[kwlug-disc] OT:Cable Splitters/Rogers

[unsolicited]

New standard, like said, thicker, more insulation. I first remember 
seeing it when satellite service started coming out.

What's doing the tuning on this channel, your TV itself or a tuning box 
in between the TV and the wall?

If it were cable, it wouldn't only be one channel. Can't be 
interference, it's direct wired. [i.e. Cordless phone / 2.4GHz. Reverse 
'might' not be true.] (Nothing else going in to TV? Antenna? Else, pull 
those cables long enough to test? JIC.)

If analog, how could any of this cause/effect pixelation? (Except poor 
signal in the first place.) (Pixelation, digitally, is a lack of 
bandwidth / glitch in data in incoming packets - doesn't apply for 
analog - unless Rogers has some box within its system to feed / convert 
analog distribution system off digital channels - in which case it's not 
just you affected, it would be every analog customer. And, also, means 
nothing you can do about it within your own premises. i.e. it's not 
internal cable wiring. Could be wrong splitter, but if they put it in / 
your internet is working, that's not it. Newer [some years back] 
splitters go up 1,000 mHz(?) and are bidirectional - which is what lets 
internet work.)

Would also be interesting to know if it's better/worse particular times 
of day. Rogers plays funny with streams / bandwidth. e.g. HD taking more 
bandwidth than SD, which although might not affect you personally, 
probably affects some channel feeds as they dynamically try to load 
balance throughout their system. (Per Natural Sound, Victoria.)

As someone said, what the heck, call Rogers on it. (Analog) Service 
should be free, and they'll run the new cable for you.

I long had problems with 29, Much Music (loss not much impact given 
hearing loss!), but that's been poor signal, not pixelation. Strangely, 
this recently went away and the other analog channels started coming in. 
I expect Rogers accidentally or intentionally removed a filter from my line.

In the mean time, alternately for you, I gave up on the weather channel, 
their web pages being so much more efficient for a report at that 
moment, rather than waiting for their cycle to come around again. In 
particular:

http://past.theweathernetwork.com/hourlyfx/caon0356/hourlygraph/1

http://past.theweathernetwork.com/fourteenday/caon0356

Inevitably they get left up in the browser on a tab. Whenever I care to 
know, I just hit refresh.

Better than the 'new' ('improved' - NOT!) web pages - which have a 
stupid auto-refresh built in to them. [One goes to the page when needed 
- refreshing every 10 minutes is just pointless - I'm not there any more 
looking at it!]


On 14-06-09 10:55 AM, Paul Gallaway wrote:
> To test if it's the splitter, remove it, and use a female-to-female
> F-connector adapter to connect your TV directly to your cable line in.
> If it's the splitter, the picture should be improved. If it's
> something else it shouldn't change anything. Something else could be
> your cable to your TV or any cable run upstream from there per Khalid.
>
> On Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 9:34 AM, Khalid Baheyeldin <kb at 2bits.com> wrote:
>> You can get cheap cables at Sayal in Cambridge. A 3 ft cable is $3.49. Home
>> Depot has reasonable prices for the short ones ($4.99 for 3 ft) if that is a
>> closer drive for you. Avoid Best Buy and The Source. They are double the
>> price.
>
> Canada Computers isn't terrible for cables either if they are closer
> than Sayal. I don't get out of Waterloo enough ;) If you're updating
> cables you want to get the RG6 type coax, not the RG59 type. Memory is
> drawing a blank on the "why."

On 14-06-09 08:45 AM, chaslinux at gmail.com wrote:
 > Not a Linux question but since there are so many with a solid
 > knowledge of cable tech I thought I'd ask a couple of questions
 > around cable TV.
 >
 > From the source feed we have a 3 way splitter (it's possible it could
 > have been the one the Rogers tech put in when we had their bundle
 > TV/Internet/Phone). We only have TV now and I've noticed terrible
 > pixelation on channel 16, the weather network. What are the chances
 > it's the splitter? The source cable is too short to reach the TV 2
 > feet in front (it barely comes out of the wall).
 >
 > I moved our cordless phone away but that didn't seem to help. (Read
 > on forums that it could be part of the problem, but seems weird since
 > it's shielded cable isn't it?)
 >
 > Thinking my wife isn't too happy with the TV service anyway so we'll
 > probably end up moving off it, but interested in why 1 channel would
 > be pixelated while others are fine. Blog:
 > http://www.charlesmccolm.com/ Sent from my cell phone.