# New S3 / Verizon FiOS HD pixelation problem



## matty87

Just had a FiOS TV install done today with my new S3 TiVo in Hopkinton, MA. CableCard installation went fine. Unfortunately, after the installer left, I noticed that 7 of my HD channels are experiencing severe pixelation problems: 825 through 834 (TNT HD, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, NFLHD, NESN HD, HDNET, HDNETMV). All of the problem channels are showing signal strength problems. 

Tech is coming out tomorrow to have a look at the wiring. Having heard of all the other HD pixelation problems with the S3, I'm not very hopeful.


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## Cajun Man

matty87 said:


> Just had a FiOS TV install done today with my new S3 TiVo in Hopkinton, MA. CableCard installation went fine. Unfortunately, after the installer left, I noticed that 7 of my HD channels are experiencing severe pixelation problems: 825 through 834 (TNT HD, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, NFLHD, NESN HD, HDNET, HDNETMV). All of the problem channels are showing signal strength problems.


Howdy from Rochester, NY. 

Like many others, I have experienced regular pixelation/dropout issues on [TimeWarner's] HD channels since day 1. (I started cable service -- with a pair of CableCards for my S3, and a third CableCard for my Sony HDTV -- around January 1st of this year.) Bear in mind that the pixelation I have observed is the same, whether I am watching a given channel through my S3, or watching it "live" via my Sony TV. But more on this in a minute.

In any event, I also recently experienced an issue similar to yours. Everything had been working fine until a few weeks ago, when two of my HD channels -- HDNet and HDNet Movies -- showed such severe pixelation as to be unwatchable. So I called TW and asked for a technician to be dispatched. After verifying that there were no general issues with the channels, they scheduled a service call.

A couple of days later, two technicians -- both Senior-level -- arrived and asked me to explain the problem. I did, and they understood immediately. So they asked me to turn on my TiVo and TV to see if the problem still existed. It did not. Surprised, I looked at the two technicians, who were both smiling. They explained that a piece of equipment located upstream -- one serving my entire apartment complex -- was misconfigured. TW had relocated HDNet and HDNet Movies to a higher broadcast frequency, but said equipment was never reconfigured to allow said frequencies through. Bottom line, the technicians knew what the issue was -- and fixed it -- before arriving at my apartment building.

Bottom line, there are a few important points that I hope yourself and others will find helpful:


The pixelation issue appears to be an issue with my cable provider (Time Warner) rather than my TiVo. This conclusion is based on the fact that pixelation/dropout occurs when a channel is watched live via my Sony TV, in addition to my S3.


Severe pixelation affecting a select group of channels -- with the rest of the channel lineup (relatively) problem-free -- may suggest a similar upstream equipment issue.

Comments anyone? Flame away...


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## matty87

The Verizon techs were back out here this morning to check out the problem. All wiring in the house checked out fine according to their test equipment. Fiber tests indicated all data going to the ONT was fine. The splitter was removed. Different combinations of attenuation were tried. Problem still remains. They hooked up the Verizon HD DVR and all of the channels that were unwatchable on the TiVo were fine with the Verizon DVR.

Next call is to TiVo...


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## Martin Tupper

Does your TV have a cable card slot? Have you tried the cable card(s) in there?


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## matty87

Latest update:

I spoke with TiVo tech support earlier in the day. After I provided a lengthy description of the problem, the support rep did some investigating. She indicated that this problem has apparently been seen before and that my S3 unit will be replaced by TiVo. A new unit will be shipped to me in the next 3 days.

Keeping my fingers crossed that the replacement will fix the problem...

Martin: Unfortunately I don't have a CableCard slot on my TV. The Verizon tech wanted to do as you suggested as well. However, after seeing that the EXACT same problem was being observed on channels tuned by both CableCards in the TiVo, they figured the chance of the problem being due to a faulty cable card was pretty slim. All of my other HD channels are fine (which includes a mix of locals and nationals).


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## Ilene

Wow, either you got lucky or the CSRs have changed their tune. I called for nearly 3 months reporting pixelation problems and was told it was not my TiVo, it was Fios. Fios has replaced the cableCards 2 twice, rewired and tested the lines. 
I gave up with TiVo when the CSR told me he would be fired if he replaced my S3 because there was "nothing wrong" with it. It was exhausting me, so I said "uncle".

Who's at fault? I wish I knew. There is no way to validate who I should point the finger at, unless I point it at me for wanting my S3 to work perfectly like my S1 and 2 S2's have. 

As I have reported in another post, today my locals are pixelating and my HD locals are not. I can't figure out which way to set up my season passes. All I want to do is be able to watch TV, if only I could MRV...


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## gibby

Matty Let me know what happens
I live in Marlborough and want to move from comcast to verizon but I want my S3 to work properly 
I have a S3 right now with comcast and it works perfectly 
although a few months ago I was getting pixilation on all my tv's but that was a known comcast issue and I haven't seen that again 
Mark


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## matty87

Ilene,

A couple things about my pixelation issue that might have made it different than yours:

1. It wasn't intermittent. It happened right from the time I first tried to tune the problem stations. (In fairness, I've only had the FiOS TV installed for a couple days, so it could still be intermittent and I've just caught it in a "bad" spell)
2. It wasn't HD Local. It was on some HD National channels plus one "local" - NESN.

I don't remember hearing any other complaints about FiOS / S3 issues in MA, so I'm hopeful that it really is a TiVo HW problem. <fingers crossed>

I'll update once the new S3 arrives.


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## rdangel

I live in Needham and had the pixellation issues with my S3. Verizon couldnt figure out what to do and Tivo eventually agreed to send me a refurbished S3.

I put the refurb in place, moved the cable cards, and VOILA! The pixellation was WORSE.


So, I sent the refurb back and called verizon again. The tech suggested I swap the cable going from the wall to the tivo. I was skeptical but I have tried everything at this point.

So I grabbed one of my old RG6 cables that Directv had given me when the installer installed the service (many moons ago), and used that one. 

My pixellation is 98% better. Now I only get pixellation occasionally and not nearly as regularly as in the past.
The cables that the verizon tech had given me are in the trash and I havent looked back.

Invest in a better cable to see if that solves your problems.


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## matty87

Thanks for the data point, rdangel. I'd be surprised if it was the cable running from my wall to the S3, but anything's possible I suppose. There were no pixelation issues with the same cable connected to the FiOS HD DVR. And I tried setting things up in another room with a different cable and the problems were EXACTLY the same.

I've got quad-shielded RG-6 running from the splitter near the ONT to the outlet that the S3 is connected to. According to the Verizon installer's test equipment, my wiring is top notch.

I'll probably switch back to Comcast if the new S3 unit doesn't solve the problem since the S3 has got lifetime service that I transferred from a grandfathered Series 1 Philips unit.  I really want FiOS to work, though. I'm saving like $20/month compared to an equivalent Comcast setup.


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## Ron Tobin

VZ tech spent four hours at my home today checking signal quality. Every channel is within spec, yet piixelization continues on ESPN, ESPNHD, NFLHD, HDNet and HDNet Movies. If you look at the diagnostics screen you can see the signal jumping all over the place. And those channels happen to be on 717mhz, 723mhz and 735mhz. I even got Tivo support to talk with the VZ guy. Tivo suggested an amp to boost the signals on those channels, but that didn't help.

I'm almost at the point of giving up on Tivo S3/VZ CC compatability. I think the VZ tech went above and beyond. I saw the signal quality readings on his eqt. And this is my second Tivo box, as the first one was replaced by Tivo when I started reporting the problems. And VZ, this AM also changed out the cable cards, to no avail.

The finger pointing continues, no one is claiming responsibility, and the end user is "stuck". Not a pleasant situation. At least my Tivo S3, with lifetime service, has some value if placed on Ebay.


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## matty87

My replacement S3 box just arrived today, and...

The pixelation problem persists.  

Ron, I'm experiencing the problem on those EXACT same channels as you are (plus NESN and TNTHD). At this point, having heard you're seeing the exact same thing, I'm thinking that another go-round with Verizon would be futile. FiOS TV and TiVo S3 are simply NOT compatible. Anyone that isn't having problems should consider themselves lucky.

Oh, and there was an added problem with the replacement S3: it went crazy when I tried inserting the 2nd cable card in Slot 2. There was some static on the audio and the screen turned bright green and froze there. I power cycled the unit and the same problem happened every time I tried adding a 2nd card to Slot 2. However, inserting the cards into the unit before powering on seemed to work. 

A really shoddy experience all around. I'm at the point where I don't want to spend money with Verizon, TiVo, or Comcast -- they've all made me miserable at some point. I guess I'm going to sleep on it and decide what combination of DVR/cable provider is going to make me least miserable going forward.


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## Ron Tobin

matty87 said:


> My replacement S3 box just arrived today, and...
> 
> The pixelation problem persists.
> 
> Ron, I'm experiencing the problem on those EXACT same channels as you are (plus NESN and TNTHD). At this point, having heard you're seeing the exact same thing, I'm thinking that another go-round with Verizon would be futile. FiOS TV and TiVo S3 are simply NOT compatible. Anyone that isn't having problems should consider themselves lucky.
> 
> Oh, and there was an added problem with the replacement S3: it went crazy when I tried inserting the 2nd cable card in Slot 2. There was some static on the audio and the screen turned bright green and froze there. I power cycled the unit and the same problem happened every time I tried adding a 2nd card to Slot 2. However, inserting the cards into the unit before powering on seemed to work.
> 
> A really shoddy experience all around. I'm at the point where I don't want to spend money with Verizon, TiVo, or Comcast -- they've all made me miserable at some point. I guess I'm going to sleep on it and decide what combination of DVR/cable provider is going to make me least miserable going forward.


The entire thing makes no sense at all. The last I checked those problematic channels, they were rock solid with no pixelization. It's an intermittent situation, however fortunately, it pixelized while the Verizon guys were here. Yes, guys, as two others who had finished their morning install jobs in my neighborhood, also stopped over to give the original tech some help.

So I agree that it's some incompatibility issue. The Verizon STB is more tolerable to data errors in the transmission than is the Tivo. My replacement STB is working fine, my service has been transferred over to it, and the original one is on its way back to Tivo for credit to my credit card.

I'm undecided at the moment what route to take. I truly believe Verizon has done all they could, at least at the field level. It would be helpful if the Tivo folks somehow were able to get involved in the field so they could work jointly with Verizon, and any other cable company for which problems are occuring. But I know that will never happen and I'm just dreaming.

Just venting.


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## matty87

Okay, maybe my problem isn't EXACTLY the same. My issue is most definitely NOT intermittent. It's constant. Maybe it's worth another visit from a Verizon tech -- I'll ask them to bring a case full of CableCards!


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## Ron Tobin

matty87 said:


> Okay, maybe my problem isn't EXACTLY the same. My issue is most definitely NOT intermittent. It's constant. Maybe it's worth another visit from a Verizon tech -- I'll ask them to bring a case full of CableCards!


I really don't think it's the cable cards, as swapping it out made no difference.

There's a post on another thread that says that someone read that OTA broadcasts can cause interference on the S3, particularly if you have an OTA antenna and have stations in your area that use the 700mhz range for their broadcasts. The poster suggested disconnecting the OTA antenna and terminating that connection on the S3. Heck, at this point, I'm open to any suggestions.


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## matty87

Verizon techs were just here for 5 hours trying for one last ditch effort at salvaging the S3 / FiOS CableCard installation at my house.

They brought more CableCards to try. That didn't work.

They replaced the ONT. That didn't work.

They called other techs for advice. Nothin'.

After I told them I'd probably switch back to Comcast so I could get my TiVo working, they offered me the Verizon DVR for the same monthly price as two CableCards and I took them up on the offer. The S3 w/ lifetime service is probably going up on Ebay and I'll likely terminate the monthly service on my S2 -- my 8 year relationship with TiVo appears to be coming to a rather ignominious end.  I don't like TiVo enough to pay an extra $20/month for Comcast.


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## Ron Tobin

matty87 said:


> Verizon techs were just here for 5 hours trying for one last ditch effort at salvaging the S3 / FiOS CableCard installation at my house.
> 
> They brought more CableCards to try. That didn't work.
> 
> They replaced the ONT. That didn't work.
> 
> They called other techs for advice. Nothin'.
> 
> After I told them I'd probably switch back to Comcast so I could get my TiVo working, they offered me the Verizon DVR for the same monthly price as two CableCards and I took them up on the offer. The S3 w/ lifetime service is probably going up on Ebay and I'll likely terminate the monthly service on my S2 -- my 8 year relationship with TiVo appears to be coming to a rather ignominious end.  I don't like TiVo enough to pay an extra $20/month for Comcast.


In my house they replaced the ONT, ran new cable, changed splitters, adjusted the attenuation drop on the line to the TIVo, all to no avail. The guys that spent 4 hours at my house yesterday were not able to give me the DVR, saying I would have to call in a new order. But glad to see your posting, because now when I call, I can say I'm going back to Comcast, and hopefully I'll get the VZ DVR for the cable card price.

Do you happen to know what features we'll be losing as far as FF and REW when switching over to the Verizon DVR? Is there anything like a 30 second skip and 10 second back like on the Tivo? And what's your guess as to how much the Tivo S3 with lifetime subscription might be worth on Ebay?

BTW, did you try disconnecting your OTA antenna (if you had one) and terminating that connection? And also, did the techs call their central office to try to get some help? Did they check their line with their meter to see that there were no errors while the Tivo diagnostics screen showed the signal jumping all over the place?


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## matty87

I haven't played with the VZ DVR, but if it's anything like the Comcast DVR: 
- there's no 30s skip
- there are 4 different FF/REW speeds
- not sure about jumpback

I have no idea how much S3 w/ lifetime will fetch me on Ebay. I'm waiting to hear back from TiVo about what happens to the grandfathered S1 lifetime I transferred to my new S3 last week if I wind up returning my S3 to the retailer because it's defective. The 15% restocking fee at Tivo Community Store means I'll probably go the Ebay route, but if I can get my lifetime transfer "back", I might just return the unit and try this all again in another year to see if TiVo/VZ have worked all the kinks out. Heck, even if I don't have lifetime anymore, I still might try it again after a while.

I never had an OTA antenna plugged into the TiVo. The VZ tech put a terminator on the OTA coaxial connector for craps-n-giggles but that didn't change a thing.

They took meter readings of my signal several times and everything checked out perfect. The signal level reported by the TiVo ALWAYS jumps all over the place on the problem channels.

The techs were on the phone to a ridiculous assortment of people trying to fix the problem. Nobody could figure out the problem.


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## Ron Tobin

matty87 said:


> I haven't played with the VZ DVR, but if it's anything like the Comcast DVR:
> - there's no 30s skip
> - there are 4 different FF/REW speeds
> - not sure about jumpback
> 
> I have no idea how much S3 w/ lifetime will fetch me on Ebay. I'm waiting to hear back from TiVo about what happens to the grandfathered S1 lifetime I transferred to my new S3 last week if I wind up returning my S3 to the retailer because it's defective. The 15% restocking fee at Tivo Community Store means I'll probably go the Ebay route, but if I can get my lifetime transfer "back", I might just return the unit and try this all again in another year to see if TiVo/VZ have worked all the kinks out. Heck, even if I don't have lifetime anymore, I still might try it again after a while.
> 
> I never had an OTA antenna plugged into the TiVo. The VZ tech put a terminator on the OTA coaxial connector for craps-n-giggles but that didn't change a thing.
> 
> They took meter readings of my signal several times and everything checked out perfect. The signal level reported by the TiVo ALWAYS jumps all over the place on the problem channels.
> 
> The techs were on the phone to a ridiculous assortment of people trying to fix the problem. Nobody could figure out the problem.


Your story is exactly a description of what happened with me. Only difference is we're 1,000+ miles apart.

I've not yet ordered the VZ DVR. But I'm sure it's only a matter of time.


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## Raven313

matty87 said:


> I haven't played with the VZ DVR, but if it's anything like the Comcast DVR:
> - there's no 30s skip
> - there are 4 different FF/REW speeds
> - not sure about jumpback


I can confirm that there is a programmable 30 second skip on certain remotes (like an old comcast one)

There are 4 different FF/REW speeds.

There is a jumpback for all 4 FF speeds.


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## Ron Tobin

Raven313 said:


> I can confirm that there is a programmable 30 second skip on certain remotes (like an old comcast one)
> 
> There are 4 different FF/REW speeds.
> 
> There is a jumpback for all 4 FF speeds.


So all in all, if I have to abandon Tivo, there won't be all that much essential functionality that I'd be giving up? It's just a shame because the Tivo guide and menus are so use friendly, and it's downright frustrating that Tivo and VZ can't get the combination to work.


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## matty87

I played around with the VZ DVR last night. The FF/REW stuff is as Raven says. 30s skip also seemed to work on my box as well (there's a "->|" button on my remote that does the trick).
There's a noticeable delay between pressing FF/REW and the DVR reacting that takes some getting used to. Definitely less "snappy" than the S3 in this area.

Navigating the menus and program guide data of the VZ DVR was a bit more "snappy" than the S3. However, the layout of the program guide is horrible and is the most notable deficiency when compared to TiVo.

Another thing about the DVR that bugged me was the following scenario I encountered last night:
1. Recording a show on channel 805 from 7:30-8:00 while watching channel 829.
2. Set up to record a show on channel 808 from 8:00-9:00 while wanting to continue to watch channel 829.

In this situation, the DVR changed channels without warning at 7:59 and started recording the show on channel 808 while I was trying to watch the ballgame on 829. Obviously, since it was still recording the show on channel 805 at that point, it needed another tuner. It should be smarter about resolving this situation more cleanly AND it should have definitely asked me about changing the channel.

There were comments in another thread about a TiVo software fix to address signal issues with Verizon FiOS and S3s associated with jumpy FF/REW. Maybe I'll hang on to the TiVo until the next software update to see if the pixelation issue gets addressed as well.


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## Ron Tobin

matty87 said:


> I played around with the VZ DVR last night. The FF/REW stuff is as Raven says. 30s skip also seemed to work on my box as well (there's a "->|" button on my remote that does the trick).
> There's a noticeable delay between pressing FF/REW and the DVR reacting that takes some getting used to. Definitely less "snappy" than the S3 in this area.
> 
> Navigating the menus and program guide data of the VZ DVR was a bit more "snappy" than the S3. However, the layout of the program guide is horrible and is the most notable deficiency when compared to TiVo.
> 
> Another thing about the DVR that bugged me was the following scenario I encountered last night:
> 1. Recording a show on channel 805 from 7:30-8:00 while watching channel 829.
> 2. Set up to record a show on channel 808 from 8:00-9:00 while wanting to continue to watch channel 829.
> 
> In this situation, the DVR changed channels without warning at 7:59 and started recording the show on channel 808 while I was trying to watch the ballgame on 829. Obviously, since it was still recording the show on channel 805 at that point, it needed another tuner. It should be smarter about resolving this situation more cleanly AND it should have definitely asked me about changing the channel.
> 
> There were comments in another thread about a TiVo software fix to address signal issues with Verizon FiOS and S3s associated with jumpy FF/REW. Maybe I'll hang on to the TiVo until the next software update to see if the pixelation issue gets addressed as well.


Thanks for the info Matty. I don't like the channel change without warning. Do you have it set to start 1 minute early?

Since my pixelization is intermittent, I may just try to wait it out and hope the software update you're referring to is of some help. I also may call Tivo again and try to get a tech guy that really, really knows his stuff, to try to find out whose the culprit and what could be the long term fix.

This is a real pain in the butt, and aggravating as help.


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## Ron Tobin

I've decided to wait it out. Since I'm not alone, as evidenced by this and other threads, it's clearly a Verizon/Tivo incompatibility problem. I'm sure that some time they'll figure it out and correct it, either via Tivo software and/or Verizon making adjustments to their system. And with the recent price drop of the S3 Tivo, the resale of my Tivo, even with lifetime service, has taken a hit on the used marketplace. And for me, I do have an alternative to watching in HD those channels that do pixelize. So in summary, I'm just going to sit tight. 

Wonder what others, in the same boat as Matty and I, plan to do?


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## stockwatch_1999

I am in the same boat as well, although my pixelation has been on the local HDs.

I agree on the incompatability issue. My guess is that a lot of beta testing took place with the S3 and the MSOs (Comcast, TW, Cox, etc.) but none took place with FIOS. Now Tivo should be realizing a glitch with FIOS given the issues. The question is whether the installed and potential FIOS S3 subscriber base is significant enough to provide an incentive for them to come up with a fix. I also hope the issue is a software rather than hardware issue that can be addressed with a software update.

On the plus side, I haven't had any pixelation for a couple of weeks now. Not sure why. One day it just stopped pixelating.


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## rdangel

So I had Pixellation issues, and channels disappearing and had called Verizon multiple times. One time I reported that swapping the cable in the back of the tivo to a better one fixed some of the issues, but the pixellation came back on other channels.

So I had the verizon guy come out and he ran a line test and he said the levels looked good. He tried an attenuator (-3db) and that made the testing fail so we removed it.

Next he went downstairs where the verizon installed splitter was installed.
The tech who did the original install used one of those 1 to 8 port splitters even though I only have 3 TV's.
Each port on the splitter was labelled -12.5 DB. 
The installer told me that the signal coming out of the ONT was about 18db which is too much for a STB, hence they have to go to a splitter to lower the signal. What he decided to do was to install some smaller splitters, to just accommodate the number of sets I needed service to rather than having an 8 block with terminators.
The first splitter was a 1 to 2 with -7.5 DB attenuation, then he put that into a 1 to 3 splitter with -3.5. So the net signal loss (even though my levels were good to the Tivo) was 7db (18-11) versus 5.5 (18-12.5). 
We went back upstairs and checked the channels and I could see no pixellation AND the missing HBOHD came back with no pixellation.

SO, it seems that (for now) Verizon has fixed the problem for me at least. Mileage may vary and with my luck the problems will probably come back. I will report the issues if they come back.


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## rdrrepair

rdangel said:


> So I had the verizon guy come out and he ran a line test and he said the levels looked good.
> 
> SO, it seems that (for now) Verizon has fixed the problem for me at least. Mileage may vary and with my luck the problems will probably come back. I will report the issues if they come back.


Why does the cable guys hook up a device and tell us "everything looks good, must be the TiVo that has the problem" and when they actually find a problem and repair it the "little box" still shows everything as being OK?

Does their testing equipment actually work? For crying out loud, can't we get techs that know what they are doing in the first place? How hard is it to find out that there is a problem with the line?

If the machine says it's ok then it must be ok. Yes, No, wait, here is the problem. Bunch of double talk.

If cable companies were car dealers then the techs must be the salesman. "No, that tire isn't flat, it's the new runflat tires. They're suppose to look like that..."


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## rdangel

I know what you mean. I dont think he was trying to hide anything, and the guy did admit that he was new to the TV stuff. He showed me his tester and it showed an optimal range, and what my signal fell in.

But when he looked downstairs after the fact, he changed the splitters to what he felt was a better practice. 

He could have just left everything the way it was but he chose to try another option.

I can't blame the tech as he didnt hide a thing and was willing to do whatever I asked.


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## rdrrepair

rdangel said:


> I can't blame the tech as he didnt hide a thing and was willing to do whatever I asked.


And your problem is fixed!

I think the fact that he was "New" and wasn't jaded by the "Magical Box" he was willing to dig a little deeper. You should call his supervisor or write a letter of compliment. A letter goes farther then a tip. I would give out both.

I just don't trust their equipment. What is considered the optimal range? The tech should report the whole issue and find out why his "Magical Box" said it was ok. when in fact it wasn't.

I could point a radar gun at anyone and read speeds - it won't hold up in court unless I am trained and certified and I test the equipment (radar gun) everyday on a good tester and then the tester is tested with a good tester!

No. I am not a cop, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once.


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## Ron Tobin

rdrrepair said:


> Does their testing equipment actually work? For crying out loud, can't we get techs that know what they are doing in the first place? How hard is it to find out that there is a problem with the line?


I'm starting to wonder the same thing. As I posted earlier, I had the VZ guys here earlier this week, and the lines were tested, the attenuators adjusted, and according to their eqt. all is fine on their end. Then I get Tivo on the line, and have them talk to the VZ guy, and Tivo says they need to boost the signal on the 3 frequencies that I'm having difficulties with. The VZ guy puts an amplifier on the line, fearful that he might fry the Tivo box (I tell him, don't worry, it's still under warranty) and nothing changes.

I haven't a clue if it's a Tivo software problem or a Verizon problem, but this is getting very old and frustrating. Same six channels that I intermittently have problems with: ESPN, ESPN2, NFL, TNT, HDNET and HDNET Movies. All HD channels on 717mhz, 723mhz and 735mhz.


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## rdrrepair

Ron Tobin said:


> I haven't a clue if it's a Tivo software problem or a Verizon problem, but this is getting very old and frustrating. Same six channels that I intermittently have problems with: ESPN, ESPN2, NFL, TNT, HDNET and HDNET Movies. All HD channels on 717mhz, 723mhz and 735mhz.


Go to the source Luke.

Try to hook the cable line up at the whole house splitter - take the splitter out of the picture. See what kind of picture you're getting at the inlet feed. This would help you to determine if it's a house problem or not.

If the signal coming in is restricted (choked) then you will get pixelation problems. Maybe the S3 is a hog on the line signal. It could be choking on the signal.

Take a fuel line and restrict it. Your car will choke and have low power. Change out your fuel filter and it will run great. The car will still idle either way and maybe even pull ok. But when you really step on it there is no power. If the S3 is a cable "line hog" then maybe you need a bigger feed.

It would be nice if the cable company equipment could do a "load test" on the line to see how the "Stream Flow" is. I think they are only reading "Static Information" not load info.


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## rdangel

So I am still not having pixellation problems, BUT, HBO HD is gone again.. Just a grey screen and a message that it is searching for signal on cable in.


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## bkdtv

FiOS currently has nine regional video distribution hubs. It would be good to know which of these exhibits pixelization on certain channels, and which do not.



> *Current Status*
> 
> Fort Worth TX Metro (ex: locals)
> Tampa FL Metro (ex: TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL, HDNET & HDNET Movies)
> Southern California (everything fine except Fox Sports Net 830?)
> Boston Metro
> NYC Metro
> North Jersey
> DC / Balt / N. VA
> Philly(PA) / DE / S. Jersey Metro (ex: 6, 82, 100, 144, 179)
> Richmond / Norfolk (ex: UHD, DHD, Wealth, and sometimes NGHD)
> 
> Markets in green no longer exhibit the pixelization issue. Markets in red still exhibit the pixelization issue with the Tivo Series3 and other CableCard DVRs. The status in other areas is unknown.


Most forum posters don't specify where they live, so I can't tell what other markets were fixed as well.


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## Ron Tobin

bkdtv said:


> FiOS currently has nine regional video distribution hubs. It would be good to know which of these exhibits pixelization on certain channels, and which do not.
> 
> The nine VHOs are as follows:
> 
> Fort Worth TX Metro
> Tampa FL Metro
> Southern California
> Boston Metro
> *NYC Metro*
> North Jersey
> *DC / Balt / N. VA*
> *Philly(PA) / DE / S. Jersey Metro*
> Richmond / Norfolk
> 
> FiOS appears to have addressed the Series3-specific pixelization issue in markets highlighted with *bold*. Most forum posters don't specify where they live, so I can't tell what other markets were fixed as well.


The original poster is in Mass., and I'm in Florida. We've both seemed to have identical issues, so obviously Boston Metro and Tampa Metro don't appear to have been addressed. I currently have additional issues, as almost everthing is pixelizing right now, so it's time for another service call.


----------



## bkdtv

Ron Tobin said:


> The original poster is in Mass., and I'm in Florida. We've both seemed to have identical issues, so obviously Boston Metro and Tampa Metro don't appear to have been addressed. I currently have additional issues, as almost everthing is pixelizing right now, so it's time for another service call.


The original poster's pixelization issues were addressed earlier this month.


----------



## Ron Tobin

bkdtv said:


> The original poster's pixelization issues were addressed earlier this month.


He addressed them by ditching his Tivo and get a Verizon DVR, because Verizon could not come up with a solution.


----------



## bkdtv

Ron Tobin said:


> He addressed them by ditching his Tivo and get a Verizon DVR, because Verizon could not come up with a solution.


Ahh, I was confusing posters. Rdangel in Needham, MA says FiOS fixed his Series3 pixelization issues about a week day ago. I wonder if the original poster has tried his Series3 since.

The other possibility is that the Series3 QAM tuner is extremely sensitive for QAM channels in the 720 to 800MHz range (which FiOS uses for much of its HDTV) and that Rdangel was ability to improve his signal in those ranges somehow. _Update: Guess this is ruled out by other posts, which report issues with channels in the 70-80 QAM range._

In your market, does FiOS in Florida put any HDTV on QAM channels under 120? If so, do they exhibit pixelization as well?


----------



## Ron Tobin

bkdtv said:


> Ahh, I was confusing posters. Rdangel in Needham, MA says FiOS fixed his Series3 pixelization issues about a week day ago. I wonder if the original poster has tried his Series3 since.
> 
> The other possibility is that the Series3 QAM tuner is extremely sensitive for QAM channels in the 720 to 800MHz range (which FiOS uses for much of its HDTV) and that Rdangel was ability to improve his signal in those ranges somehow.
> 
> In your market, does FiOS in Florida put any HDTV on QAM channels under 120? If so, do they exhibit pixelization as well?


