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All posts by jb38

Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


Terry: I can see two possible reasons for your problem, the first being that as you are relatively close to the transmitter the signal could be excessively high to the extent that its blocking the tuners in your TV's, that problem always showing up first on HD before SD, so if you have a set top aerial around then plug that into one of your sets and give it a manual tune on Ch53 the HD mux.

The second possibility being that your TV's are "HD Ready" types, and if so these sets cannot actually receive HD but only display it from an external source, so have a look at the manual / specifications / tuner and check if DVB-T2 is seen next to the tuner, if its only DVB-T then thats SD only.

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Big Mart: On reading some of your back postings regarding your problem I cant say that I have actually noticed you having mentioned what the signal strength / quality is indicated at on your HD recorder, so a check should be made on this when all seems OK then again when the problems are occurring, or even if the picture vanishes altogether, as the signal will still likely be there but sitting at just under the reception threshold of the recorders tuner, and maybe you could also indicate the model number of the device in question.

Regarding the cable and plugs used, a good quality coax plug in basic terms means one NOT made of aluminium but nickel plated brass, and if you do not have a soldering iron then choose the types that use a grub screw to hold the cables solid inner core onto the plugs centre connector.

As far as cable is concerned, satellite cable cannot always be automatically classed as being better over a normal quality coax, albeit that it was a few years ago when satellite reception first started, but since then inferior grades can be found on sale in various outlets and so look for cable with markings on the outer cover such as WF100 or PF100 which can also be obtained in white if required.

That said though, normal coax thats over 6.5mm in diameter is usually always OK for what you require, but have a look at the end of the roll to make sure that you see copper braiding, as although satellite grade of the type mentioned is good its not very flexible, and thats not always the best thing where jumper leads are involved.



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Eric Hayman: Just for information purposes I also include the undermentioned link to the unofficial Vestel site and which on reading same you might find of interest, as it refers to upgrades for various chassis including your own, and as you will no doubt notice a qualification that applies with updates to any Vestel equipment with odd problems, basically being that software updates might effect a cure on some devices but not all.

Unofficial Vestel PVR Information (UK) - Digital Switchover

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Colin: Simply because the additional muxes seen on main stations are purely there "and paid for" by commercial interests, but with these same interests not being willing to pay towards the running costs of additional muxes in smaller areas that cover a limited number of homes, simply because its considered by them that the running costs involved would exceed the financial returns expected.

There are hundreds of PSB only muxes in the UK, and what's been said applies to them all.

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J
Diagnostics - old version
Sunday 29 April 2012 9:02PM

Ray: Its not very easy for anyone to offer advice when you have not mentioned the brands / models of the devices in question.

However as its also not known what aerial arrangements you are using then I suggest that for a test you transfer the equipment you are having the problems with into the other room and test the combination using that aerial connection, as there can be numerous reasons for your problem but the aerial link is the main suspect.

It would also be of assistance to know your location (pref: post code or one from nearby) as its impossible to check the transmitter covering the area without this knowledge.

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J
Feedback | Feedback
Sunday 29 April 2012 11:21PM

sarah: Irrespective of the Sky+ subscription existing for the living room box you can use a normal Sky box (or Freesat box) in your bedroom if there is a spare outlet port on the dishes LNB, as you will require a cable to be run from the dish to your bedroom.

If there isn't a spare outlet, then the LNB can be easily changed to a quad (4 outlet) version as these are only around £10.00 or so from numerous e-bay sources and are simplicity to fit.

You can check on what channels you would see without a card being inserted simply by removing the card on the Sky+ box and going through them all.

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Joe: If the two Sky+ boxes are from the same dish then that suggests that there is a problem with the cable or the "F" plugs connectors on the end of.

Try swapping the "F" plugs over on the box with the problems as its LNB1 that's used for normal viewing and I suspect that the problem you are having is caused by the lead that's presently in LNB1 position, so if you change them around and the picture return that would verify this or not as the case may be.

Try it and give an update.

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Susan Ellis: If you lose channels after switching off a DVD recorder or any Freeview device, then this in most cases is caused by the device having picked up more channels than its memory is capable of storing, hence they are lost on switch off.

You will have to carry out a complete factory reset (or default setting) on the recorder to delete anything stored in the memory and follow this by another auto-scan, sometimes depending on the make of the device, if you take the aerial out and start an auto-tune but stop it as soon as it starts that can delete everything stored, so you could try that first if you wish, then of course reconnect the aerial and carry out a normal auto-tune.

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J
Feedback | Feedback
Monday 30 April 2012 7:43AM

sarah: Just to clarify on a point as I think I misinterpreted what you were actually meaning, if its the case that you want to have the "same selection" of channels as in the living room but don't necessarily want to watch them at the same time as in the living room then that's different, and so whoever has the contract with Sky would require to take out a Sky multi-room package at £10.25 per month, the box being provided free so long as its the first time this has been done.

Details on the link.

Sky Multiroom - Watch a different Sky TV Channel in every room

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J
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Monday 30 April 2012 1:22PM

Peter Dixon: According to the manual the DTR series only has HDMI and scart outputs and not a USB socket for transferring recorded data such as found in Humax devices, albeit that anything transferred from USB on a Humax to an external hard drive can only be played back via the Humax again and nothing else.

So it appears that the only way of recording from the Sagemcom is onto an HD DVD recorder that also contains a hard drive, and transferring the programmes recorded on the Sagemcom via either an HDMI coupling (if an HD programme) or just the usual scart lead.

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