Weird video processing on HBO/Showtime HD

[trunkten]

Recently we've noticed that the HBO and Showtime HD channels have an annoying kind of video processing going on. The best way I can describe this is the picture will become heavily grainy/pixelated briefly then "pop" back to normal. It lasts for about two seconds and just keeps repeating, no matter the scene.

Our other HD channels are still OK.

Is this a signal issue? What satellite/transponder do I need to look at for HBO/Showtime?

 

[gadgtfreek]

Not been too impressed with Showtime. The UFC fights on Spike look better than the Strikeforce fights on Showtime.

 

[Jimbo]

Recently we've noticed that the HBO and Showtime HD channels have an annoying kind of video processing going on. The best way I can describe this is the picture will become heavily grainy/pixelated briefly then "pop" back to normal. It lasts for about two seconds and just keeps repeating, no matter the scene.

Our other HD channels are still OK.

Is this a signal issue? What satellite/transponder do I need to look at for HBO/Showtime?

If you have a picture as in not breaking up or losing it, it's probably not a signal strength issue.

I have HBO at the moment, but not Showtime, is it happening on any particular HBO channel or all of them, all movies or a isolated incident?

 

[trunkten]

We can see the "effect" on every program on the HD channels. Even programs we've recorded will have the effect on playback. Really annoying.

 

[Jimbo]

We can see the "effect" on every program on the HD channels. Even programs we've recorded will have the effect on playback. Really annoying.

How is your HD DVR connected to your TV ?

 

[trunkten]

We have two HR21s and both are connected directly to the TVs via HDMI. It happens only with HD programming on HBO and Showtime channels. A few weeks ago they all looked fine.

 

[Jimbo]

We have two HR21s and both are connected directly to the TVs via HDMI. It happens only with HD programming on HBO and Showtime channels. A few weeks ago they all looked fine.

Well seeing it's ONLY on Showtime and HBO, it's not a connection problem, not sure why I asked about that earlier.

I suppose it would not hurt to reset the box .... sometimes that helps odd things .

 

[Jimbo]

We have two HR21s and both are connected directly to the TVs via HDMI. It happens only with HD programming on HBO and Showtime channels. A few weeks ago they all looked fine.

Does it happen on BOTH HR21's ?
Maybe it's the box ?

 

[gadgtfreek]

After having HBO for awhile now, I see it and others do too. HBO has some issues, and IMO, like ESPN, they need to do better. Watching movies yesterday, HBO was behind Syfy and MGM in PQ. Pretty bad when James Bond on MGM looks better than Spiderman on HBO.

What I see is a continuing pulse, which can be easily seen in the sky, or a wall, or someones face, where it goes blurry/sharp/blurry/sharp. Pretty nasty. Would it be an encoder/decoder issue?

 

[marquitos306]

I will try a hard rest to see what happen, sometimes it works with odds thins like that.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Really, never tried that. I've seen it on Boardwalk Empire since epi 1, and my box has been reset since. I've kinda just laid back to monitor, but yesterday was just the final straw. In the burning building scene, the times where there was a lot of fire present on screen, had a lot of pixellation.

I think after boardwalk is over, Im gonna drop them. For $168/yr, I can just buy their TV series on Blu-ray.

Prob a better way for me to describe it, is like the PQ pulse when a Roku goes from SD to HD, while streaming from Amazon VOD.