# Roamio Tuning Issues



## Betelgeuse (Mar 1, 2008)

I'm having some issues with my newly-acquired Roamio (the base model). It seems similar to issues that others have had in the past with Premiere boxes. It appears that some channels will not tune (I have a CableCard under Comcast). I've gotten V52 and (maybe?) V53 errors. I've noticed it only on HD channels, but that's what I watch 90% of the time, so I don't know if that's significant. More interestingly, even when I can get channels, sometimes they're blocky and pixelated (like when there's a weak signal).

Here are a few interesting things though:

1. It seems to get worse the longer the Roamio is on. In other words, everything almost always works well after a reboot, but then the situation degrades.

2. It seems as if the higher numbered HD channels are more likely to be untunable. 

3. Most interestingly, I NEVER have this problem when I go into the "Test Channels" dialog in the CableCard setup menu. It only happens when I try to watch TV as normal. 

Needless to say, this is fairly frustrating. Does anyone have any insight here? Should I just be asking Tivo for a replacement box? Or is this some more widespread software issue? Or some issue not related to the Tivo at all?


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## dssxxxx (Nov 11, 2003)

I had the same and you need to add another box (forgot the name). When I added the additional (small, slim box with no channels, etc.) I started to receive the missing premium channels.


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## AdamNJ (Aug 22, 2013)

dssxxxx said:


> I had the same and you need to add another box (forgot the name). When I added the additional (small, slim box with no channels, etc.) I started to receive the missing premium channels.


He is talking about a tuning adapter. It is needed if you have SDV (Switched Digital Video) channels on your system that you are trying to watch. Your cable co should be able to tell you, and they should provide one for free if you need it.

OP, what cable company/system are you on?


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## dssxxxx (Nov 11, 2003)

Ah.......yes. Tuning adapter.


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## jwbelcher (Nov 13, 2007)

Betelgeuse said:


> 3. Most interestingly, I NEVER have this problem when I go into the "Test Channels" dialog in the CableCard setup menu. It only happens when I try to watch TV as normal.


Doesn't sound like you need a Tuning Adapter if those channels always work in the Test Channels menu. If you search the forums you'll find many people have tuning failures when Tivo has more than 2 tuners. My TivoHD works great - but Roamio Pro is likely going back to Bestbuy this week.


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## Betelgeuse (Mar 1, 2008)

Comcast is my cable company. I don't think I need a tuning adapter. I certainly didn't need one on the Tivo HD that preceded the Roamio. 

I am not having trouble with any premium channels. I actually have the most super-basic cable they make (just basically there because there are mountains keeping me from getting any OTA signal). 

All four tuners seem to work the same (i.e. it's not tuners 3 and 4 that are causing me trouble). I don't know if this makes any difference or if you're just saying that it's just though the existence of four tuners that's giving me trouble.


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## oosik77 (Nov 22, 1999)

I'm having a similar issue and did some trouble shooting with Tivo last night about it.

For me here was the issue:

In DVR Diagnostics my signal strength was 100 and my SNR was 40db. On my Premiere those numbers are 52 (Cox is going to re-run my cable to the house because it's so low) and the SNR was 32db. Tivo suggested that the Roamio was getting too much signal and suggested I add an attenuator to the coax input. I had a couple of 10db ones laying around from a few years back so I put one in line. My signal strength is now about 90 and the SNR is 32. Will have to see if the problem returns or not. If not it looks like the receivers in these new Tivo's are very sensitive.


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## Betelgeuse (Mar 1, 2008)

Whoa. Very interesting. I'll have to check out the signal strength.

It's all incredibly frustrating because, in every other way the Roamio is a significant upgrade over the TivoHD I had before. But, you know, watching TV obviously has to be job #1.


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## jwbelcher (Nov 13, 2007)

Betelgeuse said:


> Whoa. Very interesting. I'll have to check out the signal strength.
> 
> It's all incredibly frustrating because, in every other way the Roamio is a significant upgrade over the TivoHD I had before. But, you know, watching TV obviously has to be job #1.


I really like this box. I will be disappointed when the Roamio has to goes back


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I just had the same problem moving from an Elite to a Roamio Pro. Apparently that extra internal split for 6 tuners rather then 4 degraded my signal enough to cause problems in some channels. I rearranged some splitters so the Roamio was getting a more direct feed from my drop and the channels started working fine. The signal strength meter was no help diagnosing this problem because it was jumping all over the place from 71 to 100.

If you can't rearrange things to get a more direct feed you should consider getting a cable amplifier. I use one made by Motorola that you put out where the cable enters the house and then you can feed the power back up the main cable line. (requires a special power passing splitter)


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## Betelgeuse (Mar 1, 2008)

Dan: that's an interesting suggestion. Would that be consistent with the fact that the channels work fine under the CableCard "Test Channels" menu?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I don't know, never tried that. I only tried the signal strength one and it was jumping all over the place, but the video was still all broken up and pixelated.

Do you have an easy way to test it? Maybe remove a splitter temporarily and replace it with a simple joiner?


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## PoobBubes (Jun 30, 2010)

Dan203 said:


> I just had the same problem moving from an Elite to a Roamio Pro. Apparently that extra internal split for 6 tuners rather then 4 degraded my signal enough to cause problems in some channels. I rearranged some splitters so the Roamio was getting a more direct feed from my drop and the channels started working fine. The signal strength meter was no help diagnosing this problem because it was jumping all over the place from 71 to 100.
> 
> If you can't rearrange things to get a more direct feed you should consider getting a cable amplifier. I use one made by Motorola that you put out where the cable enters the house and then you can feed the power back up the main cable line. (requires a special power passing splitter)


Thank you so much for posting this:up:. Saved me tons of stress and headache that I would have gone through dealing with Comcast. Currently, a 2-way splitter feeds the modem and a 4-way splitter, which feeds all the other outlets. I hooked the TiVo directly to the 2-way and all the channels tuned properly.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Glad to help. When I first saw the problem I had a sinking feeling there was something wrong with the TiVo and I was going to have to deal with a whole RMA thing. But I decided to double check the signal quality just in case, and luckily it was and was something I could fix.


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## Betelgeuse (Mar 1, 2008)

My signal strength is quite strong; in the mid-90s, typically.

Interestingly, it almost seems as if my Roamio has "settled in." Things seem to be working much better now than initially. I have no real explanation for this, but I'm hoping that it keeps working.


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