Can't receive UK HD Channels (1 Viewer)

Ralph Holmes

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  • August 5, 2015
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    I have the most recent version of MP2, running on a PC with up-to-date Windows 10.
    Until recently I have been able to receive and record UK HD channels, but this is no longer the case.
    I've just retuned.
    When I try to preview any HD channel in Config, I get an error message, either "Preview failed: NoPmtFound" or "Preview failes: NoSignalDetected".
    The preview works happily with non-HD channels.
    Any advice?
    Keep it simple, please.
     

    CyberSimian

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  • June 10, 2013
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    When I try to preview any HD channel in Config, I get an error message, either "Preview failed: NoPmtFound" or "Preview failes: NoSignalDetected".
    Some HD channels are broadcast in a very low-power MUX, which is difficult to receive at many locations. I cannot receive it at all (but that is because I use a loft aerial -- I probably could receive it if I used an external roof-top aerial).

    The main HD channels are broadcast in a high-power MUX, so you should be able to receive these:

    BBC1 HD, BBC2 HD, CBBC HD, ITV1 HD, Four HD, Five HD​

    The remaining HD channels are broadcast in a low-power MUX. You may be a fan of "QVC Style HD" and "QVC Beauty HD", but the only channels that I miss are "BBC4 HD" and "BBC News HD" (I have to watch the SD versions of these channels). Some questions:

    Which HD channels are missing?
    Can your TV receive these missing channels?
    Have you retuned your TV?
    Does your TV use the same aerial feed as your HTPC?

    It is possible that your transmitter is undergoing some maintenance, and the HD channels are not being broadcast at the moment, or the HD channels are being broadcast at low power.

    It is also possible that your HD MUX has changed frequency, and MP is still using the old "tuning parameters" file, which won't find the MUXes that have moved. Your TV probably does automatic retuning (my Sony TV does), so your TV may have retuned itself to find the moved channels. In TV Server you can perform an "All regions" scan, which scans every possible frequency in the DVB-T/T2 band. It takes a while (10 to 20 minutes perhaps, depending on the speed of your tuner), but it will find all of the MUXes if the signal is strong enough.

    -- from CyberSimian in the UK​
     

    joecrow

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  • August 9, 2012
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    but the only channels that I miss are "BBC4 HD" and "BBC News HD" (I have to watch the SD versions of these channels).
    Not full HD but both these channels are avaiilable in Online Videos at 1280 x 720.;)
     

    Ralph Holmes

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    Thanks for the replies. However ...
    I've already retuned using the "All Regions" setting and the HD channels do appear in the list - BBC1, BBC2, BBC4, ITV are what I want.
    If I use the "Preview" button in Config I get the errors described previously. If I try to watch any of these channels on MP2 I get less than a second of reception, after which the screen freezes.
    My TV receives these channels normally.
    The TV and the PC have separate aerials: installing two aerials was no more expensive than buying an aerial splitter.

    This problem has arisen only very recently - a few days or so.

    Any other thoughts would be gratefully received.
     

    CyberSimian

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  • June 10, 2013
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    My TV receives these channels normally.
    The tuners used for TV sets are more sensitive than the tuners used for HTPCs (PCI, PCI-E, or USB tuners). It is possible that your HD MUX has borderline signal strength, and atmospheric conditions have tipped the balance to the "too low to receive reliably" state.

    Also, as your TV and HTPC use different aerials, perhaps one aerial has become misaligned or a cable partially disconnected. Is it easy to switch the cables around, so that the HTPC is fed by the aerial that was previously feeding the TV?

    Also, poor-quality HDMI cables are notorious for emitting radio frequency signals that can drown out one or more MUXes (but not all MUXes). Have you recently re-arranged the cabling that feeds your HTPC and/or TV set? If the HTPC aerial cable runs near to and parallel to the HDMI cable that connects the HTPC to the TV, that may cause the problem. Keep these cables apart (at least 12 inches). If they need to cross, ensure that they cross at 90 degrees to each other. If you have spare aerial or HDMI cables, try replacing the current ones. Generally, a good-quality aerial or HDMI cable will be thick (because it has lots of internal shielding); a poor-quality cable will be thin (because it has very little shielding).

    If none of the above fix the problem, I regret that I do not have any other ideas. Since it seems to be a signal problem, it is unlikely that different media-center software would behave differently. You may have to become accustomed to watching and recording only in standard definition. :(

    -- from CyberSimian in the UK
     

    CyberSimian

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    Not full HD but both these channels are avaiilable in Online Videos at 1280 x 720.;)
    A few months ago my broadband package was compulsorily updated to a no-limit and much-more-expensive package, so I could now consider streaming video from the internet. (My previous broadband package had a 16GB per month limit, which made regular streaming from the internet a non-starter.) However...

    There seem to be a constant stream of problems with MP's support for "stuff from the internet", so I think that I will pass on that suggestion. :D

    -- from CyberSimian in the UK
     

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