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Ferguson Ariva HD Combo

13567…12

Comments

  • #102
    Tony
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,336 ✭✭✭✭Tony


    No reason that I know of that it would not work.

    patrickpc wrote: »
    Hi there,

    It may be a stupid question but is it possible for the Ferguson Ariva to output to multiple displays at the same time?

    What I hope is possible is to output picture & sound to HDMI, SCART and Component simultaneously to feed 3 different TVs. At a minimum I'd like to output to both HDMI and SCART.

    Anyone know if this is possible?

    Thanks,

    -P

    Desktop PC Boards discount code on https://www.satellite.ie/ is boards.ie



  • #103
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    davidhand365 wrote: »
    Has anyone tuned in BBC1 HD on this box yet??
    Is it posssible / if so, how??

    From the remote: Menu>Installation>Satellite TP setup>Astra 2 EB1

    then select "Transponder Number", select the one that corresponds to BBC 1 HD, (10847 Vertical, 22000), then move the cursor onto the frequency line, (I've found this prevents it scanning all transponders), then press the red button and follow the prompts. BBC 1 HD will then be added at the end of your current list.

    You will need to do this anytime a channel is added or moved around on Astra 2/Eurobird 1. I find Kingofsat the easiest to use to see what's available.

    Otherwise, attached is my current list inc. BBC1 HD, 3e etc.

    @patrick pc: HDMI and Scart both work at the same time, I can't test component, but there's nothing in the menus or manual to suggest it's inactive when the others are being used.


  • #104
    FRIENDO
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,393 ✭✭✭FRIENDO


    FRIENDO wrote: »
    Hi,


    However my Father powers the receiver and tv off from the mains every night. When powering the receiver power on in the morning Irish Dtt channels may not be on (Black screen "no signal") I may have to power receiver on and off a couple of times to get Dtt channels back or carry out a Terestrial scan to get them back.
    Satellite channels work fine on powering the reciever.

    Hi again, I carried out another factory reset and all appears to be working well (fingers crossed).
    Didnt do any firmware updates or channel back up yet.

    Thanks


  • #105
    pigeon1916
    Registered Users Posts: 71 ✭✭pigeon1916


    rurs wrote: »
    Does anyone have any experience with sub cards in the card reader?
    What encryption method is supported, or do you need a 3rd party firmware.
    I'm thinking of getting a Cyfra+ card (Conax, I think), or maybe Art Sport (irdeto or viaaccess?).

    Hi
    I am awaiting the arrival of a Cyfra + card at the moment and will let you now how I get on. The software version on my box is 025. Hopefully I wont have to many problems.


  • #106
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    pigeon1916 wrote: »
    Hi
    I am awaiting the arrival of a Cyfra + card at the moment and will let you now how I get on. The software version on my box is 025. Hopefully I wont have to many problems.

    I used the Cyfra+ card in the past in another receiver and it was a great value for money, with several channels that have English audio.
    The encryption is Seca and you shouldn't have any problem with opening the channels using the card reader, as the box is meant for Poland and it is unlikely that it will not work.
    Which package did you order and from where? The cheapest are from Poland.
    Please let me know if the Canal+ Sport channel does have an English audio now, as I want to buy a card for myself and at the time when I had the subscription, the English audio option transmitted the commentary only in Polish. Thanks.


  • #107
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    Last night while using the teletext option from one of the channels, the receiver got stuck on the channel and nothing helped using front buttons or the remote.
    Pulled the power cord from the mains, waited few minutes and reconnected.
    This time the last channel was showing the picture without the teletext window, but it is still stuck.
    Tried the power disconnection method few more times, but nothing seems to help.
    It looks like their teletext development is buggy, and one should be very careful how to use it.
    Anyway, I am looking now for answers if anyone has a solution to this problem, or if there is a factory reset using a combination from the front panel buttons (some receivers have such an option) and I am hoping that I will not need to send it for repairs, as the shipment cost would simply be not worth it.


