Pixelation during peak times. Tivo. Other times Picture fine.

[gazzie]

Hi

@ModTeam hopefully can see this post!

In the last few weeks we have been getting worse and worse pixelation on multiple channels (most channels, except BBC1) at peak times, eg 8 'til 11pm. Some are far worse than others, eg Sky Sports channels and BT Sport were unwatcheable last night. These also get affected starting around match kick off times during the day time weekend games, so seems to be a "peak time traffic" issue. When I went back to them at 12pm they were absolutely perfect, not a pixel in sight. And this morning I checked and all channels were working fine. This is not a one off, it's been happening for weeks and weeks.

Sound is unaffected and doesn't break up, just pictures.

However in the evenings it is getting horrendous. BBC1 seems OK all the time but other channels are pixelating and blurring really badly. As I said some much worse than others but all affected from about 7/8pm 'til 11/12 pm

Tivo box. Cables are fine, box rebooted many times, which does not fix this issue so don't suggest that please!

I'm thinking there is some signal issue that gets affected during peak times - why this would be  I would not know!?

By the way this happened a few years ago and dragged on for months, and I can't remember what happened to correct it - but it was not a replacement box or problem with our equipment at home.

[japitts · Accepted solution]

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 this will need VM to intervene. You're likely to need either an engineer visit or a replacement box, depending on what VM's remote diagnostics turn up.

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 ideally you'll need to call them. Live TV uses a broadcast system not the internet, so wouldn't be affected by "peak time traffic" that you've mentioned.

150 from a VM phone, 0345 4541111 from any other phone - choose the options for "I have a fault with my TV service". Alternatively you can wait on here for staff to respond, which may take a day or so.

[gazzie]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Interesting what you say about peak times etc not being the issue - because it is absolutely 100% connected to time of day. It's like someone switches the pixellation on at one time and then off later on, same thing every day!

I have been checking throughout the days and during daytime, and early hours after midnight it is 100% fine, no issues. It then goes downhill in the evenings and if I watch/record stuff say 8 'til 11pm ish, then it is pixellated. This is why I said it's seemingly linked to peak time.

Some channels are much worse than others. eg Sky History was terrible yesterday, all Sky/BT Sports channels really bad. Sky Sports was unwatcheable. I only choose to mention those because I remember them from yesterday's viewing, but it is not just these few channels. It is every program on nearly every channel that is affected during the later evenings. Then after 12 midnight (when I checked yesterday) all channels were 100% pristine, no pixellation whatsoever. 

BBC1 for some reason is not affected. But pretty much every other channel I've checked is affected to varying degrees. Then next day same thing happens. This has been going on for maybe 2 months, and getting worse. It does not affect Netflix.

The problem with ringing VM is that if I phone during the day there is no pixellation issue so any checks won't show any problems will they? And it's hard for me to phone at night.

I'll wait and see if I get a response on this post before trying the phone line - I've not had much joy from them in the past with similar problems!

I'd rather not get a new Tivo box if at all possible as does that means all my saved programs will be lost - or can they be transferred across to a new box? 

Any thoughts very welcome.

[gazzie]

Forgot to mention I've checked the automated faults line and no issues reported.

[japitts]

Digital TV platforms carry channels in clusters (known as multiplexes) that don't always correlate to their EPG positions. A signal fault tends to affects all the channels on a particular multiplex.

You've mentioned "Sky Sports" & "BT Sports", but not specific channels or if those are in HD or SD. All of these specifics may help identify a common mux. It won't alter the end advice though.

Streaming & VoD uses the internet not live TV - so would be unaffected.

If your box is identified as faulty and is replaced, you'll lose all the recordings on it - they can't be transferred.

[gazzie]

Hi

Sorry for confusion about Sky and BT Sports. It was all channels. Except BBC 1 for some reason. I picked those as they were the worst affected. HD and SD channels not relevant to the issue, BT Sports are HD, Sky Sports are not, though I watch HD channels I don't have an HD Television. But I sometimes watch HD channels, sometimes "normal" TV channels. It makes no difference to the picture quality on my TV set.

Not sure what "common mux" means? 

As I said all channels affected in "peak times" (whether that was just a coincidence or not). When I check back after 12 midnight all are fine. All are fine in daytime.

