All posts by John Roberts
Below are all of John Roberts's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Thanks Les. Sounds sensible. Is this a DIY installation or do I have to get Sky in to do it?
The old card will have been "deactivated". Will it allow any viewing? I am assuming that pause, replay, record functions will not be available on the old box even with a £25 FSFS card and if I want this (unlikely at the moment) the option will be to buy a Freesat+ box.
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Like all these places, it all depends on who you get, and you don't know untill too much later! I have had biased, ill-informed claptrap and impartial, honest and informed in the same store 1 week apart - I'm getting to know who to talk to now!
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Hi. We are just about to go Freeview for an older standard def Hitachi plasma TV (pushed upstairs by a new full HD kit) that will mainly be used for entertaining others (I'll plug a DVD into it as well). We are in sight of the Guildford slave transmitter that I think is switching over next year (some doubts that it will ever happen voiced by local TV salesman). Don't need HD or Pause & Record. Have seen mini Proline boxes at Currys for £17 and others on eBay for £12. Any pitfalls to avoid? I am assuming anything sold new today will not have a problem retuning to the digital signals?
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Brian
Thanks for confirming my thoughts - always a comfort to know that gut instinct is usually right!
The other comment echoes back to another feed I posted on the other day about advice or service from a particular outlet being "rubbish". This "salesperson" works for the the shop that did an excellent job when they supplied and installed our HD kit (TV, AVR, BD). Just goes to show an idiot can work anywhere.
Thanks again.
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Hi Brian, you have helped me plan my 2nd TV install with freeview. This is my first experience and am not overwhelmed. I can see the Guildford transmitter from the ground so thought I could get away with a cheapie phillips DTR220/05. First tune in got virtually nothig. Realigned the loft aerial and found many more channels but none worked (frozen picture & sound or blank screen; signal strength bouncing up & down). Connected my No2 aerial (used to be aimed at Crystal Palace) (so they are both feeding the Freeview box) and now get clean picture and sound on many channels; notable exceptions are BBC1 & 2 which are there but unwatchable. I don't get it - IT, 4, 5 etc must all be coming from the same Guildford transmitter, so why no main Beeb services? (51.2,-0.6)
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hi Brian
I inherited the loft installations. I think the aerials were located there for aesthetic reasons.
I was puzzled as to why i can now get good picture on most channels, just not BBC 1 & 2. I will quiz the previous owners as I think they were viewing Freeview. Terrestrial reception is fine. Perhaps it's the quality of the little Phillips box? (51.2,-0.6)
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I've been told.
Seriously Brian, I appreciate your replies - and the fact that you take the time to compose them.
Still curious (ignorant) about the poor display for 1 & 2 when most of the others are OK. Might this be a manifistation of a frequency clash you mentioned or is it impossible to say without going into my particular setup in more detail than either you or i care to go? (51.2,-0.6)
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Tuesday 18 January 2011 11:29AM
Brian. i am new to this forum but what a depth of knowledge. I think this is an appropriate place to put my query - not seen elswhere but must be quite common:
We moved in July and had new SKY+HD install. Our previous Sky+ sub had been cancelled for 6 months previously (it was a long time in storage!). The old standard def TV was upgraded last month. We still have the old TV, Sky+ box, card and remote. What to do? I would like to install the old TV in a bedroom as an alternative (occasional/kids to watch DVDs) viewing spot but do not want Multiroom. Will the old Sky+ box have any functionality with the old TV (I will still have an active Sky sub in the house)? Will I be able to get FSFS on the old Sky+ box with the redundant card & to get this, will I have to run another cable from the dish - assuming it has a quad output - or is there a way of geting a signal up from the sitting room from the new to the old box? The alternative is to scrap the old Sky+ box and get a TVLink, althogh it has been suggested that I can combile both boxes using a SPC-4 superplus combiner - never heard of it before.
Your ideas would be most welcome.