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Problems tuning in NTL analogue

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  • 03-01-2007 10:46am
    #1
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭


    Hey all,
    Has anyone out there had problems tuning in a new LCD to their analogue NTL channels?

    I've got NTL digital. Now, the box is hooked up by scart and analogue. Everything was fine with the crt but I got a big toshiba LCD on Saturday. And everythings fine with the scart connection. But the problem is with the analogue signal.

    When I turned on the tv first it announced that it wanted to tune the analogue channels. So far so good. But it failed, announcing the lack of any analogue signals. It does this every time the tv is turned on ie. It can pick no analogue signals up so it hasn't tuned any channels in. I tried everything including putting the aerial directly into the tv (ie. bypassing the digi box completely). This led to the tv being able to tune in ONE channel - More4.

    I am confused. If it can tune in one channel why can't it tune them all in? Why does taking the digi box out of the equation change things? I can pick up every channel over the scart.

    (for reference, the old 21" crt had no problems with either the digital or the analogue channel pick up).

    As this happened to anyone else? Is this a Toshiba problem or an NTL problem?
    Thanks!
    Quad


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    #2
    bazzer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 362 ✭✭bazzer


    If I'm reading your message correctly, you can't pick up analogue TV from the SCART. Connect the RF lead from your NTL outlet to the RF aerial input on your LCD (that's likely to be a thin, round, white cable with a circular connector at each end).

    Your set-up should include two such leads running from the splitter at the outlet box. One feeds the digital box, the other is for analogue, so make sure you haven't mixed them up.

    Another possibility is that you may be referring to E4, not More 4 when you tried an analogue scan. This would be the E4 on the UHF band (channel 21). There are two other NTL analogue channels on UHF, but I suspect the cable system in your area may not be sufficiently upgraded for you to see them. E4 is at the bottom of the UHF band and therefore out of the three, this is most likely to be strongest, which is why your TV can only 'see' this channel.

    Go into your LCD's tuning settings and select the VHF bands to tune along, not the UHF one.


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    #3
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    Cheers Bazzer,
    I don't think I explained that properly!

    With both the scart connection AND the analogue connection hooked up, the tv cannot tune in analogue channels. So flicking through the channels on the tv does nothing cos the tv cannot tune anything in. It does the autotune thing, scanning channel/bands whatever. And it comes back saying it cannot detect any broadcasts. Switching to the scart connection gets a perfect digital signal.

    However, if I pull out the scart and hook the aerial DIRECTLY from the wall into the tv (instead of into the digibox which then connects to the tv with an analogue cable and a scart cable) the tv is capable of tuning in ONE channel.

    Actually, it could be E4. (whichever one has friends repeating infinitely).

    And I am puzzled. Is it the tv?

    The situation didn't happen with the crt tv?!?! :confused:


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    #4
    bazzer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 362 ✭✭bazzer


    Can you refer to the user manual that came with your TV? Look for the Technical Specifications and see what it says under 'Receiving Channels' or similar. It should give a list of channel numbers, letters or frequencies. Post back here and we'll see what you have.

    Give us the model number of the LCD as well, it may help other readers to give you some more advice.


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    #5
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    Thanks man!

    It's a Toshiba 37 WLT66
    http://www.home-entertainment.toshiba.co.uk/consumer/products.nsf/pages/lcdplasma-regza-37wl66?opendocument

    I checked the manual (it's on that link) but it doesn't seem to list frequencies. I bought it in Dixons in Jervis so surely it would support all the standard frequencies here??

    Tuning

    * Auto set-up
    * Number of channels (Analogue): 100
    * Multi-standard tuner
    * NTSC video playback


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    #6
    bazzer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 362 ✭✭bazzer


    You may be in trouble. Have a look at the following:

    http://www.home-entertainment.toshiba.co.uk/consumer/information.nsf/manuals/37WL66/$file/37WL66_OM.PDF

    It's a PDF document on the type of LCD you have. Scroll down to 'Specifications & Accessories' on page 28. The tuner only covers the UHF band related to PAL-I. PAL-I is the system in use in Ireland and the UK for analogue TV. However, the UK only use the UHF band, whereas we also use VHF for cable - and your TV doesn't cover it.