I know, specifically, that the local HD broadcast channels are in the 70s and haven't had any problems until starting last night. I haven't taken the time to figure out the QAM channels of the remaining HD stations as they haven't been problematic. I only happen to know the broadcast stations because I have a separate HD QAM tuner, and needed to locate them.

Do you, by chance, happen to work for Verizon?


----------



## Emacee

bkdtv said:


> FiOS currently has nine regional video distribution hubs. It would be good to know which of these exhibits pixelization on certain channels, and which do not.
> 
> The nine VHOs are as follows:
> 
> Fort Worth TX Metro (pixel. on locals only)
> Tampa FL Metro
> Southern California
> Boston Metro
> NYC Metro
> North Jersey
> DC / Balt / N. VA
> Philly(PA) / DE / S. Jersey Metro
> Richmond / Norfolk
> 
> FiOS appears to have addressed the Series3-specific pixelization issue in markets ighlighted with green. Markets in red still exhibit the pixelization issue with the Series3.
> 
> Most forum posters don't specify where they live, so I can't tell what other markets were fixed as well. For some markets, such as PA / DE, there is conflicting information.


I am in Suburban Philadelphia (PA side) and I am continuing to experience pixelization. It comes and goes. And the problem pops up on different channels - both HD and SD. Today I've had it on TCM. I've noticed the problem occuring mostly (but not exclusively) on SD channels.

Changing channels and coming back appears to get rid of the problem (at least for a while) on those rare occasions when I'm watching something live.


----------



## stockwatch_1999

I hope this is true for the D.C/MD/N. VA area. I haven'd had pixelation issues in three weeks or so (fingers continue to be crossed).


----------



## rdangel

My pixellation issues are gone (for now) but I still have a missing HBO HD which was fine when the tech came in here and swapped out the splitters. It disappeared that night but came back a day later.

So, I wouldn't consider the issues in the Boston Metro area fixed until I have a month of zero problems.


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## flipit

bkdtv said:


> FiOS currently has nine regional video distribution hubs. It would be good to know which of these exhibits pixelization on certain channels, and which do not.
> 
> Quote:
> Current Status
> 
> Fort Worth TX Metro
> Tampa FL Metro
> Southern California
> Boston Metro
> NYC Metro
> North Jersey
> DC / Balt / N. VA
> Philly(PA) / DE / S. Jersey Metro
> Richmond / Norfolk
> 
> Markets in green no longer exhibit the pixelization issue. Markets in red still exhibit the pixelization issue with the Tivo Series3 and other CableCard DVRs. The status in other areas is unknown.
> Most forum posters don't specify where they live, so I can't tell what other markets were fixed as well.


If my experience is typical, put Richmond/Norfolk in the RED for UHD, DHD, Wealth and sometimes NGHD. Heavy pixelation on the first three most of the time, but not always.


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## bkdtv

flipit said:


> If my experience is typical, put Richmond/Norfolk in the RED for UHD, DHD, Wealth and sometimes NGHD. Heavy pixelation on the first three most of the time, but not always.


Thanks, if you see any change, please post again or PM me.

Note to those who quoted the table -- I will update it as members provide information.


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## Captjk

Newtown Pa 30 mile NE of Phila bad pixelation:

I also have a S3 Tivo and lately have had bad pixalation through the ABC Family channel on 179 and which duplicates on 574, it is also bad on the Food Network (not that I watch that) which is on 144 and 550 as well as the local channel 8. HD channels are fine and some common bad freq ones are 6, 82, 100, 144, 179. Using the Tivo diagnostic screen, all the lower 400000 Khz channels to include channel 8 have bad breakup, channel lock goes from on to off and back with the strength changing from 60's to 80's. When you channel page down you see your other tuner channel and any other frequency shows locked at 96 to 100. Channels on frequencies of 441000,447000,459000, are clear as a bell with 97% strength where the channels with frequencies of 411000,417000 and 429000 run from 60's to 80's and go from locked to unlocked signal. Cablecards have been swapped and techs have replaced ONT, run direct RG6 to Tivo with no results. Just hoping they find some problem at the Phila Head, if anyone knows what they did in Mass to fix the problem, please pass it on to me as I am in contact with a local video manager for FIOS. If anyone else has this same channel problems, please post so we can narrow down the effected area.

Sorry to be soooo long!!

Thanks, Jack


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## matty87

bkdtv:

I am in Hopkinton, MA. My pixelation issues are (or more accurately, WERE, since my TiVo is no longer hooked up) on channels 825, 826, 827, 828, 833, 834. Those channels are entirely unwatchable. I had Verizon techs at my house on three different occasions with the last visit being last Thursday for approximately 5 hours. Over the course of debugging this problem we have:

- tried 4 different cable cards and two different TiVo S3 units
- installed a new ONT
- replaced coax splitters twice
- tried a variety of combinations of attenuation
- took signal level readings on all the problem frequencies

Nothing worked. When Verizon offered to provide me with their DVR for the same monthly price that I would have paid for two CableCards (resulting in a ~50% discount off their DVR price), I decided to wash my hands of these issues for the time being. I'm still figuring out whether or not to keep the TiVo or sell it. Given the recent price drop, I'm finding myself in a bit of a squeeze and will probably keep the TiVo and keep an eye out for information from either TiVo or FiOS that indicates they've solved the problem.


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## Captjk

MATTY87:

I had read your earlier post about the cablecard to DVR swap so I got the video manager to approve the same thing for me reference my previous post. (Thanks!) Now I am now using the S3 to record overflow shows in SD without cards and it's not HD but it's a lot better quality than I had with Comcast before. You can do manual recording of the HD QAM channels if you really want the HD quality.

I'm going to hang in and see if the channels get straightened out down the road by either Tivo or FIOS. I don't think it's the cards because I have one QAM channel (55.00) still breaking up because it uses 211000KHz frequency and the unit has no cards in it.

Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Jack


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## Ron Tobin

matty87 said:


> bkdtv:
> 
> I am in Hopkinton, MA. My pixelation issues are (or more accurately, WERE, since my TiVo is no longer hooked up) on channels 825, 826, 827, 828, 833, 834. Those channels are entirely unwatchable. I had Verizon techs at my house on three different occasions with the last visit being last Thursday for approximately 5 hours. Over the course of debugging this problem we have:
> 
> - tried 4 different cable cards and two different TiVo S3 units
> - installed a new ONT
> - replaced coax splitters twice
> - tried a variety of combinations of attenuation
> - took signal level readings on all the problem frequencies
> 
> Nothing worked. When Verizon offered to provide me with their DVR for the same monthly price that I would have paid for two CableCards (resulting in a ~50% discount off their DVR price), I decided to wash my hands of these issues for the time being. I'm still figuring out whether or not to keep the TiVo or sell it. Given the recent price drop, I'm finding myself in a bit of a squeeze and will probably keep the TiVo and keep an eye out for information from either TiVo or FiOS that indicates they've solved the problem.


Geez ~~ this sounds EXACTLY like what's been going on in my house. Waiting for tech to come out this AM, once again.


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## Ron Tobin

I had a tech visit on both Thurs. and Friday. Thursday they resolved a video signal failure on the line. Now that my signal is back to spec, pixelization continues as it was before. But also had one failed cable card, as many channels were missing. That was replaced.

Yesterday, tech took readings and loaded them into his Sunrise meter, at ONT, and at all STB locations. Of course, the only one of importance to me is the one at the Tivo. They still have no idea why, between the frequencies of 717mhz and 733mhz, I have pixelization of the 8 channels, which range from TNT-HD through HDNet movies. When looking at the Tivo diagnostics screen, the signal is bouncing all over the place -- but only for the channels in that frequency range. And my tech confirmed that I'm not the only Tivo customer with the same issues that he's visited.

The other night I spent over an hour on the phone with Tivo and they confirmed that Tivo is working with VZ to resolve the issues. Time frame is obviously unknown. As VZ rolls out in more parts of the country, and Tivo sells more and more S3s, the urgency to get it resolved will increase. I'm sticking with the Tivo and am hopeful that they will resolve the problems in my part of the country.

Just curious -- those of you in parts of the country that aren't having issues, what kind of readings are you getting for channels in those range? I'm using HDNet as my barometer, as that's the one that seems consistently bad.

Not giving up.


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## bkdtv

Ron,

Did 8.3 have any effect on the problem?


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## Ron Tobin

bkdtv said:


> Ron,
> 
> Did 8.3 have any effect on the problem?


I just checked, and I'm still running 8.1. When I called Tivo support the other night, they mentioned 8.3, and I assumed that a forced connection would download it, but apparently not.

How can I force it to get 8.3? I'm network connected.


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## bkdtv

Ron Tobin said:


> I just checked, and I'm still running 8.1. When I called Tivo support the other night, they mentioned 8.3, and I assumed that a forced connection would download it, but apparently not.
> 
> How can I force it to get 8.3? I'm network connected.


Don't think you can force it, but TivoPony suggested everyone would have it in a week or so.

It apparently fixes the FF/REW skipping issue, but nothing has been said about the pixelization issues. When you get it, please report whether there is any change.


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## Herbert

Ron,

I, too, am curious to see if 8.3 helps you. Please let us know when you get it. I'm in Tampa and have FIOS internet and have thought about ditching DTV for FIOS TV, though your problems have given me pause to do so.

Thanks,

Herb


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## Ron Tobin

Herbert said:


> Ron,
> 
> I, too, am curious to see if 8.3 helps you. Please let us know when you get it. I'm in Tampa and have FIOS internet and have thought about ditching DTV for FIOS TV, though your problems have given me pause to do so.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Herb


I certainly will. I *REALLY* like the Tivo, its features and the Fios programming. It sure beats Comcast, DirecTV and Dish. If only the pixelization problems would get resolved (8 HD channels) then it would be great. I'm hopeful that it will be resolved in not the too distant future.

Suggestion: Why don't you go with the VZ DVR until the Tivo/cable card problems are resolved.


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## Herbert

That's exactly what I've been thinking, going with their DVR. I'm lucky that I have DirecTV strung outside my house, so I can hook FIOS into my old internal cabling and run them concurrently until I can convince my wife that FIOS looks better, is reliable, is cheaper and will eventually work with Tivo. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you Ron 

Herb


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## Ron Tobin

I don't yet have 8.3, but anxiously awaiting it, as someone brought this article to my attention and it makes mention of Fios.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/04/27/series3-8-3-udpate-brings-new-hd-features/

Is there anyone out there, who has pixelization problems, gotten 8.3 and have any updates to report?


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## JonInVA

Checking in from Ashburn, VA (Wash DC Metro Area). I've had the 8.3 update for almost two weeks now, and while it did indeed clear up my FF skip problem (FF3 is finally usable), it did absolutely nothing to fix my National HD channel pixellation problem.

I've experienced for several months, and to this day continue to experience, severe (totally unwatchable) pixellation on the following National HD FiOS channels:

825 TNT HD
826 ESPN HD
827 ESPN 2 HD
828 NFL Network HD
833 HD Net
834 HD Net Movies

An observation: I noticed that during the colder weather (40 degrees F or below), these channels were sometimes perfectly watchable. Now that the weather has gotten warmer (50 degrees F and above) it seems as though these channels are consistently unwatchable after first tuning to them and watching any one for 1-3 minutes. Within those three minutes the picture and audio becomes corrupted on all six of these channels. Unattended recording on any of these six channels yields unwatchable recordings.

I'm in a brand new townhouse, so all of my cable runs are what I consider to be exceptional. I, like many others, experienced no problems at all with the Verizon Motorola 6416. Here are my runs:

ONT -> 8-way -12.5db splitter (Verizon installed, 4 unused outputs terminated)

8-way splitter ->
1) Wall drop, TiVo Series 3 (previously the Moto 6416)
2) Wall drop, 2 way splitter, Verizon Standard Def STB + TiVo Series 2 DT
3) Wall drop, unused (not terminated)
4) ActionTec FiOS router to support Verizon Standard Def STB Coaxial IP Connectivity

I also have a powered HDTV OTA antenna plugged into my TiVo Series 3.

Here's what I've tried (to no avail):
a) Unplugging the powered OTA antenna
b) Unplugging the ActionTec FiOS router

Here's what I have yet to try:
c) Terminating the powered OTA antenna input
d) Terminating the ActionTec FiOS router run
e) Terminating the unused wall drop run
f) Attenuating or further splitting the TiVo Series 3 run

I have not scheduled any Verizon truck rolls given the experiences of others documented on this forum. I simply can't afford to stay home from work unless I'm 100% convinced a truck roll will fix my problem.

Conclusions that I myself am drawing from reading this forum:
*
- The only thing that any poster to TCF is positive of is that this problem involves some sort of TiVo / FiOS TV HDTV signal incompatibly. No root cause has been determined.

- TCF posters are reporting that they've made numerous calls to both TiVo and FiOS to no avail, with both sides generally pointing the finger at the other.

- TCF posters are reporting that Verizon truck rolls rarely resolve the problem, and on the occasion that they do a specific fix cannot be determined such that it can be repeated by others.*

So, the way I read the situation is that S3 owners on FiOS have more questions than answers right now with regard to the pixellation issue.

Am I wrong? *Do we know anything else?* Please correct me if I've in some way misconstrued the facts here. I'm interested in a solution, so I'm trying to stick to the facts. I've honestly got little time for company bashing, though I completely understand that everyone is very frustrated.

-Jon


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## CrispyCritter

JonInVA said:


> Am I wrong? *Do we know anything else?* Please correct me if I've in some way misconstrued the facts here. I'm interested in a solution, so I'm trying to stick to the facts. I've honestly got little time for company bashing, though I completely understand that everyone is very frustrated.


Nice summary!

The one thing I would add is that there have been several instances of FIOS areas with multiple posters in this forum whose pixelation all cleared up at the same time, after weeks of problems and investigations (though I think the pixelation came back in at least one case). This suggests that the pixelation *in these cases* was at least partially caused by the incoming signal.

Pixelation just means there's a corrupt signal (in the signal processor's opinion) being seen in the internals of the TiVo; there are many, many causes of corrupt signals both within and external to the TiVo. All of these causes have the single symptom of pixelation. Looking for a single fix by either TiVo or the signal providers to solve "the problem" is very unrealistic.


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## JonInVA

CrispyCritter said:


> The one thing I would add is that there have been several instances of FIOS areas with multiple posters in this forum whose pixelation all cleared up at the same time, after weeks of problems and investigations (though I think the pixelation came back in at least one case). This suggests that the pixelation *in these cases* was at least partially caused by the incoming signal.


Agreed, good observation. If this is indeed true, then it would seem that the problems clears up system-wide for some-period of time, and then re-appears system-wide. I was relating this phenomenon to temperature here in VA, but that very well could have just been a coincidence given that it's always hot in Texas. 

Definitely seems to suggest a problem at the signal transmission end of things, but it always takes two to tango. Have there been any reports of non-TiVo FiOS CableCard users seeing this problem? Or is it just us S3 users?

If the problem is limited just to us S3 users, I fear that we may be faced with this problem for some time to come. One of these two companies is going to have to feel properly incentivized in order to start seriously looking at the problem.


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## Ron Tobin

JonInVA said:


> Checking in from Ashburn, VA (Wash DC Metro Area). I've had the 8.3 update for almost two weeks now, and while it did indeed clear up my FF skip problem (FF3 is finally usable), it did absolutely nothing to fix my National HD channel pixellation problem.


Jon:
I second that. Great, factual summary. Personally, I'm disappointed, as I've not yet received 8.3 and was hopeful that it would address the pixelization issue.

The other surprise is that you are in the DC/VA/MD metro area and have reported pixelization problems. In an earlier post, a chart by BKDTV implied that your area either has been fixed, or doesn't exhibit the pixelization issues.

I'm with you on the truck rolls that don't produce fixes. I've had two service calls just last week. The only resolution that came out of it was the replacing of one bad cable card. However the pixelization still continues.

Consider this post, this thread, and all the other posts and threads describing these issues, as a call for Tivo and Verizon to work together towards delivering us pixelization free programming on our Tivo STBs.


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## JonInVA

Ron Tobin said:


> ...as I've not yet received 8.3 and was hopeful that it would address the pixelization issue.
> 
> The other surprise is that you are in the DC/VA/MD metro area and have reported pixelization problems. In an earlier post, a chart by BKDTV implied that your area either has been fixed, or doesn't exhibit the pixelization issues.


Reading posts about both of these points are exactly what led me to throw my $0.02 in. I wanted to confirm that 8.3 did not fix the picture corruption problem for me, and that yes, I'm experiencing the problem in the DC metro area. Sad to say.


----------



## bkdtv

JonInVA said:


> Reading posts about both of these points are exactly what led me to throw my $0.02 in. I wanted to confirm that 8.3 did not fix the picture corruption problem for me, and that yes, I'm experiencing the problem in the DC metro area. Sad to say.


I guess that rules out the VHO as source of the problem. It must be more localized.

What channels do you see the issue on?


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## JonInVA

bkdtv said:


> What channels do you see the issue on?


825 TNT HD
826 ESPN HD
827 ESPN 2 HD
828 NFL Network HD
833 HD Net
834 HD Net Movies

Consistently. Not once have I ever encountered picture corruption on any of my other DC area FiOS HD channels, including the newly added ones. Always these six.

Could the problem be systemic? I.E., nationwide?


----------



## Ron Tobin

JonInVA said:


> 825 TNT HD
> 826 ESPN HD
> 827 ESPN 2 HD
> 828 NFL Network HD
> 833 HD Net
> 834 HD Net Movies
> 
> Consistently. Not once have I ever encountered picture corruption on any of my other DC area FiOS HD channels, including the newly added ones. Always these six.
> 
> Could the problem be systemic? I.E., nationwide?


Jon: Do you have any regional sports channels on 829 and 830? I do, and although their broadcast schedule is sporadic, I did experience pixelization on those as well. The RSNs I'm referrring to are in the 717-733mhz range that seems to be giving us fits. And I concur with you that I'm experiencing no problems on any of the other HD channels in my lineup. Just limited to the six you list plus the RSNs.


----------



## snead

Might as well throw my hat in the ring. NY Metro area. During our mostly pain-free install of FIOS and an S3 last week, the tech and I saw severe pixellation -- as in, couldn't even make out the picture -- on only one channel, 838 National Geographic HD. We observed this problem through the Verizon STB. By the time we got the S3 hooked up a few hours later, the problem seemed to have cleared up, and that channel (and all others as far as we could tell) came through fine on both the S3 and the Verizon box. After another day of no problems, I returned the Verizon box figuring I was in the clear.

Few days later, started seeing intermittent pixellation again. When the problem is occurring, it's fairly constant on 838 and most of the standard-def HBO channels (401-415), particularly 405-407. Oddly the other channels mentioned in this thread (HDNet among them) seem fine.

Also had a few audio dropouts on ABC HD (807) -- no pixelation at all, but the audio would drop out and crackle for a second or two. Very annoying.

Verizon scheduled a tech to come out yesterday with their typical absurdly large window -- 8am to 5pm. Spent all day at home waiting for them and they never showed.  This hasn't done much for my confidence in FIOS.

Do not have 8.3 yet, will report back if/when I get that if it makes a difference.


----------



## JonInVA

Ron Tobin said:


> Jon: Do you have any regional sports channels on 829 and 830? I do, and although their broadcast schedule is sporadic, I did experience pixelization on those as well. The RSNs I'm referrring to are in the 717-733mhz range that seems to be giving us fits. And I concur with you that I'm experiencing no problems on any of the other HD channels in my lineup. Just limited to the six you list plus the RSNs.


I honestly don't know if I get any RSNs - if I do, I may have removed them from my channel lineup so I'll check tonight - but I believe my problematic six are also being broadcast on that same frequency range. I'll confirm tonight.


----------



## flipit

JonInVA said:


> 825 TNT HD
> 826 ESPN HD
> 827 ESPN 2 HD
> 828 NFL Network HD
> 833 HD Net
> 834 HD Net Movies
> 
> Consistently. Not once have I ever encountered picture corruption on any of my other DC area FiOS HD channels, including the newly added ones. Always these six.
> 
> Could the problem be systemic? I.E., nationwide?


In Richmond, I've never had problems with any of those channels, though I do have regular problems with UHD, DHD, Wealth and sometimes NGHD. Perhaps it's not a systemic problem with particular channels, but rather with a frequency?


----------



## Ron Tobin

JonInVA said:


> I honestly don't know if I get any RSNs - if I do, I may have removed them from my channel lineup so I'll check tonight - but I believe my problematic six are also being broadcast on that same frequency range. I'll confirm tonight.


Sorry, but I was mistaken about the RSNs. Mine are at 639mhz and since these broadcast so infrequently, I can't really remember, with certainty, whether they pixelize.

Here's the frequency assignments, in my lineup, for the six problematic channels. I'm certain it's the same nationwide, but someone will need to confirm.

825 717mhz TNT 
826 723mhz ESPN 
827 735mhz ESPN2 
828 717mhz NFL 
833 723mhz HDNet 
834 735mhz HDNetMV

These seem to be the ones that Tivo owners, in various pockets of the country, consistently report as problematic.


----------



## Captjk

FIXED MINE!! pixalation problem - tivo S3

Whoppee, Fixed itself!!!!!!!!!! (FOR NOW) Newtown, Pa

I posted other responses to this problem with digital breakup on 411, 417 and 429 Mhz freq channels.(Which included channels 8, 82, 88, 121, 179, 100, 144. I would blame tivo if it hadn't worked flawlessly from 1/29 until a week ago so you can understand my suspicion of the freq feed. Channels on frequencies of 441,447,459 as well as all the HD's, are clear as a bell with 97% strength where the channels with frequencies of 411,417 and 429 are bad and run from 60's to 80's and go from locked to unlocked signal.

Had a tech visit last Tuesday and changed the ONT with no success, Talked them into subbing their DVR for the 2 cablecards until it works so I was using the S3 for SD recording and on clear QAM channel 55.00 (frequency 411000KHz) which is WGN Phila, I still had breakup and no cards installed. Checked it Saturday and was breaking up, checked the Tivo today on ch 55.00 and it was clear as a bell. Did the diagnostics and it ran 97-100 rock steady with signal locked. Put in 1 card from one of my tv's to check the other bad channels and they are all perfect again. Anyone elso get fixed on these freq's? If only FIOS would admit they changed a box or something so we wouldn't be afraid of it coming back next week. Going to wait a week or so before I get the cablecards and return the DVR.

Looks like my problem fixed itself, (cough cough) hope they get to find out what they did so Gustavo or the FSC can tell them what to look for when we write or call in the future.
One plus mark for the Phila area video problems, hope it fixed other peoples HD breakup.
Jack


----------



## Ron Tobin

I just spent over an hour with Tivo tech support on my above described issues. After asking me for information from the cable card screens, they concluded that the cards were not pairing up properly. We conferenced Verizon tech support on the phone, and one by one, they deactivated and reactivated my cards. After all that, they're still not pairing up properly.

Kimberly, from tech support, told me she needed to speak with engineering and would call me back. She did awhile later. She told me that Tivo engineering knows there are problems with Tivo and Verizon cable cards, and that, apparently from the tests we performed and the information I provided, they learned some valuable new data with regard to these pixelization issues. She also told me that Tivo is having problems with cable cards from Comcast as well. 

This sure sounds to me like a software problem, but what do I know. They have the case notes and promised to call me back with an update in a week. Not sure of the magnitude or how widespread this problem is, but I'm hopeful that the data I provided, along with other members who have called Tivo, will help bring a speedy resolution and a reliable fix.


----------



## JonInVA

Ron Tobin said:


> She told me that Tivo engineering knows there are problems with Tivo and Verizon cable cards, and that, apparently from the tests we performed and the information I provided, they learned some valuable new data with regard to these pixelization issues. She also told me that Tivo is having problems with cable cards from Comcast as well.


You're a soldier Ron, appreciate you taking one for the team. FWIW I confirmed that my problematic six channels are on indeed being broadcast on the same frequency range as you noted earlier in this thread.

But if it's indeed a pairing problem, then hopefully TiVo will get this resolved.

Out of curiousity, do you have Motorola CableCARDs? "v4.2.1"?


----------



## Ron Tobin

JonInVA said:


> Out of curiousity, do you have Motorola CableCARDs? "v4.2.1"?


I don't know the version, but they are indeed Motorola cards. It's a pain for me to take them out and reinsert, as my Tivo S3 is high on my eqt. rack. And it's not easy, with all my cabling to continually access them. But I needed to do it twice last night, as I had to read the serial numbers and unit ids to both Verizon and Tivo separately.

While I can't be more specific without a screen shot of the conditional access screen from the Tivo cable card menu, there was one particular line that indicated to Tivo tech support that it was not pairing properly. I wish I would have written it down. However, if I saw a screen shot from conditional access screen (think that's what it is called -- I think it's the third option on the cable card decoder setting menu) I can point to the line that indicated to Tivo support that there was a pairing problem. And apparently, this was new information to them, as perhaps they might not have gone as far in depth with diagnosing the problem with others, as they did with me.

Whatever, I'm just hopeful of a speedy resolution so that we will all benefit.


----------



## JonInVA

Ron Tobin said:


> Whatever, I'm just hopeful of a speedy resolution so that we will all benefit.


As are we all. Thanks again for reporting your experiences.


----------



## flipit

Ron Tobin said:


> Sorry, but I was mistaken about the RSNs. Mine are at 639mhz and since these broadcast so infrequently, I can't really remember, with certainty, whether they pixelize.
> 
> Here's the frequency assignments, in my lineup, for the six problematic channels. I'm certain it's the same nationwide, but someone will need to confirm.
> 
> 825 717mhz TNT
> 826 723mhz ESPN
> 827 735mhz ESPN2
> 828 717mhz NFL
> 833 723mhz HDNet
> 834 735mhz HDNetMV
> 
> These seem to be the ones that Tivo owners, in various pockets of the country, consistently report as problematic.


Those are the same frequencies as I have in Richmond, but those channels are unaffected. My problems (exact same symptoms) come with the following:

835 747 MHz UHD
836 747 MHz DHD
837 753 MHz Wealth

Thanks, Ron, for taking the time to elevate the issue with TiVo engineering. I suppose to facilitate speedy resolution, we should all try to do the same.


----------



## Ron Tobin

flipit said:


> Those are the same frequencies as I have in Richmond, but those channels are unaffected. My problems (exact same symptoms) come with the following:
> 
> 835 747 MHz UHD
> 836 747 MHz DHD
> 837 753 MHz Wealth
> 
> Thanks, Ron, for taking the time to elevate the issue with TiVo engineering. I suppose to facilitate speedy resolution, we should all try to do the same.


That's very interesting. So while Jon and I (as well as many others) are experiencing pixelization issues in the 717-735mhz range, you've now got problems just outside of that range.

Yes, I think it would be extremely helpful for others to call it in. Maybe there's even more information that can be learned from the information on those cable card screens that Tivo can use.

From what I gathered by the comments of the Tivo tech support person, it seems that, at least at the moment, the ball is in Tivo engineering's court. They said that Verizon seemed to do everything right when they deactivated and reactivated my cards. And they were done one by one with both cards removed, and then the first one inserted, deactivated, reactivated, etc.

And I was told that 8.3 will not address these issues.

If you have an hour to spare, it might be helpful to call it in to Tivo support.


----------



## Captjk

*Spoke tooo soon!!!*

Same FIOS channel breakup on S3 is back as of noon Tuesday!!
Trouble is back, worked fine recording abcfam on 179 (411Mhz) last night but I checked a few minutes ago and all the problem channels breaking up has returned. It was perfect from late AM Monday until late Monday night or early Tuesday. Now I'm really PO'd, thought it was fixed.
411,417,429 channel frequencies... HD's have always been good.

Sorry I was so encouraging on my previous post. Back to FSC and the local FIOS TV manager

Jack


----------



## JonInVA

Captjk said:


> Sorry I was so encouraging on my previous post. Back to FSC and the local FIOS TV manager


It's definitely a day-to-day phenomenon. Last night, for example, I was able to watch HDNET Movies for a good 1.5 hours with no corruption at all. The previous night channels 825 - 834 were totally unwatchable.

I've seen the corruption clear up before for days at a time, only to return again later. We'll see what happens this time.

If it is indeed some kind of CableCARD pairing issue, maybe they successfully pair for awhile, and then somehow lose that handshake. Verizon could somehow be pulling the rug out from under our cards (albeit unintentionally), and TiVo doesn't realize it needs to renegotiate.

Wild guesses here. We'll see what happens.


----------



## Ron Tobin

JonInVA said:


> If it is indeed some kind of CableCARD pairing issue, maybe they successfully pair for awhile, and then somehow lose that handshake Verizon could somehow be pulling the rug out from under our cards (albeit unintentionally), and TiVo doesn't realize it needs to renegotiate.
> 
> Wild guesses here. We'll see what happens.


If it's been narrowed down to a pairing issue, at least Tivo will have something to go on and pursue. And I would hope that it's big enough of an issue that they would escalate the attention their engineering staff gives so that there's a speedy resolution.

I still think it would be a good idea for others to invest the time and call in the problem. We need for them to realize that it's not an isolated issue.


----------



## snead

Ron Tobin said:


> If it's been narrowed down to a pairing issue, at least Tivo will have something to go on and pursue. And I would hope that it's big enough of an issue that they would escalate the attention their engineering staff gives so that there's a speedy resolution.
> 
> I still think it would be a good idea for others to invest the time and call in the problem. We need for them to realize that it's not an isolated issue.