  • #108
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    This morning I reconnected the power cord, but wasn't able to change channels using the remote, but luckily I was able to change channels using the front buttons. It seems that I didn't do this test last night and was trying to do the obvious thing using the remote.
    Now I am suspecting the remote has become faulty all of a sudden, which is strange as the receiver worked only about two weeks. Changed batteries to new ones, but this didn't help.
    The box is obviously worthless without the remote, so I need first to confirm that it is the culprit.
    Anyway, we need to have some serious trouble shooting tips for this receiver, in addition to the ones in the manual.


  • #109
    FRIENDO
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,393 ✭✭✭FRIENDO


    Did you programe the remote to work with any other device ie. TV, if so is it still working with this device.

    I sometimes forget to press stb button going back to the reciever.


  • #110
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    FRIENDO wrote: »
    Did you programe the remote to work with any other device ie. TV, if so is it still working with this device.

    I sometimes forget to press stb button going back to the reciever.

    A big thanks for the tip FRIENDO. The remote is back to normal after pressing STB.


  • #111
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    If you're ever stuck in the future, you can hold down the power button on the front of the unit for 10 seconds or so to force a factory reset.


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  • #112
    razor_ryan
    Registered Users Posts: 163 ✭✭razor_ryan


    Did you update your firmware there was a fix for the teletext issue try HDcombo_firmware_S025_2010-10-21 it sorted mine available on the Ferguson Poland Website


  • #113
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    razor_ryan wrote: »
    Did you update your firmware there was a fix for the teletext issue try HDcombo_firmware_S025_2010-10-21 it sorted mine available on the Ferguson Poland Website

    My firmware is 025 update Oct 20 2010, so I guess it has the latest.
    Aparently the teletext didn't cause the issue. I must have accidentally pressed the TV button, which put the STB out of control.
    But the teletext is really the worst that I have seen in any satellite receiver, and any improvements in this area would be appreciated.
    Try to check the teletext in channel Arte on Hot Bird. All the alphabet characters are not showing. It shows only commas, numbers and other characters.


  • #114
    pigeon1916
    Registered Users Posts: 71 ✭✭pigeon1916


    victory10 wrote: »
    I used the Cyfra+ card in the past in another receiver and it was a great value for money, with several channels that have English audio.
    The encryption is Seca and you shouldn't have any problem with opening the channels using the card reader, as the box is meant for Poland and it is unlikely that it will not work.
    Which package did you order and from where? The cheapest are from Poland.
    Please let me know if the Canal+ Sport channel does have an English audio now, as I want to buy a card for myself and at the time when I had the subscription, the English audio option transmitted the commentary only in Polish. Thanks.

    I got the card Cyfra+ multipakiet + Canal+ HD yesterday from Satsklep and put it into the box today.
    It worked straight away, But I had to send Satsklep an email as the HD Channels are still scrambled. So I am waiting for them to get back to me.
    Watching the West Ham V Man City at the moment. The commentary is in Polish and the picture quality is excellent.


  • #115
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    pigeon1916 wrote: »
    I got the card Cyfra+ multipakiet + Canal+ HD yesterday from Satsklep and put it into the box today.
    It worked straight away, But I had to send Satsklep an email as the HD Channels are still scrambled. So I am waiting for them to get back to me.
    Watching the West Ham V Man City at the moment. The commentary is in Polish and the picture quality is excellent.

    Thanks for the update pigeon1916.
    I bought mine also from Satsklep. In their website they say that
    "Canal+ programs broadcast in English.", but English audio was only available in the films channels, not the sport channels.
    Sorry to ask, but did you try changing the audio channel using the green button?
    BTW, a great advantage of the Ariva HD Combo, is that if you change the audio channel to your preferred language, then it is saved and changing channels doesn't make any difference. A big advantage when you use the timer to record several programs from different channels.


