54 Comments:
We've been noticing it a lot lately too. Certain channels seem to be worse than others (if that is possible?) Called once, but was told our signal is "fine". I hate Comcast.
»» Submitted by mb@work at 10:11 AM on May 8
OMG, I was just bitching about this last night to Ed Kohler. It seems the problem channels at my house are Bravo, TNT, USA, Food Network, and FX. It's pissing me off this morning because "Walk the Line" is on and I love me some Joaquin Phoenix.
This started happening to us pretty much immediately after Comcast took over TWC. It even followed us to our new house.
»» Submitted by jimn at 10:16 AM on May 8
At first I thought it was because I have a splitter so I can have cable in my bedroom, now I think it's a problem with the digital box because I never had this problem with analog cable.
For me it is super bad on NBC but I've noticed other channels. Also, it seems especially bad when things are recorded.
It might be bad on Bravo and USA too.
Curiously those are all owned by the same company. :)
My friend thinks its getting to the point that he wants to file a class action.
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 10:18 AM on May 8
NBC is bad for me too--unwatchable, but only on my upstairs tV. The price of the service is what really bothers me.
I have been threatening to quit them for the greater part of a year, but they sweet talk me and give me a virtual handjob and some free months of HBO and then I'm happy.
»» Submitted by »»» baker at 10:21 AM on May 8
I'm so glad to be done with comcast.
My Qwest DSL has been rock solid.
»» Submitted by cdiggity at 10:24 AM on May 8
The Travel Channel has become unwatchable for me because of the freezing and blips. It used to be HBO (we've since gotten rid of it) when The Sopranos was on. My husband would lose his mind when it happened.
»» Submitted by mb@work at 10:31 AM on May 8
I've got the analog local+CNN/stuff package, and most channels are fuzzythey are merely more watchable than not having cable. I thought it was just me... my cable internet was so horrible that I cancelled that not long after Time Warner left, so I'm not sure why I'm still bothering to send them that $12.44 a month.
I miss Time Warner. Their digital cable, DVR, and cable internet (not to mention service and pricing) were leaps and bounds better than Comcast's.
»» Submitted by jen 2 at 10:31 AM on May 8
We have two cable boxes and DVR on one of them. We also have all the premium channels. Would it be cheaper to switch to satallite w/ TiVo?
Considering how many people are experiencing this on MNSpeak alone, I'm sure tons have called and complained. I want to complain to them and demand some sort of free service compensation but I don't feel like dealing with Comcast customer service. I have a feeling that it'd need to be escalated to higher ups - might as well head over to Consumerist and find those hard to find customer service numbers/email addresses.
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 10:37 AM on May 8
I recently switched from DirecTv to comcast but with a Tivo HD box with dual cablecards and haven't noticed any issues. Matter of fact I've been very impressed with the reliability.
I do not (and will never) use Comcast for internet. I use DSL with Visi as my ISP - rock solid for years.
»» Submitted by regexp at 10:37 AM on May 8
TiVo isn't going to help, since that is just another type of DVR (I have a high def Series 3 model, and Angie D. has a Series 2, and they don't help us anyway). I have no idea if it's related, but Comcast is notorious for compressing the unleavened shit out of their channels, particularly the HD ones. We've noticed that USA HD cuts out a lot at my place, and regular USA cuts out when we're watching at Ang's place. The other night we were watching NBC HD, and it was cutting out constantly.
In addition to complaining directly to Comcrap, it may help to complain to your city's council or mayors office, as I believe that that Comcast has to get licensing agreements of some sort to provide service in individual communities. If they get enough complaints, maybe they can put pressure on Comcast. They may even have contractual provisions that allow them to fine Comcast for not meeting service level agreements.
»» Submitted by »»» wtfmn at 10:38 AM on May 8
I assume we're just talking TV.
