fishing shows). They're all into reruns now and I no longer have Season Passes to them and don't recall seeing many VersusHD recordings in TiVo suggestions as of late. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but in light of the other posts here, I do wonder whether it's because I'm not tuned to VersusHD nearly as much as I used to be.

It'd be curious to see what happens if users who are continually getting the GSOD take VersusHD out of their Channel Lineup. Of course, you'd lose access to VersusHD, but it's sacrifice in the name of science...


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## Brad Smith

chefelf said:


> Came home to green screen last night. Miraculously the Tour de France recorded in full from the AM.


Same here, but the TiVo green screened sometime after the recording had finished.


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## kika2000

Brad Smith said:


> Same here, but the TiVo green screened sometime after the recording had finished.


Ditto here.


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## kika2000

3pm today, while watching pre-recorded program.
That alarm is so loud it scared the dog.


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## simplicio

Yup, another green screen at some point this afternoon after the tour; now I've set manual SD recordings for 1pm and 3am to see if I can get through a full day without issue.


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## Eptiger

Throwing my name in the hat. I had searched the forums before for green screen threads, but didn't find this one until last night. Before, the stuff I found wasn't all that helpful, but this one is great. I've already posted to the TiVo thread and sent an e-mail to the address Jerry provided there. Here's my post on that forum that explains my situation:

"I e-mailed you my service number, but I can't get my TiVo to boot up so I'm not going to be able to enter in '911 ' as you asked. When I turn on my TiVo, it always goes to GSOD at the exact same point in the intro video: right after when the TiVo mascot hits the record button when he's in the car looking at the guys in the back seat (don't know what show/movie that's from?). Right when it zooms into one of the guys in the back seat, it goes to green screen with blaring noise. Sometimes, it'll restart once it gets to that screen two times before it goes to green screen on the third time. Sometimes, it simply freezes there.

This is my third TiVo since January. I got my first TiVo HD in January, got the cable hooked up in February, and started seeing these problems about 3 weeks later. It was just frequent GSOD though. I got a replacement, it worked for about a month and a half before it went a whole night where it kept green screening once I turned it on. Leaving it off overnight, it worked in the morning, but I had already ordered a replacement. In both cases, while waiting for the replacement the GSOD issues were bearable, but I figured it was a hardware issue and didn't make sense to cancel the replacement since I was within warranty.

Your questions:



1) What kind of TV do you have? 

Samsung Series 7 LCD 40" (LN40A750)


2) What TiVo do you have?

TiVo HD


3) Where are you located?

Seattle, WA (am I your farthest west report?)




4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider?

Not in Manhattan, but I have Broadstripe here in Seattle.


5) How if your TiVo hooked up?

HDMI to TV, Ethernet to my router, just cable ethernet and M-Card for input signal (antenna not plugged in). No external hard drive (I have one, but I didn't plug it in to TiVos replacements 2 and 3).


6) When did this problem start? Days after purchase. About a week ago.

On first TiVo: 3 weeks after usage with cable (worked for the first month on just antenna)

On second TiVo: same night as installing it, then not again for a couple of weeks, then a few weeks later it happened to a point where I couldn't continue using it.

On third Tivo: happened once a couple weeks after getting it, then once again a few weeks later, and now I can't boot it up (started 7/15)


7) When was the last time you experienced this green screen?

15 minutes ago. Have it turned off.


8) Cable Card brand?

Motorola M-Card


9) Cable Card Firmware version?

No idea."

Elton


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## Eptiger

Tip: In addition to talking to Jerry, PLEASE call TiVo tech support and make them aware that you're having this problem. I called this morning and he said he would pass it up the chain that I'm also having this issue. The more people calling in the more it'll show the people looking at Customer Service metrics that there's a systemic issue that they need to fix. I know that Jerry knowing means that TiVo knows, but the more ways we get our names on their list of affected users the more likely they are to invest more resources. 

I'm basically wasting money now on my cable plan because without my TiVo I'm not watching it. I'd rather not give up on TiVo though, and cutting my cable plan means that I'm done with TiVo - if I have to do that, it's going too far.

On the phone, they told me to get an attenuator but didn't know what strength of attenuator - I know people have had mixed results with it, but for the people who it has at least help reduce the problem's likelihood of occurrence: what strength attenuator do you use?

Thanks,

Elton

Elton


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## sasmps

As I beleive there is a signal 'event' that causes the Tivo to GSOD, I beleive the attenuators dampen it, giving you more time between GSODs. I purchased the kit, which comes with 2 3DBs, 2 6DBs, 2 10Dbs and 2 20Dbs. 

Put the 20 DB on first, then check you signal strength on low band, Digital and HD.. Also check a few pay channels (HBO5 was the most impacted for some reason). If you are above 50 db in signal, you are probably ok. I use 9 db (a 6 and a 3) on one box, and a 16 db (a 10 and a 6) on the other.


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## TiVoJerry

For clarification's sake:
The term 'GSOD' has traditionally been used for the Severe Error screen that contains TiVo-designed text explaining the problem.

This thread is dealing with a plain green screen, usually (but not always) accompanied with a siren/screeching audio. I believe we should avoid confusion by referring to this particular issue as GSOD.


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## CaptDS9E

I haven't had the Green Screen in a while, but channels are starting to go gray screen saying "channel unavailable" again. Have to reboot to get them back, sometimes more then once. This same thing happened before, which led up to the screen screen siren


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## Eptiger

TiVoJerry said:


> For clarification's sake:
> The term 'GSOD' has traditionally been used for the Severe Error screen that contains TiVo-designed text explaining the problem.
> 
> This thread is dealing with a plain green screen, usually (but not always) accompanied with a siren/screeching audio. I believe we should avoid confusion by referring to this particular issue as GSOD.


My bad. 

I've seen the plain green screen so much that I though the green screen with text was a myth or a screen that came from the earlier TiVos and was not present in Series3 onwards.

I'll refer to it as screeching plain green screen from now on.

Elton


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## richsadams

FWIW the "GSOD/severe error/MFS Assert" screen looks like this:










As Jerry said, the "green screen" that folks are referring to here is just a green screen w/no text, etc.


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## InFromTheCold

OK, at 8:51 this evening, while watching the TDF, the picture just froze and we were treated to the delightful green screen/siren combo that we've come to know and love since moving the move to hi def. 

Is this really something I should be speaking to Tivo CS about, or is it an issue to complain to TWCNYC about? Or both?

BTW, have not turned back to the Tour since rebooting this evening, and the signal has been just fine.


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## sasmps

Jerry has a good point... lets abbreviate this one as GSAS... Green Screen and Screeching. (Unless this one is already taken)

InFromTheCold: I worked with my content provider (Surewest), Tivo CS, and this forum. I have a trouble ticket that is 3 months old with Surewest, and I had them go over my home environment with a fine tooth comb. I still ping them once every two weeks, just to keep the ticket open (they closed it several times, feeling it was not there issue.. as long as there DVR works, they feel it is a Tivo problem).

It is I suspect a cause and effect issue... the content provders are doing something new that the Tivo does not expect, and it does not know how to gracefully react. We will need both of them to resolve the issue.


----------



## Brad Smith

Green screen when I woke up this morning, so had to reboot before I left for work to at least catch part of the stage. I really hope this doesn't happen for the Alps this weekend!


----------



## chefelf

In following this post it seems like the GSAS is happening to me at the same exact times it's happening to others. Has anyone had any luck contacting TiVo or TWC about this issue?

Come to think of it I think the previous times this happened was with Versus during the hockey season. I cannot recall a single time this happened on a different channel (though I wasn't really keeping track at the moment either).


----------



## sasmps

Interesting...

This would suggest the 'event' coming through the cable was generated by the content provider, and not necessary your local cable provider.

To test that, you would need to coordinate reporting from those participating in the thread. Here is an idea.... Tonight and Tomorrow, report your GSAS event to this post. Include:

*Format* 
Tivo Type 
Cable Provider Name:
City and State
Channel Number on your servce
Name of Channel (Verses, SyFy HD, etc)
Exact date and time stamp

*Example*
Tivo HD
Surewest
Overland Park, KS
661
Home and Garden HD
17Jul09:1:45 pm CDT

Lets see what we get! Keep a notepad by the TV...

Yes, i know this happens alot when we sleep (the Tivo never sleeps) so all we know is it happend during the night. Leave the timestamp off... we will still have it noted, but we wont be able to compaire it to others.

GSAS event? That is when your Tivo locks up, the screen goes green (blank green, no messages) and it screeches. If yours does not screech, but goes blank green and locks, include it. Mine does not always screech.


----------



## richsadams

chefelf said:


> In following this post it seems like the GSAS is happening to me at the same exact times it's happening to others. Has anyone had any luck contacting TiVo or TWC about this issue?


There are numerous posts by members that have contacted Tivo and TiVo employee Jerry is painfully aware of it; couple of examples:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7374120#post7374120

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7376589#post7376589

There are also numerous posts about member interactions with TWC.


----------



## chefelf

Got a GSAS at some point in the last hour.


----------



## Brad Smith

Two more today, one before the Tour started on Versus, and another one seemingly after. Was not present for either.


----------



## Brad Smith

Make that three total for the day, and we still have an hour left! This time I was in front of the tv, so here's the details:

Tivo HD XL 
Time Warner Cable (Upper Manhattan)
New York, New York
Tuner One: Versus HD (794)
Tuner Two: SyFy HD (717)
2009-07-17 @ 23:04 EST


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## Eptiger

Hallelujah - my TiVo is back (Seattle Broadstripe)! After 3 days without TV it works again. When I called Broadstripe at first they didn't say anything was wrong at all. Now I call them today and apparently they've had problems for a few days now in Seattle and didn't bother to tell us. I'm going to try to call them tomorrow and see if I can get more specifics so I can pass it along to Jerry. It's strange that the cable worked when plugged into my TV (the basic channels, at least) but killed my TiVo.

Maybe in the past it was never a TiVo glitch with a signal being too hot, but rather a glitch with the cable provider's service that screwed with TiVo. 

So happy that I can record Burn Notice now.

Elton


----------



## InFromTheCold

InFromTheCold said:


> We are with TWC/NYC in Queens, we have a Tivo HD. Just after our first anniversary of Tivo-dom, we finally got around to buying a HDTV, on Memorial Day. The TV is hooked up to the Tivo via HDMI.
> 
> We're getting the green screen and the screech about once a week. I don't remember ever having this issue when we were on our regular digital signal, before we got the flatscreen. And from the timing, it can't be blamed solely on VS (though we have been watching the TDF). A reboot does the trick to get us back in business.


Just want to mention that I experienced this issue again a few minutes ago, at 10:52 am to be exact, watching the Tour (naturellement).


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## Brad Smith

I've had it happen twice this morning already while watching/recording the Tour.


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## kika2000

I haven't seen a GSAS since yesterday. What I am getting now is spontaneous reboots. Three since yesterday while watching/recording the TDF on VSHD.

I have an appointment with TWC today. I doubt they can do much, but I have reported the issue and it never hurts to check.


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## Eptiger

Kika: I had reboots while my TiVo was booting up during my GSAS issues the past few days. It could be related.

My cable providing has been upgrading their head-end equipment to give us stronger signal and better on-demand services, neither of which I really care about. That's caused my GSAS problems this week, it sounds like. Now I'm on a black screen for searching for signal since they've conked off my service again. I just want to watch Burn Notice in HD on my TV! 

Elton


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## kika2000

3:06 pm GSAS while re-attempting to record today's stage after this morning's spontaneous re-boot.

TWC sent a foreman out. They checked my signal. He says my upstream signal is a little high, but that shouldn't be knocking out the Tivo everyday.

I know I'm preaching to the choir - but I'm very frustrated. My DVR should be making my life easier - not more complicated. *sigh*


----------



## alyssa

Regarding the slightly high signal, Sasmps installed attenuators to dial back the signal. He reported the results starting on page 3.

When I had TWC out for another issue, I asked if he could dial back the signal; he was less than helpful. His comment was something to the effect of "I don't know what the tivo measures so I don't know how to do that"
Needless to say I didn't have a response to that aside from the obvious statement full of expletives.


----------



## dlfl

*Lance only 8 seconds back after stage 14 !!*

This _is_ the TDF thread, right?

Sorry I couldn't resist. 

If it's any consolation to those of you who are now mad at me, I can't even get the Versus HD channel.


----------



## kika2000

dlfl said:


> This _is_ the TDF thread, right?
> 
> Sorry I couldn't resist.
> 
> If it's any consolation to those of you who are now mad at me, I can't even get the Versus HD channel.


Unfortunately - we can't get it either.

GSAS at 7:30 am during stage 17.


----------



## Brad Smith

kika2000 said:


> Unfortunately - we can't get it either.
> 
> GSAS at 7:30 am during stage 17.


Same time for me this morning, too.


----------



## sasmps

Kika2000 and Brad Smith,

Are you both on the same provider? Brad, your info is below, but Kika not sure where you are.

Brad: 
Tivo HD XL 
Time Warner Cable (Upper Manhattan)
New York, New York
Tuner One: Versus HD (794)
Tuner Two: SyFy HD (717)
Time: 7:30 EDT, 22Jul09


----------



## simplicio

Add me to this morning's 7:30 victims.

TiVo HD
Time Warner Cable (Upper West Manhattan)
Tuner One: Versus HD (794)
Tuner Two: either 4 or 5, from my scheduled nightly SD reset, which I guess doesn't solve the problem.


----------



## InFromTheCold

I had several green screens on Sunday, none since then. Has this been resolved, then?


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## kika2000

sasmps said:


> Kika2000 and Brad Smith,
> 
> Are you both on the same provider? Brad, your info is below, but Kika not sure where you are.
> 
> Brad:
> Tivo HD XL
> Time Warner Cable (Upper Manhattan)


Yes I am with TWCNY - Brooklyn.

I don't know about the original Green Screen complaint, but I do think that at least a couple of us are suffering from issues that are specific to the TWCNY/VSHD Tour signal. I mentioned this in my service call to TWC, but I didn't get very far with it because TW's DVR's are handling the signal fairly well, so I think we are in the minority.

I have an SA8300HDC from TW as well as a Tivo, and occasionally, I come home to find a split recording on the cable dvr that corresponds in time to when the Tivo craps out. The big difference is that the 8300 just picks up where it left off - the Tivo craps out and starts blaring a siren for hours until I get home missing all other recordings until it is re-booted.

I'm hoping when the tour ends, so will my daily green screen/siren experience.


----------



## sasmps

So we are talking about VSHD, TWC in Ny, channel 794.

Do you know what QAM and Frequency that channel is using? (To find out, go to the Tivo Menu, select settings, and I believe it is under 'Channel').. someone may need to help me here as I am away from the Tivo and cant remember.

The reason I ask is to determine if it is the same frequency as some of the other 'select' channels around the country that others have had problems with (for me it is Home and Garden, Food Network). If they are all the same frequency, it suggest a problem the Tivo has with its tuning to that frequency (the common link we may all share). Often the providers will bundle several channels into the same frequency, giving you yet another channel that causes GSAS. 

So in Ny, the problem child is VSHD, in Kansas its H&G and FoodNetwork, and in other parts of the country under different providers, it shows up as a different channel. 

It would be very interesting if your VSHD is mapped to Frequency 705....


----------



## InFromTheCold

Quote: Still an issue?
I had several green screens on Sunday, none since then. Has this been resolved, then?

(answering own question) No, it hasn't.


----------



## InFromTheCold

sasmps said:


> So we are talking about VSHD, TWC in Ny, channel 794.
> 
> Do you know what QAM and Frequency that channel is using? (To find out, go to the Tivo Menu, select settings, and I believe it is under 'Channel').. someone may need to help me here as I am away from the Tivo and cant remember.
> 
> -snip-
> 
> It would be very interesting if your VSHD is mapped to Frequency 705....


Now that my Tivo has rebooted, I looked at Settings, then I selected Channels, which gave me 3 options: channel list, channel scan, and signal strength - cable. None of these appears to offer the info you requested. I'll poke around and see what I can come up with.


----------



## InFromTheCold

InFromTheCold said:


> None of these appears to offer the info you requested. I'll poke around and see what I can come up with.


Aha! It's hidden under Account & System Information, DVR Diagnostics. First it shows the info for the first tuner, then, scrolling down, for the second, which is tuned to 794. It says Frequency: 345000 KHz, and Modulation: QAM 256.

Not sure what it all means, but happy to help you test out your theory.


----------



## sasmps

So much for theory's.....

The QAM is the same, but the frequency is different. 

I have noticed different behavior since the 11.0d release. I have not GSAS'sd for over a week, so I am wondering if the problem just moved to a different frequency. I am trying to find what channel maps to 345000 and plan to park my tuners there just to see.


----------



## sasmps

Sent a PM to Cole07... looks like another GSAS victem. Below is requested info from Cole07 for the thread.

And....

Welcome to the forum Cole07, we look forward to hearing from you. 

Tivo Model
Location 
Provider 
Software Version 
Channel (what you are on when it locks)
Drive extender (yes or no)


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## TheSubmariner

Got my green screen this morning after about 2 week break.

I wasn't on Vs this time..

The only common denominator is that I too belong to Time Warner Palisades Park New Jersey.


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## InFromTheCold

This is becoming just too annoying. Had it twice while watching the Tour last night, left the Tivo parked on other channels that have never given me a problem (until now), and woke up to a green screen. Rebooted, got another green screen. That's a first. Am now going thru the powering up process, we'll see what happens. I'm missing Mont Ventoux!


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## kika2000

I made it through this morning's telecast until 10:13 - when I got the GSAS.
10:13 - that would be around 4km from the summit - you know, the good part of the race. 

VSHD ch794 TWC NY Frequency: 345000 KHz, and Modulation: QAM 256


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## markmptown

I am having similar issues. Truly painful. Also has been occuring with massive frequency since starting to watch the tour de france. And I also had a freeze about 4km from the summit. And another one about 15 mins after the broadcast ended (same channel though).


----------



## InFromTheCold

kika2000 said:


> I made it through this morning's telecast until 10:13 - when I got the GSAS.
> 10:13 - that would be around 4km from the summit - you know, the good part of the race.


I don't blame you for being upset. I was afraid something like that would happen to me. After two or three reboots this morning, I decided that seeing the finish was more important than having a HD picture, so I tuned back to VS on channel 122 (and also flipped to another SD channel after that so neither tuner would be anywhere near 794), and watched the finish in standard-def, but without interruption.

I had been really looking forward to seeing Paree tomorrow in all its HD glory, but I'm afraid that multiple reboots will harsh the mellow I'm hoping to develop from drinking champagne, eating croissants, and sipping cafe au lait... Wonder if the the champagne will still be bubbly if we watch in SD?


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## kika2000

InFromTheCold said:


> Wonder if the the champagne will still be bubbly if we watch in SD?


Everything is fizzier (oops, I mean fuzzier) in SD. 

I will be joining you in the land of the pillar-box.


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## InFromTheCold

kika2000 said:


> Everything is fizzier (oops, I mean fuzzier) in SD.
> 
> I will be joining you in the land of the pillar-box.


LOL

Actually, one plus of watching on 122 is that there is no pillar-boxing, at least I don't remember seeing any. I hadn't really thought about it until you mentioned it, but are there none of those ugly Versus bars on either side of the screen.


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## bagbklyn

I have 2 boxes and once a day I have to reset both boxes. I am on month to month with TiVo and seriously considering stopping the account until this gets rectified, I will ahve to go back to the Time Warner DVR but at least I won't have the GSAS. It has been going on for a long time without any resolution in sight.

Sorry just had to vent


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## Brad Smith

Back from a vacation. Of course, DVR has been green screening, and this time the cable cards were not receiving the encrypted channels after the reboot. Had to call TWC NYC to fix.


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## zarchon69

I had the same problem and changed my audio and video settings and the problem has gone away.


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## keiffer6

Here is my problem. When I got home tonight my wife informed me that our living room Tivo HD had nothing but a gray screen. The tivo will not respond to any remote key presses. As a matter of fact, the amber light on the tivo doesn't even light up when you press a button on the remote. 

I then proceeded to hard reboot (pull power) the tivo. When it came back up it gave me a GSOD. Telling me that it had found problems on the drive and was attempting to correct them. It said it could take 3 hours. I turned off the tv so as to avoid burn-in. 10 minutes later I turned the tv on to see if it had done anything and all I got was the gray screen again. Again, pressing buttons on the remote do absolutely nothing. 

I tried a hard reboot again. This time however, before plugging the power back in, I disconnected the coax cable in case the cable provider signal was causing an issue. I was hoping at least I could see the tivo boot up into the main menu and be able to see settings and whatnot. So, I plugged the power back in and got a GSOD again. 5 or 10 minutes later I checked and I am back to the gray screen and nothing works.

I have gotten a GSOD a number of months ago. However, at that time it ran it's course and the tivo worked fine ever since then.

This tivo HD is perhaps 18 months old. I have a Series 3 tivo in the bedroom that is still working. 

My final test was to take the tivo HD into the bedroom and hook it up in there where my series 3 is known in working condition. The result, no GSOD but still only a gray screen with the remote not doing anything.

Does it sound like the tivo is dead? I guess I need to call tivo support and see what they say. I will be upset if the unit is dead, I am out of warranty, and my only option is to buy another one. I have had tivo's for at least 10 years now. My first tivo was a Directivo. My old series one tivo's lasted for at least 5 years and the only reason I got rid of them was to get these HD tivos. They were still working fine. I surely hope the quality of the tivo's has not decreased so much that the units last only 1 - 2 years. 

Anyway, sorry for the novel. Anyone have any thoughts?


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## keiffer6

I just brought the tivo back into the living room and hooked it back up so I could call tivo. Low and behold, it booted up and everything appears to be working fine now.

However, on a side note, when the tivo came up and the tivo video (the one that plays on boot up) was playing the video was extremely choppy and the tivo would not respond to remote for quite a while.

Watching a digital channel right now and the channel is getting choppy and freezing. Change the channel and that channel works fine. Change back to the original channel that was freezing and it works again. Slowly it starts getting choppy again.

*Edit: *
Looking at the DVR Diagnostics, the HD channel that I have been watching that keeps freezing shows the following information: 
Modulation: QAM256
Signal strength: 68
SNR: 32 dB

I do not notice freezing or choppy video as much on other channels.


----------



## keiffer6

Well, we are back to the gray screen and the remote not working. The tivo rebooted on it's own and then came up to the gray screen.

Guess a call to tivo is in my very near future.


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## richsadams

keiffer6 said:


> Well, we are back to the gray screen and the remote not working. The tivo rebooted on it's own and then came up to the gray screen.
> 
> Guess a call to tivo is in my very near future.


Sorry to hear that you're having trouble.

A couple of thoughts come to mind. One is that your signal strength is pretty low, at least on that channel. You might want to check on some others because that can certainly cause problems. If there are any splitters, etc., try removing them to see if the SS improves...and if everything else improves as well. If that's the case you may want to contact your cableco to see if they can check your signal.

Do you have an eSATA drive attached?

The other thought is that your hard drive either has corrupted data or is failing. You could try running a couple of TiVo's built-in diagnostics called "Kickstarts" to see if it can resolve things on it's own.

Kickstart Instructions: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5643823#post5643823

Otherwise, a call to TiVo is in order.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes.


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## keiffer6

Richsadams,

Thanks for the reply. 

There are no splitters (at least that I have added) and I do not have an eSATA drive. 

Unfortunately, I am unable to check signal strength. Once my tivo gets to this gray screen that it is on, nothing works. Foremost, the remote control doesn't work. So I have no way of getting into menu's to do any kind of checking or diagnostics.  The tivo is basically frozen. 

I will take a look at the link you posted. If I can ever get my tivo boot up without the gray screen I will see if that helps.

Thanks


----------



## richsadams

keiffer6 said:


> I will take a look at the link you posted. If I can ever get my tivo boot up without the gray screen I will see if that helps.
> 
> Thanks


The kickstarts are started prior to anything but the Welcome...powering up screen being visible. If you follow the directions carefully you should be able to get it to do those diagnostics/repairs at least.


----------



## keiffer6

Great. Thanks for the info. I will try that this evening when I get home. I will post back my results. Keeping my fingers crossed. 

The last thing I want to do is replace the tivo and have to deal with my cable company again. We live in a rural area outside Little Rock, AR and the cable company knows absolutely nothing about the cable cards. It took me 4 on-site and numerous calls to their 800 number to get the cablecards in this unit working properly. I don't look forward to doing that again.


----------



## keiffer6

Richsadams,

I was going to attempt the kickstarts you recommended when I got home. Unfortunately, it appears the tivo has gotten even worse. At this point, when I plug in the power, the tivo comes up with the "Welcome...Powering Up" screen. Stays there for maybe 10 seconds and then goes immediately to the gray screen. I don't even get the "Almost there" screen anymore. I tried doing the "hold the pause button down until the amber light comes on and then press 5 7" but the amber light never came on. 

So, anyway, I called tivo support. The support tech had me do a couple of things that of course ended with the same result - gray screen. Finally, he decided he wanted me to unplug for 2 hours, then plug back in. If it still had the gray screen, leave it for 30 minutes. If after that time it still had the gray screen then call back. At that point he said it was likely that we would have to discuss swapping the tivo for a new tivo.

Before I left him off the phone I asked him what a swap out would entail. He proceeded to tell me that it would cost me "service and parts"??? He then proceeded to tell me that it would likely be $149. Really? For a tivo that is only 13 months old? That floored me and not trying to be rude I told him that I thought that was ridiculous. I am sorry, but I refuse to pay $149 for to replace a tivo that is just over a year old. 

Since opening the tivo up would void any warranty I had, I have never looked to see what kind of drive is in there. My experience has been that most decent hard drive manufacturers offer 2 to 3 year warranties on their hard drives. Since the hard drive is really the only moving part in the tivo and the most likely point of failure, I am imagining that my problem is a corrupt or damaged hard drive. 

I just can't believe that a loyal tivo customer with 2 tivo's that are both on a monthly sub plan would have to pay $149 to replace a 13 month old tivo. I hate to say it, but depending on the outcome of the call back to support that I am about to make, could be the difference between a loyal tivo customer and an ex-tivo customer.


----------



## richsadams

Yes, it's unfortunate but TiVo's only have a one-year warranty. Since it's only 13 months old you could push the issue to a second level support person. There have been others that were able to get the $49 exchange fee they charge for TiVo's a year old or less. Threatening to cancel your TiVo subscriptions completely can often get their attention as well. Being polite but firm seems to work sometimes.

That said, you're correct, it's probably a hard drive. Replacing it isn't that hard or expensive (a little less than $100 plus $19.99 for a new image from DVRUpgrade called Instant Cake.) and in essence you'd have a brand new TiVo w/quadruple the recording space. If you click on the link below my signature you'll find all of the info you need. 

Unfortunately TiVo's hard drives (WD) are not warranted separately but most manufacturers have three-year warranties on OEM drives now if you were to DIY.

Best of luck and let us know how things shake out.


----------



## keiffer6

Thanks for the info. 

I am still a loyal tivo customer. After talking with a few different people at tivo, and kindly but firmly explaining my dismay, they are sending me a replacement box and waiving the fee. 

I was shocked though when the tech guy told me that it would be $149 and then I asked how much it would have been had this happened a month ago when it was still in warranty. He said $49. 1 month made a $100 difference.

Anyway, thanks for all your help and advice. I went ahead and did the advance program where they send me a tivo first and then I send mine back once I get that one. So I should have my replacement in a few days. Then the real fun begins...getting my po-dunk cable company (Suddenlink) to pair my M-Card to the new tivo. I am hoping I can just do that over the phone rather than having a tech come out.


----------



## richsadams

keiffer6 said:


> Thanks for the info.
> 
> I am still a loyal tivo customer. After talking with a few different people at tivo, and kindly but firmly explaining my dismay, they are sending me a replacement box and waiving the fee.
> 
> I was shocked though when the tech guy told me that it would be $149 and then I asked how much it would have been had this happened a month ago when it was still in warranty. He said $49. 1 month made a $100 difference.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all your help and advice. I went ahead and did the advance program where they send me a tivo first and then I send mine back once I get that one. So I should have my replacement in a few days. Then the real fun begins...getting my po-dunk cable company (Suddenlink) to pair my M-Card to the new tivo. I am hoping I can just do that over the phone rather than having a tech come out.


Nice work! I'll give TiVo credit though. There aren't many companies that will still replace their product for cents on the dollar. Most will tell you sorry, but take a hike once the warranty has expired. They aren't the Nordstrom's of the CE world, but they do better than most IMHO.

Best of luck with the cable card. There's no reason you can't do that over the phone if you can read three sets of numbers back to them, but it's amazing how most cableco's refuse to do that. At least give the consumer the option and if it doesn't work, then send someone out. Sheesh!

Enjoy your new TiVo!


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## TiVoJerry

Getting back on topic, I need a few volunteers. Since Time Warner accounts for the majority of the reports I currently have;
(1) IF you are a Time Warner customer in New York running into this issue and (2) you will allow me to pass your contact information along to TW, then (3) please send me a Private Message (or email [email protected]) today or tomorrow at the latest giving permission to pass this information along. I assume it means TW may wish to contact you directly to assist with the investigation but I do not know for sure.

Why the deadline? I will be traveling to one of our call centers the next two weeks and have duties that will keep me away from the forum, likely for the duration of the two weeks. My signature will be changing temporarily to reflect this.


----------



## Grumock

I am curious if people are still getting the GSOD now that the Tour De France is over?


----------



## Brad Smith

Grumock said:


> I am curious if people are still getting the GSOD now that the Tour De France is over?


I definitely don't get it as much anymore, but I also am not recording much HD at the moment.


----------



## Grumock

did it seem to happen when you were recording the VS HD more then just watching it?


----------



## Brad Smith

Grumock said:


> did it seem to happen when you were recording the VS HD more then just watching it?


Didn't matter. The simple act of the tuner being on the channel seemed to cause the problem.


----------



## Brad Smith

Just got off the phone with TWC NY's cable card support. They called me as part of their research into the problem (thanks Jerry!). They asked a couple questions about channels, time of day, etc. I told them as much as I could based on what I've experienced and read in this thread. I also asked if there's anything I could help test out or any other information I could provide them, but they said no. They're definitely looking into things on the TWC end, so we'll see.


----------



## kika2000

They also called me this morning (my thanks to Jerry as well).

I told them that I hadn't seen a GSAS since the end of the tour but I couldn't be sure if it was VS HD or the tour because that's all I really watch on VS.

Came home today to GSAS! Lovely. I don't remember what channels I was on before I left, but both tuners are parked on 711 PIX after the reboot.

I had so hoped this was over.


----------



## Brad Smith

kika2000 said:


> They also called me this morning (my thanks to Jerry as well).
> 
> I told them that I hadn't seen a GSAS since the end of the tour but I couldn't be sure if it was VS HD or the tour because that's all I really watch on VS.
> 
> Came home today to GSAS! Lovely. I don't remember what channels I was on before I left, but both tuners are parked on 711 PIX after the reboot.
> 
> I had so hoped this was over.


Yeah, I'm not really sure it's Versus, either, as right now I'm not recording much of anything in HD. So basically my tuners are staying parked on SD channels most of the day, unlike during the Tour.


----------



## kika2000

Brad Smith said:


> Yeah, I'm not really sure it's Versus, either, as right now I'm not recording much of anything in HD. So basically my tuners are staying parked on SD channels most of the day, unlike during the Tour.


I was REALLY hoping it was Versus.
On a slightly different note, I just got an email notifying me of changes to the channel line up on Time Warner Cable in the NYC area.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/nynj/learn/cable/aug19changes.html

They are adding a some new HD channels and moving some old ones, including VSHD which may or may not change anything.

I was assuming it was a signal issue for a specific station. If it isn't, is it a problem with my Tivo, or is it a problem with Tivos in general? Should I be thinking about contacting Tivo to have mine repaired?

Not being able to watch HDTV on my HDTivo is not an option I want to just live with.


----------



## busyba

I've got the signal meter pegged at 100 for what seems to be all of my channels, _except_ EPSN-2, which is in the 60's, so if I use the attenuator, that's going to pretty much kill that one channel, no?


----------



## InFromTheCold

Brad Smith said:


> Yeah, I'm not really sure it's Versus, either, as right now I'm not recording much of anything in HD. So basically my tuners are staying parked on SD channels most of the day, unlike during the Tour.


It's hard to imagine that TWC or Tivo will figure this out from the patchwork of our various anecdotal experiences. I'm curious to see if this gets resolved, and what the cause turns out to be. Since the tour ended, I've been pretty much staying with 3 HD channels, none of them Versus. No GSAS since that last day in Paris. (We'll always have Paris...)


----------



## Grumock

kika2000 said:


> I was REALLY hoping it was Versus.
> On a slightly different note, I just got an email notifying me of changes to the channel line up on Time Warner Cable in the NYC area.
> 
> http://www.timewarnercable.com/nynj/learn/cable/aug19changes.html
> 
> They are adding a some new HD channels and moving some old ones, including VSHD which may or may not change anything.
> 
> I was assuming it was a signal issue for a specific station. If it isn't, is it a problem with my Tivo, or is it a problem with Tivos in general? Should I be thinking about contacting Tivo to have mine repaired?
> 
> Not being able to watch HDTV on my HDTivo is not an option I want to just live with.


this is such a strange issue it is hard to say if them moving the channels will fix the issue. I know some of us were thinking maybe a Freq. issue but i would think that more then one channel would experience the same thing then.


----------



## sasmps

Good to see others are coming to some of the same conclusions I have. It does seem to be specific channels, but not always. It is almost always a HD channel, and the likelyhood of a GSAS goes up if both tuners are engaged on HD content. It is also a cumulative behavior.... the longer you are tuned in, the higher the likelyhood. It may take a week, a day, an hour or 3 days. 

I beleive it is a Tivo issue, the content providers are doing something that the Tivo software is not expecting. Tivo has the burden of compatibility. It is imparitive the the two work together to identify the offending event, and make the necessary adjustments in a new Tivo service level. 

If your service provider (TWC) is moving its line up around, it may well impact your GSAS frequency. If you start watching different channels, and or the content provider moves the frequency or Qam for that particular channel, you may notice a difference. I know Jerry was looking at some specifics regarding the frequency of different channels ... possibly looking for a common link between us all. 

On kika200's question about getting the Tivo repaired... I have been through 3 brand new, out of the box units. They all behaved this way. It seems secific to the TIVO HD model... my Tivo S3 has not had a single issue. So I do not beleive the issue can be repaired with Hardware... (ruleing out all the other things that can go wrong).


----------



## pyk133

Hey All, 

I was involved with this thread early on, Tivo HD w/ TWC in Lower Manhattan. I think it's a loss of sync on premium HD channels which which is causing the Tivo to freak out and go GSOD. This is my anecdote:

Happy Tivo user until TWC upgraded its HD lineup earlier this year for lower Manhattan, around Feb. GSOD constantly since that expansion of HD channels. I have swapped out brand new Tivo HD's and same problem so it's something buggy in the platform (HW or SW), not a buggy individual unit. I have put the Tivo HD into my bedroom and only watch/record SD or "free" HD channels (NBCHD, ABCHD, CBSHD, PIX, et al...) and it's pretty stable. If I try to watch/record "premium" (i.e. encrypted?) HD channels like HBOHD, AMCHD or GolfHD, GSOD results pretty soon thereafter. I think the GSOD is caused by loss of sync which may in turn be caused by whatever protection technology TWC uses for its premium HD channels.

The MAJOR data point I have is that I have a TWC Scientific Atlanta 8300HDC STB in my main viewing room. The loss of sync occurs on that box as well. How do I know? Because periodically there is a message from the 8300 that says "loss of sync" (whatever that is) and the picture is frozen (call it a hiccup). BUT - and the main difference with the Tivo - the 8300 recovers somewhat gracefully after 5-10 seconds, or if I just change the channel. But the Tivo goes GSOD. I've done experiments where I park the Tivo and the 8300 on the same HD channel and when I see the 8300 hiccup, I run over to the Tivo and sure enough it's gone GSOD.

I watch GolfHD often (same as those watching Versus during the Tour de France), and the 8300 hiccups alot, any time of day. The TWC tech who came by the other day wished me good luck as he had no idea how I might troubleshoot that within the TWC organization. 

To me, this seems like enough information to at least have some idea what might be causing GSOD, for either TWC or Tivo. I have experienced some pretty specific data points - the expansion of the TWC cable lineup last Feb and whatever causes the Tivo to GSOD also causes the 8300 to hiccup. There may have been a Tivo OS upgrade sometime around Feb of this year as well but I don't have info on that. 

Does anyone else out there have a TWC STB (SA 8300 HDC?) and experience the same hiccups?


----------



## kika2000

pyk133 said:


> Does anyone else out there have a TWC STB (SA 8300 HDC?) and experience the same hiccups?


Yes. I have experienced exactly the same thing.

While watching the tour, sometimes I would have both tvs on and tuned to VSHD. The 8300 would occasionally suffer a 'glitch' which would cause a break in the recording, it would always recover - although sometimes I would end up with two partial recordings for the same event, but the Tivo would always bomb to the green screen.

I did not experience the 'hiccup' every time the Tivo would GSAS, but every time I had a 'hiccup' that affected the SA8300HDC, the Tivo was affected as well.

I don't recall ever seeing the 'loss of sync' message, but I could have missed it in the chaos that usually followed the Tivo blaring that crazy alarm and freaking everybody out. (I now have friends that refuse to turn it on...)

I did mention this both to the tech and to the TWC representative who called me about the problem. Hopefully someone figures out what the issue is and how to fix it - soon.