  • #116
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    Just checked the canal+ programs for today.
    http://www.canalplus.pl/program
    The 15:55 Piłka nożna Liga angielska Mecz West Ham United - Manchester City has this note
    na żywo live.gif,
    which could mean it has original sound (in this case English), but it is rather strange that you heard only Polish.
    Please confirm if this true for other broadcasts tonight which has this note from 17:55-00:00
    Thanks.:)


  • #117
    pigeon1916
    Registered Users Posts: 71 ✭✭pigeon1916


    Hi
    I just tried the Green button, But it does not give an English option.
    The Canal + and Canal + Film Channels are in Polish without the option of changing to English.

    But there are 3 other channels called H Test 1, H Test 2 and H Test 3.
    H Test 1 = Canal + with English audio :)
    H Test 2 = Canal + Film with English audio :)
    H Test 3 = Canal + Sport Polish audio :(

    Maybe it will be English audio for the Liverpool game later.
    We shall see.


  • #118
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    Ok. I checked my channels, and the strange thing is that only Canal+ and Canal+ Films have a second audio option when scrolling the green button
    Language 1/2(Polish) and 2/2 (Ory) (presumably for Original language)
    The Canal+ Sport and Canal+ Sport 2 have only 1/1(Polish) option. frown.gif
    Confirmed this with another receiver Nokia 9800S.


  • #119
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    @pigeon1916, thanks for the info, I'm thinking of getting the Cyfra+ Pakiet premierowy card, as I'd like to have Eurosport also, and although HD would be nice, I can live without it. There's a long thread about foreign subs for PL football, I don't think Canal/Cyfra sport ever has English audio.

    If you have a second dish and receiver, you can use BBC five live for many of the matches.

    @victory10, na żywo means "live", nothing to do with audio unfortunately.

    Re teletext, it is pretty ropey alright. I had a look at that arte channel you mentioned, using another receiver, all I got was a black screen with the page number rapidly moving, no useful info. On the Ariva, I got a red screen with a scattering of punctuation marks, so I'm not sure there is anything useful on this channel anyway.

    My main gripe with the teletext on the Ariva is how it handles a page with subpages. There'll be a number of lines from the wrong page (say page 2/3) shown while looking at page 1/3. Other than that, the fact that the coloured buttons can't be used for shortcuts is a pain. I've written to Ferguson about this more than once, only time will tell if it's a priority for them to fix.


  • #120
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    Thanks rurs for clearing the live note for me. I think you are right and that
    their sport channels don't have English audio track. But the films channels do have original language sound track.
    The Cyfra+ Pakiet premierowy card will give you about 10 channels with English audio, so it is a good choice. Please note that it would be better to order it at the begining of the month, as the shop will activate it the day of the order, and you can enjoy more subscription period (5 months+current month) for the "current month". So I am personally thinking of ordering about the 2nd of January 2011, instead of this week.
    The Ariva teletext certainly needs improvements. The Arte channel does send excellent teletext information (I use it mainly for the daily programming on pages 400-405), so try checking it again with other receivers if you have the chance.
    Please see attached two pages from Arte teletext, saved from a DVB-S card on my PC.


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  • #121
    KeRbDoG
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,278 ✭✭✭KeRbDoG


    My updated channel list with EuroNews corrected as someone PM'ed me looking for it.
    This is for 3Rock and the UK Freesat (and more) channels


  • #122
    wex_martron
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭wex_martron


    I got the hard drive working after a bit of fiddling around and formatting etc. About a month has passed and we've been recording stuff and watching it without issue. Then I turn it on today to look at an item we recorded and there was nothing on the disc. The usb drive is found and working properly it seems but there is no sign of any of the info saved by the ariva. When i tried the drive in my pc the files are there. What's going on? A product like this and for this kind of money shouldn't have this kind of problem. I'm seriously pissed off with this thing at the moment... I think a format using the ariva unt would fix the problem but then I'm going to loose the programs we've recorded. It's f***ing Bullsh1t.


