GTMedia HDTV Mate - ATSC 1.0/3.0 USB Device

GTMedia has recently introduced a new ATSC 1.0/3.0 USB device. Currently this device works only in Android version 9 or higher. I have agreed to test this device and make attempts at improving it. The HDTV Mate ATSC 1.0/3.0 device currently depends on the GTMedia HDTV Player, which can be installed using Google Play or by direct download if needed.

The purpose of this thread is to show how this device operates and make attempts to improve it. There are not many ways to view ATSC 3.0 right now, and the HDTV Mate provides an economical way to view ATSC 3.0 channels. The HDTV Mate works - at least to a degree - on ATSC 3.0 channels, but more work is needed to have a polished and finished product.

The developers for the HDTV Mate are located "Out of Country" and do not have direct access to our ATSC 3.0 services here in the United States. This means it will be up to us to supply them with the information they need to fix it, and then it will be up to them to fix it once the proper information has been provided. Proper information for fixing the HDTV Mate will include detailed problem descriptions, recordings of ATSC 3.0 Streams, and videos showing either problems or correct performance after problems have been fixed.

Pretty much the HDTV Mate is in the same predicament as any other ATSC 3.0 device or solutions that are currently available. IMO, the whole ATSC 3.0 rollout has been a mess, and it appears that the ATSC group as a whole does not know what the Hell they are doing. How can developers develop when the ATSC group cannot decide on things that dictate development? The DRM encryption thingy comes to mind as one example.

Screenshots comments, videos...etc of the HDTV Mate will follow in this thread. Anyone is welcome to ask questions, comment, or participate in a constructive way. Currently I am running the HDTV Mate ATSC 1.0/3.0 on a FTA receiver that is dual boot (enigma2/Android9). This particular ATSC 3.0 device has a lot of potential, but some work needs to be done before the full potential may be realized..

Tried the mate on my Samsung phone and the player has an option menu not visible on my Sony Bravia tv.

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Also, the phone does an adaptive scan much faster than the tv. 8 cores vs. 4 cores in the cpu makes a big difference in phone vs. tv.

A link to this thread has been sent to the GTMedia Developer.

Seems Any Android 9 is having problems with HDTV Mate. I have tried two, one in the Qviart, and another Android 9 on a tablet. Both of these devices under-performed somewhat when compared to a smartphone running Android 11. So I am guessing there is a problem with Android version 9.

I find the HDTV Mate ATSC Tuner to be sensitive and have overall excellent performance. The db(snr) signal meter seems to be well adjusted. Weak signals that cannot be locked are also shown, which is great for making antenna adjustments or other attempts at signal improvements. The tuner seems very stable and does not fluctuate wildly or for no apparent reason.

Picture quality from the HDTV Mate/HDTV Player combination are at minimum acceptable to good with some channels displayed as nothing but excellent in picture quality. Even the old stuff found on Heroes, Start TV, Charge...etc look at least decent at minimum, with some looking amazingly well considering their 40-50 year age. So for me, No Picture quality issues.

Closed caption Works on my channels that have this feature.

Shown below are screenshots of the tuner signal display. Also some HDTV Player menus and things like epg are shown. Overasll, this is put together very well IMO.

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Someone will ask what is wrong or not working. Actually it seems very little is wrong, but what does not work is causing big problems.

Channel changing is slow for a number of reasons. Probably the biggest channel change problem is the player tries to adjust the resolution and aspect ratio each time these items are changed in the video. Probably due to bad coding, poor coding or no coding (take your pick), the channels change either slow or they hang. If there are no resolution or aspect changes, then channel changing seems to work OK. Keep in mind this is being setup by people outside of the U.S. which is almost the equivalent to working blind.

DRM encryption does not work for me. This is being worked on and conversations are being had about it. I gotta ask though: Does DRM decoding work on ANY ATSC 3.0 device? Does DRm require an Internet connection to work? I think everyone is having some sort of problem with DRM decrypting.

I have not tried to record anything yet.

Android 9 currently has a problem with scanning ATSC 3.0 channels. The ATSC 3.0 frequency shows no signal until you try to scan it. Then a signal for the ATSC 3.0 frequency is shown. A rescan after the frequency shows a signal returns nothing. Android 11 smartphone scans and returns channels on my ATSC 3.0 frequency.

Slow channel changes or channels hanging, not being displayed AND ATSC 3.0 channels not being scanned are my current issues running Android 9. Let's see if these areas can be fixed or improved...

Channel changing or almost any other function selection on my tv, I believe is a fault of the android os and the remote control supplied by the tv vendor. I have to use a Harmony remote in order to make navigating less frustrating and faster on the tv. But, still it's not perfect and makes android and most other programs associated with it a pia to use.

