Paul asked

15th December 2009

I have just bought a panasonic 37" LCD (V10B) TV, which is reported to be one of the best quality products of this type. This replaced a 9 year old Sony Trinitron 28" TV.

I receive Virginmedia digital cable channels via a normal set top box and Scart lead, which i have not changed, as i dont need HD channels.

The reception quality is extremely poor compared with the old TV, which is very frustrating as the old reception quality was pin sharp! Most channels have a slight ghosting effect with small diagonal lines around the edges of certain features (e.g. snooker balls, even when not moving)

A Virginmedia techician called yesterday to check it and advised that they cant improve the picture quality, and that this often the case with new high definition TVs!! He also advised that replacement of the set top box wont make any difference whatsoever (except to HD channels).

Surely this cant be the case or no one would buy 1080p TVs. Can you please help as I'm at a loss as to what to do next? Manty thanks in anticipation.

I'm sorry to hear of your problems, it certainly sounds like there is something wrong. I'm not intimately familiar with Panasonic televisions so I can only offer you some fairly general advice I'm affraid.

My first port of call would be the menus/settings to see if you have an image processing feature enabled that's perhaps only suitable for use with high-definition pictures. To me it sounds like the television is trying to do something clever but the result is simply not working for you.

Failing that I would check all the connections are secure and undamaged then I would try resetting the screen back to it's factory default settings.

If you still get nowhere I can only recommend contacting Panasonic directly and seeking their support.

Peter asked

6th December 2009

Why is the sound from HD Channel 108 on my Foxsat box, much, much, louder in HD, than in SD, on my TV? It is also much louder if I am recording on the foxsat box whilst watching. (I only have a single LNB at present). It is very irritating having to constantly readjust the volume level on the TV remote, because the foxsat remote, has no effect when switched to Channel 108. Can you help me solve this problem.

As you say the volume control on your Humax Foxsat box doesn't affect the volume level of the BBC HD channel (108), so what you need to do is use it to raise the volume of standard-definition channels to match. The idea is to equalise the output levels between the standard and high-definition channels to approximately the same level, then use a real volume control on your television or AV system to control the final level you wish to listen at.

Eswa asked

4th December 2009

I moved from USA with a 1080P Samsung HDTV, having ATSC tuner. I could resolve voltage issue, but have one question - if I get a Sky HD or Virgin HD subscription can I get normal reception (HD and color). Do I have to do anything additional?

The ATSC broadcast television system is used primarily in the North America and parts of Asia but not in Europe, so you won't be able to receive any over-the-air digital television broadcasts using the internal tuner while you're in Europe.

In terms of standard definition if your television is able to handle a PAL input signal (it ought to) there is nothing to stop you purchasing an external decoder for Freeview, Freesat, cable or satellite and plugging that in to one on the inputs on your television.

Similarly for high-definition, post-broadcast the picture formats are the same as used in the US, so with an high-definition cable, satellite or over-the-air decoder plugged in to a digital HD input on your television you should you should be able to enjoy high-definition while you're here.

John asked

4th December 2009

I am currently interested in buying a PVR to replace my exisiting DVD player but don't want to fork out any more money to Sky. (I know I'm probably cutting my nose off to spite my face as Sky + would be the obvious choice but I'm just stubborn!)

All the ones I've seen come with Freeview built in and I am unsure whether I would be able to record from my Sky box or whether they will only record from the Freeview channels. I've searched online for a definitive answer to this question but can't seem to find one, I hope you can help.

You may or may not have a couple of ways to achieve what you want.

Recording an analogue output from your Sky box is likely to be the easier route if you can find a recoding device with a SCART input (not just outputs) that is able to digitise the signal from your Sky box on to disk or DVD. In principle this is quite a simple set-up if you can find an appropriate recording device but you will need to remember to leave you Sky box on the right channel when you want to record so you may end up finding the whole recoding process a little clunky to say the least.

Similarly, you may be able to find some sort of grey market device that will allow you record one of the digital outputs on you Sky box, but success will be harder to achieve as the digital outputs tend to be protected against this kind of copying. As with the analogue set-up above there's still the issue of selecting the correct programme and scheduling the recording which will not be very seamless compared to a dedicated device.

