We present an unified framework to identify spectra of Jacobi matrices. We
give applications to long-standing conjecture of Chihara concerning one-quarter
class of orthogonal polynomials, to the conjecture posed by Roehner and Valent
concerning continuous spectra of generators of birth and death processes and to
spectral properties of operators studied by Janas, Moszy\'nski and Pedersen.Comment: 15 page