----------



## CaptDS9E

Bah I missed jerry's post. would have been happy to help TWC. My brothers Tivo had the sound again, but on a black screen this time, not green. Mine has been fine for a while


----------



## BryInSF

OK, so I've been experiencing VERY similar problems with my Tivo for the past month or so and am at the point where I'm considering just ditching the damned thing and going with my cable provider's DVR solution instead (even though we all know the Tivo has the better interface / feature set). My Tivo is simply freezing and rebooting (to the extreme). I'm not seeing the green screen or experiencing the screeching sound, but the box simply cannot go a day without rebooting and freezing.

My issue:
I have the original Series 3 HD (with the OLED display), two cable cards provided by Comcast Cable (here in San Francisco). It's connected to a Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR4 TV. I'm closing in on three years of ownership.

About a month ago I came home to a frozen Tivo and was a little frustrated, because 1.] it'd never happened before and 2.] it happened while recording one of my favorite shows.

When the reboot completed, the Tivo menus took an incredibly long time to redraw -- like literally five minutes for the "Now Playing" screen to finish assembling itself. First the green background would appear, then veeerrryyy slowly, the programs would appear in the list one at a time (over the course of five minutes or so). After all of that completed, I attempted to control the Tivo with the remote and it was unresponsive. The amber light (confirming remote command reception) never illuminated, so it was difficult to tell whether the unit was even receiving commands after the original command to display the "Now Playing" menu. Then, it rebooted spontaneously, and I was dragged through the whole ordeal again. Then, it rebooted yet again.

Having no explanation for why this was happening, I did what any decently informed person would do -- I hit the web for resources, and stumbled on this site and topic. Since reading every single entry (sasmps and richsadams are my new heroes), I've managed to isolate the problem, but have been unsuccessful in fixing it:

1.] The problem ALWAYS occurs when both tuners are tuned to HD channels
2.] The problem FREQUENTLY occurs when one tuner is tuned to an HD channel and the other is tuned to an SD channel.
3.] Took the advice of several posters here and bought an attenuator kit. Have tried several combinations of these modules to no avail.
4.] Unplugging the TV cable from the Tivo ALWAYS fixes the freezing issue (navigation on the Tivo is snappy, I'm able to access and watch previously recorded programs with no issues whatsoever)... of course, no signal = no fresh content, so I'm hosed because I've finally caught up on my programming and nothing new is coming in 
5.] The minute I reconnect the cable signal to the Tivo box, everything goes haywire... freezing, crashing, multiple lengthy reboot processes, etc. UNLESS I very quickly park both tuners on low-def channels.

My question is what has changed between the previous two+ years of flawless service, and the last nightmarish month? Why isn't Tivo correcting this issue? Even if it's something being squirted through the cable that Tivo cannot handle, shouldn't the good folks at Tivo attempt to correct their end of things?

I've owned at least one of each series introduced from the very beginning (including the cool Humax Series 2 DVR with built-in DVD recorder) so I'm not a Tivo n00b. After all these years of evangelizing the service and compelling my friends and family to give it a try... I can't help but feel let down at this point. I'm seriously considering throwing in the towel and going with the Comcast DVR.

Pros:
- Access to OnDemand programming
- One stop for support (their signal... their box...)

Cons:
- Pitiful user interface
- No online scheduling
- Ugly hardware

Help me Tivo Jerry -- You're my only hope. <-- seriously.


----------



## richsadams

BryInSF said:


> OK, so I've been experiencing VERY similar problems with my Tivo for the past month or so and am at the point where...<snip>


Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear that it's under frustrating circumstances. All of the problems you're describing are classic examples of hard drive failure, not an unusual situation for an aging hard drive that runs 24/7. Some last for many years, others not so long.

By removing the coax you're resolving an input issue which allows the unit to run "normally". The data throughput when two HD channels are tuned is far greater than with SD. Add to that other activity such as broadband downloads, guide updates, etc. in the background and a faulty hard drive can be overloaded and unable to handle error corrections to the point where TiVo will not respond normally and will ultimately reboot.

You could try running a couple of TiVo built-in diagnostic/repair programs called "Kickstarts". That may fix things, but it's more likely that you'll need to replace the hard drive. Since you don't have 10 posts you won't see text links to the various threads so here's the URL for the Kickstart info:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5643823#post5643823

Replacing a hard drive is a fairly simple DIY procedure if you have a little computer experience. This may be a good opportunity to upgrade to a larger drive (as much as 1TB which can be done for less than $100). More information can be found on the Drive Expansion and Drive Upgrade FAQ sticky thread. Here is the link:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5616160#post5616160

Or you could opt to buy a pre-imaged drive from a third-party source including the TCF sponsor DVRUpgrade. Here's the link to DVRUpgrade:

http://www.dvrupgrade.com

One other option would be to contact TiVo for an exchange. Since your TiVo is past the one-year warranty (and if they have units in stock) they may be able to exchange it for a refurbished unit for $149.

Hope that helps, best of luck and let us know how things turn out.


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## sasmps

BRYinSF,

A few observations from your post... First you have a S3, and not the TivoHD, correct? Second, you have problems with repainting the menu. 

Most of us suffering from the GSAS ailment have HD's, and pulling the plug and rebooting works fine... although it may GSAS again it still boots ok. I think you have a disk on the way out. 

Figuring your unit is at least 3 years old (time flies) the disk is a good bet.
I would definitly invest in repairing a S3 (I love mine). The tuners are more robust than the HD's in handeling signal anomalies, along with faster file transfer capability. 

Give Riche's suggestion a try with the kickstart programs (I ran those on my HD a while back just to verify it was not the disk). If the result is not good, take a look at the threads on disk replacement. 

Tivo Jerry has been on walk about for the last two weeks, hope to see his smiling face on this thread next week.

Oh... and after a blissfull 12 days with no GSAS, I had 3 this weekend. One was a full blown GSAS, the others were freezes. We had thunderstorms, and that always results in a lock up. (But my S3 never missed a beat).


----------



## sasmps

Thought of something else... your cable cards. How old are they? If your provider has switched to some new network topology and upgraded there support to MS cards, you may be experienceing a problem if yours are single stream. This is where my problems started. I did replace all the single streams with multistreams back in April. The S3 still requires 2 cards, even if there MS's, but the compatibility may be improved. 

Just call your provider and telll them you want to drop by there office and swap your cards. You can install them yourself, once they are in, just call your providers support number (usually displayed on the card set up screen) and give them the and give them the hosti d and cablecard id and tell them to refresh your credentials. 

Just a thought...


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## BryInSF

To richsadams and sasmps -- thanks for the tips!

Unfortunately, after an exhausting weekend of tinkering, I think I've ruined my original drive (or it died in the process of me trying to salvage it).

Followed one of the DIY drive-replacement steps that Rich suggested. Bought a 1TB drive, downloaded WinMFS, installed both the original TiVo drive and the new 1TB drive in my PC and attempted to copy my original drive image over to the new one. The WinMFS app froze about halfway through the procedure. I tried several more times, but received the same result (freezing about halfway through the process).

Having failed at that, I figured I'd simply re-install the original TiVo drive in my S3 TiVo since it contained programs I wanted to watch and, at the very least, could occasionally pick up low-definition TV channels. When I finished replacing the drive, and buttoned up the box, I powered it on and received the "Welcome! Powering up..." screen. Then it went blank, and the TiVo restarted, and gave me the same screen again. It repeated this several times before I gave up and unplugged the box. I'm thinking the drive is now dead.

I think my next step will be to download the InstantCake CD image so I can just wipe the new 1TB drive and install the TiVo S3 software. Of course, I'm probably going to have to have my cable company come out now to re-set the cable cards. The bastards won't do that over the phone, which means I've got to take a vacation day so I'm at home during their four-hour service window.

I really appreciate both of you for the helpful suggestions though. I may never have attempted the fix if you hadn't helped me understand how to find the resources to do it myself. I'll let you both know how the InstantCake process unfolds. I'm going to tackle that when I get home from work tonight.

Thanks again for the help guys.

Bryan


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## Grumock

Not sure why you would have to contact your cable provider? You did not swap out the card readers so the pairing should still be set.


----------



## Grumock

BryInSF said:


> To richsadams and sasmps -- thanks for the tips!
> 
> Unfortunately, after an exhausting weekend of tinkering, I think I've ruined my original drive (or it died in the process of me trying to salvage it).
> 
> Followed one of the DIY drive-replacement steps that Rich suggested. Bought a 1TB drive, downloaded WinMFS, installed both the original TiVo drive and the new 1TB drive in my PC and attempted to copy my original drive image over to the new one. The WinMFS app froze about halfway through the procedure. I tried several more times, but received the same result (freezing about halfway through the process).
> 
> Having failed at that, I figured I'd simply re-install the original TiVo drive in my S3 TiVo since it contained programs I wanted to watch and, at the very least, could occasionally pick up low-definition TV channels. When I finished replacing the drive, and buttoned up the box, I powered it on and received the "Welcome! Powering up..." screen. Then it went blank, and the TiVo restarted, and gave me the same screen again. It repeated this several times before I gave up and unplugged the box. I'm thinking the drive is now dead.
> 
> I think my next step will be to download the InstantCake CD image so I can just wipe the new 1TB drive and install the TiVo S3 software. Of course, I'm probably going to have to have my cable company come out now to re-set the cable cards. The bastards won't do that over the phone, which means I've got to take a vacation day so I'm at home during their four-hour service window.
> 
> I really appreciate both of you for the helpful suggestions though. I may never have attempted the fix if you hadn't helped me understand how to find the resources to do it myself. I'll let you both know how the InstantCake process unfolds. I'm going to tackle that when I get home from work tonight.
> 
> Thanks again for the help guys.
> 
> Bryan


as long as you have the cards in the same readers that they were originally in then i dont understand the need to contact your cable provider.


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## richsadams

Grumock said:


> as long as you have the cards in the same readers that they were originally in then i dont understand the need to contact your cable provider.


Because the cable cards are paired via software. (Unless you have VZ FIOS in which case they are never paired.) Using IC will create a brand new image so they will need to be paired just as if the OP had purchased a new TiVo. As time passes and cableco's get more accustomed to cable cards more and more are allowing users to pair them over the phone (reading back a few numbers on the CC info screen). But some aren't as progressive as others and even within companies it all depends on what the SOP is locally.



BryInSF said:


> Unfortunately, after an exhausting weekend of tinkering, I think I've ruined my original drive (or it died in the process of me trying to salvage it).


Sorry to hear that. As they say...these things happen. IC should do just fine for you. Keep us posted!


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## sasmps

And I thought these things only happened to me 

I would bet it died during the recovery process... when a hard drive starts to go, everytime it spins it corrupts data. 

Stick close to the forum during your effort... Riches will be there for you.


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## BryInSF

OK, so the TiVo Gods are clearly not in my corner. I managed to get InstantCake up and running on my computer -- full disclosure -- I'm using a MacPro tower and am using the BootCamp feature to boot into Windows XP. Don't have access to BIOS, but the Mac was smart enough to boot from the InstantCake CD anyway 

Trouble is... the InstantCake app/OS won't recognize my CD drive or the SATA drive I'm trying to prep for my TiVo. I've tried every possible combination of drive codes (sda, sdb, hda, hdb, etc...) to no avail. I've been trying for three days (in-between work and the hustle and bustle of my normal every-day personal commitments). Have one last option though -- a guy at work is a Linux expert and claims to have upgraded his Series 3 TiVo drive several times. He's agreed to help me figure out what's wrong. Will keep you guys posted.

Incredibly frustrating to be without TV this long. Fortunately, several of my favorite shows are available via iTunes, so I've been able to download them to my Apple TV to keep up.


----------



## Brad Smith

ANother green screen tonight. On Versus HD for the Tour of Ireland. Apparently my TiVo is just a worthless piece of hardware. Hasn't recorded a single HD show I want to watch lately except for Top Chef Masters.


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## kika2000

Brad Smith said:


> ANother green screen tonight. On Versus HD for the Tour of Ireland. Apparently my TiVo is just a worthless piece of hardware. Hasn't recorded a single HD show I want to watch lately except for Top Chef Masters.


About 1:08 in?

No GSAS for me today, but reading this made me check and I've got a partial recording of the tour of Ireland that stops at 1:08.

Maybe Tivo hates cyclists...


----------



## bsjd00

Add me to the list of TWC NYC customers with the same GSOD. In my case, the screen is blank (no message) but I also receive the high-pitched screech. It can be frightening if you turn the TV on early in the morning!

A few data points to share...

I've had an S3 for 2 years and an HD for 18 months. The S3 has two cablecards while the HD has a single multistream card. The GSOD only happens on the HD, never on the S3.

Also, even though the HD is about 18 months old, the GSOD only started happening earlier this year, possibly around the same time that TWC did its previous lineup change.


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## Eptiger

Just happened to me here in Seattle, WA on Broadstripe on Food HD. It looks like GSAS is common with Food HD. That's sucks since Food Network looks gorgeous in HD.

Timestamped my logs and e-mailed Jerry. Hope he's making progress!

Elton


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## DeWitt

BryInSF said:


> OK, so the TiVo Gods are clearly not in my corner. I managed to get InstantCake up and running on my computer -- full disclosure -- I'm using a MacPro tower and am using the BootCamp feature to boot into Windows XP. Don't have access to BIOS, but the Mac was smart enough to boot from the InstantCake CD anyway
> 
> Trouble is... the InstantCake app/OS won't recognize my CD drive or the SATA drive I'm trying to prep for my TiVo. I've tried every possible combination of drive codes (sda, sdb, hda, hdb, etc...) to no avail. I've been trying for three days (in-between work and the hustle and bustle of my normal every-day personal commitments). Have one last option though -- a guy at work is a Linux expert and claims to have upgraded his Series 3 TiVo drive several times. He's agreed to help me figure out what's wrong. Will keep you guys posted.
> 
> Incredibly frustrating to be without TV this long. Fortunately, several of my favorite shows are available via iTunes, so I've been able to download them to my Apple TV to keep up.


I had the same problem with Instant Cake.

Solved it by getting a USB to SATA interface and using an old PC. Worked fine. No combination I tried worked with the newer controller in my current PC.


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## marksis

Started getting GS (no text) siren, and freezing today - happened three times.

Called Tivo, CS said that my signal strength was too high, causing RS corrected errors in 50-90,000 range - it should be zero.

He said to call TWC and get them to attenuate and filter the signal.


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## marksis

1) What kind of TV do you have?
*
Panasonic Plasma 9UK*

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL?

*Tivo HD*

3) Where are you located?

*Manhattan
*
4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider?
*
TWC*

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component?
*
HDMI*

6) When did this problem start?
*
Today, 8/31/09*

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen?

*Two hours ago*

I'd love if our information provided a patter that I can present to the Tivo people. I, like you all, am getting tired of this and would really love for some solution to be discovered! I'm regretting my Tivo purchase at the moment!


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## kika2000

marksis said:


> I'd love if our information provided a patter that I can present to the Tivo people. I, like you all, am getting tired of this and would really love for some solution to be discovered! I'm regretting my Tivo purchase at the moment!


Try calling Time Warner Cable Card Support at 866 532 2598

This is the department that got in touch with me when TivoJerry asked for volunteers to follow up with TWC about this issue.

The more of us that speak out, the more likely someone at Tivo or Time Warner might actually pay attention and try to solve the problem.

This issue is a deal-breaker for me and at this point I don't care who fixes it or who's fault it is.


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## Grumock

kika2000 said:


> Try calling Time Warner Cable Card Support at 866 532 2598
> 
> This is the department that got in touch with me when TivoJerry asked for volunteers to follow up with TWC about this issue.
> 
> The more of us that speak out, the more likely someone at Tivo or Time Warner might actually pay attention and try to solve the problem.
> 
> This issue is a deal-breaker for me and at this point I don't care who fixes it or who's fault it is.


I have been told that i need to contact my local office when i call that number. I know that they were taking some information for the green screen issue but, they just asked the same questions that the last poster asked.


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## Grumock

richsadams said:


> Because the cable cards are paired via software. (Unless you have VZ FIOS in which case they are never paired.) Using IC will create a brand new image so they will need to be paired just as if the OP had purchased a new TiVo. As time passes and cableco's get more accustomed to cable cards more and more are allowing users to pair them over the phone (reading back a few numbers on the CC info screen). But some aren't as progressive as others and even within companies it all depends on what the SOP is locally.
> 
> Sorry to hear that. As they say...these things happen. IC should do just fine for you. Keep us posted!


Sorry was not understanding why he needed to get them repaired if the cards were still in the original host slots. The host never changes. I know that sometimes them unpairing & pairing the cards will help re-establish channels, but i guess i was not understanding that maybe he got new readers. Or is it that he has Motorola cards? in that case the data may change.


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## adn

TWC cable NY customer. TIVO HDXL. Had repeated instances of GSAS during TDF on Versus HD (always the same -- green screen and blaring siren like sound). 

Since end of TDF much less frequent, although has happened while watching YESHD and a few other HD channels. Signal strength seems to consistently be at 100 when I check.

TIVO technician on phone recommended getting an attenuator and a RF filter. Have seen previous threads on attenuator. Does anyone (TWC NY customers in particular) think this helps. Do you recommend 20db attenuator or something less? A particular brand?

What about a RF filter? Has anyone tried this?


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## richsadams

adn said:


> TIVO technician on phone recommended getting an attenuator and a RF filter. Have seen previous threads on attenuator. Does anyone (TWC NY customers in particular) think this helps. Do you recommend 20db attenuator or something less? A particular brand?


You can pick up a pack of attenuators for $12.99. You can try various amounts (or combinations by connecting them in series). No idea if this will cure the problem, but it will certainly knock the signal down.

http://www.smarthome.com/7800.html


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## sasmps

I suggest you get the variety pack... comes with adaptors for different levels of attenuation ( 3 DB, 6 Db, etc.). You may need to mix an match to get the levels where you want them.


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## LeisureFootwear

I had TWC in NYC (Brooklyn) install a CableCARD in my HD TiVO on Friday and within 12 hours I experienced the "blank screen, blaring siren". After pulling the plug and rebooting the TiVO was okay for another few hours, but was locked up and screeching (via the audio outs) when I turned on the TV the next morning.

After finding this thread, I installed a 6dB signal buffer on 9/5 and everything behaved for a whopping four days. I turned on the TV to find the TiVO locked up and screeching again this morning.

I've PM'ed TiVOJerry with my TSN to get on his list, but haven't heard back yet.

My question for the thread here is: Has anyone actually been able to eliminate this problem by installing signal buffers? I see it recommended all over the place, but I've yet to see any evidence of it actually fixing the problem for anyone.


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## sasmps

You would be correct.... the attenuators do not correct the problem. It can delay another GSAS however by a week or more in most cases. 

They do not know the cause, and I cant say that TivoJerry's logging of the devices has helped them much. 

I will tell you that the problem comes and goes, I have had 3 weeks of no GSAS issues, but prior to that I got 3 in a row over the course of 3 days. 

I suggest you employ the other tactic that buys you time, and that is to move your tuners at night to the analoge band. You have two tuners, so move one or both (just go to the channel, like channel 5) then hit the channel up or down button on the remote. I do this before I go to bed.


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## BryInSF

Problem solved guys. And thanks again to both richsadams and sasmps for their support.

Turned out my pal at work was able to muscle IC onto my new 1TB hard drive so now my Series 3 TiVo is back in business. Six weeks without TiVo really exposed how much time I actually spend watching TV. It was weird to have to resort to the Internet for my evening entertainment -- and we all know where that usually leads. Glad TiVo is back


----------



## richsadams

BryInSF said:


> Problem solved guys.


Excellent news! :up: And now back to your regularly scheduled programs.


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## mhchu

Thought I'd add my data point here - I just experienced the GSAS on my TiVo HD (physical appearance is TiVo HD but System Information shows Platform as Series3) but it was probably sometime between 12:00 noon and 5:00pm Central time because my last recordings ended at noon on 208 FoodHD (345000KHz QAM 256) and 1615 TLCHD (741000 KHz QAM 256). My signal strength is pegged at 100 with SNR of 36 dB. I am with Central Texas Time Warner (in Kyle, Texas) and this is the first time I've experienced the GSAS. If it happens again, I'll pick up the attenuation set to see if that helps while waiting for a resolution from TiVoJerry.

Not sure what other info I should provide right now. I'm sending TiVoJerry my info.


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## kika2000

Again today.

I was so excited when I first got my Tivo. Now I'm just disgusted.


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## sasmps

I have been in a 3 week grace... no lock ups for a while. I have noticed some picture freezes and pixilation, but the Tivo recovers. 

Kika.. is it the same MO? Getting the green screen and blaring?


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## kika2000

sasmps said:


> Kika.. is it the same MO? Getting the green screen and blaring?


The same - green screen and then screaming alarm, only this time I can't blame VSHD, or the Tour de France, or anything else I can pinpoint.

The frequency has definitely dropped since June, but there's a big difference between less and none. Every time it happens I want to throw this box out the window. I've already swapped it out so it's the secondary DVR in the house. I guess the next step is recognizing that this was a giant waste of money and I will just move on.


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## jamesjoyce5

Wow. GSOD just happen twice today and I have TWC in Brooklyn. What the hell is going on in New York? I'd call TWC and report it, but they have been downright contemptuous whenever I have called with a technical issue. 

Does anyone have any ideas about fixing this? Could TIVO fix it with software?


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## jamesjoyce5

By the way, this has never happened to my TIVO in the approximately 18 months since I have owned it and used it with TWC. The signal strength explanation doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me...


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## simplicio

Question:
Have any of you Manhattan TWC greenscreeners had it happen since they moved the channel last month? I haven't been watching it (the Vuelta was on Universal Sports), so I've been fine.


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## sasmps

JamesJoyce,

you might want to review some of my post to this thread and see if your Tivo HD behavior is the same. You might want to share some specifics (like is it a specific channel?). so far we have come up with some techniques to delay the GSAS event, but no cure.

Attenuators will buy you time, moving your tuner to a safe channel at bedtime helps as well.


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## pgreene8

I started this thread back in February or March of 2009. In the last week TiVo sent me a replacement HD, but on day 3 it has started to pixelate, freeze on playback or live TV, and has gone to the GSOD (Green screen with siren sound) 3 times. Just after I finished rebuilding all my Season Passes. Lovely.
I have attenuators on it, a relatively new cable card, so I am very frustrated and feeling hopeless. Some other threads seem to suggest a possible issue that was introduced with TiVo software version 11.0c. Does anyone remember when that was released?


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## jamietalbot

I just started a different thread with similar, but not identical, issues. 

(I'm too new or would post a link)

No screech for me, and your green screen issue sounds different from mine (I sometimes get a green screen, but it seems more like a menu lag than a Tivo equivalent to the BSOD for Windows). It does seem to relate to using HD channels, though.

Tivo suggested we get an RF filter (which is devilishly hard to find other than online). Does that make sense to anyone?


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## pgreene8

Green screen with the siren is a different issue than green screen with the text error message. I have done the Attenuator thing, it didn't work. But might be worth a try. TiVo insists that the cable companies are sending "hot" signals that are outside the parameters of the TiVo's comfort zone and the attenuator shields the TiVo. But of course then you have a weaker signal.

Anyway, I get the green screens on any channel (not just HD), during recorded playback, when it is paused, or when the tv is off. And it would not be mistaken for a menu lag. It is the same color green as the show time progress bar. Only all over. And loud.

I did unplug the ethernet cable last night, and no more Green Screens since then. I have a new hypothesis that my problem is possibly due to Video on Demand content (e.g. the New York Times, etc) because this latest round of green screens immediately followed the creation of a bunch of new subscriptions on the virgin TiVo box. This could point possibly to a TiVo software problem related to versions 11.0c and 11.0d as this is when they introduced TiVo Search, which is still tagged as "Beta".


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## jamietalbot

Just to be clear - I'm not getting the green screen with text or a green screen with a siren or screeching noise. It's just like the background of a regular menu screen, with animation, etc. It's more like a lag in drawing the text on top of the background than an error screen


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## pgreene8

Yeah, I got that. I replied to your other post. Not sure why you posted to this thread if you don't have a green screen issue.


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## jamietalbot

Forgive my rookie-ness. I picked up on this thread simply because of the commonality of apparent HD signal strength issues.


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## sasmps

Pgreen8:

Welcome back to the thread you started way back 

I know you are sorry to see it is still alive and has grown substantially.

Way back, there was a contributer to the thread that suggested not using the network port on the Tivo HD, and instead use a usb eithernet adaptor (suggestion from George I beleive) ...

_"The solution (there is a whole thread on this) was to disconnect the Ethernet cable from the TiVo S3 and use a USB to Ethernet Adaptor instead. After doing that I never got a Green Screen again (it has been 2 years). I even recently confirmed the USB to Ethernet adaptor was a fix when I thought I would plug the ethernet cable directly back into the TiVo S3 to see if the Green Screen issue would happen again. The very next day when I went to turn on my HDTV sure enough I got a Green Screen and the TiVo was locked up. So back to the USB to Ethernet Adaptor I went."_

Not sure why this would work, but if you are having some success, you may give it a try. What I have noticed is the random nature of the event, making you beleive all kinds of theories on what is going on. Some things that seem consistant and repeatable:

It happens more often on specific channels, specifially HD channels.

It happens more often on hot signals (so the attenuators will stretch the duration from GSAS to GSAS).

Keep your tuners moving... have one on the analoge channels or move them both there before you retire for the evening.

I have not had a GSAS in almost 2 months now, and I had it happening daily back in the spring (on two different HD units... but never my S3).

I beleive it is assocaited with a content provider event (like Verses, Scripts network(Food and Home and Garden) that shows up on numerious cable providers networks, that is why my provider (Surewest, KC) will GSAS along with a FIOS customer(NY). It could be a sync pulse that is lost during download retransmission by the cable providers... and the Tivo is not recovering properly.

We have tracks to TivoJerry... and his contact info is in the thread. You may want to send him a PM.

I also replaced my unit (twice) and it did not make a difference. I did notice a change in behavior with the latest service update (11.0D) where the GSAS behavior declined, but pixilation and audio dropouts increased (however those are easily corrected by moving off, then back on the channel you are watching).


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## sasmps

Pgreen8:

Just thought of something else (always pays to read the thread over again)..

Where your cable comes into the house, it usually splits into one for your broadband, and another for your cable video. Do you have a trap on the cable that goes into your broadband? This prevents noise bleedover from your network computing activty and cable video events. 

May be an area to investigate..


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## busyba

Do you have a link to a description of such a trap and where one might get one?


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## MPerlo9

Hi-

I've scrolled through this thread a few times over the past couple weeks and see a lot of people experiencing the GSAS error. I have something slightly different, but equally as obnoxious. About 4-6 times a week I will try to power up my TV and TiVo HD and will be greeted with an all black screen and an unresponsive TiVo. I have to then reset the device in order for it to function again. Its become quite a pain because my favorite show, PTI, is on daily at 5:30pm and records at most 50% of the time. Is anyone experiencing the black screen of death? Any ideas on how I might fix it? I've had TiVo and cableCARDs replaced, tried running my incoming cable feed through a power conditioner and a couple other tricks but to no avail. I just ordered a couple attenuators online and am gonna give that a shot. Unfortunately if this persists I'm gonna have to drop TiVo and go back to my Time Warner DVR (NYC). Please help!

Thanks!
Mike


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## sasmps

Mperlo9:

If the TV is off, and you get a GSAS event, when you power on your TV most of the time it will be black. When your tv is on, and you get a GSAS, the event will turn the screen green, and you will hear the screeching. If you turn off the tv while it is green and screeching, then turn it back on, most of the time the screen will come up blank. 

If your remote is unresponsive and the tivo is locked up, and the only way to get it back is to pull the plug and cycle power, you probably have experienced a GSAS event.

Make a note of what channel the tivo is on when this happens. Also note where the other tuner is (you have 2). Try moving the tuners at night to an analoge channel.


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## sasmps

Busyba:

I will get the details from the cable company and repost.


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## sasmps

Busyba and Pgreen8:

Ok, here is the link to the web site where you can get filters and traps:

http://www.eaglecomtronics.com/Prod...ession_Filters/noise_suppression_filters.html

The specific model I use is EMWHP5-18. This filters all video frequencies out of your data network, but allows two way communication. If the theory is video bleedover into your data network (where your tivo is hooked up for channel guide updates, etc) and this causes GSAS (as suggested when the problem goes away when you disconnect your network cable from the Tivo) then this may help.

My cable provider (Surewest) installs these on all there customer sites. As I have one (and yet I still GSAS) this may not solve the problem. Still, it is good to have.


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## pyk133

FWIW, I also live in Manhattan with TWC cable service and have a Tivo Series 3 HD. Worked fine for a couple years until TWC upgraded their HD lineup earlier this year. I got the GSAS so often since then that I stopped using it. About a month ago, I put it back into my main TV and it seems okay as long as I avoid certain HD channels (Golf HD, NY1 HD, etc...). SD stations, major network HD stations, and surprisingly HBO HD, SHO HD seem to be fine. And now, I get just a black screen and not a green screen and no siren if it freezes (so far only when I leave it on one of the offending stations). Not sure if there has been Tivo firmware upgrade recently. Curious - Is everyone experiencing GSAS only on HD channels?


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## sasmps

Yes, they rolled out an update late August or early september, 11.0d. I did notice a change in the GSAS behavior after the rollout. 

Specific HD channels.. yes that is what I see as well. Food Network, Home and Garden are the main problems for me.


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## jonja

MPerlo9 said:


> Hi-
> About 4-6 times a week I will try to power up my TV and TiVo HD and will be greeted with an all black screen and an unresponsive TiVo. I have to then reset the device in order for it to function again. Its become quite a pain because my favorite show, PTI, is on daily at 5:30pm and records at most 50% of the time. Is anyone experiencing the black screen of death?


I wish I had a solution for you, but I experience this too, and wanted to let you know what I've tried.

The problem is simple: when I turn on the TV (maybe once every 2 weeks, or even twice a week. Variable), all I see on the screen is a black screen, and the Tivo won't respond to the remote beyond changing a LED light. Reboot is the only fix. But every 2 weeks or so it always comes back, sometimes more than once a week. Never had it freeze while watching TV on the Tivo (except sometimes on Netflix when my connection is lost).

My Tivo HD was purchased in Feb 2009 with Lifetime, and is hooked to a Sony LCD HDTV. I have had these problems since the very beginning.

I have done lots of things to address this:


I had a DVR Expander attached. I sold it at a big loss (just 6 months old) and bought a WD 1TB drive (the *exact* same one in the HDXL) to replace it, moving over settings only with WinMFS.
I got rid of my Motorola cable amp, and got my signal strength down to around 85% on average, with a range of 67%- 93%. If I cut it more, the channels that are in the 60s will get unacceptably low.
I switched from HDMI to Component
I ran SMART tests on the new drive, which passed just fine

Last night, got another Black Screen of Death when the kids got home from school---they turned on the Tivo and Tivo wasn't home. This was AFTER I did all of the above: eliminated the eSATA, new internal HD (verified good), and Component instead of HDMI.

Today I tried some additional things so don't know if this worked yet:

Kickstart 57 - to fix any data corruption. Dunno if I have any, but just in case. After all, I did copy the settings from the internal 160GB over to the new 1TB---they could have been corrupted before.
Kickstart 52 - to force the OS to be reinstalled. It made me reenter my Netflix activation code afterwards, so it must have done something.

No idea if these will work, but I am at my wit's end.

Oh yeah, Tivo suggestions have crawled to 1 a week since I got the 1TB drive. I followed the procedure to make it work again (turn off suggestions, clear thumbs reboot, turned back on, enter new thumbs, reboot, dial home) but it did nothing.

Only other problem I have is occasional lock up while using Netflix --- once a month or so, when my connection gets wonky. Never had a GSOD --- just this black screen when turning on the TV.


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## sasmps

My theory is the black screen is just the GSAS event occuring when the attached television is turned off. If it happens over night, when you power it up the unit (Tivo) is locked, unresponsive to the remote, and has to have the plug pulled.

If you experience GSAS, turn off the TV, then turn it back on, it will be black. 

You have certianly been dilligent and through in your efforts, but I did not see where you have tried parking the tuners on analoge channels before you turn off the TV. You could enter a manual program request for 12 am that moves the tuners to a low band channel when you are not watching.


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## pyk133

I've put my TivoHD back as my main STB about 2 months ago and I get the black screen and have not had the GSAS. But I have gotten the black screen while the TV is on so not sure if the theory that it only happens when the TV is off is applicable for me. 

Not sure if this matters but when I started using the tivo again, I deleted from the channel lineup GolfHD. I didn't have any black screens for a while so I added GolfHD back and started watching it. after a few days, i got my first black screen. I avoided GolfHD but would still get the black screen while watching other HD channels or recorded shows. Then I deleted GolfHD from my Tivo lineup and haven't had a black screen since. Could just be coincidence.


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## Joe Siegler

Well, this morning my wife and kid woke me up to say there was something wrong with the TV. Said it was doing all kinds of strange stuff. Got up, and it was the green screen with the screaming. I had never seen that before, so I just rebooted the thing - pulled the plug, and plugged it back in.

That seemed to fix it, and it hasn't come back since then, but it is still less than 24hrs since it happened. 

I have a TiVoHD with a 1TB WD Expander (the offical one) on there. Hooked up to a 46" Samsung LCD HDTV via HDMI. Nothing special - I've never opened any of my TiVos, I'm too afraid of bricking them.

Anyway, I'll keep an eye on the thread, but my TiVo records lots of suggestions (on the order of a dozen or so a day), so the thing I saw above about leaving it on an analog channel isn't thrilling to me. 

I believe I'm using the HDMI cable that came in the box with the TiVoHD, but I honestly can't remember right now.


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## sasmps

Joe,

I doubt it is your equipment or set up. You probably landed on a channel (through suggestions) that is problematic. See if you can figure out which channel it was and minimize your time their.


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## Joe Siegler

sasmps said:


> Joe,
> 
> I doubt it is your equipment or set up. You probably landed on a channel (through suggestions) that is problematic. See if you can figure out which channel it was and minimize your time their.


Not sure how I'd do that. I woke up and it was doing the GSoD. I have no idea when it actually happened, other than some point after I stopped watching (around 1:30-2AM) and when I got out of bed (8:30AM).


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## richsadams

Joe Siegler said:


> Not sure how I'd do that. I woke up and it was doing the GSoD.


Was it actually on a GSOD (with error text, etc.) or just a blank green screen? If it was a GSOD, that's a whole other issue.


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## Joe Siegler

richsadams said:


> Was it actually on a GSOD (with error text, etc.) or just a blank green screen? If it was a GSOD, that's a whole other issue.


Sorry, I used GSOD loosely. It was the blank green screen with the loud, obnoxious beeping.


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## richsadams

Joe Siegler said:


> Sorry, I used GSOD loosely. It was the blank green screen with the loud, obnoxious beeping.


Got it...not sure which is worse though. Guess if it was actually a GSOD replacing the hard drive would at least be an option whereas this GSAS stuff is still a nightmare.


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## Joe Siegler

richsadams said:


> Got it...not sure which is worse though. Guess if it was actually a GSOD replacing the hard drive would at least be an option whereas this GSAS stuff is still a nightmare.


I did read through some of this thread, but not all of it. What's the current thinking? Too strong a signal on specific stations, and HD only?

I did look, my signal strength on both tuners was 100. To date, it's happened just once, so I'm hoping is stays an aberration, but I'm not thrilled with this.


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## richsadams

Joe Siegler said:


> I did read through some of this thread, but not all of it. What's the current thinking? Too strong a signal on specific stations, and HD only?
> 
> I did look, my signal strength on both tuners was 100. To date, it's happened just once, so I'm hoping is stays an aberration, but I'm not thrilled with this.


If it only happened once I wouldn't worry about it too much. I have seen a green screen (but w/o any "siren") a couple of times on our Series3 over the years.

My WAG (based on most of the posts) is that there is a signal strength issue with TWC in NY. That's not to say that TiVo shouldn't try to do something about it (they fully resolved a similar problem w/VZ FIOS) but it seems fairly regional. Hope someone steps up to take care of it though...sounds terribly frustrating.


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## sasmps

Joe,

keep a note pad by the TV and jot down what channel both tuners are on before you go to bed. 

Lots of ideas on the cause, my favorite at the moment is the loss of the sync pulse from the content provider (Scripts Network=H&G, FoodNetwork, Versis, etc). These folks beam there programming to all the cable providers (Verizon, Surewest, Comcast, TWC, etc) in an encrypted transmission that the cable providers redistribute to their customers. The encrytion uses a sync pulse that the cable providers decode (and or perhaps re encrypt before they transmit down the network).

When the sync pulse is lost, the Tivo HD should begin a process of reaquiring the signal, but instead it does a GSAS, or other things. 

The problem is nationwide... I am in Kansas, others in Washington State, and a bunch in NY. That is why I think the problem starts higher in the network.

The latest Tivo service update (11.0d) helped a bunch with the VIOS folks, but did not cover all situations. I did notice a different behavior from 11.0c , fewer GSAS events, more pixilation and recovery. 

Find the channel... you will begin to notice the pattern.


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## kika2000

Again sometime today. 

Came home, turned on the tv, green screen and screaming alarm.

I have no idea when it went out, but the tuners were on TCM and WNJN when I rebooted, both of which are SD channels.


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## pgreene8

Hey everyone - important information from TiVo customer support:

TiVo is aware of an issue affecting TWC in New York City and they are investigating it, they hope to have some news in 2 weeks or so.

