March 18, 2008
So I've been working like a slave recently - huge workload - mostly over. I'd been given Medieval Total War as a Christmas present and finally started playing it yesterday - but it kept crashing. Every five minutes, if not, sooner.
I did a pretty extensive Google Search and noticed lots of people talking about drivers, changing folder properties, screen resolutions, batch files, etc.
I'm on a new ...
How to stop Medieval Total War from crashing
by Brian Turner
March 11, 2008
I'm currently looking to improve on how I use the phone in my home office - at present, it's just a normal corded telephone and isn't suited to an environment where I sometimes need to be elsewhere in the house.
I'm looking at a couple of options - for example, setting up a system of cordless phones around the home seems ...
DECT cordless phone or VoIP?
by Brian Turner
January 22, 2008
UK companies are increasingly turning to private bonded broadband services to cope with new media, as disillusionment with existing ISP's continues.
While BT has stated that it aims to implement faster broadband solutions, customer satisfaction surveys have found businesses are rarely entirely satisfied with the product levels and service options offered.
This is all the more an issue as triple play services come into ...
Bonded broadband demand increases
by Brian Turner
January 14, 2008
In an ongoing battle, reminiscent of the vhs, Vs betamax, confrontation, in the seventies. In an all out war, for control of the DVD format, Blu-ray seems, for the moment at least, to be pulling ahead of rival, HD-DVD. In a recent announcement, Warner Brothers stated, that as from May, its movie releases would be, only on in the Blu-ray format, in addition to regular DVD format. Last year, Paramount Pictures announced ...
Can either side win the Blu-ray, HD-DVD, format war?
by Alan HartenIn an ongoing battle, reminiscent of the vhs, Vs betamax, confrontation, in the seventies. In an all out war, for control of the DVD format, Blu-ray seems, for the moment at least, to be pulling ahead of rival, HD-DVD. In a recent announcement, Warner Brothers stated, that as from May, its movie releases would be, only on in the Blu-ray format, in addition to regular DVD format. Last year, Paramount Pictures announced ...
September 10, 2007
Free To View and Free To Air Satellite TV channels available from the Sky Digital platform at 28.2E can be found at our sister site FTASat.co.uk - dedicated solely to providing that information.
All data has recently been updated, and we will try our best to keep it that way. We hope you find this information useful.
Don't forget you can ask for help ...
Free To Air Satellite TV
by Brian TurnerFree To View and Free To Air Satellite TV channels available from the Sky Digital platform at 28.2E can be found at our sister site FTASat.co.uk - dedicated solely to providing that information.
All data has recently been updated, and we will try our best to keep it that way. We hope you find this information useful.
Don't forget you can ask for help ...
August 15, 2007
Arianespace's Ariane 5 scored its 19th consecutive mission success today, carrying the dual-satellite payload of SPACEWAYTM 3 and BSAT-3a into accurate geostationary transfer orbit. Lifting off from the ELA-3 launch zone at Europe's Spaceport, the heavyweight Ariane 5 ECA deployed SPACEWAY 3 first, releasing this 6,075 kg. spacecraft at approximately 27 minutes into the flight. It was followed about seven minutes later by the 1,980-kg. BSAT-3a. The mission was another on-time Ariane ...
Ariane 5 delivers SPACEWAY 3 & BSAT-3a successfully
by Brian TurnerArianespace's Ariane 5 scored its 19th consecutive mission success today, carrying the dual-satellite payload of SPACEWAYTM 3 and BSAT-3a into accurate geostationary transfer orbit. Lifting off from the ELA-3 launch zone at Europe's Spaceport, the heavyweight Ariane 5 ECA deployed SPACEWAY 3 first, releasing this 6,075 kg. spacecraft at approximately 27 minutes into the flight. It was followed about seven minutes later by the 1,980-kg. BSAT-3a. The mission was another on-time Ariane ...
July 12, 2007
At the Satellite Help Forum, we specialise in the support of both the Dreambox and Skystar hardware. We have many members who are proficient in the use of these pieces of kit, and are willing to help others get to the same level.
Drop in and say hello. No questions are too basic.
Meanwhile the rest of the site continues ...
Dreambox Forum / Skystar Forum
by BGonaSTICKAt the Satellite Help Forum, we specialise in the support of both the Dreambox and Skystar hardware. We have many members who are proficient in the use of these pieces of kit, and are willing to help others get to the same level.
Drop in and say hello. No questions are too basic.
Meanwhile the rest of the site continues ...
June 6, 2007
Lots of hype, but not so much that anyone outside of geek-world has heard about it.
Much, anyway.
