Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Green Screen Verizon FIOS via HDMI

I recently had Verizon Fios TV (and internet) installed at my house. Overall, I was extremely impressed with the level of service in notifying me about the install and the technician that was sent to do the job. However, I am having a problem, and it turns out I am not the only one.

I have new Sharp 32" LCD 720p tv connected via HDMI cables to the QIP-7100 Motorola HD set-top box. After watching the tv for about 30 seconds, it will turn to a green screen, yet the audio works fine. I need to powercycle both the box and the tv in order to get picture again, yet it will just happend again immediately. I have switched out the cables, inputs, etc and nothing works. The box does work if I use the 5 component cables, however that is not an ideal solution for anyone that is trying not to have a million ugly wires running up the wall.

So far, I have found on other blogs, that this is a known issue with the Verizon box, and that it has gone unresolved for almost a year. That is unacceptable, I hope my decision to move to Verizon because of Comcast's idiotic technicians and support was not a bad decision.

I did read on another blog that a patch is on the way, so let's see if it actually happens.

11 comments:

Pete_C said...

I had FIOS installed today 12 MAR 2009 in FL. I have the same green screen issue with a Toshiba 42" LCD. I asked the tech to swap our the box and HDMI cable which he did. That did not solve the problem. I have read something about initially configuring a menu but have not been able to get to said menu on my Motorola FIOS HD box.

Thoughts said...

I had the tech swap out the box and the hdmi cable as well, with no luck. I did read that you are able to force your box into 720p mode which eliminates the issue, but then you will get black bars on the left and right side of all of your standard definition channels, which is not an option for me.
I am not sure on this particular Motorola box, but I know with the comcast one, if you powered it off while holding the menu key (on the box not the remote), it would take you to a special setup menu.

Thoughts said...

Well, it is now the end of March and still no update from Verizon.

Jason said...

I have the same gear (Motorola 7100 box) with FiOS, and am having the exact same issue. Worked fine for months, now it only works for like 30 seconds after powerup and then green screen.

I can't believe they don't fix this! Anyone know of a fix or workaround (besides using component mess cables)?

Crawfish said...

I only have this issue when I go through my receiver. When I run my cable direct to my TV, the issue goes away.

Jason said...

Just thought I'd follow up and post what I learned.

Verizon acknowledged it's a known, widespread issue on all of their Motorola boxes (HD, HD-DVR, etc). They claim they are working on a fix (but I found threads as old as one year ago, saying the same!!)

Also, checked with Samsung (my TV) and they said they know of the issue, and Verizon has told them they are working on a fix.

I had them ship me a replacement cable box, will post back if that works or not.

If not, guess I'll stick with a mess of component and optical cables :(

Jason said...

Well, I got a replacement box and it fixed the issue (for now).

The old box was a QIP 7100 (newer model), and the new one is a QIP 6200 (older model).

The 7100 had the issue, the 6200 does not (yet). The 7100 worked for months without a hitch though, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the 6200 craps out too.

They still claim "engineers are working on a fix" ,although I've found posts and threads going back over a year with Verizon telling customers the same thing, so I guess they're not working too hard on it.

Thoughts said...

Thanks for the updates. I recently moved and had the firmware updated on my units, and still no luck. The tech told me that they know of the problem and to not hold my breath on them fixing it.

Question, if the 6200 is working for you, do you also have a home media-dvr? I was wondering if the 6200 is compatible with that, as I watch dvr'd programs remotely from my 7100

Unknown said...

On an Olevia set that was working perfectly for over a year, I now have the problem too. The STB turns on, generates audio, and responds to channel changes via the remote...just as it's supposed to do.

As soon as I turn on the TV (connected via HDMI cable), I get "no signal" and a "du1" error message on the STB display. As I pointed out, this is a new issue. I hooked a DVD player to the TV using the same HDMI cable and it works just fine.

Verizon tech told me I should get RGB component cables to connect to the set instead of using HDMI. Not happy about this non-solution!

Unknown said...

Power Cycled the set top box. Worked so far (30 min.)

Anonymous said...

Well it's now 2012, Verizon you suck with this issue. My box does this and locks up completely, no sound or anything.