Strange phenomeneoenen on TV with Freeview

PHOBIC ® · 21-12-2005, 6:49 PM

Hi !

My TV is a big old Tosh 33" CRT to which i have a Freeview box connected. If i leave the freeview box switched OFF, and just watch TV channels 1 -5 through the TV only, the pictures are spot on.

If i leave the TV on say, BBC1 (could be any channel 1 -5 ) and switch the freeview box on, the sound of BBC1 remains on the TV, but the picture changes to whatever channel the freeview box is on, but the picture is bizarre !

There is a huge black band very slowly moving across the screen. In fact - its more like a huge plus sign (+) but its not centred in the middle, so the cross point of the + sign is very near the top of the screen. The black portion of this is taking up nearly half of the visible screen, and as it moves slowly across, the " upright " portion of the + sign comes into view....so at one point you can see 4 pictures of the same in each quarter portion of this moving + sign.

The cross band is much larger than the upright band, and as i said, the cross point is near the top of the screen so you can just barely see that it is, in fact a cross. And therefore you can only just see half an inch each of the 2 pictures at the the top. But the 2 pictures at the bottom are WELL visible. The picture ( all the same in each corner ) is not a good picture either. Its all dark , like all the contrast has been turned down.

Not that i know anything, but is this some kind of " bleed through " from the freeview channel box is currently on ?

Chris Muriel · 21-12-2005, 7:15 PM

How is the Freeview box connected to the TV ?
Are you using a SCART to SCART connection , phono leads or what ?

Are you switching to the relevant input using the remote control or input source switch of the TV ?

It sounds like you are confusing the TV by sending it both sets of pictures simultaneously.

Chris Muriel, Manchester

PHOBIC ® · 21-12-2005, 8:09 PM

Hi Chris

1)Aerial cable into FV box
2)RF lead out of FV box to DVD rec.
3)Scart out of TV socket on FV box into Scart 1 on TV
4)Scart out of VCR socket on FV box into Tosh DVD Rec.
5) RF out from Tosh DVD rec. to RF in on TV
6 ) S Vid from Tosh Rec. To S Vid on TV

Not even switching on DVD on, so we're just talking about the FV box and the TV

I dont quite know what you mean about the relevant input/source.

I'm using the 1,2,3,4 5 buttons to watch channels 1 - 5. That when i have neither the FV box or the DVD on.

When i switch the FV box on, the picture and sound on the TV defaults to whatever channel the FV is on. Then when i switch back with the TV remote to either 1,2,3,4,5 - i got the sound of which TV channel i want (channel 1 - 5 using buttons 1- 5 on remote ) but the picture of what channel the FV is on, but with the weirdness mentioned above.

I can certainly watch great pictures of the terrestial channels through the FV box, as well as the FV channels themselves. I just switch the remote to AV1 or something like that.
But it seems i cant have channel 1 - 5 on the TV using 1- 5 buttons, and also have the FV box on at the same time.
It means i cant record an FV proggy at the same time as watching a terrestial channel 1 - 5 on TV

Chris Muriel · 22-12-2005, 3:01 PM

"I dont quite know what you mean about the relevant input/source."

The 2 sources I was referring to are the output of the Freeview box and the output of the TV tuner ; you seem to have both competing with each other - which points to a switching problem.
Does your TV have more than 1 SCART ?
If so , does the same happen if you connect the Freeview box to SCART2 or SCART3 ?
You may need to change the Freeview box output from RGB to Composite (Cvbs) for this to work ; this would apply if SCART1 is RGB and SCART2 and/or 3 are Cvbs only.
Does your Freeveiw box have a second SCART ?
Try swapping to that one and see what happens.
Does your TV have a manual switch on it for source switching (switching between TV tuner, SCART1 , SCART2 and S-video inputs) ?
What is the model number of the TV and make/model of the FV box ?
Have you tried a substitute SCART lead ?

Anyone else reading this who wishes to jump in with other suggestions, please feel free to do so.

Chris Muriel, Manchester.

PHOBIC ® · 22-12-2005, 3:14 PM

Hi Chris - thanks for getting back pal.

The FV box is a Philips DTR 1500.
1 scart named TV and 1 scart named VCR.

The TV is a big old 33" tosh 3339DB.
1st scart named ->(1)
2nd scart named ->(2) but above this 2nd scart there are the words 2S ( S-VIDEO ) and below this 2nd scart are the words ( AUDIO/VIDEO ) . I'm not using this scart

Theres also S Video using 2 phonos + 1 S vid (like mini DIN ) which i have used between TOSH DVD rec. and TV

So basically i have used both scarts out of the FV, and used only 1 scart ( number 1 ) on the TV and only 1 of the 2 scarts on the TOSH DVD rec.
I will certainly try your suggestion Chris to see what happens.
Cheers
Pete

PHOBIC ® · 22-12-2005, 6:24 PM

Hi again

Well in the FV box menu, i cant seperate output RGB from CVBS

There are 6 choices to set output in the menu. Looks like this:

1) RGB / PAL-CVBS
2) RGB / SVHS
3) PAL-CVBS / PAL-CVBS
4) PAL-CVBS / SVHS
5) S-VIDEO / PAL-CVBS
6) s-VIDEO / SVHS

No change yet -

JayCee · 22-12-2005, 7:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHOBIC ®

Hi again

Well in the FV box menu, i cant seperate output RGB from CVBS

There are 6 choices to set output in the menu. Looks like this:

1) RGB / PAL-CVBS
2) RGB / SVHS
3) PAL-CVBS / PAL-CVBS
4) PAL-CVBS / SVHS
5) S-VIDEO / PAL-CVBS
6) s-VIDEO / SVHS

No change yet -

Leave it the way you had it connected and just push the "Input" button on the TV remote...that's the one with an icon of a "circle with an arrow" and cycle through the inputs until you get back to the analogue progs.

