Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
snjnova
Enthusiast - Level 3

The tech came by, measured the signals, and said everything was OK. Then he looked at the cables. We had used the existing in house RG-59 coax, which I installed in the 80's for our roof top antenna, and that's not rated for HD. So I just pulled and terminated a length of RG-6 and we'll see how that works over the next few days. We're supposed to let him know if the problem persists. I'll post here as / if anything changes.

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Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
snjnova
Enthusiast - Level 3

OK - last night I changed the cable to the TV. So it's now RG-6 all the way from the outside optical terminator to the TV. Everything was fine last night and again this morning. This afternoon my wife tried it and there was no audio on 526, but she was able to get it to start up after several channel changes.

Then tonight, we watched the news on 507 until 7 PM and then switched to 526. No audio. Tried changing channels with no luck. On a lark, I connected the STB to the TV using the composite video / L-R audio cable. No audio there either. Kept changing channels and the audio finally returned and stayed on for the news on 526 from 7 to 9.The non-HD feed worked fine through all of this.

I also had set it to record the two shows from 8 to 9 so after we finished watching live I tried the recordings. The 8:30 - 9 recording was fine, but the 8 - 8:30 recording was not - the sound dropped off about 3 minutes into the recording. Went upstairs and tried it on the STB there - there was audio for the entire recording! Not sure if it's relevant, but when I was trying to fast forward on one of the recordings, that STB decided to spontaneously reboot.

Went back downstairs and swapped the composite/L-R cable back in but the sound still disappeared after 3 minutes. So I am completely confused by all of this but also annoyed that we don't have a reliable set up.

The technician said he would come back on Saturday (tomorrow) so we'll see what he says. I think the next step, if he doesn't have another fix, is to move the DVR STB upstairs and the regular STB down. Then we can see if the non-DVR box loses audio (we don't watch upstairs that much so we don't know). If the non-DVR STB never loses audio on 526, then we'll know there's an issue with the DVR STB. And if it also loses audio, that leaves only the optical receiver or the actual WETA HD feed as being the problem.


I would say that I liked the old days when you turned on the TV and everything worked, except that back in the old days and tube TVs, I used to think the TV repairman (with his box of assorted replacement tubes)  was a relative because he spent so much time in our house.


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Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
epstewart
Enthusiast - Level 3
I have gone through the same sorts of experiments, and I feel your pain! You have gone further than I in some respects. I too find it confusing that the STB plays recordings with audio that the DVR plays only without audio. Also, that an automatic recording at a later time slot restored audio that was lacking in an earlier-time-slot recording on the same DVR. I had Verizon send a replacement Cisco DVR, and it had the same problem as the original, so I sent back the replacement. The replacement was hooked up on the tap usually used for one of my two non-DVR STBs, so that eliminated my choice of taps as the culprit. A Verizon field tech had carefully inspected my hookup and even replaced the gray ONT box outside my house ... no help. He too tipped me that a Motorola DVR might be the solution, but when I officially asked, I was told no Motorola was available. I never tried a composite connection from DVR to TV, but switching from HDMI to component video was no help. I have been contacted by phone by a Verizon field supervisor, who told me that a firmware update might fix the problem ... but so far no update has materialized. I was also told in private messages by Verizon reps at this forum that local personnel would be monitoring tha WETA-526 feed using a "sling box," whatever that is, to try to catch any audio anomalies. I never heard back about that. At this point I am out of ideas, but I remain convinced that the main culprit is the Cisco DVR's current firmware, and the secondary culprit is something odd but not outright defective about the WETA-526 digital audio content. My prediction is, sadly, that you will find no solution other than either getting a Motorola DVR – which I am told requires that you replace every Cisco box you have with a Motorola equivalent – or waiting for that Holy Grail firmware update. Thanks for keeping this thread up to date with your experiences, and good luck to you.
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Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
snjnova
Enthusiast - Level 3

OK - the technician did not come back today as promised. Meanwhile I replaced the old RG-59 cables with RG-6 so that can't be blamed any more. And the problem is still there with the sound regularly not working on 526 (WETA HD) until we change channels back and forth several times.

Today I swapped the two boxes so the DVR is upstairs and the problem followed it up the steps.

So I guess I'm waiting for a technician to resolve it. If the non-DVR proves reliable I may just exchange the DVR for a non-DVR and pick up an elgato EyeTV.

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Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
epstewart
Enthusiast - Level 3

Your mention of the Elgato EyeTV idea interests me, so I'm about to send you a PM about it.

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Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
cece491
Newbie

I too have been experiencing intermittant loss of audio on WETA PBS HD Channel 526 and now also on the new WETA UK PBS Channel 474.  I have made numerous calls to Tech Support and each time I am sent a Technician who replaces this and that, new STB (Cisco, of course)  and problem persists.  I have a Technician here as I speak who changed HDMI over to Component.  The consesus seems toi be that Cisco is the problem, but they will not change out to Motorola because VZ is no longer using them.  They simply cannot fix THEIR problem.

Maybe one way to get VZ to get their problem fixed one way or the other, is to tell PBS you will not contribute because Verizon is cutting off the audio.     $$$$$  always  talks.

