Series Link Down ?

evilivor

kooga wrote: »

sorry, but how can paying some installer fifty euro to go into the attic fix series link.....................whats up there?:)

Tommy & PJ?

realdanbreen

kooga wrote: »

sorry, but how can paying some installer fifty euro to go into the attic fix series link.....................whats up there?:)

No need to be sorry,just read my earlier posts.Do you have a solution ?

Tony

Well for starters you could stop posting off topic . Start a new thread as suggested earlier.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=295329

realdanbreen wrote: »

No need to be sorry,just read my earlier posts.Do you have a solution ?

mgc102

maximus02 wrote: »

Hi

The series link is most certainly not just with the Walker PVR.

I have a Humax HDR-2000T and it suffers from exactly the same problem. I have the country set to Ireland and still no series link any more. It used to work fine.

Regards

Yep! Pain!

I have a Humax HDR-T2 series link worked fine until recently! The HDR-T2 was available before any Saorview approved HDRs ( as far as I know). Other HiDef HDRs then became available which also worked with Saorview. Then came Saorview approved HDRs and series links followed later.

HDRs were upgraded and new models emerged but what happened with Saorview Approved HDRs? Did they have constant recording failures? Were they not selling as well as unapproved HDRs ( e.g. HDR-2000T).

When was the approved HDR last upgraded to a newer model. How many saorview approved HDRs are there?

In the other countries in the E.U. how many choices of fully functional HDRs are available?

The Cush

mgc102 wrote: »

HDRs were upgraded and new models emerged but what happened with Saorview Approved HDRs? Did they have constant recording failures? Were they not selling as well as unapproved HDRs ( e.g. HDR-2000T).

When was the approved HDR last upgraded to a newer model. How many saorview approved HDRs are there?

There is only 1 approved Saorview PVR from Walker, it's the same model that was launched almost 2 years ago and there's been 1 OTA software update. It's a rebadged Vestel with software written for Saorview, Walker are only an importer/distributor of consumer electronics I believe. No mainstream manufacturer is interested in the small Irish market it appears so viewers are stuck with the unreliable Walker box.

I moved mine to a bedroom months ago when I replaced it with a Freeview Panasonic PVR. I switched it on again yesterday to check the epg issue that was being discussed in another thread and noticed an old issue was still there following the software update a few months ago, all Mux 2 channels were missing. Never had this issue with the Panasonic PVR or any TV in the house.

mgc102

What I can read from this thread is that series link is NOW ONLY available for Saorview APPROVED HDRs. I don't use series link often but it is a big loss. Why cant TV / Tech /Phone standards etc be standardisied?

To use an anology... Imagine a fellow EU citizen using a standard piece of techonology in Ireland (e.g. sat nav system) and then being given no information on his route because his car is left hand drive, and not able to read the 'Irish standard specs'.

This is how I feel because my non-saorview HDR is 'left handed' and therefore no longer able to access the Saorview EPG fully, but previously it was. At least I am not depending on the HDR to steer my car!!

Souriau

I been looking at RTE schedule program guide, EPG, I don't see any CRID listed with any programming on RTE.
Is RTE even transmitting any Serial Link code?

The Cush

Souriau wrote: »

Is RTE even transmitting any Serial Link code?

Checked it on the Walker PVR, series link is there for the Six-One News.

kooga

guys

any update on the series link issue with the humax and panasonic freeview hd pvrs?

If series link is still crippled is it a case of just on a weekly basis doing a manual record set.

At the moment for recording terrestial tv i am using evision but my free trial is coming to and end and its hard to justify €15 a month/€180 a year to record just the irish channels when i can get a reliable box (to quote the cush) for a one of cost of one years sub.

(I have a humax hdr 1010s for freesat recording)

Kristopherus

I have a Panny PVR for Saorview in one of the rooms. No option to record series since July:mad:.

RED L4 0TH

kooga wrote: »

guys

any update on the series link issue with the humax and panasonic freeview hd pvrs?

No change with the Humax (mines a Fox T2). Still no series link on Saorview.

kooga

tks for the update

so its a weekly setting of both the humax and pana to record a single episode.

Souriau

Was there any reason why 2RN or RTE change the spec for serial recording?
since the change, did they fix the problem for Walker PVR or was there any problem with Saorview PVR in the first place?

ohmslaw

I had the same problem with my non approved Humax fox HDR t2. I requested help from Humax support (who were extremely helpful). They asked me to try different settings, including a complete factory reset, but in the end they said it was a problem on the saorview side. Bummer because series link is a must have option. Agree with comments above about saorview not giving a damn about users of non approved boxes. Get your act together saorview.

Sam Russell

I think they are deliberately messing with the signal. There are 38 blank channel headers to confuse non-Saorview receivers. Series link used to work, now it does not.

JDxtra

Agree. It's not as if we have great options in terms of approved PVRs!

Sam Russell

I think people should complain to:

1. Comreg
2. The BAI
3. RTE
4. 2RN.

All of the above claim it is nothing to do with them, or it is a commercial secret or some other nonsense.

