Just Sharing This Gtmedia or free sat v7 hd satellite tv receiver

jeallen01 said:
Sorry, did mean 3.5mm jack to SCART lead - but the connection via an HDMI-to-SCART converter would probably be a lot better (composite video is a lot worse than SCART RGB - think 405 line definition).
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The converters are good Jeallen, I use them myself.
 
scopus said:
The converters are good Jeallen, I use them myself.
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It's not me that needs convincing..........:D

OTOH, might have to use something like that myself as the TV has 4x HDMIs and they will soon all be filled - but there is still a legacy SCART that now sounds like it could come in useful in the future.
 
jeallen01 said:
Sorry, did mean 3.5mm jack to SCART lead - but the connection via an HDMI-to-SCART converter would probably be a lot better (composite video is a lot worse than SCART RGB - think 405 line definition).
Click to expand...

I don't know why the converter would be better? As the specs of your link say: "output signal: CVBS", so not RGB.
Could you explain why the converter would be better than using the 3.5mm A/V-jack?


BTW
I have found that these 3.5mm jacks with four connections (Left/Right/Video/Ground, don't know the usual order of those by heart though) exist in two lengths:
one in the same length as a normal three connection-jack (the GND-connection has been shortened in this one),
and one a bit longer (with the GND-connection exactly the same length as in a normal 3 connection jack).
Just that one doesn't buy the wrong one! (I did once for my SAB SKY mini sat-receiver, and had only one audio channel with that one. Thankfully I found the one I needed (the longer one) soon after....)

Greetz,
A33

Edit: small text alterations added.
 
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a33 said:
I don't know why the converter would be better? As the specs of your link say: "output signal: CVBS", so not RGB.
Could you explain why the converter would be better than using the 3.5mm A/V-jack?


BTW
I have found that these 3.5mm jacks with four connections (Left/Right/Video/Ground, don't know the usual order of those by heart though) exist in two lengths:
one in the same length as a normal three connection-jack (the GND-connection has been shortened in this one),
and one a bit longer (with the GND-connection exactly the same length as in a normal 3 connection jack).
Just that one doesn't buy the wrong one! (I did once, and had only one audio channel with that one. Thankfully I found the one I needed (the longer one) soon after....)

Greetz,
A33
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I find it a cleaner picture with less noise and dot crawl with the converter, plus makes life easier to use all HDMI leads to my switchbox...
 
Well, here's another thought if Chris' TV has a VGA, as well as a SCART, socket - HDMI to VGA converter + VGA-VGA lead to the TV VGA socket + stereo lead from the 3.5mm jack on the converter to the TV phono inputs, or to the audio pins on the SCART socket. According to the blurb, the converter does this:

"Connector: HDMI male to VGA female with Audio
  • Chip in-set, Plug and play, Easy to operate
  • Product Features: This product is a portable digital-analog conversion line, defined through a standard HDMI input HD sources, you can convert HDMI video output to VGA
  • Support HDCP 1.0 / 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3, HDMI Input: 480i / 576i / 480p / 576p / 720p / 1080p, VGA Output: 480i / 576i / 480p / 576p / 720p / 1080p "
So not composite video o/p, and it's actually cheaper than the first "solution"

PS: looking into this has been an interesting exercise!

PPS: how come we have not heard any more from Chris on the subject - maybe he just "gave up" and bought a TV with (more?) HDMI inputs ? :D
 
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The reason I asked was my Sherborne TV is 32" Philips 100hz crt, it only has 2 scart sockets and 1 yellow video in.

And I was thinking of using one of these boxes on my other setup.
 
Chris1979 said:
The reason I asked was my Sherborne TV is 32" Philips 100hz crt, it only has 2 scart sockets and 1 yellow video in.

And I was thinking of using one of these boxes on my other setup.
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In that case, you would need a VGA RGB to SCART RGB connecting cable to one of the TV RGB sockets - and since both sockets have analogue signal connections then you should be able to buy or make a suitable cable as shown on the linked images here
 
The Freesat v7 has a 3.5mm av jack, and the TV only has scart & a composite input.

the raspberry pi av cable doesn't work, when I can find my now TV box cable I will try that.
 
Chris1979 said:
The Freesat v7 has a 3.5mm av jack, and the TV only has scart & a composite input.

the raspberry pi av cable doesn't work, when I can find my now TV box cable I will try that.
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To clarify, what I meant was using the HDMI - VGA converter, and then a VGA-SCART cable to the TV - OTOH, if you just want to use the composite video from the 3.5mm jack to the composite input on the TV but the latter is probably video-only and so you would not get any sound signals to the TV unless you can also run an audio connection to phono sockets on the TV.

Therefore I still think that the HDMI-VGA converter, and then a VGA-SCART cable to the TV, would be a better solution.
 
Chris1979 said:
The Freesat v7 has a 3.5mm av jack, and the TV only has scart & a composite input.

the raspberry pi av cable doesn't work, when I can find my now TV box cable I will try that.
Click to expand...

The A/V-cable I use is one that looks like this: Sab Satellite
However, with the cable I have, the yellow (usually the color for video) and one of the audiochannels (don't remember left or right) have switched places!
I've noticed that is the case with other cables, as well: they have the same mix-up.

