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Arq A/Com 5 problems

I don't remember this sound problem on a whole multiplex before. Possibly on an individual channel - although I can't remember which.
 
Had this from Humax today.

"I hope you’re doing well.
First, I’d like to apologize for the delayed response. Edonis has been out of the office over the past few days.
We’re aware of the issue you’ve been experiencing with blackouts on certain channels, and I want to let you know that our developers have already been working on a solution. It seems they’ve identified the root cause and have prepared a fix.
If you’re comfortable sharing the serial number of your Aura device, we can forward it to our development team, and they’ll be able to apply the fix remotely.
Please let us know if that works for you, and thank you for your patience and understanding as we resolve this."
 
Black Hole said:
It would be informative to know what the "root cause" is!
Click to expand...

:poop: Humax software and/or rubbish equipment at Arqiva. I suspect the main cause is at Arqiva's end - with the software on the Aura not robust enough to cope. (Why Arqiva, you ask? Because I think the audio and video problems began at the same time. But I could be wrong - I usually am!)
 
EEPhil said:
I wonder if the "technical change" is the real source of the problems.
Click to expand...
Sounds likely to me, in which case it's hard to blame Humax for that (unless they have not conformed to specification rather than what just happens to work), and if it did not affect other receivers equally then those just got lucky.
 
I asked them if it was a Beta test and...........

"Thank you for your message!
Yes, it is a kind of test round after our developers' thorough in-house testing, but to reassure you, in the previous instance, almost all users had no issues with the update. That beta version was actually the same as what was later rolled out globally because none of the testers reported unexpected side effects.
That said, if any issues do arise, catching them early is crucial, which is why we value your participation.
Every bit of experience, whether good or bad, helps us refine the final release for everyone’s benefit."

(Several Beta testers did have issues before and had to wait a further month for a fix)
 
Black Hole said:
Sounds likely to me, in which case it's hard to blame Humax for that (unless they have not conformed to specification rather than what just happens to work),
Click to expand...
That type of problem existed with the 9150T/9300T skip (30s?) during Family Guy all those years ago - so not conforming to spec. is probably the case. The sound problems are definitely down to Arqiva, not Humax.
 
I know it is easy to scorn Humax, but at least they are actively working on a solution and keeping you informed. I would give them the benefit of the doubt in this situation. Easy for me to say as I am not experiencing any reception issues.
 
I replied to Humax yesterday reminding them that several beta testers DID have problems with the previous fix and could they confirm if this latest fix had actually been successful for anyone yet or not but I have not had a reply so far. Another person who was offered the test fix and who also voiced their concerns did receive a reply......,,

"Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns.
No need to worry – the fix is arriving as part of an over-the-air update to one of the Freeview system apps on your Aura device. To ensure that the update reaches your device smoothly, we would just need your Aura’s serial number. This will allow our technicians to push the updated app version specifically to the affected devices.
Rest assured, this update won’t interfere with any of your other apps or parts of the system. Your existing recordings, scheduled recordings, and other user information will remain completely intact. It’s not like someone is remotely accessing your device; it’s simply a software update that will look and feel like any other routine update.
Please feel free to send over the serial number, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Best Regards,
Judit
Humax Customer Support"

..................I shall wait for his feed back before risking the beta fix.
 
EEPhil said:
Is it my imagination or has the sound quality returned to something resembling normal for the channels on this multiplex?
Click to expand...
Yeah, sounds like it. Not sure about yesterday, but it was still bad on Monday night. It's a bit sad it took them 4 weeks, but I'm glad it's improved.
 
I have now received the test update, although it is possible the picture pause problem stopped when the sound improved. I'm now testing some recordings made during the "troubles". Just have to see if Bob stops mid-painting or not. ("Joy of Painting" on Sky Arts). So far, so good
 
EEPhil said:
I have now received the test update, although it is possible the picture pause problem stopped when the sound improved. I'm now testing some recordings made during the "troubles". Just have to see if Bob stops mid-painting or not. ("Joy of Painting" on Sky Arts). So far, so good
Click to expand...
Com 5 seems good again even without the fix.
 
Last edited:
It may or may not have been the cause of the problem but it is now showing as 'joint stereo' and also has 'intensity stereo' encoding
Code: 
Detected MPEG stream version 1 layer II, details follow.
  File size               : 1370216 bytes
  Audio stream size       : 1370112 bytes
  Length                  : 0:01:25.632 (85.632 seconds)
  Data rate               : 128.0 kbps
  Number of frames        : 3568
  Audio samples per frame : 1152
  Audio frequency         : 48000 Hz
  Encoding mode           : joint stereo
Flags
  Error protection : no
  Copyrighted      : no
  Original         : no
  Emphasis         : none

Mode extension: intensity stereo applied in
  Bands  4 to 31     : 3568 (100.0%)
  ------------------
  sum                : 3568

Ancillary data
  Total amount   : 1318 bytes (0.1%)
  Bitrate        : 0.1 kbps
  Min packet     : 1 bytes
  Max packet     : 2 bytes
Padding used     : no

Frame histogram
 128 kbps : 3568 (100.0%), size distr: [3568 x 384 B]
London Live on the local mux still sounds bad but this has always been the case.
Code: 
Detected MPEG stream version 1 layer II, details follow.
  File size               : 2601108 bytes
  Audio stream size       : 2600832 bytes
  Length                  : 0:02:42.552 (162.552 seconds)
  Data rate               : 128.0 kbps
  Number of frames        : 6773
  Audio samples per frame : 1152
  Audio frequency         : 48000 Hz
  Encoding mode           : stereo
Flags
  Error protection : no
  Copyrighted      : yes
  Original         : yes
  Emphasis         : none
Padding used     : no

Frame histogram
 128 kbps : 6773 (100.0%), size distr: [6773 x 384 B]
 
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