Intermittent video/audio loss on Genie Client (CR41)

[crobby]

I am a new DirecTV customer (about 2 weeks). For the most part, our system has been working great. The only exception has been that when we are watching on our 2nd TV (Genie Client Model CR41NC-700), we experience seemingly random intermittent cutting out of both video and audio (screen just goes blank for 2-5 seconds). Maybe not totally random though. So far, I've only ever had the cutouts when watching 2 different titles, both VOD that had been completely downloaded to our playlist before we started to play them...1) "The Campaign", which was a Cinemax On Demand movie and 2) The first 3 episodes of HBO's Game of Thrones (which are the only 3 that we've tried so far).

Just before we lose video/audio, we will usually notice a fraction of a second of pixelation. Other times, we will get a bit of pixelation but NOT lose the video/audio entirely.

When the video/audio resumes, the program is a few seconds ahead (as if it continued playing while audio/video were out). If we rewind, we are able to watch the part that we missed during the audio/video loss.


I have NOT noticed a cutout while watching live TV yet or any other recorded shows.

Here is the rest of our setup:
Genie: Model HR44NC-500
TV: Vizio E420d-A0 connected via HDMI (I've tried 2 different cables and 2 different HDMI inputs on the TV...same result)


Any thoughts you have on this are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys crobby!

Have you checked your connections and cables? You may have a screw loose! (metaphorically, of course!)

 

[Hutch1814]

I am a new DirecTV customer (about 2 weeks). For the most part, our system has been working great. The only exception has been that when we are watching on our 2nd TV (Genie Client Model CR41NC-700), we experience seemingly random intermittent cutting out of both video and audio (screen just goes blank for 2-5 seconds). Maybe not totally random though. So far, I've only ever had the cutouts when watching 2 different titles, both VOD that had been completely downloaded to our playlist before we started to play them...1) "The Campaign", which was a Cinemax On Demand movie and 2) The first 3 episodes of HBO's Game of Thrones (which are the only 3 that we've tried so far).

Just before we lose video/audio, we will usually notice a fraction of a second of pixelation. Other times, we will get a bit of pixelation but NOT lose the video/audio entirely.

When the video/audio resumes, the program is a few seconds ahead (as if it continued playing while audio/video were out). If we rewind, we are able to watch the part that we missed during the audio/video loss.

I have NOT noticed a cutout while watching live TV yet or any other recorded shows.

Here is the rest of our setup:
Genie: Model HR44NC-500
TV: Vizio E420d-A0 connected via HDMI (I've tried 2 different cables and 2 different HDMI inputs on the TV...same result)

Any thoughts you have on this are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

When this happens does the green light on the C41 switch to yellow and flash? Also, is the light itself even green or an amber color? This would tell if there is an issue between the server and client

 

[crobby]

I've checked every connection that I can check. No "screws" loose in the system (I, on the other hand, may be a few turns shy of tight). I've even tried replacing pretty much every cable that I'm capable of replacing. They are sending a tech out on Monday. Hopefully, the system will exhibit the behavior while he is here and he can sort it out.

 

[raoul5788]

I've checked every connection that I can check. No "screws" loose in the system (I, on the other hand, may be a few turns shy of tight). I've even tried replacing pretty much every cable that I'm capable of replacing. They are sending a tech out on Monday. Hopefully, the system will exhibit the behavior while he is here and he can sort it out.

You know that's not going to happen don't you?

 

[crobby]

You know that's not going to happen don't you?

Yeah, that's why I'm still trying to fix it myself!

 

[crobby]

When this happens does the green light on the C41 switch to yellow and flash? Also, is the light itself even green or an amber color? This would tell if there is an issue between the server and client

The light on the C41 is usually (maybe always) green. I don't recall seeing it change when the screen goes blank, but I will double check that next time I see the problem.

 

[Hutch1814]

The light on the C41 is usually (maybe always) green. I don't recall seeing it change when the screen goes blank, but I will double check that next time I see the problem.

Green means a solid good network connect between the 2. If it flickers or changes colors then you've got a problem between the 2

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

Ive seen this happen on a c31 before, ended up being a defective client. Personally I hate the clients, they seem real buggy to me, but with each software download they get better. Unfortunately dtv has not implemented a way for a client to have its download forced... so when you get it is kinda up in the air if something new is in the cloud. I spent about 30minutes waiting today for a client to take its initial download so i could get the remote programmed (since theres a bug in the preload software that doesnt allow you to program the rc71s without the new software) and never ended up getting it, I programmed the remote to the tv name brand off the 44 in the living room, then reset it to ir, and left it ir. Box works, remote works.. When it will download who knows....

 

[crobby]

Here's an update on my situation. I scheduled a DTV tech to come out yesterday. He came and the hiccup actually happened while he was here. He didn't find anything necessarily wrong with my system and wound-up replacing a barrel connector. He also gave me a component cable to try.

Shortly after he left, I experienced the cutout again (again during a fully recorded Game of Thrones Video on Demand). So, I changed over to use the component cables. Again, I experienced the same problem.

Given that my TV was less than a month old, I switched my blame there and wound-up replacing it with a different make/model. I was again hopeful, but about 20 min in (again Game of Thrones fully recorded video on demand) I had the same hiccup that the previous TV experienced.

I have never noticed anything like this when viewing any other programming. Have any of you seen anything similar when watching any HBO Video On Demand shows? I've run out of things to check out.



For what it's worth, when the hiccup does occur, my light on the Genie Client remains green. I'm starting to believe that this is some sort of content problem (since no other recordings generate this behavior) but I don't really have any tools to troubleshoot that.

 

[crobby]

Ive seen this happen on a c31 before, ended up being a defective client. Personally I hate the clients, they seem real buggy to me, but with each software download they get better. Unfortunately dtv has not implemented a way for a client to have its download forced... so when you get it is kinda up in the air if something new is in the cloud. I spent about 30minutes waiting today for a client to take its initial download so i could get the remote programmed (since theres a bug in the preload software that doesnt allow you to program the rc71s without the new software) and never ended up getting it, I programmed the remote to the tv name brand off the 44 in the living room, then reset it to ir, and left it ir. Box works, remote works.. When it will download who knows....

Thanks for the note. Having had a DTV tech visit and proclaim that the system was working great, I'm not sure what else they would do for me. When the c31 proved itself to be defective, how was that revealed? Was there some sort of diagnostic test you (or even better, I) could do, or was it a matter of, "well, let's try swapping this out and see what happens"? Having swapped out my TV already, I'm pretty sure that it's either something in my system or in the content itself that is hosing me down here (I've never had a cutout with live TV or any non-VOD recorded content).

 

[waltinvt]

Pardon my jumping in but what is the difference between a C31 and a C41? I'm a new customer and my equipment arrived but hasn't been installed yet. I have the HR44 with 3 C31s and 2 H25s.

 

[raoul5788]

The C41s are wireless capable, but not enabled yet.