    A long shot is exploring the tuning menu on your TV manually. You MIGHT, repeat MIGHT, get away with trying to select the PAL B/G format and re-tuning again. If it doesn't work, it's back to the shop with it.


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    #7
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    bazzer wrote:
    You may be in trouble. Have a look at the following:

    http://www.home-entertainment.toshiba.co.uk/consumer/information.nsf/manuals/37WL66/$file/37WL66_OM.PDF

    It's a PDF document on the type of LCD you have. Scroll down to 'Specifications & Accessories' on page 28. The tuner only covers the UHF band related to PAL-I. PAL-I is the system in use in Ireland and the UK for analogue TV. However, the UK only use the UHF band, whereas we also use VHF for cable - and your TV doesn't cover it.

    A long shot is exploring the tuning menu on your TV manually. You MIGHT, repeat MIGHT, get away with trying to select the PAL B/G format and re-tuning again. If it doesn't work, it's back to the shop with it.

    :eek: I am speechless. What a f**king joke. The guy in Dixons never said that. Then again, I'm sure the guy in Dixons is only vaguely aware of his own name.

    Bazzer, I owe you one dude. I'll check that out tonight.

    I never considered this situation before. Do alot of new tvs have this kind of limited functionality?


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    #8
    Mountjoy Mugger
    Registered Users Posts: 4,487 ✭✭✭Mountjoy Mugger


    I've also got a UK TV (Panasonic 42PX60). It also has only UHF on analogue and all I get is E4.

    What I do is feed the cable through my DVD recorder, which has an Irish Spec tuner. I then output to the TV and get all my cable channels on analogue.

    A VCR will do the same, if you have one lying around. If not, it's back to the shop. Frankly, I'm amazed Dixons pulled that stunt.


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    #9
    The tax man
    Registered Users Posts: 4,557 ✭✭✭The tax man


    Not the first time Dixons have sold UK models here.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:


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    #10
    DingDong
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,438 ✭✭✭DingDong


    I'd be throwing that tv back at dixons its possible it was a mistake too. argos did the same when selling the cheapo wharfedale tv some of them were UK sets


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    #11
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    Bazzer & Bazzer - cheers for the help and cheers to Dingdong and taxman for the input. Manually tuning it didn't work.

    I was about to go on a rant about the manager of Dixons (whose name, for decency sake, I will withhold). On asked why they would sell such a model, she said (I quote) 'How are we supposed to know about that?'.

    Anyway, she was an unhelpful rude twat. However, she told some guy to call me and he was intelligent, friendly and knowledgeable. He listened carefully (the witch obviously having passed no details on) and admitted that sometimes UK models do slip through. He apoligised but said that some of these tvs are VHF capable on PAL-i but it's not something you can get at through the tuning.

    You have to go through the menus and hidden in there is a country option. It defaults to UK but select Ireland and he said he was pretty confident it'd work.

    I'll try it when I get home. And I may still return it. But a little bit of customer f*cking service goes a long way.


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    #12
    bazzer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 362 ✭✭bazzer


    Unbelievably poor service from Dixons, but hopefully you're on the right track now, Quad. Let us know how you get on!


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    #13
    The tax man
    Registered Users Posts: 4,557 ✭✭✭The tax man


    quad_red wrote:

    You have to go through the menus and hidden in there is a country option. It defaults to UK but select Ireland and he said he was pretty confident it'd work.

    With a bit of luck he could be right on that one.
    I've come across one or two sets that when a certain country is selected on first power up out of the box,it will only then give you tuning options for that country(and nothing else). With most TVs it's just telling the set which frequencies to tune between.
    Seems with some models now picking UK(just an example) as the country it's locking out any other tuning options,the TV may have, even when you try to manually do it.

