Weird Digital Cable + TIVO Issue

[BarTopDancer]

I broke down and got digital cable again. It took me 2 hours to hook up (by myself) but it WORKS! YAY!

I am having a very weird issue though, and it may be with the cable box.

I run the cable box through my TIVO - and on most stations it synchs up correctly if I use the TIVO remote to change the channel, however when I get to specific stations (Comedy Central, SciFi and E! - which are next to each other) the cable box is one station off.

For example: SciFi is channel 61. When I use my TIVO remote to change the station the cable box changes it to 60 or 62 while TIVO brings it to the correct station (61). If I use the cable box remote it changes both correctly.

This wouldn't be an issue except when the TIVO is trying to record something on one of those stations.

I've already rebooted both machines and checked the channel line up, both are correct - it seems that the TIVO is sending the wrong information to the cable box.

Any ideas what/where the issue may be? I don't have an issue calling for support, but I need to figure out if I should call TIVO or call the cable company (who will probably say they don't support TIVO issues and I should buy their DVR).

[Andrew]

How is the TiVo connected to the cable box? By which I mean, how is the TiVo changing the channel on the cable box?

[BarTopDancer]

A serial cable (that came with the TIVO) from TIVO to Cable Box

[Moonliner]

A serial cable (that came with the TIVO) from TIVO to Cable Box

Are you getting IR bleed where your signal to the TIVO is being picked up by the cable box?

[BarTopDancer]

Wha?

[Ghoulish Delight]

He's wondering if maybe your cable box is inadvertantly responding to the remote.

[BarTopDancer]

Oh. Um. I don't know. But I'm pressing the numbers 6 and 1 to get to channel 61 so I don't think the cable box would see that as 60 or 62... would it?

It also happens when I go to the TIVO Guide and select the station I have to manually change the station on the cable box. It's only a handful of stations, none of the "broadcast basic" (NBC, CBS, Fox 11) stations. They aren't digital cable stations either.

I wouldn't have noticed it except it recorded something on SciFi instead of The Soup on Friday. TIVO displays the info as Comedy Central - 60, but the recording was on SciFi.

[BarTopDancer]

Ok, I just watched this happen.

Here is what I did:

Turn on TV
Use TIVO remote to change from some channel to 61.
Watched TIVO change to the correct channel
Watched the cable box change to 61 on the display and the tv then 2 seconds later (literally) it moved to channel 62.

2nd example:
Use TIVO remote to change from 61 to 22.
Watched TIVO change to the correct channel
Watched the cable box change to 22 on the display and the tv then 2 seconds later (literally) it moved to channel 21.

So I think the issue is with the cable box. Not sure how to explain the issue to the cable company though. It doesn't happen if I change the channel on the cable box first. BUT if I change the channel on the cable box first the TIVO doesn't update to reflect what the cable box went to.

[lashbear]

watch DVD's. They're easier.

[Andrew]

Does it happen on all channels? If not, is there any pattern in the channel numbers in which it happens?

You mentioned a cable--have you tried replacing the cable? A bad cable or connector might cause spurious signals, but that would probably affect all channels.

[BarTopDancer]

Tonight it happened going from 71 to 61 and then from 61 to 22.

It did not happen going from 22 to 2.

[Kevy Baby]

Are you using an HD TiVo? If so, why even bother with the cable box: just get two cable cards. That's what we did and have had no problems for a couple years running

[BarTopDancer]

No HD.

And I have a lifetime subscription on the TIVO so I'd like to avoid an extra expense of an additional DVR as long as I can.

Something else that may or may not be related is the sound is delayed - their lips say one thing but the words coming out of the speakers say another.

I'm sure it's just a cable or a setting or maybe the cable box is bad. I didn't have any of these issues until the cable box came into play.

[Andrew]

Which box are your speakers connected to, the cable or the TiVo? The speakers and monitor should be connected to the same box.

[BarTopDancer]

I have a surround sound thingie.

But I don't know what they are connected to. But there are AV cables going to/from the boxes and to the TV and to the surround sound :(