I was wondering about that. The walls inside my family room are made of plaster and the big window is facing away from the towers. Its a big window tho... probably 12x8 feet. So there could be all kinds of bouncing off the walls here. If this is a likely possibly for the problem I would think E* would tell people that. They must still fix it on their end. But if a better antenna will solve the problem, why wait for them?
Anyone having trouble with Dish OTA HD tuners?
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I was wondering about that. The walls inside my family room are made of plaster and the big window is facing away from the towers. Its a big window tho... probably 12x8 feet. So there could be all kinds of bouncing off the walls here. If this is a likely possibly for the problem I would think E* would tell people that. They must still fix it on their end. But if a better antenna will solve the problem, why wait for them?
Thing is, I just put my OTA coax through a splitter to the TV tuner and Dish tuner. I was having OTA issues through Dish tuner prior to the split so I don't think it made a difference one way or another. However, when I view the OTA signal through the TV tuner, I don't get drops. Not even on NBC which was my weakest. I can't watch NBC at all through Dish OTA tuner.
This seems like a software issue to me with the VIP622. If it was antenna, I should have problems viewing OTA on my TV tuner as well.
If you are using a splitter for OTA and satellite at the 622 and and combiner (reversed splitter) outside for the antenna and dish, then you may be losing a dB (decibel) or so. This can be the margin for OTA. If you have a 3-legged creature that does not say Sat and Ant/TV then you may have a multiplexer that has 3.5 or more dB loss. The 622 meter reads like dB.
If possible, run a separate cable for the OTA, which can then be amplified and spread for TV and 622 OTA inputs with RG-6 preferred. Amplifier on splitter must be on TV side only as the Sat signal is too high a frequency for it. I found a nice 10-dB 4-way amplifier at Radio Shack. (That is 6+ dB better than a single output 10-dB amp and passive 4-way) They must do UHF.
-Ken
If possible, run a separate cable for the OTA, which can then be amplified and spread for TV and 622 OTA inputs with RG-6 preferred. Amplifier on splitter must be on TV side only as the Sat signal is too high a frequency for it. I found a nice 10-dB 4-way amplifier at Radio Shack. (That is 6+ dB better than a single output 10-dB amp and passive 4-way) They must do UHF.
-Ken
They really screwed up the 211s with the last software update. I get 100% on my FOX channel but it still has video and audio breakups. Can't watch it anymore. It never did that before. I'm also feeding the Samsung TV tuner from the same antenna and no problems there.
To Dish Network: Whatever the hell you did to the OTA tuner on the 211s, just put it back to where it was before. It was working just fine.
I second this for 622's!!!
To Dish Network: Whatever the hell you did to the OTA tuner on the 622s, just put it back to where it was before. It was working just fine.
Now if we get a LITTLE breeze which blows the trees, so goes the CBS and NBC and the FOX signal already stinks...
---Before my wife makes me go back to cable
---This is more likely by this fall, so DISH, fix it.
BTW I Love my 622!
:
I second this for 622's!!!
To Dish Network: Whatever the hell you did to the OTA tuner on the 622s, just put it back to where it was before. It was working just fine.
Now if we get a LITTLE breeze which blows the trees, so goes the CBS and NBC and the FOX signal already stinks...
---Before my wife makes me go back to cable
---This is more likely by this fall, so DISH, fix it.
BTW I Love my 622!
622 & 211 please.
You know I started having problems at the same time as everyone else (at the beginning of May) with decent signal strength and contiual pixelation. But something other than a software release happened in April/May to many of us who got a 622 after September 2006. LEAVES!
All the trees with the leaves fluttering in the wind cause all sorts of multipath problems we didn't have in the winter.
I'm not certain this is 100% the issue. But since all the trees filled out, my signals, though strong, have all sorts of blips and pixelation problems. Leno tonight was totally unwatchable because of signal drop-outs. There was a steady 10mph wind tonight.
Just a thought.
See ya
Tony
All the trees with the leaves fluttering in the wind cause all sorts of multipath problems we didn't have in the winter.
I'm not certain this is 100% the issue. But since all the trees filled out, my signals, though strong, have all sorts of blips and pixelation problems. Leno tonight was totally unwatchable because of signal drop-outs. There was a steady 10mph wind tonight.
Just a thought.
See ya
Tony
If the broadcasting station uses a lower frequency VHF channel then yes it CAN happen that leaves in the line of sight can give multipath problems.
