# Premiere problem



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

Recently my premiere has been snowy, flurry on certain channels. This has me worried. I called my cable company and they checked the cable lines outside and inside the house, no problems there. I got a replacement cablecard and tuning adapter Tuesday, problem still there. Here's the weird part: When I switch between the channels on the bottom menu it only happens when I do this switch so I keep the top tuner running at all time and stay away from the bottom tuner (I'm guessing that's the proper word to use). Another problem is when I reboot the TiVo the welcome video stops at the beginning and go straight to the TiVo menu. I'm guessing the hard drive is going bad. Can someone help me with this, before I spend the money on a new hard drive.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> Recently my premiere has been snowy, flurry on certain channels. This has me worried. I called my cable company and they checked the cable lines outside and inside the house, no problems there. I got a replacement cablecard and tuning adapter Tuesday, problem still there. Here's the weird part: When I switch between the channels on the bottom menu it only happens when I do this switch so I keep the top tuner running at all time and stay away from the bottom tuner (I'm guessing that's the proper word to use). Another problem is when I reboot the TiVo the welcome video stops at the beginning and go straight to the TiVo menu. I'm guessing the hard drive is going bad. Can someone help me with this, before I spend the money on a new hard drive.


20.4.6a firmware is causing the music to stop short. A bad tuner is not unheard of. How many do you have? If it's always the same tuner you have a bad Premiere. Tuners have numbers that you can see in the DVR Diagnostic screens. Something there may point to a signal problem. The music gets fixed with 20.4.7 firmware.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

I looked at the DVR Diagnostics closely and I have this one area with a problem: The cable card section is showing that the firmware is not upgrading. But as I look at the cable card diagnostics section I see a no upgrade required for the card. Is it possible to post pictures for someone to look at the Diagnostics screens and maybe point out problem(s) I'm overlooking?
I see 2 tuners: 0 tuner and 1 tuner both seems to be working.


----------



## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

JoeKustra said:


> The music gets fixed with 20.4.7 firmware.


My Premiere was upgraded to 20.4.7 but the TiVo video remains shortened. Not that that has anything to do with OP's problem.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

So the TiVo video is a common problem?


----------



## b-ball-fanatic (Aug 5, 2003)

LoveGardenia said:


> So the TiVo video is a common problem?


Not, it's not. Something else must be going on. Just to be clear, you're saying that some channels have a snowy picture, while they were not snowy before? And that there are other channels that seems ok? Is it just a few bad channels? Most?

When you record, do you get the same picture quality as you see live....snowy on the same bad channels, and clean video on the good ones?

Just to comment on the concern in your original post: So far, this isn't sounding like a hard drive problem to me.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

Yes, it's the same on recorded shows. I'm also seeing random V53. It was really bad last week but some of the channels have cleared up over the past 2 days but the problem is still there. By reading some posts under the Roamio, I'm experiencing the same problem as the Roamio users have. I'm wondering if I have the latest cable card firmware upgrade.


----------



## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

LoveGardenia said:


> So the TiVo video is a common problem?


Yes; AFAIK everyone who got 20.6.4 got a short TiVo video in the bargain. There wasn't an upsurge of people with video quality problems, though. Those two things are unrelated. A bad HD might cause problems with playback but they wouldn't cause the problem you relate (IMO).

(That is, I agree with b-ball-fanatic that this does not sound like a HD problem.)

In my experience, when a drive goes bad at first the playback stops every once in a while, then some recordings won't play through or transfer, then the TiVo spontaneously reboots every so often, then it starts to hang at reboot, then it stops working altogether.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

ej42137 said:


> My Premiere was upgraded to 20.4.7 but the TiVo video remains shortened. Not that that has anything to do with OP's problem.


Interesting. I wonder why mine is back to it's original length.

The description of "snowy" is odd. I thought with digital you might get some streaking or blocking. I thought snow or confetti was an analog problem.


----------



## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

While the lines checked out ok, I still suspect a cabling problem. Did you try a new HDMI cable? Also try moving locations for the box within the house. How is your TA connected?

