Digi box

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col

Legendary Member
Does anyone know much about these freeview boxs?Iv set a borrowed cheap one.ie £20.up in my sons room,most of the channels work fine,but a couple either pixelate or just dont work,or change to a different channel number.Is this normal in the cheaper models,and do the dearer ones work better?I dont mind spending more on one,if its a you get what you pay for scenario,or is this the norm? signal strength is good,according to the display.cheers.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
Maybe defective Col. I have one in all the bedrooms, the cheapest was a Tesco one, cost about £19 ;):biggrin: . I think the most expensive one was £25.They all work perfectly.
Is your aerial connection good ?
 
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col

col

Legendary Member
Im using the old tv aerial behind the tv,redundant since cable,with a 15 mtre extension to get it upstairs,using a connection set to join the old to new coaxil.
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
Cost makes little difference I'm afraid. However you can get more stability and tuner stability in PVRs. For example a well known PVR is famous for being good in low signal areas.

The 15m extension maybe the problem unless it is particularly high quality cable. You should check which channels are the problem. Muxs C&D are usually on lower power and it's usually those that pixelate.
 

twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
You may need a new aerial. The old analogue ones can be narrow band compared to the greater spread in frequencies for digi signals. I had your missing channels and pixellation problems with an expensive new digi telly until I got a new aerial fitted.
 

ash68

New Member
Location
northumberland
I got a £40 set a few years ago,but the signal is so weak up here I don't get all the advertised stations. May be better with an upgraded aerial or satelite dish, but I don't watch it that much to be honest. Only really got one so I could get ITV 2 for the Tour DE France coverage. Most of the rest is shite IMO.Just repeats after repeats.
 
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col

col

Legendary Member
Dont know what Muxs c&d is ?but its two music channels that are the problem. The hits and TMF.
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
twentysix by twentyfive said:
You may need a new aerial. The old analogue ones can be narrow band compared to the greater spread in frequencies for digi signals. I had your missing channels and pixellation problems with an expensive new digi telly until I got a new aerial fitted.

That's not generally true, I'm afraid.

Col, if I were you I'd test the digibox downstairs with the extension cable unplugged and then try it upstairs and compare results. The length of cable can make the difference.

TMF and the Hits are both on multiplex D. Check Wolfbane http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe? to see what the signal strength is like and what power rating multiplex D is broadcast on, it maybe on a very low power.

P.S. the box can be messed up. I had use of a goodmans box that was completely screwed and it pixelated like crazy, then on plugging a cheap clone box it worked flawlessly. It doesn't sound like it though.
 

twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
marinyork said:
That's not generally true, I'm afraid.

Col, if I were you I'd test the digibox downstairs with the extension cable unplugged and then try it upstairs and compare results. The length of cable can make the difference.

TMF and the Hits are both on multiplex D. Check Wolfbane http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe? to see what the signal strength is like and what power rating multiplex D is broadcast on, it maybe on a very low power.

Yep - quite correct - it's not generally true but is (or was) for me. It depends on your area. Checkout what Mux's you need and where frequency wise they are for your aerial type. I ended up with a very broadband logarithmic one (I forget the type).

There is a solution tho' And you will find it ;)
 
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col

col

Legendary Member
The two music channels both have next to no signal,everything else has about a quarter of the signal strength bar,and are fine.

I looked at your link and put my post code in,but didnt understand what i was looking at im afraid.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
Marinyorks right, take the extension cable out of the equation and see if it improves.
Mine run on cheap £10 to £15 aerials, the ones from DIY shops. I just mount them where the roof overhangs the wall (whatever thats called ;) ) and run a coax through the loft and down to the freeview box.
Peterborough MAY be a good reception area...cant say, but ive never spent big money but always had good results.
Yes, many of the channels are crud, some are worth having...but...i get an infinately better picture with the freeview box. Theyre worth every penny just for that reason, if no other.
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
I tried a postcode in darlington just in case. It said the local aerials were Bilsdale and Pontop Pike.

If you receive from Bilsdale, multiplex D is out of group if you have a group A aerial, you need to check that your aerial is a yagi aerial and what colour the band is on it, so you may need a new aerial after all. So this could be a the problem. Bilsdale is also a bit poor on Multiplex D, I know this as I had choice of emley moor and bilsdale in the past.

If you get from ponting pike, the problem is more illusive. The signal strength from both to darlington is a bit on the weak side certainly but should work fine on a good rooftop aerial.
 
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col

col

Legendary Member
Ok thanks very much guys,really helpful.Im not sure how ill check the roof aerial out,as its on the chimney,and im not good with heights,Also its been there for at least twenty years,so its probably not up to the digi side of things by the sound of it,cheers again.
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
col said:
The two music channels both have next to no signal,everything else has about a quarter of the signal strength bar,and are fine.

I looked at your link and put my post code in,but didnt understand what i was looking at im afraid.

On the digital predictor (not the analogue on you seem to have put it in) there are various numbers. UHF is where in the spectrum a multiplex is broadcast. 21-69. Bilsdale says group A because the digital channels are all broadcast in that type of aerials range - except multiplex D which includes those music channels it is 42. This suggests you may need a new aerial after all. The other important number is ERP W which means how much power it is broadcast at, unfortunately Bilsdale is broadcast at 1600W which is extremely low and maybe also the problem. The other important numbers are Field strength and if you are unsure of which aerial it gives you a compass bearing. If you can't be bothered to check that if you rescan the channels then on most boxes it tells you which transmitter.
 
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