All posts by Dale
Below are all of Dale's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
jb38 : checked his DVB TV and PVR today.
The TV gives qualitative ratings rather than quantitative, and all MUXes showed as 'Very Good'. Not very helpful.
The PVR had CH44 (only Mux at 100kW) at 80% quality, with CH56 (at 1.1kW the weakest around here : Mux 2) at 70% and CH49 (14kW)again the best at 85%.
So, pick the bones out of that!
Will re-analyse his boxes after Wednesday, and report again!
Afraid I didn't get the make of the SCART gadget this time, but will do so next time.
| link to this comment |
Snail : are you sure you're still getting C4 and C5? They are all on the same very low power Mux (with others) until Weds morning, and loads of people are not getting them at the moment. If it really IS only ITV1, then that's very odd.
| link to this comment |
Still getting all channels here (IP2) after switchover, but CH50 and CH54 Muxes have increased signal strength but MUCH reduced signal quality (down from 100% to 60% on my Panasonic PVR) which I assume, again, is because they are now in 64QAM mode which effectively reduces the power. Both still at very low power until June 2012 of course. Oddly, both show as 100% on my LG TV!
As an aside, I sent a long letter to the local paper here (Ipswich Evening Star) a few weeks ago, warning that DSO2 did NOT put everything onto full power (despite what Digital UK had published in said journal), and they refused to publish it because it contradicted the official mis-information. I'm thinking of hacking the editor's phone to teach him a lesson ....
| link to this comment |
I see that Mux C /ARQA (CH54) is still showing as 16QAM / 2K mode on this site : it actually switched to 64QAM / 8K mode yesterday (thus seeming to lose power, as did ARQB on CH50).
4 of the 5 SD MUXes are now on this : SDN (CH49) being the exception on 64QAM / 2K mode.
| link to this comment |
Darren : you obviously believed the 'hype' in the local and national press.
3 of the 5 MUXes will remain on low power until June 2012.
I sent a long letter on this subject to Ipswich Evening Star 3-4 weeks ago, to try to alert people like yourself to the true situation, but they refused to publish it because it contradicted Peter Monteith of Digital UK, who had given them the 'official' (and inaccurate) line.
| link to this comment |
Brian : thanks. It is typical that a 'non-standard switchover' would apply to us here in Suffolk et al : I assume the powers that be think we 'country bumpkins' haven't yet got electricity, let alone television ...
| link to this comment |
jb38 : you may be interested in what has happened with my dad's Freeview 'gadget' after DSO Part 2 (at IP2 0QH) :
It now gets the 3 low power MUXes at strength < 50% and quality between 50 and 75% ; BBCA remains at 99% strength but <50% quality; but D3+4 on CH41 is totally absent! He told me this on the phone, but I didn't believe him so went round to check. It shows as 0% strength and quality BUT the 'meter' flickers all the time it is on that channel which makes me think it IS finding something. He therefore has no ITV/C4/C5 etc on the 'gadget'. His Freeview on DTV ; PVR and standard 'box' have all re-tuned happily and found all MUXes including D3+4, which is at full strength and quality.
I can only think, as per my original suspicion, that the signal is now too 'loud' for the gadget.
I am about to go away on holiday but will try some alterations to what he's got when I get back.
Everything at my place is working fine.
| link to this comment |
Mike : surely they will all go to 100kW not 50kW, same as BBCA/B and D3+4? That was what we were originally told.
| link to this comment |
jb38 and Brian : have sorted out my dad's problem by putting an old splitter into the circuit, in his bedroom, which led to the offending device. MUX D3+4 (CH41) has magically appeared with strength 99% though quality is only 50%ish. The BBCA MUX (CH44) has now gone to 88% quality from <50%. This clearly shows that the signal was too strong for that particular device (though he has no problems on his other 4 Freeview TVs/boxes).
The only downside is that ARQA MUX on CH54 has now 'fallen off the cliff' at 35% quality, and is unwatchable. He assures me that he "doesn't watch any of those rubbish channels anyway : does anyone?" and he can therefore live with that until next June! Oddly, ARQB MUX on CH50, which is supposedly on even lower power than ARQA, is still OK at 50%+ quality.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
| link to this comment |
Thursday 14 July 2011 7:34PM
Ipswich
jb38 : don't forget that the Mux on CH49 has already had its power doubled to 14K at DSO1, even though I think the Digital UK predictor is based on that not happening until DSO2. I didn't check the signal quality on his other boxes but will do next time I'm round there! I know that CH44 is at 100% strength and quality at my house and he has always had a better signal than me where he is, in the past. Will also check what model his gadget is!