Cables and splitters

[flyin]

Try it without the modem/router to get a signal level baseline. You should be able to view fta channels and I think you can also view signal level on encrypted channels whilst the box isn't actually decrypting

Tried it, all but certain it's a server issue thanks anyway.

[cactikid]

if it was a kv problem everybody in the same boat,i would still say get the net id rechecked for 100% verification.

[Wellinever]

That's just not true. I am 100% on my net ID anyway.

It's a known issue with channels on lower frequencies. Different areas have different channels on the lower frequencies and some have none at all, hence why some areas are having no problems at all and others are having problems but on different channels.

There's also a school of thought that the net id makes absolutely no difference after the initial scan but that's a debate for another thread!

Everything points to firmware for the a850. Like everyone else I'm confident it will get sorted.

[TheCoder]

Everything points to firmware for the a850. Like everyone else I'm confident it will get sorted.

I doubt its a firmware problem as such although it may be a compatability issue !

Its possible your areas's signal levels are just too low for the tuner. This is likely because certain areas in the UK use much lower signal levels than the normal levels used on cable networks whilst the tuners, being generic, expect dvb-c conforming signal levels.

Whilst it may be possible to tweak the tuner parameters for lower signal levels this could potentially cause issues in areas where the levels are more conforming.

The only real solution would be for boxes to use the same tuners as used in VM boxes (which are designed to have a wider signal level tolerance) but I cant see that occuring as it would result in a uk only box (most of these 3rd party boxes are simply re-badged/re-boxed reference designs with customised firmware).

[Wellinever]

I would tend to agree with you if it weren't for the fact that the box was working fine on all channels just a few weeks ago. I suppose it is however possible that the signal strength has been reduced in that time although I would think that would be very unlucky.

I also have confirmation that the a780 is working fine for someone in my area who has both boxes and is only having problems with the a850. It may simply be that the a780 has a more "compatible" tuner.

Like the OP, I'm just trying to make sure I'm doing everything at my end to ensure I get the best from my box.

Cheers

[ASEK]

just out of interest u dont have a subbed tivo by any chance?

[Wellinever]

no i'm BB only.

[TheCoder]

....I also have confirmation that the a780 is working fine for someone in my area who has both boxes and is only having problems with the a850. It may simply be that the a780 has a more "compatible" tuner.....

That wouldn't suprise me at all as acording to the specs the tuner used in the a780 is actually much closer to the tuners used in VM's samsung boxes than most other 3rd party boxes. The tuner on the a850, on the other hand, is much more closer to the absolute dvb-c/docsis cable level specs (thus further away from some areas of VM's levels).

Note that even within an area signal levels can vary enormously depending on which tap your connected to in the green cabinet and how long the cable run is from the cabinet to your house. Nominally, vm's lower signal level is still within the dvb-c/docsis standard BUT vm measure the level at the cabinet rather than in your premises.

If you have enough signal to run an a780 then i'd suggest your probably a good candidate to try an amplifier with the a850. The Konig 'yellow brick' type amps are supposed to be quite good (although relatively expensive)

Also note that vm have recently been 'upgrading' their network with many transponders being replaced as well as more being added. These new transponders cope with QAM256 modulation much better. The changes may be why you've seen a recent signal level decrease.

[Wellinever]

Wee update.

i got myself a konig yellow brick amp but unfortunately it didn't solve the problems I was having with a few of the low frequency channels, in particular sly sports 4.

It does boost the signal considerably and as the instructions advise I had to turn down the gain as it was actually too strong on the default max setting.

Unfortunately no matter how much i adjust the gain, then the slope, I could't get the glitching to stop. There is no signal level indicator on the a850 so I had to do it by turning the gain knob a fraction at a time waiting for any change in the picture quality but it went from no picture, good pic but with glitching to no picture.

I am going to leave the amp on the line to see if it improves the very slight infrequent glitching i get on some other channels though.

So to recap

I'm BB only
100% scanned on correct net ID and found all channels
All channels were working perfectly for 3-4 days.
had a few software updates including an online update in that time, currently on 1.07.
Some channels developed glitching in particular sly sports 4, most glitching on lower frequencies.
New splitters and quality cables swapped out no improvement
Signal amp used no improvement (placed in line before the split)

There have been a few vermin issues in my area and one transponder went down completely, but as of today its now back up.

That's me tried everything can think of now so I'm going to let it sort itself out, if it ever does.

thanks for everyone's input.

[cactikid]

you never mentioned a factory reset after an update,and a new scan from direct feed with lan cable removed ,or rebooting box modem and router

[ASEK]

perhaps its because ur on bb only?

[cactikid]

would you not still have a router or modem,?no splitters ?

[Wellinever]

you never mentioned a factory reset after an update,and a new scan from direct feed with lan cable removed ,or rebooting box modem and router

Done all of that numerous times made no difference

perhaps its because ur on bb only?

That is a distinct possibility hence why I tried the amplifier, although it is strange that it was all working before

would you not still have a router or modem,?no splitters ?

scanned from main feed, which is then split once to box and router. It's the same set up I had when I had a subbed box.

[Wellinever]

Glitching on lower frequency channels solved!

After trying everything else I was advised to reduce my signal strength with a variable attenuator as a strong signal can also cause problems with lower frequency channels.

The idea is that the higher frequency channels suffer a greater loss over a cable run than those on lower frequencies . Basically the lower frequency channels were still too strong for the tuner to handle when they reached the box, but those on the higher frequencies had dropped to a sufficient level for a good picture.

All I did was connect the attenuator into the line and turn the red knob anti clockwise until the channels I was having problems with stopped glitching. I then checked the other channels and they are all still working fine. Happy days!

Thanks to everyone who contributed and hope this may help some of you with similar problems.

P.S. I got the variable attenuator from maplins. As I have the A850 I didn't have to buy any f connector adapters.

Good luck!