The problem is intermittent, correct? If the issue did not arise during testing, it could be something that just did not show up in the testing when it was being done. Or the tech was not all that good.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

jrtroo said:


> While the lines checked out ok, I still suspect a cabling problem. Did you try a new HDMI cable? Also try moving locations for the box within the house. How is your TA connected?
> 
> The problem is intermittent, correct? If the issue did not arise during testing, it could be something that just did not show up in the testing when it was being done. Or the tech was not all that good.


The problem was there when the Technician tested the wirings, they couldn't figure it out. They told me the cable wiring to the Premiere was at the same strength as the cable wiring running into a TWC provided box and I tested the Premiere on another TV, tested a different unused(new) HDMI cable same problem. The TA is connected using a USB cable.

PS: I disconnected everything to test the equipment and I think the problem is the USB cord not the TiVo. The TiVo worked great without the TA connected but once I connected the TA back the problem started again. The cable worked great when I connected it to the TV cable input and it worked when I connected the cable to the TiVo minus TA.


----------



## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

LoveGardenia said:


> The problem was there when the Technician tested the wirings, they couldn't figure it out. They told me the cable wiring to the Premiere was at the same strength as the cable wiring running into a TWC provided box and I tested the Premiere on another TV, tested a different unused(new) HDMI cable same problem. The TA is connected using a USB cable.
> 
> PS: I disconnected everything to test the equipment and I think the problem is the USB cord not the TiVo. The TiVo worked great without the TA connected but once I connected the TA back the problem started again. The cable worked great when I connected it to the TV cable input and it worked when I connected the cable to the TiVo minus TA.


Although I'm sure Satan is still laughing over having created HDMI and HDCP, he's not one to rest on his laurels and so he also gave us Switched Digital Video and Tuning Adapters.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

Should I call the cable company for an USB replacement or can I buy one? I truly hate calling them again this month. I know I have called at least 15-20 times concerning my problem.


----------



## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

LoveGardenia said:


> Should I call the cable company for an USB replacement or can I buy one? I truly hate calling them again this month. I know I have called at least 15-20 times concerning my problem.


You can certainly buy one; Amazon, for example, has a selection of house brand cables that I like. Only you can weight the annoyance of dealing with your cable company against the cost of a new cable; but I certainly know which side of the deal I would take, and it wouldn't involve a twenty minute phone call.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

ej42137 said:


> You can certainly buy one; Amazon, for example, has a selection of house brand cables that I like. Only you can weight the annoyance of dealing with your cable company against the cost of a new cable; but I certainly know which side of the deal I would take, and it wouldn't involve a twenty minute phone call.


 I have an usb cord laying around and I connected it to the TA and TiVo. Made the picture worse. Could you recommend one. Thanks


----------



## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

LoveGardenia said:


> I have an usb cord laying around and I connected it to the TA and TiVo. Made the picture worse. Could you recommend one. Thanks


Amazon, for example, has a selection of house brand cables that I like.

If it's really the cable, your problem would be that you have a defective cable. Since it's a digital signal, all you would need is a USB 2.0 cable that isn't defective.


----------



## b-ball-fanatic (Aug 5, 2003)

ej42137 said:


> Amazon, for example, has a selection of house brand cables that I like.


+1 I've bought a variety of their cables and they've all been good quality.

To the OP: Here's one of these AmazonBasics 2.0 USB cables. Take a close look at your current cable, though.....USB cables come in a number of configurations, so make sure the connectors on each end are the type that you need. Amazon offers all these configurations in a variety of lengths. Get one that's as long as you need, of course, but avoid using one _much _longer than needed (i.e., don't get a 10' cable if you only need 2').


----------



## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> I have an usb cord laying around and I connected it to the TA and TiVo. Made the picture worse. Could you recommend one. Thanks


Hmm. If you have now used two different cables without success, I would guess the problem is not the usb cable.

How do you have the cabling set up with the TA? Are you using the coax out on the TA to the TiVo or are you using a splitter before the TA with one going to the TA and one going to the TiVo?


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

no splitter.. Coax cable between the boxes, Same set up since day one. Nothing different. The usb cable I tested was too long (10 feet) according to the information posted by B-Ball-Fanatic. So I searched on Amazon and the shortest I could find was 3 feet.


----------



## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> no splitter.. Coax cable between the boxes, Same set up since day one. Nothing different. The usb cable I tested was too long (10 feet) according to the information posted by B-Ball-Fanatic. So I searched on Amazon and the shortest I could find was 3 feet.


