Rainfade and pixalization on some channels

[Orange Man]

Hello


Lately I've been seeing what's best described as "rain fade" or slight "pixelization" on just a few channels. Some worse than others. The local ones picked up thru our Dish stand out the most. I've seen it on Fox as well. If I look hard enough I swear I can see it in the Premo movie channels. We have a 4900 model receiver with the Dish 500 upgrade. There's nothing wrong with the signal strength either.


Kenny J.

[Bob Haller]

Watch one of the channels in question then go immediately to the signal strength screen, what number do you have?

[Orange Man]

Hello


I'm getting the following:

Local Channels ABC , CBS , and NBC along with Fox. The Sat. is 110 West and the sig. Strength is 121-122.

On Starz the Sat is 119 and the SS is 112.

What it looks like is the pixels appear "blockish" only in certain areas of the picture. As though you zoomed in on the detail. When I took the Sig Strength reading on Starz Lord of the Rings was showing. There was a scene involving mountains and lots of darks and greys. When there was a close up of the rocks and shadows it appeared as a combo of pixel blocks/washed out look.
I'm watching the Colts and Ravens play now. From the distant shots it's not too bad. But when there's a close up of the plays' there's a lack of crispness and line detail. It also shows when there's different color values or hues of the same color close together. Say blue, lite blue, and white.. Like it did in the scene of LOTR with the greys and darks in the mountain scene.

By the way our TV is a Sony XBR 1998 model and I know it's not the issue.


Kenny J.

[Bob Haller]

If thats a big screen TV it might be normal compression artifacts you are seeing. Whats the screen size, try another receiver at that location.

[Orange Man]

If thats a big screen TV it might be normal compression artifacts you are seeing. Whats the screen size, try another receiver at that location.


Sorry about that---it's a 36" Direct View. It seems this has just started recently in the past week or so. I only have one receiver to.

Kenny J.

[TomCat]

If you see the picture break up, freeze, or go to black occasionally, that is the characteristic signature of a rain fade or signal interruption. On the other hand, if you see a continuous degradation or blockiness or posterization of the gray scale in areas with motion, that could be bitstarving from a different issue, usually in the signal delivered to their uplink center. They monitor quality, but sometimes not carefully. I have seen all of the west coast nets go through periods like this (simultaneously) at least three times over the last couple years, and there may be a similar problem affecting the channels you are watching. Let them know.

[Orange Man]

If you see the picture break up, freeze, or go to black occasionally, that is the characteristic signature of a rain fade or signal interruption. On the other hand, if you see a continuous degradation or blockiness or posterization of the gray scale in areas with motion, that could be bitstarving from a different issue, usually in the signal delivered to their uplink center. They monitor quality, but sometimes not carefully. I have seen all of the west coast nets go through periods like this (simultaneously) at least three times over the last couple years, and there may be a similar problem affecting the channels you are watching. Let them know.


Thanks Tom for help and time on this.


Kenny J.