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Anonymous User
Not applicable

HD channels problem

Hi

 

Have been using the Smart tv box for a few days now- have been using Now Tv for years so pretty familiar with the screens- however have found that it works best on 720p for my 32 inch Toshiba, but thats an aside, my query is how delicate is the built in tuner as I have found that some HD channels- Al Jaz, Bbc news etc are seriously pixelating channels bbc1 to channel 5 are fine- now i have a Humax PVR/freeview box with no problems on those channels - It has been a tad windy so that can cause problems I know but only with the Smart Box as I tested against the Humax under the same conditions- the best example i can give is when On digital started all those years ago just strange that it is affecting some channels but I suppose they may be on a different stream- any ideas- I suppose i could up grade the aerial but seems a bit unnecessary as the Humax is fine.

 

Thanks

Richard

12 REPLIES 12
Andy
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User

 

It could be that your box is tuned into a repeater transmitter that doesn't carry COM7 (which carries BBC News HD and Al Jar HD) and so is just picking up stray signals from your main transmitter (only main transmitters and a tiny number of main repeater transmitters carry COM7 whereas all transmitters carry PSB3 which has BBC1 HD etc)

 

Unfortunately the Smart Box doesn't have an easy way of forcing it to tune into a specified transmitter. Try doing another scan of channels on your Smart Box by going to Setting> TV Channels >Scan , some people get an option to choose which transmitter they want to select during this process. Unfortunately if you don't get this option it may end up selecting the wrong transmitter again. 

Keep retuning a few different times to see if it picks up the right one. Also make sure the box is away from other electrical appliances as much as possible.
 
If that doesn't seem to help, if you have a little aerial splitter device knocking around the house (the sort that splits an incoming aerial feed into two outputs) try sticking that on the back of your box as some people with the similar problem found that just weakened the signal enough to make sure the box locks onto the main transmitter.

Alternately if you have a different TV in the house with a different aerial feed try tuning on that TV and then moving back to your normal TV.

 

Also check to see if there is any maintenance work or faults on your local transmitter
 
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/operations/planned_engineering_works

 

as it's possible routine work on your local transmitter might mean they're not transmitting COM7 or have reduced power, particularly with it coming up to a weekend, if that's the case there's not much you can until the work is completed.

 

At the end of the day assuming you are referring to the one TV set, you may decide that you'd prefer to just use your Freeview PVR to watch Freeview on and just use the NOW TV box for the apps, personally I'm not keen on the basic interface the box has and the lack of features compared to a dedicated PVR, but that would be your choice.

Anonymous User
Not applicable
Hi -yes already on a Splitter and running in 720p ~it is pulling the signal
from Sutton Coldfield so pretty powerful and about 30 miles away it is a
group B not sure if there is a relay close by tbh~the box has picked up 171
channels so that's not too bad- I think it may be atmospheric/weather
affecting it at times as weds night all HD channels were clear and stable
Andy
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User No worries, keep an eye on things and see how you go, you can always post back if you get continued problems.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Yep as you suggest it's not my primary rec as the PVR fulfils that role and tbh not really that fussed about the random clarity as I don't tend to watch those channels anyway-just like things to work lol- I suppose an Aerial upgrade is a possibility as it was an early model probably 15-20 years old now, and I'm assuming it may have degraded a little and that Aerial technology in terms of week signal capture has improved vastly over the last few years ?

Andy
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User

I suppose it's true that aerial components will degrade over time but I'm not convinced a 15 year old aerial is ready for replacement. Given the fact that you seem happy with the performance of your Humax balanced against the cost of an aerial engineer assessment and what you might actually gain over what you already have, I don't think I'd be concerned if it was me.

 

Not trying to be too dismissive of the NOW TV Smart Box but I think a dedicated Freeview box is always going to be a better and more polished performer than a box which is trying to be a 'Jack of all trades', and the Roku interface the NOW TV box uses doesn't lend itself to the type of features  and personalisation you get with your Humax.

 

Apparently very few houses have aerials that are ideally aligned, whether through careless initial installation or wear and tear from the elements over time, you could always pop your details into a coverage checker such as

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/coveragechecker/

and then use the map facility to judge if your aerial is pointing in the direction of the best choice transmitter for your location. But unless the aerial is hanging by a thread I'd not worry too much personally.

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User

 

You mentioned in your post that you are using a aerial splitter between your Humax PVR and your smart box.

 

Just wondering, does your Humax box have a RF loop through feature (ie Aerial in & out sockets) and if so are you using the RF aerial out on your Humax box ?

 

If your Humax box only has a single aerial input socket on the back, then please ignore my post.

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi

 

to be honest never looked as I connect it through HDMI- are you thinking of  taking a loop from PVR into Smart box to act as signal booster ? 

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User

 

Yeah, on my BT Box i use the RF loop through feature on the back on the box to boost the TV signal to my smart box.

 

With my BT YouView box, i also need to go into the YouView box settings menu to switch on the RF loop through option which then seems to amplifier the TV signal.

 

Works well in my setup, if your Humax box has the RF in and out loop through feature, then there is no harm in trying it to see if it improves the out going TV signal to your smart box.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

well i can certainly have a look to see if its got an outie- i presume if it has you would still leave the pvr connected via HDMI to the telly ?