So who's gone wild and bought unverified mpeg4 dvb-t recievers?

Peddyr

Sam Russell wrote: »

The box will pick up Freeview channels but not FreeviewHD. You would need to be near the border, or able to receive from Wales.

or Isle of Mann if you're in parts of Louth.

Sam Russell

pjq wrote: »

I got mine delivered today , works great . 1 Tv solved 7 to go ( I supplied friends with €30- Sat recievers to get them off $ky, during the tiger years:eek:) .
Im looking for economical solutions;
1 Sat / DVB T Combo box ( HD not required) , just bought a Ferguson from Satelite.ie for Mother for €170-:) , now need a cheap box for the rest.
2. I need to connect Sam's box and a Sat reciever to the kitchen TV which only has 1 Scart , can this be done with a scart that has 2 heads on one side and one on the other?
sorry if these have been answered already , I looked but did not see , I did read some of the SaorSAT "solution"
pjq

You can get SCART switches that have a SCART cable that ends in a number of SCART connectors but I do not know how good a solution they are.

I have a LIDL sat box that combined with the DTT box works very well for me, but I have multiple SCARTS and an HDMI connector. I must try the LIDL box, which has two SCARTS to see if it switches properly when one of my boxes is connected to it.

I'll try it over the weekend.

By the way, I'm surprised how well the recording one channel while watching another works.



.

pjq

Im also impressed,
I just attached an 8gb USB stick (€10- bought in China) and recorded Vincent Brown and Twink , so simple and plays back on TV or computer ( 2mins of Twink = 34mb so I can record 2h45min on 8gb??
Also had photos on stick , they are easy to watch or slide-show on TV.
pjq

PS Im still looking for CHEAP Sat/DVB T Box

dowtchaboy

pjq wrote: »

recorded Vincent Brown and Twink , so simple and plays back on TV or computer ( 2mins of Twink = 34mb so I can record 2h45min on 8gb??

Don't think Twink likes being recorded and played back.....:D

Biscuits Brown

Hi all

I had a cheap a$$ STB I bought while I was in England (Tesco Technika thing) that I
tried on an old portable telly here at home, just to see if it would work.

At first when I did the automatic installs, nothing happened, 'no signal' but then the
final time I tried, all the channels were listed, EPG, etc. Although none of them visible. I am getting a 'no signal' message.

What does this mean? Is this a problem with my STB, or the signal strength in my area, or
something else? Surely if the STB could not decode the signal, then nothing at all would have come through?

Sometimes the radio stations come through, sometimes not.

I'm not crazy about shelling out 100E or whatever on a new STB just to get a few Irish channels and radio stations that I already get...

Thanks and sorry if this type of question has been answered over and over...

p.s. if this is in the wrong thread please feel free to move

The Cush

Biscuits Brown wrote: »

I had a cheap a$$ STB I bought while I was in England (Tesco Technika thing) that I
tried on an old portable telly here at home, just to see if it would work.

What is the model no.? Is it a freeview-HD box?

Biscuits Brown wrote: »

At first when I did the automatic installs, nothing happened, 'no signal' but then the
final time I tried, all the channels were listed, EPG, etc. Although none of them visible. I am getting a 'no signal' message.

What does this mean? Is this a problem with my STB, or the signal strength in my area, or
something else? Surely if the STB could not decode the signal, then nothing at all would have come through?

Sometimes the radio stations come through, sometimes not.

The intermittant reception of the radio channels could indicate insufficient signal strength/quality.

What type of aerial do you have attached - indoor (rabbit ears), attic or external aerial?
Where are you located - not all transmitters are live yet and those that are may not be on full power yet?

Do you get any intermittant pictures or audio on the TV channels? Audio only would indicate the receiver is incompatible with Irish DTT video i.e. MPEG2 not MPEG-4.

lucernarian

Two issues: one is poor signal strength and the other is that the box will only currently broadcast sound and even that may go. You'll need a new telly or STB for terrestrial reception next year. Or use a USB digital TV tuner along with a reasonable-spec PC/Laptop.

Biscuits Brown

The Cush wrote: »

What is the model no.? Is it a freeview-HD box?



The intermittant reception of the radio channels could indicate insufficient signal strength/quality.

What type of aerial do you have attached - indoor (rabbit ears), attic or external aerial?
Where are you located - not all transmitters are live yet and those that are may not be on full power yet?

Do you get any intermittant pictures or audio on the TV channels? Audio only would indicate the receiver is incompatible with Irish DTT video i.e. MPEG2 not MPEG-4.

Thanks for the reply.

Technika digital TV receiver, regular Freeview (not HD),
Model: ECO 1STBA08

Aerial: both indoor rabbit ears and aerial on roof (don't you need both??)

Location: Nenagh, Tipp.

So far only audio on the radio channels.

I guess this thing is for the recycling centre so...

