menuMENU    UK Free TV logo Archive (2002-)

 

 

Click to see updates

All posts by Pete

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

N
Digital radio section | Digital radio
Monday 12 March 2012 8:01PM

My PURE stereo DAB radio packed in after just 3 years of "very little" use (I preferred to listen on my clearer FM radio cassette anyway, which is also cheaper on the lecky bill). Even more so after the bit rates were lowered on most channels and some broadcasts changed to mono only on DAB!! Whereas all my FM/AM, LW & even SW radios just plough on regardless, until the big switch off that is (whenever it may be). The light comes on on the display but no stations are either named or audible on the useless PURE. I can't be bothered to pay for the PURE DAB radio to be repaired. My sister has had her PURE tuner back to John Lewis five times now, and they've still not repaired it properly, similar problem just conked out no stations. I tend to listen to digital radio on the i-player or on Freeview these days as the quality is better than my DAB radio, a ludicrous situation. Only Radio 3 is acceptable on DAB, when it is running at 192 kbps.

link to this comment
GB flag

The SOUTHERN logo reminds me of FREEWHEELERS & HOW when I was a kid in the 60s.

Is Fred Dineage (of HOW) still presenting the local news in this region, as far as I recall he has presented for SOUTHERN, TVS & MERIDIAN & WHATEVER IT'S CALLED NOW ? ITV1 SOUTH maybe?

link to this comment
GB flag
N
Digital radio section | Digital radio
Tuesday 13 March 2012 10:26PM

As I said, I did nothing and it's not just me, my sister has had similar PURE trouble with hers. I hardly used mine as I say (even before it went wrong) after the bit rate reductions on DAB (sadly still happening on the commercial stations these days, Absolute for example has lowered its bit rate to even less than 128kbps from 160kbps since it took over from Virgin, which was one of few rock/pop stations with a highish bit rate). I find most DAB very hard to listen to apart from Radio 3, which is the only station on DAB to have an occasional decent bit rate of 192kbps (even this is lowered from time to time to accommodate sport and other live output on other BBC DAB radio channels).

Micheal : BBC WS sounds much better on BBC R4 FM (stereo) overnight than BBC WS DAB. I record from this source any programmes I like that are broadcast between 01:00am and 05:20am UK Time. Nowhere near as many as I used to though, as the variety of music, drama, thrillers, book readings, Waveguide, pop music, proms, science programmes have vanished to make way for a rolling service of news, more news, followed by even more news, then news briefing, business news, sports news and analysis and for the next virtual millennium the US election yyyyyyyaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnn!!

link to this comment
GB flag

Adrian : Don't you miss the logo free channels? I would.

link to this comment
GB flag

PS ADRIAN: There's no TELETEXT on BBC anyway, as this was an ITV / C4 / C5 service which essentially closed down in DEC 2009 just after the Granada swichover. A limited TELETEXT service still exists for the gee gees and I think a few holidays but this is not a patch on the old analogue TELETEXT service. BBC has still has CEEFAX on what's left of analogue and Digital RED BUTTON text which is poor and some pages are still corrupted after two and a half years e.g. Page 2510 of the Savings pages for the 4th and 5th catagories of savings, despite 22 separate complaints from me alone !!



link to this comment
GB flag

Shame, I'd be interested to know, my sister has had BBC ONE HD for two years but still watches BBC ONE EAST !! in non-HD on Freesat on her HDTV. I'm sure she's not alone.

link to this comment
GB flag
N
Digital radio section | Digital radio
Tuesday 13 March 2012 10:52PM

Almost as impossible as expecting everyone to ditch their FM radios, which in the majority of highly populated areas still offer a better quality than DAB. I have 8 FM radios in my house that I do not wish to become redundant. DAB in cars is also a huge issue as so few drivers have this facility at present and cars can last quite a long time as we know.

link to this comment
GB flag
N
Feedback | Feedback
Tuesday 13 March 2012 10:58PM

It's a lot cheaper than SKY Linda, why should it be free, analogue TV wasn't.

link to this comment
GB flag
N
Digital radio section | Digital radio
Sunday 29 April 2012 10:57AM

Interesting I'm staying with my friend in South Wales and I get better reception of BBC Radio Wales in Rainow (near Macclesfield, Cheshire) than the distorted signal in Cilfyndd near Pontypridd in South Wales. No DAB at all, of course, in this area, whatsoever.

link to this comment
GB flag

Nedbod: Well One and a half then, rounding error !!, apologies.

link to this comment
GB flag