New Freeview HD hardware: eXtra Terrestrial Freeview HD tuner

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69 posts

Master Geek

#180647 27-Nov-2008 11:41

DaveB:
BazNZ: I also continue to get Audio dropouts through my Coax output ! But my HDMI is fine ! Not Signal as pete suggests it is the ET box that has the problem.

Some of the cheaper unaccredited imports are not Dolby Laboratories certified and use a non standard audio chip. Is this ET unit certified? If so, it HAS to show the Dolby Digital Logo, if not there will be no logo and I suspect, the root of your problems.

Cheers Dave B

While a good thought, the major problem occurs on the C4 channel and that is not broadcast in DD or anything special AFAIK.

Hinko

282 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 3

#180649 27-Nov-2008 11:46

Dolby Digital Audio
Interesting question about Dolby compliance and certification.

The manual specifically details "Dolby Digital Audio" in the specifications.

http://www.satlinknz.co.nz/receivers.html details "AC3 Dolby surround stereo ".

Is there a link about Dolby compliance somewhere?

Does the ET comply? Is this relevant for C4 sound?

Hinko

282 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 3

#180651 27-Nov-2008 11:51

Bug Reports
1) The channel up and down controls intermittently jump more than one channel for one key push seems to have leaked back in.

2) The screen ratio gets confused and jumps from 16:9 to 4:3 when 16:9 has not been changed from, may be associated with broadcast of 4:3 on TV3. Opening the menu, "TV Setting" and exiting seems to restore the saved format of 16:9!

Pete can you confirm these bugs please?

Garglo

49 posts

Geek

#180655 27-Nov-2008 12:17

Hinko: Bug Reports
1) The channel up and down controls intermittently jump more than one channel for one key push seems to have leaked back in.

2) The screen ratio gets confused and jumps from 16:9 to 4:3 when 16:9 has not been changed from, may be associated with broadcast of 4:3 on TV3. Opening the menu, "TV Setting" and exiting seems to restore the saved format of 16:9!

Pete can you confirm these bugs please?

Download latest firmware from www.satlinknz.co.nz

Fixed remote confusion (only on some receivers) on an earlier update. Note change your Screen ratios on the remote and not in the receiver menus. This is still not been fixed in the main menu to my memory.

Only Butterflys are more beautiful.

Garglo

49 posts

Geek

#180656 27-Nov-2008 12:27

BadMac:
DaveB:
BazNZ: I also continue to get Audio dropouts through my Coax output !.

What amplifier are you connecting too?

Some of the cheaper unaccredited imports are not Dolby Laboratories certified and use a non standard audio chip. Is this ET unit certified? If so, it HAS to show the Dolby Digital Logo, if not there will be no logo and I suspect, the root of your problems.

Cheers Dave B

While a good thought, the major problem occurs on the C4 channel and that is not broadcast in DD or anything special AFAIK.

While having a logo on the front of your receiver is not going to fix a technical issue but certification is not necessarily going to be fault free as per the Problems in the UK with HD coax optical audio issues that are still not been resolved in the UK between ITV, DOLBY LABS and receiver manufactures. See my previous log to get all the info and not jump to conclusions without all the facts.

Only Butterflys are more beautiful.

Hinko

282 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 3

#180658 27-Nov-2008 12:29

Thanks Garglo, as in an earlier post today I confirm I am running the latest firmware.

I think the channel problem has crept back in,

Further testing shows the format problem is induced by displaying the EPG then exiting. The ET exits into 4:3 when it was set to 16:9.

The fix is to use the remote and change the ratio, or to change it using the menu. It should not need fixing.

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

BadMac

69 posts

Master Geek

#180663 27-Nov-2008 13:10

On the Dolby Digital certification question.
WHy would the ET box need to be certified, its not decoding the DD signal, it is simply passing the stream through, the decoding is left to be done externally. All freeview box does is puts the stereo signal on the AV outputs and passes the DD stuff out the coax/optical and/or the HDMI. No need for any certification for that, in fact its better not to pay for the license yet again (only one device, in my case my HT needs this license/capability, I don't need it on my DVD et al).

mattstutter

49 posts

Geek

#180690 27-Nov-2008 14:54

hmm, I'm quite glad I returned mine... These issues appear to be increasing.
When I had the unit I was getting dropouts using the digital outs to a marantz receiver, so you can add that to your list of brands - that must be a complete set by now?
re: dolby issue - I seem to recall it does have a dolby logo on the unit, no?
Anyhow, as you've all noted - you guys are all testing with C4 which is just mpeg (or pass thru as ET called it).
A lot of you guys seem quite happy to accept these quirks as general day to day normality... Surely if any other appliance you owned didn't really do things right all the time you'd freak? What if your dvd player dropped the audio connection every now and again? Or your microwave ignored your time setting and did it's own thing? Or you change tracks on your ipod and it skipped two?
I think if it doesn't do it right - send it back... Life is too short to be aggravated watching telly..

Garglo

49 posts

Geek

#180714 27-Nov-2008 17:29

Did anyone recently buy an Extra Terrestrial HD receiver from Stereo World in Auckland? I believe they had a fire sale recently and they could be picked up for a bargain.

It must be painful to know you have an expensive amplifier which dont work too well with Digital Optical Audio.

Only Butterflys are more beautiful.

pete9321

105 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#180715 27-Nov-2008 17:43

Warning...anyone who has purchased a ET HD box from Stereo world recently...be adviced...there will be NO warranty on Them.
Also would suggest that you check very carefully on any goods you have purchased at their receivership sale...as their might be no warranty either.

robjg63

4161 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1427

Subscriber

#180723 27-Nov-2008 17:55

pete9321: Warning...anyone who has purchased a ET HD box from Stereo world recently...be adviced...there will be NO warranty on Them.
Also would suggest that you check very carefully on any goods you have purchased at their receivership sale...as their might be no warranty either.

