£699.99 DVB-T (with PC attached)

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  • gshawgshaw Posts: 144
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    ctopchris wrote:
    I was thinking about buyin another booster from there but
    Ive got a older booster that came with an ariel from argos, which didnt work for me except for perfect analogue. The nokia box (boosted out im told) didnt work either. BTW in my case powercinema doesnt hang it just seems to pause for a good 10 minutes at 63% then continue even with booster it finds nada. The booster is a few years old and I am not sure if it boosts digital (is this a possibly a stupid question?)

    Does the powercinema pick up any other cards and work on the crystal palace transmitter??

    Am correct in that So far nobody on crystal palace has recieved digital yet lets see if gshaw gets it going (I hope it does but doubt it somehow)

    I've been trying for nearly an hour with a new Digital approved aerial and signal booster but still nothing - even terrestrial telextext is a load of gobbledegook most of the time. I'm guessing the card is faulty or a crap design so it's time to have a go at Medion / Aldi - I'm going to be asking for £50 for a decent, working card to put in - because there's no hope in hell of it working at the moment.

    btw: I had a Medion TV card (not digital) in my old machine and that picked up teletext on a £3 aerial but this one can't manage it with a loft one and booster...that says it all to me :mad:
  • HooloovooHooloovoo Posts: 2,691
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    I've been reading this thread with interest.

    I've also bought one of these PC and I'm not getting anywhere with the DVB card. I have a roof aerial working on Sutton Coldfield, and I have line of sight with Brierley Hill about a mile away.

    I used to have a Pace box in the days of onDigital and would get perfect reception using an indoor aerial working off Brierley Hill using a booster from Argos. I would also get fairly decent reception from the roof aerial with or without the booster.

    With this PC, off the same roof aerial I get BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, and News24. That's it. With the booster I get FTN, TheHits, and a couple of other channels extra.

    When I do a scan channels it goes to 50% quickly then counts up to 100% in 1% increments taking a few minutes.

    So all in all, a bit crap! It'll be interesting to hear if any of you get it to work.

    Luckily, I don't really care I only bought this PC because my old one wasn't good enough to play Half Life 2. So far I'm pretty impressed, the graphics card is good for the money.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 41
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    Anybody with any legal qualifuications interested in this thread - and the parallel threads on other forums - please contact me.

    Please PM me. I'll start to draft a pro forma tomorrow for everybody who wants to take this issue further - and make it available by request. Aldi are now taking the p... by not answering correspondence and inviting people to spend money buying hardware that they are stating is necessary to rectify what appears to be a defect in the product as supplied and advertised.

    In The USA this would probably merit a "Class Action" i.e. a collective legal action on behalf of all involved - at no cost to to claimants if succesful. Costs to include telephone calls, travel, time etc. etc.

    To be clear your dispute will be with the supplier Aldi. Do not be fobbed off by dealing with Medion - and certainly don't waste time contacting software suppliers e.g. Cyberlink.

    If you could have bought this computer on a credit card, life would be much easier. The credit card company could be made liable as supplier at spends over £100. You could withhold your credit card payment based on reasonable notice and detail of the dispute. Pity I didn't follow my own advice!!!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,998
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    Aldi do not take Credit Cards by the way.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 986
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    I too can only get 4 channels (BBC1 and 2, News24 and CBBC/BBC3). Very disappointing as one of the main reasons I got this PC was to avoid having to buy a separate DVB DVD-recorder which would cost over £150 anyway.

    No word from Medion support yet. This should be a matter for trading standards and the ASA as it was clearly advertised as a media PC which would let you record digital TV.

    Is there any way you can use the timer to record input from the S-video slot so that I can connect my freeview box to it? This would be a workaround until they hopefully sort the problem out.

    Also, can we move this thread back to the Freeview forum as that seems to be the main thrust of the discussion here...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 41
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    http://www.inquirerinside.com/?article=19948

    "First, a reader's feedback concerning the Medion MD8383 mini review that we had some days ago. The reader is Edwin Groenendijk, who owns a website dedicated to supermarket IT deals.

    "I run a website with lots of information on the MD8383. The latest news is a major defect in virtually ALL of them. It is the CPU cooler which does not function correctly, due to poor contact between processor and cooler. As a result, the processor starts to overheat way too fast, say when playing a simple game or watching TV. The CPU will try to cool down by fully deploying the processor-fan, which then produces a whining noise of 54 dB. Some unfortunate buyers had to return a PC that simply would not produce any result other than a loud noise. Some claim to have fixed the problem by rotating the cooler 90°. There are a lot of complaints of extremely noisy aldi PC's these days, and I hope the UK costumers may benifit of the conclusions we already made in Holland and Belgium." "
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1
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    I have talked to Medion today about the problems receiving Digital stations. I only get 4 station Hits, TMF, Ftn and ideal Home (I think!) I had already logged a call with them. The first reply was all the normal aerial and booster stuff. I already have a freeview box working OK, but I did go out and get a booster - no improvement.
    Today when I called it was avery different story. They admitted that there was a problem and that there was not yet a solution. They were not clear yet if it was hardware or software or both. They are doing some testing this week. They did offer to send me a new card, but I declined until they find out what the problem is.
    I hope to hear back from them late this week / next week ?????
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 986
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    My MD8383 does make a noise like a vaccuum cleaner when it is first booted up but it soon settles down to a quiet hum that is actually quieter than any PC I have ever owned. It's a shame that some people are having problems with the noise as it's actually a rather good PC apart from the awful digital TV problem which medion have still not sorted out.

