Recently Lost Channels - Troubleshooting

[Doctor Feelgood]

I have a pair of HD Homerun Primes that have been about perfect since I installed them last year. No real problems to mention.

I recently started noticing macroblocking and audio issues on some channels - all of which are non-HD - and now some of them are unable to be tuned at all on one Prime, while the original issues still exist on the other Prime where the image/audio quality is poor.

I assume this is a signal issue - and since nothing has changed on the hardware side of things inside the house, I assume I will need the cable company to get involved.

I just wanted to check here first, as I don't know how well things will go with the cable company trying to resolve this. Was wondering if maybe a filter might be in order - or if anyone had some good ideas..

Some other information:

I did happen to update to the latest Prime firmware somewhat recently too - and these are channels I don't watch much, so I can't say if it happened before the upgrade, immediately after, or what.

I have Cablevision for TV, and the channels in questions include 121, 122, 123, 124, and 191 that I am aware of. 123 is big because that is Nick Jr for my Kids, and 191 is big because that is Hallmark for my Mother-in-law. All HD channels seem to be fine, including premium things like HBO, MAX, etc...

Internally, everything is hard-wired with CAT6 cable and all routers/switches/NICs are Gigabit capable. I have three Win7 HTPCs that have beyond ample specs, and the issue exists in MCE and the Quick TV program.

Thanks!

[Scallica]

What is your signal strength when the issue occurs? You can find more info in the tuner's webpage.

[Doctor Feelgood]

Thanks for the suggestion.

First - here is what NICKJR (123) looks like. This is when the screen says no signal detected on the HTPC...



Second - here is the same Prime tuning an HD channel (NHLHD - 791) which looks just fine...



NICKJR has higher signal strength - but no "quality".

Thanks.

[Scallica]

Those signal strengths are not good; between -10db and +10db is where you should be. I would remove any unnecessary splitters between the main line and the HDHR. I would definitely call the cable company and have them check the signal coming into the house and the integrity of the cable from the utility pole.

[Doctor Feelgood]

Thanks. Looking at other channels later showed -4dB is about the norm.

But, I did buy some different splitters and couplings just now to streamline this as much as possible. We'll see what that does and then if necessary I will call in the cable company.

[TeddyR]

Also dont forget to cap/terminate any unused splitter ports or faceplates. Those can also cause issues.

[staknhalo]

Also dont forget to cap/terminate any unused splitter ports or faceplates. Those can also cause issues.

I was just at Home Depot looking at some caps. Is that a very slim case scenario or can uncapped runs actually cause a lot of signal degradation?

[Doctor Feelgood]

Also dont forget to cap/terminate any unused splitter ports or faceplates. Those can also cause issues.

I did get some caps, as one splitter I already owned requires them - but one port is left open. Everything had been fine, but I'll do what I can to get it back that way.

Apparently my home has its own home run with 4 lines - which I have since learned is a very good thing. lol. Hoping this is all fixed with new wiring approach this weekend.

[Doctor Feelgood]

Knock on wood - this may be fixed.

Removed the outdoor splitter where I am unsure what the two extra legs were for... terminated the unused leg on the splitter at the HD Primes / cable modem... replaced the older / wimpy cables from the splitter to the HD Primes... ran the Primes network cables straight to the router and not to a switch.

All channels are back, and both HD Primes are getting NICKJR with 94% signal strength (-3.6dB, when it was -10dB) and signal quality is up from 0% to 89%.

Thanks again.