This T/V black box sits there and whirls. Why?

[Loose rivets]

Thompson Terrestrial Recorder is what it is. Not only don't I know how to use it, I really don't know what it does.


When I parted with my 27" Sony along with my house in the UK 7 years ago, these things didn't exist . . . did they?

I gather there are more free terrestrial transmission now, and that this box enables digital signals to be shown on, in this case, a 17" Crt type T/V. :ooh: However, it feels as though it has a hard-drive whirring away inside. Trouble is, it never seems to turn off. Red light on, and nothing but the old 5 stations on the telly, and it still runs warm - very warm - and vibrates in the way cheap hard-drives vibrate. Should it do this?

Dear friend puts a stringy doily thing over it, then a lamp on top of that, and then goes to America for 2 months! I normally cut all power, gas, and water . . . and then worry about the antenna porting lightning into the living room. :( Some folk just don't think about these things, and go through life with a smile on their faces.

Anyway, can anyone tell me if I'm right about the drive. Surely it shouldn't run all the time. Pulling the mains plug degrades the signal to the telly.

Dear friend tells me she's not recording anything.

[mad_jock]

There is a HD in it and also some sort of linux OS which has a easy front end.

All it does is converts the digital terrestrial signal into something your telly can use. It sounds like its a first generation recorder as well.

As to why its sitting there whirling all the time I don't know.

[spekesoftly]

Not only don't I know how to use it, I really don't know what it does.Sounds like a set-top box with twin tuner to receive, and hard drive to record, digital terrestrial TV transmissions. If it's not been used for some time, then it may need a retune. During your UK absence, DTV has been gradually phased in across the UK regions (still in progress) and periodic retunes have been required. If the TV is only showing 5 stations it sounds as if you are still watching analogue TV via its own tuner, rather than digital TV (Freeview) from the Thompson STB. Depending on how the two are connected, you could try selecting an AV input on the TV.

A restless noisy hard drive seems to be a feature of some, but not all, such devices.

[Keef]

It does sound as if it needs a retune, or you need to find out how to select it as the "input" to the television set. If you only get the usual 5 stations, I'd suggest you're watching analogue TV. Powering off the thing will stop the analogue signal going through it, so your picture will disappear - as it does.

Assuming there's a SCART connection to the TV from the device, you need to find how to select the SCART input. If the only connection is the conventional aerial cable, it's pretty certain the digital bit isn't connected at all.

These things do tend to run very hot - I have a Topfield PVR (same concept, different brand) which works extremely well, but gets very hot. The hard drive in that seems to spin much of the time, but isn't obtrusively noisy.

It gets so hot that the capacitors in the power supply break down through the heat after a year or so, and have to be replaced (just done that). Next week's job is to fit a fan in there (if I can shoehorn one in) to cool it and avoid another soldering iron job.

[Loose rivets]

That's answered some of the major issues thanks.


It does sound as though it really shouldn't be covered up! l'll have a serious talk to my friend, but my feeling is that as soon as my back is turned, it'll be made pretty again.:rolleyes:


There is a SKART connection, but the tv doesn't seem to have a dedicated input on the menu. Odd, since it has the plug, however, I've managed to get the green light on with a remote that is obviously generic. The picture goes fuzzy and a menu appears, but I don't have control of its functions. I may never be able to set it searching for new stations.

Never mind, I hauled my laptop all the way here and should be writing, not watching the goggle box. The main issue was the permanent on-ness and heat . . . and trying to sort any problems in the flat for my old friend.

[Sprogget]

Googling the thing, leads one to conclude that it is a well hated hunk of junk, the service routine for which involves pulling the wires out & hoying it out the nearest window, open or closed.

[Keef]

There's one feature of SCART that may help you: the automatic "last one on gets the stage".

If the "box" has a remote with an "off" button, turn it off there (leaving the mains power on). That should mean the analogue aerial is still connected. Pick any analogue channel to watch.

Then power on the "box". If things are working right, the TV should switch to watching the SCART input. Then poke around with the remote for the box (don't touch the TV one) and see what you get. If you don't get any TV station, it may not be tuned in. If you can get a solid picture with any of the "functions" of the remote, then you're in with a chance.

There's probably a setup function, and that probably includes an automatic "tune and set up stations" facility. The rest is easy.

If turning the box on doesn't bring up the SCART input, then check that the SCART connectors are in the right sockets - I'd bet there are at least two on the "box" - one to go to the TV, and one for a VCR to feed though it. Try the other one to connect it to the TV (and then repeat the stuff above).

If none of that works, try unplugging the aerial from the "box" and connecting it direct to the TV. Unplug the mains from the "box" and see if the TV works OK. If it does, then the box isn't going anything at all and further research into the buttons on the TV remote may be called for - even (dare I say it?) fishing out the Fine Manual and reading same.

[Loose rivets]

Skyping my pal seem to always have the same kind of result.

"Where is the remote for the box?"

"Should be right there...by my chair."

"There's not one marked Thompson."

"It's black."

"That's from a very old telly."

"????"

"Sure there isn't another one?"

"No, it's the black one, I'm sure. Is the cat lying on it?"

One dare not move the cat, so will have to wait until it goes out tonight.

[timmcat]

I was going to buy a Thomson PVR a couple of years ago but a quick google turned up reviews whereby nearly everyone moaned about the noise it makes.

Ended up buying some thing from Argos which is spot on, and silent for 99% of the time, just every 20 mins or so you can just hear the HD spool up for a few seconds if all in the room is quiet.

[le Pingouin]

It could be running in "time shifting" mode. It continually records what you're watching so you can press pause & resume watching after answering the phone or rewind to see that spectacular goal again.

[tony draper]

Been soring out a neighbours HD DVD recorder and got to wondering about the hard disk therein? seems a standard 160 gig HD one can purchase at any puter botique, wonder whats involved in replacing same? does the kit itself format and have the program for laying down the data to ready the disk for use?
Mate bought a one specifically for recording the outputs of a cctv system,it came with no Hard Disk so he bought one and I installed it for him,soon as the machine switched on it formated and prepared the disk itself one assumes from some kind of onboard bios chip.
Anybody know if this domestic kit does the same?
:confused:

[mad_jock]

Normal hard disk come pre formatted with FAT16 I think, its up to you to decide if you want to change it from that.

The sat boxes I have fiddle with all have a form of linux in flash memory built into the machine. If the linux see's a disk it might automatically mount it. Alot of boxes come with out the disk fitted but with everything else in place. They sometimes change the automount settings so it won't do it. They also don't give you the root password. If you load a live os via the usb port then go and edit the passwd file you can get rid of the root passwd and reboot it.

Then you su in and change the automount settings.

Once you fit the disk for 30 quid the box is the same as one thats 100 quid more expensive.

There are tons of websites out there to give you the options.

I won't give you links because I will get in trouble from Saab becuase most of them will also give details on hacking commercial channels/ones your not meant to see in certain countrys.