 OliasCloser to believingPremium
join:2004-05-08
Wayne, NJ
 ·Optimum Online
| reply to Treebeard
Re: Voom HDs - 'Channel not available' msg last 2 weeks I've had the same problem with a bunch of the Voom Channels over the past two weeks at various times in the day. I figured I'd just leave them alone and in time they would clear up on their own, so I simply avoided them. Sure enough, two days straight and all the Voom channels are coming in fine (so far).
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Beyond the sun, beyond the sky
Is where the questions lie... |
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 voipguy
join:2006-05-31
Forest Hills, NY | reply to Tradewind
This should bring back more memories of Supermarionation:
»www.fanderson.org.uk/
Also, you will probably like the new cartoon version of Captain Scarlet on Animania HD. |
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| reply to Treebeard
I have been having this problem as well for awhile (50 days). i've had techs come out and several phone calls. nothing has changed. so for 42 days, i got $14. i tried to get free Showtime or HBO but i don't have the Silver Package. so everytime i get a bill, i am going to call for the credit. it's the only way.
i was also thinking of getting FIOS but i have 4 tvs and i need a box for each of them (the first 3 are free, the 4th is $20 installation fee). that is very annoying. why can't FIOS just have one converter box at the entry point so i don't need a box for each tv? but the monthly price after the first month would be more than CV. so it looks like i am stuck with CV.
make sure you call. get the credit and maybe get some channel for free if you have the right package. |
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 RickNYPremium
join:2000-11-02
Manorville, NY
·Optimum Online
| said by ronron5477:(the first 3 are free, the 4th is $20 installation fee). that is very annoying. why can't FIOS just have one converter box at the entry point so i don't need a box for each tv? The installation fee is less than what CV charges you for 4 boxes every month 
You could have one box at the entry point for all your TVs -- they would all get the same channel -- the same way having one CV box at the entry point for all your TVs would do. |
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TheWiseGuyDog And ButterflyPremium,MVM
join:2002-07-04
Yonkers, NY
kudos:1 Reviews:
·Optimum Online
| I'm do not think it is available yet but in the future there may be a gateway box for the home.
»www.lightreading.com/document.as···site=cdn
Of course they may move to something less expensive for just Broadcast basic instead
»www.lightreading.com/document.as···site=cdn
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Warning, If you post nonsense and use misinformation and are here to argue based on those methods, you will be put on ignore. |
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OliasCloser to believingPremium
join:2004-05-08
Wayne, NJ Reviews:
·Optimum Online
| reply to Olias
said by Olias:I've had the same problem with a bunch of the Voom Channels over the past two weeks at various times in the day. I figured I'd just leave them alone and in time they would clear up on their own, so I simply avoided them. Sure enough, two days straight and all the Voom channels are coming in fine (so far). I take it back. Yesterday I couldn't get the following channels:
779 VOOM HD
785 Rave HD
786 GamePlayHD
Today all the channels are fine. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
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Beyond the sun, beyond the sky
Is where the questions lie... |
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| reply to Olias
said by Olias:I've had the same problem with a bunch of the Voom Channels over the past two weeks at various times in the day. I figured I'd just leave them alone and in time they would clear up on their own, so I simply avoided them. Sure enough, two days straight and all the Voom channels are coming in fine (so far). Its not a matter of clearing it up. Its a matter of MORE DEMAND for channels, than SDV slots they allotted for them.
As long as the # of unique SDV channels demanded at the same time exceeds the number of SDV slots available, you will NOT be able to watch at least one or 2 channels you desire. |
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seebeew
join:2002-11-15
Middle Island, NY | reply to Treebeard
Finally got my channels back after over a month of arguing with CV, techs coming and a complaint to the FCC. CV sent a supervisor out to my house. I had a problem at the tap where my signal levels were "tilted". He said a engineer will be out to fix within 48 hours. He installed an amplifier and I got all my VOOM and SDV channels back. He did say that they still might go "unavailable". He says so many people are complaining about it but if enough people complained in one area CV can break up the households so not so many people are pulling the same SDV channels. He also said that come this February CV will be loosing the SDV technology and the problems associated with it.
So far I have all my channels, great picture quality and a strong signal. |
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| reply to Treebeard
It looks like I may also need to contact the FCC to get anyhing done if they don't get their act together very soon.
I have been more than patient.
I called late last week and mentioned the tap out to std support (tech a year ago said it was high; they ended up doing nothing at the pole because I wasn't experiencing problems anymore after he removed one splitter from the loop and replaced some wire ends etc.).
at the very end of last week they said specialized tech support would contact me; to date they haven't.