They sent me a 3rd box, which I activated a week ago. This was is not a refurb, and it was going along fine, except some random rebooting the first couple of days.

After TWC NY sent out a signal for a channel line-up change yesterday(10/21), my new TiVo did the Green Screen with Siren within 12-24 hours, as usual. Then it just got on a green screen roll.

I called Customer Support and they escalated my incident and told me that the problem seems to reside with the signal sent out by TWCNY and the tuner, too. The Green Screen seems to occur when the tuner stays parked on a channel for extended periods. Their Level 2 Support group is aware of the problem in NY and is working on it.

They suggested putting TiVo in StandBy mode when not watching, and say it should automatically wake to record. The other band-aid they suggested was to set up more Suggestions to Auto-Record so that it keeps changing the channel more often.

Keeping my fingers crossed!


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## sasmps

thanks for sharing pgreen.... I will ping TivoJerry and see what his thoughts are.


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## TiVoJerry

Sigh. We had a discussion with our tier 2 agents about how to handle calls of this nature but did not provide any type of timeframe. The ETA provided to pgreene8 is, unfortunately, a mistaken conclusion. 

I'm having the agents messaged again. Sorry to get your hopes up.


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## bludvigsen

I do not have much to add in my first post other than adding to the frustration and say that I have had the screeching sound almost since I bought the HD XL in spring sometime. It happens several times per week. I just started talking to the Tivo support people, which of course suggested the attenuator or whatever, "could be the cable company can fix it" etc.

It has been several months since Jerry the Tivo guy started working on this issue, why isn't Tivo finding the problem? The long time suggest the problem is located, but they are trying to figure out how to address it on both the technical and financial/commercial side. I wonder how many have this problem.

I have never seen the Green Screen though, of which the Tivo support people was surprised about, I only have the screeching sound and full lock. 

I watch almost exclusively the Golf Channel HD, and the Tivo is on this channel all the time. I will try the suggestion on switching to SD channels.


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## pgreene8

Maybe something got lost in translation, so let me be more clear - TiVo did not promise me a solution in 2 weeks, just an update.


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## mrbeefhead

I have been struggling with this exact same issue on my TiVo HD with Comcast HD service.

It typically manifests as a black SOD probably because it happens mostly when the TV is off. I have noticed that I can "catch" and "save" the TiVo if I notice it start to stutter while I'm watching it.

If I hit the TiVo button and get to the Now Playing list quickly, it will not completely lock up. If I don't notice it in time, lock up happens and a reboot is the only thing that helps.

Two things I've noticed:

*1.* I didn't fully complete the TiVo setup when I installed my TiVo and had a lot of channels in TiVo that I do not actually receive. Once I took the time to go through and correct my lineup, this problem slowed down a bit.

*2.* My ethernet cable was unplugged for about a week and during this time I did not experience the problem *at all*.

I'd suggest that people try unplugging their ethernet cables for a few days -> week and see what happens. The USB ethernet adapter folks might be on to something.

Look forward to getting this issue resolved.


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## SteadyEddieNYC

Hi All, This is my 2nd refurbished TIVO HD- The first one was rebooting every hr - so back it went and I now have another- That lasted a week before the greenscreen Issue started- My opinion is this is not a signal problem from the cable company- this is another bad unit from TIVO

Today I got the greenscreen of death - the box and remote where totally frozen- I called TIVO and the rep had me unplug the WIFI usb cable and then unplug the box for a full cycle down ( He says) At the welcome screen I plugged the USB back in and the TIVO continued to power up and after a few min. It's working again- But for how long is the question?

TIVO will not replace the unit until it happens again- I am hoping that it wont- As TWC of NYC charges 40.00 to come out and to put my cable card in- another scam- but thats for a different thread- Tivo can care less- They do not reimburse for TWC truck roll charges they will keep sending boxes until one of them works-

I live on the UWS of Manhattan- if that helps anyone-


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## richsadams

SteadyEddieNYC said:


> Hi All, This is my 2nd refurbished TIVO HD- The first one was rebooting every hr - so back it went and I now have another- That lasted a week before the greenscreen Issue started- My opinion is this is not a signal problem from the cable company- this is another bad unit from TIVO


Now I would draw exactly the opposite conclusion based on your evidence. If both of your TiVo's displayed exactly the same symptoms...as well as the exact same issues as almost everyone else has with TWC NY it would seem likely that it is a signal issue IMHO. Particularly when there are tens (hundreds?) of thousands of other TiVo's (both new and refurb) in use across the country that are not having this issue at all. 

I can certainly understand your frustration though. Hopefully TWC and/or TiVo can get things ironed out sooner than later.


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## chanster

Not sure if this is related but my Tivo HD is having a problems blocky reception and supposed loss of cable strength on a few HD channels. Notably CBS, NBC and some ABC. Problems started about 2-3 weeks ago. I have rebooted HD DVR, got RCN to refresh or reintialize cable card, but nothing seems to work. Any ideas. EIther its blocky or I get a complete loss of reception. Is this related?


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## sasmps

Chanster,

This sounds more like a signal quality issue to me. I would call your cable provider and have them put the signal meter on your drop.


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## richsadams

chanster said:


> Not sure if this is related but my Tivo HD is having a problems blocky reception and supposed loss of cable strength on a few HD channels.


Agreed, it sounds very much like a signal issue. If you're not experiencing a blank green screen and an audible "siren" it isn't related to the issues noted on this thread. But have a look at your diagnostic screens while tuned to those channels. Check the diagnostics for each channel on one then the other tuner. What is the SNR, signal strength, RS Corrected and Uncorrected errors? Are there differences from one tuner to the other? Those numbers will give us something to work with.

Also how is your TiVo wired (coax directly from the wall, splitters, house, apartment, etc.), HDMI, component?

Since it's OT your question really belongs in the TiVo Help Center. I'd post over there with the diagnostic and other info and anything else you can think to add.


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## svakaskutla

i have had the green screen 3 times already but it seems to resolve once I unplug everything and then power up again. i don't want to call TWC and i am finding it hard to figure out what is going on from this tread, are there any definte reasons and suggestions? i am on Manhattan UES.


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## mrbeefhead

svakaskutla, try this. Unplug the TiVo and then while the TiVo is off unplug the ethernet cable. 

Leave the ethernet cable off and plug the TiVo back in. Then come back in a couple of days and tell us if you've had any green screens.

I haven't had a single green screen since I've done this. Of course you'll lose the most recent scheduling updates but it is helping me narrow down the problem.

I think it might be related to the ethernet port.


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## sasmps

The Eithernet theory was postulated way back (page 1 or 2 of the thread). No one can really rule anything out, but keep in mind my problem has gone dormant for the last two months, and not once did I unplug the eithernet cable. 

Tivo Jerry has been following this closely, and it would appear the official advice after 8 months of review, is to keep the tuners moving (record a variety of programs from different channels) or put the unit in stand by when not in use. I found the analoge channels safe for a while, but with 11.0d, those started freezing up (correctable by moving the tuners away, and then back). 

Right now I am not doing anything... but the tuners are moving around alot since the new fall programming has kicked in. I have minimul attenuation on the units, and that has been it.

I beleive the problem is with the transmission from the content providers, and or the local cable entity. I beleive my provider has cleaned up some issues, and right now I am stable. The 'event' that causes the gsas is not known, but a good theory is the loss of sync pulse.... which the Tivo does not know how to handle (ok.. appearantly it thinks it should lock the unit, turn the screen green, and screech). I am hopefull Tivo will eventually identify the specific event, and program a different behavior... like a screen freeze that can be corrected by moving the channel, or perhaps go dark, then just retune the channel. 

Keep sending in your comments and observations.. every contribution adds one more piece to the puzzle.


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## mrbeefhead

sasmps, your posts have been so helpful throughout the course of this thread... thank you! :up:

I'm convinced that a 60-second off period during the reboot does something to help fix the problem.

When I quickly unplug / replug, the problem usually comes back pretty quickly.

When I unplug, wait a while, then replug... the problem is gone for longer than usual.

In network-related news, my TiVo has been without an Ethernet connection for 5 days now and has not GSOD. This is an incredibly long time for it to go without a GSOD. Before unplugging Ethernet, I'd get them several times a day.


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## pgreene8

Good news (kind of) continued:
It has been nearly a week since TiVo suggested that I put the TiVo into StandBy mode as a workaround for the suspected tuner "going stale" issue. I am happy to report that since doing this, I have not had a single Green Screen. AND TWC NY sent out 2 channel line up changes during that period. Those always precipitated a Green Screen. The StandBy mode has not yet interfered with any scheduled recordings or service connections. 

To reply to the person from the Upper East Side of NY - yes, TiVo is aware of the green screen issue for those of us in the city using Time Warner. They recommended that I either use StandBy mode OR make TiVo suggestions auto-record. The latter keeps the tuner changing channels, and I am not sure what Standby does exactly. But it seems to be working for me.


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## svakaskutla

It happened again last night but things seem to get resolved once I unplug everything for a while. This problem is however escalating in frequency and it is very frustrating. I really do not want to call TWC because all they ever do is book time in some distant future for a technician, who then has no idea how Tivo works. I will try to unplug the ethernet cable for a few days and see if that helps.


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## mrbeefhead

svakaskutla said:


> I will try to unplug the ethernet cable for a few days and see if that helps.


My TiVo is going on 8 days without Ethernet and 8 days without a GSOD.

I really don't consider this a coincidence -- when Ethernet cable is plugging in, I get up to 8 GSODs a day.

Let us know how your experiment goes!


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## sasmps

Mrbeefhead:

Interesting to see the results you have gotten. I would like to hear how svakaskutla's testing went as well. 

Pgreen8 seems to be getting good results with the standby approach, I like the 'stale tuner' metaphor. 

I also noticed when I pulled one of my boxes out of service for a week, that it took almost two weeks before it would start GSASing on me. Seems like the box needs to rest or something......


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## sasmps

Below is Georges post (number 15 at the beginning of the thread) where he installed a USB Eithernet Adaptor to replace his onboard Eithernet port. This may be a direction for you if you become convinced this is the problem.

Also, my cable carrier (Surewest of Kansas City) uses a 
filter on the data network to prevent Video events from bleeding into it. It is possible that your eithernet cable (on your data network) is getting some events that it shouldent. I attached my previous post with this info .

_Busyba and Pgreen8:

Ok, here is the link to the web site where you can get filters and traps:

http://www.eaglecomtronics.com/Produ...n_filters.html

The specific model I use is EMWHP5-18. This filters all video frequencies out of your data network, but allows two way communication. If the theory is video bleedover into your data network (where your tivo is hooked up for channel guide updates, etc) and this causes GSAS (as suggested when the problem goes away when you disconnect your network cable from the Tivo) then this may help.

My cable provider (Surewest) installs these on all there customer sites. As I have one (and yet I still GSAS) this may not solve the problem. Still, it is good to have._

George's post:
_I used to get a Green Screen of death when I first got my Series 3. I would frequently get a Green Screen and full lockup after I turned on my HDTV and Receiver with my Harmony Remote. The solution (there is a whole thread on this) was to disconnect the Ethernet cable from the TiVo S3 and use a USB to Ethernet Adaptor instead. After doing that I never got a Green Screen again (it has been 2 years). I even recently confirmed the USB to Ethernet adaptor was a fix when I thought I would plug the ethernet cable directly back into the TiVo S3 to see if the Green Screen issue would happen again. The very next day when I went to turn on my HDTV sure enough I got a Green Screen and the TiVo was locked up. So back to the USB to Ethernet Adaptor I went.
__________________
George_


----------



## mrbeefhead

sasmps said:


> Mrbeefhead:
> 
> Interesting to see the results you have gotten.


Thanks for the post above! I hadn't seen those before.

I'm now going on almost 2 weeks without GSOD, and 2 weeks without ethernet.

Tonight I'm going to test my theory by plugging in the ethernet and leaving it in.

If I GSOD in the near future, I'll be convinced (and then I'll buy a USB-Ethernet adapter).


----------



## iceblink

I was hopeful this would fix our problems.
And, for a number of days, I rec'd NO green screens after pulling ENET and going with a USB adaptor. But things went from bad to worse VERY quickly.
We began seeing screen-freeze lockups (frozen on an HD video channel), then after several more days we got our first GSOD. From there, they came in more rapidly, until the point at which you could not view video on ANY channel for more than 10 secs after a hard boot.

At that point, my option was to do what Tivo Tech Support suggested as of Sep-2009:
Completely reset all data.

We were reluctant to do this, losing all of our wishlists and recorded content, but at this point, there were no other real options.

After resetting, we were again hopeful: for days we rec'd NO green screens.
Perhaps Tivo support was right about this one?

Nah. After adding our Season Passes, a week passed, and we got another GSOD. Now were back to our standard every other day cycle. 

At this point: I'm giving up on Tivo after 9 years.
Hopefully our relatively new Tivo HD unit will work fine for non-Cable subscribers.

Posted for sale on sell.com classifieds:
sell.com/247359


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## CrispyCritter

iceblink said:


> At this point: I'm giving up on Tivo after 9 years.
> Hopefully our relatively new Tivo HD unit will work fine for non-Cable subscribers.


Yep, you've pretty much established that you have hardware problems.

I'm not sure you have to give up on it, if you have any technical ability at all. There's probably half-a-dozen different root causes for the GSOD that people have talked about on this thread (eg, ethernet, disk, tuner, incoming signal). Your problem sounds like it could be a disk problem (bad sections on the system partitions), just given your pattern of errors (C&D worked for a while, gradually increasing errors).

A disk problem is the one root cause of those mentioned above that can be fixed at home. All the others need TiVo fixes of some sort. Replacing a disk is straightforward, there's lots of instructions on how to do it here. TiVo reps can't mention that possibility to you because of legal problems; that's a shame because they've probably got the information to tell if it's the disk. If it were me, I'd gamble on replacing the disk - I think it's got a reasonable chance of working.


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## richsadams

iceblink said:


> I was hopeful this would fix our problems.


I agree w/Crispy...the symptoms point to a failing hard drive more than anything. I can understand your frustration but it might be worth giving a new/upgraded hard drive a try. Worst case is that it doesn't work and you can return the drive. Everything you need to know can be found on the Drive Expansion and Drive Upgrade FAQ.


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## kika2000

I turned on the tv today to find the GSAS again. I'm not sure when it occurred - I barely watch this tv anymore because of this issue with the Tivo.

Going back through the Recording History it looks like sometime Sunday afternoon. Anyone else in the NYC area still having this problem, or better yet NOT having this problem any more?


----------



## busyba

kika2000 said:


> I turned on the tv today to find the GSAS again. I'm not sure when it occurred - I barely watch this tv anymore because of this issue with the Tivo.
> 
> Going back through the Recording History it looks like sometime Sunday afternoon. Anyone else in the NYC area still having this problem, or better yet NOT having this problem any more?


I had it two thursdays ago, but without the screeching.

I did not have it since then.


----------



## busyba

Watch me get it now.


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## pgreene8

Kika - if you scroll back thru this thread you'll see I had a discussion with Tivo a little over 2 weeks ago & they are aware there is an issue with TWC in NYC. They recommended that I put the TiVo in StandBy mode when I am not watching until they get to the bottom of it. I have been doing that and it has prevented any more GSAS events. That said, I have had 3 system freezes during that time that required a reboot, but no screeching Green Screens.


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## sasmps

My problem has cleared up for the last 2 months. As mysterious as it appeared it disappeared. With the new fall lineup, my tuners have been hopping from channel to channel. 

Pgreen has something that works... give it a try.


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## SteadyEddieNYC

I live on the UWS of Manhattan- I had this issue once ( so far) I had to unplug my wireless adapter , unplug the tivo for 5 min- then turn it back on- on the screen that says " Just a few more minutes" in the power up screen- then I plug my wifi adapter in- So far it hasent happened again- been about 2 weeks or so-


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## Alexholston

Hello group.
I have not had time to read through the entire posts. Here is my story. I am not sure if it adds to the confusion or helps. 

I purchased my TiVo in June. I was using over the air cable and did not experience the green screen and buzzing described in previous posts. Two weeks ago I switched to CableCard provided by Charter in Suffolk, VA. Now, I have experienced the green screen three times - twice today, once a few days ago. It works after reset.

I spoke with the Tivo Support. We did a SMART test which showed the hard drive is working well. My signal strength of my card is 100%. They recommended that I place a signal attenuator / low pass filter on the signal. I tried what I had on hand - a 3 way splitter. The signal strength is 100% so I doubt that did anything, so now it's wait and see I guess.

I am not sure if this makes a difference but I also have cable internet and phone.

If this keeps happening I am going back to over the air HDTV.


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## mangocat1

TiVo HD user here. I'm using a multi-stream card with Cablevision. I experienced the blank green screen with a loud buzzing noise for the first time tonight. My unit was purchased 3/2009. I have noticed over the past couple of weeks that a couple of channels have started to freeze up or stutter. I'm worried that this might be the onset of a serious problem...


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## richsadams

mangocat1 said:


> TiVo HD user here. I'm using a multi-stream card with Cablevision. I experienced the blank green screen with a loud buzzing noise for the first time tonight. My unit was purchased 3/2009. I have noticed over the past couple of weeks that a couple of channels have started to freeze up or stutter. I'm worried that this might be the onset of a serious problem...


Do you have an external hard drive attached? The freezing/stuttering issues are very often associated with a hard drive problem (although the blank green screen and audio seem to be a signal issue). Either way you can try running Kickstart 54 to test the hard drive(s) for any problems. It's not fool-proof and can give false positives, but it's a start. If it shows a failure you could give TiVo's built-in diagnostic and repair programs, Kickstart 57 and/or 58, a go to see if things can be corrected.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5643823#post5643823

If you do have an eSATA drive connected take a look at a post about a similar problem here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7553444#post7553444

You should also give TiVo a call. They have logs they can review that we, the great unwashed, are not privy to. If all else fails they will make an exchange under the one-year labor warranty for $49.

Best of luck and let us know how things go.


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## sasmps

Good suggestion from Riches: Explore the disk issues as part of your troubleshooting path. Especially if you use external disk.

There is a company that makes attenuators, you can order them of the internet. They sell a group of 6, (different strenghts... like 3 db, 6, 10 and 20). They look like barrel connectors and screw directly into the back of the Tivo.

The latest recommendations on the GSAS (Green Screen and Screeching) problem is to keep your tuners moving. Remember you have two of them, so when you allow the Tivo to record suggestions, and you have significant list of shows to record, the unit stays more stable. If you do not have alot of recordings, you can put your unit in standby mode (this will not impact your recording schedule). The problem will come and go, and certian channels will GSAS faster than others (usually HD channels from content providers like Home and Garden, etc).

Here is the link to get the attenuators.

http://www.smarthome.com/7800/Signal-Strength-Attenuator-Pads-Mix-Bag/p.aspx


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## wkuredbengal34

I have received the GSOD twice and both times with the loud annoying screeching noise. Lemme try to give all the info I can about my situation.

Location - Athens, GA
Cable provider - Charter
TivoHD was purchased in August of 09.
TV Model - Samsung LN46A650

The first time it happened was about a month ago and I believe the ethernet cable was plugged in at the time. It happened tonight and the ethernet cable was not plugged in at the time. I do not know what channels the tuners were on when it happened the first time, but tonight one was on espnhd and the other on hgtvhd. I change the tuners frequently and use them both often. 

What gives guys? We payed a lot of money for these things and our yearly or monthly subscriptions for this to keep happening to everyone.


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## sasmps

I suggest before you go to bed, put the unit in standby mode. 

I am still a fan of the theory that it is a sync pulse loss from the content provider. The Tivo's do not gracefully recover as they should. 

HGTV is one of the channels I had the most problems with....


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## pL86

kika2000 said:


> I turned on the tv today to find the GSAS again. I'm not sure when it occurred - I barely watch this tv anymore because of this issue with the Tivo.
> 
> Going back through the Recording History it looks like sometime Sunday afternoon. Anyone else in the NYC area still having this problem, or better yet NOT having this problem any more?


I've never seen a green screen but I have had a black screen and the loud screeching alarm so I'm not sure my problem is the same. Assuming it is, I am in TWC Manhattan South (57th and 11th Ave) and came home yesterday, Tuesday November 17, to find my Tivo HD frozen and blaring away. I had watched some TV in the morning and had some programs set to record in early evening around 6 pm which did not record so whatever happened happened between 10 am and 6 pm. I rebooted the Tivo and started watching a recorded program and 30 seconds later, the Tivo went blank and started the air raid siren (wow is the sound obnoxious, more irritating than my smoke detector). This was at 2 or 3 AM on Wednesday, November 18.

I first encountered this problem back in August or September when I first bought the Tivo HD but it hasn't occurred since until now. It seemed to go away on its own. I have an 1TB Western Digital DVR Expander attached.


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## kika2000

sasmps said:


> I am still a fan of the theory that it is a sync pulse loss from the content provider. The Tivo's do not gracefully recover as they should.


I agree, although my recent experiences have made this harder to prove.

My original issue was a constant crash to green screen and screeching while watching live coverage of the Tour de France on VSHD.
I also have an SA8300HD from TWC. During the tour, often when the Tivo would crash, I would also see a 'glitch' in the recording on the other DVR. This led me to believe that the crashes were are result of some signal loss issue.

Months later, I am still suffering from the same problem with no end in sight and no longer on just one station. I have tried every possible option, but other than just giving up on Tivo, I have no solution.

I came home tonight to the GSAS again. None of my Thursday programming was recorded. People are always talking about how stable Tivo is.
I don't know how they got so lucky - for me Tivo is a giant crapshoot that craps out constantly.


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## sasmps

Kika, did you try standby mode? My understanding is it will not interfear with programming request.... it just wakes up and makes the recording. 

Really sorry to hear the problem has not quieted down... my units have been behaving for the last 3 months.


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## Ian

Whoa, just saw this thread.

I just got a new TiVo XL with TWC NYC (1 SA M-card) and had it hooked up last night... does EVERYONE have the GSOD and screeching problem?

I'm hooked up to the Web with wireless, not wired...

Now I'm afraid to go home and turn on the TV for fear of the screeching (said 99% tongue in cheek)...

Is this an intermittent thing, for just some people, or should I really just expect it?

-Ian


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## mrbeefhead

I plugged in the ethernet a couple of days ago to watch some YouTube videos. Afterwards, I forgot to unplug it. *It froze that night*. I reset the tivo and left the cable plugged in. *It froze again*.

_I am 99% sure that at least in my case, the ethernet port has a role here._

*It is unbelievable to me that TiVo has still not fixed this problem!*

I used to encourage all of my friends & family to buy a TiVo, now I encourage them to search out alternatives. I don't want any of them to have to go through this nightmare.


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## rmgraci

I am not seeing a green screen of death, but I am getting a lot of stuttering/freezing issues that just appeared out of the blue recently.

I will be watching a recorded program, and at some point during playback, it will just stop playing and the TiVo will become totally unresponsive. If I wait, it will slowly move forward and there will be a lot of artifacts on the screen along with some sound fragments (these sound terrible).

If I reboot my TiVo, it will have problems *at the exact same point in the program*.

We have an extremely long cable run, so I do suspect that signal strength could potentially be an issue. Regardless of signal strength, TiVo should not be totally failing to playback video and locking the entire device! I'm a long time TiVo user, but honestly this issue has me frustrated enough to start investigating other options. I'm getting tired of not being able to finish programs I'm in the middle of.


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## dlfl

rmgraci said:


> I am not seeing a green screen of death, but I am getting a lot of stuttering/freezing issues that just appeared out of the blue recently.
> 
> I will be watching a recorded program, and at some point during playback, it will just stop playing and the TiVo will become totally unresponsive. If I wait, it will slowly move forward and there will be a lot of artifacts on the screen along with some sound fragments (these sound terrible).
> 
> If I reboot my TiVo, it will have problems *at the exact same point in the program*.
> 
> We have an extremely long cable run, so I do suspect that signal strength could potentially be an issue. Regardless of signal strength, TiVo should not be totally failing to playback video and locking the entire device! I'm a long time TiVo user, but honestly this issue has me frustrated enough to start investigating other options. I'm getting tired of not being able to finish programs I'm in the middle of.


Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear of your problems.

A couple of friendly suggestions:
1. This thread is about GSAS (green screen and screeching) a very particular type of problem, which you don't appear to have since you don't have "screeching". Thus it would probably be best if you started a new thread with your problem.

2. In the new thread you start, post more detail about your setup and your signal source and location. Do you have an HD or a S3? Using CableCARD(s)? Tuning Adapter(?). These will help people help you.

Good Luck!


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## Ian

Hi all-

As I posted above, I have a brand new TiVo XL (running 11.0D), Time Warner Cable in NY using a Scientific Atlanta M-Card.

Thursday night, all was well, didn't matter what channel I was watching.

Last night - on three different movie channels, a lot of video stuttering (barely any audio stuttering tho) - one on channel, maybe once every 35 minutes, on the other two, once every 5.

While my signal IS split going to both the TiVo and the TWC DVR, the cable guy said the signal was very strong and not to worry.

But these glitches are very disturbing - I tried going HD TiVo a year ago with an S3, and the glitching was so annoying I wound up having to return it.

I very much DO NOT want to have to go back (oh - BAD glitch as I was typing this) to the DVR, but watching TV like this is maddening.

Is there anything I can do?

Thanks!

-Ian


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## Ian

Hi all -

I found a variable attenuator online...

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...HF-HD-OffAir-Reception-1296F&sku=853748001293

Has anyone tried a piece of equipment like this, or am I better off with the ones from smarthome?

Thanks-

-Ian


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## sasmps

Ian,

Interesting looking device... but how much attenuation is each setting? I prefer the smarthomes.. easier to gauge how much attenuation is being applied. I think you are on the right track with the attunuators, stuttering is a strong sign that the signal is too strong.


Rmgracie... your problem sure sounds like a disk issue. You are encountering problems on play back, and at the same place. This suggest a bad block on the disk. RichesAdams may have some suggestions, I would start with the kickstart diagnostic programs. Refer to earlier post for details.


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## Ian

Hi ssamps-

Yeah, I've ordered the smarthome attenuators, but this morning...

on a movie channel with good signal in the mid-80s and decent SNR, and NO uncorrected or corrected errors, I had glitching every 5 minutes.

If my hair wasn't so short to begin with, I'd already be pulling it out...



-Ian


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## CrispyCritter

Ian said:


> Hi ssamps-
> 
> Yeah, I've ordered the smarthome attenuators, but this morning...
> 
> on a movie channel with good signal in the mid-80s and decent SNR, and NO uncorrected or corrected errors, I had glitching every 5 minutes.


If you are seeing no uncorrected errors, and the glitches are in the same place if you rewind, then the cable company put in or passed on the glitches before passing it along to you (it might have been in their source signal before encoding, for example). Happens all the time on some shows on some channels around here (sports on Fox is a major example).


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## Ian

Hi Crispy-

I can totally appreciate that, but then how come those same exact channels don't glitch at all using the Time Warner DVR?

-Ian


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## Grumock

Ian said:


> Hi Crispy-
> 
> I can totally appreciate that, but then how come those same exact channels don't glitch at all using the Time Warner DVR?
> 
> -Ian


signal lvls are more tolerant on the digital boxes they provide then the cards are. Cards are unforgiving when it comes to signal parameters.


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## Ian

Hi Grumock-

Thanks for your comment, makes sense.

But of course in that case, when I call TiVo, they'll say - the problem is the signal from the cableco (which they DID tell me today)...

...and when I call Time Warner, they'll probably say - well, OUR box handles the signal just fine, it must be TiVo's fault.

The person I spoke to at TiVo was very knowledgeable and customer-service oriented...

The person I spoke to (briefly) at Time Warner was a level one support person - clearly didn't know much, and didn't have any other options other than to say "let's send a tech out."

-Ian


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## Grumock

Ian said:


> The person I spoke to (briefly) at Time Warner was a level one support person - clearly didn't know much, and didn't have any other options other than to say "let's send a tech out."
> 
> -Ian


Well if it's a signal issue then they need to send a tech out.

All the talk about attenuators on here never really talks about the real issue. Look at it this way:
If the signal is screwed up coming to the house, adjusting it there can either make a lot of crappy signal or less crappy signal.

What I think plays a key role is whether or not the all the factors are correct i.e. FDC-forward data carrier/ RDC=Return Data Carrier/ & the actual signal levels on the high & low band Freqs. are good hitting the house.


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## dlfl

Grumock said:


> ........What I think plays a key role is whether or not the all the factors are correct i.e. FDC-forward data carrier/ RDC=Return Data Carrier/ & the actual signal levels on the high & low band Freqs. are good hitting the house.


Aren't those parameters only applicable to TA's? He's already stated on another thread that he doesn't have a TA.

Also there is discussion of his RS error counts and other factors that really should be folded into the discussion in this thread. (Or this discussion should be moved to the linked thread, since this isn't a GSAS problem.)


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## samaritan66

I've got two TiVo HDs. One in the Living Room and one in the bedroom. The TiVo HD in the bedroom has been Green Screening (not a GSOD) quite a bit since they added Food Network HD, HGTV HD, USAHD and a few others I don't watch. It never green screened before that. 

The TiVo HD in the living room has never green screened. The main difference between the two TiVo's besides how they are connected to the splitter in the basement is that the Living Room has two single stream cards and the bedroom has a single multi-stream card. I couldn't tell you the make or model of the cards right now, but will get it if it proves to be relevant. Both are connected via HDMI, although the one in the living room goes through an active receiver.

Reading this thread again has made me a bit more thoughtful about the problem. I'm going to go to the headend in the basement and swap the cables that feed each TiVo and see what develops.

I'm in SE Wisconsin using Charter Communications on a TiVo that was purchased roughly 12 -18 Months ago.

I had tried putting a splitter on previously, and it did no good.


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## sasmps

Splitters did not do it for me. I have a whole house 10 way splitter with home runs to each port. Even with that, the splitter did not knock back the signal enough. Get the Attenutors from Smarthome. They definitly knock back the signal.

You are observing the same behaviour I saw... Scripts network was problematic (Home and Garden, etc). 

Put an attenuator on the offending unit, and put it in stand by when you are not watching it. All I can tell you is the problem comes and goes... I had a rough summer, but for the last 3 months no GSAS.


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## Ian

WOW...

Two week old XL, just got the green screen and screaming this morning - what the hell!

FYI, I'm NOT connected by ethernet cable - I'm using the wireless adapter.

Oh, and at the time it crashed, I WASN'T watching anything - I was mucking around in the "Now Playing" list.

I've restarted, we'll see if this happens again.

Good thing I was near my remote control, or I'll bet the neighbors would have come running!

-Ian


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## sasmps

Ian, We will need some detail. 

Cable Provider?
Signal Strength?
Other Tivo Units?
Service level?
What Part of the Country are you in (NY per chance?)
HD service? Channels you hang out on?

Do you have splitters? Cabeling home runs to the Tivo?
SNR? Corrected/uncorrected errors?


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## Ian

Hi there-

Thanks much for helping out!

Here you go:

Cable Provider?
- Time Warner Cable, NYC

Signal Strength?
- Prior to installing -8DB splitter, varied between 100 and mid-80s
- Once -8DB splitter installed, varied between 93 and mid-60's
- (I bought the smarthome attenuators, but -6DB is too little -- previously fine channels started to glitch), and with -9 (-6+-3), I lost the lock on many cable channels - the -8DB splitter seems to work best for me.)

Other Tivo Units?
- not active

Service level?
- Been a customer since 2000.

What Part of the Country are you in (NY per chance?)
- Yup, NYC.

HD service? Channels you hang out on?
- Time Warner Souther Manhattan.

Here is a chart of the channels I've been watching so far:


62  Life	Good
81  IFC	Good
651  HBO	Good
654  H/F	Bad - Minor
655  H/C	Good
658  MAX	Bad - Frequent
662  STZ	Bad - 5 mins
676  STZ	Bad - 5 mins
677  STZE	Bad - 5 mins
681 STZC	Bad - 5 mins
692  G4	Good
702  CBS	Good
704  NBC	Good
705  FOX	Good
707  ABC	Good
708  TBS	Good
710  FX	Good
713  PBS	Good
715 - CNBC	Good
716  USA	Bad - Minor
717  SyFy	Good
718 - Bravo	Good
740  HIST	Good
761  TOON	Good
766  Disc	Bad
775 - SCI	Good
782 - TCM	Good

(the problems seem to be MOSTLY limited to the HD premium movie channels)


SNR? Corrected/uncorrected errors?
- on all channels, usually 0/0, possibly a few corrected errors only. Glitching does tend to occur on those channels even with 0/0.


Do you have splitters? Cabeling home runs to the Tivo?
- three splitters: one to split cable modem, one to split between TiVo and HD-DVR, and the aforementioned -8DB to knock down the resulting signal (I have a ridiculously strong signal here!)

I hope this helps!

-Ian


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## jvennema

Hello.

Well, I just read this entire thread, and it makes me sad to join the club. I'm also TWC, Manhattan, Hell's Kitchen. I've had a TiVo HD XL since August, and started getting GSASs today for the first time--I've had three in a couple hours watching AMC HD all day. So far I haven't gotten it on any other channel (but I'm guessing I will).

No other tivos. We watch a ton of TV and always in HD with the notable exception of the Daily Show. Because the Daily Show is often the last thing in the evening to record, this means our tivo tends to have at least one tuner parked on comedy central in SD over night.

FYI, not that this is really helpful, but I've noticed that the screeching doesn't happen when I'm playing back a recording and leave it paused. This is where I got hit twice, and I didn't understand what was the sound that everyone was referring to. The third time I was watching live TV and sure enough, that is a loud, terrible noise. So I guess leaving the thing paused would be a way to at least prevent the annoying noise when you wake up, in theory.

My signal strength is 100% with two splitters on there already, so I guess I'll proactively order these attenuators and see if I can't do anything about that. Meanwhile I guess I'll try leaving it in standby when I'm not watching, which is probably a good thing to do anyway -- suck down a little less power from ConEd.


john


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## JonNYC

Yup, me too. 2 tivo XLs on Southern Manhattan TWC. Mine hasn't acted up yet, the one I got for my father has been GSAS-ing intermittently for the last month or so but did it 3 times today alone. Up till now was about 1-2x a week, starting about a month ago or so.

He has several splitters, very long final run of cable to the unit but last I checked, very good signal strength on most channels (will check the rest of the details next time I'm over there) Lifetime service, unit purchased in September.

And, has the wi-fi adaptor for programming updates, etc.

For sure, he's a "static tuner" kind of user-- rarely switches tuners, records very few programs, etc. I've passed on some of the suggestions here.


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## JonNYC

Ian said:


> 662  STZ	Bad - 5 mins
> 676  STZ	Bad - 5 mins
> 677  STZE	Bad - 5 mins
> 681 STZC	Bad - 5 mins


FWIW, I just enquired and both my father's green-screen freezes on Sunday 10/29 were while watching 'Doubt' on TWC lower manhattan ch 676.

I'm actually gonna leave mine on that channel for a few hours, see if I experience the problem.


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## Ian

So interesting, John - thanks!

I think there is a whole 'block' of channels that the HD-DVR boxes handle well, but wreak total havok with the cablecards...

...I wonder if they can selectively fix just the signal on those channels!

-Ian


----------



## JonNYC

I live 2 blocks from my father and I've had exactly 1 green-screen freeze (sans alarm, BTW) in the 6+ months I've had this tivo. Both me and my father have very similar channel-packages, both have wi-fi network adaptor, a cable-modem as the first split, at least one more splitter down the line etc. His has had really frequent problems lately (greenscreen and non-greenscreen) mine is rock solid for the most part.

I was just getting ready to send his back before I found this thread!

Additionally, my STZHD (676) -is- experiencing intermittent, minor, pixillation symptoms-- something I don't think I'm seeing on (m)any other channels-- but very minor and very intermittent.

Signal strength on mine on 676 is pinned at 100&#37; (as are most of my premium channels)-- doesn't deviate (so undoubtedly stronger than that.) MAXHD, otoh, is a surprisingly low 47-60%-- quite a difference.


----------



## sasmps

Ian, Jon, Jvennema:

I wish I had more suggestions for you, I did ping TivoJerry and he let me know Tivo is still working on the problem. Tivo has also had specific communication with TWC in NY for the last several months, but specifics are not being communicated to the public. 

It is a signal issue (which is why the problem shows up in one place, but perhaps not next door). However the resposibility to more gracefully address the signal event is Tivo's. 

I suggest you contact TWC and let them know you have issues, perhaps have them check signal strength and noise at your home, or suggest to them that they rebalence the signal in your neighborhood. Keeping some pressure on TWC will keep them talking to the Tivo folks.

In the meantime try attenuators (they buy you time... stretches out the GSAS events), put the unit in standby at night, let the Tivo record suggestions (keeps the tuners hopping), or park at night on the lower bands.
I have heard the term 'Stale Tuner' used before, so keeping them moving helps. 

I will tell you my problem has disappeared, just as abrupt and mysterious as when it started. It did happen when my cable provider (Kansas City) Surewest switched over there network to support multistream cards. I did migrate all my Tivo's to MS cards (it was cheaper... you only need one card) except my S3 box (it still requires 2 physical cards, but they are multistreams). My rationalization here is Surewest had adjustment problems with there network during the transition, which eventually went away. 

My time line was last March, where the first GSAS occured (on both my HD boxes, but at different times and frequency... but never the S3 box). I replaced 2 of the HD's with brand new boxes (also had a referb sent out, so I have had 5 HD boxes over time... all of them GSAS'd). I beleive my problems peaked in July, and then gradually diminished. Since Sept 1, I have not had a single GSAS.


