[Jeff Smith]

I have a top of the line HTPC built by AVS, and although some pre-loaded HD material plays well on my 9500LC, and the OSD says I'm getting a signal strength of 75-80...I get no picture. I've tried scanning for channels and going to the channel directly. Once I got audio (but only once) usually I only get a signal strength indication. This is reproducable every time.


Brian (who builds the PCs for AVS) says it must be the 9500. Mike Parker says if the 9500 gets the pre-recorded Hi Pix signal, it should get OTA. Then Brian sais to ask here on the forum. I tried the CD ROM and online help sections for Hi Pix to no avail.


I love the DVD picture, and DScaler is OK quality, but I should be getting HD...any suggestions?


Thanks

 

[DAP]

What does is the NTSC reception like? if there a lot of ghosts, you won't be getting digital reception.

 

[PVR]

This is a long shot - but are you using a VGA

passthrough cable (from the VGA through the HiPix)

and if so, do you have "use loopback" checked in

the HiPix menus?


If the box is not checked you would always get

a black picture from the HiPix (so I doubt this

is your problem since you said some HDTV does play).


Also you can get a good signal but no picture if you

are tuned to the wrong subchannel of a local OTA

broadcast. For instance if they are broadcasting on

30-2 and you tuned to 30-1 you would see a good signal

but no picture.


What are you using for you antenna input? Just a regular

roof antenna? If you are using a cable TV input it

is unlikely to have 8VSB HDTV on it. Also if you have

an antenna pre-amp it could mess up the HD reception.

Make sure your antenna is plugged into the proper

antenna connector on the HiPix. One if for NTSC only

and the other for NTSC & ATSC together.

 

[Jeff Smith]

I'm plugged into the proper antenna input. Loopback is checked (I use the cable). Signal says 79.


How do you get a subchannel? All I can make the numbers do is whole numbers. Maybe that's it? I show channel 31...with 001 in the green numbers to the right of the white large channel number., is that the -1, -2, etc? If so, how do I change them?

 

[Jeff Smith]

Now I've done it...I tried changing challels by ckilcking on the number to the left of the signal strength meter, now both the big whit numbers and the little green numbers change, but not in any usable order. I can't even get signal strength now, and I tried double checking the setup. I may wait till tomorrow and get on the phone (hopefully) with someone who knows this stuff.

 

[Jeff Smith]

Any takers?

 

[Such]

Jeff,

Sounds like it's your digital channel list that needs some work. You should try clearing then auto-adding the digital channels back. After that you should be able to channel-up-down through all your available digital channels.

 

[KeithK]

Jeff,


Maybe my experience with the HiPix and one of the local stations here may provide some help to you.


One station here, KCAL (43), gives me a problem similar to yours which I didn't discover until last week while trying to record a Lakers game. KCAL usually broadcasts over 43.001 (listed as an ATSC station by the OSD) and 43.002 (listed as a SD station by OSD). The HiPix will not tune to neither the station nor either of the subchannels. I've tried Auto Seach and Auto Adding many times, adding the station manually didn't resolve it and the Channel Up-Down buttons don't work to display the station either. However, if I enter the subchannel manually, 43001 or 43002 and hit enter, the station will appear. Neither the one-button record nor a timed recording will recognize the station -- a black screen. Like you, I get signal strength in the 70's, so I know its there, its just not being displayed with the exception of the manual entry. All 8 other stations in Los Angeles that I receive operate properly. I haven't tried an earlier beta to see if the problem is solely with Beta 2, but I hadn't tried to record this station since before I installed Beta 2 when all record functions worked fine.


This may relate to earlier discussions about the HiPix and subchannels. It may relate to a problem with stations that multicast. (Does anyone know if KCET multicasts in L.A. also? I thought it once did, but haven't seen it in a while.) Hopefully, the development team will resolve it soon.


Keith

 

[Jeff Smith]

How exactly do you change the channels using the small green 3 digit numbers?


BTW, I tried clearing and doing what you said...no luck. I get the impression a signal strength of 70+ is good enough, is this true?

 

[yogaman]

When using the antenna aim feature, anything over 60 shows as green, under 60 is yellow. (I forget where red starts.)


So, anything over 60 should give you something.


None of my signals exceeds 80 or 81 even for brief peaks, and I get all channels clearly when sig str is above 70.


Have you tried complete removal (with all the tips) and reinstallation yet?


-yogaman

 

[KeithK]

Jeff,


I enter the subchannels through a keyboard (the Airboard keyboard in my case, but any will do). You have to enter a 5-digit string, first two numbers are the primary channel, the last three numbers are the subchannel. For me, this brings in at least one station (KCAL-9 on 43.001) that the Channel Up-Down and Auto Search will not find.


Keith

 

[Alan Gouger]

Jeff give me a call!

716 581 2222.

 

[trbarry]

I've been wondering if the HiPix is vulnerable to certain types of errors in PSIP info or something. Since I switched from WinTV-HD to Hipix I can't get UPN here in Detroit, no Buffy.


It came in strong before that. The Hipix recognizes UPN as PID's 81 & 84 which doesn't seem right to me compared to before.


OTOH, I lost UPN about this time last year when my trees grew leaves and I haven't had much time to tinker with the Hipix recently, so I'm not sure.


- Tom


(This sentience again has tree errors. ??)

 

[PVR]

Another question - what are you using for a display?


Whatever it is needs to be compatible with the display

mode selected for the channel you are trying to watch.


If for instance you were using HiPix 3.0 (beta) software

and you selected 720p mode on all channels but your

display doesn't support it then you might just see

black screen for HD. Just double check that as well.

 

[Jeff Smith]

Display is 9500LC. And I'm starting to get it right...its a learning curve thing...thanks all.