If you have a splitter handy, it wouldn't hurt to try that. At a minimum most channels should be watchable until the problem is rectified. Also, I doubt that a 10' USB cable is so long as to cause the very same problem as a shorter one.

Edit: You also might want to check that coax from the TA to the TiVo. Replace or at least make sure the connections are good and tight. I was thinking that also could be a source of your issue.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

Tested using a splitter: same problem. Tested another coax cable between the TA and TiVo: same problem. Doing all of this and no difference, so I have to assume the problem is the TA box or I can go ahead and order a new USB cord and try that since I have already tested everything else I have on hand.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

What city? What channel is "snowy"?
Can you take and post a pictue of something "snowy"?

USB has nothing to do with picture quality, so I wouldn't spend on a USB cable.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

I've asked that question before, how do I post pictures?


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> I've asked that question before, how do I post pictures?


First, are you using a digital camera or cell phone? With a digital camera you take the picture (flash off), connect the camera to your PC, use the PC software to copy the picture to your PC, then when posting you include or attach the photo. More detail?


----------



## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Take to a friends house in the neighborhood and see how things look. Which model premiere?


----------



## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> Tested using a splitter: same problem. Tested another coax cable between the TA and TiVo: same problem. Doing all of this and no difference, so I have to assume the problem is the TA box or I can go ahead and order a new USB cord and try that since I have already tested everything else I have on hand.


So, when you used the splitter before the TA, did some of the channels look good, the same ones that looked good when you went straight to the TiVo and bypassed the TA altogether? Also, when set up with the splitter, pull the USB cable out and see if this makes any difference on any of the channels. In other words, experiment and don't just say "no difference". Provide as much info as possible.

I'm wanting to say something is wrong with the TA, but since you changed that out with no positive result, that's unlikely.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

I'm theorizing the OP has some analog channels in their lineup with noise on the cable line. Hard to know for sure without the cableco lineup, a photo, or the diag screen channel details.

Whether one tuner is worse than the other, they would have to be tuned to the same channel, either by dancing the current channel around or a reboot would also leave the tuners on the same channel.

Edit: Agreed, that's pixelation due to corrupt signal. You should see an error count going rampant.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

Finally, figured out how to post a photo. This is what happens whether I watch live or recorded. BTW: This is a recorded show. Added the splitter to the cable line then added the cable cords to the out ports to the TA and TiVo, same problem. Disconnecting the USB cord some channels will not show up. I have also done a reboot on the TA (disconnected USB from TiVo) waited for solid green light before reconnecting, re-did a guided setup before connecting TA.


----------



## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> Finally, figured out how to post a photo. This is what happens whether I watch live or recorded. BTW: This is a recorded show. Added the splitter to the cable line then added the cable cords to the out ports to the TA and TiVo, same problem. Disconnecting the USB cord some channels will not show up. I have also done a reboot on the TA (disconnected USB from TiVo) waited for solid green light before reconnecting, re-did a guided setup before connecting TA.


Okay, that's not snow, it's pixelation. Let me ask again, is this happening on all channels or just some? In an earlier post, you said that when you bypassed the TA, that the channels you did get were okay, not pixelated. Right? Are these same channels okay with the splitter set up? Or, are they ALL pixelated?

Hopefully someone with some more knowledge than me can address this if you can provide very specific info. If not, I'm afraid you need to get the cable company out to fix this. They can't blame it on the TiVo if you get a good picture when you bypass THEIR tuning adapter.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

Correct this is on some channels.. When I bypass the TA and do a direct connect to the TiVo no problems. But same problem with the splitter, different USB cord. Also connecting the cable line directly into the TV doesn't show these problems. Also taking the equipment into another room hook up to another TV same problem. That's my reason for stating I don't think it's the cable line. I think it's the TA box or the USB cord.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

Sounds like you have a bad component behind the TV/Tivo, or it's not wired in the right order.

You can debug this by adding or removing components one at a time.

Tivo - coax - wall: Good
Tivo - coax - splitter - coax - wall : ?
Tivo - coax - TA - coax - wall [no USB]: ?
Tivo - coax - TA - coax - wall [with USB]: ?