----------



## JonNYC

sasmps said:


> Ian, Jon, Jvennema:
> 
> I wish I had more suggestions for you, I did ping TivoJerry and he let me know Tivo is still working on the problem. Tivo has also had specific communication with TWC in NY for the last several months, but specifics are not being communicated to the public.


I can certainly live with that. I actually take comfort in knowing that this is a "known issue" as I really, really wasn't looking forward to sending theirs back, setting it up again, etc. I'll institute some of the suggestions here, have already told them to stay off Starz-- on the off chance that the problem is largely there-- and will check their signal etc. As I mentioned, glad I found this thread as I practically had the thing boxed up and ready to ship back to Tivo.


----------



## sasmps

Jon,

TivoJerry is still accepting request from folks that want Tivo to log there machines. Feel free to pm Jerry with a request. Logging allows them to see certian things on your machine (he logged my systems for 2 months). 

Look back in the email trail for one of his post, then click on his name to send him a PM. He will need your machine id.


----------



## MPerlo9

I posted back in September that I was having issues with my TiVo freezing to both a black and grey screen and I'm sad to report that 3 months later I'm still having the same problem. A couple weeks ago I attached a -10db attenuator to bring down my signals to around 75% (the TiVo technician was "positive" that it would work) and the problem has not gotten better at all. I'm growing very tired of this bug crippling the device's functionality and the company's unwillingness (save TiVo Jerry) to acknowledge its existence. I signed up for a 12-month service plan so I'm gonna ride it out for another month or two but if it doesn't get resolved soon TiVo will lose yet another subscriber. It seems to be the only thing they've been good at recently...marketshare is down to 2004 levels. Anyone else tired of beta testing a product thats been on shelves for 2 years?

Mike


----------



## mangocat1

I haven't had any reoccuring issues. Seems like a localized issue with 2 channels.


----------



## sasmps

MPerlo9:

I agree.. the attenuators do not fix the problem. What I have observed is they delay the next GSAS by several days. If you keep the tuners moving, you can stretch out these events to one or two a month. Not a fix, but does slow it down.

It is specific to channels... take note of where you leave the tuners on a daily basis and try to mix it up.

The problem does come and go... I have been clear for 3 months now.


----------



## oingo2

I hooked up my TIVO3 in early August.I had occasional problems this weekend where it keeps popping up. no one seems to have a good cure in mind. I have a wired ethernet connection but hesitate to call TWC until a good cure has been found....


----------



## s44

Well, at least I found the right thread.

I've been having the black screen lock greet me periodically in the morning since I moved this Tivo HD to Brooklyn (TWC -- surprise, surprise) a few weeks ago. Drive passed kickstart tests -- 57 and 58 went *really* fast.

At least one tuner has always been on TCMHD (782), since that's the channel I'm most often watching and recording.

Guess I'll try "parking" or auto-record, but standby won't help since much of my use is recording overnight movies. Maybe some attenuators too...

edit: I should also note that my pre-Tivo SA cable box here (non-DVR) used to reboot itself fairly regularly, though it's hard to say just how often. Of course, it wasn't as important since it wasn't recording anything.

edit 2: is it too late to sign up for the study?


----------



## sasmps

S44,

Look in the thread for TivoJerry's email, and send him a PM requesting he log your box. You will need to send him your serial number....


----------



## robla64

Add me to the list of people with the black screen. It seems to be happening when the tivo is connected via HDMI.
Currently the Tivo is connected via the composite cable and has been working fine.
I have Tivo HD with a stock drive and no cable cards and I was connected via HDMI. The network is connected via a CAT5 cable, and my provider is Comcast. 
Just last week, Comcast went to all digital here in southeastern Massachusetts , except for the local OTA stations. Comcast requires a tech to install the cablecards so I was putting it off until I was on vacation.
Most of the channels have a signal strength between 94 and 100.


----------



## dbolton

I encountered this GSAS for the first time this afternoon. Switched away from HDMI, then back, and it was "snowstorm" type static instead. Rebooting now and will try the various proposed solutions if it recurs.


----------



## MPerlo9

Actually, in my case, the attenuators have actually made the problem worse! I am now experiencing frozen grey screens and frozen black screens (the former accompanied by the front panel being completely dim save the green power light).

The HDMI suggestion is interesting; I'll give it a shot this weekend. Again though, I can't reiterate enough how frustrating this problem. Even worse is TiVo's apparent inability to offer any sort of resolution, or even explanation! I just got word that FiOS is being installed in my building come January and I'm literally counting down the days until I can ditch both TWC and TiVo. I never thought possible that I could be more dissatisfied with a electronic/service provider company than TWC but honestly, TiVo, with their dysfunctional hardware and unlearned support team (one customer service rep spent 10 minutes assuring me that a high def signal could be displayed over composite cables...yes, the red, white, yellow ones) has surpassed them at this point.

Oh, and to top it all of, my TiVo has recently started restarting randomly throughout the week and getting hung up in a rebooting loop.

I really do hate to sound (and be) this bitter but I think that by paying $300 (or more) for a device that cable companies give away for free we all deserve better.



sasmps said:


> MPerlo9:
> 
> I agree.. the attenuators do not fix the problem. What I have observed is they delay the next GSAS by several days. If you keep the tuners moving, you can stretch out these events to one or two a month. Not a fix, but does slow it down.
> 
> It is specific to channels... take note of where you leave the tuners on a daily basis and try to mix it up.
> 
> The problem does come and go... I have been clear for 3 months now.


----------



## dlfl

MPerlo9 said:


> .......... I just got word that FiOS is being installed in my building come January and I'm literally counting down the days until I can ditch both TWC and TiVo. ...............
> 
> Oh, and to top it all of, my TiVo has recently started restarting randomly throughout the week and getting hung up in a rebooting loop.
> .............


From what I've read on this forum, the TiVo HD works great with FIOS, so you might want to consider keeping the TiVo. (Dumping TWC is a great idea.)

However it sounds like your TiVo has a problem with random restarting, etc. If it's still on warranty you can get it replaced or fixed either for free or for $49 if it's past 90 days.


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## comedygirl24

dlfl said:


> From what I've read on this forum, the TiVo HD works great with FIOS, so you might want to consider keeping the TiVo. (Dumping TWC is a great idea.)
> 
> However it sounds like your TiVo has a problem with random restarting, etc. If it's still on warranty you can get it replaced or fixed either for free or for $49 if it's past 90 days.


Thanks for the tip, I was heaving the same problem...


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## richsadams

dlfl said:


> From what I've read on this forum, the TiVo HD works great with FIOS, so you might want to consider keeping the TiVo. (Dumping TWC is a great idea.)


Our TiVo's (and my wife and I) heart FIOS like crazy...no compression and some stunning PQ. :up:


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## mrbeefhead

MPerlo9 said:


> I really do hate to sound (and be) this bitter but I think that by paying $300 (or more) for a device that cable companies give away for free we all deserve better.


I'm with you on this one. I used to sell all of my friends on TiVo. I've been a customer since my first series 1 so many years ago... now I beg everyone to avoid TiVo at all costs.

My TiVo HD is complete garbage. I have to reboot it at least three times a day, and when I'm not home to reboot it while it has crashed... it doesn't record any of my shows.

TiVo refuses to offer any support other than "well have to tried composite cables?" or "it's probably your hard drive". According to those suggestions, thousands of people in this forum have bad hard drives. I don't think so!

I'm convinced that TiVo HDs have a hardware problem that TiVo knows about but refuses to acknowledge because it would involve a mass recall of affected units.

So instead we're stonewalled and forced to constantly reboot our boxes. It defeats the entire purpose of even having a TiVo.

TiVo quality control has gone down the tubes and if it weren't for the fact that I spent $500 on this box and a lifetime service for it, it would be in the trash long ago.

*TiVo is GARBAGE!* If you're reading this thread and considering a TiVo purchase, you have been warned!


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## cogx

mrbeefhead said:


> "it's probably your hard drive". According to those suggestions, thousands of people in this forum have bad hard drives. I don't think so!
> I'm convinced that TiVo HDs have a hardware problem that TiVo knows about but refuses to acknowledge because it would involve a mass recall of affected units.


Why do you think your TiVo's HDD has not failed? Have you run the Kickstart 54 "extended test" SATA test and the "overnight test: seek/read, random locations" test? My assertion is that HDD failures are the most common problem that causes nearly every TiVo symptom posted about on this site, even when the problems are blamed on everything else under the sun. 
All HDDs will eventually fail; some just last longer than others. A colleague and I support nearly 400 PCs and we've had to replace 10 HDDs in just the past 12 weeks (just replaced yet another one yesterday). 
My own TiVo S3 HDD failed a year ago and for some odd reason, despite knowing how common it is for a HDD to fail in a PC, I initially thought there was something else wrong, but sure enough the problem turned out to be a failing HDD and replacing it was the solution.


----------



## mrbeefhead

cogx said:


> Why do you think your TiVo's HDD has not failed? Have you run the Kickstart 54 "extended test" SATA test and the "overnight test: seek/read, random locations" test? My assertion is that HDD failures are the most common problem that causes nearly every TiVo symptom posted about on this site, even when the problems are blamed on everything else under the sun.


I work in IT as well and am pretty tech-savvy. That said, my TiVo has passed all of the kick start tests.

The HDD in my TiVo Series III is less than 6 months old.

The HDD in my TiVo Series I is 6 years old and still running like a champ.

I will probably end up replacing my HDD *only* because I have no other choice... but I'm not buying the HDD reason.

Take a look at the Series 1/2 forums and compare to the Series 3 forum.

Series 3 TiVos have so many more freeze/reboot issues than the earlier models. It wouldn't make sense for this to be HDD related as the Series 3 HDDs are in most cases 5+ years newer than their older counterparts.

TiVo built a crappy product in the Series 3 and the consumers are left having to regularly reboot / experiment with video cables / experiment with attenuators / experiment with ethernet / "keep tuners moving during overnight" / replace possibly good HDDs in order to TRY to fix the product because TiVo won't.

There are people on this forum who are on their 4th warranty replacement TiVo for freezing and the "new" unit still freezes!

The only thing I can do now is to try to cut my own losses and convince everyone I know to *stay away from the Series 3*.


----------



## cogx

mrbeefhead said:


> I work in IT as well and am pretty tech-savvy. That said, my TiVo has passed all of the kick start tests.
> 
> The HDD in my TiVo Series III is less than 6 months old.
> 
> The HDD in my TiVo Series I is 6 years old and still running like a champ.
> 
> I will probably end up replacing my HDD *only* because I have no other choice... but I'm not buying the HDD reason.
> 
> Take a look at the Series 1/2 forums and compare to the Series 3 forum.
> 
> Series 3 TiVos have so many more freeze/reboot issues than the earlier models. It wouldn't make sense for this to be HDD related as the Series 3 HDDs are in most cases 5+ years newer than their older counterparts.
> 
> TiVo built a crappy product in the Series 3 and the consumers are left having to regularly reboot / experiment with video cables / experiment with attenuators / experiment with ethernet / "keep tuners moving during overnight" / replace possibly good HDDs in order to TRY to fix the product because TiVo won't.
> 
> There are people on this forum who are on their 4th warranty replacement TiVo for freezing and the "new" unit still freezes!
> 
> The only thing I can do now is to try to cut my own losses and convince everyone I know to *stay away from the Series 3*.


All I can say is that I bought the Series 3 the very first day it was made available (09/12/06) and other than replacing the hard drive in it 10/08, I've never had any of the problems people often associate with buggy software or faulty components.

When comparing a dual-tuner HD DVR to an old single-tuner analog TiVo, it does seem to make some logical sense, to me anyway, that there would be more failures, given the increased stress due to the dramatic increase in data being written and read in the modern models.

The type of HDD failure I had with the original WD2500BS-55RPB1 drive in my S3 is what I suspect is common for that particular model and that is that the drive will at some stop responding to the OS and that of course will cause the TiVo to eventually reboot itself after a timeout period. On my failing drive last year, I confirmed this behavior once I took the original TiVo HD out and tested it in a PC using the Dell Diagnostics HDD sector test and after going 60% through just fine it came back with a "Timeout waiting for IRQ" error and in fact at that point the diagnostic software had completely locked up my PC and I had to just power the computer off. In other words, the same "lock up" that happened in my TiVo, happened on my PC while scanning that drive.

It is also interesting to note that over the past couple of years, Western Digital now has come out with specific HDD models that they tout as being specifically adapted to DVRs, such as the "WD AV-GP" model which they say "are designed to last in high temperature always-on streaming digital audio/video environments such as PVR/DVR, DVR recorders and surveillance video recorders" and they tout features like "Preemptive Wear Leveling (PWL)" "to reduce uneven wear on the drive surface common to audio video streaming applications". Whether that is considered just bunch of marketing hooey or not, I'll leave that up to individual to make up their own mind.

Now, in my opinion, the current TiVo models do have a major flaw in that the end-user can't easily replace a failed HDD, like say one can do with a PS3 or an Xbox 360. I say that any CE device that relies on the vagaries of a hard disk drive needs to be designed with end-user HDD replacement in mind. TiVo should design their next model to where they just send out HDD replacements under warranty, like say Dell does for their PCs under warranty, and not require shipping back entire TiVo units when I suspect nearly every single failure is a failed HDD. Then, once a TiVo is out of warranty, the owner can just go out and buy a new drive and get the thing back up and running on their own.

Lastly, though, I will say that I respect the right for any individual to be angry about their purchase. In fact, for the amount of money I spent a little over three years ago now and plus the repair last year, I really can't say that I got more out of it than if I had just been renting my cable company's Motorola DVR all this time. YMMV.


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## Ian

Well, I'have had my brand new TiVo XL about 5 weeks now, 2 GSAS's so far - seems to be one every 2 or 2.5 weeks.

Not bad... not great.

But for now, I can live with it...

-Ian


----------



## Ian

Whoops. Spoke too soon - just had second GSAS in 24 hours.

Nice. Hope this doesn't keep up.

-Ian


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## mrbeefhead

Ian said:


> Whoops. Spoke too soon - just had second GSAS in 24 hours.
> 
> Nice. Hope this doesn't keep up.
> 
> -Ian


Don't worry, it will. I had 4 in one day yesterday. And of course missed the season finale of a show I had been eagerly anticipating.

:down:


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## kika2000

Today, right in the middle of Marilyn's scene in Asphalt Jungle. I was watching live on TCM and WHAM! screeching loud enough to wake the dead.
So far I haven't had an occurrence with the Tivo on standby, but that doesn't solve the problem of what to do when I actually want to turn it on and watch something.
Still no word on a possible fix for this?


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## Ian

Ahhh, the Sunday afternoon GSOD.

Was watching an HD movie, all of a sudden, during a commercial, the screen froze, and then -

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!

You know, I wouldn't mind the GSOD's if they weren't accompanied by the screeching sirens.

TiVoJerry, anyone else... is there some sort of plan to address this issue?

Just hoping to avoid my neighbors coming screaming thinking the building is burning down.

Thanks-

-Ian


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## kika2000

Crazy last 48 hours!

I haven't had this many occurrences of the GSAS since the Tour de France - which is what I bought the Tivo to record - and which it did not manage to get through a single stage without crashing.

I've had three GSAS, and my Tivo has spontaneously rebooted 3 other times while I was watching in the last two days. Mostly, I've been tuned to TCMHD, and 162 Universal Sports with some Cartoon Network thrown in for laughs. On TWCNY, or course.

And ... again ... as I write this, it reboots. Why do I bother?


----------



## MPerlo9

kika2000 said:


> Crazy last 48 hours!
> 
> I haven't had this many occurrences of the GSAS since the Tour de France - which is what I bought the Tivo to record - and which it did not manage to get through a single stage without crashing.
> 
> I've had three GSAS, and my Tivo has spontaneously rebooted 3 other times while I was watching in the last two days. Mostly, I've been tuned to TCMHD, and 162 Universal Sports with some Cartoon Network thrown in for laughs. On TWCNY, or course.
> 
> And ... again ... as I write this, it reboots. Why do I bother?


Take solace in the fact that you are most definitely not alone. My TiVo has been automatically rebooting (and then getting hung up in a rebooting loop as it tries to restart) about 5-7 times a day for the past 2 to 3 weeks. A fellow named Jonathan has taken over TivoJerry's duties as GSAS fixer / frustrated TiVo user punching bag and he kindly arrange for a replacement unit to be sent out. Neither one of us believes it'll have any effect on the freezing (mine are gray/black screens...not GSAS) but hopefully it'll fix the rebooting issue which seems like the result of a failing hard drive to me. I'll keep ya'll posted on what I find out.

Keeping my fingers crossed that my building hops on the FiOS bandwagon soon (installation rumored to take place in January) because it'll give me (and everyone else really) insight into how much of this is signal based (TWC's end). Here's hoping...


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## bagbklyn

Last 2 weeks I have also been getting the GSOD. It had dwindled to the point of me forgetting but out of nowhere it hit both of my TIVO HD's. I though tI was done with this problem


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## kika2000

MPerlo9 said:


> Keeping my fingers crossed that my building hops on the FiOS bandwagon soon (installation rumored to take place in January) because it'll give me (and everyone else really) insight into how much of this is signal based (TWC's end). Here's hoping...


I wish it was the hard drive, but I think it is the signal. Every time I get through explaining my problem, the folks at Tivo are always the first to tell me that they don't think it is a hard drive issue and a replacement will probably not fix the screeching and crashing.

I was one of the people who volunteered for the TWCNY poll earlier in the year when they were trying to figure out what was going on, and after many tech visits, all we've discovered is that whatever the signal issue is, the TWC box deals with it just fine.

I also wish there was any possibility of getting Fios where I am, but we are very low (to nonexistent) on their priority list, so I'm not holding my breath.

I'm getting tired of having to negotiate with my DVR to see if it will allow me to watch what I want. Nights like tonight, when I would like to watch something specific, but the Tivo just crashes are especially frustrating. (Three times in 45 minutes. I now have both tuners on stations I have no interest in as an experiment to see if it crashes on all stations - or just the ones I want to watch.)

Thanks for the symbolic shoulder to cry on.


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## mrbeefhead

Is it fun? Even better is that TiVo won't acknowledge the problem that so many of us are suffering from.

I can't count the number of people I had converted to TiVo fans over the years. 

Now I'm telling everyone I know to stay away as I've never been more frustrated with a device as I am with my TiVo HD.

It's the most frustrating thing to sit down and want to fire up the latest episode of something you love only to find that it wasn't recorded and now you'll have to wait for the TiVo to reboot to watch anything at all.

:down:


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## richsadams

mrbeefhead said:


> Even better is that TiVo won't acknowledge the problem that so many of us are suffering from.


It has to be terribly frustrating to deal with this issue. However TiVo is very aware of the problem and acknowledged it starting a while ago...

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7355003#post7355003

And a little more recently...

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7566825#post7566825

IIRC they are working with TWC on a solution. FWIW there's a post with info about sending Jerry a PM with your info and they'll track your TiVo's logs (although they may already have enough volunteers):

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7415024#post7415024

I haven't seen an issue like this last this long. It never happens fast enough but historically they've always been able to resolve things. I'm pretty sure they'll get it fixed, but it's certainly taking a very long time. 

Anyway, hope the New Year brings some happiness.


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## mrbeefhead

Hey Rich,

Okay, well TiVo Jerry is aware of it, this much I know. But it seems like the call center people aren't... ...depending on who you talk to. I would understand if this were a new issue, but this is months old.

Jerry's signature states that he is out of the office on vacation for the next three weeks. 

Not that I was expecting a quick resolution... and I've become pretty adept at un-plugging / re-plugging my TiVo.


----------



## richsadams

mrbeefhead said:


> Hey Rich,
> 
> Okay, well TiVo Jerry is aware of it, this much I know. But it seems like the call center people aren't... ...depending on who you talk to. I would understand if this were a new issue, but this is months old.
> 
> Jerry's signature states that he is out of the office on vacation for the next three weeks.
> 
> Not that I was expecting a quick resolution... and I've become pretty adept at un-plugging / re-plugging my TiVo.


It seems TiVo's front line CSR's are rarely informed of much of anything beyond reading their scripts. Since this is not a system-wide issue I doubt a lot of them have run into it but you'd think TiVo would give them some sort of heads up at minimum.

Hopefully your power cord is easily accessible. What a PIA though.


----------



## JJJB

I guess I'm the newest sucker to this nightmare.

Bought New HD from TiVo 11/27/09
Comcast Motorola cable card installed - 12/10/09

12/21- Turned off Tivo went to bed
12/22-Woke up Green light was on the front of
the Tivo.Turned it on to a blank grey
frozen screen (GSOD) so I unplugged and plugged it
back in and it came back up.Crashed while recording
overnight I'm guessing??

12/28-crashed while watching a show
and recording football game on another channel
went right to "Powering up" kept "cycling"
over and over to the "powering up" screen
until I unplugged it and plugged it back in.
Worked for 20 minutes paused it while I was
on the phone (for maybe 15 minutes)and it
rebooted itself back to the "now playing" menu.

12/29-Woke up Green light was on the front of
the Tivo again.Turned it on to a blank grey
frozen screen so I unplugged and plugged it
back in and it came back up.

Called TiVo (before I had any idea about this thread)
they said the "activation stream"
was missing in the cable card. Which I found
weird because all my channels were working fine.


Called Comcast
and they "reset" the card.
I turned it off and half hour later while it was recording green light was on the
front again and I had a frozen "grey screen". Unplugged
it again and rebooted.

Then I found this thread. 
I too have become adept at un-plugging / re-plugging my TiVo. And NO it's not that easy to get to.
Just a short addition. I didn't even really need a Series3 HD Tivo. I live in a townhouse complex where I get free analog Comcast cable and 80 or so channels. My Pioneer57H and Humax S2 DVD recorders were working perfect. But because I heard Comcast were going to be FORCING us all to go digital in the next 6 months and then I'd need a "converter box" and because TiVo was offering me an S3HD for $149.00 I took the bait. Fun !! Fun !! But hey...doesn't that digital picture look great ?


----------



## richsadams

JJJB said:


> I guess I'm the newest sucker to this nightmare.


Sorry to hear of your frustration, that does not sound like any fun at all. However what you're experiencing has all of the earmarks of either cable card issues or is more likely a failing hard drive. BTW, you're seeing a grey screen, not the green screen folks on this thread are referring to. This is a GSOD (or the Green Screen of Death...which it really isn't, it's just a built-in MFS assert diagnostic screen):

http://i17.tinypic.com/4pwebmx.jpg

Others are seeing a blank green screen now and then with a loud audio tone (or GSAS, green screen and audio siren). The grey screen is something different and it doesn't sound like there are any audio issues (forgive the pun). Plus the folks on this thread seem to be experiencing a NY TWC issue for the most part.

If TiVo is freezing and rebooting on it's own it's not likely to get any better. If you can't get it resolved with TiVo and your cableco (TiVo will host a three-way call if necessary) you should get an exchange from TiVo ASAP.


----------



## JJJB

Oh sorry about that ....No my screen doesn't look like that, it's just grey. I'll just have to monitor it. There's really nothing else I can do unless it won't boot up at all right? I doubt they're going to send me a new one out that quick without a lot more going wrong after reading this thread. I don't see how it can be the cable card. The channels are all there and look great.


----------



## richsadams

JJJB said:


> Oh sorry about that ....No my screen doesn't look like that, it's just grey. I'll just have to monitor it. There's really nothing else I can do unless it won't boot up at all right? I doubt they're going to send me a new one out that quick without a lot more going wrong after reading this thread. I don't see how it can be the cable card. The channels are all there and look great.


I agree, it's probably not a cable card. My money says it has a bad hard drive. It's not common, but not unusual for a hard drive to be faulty either. A replacement should be fine.

This isn't an "official" TiVo thread and TiVo CSR's are unaware of it...or it's contents at least...anyway. Whether it had anything to do with what people are experiencing on this thread or not, TiVo needs to replace it. I'd call them back and insist on an exchange. They'll want your credit card number for security to send one immediately. They'll place a hold for the amount on your card and once they receive yours back they'll remove it.

Bottom line is that it's not working properly, it's rebooting, etc. It doesn't have to die first...you have enough symptoms to get a replacement. It's still under warranty so a new one is in order.

Keep us posted!


----------



## mrbeefhead

richsadams said:


> My money says it has a bad hard drive.





JJJB said:


> Bought New HD from TiVo *11/27/09*
> 
> Comcast Motorola cable card installed - *12/10/09*
> 
> *12/22*- Turned it on to a blank grey frozen screen


Rich, he had only been using the TiVo for 2 weeks! His HDD is virtually brand new. Yes, HDDs can fail at any time but this is suspicious...

There have been many cases of users experiencing this problem and replacing their HDDs only to... ...have the same thing happen again.

*
JJJB*, the worst part is that you'll have to pay Comcast to install the cable cards again on your "new" TiVo. And it's a complete crapshoot as to whether or not this will solve your problem.


----------



## CrispyCritter

mrbeefhead said:


> Rich, he had only been using the TiVo for 2 weeks! His HDD is virtually brand new. Yes, HDDs can fail at any time but this is suspicious...


No, it's not at all suspicious. Monthly failure rate for a disk is much higher for the first month than it is after a year or two. It may take a week or two for manufacturing defects related to heat to start causing problems.

Your problem is something else, probably related to your particular location or franchise (ie, signal related), and indeed replacing a disk has a good chance of not fixing your problem. But this poster sounds like they have a simple disk problem.


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## richsadams

CrispyCritter said:


> No, it's not at all suspicious. Monthly failure rate for a disk is much higher for the first month than it is after a year or two. It may take a week or two for manufacturing defects related to heat to start causing problems.
> 
> Your problem is something else, probably related to your particular location or franchise (ie, signal related), and indeed replacing a disk has a good chance of not fixing your problem. But this poster sounds like they have a simple disk problem.


Agreed. The OP's drive may be experiencing component failure which is just showing up or the DVR could be trying to write to new sectors that are bad (remember everything is being recorded 24/7)...it just may not have gotten to that part of the disk yet. Hard to say, but all of the symptoms are classic hard drive failure.

FWIW when we had Comcast and had them come out for a service call a couple of years ago the charge was $14.95. Might be more now, but probably still not a wallet killer.


----------



## MPerlo9

JJJB - you seem to be experiencing the same malfunction that has been plaguing me since I purchased my TiVo HD in May. I'll come home from work, power on my system and find myself faced with a frozen grey (or black screen). The only difference is that the grey screen isn't accompanied by any lights on the front panel (save the green power light which is always on). Contact Jonathan at adapterbeta AT tivo.com and explain the problem you are experiencing. He won't be able to offer you much in the way of a solution but will activate your set for data collection to help them work on the issue.

Beefhead/Rich - I've found TiVo tech support to be completely unaware of the problem and therefore, completely useless (at best...sometimes they insist they know the solution when, in fact, that solution does not solve anything at all).

Ok, now the interesting part. I've been experiencing this issue nearly every day for the past 6 months so excuse me if I'm getting ahead of myself but...

SYesterday my TiVo was restarting like mad, 3 times in a period of less than 2 hours. So I decided to run a test and see what would happen. I ejected my cableCARD and let it sit for about 30 minutes...I then got bored and decided to plug it back in (UCLA bowl game was on!), while the TiVo was powered on and active. Since then, I have had neither an automatic restart nor a frozen grey/black screen. I can't remember the last time I went 24 hours without having at least some sort of malfunction. I just went into the TiVo Main Menu to play a recorded show and I was greeted with an error message saying "Your TiVo service is not active. Please activated it now". I am not sure whether this has to do with my removing/reentering the cableCARD or having the unit in the process of being replaced. I've ignored it for the time being since I'm wondering if it might have something to do with the TiVo's change in behavior.

I have absolutely no idea why this would affect anything but at this point I'm grasping for straws and am just grateful that I've been able to enjoy a fully functioning DVR for a whole day/night cycle. A GSOD is probably right around the corner...but in the meantime, anyone want to try and replicate my steps and see what kind of results they get?


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## MPerlo9

Oops, forgot to say... all signs point to JJJB's issue not being HDD related. I've been experiencing the frozen gray/black screen since I got TiVo back in May and having the unit replaced over the summer didn't solve anything. From my emails with Jerry/Jonathan I've gathered that its definitely signal related. But who the hell knows...

Oh, btw, that green screen and siren bug sounds truly f'ing awful...almost makes me feel fortunate to _only_ have the issue I'm having.


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## richsadams

MPerlo9 said:


> Oops, forgot to say... all signs point to JJJB's issue not being HDD related.


I'm not sure why you would say that. Simply because what you're experiencing is (or isn't) similar? I can certainly sympathize with your troubles and what you've been dealing with for a few months, must be a real pain. However quite a few folks around here have been dealing with these things for about a decade now and tend to know of which they speak (even if you don't want to trust me). 

FWIW returning the unit is at no cost and no peril to the OP. He should return it for an exchange, end of story. The worst that can happen is that he experiences the same issue with a new unit. My money says he won't but there's still absolutely no reason not to get a replacement at this point.

Enough OT for now. Best of luck with your experiment!


----------



## mrbeefhead

MPerlo9 said:


> I have absolutely no idea why this would affect anything but at this point I'm grasping for straws and am just grateful that I've been able to enjoy a fully functioning DVR for a whole day/night cycle.


:up::up::up::up::up:

PLEASE report back and let us know if your freeze-holiday continues.

I agree that it's not HDD related. And if it *IS* HDD related, then TiVo has equipped it's HDs with an enormous amount of bunk drives that fail extremely early in life.

Sincerely,
*mrbeefhead* (who has rebooted his HD TiVo 5 times in the past 24 hours)


----------



## MPerlo9

richsadams said:


> I'm not sure why you would say that. Simply because what you're experiencing is (or isn't) similar? I can certainly sympathize with your troubles and what you've been dealing with for a few months, must be a real pain. However quite a few folks around here have been dealing with these things for about a decade now and tend to know of which they speak (even if you don't want to trust me).
> 
> FWIW returning the unit is at no cost and no peril to the OP. He should return it for an exchange, end of story. The worst that can happen is that he experiences the same issue with a new unit. My money says he won't but there's still absolutely no reason not to get a replacement at this point.
> 
> Enough OT for now. Best of luck with your experiment!


Agreed that he should return it and try out a new unit. But you have to acknowledge that exchanging the unit is not a walk in the park. It requires charging your card a not-insignificant sum of money, coordinating with your cable company to come and activate the unit (which, if you live in NYC and have TWC, can be a nightmare as it was for me), reprogram all of your season passes and recording, reprogram all your program preferences, give the unit ample time to relearn all of your likes/dislikes for its suggested programming feature and a few other things. Its a hassle to say the least. Its worth going through once in the off chance that it'll help solve the problem but I wouldn't expect anyone to be partial to doing it multiple times.

And if what I'm experiencing is a HDD issue it would have been identified and solved by now. Its clearly something more ambiguous and complex.


----------



## richsadams

MPerlo9 said:


> Agreed that he should return it and try out a new unit. But you have to acknowledge that exchanging the unit is not a walk in the park.


Agreed, an exchange takes a little effort. The flip side is that if not exchanged now (no associated TiVo cost) and the drive (or something else) eventually goes completely south the OP would still have to go through the trouble plus pay out of pocket ($49 to $149) for the privilege. BTW, SP's, etc. can be saved via TiVo by activating Guru Guides or Kids Zone. When TiVo contacts the mothership the missing info on the account is repopulated.



MPerlo9 said:


> And if what I'm experiencing is a HDD issue it would have been identified and solved by now. Its clearly something more ambiguous and complex.


I only said that the OP has all of the classic symptoms of hard drive failure. The OP's exact complaints have been documented many, many times over the years here for anyone that has time to search. Yours is a horse of a different color. Best of luck with getting things ironed out.


----------



## MPerlo9

mrbeefhead said:


> :up::up::up::up::up:
> 
> PLEASE report back and let us know if your freeze-holiday continues.
> 
> I agree that it's not HDD related. And if it *IS* HDD related, then TiVo has equipped it's HDs with an enormous amount of bunk drives that fail extremely early in life.
> 
> Sincerely,
> *mrbeefhead* (who has rebooted his HD TiVo 5 times in the past 24 hours)


Happy New Year everyone. Now going on 60 hours w/ out a freeze or reboot...has anyone else in southern Manhattan w/ TWC noticed a change? Mr. Beefhead...maybe worth repeating the steps I took and seeing what happens?


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## MPerlo9

MPerlo9 said:


> Happy New Year everyone. Now going on 60 hours w/ out a freeze or reboot...has anyone else in southern Manhattan w/ TWC noticed a change? Mr. Beefhead...maybe worth repeating the steps I took and seeing what happens?


FYI just tried to start up Video On Demand from the main menu and it said "Not Connected to the TiVo service". I'm becoming more and more convinced that this has something to do with the freezing/restarting.


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## pyk133

MPerlo9 said:


> Happy New Year everyone. Now going on 60 hours w/ out a freeze or reboot...has anyone else in southern Manhattan w/ TWC noticed a change? Mr. Beefhead...maybe worth repeating the steps I took and seeing what happens?


Don't know how long you've had your Tivo but I've had it for a few years w/ no problems. The GSAS started appearing when TWC upgraded their HD lineup early in 2009 for southern Manhattan where I live. I've posted this early on in this thread but will repost as I've had some success.

Despite recommendations by so-called Tivo "experts" here on this thread and from weaknees (where I got my Tivo) to swap out the HDD (3 times at least, each requiring a TWC visit and a day home from work, to no avail), to, get this recommendation - "get TWC to fix the problem" LMAOROTF at such advice.

I've now had my Tivo back in production for the past several months with ZERO GSAS. Unless I watch a specific channel. I removed Golf HD from my lineup (ch 482). I can still enter 482 and the channel will appear but my Tivo will freeze within 15 min. If I avoid this channel altogether, including removing it from the Tivo lineup, my Tivo has been rock solid. And that's important. If I have it in my lineup but don't watch it, my Tivo will still freeze. I've also gotten rid of Starz and TMC but don't know if that mattered. I have HBO, SHO, and Max in HD with no problems.

I don't know if it's some bad packet that Golf HD sends along with their signal (crappy signal in general, even on my TWC STB) or if it's something TWC does to the original broadcast. In any event, like the guy who couldn't record the Tour de France on Versus, I think it's these 3rd tier cable HD broadcasts sending some malformed message/signal loss which the Tivo can't handle.

Hopefully this is a data point you can use to figure out if you can live happily with the Tivo.


----------



## MPerlo9

pyk133 said:


> Don't know how long you've had your Tivo but I've had it for a few years w/ no problems. The GSAS started appearing when TWC upgraded their HD lineup early in 2009 for southern Manhattan where I live. I've posted this early on in this thread but will repost as I've had some success.
> 
> Despite recommendations by so-called Tivo "experts" here on this thread and from weaknees (where I got my Tivo) to swap out the HDD (3 times at least, each requiring a TWC visit and a day home from work, to no avail), to, get this recommendation - "get TWC to fix the problem" LMAOROTF at such advice.
> 
> I've now had my Tivo back in production for the past several months with ZERO GSAS. Unless I watch a specific channel. I removed Golf HD from my lineup (ch 482). I can still enter 482 and the channel will appear but my Tivo will freeze within 15 min. If I avoid this channel altogether, including removing it from the Tivo lineup, my Tivo has been rock solid. And that's important. If I have it in my lineup but don't watch it, my Tivo will still freeze. I've also gotten rid of Starz and TMC but don't know if that mattered. I have HBO, SHO, and Max in HD with no problems.
> 
> I don't know if it's some bad packet that Golf HD sends along with their signal (crappy signal in general, even on my TWC STB) or if it's something TWC does to the original broadcast. In any event, like the guy who couldn't record the Tour de France on Versus, I think it's these 3rd tier cable HD broadcasts sending some malformed message/signal loss which the Tivo can't handle.
> 
> Hopefully this is a data point you can use to figure out if you can live happily with the Tivo.


Awesome, thanks for the tip dude. Will give it a shot and let everyone know what happens. I've only had mine since May 09 so I've known nothing but corrupted service.

Sadly freezing & rebooting has started occurring again for me (and the TiVo is still "not activated") so its back to the drawing board for me.


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## richsadams

pyk133 said:


> Don't know how long you've had your Tivo but I've had it for a few years w/ no problems.


That's interesting info. We're clear out on the left-coast and haven't ever experienced the TWC NY GSAS issue, however when we had Comcast the Golf Channel and Versus shared the same position in the channel line-up (split 50/50). I recall there being various recording problems when we tried to get a rugby or soccer game on Versus. Sometimes the audio would be out of sync, other times it would just record a blank screen and other times we only received a partial recording.

Your post jogged my memory. I'm wondering if what we were seeing was some variation on what was happening to you (and perhaps others here)? If removing it from the lineup solved your problem...maybe others can benefit as well? A bit of a PIA and not the long-term cure that's required, but it might be a good short-term solution.


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## mrbeefhead

MPerlo9 said:


> Sadly freezing & rebooting has started occurring again for me (and the TiVo is still "not activated") so its back to the drawing board for me.


Boooo. I was really hoping that re-seating your card was going to fix your issues. Sorry to hear that your TiVo is back to failing on a regular basis again.

