V6: Increased Pixellation as time goes by

[Northdowns]

Been having this issue for a while (months) but don't watch much traditional TV anymore  - just F1, Catfish, Sky News really - so have been tolerating it. Streaming is fine.

We start watching something, then slowly but surely over the next 20 mins, more and more pixellation occurs, flashing in every 20 seconds or so. Once it starts, it ends in total channel loss. Recordings tank.

Today was the final straw - started on Sky F1, and when that became intolerable we switched to Sky Main Event, and then to the non-HD verson of that to continue watching the race.

That become intolerable about half way though so I did a full reboot, and when it returned it was fine again.

I did notice though that the Sky cable connector end (not the ethernet) going into the box was hot - hotter than I would have expected - so wondering if this is the issue..?

Next step if no one has any ideas is to contact Virgin directly, but that's usually a painful experience.

Having read some other posts though it looks like there may be a channel issue, if all these are using similar channel frequency.

Any advice ?

Rich

[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 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.

Digital TV platforms (including VM) carry channels in small clusters, known as multiplexes. A signal fault affecting one multiplex will affect all channels carried on that frequency, but other muxes will be unaffected. The allocation of channels across multiplexes does not follow EPG positions, and is (to the end user) random.

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.

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.

[Megan_L · Accepted solution]

Hi Northdowns, 

Thanks for posting and for being a long time user on our Community Forums!

Sorry you're having this pixilation issue on your 360 TV box's, your description is very helpful. 

We've checked your services on our side and couldn't see any outages/faults in your area, which means if it's still ongoing it's most likely an issue with your equipment rather than a network issue. 

We've also tried to run diagnostic tests on our side but it looks like your boxes may be switched off - If you could please turn them both on and let us know. We can then go back and do our tests to see what the problem is 🤗

Alternatively, we have a helpful link with flows that can help diagnose the issue on your side 👉 Picture Issues on TV - Please let us know if this helps to resolve the problem!

Thanks,

Meg

[Northdowns]

Both boxes were on power but both are now 'on'. 😊

Rich

[japitts]

This can also sometimes be caused by the power savings being set to "Eco low power", instead of "Connected low power".

The latter enables remote access.

[Molly_T]

Hi Northdowns 👋 Thanks for getting back to us! 
Appreciate your patience and co-operation whilst we try to get things sorted. 
Have you had any further issues with the pixilation since your first post to us where you advised you had rebooted the box, and the issue had disappeared?

If so, we may need to run some further testing or arrange an engineer. Thanks for your patience in the meantime! 🌞

[Northdowns]

Hi Molly, yep happened again last night for the first time since. As I say, we don't actually watch much live TV, but Sky News HD was doing it last night.

[Tom_W1]

Hi @Northdowns thanks for your reply, sorry this is still ongoing for you.

Can you confirm please if the power settings are on Eco Mode as @japitts has advised as this may be one of the causes?

Many thanks 

[Northdowns]

Hi, the box power saving settings are Eco Low Power mode. Are you saying that this mode may be the cause of the issues wth pixellation...?

[japitts]

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@Northdowns wrote:

Eco Low Power mode. Are you saying that this mode may be the cause of the issues wth pixellation...?

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It won't be. Power-saving options just dictate how the box behaves when you're not using it. Eco disables remote access for apps such as TV Control, and could potentially stop VM staff remotely accessing - although I don't know for certain.

It has nothing to do with a signal/tuner fault that is the most likely cause of pixellation.