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91

DTVS-1B / How to Re-Tune DTVS-1 & DTVS-1B ( Database Empty error )

« Last post by admin on September 26, 2010, 11:39:20 am »

One of the great things about DTVS receivers is that they are self installing which make them very easy to set up from default state. If you have for some reason lost your channels or changed something and want to rectify this, you can get the receiver back to default state and run the setup.

The following are the steps to get the receiver to default state:

1) Press the "Menu" button on the DTVS remote.
2) Select "Installation" and press OK button.
3) Use the "Down" button to move to "Factory reset" and press OK button.
4) When the password is requested, press the "0" button four times.
5) A message will appear asking if you want to "Factory reset". Highlight "yes" and press the OK button.
6) A message will appear advising the receiver is resetting and the initial setup screen will appear.
7) Your receiver is now in default state from where you can carry out the installation.

The following are the steps for tuning the receiver from default state or when you have just purchased the receiver:

1) Use the "right" or "left" button to select the location or the region your DTVS receiver is located in.
2) Press the OK button once your location or region is shown.
3) A question will appear asking if you want to "scan". Ensure "yes" is highlighted and then press the OK button.
4) The tuning process will start now. Please do not interrupt the process. The receiver will find the signal and then start loading the channels.
5) Once all the channels are loaded, the information will be saved and "TV One" will show.
6) Check if all your channels are there.


Troubleshooting:

1) What to do if you get a "Tuning failed" message and then "Database empty"?

"Database empty" means that there are no channels to show. This message will show if you attempt to use the receiver after the tuning process has failed.
"Tuning failed" message will appear when the receiver is unable to find the satellite signal. So to eliminate "Database empty", you need to make sure channels are tuned in. If "tuning" fails, then please check the following:

a) You have a satellite dish installed and the dish cable is plugged into the "LNB In" connector on the DTVS receiver. The DTVS-1 and DTVS-1B are satellite receivers and require a satellite dish. They will not work off the UHF antenna.
b) If you have several cables and are not sure, follow the cable colour from your dish and plug in the one that has the same colour and a "screw in" (F-Connector) type connector.
c) If the satellite cable is plugged in, try running the setup again after resetting the receiver to its default state as per instructions above.
d) If your tuning still fails, have your dish signal checked by a professional installer. Either your LNB may have a fault or the dish is not pointed correctly.
e) If you have multiple receivers sharing the same dish, please ensure all other receivers are turned off before tuning your DTVS receiver.

92

DTVS-1B / Re: DTVS-1B connections

« Last post by goldenoldie on August 29, 2010, 12:00:33 am »

Great, thanks for info

93

DTVS-1B / Re: DTVS-1B connections

« Last post by admin on August 28, 2010, 09:59:58 pm »

Help, trying to help a relative with the satellite to TV connections for a DTVS-1B receiver. Doing this by phone and he tells me it has LNB? in and out sockets and standard tv aerial in and out sockets(I think these may be called Belling Lee). Which one does the Satellite dish connect to and in turn which one then goes to the TV?

Hi,

1) Satellite dish plugs into LNB Input

Output to TV - several methods:

2) TV Out provides RF signal to TV
3) Composite out ( RCA Audio & Video ) provides Audio and Video signal. Connect to TV's AV inputs and switch your TV to AV Input.
4) Component out ( Red  + Green + Blue cable ) provides component video output. Connect to TV's Component video in. Switch TV to Component Input. You will also need a separate connection for audio left & right to the TV.

Hope this helps.

AH

94

DTVS-1B / DTVS-1B connections

« Last post by goldenoldie on August 28, 2010, 07:11:00 pm »

Help, trying to help a relative with the satellite to TV connections for a DTVS-1B receiver. Doing this by phone and he tells me it has LNB? in and out sockets and standard tv aerial in and out sockets(I think these may be called Belling Lee). Which one does the Satellite dish connect to and in turn which one then goes to the TV?

95

Kaon KSF-620R2 / Re: Timer on Tuner 2 (slave) freezes

« Last post by BruceMutton on May 04, 2010, 02:50:50 pm »

Sorry about the long time between posts!  I must see if I can get this forum to email me....
As I recall I did a factory reset from tuner 1 AND from tuner 2.  I forget the order however.
We are still languishing with manual channel changing of the slave.

