563 replies to this topic

[OatleyLad]

but won't output component via VCR scart ... its best will be s-video

(to hook up to the dvd recorder, video, etc)

[sliderjt]

Hey! I got foxtel installed in another room recently and i got stuck with a set top box that is not listed on this FAQ. This box is extremely slow and freezes when browsing any of the the menus. I think the box is a
UEC DSN 700.

Does any one know if its possible to request a new box because i am plugging this box through composite cables! and i am unable to use the potential of my 42" Hitachi Plasma and my 5.1 Surround! Its really killing me!

Thanks

sliderjt

[cttc]

sliderjt, on Jan 15 2007, 01:41 AM, said:

UEC DSN 700

Yes tell them it is not good enough, they advertise digital sound etc see http://www.dtvforum....showtopic=45527 also.

PS Here is the UEC 700 manual http://uec-technolog.....er Manual.pdf

[sliderjt]

Well it took three calls to Foxtel and i finally got my new box free of charge! May i just say the first girl i spoke to, she was awesome, really nice about it. The second guy i spoke to was rude and was raising his voice at me, yelling at my that it cost $75! I told him where to go and hanged up on him. On third try the lady told me that it was their fault and they will send a new box supporting 5.1, and higher video quality in 3 days. Thankyou to the two ladies i spoke to and i hope that second guy gets fired or something.

Thanks for your help btw CTTC!

sliderjt

[garbohunter]

I have seen a similar question in this thread but did not quite get the answer.
Recently upgraded the home installation to Foxtel Digital.

I have a duplicate dish installation at the beach house and we used to take the Foxtel box with us on holiday.

While the old Humax box reports signal strength of around 70% and signal quality in the 90% the new digital box reports "no satellite signal is being received". (Not the iQ which would require the two signal inputs).

Does the new box require a stronger signal, has the polarisation changed and a setup procedure is required which I cannot find?

garbohunter

[LeoniePony]

Hope someone can help?
I have 2 VCRs set up with my Foxtel box set. I moved some of the cables around in an attempt to tape FTA channels on the 2nd VCR with no luck. When I put the cables back to their original position, I found I could only hear the foxtel channels when the 1st VCR was on but not see anything?
Did I reset something by moving cables?
Did I break something?
Maybe knocked something out of place?
Regards LP

[cttc]

LeoniePony, on Jan 28 2007, 10:11 PM, said:

I have 2 VCRs set up with my Foxtel box set. I moved some of the cables around in an attempt to tape FTA channels on the 2nd VCR with no luck. When I put the cables back to their original position, I found I could only hear the foxtel channels when the 1st VCR was on but not see anything?

Well my guess would be you have plugged a composite video (yellow) cable into output instead of input but without a complete description of your setup I can't give much more help.

[cttc]

garbohunter, on Jan 28 2007, 05:15 PM, said:

While the old Humax box reports signal strength of around 70% and signal quality in the 90% the new digital box reports "no satellite signal is being received". (Not the iQ which would require the two signal inputs).

I am no expert on satellite boxes but have you tried (AT YOUR OWN RISK) changing the LNB (High Band Low) Frequency from 10.7 to 11.3 or the other way via the installers menu (to get to that menu :- System Setup/System Settings (picture settings highlighted I think) then press 0611 then press Select).

[LeoniePony]

cttc, on Jan 29 2007, 10:38 AM, said:

Well my guess would be you have plugged a composite video (yellow) cable into output instead of input but without a complete description of your setup I can't give much more help.

Thank you "senior member" cttc - you were right - I just swapped the yellow cables around and it worked.
Perhaps you can help with my other problem.
I have my Phillips stereo VCR set up through the Foxtel box as described in "Installing the SCART to VCR cable with the FOXTEL Digital Set Top Unit" instructions. I also have an Akai VCR which is connected to the Set top unit via red,yellow, white double ended cables, a black ? coaxial cable going from the Akai to the Phillips VCR (?for dubbing?)and the TV arial plugged into the set top unit.
I want to be able to record commercial channels on the Akai and Phillips via the TV, but am getting very poor/no reception on most of the channels on the Phillips and am unable to see anything via the Akai.
I do a lot of shift work and often need to tape several programs on several commercial channels and this is not easy now via the digital setup through Foxtel.
Regards LP

[cttc]

Hey easy with the "senior", I don't qualify for a card just yet!

Most likely configuration for two Recorders is coaxial cables (flyleads) doing this (a daisy chain):-

Antenna->(RF in)PhillipsVCR(RF out)->(RF in)AkaiVCR(RF out)->(RF in)TV

That will allow you to record (analogue) FreeToAir(FTA) channels on the VCR's.

Since you appear to be using composite to record Foxtel on the VCRs (AV1 input or whatever) you don't need to put the antenna signal through the Foxtel STB (I assume you are also using the tv scart output to view Foxtel directly on your TV).

