need help troubleshooting: tv recently has a few channels not working

pglbook

I have a Panasonic 60" plasma smart tv that is about 6 or 7 years old and about a month ago it stopped getting 3 or 4 channels (CBS and NBC and TLC). I have Spectrum cable tv.

I have tried everything: swapped hdmi cable, put hdmi cable into different hdmi tv inputs, rebooted cable box multiple times, and called Spectrum cable and had them refresh my signal. Nothing worked. The Spectrum rep finally told me it is probably a bad cable box so I went to my local Spectrum store this morning and got a new cable box and installed it. But same problem.

I called Spectrum back and they will be sending a tech on Tuesday morning to check the cable line.

I know the cable tech is coming in a few days but I was wondering if anyone has had this same issue and what might be the problem.

All of my other channels work perfectly. The problem is just those 3 or 4 channels (it sucks that CBS and NBC do not come in because I won't be able watch the football games on those channels this weekend). There is just a black screen when I tune to those channels (the channel display info is there on bottom of the screen but screen is all black - no video or sound on those 3 or 4 channels).

Thanks.

Emlyn

This happened on FIOS for me a few years ago. The trouble was a low signal being transmitted into the house. It only affected a few channels which first started breaking up then went completely dark after a few weeks. The solution was to swap out the cheap coaxial splitter outside the house. That had corroded because of not being weather sealed. No problems since then, but I never would have thought of that as being a potential problem area myself.

msg

I've had this problem, too, from time to time, but mine was due to some sort of authentication with the tuner card I have to use with the TiVo. Doubtful any of this is anything you can control on your end. Frustrating though.

The tech will probably get you sorted quickly. Usually something simple. It's funny, over the years, I've watched these guys show up and undo each others' work.

If you're handy, maybe you could look for splitters around your home and remove any to spaces you're not using, just to see if it makes any difference. I don't understand how they determine appropriate signal strength and how splitters affect that signal strength, or what needs a filter, etc.

pglbook

Thanks, Emlyn and msg, for the input.

It sounds like it will hopefully be an easy fix.

I just wish it could have gotten fixed this weekend so I could watch the NFL playoff games. At least Fox comes in fine and I will be able to watch today's 4:40pm game on Fox today.

Thanks again!

msg

Yeah, that's maddening when you're looking forward to content. I don't watch a lot of regular TV, but like the films channels, and my service there had dropped out from time to time. It's weird, but you can feel a little disconnected, so to speak, when that happens.

pglbook

Good news. Problem solved. It was an easy fix.

The Spectrum cable tech came out this morning and solved the problem. At first he thought it was an issue with the splitter on the outside line as he said some water had gotten into it. He replaced the splitter but that did not solve the problem.

The issue turned out to be a bad splicer that joins 2 cables inside the house. We have the tv on the far end from where the cable line comes into the house and have a long cable (or a couple of cables) run along the edges of the wall. The metal tip of the splicer that joins the 2 cables was bent and that caused the reception problems. The tech put on a new splicer and problem solved.

I now have CBS and NBC back and will be able to watch all of the football games this weekend!

Thanks again.