Background: I was away on vacation for 2 weeks and had my living room digital (not High Definition) cable box and VCR set to record 3 programs. When I checked the recordings the 1st 2 were fine and the 3rd was a blue screen like the cable box was turned off (it wasn't). I discovered the cable box would no longer get any channel above 136. So I called the cable company, they weren't able to explain or fix the problem, and I ended up taking the box to their office and exchanging it for a digital High Definition model converter box. (I also have a digital cable box in my bedroom; it has been working fine through this whole situation- it gets all the channels it is supposed to).

The new HD digital box solved the problem of not getting channels above 136. But now I have HD issues I don't understand and the cable company hasn't been able to explain.

When I first installed the HD box today all the channels worked properly except the HD ones. They were so pixelated the picture was no good, the sound was intermittant, and on one channel it was like watching a film where the sound isn't synchronized with the picture - the actors move their lips and then a second later you hear them speak. The cable company said it was a bad signal or a problem with the box so they sent a signal and redownloaded programming. It didn't improve things. At that point I gave up on it.

Then this evening, after I had decided to return the HD box, I turned on the TV again. The HD channels now work "sort of." NBC and CBS come in crystal clear and the surround sound works fine. HBO pixelates every few seconds but the sound is fine. Showtime is perfect. I can't get Discovery HD at all - the box won't go to the channel even when I directly enter the channel number (On Cinemax, which I don't subscribe to, I can go to the channel and get a screen saying it is subscription service). When I try to go to Discovery HD the picture freezes on whatever channel I am already on. I called the cable people again and they said I'm supposed to get Discovery HD and they couldn't explain why I'm not or what is happening.

I've talked to 4 different cable people by phone, and one in person and they all say I have a bad signal.

What I don't understand is how the HD channels wouldn't work hardly at all this afternoon, later some became perfect while I can't access one at all (I could access Discovery HD earlier), and several are so marginal they would drive me nuts if I had to watch them. I don't understand why, if I can get all the regular non-HD channels and a few of the HD channels perfectly, the cable company would say the problem I'm having is a bad signal (Yea, maybe for the channels that aren't coming in, but the signal coming to my set seems strong enough, so isn't the problem with the the cable company\broadcaster?).

The situation has me frustrated. So any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Just for information that may help - my living room has a Toshiba widescreen HD ready TV, the HD box is connected to the HD component video (3plugs plus 2 for sound) inputs. I haven't connected the HD box to my surround sound system yet. And the regular digital cable box in my bedroom still works perfectly.

Thanks in advance - Hal