Set Top Box connection to a TV (Dick Smith Electronics G1185)

Hi,

I have a 2 year old set top box (Dick Smith Electronics G1185) which I understand recvieves digital TV stations and converts the signal suitable for an analogue TV. My TV is quite old so it is basically a VHF receiver although it can receive one UHF channel 28.

How do I connect the set top box to my TV? Perhaps you have this model?

The back of the set top box has connects labelled: TV Arial TV/VCR ANT INT TV OUT RS232 L R Video Out SPDIF SVIDEO

I assume that I connect my indoor arial to the "TV Arial" and my TV to "TV/VCR". What TV channel do I tune my TV to get the output signal. Needless to say I have lost the manual.

I have tried channel 3 which is an old standard for VCRs I have had in the past. Thanks for any help.

Reply to
pwu
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Does it get channel 3 or 4? That's all you need. Set the box on 3 or 4 (there's a switch somewhere proobably.) and set the tv to the same channel. If all the connections have been made and you have plugged in the set top box and turned it on and the tv on, do you see anything on the tv? If not, set the box to the other number and set the tv to the same channel.

If you can't find any switch, just connect and try channels 3 and 4 on the tv.

Connect an aerial. If your stations are near, within 10 or 20 miles, you can probalby just put a thin stiff wire in the center hole of the connector and stretch the wire out. Make it at least 3 feet long but maybe 6 or 7 feet would be better.

For info on how many stations you should be able to get and what direction they are from where your tv is, check out

formatting link
.

Connect a piece of co-axial cable from here to your tv. Does your tv have a connector like the one here? If so no problem . How old is your old tv? Does it have a knob to turn to change stations or just up and down buttons, or numeric buttons, like you used to press 1 and

3 to go to channel 13. And you press 3 to go to 3? If it's the latter, it almost surely has a co-axial connector on the back.

If it's the former, a knob to turn to change channels, they can get dirty and sometimes not work well on a given channel. Try holding the knob a little bit off the place it comes to rest and see if it works then, or if the static on the screen changes. If it won't work on 3 or 4 To clean the connections, turn the knob back and forth through channels 3 and 4 a few times. That can help a lot.

It has both this and TV Arial? Do they look different? What do they look like?

If your tv is old, I doubt you have an svideo jack on it. Is your tv stereo. Does it have RCA jacks. (See images.google.com to see what an RCA jack looks like.)

What connections do you have on your tv. What are they labeled? How many of them physically resemble any of these last 7 on your box?

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Reply to
mm

The TV does get channel 3 & 4. I did tune the TV to 3 and 4 and I don't get anything although the front of the set top box shows "signal". The box does not have a switch which says 3 or 4.

Both TV Aerial and ANT INT look the same - I think they are called BNC you know where a coax cable goes in. That is what is confusing

My TV does not have SVIDEO.

It has "A/V" and when I around the back I see 4 connectors in that area. The top row is labelled "IN" and bottom row "OUT" and the first column is labelled "Audio" and "Video". I suppose the set top box is sending out stereo and the TV epects mono - I can probably plug either L(Left) or R(Right) into that connector and "Video out" to "video" and press "A/V" on my TV.

So in summary I: Connected a indoor aerial to "TV Aerial" Connected the "TV/VCR" to TV's "ANT" Switched my TV to channels 1,3,4 but I don't get anything

  1. Anyone have any ideas?
  2. I guess the next thing would be to try it on A/V

Thanks for any help

Reply to
pwu

** The DSE set top box only outputs video signals - so you MUST use the AV inputs on your TV.

.... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

In message , Phil Allison writes

This does say "Optional UHF Modulator, PAL G/I/K, NTSC". What 'optional' means is anyone's guess! [Turn off / Turn on?] But it obviously isn't Ch3 or 4.

How come the VHF TV set can actually receive one UHF channel? Is that a special Australia 'feature'? If your TV set does have A/V inputs, you're better off using them instead of trying to get the set-top box output onto Ch28 (assuming you can).

--
Ian
Reply to
Ian Jackson

Nah, years ago it was standard to use a modulator output (usually on VCRs) tuned to one of the low VHF channels. These days one expects to find A/V on a TV.

Grant.

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Reply to
Grant

"Ian Jackson" Phil Allison

** Obviously it is a *factory option* not fitted to the DSE boxes.

..... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

In message , Grant writes

The UK used Ch36 (tuneable +/- two or three using a small screwdriver or trimming tool). Actually, I see that Australia used the same, so I don't know why even an old 'VHF-only' type of TV should be 'specially equipped' to receive only Ch28 (527.25MHz).

Initially, in the UK, nearly every digital STB had an integral UHF output modulator (fully tuneable from the menu). These days, hardly any do. If you really do need an RF signal, you have to use an external modulator.

--
Ian
Reply to
Ian Jackson

"Ian Jackson"

** Cos unlike Australia, all colour TV in the UK was on UHF.

** Absolutely NOT true.

A tiny few ( AFAIK only Sony ) VCRs sold in Australia used Ch 36

** You don't know the "why" of any damn thing.

Ch 28 ( a government sponsored channel ) was the only UHF channel on air in Australian capital cities for many years.

.... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

In message , Phil Allison writes

Sadly, I don't have your intimate knowledge of how TV developed in Australia. It's something I'll try not to regret it until my dying day.

In the UK, even though we only had Ch33 (serving the London area) for a couple of years or so, we never had TV sets capable of receiving only that one channel. Maybe the Australians are a load of cheapskates?

--
Ian
Reply to
Ian Jackson

"Ian Jackson" Phil Allison

** Be a real good idea if you shut completely up about the subject then

- wouldn't it ????

** Shame to waste the rest of your miserable living in regret

- avoid all the pain and just die now.

** Australian TVs ( monochrome and colour ) all receive the whole VHF band - was once up to 15 channels till FM broadcast stole a few.

Never heard of any TVs sold here equipped to receive only UHF ch28 *as well* as VHF - till the OP mentioned it.

Must be an odd ball.

But not as odd a mad poms like you.

.... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

In message , Phil Allison writes

You snipped my thoughts that Australians might be cheapskates, and (thank heavens!) you haven't commented on it. As it appears that they didn't produce an 'el cheapo' single-UHF-channel TV set, it would appear that they're probably normal, lateral-thinking people. Actually, all those whom I've met are quite nice, so I suppose that applies (with maybe a few notable exceptions) to the whole nation.

--
Ian
Reply to
Ian Jackson

Years ago, back in the "good old days" of turret tuners, you could replace one of the VHF bits with a UHF allowing you to receive that channel. Because in the US the VHF channels always skipped a number in any given location, you had space for as many as perhaps 5 UHF channels. You just had to remember that when the dial said "6" for example, that it was UHF channel "38". Some units even had little plastic lables so you could properly label the indicator!

Reply to
PeterD

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