So the distributor will not stand behind the units?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

HP

Shop now for HP laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

BadMac

69 posts

Master Geek

#180727 27-Nov-2008 18:00

mattstutter: hmm, I'm quite glad I returned mine... These issues appear to be increasing.
When I had the unit I was getting dropouts using the digital outs to a marantz receiver, so you can add that to your list of brands - that must be a complete set by now?
re: dolby issue - I seem to recall it does have a dolby logo on the unit, no?
Anyhow, as you've all noted - you guys are all testing with C4 which is just mpeg (or pass thru as ET called it).
A lot of you guys seem quite happy to accept these quirks as general day to day normality... Surely if any other appliance you owned didn't really do things right all the time you'd freak? What if your dvd player dropped the audio connection every now and again? Or your microwave ignored your time setting and did it's own thing? Or you change tracks on your ipod and it skipped two?
I think if it doesn't do it right - send it back... Life is too short to be aggravated watching telly..

No DD logo.The problems are all fairly minor and at least are being looked at for fixes.I bought a brand new clubsport, it had trim missing, the gearbox packed in and has had at least 4 software updates,I bought a new falcon its diff blew up, it had issues fixed at every service.I have a New 52" LCD, it has already had one firmware upgrade.I have My Ski HDi and its had 2 fixes so far and it still locks up occasionally, it frequently misses remote control keystrokes. Evewn now it allows me to book recordings when other things are already booked, then randomly chooses which thngs it won't record.I had a mate who out of university spent six months debugging code which consisted of ONLY 255 instructions in machine code to find a bug that showed up 6 times in over 10 billion executions of the code, and that was in one of the major NZ EFTPOS systems.
The point is, now days everything is electronic, no matter how much you test, bugs will remain, and don't get me started on trying to predict all the ways users will find to overflow buffers, combine keystrkes and generally ruin any kind of test plan.Nothing lately or probably from now on is bug free.The ET has a few small issues, they are being worked on, the main functionality is working great. Just read threads on this forum to see issues with almost every other brand of box, including all the PC based ones with esoteric instructions and home baked XML to get even basic functionality.
ET = Perfect, NO, ET= pretty good for the price = YES.

pete9321

105 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#180728 27-Nov-2008 18:02

Distributor will definately not...as goods were unpaid for, and actually legally still belong to distrubutor.
This applies to any ET boxes sold by Stereo world in last 3 mths.
Best bet is take them back real quick and ask for a refund.
Anyone in this predicament can then buy from freeviewnz.com at a substantial discount.

wiredr

203 posts

Master Geek

#180734 27-Nov-2008 18:32

pete9321: Warning...anyone who has purchased a ET HD box from Stereo world recently...be adviced...there will be NO warranty on Them.
Also would suggest that you check very carefully on any goods you have purchased at their receivership sale...as their might be no warranty either.

excerpt from
The Act does not cover

goods bought by auction or by tender
goods bought from a private seller
commercial goods - goods of a type that are ordinarily bought for use in offices, factories or farms may be covered by the Sale of Goods Act. The Sale of Goods Act may also cover those goods bought before the date the Consumer Guarantees Act became effective.
commercial services - services of a kind that are ordinarily supplied to offices, factories or farms - eg, top-dressing, commercial property leases, commercial building maintenance, livestock transportation.

Consumer Guarantees Act
Rights against a manufacturer or importer

You can sometimes choose a remedy from either the manufacturer of the goods or the trader you bought the goods from. Going to the manufacturer or importer is useful when the trader has gone out of business or is unreasonable to deal with.

You can go to the manufacturer or importer if:

the goods you buy are not of acceptable quality
the goods are different from a description given by the manufacturer
there are no spare parts or repairs available and you were not told this when you bought the goods
the manufacturer does not provide what is promised in their warranty.

The manufacturer is not liable if the problem is caused by someone else or by a cause independent of human control, such as an earthquake or some other natural disaster.

You can ask the manufacturer or importer to:

give you some of the money back to make up for the drop in value of the goods caused by the fault. But if you have an express guarantee given by the manufacturer saying they will repair or replace the goods you have to first give them an opportunity to put the matter right
pay for any damage caused by the goods when they became faulty

ET'S purchased from a retailer are covered by the act, goods bought on trademe are not

the most significant part of the act relates to " fit for the purpose they are made for "
Guarantee of acceptable quality

Goods must be:

fit for the purpose they are made for
safe
durable - last for a reasonable time
have no minor defects
acceptable in look and finish.

When deciding if goods are of acceptable quality you must take into account the price you paid, any information on the goods or the package, anything said by the manufacturer or seller about the goods. This also applies to second hand goods.

eg, if you are told when buying goods that they are shop soiled you will not be able to complain later about marks on them.

Goods will usually meet the guarantee of acceptable quality if most consumers would be happy with them.

Garglo

49 posts

Geek

#180735 27-Nov-2008 18:35

I understand the DD logo was taken off the front of the receiver because with all the other sponsors products contained in the receiver including DD throughput if you like, the receivers name was going to be surrounded by clutter. The ist sample shipment and is known as the "Silver" ET Box had the following logos and text on the right hand side of the receiver. DD Dolby, HDMI,AVC/H264, MPEG2, DVB-T, High Definition Set Top Box. What was inside the box was basicly the same except the back panel was changed.

Only Butterflys are more beautiful.

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