I have analog and I've noticed sometime on some channels it gets very snowy. Then last night the wierdest damn thing happened. I was watching the Twins game on FSN and all of a sudden it turned into TNT. A few minutes later it went back to FSN.
The Midtown Y has Dish Network and FSN there was cutting out a lot on Tuesday night during the rain.
For those of you having trouble with NBC, try KARE 11 with your digital tuner, if you have one.
Speaking of digital broadcast signals, my FOX 9 reception gets bad whenever an airplane goes over and KSTP is spotty whenever it's cloudy or rainy, but both of these have only developed in the last few weeks. 4 and 11 are perfect.
On another TV note, I just found out that A&E will have an entire episode of one of my favorite shows, "The First 48", on the murder of Kristine Larson last winter. She was found in the burning car in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Here is the broadcast schedule:
Thursday, May 15 @ 9pm/8C
Friday, May 16 @ 1am/12C
Saturday, May 17 @ 10pm/9C
Sunday, May 18 @ 2am/1C
"In Minneapolis, just days before Christmas, Sgt. Rick Zimmerman and Sgt. Tammy Diedrich are called to the murder of a young woman, found strangled in a partially burned car. As they fight against the clock and a snowstorm, the team soon realizes that the killer may be closer than they think. "
I'd submit it as its own topic for a post but I gotta run.
»» Submitted by kevin at 10:42 AM on May 8
I mean switching to TiVo coupled with satallite TV.
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 10:42 AM on May 8
@wtfmn
I didn't even think about complaining to the mayor's office/city. Thanks for the tip!
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 10:44 AM on May 8
kevin, i love that show.
thanks for the heads up.
The thing I love most about it is that these hard thugs and gangsters, the ones you think would never talk to cops, seem to give it up after minimal interrogation. I think people have an internal desire to tell the truth.
»» Submitted by »»» baker at 10:46 AM on May 8
I've got the same analog package that Jen 2 has. The only reason I have THAT is because I get my internet through Comcast (I've been lucky, and have had very few problems), and my total bill was going to be the same whether I got Internet only, or added the low end cable package. There are 3-4 channels that are pretty fuzzy, but I don't watch those ones anyway (Hallmark, MTV, and Bravo occasionally).
I'll be sticking with my analog tvs for a few more years. Just need to get a converter coupon for my tv in the upstairs office.
»» Submitted by »»» mnblrmkr at 10:47 AM on May 8
good luck getting any results form a consumer advocate agency.
There is a business in town that owes me over 100 dollars. I have contacted the BBB, rip-off report, not to mention the MN State Attorney's office. These agencies are powerless in this type of case, even the state attorney.
»» Submitted by »»» baker at 10:48 AM on May 8
Good, I'm glad it's not just me. I'm getting so fed up with it, but I haven't quite yet convinced the wife to let me buy a new HDTV, hook up our Mac Mini to it, cancel cable, and just live off of Netflix and torrents.
»» Submitted by »»» moe at 10:51 AM on May 8
Called once, but was told our signal is "fine". I hate Comcast.
I'll bet your signal is "fine", meaning they measured the strength of the signal you are receiving.
As you know, it doesn't matter if you have a strong signal if the signal being sent is crappy.
I switched to DirectTv satellite and Qwest DSL last year and I haven't had any issues. Not even in heavy rain or snowstorms.
It may be something you want to consider if you have a clear Southern line of site where you can mount the dish.
»» Submitted by »»» JACC at 10:56 AM on May 8
I generally don't want anyone to see me when I mount my dish.
City of Minneapolis Cable Complaint Form
»» Submitted by jimn at 11:03 AM on May 8
Then why did you send me those pictures?
»» Submitted by »»» JACC at 11:03 AM on May 8
You asked me to.
Oh yeah My pants are tight.
»» Submitted by »»» JACC at 11:09 AM on May 8
Squirrels. Seriously - they chewed the cable where it ran along the eaves.
