Sound drops out and picture breaks up on some HD Channels

The signal levels to the equipment in your home aren't looking very good at all.  I would also suggest checking the cable lines were you can for damage or loose fittings and removing any extra cable splitters if possible.  If that doens't help a service call may be necessary to troubleshoot further.

I too have experienced this in the past. It's actually happening right now. The last time this happened was probably 6-8 months ago. It usually lasts for a day. Rebooting the cable box, unplugging, replugging the coax cable doesn't help.

It's always CBS HD and KCAL HD (channels 1002 and 1009)

I've tried removing the splitter and plugging the coax from the wall straight into the cable box but that doesn't help. 

I'm still having the same problem.  At times, but very rarely it does work OK. but even right now it doesn't.  I have tried rebooting the box, bypassing splitters, etc., but it's a signal coming into the house that's the issue because other TV's I have that are directly connected to the cable are having the same problem.     A few years ago Cox installed a signal booster.  I tried unplugging that and that was a disaster so the booster is working.  What is different about channel 2 and 9 that they seem to be having the most problems?  

Well they're both owned by CBS. I'm guessing they're on the same frequency or whatever.

I checked last night around 10PM and KCAL and CBS were both perfect.

I turned on KCAL tonight to watch the Dodgers game and it was perfect. Then it started getting worse and worse and now it's unwatchable. 

I spoke to tech support and they said my signal looked bad and that my digital box might be broken and to bring it in. I'll probably bring it in tomorrow. I'll post back if the switching boxes does anything.

If they saw that your signal looked back, I doubt replacing the box will help. I mean its possible if the tuner is bad, but that is unlikely just to effect such a small range. First thing I would check is cable connection from outlet > Box. Also if you have other boxes, ask them if they also have bad signal, or if you have internet, ask them if the modem has bad signal. If not, then probably is a wiring problem to the room the box is in.

Yes, tonight during the 2-hour prime-time show on NBC's America's Got Talent, the picture was pixilating and sound disappearing so constantly that I finally switched to another channel, which was rock solid. Cox will not admit to any problems with it's broadcast, and in response to my own complaints on these same forums, the Cox "representatives" will simply deny any problems on their end, and tell you that if you want them to send a technician out to your house and they find no problems, they will charge you for the trip.

So there is no solution really except to read books or just accept that Cox will fail you occasionally, but just know that you have to pay their monthly bill no matter how poor the service. Very sad and pathetic state of affairs with the cable industry.

Give us all a break. You post the same canned response to everyone, and yet you can't explain why one channel will display massive pixilation and audio loss whereas all the others will be perfect.

If you must reply with such a disrespectful response, at least put who you are responding to, and don't post twice. No where in this thread have I seen anything scripted and the least helpful post was the one you just made. Now would you like to calm down or do you need a moment to collect yourself?

Please be respectful on this message board so maybe we can get some real answers.  Customer service at Cox isn't the best but not the worst either and doesn't deserve to be berated.

Anyway, I haven't called my problem in yet, Is it true that Cox will charge me if they come out and don't find a problem?  That is ridiculous and would be rather annoying.  Problem too is that this is an intermittent problem and nothing says it will be doing it when Cox decides to come. Cox should do all they can to make sure I have good service if they want me to keep paying their exorbitant rates for cable and internet.   Anyway, I still think this is a problem with the cable coming into the house.  I've tried bypassing splitters, the cable box, and all my TV's have the same problem even those connected directly to cable.  The problem just started out of the blue a while ago.  Nothing on my end changed, so it really rubs me the wrong way  that I have to shoot craps to see if I'm going to get charged for a service call or not.  I guess I'll have to call when I can figure out when I can be at home to have Cox come check this problem out.  Beyond annoyed and frustrated!

