Boxes on screen when first turned on
What is very interesting about digital video is that it works with memory, sampling, and clock cycles. If any parameter is off specs to the point where the correction routines cannot interpolate the data there will be errors shown. When these types of problems happen the effect can be unstable. There are many factors that can contribute to these errors.
What is also interesting with digital video, is that the error factors and characteristics can change with the content and with the change of content. When there is more than the average data to process, delays can be introduced.
I know exactly what you are talking about. I have seen aliasing many times with digital transmission and processing equipment.
If the processor boards in the TV set have been changed, logicaly this should normaly rule out any problems with the set. It would be a very big coincidence that the new boards have the same defects as the old ones.
If you can play your DVD's using the HDMI cable in to the same input where the sat was, and there was no visible fault, you know for sure that the fault is not with the TV set!
I would guess you even swapped HDMI cables around to rule these out as well?
If you have a set of A/V component cables, and your sat box and TV set has the component option, you can test the component input of your set from the sat box. This will still be able to be HD, but it will be analog between the box and the TV. This may point ot something later on if there is still a fault.
Many times over the years, I have seen intermittant faults with cable boxes and satellite systems. Anything is possible with these.
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The simplist sat system has basicaly the following components:
Dish and LNB located outside.
A cable that runs in to the house that has CATV connectors on each end. The connector on the outside must be the waterproof type.
There will be two cable runs on some systems for a double LNB, or there can be 2 LNB's on a sophisticated system.
On the inside of the home, depending on the system there will be an A/B relay for the Horiz and Vert polarization for the signal being recieved. In a single wire system, this relay can be built in to the LNB.
Then there is the necessary cable feed with connectors to the TV sat docoder box.
If there is a shared system, then there will be a distribution system, and possibly multiple A/B relays, depending on the type of system.
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What I am pointing out here, is that there are many parts of the sat system that can degrade the signal. I would start with the most simple, and that is trying a new box.
Ask your sat company or your dealer if they will give you a loan of a box to try.
Also, a professional sat system installer who has a spectrum analyser and knows what he is doing, can check out the system from end to end to see if there is any signal losses up to the decoder box. The next step is to try parts in order to locate any failures.
Here is another approach. If you have a neighbor or friend that is on the same sat service as you are, ask him if you guys can swap sat boxes for a few days just to see what happens. If he gets your problems, and you are okay with his sat box, this rules out the sat box totaly!
For your sat system, you can go to to the dish and make sure that the connector is screwed on securly. You can remove it to see if the center contact is okay, and also see if there is any sign of corrosion inside the conntector. Corrosion means water was leaking in.
You can follow through to make sure all the connections are okay. You will not be able to test anything without being able to substitute the parts, or have the equipment to take measurements.
Personaly, I am betting on a fault with the satellite system, and not the TV set!
Jerry G.
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