# Black Screen, chime sounds only



## beryrinaldo (Sep 13, 2007)

I have seen this behavior a few times now with my Roamio Plus. I navigate My Shows to watch a recorded show, hit Play, then the screen just goes black and the video does not play. After that, if I press the TiVo button on the remote, the chime sounds, but still a black screen. TiVo support seems to think it's due to poor signal to noise ratio and recommend adding a signal attenuator. In the DVR diagnostic screen, I typically see SNR at 38-39 dB but they say it should be 32-34 dB. Anyone else gone through this and seen the behavior go away after adding an attenuator?


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## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

We have seen this too, but it has nothing to do with SNR (TiVo support seems to use this as a default a answer to video issues). We have SNR is the recommended range and still see the problem. What release are you on. We only saw it on 20.4.6 and have (so far) not yet seen it recur on 20.4.7.


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## beryrinaldo (Sep 13, 2007)

Thanks for the reply, Diana. We're still on 20.4.6a...so hopefully the next update will help here, too.


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

Diana Collins said:


> We have seen this too, but it has nothing to do with SNR (TiVo support seems to use this as a default a answer to video issues). We have SNR is the recommended range and still see the problem. What release are you on. We only saw it on 20.4.6 and have (so far) not yet seen it recur on 20.4.7.


I have the 20.4.7 update. Tonight it happen to me on my Roamio pro.


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## redbeard25 (Jan 15, 2002)

caddyroger said:


> I have the 20.4.7 update. Tonight it happen to me on my Roamio pro.


Happening on my Roamio too on 20.4.6a.RC1-USA-6-846


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## brian1269 (Jul 24, 2003)

beryrinaldo said:


> I have seen this behavior a few times now with my Roamio Plus. I navigate My Shows to watch a recorded show, hit Play, then the screen just goes black and the video does not play. After that, if I press the TiVo button on the remote, the chime sounds, but still a black screen. TiVo support seems to think it's due to poor signal to noise ratio and recommend adding a signal attenuator. In the DVR diagnostic screen, I typically see SNR at 38-39 dB but they say it should be 32-34 dB. Anyone else gone through this and seen the behavior go away after adding an attenuator?


And I thought I was the only one that has ever had this issue. I've posted several times about it and even started a thread but no one had seemed to ever see it before. I am on 20.4.6a. I had had the issue once in a while with other versions, but it seemed to really start happening a lot with the 20.4.6 update. TiVo gave me the same crap about SNR, and I even had an attenuator that I put on to appease them. No, the issue does not go away after getting the SNR down to their acceptable level. Then they replaced the unit. The new unit is having the same issue. Seems to happen about once a day.


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## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

I would guess not SNR related if the Tivo UI screen does not come back.
Sounds like a software bug.

What does it do if you power cycle the TV? Does the UI screen come back?


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## bmgoodman (Dec 20, 2000)

I see this several times per week. Usually I just left-arrow to return to the menu (which almost always appears on the screen), and then I hit play again. On rare occasion, I have to do it twice. I'm on 20.4.7 and I'm sure I had it at 20.4.6 as well. This behavior started fairly recently, but I can't be more specific.


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## jwbelcher (Nov 13, 2007)

Yep, just had it on 20.4.6. Black screen, but we were getting audio playback (via optical). After pressing the Left-arrow, video played again fine. Maybe a hdmi handshake issue?


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

Happens to me from time to time but pressing the tivo button usually clears it right up. Latest software release on the unit.


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## brian1269 (Jul 24, 2003)

Has anyone learned how to fix this? Still happening frequently on 20.4.7. Mine does not go back to the menu, I have to restart it every time.


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## beryrinaldo (Sep 13, 2007)

brian1269 said:


> Has anyone learned how to fix this? Still happening frequently on 20.4.7. Mine does not go back to the menu, I have to restart it every time.


So far, I have not heard any sure-fire way to recover except pulling the plug and rebooting. Since the last time I posted, we were on 20.4.6 - now we're up to 20.4.7, but still seeing this behavior. Please contact support and let them know it's happening to you. It seems like a software bug to me.


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## brian1269 (Jul 24, 2003)

beryrinaldo said:


> So far, I have not heard any sure-fire way to recover except pulling the plug and rebooting. Since the last time I posted, we were on 20.4.6 - now we're up to 20.4.7, but still seeing this behavior. Please contact support and let them know it's happening to you. It seems like a software bug to me.


I've contacted support many times. They have less of an idea how to stop it than I do. Their latest suggestion was to just try it in a different room on a different TV. I've tried eliminating all different components that could possibly affect it (receiver, network, HDMI cables, tuning adapter, etc). The one thing I have not tried is a different TV, but I can't see how that would change anything. I have tried just using composite cables and that didn't help.

I am willing to entertain that is is not the TiVo hardware (this has happened to some extent on my Premiere XL4 and now on two different Roamios), or even the software since almost no one else seems to be experiencing this. But I just can't figure out what is causing it. About to give up on TiVo after 12 years.


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## moraga695 (Feb 10, 2007)

I've recently started having the black screen problem every now and then when my TiVo is waiking up from being in power save mode and I start a recorded program. Any action that brings up a menu will restore video. All is normal afterwards. Note, I'd never used the old power save mode. Just turned it on after the recent update that allowed more options for it. As others have said, the problem is NOT due to a signal strength issue.


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## craley1 (Mar 24, 2016)

Reviving a dead thread. Did anyone resolve this issue? I am a new Tivo Roamio user and I am having this problem. I recently swapped receivers from a Pioneer VSX-K-1122 to a VSX-K-530. I did not have the problem on the 1122. I am having the problem on the 530.

FYI, the 1122 shot craps on me so no going back to that one.


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## brian1269 (Jul 24, 2003)

It still happens to me once in a while, but nowhere near as often as it has on past updates. It hasn't happened in about a month or so. When it does, though, the only way I have found to fix it (besides a reboot) is to unplug the USB cable which causes it to go back to the menu and give a message that the tuning adapter is gone. Then I have to go to network settings and force a call. Then everything is back to normal. Still no clue what causes this.


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## brian1269 (Jul 24, 2003)

This has begun happening every day within the past week. Sometimes several times a day. Will not delete programs (grey X). Will not play programs (goes to blank screen, will not return to menu). HDMI status is blank. Nothing hardware has changed. Not sure if an update was installed. So frustrating.


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## kielsky (Jun 20, 2016)

This is happening on my brand new Bolt. Was happening on occasion, then daily, today it's happened twice. So far, the only way to get it back is to power cycle it. Hadn't thought of or tried disconnecting or reconnecting the tuning adapter and/or the HDMI cable, will try those the next time.


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## kielsky (Jun 20, 2016)

kielsky said:


> This is happening on my brand new Bolt. Was happening on occasion, then daily, today it's happened twice. So far, the only way to get it back is to power cycle it. Hadn't thought of or tried disconnecting or reconnecting the tuning adapter and/or the HDMI cable, will try those the next time.


A posted a longer description, work-around, analysis, etc. here:

4TB 2.5" drive for Bolt


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## badams888 (Jun 6, 2016)

I just started having this problem after the last update. Sometimes it happens on hitting play, but the last time it was when I was at myshows and hit the guide button. Never had it before the recent update.

My workaround is by using kmttg, which can send a "toggle standby". After I go to standby using this command, the tivo button again works and the screen turns back on when coming out of standby.

I have a roamio OTA.


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