Arq A/Com 5 problems

EEPhil

EEPhil

Number 28
Has anyone else noticed poor sound quality on many of the Arq A channels? I first noticed it on Dave (or is that Ewan Dave?) two days ago. Since then I've heard it on Sky Mix, Sky News, Challenge - but not Sky Arts. The sound problems appear on other Humax models and my TV tuner.
A further problem that began for me at the same time is live picture freezing on Dave and Challenge. Also, possibly on playback, a repeating one second loop. This maybe (my) Aura specific. I may investigate other models, time permitting (a round tuit problem).
 
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Let's suppose there is a disturbance on the audio stream of all services transmitted on one mux and only that mux, with no associated disturbance on the video stream.

For any one particular service, the fault would have to be before the audio content and video content were multiplexed into the transport stream for that service. The individual transport streams for all the services on that mux then get multiplexed into the broadcast stream (whatever that is) and then modulated onto the carrier.

Therefore there is no commonality between the pre-mux audio streams of multiple services, unless (somehow) they are time-sharing the same hardware, but you would think each content provider sends a TS not separate audio and video.

What I'm saying is it's hard to see how a fault with the hypothesised characteristics can occur.
 
EEPhil said:
Has anyone else noticed poor sound quality on many of the Arq A channels? I first noticed it on Dave (or is that Ewan Dave?) two days ago. Since then I've heard it on Sky Mix, Sky News, Challenge - but not Sky Arts. The sound problems appear on other Humax models and my TV tuner.
A further problem that began for me at the same time is live picture freezing on Dave and Challenge. Also, possibly on playback, a repeating one second loop. This maybe (my) Aura specific. I may investigate other models, time permitting (a round tuit problem).
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I had the freeze/loop on Dave a couple of days ago but did not see it yesterday on a show I watched however yesterday I noticed a quick black screen on SkyMix every few mins. (Aura). I have not checked other channels. I read an article yesterday that said recent weather was affecting Freeview so hoped it was just that causing issues.
www.express.co.uk

Latest Freeview alert could convince some to switch to a new way of watching TV

The weather has been wreaking havoc with Freeview TVs this week and that's not something that bothers the latest Freely screens.
www.express.co.uk www.express.co.uk
 
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(Edit:Mainly commenting on BH's contribution)

But where are the video/audio streams multiplexed? If there is a high bitrate on one video stream others are lowered as a consequence. Is this done centrally or at the transmitter? The sound is a different problem as it's usually a fixed bitrate. What I'm hearing sounds very much like the usual 128kbps has been reduced to something a lot less. And as for the stereo response, :poop: . Given I've got the same sound problems for Arq A on other equipment, but currently on no other mux, it would seem to be a (local?) broadcast problem. As for the picture faults - something dodgy in the data stream - again? Probably only causing problems with the Aura (what, another quirk?). If I had enough hair I'd tear it out! :frantic:
 
I've just fired up my PC and TV dongle and ALL audio on ArqA sounds dreadful (including Sky Arts). The quality of the "That's" channel that is currently playing music sounds appalling (it never was brilliant).
 
EEPhil said:
Has anyone else noticed poor sound quality on many of the Arq A channels? ....
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Can you describe the issue in a little more detail? No idea what I'm listening out for.
Eg is it fluctuating volume, crackles, muting, static or what?
Also does it manifests soon after switching to the affected channel, or a while after (how long). Does affect recordings as well?
 
EEPhil said:
I've just fired up my PC and TV dongle and ALL audio on ArqA sounds dreadful (including Sky Arts). The quality of the "That's" channel that is currently playing music sounds appalling (it never was brilliant).
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Hard to tell for sure as its old B&W show on Sky Arts but sounds ok for me.
 
bottletop said:
Can you describe the issue in a little more detail? No idea what I'm listening out for.
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Difficult. Think of the worst quality stereo sound you've heard on DAB (not DAB+) at the lowest stereo bitrate. Maybe like some of the removed Freeview radio channels - but worse. It happens as soon as I switch to any ArqA channel (not noticeable on Classic FM as that's mono). There are strange artefacts on the far left and right and a general high end mush. (Sorry, best description I can give). I think you'd know if you've heard it.
trog said:
Hard to tell for sure as its old B&W show on Sky Arts but sounds ok for me.
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Less noticeable if I play through the TV speakers - I usually use headphones for serious listening. And yes I've checked them and all the connections. Different 'phones and connections from PC and same artefacts.
 
