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Freezing / Choppy image (wired)

Freezing / choppy image on wired digital box

Parrot on PVR

Fix Optik TV pixelated, freezing, or choppy video

Is your Optik TV picture lower quality than usual? Log in to My TELUS to automatically test and fix issues affecting video quality. If you need help, you can request a callback with a support representative.

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These steps will be most helpful if your TV picture keeps stopping or blurring and the audio keeps cutting out on your wired digital box. (Ethernet ports and cables used for connecting your wired devices are highlighted in the image below.)

ethernet cable-HQ

A wired device will have an Ethernet cable connected directly between the PVR/digital box and the modem.

Using a wireless digital box? Visit
Freezing / Choppy image (wireless)
 for help.

If your TV feed keeps on freezing or stopping while you are watching it, there may be something wrong with the connection between the TELUS modem and your digital box. This can also be noticed during recordings.

Ensure your TV is not paused and the fast forward button has not been pressed. This will cause the image to appear to be freezing. You can confirm it is playing at normal speed if there is no green bar along the bottom of your screen with a line moving across from left to right.

Attempt these troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue:

  • Check a different channel to see if your issue is only on one channel. If the problem is with one channel only, the problem should be resolved shortly. Check back in a few minutes.

  • Similarly, you may encounter coloured bars or a message saying “programming unavailable.” If this is the case, there is an issue with the channel and programming will resume once the outage is resolved.

  • Confirm there are no outages in your area by visiting
    telus.com/outage
    .

  • Generally, the picture will freeze if there are loose cables between your devices. By tightening the cables you ensure there is no gap where the information could be getting lost while being transmitted.

    1. Power off all of your digital boxes

    2. Locate your TELUS modem

    3. Ensure all the cables are connected and wrench tight to the back of the modem

    4. If you are using an audio or video receiver between the TELUS TV box and your TV, connect the TELUS box directly to the TV for troubleshooting purposes.

    5. If there are any cables that go to the wall, ensure those are tight as well

    6. Restart the modem (To restart, unplug the power for 2 minutes and plug it back in)

    7. Wait for the Internet light to be green and blinking. If you are using an ethernet cable, wait for the corresponding LAN light to come on

    8. If you are using a coaxial cable, wait for the HPNA/COAX light on the modem to come on. If you have COAX and a black adapter that plugs into the power, please check and make sure the adapter is plugged in and the lights are solid.

    9. Locate your PVR / digital box

    10. Ensure the cables are tightly connected to the back of the digital box

    11. If there are any cables that go to the wall, ensure those are tight as well

    12. Remove the power cable from the back of the PVR for 2 minutes and plug it back in

    13. Turn your TV on and watch the screen

    14. Once you are able to see a show on TV, tune to a live channel (for example, channel 100)

    15. If the picture has improved, proceed to another digital box and repeat steps 10 - 14

    16. If the picture is still freezing, please
      contact us

Recordings that were affected will not be able to be fixed. You can find a vast majority of shows under our On Demand section to catch up on your favorite shows should any be difficult to watch due to picture quality issues.

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