testcards on sky
systemtek
on any sky channels if so what channel and time is the test card on.
Thanks.
Brian Mc
: Hi, does anyone know if there are any testcards currently transmitted
: on any sky channels if so what channel and time is the test card on.
There is one as part of the "Preview" on BBCHD - and lasts for about
60 seconds. SkyHD STBs cannot directly record the Preview but, with care,
(and learning the Preview sequence) it is possible to capture the testcard
using "manual recording"
Vincent
I use that one. If you just set a manual record to record BBC HD for
an hour in the early hours of the morning (3 to 4am say), then you're
certain to get it.
--
Vincent
systemtek
Thanks, but forgot to say i only have sky+ and not HD.
widgitt
I can't remember how, but it is a series of button presses. Someone
here is bound to know.
I do have it written down somewhere.
systemtek
Thanks, i do have FreeView also so will google that.
Stephen
news:k2hkl5pb0jcfms9c6...@4ax.com...
> In <slrnhljf...@nowster.eternal-september.org>, Paul Martin
> <p...@nowster.org.uk> wrote:
>
>>In article
>><c37658b7-cfc2-44ed...@p24g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
>> widgitt wrote:
>>> You can get one on Freeview.
>>> I can't remember how, but it is a series of button presses. Someone
>>> here is bound to know.
>>
>>press Yellow. Tune away from that channel, then tune back. When the
>>front screen appears, press Green. A status page then appears. One of
>>the options is to show the test card.
I don't know what is wrong with the people who set that up!
Why can't they just give it a Freeview channel number like Teletext Holidays
or Directgov? It would be helpful if people could get the Test Card easily.
Why isn't in on Sky non-HD 24 hours & 7 days a week? There's almost always a
free BBCi video stream. If Sky want payment to give the test card an EPG
number tell them to sod off, it's the BBC, and pass a law to say they have
to do it (like they had to give 101 to BBC1 instead of Sky1).
Stephen
"Paul Martin" <p...@nowster.org.uk> wrote in message
news:slrnhlro...@nowster.eternal-september.org...
> In article <hsk7n.6186$vL2....@newsfe21.ams2>,
> Stephen wrote:
>
>>>>on of the options is to show the test card.
>
>> I don't know what is wrong with the people who set that up!
>
>> Why can't they just give it a Freeview channel number like Teletext
>> Holidays
>> or Directgov? It would be helpful if people could get the Test Card
>> easily.
>
Do you mean MPEG still or JPEG still, or could it be a PNG?
Anyway, I don't think it would break the bank with Freeview's bit budget if
they used a higher quality still, or if they really can't spare any more
bits per second they could make us wait a little longer for it to refresh.
I wonder how long it does take to load and how many kilobits per second it
does use?
>> Why isn't in on Sky non-HD 24 hours & 7 days a week? There's almost
>> always a
>> free BBCi video stream. If Sky want payment to give the test card an EPG
>> number tell them to sod off, it's the BBC, and pass a law to say they
>> have
>> to do it (like they had to give 101 to BBC1 instead of Sky1).
>
> Or for that matter the time between closedown and 5.30am allocated to
> BBC Three and Four?
>
> --
> Paul Martin <p...@nowster.org.uk>
Stephen
> In <GRn7n.6194$vL2....@newsfe21.ams2>, "Stephen"
> <ste...@junkmail.sptv.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>"Paul Martin" <p...@nowster.org.uk> wrote in message
>>news:slrnhlro...@nowster.eternal-september.org...
>>> In article <hsk7n.6186$vL2....@newsfe21.ams2>,
>>> Stephen wrote:
>>>
>>>>>>on of the options is to show the test card.
>>>
>>>> I don't know what is wrong with the people who set that up!
>>>
>>>> Why can't they just give it a Freeview channel number like Teletext
>>>> Holidays
>>>> or Directgov? It would be helpful if people could get the Test Card
>>>> easily.
>>>
>>> The BBC Freeview test card is a very low quality (37kB) MPEG still.
>>
>>Do you mean MPEG still or JPEG still,
>
> there will always be some "mosquito noise".
>
>>or could it be a PNG?
>
I thought pictures on digital teletext were normally png. They also look
like they use 256 colours or less, and dithering, both of which seem highly
inappropriate.
>>Anyway, I don't think it would break the bank with Freeview's bit budget
>>if
>>they used a higher quality still, or if they really can't spare any more
>>bits per second they could make us wait a little longer for it to refresh.
>>
>>I wonder how long it does take to load and how many kilobits per second it
>>does use?
>
> Why wonder, when the post you replied to gave the answer. It's 37kB, and
> you can time it with a stopwatch if you like (unless I'm misunderstanding
> you somewhere?).
My Freeview box isn't working at the moment. Goodmans stuck in standby. C512
& C513 bulging (1000uF 16v). They've been frying up next to the main
rectifier diode D510 (1N5822). Should be able get replacement capacitors by
Thursday.
I wonder if this is a deliberate design fault to limit the lifespan of the
box so people have to keep buying new ones? It's such a stupid thing to do,
yet I've seen numerous examples of switching power supplies like this, or
with the electrolytic capacitors literally touching the main heatsink, so
there's no chance of them working within their temperature rating.
Light of Aria
"Stephen" <ste...@junkmail.sptv.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:hsk7n.6186$vL2....@newsfe21.ams2...
> "Mike Henry" <{$mrtickle$}@nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:k2hkl5pb0jcfms9c6...@4ax.com...
>> In <slrnhljf...@nowster.eternal-september.org>, Paul Martin
>> <p...@nowster.org.uk> wrote:
>>
>>>In article
>>><c37658b7-cfc2-44ed...@p24g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
>>> widgitt wrote:
>>>> You can get one on Freeview.
>>>> I can't remember how, but it is a series of button presses. Someone
>>>> here is bound to know.
>>>
>>>Tune to the "BBC Red Button" channel. When the front screen appears,
>>>press Yellow. Tune away from that channel, then tune back. When the
>>>front screen appears, press Green. A status page then appears. One of
>>>the options is to show the test card.
>
> I don't know what is wrong with the people who set that up!
>
> Why can't they just give it a Freeview channel number like Teletext
> Holidays or Directgov? It would be helpful if people could get the Test
> Card easily.
>
Because the test card would get higher ratings than channels like BBC FOUR.
Vincent
<ste...@junkmail.sptv.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>I wonder how long it does take to load and how many kilobits per second it
>does use?
A still image broadcast using MPEG type codecs uses hardly any data at
all, relatively speaking. The majority of MPEG information is used to
describe the changes between frames. Every so often a full frame is
broadcast, so that any errors don't have a permanent affect on the
image and so that people tuning into a channel can start to see stuff
within a reasonable amount of time.
--
Vincent