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All posts by Charles Stuart

Below are all of Charles Stuart's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


@ jb38 - When I entered my post code into this site it converted it into degrees longitude and latitude.

What is weird is that I can now receive the missing channels. I connected up the DVD recorder/player that I hadn't yet connected when I had the problem and it picked up the missing multiplex, though slightly weaker than the others, and then so did the PVR, TV and HD box. Is it possible that there might have been a short interruption to service on that multiplex on the 26th June? I cannot think why else I would have had tuning trouble then but not now. (51.4634,-2.5264) 

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@Jim - No, your tuner isn't faulty. You need Freesat for those channels that you can't get. They're not on Freeview.

@jb38 - I have considered atmospheric conditions but yesterday was about as nasty as it gets with very low pressure. The 26th was a bit better but not much, perhaps a bit like today. If anything, I think the roof aerial may be pointing just a fraction south of the south-west direction it's meant to point. The DVD player gives the easiest to understand signal measure. BBCA, D3+4, SDN and ArqA score 10/10 and ArqB scores 9/10, so there shouldn't be any problem. The machine has worked interference-free with scores of 7/10 and with occasional pixelation with scores of 6/10 and 5/10. The HD box measures BBCB at 99% for signal quality and 100% for signal strength. ArqB is on 56. Could the problem be a signal that's too strong? Or maybe I needn't worry about it any more as I'm now getting the multiplex. (51.4634,-2.5264) 

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The RF signal doesn't seem to be a problem, though I have changed the output on the bedroom TV's box (an Icecrypt) to channel 30.

This site seems to change my post code into coordinates. It is BS15 1EF and the house has a nice clear view towards the transmitter. I think that the aerial has fewer than ten elements. My guess is five or six. (51.4634,-2.5264) 

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YouView - how it works (video)
Thursday 12 July 2012 1:58PM
Bristol

I would like to know how many hours of TV one can watch within a 40Gb per month download limit where about 8Gb is being used elsewhere, say a fifth in HD and four fifths in standard definition? If it's more than about 15 hours of TV, I think this technology is definitely for me.

Already there are certain channels that one can receive via the Internet through a Freeview HD box. Has anyone bothered trying these channels? Are they worthwhile? What sort of programmes do they show?

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Food Network
Saturday 21 July 2012 11:17PM
Bristol

I like this channel, so I'm glad to see that it's now available all day on Freeview. How did they manage that? Have they got rid of one of the other channels?

Now, if they could just find the space to make Al Jezeera 24/7, I think I'd have every channel I could ever want.

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It seems that only Al Jazeera has been updated. Other channel changes do not seem to have occurred yet. When will they come into effect? I don't wish to keep retuning my STBs etc., not least because I have quite a number to do.

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Four regional DAB multiplexes to close in 2013 to allow for bet
Thursday 27 September 2012 12:24PM
Bristol

I really don't know what to make of this. One thought I've had is that there should be a second attempt to get the second national multiplex on air. I don't know how complicated it is to change a transmitter's frequency but perhaps, if it's an easy job, the disused regional transmitters could be used as an opening backbone of the service to get it up and running quickly, even if transmitters subsequently have to be relocated.

DAB isn't inherently worse than FM for the quality of sound. It's worse because multiplex operators have chosen to cram in too many stations at the cost of quality. If I ran a multiplex, I'd only have as many stations as it could support at FM quality or better.

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I really like the Avanti bid because it's brave, different, tries to make the best use of a system that supports SFNs and is thinking "out of the box". It would also give the greatest number of people the chance to access new services and give the local TV providers the greatest chance to cover their costs or make a profit (because they'd have a bigger audience). I hope that Avanti wins the contract.

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Does this mean that for the moment I only have to retune my HD box and the other devices only need to be retuned later for the news cannels? I don't watch adult channels or children's channels and don't care whether or not I can receive them.

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The boxes/TVs etc. do need to be retuned if they record. I believe that I'm right in saying that if you have the old numbers and tell a machine to record a programme, it might encounter problems when recording a channel that has changed numbers. The HD box is one that can function as a recorder if I fit an external hard disk, so it's best to have all the channels in the correct place.

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