I am in no way trying to push you in to spending an extra £10 per month with Sky to record, but do consider if you are going to want to record regularly, their box will give you the most integrated and straightforward set-up.

Brian asked

1st December 2009

I am at present a Sky subscriber using Sky+ with a dish obviously installed. If I buy a new freesat television that is HD ready will I be able to receive freesat HD broadcasts from BBC?

It's not uncommon to have both Freesat and Sky connected to to the same television, but you need to take care your installation and equipment set up is correct to allow this to work.

To watch the BBC HD channel on Freesat you need some kind of high-definition set-top box/decoder to convert the satellite signal into an HD picture that a high-definition television can display. Consequently you will need to make sure the inbuilt Freesat decoder in your prospective television purchase is suitable for use with Freesat HD.

In terms of installation, you will need one or more additional connections to your satellite dish to feed in to your new television. This may involve one, other or both of adding new cable connections to your dish and replacing the LNB on the dish, to support the increased number of outputs you need. Consequently if you do need to update your installation it may well be worth speaking with a good independent satellite shop to explore your options.

John asked

30th November 2009

I'm currently a Sky subscriber and have been for three years and would like to upgrade to Sky. I spoke to someone at Sky and it will cost be £149 + £60 installation which I refuse to pay.

Is it possible for me to buy a second hand Sky+ box and simply plug it into my existing Sky connection and swap over my viewing card?

Thanks for your question. It's quite possible to pick up a second hand Sky Plus box from somewhere like eBay, and get it working but there are a couple of things you should be aware of.

You will need 2 connections from your dish to the Sky+ box so you can watch and record at the same time. It's quite common for new installs these days to have multiple output LNBs on the dish but depending how long ago you install was done, this may or may not be the case. You'll also need 2 cable connections to the LNB, again you may or may not already have this, you may have 2 cables, a single dual-cable, or just a single cable connection.

If you are missing any of the above and feel confident multi-output LNBs and cabling are available if you are prepared to install them yourself.

Once you have the all the right hardware you will need to contact Sky as your viewing card is tied to your Sky box so you would need to get it reactivated in order to watch anything. For Sky plau also need to arrange a subscription upgrade to enable recording, which will cost you an additional £10 per month.

Tony asked

26th November 2009

I have just had instlled a Sky+ HD box and I am using it on my old CRT Philips TV, will the box in any way change the definition or picture of what I have been watching with my old Sky box?

Since I had this installed, I have been getting severe migraines and can only put it down to the change of Sky equipment. This has been a problem for me in the past with LCD TV's and Computer monitors.

Never say never, but your Sky box shouldn't be able to influence any off the common problems with televisions that can cause a headache. Things like the refresh/scan rate are standardised by the PAL format we use in the UK, so are fixed and independent of the picture source.

It's more common for older CRT televisions to cause these type of problems as they do can be seen/perceived to flicker as the image is displayed on screen. I would however, have expected you have less of a problem with the LCD TV you tried as these don't refresh/flicker in the same way as tube television.

I'm far from a medical expert so if you're not able to isolate the problem to your Sky box by turning it off and watching terrestrial channels on your television, I'd be tempted to seek some kind of medical advice. You can try adjusting the lighting in the room, possibley to reduce the contrast between picture and your surroundings, but beyond this I can only really suggest consulting a specialist more qualified than me.

Linda asked

19th November 2009

I am having trouble getting rid of the grey bar on top of my TV screen saying AV2 CABLE. On first pressing the top button on my remote (with I info) it got rid of the bar straight away, now it doesn't seem to be responding, the green light on tv flashes, but nothing happens. The TV is a Sony KDL52Z4500.

Sorry to hear about your difficulties. Firstly just double check the input in question is securely connected, I doubt that's the problem but it's worth a try as an easy first step.

The grey bar is to do with the input selection, sadly I don't have Sony KDL LCD TV to experiment with, but have a look in the set up options to do with your AV input to see if a setting has been mis-set. Again I doubt this is the case but worth checking before taking more drastic action.

Failing that I would do a factory reset on the television having taken a note of any important settings you have changed so you can make them again. If that still doesn't work, I would suggest replacing the cable connection with another.