Sam Russell

Biscuits Brown wrote: »

I guess this thing is for the recycling centre so...

No, a set top box will work with it and give you a very good picture, and great reception. Read post #31 on.

Biscuits Brown

Sam Russell wrote: »

No, a set top box will work with it and give you a very good picture, and great reception. Read post #31 on.

I mean this Technika STB I have is for the recycling centre...

The Cush

Biscuits Brown wrote: »

So far only audio on the radio channels.

I guess this thing is for the recycling centre so...

Biscuits Brown wrote: »

I mean this Technika STB I have is for the recycling centre...

I would guess so.

Biscuits Brown wrote: »

Aerial: both indoor rabbit ears and aerial on roof (don't you need both??)

No, only one aerial required (UHF), preferably external. Indoor aerials are only any good close to a transmitter.

I'm not sure which transmitter provided analogue TV in the Nenagh area - Maghera, Mt Leinster?? If it was either of these two then two aerials were required for the 4 analogue channels - VHF & UHF. How many aerials are on the roof and which direction is it /are they pointing?

The new Kilduff DTT transmitter should provide Saorview coverage in your area. You may have to install a new UHF aerial or realign your existing UHF to Kilduff to receive Saorview DTT.

lucernarian

In Nenagh, Kilduff will offer extremely good coverage and an indoor aerial would suffice so long as there's no large obstacles in the way to the south like trees or large metal sheds etc.

If an indoor aerial doesn't work, sticking up a contract aerial in an attic or outside should work fine. Nothing to lose with trying out a €2 indoor aerial first!

staker

Anyone have issues with a wideband color-king on a Triax TR112?
I've fierce lag on audio....

Sam Russell

staker wrote: »

Anyone have issues with a wideband color-king on a Triax TR112?
I've fierce lag on audio....

The lag on your audio is nothing to do with the aerial and everything to do with the decoder. It is often the broadcaster aswell. Try the test channel on 8 and see when the beep goes with respect to the test pattern. It should co-incide with the marks in the box in the middle of the picture.

If that is correct, it is the broadcaster.

staker

will do,will post back later

STB

staker wrote: »

Anyone have issues with a wideband color-king on a Triax TR112?
I've fierce lag on audio....

How much lag timewise ?

Are you doing anything odd ?

What I mean is how is it connected to your TV ?

You dont have a hdmi cable connected to the TV and seperate analogue audio out off the box to a hifi or something like that going on ? That could definitely end up with that result in such a scenario.

If its just connected directly to the TV via hdmi or scart, then it is software related. ie. Software on the box. I have several receivers and no audio sync problems. Its not the broadcaster.

roverdublin

Hi Sam, the box works great.
I recorded yesterday some footage on TV3 on my TV in the kitchen, and then moved the memory stick to the Western Digital TV Live box which is connected to my SONY 40 inch and it played the recording without any problems.
So the *.ts is up to standard.

Sam Russell

roverdublin wrote: »

Hi Sam, the box works great.
I recorded yesterday some footage on TV3 on my TV in the kitchen, and then moved the memory stick to the Western Digital TV Live box which is connected to my SONY 40 inch and it played the recording without any problems.
So the *.ts is up to standard.

Great to hear that.

sham69

not very clued up on DTT so apologies in advance if this is a stupid question.
Do I need an aerial on my roof for one of these devices?
Thanks.

Sam Russell

sham69 wrote: »

Do I need an aerial on my roof for one of these devices?
Thanks.

You need an aerial. If you are in a strong signal area, then a simple aerial (rabbit ears) will do, but a roof aerial will always be better. If you have a good signal, you will get a perfect picture. But a better signal will not give you a better picture. Try it and see.

sham69

thanks for the reply.

lucernarian

Sam Russell wrote: »

You need an aerial. If you are in a strong signal area, then a simple aerial (rabbit ears) will do, but a roof aerial will always be better. If you have a good signal, you will get a perfect picture. But a better signal will not give you a better picture. Try it and see.

If rabbits ears give DTT reception that's consistent and reliable in all conditions, how can any aerial do better than that? It's a bit like people buying monster HDMI cables for dozens of euro while the €3 HDMI lead works just the same. DTT reception varies at least, especially when people walk around rabbits ears but if they pass that test then going to any further expense is unnecessary.

dmm1000

Just bought and used one of Sams DVB-T Scart Adapter recievers - theyre excellent - pristine pictures - have recorded a couple of 2 hour movies audio / video sync is perfect on playback - recordings are perfect broadcast quality and play fine on a PC although i couldnt get the RTE2 recording to play well on VLC (played in Slo-Mo I know my VLC config isnt correct) - but it plays fine in Win7 (WMP11) - I'm sure editing is possible (as the streams seem to be unencrypted)

couple of very minor niggles - the IR lead could do with being a foot longer (but it reaches) and if the user could choose what size it splits recordings into instead of the default 2GB (definitely need to allow option of splitting recordings as high as 3GB / 3.5GB / 4GB to avoid too many files being created

Sam will hopefully make a request for this in future firmware - but these are minor niggles - this is a fantastic unit at a great price with an easy to use interface - highly recommended

watty

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

If rabbits ears give DTT reception that's consistent and reliable in all conditions, how can any aerial do better than that? It's a bit like people buying monster HDMI cables for dozens of euro while the €3 HDMI lead works just the same. DTT reception varies at least, especially when people walk around rabbits ears but if they pass that test then going to any further expense is unnecessary.

