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Post by dkennedy on Feb 26, 2005 15:30:02 GMT -5
I've been experimenting with my TV without the 8300HD box and I have an issue or non-issue (maybe it's supposed to do this for TW) with my Toshiba 57H93 which has NTSC, ATSC,
Digital Cable 64 & 256 QAM tuners. When I by pass the box and connect the cable directly to the TV and I auto program, I get all the analog, digital and HDTV channels that I'm authorized for, however, the next day all the digital & HDTV channels are gone and the analog channels look terrible! So, I auto program again and get them all again with excellent picture. I've upgraded the splitter and added an amp to boost the signal but that hasn't helped. Any ideas?
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Post by dkennedy on Feb 28, 2005 11:26:20 GMT -5
**** UPDATE ****
Toshiba tech support called me and informed me that they have a firmware upgrade to the tuner card on my set that will fix this issue. Lake Electronics will be coming out to install the new tuner card.
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Post by Skaggs on Feb 28, 2005 13:51:00 GMT -5
What channels can you receive via TWC on your HDTV without using TWC's cable box?
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Post by horrorfan2112 on Feb 28, 2005 15:29:16 GMT -5
you should be able to get all the locals and any unscrambled qam channels . My tv has a built in digital tuner I have never just hooked up raw cable to it maybe that will be an experiment for a rainyday .
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Post by Skaggs on Feb 28, 2005 15:57:28 GMT -5
you should be able to get all the locals and any unscrambled qam channels. I have heard the Discovery HD is unscrambled. I was also wondering about TNT HD. |
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Post by dkennedy on Feb 28, 2005 17:00:19 GMT -5
In reply to skaggs:
What channels can you receive via TWC on your HDTV without using TWC's cable box?
I get every digital & hdtv channel, which causes the tuner to hangup. reset, search for channels, etc...
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Post by Skaggs on Feb 28, 2005 20:45:24 GMT -5
I get every digital & hdtv channel, which causes the tuner to hangup. reset, search for channels, etc... So, you get all of these without your cable box? 1806 -- WRGB (channel 6; CBS affiliate) 1808 -- WXXA (channel 23; Fox affiliate) 1810 -- WTEN (channel 10; ABC affiliate) 1811 -- WMHT (PBS affiliate) 1813 -- WNYT (channel 13; NBC affiliate) 1827 -- TNT HD 1837 -- Discovery HDTV 1865 -- iNHD 1866 -- iNHD2 1867 -- HDNet 1868 -- HDNet Movies 1869 -- ESPN HD 1870 -- HBO HD 1875 -- Showtime HD |
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Post by dkennedy on Mar 1, 2005 14:45:02 GMT -5
1806 thru 1837 without issues but I lose the channels overnight and need to auto program. The tv locks in 1865 but after an hour it changes to 1867 and so on for all the channels above 1837. Same thing with pay per view...it freezes after an hour and then you have to reset the tv and one peculiar problem, the channel seems to have been paused and then rewinded....too many issues...I reconnected the 8300hd box.
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Post by dkennedy on Mar 9, 2005 7:10:57 GMT -5
*** update ***
Lake Electronics tech arrived with a Toshiba smartcard (same one on digital cameras) and updated my TV's firmware. All he did was insert the smartcard on the front of the TV and the update automatically loaded. I had version 1.3 and now I have version 1.4.4. (I could have done this myself if Toshiba would have sent me the card instead of waiting several weeks for Lake Electronics)
Now instead of black screens when tuning digital channels I get the message "digital channel encrypted". So when I autoprogram the channels I get all the analog (standard tier) channels and all the local broadcasts HD channels (18-6, 18-8, 18-10, 18-11, 18-13, (18-95 -test screen) when connected directly via coax cable skipping the box.
Now I have a different problem that Toshiba says it has to look into. When viewing an HD local broadcast channel and you change to a analog channel the tv freezes. Forcing you to unplug (reset) the tv. When viewing an analog channel and you switch to an HD channel the HD channel is locked in and every channel becomes the same HD channel. Toshiba tech support mentioned that it looks like the TV's tuner can't handel analog channels with hd channels on the same coaxial feed.