:down:


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## mhchu

Just an update for everyone (since most reports are from TWC Manhattan/New York and I'm in Austin)... I've been experiencing the issue ever since I got my Tivo HD 8 months ago. I'm on TWC Austin and can avoid the GSAS for months at a time by simply not watching the Food Network (which is the main reason I initially decided to get cable in the first place). I moved too a different part of Austin (was actually in Kyle - a small town 20 mi. south of Austin - before) and started trying to watch Food Network again and it does a GSAS. Ever since the third one back in May or June, I've been participating in the study that Tivo Jerry has been performing... still hoping for a resolution.


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## sasmps

I have not communicated in a while, thought I would also give a status report.

I am in the Kansas City area connected to Surewest Communications. I experieced GSAS quite a bit back in March of 2009, and all summer and early fall. Since October I have not had a GSAS on any of my 3 Tivo's. 

Wish I could share the good luck I am in at the moment.


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## Brad Smith

I have not communicated in awhile either, but I am still having the same problem. TWC has been no help, and I've received no information after sending reports to TiVo after the crashing.

I haven't got the GSAS in awhile, but every time I tune to Golf Channel HD or Versus HD, it's only a matter of time, then BAM. Now that the cycling season is about to kick off again and NHL is in full swing, I've love to be able to record Versus HD again. Sadly, I know that if I do, I will not only miss out on that, but everything else my DVR is set to record in primetime. I can't be at home to babysit this thing.

I've never been as disappointed in TiVo and their service as I am with this issue, which I've been having for over 7 months!


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## MPerlo9

mhchu said:


> Just an update for everyone (since most reports are from TWC Manhattan/New York and I'm in Austin)... I've been experiencing the issue ever since I got my Tivo HD 8 months ago. I'm on TWC Austin and can avoid the GSAS for months at a time by simply not watching the Food Network (which is the main reason I initially decided to get cable in the first place). I moved too a different part of Austin (was actually in Kyle - a small town 20 mi. south of Austin - before) and started trying to watch Food Network again and it does a GSAS. Ever since the third one back in May or June, I've been participating in the study that Tivo Jerry has been performing... still hoping for a resolution.


Thats really interesting. I just set up my new unit on Friday and haven't had any freezes since. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that TWC just dropped the Food Network from its cable lineup?? Anyone else experiencing a decrease in the number of frozen black, gray and/or green screens?


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## mrbeefhead

MPerlo9 said:


> Thats really interesting. I just set up my new unit on Friday and haven't had any freezes since. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that TWC just dropped the Food Network from its cable lineup?? Anyone else experiencing a decrease in the number of frozen black, gray and/or green screens?


I've also noticed that the problem is worst when I'm watching the Food Network. Or Versus! Or HD Theater. Or HGTV.

It's easy to see the problem -- almost all of the programs I record on these channels have "fragmented" recordings (cut off when the freeze started).


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## LockRob

I just experienced the GSAS for the first time the other day on HGTV here in Charlotte, NC. What is frustrating is that both TWC and Tivo acted as if this was a completely new and unusual phenomenon, and could not do anything to fix it. (It stopped the next day, hopefully to never come back!)
Now I find all these threads about it. Do none of these companies keep records?


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## brettatk

This sounds like what I've been experiencing for the last 6 months. About once a week I'll come home and will have to unplug my Tivo HD. It's rarely ever happened while I'm watching TV, but the few times it has the screen does go green. This started happening shortly after I replaced the hard drive. I attributed it to the cabelcards losing their pairing and have had Charter send all kinds of hits to my cablecards but nothing has worked. I've done everything but have Charter send out another tech. I thought Uverse was about to roll out in my neighborhood so I've held off but I might have to get them to send someone out. Probably not a bad idea since I can tell them I want my two "S" cards replaced with one "M" card. It's not a huge problem, just a pain in the neck since the rear of my tivo is not in a real accessible area.


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## KeithB

LockRob said:


> I just experienced the GSAS for the first time the other day on HGTV here in Charlotte, NC. What is frustrating is that both TWC and Tivo acted as if this was a completely new and unusual phenomenon, and could not do anything to fix it. (It stopped the next day, hopefully to never come back!)
> Now I find all these threads about it. Do none of these companies keep records?


Rob, can you tune Food Network HD on 261 successfully?
My TivoHD GSAS whenever I attempt to tune this channel since Sat 1/9.


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## mrbeefhead

LockRob said:


> What is frustrating is that both TWC and Tivo acted as if this was a completely new and unusual phenomenon, and could not do anything to fix it. (It stopped the next day, hopefully to never come back!)
> 
> Now I find all these threads about it. Do none of these companies keep records?


Oh yeah, TiVo will certainly play dumb about it. They'll act like this is the first they've EVER heard about it.

I'm sure they're successful in stonewalling the majority of callers, but for those of us who are able to google... ...the problem becomes pretty clear.


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## KeithB

Surprisingly, the Tivo agent I spoke with this afternoon didn't play dumb when I described the GSAS. Maybe I just got lucky??


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## LockRob

KeithB said:


> Rob, can you tune Food Network HD on 261 successfully?
> My TivoHD GSAS whenever I attempt to tune this channel since Sat 1/9.


I was able to get 261 (Food) fine, but went green whenever I switched to 260.


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## dlfl

KeithB said:


> Surprisingly, the Tivo agent I spoke with this afternoon didn't play dumb when I described the GSAS. Maybe I just got lucky??


Surprisingly inconsistent knowledge is the only consistent attribute about either TiVo or TWC support reps.


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## MPerlo9

I can't believe I'm actually saying this but I have been freeze/restart free since I had my replacement TiVo activated on Wednesday. Unfortunately I think this has less to do with receiving a somehow problem-free device and more with the following:

1) I believe that TWC and The Food Network are in some sort of contract dispute and FOOD HD has been pulled from TWC's channel lineup. I've seen comments on this thread about FOOD HD causing all sorts of problems so the drop off in freezes I'm having might be a result of that

2) I rarely tune to the "problem channels" such as VS, Food, Golf, etc. identified by users on this forum but that doesn't mean my TiVo doesn't record them on its own by way of its "Suggestions" feature. Since all of my ratings and programming preferences disappeared when I replaced my old unit, perhaps the TiVo hasn't started recording these program channels.

Has anyone else in Southern Manhattan experienced a drop off in the # of frozen screens / GSASs in the new year? Hopefully it'll stick but my hopes aren't high.


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## Ian

Knock on wood, I've had a drop off in GSAS as well since the new year...

Of course, I've been out of town for a week, and who knows if my box crashed since i left.

Let's hope not!


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## Ian

Woohoo, came home after a week, no GSAS (I'm happy - lots of Jersey Shore to watch hehe.)


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## EH NYC

I am a TWC subscriber located in the West 70s of NYC. I purchased the HD XL last spring and began experiencing the GSAS issues over the summer. I came across this very helpful thread today (good to know that I am not alone!) and decided to contribute my $0.02.

In my experience, GSAS issues have cropped up when one or both TiVo tuners are set to channels in the upper 700 range, such as TCM HD (channel 782), Hallmark HD (channel 784) or MGM HD (channel 796). When one or both of the TiVo tuners is tuned to one of these channels, there is a risk of GSAS. It happened again this morning, after the TiVo recorded a film on TCM HD. If I avoid these channels, GSAS has not been a problem (which is frustrating and annoying, as TCM HD is a favorite). I have not experienced this problem with SD channels or with HD channels with lower channel numbers, such as the premium services in the 600 channel range (I receive HBO, Showtime and Starz). 

BTW, I work for Scripps Networks, the owner of HGTV and Food Network. Contrary to one of the above posts, Scripps has not pulled Food Network HD from TWC. As has been noted in the press, the TWC agreements for those networks have expired and Scripps continues to negotiate with TWC while the channels remain on TWC systems. Cablevision is a different story.


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## JonNYC

I had reported earlier in the thread that my father's unit, TWC S. Manhattan was having numerous green-screen freezes a few month ago-- including 2 in one day right around the time that a lot of lower Manhattan users seemed to be experiencing them. Also seemed to be STZHD (ch 676) that would cause the problem most consistently. I had him avoid that channel for a while, but no longer.

In the past 2 months or so, he's had some issues with his unit (having to reboot occasionally) but -no- occurrences of green screen + screeching alarm since. So, a big improvement in the last few weeks.

As I also mentioned, I'm 2 blocks away from him and my HD XL has never had a single occurrence.


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## brewman

I'm with Charter in Suwanee, Ga (metro Atlanta), and I have two Tivo HD's and one S3 - all three have 1TB internal drives. I bought one of the HDs when they first came out and the second one early 2009.

The S3 has been rock-solid since I bought it - I think it has only locked up once and I've had it for at least 3 years. The two HD's lock up at least once a week and have done so for most of the past year. All three have M-cards (although the S3 has two that are acting as single stream cards each). 

It's frustrating, but I know it's not a hard-drive problem. I've had Tivo's since the first Series 1 and have had to replace failing drives over the years, and I've come to the conclusion this is not a hard drive problem. 

Both my HDs started experiencing the problem at almost the same time and will sometimes even lockup at the same time. I recently replaced one of the HD's drives to prove to myself it wasn't a drive issue and within a week the HD with the new drive locked up. 

I'm convinced it's a signal problem that for some reason doesn't affect the S3, but only the HD's. AFAIK the one real difference between the S3 and HD's with regard to signal handling is the S3 is strictly a single-stream device. Even with an M-card in the cable card slot it treats it as a single stream card. So, does anybody have any ideas why multi-stream decoding could contribute/cause the problem?


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## HekamaksPuji

I have a Sony HDTV that was locking up an pixellating all the time, until I installed a surge protector power strip. It's been working fine since I installed the strip last April. Just out of curiosity, are all these units on surge protectors? Could the problem be a combination of: power spikes, power dips, signal too hot because cable company deliberately outputs a too hot signal, cable company deliberately strips sync pulse when they sense TIVO being used (don't ask me how), bad TIVO units that TIVO spit shines then sends back out? All this makes me just want to skip TIVO altogether and just keep looking.


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## MPerlo9

Powered on the TiVo today at around 5:00pm and found it frozen, black screen. Bummer


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## leturgez

I have a brand new (December 21, 2009) Tivo HDXL and a brand new Sharp HD TV and have the same issues of green screen. Thankfully, no screech, just the green screen. My cable company is Armstrong (yeah, I know, but I live just past the civilized world). Hooked to TV with HDMI provided by Tivo. I'm going to try the USB-Ethernet proposed "solution", then the new cable "solution", but my sense of reading these hundreds of posts is that there is no proven fix that works for everyone? Right?


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## MPerlo9

MPerlo9 said:


> Powered on the TiVo today at around 5:00pm and found it frozen, black screen. Bummer


Ouch, and again! Just turned on the TiVo and it was frozen on a black screen. Had to reboot. Thats two days in a row after about 2 weeks of freeze-free TiVo. I wonder whats going on. Has anyone else noticed an increase in GSAS/freezing instances?


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## richsadams

leturgez said:


> I have a brand new (December 21, 2009) Tivo HDXL and a brand new Sharp HD TV and have the same issues of green screen. Thankfully, no screech, just the green screen. My cable company is Armstrong (yeah, I know, but I live just past the civilized world). Hooked to TV with HDMI provided by Tivo. I'm going to try the USB-Ethernet proposed "solution", then the new cable "solution", but my sense of reading these hundreds of posts is that there is no proven fix that works for everyone? Right?


Sorry to hear of your troubles. Are you seeing a green screen w/text like this:

http://i18.tinypic.com/4pwebmx.jpg

Or is it simply a blank green screen? If it's a blank green screen w/no text and no sound it's probably not what others are experiencing here and more likely something is simply wrong with your new TiVo. If that's the case you should call TiVo to report the problem and get a ticket started. They may walk you through some tests or they may opt to replace it right away. TiVo Customer Support:

http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1279

Best of luck and let us know how it goes.


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## sasmps

MPerlo9 said:


> Ouch, and again! Just turned on the TiVo and it was frozen on a black screen. Had to reboot. Thats two days in a row after about 2 weeks of freeze-free TiVo. I wonder whats going on. Has anyone else noticed an increase in GSAS/freezing instances?


Mperlo... I beleive you were in the 'honymoon' phase of the GSAS problem. I also noticed the problem went away when I replaced both boxes back in the spring, only to have it come back in a few weeks. 'Tuner Fatigue' is what I was told ... and then all the gyrations about moving the tuners around, parking them on SD at night, or leaving it in stand by... you know the rest.

I was watching to see if it came back... sorry to hear that it did.


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## sasmps

brewman said:


> I'm with Charter in Suwanee, Ga (metro Atlanta), and I have two Tivo HD's and one S3 - all three have 1TB internal drives. I bought one of the HDs when they first came out and the second one early 2009.
> 
> The S3 has been rock-solid since I bought it - I think it has only locked up once and I've had it for at least 3 years. The two HD's lock up at least once a week and have done so for most of the past year. All three have M-cards (although the S3 has two that are acting as single stream cards each).
> 
> It's frustrating, but I know it's not a hard-drive problem. I've had Tivo's since the first Series 1 and have had to replace failing drives over the years, and I've come to the conclusion this is not a hard drive problem.
> 
> Both my HDs started experiencing the problem at almost the same time and will sometimes even lockup at the same time. I recently replaced one of the HD's drives to prove to myself it wasn't a drive issue and within a week the HD with the new drive locked up.
> 
> I'm convinced it's a signal problem that for some reason doesn't affect the S3, but only the HD's. AFAIK the one real difference between the S3 and HD's with regard to signal handling is the S3 is strictly a single-stream device. Even with an M-card in the cable card slot it treats it as a single stream card. So, does anybody have any ideas why multi-stream decoding could contribute/cause the problem?


Brewmann.. you are dead on with your observations. My S3 has been rock solid while my HD's went nuts. My only explination is the tuners in the S3 are slightly different than the ones in the HD units.


----------



## sasmps

EH NYC said:


> I am a TWC subscriber located in the West 70s of NYC. I purchased the HD XL last spring and began experiencing the GSAS issues over the summer. I came across this very helpful thread today (good to know that I am not alone!) and decided to contribute my $0.02.
> 
> In my experience, GSAS issues have cropped up when one or both TiVo tuners are set to channels in the upper 700 range, such as TCM HD (channel 782), Hallmark HD (channel 784) or MGM HD (channel 796). When one or both of the TiVo tuners is tuned to one of these channels, there is a risk of GSAS. It happened again this morning, after the TiVo recorded a film on TCM HD. If I avoid these channels, GSAS has not been a problem (which is frustrating and annoying, as TCM HD is a favorite). I have not experienced this problem with SD channels or with HD channels with lower channel numbers, such as the premium services in the 600 channel range (I receive HBO, Showtime and Starz).
> 
> BTW, I work for Scripps Networks, the owner of HGTV and Food Network. Contrary to one of the above posts, Scripps has not pulled Food Network HD from TWC. As has been noted in the press, the TWC agreements for those networks have expired and Scripps continues to negotiate with TWC while the channels remain on TWC systems. Cablevision is a different story.


EH NYC...

We (the thread here) have noticed for the last year that specific channels cause the problem. I wonder if you could pass a note to Scrips Network Engineering about this issue. Maybe certian cable providers are not using the correct recommended procedures or network equipment to receive and decode your broadcast. Perhaps a review of what and how they receive your broadcast would be of value. I know in the KC area (Surewest) the problem went away back in October, but plagued us for all the rest of 2009. Did they upgrade equipement? Not sure what you can do but dosent hurt to ask.


----------



## John Clarke

Well I give up. I was an original TiVo buyer- bought lifetime service- moved to DirecTV and the HR10-250's (at almost $1k each initially). My elderly mom still has 2 Tivos- an HD TiVo and standard def. She lives in a retirement community that runs it's only cable service- and those guys say "yeah we're fielding tons of complaints re Tivos re this beep beep screeching problem". 

Before that- her HD Tivo would stop recognizing the antenna input (cable only). Ironic that an appliance that needs an on/off switch the most doesn't have one. I put mom's on a switched outlet- with a Tivo Reset note at the wall switch. 

This just isn't worth it. I'm bailing. Notice the first post in this thread is almost a YEAR old. Everyone on cable can get a reliable, HD substitute with no upfront cost and a single number to call when it acts up. And DirecTV now has multi-room viewing over ethernet. Anyway they started it all (in terms of doing it well)- but not being able to nail a problem this widespread and disabling in almost a year says it all.


----------



## jpbott

I'm a devoted Tivo owner since almost their inception - I still have a unit purchased in '03 that is still kicking with a Lifetime Subscription on it. I've had a few Humax units that were complete junk. Finally purchased the HD model about 2 years ago and have repeatedly contacted Tivo support about the frozen "black" screen issue - note that my unit is NOT using CableCards, just connected "straight into the wall". Have gotten the "signal" runaround explanation from Tivo support over and over - at one point I began the process of terminating my service. The last time the "termination rep" on the phone allowed the unit to be replaced thinking that would solve the problem. To no avail, to this day I still experience the problem. 

Everyday I lose a little more faith in the product. I don't want to go with my cable companies DVR unit - the user interface is the biggest piece of trash on the planet - but at the least I'll always have a unit that works - for less than the Tivo subscription price. 

Help!?

TiVo HD Series3
11.0d-01-2-652
w/ external drive
no CableCards
Coax Cable in


----------



## kika2000

Cycling season is back - and so is the dreaded GSAS - SKREETCH - over and over and over again.

I have now removed VSHD from my channel line-up in the hopes that this will prevent the constant crashes that occurred all of last year.

Paying for HD cable to watch on my HD television via my Tivo HD - in Standard Definition makes me feel like a chump.


----------



## Brad Smith

kika2000 said:


> Cycling season is back - and so is the dreaded GSAS - SKREETCH - over and over and over again.
> 
> I have now removed VSHD from my channel line-up in the hopes that this will prevent the constant crashes that occurred all of last year.
> 
> Paying for HD cable to watch on my HD television via my Tivo HD - in Standard Definition makes me feel like a chump.


Same here. I missed all of Thursday's and Friday's television because of a green screen after the completion of recording the Santos Tour Down Under on Versus.


----------



## xnappo

In Austin and also suffering from blank green screen crashes - sometimes with siren sometimes without.

Has anyone tried putting a power timer on to automatically reboot in the middle of the night? The issue (for me at least) seems to occur every 3-5 days...

I bought a Tivo because I was assured they were rock solid and much more stable than the cable company DVR - I feel like a sucker now.

xnappo


----------



## xcrunner

Just woke up to my first ever blank green screen (box frozen, no text or sound). This is in addition to tuning adaptor issues I've dealt with and Netflix freezes/hard-lockups last year. TiVos really aren't good with dealing with error or signal loss situations are they? Pretty pathetic - no CE equipment these days should hard lockup like that.


----------



## cjv2

xnappo said:


> I bought a Tivo because I was assured they were rock solid and much more stable than the cable company DVR - I feel like a sucker now.


That's an interesting comment. You were having lockup/stability issues with the cable company-supplied DVR, and switched to a Tivo specifically to mitigate them?


----------



## xnappo

cjv2 said:


> That's an interesting comment. You were having lockup/stability issues with the cable company-supplied DVR, and switched to a Tivo specifically to mitigate them?


Actually no - my cable DVR was rock solid. However my impression is that many others have problems with them.

I really switched to TiVO for a decent search engine, the season pass manager and a real 30-second skip.

However when it crashes every three days, it is not worth it.

xnappo


----------



## sasmps

kika2000 said:


> Cycling season is back - and so is the dreaded GSAS - SKREETCH - over and over and over again.
> 
> I have now removed VSHD from my channel line-up in the hopes that this will prevent the constant crashes that occurred all of last year.
> 
> Paying for HD cable to watch on my HD television via my Tivo HD - in Standard Definition makes me feel like a chump.


Kika, did removing the channel from the lineup help?


----------



## MPerlo9

Just wanted to report that since I had my TiVo replaced at the beginning of the month I've only experienced two freezes. No idea what's responsible for the decreased frequency but I'm just enjoying having a fully functional DVR for the first time in nearly 9 months. Has anyone else in Southern Manhattan experienced a drop off in freezes in the new year?


----------



## NotVeryWitty

MPerlo9 said:


> Just wanted to report that since I had my TiVo replaced at the beginning of the month I've only experienced two freezes. No idea what's responsible for the decreased frequency but I'm just enjoying having a fully functional DVR for the first time in nearly 9 months.


Kind of sad when "fully functional" is defined as only two freezes in a month.


----------



## MPerlo9

NotVeryWitty said:


> Kind of sad when "fully functional" is defined as only two freezes in a month.


Ugh make it three. Stupid TiVo.


----------



## ps56k

Found this thread & wanted to add my afternoon experience - 1/30/2010 - 

Just had my THD get the screetch and green screen. 
Pulled the plug, reboot and seems ok.

Have Comcast service - western burbs of Chicago - 
(thought they were making another digital service change, 
but don't recall when)

One M-card installed - 
93&#37; signal on the Card Decorder DVR Diag - 
with SNR = 35db
also have Ethernet wired cable to local hub in family room.

This is scary


----------



## Eve6MediaHQ

This happens to me every once in a while here with Time Warner Cable Southern Manhattan. This is a pretty long thread and there isn't any quick summary on the first page. Has anyone figured out how to fix this?


----------



## kika2000

sasmps said:


> Kika, did removing the channel from the lineup help?


sasmps - Well, it's not particularly scientific, but when I removed VSHD from my channel lineup, my Tivo did not crash. When I returned VSHD to the lineup, it crashed to the GSAS within 12 hrs.
There have been a couple of lineup changes on TWC in NYC in the last few days, so those may play into the equation, but for the moment I've gone back to no VSHD in the hope that I've removed a small part of the problem.


----------



## kika2000

I spoke too soon.

Removing VSHD from my channel lineup did not stop the GSAS. I came home to another one this evening.

On a different note - I did email Versus about the problem thinking that they might be interested to know that viewers in the NY Tri-State area were having problems tuning in their network.

Here is the reply that I received;

Thank you for your email.
I contacted the people here, and unfortunately it looks like a Time Warner issue.
Hopefully there is a resolution in the near future.
Thank you.



VS Feedback


----------



## sasmps

kika2000 said:


> I spoke too soon.
> 
> Removing VSHD from my channel lineup did not stop the GSAS. I came home to another one this evening.
> 
> On a different note - I did email Versus about the problem thinking that they might be interested to know that viewers in the NY Tri-State area were having problems tuning in their network.
> 
> Here is the reply that I received;
> 
> Thank you for your email.
> I contacted the people here, and unfortunately it looks like a Time Warner issue.
> Hopefully there is a resolution in the near future.
> Thank you.
> 
> VS Feedback


A chatty bunch arent they  I suspect it is a problem with the receiving equipment at each cable providers downlink. My provider, Surewest, seems to have upgraded their equipment as I have been GSAS free for 3 or 4 months.


----------



## soccercoach61

Thought I'd add my TivoHD to the list...

Just started today after 2 years of no problems at all

Provider is Comcast

2 S-cards

When I could check it, I had 97-100% signal strength on the cards.

It just started when I tuned to a newer HD channel a little while ago. Never had this problem before today. I have rebooted it four times and the problem won't clear. Finally, I pulled the cable from the wall (not literally, just unscrewed it...) and rebooted, and the system came back up. As soon as i reinstalled the cable to the wall jack, the green screen came back.

One other thing I noticed was that during the boot, everything came up normally; then the litlle Tivo advertisement started playing and about 20 seconds into that the picture broke, turned green, and the audio started screeching again. I am assuming that is the point where the system reconnects with the cable system. With the cable unplugged, it gets all the way throught the video to the Tivo Central screen. With the cable unplugged, I can put it into live tv, scroll through the channel guide, and tune it to different stations, and it says "no cable signal". But the second I plug the cable back into the wall, out it goes. Immediately.

Since this is on the TV the wife watches all the time, I've had to move a Comcast DVR back in place (one we use for PPV)...

Very frustrating...


----------



## Brad Smith

Oh...my... Someone please make this stop. What do we need to do, TiVo? I signed up to provide my crash info and submitted reports. I talked with Time Warner. I offered to provide any info needed. Instead, silence. No updates. No help. No nothing.

I am on my 4th green screen of the last 60 minutes. I reboot the machine, and it greenscreens less than 3 minutes later. These are on channels that never have triggered green screens before. And with the Olympics coming, I was planning on recording a LOT of stuff during the day. Seems I basically have a $500 brick sitting under my TV at the moment. And bricks typically come with better customer service than TiVo has provided on this issue.

Any updates from anyone? Anyone able to get this fixed? Anyone had any success dealing with TiVo?


----------



## Brad Smith

OK, that time it lasted 30 seconds from the time it went to live TV after the reboot to greenscreening again!!!!


----------



## MPerlo9

Brad Smith said:


> Oh...my... Someone please make this stop. What do we need to do, TiVo? I signed up to provide my crash info and submitted reports. I talked with Time Warner. I offered to provide any info needed. Instead, silence. No updates. No help. No nothing.
> 
> I am on my 4th green screen of the last 60 minutes. I reboot the machine, and it greenscreens less than 3 minutes later. These are on channels that never have triggered green screens before. And with the Olympics coming, I was planning on recording a LOT of stuff during the day. Seems I basically have a $500 brick sitting under my TV at the moment. And bricks typically come with better customer service than TiVo has provided on this issue.
> 
> Any updates from anyone? Anyone able to get this fixed? Anyone had any success dealing with TiVo?


Hey Brad,

I'm experiencing something very similar to whats happening to you and I may be able to offer an explanation of sorts. First, my experience:

Every night I record Chelsea Lately on E! HD at 11:00pm EST. Usually it records fine (but I've noticed that if I leave the TiVo tuned to E!, the next day when I come home from work it is sometimes frozen), but tonight right when the show started my TiVo froze on a green screen. I rebooted and logged and within 30 seconds it froze to a green screen again. I rebooted again and manually tuned to 724, E! HD, and it froze once more. Clearly the channel is causing the freezing. The first two times it was the recording of Chelsea Lately that triggered it and the third time it was me tuning to the station itself.

Unfortunately there isn't a solution to this problem other than to stay away from the problem channel when you are experiencing recurring freezing. If you know any channels that cause issues, don't leave them on overnight as they may cause a freeze that will last into the day while you are at work.

As for TiVo Customer Service...there isn't anything I can say that will do any good at this point. They (with the exception of TiVo Jerry and Jonathan) are next to worthless and are refusing to acknowledge, let alone fix, this issue.

I hope this helps dude. Report back!


----------



## jeremyz

I just got my first few GSAS tonight on a HD XL box that I got a couple of months ago to replace my Series 3 that had a tragic HD failure. It definitely happened at exactly the time that it was switching to record Comedy Central HD on 745. I did all the rebooting, and it worked for the minute or so that it takes to find its cable signal, and then it's back to GSAS. Sad. TWC NYC, Northern Manhattan, naturally.

Currently doing the SMART test, which looks fine so far.

Add me to the crowd that's had a Tivo since 2000, but is pretty much fed up with this whole decline in quality and lack of interest in solving customer problems.


----------



## Brad Smith

MPerlo9 said:


> Hey Brad,
> 
> I'm experiencing something very similar to whats happening to you and I may be able to offer an explanation of sorts. First, my experience:
> 
> Every night I record Chelsea Lately on E! HD at 11:00pm EST. Usually it records fine (but I've noticed that if I leave the TiVo tuned to E!, the next day when I come home from work it is sometimes frozen), but tonight right when the show started my TiVo froze on a green screen. I rebooted and logged and within 30 seconds it froze to a green screen again. I rebooted again and manually tuned to 724, E! HD, and it froze once more. Clearly the channel is causing the freezing. The first two times it was the recording of Chelsea Lately that triggered it and the third time it was me tuning to the station itself.
> 
> Unfortunately there isn't a solution to this problem other than to stay away from the problem channel when you are experiencing recurring freezing. If you know any channels that cause issues, don't leave them on overnight as they may cause a freeze that will last into the day while you are at work.
> 
> As for TiVo Customer Service...there isn't anything I can say that will do any good at this point. They (with the exception of TiVo Jerry and Jonathan) are next to worthless and are refusing to acknowledge, let alone fix, this issue.
> 
> I hope this helps dude. Report back!


Yeah, for me it usually is Versus HD. I live in Manhattan on the Upper East Side and am with Time Warner. I don't watch Versus except for Cycling and Hockey. I can avoid Versus for hockey until the playoffs, but can't avoid versus if I want my cycling fix. I usually park the tuners overnight on two standard def channels via a manual 1 minute recording at 2am, which has worked great.

Unfortunately, tonight things have changed. My problem channel list has grown to now include two of my most frequently watched channels: ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD. I'm hoping this is a temporary thing, but I'm not optimistic.


----------



## Brad Smith

jeremyz said:


> I just got my first few GSAS tonight on a HD XL box that I got a couple of months ago to replace my Series 3 that had a tragic HD failure. It definitely happened at exactly the time that it was switching to record Comedy Central HD on 745. I did all the rebooting, and it worked for the minute or so that it takes to find its cable signal, and then it's back to GSAS. Sad. TWC NYC, Northern Manhattan, naturally.
> 
> Currently doing the SMART test, which looks fine so far.
> 
> Add me to the crowd that's had a Tivo since 2000, but is pretty much fed up with this whole decline in quality and lack of interest in solving customer problems.


Actually, I experienced one of my 5 crashes tonight when the box tried to switch to Comedy Central HD on channel 745 as well.


----------



## jesseg

Wow, something is very strange here. I was watching a movie I had a transferred over to my TiVoHD and at exactly 11:00 I got the green screen. I also have The Daily Show scheduled to record. I've only had one green screen before, which was withing the past week or so, but I can't remember the circumstances surrounding it. I live on the edge of Long Island City and Astoria.

Edit: Also, I'm a Time Warner subscriber.


----------



## drewfidelic

I just had my first two GSAS event. After watching a DVD, I came over to TiVo HD which was screeching and green. After rebooting, and going to the first show in my Now Playing list, and it GSAS'd in about 5 seconds. Another reboot, trying playing a different recording, GSAS again. 

I'm on TWC NYC in Brooklyn, TiVo HD with WD DVR Expander. I'm not sure what channels it was tuned to -- it recorded successfully on Fox (705) and WABC (707) and seems to be OK right now on Comedy central HD 745 and 162 (UNiversal Sports)


----------



## MPerlo9

Brad Smith said:


> Yeah, for me it usually is Versus HD. I live in Manhattan on the Upper East Side and am with Time Warner. I don't watch Versus except for Cycling and Hockey. I can avoid Versus for hockey until the playoffs, but can't avoid versus if I want my cycling fix. I usually park the tuners overnight on two standard def channels via a manual 1 minute recording at 2am, which has worked great.
> 
> Unfortunately, tonight things have changed. My problem channel list has grown to now include two of my most frequently watched channels: ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD. I'm hoping this is a temporary thing, but I'm not optimistic.


Parking the tuners over night is a fantastic idea. Its kind of depressing thats what has to be done to get the thing to function properly but most of us are desperate at this point. I'll give it a shot. I'm in southern Manhattan and ESPN/ESPN2 have been okay for me lately (I'm tuned to them probably 75% of the time my TV is on). Although now that I think about it, at the same time I was recording the show on E! HD last night I was also tuned to ESPN HD. I hope thats just a coincidence.

Meanwhile TiVo just sent out invitations for an event on March 2nd in which they will likely announce a new product. Hopefully they'll offer this one a bit more support than what we're getting now...


----------



## busyba

jesseg said:


> Wow, something is very strange here. I was watching a movie I had a transferred over to my TiVoHD and at exactly 11:00 I got the green screen. I also have The Daily Show scheduled to record. I've only had one green screen before, which was withing the past week or so, but I can't remember the circumstances surrounding it. I live on the edge of Long Island City and Astoria.
> 
> Edit: Also, I'm a Time Warner subscriber.


The exact same thing happened to me last night under the exact same circumstances. I powercycled immediately and when I came back to see how the box was doing, it was frozen and screeching (although quitely) again. I powercycled again (around 11:30ish) and then it seemed to be okay.

I think TWCNYC is deliberately firing some kind of magic bullet at our TiVos. 

I probably should install those attenuators and see if that helps.


----------



## jesseg

busyba said:


> The exact same thing happened to me last night under the exact same circumstances. I powercycled immediately and when I came back to see how the box was doing, it was frozen and screeching (although quitely) again. I powercycled again (around 11:30ish) and then it seemed to be okay.
> 
> I think TWCNYC is deliberately firing some kind of magic bullet at our TiVos.
> 
> I probably should install those attenuators and see if that helps.


I don't want to spend another cent to make Time Warner's services work the way they're supposed to. I already had to spend $90 on my own modem because my supposed 15 Mbps connection was only pushing 2 Mbps on a good night.

Anyway, back to the green screen, I forgot to mention that the green was back after I had powercycled the first time, but it was fine when I checked this morning after powercycling before going to bed last night.


----------



## LeisureFootwear

Same thing here...at the same time (around 11pm last night). TWC in Brooklyn, on E! HD (Chelsea Lately). Green screened 3 times, one of the times I pulled the power and rebooted the TiVo rebooted itself a few seconds after the "Welcome" video started playing. I finally rebooted it one last time, but gave up and went to bed before I checked to see if it stayed ok for more than a minute or two. This AM it was frozen and I rebooted it just before leaving for the office. A couple of hours ago I tried sending it a command to record a show tonight and still haven't gotten a reply, which probably means it's locked up again.

This after literally months without a green screen...and to think I'd assumed TWC and TiVo had figured this out somehow.


----------



## pL86

Interesting, I'm in Manhattan South and my Tivo HD also green screened last night but a little bit later, right after midnight. The Tivo rebooted on its own, I did not have to pull the plug. After the restart, I noticed that one of two programs that I recorded from 11 pm to 12 am was gone. One recording was Nip/Tuck on Ch. 710 and the other was Lincoln Heights on Ch. 790. The Lincoln Heights episode vanished. I've had green screen multiple times and it's never erased a program before. I'm 100&#37; sure that the green screen occurred after the programs finished recording at midnight because I looked up right before the screeching began and the two red recording lights were off. Also, I watched the Nip/Tuck episode and it recorded in full and was not interrupted or cut off as it would have been had the greenscreen occurred during its airing.


----------



## joshbousel

You can add me to the list with the GSAS issue. I'm in Astoria with TWCNY as well, and just started having the problem last night with my month-old THD. I had two Series 2 Tivos with no problems for 5 years, and another THD for 1 year with no problems at all. With nothing but positive experiences, I quickly bought a lifetime on this new box, but seeing almost a year of posts on this issue with no clear fix from Tivo or Time Warner, I'm currently regretting my decision. 

Signal strength is 100 on both tuners each time I check, SNR around 36, and connected to a Sony Bravia via HDMI.

I'll try attenuators and switching to component, but it doesn't seem like that's a real recipe for success.


----------



## soccercoach61

It's interesting that even down here in the South, the problem is with E! HD ....

Very odd...


----------



## doubleagent

After 3 years of no issues this started happening to me, but without the screeching sound. My S3 has frozen with a blank or green screen multiple times over the last week. I have 100 signal strength on an s-card and an m-card. Comcast Philadelphia NE....


----------



## shemmy

I just came home to a screeching green screen on a TWC NYC TIVO HD XL for the first time. No idea what to do, but figured I'd add a data point.


----------



## jeremyz

Yeah, I got it tonight again also. Bummer. TWCNYC at about 11pm, when it should be tuning to Daily Show.


----------



## shemmy

shemmy said:


> I just came home to a screeching green screen on a TWC NYC TIVO HD XL for the first time. No idea what to do, but figured I'd add a data point.


Just happened again.


----------



## jeremyz

shemmy said:


> Just happened again.


I think there may have been two events today - one at 1:30-ish and another at about 11pm.


----------



## busyba

shemmy said:


> I just came home to a screeching green screen on a TWC NYC TIVO HD XL for the first time. No idea what to do, but figured I'd add a data point.


Me too. It looks like it kicked in around 1:48pm today, in the middle of The Colbert Report on CCHD.

And it happened again around 11pm tonight. I imagine it was switching over to The Daily Show.

It's definitely a TWC issue, I feel.


----------



## noobsbt

Im in NYC also and mine rebooted around 11:03PM.

Let me tell you how pissed of my GF is also. It was during Johnny Weir's skating on the olympics.

Seems strange that this happened to a few boxes in the same city at the same time. 

Also, I was recording The Daily Show on CCHD also.


----------



## Henry3NYC

Add me to the list of people having the same issue. I'm using a TivoHDXL on Time Warner Cable of Southern Manhattan. And at 11pm, when my tuners switch to record The Daily Show and Chelsea Lately, I get the green screen and loud shrieking noise. And when I reboot, it repeats itself again and again.

Tivo tells me I need to have TWC lower my signal strength and clean up my signal-to-noise ratio. I had Time Warner come out to fix the issue and they say everything looks fine. They were unwilling to reduce the signal strength saying 100% was good.

I've now bought signal attenuators online to help reduce the signal coming from TWC, but I still have the same issues.

At this point, I'm losing my patience. Tivo says it's a cable issue, and Time Warner is basically saying they are providing what I've contracted them to do and that the specs for Tivo are not their problem. 

I've been an avid Tivo fan for years and years. But this may be the end of the love affair. I may need to go with the cable company's DVR.


----------



## noobsbt

Just did it again.
Reboot.
11:50 PM
was watching a recording. I assume it was recording the Olympics and Colbert.

Also, I am too Southern Manhattan TWC. West Village specifically.

Maybe we should start a twitter feed for every time out box reboots or GSOD's.