Ron, do you have notes on who the tech is that you spoke with at TiVo? I don't relish the idea of starting from scratch in trying to diagnose this issue, based on my previous calls to tech support. But I'll give them a call next Saturday after Verizon (hopefully) comes out.

Also, I don't have the frequency info in front of me right now, but as I mentioned before my primary trouble-making channel is 838, which I believe is outside the frequency you're talking about.

I also have noticed on the condition access page for the cableCARD that mine does not match this screenshot of a "successful pairing" from the techdigs article:
http://techdigs.net/images/stories/reviews/tivo/tivoconditionalaccess.jpg
I believe the "Auth" and "Host Validation" fields are both different on my S3, despite the fact that I'm receiving all the channels I'm supposed to and multiple reauthorizations by Verizon.


----------



## Ron Tobin

snead said:


> Ron, do you have notes on who the tech is that you spoke with at TiVo? I don't relish the idea of starting from scratch in trying to diagnose this issue, based on my previous calls to tech support. But I'll give them a call next Saturday after Verizon (hopefully) comes out.
> 
> Also, I don't have the frequency info in front of me right now, but as I mentioned before my primary trouble-making channel is 838, which I believe is outside the frequency you're talking about.
> 
> I also have noticed on the condition access page for the cableCARD that mine does not match this screenshot of a "successful pairing" from the techdigs article:
> http://techdigs.net/images/stories/reviews/tivo/tivoconditionalaccess.jpg
> I believe the "Auth" and "Host Validation" fields are both different on my S3, despite the fact that I'm receiving all the channels I'm supposed to and multiple reauthorizations by Verizon.


My conditional access screen doesn't quite match either. It's on this screen where the tech noted that pairing was not correct, but I'm not exactly sure which line that may be.

I have cryptic notes, however Tivo has opened up a case, and they have the entire history, in quite amount of detail, of all that's happened at my installation. That includes replacement of the Tivo S3 (which didn't help), the suggestion by one tech person that I insert an amplifier, which the last person I spoke with said wouldn't help either.

The tech support person I spoke with was Kimberly and she was located in Alabama, and happened to work the 1-10PM shift. She did call me back once, and promised to call back again next Monday with an update.

Tivo engineering, as I indicated in an earlier post, is quite aware of these problems, so it won't be like they're hearing this for the first time. The only difference between you and me (and several others) is that your pixelization is outside of the frequency range I listed. That may mean an entirely different set of problems.

Most of the time we spent on the phone was on the three way conversation with Verizon tech support as they had to deactivate and reactivate my cable cards, as Tivo hoped that would solve the pairing issue, which it did not. That's why it sounds like a Tivo engineering problem. But I'm not an engineer.  Just a user that wants to enjoy the full capabilities of my Tivo.


----------



## matty87

Ron:

Thanks for the updates. My TiVo is sitting boxed up in the corner so I'm not sure if calling TiVo tech support will do any good. It's good to know that TiVo engineering is likely aware of the problem. But I'm not having Verizon re-install cable cards until I hear the problem has been fixed.


----------



## Ron Tobin

matty87 said:


> Ron:
> 
> Thanks for the updates. My TiVo is sitting boxed up in the corner so I'm not sure if calling TiVo tech support will do any good. It's good to know that TiVo engineering is likely aware of the problem. But I'm not having Verizon re-install cable cards until I hear the problem has been fixed.


I'm starting to lose confidence. I never got the phone call when I was promised. So I called back the next day. Naturally couldn't get the same agent. However the one who read the notes confirmed that engineering was working on it, that it now has a new case number (I got that number) and that "Kimberly probably didn't call back since there was no progress to report".

So the good news is that they claim to be working on it, but the bad news is that it's still pixelizing on the previously mentioned channels. Suppose I have no choice but to continue the waiting game.


----------



## flipit

I've historically had pretty consistently bad pixelation on three channels (UHD, DHD and Wealth), but haven't had any in over a week. That's coincidentally about the time I got the 8.3 update, but I have no idea whether they're related. Anybody else notice a material improvement?


----------



## Ron Tobin

flipit said:


> I've historically had pretty consistently bad pixelation on three channels (UHD, DHD and Wealth), but haven't had any in over a week. That's coincidentally about the time I got the 8.3 update, but I have no idea whether they're related. Anybody else notice a material improvement?


Nothing has changed relative to my situation since I got the 8.3 update.


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## bkdtv

jayjr98 said:


> I'm just curious, is Verizon actually making you guys pay your bill even though they know that you can't get some of these HD channels?
> 
> I was thinking of ditching DirecTV to go with Verizion Fios and a Tivo S3, but after reading all of this, it appears I had better wait it out.


The problem is specific to the Tivo Series3. It doesn't affect the Verizon FiOS STB or DVR.

There seems to be some incompatibility with the firmware Tivo uses for its MPEG-2 decoder and/or tuner. The FiOS DVR -- which doesn't exhibit the problem -- does use the same MPEG-2 decoder as the Series3, so the problem doesn't appear to be hardware-related.


----------



## Ron Tobin

bkdtv said:


> The problem is specific to the Tivo Series3. It doesn't affect the Verizon FiOS STB or DVR.
> 
> There seems to be some incompatibility with the firmware Tivo uses for its MPEG-2 decoder and/or tuner. The FiOS DVR -- which doesn't exhibit the problem -- does use the same MPEG-2 decoder as the Series3, so the problem doesn't appear to be hardware-related.


Yesterday I pressed Tivo tech support as to when there will be a fix. They then told me that it's not a Tivo problem, but an issue with my signal. They again suggested a line amplifier.

Today, I was about to insert an 8db bidirectional amp, which I happen to have, when I checked a few of the problematic channels, and they all have solid signals in the high 90s, and no pixelization. So obviously, I'm on hold for the moment, since all is okay. But I'm anxious to get to the bottom of this and bypass all the finger pointing between Tivo and Verizon. But difficult to attack, when it's intermittent.

Anyone else seem to have any further data?


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## wjdjr

Just to add some data. My pix problem started about a week or so ago after 6 weeks of no problems. It affects 435, 441 an 453 frequencies. It started only being bad around noon and has progressed to most of the day. It's not a TiVo problem since I have a Sony TV with a built-in cablecard that has the same problem on the same channels. I also have a Sony TV with cablecard that does not have the problem. The difference is that the one without the problem is directly connected to a 3-1 splitter (one to the TV, one to the attic, one to the modem) near the source. The other Sony and my 5 S3's (all have the same problem) are fed by a distribution system (2 8-1 amplifed spliters in the attic). All of this suggests a signal strength problem coming from Verizon. I'm in the DE, Philly, North MD area. Haven't talked to Verizon yet since I've been gathering data.


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## Ron Tobin

wjdjr said:


> Just to add some data. My pix problem started about a week or so ago after 6 weeks of no problems. It affects 435, 441 an 453 frequencies. It started only being bad around noon and has progressed to most of the day. It's not a TiVo problem since I have a Sony TV with a built-in cablecard that has the same problem on the same channels. I also have a Sony TV with cablecard that does not have the problem. The difference is that the one without the problem is directly connected to a 3-1 splitter (one to the TV, one to the attic, one to the modem) near the source. The other Sony and my 5 S3's (all have the same problem) are fed by a distribution system (2 8-1 amplifed spliters in the attic). All of this suggests a signal strength problem coming from Verizon. I'm in the DE, Philly, North MD area. Haven't talked to Verizon yet since I've been gathering data.


These are the ones I'm having trouble with:

825 717mhz TNT 
826 723mhz ESPN 
827 735mhz ESPN2 
828 717mhz NFL 
833 723mhz HDNet 
834 735mhz HDNetMV

And I've had Verizon out here many, many times, and they can't find a thing wrong. I'll be anxious to hear more about the data you collect, and I'll just watch my situation. Obviously, when all is fine, not much can be done by either vendor.


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## johnz64652

I also have had an ongoing problem with pixelization on the series 3.
My first unit worked fine for several weeks then both cable cards developed severe pixelization first on a few then all HD chanels. I contact verizon, changed the cable cards, but this didn't help. I called Tivo and they agreed to change my series 3 box. The new box had no pixelation with one channel and servere pixelation with the other. I switched the cable cards to see if it was the card or box and it was the box with the same channel having the pixelation. This is a real pain. I have used Tivos in the past and had no problems but if Tivo can't make this work properly they should refund all our money.
John


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## Ron Tobin

johnz64652 said:


> I also have had an ongoing problem with pixelization on the series 3.
> My first unit worked fine for several weeks then both cable cards developed severe pixelization first on a few then all HD chanels. I contact verizon, changed the cable cards, but this didn't help. I called Tivo and they agreed to change my series 3 box. The new box had no pixelation with one channel and servere pixelation with the other. I switched the cable cards to see if it was the card or box and it was the box with the same channel having the pixelation. This is a real pain. I have used Tivos in the past and had no problems but if Tivo can't make this work properly they should refund all our money.
> John


Who is your cable provider and what brand cable cards do they use?


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## johnz64652

My provider is Verizon Fios and I don't know what cable cards they use but it seems my problems are not unique.
John


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## Ron Tobin

johnz64652 said:


> My provider is Verizon Fios and I don't know what cable cards they use but it seems my problems are not unique.
> John


Verizon uses Motorola cable cards.

I don't want to claim a victory yet, however I just inserted an 8db amplifier on the feed going to my Tivo S3, and my pixelization has not yet appeared in the last 24 hours. This is significant because Verizon kept on saying "there signal is too hot" and maybe it is for the router and their STBs, however so far, it's doing the trick to avoid pixelization.

I'll keep this thread posted, however 24 hours is not enough time to tell for sure, if it works.


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## Ron Tobin

Two days since installation of an 8db amp on the Fios feed to my Tivo S3, and still no pixelization on the channels I previously reported problems with.

I still won't declare it a 100% solution, as I still need more time, but it's certainly a good sign. Might be worth a try for those of you who still have problems. If requested, I'll post exactly what I did and did not do, in order to make it all work.


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## bkdtv

Ron,

Nice, keep us updated.

Btw, FiOS just posted a preview of their upcoming FiOS v2.0 guide software for STBs and DVRs:

http://verizonfios.com/img/


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## Ron Tobin

Over one week now since I installed the above mentioned amplifier. Still no pixelization. Could it be that I've got my problem solved !!


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## bkdtv

You might want to link to that 8dB amp so other members experiencing the same problem can try it.


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## Ron Tobin

This is what worked for me, after many, many weeks of having Verizon service calls, having open tickets at Tivo, and even having several conference calls between Tivo tech support and Verizon.

My symptoms were pixelizing on the channels broadcast at 717, 723 and 735mhz. They are:

825 717mhz TNT 
826 723mhz ESPN 
827 735mhz ESPN2 
828 717mhz NFL 
833 723mhz HDNet 
834 735mhz HDNetMV

Verizon would come out, test their signal and claim it to be right within spec. Yet when the pixelization began, if you go to the diagostics screen on the S3, you can see the signal strength jumping all over the place and losing signal lock. When I called Tivo tech support, they suggested inserting an amplifier just to the cable line feeding the Tivo. Verizon countered that the signal was so "hot" that it would fry the Tivo unit.

I finally decided to give it a try one week ago. I happened to have a Radio Shack 8db bidirectional cable amplifier/4 way splitter. As it happens, the cable feed going to my Tivo had a Verizon installed two way splitter, with the other leg going to the Actiontec router. I initially removed the Verizon splitter, replaced it with the Radio Shack amplifier/splitter, terminated two of the four amplifier splitter outputs, and attached the S3 to one of the amplifier's outputs and the other to the router.

I first tried the Tivo and noticed immediately that my pixelization was gone, and the signal strength on the problematic channels was between 92 and 100. I then checked other channels and they were just as solid. Finally I checked my internet connection on my computer and that was working fine. So I figured I found a solution. But lastly, I checked several of the Verizon installed STBs, and found I lost the guide and my widgets. At that point, I assumed that the signal was actually too hot for the router, since the router is what's used for the guide and the widgets.

So I altered the installation slightly, by reinstalling the Verizon two way splitter, reattaching the router to one output of the Verizon splitter, and attached my amp between the other leg of the splitter and my Tivo. Now my Verizon STBs, after taking the time to reacquire the guide, were performing fine and the Tivo S3 was also perfect. That's the way my installation has been since I first reported that I'm pixelization free.

Radio Shack has two bidirectional amplifiers. One is the 8db model that I'm using which is also a 4 way splitter. But, as I've described there is no need for a splitter. They also have a 10db bidirectional amplifier, that's essentially the same thing and it's $20 cheaper. It does have a gain control if you find that the signal is really too hot for the Tivo.

Here's the link to the 10db amp that I'm referring to:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...mplifier&kw=cable+amplifier&parentPage=search

I'd be very interested in learning if my solution works for any forum members who have been struggling with pixelization issues on their Tivo S3.


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## SeanC

As someone who hopes to one day switch to Verizon FIOS I've been following this thread. Good work Ron! Please keep us updated, this is (knocking on wood) excellent news.


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## Ron Tobin

SeanC said:


> As someone who hopes to one day switch to Verizon FIOS I've been following this thread. Good work Ron! Please keep us updated, this is (knocking on wood) excellent news.


As I keep mentioning, and can't over emphasize, this seems to have solved my particular problems. However, we need others, who have had similar issues, to give it a try to see if this can be deemed a universal fix, or is just an isolated solution.


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## esmtexas

I just installed Fios with a Series 3 two weeks ago (all new). I initially had PIX issues on the following HD channels:

TNT 
ESPN 
ESPN2 
NFL 
HDNet 
HDNetMV

I called TiVO and they helped me open a ticket with Verizon. Verizon came out and as expected found their signal strenght (as measured at the COAX going into the TiVo as well within spec (very good). I also have a FiOs Motorola DVR installed that does NOT experience any PIX issues (as expected).

Verizon, at my request, changed the splitter between the ONT and TiVo, Fios DVR and 2 STB's with no improvement to TiVo.

A day later, the PIX issues disappeared on the TiVo (YEY) but don't know why. I now experience some minor PIX issues on FOX Sports Network but again, this is minor. In summary, I had major PIX issues and afther reporting the issue with TiVo and FiOs they have mysteriously gone away.

If the PIX issues return I willd definetly try the Radio Shack solution. Just wish I knew what caused the PIX issues in the first place.


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## Greeble

I originally had Pixelation problems to, but they eventually fixed themselves. Then around the time FIOS introduced the new HD stations. (FoodHD, HGTVHD) and the 8.3 I started getting pixelation again. I bought the cheaper $32 radio shack bidirectional amp and put it on the feed that goes to the tivo. I first tried it at 5bd and it helped, but there was still some on a few channels, I tried 7.5 and it got better but still not perfect on all of them. I finally cranked it up to 10 and haven't seen any pixelation yet. (Its only been a day so far though)


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## Ron Tobin

Greeble said:


> I originally had Pixelation problems to, but they eventually fixed themselves. Then around the time FIOS introduced the new HD stations. (FoodHD, HGTVHD) and the 8.3 I started getting pixelation again. I bought the cheaper $32 radio shack bidirectional amp and put it on the feed that goes to the tivo. I first tried it at 5bd and it helped, but there was still some on a few channels, I tried 7.5 and it got better but still not perfect on all of them. I finally cranked it up to 10 and haven't seen any pixelation yet. (Its only been a day so far though)


On what stations were you getting pixelization? Just the new HD channels? Or were there others.


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## Greeble

Ron Tobin said:


> On what stations were you getting pixelization? Just the new HD channels? Or were there others.


I was getting it intermitantly on FoodHD (I don't watch the others). But I also had it on TBS, Nick, TLC. Maybe some others I don't remember. (Nick was real bad for a while there, kids were sad)


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## AbMagFab

Just buy a good quality amp/splitter (like the Viewsonics ones), and your problems will go away (assuming you don't have an insane number of splits).

The quality splitter/amps (not the crap at Radio Shack) clean up the signals and boost the weak points, they don't just amp it all up.

I just got FIOS TV today (yay!!!) and I had some pixellation on DHD and UHD, so I put (one of) the amp/splitters back that I had with Comcast, and the pictures are perfect. (With Comcast, I had to add a 15db amp up front since the signal was sooo bad).

FIOS TV is the best!


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## Ron Tobin

AbMagFab said:


> Just buy a good quality amp/splitter (like the Viewsonics ones), and your problems will go away (assuming you don't have an insane number of splits).
> 
> The quality splitter/amps (not the crap at Radio Shack) clean up the signals and boost the weak points, they don't just amp it all up.


Good, valid suggestion. However, in my particular situation, using the Radio Shack amp which I happened to have in my junk box, cleared up the long standing pixelization issues for me -- 2 weeks now that I'm pixelization free. So I'm not messing with it. But certainly, for someone that's considering going out and buying an amp, this is a good solution. Only difference is that with a Radio Shack, you can buy it and try it. Then if it works for you, decide if you want to stick with what you have or internet order a better quality solution.


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## eggpro

Has anyone heard of any problems in the socal area (chino ca) of this problem.. I'm moving from Direct tv to Fios TV. my install date for fios TV is 6-7-07. I just bought my series 3 and did all the updates. I have verison 8.3. the whole reason why I went to fios is because of HD and I can use the new series 3 and not lose Tivo. thanks Gregg


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## johnz64652

I had severe pixelation issues on HD chanels. I called Tivo and they replaced my Series 3. The new unit had pixelation now only on one chanel. I called Tivo back and they replaced my replaced unit. My new Tivo is working great with no pixelation on any channel. If you are having a problem call Tivo. They were very nice about helping me.
John


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## Ron Tobin

johnz64652 said:


> I had severe pixelation issues on HD chanels. I called Tivo and they replaced my Series 3. The new unit had pixelation now only on one chanel. I called Tivo back and they replaced my replaced unit. My new Tivo is working great with no pixelation on any channel. If you are having a problem call Tivo. They were very nice about helping me.
> John


In my particular case, I got a replacement unit, however there was no improvement. Glad your two replacements finally solved your issues.


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## wjdjr

Update on my post of 5/8 

Had the Verizon people out on 5/19 & 20. The first tech checked out signals, changed two splitters and left with no improvement. He actually checked the optic signal at the box in the basement, on the poll outside my house and down the street at the main distribution box. His conclusion was that all was ok but no improvement. 

The guy on Sunday checked for errors going into the Series 3's and the Sony and found none. A different answer than the Sony which was showing errors. He changed the coax (and telephone line) from the box to my system which showed marginal improvement on the Sony but none on the S3's. (The telephone line had been damaged by a handyman who had installed a new dryer vent. The first Verizon people had used the dryer vent hole in the basement wall to bring the fibre optic line in and the coax/telephone line out) I showed him the post from Cajun Man (4/9) which stated that there was a configuration problem on the Verizon side in that instance. He left saying that he was going to recommend that Verizon change the fibre and look into a card in their system. Some one would call to set up the fibre change. (No one has; I have yet to have Verizon call back as they promise.) 

Some time around the 24th or 25th (as I was waiting for the call) the problem went away and hasn't been back since. I've been holding off to see if it was a short term fix but the "bad" channels have be ok for nearly two weeks now. I can only guess that something was changed on the Verizon side as the Sunday tech suggested. 

I did try an old Radio Shack varible amplifier as I was waiting for the Sunday guy. No improvement on the S3's but I was able to overload the S3's as I upped the gain (a message of no signal). 

I'm now just holding my breath.


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## DebInNJ

I just installed an S3 with Fios last Thursday. Have had pixelation ever since. It is on channels within the same frequency range. Called Tivo and they recommended a restart which didn't work. Then the amplifier, also didn't work. They said to call back and they would work with Verizon to get new cable cards. From reading this forum, it doesn't seem that will do much good. Not sure what to do next. Get the Verizon people out to check the cables and cards?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Deb


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## johnz64652

The problem with pixelation has nothing to do with verizon. Call Tivo and have them replace your Series 3 box. It took two replacement units but now it works fine with no video or audio problems.
John


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## wjdjr

I have a different experience than the last post (Johnz64652). I have 5 Series 3's and they all had the same problem on the same channels. A Sony TV with a built-in CableCard had the same problem on the same channels. Unlikely that this is a Series 3 problem that can be fixed with a Series 3 box change. The pixelatio has now gone away with no real change in my equipment. Quite probably there is more than one potential issue.


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## David_SG

I disagree with johnz64652 as well. if it were a tivo specific problem, then i wouldn't be having the exact same issue when i plug in one of my cablecards directly into my tv. it's a signal issue - whereby i assume the cablecard is more picky in the quality of the signal coming in.

my situation is similar to many. i'm in the d.c. area. all my channels worked great the first few weeks of fios service. then about 3 weeks ago, started having pixelization problems on my local hd channels - 801 - 809. all the national hd channels work fine. verizon guy came yesterday and swapped the splitter and did some other things - didn't fix anything. they are going to replace the ONT since they said i have an older model, but i'm not holding out hope that will work. i may try the amplifier. or i may just be patient. the latter proved the ultimate fix when i had similar issues with comcast. everything worked fine the first month i had comcast cablecards. then a bunch of hd channels went bad for a month. several tech visits found no solution. then out of nowhere, everything worked perfectly and stayed working perfectly the last few months i had comcast before i moved and switched to fios.

i normally would have assumed my tivo was the problem since it happened on two different networks (comcast and fios). but again, plugging the cablecard directly into my tv and having the same problem proves the issue isn't with the S3 but rather with the cablecard/signal.


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## DebInNJ

Well, I talked to Tivo and since the signal is jumping around in the diagnostic screen, they say it is a signal problem.

I called Verizon and they reinitialized the cable cards (they could do this without a trip to my house) and the pixelation is mostly gone. Channels that were unwatchable come in at 100% signal. This is the only thing we tried where we saw a change. We had tried the amplifier, new cables, running without splitters. 

It's been working for a day, so hasn't been that long.

Deb


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## Ron Tobin

DebInNJ said:


> Well, I talked to Tivo and since the signal is jumping around in the diagnostic screen, they say it is a signal problem.
> 
> I called Verizon and they reinitialized the cable cards (they could do this without a trip to my house) and the pixelation is mostly gone. Channels that were unwatchable come in at 100% signal. This is the only thing we tried where we saw a change. We had tried the amplifier, new cables, running without splitters.
> 
> It's been working for a day, so hasn't been that long.
> 
> Deb


If you read my previous posts you'll see that I've replaced receivers, replaced cable cards, had Verizon out countless times, etc., etc. The amplifier finally did it for me and I've been pixelization free since then. But that could also be a coincidence, of sorts, since I believe that Verizon might have improved their signal quality. I say that because additionally I do HD archiving outside of Tivo (R5000/Sage), and while the recording logs used to show constant errors with the incoming signal quality, that really didn't impact my recordings, now they show none. That tells me that something's changed with the quality of the signal -- for the good.

Hopefully the reinitialization of your cards will solve your problems.


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## Ilene

At the risk of jinxing myself- I have had no pixelation in over a month. On 4/29 I had reported that the pixelation had cleared on HD, but pixelation started occurring on SD. But shortly afterwards, it all went away. 
The only thing that is different is 8.3 which I received on 5/10. I do admit that I don't watch SD much anymore, but I have been periodically checking. I am of the opinion that Verizon Fios made changes (in addition to changing their billing system) that improved their signal in North Texas. So for others that are having issues, let's hope they make the same fixes everywhere.


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## Ron Tobin

Ilene said:


> At the risk of jinxing myself- I have had no pixelation in over a month. On 4/29 I had reported that the pixelation had cleared on HD, but pixelation started occurring on SD. But shortly afterwards, it all went away.
> The only thing that is different is 8.3 which I received on 5/10. I do admit that I don't watch SD much anymore, but I have been periodically checking. I am of the opinion that Verizon Fios made changes (in addition to changing their billing system) that improved their signal in North Texas. So for others that are having issues, let's hope they make the same fixes everywhere.


Seems like Verizon, nationally, is making improvements. Good for all of us.


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## resanders

I live in Morris County, NJ and my HD channels (for the most part) are fine... I noticed one of the HD channels the other day had slight pixelization but not sure which one off-hand (I'll report back on this). Anyway, for me it's channels 150 (TRAV), 160 (SCI-FI) and 161 (A&E) as well as some others which I'll report on later. So, these channels on my S3 TiVo units have heavy pixelization and are unwatchable. I have a Verizon DVR as well and, of course, that one is fine. I have a call into Verizon but haven't had them back out to the house, yet. Anyone out there with a similar problem? Not sure if it's just a splitter problem or what??


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## DebInNJ

I live in Monmouth County, NJ. I have pixelation on the same channels you mentioned, Travel, A&E, and if you check my guess is you will find many others. Disney, TVland, Food, HGTV, Wgn. I have found it is anything that has a signal in the low 400's. I would be curious to know if you have the same frequency range problems. I had my cable cards reintialzed and the problem got better for awhile but is now back to mostly unwatchable. I guess I have to have Verizon out to try fix it, but I'm not hopeful from what most have said in this group. I tried the Radio Shack amplifier and it did not work.

If we both have the problem on the same channels, I would think it is something Verizon needs to fix system wide.

Deb


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## resanders

DebInNJ said:


> I live in Monmouth County, NJ. I have pixelation on the same channels you mentioned, Travel, A&E, and if you check my guess is you will find many others. Disney, TVland, Food, HGTV, Wgn. I have found it is anything that has a signal in the low 400's. I would be curious to know if you have the same frequency range problems. I had my cable cards reintialzed and the problem got better for awhile but is now back to mostly unwatchable. I guess I have to have Verizon out to try fix it, but I'm not hopeful from what most have said in this group. I tried the Radio Shack amplifier and it did not work.
> 
> If we both have the problem on the same channels, I would think it is something Verizon needs to fix system wide.
> 
> Deb


I was on the phone a few times today and they re-initlialized the cable cards but the same pixelization problem exists. By the way, ch. 80 or CNN is also affected as well as cn. 845. They set up an appointment to come out to the house next Sat., 6/16 so hopefully they can diagnose the problem then (i.e. check the cables, signal strength, etc.) The rep mentioned that they might install an attenuator to boost the signal. I hope this works! Will keep you posted.


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## Ron Tobin

resanders said:


> I was on the phone a few times today and they re-initlialized the cable cards but the same pixelization problem exists. By the way, ch. 80 or CNN is also affected as well as cn. 845. They set up an appointment to come out to the house next Sat., 6/16 so hopefully they can diagnose the problem then (i.e. check the cables, signal strength, etc.) The rep mentioned that they might install an attenuator to boost the signal.


Attenuators usually REDUCE the signal, not boost them.


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## resanders

Ron Tobin said:


> Attenuators usually REDUCE the signal, not boost them.


Gotcha... thanks for the clarification... I figured it would be one way or the other but the point is that it will adjust the signal to come in clearer. Thanks!


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## Ronbo53

I also live in Monmouth County NJ and am having pixelation problems on my S3. It occurs on channels 50 (USA) - 145 (HGTV), this is a recent occurance for me. I have had FIOS and my S3 since December 2006, the pixelation has started within the last month. I have had a tech out here once and he was supposed to be back but never showed. He was going to try replacing the cable cards, but from what I read I don't think it will make a difference. When he was here he checked all of my signals, changed the strand of fiber at the pole and cleaned the connection from the pole to the house, all signals were good. None of it worked, sometimes my signal is 98%-100% with no pixelation, but when pixelation starts it bounces from 76%-94% according to the signal meter on the Tivo. I also tried the Radio Shack booster to no avail. I am going to be calling Verizon to come out again, something's gotta give here it seems like quite a few people are having this problem. What I don't understand is why I didn't have this problem for the first 5 months and then it becomes a serious issue in the last 30 days. I would think something would have had to have changed, whether it's Verizon or Tivo. I'll post my results after the next tech visit.


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## resanders

I may have been dreaming but I could've sworn the channels I mentioned with pixelization seemed to come in clear this morning!! The signal strength meter read at 99 - 100%!!! Don't know if I should call this resolved (I'll leave my appointment for this Sat., 6/16 to see what they find). I wonder... could Verizon have boosted the signal?? Hmmm.....


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## Ron Tobin

resanders said:


> I may have been dreaming but I could've sworn the channels I mentioned with pixelization seemed to come in clear this morning!! The signal strength meter read at 99 - 100%!!! Don't know if I should call this resolved (I'll leave my appointment for this Sat., 6/16 to see what they find). I wonder... could Verizon have boosted the signal?? Hmmm.....


Very possible. In my situation, things mysteriously improved between one day and the next.


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## DebInNJ

I still have the pixelation problems. They get slightly better after the reintialzation of the cards but it does not last. I have not called Verizon back yet. I'm going to wait to see what they find at your house. Although it seems people are finding several different solutions to this problem.


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## resanders

DebInNJ said:


> I still have the pixelation problems. They get slightly better after the reintialzation of the cards but it does not last. I have not called Verizon back yet. I'm going to wait to see what they find at your house. Although it seems people are finding several different solutions to this problem.


It seems to be a sporadic problem since I was able to watch some programs that were taped on those channels from yesterday morning but then last night the pixelization was happening again. Hopefully, Verizon will be able to resolve this issue on Saturday.


