Alf, thanks for the screenshot! It is definitely the former. I am aware of effects transitions (hence the description of the topic), but these are not the transitions I am used to seeing in earlier seasons. The typical transition has been a white "orb" traveling from one corner of the screen to the opposite, "folding" away the page as it goes. I know because some of the transitions during a recent episode did not display the static. They are always (from my recollection) accompanied by the same sound effect, a "wooshing" sound. However, in this season, I am hearing the wooshing sound accompanied by a static display, just like the screenshot you showed. I don't think this is an intentional transition. I doubt they would randomly switch to a "static" transition for half the episode, plus this is really, really ugly in my opinion. I think there is an issue caused by one or more of the following:
1. My TV is unable to display the transitions properly. I bought a new TV recently so maybe it chokes on the display rate/resolution of that effect. But it's only happening on some of the transitions, not every one on every episode.
2. My cable box is not capable of displaying it for the same reasons above.
3. My cable company is having problems transmitting the signal for similar reasons, losing some of the resolution as it reformats the signal for transmission across the cable network.
4. The digital effects processing studio that is handling the transitions for this season is making some type of mistake.
After seeing your screenshot, which looks exactly like what I am seeing, I'm thinking it's number 4.
I'm glad you know what I'm talking about and you are seeing it too, I just want to know if it's intentional or accidental, and if I just need to get used to seeing it or if it is going to be fixed. Like I said, I got a massive headache on the episode it was happening on a lot, and I'm 90% sure it was your episode with Gabe. I almost had to turn it off at the end, because the transitions were happening about every 30 seconds.