8 channels borked... is it me?

StoneAgeMan · 11-04-2007, 06:26

I have 8 channels that are currently suffering blocking, freezes and sound distortion... is it only me?

Channels are;
112 Living2
132 Paramount Comedy
133 Para2
138 Bravo +1
153 Challenge +1
237 Crime & Investigation
853 ITV AD
854 Channel 4 AD

I live in postcode HG1, which is North Yorkshire. I don't know my platform. My STB is a new (VM badged) Samsung SMT-2110C. I haven't tried a reboot of STB yet, and the Faults (151) service had no record of any problems on Paramount when I rang yesterday (although there is a great thread about national problems back in November '06).

I'd love a simple answer, but I would also enjoy a really complex description of how I could be getting "interference" on selected channels. I sit here scratching my head wondering about these things and I've been reading some great threads on here about "how things work" (notably the sticky about how "On Demand" is supposed to work, excellent).

Paul · 11-04-2007, 07:00

First thing would be a reboot to be honest, if the problem persists then it's probably a localised fault that hasn't been reported by enough people or your signal levels are off slightly.

12noon · 11-04-2007, 07:05

I'm in West Yorkshire and every now and again i here a loud pop and then the sound goes a bit muted for a minute or so. Is it something like that ?

It might be the fact that i need new cables outside my house though. They are coming to do a re-pull next Wednesday.

StoneAgeMan · 11-04-2007, 11:03

OK, I left the thread to generate any more suggestions then booted the STB. (OK+Left+Right).

On first glance some of the listed channels appeared OK, but after going through them again, I find they are still suffering.

Is there anything I can do to measure the signal strength?
Is there anything I can do to move the distortion onto other channels (home shopping, Bollywood movies and anything else that I might never watch..)?

Home visits are a very difficult thing for me to organise and I'd prefer to avoid them if possible.

salamander501 · 11-04-2007, 19:43

Hi StoneAge.
I too am in Harrogate and posted this message some days ago.............
''Having problems viewing the following channels at the moment................
BBC1, ITV Ch4. No picture with garbled squeaky sound.
Oddly enough BBC2, Ch5 and BBC4 are fine.''
I did not get any replies/info that would explain the problem.
It just seems to be intermittent
Last night, after tuning in to ITV4 for the Chelsea game I had a similar problem but it rectified itself after 15 minutes.
Have just tried the channels you listed and they are all ok for me at the moment.
Next time you get any problems you could email me with details and I can check how my STB is performing. Let me know if you wish to do this.

StoneAgeMan · 11-04-2007, 21:16

Hi Salamander. Still those channels are affected. I have not had any trouble with the ones you mention. Thank you for the offer of co-operative fault-finding, I may need to take you up on it if things get any more weird, however, our first attempt seems to suggest that our geographic location has nothing to do with the fault... which kind of suggests that we both have our own personal faults.

I'm still curious for some possible explanations for why I could have some channels working fine, with others not.

spiderplant · 11-04-2007, 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoneAgeMan

I have 8 channels that are currently suffering blocking, freezes and sound distortion... is it only me?

Channels are;
112 Living2
132 Paramount Comedy
133 Para2
138 Bravo +1
153 Challenge +1
237 Crime & Investigation
853 ITV AD
854 Channel 4 AD

And UKTVG2+1

These channels are all on the same frequency in your area. So this frequency isn't getting to your box properly. (Or much less likely, your box is having trouble tuning to that frequency).

It could be bad signal levels, it could be damage to the cable, it could be interference. Sorry, but you're going to have to call them out.

salamander501 · 11-04-2007, 23:45

What I find strange is that, lets say, today all the channels I have been having problems with are fine. Yet on Monday there was a problem. It is not as though this fault has been fixed because reception can be good for a couple of days and then non-existent for a couple of days. Thanks for your input, Spiderplant, but surely when there is a problem with reception on certain channels this would be continuous and not intermittent?