I'll wait till tomorrow since it IS a weekend after all.
I was also planning on calling and asking for a supervisor
before contacting the FCC.
As much as FIOS costs, I will probably switch to them if this isn't fixed by the end of the week.
I have better things to do than chase CV support for weeks on end with NO resolution! What a joke!
Amazing that this is what I am paying over $100 per month for (with Triple Play promotion mind you)!
That rate is just for the basic Triple Play - I have 0 premium channels, no DVR and just one box and one CableCard (to be replaced by a free set-top box if I stay on) + tax. |
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| reply to Treebeard
Well, my symptoms keep changing, but my VOOM SDV is working most of the time. 722/723/724 are not available sometimes, but available most of the time. Originally it was just 722 missing. If we watched those channels regularly, I would be beating on Cablevision's door. Since we don't and looks like they have acknowledged a problem to some then I can wait for a fix. Seems half baked though and not thoroughly tested for folks to be having these issues. |
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 Jmartz
join:2000-07-20
Tenafly, NJ | reply to seebeew
said by seebeew:He also said that come this February CV will be loosing the SDV technology and the problems associated with it. So either he is misguided and just telling you that because "TV is going digital in 2009" or he just dropped a bombshell that come February 2009, Cablevision will have removed nearly all of the remaining analog channels from their systems, which will eliminate the need to use SDV for a while, at least until (hopefully) the technology is better. |
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| said by Jmartz:said by seebeew:He also said that come this February CV will be loosing the SDV technology and the problems associated with it. So either he is misguided and just telling you that because "TV is going digital in 2009" or he just dropped a bombshell that come February 2009, Cablevision will have removed nearly all of the remaining analog channels from their systems, which will eliminate the need to use SDV for a while, at least until (hopefully) the technology is better. When my tech came out to look at my SDV problems, he told me the same thing. He said once they remove all the analog signals, they will free up the bandwith away from SDV |
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OliasCloser to believingPremium
join:2004-05-08
Wayne, NJ Reviews:
·Optimum Online
| reply to blacknoi
NO WAY!!! You'd think that Cablevision, in their infinite wisdom, would've thought about this beforehand. If this is the case, then is there a way to get a refund for the channels that Cablevision is NOT providing us?
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Beyond the sun, beyond the sky
Is where the questions lie... |
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| reply to Treebeard
'Channel not available' & MLB Extra Innings 'unavailable' I'm in Old Bridge & I have been getting the "channel unavailable" message on all the HD channels mentioned in the previous posts but I also bought the MLB Extra Innings package and since the beginning of the season I randomly get the "channel unavailable" message on those channels. It'll go a few days in a row & all the games come in but tonight for example, ONE game came in and the rest were unavailable! I have called nearly everyday and received a credit. They have been to my house and rewired it. I have another tech coming on Thursday. I'll be watching a game and God forbid I change the channel because if I go back to it, it's gone and "unavailable." |
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| reply to Treebeard
Re: Voom HDs - 'Channel not available' msg last 2 weeks To the previous poster:
I am not sure a tech is needed, unless your signal levels are bad.
They told me on several occasions that the issue with these SDV channels is on THEIR end.
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For the 6 week long issue, I got a small credit (under $10) and a supervisor called me at my request.
The supervisor was friendly and tried to be helpful; he/she (I am being vague intentionally since you never know who reads these posts) suggested a service call.
I mentioned that I didn't think it would help considering a tech told me my signal is not a problem.
He / she then checked some things and agreed about my signal.
Lastly the supervisor said engineering could call me back in 1 - 2 days.
That is the same department that has been taking diagnostics on several occasions but has yet to explain how or when they will fix it (see * further below).
This is getting more and more frustrating.
My cable modem reports are:
36 SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio)
-6 db downstream power
Between 51 and 52 upstream (that is the worst part, but it is good enough, in conjunction with the other two, to provide a picture and internet that is fine 13.2 Mbps withOUT Boost).
Has anyone here had the SDV issue resolved?
I am still not sure exactly what the problem is?
One OOL CSR (or two tops) mentioned increasing the bandwidth on a case by case basis, based on box diagnostics captured while I am tuned to an SDV channel with the error message and based on complaints.
* Other CSR's say they are working on this issue and trying to resolve it ASAP, which I think is probably closer to the real story - i.e. they have NOT yet figured out how to solve this and the service calls are either stall tactics and / or an honest attempt to help (albeit futile).
I wonder whether some / much of it is a cost issue.
Perhaps it is too expensive and / or impossible (I am not familiar with the specifics of SDV technology) to roll back the VOOM channels to the old (non-SDV) tech and / or perhaps simply too costly to fix this for affected customers.