----------



## shemmy

Henry3NYC said:


> Add me to the list of people having the same issue. I'm using a TivoHDXL on Time Warner Cable of Southern Manhattan. And at 11pm, when my tuners switch to record The Daily Show and Chelsea Lately, I get the green screen and loud shrieking noise. And when I reboot, it repeats itself again and again.
> 
> Tivo tells me I need to have TWC lower my signal strength and clean up my signal-to-noise ratio. I had Time Warner come out to fix the issue and they say everything looks fine. They were unwilling to reduce the signal strength saying 100% was good.
> 
> I've now bought signal attenuators online to help reduce the signal coming from TWC, but I still have the same issues.
> 
> At this point, I'm losing my patience. Tivo says it's a cable issue, and Time Warner is basically saying they are providing what I've contracted them to do and that the specs for Tivo are not their problem.
> 
> I've been an avid Tivo fan for years and years. But this may be the end of the love affair. I may need to go with the cable company's DVR.


I love blaming things on TWC, but how can this be their issue?  Even if there is a problem with a particular channel, why does the Tivo completely crash? It's insane.


----------



## noobsbt

shemmy said:


> I love blaming things on TWC, but how can this be their issue? Even if there is a problem with a particular channel, why does the Tivo completely crash? It's insane.


Why would we have at least 3 people in the same neighborhood have the same problem at the same time?


----------



## shemmy

noobsbt said:


> Why would we have at least 3 people in the same neighborhood have the same problem at the same time?


I don't doubt that it is the result of something TWC did. But why is what they did something that the box can't handle by doing anything other than turning into a loud paperweight?


----------



## Henry3NYC

Mine also crashed at 11:55 watching Colbert Report as well. I just got off the phone with Time Warner Cable and they told me the more people that call about the issue, the more seriously they will work to fix it. He's never heard of such a channel-specific issue.

Here's some info that may help with the detective work. On the advice of Tivo, I went and bought attenuators to try and bring down my signal strength. And for most of my channels, the signal is now between 55 and 95. But CCHD (ch. 745) is still overblown at 100 and 36dB SNR.

Please call Time Warner Cable to log a complaint so that they will figure this out.


----------



## noobsbt

shemmy said:


> I don't doubt that it is the result of something TWC did. But why is what they did something that the box can't handle by doing anything other than turning into a loud paperweight?


Good point.

Did yours just reboot or gsod?
Maybe we should figure out a way of sharing our info for twc and or TiVo, being that we seem to be having very similar problems.


----------



## shemmy

noobsbt said:


> Good point.
> 
> Did yours just reboot or gsod?
> Maybe we should figure out a way of sharing our info for twc and or TiVo, being that we seem to be having very similar problems.


Green screen with screech (certainly looked like gsod, but I thankfully have limited experience). Then I unplugged and restarted. I called Tivo and they are having me do a drive diagnostic, which is now running because I'm a lemming.


----------



## noobsbt

Henry3NYC said:


> Mine also crashed at 11:55 watching Colbert Report as well. I just got off the phone with Time Warner Cable and they told me the more people that call about the issue, the more seriously they will work to fix it. He's never heard of such a channel-specific issue.
> 
> Here's some info that may help with the detective work. On the advice of Tivo, I went and bought attenuators to try and bring down my signal strength. And for most of my channels, the signal is now between 55 and 95. But CCHD (ch. 745) is still overblown at 100 and 36dB SNR.
> 
> Please call Time Warner Cable to log a complaint so that they will figure this out.


Just tried to call them but I got an operator that said their computers were down.

Will call them in the morning.


----------



## busyba

sometimes it's a reboot, sometimes it's a GS*AS*. It's never been a GS*OD* for me, and anyone who _is_ getting a GSOD, I think it would be a completely different issue than the one we're having.

And I've had this particular TiVo box for several years without any problems at all, and this is a recent development (although I had a couple of instances about a year ago). So unlike the people with new boxes, I'm certain it's not the box that's the problem.

I've sent an email through the webpage detailing the issue and mentioning that it's not an isolated incident and that other twcnyc subscribers are having the same issue at the exact same time. I told them they need to step down the signal strength on their HD Comedy Central channel. That channel just recently got added to their lineup, which corresponded with a spike in GSAS incidents for me, btw. So it's almost certainly something coming in over the line that's doing it.


----------



## noobsbt

shemmy said:


> Green screen with screech (certainly looked like gsod, but I thankfully have limited experience). Then I unplugged and restarted. I called Tivo and they are having me do a drive diagnostic, which is now running because I'm a lemming.


Interesting. Mine is rebooting now. It used to Green Screen, now it reboots.
Honestly, if I had to choose between these two, I prefer the reboot, this way eventually it will start recording again without me having to unplug.

Also, I have PM'ed you my email if the tivo guys want my account info if you tell them I am having the same issue.


----------



## noobsbt

busyba said:


> sometimes it's a reboot, sometimes it's a GS*AS*. It's never been a GS*OD* for me, and anyone who _is_ getting a GSOD, I think it would be a completely different issue than the one we're having.


Sorry. Did not know the difference. My machine would green screen and not do anything till I unplugged and plug in the machine.


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## busyba

noobsbt said:


> Sorry. Did not know the difference. My machine would green screen and not do anything till I unplugged and plug in the machine.


sometimes there's screeching with the GSAS, sometimes there isn't, but I believe that the GSOD is a green screen with a bunch of text on it, as opposed to just a black or greenish screen.


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## Henry3NYC

I just went back to watch the two programs that were being recorded when my Tivo crashed at 11:03pm (Tuesday night). Both (the Daily Show and Chelsea Lately) were practically unwatchable because of frozen frames and sound dropouts. Oddly enough, the Chelsea Lately that was recorded AFTER the reboot had no issues.

Then, prior to my 11:55pm crash, The Colbert Report was riddled with sound dropouts and frozen picture frames.

What a mess!


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## drewfidelic

I also had another GSAS and near immediate reboot just around 11 PM when my TiVo HD switched to 745 for The Daily Show (and the other was on WNBC-HD). Followed by another GSAS some time later.


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## sasmps

I have not checked this thread for a while, But I see there has been alot of post in the last few weeks. I am still GSAS free in KC for the last 4 months, but i have discovered that my service provider, Surewest, has changed all the underlying frequencies they use for there HD lineup. 

I have 3 Tivo's, a series 3 and 2 HD's. When I was GSASing (jan 2009-Oct2009) it would be the HD units that would react (never the series 3). Also, one of my Plasma's is connected directly to cable using the QAM tuner. 

I noticed all the channels I had mapped on the QAM set had changed (had to create a new map). The channels that I use to GSAS on are no longer mapped (not in use). 

Over time this problem comes and goes... probably because your cable provider has moved the channels away (or toward) the offending frequencies.


----------



## lri

Another NYC (Brooklyn) TWC customer, I've been getting either GSAS crashes or spontaneous reboots left and right in the last week, 3 just tonight while watching a recording .. boom, straight to fsck.

Going to try the attenuator fix tomorrow, either making a trip to Radio Shack or chaining some coax splitters I know I have kicking around (those drop 5dB or so, yeah?) . Other unscientific test would be unplugging the coax and seeing if I get any more reboots .... Also perhaps un-scheduling any CCHD recordings.

If anyone gets any redress from TWC please let me know. 

/LRI


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## DuncanPerez

Thanks for this post


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## busyba

I wouldn't count on any redress from TWC, here's the reply I got:

I understand that you have some issues with your TiVo.
We are really sorry to hear that.
Unfortunately we are not able fix your Tivo because we did not provide this service but we will take
in mind your suggestion because we really value as a customer.
I hope this problem will be resolve soon.
Have a good day.​
I doubt they even read what I wrote, their automated response system just saw the word TiVo and sent me that canned reply.


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## Henry3NYC

busyba said:


> I wouldn't count on any redress from TWC, here's the reply I got:
> 
> I understand that you have some issues with your TiVo.
> We are really sorry to hear that.
> Unfortunately we are not able fix your Tivo because we did not provide this service but we will take
> in mind your suggestion because we really value as a customer.
> I hope this problem will be resolve soon.
> Have a good day.​
> I doubt they even read what I wrote, their automated response system just saw the word TiVo and sent me that canned reply.


I think you're better off calling and getting someone in person. You're correct to assume that your email is going to be scanned for key words and replied to by a computer. TWC's number is 212-674-9100. Good luck.

You know, at the end of the day, *Time Warner Cable* *is* providing a signal strength and clarity that works on the equipment they sell. It's a Tivo issue that their boxes are designed with much less tolerance, and therefore, require a dampened and cleaner signal. We're all stuck with both sides pointing their fingers at each other. I am watching the calendar closely so I can *return this Tivo* within 30 days if this issue isn't resolved immediately.


----------



## Henry3NYC

Okay, I've been doing my own troubleshooting this morning, using a bunch of different attenuators. The signal strength must be awfully high on some channels if they are still at 100% with a 10dB attenuator. See spreadsheet of *troubleshooting readings*.

My take: There are clearly issues with the signal *Time Warner Cable* is providing for some channels (especially Spike and Comedy Central HD). I'm not sure how to get TWC to work the issue when they insist the signal works on their own equipment. Maybe I need to have them install their own box next to my TiVo and see how it goes.


----------



## nycrocket

I haven't been a member of the forum for a few years, but felt compelled to sign back up simply to address this issue and offer a suggestion, at least for those in NYC.

First, the green screen issue and blaring alarm (on channels like Comedy Central HD) indeed is a wide-spread problem in Manhattan, and it certainly has gotten worse since the recent channel lineup change. I simply can't rely on my Tivo anymore.

Second, we all know that the problem will not be corrected by contacting only normal TWC support or even Tivo support. Instead, I suggest contacting Larry Pestana, the Vice President of Engineering for TWC NYC, who is professional, responsive, and one of the few individuals at TWC with a knowledge of Tivo.

I suggest that a handful of us, particularly those who have experimented with the problem and can provide details on signal strength and other factors, call or e-mail Mr. Pestana with a polite inquiry. While this issue is below his pay grade, we have all suffered for too long. I cannot tell you how many times I have woken up in a sweat when the Tivo froze while being on at night, and woke me with the loud, blaring alarm. (Why Tivo would ever program a startling alarm of that volume and severity is another issue.)

If anyone has contacts at Tivo, it may also be helpful to open up communications between TWC NYC and a high-level Tivo rep.


----------



## davburch

I too had the GSAS for the second time in a row last night just after 11 while recording The Daily Show. I also experienced the repeated GSASs Monday night from 11pm onward described earlier. I'm on Time Warner Cable Northern Manhattan. What would be interesting to find is if there was anyone on another channel that did or didn't GSAS at the same time. Anyone reading this that didn't have problems?


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## johnbnyc

I had the green + screetch problem only once or twice with my Series 3 over the past couple of years. Then almost every night in the past 10 days. I'm also on TWC NYC. And just a couple weeks ago I switched my recording of Daily Show and Colbert from standard to HD. After seeing the comments here, I'll try going back to standard and see if it helps...


----------



## joshbousel

nycrocket said:


> Instead, I suggest contacting Larry Pestana, the Vice President of Engineering for TWC NYC, who is professional, responsive, and one of the few individuals at TWC with a knowledge of Tivo.


I'd be glad to contact him, do you have his contact information?

I think I've narrowed the issue down to CCHD on my Tivo, removed it from my line-up and switched recordings back to SD. See how long I go without the GSAS.

Tivo is still collecting data on this issue via the email [email protected]. Contact them as well. Maybe an influx to Tivo and TWCNYC may help resolve the issue from one side.


----------



## kika2000

Henry3NYC said:


> My take: There are clearly issues with the signal *Time Warner Cable* is providing for some channels (especially Spike and Comedy Central HD). I'm not sure how to get TWC to work the issue when they insist the signal works on their own equipment. Maybe I need to have them install their own box next to my TiVo and see how it goes.


If you look back through this thread, you'll see that there is a long history of us TWCNY subscribers with this problem. I was part of a survey organized by TivoJerry that they did last year in response to our complaints to both Tivo and Time Warner. As far as I know, nothing ever came of it, although they did call me and send a technician out to check out my system.

One of TWC's main arguments is proved by people like me who DO have both a Tivo and a TWC box hooked up in the same household. I can attest to the fact that the SA8300HD does not crash every time the Tivo GSASs, and on the few occasions when it does (like during the notoriously glitchy live Tour De France broadcast on VSHD), the TWC box reboots and resumes recording. The Tivo just screeches.

This is not to say that I think the TWC box is better - but connected to TWCNY service, it's certainly proved to be more reliable.


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## Brad Smith

For those in NYC, I think it's safe to say that -- at least for now -- Comedy Central HD should be added to the ever-growing list of channels that are not safe to watch on a TiVo. I've had 8+ separate crashes/green screens related to this channel in the last 5 days.


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## lri

Brad Smith said:


> For those in NYC, I think it's safe to say that -- at least for now -- Comedy Central HD should be added to the ever-growing list of channels that are not safe to watch on a TiVo. I've had 8+ separate crashes/green screens related to this channel in the last 5 days.


Maybe it's buried in the forum somewhere, but could someone post a list of channels that should be avoided, at least for now? About to make a pass and shut some off.

Caught a TWC line worker on my block the other day, turns out he was out turning down the signal level for a different block, so maybe this problem has been hitting TWC customers/hardware as well in some way?

/LRI


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## busyba

Brad Smith said:


> For those in NYC, I think it's safe to say that -- at least for now -- Comedy Central HD should be added to the ever-growing list of channels that are not safe to watch on a TiVo. I've had 8+ separate crashes/green screens related to this channel in the last 5 days.


Yeah, I took it off my "channels I recieve" list and put CC-SD back on. 

The good news is that I haven't had another gsas in a day and a half.

crap... I just jinxed myself, didn't I?


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## Brad Smith

Henry3NYC said:


> I'm going to volunteer to collect data from *TiVo Series 3/TiVo HD/TiVo HDXL* owners using CableCards from *Time Warner Cable of Southern Manhattan*. (I guess we should include anyone in NYC experiencing the same issues.) Maybe the assembled info will help TWC troubleshoot the issues with green screens, reboots, and video quality.
> 
> This would be difficult to do on this board, so I've setup an email address: [email protected]. If you'll email me your issues, I will assemble and forward them to the Time Warner engineer mentioned in other posters.
> 
> I'll also share updates via email with everyone's addresses hidden (BCC-ed) to protect privacy. Please include your TivoCommunity handle or whatever other nickname you'd like used when I recap issues/observations.
> 
> Let's see if we can't get this TiVo/TWC mess worked out. Thanks in advance for everyone's help.
> -Henry


As I'm in Northern Manhattan, I'm happy to do the same for TWC Northern Manhattan. You can drop me a PM with anything you'd like to add, and I'll create a mailing list or something soon.


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## CaptDS9E

I love my Tivo, but this is damn annoying now. My tivo HD worked fine for a very long time since Jerry took information a while back. Then the last few days a few times I got the green freezing. Now I switched off a channel I've had on most of the day, and none of the channels are working. Enough is Enough. (I'm in Eastern Queens on TWC)


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## pyk133

"Loss of Signal Lock"
Again, I've had this going on for close to a year and have done a decent amount of side by side comparison with my Tivo and my TWC Scientific Atlanta 8300HDC set top box. My HD channel of choice is Golf Channel (482). The signal for Golf Channel on the SA 8300 isn't all that great either - lots of pixelation, freezing pictures, but at least nothing similar to GSAS. Though I'd say 1 of 4 recordings fail, where it records the first 15 min then nothing more. But I digress.

While watching Golf Channel HD on the SA 8300, I'd also tune my Tivo to the same channel. I'd check in on the Tivo frequently to make sure it wasn't in GSAS. Pretty much 100&#37; of the time when the signal on the SA 8300 froze for a second or so, I'd immediately check the Tivo and it'd be GSAS. On a couple of occasions, the message "Loss of Signal Lock" appeared very briefly on the SA 8300. Any Scientific Atlanta engineers out there? How about Tivo engineers that used to work at Scientific Atlanta?

I don't watch a lot of the other channels others have had problems with. For those having problems with other HD channels, are they pretty also poor quality i.e. pixelation and freezing/stuttering signals? 

Thx


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## Shrewsky

I'm not from NY, I am from southern Maine. I am having a problem with freezing on live and recorded TV where all of a sudden I get a gray screen (Tivo's default background color) on live and recorded programs. I'll get partial recordings with the gray screen for the rest of the program and sometimes no recording at all probably because the problem started before the recording started.

I have a Series 3 HD which I bought a little over two months ago with a lifetime contract so I paid oodles for this frustration.

I have Time Warner cable, analog only (basic service) and no cable box or cards. I do have a splitter that splits my signal between my Tivo and a second input on my TV so that I can watch something else while Tivo is recording 2 other programs.

I'm also experiencing audio skipping which happens during live and recorded programs. Neither of these issues happen with my non-Tivo TV and not on my Humax Tivo hooked up to another TV.

The gray screen started happening a week after I bought the unit and is happening more and more. I've called Tivo and then TWC. At first Tivo told me to check the signal strength through Settings > Channel > Signal Strength Cable. The signal was less than 60. They told me to call TWC and tell them I needed a signal amplifier to bring the signal up over 80. I did, they came and looked at me like I was stupid (not a very nice technician) when I told him the signal was less than 60. He said you have analog and that is a digital signal monitor. He said my signal strength was very good. 

So red faced I called Tivo again. Several times over the last two months. I've been told by different reps to turn on my Tivo automatic recording of suggestions, unplug my Tivo and allow it to reboot once per week and, basically, live with it because they won't exchange my machine because it has not solved the problem for other customers. 

It has gotten to the point where I don't trust my new Tivo and I use my old one to backup record my most important shows. On the last call a few days ago the Tivo rep told me this is a known issue with the tuner and they are working on it but had no estimated fix date and would not tell me how long they have been working on it. From various posts it appears it has been years. The fix (if they every have one) will be fed automatically to all machines.

I sometimes wonder if my signal strength fluxuates and this happens during the down fluxuation. Can anyone tell me how I can check my signal strength myself?

I am also having a problem with the fast forward (2 clicks) jumping back and forth and jumping way ahead in the program.

Not sure if all these issue are related. Not sure how many people are having this combination of issues. I'm also going to post it on the forum where people are talking about the audio skipping.

If anyone has a fix for the freezing, even in the future, please post here for us so I can start using my giant expensive paperweight again.


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## richsadams

Shrewsky said:


> I'm not from NY, I am from southern Maine. I am having a problem with freezing on live and recorded TV where all of a sudden I get a gray screen (Tivo's default background color) on live and recorded programs.


Sorry to hear about your issues...sounds very frustrating. BTW, your service/signal is _digital_, basic service or otherwise. My WAG is that there is at least one, possibly two things in play based on your description. First is your signal strength. I'm not clear on your current situation but if your SS is falling below 60 for any appreciable amount of time there is a problem. A weak signal can result in exactly what you've described...gray screen, missing recordings, audio interruptions, freezing, etc.

First get a pristine signal. Remove any splitters, etc. and get a clean signal from the wall to your TiVo. A new piece of coax with very good connectors and a tight connection on both ends is optimal. Spitters go south as do coax cables.

As you mentioned you can check your signal strength by going to TiVo Central > Messages and Settings > Settings > Channels > Signal Strength. View various channels, particularly those that are having problems and see what the signal strength is. It should be stable (within a few points up or down) and above 55, ideally above 80. If it's anything less than 55 at any point it's too weak. If it's swinging more than 10 points it's unstable and will cause problems. If it is above 60 and stable reintroduce the spitter or anything else you have. Note any changes. If it's still weak and there is no change after placing the splitter back in place, etc. an amplifier may or may not cure the problem. It's the same as computers...garbage in garbage out. Amplified garbage will still be garbage. My gut feeling is that you simply have a weak signal and getting TWC to correct the problem will resolve everything else.

FWIW, don't take "Your signal is fine" from anyone until it is fine...over 80 and steady. I've had the personal experience of cableco techs swearing everything is fine until their third truck roll when they finally determined that someone had made a mistake at the head end during a new install. They fixed it and low-and-behold everything was fine. So politely push back whenever needed.

It's also possible that your hard drive is faulty or failing. You can try running some of TiVo's built-in diagnostic and repair programs called "Kickstarts". More here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showpost.php?p=5643823&postcount=2

I would certainly ensure that your signal is the best it can be first...then explore other options.

Hope that helps, best of luck and keep us posted.


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## Shrewsky

richsadams said:


> BTW, your service/signal is _digital_, basic service or otherwise.


Thanks for your response. According to TWC my signal is analog on the basic channels. I know that is correct because, if the signal was digital, I wouldn't have a picture - I don't have a digital converter box and none of my TVs have digital tuners. He checked the signal strength and said it was excellent - it was in the 80's but I can't remember exactly what it was.

I installed an amplifier yesterday and I plan on taking out the splitter. The coax is all new cable with all new connectors - TWC changed them all last year. One less thing to worry about.

Tivo has already admitted that the problem is with their tuners and they are working on the issue. What the problem is and when they will get it resolved is another matter.

I will try the Kickstarts - something I learned about today but didn't know how to run so thank you for the link.


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## richsadams

Shrewsky said:


> Thanks for your response.


And TWC is always right.  Best of luck.


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## pwalshj

Well, I have read this entire thread and all I can do is add myself to the list of NYC TWC subscribers with screeching green Tivos.

I bought my Tivos a few weeks ago and purchased a lifetime sub for both. A few days later I saw the announcement for the 3/2 press conference that went along with them pulling product. I immediately wanted to punch myself in the head. Now, I'm on my second GSWS in two days. 

I sincerely hope that there will be a fix/replacement option for these affected boxes as I really enjoy the box when it's working. That said, i will be on the frontline demanding repair/replacement over the next few days. 

Patrick Walsh

TiVo HD + HDXL
Queens, NY
Time Warner Cable


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## ZeoTiVo

pwalshj said:


> Well, I have read this entire thread and all I can do is add myself to the list of NYC TWC subscribers with screeching green Tivos.
> 
> I bought my Tivos a few weeks ago and purchased a lifetime sub for both. A few days later I saw the announcement for the 3/2 press conference that went along with them pulling product. I immediately wanted to punch myself in the head. Now, I'm on my second GSWS in two days.
> 
> I sincerely hope that there will be a fix/replacement option for these affected boxes as I really enjoy the box when it's working. That said, i will be on the frontline demanding repair/replacement over the next few days.
> 
> Patrick Walsh
> 
> TiVo HD + HDXL
> Queens, NY
> Time Warner Cable


there will not be - if they both do not work - call TiVo NOW while still in the 30 day warranty and return the TiVo DVRs that are not working - why are you still reading this - call within the 30 day window


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## richsadams

ZeoTiVo said:


> there will not be - if they both do not work - call TiVo NOW while still in the 30 day warranty and return the TiVo DVRs that are not working - why are you still reading this - call within the 30 day window


+1 :up:


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## Henry3NYC

I was hoping these NYC-area issues were settled, but apparently not. I just experienced the green screen and loud shrieking sound followed by a reboot -- at 8:05pm on Thursday, 2/25. My Tivo was recording Fox HD (705) and, surprise surprise, Comedy Central HD (745).

After rebooting, my TiVo HD strated recording again, but Comedy Central HD (745) has no sound. I've rebooted two times and called Time Warner Cable. They are stumped. No sound on 745, but just fine on 45.

Oh, and now the box has rebooted itself again... this time without a green screen. Ugh!

If you experienced similar issues with Time Warner Cable, please send a brief description to [email protected] so that I can add to my log of unhappy Tivo users.


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## pwalshj

ZeoTiVo said:


> there will not be - if they both do not work - call TiVo NOW while still in the 30 day warranty and return the TiVo DVRs that are not working


You-are-correct. Thank-you. It's good to know that a 20k+ poster to a TiVo forum's best advice is to ditch TiVo altogether or simply demand the company replace the units (even though that has been covered here and the symptoms returned).



ZeoTiVo said:


> - why are you still reading this -


Because I prefer to contribute to forums as opposed to browsing the first two posts then storming in and cluttering things by demanding instant answers to things that have been covered ad nauseum (ie: the attenuators and where to purchase them, the blocking of supposedly offending channels theory, the parking on non-HD channels theory and the ethernet connector theory).

I posted with the intent of adding to the chorus regarding an obvious TiVo/TWC-NYC issue. GSAS aside, I still prefer this product to my cable company's offerings and would rather contribute to a solution. I have already looked into FIOS as other threads here indicate satisfaction.

Cheers,

Patrick Walsh


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## richsadams

pwalshj said:


> Because I prefer to contribute to forums as opposed to browsing the first two posts then storming in and cluttering things by demanding instant answers to things that have been covered ad nauseum


 Oh come on...you're making everyone else look bad. 



pwalshj said:


> I have already looked into FIOS as other threads here indicate satisfaction.


FIOS (if you can get it). :up: :up: :up: You will never, ever look back.


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## xcrunner

Henry3NYC said:


> I was hoping these NYC-area issues were settled, but apparently not. I just experienced the green screen and loud shrieking sound followed by a reboot -- at 8:05pm on Thursday, 2/25. My Tivo was recording Fox HD (705) and, surprise surprise, Comedy Central HD (745).


I had one happen last night as well. I'm in Columbus, OH


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## nycrocket

Henry3NYC said:


> I was hoping these NYC-area issues were settled, but apparently not. I just experienced the green screen and loud shrieking sound followed by a reboot -- at 8:05pm on Thursday, 2/25. My Tivo was recording Fox HD (705) and, surprise surprise, Comedy Central HD (745).


Henry, same thing here. I was hoping it was settled in NYC as well because I had several days of no problems. But yesterday, I turned my TV on around the time The Daily Show should be recording, and was greeted by the LOUD screeching and unfriendly green screen.


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## pL86

I had a lot of green screens several nights ago every time I tuned my channel to TV One (Ch. 790). I only had to leave the Tivo set on 790 for a couple minutes before it would start screeching. The Tivo rebooted 3 times during an hour-long program before I finally gave up. I looked at the recordings that were saved and there were constant stream of audio dropouts and video glitches which is unusual for this channel (it's been pretty flawless since it was added to Time Warner Manhattan in mid-January). Since then, the channel has returned to its previously pristine state and I think not coincidentally, I have had no greenscreens when tuned to it even for extended periods.

This may be stating the obvious and I'm no engineer/expert but is the Tivo processor being overwhelmed by error corrections until it simply crashes and green screens? I looked at the RS corrected values in the diagnostic menu that night and saw that it was in the 150,000+ range and rapidly increasing. On a clean, non-glitchy channel, the value is typically in the teens.


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## Shrewsky

During a recent call to Time Warner (southern Maine), they took responsibility for the problem. They said the signal strength going to my house was excellent (between 80 and 89) but there was a problem with the signal quality that was causing my Tivo to freeze, pixelate, have audio drop outs and skip during rewind/fast forward. TWC said the problem is in the head-end which is the local cable station that receives and retransmits the signal. 

From this I believe the problem belongs to both TWC and Tivo. I think the new Tivo tuners are too sensitive to signal fluctuations and the TWC signal quality is fluctuating. I have no problems with my Series 2. Not a one. 

BTW TWC credited my entire cable TV related charge on my bill for February. They do not know when they will have the problem fixed (evidently it is widespread) and I am to call in March for another credit if he problem persists. I can't see them giving a credit for a problem that only affects my Tivo and not my non-Tivo TV watching if it didn't originate with them. 

Frankly, I was surprised by their honesty. How easy would it have been for them to say it isn't their problem since it doesn't affect regular TV - only Tivo and I said as much to the technician. He said it wouldn't help them to resolve the problem if they denied its existence to customers. Huh. One of the first times I've ever had respect for TWC.


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## shemmy

Shrewsky said:


> During a recent call to Time Warner (southern Maine), they took responsibility for the problem. They said the signal strength going to my house was excellent (between 80 and 89) but there was a problem with the signal quality that was causing my Tivo to freeze, pixelate, have audio drop outs and skip during rewind/fast forward. TWC said the problem is in the head-end which is the local cable station that receives and retransmits the signal.
> 
> From this I believe the problem belongs to both TWC and Tivo. I think the new Tivo tuners are too sensitive to signal fluctuations and the TWC signal quality is fluctuating. I have no problems with my Series 2. Not a one.
> 
> BTW TWC credited my entire cable TV related charge on my bill for February. They do not know when they will have the problem fixed (evidently it is widespread) and I am to call in March for another credit if he problem persists. I can't see them giving a credit for a problem that only affects my Tivo and not my non-Tivo TV watching if it didn't originate with them.
> 
> Frankly, I was surprised by their honesty. How easy would it have been for them to say it isn't their problem since it doesn't affect regular TV - only Tivo and I said as much to the technician. He said it wouldn't help them to resolve the problem if they denied its existence to customers. Huh. One of the first times I've ever had respect for TWC.


Makes me wish I lived in Maine.


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## CiP

I have been dealing with this green screen / siren noise issue for a little less than year now. I own 3 TiVoHD's and 2 Series 3's. The issue happens on my TiVoHD's only, for now that is, I hope I did not just jinx myself. Anyways, I have replaced all three TiVo's with new hard drives and the problem still persists. I ruled out the hard drives being the issue months ago. I called TiVo when this first started happening and they offered me a refurb at about $150.00 because I was out of the warranty period.
My cable company is Service Electric and I live in western New Jersey. Connection is HDMI and multi-stream cablecards in each TiVoHD. This is obviously driving me crazy because it makes my TiVoHD's unreliable and having to unplug then replug them each time it happens is a pain in the ...

What can we do about this? If anything, I am happy to see that I am not the only one experiencing this issue.


----------



## richsadams

CiP said:


> I have been dealing with this green screen / siren noise issue for a little less than year now. I own 3 TiVoHD's and 2 Series 3's. The issue happens on my TiVoHD's only...


Well that's pretty interesting, and may provide some insight into the problem. IIRC the tuners are different in the two models. I'd assume you have one "M" cable card in your TiVo HD's. Do you happen to have two "S" cable cards in your Series3's or are they "M" cards? Are they all the same brand? Just wondering if there's anything to be learned there. TIA.


----------



## CiP

richsadams said:


> Well that's pretty interesting, and may provide some insight into the problem. IIRC the tuners are different in the two models. I'd assume you have one "M" cable card in your TiVo HD's. Do you happen to have two "S" cable cards in your Series3's or are they "M" cards? Are they all the same brand? Just wondering if there's anything to be learned there. TIA.


Hi richadams. Thank you for your reply. Yes, I have an 'M' cablecard in my 3 TiVoHD's and 2 'S' cablecards in each of the 2 Series 3's. They are all the same brand issued by Service Electric Cable TV and Communications Company. 
I have stopped any wish list recordings of HGTVHD and checked off the channel in Channel List. This is the TiVoHD that gets the green screen more often and has the most HGTVHD shows recording.Go figure. Let's see if that solves our issue.
Hope this info helps all of us.


----------



## richsadams

CiP said:


> Hi richadams. Thank you for your reply. Yes, I have an 'M' cablecard in my 3 TiVoHD's and 2 'S' cablecards in each of the 2 Series 3's. They are all the same brand issued by Service Electric Cable TV and Communications Company.
> I have stopped any wish list recordings of HGTVHD and checked off the channel in Channel List. This is the TiVoHD that gets the green screen more often and has the most HGTVHD shows recording.Go figure. Let's see if that solves our issue.
> Hope this info helps all of us.


Good info. I'm now wondering if anyone has two of the older "S" cable cards in their TiVo HD's and how they are performing. Odds are if there aren't any issues, they wouldn't be frequenting this thread though. Hmmmm...


----------



## busyba

richsadams said:


> Good info. I'm now wondering if anyone has two of the older "S" cable cards in their TiVo HD's and how they are performing. Odds are if there aren't any issues, they wouldn't be frequenting this thread though. Hmmmm...


I have two "S" cards in my TiVo and I had the problems up until I took Comedy Centeral HD out of my lineup.

It's been so long now though that I don't remember if I have a Series 3 or an HD. What's the difference again?


----------



## richsadams

busyba said:


> It's been so long now though that I don't remember if I have a Series 3 or an HD. What's the difference again?


 Original Series3

TiVo HD

Or were you pulling my leg?


----------



## busyba

richsadams said:


> Original Series3
> 
> TiVo HD
> 
> Or were you pulling my leg?


Ok, I have an HD.

No, I was being serious. The last time I gave any thought to the distinction between the models was a very long time ago.


----------



## csm10495

> Good info. I'm now wondering if anyone has two of the older "S" cable cards in their TiVo HD's and how they are performing. Odds are if there aren't any issues, they wouldn't be frequenting this thread though. Hmmmm...


Well i have 2 s-cards (Cablevision NY) for almost 2 years and never one green screen or freeze: signal strength 87 and split three times, into my THD 

Now if their weren't problems with the Tuning Adapter... wrong forum


----------



## richsadams

busyba said:


> Ok, I have an HD.


Ah, well that shoots my quasi-theory down. Back to the drawing board.


----------



## CiP

Ok, I have removed HGTV episodes from my season pass and took the checkmark off HGTV on the channel list. I did this on the TiVo HD (Office TV) that has the GSAS more often. Usually once a week I would need to unplug the power cord from it and power it back up. Then it will work fine for about a week, then GSAS again randomly. Same things happen on my other TiVo HD's but less often. Ironically. they do not record HGTV shows as often as the Office TV. Next time one crashes again, I will check TiVo suggestions to see what it was recording last. As I said before, my two Series 3 TiVo's do not have this issue even recording HGTV. Strange huh? Once again, my cable company is Service Electric Cable in Western New Jersey.

I am interested in replacing one of my TiVo HD's with the Premier, but if this issue is also on the newer TiVo's, I'll pass. Something tells me that if there was not much effort to fix the TiVo HD issue for about a year already, the same action will be taken for the new TiVo's.


----------



## the-sloth

During my 2nd call to TiVo support about my issues the guy said that my SNR was too high (it's typically around 32-35 on most channels) and he suggested I add an attenuator so I bought some and tried that... The 3dB attenuator dropped the SNR on the channels where it was reading 35, but it also dropped the signal strength on the channels where it was already low to the point where it can't get a signal lock.

So now I've removed the attenuators and I'm just pulling the power cord when I come home and find it locked up. Hoping and praying TiVo fixes this so that at the very minimum reboots itself rather than locking up and missing recordings. 

Been following along from afar and I'm thinking about having a TWC tech come out and check the signal but I'm curious... Some of the channels (ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, NY, WCBS, etc...) that have 90+ signal strength... But there are some channels that are in the 55-60 range (WABC, WNBC, etc..) Does anyone know how this happens? Can TWC adjust the signal to my condo/apt independently without affecting other building residents? If so, any tips on how to convince them to fine tune it?


----------



## Joe Siegler

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16660665~start=2520

Check out the post dated 2010-03-07 23:39:34 from motorola870. This is a thread at dslreports.com about Time Warner Cable in Dallas. If I understand it right, this guy is a tech for TWC, and has this to say about TiVo's and the green screen error, which someone had posted about:



> you may need to pad down the tivo. tivo is so wrong for not using tuners that can accept 38-39dB SNR as they have faulty tunes as the cable co box tuners can go up to 45 but anything higher could burn up the tuner.
> 
> and since TWC upgraded dallas to 860MHz they upped the SNR by replacing 9-10 year old amps and nodes and bad cable so tivo is at fault and if it goes bad tivo owners need to make them take the hit or start a lawsuit as it not your fault they have made an inferior product.
> 
> Motorola boxes have to accept high SNR so shoud tivo and tivos can only accept 33-34dB to keep the signal from not killng the box then if your SNR drops 2 dB you start to hit pixelation city if you dont have good cable.]
> 
> TIVO production is at fault here not the consumer.
> 
> I have 38dBs on all of the HD QAMs above 801MHz so your tivo is freaking out at the top of the system.
> 
> Now when SDV goes live there will be a big Shake up so those frequencies will carry SDV or non switched channels.
> 
> And as it stands they have 36HD above 750MHz frequency marker for where 750MHz systems should stop but most are getting away with up to 771MHz,777MHz, or 783MHz with the plant not having issues with powering or noise.
> 
> So if tivo refuses to replace the box because of this issue you should get a moxi as the motorola TA can support the 3rd tuner HD DVR. This is if you have the money
> 
> The problem people have complained about for years about motorola boxes freezing from remote ques is going away but there are some bugs in A28 that need to be ironed out they have already released two or three one for market tests for SDV (twc maine did this), one for comcasts features (might be same version twc is now using), and another if the comcast one is different to provide the search features for keyword search and other features so Dallas should see version 2 or 3.


----------



## svakaskutla

In addition to the dreaded greenscreen i have frequent 'no signal' problems and have to reboot. this happens every time it rains (!) and sometimes it is only HD channels and sometimes only non HD channels. I called TWC (many times) but they only have the same old reply "must send a technician over.." which never works since all they do is say that nothing is wrong (ggrr). Has anyone else in Manhattan (UES) experienced these problems? As for the green screen i just unplug and reboot but do find it doesn't happen quite as often if I turn my modem off...


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## richsadams

svakaskutla said:


> In addition to the dreaded greenscreen i have frequent 'no signal' problems and have to reboot. this happens every time it rains (!) and sometimes it is only HD channels and sometimes only non HD channels.


That's almost certainly a problem cable drop...either outside or somewhere that the coax and/or connectors are being subjected to water infiltration. Your cableco needs to test all of the lines from the headend to your home. Check your signal strength on various channels as well as RS Corrected and Uncorrected errors...particularly when it's raining and odds are you will see a number of fluctuations and low signal strength.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes!


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## Ian

I've just experienced THREE GSODs with the sirens in less than 4 hours.