**Maggy J** · 12-04-2007, 00:11

I had a similar problem at one point.after two or three call outs they replaced my STB and after checking the signal, boosted it higher because it was too weak..You NEED to tell them there is a problem before they can fix anything.

spiderplant · 12-04-2007, 05:57

It could be related to the temperature of the street cabinet. When the temp goes up, the signal levels drop.

Or it could be water getting in your cable. When it dries out it starts working again.

Or it could be interference from one of your neighbours who has the cable plugged directly into their TV.

In this case you'll only get the problem when their TV is on.

Or something else.

But there's no point us speculating here. As Cogs says "You NEED to tell them"

StoneAgeMan · 12-04-2007, 22:18

Yes, indeed, UKTVG2+1 is among that happy bunch of bad channels. I hadn't noticed before as it only comes on in the evening

.

I really appreciate the help on this one. I totally agree with the principal of reporting the fault straight away and then making sure it is handled properly. I used to work in an office-based job at BT where we analysed the performance of the PSTN repair service. I have a vague knowledge of the way telephone cable used to be run and some of the terminology, but of course CableTV is very different.

Indulge my curiosity if you will;
My STB is connected by co-ax cable to a box on the wall (installed some years before I moved into this house, it says "Cable & Wireless" on it). This is the junction to a cable (co-ax copper?) that goes out to that footplate cover... which contains another junction?... which goes to a cabinet up the road which takes all the feeds from my street and condenses them down onto a fibre cable that runs to the nearest Exchange building?

Does that sound right? Maybe a little bit?

I'm just thinking that if I knock on some doors of neighbours that have Cable TV I might find others that share my problem and I can get them to report it at the same time as me... oh, alright, maybe that is stretching it a bit!

My dodgy reception on those channels has been constant and was first noticed soon after the install which happened on 29th March. Is it a coincidence that all these unwatched channels are on the same frequency?

If I was to assume that the cable was breaking down (water ingress, damage, etc), would I expect eventually to lose other channels, in a bunch? What would be the next frequency range to suffer (and which channels)?

spiderplant · 13-04-2007, 20:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoneAgeMan

My STB is connected by co-ax cable to a box on the wall. This is the junction to a cable (co-ax copper?) that goes out to that footplate cover... which contains another junction?... which goes to a cabinet up the road which takes all the feeds from my street and condenses them down onto a fibre cable that runs to the nearest Exchange building?

Does that sound right?

Pretty much. Don't think there's a junction under the footplate though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoneAgeMan

I'm just thinking that if I knock on some doors of neighbours that have Cable TV I might find others that share my problem

It's possible. But more likely it only affects you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoneAgeMan

If I was to assume that the cable was breaking down (water ingress, damage, etc), would I expect eventually to lose other channels, in a bunch? What would be the next frequency range to suffer (and which channels)?

Either BBC1 and BBC2, or VOD.

Have you rung yet?

StoneAgeMan · 13-04-2007, 21:53

Thanks Spidey, I haven't rung yet as I need to evaluate the likelihood of a visitor needing access to the house. My wife is a reclusive type that doesn't venture out, and the Installer guy the other day was the first visitor in the house for three years. I haven't convinced her that we need to sort this out now before it gets worse (she hasn't fallen in love with Cable yet). I'm trying to see how likely the "intruder" part will be... going on my past experiences, it is the most logical first step in the fault-finding process and going out of sequence will not be looked on kindly by "the system" or a faultsman who needs to meet his targets and is being obstructed for no good reason. She'd be happy to go on receiving (and paying for) crap reception, rather than go through the fuss of letting someone into the house again.

I'm not complaining. This is the best reception we've had for 20 years!

Oliver D · 15-04-2007, 11:15

Hi Stoneageman,
I too am in the same postcode area (centre of town) as you and have not noticed any of the problems you have experienced. If you report the fault they might be able to sort it out from their end