Cox's new MPEG-4/H.264 channels + Intel Video 2000 + Ceton = black screen?

Can you temporarily put another video card in your main HTPC and see if that resolves the issue? That would at least confirm it is indeed video (but I agree that it is likely).
FWIW, it should be transparent from our card's perspective if it's MPEG2 or MPEG4 video, and we have tested the card (and WMC) with MPEG4 video with success before.

Yeah, what in the world? I just ran into this exact issue. Newer channels here in Phoenix on COX just play audio, no video. I also have Sandy Bridge HD 3000 graphics.

Pretty annoying, and I also wouldn't have any idea how to get this escalated to Intel. I guess I'll submit a ticket and wait a year or so.

Can you guys open support tickets with us and PM me your ticket #'s. Put in the ticket that I told you to open it.
I have ways I can engage Intel, so I'll work to try and repro this and then engage them.

Sent PM, and thank you very much for helping.

I've been very impressed with the level of service from Ceton.

Trio is more than a firmware upgrade. Integrates a different version of the guide onto the box, used with trio *whole home dvr* platform. My understanding being trio boxes aka *whole home dvr subscribers* receive plus package hd chans which include quite a few new hd chans for premiums and so forth. Without whole home dvr *regardless of what cable card or tuner you have* the channels would not function or not function as intended *no pic but sound*. Cable cards in Tivo's or otherwise *centon PCIe card in this case* have such a wonderful guide setup you can spot new and interesting channels early on, here this all the time. Problem with those chans not working are either requirements on your account or not fully being implemented.

In this case though, plus package is exclusive *at least at this time* to Trio Whole Home DVR subscribers.

No, the only reason Cox limits this to Trio is because the new plus package channels are using near 1GHz frequency and MPEG4 encoding. All the other cable boxes Cox offers top out at 860MHz and may or maynot support MPEG4. It has nothing to do with guide or software inside the box.

CableCard devices we have on the market today are all capable of tune up to 1Ghz. But Tivo boxes don't have MPEG4 support right now. So, other than TiVo, other CableCard tuners will work just fine. OP's issue is strictly Intel driver issue.

For the most part, this is incorrect. Cox (and all cable operators) is legally required to offer all linear channels to all CableCARD customers. We have worked with Cox, and they have arranged things so that CableCARD customers can receive the Plus Pack in most markets. There are a few markets which are running into difficulty, which they are currently working on resolving, and should have it resolved very soon in.


I believe Series 4 TiVo devices actually should work with MPEG4, but from what I've heard, there is currently some sort of issue on this that is being resolved.

From what I read,Series 3 seems to lack the hardware for MPEG4 decoding. So it is impossible to get updated to support the new encoding. Series 4 seems to have the necessary hardware but software is not there yet and a promised update is coming. Either way, currently all TiVo owners are screwed.

Given I happen to deal with these packages directly, I can assure you that in AZ as the minimum, Plus Package channels, the extension to many premium hd channels, is currently exclusive to Trio/whole home dvr subscribers. Much like adding a premium channel, the set of channels are reserved for subscribers utilizing our cisco boxes and whole home dvr. Granted someone with a cable card and ceton tuner *media center pc only, if tivo is questionable* can pick them up if plus package is apart of there account. Similar to adding a premium, a message describing the need to subscribe and providing a number to call is what you will see if you are not set up for trio / whole home dvr. Getting into the nitty gritty of why a SA or Moto box in there current iterations can't handle those packages is irrelevant as I can verify they do not work on such boxes, given the existence of trio codes on the account, those boxes can not be provisioned for plus package content. Assuming it was done for more tech reasons *specifically relating to hardware requirements as the guide system is irrelevant*. I have seen older boxes functioning in that spectrum and able to view them, just are not able to add codes to a customers box that isn't apart of trio.

Firmware and guide updates are beside the point, setup for whole home and codes in place and provisioned to the box or paired to the card are required. This is more than likely to change in the near future and might have changed in other markets, the stance that is taken per market isn't knowledge I have gained just an observational guess.

Further info on Tivo:

Compatible CableCARD devices must be able to tune to frequencies above 860 MHz and support MPEG4 video. As of December 2011, the following devices are capable of receiving the HD Plus Pak channels:

TiVo Premiere
TiVo Premiere XL
TiVo Premiere Elite
Ceton InfiniTV, 4 or 6 tuner OCUR PC device
HD HomeRun Prime by SiliconDust, OCUR PC device

That's odd, because my creaky old Tivo HD is perfectly happy with the HD Plus Pak channels. Perhaps my local Cox (Palos Verdes, CA) doesn't use MPEG4.

Don't forget - the Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 does it too. Getting Plus Pak HD channels in Omaha that tune in the 860-1000MHz range ( don't know if thy are MPEG-4).

IIRC, only two markets of Cox use MPEG4 on plus channels. Even though my local cox use MPEG4 on these channels, they are actually not using 1GHz at all.

Just wondering if there was a fix for this yet and/or if you still want tickets opened as my aging main HTPCs motherboard finally went out and I decided to upgrade to the newer architecture and ran into this problem on Cox Phoenix with an i3/z68 board. With the integrated intel graphics I would either get the Display Driver/Protected Content error or just black screen with audio and only had problems on the h264 channels. As soon as I used any ati or nvidia graphics card the problem went away.

