| It's been over a month since the last review but I've had lots to do and very little to report. Apart from that, I suffered two weeks of "tummy bug" problems (you don't want to know) which didn't put me in the mood for writing! BskyB HDTV update. Sorry, the mailshot suggested that this was to be included. In fact it was discussed in last month's review 86. ITV changes There's going to be a lot of changes in the next couple of weeks as new sub regions come on stream. ITV 1 London and Granada & ITV News have all moved to 10758V 22000 5/6 Central East and South, Anglia East and Scottish East are all due to start in the near future - the Centrals in the week beginning the 13th and the other two the following week. There's loads of tests running across all the ITV transponders at the moment, and I suspect ITV 2 are moving too. See http://www.digitalsat.co.uk/itvregions.html Cool eBooks Our eBook web site at http://www.The-Cool-Book-Shop.co.uk now takes payment in US dollars via Clickbank. In some cases this means the price may currently be fractionally lower because of exchenge rate differences. Some eBooks are no longer available on our SatCure site but are MUCH cheaper from Cool eBooks. Please note that you can order only ONE eBook at a time from Cool eBooks and please note that it is a separate company from SatCure with slightly different Terms and contact email address.
Grundig GDS3000 The power supply in this model (and the Thomson Sky Digibox) is NOT swappable with the PSU from any other Grundig model. If you do swap it, you'll find that the PSU "trips" and you'll hear a clicking noise. However, this can also be a symptom of the failure of the 1M0365R power supply I.C. We now stock a replacement for this device and you'll find it on page 12 of our on-line catalogue.
E4 move causes Freeview problems There have been problems with Top up / Freeview receivers and these continue. Below is an official letter from Echostar but we have seen no statement from Thomson... If the broadcast is rectified today then Echostar owners will need to do a factory re-set of the receiver and a re-tune of the channels... Dear Customer. We have received several complaints which have been related to lock-up problems on our Top-up TV model T-105. According to market information there are several other brands suffering the same symptoms. After investigating we found that these problems have been caused mainly by recent changes in the broadcast stream of channel E4. This channel was converted from the Top-up bouquet to Freeview. After the conversion the transmission of channel E4 contained some errors, causing the T-105 and other Top-up models to behave incorrectly. Please note that, as such, these problems were not caused by the receiver itself. As from today these errors have been corrected in the broadcast and we are happy to inform you that your receiver should be operating normally again. However we are aware of one remaining issue related to channel 9, which shows hang-up symptoms when decoding of teletext on this channel. To solve this issue and comply to the demands of the market, EchoStar is constantly improving its current product range. For the T-105 we are working on new software which we expect to include a fix for the channel 9 problem. Also other features are planned to be implemented. However, software development takes time and, to reduce the impact for our customers, we prefer not to have software updates with minor changes every month. Currently not all changes which we have selected are ready yet. Therefore we ask for your understanding for the delay caused. We cannot give you a time frame, yet, but expect releases from the second half of 2005 onwards. Thank you in advance for your patience in this matter and we are looking forward to supporting you soon. I hope this information is of service to you and if more news is available we will inform you via our website or through our distribution channels. EchoStar service department Website: www.echostar-int.com Flat Panel Display Problems We are continually receiving reports of problems caused by interference radiating from flat panel displays. In some instances, devices such as tvLINK "magic eyes" will work only if they are moved away from the panel - sometimes as much as three metres. This means that a flat panel display downtairs can prevent the magic eye upstairs from working! In theory, these displays should not radiate inteference (in accordance with USA FCC regulations). I'm not sure what UK legislation exists but I suspect it's based on European approval which simply requires the manufacturer to state that the equipment complies. It's up to the user to prove that it doesn't. As always, "buyer beware". (top)
Happy Customers The led doesn't light when connected directly to the digibox or the extension lead - but I measured the DC across the co-ax directly out of the digibox and it was nearer to 20 than 9 volts. Is that the problem? has it blown the link? If your DC measurement (of the RF Output 2 voltage) is accurate then your Digibox is faulty. As to whether feeding twice its rated voltage up the tvLINK has damaged it, you could ask the manufacturer, but I'd guess the answer will be yes. Dear Martin - thanks for the advice. I tried the link again on the digibox and the led does light up when connected to the digibox and it works OK (I had it plugged in the wrong way round!) and I think my voltmeter is faulty so I tried measuring again and in fact the Digibox is putting out a healthy 9v but although the picture quality is fine on the second TV, the voltage appears much lower at the far end (<3v) and subsequently the led doesn't light and the link fails to work. Any further ideas much appreciated. The cable and all connectors look fine - as I said picture perfect so coax unbroken. Picture signal can get through a broken cable. DC can't. Just follow the troubleshooting guide, step by step, please. Disconnect the TV and test without. If still no good, try a new cable. I didn't know that - so I broke open one of the fitted connectors and it was full of water and corroded. Cleaned it up, retightened it and hey presto it all works. Add this to your list of successes! C Pelton