Sling Media have done a few high-profile deals with mobile phone operators I believe, and there is the possibility to stream video media to your smartphone or Windows Mobile Pocket PC, but this brief review comes as a result of a few tests I performed on an old IBM ...
Slingbox Review
by BGonaSTICKLots of hype, but not so much that anyone outside of geek-world has heard about it.
Much, anyway.
Sling Media have done a few high-profile deals with mobile phone operators I believe, and there is the possibility to stream video media to your smartphone or Windows Mobile Pocket PC, but this brief review comes as a result of a few tests I performed on an old IBM ...
May 19, 2007
Is your O/S and office software legal?
According to figures published by Microsoft, 35% of the software in the world is thought to be counterfeit or otherwise illegal. After years of unofficially tolerating piracy as a means of securing market share, Microsoft is now going on the offensive to make sure copies of its software are legit.
The software giant says it's gunning for people ...
Micro$oft gets tough on pirates
by BGonaSTICKIs your O/S and office software legal?
According to figures published by Microsoft, 35% of the software in the world is thought to be counterfeit or otherwise illegal. After years of unofficially tolerating piracy as a means of securing market share, Microsoft is now going on the offensive to make sure copies of its software are legit.
The software giant says it's gunning for people ...
April 25, 2007
On the potentially historic day when astronomers announced what could be one of the greatest and most meaningful discoveries in the near-universe (and the day that sadly saw the loss of 1966 hero Alan Ball :( ) Yahoo have to poke fun at it by linking it to a story about 'Little Green Men'. Shame on them.
European astronomers have detected what they say is ...
Is everything just a joke to the media?
by BGonaSTICKOn the potentially historic day when astronomers announced what could be one of the greatest and most meaningful discoveries in the near-universe (and the day that sadly saw the loss of 1966 hero Alan Ball :( ) Yahoo have to poke fun at it by linking it to a story about 'Little Green Men'. Shame on them.
European astronomers have detected what they say is ...
March 23, 2007
Well, it looks as if one of the original high-quality ISPs have decided to get out of the game and cash in their chips.
Pipex has seemingly 'put itself up for sale' and hung a price tag of £300m - £350m around its' own neck. Must be nice to be able to do that I suppose!
But, to quote a cheesy line from 'Oliver' - who ...
Pipex up for sale?
by BGonaSTICKWell, it looks as if one of the original high-quality ISPs have decided to get out of the game and cash in their chips.
Pipex has seemingly 'put itself up for sale' and hung a price tag of £300m - £350m around its' own neck. Must be nice to be able to do that I suppose!
But, to quote a cheesy line from 'Oliver' - who ...
March 22, 2007
Here are our Five Top Tips for fine-tuning a DiSEqC motorised setup. This mini-guide assumes that you have already set up your mounting brackets/mast, motor, dish, LNB etc. and have managed to tune in a least a few satellites. Your setup is far from ideal though, right? Poor signal strength and quality? Missing some satellites? Read on… First - Make sure you have read and re-read the Satellite Help guide to DiSEqC motor installation so that you not only follow the procedures required for first-iteration setup, but understand the theory behind what you are trying to achieve. Sometimes your brain has to seemingly work in four dimensions to calculate which tweak has to be made to your dish/motor to improve things! Second - Mark everything before you start with a permanent marker. This way, the worst that will happen is you end up back where you started. Based on this premise, most anything you do should improve your arc-tracking! Third - Only adjust one thing at a time. This is important, otherwise you will never know which adjustment had which effect. You are probably dealing with a multitude of minor errors, so you need simple solutions. The only exception to this is a combination of elevation and declination. If the OVERALL elevation of the dish is already optimal for a given satellite, then increasing one will mean increasing the other to stay exactly on-satellite. Don’t forget that an increase in declination is a downward tilt at the dish scale. Fourth - Forget USALS. Use DiSEqC 1.2, because it gives you total azimuth control of the dish positioning. Once your dish tracking is near-perfect you can go back to USALS if you so choose, but once you have finished this process you may find that USALS will just not cut it any more. Fifth - This is what the first four tips have been building up to. Draw a map. Yes, a map. Draw a map of the theoretical arc, and roughly mark onto the line all the satellites you think you should be able to receive. Now, start with your dish in the middle of the arc and peak the first satellites’ signal using just the motor via the receiver menus. Record the actual azimuth setting that gives you the peak reading (you should be using 'GOTO x.x' format commands). Now flex the dish face up and down gently whilst checking the signal quality/strength on the receiver/meter. Note on your sketch whether the signal improves if you tilt the dish face slightly up or slightly down. Mark where the actual satellite appears to be on your diagram. Repeat this whole procedure (i.e. drive motor to peak signal, flex dish and then record results) for as many satellites as you can stomach. Now, using this information, and the actual azimuth figures you also recorded, compare the results to the arc-tuning diagram here: Satellite Arc Tuning The more readings you take, the clearer the picture will be. Be scientific about it, and you should be able to identify one or more of the erroneous conditions indicated on the chart. Finally, don't be afraid to move slightly away from the indicated settings on your motor mount and dish scale. The stamped scale on some brackets can be well over a degree out, whilst some dish scales seem to make no sense at all. It's also possible to have the mount slightly twisted on the pole, even if you have tightened the four nuts on the two U bolts equally. Remember - the alignment you have at the end of the theoretical phase is only a starting point for real-world fine tuning. Patience will get you there in the end – good luck!
