Digital Tuner - Sony Bravia Trouble

smythc

Hi all,

I have a Sony Bravia LCD KDL-40V4000, it contains (Watch digital TV with the integrated standard definition digital terrestrial tuner (MPEG-2, also receives analogue))

What do i need to be able to view the digital signals so that i can use the TVs own EPG.

Right now I live in Wicklow (Redcross area) and I have Sky HD, i can get no stations without the sky box, not even with plug in aerials.

The Sky Box is connected to the TV via HDMI, I assume this is not enough to let it receive the free to air signals ?

Do I really need to get another dish or a roof aerial ? Is DTT in my area, when its launched surely I wont need another set top box will I as the TV has FreeView built in ?

Basically the least I would like to know if what minimum should I do to be able to get the Sony EPG working ?

Cheers

Colm

watty

It's obsolete. The EPG will never work.
http://www.sony.ie/product/t32-v-series/kdl-40v4000/tab/technicalspecs

"Freeview" is obsolete and doesn't work here at all. Here you need "Freeview HD" or "Saorview" TV or set-box.


The Sky box can only get the UK FTA and Freesat (Satellite) channels. It will never receive Aerial based TV (Saorview), nor Irish Satellite (from June, Saorsat).

http://www.saortv.info/about/faq/

"Freeview" is only MPEG2 video.
Saorview is only MPEG4 video.
"Freeview HD" does DVB-T and DVB-T2, also MPEG4 and MPEG2 for UK HD and backward compatibility to receive "Freeview" channels. Thus "Freeview HD" TVs and set-boxes do work on Irish Digital Terrestrial (Digital via Aerial), Saorview.

smythc

well thats a pain in the hole, ok, forget the EPG, how can i just get the stations, will i still need a saorview box ? by the sounds of it yes ?

watty wrote: »

It's obsolete. The EPG will never work.
http://www.sony.ie/product/t32-v-series/kdl-40v4000/tab/technicalspecs

"Freeview" is obsolete and doesn't work here at all. Here you need "Freeview HD" or "Saorview" TV or set-box.


The Sky box can only get the UK FTA and Freesat (Satellite) channels. It will never receive Aerial based TV (Saorview), nor Irish Satellite (from June, Saorsat).

http://www.saortv.info/about/faq/

"Freeview" is only MPEG2 video.
Saorview is only MPEG4 video.
"Freeview HD" does DVB-T and DVB-T2, also MPEG4 and MPEG2 for UK HD and backward compatibility to receive "Freeview" channels. Thus "Freeview HD" TVs and set-boxes do work on Irish Digital Terrestrial (Digital via Aerial), Saorview.

fat-tony

smythc wrote: »

well thats a pain in the hole, ok, forget the EPG, how can i just get the stations, will i still need a saorview box ? by the sounds of it yes ?

Your TV has a tuner/decoder for MPEG-2 only. Saorview is MPEG-4 so you will need either a compatible TV (check the list in the stickies) or a Saorview compatible box. You might get the radio channels while they are using MP2 for sound compression, but once they migrate to AAC compression you might lose those also. Saorview compliant is the way to go.

smythc

fat-tony wrote: »

Your TV has a tuner/decoder for MPEG-2 only. Saorview is MPEG-4 so you will need either a compatible TV (check the list in the stickies) or a Saorview compatible box. You might get the radio channels while they are using MP2 for sound compression, but once they migrate to AAC compression you might lose those also. Saorview compliant is the way to go.

such a shame RTE sre not supporting the mp2 format

fat-tony

Sorry for the acronyms. MP2 is actually MPEG-1 Layer 2, which is used for compressing sound. RTENL are actually using this at the moment for audio, but the specification calls for AAC to be supported also. AAC is part of MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 and is a more efficient compression method, which allows for higher quality at a lower bit-rate, or more likely, will allow more channels to be crammed in to the available space.
Video is compressed on Saorview using MPEG-4. There was some testing a number of years ago using MPEG-2, but MPEG-4 was chosen for the service and specs were published over two years ago and testing has been going on with MPEG-4 since about Aug 2008.

Sam Russell

Do not buy a new TV, wait and get a decent STB that includes PVR function.

I have a Sony Bravia KDL40S3000 which is MPEG2. I added a STB and am astonished at the picture quality. TV was destined for the recycle yard (oe ebay) but this new box has transformed it. Have not been able to try the PVR yet but am delighted with the current setup.

I have a Humax Foxsat PVR and this complements it brilliantly.

