[awardtec]

I have just sent this email to [email protected]

As a DishNetwork customer and Home Theater installer, I need to make you aware of a problem that exists with your equipment in the Central Ohio area.

About 3 weeks ago, I noticed severe problems with the picture and sound from Channel 4-01 digital, received via local antenna and fed into my VIP622 HD DishNetwork receiver DVR. Calling at least 10 of my customers that have the same Dish equipment (622) reveals that ALL of us are having the same problem.

The picture breaks up and pixelates severely every 10-30seconds. The sound gets garbled when this happens. The picture freezes and the sound "machine guns". The picture even drops out entirely about every minute or so. This, in spite of the fact that the signal strength is between 95-100% on this channel when you look at it on the Installation/Setup screens, and on that screen the signal strength does not change, no matter how long you monitor it.
None of the other local HD/Digital channels (6-01, 10-01, 28-01, etc.) are affected. It is ONLY 4-01, NBC. Interestingly, all of the other HD local channels are UHF, Channel 4-01 is broadcast on Channel 13, which is a VHF channel.

When we (all the customers) call Dish to report this issue, we are told that it is a local antenna problem, please call your installer. Yet this is impossible! The problem started for all of us at the same time, and we are in different locations, with different antennas. ALSO: If you hook the local antenna (disconnect from Dish 622, hook up to separate HD TV tuner) up to another TV directly, the picture is fine. IT IS OBVIOUS that there is a problem, probably with the L365 software, that is causing this.

Yet the Dish telephone representatives are refusing to pass this information up the line so it can be fixed. ALL customers are being told it is a local antenna/installation problem. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This needs to be corrected at the earliest opportunity. But with the "head in the sand" attitude of the telephone support people, no one at the engineering level will ever be made aware of this problem.

I hope someone reads this and investigates the cause of the problem.

 

[Hall]

Software v3.65 has been out for longer than three weeks, so there's likely NO correlation there.

An issue like this wouldn't appear on it's own and be the fault of the unit's software. More than likely the station has made a minor change that is affecting the 622. You say you checked other digital set-tops, which is wise to help narrow it down. What does the engineering department at the station say ??

 

[JOprandi]

WCMH-DT is UHF channel 14. WSYX-DT is the VHF channel 13.

That being said I to amy having problems with WCMH breaking up constantly with the 622. But I have also lost completely WTTE in Newark. Even thou it locks on rock solid with my 6000.

 

[JOprandi]

Seems like this started happening when WCMH upgraded thier equipment.
http://www.hdcolumbus.net/vb-hdtv/forumdisplay.php?f=14

 

[mrplow]

I emailed WCMH-TV, They said there new equipment is not working right with dish OTA tuners with SS is above 90%, I have 97% SS and not had time to try to get my SS below 90% to see if this this fixes the problem. WCMH wanted people to let them know there set up info (brand of ant, amp or no amp ect...) so they could work on fixing the problem.

 

[Jim5506]

Our local FOX station went fullpower about 10 days ago with a new tower and antenna.

Now several 622 users in the area are reporting pixellation and breakups with high signal strength.

If you down grade your antenna to a wire loop or such the problem goes away, but this presents a problem with the local ABC and CBS digital signals since they transmitt at less than 100 watts and often a pre-amp is required to receive them less than 5 miles away.

 

[JOprandi]

In my case it is not high SS. I am at 76-80. I live about 34 miles away from the towers.

 

[mrplow]

I emailed WCMH-TV, They said there new equipment is not working right with dish OTA tuners with SS is above 90%, I have 97% SS and not had time to try to get my SS below 90% to see if this this fixes the problem. WCMH wanted people to let them know there set up info (brand of ant, amp or no amp ect...) so they could work on fixing the problem.

My SS is now 78% and I still have lock up. I called WCMH got VM and called dish and they did trouble report.

 

[wbcast34]

Currently we are experiencing problems with a new transmitter installed 2 weeks ago. We are seeing problems specifically with DISH Network receivers. If anyone is having problems similar to Tiling and audio problems please let us know by posting a message on this thread. Thanks.

 

[mrplow]

Just talked with the chief engineer of WCMH tv. She said they are having problems with their data stream. The problem was not showing up on their test equipment. So, they went out and bought a 622. The 622 showed them the problem and they are working with the manufacturers of their equipment to determine why exactly they are having the problem. She also was talking to other chief engineers of NBC stations that are having the same problem, and they are all working together to get it fixed. Tomorrow morning, they will be changing a bunch of settings in hopes that it will fix the problem.