Fine-tuning a motorised dish
by AnaloguesatHere are our Five Top Tips for fine-tuning a DiSEqC motorised setup. This mini-guide assumes that you have already set up your mounting brackets/mast, motor, dish, LNB etc. and have managed to tune in a least a few satellites. Your setup is far from ideal though, right? Poor signal strength and quality? Missing some satellites? Read on… First - Make sure you have read and re-read the Satellite Help guide to DiSEqC motor installation so that you not only follow the procedures required for first-iteration setup, but understand the theory behind what you are trying to achieve. Sometimes your brain has to seemingly work in four dimensions to calculate which tweak has to be made to your dish/motor to improve things! Second - Mark everything before you start with a permanent marker. This way, the worst that will happen is you end up back where you started. Based on this premise, most anything you do should improve your arc-tracking! Third - Only adjust one thing at a time. This is important, otherwise you will never know which adjustment had which effect. You are probably dealing with a multitude of minor errors, so you need simple solutions. The only exception to this is a combination of elevation and declination. If the OVERALL elevation of the dish is already optimal for a given satellite, then increasing one will mean increasing the other to stay exactly on-satellite. Don’t forget that an increase in declination is a downward tilt at the dish scale. Fourth - Forget USALS. Use DiSEqC 1.2, because it gives you total azimuth control of the dish positioning. Once your dish tracking is near-perfect you can go back to USALS if you so choose, but once you have finished this process you may find that USALS will just not cut it any more. Fifth - This is what the first four tips have been building up to. Draw a map. Yes, a map. Draw a map of the theoretical arc, and roughly mark onto the line all the satellites you think you should be able to receive. Now, start with your dish in the middle of the arc and peak the first satellites’ signal using just the motor via the receiver menus. Record the actual azimuth setting that gives you the peak reading (you should be using 'GOTO x.x' format commands). Now flex the dish face up and down gently whilst checking the signal quality/strength on the receiver/meter. Note on your sketch whether the signal improves if you tilt the dish face slightly up or slightly down. Mark where the actual satellite appears to be on your diagram. Repeat this whole procedure (i.e. drive motor to peak signal, flex dish and then record results) for as many satellites as you can stomach. Now, using this information, and the actual azimuth figures you also recorded, compare the results to the arc-tuning diagram here: Satellite Arc Tuning The more readings you take, the clearer the picture will be. Be scientific about it, and you should be able to identify one or more of the erroneous conditions indicated on the chart. Finally, don't be afraid to move slightly away from the indicated settings on your motor mount and dish scale. The stamped scale on some brackets can be well over a degree out, whilst some dish scales seem to make no sense at all. It's also possible to have the mount slightly twisted on the pole, even if you have tightened the four nuts on the two U bolts equally. Remember - the alignment you have at the end of the theoretical phase is only a starting point for real-world fine tuning. Patience will get you there in the end – good luck!
March 16, 2007
The dates for the final phase of DSO have been announced for Whitehaven and the surrounding villages affected by the analogue closedown Early May - captions will appear on the analogue channels reminding viewers that they need to move over to digital 17th October - BBC2 will be turned off. ITV 1 will move to button 2 on the telly and BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC News 24 and CBBC ...
Digital Switch Off dates announced for Whitehaven
by AnaloguesatThe dates for the final phase of DSO have been announced for Whitehaven and the surrounding villages affected by the analogue closedown Early May - captions will appear on the analogue channels reminding viewers that they need to move over to digital 17th October - BBC2 will be turned off. ITV 1 will move to button 2 on the telly and BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC News 24 and CBBC ...
March 12, 2007
Ariane 5 underscored its mission capability and operational maturity with tonight's successful dual-passenger mission, which placed the Skynet 5A and INSAT 4B satellites into geostationary transfer orbit. Lifting off from the Spaceport in French Guiana, the Ariane 5 deployed Skynet 5A at 26 minutes into the mission, followed four minutes later by INSAT 4B. "With this first launch of the year 2007, Arianespace has once again demonstrated its leadership," said CEO Jean-Yves ...
