The Blind Scan

by  Sammy Satellite. – Staff Writer for n2news

If you have an FTA receiver you have probably done a blind scan already.  Your receive also supports transponder scans and possibly other types of scanning.    Today Sammy will explain a little bit about the Blind Scan and why it’s used.

Satellite signals shoot from the sky on TPs or Transponders.   A transponder is simply a device that converts some type of digital information (video and audio in this case) into a specific frequency and sends that information down to earth.   Every satellite in orbit contains many of the these transponders each running at a different frequency.   There are limitations to what each transponder can hold and some signals actually reach earth with more power than others so satellite companies carefully manage what signals are on what transponder as each can only hold a limited number of TV and Radio stations.

A blind scan asks your dish and lnb to lock into a complex series of frequencies looking for a viable signal.  Within each transponder that contains a signal the satellite company sends some helpful information such as the “Station Identification Number” or SID as well as “Picture Identification Numbers” or PID.   When the receiver finds this information it is used to produce a channel lineup within the memory of the receiver.   A blind scan is usually slow but does an amazing job of finding all of the available signals you are capable of receiving.

An auto scan, or standard scan, is much faster and uses a list of known working frequencies to locate the signals.  This is fine to quickly see if new stations are available but it’s always good to do a blind scan upon new install and every few months to make sure your receiver has the latest available station information.

Due to the way that some companies have taken advantage of way signals work, you may see duplicate channel information after a blind scan.  If this is the case, clear the station list and do the scan again.  This time, look for a setting that says “Polartiy” and make sure you select Vertical only.

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What’s N3 and does it affect me?

by  Sammy Satellite. – Staff Writer for n2news

Various satellite signal providers choose to add a level of encoding on the video making it more difficult for FTA receivers to display.   Currently providers in the United States use something called “Nagra 2”.   Five years ago the “Nagra 1” codes where used and now certain providers are moving to “Nagra 3”.   Even very experienced FTA users are confused by the transition so here is some information from Sammy that may answer your questions.

It is not unreasonable that a satellite company or Free-To-Air station wants to provide viewers with more options.  To make that happen they use a special type of card that looks like a credit card but contains a microchip running software.   These cards are called “ROMS” and fit into non FTA receivers.   When a satellite company wants to offer new features, such as new methods of interaction or a new signal decoder, they must SWAP all of the cards that all of their millions of customers have with new cards.   Over a period of time new rom cards will be shipped to existing customers and old cards will no longer work.   This is called a Card Swap and has recently been started by at least one of the major providers and will start soon with others.

Here are some common questions and answers.

Q: Will my existing receiver be able to handle N3?

A: Little is known in the public about N3 at this time but most people believe that manufacturers and coding teams will find a way to support N3 on all popular receivers that are currently in the marketplace.    Some receivers with less processing power, memory or other resources may not be able to handle this “Next Generation” of decoding.

Q: If I am not sure that a receiver will handle N3, should I spent my money on a new receiver or just wait?

A: This is a good question and there are two ways that experts are advising.   Some experts are just not sure and they recommend buying a low end receiver for now and waiting and then switch to the best receivers as they prove support for N3.    Others, including Sammy, think that more powerful FTA receivers will be the first to support N3 and having one now is a good investment and will likely prove to have less downtime.    Sammy loves the way his HD receiver can record prime time shows in HD format free over air from my local network stations and this is worth the investment.

Q: Will I loose my FTA channels?

A:  FTA receivers have many purposes.   If you are using your receiver for OTA ATSC (Over the air signals sent by your local networks in digital and often HD format) then you will not have any problem and the N3 card swap will have no impact on you.    The FTA hobby is perfect for watching international stations available on many different satellites that will not be impacted in any way by N3.

Q: Is one brand likely to come out with support faster?

A: Some people think that it will be a great sales advantage for the manufactures to support N3 before anyone else and in some cases this will happen.   Generally speaking, the FTA community is just that, a community of hard working coders.   Some hardware companies even use the same coders and coding teams.   As information becomes available, these teams will likely share with each other so that everyone can learn and the hobby can move forward.  Some receivers will have less downtime than others.   

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The NFusion Nova Review

by Sammy Satellite. – Staff Writer for n2news

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Connecting your TV to your Receiver

