BlueSky TV Stutters

[savagek99]

I have 4 TV's in my home on BlueSky. I have had this setup since the inception of BlueSky - a couple of years maybe...

Things have been fine until about 3 weeks ago. Suddenly, when one of the satellite TV's is on, the main TV in the media room experiences a stutter every 10 seconds or so. When the TV in the satellite room (bedroom etc) is paused...the stuttering on the main TV goes away. And the strange thing...the satellite TV's do not have the same problem!

I have had two techs come to the house. The first one experienced the issue and replaced the main box. The second tech did not see the issue (at 3pm in the afternoon I could not replicate it) and he tightened loose connections outside and replaced a filter. It seemed to be fixed, but as it turned out, the issue started up later in the evening.

I usually watch TV in the evenings or on the weekends (when most people do). That is when I have the issue. Could the problem be that too many people are watching TV in my neighbourhood? I think this issue started about the time Shaw upgraded my Internet service...

Anyways, has anyone else had this problem? I have noticed it when watching YouTube as well on the BlueSky app.

It is very frustrating, and for the first time in 20+ years, I am considering a switch to Telus.

[rstra]

I am sure that the Shaw support folks will take a closer look, but it seems like a bad connector or splitter somewhere. 

[savagek99]

Shaw has been very responsive in trying to figure it out, they just can't find the problem. I agree with you though, it is a bad connection...my guess it is on the backbone side of things...at the road maybe or junction box...?

[rstra]

With a MOCA Mesh network, a bad connector or splitter anywhere within the network can affect any  box. It could be a connector outside the network at the tap or elsewhere, and it is a best practice to replace them, but I think it is internal. Try disconnecting two of the portals and just try running one portal with the PVR and see what happens. 

[shaw-tony]

Hey savagek99,

I appreciate your long-standing business with us and time in reaching out! Based on what you are saying, it seems to be a signal related issue with the internal connections (MoCa) between the equipment. rstra's idea is great for testing purposes, give that a try to see how it goes. Our technicians can certainly replace any connections to ensure the signal is correct in your home. Keep me posted!

Cheers,

Tony | Community Mod.

[savagek99]

Had a long service call yesterday. We learned a couple of things - but no solution yet.

1. The stuttering is not pixelation. It looks like a "glitch" in the picture.

2. The stuttering is from something internal. For instance a recorded episode will stutter with the other portals on, but the same content will not stutter when the portals are turned off.

3. When the main box is moved to another room, the new tv stutters the same as it did in the media room.

4. I have moved a satellite portal to the media room. It has fixed the stuttering in that room, except that I can only watch the TV on 720p setting. If I change it to 1080p, the picture pixelates. This is a disappointment and seems to indicate that although the readings from the technicians gear show acceptable numbers, there is not enough to power the TV at full resolution.  

5. They also tested the connections at the road. They came back fine.

6. Our best working theory is that one of the boxes is echoing back information (noise) on the network, causing blips in the picture on the main unit. 

The Shaw technician was very helpful as we tried a variety of solutions. None worked. He has never seen something like this before. The plan is for him to come back with a colleague and run further tests. 

When we find a solutions (if we find one) I will update.

[rstra]

Are you aware of any splitters in any lines in the house?

[savagek99]

Yes. We had one...got rid of it to help with the troubleshooting while the tech was here from Shaw. Made no difference. 

[dman0007]

I am having a similar issue. Are you still having this issue? The issue is

If I stream Netflix from the "satellite" bluesky box, the main box when I'm watching TV such as a hockey game, I notice the delay/stutter which is very annoying. As soon as Netflix is not streaming off a "satellite" box the stutter stops. If I'm streaming Netflix off one "satellite" box and watching a show / hockey off of the other "satellite" box I don't see the stutter but continue to see the "stutter" on the main box. Really strange, I've already restarted all the boxes, reseated the coax etc but none of that work.

[savagek99]

Hi dman0007 - Yes, I am still having the same issue. Additionally, I have learned that the satellite boxes can only be set to 720p or they will also stutter constantly. This is certainly a bandwidth issue - even though I have been assured that there is plenty of bandwidth. I am very frustrated with this technology.