    I'm surprised they have been offering people replacement cards before they find out if it is a hardware or a software problem...
  • HooloovooHooloovoo Posts: 2,691
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    Abeyteru,

    But have you tried running a game or doing anything processor intensive? Mine is very quiet after the initial noise but as soon as I start running Half Life 2 the fan goes back up to 100%. No problem, I just turn the volume up......... it's still annoying though.

    The noise and the DVB are the only two problems I have with the PC. The rest is great. At least it sounds promising that they're going to do something about it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 986
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    I haven't had time to install any games as yet. But I've tried to put it through its paces as much as possible (encoding video etc) and its been fine.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,998
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    sorry abeyteru but it sounds like you are telling fibs, when encoding movies and even watching movies (some times) it goes like a hair dryer.

    unless you have the only one out there that does not do this then somone is telling fibs ;)

    playing games is annoying when it goes loud so i just use my headphones and problem solved.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 16
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    my fan comes on when im playing medal of honour pacific assault but not full blast like when its switched on, just picks up speed and is hardly noticeable.

    BUT!!!! Im having problems getting digital TV still only 8 channels so waiting to hear what medion say ,
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 178
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    I have to report the fan on my machine does get very noisey when I'm encoding using Divx and when playing games (Fifa 2005).....I've also noticed that my Nebula Digi TV card doesn't seem to cause the fan to kick in when recording but the Medion TV Card does.....I installed the Nebula card just too see how the Medion behaved, and it works great with that card.

    As an alternative I've tried capturing from my external Freeview reciever using Power Director and I'm pleased to report this works very well.
  • gshawgshaw Posts: 144
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    I've had mine running Need for Speed Underground 2 on highest detail settings and the fan didn't flinch - it only went up a little bit when running the 3DMark03 benchmark (MEDION PC scored 6594 compared to 171 on my Geforce 4MX PC).

    I don't know what's going to happen with this TV card fault because if the card is the problem Medion will have to redesign a new combo board, produce it, ship it out and get engineers to come down and fit the board - that could take ages. If you put another card in I'm guessing the front A/V ports won't work as they're integrated to work with the combo card?

    I'm in two minds what to do with this PC as you won't get the same spec for £699 - an equivalent Dell system WITHOUT the TV card cost over £930 - a bit of a difference! However, I did want digital TV facilities on my PC and I do wonder how long it will take for this problem to be fixed - if indeed it ever will. I see Medion / Aldi giving money back on the digital card and leaving it as that :(
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5
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    After reading all the above posts I felt slightly relieved that the reception problem was not just mine. I've tried all sorts - uninstalling and reinstalling the software emailing Cyberlink - took them 3 days to respond - hopeless suggestions the last of which was that PowerCinema 4 would allow digital viewing - DOH!!!!

    Anyway, finally got on the 'phone to Medion who are arranging for their engineers to come out to change the card. The guy I spoke to seemed to think that it MUST be a faulty card. I did refer to all of the posts that are on here and all he would say is that they have had a number of callers reporting problems with digital reception.

    I was told to expect the engineer within the next few days - we'll see !

    What is interesting is the different 4 channels that people seem to be picking up - my 4 are The Hits, TMF, Ideal World and UKTV Bright Ideas. Local transmitter would be Sutton Coldfield.

    My previous card was a Hauppage Nova which worked fine with the same aerial setup so it makes sense that they've bundled these machines with a load of faulty cards. Big mistake !!

    Having said all that my machine is running very quietly - in fact I'm very satisfied with the whole kit apart from the irritation of this damned digital reception. And, let's face it - it's very good value for money.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 986
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    MDX wrote:
    sorry abeyteru but it sounds like you are telling fibs, when encoding movies and even watching movies (some times) it goes like a hair dryer.

    unless you have the only one out there that does not do this...



    MDX,

    As you can see from the above posts I am NOT the only one who has a quiet PC. My fan increases very slightly depending on how much work the processor is making but never goes anywhere near as loud as on startup.

    Can I expect an apology from you ???
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 986
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    gshaw wrote:
    I'm in two minds what to do with this PC as you won't get the same spec for £699 - an equivalent Dell system WITHOUT the TV card cost over £930 - :(

    Yes, I usually build my own systems, but even without the wifi and bluetooth, which I will never use, and with an inferior Geforce 6600 graphics card, this system still would have cost me well over £800. It is certainly a great value PC, but it was clearly and heavily advertised as being able to recieve and record digital TV, and this is a major flaw in my opinion.

