TV's with MPEG4 DTT decoder

Machinehead

championc wrote: »

It's crazy that they continue selling the specific "L" models here when the "B" FreeviewHD (not Freeview) work perfectly. They could just stick to bringing in these models only and we'd all be happy.


C

Panasonic are not allowed put "Freesat" licenced products into the Irish market due to UK rights & licencing issues hence the "L" range . According to their webstie it looks like all the 2011 "B" range UK models are available in Ireland this year. (Last year they had a separate page for LED/LCD TV's for the Irish market). Whats the difference? No sat tuners ~ no freesat issues. Apparently they are waiting for freesat to nail down the new G2 freesat specs before they go ahead & introduce DVB-T/2 & DVB S/S2 combis in 2012.
Still doesn't resolve the D25L issues & I don't think they are too bothered about it either. Interesting that the D25L is gone from the Panny site while the D25B is still there.

Machinehead

tui0hcg wrote: »

even though they never told me that it is only the MHEG5 aspect that is not available. i.e. they said Saorview should work (which it does) but he never told me it didn't have MHEG5

I'm in the same boat there. I remember the sales guy showed me a Samsung with the MHEG5 TV guide onscreen & he did point out that the Panny didn't do the same thing but in my blissful ignorance it didn't dawn on me that MHEG5 text was also missing ~ why? because I was unaware of what it was & what MHEG5 functions did.
Sometimes ignorance is not bliss:(

championc

tui0hcg wrote: »

even though they never told me that it is only the MHEG5 aspect that is not available. i.e. they said Saorview should work (which it does) but he never told me it didn't have MHEG5

And of course they answered the question that you asked them, which was answered to your satisfaction. It's just unfortunate that you found out afterwards that there was another question that you should have asked.

And to be honest, it seems like they were very well informed in that I'm sure they emphasized the word "should" which would also have technically given them a getout clause if it suddenly stopped working with Saorview.


C

Sponge Bob

Panasonic have said that there will be no new Freesat models in 2011 so they can sell current UK models (with a B at the end) in Ireland in 2011 ...but still not the buggy 2009/2010 Freesat capable models. If they bring back freesat support for generation 2 freesat in 2012 then they probably will NOT sell those particular 2012 models in Ireland in 2012 .

http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/index.php/panasonic-hold-off-on-new-product-range

Panasonic have put on hold their decision to launch any new Freesat products this year (usually in March); instead choosing to continue with the existing range of Freesat receivers and built-in televisions.

They have stated their reasoning behind this is due to waiting for the new technical details of the second generation Freesat products which all manufacturers must comply with.

Whilst Freesat are underway with plans to release this information later in the year, we suspect Panasonic are not wishing to jump in too soon following the fiasco with the early products in 2008 still not capable of accessing BBC iPlayer.

The new Freesat specification (currently nicknamed G2) is expected to include some minor hardware changes, but is largely focused on Internet based services, such as on-demand, which is expected to become common place over the next few years.

John Dough

tui0hcg wrote: »

He didn't say yeh or nah as I didn't really ask about MHEG5. I did ask if it would pick up Saorview and he said yes 'it should - but no guarantee'

Will that be a deal breaker you think? I think they will fight it to take it back so maybe I am better off pursuing Panasonic to try to get some kind of firmware patch or a CI card or the likes

Winston is correct "not fit for purpose" is a consumer rights clause and they (the retailer) must take it back or failing that tell them you are taking a small claims court action (cost €25approx) and you will win with expenses.They usually accept it then.


Talk to the consumer assosciation and they will advise and help you as they are very nice people.

TheDriver

Ihave the z81 and went to add new services tonight (i have it all backed up) and it added the test channel without touching any of my existing channels. weird!

LulaCici

Thanks STB, a fountain of knowledge as per usual. Last point - are the D25E & the Ireland D25L basically one in the same then?

---

bladeless fan dyson fan Air Multiplier

strat

I see the 3view box mentioned a few times in this thread but did anyone get a unit working over here with saorview or is it still an unknown quantity? I've mailed their support but nothing yet.
Specs wise it looks like the right job, anything else like it that anyone would recommend?

moggy68

Hi guys,

I was looking to buy a 50" plasma and found the LG PV350T for €600 from Vmaxx.ie so I checked with them if it was compatible with Saorview and they said yes, as it has MPEG4 it should be fine but LG sent me this reply to the same question;


"The 50PV350T has a MPEG4 tuner but is unfortunately not compatible with Saorview.

