I reside in Northern Berkshire county in Massachusetts which must rely on Time Warner for cable service. The issue is the picture quality is very unstable. The contrast, color depth, clareity, varies from day to day and hour to hour. My TV is new, but this happens on all tv's in my home. This is also a problem in many areas of the county. Friends of mine complain of the same issue. The cable rates are very high, and I would think Time Warner would want to deliver quality reception. Wake up Time Warner or you will loose customers to Satellite. Does anyone else have this problem?
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Time Warner Cable
- Thread starter brandy00
- Start date
I am in the process of searching for my own cable modem since TW wants to charge their customers an extra $4.00 a month for the use of their modems.
What burns my ass is that I've been a loyal subscriber to Time Warner since that company first came to Rochester in the 1980s. Yet I am paying outlandish prices for cable TV that features mostly crap networks that air repetitious movies or programs. However instead of rewarding customer loyalty, TW offers incentives to new customers on a regular basis.
Several of my friends have already switched to satellite and I've been checking around to see what else is out there.
What burns my ass is that I've been a loyal subscriber to Time Warner since that company first came to Rochester in the 1980s. Yet I am paying outlandish prices for cable TV that features mostly crap networks that air repetitious movies or programs. However instead of rewarding customer loyalty, TW offers incentives to new customers on a regular basis.
Several of my friends have already switched to satellite and I've been checking around to see what else is out there.
Mark_Giardina said:
If you call customer service, you can often get them to back down and give you the same deal as new customers. It sucks that you have to ask for it, but I make that call every 1-2 years as necessary. Basically, you just tell them you think your bill's getting a little too high and you want to know if they can do anything about it. Sometimes they will just offer you a deal right there.
If not, you may need to tell them you've already been looking at other options and you're prepared to switch if they can't give you a better deal. The rep may try to convince you of all the great services TW offers, like YNN and the like. Just be prepared for this and make it clear, you don't care about "extras" like YNN, you just want to save money. If the first person you talk to doesn't get you anywhere, ask to speak with a supervisor and repeat the process with that person.
brandy00 said:
Sounds like a problem with the cable signal. Do some more investigating with friends, neighbors, etc. who live in the same area. If everyone has this problem, maybe you should all send a "joint letter" to TW telling them of the problem... or organize a time where everyone shows up at the local TW office together, at the same time. (I think if everyone simply called, individual reps would just try to pacify each caller and assure them it's an isolated issue; by banding together, you can all show TW together that it's much bigger issue than just one household.)
However, if you talk to others and it does seem like you're the only one with this problem, you may need to call TW and ask them to send a tech to your house. Could be something wrong with the signal levels coming into your house from the pole. They may need to add amplifiers, or perhaps the signal is too hot and they need to filter it down.
If neither of these solutions work, I'd have a bunch of people record video of their TV pictures acting up, and have someone edit all the clips together and post the finished product on YouTube. Then share the link with local news media and such. Local TV stations that count on your area for ratings may be pretty interested in doing a story, if they can see TW's service is preventing you from watching said stations. Nothing like some media attention to light a candle under the feet of a big company like TW... you just need to make sure you document things well enough to show there is a real problem with the signal, and you haven't been able to get anywhere with TW on your own. Although media loves a good story, they also need to be fair. If you haven't done your due diligence in trying to solve the problem on your own first, they may not be so interested in the story.
When push comes to shove I really don’t have that major beef with Time Warner. With the exception of a few contract repair people that the company sent over to fix my cable or internet, or their customer service center located somewhere in India, Time Warner hasn’t been that bad of a company to deal with.
Yes my cable bill was lowered a bit after I complained about a year ago that the price I was paying was too high. So the company reduced my monthly bill by $20.00 a month.
What bothers me is the nickel and dime charges the company comes up with.
Fine they can have their modem back and I will save $4.00 a month, even though it will cost me $120.00 or even more to purchase my own modem. So what’s next: A surcharge on their DVR recorder?
