Just another quick post today. As I mentioned in a recent post, I have fitted a 12v socket to the boot of the car, to allow me to run the 3 way camping fridge, or any other devices,whilst travelling.

This works perfectly, but the problem with these 12v sockets is that without any visual confirmation from an LED, it isn’t obvious if the plug and socket have made a good connection. This issue is compounded with my camping fridge, as it has no lights or indication that it is working whatsoever.

I decided to connect an LED to the 12v socket so it is immediately obvious that the fridge is working. To do this I bought a 99p micro LED on eBay, and connected this to the terminals inside the 12v plug. I brought the thin cables out of the bottom of the plug, following the fridge cable, and fixed it in place using a little ‘collar’ of heat shrink tubing. All things considered, it’s a fairly neat job.

I forced a software update on my YouView box last night, as I read that there was a November update available for the TalkTalk supplied Huawei YouView boxes. It didn’t appear to do anything at first, but this morning I have noticed that all of the TalkTalk subscription channels that are on offer via the player have appeared in the guide. Also when scanning for new channels, there is now a section for “aerial” and “IP” channels, and a quantity in each.

This is a significant update, because previously you had to load the TalkTalk player app to view the list of Sky channels (such as Sky One, Sky Living, MTV, Sky Sport, etc.) which was far from a seamless experience. Now that these channels show in the main guide, it is much quicker to see what is showing on each channel, and to change between them.

Presumably the next update will bring the ability to record and pause these channels, as currently this isn’t possible.

The Huawei YouView box is a fantastic product, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody. The fantastic thing about this little box is that it is offered free by TalkTalk, so hundreds of new, or near new models can be picked up on eBay for around £50! There is no PVR anywhere that is this good for £50, I can assure you.

The Humax branded retail YouView box is around £200, and while the build quality is unquestionably superior, the internals are almost identical, and the interface, features, and overall user experience are exactly the same (although the Humax box has a 500GB drive, whereas the Huawei box has only 320GB, but with everything being available via catchup now, there is less importance on recording, you could argue).

x9 HD channels (from January 2014) backward EPG offering 7 day catchup from iPlayer, 4OD, ITV player, Demand 5, and Dave, as well as remote record functionality via smartphones. SURELY a no brainier for £50?

Oh, and you don’t need talktalk broadband to use the Huawei box, although you will need to be a TalkTalk customer to subscribe to their IP channels.

I just sat down to watch the 50 years of Dr Who anniversary special which I recorded in 3D last night. When I started to play the recording on my YouView box, I noticed that the BBC had aired 10 minutes of their HD test card in 3D prior to the program, on their Red Button HD channel.

Presumably this was to give viewers a chance to check that their TV’s were in 3D mode, and to setup their surround sound etc (as the 5.1 surround test tones are played on the soundtrack)

Anyhow, I thought I would post this, as I remember this iconic test card from my childhood, as it was aired at the close of the day on the two BBC channels at that time, BBC One and BBC Two (analogue)

As many of my friends know, I followed the progress of  “YouView” for a couple of years prior to the service’s eventual launch,  from back when it was called Project Canvas. I looked forward to the product coming to market for a long time, and I even managed to be accepted as a pre-launch tester for the platform. For all the great features the platform brought, I felt that the experience was still poor, and frustrating, due to the lacking  launch software, and missing features, many of which I had taken for granted with systems like Sky, and the Freesat Fox PVR I had at that time.

Shortly after the launch of YouView, Freesat launched their rival platform “Freetime”, I decided to make the switch to the satellite provider, due in part to the impressive looking EPG, and the promise of greater bandwidth and capacity for HD channels.

To cut a long story short, I have become disillusioned with Freesat Freetime, as the platform is not progressing at all. Very few new features have been launched in the 2 years that the platform has been available, and a features that should already exist, such as a remote record service, and standard features such as “book this program” (a quick shortcut to record a program that appears during a trailer), just aren’t arriving. Trying to pass constructive feature suggestions to the Freesat team via their “community” is the most exasperating experience ever, and I believe the platform will continue to infuriate me as it continues to stagnate, particularly as YouView has been developing all the time Freesat has stood still.

Youview on the other hand appears to have much better financial backing, and far better team behind the platform.  They have strong marketing, and their product has developed month after month with new feature additions, which I, as well as millions of others, demand for our investment.

Talk Talk offer to their broadband customers a YouView box manufactured by Huwaei, Due to the subsidised box, hundred of new or nearly new units are on ebay for around £50. This is a real bargain for such a great piece of kit. So good that I have bought one, and we have been using it for the past week. It is so refreshing to be able to remotely schedule recordings again, and to see features that I demand from a decent PVR / platform.

Youview is effectively a Freeview HD twin tuner PVR at heat (DVB-T2 terrestrial signal), but with a clever integration of catch-up TV from the major channels. With the imminent launch of x5 more BBC HD channels, YouView is gaining customers fast. You can catch-up on your favourite TV via the built in BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD, Demand 5, Dave, and Milkshake (Channel 5 kids) as well as watching paid content via Sky Now. One of the most impressive features of YouView is the search; and it is easy to overlook how powerful and unique it really is. You can search any term, and instanlty see results from all of the catch-up players, as well as the next 7 days of TV from the EPG. The backwards TV guide is also a neat feature, similarly to Freesat Freetime, you can scroll backwards through 7 days, and watch any program on demand.

