Mentor

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24 Messages

Monday, January 15th, 2018 4:00 PM

TV interrupted because of channel change?

I have been having issues with my Uverse TV service. I have 1 DVR(coax connected) and 3 set top boxes(1 coax - 2 wifi) connected to the system. At times any tv will get interrupted says all serves are being used, to press OK to interrupt a tv or select a recording. However, at the time of this happening, we've had as few as 2 tvs on, or as many as 4 tvs(3 HD, 1 SD) on. In either situation, no recordings are happening and all 4 tvs on. My configuration is 1SD/3HD.
I recently had a tech come out and he changed my HPNA(modem), DVR, 2 set top boxes out. One set top that was wired was changed to a wifi box, the other was wired but a newer manufacture date.

The issue however, happened before and after the tech made the changes in boxes. The only instance this happens (I can figure out) is when a channel is being changed and the system will just pick any tv to interrupt. At times it could be the DVR that gets interrupted, or either of the set top boxes(whether wired or wifi). I figured channel changing is the reason for this because the minute one set top channel was changed, I questioned the person watching that set top, the minute the DVR got the interruption message.

ACE - Professor

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8.2K Messages

7 years ago

Does the error message say something about jumping to live TV?

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*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

7 years ago

@baseballisback

Different. You can cause the message to show if your service supports 4 simultaneous streams as a typical scenario.  Have 3 shows recording simultaneously, watch a different show on the main DVR box, then go to the second set-top box and try to watch a different channel from the others.

Most of the time it happens is when 1 or 2 shows are recording, both TV's are already in use, and another show starts recording and because of overlaps in the recordings, trips the 4 stream  limit and blocks viewing on one of the TVs.  What I described AT&T would say is working as designed. What the OP states appears to be caused by a different scenario triggered by changing channels, but the resulting interruption message is the same. 

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*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Mentor

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24 Messages

7 years ago

@baseballisback No, it just says that it was interrupted because of too many Tvs watching

 

Mentor

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24 Messages

7 years ago

@gr8sho
Where exactly is that located? I can't seem to find that. Nothing in my diagnostics looks like that.


 


 

Expert

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3.6K Messages

7 years ago

Look in the broadband status section. If you are having a bandwidth problem I would think that the profile shown above would reflect that.  But what the heck.  Never hurts to see what the gateway thinks it's got.  Error rates too.

Mentor

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24 Messages

7 years ago

Nothing in my web interface looks like that.
But see if you can see something here.

 

DSL Line (Wire Pair) : Line 1 (inner pair)Type Down Up

User Rate25311 kbs2036 kbs
Max User Rate36503 kbs2036 kbs
Noise Margin12.4 dB0.0 dB
Attenuation24.3 dB0.0 dB
Output Power12.8 dBm7.9 dBm
ProtocolG.993.2_8d 
ChannelInterleaved 
DSLAM Vendor InformationCountry {65461} Vendor {CXSY} Specific {852 }
Rate Cap36115 kbs 
Attenuation at 300kHz14.2 dB 
Required Impulse Noise Protection3 
VCXO Frequency Offset-28.1 ppmOk
Excessive Impulse Noise0Ok

Traffic Statistics

IP TrafficType Bytes Packets Errors %

Transmit7199100792242411500
Receive2525730344302892821350

DSL Link Errors

Collected for 7Days8:58:58

DSLType Since Current Current Time Since

PeriodReset24-hr int.15-min int.Last Event
Link Retrains0000:00:00
DSL Training Errors0000:00:00
Training Timeouts0000:00:00
Loss of Framing Failures0000:00:00
Loss of Signal Failures0000:00:00
Loss of Power Failures0000:00:00
Loss of Margin Failures0000:00:00
Cu Seconds w/Errors41303:03:28
Cu Sec. w/Severe Errors0000:00:00
Corrected Blocks215866231324020:06:59
Uncorrectable Blocks64403:03:28
DSL Unavailable Seconds28007Days8:58:30

ACE - Professor

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8.2K Messages

7 years ago

Here's a possible situation:

Record ABC

Record ESPN

Record HBO

Watch Showtime

 

If I go to another TV, I can:

Watch any of the above-named channels

OR

Watch something previously recorded.

 

If I try to watch another live channel on amy TV..all streams in use, select a stream to interrupt. My only options are the two as above.

 

My WAN: 4 HD / 0 SD

My Ingress: 4 HD / 0 SD

My Egress: 3 HD / 0 SD

 

WAN: Stream count into the whole house.

Ingress: Stream count into the DVR.

Egress: Stream count OUT of the DVR to other TVs (aka: "Watch recorded TV on other TVs.)

 

 

I have to be very careful the ultra-sensitive remote turns off the AT&T box. Sometimes, especially if I move the remote while turning the TV off, the U-Verse box can stay on. I have to check the power light on the front of the AT&T box to make sure it goes off.

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*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

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24 Messages

7 years ago

I sure wish that was my issues. That would be easy to recognize when it happens.
Still doesn't explain why 1 TV is on, all other boxes are confirmed off, with no recordings happening, and that tv that is on gets interrupted...
Or with 2 tvs on.
I did post on FB and someone was supposed to contact me, but haven't heard anything yet. I guess 1 person having this unexplained issue is not high priority. As with my internet, I was told 2 years ago, I would be getting fiber. Today I still have no fiber and pay almost the same as someone that gets 2x the speed I get.

Thanks for all the advice and help.

 

Guess it's time to start shopping.

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

7 years ago

@cdasmiller

Can you tell us what the make and model of your RG is, please?

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*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Mentor

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24 Messages

7 years ago

@gr8sho

If I'm not mistaken it is a Motorola Arris NVG589. I'll have to double check when I get home. I can't find it listed on my account via web access.

 

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

7 years ago

I would have expected the screens on that unit to be similar to the ones I pasted above, okay.  If ATT is telling you your line quality is within spec, the only thing left it seems is some internal wiring issue.  As an experiment, I would try to run the two HPNA connected TVs on Ethernet  and see if the screen interrupt still happens.  You have quite a mystery on your hands.  24Mbps service should be more than enough for what you're trying to do.

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*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Mentor

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24 Messages

7 years ago

To run on ethernet, I'd have to run new cat 5/6 wires to any of the settop boxes I have. I have a ethernet connection I could use for the DVR, but that is on a switch, for AVR and Google Chrome.

Mentor

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24 Messages

7 years ago

@gr8sho I was wrong. The one I have is a Pace 5268AC FXN. But still.

 

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

7 years ago

My suggestion was only meant to be done as a test to see if the problem is reproducible using Ethernet vs HPNA.

About the switch.  At one point I ran my second STB through a switch in attic shared with computers. I did not appreciates at the time the unique requirements of IPTV. I now run the set-top box on its own dedicated Ethernet connection. The original setup was done by a Uverse tech. In addition, the RJ45 connectors for the cable used incorrect wiring. I wrote a whole separate thread about that debacle. I say debacle because the issue created was intermittent, and caused replacement of hardware which turned out to be unnecessary although I did end up getting wireless in the process.

These are just examples of problems i encountered over the years and how service can be affected by unintended mistakes. YMMV.

Award for Community Excellence Achiever*
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Mentor

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24 Messages

7 years ago

Thanks, all help, advice, testing ideas are appreciated.
I don't think it is hardware related because I had the issue with the older hardware. I have a chat with ATT support so I'll see what they say and try to report back once I hear from them.

 


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