Anyone else using Time Warner in NYC having the same problem?

-Ian


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## busyba

Ian said:


> I've just experienced THREE GSODs with the sirens in less than 4 hours.
> 
> Anyone else using Time Warner in NYC having the same problem?
> 
> -Ian


I appear to be okay. Do you have High-Def Comedy Central (745) in your "channels I receive" lineup? If so, take it out.


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## malber2000

Just wanted to throw my info out there too. I'm in Columbus, OHIO. I got a new Tivo HD / M-Card / TimeWarner. Getting green screen with siren, three times so far, and one outright reset of the Tivo.

Looks like i'm going to try the attenuating route first. The Tivo rep said they were aware of the problem and "hoped to get a firmware update to fix the problem." I'm skeptical since this has been going on for some time.

Wondering if Tivo Premiere will have these problems... 

It's hard enough being a Tivo customer without this crap.


----------



## T-Shee

svakaskutla said:


> In addition to the dreaded greenscreen i have frequent 'no signal' problems and have to reboot. this happens every time it rains (!) and sometimes it is only HD channels and sometimes only non HD channels. I called TWC (many times) but they only have the same old reply "must send a technician over.." which never works since all they do is say that nothing is wrong (ggrr). Has anyone else in Manhattan (UES) experienced these problems? As for the green screen i just unplug and reboot but do find it doesn't happen quite as often if I turn my modem off...


TWC here, upper east side (manhattan).

No green screens, but I have been plagued by "Channel Not Available" frequently since the big rollout of HD channels in January '09. Very frustrating.

During 2009, the missing channel situation was almost always occurring between Sunday and Wednesdays, almost never at other times. Weird.

Restarting the S3 doesn't always fix it either. Sometimes the channels will reappear 2 to 3 hours after the reboot.

My guess is that the OOB transmission equipment is at fault (authentication issues).

I have noticed that the signal here is lower than it used to be, down 8 to 10 % across all stations.

The recent addition of 745 Comedy Central HD had no effect on the situation.


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## pgreene8

Ian said:


> I've just experienced THREE GSODs with the sirens in less than 4 hours.
> 
> Anyone else using Time Warner in NYC having the same problem?
> 
> -Ian


Manhattan West 70s. 
Yes, it has been abysmal this week. GSAS twice, random reboots galore. I not to let TiVo tune to 50, 750, 689, 58, 758 and I try to always put it in StandBy mode when I am not watching. But nonetheless it keeps happening and I get truncated recordings or no recordings at all.


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## Henry3NYC

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's still happening!

Did anyone else in NYC experience the green screen on Time Warner Cable at 11:23pm Thursday, March 18? I was tuned to EHD and Comedy Central HD.

Booooo! So tired of this.


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## busyba

Henry3NYC said:


> UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's still happening!
> 
> Did anyone else in NYC experience the green screen on Time Warner Cable at 11:23pm Thursday, March 18? I was tuned to EHD and *Comedy Central HD.*
> 
> Booooo! So tired of this.


There's your problem right there. Comedy Central HD out of NYC TWC appears to be a major contributor to the problem.

I haven't had a GSAS since I took it out of my lineup about a month or so ago. (knock on wood)


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## pgreene8

Henry3NYC said:


> UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's still happening!
> 
> Did anyone else in NYC experience the green screen on Time Warner Cable at 11:23pm Thursday, March 18? I was tuned to EHD and Comedy Central HD.
> 
> Booooo! So tired of this.


I was tuned to the same channels as you, and got the GSAS at the same time. 
So much for trying to record Jon Stewart and Chelsea at the same time.
The TiVo also froze later at night requiring a reboot, but didn't make a GSAS


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## Eve6MediaHQ

Has anyone convinced TiVo to replace your Series 3 HD with one of the new ones just release?

This green screen thing is REALLY getting on my nerves and the phone support people are idiots. They want me to go through 2 hours of troubleshooting that I KNOW won't fix the problem.

They just need to give us new, functioning boxes and call it a day.


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## Eve6MediaHQ

Actually, now that I think about it, does anyone know if the TiVo premiere will have this problem as well? I never even considered that it might still exist... Ugh.


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## svakaskutla

I do not have Comedy HD but still get the green screen, now it is happening daily and driving me crazy.

As for the disappearing channels there does not seem to be a pattern as far as days go, but it always happens when it rains. TWC will absolutely not EVER check the main cable to my building only offer to send some dodo over to my apartment (between the hours of 8 am and midnight) who then finds nothing wrong, I give up on calling them, is there any point in calling the TIVO techs?

s


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## LuvNoize

1) What kind of TV do you have? *Philips*

2) What Tivo do you have? Tivo HD? Tivo HD XL? *TiVo HD*

3) Where are you located? *Powell, OH (North of Columbus)*

4) If in Manhattan, who's your cable provider? *TWC*

5) How is your Tivo box hooked up to your TV? HDMI? Component? *HDMI*

6) When did this problem start? *After we removed the TWC CableCards*

7) When was the last time you experienced this "green" screen? *No Green Screens, just the freezing of the interface and pixelation of picture, this lasts for up to two minutes, then the program resumes and plays back flawlessly. Usually happens within the first 20 minutes of a recorded program.*

Used to have WOW when we lived in another suburb, and never had issues. I had TWC CableCards and the Cisco TA, didn't like the service, always an issue. Busted down to VERY basic cable, and now this very annoying issue has started since October of 2009.

If the Tivo is unused for a couple of days, when I turn on the TV, and select the Tivo input, the screen will be black, can change the channel up and down a few channels, and not resolve the issue. Usually have to do this on both tuners, and the picture and sound will return on both tuners, then be good for a few days. If the issue occurs, and there is a recording scheduled, the TiVo will record that event as a black screen the entire time.

I have a 6dB attenuator on the line at the Tivo right now, have a variety of values at my disposal.

Thoughts?


----------



## pgreene8

Eve6MediaHQ said:


> Actually, now that I think about it, does anyone know if the TiVo premiere will have this problem as well? I never even considered that it might still exist... Ugh.


Last TiVo tech I spoke with said the TiVo engineers are working on the software solution to the Green Screen with Alarm Sound for the TiVo HDs. Another thread I subscribe to says that Ohio just got a software update from TiVo. So keep your fingers crossed that it works.

He (the TiVo tech) also said TiVo hoped that the GSAS was fixed in the software running the Premiere model, but they really can't be certain until that model is out in the field and all the different environments that elicit the problem.

IMO it is definitely not a hardware problem. I'm on my third TiVo HD box and it is just the same on each one they send me. Was a big waste of time to replace the box and "retrain" it each time.


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## xnappo

pgreene8 said:


> Last TiVo tech I spoke with said the TiVo engineers are working on the software solution to the Green Screen with Alarm Sound for the TiVo HDs. Another thread I subscribe to says that Ohio just got a software update from TiVo. So keep your fingers crossed that it works.


So is that to say that 11.0f has an attempt at a fix? Can anyone who got the update comment?

Thanks,
xnappo


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## CaptDS9E

richsadams said:


> That's almost certainly a problem cable drop...either outside or somewhere that the coax and/or connectors are being subjected to water infiltration. Your cableco needs to test all of the lines from the headend to your home. Check your signal strength on various channels as well as RS Corrected and Uncorrected errors...particularly when it's raining and odds are you will see a number of fluctuations and low signal strength.
> 
> Best of luck and let us know how it goes!


It has happened to a lot of people that also had the GSOD problem as well. Both my brother and I did not get it for a very long time, and now it's happening again. The regular cable boxes in the house all work perfectly fine. I'm really at my wits end with Tivo on this. Hoperfully the new update fixed this problem or I am done. I've waited a lot longer for a fix, then I have on any other product.


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## richsadams

CaptDS9E said:


> It has happened to a lot of people that also had the GSOD problem as well.


A GSOD (green screen of death) is a completely separate issue than the GSAS (blank green screen and siren) that people are discussing on this thread.

A GSOD (MFS assert) is triggered by corrupt data, often something to do with the hard drive such as bad sectors, etc. More here (see "Kickstart 57"):

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showpost.php?p=5643823&postcount=2

The GSAS issue appears to be signal related, primarily with TWC NY.

Just wanted to be sure the two aren't being confused.


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## Grumock

Wondering if the new software for TiVo has been deployed to those getting these issues? Wonder if it will fix it, like it may be fixing the pixilation issue on SDV that some of us were seeing?

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=445114


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## pgreene8

Just got the software update (g) this morning. Hoping it will stop all the green screens and freezing.


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## richsadams

pgreene8 said:


> Just got the software update (g) this morning. Hoping it will stop all the green screens and freezing.


Hi Priscilla...so you now have v11.0g? IIRC the most recent update was 11.0f. 

EDIT: I see by some other member's posts that TiVo is rolling out v11.0g. Wonder what happened with the short-lived v11.0f? (Or the never seen 11.0e?)


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## dlfl

richsadams said:


> Hi Priscilla...so you now have v11.0g? IIRC the most recent update was 11.0f.
> 
> EDIT: I see by some other member's posts that TiVo is rolling out v11.0g. Wonder what happened with the short-lived v11.0f? (Or the never seen 11.0e?)


Straight from TiVoJerry:

**this** and **this**

I wouldn't do this for just anyone, Rich. 

Also, someone suggested 11.0e was a special for Australia and NZ.


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## richsadams

dlfl said:


> Straight from TiVoJerry:
> 
> **this** and **this**
> 
> I wouldn't do this for just anyone, Rich.
> 
> Also, someone suggested 11.0e was a special for Australia and NZ.


Ah...I saw Jerry's first post, but missed the second one. Thanks for that! 

BTW, v11.0g showed up last night and everything seems to be running fine on our Series3. (Just received our new Premiere XL...can't wait to take it for a spin!)


----------



## Marconi

richsadams said:


> ... v11.0g showed up last night and everything seems to be running fine on our Series3.


Both of my THDs have the 11.0g update and both GSASed on me last night.


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## LuvNoize

I got the update on my THD last week. It began running sluggishly (animations slow or sticking on backgrounds), so I did a KS57 on it, it never came back, just got stuck in a reboot loop.

We went out this weekend and replaced it with a Premiere. Really sucks, the THD was only two years old. I have a Toshiba [email protected] DVD/TiVo that has been going strong for years with the same HD.


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## pgreene8

Yep, 11.0g does nothing to fix it. Have had the update for 10 days and since then have had 2 random reboots, one freeze requiring reboot and one GSAS.

I assume that 11.0g is the last software update we will see for the HD in the near future, or maybe ever.

Very frustrating since my HD is less than 2 years old


----------



## brettatk

I've never had this problem until yesterday. I was able to successfully repeat the problem twice after it happened. Each time I was changing channels and as soon as I got to the Food Network HD channel my audio flipped out and the screen went green. I have no idea what is going on with that particular channel or how it could be affecting my Tivo but I have read other instances in this thread where it happened as well. I went and removed the HD channel and could not repeat the GSOD changing to the SD channel. I changed the couple of SP's I had for the Food Network to the SD channel and will see if it happens again. I have no idea if the upgrade to 11.0g had anything to do with this.


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## pL86

pgreene8 said:


> Yep, 11.0g does nothing to fix it. Have had the update for 10 days and since then have had 2 random reboots, one freeze requiring reboot and one GSAS.
> 
> I assume that 11.0g is the last software update we will see for the HD in the near future, or maybe ever.
> 
> Very frustrating since my HD is less than 2 years old


Priscilla,

I am also with TWC in NYC and I am beginning to suspect that a lot of these green screens are caused by a bad interaction between the Tivo and the cabling. I've discovered that I can trigger the Tivo into rebooting by moving the coaxial cable that connects into the back of the unit (I don't mean just touching the cable but flexing it to a fair degree). I'm no expert but it appears to me the Tivo HD is HIGHLY sensitive to signal fluctations, which I assume can be caused by physically moving the coaxial cable. I've also discovered that a lot of my problems with audio dropouts and video glitches, which I previously thought was a system problem, can be cured by straightening out the portion of the coaxial cable that immediately leads into the Tivo. I have not had a green screen reboot since I've started using this trick, including since I was updated with the latest firmware. Audio and video glitches have also become very rare.

peter


----------



## Polekat

Just found this thread because, you guessed it. I suffered from the gray screen and siren this afternoon. 

TiVo HD
Charter Communications
11.0g
*sigh*


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## Marconi

pL86 said:


> I've also discovered that a lot of my problems with audio dropouts and video glitches, which I previously thought was a system problem, can be cured by straightening out the portion of the coaxial cable that immediately leads into the Tivo. I have not had a green screen reboot since I've started using this trick, including since I was updated with the latest firmware. Audio and video glitches have also become very rare.
> 
> peter


Try replacing that cable. It sounds like the connector may not be well, ummm, connected. The signal should not change just by flexing the cable.


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## pL86

Marconi said:


> Try replacing that cable. It sounds like the connector may not be well, ummm, connected. The signal should not change just by flexing the cable.


I have probably had the cable and the connector replaced four or five times now. Although not ideal, I am ok with living with the current state of affairs. When problems start to crop up, I straighten the cable and **BOOM** the problems go away. I suspect the plug on the Tivo HD itself may have a defect that prevents a tight connection with the cable. But I only have this one device and don't want to send it in for servicing.


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## kika2000

I'm at a loss. I've removed all the channels that I thought were causing this problem, and it subsided for about two months.
This afternoon, while I had a recorded show paused and no other recordings going on. SCREEEECH! and crash to green screen.

It really is a special form of torture to watch tv this way. Forget the lost recordings, the lack of reliability, the wasted time; just that alarm alone is enough to make a person crazy.

I just rebooted the Tivo - and even the dog ran away.


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## brettatk

Since I removed Food Network HD this past Sunday I haven't seen the problem repeat. Luckily I've never missed more than a couple of recordings. It would suck though to go on vacation for a week and come back to see you missed everything since you left.


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## bobabouey

Ian said:


> I've just experienced THREE GSODs with the sirens in less than 4 hours.
> 
> Anyone else using Time Warner in NYC having the same problem?
> 
> -Ian


I am in brooklyn, time warner cable, have been having green screen with siren frequently over the last year, at least once a week, and when it is bad, several times a day. Have attenuators on the cable signal to no avail. I have two lifetime subsription tivos (green screen hits the HD version), and really lost all respect for Tivo that they haven't been able to fix this or even clearly identify the problem.


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## brettatk

bobabouey said:


> I am in brooklyn, time warner cable, have been having green screen with siren frequently over the last year, at least once a week, and when it is bad, several times a day. Have attenuators on the cable signal to no avail. I have two lifetime subsription tivos (green screen hits the HD version), and really lost all respect for Tivo that they haven't been able to fix this or even clearly identify the problem.


Is there a pattern with what channels you are on or turning to when this happens? I've had my Tivo HD for almost 3 years and the first time this happened was last weekend. I'm not so sure the problem is with Tivo but with the cable company. If it was the Tivo then surely I would have seen this before.


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## Marconi

brettatk said:


> Is there a pattern with what channels you are on or turning to when this happens?


I've had it happen while playing a recording. I have no idea what channel(s) the tuners were on when it occured though.

Based on others' experiences, I eliminated FOODHD from my lineup and, so far, no GSASs.


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## kika2000

brettatk said:


> Is there a pattern with what channels you are on or turning to when this happens? I've had my Tivo HD for almost 3 years and the first time this happened was last weekend. I'm not so sure the problem is with Tivo but with the cable company. If it was the Tivo then surely I would have seen this before.


I'm in NYC on TWC and I've been suffering from this issue for almost a year.

I've removed a number of HD channels from my lineup that 'seemed' to be related. These include VSHD, GolfHD, FoodHD, and a couple of others that I can't remember. I've intermittently removed TCMHD after having problems with that channel, but have since replaced it and have seen no difference in behavior.
I had constant daily crashes to the green screen accompanied by the siren while I still had VSHD in the lineup. Since then, the crashes are less frequent, but the issue still exists.

I've had this discussion with both Tivo's CSRs and TWC many times and when pressed, everyone agrees the problem seems to stem from Tivo's inability to deal with certain fluctuations in the signal on some stations. Who's fault that is and how to fix it is a different issue entirely.

Tivo recommends attenuators. TWC recommends you use their box since it doesn't have this issue.

I'd be really interested to compile a list of channels that people think are contributing to the problem. Maybe we can all help each other.


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## Ian

This is a BAD GSOD/crash/restart day...

All before noon today I've had a :

- total crash and freeze
- GSOD
- restart

Fun.

-Ian


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## richsadams

Ian said:


> All before noon today I've had a :
> 
> - total crash and freeze
> - GSOD
> - restart


Sorry to hear that you're having trouble Ian. A "GSOD" commonly refers to this screen which is which is generally triggered by data corruption (although you've been around long enough to probably know that). The TiVo built-in program (MFS assert) attempts to resolve the corruption and isolate failing hard drive sectors, etc. So do you mean "GSOD" or are you referring to a blank green screen and audio "siren" which is commonly referred to as a GSAS; the topic of this thread?

If it's an actual GSOD, that's usually a separate issue and can be caused by a number of things that produce data corruption including power surges, failures, hard drive I/O errors, bad hard drive sectors, etc. A GSOD can last a few minutes to a few hours at the end of which time TiVo will reboot. (The errors may or may not have been resolved BTW.)

Based on your description of a "crash and freeze, GSOD, restart" it sounds more like a hard drive or other problem. Can you post a few more details, historic or otherwise? Just want to be clear about things. TIA.


----------



## Ian

Whoops - sorry, meant the GSAS.

Two non GSAS crashes so far today, three GSAS/siren crashes.

Three month old XL with no other problems - I usually never see the GSAS, except once every few weeks.

Someone else reported seeing them today (in nyc/twc), so I imagine it's the old "signal put out by TWC problem.

Just frustrating having it happen so much today!

-Ian


----------



## grunnels

Cable: Comcast (formerly TWC) Jackson, MS 
Tivo HD
GSAS problems are with E! HD and Golf HD

Had the problems since March 09.


----------



## richsadams

Ian said:


> Whoops - sorry, meant the GSAS.


Ah, got it. That has to be terribly frustrating for you (and everyone else here). Man I hope that they (TiVo and/or TWC) find a cure...it's been a very long time now.


----------



## bobabouey

Kika, you summarize well. In addition, I ran full disk tests from WD (ie not just the startup tests, the kind that require you to connect your drive to computer), so I long ago established it was not a disk problem.

Tivo's failure here is sufficient that I would never buy a product from them again - how can you trust them?

- People have been having the GSWS consistently for over a year
- It clearly is not disk related (even though Tivo will encourage that as the potential problem early on)
- Tivo, as with many other issues you find on forums, will not clearly acknowledge the issue as they most likely don't want returns
- In all likelihood, it relates to the signal strength. Supposed answer is to reduce the signal level, but even that doesn't fix the problem. The clear issue is that Tivo is selling a product that does not work for its intended use of being hooked up to the cable system.
- I say "in all likelihood" based on reviewing posts over months. Clearly, if Tivo really wanted to figure it out, they could, so I firmly believe they are avoiding the issue.

Seriously, its as if someone sold you a laptop with a wireless card, and then told you the solution was to stick some lead tape over the receiver because the wifi signals were too good.

In this case, part of the problem seems to be that TWC is upgrading their system. I used to have issues on regular cable box with pixelation due to bad signals, and internet connectivity problems. Now, the main cable is flawless, download speeds are fantastic, and piece of crap Tivo welcomes me every morning with a shriek.

I hope there is a lawsuit. In fact, maybe I will put one together. Others interested in joining in a class action? Doubt we'll get much money, but it would be worth it just to let Tivo spend the initial money defending the matter and being reminded how crappy their formerly great customer service has gotten?



kika2000 said:


> I'm in NYC on TWC and I've been suffering from this issue for almost a year.
> 
> I've removed a number of HD channels from my lineup that 'seemed' to be related. These include VSHD, GolfHD, FoodHD, and a couple of others that I can't remember.  I've intermittently removed TCMHD after having problems with that channel, but have since replaced it and have seen no difference in behavior.
> I had constant daily crashes to the green screen accompanied by the siren while I still had VSHD in the lineup. Since then, the crashes are less frequent, but the issue still exists.
> 
> I've had this discussion with both Tivo's CSRs and TWC many times and when pressed, everyone agrees the problem seems to stem from Tivo's inability to deal with certain fluctuations in the signal on some stations. Who's fault that is and how to fix it is a different issue entirely.
> 
> Tivo recommends attenuators. TWC recommends you use their box since it doesn't have this issue.
> 
> I'd be really interested to compile a list of channels that people think are contributing to the problem. Maybe we can all help each other.


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## pgreene8

Kika - 
this has to be the funniest post yet on this subject. Thank you for that. I can totally relate to the terror the GSAS instills.

I notice the GSAS seems to be caused by more than the "toxic" channels. The green screen with siren follows events like Channel Line Up changes issued by TWC, and also those Emergency Broadcast System tests. If the TiVo remained "parked" on a channel for too long (like overnight) it happened. Just removing the toxic channels didn't fix it. Nor did the attenuators, splitters, new cable card, putting TiVo in Standby, 2 exchanged TiVos or anything. It's a software glitch and all these things are work arounds that may help minimize but not eliminate the problem.



kika2000 said:


> I'm at a loss. I've removed all the channels that I thought were causing this problem, and it subsided for about two months.
> This afternoon, while I had a recorded show paused and no other recordings going on. SCREEEECH! and crash to green screen.
> 
> It really is a special form of torture to watch tv this way. Forget the lost recordings, the lack of reliability, the wasted time; just that alarm alone is enough to make a person crazy.
> 
> I just rebooted the Tivo - and even the dog ran away.


----------



## kika2000

Hi pgreene8 (Priscilla),

I notice from your signature that you have one of the new Premieres.

I've been dying to know if the new hardware/software package still has the GSAS problem, and given that you are the OP, what better person to ask.

Have you had any GSAS crashes since you got your Premiere?

(fingers crossed, breath held...)


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## pgreene8

Yes, Kika, I just switched to the Premiere last week with the hope of ending the dread GSAS. So far, so good, but it has only been 6 days. 
It has it's own issues, mainly interface slowness and general lack of cuteness, but it seems relatively stable. I have had some fleeting freezing / stuttering on some of the problem channels, but no Green Screens or random reboots.
The software for the Premiere seems unfinished, so you drop back into "classic" screens pretty often. We'll have to see as they roll out the updates that complete the functionality if it remains steady.


----------



## bobabouey

Pgreene,

I'd also be curious if you'd keep us posted. The sad thing about Tivo's treatment of the current problem, is how long do you wait before you trust them? Its clearly signal driven, and pretty clearly exacerbated by channels. so who knows, maybe it works well, until you find some new show you like on who knows what channel, or the cable co happens to upgrade a switch on your line, and boom, after weeks or months of contentedness, you have a green screen squealing piece of crap greeting you every time you turn on the TV.

Tivo's refusal to directly address the problem as one that is clearly due to their hardware not handling signals from the major cable networks is not only abysmal customer service, but actionable. The product does not work for its intended purpose.

Acknowledgment of design flaw, refund offers and fixes are the only proper customer service response.


pgreene8 said:


> Yes, Kika, I just switched to the Premiere last week with the hope of ending the dread GSAS. So far, so good, but it has only been 6 days.
> It has it's own issues, mainly interface slowness and general lack of cuteness, but it seems relatively stable. I have had some fleeting freezing / stuttering on some of the problem channels, but no Green Screens or random reboots.
> The software for the Premiere seems unfinished, so you drop back into "classic" screens pretty often. We'll have to see as they roll out the updates that complete the functionality if it remains steady.


----------



## sasmps

Kika and Pgreen:

I have been GSAS free since September of 2009... I did notice my provider (Surewest) moved the frequencies their using to broadcast their content. 

I have a Samsung flat screen that is directly attached to their cabel that uses the QAM tuner to find their channels. I had mapped all the channels back in June, and found in september everything had moved. That would explain the strange appearence and disappearence of the probelm over time.
The tuners have a bad spot in their reception of frequencies, and a bad channel today ceases to cause the problem (and a new one does).

Yet another theory.....


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## flavadav

My living room S3 HD box (1TB external additional storage) just powered down today while we were recording the Obama speech at UofMich commencement. Was recording FOX HD (Ch. 234 Comcast in Ann Arbor, MI) and they were having major signal issues from Ann Arbor feed due to storms last night. When the feed eventually came through, it would freeze often, pixelate, etc. So I know the video feed I was receiving was bad from the source to begin with (anyone else watch/record FOX and see this problem today?) Finally got to a point where I could not rewind, ff, etc. Or get home with Tivo button. Completely froze, then went black. Got GSOD for 2 minutes, then reboot (2 minutes), then GSOD again, and so on repeating cycle every 4 minutes. Called Tech. service at Tivo and went through unplugging everything eventually, including external drive which I realize loses all of my programs now. But it still keeps going through 4 minute cycle. Tivo Tech said to let it go another 3 hours...time is up and I'm afraid to send it away and wait for weeks to have it repaired. Box is 2 1/2 years old--first time this has happened. I'm almost certain it was because of the horrible video signal coming in from FOX... It is not the GSAS, which tech said is a good sign. I am just hoping someone has a suggestion on any kind of alternative to fix without losing box and awaiting return (as well as going through multiple visits by Comcast until they finally re-initialize 2 CableCARDs correctly!! Always a headache when I have to do that!)
Anyone that can help much appreciated!!

Dave
Tivo owner since Dec. 2000
2 x S3 (1 w/ 1TB SATA storage)
1 x S2


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## richsadams

flavadav said:


> My living room S3 HD box (1TB external additional storage) just powered down today <snip>


Hi Dave,

Sorry to hear about your TiVo headache. What a pain. It does sound like data corruption if TiVo keep rebooting into the GSOD screen. However the bad television broadcast probably isn't the cause. A bad feed simply is, well a bad feed. The data sent isn't likely to have caused actual hard drive corruption but I guess there's always a first time. The more likely culprit is something on your end.

Since TiVo is already running an MFS assert (GSOD) without success you might want to give one of TiVo's other built-in diagnostic and repair programs, Kickstart 58 a try. It's possible it might be able to cure whatever the problem is.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showpost.php?p=5643823&postcount=2

I'm not clear if you have divorced your external drive or not. Often times what you're seeing can be caused by an eSATA drive acting up. Have a look here and see if anything applies...

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7553444#post7553444

If the drive has been properly divorced and none of the above helps then you probably have a failing internal hard drive. That leaves a couple of choices. TiVo often offers owners of out of warranty TiVo's a replacement for $149. If you give them a credit card number they'll usually ship it right away, put a hold on your credit card and then release it when they receive your TiVo.

Otherwise you could consider replacing the hard drive yourself. A couple of third-party vendors including DVRUpgrade.com will send you a fully functional hard drive which you can swap out. Or if you're comfortable connecting a hard drive to a computer you can DIY. If your TiVo won't fully boot up it's likely that the OS image has been corrupted so you'd need a new image. You can get one called Instant Cake from DVRUpgrade as well. You simply put the image on the drive and put the drive in your TiVo and you're good to go. You might even be able to use the original hard drive. If you did that though I'd recommend upgrading it to a larger drive right away. It's pretty easy to do, just follow the directions on this sticky thread/FAQ...

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5616160#post5616160

If you do decide to use Instant Cake or drop a pre-imaged hard drive in you'll basically have a new TiVo and it will require Comcast to roll a truck to pair your cable cards. Bummer, I know.

So if you have any more info, go ahead and post it. Whatever the case, you shouldn't be without TiVo for too long.

Hope that helps and best of luck!

Rich


----------



## pgreene8

Hi Bobabouey

My Premiere has been installed for 3 1/2 weeks and is _mostly_ trouble free. However, 3 times I have had the screen go black and become frozen, requiring reboots. Not sure what is causing it. There are documented issues with the HD interface causing the Premiere to lock up onto TiVo Central, but I haven't experienced it.

It is much more stable than the TiVo HD, but not perfect. The software is not fully featured yet, so various menus drop back into the SD interface of the tiVo HD. The response lags a little in the HD menus, which sometimes makes you worry that it froze. On the good side, it runs cooler and consumes less energy. And one hopes that TiVo will remain focused on software updates for this model.



bobabouey said:


> Pgreene,
> 
> I'd also be curious if you'd keep us posted. The sad thing about Tivo's treatment of the current problem, is how long do you wait before you trust them? Its clearly signal driven, and pretty clearly exacerbated by channels. so who knows, maybe it works well, until you find some new show you like on who knows what channel, or the cable co happens to upgrade a switch on your line, and boom, after weeks or months of contentedness, you have a green screen squealing piece of crap greeting you every time you turn on the TV.
> 
> Tivo's refusal to directly address the problem as one that is clearly due to their hardware not handling signals from the major cable networks is not only abysmal customer service, but actionable. The product does not work for its intended purpose.
> 
> Acknowledgment of design flaw, refund offers and fixes are the only proper customer service response.


----------



## svakaskutla

I haven't seen the dreaded screeming green for a few weeks, but it is now back with a vengeance, 8 times in in a couple of days. TWC says it is Tivo and Tivo blames TWC (sigh), I have followed all the instructions (hours of analysis and constant rebooting) and getting nowhere. Will there ever be a resolution to this, and furthermore what will happen when i attempt to connect the new Tuning Adapter (assuming I will ever even get one)?????

I am almost reaching a point of caving in to TWC and giving up my beloved Tivo, except i still remember the dreadful 3 months I had to use one while waiting for my series 3 HD (shudder). 

Does anyone have updates on this situation????


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## longball07

I have read parts of the 22 page thread so I don't know if this has been posted. This is what I have discovered about this issue. When I first got my TIVO HD I had the resolution set to 720p Fixed, never had a green screen with loud siren. Then after the first month I moved and for some reason I set the resolution to 1080i fixed. My first green screen came about a month before the Olympics started this year and it seems like I would get the Green screen with siren about 3 or 4 times a week. I put a splitter in place and then I tried an attenuator both did not solve my issue. About 40 days ago for some reason I switched the signal back to fixed 720p and I have not had a green screen with siren since switching back. Not sure if this will help anyone but it seems like having it set to fixed 720p works for me.


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## Marconi

longball07 said:


> About 40 days ago for some reason I switched the signal back to fixed 720p and I have not had a green screen with siren since switching back. Not sure if this will help anyone but it seems like having it set to fixed 720p works for me.


It could be purely a coincidence, but it's certainly worth checking out.

I have two THDs in the same location, getting the same signal from a splitter. When one THD gets the GSAS crash, both do. I've just set one of them to 720p (from 1080i) and will watch to see how it goes. The other is still at 1080i.

Naturally, I'll report back here when I've had my next GSAS crash(es).


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## longball07

Its been another week and a half and still no Green Screen w/ Siren.


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## Marconi

Marconi said:


> It could be purely a coincidence, but it's certainly worth checking out.
> 
> I have two THDs in the same location, getting the same signal from a splitter. When one THD gets the GSAS crash, both do. I've just set one of them to 720p (from 1080i) and will watch to see how it goes. The other is still at 1080i.
> 
> Naturally, I'll report back here when I've had my next GSAS crash(es).


Well, the THD set to 1080i crashed this AM but I do not know for certain that it was a GSAS crash, as the TV was not on. But the THD set to 720p did not go down at the same time.

Usually these two THDs crash together so the fact that only the 1080i one did means that there may be something to the 720p theory...


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## jamesrdorn

I had an intermittent GSAS (about 3 times in the last 2 months) until this morning where the only way I could get the Tivo to get past the Tivo intro movie was to pull the coax cable out of the wall. I was frustrated and called the cable company. Trying to add filters to the coax did nothing to fix the issue.


The fix: I turned off the Tivo and pulled my CableCARD out and let the device boot up. I spent time surfing the channels to make sure it wasnt going to GSAS without the cable card. I went to the Tivo menu and re-inserted the CableCARD again. I used the built in testing utility to test a few channels and even rebooted the Tivo again. Issue seems to be resolved, or at least the one I was having this morning!

Hope it helps!


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## verbaldave

I just had my first GSAS event since last year, but I'm now having a problem with repeated reboots.

I am in the Dallas, TX area using a Motorola CableCard with TWC service, plugged directly into a Samsung TV via HDMI. I also have a MyDVRExpander plugged in.


This morning at 4:30am, while my Tivo HD was in "standby", the siren sound started, and I did a plug pull reboot. All was well until I watched a recorded show (NBC HD, recorded weeks ago), when the Tivo suddenly rebooted on it's own. After it booted up I started watching the same show, and within 3-5 minutes, it rebooted again (no green screen or siren, just a sudden "Starting Up" screen). I interrupted this reboot with a manual plug pull. Once it started again, it rebooted itself AGAIN within seconds. My TivoHD and MyExpander are now unplugged, and I am scouring for answers.


Does this sound like a standard GSAS issue, or does this sound like a hard drive failure? I'm afraid to plug it in again in case I might be damaging something.


Thanks in advance for any insight.


Dave


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## troybruno

Also experienced my first GSAS today. After reading some of the posts on this thread, I made sure the channels were set to non-HD and rebooted. It was only then that the TiVo didn't go green and loud. As soon as I changed the channel to the Food Network, TiVo started a long reboot. Is there an answer hidden in the 600+ posts? I am in Dallas, and use TWC and this happened for the first time this morning with a HD XL box. Thanks for any insight or reiteration of past info that I missed.


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## richsadams

verbaldave said:


> I just had my first GSAS event since last year, but I'm now having a problem with repeated reboots. <snip>


Hey Dave, sorry to hear that your TiVo is misbehaving. Your description has all of the earmarks of a problematic hard drive. Have a look at these two posts to see if they can help you sort things out...

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showpost.php?p=5643823&postcount=2

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7553444#post7553444


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## cwerdna

richsadams said:


> Hey Dave, sorry to hear that your TiVo is misbehaving. Your description has all of the earmarks of a problematic hard drive.


I concur. For Dave and a few other of the recent posters, I strongly suspect a failing hard drive causing green screens of death and spontaneous reboots.


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## troybruno

cwerdna said:


> I concur. For Dave and a few other of the recent posters, I strongly suspect a failing hard drive causing green screens of death and spontaneous reboots.


I doubt this is the issue. It seems a bit suspicious that both Dave and I live in Dallas, with TWC, and both had the same problem on the same day. This has never happened to me. My TiVo works just fine until I turn to a certain channel (Food Network). I am just hoping that someone has figured this out, and can lead me in the right direction so I don't have to weed through 650 posts and I can watch all of my channels again. Thanks to anyone with any answers!


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## kika2000

troybruno said:


> I doubt this is the issue. It seems a bit suspicious that both Dave and I live in Dallas, with TWC, and both had the same problem on the same day. This has never happened to me. My TiVo works just fine until I turn to a certain channel (Food Network). I am just hoping that someone has figured this out, and can lead me in the right direction so I don't have to weed through 650 posts and I can watch all of my channels again. Thanks to anyone with any answers!


Hi troybruno,

I'm sorry to welcome you to this thread ...

In my experience with TIVO and Time Warner Cable, certain channels like FOODHD need to be removed entirely in order to lessen the frequency of the crashes to green screen and siren.

Tivo recommends that you install attenuators to drop the strength of the incoming cable signal and some people have reported that this has solved their problem.

I found that removing FOODHD, VSHD, GOLFHD, and (unfortunately) TCMHD, decreased the number of GSAS's. It did not solve the problem for me - but I have gone for extended periods without experiencing a crash with these channels removed from my line-up.


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## longball07

kika2000 said:


> Hi troybruno,
> 
> I'm sorry to welcome you to this thread ...
> 
> In my experience with TIVO and Time Warner Cable, certain channels like FOODHD need to be removed entirely in order to lessen the frequency of the crashes to green screen and siren.
> 
> Tivo recommends that you install attenuators to drop the strength of the incoming cable signal and some people have reported that this has solved their problem.
> 
> I found that removing FOODHD, VSHD, GOLFHD, and (unfortunately) TCMHD, decreased the number of GSAS's. It did not solve the problem for me - but I have gone for extended periods without experiencing a crash with these channels removed from my line-up.


FoodHD, HGTVHD, VersusHD and FSNHD all use to cause a green screen if left on those channels only for a little while, but after switching to fixed 720p I can leave my tivo parked on those channels over night and not get a GSAS! Just something to try!


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## cwerdna

kika2000 said:


> Tivo recommends that you install attenuators to drop the strength of the incoming cable signal and some people have reported that this has solved their problem.
> 
> I found that removing FOODHD, VSHD, GOLFHD, and (unfortunately) TCMHD, decreased the number of GSAS's...


Source?

I heard that people on Verizon FiOS were having trouble w/o attenuators but that was supposedly fixed w/11.0d. Here are two threads on that http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=445787 and http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=430256. I'm on FiOS, was at or beyond 11.0d after the 1st day of FiOS and never had trouble like these guys are describing. I've never looked at my errors nor SNR but I'll check when I get home (out of curiosity).

I also wouldn't be surprised if YMMV with FiOS since I'd guess that Verizon deploys >1 model of ONT (Optical Network Terminal aka huge box that has fiber in and emits cable TV + other stuff) and likely >1 rev.

I'd be curious to know if the attenuators actually do solve your problem.


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## kika2000

cwerdna said:


> Source?
> 
> I heard that people on Verizon FiOS were having trouble w/o attenuators but that was supposedly fixed w/11.0d. Here are two threads on that http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=445787 and http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=430256. I'm on FiOS, was at or beyond 11.0d after the 1st day of FiOS and never had trouble like these guys are describing.