PHOBIC ® · 22-12-2005, 7:38 PM

Jaycee - i've been though that with the remote and it makes no difference. The scroll goes like this -

AV1 / 2S / AV3 / then back to TV channels 1 -5. If the freeview box is actually powered on, i will get that weirdness. It means if i want to watch 1 - 5 on the TV remote, the FV box has to be switched off.

If i want to watch TV channels 1 -5 and the FV box is on, i can watch them using the FV remote to scroll channels on TV -> AV1 or TV -> AV3 using the TOSH DVD remote to scroll the channels.

The only thing i cant do with the TV and FV box on, is watch channels 1 -5 using the TV remote buttons 1 - 5. ( with DVD rec OFF )

But this also means i cannot watch TV channels 1- 5 while recording a FV program ( i record off the FV box on the DVD rec. using AV2 ...the rec. has AV1 and AV2 but AV1 is used for playback

PHOBIC ® · 22-12-2005, 7:53 PM

I kind of get the feeling that Chris is on the ticket here. Knowing my utter greeness with the tedious permutations of how you watch FV / TV / and have DVD hooked up too, the various settings , outputs , inputs, to Scart or not to Scart..i do believe that i have something hooked up a bit weird.

Unless the TV has got a problem i didnt know about

sbowler · 22-12-2005, 11:21 PM

could it be that the VCR and freeview are outputting on the same channel, thereby causing interference. try taking the vcr out of the loop and see if the problem persists.

JayCee · 22-12-2005, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbowler

could it be that the VCR and freeview are outputting on the same channel, thereby causing interference.

No, it won't be that as the Philips DTR1500 doesn't have an RF modulator.

PHOBIC ® · 23-12-2005, 8:34 PM

Jaycee - whats an RF modulator ?

I have the incoming coax aerial going to the FV, and then RF out to the DVD rec. and the RF out of DVD into RF in on TV ?

JayCee · 23-12-2005, 9:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHOBIC ®

Jaycee - whats an RF modulator ?

It's a device to convert the audio/video signals so they can be tuned in by the analogue tuner in a TV. Most VCRs have them and they are usually adjustable between channels 21-69.
Some Freeview digiboxes have them/some don't...if they don't it means you can only get the freeview signals through the scart sockets on the TV.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHOBIC ®

I have the incoming coax aerial going to the FV, and then RF out to the DVD rec. and the RF out of DVD into RF in on TV ?

That's correct.

PHOBIC ® · 23-12-2005, 9:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayCee

.

That's correct.

..and still stumped ! There isnt anything i can remove and still maintain my system. I'm pretty much on a basic cable routing - I.E. both scarts out on FV box are used, obviously, but only one on the TV and one on the DVD rec.

The suggestion that somehow i'm getting 2 signals at once seems logical, but how this happening is a mystery

Chris Muriel · 23-12-2005, 11:18 PM

It is possible to buy SCART leads that have a direction switch - you could do with the loan of one by the sound of it (just to try it).
What happens when you use the SCART 2 instead of SCART 1 on the TV (may require you to change FV box menu to one of the other output options) ?

Chris Muriel, Manchester

PHOBIC ® · 23-12-2005, 11:54 PM

Chris - Scart 2 is the " 2S " scart. Would that not require a special Scart lead ?

Doctorb · 24-12-2005, 10:17 AM

Possible faulty earthing inside the tv, to find out, pull the ariel out of the tv and the sound interference will go.

JayCee · 24-12-2005, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHOBIC ®

Chris - Scart 2 is the " 2S " scart. Would that not require a special Scart lead ?

"2S" means it is S-Video capable.

PHOBIC ® · 24-12-2005, 2:32 PM

Doc - the sound isnt the interference - its the picture bleeding through from freeview thats the interference.

Chris - thanks. Hopefully a regular scart will do ? I'm going to swop to that 2s socket today and see what happens

PHOBIC ® · 24-12-2005, 3:17 PM

Chris - the swop from Scart 1 to Scart 2S has cured the bleed through of any FV channel onto the TV's own channels, but the pic, when viewing channel 2S on the TV remote, is black and white and rolls a lot.

Is that a job for the FV menu and output of RGB/CVBS etc ?

I'll give that a go anyway and see what happens..

PHOBIC ® · 24-12-2005, 3:23 PM

Bingo !!

The swop over to the 2S scart on the TV has sorted out the bleed ov picture, and changing output in FV menu from RGB/CVBS to S-Video/SVHS has now sorted the colour and rolling.

Just in time for Chrimble !

So thanks to all, especially Chris and Jaycee who hung in there till the bitter end.

A damn fine Merry Christmas