Another very odd thing is that last night all channels were OK for the first time in weeks! Sod's law that when I start to ask questions on the forum I have a pixellation clear night! 

We'll see what tonight brings.

I much preferred VHS tapes for recording in the past, much more flexible in recording short clips - and can keep them forever! I have a lot of stuff saved on my Tivo that I'd like to keep which is why I'm a but wary of contacting VM. I assumed it would be transferred if a new box was needed, so disappointed this is not the case - looks like another "improvement" in modern technology compared to previous technology (tapes)? LOL

[japitts]

Let's come at this from another angle. As I explained above, digital TV platforms carry channels in multiplexes - small groups that don't always correlate with their EPG positions. To take an example that I've picked at random... the following channels are on the same frequency/multiplex...

Eurosport 1HD, Discovery HD, Freesports HD, MTV Live HD, Crime+Inv HD, Sky History HD, Utsav Gold HD, E4-HD, Sky Witness HD.

Some of these have SD/HD versions that are on different channel groups, some don't. They're not linked together on the EPG - but they do share a broadcast frequency so a pixellation fault affecting one will be likely to affect them all. None of this will alter my advice, but hopefully explains why references to "Sky Sports" and "normal channels" doesn't really mean much. Equally BBC-One SD is on a different frequency to BBC-One HD.

The advice to report the fault remains the same, VM can only rectify faults that they're aware of. If it turns out that your TiVo is the cause of the fault, then the choice of whether to have the box replaced and problem resolved, will be entirely upto you.

[Ayisha_B]

Hi @gazzie,

Welcome to our Community Forums and thanks for posting.

I am sorry to hear you're having pixilation issues. I've not been able to locate your account using your forum details so will pop you a PM now so we can confirm these and take a closer look into this for you.

Speak soon!

[gazzie]

Hi Ayisha, PM'd with more detail - Thanks!

[gazzie]

Thanks @japitts for your info, makes a bit more sense now you explained that not all channels are connected even if from same provider (eg Sky).

I have a PM from @Ayisha_B so hopefully she can give some help too.

I now have more detailed info, and it seems like a gradual deterioration in some channels that can be corrected with a reboot. It is then fine for a while before it gradually gets worse and affects the same channels every time, but all are 100% fine straight after a reboot. I think my box maybe rebooting itself a lot more than I realise, hence it seems the issue gets corrected "by itself", then comes back. The "peak times" thing does seem to be connected but maybe just when I notice as that's when I watch the most often, or is coincidence, but it is when they start going again. The other night all was fine until about 9.30pm, then it went.

What I don't understand is that the reboot fixes it, then it's fine for a while and gradually creeps back?

I have a detailed information update. When I said "all" channels, it was all i was using, rather than every single channel available to me, so I went through every channel and made a note of which were really bad and which were slightly affected, and I also saw that some were OK.

Also the machine rebooted itself and all channels got corrected, then some gradually deteriorated again, getting worse after a couple of days. Some channels go bad after 1 or 2 days, the others start deteriorating, and the initial ones get unwatchable after a few days. I did a reboot Thursday night and all got back to normal. Then today (Saturday 11am) I saw that BT Sports 1HD (527) was starting to play up. Other channels seemed fine at this stage. I rebooted Tivo and BT was back to normal.

So it seems that it is a gradual and increasing breakdown of the same channels that gets corrected on a reboot and then starts over again, but not for a day or two. BT Sports 1HD (527) goes first, or at least first in the channels I use.

If it helps I can list the channels that were OK and the ones that were really terrible. But I'll just post the ones that were really bad before reboot here:

Sky Sports Channels:

511, 512, 513, 514, 519

(515, 516, 517, 518 were OK)

BT Sport Channels

527 1 HD

105 C5

111 Sky Witness

132 and 3 Comedy Central and +1

138 and 9 Syfy and +1

145 C4HD

150 Paramount

151 5Star

154 C5

163 E! HD

164 E

166 S4C

170 Quest

176 ITV2 HD

177 ITV3 HD

186 5 Star +1

200 Yesterday +1

521 Eurosport 1HD

(Hopefully that's enough!)

Cheers, Gaz