Sony RDR-HXD870 pixelation

[Melchid]

Okay, I give up...Freeview woes on a Sony RDR-HXD870. This has been working fine for a few years but over the last month or so, we've been seeing pixelation on some channels. First C4, but now it's affecting BBC1. Looking at the signal level on BBC1, it's fixed at about 74% but periodically, drops to 0%. Then a second or so later, back to 74%. I've checked and re-checked the connections, spent £40 on quad shielded cables and still no joy. The thing that gets me is that I'm daisy chaining from the aerial to the 870, and then to the TV. The Freeview signal on BBC1 on the TV is 10/10 and never drops. I can record BBC1 while watching the TV signal, and there's no breakup, but when I watch the recording, it's breaking up every few seconds.

I thought the recent retune may help but it didn't.

I'm in the Rowridge area with a professionally installed aerial, mast head amp etc. and it has been fine in the past. I just can't figure out what's changed.

As an experiment last night, I connected a second booster which shot the BBC1 signal up to 94%. Great - until it dropped to 0% a few seconds later. I've done the bit of removing the HDMI and using Scart - same problem. I've run out of things to try. Any ideas anyone??

Thanks.

 

[ramjet]

the most common reply would be interference due to the hdmi lead and the uhf cable , but you say you have ruled this out

sometimes having something like a dect phone or videosender or similar nearby can cause problems with interference

would be worthwhile taking the 870 to another room and trying it in there , with none of the usual tv etc attached

ie:- different room , different tv , different scart lead , no hdmi lead at all

 

[Melchid]

I've tried something similar which is to switch off virtually everything in the house to reduce interference but the problem persists. I've now added an old Sony STB to the chain to see the signal level on that and I've got TV 100%, STB, 100% and HXD870 64% (breakup).

I'm figuring that there's a problem with the freeview tuner in the HXD870.

 

[llama]

does the signal first go into the analog stage of the 870 then to the digital?

does the signal from the aerial go anywhere before it gets to the 870?

 

[Melchid]

a) No, I'm not using the analog inputs

and

b) No, the 870 is first in the chain.

 

[Roger Thornhill]

Duff tuner, certainly sounds that way to me, especially as you seem to have done every check possible to rule out all other culprits.