Digital TV and STB's

[Kelly Hopper]

I am running a CRT TV, (they are still the best!), with a digital set top box in order to receive a digital signal and just find the whole concept frustrating beyond belief:
Quite apart from having to power a new product with another remote control AND have a powered aerial, (so 3 products) just to continue doing what my TV was already doing I find the picture constantly freezes everytime a person, car, motorbike, aircraft comes within 1000ft of the house!
The most annoying thing however is that about 5 out of every 7 mornings the thing has turned itself on in the night and re-programmed itself!
I understand that there is an update signal sent out at 3am but this looks more like a destruct signal. I have to go through the whole setting up proceedure virtually daily. The channels move around constantly and it has got to a point where I am thinking about celebrating with a glass of wine whilst I watch it burn in the open fire as soon as winter comes!
'First thought was that there was something wrong with the STB so it was returned and replaced with another but this solved nothing.
Does anyone have any ideas, explanations or similar experiences?
And PLEASE can we go back to sensible technology that exists to make life easier not just continuously re-inventing the wheel for the sake of selling more tyres!!!???

[Bushfiva]

Check the antenna alignment. The antenna serving up your analog signal my not be the one serving up the strongest digital signal, depending on your location. One of the STB features should include a strength meter.

[spannersatcx]

you may need to get a new aeriel, depends where you are and what the signal is like. If you buy a new tv with built in digital then you only need 1 remote, or get satellite tv, again only 1 remote needed.:ok:

[green granite]

A simple rule of thumb for signal strength is can you get a watchable picture on channel 5 on analogue? If not then there is insufficient signal strength provided by the antenna for digital heaven, probably you will need a higher gain aerial as digital signals are lower in strength than the 4 main analogue but roughly the same as channel 5. (or as busha says, a re-alignment might improve it) As for the reprogramming mine never did that except when a new channel became available (I don't use terrestrial any more I use freesat) so turn it off at the MAINS plug every night and you shouldn't have any more problems. The main channels don't change so tell it to bog off if it says it's found new channels and would you like to install them.

[whisperer]

welcome to the world of digital TV...god help us.

The picture breaking up is caused by impulse noise, and digital signals suffer badly from them. The impact can be reduced but at a cost.

1. replace the aerial with a wideband one with a built in BALUN, often sold as digital aerials.

2. replace all downleads etc with decent double screened coax.

this can be a diy job but a pro with the right test equipment will be able to align the aerial properly.

with regards the thing downloading new software overnight, not a lot can be done, its a sad fact of digital..........................

[spekesoftly]

It might be worth delving into the "Technical Menu" (or similar) on your STB. On my bit of kit I can then access "Auto Service Update" and "Software Download" menus, with the option to turn either ON or OFF.

You may also know that at present UK digital terrestrial transmitters are operating on reduced power (to mitigate interference with analogue). We are told that when a region's analogue transmitter is finally switched off, the power of the corresponding digital transmitter will be increased. So hopefully digital reception will improve.

[green granite]

with regards the thing downloading new software overnight, not a lot can be done, its a sad fact of digital.

:confused::confused::confused: SWITCH it OFF at the MAINS it cant then download anything. What is that makes people want to leave things switched on overnight using power anyway?

[frostbite]

Just goes to confirm my opinion that DTV is a crock of ordure and, the more people that start using it, the worse the problem will be.

I have a freeview box that, every time I turn it on (rarely) insists that "New channels have been detected on the flow" (they haven't) and then insists on going through a lengthy tuning procedure before it will let me watch anything (which will freeze and pixellate anyway). There is no option to turn that 'feature' off either.

When we go to DTV only, I suspect I will just dump TV viewing altogether.

[call100]

Just to balance things out....Digital TV is fantastic. Great picture and really stable. I have LCD with built in freeview.(knocks the CRT's I've had into a cocked hat)..No problems of any kind on that, no interference from anything. I have two PVR's that do everything Sky Plus can and more. They don't give any problems and never reset themselves.
The text service on digital is superior to the old analogue rubbish that's being switched off soon.
The red button service for Sport, Concerts or other special events is brilliant. Giving you more choice over what you view/hear.
Of course if you live in a bad area for reception your view will be different from mine. The same can be said if you have equipment that is not up to the job for the reception of the signal......So roll on the Analogue switch off to make way for Freeview HD channels and increased power from the transmitters...
:ok::ouch::)

[XV490]

I have to say that I'm pleased to punch with my Freeview picture - but getting the aerial right takes a lot of effort. Upstairs, using an indoor aerial in a bedroom, is hit and miss, depending on the weather.

I've also got Sky - does anyone else agree that the Sky picture on, for example, a main channel like BBC1 is inferior to the Freeview one? Sky seems darker and less well defined....