However, if you can disconnect the coax from the 211/622 and move it to the builtin tuner that is in the TV and get perfect reception it is probably not the leaves. That would be the software update that broke these receivers in Feb.
I would have to at least partially agree. I live in southeast Michigan and have noticed varying degrees reception based on weather patterns as well. Depending on tropospheric conditions my signal strength can vary as many as 15% points. This occurs on my 622, 2nd gen. Zenith digital OTA receiver and my Olevia 32" LCD tuner.
i tried my HDTV ATI tuner card in my pc with the same connections and antenna and I get no dropouts via the PC as I do with either the 211 or the 622. Hooked up old HD D* box and i get no dropouts either. What pisses me off is has been since Fe/Mar since this has happened on the 211 and the 622 has had issues since I got it in 06'. If they are not going to hasten the fix for the OTA they should let me go back to D*. If I wanted to watch analog or 480 digital local I would not have $1000's of HD tv in my house. Get it together E*.
I use OTA on my 622 w/ indoor silver sensor antenna. Most of the time it's great reception, but occasionally I'll have one channel KLCS where I am getting 65 one day and nothing the next. Overall I am very happy with the OTA capabilities b/c it gives complete listings for sub-channels, and gets virtually all HD channels in LA even though I live in San Diego County. OTA is one of the main reasons I even have satellite.
S/W update
It was the s/w update PERIOD. I have 3 other OTA HDTV ATSC tuners and none have the problem. 2 of mine used to have more problems than the 622 but now it is just the reverse. They tweeked something to make it better and that went to far and made it worse.
It was the s/w update PERIOD. I have 3 other OTA HDTV ATSC tuners and none have the problem. 2 of mine used to have more problems than the 622 but now it is just the reverse. They tweeked something to make it better and that went to far and made it worse.
I have version 4.05 on my 622 and right now have nearly zero problems with OTA. The weakest OTA local right now is KTBN, coming in with a signal level of 66. It is perfectly watchable with no dropouts. Even the two channels which had previously had some problems, KLCS and KDOC, are coming in with signals in the high-90's and are perfectly stable. I have an outdoor antenna with no amplification. The only problem channel is KRCA, which has channel 0 (or perhaps null) in the PSIP as its channel assignment. Doing a manual scan I get a signal of 98, but with that channel 0 in the PSIP it will not show up in the guide and I can not tune to it. My old 811 could handle it fine, displaying it as channel 68 (the digital channel it is on). Why can't the 622 do this? Fortunately it is not an issue for me since I do not watch it at all (Spanish language programming only).
Is there any update to this mess?
I'm running a 622 with L444 and my San Diego locals are 10 to 21 miles.
I just put up an unamplified OTA roof top antenna yesterday and this problem started an hour after I scanned for channels. No signal then 60 to 90+ except for one of the 10 mile away stations that goes from no signal to 70+ then pixelates and dies in seconds. Some channels have been OK for hours but when you tune through them they often start at "lost signal" for 5 to 10 seconds then lock in and show a number above 60.
Incidently just after the scan I had KTLA from over 100 miles away with a 54 signal strength. However today KTLA gives the yellow "lost signal" screen 100% of the time.
I have to say I haven't had time to adjust the direction for peak picture yet but I should be pretty close. And with the TV connected directly I get all the digital channels without a problem.
I'm running a 622 with L444 and my San Diego locals are 10 to 21 miles.
I just put up an unamplified OTA roof top antenna yesterday and this problem started an hour after I scanned for channels. No signal then 60 to 90+ except for one of the 10 mile away stations that goes from no signal to 70+ then pixelates and dies in seconds. Some channels have been OK for hours but when you tune through them they often start at "lost signal" for 5 to 10 seconds then lock in and show a number above 60.
Incidently just after the scan I had KTLA from over 100 miles away with a 54 signal strength. However today KTLA gives the yellow "lost signal" screen 100% of the time.
I have to say I haven't had time to adjust the direction for peak picture yet but I should be pretty close. And with the TV connected directly I get all the digital channels without a problem.
Steve. Your problem may be multiphasing (ghosting). On an old TV you just saw ghosts. On the new digital tuners, you get ZILCH! The signal will go from 70s and 80s to zero and back with shifting ghosts.
For more distant channels the reception will depend on the weather. A clear dry low humidity day with NO WIND you will get signals from all over. A hazy, cloudless humid day with lots of wind your reception of the distant channels will probably be gone.
For more distant channels the reception will depend on the weather. A clear dry low humidity day with NO WIND you will get signals from all over. A hazy, cloudless humid day with lots of wind your reception of the distant channels will probably be gone.
