TBSDTV Community Forum

I have a TBS 6981 card. It picks up the WMC Freesat SD channels which play OK.
I cannot pick up any HD channels - any ideas ??

Hi kennie

Maybe in WMC the video code is not right and would you mind tell us that which sat and TP you are try to scan the HD channel?

Thanks

Just come back from hols
I am just picking up the standard Astra 2ABD and Eurobird 1 stuff after putting in my postcode
All the SD channels show
Channel 108 shows up as BBC HD with all the program guide info
Just get a black screen when I select it
Not sure what TP means - I am new to all this
What do I need to do to get the video code right
regards

Hi
I had this issue myself, but a bit of hunting around got me sorted.

1st point - The MS downloaded EPG is NOT the FreeSat one, so it doesn't know about some of the channels - it's also out of date - 108 says it's BBC HD, but that that's the OLD DVB-S service, they moved to DVBS-2 a while ago now..
Also, Channel 4 HD moved from Eurobird to Astra last week which doesn't help either!

So..
You need to manually find the channels:
I'm making the assumption that you know your way around the Settings menu in Media Centre(er) too.

Do a manual transponder scan:
Frequency: 10847 MHz
Vertical polarisation
Symbol rate: 23.0 Mbaud
Should find you BBC1 HD and BBC HD

Do a Google search for Channel 4 HD frequency and make sure its a new post (I can't find it right now as I'm at work with limited internet) and do another manual transponder scan

ITV HD Should already be there.. ch 1270 or something from memory?

Next, you'll probably need to re-assign TV listings as the HD channels will probably only have "now & next" listings (Just re-assign from the SD channels
Then sort the channels into a sensible order..

Honestly, it takes HOURS!! to sort it all out to look sensible, but if you do this, and maybe add some nice idents from MyChannelLogos you'll have a system that looks much better than anything else out there, has more features and is easier to use that even Sky!

Good luck and don't panic, it's all worth it in the end

Thanks Halcyon
will have a go at this - possibly over the weekend
Nice to get a reply from someone who has done it
regards

No worries,
Like I said, it's a slight chore, but I found that it helped to write down which channels went where in notepad, so that when you're editing the listings and putting everything in order, just so you know where you've put things!

You can use a channel listing that is hidden from the guide to get the listings though, so if you only want one BBC1 in the guide (The HD one) you can hide (all) the other BBC1's but still use their listings (depending on which locale you used during set up)
So I end up with something like this:

ch1 - BBC 1 HD - listings from BBC1 (SD) London
ch2 - BBC 2 - Listings as is
ch3 - ITV 1 HD - Listings from ITV1 (SD) London
ch4 - Channel 4 HD - Listings from Channel 4 (SD)
etc etc

ch101 - BBC1 SW (SD)
ch103 - ITV 1 Meridian
etc etc

ch301 - film 4
etc

And group then like that up to 700's for radio (which I use the DVB-T tuner for)

To make things more confusing, I have the 6981 AND a digital terristial tuner in my set up so my channels end up all over the place

even with all this messing about, it's still easier to set up than Myth or similar *nix set-ups!

kennie Wrote:Thanks Halcyon
will have a go at this - possibly over the weekend
Nice to get a reply from someone who has done it
regards

I agree. I have had the same problems. I have managed to get the new channel tunings of BBC1 HD, BBC HD and Channel 4 HD. They were all found on DVB Dream and now appear in the channel listings. The missing tuning info for Channel 4 HD is 11123 V 22000 2/3.

However, I cannot find the appropriate codec to make any picture or sound appear yet. I have the same problem as "kennie" whose post said that they get a black screen. So do I. Has anyone any suggestions, please?

I am, probably like most people who have bought this card, making some progress! The DVBDream software on the supplied mini-DVD prompted me for an update. I assumed it would also be free, but it installed the trial version of DVBDream v1.7. I have now discovered that the OEM version of 1.7 is heavily restricted to the point of being useless, with annoying messages every time you clicked on, well, pretty well everything on the menus! I could get the HD FreeSat channels to work, but only pictures, no audio. Oddly the little speaker icon offers what looks like two streams of audio, selecting <nar> or <mp> brought some stereo sound. Then I tried TBS Viewer. All SD channels were viewable but all the HD channels, whatever I tweaked, gave black screens and no audio at all. Why include this awful software with this card? The TBS User Manual (PDF) is unhelpful. It does not really explain anything at all. As an ex-electronics, media software specialist I think the quality of the software and supplied instructions is appalling. Wake up someone in TBS? Your hardware works, but the supporting software and instructions are dreadful.

In desperation, I tried Win 7's Windows Media Centre. I did a full channel scan, but it failed to pick up NHK World HD, Channel 4 HD (recently moved to the Astra 1N satellite, not even listed on the options!) and BBC1 HD. I did three transponder searches using the data for these channels. It successfully picked them up. Now the GOOD news is that finally, without any supplied software from TBS(!), I can view and hear all 5 UK HD channels. It has only taken 3 days!

The bad news is that WMC has an outdated EPG arrangement and cannot pick up the FreeSat EPG and use it.

The only remaining challenge is to record something! And secondly to get that d...n remote working. The remote seems quite useless. It does not work on any of the software. I have all the latest TBS drivers installed, have tried TBSViewer, DVBDream and WMC, but NONE of them responds to any key presses at all. This problem was compounded by the fact that there were no batteries supplies in the box. But two of my own batteries made no difference. Does the remote actually work? Is it a dud? Is the software unable to process the signals! I am tearing my hair out (and I don't have much left)!!!!!!!

Welcome 2012! I hope I don't waste any more of my life next year, or this, trying to get this b.....y card working fully.

Well, I would like to leave this thread with a positive note!

I re-read the other thread re the Remote Not Working, posted by Varty. It said re-installing the driver for Win 7 made his remote work. Well it did for me too. No idea why. I can understand a new driver might solve old problems. But re-installing the same driver solves it. Heck why?

But now I have a workable system. A remote that works. Full HD broadcasts working. If only MS would update the EPG for today's world of satellite broadcasting, rather than channel entries of yesteryear!

Thank you TBS for working hardware. Just sort out the software please and you will get even more custom.

A further update. The only software which works reliably is WMC7.

DVBDream despite hours of fiddling, produces HD video but the sound is not available on the AC3 PID, only on <nar> which is the audio described sound (quite annoying as there is a feamale voice describing everything you can see on films!).

With WMC7 the supplied Remote Control sometimes works, sometimes doesn't! Re-installing the drivers sometimes works, sometimes doesn't! Oh dear, what a mess?

I think I will abandon FreeSat and go Freeview instead. I am completely fed-up.