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My HD channels don't work anymore.

12K views 43 replies 8 participants last post by  Classy1 
#1 ·
Woke up this morning to watch TV and i discovered that none of my HD channels work anymore.

I get audio but no video

I turned the box off an on.....I turned the TV off and on.....I unplugged and replugged everything but I still get no picture.

Can anyone out there help me with this problem. Everything was working fine yesterday.

Thanks for your help
 
#2 ·
Do your SD channels work?

Did you check the cables at the TV and the Shaw box?

Do you get your audio through the TV or through an audio receiver?

Is your TV on the right input?

Do you have more than one TV and are the others working?

What is the model of your Shaw box?
 
#3 ·
The SD channels still work

I don't know what you mean when you say check the cables, but i unplugged and replugged everything and still nothing happened.

The audio comes through the tv

the input is fine

the other tv's with hd receivers are working fine

My shaw box is very old. It's and old motorola grey box about 10 years old

It was all working fine yesterday, but today....nothing, just audio

usually when i switch from and SD channel to and HD channel there will be a small rectangular box on the upper right of the screen which will show the switch from 480 to 720, but when i switch now to the HD channels is stays at 480 and doesn't switch to 720
 
#5 ·
Have you tried the HD channel numbers between 205 and 215. Those are your local broadcast networks. There is a possibility that Shaw converted some other channels in your city to MPEG-4 format, which those old boxes can't decode. In that case you would get audio, but no video on those channels.

The other possibility is that the box got reset. If your TV is 720p and the box got reset to 1080i for HD, then you wouldn't get a picture for HD. To check that you have to power off the Shaw box, but leave the TV on. Then press the Shaw MENU button within 5 seconds. If nothing appears on the TV, the settings should appear on the display on the Shaw box.

This link has step by step instructions:
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

If you know that your TV is 720p, then the HDMI should be set to 720p as well. 720p will work with any HDTV, but 1080i and native won't work with 720p TVs.

When I asked if you checked your cables, I meant: did you unplug them at both ends - the TV end and the Shaw box end?

Do you have one HDMI cable connecting your TV or do you have component cables? (3 for video and 2 for audio)
 
#7 ·
If you know that your TV is 720p, then the HDMI should be set to 720p as well. 720p will work with any HDTV, but 1080i and native won't work with 720p TVs.
There are very few HDTVs that are actually 720P. Most "720P" TVs are 768P and all of them will accept 1080i signals. Sorry to "muddy the waters". ;)

See: http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/30-...ative-display-resolution-vs-input-format.html

It would be good to know the exact make and model number of the cable box and of the TV. The "It's grey" comment doesn't help us help you much.

The other important thing is to know which cables you're using. If you're using component video cables, then you should be able to see the appropriate HD channels - make sure you check through a number of channels, not just a couple. Even when using a composite or RF Coax cable (by mistake) you should still be able to see something on screen. Be sure to disconnect any cables other than HD cables like component video or HDMI.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/30-57s-home-theatre-faqs/76085-faq-cables-connections.html

Here's the FAQ on Motorola STBs - Tips, setup, etc.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/30-...1274-faq-motorola-stb-helpful-links-tips.html

Here's a list of things to check. If you're using component video cables, make sure that you've connected them properly at both ends. Sometimes people don't plug them into the correct ports - make sure they're in the correct video ports at both ends - sometimes people put them in audio ports, or tune to the incorrect input, etc.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/30-57s-home-theatre-faqs/19694-faq-things-check-first.html

I would have thought that that would cause an issue with the SD channels though too yet you say you can see the SD channels fine. Perhaps it's simply as people have stated and your box can no longer decode some of the channels properly.

Another possibility is that your box is no longer properly "activated" for certain channels. To check that you'd need to call Shaw. Did you unplug the box from the power outlet to reboot it? Often a reboot will resolve issues.
 
#6 ·
the other tv's with hd receivers are working fine
My shaw box is very old. It's and old motorola grey box about 10 years old
I would check that the box is still compatible. As Dr.Dave said, it's possible that Shaw has changed the format of some channels. Their Shaw Direct service is being converted to MPEG4 so that could impact some cable channels.
 
#8 ·
so i went into the menu and the HDMI/YPbPr was set at 720, not 1080

So what i did is i changed the number to from 720 to 480 and the HD picture came back at the new 480 setting

My eyes can't really tell the difference with the new 480 setting and the old 720 setting, so i guess I can settle for this.

But it still kind of bothers me what on earth happened here.

I don't changing the 4:3 override would do anything, right?

57: it's grey...and rectangular shaped too :)
 
#9 ·
@Classy1 glad you got things working. Fortunately, those old Motorola DCT series boxes are all functionally similar so the description was enough to get you into the right menu.