Comcast has been a thousand times more reliable than when I had DSL. Of course, I dumped DSL probably three years ago.
We live in a townhouse community where everyone who gets cable is hooked up to a big Comcast box in our backyard. We've experienced occasional "blips," freezing, and sound cutting out since the Comcast switch, but never as bad as it's been the last month or two. Every time it gets really bad we call and complain. We are always told the same thing: they have not received any other calls from our neighborhood so it must not be a problem with the big box. It has to be a connection in our house. They could send out a truck- but we'd be paying for that service call.
Our internet service hasn't been too bad lately, but right after the switch we had a lot of problems. They told us it wasn't Comcast's fault. Either our modems or wireless routers were to blame.
I feel like they take advantage of the fact that there are so many little connections between their service and our TVs/computers that could fail. It's too easy for them to say, "It's a problem on your end," when anything goes wrong.
»» Submitted by smarty at 11:18 AM on May 8
Had DSL a long time ago. Quest screwed us over with a forced modem upgrade. I walked. Timewarner was at our house, liked them. Comcast downtown. They've been alright. I believe they are overpriced, but that's what happens when there's zero cable company competition.
It's really six in one half, dozen of the other. They each have strengths and weaknesses based on your uses. Same goes for cell companies.
Comcast has been a thousand times more reliable than when I had DSL
It definitely matters what neighborhood you live in. My last house was in a neighborhood with terrible infrastructure.
It'd rain and our DSL would go out. No joke.
Also, they had to dial the 1.5mb connection down to 650 or something for the signal to get through. It was horrid.
The neighborhood I'm in now is on the St.Paul/Maplewood border and the infrastructure is much better. Not a single problem.
I never had problems with Comcast Internet, it was always the cable.
»» Submitted by »»» JACC at 11:19 AM on May 8
I had DirecTV for the first year I lived in my house, but there really wasn't a good line of sight to get a decent signal. Too many trees in the way. And every time it rained or snowed, my signal would cut out completely. Granted, this is 8 years ago, so I would assume their equipment and coverage has improved since then.
As for DSL, it cut out all the time when I had it in my apartment 9 years ago. But I think it had something to do with the alarm system in my apartment building if I remember correctly.
So basically none of my non-Comcast experiences are current, and I have added nothing of value to this conversation. Cheers!
»» Submitted by »»» wtfmn at 11:20 AM on May 8
I've never had problems with comcast internet and I haven't had problems with their cable service until a couple of months ago. I'm definitely going to call.
Just twitter about it: http://blogs.zdnet.com/social/?p=439
»» Submitted by marrina at 11:25 AM on May 8
I've often thought of getting a dish in hopes of a random Max mounting.
»» Submitted by mb@work at 11:25 AM on May 8
I've had Dishnet work for about 10 years. I am currently one of their "best customers" because I subscribe to the Full HDTV list of programming.
I have had very few issues with rain or snow. Maybe once or twice a month. The Dish DVR that they have now is equal or better than Tivo. In fact TIVO sued them for infringing on their patents a while ago.
The customer service is fantasic and the costs have stayed relatively low. We pay $90 a month for 30 some channels of HD including a lot of Dish only stations from the failed Voom HD venture. We also get 200 channels, Sirius Radio stations, 12 Showtime, TMC and Sundance pay channels and have an HD DVR that holds about 200 hours of SD programming. Bixby if you want I can provide you a code so you wouldn't have to pay any install or start up fees.
»» Submitted by Mpls Simpleton at 12:02 PM on May 8
The person who mentioned squirrels makes a good point. Ingress can be caused by breaks in the cable housing that results from "line chew". Don't know why, but squirrels love to chew cable.
This time of year (and anytime the temp changes dramatically) you'll have what is known as "suck-outs" basically the drop (cable that goes from feeder connected to mainline to your home) will "suck-out" from the fittings as the cable expands and contracts with the hot(ter) days and cool nights. Also, with all the rain, any flaws in the cable are exacerbated by the wetness getting into the cable and behind the shielding. Basically, if the lead in the cable is exposed to the air, you;re going to have issues. Either crappy HSD service (intermittant or slow) and quantizing and blackouts on digital cable.