  • #123
    STB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,178 ✭✭✭STB


    wex_martron wrote: »
    I got the hard drive working after a bit of fiddling around and formatting etc. About a month has passed and we've been recording stuff and watching it without issue. Then I turn it on today to look at an item we recorded and there was nothing on the disc. The usb drive is found and working properly it seems but there is no sign of any of the info saved by the ariva. When i tried the drive in my pc the files are there. What's going on? A product like this and for this kind of money shouldn't have this kind of problem. I'm seriously pissed off with this thing at the moment... I think a format using the ariva unt would fix the problem but then I'm going to loose the programs we've recorded. It's f***ing Bullsh1t.

    Did you delete any info files ?

    If you are seeing it on a PC and not on the ariva it would seem that an info file is not being found.

    What you could do is move the files to your c: drive. Format the harddisk presumably in FAT32. Connect it back to the ariva, record somthing short, see if its finding the recording, then copy those files you had copied to your c: drive back onto it (probably into the directory structure). Its records on many similar boxes.


  • #124
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    wex_martron wrote: »
    I got the hard drive working after a bit of fiddling around and formatting etc. About a month has passed and we've been recording stuff and watching it without issue. Then I turn it on today to look at an item we recorded and there was nothing on the disc. The usb drive is found and working properly it seems but there is no sign of any of the info saved by the ariva. When i tried the drive in my pc the files are there. What's going on? A product like this and for this kind of money shouldn't have this kind of problem. I'm seriously pissed off with this thing at the moment... I think a format using the ariva unt would fix the problem but then I'm going to loose the programs we've recorded. It's f***ing Bullsh1t.

    I'm also having problems recording on the Ariva Combo. I am running the latest firmware and using an 8GB USB memory stick which is above the required speed for recording. I can record and playback TV fine but I am unable to pause live TV. I have enabled Timeshift in the PVR settings menu with a default recording time of 1 hour but it is still not working. Has anyone else had similar issues or can someone let me know what I am doing wrong? I just try pressing the pause button whilst watching TV and nothing happens..

    Thanks.


  • #125
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    wex_martron wrote: »
    I got the hard drive working after a bit of fiddling around and formatting etc. About a month has passed and we've been recording stuff and watching it without issue. Then I turn it on today to look at an item we recorded and there was nothing on the disc. The usb drive is found and working properly it seems but there is no sign of any of the info saved by the ariva. When i tried the drive in my pc the files are there. What's going on? A product like this and for this kind of money shouldn't have this kind of problem. I'm seriously pissed off with this thing at the moment... I think a format using the ariva unt would fix the problem but then I'm going to loose the programs we've recorded. It's f***ing Bullsh1t.

    This can happen if you turn off the power without using the "uninstall" option in the PVR menu.
    Don't panic, you can get the Ariva to see the drive again....

    If you have a Windows PC, connect the USB drive, right click the drive in My Computer, Properties, Tools, then Error Checking.
    Tick "Automatically fix file system errors", then Start. It only takes a minute.

    Reconnect to the Ariva, give it a minute or two to sort itself out, then all your recordings should be visible again.


  • #126
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    The maximum recommended disk drive is 750GB, and as a 750GB is hard to find locally (they go 500GB, 1000GB, 1500GB but not 750GB) with the prices of 500GB and 1000GB nearly the same, I am wondering if anyone has tried using a 1000GB formatted as FAT32 (recommended by Ferguson) and if you would expect any unforeseen problems.


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  • #127
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    victory10 wrote: »
    The maximum recommended disk drive is 750GB, and as a 750GB is hard to find locally (they go 500GB, 1000GB, 1500GB but not 750GB) with the prices of 500GB and 1000GB nearly the same, I am wondering if anyone has tried using a 1000GB formatted as FAT32 (recommended by Ferguson) and if you would expect any unforeseen problems.

    Hi Victory,

    I haven't tried a (**AMENDED**) 1TB drive but I have a spare one at home so will try it later and let you know how it works.

