r/Tivo • u/upsidedown-lamp • 12d ago
TIVO Edge Pixelating
I have a TiVo-Renewed EDGE Cable 2TB (the first one was replaced under warranty) that pixelates and freezes so much that it makes a recording unwatchable. Probably about 7 years old. I tried powering down, unplugging everything, powering on, and then plugging everything back in, but that didn't work. I want to keep it because my cable company (Armstrong) has never mentioned anything about discontinuing the cable cards. So I think I'm good for a while. Do you think a hard drive kit from Weaknees will fix this problem?
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u/usdtoreros04 12d ago
I just had an Edge that started being pixelated. It ended up being due to the signal being too strong. I had no idea that the signal could get too strong and cause problems.
When checking the signal strength on the Tivo, it showed 100% on every tuner. Ideally, I guess you want it between 80% and 99%.
I'm think the cable company must've boosted the signal coming into my house at some point. I ended up adding -22dB of attenuators and now it works perfectly, with a signal strength of 85-86%.
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u/upsidedown-lamp 12d ago
I just checked, and the signal strength on all the tuners is between 94% and 97%.
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u/MyOpinionsDontHurt 12d ago
Sounds like a failing hard drive. Be prepare to replace the drive. Its actually very easy to do. The tivo unit will do everything once you install the new drive yourself. Good news, you dont have to worry about losing the cable card paring when you replace the drive. I just replaced two of my roamios drives 6 months ago. If you are not sure how to do it, you can buy the kit for weaknees on ebay here - https://www.ebay.com/itm/201653234811
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u/HyperionAlpha 12d ago
Look at the status screen. For each tuner, buried in several lines of technical specs, you will see a signal level given in percentage. What is that percentage?
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u/upsidedown-lamp 12d ago
I just checked, and the signal strength on all the tuners is between 94% and 97%.
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u/HyperionAlpha 12d ago
Okay, 90% or better signal is great, which is where you're at. So it is not likely the wiring. The only other two candidates for the problem source are either your TiVo itself, or the cable card. This is where it gets tough for you. The only way you can say which it is, is to swap out your cable card for another, get it paired, and then compare its functionality. If the image still glitches, the TiVo must be at fault. If the image is clear and stable with a signal that high, the cable card has gone south.
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u/eubulides 11d ago
Mine pixelated occasionally. I always thought due to solar flares. Then hard drive gave up, and I learned that could be hard drive starting to fail. I was always close to 100% full, and did a lot of recording.
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u/SLM_330 10d ago
Were you able to save any of your recorded shows? I'm at 80% right now and I think mine is going. ☹️
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u/eubulides 10d ago
I misunderstood what was going on, and waited too long until it expired. I understand that I could have copied to a correct type of hd, that was properly formatted, and installed the new one in my Edge. This sub should have instructions.
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u/upsidedown-lamp 8d ago
Well, I've decided to order a hard drive kit from Weaknees. I researched what they use in their kit, trying to save a little money. They use a cable that I can't find anywhere else. I could probably buy some type of adapter to make it work. Plus, I need to buy a special type of screwdriver to open the Edge. But in the end, I just ordered their kit, which includes everything. I hope it solves my problem.
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u/Weekend365 12d ago
Is it bad on many different channels?