Playback Digitizing and Breaking Up

[jewrican]

I am having an issue where playback of recorded content is breaking up and digitizing quite badly. I have linked a recording of it below, but honestly this was quite modest and it gets way worse. If i rewind and play that section over again it will breakup in the exact same manner so i believe it is the recording. So this would lead me to believe it is the signal coming in or the recording process itself. I have rebooted fairly often lately to try to alleviate this and still experience it.

We never watch live tv, but i was watching some football yesterday and it was breaking up occasionally. I called comcast and they claimed that it was an issue in the area especially on the NFL red zone channel. Not sure how true that is. I ran a test of the frequencies i found on this site and they all came back fine except with two yellows on completely different frequencies, but no red at all.

Task manager shows 20% cpu usage and 3.5 out of 8 GB of memory free when i am recording 4 shows at the same time. It is an older quad core proc with 8 GB of RAM a 7200 RPM 3TB hard drive for media a 7200 RPM 80GB hard drive for the OS running Windows 8 and an InfiniTV internal tuner (4 tuner).

What could this be?

Here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1igagmMsNg

[Crash2009]

I ran a test of the frequencies i found on this site and they all came back fine except with two yellows on completely different frequencies, but no red at all. What could this be?

Looks like pixelation to me, eliminate signal strength as being part of the problem. Here is a link to all the tools you need. http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... cetontemps

Which signal tests did you run? Can you post a screenshot?

[jewrican]

I opened a ticket with Ceton and they replied with " According to the diagnostic, there is a number of high demodulation errors occurring across all tuners.

Can you please describe your wiring topography in details including any splitters, amps, MoCA devices, set top boxes, etc. including any manufacturer names and model numbers."

I sent them some info but Comcast installed a splitter / amp that gets its power from one of the coax inputs on the splitter / amp.

[Crash2009]

Have you tested the hard drive yet?

[jewrican]

Have you tested the hard drive yet?

I have not, but how can i do so?

I asked Ceton where they were in the troubleshooting after asking me to run a wireshark on my media center and send them the capture. They stated it could be comcast, video card, or even hard drive so i am curious with you stating the same.

Let me know how i can run that test and I will surely do so.

I really hope its not the drive.. rebuilding the media center will stink and i have no clue how to backup and restore (i hope you can) the DRM portion the current media center is doing. Any article on that process as well by chance?

[Crash2009]

Let's start with the simple stuff first. The stuff that just costs you a little time, not money. Signal strength can be tested simply by bypassing all those splitters and amps and connecting the incoming coax cable directly to your Infini4.

[jewrican]

I had an issue a few months ago where my signal appeared to be significantly degraded. I then found that if I unplugged my cable modem from the splitter that it worked just fine. I had Comcast come out and they installed my current setup. I now have a splitter that is powered. My signal levels show quite nice though. Ill have to rerun them tonight and post up what they were.

Here is my current setup:

[bmblank]

That drawing goes contrary to everything i thought. Isn't the pre amplifier power supposed to be injected with nothing in between the power and antenna?

[Crash2009]

That drawing goes contrary to everything i thought. Isn't the pre amplifier power supposed to be injected with nothing in between the power and antenna?

Yes, we need the model number of the amp.

[Crash2009]

Jewrican, that thing you are calling a powered splitter. We think it's a drop amp. Can you tell us what is the model number? Is it a PCT-???-?

If it is an amp, there are 2 ways to hook them up. Standard Powering (Option 1) or Reverse Powering with a power inserter (Option 2). http://www.pctstore.com/v/vspfiles/asse ... 0sheet.pdf I might be incorrect, (and I am sure someone will correct me) but I thought both ways require the cable modem to be upstream of the amp. Like this.

[bmblank]

That's strange. Then again I'm coming from the antenna side of things, not the cable box side. Completely reasonable that it's designed that way.

[jewrican]

Comcast is the ones who set this up but that does not mean much at all as we all know.

