All posts by Michael Perry
Below are all of Michael Perry's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
To all having trouble with lost ITV programmes recently. Please see BBC - Newsbeat - ITV apologises for lost signal during X Factor live show where ITV admit to a 'technical problem'.
| link to this comment |
Mervyn
It rather sounds as if the box has 'locked up' and the best way to release it would be to disconnect the mains supply for 5 minutes and then reconnect the supply. Then allow it to reset itself, takes around 2 minutes, and then turn it on again and check what programmes you have.
| link to this comment |
Simon
According to the reception map alongside your question you are well within the Sutton Coldfield area but way outside the Waltham area. So you may do better to use the West Midlands service instead of the East Midlands ones.
| link to this comment |
One of the reasons for the apparent short 'life' of smaller screen flat TVs is fashion. It seems people are now being encouraged to fit very large screen TV on a wall mounted high up. That is ergonomically very bad, especially for the neck. The standard recommended is that the viewing distance should be 5-6 times the screen diagonal and the height of the top of the screen be just around or slightly above viewing eye height. Too or too high give neck strain rather similar to whiplash. Too large a screen, or too close, means that the eyes suffer additional strain no matter what the image definition is.
Many modern houses cannot ergonomically accomodate some of the 50 inch screens let alone even bigger ones - there just isn't the room to sit as a proper viewing distance.
| link to this comment |
Most main transmitter sites use 'trapezoid slot' aerials which are positioned around the cylindrical sleeve (weather protection) so radiate equally in all directions. A typical aerial array has a number of such slots around the circumference and stacked in a slightly staggered pattern to ensure equal radiation in all directions. Each slot aerial radiates *all* the signals for *all* the multiplexes so there is not significant difference in radiate pattern or power density.
It does differ on the smaller 'repeater' or 'freeview light' transmitters as they are required to me more directional.
| link to this comment |
Remember that the current HD transmissions are at 1080p so displaying them on any screen with higher resolution requires interpolation. Electronics engineers regard that as 'inventing' additional detail to fill in the pixels not being transmitted. Good software can do quite an acceptable job of making it look more detailed but there are many pitfalls, especially with fast panning scenes and so on.
What you are seeing on a 4k screen is 1080p with all the missing bits (3/4s of the detail) added by 'intelligent' guesswork.
| link to this comment |
Mrs A Hemmings:
I wonder if the clue is in the fact that the TV can be swung around? It may be that the aerial input socket on the back has worn and worked lose so the plug is no longer a tight fit? Worth checking that both the inner pin and the out colalar are tight in the aerial socket and that the cables themselves are unbroken internally. Perhaps try a new flylead to be sure it is in good condition.
| link to this comment |
Just a reminder to all that the correct ergonomic viewing distance is 5-6 time the screen diagonal - irrespective of the type of screen. Also the heigh of the screen is important to prevent serious neck problems, it should have the centre of the screen below the eye level of those viewing it, so mounting it up on a wall well above the viewer's seat is not a good idea.
| link to this comment |
Martin
The reason is simple: The Government of the day in the early 1920's decided that to listen to radio broadcasts everyone so doing had to have a Broadcast Receiving Licence and anyone found listening without the said licence was liable to a fine enforced by the courts. (My paternal Grandfather had Licence No. 5) Then over the years TV broadcasts started and the licence requirement was extended to cover them, either as a separate licence or a joint one. Then colour TV came along and the 'powers that be' decided that you had to pay a premium to be allowed to receive such transmissions. Now we have a requirement to have a valid Broadcast Receiving Licence for most TV services, but there are exceptions and it is no longer a requirement to have a licence to receive/listen to radio services.
It is compulsory as it is Statute Law setting the requirement and the penalty. Until Parliament decide to change that then everyone has to have a licence unless they are among the few exceptions.
There is information available at TV Licensing - Home
| link to this comment |
Sunday 1 December 2013 9:44PM
From the range of comments above, it would seem that the main distribution suffered some kind of problem, only Arqiva would know as they operate the transmitters.
It's obvious that is has affected several regions.