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## passatdream

WOW. I'm glad I read this. I'm having the same problem with my S3. I've had FiOS for about a year and the S3 since it came out. Everything was working great up until a few weeks ago. The Verizon tech spent 7 hours at my house last Friday working on the pixelation issue and didn't get anything resolved. We spent almost 3 of those 7 hours on a conference call with Tivo and Verizon trying to get things up and running. Tivo sent me a new S3 and I got it today. Plugged it in and got the CableCARDs activated. Still have the pixelation problem. Verizon is sending the tech back out tomorrow afternoon. Things are not sounding too good for the pixelation problem and my S3 that I absolutely love. :-( If all else fails, I guess I can get the horrible Verizon DVR.

P.S.: I don't believe there was a software update in the last 30 days. I think something changed on the Verizon network. Wonder if they are trying to get people to ditch their S3 Tivos and get their DVR?

P.P.S: I'm in Texas by the way and we are apparently having the problem here too.

Chris.


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## Ronbo53

I had the Verizon Tech back again today, again there was no change when he left. Unfortunately the S3 was not pixelating while he was here for him to see, not that I think it would have made a difference. The techs seem to be at a loss as to the cause. After he left, and the pixelation againn began of course, I went through every channel on the Tivo to see which ones pixelated. I have all channels,their station identifiers, their frequencies according to the Tivo and whether they are pixelating or not. To make a long story short any channel with the frequency between 411000 KHz and 429000 KHz has the pixelation problem. The next frequency 435000 KHz and anything higher do not have the pixelation. Now the question is what to do with this info, should I be contacting Verizon and trying to get this support ticket moved up to the next level or could it be a problem with Tivo and contact them with it. As I said before I am in Monmouth County NJ, anyone who would be interested in this list to use it to compare to the channels and frequencies they are having the pixelation problem with, feel free shoot me a message and I will send it in PDF form. To check the frequency of the channel I used 
'Read New Messages & Settings' -> 'Account & System Information' -> 'Diagnostics' and recorded the channel and frequency from that page on the tuner with the pixelation. I'd be curious to see if anyone else in NJ, or anywhere else for that matter, is having problems with the same frequency range.


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## rossm777

[I live in Needham and had the pixellation issues with my S3. Verizon couldnt figure out what to do and Tivo eventually agreed to send me a refurbished S3.

I put the refurb in place, moved the cable cards, and VOILA! The pixellation was WORSE.

So, I sent the refurb back and called verizon again. The tech suggested I swap the cable going from the wall to the tivo. I was skeptical but I have tried everything at this point.

So I grabbed one of my old RG6 cables that Directv had given me when the installer installed the service (many moons ago), and used that one.

My pixellation is 98% better. Now I only get pixellation occasionally and not nearly as regularly as in the past.
The cables that the verizon tech had given me are in the trash and I havent looked back.

Invest in a better cable to see if that solves your problems.

[I don't know how this happened, but I was replying to a different item in this forum and somehow my reply disapperaed after a spell check and this different problem showed up for me to post under my user-id] Sorry for the confusion. What button did my fat fingers hit????


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## rossm777

I have the same pixellation problem with Cox+ my S3 with Cox's cable cards. Problem is on channels between 100 and 118 (digital channels) and intermittently on other digital channels. The problem with recording everything is that I don't notice the problem for several days on some programs so continuity tracking is a problem. I just "assumed" it was an intermittent thing and deleted the recoding and went on with my life. But then it became solid on a channel I watch a lot Cox has been out once and had never seen a cable card before, but tried hard to understand the problem and talked to people at the office. She swapped out cable cards, but no help. Firmware version was 1045 on both cards.

Tech suggested I call Tivo. Tivo pointed back at Cox who is coming today. Tivo gave me a hotline number for Cox to call to get me out of the middle. So I've read the forum and have seen suggestions for:
1. change the cable from the wall to tivo.
2. put in an attenuator.
3 Put in a booster.
etc.

I will update this post (if I can find it later) if anything new happens that would be beneficial for the forum.


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## resanders

Well, just a quick update as Verizon came to the house today. After testing the signal strength, they installed an "attentuator" (which is basically a cone shaped device screwed onto the splitter) which didn't do much. So, I still have the same pixelization problems (in addition to previous channels mentioned, I've also noticed ch. 120 Lifetime is affected). I think at this point I may let this issue go for now since I have the two S3 boxes and a Verizon DVR which will allow me to tape any show on those channels with problems. Also, I'd hate to get away from TiVo since I love the functionality so much but Verizon is coming out with an Interactive Media Guide (which will automatically install on current Motorola boxes) which should dramtacially improve the overall Verizon DVR performance. So, I'm kind of on the fence about switching to all Verizon DVRs with the IMG capability which I'm told comes out in July but at the same time I want to see if any of those problem channels go fully digital or perhaps even upgrade to full HD. Good to luck to you all and I hope there will be a reasonable fix in the near future! To be continued....


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## AbMagFab

resanders said:


> Well, just a quick update as Verizon came to the house today. After testing the signal strength, they installed an "attentuator" (which is basically a cone shaped device screwed onto the splitter) which didn't do much. So, I still have the same pixelization problems (in addition to previous channels mentioned, I've also noticed ch. 120 Lifetime is affected). I think at this point I may let this issue go for now since I have the two S3 boxes and a Verizon DVR which will allow me to tape any show on those channels with problems. Also, I'd hate to get away from TiVo since I love the functionality so much but Verizon is coming out with an Interactive Media Guide (which will automatically install on current Motorola boxes) which should dramtacially improve the overall Verizon DVR performance. So, I'm kind of on the fence about switching to all Verizon DVRs with the IMG capability which I'm told comes out in July but at the same time I want to see if any of those problem channels go fully digital or perhaps even upgrade to full HD. Good to luck to you all and I hope there will be a reasonable fix in the near future! To be continued....


Again, attenuators REDUCE the signal, not amp it. I have FIOS too, and I needed a good amp that cleans the signal. I'd recommend you do the same. (Not radio shack crap).


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## Ilene

passatdream said:


> WOW. I'm glad I read this. I'm having the same problem with my S3. I've had FiOS for about a year and the S3 since it came out. Everything was working great up until a few weeks ago. The Verizon tech spent 7 hours at my house last Friday working on the pixelation issue and didn't get anything resolved. We spent almost 3 of those 7 hours on a conference call with Tivo and Verizon trying to get things up and running. Tivo sent me a new S3 and I got it today. Plugged it in and got the CableCARDs activated. Still have the pixelation problem. Verizon is sending the tech back out tomorrow afternoon. Things are not sounding too good for the pixelation problem and my S3 that I absolutely love. :-( If all else fails, I guess I can get the horrible Verizon DVR.
> 
> P.S.: I don't believe there was a software update in the last 30 days. I think something changed on the Verizon network. Wonder if they are trying to get people to ditch their S3 Tivos and get their DVR?
> 
> P.P.S: I'm in Texas by the way and we are apparently having the problem here too.
> 
> Chris.


Chris, 
You had started a new thread and now I see you posting here as well. Since the "new thread" is now buried on the next page, I was not sure you saw the responses to your thread http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=355614 and am wondering if you tried the suggestions we made there?


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## passatdream

Ilene said:


> Chris,
> You had started a new thread and now I see you posting here as well. Since the "new thread" is now buried on the next page, I was not sure you saw the responses to your thread http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=355614 and am wondering if you tried the suggestions we made there?


Ilene,

Thanks for the post. The same tech came out again on Tuesday and called some people within Verizon to escalate this problem. I even showed him this website and all of these posts with people saying the problem just started about 30 days ago. They have moved the issue along in the Verizon world. I'm waiting to hear back from them tomorrow and I'll post with with they tell me. I'm not sure how it would be a signal problem since this used to work without and issue. The Verizon tech tested my signal from the wall and said it was "perfect" and there wasn't an issue with the signal. I honestly believe that someone in Verizon changed something.

Chris.


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## resanders

AbMagFab said:


> Again, attenuators REDUCE the signal, not amp it. I have FIOS too, and I needed a good amp that cleans the signal. I'd recommend you do the same. (Not radio shack crap).


So, when you installed the amp you noticed that the pixelization problems went away or improved the performance of your channels? I asked the Verizon techs about that and they didn't recommend it since the signal into the house is already "too hot." And I've heard some people say that an amp doesn't work in some cases.


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## ah30k

There is no global answer to pixilation problems. Pixelation can be caused by a signal that is too hot, too weak or internal H/W or S/W problems in the device. One person may have found an amp makes things better while others may not.

For FiOS, there should be no need to either an amp or attenuators since the RF signal is coming only from the ONT on the side of the house and not from some central office miles away. The tech should have tuned the RF strength at each of your outlets before leaving. I think the root cause of the Verizon pixilation is still unfound.

Also, an amp will not necessarily clean signals up since they amplify both the signal and the noise. Amps used in a digital environment must be strategically placed along with devices that sense the 1's and 0's and retransmit them.


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## resanders

I just happened to come across a device -- Motorola 484095-001-00 Signal Booster -- which sells for $42 on Amazon. Check out the reviews. It seems to have worked for a lot of people (although I didn't read about any FiOS customers). Has anyone tried this? But as the previous post states, this will not necessarily solve the problem since all the proper adjustments can be made at the ONT. I wonder if it's just a matter of those channels being analog and will improve once they become fully digital. But then that doesn't explain the problems people have with HD channels which I don't have (except ch. 845).


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## DebInNJ

I agree that there are probably several problems here. But for Verizon in NJ and PA it is interesting that a couple of people have posted that the pixelation occurs on channels in the frequency range of 411 to 429 megahertz which is where my problem channels are. It would seem we should be able to talk to either Tivo, Verizon, or both and get this fixed since the problem channels can be isolated and predictable. Also, I think it would be helpful for anyone having pixelation problems to post the frequencies, rather than the channels, since it will be easier to find things in common given most channel lineups are different.

You find the frequencies by going into Messages and Settings>Diagnostics.


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## AbMagFab

resanders said:


> So, when you installed the amp you noticed that the pixelization problems went away or improved the performance of your channels? I asked the Verizon techs about that and they didn't recommend it since the signal into the house is already "too hot." And I've heard some people say that an amp doesn't work in some cases.


Yes, the pixellation went away completely.

The techs said the same thing to me about it being unnecessary. After they left, I did a channel scan on each of my TV's to see how it looked. And while the quality without any amps was tons better than Comcast, there were still pixellation issues on a couple of HD channels.

My point is that signal strength on the entire cable doesn't really tell you how each channel is doing, and it doesn't tell you how clean the signal is for every channel. And the Tivo signal meter is mostly useless (think of it more as a 1/0 meter).

My experience with OTA ATSC, Comcast, and now FIOS tells me that signal strength and quality is the #1 reason for pixellation. As I keep saying, just amping the signal with a crappy RS-type amp doesn't help, you need a quality amp that also cleans up the signal. I happen to prefer, and have had great experiences with Viewsonics (not the monitor people), which is why I recommend them.

For Verizon, it's less about the amp part, and more about the signal clean-up. And, even their splitter is crappy, and does like -4db to each split. With a powered, quality splitter/amp, you're ensuring the signal stays clean and isn't reduced after the split.

Almost everyone else here is talking theory, while I'm talking reality. Go get a Viewsonics splitter/amp from eBay for like $40, and the odds are your problems will go away.

First, of course, make sure you've removed any other unnecessaty splitters, amps, and ensure all your connections are good. Try to get as close to home-runs as possible, just to reduce the places something can be going wrong.


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## AbMagFab

ah30k said:


> There is no global answer to pixilation problems. Pixelation can be caused by a signal that is too hot, too weak or internal H/W or S/W problems in the device. One person may have found an amp makes things better while others may not.
> 
> For FiOS, there should be no need to either an amp or attenuators since the RF signal is coming only from the ONT on the side of the house and not from some central office miles away. The tech should have tuned the RF strength at each of your outlets before leaving. I think the root cause of the Verizon pixilation is still unfound.
> 
> Also, an amp will not necessarily clean signals up since they amplify both the signal and the noise. Amps used in a digital environment must be strategically placed along with devices that sense the 1's and 0's and retransmit them.


Theory theory theory... When you can talk actual experience, come back.

The amp point is exactly what I keep saying - don't get a crappy amp that just amps everything, get one (like Viewsonics) that cleans the signal as well.

In actual experience, not theory, this works. Even for FIOS.


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## ah30k

AbMagFab said:


> Theory theory theory... When you can talk actual experience, come back.


I have more experience than you might think. Could you please point me to some docs or specs on an amp that can selectively amp the signal and not the noise floor and seems to target certain frequencies as well? I'd love to learn more. In the meantime I will rely on my experience (of which you really have no knowledge). You seem to think that amp'ing will solve everyone's problems.


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## jjd

Just a note to say I'm having the same problem on FiOS in Boxborough, MA. It has happened since FiOS was installed in February '07, but got markedly worse in the past several weeks. Many channels are now completely unwatchable due to pixelization or freezes. I haven't made an exhaustive list, but some of the channels that reliably pixelate for me include: 829 (NESN HD), ESPN HD ESPN HD, 426 (ATMAX?) and BBC America.

I have Fios triple play, brand new RG6 cabling, and Motorola labelled CableCards.

Here's the interesting thing: I'm having the same problems with the TiVO S3 and the Sony LCD HD with CableCard. Perhaps the problem isn't with TiVO at all, but with the CableCards.

Verizon tech is coming on Friday.

--Jim--


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## Emacee

I have Verizon FIOS and I had pixelation on the SD cable channels early on. I have not noticed those lately but now I'm getting pixel break-up on the HD network TV channels. 
I assumed the problem was FIOS/TiVo (since I kept reading in earlier threads Tivo's mantra: We don't support FIOS). So I switched my network TV season passes to the off-the-air HD channels (assuming TiVo DOES support OTA). I'm getting the same kind of intermittent pixelation via antenna, as well. My Series3 is about six months old, so it shouldn't be hard drive failure (which I saw mentioned in another thread). Signal is steady on both the network TV channels (both via FIOS and OTA). Never had problems like this with Series One and DirecTivo.


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## resanders

I bought Motorola's drop amp (Motorola 484095-001-00 Signal Booster) and placed it before the initial splitter going into the Actiontec router and have noticed no improvement. For those of you that have had success with either a drop amp or splitter/amplifier, please point me in the right direction as to Brand name and model #. Thanks!!


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## jjd

jjd said:


> Here's the interesting thing: I'm having the same problems with the TiVO S3 and the Sony LCD HD with CableCard. Perhaps the problem isn't with TiVO at all, but with the CableCards.
> 
> Verizon tech is coming on Friday.


Well, the verizon tech came today and spent six hours here.

Tested fiber signal levels, coax signal levels. Replaced the ONT. Replaced the splitter. Cascaded the splitters. Added various attenuation.

No change -- still pixelating.

If it hadn't been for the fact that I had the Sony TV (with CableCard) exhibiting the exact same problem, I'm certain they would have blamed the TiVo.

They are now doing some more investigation and are supposed to call me back later.

I tried a random radioshack amplifier I had lying around and couldn't get a picture at all with it connected.

--Jim--


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## Ronbo53

Just a quick FYI for everyone with the Fios cablecard problem. I have been on Verizon about this for approximately over a month. As I have stated earlier the channels I am having a problem with are in the range of 4111000 and 429000 KHz, a total of 23 channels. I have had techs here on 5 separate occasions. I even showed the tech that the problem persisted if I placed the cablecard in my TV to prove it isn't a Tivo issue. The last tech was here twice, he was the best out of the 4 and had a very good knowledge of cablecards. Apparently he has done the cablecard install for several Verizon execs who reside in my area, about 30 minutes from NYC and their corporate offices. 
There are apparently 4 other people with the same issue as me in my area, which are out of the Red Bank Office in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It is also my understanding that all of these frequencies are coming through the same card in their office. All the other channel are coming from the other cards (I am not exactly sure what that means). I thought they would try switching cards in their office, but apparently not. I even offered them to take my S3 unit to the office and see if it happens there also. They apparently, contrary to the requests from their techs, have no hardware that will allow them to test the cablecards in their office, none of their test equipment such as TV's have the cablecard slots.
Today, after numerous calls to Verizon Fios Tech Support, I learned they closed out my ticket. This was obviously not done because it was resolved, it is pixelating right now. I then asked to speak with their network techs, because that was who I was told the issues were escalated to. They would not permit me to speak with them, but I was given a supervisor. He said they would open a new ticket, I expressed my concern that I would have to start from the beginning again. I was told he would link the two tickets so there would be no need to start again. He also said he would need to make a phone call and call me back, I was skeptical. I told him I was told that numerous times by other CSR's and never received a return call. He seemed offended and stated that when he says he is going to call back he will. Anyway about 30 minutes later I got a call back, not from him, but the original CSR rep I had spoke with. He said hwo surprised he was because there was obviously a problem with the cablecards in my area, and that it apparently affected an even larger area that that. He stated that from what he was told by the network techs is that cablecards receive the signal differently than the set top boxes and that the issue is currently with their engineers, but it is unknown how long a resolution will take. He said if I wanted I could call back once a week to be updated. I told him that was unsatisfactory and that I planned to escalate my complaint which I did at approximately 2:30 PM EST today. Let's see what happens. I have the name of the CSR I spoke with and the supervisor, they are out of the fiber solutions center in Texas. I don't whether it will help if everyone everyone talks to the same CSR and supervisor, but maybe it will.
Also if anyone else in my area is having the same issues send me a message. I want to compile a list with this information so as I am working with Executive Customer Relations out of the NY Corporate Office I can show them it isn't isolated to just myself and the 4 other people they know of in this area. Sorry for the long post, but I thought this may info may help.


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## HaloBox

Are all the problems in this thread in the North East (with the exception of Florida) ???


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## Rickster29us

I got my S3 about a month ago with 2 cable cards. It worked great from the start. Now this past weekend I started losing signal locks (and got pixelation) on several channels. Reading these posts I see a pattern with mine... it is in the 600MHz range... channels that are at 627, 633, and 645 MHz. July 8th was the worst... It has calmed down today but I am still getting periodic pixelation on 851 (HBO HD). It is doing it on both cards on just channels associated with the above frequencies. I had Verizon reset the cards... no go... reset the box several times....ditto... It could be so many things I don't know where to begin. The only constant are the frequencies involved. Could a splitter be going bad? Before I contact Verizon to schedule a visit I would like to hear what other people think. I really don't think buying a signal boost is the answer. I think there is something wrong with Verizon's signa. But why would it work for a month and then start on both cable cards? I don't believe both cable cards would go bad at the same time. It could be the TIVO box... But I am having the same issues as others in this forum. Of course my Verizon DVRs are unaffected. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## Rickster29us

BTW.. I am in the Washington DC area.


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## 6079 Smith W

I'm coming in late to this thread, but I'll echo what DebInNJ and Ronbo53 have said.

I'm a FIOS customer in Red Bank, NJ. I have one S3 and one Verizon DVR. The S3 started developing pixelation problems some time back. No such problems with Verizon's DVR.

I concur that the problem is limited to the range of frequencies between 411MHz and 429MHz. I haven't had pixelation problems on any other channels except those on this set of frequencies.

I had a Verizon tech out to see what was up, and luckily the pixelation problem was extremely bad during his visit. Other than my signal into the S3 being a bit on the hot side (which he corrected), nothing he did could eliminate the pixelation. He spoke on the phone to another VZ tech on another service call in the area that coincidentally was for an S3 with pixelation problems. After their conversation, the techs seemed to be convinced that there was some problem in Verizon's feeds that cablecards were more sensitive to than their DVRs.

I never heard anything else from them, but then I didn't press them for a resolution as I haven't been watching or recording anything on the affected channels recently.

While I'm not thrilled that it wasn't resolved, I was a comforted a bit in knowing that I wasn't alone. I really only had VZ out because I was prepared to call TiVo for a replacement, thinking VZ would confirm that nothing was wrong on their end, and I wanted to be ready to tell TiVo that I had already exhausted the Verizon angle.

I'm extremely interested to find out how this gets resolved.


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## HaloBox

6079 Smith W said:


> While I'm not thrilled that it wasn't resolved, I was a comforted a bit in knowing that I wasn't alone. I really only had VZ out because I was prepared to call TiVo for a replacement, thinking VZ would confirm that nothing was wrong on their end, and I wanted to be ready to tell TiVo that I had already exhausted the Verizon angle.
> 
> I'm extremely interested to find out how this gets resolved.


They need to look at how things are being implemented on the eastern seaboard. It is not happening here in the birthplace of FIOS.


----------



## Ronbo53

Well, I spoke with the local Verizon tech today and they have apparently figured the cause of the problem. There is apparently one card in their office that all the problem channels (411000 through 429000 KHz) come through. I have made numerous calls complaining about these issues, all fell on deaf ears. I finally got fed up and called the corporate Verizon offices in NY to air my grievance. This seems to have worked for the most part they are now admitting the problem is on their end, they finally sent one of their network techs/engineers out to the Red Bank, Monmouth County NJ office. He tested the card, switched the problem frequencies (all come in on the same card, other good channels on other cards) over to a backup card and surprise just like that, the pixelation disappeared. My tech has been telling the network people the whole time that this was the problem. After they figured out the solution, they switched the old problem card back in the system. I am waiting for a call back from the person corporate assigned to help solve my issue, and I am planning to take this up with him. My tech has an email from the engineer stating the problem. I am hoping to have this resolved today, the problem is, from what I understand they cannot replace the card until it is "Safe Time" which is 2 AM. I will submit another reply to this post, when I have this resolved, with who to contact to for anyone else who is experiencing these issues. I would suggest going through and writing down each problem channel and their frequency to get the ball rolling. I am hoping to hear from the engineer in the next couple of hours. More to come.


----------



## Ronbo53

Well when I got home from work today I had a message from Joe, I believe he is one of the higher ups at the Fiber Solutions Center in Virginia who has been helping me and handling my case. He has been great, he has updated me each day since Friday with the progress they have made, he is definitely one of the 4 people at Verizon I am very happy with. He said they have isolated the problem causing our pixelation in the area serviced by the Red Bank, NJ office. He asked me to bear with the lousy picture quality until tomorrow, they have a service call set up for the Red Bank office for tonight. The repair (replacing a malfunctioning card which the problem frequencies, 411000 through 429000 KHz, come through) will be made tonight during the "Safe-Time" I believe that is between 2 Am and 4 AM. So the real test will be tomorrow when I get home from work. From speaking with all of the people I have been at Verizon I am confident they will have this resolved tonight. My fingers are crossed, it's been a horrible month and a half trying to get this resolved.


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## Rickster29us

On Monday, July 9 my pixelation problem on channels using the 611 - 645 MHz frequency stopped. It has been good since. Since I live in the DC area I wonder if fixing the problem at the Red Bank office fixed my problem. But I never had problems on the 400 Mhz range channels so I don't know what happened. Anyway, I've been good for 4 days and I hope it lasts. If anyone had problems on the 611 - 645 MHz channels I would like to hear about it. Thanks.


----------



## jjd

Where does one find a mapping between Fios channel number and the frequency used for that channel? From what I've read here it is very non-linear.

I'm still having problems in MA -- verizon is coming to the house again today (after 6hrs the last time) to "measure some levels". I thought I had been successful in convincing them the problem wasn't in my house since I could eliminate the wiring as the problem (happens with CableCard-TV connected directly to ONT) and we could eliminate the hardware (since it happens on CableCard-based tivo and CableCard-based tv) and we could eliminate the ONT (they replaced it.)

But still, I find myself taking more time off from work to "measure levels".

--Jim--


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## catdog48

I starting having a similar problem last Friday night. I have a two S3's, two cable cards in each. On one I stopped getting one channel (829 NESN - I live just outside of Boston). I get the following message: "Searching for signal on: Basic Cable in." Sometimes if I just let it sit there the signal will come in for 2-3 seconds, then I get pixalation then it goes back to a blank screen. This happens on both cable cards. 

The weird thing is that on the other S3 I get channel 829 on both cable cards just fine. Futhermore, I swapped one cable card from TV that wasn't getting 829 and put it in the one that was -- same result, I couldn't get 829 on the problem one but could on the other. This leads to to think that it's not the card.

I'll try swapping the other cards, but it's is weird that I can get 829 on one set, but not the other. And, it's only that channel, all my other 800-level HD channels come in great. 

Just thought I throw this out there in case others have something similar.

...I just read rdangel's post on 4-21-07 about the splitters, thanks for that, I think I will give that a try. rdangel, does it still work three months later?


----------



## DebInNJ

jjd said:


> Where does one find a mapping between Fios channel number and the frequency used for that channel? From what I've read here it is very non-linear.
> 
> I'm still having problems in MA -- verizon is coming to the house again today (after 6hrs the last time) to "measure some levels". I thought I had been successful in convincing them the problem wasn't in my house since I could eliminate the wiring as the problem (happens with CableCard-TV connected directly to ONT) and we could eliminate the hardware (since it happens on CableCard-based tivo and CableCard-based tv) and we could eliminate the ONT (they replaced it.)
> 
> But still, I find myself taking more time off from work to "measure levels".
> 
> --Jim--


Hi Jim,

You go to Messages and Settings -> Account & System Information -> Diagnostics

You will see the channels you have on live Tv in two lists. You just need to page down to get all the information.

In Monmouth County we finally have the problem fixed. We were having pixelation on all channels that were in the 400-429 megahertz range. I think it turned out there was a bad card in one of the offices transmitting and once that card was replaced all has been pixelation free. Verizon didn't seem to want to do anything about it until it was shown that the same pixelation happened when the cable card was in a TV.

Good luck,
Deb


----------



## eggpro

Well I live in Chino CA last week I started having pixelaztion problems.. I called Verizon they reset my cable cards with no change.. So today they sent out a tech. said "the signal looks good" yet when we went to the signal strength it went from 98% to 88% on my 800s channels mostly 825 826 827 and 828. I rent a post from "ron" like on the 4th page about putting a bidirection amp on so I did out in the garage before my split to my other TV after the tech left.. so far no pixelation problems (knocking on wood)... the strange thing is it doesn't always happen.. thankfully is happened when the tech was here. does anyone have any other info possibly to help? so far im ok but something tells me something else is wrong?? thanks Gregg


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## catdog48

To follow-up on my post from 7/16/07 (pixelation on one HD channel - FIOS in Needham, MA), I put a 2-to-1 splitter on the incoming cable to TiVo and no pixelation, works great. Seems signal strength is just too much. I guess this also make some sense that I wasn't getting pixelation on my same environment upstairs (much longer cable length to that TV). Hope this helps someone with similar problems.


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## Ron Tobin

If you read some of my earlier posts, I reported problems with pixelization on some of the HD channels, and the remedy seemed to be the installation of a bidirectional cable amplifier. Some of you reported success by doing the same, and others had different issues and no results.

Well............ things were working just fine for me, for months until just the other day I started to get pixelization on CNN and CNN Headline News. So I checked the signal levels and they were bouncing all over the place. Then I removed the amplifier, and of course that didn't help. But I also checked the HD stations that initially were bad, and they seem to be fine. So new problem, and the amp doesn't do a thing.

From reading some of the posts here, it seems like there's different issues on different systems. Anyone have any experience with SD channel pixelization and can share the remedies that ultimately solved the problem. Of course, it's all cable card related because if I check another set that has a Verizon STB, there's no pixelization.


----------



## Ilene

Not sure which thread to post this in as I do not live in MA, but in the Verizon "Home" base area in North Texas. 
I after months of enduring random pixelation issues (first only on local HD, then on all SD) following every suggestion that I read in this forum with the exception of the amp, it stopped. 
What changed? As far as I know, I am the only one suggesting to recheck all cables including the cables to the ActionTec modem. I restarted my modem and the TiVo after making sure everything was securely attached, things that screw in were screwed in good - you get the point. I also replaced the cable coming from the wall into TiVo with R6. The pixelation stopped. Is there a relationship between what I did and the stoppage of the pixelation? Can't tell you because I have no way of knowing if Verizon made any changes, but I suspect they have. From 4/10 until 7/28ish everything was fine. 

Now I am pixelating on local HDs again. What changed? Well, for one it finally stopped raining (not really complaining since we were in a drought for over 2 years). For 2, TiVo released the cheaper version of the S3. 

Now we have a bunch of new people experiencing the same issues we had when we got our S3's and calling both TiVo and Fios. I think when we look back and analyze these threads, we will find a bell curve of the chatter as these issues were resolved with 8.3 for most of us. Again, not sure if there really is a correlation here or not.

TiVoHD was released with 8.1. The same cableCard install headaches are occurring (you would think by now Verizon would have set up a department that handles this - who knows, maybe they did, but with newbies that have no idea how issues were resolved). So they are fixing things that really were not broken, and thus breaking it. TiVo may be doing the same thing (fixing things that really are not broken). Turn over in customer service is high when all the reps here all day are people complaining, so there is no history to learn from. When I was calling TiVo in Oct/Nov/Dec the CSRs were from Alabama. No one that I spoke with had HD TV, nevermind an S3. 

Random thoughts, I know. I wish we had a form to post our issues to so that an analysis can be done to isolate the cause or to a least see a pattern. There are so many variables here. TV set up (HDMI, Component, Composite), Amp/Receiver (optical, digital audio), Motorola CC/Scientific American CC , M-card/not M-Card. Cable Company (I know this is a Fios Thread, but trust me every cable company thread has similar issues). This form should be on the TiVo web site to help them gather the evidence. Verizon is not going to make this a high priority for them as they would prefer we use their equipment.


