TWC does this happen to you also? (Atlanta, Benjamin: business, showing)

[ged_782]

My Mom just called me a few minutes ago. She is a "Dancing With the Stars" fanatic, and she says all the local channels through her Time Warner cable are currently "locked-up" with a frozen screen. Both TVs are affected. The other non-local channels work fine, but when she switches back to a local station, the same frozen screen is there.

She has no set-top boxes. The coaxial cable plugs directly into the TV sets. To say she is incensed right now would be an understatement.

[BenjaminNicholas]

I switched from TWC to DirecTV: I pay $150 less than before and I get more channels (and a LOT more HD content). Added, I'm an NBA nut, so I can get 40 HD games a week during the season with DirecTV's Court Pkg... That's pretty cool (well, if you love basketball).

I've had ONE 2 minute outage in the 7 months I've had the dish. So far, I'd say the pic quality beats the pants off of TWC, but the real difference is the sound. If you're running it though a surround-sound receiver, the spatial effect quality on a DD 5.1 broadcast from satellite is incredible. I really see now where TWC compresses their signal (and cuts corners) so they can fit more into the bandwidth pipeline.

The only thing I don't like about Direct is having to sign a contract. While the service is great, it's still a bummer knowing they've got me locked in for two years.



BN

[BamaSailor]

Originally Posted by TXEX06

Everytime is rains my TWC internet goes out, and they can't figure out why.

Sounds like you have a bad line somewhere. That has happened to me and two different times TW had to replace the underground line from my house to the junction box because a dog had chewed through the outer coating. You should also find out if you have a neighbor that has issues at the same time that you do. We had that a while back so we knew it was past the junction box going away from the house. After several calls to TW from us and the neighbor they finally fixed it.

[BamaSailor]

Originally Posted by ged_782

My Mom just called me a few minutes ago. She is a "Dancing With the Stars" fanatic, and she says all the local channels through her Time Warner cable are currently "locked-up" with a frozen screen. Both TVs are affected. The other non-local channels work fine, but when she switches back to a local station, the same frozen screen is there.

She has no set-top boxes. The coaxial cable plugs directly into the TV sets. To say she is incensed right now would be an understatement.

We had that last night too. It was on TVs with and without a box. It seemed to only be affecting the "local" channels though. Must have been an issue with TW equipment converting or amplifying the signals.

[tony78201]

I re-booted, so far so good

[TXEX06]

Originally Posted by wc2005

Sounds like you have a bad line somewhere. That has happened to me and two different times TW had to replace the underground line from my house to the junction box because a dog had chewed through the outer coating. You should also find out if you have a neighbor that has issues at the same time that you do. We had that a while back so we knew it was past the junction box going away from the house. After several calls to TW from us and the neighbor they finally fixed it.

They have been out here numerous times and replaced lines, still no good.

[Mom2Feebs]

After reading this thread and experiencing issues myself...I just have to say...."HD is so great, isn't it?" *eye roll*

[ac79]

Originally Posted by tony78201

what is it about certain digital HD channels showing as "channel not available" and just as I was going to call TW, all the channels work fine now..LOL

A few months ago I had this same problem along with blinking issues (picture would blink, but sound was fine). A tech finally came out and said the "not available" issue was a signal problem (he did something and fixed it); but the blinking issue had to do with the DVR and HDMI. He left the HDMI cable but also added component cables, so now whenever it does start blinking we just change the TV's video input to the component connection - oddly enough, it looks the same as HDMI.

[BenjaminNicholas]

Originally Posted by Mom2Feebs

After reading this thread and experiencing issues myself...I just have to say...."HD is so great, isn't it?" *eye roll*

But that's a semi-unfair statement: HD programming IS great if you've got the right circumstance. In this case, being the right provider who doesn't use outdated technology, uninformed customer service and prices so high that it makes regulating the industry again seem like a good idea.

HD is an incredible way to watch a program, especially a sport. That includes when the show is mixing their sound in true dolby digital 5.1 surround, enveloping the viewer and truly bringing the magic of 'home theater' to the home.

As you can sorta tell, I'm a home theater nut



BN

[BenjaminNicholas]

Originally Posted by ac79

A few months ago I had this same problem along with blinking issues (picture would blink, but sound was fine). A tech finally came out and said the "not available" issue was a signal problem (he did something and fixed it); but the blinking issue had to do with the DVR and HDMI. He left the HDMI cable but also added component cables, so now whenever it does start blinking we just change the TV's video input to the component connection - oddly enough, it looks the same as HDMI.

As a sidenote...

It's not YOUR HDMI cabling that's the problem. Basically, what HDMI carries is nothing more than a simple digital signal (lots of 1's and 0's) and is very, very tough to screw up. Unless you've got a run of it that's incredibly long, the cable itself is pretty resilient and not apt to any kind of inner damage. In this case, it sounds like your DVR is having issues 'handshaking' with your television and, at times, not showing the picture. This happens A LOT in the industry and it's somewhat unfair for TWC to say it's your problem and make you switch to an analog connection like RGB.

I'd ask for a new box. Tell TWC that you don't want one made by PACE and would prefer a Scientific Atlanta box with the latest firmware update. If you can talk in specifics, they'll know you mean business and won't take sub-par service for an answer. If you can't get anywhere with the initial customer service agent on the phone, ask to go up to a tier 2 or 3. From there, you can ask for a manager.


Just a little FYI




BN