It should be as easy as calling comcast and telling them you have poor signal (they cannot truly test the signal QUALITY from the headend to your node without being at the node (your box). If you know what S/N is, you know that a strong signal likely also means strong noise.) and they should send someone out to look at it and fix it (replace the drop.) I've never worked for Comcast and I do not have TV so I do not know how ambiguous/combative their customer support is...though from yalls comments it sounds, uh, not good.
Most of the drops in MPLS and STPL are ariel drops since the homes all predate cable TV and Rogers, Paragon, TWC, Comcast wasn't/isn't going to pay to tear up the street and install underground mainlines and feeders. If you live in, say, EP, you'll have a nice underground drop, but, you know, you live in EP.
I used to be a level 3 tech and operations manager at TWC which is why I have all this, now, useless information.
»» Submitted by David Foureyes at 12:03 PM on May 8
@David:
Is quantizing the weird pixel scrambling thing that occurs?
So, they might be able to fix this problem by looking at the box that is attached to the TV or an external cable box?
Anyway, thanks for your information. I think I understood the rest of it and found it quite helpful.
On an unrelated note, do you live in North Minneapolis? I thought you mentioned that a while back. There's a N. Mpls MNSpeak gathering next week.
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 12:24 PM on May 8
@Mpls Simpleton
I might take you up on that offer. I need to check with Mother Bixby about switching.
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 12:29 PM on May 8
Actually, Simpleton can you shoot me an email. I looked at the Everything Pak on Dish TV and it looks like a really great deal.
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 12:32 PM on May 8
Bixby - Quantizing looks like the picture turning into a bunch of scrambled boxes, so I believe that is what you are seeing. If a tech comes out, they will take a signal reading from the line going to the converter (you can actually see this yourself with the diag screen on the box, but it won't mean anything since I don't know what spec is anymore. Here are directions though: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/11880 ) this will tell them if you have a bad splitter, line, drop, or something else. If they aren't lazy, they will not leave until the signal is clean and strong to the box.
Since you live on the northside, it should be easy for them since the trucks leave from the office on Plymouth and Lyndale.
I'm a Nordeaster, but the more people we talk to, the more we look in your neck of the woods for a new place.
»» Submitted by David Foureyes at 12:42 PM on May 8
Brandi, Shot you an email to your gmail account that was listed on your Blog.
If anyone else is interested let me know. I get $50 off for a referral and you get free activation and a credit on your first bill.
»» Submitted by Mpls Simpleton at 12:46 PM on May 8
I had to call Comcast to come out to our house 4 times in 6 months after we moved here last June. The last time they came out, they climbed the pole and said that it looked like squirrels had been chewing on the lines. He ran a new line to the house and in March they buried it in my backyard. Haven't had a problem since. Didn't cost us anything either. They did a good job burying it also. I can't tell where the dug anything up.
»» Submitted by »»» kndrik at 12:56 PM on May 8
We've had this problem too.
Comcast customer service is god-awful. I was so much happier with DirecTV at my last home. If I had a south-facing apartment, I would get the dish again so fast!
It's cheaper, and you get more. Aside from the occasional (once in a blue moon) storm-related outage, it was faboo.
»» Submitted by »»» nayana at 2:03 PM on May 8
Squirrels. Seriously - they chewed the cable where it ran along the eaves.
Squirrels chewed threw a bunch of wires in my car one time. Cost $300+ to fix.
»» Submitted by kevin at 2:10 PM on May 8
We had been noticing a lot of freezing and glitching of both video and sound, but other than complaining, had not done much about it. Then our internets went out completely. So we called comcast.
Took a few days but they got a guy there and he said the cable coming into the house was fried. He replaced it and we haven't had a problem since.