The problem that I am experiencing is that when I try to watch Sky on either TV via the RF output the picture is grainy, whereas all the terrestrial channels have a crystal clear picture (even Channel 5!). If I watch Sky via the scart lead on the main TV everything is fine. The graininess only goes away if I disconnect the terrestrial aerial from the digibox. This is explained on our FAQ page and elsewhere. Please take the time to read our free information and download the free eBook "Understanding Sky Digital". See http://www.satcure.co.uk/digifaq2.htm#grainy Just a quick note to say thanks for the help. My system is now all up and running perfectly. Thanks again, Rob
Thanks for the swift reply and I have just received the price correction. I would just like to say that I am supremely impressed with the information and products that you have supplied. You provide excellent advice in a concise and straightforward manner that draws me to your site and wealth of knowledge first time, every time. Good show. John
Just to say thanks for the excellent info supplied in your SatCure Satellite Reviews and to provide a little feedback. Ref the new Sky software rollout referred to in Review 085. I have a quantity of brand new Panasonic TU-DSB31 digiboxes with old software of the variety that flatly refused to update via a forced update, hence they have been confined to my attic for quite some time. After reading the review, I tried reconnecting one of these to see if it would update with the new software rollout. Lo & behold it did so I reconnected the remainder. All have now updated quite voluntarily to OS: 1.2S4F9 and EPG: 3.3a.6. Thanks again Duncan
Not really a query - just a thank you for your free intro' to Sky Digital Satellite. We're currently on Freeview but may move to Wales and not everywhere is covered so I thought I would gen up on the Satellite options just in case. You have proved your worth so that I will be back to purchase some of the other books should I need to take this further (perhaps buying kit as well). I have enough of a techy background to guess that older receivers/dishes etc. might not be fully compatible/flexible with newer offerings and you confirmed this. Your description of MPEG compression might not be accurate but is well pitched for your audience and adequate for your intended purpose - shedding a little light so that people have a feel for what going on. BTW I've been diverted into IT for the last twenty-five years but before that got through Amateur Radio Exam but VHF was esoteric in those days and my interest was S/W and UHF TV (also have a Physics degree). So well done, keep up the good work and thanks again. Regards Alan B. , BSc, ARCS.
My location is: Reading. Equipment made by: Pace Sky Model number on label or rear panel: 3000 My Sky+ box switched itself to standby on Sunday night and would not restart either using the remote or the switch on the front of the box. The only way to get it to respond was to disconnect power completely, wait about ten minutes, reconnect power, wait a couple of minutes and then power on with the remote. Having studied your FAQs I looked inside the box and saw that the fan wasn't running so surmised that the system had overheated and that I needed a new fan. This duly arrived first thing today (exceptional service, you and your staff should be truly proud of your organisation!) and I had, this evening, planned to install it. However, when I lifted the lid from the box the existing fan was running so I haven't even removed the new fan from the packaging. Can you confirm whether the fan should run continuously or whether it is normal for it to switch on and off as ambient temperature fluctuates? Are there certain operations such as recording or replaying which generate more heat thus needing the fan to dissipate it? Apparently, when my sons were watching a recorded progamme playing back on Saturday night it kept on "freezing" but would start playing normally again within a second or two - would this be a sympton of overheating? Should I return the new fan or hang on to it as these symptons indicate I may need it ? Thanks in anticipation of your help. The temperature controlled fan will switch on when the hard drive temperature exceeds a certain limit. It doesn't seem to me that a replacement fan would help unless the existing one is failing to spin when it should. It's important to install all electronic equipment on an open shelf in a cool room and to avoid stacking or enclosing, otherwise untold symptoms could occur. See http://www.satcure.co.uk/useful/sales_help.htm#returns Thanks a lot Martin, having read your FAQs I have already moved the Sky+ out from underneath some other equipment to give more air circulation around it. I'll probably give it a few days and see if the original symptom recurs, if not I'll contact your sales people to arrange return of the surplus fan. Please accept and convey to your staff my appreciation of your excellently run organisation (sadly an unusual experience in this day and age), you/they obviously understand the importance of true customer service. Thanks again Paul R
Just a quick note to say thank you. I recently bought a new TV, but was disappointed with the DVD picture quality - lines, sqiggles and ghost pictures sliding across the DVD picture. The installer didn't seem to know how to sort it out. I used the "cut pin 19 in the TV SCART" suggestion in your "Video breakthrough" advice (technical section) and it worked wonderfully. Thanks Ian Graham
My question is - I have some WF100 satellite cable left over, and I was wondering whether I can use this for non-satellite (i.e. just for connecting to a TV from a normal TV aerial) P.S. Over the last few months I have bought various things from you, and I just wanted to tell you that each time I have been very impressed with your after sales service. Thanks. Yes you can use WF100 for any application that requires 75 Ohm cable. It's rather stiff so be careful about using it in, say, a TV socket because its weight and lack of flexibility could break the socket. If it needs to hang from a socket, warm it with a hairdryer and let it droop naturally. Martin, thanks for your advice. I have run the cables and they work great. Thanks again. Dominic
(top) From Sky Digi Online ( http://www.media247.co.uk ): (top)
eBook Updates (minor) - Be Found June 5, 2005
- All eBooks have been moved to a secure server which requires a username and password. Please contact Me with your original Order number and ask for the new download information, stating exactly which eBook(s) you purchased and the EBK number(s).
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