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All posts by MikeB

Below are all of MikeB's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


Chris: If your in an area with just Freeview light, why move from sat.? You'll get far more channels than on a lite transmitter. Something like a Humax Freesat tuner/PVR would be a better buy.

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trevorjharris: Actually it seemed to come about by a BBC producer having a quick ring round - and it must have been quick, because I'm fairly sure they could have get a hell of a lot more names if they'd had a bit more time.

As usual, your putting a spin on it that isn't there, although I notice that yesterdays Daily Mail is following the same line. I can't imagine anyone on that list starving if the BBC vanished tomorrow (gary Linikar would probably earn more), and Jamie Oliver, Rachel Weisz, Daniel Craig havn't worked for the BBC in some time. On the other hand, a number of them got their breaks in part via the BBC and its productions. And it might not have occured to you, but have you thought that they support the BBC in its current form because it works, its a good thing, and they like it and what it does?

And the majority of the public agree with them. Of course if you want Rupert Murdoch to dominate TV, just has he does the rest of the media and politics, go ahead. I'm sure, like Lord Voldermort, he will be grateful to his folllowers...

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Jayne Every: You can edit the VHS tapes to the hard drive on the recorder (depending on the model), and then burn them to DVD. The recorder's manual should tell you how to set it up, but basically think of it as making a mix tape from records! Its how I did mine, but alternatively, get a USB video convertor for about fifteen quid and do it on your PC.

Since I have something similar to the scart switch box, I wouldn't bother, since the video is an extra - your just using it as a source until you've converted the tapes. If you have HDMI's on either the recorder or the VHS, use that - much better. As JB38 says - model numbers and makes would be a great help.

Leave the Sky box out of if as you can, unless your using it to transfer Sky recordings to disc.

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Ron: Whats the channel no. on BBC1 when you go into setup, and whats your signal strength? And what direction does your aerial face?

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Alexei Romanov: You havn't given your full postcode, so I dont know your location in relation to the transmitter. However, a decent bet is that your aerial has a problem, perhaps a frayed cable, etc. Check your signal strength (obviously make sure your tuned to the transmitter your meant to be) - and then check your system. It might be something as simple as a loose or broken aerial lead from the back of the set.

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Chris Shaw: You dont need to spend that much more money on the licence fee. If the fee had risen with inflation 5 years ago, it would be around 180 quid now (which is less than 3.50 a week per household). Take away the costs of broadband rollout, and plug the 'Iplayer' loophole, close LW, etc and it might work out a little less.

I think its perfectly reasonable for ITV to have ads on their streaming service (they charge if you want to watch without ads) - C4 already does. Programmes have to be paid for in some way, and although most people still watch live, more streaming means that content still needs revenue. I too wizz through the ads using my PVR, but if everyone is watching the programmes, but not the ads, something has to give. We all have got used to things on the net being free. Of course its not free, someone has to pay somewhere, and its better for ads to be shown in the same way as a broadcast programme, rather than anything else.

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Alexei Romanov: Becuase you put your postcode into thsite, we can see all the data for terrain, etc. You should be getting a very good signal from Black Hill, so if its duff, that points to a problem with the aerial system. Although BBC tends to be the strongest signal, if there is a break, etc, it could be that they disappear first (sound strange, but there you are).

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Alexei Romanov: I'd still check the connectons etc. When a signal is coming and going, people often seem to write it off as 'engineering work' (which it cant be - you said you've had signal problems for three months) or ''atmospherics' (which is unlikely for several months!). On the other hand, a failing booster, corroding wiring or a split in the cable sheathing which lets in water are all problems that can get a bit better for a while, but will fail in the end.

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Brianist: One strange querk, which I've only just noticed. I'm using the latest version of Firefox and when I type a comment, the edges of the comment box bascially disappears, along with the firs letter or two of what your trying to type. It tends to occur on the left hand side, especially as the formatting kicks in and makes the other side fine.
Its not a big deal, but does mean you cant see what your starting to type!

I've also just noticed that although your details kind of get saved when you tick the 'Save my details' box, it doesn't fill the name and email boxes automatically - you type the first letter and then it comes up as an option, unlike before, and it assumes automatically that you want email updates, which you then have to untick. Again, all this was previously automatic. Still, these are quibbles, and the site seems to be working fine.

Hope your leg is feeling better.

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Trevor H: I have to admit to be being slightly stunned that you've had the same problem for 3-4 years, and each time assumed that everything would be OK, and there was no underlying fault.

The answer is brutally simple - you have a huge fault with your aerial system, and you need to get a professional to look at it. We have no idea where you are, so cannot say what your normal signal should be like, but I can't think of any natural phenonema which would account for such a problem so regularly (it can't be trees or weather), but at a guess, the distribution system for the various feeds around the house would likely be the cause (or upstream).

Why it should go off in the summer is something we'd be interested in finding out, but its not impossible for someone to have rigged up the distributor themselves and wired in the power supply to something else. Switch that other circuit off, and the whole thing dies. Could be frayed wires expanding just enough in the heat of summer to no longer connect, etc. Whatever it is, you need a professional to sort it out.

Last night I replied to a question about a similar problem by saying that even though a fault might disappear temporarily, if you have a fault, its going to come back. Your case shows that very clearly, in that you've had the same problem for at least 3 years.

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