New Unit problems

[robbo]

Well I finally received my new V2 today and, unfortunately, it hasn't been as easy to get working as I'd hoped. Not sure if it's a bad unit, or bad operator but after all the issues I had, I am ready to blame the operator, so I would appreciate some help.

Problems are:
1 I can only watch the 7 and 9 networks. The EPG displays all the stations but I can't select anything from the other networks whether I use my favourites Bouquet or Terrestrial.

2. I fed the antenna from a splitter into the left most Antenna In Port
I plugged the Antenna loop into the Loop port
My HDD is plugged into the USB 3.0
HMDI and Ethernet as normal
The USB twin tuner is in the USB2 port.

When I press Ok the bottom right shows:
A is Green, B, C and D are grey, presumably because nothing is recording.
AB is showing 39% and CD is showing zero.

I've tried plugging the twin tuner direct into the Loop port and using the USB extension to hook into the USB2 port but the signal strength doesn't change.
By contrast, the old T2 showed a signal strength around 89 to 100 plugged into the same wall socket.

The picture quality on the V2 is very poor even on 7HD.

If I bypass the splitter and go direct from the antenna wall point to the unit, AB goes up to 43% and CD remains 0%.

I tried an alternate cable but the numbers and quality don't change.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated

[MrQuade]

1 I can only watch the 7 and 9 networks. The EPG displays all the stations but I can't select anything from the other networks whether I use my favourites Bouquet or Terrestrial.

If the channels are in the bouquets, then they must have been found during the initial scan, so chances are good that you have some reception at least.

What do you mean that you can't select anything from the EPG exactly?
As in, you can highlight the channel, and when you try to zap to it, the V2 doesn't respond?
Or can you select it, but it gives you a black screen, or a still screen?

If it is the former, then perhaps both your V2's inbuilt tuners were busy recording something on both channels 7 and 9 already, so there were no spare tuners?

2. I fed the antenna from a splitter into the left most Antenna In Port
I plugged the Antenna loop into the Loop port
My HDD is plugged into the USB 3.0
HMDI and Ethernet as normal
The USB twin tuner is in the USB2 port.

When I press Ok the bottom right shows:
A is Green, B, C and D are grey, presumably because nothing is recording.
AB is showing 39% and CD is showing zero.

The top bar is the signal strength for the channel that you are currently tuned to on the active tuner (A in your case), and the bottom bar is the signal quality for the same channel.
This is the same behaviour as the T2.
If you are showing zero signal quality, it means you are not on the latest beta firmware which fixes up a signal reporting bug.

As for the dual tuner, I suspect that you may have plugged that in after turning on the V2? If that is the case, the V2 will not have detected the tuner, and will not be using it. (that's why I suspect that you had used up both internal tuners in the previous answer)

I've tried plugging the twin tuner direct into the Loop port and using the USB extension to hook into the USB2 port but the signal strength doesn't change.
By contrast, the old T2 showed a signal strength around 89 to 100 plugged into the same wall socket.

You can't compare signal strength between models.....the values do not correspond to the same physical measurements.

The picture quality on the V2 is very poor even on 7HD.

In what way? Is the signal breaking up and pixelating? If so, then that is bad reception, not really picture quality.
The picture quality of the V2 will be more or less identical to the T2.
Have you set up the correct resolution for your TV?

If I bypass the splitter and go direct from the antenna wall point to the unit, AB goes up to 43% and CD remains 0%.

I tried an alternate cable but the numbers and quality don't change.

As above, the two bars measure signal and quality, not signal on AB/CD.



In any case, I strongly recommend installing the latest beta firmware onto the V2 since the official firmware hasn't seen a proper update in a while.

[robbo]

What do you mean that you can't select anything from the EPG exactly?
As in, you can highlight the channel, and when you try to zap to it, the V2 doesn't respond?
Or can you select it, but it gives you a black screen, or a still screen?

The channels show but I can't select them. If I move up/down with the cursor on the EPG it simply skips those channels.
I just tried changing channels using the Channel Up/Down buttons without going via the EPG and it scrolled through all the channels. Now it works as it should.

If you are showing zero signal quality, it means you are not on the latest beta firmware which fixes up a signal reporting bug.

Oh, I always thought it was best to use the current firmware not BETA firmware. I did a test and it shows that I have the latest firmware. I will hunt around and see if I can find the latest BETA firmware

I suspect that you may have plugged that in after turning on the V2? If that is the case, the V2 will not have detected the tuner, and will not be using it.