    I still can't pause live TV using the pause button on the remote. I can record TV fine but pressing pause just doesn't do anything. I have enabled Timeshift on the PVR menu. Can anyone help ? Any ideas why it's not working for me?

    Thanks.


  • #128
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    patrickpc wrote: »
    Hi Victory,

    I haven't tried a 1GB drive but I have a spare one at home so will try it later and let you know how it works.

    I still can't pause live TV using the pause button on the remote. I can record TV fine but pressing pause just doesn't do anything. I have enabled Timeshift on the PVR menu. Can anyone help ? Any ideas why it's not working for me?

    Thanks.

    Hello patrickpc,
    Thanks for the offer. I hope you mean 1TB, not 1GB. I appreciate it very much.
    I also tried to record a channel, using 8GB SanDisk Cruzer USB Flash and then use time shift, but it is also not working for me. So obviously we are missing something here with regards to the proper operation of the time shift and pause live TV. Perhaps it is related to the type of the USB flash. Please try to test pausing live TV when you test the external 1TB HDD (you mentioned 1GB, but I need the test for 1000GB. Maybe it is a typo error).
    Anyway, I am sure that we will find a perfectly good reason why live TV pausing doesn't work.
    Good luck. :)


  • #129
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    I've tried several memory sticks now, none of them timeshift. Setting timeshift on in the menu, then pressing pause is all you should have to do.

    It works with hard disks, I think it's safe to assume it just doesn't work with memory sticks. I don't know why.


  • #130
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    victory10 wrote: »
    Hello patrickpc,
    Thanks for the offer. I hope you mean 1TB, not 1GB. I appreciate it very much.
    I also tried to record a channel, using 8GB SanDisk Cruzer USB Flash and then use time shift, but it is also not working for me. So obviously we are missing something here with regards to the proper operation of the time shift and pause live TV. Perhaps it is related to the type of the USB flash. Please try to test pausing live TV when you test the external 1TB HDD (you mentioned 1GB, but I need the test for 1000GB. Maybe it is a typo error).
    Anyway, I am sure that we will find a perfectly good reason why live TV pausing doesn't work.
    Good luck. :)

    Hey again.

    Ok - first of all I think it's true that this box doesn't allow timeshift / pause when using a memory stick. I attached a 500GB hard disk, reformatted it and now timeshift works perfectly. I had tried 3 different usb sticks previously and none worked.

    Secondly - Victory - I tried the unit with a 1 TB portable HDD (Samsung) previously formatted to Fat32 and it wasn't recognised by the unit. I didn't want to reformat it again as it contained some stuff I need but I don't think the Ariva will recognise it anyway. The spec says a max of 750GB so I guess we can't complain. If you do buy (or have) a 1TB drive you may be able to create 2 Fat32 partitions on it - 1 * 750GB (primary) and 1 * 250GB (secondary) and it might pick up the primary one...

    Thirdly - I had another problem which occured twice so far - the audio just stopped working on all stations (DTT and SAT) for no reason. The TV wasn't muted + the picture was perfect. When I restarted the box the audio came back. Anyone else had this problem before?

    Thanks,

    -P


  • #131
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    Hello patrickpc,
    Thanks for the tests. Now we know that USB sticks don't support time shift. Perhaps it is something to do with the drive speed.
    Ferguson recommend only one partition, so I will need to use either 500GB or try harder to find a 750GB external HDD.
    Regarding the audio problem, if this happens again, try to record a few minutes of any of the channels before restarting it and then play the recorded file and see if the audio stream was recorded or not.
    Hope that this was just a one time occurance.


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  • #132
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    victory10 wrote: »
    Hello patrickpc,
    Thanks for the tests. Now we know that USB sticks don't support time shift. Perhaps it is something to do with the drive speed.
    Ferguson recommend only one partition, so I will need to use either 500GB or try harder to find a 750GB external HDD.
    Regarding the audio problem, if this happens again, try to record a few minutes of any of the channels before restarting it and then play the recorded file and see if the audio stream was recorded or not.
    Hope that this was just a one time occurance.

