All posts by Brian Springthorpe
Below are all of Brian Springthorpe's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Can't you get your TV to ask if you want updating?
Mine does.
Most of the time I don't bother with the update, I catch up on it later. There is only one way to stop Sky.
Don't subscribe to it in any form. Convince all the current subscribers to cancel, (and don't accept the inevitable price reduction that they will offer!).
The only way to prevent the proliferation is not to contribute toward it's wealth.
I came off Sky at a very early stage, my decision was clear. Why should I pay for:
a) watching something that was initially free.
b) pay to watch commercials.
My vision of Sky is that of a drug dealer, get them hooked on free telly and then when they are addicted, start charging them.
Sure some of the sensible ones will cancel, but the people with more money than sense and the couch potatoe Jim Royals will carry on paying whatever the price.
I have a personal friend who is an Australian music professor, he has stated that he would have nothing to to with that robbing media magnate and thats coming from his own countryman! I live in Penmaenmawr, North Wales. We are now fully digital and the analogue signal is no more!
I believe our transmitter is on Anglesey, (Llandonna).
I am currently experiencing a problem with my digital recorder. It is a basic, (i.e. non-HD) Panasonic DVD/HD recorder. Occasionally it asks the question when it claims that new channels are available etc. "Do I want to retune", (or words to that effect.
Well over the last few days or so I have noticed that it is not picking up the BBC channels, i.e. BBC1, BBC2, BBC3 and BBC4.
Its strange because all of the other channels are OK and also the TV which it is attached to, which is also a Panasonic which has its own tuner, is picking up the BBC channels.
The little TV in the bedroom which is a cheap and cheerful Tevion from Aldi is also picking up the BBC channels without any problem.
I have noticed some pixellation on ITV4 but I don't know if that is related to the BBC problem.
Does anyone know why this is happening? Gay RabbitFriday 4 February 2011 4:49PM
Penmaenmawr Channel One didn't last long on FreeView did it.
Never really tuned in to it but can't understand why they keep messing about.
Freeview seems to be like a sorting area for the people who aren't decided whether to charge for the channels or not. Gay RabbitSaturday 5 February 2011 5:37PM
Penmaenmawr Briantist
OK then US Citizen t*at!
The guy is a t*at where ever he comes from and a greedy t*at at that! Gay RabbitSunday 6 February 2011 7:55PM
Penmaenmawr Wolves Steve,
Interesting username!
I think maybe you aire from the same part of the world as me.
How do you feel about Saturday's result?
Bring on the Arsenal!Interesting update - particularly the Channel 4 HD channel that you indicate is coming soon.
Are there any more Freeview HD channels coming to Freesat that can be viewed in HD with a Humax Fox Sat that you are aware of?
I was rather hoping that Film 4 might be one of them! Briantist - Not usually but the wife likes the soaps and I'm b*ggered if I'm going to record them so that you can pan through the adverts - I'd end up doing it anyway because she's that technically inept - you know what they are like with TV remotes, they end up getting thrown at the wall!
It will increase the length of a good film and in doing so decreases the amount of space on the disc for useful stuff.
Oh the other thing is, they whack up the volume for the commercials so we'll have twice as much of that too! So does this mean then we will be able to tune into Channel 4 HD on FreeSat?
How long before Film4 HD follows? Sorry I wouldn't have to ask the question if the heading was less confusing - I'm a layman!
Any way my question about Film 4 isn't answered in the heading.
I don't need all this stuff about multiplexes and encoding platforms. All I want to know is if and when I can watch something without having to give money away to those robbing b*****s at Sky. We are getting a bit of breakup, (i.e. pixellation), on certain Freeview channels.
We are receiving Freeview by way of the transmitter at Llandonna on Anglesey.
We have 3 TV sets around the house all running off the same aerial but we are not getting the same problem with all of them. It is only happening to the old TV that has a separate set top box.
I reckon its an atmospheric problem associated with that set top box.
It only seems to happen when high tide occurs. Briantist
It is a brand new shielded cable on that TV, which is sited in the conservatory.
In fact the main TV in the lounge is fitted with what you would term as the worst cable of all 3 TVs. It is the old coax cable that was run for the original H type aerial and it works like a dream.
I do not have any amplification on any of the 3 cables.
The small TV in the master bedroom, takes a little time to get its signal, but I put that down to the lengthy run, but once it gets the picture and the sound it works great.
I guess its something I'll have to live with for a while unless it's something simple. Mr J Chalmers:
I got a similar problem with several other channels including Film4 over the weekend.
It seems to have righted itself now.
I have the advantage of tuning into my Freesat system when the Freeview starts to play up. Not 100% sure but I think you have to connect your Sky box to your DVD/VCR via the Scart connections and also connect from your DVD/VCR to your TV via Scart. You will be able to record through one of the AV channels although I don't know if you will be able to record a different channel to the one you are watching or tuned into.