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## Ronbo53

My pixelation problem was directly related to Verizon, if you read my earlier posts I wound up making a complaint to their corporate offices in NY. Every time I called a Level 1 Verizon CSR they sent out a local tech, 5 times in total I believe. To make a long story short it wound up being a card in their local office where the signal I believe was sent out. The range of frequencies I was having trouble with was coming from that card. They wound up having to do a bunch of tests at the local office to figure this out (which they replaced and solved my problem), and a call to Verizon Corporate Executive Customer Relations to have them finally fix my problem. This was affecting numerous people in my area and I believe it has alleviated the problem for all. I was also able to prove the pixelation was their problem because when I put the cablecard in my television it also pixelated, not as badly but it did prove my point about it being a Verizon issue not Tivo's problem. After making the right call the issue was fixed within 1 week.


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## jmr50

I'm seeing the pixelation/audio-drops on the following channels:

TNTHD 825 (717000 KHz)
ESPN 826 (723000 KHz)
ESPN2 827 (735000 KHz)
NFLnet 828 (717000 KHz)
HDnet 833 (723000 KHz)
HDnet Movies 834 (735000 KHz)

The issue can be quantified by looking at the diagnostics and seeing the signal strength flip from something decent (97, 94, etc) to a - and the Signal Lock flip from yes to no as often as every second.

There's some time of day thing going on here -- mid-day seems bad, late night (11pm+) seems bad. Lots of people seem to have made progress with verizon - suggestions how to proceed other than just calling them up at their normal number?


----------



## Ron Tobin

jmr50 said:


> I'm seeing the pixelation/audio-drops on the following channels:
> 
> TNTHD 825 (717000 KHz)
> ESPN 826 (723000 KHz)
> ESPN2 827 (735000 KHz)
> NFLnet 828 (717000 KHz)
> HDnet 833 (723000 KHz)
> HDnet Movies 834 (735000 KHz)
> 
> The issue can be quantified by looking at the diagnostics and seeing the signal strength flip from something decent (97, 94, etc) to a - and the Signal Lock flip from yes to no as often as every second.
> 
> There's some time of day thing going on here -- mid-day seems bad, late night (11pm+) seems bad. Lots of people seem to have made progress with verizon - suggestions how to proceed other than just calling them up at their normal number?


Those are exactly the same ones I had problems with, several months back, until it mysteriously corrected itself. Now it's new channels (SD) that are problematic.


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## Ron Tobin

My pixelization on SD channels continues, and has actually expanded. While not wasting my time checking every SD channel, normal viewing has identified pixelization on the channels which are broadcast on 441mhz, 447mhz and 453mhz. Included on those frequencies are CNN, CNN Headline, A&E, Travel, and many others.

Starting to lose patience, so placed a call into tech support. Got a level one guy who started with the usual "maybe it's your cable or splitter, etc., etc.". I told him to look at my history, and he would see that I've been down that route with the HD channels. I told him that I'm convinced it's a cable card/VZ eqt. problem, and nothing at my home. I did not want a tech visit, but wanted them to perform some tests at the distribution hub for my area. He agreed (although he was only a level one guy) and said he'd escalate to network solutions, and I would be getting a call.

Unfortunately, I'm unable to locate anyone else in my area with an S3 and VZ cable cards, but I'm sure if they diligently follow up, they'll find some customers in my area with the same eqt. I've had VZ for 6 months and certain that they are learning more and more with each installation.

Any Sarasota area VZ cable card customers out there? Please let me know of any pixelization you may have.


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## 6079 Smith W

The pixelation on FIOS in Red Bank, NJ seems to be back - this time limited to all of the "local" channels (basically channels 2 through 50).

Since they replaced the bad card at the VZ facility back in July, all of the problems that folks in my area had been seeing vanished.

I'm wondering if there's another bad card that needs fixing on their end?


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## DebInNJ

Hi Frank,

Have you called Verizon? I only saw the pixelation briefly so I wasn't sure if it was just my Tivo. 

Thanks,

Deb


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## Ronbo53

Noticed it here too. On the phone with them now, once again.


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## bkdtv

Ron,

Can you remind me...Were you using an attenuator? I ask because a member on another forum found that the attenuator used by Verizon caused a significant dropoff across a part of the frequency band, causing pixelization on a handful of channels with the Tivo.


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## Ronbo53

No attenuators installed, they tried but it did nothing. Last time it was a card in the Verizon local office, they finally replaced it and it fixed the problem. Sounds like another card is going in their office. I have already been in touch with them, curious to see if these channels are all coming in on the same frequencies on the same card. I haven't had time to check.


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## wbradney

Thought I'd chip in here too. I've had FIOS since March (Morris Plains, NJ) and I've had virtually no problems until about 3 weeks ago, when I started to get horrible pixellation on a specific set of channels (and no others -- they're rock solid):

67 SNY
102 SCIENCE
103 DISC TIMES
105 MILI
141 DHC
143 FITV
144 FOOD
145 HGTV
148 DCHOME
169 BBCA
170 COMEDY
177 FOXREAL
178 FUEL
229 DCKIDS
408 HBOC
410 HBOZ
830 YESHDNY
851 HBOHD

Called Verizon today and they had a tech call by within the hour. He was here for about 6 hours, measured the signal (all passed), replaced the splitter, checked cables, checked the light (at the ONT, the pole, and the hub), replaced the ONT, replaced the cable cards, replaced the router, left to consult and came back again and checked everything twice. Attenuated the signal, boosted the signal. Nothing helped -- still the same amount of pixellation on the same channels. All this time the Verizon SD set-top box was rock solid on all channels we tried.

The guy seemed to be quite experienced (with the fiber tech but not so much the networking side), very patient, and at the end of the day beat. Nothing we tried made any difference. Tomorrow I call TiVo, but I'm not hopeful. It's very disappointing after enjoying a working HD Tivo for 5 months to now be a position where I must dump it and go back to a Motorola DVR.


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## Ron Tobin

wbradney said:


> Thought I'd chip in here too. I've had FIOS since March (Morris Plains, NJ) and I've had virtually no problems until about 3 weeks ago, when I started to get horrible pixellation on a specific set of channels (and no others -- they're rock solid):
> 
> 67 SNY
> 102 SCIENCE
> 103 DISC TIMES
> 105 MILI
> 141 DHC
> 143 FITV
> 144 FOOD
> 145 HGTV
> 148 DCHOME
> 169 BBCA
> 170 COMEDY
> 177 FOXREAL
> 178 FUEL
> 229 DCKIDS
> 408 HBOC
> 410 HBOZ
> 830 YESHDNY
> 851 HBOHD
> 
> Called Verizon today and they had a tech call by within the hour. He was here for about 6 hours, measured the signal (all passed), replaced the splitter, checked cables, checked the light (at the ONT, the pole, and the hub), replaced the ONT, replaced the cable cards, replaced the router, left to consult and came back again and checked everything twice. Attenuated the signal, boosted the signal. Nothing helped -- still the same amount of pixellation on the same channels. All this time the Verizon SD set-top box was rock solid on all channels we tried.
> 
> The guy seemed to be quite experienced (with the fiber tech but not so much the networking side), very patient, and at the end of the day beat. Nothing we tried made any difference. Tomorrow I call TiVo, but I'm not hopeful. It's very disappointing after enjoying a working HD Tivo for 5 months to now be a position where I must dump it and go back to a Motorola DVR.


Sorry for your problems. Welcome to the "club".

Do you happen to know the frequencies of the channels you're having problems with? If so, do you see a pattern? To find the frequency, you need to go to the diagnostics screen when tuned at the channel. You will also see the signal strength jumping all over the place while it's pixelizing.


----------



## wbradney

Ron Tobin said:


> Sorry for your problems. Welcome to the "club".
> 
> Do you happen to know the frequencies of the channels you're having problems with? If so, do you see a pattern? To find the frequency, you need to go to the diagnostics screen when tuned at the channel. You will also see the signal strength jumping all over the place while it's pixelizing.


I just went through all the problem channels in the diagnostic screen and yes, I do see the signal jump all over the place on these problem channels. The "Signal Lock" also constantly switches between 'Yes' and 'No':

645000 KHz - 67 SNY
627000 KHz - 102 SCIENCE
627000 KHz - 103 DISC TIMES
627000 KHz - 105 MILI
627000 KHz - 141 DHC
627000 KHz - 143 FITV
417000 KHz - 144 FOOD
417000 KHz - 145 HGTV
627000 KHz - 148 DCHOME
627000 KHz - 169 BBCA
429000 KHz - 170 COMEDY
627000 KHz - 177 FOXREAL
627000 KHz - 178 FUEL
627000 KHz - 229 DCKIDS
633000 KHz - 408 HBOC
633000 KHz - 410 HBOZ
639000 KHz - 830 YESHDNY
645000 KHz - 851 HBOHD

This doesn't look good to me -- there is a pattern -- the same frequency seems to be reused for several channels here. Is this the problem? Is the TiVo just trying to tune the wrong frequency?


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## sommerfeld

wbradney said:


> the same frequency seems to be reused for several channels here. Is this the problem?


No, it's entirely expected. Digital television systems (both over-the-air ATSC and over-the-cable QAM) pack multiple streams of programming into a single frequency band (what we used to think of as a "channel"); data within the encoded bitstream lets the receiver pick out the desired stream. The exact number of different streams per frequency depends on the format and degree of compression applied to the signal.


----------



## Ron Tobin

wbradney said:


> I just went through all the problem channels in the diagnostic screen and yes, I do see the signal jump all over the place on these problem channels. The "Signal Lock" also constantly switches between 'Yes' and 'No':
> 
> 645000 KHz - 67 SNY
> 627000 KHz - 102 SCIENCE
> 627000 KHz - 103 DISC TIMES
> 627000 KHz - 105 MILI
> 627000 KHz - 141 DHC
> 627000 KHz - 143 FITV
> 417000 KHz - 144 FOOD
> 417000 KHz - 145 HGTV
> 627000 KHz - 148 DCHOME
> 627000 KHz - 169 BBCA
> 429000 KHz - 170 COMEDY
> 627000 KHz - 177 FOXREAL
> 627000 KHz - 178 FUEL
> 627000 KHz - 229 DCKIDS
> 633000 KHz - 408 HBOC
> 633000 KHz - 410 HBOZ
> 639000 KHz - 830 YESHDNY
> 645000 KHz - 851 HBOHD
> 
> This doesn't look good to me -- there is a pattern -- the same frequency seems to be reused for several channels here. Is this the problem? Is the TiVo just trying to tune the wrong frequency?


What's interesting is that your problems are in two places - the 400mhz range and the 600mhz range. My current pixelization problems are strictly in the 400mhz range. Keep on Verizon to resolve it, and please let us know what's the solution.

Apparently, different pockets of the country experience the same problem but at different frequencies. For instance, several months ago, I had severe pixelization in the 700mhz range on some of the HD channels, and then it mysteriously went away. Now it's reared its ugly head in the 400s. I have an open ticket with VZ for them to fix it, but to date, no solution.


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## 6079 Smith W

wbradney,

That seems remarkably like the problem we were having in May/June in the Red Bank area in NJ, even down to the range of channels that seemed to be affected.

For us, it turned out to be a bad card somewhere in Verizon's facilities. Whatever was wrong with their card, it was not enough to cause widespread problems, just with Tivos that used cablecards. Once they replaced their equipment, the problem went away.

When I had the problem with my S3, the Verizon tech pretty much spent an entire day at my place doing all the same things you had done at yours.

I, too, really only planned on having them come out because I was pretty sure it was a bad S3. Thanks to Ronbo53 and Deb who said they were having the same trouble, Verizon finally dealt with the problem on their end.

I'd stick with it and try to get Verizon to check their equipment.


----------



## 6079 Smith W

DebInNJ said:


> Hi Frank,
> 
> Have you called Verizon? I only saw the pixelation briefly so I wasn't sure if it was just my Tivo.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Deb


Yep, I opened a ticket with VZ last night, and referenced Ronbo53's open ticket so that they'd know it wasn't just a single person affected.

The problem was still there when I checked at around 6AM today.


----------



## wbradney

6079 Smith W said:


> wbradney,
> 
> That seems remarkably like the problem we were having in May/June in the Red Bank area in NJ, even down to the range of channels that seemed to be affected.
> 
> For us, it turned out to be a bad card somewhere in Verizon's facilities. Whatever was wrong with their card, it was not enough to cause widespread problems, just with Tivos that used cablecards. Once they replaced their equipment, the problem went away.
> 
> When I had the problem with my S3, the Verizon tech pretty much spent an entire day at my place doing all the same things you had done at yours.
> 
> I, too, really only planned on having them come out because I was pretty sure it was a bad S3. Thanks to Ronbo53 and Deb who said they were having the same trouble, Verizon finally dealt with the problem on their end.
> 
> I'd stick with it and try to get Verizon to check their equipment.


Do you have a contact at Verizon that I could use? Or a specific description of your problem that I could give to them? I already wasted a whole day on this, and I'm hating the prospect of going through Verizon's level 1 support again.


----------



## PSUMattDE

So this is where the thread is!  

As some others mentioned - I had the same problem with channels in the 633 and 639 frequencies a few weeks back.

Tech removed my attenuator - and it stopped happening. I always figured there was probably more to it - like a bad card somewhere within VZ.

But I had all the same symptoms as you all - signal levels going from 100 to 93 to 87 to 50 - all kinds of errors recorded, you name it.

I've been good ever since.


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## Ron Tobin

PSUMattDE said:


> Tech removed my attenuator - and it stopped happening. I always figured there was probably more to it - like a bad card somewhere within VZ.


No attenuators in my home, although splitters are actually attenuators, too. The techs measure my signals right from the cable to my Tivo, and got perfect readings.


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## JonInVA

jmr50 said:


> I'm seeing the pixelation/audio-drops on the following channels:
> 
> TNTHD 825 (717000 KHz)
> ESPN 826 (723000 KHz)
> ESPN2 827 (735000 KHz)
> NFLnet 828 (717000 KHz)
> HDnet 833 (723000 KHz)
> HDnet Movies 834 (735000 KHz)
> 
> The issue can be quantified by looking at the diagnostics and seeing the signal strength flip from something decent (97, 94, etc) to a - and the Signal Lock flip from yes to no as often as every second.


Hi jmr50 - I'm also in Loudon (specifically Ashburn, off of Ryan RD).

I've got pixellation on that exact set of channels and frequencies, plus all of the FIOS music channels, which here in Loudon are in the 4XX000 KHz range. Park your TiVo on one of those and tell me if it doesn't start doing the same pixellation / audio dropout nonsense that you've got on your National HD channels.

Been this way for almost a year now, but I honestly haven't tried much other than signal attenuation (which has decidedly NOT worked for me, even with varying levels of "ultra wideband" rated attenuators). I just hate dealing with the FiOS call center, it truly makes me want to kill puppies (I've tried twice to correct the spelling of my name on my bill).

Seems to me like we can start calling this problem "systemic." Verizon has a problem on its hands if these "cards" are bad at distribution points nationwide. Too bad it only impacts us CableCARD users.


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## jasontemple

I've had this problem for close to 3 months now on my S3 w/ FIOS. I'm really fed up as BBCA and NESNHD (red sox HD) are unwatchable. Other channels are effected too but I don't watch them much. I'm just outside of Boston and I've had 3 techs out...who replaced all the cable in the house and the ONT as well...no luck. 

How would I make a case for them to look into replacing their card on their end. I've only got one TV so I can't just throw the CC in something else to test.

I asked them to bring a cable box that can take a cable card to troubleshoot at my place and they say it would take over a day to activate, etc. Is that just the run-around? How can I show them that it's their problem or mine (Tivo's).


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## Ronbo53

That's not true, a cablecard is activated within 15 minutes. A majority of the techs no nothing about cablecards. They were out at my house and changed the cablecards on 3 separate occasions, but in reality I had to make the change for them twice the third tech they sent out was extremely knowledgeable. I figure that if they don't know how to do it, they will just make something up to get out of it. It's just the luck of the draw,.


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## Ronbo53

The problem is that everyone is reporting it to different people. Verizon never seems to make the connection, they do not know how widespread it is. I am wondering if everyone who files a tech support complaint about the pixelation posts their trouble ticket number each of the rest of us could call Verizon back and reference the ticket numbers that he others have filed. I know there are at least 3 of us out of the same office in Red Bank, New Jersey that are having this problem, but they don't see the connection. Myself and 6079 Smith W have referenced each others ticket yesterday, I have tried to tell them once again that this is not just isolated to me. But the Level 1 tech support people don't understand and the level 2 tech support people have built a wall around themselves so you cannot reach them and they never call back. They just want to keep sending techs to my house. If I dont have this resolved or at least on it's way to being resolved I will be placing a call to the head of the Executive Customer Service Division in Verizon Corporate offices or the CEO (again, which did work last time and now it's apparently a different bad line card in their office) and it would be extremely beneficial if we could give him numerous trouble ticket numbers to show this is not an isolated issue. I am sure we are just the tip of the iceberg, I wonder how many people out there are having the same problem but don't know about this thread or forum. It is getting a little ridiculous at this point, they need to do something about the quality of their equiptment in their local offices.


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## Ron Tobin

Ronbo53 said:


> The problem is that everyone is reporting it to different people. Verizon never seems to make the connection, they do not know how widespread it is. I am wondering if everyone who files a tech support complaint about the pixelation posts their trouble ticket number each of the rest of us could call Verizon back and reference the ticket numbers that he others have filed. I know there are at least 3 of us out of the same office in Red Bank, New Jersey that are having this problem, but they don't see the connection. Myself and 6079 Smith W have referenced each others ticket yesterday, I have tried to tell them once again that this is not just isolated to me. But the Level 1 tech support people don't understand and the level 2 tech support people have built a wall around themselves so you cannot reach them and they never call back. They just want to keep sending techs to my house. If I dont have this resolved or at least on it's way to being resolved I will be placing a call to the head of the Executive Customer Service Division in Verizon Corporate offices or the CEO (again, which did work last time and now it's apparently a different bad line card in their office) and it would be extremely beneficial if we could give him numerous trouble ticket numbers to show this is not an isolated issue. I am sure we are just the tip of the iceberg, I wonder how many people out there are having the same problem but don't know about this thread or forum. It is getting a little ridiculous at this point, they need to do something about the quality of their equiptment in their local offices.


Are you aware of the Verizon Direct forum http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzdirect at DSL Reports where you are in direct communication with a Verizon tech? Another Tivo forum member made me aware of it, after they helped him out, and I'm now in direct communication with Joseph and Gustavo from Verizon. They have acknowledged my problems (pixelization) and have assigned a ticket number and are in communication with me concerning progress (or lack, thereof). Give it a try. Can't hurt.


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## jasontemple

So I called VZ again and explained all the problems and that they need to help me either rule in our out the S3 as the root of the problem. I got ahold of a Ms. Hammond who was very helpful and she got me through to a level 2 tech (James) who was also very helpful. They agreed to send out a tech with an HD DVR to connect to my drop and see if the channels (BBCA, HESNHD and mitary channel). He came this morning and the VZ DVR worked fine on those channels. I reconnected the S3 and looked through the diag screens and found that both BBCA and the military channel are on the same frequency (627000 IIRC). I also noticed that the cable card (both of them) were unable to stay `locked' on any of these channels. The signal strength would report in the 90s then drop to 50s or 70s causing the lock to drop and then re-establish.

Has anyone seen issues with locking on a specific freq with their S3?

I have VZ on the phone now and am trying to get another tech out soon with two cable cards. The cable cards are both Motorola cards with firmware 1045 BTW and the tech explained that firmware updates to the CCs are pushed through their network so a firmware update could have been what knocked out those channels 3+ months ago...

or it could be Tivo's update that came out around that same time.

Does anyone with a working S3 and Fios TV in the Boston area have a working set of cable cards? What firmware are you running? Most importantly, are you seeing pixelation on any channels?


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## wbradney

jasontemple said:


> So I called VZ again and explained all the problems and that they need to help me either rule in our out the S3 as the root of the problem. I got ahold of a Ms. Hammond who was very helpful and she got me through to a level 2 tech (James) who was also very helpful. They agreed to send out a tech with an HD DVR to connect to my drop and see if the channels (BBCA, HESNHD and mitary channel). He came this morning and the VZ DVR worked fine on those channels. I reconnected the S3 and looked through the diag screens and found that both BBCA and the military channel are on the same frequency (627000 IIRC). I also noticed that the cable card (both of them) were unable to stay `locked' on any of these channels. The signal strength would report in the 90s then drop to 50s or 70s causing the lock to drop and then re-establish.
> 
> Has anyone seen issues with locking on a specific freq with their S3?
> 
> I have VZ on the phone now and am trying to get another tech out soon with two cable cards. The cable cards are both Motorola cards with firmware 1045 BTW and the tech explained that firmware updates to the CCs are pushed through their network so a firmware update could have been what knocked out those channels 3+ months ago...
> 
> or it could be Tivo's update that came out around that same time.
> 
> Does anyone with a working S3 and Fios TV in the Boston area have a working set of cable cards? What firmware are you running? Most importantly, are you seeing pixelation on any channels?


I'm seeing the same issues here in NJ with two of those channels (BBCA and MILI). On my system these two share the 627000 KHz frequency with a bunch of other channels (which are also pixellated). Had a VZ tech here all day Tuesday and didn't find anything wrong with the signal. All the channels work fine on the VZ STB. I don't know what firmware version my Motorola cards have but the CC menus report "Version: 04.21"

How did you determine the firmware version?

EDIT:
I found the firmware version on the Diagnostics page: mine's 1045 also.


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## Ronbo53

This is NOT a Tivo issue. The issues you are having are caused by bad cards in the local Verizon office. If you look the pixelation is occurring on a range of channels between a certain range of frequencies. I had the same problem (read my earlier posts), Verizon admitted to me that the problem was on their end and after some testing in the local office they changed the card with those frequencies. When the card was changed the problem was immediately resolved. I am again having this problem, but on another range of frequencies. This is getting ridiculous, I don't know if it is shoddy equiptment being used by Verizon or if they just haven't gotten the kinks worked out. I had 5 different techs at my house on 6 occasions and unfortunately only one knew what he was doing, he was actually the one who pushed the issue (with some help from me) and got this resolved. Everyone here needs to share and reference each others tickets, until this happens Verizon will continue to think this is just an isolated issue and will not make any changes to fix this. My posts start on page 5.


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## 6079 Smith W

Ronbo53 is correct - as soon as they finally replaced their equipment in the local office, the problem we were seeing a couple of months ago disappeared. That is, until around a week or so ago but on a new range of channels.

I've referenced his ticket in the one I opened with Verizon and I passed my ticket info along to wbradney. Hopefully a large enough number of people in the same area experiencing the same problem will make them reach the same conclusion faster this time.


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## gelbers

I live in the newton ma area and have fios. I really want to get a S3 TIVO but I am really concerned about the pixilation problem. Is the problem systemitc enough that it is not worth doing? Should I wait until the problems are resolved? I mean, I miss TIVO, but in the end we all want television that works and if TIVO or FIOS can not figure out a way for me to be able to watch high quality HD, then it probably makes sense for me to stick with that terrible DVR from FIOS..comments are appreciated!


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## wbradney

gelbers said:


> I live in the newton ma area and have fios. I really want to get a S3 TIVO but I am really concerned about the pixilation problem. Is the problem systemitc enough that it is not worth doing? Should I wait until the problems are resolved? I mean, I miss TIVO, but in the end we all want television that works and if TIVO or FIOS can not figure out a way for me to be able to watch high quality HD, then it probably makes sense for me to stick with that terrible DVR from FIOS..comments are appreciated!


Well the HD picture quality on my good channels is fantastic, but I also have their SD set-top-box hooked up to my old Series 2, with season passes for my problem channels duplicated there. After my experiences with the Cablevision HD DVR, I'd rather watch an SD alternative than have to spend one more minute dealing with a Motorola STB menu. I only ever use the FIOS remote on the rare occasions when I order a PPV soccer match.

YMMV, though. At the end of the day I think the current problems on FIOS are isolated to just a few areas, but there's no telling what the failure rate is for their CO equipment, and they haven't shown a very good track record for speedy resolutions, either, especially since all of their STBs seem to work fine even with the duff CO gear. Marry that with their corporate vested interest in shipping their boxes and killing TiVo off outright, and their (lack of) response is understandable.

If you think about it, there's no reason at all for them to do a thing about these types of problem. As long as their STBs work, the vast majority of customers are going to be happy and blissfully unaware of any problems. The small fraction of us that have problems with S3s they can pretty much ignore, and one of three things will happen (all of which have virtually no downside for them):

1. We go back to cable (one less minority complainer)
2. We dump TiVo and get their HD DVR (just what they want)
3. We live with it indefinitely (no impact for them)


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## Ron Tobin

WBBradney:

What kind of response are you getting to your posts on DSL Reports with Verizon Direct?


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## 6079 Smith W

Ron Tobin said:


> WBBradney:
> 
> What kind of response are you getting to your posts on DSL Reports with Verizon Direct?


I got a response to my post there today. In short, their video group is aware of the problem and they're working to resolve it.

On the one hand, discouraging because they give no hint at how long it will take to resolve. On the other, it's encouraging, because that response seems to state that they've acknowledged that it is an issue on their end and not something wrong with the TiVo.


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## wbradney

Ron Tobin said:


> WBBradney:
> 
> What kind of response are you getting to your posts on DSL Reports with Verizon Direct?


Here's the latest:



> We hope to have a fix for this issue as soon as possible. The best way to request refund/credit for your services is to reach our Sales/Billing group at 888.553.1555 or 800.688.2880.


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## Ronbo53

Well I have been waiting around since 8 AM for their tech to show, no such luck, it's 5 PM. I have made numerous calls to tech support, everyone I've talked to says they spoke with dispatch and I'm next (next since 11:30 AM). I keep trying to tell them that having a tech come out is useless and that the last time it took 5 techs before they admitted it was their issue. But they insist on sending another one out, hopefully I won't have to reinstall the cablecards for him. I am done, first thing tomorrow morning I am calling Verizon Corporate in NYC again. This appears that it is the only way to get this fixed. Last time I had this issue tech support worked on it for 1 month and 3 weeks without being able to resolve it. After reporting it to the corporate offices it was fixed in less than a week. A major problem is that each time I called I spoke to someone in a different part of the country, Syracuse NY, Virginia Fiber Solutions, Texas Fiber Solutions, and the Everette Washington offices and I live in NJ, no wonder they never put together how widespread the issue is. If anyone else experiencing this wants me to make them aware of their pixelation message me with your ticket number and description of your problem and I will give them that info also. Frank I have your info and it is in my trouble ticket I had them check last time I called.


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## Ron Tobin

6079 Smith W said:


> I got a response to my post there today. In short, their video group is aware of the problem and they're working to resolve it.
> 
> On the one hand, discouraging because they give no hint at how long it will take to resolve. On the other, it's encouraging, because that response seems to state that they've acknowledged that it is an issue on their end and not something wrong with the TiVo.


I've gotten a similar response from both Gustavo and Joseph. Also, in a phone conversation yesterday with Tivo, they've acknowledged that they are working with VZ on the same issue. The good news is that there's no longer denial be either company. The bad news is that there's no ETA from either VZ or Tivo on when the fix is coming.


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## Ron Tobin

Re: the billing issue. VZ has left me a VZ DVR while this ticket is open. Today I got my bill, and of course there was a DVR charge. I called billing and referenced the ticket number, and they gave me a credit for the DVR rental. I'll have to call them monthly until it's resolved and I'm able to retire the DVR.


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## godospoons

Same issues here in Melrose, MA... pixelation is worst on the local Fox affiliate, but that might just be because Edward Markey is my congressman and they're just doing him a favor. 

Timothy


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## Ronbo53

Update: Spoke with Verizon again (several times over the last 2 days) and had the issue moved up to a 'Presidential appeal' they will be working on this issue on Friday night during safe time at the local Red Bank office. Apparently they will be checking the card which the frequencies 459000Khz thru 477000Khz come thru and I would imagine replacing it to solve the problems here. I will post on Saturday the outcome of the work at the local office. I feel safe in saying that this will most likely solve the pixelation problem, since this is what fixed the problem when I was having pixelation on the frequencies 417000Khz thru 429000 Khz they have been rock solid since they replaced that card. Once I am sure this issue is fixed I will post the process I went through in order to get a presidential appeal filed and get this resolved.


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## jasontemple

Ronbo53 said:


> Update: Spoke with Verizon again (several times over the last 2 days) and had the issue moved up to a 'Presidential appeal' they will be working on this issue on Friday night during safe time at the local Red Bank office. Apparently they will be checking the card which the frequencies 459000Khz thru 477000Khz come thru and I would imagine replacing it to solve the problems here. I will post on Saturday the outcome of the work at the local office. I feel safe in saying that this will most likely solve the pixelation problem, since this is what fixed the problem when I was having pixelation on the frequencies 417000Khz thru 429000 Khz they have been rock solid since they replaced that card. Once I am sure this issue is fixed I will post the process I went through in order to get a presidential appeal filed and get this resolved.


I am a bit puzzled by this thread...the VZ line readings in my house were w/in spec, their DVR works w/o pixelation on the channels that effect my S3 and they just swapped out my 2 cable cards and the problem persists. They claim that if it was a card in their CO, all the neighbors would be experiencing the same issues, which they aren't. How is it that this freq problem (for me in Mass: 627000 (BBCA, military channel, others) and 639000 (NESNHD) effecting my S3 and not the VZ PVR?

