Reception of ITV multiplex

[hgm]

I have just purchased DVBViewer for use with a Freecom-T USB stick (Windows XP MCE). Have scanned all the channels and they all work except for the lowest frequency multiplex 482M containing ITV and Channel 4.

The channels have all been found and appear in the EPG with current programmes etc but do will not tune to the TV signal (indicator light on stick does not stay green).

I realise it could be due to lack of signal, fault in hardware etc. But it is being fed from a wide band external aerial and should have enough signal.

Are there any parameters that can be changed to try and make it lock on and display the TV signal.

Altogether I have about 70 channels found and only 5 or 6 that don't work.

 

hgm

[Salvatore]

I have just purchased DVBViewer for use with a Freecom-T USB stick (Windows XP MCE). Have scanned all the channels and they all work except for the lowest frequency multiplex 482M containing ITV and Channel 4.

The channels have all been found and appear in the EPG with current programmes etc but do will not tune to the TV signal (indicator light on stick does not stay green).

I realise it could be due to lack of signal, fault in hardware etc. But it is being fed from a wide band external aerial and should have enough signal.

Are there any parameters that can be changed to try and make it lock on and display the TV signal.

Altogether I have about 70 channels found and only 5 or 6 that don't work.

 

hgm

Have you try using standalone dvbt box to comfirm this problem or otherwise

[hgm]

Have you try using standalone dvbt box to comfirm this problem or otherwise

 

I have other Freeview boxes in other rooms from same aerial connected to TVs which are fine. I don't think I have any way of connecting one to DVBViewer on PC.

I think the sensitivity of a DVB stick is probably lower than a stand-alone box. I was hopeing there was some way of making it show the received picture even if it turned out finally to be unusable. At the moment nothing is shown for that multiplex although it pops up the channel name and program details. So it must be nearly OK.

(The picture on the channels that work is very good.)

 

hgm

[Griga]

and appear in the EPG with current programmes etc

It doesn't necessarily mean that you are receiving something from the transponder in question. Some transponders provide EPG data for channels on other transponders.

 

Launch DVBViewer, tune to one of the dead channels. Close DVBViewer, delete the file epg.dat, launch DVBViewer again, *don't* tune a working channel, and see, whether EPG data arrives or not.

 

Please note: epg.dat may be located in your user profile (documents and settings...). It depends on the user mode. See here.

[hgm]

Launch DVBViewer, tune to one of the dead channels. Close DVBViewer, delete the file epg.dat, launch DVBViewer again, *don't* tune a working channel, and see, whether EPG data arrives or not.

 

Thanks for that information. You are quite right - the epg information doesn't appear when tuned to that multiplex.

 

However, I still have the names of all the stations in the list of scanned channels. Can these also appear from some other source?

 

hgm

[Griga]

However, I still have the names of all the stations in the list of scanned channels. Can these also appear from some other source?

No. When did you perform the last scan?

 

Try to scan just that single transponder resp. frequency. Use TransEdit 3.0 for scanning (see members area, online manual). It's more suitable for analyzing certain frequencies than DVBViewer.

 

Let's first see whether this transponder delivers data at all. If yes, we can try some additional things.

[hgm]

Try to scan just that single transponder resp. frequency. Use TransEdit 3.0 for scanning

I tried scanning with TransEdit. It found all the channels. When I selected one of them it showed the program in the Preview window. Selecting another and nothing showed. From then on, selecting any of them didn't show a picture. If I close it down and start again, the whole sequence can be repeated - the first one selected shows and after that nothing.

It's only the one multiplex that doesn't work. All the others are fine.

 

hgm

[Griga]

Well, that's a new one - never heard of such an issue before. Really strange...

 

Some questions:

 

Does scanning this transponder repeatedly work?

 

What is the frequency of this multiplex? Is it the lowest or highest of all?

 

Rightclick the Preview Window when there is no picture (and no sound, I suppose) - what does the property page of the DVBViewer filter report? Something like "Video/Audio State: No Data/Connected"?

[hgm]

Does scanning this transponder repeatedly work?

 

What is the frequency of this multiplex? Is it the lowest or highest of all?

 

Rightclick the Preview Window when there is no picture (and no sound, I suppose) - what does the property page of the DVBViewer filter report? Something like "Video/Audio State: No Data/Connected"?

 

Scanning works very nearly every time - some occasions when it hasn't found any channels.

 

482M - it is the lowest frequency multiplex.

 

Rightclick preview window doesn't seem to have a filter entry. Menu View/filter seems to show what you are asking. With a non-working programme it is showing No Data/Connected.

 

Actually I do think it's almost definitely gain/weather connected. Today has been better and sometimes I have managed to get it to show a picture in DVBViewer. It's very frustrating when it's so nearly working and is actually finding a programme but not showing it. I have never had a channel stop while I was viewing it - only when I change channels.

 

I have now also tried an aerial amplifier but if anything it makes matters worse rather than better.

 

hgm

[Griga]

indicator light on stick does not stay green

This altogether indicates that the tuner is not able to lock on the frequency reliably, or the driver loses sync, for whatever reason, and DVBViewer/TransEdit get no data. Maybe it's worth trying to shift the transponder frequency a bit in TransEdit, e.g. to 481.9 or 482.1 MHz.

 

Other things you can try:

 

- Stop stream while tuning on/off (TransEdit -> Settings -> Hardware or DVBViewer Pro -> Options -> Hardware)

 

- Use standard interface on/off (TransEdit -> Settings -> Hardware )

 

- Retune on missing stream (DVBViewer Pro -> Options -> Hardware)

 

- Look for a driver update

 

It's very frustrating when it's so nearly working

Sure it is. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be a matter that can be handled in DVBViewer, if none of the options above do the trick...

[hgm]

Sure it is. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be a matter that can be handled in DVBViewer, if none of the options above do the trick...

 

Well Itried those suggestions and unfortunately they didn't do anything. They were the kind of things I wanted to try.

 

Thanks very much for your help. It looks as if it is just a case of not enough signal on the ITV multiplex and if it once stops working, you have to go to another multiplex that works before trying again. (A Sky box with a TV set is rather like that. If a channel freezes, it never comes back to life unless you go to another channel first.)

 

hgm