Digital cable - does yours suck?

[Sgt. Slaughter]

A couple months ago Sarge had to upgrade to digital cable. Went from analog cable (?) where the cable from the wall goes directly into the TV, to digital where the cable runs from the wall into a splitter where one goes to the cable box and then terminates in the TV. Another one (from the splitter) allows him to have his home phone through the cable company as well.

Ever since the "upgrade" the TV picture has randomly sucked. There are times when the picture becomes pixelated for a couple seconds, the sound will disappear for a second or two or channels are just flat out black - bring in no picture at all.

Is this common with digital services? If so, what's so effing special about "digital cable?" Because the option of PPV with a cable company remote @ home is now there?

[-Erik-]

I have Comcast. Not sure if it is the same as what you are describing, but overall my Comcast experience is just ok. We switched a year and a half ago to HD and I guess we have their digital cable if that is what it is called.

One of my bigger issues is that my sound cuts in and out. I will be watching and the sound will cut out for half a second, then come back. A few seconds later it will do it again. This happens again and again until eventually it sounds like someone is pressing mute on rapid fire. The sound comes back eventually, but in the reverse order as it goes out. You can force it to come back by changing channels and then back again, but it happens far to often for my liking.

We also just had to get one of those converter boxes for the other TV in the front room, which is what you maybe talking about, and I have been told that the quality is less then what it was before the box was there.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Sarge has a converter box in the front room, but there's no HDTV/Plasma/LCD TV/what have you. The TV is old school. Wonder if that's why there's an issue with a digital crap. If so though, it should be constant and not an intermittent problem. Hmmm...

[Monkeybomb]

I have direct TV. The only time it sucks is when its raining buckets or snowing so hard you can't see more than a few feet.

Other than that it rocks.

[JBean]

Were the cables changed as well? If not, request a maintenance visit for your digital provider and ask if the old cables might be causing the pixillation problems. That happened to me and I asked them to change the cables to new ones. Hope this helps.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Nope. The tech cut the original cable and installed a splice.

More than likely, Sarge will call next week cuz it won't magically fix itself!

[needguidance]

I believe your problem is your TV. If you don't have an updated television to handle the technology you will not get the full effect. This is why I haven't upgraded. As soon as this beast in my living room dies I will invest.

[GLHS837]

Nope. The tech cut the original cable and installed a splice.

More than likely, Sarge will call next week cuz it won't magically fix itself!

Well, theres your problem, right there, Sarge. In any mechanical troubleshooting, there are a few simple rules. Three of which are.......

1. Is the power switch in the ON position?
2. Are all the connections fully seated
2. What was the last thing you screwed with?

Either one of the connections isnt fully seated, one of the connections he made is marginal, I would almost guarantee it. Failed to fully crimp it, or didnt ensure the shielding was properly seated in the termination, maybe didnt leave enough conductor, no telling without looking. So, first thing is, feel the connections, see if they are not fully seated, unscrew and reseat them. If that doesnt fix it, call'em in.

I took my house from two cables in to a distribution block in the pantry, with new lines run to all three bedrooms, a drop for the cable modem, and did all the terminations myself, from raw cable. Trust me, easy to blow a splice.

[DAL]

In Nevada, I don't have Cable TV at all. I get local broadcasts using this new device called an antenna. The picture is clearer than I get on my digital cable in California. In fact, I get HD over the air. I use the internet and WiFi for movies or other programming.

A lot of info is available online. See http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/location/AZ/Phoenix/

[OneAdam12]

A couple months ago Sarge had to upgrade to digital cable. Went from analog cable (?) where the cable from the wall goes directly into the TV, to digital where the cable runs from the wall into a splitter where one goes to the cable box and then terminates in the TV. Another one (from the splitter) allows him to have his home phone through the cable company as well.

Ever since the "upgrade" the TV picture has randomly sucked. There are times when the picture becomes pixelated for a couple seconds, the sound will disappear for a second or two or channels are just flat out black - bring in no picture at all.

Is this common with digital services? If so, what's so effing special about "digital cable?" Because the option of PPV with a cable company remote @ home is now there?

Mine did the same thing when it was upgraded.
Get the cable co back and have them check connections and cable box. That was my problem.

I'm fixed now.

[OneAdam12]

Well, theres your problem, right there, Sarge. In any mechanical troubleshooting, there are a few simple rules. Three of which are.......

1. Is the power switch in the ON position?
2. Are all the connections fully seated
2. What was the last thing you screwed with?

Either one of the connections isnt fully seated, one of the connections he made is marginal, I would almost guarantee it. Failed to fully crimp it, or didnt ensure the shielding was properly seated in the termination, maybe didnt leave enough conductor, no telling without looking. So, first thing is, feel the connections, see if they are not fully seated, unscrew and reseat them. If that doesnt fix it, call'em in.

I took my house from two cables in to a distribution block in the pantry, with new lines run to all three bedrooms, a drop for the cable modem, and did all the terminations myself, from raw cable. Trust me, easy to blow a splice.

So true.

[John0397]

I still have analog cable and get the pixelation you are referring to. It irritates me sometimes, but it's only minor.

[5-0prospect]

Mine did the same thing, so I put a cable amplifier in line ( the kind you can buy at Best Buy). No more issues.

[stormz5192]

Used to have DirecTV, but switched to Verizon Fios a couple of years ago. Way better than Comcast. Comcast sucks nutz.

[Iowa #1603]

In Nevada, I don't have Cable TV at all. I get local broadcasts using this new device called an antenna. The picture is clearer than I get on my digital cable in California. In fact, I get HD over the air. I use the internet and WiFi for movies or other programming.

A lot of info is available online. See http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/location/AZ/Phoenix/

I too still have an antenna and refuse to get cable.

I get pixel depending on the weather.

Under ideal conditions a digital transmission will be clearer, sharper and of course High Definition. Inject a little moisture into the equation and/or a little bit of wind to make the antenna waiver a bit-------and the stabilization of the digital image sufferers.


This also happens at the cable company where their satellite dishes experience the same problems that Monkeybomb's direct TV has. Those big dishes you see at Mediacom's office are nothing more than bigger cousins to your directTV dish. The cable company does some software corrections most of the time.

Quite frankly the industry sold the FCC a lemon with DTV------------it isn't what was advertized.


Have them replace all cables...................the old TV will work just as well as a new flat screen until you decide to upgrade.

One thing you want to avoid as much as possible is splices/splitters and more connections than absolutely needed. Each break in the continuity of the cable reduces the efficiency of the line.....................Sully could tell you the exact dB loss for each break(I could if I wanted to look it up) but each one DOES degrade the signal.

Mine did the same thing, so I put a cable amplifier in line ( the kind you can buy at Best Buy). No more issues.

One partial solution.

I have amps on my outside antenna because I run the signal several places before it actually gets to the TV