Now that you know how to get the video back as a last resort, you can clean things up if you want. As @57 suggested, pulling the power cord on the Shaw box and the TV for 10 seconds would be a good idea. You won't lose any settings, but the Shaw box takes about 24 hours to completely reload the 14 day guide data. You should be able to change the Shaw box back to 720 or 1080 if your TV supports that. Sometimes things get messed up in the box's working memory and pulling the power is equivalent to rebooting a PC. Turning the power off with the power button doesn't do anything, since these boxes are always in standby mode.

4:3 OVERRIDE only affects the the display of SD channels so it doesn't interfere with the display of HD channels.
 
#10 ·
If you want help getting your HD channels back in HD format, you need to:

1. Tell us what type of video connection you have going from the box to the TV (component video (red/green/blue), HDMI or other).

2. Do you have any other (non-HD) connections going from the box to the TV? If you do, remove those (yellow composite, RF-coax?)

3. You should be able to set the box to 1080i.

4. Do the reboot by unplugging the box from power.

5. I won't ask again about the colour, dimensions or other characteristics of your box, although the model number, which should be printed on it somewhere, would help us help you. ;)
 
#11 ·
Sometimes things get messed up in the box's working memory and pulling the power is equivalent to rebooting a PC.
I've seen TVs go into a dysfunctional internal state as well. It would be worthwhile to unplug the TV for at least 30 seconds. If that doesn't work try setting it back to defaults in the menu (if possible.) Some settings may need to be adjusted to their previous values after the reset. If the TV has been calibrated, make a note of all settings before the reset.
 
#12 ·
dr dave: I had already tried plugging and un plugging the box before, and it didn't work. In factI replugged everything connected to the box and the tv

57: the box/tv were installed by someone else about 10 years ago. The cord has no labeling so i don't know what type it is but it's probably 10 years old too. The Shaw motorolla box also has no labeling on it so I don't know the model nor could i find a model number. Plus the tv is old and only has 720 capacity so putting the box the 1080 won't probably do anything.

Do you think if i switched the cord from the TV outlet from HDMI 2 to HDMI 1 it would really make a difference? I personally doubt it
 
#13 ·
@Classy1I think it's worth trying a different HDMI input - sometimes one port can go bad. It's possible that even switching the Shaw box back to 720p will work.

It you still get the same results, I would try a different TV with that box. That would confirm whether the problem is with the TV or the box.

You could also try a different HDMI cable - it's possible one of the connectors or wires inside the cable is damaged, preventing HD data pass-through.
 
#16 ·
I don't think anyone here has seen that exact problem. My guess is that your Shaw box is beginning to fail, but it could be the other things in my previous post.

To quickly isolate the problem, you can try that Shaw box with a different TV and a different HDMI cable. If the problem continues, then it is definitely the Shaw box.

If you don't want to move equipment around yet, you can try a different cable on a different TV input. If it still doesn't work, the problem might be an overall problem with the TV or Shaw box. Then to rule out the TV, you would have to try a different TV with that Shaw box.

One last thought about the last time the screen went blank - did it happen when you changed channels or did it happen as you were watching an HD channel?

If you have a PVR, it has 2 tuners and one could be failing. I had a Shaw DCT 6416 about 10 years ago and the analog section of only one tuner failed while analog channels on the second tuner worked fine. Digital channels on both tuners worked. The issue became irrelevant when Shaw went all-digital and I later gave the box away when I switched providers.
 
#17 ·
It does look like either the Shaw box or the TV is starting to fail. It will be necessary to do some troubleshooting to find the exact issue. Trying a different TV might work but intermittent issues like this sometimes fix themselves, at least temporarily, when any change is made. If 480p works and is good enough, go with that for now.
 
#18 ·
Call Shaw Support - It's FREE!

After checking the obvious cables, etc. and doing a power cycle, if things aren't back to normal, your next step should always be to call Shaw Support. That's what they are there for. They can check things from their end and might even offer a free replacement if you talk nicely to them.

The advice given here is all good and calling Shaw has already been mentioned but honestly, if you haven't called them before checking here for help, you haven't tried the best option yet.

Please let us know what you do eventually find out as there are plenty of people reading these posts and we'd all like to know what the issue actually turns out to be.
 
#19 ·
My original instinct was that the TV and Box was too old. I'm pretty sure that's the problem.

I don't want to start moving equipment around nor do i want to go out there and buy a new HDMI cable because I just don't care about it too much. the 480 is good enough for me. I'm a simple man with simple needs, I'm not much of a technology enthusisast, not everything needs to be perfect.

The screen went blank when i was watching, and not when i was switching channels.