That's fair enough. I suppose it may be similar to loss of clarity and dynamic range.
I don't use headphones for my TV viewing so I can't help.
Eg I've recorded 1 or 2 programs on Sky Mix recently and they sound ok to my untrained ears, but that was for TV drama type programs, so mainly speech.
By the way, did you check radio stations on that mux - are they any better?
 
EEPhil said:
Difficult. Think of the worst quality stereo sound you've heard on DAB (not DAB+) at the lowest stereo bitrate. Maybe like some of the removed Freeview radio channels - but worse. It happens as soon as I switch to any ArqA channel (not noticeable on Classic FM as that's mono). There are strange artefacts on the far left and right and a general high end mush. (Sorry, best description I can give). I think you'd know if you've heard it.

Less noticeable if I play through the TV speakers - I usually use headphones for serious listening. And yes I've checked them and all the connections. Different 'phones and connections from PC and same artefacts.
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I use a Denon AV amp and Kef 7.1 speaker system.
 
trog said:
I use a Denon AV amp and Kef 7.1 speaker system.
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That's gone whooshing over my head. I've no idea whether that's good, bad or indifferent.
All I know is that there has been a change to the sound (at least on the Waltham transmitter) in the last few days.
bottletop said:
By the way, did you check radio stations on that mux - are they any better?
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EEPhil said:
not noticeable on Classic FM as that's mono
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EEPhil said:
That's gone whooshing over my head. I've no idea whether that's good, bad or indifferent.
All I know is that there has been a change to the sound (at least on the Waltham transmitter) in the last few days.
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A vast improvement over TV speakers.
 
EEPhil said:
But where are the video/audio streams multiplexed? If there is a high bitrate on one video stream others are lowered as a consequence. Is this done centrally or at the transmitter?
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Centrally. It would be completely impossible/impractical to assemble the muxes elsewhere.
 
EEPhil said:
what about the regions on BBC1 and ITV1? Surely this has to be localised.
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PSB1, 2 and 3 are region/transmitter specific, obviously, but the (regionalised) programme content is delivered from the relevant studio/playout centre to the central coding/muxing centres and N muxes assembled for distribution to the transmitter sites. COM4, 5, and 6 are (I believe) generated just once for distribution as there is no regional content.
 
There is definitely something weird going on ArqA. Had numerous live pauses on Dave. I record various programmes. One did a jump (reminiscent of the 9300T/9150T Family Guy problem). Not repeatable on Dave ja vu. "Mock the Week" had a green screen (Aura via HDMI and 2000T via RCA cables in exactly the same place).
Black Hole said:
I didn't realise we might be taking about a low bit rate. There's an app for that: https://www.digitalbitrate.com/dtv.php?mux=BBCB-PSB3&liste=2&live=9&lang=en
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Yes. I use that - often. The audio bitrates seem to be 128kbps stereo which isn't good, but it sounds (to me) more like 64kbps or even 32kbps stereo.
 
I've not seen any jumping or freezing issues myself. I didn't realise the radio stations were in low bit rate mono on that mux.
There's upcoming music on Sky Arts
Eg Pink Floyd, Liam Gallagher, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, Simple Minds, Classic Quadrophenia, ELO, Andre Rieu, Nigel Kennedy, etc.
Some of them are repeats of Isle of Wight Festival 2018. I'll record one or two.
I've recorded some from this year's IOW event (late June, also on Sky Mix). I may be able to judge the audio quality in a few days.
 
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