Sound dropouts on Shaw

[DICKW]

I have also been experiencing drop outs over the past 2 years. I had the techs out 2 weeks ago and had them check the Cable to the house and also the connection box out on the street. It was leaking and contained water.When replaced no more issues. I suspected this as I experienced more drop outs when we had really wet weather. Maybe you should check the cables outside and connection boxes. HD is more sensitive to climatic issues.

[Brad Smith]

The dropouts have been *really* bad in Vancouver the last few days. TSN has been near unwatchable. The football today is really bad, too. I spoke with Shaw last night and they claimed they've never heard of anything like that with their signal or their DVRs, and that it must be my TV that's doing it. This is so frustrating. I switched to Novus years ago because of this (and other issues), but I don't have that option in my current building.

[Igorsmaster]

I called Shaw the other day because of the dropouts and pixelation on TSN specifically as well. I had a technician out here last month as well to check everything out. The junction box was loose so he fixed that and everything was fine, for a while.

I have recorded almost every WJHC game on TSN and as you mentioned they are almost unwatchable. I'm hoping others here will start to pipe up so that we have more of a voice.

I am currently considering dropping both my Shaw digital phone and extreme just to see if it improves the situation. Sadly at nearly $200/mo. I think I should be able to watch a hockey game without it freezing every 30 seconds.

[Brad Smith]

Every 30 seconds? It was more like every 10-15 the last few days for me. I'm going to call Shaw later today and cancel all of my extras (movie channels, etc.). I'm pretty close to just getting an antenna for local OTA stuff and using my Apple TV and the internet for most everything else I watch.

[Igorsmaster]

The truth is, Shaw knows this is an issue. A few years back they had the same problem and eventually after about 5 calls and speaking to a supervisor, they admitted the problem and gave me ALL digital cable channels for free. That lasted about as year or so.

I'm hoping that more Vancouver members will post so that we have some recourse with Shaw since they won't do anything if it is just a few of us. Sadly, I am a huge fan of the world juniors and thanks to Shaw it has been a pretty pathetic experience save when I have seen a game a t a pub on satellite!

I know have 6-10 games recorded as evidence. Unfortunately the CRTC does not consider HDTV a mandatory service yet (unlike the US) so we have little help from them.

Come on folks, tell us how your TSN broadcast looks in Vancouver with Shaw!

[CHrisCHu]

Just tuned in to TSNHD a good few minutes ago. Not a single glitch so far as always here in Vancouver. Checked the other tuner which happened to be on NBC HD for he football game. No glitch for the last 15 mins or so either. Like I've mentioned before most of my dropouts have been evidence of the DVR box and/or it's software. If you have a bad low-system-memory Pace DVR box combined with external HDD and almost 1TB of recordings it can run slow and drops out video/audio. If you're starting/stopping recording on the other tuner you may experience video/audio drops on your displaying tuner. If your DVR has not been doing any recordings for the last few hours, it may have kicked off defragging process in the background and may result in video/audio glitches on the displaying tuner, especially if you have tons of recordings and/or slow/highly fragmented eHDD.

I'm sure there are signal issues out there for some people, perhaps more likely for big buildings. OTOH, I definitely don't have the kind of bad signal issue many describe here in Vancouver.

[bbqface]

I also have the same problem, but only on non-HD channels. The small video pixel/sound glitch occurs every 10-15 seconds usually on non-HD channels. I don't usually watch these for this reason, but Comedy and Teletoon are exceptions. Shaw said it must be my TV when I reported it.

I'm using a Pace PVR box like some others in here.

[nobsplease]

I've had HD service for about 16 months now. When it was first installed, I had so few dropouts that I just ignored it. Now, however and for the last couple of months, it's been awful. I counted 17 in one episode of Big Bang theory last night. Watching Bones later on, there were fewer dropouts but the damn feed twice froze completely for at least 20 seconds.

I'll call Shaw later on and bitch some but I'm not looking forward to the long wait. If Telus wasn't offering a stupid game console as a bonus right now, I'd probably switch.

[majred]

@nobsplease did you ever get in contact with anyone? the wait times haven't been all that bad since the start of December. Gets to about 10 minutes at the highest most days (unless something massive breaks of course).

As for the drops.. this is usually how it plays out..
Sound drops only: Usually an issue with HDMI cable, but can some times be the box. If a reset or power cycle doesn't fix it. Try swapping the HDMI cable. (hate to say it, but it's more often the cable than anything else..)

Sound & Video drops: Usually a signal problem. The biggest indicator is the video freezing or blocking up. Might need a service call.

There are also the odd feed issues, but that would impact every customer, and doesn't happen all that often.

[nobsplease]

Sorry, majred but I've been selling and installing HDMI cables since they came on the market and I've experienced very few good quality cables failures; statistically zero. It's possible to have a bad connection but that is also very rare.

What is ridiculously common is for Shaw to blame their shortcomings with HDCP implementation and their buggy software on HDMI. It's rubbish, they know it and yet they persist.

I checked my cables before I called; they're fine. The issue, according to the CS dude, is my Pace Whistler box. "Known issue" he called it. I'm going to drop by the Shaw Tower next week and pick up the Moto 3416 he says will be the answer to my prayers. While there, I'll try to wheedle the 3400 and get them to pick up the box rental.

[sk1d]

I haven't noticed dropouts in quite a while, but now that they have Global, and Global is broadcasting over shows on other networks, like on Fox with the show House, the dropouts have come back and they're a lot worse. And when there is a dropout, I can no longer fast forward through commercials, it just gets stuck and I have to let it play out until it goes back to normal before I start fast forwarding again.

Anyone else only have the problem with Global?

[lcdzombie]

I suffered through years of audio / Video dropouts and issues of all kinds but about a month ago have Shaw come and replace my Pace box with a Moto.

All problems solved. We have no more dropsout with either live or PVR'd shows.

[Kent]

I've noticed the sound drops lately as well - mainly on Showcase HD to the point where the "Luther" broadcast Friday night was unwatchable. I recorded it later that night on the old channel 39 and there was only one drop during the whole hour. I notice the problem on Showcase both on my Motorola and Pace pvr's.

Given all the other people who have complained and not received any satisfaction, I have to think it is a "blood pressure tester" and have not bothered to complain.

[Newb777]

mine still there....oddly enough, their not as frequent as before (for now).

[nobsplease]

Took me a while to get down to the office, but finally made it. Got the replacement Motorola box and all seems well.