Sky Amstrad HD Box - Lip Sync

[admin_exported]

I've just had to do the rebuild and then a full new install on this box, which is about 21 months old. Intermittent lip sync issues, even on pause have dogged me for the last few weeks. As a consequence I've lost all my recordings. It seems to have begun when I changed output to 'Auto'. I've changed it to 1080i but the PQ appeared to have suffered to I've changed back to Auto. Is my box due for a replacement and will this keep coming back until I do? Thanks for any help. [🙂]

 

[proffski]

Looks like a power supply problem, the symptoms are about right. E£asy enough to fix or get a new box...

 

[Anonymous]

Power supply would be the last thing I thought this would be to be honest....

How does one fix it please and estimated cost vs. a new box.....

 

[Anonymous]

C'mon chaps any help appreciated.........

Thanks

 

[Dave_]

Has the planner re-build/factory reset cured the problem so far? If it has, i'd see how it goes and when/if it starts to play up again get on the phone to Sky and try and get a new box out of them...

 

[chudleighpaul]

Sky have just replaced my Thompson box with an Amstrad and the lip sync on recordings is horrendous..

 

[The_Lhc]

I get that occasionally but I usually find stopping and restarting playback again sorts it. Extended FF/RW at 12x/30x can do it as well, but again stopping and restarting usually sorts it out. I've never encountered any recordings where I couldn't get the lip sync back into, err, sync using this method.

 

[Alec]

I've found that can sort it too lhc but it sometimes takes repeated attempts and sometimes fails for me too.

 

[Pittodriered]

I've found the best way of stopping any lip sync issues is to change the box onto a HD channnel before playing back a HD recording. This is not fool proof but has reduced the number of times I have to stop a playback and restart.

 

[whiskywheels]

Graham, have you contacted Sky? I always found their customer service to be very helpful, and had a replacement box when a problem couldn't be resolved. Sky is expensive, but one of the advantages over, say, Freesat, is that there is technical support; it's their responsibility to resolve the problem.

Actually, come to think of it, Freesat were very helpful when I had a problem. As you were.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the tips. A couple of days into a 20ms sync setting in the sound options seems to have fixed it for the moment. Even after the factory reset some tracking/syncing was abysmal.

Do I really have recourse to a new box if it happens again after all this time?

Thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

Help!

 

[chris hollands]

Hi Graham, from experience , once the box starts playing up it really should be replaced,mine was iffy for weeks with sky trying to resolve over the phone with re-boots and downloads, but had to be changed in the end.

They then tried to charge me for a call out fee and a fee for a new box, now i am paying £100 month for my sky and told them i would cancel if they did not come out and resolve the issue, so they did.......

However , still have lip sync issues on standard def channels!!

 

[Alec]

Forgive me if this is a rude question but how do you pay £100 pcm to them?

 

[Dave_]

al7478:

Forgive me if this is a rude question but how do you pay £100 pcm to them?

Full package + standalones like ESPN + HD sub + multiroom/HD multiroom(s) subs + phone line rental... i would imagine.

 

[Alec]

daveh75:al7478:

Forgive me if this is a rude question but how do you pay £100 pcm to them?

Full package + standalones like ESPN + HD sub + multiroom/HD multiroom(s) subs + phone line rental... i would imagine.

BLIMEY!!!

 

[chris hollands]

TV Package about £62.50 a month , then Broadband , then phone rental , then a few calls, HD box, i never realised myself until about a month ago,thought the wife was winding me up!!!

Very very tempted to cancel the film and Sport channels, would save about £45 a month.

 

[Anonymous]

Cancel them Chris. That's about 5/6 CDs a month! Or a cool £540 a year. 10 tankfuls of petrol for me! (Nearly)

 

[Anonymous]

Well, the box gave up the ghost again and even lost some recorded programmes.

Asked to leave and guess what, new box secured for nothing! fingers crossed it isn't an Amstrad and comes with a 12 months warranty. They did say it would be brand new too!

 

[Dave_]

Graham_Thomas:Well, the box gave up the ghost again and even lost some recorded programmes.

Asked to leave and guess what, new box secured for nothing! fingers crossed it isn't an Amstrad and comes with a 12 months warranty. They did say it would be brand new too!

If it is brand new it will be an Amstrad, that's all they use/supply now for new installs/new replacements. If it's a 'refurb' it'll come in a plain brown box and could be any make, except Thomson as they're taking them out of circulation!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Dave, at least it will have the 12 months. They did state brand new so fingers crossed!

I remember (was it you) saying the spec was rubbish but the manufacturers couldn't change it?

 

[Dave_]

Graham_Thomas:I remember (was it you) saying the spec was rubbish but the manufacturers couldn't change it?

The boxes are/were built under license to Sky/NDS's and down to a budget/spec. Sky also bought Amstrad back in aug 07 to give them 'greater control of development/manufacturing' or in other words reduce costs.