[mythtv-users] Signal problems with A180

[Mark J. Small]

On September 25, 2007, Mark J. Small wrote:
> Hi everybody,
>
> I'm just doing some more testing with my Avermedia A180, trying to pull in
> SD QAM streams.  I've got a bunch available unencrypted, but the signal
> quality seems pretty bad.  I'm seeing a lot of dropouts and macroblocking. 
> The amount of digital garbage depends a lot on the tuned frequency.  All
> the channels at 279 MHz are terrible, those at 315 MHz are almost
> watchable.
>
> Its rather frustrating to be so close, but yet so far.  Aside from the
> glitches, the picture quality blows away my PVR250s.  Its much more crisp
> and clean.
>
> There are no glitches using a DCT2000 on the same channels.  The glitches
> are there using mplayer.  I've tried different coax cables coming from the
> splitter, and I've tried disconnecting the splitter and using just that
> input feed straight to the A180.
>
> Here is my Coax setup
>
>
> POLE----TELEPHONE BOX---4 way splitter --- 2 way splitter ----A180
>
> I can try getting rid of the 2 way splitter to see if it will help.
>
> Any other ideas?  Would updated kernel drivers help? The computer is
> running 2.6.19.
>
> Would a different QAM tuner like a 5500/Fusion5/HDHR give better results?
>
> Mark
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A quick self reply,

It looks like the big difference between awful channels and almost good 
channels is the BE rate.  The better ones have a rate of 500 or so, and the 
bad ones have a rate of 32760, which sounds really bad, though I don't know 
what they mean.  The S/N for both is 4.7-4.8 dB.

Mark