Sound but no picture

tSeacha

Hi all, I have just tuned in my LG digital channels after about a year of using only the analogue tuner. My local mast is maghera and my signal strength is 100%. The tuner tells me that I have 5 tv stations including some RTE news service and 10 radio stations. All radio stations are working fine. The trouble is that I have sound only for RTE 1 & 2 and neither picture or sound for TV3 and TG4. Any ideas?

copacetic

what LG TV is it? Sounds like you may have an mpeg2 digital tuner, which won't work in Ireland which is mpeg4.

tSeacha

Its a LG 37LT75. What I do notice is that if I press the info button then the current program details can be viewed perfectly

St Senan

What you have is an mpeg2 tv which is no use for receiving the Irish DTT channels you will need an Mpeg4 tv or a Mpeg4 DTT decoder/receiver.

tSeacha

Balls, thanks for the help

scath

I'd say, don't go buying a stb box just yet as it makes more sense to get a pay DTT one in case you ever want to get sports channels via the aerial. There's a thing called a cam you can connect into a TV to convert MPEG4 signals into MPEG2 but I gather that could be a more expensive option that an MPEG4 box.

Yea, the fact the Department haven't promoted the website is abit of a problem because you went and bought a TV that you might have waited on that. But I guess you're getting digital radio stations (only lately added) so not too bad.

But you have the choice buy an MPEG4 stb now if you can find one or just wait til Pay DTT launches here. RTÉ are holding their ownFTA DTT launch back partly for that.

Another option if you've any interest in satellite is a combination box or combo that does DTT and satelite.

Again I hope One Vision if its them that sign off on the aerial TV digital license (DTT) come out with a combo box because it'll be the best of both worlds. Lots of satellite channels, Irish FTA channels and subscription channels via the aerial (for the first time in Ireland).

tSeacha

I'm still not sure as to why the program info can transmit correctly..
Is there such a thing as a software or firmware upgrade which will allow me to view MPEG 4 rather than MPEG 2. I might contact LG to see if its possible.

scath

I don't think you can get a firmware software upgrade of the TV, I'm not sure about that, you can do it on a laptop alright, it is software that does encoding.

What you'd have to see form LG, is could you bring the TV back and have the engineer at the shop flash the software bit or change the whole part if that was needed or not.

I don't know whether the local guy would have that expertise. I suspect not. The problem you'd have is how to get at it to do it. You'd probably need a specific device to be able to do that, maybe an ethernet cable that can communcate from the computer to the device. Some of the lads in one of the other threads could tell ya, I'm not sure how to flash the memory even.

I don't know. Its easy if its an MPEG2 usb DVB-T stick to get around it cos with a computer you can definitely dowload the software and configure the program to go to the MPEG4 driver, but when you're talking about a TV its harder.

That's why I figure, if you've got a laptop, why buy a TV! But then people like to be able to watch things in big size screens I guess.

Repost here:http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055767934 byte is a good one to ask aswell.

Then LG what's the best thing to do after that. I think its harder done if its a TV set than a set top box to send software over an ethernet cable or something. if all that doesn't indicate its solveable then if you really can't wait to long then wait at least til Freeview HD box comes out. But chances are the timeline for Irish pay DT and Freeivew HD won't be far off each other, maybe about 3 or 4 months.

I have a feeling One Vision will sign off in February now Eircom have taken a 60% stake and that we'll see Irish DTT launch between June and September because the network is ready and covering most of the country now.

Basically tseacha, what MPEG4 and MPEG2 refers to is the video encoding and nowt else.

Everything else like data is done by the DVB EPG and sound by DVB-T. So that would explain why you're getting data and sound grand, but not picture. Ya see, Freeview (UK) and Top-up TV are 8-12 years old (12 since ITV Digital, almost 8 since Freeview).

The standards they're using reflect that. RTÉ had been broadcasting test signals from 2006-2008 in MPEG2. But they decided to switch to the more recent MPEG4 video encoding standard, because MPEG4 can encode with alot less radiowaves so you can fit more channels with sharper picture quality with this newer MPEG4 than you would with MPEG2.