Speaking of which when I was on the phone with one of the company’s representatives this person told me that TW has a similar recording system like Hopper where I could record more than two shows at once. But when I was transferred to yet another customer service rep, that person contradicted what the previous employee told me.
Yes my cable bill was lowered a bit after I complained about a year ago that the price I was paying was too high. So the company reduced my monthly bill by $20.00 a month.
What bothers me is the nickel and dime charges the company comes up with.
Fine they can have their modem back and I will save $4.00 a month, even though it will cost me $120.00 or even more to purchase my own modem. So what’s next: A surcharge on their DVR recorder?
Speaking of which when I was on the phone with one of the company’s representatives this person told me that TW has a similar recording system like Hopper where I could record more than two shows at once. But when I was transferred to yet another customer service rep, that person contradicted what the previous employee told me.
Mark, I've found at least one of the "approved" Motorola modems on eBay for as little as $25, so you can recoup your savings from the modem fee in a matter of just a few months. Message me offline and I'll shoot you the details.
To the original poster: there's nowhere near enough detail here to be able to really figure out what's going wrong for you. Are you watching HD signals? digital SD? analog SD? Through a set-top box? a DTA? built-in tuner in your set? Do these problems affect all channels, or just some of them? If you're using a set-top box or a DTA, how are you connecting it to your set? HDMI? component? composite? RF? Without some details, the question can't really be answered very well.
To the original poster: there's nowhere near enough detail here to be able to really figure out what's going wrong for you. Are you watching HD signals? digital SD? analog SD? Through a set-top box? a DTA? built-in tuner in your set? Do these problems affect all channels, or just some of them? If you're using a set-top box or a DTA, how are you connecting it to your set? HDMI? component? composite? RF? Without some details, the question can't really be answered very well.
Scott, My primary tv is a Samsung 46 inch LED 6000 series. This tv is only 3 months old and when I'm playing DVD's the picture is perfect. All the necessary HD components were installed at the factory. The problem is on all channels and on all tv's in my home. It is not as noticeable on the older tv's as the screens are only 20 inch. I have seen instances where the picture is extremely dull, and other times the picture is so bright that it's blinding. I have had TW tech. people here and they say the picture is normal. They are never here when the picture is bad. I don't want to go to satellite as we like the channels available on TW. We can get Boston channels which we prefer for news, and would not be able to receive with satellite.
brandy00 said:
I'm still not clear on exactly which TWC signals you're watching. Let me step through a few questions to help figure it out, if I might:
1. Is there a cable box involved here? If not, are you tuning analog channels on your TV's tuner? Or are you tuning QAM digital channels (usually these will have a dash or a dot in the middle, like "6.1")?
2. If there is a cable box, are you tuning to SD channels (one, two or three-digit channel numbers) or to the HD channels (in my TWC system, they start at 1000; in others they start at 700)?
3. If there is a cable box, how is it connected to the TV set? HDMI (single thick cable with a flat connection to the set)? Component? (red/green/blue video cables and red/white audio cables) Those are both passing true HD to the set. If you're using a composite connection (yellow video cable/red-white audio) or RF (round cable with a screw connection), you're not passing true HD to the set.
This all matters, a lot, and here's why: with a true digital HD connection (HD box, HDMI or component between the box and the set), you're getting pretty much exactly the bitstream the broadcaster is putting out, and there's not much the cable company can do along the way to screw that up. If you're watching analog (cable straight to the set, or cable box using composite video or RF), most newer sets like your Samsung or my Sony have a huge menu of digital processing options that are designed to make an analog picture look better...but can also very easily make that analog picture look much, much worse.
Without seeing your setup more closely, my guess is that some of those more aggressive signal-processing options are activated in your Samsung. If it's anything like my Sony, there are some menu options such as "automatic light sensor" and "reality correction" that can do just what you're describing with darker and brighter pictures, especially on noisier analog signals.