    Thanks Victory - I am hoping the audio problem doesn't recur but if it does I'll try your suggestion of recording and playing back to see what is happening. I'm pretty sure there will be no audio on the recording however as when this issue occured on the Ariva (I was watching a DTT station) I switched my TV over to a direct feed from the rooftop aeriel (my Panasonic TV supports DTT MPEG4 as well) to see if the DTT audio was coming through there and it was fine - same channel as well.

    I haven't seen the problem since the weekend but would like to hear if anyone else had the same issue with the audio dropping but picture remaining?

    The Timeshift feature is pretty good - great to be able to rewind a show you are watching in real time.

    Thanks.


  • #133
    Tony
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,336 ✭✭✭✭Tony


    Heres a channel list for satellite and Woodcock Hill transmitter kindly prepared by Lez . Hope this helps someone

    Desktop PC Boards discount code on https://www.satellite.ie/ is boards.ie



  • #134
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    There is a nice feature while recording: You can watch a different channel, provided it is tranmitted from the same transponder frequency.


  • #135
    Paul Kiernan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,184 ✭✭✭Paul Kiernan


    victory10 wrote: »
    There is a nice feature while recording: You can watch a different channel, provided it is tranmitted from the same transponder frequency.

    Taking this a step further, this link shows the channels on each transponder. By choosing to record from a specific ITV or BBC region, you can make the channel you want to watch available. So, for example, if you want to record from ITV1 and watch ITV2, then record from ITV1 London, not UTV, as ITV1 London is on the same transponder as ITV4. You can then watch ITV4 as you record.


  • #136
    gtg60
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,756 ✭✭✭gtg60


    victory10 wrote: »
    There is a nice feature while recording: You can watch a different channel, provided it is tranmitted from the same transponder frequency.

    No, that isn't that unusual, what makes this receiver stand out is that you can record from one tuner (i.e. Sat or DTT) and watch the other! Main reason I bought this unit for my folks!


  • #137
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    @patrrickpc, regarding the audio problem, did it happen as soon as you turned on, was it from standby or a cold boot? I've never had this problem, but the only thing I can think of is some sort of HDMI issue. Are you using HDMI for video and audio, and listening through your TV speakers? Maybe the order you switch things on could be having an effect?

    I don't generally use my TV speakers as they're worse than rubbish, I have a set of powered speakers connected to the RCA audio jacks, but that might mean I wouldn't notice this particular problem.


  • #138
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    rurs wrote: »
    @patrrickpc, regarding the audio problem, did it happen as soon as you turned on, was it from standby or a cold boot? I've never had this problem, but the only thing I can think of is some sort of HDMI issue. Are you using HDMI for video and audio, and listening through your TV speakers? Maybe the order you switch things on could be having an effect?

    I don't generally use my TV speakers as they're worse than rubbish, I have a set of powered speakers connected to the RCA audio jacks, but that might mean I wouldn't notice this particular problem.

    Hi Rurs,

    No - the audio loss problem happened after the combo box and TV had been switched on for some time - not at startup. I double checked the HDMI connection last night in case it was loose but it seemed fine - I don't think this was the issue as the audio started working again after powering off and on the combo box. If it happens again I will try recording the incident as per Victory's suggestion to see if the issue is with the signal being received or the box itself.

    I'm hoping the audio loss problem won't happen again as other than this I am very happy with the unit. It's not perfect but I reckon it's better value than the Edison Argus VIP2 which costs around 50-60 Euro more for more-or less the same features. Will be interested to see what other units appear (and at what price) over the coming months once the DTT thing really takes off.

    -P


  • #139
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    Hi there,

    Two questions:-
    1. Is it possible to get a replacement original remote and if so how much?

