TWC signal issues

[Bruno9000]

Is anyone having issues with TWC's HD signal being lost?  It happens more before 2pm than after.  Basically, the HD channel I am watching will go black with no audio or video feed, no guide when the button is pressed, no change when I change the channel or try to use the DVR recorded shows.  The only thing I have on my screen is the input name (HDMI1, COAX).  This will go on all day, varying from a few seconds to 8+ minutes and can vary between 20-50 per hour.

Here is what the folks at TWC request I do in various phone calls and in home tech support:

1. Unplug cable box from surge protector strip and plug into the wall outlet
2. Swap box (I am on my fourth box
3. DO NOT us the HDMI cable provided
4. USE coaxial cable
5. Have tech replace all wiring from the wall to the box on the pole. (He drilled through  
    80 year old oak floors and trim and I told him to stop)
6. replace wiring from central box outside (?) to my pole.  (Wrecked neighbor's cable,
    TWC has been on my street for over a week)
7. Replace remote
8. Use HDMI cable; DO NOT use coaxial
9. Reboot box. (Unplug for 10 sec, 30 sec, 5 min, 10 min)

I just want to enjoy HD channels on my HD television like the people on their commercials.  Why can't I do so?   Any ideas on this problem or have others had this problem?


Hardware:
Philips 47" 1080dpi, HDTV
Scientific Atlanta 8300HDC
HDMI cable
Coaxial cable

[leprechaunshawn]

Why can't I do so?  

Because you have TWC!!

[Jack 1000]

Is anyone having issues with TWC's HD signal being lost?  It happens more before 2pm than after.  Basically, the HD channel I am watching will go black with no audio or video feed, no guide when the button is pressed, no change when I change the channel or try to use the DVR recorded shows.  The only thing I have on my screen is the input name (HDMI1, COAX).  This will go on all day, varying from a few seconds to 8+ minutes and can vary between 20-50 per hour.

Here is what the folks at TWC request I do in various phone calls and in home tech support:

1. Unplug cable box from surge protector strip and plug into the wall outlet
2. Swap box (I am on my fourth box
3. DO NOT us the HDMI cable provided
4. USE coaxial cable
5. Have tech replace all wiring from the wall to the box on the pole. (He drilled through  
    80 year old oak floors and trim and I told him to stop)
6. replace wiring from central box outside (?) to my pole.  (Wrecked neighbor's cable,
    TWC has been on my street for over a week)
7. Replace remote
8. Use HDMI cable; DO NOT use coaxial
9. Reboot box. (Unplug for 10 sec, 30 sec, 5 min, 10 min)

I just want to enjoy HD channels on my HD television like the people on their commercials.  Why can't I do so?   Any ideas on this problem or have others had this problem?


Hardware:
Philips 47" 1080dpi, HDTV
Scientific Atlanta 8300HDC
HDMI cable
Coaxial cable

Well,  What is connected to the coax?  You should be able to connect everything through HDMI

First, try #9 on your list, unplugging the box for 20 minutes to get bad data out.  However, this definitely sounds like a line problem and signal strength issue:

Just looking over that list, #1 and #3 are b.s suggestions.  The serge protector is there to protect your equipment, and in the rare issue that it would go bad, all of your equipment would be affected by it.  Replace the remote?  Who are these idiots on the phone giving advice?!!!

HDMI is recommended for best picture.  The older boxes in rare instances have issues with HDMI.  Maybe twice a YEAR I will have an issue where the HDMI signal does not come on with the box.  A reboot solves the problem.

If the cable guys are on your street, they are definitely doing something to the cable/wiring and this will affect the HD from time to time because of its' sensitivity.  When you gave that 2PM time reference, that certainly does not sound like a box issue.

I think #5 and #6 or a combination of both are your problems.  We had issue with our box rebooting several times a week and our Digital Phone going out.  We had an IN HOUSE TECH come out and replace the line and now the phone lines and cable are good as new.  The box only reboots about once a month.

Call TWC and ask to speak to a SUPERVISOR for a problem that has not been resolved.  When you set up this service call, say that you want an IN HOUSE TECHNICIAN and not an independent service contractor to come out and do the following:

1.) Check signal strength and wiring on back of the TV and the outside drop pole.
2.) Replace wiring going to the cable box and outside if necessary.

You should say when you talk to the supervisor, " I have been on my 4th box, and nothing has changed."  Please have the wiring inside and outside my home checked by an in-house technician.  You want an in-house technician.  The independent contractors don't know crap.

How long has this been going on?  Make sure you get some credit on your bill when this is resolved to your satisfaction.  This is a signal and wiring problem.  What city are you in?

Jack

[Urwhatuis]

If you have problems, go to Ch 1900 page 1 and check out
your FDC (forward data carrier) level during reception problems.
If you see a error message, you probably have an outside
plant issue.