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Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
epstewart
Enthusiast - Level 3
I'm the original poster to this thread ... The problem with missing audio on channel 526 also extends now to channel 474 on my Cisco DVR ... These are both channels in the suite of channels from WETA in Washington DC, and AFAIK there are no other Verizon channels affected ... No solution seems to exist yet ... I figured out that I could hook the optical audio output from the DVR directly to my sound system. After an overnight pause with the DVR in standby mode on channel 474, I turned everything on in the A.M. to find missing audio both on the TV and on the sound system. Using the optical output made no difference. I'd say that there is indeed something extra special about the WETA audio feed that is tricking the DVR. I don't believe the TV or the sound system is the culprit, because I have hooked the DVR to the TV using component video + stereo audio connections and had the same problem. The stereo connection is analog audio, and the TV simply renders it as such. There is no opportunity for digital "shenanigans" to occur at the TV end or across the DVR-to-TV connection, as there might be with HDMI. We (myself and another Verizon subscriber who is a friend of mine) also know that the DVR does in fact record the seemingly missing audio, because we hear it when playing a supposedly soundless recording on another STB, via Home Sharing. Hence the fault would seem to be that something in the digital information that is being recorded by the DVR is set "wrong" internally on the DVR, and then it causes the audio to be suppressed during _playback_ on the DVR itself. Also, the same "wrong" setting seems to apply to live TV. We know that when we're watching live TV, the DVR records the channel we're viewing so that we can back up and look at material that has previously streamed by. It is as if the DVR is always playing back a recording-in-progress that it is in the act of making ... and so the same twisted "logic" applies to live TV as when viewing an "official" recording. If we could swap the Cisco DVR for a Motorola, we might find the problem "clears itself up." As for the Cisco, this is clearly a hardware/software problem that could be solved, but probably it won't be ... until (maybe) that infamous "next version" arrives. Still, I don't think we should be too hard on Verizon or Cisco. Think of it this way: If while in standby mode the DVR is set to one of the WETA suite of stations, but not to any other channel, some unknown event can happen where audio disappears from live TV, and hence any subsequent recording will actually contain recorded audio, but it can't be heard at playback time (unless playback happens via Home Sharing, in which case the audio is audible after all). If you are the technical wizard who has to solve this one, what is your plan of attack?
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Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
snjnova
Enthusiast - Level 3

I filed a complaint with the Fairfax County office that handles cable regulation. The problem has been escalated (supposedly). Someone called shortly before Memorial Day weekend to ask some questions - basically told him the same things I've posted here and told other techs - it really seems they don't have a system for managing these trouble tickets. Also told him we were headed out for vacation the week of Memorial Day so not to expect to communicate with us and he said he would note that. In keeping with their inability to actually retain what's been said, they called a half dozen times while we were gone - said they pushed out an update but were not sure what it fixed. And they were closing out my ticket because we had not responded in 24 hours.

I called the person in our county office and he in turn contacted his Verizon liason, reporting that their patch had not resolved our problem. Yesterday I had a call from the Verizon liason to confirm that we still had a problem and told him, yes, we still do. And by the way, others have reported the identical problem on your discussion boards so it's not just us and our connection or hardware. He was unaware of that, of course (see above comment on them not having a way to track communications) and said he would relay my comments on the details and on others with the same problems (right, like that will ever happen). So the ticket system says our problem will be resolved today! Ha!

When / if this is ever resolved, I'm sending a letter (yes, on paper) to the Verizon CEO offering to contract with them to implement a proper CRM so they can work more efficiently.

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Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
cece491
Newbie

Some discoveries made yesterday while VZ Tech was here.  He has discovered that my Cisco equipment is not configured to Cisco, but still to Motorola.  My Cisco equipment was installed when I moved and all Motorola was turned in, but the configuration was not changed.  Also, he switched out my Router from an older  silver band one to a red band one.  I received a response from WETA PBS and they are aware of the audio problems.  They attribute this to the Language settings: 

 "The SAP (second audio program) settings must be set to "English" or channel/setting 1. 

  What does that mean? Most TVs now come equipped with up to four audio settings. The different settings accommodate different audio streams for English, Spanish, Descriptive Video Service and possibly a fourth variable. If your remote control is not set to 1 or for English, you may pick up either no sound at all (because the program is not fed with Spanish or DVS), Descriptive Video Service (the narration that explains the action for visually impaired viewers) or other possibilities and odd nuances such as (ambient sound but no dialog). It may also be that you hear sound on some programs and some stations, but not on others.

  It's a simple fix. Some remote controls have a dedicated language button (press it until you get to the English setting), others may have the SAP controlled within the Menu or other settings. Consult your manual for assistance.

If you are a cable or satellite subscriber and you are certain your SAP is set to English, the problem may rest with your provider.    

  We do find on occasion (especially when cable companies feed a program to DVRs), that a provider might mistakenly be feeding the audio on the wrong setting, which means the viewer at home will hear nothing at all (or some variation of the scenarios above). The best course is to call your company's customer service desk and ask them to contact the engineering department to determine whether the audio of the program is feeding on the English setting."

All my settings are on English, so this doesn't apply to me.  I am now awaiting the VZ Tech to come back and reconfigure. 

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Re: Audio sometimes missing on favorite channel
cece491
Newbie

Well, here I am again.   Technician never showed.  I don't know if any 'configuration' was done to get Cisco / Motorola in sinc.  I have again been losing audio on WETA UK PBS Channel 474.   Once again called into Verizon and once again, they are sending another Tech.  Once again, I have to take time off to wait for someone to show up who can't fix this problem.

One thing I was told that's different is that Motorola equipment can be ordered from Billing, refurbished, that is.  If they can't fix this problem I am cancelling Verizon FiOS TV and going with another provider.  Incredible that all these people that work for the largest provider CAN'T FIX THIS PROBLEM!!!

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