We’re aware of some isolated issues with specific set-top boxes failing to load parts of the service on Freeview. The Red Button team are trying to replicate it on their own representative sample of set-top boxes, working to identify the problem and fix it.
Thanks for your patience.
Sorcha Clifford (Content Producer, Red Button)
I note the updated BBC Red Button Text has been re-inistated.
It still does not work with my Dion ST01 STB. It still does the following: displays the main template and index details; then appears to stop before displaying the 'button shorts' at the bottom of the screen; and then 'crashes' back to the BBC channel being viewed after a few seconds.
On my backup STB it works OK. HOWEVER, I notice: [1] there is a delay to display 'button shorts' at the bottom of the screen after the rest of the screen has been displayed; and [2] if you enter a page number [e.g. 501] there is a delay to change the number's background colour from red to a white 'box'.
Therefore, I still reckon that whatever is happening between displaying the main part of the screen and the 'button shorts' at the bottom of the screen, may be attributing to the failure.
My Goodmans GDB12XIT has the same problem as the Dion. Pages that have not changed much, e.g. Weather, mostly seem to work, but other pages lack the buttons at the bottom of the menu pages and drop back to the TV when any page is selected.
It should be noted that this box always has had a problem in that it frequently forgets the page numbers, particularly if the previously watched station was also a BBC station.
However, if they can get it to work, I like the full screen news pages.
What the hell are they doing with the red button text? I'm sick of it seeing it change from the old style sections to the new look sections, wish the BBC would make their minds up :mad:
What the hell are they doing with the red button text? I'm sick of it seeing it change from the old style sections to the new look sections, wish the BBC would make their minds up :mad:
They have restored the old service while they investigate problems caused by the new layout.
What the hell are they doing with the red button text? I'm sick of it seeing it change from the old style sections to the new look sections, wish the BBC would make their minds up :mad:
Sun 24-Feb - I see the 'old' BBC Red Button Text has been re-instated again.
I know that I keep going on about the 'shortcut buttons' at the bottom of the screen but I noticed something new.
I had thought that the problem might be new code causing the STB to run out of store/RAM/memory...especially as someone reported that their STB actually crashed and re-booted but I'm not sure now.
Please bear with me...
On my STB that works with both 'old' and 'new' Red Button there is a delay in displaying the 'shortcut buttons' at the bottom of the screen. The delay seems to be longer with the 'new' Red Button.
My main STB works with the 'old' Red Button but fails with the 'new' Red Button...
With 'new' Red Button 'shortcut buttons' at the bottom of the screen are not displayed and the STB crashes back to the TV programme being viewed [as mentioned before].
However, today I noticed that with the 'old' Red Button there appears to be NO DELAY in displaying the 'shortcut buttons' at the bottom of the screen. The same is true when going to different pages, it SEEMS as though they are not re-displayed.
[In some 'page based' computer applications it is possible to either clear the screen and then display the whole new screen or NOT clear the screen and just display the changes over the top of the existing screen - this saves time and the amount of data transmitted over a network. Of course it's not being displayed over a network here but within the STB, so????].
But maybe different STB's are displaying the information in different ways???
It would be interesting to know how other peoples' failing STB's act on the 'old' Red Button, as it might give the BBC some more clues.
I also note that the BBC has closed it's Red Button blog [mentioned previously].
Could the STBs that work OK with the 'new' Red Button be displaying the information as they get it [as it's processed]? [So there are delays in parts of the screen being displayed]...
and could the failing STBs be storing up that information until there is a complete screen? [So, if everything processes OK, the screen changes in a 'blink of the eye']
Therefore causing the failing STBs to use more store/RAM/memory and possibly exceed what's available?
New blog out today. No further word on how much progress there has been made in debugging the Freeview new version of Red Button Digital Text we had last month and Community and Read Hear pages have no content available at the moment.
It looks like the changes to BBC red button have now been added once more & this time it looks like all of bugs have been Removed.All looks well so far
Comments
Thanks for your comments.