I hadn't heard that people with FIOS were experiencing the GSAS. I'm on TWC in NYC which is a hotbed of complaints, and I participated in a Q&A about this problem last year organized by TivoJerry.
In my experience, when you call Tivo CS to report this issue, they go through the standard list of things to check to make sure your hard drive isn't failing, and then they tell you the problem is TWC's signal and recommend you attenuate your signal strength.

longball07 seems to have been having luck with switching to fixed 720p, I will give that a shot as well.

I will say that I have gone for as long as a month without experiencing this problem, but about the time I start thinking it's solved, it happens again, and then again, ad infinitum...


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## cwerdna

kika2000 said:


> I hadn't heard that people with FIOS were experiencing the GSAS. I'm on TWC in NYC which is a hotbed of complaints, and I participated in a Q&A about this problem last year organized by TivoJerry.
> In my experience, when you call Tivo CS to report this issue, they go through the standard list of things to check to make sure your hard drive isn't failing, and then they tell you the problem is TWC's signal and recommend you attenuate your signal strength.


When were the Q & A and the calls to CS?

Per http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7852297#post7852297 and http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=428826, 11.0d was released the 2nd half of 2009.


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## kika2000

cwerdna said:


> When were the Q & A and the calls to CS?
> 
> Per http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7852297#post7852297 and http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=428826, 11.0d was released the 2nd half of 2009.


See post #286 in this thread for when TivoJerry was looking for TWC NYC volunteers last July.

I think my first post about this was in July of last year, so my first calls to CS must have been around that time.

I did call Tivo CS to change my billing plan recently and when I mentioned my Green Screen and Siren issue, I was asked if I had already tried attenuating the signal, so I would guess that that's what they tell most people with my history of problems.

I'm not sure what the threads you linked to are in reference to. I thought the big problem with FIOS used to be MacroBlocking, but since I can't get FIOS, I could be wrong.


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## richsadams

kika2000 said:


> I thought the big problem with FIOS used to be MacroBlocking, but since I can't get FIOS, I could be wrong.


It was and employing attenuation at the time worked for some, but it's since been fixed. TiVo made some modifications and IIRC VZ dropped their SS as well. So no more attenuation (or problems) for FIOS folks.


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## sasmps

After 9 months of bliss, my TIVO HD GSAS'd on me last night on HDNET. Anyone else get nailed last night?


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## pL86

The green screens are back with a vengeance for me in TWC Manhattan South. Three in two days. Very exasperating, I thought this problem had finally been solved for me.

And it looks like the Travel Channel HD and ESPN2 HD is the trigger. Yesterday, it green screened right before midnight while I was watching the Travel Channel HD. Today, I had my Tivo HD to record a World Cup match on ESPN2 HD; the box was green screened and two truncated portions of that match were on my Tivo after I rebooted. I just tuned to ESPN2 HD and sure enough, after five minutes, the Tivo froze while I was watching another pre-recorded program. This is different from what I've seen before. Typically, the box immediately crashes into the green screen and screech. I've not seen the Tivo freeze up like it just did.


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## rossnyc

Today has been a really bad day in New York. I have not been able to make it more then 30 minutes without getting a green screen today in New York city on Time Warner. The problem started yesterday, but got much worse today. I have not tried an attenuater, but I was assuming that once I got my new tuning adapter it would fix the problem. The only issue is I have not been able to get a tuning adapter because 23rd street keeps on running out of them. I'm going to run some of the kickstart tests and see if it finds any errors.


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## pL86

I am using an attenuator but it has not prevented the green screens. The attenuator was installed several months ago and I haven't had a green screen since so I thought it was the fix. Apparently not. I even changed the placement of the attenuator to see if that would do anything. I had it installed in the Tivo's coaxial, then I moved it to the tuning adapter plug that connects to the Tivo and finally to the plug on the tuning adapter that connects to the coaxial cable. It green screened regardless of position.

I assume all the tinkering being done for SDV may also be causing the rash of green screens. I've just now removed the tuning adapter from the chain to see if the adapter is contributing.


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## MPerlo9

Hey fellas...unfortunately I'm back. After a few months of relatively freeze-free TiVo Service the dreaded GSAS has come back with a vengeance. Pretty much everyday upon returning home from work I'm greeted with a frozen TiVo as well as green screens popping up multiple times every evening. G4TV, E! HD and Bravo HD seem particularly bad. Gonna throw on an attentuator but we all know how useless those things are when it comes to this bug. Has any progress been made in the past couple months since I last posted here? Or is the issue still prevalent and being neglected? Please please please tell me its the former. Despite my bitterness about enduring all this nonsense again and having to post on this board its good to see some familiar users on here . Kika / saspms I'm lookin at you! Whats up fellas??


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## tfish77

Hi all,

I was so glad to find this forum thread and realize I wasn't alone in this nonsense! That feeling was only slightly dampened by realizing this thread had 23 pages of problems with no solutions from either TiVo or TWC. For what it's worth, I'm adding another voice to the chorus of people asking, pleading, begging for a solution from these 2 service providers whom I pay every month for service that I'm not really getting.

I really don't want to go back to the dark days of the cable box DVR, but I'm beginning to lose hope. Thanks for keeping this thread active, I look forward to a solution being posted here one day!


----------



## pwalshj

After a few months respite, it's back with a vengeance here in western Queens with TWC. Seriously, like 3 times a day. This is a nightmare.


----------



## Ian

Hi all-

Reporting several gsas events today. Absolutely ridiculous.

I've had and loved TiVo since 2000, and i cannot believe there isn't some way for twc and tivo to get this fixed.

Grrrrrrrrr.

Ian


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## tengu

I just got my first Tivo this month, a Tivo HD. I have had the green screen 3 times and in a little under a month. They appear to occur randomly, only during live TV for me so far. When I called Tivo they had me do a "kickstart 54" which checked the system. Since then (about 5 days) I haven't had another but 99% sure it didn't solve anything nor did the tivo rep seem too sure about it...

I was wondering, MARCONI, how is the 720p trick working?


----------



## Marconi

tengu said:


> I was wondering, MARCONI, how is the 720p trick working?


Hard to say, as I have had so few confirmed GSAS crashes since I made the switch. So that everyone understands what I did, I'll recap.

I have two THDs in the same location, fed the same signal from the same distribution amp. They connect to the same TV. On those occasions when I experienced a confirmed GSAS crash (and by confirmed, I mean we were watching the TV at the time), both THDs would crash and both would need to be rebooted. I switched the output on one THD to 720p from 1080i to see if it had any impact on the frequency of GSAS crashes. Problem is, I cannot say for sure.

The 1080i THD experienced several crashes since then but always while the TV was off, so I have no way of knowing if they were GSAS crashes. Likewise, I had one bad crash on the 720p THD as well, in fact, lost all my recordings and had to restore from a backup. But again, I have no way of knowing if the crash was a GSAS, since the TV was off.

Then, a couple of days ago, my wife told me she had been watching the 1080i THD when it had a GSAS crash at around midnight. It rebooted itself. The 720p THD did not crash at the same time, to her knowledge. So, I finally had one confirmed GSAS crash that seems to have affected only the 1080i THD.

However... Because the 1080i THD was experiencing more crashes than the 720p THD (which could be pure coincidence), I have since set its output to 720p as well. So, the experiment is sort of over. I'm no longer running one at 1080i and one at 720p.

Of course, if I experience any GSAS crashes with both set to 720p, I'll be looking to see if one or both are affected. It may be that 720p reduces the number of GSAS crashes. It may be that 720p eliminates them. It may have no effect; what I've experienced may be coincidence. The jury is still out.


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## kika2000

I wish the 720p trick worked for me, but after this last particularly hellish week where I came home to a green screen EVERY SINGLE night, I checked my video settings and realized that my Tivo has always been set to 720p - so that's not fixing it for me.


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## tengu

Interesting...
Well I'm also using time warner and live just across the water in NJ. They're apparently rolling out switched video in the area and are offering free tuners for Tivo's. I'm getting mine installed this Friday so I'm hoping that maybe this thing will prevent the GSOD's.


----------



## sasmps

MPerlo9 said:


> Hey fellas...unfortunately I'm back. After a few months of relatively freeze-free TiVo Service the dreaded GSAS has come back with a vengeance. Pretty much everyday upon returning home from work I'm greeted with a frozen TiVo as well as green screens popping up multiple times every evening. G4TV, E! HD and Bravo HD seem particularly bad. Gonna throw on an attentuator but we all know how useless those things are when it comes to this bug. Has any progress been made in the past couple months since I last posted here? Or is the issue still prevalent and being neglected? Please please please tell me its the former. Despite my bitterness about enduring all this nonsense again and having to post on this board its good to see some familiar users on here . Kika / saspms I'm lookin at you! Whats up fellas??


Hi Mperlo9.... yep still checking this thread from time to time as alot of my life is in it 

I see a few folks have come up with some interesting things to try, but I still beleive the bottom line is a signal event from your local cable provider that the tuners can not handle. I did ping Tivo Jerry a month ago when I got my first GSAS in 8 months. It lasted a day, was centered around HDNET, and went away 2 days later. We did have thunder storms, so I assume it was a hiccup in the Surewest Cable network somewhere that they fixed.

Tivo Jerry suggested they had a notion of what causes the problem, but was not forth coming with details. I beleive they have made some adjustments with the last service updates, but no fixes specific to the GSAS problem. some of the other problems they fixed may have improved GSAS behavior, but as we can all see, the problem still exist.

Surewest (my provider in Kansas City) remapped all the channel frequencies back in October, and that is when my problems disappeared. If you have a QAM tuner in one of your sets, and manually map your lineup to the digital channels, you will notice the problem appear (or disappear) whenever your provider makes a change in channel frequencies. So the trigger channels (food network, HDNET, etc) change on you as your provider moves things around.

Not a fix, but at least a way to predict when you may have a new rash of GSAS events. There is a certian frequency (digital channel) that the tuner cards have a problem with (and it varies from the Series 3, Tivo HD, and Premium). This is primarily a Tivo HD issue... and the specific tuner cards they put in that box (just my theory mind you).


----------



## sasmps

Oh... and MPerlo its sasmps... not saspms. Although i am fully capable of a rant from time to time, I have used restraint on the forum. (Still chuckling over that one  )

One more thing while the fingers are flying... I did upgrade the hard drives on the Tivo HDs to 1 TB disk. If you subscribe to the 'restless tuner' or 'trigger channel' theory, the larger drives keep the Tivo hopping from channel to channel all day as it gathers suggestions for you to view. I still see alot of the 'I came home to find' comment, suggesting folks leave the tuners on an offending channel when they leave for work or go to bed.


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## Joe Siegler

Although, if you have a tuning adapter hooked up, it's not recording any suggestions anyway.


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## narvelsholtz

I'm getting a frozen screen with a reboot that doesn't work unless I unplug and reboot manually. I question the issue of the signal strength since it also freezes when I'm playing back (not using cable). Could it be the hard drive?


----------



## sasmps

narvelsholtz said:


> I'm getting a frozen screen with a reboot that doesn't work unless I unplug and reboot manually. I question the issue of the signal strength since it also freezes when I'm playing back (not using cable). Could it be the hard drive?


That would be a good guess. RichsAdam: your thoughts?
You could run the Kick Start Programs (search for them in the Forum) to see if they resolve or report any issues with your disk.


----------



## richsadams

narvelsholtz said:


> I'm getting a frozen screen with a reboot that doesn't work unless I unplug and reboot manually. I question the issue of the signal strength since it also freezes when I'm playing back (not using cable). Could it be the hard drive?


Welcome to the forum, sort of...long time lurker eh? Sorry to hear your TiVo is misbehaving. sasmps is right, it could be a hard drive going bad (although since TiVo's buffer is recording 24/7 it could be a signal issue). IIRC until you've posted at least five times you won't be able to click on links in forum posts, so copy and paste the link below into your browser to have a look at my response about a similar problem. Follow it through to its conclusion and see if any of the ideas work for you.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=8035132#post8035132

BTW, do you happen to have an external drive connected to your TiVo?

Let us know how it goes.


----------



## TiVoJerry

I know it's been a long time since I stuck my head in this thread. I moved over to the field trials (beta) department last year but I've still worked with CS to push this issue forward. I'm happy to say that a long process has finally reached its first promising milestone - we _believe _we understand what is causing this problem and have been able to replicate it in the lab!! We've been working with a provider for quite some time and finally got the info we needed to make some major gains.

Obviously our lab setup is not a "real world" scenario, so we'd like to get some affected customers into an ongoing test program immediately. I urge anyone who is still experiencing a blank screen that is generally accompanied (but not always) by screeching/siren audio to please email *[email protected]* with your TiVo Service Number. We will collect names and TSNs for a short period of time to invite people into the population to help us determine if we have indeed made progress.

This is, by no means, a promise or guarantee that the issue is resolved. However, we cannot make any more progress without YOU! Please do not hesitate as the schedule is pretty tight for us to get this work done.

Hopefully this will work out to be a fix for this nasty issue. Thank you all for sticking it out as long as you have. Please don't be shy to join up, as happened with the Grey Screen Issue , or we may suffer further delay to the delivery schedule. Thank you for your consideration!


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## busyba

I haven't had one in a long time (knock on wood), but I'm pretty sure I would be able to force it to start happening again by re-adding the HD Comedy Central channel to my channel lineup.

Then again, I recently added a Tuning Adapter to the equation, so who knows if the results will get skewed by that or not.


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## TiVoJerry

Give it a go and see if it's still a problem. We'd love to know regardless if you have a TA or not.


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## busyba

ok. I'll shoot you an email once I get home and look up my TSN


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## tengu

Hi I'm back. After over a month of green screen free Tivo, all of a sudden it has happened again. I have had the tuning adapter on so I thought it fixed it or something. Nope. This time it has already happened 3 times in 2 days! I'm through with this, I'm calling Tivo and maybe getting the premier.... work something out, this is BS.


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## RevMark

I have had my TiVoHD since Jan of 2008. I worke dbeautifully ot my first home with a 24" Gateway computer monitor along side my Mac Mini. Then I got married and moved to a house. The TiVoHD came with me and was connected to a 42" Visio. Both were with Cox.

Now I moved about 50 miles away and have Charter. I gave back my Cox CableCards (2 of them). Charter only required one multistream.

The TivOHD ran fine for about a week then all of a sudden GSOD with siren and no messages. Ususally over night or if the no body has been watching for a day or so. Although there was one day that it did do it at about 11:30 pm when I was flipping back to whats playing from live TV. 

I did the KS57. It said it detected errors and was going to fix them. It ran again for about 4 days and it did it again. Now about once a day. 

I saw the posts about signal strength, so I had Charter come out and check the CC and signal strength. They said it was good. 

In a few minutes I will redo the KS57. Then check the strengths and errors in the diags and report back on that. I haven't determined if the GSoD happens on a specific channel or channels yet. I will look at what was not recorded.

Thing is I only have about 6 or 7 season passes and only record stuff on the fly 2 or three times a week. So I only have about 10 or so programs recorded at any given time. Also, they are the same 1/2 dozen or so channels.

Thanks
Mark

-------------------
UPDATE UPDATE
-------------------
I did sampling of signal strengths and SNR and RC errors here is what I found on the channels that I use the most and have Season Passes for. Again Charter (Oh and NO Tuning Adapter):

Channel - Desc - Tuner 1/Tuner2/SNR/RC's
------------------------------------------------
751 - FoodHD - 75/81/33/0
752 - HGTVHD - 75/81/33/0
779 - DSCHD - 81/87/34/0

Also, The last channel to be on and to actually record on before GSoD was 752 HGTV-HD. It recorded the whole program of 30 mins.

--------------
UPDATE 2
-------------
A post in another category says that Charter in Gwennet Country GA has GSoD repeat issues on HGTV which is the channel my TiVoHD was on/recording when the last GSoD happened.

--------------
UPDATE 3
-------------
Thread is continued below. I replaced HD with new one from Weaknees. But did not solve GSaS


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## richsadams

RevMark said:


> The TivOHD ran fine for about a week then all of a sudden GSOD with siren and no messages. Ususally over night or if the no body has been watching for a day or so. Although there was one day that it did do it at about 11:30 pm when I was flipping back to whats playing from live TV.
> 
> I did the KS57. It said it detected errors and was going to fix them. It ran again for about 4 days and it did it again. Now about once a day.


Hi Mark. Sorry to hear of your troubles. First, this thread is discussing TiVo going to a blank green screen combined with an audible noise otherwise known as a "GSAS" (green screen and siren). Almost all of the reports are from folks in the NY area (a majority in NYC) that have Time Warner Cable.

You mentioned a "GSOD" (green screen of death) which is actually an MFS assert screen (indicating TiVo is running its built-in diagnostic and repair program). It looks like this:










It sounds like you experienced a GSAS but can you confirm which screen you're actually seeing?

If you run Kickstart 57 the MFS assert screen or "GSOD" will always appear, whether there's a problem or not. If TiVo reboots within a few minutes odds are there were no problems. If it takes longer, up to several hours it's more likely there was a problem and TiVo is attempting to correct data corruption and/or isolate bad sectors on the hard drive. It's impossible to tell if it was immediately successful. Long-term if things return to normal it likely was. If TiVo begins having problems again the program wasn't able to effect the necessary repairs and the hard drive should probably be replaced.

Again, not sure which screen you're seeing so some more info would be helpful.


----------



## ionkizz

Hi TivoJerry/everyone,

I have been following this thread since I got my Tivo HD XL just over a year ago and GCAS became part of my TWC life @ NYC 

Currently I am debating whether to simply cancel Tivo service and forget about this piece of shame, or to stick around one more round and participate in *TivoJerry's *latest initiative to figure this issue out. While I greatly appreciate TivoJerry's and everyone else's contributions troubleshooting this issue, I don't want to waste my time if it's going to take another year just to rule out yet another cause without solving the issue.

*TivoJerry*: can you please kindly post with the status of the investigation into GCAS issue? 
1. Did you get enough people to participate? 
2. At what stage of GCAS troubleshooting are you?
3. Are there any leads to what might be the issue?

Also, it's really strange that TWC customers in NYC area are expierencing *two MAJOR issues* with their Tivos: *GCAS* (tracked here) and *CCI 0x02 bit setting*, which prevents multi-room show viewing pretty much for all channels (Tivo Community thredread #7562980).

*Did anyone ever explore the posibility that GCAS might be caused in some way by [email protected] doing some funky stuff with the CCI bits*?

Thanks,
-Ion


----------



## TiVoJerry

ionkizz, welcome to the forums. 

1> I can always use more testers for this particular issue. The sign up rate is not as high as I would like.
2> We are in the testing phase  Seriously, I'm not sure how to quantify what you're asking other than that results at this very early point in the testing stage are looking good.
3> Yes, we have more than just "leads" and they have nothing to do with CCI bits.


----------



## kika2000

tengu said:


> Hi I'm back. After over a month of green screen free Tivo, all of a sudden it has happened again. I have had the tuning adapter on so I thought it fixed it or something. Nope. This time it has already happened 3 times in 2 days! I'm through with this, I'm calling Tivo and maybe getting the premier.... work something out, this is BS.


Me too.
Except I DON'T have a tuning adapter. I didn't want to add another variable to this mess for as long as possible, but that seems like a pointless decision now.

I've come home to the green screen three times in the last four days. This morning I woke up to it and had to leave the house while the Tivo was re-booting (we all know how long that takes...)


----------



## richsadams

tengu said:


> I'm through with this, I'm calling Tivo and maybe getting the premier.... work something out, this is BS.


Maybe I missed it...are there reports that the TiVo Premieres don't encounter this problem?


----------



## kika2000

Hi Rich,
pgreene posted on another thread that she upgraded to a Premiere and (at the time of the post) hadn't had the problem reoccur.

http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7968925#post7968925

I hope she's right, but after my experience, I just can't rationalize throwing more money at Tivo if it's going to keep crashing.


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## TiVoJerry

kika2000, send me a PM with your email address if you want to join our little beta test for this problem. I could always use more testers, especially those who encounter the issue frequently.


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## richsadams

kika2000 said:


> Hi Rich,
> pgreene posted on another thread that she upgraded to a Premiere and (at the time of the post) hadn't had the problem reoccur.
> 
> http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7968925#post7968925
> 
> I hope she's right, but after my experience, I just can't rationalize throwing more money at Tivo if it's going to keep crashing.


Thanks very much...I missed that one. 

BTW, I'd strongly encourage you to take advantage of TiVoJerry's offer to add your TiVo to their beta test. If they think they have a fix for this, the more validation they get the better...and hopefully it will allow them to get the update into the field ASAP.


----------



## lila12

So - I think I should be here too. I have a TiVo HD XL and live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and have Time Warner Cable (Southern Manhattan). I have had a couple of rare odd things occur over the last year, but since this past weekend I have had countless green screens, or just had the box seemingly freeze or stop to the point where I have had to pull the power (no sirens). I can't find any pattern in what I am watching or doing to cause this to occur.

I also have a TiVo series 2 in my apartment, which is still chugging away with no problems at the same time.

I haven't added the tuner yet. It's all very sad


----------



## lila12

Grr, I just got a freeze and THEN a reboot just since posting the above. No problems before Saturday. What gives??


----------



## richsadams

lila12 said:


> Grr, I just got a freeze and THEN a reboot just since posting the above. No problems before Saturday. What gives??


If your TiVo is freezing and rebooting and you're not getting a GSAS (green screen and siren) it's much more likely that your hard drive is failing.

You might want to try running one of TiVo's built in diagnostic and repair programs called "Kickstarts" to see if the problem can be resolved. More here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showpost.php?p=5643823&postcount=2

If KS57 or KS58 aren't helpful you can try running KS54 to see what the hard disk diagnostic returns. KS54 isn't always accurate but may give you an idea if there is a problem that cannot be repaired.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes.


----------



## sasmps

TiVoJerry said:


> I know it's been a long time since I stuck my head in this thread. I moved over to the field trials (beta) department last year but I've still worked with CS to push this issue forward. I'm happy to say that a long process has finally reached its first promising milestone - we _believe _we understand what is causing this problem and have been able to replicate it in the lab!! We've been working with a provider for quite some time and finally got the info we needed to make some major gains.
> 
> Obviously our lab setup is not a "real world" scenario, so we'd like to get some affected customers into an ongoing test program immediately. I urge anyone who is still experiencing a blank screen that is generally accompanied (but not always) by screeching/siren audio to please email *[email protected]* with your TiVo Service Number. We will collect names and TSNs for a short period of time to invite people into the population to help us determine if we have indeed made progress.
> 
> This is, by no means, a promise or guarantee that the issue is resolved. However, we cannot make any more progress without YOU! Please do not hesitate as the schedule is pretty tight for us to get this work done.
> 
> Hopefully this will work out to be a fix for this nasty issue. Thank you all for sticking it out as long as you have. Please don't be shy to join up, as happened with the Grey Screen Issue , or we may suffer further delay to the delivery schedule. Thank you for your consideration!


TivoJerry,

Although I have not had the GSAS issue (except 1 day in June of this year) since October of 2010, I have submittied my TSN's to the email address you listed above. Perhaps I would be a usefull control group... but want to help if you need me.

SASMPS


----------



## TiVoJerry

Glad to hear you haven't been hit by this in awhile. I've already got plenty of control group and the new testing groups is slowly growing. So far, so good.


----------



## Joe Siegler

TiVoJerry said:


> Glad to hear you haven't been hit by this in awhile. I've already got plenty of control group and the new testing groups is slowly growing. So far, so good.


You're only interested if it happens a lot, right? It's happened to me, but a total of three times. One about two months ago, and the other two close together like a year ago or so.


----------



## tengu

richsadams said:


> Maybe I missed it...are there reports that the TiVo Premieres don't encounter this problem?


Well from looking through their threads it doesn't look like they have that problem but there is another one. Apparently the Premieres freeze up randomly when you hit the TiVo button and they can't solve that one either.... I definitely don't want to switch boxes just to switch problems. For now I'm just staying away from the one channel that I was getting the GSAS from, (E!).


----------



## richsadams

tengu said:


> Well from looking through their threads it doesn't look like they have that problem but there is another one. Apparently the Premieres freeze up randomly when you hit the TiVo button and they can't solve that one either.... I definitely don't want to switch boxes just to switch problems. For now I'm just staying away from the one channel that I was getting the GSAS from, (E!).


Understood. AFAIK TiVo corrected the Premiere freezing issue a couple of updates back. Our Premiere XL exhibited a number of problems (including the lock-up/freezing thing) but it behaves much better now. The HD UI is better but still disappointingly slow IMO. I try it now and then but switch back to the SD menus. I hope they get that taken care of soon. No one should have to buy one, but I guess if I had been suffering through the frustrations others have here and a Premiere would avoid repeated GSAS events I'd probably consider one. Sounds like they may have some sort of fix on the horizon though...one can only hope!


----------



## tfish77

TiVoJerry said:


> kika2000, send me a PM with your email address if you want to join our little beta test for this problem. I could always use more testers, especially those who encounter the issue frequently.


I've had the problem since moving to NYC last November. Last week my cable card did an automatic firmware upgrade, and since then I'm getting the GSAS once a day at least.

I haven't posted enough here to be able to send a DM, but please let me know if you still need people for the testing group, I'm happy to help.


----------



## pL86

tfish77 said:


> I haven't posted enough here to be able to send a DM, but please let me know if you still need people for the testing group, I'm happy to help.


I believe you can also send an email to *[email protected]* to sign up (see TivoJerry's post #692 above for the info you should include).


----------



## TiVoJerry

pL86 said:


> I believe you can also send an email to *[email protected]* to sign up (see TivoJerry's post #692 above for the info you should include).


:up: +1


----------



## tfish77

TiVoJerry said:


> :up: +1





pL86 said:


> I believe you can also send an email to *[email protected]* to sign up (see TivoJerry's post #692 above for the info you should include).


Thanks, I missed that! I'll sign up now.


----------



## RevMark

Thanks for the reply Rich. The Green Screen has no message. Just a blank green screen with siren. The last time it did it I allowed it to remain like that for 3 days (I have a Series 2 in my bedroom so no withdrawals;-)

Anyway, Tivo suggested that it was my hd failing and need to replace the unit (unit meaning a Premiere, ha! Fat chance). Mainly because when playing back recorded shows or even watching live TV it would give like a little hiccup where the vid would pause for 1 or 2 seconds then start up again then immediately the audio would stop but vid would continue then the audio would snap into sync.

So I dropped $160 on a new drive from WeakKnees. Popped the drive in and it has been running since Wed. The longest since the first GSaS. This morning. GSaS again.

When I opened the unit up to replace the drive, I checked the fan. It is whizzing away. The amount of dust inside was minor. No weird smells. It came up with my newly installed drive with double the space. The CableCard window popped up and we were off. Until this morning that is. 

With the new drive I set only one Season Pass (Les Stroud Beyond Survival on DSCHD).

Again I have Charter in Mandeville, LA (just north of New Orleans). I never had a GSoD or GSaS when with Cox in New Orleans. I checked the signal strengths. I had Charter come out to check to see if I needed detenuators / attenuators. checked the Multistream CC.


----------



## pL86

RevMark,

Did your video and audio hiccups stop after you installed your new hard drive? I think the fact your Tivo green screened with your new hard drive is pretty solid evidence a bad drive isn't triggering the green screens. The video and audio problems, maybe. But not the green screens.

I *STRONGLY* suggest you shoot off an email posted above or send a PM to *TivoJerry* here and get the beta firmware. I don't think you will be disappointed. You may have to pop the old drive back into the Tivo because Tivo generally limits the beta to people with unmodified devices but perhaps they can make an exception if your original hard drive was causing, if not the green screens, the video and audio problems. Talk to them and see what they say. And talk to the beta folks like TivoJerry, not regular customer support. The latter doesn't know anything about the beta program.


----------



## richsadams

RevMark said:


> Thanks for the reply Rich. The Green Screen has no message. Just a blank green screen with siren. The last time it did it I allowed it to remain like that for 3 days (I have a Series 2 in my bedroom so no withdrawals;-)<snip>


Got it...GSAS in all of its glory.



pL86 said:


> RevMark,
> 
> Did your video and audio hiccups stop after you installed your new hard drive? I think the fact your Tivo green screened with your new hard drive is pretty solid evidence a bad drive isn't triggering the green screens. The video and audio problems, maybe. But not the green screens.
> 
> I *STRONGLY* suggest you shoot off an email posted above or send a PM to *TivoJerry* here and get the beta firmware. I don't think you will be disappointed. You may have to pop the old drive back into the Tivo because Tivo generally limits the beta to people with unmodified devices but perhaps they can make an exception if your original hard drive was causing, if not the green screens, the video and audio problems. Talk to them and see what they say. And talk to the beta folks like TivoJerry, not regular customer support. The latter doesn't know anything about the beta program.


Agreed! FWIW I would put the OEM drive back in and see about getting the beta update. Once TiVo is satisfied with the GSAS resolution (sounds like they're close) they'll issue a regular update to everyone and you can put the Weaknees drive back in and it will automatically acquire it at that time.

Best of luck and keep us posted!


----------



## Ian

3 GSAS's yesterday in Manhattan.

I've had a TiVo since 2001 and love it - but this problem is edging me closer and closer to the edge...



-Ian


----------



## RevMark

Thanks,

I will shoot a PM out. The GSaS and "skipping" was happening before the new Weaknees drive.

Mark



pL86 said:


> RevMark,
> 
> Did your video and audio hiccups stop after you [snip]
> 
> I *STRONGLY* suggest you shoot off an email posted above or send a PM to *TivoJerry* here and get the beta firmware. [snip]


----------



## TiVoJerry

I got several reports of GSAS from forum posters and email. I'll check with my testers to see if they had any problems.


----------



## williamn

Just experienced 2 GSAS's last night...soooo loooud...


----------



## TiVoJerry

Just an update - testers have not experienced GSAS since joining. We're getting close to a release, so I am not recruiting any additional testers. Hopefully the statement "The end is near" can be a good thing!


----------



## williamn

That's great, thanks for the update. When can we expect this software update?


----------



## TiVoJerry

I will not be able to post about a release date until it has already gone out. There have been too many problems in the past with posting an expected date only to see it delayed at the last second.


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## Ian

Another GSAS today in Manhattan - odd, it seems to happen a lot on Saturdays


----------



## mammoth6

Hi -- long time lurker and first time poster due to this issue. I assumed this problem was hard drive related and replaced my hard disk. After the issue persisted with the new disk in place, I began researching and came across this thread. 

I am in Missoula, MT on Bresnan with an M card. If you change your mind and would like more testers, I would be interested. Thanks very much.


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## bwperez

OK, I've been having this on my S3 for months using only an OTA antenna. The screeching noise and black/static screen problem has been getting much worse recently (locks up daily.) I figured the PS or HD was going bad and didn't have time to diagnose. Finally three weeks ago I decide to just purchase a new tivo premiere so the wife would not kill me. 

Thanks Tivo for the excuse to purchase a new unit. ;-)


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## bloggs894

I live in the West Village in Manhattan, using a TiVo HD and M-card with Time Warner Cable. Have been experiencing this "GSAS" for some time, recently quite frequently ~2-3x per week. I have tried a number of solutions on my own, all to no avail: attenuators of various strengths, tried a few kickstart codes to test the HD (no errors reported), got a tuning adapter hoping that would help...nothing worked. Sounds like it's too late to get into the beta group to fix this- is there any other solution, or am I just in waiting mode until tivo rolls out the fix en masse?


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## TiVoJerry

We actually started the CS Ramp portion of the rollout a week ago. We expect to be reviewing the resulting caseload for another week and a half (at least). If all goes well, we would be rolling to the entire population shortly thereafter, so hopefully you won't be waiting too much longer.


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## shemmy

Second GSAS this week. Hadn't had anything for close to a year.


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## Cainebj

Well - this is what I think and I will tell you why.

I think this is a signal strength problem and God knows TiVo has been testing my loyalty.

First the pixellation on my TiVo got so bad I could no longer record HD stations and I actually went and got a cable DVR to supplement the TiVo - (TiVo blamed the cable cards - TWC blamed TiVo) it turns out my hard drive was just dying.

Well that sucked so I bought a new TiVo HD Premiere and took back the DVR.

So - NO MORE pixelation but the damned GSAS's started.
TiVo customer service acted like I was imagining it.

I become convinced that I had a bum TiVo - and I was no longer under warranty and I went and bought a new one (and gave the old one to my brother who doesn't have HD).

Same GSAS on the brand new TiVo. 
THIS time customer service suggested I get an attenuator and a -12db worked 99% of the time.

I was recording a show on the E! Channel and EVERY SINGLE time the TiVo tuned into that program it immediately went GSAS.

So - I unchecked the E! HD station and started watching that one show in SD only.

No GSAS's for a very long time...

UNTIL...

TWC and their damned Tuning Adaptors.

Not knowing what the Tuning Adaptor was going to do to the signal strength, I took out the attenuator and just recently started to get the GSAS's again and ONLY when I was tuned to a couple of very specific stations (for me the new problem station seems to be ABC Family HD when I started to record reruns of Friday Night Lights 3 weeks ago).

I just added the attenuator back and I am waiting to see what happens.

So to recap:

GSAS only happens on specific HD channels and an attenuator will fix the problem most of the time OR there may just be a couple of stations that you can't watch in HD.

So, if you are getting GSAS's buy an attenuator 
- cheap 2.25 cents on amazon.com (buy 3 different -3, -6 and - 12 and see which one works for you).

http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express...r_1_3?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285374340&sr=8-3

Then pay attention to what station you are tuned to when the GSAS happens. My experience is that it is going to be the same one or two over and over again... 
- then you have to decide if you are going to stop watching that station in HD or not.

OR - maybe TiVo will actually just fix this issue someday


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## Cainebj

TiVoJerry said:


> we _believe _we understand what is causing this problem and have been able to replicate it in the lab!!





TiVoJerry said:


> Yes, we have more than just "leads" and they have nothing to do with CCI bits.


I haven't stuck my head in this thread in a long time either so but TiVoJerry. If you all believe you understand what is causing the problem - any chance you can share what you think it is?

I mean - why so secretive?

As my previous post says - I think it's signal strength on specific HD stations and I am seeing other folks from TWC in NYC all mentioning the same problem channels (E!, Comedy Central - and for me now ABCFHD).


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## briannak

I am a Time Warner customer living in Brooklyn and I've been silently stalking this thread hoping for resolution. Over the past couple of weeks the incidents of GSWA has increased dramatically -- we are now experiencing at least 3 per week. Since we often go days without turning on the TV we find that we're missing a lot of programs (since nothing records while the green screen in on). I'm really frustrated by this and hoping that TIVO provides a resolution soon.


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## WatchesTV

briannak said:


> I am a Time Warner customer living in Brooklyn and I've been silently stalking this thread hoping for resolution. Over the past couple of weeks the incidents of GSWA has increased dramatically -- we are now experiencing at least 3 per week.


I, too, have been having this problem several times a week. Additionally, I have noticed that my "Deleted Items" list fills up and never empties itself, and that the items in that list are not sorted (i.e., they are not in any logical order like date or name). I can still delete things from there as usual. Replayed programs have occasional sound lapses or video lapses (video freezes for a second or two - not scrambled compression artifacts). I ordered some of those attenuators mentioned earlier and will try that.

I moved from Manhattan (RCN) to Brooklyn (Time Warner) recently. I eventually re-connected my TiVo HD with 1 TB internal drive. RCN used just a CableCard; Time Warner uses both a CableCard and a "tuning adapter" (an external Cisco box that connects to the TiVo by USB and Coax).

My TiVo worked fine for years (since around 2006 if I recall correctly) before the move. After the move, it started crashing with "Green Screen with Alarm" and occasionally just crashing to a blank silent screen or a screen that looked like traditional analog noise (in 1080i!).

I called TiVo and a helpful support person had me run the SMART tests. They all passed (although they had to run overnight). They didn't solve the problem, though.

I called TiVo again and was told "we can't/won't help you." Apparently, not even if I put in the original 160 G HD. She (who was not extraordinarily knowledgable) thought it was the hard drive.

I was told a version 11j was coming out and that I have 11h. There is no way to expedite getting 11j.

So, I too would love to see a resolution to this issue.

Cheers!


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## shemmy

I've had to just cancel everything I record on CC HD, which seems clearly to be what triggers the green screen with alarm for me (TWC Manhattan). You'd think after months going on years one of these companies would give enough of a damn to address the issue, but apparently not.


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## TiVoJerry

CS Ramp has finally ended and rollout to all S3 & THD models has commenced. You should all have it by the end of the week. This concludes the lifespan of GSAS, may it forever rest in piece.


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## busyba

TiVoJerry said:


> CS Ramp has finally ended and rollout to all S3 & THD models has commenced. You should all have it by the end of the week. This concludes the lifespan of GSAS, may it forever rest in piece.


Cool! :up:

I don't suppose there's a publicly available white paper or something that goes over the technicial details of the root cause and the fix, is there? I figure it might make for some interesting reading.


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## debsmusings

I am researching an issue with serious pixelation issues I experience on Comedy Central and only comedy central that I have been seeing for over a year and am trying to see if I can document other problems in the TIVO community.

I use FIOS and regularly have pixelation problems with The Daily Show, Colbert Report and TOSH.0

I have seen that there seem to be other similar HD channel specific complaints in the forums and I am wondering who is still experiencing regular outages on Comedy Central. 

I have been working through the problem with Verizon and I think that its how the signal is being sent to them by whoever is sourcing comedy central. I have had attenuators on my cables of different strengths for a year plus now and am just tired of this problem persisting. It's time to get it corrected at the source.


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