Life is pretty much perfect in the eff1guy household, then........

Any one else noticed sudden VERY short bursts of louder sound - a bit like when your ears briefly clear after swimming - when playing back a recording. Seems to happen at random intervals but is a little annoying. Apart from a lockup the other day resulting in only one of three recordings being made the box has worked fine for some time now.

I used to get this infrequently, but I think it stopped completely after the last update (to 0.57).

Yes, I get this. It's infuriating. It's not just when playing back recordings, it also does it on live TV. In my case I think it got worse at or around the time of the update to 0.57.

Also, I still have a problem with sound and picture going out of sync when dubbing to DVD.

Steve.

Yes mine has always done this ....I suppose I've just got used to it ....The update made no difference ......

Thanks for the response to the sound question - I'll keep an 'ear' to the ground over future developments. Incidently playing the same part of the recording again doesn't replicate the problem so it does not appear to be a problem with the hard disc.

Having had the replacement box for a couple of weeks now, what started off looking promising has all turned sour.

Fixed
24/7 HDD running.
Missed recordings (so far).

Outstanding
The unstable sound levels BrightonJohn refers to.
Sound dropout of recording in excess of 30 minutes.
Picture breakup on recordings.

I have to assume that the replacement box is free of hardware faults.

None of the symptoms I experience with this PVR are experienced with either my Humax 8000T or Viera/E85 combo.

Weather has been normal so nothing can be attributed to atmospherics.

Conclusion
The only possible conclusion is that some 18 months after this product was finally released, Panasonic have no clue whatsoever as to how to make it stable. Whether that be due to inherrent design flaws in the hardware, an inability to write stable software or a combination of the two I have no idea. Sadly it appears, neither do they.

I see that there is another repeat of 0.57 scheduled for next Week.

Finally given up with mine, switched off and put away

I can now confirm that mine also does this while just being used as a receiver but it does seem worse when playing a recording and is especially noticeable when playing music - obviously so since there are fewer silences where it thinks it might get away with doing it un-noticed!

Otherwise, touch wood, it does the job I bought it to do.

Perhaps somebody else can repeat the experiments that I have been trying.

I wondered last night if the sound problem was present on all outputs or just confined to the scart to tv output.

So I listened for a good half hour or so to the sound being fed through my HDD Panasonic Video recorder. NO PROBLEMS at all with it.

Then I tried feeding the L R RCA Phono sound only feeds to my hifi - sound WORSE

So now I am feeding the dubbing sound (the L and R RCA phono feeds to the hifi while using the SCART connection to feed the picture to the TV. SOUND GOOD - no problem at all with it since.

If this is a solution then maybe someone can feed it back to PANASONIC since they may then be able better to isolate which bit of the audio chain is playing up here.

Could you be more precise about what the "sound problem" is? How loud are the bursts and how frequently do they occur? I also use the RCA phono to feed a hifi and don't really have a sound problem.

On mine, I think what happens is there are tiny dropouts (as opposd to the major ones) & then when the sound kicks back in again, it's at a high volume for an equally short space of time until the AGC regulates it. Haven't sat & analyzed it but that's what I think is happening. I've found it most noticeable on film soundtracks when there's no dialogue.

Mine is only connected to the TV by scart & I'm afraid I can't be arsed experimenting. I might feel differently if I thought for a minute that anyone at Panasonic actually gave a toss....
Last edited by Crocodile : 23-08-2006 at 19:09

I can't be more precise really than the description and other descriptions given in messages 452 and 457.

I can now definately confirm that the sound from the dubbing L and R RCA Phono sockets is fine so for the moment that is the 'work around' that I am using. BUT it is a 'work around' and while it works and was easy for me to implement it is NOT a solution in the sense that the unit still has either a design fault or a particular component fault which Panasonic ought now to be able to trace and fix. I suspect that it is a hardware problem and that this will mean returning the units for a fix and I wouldn't mind betting that this will be yet another of those 'well kept secrets'!

Both my original box & the replacement I received around 3 weeks ago have the fault. So it seems that Panasonic have no fix for this.
Last edited by Crocodile : 24-08-2006 at 08:26

I'm confused. In post #460, you said:

Which is it?