I honestly am ready to switch to FIOS if this isn't resolved in the next week.
The cost will be more, especially in the long run (no $20 discount for Optimum Rewards, higher HD box rental fees plus slightly higher rates for the TV+internet+phone services themselves, but hopefully they (Verizon) won't roll out new technologies, like CV did w/ SDV, without first beta testing it in a variety of locations.
If anyone knows the inside scoop on why this SDV issue is taking so long to resolve for all affected customers and / or what it might take to actually fix it, please feel free to post your coments. I am sure we'd all be interested.
Thanks!
Someone mentioned in this thread that he was told by someone at CV that "come February 2009 they would be losing the SDV technology and the problems asscoiated with it".
I certainly hope this will be resolved long before then.
Signed,
Frustrated long-time CV/OOL customer |
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| Thanks Peter, I know the tech will be able to do nothing magical but I'll be happy to throw a little bit of inconvenience their way. I had my entire house re-wired by CV last month and my signal strength is fine. I also figured that SDV is the issue, still waiting for their people to tell me that.
Incidentally I have 0 MLB channels working tonight. Not bad for $175, huh? 
I would get FIOS in a second but it's not available here in Old Bridge yet. For what it's worth, I submitted a complaint to the FCC as previous posters have suggested.
Very frustrated. |
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 bob1954
join:2000-03-31
Hackensack, NJ
 ·Verizon FiOS
·Optimum Online
| I also have the same problem and I had a tech come and make a service call which they insisted when I called Cablevision about the trouble with HD Voom channels. The service man found a bad cable feeding our apartments and replaced it, but that did do anything about the Voom Hd channels missing.. He said it is Cablevision problem and they are aware of it and don't waste your time calling again... I will be calling again, but the funny thing is when you try these channels at 4:00am in the morning everything is fine and the messages are gone...
Bob.... |
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| Thanks Bob!
That is what they told me early on (about a month ago) - it is on their end and they are working on it.
They could have saved us a headache and follow-up calls by explaining the crux of the issue and any potential solutions in more detail (obviously done intentionally to stall and / or cover
up the fact that there was, at the time, no solution in sight).
I am glad I knew enough not to waste time asking to work from home for a weekday tech visit, as initially suggested by a supervisor the other day.
They have been "working on it" for 6 weeks now.
I checked out FIOS last night:
If it hadn't been for the FIOS CableCard not being orderable
online ($10 additional savings per month if the FIOS Triple Play ordered online), I might have just done so.
I also hesitated because I managed to watch a movie in its entirety on VOOM HD Movies (channel 779 here in NJ).
Ironically as soon as I switched to another channel - after the film ended luckily - the channel was 'unavailable' again!
I need to compare FIOS' HD Net Movies offerings to VOOM's Film Fest HD and VOOM HD Movies) and make a decision.
One tech did notice that my frequency was not getting updated (i.e. when I switched channels from 2 to 779, during a phone call with him monitoring my connection etc., he noted that the box /system was still tied to the frequency for channel 2 - WCBS).
However, since the problem comes and goes and seems to be less of a problem during non-peak hours, it may be a bandwidth issue as one of the very first techs told me weeks ago).
I guess not enough people in my town have complained... |
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 mech1164I'll Be Back
join:2001-11-19
Lodi, NJ
·Optimum Online
| reply to bob1954
said by bob1954: I will be calling again, but the funny thing is when you try these channels at 4:00am in the morning everything is fine and the messages are gone... Bob.... And that in a nutshell is the problem. They are oversold on SDV. When people want to watch it, they are overloaded at the headend and so no one gets to see it. At 4:00 AM all those people are asleep. So that demand is way down. Typical of CV to not have the assets to address the problem and to go with a half baked solution. |
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bob1954
join:2000-03-31
Hackensack, NJ Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
·Optimum Online
| Just to keep everyone who is interested updated.. I call Cablevision on Saturday June 21st to follow up with HD channels not available and I spoke to the first person who was nice, and I was told that I have to be switched to a specialist and so I waited 25 mins for someone to come on the line and I was asked to change the cable box to one of the channels that are in question, so I switched to channel 722 and they said they needed to get a reading from it...Then I asked How are we expected to get credit for all the time that is invested into this fiasco, and again I was told these channels are free. I told them that they are not free and we back and forth..They told me they will call back. On Sunday the 22nd I received a phone call at 6:00 pm asking me if I still had the same problem which I said yes I still do, and change the channel to 722 again so they can get another reading and someone will back today to follow up... What a joke this is... |
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