Notice the TA has 2 coax ports, and the Tivo may have 2 coax ports. Make sure you're using the right one on each.


----------



## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

LoveGardenia said:


> Correct this is on some channels.. When I bypass the TA and do a direct connect to the TiVo no problems. But same problem with the splitter, different USB cord. Also connecting the cable line directly into the TV doesn't show these problems. Also taking the equipment into another room hook up to another TV same problem. That's my reason for stating I don't think it's the cable line. I think it's the TA box or the USB cord.


A new USB cable of good quality costs about $5. It's unlikely to be the source of your problem, but it's the easiest thing to try so that should be the first thing you do; why have you not yet done that? Next I'd go to my cable company and swap out the TA. (I presume you have eliminated a faulty coax cable as the source of your problem; that is much more likely than the USB cable to be the source of your problem, IMO.)


----------



## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

JoeKustra said:


> Interesting. I wonder why mine is back to it's original length.
> 
> The description of "snowy" is odd. I thought with digital you might get some streaking or blocking. I thought snow or confetti was an analog problem.


Maybe I am mistaken and it is back to the original length; I had thought the the Premiere video was long, like the Roamio video. But I can see that the S3 video is short, which makes me think I was just not remembering how short the Premiere video because it has been a very long time since I've watched it clear through. For 20.4.6a on the Premiere the video stopped abruptly, in the middle of playing, but for 20.4.7 it ends naturally after playing a short segment, about as long as the S3 video but much short than the Roamio video. As I say, it's probably always done that and I just have a poor memory.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

ej42137 said:


> Maybe I am mistaken and it is back to the original length; I had thought the the Premiere video was long, like the Roamio video. But I can see that the S3 video is short, which makes me think I was just not remembering how short the Premiere video because it has been a very long time since I've watched it clear through. For 20.4.6a on the Premiere the video stopped abruptly, in the middle of playing, but for 20.4.7 it ends naturally after playing a short segment, about as long as the S3 video but much short than the Roamio video. As I say, it's probably always done that and I just have a poor memory.


No problem. I only noticed because the Roamio ends with the street sign showing WEB and TiVo, which is only shown for a partial second. Subliminal I guess. Not to get off on a tangent, but my Roamio is still on 20.4.6a, and there's a signup for 20.4.8. I feel so behind the times.


----------



## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

ej42137 said:


> A new USB cable of good quality costs about $5. It's unlikely to be the source of your problem, but it's the easiest thing to try so that should be the first thing you do; why have you not yet done that? Next I'd go to my cable company and swap out the TA. (I presume you have eliminated a faulty coax cable as the source of your problem; that is much more likely than the USB cable to be the source of your problem, IMO.)


She says she already used a different USB cable and has already swapped the TA and has tried a different coax cable. At this point it seems like it may be a signal problem, too strong or too weak? that is causing the pixelation. She probably needs to lean on the cable to company to fix the problem whatever it may be. It sure doesn't seem to be a problem with the TiVo since when she bypasses the TA the picture problem goes away.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

Yes, this is most commonly a signal problem.

OP needs to look at the signal strength diag screens.

Stop replacing the USB and HDMI cables, they're not related. Suspect the things on the signal path instead. That's anything with Coax connectors on it, that are installed before the Tivo.

If it works without the TA, another question was what channels required the TA to begin with. If nothing, leave it uninstalled.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

SDV needs the TA. I forgot to mention I have TWC and they are going all digital next week. Could that cause the problem? What part of the Diagnosis screen should I post for additional help on this? I did all the cable card help section (after receiving the number from a TWC tech) and he asked me had the USB cord been replaced, I told him yes, because I assumed when the TA and Cable card were replaced so was the cord.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

Settings > Channels > Strength Cable

Account & System Info > DVR Diagnostics
RS Corrected
RS Uncorrected
SNR
Signal Strength​
The numbers will vary depending on what channel is being tuned. I suppose start with one that's really bad so we can see the extent of the problem and if it's the actual issue. After that get the same numbers for a good channel.

After that, plug a cable direct from the wall to the Tivo, and go back to the really bad channel.

