Ntl Mmds Digital

djlfahy · 11-08-2003 9:40am #1

i just got NTL MMDS digital connected but the TV picture keeps freezing up and it is immpossible to watch anything. Does anyone know what might be causing this problem?

icdg · 11-08-2003 12:34pm

A weak signal (which is often a problem with MMDS from what I've seen) can cause that problem...

BTW - can you post the EPG line up for NTL MMDS Digital here?

Gwynston · 11-08-2003 1:10pm

djlfahy - where are you living?

I just got the digital service a couple of weeks ago - 10 miles from Galway. Our picture quality is good, which is not hard when compared to the MMDS analogue picture. However, like you, I've found that when the signal is poor (affected by weather conditions), instead of picture quality degrading, the picture tends to freeze completely intermittantly. Are you really getting this all the time? Maybe your antenna needs realigning?

I'm not optimistic for how reliable the service is going to be come the nasty weather in a few weeks.

I've also noticed that fast scene transitions (e.g. when the next frame has completely contrasting colours etc.) suffer from some digital artifacts for a split second.

My EPG has the 4 Irish channels on 101 - 104 and the 4 UK ones on 105-108. Can't remember the others off-hand - will look them up tonight.

BTW - these 3-digit channels are preventing me from being able to have my VCR select the STB's channel for recording (like I could do with the old analogue STB). The VCR only supports 2-digit channels - does anyone know if the Pace decoder has a timer, so I can tell it switch on at a certain time? I guess the "reminder/view" thing would do the trick, but what about if I'm away for a week and set this - can I leave the decoder off and it will switch itself on at the appropriate time?

djlfahy · 11-08-2003 1:12pm

The guy that installed it said we had clear reception. In fact , I can see the transmitter from my house and theres nothing in between. If the signal is weak , how can this be repaired? Does our dish/mesh need adjusting or is it a transmitter problem?

Sorry for my ignorance but what is epg?

djlfahy · 11-08-2003 1:21pm

Gywnston,
I live 5 miles from Galway. The problem is exactly like you have described and I noticed the problem with fast transistion between pictures. The scary thing is that all this is happenining with the good weather so what is it gonna be like when the bad weather hits?
So is this system crap and unreliable? Is it better to go for sky digital? I can't put up with this problem much longer.
I have the same issues with connecting to the video too. In fact , one vcr has'nt got a second scart do it is basically useless with the connections they put in.

celticfc · 11-08-2003 1:33pm

Originally posted by Gwynston

BTW - these 3-digit channels are preventing me from being able to have my VCR select the STB's channel for recording (like I could do with the old analogue STB). The VCR only supports 2-digit channels - does anyone know if the Pace decoder has a timer, so I can tell it switch on at a certain time? I guess the "reminder/view" thing would do the trick, but what about if I'm away for a week and set this - can I leave the decoder off and it will switch itself on at the appropriate time?

I'm not too sure about Digital MMDS, but on NTL Digital Cable the only way to set it up for recording is the "reminder/autotune" thing. If you leave the decoder off, it will not switch itself on (you have to leave it always on when you want to record something).

Gwynston · 11-08-2003 1:34pm

Yeah, the new Pace box is very short on connections. I really miss the RF output of the old analogue box - I had that going through the wall to a 2nd TV in the kitchen. Now I have to use the RF output on the VCR which means it always has to be switched on.

Funnily enough, the hot weather we've been having is not always ideal for TV signals. Heat and haze can have adverse effects. But of course, you're right too - come the autumn when I've got 10 miles of low lying, fast moving cloud between me and Galway dumping sheets of rain and hail, I'm afraid I'm going to be seeing a lot of freeze-ups

I would dump NTL at the drop of a hat, if only I could get ITV and C4 on Sky

BTW - EPG stands for "Electronic Programme Guide" which refers to the channel numbers your decoder is preset to.

icdg · 11-08-2003 3:03pm

Originally posted by Gwynston

My EPG has the 4 Irish channels on 101 - 104 and the 4 UK ones on 105-108. Can't remember the others off-hand - will look them up tonight.

BTW - these 3-digit channels are preventing me from being able to have my VCR select the STB's channel for recording (like I could do with the old analogue STB). The VCR only supports 2-digit channels - does anyone know if the Pace decoder has a timer, so I can tell it switch on at a certain time? I guess the "reminder/view" thing would do the trick, but what about if I'm away for a week and set this - can I leave the decoder off and it will switch itself on at the appropriate time?

How was the VCR able to do this? Sounds like an interesting feature, but I can't see how a VCR would be able to do this with an STB (especially a digital one).

If your software is the same as the cable software (sounds similar by the sound of it)... I haven't tried it, but I think leaving the decoder in standby will be okay. You can't switch it completly off anyway (well not the Pace Di40xx), you have to plug it out for that.

To set a remind, select the programme in the EPG, then press Red. Select Auto Tune when prompted.

celticfc · 11-08-2003 3:13pm

Originally posted by icdg
If your software is the same as the cable software (sounds similar by the sound of it)... I haven't tried it, but I think leaving the decoder in standby will be okay. You can't switch it completly off anyway (well not the Pace Di40xx), you have to plug it out for that.

No, leaving it on stand by won't work.(nothing happens)
I've tried it before & it has to be left on. It's a bit annoying coz I don't like the idea of leaving it fully on all the time.

Gwynston · 11-08-2003 3:20pm

Yeah - I've managed to get to the "Reminder" screen inadvertently many times. Only to find there's no way out without setting the reminder .... :mad:

My Panasonic VCR is quite old - about 7 years. I've never had any kind of decoder or satellite STB before moving to Galway last year and getting the NTL MMDS analogue service. The old Pace decoder for that hardly looked like a state-of-the-art piece of bleeding-edge kit, but I came across a section in the VCR manual about how to get it to select the channel on a satellite receiver attached via Scart, and also to switch it on for a recording.

The section about "decoders" was actually separate and didn't include the same info, but I gave it a go anyway, which involved setting a code for my brand of receiver. There were a couple of codes supplied for Pace but the first one seemed to do the trick!

Before holidays, I routinely used to set the VCR to record programmes on different NTL channels on various days and it would correctly switch on the decoder and select the right channels!

Unfortunately, it no longer works with the 3-digit channels of the digital decoder, and I've yet to determine if the Pace codes are still valid anyway for two pieces of equipment 7 years apart.....

Ntl Mmds Digital

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