Doesn't your Sky box have a recording facility?
It seems like the majority of radio listeners are content with FM and don't want the change to DAB proposed for 2015.
According to recent press, more old style FM sets are still being sold than digital.
It is being stated that the target figure of 50% ownership is not happening and until that figure is achieved, the changeover from analogue to digital will remain under review.
So according to government sources, it is entirely possible that the digital changeover date could be delayed indefinitely.
Thank goodness common sense is prevailing! You can buy attenuators from ebay for next to nowt.
They even look like the ones in the picture.
There are two types that both simply fit in line. One is adjustable the other is fixed.
If you choose the fixed and it is not enough, all that is needed is to attach another to it of a similar attenuation until the result is good.
It is far better though to first find out how strong the signal is. you can do this using a signal finder with a meter. Again you can buy these off ebay or you can go to Maplin. Trouble is you will only probably need to do this once or twice, so it would be better if you could perhaps share the use and therefore the cost with friend who is having similar problems.
I have forgotten what the ideal strength range is but if you ask a local aerial installer who isn't too bothered about losing the work to you, they will probably be able to help you. Failing that, I would have thought someone on this forum would have the knowledge to hand.
I had a signal amplifer before I moved to digital which was necessary, when digital came I found that by turning it right down I got a much better signal.
I have since revamped the system in my loft, (yes - the aerial works in my loft space so no weather variance effects!), and I have 3 TVs connected up to the one aerial via a simple splitter and it all works great.
I still get a bit of bounce though at certain times of day, usually around high tide, (I live by the coast and my transmitter is Llandonna on Anglesey). I get around that by switching over to FreeSat for a while. 
I have a question for Briantist.
In Penmaenmawr in North Wales the number of Freeview channels that we get is probably a complete list, including all the +1 hour and Film 4 and Dave etc.
We regularly go upto the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District on walking holidays and either stay over in pubs or rent a cottage. We have just come back from a very nice break in Kirkby Lonsdale.
When I switch the provided televisions on in these regions, there isn't the same comprehensive listing that we get here in North Wales. It was noted that chaneels such as Film 4 and Dave plus a load of others were missing from the list. What you would call the major channels, such as ITV1, which normally have a +1 hour channel running, were there but ITV2, 3 and 4 didn't.
I tried retuning but could only get those channels. I checked the parental settings on the TV but the settings were witched to off.
So why can't we watch Film 4 or Dave etc. in Kirkby Lonsdale?
We are going back there in April next year. If its a matter of taking a set top box to cure the problem I can manage that, but I suspect it is something more.
Please help! We were in Kirkby Lonsdale for a few days last week on a walking holiday.
We needed to crash out in front of the telly of the evening, (knackered!), but found we had only a very limited channel list.
No Dave, no Film4, in fact there were loads of Freeview channels that we take for granted back in North Wales that we could pick up, for some reason or another, despite retuning and checking if someone had messed around with the parental controls, (which were switched off as it happens).
So, is that the story in KL - if you want a full listing, you have to go satellite?
We are going back in April, will it have improved by then? Steve,
Can KL actually see the Lancaster transmitter?
KL is so low in the LUNE Valley and the fells seem quite high on the south side.
Do you know anyone for certain that is pointing at Lancaster from Kirkby Lonsdale? I am currently undertaking to do a house clearance at my mum's house in Wolverhampton.
I am having to say over for a few days at a time so I need a telly!
I bought a cheap as chips Freeview set top box from Tesco and away we went.
When I switched off, and switched on again the next night, it was as if the damn thing had never been tuned in. I had to retune. Then the signal kept dropping out and the message on the screen informed me that the aerial wasn't connected.
I got the box bacl home to North Wales and it works just fine.
So what's going on? Briantitst,
Given that the signal in Wolverhampton is too strong, I have got a couple of adjustable attenuators that I thought I might need for North Wales where I live, (but didn't!). These are adjustable between 0 to 20dB or so it says on the device.
I also have a simple signal finder. I am assuming that the aerial is pointing the right direction, as I don't really want to climb on the roof at my age, so when I hook up my finder what optimal signal strength should I be looking for?
By the way, when I abandoned using the TV and decided to use my computer to pick up the TV I had no problems whatsoever! Briantist,
It's just a simple cheap SLX DB-T Signal Meter.
It has 4 green lights marked as 80, 70, 60, and 50 dBµv.
So if the signal is more than 80 I am going to be unsure I think. B*g*er me, the damn thing seems to be working again now.
The almighty certainly does move in mysterious ways! I've just bought my Mum a new TV that has Freeview HD integral.
There doesn't seem that much that's HD though. I only see BBC HD, BBC 1 HD, ITV1 HD.
Why isn't there a Channel 4 HD, and why do Sky still seem to have the monopoly on all the HD channels?
Even Freesat only has a limited number of HD channels. Is this likely to change? 
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