Wrong.

Not comparable at all.

Radio signals are analogue. Even Digital ones. Also an HDMI cable does not pickup local interference. Local interference can increase.

A later slight reduction in signal can make a "rabbits ear" stop working. HDMI is fed with a fixed level digital signal.

A TV may not work in another room at all. A proper aerial can feed all the rooms.

The majority of people need to get a proper aerial installed.

Also an HDMI cable is similar construction to a Cat5e cable. In reality a very high quality one can be sold for €3 as they are simpler and cheaper to make properly compared with a SCART.

Also with Monster brand, unlike a proper TV aerial you are paying for the name and cosmetic features. Some of their products at €85 are less good than some non-Monster brand products at €5.

Donegal_TDI

Bought a Humax HDR FoxT2 some months back,
is doing the business good,
some minor issues,
seems to be still on winter time,
and no series link yet.
Other than that,
flawless and excellent performance & picture quality.

lucernarian

watty wrote: »

Wrong.

Not comparable at all.

Radio signals are analogue. Even Digital ones. Also an HDMI cable does not pickup local interference. Local interference can increase.

A later slight reduction in signal can make a "rabbits ear" stop working. HDMI is fed with a fixed level digital signal.

A TV may not work in another room at all. A proper aerial can feed all the rooms.

The majority of people need to get a proper aerial installed.

Also an HDMI cable is similar construction to a Cat5e cable. In reality a very high quality one can be sold for €3 as they are simpler and cheaper to make properly compared with a SCART.

Also with Monster brand, unlike a proper TV aerial you are paying for the name and cosmetic features. Some of their products at €85 are less good than some non-Monster brand products at €5.

You're missing the point. If interference does prove to be a problem then an outdoors aerial can always be installed later. I don't see why people should go to the expense and hassle of more elaborate aerial installs if rabbits ears do work adequately. A proper aerial feed can only supply all rooms if the cabling is there in the first place. And this cabling can be problematic to install for all sorts of reasons. The analogy is primarily to highlight that if a rabbits' ears does work for someone then they shouldn't be told to install an unnecessary aerial. Also, it's very simplistic to describe DTT in the same context as analogue as DTT inherently can deal with local interference through error correction and FEC etc.

Simply sharing the belief that most people need an outdoors aerial doesn't change that an indoor aerial can be tried out first at little or no cost.

Sam Russell

Donegal_TDI wrote: »

Bought a Humax HDR FoxT2 some months back,
is doing the business good,
some minor issues,
seems to be still on winter time,
and no series link yet.
Other than that,
flawless and excellent performance & picture quality.

It is probably missing VHF should we ever go down that road. Perhaps series link will not work on it as well, but we have neither at the moment.

Sam Russell

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

Simply sharing the belief that most people need an outdoors aerial doesn't change that an indoor aerial can be tried out first at little or no cost.

If an indoor simple aerial works, then a properly installed aerial will definitely work, even a cheap contract aerial. The point about rabbit ears type aerials is that they are cheap and if they work, then great. If not, no harm done.

It may not be necessary to go to a huge expense with an elaborate DX type aerial installed on a chimney when a cheapie will work as well. However, indoor aerials are effected by people walking round near them, which, if that was evident, would indicate that they are not quite good enough.

lucernarian

Sam Russell wrote: »

If an indoor simple aerial works, then a properly installed aerial will definitely work, even a cheap contract aerial. The point about rabbit ears type aerials is that they are cheap and if they work, then great. If not, no harm done.

It may not be necessary to go to a huge expense with an elaborate DX type aerial installed on a chimney when a cheapie will work as well. However, indoor aerials are effected by people walking round near them, which, if that was evident, would indicate that they are not quite good enough.

Yep, I'd fully agree with that. My own experience of using DTT in Dublin is that when someone is stuck with rabbits ears for cost reasons, accommodation limitations or indeed just laziness, it's accepted that reception is a bonus and that the odd pixelation or breakup is tolerable. Though being able to receive DTT easily (ignoring variable reception from moving objects) seems to be the norm rather than the exception throughout Dublin.

winston_1

People don't use indoor aerials for cost reasons. It's just they are too tight. It amazes me that people can spend 4 figures on TV equipment and want to run it off rabitt ears which are designed for VHF not UHF anyway.