All posts by Mike Dimmick
Below are all of Mike Dimmick's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Brian Greensides: Sandy Heath Mux A/SDN and Mux C/ArqA are both in 2K mode; Mux A uses 64QAM 2/3 and Mux C 16QAM 3/4. We *believe* Mux C/ArqA will stay in 16QAM 3/4 2K mode when it moves to C67 tomorrow, despite it taking that channel over from ArqB which has been running in 64QAM 2/3 8K mode since switchover.
Mux A will stay in 2K mode right up to its final channel change on 9 May 2012.
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bernard hunt, Briantist: Some recent photos are at mb21 - The Transmission Gallery . The old analogue ITV1 West antenna is shown as 'Reserve ITV West?' here.
It's possible that the West service started up at restricted height, from the old aerial, as well as at low power; the new aerial looks like it will give better coverage to the south as well. Should be better than the old analogue service's coverage - particularly since that was only at 25 kW; the 5 kW restricted digital service should have at least equalled the analogue service it replaced.
I wonder if they'll change the feed of any Ridge Hill relays? Could be tricky because this is only a mini-mux containing ITV1 regional services!
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mike l: Check that the viewing card is properly seated, and also current. Try removing the card, carefully cleaning the contacts, and putting it back in.
Watch, Gold and Dave are all encrypted and the viewing card has to decrypt the data before the picture and sound can be decoded. The viewing card also tells the box which variant of BBC One to put on 101, and which variant of ITV1 to put on 103, based on the postcode that the card was sent to.
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Responding to myself - scratch that, the only way that could work is if the mini-mux was upgraded to a full D3&4 multiplex. I assume that D3&4 is fully statistically multiplexed, so as it won't always be the case that ITV1 and ITV1 +1 'West' will be running at the same bit rate as the 'Central' versions. You couldn't stitch together a full D3&4 multiplex at the relays (even if the equipment supported it, which it probably doesn't) out of the component parts. There's some null padding but probably not enough to allow enough flexibility for this.
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bob: If you have an 'HD Ready' TV with HDMI connectors, look for a Freeview HD box and connect it with HDMI.
If you have an older TV with only one SCART input, you probably need to put the VCR in the middle of the chain. However, you won't be able to record a different programme from the one you're watching.
It may be best to get a SCART switch box, and a Freeview box with two SCART sockets. You can then plug Freeview and VCR SCART 1 into the switch box and the switch box into the TV, then connect Freeview SCART 2 to VCR SCART 2 so that you can record a separate programme.
Or, get a Freeview+ PVR and do your recordings on that. It's far easier to understand, schedule and allows time-shifting of the channel you're watching as well.
I'm not aware of any Freeview boxes where you can tell it to pass through from one SCART to another.
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Briantist: You're a week early with that statement. Sutton Coldfield and relays don't complete until the 21st. Perhaps you meant to say 'East Midlands'?
C58 is used for BBC One at a number of SC relays:
Earl Sterndale
Ironbridge
Kidderminster
Queslett
Winchcombe
Vertically-polarized aerials are more prone to picking up off-beam signals than HP.
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Will: No, the final power is 170 kW just like the other two COM multiplexes. It is *currently* running at 20 kW to avoid interference to other transmitters.
The page above says 20 kW because Brian did a bodge to his database, because of the numerous complaints.
20 kW is an inference, actually it has never been explicitly stated that ArqB is running at C67.
The current power level of Mux A and C (not COM5/ArqA as it remains in 16QAM 2/3 2K mode) should be shown as 20 kW.
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Andrew M: Full-power HD transmissions do not start until the second stage of switchover, on the 21st. The low-power temporary HD service is aimed into Birmingham, coverage outside is not as good.
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paul: It may depend on availability of capacity on a transponder with a footprint covering only the UK, rather than the whole of Europe. All the capacity on Astra 2D is in use.
The new Astra 1N satellite should add extra capacity in the relatively near future, and we're waiting to see what might happen with the transponder on Astra 2B that the BBC are releasing, whether some of the services blocking free-to-air capacity on 2D will move to 2B.
It's likely that ITV has first dibs, they recently contracted to take three more transponders over their existing six.
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Tuesday 13 September 2011 1:14PM
Anne: You can try using the Other Channels feature to scan the transponder at 12422 MHz, H polarization, Symbol Rate 27500, FEC 2/3. However, the channel is encrypted and it may be that it can only be decrypted by UK viewing cards.
I don't believe it's possible to watch 5* live online. Some programmes are available on the Demand 5 catch-up service at the Channel 5 website, though again this might not work outside the USA.