Note there's 2 or more tuners information on a single long screen. Make sure you're looking at the right tuner for the channel you're thinking of.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

TA: Connected. 
First picture is problem channel... Second picture is perfect channel with no problems.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

These pictures show the information with cable line connected directly to the TiVo.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

It's odd, some of those numbers look really bad to me, but some are Ok.

Do you have any other cable boxes, cable modems, or Tivo's at home?


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

I have a cable box in another room and the cable modem is on a separate cable line. I have only one TiVo. What's wrong?


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

This is frustrating. I have been following this forum for years. When I got my first TiVo (Series 2 DT, which I no longer have) if there was a problem I checked here first and got an answer. Now I can't find an answer to my Premiere problem.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

What I think I'm seeing is a marginal signal strength even without the TA.
Do you know how many splitters are in the house? Can you reduce the number?

It's kinda worrisome you said you had a tech out and they didn't say anything about the signal strength.

RS Corrected and RS Uncorrected need to be close to 0.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

I only have 3 TV's. no splitters. I only tested a splitter on the cable line going into the TA and TiVo.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

What I would do if it were my house- I'd move / test the Tivo to/at the place where the cable line comes in (demarc). This might require moving the smallest TV to the same place as well, or a really long video cable.

Once I know the Tivo works with that signal level, I'd consider getting a distribution amp if the wiring allows it. Or I'd try to figure out where the existing splitters are and start taking them out, replacing them with couplers.

If it doesn't work at the of point of entry I'd start suspecting the Tivo box, and I'd take it to a friends house to see if it works there.

Someone else might have a simpler process.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> I only have 3 TV's. no splitters. I only tested a splitter on the cable line going into the TA and TiVo.


You won't like this. My money is on a bad tuner UNLESS that signal is channel specific. If it is channel(s) specific, tell your cable feed. Sorry.

Your first post indicates it is tuner specific, other posts seem to imply it's channel specific. So I'm at a loss. Note that the frequency is as important as the channel since the cable card maps different frequencies to different channels. When a cable feed wants to save bandwidth, several channels may be grouped to make it easier for you. However, the frequency never changes. Such that my 502 and 506 are the same frequency, just different subchannels. With SD it can be 10 or more channels on one frequency.

There is a diagnostic that shows signal strength, channel, and frequency. A map of that data could be helpful.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

Can the tuner be fixed or replaced? Is it worth the cost? TA connected to TiVo: Tuner 0: channel 5, frequency is 525000KHz, Signal Strength is 50%. Tuner 1: Channel 1250, frequency is 543000KHz, Signal Strength is 74%. 

Cable line bypassing the TA straight into the Tivo: Tuner 0: Channel 1250, Frequency is 543000KHz, Signal Strength is 57%. Tuner 1: Channel 10, Frequency is 543000KHz, " " 76%. There are certain channels were the frequency is different.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

Knowing whether the Premiere has a better/worse tuner is a prudent and simple test.

To do this, you reboot it when it's not scheduled to record anything.
When it comes back online, both tuners will be set to the same channel.
Hitting Live TV will switch between the two.
You expect to see the same performance on both.
Good and Good - or - Bad and Bad.
If it's Good and Bad but on the same channel, the Tivo is broken.

You can look at either the visual characteristic and/or the Diagnostics screen from before has both tuners on it.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

I rebooted the TiVo. Both tuners set at the same channel. Good on both tuners. PS: cable line straight into the TiVo bypassed the TA I'm also learning so please try to have a little patience with me. I know my posts are kinda rambling but I'm posting what I see and what I have tried.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> I rebooted the TiVo. Both tuners set at the same channel. Good on both tuners. PS: cable line straight into the TiVo bypassed the TA I'm also learning so please try to have a little patience with me. I know my posts are kinda rambling but I'm posting what I see and what I have tried.


Relax. The whole concept of dynamic tuner allocation can drive anyone to criminal activity. Another, not as good, way to get tuners on one channel is to do overlapping recordings of a 30min program "forcing" the TiVo to use up to three tuners on one channel. Not elegant, but it can be done.

My story: when I bought my Roamio basic, I had two almost dead tuners. The support person was great and since I had the diags down pretty good the ordeal was painless and I had a new unit in three days. What was a big help was that I knew which tuner was on which channel and always had good numbers on two tuners and impossible numbers on two others. HD was worse than SD also.