You should NEVER have to swap out your box more than once
to solve these problems!

In my TWC days, I was one of the first Beta testers of the
SA8300HD DVR in 2001. I still have that box! Except for cold reboots
during software upgrades I have had no real problems.

I'm tired of all this TWC bashing.

Jeff

[oz]

My dad had similar problems and TWC simply had to replace the push-on ends of his coax with better connectors.  Do what you can to skip all splitters and extensions and hook-up your box the closest to the place cable enters your home. That way you can make sure it's not a bad cable or connector in your house.

[Bruno9000]

Jack 1000;

Everything was replaced from the pole to the house, to the basement, to the box.  Still the same issue.  I have had the technician at my house two days for about 2.5 hours total.  I am still having the issue.  Unfortunately, when we got in contact with the supervisor he blamed the TWC tech who was wonderful and sympathetic despite having the cable from the pole to the house still caught in a nearby tree that is not in direct line of the cable line. I am in Shorewood, WI and this has gradually increased in poor signal quality for about a week.  And despite the poor customer service and signal, I am holding back the bashing of TWC until I get one more tech.  Overall the techs have been great at bending backwards to solve the problem.

Urwhatuis;

After several attempts to wait for my signal to stay long enough to see the FDC level it reads -3.  But otherwise I get snow and black screens without any banners or picture.

[Jack 1000]

Jack 1000;

Everything was replaced from the pole to the house, to the basement, to the box.  Still the same issue.  I have had the technician at my house two days for about 2.5 hours total.  I am still having the issue.  Unfortunately, when we got in contact with the supervisor he blamed the TWC tech who was wonderful and sympathetic despite having the cable from the pole to the house still caught in a nearby tree that is not in direct line of the cable line. I am in Shorewood, WI and this has gradually increased in poor signal quality for about a week.  And despite the poor customer service and signal, I am holding back the bashing of TWC until I get one more tech.  Overall the techs have been great at bending backwards to solve the problem.

Urwhatuis;

After several attempts to wait for my signal to stay long enough to see the FDC level it reads -3.  But otherwise I get snow and black screens without any banners or picture.

Interesting,

Do the cable techs think that the cable stuck in the tree could somehow be a problem?  Your's sounds like a textbook case that might relate more to cable or outside wiring positioning than a TWC problem.

I am glad they are working with you to help.  The last guy we had out to fix our cable lines was wonderful as well.

Jack

[budda]

Go  to a neighbor that you you at least wave to in the summer, knock on the door and ask ,hay ,just wanted to know if your TW is working and if you may be having any problems?  Also ask the tech to install a signal booster where the cable comes into the house. Booster should be free and if low sig is the problem this should help. If it is quality of sig or grounding or something else the booster won't help. Good luck!:)

[Bruno9000]

Interesting,

Do the cable techs think that the cable stuck in the tree could somehow be a problem?  Your's sounds like a textbook case that might relate more to cable or outside wiring positioning than a TWC problem.

Jack

No for two reasons. One, it was put in there when I got my house re-wired this monday and the problem has been going on longer.  Two, the tech said that it would not be a problem (I have to believe him since he is a technician with some sort of training despite my common logic approach of, "What about a windy day or storm?")

After being on the phone with TWC last night to figure this out, it seems that they gave up despite my attempts to plead for help.  I may be just one customer, a drop in the ocean, but I should expect HD cable and if I can't get it they should figure out what to do.  My SD boxes are just fine.

[Tivoman44]

Maybe try using a different HDMI cable (they are dirt cheap bought from ebay, amazon, newegg.com, etc).  Also maybe try hooking a DVD player up through that HDMI port to see if that goes black as well.  As mentioned before do not use the HDMI cable at all, but the component cables that TWC provides.   Also maybe try using another TV just to see if that is the problem.  I hate to plant that idea in your head that it may be the TV itself, but it is worth a try.  

I myself grew up in Shorewood and now live in Glendale.  Growing up I remember Ch 4, 6, 10, and 12 always having interference issues of OTA and cable signal when watching through the TV directly (meaning a coax connected to the back, no box).  It always seemed that TWC would have to come every now and then, clip off parts of the coax cables in our inside and attach new connectors to them, or climb the pole in the alleys and putz around the box.  That seemed to work for a while but then the signals would get worse again and TWC would come back out.  1 year ago when my fiance lived in shorewood i remember seeing that interference again until analog OTA was turned off last June.  Do you think maybe the TV towers somehow cause the HD channels to go down.  I think you said Fox news HD and and Cnn?  I wonder if this is a SDV problem.  That was one of the reasons i dumped TWC, i was too sick of the tuning adaptor needing to be reset.

If you are willing to pay for TV, maybe look into Dish or Direct TV, or uverse.  Or shorewood is close enough to the towers, any set of rabbit ears should be able to pull in free HD channels anywhere in shorewood near flawlessly.