 

[Hall]

Seems like this started happening when WCMH upgraded thier equipment.
http://www.hdcolumbus.net/vb-hdtv/forumdisplay.php?f=14

Lucky guess ??

More than likely the station has made a minor change that is affecting the 622. What does the engineering department at the station say ??

 

[spdmonkey]

This issue has been driving me nuts as well. I repositioned the antenna several times to no avail. Since my 811 was not exhibiting the issue and is tied into a different antenna I was under the impresion it was on my end. i'm glad that i'm not alone, but hope that wcmh gets it solved.

db

 

[awardtec]

Yep, we talked to Engineering staff at WCMH and they are aware of problem and are working on it. A business associate of mine who is a DISH installer offered to loan/sell them a 622 so that they can see the problem for themselves and figure out a fix.

Everyone certainly hopes they figure it out soon.

 

[JSIsabella]

A few of us in Youngstown, Ohio reported exactly the same problem with our local NBC (WFMJ) OTA reception a few months ago. It has never cleared up. If it is something that can be corrected by the local station, I will give them a call or send them an e-mail next week!

My signal strength for NBC is always 98+. I was going to try a reposition of the antenna.

Is there something with NBC, as most reports of this problem seem to be with that network?

 

[awardtec]

My friend the DISH installer indicated that the engineering staff told him that WCMH had changed some transmitting equipment, and then the problems started. They started receiving calls from DISH network subscribers, but since they only had TV's with OTA HD tuners and some DirecTV equipment, they could not duplicate the problem.

I suspect the frequency of NBC problems is just coincidence, unless most NBC stations are buying their transmitting equipment from the same vendor, which might explain it.

I hope WCMH has the DISH equipment now and is actively working on the problem.

I would most certainly contact the station in Youngstown with your input. It would help if you know of other E* subscribers that have HD equipment and are experiencing the same issues, and could tell them about this.

Good luck!

 

[Traveler62]

Awardtec, This problem appears to be happening randomly to different stations around the country. Here in KC it is happening on PBS to all 4 channels 19-1 to -4. If you get a response with a solution, please post it so I can forward it to the station here. Thanks!

 

[awardtec]

Awardtec, This problem appears to be happening randomly to different stations around the country. Here in KC it is happening on PBS to all 4 channels 19-1 to -4. If you get a response with a solution, please post it so I can forward it to the station here. Thanks!

Good news, I think! Though I am traveling out of state right now, I just found this thread forwarded to me in my email in box. I am putting part of it here..
>>Subject: Re: WCMH-DT Signal

We have the vendor's field engineer back yesterday and today. We convinced his bosses to return our original gear so that we could re-install it. We wanted to show the FE exactly what you and others are seeing. He checked the transmission side is fine and in compliance.

Just after 8pm Thursday, we turned on the original gear until morning. We'll be back to the new stuff during the day for additional troubleshooting starting from the beginning of the digital path to the input to the transmitter. Hopefully we will have better luck.

Thanks for your patience.<<

>>Hi Debra,

I don't know what you did, but it worked! I was able to watch a rerun of ER in high def last night without any picture or audio drop outs. I checked again this morning for about 15 minutes and everything still looked good.

Thanks for sticking with it until the problem was resolved. I'm looking forward to the New Years day bowl games in high def.<<

I have several sources in Columbus that tell me that, for now, it's obvious that WCMH-DT has fixed the problem. Further down in the email thread (not posted), it became apparent that WCMH had "upgraded" their transmitting equipment with new items from their hardware vendor. After the complaints started coming in, and finding nothing measurably wrong with the new equipment, they finally got their old equipment back from the vendor, put it in place, and boom! Works fine!

So we are happy for now, and I hope that this helps you other folks out that are in other cities. Whether they are all using equipment from the same vendor is hard to tell, but there may be a common link.

Awardtec

 

[Jim5506]

Currently we are experiencing problems with a new transmitter installed 2 weeks ago. We are seeing problems specifically with DISH Network receivers. If anyone is having problems similar to Tiling and audio problems please let us know by posting a message on this thread. Thanks.

Just sent picture to Winn.

Not only is my Dish ViP622 macroblocking and having audio skips, but my daughter's Magnavox 50" plasma with QAM tuner is doing the same thing through Suddenlink cable feed.

All my other DTV tuners seem to accept the KJTV-DT signal without problems (Toshiba 57F59, Accurian 6000, Samsung SIR-T351).

Does Suddenlink get it's feed through OTA or fiber?