There is nothing wrong with the Bravia that a good STB will not put right.

smythc

Sam Russell wrote: »

Do not buy a new TV, wait and get a decent STB that includes PVR function.

I have a Sony Bravia KDL40S3000 which is MPEG2. I added a STB and am astonished at the picture quality. TV was destined for the recycle yard (oe ebay) but this new box has transformed it. Have not been able to try the PVR yet but am delighted with the current setup.

I have a Humax Foxsat PVR and this complements it brilliantly.

There is nothing wrong with the Bravia that a good STB will not put right.

Dont worry, no intention of buying a new set, this one is brilliant and picture is great. I also have no intention of getting rid of Sky but it would be nice to have other stations no on the Sky box, for example if i am recording two programs but want to watch something live on Rte etc.

ill take a look at the humax, read a bit on that before, was also considering Boxee but not enough services for Ireland as yet.

Thanks all

fat-tony

Are you running the SKY HD box without a subscription? If you have a sub already, then you're only missing the News Now channel, plus a couple of niche radio channels. I, myself, use a Freesat receiver plus an Mvision DTT box. I'm waiting until mid 2011 before I decide which way I'll go to provide recording facilities on DTT. A Freesat/Saorsat combined PVR would be great, but I'm not expecting one of those to come along anytime soon - if at all!

In the redcross area,if you can see Arklow,you should be able to get perfect freeviewhd from the presely wales transmitter and saorview from the arklow transmitter with the right aerial combination and pvr.
A group B unix 100 and a contract group A would do the trick.

The_B_Man

I have this same TV and just checked it with Saorview. You can get the radio channels, and it picks up the saorview channels....but with no video. Just the audio!

The Cush

The_B_Man wrote: »

I have this same TV and just checked it with Saorview. You can get the radio channels, and it picks up the saorview channels....but with no video. Just the audio!

MPEG-4 video decoder required for the Saorview channels, your TV's video decoder is only MPEG-2. STB required to receive the Saorview channels with that TV.

fat-tony

The_B_Man wrote: »

I have this same TV and just checked it with Saorview. You can get the radio channels, and it picks up the saorview channels....but with no video. Just the audio!

Sam (see above) has decoders for sale for €50 which will plug in to your TV to allow Saorview reception and will also record to attached USB stick or powered disk drive.

Sam Russell

fat-tony wrote: »

Sam (see above) has decoders for sale for €50 which will plug in to your TV to allow Saorview reception and will also record to attached USB stick or powered disk drive.

In fact it was to solve the problem with my Sony Bravia that I brought them in originally, and it was because they worked so well, that I got some extra ones.

If you want one, send me a PM or see my advert on http://www.adverts.ie/540407

MACHEAD

smythc wrote: »

such a shame RTE sre not supporting the mp2 format

They used to, or at least they were on the old MPEG2 'Test' platform. But technology has moved on from those days. MPEG2 is for an upcoming episode of 'Reeling In The Years' now! Of course it's still in use up here (in the North), but MPEG4 is being rolled out up here also.

fat-tony

MACHEAD wrote: »

They used to, or at least they were on the old MPEG2 'Test' platform. But technology has moved on from those days. MPEG2 is for an upcoming episode of 'Reeling In The Years' now! Of course it's still in use up here (in the North), but MPEG4 is being rolled out up here also.

Covered in post #6 above.

MACHEAD

fat-tony wrote: »

Covered in post #6 above.

Well technically, yes. One could say, very very technically, yes. But satirically as in post #15.....eh.....no!

implausible

I'm living in East Donegal and have a Sony Bravia KDL32S3000 with a Freeview tuner. At the moment, we get our channels via an arial and Lidl free-to-air box. Obviously, I'm going to have to get a Saorview compatible box and I have no notion of replacing this tv.

My question is - should I get a saorview/freesat combi box and replace the Lidl one or just get a saorview box and hang onto the Lidl one until Freeview is enabled over the hill (I can get okay analogue BBC at present through a very crappy arial)? Is there any advantage of Freesat over Free-to-air other than the 7 day epg?

Sam Russell

I have a Sony Bravia 40S3000 and find the Lidl box fine with one of my STB. The advantage of the Lidl is that I can switch from Sat to STB by pressing the TV/SAT red button on the top LHS. It works a treat. As the two remotes are laid out in a similar way, it is very easy to use them both. Also I do not use the TV remote at all. I also have a Humax on the other TV that is not a easy to use, but it is very good all the same. For a 32 inch TV, the HD is not really important.