Glitching update!

[Dollarbill1964]

Ok because there are a couple of glitching threads and it's getting confusing I have added this one.

The problem - 850 keeps glitching freezing every few minutes.

So taking on board everyone's suggestions.

Today I renewed cable direct from source to KV, I have factory defaulted, re-scanned using c&w and telepest the only two that let me scan. I tried Manchester 1 - 4 and various others.

I tried attenuator,

Tried vm super hub!! In modem only mode

All to no avail.

However the problem is NOT just the 850 as I changed the 850 for my 780 and that does the same. Except it comes up channel scrambled rather than glitching.

So my conclusion is either, I have a signal problem coming in, but my VM HD box has no problems and I had a VM engineer out to check cable, signal etc. and he fitted a -10db forward attenuator to the cable.

This leaves me with one thing left. The vermin super hub! Prior to having that installed I only had the usual problems with the 780 not this continued scramble.

The only thing I can do is get VM to put back the old modem and give me 20mb broadband, I am convinced the problems all started since vm doubled the speed and installed the super dud!

What we all need to know is - does anyone have either box working on a vm super hub with no problems. Or / and in an area where broadband speed has been doubled.

Thanks for all help and suggestions much appreciated.

[lenordy]

im on virmin media super hub as you no have the same problems as you and others done nothing with it today as there was nothing else left to do strangely about 4oclock all the glitching and freezing stopped up to now 6oclock there have been no problems see how long it lasts perhaps someone has been listening will keep you posted

[Dollarbill1964]

Got told that virgin are experiencing problem in my area on Catch Up TV and TV On Demand although virgin website reports no problem. Maybe that's the answer.

Fingers crossed you stay glitch free. I am not!

[cactikid]

so it may seem it is a vm problem

[Dollarbill1964]

so it may seem it is a vm problem

Would a problem on catch up and on demand cause the problem on a kv box.

No idea how it all works.

Called vm they said no problems in my area. Website says no problem. Not what a vm engineer told me. I will keep banging my head on the wall. :0)

[cactikid]

the person that told me said he had to dig deeper to get info,so not everything is posted.
should also have asked if anybody has a cable booster fitted?

[Dollarbill1964]

the person that told me said he had to dig deeper to get info,so not everything is posted.
should also have asked if anybody has a cable booster fitted?

You know how it is With vermin, they will deny everything. I called them on a mobile one day to report phone problem and they said nothing wrong with phone lines in your area. So I said ok call me.

Well actually we do have a problem! Got to love them.

[lenordy]

You know how it is With vermin, they will deny everything. I called them on a mobile one day to report phone problem and they said nothing wrong with phone lines in your area. So I said ok call me.

Well actually we do have a problem! Got to love them.

its glitching again but its not as bad as yesterday

[lenordy]

just to keep you up to date dollarbill its been good this morning no problems and its connected to the superhub so people blameing the superhub for the faults in my opinion have got it wrong.

[TheCoder]

A lot of the problems are caused because vm are switching over to a new modulation method (qam256 instead of qam64). This modulation means the quadrature points are much closer together (there are now 256 points instead of 64) meaning the signal is much more susceptible to noise which results in a higher bit-error-rate (BER). In other words they can pump data faster (55.6Mbits/sec as opposed to 41.7Mbit/sec) but also less reliably !

To achieve the same BER as qam64 requires a higher receive signal-noise ratio by either increasing the signal level and/or reducing the noise level.

Unfortunately, many locations within the uk work on relatively low signal levels. The tuners within vm equipment are manufactured to work with these levels so seem to work acceptably well. Third party boxes, however, are usually manufactured for the higher levels found in Europe so work less well. The recent modulation change makes the differences more pronounced meaning even more areas are now problematical

[Dollarbill1964]

Thanks for a great explaination. That would explain my problem as I am in an area where VM have just upgraded. Even using an attenuator I can't get a level where the 850 is watchable. The 780 is annoying but just about watchable on some channels.

Looks like I am at the finish line. :0( it was nice while it lasted.

[lenordy]

A lot of the problems are caused because vm are switching over to a new modulation method (qam256 instead of qam64). This modulation means the quadrature points are much closer together (there are now 256 points instead of 64) meaning the signal is much more susceptible to noise which results in a higher bit-error-rate (BER). In other words they can pump data faster (55.6Mbits/sec as opposed to 41.7Mbit/sec) but also less reliably !

To achieve the same BER as qam64 requires a higher receive signal-noise ratio by either increasing the signal level and/or reducing the noise level.

Unfortunately, many locations within the uk work on relatively low signal levels. The tuners within vm equipment are manufactured to work with these levels so seem to work acceptably well. Third party boxes, however, are usually manufactured for the higher levels found in Europe so work less well. The recent modulation change makes the differences more pronounced meaning even more areas are now problematical

can we do anything about it.

[careless1979]

also not forgetting Virgin Media has been bought out by an American company in the last few days !?!!? wonder if that will have any knock on effect down the line?

[cactikid]

others have got their areas upgraded and got there boxes working ok with the odd glitch,so why should your area differ.
what variable attenuators did you get?

[Dollarbill1964]

others have got their areas upgraded and got there boxes working ok with the odd glitch,so why should your area differ.
what variable attenuators did you get?

Well, nobody has come on this or any other forum that I have looked at and said,

A, I use the virgin super hub and my box works fine.
B, My area has been upgraded and my box is working fine.

It's all well and good peeps saying my box is working without giving all the details.

I bought the attenuator that you recommend! It makes no difference what so ever! It could well be a duffer, I will look to see if there is a way to test it.

There is only so much that you can try and do before you call it a day. I have tried everything and more that has been suggested. Maybe my box is a duffer? I get scrambled sound and nobody else has reported this as a problem.

I do have a mate who is a bit of a wiz and works for BT says he has something that might do the trick. Could well be a sledge hammer mind.