I see ebay started selling the Gtmedia mate for 59.99 with free shipping included from China.

This one has my curiosity.....

The ota epg on my tv has many channels missing info, which never seem to populate. My Hauppauge 950Q epg can find more info on some channels than the tv. But, the channel selected with the 950Q, will eventually populate, if left on that channel for two or more minutes.

The mate seems to populate the epg info much faster and seems to be much more complete than the other two mentioned.

I am guessing that they all use the same source for epg.

I am fairly certain the HDTV Mate gets the epg from the terrestrial stream and not through the internet just like the other devices uou have mentioned. Why the HDTV Mate does a better job with the epg when they all use the same sources is unknown to me.

I think the HDTV Mate will be a good, solid device if a few things such as channel changes can be fixed on it. I have been in touch with the manufacturer about the problems of this device and they insist not only will the problems be fixed, DRM decryption will work as well. I find the HDTV Mate is a cool running usb device which is also good. it will be interesting to see what their next device update does. We will see...

The hdtv player v. 2.16 is available for upgrade.

I also am testing one of these GT Media HDTV Mate ATSC3.0 Dongles. Thank you to Tom at GT Media for the test sample. I am considering selling these at HyperMegasat.com, but nothing i will have to say in this thread will be affected by that Yes/No decision. I will only give the truth based on what i see. I have to say i am very impressed so far. Both with the product, the performance, and also the customer support and development. And for the price which is currently $59.99 retail, i am very impressed. I know of no other device that low cost that will work for ATSC 3.0 Next Gen OTA. The negative i see is that is is ONLY for android devices. So to watch on the TV, you need an Android TV, or Android TV STB. It will also work with Android Phones, Tablets, and even some Car systems. But honestly, who wants to watch TV on a phone or tablet hooked by coax to an antenna? Perhaps if you can cast from your phone/tablet to a TV that will work. Or also if you are camping or tailgating, this would be great too. Especially since the thing is just a dongle and can fit in your pocket. But to really enjoy this product without too much crazy effort you really need an Android TV, or STB that supports Android TV i think,.

I have no android devices these days except my cellphone. I sold the last android based STB i had last year, boy do i regret that now. So all my testing is done on my phone which is Samsung Galaxy A14 5G running Android 13. So far the HDTV Mate seems to work great. The scan brought in every channel i normally get which is 34 channels, but then also the 5 Next Gen channels in my area, that i have never seen before. What was really surprising to me is that it scanned in the ATSC 3.0 channels from Detroit. Signal was too low to play them, but it scanned them in. Did not scan in the ATSC 1.0 channels from Detroit at all, and my OTA antenna never has. So i assume the NextGen towers for the Detroit channels are closer to me than the regular 1.0 towers, but still impressive it would pull in enough signal to scan them in. So i am very happy with the tuner. Seems very strong and accurate. Channels play really well, epg info loads quite well after a short while. I did have the player crash once for no apparent reason but after 2 hours of watching various channels, changing channels, etc.., that only happened once, otherwise it worked great.

Here is a couple pics of the device, I will post some screen shots shortly.

Here are some screenshots from my testing

Winsat Technology Limited is also currently selling them on Amazon. Same price as ebay.

"So I am guessing there is a problem with Android version 9."
My tv is running on Android 11. Is this device compatible with my tv ?

Currently,
Android 9 does not work as good as later Android versions. Android 11 should be OK or at least work better than Android 9.

For those in the Toronto area, there is a channel transmitting 3.0 on an experimental license, from Humber college.
Broadband Convergence B2C Lab, Toronto, Ca.

I recorded a short sample .ts file of PBS on my android 9 tv using the mate hdtv (v. 2.16) player program and a usb stick plugged into the tv port. The recording was playable on the tv using the mate hdtv player and playable on a win10 pc using the latest vlc player.

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Hopefully support resolves all issues soon.

New version(2.17) was released on 11-27-2023. You might check it and see if it fixes anything.

v. 2.17 fixed quite a few issues on my android 9 tv. I haven't had a chance to try it on my phone yet or my android 10 tv.

Hope they keep improving their releases.

I try it & scanned for the last couple of days and it can not open any atsc 3.0 channels: Buffering...!!!
The rest of the channels are a bad quality; worst then my tv... I think it needs more improvements...

Just curious... what android version is your tv?

I tried 2.17 on my android 13 phone and it works fine on non-drm channels. On the six drm channels in my area, only two work correctly. But from what I have read, they are in the process of getting certified by the $$$ folks.

I still believe the cpu type and memory makes a difference in how android performs in all tasks. My tv is an older 4 core cpu, while my phone is an 8 core and faster rated cpu. The player is much more responsive on my phone than my tv. The full scan is faster on the phone (130 channels) than on the tv. Using other android programs (like x-plore) on the phone and on the tv. one can see the difference in operation.