Also, what number did you call to get this `presidential appeal' as you call it?? I've had it with VZ tech support!


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## Ron Tobin

Ronbo53 said:


> Update: Spoke with Verizon again (several times over the last 2 days) and had the issue moved up to a 'Presidential appeal' they will be working on this issue on Friday night during safe time at the local Red Bank office. Apparently they will be checking the card which the frequencies 459000Khz thru 477000Khz come thru and I would imagine replacing it to solve the problems here. I will post on Saturday the outcome of the work at the local office. I feel safe in saying that this will most likely solve the pixelation problem, since this is what fixed the problem when I was having pixelation on the frequencies 417000Khz thru 429000 Khz they have been rock solid since they replaced that card. Once I am sure this issue is fixed I will post the process I went through in order to get a presidential appeal filed and get this resolved.


It looks like you've made contact with Gustavo at VZ. Is he helping you with your Presidential appeal? Seems like he could be a key to getting this resolved systemwide as he's getting the same complaints, on an individual basis, from all parts of the country, including from me, here in Florida.


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## Ronbo53

It's actually not Gustavo, the person I am dealing with is named Joe. He was assigned this case from the Executive Customer Relation division out of NYC. He said that he works out of the fiber solutions center in Virginia and deals with presidential appeals. I believe he reports directly to the people in NY. He is definitely steps above the regular CSR's that I have dealt with before him, he is constantly updated on the situation and appears to have the power to get things done. Last time he had an MPEG analyzer sent to the Red Bank office in order to test the card. Last go round I was receiving updates at least every other day if not every day. I just wish there was a way to reach people like him without having to make so many calls and go through all the aggravation for so long.


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## Ron Tobin

Ronbo53 said:


> It's actually not Gustavo, the person I am dealing with is named Joe. He was assigned this case from the Executive Customer Relation division out of NYC. He said that he works out of the fiber solutions center in Virginia and deals with presidential appeals. I believe he reports directly to the people in NY. He is definitely steps above the regular CSR's that I have dealt with before him, he is constantly updated on the situation and appears to have the power to get things done. Last time he had an MPEG analyzer sent to the Red Bank office in order to test the card. Last go round I was receiving updates at least every other day if not every day. I just wish there was a way to reach people like him without having to make so many calls and go through all the aggravation for so long.


I meant over at DSL reports. I thought I saw your name under the Verizon Direct section with a response from Gustavo. In any event, I hope they make progress. And while they're at it, tell them to fix my problems, as well.


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## 6079 Smith W

Ronbo53 said:


> Update: Spoke with Verizon again (several times over the last 2 days) and had the issue moved up to a 'Presidential appeal' they will be working on this issue on Friday night during safe time at the local Red Bank office. Apparently they will be checking the card which the frequencies 459000Khz thru 477000Khz come thru and I would imagine replacing it to solve the problems here. I will post on Saturday the outcome of the work at the local office. I feel safe in saying that this will most likely solve the pixelation problem, since this is what fixed the problem when I was having pixelation on the frequencies 417000Khz thru 429000 Khz they have been rock solid since they replaced that card. Once I am sure this issue is fixed I will post the process I went through in order to get a presidential appeal filed and get this resolved.


And presto! Just like that, the problem seems to be gone in Red Bank.

I only watched local channels for around 20 minutes before leaving for work this morning and the picture was perfect. The pixelation problem would usually start less than a minute after tuning in to any local channel, so I'm pretty sure they did the work overnight last night and that fixed it.


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## ChrisPA

jasontemple said:


> I am a bit puzzled by this thread...the VZ line readings in my house were w/in spec, their DVR works w/o pixelation on the channels that effect my S3 and they just swapped out my 2 cable cards and the problem persists. They claim that if it was a card in their CO, all the neighbors would be experiencing the same issues, which they aren't. How is it that this freq problem (for me in Mass: 627000 (BBCA, military channel, others) and 639000 (NESNHD) effecting my S3 and not the VZ PVR?
> 
> Also, what number did you call to get this `presidential appeal' as you call it?? I've had it with VZ tech support!


I am having the exact same problem. The Verizon tech just left here minutes ago, and his tester showed my signal strength into my Tivo as being "perfect" (not that I'm clear what that means - I didn't look at the tester).

But... I'm still getting pixelation before and after his tests (which he witnessed). At the same time, the Verizon DVR does not suffer the same problem on this channel (838, National Geographic) we were looking at for testing. The signal strength according to the Tivo fluctuates between the mid 80s and mid 90s. I'm not sure what to do now... (FYI, Software 8.1.7c2)


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## georgeglass

Ronbo53 said:


> Update: Spoke with Verizon again (several times over the last 2 days) and had the issue moved up to a 'Presidential appeal' they will be working on this issue on Friday night during safe time at the local Red Bank office. Apparently they will be checking the card which the frequencies 459000Khz thru 477000Khz come thru and I would imagine replacing it to solve the problems here. I will post on Saturday the outcome of the work at the local office. I feel safe in saying that this will most likely solve the pixelation problem, since this is what fixed the problem when I was having pixelation on the frequencies 417000Khz thru 429000 Khz they have been rock solid since they replaced that card. Once I am sure this issue is fixed I will post the process I went through in order to get a presidential appeal filed and get this resolved.


Ok, just had Verizon out to install my S3. I had hoped I wouldn't encounter the pixelation issues that others are seeing. Looked good until this morning. Channels 810 - 820(?) are unwatchable. Probably all on the same frequency, haven't checked yet... Anyway I'm eagerly awaiting Ronbo53's 'roadmap' to getting the issue presented to the correct people inside Verizon for a quick Resolution...


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## Ronbo53

OK, the pixelation here in Red Bank, NJ once agin appears to have been fixed. I have been monitoring the signal strength and the signal lock for the last few hours and have seen no fluctuation in the signal nor has there been any loss of the signal lock. They said they were going to do the work on Friday night, but I was at the RU football game for a majority of the day yesterday so I didn't get to watch it. Channel 4, was unwatchable due to heavy pixelation, has been at a rock solid signal strength of 100% for almost 2 hours with no fluctuation. I am assuming they swapped the card in the local office. Here is what I did to get this resolved and my suggestion to everyone who is having the same issue ( May be a long post, sorry in advance):

1 - Get your ticket number
2- Keep notes of each call you make to tech support about this, time and date you called, name and location of CSR and what he told you.
3 - Call them each day to get an update and see what they are doing to solve the issue, don't let them tell you they have sent it to the next level and leave it at that. Ask to speak to someone at that level, 99% chance they will not transfer you to them. If not ask to speak to a manager, I had a level 1 tech/csr I spoke to on the phone advise me that he had never done an install or had any hands on experience with a Fios TV setup.
4 - Give the manager your ticket number and explain what you have been through and ask him what is being done. Ask him to transfer you to the people who are handling the issue. Usually they will contact them via some sort of instant messenger but will not let you speak with them.
5 - Tell the manager the number of times they sent out a tech to check your signal and setup. In my case it was 6 times and 5 seperate techs. Ask them to check all the open tickets out of your local office to see if other people in your area are experiencing the same problem. Hopefully at least 2 other people in your area have the same setup and have reported it to Verizon. In order for them to consider it a group issue you need 3 reports out of your area with the same issue. If you know of others, I got lucky and 2 others on this board were out of my area, get their ticket number that was filed with Verizon and give the numbers to the supervisor. If they don't have one ask them to report their pixelation. This makes a big difference.
6 - Get the name, location and direct number to the manager. This way I was dealing with the same person and didn't have to spend 5 - 10 minutes on the automated system to get through.
7 - Most likely you will not get any results in getting this resolved. Advise the manager how many times you have called, and the details of who you talked too, their location and what you were told.
8 - Advise him you are going to file a Presidential Appeal with the corporate offices in New York. In my last case this is what it took to get it resolved, and I didn't have to make the call. They had someone from the division who handles presidential appeals contact me directly and he upgraded my ticket to the presidential appeal status, 2 days later the pixelation is gone.
9 - If you need to make the call to ask to file a presidential appeal go to this website:

http://www.walklightly.org/verizon.htm

Pick someone for the 'Executive Customer Relations' division and call them. I called a rep from the NYC corporate office. Explain how dissatisfied you are with the assistance you are receiving from tech support, give them your ticket number, how long you have been having this problem, how many people you have dealt with, how each time you call you seem to speak to a different person in a different part of the country and what each person tells you. Etc., Etc.

At this point he told me someone who could help me would call me back shortly, and within 30 minutes I was on my way to having the problem resolved. The people in Exec Cust Relation were very helpful, friendly, and called me back several times to check on the progress being made. No matter how frustrated you may be make sure to be civil with the person in Exec Cust Relations, remember this is the first time they are learning you are experiencing this problem, and they are your best hope in getting your Fios fixed.

These are the steps I had to take on two separate occasions to get rid of my pixelation, and have been successful on both occasions. If you decide to try this and have any questions feel free to message me, and let me know how you make out.

Just remember don't take no for an answer or let them tell you they are working on the issue but don't have any estimate of time for a fix.


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## Ron Tobin

Ronbo:

Thanks for the detailed, step by step post. Very, very good.

Don't know if your situation had any trickle down effect here in Florida, but pixelization seems to be gone. Thing that bothers me, though, is that I have an open ticket, yet no one has bothered to contact me to say "it's fixed" or "are you still experiencing any pixelization". 

I'll continue to monitor my problem channels, however I'm not returning the "loaner" DVR that VZ gave me, quite yet.


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## 6079 Smith W

Agreed, thanks, Ronbo!

I *did* have someone from Verizon try to contact me while I was at work about my open tickets. I called them back Friday night to let them know the issue was apparently resolved.


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## DebInNJ

Was gone for awhile in Red Bank but I noticed it today. Haven't been watching the local channels much so not sure exactly when it came back. Ron or Frank have you heard anything from Verizon?

Deb


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## 6079 Smith W

DebInNJ said:


> Was gone for awhile in Red Bank but I noticed it today. Haven't been watching the local channels much so not sure exactly when it came back. Ron or Frank have you heard anything from Verizon?
> 
> Deb


I was all set to respond that everything was fine (and it has been for the past week or so), but I just got home and discovered that the problem is back again and on the same range of channels.

Everything was fine last night, so this round must have just started overnight/this morning.

I'm about to get on the phone with Verizon (or perhaps use VZDirect forum over at DSLReports) and open yet another case. I'll PM you the ticket number so that we can cross-reference each other and get them to act on it.

This is getting old very fast.


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## Ron Tobin

6079 Smith W said:


> I was all set to respond that everything was fine (and it has been for the past week or so), but I just got home and discovered that the problem is back again and on the same range of channels.
> 
> Everything was fine last night, so this round must have just started overnight/this morning.
> 
> I'm about to get on the phone with Verizon (or perhaps use VZDirect forum over at DSLReports) and open yet another case. I'll PM you the ticket number so that we can cross-reference each other and get them to act on it.
> 
> This is getting old very fast.


I have a case open with VZ Direct. I mentioned the Red Bank situation to the tech and I was told that after replacing the card that supposedly solved the problem folks in Red Bank were having, they then tested the removed card and there was nothing wrong with it. That might explain why your problems have surfaced once again.


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## Ronbo53

7:25 PM I have not been seeing the return of the pixelation. I am going to keep an eye it tonight, and see what happens. I am going to also give a call out there to see on the status of the ticket I have, and see what they have to say. I will post when I have the answer from Verizon.


7:40 PM Spoke with Verizon, my ticket was closed out last night and they said the card was replaced. Ron, who did you contact in VZ Direct, their notes are showing nothing about the card being tested and put back in. I am curious because if this is the case and the pixelation has indeed returned then I will be pursuing this further up the food chain at Verizon. We really need everyone to get together and get on the same page with this and pursue it somehow as a group, I am not sure the best way to do this though. This is definitely getting out of hand, the number of people posting here about this issue seems to continuously grow and Verizon can't seem to understand (or doesn't want to) how many people are affected.


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## 6079 Smith W

6079 Smith W said:


> I'm about to get on the phone with Verizon (or perhaps use VZDirect forum over at DSLReports) and open yet another case. I'll PM you the ticket number so that we can cross-reference each other and get them to act on it.


Quoting myself...

No sooner did I post on the VZDirect forum when the problem disappeared.

I retracted my post there, but I'll keep my eye on things tonight and re-post if it starts again.


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## Ron Tobin

Ronbo53 said:


> Ron, who did you contact in VZ Direct, their notes are showing nothing about the card being tested and put back in.


I was in contact with Gustavo. We communicated about the Red Bank situation last night. As I stated, he acknowledged it but said after removal of the card, it tested fine.

This exactly what Gustavo said:

_Thank you for your patience. Although it is correct to say that Red Bank had the trouble and their picture has improved, we have not yet found a resolution to this issue. The problem is that after further diagnostics, the equipment that was replaced appears to be working fine, therefore we still don't know the cause of the problem. We are still actively working with TiVO and looking for a universal resolution (which will also be used in Red Bank to prevent a recurrence of the problem there), for all communities._


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## Another Joe

I am located on Long Island in NY and have had a Series 3 and Fios since January 07. Everything was fine up until a few weeks ago when suddenly channels 802-807 starting pixelating to the point that they are un-watchable. If I watch the signal strength on the Tivo, as soon as I change to one of these channels, it starts in the high 90's (like the rest of the channels) then slowly goes down to the 80's and starts pixelating. I had verizon come out to the house and he check everything, and his meter said the signal was fine. He saw the problem but did not have any recomendations and said maybe the TIVO was bad. To rule it out, I called Tivo and they agreed to exchange my Tivo. As expected the New Tivo is doing the exact same thing. I have Verizon comming back tomorrow to change the cable cards. I am sure it will not fix the problem, but it seems that it cannot be escallated until everything has been ruled out. 

I just wanted to give everybody an update as to what I am experiencing on Long Island and what I am being told by verizon and Tivo. This is very unfortunate, I am a 7 year Tivo owner and really hate to give up my new tivo, not to mention the what I paid for the series 3 and lifetime transfer. But I am almost at my wits end with this problem. I have a verizon HD DVR in another room, and of course it works fine, so Verizon blames Tivo. and as you would expect Tivo blames Verizon. What puzzles me, is that it worked perfectly for 8 months. Obviously something must have changed or went bad on the verizon network. 

I will keep everybody updated with my progress.

-Joe


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## DebInNJ

In July when the cable card law went into effect that cable companies had to support cable cards I remember reading that Verizon was exempt for 6 months (I think) since they were a new service. The law requires that the cable companies set top boxes must use cable cards just like the Tivo box. 

Does it seem likely that once Verizon must comply ( or you would think they are now testing this) their boxes would have trouble similar to the Tivo boxes?

Deb


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## bkdtv

DebInNJ said:


> In July when the cable card law went into effect that cable companies had to support cable cards I remember reading that Verizon was exempt for 6 months (I think) since they were a new service. The law requires that the cable companies set top boxes must use cable cards just like the Tivo box.


The FCC ban was on boxes using integrated conditional access (encryption).

It does not have anything to do with the availability of CableCards. All cable providers with 750MHz systems and digital service are required to supply CableCards. Verizon does not have an exemption from that.


----------



## DebInNJ

I'm not saying Verizon has an exemption from cable cards. I believe they have an exemption from their boxes running off of cable cards just like Tivo. There are cable providers around here who have cable cards in their set top boxes.

Deb


----------



## jmr50

Jon-
I haven't gotten this on the music channels, but I mostly don't use them. Can you provide an example. I'm certainly still having this problem - very annoying. I dropped a nose on the vzdirect dslreports forum. Here's the response:

Thank you for your inquiry. I do apologize for the trouble you are experiencing. We are getting some random reports regarding similar issues with the TiVO Series 3. To my understanding, other providers are also experiencing similar issues. We are working with TiVO along with other providers trying to isolate this type of issue, but no ETA has been established on a resolution. Until we are able to find a resolution, the temporary work-around is to provide one of our DVR's in the meantime. I apologize for the lack of positive information, but we certainly hope that with the co-operation of TiVO and the other providers, that this is resolved soon.


----------



## Ron Tobin

jmr50 said:


> Jon-
> I haven't gotten this on the music channels, but I mostly don't use them. Can you provide an example. I'm certainly still having this problem - very annoying. I dropped a nose on the vzdirect dslreports forum. Here's the response:
> 
> Thank you for your inquiry. I do apologize for the trouble you are experiencing. We are getting some random reports regarding similar issues with the TiVO Series 3. To my understanding, other providers are also experiencing similar issues. We are working with TiVO along with other providers trying to isolate this type of issue, but no ETA has been established on a resolution. Until we are able to find a resolution, the temporary work-around is to provide one of our DVR's in the meantime. I apologize for the lack of positive information, but we certainly hope that with the co-operation of TiVO and the other providers, that this is resolved soon.


Who wrote this? Gustavo or Joseph? I'm fairly certain it's Gustavo.


----------



## jmr50

Ron Tobin said:


> Who wrote this? Gustavo or Joseph? I'm fairly certain it's Gustavo.


Gustavo.


----------



## Ron Tobin

jmr50 said:


> Gustavo.


You'll find him responsive. My case has been open for almost one month, and he is keeping me informed.


----------



## Ronbo53

I have noticed pixelation still on the same channels which they claimed to change the card on. Does anyone know when Verizon is going to be mandated to use set top boxes with these same cable cards? I am worried that we will not see a resolution until this point. It is not an issue with the Tivo, I experience the same pixelation on the same channels when I put the cablecard in my television directly and use the tuner on the TV, disconnecting and bypassing the Tivo completely. Verizon cannot grasp this as being an issue with their system and the cablecards. And until they are forced to deal with it because their boxes must use the same cablecards as the other equipment, and it affects all users in an entire area, and their bottom line, I don't see them pushing for a resolution. So if anyone has any links about Verizon being required to use cablecards in their set top boxes or a date they will be gin using it please let me know.

Here are 2 links about the waiver:

Tivo against Verizon waiver request

Recent ZDNet article which discusses Verizon


----------



## wbradney

jmr50 said:


> Jon-
> I haven't gotten this on the music channels, but I mostly don't use them. Can you provide an example. I'm certainly still having this problem - very annoying. I dropped a nose on the vzdirect dslreports forum. Here's the response:
> 
> Thank you for your inquiry. I do apologize for the trouble you are experiencing. We are getting some random reports regarding similar issues with the TiVO Series 3. To my understanding, other providers are also experiencing similar issues. We are working with TiVO along with other providers trying to isolate this type of issue, but no ETA has been established on a resolution. Until we are able to find a resolution, the temporary work-around is to provide one of our DVR's in the meantime. I apologize for the lack of positive information, but we certainly hope that with the co-operation of TiVO and the other providers, that this is resolved soon.


That's funny, I got the exact same text from Gustavo a few weeks ago when I reported the same problem. I'm not sure if I'm encouraged or not that they actually have a stock answer.


----------



## Ron Tobin

wbradney said:


> That's funny, I got the exact same text from Gustavo a few weeks ago when I reported the same problem. I'm not sure if I'm encouraged or not that they actually have a stock answer.


It's a stock answer, but keep in mind that they are working on many of these. The key, to me, is as long as it has a unique trouble ticket. Gustavo has responded to my specific questions with non stock answers, also.


----------



## wbradney

Well, this seems to be getting progressively worse for me. This week two of my recordings on channels that were previously OK (NBCHD and FOXHD) were unwatchable due to pixellation and audio dropouts.


----------



## gelbers

I too am having problmes on NBCHD and FOXHD, never had any problems before. Recordings were House and Heroes. I think Prison Break recorded ok. I dont know what to do.


----------



## BobCamp1

Ronbo53 said:


> Does anyone know when Verizon is going to be mandated to use set top boxes with these same cable cards?


I think it will be l-o-n-g time, probably several years. I think the FCC would tackle satellite first, as it has a much bigger market share. Verizon is just getting off the ground.

Of course, if Tivo and Verizon could work out an agreement, then FCC intervention wouldn't be necessary.


----------



## jmr50

My signal problems have extended now to channel 382 (FLIX Pacific). Anyone else on the Loudoun system see this?


----------



## wbradney

I received the Fall 9.1 update last night and it hasn't fixed my pixellation problem. In addition, I seem to have lost another channel, since recordings on 76 FSC last night were unwatchable.


----------



## Ron Tobin

wbradney said:


> I received the Fall 9.1 update last night and it hasn't fixed my pixellation problem. In addition, I seem to have lost another channel, since recordings on 76 FSC last night were unwatchable.


That's a shame that you're still having problem.

I recommend that you call this in to Tivo tech support, letting them know you have the software upgrade. My understanding is that they've rolled it out in small groups and are awaiting customer response. So I'm certain they would want to hear from you.


----------



## jasontemple

wbradney said:


> I received the Fall 9.1 update last night and it hasn't fixed my pixellation problem. In addition, I seem to have lost another channel, since recordings on 76 FSC last night were unwatchable.


Same here...though the pixelation is not nearly as bad as it was before...it's about every 3-4 seconds. Also when I look at the signal strength and lock, the strength does still fluctuate, but it doesn't completely loose lock like it used to. Gotta call Tivo...


----------



## David_SG

My situation - I have Fios in Falls Church, VA. Have pixelization issues on my local hd channels (801 - 808). Everything else works fine. When I plug the cable card directly into my tv set, no pixelization. Which would lead me to believe it's a problem with my S3, not Verizon. Or at least that the S3 is being "unreasonably sensitive" to any less than perfect signals. 

Before I moved to Falls Church, I had the same issues with the same S3 using Comcast - pixelization on the local hd channels. Only when I tried plugging the cable card directly into my tv, I had the exact same pixelization issues. So it seemed to be a signal/cable card issue, and not an S3 issue. And the problem eventually just went away. Which is what I'm hoping for now with Fios. But certainly not holding my breathe at this point.

The whole situation is just madly frustrating. Hard to really place the blame - obvious now that the S3 is part of the problem. But I suspect something could be done with the signal/cable card as well - just that I can't reasonably expect Verizon to do anything about it, seeing as though the cable card works fine when used directly with my tv. Or can I? 

I bought my S3 from Best Buy with an extended warranty - thinking I should try and get a replacement. But I have a feeling that would be a waste of time. Might just order a 3rd cable card for my TV so I don't have to swap out the cable card everytime I want to catch a local HD broadcast - and just use the Tivo for recording the channels that don't have the pixelization issues. What a waste.


----------



## wbradney

jasontemple said:


> Same here...though the pixelation is not nearly as bad as it was before...it's about every 3-4 seconds. Also when I look at the signal strength and lock, the strength does still fluctuate, but it doesn't completely loose lock like it used to. Gotta call Tivo...


Well, yesterday I read a post in another thread about ejecting and re-inserting the cable cards possibly fixing the pixellation problem. I was skeptical but desperate enough to go through the following:

- power down
- eject cable cards
- wait 5 minutes
- power on
- wait for full boot to finish
- insert cable cards (both)
- re-run guided setup when prompted

And, you know what, that seemed to fix my pixellation problems. I watched about 15 minutes of HBOHD (a channel that was previously, consistently, unwatchable) without a single second of pixellation. Diagnostics reported Signal Strength solid >90, SNR solid ~35, and RS 0/0.

I'm not yet holding my breath that this is a permanent fix, and I'm even considering the possibility that Verizon coincidentally fixed something recently on their side, but I'll see how my recordings are tonight when I get in and report back.


----------



## hooper

Wbradney-
Are you still having issues or did your solution work?

I am getting pretty consistent pixellation on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. About every 5 seconds or so. Out of Philly.


----------



## wbradney

hooper said:


> Wbradney-
> Are you still having issues or did your solution work?
> 
> I am getting pretty consistent pixellation on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. About every 5 seconds or so. Out of Philly.


Still looks good so far, including all of the ESPN channels. I don't understand it -- I'd tried the reset-eject-cards-insert-cards dance before, but this was probably the first time I'd tried it since getting 9.1


----------



## hooper

wbradney said:


> Still looks good so far, including all of the ESPN channels. I don't understand it -- I'd tried the reset-eject-cards-insert-cards dance before, but this was probably the first time I'd tried it since getting 9.1


How about the HDNET channels? Any tiling there? I am out of Philly, so we probably won't see the same issues.

I guess I will give your attempt a try. I did just a reboot last night and it seemed to clear up the ESPN channels. Just to clarify the issues I was seeing were on the SD broadcasts of those channels.


----------



## wbradney

hooper said:


> How about the HDNET channels? Any tiling there? I am out of Philly, so we probably won't see the same issues.
> 
> I guess I will give your attempt a try. I did just a reboot last night and it seemed to clear up the ESPN channels. Just to clarify the issues I was seeing were on the SD broadcasts of those channels.


I tried all of the SD ESPN channels this morning and they seemed fine. I'll try HDNET tonight and report back, but I think HDNET has been OK for me all along.


----------



## hooper

wbradney said:


> I tried all of the SD ESPN channels this morning and they seemed fine. I'll try HDNET tonight and report back, but I think HDNET has been OK for me all along.


 VZ was just out. Signal levels are fine. Did some more investigating and the tiling only happens on Tuner 2 (or 1 in the diagnostics menu). 

Tested both cards in the TV directly and no issues.


----------



## winter

hooper said:


> VZ was just out. Signal levels are fine. Did some more investigating and the tiling only happens on Tuner 2 (or 1 in the diagnostics menu).
> 
> Tested both cards in the TV directly and no issues.


I have the same problem (signal issues on tuner 2 only).

I thought the problem had gone away when I got 9.1 but last night I saw it was back.

The same station that comes in fine on tuner 1 will have pixelation problems when using tuner 2. I believe I have swapped cable cards already in the past (and the problem stayed on tuner 2) but I will do that again just to be sure. It really sucks because there is no way to control which tuner is used for recordings, short of just removing the 2nd cable card altogether.


----------



## hooper

winter said:


> I have the same problem (signal issues on tuner 2 only).
> 
> I thought the problem had gone away when I got 9.1 but last night I saw it was back.
> 
> The same station that comes in fine on tuner 1 will have pixelation problems when using tuner 2. I believe I have swapped cable cards already in the past (and the problem stayed on tuner 2) but I will do that again just to be sure. It really sucks because there is no way to control which tuner is used for recordings, short of just removing the 2nd cable card altogether.


 I called Tivo about this and they are sending me an RMA unit. I also am getting a replacement from Amazon as I have only had the unit for 20 days.

Hopefully one of the boxes will work on both tuners. It is really odd how tuner 0 will be pegged at 100 signal strength, but when the second tuner is tuned to the same channel, the signal strenght is all over the place.


----------



## hooper

Holy Cow! The replacement unit arrived from Tivo this morning. That is crazy... and it is new in box!


----------



## winter

hooper said:


> Holy Cow! The replacement unit arrived from Tivo this morning. That is crazy... and it is new in box!


Good luck and please post your results; I'm on my second TivoHD unit so I don't think its a bad hardware issue (the first box had the same problem as well).


----------



## hooper

winter said:


> Good luck and please post your results; I'm on my second TivoHD unit so I don't think its a bad hardware issue (the first box had the same problem as well).


 Quick question. Can I just swap hard drives from one box to another, or will this break things?


----------



## wbradney

wbradney said:


> I tried all of the SD ESPN channels this morning and they seemed fine. I'll try HDNET tonight and report back, but I think HDNET has been OK for me all along.


Watched about 20 minutes of HDNET tonight -- no pixellation. Everything's looking good so far.


----------



## hooper

wbradney said:


> Watched about 20 minutes of HDNET tonight -- no pixellation. Everything's looking good so far.


Believe it or not, the new box seems to have fixed the issue. Still premature for definitive answer, but HDNET wasn't tiling at all on either tuner since swapping hardware. Before it would happen within 5-10 seconds of tuning to that channel on the specific tuner. I am crossing my fingers.


----------



## wbradney

hooper said:


> Believe it or not, the new box seems to have fixed the issue. Still premature for definitive answer, but HDNET wasn't tiling at all on either tuner since swapping hardware. Before it would happen within 5-10 seconds of tuning to that channel on the specific tuner. I am crossing my fingers.


Well, after four days of blissful pixellation-free TV, today I'm back to where I was a week ago. The exact same levels and patterns of pixellation on the exact same set of channels as before. I tried my power down-eject-reboot-re-insert-repeat-guided-setup trick again and this time it didn't work. I can only assume that Verizon had changed something on their end and have now changed it back.


----------



## cyborlink

Have read many forums and entrys on the 'compatibility' problem between the Fios HD channels (varies by installation) and Tivo S3 & HD units.

I had Fios installed 6 weeks ago, bought a 400GB Tivo HD unit and attached it to a 70" JVC Receiver. Evrything looked great, except for 842 & 845 which pixelated, along with the previously reported signal strength fluctuations.

I had Verizon come out and we spent 5 hours troubleshooting:

1) The Verizon feed was hot, about +8db at the back of Tivo, so we attenuated with -8DB.

2) After much plug and play, we found that the problem was only with the Tivo TUNER 0 which gets its signal through CARD 1. If we swapped the cards, the problem persisted on the same TUNER 0, so not the Cable Cards.

3) The tech called the local CO and verified the pictures coming out were not pixelating.

Bottom line, the Verizon Fios signal is good, but Tivo is having a problem with it.