This little box is really great for £50, considering the Humax retail version of the same is over £200. YouView is far better than a basic Freeview HD PVR, due to all the catchup content, and other features.  TalkTalk also offer the option of paid Sky channels, if you so wish, such as Sports, Movies, and entertainment favourites.  The iPhone remote record app ensures you never forget to record your favourite programs.

The only thing I really want to see added is channel logos in the guide. Freesat Freetime has this, and they look really great. The Youview guide looks very plain without them, and also the resolution of the guide isn’t high enough, meaning not enough channels and rows fit on the screen, in my opinion. Certainly not when you have a 47″ screen @1080p.

I’d recommend the Huwaei YouView box to anybody, and despite the TalkTalk logo, it works with ANY ISP !

My car is a 5 Series BMW saloon. It’s a nice car, but despite a strong options list, there is only one 12v socket; in the ashtray in the centre console.

My requirement is for power in the boot, so that I can run my 3 way camping fridge whilst driving. The fridge really needs to run on gas or 240v mains supply when in use, but whilst in transit, it can run on 12v if required, to maintain an already cold temperature.

On my car the battery is in the boot, which is handy, so I figured that retrofitting a 12v socket would be straight forward.

I purchased cheap 12v waterproof socket (marine style with rubber cap) for a few quid on eBay, with inclusive mounting bracket. I managed to fix this in place with x4 self taping screws. The wires run through a small hole in the boot lining, and then connect directly to the battery behind, with an in-line 15amp fuse.
All the connections (spade type to the socket and ring terminal type to the battery) are crimped on tightly, and heat-stunk. This finish is extremely neat, as well as safe and robust.

I have tested the socket with a phone charger and with the fridge. The main issue with the fridge is that there is no visible notification that it is working whilst using 12v, so I plan to retrofit a tiny LED to the 12v plug, so that I can confirm that the unit is getting power.

I’ve had today’s date in my calendar for the past few weeks, to serve as a reminder that the ACO were putting tickets for this great event on general sale. Sure enough, shortly after 9am this morning, they appeared on the ACO website “billetterie”.

I purchased x3 general admission tickets, which covers the whole week prior to the race, pitlane access on the Friday, and the race weekend itself, obviously. These cost €73 each , which is an absolute bargain. In addition I booked us a 35m² plot for the caravan on BEAUSEJOUR campsite, in the yellow zone.

With the Euro Tunnel already booked, all that’s really left is a night at a caravan site the evening before the channel crossing. Booking for that site opens sometime in December for 2014 bookings, so that will have to wait for now.

So, have you?  Probably not, but I have!

Our caravan has a 3-way fridge (as most do) meaning it can run on 240v mains supply, LPG gas (Butane or Propane), and even 12v, via the tow car. There is something curious about “lighting” a gas fridge, seeing that you have a hot, blue flame, and then seeing this cooling the fridge!  Clever stuff!

It turns out that the typical 3 way types that are installed in caravans and camper vans are of the absorption type, rather than the compressor driven units found in our homes.  The absorption process requires a heat source, and this is where the term “3 way” comes from. There are effectively 3 completely seperate heating systems on the fridges, one which runs on 240v mains power, one which runs on 12v, and one which runs on gas. The net result being the same;  the absorption unit get heated, and the fridge gets cold. Clever

I found an interesting website which explains the absorption cycle and process in detail. I have borrowed some text from this: (credit http://www.campertrailers.org/3-way_fridge.htm)

Heat is applied to the generator by one of our heating systems. In the generator is a solution of ammonia and water. The heat raises the temperature of the solution until the ammonia boils.

The boiling solution rises to the separator (as in a coffee percolator). In the separator, water separates from the ammonia gas.

The ammonia gas flows upward to the condenser. The condenser is composed of metal coils with fins that allow the ammonia gas to dissipate its heat and condense to form liquid ammonia.

The liquid ammonia makes its way to the evaporator, where it mixes with hydrogen and evaporates, removing heat from inside the refrigerator cabinet.

The mixture of ammonia and hydrogen gases flows to the absorber.

Here, the water that has spilled from the separator is mixed with the ammonia and hydrogen mixture. Ammonia readily mixes with water and returns to the generator while the hydrogen does not mix, so is separated for return to the evaporator.

And so the cycle continues as long as heat is provided in the furnace.

After an hour of stress (reminiscent of trying for Glastonbury tickets in the past) we managed to secure tickets for CarFest 2014! It all worked out OK in the end, although it didn’t quite go as planned!

I was ready for the ticket sale, and had my laptop, iPad and iPhone at the ready. I was even using two different ISP’s in an attempt to improve my chances (TalkTalk and Three Mobile) however, at 7am this morning, the SeeTicket site still ground to a halt!  The biggest frustration was that the site didn’t protect your tickets (in the basket) whilst you were completing your card details etc, so after thinking I had tickets several times, I was told that they had sold out whilst I was entering my details. Arrrrrgh!  

I think in reality, most of my problems were due to the caravan / camper tickets, as these were in extremely short supply, meaning that the entire order was rejected. Eventually, and thank god, I opted to purchase day tickets without camping, and this was a success. I bought x4 adult and x1 child. 

I spent a few hours today researching places to stay nearby, and it turns out that a little site which is 2 minutes from Oulton Park is offering camping for caravans, tents and camper vans for £20 per night, with a water tap and toilet disposal area. Brilliant!  This means we can walk into and out of the main arena, and return to our van with ease, without having to drive or walk miles. 

No electric hookup on this site, as with the main CarFest camping, so inverter and power pack it is 🙂