All posts by MilesT
Below are all of MilesT's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Further to the "what is PBS" discussion..based on my past experience and trying to wade through what is a complex and confusing Wikipedia article on PBS, here's the potted summary.
PBS is a not for profit distributor of television programmes, to local member stations run on a not for profit basis as PSB's (The local members usually operate without traditional commercial advertising, although commercial companies who support PBS or the local member usually get a credit with a voiceover and logo. State and local government money is available to some).
Not all local PSB's are affiliated to PBS, and PBS (unlike the BBC) is not involved in radio (a separate entity, NPR, does that). But PBS is the largest and nationwide supporter of PSBs with content and network branding.
As a distributor, PBS also operates a technical capability (traditionally professional satellite distribution) for distribution of content, especially live news and public affairs. Local members can pick and choose what PBS content they show (alongside local content) and pay a fee for each programme shown, although there is some content that the local member must show and pay for in more or less the dictated timeslot. PBS has some side-businesses to help raise funds, and performs certain technical public services funded by US Federal money (e.g. emergency broadcasting in case of major weather events). I expect that PBS America on Freesat, with commercial advertising, is another of PBS's money making ventures (and amen to that).
Some of the bigger member stations, in the larger cities, are well funded and can fund and create programmes for distribution by PBS, in effect selling these through PBS to other members and handing over some rights. A couple of the bigger ones that are seen in UK TV credits are WGBH Boston and WNET New York, historically on BBC co-productions but as often as not these days ITV co-productions, usually high end drama. Notably one of the early TV chefs, Julia Child, was popularised by WGBH
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Interesting to note that some of the stations on SDL area/were on some of the local multiplexes, depending on coverage they may drop off the local?
I agree we need a HD quality radio solution. I wonder if the answer is actually freeview DVB with some bandwidth adjustment and encourage manufacturers to create devices that can only tune the radio channels (to avoid needing a license, may need minor legislative change), and DAB frequencies are transitioned to broadcast in DVB standard.
And the internet isn't always the answer, and even in the longer term internet won't be the entire answer.
For example, If you live in a high speed broadband "not-spot", or are on the move (especially with a capped mobile data service_. Mobile data on the move is also battery hungry although if the phone is plugged into the cigarette lighter in the car that's less of an issue.
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After numerous EPG channel number changes you start by accessing Red Button channel on 250 by entering that number directly or selecting from EPG, channel list or so on
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Thursday 17 December 2015 2:07AM
After the recent (Dec 11 2015) retune Horror channel is no longer working on my old Hitachi (early Vestel) 320GB SD PVR. Most other channels working fine, but Horror is showing a retune holding page even after a full retune replace channels (don't want to risk a "first time install" in case I loose the recordings)
Any ideas? My cheap (newer) Luxor SD Freeview TV tunes them just fine on the same aerial, so it's not an aerial issue, and a manual tune shows the missing/swapped channels, so it seems the Vestel is not parsing the EPG correctly or replacing it correctly.
I have had intermittent problems with this PVR with the newer channels introduced in 2015 like Horror and also when older niche channels like Travel have moved in the EPG. For instance I still have Viva showing on EPG74, Community on 790. YourTv never showed up at all (no great loss perhaps), nor CBS Drama, nor the freeview info page on 100
Some of this may be due to channels being moved into a HD Mux (although the channel is still SD)?