Being and old time electronics nut and working with cable TV 30 years ago, I got to thinking that OVERDRIVING a signal can cause just a many problems as UNDER-DRIVING one. With this thought in mind, I went out to my parts box and pulled out a -10DB, -12DB, and -20DB attenuators. 

For those that are not familiar with this type of device, it looks very much like the little barrel connector you use to connect two RF cables together, but one end of the attenuator is male, and the other end female. This allows it to be screwed onto the cable input of the Tivo, with the Verizon feed screwing onto the back side of the attenuator. For all intent and purpose, it's a signal reducer.

I put my TV on channel 842 and watched the pixelation. Then I installed the -10 DB attenuator, no change . . . then installed the -12DB with no change . . . then the -20DB, and guess what . . . NO PIXELATION!

For calculation purposes, the Fios feed at the back of my Tivo HD is +8DB, by adding the -20DB attenuator I'm providing a signal to the Tivo that is approximately -12DB. 

I've watched for several days, and still no pixelation, and all other channels look fine.

It appears to me that the Tivo tuners have a low threshold for being OVERDRIVEN by the input signal. So much so that even with a 0DB input the tuner(s) can't handle it in some frequency bands, thus its circuitry tries to chop the signal (reduce it) and that casues the signal to drop too much, causing pixelation. So tuner sees low signal and allows it to increase until overdriving, then cuts back again. This attempt to control the signal input strength causes the Tivo signal strength diagnostics to jump up and down, while also causing pixelation to start and stop randomly.

This is the reverse situation that happens with audio equipment using AGC, automatic gain control, where when someone stops speaking the AGC starts increasing the input sensitivty until it overdrives the amplifier. 

The good news is now I don't need to return my Tivo for repair, and I can continue using Verizon Fios.

So far I've observed no negative impact of reducing the input signal strength to the Tivo by -12DB. 

Of course this shows lower signal strength readings in the Tivo diagnostics, but it appears they have designed their tuners to work with lower input signal strength, but not with higher input strength??? On most channels the SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) remains near 33DB 

Hope this helps those that have not yet found a resolution to this long and ongoing problem between Verizon and Tivo

Stephen - Apple Valley, California


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## bkdtv

Thanks for the post Stephen.

You've confirmed what others have found as well.


----------



## TiivoDog

Great post as I have read a number of FIOS TV posts from the sideline over the past year because FIOS TV has not yet been provisioned in my area even though I have had FIOS data for approx 2 years. However, Pennsylvania's 3rd Super Headend has been approved for deployment in Harrisburg, PA, so I am looking forward to the migration sometime in 2008, when the service is launched.

Your points with how to address the pixelation is great as I'll be able to bookmark / reference that information, when they begin installing my Cablecards at that time. Hopefully, they will also have the multi-streaming Cablecards in order to cut down on the number I will need as I expect to be upgrading all of my S2 units to THD's before that migration. My only fear is that I might begin to approach the maximum number outlets per some other posts I have read, however I'll address / resolve that later.


----------



## Ronbo53

Apparently different areas are having different problems. The pixelation in my area was definitely a Verizon issue. There were 4 people coming from the same CO, that I knew of (the tech new of 1 or 2 more) who had pixelation on the exact same channels, on both tuners within a certain range of frequencies. The signal on both tuners could not hold a lock. The cablecards were moved from the Tivo S3 to a Television with a cablecard slot and the exact same pixelation on the exact same channels. The only thing that fixed it was a complaint to corporate and after some testing on their end a bad card in the local office was changed. After the change all 4 of us had no pixelation, with the Tivo or the TV. After 6 visits from 5 techs, numerous different attenuators, totaling approximately 20 hours it turns out it was on their end. There are apparently several different issues that need to be worked out before the FIOS Cablecard/Tivo combo is completely free of pixelation.


----------



## 6079 Smith W

I was one of the 4 Ronbo53 mentioned that is in the same CO as he.

The pixelation problem for me did go away, as he said, after Verizon swapped out some equipment on their end.

However, for the past 1 or 2 months I'm back in pixelation land once again, only this time on a different range of channels. I have tickets opened with Verizon and a thread opened on the VZDirect forum on DSLReports and the only response I've gotten is "We're aware of the problem and we're working with TiVo to resolve it". Meanwhile, it's been a crapshoot whether any program I have set to record on any of the channels 2-99 will come up clean on any given day.

It's been a frustrating couple of months.


----------



## Ron Tobin

6079 Smith W said:


> I was one of the 4 Ronbo53 mentioned that is in the same CO as he.
> 
> The pixelation problem for me did go away, as he said, after Verizon swapped out some equipment on their end.
> 
> However, for the past 1 or 2 months I'm back in pixelation land once again, only this time on a different range of channels. I have tickets opened with Verizon and a thread opened on the VZDirect forum on DSLReports and the only response I've gotten is "We're aware of the problem and we're working with TiVo to resolve it". Meanwhile, it's been a crapshoot whether any program I have set to record on any of the channels 2-99 will come up clean on any given day.
> 
> It's been a frustrating couple of months.


I also have an open ticket with VZ Direct, and it's been that way for about 2 months. I've not yet seen any more pixelization on the channels previously giving me problems, but until they tell me that they think it's fixed, I'll keep the ticket open. In the meantime, I've gotten a no charge VZ DVR in the interim. By no charge, I mean that when I get the bill, I call billing and reference the ticket number, and they credit me for the DVR rental fee. I'll not return it until VZ says problems have been found and solved.

Obviously, I'm in a different part of the country than you, so we must have a different CO.


----------



## jjd

cyborlink said:


> With this thought in mind, I went out to my parts box and pulled out a -10DB, -12DB, and -20DB attenuators.
> 
> For those that are not familiar with this type of device, it looks very much like the little barrel connector you use to connect two RF cables together, but one end of the attenuator is male, and the other end female. This allows it to be screwed onto the cable input of the Tivo, with the Verizon feed screwing onto the back side of the attenuator. For all intent and purpose, it's a signal reducer.


Can someone share a supplier for these attenuators? I've read previously that one has to make sure that it attenuates across a wide frequency band and that not all attenuators handle the high frequencies.

I'm in Boston (maybe U-do-it electronics?), but online sources appreciated as well.

--Jim--


----------



## cyborlink

Jim, I located them on the website Smarthome and are the same as the ones Verizon techs use. Bandwidth of these attenutaors is OK for use on the Fios system. Their PN# 7800 is a kit that contains 2 each 3db, 6db, 10db , and 20db attenuators (also called pads) for $12.99.

If you have a Verizon tech come out, he could also install. However, the techs are taught to measure the sugnal and place an attentuator sized to delivery 0db to the back of the receiver.

However, my experience is the Tivo should 'see' a signal closer to a -12db in order to stop the pixelation. This is not normal for the industry, and thus most techs are reluctant to do something they've been taught not to do, suppy a low signal to equipment.

My suspicion is that engieers that design tuners for all Cable boxes have always been concerned about low signal strength arriving at the cable box, as this often happens in the real world. However, all of a sudden Fios appears on the scene where each home has its own terminal right at the house, given outstanding signal strength . . . just the opposite of what the industry has had in the past.

Therefore the Tivo Cable box works fine on all other cable systems, but on Fios it's being overdriven in certain frequency ranges depending upon the upstream feed and ONT operation.

My unit is still operating with no pixelation following installatio of the attenuator that cut the signal to my Tivo down to a -12db level.

Stephen


----------



## cvb6214

Good info there. I have seen exactly the same problem with tuner 0 / CC 1 on my TIVO HD in Dallas TX. Tivo even had me replace the box (through amazon where I purchased it) thinking it was a bad CC slot problem since the issue was there only on tuner 0 even after having both cable cards replaced.
Still seems strange it could occur with only one RF input feeding both tuners.
My second unit is pixelating about the same. I'll try the attenuation trick when I get a chance.
As frustrating as this problem is I have no complaints about the customer service from Tivo or Verizon. They have been helpful and responsive.
Most consumers won't have the patience to put up with the service calls and conflicting information. I hope the industry can come up with a more "plug and play" solution.


----------



## cyborlink

> Still seems strange it could occur with only one RF input feeding both tuners.


I think the Tivo tuner units are "on the ragged edge" for susceptibility to high signal strength, and just a few db can push one or the other, or both tuners into pixelation.


----------



## winter

cyborlink said:


> I've watched for several days, and still no pixelation, and all other channels look fine.
> 
> It appears to me that the Tivo tuners have a low threshold for being OVERDRIVEN by the input signal. So much so that even with a 0DB input the tuner(s) can't handle it in some frequency bands, thus its circuitry tries to chop the signal (reduce it) and that casues the signal to drop too much, causing pixelation. So tuner sees low signal and allows it to increase until overdriving, then cuts back again. This attempt to control the signal input strength causes the Tivo signal strength diagnostics to jump up and down, while also causing pixelation to start and stop randomly.


Stephen, thanks for this comprehensive post, it was very helpful.

I bought a set of attenuators on ebay about a month ago and played around with them but when I saw the signal level on the Tivo diag screen drop I assumed that was a bad thing so I stayed away from the larger attentuators and the small ones did not eliminate the pixelation I saw on the second tuner on some stations so I figured that that wasnt my problem.

After reading your post I got them back out and I tried a -20db one; that was too much for some stations (I also am using a VZ-supplied 4-way splitter) but I found that a -10db one seems to work fine on all stations - so far so good, no pixelation.


----------



## Joybob

cyborlink said:


> I think the Tivo tuner units are "on the ragged edge" for susceptibility to high signal strength, and just a few db can push one or the other, or both tuners into pixelation.


Maybe the Tivo itself re-amplifies the signal?


----------



## jjd

cyborlink said:


> Jim, I located them on the website Smarthome and are the same as the ones Verizon techs use. Bandwidth of these attenutaors is OK for use on the Fios system. Their PN# 7800 is a kit that contains 2 each 3db, 6db, 10db , and 20db attenuators (also called pads) for $12.99.


Thanks, Stephen. I've placed an order and I'll give it a try. If it does fix the problem, it will be amusing having the customer tell the Verizon tech how to solve the problem.

--Jim--


----------



## wmcbrine

jjd said:


> If it does fix the problem, it will be amusing having the customer tell the Verizon tech how to solve the problem.


It wouldn't be the first time. :-/


----------



## gages97

Had my fios TV installed today. Went pretty smoothly and so far so good. 

Where in the menus can you view the signal strength as in db of attenuation? The channel strength under channel list is on a scale of 1 to 100.


----------



## bkdtv

gages97 said:


> Had my fios TV installed today. Went pretty smoothly and so far so good.
> 
> Where in the menus can you view the signal strength as in db of attenuation? The channel strength under channel list is on a scale of 1 to 100.


The Tivo doesn't list those numbers.

That said, if you are seeing a signal level of 100, then chances are the signal is going to be too strong on at least some channels.


----------



## gages97

What channels should I be looking at for the problem?


----------



## 6079 Smith W

I had a voice mail from Verizon when I got home tonight...

They seem to think they may be close to a resolution to the pixelation issues I've been having with FiOS and the S3 in Red Bank, NJ. They had me update my thread over at DSLReports with some additional information (specifically the channels I was having the problem on).

I'll post here if I hear anything further.


----------



## wbradney

6079 Smith W said:


> I had a voice mail from Verizon when I got home tonight...
> 
> They seem to think they may be close to a resolution to the pixelation issues I've been having with FiOS and the S3 in Red Bank, NJ. They had me update my thread over at DSLReports with some additional information (specifically the channels I was having the problem on).
> 
> I'll post here if I hear anything further.


Me too. I'm going to retest all my channels and report back to Gustavo. I hope they are in fact close to a resolution.


----------



## 6079 Smith W

I'm not going to cheer just yet, but VZ may have finally fixed the pixelation issues, at least in my area.

Overnight, I left my TiVo tuned to two channels on which I consistently had pixelation (channels 2 and 5).

This morning, I checked the diagnostics screen to see the "RS corrected/uncorrected" counts on the two tuners. One channel had not had any uncorrected errors all night, the other had less than 2,000 or so. Previously, during particularly bad bouts of pixelation, the uncorrected counts would number well over 100,000. So, this was a good sign that things were improving.

I've left my TiVo tuned to those same channels while I'm away at work (turned suggestions off for the day to make sure they stay tuned). I'll have collected nearly 20 hours of diagnostics info on those two channels by the time I get home. No (or minimal) increase in that error count will tell me whether they've finally gotten things fixed.


----------



## Ron Tobin

wbradney said:


> Me too. I'm going to retest all my channels and report back to Gustavo. I hope they are in fact close to a resolution.


I've not yet gotten such a call from Gustavo, and my ticket has been open for quite some time, however I'm in a different geographical area than you folks. But the good news is that I've not noticed pixelization on the channels we watch, in many weeks.

On an unrelated issue, I noticed some new Tivo behavior that I've never previously seen, now that the new software has been received. I had a scheduled recording for the other evening at 9PM. I was watching live tv on a different channel. I got the message that it needed to change channels in order to record that scheduled program. My first thought was that one of my tuners was not properly working, however that was not the case. They were both working fine. So I let it change channels to start the recording, and then was able to go to the other tuner and continue watching live tv. Anyone else come across this?


----------



## Dick Kalagher

ron,

All TiVos work that way. they don't know you are watching or which channel you are watching.


----------



## Ron Tobin

Dick Kalagher said:


> ron,
> 
> All TiVos work that way. they don't know you are watching or which channel you are watching.


Thanks, Dick. I have to say it's the first time I've noticed it. Perhaps I've never been watching Live TV when a recording was scheduled to take place.


----------



## Martin Tupper

cyborlink said:


> Hope this helps those that have not yet found a resolution to this long and ongoing problem between Verizon and Tivo
> 
> Stephen - Apple Valley, California


Very helpful indeed! I ordered an assortment of RF attenuators. -10dB was too little; -20dB was too much; but -16dB seems just right.

My local HD channels over FIOS are now watchable...heck, they're more than watchable, they're friggin' breath taking.

Thanks for the very informative post Stephen. :up:


----------



## bkdtv

Dick Kalagher said:


> ron,
> 
> All TiVos work that way. they don't know you are watching or which channel you are watching.


That's not entirely correct.

If there are no recordings in progress, the Tivo always uses the inactive tuner (the one you aren't watching) to start a new recording. When just one recording is scheduled, it never interferes with what you are watching on liveTV.

As Ron reported, the Tivo does not handle consecutive recordings in the same way. If you have one recording from 3pm to 4pm, and another from 4pm to 5pm, the Tivo will take over control of the active tuner at 4pm, forcing you to switch to the other tuner to continue watching liveTV. Many have complained on this forum about that, but Tivo has not done anything to fix it so far. This is probably the most glaring 'bug' in Tivo's recording logic.


----------



## jjd

cyborlink said:


> For calculation purposes, the Fios feed at the back of my Tivo HD is +8DB, by adding the -20DB attenuator I'm providing a signal to the Tivo that is approximately -12DB.
> 
> I've watched for several days, and still no pixelation, and all other channels look fine.
> 
> It appears to me that the Tivo tuners have a low threshold for being OVERDRIVEN by the input signal. So much so that even with a 0DB input the tuner(s) can't handle it in some frequency bands, thus its circuitry tries to chop the signal (reduce it) and that casues the signal to drop too much, causing pixelation.


cyborlink -- you rock.

My attenuators came in Fedex from Smarthome today. I have three cable cards in my house -- two in the tivo and one in a Sony XBR LCD tv. All were pixelating.

I started in the bedroom, with the Sony LCD. I applied a 20db attenuator at the TV -- and got no signal. I switched to 10+3+3 (16db) and still no signal. Then I tried 10+3 (13db) and voila -- no pixelating. I retested by taking off the attenuators (pixelating) and adding them back (no pixelating). Magic!

Then, I moved the 10+3db attenuators to the basement just before the splitter out of the ONT. Voila! Now the Tivo and the Sony seem to be working fine on the channels that constantly pixelated before.

I'm crossing my fingers, but it appears this has solved my problems. Maybe now I can get that second Series 3 and enjoy MRV!

Thanks, cyborlink.

--Jim--
:up:


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## esmtexas

I called TiVo today to again report pix not only as before, on three specific HD channels (HDNET...) but also since the 9.1 upgrade last week. After the upgrade I began to see irritating pix on SD channels as well as additionl HD channels that did not have the pix prior to 9.1. TiVo suspects my 6 month old S3 is a model that the say have been reporting these issues since 9.1 and are sending out a new unit. I see similar reports of recently replaced S3's and in some cases the pix goes away and other the pix returns. I hope my new unit solves the problem.


----------



## bkdtv

esmtexas said:


> I called TiVo today to again report pix not only as before, on three specific HD channels (HDNET...) but also since the 9.1 upgrade last week. After the upgrade I began to see irritating pix on SD channels as well as additionl HD channels that did not have the pix prior to 9.1. TiVo suspects my 6 month old S3 is a model that the say have been reporting these issues since 9.1 and are sending out a new unit. I see similar reports of recently replaced S3's and in some cases the pix goes away and other the pix returns. I hope my new unit solves the problem.


That is not likely to fix your problem.

Unless your hard drive is going bad (which causes pixelization on everything), there is really only one "fix" to this problem -- adding an attenuator.

http://www.smarthome.com/7800.html

You simply screw an attenuator on the end of the cable before you plug it into the TiVo.


----------



## esmtexas

Again, since 9.1 I am now getting although minor) PIX on most channels. Nothing like the constant unviewable PIX that I have always had on 3 HD channels. TiVo states that this new minor PIX since 9.1 has been seen due to the way 9.1 processes things so they believe the new unit will solve the new PIX.

My question about the Attenuators is if the signal on the three bad HD channels bounces up and down constantly (according to TiVo diagnostics), what will the attenuators really do? Do they stabilize, increase or reduce the signals?


----------



## Ron Tobin

esmtexas said:


> Again, since 9.1 I am now getting although minor) PIX on most channels. Nothing like the constant unviewable PIX that I have always had on 3 HD channels. TiVo states that this new minor PIX since 9.1 has been seen due to the way 9.1 processes things so they believe the new unit will solve the new PIX.
> 
> My question about the Attenuators is if the signal on the three bad HD channels bounces up and down constantly (according to TiVo diagnostics), what will the attenuators really do? Do they stabilize, increase or reduce the signals?


*Good question.* Many of us who have experienced pixelization problems would find the signal strength bouncing all over the place. Right now, I'm pixelization free, at least on the channels I watch, but there's been no reports that something has been fixed. Therefore, it's just a matter of time that they begin to appear again.


----------



## bkdtv

esmtexas said:


> Again, since 9.1 I am now getting although minor) PIX on most channels. Nothing like the constant unviewable PIX that I have always had on 3 HD channels. TiVo states that this new minor PIX since 9.1 has been seen due to the way 9.1 processes things so they believe the new unit will solve the new PIX.


Although 9.1 does handle pixelization differently from 8.x, I'm not sure you can say for certain that 9.1 is the cause. Verizon has been doing a lot of work to upgrade work their COs and VHOs in the past month.

Have you requested 9.2 @ http://www.tivo.com/priority/ yet?



esmtexas said:


> My question about the Attenuators is if the signal on the three bad HD channels bounces up and down constantly (according to TiVo diagnostics), what will the attenuators really do? Do they stabilize, increase or reduce the signals?


The SNR stabilizes. The "bouncing" seems to occur when a signal is stronger than the TiVO is designed to accept.


----------



## esmtexas

I am also having this issue. Nothing is recording and am watching live tv, I get the warning that the channel must change to record an upcoming scheduled event. Even though the other channel is clear, I am forced to change the channel on the tuner I am watching. After I say yes, change the channel, I go to the other tuner and watch my original show.


----------



## PieThief

bkdtv said:


> Although 9.1 does handle pixelization differently from 8.x, I'm not sure you can say for certain that 9.1 is the cause. Verizon has been doing a lot of work to upgrade work their COs and VHOs in the past month.
> 
> Have you requested 9.2 @ http://www.tivo.com/priority/ yet?
> 
> The SNR stabilizes. The "bouncing" seems to occur when a signal is stronger than the TiVO is designed to accept.


Is there a range for SNR and Signal Strength that corresponds with a good signal (for those who have resolved the pixelation issue)?


----------



## AbMagFab

PieThief said:


> Is there a range for SNR and Signal Strength that corresponds with a good signal (for those who have resolved the pixelation issue)?


For FIOS, it seems to be all about SNR, and pixelation stabilizes at 31/32. Signal strength doesn't matter (as long as it's above 45-50).


----------



## bkdtv

esmtexas said:


> I am also having this issue. Nothing is recording and am watching live tv, I get the warning that the channel must change to record an upcoming scheduled event. Even though the other channel is clear, I am forced to change the channel on the tuner I am watching. After I say yes, change the channel, I go to the other tuner and watch my original show.


Did you have back to back recordings scheduled?

There is a bug in Tivo's logic that will make it take control of the active tuner when back to back recordings are scheduled. For example, if you have one recording scheduled for 3-4pm and another recording scheduled for 4-5pm, the Tivo will ask you to change the channel at 4pm. At 4:00:01 you can switch to the other tuner to continue watching your program. A number of members have complained about this on TCF. Hopefully, TiVo will fix it in their next 'bug fix' release.

Another possibility is that you have TiVo Suggestions enabled. If you are watching live TV and have not used a trickplay function (such as pause or instant replay) in the last 15-30 minutes, the TiVo will assume that nobody is watching liveTV and it may use the tuner to record a suggestion. Disabling Suggestions would of course prevent that.


----------



## bugged1

I have had Verizon FIOS TV since August. About 3-4 weeks ago, I noticed the pixelation problem reported in this forum. I do not own a Tivo, but I do have a Sony LCD tv with a cablecard. I am in Virginia.

My experience has been similar to that of other posts. Multiple visits from Verizon techs, multiple replacements of cablecards, coax, and the ONT without results. Multiple attempts at different levels of attenuation with no results. I was told that no one else in my area had reported this problem---pixelation on local HD channels only (801-808). All other channels are fine.

In my system, the local HD channels are in the 500,000 khz range.

Like others, I tried various levels of attenuation myself and was able to resolve the pixelation on 801-808. However, I then noticed that other HD channels were starting to pixelate. So this solution did not work for me.

I finally gave in and got the HD STB from Verizon, and that cured the problem.
However, I prefer the quality of the picture I get without the STB, so I am not willing to give up quite yet. Like everyone else, I am anxiously waiting for a solution.


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## aaronwt

I have no pixelation problem here in Northern VA on my 4 HDTiVos that are on FIOS. FIOS has an 8 way splitter on my coax and I have everything connected to it without any pixelation problems. I have 4 HDTiVos, 1 FIOS HD STB, and 3 HDTVs connected to the 8 outputs.


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## esmtexas

I actually am now on 9.2 and still have the random PIX on many channels that was not there prior to 9.1 or 9.2. I also swapped out the S3 this past weekend and no change. So now I have the ATeenuator pack on order.


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## doconeill

I've had FiOS for about a week and a half now. I've got two TivoHD units, although only one is hooked up to an HD screen.

On the HD screen, I get pixellation on just a few of the "cable" HD channels - I've definitely seen it on AEHD and FOODHD. I have NOT seen it on any of the locals, or HDNET - haven't watched much of the others yet.

When I went to the diagnostics screen, one tuner showed a SNR of 31-32dB with no corrections (didn't notice the signal strength), and I believe it was tuned to a low channel. The other was up to 36-37dB, with a signal strength of 99-100 and corrections going up rapidly. I'm pretty sure this was tuned to AEHD. The problem was when I went back to live TV to check the channels, it appeared both tuners were "dead" - I got a black screen, I couldn't call up the guide, and if I went back in to the TiVo menus, there was no background. I got the same thing when the cablecards were first installed and I went to the "Test Channels" screen. I had to restart to restore function.

I'd look again, but its recording programs now...

I'm recording some HD from FOODHD on the other unit which I'll transfer to this one and see if the pixellation is there. The other unit is at the end of a long RG59 run (old cable) where the installer actually had a problem getting the signal up to spec - he originally used a 5- or 6-way splitter that attenuated too much, so now I have a 3-way (I have a third outlet to a regular STB). This TiVo is on a shorter run with RG6.

I'm thinking that I could use some attenuation, as others have stated here. Does that sound right? Would attenuating not harm the signal that was on the other tuner that seemed to be in the good (31-32dB) range?


----------



## bkdtv

doconeill said:


> I'm thinking that I could use some attenuation, as others have stated here. Does that sound right? Would attenuating not harm the signal that was on the other tuner that seemed to be in the good (31-32dB) range?


Adding attenuators will not get rid of pixelization in the original picture signal.

If you aren't seeing RS Uncorrected errors (which cause pixelization and dropouts) on your Diagnostics screen, then an attenuator can't do anything for you.


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## doconeill

bkdtv said:


> Adding attenuators will not get rid of pixelization in the original picture signal.
> 
> If you aren't seeing RS Uncorrected errors (which cause pixelization and dropouts) on your Diagnostics screen, then an attenuator can't do anything for you.


Sorry, I guess I left something out...both corrections and uncorrected errors were growing for that particular tuner at the time.

I'll try and get some more testing done this evening before its time to record things again.


----------



## doconeill

OK, I've tuned both tuners to the HD channels - one to 840 (FOODHD), the other 842 (AEHD). 

Issues seem to come in bursts. Both tuners show SNR between 34-37dB and the signal strength bounces between 87-100.

Tuner 1 seems more sensitive. Within a couple minutes, I got 3k uncorrected and 78k corrected errors on it, but now its stayed absolutely still for about 5 minutes.

Tuner 0 only had 9k corrected and 0 uncorrected. 

I flipped the tuners around. on at about 80 seconds, there were 10k corrected and 0 uncorrected on tuner 1, and then suddenly the uncorrected errors shot up, and the corrected errors accelerated. At 150 seconds, I was at 7k/148k, and I noticed that the signal strength was moving between 60-87. 

Tuner 0 has been slowly getting corrected errors now, but only a couple hundred. Signal strength seems to be around 93-100 pretty consistently.

And now that the signal strength is up again on Tuner 1, the uncorrected errors have stopped and the corrected errors have slowed down.

I checked my other TivoHD (the one not hooked up to an HD screen), repeated the same thing. The exact same thing happens - Tuner 1 tends to get a drop in signal strength, at which point corrected/uncorrected go up. 

It seems unlikely that this is strictly a signal strength problem, but also seems unlikely that two tuner cards would be bad, and both end up in the Tuner 1 slot on both units. I'm assuming I can't just swap the cards between tuners and have them authorize properly...

Any other ideas? Fortunately it seems limited to a few channels - haven't had time to run the channel list though.


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## bkdtv

doconeill said:


> It seems unlikely that this is strictly a signal strength problem, but also seems unlikely that two tuner cards would be bad, and both end up in the Tuner 1 slot on both units. I'm assuming I can't just swap the cards between tuners and have them authorize properly...
> 
> Any other ideas? Fortunately it seems limited to a few channels - haven't had time to run the channel list though.


This is exactly what I (and many others) saw before I added the attenuators.


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## doconeill

OK, I'll order the attenuator set and hope for the best...thanks...


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## jgupton

doconeill said:


> OK, I'll order the attenuator set and hope for the best...thanks...


FWIW, I had a similar problem on 840 (Food Network) and the SD DIY channel 147 was virtually unwatchable. I've had two attenuators (one 3db and one 6db) inline for almost two weeks now and have had almost no uncorrected errors (and the corrected errors are considerably lower - a few thousand as opposed to many hundreds of thousands).

Haven't had any watchability issues since (on any channels) - crossing my fingers that nothing changes. Hopefully you'll see similar improvements.


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## FiosUser

Hello, everyone. This is my first post to tivo community.

I had this pixelation problem with my new S3 (still in un-rebated state). 

Problem summary:
I had Verizon's DVR. Buggy so I bought a Tivo S3. Verizon installed cable cards and splitter so I had the DVR and Tivo atop one another until I finished watching all my shows on the DVR. Picture quality was excellent with both units. Upon Verizon removing the DVR and splitter, pixelation started on the Tivo on 2 channels (TNT and TBS--channels 51 and 52).

Solution Summary:
Verizon troubleshooted for 5 hours and didn't get anywhere. (same type of troubleshooting others have posted). By my reading the posts here and on dslreports, I found 3 options to try:
1. Attenuate the signal on the cable going into the Tivo box.
2. Amplify the signal (recommended after calling Tivo) and on the boards.
3. Ask Verizon to check their "cards" in their "head office"

I went with #1 and it worked. I had to add a "-8" attenuator and all is now well.


----------



## winter

FiosUser said:


> Hello, everyone. This is my first post to tivo community.
> 
> I had this pixelation problem with my new S3 (still in un-rebated state).
> 
> Problem summary:
> I had Verizon's DVR. Buggy so I bought a Tivo S3. Verizon installed cable cards and splitter so I had the DVR and Tivo atop one another until I finished watching all my shows on the DVR. Picture quality was excellent with both units. Upon Verizon removing the DVR and splitter, pixelation started on the Tivo on 2 channels (TNT and TBS--channels 51 and 52).
> 
> Solution Summary:
> Verizon troubleshooted for 5 hours and didn't get anywhere. (same type of troubleshooting others have posted). By my reading the posts here and on dslreports, I found 3 options to try:
> 1. Attenuate the signal on the cable going into the Tivo box.
> 2. Amplify the signal (recommended after calling Tivo) and on the boards.
> 3. Ask Verizon to check their "cards" in their "head office"
> 
> I went with #1 and it worked. I had to add a "-8" attenuator and all is now well.


