Intermittent picture pixelation and sound problems.

[Matthew161]

Hello, i've recently moved to EE TV after twenty plus years with Sky and i'm having a couple of problems that I hope can be fixed.

We have the EE TV Box Pro and a Mini, and both are showing the same problems. Both boxes are in internet mode and are connected by ethernet cable to the provided EE Smart Hub Plus router. We have had no problems with the internet connection, and are receiving the 300Mbps we are paying for.

First Problem - We are getting intermittent pixelating of the picture and a drop out of sound that lasts for just a second or two and then goes back to normal. Sometimes this doesn't happen for a while, then it will happen every ten minutes or so. 

I haven't personally used the TV service as much as others in the house as I mainly use it for the football and other sports, but yesterday I watched the Charity Shield on ITV and some of the Olympics on the BBC and it was happening on both channels. I then watched a League One football match on Sky Sports and MMA on TNT Sports through the box and didn't notice it on either. Small sample size but I thought i'd mention it.

The Second Problem - This may be linked to the first problem and is harder to explain. As a gamer, it sort of seems like when you get a momentary drop of frame rate, but it's a bit different to that, and is at it's most obvious when watching the football. For example, I didn't notice it much yesterday during the 90 minutes, but during every penalty in the penalty shoot out it was very apparent, i'll try to explain it better. In the player's run up it sort of seems to slow down on/around him where your eyes are focused but you still see the full penalty. Like I said, hard to explain.

Both these problems are happening on both boxes and they are both there in the same place when I rewind the box.

I tried to have a look around to see if I could solve these problems without having to make a thread, but most people who are having similar problems were using aerial mode and/or a wifi connection, which we are using neither.

I also haven't contacted EE yet, as having a look around some threads on here there seems to be some knowledgeable people who may know what the problem could be, @DarrenDev was a name in particular that kept cropping up, and he seems to have inside knowledge and know what he's talking about 😀.

Thanks.

[Chris_B]

@Matthew161   @DarrenDev  works for BT/EE so he’s very helpful.  

You say both boxes are a wired connection to the router just as an experiment try doing a wireless connection.   you need to rule out the Ethernet cables.  

[Matthew161]

Hi, Chris. Thanks for replying

As in both ethernet cables might be faulty?

The Pro Box is next to the router so I can try wireless there, but the Mini Box is unlikely to get a good wireless signal where it is.

My parents use the Pro Box near the router much more than me, but aren't very tech savy or observant, but i will switch it to wifi and ask them to keep a special eye out to see if there is any picture break up. They have been commenting on the picture break up.

I'm putting some sunscreen on and going for some exercise in this beautiful weather and then i'll see if there has been any pixelating in the picture when I get back. My mother is even less observant than my father, so i'll probably see if he notices any improvement later tonight. 

The thing is, it doesn't always happen, and due to me not watching much live tv other than sport, I haven't been using the TV service on the boxes and just use catch up services on my PC, so I wasn't aware of the picture pixelating and sound cut off until the football yesterday on my Box Mini. I have noticed my weird second problem that I mentioned in my opening post from day one.

[Chris_B]

@Matthew161  It’s a possibility that both cables could be causing an issue,  obviously the one to the mini box is your own install in the home and because I couldn’t say anything about this or even how it’s actually wired within the home it’s hard to say if that is an actual issue.  But no harm in trying to eliminate that cable.    But do try WiFi on the pro box.  My pro box is wireless and is upstairs from my router and I’ve not yet had any problems with picture/sound.    I can also say I’m not a lot less broadband speed than yourself.   In fact you can’t get the smart hub plus on my internet package or TV.   I’m on a trial and test and this was sorted especially for me because I was on a legacy EE broadband package.   

@DarrenDev  will probably pop up here because of the name mentions so keep checking on here tomorrow, hopefully he’s not on holiday.   

[Matthew161]

Thanks, Chris.

I painstakingly went under the floor, which was a bit grim, to thread a 30m cat6e ethernet cable to where the router is placed in the front room and then upstairs to a TP Link TL-SG108S gigabit network switch. From reading the blurb under the Amazon listing it mentions multicast data stream, so i don't think that will be a problem, and as I mentioned it has had the same problem on the Box Pro, which is not connected to that.

Since i've put the Box Pro on wifi we have had one occasion where it has gone pixelated, but I must stress it is sporadic and it seems strange for one ethernet cable being taken out to make a difference, but what do I know. I'll keep my eye on it.

As i write this it has just happened again, only minor, and it didn't effect the sound. I'm watching the Olympics closing ceremony on the mini box and so I rewound the Box Pro downstairs as my parents are watching it too, and it has the same pixelating in the exact same spot. Just to be sure I checked the feed on the iplayer on my PC and it wasn't there in the feed.

Hopefully @DarrenDev gets chance to see this thread and maybe there is some checks EE can do? 

[Chris_B]

@Matthew161  I will admit I too find it hard that the cable will be the issue and with it happening to both boxes at the same time it’ll be interesting to find out if there is a drop in network at that same time as that pixelation as that would definitely effect both at the same time.  

 @DarrenDev  over to you.  

[Weerab2024]

I've noticed intermittent pixelation problems as well on my Pro box in IP mode, and my router is literally right next to the Pro box.

Only seems to have happened over the last week or 2.

[Matthew161]

I wonder if it's not isolated to our set up, then?

Our install date for the broadband and TV was on the 5th of July, but we only started using the EE TV after our Sky contract ended on the 22nd of July, really. So I don't know if this has been happening from install day.

[Weerab2024]

Maybe theres been something going on in the background, not sure. 

[CHLOEBAGPUSS]

Yes I get the same issue with the picture pixelating, I have my tv connected by Ethernet cable as well and never had a problem with it when I had my Manhattan recorder box just since I have had the EEtv probox. Makes me wonder if this a common problem with this system??