[call100]

Yes I agree with you....One of the reasons I ditched sky (Just one of them!!) was that there was no benefit in pic quality....A lot of people that are having reception difficulties with freeview are trying freesat and are very happy with the results.
I have been tempted by HD channels, but as freeview will be introducing HD channels as the switch off gains momentum I'll wait and be satisfied with Blueray for my HD fix...:)
What does amaze me is the apalling pictures from analogue when I see it in other peoples houses...(Although that is now getting as rare as hens teeth around here..)...It's surprising that they actually think they have a good picture when in fact they don't..

[frostbite]

I certainly rate my satellite picture as highly reliable and much better quality than the freeview offering.

Being a DIY installation it was a bit fiddly, but worth it.

[Sprogget]

I've never had a single problem with freeview and now have it epg'd as mixed source with virgin cable, so analogue cable & dvb-t on one guide. Thinking of getting a d-box2 not that I'd flash it with a new image or anything...:O

[Saab Dastard]

My observations, with a new plasma TV (with built-in freeview decoder), are that most digital channels are compressed to the point that it is impossible to obtain a decent image without pixelation, particularly with movement.

I noticed this also with our old CRT TV and cable TV.

The 5 analog channels via our roof aerial are better than the equivalent via cable, and about equal to the digital freeview received via the same roof aerial. The signal strength is excellent, so that isn't a problem.

Apart from BBC1 & 2, ITV1 and C4, all the remaining freeview channels are of poor quality, some no better than i-player. There is an enormous difference in picture quality between ITV1 and ITV4, for example, or between BBC1 and "red-button" BBC channels (noticed particularly during Wimbledon).

I would prefer that the spectrum available after the analog channels are switched off be used to increase the bandwidth for existing freeview digital channels rather than used to provide lots of HD channels, although it would be great to have a few freeview HD channels! Save me putting up a satellite dish!

SD

[Sprogget]

it would be great to have a few freeview HD channels!

They're coming BBC & ITV HD already show in my guide.

[Keef]

We're in a "no digital TV yet" area. Nevertheless, the memsahib wanted to watch stuff that's only on digital. I bought a good wideband digital aerial and a good quality masthead preamplifier, put it all on a mast, and pointed it in the right direction.

Picture quality and signal are excellent, and she's happy. I also got a Topfield PVR which knows all her favourite programmes and records them for her, in case we're out at the time.

We're too old to have eyesight that can detect any advantage in HD (we looked at HD and cooking D in the shop, and decided it wasn't worth any more). We also don't watch footie so don't need Sky.

She never watches analogue now. I rarely watch the box anyway. Two happy people!

[spekesoftly]

They're coming BBC & ITV HD already show in my guide.Are there any STBs or IDTVs capable of receiving Freeview HD available at present?

The text service on digital is superior to the old analogue rubbish Maybe, but it's so slow to load compared to analogue text, even on digital channels with excellent picture quality and signal.

[Kelly Hopper]

Thanks for all the replies. I am not in the UK, I'm in a country where there is no analogue anymore hence the need for a STB or I would have been more than content to continue with steam driven.
The transmitter is almost within line of sight, about 2-3 kms away and I am using active indoor aerials. It seems to me to be somewhat weather dependant too....much like analogue was. Have to move the aerial today to get the channel that was fine yesterday!!! :{
But why does the damn thing reprogram itself? (again last night.) There are no new channels it just shifts them all around so that a particular channel that was on preset 6 is now on preset 25! It also drops all my personal settings like 4:3 screen and defaults to widescreen. There are no options to turn that off.
As for leaving it on standby I am afraid none of my equipment has an "off" button only standby. So I have just counted how many little red lights there are on the house and horror of horrors it totals 18. :eek:
Anyone see "Dragons Den" a couple of years ago when someone invented a plug that had a battery in it so that equipment could be left on standby without drawing any mains current? The best best best idea I have ever seen on DD yet they rejected it!!! :confused:

[green granite]

HD has been available on the freesat version of freeview for ages

[Sprogget]

This is true. Freeview lags behind on hd for reasons of bandwidth, infrastructure and the recession.

Freeview HD - High Definition TV (http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freeviewhd.html)

Freeview - Home / Resolutions / About Products / Product types / Will high-definition television (HDTV) be available on Freeview? (http://www.freeview.co.uk/freeview/Resolutions/About-Products/Product-types/Will-high-definition-television-HDTV-be-available-on-Freeview)

The links are slightly encouraging, up to a point. In my case, I use capture cards to view freeview, so it will be a case of putting my hand in my pocket again, opening up the box & dropping in a DVB-T2 card as and when they become available.

[BigEndBob]

Try making your own aerial.
I had success by using the coax cable.
Strip back the sheath and inner insulator 44cm, fold out the core and shield to form a tee shape and tape to strip of wood.
Had no problem picking up 70 odd channels 8 mile from transmitter.