----------



## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

LoveGardenia said:


> I only have 3 TV's. no splitters. I only tested a splitter on the cable line going into the TA and TiVo.


If you have a cable box, a cable modem, and a TiVo, and all three have a cable connected to them, then you have splitters whether you know it or not or can see them or not, because I'm sure you only have one cable coming off of the pole or from the pedestal and running to the demarcation box for your residence.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

ok, I finally broke down and called TiVo Customer Support. She walked me through a troubleshoot to find the problem. My TiVo is very very healthy. She told me to take the Tivo to the cable box room and connect that cable line to the Tivo and we find the cable signal strength is too low. It's in the lower 70's and it should be in the 80's into the 90's. I called the cable card support ( I repeated everything to him) and he sends a digital data to the TA. Repeating myself about the cable strength he finally admits there is a low signal coming into my home. Truck roll for next week to check the cables, bringing extra TA, cable card AND usb cord. This guy promised to be on the phone to help the technician work out the problem.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

I agree with that assessment.

The next tech might need to install an amp or new cable run to your house, depending where the signal level is. It's unfortunate the prior tech didn't know / want to fix it up.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

problem is still present. Back to my first post on this. The tuners are not the problem, I continue to keep a watch on that and I notice when I change channels and hit a troubled station/channel it's not the same tuner. So the cable technician will borrow a friends TiVo, hook it up in my home to see if the problem is the same. I may be wrong in this but is it possible the problem lies with the equipment not/lack of communicating with each other? PS: Got a brand new out of the box TA. Last technician didn't change the TA when he changed the cable card.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

A weak signal can lead to a TA communication problem, but in that case the TA's not broken, the signal level is broken. Fixing the signal level will lead to the TA doing the things it normally does.

Most your channels are tunable without a TA, so I would not involve the TA in testing until after the non-SDV channels come in reliably.

I assume the tech brought a meter and measured the levels in each room?


----------



## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> problem is still present. Back to my first post on this. The tuners are not the problem, I continue to keep a watch on that and I notice when I change channels and hit a troubled station/channel it's not the same tuner. So the cable technician will borrow a friends TiVo, hook it up in my home to see if the problem is the same. I may be wrong in this but is it possible the problem lies with the equipment not/lack of communicating with each other? PS: Got a brand new out of the box TA. Last technician didn't change the TA when he changed the cable card.


The problem is still present after a tech came again? Or, he hasn't come yet? This is almost surely a signal strength problem that should be resolved by your cable company. From the info you provided it isn't a TA or cable card problem.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

Cable Technician just left. He tested another TiVo with my cable card and TA no problems. Beautiful channels on both tuners. The RS on both tuners are at 0 and the signal strength is at 85%. So my TiVo is the problem. I need to know if it's possible to repair the tuner or should I get a new TiVo. 

PS: The Cable Technician as well as myself are learning more about TiVo and cable card relationship. What should and should not show up in the Diagnostics.


----------



## Walt_311 (May 7, 2015)

By any chance, do you have a DVR Extender on that unit ?

I'm just throwing this out there since I had that pixelation problem when I had a TiVo Series 3 (which I miss terribly) a few years ago. Verizon was at my house 4 times and could not find the cause of my pixelation. I argued with them, stating that the TiVo was not the issue and it was in perfect working condition. After that, they flat out told me to use their DVR box and to put my TiVo down to pasture after the 4th visit.

I made a call to TiVo Customer Support, explained everything that I had been through with Verizon and all the troubleshooting that I had done on my own. The CSA had me re-run through all the troubleshooting steps again with one exception - disconnect my Extender that was attached to the Unit.

I was shocked and speechless. I finally had a perfect picture showing up on all my channels !!! That damn Extender had been the one causing my grief !!!

After performing the "separation" procedure and losing just about all my recordings, I never connected it back to my TiVo. I haven't had a problem since then.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

no extender. The only items I have connected to my TiVo are the TA and TiVo Wireless Adapter.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

What kind of Tivo do you have, and did he/she borrow?


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

I have a TiVo premiere and the borrowed TiVo was a Series 3 HD


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

Are you on lifetime or monthly service?


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

lifetime. That's why I'm panicking.


