Dish Network: Poor video quality using coax cable. Dish techs at a loss!

[highdefjeff]

Tried all those; no change.

If you used a short cable and directly connected "TV2 out" coax to TV1 and still get ghosting,

and if while connected to TV1,

you've tried lower channels than 60 air, like 22, 23, etc - (checked them all)

and

you've tried cable 73 and the other cable channels (80 has worked well before in overcoming similar issues routed through a modulator)

and you still have the issue,

then you have a bad TV2 output.

When you use a short cable to connect to TV1 (from TV2 output) you bypass any hidden splitters or compromised cables. If after trying all of the channels available (air and cable) then TV2 out is bad.

This has been done, correct?

 

[abarkl]

Yes, to the previous post.

Dish techs are at a loss for a fix. Now it's wait and see if their affiliate GM will "pay the cost" for two single receivers as a "solution". "He's on vacation until Wednesday and will call then."

I will report back...

 

[dishcomm]

Yes, to the previous post.

Dish techs are at a loss for a fix. Now it's wait and see if their affiliate GM will "pay the cost" for two single receivers as a "solution". "He's on vacation until Wednesday and will call then."

I will report back...

These are the kind of issues that I love to try and tackle.
This one is a real headscratcher for sure.
Ok..
one more thing...try this.
Go to menu 6-1-5( modulator setup) set to cable ch 116
Now, run a channel scan on the tv in question.
Ch 116 is a default channel on dual tuner receivers. Weird.
See if that cleans it up a bit.
on which tv is the interference worse, the flat panel or the one you used as a test tv?

 

[whatchel1]

Not sure about this

These are the kind of issues that I love to try and tackle.
This one is a real headscratcher for sure.
Ok..
one more thing...try this.
Go to menu 6-1-5( modulator setup) set to cable ch 116
Now, run a channel scan on the tv in question.
Ch 116 is a default channel on dual tuner receivers. Weird.
See if that cleans it up a bit.
on which tv is the interference worse, the flat panel or the one you used as a test tv?

I have 722k and have never changed the coax out since I don't use it. It is set to air ch 60. So how can ch116 be the default?

 

[adidas5482]

air 60 = cable 116

 

[dishcomm]

I have 722k and have never changed the coax out since I don't use it. It is set to air ch 60. So how can ch116 be the default?

see above

 

[whatchel1]

Blind?

see above

Not blind I saw it.

 

[highdefjeff]

Air 22 = cable 73

 

[navychop]

Here is a chart comparing the various cable frequencies used, versus OTA broadcast frequencies, by channel.

And here is similar info, with some added explanation and FM/CB info.

Not all cablecos are interchangeable, as far as how they transmit. Some do odd things to their signals (I think that's mostly phased out now, for cable card etc), plus they have options (HRC IRC, etc.). I believe there's still at least one out there actually using NTSC OTA standards across their cable. And there used to be double thorax cable in the Northern VA area, plus quirky signal modification, before Cox bought out (Media General?).

 

[mjstraw]

I've had both sets in the same room with the original and a replacemnet receiver and changed the cables from one to the other; no change.
I have a VCR I've connected to the second set and the picture is not ghosted.

The comment about the VCR is interesting. Some tuners are unable to deal with very low or very high level/power signals. The VCR tuner may be better able to handle the
signal level from TV2 output better than the Vizio's

The default signal level on TV2 is pretty high, designed to feed into a home distribution system where splitters will drop the level.

Dish receivers come with either a hardware (a little larger than an f81 barrel connector) or software (as in my 722k) attenuator that will reduce the signal level to the "standard" for television inputs (between 10 and 15dB IIRC).

With both sets in the same room as the sat receiver, try different combinations of attenuator/no attenuator and sets and see if there is any difference.

Mark

 

[highdefjeff]

Good call mjstraw!

I missed that statement, but if everything is represented correctly as stated, I think you've nailed it.

(Then there is the statement, "The primary set is a Vizio VW42LFHDTV10A 8/2008 and the secondary set (which replaced a SDTV (with same image ghosting issue)) is a Vizio VO320E 12/2009".

This one sort of throws the wrench back into the works since the SDTV had the same issue.

 

[Stargazer]

Yeah but I highly doubt the cust will run a composite cable all the way to TV2 though

You can use an ethernet wire, which would actually be easier to run, than the composite cables all the way to the other room.

Also, one can try an amplifier to boost the signal. That has helped me in similar situations.

 

[abarkl]

**Update**
The Dish Network loyalty group has promised to install two 211k receivers this Friday in place of the 222k receiver, waive the upgrade fee of $75, $7/month for two receivers, for a period of 24 months.

Although I will always wonder what the actual fix was for this problem, I'm willing to accept their offer in this case.

 

[Haysoos]

From reading it sounds like a freak 2 bad receivers in a row type thing. The only other thing that comes to mind is maybe there needs to be a signal grounding.

I imagine the 2 receiver solution will work better for you though. PQ with just coax on LCD HDTV is abysmal, IMHO.

 

[cditty]

That's a better deal for you anyway. You can put EHD's on both and have 2 Fee Free (after activation) DVR's with the 211's.

 

[abarkl]

That's a better deal for you anyway. You can put EHD's on both and have 2 Fee Free (after activation) DVR's with the 211's.

Can you please provide more details?

 

[tempVAdish]

I happened to notice an earlier post, but it may not be too low a signal, could be that it is too high & overloading the tuner. TV2 out is sometimes used for more than one set using splitters that drop the signal. The output may be high to compensate for this.

Also, how do we know how well the NTSC tuners are now that manufacturers are using? They may just be "good enough" to qualify as a tuner & the manufacturers are putting the quality components & more attention to the ATSC tuners since the switchover...

Just a thought or 2...

 

[nebyty]

211/211K dvr activation details

Can you please provide more details?

There is a one time fee to activate the DVR function of the 211/211K. Do some reading here for research. Some external drives may be better to use. Look for a drive with an external power supply (wall wart).

Also:
hxxp://www.dishnetwork.com/receivers/hd/vip211dvr/default.aspx

 

[dodge]

I happened to notice an earlier post, but it may not be too low a signal, could be that it is too high & overloading the tuner. TV2 out is sometimes used for more than one set using splitters that drop the signal. The output may be high to compensate for this.

Also, how do we know how well the NTSC tuners are now that manufacturers are using? They may just be "good enough" to qualify as a tuner & the manufacturers are putting the quality components & more attention to the ATSC tuners since the switchover...

Just a thought or 2...

I agree the signal from the tv2 may be high and overloading the front end of the tuner in the tv causing the distortion, I would have tried using the attenuator that comes with the receiver.

 

[Jose313]

You can use an ethernet wire, which would actually be easier to run, than the composite cables all the way to the other room.

Also, one can try an amplifier to boost the signal. That has helped me in similar situations.

Ethernet wire? explain more please.