DSE SD Set Top Box Revisited

"Kissing Lettuce"

Each channel allocated to a broadcaster ( 6, 8, 1 & 12) has enough bandwidth to transmit 3 x SD digital signals or 1 x SD signal and 1 HD signal simultaneously - plus various guides, audio only channels etc.

The broadcasters are allowed to send duplicates and doing this makes sure your STB has all the possible channels in its tuning memory - so when they do send something new there is no need ot re-scan the band.

.............. Phil

It's fine, I and everyone else with a STB has that many channels.

Ta thanks Phil

Phew..... I was a bit worried when there were so many incarnations of channel 10 but now that I have had a look at digital there's no way I'll go back to analog with the ghosting and snowy picture

Yeah they run multiples for the (unlikely) possibility they use a second channel for multi-angle views, or extra info (such as Seven during Rugby World Cup etc). When they are showing the main channel they use almost no bandwith because they just "point" to the a/v of the main channel. Nine has used its HD channel a couple of times for extra info (e.g. Pompeii).

I guess Ten and Seven leave theirs on so people don't have to rescan for events like that (some boxes pick up new channels automatically, others don't)

Other times you might get multiples could be if channels are broadcasting from two sites, e.g. in Sydney I pick up both North Shore VHF and Kings Cross UHF.

Normal as others have said. Damn annoying to flick through too unless you program "favourites" or some such, or delete the unwanted channels. I've got mine programmed so that I can use one set of arrow keys to flick through 2/7/9/10/SBS for channel surfing, while the other set of arrows takes you through them all if needed. If I want the guide (not often), then I find it easier to just jump straight to that channel. Eg. 7's guide is on 77, 9 on 99, etc.

Dave :)

Hey, I just tuned mine in last night too and I noticed the same thing.

Trouble is, all the programs are still shite.

Try asking for your money back then! :->

Dave :)

Once upon a time Kissing Lettuce decided to write:

You should delete these duplicates or at least turn skip on. Also there's no point having HD on an SD box, so delete those too. Then you'll have less repeats when flicking channels.

Actually it's funny that it even receives the HD in that you get all the audio and the screen displays a box that says that it is a HD broadcast.

Pity it can't be hacked to permit a picture, but that might involve more circuitry I guess...

Kissing Lettuce wrote: Actually it's funny that it even receives the HD

My SD box displays the picture on the HD channel, but it's jerky. Watchable if you had nothing else I guess.

Dave :)

You expected otherwise?

Dick Smith still has a 7 day return policy I believe.

MrT.

Why? You wouldn't get a HD picture, and you probably haven't got a HD TV anyway.

You think? Maybe that's why the HD box costs more.:-)

MrT.

Even better, 14 days.

"Kissing Lettuce"

• The policy was for 7 days since the mid 1970s.

It changed recently with the new 2004/5 catalogue.

............ Phil

I would never buy anything from DSE these days......

SO I went to my local Big-W to buy some ink cartridges for my printer the other day. None in stock. So as I was walking up the other end of the shopping complex(very small one) i noticed a recent addition, a DSE. Walked straigt past to the newsagent. $17 for a cartridge. Walked out and went to DSE. Got 2 for just over $20. So i would buy something from DSE, but only because Big-W was sold out..

Anyway, looking in the store, no kits...no parts... just the shittiest consumer crap you can buy, at twice the price of everywhere else. I can feel a Tandy coming on...

Tandy = DSE = Woolworths.

Were they brand name cartridges or the others like Calidad/Print rite/etc? and who had the better price?