TWC HD reception

[Onanboy]

Well my status is that the technician came out to my house and even though I had asked to have him put in an amplifier, he didn't.  He told my wife something about the problem being with something on their end of things and that they are working to fix it. I am supposed to get some kind of credit.

Is there anyone here on the list that is getting HD from TWC in the north Racine area?  I wonder if anyone else is getting this intermittent problem.

If my cable only goes through one TWC splitter (the -3.5 dB split) and then the cable crosses my house the long way (~35 ft) is there any possible way an amp would help out?

Thanks,
Paul

[Onanboy]

Just got off the phone with TWC Cust. Service.  

I will be getting a $20 credit for my troubles.

Supposedly the problem is with the software in the converter.  They are working on getting a patch that will fix my freezing an pixelling.

If it is a software problem,  why isn't everyone with a HDDVR having this problem?

Paul

[mhz40]

Yes it's a known issue on the HD-DVR.  A patch is being tested now.  I believe it's on a fast-track, so maybe we will see deployed here by early January.

[Nels Harvey]

Line amplifiers can, and yet may not, help the situation.  Each location is different.  If the TWC cable is near the end of the run, then there are a lot of amplifiers already in the system.

If the signal is measured, and found to be acceptable on those TWC meters, it still doesn't mean there is a good signal to noise ratio available.  If the signal to noise ratio is poor, it is very unlikely an amplifier will do any good.

The one thing you can do would be to temporarily bypass any splitters in your house, and feed the HD directly from the incoming cable.  See if the problem improves that way.  If there isn't any improvement, adding amplifiers will probably not help.

Remember, each 1X2 splitter cuts the signal in half.  A 1X4 splitter can reduce the signal as much as 80% to 90%  I wonder if some of the TWC guys really realize that!  An amplifier that is placed in a system to overcome the splitter loss can also add further noise to a signal.  Also, remember amplifiers probably do not respond with the same gain over the desired frequency range.

Keep on TWC to keep working with you so you do get the full satisfaction of your expensive system.

Nels....

[JOHN GRY]

I have had all the same problems as descibed... freezing, tiling & sound drops. I also have RR as well as an amp with a 8 way spitter. I have had four new hd dvr boxes replaced & all spitters as well as new amp, nothing has worked!

The TWC techs have  tested and replaced basically everything (from the pole in). It can't just be the "in home hardware." What mhz40 writes makes sense its a dvr code problem!

Onanboy, I also reside on the northside of Racine.

[Onanboy]

John, it sounds like you have it worse off than me!  An eight-way splitter.  What kind of dB drop are each of the outputs?

As an update, the problem has seemed to minimize this past weekend but not disappeared.  I asked TWC if they were gonna inform people with problems when the patch was implemented and they said no.  I thought that it was strange that they wouldn't use people with know problems as a way of getting feedback.

Do people without splitters, that use the HD-DVR, seem to have this problem?  If they do I am amazed that more people aren't complaining about it.

Paul

[mhz40]

John, it sounds like you have it worse off than me!  An eight-way splitter.  What kind of dB drop are each of the outputs?
8-ways lose around 11db.  A perfect match when coupled with a 10db amp.

Do people without splitters, that use the HD-DVR, seem to have this problem?
The issues are exclusive from one another...  It's a state the DVR gets into, not the level of RF power at the tuner.  Some problems can me lessened or eliminated if you pause the feed for 5 seconds & resume from there (don't hit the live button, just play).

[summerfun]

I have an eight way splitter plus an amp. They are driving one RR modem, one HD DVR, one HD STB, and five analog tv sets.

I have no problems like mentioned here. The occasional drop out or pixilation, but nothing that I can't live with. It seems to be much better now than it was when I first got the HD DVR.

I would say it is perfect 97% of the time and is only a slight annoyance the other 3%. Not bad enough to change the channel.

In the beginning, it was so bad, I would have to change the channel and watch the analog broadcast. CBS seemed to be the worst back then, but they are all much better now.