Possibly, but I have rebooted several times since. How do I get it to detect, and how do I know if they've all been detected?

In what way? ...
The picture quality of the V2 will be more or less identical to the T2.
Have you set up the correct resolution for your TV?

The picture is not pixelated it's just very blurry. I just unplugged the T2 and plugged the V2 into the same HDMI port. What settings do I need to change?

I strongly recommend installing the latest beta firmware

Since both USB ports are in use, how do I install the latest Beta firmware? Since my Wiz is connected to the network, can I just download from a PC and save to the HDD, or do I need to unplug the dual tuner from USB2?
Also is this the right link for the latest firmware? viewtopic.php?f=56&t=14584

[robbo]

A couple of other questions, if I may.
1. Is it OK to use the 1v 3A power supply from the T2 for the V2 or should I favour the 1v 2A power supply for some reason?
2. Does anyone use a Logitech Harmony Companion with the V2? Is there a standard setup for the V2 to work, or do I need to teach it what all the buttons mean?

[robbo]

And finally, will the new firmware help with the fact that the unit keeps freezing every 20 minutes? I was just typing my last message and, for the 3rd time since I installed it, the picture froze, the sound stopped, and the unit simply wouldn't respond to any button presses.

[MrQuade]

The channels show but I can't select them. If I move up/down with the cursor on the EPG it simply skips those channels.
I just tried changing channels using the Channel Up/Down buttons without going via the EPG and it scrolled through all the channels. Now it works as it should.

Hmm, odd. I do think something must have been up earlier that was typing up all available tuners.
Keep an eye out in case it happens again, but good its working now.

Oh, I always thought it was best to use the current firmware not BETA firmware. I did a test and it shows that I have the latest firmware. I will hunt around and see if I can find the latest BETA firmware

It usually is if you like to minimised surprises in case a slightly wonky beta update is released.

But at the moment, the official release has enough bugs of its own, that the latest beta is very much preferrable.

Possibly, but I have rebooted several times since. How do I get it to detect, and how do I know if they've all been detected?

It does need to be a full reboot, and not just a GUI reboot (or a shutdown and restart will work too).

It may be that your V2 has found the extra tuners though.
You can check by going into MENU->Information->Devices.
See if the 4 tuners show up there.

The picture is not pixelated it's just very blurry. I just unplugged the T2 and plugged the V2 into the same HDMI port. What settings do I need to change?

That just sounds like a resolution mismatch then.
Go into MENU->Setup->AV setup->AV settings

You should be able to set the Mode to 1080p. If you have a 4K TV, you can set the Mode to 2160p if you like, but it won't make the FTA picture look any better.

Refresh rate should be on "Multi" or "50Hz"

Since both USB ports are in use, how do I install the latest Beta firmware? Since my Wiz is connected to the network, can I just download from a PC and save to the HDD, or do I need to unplug the dual tuner from USB2?
Also is this the right link for the latest firmware? viewtopic.php?f=56&t=14584

That's the right link.

And yes. Shut down the V2, and unplug the dual tuner.
You can then insert the USB stick with the firmware and follow the update procedure.

Once done, remember that the tuner should only be plugged back in when the V2 is completely switched off. So shut down the V2, then plug it in, then start back up again.

1. Is it OK to use the 1v 3A power supply from the T2 for the V2 or should I favour the 1v 2A power supply for some reason?

It's fine to use either supply on the V2.
3A is actually better since it will be able to provide more power if the V2 needs it (for power hungry peripherals if you add more for example).

2. Does anyone use a Logitech Harmony Companion with the V2? Is there a standard setup for the V2 to work, or do I need to teach it what all the buttons mean?

Yep, no problem there, the V2 is listed in the Logitech Harmony database.

And finally, will the new firmware help with the fact that the unit keeps freezing every 20 minutes? I was just typing my last message and, for the 3rd time since I installed it, the picture froze, the sound stopped, and the unit simply wouldn't respond to any button presses.

That's not a commonly known error, but a firmware re-installation will likely stomp out any weirdness like that if it has just occurred at random. That's unless the problem is the result of a hardware fault.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

The channels show but I can't select them. If I move up/down with the cursor on the EPG it simply skips those channels.
I just tried changing channels using the Channel Up/Down buttons without going via the EPG and it scrolled through all the channels. Now it works as it should.