@DLR

I feel your pain. Right now I am trying to troubleshoot a issue with my father's router that has multiple problems and each problem has rather convoluted symptoms. The main issue I find is that alot of what is actually going on is not documented, sometimes not even in the modem logs. So even for the Technician it's trial and error. Thing about trial and error is it is mostly error. Your on the right track. Try to isolate the problem as much as possible. Maybe sacrifice a day of your network being up and connect the modem direct to the line coming in from the outside and connect a laptop direct to the modem. Then run pingplotter (pinging modem's gateway, WAN gateway, google and one of cox's DNS) and check out a program called DOCSdiag. If your modem allows SNMP it can drill and pull signal logs from the modem and record signal change over time. That way you can see when the connection drops and compare it via the logs to what the signal was doing at the time. Once you know what is happening, and where it is happening (outside the house) then the technician can focus on WHY it is happening. I know its a pain, but some problems are just a pain to solve.

As for the charge, its hard to say. Strictly speaking I think Cox will cover most anything (outside of purposeful destruction) before the Dmark. That is where the cable drop connects to the ground. Where that is and what that covers depends on your setup. Beyond that, many times additional coverage is given. Its like if you bring your car into the mechanic and all it is a faulty check engine light, he usually won't charge you. But if you keep bringing it in, and he keeps having to spend time on it, eventually he is going to charge you. They want to strike a balance between not making the customer upset and not losing money in the process. They do have a line protection service which covers most inside wiring, so if you are concerned you can get that, and sometimes they even have promotions. Otherwise the best thing to do to ease your mind is to try to rule out inside wiring the best you can. Sorry for your troubles let us/me know if we can help. Good luck!

Just an update. I ended not switching my box out as everything is working perfectly again. I agree that I don't think the box is the issue but wanted to eliminate that as a possible cause. When I spoke to tech support, they did offer to send a tech out but I declined as the problem occurs randomly. If you want to have a tech come out, ask Cox if there are any hidden charges before agreeing to have them come out. Maybe take a picture of the TV with distortion in case it's not acting up when the tech is at your home.

DLR said:

Please be respectful on this message board so maybe we can get some real answers.  Customer service at Cox isn't the best but not the worst either and doesn't deserve to be berated.

Anyway, I haven't called my problem in yet, Is it true that Cox will charge me if they come out and don't find a problem?  That is ridiculous and would be rather annoying.  Problem too is that this is an intermittent problem and nothing says it will be doing it when Cox decides to come. Cox should do all they can to make sure I have good service if they want me to keep paying their exorbitant rates for cable and internet.   Anyway, I still think this is a problem with the cable coming into the house.  I've tried bypassing splitters, the cable box, and all my TV's have the same problem even those connected directly to cable.  The problem just started out of the blue a while ago.  Nothing on my end changed, so it really rubs me the wrong way  that I have to shoot craps to see if I'm going to get charged for a service call or not.  I guess I'll have to call when I can figure out when I can be at home to have Cox come check this problem out.  Beyond annoyed and frustrated!

DLR, 

I was able to locate your account using the email address you registered with. While your box levels aren't perfect and don't currently look like they would be causing an issue it's possible there is noise or something else going on that we aren't able to test for from the office. I checked frequencies for channels 2 and 9. The standard definition frequencies are different, but since the problem is occurring on the HD channels 1002 and 1009 I can understand why both would be affected. They ride in the same frequency. 

If you've already run the gamut of regular troubleshooting (ensuring connections are tight, bypassing unnecessary splitters, power cycling, replacing old or damaged coaxial cables, etc.) the best thing to do in order to resolve this would be to have a technician visit your home. If we can schedule you at a time when it occurs more frequently we'll have a better chance of catching the culprit. Most days techs are available for repairs between 8 am and 7 pm (7 days a week). 

To address your concern over charges for repair visits, anything  on our network (outside) or caused by our equipment (i.e. cable box, etc.) is covered and wouldn't incur a charge. If the cause of the problem is determined to be the wiring inside your home, or equipment in your home not covered by Cox, there would likely be a charge for the visit. You have the option of adding the Cox Service Protection Plan (CSPP) to cover these types of repairs. You can read more about CSPP here:  http://ww2.cox.com/residential/orangecounty/support/phone/article.cox?articleId=e0774b80-e87f-11e0-dee8-000000000000

If you'd like to schedule a technician to visit you home you can do so by calling your local office at 949-240-1212, or you can email cox.help@cox.com. If you choose to email, please reference this forum post and include your account information.