Arianespace begins its 2007 mission activity with a successful dual-payload launch
by AnaloguesatAriane 5 underscored its mission capability and operational maturity with tonight's successful dual-passenger mission, which placed the Skynet 5A and INSAT 4B satellites into geostationary transfer orbit. Lifting off from the Spaceport in French Guiana, the Ariane 5 deployed Skynet 5A at 26 minutes into the mission, followed four minutes later by INSAT 4B. "With this first launch of the year 2007, Arianespace has once again demonstrated its leadership," said CEO Jean-Yves ...
February 8, 2007
Sky to launch pay tv service on DTT
by AnaloguesatBritish Sky Broadcasting today announced that it is developing plans for the launch of a subscription television service on digital terrestrial television (DTT) this summer. The new service will allow DTT viewers to receive some of Sky’s most popular programmes - including sport and movies - for a monthly subscription.
Sky says this represents an attractive commercial opportunity, benefiting from existing investments in programming and infrastructure, and attracting new customers to ...
January 26, 2007
A very special hello to anyone living in the ITV Border region. A reminder to you - digital switch over starts in our region (*) in mid 2008 when the Selkirk transmitter and its dependant relays are changed over and analogue is shut down. Caldbeck in Cumbria will follow in early 2009. If you live in the Borders and are still watching 4 or 5 channels you really need to ...
Digital switch over - ITV1 Border area heralds the new dawn in digital TV
by AnaloguesatA very special hello to anyone living in the ITV Border region. A reminder to you - digital switch over starts in our region (*) in mid 2008 when the Selkirk transmitter and its dependant relays are changed over and analogue is shut down. Caldbeck in Cumbria will follow in early 2009. If you live in the Borders and are still watching 4 or 5 channels you really need to ...
January 22, 2007
Well, the struggle for satellite supremacy is still being fought out in the US, and maybe the satellite guys finally have a chance to ruffle a few feathers in the cable-provider's boardrooms. Times are tough though, and piracy is rife - with the Nagravision 2 encryption system barely holding together. The pay-TV is generally good value there though, and the two big companies offer crazy giveaway deals to try and attract new ...
Satellite news from Stateside
by BGonaSTICKWell, the struggle for satellite supremacy is still being fought out in the US, and maybe the satellite guys finally have a chance to ruffle a few feathers in the cable-provider's boardrooms. Times are tough though, and piracy is rife - with the Nagravision 2 encryption system barely holding together. The pay-TV is generally good value there though, and the two big companies offer crazy giveaway deals to try and attract new ...
January 20, 2007
Now as far as I know this service is more or less unique to our forum. No its not marital councelling, (but could be similar!) If you have a foreign partner no doubt she would like to watch tv channels from her home country. We already have provided valuable info for people who have Finnish, Czech and Polish wives. So if you are in a similar situation and want some peace ...
TV for a foreign wife
by AnaloguesatNow as far as I know this service is more or less unique to our forum. No its not marital councelling, (but could be similar!) If you have a foreign partner no doubt she would like to watch tv channels from her home country. We already have provided valuable info for people who have Finnish, Czech and Polish wives. So if you are in a similar situation and want some peace ...
January 5, 2007
We hope you all had an enjoyable festive period, and that going back to work isn’t as bad as you imagined it might be ;) Well, we had some laughs at Satellite Help over the holidays, including a New Years Eve chase around the globe. Not sure how many midnights we watched, but a few beers were consumed. The forum also had its first birthday in December, and it’s ...
Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday!
by BGonaSTICKWe hope you all had an enjoyable festive period, and that going back to work isn’t as bad as you imagined it might be ;) Well, we had some laughs at Satellite Help over the holidays, including a New Years Eve chase around the globe. Not sure how many midnights we watched, but a few beers were consumed. The forum also had its first birthday in December, and it’s ...
December 22, 2006
Sky Sports will broadcast one of the world's most spectacular sports events - the Super Bowl - in high definition for the first time next February. Super Bowl XLI will be the first US sports event and the sixth sport to be screened in HD by Sky Sports with the first Super League match in HD also on 4th February 2007. Super Bowl XLI will be the climax of the busiest ever ...
Sky Sports to show Super Bowl in HD
by BGonaSTICKSky Sports will broadcast one of the world's most spectacular sports events - the Super Bowl - in high definition for the first time next February. Super Bowl XLI will be the first US sports event and the sixth sport to be screened in HD by Sky Sports with the first Super League match in HD also on 4th February 2007. Super Bowl XLI will be the climax of the busiest ever ...