Hmm, odd. I do think something must have been up earlier that was typing up all available tuners.
Keep an eye out in case it happens again, but good its working now.

Possibly there was no guide data for the other providers, hence their guide rows for their services were skipped.
Zapping via CH+/- has now populated the guide data for those other broadcasters, thus they can now be selected via the EPG.

[MrQuade]

[quote=MrQuade post_id=193772 time=1619785695
Possibly there was no guide data for the other providers, hence their guide rows for their services were skipped.
Zapping via CH+/- has now populated the guide data for those other broadcasters, thus they can now be selected via the EPG.

Ahh yep. If skip empty services was enabled that would have been it seeing as they couldnt even be highlighted.

[robbo]

Thanks, I used the Script to switch to the Beta feed and then did an update. Antenna issue is gone and now I have a percentage showing in the first and second measure. I checked all settings and now, after several restarts it seems to be working better.

Next I will try to setup the Harmony while I continue testing.

Really appreciate your help.

[MrQuade]

Thanks, I used the Script to switch to the Beta feed and then did an update. Antenna issue is gone and now I have a percentage showing in the first and second measure. I checked all settings and now, after several restarts it seems to be working better.

Next I will try to setup the Harmony while I continue testing.

Really appreciate your help.

Did you install the beta via the USB stick first.

If you just ran the beta switch script and upgraded a non-beta image, then you are likely to have problems.

USB first, then script.

[robbo]

Oh, I did do the script first, then the update. Should I now reinstall the new firmware via USB again? It appears to be working ok but now you have me worried

[MrQuade]

Oh, I did do the script first, then the update. Should I now reinstall the new firmware via USB again? It appears to be working ok but now you have me worried

Sorry no. If you performed a *USB* update after running the script, then nothing is wrong.

However, you should run the script again.


If you run the beta feed script while running a non-beta firmware, then you run the risk of causing problems.
You must only run the script if you have first installed the beta USB update.


When you install a firmware from USB, all the software is reset back to its default pristine state, so it largely doesn't matter what you did *before* the USB update........to a degree .
(If you install from USB, and then restore your old settings, and it was your old settings that were messing things up, then you'd end up re-installing the problem settings .)

[robbo]

Umm. What I did was switch to the Beta then I checked for firmware update and did the update via internet link NOT via USB. What should I do now?

Also, I think I may have finally found what was wrong with my old T2, but seek confirmation.

While installing the new V2 unit I kept on running into problem after problem with antenna connections, blank screen or frozen picture. However I found that if I disconnected my Panasonic DVR (a unit that was leftover when my mum went into aged care so I just hooked in as a backup but never used), the problem disappeared. When I connected the Panasonic the T2 video would play up, go black or freeze. The old T2 had constant Bit Rate errors and picture freezes too. I thought it was a poor connection or an antenna issue on the new unit. Is it likely that the Panasonic has an antenna problem that feeds back through the antenna splitter and caused many of my problems?

[MrQuade]

Umm. What I did was switch to the Beta then I checked for firmware update and did the update via internet link NOT via USB. What should I do now?

Install the beta USB image. Run the script, then it's safe to run online updates.


Sorry I misunderstood, the way you phrased that, you said "install USB *again*".

[Paul_oz53]

...

While installing the new V2 unit I kept on running into problem after problem with antenna connections, blank screen or frozen picture. However I found that if I disconnected my Panasonic DVR (a unit that was leftover when my mum went into aged care so I just hooked in as a backup but never used), the problem disappeared. When I connected the Panasonic the T2 video would play up, go black or freeze. The old T2 had constant Bit Rate errors and picture freezes too. I thought it was a poor connection or an antenna issue on the new unit. Is it likely that the Panasonic has an antenna problem that feeds back through the antenna splitter and caused many of my problems?

The Panasonic could be the cause of signal loss in a number of ways, especially if the signal is marginal. That disconnecting it improved reception suggests that it is shunting the signal or causing standing waves that are out of phase with the signal.

It can be the case, as you have discovered, that these effects cause poor reception. Determining an exact cause/effect relationship is difficult though, even for professionals. If the DVR is not needed, leave it disconnected.

[robbo]

Thanks for your comments. I will do the USB update tomorrow and then re-run the script to make sure it all works as it should.