You might want to go over to AVSForum.com and find the owner's thread for your Samsung model. The odds are VERY good that someone there (or multiple someones) has posted their menu settings. Those are often good starting points from which you can tweak your setup further.
Are you watching in analog or do you have a cable box. Analog will not look very good on newer TVs, and with the end of analog cable near, I've noticed there isn't as much care with these channels anymore on our local Time Warner. What you describe sounds like poor quality analog channels.
If you have a cable box it should be an HD capable one, and you should be using an HDMI cable to connect it to your TV. Even if you don't have a cable box you should still be able to pick up your local channels in digital via clear QAM. Most newer TVs have QAM tuners. Make sure your TV is set to cable and scan for all channels. These QAM channels will be in digital so you shouldn't notice any degradation other than pixelation (which is rare in cable systems) due to the nature of digital signals.
If you have a cable box it should be an HD capable one, and you should be using an HDMI cable to connect it to your TV. Even if you don't have a cable box you should still be able to pick up your local channels in digital via clear QAM. Most newer TVs have QAM tuners. Make sure your TV is set to cable and scan for all channels. These QAM channels will be in digital so you shouldn't notice any degradation other than pixelation (which is rare in cable systems) due to the nature of digital signals.
Adding to what Scott and Spunker said, there are many people who don't realize that simply getting an HD television isn't enough to watch HD on cable.
You also need to have an HD cable box. I've been to many people's homes who spent a lot of money for HD televisions, only to see the same, crappy analog signals they had before, because they never bothered to exchange their analog cable box for an HD cable box. It amazes me when people think they're watching HD, when all they're really seeing is standard definition (analog) channels, being stretched out to fill the screen.
If your cable box only has outputs for the single "RF" cable or the RCA (yellow/red/white) cables, that's an analog box. You need to bring it back to Time Warner and tell them you want to exchange for an HD box. They should be able to do this for you immediately, and for free. My local office included the component (red/green/blue video, left/right audio) cables with the box. That's enough for HD. If you prefer to use an HDMI cable, don't buy in a store -- very big profit margin in stores... you can always find HDMI cables much cheaper online.
Just one note: if your cable box also has DVR, they will NOT be able to transfer your recordings, or your schedules, over to the new box. Make sure you watch anything you haven't watched yet, and write down all of your scheduled recordings. Once you turn in the old box, you'll lose the recordings and the schedule... you'll have to set up the recording schedule on the new box once you have it hooked up.
On the plus side, the HD-DVR boxes have much larger hard drives, so you'll be able to save a lot more stuff than you could with the analog DVR.
You also need to have an HD cable box. I've been to many people's homes who spent a lot of money for HD televisions, only to see the same, crappy analog signals they had before, because they never bothered to exchange their analog cable box for an HD cable box. It amazes me when people think they're watching HD, when all they're really seeing is standard definition (analog) channels, being stretched out to fill the screen.
If your cable box only has outputs for the single "RF" cable or the RCA (yellow/red/white) cables, that's an analog box. You need to bring it back to Time Warner and tell them you want to exchange for an HD box. They should be able to do this for you immediately, and for free. My local office included the component (red/green/blue video, left/right audio) cables with the box. That's enough for HD. If you prefer to use an HDMI cable, don't buy in a store -- very big profit margin in stores... you can always find HDMI cables much cheaper online.
Just one note: if your cable box also has DVR, they will NOT be able to transfer your recordings, or your schedules, over to the new box. Make sure you watch anything you haven't watched yet, and write down all of your scheduled recordings. Once you turn in the old box, you'll lose the recordings and the schedule... you'll have to set up the recording schedule on the new box once you have it hooked up.
On the plus side, the HD-DVR boxes have much larger hard drives, so you'll be able to save a lot more stuff than you could with the analog DVR.
