All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Charlie: Without having knowledge of the model involved the standard procedure for dealing with problems such as yours is to carry out a complete reset (or default setting) on the recorder, this then followed by carrying out a manual tune on each of Walthams muxes, "manual" being used to avoid storing Belmont's lower channel numbers during an auto tune, "unless" that is the model you have has a "region selection" choice box pop up after an auto tune.
The reason I suggest this procedure is because I reside not that terribly far away from your location (suspected one anyway) and have one of my PVR's (Humax 9300) permanently tuned to Waltham for purposes of making daily recordings from both BBC and ITV channels, and on checking today's recordings a few minutes ago I cant say that I found anything abnormal in operation.
Just a small additional point, although its not likely to apply in your case anyway, but if you do use any type of booster system on your aerial system then for test purposes it should be by-passed.
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Ray: If you use the LNB output socket on your Humax sat box it will limit the channels you can view on the TV to being only the ones that corresponds to the polarity (H or V) as tuner No1 on the Humax box is using, as you cannot have two polarities on the same cable.
You should purchase a quad block kit for your dish, these available from a number of e-bay suppliers for around £10.00 or so and are simple to fit by being virtually a push fit onto the dishes rectangular arm, then all you require to do is run another sat grade coax from the LNB to your TV.
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Thomas Fuller: What you have been told by these people is just a standard line used by some of these types designed to fob you off, as wind no matter how strong, will NOT cause any problems with satellite reception unless either the dish mounting is slack, or alternatively that there is a tree located near to the dish and the wind is causing its foliage to partially obstruct the dish.
If a dish has been installed correctly, and many are not!, then only a really heavy thundery downpour can sometimes cause the signal to fail for a few minutes, but only for that very short time.
I do not at present have the manual for that model you have been supplied with, but have a look in the tuning menu for the signal checking facility and if found give an update on the indications seen, as both indicator bars (strength & quality) should be at a minimum of the equivalent of 60% for reasonably reliable reception.
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Charlie: Well, judging by what you have mentioned plus my own findings when using a PVR on the same station could point to a problem having developed in your recorder, and although I appreciate that this might be a bit of an inconvenience to try, but once again scrub everything stored in the recorders tuner memory and then carry out another auto-tune, however this time when the region choice box comes on after the auto-scan choose Yorks and Lincs (Belmont) as your area.
Once all is completed try pre-setting a recording on Belmonts EPG and see what happens, although if the problem shows up again then I am afraid that the Panasonic recorder is defective.
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Chattes: Sorry for the delay in replying, but I just noticed your reply to my query whilst running down the list.
But with regards to your Blue-Ray player, could you please give an update on the model being referred to? but apart from that what I would like to know is what your signal level is indicated as being when checked on a TV fed from the SLX booster / splitter, then whilst the TV is still sitting on the signal check screen swap over the aerial feeds used by the Blue-Ray player and the TV, e.g: Blue-ray over to TV and the TV's aerial feed over to the Blue-Ray device, as this eliminates any possibility of one of the SLX's outputs being defective.
By the way, leaving any of the outputs on the booster unconnected does not really make that much of a difference to the signal level, albeit that its written in various technical articles that any output not used should always be loaded up using a series of 75 ohm dummy loads, but once again the difference in real life terms is only fractional and as such can be disregarded.
Another test to try is by using an old set top aerial coupled into the Blue-ray device, this test for purposes of getting an idea of the signal strength you are genuinely receiving (exc TV's indication) as the problem with digital reception is that the symptoms experienced for an excessively high level of signal is "exactly" the same as for a weak one.
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Charlie: I had also meant to add to the latter part of my reply "unless the device requires a firmware update", as according to info seen it should be version 1.45 from an over air download made on 19.04.2011, this download for purposes of stabilising the EPG.
Although your user manual gives info on firmware updates on page 87 the link below gives a bit more detailed info.
DMR-XW380EB Firmware Download (UK) | DVD/PVR | Digital AV | Consumer Products | Support | Panasonic Global
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Charlie: Thanks for your update and really pleased to hear your good news, insomuch that you have successfully managed to update the firmware and which has effected a cure for your problem, as your XW380 is quite a hi-tech sophisticated device but one which would most likely attract a somewhat "embroidered" repair charge for any repair carried out should that have proved as being necessary, dependant of course on the service depot chosen.
As far as the default query is concerned, although both of your devices are Panasonic brands and as such fitted with top notch tuners, differences do exist between not only the tuners themselves but their associated circuitry and this shows up in sensitivity differences between the two devices, sensitivity referring to both the RF pick up side and also the decoding circuitry that determines whether a signal being scanned should be locked onto and stored, although in the normal run of things a channel scan starts at Ch21 and moves upwards, and so any signal on a low channel number that is received at a level sufficiently above the devices cut off threshold point will be automatically stored.
I will say though that even although a device might appear to default to a particular transmitter its not necessarily the case that all programmes stored on the EPG list are, that is excluding the BBC / ITV1 and the HD service, and the only way of finding out if they are or not is by carrying out a signal check on programmes known to use the three different commercial only multiplexes such as (10) ITV3 / (11) Pick TV / (12) Film 4, because if the mux channel number associated with the signal strength indication seen is noted then it can be cross checked against the channels used by the transmitters that cover the area.
For reference purposes, the channels used by the two stations that cover your area are /
Waltham: Ch61 (BBC) - Ch54 (ITV) - Ch58 (HD service) - Ch29 (ITV3 etc) - Ch56 (Pick TV etc) - Ch57 (Film 4 etc)
Belmont: Ch22 (BBC) - Ch25 (ITV) - Ch28 (HD service) - Ch30 (ITV3 etc) - Ch53 (Pick TV etc) - Ch60 (Film 4 etc)
By the way, although I do not envisage any further updates being made for your XW380 this is the link for the DTG website where you can view the "over air" weekly download list.
DTG :: DTT Receiver Downloads
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Michael: Could you please clarify what is meant by "built in Freeview"? as Freeview is not connected in any way to a Sky box unless you are passing a Freeview signal through the box for purposes of using its RF modulator to feed a TV in another location, if so and the BBC channels have vanished then the Sky boxes RF modulator requires to be set on another channel, this done via the engineers set up menu.
Further info dependant on reply.
However if you are meaning BBC1 and 2 on the Sky box, then try disconnecting it from the mains supply and waiting about 30 seconds or so before powering it up again and then allowing it to go through the usual searching for listings procedure.
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Martin Warren: You cannot split the feed from an LNB to any satellite receiver whether it be Sky or Freesat as the box communicates with the LNB for purposes of polarity switching, with this being done by it sending a voltage up the coax.
If you want to run a second satellite box (Sky or Freesat) then this will require you using another port on the LNB, if it doesnt have one then you will have to fit a dual or quad LNB on the dish and run another coax from the LNB to the second receiver.
Quad block kits are obtainable from a number of e-bay outlets for around £10.00 and are easy to fit, especially if the present dish has a rectangular shaped arm from the dish to the LNB.
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Thursday 13 December 2012 5:06PM
david thomas: Press "Services - 4 - 6" and check if both the signal and quality is indicating around the equivalent of 60% or so, as this is the minimum level for reliable reception, if they are then observe them for a couple of minutes or so to check that neither bar is fluctuating.
Just ignore the telephone line warning.