# damned freeview updates :(



## threadkiller (Dec 12, 2002)

why do they do updates in the middle of your favorite programme  I've got a Thomson 1000 freeview box, and for the 2nd time this month its updated. 

All you get is a huge box in the middle of the screen, asking if you want to update now or later, a lot of good, when your recoding or in bed. This time it was right through the final episode of the shield on Friday AAARGH why can these damn boxes just update themselves with no intrusions


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

Get a Wharfedale 832BN Freeview box or Sky Pay Once Watch Forever to overcome this problem.


----------



## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Or a second hand box so old that updates are never transmitted!


----------



## AMc (Mar 22, 2002)

The Wharfdale has a menu option to stop it changing channel to look for EPG and software updates. Some people have reported problems with short sound drop outs which I have once in a while but I'm unclear if its my shockingly weak signal or the box misbehaving.


----------



## johala_reewi (Oct 30, 2002)

Thought the Thomson could have the autoupdate switched off? I have the Thomson 1002 and I have done it with this one. I just do a manual update as needed when Tivo is not recording.


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

johala_reewi said:


> I just do a manual update as needed when Tivo is not recording.


Only snag with this is in you are on holiday for three weeks and Freeview renumber the channels. Your Tivo box then updates to the new channel numbers but your Freeview box does not. Result = missed recordings.

The option of a box that does auto update on channels and software but then returns to normal viewing mode as per a Sky box would be better.

In fact so far as I know Sky boxes update channels and software in the background. However as I power my Sky box off at 5am every day I wouldn't know if a power off or a restart is required to make Sky box software or channel number changes take effect.


----------



## jrg (May 26, 2002)

johala_reewi said:


> Thought the Thomson could have the autoupdate switched off? I have the Thomson 1002 and I have done it with this one.


Alas my Grundig/Thomson doesn't (it's the GDT2000), and after the first of the recent updates that I was therefore unable to decline (it keeps nagging the absent viewer every time) the box was rendered useless with a TiVo - it switches itself off at 3am several times a week "to update its EPG" (which you can't turn off either.)

And that's an old box, that you might have assumed would no longer get updates.
(Frustrating, isn't it, when a box that had just the features required gets updated by something you can't prevent? I wonder if there's some way in UK law to make a claim for when something ceases to be/perform as purchased?)

I went out and bought a Wharfdale from Argos - cheap, and it has the annoying sound drop-out problem sometimes (and I have a pretty good quality signal), but less annoying than no recording at all.


----------



## jrg (May 26, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> However as I power my Sky box off at 5am every day.


Do you do that with an electronic timer switch? I wonder if that would be a way to resurrect use of my Grundig freeview box. But it would probably switch back on in stand-by and then still behave uselessly when receiving a channel change command.


----------



## threadkiller (Dec 12, 2002)

I'll have to check if updates can be turned off, the sky free idea is a good one, but unfortunately I cant add a twin LNB at my place  

As the updates aren't that often, (first time I can remember in years) I'll live have to with it, but its damned annoying.

Now to find the final episode of the shield..


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

jrg said:


> Do you do that with an electronic timer switch?


Yes.



> I wonder if that would be a way to resurrect use of my Grundig freeview box. But it would probably switch back on in stand-by and then still behave uselessly when receiving a channel change command.


My Netgem BT Freeview box boots straight back up to on mode on the channel number it was last on after a power outage. Also auto software updating can be disabled and anyhow the manufacturer no longer updates the software. So this is a good box to get on Ebay.

Also my old OnDigital box came back in to Standby mode after a power out but the sending of the channel change number by the next Tivo recording would turn it back on for the correct channel number for that recording.

Most Freeview boxes let the channel number wake them up but some require the sending of the On button which the Tivo cannot do.


----------



## mrtickle (Aug 26, 2001)

Pete77 said:


> In fact so far as I know Sky boxes update channels and software in the background. However as I power my Sky box off at 5am every day I wouldn't know if a power off or a restart is required to make Sky box software or channel number changes take effect.


It's in the background. A restart or reboot is never required. Seamless channel updates was one of the big "leaps forward" that they insisted on when they design Sky Digital. In the old analogue days Sky had to run adverts telling millions of customers to change settings manually and it was a right pain all round.


