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New member Username: Silver007Post Number: 1 Registered: Feb-05 | Well I had this old (about 10 years old or more) RCA DirecTV receiver we got when we first signed up. The picture has just gotten bad over the years. Really blotchy, especially on dark scenes and banding, like a low-quality mpeg. Anyway, they sent me a new Hughes and some of the blotchiness is gone but dang if it's not more grainy than the old RCA. It looks like a VCR tape... no joke. What the heck is going on here? My actual satellite dish is still the old one. Could it be shot? Could this new receiver be bringing out the wear and tear on the dish more than the old RCA unit did? Or is the new receiver junk? The connections I kept the same - component out. Really getting irritated with this and thinking of ditching them and going with Dish Network. |
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New member Username: Silver007Post Number: 2 Registered: Feb-05 | edit: my signal strength has always been low to mid 90's, if that makes any difference. |
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LK Unregistered guest | Since U're talking about DTV,then U must be a subscriber,call DTV and have them check it out for free... If U "share" a sub with someone,then U must check it out yourself...obvious hardware probem,so U must do the process of elimination routine...I'd start with a new cable directly from the dish LNB to the IRD (receiver)and remove any all splitters etc....then go from there,new LNB..,...90's is very good signal (if U check all transponders-channels)...the dish itself doesn't go bad...and U give the impression that the new IRD has NOT really helped,so I doubt if its a receiver problem...I think its cables or connectors |
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New member Username: Silver007Post Number: 3 Registered: Feb-05 | Knowing the dish itself doesn't go bad is a huge help. I was about to call DTV and request a new dish, but from what you're saying that's probably a complete waste of time. Time to run some new cable I guess. I probably have 100 or more feet of cable. Should I install one of those supposed amplifiers while I'm at it? The cable is what I believe to be the 20 year old cable that was here when we moved in. I have the "pixelation" I believe it's called, when you see the blocks start to break up. I also have what pc gurus call "banding" when referring to their video card... like the color shades drop off sharply, especially with darker pictures. Also, this dang receiver seems to take dark images and turn them completely black. I'm thinking that's the receiver. |
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New member Username: Silver007Post Number: 4 Registered: Feb-05 | Wait are you talking about the actual dish, the flat metal dish? I thought you were talking about the receiver mounted on the dish - is this what you're referring to as the LNB? Of course the metal "dish" wouldn't go bad. Sorry... I don't have the jargon yet ;) |
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LK Unregistered guest | LNB is the "horn"ooking thing sticking out from the dish that the cables are connected to...if the LNB was bad,then NO picture at all...its cables,connectors etc..or a bad receiver.. |
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New member Username: Silver007Post Number: 5 Registered: Feb-05 | OK so the LNB is ruled out and most likely the receiver since this second one has the same blotchiness. I took a good look at the cable today. No splitters but several male connectors for splicing cable to cable. Basically, the cable had splitters, I guess for the cable that was there before we moved in and the dish guy bypassed the splitters with simple couplers. I can cut out a lot of distance if I rewire though. My signal was more or less completely dead today so they're coming out tomorrow to check it. They wanted to charge me $70... the nerve. A quick mention of Dish Network and they waived it "just this once". LOL ok... Anyway, now I'm wondering what made it go completely out today. I had a few channels, then they'd go in and out, then it was all gone except for the occasional "blip blip"... ' They'll probably spend all this time on me and the pic will suck and I'll drop them after all. |
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LK Unregistered guest | Could it be your television? |
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Anonymous | Could just be that your tv sucks. Are you using coax to connect receiver to the TV? Try using a scart video or composite cord if your tv has input for one. |
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New member Username: Silver007Post Number: 6 Registered: Feb-05 | hehe... Well the breaking up of the pixels/squares certainly isn't the television and the increased grainyness came with the new receiver. I'm using component (RCA cables) out. I've tried the s-video and coax - same problems. That's all the connections my TV has. I even tried several different component cables and even bought a nice shielded set with pretty, fancy silver braided cables. Oooooo aaahhhhhhhh..... I did notice this morning sitting, staring at this pathetic attempt at entertainment that the sat cable comes in through the wall right next to a 120V outlet. Could this be degrading the signal? FYI my signal is still completely out today. DirecTV guy is supposed to be here between 1 and 5 pm EST. If I have consistent mid 90's signal strength it has to be on my end, right? I mean could I have 90's and still be getting a weak signal? This blotchiness/pixelation (I call it)... the breaking up of the picture into the blocks during dark scenes especially and the banding of color - like a low-grade mpeg - I think that MUST be either the signal or the receiver, eh? |
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my2cents Unregistered guest | Your problem lies in the cable connectors- one has come loose and you get good signal bad signal depending on the contact of the connector. It's not the 120v outlet, the cables are sheilded. |
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New member Username: Silver007Post Number: 7 Registered: Feb-05 | I found the culprit. The cable inside the LNB was atually rusted/rotting. Wow. Now back to dealing with the crummy quality. I'm beginning to think this is just DirecTV now... I've been surfing other forums, etc and people seem to be complaining about their quality lately as they compress beyond what is required for a good picture. Here's one post I was reading: http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/history/topic/203544-1.html The guys are HDTV buffs, but there are comments on standard DTV and I think the general idea applies too. My question will probably end up being... is Dish Network any better in quality? |
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New member Username: Silver007Post Number: 8 Registered: Feb-05 | still leaves me wondering why some of my friends in South GA get a MUCH better picture... I'd say near DVD quality to the untrained yet critical eye and I get shoddy quality. Could it be different vendors? |
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Anonymous | maybe your TV sucks |
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LK Unregistered guest | We told U to run new cable DIRECTLY from LNB to receiver,with no splits.. "I'd start with a new cable directly from the dish LNB to the IRD (receiver)and remove any all splitters etc"... IF U have all new cable,connectors,splitters etc,then U're picture should be fine (crystal clear)....it doesn't matter where U live!...maybe it is your TV.. |
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New member Username: Silver007Post Number: 9 Registered: Feb-05 | No splitters to begin with. Had a few couplers, now they're gone. New LNB, new receiver, new cable... same ol' crappy picture. I was at a friend's house in this area over the weekend. He just had DirecTV setup and his pic is worse than mine. He has a Sony Trinitron 32" and a new Toshiba 25" I believe. For whatever reason, this area seems to have crappy pic while rural areas about 200 miles south of me have a nice pic. I don't know why... it's just what I'm seeing. Perhaps it's metro interference of some sort. Maybe this sounds nuts to you guys buy it's what I'm seeing and there's nothing else to tweak on my end. I'm tired of messing with it. If my curiosity spikes again, I'll just switch to Dish Network and give them a try. If they suck too, so be it. I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. |