If they continue to keep releasing improvements, I'll be a happy camper.

TV is android 11. no problems with other apps on this tv.

If you have the time, make a .ts video showing the tuning problems on your tv and send it to support. This way they will be able to get an idea of what doesn't work on the various android platforms and maybe they can resolve issues much quicker.

you mean to do a video of the tv screen with the phone showing the buffering message ?

Yes, using the hdtv player recording function. When you email it to them, indicate the channel number, the frequency (mhz), android version and the brand of phone in the file name.

On mine, on prior versions, when it used to buffer, I would select the channel, let it buffer, then exit the player, wait a second or two, then restart the player, then start the recording. Eventually, the buffering message would disappear and be replaced with a large circle. This sequence usually recorded enough information to email to support.

If the file is too large to send with your email client, you can use wetransfer.com as an alternative. It's free and you do not have to sign up.

Good luck!

I was having some problems with channel changes. Some channels would be dark when I changed to them and I would have stop, then restart the app to make them work. I sent Tom some videos showing this problem and he sent me .apk 217d which pretty much fixed the channel change issues! It is good to see improvements being made instead of excuses. More work in other areas is still needed but as a whole, the HDTV Mate seems headed in a very good direction. It may even become famous if they keep working at it (DRM).

Yes, it's good to see a quick response when issues exist with a product. He sent me version b and c last week and a day after he received the requested videos, he sent me version d. Sent him requested signal strength videos and hopefully the next version might be a good fix.

Version 2.18 Is on Google Play.
Probably always best to uninstall the old version of the app, then install the newer version instead of upgrading existing app.

2.18 Is much improved. There are still a few things to fix, but the progress that has been made with the HDTV Mate is very Impressive to me!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by el bandido [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Version 2.18 Is on Google Play.
Probably always best to uninstall the old version of the app, then install the newer version instead of upgrading existing app.

2.18 Is much improved. There are still a few things to fix, but the progress that has been made with the HDTV Mate is very Impressive to me!

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After 2.18 update, it froze my android 11, google tv !!! I had to unplug, remove gt mate & plug back the tv to be able to use it !!!

Did you uninstall the old HDTV Mate app First and then load 2.18 as a new app???

I may be wrong, but I am beginning to think that the reason some android tvs have problems may be with the small internal memory of the tv or memory leakage between running programs. Google likes to run and keep loaded in internal memory a many programs that are not needed. This causes a sluggish op system response, especially when using the menu system of the tv. The sluggishness is very noticeable when opening and closing many programs within a short time span.

I uninstalled, or forced stopped as many programs that Google will allow and noticed a slight improvement in system response. The other option is to install a large fast usb stick in the usb 3 port and allow Google to transfer the uninstallable apps to the usb stick. I was going to try that, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

The only time I've had a frozen tv was when I installed the Tablo program to try out. I did not have to unplug the tv, the tv rc allowed me to shut it off and re-start it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by el bandido [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Did you uninstall the old HDTV Mate app First and then load 2.18 as a new app???

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I didn't have the chance: it auto did the upgrade to 2.18 !!

Delete it and reinstall it.

Quote:

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Delete it and reinstall it.

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did that: same problem; either buffering or freezing !

Looks like you may have some garbage files left over in cache. Try this and see if it helps.

Go to settings> apps> hdtv player> (make sure it displays v. 2.18, you should have roughly the same storage amount used as in the attached pix. Then select force stop> ok then select clear data> ok

Select open hdtv player and it should take you right into the player program. If that doesn't work and it still freezes, unplug the mate from its current port and plug it in to another usb port. But, before you restart hdtv player, redo the above steps to clear out memory used. Then restart the player.

Hope it works for you.

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Has anyone seen this error?

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It's happened to me when I've used other third party programs when I was testing them on my tv.

Looks like the stations are still moving 3.0 channels around in my area (PHX). Back with v. 2.17, a full scan found five 3.0 channels on 599 mhz along with the regular six 3.0 NG channels on 551 mhz. The five 3.0 channels found had *3, after the station call letters, whereas, the six 3.0 channels had NG after the call letters. After v. 2.18 was released, there were no channels found on 599 mhz. Just took it for granted that it was a coding correction in the update.

Turns out that the stations participating in the new rf channel (599 mhz), turn on/off their transmission randomly. So, it's a hit or miss situation to figure out their transmission times.

Found this out by accident when our bedroom atsc 3.0 tv indicated it had a firmware update overnight. I checked the ota tv guide and five (599 mhz.) channels appeared in the guide plus the six NG channels (551 mhz). Prior to the update there were no 599 mhz. channels in the guide.