Had a look on the saorview.ie website for compatibility and it is not listed.

I hope this has been of some assistance to you .

Please do not hesitate in contacting us again should you require any further advice.

Best Regards,

LG Electronics UK Helpdesk"


I read somewhere that tv's with MPEG4 and DVB-T are Saorview compatible so what makes them "not"? There are no differences in the model no's for Ireland/UK so how do you tell them apart?

I suppose it won't matter until next October when analogue is switched off and I can always add a set top box (or upgrade to satellite!) if it doesn't work but just wondered if any of you "in the know" could give me a definitive answer?

Also, anyone have any comments on the TV? Looks good on paper but anyone actually got one?

Cheers

Moggy

d8player

moggy68 wrote: »

Hi guys,

I was looking to buy a 50" plasma and found the LG PV350T for €600 from Vmaxx.ie so I checked with them if it was compatible with Saorview and they said yes, as it has MPEG4 it should be fine but LG sent me this reply to the same question;


"The 50PV350T has a MPEG4 tuner but is unfortunately not compatible with Saorview.

Had a look on the saorview.ie website for compatibility and it is not listed.

I hope this has been of some assistance to you .

Please do not hesitate in contacting us again should you require any further advice.

Best Regards,

LG Electronics UK Helpdesk"


I read somewhere that tv's with MPEG4 and DVB-T are Saorview compatible so what makes them "not"? There are no differences in the model no's for Ireland/UK so how do you tell them apart?

I suppose it won't matter until next October when analogue is switched off and I can always add a set top box (or upgrade to satellite!) if it doesn't work but just wondered if any of you "in the know" could give me a definitive answer?

Also, anyone have any comments on the TV? Looks good on paper but anyone actually got one?

Cheers

Moggy

I have a Panasonic G20 that is not Saorview certified but has the MPEG4 decoder and I can receive the DTT signals fine. I think to be fully Soarview compatible the set needs to support the new MHEG text format. If you buy it from the shop on the condition that it can pick up the signal then you should be able to return it if you find that it doesn't.

winston_1

moggy68 wrote: »

Hi guys,



I suppose it won't matter until next October when analogue is switched off and I can always add a set top box (or upgrade to satellite!) if it doesn't work but just wondered if any of you "in the know" could give me a definitive answer?


Moggy

You've got a definative answer from someone "in the know", the manufacturer LG, and the answer was "No". Don't you trust them?

The salesman you asked is only interesred in his commision and probably hopes you won't notice the problems.

MPEG 4 does NOT mean Saorview compatibility. If it is a UK set which happens to have an MPEG 4 decoder those problems are likely to be:

Channels placed in the 800's.
Clock permanently stuck on GMT (you won't notice this until next April)
No EBU teletext (a current requirement on the majority of channels)
No VHF tuning on Saorview (not required at the moment but not discounted for the future)
Possible EPG problems.

If it is a European set it probably won't have MHEG 5 but will have EBU teletext.

You are spending a lot on a large screen TV, why not get a compatible one.

bodonnell

have an lg pq6000 which was bought early 2010, didn't check any compatability at the time but picks up saorview channels & has mheg text, ireland is listed as a country choice. This tv is not listed on saorview website as being compatible so my point is the tv u mention may tick all the boxes anyway, maybe u could call into a shop & check if they have one on display & see it working (or not).
Btw channels are not listed in 800's etc

championc

All it needs to do is fail any one item from the original spec and it then won't make the list. Compatibility is a black and white issue in terms of being able to claim it's 100% certified. We all know that Manufacturers will be making sets for the UK market but these then work perfectly for us but the manufacturer, since they have no intention of selling it for this other alternative purpose, may not even submit it for certification.

Take the Panasonic G20B - never intended for these shores but it's a brilliant piece of kit and does everything (and more) that I could have ever asked of it. But Panny will not stand over it one bit if you say you are in the Republic.

