Aldi - Technosonic PVR £99.99 - Freeview

kcegginton

'Lost & Found' - ok I have been playing around for a few minutes trying to crack this one and I think that I'm starting to get repeatable results but I've confused myself as much as the machine by carrying on too long..

I'm 100% almost sure - probably - that a sure fire way to get resurrect deleted recordings is to delete them then, any time later, put the machine into Standby and immediately turn off the power. This will (usually) also delete the last of any programmes recorded since the machine was powered up.

The key to keeping dead recordings in the grave (and hanging on to the last ones recorded) is to put the machine into Standby, wait and listen for the hard-drive to spin down THEN switch off. I think that switching off without going into standby will also achieve this but I'm getting tired and can't be sure.

I don't know what to do about scheduled recordings yet but I suspect that setting up a 'disposable' recording, say 1 min long, immediately after each (or just the last) recording might do the trick.

This all seems to fit into what I'd previously posted - that the changes are sitting in a buffer and are not getting written to disc unless it spins down.

I'm not sure if any of this explains why I lost a recording from last night sometime during the day while I was out (having left the machine powered up and not in standby). I suspect a short mains power glitch because my DVD recorder stopped recording King Kong (1976) just 12min 38sec into the film - unless, being a Sony, it's got better taste than I have.

Please let me know if my results hold true for your machines.

Lorien: isn't that option already in the settings menu (fron panel)?

Clive

LesD

kcegginton wrote:

Lorien: isn't that option already in the settings menu (fron panel)?

Clive

Think that setting only alters the green alpha/numeric brightness, not the red LED.

scoobie

Lorian wrote:

DTG have just updated their OTA upgrade information page!

Thu to Fri 29/12/05 31/12/05
TechnoTrend PVR 101, GHDD 1782 DVBT & IDPVR801B v1.1 Provisional

PVR101 is now named in the update

The IDPVR801B is a bush PVR, GHDD 1782 is a Goodmans PVR presumably all based on the same firmware, which I guess is written by technotrend.

http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/download_schedule.pl

Does this mean we might be getting all these problems fixed with a software download?

:xmastree:

virgo17

Lorian wrote:

Technotrend who I believe are the writers of the software are a German company.

Technotrend are the writers for the software supplied with the Hauppauge Nova-T DVB PC cards and other Hauppauge models. They are indeed a German company. This software does not have a good reputation amongst the digital TV buffs.

On this basis, I wouldn't hold my breath about the OTA update curing more than one or two basic problems rather than providing a 'full' solution to your problems.

I understand that many are waiting until after this upgrade before deciding whether to return their boxes. Just don't expect too much.

V.

armith

I've just had an email from TechnoTrend confirming that the upgrade will be going ahead next week. I don't think that I've anything to lose by waiting for this upgrade so I'll see what happens.

dr_nick_uk

Has anyone else noticed interference on your normal TV picture while the PVR is in standby? I was watching TV last night and the PVR had been on standby for a few minutes and I noticed a few pops and clicks coming through on the analogue signal to the TV. I have noticed this before and I'm wondering whether this could be caused by spikes from the power supply in the PVR, if this is the case it could explain why it sometimes just crashes while in standby. I'd like to get a scope connected to the power lines of the PVR to look for spikes but I'm not back it work now till the New Year.

jackson3

armith wrote:

I've just had an email from TechnoTrend confirming that the upgrade will be going ahead next week. I don't think that I've anything to lose by waiting for this upgrade so I'll see what happens.

Please excuse an old timers question....
Is there a sequence of events I should observe to be able to be up-dated?
I'm thinking about leaving on a certain channel at a certain time etc.,
Would appreciate some advise.
Peter

DogtanianUK

jackson3 wrote:

Please excuse an old timers question....
Is there a sequence of events I should observe to be able to be up-dated?
I'm thinking about leaving on a certain channel at a certain time etc.,
Would appreciate some advise.
Peter

I would imagine that if you leave it on any channel between the 29th and 31st with 'Auto Update' turned on you will get a message popping up on screen asking if you'd like to update your software - if for any reason you dont, then you will be able to select 'Manual Update' during this time to download the latest software.

marsha11_2

jackson3 wrote:

I'm thinking about leaving on a certain channel at a certain time etc.,
Peter

The upgrade is going out on MUX1 (BBC1,2,3) and MUXB (BBC4) so I think you will have to leave the PVR on one of these channels. It should download with the PVR on standby.

mk-donald

DogtanianUK wrote:

I would imagine that if you leave it on any channel between the 29th and 31st with 'Auto Update' turned on you will get a message popping up on screen asking if you'd like to update your software - if for any reason you dont, then you will be able to select 'Manual Update' during this time to download the latest software.

Unfortunately NOT necessarily true.

The updates are broadcast on either Multiplex 1 and/or Multiplex B. In this case the DTG website ( http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/download_schedule.pl )says the update is scheduled for BOTH of these multiplexes.

There are 6 multiplexes that transmit all the digital signals: 1-2 and A-D.

A multiplex is carried on one of the UHF Channels : eg UHF Channel 030 in your transmitter area might carry Multiplex 1 which itself contains the numbered channels (that you select with the freeview box remote):

Multiplex 1 includes: BBC1/#001 BBC2/#002 BBC3/#007 BBCNews24/#080
Multiplex B includes: BBC4/#009 and the BBC "Radios" #705-709

Depending on the sophistication of the circuitry in the box it MAY or MAY NOT require the set left tuned to one of the channels that carries the update.

Certainly older freeview boxes needed you to be tuned to one of the channels within the relevant Multiplex to be able to do a Manual update/download when the update was being transmitted.

As none of us (support staff included probably) know just how this PVR101 box will behave either automatically or manually: best to make a diary entry to be sure to watch out for it having auto updated and if necessary manually tune to say BBC1 between next Thu 29 10am and Sat 31 9am (not Fri 31 as per DTG website!) and try the manual update.

Hopefully the electronics in 'modern' boxes are sophisticated enough to find the update on the relevant multiplex, but offer the above information to help everyone stand the best possible chance of getting to the update one way or another (assuming it is actually transmitted and does download).