I don't understand how radio waves work through antenna cable but your suggestion makes sense. I have disconnected the Panasonic unit and will not reconnect it. However it makes me thing that the T2 may be worth giving away instead of throwing away.

Thanks to everyone who's helped.

One more question, although I could raise it as a separate Topic if it's best:
In an earlier question I was told that there is little value getting a USB Hub and connecting multiple HDD's because the unit may decide to boot off the wrong drive. I have about 3 x 500 GB spare USB HDD's available. Is there any way I can make use of them? E.g. if I connect them to my PC that is on the home network, is it feasible to record to them on the network?

[Paul_oz53]

Hi robbo,

Regarding recording to USB drives connected to a PC, that can be done. I have two USB drives connected to my Windows 7 PC that are accessible to all my Wizzes to read and write.

It required I map the drives in Windows to drive letters, create shares of a folder beneath the root directory in Windows and then, on the Wiz, create mounts of the shared folders.

Set aside a couple of hours to set it up initially and you should get it working. Once you get your head around it, changes take a few minutes.

Connect one HDD to the V2 and the rest to a PC and you should be able to see them all.

[robbo]

Thanks for all the help so far. It all seems to be working as it should but I am wondering if I have missed a setting.

Normally I listen to my TV at a volume setting of between 19 and 35. The HD channels typcically need higher volumes. I just watched 2 separate recordings from 10HD and I had to set the TV at 84 to get my normal volume. I haven't checked all the other channels yet but this is unusual. I have checked and the Wiz volume is set to 100 so it's not that. Could I have missed something?

The same volume issue applies if I watch 10HD live.

I have set the device to favour MPEG instead of AAC (or whatever) to get rid of the voice-over on some programs.

[monte]

Normally I listen to my TV at a volume setting of between 19 and 35. The HD channels typcically need higher volumes. I just watched 2 separate recordings from 10HD and I had to set the TV at 84 to get my normal volume. I haven't checked all the other channels yet but this is unusual. I have checked and the Wiz volume is set to 100 so it's not that. Could I have missed something?

I recall when going through the settings, something about volume leveling. Did you accidentally toggle it?

[robbo]

I did change that setting from auto to HDMI but I have now changed it back. No difference. I still have to watch 10HD on extremely high volume to hear it. My T2 was not like that.

[Paul_oz53]

A perennial issue across the T and U series Wizzes has been the volume difference when listening to AC3 audio vs mpeg sound. Your experience is sounding a bit extreme but I have noticed a greater difference on 10HD.

While some users have installed a plugin to help manage volume differences many of us just enable AC3/Dolby downmixing and live with stereo sound. Otherwise, we keep the remote close by!

[robbo]

Hi,

Thanks for the comment but can I seek a little clarification, please?

You said "enable AC3/Dolby downmixing and live with stereo sound". What I find most annoying is the voiceover on SBS describing what I am seeing and, from what I read on this forum, the only way to remove that is to use Mpg instead of AC3. Are you saying that I have a choice of either live with the volume issue, or accept the voiceover? If that is the case I will happily live with the volume difference and keep my remote handy as you suggest.

[Paul_oz53]

Hi,

Thanks for the comment but can I seek a little clarification, please?

You said "enable AC3/Dolby downmixing and live with stereo sound". What I find most annoying is the voiceover on SBS describing what I am seeing and, from what I read on this forum, the only way to remove that is to use Mpg instead of AC3. Are you saying that I have a choice of either live with the volume issue, or accept the voiceover? If that is the case I will happily live with the volume difference and keep my remote handy as you suggest.

Downmixing operates generically on the AC3 soundtrack and will help on the commercial stations. However, on SBS, I have my audio set to mpeg, not AAC-HE, so as to avoid the audio description problem.

It should be ok so long as you set ABC and SBS to mpeg audio.

[MrQuade]

You said "enable AC3/Dolby downmixing and live with stereo sound". What I find most annoying is the voiceover on SBS describing what I am seeing and, from what I read on this forum, the only way to remove that is to use Mpg instead of AC3. Are you saying that I have a choice of either live with the volume issue, or accept the voiceover? If that is the case I will happily live with the volume difference and keep my remote handy as you suggest.

You don't have to force the mpeg setting in the audio settings. All you need to do is press AUDIO and switch to the mpeg track. That setting will be remembered the next time you visit there channel.

Btw, the descriptive audio track is actually AAC, but that AC3 setting is badly named.... It effectively means "prefer mpeg".