Help with my SONY HXD970
Have an old SKY Digi box (no subscription - I'm simply using it like a freeview box). I have the decoder, the recorder and the TV linked by two Scart cables and an RF cable from decoder to recorder.

The host channel is setup manually as Ext. Decoder1 and channel 410 (eurosport).

Basic setup is SKY, SKY DIGITAL and Aerial (RF)

When the Recorder is in standby, now and again it will "wake up" EPG shows in the display and it will switch the decoder to 410. Then after less than a minute it will switch off. Nothing happened.

I have absolutely nothing showing in the EPG.

What am I doing wrong? I've been at this for 3 days (and nights) now and it's driving me nuts. If anyone can help me sort this out, I promise a ten pound donation to a paypal account of your choice!

1.Have you selected Guideplus as the epg in initial setup?
2.If you have an aerial connection,then select ITV1,as the host channel.
You should only use Eurosport on your Sky digibox,only if you do not have an External terrestial aerial.
As you have an terrestial aerial connected,use Itv1,as your host channel.
3. Make sure that ITV1 is selected(ON) in the channel editor(its often unselected(OFF) and is shown as an analogue channel i.e A.TV:03(not D.TV:003)
4.If you want to use Eurosport as the host channel,then make sure that it has been selected(ON) in the channel editor.
5.Are you leaving the dvd recorder in standby,it needs to be left in standby for at least 24hours,after the first set up,for the listings to download.
A couple of pics to show the setup info:
Pic 1
Pic 2

Are you getting the scrolling missing listings warning,at the top of the guide page?
Quick Guideplus start up

I got the same issue but nothing is listed in the channel editor, how is this list populated

I've been having similar trouble too. I'm pretty certain TV Duniya's reply will sort it out for me though. I was selecting ext 1 channel 3 (old freeview tuner), I haven't hooked up the analogue tuner on the sony as i only really wish to have DTV and couldn't believe that the Guideplus info would only be over the analogue ITV (as this will be switched off soon).

I'll have a mess this evening when i can take control of the tv,i.e. after all kids are in bed.

thanks

pjam

You can't download the Guide+ EPG from a FreeView box, as far as I know it's only on analogue ITV? (and Eurosport on 28.2E) - if you have FreeView you already have it's own EPG.

BTW, the Sony MUST be on standby for the Guide+ download to work, it tells you this in the instruction book, but it takes a little finding!.

All is now good.

Having connected the hxd770's analogue tuner and performed the relevant config, my guide plus is now up and running.

Here's another question though. Having correctly setup an additional freeview box to scart 1 and having confirmed within the guide plus menu that the hxd770 can control this box, how do i view / record from this and change channel etc using the hxd770's remote?

I guess what i'm after doing is making this into a twin tuner affair using only the hxd770's remote and set top box controller.

thanks

pjam

You can't,as far I can see
To view and record from the additional freeview stb,you select Line 1 and use the manual recording timer.
Remember to leave the freeview stb on,unless your freeview stb has automatic reminders/timers,which will switch the stb on from standby.

Have you connected an external aerial,either to the digital or analogue rf input at all?

Yep all fully connected

To both digital and analogue?
So you haven't got even the digital terrestial channels(Freeview) channels listed in the channel editor,even after scanning the digital tuner?

Digital tuner

1.System menu
2.Initial set up,pres enter
3.Digital tuner,pess enter
4.Add new channels,pres enter
5.Select next screen,pres enter
6.Select your country and press enter
7.The recorders scans for channels and stores them.
They should then appear in the channel editor listed as e.g
BBC1 D.TV D001

For the analogue tuner

Select analogue tuner and select auto scan.
Make sure that all the analogue channels have skip turned OFF.

Cheers for the reply TV Duniya

Stattospur, having tuned in all my analogue channels and swapping itv to positon 3 i then didn't have a problem within the guideplus menus setting the host to A.TV and prog 03. Switching the hxd770 off results in an EPG message showing on the front which quite quickly goes again. Switch back on and you should have the list of channels. I then went into channel editor and changed ITV from D.TV to A.TV.
Switching the box back off, epg appears again and stays on for a much longer period. I switched back on before the epg message had gone and saw that alot of epg data was there.

pjam

cheers chaps - however I have done the relevant connections, coax to Digital and Analogue, the EPG thingie finds it as a host channel but after waiting two days there is nothing.

I changed it to eurosport and left it overnight and I got a message early this morning (5am) saying the Digital EPG signal had been lost. Is this because Eurosport go off line at silly o clock in the morning ?

I have tuned in both analogue and digital as per the manual and no problem there, I can see the sky box on EXT 1 and it turns the channel to 410 on eurosport too.

I did leave it last night on ITV and see how it goes but since terrestial is being switched off I want it to use eurosport.

Sony say it takes 24 hrs for the download !!!

It does take 24 hours for the initial download.
However,if you switch the host channel setting for the Guideplus,from automatic to manual.
It seems to download the listings quicker.
Another thing,you are leaving the Sky digibox ON,and not in standby,aren't you?

As to the message regarding "Digital epg signal has been lost".
Surely that applies to the external aerial signal,as it is the digital terrestial channels that the digital epg,applies to.
Take a look at your external aerial connection,maybe it has disconnected.

Ill re-do that - however I can scan through the channels via the correct input no problem at alll. Did the scan as per the install instructions.

I couldnt have your mobile number by any chance lol ?

That message came ofer doing the manual feed from eurosport via satellite . . . not digital or terrestrial

Cablling is fine, I checked it over and over, thankfully I dont consider myself a numpty on these issues and most proud of my cabelling lol

I'll try and get some screenshots up to help,if thats any help.

thanks for your help - very kind of you, can i pm you my email addy ?!

Sorry,I wasn't suggesting you'd got it wrong,but I know how easy it is for things to become unconnected due to cleaning,little fingers or big ones etc

Maybe there was a brief loss of signal(transmitter end),that caused that error message to come up.

Ok - so you think I need to recan my digital channels for it to populate the list in the channel editor.

Any ideas on eurosport. !? Also how long does ITV take ?!

The digital terrestial channels(freeview),should appear immediately after a scan,in the channel editor.
Hence my repeated question,that the external aerial had been connected to the digital input.
For the Guideplus listings download,whether you have selected ITV 1 or Europort,the initial download takes 24 hours,with the recorder having been in Standby
If you leave it ON,obviously it won't download.
The Guideplus epg listings are updated twice daily:
6.58pm and 3.00am.
You'll be able to check this after the initial download has happened,on the Setup page in th Guideplus section.

@ stattospur

Have you carried the signal check for any or all your digital terrestial channels?

1.Select Signal check in Digital tuner and press enter
2.Select next screen and press enter
To check the signal strength and quality for other channels,select a channel using the left/right arrow buttons.

Yes I have a external cable going to the digital input just like in the instructions, machine has been left in standby for 20hrs plus

I got so furstrated I called Sony who saod I have a faulty unit I swapped it out and have the same issue.

All channels are over 80% i am happy to say

EPG has been on for ages - does that mean its downloading stuff

I would say that looks promising. I turned mine back on whilst it was still showing epg and alot of the epg was already loaded.

fingers crossed.