Was hoping to use the integrated graphics as I'd like to get rid of the heat/power consumption of the now "required" graphics card to view the mp4/h264 stations.

On another note, I was wondering if this might also affect the Q as I hadn't heard what they were planning to use inside the box yet and/or as an "embeded" device if some restrictions are lifted. I also find it interesting that Tivo also has a problem with h264 on Cox and was wondering if the root cause was related.

I got a new TiVo Premiere Elite setup and configured last Monday and got all of Cox OKC's HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax Plus Package Channels:

812 HBO Signature
814 HBO Comedy
814 HBO Zone
823 Thriller MAX
826 5 Star MAX
834 Showtime Extreme
848 The Movie Channel eXtra

That was Monday. Then, on Tuesday, I discovered that all of the Plus Package channels had disappeared and I received a black screen and the following error message on each from TiVo:
Cox OKC kept reassuring me that those channels were authorized and even sent out a tech but nothing worked. After I asked Cox tech support to take up my issue with a person senior enough to have a thorough understanding of CableCARD configuration and how they work with the Plus Package, they said they would do it and get back to me.

Cox called yesterday and told me that the problem arose because Cox had "changed the frequency" on its Plus Package channels. The Cox rep told that they had contacted TiVo and learned that TiVo was developing a software update to handle the Plus Package. Unfortunately, Cox told me that TiVo had said the software update would not be rolled out until late April or early May.

The most puzzling aspect of all of this is why my TiVo Premiere Elite was receiving the Plus Pack channels at first but lost them less the 24 hours later. Go figure.

I don't want to act paranoid but the foregoing tap dance sounds suspiciously like the kind of thing I saw years ago when one of my PCs would stop working normally and a software company would point the finger at the computer manufacturer and the computer manufacturer would point the finger at the software company. Has anyone heard anything about Cox having changed the frequency on its MPEG-4 channels so recently that it would exchange my first having them and then not?


I have now learned that the Plus Package channels are MPEG-4 and apparently 1GHz. Anyway, thought I would report what Cox said. I guess the next step is to contact TiVo and see what they say.

FYI, a trusted Cox contact also told me that the Plus Pack channels, in MPEG-4 areas, won't work on TiVo's until that software update is out, so I'm pretty sure the info you received is accurate.

Thanks for the update. What you say tells me that neither Cox's nor TiVo's first level support people have the slightest idea about what is going on. The TiVo tech, who otherwise demonstrated excellent proficiency, told me with total confidence that the TiVo Premiere Elite boxes could handle every cable company's MPEG-4 channels regardless of tuning frequency. Then, a Cox tech told me with equal confidence that my CableCARD was properly paired and authorized and that he knew of no reason why my Premiere Elite was not tuning to MPEG-4 channels. Even more frustrating, nobody has come up with a plausible explanation as to why I was at first receiving all of Cox's Plus Pack MPEG-4 channels but then lost them, permanently. Aaaarrg!

Cox is sending out a tech tomorrow morning but I suspect that exercise will prove to be futile, too. Anyway, thanks again for your feedback.

My understanding is that they should have worked in theory, but do not work due to an incompatibility. I'm unclear if the problem is intermittent, but perhaps it is - if so, that would explain why it worked before.

Any resolution to the Intel Core i3 HD integrated graphics issue w/ Plus Package channels?

I just ordered an SD HomeRun Prime and am running:

• Intel Core i3-2105 - HD Graphics 3000
• ASUS P8H67-V (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Just wondering if I was going to have issues?

I am also still waiting for the TiVo "Spring" update to see if the issue is resolved.

I, too, am anxiously awaiting TiVo's spring update for my Premiere Elite. See my earlier posts about the problem. I remain without the Plus Package channels.

Just to make the situation even more puzzling, my daughter called yesterday and told me that as of yesterday they were receiving Cox Tulsa's Plus Package channels on their Premiere. I had her check and she confirmed that her Premiere and my Elite are running different versions of the TiVo software. What a mess!

I set-up my SiliconDust HomeRun Prime today, and I can confirm that there is no Video with the Plus Package MPEG4 (H.264) on my PC running Intel Core i3-2105 - HD Graphics 3000. I do get the Audio but no Video.

The channels do work fine on my Toshiba Satellite A505-S6973 Laptop.

I certainly hope that Intel can/will release drivers to fix this.

@daidavel Did you post anything regarding this issue in the following thread:
Official Sandy Bridge / LGA1155 for HTPCs Thread

Bryan, which drivers did you try as last week someone mentioned Windows update listing a new driver dated 2 months ago, though the latest from intel's site is about a month newer. Both mention fixes or the providing of real time h264 as well as fixes for games. I was going to try them both as the windows one might address this issue while intel might continue to use what breaks it but was afraid I was going to break playready, since I'm currently using another graphics card, and lose all my copy once programming but since you just started with your prime you may not have to worry about that.

The Intel Utility says I am running the latest and Windows Update has nothing newer. Do you have a direct link to the newest Intel Driver?

Intel Core i3-2105 - HD Graphics 3000 - Latest Driver Installed 8.15.10.2696 - Date: 3/19/2012

Graphics Driver
Product Detected - Intel® Processor Graphics 3000 - Current Driver Installed 8.15.10.2696
Your driver is current.
Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility (Chipset INF)
Product Detected - Intel® H67 Express Chipset Family Current Version Installed 9.2.0.1021
This version is valid.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Deta...w=8.15.10.2696