Audio/video breakups in 6.10 and the last OTA channel tuned (Some Fixes here)

[santur]

I've have had relatively few problems with Voom since my install on 7/1. The box I received already had the 6.00 software installed. I am using an existing antenna for OTA with which I had been able to receive most of the local channels with 2 previous HD tuners (Samsung & LG).

After the Voom install, I noticed I was no longer able to get a picture for one of the RF ids that had previously worked (RF 57, 4-1 & 4-2 in SF Bay Area CA). Looking at the OTA signal strength for this RF, I noticed it cycled constantly between ~25 and ~82. I had in mind to try bypassing the diplexer in the future to see if that helped, but haven't run another cable yet.

Since the 6.10 upgrade (received 7/26), I have noticed constant audio/video breakups on almost all of the SAT channels, although the SAT signal remained steady at 96. Today when I was checking the signal strength again, I noticed the OTA strength was cycling between 26 & 82 again, since the last OTA channel I tuned to was RF 57 (to see if the new software had improved things, which it hadn't, although it now doesn't map those channels). On a hunch I tuned to an OTA channel with a steady 91 signal strength and then went back to the SAT channels. All of the breakups were gone and I'm now seeing no problems on any of the channels.

I will probably bypass the diplexer this weekend to avoid this problem but I thought I'd mention it here in case anyone had any thoughts on the fluctuating OTA signals and the problems it caused with SAT channels after the upgrade.

 

[Sean Mota]

santur,

let us know what happens when you bypass the diplexer.

 

[Ilya]

I tuned to an OTA channel with a steady 91 signal strength and then went back to the SAT channels. All of the breakups were gone and I'm now seeing no problems on any of the channels.

santur, at least once I encountered a similar situation. I thought about possible correlation between the last OTA channel tuned and the quality of the satellite reception, but then I dismissed that idea thinking it was a coincidence. Interesting. I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[Ilya]

Confirmed!

I made a few experiments and I can now confirm that frequent audio/video breakups on satellite channels are indeed in some correlation with the signal strength on the last tuned OTA channel.

I have a mapped channel with a rather weak signal: most of the time I can't lock in to it. If I switch to this channel and then switch to, say, channel 100, I get frequent audio/video drop-outs every few seconds. If I switch to another OTA channel with a stronger signal, and then switch back to 100 - no drop-outs at all! I tried this several times, and I get very consistent results.

So, if anyone is having audio/video breakups and pixelation every few seconds, try switching to an OTA station with a strong signal and then back to the satellite channel!

By the way, santur, I also see OTA signal quality jumping between 46 and 81 and I don't have any diplexers, so, I don't think this has anything to do with diplexers. I am renaming this topic.

 

[Ilya]

It's interesting that I get those constant break-ups on all satellite channels except for 999 and 8.15. 999 is rock-solid and on 8.15 instead of break-ups I get pop-ups saying "No signal received on local channel 8-15".

 

[santur]

Ilya, interesting that you're seeing the same problem with no diplexer. That would mean there is something internal to the STB that is allowing the current OTA signal to interfere with the SAT signal? This makes sense since the problem (for me) only showed up after the latest software upgrade. Hopefully it will be fixed in a later patch.

BTW, I also had no problems with channel 999.

 

[Ilya]

I think it's a bug in the new software: whatever brings the pop-up on channel 8.15, is causing the break-up on other channels.

 

[techweb]

I made a few experiments and I can now confirm that frequent audio/video breakups on satellite channels are indeed in some correlation with the signal strength on the last tuned OTA channel.

I have a mapped channel with a rather weak signal: most of the time I can't lock in to it. If I switch to this channel and then switch to, say, channel 100, I get frequent audio/video drop-outs every few seconds. If I switch to another OTA channel with a stronger signal, and then switch back to 100 - no drop-outs at all! I tried this several times, and I get very consistent results.

I noticed this problem after trying out the new local scanning and antenna pointing features, so it probably has something to do with that. Two steps forward, one step back.

 

[LOBO2999]

I don't have the diplexer on my voom box but I have just started noticing sound drop outs and video lockups it seems to me its more on the Starz, HBO Etc.. but I have just see it on Monster HD

 

[gully]

I'm suffering stutters and dropouts on every channel -- every 30 seconds or so. Almost unwatchable ....

The tuning to a strong OTA channel gambit did not help me at all.

Please tell me it's not always going to be like this....

 

[LOBO2999]

This sucks I never had this much of a problem with Video lockups. Is there anyway to go back to the old S/W 5.68

 

[Sean Mota]

Did you try to unplug/plug stb?

 

[jwtracey]

I am having the same problem but it seems to be confined to the VaVaVoom channels. I tried most of the Voom package channels and they seem to be OK. All of the premium channels I have tried seem to be having the same problem. I have tried hard and soft reboots but neither seemed to help. I have also tried tuning to a strong OTA channel and then tuning back to the problem channel but that didn't work for me either. This all seemed to start with the 6.10 upgrade...

 

[RPacion]

I am having exactly the same problems with v6.10.
This did not happen with v6.00.
To help prevent this problem from happening I just hid the problem/weak OTA channels.

 

[Sean Mota]

I just got this regarding the Audio/Video dropouts with V6.10

It may very well be a bug--Motorola and the team are on it.
Wilt

 

[wasch_24]

Awe fooey...not a new bug...dammit, after all that waiting. Although, I watched the entire 9pm episode of Rides last night and didn't have any trouble. I had just tuned to it from my weakest OTA channel too. And yes, I had already done an OTA scan.

 

[VewDew]

I made a few experiments and I can now confirm that frequent audio/video breakups on satellite channels are indeed in some correlation with the signal strength on the last tuned OTA channel.

I have a mapped channel with a rather weak signal: most of the time I can't lock in to it. If I switch to this channel and then switch to, say, channel 100, I get frequent audio/video drop-outs every few seconds. If I switch to another OTA channel with a stronger signal, and then switch back to 100 - no drop-outs at all! I tried this several times, and I get very consistent results.

So, if anyone is having audio/video breakups and pixelation every few seconds, try switching to an OTA station with a strong signal and then back to the satellite channel!

By the way, santur, I also see OTA signal quality jumping between 46 and 81 and I don't have any diplexers, so, I don't think this has anything to do with diplexers. I am renaming this topic.

I'll be damned if this didn't work for me. That is amazing. Thanks to whoever figured this out, the satellite SD and HD were unwatchable. Switching to a strong OTA then to FoxSportsWorld worked for me.

 

[mdanderson]

I can't try this fix you are talking about I can't even get any OTA channels at all. It has been like this for a month now and the earliest Voom can get a tech out on a Saturday is August 14th.

 

[TechCop]

Unplug the box.

I can't try this fix you are talking about I can't even get any OTA channels at all. It has been like this for a month now and the earliest Voom can get a tech out on a Saturday is August 14th.

Sean Mota suggested unplugging the box and plugging it back in as another fix for the constant breakups.

 

[Ilya]

Sean Mota suggested unplugging the box and plugging it back in as another fix for the constant breakups.

Perhaps unplugging resets the OTA channel and achieves the same result in certain cases: changing the channel in the OTA tuner to one with a more stable signal...

By the way, I think it is not the strength/quality of the OTA signal but rather frequent changes in the signal quality that are causing the problem. Try this: when you see periodic breakups, check the OTA quality. (Even though you are on a satellite channel, it will still show the signal readings for the last tuned OTA channel.) If you see the OTA signal quality jumping wildly, you need to change to another OTA channel and then return to your satellite channel by entering its number on the remote.