Frequently Asked Questions
Can I receive HD Digital Terrestrial TV?
Digital terrestrial TV (DTT) was launched on 31 December 2007 with signals transmitted by the main transmitting station at Temple Hill. In 2008 and 2009, 11 more transmitting stations at Castle Peak, Cloudy Hill, Golden Hill, Kowloon Peak, Lamma Island, Mount Nicholson, Sheung Yeung Shan, Sai Wan Shan (Chai Wan), Piper's Hill, Brick Hill and Beacon Hill were activated.
The current digital coverage extends to 18 districts in Hong Kong, reaching 85% of the population.
Coverage information on a building-by-building basis from a database service provided by the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA).
More DTT transmitting stations to be completed in 2010 and onwards and the DTT coverage will expand accordingly.
Further information can be found at www.digitaltv.gov.hk and www.ofca.gov.hk
What equipment do I need for HD digital terrestrial TV?
Hong Kong terrestrial broadcasts are received via a UHF aerial. While a UHF aerial designed specifically for HD digital terrestrial TV and installed by a TV Aerial technician is recommended, usually any UHF aerial that will receive a good analogue signal (clean picture with no snow) will work.
To watch broadcasts in High Definition, a television with 720 vertical pixels or greater is required. Any television labelled 'HD Ready' or 'Full HD' will be fine.
What benefits do HD digital terrestrial broadcasts provide?
Digital TV is a far more efficient and flexible transmission system than the analogue system. It allows broadcasters to offer viewers a range of new and different services.
The possible benefits include:
- 'Ghost-free' and 'snow-free' reception
- Widescreen 16:9 pictures
- Standard definition television (SDTV) and HDTV programmes
- High quality audio and surround sound
- Multi-channel programming
- Closed captioning of programmes for the hearing-impaired
- Electronic Programme Guides (EPGs) with the next 7 days' programme information
- On-screen current programme information
- Interactive television services including interactive programmes, selected Internet services, home shopping, computer games, etc can also be provided by digital TV.
What are the differences between High Definition television (HDTV), standard definition television (SDTV) and conventional analogue television?
A picture on the TV screen is formed by a large number of small dots called pixels. The higher the number of pixels, the better the picture quality will be. The pictures of conventional analogue TV broadcasting provide a maximum of 720 (horizontal) x 576 (vertical) pixels. Typically HDTV broadcasts have a resolution of at least 1280 horizontal pixels and 720 vertical pixels, providing superior picture quality over analogue TV broadcasts.
HDTV pictures are usually displayed on a wide screen (aspect ratio 16:9, i.e. the ratio of picture width to height) format, instead of the usual square screen (aspect ratio 4:3) format of conventional analogue TV pictures.
Together with the ability to support multi-channel sound systems, HDTV broadcasts enable viewers at home to have an experience comparable to watching a movie in a cinema.
Standard definition TV (SDTV) broadcasting can be considered the digital version of the conventional analogue TV broadcasting, both of which have the same screen format and picture resolution. However, digital SDTV pictures are free from the 'ghosting' and 'snowing' commonly found in analogue TV pictures.
SDTV and HDTV are two of the main features supported by digital TV.
Is audio quality better on digital TV than on analogue TV?
Yes. Digital television is transmitted with MPEG and/or Dolby Digital stereo sound or multi-channel surround sound, thereby providing markedly superior audio quality.
What kind of television/display do I need to use Magic TV™?
Magic TV™ can output standard definition signals over both the digital and analogue connections with its on-screen menus still being legible, meaning you can keep your current TV and use MagicTV™. However, it is recommended that an HDTV (1280x720 or more pixels) is used for primary viewing. For ideal viewing, a display with 1920x1080 pixels and an HDMI connection is desirable.
What do the Aspect Ratio Correction modes do?
Currently, digital TV channels are always broadcast in 16:9 widescreen format. If the programme is 4:3, then black bars will be included in the broadcast image on the sides of the programme.
Magic TV™ includes a set of Aspect Ratio Correction modes, some of which can be used to remove those black bars if desired. Please see the following diagrams for further information.
| Original broadcast (and also how the image will look if 'Full' is selected) | Aspect Ratio Correction mode used | Result on 16:9 TV | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Full | |
The broadcast fills the screen |
 |
WideZoom |  |
Removes the sides and non-linearly stretches the image keeping the centre of the screen undistorted |
 |
Zoom 1 |  |
Zooms in on the centre of the screen - retaining the original shape |
|
Zoom 2 |  |
Removes the sides and evenly stretches the image to fill the screen |
 |
Pillarbox |  |
If a programme appears stretched in ‘Full’ mode, this mode could correct it by adding black bars to the sides or top and bottom |
How many channels can I record and watch simultaneously?
Dual Tuner Magic TV™ models allow the simultaneous recording of any 2 channels and you can watch a 3rd channel, provided that all 3 channels are broadcast on any two UHF frequencies (see table below).