    Even looking at the specs on the manual it's reading UK+Europe tuning specs.
    No mention really of Irish cable specs i.e. VHF Pal I.
    Surely these manufactures should know that Ireland,in parts,has a different system to the UK.
    Should be very interesting to see if Ireland is available as a country on the TV and if so does it change the tuning parameters of the TV completely

    Fingers crossed for ya.:D


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    #14
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    Cheers guys. I'll give it a whack later.

    :p I hope I don't have to drag this across Dublin city again. Once was enough for me.


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    #15
    SPDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 1,340 ✭✭✭SPDUB


    quad_red wrote:
    However, she told some guy to call me and he was intelligent, friendly and knowledgeable. He listened carefully (the witch obviously having passed no details on) and admitted that sometimes UK models do slip through. He apoligised but said that some of these tvs are VHF capable on PAL-i but it's not something you can get at through the tuning.

    You have to go through the menus and hidden in there is a country option. It defaults to UK but select Ireland and he said he was pretty confident it'd work.

    Thats exactly what happened with a video recorder I bought from them a few years ago

    It defaulted to the UK on first power up and I had to go through the menus to change the country option and use the VHF tuner it had in it


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    #16
    thund3rbird_
    Registered Users Posts: 866 ✭✭✭thund3rbird_


    I think you might be able to get one of these in dublin

    see this post

    On checking the manual there appears to be a PAL B/G option available & the channel settings are correct (E2 - E12 & S1 - S41).

    I think I might have a Channel ID / frequency reference table somewhere - (CH2 (E2) = 48MHz, CH3 = 56MHz etc, add 8MHz for each jump

    in the mean time the old ntl site is still available so all the cable frequencies are here. good job as they are not on the new chorus-like site :rolleyes:

    ===============================================

    this might start you off on the Channel ID tuning. not 100% sure on these but you can get the correct freqs from the link above

    Ch ID Freq (MHz)
    2 = 48
    3 = 56
    4 =64
    11 = 120
    12 =128
    13 =136
    14 =144
    15 =152
    16 =160
    17 =168
    18 =176
    19 =184
    20 =192
    21 =200
    22 =208 (channel ID's here might change to the 'S' range so poss this is S1?? )
    23 =216
    24 =224
    25 =232


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    #17
    The tax man
    Registered Users Posts: 4,557 ✭✭✭The tax man


    We need an update.........Did it work or not:confused::confused:


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    #18
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    Thund3rbird but I'm not really sure how to tune frequencies like that. And to be honest, the sheen is long gone from the most expensive piece of electronics I've ever bought :(

    No tax_man, changed region didn't work.

    To be honest, the whole experience has been an anti-climax of proportion. Yes, dvds looked absolutely stunning. And playing the 360 was fecking class.

    But most NTL digital channels looked mediocre. And the inability to pick up cable is essential given our digiboxs habit of giving up the ghost, locking, loosing channels etc.

    And Dixons attitude wasn't great either.

    I think I'm going bring it back this weekend and get a refund. And Miss Manager Lady from Dixons, if you're out there - I'm getting a full f*cking refund.

    50/60 quid down in taxi fares but I doubt Dixons give a toss.


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    #19
    The tax man
    Registered Users Posts: 4,557 ✭✭✭The tax man


    Ah shíte, sorry to hear that. The amount of people I've come across in the same boat is unreal and the common link is these UK outfits setting up here and selling stock that doesn't work here. Too many at this stage to be considered a mistake in the warehouse. They'd want to get their act together and make sure the stock they sell in Ireland actually works on all irish platforms.


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    #20
    gipo2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 118 ✭✭gipo2


    I got a 32WLT66 in north and have RTE1 and 2 on VHF both tuned in perfectly. Brilliant TV.


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