I just followed Bob Ross's advice and called Time Warner customer service. After 20 minutes of complaining about the cost of the triple-play package, having to buy my own modem, etc, I got them to reduce my monthly bill to $110 from $135, AND they increased my internet speed and added more TV channels. Thanks for the heads-up. It was well worth my time. ;D
Received my new modem from Amazon.com. My son plans to install it very soon.
Meanwhile my DVR box, the third one in a year, is now acting up.
When I originally called TW about my old DVR box locking up after the company changed software, I was told that I could get a "new" DVR. When the repairman (who was quite arrogant by the way) came to my house he informed me that the company does not distribute new DVRs and instead he installed a rebuilt one with the promise that there would be no more problems.
Guess what folks? After a month this unit is now starting to act up to the point I have to reboot it almost twice a week in order for it to work.
What I find ironic is that Time Warner floods its channels boasting about the company's training courses for other businesses yet TW can't seem to get its act together when it comes to what a customer service rep in India tells a customer and what their repair people say when they come to a customer's house with a rebuilt piece of crap they're trying to pass off as a solution to a very simple problem.
How many of you have had similar problems with Time Warner? I guess this is what to expect when one company has a monopoly in one city.
Meanwhile my DVR box, the third one in a year, is now acting up.
When I originally called TW about my old DVR box locking up after the company changed software, I was told that I could get a "new" DVR. When the repairman (who was quite arrogant by the way) came to my house he informed me that the company does not distribute new DVRs and instead he installed a rebuilt one with the promise that there would be no more problems.
Guess what folks? After a month this unit is now starting to act up to the point I have to reboot it almost twice a week in order for it to work.
What I find ironic is that Time Warner floods its channels boasting about the company's training courses for other businesses yet TW can't seem to get its act together when it comes to what a customer service rep in India tells a customer and what their repair people say when they come to a customer's house with a rebuilt piece of crap they're trying to pass off as a solution to a very simple problem.
How many of you have had similar problems with Time Warner? I guess this is what to expect when one company has a monopoly in one city.
I dropped Time Warner years ago. Now I have Direct TV
My suggestion is to contact Time Warner and tell them to come get their DVR box and try Direct TV.
Note: There is a two year contract you must sign and try, if you can, not to have the dish attached to the roof of your house. With the recent wind gusts one never knows if the dish can cause roof damage.
My suggestion is to contact Time Warner and tell them to come get their DVR box and try Direct TV.
Note: There is a two year contract you must sign and try, if you can, not to have the dish attached to the roof of your house. With the recent wind gusts one never knows if the dish can cause roof damage.
brandy00 said:Issues finally resolved: :The problem was with Time Warner's lines. After month's of complaining they finally sent an engineer to our home and he ordered line tests, and sure enough there were several line problems.
Wiring in your house or wiring beyond that? If you've had cable wired in the house for more than 10 to 15 years chances are there is RG-59 cable installed since that is what they typically used in the days of analog only cable. My parents had the same issue when they switched to a digital box and Time Warner replaced it all inside with RG-6. Luckily they left the old cable there and I was able to salvage it. 50 plus feet of free coax cable, good for all sorts of projects.
I hope I'm not getting too far off the original subject of this post, but when I worked for TWC and someone was switching back to cable from a satellite service, we'd always string NEW RG-6 in the dwelling and not use any existing satellite wiring. On the other hand, we would hear of some of those 'gypsy' satellite installers just hooking their equipment to the existing 'cable' cable. In one instance where our TWC took over a multi-dwelling unit(apartment building) that had been wired by another cable company, we put in all new wire and didn't use the cable that was already installed by the old cable company. I would also suggest if at all possible when going satellite, see if the dish can be placed where you could reach it with a mop or Swiffer to clean out snow if you live in such a climate. Another reason for poor cable reception, if you live in an apartment situation, you -may- have had someone tap into your cable to steal the service. With the advent of digital cable though, this is going to become tougher to do. But many small, 'mom-&-pop' cable companies that have not gone digital could still be easy to steal cable from with an illegal splitter(or two).
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