Its amazing with that problem description that Tivo would be suggesting to *amplify* the signal although I guess that is conventional wisdom for the problem (pre-FIOS).

Clearly the signal got stronger when the VZ DVR and splitter was removed from the equation and that's when the problem started - seems obvious to me that attenuating the signal back to the same level as when the splitter was present would be the first thing to try.

I don't fault FIOS for not knowing how to troubleshoot Tivo's because its not their hardware, but if Tivo hasnt gotten the message yet that when a FIOS customer calls in with pixelation problems that attenuation should be at the top of the list of fixes to try then shame on them. Has Tivo even put this issue in their troubleshooting guide on their site yet?

IMO at this point Tivo should have a supply of attenuators and offer to mail them to FIOS customers free of charge. No other device that I've heard of has problem handling FIOS's hot signal (and I'm not just talking about the VZ-provided hardware) that leads me to believe that Tivo's design is overly sensitive so they need to step up to the plate to handle it.


----------



## jjd

jjd said:


> Then, I moved the 10+3db attenuators to the basement just before the splitter out of the ONT. Voila! Now the Tivo and the Sony seem to be working fine on the channels that constantly pixelated before.
> 
> I'm crossing my fingers, but it appears this has solved my problems. Maybe now I can get that second Series 3 and enjoy MRV!
> :up:


An update:

Things have been working pretty well with my 10+3=13db attenuation at the ONT. (After that attenuation, the output goes to a 4-1 splitter which sends a signal to a Series 3 in the living room and to the bedroom where there is another 4-1 splitter connecting an (on loan) verizon DVR and Sony LCD XBR (with cablecard)).

But this weekend, I noticed some pixellation on the Series 3. I checked the diagnostics and the SNR was around 34. I added an additional 10db attenuator to the back of the Tivo and that brought the SNR down to about 31. I haven't seen any additional pixellation, but will keep my eye out.

--Jim--


----------



## Joe Q

JonInVA said:


> Definitely seems to suggest a problem at the signal transmission end of things, but it always takes two to tango. Have there been any reports of non-TiVo FiOS CableCard users seeing this problem? Or is it just us S3 users?
> 
> If the problem is limited just to us S3 users, I fear that we may be faced with this problem for some time to come. One of these two companies is going to have to feel properly incentivized in order to start seriously looking at the problem.


I am battling the same problem with my dual ATI digital Cable Card tuner on my Cable Card PC. This is with Verizon FIOS.

In my case, it is random in that it will be fine for a few days and then really get bad pixelation for a few days. It IS channel dependent.
EG. When it acts up, my local FOX station is the worse so much so as to be unwtachable and HBOHD,for instance, will only have a few picture breakups

I had Verizon out last week and the tech said that the signal test shows that I have an in spec signal strength. 
When i showed him the Fox station breaking up really bad , he spent a lot of time on the phone talking to his resident expert.

He changed to a different make of splitter and the problem went away.
He told me that they have found a lot of variablilty in the performabce of the splitters which is why his exptert told him to change the splitter.

I was happy that everything was working fine until the next night when I started getting that same random pixelation.
It is like they are doing something on the other end of the fiber to cuase this to act so randomly.

I am looking for a forum like the TIVO forum to discuss these ATI issues but at least I can confirm the question that was asked.


----------



## bkdtv

JoeQ,

Have you tried attenuators? That has fixed the problem for 95+% of TiVo users with FiOS.

AbMagFab posted a good summary here.


----------



## jjd

bkdtv said:


> Have you tried attenuators? That has fixed the problem for 95+% of TiVo users with FiOS.
> 
> AbMagFab posted a good summary here.


I agree. JoeQ -- try the attenuators. They solved the problem not only for my S3 TiVo, but also for my CableCard equipped Sony XBR LCD TV.

--Jim--


----------



## bugged1

Joe Q said:


> I am battling the same problem with my dual ATI digital Cable Card tuner on my Cable Card PC. This is with Verizon FIOS.
> 
> In my case, it is random in that it will be fine for a few days and then really get bad pixelation for a few days. It IS channel dependent.
> EG. When it acts up, my local FOX station is the worse so much so as to be unwtachable and HBOHD,for instance, will only have a few picture breakups
> 
> I had Verizon out last week and the tech said that the signal test shows that I have an in spec signal strength.
> When i showed him the Fox station breaking up really bad , he spent a lot of time on the phone talking to his resident expert.
> 
> He changed to a different make of splitter and the problem went away.
> He told me that they have found a lot of variablilty in the performabce of the splitters which is why his exptert told him to change the splitter.
> 
> I was happy that everything was working fine until the next night when I started getting that same random pixelation.
> It is like they are doing something on the other end of the fiber to cuase this to act so randomly.
> 
> I am looking for a forum like the TIVO forum to discuss these ATI issues but at least I can confirm the question that was asked.


I am having a similar problem with my Sony LCD TV and Motorola cablecard. I also have Verizon FIOS. My pixelation is confined to the local HD channels. Up until about 3 weeks ago I never had any problems. After 6 tech visits, I tried the attenuators, and was able to eliminate the problem on the local HD channels, but then noticed that other channels started to pixelate. I agree that it seems that something changed on the Verizon end of the fiber to cause this. However, tests show that my signal is perfectly within specs.


----------



## Joe Q

Thanks for the replies. I tried sucessively ganging attentuators by using splitters and all I accomplished was to totally lose the signal.

My situation seems to be the opposite of you Tivo folks and that is that I think the signal is either too weak or has a bunch of errors in the data that are uncorrectable.


I base that on a QAM capable capture card that I put into another PC and the SW ipackage ncludes a signal strengh meter.

I can only test the unencrypted locals with this rig but FOX is my worse station.
With that tool, I could see that The SNR went down and the error count as well as uncorrectable error count went up as I added more and more 3.5db spliiters to use as attentuators.

OTOH,
If I add an amplifier right where the signal enters the house I get an obvious improvement both in a lowerd pixelation effect as well as a greater SNR from that tool.
Unfortuantely, it does not fix it 100% and as I said I am starting to think that it is from the source. Another user noted that as well

Does the S3 have a SNR display in it's diagnostic/setup menu?

What kind of values do you get for Signal to Noise Ratio?

Thanks


----------



## bugged1

Joe Q said:


> Thanks for the replies. I tried sucessively ganging attentuators by using splitters and all I accomplished was to totally lose the signal.
> 
> My situation seems to be the opposite of you Tivo folks and that is that I think the signal is either too weak or has a bunch of errors in the data that are uncorrectable.
> 
> I base that on a QAM capable capture card that I put into another PC and the SW ipackage ncludes a signal strengh meter.
> 
> I can only test the unencrypted locals with this rig but FOX is my worse station.
> With that tool, I could see that The SNR went down and the error count as well as uncorrectable error count went up as I added more and more 3.5db spliiters to use as attentuators.
> 
> OTOH,
> If I add an amplifier right where the signal enters the house I get an obvious improvement both in a lowerd pixelation effect as well as a greater SNR from that tool.
> Unfortuantely, it does not fix it 100% and as I said I am starting to think that it is from the source. Another user noted that as well
> 
> Does the S3 have a SNR display in it's diagnostic/setup menu?
> 
> What kind of values do you get for Signal to Noise Ratio?
> 
> Thanks


FWIW, My Sony TV has as a diagnostic screen which shows SNR and Errors (uncorrected, I think). Typically my SNR varies from 36-38. When I have the pixelation, the SNR bounces back and forth between 36-38 and 31-32 and the number of errors can be anywhere between 1 and 255.


----------



## bkdtv

Joe Q said:


> Does the S3 have a SNR display in it's diagnostic/setup menu?
> 
> What kind of values do you get for Signal to Noise Ratio?


Before I added attenuation, signal strength was 98-100. As far as SNR, some channels were 36dB and others were 37-38dB. On some channels, the SNR would fluctuate between 37dB or 38dB and 32-35dB and signal strength would fluctuate between 98-100 and 50-70. Those channels with fluctuating SNR exhibited pixelization and audio dropouts, and the Diagnostics screen reported hundreds to thousands of RS Uncorrected Errors per hour.

Adding about 18dB of of total attenuation -- instructions here -- eliminated the pixelization and dropouts, as well as the fluctuation. Now my SNR is 31dB to 32dB with a signal strength of 65-75 (varies by channel). There are zero RS Uncorrected errors and RS Corrected errors are rare.









TiVo with FiOS after attenuation.

The TiVoHD uses two ATI Theater 314 QAM/VSB demodulators, which are probably the same chips found inside the ATI OCUR tuners in your Vista PC. HP and ATI may not update the drivers for their ATI OCUR tuners as frequently as TiVo updates theirs, though. TiVo has already gone through two or three different driver revisions since July.

I assume you already have the the 1.16H OCUR firmware on your Vista PC.


----------



## aaronwt

Joe Q said:


> Thanks for the replies. I tried sucessively ganging attentuators by using splitters and all I accomplished was to totally lose the signal.
> 
> My situation seems to be the opposite of you Tivo folks and that is that I think the signal is either too weak or has a bunch of errors in the data that are uncorrectable.
> 
> I base that on a QAM capable capture card that I put into another PC and the SW ipackage ncludes a signal strengh meter.
> 
> I can only test the unencrypted locals with this rig but FOX is my worse station.
> With that tool, I could see that The SNR went down and the error count as well as uncorrectable error count went up as I added more and more 3.5db spliiters to use as attentuators.
> 
> OTOH,
> If I add an amplifier right where the signal enters the house I get an obvious improvement both in a lowerd pixelation effect as well as a greater SNR from that tool.
> Unfortuantely, it does not fix it 100% and as I said I am starting to think that it is from the source. Another user noted that as well
> 
> Does the S3 have a SNR display in it's diagnostic/setup menu?
> 
> What kind of values do you get for Signal to Noise Ratio?
> 
> Thanks


If you need to amplify the signal where it enters the house then you have a major problem. The FIOS signal from the ONT is super hot. If I trried to amplify it I woul dbe afraid I would damge the components connected to the cable. You should call FIOS and have them check out your lines.
I have an 8 way splitter on the output of my ONT and i still have almost as much signal strength on the 8 lines as I did from the single Comcast line that I had.


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## Joe Q

aaronwt said:


> If you need to amplify the signal where it enters the house then you have a major problem. The FIOS signal from the ONT is super hot. If I trried to amplify it I woul dbe afraid I would damge the components connected to the cable. You should call FIOS and have them check out your lines.
> I have an 8 way splitter on the output of my ONT and i still have almost as much signal strength on the 8 lines as I did from the single Comcast line that I had.


I did have Verizon out last week to try and fix the problem and in prep for that, I took out all the stuff I have added. That day, everything decided to not act up so I showed him the problem via a recording. All he did was change toi a ifferent splitter at the ATI end and left.

One of the items was a 15 db Ampflifer that is made by Motorola. It is not an el cheapo no name brand and Motorola has all the specs for it on their website.

Nou you have me worried about using that amp.

*Do you think that I could have damaged my 2 ATI Cable Card Tuners with that 15 db amp? *
Before the price dopped a few weeks ago thanks to Sony selling them for $299 direct without requireing a PC purchase, I paid $510 to HP for EACH tuner. 
I would hate to find out that I hurt the pair which cost a lot more than the Cable Card PC they are hooked to.

Here is my wiring diagram with the best results until I tried somethign new yesterday which I describe below:
--->ONT--->15 DB Amp ---> 2 way 3.5 db loss Splitter--->1) TV 2) Router for my FIOS internet Service

TV is really: ---->4 way 3.5 db loss Splitter ---> 1 port for each ATI Tuner, 1 port to another PC using a QAM tuning card for unencrypted, 3rd port free

*The diagram is messy but it basically shows that my 15 db amp is really only putting 8Db onto each ATI tuner (15- 3.5+3.5) *

_The rest of this post is addressed to you , and bkdtv and bugged1._

I have a splitter right after the ONT since I have FIOS internet so one cable goes to the TV and the other cable goes to the Router. Because I need my internet (duh!) there is no point in even trying to see what I get with NO splitters.

*What I do not get is that the amp does not seem to make much difference.*

Yesterday I ran a separate RG6 cable after the splitter at the ONT and ran it right to ATI tuner #1 . NO amps.
I then put an amp on the other output of the splitter at the ONT and ran it through a splitter for ATI tuner #2 and my internet router.

*So, I have 2 cable runs to my ATI tuners. One is Amplified and the other is NOT amplified*

I have enclosed pictures from the diagnostic screen for each of the tuners.
The tuner with 8DB in the name is the Amplified one and the Unamplified tuner is called A7F.
It is tuned to my worse station - Fox which is channel 810 for the Verizon Users

As you can see , there is practically no diffference. I realize that the Db scale is logarithmic but I would have expected something a bit more different when one is driven by a 15 db amp.

Is it possible that the ATI tuner has some front end electronics that keep the incoming power level the same?

I realize this is a lot of words to read through in this post but it is obvious that I have found some folks that know what they are doing and can be a big help to me.
I really appreciate your time.

ATI Tuner 8DB:


ATI TUner A7F:


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## Joe Q

Have any of you seen this?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941102

I started to do the online chat to get the download but it wants some serial number of some product that I must not have


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## Tidal_Wave_One

I added a -10 dB attenuator I found in my garage and seems to have made a huge difference (improvement), but there is still the occasional pixelation. I ordered the pack from Smarthome and will see if adding a little more fixes it completely. Thanks for the great info!


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## jasontemple

Tidal_Wave_One said:


> I added a -10 dB attenuator I found in my garage and seems to have made a huge difference (improvement), but there is still the occasional pixelation. I ordered the pack from Smarthome and will see if adding a little more fixes it completely. Thanks for the great info!


I also ordered the smarthome attenuators and I did see an improvement, but the signal drop outs and the skip aheads still did happen from time to time. Still unwatchable (better than before, but still frustrating). My SNR is around 31 to 32 and I still see uncorrected errors, just not climbing so fast.

Has anyone used this information to get better troubleshooting from Verizon? Their techs mean well, but each one shows up and has no idea of the 6+ month struggle I've been through.

Tivo tech support finally admits is a problem of theirs but they do not have a solution. I've asked to work with engineering and to be put on some beta test list, but they claim they don't have such a thing.

I'm so fed up with Tivo and FIOS. I wish I could go back to the 8.3 firmware when this did not happen for me.


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## bkdtv

jason,

You may need more or less attenuation. It's trial and error to find the best amount of attenuation for your setup. Some people need 20dB, others need 16dB, others need 12dB, and others need 8dB. Too much or too little doesn't get the job done right.


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## winter

jasontemple said:


> I also ordered the smarthome attenuators and I did see an improvement, but the signal drop outs and the skip aheads still did happen from time to time. Still unwatchable (better than before, but still frustrating). My SNR is around 31 to 32 and I still see uncorrected errors, just not climbing so fast.
> 
> Has anyone used this information to get better troubleshooting from Verizon? Their techs mean well, but each one shows up and has no idea of the 6+ month struggle I've been through.
> 
> Tivo tech support finally admits is a problem of theirs but they do not have a solution. I've asked to work with engineering and to be put on some beta test list, but they claim they don't have such a thing.


Personally I don't see any Verizon issue here.

Every other QAM tuner/box (Verizon or non-Verizion supplied) seems to be able to handle a wide range of signal strengths from the FIOS without having problems - its only TivoHD that is suffering from goldilocks' syndrom (has to have a signal that is just right, not too strong, not too weak).

I don't see how anyone can expect Verizon to "fix" the problem when it clearly a flaw with the HD Tivo's.


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## rschwarz_jr

Actually I just installed an attenuator and it fixed pixelation on my TivoHD and my verizon STB.


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## jjd

winter said:


> Personally I don't see any Verizon issue here.
> 
> Every other QAM tuner/box (Verizon or non-Verizion supplied) seems to be able to handle a wide range of signal strengths from the FIOS without having problems - its only TivoHD that is suffering from goldilocks' syndrom (has to have a signal that is just right, not too strong, not too weak).
> 
> I don't see how anyone can expect Verizon to "fix" the problem when it clearly a flaw with the HD Tivo's.


This is not true.

I have both a Tivo Series 3 as well as a Sony XBR LCD TV with CableCards in both of them. Both experienced identical pixelization from Fios.

--Jim--


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## Ronbo53

jjd said:


> This is not true.
> 
> I have both a Tivo Series 3 as well as a Sony XBR LCD TV with CableCards in both of them. Both experienced identical pixelization from Fios.
> 
> --Jim--


I agree completely with JJD. I also experienced the same pixelation issues on both my Tivo S3 and my TV using the Motorola Cablecards in each, others have also posted (earlier in this thread) that they found this exact same thing. This is a sensitivity problem with the Cablecards from Motorola, so in reality it is a Verizon problem. Placing the attenuators in the lines solved the problem for both the Tivo and the TV, this should not be the job of the customer to figure out. And being these cards are Verizon property I would most definately expect Verizon to fix this issue so the cards are compatible with their system.

Having read and been involved with thread from the beginning I don't remember anyone posting information about the cards working with any third-party non Verizon hardware.


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## rschwarz_jr

Like I mentioned earlier attenuation also fixed pixelation issues on my set top box from verizon. In fact there was a low level attenuator installed by the Verizon tech prior to me reporting any problems as part of the standard install.


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## roadkill_97006

I got the attenuator kit (MANY thanks to the people who posted that!) and it made a massive difference in the problems. I was getting every kind of sound and video breakup on my Series 3 on FIOS prior to a "pad party" with the kit. My SNR started at 37 and is still 37 but the signal strength reads as a steady 96-98 across the board. It was pegged across the board at 100 before I installed -19db of padding. The meter probably would have read 1000, if it could have gone that far. I just screwed them on until it stabilized at about 97 and left it at that. I now get only momentary dropouts on sound and that seems restricted to the local channels. I don't have a clue why just the locals are problems - particularly live stuff like football games, but sometimes (more rarely) things like CSI. I guess I could add some more attenuators and see what happens, but at this point the sound dropouts are pretty rare. No video breakups any more. I suppose I need to do the error rate check and play more with the attenuators. The problem is keeping my wife blissfully ignorant of the problem... That means I have to work on it during the daytime (I work from home) - and that means using Oprah or some HD soap as a signal source from the local channels. My gag reflex keeps kicking in.


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## jasontemple

bkdtv said:


> jason,
> 
> You may need more or less attenuation. It's trial and error to find the best amount of attenuation for your setup. Some people need 20dB, others need 16dB, others need 12dB, and others need 8dB. Too much or too little doesn't get the job done right.


I tried them all...from 1 to 40dB of attenuation...between 12 and 16 has mixed results and any more than 16dB and the screen goes black, so I have dialed in about as much as I can with attenuation. I believe it's the cable cards and their interaction with the tivo software (duuuu)...seriously though, it never had this problem with the 8.3 firmware from tivo, so it must be that, or something upstream with Verizon on that freq. The problem is that I cannot get anyone from Verizon to go to those troubleshooting lengths! So damn frustrating with the whole family here and all this pixelation!


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## jjd

jasontemple said:


> I tried them all...from 1 to 40dB of attenuation...between 12 and 16 has mixed results and any more than 16dB and the screen goes black, so I have dialed in about as much as I can with attenuation.


Perhaps you know this, and what I'm about to say is obvious to everyone, but I thought I'd say it anyway.

Keep in mind that you can use more than one attuator at the same time. For example, the smarthome.com pack has 2 each of the 3, 6, 10 and 20 dB pads. This means you can create intermediate attenuations such as:

3db = 1 3db
6db = 1 6db
9db = 1 3db + 1 6db
10db = 1 10db
12db = 2 6db
13db = 1 10db + 1 3db
15db = 2 6db + 1 3db
16db = 1 10db + 1 6db
19db = 1 10db + 1 6db + 1 3db
20db = 1 20db
22db = 1 10db + 2 6db
23db = 1 20db + 1 3db
and so on


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## jasontemple

jjd said:


> Perhaps you know this, and what I'm about to say is obvious to everyone, but I thought I'd say it anyway.


Yep...already done that...I went so far as to move the teamed attenuators from just before the tivo to just coming out of the ONT. No luck. I can get the pixelation a bit better but as I mentioned previously once I go beyond around 16dB, the screen goes black...tivo cannot sync.


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## jjd

My initial attempt (at the back of the CableCard equipped Sony TV) with 16db, also produced a black screen while 13db solved the problem completely.

I moved the 13db from the TV to the output of the ONT and that mostly solved it for my TV as well as my Tivo. After getting some experience (and seeing a bit of pixellating), I added a further 3db to the tivo leg. This was probably due to the fact that the bedroom TV already had an extra splitter as compared to the tivo.

I still very very occasionally see some pixellating on the tivo on BBC America (ch 169) and may have to try moving from 16db to 18db [2*6 + 2*3] or 19db [10+6+3] on the tivo.

You are the only person I have heard of (either here or on avsforum) for whom the attenuators didn't solve the problem.


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## dslunceford

jjd said:


> You are the only person I have heard of (either here or on avsforum) for whom the attenuators didn't solve the problem.


Well, then count me as the second. I've tried multiple attenuators in various configurations with no resolution. I've tried recabling for the "problem" THD. I've even switched my THD's locations and the issue follows the box. I get pixelization on only two channels on FiOS: Food SD and HGTV SD (144 and 145). One THD plugged into the same line will handle uncorrected errors with seemingly no problems, while the "problem" unit will show pixelization whenever there's a button press on the remote (volume, channel banner, etc).

Finally broke down and had a FiOS tech out...even he was unable to fix or successfully get SNR down from the 34-37 levels without losing signal and affecting other channels (ie. introducing pixelization). He did reduce it to a tolerable level, however, not using attenuators, but by using splitters for the same effect -- putting a 8 way splitter at the ONT and a 4-way splitter at the source line. I still get uncorrected errors on both units (which are fed from the same "main line") but one box can seemingly handle these errors where the other box chokes and shows pixelization.

I've reported the issue to TiVo and have a case number, but haven't decided whether its annoying enough to switch out the box (or even the best way to do so...I have until 1/31 to return to Amazon at a cost of around $12 for shipping...don't know what TiVo charges for a warranty swap).


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## bugged1

dslunceford said:


> Well, then count me as the second. I've tried multiple attenuators in various configurations with no resolution.


I also tried multiple attenuators with no resolution to the pixelation on my Sony TV with a cablecard. FIOS techs also attempted to solve it with no luck. I gave up and ordered a STB, which works perfectly.


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## kpepling

You can add me to the list of people where the attenuation didn't work. I covered pretty much everything from 1db - 20+db and still have problems. No matter how much attenuation I use the signal level never locks in. It will jump every 20-30 seconds or sometimes more often and it appears that the pixelization happens at the same time that the signal jumps. It doesn't even fluctuate very much, jumps up maybe 6-7 db and then back to where it was.


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## JerryL

I am having a severe pixelation problems with the HD (800's) channels. I live outside of Philly. It started on Sunday. Anyone else with problems?


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## raffij

I live in philly suburbs and starting seeing these pixelation issues after the 9/11/2008 channel realignment. Anyone else? Any suggestions?


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## Gregor

raffij said:


> I live in philly suburbs and starting seeing these pixelation issues after the 9/11/2008 channel realignment. Anyone else? Any suggestions?


I didn't notice any difference in pixellation after the realignment.

What was weird is that the channels with the worst pixellation (Fox and NBC) stayed the worst.

I guess that means the pixellation is a source issue?


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## JacksTiVo

I started experiencing extreme pixelation and audio problems in recent days. I called FiOS Tech support several times over the weekend and was about to ask for a Tech house visit. The last support person mentioned that I should check to see that I did not have any loose connections.

Everything was tight, but I do use the 90 degree coax connectors at the wall connection and into my S3 and after turning them, the pixelation and audio problems disappeared. I'll be removing them today. His suggestion saved me the cost of a house visit since my internal wiring is not covered by Verizon.


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## ursa99

This is a 20 second video of my TIVO when it's pixelating. Towards the end it will show the signal go to zero and you will see the RS errors mount, even when the signal is at 100%....

http://picasaweb.google.com/ursa9999/FiosErrors#

For me this goes on occassionally and is confined to frequencies between 411000 and 429000. Channels 118 and 230 and maybe more are the affected channels. This has been going in since my install in January 2008


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## bicker

Could folks from this thread please provide an update with regard to their issues? Thanks!


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## SeanC

Franklin, MA. I recently tried using a diplexer with no attenuation, still got pixelation. So I went back to 20dB of attenuation.

The single 20dB attentuator seems to be the sweet spot for me. With it in place I'll occasionally see minor pixelation, very small and brief, with no interruption of sound.


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## bicker

Is the pixelation you're talking about specifically limited to those low-range HD channels (Science, Animal Planet, etc.) or are you talking about ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.?


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## SeanC

I haven't ever tried to map out my pixelation the way others have. I know that it happens on ABCHD, NBCHD, CBSHD, FOXHD, SciFiHD, and many other channels.

But it's not a predictable, all the time event. Without attenuation, I could go a whole night and have no problems, then the next night, all of a sudden NBCHD is unwatchable, but no other channel is affected.

The 20dB attenuator gets me 99&#37; pixelation free viewing, I can live with that.


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## sinanju

I'll make the same offer here that I've made in the other thread... if you want to PM me your Verizon ticket number (open or closed) and town, I'm trying to get as many TiVo pixelation tickets onto a single desk at one of the Verizon Chronic Resolution centers as I can. So far, I have only three, but I'm sure we can do better than that.


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## gtcar

SeanC said:


> Franklin, MA. I recently tried using a diplexer with no attenuation, still got pixelation. So I went back to 20dB of attenuation.
> 
> The single 20dB attentuator seems to be the sweet spot for me. With it in place I'll occasionally see minor pixelation, very small and brief, with no interruption of sound.


Holliston, MA - I tried the 860Mhz diplexer - no help.

Tried combinitions ranging from 3 - 20db of Attenuation, still no help or improvement for that matter. The problem only exists on the channels 867-888(except 869 & 885), Starz HD/TMC HD. All the affected channels are in Freq range 351000khz - 369000khz (the two exceptions are in a different range). Using the same coax & TV to a QIP6416 Verizon STB works fine. The THD uses two Scards both cards have the same problem - the problem has to be in the THD box... unless someone else has something else to try, the box is going back to Tivo on Monday... sad really, I like everything else the THD offers much better than the Verizon STB, but picture and sound are really the reasons we watch TV, right?


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## ciucca

gtcar said:


> Holliston, MA - I tried the 860Mhz diplexer - no help.
> 
> Tried combinitions ranging from 3 - 20db of Attenuation, still no help or improvement for that matter. The problem only exists on the channels 867-888(except 869 & 885), Starz HD/TMC HD. All the affected channels are in Freq range 351000khz - 369000khz (the two exceptions are in a different range). Using the same coax & TV to a QIP6416 Verizon STB works fine. The THD uses two Scards both cards have the same problem - the problem has to be in the THD box... unless someone else has something else to try, the box is going back to Tivo on Monday... sad really, I like everything else the THD offers much better than the Verizon STB, but picture and sound are really the reasons we watch TV, right?


You have come to the conclusion others on this board others cannot accept. Tivo knows there is a major hardware flaw with their S3/TIVOHD, but they refuse to acknowledge it. Why because it will probably bankrupt them. They will either have to replace all the s3/TIVOHDs out there, or provide some bonus to affected customers.

Don't hope for a fix in the S4, if there even is one in the works. They get their tuner components very cheap and are unlikely, given the quality of the people who work there, to do the right thing for their customers.

I only hope this cover up is due to their business failing not a total lack of morals.

To the guy collecting ticket numbers for an "escalated" ticket or whatever you called it, good luck with that. I know for a fact that it is known by VZ management and engineers that the problem is within the TIVO. You will not get them to tell you that since they have a policy of not publicly bad mouthing third party vendor equipment. Just think of the legal action they will leave themselves open to. So instead they spend their own money chasing a problem that they know they cannot fix, in the name of customer good will. The final result of this escalated ticket issue will probably get you a year of free HD DVR service.

So do like me, sell your tivo on ebay, and move on. I'll give tivo credit since they invented the DVR technology, but they have been sitting on the same code base and platform for 10 years. They refuse to inovate, leaving that for others. Except for the few tivophilles their customer base is shrinking.

One day we will saying ... "remember the LP, the CD, the betamax, the cassette tape walkman, the tivo, etc.


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## Joe Q

Over this weekend, I made the swap from Vista Media Center to Tivo HD XL.

The reason is not germaine to this thread - suffice it to say that I am finally fed up with all the problems with Media Center as my DVR.

The TIVO HD XL was working great last night and then I happened to spot this thread today and it has now jinxed me.

I decided to see what the SNR and Signal strength displays look like per this post:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6727138#post6727138

I am tuned to channel 746 (HDNETMV) and it is pixelating VERY badly.
It was just a random channel that I tried.

By badly, I mean that this is the type of pixelation where the picture has breakups continually - NOT every few seconds/minutes.

*What is very odd is that I brought up the signal strength meter and the picture cleared up. It has remained perfect for the past 15 minutes.*

BTW, I do not get a display like that in the referenced post.
I get a simple Bar and # showing Signal Strength.


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## bkdtv

Joe Q,

It sounds like you may need an attenuator. I would start with 6dB attenuation.


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