----------



## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

LoveGardenia said:


> Cable Technician just left. He tested another TiVo with my cable card and TA no problems. Beautiful channels on both tuners. The RS on both tuners are at 0 and the signal strength is at 85%. So my TiVo is the problem. I need to know if it's possible to repair the tuner or should I get a new TiVo.
> 
> PS: The Cable Technician as well as myself are learning more about TiVo and cable card relationship. What should and should not show up in the Diagnostics.


Based on what I have read on TCF, some model TiVo tuners are better than others. So you might see a difference between S3 and Premiere. That does not mean your Premiere is bad.

Did he test several of the problem channels or just a random channel? The signal strength is not uniform across all channels.

I had a similar issue with my Premiere in that if I tune any of the tuners to a bad channel, I got blocking/pixilation as you experienced. When I moved the unit to where the main cable split off to supply the house, the issue went away. The cable company replaced my splitter with a 0db loss powered splitter/amplifier. Solved my issue.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

jmbach said:


> Based on what I have read on TCF, some model TiVo tuners are better than others. So you might see a difference between S3 and Premiere. That does not mean your Premiere is bad.
> 
> Did he test several of the problem channels or just a random channel? The signal strength is not uniform across all channels.
> 
> I had a similar issue with my Premiere in that if I tune any of the tuners to a bad channel, I got blocking/pixilation as you experienced. When I moved the unit to where the main cable split off to supply the house, the issue went away. The cable company replaced my splitter with a 0db loss powered splitter/amplifier. Solved my issue.


I have been looking at my cable feed since I'm supposed to get some new headend updates soon. There is one drop to a 1 to 2 splitter. One of those legs feeds a cable modem, one feeds a 1 to 4 splitter for a Premiere, Roamio, and a close TV and a far TV. That's the hardware. My diags indicate that the Premiere has 75 to 85 for a signal level and many channels that get RS Corrected and Uncorrected errors daily. Not enough to be a problem, but the Roamio has a 90 signal and NO errors on any channel anytime. A Roamio works better even on cable? I do get some errors on the modem, but very few. I'm pretty sure that, two years ago, the Premiere didn't have any errors. Since it's not a major project, I'm going to swap the modem with the Premiere to verify the cable.

I guess what I'm trying to say is Premiere tuners are either not as good or that they do go bad. If it's bad I will buy a new Roamio.


----------



## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

That is similar to my layout. Except I have a splitter/amplifier that is an 8way bidirectional 0db loss type. Other things to look at for signal quality. Any coax terminal without a cable attached to it should have a termination cap. It prevents noise from entering the system. Most people do not need it but if you are having issues then it can help. Also make sure the ends on the cables (even the ones that run to the wall connector inside the wall) are quality connectors properly fitted. The best ones are the pressed on connectors (not crimp or twist on) making sure the central wire is appropriate length and the shield is grounded. 

Also my Cable Co ran RG11 from the pole to the house. This helped the cable modem as well as the TiVo. 

Minimizing the number of splitters from the pole to the TiVo is important. If you have to use splitters, get good ones with low db loss. 

One of the problems I have is that the house had RG59 to all the wall connectors from the splitter. It has copper braided shielding which helps some. When I installed my Roamio, I ran quad shielded RG6 cable from the splitter.

All this to say that I fixed the pixillation /blocking issue on my Premiere.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

jmbach said:


> That is similar to my layout. Except I have a splitter/amplifier that is an 8way bidirectional 0db loss type. Other things to look at for signal quality. Any coax terminal without a cable attached to it should have a termination cap. It prevents noise from entering the system. Most people do not need it but if you are having issues then it can help. Also make sure the ends on the cables (even the ones that run to the wall connector inside the wall) are quality connectors properly fitted. The best ones are the pressed on connectors (not crimp or twist on) making sure the central wire is appropriate length and the shield is grounded.
> 
> Also my Cable Co ran RG11 from the pole to the house. This helped the cable modem as well as the TiVo.
> 
> ...


Thanks, I appreciate the help. I'm pretty sure my drop is RG11 (it's really fat) and the other wires are RG6. I hate to call the cable company until I can prove it's the cables. Since the distance is small, I may just swap the modem and Premiere for a day to see how it looks. That should give me the smallest signal drop. I haven't had a single error on the modem today but 250+ on the Premiere.


