Forum Discussion

waffle's avatar
waffle
New Contributor III
4 years ago

LIVE TV Delayed

TV feeds are now 30-40 seconds behind the streaming feeds. This has been a problem for the last few weeks (at least). 

For example - If I watch NFL Red Zone on stream it's about 8 seconds ahead of watching NFL Red Zone on TV. Last season the TV feed was 20-30 seconds ahead. 

What the heck is going on? Power cycling the system doesn't work. Restarting the system doesn't work. Doing a system refresh doesn't work. This is a clearly widespread issue (see the other posts here). There's really no point to stay on cable if we are now even behind streaming services.

  • I_am_Richard's avatar
    I_am_Richard
    New Contributor III

    Cable TV providers act as a "middle-man" between the signal source and the viewer.  The cable provider receives the original signal, processes it, and then outputs the processed signal to the viewer.  The viewer experiences a delay corresponding to the amount of processing the cable provider is performing and the speed of the equipment involved.  The more processing the cable provider does, the more delay the viewer experiences; similarly, the slower the equipment used, the more delay the viewer experiences. Cox recently decided to increase the amount of processing by transcoding the MPEG-2 signal they receive to MPEG-4, as well as changing the resolution of 1080i content to 720p.  If Cox did not upgrade their equipment speed to offset the delay attributable to this additional processing, that could explain why the delay is so large now.

    An additional explanation could be that the timing of the output signal is dependent on the time set on a particular clock which is running slightly behind real-time.  So if the clock says it is 8:00:00 p.m. when in reality it is 8:00:30, the signal will be delayed by 30 seconds.  I don't know why anyone would design a system in such a silly manner, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility.

  • So are we going to get any official word from Cox on this? I called customer service, and the guy was clueless. He suggested having someone come out and look at the equipment. I told him that I doubted it was a hardware thing. Seems like the Cox people have no idea how to respond to this issue.

    A 45 second delay watching stuff on my TV is ludicrous for what I pay, and their explanation is totally stupid (nobody else except Cox is having these issues). Will need to cancel if there isn't resolution.

    • waffle's avatar
      waffle
      New Contributor III

      The most "official" answer I got so far was the email reply (posted above). I don't think this issue is going to go away anytime soon.

    • CrystalS's avatar
      CrystalS
      Former Moderator
      Hello @DripDripDrop,

      I'm sorry to learn about the TV troubles you are experiencing. We would definitely be able to assist you with this. Please reach us on Twitter at @CoxHelp, visit us on Facebook, or email us at cox.help@cox.com. Provide us the name on the account with the complete service address with a link to this thread so we can get started.

      Crystal S.
      Cox Support Forum Moderator
      • strom2800's avatar
        strom2800
        New Contributor

        It's honestly completely ridiculous now. I was watching the MLB playoffs and was getting alerts at least three pitches before the play happened I had the alert for. The fact that I pay almost $400 a month for cable that I can go on Twitter to get tests 45 seconds before I can see it happen "live" is like paying to be robbed. 

  • KnottyOak's avatar
    KnottyOak
    New Contributor II

    I am having same issue. Also it looks like everything clock etc is behind almost 1 minute. this affects all recordings etc. Have to add the extra 3 min on recordings. Sports are the worst! I can watch on ipad contour app and be ahead by 40 sec

    • BenS1's avatar
      BenS1
      Former Moderator
      Hi @KnottyOak
      I can relate to what's going on, and I want you to be able to watch your shows without interruption. While watching live events through your Contour box there can be a delay. For the issue with your DVR recordings please email us at cox.help@cox.com with your full name/full address and reference this post.
      Ben S.
      Cox Support Forums Moderator
      • KnottyOak's avatar
        KnottyOak
        New Contributor II

        I have contacted tech support a few times, they have no clue what i'm talking about. I am not paying a tech to come out and say nothing is wrong

  • Cfish45's avatar
    Cfish45
    New Contributor

    Same thing happening here. Just want to add my voice as another upset customer. Going to look at other options. Paying way to much for cox as it is.

    • capsmvp's avatar
      capsmvp
      New Contributor II

      What is the delay like with centurylink?

  • waffle's avatar
    waffle
    New Contributor III

    Another update: 

    "After discussing this further with our video engineers, we believe the issue you're experiencing is due to the way live sporting events are broadcast and the encoding that occurs on the Cox side before the feed is transmitted to customers. Cox no longer broadcasts in the MPEG-2 format; MPEG-4 encoding is now used. Cox has been transitioning from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 in all Cox markets over the past year. MPEG-4 compresses the signal more than MPEG-2 while maintaining signal quality, thus freeing up bandwidth. This encoding change can cause a delay between the TV broadcast and online streaming feeds."

    It looks like we have an answer. I think it was mentioned by another user in here as well.

    • clew13's avatar
      clew13
      New Contributor

      I'm having the same issue and it is infuriating. I get ESPN alerts to my phone before the play happens on my TV. Is this a permanent thing with Cox or are they addressing it? 

      • CrystalS's avatar
        CrystalS
        Former Moderator
        Hello @Clew13,

        I am so very sorry to learn of your TV troubles and I'd like to help. Please reach us on Twitter at @CoxHelp, visit us on Facebook, or email us at cox.help@cox.com. Provide us the name on the account with the complete service address with a link to this thread so we can get started.

        Crystal S.
        Cox Support Forum Moderator
    • ericmac73's avatar
      ericmac73
      New Contributor

      Bro.....I have been trying to figure what is going on for the past three weeks. I am watching the baseball game right now and its literally 4 pitches behind. I am getting updates on my phone faster than "live tv". Looks like I am dumping Cox. 

    • qwijibo's avatar
      qwijibo
      New Contributor

      this delay, frankly, is garbage.  The delay advantage that linear TV has over streaming in sports is one of the last reasons to keep paying for cable.  40 seconds of delay is comical for broadcast-grade transcoding.

      • waffle's avatar
        waffle
        New Contributor III

        It's ridiculous. It's even worse when you can hear neighbors celebrating a play 30 seconds before you see it. I'm dropping Cox when my contract is up - like you said this is the last reason to keep them and it's gone. 

  • CurtB's avatar
    CurtB
    Valued Contributor III

    If you spent several days researching a 30-40 second delay, it obviously matters to you.  But why?  Are you trying to sync with another feed?  Just curious.

      • CurtB's avatar
        CurtB
        Valued Contributor III

        Why does a 30-40 second delay matter?  That's what I was curious about.

  • waffle's avatar
    waffle
    New Contributor III

    After a few days of back and forth with support this the response I received:

    "Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Our video team is aware of the delay & we do apologize that we are unable to resolve this for you currently. The delay is with the feed we are broadcasting the game on." 

    and when I asked if we can be updated when the issue has been resolved this is the answer I received:

    "Excellent question. At this time, we do not have a way to provide resolution updates for this type of issue. I am truly sorry for this inconvenience."

    Hopefully that helps anyone else who might have this issue. Hopefully this is resolved soon.