Channels on same frequencies as of 30th April 2014 |
|
| UHF frequency#1 | CH11, CH16, CH81, CH84 |
| UHF frequency#2 | CH82, CH83, CH85 |
| UHF frequency#3 | CH12, CH13, CH15, CH17 |
| UHF frequency#4 | CH31, CH32, CH33 |
| For example, dual tuner models (a MTV8000D for example) can record channels 11 and 85 simultaneously, and then you can also watch channel 82 at the same time. | |
How do I edit recordings?
Editing recordings is easy and achieved during playback. Follow these simple steps:
- During playback, at the start of the section to be cut, press
to add a “cut-mark” to the recording - At the end of the section to be cut, press
- Magic TV™ will now miss out the section between these marks during future playback. Any section to be missed will be shown on the Timebar as transparent (see image below)
- Return to “Recorded Programmes List” and choose the edited file, press
then select “Edit and Copy To System HDD” - A smaller-sized file will now be created but the original recording will not be deleted until you do so manually.
How do I play my camcorder movies?
For Recorder models (with built-in storage):
- Connect your HD Camcorder to Magic TV™ using USB
- Enter the Magic TV™ main menu and go to “Magic TV Gadgets”, then choose “HD Camcorder Movie”
- Magic TV™ will now read AVCHD files from your camcorder. Press to select “Copy to System HDD” to put files into Magic TV™ internal HDD for future playback.
For Receiver models:
- Connect your HD Camcorder to Magic TV™ using USB
- Enter the Magic TV™ main menu and go to “Magic TV Gadgets”, then choose “HD Camcorder Movie”
- Magic TV™ will now read AVCHD files from your camcorder and you can use the Magic TV™ remote to play, forward, rewind and pause.
Is there a list of shortcut keys?
- Enter 'To Do List'
Press
on EPG page - Enter/Exit Interactive TV
Press
while viewing channel 83 or 85 - Enter 'Recorded Programme List'
Press
while watching live TV - Hide Timebar Display
Press
- Jump backward/forward by 1-9 minutes during playback
Press
- 
to skip forward the corresponding number of minutes
Press
then - to skip backwards the corresponding number of minutes - Page Up/Down
Press
buttons in menus and listings - Set Repeat Recording
Press
button twice on EPG - Switch to previous TV channel
Press while watching live TV
What is Remote Recording and how do I register?
Once you connect your Magic TV™ to the Internet, you can now set recordings from your browser. This means that you can set recordings while at work, on your smartphone, or from anywhere with an Internet connection and a browser!
Registering is easy:
- Step 1: On your Magic TV™ unit, go to Main Menu > Settings > System > Advanced Settings > Remote Scheduling Registration.
- Step 2: Enter your mobile phone number and your chosen password.
- Step 3: If your moblie number is from PCCW, an SMS text message containing a Confirmation Key will be sent directly to your mobile phone.
- Step 4: Enter this Confirmation Key into the same Magic TV™ menu.
- Step 5: Now you can visit the Remote Recording website to start Remote Recording.
On the Remote Recording website you can browse the next 7 days of programmes, perform searches and set Single, Series or Repeat recordings.
Can I move recordings to a USB flash drive or USB Hard Disk Drive?
Yes. Magic TV™ supports multiple Hard Disk Drives connected via USB and recordings can be copied or moved freely between them.
Can I copy recordings to a USB flash drive and watch on mobile or tablet?
Yes. You can use a Dual Head USB flash drive with both USB and Lightning (iPhone/iPad) or OTG (Android) connector. First copy the Magic TV™ recording via USB, then connect the Lightning or OTG connector to a iPhone/iPad or Android phone/tablet. And use the phone/tablet video player to play and watch Magic TV™ recording.
Can I move recordings over my network?
No, not currently. It is possible that future software upgrades will allow this.
What are the feeds for News and Weather?
These are similar to an advanced teletext. When you connect Magic TV™ to your home Internet connection, it allows Magic TV™ to obtain up-to-date News and Weather from local sources.
If I don't connect to the Internet, what features will I lose?
You will lose the extra iEPG information, Series Record, Live News, Weather info, Automatic Rescheduling and over-the-Internet firmware upgrades.
If I have set up scheduled recordings and Magic TV™ is off when the time to start recording comes along, does the unit power-up automatically?
Yes, Magic TV™ will automatically wake up before the scheduled recording starts.
How to scan TV channel manually?
Under Setup -> Channel Setup -> Manual Channel Scan,
Magic TV™ can be made to scan certain frequencies for channels. Use
the slider to select the desired frequency channel. The presence and
quality of a broadcast signal can be seen below. After selecting ‘Start
Scan’, Magic TV™ will report the number of channels found (if any).
After you’ve finished scanning, you can view the new channels by
selecting ‘View Channel List’.