    2.Anyone know of a Simple and Cheap Universal remote control which can be used Combo? I am looking for the basic functions only as not everyone in the house was blessed with technical abilities.

    =====================================
    Essential Functions required ( that I can think of)
    =====================================
    On /Off
    Channel Up / Down
    Vol Up / Down
    Mute
    Source For switching between TV and STB control

    ===================
    Other Functions required
    ===================
    Play / Pause
    FF/ FR
    Stop

    Probably a few more needed but I don't want to over-complicate.

    Many thanks - Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.


  • #140
    STB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,178 ✭✭✭STB


    patrickpc wrote: »
    Hi there,

    1. Is it possible to get a replacement original remote and if so how much?


    Take back cover where batteries are located - it should give you the remote ID. Then have a look here

    http://www.avukltd.com/brand/FERGUSON.htm

    If its less than €20 then it obviously okay.

    Q2 You will pick up a programmable remote in a €2 shop. if it doesnt have record buttons on it, it cant do it obviously, so look closely at remote keypad


  • #141
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    Some discussion here of similar request.

    Seasons greetings to one and all..or should that be One4All? :)


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  • #142
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    victory10 wrote: »
    The maximum recommended disk drive is 750GB, and as a 750GB is hard to find locally (they go 500GB, 1000GB, 1500GB but not 750GB) with the prices of 500GB and 1000GB nearly the same, I am wondering if anyone has tried using a 1000GB formatted as FAT32 (recommended by Ferguson) and if you would expect any unforeseen problems.

    Found at last a 750 GB WD MyBook Essential external hard disk.
    Checked it first on PC running Windows XP Pro and it has two drives, main hard disk with 750 GB formatted in NTFS and the second drive looks like a virtual CD drive, with all the back up software from Western Digital WDSmartWare, whick is not possible to delete.
    As Ferguson recommeds only FAT32, I had to format it first using their tool guiformat.exe , downloadable from their website.
    The formatting gave me a hard disk with 198GB, but I wasn't concerned at this stage with the size. Just needed to see if the receiver would recognize it.
    When I hooked it up, using the external power supply that came with it, the receiver just got crazy and kept switching on and off until I disconnected the USB cable.
    I have no idea why this has happened, as the size is now only 198 GB (maximum allowed is 750GB).
    Tried adding some photos and a file that was recorded previosly on the USB stick, but this didn't help.
    I am completely at loss and would appreciate any tips on how to get the receiver to become stable when the HDD is connected.


  • #143
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    The problem with WD MyBook Essential was resolved.
    As mentioned before, the complete drive has two drives: The main hard disk partition of 750GB and a virtual CD which is read only and can't be deleted.
    But I found that it is possible to hide it by following the WD support page here:
    Virtual CD (VCD) Manager for Windows
    http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmartwareupdate/utilitiesstep1.asp?id=wdfMB_Essential&os=win

    Following the instruction, it was possible to hide this drive and now my PC was able to see only the 750 GB Hard Disk formatted in FAT32 using the guiformat.exe and using Allocation Unit Size as 8192
    Next, connected the drive to the Ariva HDcombo. This time it was quite stable and after few seconds, it gave me an info that USB drive is OK.
    Checked the recognized size and it was 731GB.
    Started recording a channel and then checked that Time Shift works OK.


  • #144
    wex_martron
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭wex_martron


    rurs wrote: »
    This can happen if you turn off the power without using the "uninstall" option in the PVR menu.
    Don't panic, you can get the Ariva to see the drive again....

    If you have a Windows PC, connect the USB drive, right click the drive in My Computer, Properties, Tools, then Error Checking.
    Tick "Automatically fix file system errors", then Start. It only takes a minute.

    Reconnect to the Ariva, give it a minute or two to sort itself out, then all your recordings should be visible again.

    Thanks...


