InfiniTV Picture Quality

[EmirOfGroofunkistan]

Well, I've gone through support with ceton and comcast and am still having issues. Ceton and Comcast have verified my Signal levels and SNR are in good shape. Ceton indicated they saw some RF interference but when comcast checked the lines they did not see anything but a couple of blips that shouldn't affect things. They replaced my M-Card and the new one has the same issues. I don't think the issue is network as the USB tuner is connected directly to my box. I don't think the issue is processor, I'm not running anything huge, but Intel E6700 should be plenty fast. I've turned off all ShowAnalyzer processing and have it run only overnight when there is little to no activity. So, I'm left with 2 options. Either it's my slow hard drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822145475) or there's something wrong with my Ceton tuner. If I decide to replace my HD (prices are kinda high at the moment), does anyone have suggestions for a good recording drive? I'd like it to be at least 2TB.

Any other suggestions? Should I switch tuners and try a HD Homerun Prime?

[erkotz]

Can you please PM your ticket number - I'd like to review the data and see what kind of RF errors you were getting. My guess is it is indeed a signal strength issue and the Comcast tech missed it.

[erkotz]

Well, I've gone through support with ceton and comcast and am still having issues. Ceton and Comcast have verified my Signal levels and SNR are in good shape. Ceton indicated they saw some RF interference but when comcast checked the lines they did not see anything but a couple of blips that shouldn't affect things. They replaced my M-Card and the new one has the same issues. I don't think the issue is network as the USB tuner is connected directly to my box. I don't think the issue is processor, I'm not running anything huge, but Intel E6700 should be plenty fast. I've turned off all ShowAnalyzer processing and have it run only overnight when there is little to no activity. So, I'm left with 2 options. Either it's my slow hard drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822145475) or there's something wrong with my Ceton tuner. If I decide to replace my HD (prices are kinda high at the moment), does anyone have suggestions for a good recording drive? I'd like it to be at least 2TB.

Any other suggestions? Should I switch tuners and try a HD Homerun Prime?

So I pulled the diagnostics from your card, and we are seeing RF errors being logged, sometimes, on all 4 tuners. I don't believe it's a defective card, as that type of problem would typically only affect 1 of the 4 tuners, and we're seeing it across all of them.
What I did notice is it appears to only be at certain times (possibly outdoor temperature related?) You'll have several hours with no RF errors logged, then groups where you see RF errors on most, if not all, channels that are tuned. My suspicion is that the Comcast rep is correct in that he didn't see errors while he was there.

Unfortunately, I think you need to get Comcast out again. Do you only see the problem at certain times of day? Or in groups?

[EmirOfGroofunkistan]

That might be. But then the RF errors don't line up with the pixelation. We saw plenty of pixelation while the tech was here - both before and after he ran his tests. And I have yet to record a show that doesn't have pixelation. I'll try to pay attention to see if there is a time of day when things are the worst.

[STC]

Could this be a ground loop blending between the AC and the COAX?
Some internal interference, like a fridge / freezer / Flourescent or CFL lighting, even a power supply.

Are there any other devices plugged into the COAX at other points in the house? Maybe another TV?

[adam1991]

In the old analog days, I had a ground loop problem that exhibited itself as scrolling diagonal lines on lower channels.

Cableco finally found it: the house behind me. Had nothing to do with my wiring at all.

[EmirOfGroofunkistan]

@STC - I'm not sure how I would detect this? There are other things plugged into the coax, but not this direct line. The main coax comes into the house to one splitter. Each of the 4 split lines goes to a separate room of the house. One of these to a cable modem, one to a comcast HD receiver, and one to the ceton.

I do have some CFL in the basement (which are off most of the time) and a fridge. Would I have to unplug everthing in order to see if the picture improved?

[EmirOfGroofunkistan]

@erkotz - I have not noticed a particular time of day that this occurs. It happens in the morning and in the evening. It's in every recording I've ever made using this tuner no matter what time of day it records. It is worse on certain channels, particularly the NFL network. And much less noticeable on other channels like the weather channel, though still present. Previously I had a QAM tuner and never had this issue with the standard unencrypted channels I could receive with that, so I don't think it's the internal hardware (hard drive, etc).

[STC]

Yes sure, or at least do a few things at a time.

[edit] Rule out things it won't be with the frequency you are describing (Microwave, lighting etc.).

[erkotz]

My recommendation would be to disconnect *ALL* inside wiring and connect a temporary cable to the grounding block before any splitters, and run that up to your InfiniTV, then see if the issue persists. That will help identify if it's an external or internal source.

[gpatlanta]

@STC - I'm not sure how I would detect this? There are other things plugged into the coax, but not this direct line. The main coax comes into the house to one splitter. Each of the 4 split lines goes to a separate room of the house. One of these to a cable modem, one to a comcast HD receiver, and one to the ceton.

I do have some CFL in the basement (which are off most of the time) and a fridge. Would I have to unplug everthing in order to see if the picture improved?

It hasn't affected my Ceton because I had the fix in place from my old ATI card, but initially I was experiencing pixelation and the tech fixed by installing an amplifier from my cable in source which had a special cable modem connector on it. That special connector filtered noise from the modem which he explained can cause noise on the rest of the lines. Is your cable modem on lines the same as your Ceton? If so, i would try disconnecting it from the group and seeing if that makes a difference.

[EmirOfGroofunkistan]

I think I've finally figured it out! I had been using an internal wireless network card and as soon as I disabled that, I no longer saw pixelation. I watched for about an hour or so with no problems. When I re-enabled the card, the pixelation was back immediately. Unfortunately, my house isn't wired for ethernet connections, so I've moved my cable modem and router downstairs and switched the wireless nic upstairs in my main pc at least as a temporary solution (I don't really like my main PC on a wireless connection).

I'm not sure exactly why the nic would cause issues, except that it is certainly generating a lot of RF ... but I don't know if it was simply the proximity to the ceton USB tuner, or to its USB cable, or something else. I'm just happy it is finally fixed!

Thanks everyone for your help.

[STC]

Fantastic news!

[lurch66]

Very good news now you can sit back and enjoy 4 tuner HD goodness.

[Scallica]

Interesting. Thanks for posting a follow up.