[LeoniePony]

cttc, on Jan 30 2007, 06:10 PM, said:

Hey easy with the "senior", I don't qualify for a card just yet!

Most likely configuration for two Recorders is coaxial cables (flyleads) doing this (a daisy chain):-

Antenna->(RF in)PhillipsVCR(RF out)->(RF in)AkaiVCR(RF out)->(RF in)TV

That will allow you to record (analogue) FreeToAir(FTA) channels on the VCR's.

Since you appear to be using composite to record Foxtel on the VCRs (AV1 input or whatever) you don't need to put the antenna signal through the Foxtel STB (I assume you are also using the tv scart output to view Foxtel directly on your TV).

My apologies - I was not inferring that YOU were a senior but your knowledge in this area was of a senior level  
I tried what you suggested and got great FTA reception etc on my Phillips VCR (and the TV)- however still cannot see anything via the Akai .
Does the yellow red white double-ended cable going from the set top box to the Akai (Video out to video in) affect this?
Regards LP

[cttc]

LeoniePony, on Feb 1 2007, 01:59 PM, said:

Does the yellow red white double-ended cable going from the set top box to the Akai (Video out to video in) affect this?

No it shouldn't.

Well it should work so not sure why the Akai doesn't show/record (analogue)FTA channels well, especially if something after it in the chain (ie TV) does.

How are you viewing what is on the akai? (Using video out on the akai to a video in on TV OR have tuned a channel on the TV to the the RF output channel of the akai?)(I assume you can view tapes from the akai with no problems)

Maybe try retuning the FTA stations on the Akai or putting it before the Phillips in the chain.

No apology needed I should have put a smile after my comment!

[LeoniePony]

cttc, on Feb 1 2007, 02:26 PM, said:

No it shouldn't.

Well it should work so not sure why the Akai doesn't show/record (analogue)FTA channels well, especially if something after it in the chain (ie TV) does.

How are you viewing what is on the akai? (Using video out on the akai to a video in on TV OR have tuned a channel on the TV to the the RF output channel of the akai?)(I assume you can view tapes from the akai with no problems)

Maybe try retuning the FTA stations on the Akai or putting it before the Phillips in the chain.

No apology needed I should have put a smile after my comment!

I've tried looking for the Akai signature screen on all my TV channels but can't see it - when I had it all connected up with the previous analogue Foxtel box it was channel 1 but there's nothing there now. I can pick up the Phillips on channel 14 on my TV but not the Akai. I tried putting the Akai before the Phillips and still can't see anything. Will try the TV tuning idea.
Thanks

[cttc]

Sounds like your TV channel 1 has been retuned to something other than the Akai then (maybe to the Foxtel UHF output channel when it was installed) OR they changed the RF output channel on the akai because it was the same as Foxtel STB (normally UHF 41).

Do a manual retune on channel 1 on your TV (probably in the UHF band as most VCRs output), until you find the Akai (which of course  must be on and displaying something you will recognize).
OR if your TV has a unused AV input (yellow composite video plus one or two audio RCA sockets) you can use, connect it to the AV out (yellow composite video plus one or two audio RCA sockets) on the akai (and change the TV channel/source/input to that AV input).

[nibbler]

I am interested in getting pay TV.

I'm in Ballarat, Victoria.

Can I get Foxtel here? If not, what other options do I have?

Thanks!

[cttc]

nibbler, on Feb 3 2007, 10:32 AM, said:

I am interested in getting pay TV. I'm in Ballarat, Victoria.

No Foxtel (excluding their very limited mobile phone service). But you should be able to get Austar (satellite) and selecttv (satellite) and maybe Neighborhood Cable (if your in a cabled area).

[BigBad64]

Can I please get on board with a new question?

I have a standard Foxtel Digital Satellite Box and a standard VCR connected to my TEAC CRT 68cm TV. Foxtel connected the box with SCART to Composite as standard.

Reading this thread I've just tried to replicate Configuration C1 from the 1st post. I went to The Good Guys and got a SCART to S-Video & 2 RCA lead ($50) and have used it to replace the SCART to Composite lead that ran from the Foxtel box to the TV. I used the Foxtel installation guide for it and changed the video output to S-Video.

Now Foxtel still works fine but the picture through the video has gone to black and white. Playing back a video also appears as black and white. The VCR is an NEC NDT-42.

I've obviously stuffed something up. Can someone please tell me what?

I have taken photos of the rear of the Foxtel Box and VCR, and the rear of the TV, but I can't see how to attach them to this post.

[cttc]

BigBad64, on Feb 3 2007, 01:07 PM, said:

Now Foxtel still works fine but the picture through the video has gone to black and white. Playing back a video also appears as black and white. The VCR is an NEC NDT-42.

