All posts by MikeB
Below are all of MikeB's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Devon Dad: Just commeting on your question about HD. A TV from 2007 would not have had an HD tuner, but will have an HD Ready or even Full HD panel (actually, that TV seems to have a slightly better than HD Ready panel) , plus at least one HDMI connection (although the spec for that model might not have them, which I'm very surprised at).
So getting a HD signal is pretty easy - just use an external HD box/PVR. They start at around 44 pounds for a receiver, and a Humax/Panasonic PVR will start around 180. They will tend to have wifi/smart capacity as well. And that goes for blu rays, streamers like Amazon Firesticks, etc.
And that means you dont have to deal with the B & O system any more....
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Devon Dad: Frankly, I'm amazed that a set of that age doesn't have any HDMI's, especially considering the price (which paid, in part, for the amazing sound!).
So your kind of stuck. A Manhattan HD receiver does have a scart (I've got one), and Humax PVR's still do, or the latest version has RCA's, which is an easy convert to scart - so you will have the connectivity, smartness, etc, but not the HD.
That would be the most pragmatic way to go, but sadly, you can't enjoy Blue Planet II in its full glory.
I had a couple come in a while back asking about TV's, and it was only after about 10 min that they bothered to tell me they had a B & O (which meant I'd wasted my time talking about a perfectly decent 600 Panasonic...), and were looking for something similar in quality terms. Since I've only ever seen a B & O once, I showed them the best Samsung (B & O use Samsung panels) and then said to go to our main London store to compare B & O with Samsung.
Then I looked at the cost of a B & O and laughed - because they are very very very expensive, certainly in panel terms. So if you are looking to replace it, go up one size or more, stick to the four major brands, and get the best you can. You wont get the sound quality, but a decent soundbar, etc will overall be much cheaper. Frankly, you could get Sonos and still be ahead. OLED is a big seller this year, and the quality is wonderful.
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Devon Dad: Panasonic use LG panels, and are doing very well (I'm a huge fan of the EX750), Samsung make panels for other brands as well, - and of course LG, Sony and Panasonic OLEDS are all made by LG. The secret is the quality of the panel and the software - B & O of course use their own, like every brand.
Yeah, I can't afford a new TV either, never mind an OLED! But selling them....
Actually, I would like to ask what the quality of the picture is like on the B & O, vs a Panasonic/Samsung. Obviously its only on SD, but is there much difference?
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Kelly: You complained of this a year ago.
The same advice applies. Either its a) a high pressure system, which cause a problem earlier in the week
b) You Tv is telling you the problem - your aerial system is borked. Check the cables, etc. If it kepps happening, then your system needs to be checked.
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Bren: If your getting a bad signal when you have poor weather, that points to an underlying problem - perhaps water getting into your system, etc.
Some tuners are more sensitive than others, and some muxes are stronger than others, but check your cables (they are cheap enough to swap out), and of course check if you are getting interference - if the signal is breaking up at the same time each day, then thats not an accident.
Basically, go through each thing, and eliminate each possible cause.
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Dave Marks: Read the previous comments - unless the TV has a sat. tuner as well, no.
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David laing: I've just checked my seven year old and relatively basic LG TV, and the EPG does all those things and more! And thats standard on all TV's.
If the EPG isn't populating, check your signal strength - if the signal is low, then that can cause problems. Software can be another problem - make sure there system updates have been done.
If you have an LG from this year, there is an excellent chance it has Freeview Play, which slightly complicates matters, since that takes a little longer to load, etc. Check that its accessable to the net.
However, you should automatically get the populated EPG/IPG by simply pressing GUIDE, with whats on now, on what channel, and whats next, at least for the next 7/14 days. There should be a small amount of information, but by pressing INFO you should get a lot more - mine tells me bit rate, episode numbers, and of course the ability to switch channels, set up a timer setting, etc.
If you guys are not getting this, something is very odd!
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Bren: OK, starting with the basics - yes, if you touch the cables and there is a problem, then its the cables!
You havn't put your poscode into the site, so we dont know your location in relation to the transmitter (it will tell you the exact bearing the aerial needs to point to), but I'm about 50Km away, with no problems, even though I've got a masterhead amp and an extra booster in the roof (moved in and they were there already), hence the need for a bit of attentuation.
If your running lots of boosters, that can be a problem. Try bypassing them, and see what happens. Frankly, start from the beginning, and look at your aerial - if your moving it and stuff goes wrong, it sounds like the connection is dodgy. Sort that out and move down the chain. And do you actually need a powered splitter at all?
The fewer connections the better, and the better the connections, the better. F-fittings are good, because they are less likely to slip out. Google ATV Sheffield for information on your system, and Screwfix will do decent RG6 cable for a good price.
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I'm always wary of extrapolating trends when it comes to technology, and even more so when it comes to people - people dont do logic.
Its perfectly true that my children live in a multi-media world, with screens everywhere. They game, stream (albeit Iplayer - its free), watch Freeview, look at tablets/phones, etc. And those habits are not going to disappear. But they still watch content, and do it on a screen. Its just how they watch it that varies.
But what and how people watch content does change with their circumstances. If your 18, then (if you have the money), you can binge on Netflix, watch nothing but drama on Amazon Prime and game. By 25, you can afford the data to stream Game of Thrones to your phone on the commute.
But when you hit your thirties, and get kids, watching The Walking Dead at 3am isn't really on, even if the kids wont sleep. And at 6pm, the kids are watching Peppa Pig.
There are also things that have to be watched live - sport, the final of Bake Off, etc. And we have habits - people have appointment TV, or simply like to sit down at a particular time.
We still watch TV at much the same time, in often exactly the same position in our houses, using much the same aerials as our parents and grandparents.
So while in 20 years we will probably have 4K as standard, if not 8K, and streaming will be largely standard for that, but the reality is that bandwidth is always finite, while Freeview/sat is relatively cheap, universal and established.
So who knows what will happen. But I bet that economics and audience inertia will be more powerful than we might think.
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Saturday 4 November 2017 10:41AM
michael: The recorder has two tuners, but by the sound of it, your dish has only one LNB - the bit thats at the end of the dish. You need one for each tuner. Sky dishes might have one (for Sky), and two for Sky plus, etc.
Have a look at Satcure.com, which is all about sat. systems, and will show you how to see if your dish actually does have an extra LNB, but its simply not been connected up.
If you've only got one LNB, then you can only watch or record, so the best thing to do is to replace the single with a twin, or ever better, a quad (so if your TV has a Freesat tuner, you can use that, plus the recorder all at the same time). You can do it yourself, or pay someone to do it.