Might such a mix-up in pinout be the case with your cable(s) as well?
If you want I can check how I had to connect mine to get the right signals.


Edit: the three cinch-connectors I connected to a standard SCART-adaptor.
A 5Volt USB connection to pin8 (I believe it was 8) for automatic switching of the TV to the SCART input is in the planning :).
(Testphase completed, but not yet put in a more permanent housing.)

Edit 2: spelling corrected (OOPS!) :(

Greetz,
A33
 
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a33 said:
The A/V-cable I use is one that looks like this: Sab Satellite
However, with the cable I have, the yellow (usually the color for video) and one of the audiochannels (don't remember left or right) have switched places!
I've noticed that is the case with other cables, as well: they have the same mix-up.

Might such a mix-up in pinout be the case with your cable(s) as well?
If you want I can check how I had to connect mine to get thet right signals.

Greetz,
A33
Click to expand...

Yes please that would help. But not in Sherborne for a few days, so can't test the now TV box cable.

But it does look like the the one in the photo, and I had to swap the connections about to get it to work.

Thanks for all your help guys :)
 
Is there actually a "standard" pinout for the 3.5mm 4 pole AV jack? I have 3 different ones on 3 drvices that I have tried previously - 2 different lengths and differing pinouts on a Canon HD DV videocamera, Now TV nox and a small satellite receiver (only connections - USB, HDMI, 3.5 AV socket, power socket and f connector)
 
Chris1979 said:
Yes please that would help.
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Ah! You even responded before I edited my post! ;)

With the jack to cinch/RCA cables I have, the white plug is indeed for LEFT, the yellow plug however is for RIGHT, and the red plug is for VIDEO.

The pinout picture for my SAB mini-receiver I found later, is shown in this thread: sab titan micro en dvd recorder - SAB - Sat4all
tip = right,
next ring = left,
next ring = video,
base = ground.

The link mentioned in that thread shows the different lengths of the 3.5mm jack (as I wrote before): [SAB SKY 4800 Mini] Alternatief voor Ferguson Ariva 102mini - NIEUW - Pagina 4 - SAB - Sat4all

Both links are in dutch language, but the pictures give all the info I guess.

Hope this helps :).


davemurgtroyd said:
Is there actually a "standard" pinout for the 3.5mm 4 pole AV jack?
Click to expand...

Viewing my cable, that seems not to be case. :( Or the manufacturer was color-blind? (Sorry, don't mean to offend the color-blind people. Though color-coding is very practical, it must be hard if you cannot distinguish between colors, and there aren't other signs to show what is what!)

greetz,
A33
 
New firmware for the V8 golden is available today V538.
 
I've ordered the Freesat V7 Max model. Does anyone know if this will be the same tuner as the £18.99 model? I'll be using it in place of a Vu+ Zero which misses the easiest catch of feeds (an Openbox catches them all)
 
Perhaps they will be being subscribed from Freesat interested to learn about ExpressPlay CA, which will be used for the security of its services,according to Satnews agency
 
@satesco
The "Free Sat 7", and similar receivers, are not related/connected to the UK Freesat services - totally different!
 
Funny issue with the Free Sat 7HD yesterday - so please can anyone explain the following:

On Saturday, CH came over, sorted out the dish alignment issue (turned out it was the Elevation and not the Declination that was "off", even though I had set the former to "my latitude" according the scale on the motor!), and then ran a new CT125 cable from the dish to the receivers in the "Office", following by some comparative testing on Signal Strength , Character Noise and Bit Error Rates with both existing and new cables - and got the levels much better with the new cable.

Later, I had little difficulty in getting the Dakar 1 & 2 channels on the TM5402 M3, but the audio levels were, as previously, very low, so yesterday afternoon I switched to the Free Sat and - after having a lot of trouble finding the Dakar channels (had to delete 10E and reinstall it, manually add the relevant transponder numbers and then rescan the satellite) - I got them working at good levels.

HOWEVER, for the first 5-10 minutes on Dakar 1 & 2, the picture was an almost totally blank & weird "pink" colour except at the top edge, then it very gradually cleared and stabilised, and was fine after that - even when I tuned away from that channel or even to another satellite and then back again, the picture cleared almost immediately every time.

I realise that it can take a short time for a receiver to stabilise on a channel, but what I saw yesterday seems an unusually long period.

NB: didn't see the same effects on any other channel on 10E or elsewhere.
 
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the picture cleared almost immediately every time.

If it did reoccur, even momentarily, I would put the 'fault' down to the receiver, possibly an issue with coping with the video stream of the feed.

I have found many low symbol rate broadcasts (Turkish feeds especially) giving colour troubles on older satellite receivers, though these were SD channels.
 
The main problem with the Dakar feeds are the adjacent active frequencies as pointed out by Tururu in this thread:-
Dakar Rally 2018

11045 H14400 :-lmao
...................11059H7200 :-wow The bad of the movie.
...................11052V7200:-rofl2End, the interference continues.21:00 GMT+2.

After these frequencies shut down last night at 21:00 GMT the Signal Quality went up to 65% on my TM6902HD + 100cm & I was able to watch the Dakar feeds again,

I do not recall a similar problem in previous years with these feeds so it looks like Eutelsat's allocation of active frequencies needs to be revised as the problem that we have experienced will also effect Eurosport ground station 240cm dishes.
 
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