If enough complain, we might get something done about it.

Complaints should centre on:

1. The 38 blank channel headers that pollute the signal. They perform no useful service except to confuse the signal for some non-Saorview receivers.
2. The change in the series link signal such that it no longer works with non-Saorview PVRs that used to work (using UK D-Book protocols).
3. The placing of data only channels at the beginning of the data stream that forces some TVs to reserve the No. 1 position for a locked non-viewable non-movable data channel. This is recent, and is there to cause problems for some viewers (I am one).
4. The problem of time setting during the summertime period [March to end of October]. EPG is one hour out.
5. Radio channels having a MHEG5 generated fixed screen image that burns the screen that cannot be disabled.

Of course there is also the problem of unused capacity, wit only two HD channels (1440 by 1024) and SD channels only (540 by 576) instead of (1920 by 1024) and (720 by 576). We currently have two hidden HD test cards, and one hidden SD test card together with a static 'info' channel. Surely there is no point in this nonsense of burning off unused capacity.

Why is there no campaign about this?

peking97

One could be forgiven for thinking they are trying to force people to use Walker PVR equipment only.....surely there's no business connection between them!?

Sam Russell

peking97 wrote: »

One could be forgiven for thinking they are trying to force people to use Walker PVR equipment only.....surely there's no business connection between them!?

Makes you think.

The Cush

peking97 wrote: »

One could be forgiven for thinking they are trying to force people to use Walker PVR equipment only?

That was my opinion when that happened and can see no other reason. The much discussed problems with the box must have been damaging sales.

I wonder if a deal was done between Saorview and Walker regarding certification so that a much delayed approved PVR was made available considering no other manufacturer was willing to provide one for the Irish market.

ohmslaw

Sam Russell wrote: »

I think people should complain to:

1. Comreg
2. The BAI
3. RTE
4. 2RN.

All of the above claim it is nothing to do with them, or it is a commercial secret or some other nonsense.

If enough complain, we might get something done about it.

Complaints should centre on:

1. The 38 blank channel headers that pollute the signal. They perform no useful service except to confuse the signal for some non-Saorview receivers.
2. The change in the series link signal such that it no longer works with non-Saorview PVRs that used to work (using UK D-Book protocols).
3. The placing of data only channels at the beginning of the data stream that forces some TVs to reserve the No. 1 position for a locked non-viewable non-movable data channel. This is recent, and is there to cause problems for some viewers (I am one).
4. The problem of time setting during the summertime period [March to end of October]. EPG is one hour out.
5. Radio channels having a MHEG5 generated fixed screen image that burns the screen that cannot be disabled.

Of course there is also the problem of unused capacity, wit only two HD channels (1440 by 1024) and SD channels only (540 by 576) instead of (1920 by 1024) and (720 by 576). We currently have two hidden HD test cards, and one hidden SD test card together with a static 'info' channel. Surely there is no point in this nonsense of burning off unused capacity.

Why is there no campaign about this?

Spot on Sam. Add the Minister for Communications Alex White to the list.

Sam Russell

ohmslaw wrote: »

Spot on Sam. Add the Minister for Communications Alex White to the list.

I think he may be a waste of electrons.

hernie

I have a saorview approved Normende NM7100M4 combi box. It has the same chipset & uses the same firmware as the Walker WP645TS box. I connected an external hard drive to use pvr features but I noticed the series link is missing. Is this affecting saorview boxes without inbuilt pvr features as well??

The Cush

hernie wrote: »

Is this affecting saorview boxes without inbuilt pvr features as well??

Saorview series link is only available on the approved Walker WP6500TTR PVR.

Atlantic Dawn

One thing I noticed recently on the Walker box is series link seems to be recording the repeat versions of every show too. For example Fridays Late Late Show will be recorded Friday but also the repeat on Monday night, it's the same with other shows too, it previously didn't do this.

The Cush

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

One thing I noticed recently on the Walker box is series link seems to be recording the repeat versions of every show too. For example Fridays Late Late Show will be recorded Friday but also the repeat on Monday night, it's the same with other shows too, it previously didn't do this.

The programme CRID in the metadata should be the same for the repeat programme as the original programme and so not be recorded again, different CRIDs for the original and repeat programme would mean both would be recorded. I wonder if this is the reason for the problem?

There was a problem a few years ago where for example the Tonight with Vincent Brown show where only 1 show was recorded and every other episode, original plus repeats, were classed as repeats and so not recorded. The problem was identified as the programme CRID being the same for all episodes.

MACHEAD

Sam Russell wrote: »

Makes you think.

Well no 'known' business connection anyway. Wouldn't surprise in the least if there's a 'wink, wink - nudge, nudge' cosy little agreement ongoing.

Of course this would be based on the premiss that viewers won't 'vote with their feet' as it were, and abandon the Saorview platform altogether, if the equipment they chose to buy is rendered less than fully functional.

If that set of circumstances were to come about, then with their 'cosy little agreement' they will have succeeded only in shooting themselves in the foot.