He did mentioned that this will take care of itself once TW changes the standard analog tier to digital. This is not acceptable to me so Toshiba is looking into replacing my TV with a 57H94 which doesn't have this problem.
Immediately I jump on them because that implies that they knew there was a problem with the 57h93 and of course, they deny it. Stay tune...
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Post by MasterFX1 on Mar 9, 2005 7:27:48 GMT -5
"Once TW turns the analog tier into digital"
You have got to be kidding me. TW is going to hold off on doing that indefinately. If TWC were to do that, only tv's with a Digital STB or built-in QAM tuner could watch cable (any channel). Essentially, TWC would be giving up one of the few remaining advantages it has over satelite... the ability to add the analog tier to all the tv' in your house at no extra cost.
Also, a great number of TWC subs, subscribe to the "Broadcast Basic" package only. If they changed the analog channels to digital, this package would now require the use of a digital STB or QAM-Tuning TV. Who's gonna pay for that TWC or the customer? Legally, cable has to offer a broadcast basic option. TWC would have to raise the price of Broadcast Basic to include a Digital STB. Becaseu we all know TWC would not eat any such cost.
dkennedy- Don't give up on that one! Toshiba sold the product as having a NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner. It does not work properly. Be sure to cc: State Attorney's General Elliot Spitzer in all your correspondance with Toshiba. Snail mail is more effective than e-mail. It seems once he's getting cc's on issues, companies resolved them more quickly. (Make sure the bottom of your letters cleary state "CC: Elliot Spitzer, NYS Attorney's General.")
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Post by Skaggs on Mar 9, 2005 8:28:02 GMT -5
So, TNT-HD (1827) and Discovery-HD (1837) do not display with a QAM tuner? In other words, they are encrypted? I thought that the only "pay" or encrypted HD channels were INHD, HDNet, and ESPN. Is the test screen on 1895 the same as channel 98 I found on my SD television? See this thread. |
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Post by dkennedy on Mar 9, 2005 12:14:09 GMT -5
MasterFX1:
Thanks. I wont give up on getting a new set or getting my current set fix. Keep in mind that my set works perfectly with the cable box and with an off air OTA antenna receiving all VHF & UHF (HD) channels. The problem is when I connect the cable coax directly to the TV to receive TW standard tier channels.
Skaggs:
Before the firmware update I was able to view TNT HD & Discovery HD for about 1 hour before the TV acted up and froze. Now with the new firmware I only receive the local broadcast HD channels. Channel 1895 has the color test pattern and no wording like you described for channel 98.
If it weren't for my little experimenting of connecting the coax directly to the tv, I would have never discovered this problem unless it was posted somewhere. Geez...what happens (Lord forbid) I lose my job and have to step down to standard tier...heck for that matter...with TW's yearly rate increases...I wouldn't be able to afford standard...
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Post by dkennedy on Mar 10, 2005 7:34:05 GMT -5
Could you tell me where do you get the information on the major-minor channel numbers? When I get home today I'll tune in the major-minor channels to see if my TV problem is an old QAM tuner.
1806
1808 = 105-7
1810 = 81-17
1811
1813
1890
1893
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Post by turboliner on Mar 10, 2005 12:46:03 GMT -5
I found the major-minor info by setting a Panasonic TV to auto tune the digital channels. The few channels it had access to I included above. It has been a few months since I last did this, and the major-minor most likely has changed. I will try it again in the next few days and post exactly which channels it can access.
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Post by dkennedy on Apr 26, 2005 17:46:48 GMT -5
***UPDATE***
Toshiba will be replacing my TV with a 57HX94 and as a gift for all my troubles a Symbio 160GB HD DVR model 160HD4. Tomorrow they will pick up my 57H93 and within a few days I will have my new TV and DVR.
PS: A BIG THANK YOU goes to MasterFX1 for his advise to cc the NY State Attorney General whom by the way will have my vote in the next Governor's race...the snail mail letter I sent to both Toshiba and the NY Attorney General got me a faster response and resolution from Toshiba than all the phone calls and emails thruout this ordeal.
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