Actiontec MoCa and coax filter problems

[SJMaye]

Hello,

I purchased the Actiontec MoCa adapters (HME2200-02K) and they work great.  I installed the coax filter from ChannelMaster (PCTLPF1002) to isolate my network from the cable company and outside world.  Since installing the filter I noticed glitches in the TV picture.  Notable pixelation.  I thought it was my imagination.  This morning I took the filter off and the picture seems fine again. 

 

Any thoughts?

[babgvant]

Every channel or just specific ones?

Your MoCA adapter should support creating custom encryption keys. Why not use an insanely complex key and skip the filter?

[phoneguyinpgh]

I do not use those coax adapters, but I do use that filter you are refering to and do notice the occassional hit or drop out too.  I no longer have VZ’s router connected to my coax so I will remove the filter when I get home and see if I have a change in performance.

[Aaron Ledger]

The filter is a great idea. There’s no need to pass frequncies over 1 GHz into or out of the home and pollute the spectrum at which MoCA will operate. SJMaye’s units also do not support encryption from what I recall.

I am surprised though with the result. Can you explain how the filter is connected in your coax network? Also, for a channel that you are experiencing an issue with, can you monitor the signal level and signal-to-noise both with and without the filter applied to see if you can notice the difference in that reagrd? What frequncy (or frequency range) is the channel you are seeing troubles with? Are you sure that the filter is the cause? Was the issue happening so frequently that you can tell with certainty that removing the filter immediately solved the issue or could it be intermittent such that you may need to wait some amount of time to determine the effect?

[SJMaye]

I took the filter off and thought I saw an immediate difference.  Later that day I am not so sure.  I am putting it back on and monitoring.

It could very well not be the filter.  I have been struggling with my MC since moving to Time Warner Cable.

 

[SJMaye]

[quote=Aaron Ledger]

Can you explain how the filter is connected in your coax network? [/quote]

The incoming cable line goes to a splitter.  I installed the filter between the cable and the splitter.  FWIW this is the main line in which also contains my internet service. 

[quote=Aaron Ledger] Also, for a channel that you are experiencing an issue with, can you monitor the signal level and signal-to-noise both with and without the filter applied to see if you can notice the difference in that reagrd? What frequncy (or frequency range) is the channel you are seeing troubles with? [/quote]

I have not narrowed that down.  If I do experience the pixellation or dropouts what is the easiest way to monitor signal level and signal to noise?  I will try to get the information.

[quote=Aaron Ledger]Are you sure that the filter is the cause? Was the issue happening so frequently that you can tell with certainty that removing the filter immediately solved the issue or could it be intermittent such that you may need to wait some amount of time to determine the effect?[/quote] I am not sure.  I think I am seeing a mixture of problems related to the cable signal and my video driver.

Speaking of video drivers.  I am running an AMD HD5670 video card.  I also recently updated the driver.  I do see something routinely that I once traced to an adjustment in CCC.  While watching the news they have a ticker strip scrolling at the bottom.  I am getting periodic glitches in that strip.  I once was playing witht the CCC adjust something like “enforce smooth playback”.  When unchecked I got the glitches.  When checked I did not.  That adjustment is currently checked, but I am still getting the glitches.

I am sorry to bother you guys with all this, but my MC just has not been right since I moved here.  Is there a step by step troubleshooting guide for the Ceton card?  It might help me identify the problem.

 

[Aaron Ledger]

Don’t worry, it’s not a bother. That sounds like the right place to install the filter. Have you noticed the glitching only since you installed MoCA or was it happening before then? Has your cable modem service been okay?

To monitor your frequency, signal level and signal-to-noise you can take a look at it through the Tuner status web page or using the Ceton diagnostic tool which installs a section in WMC to monitor the information. You’ll need to refresh the page to watch it over time. You’ll want to make sure the signal level is no worse than -15dBmV. If the signal-to-noise is not at least in the thirties, there will likely be glitching.

Here’s an example of the web page which can be easily accessed by opening Windows Explorer, Click on “Network” in the left pane and then under “Media Devices”, right-click on the InfiniTV of interest and select “View device webpage”:

Your description of the video card issues does seem like a possible culprit. Maybe you can try completely uninstalling the driver and then reinstalling it. It would be best to keep ESVP checked.  Verify your card is not scaling the video to some resolution other than your display native resolution.

[SJMaye]

This morning I completely uninstalled and reinstalled my video driver and CCC.   Appears to be a bit different, but still had a few spells where the picture went black, but still had audio.  I will continue to monitor the cable card as you have described. 

[phoneguyinpgh]

I removed my filter friday night and watched all weekend with out it.  I still had a few hits which I am more apt to atribute to VZ’s network.  I did not note the signal level or s/n ratio but I can if that would be helpfull?

[Aaron Ledger]

If the picture goes completely black but still has audio then this is most likely something to do with the broadcast itself or the video card/driver or connection to the display. Typically, errors at the RF level or in the transport stream chain would never manifest in this fashion.

RF signal statistics are always useful to determine the state of the line and at least try to rule out anything that could obviously be happening. Of course, sometimes things do happen which are not so obvious which can make problems difficult to trace down.

[SJMaye]

I had read elsewhere that when your picture goes black, but still have audio it is an indication of an HDCP issue.  Is there a way to test this?  My video card has only HDMI (I am using) and DVI.  Would the DVI port be of any help to test this theory? 

[SJMaye]

Another question- Here on time warner they using tuning adapters. How can I tell what channels I will lose I do not use the tuning adapter? Just want to see if it makes a difference.

BTW- Tried their tech support line with that question. They could not answer it.

[Aaron Ledger]

HDCP can be one cause. If you would like to try some things, it would be worth swapping out your HDMI cable. In some cases, a longer cable such as 10-15′ might actually help. If you are connecting through an AVR, you could bypass it for a bit to see if connecting directly to the display alleviates the issue.

TWC typically has everything but the local affiliates using tuning adapters so I am afraid you may be out of luck trying to shed the TA. For the black screen with audio, the TA will not hurt/help the issue. The TA is only involved in actions involving tuning.

[SJMaye]

Update-  I got a couple replies back from Ceton support.  They sent me a couple hotfixes and a new image for my Ceton card.  So far it appears to look good.   I will continue monitoring.  According to them just switching cable companies can make a huge difference in performance.  Almost like starting over. 

From Ceton:

“You have moved from one Cable provider to another and that changes everything from signal quality to strength. The video compression of the content also has changed which may be better or not as good as previous provider. Also you moved into an SDV market which adds a layer of complexity. “

From the beginning with TWC I had issues.  Playback going to blackscreen with audio midstream of watching a show.  Getting error messages (also midstream) indicating I must have a subscription for the channel when I do.  They come and go.   Just strange.  Just wonder if the pixelation and other reception issues could be confusing HDCP or the cable card.  I know.  A weird thought.

[Author]

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