When it comes to TV's and electronics companies, they have, for years and year, made UK specific models. So the UK never know anything about what's going on in the rest of the world with regards to TV and anything else for that matter !!! So you are best tontacting an Irish Distributor or else someone somewhere in Europe I reckon.

moggy68

Thanks for the replies guys!

It's not that I dont trust them Winston_1, it's the fact that so many people on forums like these say they can receive Saorview on "non-compatible" sets, which is what the salesman was probably basing his answer on.
Also, how up to date is the list of compatible products on Saorview.ie - not very I'll wager...

I can't find any mention of MHEG 5 online so I guess Bodonnell is right, try one in a shop!

I'm very tempted to buy it anyway as the nearest full HD model which is compatible (well, should be as DSG are selling them!) is the PW450 and the only other difference I can see is that one is 3D (which I'm not bothered about)

The thing is TV is €200 more (€800 now) so would it not make sense to just add a Saorview set top box (or sky) as and when required if the inbuilt tuner doesn't work or am I getting this all wrong?

STB

moggy68 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys!

It's not that I dont trust them Winston_1, it's the fact that so many people on forums like these say they can receive Saorview on "non-compatible" sets, which is what the salesman was probably basing his answer on.
Also, how up to date is the list of compatible products on Saorview.ie - not very I'll wager...

I can't find any mention of MHEG 5 online so I guess Bodonnell is right, try one in a shop!

I'm very tempted to buy it anyway as the nearest full HD model which is compatible (well, should be as DSG are selling them!) is the PW450 and the only other difference I can see is that one is 3D (which I'm not bothered about)

The thing is TV is €200 more (€800 now) so would it not make sense to just add a Saorview set top box (or sky) as and when required if the inbuilt tuner doesn't work or am I getting this all wrong?

As it turns out the TV is fine for Saorview. Infact it is a Freeview HD level profile TV. Yes it has MHEG5 middleware as a result of its Freeview HD profile.

What LG are saying is that it isnt Saorview approved. There are plenty of TVs that arent Saorview approved that are compatible. LG are being overhelpful or overprotective.

In short, it will work. You do not need to add a Saorview box with this TV. The integrated tuner will work perfectly.

bodonnell

moggy68 wrote: »

Hi guys,

I was looking to buy a 50" plasma and found the LG PV350T for €600 from Vmaxx.ie so I checked with them if it was compatible with Saorview and they said yes, as it has MPEG4 it should be fine but LG sent me this reply to the same question;


"The 50PV350T has a MPEG4 tuner but is unfortunately not compatible with Saorview.

Had a look on the saorview.ie website for compatibility and it is not listed.

I hope this has been of some assistance to you .

Please do not hesitate in contacting us again should you require any further advice.

Best Regards,

LG Electronics UK Helpdesk"


I read somewhere that tv's with MPEG4 and DVB-T are Saorview compatible so what makes them "not"? There are no differences in the model no's for Ireland/UK so how do you tell them apart?

I suppose it won't matter until next October when analogue is switched off and I can always add a set top box (or upgrade to satellite!) if it doesn't work but just wondered if any of you "in the know" could give me a definitive answer?

Also, anyone have any comments on the TV? Looks good on paper but anyone actually got one?

Cheers

Moggy

Was in Harvey Norman (Limerick) this am thay have this set for 599e

moggy68

bodonnell wrote: »

Was in Harvey Norman (Limerick) this am thay have this set for 599e

No, it was Vmaxx in Cork. According to HN site they only stock 5 plasmas - all Panny's - do some stores have different/more stock?

Sam Russell

STB wrote: »

As it turns out the TV is fine for Saorview. Infact it is a Freeview HD level profile TV. Yes it has MHEG5 middleware as a result of its Freeview HD profile.

What LG are saying is that it isnt Saorview approved. There are plenty of TVs that arent Saorview approved that are compatible. LG are being overhelpful or overprotective.

In short, it will work. You do not need to add a Saorview box with this TV. The integrated tuner will work perfectly.

The problem with these sets centres round the difference between the UK standard and Saorview - that summertime and the LCNs in the 800s. If they have Country=Ireland this will not cause any problem. Therefore, check the installation menu for country setting.

championc

Sam Russell wrote: »

The problem with these sets centres round the difference between the UK standard and Saorview - that summertime and the LCNs in the 800s. If they have Country=Ireland this will not cause any problem. Therefore, check the installation menu for country setting.