Overall, I have to say it was pretty good service.
»» Submitted by Blipster at 2:28 PM on May 8
We've had really great service from Comcast too. I recommend calling the local 651 number instead of the 1-800-COMCAST number. I've always had really pleasant service, and quick response.
To be fair, there are notes in the accounts of anyone in town that works for the media, so your results may vary from the rest of us.
It's in all caps at the top of the customer notes and will say something like "***LOCAL MEDIA***" etc.
»» Submitted by David Foureyes at 4:05 PM on May 8
@David
Interesting...
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 7:08 PM on May 8
We've had Dish Network for quite a few years, but had DirecTv for a few as well. Dish Network has better equipment and better channel selection. We have not had much of an issue with signal strength, but when it really pours, the picture can get pixilated.
»» Submitted by »»» yoder at 7:26 PM on May 8
Ever since my parents had Paragon, then Time Warner, and now Comcast, their local channels have come in like pure azz, but the digital just fine. I think KARE11 may have been the only non-fuzzfest.
We house sat for them two months ago and noticed immediately that the digital channels, whose signals were pretty damned good under TWC, were really weak. It's almost like they are compressing too much, or perhaps too many channels into the bandwidth they have. It's quite frustrating, actually. If these signal problems happened during Weeds or Big Love, I'd have to turn the coaxial cable into a whip and get violent.
»» Submitted by »»» acalhoun at 11:46 PM on May 8
I live in St. Paul in Mac Groveland and I'm experiencing this exact issue. It used to do it when it was about -10 outside, but lately it can be at anytime.
I recorded a show the other night and couldn't watch it because when the screen pixelates on recorded content the sound drops for about 20 seconds. When it keeps doing it, it becomes difficult to put up with.
»» Submitted by macgroveland at 7:05 AM on May 9
Judd Zulgad answers my question today...
" Comcast spokesman Dave Nyberg said a problem with a video router was the reason the cable company missed showing FSN North's coverage of the first inning of the Twins' 13-1 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday. The glitch happened after a 1-hour, 44-minute rain delay and meant viewers ended up seeing an NBA playoff game on the channel that should have been showing Carlos Gomez hitting a leadoff home run. The Twins center fielder went on to hit for the cycle. The problem was fixed after the first inning but occurred again for about 30 seconds in the sixth.
"Repairs were made [Thursday] so the situation should be taken care of," Nyberg said.
»» Submitted by Kevin from Minneapolis at 9:53 AM on May 9
So, same issues here in S. Mpls... "tiling" on cable shows, especially HD channels...this is in my recently re-modeled basement where I had two (count 'em, 2) techs come out and run NEW wire all the way back to the pole...
STILL SUCKS. COMCAST DOES NOT HAVE CAPACITY FOR THE SIGNALS THEY ARE SENDING.
And yes, it has gotten MUCH worse in the past month.
Trick I've learned from their techs on the phone: unplug the box, plug it back in. WAIT...and WAIT, until it says "boot" WAIT some more, until the time comes back on the box, then...turn the box on, and you're golden. Problem solved.
Until...the lines get overwhelmed again, in about a week...then, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.
But it does work.
»» Submitted by mnphil at 9:19 PM on May 9
I was at the YWCA againt tonight trying to watch the Twins but FSN kept blocking out to the point that it lost the signal completely every couple of minutes. It was the only channel this was happening to of the five televisions. Tuesday I thought it was the weather, but tonight that excuse is gone. Dish Network is NOT making a good impression with it's apparent inability to delivery the one channel I demand more than any other.
»» Submitted by kevin at 9:27 PM on May 9
I have experienced freezing and jumpy video with digital cable as well. The dvr is very slow and choppy so I just called to cancel last nite.
Comcrap has horrible service and all they do is raise their prices.
»» Submitted by »»» walleyed at 1:37 PM on May 10
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