  • #145
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    The PVR recorded trp file can be editted (trimmed) using the Smart Cutter Ps/Ts (Portable) application.
    Supporting M2TS, TS, PS, TP, TRP, MTS, MPG, VOB; H.264/AVC, AVCHD, MPEG2, DVD etc.
    http://www.fame-ring.com
    It is good for trimming the beginnig and the end, but not in-between commercials.
    All you have to do is make a copy of the whole subfolder of the recorded trp file (please keep the original file until you are certain the trimmed file is exactly how you want it) and replace the DATA00.trp file with the editted file, after renaming it to DATA00.trp
    The conversion didn't take long for a 15 minutes test clip.
    If you have for example a trp file with several music clips with commercials in between, you can do a recursive trimming using the original file each time and end up with several music clips that you want to keep. It would be just like having a jukebox. When finished, you can rename each clip with the receiver editting menu.

    There are several other interesting products with trial versions which puts a watermark on the converted file, but the application I used didn't put a mark. The prices are quite reasonable.


  • #146
    sweetnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 8 ✭sweetnuts


    wex_martron wrote: »
    Thanks...
    Thanks here too. My PVR just stopped working but now all is good again.:)


  • #147
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    sweetnuts wrote: »
    Thanks here too. My PVR just stopped working but now all is good again.:)

    Glad it worked..I'm not sure why it does work, but at least it does :)

    It's a good idea to use a flash drive to do firmware updates or channel list restores for the same reason. The Ariva reboots when you do these, with no option to do the "USB uninstallation" (as Ferguson call it..."Unmount USB drive" would be more accurate)


  • #148
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    gtg60 wrote: »
    No, that isn't that unusual, what makes this receiver stand out is that you can record from one tuner (i.e. Sat or DTT) and watch the other! Main reason I bought this unit for my folks!

    Good feature. But when I tried to record a sat channel and switched over to DTT, it wasn't possible to switch back to the sat channel that is being recorded without stopping the recording.


  • #149
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    victory10 wrote: »
    Good feature. But when I tried to record a sat channel and switched over to DTT, it wasn't possible to switch back to the sat channel that is being recorded without stopping the recording.

    That should be possible, I know I've done it in the past...
    It will throw a minor wobbler if you switch to channel not being recorded, or not on the same transponder. You have to go directly an available channel. Try it using the blue "find" button.


  • #150
    rurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 594 ✭✭✭rurs


    Any recommendations for programs to transcode MPEG4 .trp files to MPEG2 suitable for burning to DVD, and for taking out ads?

    I've tried MPEG Streamclip: works really well for MPEG2 sources, very easy to edit out ads etc., but just hangs on my machine when I try to load MPEG4 files.

    AVS2DVD: audio ends up way out of sync, otherwise a good all in one solution.

    Super: can't remember why I gave up on this, think it was something to do with multiple audio tracks giving problems...

    Any other suggestions/experiences?


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  • #151
    victory10
    Registered Users Posts: 97 ✭✭victory10


    rurs wrote: »
    Any recommendations for programs to transcode MPEG4 .trp files to MPEG2 suitable for burning to DVD, and for taking out ads?

    I've tried MPEG Streamclip: works really well for MPEG2 sources, very easy to edit out ads etc., but just hangs on my machine when I try to load MPEG4 files.

    AVS2DVD: audio ends up way out of sync, otherwise a good all in one solution.

    Super: can't remember why I gave up on this, think it was something to do with multiple audio tracks giving problems...

    Any other suggestions/experiences?

    Lately I came across the Smart products which support
    M2TS, TS, PS, TP, TRP, MTS, MPG, VOB; H.264/AVC, AVCHD, MPEG2, DVD etc.
    http://www.fame-ring.com
    The trial versions are fully functional, but leave a watermark.
    You can try to cut the mpeg4.trp ads using SmartCut and making several files, then use merge so that you would have one clean mpeg4.trp file.
    Use SmartShop to convert it to mpeg2 file or select "Output DVD" and it will make a DVD for you in addition to mpeg file.


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