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I seem to need to reboot my TWC HDTV box every week or so. I'm exaggerating, I suppose, but it seems that I am doing this more than I want. Is this common or not? How often do you need to reboot? Never, rarely, often, or constantly?
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622why do you have to reboot it? Sometimes mine goes wonky with the DVR - trying to FF and it craps out and I have to reboot -
I've been having to reboot (unplug) more and more frequently to stop problems--freeezing, info shows but no actual program image (on any or all channels), problem watching DVR'd shows, etc. I'm probably up to once a week now, which means I need to watch all my recorded stuff and tell them to bring me a new box.
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622I have been contemplating getting a new box, but you lose all of your programming for recording upcoming shows - so you have to re-enter them all, which is a HUGE pain in the ass - especially because some things are off-season and you can't find them in order to record the series again -
OpossumQueen » I've been having to reboot (unplug) more and more frequently to stop problems--freeezing, info shows but no actual program image (on any or all channels), problem watching DVR'd shows, etc.
All of the above happen to me. Latest problem was being able to view the show, but couldn't view the channel guide or see my DVR menu. Another problem I had recently was bad reception on HBO. The picture would freeze and skip a few seconds and this was happening a lot during a recent episode of Treme and True Blood. -
Flexichick » I have been contemplating getting a new box, but you lose all of your programming for recording upcoming shows - so you have to re-enter them all, which is a HUGE pain in the ass - especially because some things are off-season and you can't find them in order to record the series again
That's part of why I'm waiting until I have time to catch up on my shows to call them
Although it's a real pain when I do try to watch one and it didn't record or it missed half of the show at some random point in the middle.
The reprogramming is a pain but worth it once the problems become numerous enough. -
Anonymous
Posts: 9,622^true, but what's hard is things like remembering to put things like "Mad Men" back in because it's not on the air now and isn't in the program guide yet - or things that don't start until the fall again. So, even if you catch up on what you have already recorded, you still have a lot of work to do to catch the stuff you want to record in the future -
TW cable boxes are a pain in the butt. My husband returned one last week b/c it had stopped working and now another one (the DVR) has gone on the fritz. We have 4 (3 regular and 1 DVR) in our house and they never seem to last more than a few months. The DVR is particularly wonky. And yeah, I'm pissed that I'll lose all my shows but at least I have my daughter to do the reprogramming (I''m too lazy/stupid) and I can watch the lost shows on Hulu.
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We recently swapped out ours bc of constant pixelization of the picture and skipping sound. Now our new box is doing the same thing. I hate Time Warner Cable so much. Try posting to their Facebook page or tweeting their account. I got an almost instant response from their "social media rep" who was able to grease the wheels. All that said, Im seriously considering Tivo Premiere. It replaces your cable box!
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622^ the pixelization is not usually fixed by changing the box.......they either remotely boost the signal to your box or they have to do a "plant call" where they send somebody out to the main box in your area. Unfortunately, I know this from dealing with them for 13 years here - 13 years of suck! -
I got pixelization as well.
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We eventually got to the stage of having to reboot our TWC box every couple of days. We missed kickoff of the Pats/Giants Superbowl. Screw that - we switched to DirecTV, and while it's not perfect, the box is much better.
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EasilyFound » [quote="OpossumQueen"]I've been having to reboot (unplug) more and more frequently to stop problems--freeezing, info shows but no actual program image (on any or all channels), problem watching DVR'd shows, etc.
All of the above happen to me. Latest problem was being able to view the show, but couldn't view the channel guide or see my DVR menu. Another problem I had recently was bad reception on HBO. The picture would freeze and skip a few seconds and this was happening a lot during a recent episode of Treme and True Blood.[/quote] The exact same thing happened to us. Not glad it's happening to you, but at least I know it's not just us. I was going to replace the box, but now I realize it's probably the feed and not the box. -
Fought with this in Dumbo for months last year. FINALLY a cable guy asked if we wanted "the new box". And I was like HELL YEAH. Assuming you're still on the godawful Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HD, right? The silver one they foist on anyone who will take it? That converter has been around since 2004, I do not exaggerate. And I've read that TWC's own firmware only makes it worse. Ask them for the NEW HD DVR box. Its black - I'm pretty certain its a Samsung. Possibly Toshiba. It cleared up almost all the HD stuttering and freezing problems immediately. And thank the Lord you're not across 8th Ave stuck on Cablevision: they ONLY have the 8300 as their HD DVR converter. SO frustrating!
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622^I'd like more specifics on the black box - can you take a pic or confirm brand name -
I have the "black box." It is a Samsung SMT-H3090. Not the Scientific Atlantic Explorer.
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Thanks EasilyFound. We moved from Dumbo to Prospect Heights and the netherworld of Cablevision in March, so no longer have the Samsung as an option. Fingers crossed that that changes soon!
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622[quote="EasilyFound"]I have the "black box." It is a Samsung SMT-H3090. Not the Scientific Atlantic Explorer.[/quote thank you. Now I know what to ask for if I ask for "the new one", although I am not sure it sounds much better from your original post -
I think a lot has to do with the feed. Some things can be related to the box. Once, I had a show not record. When I called TWC, they looked at some numbers that were displayed on a diagnostic channel and were able to tell that something was out of wack, and sent someone over. But my DVR is messed up still. For one thing, it doesn't FF as well as it used to. Before it would FF in a continuous stream. Now, it FF in herky jerky fashion and not as fast as it did a few months ago.
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Get a tivo...I've had several over the past 10 years...Once you have it, you never go back to the Cable company DVR...The Tivo isn't perfect, but it has tended to be much more reliable than the other ones...
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How do you use Tivo with TWC?
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The newer ones use a cable card...Basically, the Tivo becomes the cable box...You get the cable card from TWC that plugs into the Tivo and they take back the cable box...Your monthly cable bill goes down a couple bucks a month, but you need to pay Tivo for the scheduling info, so it works out to a couple dollars more a month...I have cablevision so I can't comment on TWC, but a friend who used TWC didn't have any problems with it once it was hooked up...
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Serious pixel problems during the middle of True Blood tonight. Parts were inaudible. Time to call TWC.
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EasilyFound » Serious pixel problems during the middle of True Blood tonight. Parts were inaudible. Time to call TWC.
Glad to hear that it is not just me this happens to (but I am sorry it happens to yuo!). So if changing the box does not fix the problem, what does? -
I remember when there was no such thing as the internet!
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Were you around when someone invented the pencil?
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