This seems to be a constant argument but from what I have seen from other postings (and with my own Panny), the station numbers on Terrestrial Channels can all be changed. So I set mind from 001 thru 008. It's only Freesat channels that cannot be renumbered.

However, I'm sure that initially numbering the channels in the 800's would make it officially non-compliant.


C

Sam Russell

championc wrote: »

This seems to be a constant argument but from what I have seen from other postings (and with my own Panny), the station numbers on Terrestrial Channels can all be changed. So I set mind from 001 thru 008. It's only Freesat channels that cannot be renumbered.

However, I'm sure that initially numbering the channels in the 800's would make it officially non-compliant.


C

I think it depends on whether the TV has a country code. My TV is an LG one that has Freeview HD, and does not have a country code. It does allow the channel numbers to be set ignoring LCNs, but it does not allow summertime, so during the summer (if we have one) the times on the EPG are all GMT. PITA. However, if I should ever get a signal from Wales or Divis, I may get HD (some chance).

championc

I'd use the EPG quite a lot and thankfully it's perfect. The big surprise to many people would be the fact that I have a Panny !!!

I have a G20B so I have FreeviewHD and FreesatHD. Maybe come 25 Oct 2012 I'll get something on Freeview from Divis. I think it was only for Freesat that I entered a Country code and I selected the UK with a London postcode (to get the London BBC and ITV HD channels)

bodonnell

moggy68 wrote: »

No, it was Vmaxx in Cork. According to HN site they only stock 5 plasmas - all Panny's - do some stores have different/more stock?

This was definitely on display in HN limerick yesterday, 50'' & 42'', think they had discontinued stickers on them

XUnknownX

Hi em just had a look on currys.ie and i found this nice television for my bedroom. LG 22 inch LED display but it says it has " Tuner : Irish digital.. but the others say Saorview approved??! is irish digital like the same? or is what something else i'm not sure ?all i want is to bring home my tv put my Ariel in and tune it in and have my Soarview channels thanks x

winston_1

Don't put Ariel in it, that's washing powder (the capital letter gives it away as well as the spelling). Try an aerial.

Saorview approved means just that, it will work now and in the foreseeable future.

I guess this set is a UK set with an MPEG 4 decoder. It will also have MHEG 5 but i doubt if it will have DVB teletext which is required for some stations for the time being.
Yes it will get pictures but will probably put the channels in the 800's and the clock will be stuck on GMT all year round.

See it working and check these things first. Is Ireland included in the country settings?

The Cush

XUnknownX wrote: »

Hi em just had a look on currys.ie and i found this nice television for my bedroom. LG 22 inch LED display but it says it has " Tuner : Irish digital.. but the others say Saorview approved??! is irish digital like the same? or is what something else i'm not sure ?all i want is to bring home my tv put my Ariel in and tune it in and have my Soarview channels thanks x

Post the full model no., someone here on the boards may have the model and will be able to confirm how it works with Saorview.

My brother purchased a non-approved LG TV last year in Curry's and everything works perfectly with Saorview.

XUnknownX

http://www.currys.ie/Product/LG-M2280D-22andquot-Full-HD-LED-Backlit-TV-Monitor/296340/339.0
i want to have Saorview built in though.

XUnknownX

should i like not get it then because i just want to plug it in and know it will work forever?

The Cush

XUnknownX wrote: »

should i like not get it then because i just want to plug it in and know it will work forever?

The decision to buy or not to buy is up to you, it's your money. If you can, check it out in store before you decide. As it's described a monitor and if you plan to wall mount it check to see if this is possible (not all are).

I'm using a 4 yr old non Saorview approved TV without a problem (except for no digital text but that's not a problem as it's used in a bedroom).

XUnknownX

i dont want to buy a set top box i want to plug and play

watty

Then only buy a Saorview certified model. Plenty of good certified LG sets
All products
http://www.saorview.ie/products-retailers/saorview-approved-product-listings/

LG
http://www.saorview.ie/product/lg/

In France now TVs sold *MUST* meet the spec. Why do we not have such a law?