Here is a link to exactly what I have except my splitter is only a 4 port not an 8 port. The input is the line from outside. The one labeled -3.5 voip / modem is where the power adapter is connected / cable modem using the other device in the listing.

Hope this helps

[Crash2009]

Comcast is the ones who set this up but that does not mean much at all as we all know.

Here is a link to exactly what I have except my splitter is only a 4 port not an 8 port. The input is the line from outside. The one labeled -3.5 voip / modem is where the power adapter is connected / cable modem using the other device in the listing.

Hope this helps

Where is the link?

[jewrican]

i guess you may need that huh? ha ha

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Extreme-IPA1008 ... 1146144061

[Crash2009]

Here's the manual. https://www.liveitwithcharter.com/pdf/i ... _guide.pdf Have they got it hooked up correctly? Do you have the IPA1044D-VF or the IPA1044D-RSVF

[barnabas1969]

...but I thought both ways require the cable modem to be upstream of the amp.

Not necessarily. The cable companies often install a "tap" before the amplifier. The "tap" is just a special type of splitter that has one output that only has a signal attenuation of maybe 1dB. The other output attenuates the signal more, maybe 12dB. They connect the -12dB output to the modem, and the other output to the input of the amplifier.

The reason they do this is because many amps have too much return path attenuation, and that causes problems when the modem tries to communicate up-stream. It all depends on the amplifier, and how far the house is from the cableco's headend. If your modem's RDC (transmit) power is 25-40dB with the modem connected after the amp, then you're OK. My amp actually has an active return so it doesn't attenuate the return path signal. My modem is connected after my amp, and the RDC power is around 30dB, which is real close to the "sweet spot" of 25dB.

[jewrican]

I have reason to believe my router or something on my network is causing the tiling and digitization on my wmc.

I ripped out the amped splitter setup that comcast had put in but have now found in this current setup and the amplified setup that when i disconnect my network cable from the cable modem (the one going to my router) the tiling and breaking up stops entirely. I tried to place a switch in between the two devices and that did not help either (thinking it was some kind of broadcast or something).

Now to find out what the heck is going on?? Any clue? Ceton says moca interference and that i need a moca filter but I have no clue how that would be true. i didnt know what it was until I googled it. I am not using moca that i know of.

Any ideas about how this could be possible? I am using a dd-wrt flashed wrt-54g.

[Crash2009]

Ceton says moca interference and that i need a moca filter but I have no clue how that would be true. I am not using moca that i know of.

Based upon my experience with Ceton Support, If they say you have Moca interference, then that's what you have. Do you have a Moca Cable Modem?

[jewrican]

i got that same impression when they started asking for logging and wiresharks. I liked it! I sent them several diag files yesterday and they didnt clarify about whether they came to that conclusion from my explanation or analyzing the files so i asked a third time to clarify.

I have this modem http://moto.arrisi.com/staticfiles/Vide ... -US-EN.pdf and interestingly enough it actually says it has a built in moca filter - that is on the second page on the right hand side.

Any thoughts? wrong type of moca filter or something maybe?

[Crash2009]

i got that same impression when they started asking for logging and wiresharks. I liked it! I sent them several diag files yesterday and they didnt clarify about whether they came to that conclusion from my explanation or analyzing the files so i asked a third time to clarify.

I have this modem http://moto.arrisi.com/staticfiles/Vide ... -US-EN.pdf and interestingly enough it actually says it has a built in moca filter - that is on the second page on the right hand side.

Any thoughts? wrong type of moca filter or something maybe?

I don't know much about MoCA. My thoughts about it are that it can't be all that much more complicated than any other electronics. Simple transmit, receive, and block. It appears that Comcast has installed a MoCA transmitter on your coax cable. Ceton Support has suggested a MoCA filter (assumedly this is to block the MoCA signal from interfering with your Infini4) ask them to suggest some choices of MoCA filters. Looks like, if you wanted to, you could buy some MoCA receivers and have an internet/network connection anywhere you have a coax. I have read here, that some, if not many, have had some great success with MoCA, while others hate it. So it appears that you have 2 choices-----Make it work or tear it out.