Attached is a pix of the guide after the new firmware update on the tv. I checked the picture display on KTVK*3 and it indicates 1080p where the display for KTVK-HD shows as 1080i. The 1080i is much softer, whereas, the 1080p is much sharper in appearance. Didn't have a chance to check the other new 599 mhz channels because they stopped transmitting.

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Did a new manual scan on hdtv player v. 2.18 in the living room tv and there was no signal on 599 mhz. Might try again at the same time in the next few days to see if the hdtv player scans the five 599 mhz channels.

All these tests were done using the same tv antenna.

Hdtv player v. 2.18 and (five) unencrypted 599 mhz. channels that were transmitting during test.

Checked android 13 phone and v. 2.18 scanned in 132 channels. The 599 mhz. channels scanned in, but they would not tune in and play any video. Displays
"buffering". The atsc 1.0 channels worked fine.

Checked android 9 atsc 1.0 tv and did a full and manual scan and the 599 mhz. channels were not detected at all. It did scan in 125 channels. The atsc 1.0 channels worked fine.

This tv uses same antenna, but has a much longer cable run.

Checked android 10 atsc 3.0 tv using the internal tuner and it plays the current 599 mhz. transmitting channels very well. See 8.1 PBS android 10 atsc 3.0.jpg, 33.1 Univision android 10 atsc 3.0.jpg, 39.1 Telemundo android 10 atsc 3.0.jpg. The soccer game on the Telemundo channel looked great. Other two had no content during test. On other days they did have content.

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The six NG channels on 551 mhz. still have four of six channels encrypted.

Hope they get their act together soon.

Android 9 has atsc 3.0 problems. My Android 9 device is a Qviart Dual, enigma2/Android fta receiver. The Dual handles the HDTV Mate usb device pretty well on atsc 1.0 channels. except I cannot find any record options. The HDTV Mate and the Dual have no advantage over the Hauppauge atsc 1.0 tuners because there are currently not any atsc 3.0 channels available on the Android 9.

I tried to install several Android versions in both Windows and Ubuntu Linux. None of the Android versions I installed in these operating systems would recognize the HDTV Mate Player (.APK).

Smartphones with Android 11 and Android 13 load the HDTV Mate Player app and open Non-DRM encrypted atsc 3.0 channels. But I am not interested in watching terrestrial channels at home on a smartphone. So my tests on these two devices is very limited.

I really wanted to see what atsc 3.0 has to offer, so I purchased the Upvivi Android 13.0 TV Box 2023 4GB RAM 32GB ROM Buitin RK3528 Quadcore 64bit 8K tv box on Amazon for under 40 dollars shipped. The Upvivi does not recognize the HDTV Mate app in the Google Play store, just like the Android 9. The Upvivi accepted the HDTV Mate 2.18 .apk file from one of my usb devices. The HDTV Mate crashed for some reason when it was first installed in the Upvivi, and atsc 3.0 channels that were not drm would not play.

The Upvivi would freeze and the spinner would activate when trying to use the HDTV Mate app. A couple of hard boots by removing and reinstalling power solved most of the freezing problems and allowed the atsc 3.0 that are not drm to play --somewhat. So I think we can say the atsc 3.0 side of the HDTV Mate is buggy and needs work. The problem is writing all of this up and packaging it in a way that someone without atsc can fix it. Some of these problems are hard to describe.

So I have been through about 5 different ANdroid devices with the HDTV Mate, several of which have different versions of Android installed in them. The HDTV Mate is not consistent and seems to have a different set of problems, based on the version of Android being used. This is not good from a development point of view. To have an atsc 1.0/3.0 usb device to work in Android is a good idea, but it must be consistent. It is OK to have bugs, providing solutions are being found to fix them.

I think the HDTV Mate would be a helluva lot more stable on a Windows or Ubuntu-Linux platform. Android has many different versions and has versions of versions. For example, I don't think Android TV and Android on smartphone are the same thing. My only real experience with Android is on a casual basis, more or less used for phone calls and doing basic things with a smart phone. I did play with the development of Android a few years ago, including rooting smartphones and concluded it was more trouble than it was worth.

My opinion of Android is pretty simple: It is a Good Operating system for a smart phone. But when you try to do something like make Android the operating system for a fta receiver, then you have problems. It looks like when you try to make Android the operating system for something like the HDTV Mate, then you also have problems. Android was designed as a phone system. IMO, that is all it is good for.

I think the HDTV Mate can be made to work correctly or at least a whole lot better than it does now on Android, but it is going to take some development. And the correct Android version for the HDTV Mate needs to be specified. OR it needs to be made to run on all types of Android. It is not good when you say the device runs on Android 9, but you cannot download the app. Ditto not being able to download the app on android 13tv.

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