I must admit, I tend to agree with you - different behaviour on different outputs sounds like a hardware problem. However, have you tried basic things like using a different SCART lead or a different SCART input to your TV, to confirm this is a problem with your TUCTH100, not other kit? (I appreciate other people are reporting an apparently similar problem, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's the same problem.)

FWIW, I have the occasional sound dropout problem, but not transient increases in sound level.

[quote=lewisnt]I'm confused. In post #460, you said:
Which is it?

There are two L and R audio outlets - one also has the composite video outlet as well. It is the latter with the extra socket for composite video which has good sound, the one I describe as the 'dubbing' outlet, i.e. the one that would klet you feed a picture signal and stereo sound into a second device. (In the manual, page 6, Other Rear Connections, Second option)

The sockets designed for stereo sound only (in the manual, page 6, Other Rear Connections, 1st option) have the same effect as the scart connection to the tv - only worse, but this may just be to do with generally different output levels.

The scart lead and the tv to which they are connected have always worked perfectly with conventional video recorders so I can be certain that this is a problem with the PVR. As a sometime teachert of science I am welll versed in the 'art' of isolating a single variable.
Last edited by brightonjohn : 27-08-2006 at 09:40

Ever since my unit installed the latest software, I have experienced transient increases in the sound level.

It happens probably once or twice in a long (ie longer than 30 minutes or so) recording. Can't quite remember whether it happens with live TV or not. I know it happens both through the SCART to the TV and the Stereo AV output (to my NAD amp).

To be honest, I know it happens, and recognise when it happens, but the glitches are so short and not very frequent that I've not really been that bothered with it to investigate further.

Cheeky

And you would have been perfectly happy with one of your students who didn't bother to check out his or her experimental apparatus, because "it's always worked before" would you?

(You're probably right, but I was only trying to help.............I'd forgotten there were two sets of phonos.)
Last edited by lewisnt : 28-08-2006 at 08:56

NO - that's exactly why I DID check it.

NOW - has anybody actually managed to replicate my experiment rather than just waste time bickering and nit picking? Now that WOULD be helpful.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was a difference between banter and bickering. But obviously not anymore.

You didn't say you'd checked it - you implied the exact opposite.

If I get a chance in the next few days, and if I can do it without tearing my setup to pieces, I'll see what I can find out. But I don't have the original fault, so my input may be less than helpful.

Well, reorganising the wiring harness was easier than I thought.

We watched a two hour film last night, taking the sound from the audio-only phono pair, & feeding it to our surround system. No transients, and no dropouts, I'm afraid.

I'll try the other pair later in the week.

Tried a further experiment this morning - moved the scart lead from the AV1 socket to the AV2 socket. Sound good - BUT - of course, 'S' or 'composite' only - NO 'RGB' and no switching. BUT picture very good on my 36" CRT Sony even so.

I note that we're complaining about the sound blips again... if truth be told we have got used to it, especially as it is irregular. I am not willing to compromise picture quality via my LCD TV so AV1/RGB remains the preferred connection.

For the few oddities, we have had this machine for coming up to 18 months now and 95 times out of 100 can rely on it. We have got used to the odd lock up and can almost predict when it is going to happen. Sometimes I wonder if some of the common problems are as a result of heat build up as all our equipment sit in open glass shelves and keep cooler (and quieter) than if in closed cabinets. Added to this, the TUCTH sits on top of the fantastic EZ25, however, when the latter is used a lot (and gets quite warm), the TUCTH gets temperamental...

Any way, we may be one of the lucky few who do not have moan much any more, however, I personally do not hold up much hope for any further fixes form Panasonic less so the 200 version. At the same time whilst I notice the "Sony" S500 has dropped hugely to £159.99 at Play, I would stick to the TUCTH any day

I totally agree, I too sometimes get the sound blips, but have got used to them, as for the update for the MHEG engine, I will stick my neck out here, and guess that this has been held back because of the implementation of Freeview Playback. Now I haven't heard this officially, just guessing that if Panasonic had more or less got the update sorted, this then coincided with the announcement about the new Freeview Playback specs, then its not much use releasing download for MHEG, when you might as well get everything working for 'Playback' as well.

GG

Cannot see why they would hold the MHEG update for the 'Freeview Playback' spec.....the product is discontinued, and therefore they have nothing to gain from conforming to the spec, from a sales point of view.....

unless of course the 200 is still on the cards (like Nirm I doubt it), and they are going to share the same software