Virgin Media Community

[skyblueoz]

I've been having some pixellation issues on our upstairs tivo box. Mainly on any HD channel I watch. The thing that is confusing me more is how its affecting some of the recordings and the box. Weve recorded several movies to watch and many of them are unwatchable. Not only that, but on a few occasions the picture we get appears to be half of the one film and half of the film we'd tried to watch seconds before, or the live TV channel we were watching before trying the film. Its almost as if the recording are corrupted as it seems to be trying to show multiple films/programs at once and isn't just a single program with poor picture.

We've tried all the normal stuff like swapping cables and turning it off and on again, but no joy. Does anyone have any ideas? If it needs a new box, as I fear, how quickly are we likely to see that sorted under the current conditions?

Thanks.

[japitts]

Pixellated pictures on live TV are often the sign of a signal fault. If you've rebooted your box once, then there's likely a fault somewhere, so call VM and report it. You're likely to need either an engineer visit or a replacement box, depending on what VM's remote diagnostics turn up. They can do these while you're on the phone to them.

You can also try swapping your boxes around if you have more than one - see if the fault stays with the location (and would suggest a problem with your internal cabling) or follows the box.

If all the boxes in your home are affected, first check the automated faults line for any existing issues in your area that could be the cause: 0800 5610061. If nothing's reported, assume VM don't know about your fault and you'll need to call them.

150 from a VM phone, 0345 4541111 from any other phone - choose the options for "I have a fault with my TV service". Once you've reported it, the timescale may depend whether you need an engineer visit or replacement box.

[skyblueoz]

 This is an example. It clearly isn't zombieland and I'm instead seeing remnants of bargain hunt that was being shown love at the time on BBC 1.

[skyblueoz]

If there was some pixellation on just the live channels, I'd agree. But this doesn't explain the recordings situation. See the picture above for an example.

Another example is this, currently on bbc 1 it's the news. If I then go from that to watch a recorded movie, the screen shows part of the news and part of the movie, all jumbled up, with virtually no audio discernable. If it had recorder just some pixellation from the signal at the time of recording, I'd understand that, but its a hybrid of live and recorded pictures.

Tried to phone 150 today and had a recorded message saying turn it off and on again! If that didn't work, they rebooted the signal from their end. THAT WAS IT. No chance to talk to anyone. All I got was the option to get a link to online support.

Went online, the advice there, turn it off and on again and if that doesn't work, you may need more help, so give us a call! 

This is terrible, the phone sends you online, online sends you back to the phone. No option to actually talk to anyone.

Vm seem to only think most faults can be rebooted away and nothing else can go wrong. This is obviously some sort of fault internally with the device. (Maybe the memory corrupted, or something along those lines.) It's not a signal fault.

I just need a new box, how hard can it be to speak to someone and sort that?

[japitts]

---

@skyblueoz wrote:

Tried to phone 150 today and had a recorded message saying turn it off and on again! If that didn't work, they rebooted the signal from their end. THAT WAS IT. No chance to talk to anyone. All I got was the option to get a link to online support.

---

When the IVR insists on these tests (which can often prove helpful) and hangs up on you, call back immediately. It should recognise you're a repeat caller, and bypass those checks.

---

@skyblueoz wrote:

Vm seem to only think most faults can be rebooted away and nothing else can go wrong. This is obviously some sort of fault internally with the device. (Maybe the memory corrupted, or something along those lines.) It's not a signal fault.

---

It may well be a signal fault plus something else - decoder issues perhaps, hard drive issues perhaps.

---

@skyblueoz wrote:

I just need a new box, how hard can it be to speak to someone and sort that?

---

Follow the advice above, and you should get to speak to a faults agent.

[skyblueoz]

All well and good, but now the automated system is apparently too busy to take my call?

And what if I do get through, but then can't call back straight away because it gets "busy" so when I do finally get through again the system doesn't see me as a repeat caller?

It's a ridiculous system and nowhere does it make it clear for people that need help.

I know these are challenging times, but if the people can't work in call centres let them chat in these forums from home. It shouldn't rely on volunteers like you to answer people. I still haven't had an "official" reply to this thread yet.