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FTA Terms for Beginners - Part 3 of 3

by  Sammy Satellite. – Staff Writer for n2news

• ATSC – Advanced Television Systems Committee.   This really means a digital signal that is broadcast in a local market, usually from the top of tall building or a mountain.   These broadcasts can be encrypted but are generally free and contain network programming and local interest programming.
• A/V – Audio and Video.  Generally used in reference to the signal going into the TV.
• Azimuth – The angle of ration that a ground based antenna must be rotated through in order to point to a specific satellite.  This really means how for left and right to turn your dish while pointing it.
• Bin – Short for Binary File or the software information used by your receiver to access the full functionality it is capable of.
• Bird – This is slang for Satellite
• CONUS – The 48 states making up the CONtinental United States.
• Codec – This is the name of a computer method used to encode or decode the video in a way that saves space.  An AVI file on your computer may use a codec to compress the video.  In the same way, some signals, especially HDTV signals use advanced codecs to compress the picture and save bandwidth allowing more tv programs on the same satellite.    Not all stations are created equally.  Popular stations may be allocated more room and less popular stations may use a Codec with more compression resulting in a blockier looking picture.   Your PVR also uses a codec to save space for video files.
• Charlie – A nickname affectionately given to a specific satellite company based on the loveable long time CEO.
• ECM – Electronic Counter Measures.   In order to counter-act the misuse of FTA hardware, some signal providers change the signal or insert some other signal in an attempt to confuse or disable unauthorized hardware.
• EL - Elevation
• EPG – Electronic Programming Guide – Think of this as a copy the Sunday Paper placed right on your screen showing what is on the air right now on every channel.   Some EPG systems color code movies and can search for your favorite actors.
• FTA – Free To Air refers to any signal designed to be received over the public airwaves and watched without decryption.
• FSS – Fixed Satellite Service
• HDTV – High Definition T.V. generally  means signals set at 720p, 1080i or 1080p.
• Key – A key or keycode is a digital value u
• MPEG – This is a type of compression used to reduce the amount of information it takes to transmit a TV signal.  Most stations transmit using MPEG-2 Compression but some are using MPEG-4 which are not the same.
• OTA – Over the Air
• PPV – Pay Per View
• PQ – Picture Quality
• PVR – Personal Video Recorded.  Refers generically to any system or device that allows a show to be recorded and watched again at a later time. 
• RG6 – This is a type of Coax cable that is used to move the signal from one location to another.  An RG6 cable is a little thinker than normal Coax (RG-58) and is dual shielded to prevent interference. 
• Spot – Sometimes called SB or Spot Beam.   The same frequency on a satellite may contain entirely different programming depending on what part of the country you are in.   A specific transponder may carry a group of East coast locals in one part of the country and west coast locals in another part of the country.
• STB – Set Top Box.   The STB is generally talking about your receiver that you use although it can be used to talk about a receiver provide by a cable or satellite company.
• Stream – The data information sent over the satellite company.   Usually used in reference to an ECM such as, “There is an ECM in the stream, you may need to U/L and new bin”.
• Tiers – Satellite providers group signals into Tiers that represent the way they are packaged and sold or the way they intend for them to be group and displayed in the receiver.
• TP – Transponder
• U/L – Upload or transfer from your computer to the receiver
• YPrPb – Another way to talk about Component Video Cables.

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by  Sammy Satellite. – Staff Writer for n2news

Just by reading this article you already know what kind of person you are.   You’re not the type of keep up with the Jones, you’re the one showing off your cool digital toys and telling the Jones where to shop.  That may be an over statement but the truth is, FTA is a hobby for those that simply love TV.  If you’ve got the cash, get the HD receiver.  Sammy can’t think of any reason why anyone would buy and SD receiver except to save money (quite a lot of money!).   Here are some common questions and answers about HDTV, FTA, and your money.

Tommy S in St. Petersburg writes, “My TV is fairly old.  I got it in 2003.   It’s a Sony with a flat screen but it’s one of those old kind that weights 300 lbs.  It has a yellow, red, and white plug on the back and then a red, green, and blue plug.   Will I even be able to see HDTV?”   The Yellow plug on the back of your TV is the Video Input and it’s called an RCA Jack.   This is you’re normal low-definition picture and it’s been around longer than Sammy.   The other three (Red, Blue, Green) are your component input jack and this means you can take advantage of an HDTV receiver.   Most likely your T.V. doesn’t display a nice HDTV signal but even regular TV will look better from a nice HDTV Receiver using component video cables.  Many older TV sets from Toshbia, Sony and Samsung supported “480p” over component video long before HDTV was a selling point.   Check your owners manual, even your older TV may benefit from a nicer STB (set top box).    If you pitch that old beast and upgrade to an LCD or Plasma or even a nice rear projection system you’ll definitely see an improvement in most shows even if they aren’t actually HD shows.

Molly P in Tucson writes, “I looked online at the birds I wanted to point my dish at and very few of the stations were in HD.  Why should I get an HD receiver?”.   Molly, you’re running a common question with a simple answer.   The better receivers support over the air (ATSC) HDTV reception.  Local Broadcasters have been sending network stations in digital format in every major TV market for quite a while now.  With a good receiver such as the Sonicview SV-8000HD you can watch your favorite prime-time TV shows free over the air from your local broadcasters and the guide data will be added right into your satellite data and you can use the PVR features.