    Still waiting to hear back from Medion - is it better to phone them than e-mail? I'm surprised they are sending engineers out to peoples houses but not responding to other peoples e-mail enquiries.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 41
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    The only pattern I can see from all the posts is that the card picks up channels at the bottom of the frequency on Channel 55 from Sutton Coldfield.

    Can anybody off Black Hill get Multiplex C? Because that is also CH 55 off a strong transmitter.

    The only other area consistently reporting success is the North of England. The Winter Hill transmitter has all it's digital frequencies at Ch 56 and above.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5
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    abeyteru wrote:
    Yes, I usually build my own systems, but even without the wifi and bluetooth, which I will never use, and with an inferior Geforce 6600 graphics card, this system still would have cost me well over £800. It is certainly a great value PC, but it was clearly and heavily advertised as being able to recieve and record digital TV, and this is a major flaw in my opinion.

    Still waiting to hear back from Medion - is it better to phone them than e-mail? I'm surprised they are sending engineers out to peoples houses but not responding to other peoples e-mail enquiries.

    I made the same calculation and realised I couldn't build one for anywhere near the price.

    As far as contact is concerned as long as you don't mind hanging around on the phone for a while at least you get something done. I sent an email yesterday but still not had a response - they include a rider which says they're very busy and to expect to wait for up to 3 days for a response to the email !!!!!!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,998
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    abeyteru wrote:
    MDX,

    As you can see from the above posts I am NOT the only one who has a quiet PC. My fan increases very slightly depending on how much work the processor is making but never goes anywhere near as loud as on startup.

    Can I expect an apology from you ???


    Nope.......... ;)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 6
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    * FAN Noise *
    I tried to copy a couple of DVD's on the 8383XL (just ripping them to harddisk to see if the fan would speed up)...

    After 2 dvd's and a lot of downloading the fan sill didn't make any more noise...

    I tried the Nvidia Nalu Demo, whilst ripping a dvd and still no extra noise....

    * TV Card *
    Still only getting the 8 Freeview channels... TV guy tested the aerial signal and its fine, more than capable for freeview.

    Has anyone tried the 8383XL WITHOUT the TV card installed ?

    Looking at the Manual page 53, it states ' The combo card must not be removed or used in another slot except the BLUE combo slot.'....

    So if Medion replace or refund this card, will the PC work with out it ???
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    I live in Mid Cheshire and - in analogue mode- I can receive all Midands channels (BBC1&2,Central ITV, CH4 &5), all Wales channels (BBC1&2, HTV, S4C) and all NW channels (BBC1&2, Granada, CH4 &5), ie 13 in all (If we count CH5 as 1). Although reception on TV is not brilliant, it's pretty good with the PC.

    In digital mode, I receive 8 channels (Multiplex C&D). If I boost with a cheap booster (Asda), I get 4 extra channels (Multiplex 1- BBC 1 & 2 and 24 and CBBC).

    But no ITV channels. Anyone explain?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 41
    Forum Member
    "Phantadla I live in Mid Cheshire and - in analogue mode- I can receive all Midands channels (BBC1&2,Central ITV, CH4 &5), all Wales channels (BBC1&2, HTV, S4C) and all NW channels (BBC1&2, Granada, CH4 &5), ie 13 in all (If we count CH5 as 1). Although reception on TV is not brilliant, it's pretty good with the PC.

    In digital mode, I receive 8 channels (Multiplex C&D). If I boost with a cheap booster (Asda), I get 4 extra channels (Multiplex 1- BBC 1 & 2 and 24 and CBBC).

    But no ITV channels. Anyone explain? "

    You almost certainly get your digital from Winter Hill. Your report backs up my suspicion based on looking at the channels reported by forum members, and comparing with the frequency chart from OFCOM. C & D off Winter Hill are Chs 60 & 63. Phantdla by any chance do you extra channels come off Multiplex 1 which is Ch56.

    Can anyone report back recieving a digital signal from lower than CH55 or higher than Ch63?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    Modo,

    In analogue mode, it sweeps all the channels from 23 (Central ITV) to 65 (Channel 4 NW).

    In digital mode, it just says autoscan is x% complete, but rapidly gets up to 50%, then slowly scans above 50%.

    The extra channels on boosting are from Multiplex 1.

    Not sure if this answers your question
  • gshawgshaw Posts: 144
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    MadTom wrote:
    * FAN Noise *
    Has anyone tried the 8383XL WITHOUT the TV card installed ?

    Looking at the Manual page 53, it states ' The combo card must not be removed or used in another slot except the BLUE combo slot.'....

    So if Medion replace or refund this card, will the PC work with out it ???

    I'm pretty sure the front AV ports won't work without the card in but I'm not so sure about the PC not starting - it seems a bit of a stupid design to me...
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