96

Homecast HT9200DTR MyFreeview|HD / Homecast HT9200DTR myfreeview|HD Walkthrough/Review

« Last post by kilaru on February 27, 2010, 04:38:07 pm »

Some time ago when I got my Vantage HD6000T/NZ, I posted my walkthrough of the receiver as I was so impressed. It was one of the best receivers I saw and I believe it is still the best among its class. I now have a new receiver Homecast HT9200DTR which is an official Freeview receiver which fully supports the Freeview guide and series link. It can record two channels at once and will allow watching a recorded program at the same time. My Vantage is still used occasionally for recording when there are programme clashes. The HT9200DTR looks quite straight forward but is quite complex once I dug deeper. I have had it for a few months and I think I have mastered it enough to write about it.

Homecast HT9200DTR Walkthrough

The HT9200DTR attaches to a UHF antenna and includes a loop through connection to allow your antenna signal to pass through to other devices supporting analogue services. Internally, it has two tuners but you see only one UHF antenna input and one UHF antenna output.

It is simple to set up, plug in your UHF antenna and connect to your TV via HDMI cable supplied with the receiver. The initial menu will ask you what type of TV and connection you are using and will attempt to select the best video resolution on your TV. It is great to see that Homecast has put this extra bit of effort to make sure the customer is getting the best picture possible.

The HT9200DTR is a high definition receiver and high definition (720P or 1080i) is only available via HDMI.  If your TV does not have HDMI, then connect it via Component (Red, Blue, Green). If your TV does not have HDMI and Component inputs, you can still get a good picture out of the Composite (Red, White, Yellow) output.

The HT9200DTR offers sound via analogue and digital outputs. For digital outputs, it offers Optical and HDMI. Dolby Digital is pass-through only so either your amplifier or your television is required to decode Dolby Digital audio. The default setup automatically selects the Dolby Digital track when it is available so if you change to TV3 which transmits a Dolby Digital track, the HT9200DTR will automatically select it. I believe this is done to ensure the best soundtrack is available by default. It works great for me as my amplifier does the switching seamlessly. I am using the optical output to my amplifier but if your amplifier supports HDMI then you can use HDMI to your amplifier and turn on Dolby Digital via HDMI in the settings.

The Homecast HT9200DTR will automatically tune in the channels during installation. Once you have selected your TV and connection type, the channels will be tuned in automatically. After this, there is no need to worry and any new channels will automatically be detected and tuned in. If you desire, you can also manually tune in your channels by entering the transmitter frequency or UHF channel the transmitter is transmitting on, or, by selecting which transmitter your antenna is pointing to (Region Search). The HT9200DTR will also automatically accept software updates available through transmission. It is called OTA software upgrade.

The front panel has a nice soft bluish white display, a fully functional click control knob and a magnetic flap that conceals one of the many USB ports. It looks like Homecast has paid quite a lot of attention to the appearance of the receiver. The click knob has many features from setting the volume to selecting items on the menu. I was surprised at how many functions the knob was assigned to. The blue light on the click knob blends well with soft bluish white display which shows the channel information, programme playback information and several other status indicator symbols indicating how much HDD space used, recording and time shifting. I thought the magnetic front panel flap was a great thought and shows how much attention Homecast paid to the development of this receiver.

The remote looks very elegant with nice silver coloured sides. The button layout I think can be improved. However, I like the two buttons which I mostly use, "REC LIST" to list what is planned to record and "PLAY LIST" to list what is recorded. I have found these two buttons very handy to have and allow easy access to my recordings. The remote is not a touch sensitive remote so requires buttons to be pressed firmly.

The Homecast HT9200DTR menu is quite simple and easy to navigate. There are two buttons on the remote OPT and A/V+ which allow selection of Video Format, Audio Tracks, Teletext and Subtitles. The HT9200DTR has a TV/Radio button which alternates between TV channels and Radio channels. There is a LIST button which lists all the channels tuned. The INFO button shows information on current TV programme and the EPG button brings up the Freeview EPG.

Recording via the Freeview EPG is very simple. Navigate to the programme you want to record and press the "Red" button. If the programme being recorded is part of a series, a question will be asked to record the series. If confirmed, then the programme will record as a series and an "S" will appear next to it. If it is not a series record, then, an "R" will appear next to the programme being recorded.

The "REC LIST" button can be used to view all programmes set to record. It is all neatly laid out and shows the type, date, time, channel and programme being recorded. A list of buttons shown below on this allows management of this list.

The "PLAY LIST" button brings up all the recorded programmes. There are a set of buttons shown below that allow management of this list. These include sort, rename, delete etc. Pressing the INFO button on the recorded programme shows further information including the synopsis.