Johnny Q in Washington asks, “I’m 62 and I have glasses thicker than the Hoover Dam.  Will I really see a difference with HDTV on my FTA receiver that makes it worth the cost?”   Sammy says, “Won’t somebody think of the children!”   Really Johnny, you’ll see a difference.   It’s not just the popular prime time shows in HDTV anymore.   With the right receiver and FTA setup you’ll be able to watch a huge variety of shows that look much more real and vibrant than you’re used to.   Shows shot in HD format tend to zoom less and certainly pan the camera less making them easier to watch and easier on the eyes.  Besides, 62 is the new 42 and you’ll want to be hip your kids come over to watch the latest mega-blockbuster release on PPV in full surround sound.

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 Members can now log in to the VIP Members section and download the new files for their receivers.  Get your TV channels back up in minutes with our SUPER fast downloads and browsing experience.  Not like the big FTA forums that take minutes just to load a page or the just out right close the forum.  There were some bumps along the way and we are doing what we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

N2News never closes!  We are here 24 hours a day to help you get your receivers working.  

Receivers currently with new files in the VIP Members Section include:

• Viewsat
• Pansat
• Sonicview
• NFusion
• Captiveworks
• KBox
• Captain
• Coolsat
• and more other lesser know models

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ATTENTION MEMBERS: New files are being posted RIGHT NOW to fix your FTA Receiver and get your channels back up.  N2News staff is now putting up all the new FTA autoroll BIN files for most receiver models.  Log in to the VIP Members Section NOW to download the latest update for your Pansat, Viewsat, Sonicview, Captiveworks, or other free to air receiver model.

We will keep you updated via our RSS feeds and Blog when new receiver fixes and files are released.  Please Stand By,

Thanks,

Jim

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by Sammy Satellite. – Staff Writer for n2news

Here’s a great review of one of the receivers on the market gaining popularity the fastest.  The brand new release from Sonicview, the 360 Elite and Premier.

Complete feature list:

Sonicview FTA Receivers

* Fully MPEG-2 & DVB-S Supported
* Blind Scan Supported
* 2 USB 2.0 Ports for External HDD and USB Memory Stick
* S/PDIF for Digital Audio / Dolby AC-3 Bitstream Output
* RCA and Components Outputs : Y, Pb, Pr
* S-Video Output
* USAL Supported
* 16 Bit (65,536) Colors & User Friendly GUI for Easy Control
* Fast Booting and Scan Speed
* Signal & Multi-Satellite Auto Scan
* Manual Scan Supported
* High Speed Channel Changing Time
* 6,000 Channel Memory Capacity for TV and Radio Programs
* 8 Programmable Favorite Channel List Groups
* Channel Sorting by FTA, CAS, Satellite, Alphabetical and Network
* Picture in Graphic Available
* Software Downloading with Serial Port and or USB 2.0 Port
* Zoom In / Out function for TV
* Various Aspect Ratio with 4:3, Letter Box, Full Screen & 16:9
* Background Graphic Display for Radio Program Channels
* Parental Lock Function Using Master PIN Code
* 20 Step Volume Control
* Useful Remote Key Functions
* Record, Playback and Time Shift Supported Using External HDD
* Powerful Trick Mode Supported Using External HDD
* Music and Photo File Supported

This is the Sonicview SV-360 Elite

The Sonicview 360 Premier is an excellent receiver that is widely available around $130.00 making it the top receiver in the budget or entry level category.

The Sonicview 360 comes in three models and each includes the basic A/V cables, serial cable, diseqcs, and a remote. The back contains a simple but sufficient set of connectors to hookup your TV and glossy glass front will look great in your living room.

The Premier edition is a single tuner basic system and should be passed in favor of the Elite edition. For a few dollars more you get a second tuner pvr system that is hard to beat. The dual tuner system will allow you to watch one show and record another or use Picture in Picture to watch both.

The EPG (Electronic Programming Guide) looks very nice but displays only 3 hours of information for 7 channels at a time. If you like to surf around you may not be happy with the guide.

The PVR is very basic. If you’re a Tivo® fan you may be disappointed. Sammy found the video to be a bit jerky during playback, especially from a cheaper drive.

The Good: Slick looks and classy style. Simple menu system. Very well supported by Team Sonicview (possibly the best supported unit around). PVR features. Dual Tuner PVR for under $200. Three USB ports allow a lot of external storage and room to upgrade. A nice “Theme” based list of what is on TV.

The Bad: The remote is low end and should be replaced with a nicer universal remote such as the Unifier or Harmony. There is no automated setup wizard so you’ll have to read online guides unless you are a little more experienced. The satellite scan is very slow. PVR video playback could be improved.

The Ugly: There really isn’t anything really bad you can say about a dual tuner PVR from one of the best FTA companies out there. The Sonicview 360 Elite is a great deal for the money. If you’re looking for an HD unit, skip the 360 and go for the SV-HD8000 instead.

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