All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Stephen Newmarch: No! as when a contract is cancelled the recording side of any Sky+ box will be disabled at the same time as your access to view Sky dedicated programmes effectively turning the box into a normal Sky box.
That said, I have seen it reported that if you remove your card before cancellation and are content to view normal "free to view" channels then you "might" manage to hold on to the recording facility, that is so long as you never at any time are tempted to try the card, as access is cancelled via an "over air" command from sky straight into the card, this being the key to the system.
Try a test by removing the card and placing the box in standby, then take it out of standby and check if you can play back something you have recorded, "if" you can then that's the procedure to use.
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dave: Plus to that said, with any queries made that involves a reception issue then knowledge of the persons location is always required, with this being in the form of a post code or at least one from nearby, as only then can access be gained to the reception predictor that helps to assess the signal levels expected at the given location.
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Ian: My definition of nearby is exactly that NEARBY, this meaning a shop or whatever in the same street or across the road, as some people are for understandable reasons reluctant to provide any info that they "think" might pinpoint their location, "think" because post codes do not usually indicate exactly on a persons property anyway, and with any time that they might actually do always being purely through sheer luck, as in many areas the same post code will in many cases hold out for a few rows of houses.
The other aspect about this being, that I have never at any time found that reception predictors (trade or otherwise) are accurate to the degree anyway that a few streets away either side of an exact code makes any difference, this also applying to terrain predictors that take no account of anything except a naturally occurring hill, as a person could reside behind either a row of high rise tower blocks or alternatively be on the edge the Sherwood Forest furthest away from the transmitter and yet a terrain predictor would give a clear line of sight, although in fairness to terrain predictors they do state "ground level between".
I fully appreciate that in certain difficult reception areas the level of signal as tested on one property can be found to be vastly different simply by crossing the road, this being why I referred to predictors not being accurate to the extent that an exact spot on post code would make any difference to the outcome of any assessment made.
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Nicky: No! as you cannot change channels via HDMI connections any more that you could do if it was twin scart sockets that you were using.
A Sky magic eye is a device that only works via a Sky boxes RF2 analogue RF output socket, likewise the TV its fed into from the RF socket having to be set on analogue to receive the signal if its a dual standard Freeview / analogue set, the actual main TV that the Sky box is connected into via an HDMI lead not coming into the equation as the eye only changes the channels on the Sky box and not the TV.
I am unaware if the HDMI connections are being used to get HD on the second TV? if not though then you should use a normal coax link between the Sky box and the second TV as you can then use the magic eye referred to, the picture obtained this way being normal SD even although it might be HD on the main TV.
You can of course get HD versions of wireless video senders that work from the HDMI socket but these are generally over £200, whereas a magic eye and a length of coax etc is under £10.00
Please note though, that is provided that the Sky box is not an Amstrad DRX 595 as these are not fitted with RF modulators.
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Jane Corbett: Your location in the form of a post code (or one from nearby) is essential with this type of query as you "might" be receiving an excessively high level of signal which will always cause problems on HD before affecting SD, my reason for saying this being because of you having reported a 100% signal, as if you are referring to the strength and not just the quality then what is suspected may well be applicable.
Further info dependant on reply.
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Geoff: Sedbergh is slave transmitter of Kendal and that's why you see the latter mentioned, you can check this by carrying out a signal strength test on BBC1, and as well the strength being indicated the mux channel number associated with the signal should also be shown, Sedbergh BBC being Ch46 / ITV Ch50 / HD Ch43.
Just for your info, Kendals channels are 60 - 53 - 57.
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JAMES: If indeed you did see 45-46 indicated as being suitable for setting the Sky boxes modulators output to "on your post code" then I am afraid that's an error, as both these channels have high powered digital signals on them from Sutton Coldfield.
As a matter of fact you have a number of transmitters to contend with when selecting a suitable RF output on the box with the total number to avoid being 21, the stations involved being Sutton Coldfield / Winter Hill / The Wrekin and finally Fenton, as on the reception predictor "all" are indicated as being possible to receive on the code provided, although Sutton Coldfield has the edge on the rest as far as avoiding its channels are concerned.
That said, an absolutely positive way of sussing out the cause of the problem is simply by NOT having your normal aerial connected into the Sky box, and leaving the LG running on its analogue input from the Sky box for as long as you can, because should you hear the distortion you refer to occur at any time when using this procedure then it "has" to be the Sky boxes modulator at fault if the TV had been changed, as although as aforementioned in my previous reply that I have never at any time experienced a modulator having developed a problem of that nature, I suppose there has to be a first time for everything.
This is assuming that the boxes RF output is fed directly to the LG's aerial socket and doesn't go through any other devices.
Could you also please let me have the model number of the LG involved.
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Mark: And just addition to the top class device that Mark Fletcher has mentioned and which admittedly is in a higher price bracket, although you do get what you pay for! however should you not at the present time wish to stretch to that level below is a link to the company concerned (Humax) where you will not only see the model mentioned, but a standard Freeview HD box with the same reliable receiver circuitry as is used in all the Humax ranges including the more comprehensive PVR's.
It has to be appreciated that all digital devices can play up now and again, but not only are Humax models less prone to the types of problems that others can suffer from, but the company provides excellent back up facilities for their ranges in the form of frequent OA (over air) downloads, these being for the purpose of keeping their devices up to date with the latest software.
Manager's specials - HUMAX UK Direct Sales Website
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JAMES: Yes, these channels would of course be perfectly OK if only Winter Hill was being received and which I will agree is the only station being indicated on the terrain predictor, but DUK's trade reception predictor indicates Sutton Coldfield to be a "slightly" better bet and as such will most likely be received whether your aerial is pointing to it or not, Sutton.C not only being closer to you (34 mls / 137 degrees) but transmitting on 200Kw, whereas Winter Hill (@ 46 mls / 354 degrees) is only transmitting on 100Kw.
If on testing you found that Ch's 32 - 37 weren't satisfactory then it certainly indicates that there is a problem with your equipment, if you have done as suggested and NOT connected the normal aerial into the Sky box, as these channels mentioned should have been perfectly OK.
Thanks for the model number of the TV, although unfortunately I wont be able to check this out until tomorrow when I can have access to the service info / list of known problems, because the analogue side of most modern TV's could suffer from some form of defect which would never be revealed because analogue has nearly faded away, and its only when used with an RF modulator that any type of defect would show up.
Isn't it possible for you to borrow an old analogue 14" portable or similar? as this would be really handy for verifying "if" it was the boxes modulator at fault, because if you pre-tuned the portable to the RF channel used on the box then as soon as you heard the distortion start don't touch the box or the LG, but simply change the aerial from it (the LG) into the borrowed box, as to be quite honest about it I cant see any other way forward except by bringing another device into the equation, that being another TV.
By the way you can check the predictors indications for yourself simply by clicking on "Digital UK trade view" on the four line list seen on the right hand side of your posting, and where you will see all the channels that's used by the stations mentioned.
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Monday 16 July 2012 4:59PM
Marie: On the left hand side of the TV you will see a series of sockets, and counting from the bottom (excluding the round headphone socket) check if anything has been plugged into the fourth socket up marked HDMI-1 as nothing should make the TV switch to that socket unless something is connected into it and is triggering the TV to switch to it, the HDMI-1 input having an auto switch facility.
If you find that the engineer has connected anything into that socket then place the TV in standby and unplug the HDMI connection, then follow the lead to determine where its connected to giving an update on whatever it is.
By the way, once you have unplugged anything that "may" have been connected into that input then for a test leave the TV on for an hour or so.