----------



## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

Check the connectors on the end of the cables, both inside the wall and outside. I had 3 drops inside the house that looked like a toddler put the connectors on. Replacing them decreased error counts. 

BTW I doubt anybody has 0 error counts. The numbers should be low when compared to the time the unit is up. Corrected errors should be more than uncorrected. 

One other thing to try is clean the cableCARD slot. Turn the TiVo unit off and eject and insert the card several times. Make sure the card is fully inserted before turning the unit back on. Not a great way of cleaning contacts but unless you want to do some major work on your unit, it is the best way.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

jmbach said:


> Check the connectors on the end of the cables, both inside the wall and outside. I had 3 drops inside the house that looked like a toddler put the connectors on. Replacing them decreased error counts.
> 
> BTW I doubt anybody has 0 error counts. The numbers should be low when compared to the time the unit is up. Corrected errors should be more than uncorrected.
> 
> One other thing to try is clean the cableCARD slot. Turn the TiVo unit off and eject and insert the card several times. Make sure the card is fully inserted before turning the unit back on. Not a great way of cleaning contacts but unless you want to do some major work on your unit, it is the best way.


Interesting. Never thought about the cable card. However, the Roamio, which has the longest oldest cable run, does have 0 errors and a signal that is rock solid at 90-92. One unrelated(?) fact though, is the OOB SNR. On the Premiere it is 2dB. On the Roamio it is 361dB. I don't think either number is right, but they have always been that way. SNR I sort of trust since my TV and modem agree.


----------



## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

How long has the Roamio been up since last boot.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

jmbach said:


> How long has the Roamio been up since last boot.


Eight days. I reboot on the first of the month. OCD


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

I finally opened the TiVo and checked everything. There appears to be no problems with the components inside. If there is something wrong with a component shouldn't there be some discoloration? I'm beginning to wonder if it's a hard drive problem. When I took the cover off the TiVo there was a black spot on the cover over the hard drive. I also cleaned out the dust (thankful there wasn't much).


----------



## joblo (Jun 5, 2002)

LoveGardenia said:


> I finally opened the TiVo


Your Premiere needs more signal. Period.

Everything else in this thread is noise/irrelevant.

Best way to get more signal, for test purposes, is to remove all splitters from cable drop, and see if that solves problem.

Second best is adding amplification.

But whether you provide more signal yourself or make the cable company do it or how you/they do it is all just details.

S3 boxes had better tuners generally and some Premieres have better tuners than others, but again, this is irrelevant.

*Your* Premiere needs more signal. Period.


----------



## LoveGardenia (Apr 24, 2015)

Called TWC and told them I need a signal booster/amplifier. Did not sound happy. I told them either they do it or I will. Now I play the waiting game.


----------



## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

Optionally, if you're friends with your neighbors, you can test your Tivo in a place with better signal to convince yourself it's fine.

Ideally, one that's right next to the Cable distribution point. You know where those are when the tech goes to check it, like they're suppose to.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

LoveGardenia said:


> Called TWC and told them I need a signal booster/amplifier. Did not sound happy. I told them either they do it or I will. Now I play the waiting game.


While you wait and stick pins in a doll, here's what I did a few days ago. I previously posted my Premiere signal was low and some channels had errors. I found that the level was ok with a Roamio on the same splitter.

My cable modem is next to the router which is next to the Premiere. The signal to the modem wasn't great, but the errors were minor. So what I did was take the modem feed, which was going through just one splitter (-3.5dB) and connected it to a 1 to 4 old Radio Shack bi-directional amplified splitter. First I tested the cable modem. It worked fine, and the signals were about 8dB higher. Then I took another line and ran it to the Premiere, and the signal level went to 89-90 and a 35-36dB SNR. Looked great.

However, the channel with the errors still had errors. I found the other virtual channel on this physical channel also had a few errors. So my Premiere errors are not my fault. No errors on any other channel. Both "bad" channels are 720p DD2.0 which doesn't mean much. They are from the same source location also. They have a common corporate relationship.

Anyhow, without much work I seem to have a decent signal. I'm expecting my cable feed to be upgraded in June so there may need to be some adjustments. At this time I'm not going to buy another Roamio unless TiVo has a really good sale.


----------

