Any advice re TV provider?

Blulu

Hi,

We left Sky probably close to two years ago, mainly because it was so expensive. We are with a different provider for broadband, but we went to Freesat for TV. We had it upstairs anyway.

If it worked properly, it would suit us just fine. But we have so many issues with it that we are considering going back to Sky. We tried a replacement box. It made no difference. It often misses recordings, or fails them, or does 'incomplete recordings'. We can usually find what we missed on catch up, but it's such a pain to keep doing that, and means we have to sit through all the ads.

Also, it's jumps a few seconds, probably around 25% of our recorded programmes.

Plus, while I'm on a moaning roll, the search is just dire. If you are looking for a programme, you type the name in. It might come up with few options with the same name. If you click on one and it isn't right, you have to start the whole search process again. And often it doesn't even find what you are looking for, even though it's available.

I checked to see if Freeview would be better, but reviews say that's worse! Goodness knows how.

We can't get Virgin Media where we live and are thinking that our only choice is to go back to flippin' Sky again.

All we want is the basic channels really. Anything else is a bonus.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance - sorry to have gone a bit. Am seriously fed up with it.

Blu XXX

p00hsticks

You talk about recording programs rather than using catchup - how important is that to you ?

Blulu

p00hsticks said:

You talk about recording programs rather than using catchup - how important is that to you ?

Love the name, p00hsticks Actually, recording is very important to us. We use catch up for retro TV and when the box has failed, but it's a pain to find the programmes and you can't fast forward through the ads.

Blu XXX

TadleyBaggie

Make and model of the Freesat box would be helpful.

Blulu

TadleyBaggie said:

Make and model of the Freesat box would be helpful.

Thanks. It's a freesat uhd-4x-1000

Blu XXX

Rodders53

AKA the freesat 4k recordable box in its 1TB form...    AKA Arris...

$ky uses exactly the same broadcast data streams as freesat so the issues with missed / failed and shortened recordings is possibly down to the Broadcaster in the main ***

*** The freesat 4k box handling of multiple recording priorities is, apparently, flawed (cf earlier Humax recorders).

As you had $ky with freesat upstairs I assume this was before $ky Q and the change to wideband LNBs.

The skipping issue may be related to a poor signal:  dodgy cables and connections to dish, a failing LNB, or dish slightly out of alignment.  That could also account for some of the recording issues, too.

Does the box have a useful signal strength and quality diagnostic meter?  If so use it when tuned to a variety of different TV channels you watch and make notes of the numbers... Are the numbers poorer on the ones that have recording problems?

Blulu

@Rodders53

I think what you are saying is true for some of the recording, so when they're due a change in scheduling, for example. But very often that isn't what is happening. For example, last night it didn't record "The Voice". It didn't even tell me it was a failed recording. It just didn't record it. The series link showed it is set to record next Saturday's one.

Then sometimes it will skip recording something we record twice daily, for a few days. I have to cancel the series link, and then reset it. Sometimes this is because they've changed the channel number, but often, there is no obvious reason.

Also, sometimes it shows that it has missed lots of recordings. Then we pull the plug out, put it back and the recordings then show. That didn't work with The Voice.

We think we did have Sky Q, 99% certain. Don't know about "the change to wideband LNBs"???

We also have trouble using our Firestick. We have given up on that. Would that relate to what you are saying about the skipping issues?

The main thing is, we didn't get this with Sky, or at least nowhere near as much. The programmes didn't jump. Sometimes it missed the end of a recording and very occasionally it might have failed to record, but not enough to make us want to pull our teeth out, as happens with Freesat.

Thanks loads. I will see if I can find the other information you asked for, probably tomorrow. Much appreciated

Blu XXX

Edit: It's also just failed the recording for 'Joan', just started on BBC 1. So we can watch it live, but it proves the point.

Detail_Merchant

You could try asking Sky about "TV essentials" - https://www.sky.com/help/articles/tv-essentials

Blulu

Detail_Merchant said:

You could try asking Sky about "TV essentials" - https://www.sky.com/help/articles/tv-essentials

Thank you. I didn't know about that. I will investigate it

Blu XXX

Rodders53

Well, my Humax recorded The Voice just fine and dandy... we watched without the ads.  

Joan is on ITV 1 not BBC... 

Now my Humax (two tuners so max two recordings at any time) flagged up a 'clash' of recordings at around that moment while watching a recording... three items listed which did I want to cancel?
We'd have been recording Paddy & Chris BBC 1, Dog House C4 and Joan ITV1 plus Big Brother ITV2
As I always do I hit <EXIT> to ignore and it usually sorts itself out (rarely get a tiny bit missing from the beginning or end of a recording)... 
THAT sort of clash may not be handled well by the freesat 4k box (as I alluded to, already).  

Big Brother recorded fine as we watched that.

A wideband $ky Q lnb will allow FOUR simultaneous recordings to be made and that ought to help with such problem clash timings? 
$ky Q only works with wideband inputs and/or hybrid LNBs.  See if you can get a picture of the dish and LNB with the LNB label readable - it can then be identified for sure.
One type of early $ky hybrid allegedly can't be switched to wideband mode by the freesat 4k box so would limit to two tuner universal LNB mode...