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

mrtickle said:


> In the old analogue days Sky had to run adverts telling millions of customers to change settings manually and it was a right pain all round.


A shame that Freeview box makers don't seem to have learned this lesson and that the best can do is a 3am forced update action in the foreground that stuffs any existing recording you are making.

Of course they could at least have had the box revert to normal telly mode afterwards but no they leave a meny on screen and seem to want to make a point of telling you how clever they are to offer to update the box.!  :down: :down: :down:


----------



## kitschcamp (May 18, 2001)

The problem is certain customers have demanded that freeview boxes cost 5 green shield stamps and a piece of old chewing gum, so they have cut corners, and developed the software and hardware as cheaply as possible. Cheap technical solutions are rarely elegant.


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

kitschcamp said:


> Cheap technical solutions are rarely elegant.


But Sky+ and V+ prove that often the expensive solutions are little better.


----------



## threadkiller (Dec 12, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> But Sky+ and V+ prove that often the expensive solutions are little better.


Just because they cost a mint, doesn't mean they're any different to cheap solutions


----------



## johala_reewi (Oct 30, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> Most Freeview boxes let the channel number wake them up but some require the sending of the On button which the Tivo cannot do.


And if Tivo could send the ON button before a channel change, Tivo would have to know that the STB was actually off otherwise, Tivo would more than likely turn the STB off when it was actually on.

The Thomson 1002 has what it calls a 'hotel mode' where the STB comes on out of standby showing the last channel watched when it is powered up. Ideal for Tivo and a feature sorely missing from most freeview boxes.

I am so glad my STB didn't get the latest thomson updates. Lots of problems being reported over on digital spy.


----------



## johala_reewi (Oct 30, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> Only snag with this is in you are on holiday for three weeks and Freeview renumber the channels. Your Tivo box then updates to the new channel numbers but your Freeview box does not. Result = missed recordings.


That is a problem but I live with it. Don't get many holidays 



> The option of a box that does auto update on channels and software but then returns to normal viewing mode as per a Sky box would be better.


AFAIR the old OnDigital boxes did just that for channel changes, although a software update would force a reboot.


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

johala_reewi said:


> AFAIR the old OnDigital boxes did just that for channel changes, although a software update would force a reboot.


No I had four OnDigital boxes over three and a half years - Philips, Pace, Pioneer and Nokia - and they all had the same nasty menu mustard system and all forced you to manually Add Channels or Store Channels for new channel updates and to run Auto Update to update the software. Latterly some peripheral aspects of the software began to be updated by forced updates initiated by OnDigital in the background, although not the main box software program. However adding new channels always remained a manual process.


----------



## digital_S (May 15, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> Only snag with this is in you are on holiday for three weeks and Freeview renumber the channels. Your Tivo box then updates to the new channel numbers but your Freeview box does not. Result = missed recordings.


Technically, your TiVo will update, but it will just switch to the original channel number (and record that channel)
It means you have to add that channel to your list of received channels, so TiVo can record the new channel!


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

digital_S said:


> Technically, your TiVo will update, but it will just switch to the original channel number (and record that channel)
> It means you have to add that channel to your list of received channels, so TiVo can record the new channel!


Most changes to the Tivo EPG are changes of existing channel number and not additions to it.

In those circumstances Tivo will handle things without any user intervention at all but the Freeview box won't unless it is one that auto channel rescans overnight.

The user only has to manually intervene in Channels I Receive on Tivo when a new channel that he wants to record programs from is launched or to remove a channel from the list that is no longer part of the subscription package that he/she is paying for.


----------



## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Pete77 said:


> Most changes to the Tivo EPG are changes of existing channel number and not additions to it.


Not at all sure that's true. There have been laods of new channels over the years and not many renumberings.


----------



## Pugwash (May 23, 2003)

My Digihome cheapo box has only interrupted one programme so far with a software update. It appeared for about 10 minutes before disappearing and leaving it on the same channel. I don't know if it defaulted to YES or NO, but I had to do a manual channel rescan for Ch4+1 anyway.


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

TCM2007 said:


> Not at all sure that's true. There have been laods of new channels over the years and not many renumberings.


There were loads of new channels on Freeview being added till a year or so ago but now its all pretty static.

However its really Sky where channel numbers for some existing channels keep being altered and moved at least once a week.


----------

