What the what??

[madamesilverspurs]

Yes, I know, comcast is evil, but there's no other choice where I am. And cutting the cord is not an option.

So the comcast tech was just here. Checked the lines, the TV, and the cable box; all are fine. Problem? Some channels are pixilating so badly they are unwatchable, audio frequently cuts out along with the picture. Anyway, he says the issue is with broadcasters not keeping up with suddenly higher demand with everyone staying at home. At the moment, MSNBC is just a black screen, CNN is sporadic, Fox (and this is the only instance in which I would say this) is crystal clear, but you'd have to put a gun to my head to make me watch it. Also, no HGTV or similar channels, and I'm really hoping they get Animal Planet fixed soon.

So is this regional? By neighborhood? Anyone else noticing this problem?

And does anyone have an email addy for MSNBC so I can ask them whether or not comcast if fibbing? All I've been able to find is contact info for individual shows.

Yeesh, this is frustrating.

.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. It's been fine for me - possibly a local problem.

If the tech said everything was OK at your house could be some problem with local transmission (I have no idea exactly how that works).

[qazplm135]

2. I'm not sure why some stations

come in bad and others come in clear except that it's a problem further down the line?
I mean it's not like each channel has it's own thread in the wire. So makes me think it's something at the transmission point.
Then again, I am no expert and I have satellite lol

[chillfactor]

3. I have DISH TV..

I am watching MSNBC and there has been no interruptions in my service. CNN also clear.

[PoliticAverse]

4. The "brodcasters" aren't sending the signal out the cable company is. The problem with cable is that

it is "shared bandwidth" and it sounds like your cable company doesn't have sufficient local capacity.

[csziggy]

10. This - I had the same problem with Centurylink as more houses were built nearby

CenturyLink did not upgrade the capacity fast enough and things got really bad for a while. After Hurricane Hermione, they upgraded while doing repairs and it was good until the last couple of months. With more people working and streaming TV from home, my bandwidth has taken a BIG hit. I'm supposed to be getting 40Gbps - some days I get 400 mbps. Upload speeds are good - nearly 2 Gbps. Too bad I'm not working on my website!

It doesn't help that my husband is home all day every day, too so now we've got two TVs streaming and two computers surfing all the time.

CenturyLink has been working on the lines, adding more fiberoptic, so I think they are getting a LOT of complaints.

[randr]

5. The system you are on is not equiped

with the band width needed. Your tech kicked the can down the street

[Midnight Writer]

6. The channels he cited are not "broadcast channels". They are cable channels.

I am noticing no problems with my cable service at this time. (Not Comcast)

If higher viewer demands are the problem, it is because the local cable system is unable to keep up, not the channels themselves.

[Jamastiene]

7. I don't use my settop box any more. I turned it in.

I either watch online on the channel's web site or I watch on the Roku. So, I can't help, but I know years ago, we had problems with a set top box that went on for years. It turned out the box was faulty. Three different techs came out and gave three different answers and said it would for sure clear up once they did this or that. It never did. It wasn't until we had cable turned off and returned the box for a few years, then go another one later that we got clearer picture and sound.

Once I moved here and had cable turned on and got internet through TWC, the TV would freeze a lot and the internet would drop out, be incredibly slow. At first I thought it was fast, because I had been on dialup before, so it was faster than dialup but not up to the speed it was supposed to be. A friend with cable internet came over one day and said my internet was almost as slow as dialup. I thought even with cable, you had to wait for buffering to watch a 5 minute YouTube video. It turns out, they gave me a really old cable modem.

Through the years of renting a cable modem, they never tell you when they come out with a newer model. You keep paying for older and older technology and do without newer features newer customers get to have.

Since learning that, I turned my cable box in and just decided to watch on the Roku, where it is always clearer or watch online, depending on how bad the buffering is that way. The Roku is always clearer and his is one of those little cheap Rokus too. For the cable modem, I just turn it in every once in a while, usually around Christmas. I always just tell them it's dropping out and not acting right and want to exchange it.

Try turning the settop box in to your local cable office and asking for a new one. That trick works for TV too, a lot of times, I have learned.

[jls4561]

8. I wil not bore you with my stories of why I hate Comcast

I, like you, have no choice about cable providers. I have discovered an address on the Comcast sight that says "Send Tom Feedback", and I do. Tom is the CEO or some such high up.

Here's the link:

https://support.xfinity.com/svp-contact-form?CCT=53BA3D76CB1473BFF49C79FE4AA86DFF1EE2DE626F409A59875193DC10625923FD41276DC2F20D03628DEA2707AF1CE9A894EA1466F28CF0771377E1B9F7665953E19FCCB6FCA5DB

You mostly get back platitudes, but occasionally they will credit your bill.

Good luck, fellow Comcast sufferer!

[alwaysinasnit]

9. Courtesy of another DUer's suggestion. If you have internet, you might try

https://www.livenewsnow.com/american/msnbc.html