We’re aware of some isolated issues with specific set-top boxes failing to load parts of the service on Freeview. The Red Button team are trying to replicate it on their own representative sample of set-top boxes, working to identify the problem and fix it.
Thanks for your patience.
Sorcha Clifford (Content Producer, Red Button)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/blogbbcinternet/posts/Whats-on-BBC-Red-Button-16th-23rd-February
Let the team know if your STB /idTV trew a wobbly. Former service has been resumed in the meantime.
Took me a bit of time to work that one out ......
It still does not work with my Dion ST01 STB. It still does the following: displays the main template and index details; then appears to stop before displaying the 'button shorts' at the bottom of the screen; and then 'crashes' back to the BBC channel being viewed after a few seconds.
On my backup STB it works OK. HOWEVER, I notice: [1] there is a delay to display 'button shorts' at the bottom of the screen after the rest of the screen has been displayed; and [2] if you enter a page number [e.g. 501] there is a delay to change the number's background colour from red to a white 'box'.
Therefore, I still reckon that whatever is happening between displaying the main part of the screen and the 'button shorts' at the bottom of the screen, may be attributing to the failure.
I've also posted this on the BBC's 'Red Button' internet blog
[link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/posts/Whats-on-BBC-Red-Button-16th-23rd-February#dna-comments ]
It should be noted that this box always has had a problem in that it frequently forgets the page numbers, particularly if the previously watched station was also a BBC station.
However, if they can get it to work, I like the full screen news pages.
They have restored the old service while they investigate problems caused by the new layout.
A slight overreaction methinks...
I know that I keep going on about the 'shortcut buttons' at the bottom of the screen but I noticed something new.
I had thought that the problem might be new code causing the STB to run out of store/RAM/memory...especially as someone reported that their STB actually crashed and re-booted but I'm not sure now.
Please bear with me...
On my STB that works with both 'old' and 'new' Red Button there is a delay in displaying the 'shortcut buttons' at the bottom of the screen. The delay seems to be longer with the 'new' Red Button.
My main STB works with the 'old' Red Button but fails with the 'new' Red Button...
With 'new' Red Button 'shortcut buttons' at the bottom of the screen are not displayed and the STB crashes back to the TV programme being viewed [as mentioned before].
However, today I noticed that with the 'old' Red Button there appears to be NO DELAY in displaying the 'shortcut buttons' at the bottom of the screen. The same is true when going to different pages, it SEEMS as though they are not re-displayed.
[In some 'page based' computer applications it is possible to either clear the screen and then display the whole new screen or NOT clear the screen and just display the changes over the top of the existing screen - this saves time and the amount of data transmitted over a network. Of course it's not being displayed over a network here but within the STB, so????].
But maybe different STB's are displaying the information in different ways???
It would be interesting to know how other peoples' failing STB's act on the 'old' Red Button, as it might give the BBC some more clues.
I also note that the BBC has closed it's Red Button blog [mentioned previously].
Could the STBs that work OK with the 'new' Red Button be displaying the information as they get it [as it's processed]? [So there are delays in parts of the screen being displayed]...
and could the failing STBs be storing up that information until there is a complete screen? [So, if everything processes OK, the screen changes in a 'blink of the eye']
Therefore causing the failing STBs to use more store/RAM/memory and possibly exceed what's available?
Yes and no
Archive up to January 2013 is here http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/red_button/
Changes were made this January
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/posts/Welcome-to-the-new-look-Internet-blog
Newer blogs for January 2013 onwards are here http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/tags/Red_button
Comments on http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/blogbbcinternet/posts/Whats-on-BBC-Red-Button-16th-23rd-February (the one we both posted to) were closed before Saturday morning to make way for http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/posts/Whats-on-BBC-Red-Button-23-February-2-March.
Might I suggest you follow up your line of inuiry to the latest blog and to your STBs' manufacturer(s)?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/posts/Whats-on-BBC-Red-Button-2-March-9-March
I have to congratulate you on your sterling work here.
I notice London and Birmingham & The Black Country are the best served English Regions in the Around the UK page 160 makeover.