HBO black screen, audio works - Comcast, Ceton

[TromboneKenny]

The setup was working fine, and then something changed-- now when I live tune to HBO (or recorded programs) I get a black screen for the video, but the audio works fine. Everything seems like it's tuning (no cable card pairing problems, WMC negotiates Dolby Digital Plus) but I don't get any video.

I suspect Comcast changed something with my account (I added some X1 boxes and this problem crept up)-- maybe switching my HBO channel mapping to an MPEG-4 feed?

This is happening on two different Win7 WMC boxes, both with Intel Graphics 4000 or older. Updating to the latest patches and drivers doesn't fix it.

I have Ceton PCI4 and ETH6. Those have been patched too. I originally thought there was something up with my CC pairing after Comcast changed things with my account, but the other channels come in OK and when I use the Ceton Diagnostic tool to tune to HBO it succeeds.

Comcast tech support has been awful (at one point they connected me with TiVo tech support.... ), and Ceton is telling me the problem is somewhere after their product; something in my Win7 boxes or their HDMI connections to their displays. I've troubleshooted different HDMI cables, different TVs. I don't think it's a handshaking issue although I'd like to see how to debug that.

I uninstalled and reinstalled PlayReady, in case something was scrambled with the configuration/cached stuff. No help. One of the systems I may reinstall (try Win10, maybe switch back to 7) and I guess we'll see if that reinstall fixes it, but that seems rather drastic.

Has anyone else run into this? Any suggestions on what I can do to tune the protected channels again? Because HBO To Go I haven't missed programming, but it's annoying to not have it in WMC with everything else. Thanks in advance,

TBK

[Crash2009]

(I added some X1 boxes and this problem crept up)

I don't have anything to add re: Win7 boxes and their HDMI connections to their displays.

Have you looked into the possibility of MoCA Interference? Some splitters have the POE filter built in..... Others don't.

A long time ago Ceton was suggesting a POE filter to isolate their tuners from MoCA. The filters are a "dime a dozen" so it would be an inexpensive test. I would think Comcast Tech Support would know all about them, and maybe even give you a couple. Ceton might even confirm or reject the suggestion that POE filters would help your issue.

Here are a couple links on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R58dh24 ... r_embedded

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 949#p88949

[TromboneKenny]

Have you looked into the possibility of MoCA Interference?

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm not sure that's it-- if I power off all the X1 boxes, I still have the same problems. Other than swapping a small DTA out for an X1 box, and whatever else they did to my account (it took a few calls to get the X1 working and the cable cards working after the change), nothing else has changed with the wiring or house layout.

TBK

[Crash2009]

I'm not sure that's it-- if I power off all the X1 boxes, I still have the same problems.

Me neither--but...if I had to be sure about something before I tried it....I'd never try anything.

[tzr916]

The setup was working fine, and then something changed-- now when I live tune to HBO (or recorded programs) I get a black screen for the video, but the audio works fine. Everything seems like it's tuning (no cable card pairing problems, WMC negotiates Dolby Digital Plus) but I don't get any video.

Press INFO button on wmc remote, what comes up on the screen?

[stuartm]

There is a known problem with some Intel graphics chips when trying to view protected MPEG 4 content. If indeed your provider is now using MPEG 4 for HBO and you have one of the affected video processors., the only recourse seems to be switching to a different graphics solution. It is for exactly this reason I switched from my on board Intel graphics to Nvidia cards.

See this link for more info:

https://communities.intel.com/thread/29396?tstart=0

AFAICT from that thread it's not clear exactly which Intel graphics are affected. May be graphics 2000-4000

[crawfish]

If applicable, try updating the Intel Management Engine drivers. ISTR this was necessary to get my 4600 graphics to play protected MP4 content.

There is another bug I first encountered in 2011 that affects Nvidia cards, too, and it's similar to the Intel-specific bug. However, I could work around it by closing and restarting WMC or tuning to certain "good" MPEG2 channels (like my locals) and then back to the MPEG4 channel. When an MPEG4 channel is malfunctioning, the last page of the 411-info screen would show various crazy values for resolution and frame rate. The good news is that Cox recently addressed whatever WMC didn't like in their signal, and it all works fine now. (It wasn't a tuner problem, in my case, HDHR Prime; as we determined, it was a WMC bug.)

[millerduck]

I have this exact same issue but I am using a 360 extender. My WMC box is essentially headless. Comcast is sending me a new cableCARD as a troubleshooting step but I am not super optimistic.

Did OP ever get this resolved?

MD

[Scallica]

The issue has been confirmed. Continue discussion here:

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... f=6&t=9635