Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
DIYDAD
Enthusiast - Level 2

PROBLEM SOLVED

I am a Verizon Fios customer and have been as far back as I can remember. I am taking the time to share this with existing customers, future customers and former customers. Approximately 3 weeks ago ALL of my set top boxes began to pixelate, freeze and distort beyond any kind of satisfactory view-ability ( not sure if that’s a real word ). Being what I believe to be an experienced D.I.Y. Individual I performed several troubleshooting measures. Many of these recommendations came from men and women on this forum and others and for that please let me share my gratitude. Being unfamiliar with the innner workings of Verizon Fios it was nice to read some prior posts which allowed me to have a starting point. My troubleshooting consisted of resetting router, resetting ONT mainframe, rebooting DVR/Media boxes, auto correction of DVR/Media boxes, testing of all coax cables (used the following tester: Klein Item #876R984), swapping DVR/Media boxes from room to room, changing old nickel splitters for new gold splitters, using termination caps on any unused splitter ports, calling Verizon Fios Customer Service and having them boost the signal and run diagnostics on their end which did confirm low SNR as well as poor and locked reportings of the service. Despite all of my efforts and the efforts of the Verizon Fios Technical Support Team we were unable to successfully diagnose and correct any of the issues. At this point an appointment with a Verizon Fios Technician was scheduled. Technician arrived ahead of schedule at which point we discussed television issues and what had been done to correct. Technician hooked up a probe to ONT, ran a diagnostic and immediately was notified that the ONT had malfunctioned. He 1st installed a new updated ONT ( which was defective right out of the box) then installed a 2nd. Within minutes of him updating server information with new ONT serial number all of my Verizon Fios DVR/Media boxes were working flawlessly. Closing advice to any DIY individual would be this; feel free to troubleshoot as best as you can. It may be bad cables, splitters etc. if it’s not just make the call and have the Technician come in and test. Hope this helps. Lastly, all of this was covered by Verizon Fios as it was a defect on their end

1 Solution

Correct answers
Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
DIYDAD
Enthusiast - Level 2

LOL. Thank you so much. I know how difficult and frustrating the process can be and I really just wanted to return the courtesy of posting my own experience the way others have before me in hopes that it helps streamline the homeowners progress and success.  Best of Luck. I’m sure you’ll be up and running in no time. Please feel free to post back if the problem was different then mine. Thanks 😀

View solution in original post

Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
KiminNJ
Newbie

Thank you for your detailed review. We have very similar issues and are following your same troubleshooting methods.  This forum will not allow me to post a Kudos thumb's up for you... but I tried. 🙂

0 Likes
Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
DIYDAD
Enthusiast - Level 2

LOL. Thank you so much. I know how difficult and frustrating the process can be and I really just wanted to return the courtesy of posting my own experience the way others have before me in hopes that it helps streamline the homeowners progress and success.  Best of Luck. I’m sure you’ll be up and running in no time. Please feel free to post back if the problem was different then mine. Thanks 😀

Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
COMET65
Enthusiast - Level 3

I also have been burdened with Pixelation for years. About a year ago, The tech. had to replace my ONT, because it was not working, he replaced it with the new model, has no battery. It did nothing for my random Pix. problem. I have replaced the splitters, then the cables inside the house, then I replaced the main cable going from the outside Box. up to my attic, where it enters my house. It was the origional cable from 35 years ago when cable first came to my area. That was the source of my problem. It is working fine now. Why is it allways the last thing you do?

0 Likes
Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
mtb5118
Enthusiast - Level 1

Thank you for your detailed response.  I seemingly am on the same path.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
CRobGauth
Community Leader
Community Leader

@COMET65. Why is it allways the last thing you do?

Because you don't do anymore after it is fixed? 🙂

Glad you finally got it figured out.

That is one people tend to forget.

People forget to check if it is tight when told to check to make sure all their connections are tight.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
Bobbolito
Enthusiast - Level 1

I heartily second the advice given for curing pixelation issues with Verizon FIOS.

I pursued the usual self help advice, rebooting the STB, reinserting coax and other inputs to the cable box, etc.  I followed a chat with a Verizon, and ended up requesting a technician.

Long story short, the problem was in the ONT, which was a “pioneer” install of FIOS in our neighborhood.  The tech installed a brand new, modern era ONT package, and the defective picture problems were instantly resolved.

I’ll check back if any problems resurface, but it looks as though even the best technology simply may eventually require upgrading.  

Kudos are due to Verizon FIOS for diagnosing, acknowledging and repairing the equipment, without contention.

Cheers,

Bobbolito

Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
mamag3
Newbie

im having the same issues but im getting black and grey lines. i turn the tv off and back on and its fine....for a while...we just got Fios, ive been a direct tv person for 15 years and never had a problem. in my daughters room shes getting colored vertical lines across her tv. you can hear the  show but you cant see it

0 Likes
Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
Oyster1301
Newbie

Was your pixelation problem on all channels or only while watching OnDemand?  I am able to watch television fine on both standard and HD channels.  However, when I try to watch movies we already purchased or rented via OnDemand, they are often pixelated and the sound distorted enough to make them virtual unwatchable at times.  It's really quite maddening.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon Fios Pixelation, distortion and freezing SOLVED
twopar
Enthusiast - Level 1

I have same issue. Is there a fix without calling repair? My connections all seem tight. I believe something related to this is what's knocking my wired ethernet connection thru VZ extenderfor Samsung UHD TV up and down. Only works directly to ethernet port on router.

0 Likes