DSTV content disappears

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GPSJane

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Our DSTV DSD660 decoder sort of 'hangs' where the audio and video content disappears even though the menus etc all work 100%. We can only get the content back by unplugging the decoder and letting it reboot and rescan. It's happening every half an hour at the moment!

What causes this? How can I fix it?
 
As queer as this may sound, it's your smart-card. Instead of unplugging your decoder, pull the card and re-insert. A permanent solution is to replace the card. Around R90 if memory serves me.
 
Ok that sounds kind of right. I got loads of Smartcard errors in the first few days. I will try that, I hope it works! Thanks :)
 
LGrey said:
As queer as this may sound, it's your smart-card. Instead of unplugging your decoder, pull the card and re-insert. A permanent solution is to replace the card. Around R90 if memory serves me.
Click to expand...

A smart-card error? I have never heard of anything sounding more QUEER than that! :P
 
I also have a DSD660 that has the same issue - I have to unplug it and reboot it once a day - it also goes to a black screen with no audio as well.

I guess a trip to MultiChoice in Randburg to get a new smartcard is in the offing here!
 
On a similar vain, have any of you seen the screen "freeze" everytime the program returns from an add break? We notice this consistently happens (not on all channels tho) where during the jingle that plays as you return from an add break into the program the image gets distorted or frozen on one of the last frames of the add, while the sound continues perfectly. You can then hear the first words from the tv program continuing while still seeing a frozen frame from the last add. After a second or two everything continues as normal..?
 
Never thought of trying that, our does it occasionally too and we just reboot, must be that windows CTRL+ALT+DEL syndrome or something.

Would it be a good idea to go to Multichoice's office and request a new smart card? Surely they upgrade the technology in those cards frequently and those with older cards start running into funny errors like this?
 
Well I can confirm it definitely is the smart card as LGrey's solution works every time. We haven't bought a new one yet.


On a similar vain, have any of you seen the screen "freeze" everytime the program returns from an add break? We notice this consistently happens (not on all channels tho) where during the jingle that plays as you return from an add break into the program the image gets distorted or frozen on one of the last frames of the add, while the sound continues perfectly. You can then hear the first words from the tv program continuing while still seeing a frozen frame from the last add. After a second or two everything continues as normal..?
Click to expand...

Yes, we get this all the time. We assumed it was just those channels.
 
Knersus said:
On a similar vain, have any of you seen the screen "freeze" everytime the program returns from an add break? We notice this consistently happens (not on all channels tho) where during the jingle that plays as you return from an add break into the program the image gets distorted or frozen on one of the last frames of the add, while the sound continues perfectly. You can then hear the first words from the tv program continuing while still seeing a frozen frame from the last add. After a second or two everything continues as normal..?
Click to expand...

I am not if it is the same type of problem, but may help... We used to have good viewing on certain channels and then other channels when we used to switch over to them used to be very pixilated as if it was raining constantly. Also my signal quality was usually sitting at about 70-79%. I was recommended by one of the multichoice guys to check my LNB as it may have been "zapped". I went out and bought a new LNB and put it in and it actually fixed the problem and well as my signal quality shot up to 100%.

So maybe just check the alignment of the dish and the LNB.
 
This is not so much a quality issue as certain channels lag behind on the video but only after ads. That makes me think it is the actual channel. Knersus what channels does this happen on?

But ISP cash cow I'll check the signal quality.
 
GPSJane said:
This is not so much a quality issue as certain channels lag behind on the video but only after ads. That makes me think it is the actual channel. Knersus what channels does this happen on?

But ISP cash cow I'll check the signal quality.
Click to expand...

@GPSJane, we get it consistently on SABC3 at the moment - which if something is wrong on SABC side I would NOT be surprised, but then everybody should be getting the same thing if it's on that side.. Maybe I should check the signal because it started happening after we moved into this new place with an existing dish..
 
FYI, the DSD1131 also does this...

I think its the heavily threaded nature of the firmware, which, as we all know is full of bloat, being buggy!
 
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