The HT9200DTR allows two channels to be recording simultaneously. If there is a clash, a message is displayed. It also allows playback of a recorded programme while recording of channels. The live caching allows rewind, live pause and fast forward. All this, the HT9200DTR does with ease. However, at times when two recordings are active, I have found performance of the Freeview EPG is slower.

Playing back your recordings is simple. Press the "PLAY LIST" button and a list of all the recorded programs will appear. A status such as "Recorded" and "Viewed" is displayed against each recording. The HT9200DTR will also allow playing back of a currently recording program. This means that you do not have to wait for a recording to be completed before you can watch it. You can also stop in the middle of a playback and resume from where you left. The HT9200DTR also allows quick jumps into the program you want to watch. Press the 0 button and it moves to 0%, pressing the 1 button will move to 10% and so on to 9 which will move to 90%. The MARK button will allow you to set jumpmarks and the JUMP button will move between jumpmarks. The jumpmarks set will be saved for later use.

The Homecast HT9200DTR has 4 x USB ports and one Ethernet port. Unfortunately, for New Zealand customers, all these ports are restricted. The USB ports only allow firmware upgrades. The ethernet port is disabled. Homecast have marked these as future expansion. I have managed to create a workaround that will allow me to temporarily use these ports and transfer recordings I want to keep. My solution is posted in the Geekzone forum.

Inside the Homecast HT9200DTR is a 500GB SATA HDD and attached to the side of it is a fan which cools the unit. It is an extremely quiet fan and most of the noise is from the HDD. The hardware looks well built. The power supply, main board and front panel boards are separate units.

The HT9200DTR is a full sized component. It is the same width as my amplifier and sits nicely in my cabinet symmetrical with other units. The HT9200DTR can also be hidden inside a cabinet. It comes with a remote control extension cable which can be used to send signals back to the HT9200DTR. I experimented with this feature and found that the HT9200DTR really has to be hidden for the remote extension unit to work properly. It looks like the receiver tries to process two IR signals together if the receiver is in view of the remote control and response is very slow. Maybe Homecast should disable the front IR when the IR extension plug is connected.

Accessories supplied with the Homecast HT9200DTR include a user manual, fully functional remote with two batteries, HDMI cable, component cable, composite cable and external remote control sensor with cable.

Developed and manufactured in Korea, the HT9200DTR has been a very reliable performer for me. The plus point of this receiver is that it is very simple and easy to use. It is designed to record and playback HD TV programmes and it does it well with simplicity and ease.


Kilaru

97

Kaon KSF-620R2 / Re: Timer on Tuner 2 (slave) freezes

« Last post by DTVS on February 13, 2010, 09:27:09 am »

Hi Bruce

When you performed a factory reset did you do this from tuner 1 or tuner 2?

98

Kaon KSF-620R2 / Timer on Tuner 2 (slave) freezes

« Last post by BruceMutton on February 12, 2010, 12:54:08 pm »

Hi
Have been using my multiroom box successfully for 16 months, using the timer on the second tuner to change channels automatically in the background so that my computer can record it's output on an RF circuit.

About two(?) months ago the timer stopped changing the channels.  It seems to think a programe is in progress continuously and will not let the user alter that line on the timer screen, nor will it action the other timer lines when they come due.

We are able to manually change the channels on the slave even though the timer is locked, so that is some consolation, if we remember to change it!

I have reset the whole device and reconfigured it. On the first timer use, the channel is changed correctly but then the timer locks on that channel, and will not action further timer entries.

So we are doing nothing different and it has suddenly stopped working.
Any ideas why?  Not an automatic software download from the satellite by any chance?

Solutions?

Thanks in advance
Bruce

99

Homecast HT3000 / Re: Firmware 01.03.3A

« Last post by DanielM on January 05, 2010, 05:22:28 pm »

I will change the soundtrack settings. Thank you for the information.

Cheers,

Daniel

100

Homecast HT3000 / Re: Firmware 01.03.3A

« Last post by DTVS on January 05, 2010, 12:53:59 pm »

Hi Daniel

The reason for his is TV3 is running a different soundtrack to all other channels including TV3+1.
TV3 is the only channel to run AC3 Dolby Digital 5.1 so sound levels are lower but the quality is much better. You can force TV3 to use the same PCM 2 Channel Stereo Soundtrack as the others by going into the menu and find "TV Output" then disable "Dolby Digital".

SG