The box is not a PVR, its just a boring basic HD BOX with no recording capabilites, but the other box in my house is a PVR (and that box is working fine)

I tried asking for a free replacement years ago.....no dice.
 
#20 ·
One thing you could try is 1080i instead of 720P. 1080i is a superior setting with Shaw Cable since most HD channels are 1080i and very few TVs are actually 720P as I mentioned in an earlier post (they are 768P, requiring another conversion step). Using 1080i would utilize one fewer "conversions" by the box or the TV for the HD channels. This is unlikely to "hold" since you're also having issue with 720P, but it's one thing you can try without moving things around and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If your other TV is also connected by HDMI, swapping the HDMI cables around from one TV to the other should be a relatively easy test too. Sometimes after being connected for a while, the ports on the TV/box become oxidized and the simple act of unplugging/replugging the cables at both ends a few times solves many problems. I also suggest swapping the ends so that the one that was on the TV is now on the box, etc.

PS. What is the exact make/model of the TV?
 
#21 ·
I don't see the point of going 1080 if the TV could only go as high as 720, but i guess i could try.

the problem with swapping cables is that with the old tv i reset it to 720 and it worked for a couple of hours before going back to black, so i would have to wait a while to see whether the cable is the problem. Many people live here and i just can't be constantly moving equipment around without being yelled at.

As i mentioned before i have unplugged and replugged with no success

The Tv model is a 2007 Sony Bravia (like i said....old)
 
#22 ·
1. I don't see the point of going 1080 if the TV could only go as high as 720, but i guess i could try.

2. The Tv model is a 2007 Sony Bravia (like i said....old)
1. I explained why in my previous post and in the first FAQ in post 7. If it works, the ultimate picture quality should be better.

2. Again, without the exact model number, that is useless information for troubleshooting. If you provide the model number we can look up the specs and often even download an operating manual to check for possible user options to fix the problem.
 
#23 ·
That set will most likely accept 1080i. Many HD sets made about that time were actually 768p and will accept 1080i. It won't change the resolution of the TV but it will provide a better picture than 480p. Depending on the set, I find that 1080i can provide a better picture on a 768p set than 720p does. If it doesn't fix the issue then nothing is lost.
 
#24 ·
Where do you live, Classy1? I have an unused DCX3200 box you could have for the cost of shipping, if you would like it.

Sony is the Manufacturer (my favourite), Bravia is the series (covers a dozen or more actual models) so as 57 points out, if you can provide the exact model number, we can look up the manual and let you know how best to proceed. You can find the model # on the back of the set.
 
#27 ·
New development.....

I tried accessing shaw on demand and it wouldn't let me (error 33417). I tried accessing SOD on the other box and It worked just fine. I hardly ever use SOD so it's not a big deal. Based on this information I'm now pretty sure it's the box's fault and not the TV's fault.

I went to the shaw website and looked this error code up, and they gave me the same advice you guys did about unplugging and replugging bla bla bla.

Thanks for the offer jet, but I'll live with what I have now

the box was Purchased in December 2007, when everyone is in the house sleeping then i'll take a peek at the model #.

the TV model number is KDL-40S3000
 
#33 · (Edited)
New development.....

I tried accessing shaw on demand and it wouldn't let me (error 33417). I tried accessing SOD on the other box and It worked just fine. I hardly ever use SOD so it's not a big deal. Based on this information I'm now pretty sure it's the box's fault and not the TV's fault.
According to an old post this code is specific to loading background graphics. (Link) My guess is your Shaw box doesn't have enough memory to load the fancy graphics VOD menu that Shaw started using a few years ago. If VOD was working on this box until recently, it could be a fault with that box as you suggested. A bad cable, an extra splitter or low signal quality can also cause general VOD issues.

I just turned to channel 999 and theres a number on the bottom. What does this number mean. Mine says 68.
I think that is the number of the Shaw node your house is connected to. There may be up to 1,000 homes in your neighbourhood connected to the same node.
 
#28 ·
Your TV is 768P (1366 x 768) and will accept 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p signals which it will convert to 768P. I have almost the same model, except it's the "W" instead of the "S" purchased in 2008. Did you try 1080i?

Sony Website: https://esupport.sony.com/CA/p/mode...late_id=1&region_id=3&tab=manuals#/manualsTab

Operating Manual: https://docs.sony.com/release//KDL32SL130.pdf

It does indeed sound as though there is an issue with the box. It's possible there is an issue with your incoming cable signal to that particular box and the only way to be sure would be to swap this box with the other one to see if the problem follows the box or stays with the particular location.

I realize that you may not wish to bother with this and you may leave it at 480i/p, but if you do have some convenient time in the future to perform this task, it might be worth it.
 
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