I spend a lot of my spare time (what little there is) watching movies, playing video games, or watching TV. I love my home theater with a love akin to family, and when there are quality issues it eats away at my soul like a cancer, slowly devouring my ability to concentrate or enjoy myself until the issue is rectified. I am in a constant search for improvement, and will not rest until perfection is reached.

We got our digital cable installed at the new house on Tuesday. We didn’t get a chance to really watch any of it because, well, we were unpacking.

We watched a little TV last night, and things were okay, but I’ve moved the cable box into my entertainment center, and ever since then I’ve had a minor crackle in the audio of certain channels. It doesn’t happen on every channel, and it doesn’t happen in on-demand programming. I can’t really find a pattern for it, but I know it bugs me.

I tried everything. I unplugged and plugged in all the cables. I re-wired everything so the power, the coax, and the component video/audio cables weren’t close (just in case there was interference). Still the crackle.

I called Comcast this morning and they told me to lower the volume on the cable box and raise the volume on the TV - apparently the volume on the cable box being too high is a problem. I hung up with them and tried that, but the volume is locked at a set position on the cable box.

I called them back and they told me how to unlock the volume on the cable box. I messed around with that for a while, but no combination of TV and cable box volumes fixed the crackle.

I called them back again and they said we’d have to schedule an appointment but their system was down so I’d have to call back.

I called them back just now and I have an appointment for 8:00a - 10:00a tomorrow morning. I’ll be charged $18 if they decide it’s my equipment, but I’m sure it’s not, so I’m not worried. I anticipate possible causes are: My TV is on the fritz, which I really hope is not the case (I should test that tonight), but it couldn’t be because the crackle isn’t on every channel… right?; there’s a problem with one of the cables between the wall and the cable box; there’s a problem with one of the cables inside the wall of the house (which I really hope is not the case, because I don’t want them drilling my vinyl siding); there’s a problem with the cable box itself and moving the box jogged it somehow and now it’s hosed; there’s a problem with the cable outside (they did have to pull it like four blocks to get to our house; maybe they need a signal repeater or something).

So. Cable time. Again.

I just got an email from Jenn regarding our phone. Bah.

We were supposed to get Qwest to set up our phone on Monday - same number, just new location. End of Monday, no phone. Called them on Tuesday and they had the wrong address so we corrected that and they said they’d have it by end of the day. End of Tuesday, no phone. Called them Wednesday evening (had to go back to work, right?) and found that we’re outside the Qwest service area and we need to call Verizon.

Sigh.

Jenn just called Verizon and we should have service by the end of today, but we have a new phone number. Argh. Guess we’ll have to have the old one forwarded. How lame is that?

I wish stuff with this new place would go smoothly, but I guess the house purchase itself was smooth so I must have used up all of my karma on that.