Dang! This doesn't sound easy to beat. But the mountain with the trouble channel (39) also has two other stations that don't give me any problems.
Should I try a email to the channel 39 engineer?
Tony
Why would these "ghosting" issues come and go with software updates? I can go months with no OTA problems. All of my OTA dropouts come and go with updates. I'm 17 miles from NYC transmitters.
This has to be softawre related.
In my case I'm glad to report Tony was right on. I connected an analog TV to my antennas and the bad channel had severe ghosting. The surprising thing was that the cause was that one of my UHF antennas was a piece of crap.
When I got on the roof and tried to turn it for minimum ghosting the signal was almost identical through 150 degrees - all ghosty. Then I re-aimed the other UHF antenna and the signal was perfectly clear. The good one is now aimed between the two mountain tops and the HD signals are all perfect but some of the analog pictures are a little snowy so I have to replace the crap antenna with another good one so all the analog sets in the house will get perfect pictures on all locals.
Lessons learned: You can't buy a decent UHF antenna for 12 bucks but the Radio Shack model U-75R is fantastic for 29.95.
Still a problem?
Are there still people having issues with dropouts via OTA? I am in Milwaukee and while we used to have it really bad (right after we signed up - wife was not happy) it seemed to calm down, although it seemed to never fail that if my wife recorded something in HD it would have a ton of dropouts and the error of recorded data lost.
Our local ABC used to be the worst but like I said it seemed to settle down - there have been so many updates since then...
Last night we had Desperate Housewives recorded and we stopped trying to watch it about 5 minutes in to the show because it was constant drop out with the lost data message. We have strengths in the 80-90s but it drops to 0 and then back up again. It has never completely gone away, but up until last night I see it only happen occassionally - once or twice every couple of shows. It does happen on pretty much all of the channels, not just ABC. And my wife says she sees it a lot more than I do - to the point that I thought the problem was pretty much gone until she said she sees it all the time on her shows.
Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? It is SO frustrating. I just want to watch my local stations in HD sometimes!!! I just don't know who to contact - I see blame put on the 622 OTA tuner, I see blame put on the software, and I see blame put on the TV stations themselves. I just don't know what to do, but something HAS to be done. Last night was totally unacceptable!
Thanks for your help!
Are there still people having issues with dropouts via OTA? I am in Milwaukee and while we used to have it really bad (right after we signed up - wife was not happy) it seemed to calm down, although it seemed to never fail that if my wife recorded something in HD it would have a ton of dropouts and the error of recorded data lost.
Our local ABC used to be the worst but like I said it seemed to settle down - there have been so many updates since then...
Last night we had Desperate Housewives recorded and we stopped trying to watch it about 5 minutes in to the show because it was constant drop out with the lost data message. We have strengths in the 80-90s but it drops to 0 and then back up again. It has never completely gone away, but up until last night I see it only happen occassionally - once or twice every couple of shows. It does happen on pretty much all of the channels, not just ABC. And my wife says she sees it a lot more than I do - to the point that I thought the problem was pretty much gone until she said she sees it all the time on her shows.
Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? It is SO frustrating. I just want to watch my local stations in HD sometimes!!! I just don't know who to contact - I see blame put on the 622 OTA tuner, I see blame put on the software, and I see blame put on the TV stations themselves. I just don't know what to do, but something HAS to be done. Last night was totally unacceptable!
Thanks for your help!
All I know for sure is that on my Vip211, the recently released L434 software update finally fixed my OTA issues that started in Feb after another software update broke it.
If you are having signal strength fluctuations it could be a multipath problem but I was not only having loss of signal but also constant freezing and pixelating ever 20-30 seconds.
If you are having signal strength fluctuations it could be a multipath problem but I was not only having loss of signal but also constant freezing and pixelating ever 20-30 seconds.
I was having bad droputs on all of the ota, then they were fixed with a software update around 3 months ago. i am now having the problem again mainly with my abc channel. the problem is the dish receiver. When i have the problem, if i hook the antenna directly to the tv, the droputs stop!! When i hook back to the dish box, they start up again. I even tried removing all of the ota, and rescanning , but that didnt help. I even unplugged the box for an hour hoping to reset the info, but no luck, If you call dish, they say that ota is a bonus and they are not worried/responsable for that. Next time you have droputs, hook the antenna directly to the tv. If they stop it is your dish box, if they dont it is your stations or your antenna/cables.
Hope it helps
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