Its a bummer for folks like yourselves than went out and bought digital TV sets. This is the fault of the government back in 1998 when RTE wanted to get things for DTT like the BBC got doing. But you know how things work here. They dallied for 2 years, then ITV digital went bust, the only licensee applicant ITs TV couldn't get finance, RTÉ were to sell a majority stake in the network and couldn't get a good offer so they looked to the Government and the UK to let things settle. The government did nothing. RTÉ didn't bother trying again under that model. The government went for a 2 year test again which they should have done in 2004, not 2006 and then we're at where we're at now. That 2 years would have got DTT going here, probably using MPEG2 at that stage and by now we'd be a year into DTT land.

Now, the hardest time to launch pay DTT, we've this incompatibility issue. And RTÉ knowing MPEG4 gives them more channels figure not so many people bought digital TVs yet so lets go with the better standard or people can buy the box anyways under €100.

But, having said that, Freeview UK is short on capacity for stuff like HD channels, so to get around that BBC (Ofcom regulator) decided to do two jumps (BBC very much part of DVB-T2 development). Of course they're also going with our MPEG4 for same reasons we are, more capacity. Because HD eats up radiowave which TV and radio, mobile phones use.

The thing is, they're broadcasting only in certain areas in the UK and expanding that during 2011 in this DVB-T2 and MPEG4 video encoding. This T2 will also work with T1 and MPEG2 signals (Freeview UK) aswell (backward compatible). But the boxes won't be available for HD in the UK til February/March with TVs not til late Sumer time. I don't see Freeview STB being sold here only TVs which should have a sticker warning people, but folks like Tesco et al don't seem to give a crap in some stores. Not doubt they'll be selling set top boxes with Freeview HD and One Vision set top boxes in due course in 2010

Some of us are asking here, given RTÉ are testing but haven't officially launched, will they go for DVB-T2 aswell. or not. They're specification at www.rtenl.com/dtt.htm says DVB-T1 and MPEG4 video encoding but they can change that.

That's why I'd say to you wait for afew more months if the firmware end doesn't work with LG, either for a Freeview HD box, a freeview HD and Freesat HD combo box (DVB-T2 MPEG4, DVB-S2, MPEG4) or wait til One Vision or Easy TV launch and get a subscription box that allows you to subscribe to sports channels at a later date if you wanted to.

tSeacha

Wow, a lot of great info there. I guess I will sit tight for a few months. Thanks for the help.

SRB

It's not as simple as changing the s/w - it's different chip required to handle MPEG 4. You can see the programme info because the EPG now/next etc is basically the same as with UK MPEG 2 transmissions, it's the video the TV can't display.

scath

tSeacha wrote: »

Wow, a lot of great info there. I guess I will sit tight for a few months. Thanks for the help.

a got ya srb, so the engineer would have to change the chip also. That's unlikely they'll want to do that :-(.

I think best bet then as u say tseacha is wait the few months. I've a feeling One Vision will sign up and it'll not go to Easy TV consortium (which is RTÉ Networks, UPC). So i'd say wait the few months for sure. If nowt is happening on the DTT front til 2011 then you could get a Freeview HD box, or if you're not impatient then wait for the pay DTT box which'll also to free to air DTT ie RTÉ1,2 TV3, TG4 etc... But wait at least til the Freeview HD box comes up.

You're bang up to date tseacha with the history of it lol. The decision is yours lol but I won't jump to buy a stb now with T1 & MPEg4 has it is possible RTÉ could change the spec to the Freeview HD one in the new year. So best to wait at least 2 months anyways

STB

As SRB says it is not that simple.

However the Neotion MPEG4 cam will work for you but on some of the LG MPEG2 range there is a problem which is fixed with a firmware upgrade (this is something LG will advise you on).

The neotion cam will work BUT a bouncing "HD Service" message will be on the screen also. This CI behaviour can be switched off with the firmware upgrade I am referring to in previous paragraph.

Its been an issue in other MPEG4 countries like Estonia Romania and Poland and this has been the fix for these IDTVs.