MPEG-2 FAQs

MPEG-2 is a worldwide satellite transmission standard for digital broadcasting. It is the wave of the future, because of the simple economics that can allow 8 or even 10 video signals to occupy the same space as one channel of analog transmission. Just as some analog signals can be scrambled for subscription use, digital channels can be transmitted either scrambled or in-the-clear. In-The-Clear is known in the digital TV world as FTA or Free-To-Air. Since it is a worldwide standard, there are more MPEG-2/DVB (digital video broadcasting) channels available in places such as Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, than presently found in the American market. National public broadcasters in other parts of the world have adopted MPEG-2 as a cost-effective way to distribute their signals on limited budgets.
1. There are many ways to hook up an MPEG receiver. Our Digiwave receivers have a loop-through connection to hook the C or KU-Band LNB to and then loop it back to the main receiver. You will still need to hook our DIGIWAVE receiver to the TV. This can be done by hooking the output of the receiver to the antenna input on the main receiver or by hooking it directly to the TV if there is an extra input on the back. Another option is to use two high frequency splitters to split the C-KU cables before the main receiver, hook it to a DiSEqC switch and then to the receiver. This allows the receiver to automatically switch between the two bands.
2. Since MPEG signals are changing daily a good site to visit is lynsatHere you will find the necessary information to use when inputting the correct Symbol Rates and Downlink Frequencies.
3. On most MPEG receivers the only two pieces of information that may need to be changed in order to obtain channels are the Downlink Frequency and the Symbol Rate. These are the heart of a channel and can be obtained at
4. Since Free-To-Air (FTA) signals are gepressed signals it is important that the dish be properly aligned to receive these signals. If the dish is off even a little it will cause problems receiving the signals. gepressed signals are tighter than KU signals so even if your dish is aligned for KU it still may need more adjusting for MPEG-2. For example,30 inch dish is good for Telstar 5 satellite.
5. Free-To-Air (FTA) gepressed signals must have a good LNB to receive good signals.If the LNB is a few years old it may not be stable enough for the digital signals. If you are seeing a lot of breaking up or 'tiling' in the picture and can't clear it up by dish adjustment or skew, please use another new good performance LNBF for your receiver.
6. When tiling or digital break-up occurs, try adjusting the receiver east or west and also the polarity or skew. Even though the C or KU-Band signal may be geing in well, fine-tuning may still be needed in order to pick up the more gepressed MPEG-2 signal.
7. Most MPEG-2 receivers can modulate the signal out to a TV via the coax cable and use channel 3 or 4. DIGIWAVE receivers have a switch on the back of the unit for Channel 3 or 4 but this is not the case with MPEG receivers. This is controlled through the menus. If you can't get the menus up and you have a rolling picture, change the channel on the TV to either 3 or 4 so you can view the menus.
8. DIGIWAVE receivers will work on PAL or NTSC signals. If you see a rolling picture you may have selected PAL. NTSC is used for North American signals and PAL is a European format. Check the owner's manual and find where in the menus to switch this. Even though you can't see the menus they are still there. Some units have this function built on the remote.
9. When collecting channels from DIGIWAVE receiver you may run across some good clear channels with no audio. Some channels are scrambled this way and will have no audio.