TMN-HD troubles

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skeeter080

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Is anyone else having problems with this channel? It keeps either dropping audio, screen goes black or both. This happens with live and recorded programs sometimes once every couple hours, but most recent episode of Rome several times per minute, making the show unwatchable. I figured I'm better off asking here than customer service. Thanks.

Peter
 
PHEW. Just saw this thread. I thought I was the only one :( and figured it may be a bad drive on my PVR or something because happened 2 weeks in a row with recorded Rome and Sopranos. All other programs are OK though. Thanks to those who contacted TMN and BEV.:)
 
If you're using an HDMI cable, try component video to see if the problem goes away. This option was discussed in the other thread where you posted about another issue.
 
diogen, BEV do (obviously) change the format of most channels, however, some channels provide what BEV requests directly. For example Global provide 720P to BEV and 1080i to Rogers. TMN-HD MAY do the same, since I understand they have a separate encoder for BEV.

I don't believe that other broadcasters do this, so BEV must be (for the ones they are changing to 720P from 1080i)
 
Well, I don't know if the resolutions (720P, 1080i etc) are the cause of these problems , but I just got off the phone with TMN ( Astral Media in Toronto), and they are 100% sure it is a BEV problem. It is not an HBO or TMN issue.
BEV is VERY aware of the problem , and according to Michael at Astral Media the issue should have been resolved by yesterday night.
They are puting pressure on BEV as far as what he told me.

Cheers

Paul
 
Skeeter080, don't worry, you are not the only one that experienced this. If your comment regarding "....recent episode of Rome several times per minute...", it happened to me too but I only counted (4 times) that it occurred on my set.
The screen would go black for a split second , picture would come back but with no sound than 2-4 seconds later the sound would come back.
As for 57's comment regarding HDMI, I don't think its the problem. I am hooked up via component cables to the back of my TV & optical to my receiver.

P.S. I will call TMN to find out if this was their fault or if it was BEV, I assume no one from any other cable/Sat company reported this, if this is the case than it may be a BEV issue.

Hope this helps
Paul
 
For most Canadian channels BEV receives the channel data on fiber in SDI format which is the pure data stream @ approximately 270Meg for SD and about 1.5Gig per HD channel. This data is then encoded in MPEG2 format at the head end and then sent to the satellite extremely compressed (between 12-14 Meg for HD). That's the only way BEV can fit all the channels on the transponders. The encoder is where the problem must be as that's where the video signal is being changed. It's an astounding accomplishment since approximately 99% of the original data is discarded in the MPEG2 conversion. With MPEG4 almost here the compression will be even greater and hopefully the video signal will still look good.

John;)
 
It was likely not a TMN-HD issue. I've been watching Rome (recorded Monday around 12:30AM each week), without problems.
 
My 6100 keeps doing that on TMNHD, but as i turned on my 6100 today, theres a new update! so lets see what gets broken this time lol..
 
I hope they fix the problem because it is a real nuisance. Rome was terrible for me last week. I PVR'd this week for my GF and I to watch this weekend...so my fingers r crossed.
 
Yeah it keeps doing that to me as well. I switched to component and going to see if it helps. Even if it doesn't the picture looks nicer to me than HDMI. Don't know why.
 
Depends on how the input is calibrated.



http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=17873

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=17713
 
Are you saying the D5 masters (or equivalents) are sent to BEV? I have a hard time to believe this.
I don't think the provider (e.g. TMN or MC) has them.
What is "head end"?
Is this a BEV department?
Is there a difference between handling real time footage (e.g. news, sporting events) and not (e.g. movies)?

Diogen.
 
This issue may be isolated to ExpressVu. I experienced problems with Rome and The Sopranos on TMN-HD Sunday evening. This happened once before with HBO shows. I don't know what the problem was last time but it was fixed within a few days of calling. I just put in a call to TMN so, hopefully, it can be fixed.
 
Diogen,

You may not believe me but there is a reason why the BEV head end (where all the channels are received and retransmitted to the satellite) is in Toronto. All the CANADIAN content providers that have offices in Toronto and Montreal have direct fiber feeds to BEV in SDI format. This is alot of bandwidth and BEV is trying to change this but that is the way it is for now. So when you see CBC-HD Hockey Night in Canada for example, this is the feed that BEV gets and encodes into MPEG2 format. By the way CBC head office is in downtown Toronto. So to answer your question, yes BEV gets the raw SDI feed. BEV does the encoding. That is why this TMN issue is BEV's and not the source.

John
 
Thanks for the replies.
I'm using component cables.
TMN seems to be the only channel doing this so I would think it would be them rather than BEV. I finished watching the episode of Rome today, and I would say that it must have happened around 10 times. Sound drops out, screen goes black, picture comes back then sound. Probably around 5-10 seconds each time. I guess we'll see how the new episode is tonight. Thanks again for the help.

Peter
 
Recordings I've seen show that both BEV TMN channels are back to 1280x720/60p at least since the weekend of Feb. 10.
I got the impression that more programs have AC3 5.1 now.

Diogen.
 
Thanks, John.

I have no knowledge about the infrastructure and workflow between the providers and BEV, I really appreciate your informative post.
What I was doubting is the movies being sent to BEV in 270Mbps (D5 bandwidth) - since this is the highest prized posession the copyright holder has.

Thanks again.

Diogen.
 
EV encodes all signals with QPSK and compresses the signal with MPEG2 for satellite transmission. It has nothing to do with the signal resolution. Problems can occur in the encoding and decoding process due to hardware limitations/failures or defects in the original signal.

WRT PBS, HDNET, etc. Broadcasters will sometimes alter signal resolution for transmission, either OTA or to a BDU. EV is required to pass on signals, without alteration in signal quality or resolution. What the broadcaster does before EV receives it is up to them.
 
We have discussed this before. Although a couple of channels may modify the signal BEFORE it gets to BEV, not all of the channels which BEV changes to 720P are so modified by the broadcaster, rather BEV does so. Also, some of the bitrates are reduced, as discussed in another thread on the BEV formats/bitrates.

Also, remember that *C changes all the 720P channels to 1080i, so this "requirement" must be waived (or deemed acceptable) for satellite providers in Canada.
 
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