The problems:-

1. When you select the standard STB (pace 420) to output S-Video it will output S-Video out both scarts (hence the black and white you are getting on your VCR which is using one of the scarts but trying to get composite (Composite and S-Video share pins on a scart)).
2. AV button on the Foxtel remote it sounds like you are using to view the VCR, needs the Foxtel STB to input/output the same format (it doesn't do conversions) so in your case for it to work the Foxtel STB setting would need to be PAL (composite) as your VCR is giving it that.

The solutions:-

1. Use the separate composite video output (the yellow RCA socket on the Foxtel STB) instead of the scart output for your VCR video input connection if you select S-Video as Foxtel scart setting. (OR use Foxtels RF output (normally  channel  UHF 41) if you are happy recording that).
2. Connect a separate AV cable from your VCR directly to your TV to view your VCR from now on (OR use VCRs RF output channel if you are happy viewing it that way).

See Config C1r2 which I have added to make it clearer.

I assume your TV doesn't do component as that would be better (the Foxtel remote AV button still wouldn't work though (it won't convert the composite VCR output into the Foxtel component output)  so you still need a direct connection from the VCR to TV).

[BigBad64]

Thanks cttc, I'll give that a go.

I think there's been too many cooks spoiling the broth over a number of years to have so many different connections around making things so complicated.

You need to be a mini-engineer to connect a piece of equipment.

[cttc]

BigBad64, on Feb 3 2007, 03:54 PM, said:

I think there's been too many cooks spoiling the broth over a number of years to have so many different connections around making things so complicated.

Yes S-Video was an addition to the original scart standard so it is a bit of a mess!

[BigBad64]

Sorry that you have to spoon feed me but, in the instructions numbered 1-4 in C1r2;

1. Understood
2. I take a single RCA to single RCA cable and connect it from the yellow "Video Out" socket on the back of the Foxtel box into the "VCR IN AV1 Video" yellow socket on the back of the VCR? To do this I obviously need to remove the current plug that's in that socket which is part of the current cabling which comes from the Foxtel VCR SCART?
3. Leave the existing "Audio In" plugs in the back of the VCR that are coming from the Foxtel VCR SCART?
4. Remove the Composite connectors coming from the Foxtel VCR SCART that are currently connected into the 3 RCA "DVD/VCR OUT" Video/Audio terminals, and replace it with a 3 x RCA cable going to the TV..............only remaining available input on rear of TV is yellow AV1 "Video In" RCA. (The AV1 Audio L&R in sockets are being used by the 2 RCA's that go along with the S-Video connector that come from the Foxtel TV SCART.

The AV2 connections on the TV are used by a 2nd VCR.

I gather I'm stymied then?

[cttc]

2. Yes
3. Yes. (or the other option (the 3.5mm audio output))
4. Yes but sounds like your out of inputs on the TV (assuming no side or front inputs).
Stymied from that method yes.


If the improvement in picture from Composite to S-Video on the TV are worth it some other solutions:-

Use RF (coaxial) output on second VCR (and tune a TV channel to its output channel).  Frees up the AV2 input on TV.

OR  Use RF (coaxial) output on first VCR (and tune a TV channel to its output channel) for first VCR.  No need for another AV cable from that VCR to TV anymore.

OR  Connect (adaptor probably) both S-Video and Composite from the tv scart and change menu setting every time you want to view VCR.

OR  Get an iQ which has a separate S-Video output socket which avoids all these problems.

OR  Get a video switchbox to change inputs

OR  Get a TV with component input (and at least two composite inputs)

OR  Get a Recorder with S-Video input (still have problem with TV's lack of inputs though if it is not left on to view Foxtel)

[BigBad64]

Thanks again.

I note that the Foxtel box does have an S-Video Output on it.

I can see why Foxtel set it up the way they did. Apart from probably being the cheapest way for them, it actually makes everything work without having to jump through all these additional hoops.

Looking at the Foxtel picture through the S-Video connection didn't seem to me to be noticeably better than the existing composite set up. So I think I'll use the K.I.S.S. principle and revert to the original composite set up and get my $50 back from the Good Guys.

Cheers.

[blokehitchedwith2]

OK quick question. I have two stb's in the house. The upstairs unit has the phone line connected, the downstairs doesn't. When I order a BO movie I can watch it upstairs but not downstairs. Shouldn't both units show the movie if the stb's are on the same account?

[cttc]

blokehitchedwith2, on Feb 5 2007, 05:06 PM, said:

When I order a BO movie I can watch it upstairs but not downstairs.

According to Foxtel. "If you have more than one STU you can only view a FOXTEL Box Office Programme or Main Event Programme on the television attached to the STU through which you ordered it." from  http://www.foxtel.com.au/1443.htm

They should be able to enable both cards for that account but it doesn't look like they do that.