"....is currently unavailable, please try again later"

[zoothorn]

Fill in your choice of channels...is anyone else seeing this?

I'm actually having two problems occurring when I turn on my box. I either see the above message or I just have no signal at all.

If I hit the A button to try again it never does anything. If I tune down a channel I get a picture, then tune back up and I get the original channel. Sometimes when I get a blank screen I have to unplug the box to get a picture back.

I've also seen shows I've tried to record in the log say 'the set top box was unable to record this program' and I'm assuming that it just hit the same issue as above. I don't mind the tuning up and down when I turn it on if that does it but when it stops recording shows (3 of them the night before) what's the point?

It seems to be happening more frequently lately so I called support Wed evening and they came out yesterday. Tech changed a few cables and replaced several connectors but didn't really do much else. He said with SD any little nick in a cable or bad connector can cause problems. He was also going to switch the box but that sounded 'knee jerkish' to me and I didn't want to lose some things on the DVR so I said I go swap it myself if this didn't fix it.

It happened again right after he left.

I was hoping to come here and see it being discussed but... Maybe it is a box issue? I have the SA8300 HD DVR. If I run down for a swap today is there anything new I should be trying to get my hands on or is that still it?

Thanks!

Zoot

[budda]

I would say you have a weak cable signal, to the house or subdivision. Try hooking the cable directly to the TV scan for channels. If the channels all work very well it is the box if they do not it is the line or bad connector. A place to star anyway. Peace. PS, I have a friend who works for a cable company they have reduced line power, to save money and force people to get boxes. If you were marginal you may have dipped to low but if the tech said all is good then it has to be your fault. Little sarcasm there.

[zoothorn]

After changing all the connectors he seemed happy with the signal I was getting.

I've only seen it on the HD channels, mostly because that's all I'm watching, and I can't direct connect to the TV and get those. Need the box.

With almost 50 views and no one else experiencing this I'll assume it is my box.

Anything better than the SA8300 HD DVR or is that still the choice?

Thanks.

Zoot.

[uwgrad]

The first problem you are having with the channel unavailable when you first turn on the box happens to me too.  It's just part of how SDV works.  When the box goes to sleep after a couple hours of inactivity, it releases the SDV channel you were watching.  When you wake the box back up, it doesn't send the request for that particular channel back to the head end, so it isn't sent out to you.  When you channel down/back up, that will send the request and activate the channel.

This could also explain some of the missed recordings you are having.  Again, if the box went to sleep on the SDV channel you are later trying to record, the box won't request the channel, and it will be unable to record.

As a test, when you are done watching tv, turn the box to two channels that aren't SDV - local channels such as 1006 and 1012 are a good bet.

Also, if you have the 8300HD box (not 8300HDC) keep it if you can.  The HDC boxes are much worse than the HD boxes.

[Paul Pavlik]

I had similar problems a while ago. The Analog signals were fine and Digital SD were mostly OK, but most HD channels were breaking up and pixelated.  After visits by 3 techs, the final tech had a sophisticated tester that he connected to the amp at the pole, which indicated a problem on the Hardline "Down the Block". 6 hours later (after a different crew repaired the Amp somewhere on the line), the problem was fixed.

Tech #2 wanted to replace inside coax and Cable Box, but I resisted.:rock: Without the test unit that tech #3 had, the true problem could not be isolated.

Edit: The problem was NOT Signal Strength. The signal strength meter that tech #1 had showed good signal strength.

[Jack 1000]

Try a cold reboot, but this time, leave the box unplugged for about 5 minutes.  After rebooting, is the problem still there?

There seems to be these types of issues you are describing, shortly as, or soon after TWC adds new channels, especially HD content.  There are several new HD channels due out before the end of the month.  Wait for about 2-3 days after those channels are added, and my experience has shown the "Channel Not Available" issues will clear up after that time.  

I don't think this is a box issue.

Jack

[budda]

If your TV has a built in HD tuner and you hook up directly scan channels you will receive HD channels, not the premiums. But all locals and few others no HBO or Discovery HD that requires a STB. try it at the very least will work with PIP. Peace

[zoothorn]

First of all, thanks to all responders.

uwgrad - thanks for the info. what you say makes sense. I could deal with waking up a channel when I turn on the tv but if the dvr can't pull a channel to record it when it's supposed to then...what's it worth. Wed night it missed three recordings total, and two of them were Daily Show and Colbert on Comedy Central in standard definition, life off channel 54, and I never watch that channel so the tuner couldn't have been left there.

to everyone else...unfortunately at lunch time I jumped the gun and went to swap the box. I hooked up what they gave me SA8240HDC and I can tell I'm going to regret that move. The menus are noticeably slower. And to top it all off I brought it home, hooked it up, and was getting pixelation on HD channels, which I also had happening when the channel did finally come in before. I called in and got someone on tech support who wanted me to take my power strip out and put the power cord right into the wall. which I did while gripping the whole time that that couldn't be the problem and when it came back up from that boot I've not had any problems. She asked if the power strip was old, and it was, and she said she see that a lot. I don't know...

We'll see if its still skipping recording shows though over night.  Again, that's going to be too frustrating to live with if it keeps doing that.

If this doesn't do it I'll pursue some of the other suggestions. Again, thanks to all responders.