Yes, it was the first time I had ever connected that type of cable. You would think the directions would be more explicit and let you know to pay attention to how you are inserting it. Originally I really wanted internet connection, but then I am toying with just adding the apple airplay or the apple TV later if it doesnt have it. If I got a AV Receiver with "Pass Through", could I then connect the AVR to the TV with HDMI cable, and hear the TV if the AVR is not on. There seems to be many different types of "pass through" and I may be misinterpreting what others are saying. I was trying to decrease all the cable madness. I do want one where I can connect a pre-amp so I can connect my old turntable, and I want a front USB port to connect an old IPod, if it has no internet connection then I need the type of port for the apple gadget. The speakers are 8 oHms, so it needs to support that. I want a good one, but I am not an audiophile and the speakers are not audiphile speakers. Would like to keep it under $400. Do you have any suggestions?

Definetly a signal strength problem. In my area the cable co. only gives out HD boxes with a technician visit as they must measure the signal strength at your house to ensure proper service. The meter they use cost's a couple thousand dollars and gives a meausuremnt of the bandwith you are able to receive. (I know this because the installer at my house accidently forgot and left the meter in my basement, he was a nervous wreck when he came back looking for it later that day). You signal problem could be a result of too many splits or poor wiring inside the house or just plain poor signal coming into your house. Things to look for are where and how many splitters are you using? If possible you want the HD box and cable modems to get the top priority. For example in my setup the incoming signal is split three ways one goes to HD box one to cable modem and one feeds a 6 way spiltter for the rest of the house. You need a higher quality RG6 cable if you house is wired with RG59 or low quality RG6 you may not be capable of passing enough bandwith for the HD box. And finally your HD box should have a setup screen that shows the incoming signal strength, talk to a technician and see if they can guide you through checking this out over the phone might be helpful.

I have have a new home (about 1 year old) in a new development and cable is poor here as well. I had digital for a while but it continued to have degraded service and finally cancelled it and went to satellite. Had cable techs out 3 or 4 times and they said it is a problem outside of my development. More people need to complain before it will get fixed. Satillite signal is great. Can't find the down side to switching. Still have analog cable since I have their internet service but don't really use it much for TV and will be getting rid of is as soon as fiber optic from Verizon is comple in my area. Analog cable is still snowy sometimes.

To modify previous advice slightly: 1) Connect the coaxial cable from the wall into the Cable Box 2) Connect the Cable Box (output) to the Tivo (input) via S-Video cable (little better picture) 3) Connect the Tivo to the TV input also using S-Video if available. But ditch the Tivo and upgrade to the Comcast dual tuner DVR. It records HDTV as well. I just upgraded from a similar setup as you to it, its $10. Tivo is more user friendly but its a decent trade off being able to record 2 shows at once and being able to record in high definition and dolby 5.1.